Sunday, August 10, 2008
Thursday's Tail and Misc.
Hello people! (Just a side note, hooray! This is the 100th post for this blog. HAHA. Landmark man, I never supposed I'd be able to persevere with a blog for this long.)
Remember the previous post? When I had to go for class? XD Turns out there were more surprises in store for me. Looking back, I realised Thursday had more highs than lows, and man, was Thursday exciting.
So, I left off going for class right? I haven't told you people about the fab new Studnet IT labs in the new wing of the ERC Library. OMG, there were sofas, plush lounges and rows of new computers. They even had a section filled with Mac PCs! ^^ Everything looked so new, and the tone of the place was very relaxed. I managed to find my new relaxation island at uni, safe-from-the-elements, upbeat and comfy. Yet another plus for the day! <3
The class I had first was Marketing Communications. I found the class in the Asia Centre building, and, looking into the room filled with people, I panicked and thought I was late for class, so I barged in and frantically looked around for a seat. Then the tutor looked at me pointedly and said, "This is the Fiction class.". OMG lol, so embarassing. I couldn't make my exit fast enough! LAWL! I got second thoughts about whether my class was really going to be held in that room, so I asked a random girl, who turned out to be in the same class I was. Heehee! Made a new friend already, which is a great start to a tute, in my opinion.
The tutorial room was pretty spiffy, for such an old building like the Asia Centre[Thumbs Up!] and the tute was really full (lots of Asians, lol). I started chatting with two girls when...
ONE OF THE GUYS FROM BIG BROTHER WALKED IN and sat down at another table. (Btw, for those who've kept up with this season of BB, it was Nobbi!)
At first I couldn't believe my eyes, and took a second look. Then I looked at my friend, and she looked at me, and we starting smiling like idiots and making shocked faces at each other.
"Isn't he that guy from Big Brother?!?!"
"Yeah, he is! LOL!"
"I can't believe he just walked in, OMG!"
*snicker snicker giggle snort* followed by discreet pointing and rolling eyes.
But really, he was quite irritating in class, but opinionated and loud all the same (just like he was when he was in the House). The tutor seemed pretty nice too, as were the people in the class (some of whom I recognised from previous tutes, so yay!). All in all, a pretty pleasant experience, especially since I managed to make new friends in the tute. Which always makes me really happy and really high. :P
Next class was Lifestyle and Consumer Culture, and the people in the class had ballooned to twice the size of the previous class (meaning alot of people have enrolled in this subject recently, which is what's been happening in Marketing Communications) and I found out that Cherie from Trinity is in my tute. :) Plus I really like the tutor (I think she's Singaporean), who's friendly and amicable and approachable.
Yippee! So my Arts classes this semester seem to have made a good start! <3
But my dramatic day wasn't quite over yet. At the end of classes, I caught the 203 home (lucky! I thought I'd missed the 203! XD The 203 is the fastest bus I can catch home, since part of its route is on the highway. And fast is a good thing during peak hour.) The bus was almost full, but I managed to grab a seat beside this Asian girl who so nicely set her groceries on the floor. I smiled and thanked her and she smiled back. After awhile I noticed she was having trouble keeping her bottles upright on the floor, so I persuaded her to put the bottles back up on the seat (told her I didn't need THAT much space on the seat anyway, lol).
We could have started talking then, but I was kinda tired, and my jaw was aching from an entire day of talking (not to mention smiling, laughing etc. Smiling is something that puts the most strain on my jaw I find, but I CAN'T HELP SMILING, CAN I??? Grrr.) Looking back, I should've struck up a convo, made a new friend. Why, you ask? Well, haha, a pleasant surprise at the end of my bus ride was that we got off at the same stop! ^^ (Which might not seem much to you but most of the time I'm the only one who gets off at this particular stop, one of the last few stops on the route)
Oh well, I'm sure we'll meet again next time! ^^
Fast forward to BAN's Olympics Opening Ceremony commentary:
Eto...for a person who's been born and raised in Singapore, and who's watched National Day Parade for the past 12 or so years of my life, the Opening Ceremony was just a more large-scale production of epic proportions. I guess the Chinese were really making full use of their vast population and gunpowder. :P Some really fancy graphics and artistic ideas, especially in the calligraphic portion of the show and the unfolding scroll, and lighted costumes. The movable type presentation was fascinating, and so was the globe that rose up out of the floor. But on the whole, not something to stay up til 2am for (which was what I did). Good enough to wait for the repeat the next morning, where all the highlights are shown, so you don't have to look at the boring bits, like random obscure nations' athlete parading out. I kept dozing in and out of the parade of 205 nations, lol.
The finale lighting of the torch and fireworks were spectacular, but still a bit disappointing, as I was totally expecting a flying firework dragon to weave through the sky (a la Harry Potter). Nevertheless, I've been missing the last 3 years of NDP, so this experience was a tad nostalgic. :)
Today's Sunday right? I've been watching the Gymnastics portion of the Olympic Games. China's gymnasts are pretty darn good, and Roumania was good on the poles thing (I don't know the technical term for those -__-). But those were only the qualifiers I think. I'll bet the finals would be a sight to behold.
Ugh. Reality has hit me. I'm supposed to be reading Constitutional Law right now. Oh, go stuff yourself. Ihateyouihateyouihateyou. Iloatheyouidetestyouiwannaburnyouintolittlecinderbits. *shrug* I'll end up not reading them anyway, knowing me. Teehee. Plus, recently, I've been reading books 1 & 2 of the English version of Skip Beat, haha. Not bad, it seems that the original appeal of the manga transcends the borders of language. XD I still laugh, squeal and tear up at the proper moments. Ladeeda~ I even got Yuqi hooked up to Skip Beat. She told me she read the whole series so far in about 3 days! O_O Even pro-er than me, LOL! At least in the English version I can be bothered to read the mangaka's notes at the side, which give me extra insight into the manga (and her apparent severe lack of self-confidence ._.).
...is what I said. Savvy?
4:30 pm
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Bamboozled!
I CAN'T FRICKIN' BELIEVE THIS!!!
More importantly, I can't FREAKIN' believe that I fell for such a ploy.
Ok ok, not really. To people who know me very well, I am super duper naive. Of all people to get scammed of $14, it would be me. ME. WHY ME???
Sorry if I sound whiny. but I feel like whining now. Let's turn back the clock to discover what went so horribly wrong...
So. This morning, I went to the doctor's to have that weird, painful lump on my thigh inspected. It turns out it was NOT:
a) an insect bite
b) cancer
c) deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
It turned out to be a skin infection, and the swollen look was because of a bit of pus. YIPPEE! [Stamp Of Approval] All I have to do now is apply my ointment 3 times a day and I can stop having to sit in weird positions on buses, trams and in class! (you will not hbelieve how hard it was just to find a comfortable position to sit in, since the infection was underneath the thigh, where people SIT on; I kept wriggling on my seats like some lice-infested weirdo CAN??? XD) I think this is mostly due to the fact that the nice doctor poked my infected area with a fine needle (ouch!) and got the pus out, so now it's not swollen and I can sit like a human being once again. ^^
Then I toddled off to the law library to finish my reading for Lifestyle and Consumer Culture. I also managed to load episode 3 of Shugo Chara! OMG. Awesome series man. Funny, yet meaningful at the same time. I guess this anime is going to be as popular as Fruits Basket, if not more, because they both have similar qualities. The most important of which is characters still trying to find themselves, searching for an identity. Which is why I think many people will like this show, since we are all still trying to find ourselves, are we not? Trying to discover if we really DO have this would-be self that is perhaps more glamorous, out-going, fantastic and uber-cool than our everyday mundane selves. Besides, Shugo Chara is SO DAMN KAWAII! (Amazing how I still like it since I tend to avoid shows which are too kawaii, like Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya).
After I was done at the lab, I trammed down to Bourke to meet Jess. And here comes the [Thumbs Down] part of the day. This scruffy-looking guy with about maybe two days' growth of beard pushed his bike to me and asked if I could spare some change, $5 maybe. So I told him I didn't have a $5 note, then I handed him $4 out of sympathy (STUPID STUPID STUPID). Then he asked if I had a $5 note, and I repeated that NO I didn't have a $5 note. Nevertheless, he told me to check my wallet and I then said I only had $20 notes with me. So he should me a crumpled fistful of $5 notes and a large quantity of $2 coins and asked if he could exchange my $20 with the coins and $5 notes.
Seeing as he evidently had ample money to exchange my $20, I was like "Why not?", so I handed him my $20 note. THEN! He thrust the $5 notes at me, got on his bicycle and rode away, saying 'Don't worry, I've counted, it's correct!". He disappeared before I could blink. I looked at the notes in my hand and...
There were only two $5 notes. He gave me only two $5 notes in exchange for my $20. AND HE JUST FRICKIN' RODE AWAY. It made me feel so terrible. I believe in helping people who genuinely need money, but these cheats just give human charity a bad name. Don't they have any conscience?
I felt hurt, used, upset, shocked and dismayed. And then, as I had more time to think, I realised my $14, although gone, was a lesson well learnt. I also find that, instead of really hating that man, I find I pity him. How empty his life must be. To have stooped so low is, I believe, an indication of upbringing. How lacking in love , charity and concern his home must be. I believe people are victims of their upbringing sometimes, and I'm glad I have a happy home and a family who has taught me well.
No money in the entire world can purchase a conscience, and I'm glad I have one. :)
So, [Thumbs Up]! Besides, I hate holding grudges, made even more pointless in this situation since i don't even know who the man is. But whoever you are, I wish you the best of luck, and at least hope that you do something useful with that $14! (Though I doubt so)
*ahem* Class is starting soon, lolz, gotta scram. Cya soon!
...is what I said. Savvy?
2:44 pm
Friday, August 01, 2008
Pass the Baton!
It's official: our medical practitioners are engaging in a pastime that is spreading like wildfire. Curiously, only medical professionals in developed healthcare systems have taken on board this habit.
The catch is, in this particular marathon, only the patient comes out the poorer.
As of today, I have received my third referral, to see a jaw specialist for my partial jaw dislocation. Having been pssed on from doctor, to dentist to specialist, I have become somewhat disillusioned by this so-called highly advanced health care system that so many developed countries now boast about. Hell, my injury is almost minor in nature, and yet I feel as though I'm being pushed across a chess board from square to square.
If it were only one referral, then I wouldn't be in such a ruffled state, but three? It's been 2 months since I'd incurred this injury and all any of the professionals I've met have come up with is a description of what went wrong, and some suggestions. It's a good thing I haven't had to cough up a cent until now. But really, it's only a matter of time.
I'm not the only one suffering from this ridiculous pastime. Take those patients who have to wait in line for major surgical operations. Surely, in an advanced healthcare system, no one would have to wait more than a few days for a heart transplant? With surgeons, nurses and doctors in short supply and a growing number of patients with urgent problems, can doctors still afford to play hot potato? Even with hospitals being revamped and new ones in the works, this will still be too little too late for many patients on waiting lists.
Nevertheless, newspapers seem to echo the government's chant that our hospitals and medical centres are better equipped than ever. Horrific stories of bad hygiene and debilitating diseases in other countries only serve to heighten our complacency that we have a reliable and professional healthcare system that will be there to support us if ever we have a need.
Perhaps even before evaluating our own health, we should extend a magnifying glass and get a glimpse of the rot that is spreading throughout the medical system. The rest of us may be healthy enough, but our support system seems to be ailing. It's time to store away the batons, so that those among us who need help can pass the finishing line without having to race against time.
...is what I said. Savvy?
12:01 pm
friends
June 2006