Thursday 26 February 2009
Tuesday 24 February 2009
jabberwocky.
"very true," said the duchess. " flamingoes and mustard both bite. and the moral of that is - 'birds of a feather flock together.'"
"only mustard isn't a bird," alice remarked.
"right, as usual," said the duchess. "what a clear way you have of putting things!"
"it's a mineral, i think,"said alice.
"of course it it," said the duchess, who seemed ready to agree to everything that alice said. "there's a large mustard-machine near here. and the moral of that is - 'the more there is of mine, the less there is of yours.'"
"oh, i know!" exclaimed alice, who had not attended to this last remark. "it's a vegetable. it doesn't look like one, but it is."
"i quite agree with you," said the duchess. "and the moral of that is - 'be what you would seem to be' - or, if you'd like it put more simply - 'never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.'"
- alice's adventures in wonderland, lewis carroll
"the greatest hazard of all, losing the self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. no other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss - an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. - is sure to be noticed."
"thus possibility seems greater and greater to the self; more and more it becomes possible because nothing becomes actual. eventually everything seems possible, but this is exactly the point at which the abyss swallows up the self. it takes time for each little possibility to become an actuality. eventually, however, the time that should be used for actuality grows shorter and shorter; everything becomes more and more momentary. possibility becomes more and more intensive - but in the sense of possibility, not in the sense of actuality, for the intensive in the sense of actuality means to actualize some of what is possible. the instant something appears to be possible, a new possibility appears, and finally these phantasmagoria follow one another in such rapid succession that it seems as if everything were possible, and this is exactly the final moment, the point at which the individual himself becomes a mirage."
- the sickness unto death, soren kierkegaard
"there are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. there are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: this glass is half full. and then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. the world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: what's up with this glass? excuse me? excuse me? this is my glass? i don't think so. my glass was full! and it was a bigger glass!"
- the truth, terry pratchett
"should i give up or should i just keep chasing pavements,
even if it leads nowhere?
or would it be a waste even if i knew my place,
should i leave it there?
should i give up or should i just keep chasing pavements,
even if it leads nowhere?"
- chasing pavements, adele
"only mustard isn't a bird," alice remarked.
"right, as usual," said the duchess. "what a clear way you have of putting things!"
"it's a mineral, i think,"said alice.
"of course it it," said the duchess, who seemed ready to agree to everything that alice said. "there's a large mustard-machine near here. and the moral of that is - 'the more there is of mine, the less there is of yours.'"
"oh, i know!" exclaimed alice, who had not attended to this last remark. "it's a vegetable. it doesn't look like one, but it is."
"i quite agree with you," said the duchess. "and the moral of that is - 'be what you would seem to be' - or, if you'd like it put more simply - 'never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.'"
- alice's adventures in wonderland, lewis carroll
"the greatest hazard of all, losing the self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. no other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss - an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. - is sure to be noticed."
"thus possibility seems greater and greater to the self; more and more it becomes possible because nothing becomes actual. eventually everything seems possible, but this is exactly the point at which the abyss swallows up the self. it takes time for each little possibility to become an actuality. eventually, however, the time that should be used for actuality grows shorter and shorter; everything becomes more and more momentary. possibility becomes more and more intensive - but in the sense of possibility, not in the sense of actuality, for the intensive in the sense of actuality means to actualize some of what is possible. the instant something appears to be possible, a new possibility appears, and finally these phantasmagoria follow one another in such rapid succession that it seems as if everything were possible, and this is exactly the final moment, the point at which the individual himself becomes a mirage."
- the sickness unto death, soren kierkegaard
"there are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. there are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: this glass is half full. and then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. the world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: what's up with this glass? excuse me? excuse me? this is my glass? i don't think so. my glass was full! and it was a bigger glass!"
- the truth, terry pratchett
"should i give up or should i just keep chasing pavements,
even if it leads nowhere?
or would it be a waste even if i knew my place,
should i leave it there?
should i give up or should i just keep chasing pavements,
even if it leads nowhere?"
- chasing pavements, adele
rain... bows.
i've made life seem really gloomy over the last few posts... and really, while there has been the bad there has most definitely been the good too. if i go into each and every event right now i'd end up with too long a post, so i'll just list the highlights. =)
jan 19: i went snowboarding for the first time ever! i went with sean, esh and christine. it was challenging and very painful, but i'm glad i did it. i felt such a sense of accomplishment when i managed to sorta master the heel-toe thing and stayed upright for more than 2 seconds! here's a picture of me, taken by christine. she actually has videos of me too... need to get them from her sometime.
jan 31/feb 1: watched the australian open men's final at bryan's, which i actually managed to blog about. woot. since then we've figured out why nadal won.
feb 5: i went for my first ever basketball game at mac court with vania. it was a women's game against washington state, the crowd was kinda sparse, and we lost... but it was still fun! and it was nice to catch up with vania. =)
feb 13: i got a sweet valentine's day present in the mail. i don't think i'm allowed to say what it was, but it had to do with a penguin and a marshmallow. lol. later that day i went for the isa's winter formal (picture of esh and i below, taken by bryan). the last time i wore the heels that i wore that night was at last year's winter formal! got stalked by a creepy frat dude in a freaky mask while walking home with kanako, esh and sean.
feb 14: i worked with a classmate on a group project, and i actually enjoyed it because it was a real collaboration. janelle, ney ney, kanako, sean, esh, christine and i went to watch swan lake that night! it was amazing... the costumes, the music, the dancing, the 32 fouettes en tournant. we went for prince puckler's ice cream after... perfect end to the night. =)
feb 16: i went for a bible study that is held every week by my church for the first time. i feel like i'm finally becoming more a part of that community, which i'm happy about. it took me long enough! an old couple talked to me after mass a couple of weeks ago, and they said they'd like to have me over for breakfast or dinner one day... they were really sweet. i've also decided to go on a mission trip with them over spring break to yakima, washington to build houses with habitat for humanity. it was a tough decision because the other choice i had was to go on a road trip with sean, esh and david... on our last break together.
feb 18: i went to see an academic adviser, a psychology adviser and a special ed adviser to make sure that i'm on track to graduate in the spring, and i am. 17 credits to go... which i register for tomorrow. my last term at the u of o. later that day i went grocery shopping with janelle and dolly, and then we had mcdonald's for dinner lol. played tennis that night with bryan, bryan's friend val, and christine. or tried to at least.
feb 19: janelle came to work with me to take pictures for an assignment... so now i have some very nice pictures of me with the kids! yay!
feb 20: went to onyx house, another christian house about two blocks away, for their friday service. played apples to apples after and then watched high school musical 3. lol.
feb 21: got lots and lots of sleep, and watched a japanese movie called train man with my housemates and some of their friends. the movie was... different. but it was fun!
feb 22: it rained today. like really rained. not the nonsense snain (sneezing rain... cos it sprays) we usually get. the type of rain you can actually hear hitting your window, that you can fall asleep to.
time to go for badminton!
jan 19: i went snowboarding for the first time ever! i went with sean, esh and christine. it was challenging and very painful, but i'm glad i did it. i felt such a sense of accomplishment when i managed to sorta master the heel-toe thing and stayed upright for more than 2 seconds! here's a picture of me, taken by christine. she actually has videos of me too... need to get them from her sometime.
jan 31/feb 1: watched the australian open men's final at bryan's, which i actually managed to blog about. woot. since then we've figured out why nadal won.
feb 5: i went for my first ever basketball game at mac court with vania. it was a women's game against washington state, the crowd was kinda sparse, and we lost... but it was still fun! and it was nice to catch up with vania. =)
feb 13: i got a sweet valentine's day present in the mail. i don't think i'm allowed to say what it was, but it had to do with a penguin and a marshmallow. lol. later that day i went for the isa's winter formal (picture of esh and i below, taken by bryan). the last time i wore the heels that i wore that night was at last year's winter formal! got stalked by a creepy frat dude in a freaky mask while walking home with kanako, esh and sean.
feb 14: i worked with a classmate on a group project, and i actually enjoyed it because it was a real collaboration. janelle, ney ney, kanako, sean, esh, christine and i went to watch swan lake that night! it was amazing... the costumes, the music, the dancing, the 32 fouettes en tournant. we went for prince puckler's ice cream after... perfect end to the night. =)
feb 16: i went for a bible study that is held every week by my church for the first time. i feel like i'm finally becoming more a part of that community, which i'm happy about. it took me long enough! an old couple talked to me after mass a couple of weeks ago, and they said they'd like to have me over for breakfast or dinner one day... they were really sweet. i've also decided to go on a mission trip with them over spring break to yakima, washington to build houses with habitat for humanity. it was a tough decision because the other choice i had was to go on a road trip with sean, esh and david... on our last break together.
feb 18: i went to see an academic adviser, a psychology adviser and a special ed adviser to make sure that i'm on track to graduate in the spring, and i am. 17 credits to go... which i register for tomorrow. my last term at the u of o. later that day i went grocery shopping with janelle and dolly, and then we had mcdonald's for dinner lol. played tennis that night with bryan, bryan's friend val, and christine. or tried to at least.
feb 19: janelle came to work with me to take pictures for an assignment... so now i have some very nice pictures of me with the kids! yay!
feb 20: went to onyx house, another christian house about two blocks away, for their friday service. played apples to apples after and then watched high school musical 3. lol.
feb 21: got lots and lots of sleep, and watched a japanese movie called train man with my housemates and some of their friends. the movie was... different. but it was fun!
feb 22: it rained today. like really rained. not the nonsense snain (sneezing rain... cos it sprays) we usually get. the type of rain you can actually hear hitting your window, that you can fall asleep to.
time to go for badminton!
Friday 20 February 2009
here comes the sun.
it's been simply amazing to wake up at 7.30 over the past three mornings to brilliant sunshine streaming through my window. it's getting warmer, shoots are pushing their way up, on wednesday i saw a tree covered in flower blossoms, and stone fruits are making their way to grocery stores.
=)
"sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy,
sunshine in my eyes makes me cry,
sunshine on the water looks so lovely,
sunshine almost always makes me high."
- sunshine on my shoulders, john denver.
ps: like my choice of song, bryan?
=)
"sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy,
sunshine in my eyes makes me cry,
sunshine on the water looks so lovely,
sunshine almost always makes me high."
- sunshine on my shoulders, john denver.
ps: like my choice of song, bryan?
Wednesday 18 February 2009
empty.
i've composed at least 10 different posts in my head over the past couple of weeks... but every time i think about typing it out and putting it up i feel guilty because i feel like i should be dealing with some assignment i have, or completing some reading for class. or i'm just done with typing and i really don't feel like stringing together another coherent sentence.
which is rather ironic because i told myself two weeks ago, when i got the letter, that i was going to put academics in the back seat, at least for a while. i want to, and i think i need to. there are more important things in life. but old habits die hard.
i really want to get a B this term. time to start working on it.
which is rather ironic because i told myself two weeks ago, when i got the letter, that i was going to put academics in the back seat, at least for a while. i want to, and i think i need to. there are more important things in life. but old habits die hard.
i really want to get a B this term. time to start working on it.
Sunday 8 February 2009
25 pieces of me.
this is technically a facebook tag but since it's my first tag ever i thought i'd make an occasion of it by putting it up on my blog too. =)
1. my favorite time of day is the hour or so before sunset. i love the long, slanting shadows, the golden rays of the sun, and the general peace and calm that that time of day brings.
2. one of the few things i don't like about eugene is people spitting everywhere. especially on pavements and sidewalks. ick. like we say at work to the two-year-olds, "keep your saliva to yourself".
3. alice in wonderland is probably my favorite book. i used to have the jabberwocky memorized. i also like terry pratchett and paul coelho.
4. jason mraz rocks my socks. i overplayed "you and i both" when i was 16 or 17, but i still love it. current favorite is "a beautiful mess". i love his lyrics... lyrics totally make the song for me.
5. i like classical music. my favorite used to be vivaldi's "the four seasons"; now it's gershwin's "rhapsody in blue". "bolero de ravel" is a close second.
6. i did ballet for about 10 years, and i started doing it here at the UO last term. yes, i put on tights and a leotard twice a week, and i even got a pair of ballet shoes (which i haven't forgotten at all this year!). i love it, especially the petite allegro. ballet's the only class i actually look forward to this term.
7. my overhead serve is the bane of my volleyball life. never been able to do it consistently. my backhand is the bane of my badminton life, but i've been getting better at that lately. monday nights, woot woot!
8. i used to play soccer when i was 9 or 10... the only girl in the group. i even had a pair of soccer boots! we used to play rugby too, when the field was really muddy. most of the boys wouldn't touch me when i got the ball. =P
9. i rarely remember my dreams, but there are a few recurring ones that i unfortunately do. one involves me having to go through a space crawling with lizards, frogs and snakes; another involves me either being unprepared for a test or not having enough time to finish an exam; and the last one involves some or all of my teeth falling out.
10. i thought apples and peanut butter sounded gross when vania first told me about it, but i tried it and i've been hooked ever since. bananas go really well with peanut butter too! trust me, all you malaysians!
11. i bite my nails. i do it less now, but it's a bad habit i've had for years... i can't even remember when i started!
12. i like going to the rec center, getting all sweaty, running back in shorts in freezing temperatures, sitting around at home waiting to cool off, getting cold thanks to my wet t-shirt and bare legs, and then taking a hot shower. bliss.
13. i'm so glad i bought my bearpaws last term. they've made life so much warmer.
14. i don't like drinking warm or hot water. plain water has to been cold. it tastes weird otherwise.
15. i never drank coffee or tea without milk and/or sugar before i got to the states. now i love a hot cup of green tea without either. i can also drink coffee black.
16. i recently realized that i have become slightly lactose intolerant. i started drinking soy milk, and now i love it. yum yum.
17. i love chocolate, but i don't like chocolate ice-cream and chocolate milk that much. cadbury makes me happy.
18. i get my american, british and malaysian accents mixed up sometimes, especially when i have to speak in formal situations. it gets me tongue-tied and makes me feel very inarticulate.
19. i love to travel. top three on my (very, very long) list of places i want to go right now are spain, the uk, and hawaii. sponsors and donors are very welcome and very needed.
20. e.t. freaked me out when i was a kid - i remember burying my head in my mom's lap when i first saw it and not looking up until the movie was over. i am proud to say that i faced my fear by finally watching it over the summer, but i still don't like the way e.t. looks.
21. i love animated movies. my housemates and i have been working our way through all the disney classics like the lion king, the little mermaid, beauty and the beast, and snow white. they're awesome. shrek, finding nemo, the emperor's new groove and wall-e are also very awesome.
22. i love kids. they crack me up, and it's always so rewarding when they call me by name, reach for my hand, or run to me for a hug. it's also so nice to have them fall asleep in your arms. oh, and i love doing action songs with children! the poopy diapers are worth it.
23. i love going for mass. i used to find it incredibly boring when i was younger, though! i remember anthea and i timing the homilies and complaining if they went on for too long lol.
24. i have come to terms with the fact that i am a nerd. it's a part of me that i've been fighting all my life, but i now see what an integral part of me it is and how much i actually enjoy learning.
25. i think it's exciting that i don't know where i'll be at the end of the year. it hasn't fully registered yet that i'm graduating in five months.
1. my favorite time of day is the hour or so before sunset. i love the long, slanting shadows, the golden rays of the sun, and the general peace and calm that that time of day brings.
2. one of the few things i don't like about eugene is people spitting everywhere. especially on pavements and sidewalks. ick. like we say at work to the two-year-olds, "keep your saliva to yourself".
3. alice in wonderland is probably my favorite book. i used to have the jabberwocky memorized. i also like terry pratchett and paul coelho.
4. jason mraz rocks my socks. i overplayed "you and i both" when i was 16 or 17, but i still love it. current favorite is "a beautiful mess". i love his lyrics... lyrics totally make the song for me.
5. i like classical music. my favorite used to be vivaldi's "the four seasons"; now it's gershwin's "rhapsody in blue". "bolero de ravel" is a close second.
6. i did ballet for about 10 years, and i started doing it here at the UO last term. yes, i put on tights and a leotard twice a week, and i even got a pair of ballet shoes (which i haven't forgotten at all this year!). i love it, especially the petite allegro. ballet's the only class i actually look forward to this term.
7. my overhead serve is the bane of my volleyball life. never been able to do it consistently. my backhand is the bane of my badminton life, but i've been getting better at that lately. monday nights, woot woot!
8. i used to play soccer when i was 9 or 10... the only girl in the group. i even had a pair of soccer boots! we used to play rugby too, when the field was really muddy. most of the boys wouldn't touch me when i got the ball. =P
9. i rarely remember my dreams, but there are a few recurring ones that i unfortunately do. one involves me having to go through a space crawling with lizards, frogs and snakes; another involves me either being unprepared for a test or not having enough time to finish an exam; and the last one involves some or all of my teeth falling out.
10. i thought apples and peanut butter sounded gross when vania first told me about it, but i tried it and i've been hooked ever since. bananas go really well with peanut butter too! trust me, all you malaysians!
11. i bite my nails. i do it less now, but it's a bad habit i've had for years... i can't even remember when i started!
12. i like going to the rec center, getting all sweaty, running back in shorts in freezing temperatures, sitting around at home waiting to cool off, getting cold thanks to my wet t-shirt and bare legs, and then taking a hot shower. bliss.
13. i'm so glad i bought my bearpaws last term. they've made life so much warmer.
14. i don't like drinking warm or hot water. plain water has to been cold. it tastes weird otherwise.
15. i never drank coffee or tea without milk and/or sugar before i got to the states. now i love a hot cup of green tea without either. i can also drink coffee black.
16. i recently realized that i have become slightly lactose intolerant. i started drinking soy milk, and now i love it. yum yum.
17. i love chocolate, but i don't like chocolate ice-cream and chocolate milk that much. cadbury makes me happy.
18. i get my american, british and malaysian accents mixed up sometimes, especially when i have to speak in formal situations. it gets me tongue-tied and makes me feel very inarticulate.
19. i love to travel. top three on my (very, very long) list of places i want to go right now are spain, the uk, and hawaii. sponsors and donors are very welcome and very needed.
20. e.t. freaked me out when i was a kid - i remember burying my head in my mom's lap when i first saw it and not looking up until the movie was over. i am proud to say that i faced my fear by finally watching it over the summer, but i still don't like the way e.t. looks.
21. i love animated movies. my housemates and i have been working our way through all the disney classics like the lion king, the little mermaid, beauty and the beast, and snow white. they're awesome. shrek, finding nemo, the emperor's new groove and wall-e are also very awesome.
22. i love kids. they crack me up, and it's always so rewarding when they call me by name, reach for my hand, or run to me for a hug. it's also so nice to have them fall asleep in your arms. oh, and i love doing action songs with children! the poopy diapers are worth it.
23. i love going for mass. i used to find it incredibly boring when i was younger, though! i remember anthea and i timing the homilies and complaining if they went on for too long lol.
24. i have come to terms with the fact that i am a nerd. it's a part of me that i've been fighting all my life, but i now see what an integral part of me it is and how much i actually enjoy learning.
25. i think it's exciting that i don't know where i'll be at the end of the year. it hasn't fully registered yet that i'm graduating in five months.
Tuesday 3 February 2009
Your will be done.
Dear Ms. Pushparatnam:
Thank you very much for applying to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale University. I regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you admission. As you know, the very high number of extraordinary candidates among our 9,500 applicants far exceeds the number of places we have in each program, and we are not able to admit many excellent candidates.
We are using this system of electronic notification to communicate with you five to ten days more rapidly than we could by letter and, therefore, help applicants plan their futures quickly and effectively. We wish you every success in all your endeavors.
Sincerely,
Jon Butler
Dean of the Graduate School
Thank you very much for applying to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale University. I regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you admission. As you know, the very high number of extraordinary candidates among our 9,500 applicants far exceeds the number of places we have in each program, and we are not able to admit many excellent candidates.
We are using this system of electronic notification to communicate with you five to ten days more rapidly than we could by letter and, therefore, help applicants plan their futures quickly and effectively. We wish you every success in all your endeavors.
Sincerely,
Jon Butler
Dean of the Graduate School
Sunday 1 February 2009
the extraordinary.
photograph by tim wimborne, reuterswow, am i glad i got to watch that match! bryan and i stayed up til 5.45 am (well i did... he went to bed when they were drawn 1-1 in the fifth set! just as the commentators announced there'd be no commercials til the end of the match. =P he must've been really tired, because the suspense would've kept me awake!), and i'm gonna pay for it later but it's well worth it.
i still think federer's gonna match sampras' record, but yes, i'll concede that nadal deserved the championship that time. my heart just went out to federer during the presentation ceremony... i think his pain might have even tarnished nadal's moment of triumph just a little. which, btw, is a compliment to nadal. he has heart.
i'm surprised there wasn't an email waiting for me this morning from my darling daddy.=P
oh, and happy birthday to melmel! 21 babe... i'll see you on the other side in a bit. hope the day took a turn for the better towards the end. =)
kay, now back to the mundane. oh, how i dislike management and marketing. >.<
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