Friday, October 28, 2005

Just came back from a wonderful (but expensive) dinner at Occidental.
Its a Belgian bar with specialty Belgian beers. I had a Caesar salad that was mmm mmm fantastic only because i wasn't into seafood, and the rest of them had not one but TWO big pots of steaming mussels which apparently were heavenly :) i tried one but erm i stick to my original dislike of seafood :) The beer was good too, i had a specialty beer called Chivauy White, Ryan had a tap beer called Leffe Blonde, Debbie had a very light Belleveau Franboise that tasted more like fruit punch than anything, Rachel had a Hoegarden special brew which i forgot the name, and Aaron had another tap beer called Leffe Dark.
Thanks Aaron (oops Raphael), Debbie, Rachel & Ryan. I needed this outing to get my mind off being depressed. Hopefully this bout of sinking will wear off soon.

Dr@n|xX at 7:54 PM

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Thank you God for helping me get through this morning's paper.
I was tired, i was distracted, i was down-trodden, and i was ill-prepared, but somehow You helped me stay focused for 3 hours and added a few megabytes of memory to my otherwise useless brain for remembering exam-related mumbo-jumbo.
You sent Jason back early so that he could check his mail and replied promptly so that i wouldn't be left hanging, but why are You testing me so hard? Have i not been worthy all my life?

Jason's reply was fast probably because it didn't require much time at all.
"YS : There is nothing else i can do."

I emailed the lady in charge of local exchange, begging her to take into account my circumstances and allow me to squeeze into next term's exchange enrolment. Even if she sees my way (i pray she does), that is subject to the approval of my appeal of taking a core module on exchange...
What else do you have in store to test me God? Do You not see that this is torture for me? And what could possibly have been done differently? That i should've seen everything clearly before this and never have made any mistake? That coming to New Zealand should never have been? To make me stronger? From what? I already expect so little from anyone even myself to avoid disappointment, and i have to give up all hope in order to never be disappointed ever again?

Why?

Dr@n|xX at 8:53 AM

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

My MSN nick probably says it all.

"Why God? Now my SUSEP has been rejected. And why now during my exams? Why God?"

I'm trying my best God, but i don't understand the meaning of all this.


I've got a geology paper tomorrow morning. As much as i only need to pass since i'm on exchange, geology is a brand new ball game to someone like me with my secondary school geography knowledge, so passing is a bit of a long shot. Not being able to concentrate on studying today and having to pass it tomorrow is something like taking a long curling shot at goal around a forest of defenders.

I'm so far away from home. What can i do from here?
I'm so close to getting home, my exams end in 2 weeks. Can it wait till then?
I'm knee deep in confusion before the first paper even kicked off. Can't it wait till then?


The administration in charge of going through SUSEP applications emailed me that my application was unsuccessful due to high volume of applications for NUS. They did suggest i apply to NTU though, but that won't work because NTU doesn't offer the Supply Chain Management module i need, or at least the websites i've looked through don't.
I've emailed the subject co-ordinator Jason about my unsuccessful application, and enquired as to the result regarding my appeal to take a core module on exchange since i've heard no word from him. Its even more excruciating that he immediately had an out-of-office auto-reply saying he was at the HKUST Case Competition, so i can't rely on him for help or suggestions any time soon. He did not mention when he would be back.
My deadline, literally, is November 2nd to reply whether i'm up for the NTU alternative which isn't an option for me.
2nd Novemeber. Again a day before another exam. This time my Ops Mgmt paper.

Does anyone have a miracle for sale?



"There is no way to happinness.
Happiness is the way. " -Buddhist Proverb

Dr@n|xX at 6:05 PM

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Found these quizzes while reading Rachel's blog, thought some of the results were quite funny so i posted them here to get my mind off being depressed with everything that's happening and the cold, gloomy Auckland weather.

Your Hair Should Be Blue

Wild, brilliant, and out of control.
You're a risk taker with an eye to the future.
What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?


You Should Get a MFA (Masters of Fine Arts)

You're a blooming artistic talent, even if you aren't quite convinced.
You'd make an incredible artist, photographer, or film maker.
What Advanced Degree Should You Get?


Your Summer Ride is a Beetle Convertible

Fun, funky, and a little bit euro.
You love your summers to be full of style and sun!
What's Your Summer Ride?


This one i was honestly very
very amused by it lol, read and laugh for yourself as well :D
Your Seduction Style: Au Natural

You rank up there with your seduction skills, though you might not know it.
That's because you're a natural at seduction. You don't realize your power!
The root of your natural seduction power: your innocence and optimism.

You're the type of person who happily plays around and creates a unique little world.
Little do you know that your personal paradise is so appealing that it sucks people in.
You find joy in everything - so is it any surprise that people find joy in you?

You bring back the inner child in everyone you meet with your sincere and spontaneous ways.
Your childlike (but not childish) behavior also inspires others to care for you.
As a result, those who you befriend and date tend to be incredibly loyal to you.
What Kind of Seducer Are You?


This test, the "What's Your Hidden Talent?" Quiz is a little strange coz i like all the pictures there, so does that mean i have all those traits? *shrug* but i always say these tests are so general almost anyone can fit into them. More often than not these tests are feel-good tests, they tell you things you want to hear and like to think of yourself as, even if you're not lol but that's just me, the contradiction to nature, the practical idealist, the cynical optimist at work.

Dr@n|xX at 10:17 AM

Friday, October 07, 2005

I emailed the subject co-ordinator Jason Chiam 2 days ago describing my circumstances, and my suggestion of clearing Supply Chain Management on local exchange in NUS - upon his approval of my clearing a Core module on exchange.
He replied yesterday saying he would think about possible options for me that night, short and nothing more. As curt as that may have sounded, it was possibly the sweetest sentence i have ever heard from him. My opinion of him may only have improved slightly, but at least now i am sure that he is human as well. And since i am very possibly in his debt now, i take back all the mean things i have said about him.
Today the general administrative office sent out an email saying the applications for Singapore Universities Student Exchange Programme (SUSEP) is open for next term, and the closing date is 14 October 2005. Jason Chiam immediately replied asking me to apply for it first, since my case was still pending.
I have already submitted my application, and all that's left to do now is pray and keep my fingers crossed. For the friends who have prayed for me and stuck with me through this tough time, i'm extremely grateful and i'm embarrassed to ask that u pray just a little bit longer.


On a more positive note, the package from the Bad Company gang finally arrived yesterday morning. It was masqueraded as a postcard initially, but due to the fact that the address was missing the crucial postbox number, i muscled the information that it was a package out of my poor girlfriend, since i needed to track where they would put my "postcard" if it didn't say which postbox to put into. After some migraines as to the difference in tracking number codes, since the tracking number put on the box when sent from Singapore is changed upon arrival in NZ, i finally managed to locate it - incidentally the system always said the package was "in transit".

Monday they called me at 9am, and i told them i'd be home till 3pm, and they said they'd deliver it. Nope, nothing. I thought i'd call the postal people on Tuesday to see if i should pick it up myself.
Tuesday morning as i was leaving to go to school, the courier had left a card on my door saying he came at 6.30am but nobody was home. SIX THIRTY AM? NO ONE WAS HOME? Are u kidding? EVERYONE was home, just that NO ONE was awake. So i called the postal people and they said they could arrange for a re-delivery on Wednesday between 7am to midday (wow that's helpful, do u know how many hrs of gap that is?)
Wednesday. Yep, i skipped French class to wait for the damn package. I waited till 1.30pm since my class was at 2pm. Nope, nothing. I suspected the cycle would repeat.
Thursday i had my usual french class at 8am, so i was up at 6.30 am, and i sat at the dining table sipping my morning tea, waiting to pounce on the courier like a predator. As expected, he did arrive, at 7.30am. I didn't even need to wait for him to knock, i opened the door and took the package. Had he not smiled at me and greeted me, i swear i'd have snatched the package away from him - DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PAIN I WENT THROUGH TO LOCATE AND WAIT FOR ITS ARRIVAL?

Well, it was a sight for sore eyes:
SOUTH-EAST ASIAN CUISINE
at last...
Sorry i don't have the picture of the box, i was too excited i ripped it open before i realized i should've taken a photo to commemorate that momentous occassion.
Thanks gals & guys of the Bad Company. Love ya all =)
My girlfriend had a part in it as well, but what i tell her's none of ur business :P
The controversy didn't end there. There was a packet of Horlicks in the package, and somehow it blew up in the package, leaving almost everything in the box protected with a thick, sticky, sweet-smelling resin. Daniel my good man had (according to him) left it in the box and made sure it blew up on purpose to deter officials who had to open my package to check it for whatever they needed to look for from stealing my badly needed food-aid from Singapore. What brilliance! I'd have never thought of that, thanks Daniel darling(its a private joke).


So that's that. I pray my application and appeal goes well, so i can finally take my wounded mind (from lack of sleep and depression) off it, and get back to enjoying one of the most beautiful places i've visited in my life (just after Switzerland of course heh).

Dr@n|xX at 1:45 PM