A few weeks ago, I had lunch with a friend I haven't seen in ages. Halfway through lunch, she called her boyfriend (the boyfriend is also a friend) and asked him to pop by. Boyfriend turns up, tells me I've put on weight (but was also quick to add that it looked good on me...men and their diplomatic skills!). Girlfriend shushes him. I agreed that it's true, I really did gain quite some poundage (I told him exactly how much). He goes, "Oh no, that is really quite a bit of weight!". Girlfriend asks him to shut up. This whole exchange did not leave me the slightest bit offended, I actually even found everything highly amusing. The guy is a blunt yet funny dude after all. We then left the place where we had lunch, had a few drinks at a pub and the rest of the afternoon proceeded without further incident. The following day I receive an SMS from my girlfriend. Apparently she broke up with him. For calling me fat. I honestly couldn't decide if the story was funny or sad.
My former roommie was also deliriously happy to tell me some weeks back that one of my good friends (she used to be my flatmate when I lived on campus) is now dating our mover. Bit of a background: my friend helped us out when we moved into our flat and that was how she met our Aussie mover. There were times when my roommie and I would both be out of the house and she would be the one to let the mover in whenever he'd deliver something. Eventually she hired him too when she moved into a flat in the city. Now they are seeing each other and last I heard he was gonna take her to the Opera House.
Isn't it completely bizarre how I was the reason behind the breakup and hook up of two different couples?! I always knew that I was a walking bag of contradictions, but being a relationship wrecker and Cupid simultaneously?! It's a gift.
PS As of last week Couple 1 already got back together. Thank goodness! Now I can breathe and not have that burden hanging over my head.
Showing posts with label inanities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inanities. Show all posts
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
To speak or not speak
My mother tells me that I started to speak earlier than most infants. Everyone in my family attests to this fact actually, and my dad even has the audio tapes to prove how irritatingly loquacious I was as a child. My mom recalls how frustrated she was that I just would not shut up while she was pregnant with my younger brother and I would keep following her around, bombarding her with my annoying questions.
My parents took such great pride in my talkativeness that they would let me mingle with their adult friends all the time. Thus I grew up always having adult conversations with actual adults. At a tender young age, I already discovered how wonderful it was to engage in verbal calisthenics.
At some stage in my adolescent years though, I just decided to not talk. I thought it might be more fun to keep to myself and only really speak to friends I felt comfortable with. Once in high school, a teacher had to sit my mom down and informed her how I never spoke a word in class while I would hand in pretty decent written work. My mom then asked me how this could be possible when, growing up, I was such an irrepressible and argumentative kid.
In college, I reverted to my former self. I was still painfully shy but I did try to be as sociable as I can. I was the president of an organisation and this role involved lots and lots of talking, and I think I did fairly okay. I made plenty of acquaintances, but my real and true friends were just a handful. I always preferred to operate that way.
I'm in my mid-twenties now and I'm as silent as ever. Last year I think was my worst year in talking. As a result, I met less people, and the few people I did meet got to know me at a highly superficial level. I just lost faith in words and talking. But more than anything, I guess I just became overly wary of people.
I remember how I spent most of last year by myself, in my room. I was leading a loser lifestyle extraordinaire. I hardly spoke in class, but if it would make a huge difference in my grade, I would. I became very business-like with classmates. I would study in my room, go to class, run back home, stay in my room again. Wash, rinse, repeat.
One night while walking home from a late evening class, I was about to cross the street. The red pedestrian light was flashing and I attempted to make a run for it. I stopped in midstep though, and I realised that I was such a moron for wanting to rush home just so I could lock myself up in my room again.
Late in the second semester of last year, I began to have some semblance of normalcy again in my life. I started to slowly talk to people again and drum roll please...make new friends. It's amazing how the few good friends that I have at the moment all made the heroic first move to befriend my pathetic self. A friend told me that I seemed like such a colossal snob and that I really gave off the vibe that I wanted to be left alone, but he still took it upon himself to try very hard to smash my wall of ice. I'm happy he did.
I still adopt a policy of silence when I hang out with people I barely know, but once I get comfy with someone, I surely can unleash a mouthful. I like being quiet and reserved. It gives me a chance to observe people more keenly and prevent myself from saying empty and stupid things. And isn't listening so much more fun since it involves far less energy compared to talking?
My parents took such great pride in my talkativeness that they would let me mingle with their adult friends all the time. Thus I grew up always having adult conversations with actual adults. At a tender young age, I already discovered how wonderful it was to engage in verbal calisthenics.
At some stage in my adolescent years though, I just decided to not talk. I thought it might be more fun to keep to myself and only really speak to friends I felt comfortable with. Once in high school, a teacher had to sit my mom down and informed her how I never spoke a word in class while I would hand in pretty decent written work. My mom then asked me how this could be possible when, growing up, I was such an irrepressible and argumentative kid.
In college, I reverted to my former self. I was still painfully shy but I did try to be as sociable as I can. I was the president of an organisation and this role involved lots and lots of talking, and I think I did fairly okay. I made plenty of acquaintances, but my real and true friends were just a handful. I always preferred to operate that way.
I'm in my mid-twenties now and I'm as silent as ever. Last year I think was my worst year in talking. As a result, I met less people, and the few people I did meet got to know me at a highly superficial level. I just lost faith in words and talking. But more than anything, I guess I just became overly wary of people.
I remember how I spent most of last year by myself, in my room. I was leading a loser lifestyle extraordinaire. I hardly spoke in class, but if it would make a huge difference in my grade, I would. I became very business-like with classmates. I would study in my room, go to class, run back home, stay in my room again. Wash, rinse, repeat.
One night while walking home from a late evening class, I was about to cross the street. The red pedestrian light was flashing and I attempted to make a run for it. I stopped in midstep though, and I realised that I was such a moron for wanting to rush home just so I could lock myself up in my room again.
Late in the second semester of last year, I began to have some semblance of normalcy again in my life. I started to slowly talk to people again and drum roll please...make new friends. It's amazing how the few good friends that I have at the moment all made the heroic first move to befriend my pathetic self. A friend told me that I seemed like such a colossal snob and that I really gave off the vibe that I wanted to be left alone, but he still took it upon himself to try very hard to smash my wall of ice. I'm happy he did.
I still adopt a policy of silence when I hang out with people I barely know, but once I get comfy with someone, I surely can unleash a mouthful. I like being quiet and reserved. It gives me a chance to observe people more keenly and prevent myself from saying empty and stupid things. And isn't listening so much more fun since it involves far less energy compared to talking?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Random food-related ruminations
- Our oven exploded last Friday. We were attempting to bake the perfect pork rashers, but its drippings inadvertently ignited a flame which eventually became a fire. Soon enough our flat was filled with choking smoke and we had to douse the oven with water. All this quietly occurred in under ten minutes - no dramas, no panicking, no screaming. Surprisingly, everyone (all seven of us) kept very calm and for a while there it seemed like everyone OD'd on downers. We dealt with the fire in an extremely business-like manner. I thought I was the only retard who was thinking about how we could possibly rescue the meat, but during our post-fire conference it was revealed that all of us were thinking the same thing. The whole episode ended with us still salvaging the burnt rashers and eating them with gusto.
- I have been eating so much meat (pork, to be specific) lately and I am terribly ashamed of myself. Yesterday I had a handful of bacon for brunch and an immoderate amount of roast pork for dinner. Today's meals were not much different. If this goes on I will surely go to diet hell very soon.
- My appetite is legendary. What girl can out-eat the men in her family? I am also my friends' designated leftovers-finisher. Food for me is not just a purely physiological thing; I seriously think it should occupy a higher position in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Good food makes me sublimely happy. My personal vision of heaven is a place where I can enjoy all the food I want, without getting heart palpitations or puffed-up cheeks.
- Whenever someone would cook for me, I would always get that warm-on-the-insides feeling. I guess it makes you feel adored, somehow, because it is quite rare to have someone willing to go through all the painstaking trouble of making you a lovely home-cooked meal. Two people cooked for me last week. One is a good friend who would get horribly excited at the sight of me stuffing my face with her heavenly cooking. The other person made me a sumptuous Italian dinner. Such a sweet gesture, but a friend argues that men who cook for you tend to harbour hidden agendas. It's all quid pro quo, he says. He might be partly or wholly right, but my theory is that whoever exerts a significant amount of effort to cook for you would also be capable of wounding you emotionally at a later stage. Isn't there a saying suggesting that the stomach and the heart are connected somehow?
- I have been eating so much meat (pork, to be specific) lately and I am terribly ashamed of myself. Yesterday I had a handful of bacon for brunch and an immoderate amount of roast pork for dinner. Today's meals were not much different. If this goes on I will surely go to diet hell very soon.
- My appetite is legendary. What girl can out-eat the men in her family? I am also my friends' designated leftovers-finisher. Food for me is not just a purely physiological thing; I seriously think it should occupy a higher position in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Good food makes me sublimely happy. My personal vision of heaven is a place where I can enjoy all the food I want, without getting heart palpitations or puffed-up cheeks.
- Whenever someone would cook for me, I would always get that warm-on-the-insides feeling. I guess it makes you feel adored, somehow, because it is quite rare to have someone willing to go through all the painstaking trouble of making you a lovely home-cooked meal. Two people cooked for me last week. One is a good friend who would get horribly excited at the sight of me stuffing my face with her heavenly cooking. The other person made me a sumptuous Italian dinner. Such a sweet gesture, but a friend argues that men who cook for you tend to harbour hidden agendas. It's all quid pro quo, he says. He might be partly or wholly right, but my theory is that whoever exerts a significant amount of effort to cook for you would also be capable of wounding you emotionally at a later stage. Isn't there a saying suggesting that the stomach and the heart are connected somehow?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
I wanna ditch the logical
So denied so I lied are you the now or never kind
In a day and a day love I'm gonna be gone for good again
Are you willing to be had are you cool with just tonight
Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well
Put your name on the line along with place and time
Wanna stay not to go I wanna ditch the logical
All my time is froze in motion
Can't I stay an hour or two or more
Don't let me let you go
Here's to the nights we felt alive
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry
Here's to goodbye
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon
In a day and a day love I'm gonna be gone for good again
Are you willing to be had are you cool with just tonight
Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well
Put your name on the line along with place and time
Wanna stay not to go I wanna ditch the logical
All my time is froze in motion
Can't I stay an hour or two or more
Don't let me let you go
Here's to the nights we felt alive
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry
Here's to goodbye
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
I experience epiphanies...
...while sitting on my blue thinking chair in the balcony, late at night when the streets are empty. While contemplating the vastness of the sky and the quiet stillness of the night. You really do have to hear yourself think once in a while.
Being the only person awake during the wee small hours of the evening gives me some modicum of happiness and makes me feel special, I just don't know how, or why. I guess it's because somehow I can delude myself that I own this entire neighbourhood, even for a mere handful of hours. And I guess I derive joy from not sharing this space with noisy humans, at least until they all wake up and pollute the place again with their meaningless noise.
Being the only person awake during the wee small hours of the evening gives me some modicum of happiness and makes me feel special, I just don't know how, or why. I guess it's because somehow I can delude myself that I own this entire neighbourhood, even for a mere handful of hours. And I guess I derive joy from not sharing this space with noisy humans, at least until they all wake up and pollute the place again with their meaningless noise.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Back at uni
My nearly four months of summer holidays are over and I am now officially back at uni. Can't say that I'm in full-on uni mode yet though. I'm still in the denial stage but I hope I could finally get myself to accept the bitter reality soon. I'll really miss all those days of getting up very very late and not worrying shit about papers and presentations and things.
Our Cross-cultural Communication class had its first meeting last Tuesday, and horror of horrors, I ended up with Week 2 when we drew lots for presentations. Now I'm trying to make sense of all these readings in an attempt to come up with a decent oral report for next meeting. It's been hard to get back in the groove of things as I have lost a good number of brain cells during the break due to my reckless lifestyle, but I hope to gain them all back (and more, please!) since I will need lots of brain power to get through my last semester.
I've also been frantically looking for a new job since my brief stint as an Enrolment Assistant is now over. I only go to uni three days a week this semester so there's two free days to work. I figure I should get a part-time job to enrich myself (financially of course...did you think I meant it in a poetic way?!) as I am also saving up for some major purchases. I haven't had a call back yet but fingers crossed someone will hire me soon.
Our Cross-cultural Communication class had its first meeting last Tuesday, and horror of horrors, I ended up with Week 2 when we drew lots for presentations. Now I'm trying to make sense of all these readings in an attempt to come up with a decent oral report for next meeting. It's been hard to get back in the groove of things as I have lost a good number of brain cells during the break due to my reckless lifestyle, but I hope to gain them all back (and more, please!) since I will need lots of brain power to get through my last semester.
I've also been frantically looking for a new job since my brief stint as an Enrolment Assistant is now over. I only go to uni three days a week this semester so there's two free days to work. I figure I should get a part-time job to enrich myself (financially of course...did you think I meant it in a poetic way?!) as I am also saving up for some major purchases. I haven't had a call back yet but fingers crossed someone will hire me soon.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Romance on celluloid
For the record, I don't think much of Valentine's Day...it's a manufactured holiday, for crying out loud. But this post isn't a harangue about how the occasion is a cheap excuse to peddle chocolates and jack up flower prices. I just thought I'd put together a list of my favourite love stories on film as a tribute to this universally-celebrated idiotic holiday, because even if I'm entirely convinced that February 14 is the most vastly overrated and overhyped day of the year, I still wouldn't want to be called The Grinch Who Stole Valentine's.
1. Los Amantes del Circulo Polar (Lovers of the Arctic Circle) - by virtuoso Spanish director Julio Medem. A love story replete with themes of tragedy, fate, coincidence and cycles. The film emphasises the fact that life is an endless cycle of coincidences and circuitous circumstances. Storyline was so intelligently woven and leaves viewers with so much to discuss and mull over.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Can science assist people in successfully erasing memories of past loves gone wrong? This film gives a very interesting answer. Good cast (one of the few films where Jim Carrey didn't annoy me) and excellent acting.
3. When a Man Loves a Woman - Welcome to the dark side of love. No formulaic romantic comedy plot in here. A story of a married couple...guy is a pilot, wife is an alcoholic. I liked this one because it shows you that there are so many deeper dimensions to real human relationships (unlike what the shallow, cutesy plots of most Hollywood rom-coms make us believe), and it explores the stark realities of love and marriage. And also because it was not just another love story.
4. The End of the Affair - Based on a Graham Greene novel, this Neil Jordan film is about a married woman having an affair during the war. Turning point in the movie: while consummating their passion in their love nest, a bomb blast severely injures the woman's lover and he nearly dies. Woman falls down on her knees and profusely begs God to let her lover live, and in exchange she will never see him again. Next scene we see the lover very much alive, and already standing behind her. The woman (who prior to praying to God for that favour was an agnostic) now becomes a devout Catholic. She severs all contact with her lover, lover then suspects her of having an affair, then woman dies and a string of miracles becomes attributed to her. Phenomenal novel and an equally beautiful film. I like how Greene eloquently tackles themes of faith and religion against the backdrop of a very passionate adulterous affair.
5 . In the Mood for Love - The first Wong Kar Wai movie that I ever saw. The lovers in the movie hardly had any physical contact but their unspoken passion exploded heavily on screen. I also found the inclusion of classic Spanish love songs like Quizas and Besame Mucho in the soundtrack wildly original and creative (this was a Chinese movie after all).
6. Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Say Anything, For Keeps, Some Kind of Wonderful and all those other 80's flicks - What can I say? Growing up, I was Molly Ringwald's biggest fan, and I was and still am deeply enamored with the 80's (fashion and hairstyles excluded). These movies best immortalise the sweet agonies of young love (during the decade when I was growing up) and thus will forever make me nostalgic.
7. A Very Long Engagement - True love is indeed very very very patient. I especially liked how sometimes I am as superstitious as Audrey Tautou's character in the movie (If I reach the bend before the car, my lover will still be alive...If I don't break the peel, his comrades managed to save him).
I'll try to add some more to this list...
1. Los Amantes del Circulo Polar (Lovers of the Arctic Circle) - by virtuoso Spanish director Julio Medem. A love story replete with themes of tragedy, fate, coincidence and cycles. The film emphasises the fact that life is an endless cycle of coincidences and circuitous circumstances. Storyline was so intelligently woven and leaves viewers with so much to discuss and mull over.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Can science assist people in successfully erasing memories of past loves gone wrong? This film gives a very interesting answer. Good cast (one of the few films where Jim Carrey didn't annoy me) and excellent acting.
3. When a Man Loves a Woman - Welcome to the dark side of love. No formulaic romantic comedy plot in here. A story of a married couple...guy is a pilot, wife is an alcoholic. I liked this one because it shows you that there are so many deeper dimensions to real human relationships (unlike what the shallow, cutesy plots of most Hollywood rom-coms make us believe), and it explores the stark realities of love and marriage. And also because it was not just another love story.
4. The End of the Affair - Based on a Graham Greene novel, this Neil Jordan film is about a married woman having an affair during the war. Turning point in the movie: while consummating their passion in their love nest, a bomb blast severely injures the woman's lover and he nearly dies. Woman falls down on her knees and profusely begs God to let her lover live, and in exchange she will never see him again. Next scene we see the lover very much alive, and already standing behind her. The woman (who prior to praying to God for that favour was an agnostic) now becomes a devout Catholic. She severs all contact with her lover, lover then suspects her of having an affair, then woman dies and a string of miracles becomes attributed to her. Phenomenal novel and an equally beautiful film. I like how Greene eloquently tackles themes of faith and religion against the backdrop of a very passionate adulterous affair.
5 . In the Mood for Love - The first Wong Kar Wai movie that I ever saw. The lovers in the movie hardly had any physical contact but their unspoken passion exploded heavily on screen. I also found the inclusion of classic Spanish love songs like Quizas and Besame Mucho in the soundtrack wildly original and creative (this was a Chinese movie after all).
6. Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Say Anything, For Keeps, Some Kind of Wonderful and all those other 80's flicks - What can I say? Growing up, I was Molly Ringwald's biggest fan, and I was and still am deeply enamored with the 80's (fashion and hairstyles excluded). These movies best immortalise the sweet agonies of young love (during the decade when I was growing up) and thus will forever make me nostalgic.
7. A Very Long Engagement - True love is indeed very very very patient. I especially liked how sometimes I am as superstitious as Audrey Tautou's character in the movie (If I reach the bend before the car, my lover will still be alive...If I don't break the peel, his comrades managed to save him).
I'll try to add some more to this list...
Monday, January 28, 2008
First day funk
Today was my first day as a Doorie (Door Assistant). Basically I had to manage queues, check that students had all the paperwork needed to enrol and direct them to available operators who would register them into the system. I started at 10 and finished at 6.
On the whole, things pretty much went well today. There were a couple of instances though where I felt monumentally inept, but I was able to escape such moments by asking people to 'Please speak to my supervisor' (I love our supervisors, they've saved our asses an infinite number of times today from irate students). I've always felt like The Worst Employee Ever in every job I've had, even if these things involve truly brainless grunt work like stapling and photocopying. Seriously. Not once have I felt like I was overqualified or too good for any and every job I've been in; instead I keep asking myself why these poor guys decide to waste their money and hire someone as stupid as me.
Anyway despite all the nervousness about making a bloody fool of myself, I did manage to survive the day unscathed. My supervisor even congratulated me (oh I think that's a hyperbole, she just said I did a good job).
It was infernal, pit-of-hell weather today, and at one point I thought I was gonna pass out due to heat stroke. Anyway, I shouldn't complain: the day went relatively okay, I made no major blunders at work plus I met a couple of nice doories (a Finnish girl who knows the phrase Mahal kita, a Chinese-Aussie who might be a potential mahjong mate and a guy who volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Manila last year). And the icing of the cake is that we still get paid for doing nothing! I mean, the place does get busy too but for the most part of the day we were either feigning busy-ness or blatantly chatting with each other in front of the supervisors because we got too bored during lull periods.
On the whole, things pretty much went well today. There were a couple of instances though where I felt monumentally inept, but I was able to escape such moments by asking people to 'Please speak to my supervisor' (I love our supervisors, they've saved our asses an infinite number of times today from irate students). I've always felt like The Worst Employee Ever in every job I've had, even if these things involve truly brainless grunt work like stapling and photocopying. Seriously. Not once have I felt like I was overqualified or too good for any and every job I've been in; instead I keep asking myself why these poor guys decide to waste their money and hire someone as stupid as me.
Anyway despite all the nervousness about making a bloody fool of myself, I did manage to survive the day unscathed. My supervisor even congratulated me (oh I think that's a hyperbole, she just said I did a good job).
It was infernal, pit-of-hell weather today, and at one point I thought I was gonna pass out due to heat stroke. Anyway, I shouldn't complain: the day went relatively okay, I made no major blunders at work plus I met a couple of nice doories (a Finnish girl who knows the phrase Mahal kita, a Chinese-Aussie who might be a potential mahjong mate and a guy who volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Manila last year). And the icing of the cake is that we still get paid for doing nothing! I mean, the place does get busy too but for the most part of the day we were either feigning busy-ness or blatantly chatting with each other in front of the supervisors because we got too bored during lull periods.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Hodgepodge of updates
Back from blogging purgatory. Here's a cornucopia of things that happened while I was away for a bit:
- Went to see a couple of good movies: Darjeeling Limited, 27 Dresses (doesn't really measure up to my definition of 'good' though. Disclaimer: I was dragged by girlfriends to the movies to see it), No Country for Old Men, Juno, Atonement. My brother and I also watched Seasons One and Two of The Office (I got the DVD as a Christmas present). A few weeks prior I also got carried away and me and my brother rented so many videos: A Clockwork Orange, My Own Private Idaho, Dogville, The Squid and the Whale, Cinema Paradiso (Director's Cut), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (rented solely as a concession to my brother...it came free with all the rest though. NB I fell asleep twice while watching it. Don't get me wrong, I lurrrve Adam Sandler, but something was just...weird about the movie, I guess). I thus foresee that 2008 will be a promising year for movie-watching.
- I got a job at uni! I will be working as an Enrolment Assistant (a Door Assistant, to be exact) in the next couple of days. I start training tomorrow. Wish me luck. I really have to work this summer since I am thisclose to being bankrupt, plus I don't want to spend the next two months counting sheep.
- Was getting the house back in order after my family left. I'm also still in the process of getting my life back in order. Lol.
- My roommie and I recently signed up to be volunteers for Vinnie's (St. Vincent de Paul) and we've started attending their weekly meetings. The group is made up entirely of senior citizens and we initially thought this might be a problem, but they've all been such friendly and wonderful people that we've decided to stay on and represent the youth sector. Lol.
In other news, some friends and I are planning to go up to Port Macquarie sometime next month. I've already seen the website of the resort that we'll be booking and the photos look good. I hope it's a go.
Australia Day is this Saturday, and fingers crossed we'll get a good spot at Darling Harbour for the fireworks. A friend is also hosting a barbie.
In a couple of weeks another friend will be celebrating his birthday and we're planning to go OzJet Boating (yay!) and have a picnic at the Botanic Gardens after. Russell Peters (with special guest Jo Koy!) will also be doing shows in Sydney in February and March and I'm planning to go see him. A couple of friends also want to go to the opera next month, and we're still deciding between Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera and Puccini's La Boheme. There's also the Starlight Cinema (where open-air movies are screened beneath the stars...how romantic is that?!) and Govindas, a bohemian place where you could have a vegetarian dinner and see a movie after. Sigh...so many plans, so little time.
My roommie and I also bought a spanking new Simpsons-themed poker set for cheap on ebay and we're still looking for a good mahjong set. I figure we should devise more cost-effective means of hanging out cos we blow so much money on eating out and having drinks in pubs.
- Went to see a couple of good movies: Darjeeling Limited, 27 Dresses (doesn't really measure up to my definition of 'good' though. Disclaimer: I was dragged by girlfriends to the movies to see it), No Country for Old Men, Juno, Atonement. My brother and I also watched Seasons One and Two of The Office (I got the DVD as a Christmas present). A few weeks prior I also got carried away and me and my brother rented so many videos: A Clockwork Orange, My Own Private Idaho, Dogville, The Squid and the Whale, Cinema Paradiso (Director's Cut), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (rented solely as a concession to my brother...it came free with all the rest though. NB I fell asleep twice while watching it. Don't get me wrong, I lurrrve Adam Sandler, but something was just...weird about the movie, I guess). I thus foresee that 2008 will be a promising year for movie-watching.
- I got a job at uni! I will be working as an Enrolment Assistant (a Door Assistant, to be exact) in the next couple of days. I start training tomorrow. Wish me luck. I really have to work this summer since I am thisclose to being bankrupt, plus I don't want to spend the next two months counting sheep.
- Was getting the house back in order after my family left. I'm also still in the process of getting my life back in order. Lol.
- My roommie and I recently signed up to be volunteers for Vinnie's (St. Vincent de Paul) and we've started attending their weekly meetings. The group is made up entirely of senior citizens and we initially thought this might be a problem, but they've all been such friendly and wonderful people that we've decided to stay on and represent the youth sector. Lol.
In other news, some friends and I are planning to go up to Port Macquarie sometime next month. I've already seen the website of the resort that we'll be booking and the photos look good. I hope it's a go.
Australia Day is this Saturday, and fingers crossed we'll get a good spot at Darling Harbour for the fireworks. A friend is also hosting a barbie.
In a couple of weeks another friend will be celebrating his birthday and we're planning to go OzJet Boating (yay!) and have a picnic at the Botanic Gardens after. Russell Peters (with special guest Jo Koy!) will also be doing shows in Sydney in February and March and I'm planning to go see him. A couple of friends also want to go to the opera next month, and we're still deciding between Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera and Puccini's La Boheme. There's also the Starlight Cinema (where open-air movies are screened beneath the stars...how romantic is that?!) and Govindas, a bohemian place where you could have a vegetarian dinner and see a movie after. Sigh...so many plans, so little time.
My roommie and I also bought a spanking new Simpsons-themed poker set for cheap on ebay and we're still looking for a good mahjong set. I figure we should devise more cost-effective means of hanging out cos we blow so much money on eating out and having drinks in pubs.
Ohana means family
At the Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum, Faulconbridge, Blue Mountains
My brothers and mom recently came down to Sydney to spend the holidays with me. It was fun, stressful, happy, annoying, tiring and exciting...all in the same breath. Highlights of their trip included our endless shopping for anything Billabong/Rip Curl/Quiksilver, going up the Blue Mountains, seeing the fireworks on the Harbour Bridge on New Year's Eve, eating copious amounts of beef and dairy, strolling around Bondi and Manly, and all of us getting ridiculously dark and fat, among others. I also took heaps of my brothers' photos (in various poses) with either the Opera House or a koala or kangaroo as background. More photos in my Facebook account.
Friday, January 18, 2008
My 2007 in hindsight
1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Went to a foreign country (where I hardly knew anyone) by myself. Lived in a flat with five other girls from all over the world. Moved out of that flat and moved into a new apartment with a friend. Assembled so much furniture, discovered how to operate washing machines and dryers, pretty much became self-sufficient for the first time in my life. Well yeah, in a nutshell, survived life Down Under largely on my own and with a little help from my friends (Thanks, Beatles, for that precious line).
2. Where did you study/ work?
Currently going to uni somewhere in North Ryde. Did a one-month internship at Greenpeace.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Hmmm...I don't think so.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My nephew Ziv.
5. What countries did you visit?
Oz.
6. Did you move anywhere?
Moved out of uni accommodation. Moved into a two-bedroom flat with a friend who is incidentally the bestest roommie ever.
7. What sporting events did you go to?
None really, except a few friendly games of soccer with uni mates.
8. What concerts did you go to?
Dave Matthews Band! And John Mayer (I'm not really a fan, but some friends just happened to have a spare ticket at the time).
9. Who was your Valentine in 2007?
Haha myself. I remember I gifted myself with a Mars bar.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the occasional cough and cramps.
11. What was your best month?
November and December.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Food, movies, rent, house bills, alcohol (lol!).
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My family's arrival in December.
14. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Heaps! But off the top of my head, Love Today and Grace Kelly by Mika, Straight Lines by Silverchair, Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani, Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie, Hook Me Up by The Veronicas, Umbrella by Rihanna and stuff by Sneaky Sound System. I don't really like most of those songs but they were particularly big in 2007.
15. What did you do on the 4th of July?
I don't remember. Was doing my internship, I think.
16. What were the best...
* books you read?
The Globalization of World Politics and International Relations Theories. Haha, seriously I was remiss in my novel-reading all year.
* movies you saw?
Omg, there were so many! I saw at least one movie every week. Anyway, I particularly enjoyed Eastern Promises, Casino Royale, Babel, The Science of Sleep, History Boys, Control, Across the Universe (story-wise it was shithouse though), A Mighty Heart, The Good German, Pan's Labyrinth, among others. On SBS there was a handful of good films too, like Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside).
* CDs you listened to?
Haha, I mostly listened to mp3s only.
17. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I read more good novels, explored Sydney, socialised and spoke to strangers more. And I wish I didn't hole myself up at home so much.
18. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Hehe secret.
19. How will you be spending Christmas?
This question should be in the past tense but anyway, I went to Christmas Eve mass and had Noche Buena with my brothers and my mom. On Christmas Day we had lunch with family friends.
20. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I guess not.
21. How many one-night stands?
Zilch, nada, zero!
22. What was your favorite TV program?
South Park, Thank God You're Here, SBS movies and documentaries, Rove.
23. Compared to this time last year, are you:
* happier or sadder?
Happier, I suppose.
* thinner or fatter?
Probably fatter. I'm not really fond of weighing scales.
* richer or poorer?
Poorer!!!
24. What was your favorite summer memory of 2007?
Going to my intensive English classes everyday, I guess. That's where I met my first few friends here in Sydney. And life was much simpler then.
25. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
See previous blog entry. I turned 25.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hmmm...I was pretty much still listening to the same stuff all throughout the year. Feist is quite good though.
27. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hamish Blake! James Mcavoy! Diego Luna!
28. Who was the best new person you met?
Quite a handful. I went to this country knowing only a grand total of like, five people, but now my friends network has considerably expanded.
29. Where were you when 2007 began and who were you with?
At home, with the family.
30. What are your plans for 2008?
Finish uni and try to get higher marks. Save more money. Be more healthy. Kick old and nasty habits. See more of Sydney and hopefully squeeze in a trip to Melbourne and NZ if there are available funds. A quick trip to the US sometime in October. Get a job in the last quarter of the year. Simplify my life. Watch more movies and read more. Study Italian again. Be more responsible. Try to accomplish something major by year-end.
Went to a foreign country (where I hardly knew anyone) by myself. Lived in a flat with five other girls from all over the world. Moved out of that flat and moved into a new apartment with a friend. Assembled so much furniture, discovered how to operate washing machines and dryers, pretty much became self-sufficient for the first time in my life. Well yeah, in a nutshell, survived life Down Under largely on my own and with a little help from my friends (Thanks, Beatles, for that precious line).
2. Where did you study/ work?
Currently going to uni somewhere in North Ryde. Did a one-month internship at Greenpeace.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Hmmm...I don't think so.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My nephew Ziv.
5. What countries did you visit?
Oz.
6. Did you move anywhere?
Moved out of uni accommodation. Moved into a two-bedroom flat with a friend who is incidentally the bestest roommie ever.
7. What sporting events did you go to?
None really, except a few friendly games of soccer with uni mates.
8. What concerts did you go to?
Dave Matthews Band! And John Mayer (I'm not really a fan, but some friends just happened to have a spare ticket at the time).
9. Who was your Valentine in 2007?
Haha myself. I remember I gifted myself with a Mars bar.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the occasional cough and cramps.
11. What was your best month?
November and December.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Food, movies, rent, house bills, alcohol (lol!).
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My family's arrival in December.
14. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Heaps! But off the top of my head, Love Today and Grace Kelly by Mika, Straight Lines by Silverchair, Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani, Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie, Hook Me Up by The Veronicas, Umbrella by Rihanna and stuff by Sneaky Sound System. I don't really like most of those songs but they were particularly big in 2007.
15. What did you do on the 4th of July?
I don't remember. Was doing my internship, I think.
16. What were the best...
* books you read?
The Globalization of World Politics and International Relations Theories. Haha, seriously I was remiss in my novel-reading all year.
* movies you saw?
Omg, there were so many! I saw at least one movie every week. Anyway, I particularly enjoyed Eastern Promises, Casino Royale, Babel, The Science of Sleep, History Boys, Control, Across the Universe (story-wise it was shithouse though), A Mighty Heart, The Good German, Pan's Labyrinth, among others. On SBS there was a handful of good films too, like Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside).
* CDs you listened to?
Haha, I mostly listened to mp3s only.
17. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I read more good novels, explored Sydney, socialised and spoke to strangers more. And I wish I didn't hole myself up at home so much.
18. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Hehe secret.
19. How will you be spending Christmas?
This question should be in the past tense but anyway, I went to Christmas Eve mass and had Noche Buena with my brothers and my mom. On Christmas Day we had lunch with family friends.
20. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I guess not.
21. How many one-night stands?
Zilch, nada, zero!
22. What was your favorite TV program?
South Park, Thank God You're Here, SBS movies and documentaries, Rove.
23. Compared to this time last year, are you:
* happier or sadder?
Happier, I suppose.
* thinner or fatter?
Probably fatter. I'm not really fond of weighing scales.
* richer or poorer?
Poorer!!!
24. What was your favorite summer memory of 2007?
Going to my intensive English classes everyday, I guess. That's where I met my first few friends here in Sydney. And life was much simpler then.
25. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
See previous blog entry. I turned 25.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hmmm...I was pretty much still listening to the same stuff all throughout the year. Feist is quite good though.
27. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hamish Blake! James Mcavoy! Diego Luna!
28. Who was the best new person you met?
Quite a handful. I went to this country knowing only a grand total of like, five people, but now my friends network has considerably expanded.
29. Where were you when 2007 began and who were you with?
At home, with the family.
30. What are your plans for 2008?
Finish uni and try to get higher marks. Save more money. Be more healthy. Kick old and nasty habits. See more of Sydney and hopefully squeeze in a trip to Melbourne and NZ if there are available funds. A quick trip to the US sometime in October. Get a job in the last quarter of the year. Simplify my life. Watch more movies and read more. Study Italian again. Be more responsible. Try to accomplish something major by year-end.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Il mio compleanno
Last week I grudgingly turned a year older, but so far this has been my best birthday yet, for numerous reasons. As was normal for me, I was totally dreading my birthday since almost all of my birthdays thus far have been so forgettable and catastrophic, and it would also be my first time to spend it overseas. Thus I hadn't made any grand plans on celebrating since there wasn't much cause to celebrate anyway.
The day itself was pretty much humdrum. I went to hear mass at St. Patrick's before noon and had lunch with Julie and Louise at Glebe Point Road. Louise was flying back to Denmark the next day and so I wanted to see her one last time before she left. After lunch she took us to her unit at Unilodge and she gave me all her nearly unused pots and pans, plus a book, a bottle of lotion and sunscreen and other stuff she thought I might like to keep. My loot was a bit heavy though, and since I had to commute all the way to Hornsby I ended up leaving most of the pots in an empty trolley outside her apartment building. I hope some person in dire need of cooking paraphernalia would stumble upon them.
Originally I wanted to spend the whole day just wandering around the city on foot and visiting free museums, but I was just too tired to do it. So after leaving Unilodge I went with Julie to Broadway Shopping Centre and we just hung out for a bit. I then had to meet my roommie at Westfield Hornsby after she got off from work so we could do our grocery shopping for our intimate dinner. I was so exhausted that I fell soundly asleep on the train.
My roommie surprised me with a lovely bouquet of flowers at the mall. We had a look at the shops and she ended up buying a nice dress, among other things. Our last stop was the supermarket where we bought stuff for puttanesca and roast beef. We got to her boyfriend's place quite late (we were house-sitting for his family) and I had to cook in a rush. I'm happy that both the pasta and the beef turned out delicious.
The day after was my birthday dinner. I booked a table for fifteen at Cantina Uno, a quaint little Italian place in the city. It had been a really warm day until it started to rain like mad early in the afternoon, and I mean torrential downpour proportions. The city even got flooded and I got a phone call from a friend saying that water got into his flat. Even the cars parked on his street were already submerged in water. I was seriously starting to panic and even toyed with the idea of cancelling the whole thing. I then decided to say a short prayer to ask for the rains to abate, and in a couple of hours it did stop raining completely.
I brought with me a couple of bottles of wine since the place was BYO. I had been waiting at the bus stop for almost an hour already but none of the buses to the city ever came. I called my roommie and she met up with me at the bus stop, and we started to strategise the fastest way to get to the city. We thought about catching the train instead even if it would take forever, but thankfully a bus did come. It was exploding with people and that meant that we had to stand while holding massive bags full of wine. We asked the bus driver what was was going on and according to him traffic was really bad in the city due to the rain. By some stroke of luck I saw a friend on the bus and told him that it was my birthday. I asked him if he could do me the favour of holding our heavy-ass bags for us since he was seated anyway, but he readily gave up his seat for me since it was my birthday. The situation reminded me of this Chasers episode where the guys were trying to see just how many freebies they could score by telling restaurant owners and bottle shops that it was their birthday, or that they were newlyweds.
After we got off the bus we were frantically hailing cabs, but Murphy's Law dictates that when you are in the biggest hurry all cabs shall be taken. Some friends were starting to call to say that they were already in the restaurant waiting for me, and I found it so embarrassing to be late to my own birthday dinner. Eventually we got into a maxi taxi and arrived a bit past eight, which wasn't too bad. Luck was still pretty much on my side that night, I suppose.
Dinner was fantastic. I had rag pasta with cuttlefish, chili and breadcrumbs, plus grilled eggplant, pesto and goat's cheese pizza. It took quite a while for the food to be served so we downed a few bottles of wine before eating. To cap my hearty meal, I had a shot of my uber favourite limoncello, and this made me so nostalgic about Italy.
I only invited a handful of good friends and thankfully they all turned up. Some of my other friends already flew out a few days before my birthday, and I did feel slightly depressed that they couldn't be there to party with me. Anyway, it was all good, I got lots of lovely presents, had an excellent meal and was in the company of very close friends.
After dinner, most of the pack had to leave cos they were tired from work/had work the next day, but a few of them did have drinks with me at this happening little Spanish bar called El Barrio. I had been there on a previous occasion with other friends and I did like the music and the place just gives off the vibe that everyone who sets foot here shall go home plastered. And we did. We finished several jugs of sangria and I shared a bottle of San Miguel with my roommie. It even reached a point where we were guzzling the sangria straight from the jug. The hot bartenders gave me a cake with a candle, and they kept pouring us free tequila shots. We took heaps of photos, and yes, photos don't lie. They are the best form of evidence of a night of extreme debauchery and intoxication, let's leave it at that.
My roommie and I did manage to get home at some stage early in the morning. When I got up most of the previous night's events seemed so hazy and I found myself strangely wanting to swear off alcohol for life, but I did and still do remember that it had been, by far, my maddest birthday. Ever.
***To all those who wished me many happy returns and spent time with me on my birthday last week, thank you. You made my first birthday away from home a really fabulous one.
The day itself was pretty much humdrum. I went to hear mass at St. Patrick's before noon and had lunch with Julie and Louise at Glebe Point Road. Louise was flying back to Denmark the next day and so I wanted to see her one last time before she left. After lunch she took us to her unit at Unilodge and she gave me all her nearly unused pots and pans, plus a book, a bottle of lotion and sunscreen and other stuff she thought I might like to keep. My loot was a bit heavy though, and since I had to commute all the way to Hornsby I ended up leaving most of the pots in an empty trolley outside her apartment building. I hope some person in dire need of cooking paraphernalia would stumble upon them.
Originally I wanted to spend the whole day just wandering around the city on foot and visiting free museums, but I was just too tired to do it. So after leaving Unilodge I went with Julie to Broadway Shopping Centre and we just hung out for a bit. I then had to meet my roommie at Westfield Hornsby after she got off from work so we could do our grocery shopping for our intimate dinner. I was so exhausted that I fell soundly asleep on the train.
My roommie surprised me with a lovely bouquet of flowers at the mall. We had a look at the shops and she ended up buying a nice dress, among other things. Our last stop was the supermarket where we bought stuff for puttanesca and roast beef. We got to her boyfriend's place quite late (we were house-sitting for his family) and I had to cook in a rush. I'm happy that both the pasta and the beef turned out delicious.
The day after was my birthday dinner. I booked a table for fifteen at Cantina Uno, a quaint little Italian place in the city. It had been a really warm day until it started to rain like mad early in the afternoon, and I mean torrential downpour proportions. The city even got flooded and I got a phone call from a friend saying that water got into his flat. Even the cars parked on his street were already submerged in water. I was seriously starting to panic and even toyed with the idea of cancelling the whole thing. I then decided to say a short prayer to ask for the rains to abate, and in a couple of hours it did stop raining completely.
I brought with me a couple of bottles of wine since the place was BYO. I had been waiting at the bus stop for almost an hour already but none of the buses to the city ever came. I called my roommie and she met up with me at the bus stop, and we started to strategise the fastest way to get to the city. We thought about catching the train instead even if it would take forever, but thankfully a bus did come. It was exploding with people and that meant that we had to stand while holding massive bags full of wine. We asked the bus driver what was was going on and according to him traffic was really bad in the city due to the rain. By some stroke of luck I saw a friend on the bus and told him that it was my birthday. I asked him if he could do me the favour of holding our heavy-ass bags for us since he was seated anyway, but he readily gave up his seat for me since it was my birthday. The situation reminded me of this Chasers episode where the guys were trying to see just how many freebies they could score by telling restaurant owners and bottle shops that it was their birthday, or that they were newlyweds.
After we got off the bus we were frantically hailing cabs, but Murphy's Law dictates that when you are in the biggest hurry all cabs shall be taken. Some friends were starting to call to say that they were already in the restaurant waiting for me, and I found it so embarrassing to be late to my own birthday dinner. Eventually we got into a maxi taxi and arrived a bit past eight, which wasn't too bad. Luck was still pretty much on my side that night, I suppose.
Dinner was fantastic. I had rag pasta with cuttlefish, chili and breadcrumbs, plus grilled eggplant, pesto and goat's cheese pizza. It took quite a while for the food to be served so we downed a few bottles of wine before eating. To cap my hearty meal, I had a shot of my uber favourite limoncello, and this made me so nostalgic about Italy.
I only invited a handful of good friends and thankfully they all turned up. Some of my other friends already flew out a few days before my birthday, and I did feel slightly depressed that they couldn't be there to party with me. Anyway, it was all good, I got lots of lovely presents, had an excellent meal and was in the company of very close friends.
After dinner, most of the pack had to leave cos they were tired from work/had work the next day, but a few of them did have drinks with me at this happening little Spanish bar called El Barrio. I had been there on a previous occasion with other friends and I did like the music and the place just gives off the vibe that everyone who sets foot here shall go home plastered. And we did. We finished several jugs of sangria and I shared a bottle of San Miguel with my roommie. It even reached a point where we were guzzling the sangria straight from the jug. The hot bartenders gave me a cake with a candle, and they kept pouring us free tequila shots. We took heaps of photos, and yes, photos don't lie. They are the best form of evidence of a night of extreme debauchery and intoxication, let's leave it at that.
My roommie and I did manage to get home at some stage early in the morning. When I got up most of the previous night's events seemed so hazy and I found myself strangely wanting to swear off alcohol for life, but I did and still do remember that it had been, by far, my maddest birthday. Ever.
***To all those who wished me many happy returns and spent time with me on my birthday last week, thank you. You made my first birthday away from home a really fabulous one.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The past few days...
- A good friend gave us a cute white Christmas tree with extremely girly pastel-coloured trimmings, like pink and purple balls, ribbons, fairies and gay-looking Santas. I lurrrve it. It's been getting raves from girlfriends.
- Slept over at my friend Coral's place last Wednesday. She whipped up a delicious dinner and we bought el cheapo yet good quality wine and spumante. She also made us some coquitos, a Puerto Rican cocktail made with coconut and rhum. Our friend Julie from France baked a chocolate cake, and our Danish friend Louise also made us Danish cookies from scratch. We watched Donnie Darko (my second time to see it) and pigged out again on Doritos and Pringles.
- My friends also slept over at my place two nights in a row. Louise made me penne al forno as a birthday present. We chose to stay home because we were all broke. Since we were too poor to afford ridiculously priced drinks in the city, instead we bought 7 bottles of wine for cheap, bags of candy and chocolates and we saw 20 Centimetres on SBS and Mala Educacion on DVD. Natalie also brought a good stash of videos (Little Miss Sunshine, My Father's Den), plus some rice crackers and a box of Lindt. Jose brought his laptop and speakers and put Bjork on. We also spent a good bit of the evening having good conversations and taking stupid-face-photos. Louise's Down's Syndrome face almost made me die of laughter. Yeah, it was a very mature way to spend the night.
- Had a job interview at uni Friday afternoon and I'm pretty sure I bombed it so I'm not too keen on talking about it. I'm really not expecting a call back from them so I guess I'll just have to look for other jobs next year. It was raining like mad on my way to uni for the interview and even if I brought our massive umbrella to shield me from the rain I still got drenched and it was embarrassing. My Thai friend Molly invited me to her graduation photo shoot on the same day but it was raining so bad that I couldn't go.
- Sunday I went to mass in Balmain and had a look at Julie's lovely house. The view from her place is amazing. We also met up with Coral and her neighbour Sebastian at the local pub to get $5 cocktails and play pool. It was my first time to play pool in my life and suffice it to say that I was absolutely shit at it.
- Monday I went to the South Coast with the other AusAid people. Was fun, yet tiring. Learned about the aboriginal way of life in Botany Bay, had lunch at Thirroul Beach, passed through lovely Kiama and then went trekking at Minnamurra National Park. I got rained on on my way home.
- I'll be house-sitting my roommie's boyfriend's house with my roommie for a couple of days this week. Yay, there's cable and I could play with their fat cat Ziggy.
***My friends are flying out this week, and most have already left. I'm just a bit depressed that I went on extreme anti-social mode during the early part of the semester. I actually only started speaking to these friends on the last week of class, only to find out that they're truly amazing people. Will definitely miss them heaps.
- Slept over at my friend Coral's place last Wednesday. She whipped up a delicious dinner and we bought el cheapo yet good quality wine and spumante. She also made us some coquitos, a Puerto Rican cocktail made with coconut and rhum. Our friend Julie from France baked a chocolate cake, and our Danish friend Louise also made us Danish cookies from scratch. We watched Donnie Darko (my second time to see it) and pigged out again on Doritos and Pringles.
- My friends also slept over at my place two nights in a row. Louise made me penne al forno as a birthday present. We chose to stay home because we were all broke. Since we were too poor to afford ridiculously priced drinks in the city, instead we bought 7 bottles of wine for cheap, bags of candy and chocolates and we saw 20 Centimetres on SBS and Mala Educacion on DVD. Natalie also brought a good stash of videos (Little Miss Sunshine, My Father's Den), plus some rice crackers and a box of Lindt. Jose brought his laptop and speakers and put Bjork on. We also spent a good bit of the evening having good conversations and taking stupid-face-photos. Louise's Down's Syndrome face almost made me die of laughter. Yeah, it was a very mature way to spend the night.
- Had a job interview at uni Friday afternoon and I'm pretty sure I bombed it so I'm not too keen on talking about it. I'm really not expecting a call back from them so I guess I'll just have to look for other jobs next year. It was raining like mad on my way to uni for the interview and even if I brought our massive umbrella to shield me from the rain I still got drenched and it was embarrassing. My Thai friend Molly invited me to her graduation photo shoot on the same day but it was raining so bad that I couldn't go.
- Sunday I went to mass in Balmain and had a look at Julie's lovely house. The view from her place is amazing. We also met up with Coral and her neighbour Sebastian at the local pub to get $5 cocktails and play pool. It was my first time to play pool in my life and suffice it to say that I was absolutely shit at it.
- Monday I went to the South Coast with the other AusAid people. Was fun, yet tiring. Learned about the aboriginal way of life in Botany Bay, had lunch at Thirroul Beach, passed through lovely Kiama and then went trekking at Minnamurra National Park. I got rained on on my way home.
- I'll be house-sitting my roommie's boyfriend's house with my roommie for a couple of days this week. Yay, there's cable and I could play with their fat cat Ziggy.
***My friends are flying out this week, and most have already left. I'm just a bit depressed that I went on extreme anti-social mode during the early part of the semester. I actually only started speaking to these friends on the last week of class, only to find out that they're truly amazing people. Will definitely miss them heaps.
Monday, November 26, 2007
An indolent lifestyle and my dying liver
Since uni has been out, I have been living the sweet life of a sloth. My days are marked by getting up scandalously late, endless hours of internet, virtually zero exercise, heaps of fried chicken and inordinate amounts of alcohol.
Been drinking almost everyday since our Hunter Valley trip, where I spent the entire day learning the finer points of wine appreciation. Since I started to become relatively more sociable in recent weeks I've managed to meet and make a couple of good friends, but I think my current best mates are still vodka and rhum. Oh, I joke.
I've never been fond of beer and Red Horse is probably the only beer I can guzzle like water, but last weekend I tried a Mexican cerveza called Pacifico and it was passably good. A friend also came up to me holding a bottle of San Miguel and said 'This is from your country'. That compelled me to get a bottle for myself and I must admit it was goooood. It was nice, cold and crisp...well worth the $8 I paid for it (I'm pretty sure back home I could score around a dozen bottles with that price).
I was also able to try some new stuff: a shot of Poire from France which was excellent (and sweet just the way I like it), and another shot of Pisco from Peru. Drinking Pisco replicates the experience of gulping down a few drops of petrol. Suffice it to say that it's one of the nastiest stuff I've ever had (in the same league as the Fuoco dell'Etna from Italy, which was literally like drinking liquefied fire), and it might take quite a while before I could muster enough guts to give it another go.
Hell, I can't believe I just devoted the last two paragraphs to alcohol reviews. My dream job has always been to become a travelling food critic, but reviewing alcohol is just low-lifery on a whole new level. I should stop now. Damn, alcohol does make you lose IQ points.
Been drinking almost everyday since our Hunter Valley trip, where I spent the entire day learning the finer points of wine appreciation. Since I started to become relatively more sociable in recent weeks I've managed to meet and make a couple of good friends, but I think my current best mates are still vodka and rhum. Oh, I joke.
I've never been fond of beer and Red Horse is probably the only beer I can guzzle like water, but last weekend I tried a Mexican cerveza called Pacifico and it was passably good. A friend also came up to me holding a bottle of San Miguel and said 'This is from your country'. That compelled me to get a bottle for myself and I must admit it was goooood. It was nice, cold and crisp...well worth the $8 I paid for it (I'm pretty sure back home I could score around a dozen bottles with that price).
I was also able to try some new stuff: a shot of Poire from France which was excellent (and sweet just the way I like it), and another shot of Pisco from Peru. Drinking Pisco replicates the experience of gulping down a few drops of petrol. Suffice it to say that it's one of the nastiest stuff I've ever had (in the same league as the Fuoco dell'Etna from Italy, which was literally like drinking liquefied fire), and it might take quite a while before I could muster enough guts to give it another go.
Hell, I can't believe I just devoted the last two paragraphs to alcohol reviews. My dream job has always been to become a travelling food critic, but reviewing alcohol is just low-lifery on a whole new level. I should stop now. Damn, alcohol does make you lose IQ points.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Dreary weather
The weather forecast says showers until next week, which meant that my friends and I had to cancel our beach plans. I was also planning on going to the Museum of Contemporary Art tomorrow with another friend but I'm probably gonna have to postpone that as well. There's also the tour of The Scholar Ship scheduled for Saturday, but how can one be thrilled about checking out a fancy ship in raging weather?! So yeah, the prospect of being marooned in the house by myself until the weekend is not a very exciting one, compounded by the fact that there are no new DVDs to watch and basically nothing to do. Goes without saying that as we speak I am completely bored out of my mind. Bored enough to say that I actually want to go back to uni already.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Youth is not wasted on the young
I just realised that I'm slowly beginning to have some good friends who are younger than I am. A few years ago this would have been impossible, since I tended to fraternise with people who were older. This may not be such a nice thing to say but I never really had a high opinion of anyone my age or younger as I've always typecasted them as immature brats who were not very bright. My views have dramatically changed recently though, and now I find that younger people aren't that bad. In fact, there's a few of them who are actually quite sensible and act well beyond their years. I therefore resolve not to disparage younger people anymore, and I'll try hanging out with them more often now.
Bar anecdotes
Me (to a guy with weird-ass hair...his scalp looks like a honeycomb): Excuse me, do you mind taking our picture?
Guy gives me a nasty look, and turns his back on me.
After twenty seconds...
Guy: Hey, sorry, but did you want me to take your picture?
Me: Umm, yeah.
Guy: Sorry, I thought you wanted to take a picture of my hair. Everyone's been coming up to me tonight asking if they could take a picture of my head.
My roommie: Oh sorry, we didn't want a picture of YOU!!!
************************************************************************
I was about to take a picture of my friends, when suddenly in my camera's screen I found an extra head of some guy. After I snapped the button, the guy asks me 'Did it come out okay?'. I just gave him a thumbs up sign.
Guy gives me a nasty look, and turns his back on me.
After twenty seconds...
Guy: Hey, sorry, but did you want me to take your picture?
Me: Umm, yeah.
Guy: Sorry, I thought you wanted to take a picture of my hair. Everyone's been coming up to me tonight asking if they could take a picture of my head.
My roommie: Oh sorry, we didn't want a picture of YOU!!!
************************************************************************
I was about to take a picture of my friends, when suddenly in my camera's screen I found an extra head of some guy. After I snapped the button, the guy asks me 'Did it come out okay?'. I just gave him a thumbs up sign.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Ho finito, finalmente
esI'm finally finished with uni! No more presentations, exams, papers, lectures, tutorials and readings for the next three months. Had my last exam last night and handed in my case study paper this afternoon. My open-book international law exam went sorta okay, had to answer four essay questions in two hours. My hand got paralysed after all the furious writing though.
I went to see Across the Universe tonight to celebrate. Critique to follow.
Here's how I plan to spend the rest of the week: Helga's Film Festival in North Sydney tomorrow (gonna see La Vie en Rose, the Edith Piaf biopic), Hola Mexico Film Festival Opening Night on Thursday, Hunter Valley day trip on Friday. The concession price includes a tour of five wineries plus wine, cheese and chocolate tasting. Saturday we're gonna celebrate my roommie's birthday in the city with dinner and drinks. Sunday I might help my former roommie move out.
I was so stressed out lately that I just realised I haven't done my laundry in three weeks. Gasp. This is by far the longest I've gone without washing my clothes.
I went to see Across the Universe tonight to celebrate. Critique to follow.
Here's how I plan to spend the rest of the week: Helga's Film Festival in North Sydney tomorrow (gonna see La Vie en Rose, the Edith Piaf biopic), Hola Mexico Film Festival Opening Night on Thursday, Hunter Valley day trip on Friday. The concession price includes a tour of five wineries plus wine, cheese and chocolate tasting. Saturday we're gonna celebrate my roommie's birthday in the city with dinner and drinks. Sunday I might help my former roommie move out.
I was so stressed out lately that I just realised I haven't done my laundry in three weeks. Gasp. This is by far the longest I've gone without washing my clothes.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The greatest irony
Why is it that when you find yourself wasting away in boredom and desperate to have mates to drink with, every other person you know is busy, while when it's YOU who's knee-deep in work, the invites just come pouring in?!
I'm not complaining though. Once in a while it is still nice to be reminded of the fact that you are not a pariah and that you've still got a handful of friends willing to put up with your despicable company. But in a perfect world, we wouldn't have any problems with timing, would we? God is indeed one hilarious comedian.
I'm not complaining though. Once in a while it is still nice to be reminded of the fact that you are not a pariah and that you've still got a handful of friends willing to put up with your despicable company. But in a perfect world, we wouldn't have any problems with timing, would we? God is indeed one hilarious comedian.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Just a quick whine
Yesterday, I felt under the weather so I had to spend most of the day in bed. Didn't even have enough energy to walk to the kitchen to eat, so I ended up having my first meal of the day at around 4 pm. To all of you who enjoy the luxury of househelp, I hope you realise that you've got it good. And did I mention that you've got it good?!
My IPE paper is still unfinished and I totally do not want to work on it anymore. Arggh. While waiting to cross the street one day I saw a posted advertisement of some guy offering professional research paper-writing services. At the moment, I am willing to pay him up to 100 bucks (haha is this even enough?!) so that this damn paper will finally be out of the way.
It's getting all rainy and winter-y again all of a sudden. Perfect bed weather, but how can I sleep when there's shitloads of work to do?!
Damn. I want to get good marks, but I'm just scandalously lazy. At this point in time, I just want to fast-forward my life to the part where I'm already done with all my uni shit, nice and happy and all, and I'm at the Greater Union cinema watching Tarantino's Death Proof or Across the Universe. A couple of drinks afterwards and that would already be sheer bliss.
But til then I've got to get off my lazy ass and start working on my paper and let the next few painful and brain wrenching days pass me by. Too much academic brattiness might lead to my downfall, so I'll try to be an adult now (a responsible one, I hope).
My IPE paper is still unfinished and I totally do not want to work on it anymore. Arggh. While waiting to cross the street one day I saw a posted advertisement of some guy offering professional research paper-writing services. At the moment, I am willing to pay him up to 100 bucks (haha is this even enough?!) so that this damn paper will finally be out of the way.
It's getting all rainy and winter-y again all of a sudden. Perfect bed weather, but how can I sleep when there's shitloads of work to do?!
Damn. I want to get good marks, but I'm just scandalously lazy. At this point in time, I just want to fast-forward my life to the part where I'm already done with all my uni shit, nice and happy and all, and I'm at the Greater Union cinema watching Tarantino's Death Proof or Across the Universe. A couple of drinks afterwards and that would already be sheer bliss.
But til then I've got to get off my lazy ass and start working on my paper and let the next few painful and brain wrenching days pass me by. Too much academic brattiness might lead to my downfall, so I'll try to be an adult now (a responsible one, I hope).
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