It hasn't changed for the day yet, so, PUDDLE.

Happy Birthday Laura! Though if you're reading this, you probably shouldn't be here. Nor should I, for that matter =S Have an awesome day anyway!

You know the way IE shows you your most-visited sites in miniature when you click on New Tab? Today, when I clicked on New Tab, MLIA (My Life Is Average) showed up as one of the nine thumbnails. Just after four days. MLIA.

My first paper was yesterday, and it wasn't a fantastic start, but oh well. It seems funny to know that I won't ever be doing an exam for that module again, I'll never use any of those notes again unless I take another elective to do with Linguistics. Things in Uni move so fast. We spent about half a year on each book in JC, here we spend a week on each text. For each module. So that's at least 3 different texts each week.

Watch out, IKEA. We're on to you. =D

My friends are awesome.

It's the last HW101 workshop. A friend of mine is sitting right in the corner. I only see him during this lesson, and in passing during lectures. I'm sitting beside him. We're supposed to write a letter to our instructor reflecting about what we've learnt and telling her anything we want to. My friend looks in his laptop cover for a pen, looks bewildered, glances over at me, and reaches for my pencilcase. Grinning sheepishly, he proceeds to rummage inside for a pen. "I don't have a single pen on me," he says. I offer him the one I was about to start writing with. "Here."


"Um isn't that your favourite pen or something? I'll take another one."

=]



AND I signed into my Cbox account. Was relieved that I remeber the password. It was really fun reading all the tags that CBox saved! I shall put it up again someday.

Cbox stats from 2006 and 2007.
Cbox type: Basic [Upgrade Now!]
Created 1,323 days ago
Views: 5,087
Views / day: 4
Posts: 584

Long, boring post. Unless you're an Aquarian girl.

I once told a friend that I can be contacted anytime I'm needed, even at 3am. Back then, I thought 3am was considered an unusual and unearthly hour.

On Saturday night (or rather Sunday morning), I slept at 5.30am, and had to get up before 9am on Sunday morning. On Sunday night (Monday morning), I slept at 3am, and got up 7.30am on Monday. Survived Monday by editing Sam's HW101 assignment during lecture and Caroline and Jon saved 102 tutorial. I was up the whole of last night, Monday, revising my HL102 assignment and helping other friends to edit their essays and look for critical sources online. It was quite fun, the way we dropped each other a message on msn every hour to check progress. ZT went off first, around 6.30am. Colin slept in the evening before starting the assignment and was still working on his assignment when I went to grab a half-hour of sleep at 8.30am. Got up at 9am, started for school, refused to sit for fear I'd fall asleep (though my knees buckled twice cos I dozed off for a second despite standing), met Ronnie and Jia Yi on the way, and met the others at LT9. Colin was finally triumphant at 1600. Lecture was only an hour, and that concluded the last lecture for this semester. We went to Can A, I realised that I hadn't eaten that morning but just bought a Mango Ice-blend anyway, and I decided not to skip the last HG102 tutorial. And good thing too, we were given extra marks =D Reached home at 4.30pm, and I've got HW101 to work on now.

Anyway, my point is that 3am has become too common to be used. I need to find another way to say I'm always available.

This Chris Brown song has been stuck in my head:
Ain't no way (ain't no way),
I'm gone let you down (let you down).



This is one of the more accurate descriptions of my horoscope I've seen. I usually scorn all those horoscope descriptions that are floating around, but not this. And though some parts of this aren't accurate, most of it is. Plus, it's amusing. Comments in brackets are added by me. I guess it's written for guys, about girls. Drop me an email if you're a girl and wanna read yours/if you're a guy and wanna read about a particular girl =D

Aquarius Woman (21st January to 19th February) :

Inconsistency and confusion describe the characteristics profile of an Aquarius female. (What nonsense!) The same goes for her love life too. She is very loyal, but at the same time, she is also a little detached and not extremely emotional. She will be committed and remain faithful too, but do not try to bind her. Let her enjoy her freedom and in return, she will come back to you when she gets tired of her expeditions. Her dreams are very different from that of a normal female and she hums a different tune, which most of us have not even heard of (This is so cool).

An Aquarian female is like a butterfly, which sits on every flower, but belongs to none. She loves her freedom and if you can accept this, she will love you even more. Within her boundless limits, her love will also be limitless. Position and power matter to her more than money and bank balance. If you want her to fall in love with you, be true and honest, not only to others, but also to yourself. You don't need to follow her rules. You can form your own code of ethics, but be sure to live by them (Very true) .

Passion is not one of the personality traits of Aquarian girl. Rather, her love will be subtle and unassuming. She is intense, but may prefer to be platonic most of the time (Yes!). Hosting as well as attending parties comes naturally to her and she will always be a social delight. She will trust you completely and will not be unduly suspicious of your activities. You will also not be bothered by too much jealousy or possessiveness on her part. Her trust arises from the fact that before committing, she had dissected your behavior under a microscope (Haha, does sound likely).

Only after being convinced of your integrity did she take the next step. Still, if you become unfaithful to her, she will be extremely hurt and is likely to remember the wound for a long time (Perfectly true). With an Aquarian female, out of sight means out of mind too (No way! This is absolutely wrong). So, make sure to be around her always. She has a very strong will power. If she thinks the relationship is not working and has no chances of improving, she will break it right away, though doing so may tear her heart into two pieces (Whoa, they got me. Spot-on). Like every Aquarian, she will remember her first love throughout her life.

It's no use getting upset, better be the first love in her life (HAHA what on earth). She will never ever be dishonest in a relationship and even if she indulges in an extra-marital affair, it will end before it even started. She will always try to know your deepest thoughts and secrets, but her own dreams will be beyond your reach. Conversing with an Aquarian female is usually a delight because of her charming manners. Her mind is quite unpredictable and you will find it hard keeping track. She will live in the present, then suddenly be wistful about yesterday and then, become enthusiastic about tomorrow (I've noticed this myself).

She may talk about fairies one day and discard elves as humbug, the other. Never look down on her or she might never look up to you (Oh nice phrasing!). She respects you and will expect the same in return. As mothers, Aquarian women tend to be very loving and caring. Though in the beginning, they may be a little nervous about the whole idea of motherhood. But once they become comfortable with it, it will come to them naturally. An Aquarius female may find it difficult to express her love in the form of hugs and kisses and you will have to teach her that. She will never overburden the kids with protection.

At the same time, she will always be a patient listener to their childhood and adolescent problems. Teaching them discipline will also be your responsibility. However, for all this to happen you will have to convince her to get married and this certainly isn't an easy job (Lol..). You will also have to teach her romance, since expressing emotions does not come too easily to her (Very true, the expressing emotions part). She will happily hold your hand and walk besides you, but don't expect her to gaze into your eyes for hours at a stretch (I agree completely).

Don't smother your Aquarian girl with too much closeness, she needs her space and will give you, yours too. Things like suspicion, possessiveness, chauvinism and criticism turn her off. Just be nice to her odd bunch of friends (HAHAHAHA) and she will warmly welcome yours into the house. Make use of her intuition and insight, it may help you in solving a problem or two. It may seem like wishful thinking now, but then, remember she looks in the future. Hold her hand and she will let you see the future too, where both of you are cozily living together! (Lol so cheesy.)

Someday I'll show this to my husband.

My Favourite Lichee

It's about 4am.


//michee// swallowed up in the sound of my screaming says:
there's this guy who updates his status on facebook like a million times a day. and its ALWAYS abt studies.

shreya says:
yucks

//michee// swallowed up in the sound of my screaming says:
and sometimes it'll be abt a question he's not sure abt, and his whole mugger clan will be commenting on it, as in the solutions. like "you just use Q=IT....22.65x10^6KJ....H20 + CO2...

//michee// swallowed up in the sound of my screaming says:
i feel like deleting him from my friend list

All Hail Chen!

(A lot of people are using variations of this template but it's honestly one of the neatest.)

Shouldn't be here, but this made me grin. =D

It's exactly two years to the date that PW ended. So I messaged Laura, Jared, Reuben and Wen Jun about it. The conversation with Reub went this way:

Me: Hello guys! (if i rmb right, it's VJ087.) Today is our second end-of-pw anniversary! Haha hope everyone's doing good!

Reub: Haha yup yup i'm doing well. :) who's this by the way? :X

Me: It's shreya! Haha did you lose your contacts?

Reub: Haha hello shreya! I must have lost your contact when i changed to my army phone. Ah i'm surprised you have spare smses to message us. I thought you usually use them all up on your boyfriends. :D

Me: Hahaha what on earth! Dont make up stories just cos you're emperor! Lol. I'm sure none of your MANY girlfriends' numbers got lost right? =D

Reub: Haha. Fine you caught me. The truth is that i threw away your number cause you failed as the bodyguard! Ha but now you're hired again. You'll start work on monday! See you in the army camp. :)

Me: Hahaha you never fail to make me laugh. Thanks for giving me my job back! I failed earlier cos you didnt give me salary =( lol im on course now, until 2013, so ill join after that! You can think abt my salary till then!

Reub: Haha sigh. Nobody cares about the emperor anymore. Haha. Yup yup take care my bodyguard. If anyone attacks you or anything tell me yea? I'll execute them immediately! :)

Me: Yay ok! Haha you better save my number =D ill punish anyone who gives you trouble too! (army officers dont count) haha take care!

=D

I guess you won't find it funny unless you know him and can picture him saying all that.

And I'm beginning to understand why Thiru's so mad about Survivor.

Hopefully, this will be the top-most post till exams are over.

Things to do after the 2nd of December:

Walk/Cycle to my favourite place at the beach.
Empty my phone of messages.
Meet various Victorians - batch-mates (sem 1 will finally be over), juniors (As will finally be over), seniors (some of them finally ORD).
Climb onto the VJ roof with friends on a starry night. Or, if I won't be allowed, on a cool evening.
Meet other friends with postponed meet-up plans.
Write letters and buy stamps and envelopes (preferably black in colour).
Play the violin.
Learn how to write my own blog template.
Watch movies all day/night at home.
Find a mouldy old tape that can't be salvaged and open it up to see how it's assembled. The rationale behind the mould is that I won't be wasting a tape.
Make mixtapes.
India trip!
Make scrapbooks of Silicon Valley trip, Japan trip.
Get Lit notes back from junior.
Have a look at VJ Physics notes. I really like Physics (except for the electricity bits) and might do a Physics module next sem.
Write a letter to myself to be sealed until 2013. I would have graduated by then.
Go for a walk with a camera in some secluded but pretty place.
Make a notebook out of home-made recycled paper.

Four assignments due in a week and a half, oh my.


Whenever I close my house's creaky gate and big door behind me, looking at the sun shining on the money plant that grows up the wall, I can't help but to feel like Samwise Gamgee, in the last scene of The Return of The King, when he stands in his garden saying "It's good to be back," (or was it "Good to be home"?) and then goes in and closes his yellow wooden door with the doorknob in the centre.

"Any moment now you will catch us laughing."

Did you watch The Two Towers on Saturday?

I couldn't resist watching it (again).

I forgot I'd changed my template, and got a shock when I visited my blog.

Today I pressed the down button on my phone 657 times to get to a particular message I wanted to read, which happened to be Number 658. I couldn't go from the back because there are close to 4000 messages in the phone. They go back all the way to last December. I really need to clear the poor phone after exams.

Test tomorrow, and three assignments all due soon, at the same time. I haven't started work on any of them, including tomorrow's test.

"உசிருள்ள ஒருத்திக்கு தாஜ் மஹால் கட்டிக் கொடுத்தவனும் நான் தான்-டி"

I'm unable to explain this sudden urge to blog.

I like the sound of the word mixtape. I think I'm going to go make a mixtape soon. Erm, mixCD?

I love stationery/book shops. As I was heading towards the HSS library today during break, I walked into Popular, and came out about 15 minutes later with a Pilot G2-07 Blue refill, a Pilot G2-05 Black refill (I really needed them, lectures are depleting my pens' ink like crazy), a Pilot G2-05 Blueblack pen (I've been wanting this ever since I accidentally bought a blueblack refill instead of black last year in school), a uni-ball Signo bronze pen (this wasn't very necessary or very urgent, but the impulse was too great, and I consoled myself with the fact that I hardly ever buy on impulse) and a notebook (this was necessary, and though I have plenty of notebooks at home, I just had to buy one 'cos I love and collect notebooks), and was pleased at not having spent more than $8 (though I still wish I'd bought those black envelopes; I like posting letters and the bronze ink of the new pen would have been brilliant on the black paper).

Parentheses make sentences very long.

After lecture, as I was walking through Can B, I saw this booth that was selling stuff to raise money for animal welfare. I didn't wanna spend too much, and I didn't wanna walk away without buying anything either. Would have bought a badge for a dollar, but they weren't very nice, so I bought a set of 12 mini-postcards for $4. I love posting things after all.

When I'm 25 years old and reading this again, I hope I admire my sensibility.

I often forget other people are reading this. Sorry if I'm boring you.

And to add on to yesterday's post:
- Finally got around to messaging Subra too!
- Met Bev at NTU today, she looks so different with new hair and specs and braces! Felt really good to see her again, I miss all those hours in Lit class and lecture when she would draw and draw and draw. I used to give her specific images and she'd be done in a matter of minutes. And I also miss our frantic note-taking during lecture. =D
- OH OH I think I found a friend to give me a lift home!

Sometimes, thinking of a title really annoys me.

I enjoy standing in the MRT from City Hall to Boon Lay on the way to NTU, and from Pioneer (I love that name!) to Paya Lebar on the way home. There are many reasons for that, one of them being that I won't offend anyone by offering them my seat, or appear rude by not offering my seat. I often find it hard to judge.

So far, this has been a week of:

-More floorball!
-Understanding NTU's geography better.
-Going into a lecture completely unprepared (i.e. without reading the text) and coming out loving the text.
-Learning I have a test next week. May I have some more good luck, please?
-Kidney-less conversations! With Bala.
-Catching up and reminiscing with Henry after a long long time. Which was awesome, as always. His support is always pleasantly unexpected and definitely appreciated =]
-Emails from Raghav and Dhevy, which never fail to thrill. And Skype plans with vy.
-Music by Transmit Now and Red Sun Rising and Shinedown =D
-The film Persona, which we saw for HL101 lecture today. We couldn't understand what the heck it was about.
-Looking through 5 volumes of Project Rewind, and checking if I remember everyone's names, and reliving all those good times those two years, when I should have been reading Lit texts.
-Guys who surprise me with their helpfulness.

I can't believe the semester is ending soon.

"He's not a leader, never will be, but he's not a follower either. He's a dreamer." From The Mists of Avalon, which I should NOT have been reading.

Long weekend ahead!

Thursday's lecture was cancelled, which meant I ended at 9.30am! I love ending early in the morning. Had breakfast with Sam, Cris, Colin and Cheurn Hsi before going home. We were talking about our various assignments and tutors and their army talk came up (again). But it's pretty interesting to listen to so it doesn't matter =D I can't believe Sam's finished his first draft already =S

Earlier, on Tuesday, I went for a recreational floorball session. I was the first girl to arrive, and Joseph, the organisor, asked if I'd mind playing with the guys. I said I don't mind. And that was a big mistake. Most of those guys are ex hockey players and were so good! Especially these two REALLY tall guys from Sweden. Couldn't get anywhere near the ball when they were around. So I resorted to marking the other team's members rather than actually getting near the ball. And my leg muscles and right forearm hurt till yesterday. Luckily Shermaine and Chui Rhong will be there next week! But it was fun.

AND. Met Simran recently at the beach, after a long long time, to catch up. My funner-in-crime says the funniest things! =D I shall spare her the embarrassment and not give an example. It was good to talk to her after so long.

PureVolume has some really good music =]

Happy Deepavali!

HL101 assignment due tomorow, I really shouldn't be here.

From Walt Whitman's Song of Myself.

"I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,

If you want me again look for me under your bootsoles.

You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,

But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,

And filter and fibre your blood.

Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,

Missing me one place search another,

I stop some where waiting for you"

Tomorrow's lecture is cancelled, which means that after 9.30-10.30am tutorial, my next lesson is at 1.30pm. Maybe I can get WFG for Laura in that break.

Everyone's changing their blog URL, I can't bear to update my links. The old URLs sound so familiar.

Happy 19th birthday, Raghav =]

The holiday's half-over and I'm still stuck watching Diversity perform for Britain's Got Talent on youtube.

Why is it fashionable to leave out fullstops nowadays? I keep seeing blogs with one-liner posts that don't have a full stop at the end.

Sunsets and stuff.

Recess week! There's a lot of reading to catch up on.

I love that my room's window faces east. These pictures were taken on different days.

As a sidenote: Cars seems to feature a lot in english song lyrics. I can already think of three, off-hand:

"Life is a highway, I wana ride it all night long."

"She got me speedin' in the fast lane, pedal to the floor mayne, tryna get back to her love."

"Baby gonna take a dive, and push the shift to Overdrive."

And one more thing. It suddenly ocurred to me that if I were to tell someone that I was born in 1990, and I'm 19 years old, but they misheard and heard 1919 and 90 instead, respectively, it would still make sense, mathematically.

This is why I'm hardly online and I don't update much.

Things to do:

- Get started on HL101 (Intro to Eng Lit) Assignment.

- Read all the texts for HL102 (Survey of Eng Lit) since I doubt I finished any of them properly - Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Chaucer's Prologue and Miller's Tale, Sidney's Astrophil and Stella, Shakespeare's Sonnets, Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Hamlet.

- Get ready for HL106 (American Lit) Assignment, read all those texts again - the John Smith excerpt, Anne Bradstreet poems, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Crevecoeur, those three Short Stories, the 3 or 4 Emerson essays, Walden.

- Lunch with Audrey, Shakura, Olivia, Ser En on Thursday!

- Finish the stuff for later today (Airport- Dhevy's leaving today)

- Study for HG102 (my elective, Linguistics) test next Tuesday.

- Get textbook back from Marine Hawaii shop

- Ask Sarah if my JC lit notes are too messy to read

- Go have a look at: NIE gym, Yunnan Garden, The Animal House, Sports and Recreation Centre, the different canteens at the different Halls, the Art, Design and Media building with the cool grassy roof I want to climb onto

- Practise pieces for violin class and PA and the accompaniment for next Saturday

- Clear the house by TOMORROW cos people are going to start visiting (Navarathiri)

- Send an SMS to a different friend each weekend to find out how they're doing. Or email them if they're overseas.

- Think about what to do for The Surprise

- Write for Epiphany (a magazine)

- Go buy more t-shirts

- Stop borrowing unnecessary books everytime I go to the library (school or national lib) to return previously borrowed unnecessary books. There's quite enough to read already.

Man am I glad for four-day school weeks.

"Spill guts, hold for eternity."

I came here just to say this:

My best friend rocks. So much.


And for this. Thank you:

Michee for Subway,
Laura for lunch and for being my fellow moongazer and for WFG,
the guy who helped me that first day in the printing room at Lee Wee Nam Library,
Dhevy for the morning at the house and everything else,
the friendly nurses at the BloodBank when I donated blood,
the guy who came singing and smiling down the steps beside Popular,
Catherine the awesome peer review buddy,
Amu for waiting for me before CHYK,
the helpful guys this morning before signing the Tuition Grant Agreement,
the juniors at SIFAS for making me feel good,
the seniors for making me feel honoured,
the bus drivers who smile,
Mum for all the new stuff,
the cashier at Popular who helped me maximise my gift voucher usage,
Samuel, Crispin, Colin, Sofia, Andrea, Bhuva, Alina, Gerry, Jenn, Jasmine, Shafie, Jon, Halim (some of my new friends) for making Uni such fun,
The rain this evening that cooled the atmosphere so much I couldn't resist walking home from the library.

And I'm sure there's a lot more, but I better go finish reading Walden before 9.30am tutorial, (HL106, Intro to American Lit) tomorrow.

There's so much to read, I'm falling behind on my readings already. (Another reason for falling behind is that I keep wanting to read books other than school texts, i.e. fiction for the fun of it. =D)

How do people keep churning out so many posts?! I've been trying to finish a particular post of mine for days but either I dont have enough time or I lose the writing mood. Both the above have happened right now.

It'll be out soon, I promise.

"I am a fragment, and this is a fragment of me."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson, Experience

In love with Love.

I was charging my old phone - Nokia E65, to get all my calendar events into my new phone. Not all of them got transferred when I did a mass transfer.

Such a whiff of nostalgia when it came on and I saw that old display screen with the Inbox and calendar on the front screen, and the way the phone can Lock whenever/wherever I slide it down. Unlike most other phones, that only Lock when you slide it down on the front screen. I was using it just before the prelims last year, and a torrent of memories flooded in. The messages I received, the studying, the music, the things friends said. The way we fought to keep up, the way we laughed, the way we loved. The way we said we can do this.

I'm not exaggerating.

I almost felt like switching back, despite some of the problems it gave. It's such an elegant phone. Although it doesn't have a Radio function.

It's nice the way we can associate so many feelings to an object.

____________________________________________________

On another note, I've found more I-don't-wanna-join-Facebook friends!

Long day tomorrow, I think.

I felt like writing, but I don't have much to say about any one particular thing. So I won't write just about one particular thing.

I'm not moody, but I have my moods.

I started composing a post on music, and what I think of when I hear particular songs. It got dreary just one paragraph into the post, so I deleted it.

I'm not the kind of person who maintains a personal diary. At the start of this year, I tried making it a habit to keep a diary. The last entry was on the ninth of February. I want to start writing again, but what do I do with the empty space in between? Fill it in from memory?

It just rained and the weather is wonderful. Sometime last year, I wrote a haiku after getting caught in the rain. I don't have a copy of it now but I think it went like this:

You smile like the rain.
Sudden, unexpected, but
Enough to drench me.

Two weeks into school, lotsa new friends! Literature students are the coolest. And most interesting. Though I still miss VJ and Victorians terribly.

I collect notebooks. Last year, I bought two notebooks (at the same time, because I couldn't resist) from the school bookshop. I haven't used them yet. The middle step of the bunk-bed, which is also storage space, is full of (mostly unused) notebooks I've collected over the years. The oldest one is a tiny notebook I bought for 5cents when my kindergarten took us to a nearby shop to learn about money. They gave each of us 5cents to buy either coloured paper or a notebook. That must have been my first purchase ever, alone.

Will I ever be able to write anything worth reading?

Such a pity there's no rehearsal today, I was looking forward to it the whole week. Now it's another whole week away.

I'm an extensive daydreamer. Always have been. I can't get my mind to stop. I daydream on the way to places. On the way home. When I'm bathing. When I brush my teeth. When I lie down to sleep. (sometimes I dream so much that I can't get sleep. Sounds ironic doesn't it.) When I walk around the house. I daydream whenever I'm not talking, not reading seriously, not watching anything seriously. And it's almost always dramatic daydreaming.

The mood is passing and I'm starting to feel a little silly about this post too. I better stop now or I may delete the whole thing.


Oh! To ICS people: Remember the way Reuban always used to ask why the sky is so high? I think I have an (act-cool) answer now. It's to make sure we reach for the stars.

=D

In the afternoon, I received this SMS from a friend:


"Ok so ten minutes ago the phone rings when i'm in the middle of doing dishes (which annoys me) so i rush irritably to go pick it up, and the line gets cut off. I go back to the dishes and this happens a second time. The third time it rings i'm already suspecting it's some random prankster, and he didn't catch me at the right moment so i pick it up and go, "HELLO. WHO ARE YOU.WHAT DO YOU WANT. ANSWER ME!" and i'm pretty mad so the fierceness is reflective. And after a few seconds, someone goes "ennammaa - yaa.. Yaar ithu paesu..rathu?" O_O *facepalm* terrified paatti. Argh -expletive- dad's -expletive- mum. Awkward moment then. "ennamaa kural maari pochu.." *epic facepalm* "illai paatti, uh... Sorethroat." "


HAHAHAHA!

I have homework to do, but there's a song stuck in my head.

Wednesdays are my 'go to school only in the afternoon' days. For now, at least. I hope I don't mess my timetable up.

I saw a couple of familiar, comfortable faces yesterday. Met Sakthi in school on the way to lesson, went to Dhevy's house after school, and met Archana on the bus home. Course registration is killing me! Looks like I'll have to meet Lichee and Amu next week.

But I like Uni, I really do. It's going good.


Slide your foot off the gas before we crash right back into the median that separates our house from the middle of the street~


EDIT: 19th Aug. Today I met Aaron on the MRT home! And Suriya, on the way to school. And also met friends' friends. And Ajit (cousin brother) is in Singapore for a day!!!

And I have yet to enter an NTU washroom. Apart from the day of the medical examination. Strange.

Just a quick one.

First day of lessons went well. Except that we got lost and were 10 minutes late for lecture -_- But oh well. We'll get used to the place.


I think my blogging style is blogging for myself, to read in the future.


Last Tuesday or Wednesday, I met Shalini for lunch. She can drive, so she took their car. In 13 years of knowing her and her family, that was the first time I sat in the front seat (because usually, Shylu, Shal, Sowmya and I squeeze in the back and my mum sits in front). We bought food at Tampines, and wanted to go to the beach, but it started to rain, so we went to her house to watch a movie. And made a quick trip to the beach before she dropped me home.


Looking forward to a good semester. Though I'm so gonna miss people going overseas. (DHEVY. RAGHAV. YOU TWO OF ALL PEOPLE.)


Remember me as the one without Facebook.

Moments contained in one glance.

On Thursday night/Friday morning, I learnt what Indie music is. And where the word 'Indie' actually comes from.

I feel disillusioned.

Indie used to sound so cool .



Oh, we found an insect's nest on the Master Bedroom window grilles. I wanted to leave it there but it was abandoned so my parents said it can and should be removed. =(

"Cool breeze and autumn leaves/Slow motion daylight"

I matriculated online on Saturday, and received my timetable. Very excited, and a little nervous too (when I read the description of the courses and wonder if I'll be able to do all that). I need to go on all days from Monday to Friday, but I almost always end by 3.30pm, and I don't have to go earlier than 11am except on one day. Have yet to buy the books I'll need from the campus bookstore - will probably get them when I go this Thursday. Laura, if you're reading this, can I please borrow your Waiting for Godot notes? I'm gonna be doing it too =]


And I finally applied for my tertiary concession card today. Though I wasted $8 on passport-sized photos because the TransitLink website told me to bring one. And it wasn't necessary after all. I'll be glad to stop paying the adult fare soon..


PA rehearsals are taking up a lot of time this week, including the long weekend, but no complaints. It's fun. Especially with the professionals. And friends. The only trouble is trying not to be late for the SIFAS rehearsals.


I need to return my library books and clear my table and stock up on clothes and clear my phone of messages dating back to last November before the A-levels ended. And meet Olivia and Shakura after settling down, and Laura and Lichee and so many others, and Sundar before he leaves, probably at the airport itself, though, and Raghav before he leaves, though maybe not, since we hardly talk face-to-face (haha), so I guess it's the airport for you too, R, unless the problem I told you about surfaces, in which case we'll meet earlier. What a long sentence. Sorry, I can't help it. Most of my Literature/Knowledge and Inquiry/Language Arts teachers have commented on it but I can't help it =S


Most people seem to be getting laptops, now that they're about to go to University.

I don't think I want to get a laptop.

It seems just like a few days back that I wished you for your 18th birthday here.

Happy Birthday, Dev and Dhevy =]

I'm just so very grateful for you. There's really nothing else to say here, wait for the letter (the one I couldn't resist telling you about, which I've been writing for more than a year now =S).

Once again, I can't think of a title for the post, and once again, as always, you never needed things to be that perfect anyway.

This nursery rhyme popped into my head when I was bathing, so I'm putting it here, even though it doesn't really have much significance =D

If all the world were paper,
And all the sea were ink,
If all the trees were bread and cheese,
What should we have to drink?

Outstanding, Outperforming, Out Having Fun.

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY VICTORIA JUNIOR COLLEGE!

I'm so glad to be a Victorian. Whether or not I've made VJ proud, I'm proud to have been from VJ.

Couldn't pop over yesterday to watch the celebrations because I was out the whole day. When we reached home at around 10.45pm, we could hear the band playing It's My Life (Bon Jovi) under the huge white marquee set up in the field, this is where the dinner tables were set up as well (from what I could see from my balcony). Mum suggested we go take a quick look at what's going on. Unfortunately, we heard the emcee announcing that the band would be playing the last song of the night. And they played La Bamba [for the benefit of non-Victorians (and the not-very-Victorian Victorians), this is one of our 6 mass dance songs.]

VJ brings back a flood of memories. But that's for another post. I've gotta get ready to leave for PA.

Nil Sine Labore. (Though it's a cliched ending to speeches and all, it's just so appropriate. Not just because of the literal meaning, but because of the patriotic spirit it arouses. And since it's usually mentioned at celebrations, it generally is reminiscent of half-days and full-days. haha!)

Late-night MSN convos.

It's around 1am. Just had a couple of conversations:

1. With Simran, about the Psychiatry game. And the secrets it revealed. Somehow I get the feeling you know more than you're letting on, Sim. Haha!

2. With my sister, about a Youtube link she sent me (That I didn't get to watch because there were too many convos.).

3. With Raghav and Bala, and then with Raghav alone, about poetry. Raghav believes that the lyrics to any song should be considered poetry, because there shouldn't be any rules when it comes to creative expression. He isn't referring to good poetry, but just poetry. I disagreed, but couldn't really explain myself without coming across as an arts snob (which I'm not). And that isn't good. I've never been good at explaining things that occur to me intuitively. Especially when I'm not trying to prove you wrong, but just giving an opinion. Somehow, Raghav, our argument seems to be about prose and poetry. A diary entry can be prose, not poetry. And prose is a literary piece too, so I'm not saying poetry is better. They're just different.

4. With Yagnya, about Harry Potter (the sixth movie)- it's pros and cons. Also about her play that I won't miss (not like she'll let me miss it anyway, haha.). Can't wait to meet you man.

5. With Abhishek, about a couple of things, and a couple of compliments (Thanks man, you totally made my day! Also because of your pro English =D ), and ending with dreams.

Number three. I guess the discussion I had with Raghav brings across another beauty of poetry - it can be universal and yet it's so personal. =]

I went on Google to see what people have to say about the definition of poetry, but all those definitions seem outdated to me. But I came across a website where people tried to define what a good poem is.

(Note: Raghav, I'm not trying in any way to prove my point here, I know you're not talking about GOOD poetry. This is unrelated to our discussion, just the usual stuff I like to quote at the end of a post.)

"What is a poem?

Hard work.

Emotion surprised.

Throwing a colored shadow.

A word that doubles back on itself, not once but twice.

The exact crunch of carrots.

Precise joys.

A prayer that sounds like a curse until it is said again.

Crows punctuating a field of snow.

Hard work."

To me, that brings across the importance of word-choice in a poem.

"Good poems can tell us what we already know in our bones but had never seen or heard or even put into words before. For a poem to be good it needs the element of surprise. That comes to the reader both in content, line break, sound, and voice. You read the opening line, are carried (or jolted) to the last line, and then wonder, how did I get here? There you are standing in this new place but feeling that, yes, you too, belong here.

A good poem is like a simply wrapped package that appears unremarkable at first glance. Until you read it. Then stars glow where there was never light before. Something sparkles. It might be you. It might be the dark. It might be the woman two rows ahead of you on the bus.

Good poetry gives us ourselves as if we've never had who we were before. It also gives us each other, shortens the gap between one and another. And good poems give us the world as if for the first time.

A fine poem needs mystery too; it doesn't say everything. If you were to compare a poem to a simple math equation, say 1 + 1 = 2, then a poem is butterfly + jagged scar = his warm breath on your neck. It's another way of knowing that makes perfect sense, but not logical, linear, rational sense. It's the way the heart knows, and the soul, the logic of dreams. It's how we know when we love or when we are afraid.

Poetry works on us not only through content but through sound. And for a poem to be well written it must remember that element as well. It needs to sound right. There's not just one right sound, but many, and each poem has its own that needs to be incorporated in order to be a thing of strength and beauty."

I hope I can remember that when I make my own attempts.

Oh and I just read a message from a senior, which was equally heartwarming and worry-inducing. Only you can pull off something like that, I'm so glad you're around Shiva. =]

A minute's walk through my brain.

This time I think I'll wait for you to remember instead of reminding you but there's always the little question or is it a big question of what if you forget altogether I never used to have that doubt but recently it feels like I hardly know you but then again you never really knew me either I don't want anyone to think I'm emo-ing cos I'm not and what's that smell? the MP3 player I haven't touched for years is playing old-school music that reminds me of primary school but the house is in a mess and this can hardly be called stream-of-consciousness because either the thoughts go too fast to put them all down don't you like the sound of my keyboard or my mind goes strangely blank and blocks itself like Snape deflects Harry's curses what am I supposed to type next when I know a couple of people might read this which makes me wanna tell you not to wonder what the heck I'm saying cos because b-e-c-a-u-s-e that's an old habit of spelling out words I probably won't be able to tell you anyway I have a letter to finish and post how many stamps do you reckon it takes and though minds are fascinating things I think they definitely d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y my friend in Sec1 taught me to remember how to spell that definitely can't be put into words like I'm trying to do now cos it sounds messy and is just a shadow shadow reminds me of Hasinah's e-mail address shadow of the real thing my brain seems to be very active just like that birthdate-horoscope said I like that horoscope don't you think it's strange that I took so long to type this out when they passed through my head so quickly every glance is killing me line from a song playing earlier I like that I can remember lyrics and birthdays and phone numbers and lines from books why doesn't it work for Chem and Physics I guess I never really tried I hope my brain is always this active I suddenly really really miss Paka River Camp and the Japan trip this is tiring did I already say that? and now I don't know when to stop I guess now would be a good time cos because this is getting too long dhevy you'd probably say it isn't and I didn't write this keeping in mind that others would read it but people would say that's impossible but anyway let me tell anyone who's reading this that I'm not as mixed-up as this makes you're a chance-taker heartbreaker got me wrapped around your finger more lyrics I'm not as mixed up is that hyphenated or not? as this makes me seem should I delete this whole thing no I guess I won't.

Funner-In-Crime!

Happy Birthday Simran! =] Hope you had a blast at camp! Cheers to many more years of craziness and laughter and friendship =D

Simmer's Birthday card: The Making.

Above: The preliminaries.

The back (which becomes the front when you close the petals).

The interior of the petals.

The base of the interior done, second flower done.

Second flower stuck on, wordings done.

Finished!

"It don't matter if you're black or white."

The King (of Pop) is dead. Long live the King!

Watching Transformers and the catching up before that was fun =D

Made a quick, fun trip to Dhevy's house on Saturday, and finally saw Dev and Rama (lil bro!) after ages. And Karn too haha.

On Sunday, after rehearsal, we went for my violin teacher's daughter's Wedding Reception. The best parts were meeting Raghav and Bharat and Ms Saroopa.

Also made a sudden trip to VJ on Tuesday (Hasinah's birthday - pity it was during the CT2s) and managed to meet a couple of the others too - Lincon (thanks for remembering the jersey!), Minu, Vino, Sarah, Jay, Nandini.

I'm FINALLY going to meet Sundar tomorrow, and Pushpa and Vaishu too. Can't wait! And there's the outing on Saturday. I can't join you in the afternoon, guys, but I'll come for Manraj's birthday BBQ in the evening!

I've yet to confirm the cycling with Simran or the meeting with Laura, my fellow moon-admirer! Next week, you two =] Not to mention the other friends I want to meet before Uni starts.

Oh I watched Jodhaa Akbar yesterday, a Hindi movie (based on fact, i think) about a Mughal prince, Akbar, and a Hindu princess, Jodhaa. It was a beautiful movie, with rich colours and a good storyline and cast. It's a pity there weren't any subtitles, so though I understood the main picture, I didn't get some of the intricacies. Some help please, Simran =)

I was supposed to lend Sarah my Literature notes, since she's doing the same texts, but I don't know where I put them! Argh. Maths, Physics and Chemistry are all intact in one place but KI and my most-beloved Lit notes are not with them. I hope I find them before your prelims, Sarah =S

I was made to join the Peoples' Association Indian Orchestra and Choir for a programme in November, and though it's extremely time-consuming and I'm not sure how I'll manage after Uni starts, the music sounds fantastic! It's a fusion, so there are a couple of movie songs in there too. And a bit that sounds Chinese! Plus, the other members are really fun to be with =] The music keeps running in my head.


ஜன்னல் காற்றாகி வா,
ஜரிகை பூவாகி வா,
மின்னல் மழையாகி வா,
உயிரின் மூச்சாகி வா.

"And the world spins madly on."

Conducting violin lessons is quite fun, except when I keep hearing the same songs (often played out of tune) again and again. Thankfully I still remember how to play those songs.

Busy week ahead. Can't wait for next week, when I can finally meet the seniors and get down to my long-overdue writing. And cycling at the beach (Simmer! this is for you). And swimming (Haha Dhevy, we should go at the crack of dawn. I'll catch the very first bus from here). Not to mention lotsa movies with lotsa different people. And reading the lovely new poetry book I bought. I can't wait to do Literature at Uni.

I love the poems in The Lord of the Rings. Nothing too metaphorical, and they're beautiful. Here's one by Bilbo Baggins, sung at Rivendell (the House of Elrond), on the eve (I think) of the departure of the Fellowship. Read till the end.

I sit beside the fire and think

of all that I have seen,

of meadow-flowers and butterflies

in summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

in autumns that there were,

with morning mist and silver sun

and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

of how the world will be

when winter comes without a spring

that I shall ever see

For still there are so many things

that I have never seen:

in every wood in every spring

there is different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

of people long ago,

and people who will see a world

that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

and voices at the door.

Sentiments after the final violin exam:

Oh crap.

A sentence for each thought is all I can spare at the moment.

In their eagerness to recruit the best, they ignore those who love them and take in those who merely hate everyone else.

I really wish bands would put up explanations to their lyrics.

Simran recently wrote "which guy buys a girl a flower, just for the fun of it or because they know she loves those flowers? very, very, very few," and I earnestly agree!

10 more days.


Sachin in Singapore!

Initially wanted to try for the Golden Point Awards this year, but oh well, maybe next time.

This is from an unreliable website.

But it's still very addictive..

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)
Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant.
Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men.
You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

Try it!

டெஸ்ட் போஸ்ட்

இது எப்படி?

இனிமேல் தமிழ் லிரிக்ஸை கூட டைப் பண்ணலாம்!



"இவள் யாரோ யாரோ தெரியாதே,
இவள் பின்னால் நெஞ்சே போகாதே
இது பொய்யோ மெய்யோ தெரியாதே,
இவள் பின்னால் நெஞ்சே போகாதே."

I just read a good book.

"Shed not for me your bitter tears

Nor give thy soul to vain regret

'Tis but a casket lying here,

The gem that fled it glitters yet."

That was the inscription on a tombstone in the book I just read, Rush Home Road. At this point in the book, an old lady, Addy, has returned to her hometown, Rusholme (clever name huh. Rush Home.) for the first time after running away as a teenager, and realises that the man she loved, and thought was dead at 17, actually lived to a ripe old age, and she could have met him had she mustered the courage to return home earlier.

I made it sound like a soppy story, but really, it isn't. I don't read soppy stuff.

It's almost as if the inscription on the tombstone was meant for her. Sweet.

Sometimes I wonder why this even exists.

This blog, I mean. Not the place where the title goes.


So here's what's been happening:

Work is completely over. Which is a great relief.

My grandmother and cousin sister came down from India, and it's fun showing them around.

Violin exam is drawing closer and closer. Am very very nervous.

ICS Night '09! Loved it. Despite all the trouble they went through earlier, they pulled it off. As always. =] Thank goodness for Dhevy and Sneha and Sharrvesh, especially that last day.

I fell suddenly and terribly sick! I hate falling sick, it hurts my pride. =D

I've got into NTU but haven't heard from NUS, which is very uncomfortable, to say the least.


That's a measly summary, but I'm not in the mood for elaboration.. My phone demands attention. 3000 messages are killin all the functions.


And I need to think of a pseudonym.

In a fit of nostalgia.

Returned from India exactly one week back. It was a wild week! The various pre-wedding ceremonies, buying the bride's (my cousin's) bangles, the engagement, the wedding itself, the movie with the cousins, the get-together at the restaurant, the sleepover, the early-morning fun at the beach. And all the talking and secrets and teasing and laughing. One memorable, fun-filled week.




Unfortunately, I don't have the pictures with me at the moment. Except for this:

Sister, cousin sister, cousin brothers and uncle.

Ajit couldn't make it to the beach, so 6 of us cousins woke up at 5am and walked to the beach. We passed by (ironically) the Tamil movie actor Ajit's house on the way!

The waves were terrific, we took turns standing with our backs to the sea to see who could remain standing after a wave hit us. I don't think any of us could.

(this gets sentimental from here)

But the waves couldn't separate a row of cousins holding hands, laughing as the spray hit their faces. The waves couldn't separate a circle of siblings bound by more than their hands. When we returned home, it took ages for all of us to finish bathing, and to clear up all the sand on the floor and in our hair and everywhere. We didnt do too good a job I guess, our clothes were still full of sand and I had to keep pulling out grains of sand from my hair the next day. Yesterday, back in Singapore, I happened to wear the same pant at home. I was sitting on the bed, and when I got up, the bed was covered with sand that survived one hand wash and one machine wash. I collected it and put it away for safekeeping. Things that last must be treasured.

I think I'm finally done with the major part of work. So now it's gonna be violin-go to school help out with cricket and ICS-violin-meet people you haven't met for a while-violin-get back to writing poetry-violin-write letters and make cards-violin. Sounds fun =]

I bought The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks recently, with a 20% discount I had at Borders. Badly wanted to get some poetry but I didn't have enough money and the voucher was about to expire. It's a lovely story.

"And I learned what is obvious to a child. That life is simply a collection of little lives, each lived one day at a time. That each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals. That a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes cannot be bettered. But most of all, I learned that life is about sitting on benches next to ancient creeks with my hand on her knee and sometimes, on good days, for falling in love."

Am also in the midst of reading Raymond Carver's short stories, on Mr Teo's recommendation. He once told us that Raymond is THE best short-story writer ever.

Interview with NTU on Thursday was quite alright. The test before that was great because I could write about the much-adored book The Great Gatsby. The prof interviewing me, Walter, was great to talk to. We talked about The Great Gatsby and The Lord of the Rings and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Raymond Carver and lots of other things in between. And I made a new friend, Annabella =]

Back to violin now. Anyone wants to go to the beach next week? Send me an sms if you do =]

I now have a CPF account,

because of work, which has been pretty time-consuming, but I'm almost done. I hope to finish by Friday, before going to India for a week for a cousin's wedding.

Work made me miss some things, like trainings, and Saranya's birthday surprise and the S43 lunch and helping the juniors with ICS stuff and the camp. But there still was time for the almost-midnight beach gathering with the juniors! That was fun, sitting on the rocks with Hasinah and Thilanga and Lincon and Ganesh and the J1s, playing silly games until it started raining. And walking home alone in the rain at midnight, since I had work the next day and couldn't stay over.

And there's more to look forward to: full day with Dhevy, treating the senior, meeting the younger bro, the Meet-up that Kept Getting Postponed (look R, that could be the title of another bad bad book), lunch with Laura (girl I still haven't borrowed The Giver. At least I remember the name!), and I really should get around to contacting Simran and Co. (See, Simmer! I made you a business woman already!)

But work itself is quite enjoyable. The 'boss' is a fantastic guy, and I made quite a few friends. Plus, it's a refreshing change to hear so much classical music. For anyone who understands, the T V Sankaranarayanan and Sikkil Gurucharan concerts were especially good. They, together with the percussion guys and the dance teacher and the peon and some of my colleagues made me love work.

With no time to read poetry, I have taken to composing haikus in my head to and from work, because sometimes I can't find the time to write them down and haikus are the easiest to remember. Here's one. Once again, it has nothing to do with me.

What's it gonna take
To get me where I belong:
On your speed dial?


I should probably start packing for the wedding, since this is my only day off. And seriously practise for that final violin exam.

There's this absolutely poetic Tamil movie song running through my head that I should try to translate and put here. Here are a couple of lines of attempted translation (that completely remove the beauty of the lines, but oh well):

You are the wind and I am a tree,
I will nod at anything you tell me.

You are the rain and I am the ground,
Where ever you fall, I'll hold you safe and sound.

You are the night and I am a star,
Only as long as you are there, can I shine from afar.

Ok, that sounds silly. And it isn't an exact translation, I twisted the meanings a little for the rhyme to work. I shouldn't attempt translations.

Have a good week ahead! All the best to all cricket boys for the tournament!

Three months of mental preparation and the time has finally come.


"May it be, when darkness falls
Your heart will be true."

VJ's Outdoor Rumble.

After last week's Orientation, the J1s spent Monday and Tuesday of last week bonding with their classmates and CT. It was an Amazing Race-styled event. I was at East Coast with Shakura and Laura and some fantastic Arts people =] Apart from the extreme heat in the afternoon and my forgetting my waterbottle and the gaps between groups, it was lots of fun! Most of the classes were energetic and great, I only encountered one dropdead-tired class, and they managed to earn bonus points from me anyway. My station (Protect The Light) was pretty easy, so I made the juniors cheer and sing the Victorian anthem and dance! I think I might have been too generous with the bonuses though =S



Fiona's station, What's My Line, where Laura, Shakura, Phoebe and I congegrated was extremely hilarious! The juniors had to guess the profession (or title) we had in mind by asking Yes/No questions. Some of the more interesting ones were Rockstar, Goal keeper and Unemployed. =D



Despite having less manpower than we'd expected to, things turned out fine, and I think (most of) the juniors had fun. Some classes were smart enough to rent tandem bikes to travel all around VJ to their different stations! It was highly interesting talking to the Arts students too.



The rest of last week was spent watching Inkheart (which I liked!), going to an arcade for the first time, the M4 gathering ( =D), violin classes and violin rehearsals (going alright), class with the CHYKs (adorable new friends), Valentine's at Amu's house (fantastic friends), the start of a job and class Farewell Dinner for Anthony (more fantasic friends).



First (technically second) day at work today was okay. It's probably still the calm before the storm though.



At least I'm not wasting my time anymore.

"You' re the center of adrenaline,

And Im beginning to understand.

You could be the best thing about me."

In General.

Went to school last Friday morning for the CNY concert and to meet the juniors and some of the teachers, it felt good to be back. It's a pity I missed seeing Amelia though.



VJ ICS Night is on the 30th of April, Thursday. Friday is a public holiday. =]



Cycling at East Coast with Saranya and Simran in the evening was fun! Those two were looking for HG and CG (nothing to do with pyhysics), or whatever you called it, sim. Haha. Geetha discussion group on Saturday morning, music class in the afternoon, and finally, a wonderful dinner with Olivia and Shakura in the evening. Tuesday was Shylu/Shalini's housewarming and Uncle's birthday party, at their function room. Playing charades and including the little kids was hilarious! Went to the library on Wednesday, and finally got my hands on To Kill A Mockingbird.


Ever since the A-levels ended, I've been wondering about whether I really want to go to University. I suppose nowadays you need a degree before you can do almost anything else, but I don't fancy the prospect of another 3/4 years studying when I'd rather be doing other things. If I do go to Uni, and I suppose I probably will (assuming I get a place), I'd like to do Literature though =]


You remember how in Lang Arts/ KI we come across the fact that Scientific investigation is limited by the human body's limitations? Like not being able to see beyond three dimensions. I was wondering, we can't see anything below three dimensions either. Perhaps there is a 2-dimensional world. Or am I wrong?

Surprises =]

I've had quite a few of them the past few days.

On Saturday night, everyone went into a cleaning frenzy, and I was told that relatives are coming over the next day. Sunday afternoon, I opened the door to a fantastic bunch of friends. THANK YOU (vaguely in order of appearance) Simran, Saranya, Thiru, Reema, Subra, Abhishek, Rama, Amu, Sneha, Manraj, Serena, Aditya and Dhevy! And my family of course, Sowmya in particular, for liasing with them =]

I'm not sure if it's okay to put photos up here. I guess I'll put up a couple =D

We were supposed to be staring at Serena's imaginary spider on the ceiling.




It was a great day, thank you all once again! From Simran's story about me (plus the poem, hahaha) to Rama and Subra talking in Tamil, to Serena's music, it was all hilarious and memorable. And thank you for the gifts!



And Monday was another surprise. I was expecting to meet Raghav, and Bala jumped out ("like a teletubby") from behind the wall! Thank you so much you two! It was wonderful finally meeting both of you! And the present was excellent!



It's on display, da. =D



And then was the meeting with primary school friends Yagnya and Shalini. Yagnya brought Chicago over (she turned 18 in December, haha) and after watching that, we walked to the beach and talked and talked and talked. (We were talking nineteen to the dozen, literally, if I may add, because I was almost nineteen and she behaved like she was twelve. Haha I'm kidding, eggie.) And rushed home in time to open the door for Shalini, after which all three of us and my sister continued talking and talking- we hadn't seen each other for so long!

My face and my favourite Victorian tshirt got cake-smeared =( Luckily the camera's battery ran out of charge. But it was fun =D It was fun overall, I mean, not the cake-smearing part. Haha.

[Just look at my sister (in blue) and I. No stranger would believe we're sisters.]

And a big THANK YOU to everyone who smsed/called/emailed me! I was really touched =]


Probably going to VJ tomorrow to see the ICS juniors dancing for the CNY concert. Exciting times!

"The heat was as heavy as a broken heart."

I've never ever heard it put quite that way. That (the title) was one of the only good lines in that book.



I haven't mentioned quite a few things here, there was the SIFAS gang gathering, we watched the amazing movie Seven Pounds. There were the gatherings the Monday before the last, first with ICS and then with 05V14. It was great meeting so many people again.

And the New Year didn't receive any mention here either. It seems the same actually, just that I'm doing different things.

Met Dhevy on Saturday to go see what Shiva's Geetha class was like. It was an engaging conversation with highly interesting people! =D

Lunch with Laura last Monday! Talking to her was fantastic as usual =] Girl if you read this, I can't wait to read Gathering Blue! And that other book! haha.

Watched Villu yesterday with some of us Tamilians- Dhevy, Rama, Amu and Sneha. It was a typical Vijay movie; lots of comedy at the start and lots of exaggerated action at the end. I understand why his fans love him though- he's got charisma.

I've been reading a lot too, reading to my heart's content. Not forgetting listening to music- Folie A Deux is good! I'm listening to it as I type out this post, and it certainly makes an unforgettable first-impression.

I watched MAMMA MIA! The Movie recently, so those songs are still stuck in my head though.





"Mamma Mia! Here I go again.
My, my. How can I resist you?"

"'Well, blood is dirt,' I said."

Owen may not have given his war poetry universality. Sure, there's poems about the "Greater Love" between soldiers, as well as negative aspects of war in almost every other poem. However, I think the circumstances under which WWI, the war Owen fought in, were different. It was a completely unnecessary war. Owen expresses this by tearing down the romantic notions of war previous poets had held, and glorifying instead the sacrifices of each soldier.

But I believe there ARE other things to be admired about war. Like nobility. I refuse to believe that fear is the only main emotion on the battlefield. After all, not every war in history has been unnecessary. We're definitely better off without war, but if the situation calls for it, it isn't fair to say war is entirely futile.

This picture doesn't justify the need for war in any way. It just made me think that fighting to save other people (or other things, i couldn't resist this picture) is not all glory, as the Romantics would say, but not all futility either.

Facebook and other things.

(Doesn't the title itself seem like Facebook is taking over our lives?)

My sister insisted I join Facebook before the end of last year.

Managed to skive off that one.

I'm against joining Facebook for a couple of reasons. It seems to make connections so.. mechanic. People keep in touch because they happen to be able to, not because they want to. There's no longer any fun in keeping touch, there's nothing special about it. Every friend becomes a number on the list of Friends. Letters became emails which became SMSes, which have now become Wall Posts. No one remembers the excitement of receiving a letter. Or even an email.

And another thing that irritates me is that everything is so public. Even when you restrict your profile to friends, every friend can see what you said to every other friend. I've never been too comfortable with that.

And the photos! I don't like putting up photos of myself (That post some time back was the only time I've done it I think, and that was in a nostalgic fit.) but so many of my photos are already uploaded! But it looks like joining Facebook is the only way I'm going to get all the photos we took.

I give a lot of value to every type of communication. I save MSN conversation and read them when I'm free. I never delete emails. I manually copy out my phone's inbox, every single message. I'm afraid that if I join Facebook, I'll get the irresistible urge to start saving Wall Posts too. And that is an infinite waste of time, but I just might do it.

I guess there are advantages of using Facebook too. It's good for keeping in touch with friends you WANT to keep in touch with but are otherwise unable to do so. If you've lost their number, for example, or if they're overseas. And Shiva once told me it's good for networking and sharing ideas.

I suppose it boils down to using it with discretion, but I've seen it's addictive powers in so many of my friends. Perhaps I'll have to join, whether I like it or not, not because of peer pressure, but because it has become a medium through which even important information is passed on. Perhaps I will join, but not yet.


I changed the template because that monotonous brown was getting boring. And I added some things. The Calvin and Hobbes comic and the horse pictures have to go right at the bottom of the page, unfortunately.


Books I'm reading now:

-Oliver Twist
-Romeo and Juliet
-Macbeth
-Anne of Avonlea
-Emily Climbs
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (THANK YOU for the early present, Ser En!)
-The Lord of the Rings
-The Beethoven Medal

I really should start reading more non-fiction. It's quite embarrassing when most people I know are reading philosophical arguments or biographies or something equally non-fictional, or have read them, while I'm reading The Lord of the Rings again.

But I love fiction for passages like this:

"She does look lonely," said Diana softly. "We must come often to see her."

"I think her parents gave her the only right and fitting name that could possibly be given her," said Anne. "If they had been so blind as to name her Elizabeth or Nellie or Muriel she must have been called Lavender just the same, I think. It's so suggestive of sweetness and old-fashioned graces and 'silk attire'. Now, my name just smacks of bread and butter, patchwork and chores."

"Oh, I don't think so," said Diana. "Anne seems to me real stately and like a queen. But I'd like Kerrenhappuch if it happened to be your name. I think people make their names nice or ugly just by what they are themselves. I can't bear Josie or Gertie for names now but before I knew the Pye girls I thought those names real pretty."

"That's a lovely idea, Diana," said Anne enthusiastically. "Living so that you beautify your name, even if it wasn't beautiful to begin with... making it stand in people's thoughts for something so lovely and pleasant that they never think of it by itself. Thank you, Diana."