2 days into Year 2

And I've already got two things to submit next week =O Plus a mountain of readings and books to get. Hullo again, Bras Basah, old friend.

Dr Cherian George is taking COM203!! *goes off to take another look at The Air-Conditioned Nation, which hasn't been touched since IP2.*

Step Up 3D tomorrow though, I think! =D

Felix Cheong, "I Watch the Stars Go Out"
For stars heavier than eight times our sun, the enormous pressure due to gravity will fuse even heavier elements at the core. The star then explodes with tremendous fury. - Marcello Gleiser, "The Dancing Universe".

Perhaps love
is a view of stars
through the telescope of years
now aged,
no longer uncommited
in chosen places,
nor fearful
of that strident moment
when light explodes
into a million shards of heart.

I really shouldn't have borrowed that collection of poetry by Felix Cheong with so much other stuff to read, but this poem is worth it.

I've got so much left to say but I can't speak well and besides, it's too late.

Because university starts tomorrow and it hardly feels like it - I think I've been too busy to realise we're having holidays. Had a lot of fun though.

And I'm gonna miss those guys so. much.

The PM mentioned an MRT line that will come up in the East soon. I'd rather it didn't, though.. I like the East Coast just the way it is.

Ernest Hemingway said his best story is six words long (For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.). Margaret Atwood's six word story goes like this: Longed for him. Got him. Shit.

Haha! Anyway, the deadline is this Wednesday. Ideasssss?

Summer Love.

How do I express emotions that are mine in a language that isn't mine?

(VERY loosely quoted from a slide from HKL105 lecture last sem.)

Wed - shopping with the boys. Thursday - PIKNIK at the beach with Geraldine, Hansen, Izzat and Nadiah. Friday - more shopping with the boys, at Queensway.

=]

Volleyball!

Saw my first international volleyball game today, thanks to a good friend. =] The only downside was that I had to be there at 8am, though the matched only started at 10.

It was really great though, both the boys' and the girls' matches. I think I'm hooked.

While waiting for the second match to start, I met Ale and her dad, and we were talking about how good it would be if disagreements could be settled through sport instead of war. And a tiny adorable girl from Nanjing came over to publicise the 2014 YOG in Nanjing.

Came home to a late lunch, almost fell asleep over my plate, and finally started clearing up all the backlog- emails that need answering, books that need to be finished and returned soon, stuff that needs to be recorded, stuff that needs to be put away instead of being left strewn all over the floor, so on.

Tomorrow is another busy day - violin in the morning, YOV in the afternoon, i think, Raffles Place in the evening and dance rehearsal at night. It's a good thing school hasn't started yet. Less than a week left though, eeps! Though I'm excited =]

"But then they danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like the fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!" "

- from On The Road, by Jack Kerouac

YOG Day 5 - Kallang Cricket Field (plus other things)

Saturday, 21st August.
Wasn't much to do, once again, because the athletes spoke English, I think. Had biscuits and orange juice with Evgeniya and Alejandra, then watched a bit of archery with Alejandra. My I Speak... badge fell off somehow, somewhere! =( Looked all over for it but couldn't find it, so I took another one. Poor badge =( Collected the Volunteer Appreciation stuff though! Collar pins, Universal Studios ticket and a cert that I've yet to collect. Had lunch with the KTC folks, and talked to Aurelio fom Italy, who's awesome cos he volunteered for the Italian army. Left soon after, and that was my final official day of duty.

It's been a busy week. Finally met Pearlyn, and found a Mr Koh lookalike on Tuesday. Have I already mentioned this in the previous post? I know for sure I mentioned the SIFAS people, whom I met on Wednesday.

Arranged to meet Dhevy on Thursday, at a place that wasn't my house or school, for the first time ever. It felt a bit strange but it was an awesome evening of unloading. And cheesecake. =D It felt like the VJ days when we'd share cheese tarts from the second stall.

Friday morning - puja at home in the morning, trip to YOV in the afternoon to meet a friend, then a frantic rush back home to grab my violin, change, and head for SIFAS rehearsal. Which, as always, ended late. And, because of which, I couldn't go to Yatra. =\ Rushed to meet the girls after that, sipped some cranberry juice, bumped into 2 VJ friends, made a quick stop at Mustafa, and finally reached their house for the sleepover. We were all really tired by then, so we were out flat in minutes.

Had to get up before 7 on Saturday, for my final day of duty that I mentioned at the start of this reader-unfriendly post. Had class after that, and had to hang around after class for rehearsal again. Made another trip to Mustafa in the time between class and rehearsal, thanks to a tip-off from Ale about collarpins sold there that I can trade with other athletes.

Thankfully, didn't have anywhere to go on Sunday morning, but left around 12 for Alumni Dance rehearsal at SIFAS. Discovered Thulasi there, which made going to PA after , with Akhil, a breeze. T'was a really fun car ride =] Took 12 on the way home, because it's much faster than 197, and I like walking along the PCN to Marine Parade.

YOG Day 4 - Kallang Cricket Field

We were supposed to watch archery today, but bad weather delayed the games. Managed to catch a glimpse of tennis too =D

Much thanks to a buncha people who made the day fun:
Liza, Yi Xi, Zhou Jin, Zahidah, Calvin, Hui Ling, Jane from Russia (Moscow), Jade (originally from Switzerland) and especially Clarence (from Switzerland). We taught each other languages and had lotsa discussions to while time away till we were needed. =]

SIFAS gang reunion in the evening! Fun, as always, with Nandita, Sudarshan and Raghav. Much laughter =]

I saw some of the team from Congo when I was on the way to where they were! Didn't see my friends though.

Have yet to start on On The Road, oh woe is me.

OH. There was a bit of an upset recently, about the food the volunteers get, but my food has been pretty decent.

YOG - Day 3 - Kallang Tennis Centre

In brief. Once again, photos aren't allowed.

No translation at all. Just a bit of French conversation with Clarence, international volunteer.

Watched a girls' singles match, boys' single match and boys' doubles match. Plus a bit of another boys' doubles.

I found the players in the first boys' doubles I saw the most courteous and gracious. They were from Germany, Brazil and Argentina.

I've finally learnt a bit more about tennis and the way the scoring works.

Also, had an hour's conversation with athletes who speak French that night, over the phone! I think I'm finally getting the hang of the way they speak, which is different from the way my French teacher used to speak.