Friday, July 30, 2010

R&S

I hate writing about serious things, you know?
It seems to me if I have to be inflicted with sobering thoughts I shouldn't have to inflict it on my blog.

But it's time to write about this, methinks.

Now, what is R&S? It stands Record & Statistics. It's been around for sometime among the prefect board, but they only started taking it seriously when I was in Form 3. Basically, we record all the wrongdoings - ponteng cases and so on - that the teachers record in the daily discipline book. Trust me, there are a lot of cases a day, just in case you were wondering. We hold on to all the student's discipline files and the name lists and so on.

If you're a R&S prefect, it doesn't affect you much. You probably only duty about one recess a week in the little small room next to the office.

But if you're an R&S Officer, you might as well kiss your normal prefect duty goodbye. Recording all the wrongdoings in our school isn't something you can put off - they just pile up. Besides which, the discipline file in your class doesn't just magically get updated by itself, you know.

Last year, I was appointed R&S Officer 2.

I didn't take it well. I was upset, and very. Hearing it confirmed was like having to swallow a bitter pill I was being forced to take. I went home and had a fit, I screamed at my parents, I was pretty much miserable. I still remember it being late at night, with the whole house in bed, when I carefully unbolted the front door and crept out to the swing in my garden to sit out there and sob whole-heartedly. I had to be brought back into the house by my father, and even then I was still crying.

Yes, it may all sound very melodramatic, but that's what I did.

Surely you can see my logic. Being a prefect has been in my blood since forever, I've never really had to think about it. I'm not saying that I'm a freakin' good one, I'm just saying that, I am a prefect, not a clerk with no pay. It didn't make sense to me, you know? What was the point of my obeying all the school rules specifically, since I wasn't even playing a part in enforcing them anyway? Why did I stay back on Thursdays to hear how to better handle students and act as a prefect, when all I did was sit in some smelly room and die over paperwork? Why waste money on going to camps to teach me how to lead students, when all I led was a pen pressed onto paper that I hated?

I adapted, though. Tharini helped. She was happy with her post as R&S 1, she liked doing what we were doing. As we got closer, R&S seemed less like a chore and more like forty minutes of gossip with a friend. Somehow, being in charge over some minions lessened the sting of my being stuck there twice a day, five days a week. I instilled a sense of laziness in myself, a don't-care-about-prefects-ish-ness, that I'd never felt before. I revelled in slacking in our own room, under the fan.

Now I'm happy to have take the torch from my predecessor Tharini, and you're looking at the next R&S Officer 1, here, with darling Kalia by my side.

And it all but cuts when someone asks me about R&S.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

You're In Love - Wilson Phillips

Everyone posting lyrics, cheh wah, I'll post some too.
Tee hee.

Open the door and come in
I'm so glad to see you my friend
Don't know how long it has been
Having these feelings again

And now I see that you're so happy
And ooh, it just sets me free
And I'd like to see
Us as good friends
As we used to be

Aah, my love, aah
You're in love
That's the way
It should be
'Cause I want you to be happy
You're in love
And I know
That you're not in love with me
Ooh it's enough
For me to know
That you're in love
Now I'll let you go
'Cause I know
That you're in love

Sometimes it's hard to believe
That you're never coming back to me
I've had this dream that you'd always be by my side
Oh I could have died

I tried to find you but you were so far away
I was praying that fate would bring you back to me
Someday, someday, someday...
Ooh you're in love

As I've just hand-typed every word of the above, I'd be very pissed, actually, if I found out that you weren't in love after all.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Love

The disproof was sitting before her in the form of a grey-eyed prince.


Now I have the romantic parts to squeal over with Chalystha, something Xin You, as awesome as he is, couldn't really make up for in that department.

:)

Sharing books, is a joy like no other.

Maybe in ten years time, we can talk about it too, huh Hui Jan?

And yes, I am over him. I may still remember him and wish things turned out differently, because I really wanted it to be that way, but I've accepted the facts and that is that.

Fire was spectacularly good at not thinking about a thing when she chose, if the thing was
hurtful, or just plain stupid. She manhandled, pummelled, packed this thing away.


I just wish we'd been friends.

And now I'm going to continue reading the Jane Austen book Cha gave me.
And now I'm going to study.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Laughter

Tests next week, and I'm not studying.
No, I'm not lying. I lie a lot, but this time I'm telling the truth. I haven't even been listening in class.

Instead, I'm laughing.

Laughing with Roshan - that huge dude never fails to make me laugh. Heck, all I have to do is look at his face and I start laughing.

Laughing with my girls; even when we do the lamest things.
(Bob=myonetruelove)

Laughing with the boys in general - the boys in my class, they're priceless.

Laughing with Tharini and Kalia during R&S.

Laughing by myself, without prompt, when I remember something even remotely funny, and then going off into a minutes-long fit of aching mirth.

But mostly with Roshan, actually. Tee hee.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Cha Lee!

Have a look at these.





This is how slow Chalystha is at reading Fire.

HAHAHAHA KIDDING!

Because Cha just totally saved today from being stale and bitter and disappointing, for one. She said she had a surprise for me today, and she did!

Because today Chalystha Lee Yie Qin presented me with

This!

Adorned so artistically with a bow, no less.

That picture does no justice to the how truly pretty the book is, btw. The book is sweet. It's a fictional novel on JaneAusten. I'm sure it's going to be a lovely read.

It's funny. Tharini gave me a really pretty mermaid-shaped bookmark some time ago. And she'd said the exact same thing Chalystha said today as she was giving me the book.

Haha. You guys know what you said.

Chaly, thanks. For the additional months-late unexpected birthday present. I'm getting all teary-eyed here.

*sniffles*

ANYHOO, ME WOULD LIKEY TO FINISH UP WITH A QUOTE FROM CHALYSTHA THE AWESOME PERSON.

"Brigan sounds hot. I'm going to name my son Brigan."

Hehe, hearing about Fire from Chalystha is a whole new perspective entirely.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Yesterday, went to the Curve unexpectedly to cut my hair. As usual I snuck off to Borders. No-one can keep me out of Borders, really. Even out with my friends, that's where I usually end up, even if it's just a few minutes. Oh, no-one but my sister. But that's because mostly she just yells.


There's this book I really really really want - that I would buy on the spot it if it weren't RM50 - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I suppose it could count as the fourth book in my Pride and Prejudice collection, even if it isn't the original text like my first three copies are. Tee hee.

Anyway, Borders was weird. Because, I went to the counter on the first floor, and said, "Excuse me, where is the Humour section?", to which the guy cried, "Human section?!"

Anyway it turned out to be upstairs, and when I still couldn't find it (I know I suck, I usually am not this lousy) I went to the counter on this floor instead. And this was just weird.

me
Hey, where is the Humour section?
weird guy
I need to tie my shoelace!

At which he ducks down behind the counter, completely disappearing from my sight, for really long. Like, longer than I would take to tie a shoelace. I was beginning to worry if he'd fallen into a coma or something when he resurfaced.

weird guy (really perkily)
Right this way ma'am - follow me!

We reach the Humour section, and then he lingers. I realise I recognise him. I think I had another weird episode with him before. I think he's Malay, but he reminds me of a smaller, much slimmer version of Mr. Thanabalan.

weird guy
So, looking for a particular book?
me (points)
Yeah, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
weird guy (gets book)
Hey you know it's gonna be made into a movie soon?
me
Seriously? Oh yeah it is! Starring that girl who looks like Keira Knightley, right?
weird guy
Natalie Portman?
me
Yeah, that's the one!
weird guy
Funny you should say that.
me
Why?
weird guy
That Keira Knightley looks like Natalie Portman.
me (confused)
But she does.
weird guy
You should say, Natalie Portman looks like Keira Knightley.
me
But... Keira Knightley was in the first movie.
weird guy (starts speaking very fast)
On the contrary, Natalie Portman has been in movies far before Keira Knightley came along...
me
But... Keira Knightley was in the first movie.
weird guy
(proceeds to babble on about NP)
me (slowly and clearly)
Keira Knightley starred in the first movie. The Pride and Prejudice movie.
weird guy
That's... oh, that... that makes sense. Keira Knightley made the... OH.... the first... Ahh... So that's why Natalie Portman... Second movie.. Ahh... That makes sense... That makes sense!
(begins hitting his forehead really, really hard)
me
Okay.
weird guy (hands over book)
I'll leave you to enjoy your book now.
me
Thanks.

I'm kinda proud of myself really. That I didn't fall into my normal habit of simply saying things I know not to be true or something I don't think - lying, really - to people I don't know, people I'm not close to.

Anyway, this is a Natalie Portman on the left, and Keira Knightley on the right.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Eclipse & Education

Fire craned her neck and gaped at the walls and roofs. A steward approached them and gaped at Fire.
"Eyes on me, Welkley," Brigan said, swinging down from his horse.

Today I went to this little UK Education Exhibit at a small room in Hilton PJ with my parents. Just, well, for fun. It turned out to be useful, but not particularly fun. Mainly because, every time my parents and I sat down to talk to the respective uni people, I'd have to tell them what courses I was interested in.

So I go, "English, English Literature, maybe with Media Studies."

And then they stare at me like I'm a three-headed monster.

After a second or so they remember that such a course exists at their college and start rifling through their modules. They look at me shifty-eyed and say, "What are you doing now again?"

So I say, "I'm actually in Form Four."

And then they shoot an incredulous stare at me, followed by one to my parents.

At which my  mom would go, "We know, we know, but her course choice isn't very ordinary - in fact, it's plain weird - so we have to start looking early to make preparations..."

And then they nod understandingly, totally agreeing, and the three-headed-monster look comes back, except this time laced with pity.

Allow for some exaggeration, but only some.

I actually ditched LiSar at MidV all by herself just to go to this exhibition. Sorry dear. I really enjoyed spending time with you today. I watched eclipse with her. *yawn*

I began this post at 12.50a.m., no point my going to sleep just to wake up again for the game. (And something came up.) I had just finished watching Karate Kid with the fam. How people can compare it to Prince of Persia is beyond me.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Open Day

"Is this just a theory, Lady? Or something you've observed?
"It's a theory I've developed on the basis of what I've observed."

Sigh. I guess I should at least try to make my Fire quotes have some relevance.

I missed Open Day today. Due to my toe's intolerance to shoes. Or yesterday, since it's after midnight, whatever. I feel kinda sad. I like duty-ing during Open Days. Don't stare at me wide-eyed. I just do.

Last year, I was one of those people. Photo from Ishaq Danial.

Lol at Joey telling my dad she was really proud of me and forcing him to say the same. Ily babe. It got to me.

One day I'm going to post on how much my girls mean to me. How much being able to call them that, 'my girls', means to me. I can tell you one thing right now, though - it means a lot.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Embarrassments

He caught her coolly and propped her on her feet,
 his face impassive, as if it were routine for her to launch herself at him every time she dismounted.

After Tuesday's brilliant show of stupidity, and after missing school Wednesday, I decided to show up for another I-just-slept-for-two-hours day. The pain had lessened from excruciating (whole of the first day and night), I could walk again, and my parents wouldn't let me skip.

But I hadn't factored shoes into the equation.

The whole day was horribly embarrassing. I couldn't walk by fourth period, had to take off shoe and sock, and stay in class for recess. I had to do my English oral sitting down. But most embarrassing of all? It's the answer to this question:

"What happened to your foot?"

Shush, those who know. It's embarrassing. Really.

And it's not like it's a honkin' big bump or something that can silence people into sympathy. It looks like an innocent black spot but hurts like hell.

Oh, English oral. I had to be pretty well-prepared. Since dear Pn. Manjeet only accepts cheesy speeches that have to do with your feelings. My class was beautifully kind to me by letting me go through with the cheesiness of it all. And thanks Joey and Nicole, for your appearing suddenly with the applause. ;) I think I got a 29/30?

Xin You, you saved me with the ice, and the obsessions over Fire. Truly.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Reminiscent

"Poor boy. Who punched up your face?"

It was during Monday assembly, when something hit me, hard. Something other than the usual pangs of gastric pains I suffer, week after week, as I try my best to stand upright and keep an eye out for misbehaving students. The librarians were doing their promotion thing, you know, promoting new books that students wouldn't actually be able to take out of the library anyway. They were promoting encyclopedias.

I used to read encyclopedias. Yeah, when I was younger. Page by page, like I would a story book, albeit a v. v. thick one. I used to love them. And then on that Monday, I realised that I might still actually do.


And now I wish I had an encyclopedia to read. Probably one on geography or history, or global cultures, or just general knowledge. Even on the evolution of science, but nothing too deep, due to my distaste for that particular branch of knowledge. But now I see the main reason why I stopped - encyclopedias that are not for children are just far too expensive for me to afford. Or my mom. She doesn't really appreciate my being a bookworm, methinks.

I don't know who I am.

I think that's the first time I've said that here. Usually I avoid talking about this kind of thing, because this is the real world, and not a storybook - we aren't beings that can be summed up using any known words.

I think, though, that I used to be smart.
I love Chen Xin You.
Really.

He finished Fire. And loves it. He deserves this. :D

Sunday, July 4, 2010

I love Ho Hui Jan.
Really.

[Insert cuss word here]


I forgot about English oral. I shit damn ass keep forgetting about it because my mind wants me to. I hate Pn. Manjeet. I'd kill her if I could, if I could get away with it, and if I weren't afraid of burning in the eternal fires of hell. Never in my life have I hated to do English oral this much. It's Pn. Manjeet, I swear it is. And I have a feeling I've to do it tomorrow.

Shit. I've not prepared anything. I have a feeling I have to talk about the only thing on my mind right now - Fire.

Oh, to associate Fire with the vileness of Pn. Manjeet. It's cruel, too cruel.

Addiction


I've finished reading Fire for the second time and am planning to start on the third. I'm experiencing the normal symptoms of addiction, like I do to any book I love or movie. I'm reading Fire obsessively, careful not to miss a word, repeating sentences over and over sometimes just to memorise them. I'm scrutinising the writing style, the tenses, until I would recognise this writer's flair anywhere. I have Fire, and Brigan, in my head, and they're real to me now - I could predict what they would say, how they would sound, what they would do - I know them so well now, they could grow in my head by themselves.

I get attached, obsessed, whatever you call it, so easily. I'm listless now when I'm not reading Fire. (Doesn't this post sound listless to you?) This always happens to me. Which gives me a new reason to remind myself to never try drugs. There's no saying that I only get addicted to books and movies.

So now, another familiar part of this process I have reached. Unable to contain my fixation with the book, I now begin to plague the poor souls who have the misfortune of being my friends to share in my fever.

Going through the Fire, I come across parts that I think my friends would love reading - parts that I think are really good, that have such a message in them that would be very good to be spread to the world. Fire is no bimbotic book - it's full of morale, and the characters put into words ideals and beliefs I've been subconsciously holding on to myself. And I always think to myself that I would post the excerpts here. But then, after a while I come to realise that I would be typing out the whole book here sooner or later.

It's a girl's book, actually, but if you're an open-minded guy you can still read it. Xin You must, definitely. Hui Jan too, and Chalystha should give it a try. Joey dear, you want to borrow Fire when I'm done with it, but if you want to read it before you die in an armoured car robbery you should download it HERE. But I already have it on my computer, so I can give it to you via msn.

By the way, I am such a hap for romance - the ones that appeal to me. The parts I re-read the most are the parts which have Fire and her soulmate in them.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Stupid


This is why at the beginning of the World Cup, I wasn't really supporting anybody. I knew it was smart. And then I got stupid. If I'd stayed smart I wouldn't have cried for the first time in my life over a game, just a game. Because you don't support the team that's going to win, you support the team that you want to win.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Fire


I finally bought this book, after I finished reading it in Borders. I knew the minute I saw it, or rather, the minute I read the back, that I would love it, and that I would buy it. Because it is the closest thing I've seen to a Tamora Pierce book. Tamora Pierce is my favourite author - I have 22 of her books and am anxiously awaiting the twenty-third in paperback. I love them all because they have heroines as remarkable people, warriors, who make a difference in the world by their own journeys in life, and altogether are such people as I would want to be. And they're all set in worlds that are medieval, with swords and armies and kingdoms and monarchs and knights and archers and horses and magic and romance, but in fictional worlds, so no worrying about history here. These type of books, are my kind of books. It's not that I hate all other books, though.

Hey. 4 Adilians. This was my English oral in F2.

But I finished reading Fire before buying it because I have OCD when it comes to buying books. If I buy a book it means I have to be able to re-read it to the end of time. If I buy a book and I find I can't re-read it more than at least 4 times, I'll get depressed for weeks.

Anyway, Fire. Fire, in Thayaalan's words, is the name of the hot chick on the cover. (I brought the book to school.) She lives in a kingdom called the Dells, which have monsters living in them. Monsters are like any normal species of animal in the Dells, but are vastly different - they are brightly-coloured beautiful enough to capture your mind. Fire is a human monster, devastatingly beautiful. She is the daughter to the monster whose tendency to control minds for his own destructive fun turned the kingdom to ruin. And Fire, at seventeen, is going to overcome her fear of her powers and help the royal family fix it.

And surprisingly, Kristin Cashore does not follow the trend of the books nowadays which come out in series. Fire is the second book she's written, but it's not the sequel to her first, Graceling. Graceling is set in a neighbouring kingdom, about 30 years after Fire, and only has one crossover character. So the books aren't really connected.

This is Graceling.


I want this too.