Monday, February 27, 2006 |
22:41
Lectures began today. O-week officially ended yesterday night with a Toga Party at the JCR or Junior Common Room, for those not in the know of all the abreviations in IH.
Crashed my first Toga Party last night mid-way through where everyone was already in their toga togs and milling outside the JCR. Drinks flowed; alcoholic and non. People dancing to weird and often times crappy music. To me that is. Met some more new people. Forgotten some names and learnt new ones. Certain people made me raise an eyebrow or two while others were really cool and nice. Funky hairdos on guys are awesome.
University is big. The halls are huge. So unlike those back home. There're tons of people here at IH. A little homesick for my car, Astro, my room and walking around barefoot around the house. But slowly easing and adjusting myself into it. Still in the midst of sorting things out. Haven't paid the IH fees yet though. Red tape around here is quite tough so ploughing through it is exhausting.
Had a cute coffee and cake thing with the Head of College and Deputy Head after dinner in the evening and met Hildi, a short hair German dog. She's adorable and nearing her eleventh birthday soon. The house she's staying in is really nice and cosy. Makes me miss my own house so much now.
Afternoon lectures tomorrow so get to sleep in a bit before sneaking in some breakfast at the last minute just before half past nine. Met two old SAM friends at uni too. Will hopefully get to meet more people soon. But meeting people at uni is hard as you only get to see them once a week or so and you have to move on to your next class again. So I think a bulk of my friends will probably be coming from IH.
Though with so many people here, it is a bit difficult to remember names but faces are alright. I hate the fact that I arrived so late so it's like I feel slightly isolated because I was late and didn't get to know as many people as I'd liked to. Me and my insecurities.
Sorry for the scattered thoughts being penned down now. My brain is running all over the place now. My room is not as messy as before so that's better. Need to get laundry from dryer machine now before my clothes shrink.
Oh, and that's not the IH way to be so homesick for being away less than a week!
Thursday, February 23, 2006 |
20:16
It really happened. I'm really here. I'm real. This is real.
Yeah. Sorry for the vague expression of feelings. Just kind of washed over with everything right now. The environment, people, weather, and all are a bit overwhelming at the moment considering I just arrived in Melbourne just two days ago. Takes a bit to get the out-of-place feeling over with but no biggie.
International House is almost everything I imagined it to be. Homey, warm, woody, fun, lively greenery, and houses some of the most amazing and craziest people you'll ever meet under one roof. My room is just slightly smaller than my room back home and am making the best of it by filling the tables and closet up with stuff. Hangers, boxes, and a jug of water are a girl's best friend for now.
The only problem I have with the place is that my room is located on the fourth floor on my block and the furthest away from the stairs. There is a lift that we can take but it's scary at night. I try not to take it if I can and if I'm not too tired after walking back from the university which is a twenty minutes walk away. The common bathroom and toilets were expected but so far there're no unwanted and unexpected partial or even full nudity being exposed while on your way out after a refreshing shower.
The sun is setting beautifully just outide my room window. It's past eight but still so bright and warm. The university campus is everything that I had envisioned the University of Melbourne to be. The place is huge spanning almost a smallish town with almost thirty buildings everywhere and students sun-tanning on green lawns, chilling under trees, and soaking in the atmosphere that is Orientation Week or simply O-Week. I've only been there twice so far. Will be returning there in the early morning tomorrow to complete the enrolment process and find out what else I need to do later on. The place has everything you could possibly need and maybe not want but still would want it. Planning on trying out the sushi bar on campus next week. The aroma of the sushi was just too tempting to not refuse a taste when passing through the Union House.
Have not gotten a local number to be contacted yet. The priviledged few to get my number will be honoured with it soon. I hope.
Anyway, have to go get my laundry from the dryer now. Rossi, the IH house cat, will get a visit from the happy photo snapping one soon. Happy life, everyone.
Monday, February 20, 2006 |
16:37
Will keep this short and brief.
The last post on homeland soil before hamming it up and maybe doing most of the things that I've been doing here except on foreign land. Land of roos, koalas, four-seasons-a-day weather, and new people with diverse backgrounds, here I come!
Originally, I had wanted to write a post pertaining to the multitudes of snapshots that I had taken of my packing process but I couldn't be bothered now to dig up the camera cable to upload the photos. So this will have to do.
My room is moderately messy and clean now thanks to the emptying of myself over the past two days. The closet seems almost bare except for some clothes that I haven't worn in more than two years or more. Managed to finally get the luggage weight down to between 30 to 32 kilograms so that will have to do for now. Think I'm mostly done now. Just taking the time to relax in my room and appreciate it before I leave as it'll be the longest time I'll ever be away from home and all things familiar.
I'm pretty pissed that I can't take my favourite packet drinks and food stuff over there concerning the extremely rigid and strict laws about bringing in food from overseas. I think the things that I'll miss most from home will be my books, Astro, living room, and my own room. Pretty materialistic but that's what I'm feeling right now.
Anyway, in approximately nineteen hours or less from this moment, I'd have landed on Australian ground and embarking on a brand new phase of life. Can't wait.
Any takers on betting whether I'm going to cry or not?
Saturday, February 18, 2006 |
16:42pitstops in the soundtrack to my life
Listening: Hard Times by eastmountainsouth
Exciting and tumultous and exhilirating my week may not have been but so what. Reflective, enjoyable, relaxing, laziness, and appreciative are the things I love.
So it may not be everyone's cup of tea or coffee depending if you're a coffee or tea lover, but the week's been spent and went by with DVDs, zoning out to music from original soundtracks either from TV, movies, or anime shows, and reading in bed. It's about all the 'me' time I can take and fully appreciate before I'll be barraged and suffocated by a hundred and more people everywhere in about 72 hours time. The nerves are getting tingly. I don't know if it's from my morning coffee or if it's really me getting a minor anxiety attack from the reality that I'll be leaving soon. 72 hours.
Listening: Crossroad by Yui
Yesterday's evening was enjoyably spent with a small group of friends comprising of Adelynn, Kimmy, Pui Yen, and then shortly after, Sharon, over a big dinner at Italiannies. Count three entrees of the calamari salad I always get when I go there, roast chicken with one of the best-tasting sauce I've ever had, and a pizza pie of half pepperoni and half classic. Satisfying but not too much that I'd want to puke if I had to eat a strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Conversations flowed and so did silly and embarrassing songs throughout the restaurant. Fortunately there were too many people indulging in their own dinners to notice the din that some of us made.
I've always liked smaller or smallish gatherings simply because with a large group you can't always get to talk with another person or two as closely or intimately as you want without another person interrupting in the conversation mid-way through the juicy part. I don't know if others feel about it the same way as I do but what the heck, eh.
Listening: Thirteen by Wilco
I really don't know what I'd do without the comfort of DVDs and music. I did promise some reviews right? Anyway, without giving too much away to fans alike, Nip/Tuck Season 3 was alright. In a good way. I mean, I think I prefered watching the second season more because the shock factors just kept on coming with every passing episode but in the following season, there weren't much in that department and rather concentrated on character developments which isn't a bad thing but that I just kind of missed those 'Oh My God' moments.
Listening: In the Moonlight from Gravitation OST
Aside from watching Bleach, I do diverge and watch other shows in case you didn't know. 'Gravitation' was one of them and I love it. Might not be other people's cups of tea or coffee or chocolate too but it is a lovely, funny, hilarious, and touching simple and short anime show. I can't get over how addictive the soundtracks from the show are no matter how cheesy and J-popish and J-rockish they sound. I don't really know if it's because I watched the show and then I only liked the songs or if I really do like it even if I never watched or heard of the show. No matter.
You can never go wrong with pretty boys in a slightly crazy and wild environment where despite the lack of drums and a bass, you can still make great music with a guitarist and synthesizer. A lazy afternoon is all you need to polish of thirteen episodes of the show along with two OVAs if you're still interested. My enthusiasm for the show has dissipated slightly but I really was a bit over the edge and bordering on obsession with this show too just a week ago.
Listening: The Good Kind by The Wreckers
If you're looking for life-affirming and feel-good movies, don't expect to look for it too deeply in 'Elizabethtown'. I mean it wasn't bad nor was it great. It was fairly satisfying like a meal that you thought you would be totally happy with but ended up to be mediocre fare that left a slightly bad taste in your mouth when you leave the place.
That pretty much sums up my summary and review of the movie even though Orlando was pretty and all. The redeeming factor was the beautiful and often times soothing soundtracks to the movie which I fell for. Just watch it for the sounds if not at all.
Listening: Jesus was a Crossmaker by The Hollies
Hours seem to pass by slowly and sometimes faster than usual in the home. Maybe I'm just being all appreciative and taking in the smells and atmosphere of the house that I won't be in for the longest time I'll ever have to be away. I keep telling myself that it's nothing big and that it's not permanent and stuff but the niggling feeling that keeps reminding me over how a different phase of life is starting soon keeps me feeling constantly in conflict. The contradictment of feelings starts to numb me and then I don't know what or how to feel anymore.
Sometimes people like to keep their lawns neat and clean to detract the neighbours from seeing the messy and screwed up interiors of the house.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006 |
00:21
If only life was a sitcom. Just something I've been thinking about since watching a weird episode of 'Scrubs' where J.D. imagined how life would be in a sitcom type world where everything is bright, dandy, and comes out alright in the end no matter what.
But that's what sitcoms are all about, isn't it? To make people feel good and happy when their own lives don't quite resemble those on television.
I've got this annoying aching pain in my chin and on the right side of my jaw. Might be my wisdom tooth trying to force its way out. Nothing a dentist check up won't fix tomorrow morning. It's not excruciating pain but more like a stupid nagging pain that won't go away no matter how much I massage and fool myself into believing that it's nothing anyway. Kind of like a mother's nagging.
Anyway, happy Valentine's to everyone and hope you had a good one.
I've made my way through two DVD discs of 'Nip/Tuck' already and so far Christian's been an asshole, Sean a whining bitch, and Matt looking more like Michael Jackson with every passing episode. It's good to know that some things don't change, eh?
*Cue laugh track*
Monday, February 13, 2006 |
01:31
Today or rather in the early wee hours in the morning, was one of the oddest way that I ushered in the annual recognition of the day that I was born. I am officially 20 years young. Yep. The teen years have passed and I should be able to legally run away from home without being hunted down by the police or everyone else. Or at least I should like to think that I can do that. I mean, I'm sure somewhere in this world you're able to do that.
Anyway, the day before was my dad's annual-ish open house thingy where he invites his office staff people and friends with their own families to come to our house and feast and talk and drink and be merry. Of course, we had our own side of relatives in the family to come too and that was all fine and good. Somehow this year, there seemed to be a whole lot more kids than usual to deal with. Well, on my part that is. The last few years, there seemed to be only about ten of the little ones running all over the house but yesterday the number seemed to have tripled and the house seemed to have been turned upside down with just their shrill screams and screechy shouts. Just looking at them was enough to force me to retreat to the sanctuary of my room.
I don't know if it is just me or maybe there're similar people who can't deal with so many kids at one time too but yesterday night's event just made me realise that reality. However, coping with two young children made me realise something else too. They were two of the most talkative, questioning, and curious kids I might have ever come across till now. I was beaten in a weird animal/checkers board game by a nine-year-old boy who loves reading, plays Black Jack and Diner Dash, generally dislikes watching cartoons, and claims to have tuition everyday. Not once, but twice beaten I was. Oh the humanity of it all! The other kid was a smallish girl who has more energy than compacted radioactive, stays up till 4 am, and tries her best to learn as many new games and things as she can. Maybe it was just me being nice and hostess-like but I just let them follow me towards the end of the night till 2 am plus before I crashed myself into the comfort of my bed and slept the rest of the day away till almost twelve noon.
This is a really strange thing to say even by my standards but if and when I get kids someday, I hope they would be like them as well.That's that. Other than that it was a rather fruitful and productive day. I got a hair cut and a french pedicure. I love how impeccable and neat my toes look. Just wondering how long I can keep the look clean and unchipped before I'll have to remove the polish myself. And well as you can see below evident of my growing self-vanity, are the before and after photos of my the result of the hair cut. I kind of like it and don't too. I can't explain it but it just resembles my old cut except that it's just shorter than usual. I was almost expecting something totally different but I didn't have the enthusiasm to tell the stylist what I wanted exactly. So, yeah, I ended up with the safe style but it's alright.
This will be the first and last time I cam-whore. At least I'd like to think so. I like the before shot one over the after, don't you? In other news, I'm feeling really stuffed still after some hours ago from a full dinner. No, really can't you tell that that's a forced smile?
Well, well-wishers have come and gone and I'm really thankful and grateful for them. Should I request a present from my dad? One side is saying to go ahead, while the other says no. The dilemma of being a filial daughter.
Anyway, only eight more days before departure. The excitement and tension should be insurmountable by now. I'll give it a few more days. Watch out for reviews on 'Gravitation', 'Elizabethtown', and season three of 'Nip/Tuck' in the next few days or so. Love the first mentioned one but have yet to plow through the last two.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006 |
23:46bereavement of a different kind
A slightly odd thing is happening to me. Or has already happened is more like it.
Perhaps it's the maturing of the times. Me maturing that is. Hitting the big 2-0. I hate how that sounds. I always thought that I'd be looking forward to being all grown up and all but now that I'm here, I don't. Not at all. I'm going to miss being (insert number from 3-9)-teen. Sigh. I should definitely be more excited and looking forward to turning twenty soon. I'm going to try but it won't be the same anymore.
I can safely say that Brokeback Mountain is not for everyone. Just watched it this afternoon. Quite embarrassed and shy to admit this fact but I cried at the end but only because it really was a sad and tragic ending to a surprisingly really quite good movie. Pushing aside the strong gay-thematic hype surrounding the movie and which actually made it so infamous in the first place, one would have just labelled it as a romantic star-crossed lovers kind of story. It wasn't the best movie ever but I wouldn't mind a second round at it. God, I'm shedding tears even now as I'm writing this because I'm thinking about that one single moving scene. I've often been a stern and strict movie-goer who tries to be strong and adamantly hold the waterworks so any movie that manages to get me to cry or even so much as shed a tear truly deserves an award. Oh wait, it already did win some.
Anyway, yeah, it really isn't for everyone because firstly, it's another movie being on the ban list in Malaysia for its less than "family-moments" themes; namely the whole homosexual and nudity things. No, God forbid there being any full-frontal nudity but I can understand that some people might not be able to tolerate and take those few selective scenes that contain the mild profanities and obscenities. So, yes, go watch it if you can because I say so. Hah! I'm getting too full of myself here. Stop me once I start babbling on about the inner and deeper non-existant meanings of 'Memoirs of a Geisha'.
On the whole and at its core, it really is a simple and tragic love story that will pull your heartstrings and possibly make you appreciate your loved ones even more after you've watched it. It really is too bad and a waste that the general Malaysian public is going to miss out on such a great and essentially character-driven film. The supporting cast was awesome as well but what really lit up the entire movie was Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of Jack Twist. I love him and just want to hug him for being such a cool actor. But not in that sense of 'cool' but just really cool. Yeah, I guess you could say he's my current favourite beau/actor.
I'm getting too carried away with this already so I'd better stop while I'm ahead. As in the quotable words of Jack Twist; "I wish I knew how to quit you!"
Reality check again. I've sorted out the piles of clothes that I'm planning to bring into 'Yes-s', 'No-s', and 'Maybe-s'. And the 'Maybe' pile is the second biggest one so that's not a good thing because it might merge with the biggest one being the 'Yes' pile. I've got about five or six pairs of shoes and heels that I want to bring along as well but I don't know how to pack them in. Then there're my sling bags, handbags, notebooks, and loads of personals. Other than that, everything is honky-dory. Why do people say honky-dory anyway? I hate that word. Okey-doky is fine but not the former.
My dad is probably right that I shouldn't be stressing too much about turning another year older. But I can't help feeling old. Or maybe it's just the perceptions of most adults who view us 'young-ins' who're twenty plus as young and wild and have so much to experience in our lives. I don't know about who I agree with more but I know one thing for sure. I don't want to spend the rest of my best years in life before turning another decade old wasting away not doing anything productive and fun and life-fulfilling and challenging.
Thus, it is so that I bid adieu to my teenage years and welcome the young adult stage with much fervid anticipation as to what holds in the great beyond. At least I still have four more days to relish the good teen years. Who wants to sing along to BSB's old pop songs and watch reruns of white teenage trash movies with me?
Wednesday, February 01, 2006 |
02:02quintessential pop culture cliches
Watching : Upcoming Bleach episodes
Listening : Bleach Opening and Ending theme songs on repeat
Reading : Besides Bleach online manga, High Fidelity by the passive-aggressive comic one; Nick Hornby
Eating : If there was a Bleach themed food snack involving Kon's or Ichigo's heads, I think I'd be eating them but no, so just lots of CNY snacks, cookies, chips, and home-cooked foodstuffs.
I suppose this is just reconfirming one of my worst fears of being too addicted to another anime show. Woe is me and my overactive fangirlitis.
Well, Chinese New Year has come and gone and I've also gone and put on at least ten pounds now. My best plan of action to lose the weight by the twentieth of next month is to stick to a strict diet regime of coffee, dry crackers, and plenty of fruits, vegetables, and water. Since when did I become such a stickler for all things diet? I guess it comes with the aging of one such as I.
The invaders have come and gone as well but did not leave my room as messy as I had thought it would be. I suppose I should begin a test drive on packing all the stuff that I want to bring to Oz soon. Let's hope I don't become too manic by the end of the week.
Another thing I should focus on is probably on the unpacking of small red letter packets. Hope everyone else got a good haul this year too.
Okay, I really don't know what else I should be talking about now because I've become ravishingly hungry again even after a couple of cookies I just gobbled down an hour ago. Just four days of CNY and I've bloated to an ever-famished cookie monster.
Oh, and my cousins, brothers, and I finally learned how to play Mahjong from my dad too. It's just a tiny step of accomplishment that I can chalk up there for myself.
I'm feeling strangely satiated right now. Like most things seem to have gone fairly right in just these past few days. And another thing, my dream machine has been on overdrive for the past few nights but I can't exactly recall most of the details of the dreams. However, I can remember some key points in them being my upcoming Australia exodus, a Bleach-themed dream, and something surprisingly ordinary in my own little life.
Good night and the writer of this little known blog has left the room.
Listening: In the Moonlight from Gravitation OST
If you're looking for life-affirming and feel-good movies, don't expect to look for it too deeply in 'Elizabethtown'. I mean it wasn't bad nor was it great. It was fairly satisfying like a meal that you thought you would be totally happy with but ended up to be mediocre fare that left a slightly bad taste in your mouth when you leave the place.
