ble'-vee

Boiling-liquid expanding-vapour explosion (BLEVE, pronounced ble'-vee).

I thought to myself, "Gee, this is what Blanche Devereaux would name her child", which just demonstrates the lasting impact Golden Girls has on me.

Considering the time and I'm still at ble'-vee, the ganjiong spider is going to appear soon.

The Case of the Yips

It was as if the prof had emptied his MCQ vault and next year he would have to rob someone else's to set the paper unless he does not mind plagiarizing his own.

There were X (X felt like > 1,000,000) number of MCQs, but how would I know? The questions were numbered in Roman numerals, and frankly I had neither sufficient knowledge nor patience to count. So after attempting a few questions I had to flip back a few pages to remind myself that there were that many questions left, the clock was ticking, THINK, woman, THINK!

I complained to the girls and Michele said "We're not living in the Roman era". Darn right, this is the 21st century where a family can fake the disappearance of a child for a reality TV show (child got carried away by a hot air balloon- how exciting!), and I am not Julius Caesar.

All I want is a B++, and to keep the DDP alive.

There are times when I feel this way...



...like now.

Things have been breaking down of late:

1. Bicycle tyre puncture x 2
2. Printer malfunctioning
3. Unresponsive keyboard " d" key
4. Table lamp bulb burn out
5. My poor body - was down with fever, and I still have phlegm :(
6. Accidentally melted part of a favourite piece of clothing while ironing
   

Thankfully these things can be mended or replaced, or simply ignored for some time:

1. The same tyre punctured twice in 3 weeks. Got it fixed the first time, will get it done again soon.
   
2. Did some (gentle) tugging of stuck paper and lots of praying that the printer head was still intact. The phrase "but teacher, the dog ate my homework!" comes to mind. Said printer works beautifully without any hiccups now :)
3. Brought Flubdub all the way to Sim Lim Square to have it checked and the diagnosis: nothing wrong. I can finally type "dumbass" instead of "umbass".
4. Was a little worried- have not seen any DIY shop around. Housemate suggested trying the hardware shop close to school and it stocked the suitable bulb in white!
5. Some panadol and sporadic rest. Lots of porridge and TLC :D
   
6. Fortunately clothing is patterned, so melted area is not too visible unless under scrutiny.
   

While it's alright for certain stuff to reach its expiry/sell-by/maturity/non-operational date/period, there is a particular thing that is sacred and should be preserved at all costs.

Let this be a reminder of how precariously close I came to losing it.

I have been having a special sense of endearment towards this new layout ever since I had the background changed.

Today, it finally dawned upon me. The new theme has the same background colour as HYSYS's simulation environment.

What's not to love? ;)

I want to explode and emit a stream of words from my mouth that make even a grown man blush.

You and your secrets are impossible.

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

Oh, my cred! It could have been catastrophic.

Out with the humdrum old layout, and in with the new!

I'm in huge trouble now. Need a brain upgrade.

Something is happening, but I can't place a finger on it.

Need to get to Avenue J. Very soon.

You know you've been skipping way too many classes when you wake up at 8 35am, finish bathing by 9 07am, only to realize that the class you intended to attend starts at 9am.

I'm still going for the 10-12 lecture though. Time to shape up!

One might drive recklessly, ignoring the red flags along the road.

There are exits one might take, and the journey would be entirely different.

But one drives on, and on, and on...

Until one reaches the dead end and sees the sign: Game Over.

Then the car bursts into the flames.

I drove, and my co driver was hurt real bad.

I hope it's not too late to save lives.

I have been a tomato before, but never this huge a tomato.

What's worse, I feel like a pitted tomato.

Think I'll make an omelette.

Not everything should be easy and fun. I should know better.

Gotta get-get through it!

I'm sorry you had to swallow that bitter pill.
No, you didn't swallow the pill.
You wrapped it under your tongue.
But it poisoned you all the same-
Albeit more slowly.

Is your heart a depthless receptacle?
You probably wish it isn't.
Though for my sake I hope it is.

Thank you for your magnanimosity.
No more bitter pills.
We'll get better together.

So I'll add stripes of bravery to my uniform every time I topple,

and one day I'll grow legs and walk away.

It's the first day of a new semester, and there are so many things to settle...

Either way, I need to keep shining.

Hope everything works out well.

Just as I was about to leave for work today, I received an SMS from my mentor, Celeste, informing me that work starts at 10am today! I checked to see if it was the 1st of April, then thanked my soggy cereal for holding me up.

So I now have about an hour to spare :)

*

There are about two weeks of work left, and I'm getting anxious because there is a presentation to prepare for and my results aren't exactly the most pretty. In fact we've been facing a brick wall lately; our modified surfactant fares worse than the original substance. But given the general time frame for R&D, Celeste has perhaps a couple of years to tinker around, and there is no need for me to be too concerned besides coughing up about 8 slides worth of findings and results.

*

Fatty made a rather brash decision a few days ago and things got really ugly for a while. I have to admit that I played a significant role, so apart from labeling his actions as hurried, I will reserve judgment. A grey cloud of guilt hung over my head as we did a post mortem, and at that point the ramifications seemed to be too many and too great for us to handle. Ultimately we both decided that Fatty had to make some amends, he duly did so and the reception has not been discouraging. With this I let out a huge phew.

*

I love having a kitchen of my own. Yesterday was Staff Retreat day at IBN, ie a wonderful day off! I fancied myself as the female version of Jamie Oliver as I toiled to prepare the mash potatoes and honey garlic pork. Of course I fished for compliments, but even without them I knew that the food was awesome :D I now have an almost religious faith in online recipes.

*

A little snippet to remind you of home, which is where I will be in about 2 weeks!

+ Just a little more everyday.

6 million hits on Youtube and I chanced upon it only today.



I love the part where she descends steps made of pillows, and when the red scarf catches her neck.

Even the lyrics are poetic.

"She pours a daydream in a cup
A spoon of sugar sweetens up"

Some days I really do feel like I fight for my life, sans the coat of course - the weather is unbearable.

Beautiful beautiful beautiful.

I am Little Miss Fussy. But everything is settled and in place for the time being. (Not) Till the next one :P

It's not that important. I'm making too big a fuss of it.

Possibly a zillion titles
But that book had to be picked
Its glossy jacket inviting
The synopsis hinted: sweet
A riveting story, no doubt
With surprising twists and turns
The undulating path wearying
A pause, please, freeze! she yearns
The reader sinks into the plot
...How deep into the thicket is unknown
Not 'til the chapter where time is of essence
That the book seemed to be on loan
*
There is no due date
The book is rightfully hers

Just witnessed the bird, which has a nest tucked in the wall shelves along the corridor, vomit. Gooey white stuff with the right amount of greenish solids to make you thank your lucky stars you did not cross path with its downward trajectory. We've been sharing the same floor ever since I stayed here, and the bird has never created this negative externality.

Birdie, that just ain't cool. But maybe it's a pregger birdie, in which case I'm glad I'm moving out soon. Hang in there, little ones. Don't hatch until after I've left.

Mum called, "Do you want to eat out or in when you come back? What do you want me to cook for you?"

Sigh... to be loved :) :) :)

Hello Pandas lining up, waiting their turn to fulfill their destiny as bearers of minute doses of happiness.


I'm bored.

A treat for myself, for not studying as diligently as I had hoped. I wonder if reverse psychology works on me.


Anyway, the exams are not ending soon enough.

I'll be going home right after the exams. We're finally moving to our new house. Sunday is an auspicious day, so we're doing a symbolic moving in. Dad's getting a zhao pai for the office too, after more than a decade!

So a quick retreat at home for a few days to eat and relax and bug my brother and parents, then back to the teeny weeny island to, hopefully, meet up with John, get the Fashion Show done, and a virginal experience with R&D.

The swine flu issue is not as benign as I had thought. Thanks to BBC, as well as mum and dad, I am more informed and aware. Which means no theater going, and fewer trips to Bugis ... I'm glad I have had no travel plans.

And now, back to the Frenchman who is trying to teach me Greek... You are a delight to ogle at, but your lecture notes kill oh-so-stealthily.

4-10.30pm meetings - madness, I tell you. But I'm glad it's o.v.e.r.

Oh wait, there's still the WGS reactor begging to be constructed on paper. Mankind should rejoice that we are not putting the theories we learnt to practice yet :P

The aftermath of the EC3101 assignment. And still not done.

I choose smelling salts instead of cyanide.

Congratulations, babe!

I saw for myself where all the effort was spent, although I saw only half the stage the whole time. Good job.

I have a rather grandfather-ly lecturer for Reaction Kinetics and Design.

During tutorial class today, he once again indulged in giving us some advice about life and learning. I usually welcome the digression because his lectures tend to be brain-bombarding, but a point he mentioned today struck a chord with me.

He was telling us that we need not worry about looking stupid when asking questions, because if people around us do think we are, we only have to be anxious if we are indeed inadequate in the brain department. Or else, those who mock us are the ones who should be fretting over the state of their intelligence because they have failed to differentiate between the smarts and the un-smarts.

This is what I will tell my child if he/she comes back wailing about being called "stupid", and I will then explain the Schrödinger's cat paradox to him/her.

If my child understands it at so young an age, he/she is not only smart, he/she is a genius!

I signed into MSN, and to my horror, I lost ALL my contacts! Someone or something wiped everything clean. I was officially stranded on some island in Papua New Guinea, a zillion miles away from humanity.

So right now I have a grand total of 5 people on my list, which means I'm somewhat reconnected with some form of mankind.

I should be adding people bit by bit, day by day. Facebook comes in handy.

I really feel like an MSN virgin right now. This has got me thinking that if you want to reinvent your life/start a new slate etc, all you have to do is to delete every single contact on your list.

Or wait for some horrible bug/virus to play God and do it for you.

I like the bunny. It's a little Marc Chagall, with a strong dose of girlishness.

The future. I'm planning it with you.

As far as randomness is concerned, it is highly unfortunate that the series of events had to be this way. If only you had procrastinated just a day more.

I'm rather disheartened, but I have no valid reason to mold the circumstances to my liking.

I went to the career fair in school today. Almost everyone I spoke to mentioned the economy crisis, and upon learning that I'm only a Yr 2 undergraduate, expressed the view that I'm lucky to be able graduate a few years later, when the situation could potentially be better.

One guy representing Emerson even said that my seniors are "freaking out".

So there, another reason to study hard and continue with the DDP.

Just a glance lingering a millisecond too long is sufficient in changing my possession into an extremely prized one, and I feel that it is imperative for me to stake absolute claim.

Sigh. Either way, I couldn't care less. Because I lack logic. And am so inflammable it's almost funny.

Really, it's a joke.

My brain is amazing. The somersaults it does... its ability to disperse and check.

Relocation, relocation, relocation.

My brain could be amazing, or I'm fooling myself.

I used to balk at orientation pamphlets for international students which warn of re-adaptation to the country of origin. Thinking that it was impossible for 4 months of living in a foreign place to erase the elements that I've been exposed to for the past 20 years (after all, I'm born and bred in SEA), I was struck by the brashness and lesser intellect of my fellow countrymen. Initially.

As the days passed, however, I realized that my perception was flawed. To quote Denny Crane of Boston Legal,

"This country works Alan. You Democrats don't want to admit it. Oh, I'm not saying there aren't kinks! Foam chips off the occasional space craft, we start the odd war on false pretenses, but by and large...America works! That's why I'm completely nuts about it."

Oh I wouldn't go so far as to say that Malaysia works, but by and large the community certainly does, in its rudimentary yet charming little ways.

The semiquaver dances across the keys
To no particular tempo at all
Each tentative note resounding
Yet concealing the fate that might befall

Over the sharps and flats
The semiquaver quivers
Approaching the blacks and whites
With necessary and newfound cautiousness

The semiquaver continues dancing
Bar to bar it has to follow
There is no rest in the horizon
The tune is meant to be prestissimo