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.
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!!
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.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
there's gotta be more to life, than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me... - Staci Orrico
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 :)
i had a really blonde moment today. and it has been haunting me this whole night. have you ever said something without consulting your brain first and then later on realizing just how dumb it sounded? arghh well, at least i might've given everyone a good laugh, and will always be remembered for it. *helpless shrug*
MATH2501 test tmr... studied? not yet. all-nighter? perhaps. mood? happy. why? i have found joy in abundance!
hehe. anyways, must focus and get work done...was walking to uni today and suddenly had this longing to see grainger eng. library in front of me. ahhh memories...
weekend was fun. maroubra beach at sunset with angry sky, cooking sessions and boardgames, inspiring sermon on sunday (first disciples), cell group discussion (john 11:17-44), bondi westfield shopping (sass & bide jeans), 'fish & chips' on bondi beach...vanilla slice afterwards.. yummmo..i won bid on ebay for cranium finally!
sunday, met up with SH who had just arrived in syd. got to try 'spice i am'....been wanting to go there for ages. it's definitely one of the nicer thai restaurants in sydney so i'd give it <3 <3 <3 <3 (4 hearts out of 5) because the ambience was a bit noisy and seat uncomfortable, but the food was excellent. especially the red curry and green papaya salad. apparently their barramundi is good also. will go back there again.
anyways, i got to reread Genesis the other day. there is never a time when i read about joseph and not feel inspired in anyway. i wonder if i could ever have the kind of faith in God like him...fully trusting God with his life. i found his godliness was both contagious and envious.
pastor franklin said that faith is like a blank contract sheet and you just need to sign above the dotted line at the bottom, even tho you do not know yet what will be written on it afterwards. have you signed your contract with God yet?!
our feet @ bondi yesterday. :)
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and the light unto my path - Psalm 119:105 (amy grant - thy word)
okies, gnite blogging world. hitting the books now, the night is still young.
i am at uni computer lab right now, trying to start on my stock exchange game for commercial biotech class...we gotta pretend to buy biotech shares online from nasdaq (fun) and give reasons as to why we are buying/selling (not fun!).
yesterday, i went to 'abbey bridal' in the city with a friend because she couldn't decide which of the three dresses she'd want to walk down the aisle in. i felt nervous but excited shopping for the most important (or expensive) dress she'll ever wear in her life... :) anyway, abbey bridal is supposed to be one of the nicest bridal in sydney and i liked almost all the dresses that were displayed on the mannequins. i wonder on average how many dresses a girl tries on before finding the perfect one? because putting on a wedding dress is SO much effort, even an assistant has to go into the changing room with you to help. anyway, it really hit me then that my friend is getting hitched. someone who has been there with me since year 1 at uni is now all grown up!! ok, so i really love the first dress she wore called 'angel' and it was like a princess' dress, strapless, a bit fluffy and bright white...the shiny beads were really delicate and decorated the dress so well. the second dress was called 'amanda' (also strapless) and it was beige/diamond white, shiny/silky fabric with beads scattered across the top.. i dont know how else to describe it other than 'timeless'. anyway, my friend looked so elegant and classy in that dress. i think everyone in the shop (other anxious brides-to-be) were staring at her with envy..hehe. the assistant lady then put on this long veil for her and gave her a bouquet of roses to hold...:) it was the one!! the thing about deciding on a wedding dress is that you have to go with your first instincts. seriously, if you keep looking and trying on different ones, you are bound to be doomed, because by then everything is going to look the same to you. so, my friend made up her mind pretty quick (i cant believe it only took her less than 2 days to decide on her wedding dress), paid for the dress and we headed back to class....but we were stuck in traffic for one hour because they blocked off some main roads in the city as queen elizabeth and prince phillip were here in sydney yesterday.
good news! i am now employed by the information system department at my university! praise God for providing! basically, i'll be working at the IT service desk counter which is a single point of contact for all IT related incidents and requests at uni...eg. application assistance, dial-up/wireless services, hardware/software support...i was really doubting my ability to perform the tasks at first, because usually when i have any problems with my computer i just get someone to fix it for me, instead of trying to figure out how it fix it myself. nevertheless, i don't think i can find a better part time job...it pays so well, it is on campus (thus can work between classes), and it is related to my area of study... :)
okkkk..that was long...back to work. what's the market like today? buy or sell?
[HEART] a bit messy..like my room [EYES] 'How to have a beautiful mind' by Edward de Bono [EARS] Narnia soundtrack [HEAD] burning [HANDS] rubik's cube (gotta read the algorithm)
this german makes me smile everytime i think about him :D (needs sound)
so what has viv been up to? well i've been stuck in bed for 2 days with the flu :( ongoing fever and sore throat, cough, runny nose...all my senses are retarded now...i feel terrible. a few days ago, i thought to myself..wow i haven't been sick for some time now..but then i started to worry because usually when i have that thought, i'd get sick the next day....it's all in the head.
pooooooo, it has been only a week of classes and i am already behind... im taking: 1) COMP3121 Algorithms & programming techniques- the prof with this strong Russian accent spent the first hour (of the 3 hrs straight lecture from 5pm-8pm) talking about how all the comp jobs will migrate to India and China one day. This class is program-free....!! yapee!! 2) BINF4920 Professional Issues and Ethics for Bioinformatics- should be easy...participation is 25% of the grade!!! 3) MATH2501 Linear Algebra - I don't need take this class but I still wanna take it, just in case I decide to switch to combined degree. feel really old in a class full of 2nd year students...prof is Dr. Angell, who is also a conductor in the orchestra. 4) BIOT3701 Commercial Biotechnology - It's a straight 4 hours lecture on Mondays ><
some pics from my beach walks recently. trying to enjoy the last few weeks of beach weather....autumn is just around the corner..i can smell it, even with my blocked nose.
i think i have more spare time these days as this semester my classes seem pretty light-loaded (lets hope cs3121 won't be mean). gotta be active and all! as for now, i'm volunteering with wesley missions but i haven't quite decided which area/field i should help out...heard from my work friend in SF who took a month off work to go to MS with the CityTeam ministries. they basically help poor/abused/homeless to recover from circumstances they've been in. really inspired me to do something fruitful with my free time. (instead of watching '24'!!! am restraining myself from season 2 atm).
on the other hand, i'm also looking for a paid part time job...anyways, will worry about that later, what i need right now is a good nap...and *maybe* just one episode of 24.
ohhhhhhhhhhhhh myyy....never thought i'd say this, but i think i am addicted to jack bauer.... i'm half way thru season 1 right now...but unfortunately i already know what's gonna happen at the end. :(
the following (phone convo) takes place between 11am to 12pm on 5th March, 2006 ..... me: "so, DON'T tell me who the bad guys are ok?!" mum: "alright, but who do you think is the ultimate baddie behind everything?" me: "i think it's xxxx" mum "yes" me: "noooooooooooooo!!!" .....
grrrrrrrrrrr......at least i still have 3 more seasons...never talking to mum about tv shows again..
