Monday, August 31, 2009

Get To Work Now

Seriously it's crunch time!!

I have been lazing around the entire weekend and I'm hating myself for it now. I know there's so much to do, yet I just can't get myself to do it.

As of right now, if I were to pause for a minute to think about the amount of work I have piled up, I could just die. So the ONLY thing I can do now is to work and make up for lost time.

I have to constantly remind myself to not look back or think about the stuff that's going to be due very soon. Just get to work boy!!!

Something tells me I'm not gonna get a lot of sleep for the next 3 days...

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Chiggy Wiggy

Absolutely no idea what 'chiggy wiggy' means, but Kylie's recording for Bollywood film 'Blue' has finally been released! Or at least a teaser of it.

Quite cool... And the 2nd half where Akshay Kumar starts dancing is funny. After all it wouldn't be Bollywood if there were no cheesy dance routines =p


Friday, August 28, 2009

Alone

Been a week.
WARNING: This is one of those long posts filled with rambles.


Family out shopping, didn't join coz too tired. Plus there's replacement class tomorrow. Yes, on a SATURDAY.

Right now I'm alone at home and it's quiet. Usually I embrace the peacefulness of being on my own, it's a time where the mind is clear. But sometimes (like now) it can be scary too. Not that I'm afraid of being alone, but when I start thinking about certain stuff it gets all gloomy.

For instance, I do not know how I will survive the coming week. There is a major Bio essay due next Friday and I have not started. Just thinking about the work load terrifies me. For the past few weeks I have been complaining about stress and fatigue, but now it's just FEAR.

Been struggling with assignments mostly becoz I'm always in doubt. Uni work is different. There is no such thing as spoon feeding, all answers have to searched on your own. So I feel unsure of what to write, whether it's correct or absolute rubbish . When I approach lecturers they will usually reply with a "What do you think?" or "I cannot tell you the answer". How am I supposed to produce quality work if I can't even get confirmation of whether I'm on the right track or not...

I know we are encouraged to solve problems through critical thinking and research, but giving more guidance wouldn't hurt right? Sometimes telling students the answers may not be a bad thing if it helps us understand the knowledge or concept better, rather than leaving us confused and we end up submitting low standard, ridiculously crafted work. Making students work their butts off to earn marks may just have backfired, becoz the frustration of being unable to meet standards cause us to throw in the towel. This is what's happening to me. Most of the time, I end up saying "To the hell with it, just write whatever lah!".

I believe life isn't about studies and work. Being in the moment and truly enjoying life is more important, whatever "enjoying life" means to each of us. I want to enjoy life, but with this crazy work load it's just not possible.


Enough of talking about work, it only makes me more miserable.

Went to watch The Proposal today to relax a bit. Nice, had some really funny moments. I mentioned in fb and twitter that I watched Orphan recently. This is quite a good horror movie. No supernatural element but still thrilling. The best part is Esther's secret which is only revealed at the end of the show. Hehehe go watch it to find out, I guarantee it will surprise you! Hey and I heard Up is worth watching too, had good reviews... Anyone?

Oh I bought a book today. Some of you know I really don't like reading books coz I lack the patience to sit and stare at words for long durations. Not to mention getting stiff neck. But today I found a book at Borders that I actually want to read. It's called "Winning Ugly" by Brad Gilbert & Steve Jamison. It's about the mental aspect of tennis and how to be a better match player. But it's not written like typical guide books that I have seen. This is more like the author (former player and currently a coach) telling a story and sharing his experiences in a witty, entertaining and slightly humorous manner. It's more like reading a novel than a manual.

Alright it's time to go, till next time. Hope I can finish my work.

Friday, August 21, 2009

It Must Be Love

Final slam of the year, the US Open is coming soon!
This year they have launched a range of 30 second 'It Must Be Love' ads featuring some of the stars on tour.

Here are some nice ones:









Thursday, August 20, 2009

Boiling point

Yeah blood pressure is definitely on the rise.

I can't believe it. Here I am again rushing to finish reports and assignments. I'm typing this as my Chem report is printing.
And it's not because I have been slacking off. FYI I have been working so diligently for days and yet the work is still not done. Either I have poor work efficiency OR there simply is too much f**king work to complete.

Normally I set a bar for myself, the work that I produce has to be of a certain quality before I submit it. But now I couldn't care about perfection anymore, as there is no time. Just finishing is an accomplishment. As soon as one is over, focus has to be placed on another.

I'm trying super hard to stay positive and laugh about the stressful moments and just move on and stop thinking about exhaustion. But I'm not a brick wall. Eventually I will crack.......

Back to work.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Comebacks

This is a tennis post. Have not done one in a while.
Have not watched much lately. Have not played much as well.

But this morning I saw the Nadal - Del Potro match at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. Nadal lost 7-6, 6-1. He made many mistakes and was outplayed. Del Potro was serving well.

But you have to cut Nadal some slack, after all it's his first tournament since the French Open in May. Much has change. He was unable to defend his Wimbledon crown and subsequently lost the World No.1 ranking to Federer.

Maria Sharapova is also making a comeback, with decent results even though she's still not near her best, especially the serve. If u heard Kim Clijsters is also back on tour, playing in Cincinnati after retiring 2 years ago. She defeated a number of top players this week before losing to No.1 Safina.
Comebacks are never easy, otherwise it wouldn't be called a COME BACK rite? Being out and down for some time means it will take lots of effort to get back to where you once were.
But it's really inspiring to see some of my favourite players so determined to get back on top.
Makes me wanna try even harder =)



Friday, August 14, 2009

Stretched but not broken

Wow I'm really starting to appreciate the weekends. It's the only time to catch up on lost sleep haha.

Just submitted Stats assignment today. Was hectic coz Chem and Bio report also due today. But I'm proud to say I handed in my Stats assignment one and a half hours before the deadline. Phew, just enough time to take a sigh of relief.

Coming up next is a killer Environmental Science essay due in exactly one week.

I've never worked so hard in my life as a student.

The funny thing is I'm actually starting to enjoy it. OK, maybe 'enjoy' is not the right word, but I'm definitely getting used to handling assignments. The whole rush of trying to get the job done is actually exciting, and the satisfaction you get when it's finally done is so rewarding!

My only complain is that some days I get too tired, then my body starts feeling sick and sore. Gosh I'm like an old man. Hahaha what to do, I NEED plenty of sleep to function optimally.

But right now it's game time, going to play Sims 3 hehe (have not played in 3 weeks!!) Bye =)

Monday, August 10, 2009

Nineteen

First of all,
thanks for the b*day wishes everyone, whether from fb, sms, msn, etc. It was nice!!!

Wow I'm 19! My last year as a TEENager. I still feel young, but in terms of personal growth I think we have come a long way. It's natural. Just last week I was looking back at my high school days coz my juniors had AGM recently, I realized I've changed mentally since going to college and being away from the confined world of public schools. Oh and being able to drive is certainly a liberty.
Right now I'm capable of making decisions for myself, something I was probably hesitant to do 2 years ago.

Actually turning 19 seems no big deal compared to the big 18, where we officially turn legal and stuff. Now it's just like a confirmation that we're definitely legal hahaha =P

Birthday on a Sunday is pretty relaxing. Things were done a little differently this year.
For instance, my birthday was also Guan Yin Dan, so we went to the temple for prayers & blessings.
I had fancy Thai food with family. Something different.
Of course I had giant Birthday Milk Tea at Wong Kok. =)
And instead of buying a whole cake, we bought 2 slices (coz we were so full), which was simple but nice.


You know what's my favourite part of birthdays?
It's the wish you get to make before blowing out the candles. I always believed wishes made on birthdays are more likely to come true. But have to make realistic wishes lah! Don't waste it, coz it's only once a year!
=)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Malu-fied

Today I embarrassed myself during Chemistry tutorial. Feel like digging a hole and putting my head in it.

We had assessment, so the tutor would randomly select people to answer questions. If your name is called, u have to write your answers on the whiteboard, then present it to the whole class. Today was our very first graded assessment, and I was unlucky enough to be called for a question which I didn't know the answer to.

They were 6 questions, I could solve the first 5. So when the tutor was about to call someone out for the last question, I was praying so hard not to be called.

Then shit happened. Yeah when I heard my name, I said "Shit" so loud that the entire class heard.

So I went to the whiteboard, tried my best to interpret the question and JUST wrote what I THOUGHT was the answer. I crapped my way through.

It was horrible (and hilarious actually). Especially for Chemistry, we have classes with the Engineering students. So I made myself look like a fool in front of strangers. Talk about an embarrassing first impression.

After I presented, the tutor said my answers were wrong and he told us to read the question carefully and that if we answered like this in the exam it would be a disaster.
Yup, so my answers were disastrous.

At least it's over. Now that I have been called, I can relax for a while b4 I get called again. But seriously, I don't enjoy Chem tutorial. Way to stressful.... and malu-fying. =P

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Of "weak" moments & the "real" world

Sorry about the previous post.
I can imagine u guys rolling your eyes after reading, and thinking "WTF!! Not again? What's wrong with him? Get a grip."

Haha what can I say... Had one of those "weak moments". I can't really control when it comes. Was just awfully tired from a long day + feeling sick. (Oops I'm whining again)

Anyway things look better today. I realized the key to dealing with a killer work load is time management. And by time management I mean cancelling out most of the fun and relaxing activities from my schedule (boohoo!!!).
I guess this is what you call the real world. I need to get over the clinging holiday-easy-life spirit and just bring myself to sit and work. Once I get the momentum going, things should be easier. Fingers crossed.

And guys if ur feeling stressed out, turn to music for relief. It definitely works for me =)

Monday, August 3, 2009

Low

I feel quite hot right now. Literally.

Possibly from a lack of rest and self induced stress.

Really bad time to fall sick. Online quizzes to do, tutorials to prepare, practical reports to write, one 400 word essay to write, one Stats individual assignment, and one Stats group assignment.

Just looking at this to-do list makes me shiver.
Honestly I don't know how I'm gonna get through this.

Btw field trip was alright, saw some cool organisms. Went to Kelana Jaya lake, and a forest and river in Gombak. Did you know water snail eggs are bright pink in colour?


I feel drained. Will someone give me the energy to work please...

Saturday, August 1, 2009

WORK!!!

Yay August is here. My favourite month. Think you know why =p


Only the 2nd week at Monash and I'm overwhelmed. Was taking things too lightly before, so this week I received a good smack in the face.

Definitely some stressful moments.
For instance, attending a Chemistry tutorial and not knowing the answers to 80% of the questions discussed. Worst part is everyone else seems to understand. Bunch of smart a$$es.

Oh and Biology practical on Friday lasted 3 hours. That's just the experiment. Then we had to finish the report and submit by 5pm. I spent another 3 hours writing the report (inclusive of lunch break). Not typical reports like the ones I did in CHS or Mufy. This is like 5 times tougher.

Really had to grind my brain to answer the list of daunting questions. Not to mention that we have to be careful of plagiarism, meaning we can't share answers with classmates.

Probably will get a horrible score for the report. Wrote a load of crap. I think my brain is not ready for such stimulating analytical activity yet. Especially after the month long break where my brain switched to 'dumb mode' and left me for vacation.


The pressure comes continuously. Everyday there are things to prepare, stuff to read, deadlines to look out for. Not kidding.

OH there's a field trip tomoro for the Environmental Science unit. We are going to study different environments, including a lake, river and forest. Should be fun. Will update on that. =)