School and stuff.

I may have been subconsciously over-ambitious this semester. Expectation wise. And i've only realised this yesterday evening as I wondered why i was feeling so stressed out even though its just the 3rd week of school.

I am taxing myself too much. Oh please, farah, you were never the sort of student to read the relevant chapters before any lecture. And because you thought you were always on the ball, you suddenly realise that being 3 chapters behind in almost every module was enough to just want to sleep and get away from everything.
Escapism beckoned till last evening.

So there, who cares if im chapters behind in my readings? who cares if im not that on the ball? Im only human. So why the sudden revelation? Cos as of yesterday, i realise that instead of worrying on how im gonna read the previous chaps and next week chapts within this week, i should focus on the task(s) at hand.

Term papers.

I have one due on the 12th and another soon after. So why not, instead focus on what i gotta do now? I'll have plenty of time to catch up. Perhaps as i work on these papers, i'll also go through those readings(although i dont really think so but the possibility is there). Then there's always reading week. There'll always be time.

No sweat. I can handle this. Baby steps is all i need to take. Rome wasnt built in a day.and neither will my cap.

Now i just need to be able to focus...and breathe. Just like I always say..breathe.

And many thanks to my friends at the swaps table. Will it still be called the swaps table? Anyways, i also realise that I need people around me. I was absolutely perplexed as to how i should approach my bio psych term paper till i approached the peeps there. Im so seriously blessed to know that I can always depend on someone there for company, advice, to engage in intellectual babble, information, bitching and well, anything basically! :) You guys are great :)


Aside: I ran for the first time at the SRC track on campus. Ran with cheryl and was hit by a bout of nostalgia triggered by familiar circumstances: Tuesday evenings(3rd period PE), cheryl, a certain big-head senior training on the track, a certain PE teacher coaching, and certain soccer players training. Deja Vu? Was i back at VJ? :)

Played netball and whee! i scored a goal to tie the match. :) But wah, darn tiring.

Big circle I ran

I really can’t believe it. The only time I ran around bedok reservoir before today was for cross country in sec 3. Heh, I completed it then. So the thing that worried me a little before I started the jog this morning was whether I could complete it again. After all, I was much fitter when I was 15. But wow. I did! I’m so happy. The company, the scorching sun and the will power to not NOT complete the run and shatter the memory of reservoir experience turned out to be very motivating.

4.3km non stop. ME! Hehe. Looks like the previous morn runs have been effective!

My other weekly exercise activities: Sunday swims and Tuesday netball.

To a fitter me! :)

Retail therapy

I was supposed to mug today but ended up spending the whole day with my mom. Went around from raffles place to harbour front and then back home. I accompanied her to settle some errands after which our spree took place.

I got myself:

A pair of jeans, lingerie, facial toner, 2 bags (oh wait, these i bought last night), other stuff, and food, food, food.

Im appalled with myself. Then again, I need the above stuff so there. Its not like im wasting money..I'll only be wasting IF i dont use them. So I WILL use them.

Shopping with mom is good cos heh, food is covered. And sometimes, moms do tend to be charitable, dont they? ;)

Oh yeah, mom and I decided to take bus 65 from harbour front cos we missed 10 and while the journey was far too long, it was nice to see my mom get excited while pointing out to me what used to be where and what she used to do..where she used stay and hang out, as the bus went by.

But seriously, i'll never take 65 back to tamp from harbour front again. Not if i can help it.

Merrier

So i went for the netball recre welcome tea and I felt old. Nearly everyone there except the comm members were freshies and they're all so friendly. :) Had an itch to join the comm which i had to suppress by reminding myself that Im a 3rd year and the only reason im joining netball is to sweat it out and know more people.

Then i saw weilan and sheena! hahah. so i wasnt the only third yr! Sheena's joining so yay! Made so many more friends...that heh, i cant remember their names! But they were amazed as to why im joining :)

Managed to pull in several ppl to come down to play. Kim, karina and pema! hahah! I didnt really expect them to show interest but they said yes almost instantly! Wow.

So i do have friends who wanna sweat it out with me :)

Off my laurels!

Im a bit disappointed with the state of my mental stamina. I became fatigue after reading 1.5 chapters of my gen bio text. And i have yet to touch on my bio psych, adol psych,eva aca arg and lab readings. Bah! Nevermind, slow and steady better than nothing.

Physically, Ive been going for saturday morning runs thanks to a certain somebody and Im really glad about that. I've also been looking around for a sport to join. I seriously feel like joining something which involves being in a team since face it, once i leave uni, what are the chances of me playing a sport in a team? Besides, ive already joined a society, a publication and now...a sport! :)

And the sport im deciding to engage is...netball recreational! I like the game. The exposure i got during sec sch pe lesson left an impression on me. I just never got the opp to actually join the cca cos well, i was darn intimidated by the girls. They were all so fit..and well, i dont know abt you but back in my sec sch, they were the 'popular' ones..or so i thought.

Anyhoos, tmr is the welcome tea. Im quite psyched for it except for the fact that it'll start at 6 and end at 9. I finish at 2 on tues so i'll have to wait 4 hours...and by the time i reach home, it'll be nearly 11. And i have sch on wed morn at 9!

But as what my nudgie says "its sports what. Expected to start and end late. And you must be committed".

Lets just see how long i can survive.

eye opener

Attended the dean's list ceremony in the evening and yeah, it was the standard stuff you'd expect from any ceremony. It isnt the worst that ive been to (think back to the draggy CC bursary awards back in pri/sec sch) although some of my friends have told me otherwise. Its nice to see who's there and all that i actually quite enjoyed myself considering the company (grace and liangcai..and nudgie..and food) and the entertainment (the a capella peeps are really good)

:) I enjoyed myself. Its not everyday you know.

...and then burning questions..

"who on earth are these people? How come ive never seen the psych ones before?"

"how on earth do you become top in psych when people take diff mods every sem?"

"how on earth does one qualify for top arts student for year 2 etc?"

"why do all the book prizes for psych students end up being sponsored by the spore prisons service"

I want more awards. Gimme gimme gimme! Please? I promise to work hard :)

Whee~

Organise

Finally, finally, finally, I feel my life is getting on track again.

I am not ashamed to admit that I am totally dependent on organisers. The past 2 weeks have been so messy because my previous nus diary did not cover the first two weeks of August. My goodness, how relieved I am to have the new nussu diary for 06/07 which I love. I love the layout. They have monthly AND daily planners, not to mention the academic calendar, a time table schedule and a map!

I cant help it. Ima sieve head. And have a penchant for planning. I need to know what to expect in the next few days, few months. I need to write my datelines somewhere. I need to jot down my appointments. I need to have order. I need to have direction. Thank goodness for organisers!

I have finally color coded my modules. I need to get new files and pens in various colors. I like to organise myself and Im dedicating this entire week for it! Why? cos organisers and organising now saves a lot of time in future. Not to mention memory space. And less anxiety cos i'll know what to expect.

I'm a control freak. :)

Also, thank GOD i finally have all my texts. I am way behind in readings and I cant wait to pry open my text and smell the crisp print scent. And Im pleased to have gotten myself 2 second hand books which looks as good as new.

Now all I need is a foldable table that i can set up when Im feeling studious.

Yay! Im finally feeling enthusiastic for school again.

1st Day

Okay, not as good a first day as I imagined it to be but I am amazed with my sheer determination not to let my day be ruined by....

1) Stuff

2) Getting caught in the rain while on my way to science when i just washed my jeans and was wearing my new jacket and shirt

3) Broke the straps of my left slipper while trudging up to LT32

4) Have to sign up for bio tut again cos of some admin prob

But no. I did not let them ruin my first day. Cos all in all, it was a great day :) Catching up with mel and cheryl which really really made my day :) Managed to sell my soci text book..and having a nice time with nudgie on my way home.

If there's one thing ive learnt time and time again is that things never always happen the way you expect them to. But then you know what? Maybe it wasnt meant to be as how you imagined it to be. Everything happens for a reason. And with every experience, be it joy or sadness, brings with it lessons you can learn and take away.

And today I learnt the value of optimism.

"Today will be a great day"

Psych me up!

Im quite satisfied. I managed to get all the modules I want without much hassle compared to previous semesters. Even managed to get a 3 day week again (if all goes well with tutorial balloting that is).

My only gripes are
1) I may have an 8am tutorial for Bio psych. But at least i know i wont be alone :) (yay mel!)
2) Gen Bio lect time has been changed so now i have no breaks in between lect. But that isnt the problem. The problem is getting myself over to science faculty in under 15 mins, at peak hour.

Anyways, my mods are....(drum rolls)

1) Biological Psychology
2) Adolescent Psychology
3) Lab in Applied Psychology (Lab in Health Psych)
4) General Biology
5) Evaluating Academic Arguments

Hope i'll be able to ace them :) So far, my mods all seem interesting so yay! :)

FIREWORKS!

Caught the fireworks yesterday. Amazing how crowded city hall was simply because everyone was cramming at the Esplanade cum areas thereabouts to catch the s'pore team's display of the fireworks festivals.

We managed to get a better view from along the expressway. (you know, those lanes you sometimes see people walking along as you drive by wondering why and how on earth they got there) heh, cars actually switched off their ignition and observed the 15 mins in awe. :) A night all drivers united against the traffic police with their illegal parking (i mean, they cant summon ALL the cars can they?)

In any case, happy national day everyone! Im glad to be born and bred here. So privileged we are as compared to a lot of other places. No war, no famine, no draught, no natural disasters, great food, great sanitation, great housing and people get along. What more can you ask for?

And yes yes, i now know that school starts next week. And i was just getting used to living the life of a bum.

A question

When on earth does school start exactly?

Laaa La laaa

Ok, dont judge me alright? And im no music expert.

I was dead bored home. So I decided to look up songs. Searched for shania twain on youtube. Found nice ones and then, found one which she sang with the backstreet boys. So then i decided to search for backstreet boys on youtube. To which i encountered tonnes of music videos. And i listened to the ones I know and my gosh. Memories came flooding back. They were really big back in our teen years and no one can deny that. Haha. Then bubblegum pop was phased out then in came those wannabe bands like blink182 and whatever. Then the 'real' bands that were at least decent to listen to like...i dont know..Creed or whatever..Then the angry teens like avril (who has tamed a little now, i feel. at least her songs arent so raw now. Got more depth)...then those dirty sleazy hip hop which is still ongoing and which i find myself bobbing my head to once in a while.

Popular music is always evolving dont you think?

So anyway, listening to backstreet boys after a long time is refreshing. Yes, the lyrics are lame and their music videos are too drama for their own good. But my gosh, they CAN sing what. So there. Im a bit angry cos i know of ppl who would diss boybands and denouce all boyband members as crap singers..which isnt true nor fair.

Ya. Okay. I have no idea why i bother to blog abt this. I sound like a rambling teen. See what music does to you? It brings you back to the time you first heard the song.

Darn it. I should have gone to their concert when they were here earlier this year.

Heh, but you know something really odd? It took me quite sometime to get used to the whole boyband thing when i was in sec sch. Like before sec 1, I was listening certain songs from the Scorpions, Bon Jovi (who was a hip rock dude then) Alphavile, Europe, Journey, Guns N Roses, Queen,Whitesnake,Meatloaf, Kansas (all of which were in slow rock compilation CDs my bro owned..haha) Bryan Adams, Richard Marx, Roxette..and of course the staple ballads of mariah carey and yes, yes, michael jackson.

Which was why i probably didnt quite fit in cos my friends back then were like eh? who?

Anyway, random thought: is it me or is there like effectively only one singer in the pussycat dolls?