Monday, April 24, 2006
diary of a mad procrastinator
Of late, my brain (mostly the left side) has been deluged with useless divide-and-conquer algorithm, patent exploitations methods and of course the nasty little eekiness of life. So, I've been on a look out for a new hobby. How? By grabbing every opportunity to do something totally new everyday in hopes of coming across some new obsessions.
In fact, just the other day, I woke up extra early just to see my first glorious sunrise of Sydney....ok I lie. What happened was, I stupidly ordered coffee at 10pm against the warning of others at Gloria Jeans thinking I needed to be hyped up to study for the rest of the night. I had undermined (or forgot) the power of that innocent, small cup of aromatic liquid. I was still wide-eyed after sunrise..and could have probably run around the golf course next to my place if someone had dared me to (of course, i knew nobody would). Ok, I digress...This post is meant to be about a piano concert I was invited to last weekend. Classical? No! I was just talking about trying new things wasn't I? It was called Piano Stories III and the pianist played around 20 pieces from Final Fantasy (yes...as in the in video game) and a few from Spirited Away. Obviously the people I went with were uhmmm *very* much into Final Fantasy. It was kind of like a "Perlman or Shaham" concert for the Jap. anime obsessed people probably. Prior to this, I'd never heard of Nobuo Uematsu and his popular FF works, and was not familiar with cool words like Chocobo and Princess Mononoke. I have to say this concert opened my eyes (or ears) to another genre of music and it really wasn't that bad...(I made it through the 2 hours without falling alseep!), but I definitely wasn't as excited about the encore as the majority of the audiences were. So....I guess my hunt for the a new hobby continues.
Update: I've been listening to the songs while studying today. They are definitely growing on me..good background music for studying!
Friday, April 21, 2006
Unanswered Prayers
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he may not answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
-Garth Brooks
Thursday, April 20, 2006
au revoir, cindy
arhhh....yesterday cindy left sydney for nz after spending 4 days with me. no more fun going out everyday and back to study for my midterm exams next week...noooooooo!!
signs of a good house guest
1. cooks yummy congee breakfast while you sleep
2. tells funny jokes at dinner (altho may cause indigestion)
3. giggles about everything
4. play the "remember in primary school..." game with you
5. reminds you the best about primary school - all that drama and boy germs
6. goes through your wardrobe and gives you ideas about which top goes with your skirt
7. let you put make-up on them, even tho the excess blush makes them look almost clown-ish
8. makes thing you'd normally think is child-ish totally cool
9. thank you visit again!!! :D
-------
anyways, today has been loooong...my movie quote of the day:
"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, not small, but circumscribed. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? " - You've Got Mail.
signs of a good house guest
1. cooks yummy congee breakfast while you sleep
2. tells funny jokes at dinner (altho may cause indigestion)
3. giggles about everything
4. play the "remember in primary school..." game with you
5. reminds you the best about primary school - all that drama and boy germs
6. goes through your wardrobe and gives you ideas about which top goes with your skirt
7. let you put make-up on them, even tho the excess blush makes them look almost clown-ish
8. makes thing you'd normally think is child-ish totally cool
9. thank you visit again!!! :D
-------
anyways, today has been loooong...my movie quote of the day:
"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, not small, but circumscribed. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? " - You've Got Mail.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Friday, April 14, 2006
Maundy Thursday
Tonight I went to the Maundy Thursday Communion Service.
Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. The word "maundy" comes from the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, that we should love one another.
"The underlying foundadtion of the Christian faith is the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God that was exhibited on the Cross of Calvary" - Oswald Chambers
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." - John 11:25-26
Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. The word "maundy" comes from the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, that we should love one another.
"The underlying foundadtion of the Christian faith is the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God that was exhibited on the Cross of Calvary" - Oswald Chambers"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." - John 11:25-26
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
my yummy lunch...
today when i left the house, i chose to ignore the grey clouds that were forming in the sky (therefore did not take my umbrella). well..u know what happened when i got to the city. it started to pour down hard!!
finally, went to the lindt cafe that everyone has been talking about!!! must go back there again when it's not so crowded (coz its easter and ppl are buying SO much easter eggs/bunnies etc...)
Rainy cold weather + lindt hot chocolate = a happy grinning viv.
happy easter...time to reflect on the ONE who gave us new birth and a fresh beginning.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
i could've danced all night...
ok, not really, just not tonight. algorithms is really giving me the headaches right now. but hopefully by tmr night i will be f.r.e.e and ready to start my easter holiday...one week!!
i can't wait...
tall, caf, cappuccino. is what i need.
i left starbucks disappointed the other day when i found out they dont sell green tea frappaccino here in sydney. they sell some dodgy banana-cino instead.
Monday, April 10, 2006
walk two moons...
so much of what i see/do reminds me of something i read in a book or watch on the screen. even in my dreams, all the fictional characters would come alive and when i wake up i'd have to reconfirm with myself that they are not real. (the latest is marwan from 24)
ok, time to recap my weekend. saturday, me and jen went to the beach with jessie! we did the eastern coastal walk and started out from coogee and ended in bondi. and as always, we rewarded ourselves with a vanilla slice at the bondi cake shop afterwards...hmmmmm it's the best! then later, met up with uni friends at ramen-kan...this japanese restaurant in haymarket famous for...ramen! i think they added too much msg or something..i felt like i was dying of thirst the entire night...
max brenner (the bald man)'s chocolate place!!! we headed to double bay (first time there last nite...really nice area to shop...reminded me of naperville) and ended up waiting outside for 1+ hour coz it was fully packed with people! we all got a cup of their famous hot chocolate and a plate of chocolate souffle....soooo rich....i thought i was gonna puke after i gobbled down my souffle...yeah...we all felt SO sick afterwards that we were unable to move!lol...
i gotta say, i still think 'ethel's chocolate lounge' in chicago makes better hot chocolate...hmm maybe it's the weather...hot chocoate tastes better in the freezing cold?!
the rest of the night...went through angela's wedding magazines and saw thousands of wedding invitations and table arrangement ideas...personally, i think weddings are overrated...!
today, i helped out at sunday school with michelle rather than attending the regular cell group. we taught the year 5/6 class! you can really tell what the kids are going to be like when they are older by their behaviours now! there was this really naughty/trouble making boy (but extremely smart) with his gang of followers...a really talented girl who gets every questions right, a boy who has a lot of 'numbers' ("according to statistics, murder in sydney increased by 40%..."!!!) and the really quiet twin girls. i haven't been around kids that age for a loooong time now...im trying to learn to be 'child-like yet not child-ish'...it's not easy!
uni work is starting to pile up again. tmr, biotech report is due and on wed, algo assnt on masters theorem....the only thing that keeps me going? Easter break next weekend!! and cindy coming to visit in 5 days! last Easter, we still had to attend classes during Easter at UIUC!! weird huh! i went thru my old journal today and found this entry exactly one year ago when i was deciding whether to stay in the states for the fall semester:
...
I have been thinking about the pros and cons of staying for an extra semester here in U of I.
Pros :
1. May not have the same opportunity again to study abroad later.
2. Might as well as stay since I am already here?
3. Get to do more traveling around the US and meet more people
4. A nice church here where i am learning a lot
5. Get to see my daisies if they actually grow
6. Get to experience all 4 seasons here
Cons:
1. Won't get to see family/friends for another semester
2. I can't seem to find matching courses and I dont think I am learning much academically at all
3. I tend to not care about my school work here
4. Most of my friends from exchange will not be returning next semester
5. Falling behind academically when I go back - and that is bad considering I am doing my thesis next year!
......
it's so fun to look back on how i made my decision last year.... i am REALLY glad i had decided to stay for that extra 6 months. totally worth it!!
ok, time to recap my weekend. saturday, me and jen went to the beach with jessie! we did the eastern coastal walk and started out from coogee and ended in bondi. and as always, we rewarded ourselves with a vanilla slice at the bondi cake shop afterwards...hmmmmm it's the best! then later, met up with uni friends at ramen-kan...this japanese restaurant in haymarket famous for...ramen! i think they added too much msg or something..i felt like i was dying of thirst the entire night...
max brenner (the bald man)'s chocolate place!!! we headed to double bay (first time there last nite...really nice area to shop...reminded me of naperville) and ended up waiting outside for 1+ hour coz it was fully packed with people! we all got a cup of their famous hot chocolate and a plate of chocolate souffle....soooo rich....i thought i was gonna puke after i gobbled down my souffle...yeah...we all felt SO sick afterwards that we were unable to move!lol...
i gotta say, i still think 'ethel's chocolate lounge' in chicago makes better hot chocolate...hmm maybe it's the weather...hot chocoate tastes better in the freezing cold?!
the rest of the night...went through angela's wedding magazines and saw thousands of wedding invitations and table arrangement ideas...personally, i think weddings are overrated...!
today, i helped out at sunday school with michelle rather than attending the regular cell group. we taught the year 5/6 class! you can really tell what the kids are going to be like when they are older by their behaviours now! there was this really naughty/trouble making boy (but extremely smart) with his gang of followers...a really talented girl who gets every questions right, a boy who has a lot of 'numbers' ("according to statistics, murder in sydney increased by 40%..."!!!) and the really quiet twin girls. i haven't been around kids that age for a loooong time now...im trying to learn to be 'child-like yet not child-ish'...it's not easy!
uni work is starting to pile up again. tmr, biotech report is due and on wed, algo assnt on masters theorem....the only thing that keeps me going? Easter break next weekend!! and cindy coming to visit in 5 days! last Easter, we still had to attend classes during Easter at UIUC!! weird huh! i went thru my old journal today and found this entry exactly one year ago when i was deciding whether to stay in the states for the fall semester:
...
I have been thinking about the pros and cons of staying for an extra semester here in U of I.
Pros :
1. May not have the same opportunity again to study abroad later.
2. Might as well as stay since I am already here?
3. Get to do more traveling around the US and meet more people
4. A nice church here where i am learning a lot
5. Get to see my daisies if they actually grow
6. Get to experience all 4 seasons here
Cons:
1. Won't get to see family/friends for another semester
2. I can't seem to find matching courses and I dont think I am learning much academically at all
3. I tend to not care about my school work here
4. Most of my friends from exchange will not be returning next semester
5. Falling behind academically when I go back - and that is bad considering I am doing my thesis next year!
......
it's so fun to look back on how i made my decision last year.... i am REALLY glad i had decided to stay for that extra 6 months. totally worth it!!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
d'oh
this afternoon i went to get some stuff in the city and planned to head straight to my evening classes afterwards....half way through shopping, i glanced at my watch to realize i was LATE!!!
i rushed to the bus-stop and then ran all the way up the uni walkway. i entered the lecture hall puffed and sweating, to find i was in the wrong class.
....that very instant it hit me that that i still haven't change the time on my watch after day-light savings...even though it has been 4 days!! way to go.
i rushed to the bus-stop and then ran all the way up the uni walkway. i entered the lecture hall puffed and sweating, to find i was in the wrong class.
....that very instant it hit me that that i still haven't change the time on my watch after day-light savings...even though it has been 4 days!! way to go.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Sunday, April 02, 2006
day-light saving ends....winter is here?!
because the majority of australians live along the coast (there are nothing but desert and ayres rock inland), there is this common misconception amongst aussies, that only the cities close to the borders are livable. this was evident when i tried to promote exchange to the US at the expo last week. i sat behind this desk, which was covered mostly with pamphlets and photos of UIUC and various other universities in the US. throughout the whole 4 hours i was there, every single person that came my way would ask,
"could you tell me more about exchange to UCLA?" or
"i'm thinking about going to NYU..."
they had just about inquired about every single university around the border of the US!!
being loyal and an orange-and-blue fan that i am, i tried to promote UIUC to everyone i talked to. The question that followed would be
"Where's Univ. of Illinois?"
"Well, it's sort of midwest..", I'd explain as I showed them my hand drawn map of the US with a big dot to represent Urbana Champaign.
"It's MIDwest? like, in the MIDDLE of the country?!?!" was the most common bewildered response.
what could i say?!
i usually resort to asking them what they study. If they say, for example, accounting, engineering or psych etc., i would go onto telling them that Uof I has this great program for their degree. but then, i got accused several times of trying to hard to promote my exchange university. Eeeeeek.
so by the end of the day, i was sad and disappointed that i did not get to share about that amazing piece of cornfield with others. but wait! there was light at the end of the tunnel.
this guy came up to my desk and said "Wow, Univ. of Illinois? Home of the Fighting Illini?! Wow, the basketball game last year was awesome! Tell me more!!"
yay! 1 point, illinois! :D
my friend nao has finaly left for home (hiroshima) after 6 weeks in sydney! she said she thinks her english deteriorated after this trip and she doens't know why. must be aussie english or something. anyway, shes' my first friend made on the plane! i met her on the trip back to sydney around 6 weeks ago...pretty amazing huh! she taught me a bit of japanese but my brain isn't as spongy as it once was....i dont remember much actually. i am looking forward to visiting her one day in japan!!
ooooh yeah, i've finally caught up to season 4 now for 24 :) this season's plotline does not seem to have the suspicions of the previous and also there is seriously a lack of mystery!! i'm a bit disappointed because i didn't find myself thinking "I can't believe that just happened!!!". but, nevertheless, it is still my favourite show ever ...so happy that Almeida and Michelle are still on the show! looking forward to season 5..I hear it's the best season ever! been wanting to download 24 CTU's ringtone on my mobile phone...but I think my model is too old or something...doesn't seem to work. boooooo. but good that i'm not crazy enough to change my mobile so i could get the ringtone :)
"could you tell me more about exchange to UCLA?" or
"i'm thinking about going to NYU..."
they had just about inquired about every single university around the border of the US!!
being loyal and an orange-and-blue fan that i am, i tried to promote UIUC to everyone i talked to. The question that followed would be
"Where's Univ. of Illinois?"
"Well, it's sort of midwest..", I'd explain as I showed them my hand drawn map of the US with a big dot to represent Urbana Champaign.
"It's MIDwest? like, in the MIDDLE of the country?!?!" was the most common bewildered response.
what could i say?!
i usually resort to asking them what they study. If they say, for example, accounting, engineering or psych etc., i would go onto telling them that Uof I has this great program for their degree. but then, i got accused several times of trying to hard to promote my exchange university. Eeeeeek.
so by the end of the day, i was sad and disappointed that i did not get to share about that amazing piece of cornfield with others. but wait! there was light at the end of the tunnel.
this guy came up to my desk and said "Wow, Univ. of Illinois? Home of the Fighting Illini?! Wow, the basketball game last year was awesome! Tell me more!!"
yay! 1 point, illinois! :D
my friend nao has finaly left for home (hiroshima) after 6 weeks in sydney! she said she thinks her english deteriorated after this trip and she doens't know why. must be aussie english or something. anyway, shes' my first friend made on the plane! i met her on the trip back to sydney around 6 weeks ago...pretty amazing huh! she taught me a bit of japanese but my brain isn't as spongy as it once was....i dont remember much actually. i am looking forward to visiting her one day in japan!!
ooooh yeah, i've finally caught up to season 4 now for 24 :) this season's plotline does not seem to have the suspicions of the previous and also there is seriously a lack of mystery!! i'm a bit disappointed because i didn't find myself thinking "I can't believe that just happened!!!". but, nevertheless, it is still my favourite show ever ...so happy that Almeida and Michelle are still on the show! looking forward to season 5..I hear it's the best season ever! been wanting to download 24 CTU's ringtone on my mobile phone...but I think my model is too old or something...doesn't seem to work. boooooo. but good that i'm not crazy enough to change my mobile so i could get the ringtone :)
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