Today is packing day... well.. cause my laptop's not with me... Ya.. this 'packing' thing occurs at a few predicatable times a term only... See... I pack my stuff usually the weekend of the term break.. then after that I'll pia for projects and tests, after which my notes, papers and stuff will be strewened all over the place... Then I'll consolidate them during the study break week... and finally, file them up one fine day after exams (like today!)

Actually I'm still left with Social Psych... but now the thing is questioning the usefulness of filing things up. What are the odds of me ever referring to them anyway. Things like democracy? BGS? Hmmm.. at least for psychology stuff, it may come in handy one fine day... but then the rest are like...

Just like the pile of 'A' level materials.. Yes.. I religiously filed everything away. I have lik3 or 4 files for Maths alone cause it was for 2 subjects.. btu I don't even see myself referring to them anymore! And I think keeping like Maths stuff is not much of a use. But then... I can't bear to throw them all away leh...

Ya... I realise I still have some of my MEP notes... and Lit notes... Hahaha.. don't ask me why I still keep them... But it is not as if I'll ever need to know the character analysis of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird or about the plot of Romeo and Juliet!

So I keep a lot of junk (or rather, memories)... and I'll accumulate even more over the years. And them I'll start throwing some away to make room for the newcomers. and I forsee that this cycle will continue!

After spending the afternoon playing this game, with music churning out via Windows Media Player, I conclude that my Wondows media player is a fan of Jay Chou and Avril Lavigne.

Why so?

Simply because it played a few other Jay's songs and in particular 世界末日 at least twice... Yeah... I remember cause of the screaming part. Ditto for Avril Lavigne. It seems to appreciate her 'Thing's I'll never say' Play count stands at 15!

And my player is on shuffle. And out of the tons of song I have, the player picks song by a few selected artistes. Hmmm.. Looks like I have a choosy player.

Anyway, if you like investigation-like, who-dunnit games, the above game can be quite interesting. Basically you take on the role of an investigator. Fine. I'm just too bored at home cause after a while, the game gets a little boring. It's kind of like those point-and-click games.

Oh... got back all my grades for this term. Happy.

I really enjoy snuggling in bed and reading a book... Missed that feeling.

Had durian and rambutan for supper... Ok.. not exactly supper.. but I ate them like 5 mins ago... Haven't eaten durians in AGES! Ooh... the soft, creamy flesh... Yummilicious! And the rambutans were sweet!!!

Oh ya.. remember what I wanted to blog about liaoz... went for an OG gathering yesterday.. That is like when I haven't seen them around much in school... But it was fun... BBQ in faraway Jurong... Well, crappy OG group... but it was fun... and 终极密码 seems to be 'THE' game to get people to eat all the leftover food...

Oh.. did I mention that there was a CUTE Golden Retriever puppy called Casper!!! Ahahaha... ok.. now I think I will go back to my book...

I'm finally to start to feel that the laptop is not number 1 priority!

Walked to Novena Square just now to get some stuff from Cold Storage... Saw this group of people doing line dance there... I guess they are there every Thursday. Been seeing them for quite some time...

Well, it just reminds me of St Nicks... Anyone still remembers how to do the line dances? Well.. still haven't found a job.. But I'm also not looking for one that actively. If you all have lobang let me know!!!

Anyway, borrowed 2 DVDs from Esplanade Library - Kate & Leopold and My Big Fat Greek Wedding! Yeah.. had to upgrade my membership.. but I figured it was worth it.. $21 for a year's membership. Then can borrow scores too...

But then... not earning money liaoz still go and spend money... Sigh...

Nevermind.. I've got books and scores and movies to entertain me!

Gillian is hungry tonight... And Gillian woke up without a headache today. =)

I want to go sleep.. but my sister is still mugging... (she has mid terms this week!) Shall stay up with her... Ok.. maybe I just refuse to sleep...

Looking at my sis mugging for chinese, it just reiterates the point that no matter how MOE tries to change the syllabus, the mugging component to memorise the words will never disappear. If it is not important, would the teacher bother to give the class 听写 as a form of revision the day before her mid terms? Would the school make them buy a book full of essays to read thru them? Ya.. I bet they read it to memorise the 成语 used in the essays...

SO many changes implemented, yet it seems as though nothing has changed...

how to make a blog a happy blog?

Went for a talk by a guy from World Bank. I guess.. unless you are particularly intersted in helping poor countries develop their economy through policies or implementation of new ideas, and making sure that money (to the tune of MILLIONS!) is well disbursed, then maybe u shouold get there...

It helped that the guy was brutally honest about how some of their plans have not worked as well as they hoped... and also, how some countries are super screwed up... Hahaha.. He actually managed to tie a certain country's electoral system into his speech and well, it coincided with what I learnt in democracy... Hahaha...

And well... I guess usually, people are too critical of international organizations like IMF or WB. As the speaker said, If everything is so easily resolved or as simple as some think, then there would be no need for these organizations to exist. and those problems would have been solved long long ago. Which I guess is true... It's always easier to talk and plan but things may bot go according to plans because of different cultures, way of doing things.

A very poignant point:

"If you have a choice to give $10 million to a country for them to build infrastructure for run down villages and you know that $1 million would go to corruption, would you still go ahead with it?" The alternative is that no help be rendered to the poor people. What do we actually one? I think this is kind of a slippery slope argument whereby when is the money going into corruption too much?

Am having a throbbing headache now... I put my finger on my vein and I feel it go throb... throb... throb... like my heartbeat

It has no reason to ache though.. Anyways, I shall go sleep...

If you haven't figured, this post just screams 'Gillian has a headache'

Gee... I guess I'm bored... Oh.. and I think I hold the worse records for MSN Minesweeper. Lost 18, won 5. Go figure...

Anyway, on a happier note, went shopping with Fran... Hahaha... Looking for shoes... Well, found a pair i thought I liked.. until I realised there was no grip... Saw a few other pairs that looked quite nice too... but they were heels... i dunno if they can be classified as wedges though... But rather comfy...

In the end, I didn't buy anything... Couldn't decide plus I was broke.. so I shall wait till I have money... ;)

Hmmmm... nowadays, people asking for donations have picked up some psychology techniques...

Was at Orchard just now... and I was approached by this guy asking for a donation. He whipped out a list and said "Some of these people have donated... some donated $10 and look, one even donated $50". I felt like telling him i learnt it in psychology... Ya.. those 'foot-in'the door'techniques whereby you start off with asking a small favour...

But in the end.. i didn't donate.. hahaha...

Got back 3 of my grades... contented... but a lil disappointed with social psych though i totally deserved it lar... The decision not to submit any questions for the finals is coming back to haunt me... Shucks... I'll just live with that...

I'm kinda sick of chilling... and slacking.. Maybe I should go out.. but financial constraints lar... Maybe it's because I'm not feeling good today. My tummy feels queasy... but that's about it. And there's nothing to watch on a Sunday afternoon.

Been busy with SS stuff... Ahahhaa... Hopefully no screw ups this time round... ie... people better RESPOND and do my survey!

Just took the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) test... actually, I took it twice... and I got 2 diff scores... INFJ and INTP. But after reading the descriptions here, I think I am more of an INFP.

Waiting for my results... Trying to stay neutral and not think too much about it. But there's always the feeling that something unexpected may happen and it may wreck my GPA. Yeah... I know this sentence reeks of competitiveness and over-achieverness and everything. But when you are on a roll, you want to keep it there right?

Hols = boring days = nth much to blog...

Gillian is tired...

Well, My ex-boss... yeah.. the one at the law firm has kindly asked me if I can lend him a hend since I'm free now... Gillian shall be mean this time round... Gillian shall learn how to say no. Much as I like to earn the money, I dun wanna make myself feel obliged to work for him just because 'he asked me' It's just not worth it... From 'for a while', it may stretch to weeks, months...

Not to mention, I'm trying to do a million and one things this hols.. looks like earning moolah has to take a backseat...

Anyway, bought my tix for SOV... Was contemplating whether to go or not.. finally couldn't resist... anyone knows of any acapella concerts going on? I feel like watching one.. ;)

I'm tired...

Cycled again today... This time with the Group 1 ppl... It was fun! Poor Sharon had to blade all the way to SAFRA Tanah Merah CC which was quite a distance away...

According to a certain Mr Zheng, the official distance clocked today was about 15km... but it didn't feel that far AT THAT TIME... Now, my legs are kinda aching.. and I suddenly feel old... Hahaha...

I really ought to get a job.. but the way things are going, I think I'm just gonna bum my 4 mths away...

I felt like Joyce from TAR today.. went to cut my hair.. and no.. I didn't shave... but when the hairdresser first cut a bit, i could picture the scene when Joyce has her hair cut. *ouch!* For non-TAR fans... this was what happened.. the team who took this particular challenge could get to the pit stop immeditely. The challenge required the team to shave both their heads.. And Joyce did it!!! I'm kinda still in awe... cause her hair wasn't that short! To bravely shave her head bald was just... indescribable...

And no... I didn't meet any cute guy and I didn't fall in love with anyone I noe... =)

Reasons why my mum dun let me go Tioman

She thinks...

1. I'm not a good swimmer

2. I'll drown

3. There may be a tsunami... *eurgh!* --> Psychology: Availability Heuristics!

4. The boat may capsize

5. I cannot snorkel and I cannot learn how to...

5. I may endanger my life

7. I should not be too ambitious...

8. I cannot take care of myself...

Basically, she'll worry non stop if I go and I should not do things that will make her worried... she's trying to be protective of me... I know she loves me and I love her too... but sometimes... this gets kinda annoying... Wait and see lor... if not you all can go and take loads of photos and super-impose my face on them...

I really should go cut my hair... but I was too absorbed with surfing the web...

Have to make a phonecall... which i dun really enjoy... Sometimes, I prefer indirect forms of communication... Maybe I just don't want to make a fool of myself... Actually I think I'm thinking too much... =)

If 2 people have feelings for each other, yet no one acts, is it all over? I think I have high expectations...

Random thoughts on a Thursday afternoon...

Lalala... Holidays are nice.. and fun... and enjoyable... and it's making me broke...

Hahaha... Trudged to school 3 hours before the talk this morning.. Made me realised how long I haven't walked up the hill.. Ya... I know I'm a spoilt lil girl... but wells... anyway, the walk didn't seem that bad, nor that long... No rush, no cars... Just me soaking in the sights...

I'll miss the old campus...

SIgh... my mum dun let me go tioman... how???

Updates, Updates, Updates... (3 posts full...)

Hahaha... Freedom never felt so sweet... and surreal...

Went back to school today (yes! the first day of the hols) for some talk by a visiting Prof... I think these talks are interesting. I learn new stuff and latest development. And the thing is you'll see the profs talking among themselves, arguing different ideas... at the same time, u see other students, asking rather intelligent questions...

I stop and wonder... is this what I want to do? I often take what is being said, and as long as I understand it, I won't really go and ask about it... When I see people doing it, I wonder if it is me or them... Maybe I'm suffering from a bad bout of contingent self-esteem whereby I feel that I need to verify and prove to myself how good I am... Makes me wonder if this is the path I want to go... But I understood the talk... what the concepts were all about and what was being said... I should learn to examine thinge more critically...

Went to catch 'Be Cool' after that... show was fine... Liked the songs in the show... Uma Thurman has freaking long legs... she looked old with wrinkles and stuff... but still attractive...

Crap... I dun like to run in and out of my room just because my mum can't figure out how to add music to some show she is doing of the photos from her China trip... Yeah.. she has a fascination that she would burn all the photos into a VCD that we can all watch at home... like a slide show except that it is on TV... And I haven't even seen the photos since like 3 weeks ago...

The casino has been approved... HUGE, MEGA BIG surprise... Bah! Blogged too much for tonight... shall not go into my thoughts...

Anyway, another pissi-fying thing was the NKF show... I hate it because...

1) The hosts/artistes all take out their phone and try and coerce people in the studio to all call together. I know it worked in a show quite long ago... but this things loses it novelty when you overused it... and having it in ALMOST EVERY segment DOES NOT MAKE IT EFFECTIVE!

2) I don't dig death-defying stunts.. Does Jeff Wang wanna get permanent brain damage from smashing his skull through 2 wooden planks??? And what's with the height thing? I seriously don't get the 'Save Kym Ng' ploy... Lame actions, maybe it would work on an episode of Fear Factor... Perhaps if they had a storyline to go with it.. instead of a stunts thingee, it would be more palatable.

3) I detests it when the hosts keeps on yabbering when the artistes are performing difficult stunts... Can't they just SHUT THEIR TRAPS and let the artistes concentrate??? It's liek an irritating fly buzzing in the background. I find it bloody irritating when they go on and on about how dangerous it is and how you should call... Yeah.. I dun see a correlation! In fact, I think it may even compromise on safety standards as it causes concentration lapses.

4) What's with keeping the artistes hanging upside down for a longer period of time just to get more calls in? Who's gonna be freaking responsible if sth should happen. You could see veins popping out of their forehead and that Timothy Cao was still going like 'Let's keep them hanging longer so that more calls will come in.' If he likes it so much, he can hang there himself then...

5) I don't like NATO hosts... can anyone tell me whether Timothy Cao has done stunts to raise money. He just talks and talks and talks... going on and on abt how much the artistes are suffering, prolonging their suffering...

6) I dun like Timothy Cao (as if it was not evident from the above 2 points). He came up with the 'brilliant' idea to have the local celebs plea and beg for 'One More Call Please' just so that they can hit one million calls. I think that was a stupid move and they looks spastic...

7) I don't really fancy hearing a sob story on someone who is struck with kidney failure hen having my dinner because it makes me feel quesy... I know they are playing on pathos... but maybe if they show it later... or sth...

8) The show gets dragged on with the hosts repeating their lines just to hit the desperate mark of 1 million calls. Couldn't they get Celest Chong to sing a song from her album or prepare another small segment instead of just standing there and begging? The number of calls will hit 1 million. It just depends on what time the show ends! Actually I think if Zoe Tay had bothered to drive down to caldecott Hill and made a 'surprise' appearance, the calls may go up...

I seriously believe that if Mark Lee and Gurmit Singh had a longer segment, they would have raised more money... I enjoyed they segment the most... cause it was simple and entertaining.

The musical 'fountain' thing was nice too...

I'm not saying we should not donate.. it is just that some of their actions are nauseating... I understand they need money to sustain operations and for giving kidney patients a subsidy and stuff... Having had a lot of calls last week, they should expect that there would be less this week... and after a while, the stunts are stale... nth really fazes the audience anymore and I don't think making it more dangerous would help.

Where are all the local singers? All stuck in Taiwan? Shouldn't they do a part for this show?

Can't believe I missed Kate and Leopold because of that... Sigheth.. I believe I would feel happier if I had watched it!

Sunday was spent lazing around... Backing up files so I could load in SP 2... Visited the library to deposit the books I borrowed for my democracy paper 6 weeks ago.. I renewed them.. Don't worry... And borrowed a few books in the process...

One was on abstract art and impossible figures... Like the picture that looks like a lady and an old woman from different perspectives... Trying to read Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman now... I see a shift in my reading habits...

Anyway, 2 significant things to blog about...

First was the big hooha some PSC scholar created when he apparently made some rascist remarks on his blog. *blinking of warning lights... a blog is dangerous* Someone was actually free enough to bother to crack his password to access his blog *yes.. he locked it!* and posted the content of his blog on forums. Perhaps he came under fire because he was a scholar... People just have a thing when it has to do with taxpayers money... Shouldn't a blog be a place where you can leave your thoughts? I would even go as far as to say that perhaps his comments were quoted out of context. So what happens? His scholarship is under review and if it gets withdrawn... there goes the future of one young man. I'm not condoning racism here... but to blow up a matter like that... ridiculous!

Yes.. I concur that you have to be responsible for what you post... But to go to the extent to get to his blog... I think it just stinks of sabotage... Yeah... another of my wild theories...

Shall dedicate another post to the other significant event... NKF Charity Show...

Watch Amelie just now... a simple, feel-good show... quite nice for unwinding after the last paper... sweet... depicting the life of dreamers... and an interesting twist!

Ate a WHOLE slice of cheesecake just now... *guilty* should really curb my sweet tooth. I shall go running soon... but now for the wonderful picnics tomorrow!!!

Sitting in front of my laptop has never felt so good, so relaxing... =) Like no worries in the world, no need to flip textbooks, write notes...

This week has been fine on the whole... nothing drastic and bad happened (thankfully) as in the papers were all do-able! *claps in glee*

Got back my demo paper which I slogged till 5 am 2 week ago... Got a B+. Eh... For something I didn't proof read, I'm kinda ok with it... But then, something makes me wish I had started on it earlier. But one can never be truly satisfied where grades are concerned I guess... Always wishing you had done certain things different after you received comments for it.

Looking back, this past 2 terms (i refuse to call it a year!) has just whizzed by... I can't believe I'm a quarter way done with my university education. If things are gonna be like that, I think uni life is too short... I know I bitch and whine and get all stressed up... but it is all bitter sweet. Like dark chocolate! When you look back, I just remember the happy times I spend crapping, laughing with the 'wonderful people' (do i sound like Kirpal?) from group 1, social science people... Those whom I've been doing projects with...

Now that yr 1 has come to a close, it is time to do things that I've been putting on hold for way too long... Enjoy your hols people... and shout out to all: let's find a day to meet up kaez...

Oh... all the best to NUS and NTU ppl!!! happy mugging for exams!!! Good Luck!