Randomness

I promised to show a shot of my desk in my hostel, and here it is xD Don't be surprised, and guys, there' s a tip for you if you want to marry neat, careful girls (and I certainly do not fit into that category) - ask for a candid shot of their desktops ^_^

Yay, I'm back in Penang for the weekend, after which TESL Cohort 2, Cycle 3 needs to go for the English Camp in IPSAH ^_^

Something I learned from half-organising the event Reaching for the Stars is that you need to choose your committee members very carefully - or maybe I trust my friends too much O_O If not for the other half of committee members chosen by my helpful co-president a.k.a secretary, the event would be a real disaster.

Ok, I'm an incapable president surrounded by extra-capable people who help me =D That's pretty lucky of me, ne?

Practical Things To Do With A Uni Essay‏ (Celaka betul XD )

I saw this on Rotten Apple's page - sounds really nice to do =D I shall blog about my experience if I eventually do some of these things out of boredom or stress, haha. Copied and pasted from Soo Peng's blog =D There, I stated my source, no plagiarism ^_^

1. Type every word of your essay in a different font. Alternate really big fonts with really small fonts.(it's still easy to see, lol)
2. Support your thesis with quotes from your VCR manual.(It's still a secondary source, right? =D)
3. Write the entire assignment on Post-it notes; hand it in by sticking them all over the professor's door.(Well, I'm sure the professor will love this, especially if all 52 of us do it >3)
4. Write a paper discussing why Michelangelo got to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but Van Gogh didn't. Discuss whether Van Gogh would have used nunchakus or katanas.(no, he used poison darts)
5. Perfume the paper with catnip. Explain that it was to keep your dog from eating it.(cool-.-)
6. If assigned a paper in philosophy class, explain that you can't do the paper because you're not sure if the class really exists, or if it and the professor are just illusions created by your subconscious. If you do end up writing the paper, write about whether or not the paper actually exists.(think whether the professor exists too...)
7. If assigned a 2000-word essay, draw two pictures of what the paper was supposed to be about. After all, a picture is worth 1000 words, right?(Gonna do that for my Moral assignment - 1500 words - one and a half pictures)
8. Cite issues of Spiderman and Batman as resources in your bibliography.(especially why Batman wears his underwear over his head :o)
9. Hand in the essay by making paper airplanes out of the pages of the paper and attempting to fly them onto the professor's desk.(Hey sir, CATCH!)
10. The night before the paper is due, call the professor and explain that you can't turn your paper in because it contains sensitive military information and is only available on a "need to know" basis. Insist that General Schwarzkopf says you should get an 'A'.(-.- who is that? LOL)
11. Write your history paper on parchment, using a quill. Say that you were trying to get the feel for the period.(makes sense)
12. Hand in a letter you wrote to your cousin. When the teacher confronts you about it, say that you must have gotten the letter and the paper mixed up. Say that you'll turn the paper in as soon as you get it back, but your cousin lives in Siberia, so it might take a while. (This is a nifty way to get an extension.)(doesn't work - you will have a soft copy in your disk drive)
13. When writing an especially long paper, put a recipe for chocolate cake in the middle and see if the professor notices.(I might try that when I'm writing a thesis :p)
14. Tell the professor that you need an extension because one of your primary sources is an old wise man in Tibet and he won't see you until the next full moon.(Who?)
15. Paint a large white stripe down the front of your paper. Say that on the way to class, your dropped it in the street and it got run over by one of those trucks that paint lines on the road.(-.-)
16. Make a footprint on the back of one of the pages. When questioned by the professor, act like it's nothing unusual. After all, he did tell you to include footnotes.(YESH!)
17. Bring candles and incense to class. Before handing in the paper, perform an elaborate ceremony, entreating the gods to bless the paper and correct all your typos.(Please, somebody, do that :D)
18. Make a tape of you singing the contents of your paper, opera-style, and hand that in.(Lala-envi~~~ronment!!!)
19. Write your psychology essay on possible genetic anomalies that might cause a person to prefer anchovies.(hmm)
20. TTyyppee eevveerryy lleetttteerr ttwwiiccee..(easy~)
21. Get a large piece of paper or canvas. Smear paint all over it and hand it in as your paper. Explain that the topic was such an emotional one for you, and that mere words couldn't possibly express what you had to say.(Remember to wet the paper before handing in - say that it's your tears)
22. Refuse to do the paper on account of the fact that you are a member of Greenpeace and strongly object to the gratuitous slaughter of trees caused by the massive amount of paper used in writing assignments.(Do you hear that, Mr Moorthy?)
23. Put nonsense words down as quotes. Say that you are quoting the words of a well-known Zen master who was speaking in tongues at the time.(sdafjghowegcansguhwhaadksjusvnud)
24. Use a forklift to bring your paper to class, even if it's only a few pages. Explain that it involved some very heavy reading.(yes, think of how many encyclopedias and dictionaries we have to refer to)
25. Poke several holes in the paper. Say that you were mobbed by crows on the way to class.(*agrees with SP - porcupine la XD)
26. Print all the pages on one sheet of paper, with the text overlapping. Say that that was all the paper you had.(Will do that one day)
27. Make your assignment one long, neverending sentence that goes on for pages and pages and pages; use alot of semi-colons, commas, and other interesting, rarely-used punctuation marks [(for example), an interesting one: the colon_] but never ever end the sentence {[_-\|/??!]}.(LOL don'tputspaceinbetweenisevenbetter)
28. On the day the paper is due, skip into class, waving your essay and screaming, "I have a paper! I have a paper!". Run around the class a few times, then joyfully throw it out the window. Laugh and yell, "There's my paper!", then run outside to get it. Repeat this all through the period, or until the prof throws you out.(planning to do that too :D)
29. Come to class leading a horse or camel. When asked to turn in the paper, take it out of one of the saddlebags, then shoot the horse/camel/whatever away. Refuse to discuss it.(?)
30. Draw obscure connections between totally unrelated things. For example, claim that abnormal amounts of neutrino activity in Germany caused Hitler to invade France, or that the Roman empire collapsed because of a shortage of qualified botanists.(err...)
31. Refer to all prominant historical figures by nicknames. For example, call George Washington "Georgie". Call Ben Franklin "Sparky".(obama my babie XD - sam will love this ^^)
32. Pwetend you have a speech impediment and awways type w's whenevew you weawwy want to type r's ow l's.(D= this is harder than typing normally)
33. Ol, switch alound arr the l's and r's in youl papel, rike Monty Python did in Queen Erizabeth the Thild.(hard too)
34. When your prof asks for an outline of your paper, draw the outline of the piece of paper you typed it on and hand it in.(I Will DO THIS)
35. Spill a martini on your sociology paper. Say that you wrote it in a bar so that you could see "sociology in action".(smells of alcohol :3)

Tired

I'm not supposed to be tired...particularly when I'm not burdened with any more assignments except for Moral. Still, assignments are not everything when one is in college. Sometimes, when you are not enthusiastic enough, these kind of activities simply seeps the life force out of you. Take English Camp, for example. Although it's going to be in two weeks' time, it has already affected our lives - some of us have to prepare for choral speaking (thankfully I withdrew from it), forum (too bad, I'm in) and public speaking. There's also skits, but since it's impromptu, it doesn't warrant any sweat over it just yet. People are starting to get stressed, yell at each other, put on long faces and walk around like zombies, mostly because of the preparation efforts >_>

What's more, the event I was supposed to be organising, i.e. Reaching for the Stars clashes with the English Camp, and I'm forced to go to the latter O_O Thankfully I got someone to replace my position *sighs*

On a positive note, I will be going back to Penang this weekend, have already bought the tickets and am looking forward to three days of bliss before the Kedah one-week torture. Prepare to receive me!!! Rotten Apple~~~!!! <3<3<3

Reflection

Once something is done, it's impossible to undo it...the only thing I can do is to patch it, rectify it, but not make it disappear.

Once someone is wounded, you can put medicine on it, make it heal, but there will be scars.

Once you say something that hurts, even if you forget, the person still remembers...and there's a tiny rift that exists forever...

When you are hurt, remember that someone out there might be equally sad that they accidentally did something to hurt you.

When you are angry, remember that someone out there might be regretting at that very moment that their actions made you mad.

Whenever you do anything, please think of the consequences that it might bring, not only to yourself but also to the people around you...

When you are angry at someone because of what they did not or forgot to do, think of the things that they did willingly before...

Is it worth it to throw everything you have done together before, everything experience you had together, the fun, the joy, the sweats... all down the drain just because of one small incident?

I feel better after writing this...slightly, somehow :)

My Favourite Bus Company + Romance Novels

Well, you might not see the connection between bus companies and romantic novels...that's because...they don't have anything to do with each other =D

Last Thursday, for the first time in my life, I tried riding a bus Konsortium Transport Berhad from Kuala Lumpur to Penang. Once I got down at the Sungai Nibong terminal, I swore never to ride any bus except for those from Plusliner or Nice any more. There are a few valid reasons for this.

Firstly, I went to the bus station with Diyana, from the French course. At the station, there are a lot of bus companies available, each with different departure times. We arrived there at 1.30, expecting to catch a bus immediately. However, the only bus available was destined at Butterworth, not Penang =( Kind Diyana agreed to wait for another bus which goes to both Penang AND Butterworth, which the ticket-seller promised will arrive at 2.45pm. We went to the nearest stall, grabbed something to eat and drink, and waited patiently. Once we saw a bus arriving at the terminal, we were quite ready to hop onto it, but nobody called for the passengers to Penang. At last, the guy came to me and said, 'Get on this bus, it's to Penang.' and we asked him, 'Isn't there a bus to both Penang and Butterworth?' and he just gave the negative >_>

That was just before we boarded the bus o_O Though I have to agree that the seats are really comfortable, the bus being a three-seater, and the air-conditioner is cold enough too. However, the bus went reeeeaaaally fast on the highway - I'm betting somewhere between 130 to 150 km/h. I'm normally not a paranoid person, but I found myself praying that the bus driver is sane and conscious about his surroundings when he's driving O_O What the ticket-seller didn't tell me was that the bus will also drop passengers in Ipoh, Butterworth and goodness knows how many places along the way. So, in Perak, the bus navigated out of the highway, wasting a lot of time. Worse still, the bus driver might have lost his way, because he went almost around the whole of Butterworth and Perai without stopping to drop any passengers >_> That was also why a journey which would have taken 4 1/2 hours with Plusliner became 5 1/4 hours with Konsortium.

Yeah, enough with the negative stuff ^_^" Now, I'm going to blog about romance novels. In case you are a *ahem* scientific person who does not believe in love and has never come near a five-mile radius of a romance novel before, I shall tell you that romance novels might be a huge turn-off for you, since the hero and the heroine invariably end up together through a series of complicated events =)

So far, I have identified a few authors whose novels I lap up like hungry dogs lapping up leftovers.

1) Nora Roberts: Until now, I cannot count how many novels I have read of hers. Usually, her novels are not that sugary-sweet romantic that you have indigestion reading it, but they depict hard-headed, strong heroines with an equally macho, stubborn man for the hero. And they take time to get together, but of course, you know that they will get together in the end. And I just love the 'In Death' series she wrote for Eve and Roarke, the former being an abused-orphan-turned-cop, and the latter being a pickpocket-cum-hacker-turned-multi-billionaire ^>^ Since they are married, there's nothing that resembles a frustrating love triangle in the books, and the plot is really good. (Actually, 'In Death' is more about solving mysteries, but the romance between Eve and Roarke is a nice touch)

Nora Roberts is good at writing fantasy-type romance too, especially when it has something to do with curses, legends, magic and stuff from Ireland. Just lovely.

2) Judith McNaught: People might complain her novels being a little too sweet and cliche, but she's quite a good read all the same. She deals well with stories from the 17th century in my opinion, with all the dukes, marquesses, barons and kings. I won't seek to buy her books, but I won't turn down the offer to read them either ^_^ I recommend 'Perfect', which is set in contemporary times, but not so honeyfied, and it might contain some tear-jerkers too~

3) Jude Deveraux: Now, she's another favourite author of mine, having a distinct style of writing. Like McNaught, she is good at writing about ancient romance, though she is equally good at contemporary romance too. Among the books that left a strong impression on me were Legend, The Taming, A Knight in Shining Armour and many more. Some of her books are so poignant that I felt really sad when the hero/heroine lost something dear to him/her.

Last but not least, I present Sidney Sheldon as a magnificent writer of all times. Of course, there's romance in his novels, *note the word his*, but they also deal with a mixture of genres such as mystery, thriller, revenge and all those stuff you see in America. Not only the types of characters are varied (i.e.: you don't see only handsome, macho men and beautiful, gentle women who faints over the sight of blood), but you see a complicated plot weaving all the characters together, normally in a web of deceit and manipulation. Also, not all his endings are happy endings, as opposed to the female writers mentioned above. In conclusion, Sheldon keeps his novel close to realism, focusing more on humans' true nature, while the other three usually concentrate on the good side of human nature, creating an illusion that love always prevails over evil, desires and all those along this line ^_^

Still, between a Nora Roberts book and a Sidney Sheldon one, it's kinda hard to decide =) Probably it depends on my mood - whether I'm looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses or I feel sceptical and cynical towards everyone and everything around me.

Oh, I forgot to mention that anything by Nora Roberts involving Ireland is a must-read, and after you read it, you will feel a strong urge to go to the country and experience all the bliss, beauty and peace there ^_^

Randomness

Sports Day is finally over, or more accurately, was ^_^ I was in Red House, which got the 4th place out of 4 houses, lol. I don't really care anyway - I'm not really a sports person xD Anyway, I think we were almost 100 points behind Blue House, which came in third ^^ and Mr Azhar was busy laughing away despite his house losing to Green and Yellow >_<

Anyway, I remember one trip to MidValley, with Jasmon and Syahril (lolipedohentaiotaku), in which we ate Carl's Jr. Burger. OMG! The burger is sooooo big, fluffy and yummy that McDonald's simply can't compete. Warning though, you must have a great appetite if you are planning to order a set, or else you can't even finish your burger >3

The fries are fat, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and best of all, THEY SHOW SOME SKIN < 3333 And like Burger King, the drinks are refillable, although Carl's Jr has more variety, including iced tea and Arabic coffee in addition to all the carbonated drinks and Season's ice lemon tea.

Well, I ordered a medium set of Famous Star (or something along those lines), which cost me around RM19. I know, pretty expensive for a burger set, right? Still, I assure you that it's worth every penny, or rather, every cent. If you have watched 'Harold and Kumar go to White Castle', you would get what I mean =)

Oh yeah, I still owe Misao a photo of the desk at my hostel >3 This week's gonna be busy again:
- Preparation for English Camp's Forum - my topic is Preserving the environment: Law vs Education, and I'm speaking as a Forest Ranger
- Preparation for English Camp's public speaking - the theme is education, and I need to come out with my own script...any suggestions?
- Choral Speaking script, that is, if evilness does not take over ^_^

You might wonder why I list my tasks here...that's because I'm really scattered-brained sometimes, and I might be able to remember it better if I see it on my blog.

When I get back to the hostel tomorrow, and if there's a decent internet connection, I might blog about romance novels <3 Till then~

A Good Sleep Makes a Good Day

Look at the title. It is 100%, at least in my context. Being a bear who needs at least 8 hours of sleep every day, I find my time on the bed very important. And, especially after I came to IPBA, my bed was seriously lacking in warmth - A flattened pillow, a thin blanket and a Shakugan no Shana small square pillow were the only things constituting the sparse decorations my bed has. After a while, I imported Mipple (Yes, the name's MIPPLE) from home, and it adds a little cheerfulness. But just a little.

Finally, yesterday, I took the big step - another pillow and a bolster. For those who don't know what bolsters are for, let me list some of the functions:
- slam people
- decorate your bed
- disguise as a sleeping person
- keep your bed warmer

But most importantly, a bolster is for you to hug. Scientists have proved that since infancy, the action of hugging and other physical contact between the mother and the baby is extremely essential. Not to mention that some people are still unwilling to part with the bolsters from their childhood *ahem* =D

And this is precisely why I could sleep better with a bolster, which cost me RM 13.90, while the new fluffy pillow was RM 10. All together, RM 23.90 is worth it for a year and a few months' worth of good sleep. The next day, although I ended up with a sore throat and a fever (probably because of the kfc), my mood remained quite hyper for the whole day.

With this, I rest my case. For those insomniac people, my advice is to get a big, soft, fluffy bolster, and you will find yourself craving for sleep every day =D

*More things in my never-ending to-do list*
- After mysterious circumstances, I find myself the assistant to Yusri, the organiser of the IPBA English Week Concert. It means more work, especially when I already have to run the Evening of Music.
- In that concert, I'm second-in-charge of the whole running, meaning if Yusri got kidnapped by aliens or fall down the stairs while strolling *touchwood*, I'm supposed to handle everything. Besides, I'm also in charge of the last item on the itinerary, which is sing-along sessions with a big group leading the singing on stage.
- I also agreed to be part of the committee for Voice of IPBA, our college's editorial board. Maybe I will just take the job of designing the layout and cover, since I don't think people around me are familiar with computer graphics...especially when the main population in the college studies Teaching English as a Second Language ^_^"

College life is really...fun. Er. Yes, I'm lying.

Sumomomo Momomo! <3

*If you are planning to watch this anime, stop reading in case of spoilers*

This anime is superbly crazy, or crazily superb, depends on how you look at it. I mean, just look at the title - how hard it is to pronounce it xD

Well, here's a brief synopsis for starters:
Kuzuryuu Momoko of the Dragon clan is a girl, who trains really hard in martial arts so that she can be the strongest. However, her father told her that because she's a female, she cannot be the strongest martial artist. Then, the father told her to go and search for Inuzuka Koushi of the Dog clan, marry him and produce the strongest offspring together.

Actually, the Koushi and Momoko families are the leaders of the East and West branches of martial artists respectively. The two branches are always at odds with each other, and the fathers hope to solve this by marrying the two. However, there are other families, especially from the West, who oppose this decision, and sought to kill Koushi to prevent peace from prevailing D=

Oh, and I forgot to mention something - Koushi is totally hopeless at martial arts. In fact, he hates violence and wants to become a prosecutor in the future.

So, throw a small-sized but loud martial artist together with a cool, big-mouthed bookworm, then add some boisterous friends *hint: two girls who fell in love with Koushi*, another two guys *hint: who likes Momoko and one of the two girls respectively*, and you get an anime so hilarious that it keeps your jaw moving every minute.

In fact, the first episode was just pure hilarity, when Momoko just butted in between the Inuzuka father and son, and announced, "I am Kuzuryuu Momoko. I'm here to make babies with Koushi-dono.". The expression on his face was priceless.

Still, I personally advise that this anime be watched by older teenagers and above, for the implied ecchiness. Being someone with a single-tracked mind, Momoko won't hesitate to use any means to persuade Koushi to bed her, and that includes wrapping herself with only a towel, taking off her shirt in front of Koushi and other stuff. On the other hand, the other female martial artists are bestowed with a generous chest area, and it's kinda disturbing sometimes to see them shaking around.

Contrary to the impression you might have formed about this anime, it has its serious and touching parts too. The adoration and devotion Momoko has for Koushi (though it beats me why) is very potent, and she is always there to cheer him on even when he fails. Expect some really touching moments towards the last few episodes of the anime, where tears are abundant and words uttered are from the roots of their hearts.

The art is good too. The girls are cute, especially Momoko <3 *coughsDaddyWarrioractuallylikesIrohabetter* D= Koushi is handsome too, in a typical bishie sort of way. And the auras of the martial artists are just amazingly real. I love it the most when Momoko turns into super-deformed mode and hangs around Koushi ^_^

*End of review*

Just to add on to my list of things-to-do,
-Observe 3 days of NO SWEARING (although I broke the pledge once, thanks to a certain pangsAIpuri)
-Take care of the event "An Evening of Music: Reaching for the Stars".

Somehow, I'm still stuck as the organiser of the whole thing...I thought after the Student Council was disbanded and there was going to be another election, I won't be handling this project any more. However, the idiot who rallied so greatly for the reelection did not contest for the posts available, neither did his friends. So, until now, only 4 students contested for around 20 places. Oh well.

End of my glorious holidays =(

I was going to post something in my blog during the holidays, but I was having too much fun to actually bother. Not that I did something spectacular like bungee jumping or murder someone - I was just being me, lazing around in pyjamas until afternoon and sleeping at any time of the day.

I miss my home. Really. Who wouldn't? Just compare life in IPBA and life in your house. First thing, the food in IPBA sucks full time (I'm sure the seniors who just came back from overseas will totally agree). I come from PENANG - the heaven for people who live to eat, the hell trap for dieters, the oriental pearl...and many other names people think of for it. To me though, Penang is just home sweet home. The home-cooked food, my sweet, cozy bed, my darling fluffy bolster, my dear piano and of course, my lovely parents ^_^ I miss them all...

Well, I should stop feeling sorry for myself, and stop wondering why I took this course. Even if I did that, it's not going to change the fact that I'm stuck in this TESL course, stuck in this college which does nothing but force us to do everything we don't want to, and stay in a hostel meant for prisoners.

Anyway, I'm here just to update my blog and keep a record of what I've been doing, and what I will do, for anyone who's interested to see =D

Things I have to do:
-My Social Studies assignment on environmental issues like soil erosion, river pollution, toxic landfills and deforestation
-My Moral assignment on social ills
-Another English Studies assignment - a fun portfolio <3
-Prepare for the mock UN conference (I'm representing Egypt)
-Finish another wallpaper for AP's VampirePrincessYuuki's birthday (Chris, to be exact)
-Think up a couple of characters for the Role Playing group in AP, together with their past, characteristics, powers, appearances and stuff
-Buy a bolster so that I can sleep better in the hotel, I mean, the hostel
-...

Oh yea, and Sumomomo Momomo rocks, full time! I finished the anime in, like, 3 days, which was a record break for me =D Everyone I've talked to know how slow I take to finish a series, but this 22 episodes is just a breeze for me. In fact, I hoped that they had made it longer, but oh well ^_^

Next time might be the review on this anime ^^

My 10 Wishes...etc

Tagged by Bo-chan ^_^

1. Marry Rutherford at once
2. Migrate to Ireland
3. Publish some novels
4. Be a professional musician
5. Slim down as quick and as much as possible
6. Buy all the art books I've been drooling over
7. Buy all products related to Spiral and Record of a Fallen Vampire
8. Kill Mdm R. or at least force her retirement xD
9. Own a glossy, black grand piano
10. Go on a tour to Japan

^_^ So, that concludes my 10 wishes for now. I couldn't think of more if I wanted to - maybe that's a sign that I'm quite satisfied with my life right now? =D

On a side note, I'm enjoying my holidays to the max, so much that I'm ignoring my assignments. I know I will be sorry after a while ^_^"

And happy birthday to my online adopted daddy and mommy - Warrior and Angel-voice @ animepaper.net~ Their birthdays are wonders, really close together < 3