When the road is unclear...

A thick smog covers the road ahead. Should I turn left or right? Is there even a right or left? Instead, should the question be to go forward or backward? Upwards or downwards? Does it even matter? Maybe the correct decision would be to stay stock-still? Unfortunately, I'm not one to stay still. I'll definitely keep moving forward. The time for self-introspection is long gone. Action speaks louder than words. The fear threatens to overcome me but resolve strengthens me. The uncertainty is certainly temporary.The sun will shine through eventually and pave the path in its yellowish golden warmth. Birds will chirp their sweet melodies as the summer wind blows. The smell of ripe apples will fill the air. Oh how I long for those days that seem eons ago! But never to worry, time brings with it both joy and sorrow. It's an everlasting cycle that has already been imprinted since the beginning of time.

Till next time, may tomorrow yield better results amid the torturous times!

Slackness

Probably defined as the lack of tension. Can't believe I'm just lazing around during this week despite the fact that my tests are all rolling in one after another after this honeymoon period. Sigh! I'm already considered lucky as I only take 5 modules this sem. If I can't even handle 5, how am I going to take 6 or 7 next sem. Although I know this for a fact, I can't seem to find the inspiration to buckle down and study hard. Things can't remain status quo or I might find myself lagging too far behind the dust. The thing is I can already see the dust which already speaks volumes of my current untenable position. Still I must persevere. For the sake of all the things I want to do in life, this feeling must be transitory. Got to find tension now.

Till next time, tension and stress, the double-edged sword, come to me and I'll make myself the master!

Recess Week

What is recess week? Maybe we should break it down further. Let's try "recess" then "week".
What is the definition of "recess"? According to www.dictionary.com , it is cessation of normal activities. Since university students study, I guess it means to temporarily stop studying. Citing the same source, other synonyms include rest, vacation and respite. Yet, ask the common university student and the answer would be vastly different from what you would expect. The so-called "recess" is used explicitly for 'mugging' or studying if you are a layman. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but this does sound like a contradiction. Why would students be studying during recess week? Actually the answer is pretty simple. There are actually tests after this week! Astounding isn't it? So very few people are actually able to enjoy this recess week because they have to prepare for the tests. There are 2 solutions to this. One way is to rename it as study break. Now no one can misunderstand this term. After all, a study break is a break from lessons in order to study right? Another solution would be to split the week up nicely such that you would have enough time to study and to recess. Actually, I'm in favour of this particular way since we get the best of both worlds. After all, according to the old adage: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." I doubt I need to bother to explain what a week is since most already know it stands for 7 days. (Though the recess week is more accurately 9 days if you count the weekend before it starts.)

Till next time, may the recess week be renamed "recess a la study week"!

Logic

What is logic? Logic is a deduction, proposition, argument, statement...When something is illogical, it isn't really. It's just adding an inverter in front. Some people call it negation. Contrapositives are actually logical except if the statement has a negative connotation to it, it helps to put a more positive spin to it. Never confuse contrapositives with the inverse or the converse. Or is used very loosely here because it has the inclusive feel to it. Either this or that. "But" and "and" can be used interchangeably. If...then...What's a canonical disjunctive normal form? Write in Boolean operator or something? What's the logic behind electrical circuits and logic tables? Confusion and logic seem to be the different sides of the same coin.

Remind me why I'm taking math! But the choice has been made and regrets are for those who waver. Determination will see me through no matter the results!

Till next time, may logic always appeal to the brain and not the emotional state.

Sleep

Zzzz...Tired. Sleepy. Exhausted. Double-eyed pandas. Yawns. All of us need it. It's one of the elixirs of life and most people don't have enough of. Sleeping is one of the defense mechanisms designed by the body for the body. During this period, the body attempts to regenerate cells and create new cells to replace dead ones. Sleeping also aids in digestion. Something to do with the body processes going into passive mode. Muscles are also build during this time. This is one of the reasons why we feel so tired after strenuous exercises. Apparently, it helps the mind too. Having sufficient rest helps to clear the mind and let the day's worries and unhappiness slip away. It's both physically and mentally invigorating. Even as I list down all the positives about having enough sleep, most of us do not have enough of it. There's a general guideline that we should have at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep but rarely do we achieve that. The amount of sleep we have is so pathetic that it's the greatest miracle of all that we have survived till now. When I hear people who say they have only 4-5 hours of sleep it never cease to amaze me. They may argue that their body only needs that amount, I say just wait until the 'debt' has to be repaid. We all incur a 'sleep debt' when our body fails to have enough sleep. When's it's time to collect, you will know it. The exhaustion will be tenfold and you will be concussed for quite a long time. My advice: Sleep enough. Work can never be completed even if we burn the midnight, the 1am or even the 2am oil. Having sufficient rest means an increase in your efficiency for the next day as compared to half the efficiency when you do not have enough rest.

Till next time let sleep be your best buddy! Don't fight it. Get to know it better and embrace it. Miracles are there to be discovered!

Human Jukebox

I really love music. Admittedly, I'm still pretty much fussy when it comes to what kind of music I like. For example, I'm not a great fan of rap. Rock and roll is a transition that I need to go through. Soft rock is pretty okay, just not ready to embrace hard rock. Besides that, all other genres are generally on my playlist. I love ballads. It really tests the singer's vocal range and quality. Pop is the generation that I grew up listening to along with the many boybands and girlbands. At the beginning, I only listen to english songs but due to cultural influences, (my bro and sis) I can proudly count some of the Japanese and Chinese songs as my favourites. Anyway, back to topic...

What I would like to talk about is the human jukebox. For the sake of the uninitiated, a human jukebox is basically someone who sings random songs at random times and mostly without knowing it. Unfortunately, I'm a prime example of having such an ailment. Often when I hear a song, the song gets stuck in my head and I'll attempt to sound like a broken recorder and sing the same tune over and over again. Of course, this tune must resonate with me personally before this happens. But like what I say above, most tunes do get thrown in my playlist and therefore my memory so this happens very frequently. Many people can testify for these since they probably hear this 'jukebox' spin out the hits. I think the song of the day must be "No Man Is An Island". It's our choir anthem so it's an appropriate song. Just imagine being around me when I listen to "Umbrella" by Rihanna.

Till next time, may the music never stop. Life without music is like a life without colours - dull shades of grey, mundane and prosaic.

Hall Life

It's the time of year when I can blog about my short stay here in hall. Hall life in general is pretty different from home. Here, there's more freedom to do what you want to do. For example, sleeping late becomes a norm since the 'night life' in hall is quite vibrant. Pandan bread for breakfast with the occasional peanut butter or tuna is also a staple. Switching on the laptop is also so natural. Though freedom seems like aplenty, in actual fact too much freedom can also be a chore. Time management becomes a very useful skill. What to do and when to do will lead to some tough decisions. Still, it's a new experience and I'm glad that I have such a great opportunity to enjoy it. And yes, just in case you are asking, there's plenty to study and focus seem to be a prime commidity. Sigh, no news about my softball trials...Maybe there is a deeper problem than not having enough gloves and bats. Even so, there's nothing much I can do about it so I'll just sit tight. The dates for my mid-term are streaming in.


MAS110 4th Oct 0930-1030 LKC

MAS111 12th Sept 1700-1730 LT23

HE191 23rd Oct 1530-1630 TR22

MS2006 3rd Oct 0830-0930 LT3

Stay tune for the rest of the TOTO results...