It came to a another time in life where I wake up and realise that Oh, ok, it’s time for a new chapter in life to begin, and I better get my arse off bed or suffer the consequences of missing my train. The difference with this time around, I didn’t feel the usual accompanying excitement that normally gouges out your guts with excitement and anticipation just by thinking of it. There weren’t any euphoria, or new-environment anxiety, or even a sense of fulfilment. Oh, well, there IS a sense of fulfilment, only not as much as one would hope, and one does hope for something more of a Swiss Bank rather than a pink piggy with a hole at the bottom.

Perhaps it is due to the fact that I barely had a month’s worth of a break before transitioning into University. Or perhaps it’s because I’m starting to feel the drag of the studying life, the humdrum monotony and expected expectations that spells itself with B-O-R-I-N-G. University, it seems, feels nothing more than doing the same thing at a different place, which isn’t entirely different either.

But still, I’m flipping into the next chapter of a very long book, and yeah, maybe every chapter doesn’t differ or divert itself from this cycle of repetition, but it moves the story anyhow, and I guess I can only wait to see what happens at the end of it.

And thus, Chapter 20 of the Book of HafutotaJE (the melancholic walrus in disguise of a Chinese guy with boring hair) begins with the word appellation.

Word of the Day for Monday, May 28, 2007

appellation \ap-uh-LAY-shun\, noun:

1. The word by which a particular person or thing is called and known; name; title; designation.
2. The act of naming.

So, under definition 1: the appellation of the first day in Chapter 20 is: Crappiest Weather Ever in the Histories of First Days.

And nothing quite like waking into a drizzle, getting whipped by some nasty wind while waiting for the train, got stuck at university because of impending rain and having to run to the car in Croc shoes under a thunderstorm and getting my socks soaked.

It wasn’t even technically the first day, as there were no classes on May the 28^th, but I’ll just deem it as it is.

Day 2 begins with the word fecund, which was nowhere near describing the state of mental numbness I was in, thanks to insufficient sleep and a night spent helping brother prepare for his examinations, in which I serve in helping him memorise every damn thing in his notes, as well as being something for him to punch in frustration (worry not, I’m well padded) (and yes, this is merely a fictional depiction with mild slanderous intentions).

I rode to college with John Austin, Karl Marx and Hart mumbling the various points of their theories into my head, and occasionally having a squabble over a piece of macaroni and cheese.

So much for the hopes of trying to make top student at UTAR, I found myself drifting off during the first lecture, held in a hall that resembled a tuition class I attended years ago and equally as successful in channelling good studying environment with the best of desks and chairs. Mich was so quickly adapting to the change in environment that it left me to wondering why she had been so direly worried about university. Sure, she stills (loudly) rants out the many flaws of our new but somewhat deplorable institution, but on the whole, she’s getting herself accustomed to it quicker than a parasitic virus.

I, on the other hand, felt like I was in college, attending the same lectures and groaning at the same reasons. With the absence of many a friends.

There was what Amanda describes as “a break you’ve been waiting for… small, but a break nonetheless…” when I got unwittingly and rather suddenly elected as the class representative for Journalism Year 2 sem 1 students (just for walking to the lecturers for some enquiries). Now I’m responsible for seeing over the lecture notes of 3 individuals, myself included, and make sure that I photocopy very immaculate and complete sets of notes for them. A break indeed.

It is merely Day 2, or Day 1 in technicality, and I’m feeling bored and tired already.

I can just hope Day 3 would be more of an improvement, and to make sure of that, I’ll be settling to sleep earlier tonight and be rid of this aggravating sleepiness.

Goodnight People.

A Spot of Indecision.

The UTAR offer letter came today, through courier and all, in a white envelope that was a little crumpled at the edge when I first saw it (it also came with a considerable amount of nagging from dad who, quite by his right, is proud to the first receiver of the letter and also aggravated with the fact that he had to sign for it and I didn’t, because I was asleep).

I wasted no time ripping it open (under an imaginary ceremonious musical score). Found out that I have to pay a fee deposit of RM500 by Saturday, quite manageable, and altogether with the Degree 2^nd year subjects I have to take, I’ll also be taking two extra subjects from year one (one LAN paper, one Interpersonal Communication). Things are looking good, and classes commence next Monday, so I’m having my break cut short.

Anyhow, through an accompanying schedule included with the offer letter and Ling’s impeccably timed sms, I learned that the orientation is tomorrow.

And I couldn’t, for the love of sugar, spice and everything nice, decide whether I should go or not.

I have no doubt that orientation is more prominent than any other thing I had planned for tomorrow (Ps2, Good Omens, Stephen Chow movie collection, Gone With the Wind and activities befitting a true and honourable couch tuber-plant), but I’m quick to remember that orientations never really do sit well with me. For one; I never listen to speeches. For two; my ability to absorb, understand and remember things are similar to that of a sleep-deprived puffer-fish. For three; I have the Thursday and Friday planned with outings, which means I have to be financially cautious if I am to go.

8 hours later and after several unbeneficial conclusions later, I was indecisive enough to decide that I didn’t need to decide at all, and just choose to sleep it over and wake up, drink some tea (with advertised metathepahnine or something) and then rough out my options and evaluation, and hopefully by the time I’m done the orientation is over by 3 months and I’m already taking my exams.

So I took it to my family members, to help me decide.

Being rationally the safest bet, I brought it to mom first.

“Mom, I can’t decide whether or not I should attend the UNI orientation,” I said, and gave her my reasons and excuses.

“Well, if it’s important, then you should go. If it’s not important, don’t go. So if you feel like going, just go, don’t worry, but of course, only if you feel like going. But maybe you should go, you know, though if you don’t want to then you can just stay at home. But it’s an orientation, right? I thought you have to attend that. It’s optional? Then don’t go la. But you go it’s good, because it’s orientation. But only if you feel like going.”

Feeling that nothing was actually solved, I moved to my brother.

“Orientation?” he said, pushing up his glasses. “It’s stupid. There’s nothing in orientations. You go there and you listen to the stupid principals giving stupid speeches, and the stuff they organise there are crap. I’ve been part of the organising committee for, like, what? 6 orientation activities and they’re all crap. You only go to orientation if you want to meet chicks; there’re a lot of chicks in orientation.”

Yeah, chicks. One more reason for me to attend orientation; the ultimate chance to meet someone cute and petit, with dazzling eyes behind her glasses and an adorably shy demeanour. Oh, and pony-tailed hair. What’re the chances?

Sensing that I’m dangerously hovering back to severe indecisiveness, I took a plunge of courage and took it to my dad.

“Orientation? Didn’t you say you didn’t want to go?” he said, and without waiting for an answer, returned to his Heroes, Episode 4 (DVD collection set)

I thought it better than to bother him any longer and retreated to my room.

Without a decision.

So I did the unthinkable; the lame; the ridiculous:

I flipped a coin.

Got heads.

IMed Ling on MSN and told her that I’m going. I told her I’ll be meeting her at the station tomorrow.

Problem solved. I even have time to blog about it.

I was, in greater intention, blogging about a heap of things regarding the weeks prior to this, but currently my thoughts of those (accumulated in good measure) seems to be avoiding me like a very stubborn trout. And like stubborn trout would inflict to unwary fishermen, my exasperation is doubled up with everything synonymous to I’m-Pissed, so I guess I’ll tackle something different tonight.

And different would be Pei Ling’s tag; one that I haven’t come around to do (misled by my befuddling memory).

Let’s see… the question is;

People who are tagged should write a blogpost of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1) I’m a lazy gamer.

Who’d thought one can be lazy at gaming as well? But that’s what I am. When I game I tend to dive right into it without checking out certain things first, the controls in particular, and I prefer to learn them as I go. If you know RPGs and the whole mess of menus, lists and skill branches (all that in-depth jazz), I never really bother to check them out thoroughly. Side quests, explorations and more cumbersome but quite unnecessary optional tasks are kept at the minimal side, and I play them only if I feel like it or if there’s a prominent need for it (getting the most powerful weapon, etc).

2) I sometimes narrate things as I go.

This is more sick (psychotic, crazy, nutmeg, Chihuahua, demented) than weird, to be honest. It’s an innate thing which has developed over the years of reading and writing; sometimes when I was walking or tending to something, I narrate in my mind. I do that in different POVs, I try and describe things, and whatever thoughts, notes or lines I make I remember, and one fine day everything will go onto a piece of paper. Upside to this; I do occasionally snag a good, literarily competent line. Downside; I can be too engrossed in it that I lose tracks of many a thing.

3) I remember and think best by walking back and forth.

The best way to realign my thoughts, memorise my material and plan out whatever I’m planning. I avoid doing this in the house, unless everyone’s asleep, and until then I would prowl the garden or wander around my kitchen. My mom would think I’ve gone spastic.

4) I plan stories whenever possible.

While sleeping, or slouching on the train, or during an immensely dull class (whatever moment in which I don’t have to worry about other things). Trouble with this is that I often just repeat a segment of that story and work on it, and never have I actually completed a story in one daydream. Sometimes the stories don’t even have words at all. Just pictures.

5) I cannot stop myself from reading the ending of a book.

Even when I just started or haven’t completed it. Halfway through a particular boring chapter, or when I’ve gotten bored, I’ll flip to the last page and read the last sentence (or word). Sometimes it spoils the story. Sometimes it does nothing but make me shrug and continue reading from where I left off. Once, it made me return a book to my cousin sis after only 2 chapters because it told me everything. It’s unhealthy reading, but it’s something I can’t resist.

6) I like climbing things.

If only I’m not physically incapable… anyhow, I climb trees, hills, scalable cliffs (nothing death defying) and rocky paths. I don’t enjoy stairs. I do, however, like ladders. And games with a lot of climbing around (Prince of Persia, Shadow of the Colossus) are my adoration.

And something my brother saw fit to say;

7) I live in my own fantasy world.

Or so my brother believes. He thinks I have my own Ivalice, my backyard is Terabithia and my room is Tatooine (or Lyra’s Oxford, depending on my mood). My ruler is the Blade of Alacrity, my notepad the Shield of Dendyn and my hand phone, whatever model, can the turned into the GPX99095 intergalactic dimension transmitter (capable of homing into any communication signal within a 17 plate dimension cluster and hijacking any communication line. It also comes as a 16G Mp3 player and a Wasabi dispenser). My bed, when I go to sleep on, becomes a moving castle powered by a flame demon, and it will traverse across every land and time and space that I want to. And I have Shinigami powers. How cool is that?

And I tag everyone listed on my link list, with the exception of those who has done this particular tag.

And if you’re not tagged and somewhat interested in doing this tag, please, by all means, be my guest.

Anyhow, it's time i scoot off to bed... i have to give the dogs a bath tomorrow.

Goodnight people

I keep telling myself – over the past few weeks – that if I don’t start blogging again I’ll never be able to forgive myself for breaking an oath I made, rather hurriedly (but with every ounce of conviction), to a dear friend. And it was, seemingly, an oath that would’ve been broken and shattered twice over with a sledgehammer and a block of cement, but I intend to keep that promise; so here I am, my dear friend, and stop harassing me to update. It’s starting to get annoying =P

The previous blog template is starting to get depressingly dull, so I changed it to Scribe for them time being while I prowl the net in search of something brighter and cheerier. Or, if I’m conveniently denied of one, perhaps I might just keep this one a little longer.

Anyhow, this will just be a short update. I’m currently too distracted to type anything more than a few paragraphs of nonsense, because I typing a bunch of nonsense to a bunch of other people (who, apparently, couldn’t take my nonsense anymore and starts giving me a few of their nonsense). And as nonsensical as this may sound, it’s purely and utterly nonsense, so ignore me if you may.

To make this as brief and as comprehensible as possible, I’ll just highlight the important stuff that happened over the past few weeks;

1) My exams were finally over… a week ago.

2) Said exams were my final exams in my Diploma course.

3) Which technically means that I’ve just completed my Diploma studies.

4) And I’ll be sending in my application to UTAR this coming Friday (horrendously late). (Ok not exactly something that has happened).

5) Had a nice farewell dinner with the class after the exams.

6) I wrote my first fantasy short story that didn’t stay somewhere in my laptop collecting digital dust, which is later submitted as my Creative Writing assignment short story titled Madea.

7) The English creative writing class compiled their short stories into an anthology, which is titled Magnum Opus (following Amanda’s short story title of the same name).

8) I’ve taken to drawing Oekaki whenever I chat online. I suck in it, but it can be somewhat fun.

9) Erm…

10) Erm….. ah…

11) Wait that didn’t count.

12) I

13) Haven’t

14) Watched

15) Spider-man

16) 3

17) I’ve gotten fatter.

That’s about it, I guess.

I’ll be updating in more details in the coming days, but I guess tonight was just a tad hectic. And I’m itching to post something new in Monochrome Smogs.

And so, to end this lamely;

Goodnight People.