closing to 4 weeks of exams

I am currently at a point of extreme saturation. To be preparing for a paper which you have to remember 180+ cases and numerous statutes is definitely a very, very torturous feat. I would love to have a happy ending and fly home with high-spirits knowing that I gave it my best for this exams. Please give me the memory to remember what I have read, give me the strength to keep going and give me the ability to make up for the mistakes done.

la note de numéro sept cents

I decided to post something on my outdated blog before I move on and tackle an exam question. I am surprised that this post is actually the 700th post. Have I been blogging for that long or that much? It is definitely not the case recently, especially this year. As I grow up, time just get robbed away little by little. From commitments to interests to just plain staring into space, time slips away regardless of how aware I am. I find myself having the need to apportion my time wisely, which always end up in an epic fail. As I grow up and especially when I got attached with Shaun, I realised that I spend significantly less time with my family (and friends). I do have my reasons for that but I have to say that sometimes I feel that I am being selfish. I do miss those times when the whole family does things together e.g. travelling, sleepy nap times, CNY...

Coincidentally, today happens to be Mother's Day too! I used to be posting quite a bit of (naive and rowdy) things about my mom back in Secondary School days. Being a rebellious teenager, she was really harsh with me. I would always be filled with angst in response to her harshness and having no other avenue to effectively relieve my anger, I always end up blogging it out. Hence my posts about her then would always be really, really... loud. Today my mom still is quite harsh, but she issn't as harsh as she was in the past. It could be the distance and/or that I am more matured than I was back in those days. I definitely don't miss those time when she would scold me for the wrongs I did/ she perceived and there are some things that I still don't quite see the same way as she does. Nonetheless, I always find myself thinking about my mom and the motherly things that she always do. Especially times when I am alone/ away from her/ depressed/ homesick/ emotional/ etc.. I always think of how she always make sure that our clothes are well ironed, small needs are met, making sure that we have enough water to drink etc.. It's the littlest things she does that touches my heart the most. One event I will never, ever forget is one of my birthdays when I was still studying in Indonesia. My siblings were already schooling in Singapore so it was just my parents and myself in our Indonesia residence. It was raining heavily and my dad called saying that he would not be back for lunch. My mom, seeing how excited I was to blow out the candles and eat the cake, did not want to disappoint me by telling me that my dad couldn't make it. So she opened the birthday box, lighted the candles and sang the birthday song for me. Even though my dad was not there as I blew out my candles, I was really happy that at least my mom was there with me. This memory is very significant to me, especially when I rarely get to celebrate my birthday with my family members ever since I moved to Singapore for studies and subsequently, London. Typing this out already makes me all runny. Egawd.

I am still rebellious to my mom. Sometimes I still don't agree with her ideas/ rules. I still get angry when she insists on doing things her way. But I love her no less whenever such clashes happen. It breaks my heart whenever I realise that time is passing and seeing my mom ageing. It breaks my heart that she is always so stubborn at perfecting her housework at the expense of her own health and still waiting for the right time to hire a maid/ buy items that will easily make her life easier (she is irrational like that). It breaks my heart when I see my mom not in her usual harsh/strong self. Maybe that is why she is harsh. I don't know if that is her (unconscious) way of making me strong. It does sound weird that she wants to instill the angst in me too but I guess every mother has her own way of nurturing and loving her child. If I could make a wish on Mother's Day for my mom, I wish that she will always be healthy, joyful and loved by both family and friends. (& that she will be able to be more rational in her thoughts and decisions too :P)

post essay adrenaline

The overflowing sense of euphoria upon the completion of the last essay for Lent term is keeping me awake at this unearthly hour (yes 2AM is now considered as unearthly). It is with no doubt that my under-eye area will be reflecting just exactly how badly sleep deprived I have been since weeks ago. I am definitely not thrilled at the idea of Shaun seeing me at this state. Henceforth, as of Monday the 21st of March 2011, I shall sleep by 11pm for the next 8 hours. Even though I still have 3 short essays and a quiz to go (all related to Microeconomics), which I will dedicate Tuesday to complete. I am in desperate need to banish the eye mess I have on me!

On a side note, I discovered a movie which is able to soothe my nerves and make me feel all nonchalant... it might be the actress and/or the genre/ period even. Total ♥! :D

The introduction itself soothes me greatly.

say Minestrone

It's mi-mi-minestrone! :9

From Wikipedia:

Minestrone (Italian: minestra [soup] + -one [augmentative suffix] hence "the big soup," the one with many ingredients) is the name for a variety of thick Italian soups made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.

There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based broth (such as chicken stock). Angelo Pellegrini, however, argues that the base of minestrone is bean broth, and thatRoman beans "are the beans to use for genuine minestrone".

Minestrone is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine, and is just about as common as pasta on Italian tables.

Another Italian dish under my belt! I decided to go for Jamie Oliver's (mobile) version of the soup out of convenience. It is still yummers and definitely easier than the fancier ones. Nutritious soup for this frail body of mine. Think celery (normally I would stay away from this), carrot, tomato, onion, garlic, potato and more greens. It's impressive. I never really liked minestrone soup so I am glad this version appeals to me! I have to admit it is comparably more Chinese somehow. Beans + real chicken stock next perhaps? :D

Oh yes...

Happy White Day! ♥ (I'm getting old...)

As it is apparent that 6 of my facebook friends have their birthdays today... happy birthday to them/you! Not forgetting the Valentines: I hope your love has been reciprocated. :D

the wolf is here for real and crying wolf ain't gna help at all

My eyelids are heavy. My ears are blocked. My thoughts are foggy. Of all the weeks, I have to fall sick at the end of week 9/start of week 10. How great! With 1-2 overdue + 3 soon-to-be-due assignments on hand, it's definitely not ideal. What a total bummer. I was planning to make asparagus and pesto risotto as well! I guess that has to wait until my (ab)normal appetite comes back. It would be nice to have a warm bowl of soup/ reaaally thick porridge with meatballs right now though.

Meanwhile my Microeconomics lecturer is being absolutely cute. "Hello? Can you hear me... is the microphone working?" in a british-american slang hehehe. I'm officially going nuts urgh

Back to the lecture sigh :(

pre-Lent depression

Being back in London feels kind of weird this time round. Travelling from Heathrow to Chancery Lane felt lonely as my sister, who would always pick me up previously, wasn't there to do so. I was convinced to take a cab back, which I am sort of glad that I did so (1 heavy luggage and 2 hand-carries). I have no idea how I would have managed if I were to travel back by underground (which would have saved me enough to replace my favourite cardigan which shrunk).

Egawd, today is passing by so slowly! Due to the slight jetlag I'm having, I woke up at 9am (the norm is after 11am) and cleaned my room + kitchen floor and toilet. So glad I managed to finish by around noon. I don't know if it's OCD or what, but I must get the cleaning done before I start studying or I can't study. Yesterday passed by considerably slowly as well. I can't remember what I did yesterday. It must have been on the internet because I can never remember events that happened on the net. It's like a blackout period. Excessive internet surfing is bad :( it makes my days feel so meaningless (skype is an exception). Anyway, the past 2 days felt like as if I never left. It's the same feeling I had when I flew back to Singapore.

Lent term starts tomorrow. MAJOR DEPRESSING! The thought of it completely drains out my inspiration. Not that I have any for this post. Boohoo hope the constant brain freeze goes away soon :(

week 8

Friday's arrival signifies the beginning of weekend 8. I'm highly anticipating the end of Michaelmas for it has been a reaaally tiring one. At this point, my body-clock is somewhat messed up. It might be due to my recent sensitivity towards caffeine, which is totally uncool. Not being able to sleep at 3am is really annoying because it's almost a 100% that I'll end up waking up past noon- sluggabed indeed. Waking up that late is not fun when the Sun doesn't greet you with its glorious rays. Especially when the first thing you think about upon waking up is... catching up with lectures and getting the assignments done! (though on the bright side I'm starting to be more studious hehe)

One of the few interesting things that happened this month includes my housemate's friends visit from France. Their company made me realise how much of a goodie we both are and that I really need to step out of this house more often... both day and night! I've been finding each day as mundane as ever and I could barely remember what I did on day X of the week. Or even one interesting thing I did on week Y. Other than the Harry Potter afternoon. Is that how I want to live my university life?! No. Henceforth next Sunday I will be taking another (baby) step out of my comfort zone- some Christmas market event described as atas by la housemate. Well better than just doing ordinary stuff e.g. shopping, watching videos, etc. right! *detemined

Now that the temperature is falling closer to 0 and lower, I've been feeling hungry so often. I love snacking without guilt, which obviously in reality it rarely happens. As my butt and thighs aching (good sign) due to a recent conditioning class I attended, I just end up feeling even more guilty for snacking! A moment on the lips, forever on the hips. Haih.

It feels weird to be blogging again. I kind of miss how smooth things would just flow from my mind and I would type on and on... and how I used to treat it as an avenue for thoughts with minimal restrictions. Ahh life works in such weird ways. (wts what sort of paragraph is this)

WEEK 8 IS COMING TO AN END WOOHOO! :D I shall ignore how bleak week 9's schedule looks (2 essays and 1 assignment due).

End of weird post :)

Roberto Cavalli oversized labradorite ring

I shall be a foolish student who stays up late to finish my essay and weekly chores, taking breaks every now and to google and oogle at beautiful rings. Statement rings, not any other rings just in case you're wondering. (I have to admit I am the sort who do weird things late at night...)

Here is one.

How cute is that? Reminds me of an evil egg nested in a gold nest. I like how nicely wrapped the centrepiece is. However it's definitely not worth the price: £230. I'd rather get their corset skirt instead.

Okay! End of story :)

Week 6

Though this week has yet to end, I've reached a pre-conclusion that it has been crazily busy and pretty much unpredictable. From getting disappointing looks from my a couple of my tutors to catching Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 1 WORLD premiere (must emphasise on how grand it was) red carpet event to spending Friday night coming so close to getting drunk (at home- one step closer to a typical uni student?) and so much more. Everything was sort of planned but the outcomes were completely random, which was extraordinarily fun and different.

Harry Potter red carpet event was madness. I found out about it last week and asked my house-mate if she wanted to join me, which she did. & I'm glad she did because she went kind of all-out with all the cast spotting, picture taking and being part of the crazy crowd behind the metal bars... if you know what I mean. The thought of it may be quite childish and a turn-off(troublesome), but being part of it was fun! Especially when you're physically close to the cast who you have been seeing on the screen for years. The excitement you get makes it all worth it. Oh yea need I mention housemate bonding as well? It's not something that you can do everyday but it's definitely something you'll remember and will be able to reminisce about. :D

We've got some shots of some of the casts! I shall name them by their characters in HP (that's how I recognise them sadly...)

But before that, the venue. It was drizzling initially, which changed to a heavy rain.

We made acquaintance with the security guard on the right :)

Fred and George!!

Fred/ George? Both of them spent the most time walking around, signing, shaking hands and taking pictures with fans.

Neville! I used to dislike him when he was young and short...

Luna Lovegood. Wow I couldn't recognise her at all. She looks so much older.

V-V-Voldermort. Looks good with nose, no? ;)

Va-va-voom Bellatrix. Real person looks as eccentric as the character.

HAHAHA MRS WEASLEY. Classic. She looks older in person as well.

We did manage to see 2 out of the 3 main casts- Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. Unfortunately we were in the process of shifting position hence we missed out... but we saw them in quite a way. :D

I've told myself to not spend too much on this post as I really have to get started on my virgin Law essay. Omg how do Law students hurdle from essay to essay? The amount of reading is crazy and the amount of writing is even worse. But then again, case readings can be really enjoyable. Anyway before I end this post, my best end to the week/Saturday: I achieved the highest grade for my Microeconomics quiz!! 8D *nerd (sadly greeted with C+ for accounts essay shortly after- what a bummer.)

got to get this out of my chest

Recent discovery. I hate it whenever I use "because you did that to me before" as a reason for why I did undesirable deeds to you. It's childish, I'm becoming childish and I don't want to be childish! Plus, do unto others what you would have others do unto you (Matthew 7:120). :)

just a bit

WOW. It's amazing (or not) how time flies by. Yes I really like saying that.

I was just looking through my Summer 2010 album and noticed that I've been in Singapore for really long. To be more precise, since June. It's already September which means that I have been around for nearly 3 whole months. That's like one fifth of a year! Sadly enough it doesn't feel that long. Perhaps it's the recent internship opportunity made time more mundane and making it feel very summed up.

Now that I'm done with internship, it feels like I have a lot of time in hand. Myth. Just 3 more weeks left in Singapore is not enough. Especially when I'm planning to spend a longer time in London this time round i.e. spend Winter and Easter breaks in London, so the next trip back will be next Summer. I have no idea how I'm going to sustain the 9 months away from family, friends and hmm, who else did I miss? ;) I'm such a baby. There are people who are capable of concentrating on their lives over at the other end of the world and not relent to the temptation of returning to the loving home of theirs. I honestly feel that it's a huge feat if the company they have is not as friendly and supportive.

I shall cross my fingers on that.

today is an ambitious day

I am overwhelmed with thirst for achievement today. The number personal things that I need to iron out are building up. I shall clear up the documents in my laptop for a start. Then move on to my to-do list:

1. Get the long-expired security system updated.
2. Edit CV before internship ends.
3. Clear my diary after internship.
4. Start using sunblock.
5. Sleep early.
6. Frog squats (hehe) the three mentioned above on a daily basis.
7. Transfer photos from camera and get it uploaded.
8. Clear up my pile of old magazines.
9. Drop by Bras Basah to get my million things done.
10. Sunblock. (will be using mom's temporarily)
11. Hair rollers. (lol)

& perhaps:

1. Get a haircut.
2. HDD, earphones, microphone and webcam. ($$$ T_T)
3. Lotion and moisturising milk from Hada Labo.
4. Shu Uemura cleansing oil. Or an alternative since I don't use that much make up anyway.
5. Anna Sui lippie.

Above all, get all of the 11 main things crossed out of this list! *imagines the orgasmic sense of achievement. I honestly think that I should keep a personal diary that lists the things I have to do... Hang on, I already have one. Sad to say that the list is not enforced. Alright then! This spells a change of system for maintaining my list >:D

I've been wanting to change my blog template as it is getting kind of old but can't bear to make the move. I think it's quite a comfortable piece ey? The only thing that is starting to put me off is the black background. I am very tempted to change it to something lighter e.g. powder blue/gray/beige. Or something very cute and artsy. I already have something in mind but finding the right pattern is quite a problem. If only I know how to paint! Urgh to change or not to change? Hint: watercolour ;)

did I mention this before?

Sometimes, the credibility of telling the truth is great. The more serious and painful it is speaks of a greater courage than the days spent hiding it. The courage of requesting for the truth, getting the knowledge of and, in some cases, accepting it is also worth admiring.

Which reminds me of something that is relevant. What is cheating? I finally found a proper way to quite explain it. Cheating is doing an action, probably with someone, which upon the revelation of that action to the person you love, will hurt him or her emotionally and/or physically.

What are your thoughts about it?

after senior left

Done! I'm feeling rather satisfied for completing the task. I asked tons of questions, edited details, cut and pasted information to get it done. Although it wasn't too difficult for a task, it's still quite satisfying to get things on the move. One other senior said something that might have indicated that it's a simple task which doesn't require much details. For a split second I felt silly, but honestly I'm just a beginner and I guess putting in a little more details is better than the lack of it. Plus it helps in making me learn some things that I probably won't be too bothered to read up on. Anyway, to make things better, senior threw in a little complement after submission. He hasn't checked it out yet so I really have to cross my fingers and toes that it's passable!!

Yesterday felt like 3 days in comparison to the previous weekend. It was quite a weekend meeting up with the good old CTC people. Why the sudden meet up? Serene was in town for a little Singapore adventure. Saturday was quite packed with reunion lunch followed by a night band performance by none other than 22(Shaun, Nic, Naz and Boobs). The crowd size was definitely more than expected! No doubt that it took them by surprise. :)

We had a high-tea at Goodwood Park Hotel on Sunday. The high-tea buffet costs about $43 including service charge and GST. It was quite a decent spread consisting of cute little pastries and petite sandwiches. The scones were nice, warm and soft. I really like the blueberry one! The sandwiches were nice too. Personally I found the croissant with prawn and diced mango to be the most memorable one. We were also offered 2 selections of drinks, just in case the first selection doesn't suit our taste buds. I had Rosehips, which was quite sour. My little chemical experiment discovered that floral teas can't mix with milk. It forms white precipitate! Ok back to the point. The overall experience was nice. High-tea + friends = :D most of the time anyway. *nudges lovelettes*

As aforementioned, yesterday felt longer than the weekend because the day started much earlier and ended late. In addition to that, it mainly consisted of lazying around which I haven't been doing much of late. Ahhh I'll miss my tv and sofa when I go back to London. :(

1+ week of internship left! Omg I feel so much older already.

i love my macaroon

Hehe ♥ (except the funky smell it has).

I was unfortunate enough this early morning to be horrified upon the discovery of something in the office. Guess what is it? My bank statement. Oh my lorddd! All the outflows with no single inflow. Plus I didn't have much saving to start with. Thank goodness for my dad's buffer amount! Interest for overdraft is the last thing I would want to have. It's like poison, sucks the blood out of one from every now and then until one gets in the green zone. I guess my Warehouse dress will have to wait. Either that or farewell. Urgh, definitely disliking this sudden curbing of appetite!

Online shopping has taken over me. I no longer have as much control as I used to have. My resolution to save up is totally disregarded. The reason why I came to such judgement is because I realised some of the good I bought on the net haven't been giving me as much satisfaction as before. In addition, there wasn't as much deliberation on whether I should make the purchase as before. Ahhhhhh impulsive buyer doesn't go with being an Accountant, yes?

Ok I shall stop immersing myself in financial misery. SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS!

after lunch

Back in the office after a really fulfilling lunch with Reichealll (Rei-chan). We had NYNY at City Link and crossed over to Raffles City Robinsons for a short and thrilling escape. Just the beauty products section. I love love love jumping from brands to brands trying out the many products! How I wish the salespeople will just give us some -much appreciated- lone time without being stared at or talked to. No pictures once again. My camera is gathering dust in my bag.

Pictures of Relish brunch with A.Chen and Grace from a couple of weeks back. Ripped them off Amanda's facebook wakaka! :D

The loft-style cafe/restaurant. I love how naturally bright the place is!

A.Chen and Grace. Behind is the brunch menu written on the blackboard. Nope, they don't change it. It's always there.

Gossiping never goes wrong.

Lol lol.

Group pictureee~

Grace-ness picture.

Grace left after brunch, leaving A.Chen and me to enjoy some Island Creamery on the very hot day. Finally get to enjoy my special cone after so long!! They are always out of it. It's the cone with rainbow sprinkles (?).

Well I thought I had to change my pose now and then... hey at least I tried ok!

bows

I love bows. As in ribbon bows, not gesture bows. I guess it's typical for females to like bows since they are cute and can be really versatile. Bows on ballerina flats for cute, bows (or knots in the form of a ribbon) on oxfords for edgy. Talking about bows on shoes, most of what I own have bows on them. The only exceptions are a pair of boots that is lace-less, a pair of heels, a pair of flats and my sandals (2). That is about at least a good half of all the shoes I own. I also have a bow ring and a couple of hairbands with bows. Oh yes, and a Ted Baker straw hat. These aren't really a problem. It's just the shoes. I got the bow-less pair of flats because I thought that most of my shoes share an (obvious) common feature- bow. I definitely need to curb my appetite for shoes with bows! (a part of me is protesting)

Note: being a girl who is more for the edgier side, I generally like small to medium-sized bows and don't really favour bows on clothes.

The reason why I started this post with bows is because... my hand is itching to get this wallet from Anya Hindmarch (yes, the brand has a bow as its logo). As it is from the previous season, I couldn't find it anywhere!! Le gasp. The last time I saw it was either from Selfridges or net-a-porter.com. But now it's nowhere to be seen. Oh the horror! The pain! Apart from the financial factor, the reason why I didn't make the purchase was because I had some doubts about the design. BOWS. Another one to my collection? Hence I decided to move on. Unfortunately, this "moving on" thing is not going well. Poor me. :(

results are out!

Mobile blogging once more :) it's really addictive because I can just lie down in any style I like & blog using my phone. The fact that I can swing the device (phone) around easily means that I benefit from the extra flexibility. I'm definitely digging typing on this super compact mini QWERTY!! The bad side is I can't make a new paragraph (still unsure of how I should go about doing it) so it can be a bit of a pain reading this. Sorry ya'll! But let's face the facts. There aren't many lovely people (like you all) who reads what I write. Anyway, before this gets too long... A couple of short updates! 1) I went back to Indonesia for the past 6 days. 2) Shaun happened to get himself hospitalised on day I went back for the next 6 days as well. 3) My exam results are out!! I shan't elaborate much since it's 'short updates'. 1) is an old and boring topic that I shan't share more. 2) is too long so I'll cover that next time. 3). Omg! I passed every single paper! I'm ecstatic. Even though many look down on my grades, which I fully understand why they do that, some exceeded what I've been expecting. The disappointment is there, but not as bad considering the fact that I screwed it uppp urgh!! 1.5 mark away from a 2:1 omg! (Yea yea you can laugh/look down on my 2:2) Ahh well~ it's getting pretty exciting that I'll be entering a fresh new academic year and living with an... acquaintance. It's going to be a new experience once more! Not sure what to expect but let's just hope for the best! :)

WHO SAYS THERE WILL BE NOTHING TO DO IN OFFICE!

Myth! Senior has been giving me tasks after tasks and did I mention the other seniors are also giving me little tasks to complete as well? It's a good thing in a way as I get to learn more things i.e. how to use Excel which I believe is a very useful tool but difficult to master. Oh yes and readings after readings, which I somewhat enjoy because Bloomberg has this top news monitor that generates new news (hahahaha what a pun) one after another, 24/7!! It's very addictive because new things keep on popping out at the top of the list of news and it moves fast. Sometimes it is so fast I jump sentences while reading it halfway. Fun! 8D

I feel bad for slacking at my work station with a cup of tea next to my laptop and an empty packet of crackers... but this is only done after completing my tasks. So yes no more guilt!

My flight out will be on Thursday, which happens to be the day Shaun's extended weekend starts. Aurgh!! Damn rejection! ICA should totally welcome my application for extension with open arms because us, tourists, SPEND. We consume goods, regardless of International or Local! I drink Lipton and eat Munchy's! Did I mention that I walk pretty fast too (allows efficiency amongst shopper- more turnover)? & for the student who studied here for so long, shouldn't we get some sort of privilege while coming back to visit? Singapore is like my home why am I being chased out of the country? Why why why why why why why why! Why is Indonesia being watched! Why can't Indonesians have the privilege of travelling across nations as freely as the other nationals! Ahh! This angst is really overwhelming :(

Must start sorting out my train of thought. I jump around way too often that it's getting dangerous.

inconvenience of an Indonesian passport

ICA rejected my application for visit pass extension. I was slapped with the result today morning and was feeling dejected ever since. I thought I would get their approval, even though the chance is getting slimmer as I have been applying for extension for the previous few stays in Singapore. As many times as my mom has been saying it, I'm to blame for overlooking this whole event and assuming that I'll get their approval. She didn't mention this, but it's really a big mistake that I didn't apply for PR while studying in Singapore. Or at least do more research than just (self) think and talk.

Nonetheless, no point brooding over this! Everything happens for a reason. Maybe a short break will be good to clear my mind off things :D