Tuesday, December 28, 2004
all in a week
I had lots of fun this week. But I did fall very ill half way through, and the news about the earthquake had me worried sick for my family back home. It was good to know that KL was not badly affected but it was a pity to see what happened at North Sumatra.Anyway, I'll write about all that happened from day one itself, be it good or bad, funny or lame.
Day 1 - Masquerade party
Yupz. We were all dressed up to the nines for this occasion. I expected a bigger crowd, and a bigger ballroom, but only about 100 over people turned up. The deejay tried hard to entertain the crowd but we were all just a "not sporting" bunch of people. However, my group of friends and I already knew it was going to be quite a boring event (not our kind of "fun") and so, we just took as many photos as we could with our digital cameras. Seriously, nowadays, everyone has a digital camera...
All in all, I would say, it was more of an obligation to turn up because a Malaysian friend of ours, Joyce, is leaving for home in January to continue her studies in IMU. But still, it was nice to meet up with old friends. I'll let the pictures out to please the eye! There's more at My Fotopage. It will be up soon, if Fotopage does not give me problems with the uploading of the photos.
Look at my pretty nails! ^^
Liyana and I
From left: yee ying, me, liyana, (i dunno how to spell his name) & johnathan
From left: Paul (our professional photographer!), me and Will
We left early to have supper at Spicy Garden (because the buffet at the hotel was not that good). Then, somehow, we decided to sleep over at Johnathan's cosy house. He drove us back to get the necessary stuff and brought us back to his place. We actually stayed up till 7 a.m. the next morning. What did we do? Well, the usual stuff - we talked, and watched the movie, National Treasure (it was pretty good), and talked again, played cards until 6 a.m.. In the end, we got hungry, and since it was already six in the morning...we cooked breakfast (Indomee), ate, and went straight to bed.
Day 2 - rest day
We woke up at 12.30 pm. Don't know why we could only sleep for 6 hours, but Johnathan's brother came home that morning and I think he woke most of us up. Okay, I can't remember what we did after that, but basically we decided to stay for the next two days until Boxing Day. Boxing Day is like a nationwide mega sale. Stores open their doors early in the morning and everyone is just grabbing stuff off the shelf (because they're really cheap, especially electronics).
So, after we had planned out everything, Jonathan drove us back home to rest for one night.
Day 3 - extended the slumber party!
Jonathan came to pick us up in the afternoon for grocery shopping. We packed everything that we needed, including our laptops because we planned to play Age of Empires II at his place. We bought food for hotpot for the night and spaghetti for Christmas dinner. Everything was done by 6 p.m. and we headed straight back to prepare our hotpot dinner. And this was our yummy food!
After eating to our heart's content, we set up the game in our computers and played aggressively. I am not an expert at these games, and so is Jonathan and Liana. Therefore, we got bullied a lot by Johnathan's brother, Jacky. He was the pro and was constantly launching his full-scale the attack the whole time...basically, it was a stressful game but fun. We lost track of time and realized that it was 1 a.m. when we decided to quit the game. Still, we slept at five I think by playing all sorts of crappy games and card games.
Day 4 - Sick :(
I fell very ill. I believe it was food poisoning (but I don't know which food caused it). It was really bad. I was so weak that I could barely walk. I also had a slight fever I think, but after much rest and delicious hot soup, I recovered the next day. I still got a chance to taste the yummy spaghetti though! ^^ Thanks to my friends who took care of me while I was sick! I am grateful.
We did play AOE II again...but I was weak and tired, so I could not do much.
Day 5 - Christmas!
We stayed at home because there was nowhere to go. All the malls and shops are closed. So we relaxed, watched crappy movies on tv and made fun of Jacky. Seriously, this guy, he needs to learn how to keep still for one second. He's always making funny moves and dancing to hip hop music or whatever tune he hears...and he does amusing things with soft toys. Also, he talks too much crap. He will explain a whole lot of crap why of this and that. It was a little annoying but he was slammed hard by the girls' sacarsm hehe. Basically, it was funny and, we actually played with the few soft toys...because he started his crappy animal attack on us. Then, we dressed him up with the blankets. Haha. It was just all hillarious.
Also, I forgot to mention. We watched this short clip from Comedy tv. One of them downloaded it off the internet. It was really funny. We laughed till our stomach ached so bad! Haha!
Day 6 - Boxing Day
We were suppoze to wake up early...actually, they did not plan on sleeping at all since we had to wake up at 4 am to rush for items at FutureShop and BestBuy. But, they thought I was still sick and so they did not wake me up. Only Liana, Jonathan and Jacky went. However, we did go to the other stores later during the day. The sales were still on and I bought myself a new pair of slippers, ink catridge for my printer, and Age of Mythology game CD (the one I have been longing to buy). The price went down by almost $40 so it was a good deal :) and it is a cool game!
Again, we were suppoze to return home after that but somehow we decided to stay another night at his place. Jonathan fell sick this time though. He had a viral infection at his throat. Still, we had fun bullying Jacky and keeping ourselves entertained with his ridiculous but funny self.
Day 7 - Home
I guess the boys miss our company. They felt pretty sad that we were returning home. But we had too, it was too tiring for most of us already. His house was actually pretty cold even with the heater turned on. Anyhow, we went to Kingsway Mall and shopped a bit. Had dinner there and then the boys sent us home.
Ahh...I feel comfy in my own room again. Sweet dreams!
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
The Math Chronicles
I never realized how the subject mathematics has influenced my studying interests. I know of friends who hate math and they cannot deem it as an interesting subject because it seems illogical to them. Now, I would say math deals with lots of logic. Well, don't talk about imaginary numbers. I never liked that; never could understand why somebody came up with it.I love calculus. My interest for math grew stronger when I stepped into university. I took Calculus I and II (I had a really handsome, French professor!), and currently, I will be sitting for my final paper of Calculus III tomorrow afternoon. Even though I like this subject, I would not say I am an expert in this whole math thing. But somehow, I never fail to sit obediently at my desk to study it. Compare me studying chemistry or psychology to math; you will notice a vast difference.
Almost everyone has left for home. Jolene left yesterday and Colette will be leaving later this afternoon. Her sister, sister's boyfriend, and her boyfriend spent the night here. They will bring her home today. LAst night, there was an argument between Colette's sister and her boyfriend, I think. And, if I am not mistaken, I heard the guy sobbing...oh well, it was an awkward situation - even Grace who was watching her Korean shows in the hall retreated back into her room.
Christmas is approaching fast! And, we finally decided to attend SEASA's Christmas masquerade ball tomorrow evening. We did not plan on going at first because it was not our kind of fun. However, one of our friends, Joyce, will be going back to Malaysia to further her education in IMU. She failed to get into the pharmacy program here thus she has to return home. Therefore, we feel obliged to turn up at the party. It is a formal/semi-formal party. I am fortunate to have a kind housemate who offered to lend me her dress for the night. It fits me pretty well, just that they had to help me pin up the strap a little because the front was a getting too low and loose. All in all, it is pretty. Yay, I don't need to spend a single cent on a new dress, shoes or whatever it is that I need for the occasion. I just bought some black bobby pins because I will be putting my hair up.
I cannot wait for my "stupid", last, math exam to be over tomorrow. Why don't they have it in the morning instead?? Better yet, they should have had it yesterday!! @#$@*! I still have to wait till 2pm tomorrow to sit for the exam... Don't mind me please, everyone else is done with their exams except the engineers. Ugh.
Friday, December 17, 2004
Brain-drained
I took this snapshot at 8.30 in the morning when the sun was still rising. Pretty, eh? I must say, I have not seen such a beautiful sunrise ever since I came here. I used to think that there is nothing fantastic about the weather (or the sky) here because all it does is snow, snow, snow or blow cold gusts of winds at me. Now, the sun sets at about 3.30 pm everyday. Maybe I will try and take a shot at the sunset from my window.
My head hurts and I don't know why. I hate it when my head hurts. It feels like there is a nerve at the back of my head being stretched, ready to snap at any time (I'll probably be paralyzed by then). I spent the past week cramming in thermodynamics and organic chemistry. Now, my brain is like a saturated mixture of chemistry and physics. Worse, I have to add in math and process analysis into it for my last two final papers next week.
Somehow, I was glad to wake up for an exam today. The fact that another examination was going to be completed got me up and going for it. Well, this paper was most definitely not a relaxing one. I held the examination booklet up and I was like, "Whoa...so thick..." It only had nine questions, but it was about 7 cm thick. Seriously. It was a three-hour paper (and thank god, it was a three-hour examination). The girl next to me left the hall after one hour. I knew she could not do the exam because it was impossible, even for a genius, to finish the paper in one hour. Fortunately, I managed to try every question in the paper. I wrote everything down, whatever I could remember from my cramming study sessions (I wasted about ten engineering papers writing self-notes - oh, but they do look pretty!). I got a 82% for my lab mark, so hopefully, I will do fairly well in this course. So, that's that! Finally, two more left and then I'm freeee...
After the exam, I told myself that I needed a short break. I took a trip downtown to the mall and did some shopping. Everyone is getting ready for Christmas. I saw some pretty plates and bowls. The temptation to splurge was strong, but I withheld it back (I am a sucker for kitchenware, especially mugs).
Funny. I was never attracted to mugs (or cups) before this. I do not know when I developed this liking towards mugs, but since then, I have bought a few pretty cups for myself. Actually, no ... I only bought two (I am going to buy more). My housemate, Jolene, collects coffee mugs. She has really nice ones (and they're really huge too). Also, I bought a Christmas present for Grace. Two weeks ago, I gave Jolene and Colette a Christmas card and a snowflake Christmas ornament each. I did not get one for Grace because we were still not talking to each other at that time. I was deciding whether I should get another present for the other two since we will be having a little get-together this Sunday to open our presents. But, I finally decided not too because I already gave them something, and it is the thought that matters more than anything else. Hopefully, they will not take it as something offensive.
Anyway, there's CSI Miami now on tv...should I go watch it or go back to my books? Maybe I'll just burn the midnight oil tonight...
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Gearing up for Christmas!
I was up pretty early this morning for my English exam and I took my own sweet time getting ready for it. The examination room was at the Humanities building, which was connected by a pedway from my residence. It only took me three minutes to get there and fortunately, I did not have to walk in the cold.Before I left, I decided to take a few pictures of my apartment since no one was awake yet. Colette's grandmother gave us lots of christmas deco for us to share. It was very thoughtful of her to give Grace and I a christmas greeting and a present. She said the two of us, who will be staying here for the Christmas holidays would need some deco items to celebrate the festive season. I met her grandmother once. At that time, Colette fell ill, and her grandmother who lives in Edmonton came to visit her. I heard that Colette is her favourite granddaughter :) She is a nice old lady.
We did not have that many lights to put up. Also, we do not have a Christmas tree. Our neighbour has a huge, beautiful Christmas tree! Too bad, I could not take a picture of it. It is illegal to do so from their window. If you walk all the way down in my residence, you can see some of the units being well-decorated. I love the Christmas season here. It really gives me the feeling of home, family and love. And, after my Chemistry exam on Thursday, I am going to take a short break and head downtown for some shopping!
We place a white sheet over our couch because it stinks so bad (someone gave it to us as old furniture)
This was the only light decoration we have :P That's Colette's room on the left and Jolene's on the right.
No christmas tree for us. Only this christmas flower plant that Colette decided to use as a replacement! Hehe!
Awww... aren't these cute?
This is similar to the above picture. Just that they are much smaller in size and made out of plastic.
I cannot wait for exams to be over! I guess we are not planning to go anywhere for Christmas. Some of my friends are going to the states for a holiday. I hope to get the few of us left for a nice, warm gathering on Christmas eve! We'll have a feast, hehe! And lots of crazy, girl stuff to do!
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
English? Manglish? Canglish?
My English teacher said that having a final paper in a writing course is stupid. But, we still have to write a final paper because the rule said so. She was complaining about it while reminding us that it is not something to worry about. After all, it is only worth 20% of the course mark. Our research paper was worth at least 50% of the course mark. Currently, I have an overall grade of B- for English. I will see what I can do to pull my mark up for this final but knowing her and how she grades international students...I doubt I can even get a B+ for the final paper (I am horrible at writing).We will be required to write a 500-word essay on a topic. In the exam booklet, we must include a draft with revisions and the good copy of the essay. At the end of it all, we must indicate what type of essay we wrote (expository, narrative, argumentative...etc). I hope I can manage in two hours. After all, the essay's maximum length is very short. I am pretty hopeless in writing short essays or when I am forced to write on a topic that I have no interest in. Not the best of writers, but I will do my best. And then, I am coming home to sleep. Gosh, I couldn't sleep well last night because I had weird dreams. *yawn*
Wish me luck!
Monday, December 13, 2004
A bear named Winnie
Do you know what inspired the creation of the cartoon character, Winnie the Pooh Bear?Last night (actually, a few hours ago), I watched a movie called "A Bear Named Winnie" on tv. My housemate asked me if I wanted to watch it with her and so, I decided to give myself a break after a whole day of mind-boggling organic chemistry. It was based on a true story and I thought it was a really nice show.
The scene started off with a hunter shooting a big bear during one summer in the year 1914 in Canada. He approached the dead bear but soon realized that there was a baby bear struggling to stay balanced on top of the tall tree. He was about to shoot it, but seeing that the animal was harmless, he decided to take the baby bear back to his shop. He skins and sells the fur of the bears. Therefore, knowing one day this little bear will be fully grown, he planned to keep it for future use.
Meanwhile, a troop of army was on its way to their camp. The train stopped at this town for a quick rest, and here it was fortunate that a soldier, who loves animals, saw the baby bear. He bargained with the hunter for the bear. As soon as he took the bear with him, the train was about to leave. He had no choice but to bring the bear along with him as he did not want to abandon it.
It was against the military rules to bring along a "pet" to war. Also, the captain of the train was very unhappy with the fact that a bear was on his train. However, the soldier managed to convince the captain that this baby bear was the perfect mascot. When asked for the name of this mascot, he said, "Winnipegg (is a province in Canada) ... in short, she'll be Winnie."
The baby bear soon adapted to living with humans. Adorable but mischevious, she was loved by her closest friends who took care of her. Unfortunately, there was a disaster. One night, a wild dog came about in search for food. Winnie knew that the horses were in trouble and tried to break free from the chain that tied her to the pole (she always manages to escape somehow). After that, she ran to the horses, but it was too late. The dog (that looked so much like a wolf) scared the horses away, causing them to run into the forest. But, everyone thought it was Winnie's fault. With much reluctance, the soldier and his friends who were responsible for Winnie's actions, had to take her away somewhere. It was pretty sad as Winnie kept crying when she was left all alone in the forest. Then again, somehow, she managed to find her way back to the camp site ...
They decided to bring her along to England to war. However, when they realized that it was too dangerous for Winnie when they arrived, they had no choice but to place her in a zoo. This part was sad too, as she was just a baby bear, and they put her in a huge, lonely cage. As the soldier walked away from her, Winnie kept crying. She kept trying to get out of the cage...
For days, Winnie would not eat, and just lay down feeling depressed. The zookeepers got worried and soon, the children who often visited the zoo were also concerned. One day, a naughty girl wandered away from her mother in the zoo. Her mother was distraught and asked the zookeepers to find her. She was actually by Winnie's cage and wanted to feed Winnie with some biscuits. However, she leaned too far forward and fell over the bush. Winnie, the friendly bear wanted to rescue her and quickly figured a way to open the cage door. Meanwhile, the zookeepers were getting ready to shoot Winnie (apparently, she was "dangerous") for she might have attacked or harmed people but they soon discovered that nothing like that happened. The girl ended up playing with Winnie.
I really love this movie. It was pretty funny to see how some of the crazy generals were and how things were like in the camp when Winnie was around. The story ended four years later, when the soldier who saved Winnie, was sent to a nursing house after he witnessed his friends being attacked by the enemy. It was a traumatic experience and he would not see anyone or even get out of bed for almost two years. The general heard of his plight and went to visit him. It was a pity, but he decided to look for Winnie and bring her back to him. By that time, Winnie was fully grown, big (and fat). It was a touching scene as the soldier finally got to his senses when he realized the big bear was beside his bed. He cried. It was amazing...
Of course, he could not keep Winnie by his side like he used to. After all, she is and will always be a bear. In the end, he said his last goodbye to Winnie at the zoo.
Winnie actually lived until the ripe old age of 20. Years later, this true story inspired someone to create a cartoon character that we all know today as Winnie the Pooh Bear. A lovely movie.
Slapped
Indecent minds robbed my soul. Her laughter pricked me from my sleep. I wanted to swim around with fishes of all kinds, but they fled as soon as I stepped into the cold, deep waters.Words never came out right. Senseless and forbidding. Uncommon and rebelling.
I invited the cat into my room. She climbed onto my seat and took my place. I had to sit on the floor.
The door slammed shut at my face. A sense of ignorance built as I stared at my feet. Maybe ignorance is my best friend after all.
I screamed for all heaven and earth, but it got lost in a paper cup.
I cried out of anger but they thought I was laughing. I was asked to stop. It was stupid.
A moment in time, a shot was taken. The bullet should have hit me, not the tree.
I tripped over and fell flat. Not a hand, not a smile was sent. I had to crack everything myself.
The fantasy world offers a home, but it is not time yet for me to move.
I need cinnamon and sugar, bread and butter. I need the warmth of Christmas to cool my dark side. Or else, burn it together with hell's fire as I do not want it in my living mind.
Priorities are useful. I should learn to pick it out and say "first".
If all have been said, and nothing has been made ... the only reason the cow jumped over the moon was the happiness from that jump, which could fill his heart.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Thermo was brutal
Okay, the final paper for thermodynamics was brutal. And I did not read the last question properly. Adiabatic equals to Q=0. Damn it. Sigh. sigh ...
Saturday, December 11, 2004
We need to talk
"Do you have time? We need to talk..."My next-door-neighbour knocked on my door this afternoon. I had just finished cooking Shin Ramyun when she asked if we could talk for a bit. I shall refer to her as Abu. Don't ask me why. That name just popped up.
I invited Abu into my room so that we could talk in person. Without much hesitation, Abu said we have a very big misunderstanding between us. I said I agree, with a slight chuckle. Then, we proceeded to discuss the many problems we were experiencing. In one way, I was glad that we talked it out. At least, I don't have to constantly suppress the urge to stick a photo of someone's face on her. I feel much at ease now that the main problem has been resolved. I said the main problem because she is not a very flexible person. Quite simply, it will still be difficult living with Abu.
Anyway, during the discussion, I found her reasons to be quite amusing. Amusing as in weird. Weird as in ... huh? I did not realize that the whole problem started because of that one night. She thought I was embarrassing her. I was pretty shocked by that expression of hers. I mean, hey, she was the one who asked me to close my room door whenever I have friends over or even just talking on the phone. I respected her request because I understood that it was too loud for her if I left my door open. Our rooms are so close to each other. One late night (I guess it was about 2 a.m.), she received a phone call. She rushed inside her room and answered the call (apparently it was her dad calling from Korea). I was sleeping and she was talking on the phone with her room door open. The thing was, it did not matter whether she was talking at her lowest possible voice because it was still loud at that hour of the night, and the fact that she did not close her room door made her conversation even louder.
Picture this - you just woke up because of some noise and you need to get back to sleep. You go to her room, knock on her door and say "Abu...shhh..." and close the door for her. You don't slam the door. You close it. You are not asking her to stop talking on the phone. Then, you retreat back to your room under the covers and try to sleep.
...
Is there anything wrong with this whole scene? Will anyone feel embarrassed if someone does that to you? I do not see why it should be embarrassing let alone build enough anger to ignore me for the next two months. She got angry because I did that. I do not know if she meant that it was rude or anything...but was it? Personally, I feel that she is very inflexible with things. Or maybe she expected too much - she can tell people not to do this to suit her likings but others cannot do the same to her. Well, miss ABU ... face it ... you're not living in your own world.
One word - problematic. Abu has a serious personality problem. No, it seems more like a disorder. Oh well, it was not that bad after all. It is not like we are going to be close friends after this. After all, she has shown her true colours. I do not think it is safe for me to get close to a girl like this. I will maintain a safe distance from her.
Thermodynamics tomorrow at 9 a.m.. I am pretty sure I have read everything. I think I will confuse myself further if I stress on reading some more. I sure need a good rest.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Unsteady
Finally, I am back in my cosy, warm room. I had only one class to attend today, so I spent the rest of the afternoon revising thermodynamics (I have this final paper on Saturday). It was my turn to wash the bathroom and so, I did it with much effort. Glad that the bathroom is now squeaky clean. I was getting ready to clean up all the strands of hair at the corners on the bathroom floor when my friend burst into the bathroom. She asked if I wanted to have some ice-cream. The temptation was strong. I have not eaten ice cream for almost three years now. It was quite a mistake to have a scoop of that sweet chocolate mint ice cream that night. I guess I am pretty addicted to it now.It was -28 degrees celcius outside when we were having our ice creams. People must have thought we were crazy or something. At this time of the year, all you want is a warm, hot drink ... not ice cream ... haha! But, it was good. It tasted so good.
I was feeling a little tired from last night's (this morning, actually) chat session with my housemates. It was not until yesterday I realized that we rarely sit down together for a casual chat. A few nights ago, we watched Mona Lisa smile together. All four of us. Although I am not in good terms with Grace, but it was not a big deal. Surprisingly, the chat session between the three of us (Grace was not home) lasted from 11pm last night till almost 2 am today. None of us wanted to retreat back to our rooms for sleep or studying and so we ended up babbling for that two hours. It was fun and we did talk about lots of things - food, religion, culture, celebrations, relationships ... I felt glad that I could communicate with my two Canadian housemates. I have learned a lot about the German culture because Jolene is of German descendent. For the past two months or so, Colette rarely came out from her room because she was busy with school. We share the same course lecture and so, once in a while, we talked about how classes and chemistry labs went. However, last night, I discovered that she was equally as crappy and funny as Jolene (now that we talked about stuff other than chemistry labs). They are both very nice girls indeed.
I do not have the mood to do anything now although I am suppoze to study. Tomorrow is the last day of school. I do not know if I should feel happy or worried about it. The last day of school means exams are sitting just by that corner, but it also means that I have completed one term of school. I have another to go before returning home. Speaking of home, I had to change my ticket due to some residence summer storage plane which is only effective until May 2. Originally, I was suppoze to go home on the 5th of May, but now I have to leave before May 2 if I want to pay half of the four-month rent. The date has been changed, but according to the travel agency back home (where mum bought my ticket), I still have to endorse it.
Please, I am not going to travel to somewhere far to look for Cathay Pacific's office just to endorse the ticket (the office is not here in Edmonton). I cannot comprehend the system sometimes. Technology is available to us - so why can I not use it? Hello, we are in the 21st century. There is such a thing called electronic tickets...by the way, mine IS an electronic ticket. Okay, I am ranting for nothing. Whatever. I'll probably have to just wait for an answer from my mum after the travel agent calls her. I'll just have to wait and take it easy. I am not taking things easy now. I am burdened by a lot of disturbing thoughts about money. Now that I think of it, how am I going to earn back the money that my parents allocated for my studies here. I cannot find a job here. I cannot work here. Sometimes, I feel guilty being a child. I do not know how to make my parents happy. I do not know how to be a good girl. Maybe because I am just not a good girl.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Freeze me!
I had a chemistry lab exam two hours ago. It was a seven-minute walk to the examination room. Only seven minutes...and I nearly froze out there in the chilly night. It was not snowing, but there was the monstrous wind. The temperature now is -26 degrees celcius.Really...how can this place be suitable for human inhabitation? I ask myself each time the worse of winter strikes. You cannot even breathe right when you step outside of a building. It is too dry. It freezes the insides of your nose. I am serious. The next thing you know - your nose starts to bleed when you are back in your warm, cosy room. How pathetic. I am definitely getting out of here when I graduate.
Monday, December 06, 2004
Procrastination
I am not going to get much work done if I keep procrastinating.I know I am not suppoze to feel excited with the upcoming final exams, but somehow I cannot wait to complete everything.
Oh yes, it started snowing yesterday...until now...there...is...lots...of snow...outside...
...
I don't want to go to school tomorrow!!!
Every Sunday, I repeatedly whine about school. Sigh. Such a pity. Maybe if I weren't in engineering, my life would have been more relaxing (as a university student).
I took some pictures this morning:
Yea, I know. It is always the same view from my window...
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Laundry matters
Ahh...it's 1.15 a.m. and I am still procrastinating. Also, I realized that dirty laundry is piling up next to my bed. It seems like I must force out another few rolls of quarters for the cleaning of my clothes later. The good thing about doing laundry in cold countries is that you don't have to dry your clothes under the sun. We have 10 dryer machines in the laundry room and they are all up and running (it is like a self-iron)! Such is the bliss of a student's life :)My obssession for kao anis is back. Well, I found a really cool page that has 16 pages of these cute bobby things. I am happy!
Okay, okay. Back to studying. Sigh. Actually, I will probably just go to bed and start studying tomorrow instead :P
##th Edition!
This is so true. Damn it. If only I could burn down the university's bookstore.
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Psycho-ed
Yesterday's psychology final exam was pretty brutal. Nevertheless, I managed with some good effort. I would have tore the paper into pieces if I did not cram everything for the past three days. However, there was no question on sex hormones and drives. Such irony. I knew that section so well. I was practically forcing my brain to retrieve information, especially when answering questions related to the history of psychology, vision and memory. Such irony. Such irony...Anyway, my next final is on Monday. It is a laboratory exam. Organic chemistry. Not a joke. Oh yeah, I stole a vial containing my product from my last lab session. Hahaha. Why did I not think of stealing more before this? Damn it, I should have took home my products from previous lab sessions. After all, I will be paying that 23.5% increase in my tuition fee next year. From now on, I will be a "smart" thief. Hey, don't blame me. Blame it on the university administration people who wants to eat all my money, causing me to live with cereal and milk for supper everyday.
I was blog-hopping for a while and I came across an article from a blog that was pretty interesting. It never did cross my mind that love could be viewed that way. The question was, "Do you love her/him or do you love the relationship?" Let's see, I know I love him. I love the relationship too although now we have a big barrier between us called "distance." Hmm. I will ask him this question tonight. Hopefully, I don't drive him crazy again with this question. I am constantly driving him nuts with all sorts of silly questions :P Hey, I am insecure. I admit it.
It's my baby's birthday today! ^^
Happy 24th birthday, sweetheart! *muak muak*
Friday, December 03, 2004
Going psycho
When I was younger, I learned that testosterone is a hormone produced by the testes in males and estrogen is produced by the ovaries in females (humans, of course). These were the two major sex hormones that we often talked about in high school science lessons. Also, these hormones were perceived to promote male and female sexual behaviour.What I learned in pyschology was the total opposite to what I picked up in high school. I should think it was just on the surface of the human sciences. Of course, testosterone is crucial for maintaining the sex drive in human males and anyone knows that men castrated in an accident or for medical reasons almost always experience a decline in sex drive and behaviour. But, the removal of the ovaries in women does not affect their sex drives at all. Both men and women produce these two hormones but the difference is that men have more testosterone than estrogen in their bodies and vice versa for the women. However, in regulation of the sex drive for women, adrenal hormones like DHEA and testosterone are the ones that keep the dice rolling. Something new to me.
Here's another interesting one:
Researchers found that males born to stressed mothers had unsuually low levels of testosterone in their blood at time of birth. So, apparently, stressed mothers secrete hormones that inhibit the production of testosterone in male fetuses, and this in turn causes their brains to be less masculinized and more feminized. This brings about the birth of homosexual developments within children. So, blame it on science and nature - it is not their fault if they are gays or lesbians - I do not believe they should be treated differently just because religion says they are sinned for such outrageous, dirty behaviour. Well, go study some science before you preach! Sheesh.
Oh yes, hunger is a regulatory drive - a drive that preserves homeostasis in our system. Sex is a non-regulatory drive - you don't need a tissue for this thus you would not die because of lack of sex (despite an overly amorous someone might have told us).
What else? We have five primary tastes - sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami (savoury feeling). Right, our tongue is not divided into sections where specific tastebuds for our five primary tastes function. Taste receptor cells are distributed evenly throughout our tongue. If the food has more concentrated amounts of NaCl or LiCl, then we feel the salty taste. If the food has more concentrated amounts of acids (H+), then we feel the sour taste.
...
You know, reading psychology for two whole days is not a good thing. It makes your perceptions and thoughts slanted in the direction of their long-winded theories, especially when you have to force yourself to read them for a final paper in another 3 hours time.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Disturbed
I was having a good sleep last night until my neighbour started yakking on the phone at 4 am in the morning. I was bursting with anger. I have been constantly telling her to turn down the volume of her music, or her tv and yesterday, I felt sick of repeating it again. Therefore, I woke up from bed, and banged the wall that separates our rooms from each other to "ask" her to shut up. I don't know if she noticed the hint, but she kept talking for a while. Fortunately, she ended her conversation before my anger decided to strike again. Or else, she would have been in deep trouble.She is so inconsiderate. I am sure she knows very well that the clock says 4 a.m.. She might not be sleeping, but other people in the house were! I am not in any way forbidding her to talk on the phone. If she wants to talk, go ahead, but do so softly! This house is not hers alone!!! @%F*$!
I have a feeling I am going to burst and shout at her the next time she does that again. Cctually, I should. I have been patient with her for far too long. It is time to show my temper right in her face.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
PMS
My mood is a little swingy today. I cut my hand while cutting tomatoes and all of a sudden I punched the table top out of anger. Yes, you are right - it is that time of the month.I wrote a comment in response to an article that I read on Gateway, the university's newspaper.
"In response to Ross Prusakowski's article "International tuition hike makes sense" (30 November), I would like to make a few comments as an international student.
First off, I would like to thank the SU for coming out to hear our concerns at the forum held last week. Finally, someone is willing to let our voices be heard. Well, who would be happy with a 23.5% fee hike all of a sudden?
Some of you may have heard the angry voices from your international friends, but to those who have not - I advise you to attend the meetings or forums because there are plenty who don't know what is going on.
Prusakowski said that the 17.75% increase will bring the amount international students pay up to $14,394 annualy. He also quoted from Edmonton journal that it was still a little short of the $15 000 it actually costs for a year of education at the U of A.
I would like to point out that these two statements are not true. As an international student, I am very aware of how much I am paying per year as a full-time student. Before this increase, I was paying 150% more than the local students. I pay $14950 for a 2nd-year engineering program this year. Increasing it by another 17.75% - let's make it 23.5% since everyone is affected by the other 5.75% - will amount to an increase of tuition to almost $19000-$20000.
If we want to speak of the quality of education in universities - I would have gone to U of Toronto or Waterloo for a fee of nearly $20 000 because they DO provide me with more benefits. I am not saying that the U of A is a lousy place but now, I rather go some place else where I can gain the benefits I should be getting for the amount I am paying.
Basically, the fee hike will drive most of us away. We are half way through in completing our degree/phD. Of course, the univesity has its own standards to meet, its financial strains to cover, and its "quality" to improve. But, taking it all out on us is not the wisest thing to do. The university will face a greater loss when we decide to transfer out or return home for this reason. Then, the fact that we are going to advise other international friends not to waste any time or money attending the U of A, will not contribute to university's plans on improving its quality.
Prusakowski also mentioned the fact that it was foolish to make the investment on our tuition fee because we have a visa, and we get kicked out of the country eventually thus will not return our part to the Canadian community. This I would agree. And, this is what the university should consider before passing the proposal.
I have received crude remarks from people saying that I should not have chosen the U of A if I want to complain about this. But do people understand that we pay high exchange rates as well? Do people understand how it feels when we don't get to work off-campus? Do people understand that our parents work so hard to set aside an estimated amount of money for our education here? No. At least, I know the people who gave me those crude remarks did not even bother to put themselves in our shoes.
Don't get me wrong. We are not against the whole tuition increase. But if the university can justify the benefits we receive with this sudden increase, we might consider staying on (so far, the administration has not proven anything to us). Otherwise, don't propose it on current international students. It is not doing the university's reputation any good.
Yun Ling
2nd year Chemical Engineering"
I am hoping it will be seen by a thousand other students. If not, let's just say ... I would have punched the table more today.
about me
Home: KL, Malaysia
School: U of A
I am someone who frets a lot - I call it a psychological disorder. I am constantly trying to escape my complex mind which, very often, drives me and my close companions to the edge of insanity. Born under the sun star Libra, I am greatly affected by a disease called "indecisiveness". Nicknames were never part of my dictionary until I met some people who decided to name me "turtle". Soon, I was representing a zoo of hamsters, "sotongs", pigs, cats, etc...
chat
previous
archives
personal
DedicationsMy Fotopage
Nice Photoblogs
I read
[ ::mum-mum::eat-eat:: ]
[ Patricia ]
[ Elizabeth ]
[ Liz ]
[ Li Shun ]
[ Markuz ]
[ Michelle ]
[ Dr.Liew ]
[ Simplymel ]
[ Jacey ]
[ Viewtru ]
[ Afi ]
[ KweiLi ]
[ Brand New Malaysian ]
[ MrKiasu ]
[ LeoKoo ]
[ AMS'Blog ]
[ Stephanie ]
[ Shadow ]
[ Chiak Lung ]
[ Maverick ]
[ Lyn-theQ ]
[ Thomas ]
[ Lynette ]
[ Gareth ]
design
title : w4rnawarni: (pink) bikini girl (Adfree) by w4rnawarni @ blogskins