nitrogen addict

2008-04-14T20:02:00.000+10:00

i've moved HERE.

2008-03-03T19:49:00.003+11:00

attended my first uni lecture of the year; campus was packed like anything, not at all like in hobart.
FINALLY finalised my timetable, which is total, utter crap. 2 3-hr practical sessions back to back starting at 2pm and ending at 8pm. WTF!
i had several time slots to choose from, of course, but i had to keep my thursday evenings & fridays free for work, & the others were fully bked, which left me with only the tues 5-8pm slot for genomics as the other option clashed with my marine science prac.
was distracted during environment lect by 2 ppl who took turns at the front translating the lecture in sign language to one of the students, kept watching them do their thing instead of listening to the lecturer - pretty fascinating to see how quick they can translate all those technical terms

shore dives with students on saturday at the Tweed; viz was terrible, about 1-2m at best. 23 deg temp, pretty cold compared to prev few times. no current though.
woke at 4am on sun morning in preparation for boat dives at Cook island but found out that there were 3m swells at sea & the trip was cancelled :(

also went back to hobart 2 wks ago, met up with friends, packed up & sorted everything out with UTas

i need to dive more

narced & nearly bent

2008-02-11T19:54:00.000+11:00

another awesome weekend on Big Cat Reality =D
much better surface conditions this trip, so we werent stuck on Flinders all wkend. Gotham City! one of my fave dive sites, seriously.
viz the worst i've seen at moreton bay - about 8-10m most of the trip, with a low of 2m at Curtin Artificial Reef & about 3-5 at the Pines. best viz of the wkend was the 2nd dive at Gotham City - 10-12m.
fantastic diving with the boys - we all got a bit narced at gotham and someone kept shouting thru their regs. v funny to watch the boys climbing the pinnacles and pretending to hoist anchors.
hit several thermoclines at gotham, being a deep dive. temp dropped to 21deg at one point, & i kept moving up & down to feel the temp diff - u cld actually see the shimmering edge of the themocline, pretty cool
besides getting narced, i also nearly got bent. went into deco on several dives, 2 of them at gotham. 36m for 20+ minutes bottom time (not including ascent), dint do proper deco stops along the way. my comp was sending all sorts of alarms at me and finally decided to go into error mode on the second dive at gotham. not sure what tt means, since it was still working on the next dive, so i just ignored it. the others' comps were also flashing warnings but we wldn't miss the jock dive for the world so we all turned a blind eye.
so we all went for the last dive without our wetties. fortunately it was a shallow drift dive & the water was a toasty 26 degs. lots of stingrays (fortunately none of them pulled a Steve on me, if not i wldnt be here writing this) & a huge bullray, as well as a wobbegong under a rock.

2008-02-04T21:37:00.000+11:00

yeah, it's been months. frankly, i dun even noe why i bother
brissy's still as gr8 as ever - the diving's gotten heaps better too! i'm up to 126 dives now, having done 32 dives in Jan itself...
after the rains & cyclone weather of the past few wks, the water's been pretty much crap, with loads of rubbish being washed up every day. was at the tweed 2 wkends ago & viz was way down.
did the bunker trip at the start of january - a gr8 beginning to 2008! got to go for free, of course, with only 1 student (doing his specialties) to look after, which meant i cld relax & enjoy myself. being part of the dive crew on Big Cat certainly has its advantages - even the occasional missed dive on acct of surface supervision isnt too bad, really - a bit of rest from 5 dives a day. the weather on the 5day trip was calm & near perfect, until the last nite when the swells just became massive & i was drenched sleeping on the top deck.
then there was the wkend Big Cat trip, this time with a whole bunch of advanced/ specialty students, so the trip was rather rushed n very very busy for me. but i did manage to squeeze some dives in... even tho there were occasions i just wanted to throttle one of the students who was being such a whinging ass. i also lost my dive watch!!! but some of the divers found it on the next dive, which was gr8 luck!
2 more wks and sch starts. i'll be staying in brissy, having wrangled a transfer to UQ, on acct of the warmer weather & better diving here...
also just moved to my new place - tiny rm, but within walking distance of campus, which will save me loads of time & money.

2007-12-24T14:26:00.000+11:00

i dived with a dozen grey nurse sharks & touched leopard sharks!
the former was at Cherub's Cave on the Big Cat liveaboard wkend 3 wks ago, the latter at Straddie last wk.
the water's warmed up considerably now, abt 25 deg. viz on the last few dives have been amazing - 20+ metres! other than grey nurse sharks & leopard sharks, i've also seen: wobbegongs, lots of turtles, an enormous bull ray, crayfish, octopus, stingrays, eagle rays... no manta yet.
did a wreck penetration at Cementco, a large barge of sorts lying upside down at abt 35mtrs. swam frm bow to stern and back thru its many rms, & even reached the engine rm with its huge turbines. wreck diving's awesome.
also visited part of a plane wreck. specifically, the wing of a WWII fighter plane, sitting in 18m on sand. tt's where i saw a little baby octopus & a huge bull ray.
caves & swim throughs - incredible. saw stonefish, scorpionfish, lionfish & huge grouper.
next major dive trip: 4-9 Jan to the Bunker Group, southern Great Barrier Reef. Woohoo! only downside: it's gonna be a 6hr drive to Bundaberg, then a 5+hr boat ride frm there.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2007-11-15T10:54:00.000+11:00

in brisbane now.
currently looking after the shop while the owner's out delivering tanks.
also in the midst of doing stocktaking - checking items off on a 14-pg list! zzzzzzzzzz.......
lots of OW students the past 2 wks, so i got to help out, esp during the pool session & open water dives. abt 7 more students starting next wk
diving here's better than in hobart - much warmer water (~18-20deg) & generally better viz. hope to get out to flinder's reef which i hear is better than the gbr! mantas (!!!) & loads of sharks (!!!!!) there =D
gtg back to stocktaking

2007-10-22T18:14:00.000+11:00

less than a week till exams!
10 days till i head for warm weather & most importantly, warm waters!!!
no more double layer 7mm suits & having to have someone else literally yank me out of a wetsuit!

2007-10-02T20:14:00.000+10:00

after watching the Blue Planet bbc tv series, i am INSPIRED.
i so wanna work on research teams like that! none of that boring stuck-in-a-lab kinda research, but actual out-in-the-field, dive-all-day stuff!
to be searching for whales for mths, diving with literally HUNDREDS of sharks, seeing deep-sea creatures in submersibles, swimming with man-eating fish in the Amazon...
tt's the LIFE.
now all i need to do is learn how to take pro underwater pix/videos, and of course get more dive experience...
...which is why i just sent multiple emails to dive shops all over cairns to ask for a no-pay job. just so that i get to dive for free, help instructors teach, & learn how to sell equipment/trips. i hope at least one dive shop will see the value of hiring a divemaster for FREE to run around and perform errands, carry customer's gear etc

2007-09-29T23:15:00.000+10:00

everyone's off to the UK and US... the uk!!! i'm definitely gg there to visit next summer!!!
this summer i'll content myself with cairns & the gbr
!!!
onli 1 more mth till end of exams! got my exam timetable ytd & realized this sem's exams r gonna be way shorter than the last! 4 papers squeezed into 6 days - no more dragging it over 3 wks while everyone else ard me is gloating abt ending early. in fact, i end abt a wk before anyone i know =D final paper on 1 Nov & then its almost 4 mths of summer break. woohoo

went to the zoo at Richmond tdy. got to carry rabbits n goats, touch kangaroos (saw a few joeys in pouches), feed ostriches n emus (they ripped the paper bags of food rite off our hands, vicious creatures), etc. terrible wind n a bit of rain. coldest day in a while, since spring arrived.

finally done with all the essays for this sem. the last one was a terror - i am ever so glad i wont haf to do geology next yr.
enrolled for year 2 subjs - 2 units of zoology (animal evolution & functional bio of animals), 1 of plants (gen & evol), 1 GIS (urgh i think its gonna be as bad as geology), 1 marine microbio, and... get this... THREE (!!!) units of chem! environmental chem, chem analysis and chem synthesis, 2 of which haf 4hr labs a week!
i also enrolled for a 3rd yr unit, hoping to be able to do it in spring sch at the end of 2nd yr, so i'll haf less to do in 3rd yr. hopefully it'll be approved. the unit: scientific diving! dunno why they onli restrict it to 3rd yr students. 6hrs of diving a wk! for sch! tt's the life

3 wks till swot-vac. ought to start studying. right?

cairns cairns cairns cairns
!gbr!

2007-09-17T00:41:00.000+10:00

arrgh so many essays this sem. not a single one last sem.
only 2 more mths & its summer break!
i still need $$

should I?

keeping it inside is killing me

2007-09-10T17:32:00.001+10:00

i am in need of a job that pays well. by 'well', i mean anyth better than a measly $50 for 6hrs of work for 2 stingy, dirty #*&%~@ bosses.
only 2 more mths...

2007-09-02T11:36:00.000+10:00

1 week =D

2007-08-25T19:06:00.000+10:00

dived wif my new gear tdy! feels gr8 to be breathing frm my own reg =D saw lots of colourful starfish n white sea urchins. viz was much better than last wk cos we were diving frm a boat. now the OW students are fully certified OW divers! hoping to go diving again in the upcoming sept hols.

i cantwaitcantwait for the hols. even the sept 1-wk hols look gd to me. 1 more wk of sch! this sem jus seems so much longer. the more i dive the more i miss it when i'm not in the water.

days are getting longer n warmer now. tdy was abt 17 deg & i cld walk abt in a t-shirt. the water wasnt much warmer, but i actually felt overheated in my 7mm before hitting the water.
cherry blossoms are out everywhere - spring's arriving!

1 darned essay due in abt 36 hrs. arrrgh

holidays pls come ASAP

!!!

2007-08-15T21:06:00.000+10:00

2007-08-10T22:44:00.000+10:00

{national day ytd}
another wk's over! counting down till summer break
next mon i'll be taking the OW course agn! haha not officially, but since my frens will be doing it, the instructor asked if i wanted to join them for fun :) nth better to do. besides, i'll get to dive wif them for free!
LOB!

i gotta whisper 'cos i can't be too loud

2007-07-31T09:21:00.000+10:00

waiting for tix to print.
the dive was fantastic. nope, the viz wasn't phenomenal; i dint see a great white/manta ray/mola mola/whale (few of the things on my list of 'stuff to see b4 i die')... but it had been abt 170 days since my last dive in phuket & I was practically dying for another N2 fix. the water was 10deg, viz abt 5-6m, but i loved every moment of it. the 7mm wetsuit tt we all struggled to get into was real effective in keeping the cold out, right up to the moment we ended the dive & got back onto the boat & into the wind. saw a cute little cowfish & lots of kelp, as well as crayfish tt dig their sharp legs/claws/whatever into anything they can find & look like lobsters.
& today begins yet another week of endless pracs. this semester my favourite (& the only one i enjoy) day is monday, when I have only 2 lects & ZERO pracs. i wldn't mind them so much if not for the fact that they begin at 3 & stretch on for 3 long hrs & result in me having to walk back in the cold & dark.
the printing & cutting shld be ready abt now, i hope.

'cos i'm in too deep & i'm trying to keep up above in my head instead of going under

2007-07-26T22:04:00.000+10:00

YES

this saturday, Tinderbox, 9am.
then OW starting 6 for 2 wks! esp wkends

2007-07-22T10:17:00.001+10:00

ytd was my bday! 19 seems so much older :(
went for a bbq at King's beach at abt noon. there was a cake & everyth. i was forced to drink carrot+celery+orange juice made by some frens (knowing how much i hate celery) which was disgusting, owing to the incredibly overpowering taste of celery. then, when i was preoccupied, i was ambushed with a powder bath dumped on mostly my hair & face. pretty hilarious :-D
also got a bar of dark chocolate (70%), which i'm eating now :)
went out for committee dinner at 8.30 at an italian restaurant, followed by a 'meeting' at the bakehouse. finally got back at abt 11.30
planning a wkend dive trip some time soon!!! it'll be terribly cold but i dun care
better stop b4 i go crazy again

2007-07-18T21:05:00.000+10:00

forget wat i said previously. i'm simply too lazy to post pix. mebbe a yr frm now u'll see melbourne pix & go, 'i dint noe she went to melbourne recently!' & realize tt they're the pix frm 2007...
sch has started and i wish i were still in melbourne. now i haf to start looking at all the various unis to apply for overseas exchange! i'm sitll undecided whether to go for the start of the sch yr in the UK, which means next sept, which is a pretty odd time, halfway thru sem2 in aust. & whether to go for a yr or just 1 sem.
then there's the stupid fact tt i haf to do geology this sem. i simply see no pt.
less than 4 mths and it's Hello, Great Barrier Reef!
god i miss it
quick change of subject before i go nuts once again:
...
...
...
...
...

can't help it!
any slight mention of anyth to do with water & my mind immediately dives into the sea.
cantwaitcantwaitcantwait for summer & the hols!!!
hope my exam timetable will be short & end early so i can be off!!!!!!!
lots of exclamation marks as i get increasingly delirious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

when really it's closer than it is too far

2007-07-10T17:01:00.000+10:00

still in Melbourne, flying back to Hobart tmr nite. been months since i've lived in a proper, crowded, noisy city with more ppl than steep slopes. missed it :)
had loads of fun the past wk, mostly hopping on any train tt comes by & stopping at random stations (mostly based on the name) & wandering ard the towns.
feels much colder here than in Hobart, despite Hobart being more down south. been wearing abt 5 layers everyday...
pix to be loaded when i get back

2007-07-01T13:22:00.000+10:00

warmer weather this past few days :) the bball court is no longer iced over. onli v little snow left on mt wellington
i bet i'll be the most underdressed person in melbourne, seeing as i've alr gotten so used to below 10 deg weather (i'm currently wearing a t-shirt n shorts wif my rm windows wide open)
yep i'm flying to melbourne this wed. will be staying a wk. gonna catch the Amazing Human Body exhibition, as well as visit Uni of Melb and mebbe Monash
the last time i went to melboune was in 2002. not a v gd experience, for i had 2 Lit essays due n onli 1 wk in sept to complete it. spent the plane rides n the last day of the hol frantically writing, when everyone else was enjoying themselves...this time round i've no assignments due
altho i'll haf results to occupy my mind on the last day. exam results out on 11 jul!

2007-06-26T17:06:00.000+10:00

surprisingly warm weather today, compared to the past wk. so a couple of us (those still in Hobart) decided to take a drive up to Mt Wellington.
most of the snow was alr melting on acct of the warm day, but there was still loads on the summit. stopped a distance frm the summit to take photos and the parking lot was iced over. v difficult to walk! saw a car skid all the way out of the lot
on the summit, there was q a bit of snow. built my first snowman, used my glove for its hat and twigs for its face. also had snow fights and tried to make snow angels but the snow was too hard.

view frm the top:

first snowman:

same snowman wif diff headgear:

the snowman we brought back down the mountain, with which we had a snow fight back at Jane:

2007-06-20T15:54:00.001+10:00

finirre

2007-06-20T10:33:00.001+10:00

2007-06-19T14:55:00.000+10:00

cantwaitcantwait
25 hrs till end of exams. maybe less, if i leave early, like i did wif previous 2 papers.
3hrs for mcqs and several short ans qns

ytd's weather was weird. kept raining in short bursts. according to some frens, it was below zero in the city.
saw 6 rainbows frm my rm window. 2 double ones!
if i'd had a spade I'd haf gone to dig for gold, seeing as i managed to locate the end of one of the rainbows (it was tt close)
no snow down here yet

2007-06-18T09:57:00.000+10:00

frost is on the ground.
Frost, on the other hand, is fortunately underground.
was suddenly reminded of lit days, HoD in particular. the horror!

2007-06-15T11:26:00.000+10:00

zoology in 1.5 hrs
after this it's 2 down, 1 to go!
shld start making holiday plans. i'm just looking fwd to some quiet around here, with most ppl returning home.
and, of course, hopefully some diving as well. tho the cold will be out of this world...

2007-06-12T12:07:00.000+10:00

1st paper of the semester in 1hr's time: chem
1wk & a day till the final paper

2007-06-08T16:07:00.001+10:00

HK!

2007-06-04T21:09:00.000+10:00

2007-06-03T21:52:00.000+10:00

Perth.
$$$$$
hell.

2007-06-01T12:46:00.000+10:00

It's done.

2007-05-29T23:17:00.000+10:00

entire afternoon in the physics com lab trying to figure out how to use SPSS. it's a program not unlike Excel, onli much more unnecessarily complicated and less user-friendly. and since I i) have a project due on thursday, ii) need SPSS to complete it, and iii) don't have SPSS on my com/ can't get it off the net, i had to stay in sch (& in the physics com lab, no less, cos the program is onli available on the coms there) to try to get it done so i wont have to go there again tmr.
finally figured out the necessary stuff (regression, ANOVA) and generated all the calculations/tables, saved them as readable excel docs so i cld edit them at home, and left the building. was the last one to leave the lab. the guy who came round to lock up was nice enuff to let me stay late so i got to lock up :-p
and here i am, 5hrs later, having finished compiling the calcs, sorted my appendices and written the 2 reports. in simple words, i'm done!

ok, tt was random rambling abt stats. this is the last assignment for this modue, which means i've essentially completed 12.5% of this yr's req'd credits. now all tt remains is sem1 final exams and, of course, sem2.

speaking of, i realized most of my sem2 modules r prac-type units, which means i cld possibly have to endure another sem of 3 pracs a wk. arrgh!!!

plant assignment left. + zoology prac bk. + dive medical. must find time!

2007-05-27T09:29:00.000+10:00

weekend!
1 more week of sch, then swot-vac for a wk b4 exams start.
ytd's weather was a surprising change. v wam in the morning wif a light breeze, not unlike s'pore early mornings.
2 assignments due next wk

2007-05-23T21:04:00.000+10:00

I saw an incredible rainbow today.
I was walking to sch. The rain had just stopped and the sun came out, and there I was, at the top of a hill with a view of the river and half the town stretched out before me, and the rainbow made this huge arc above it all. It was so vivid I could make out all seven colours of it.
I'm not sorry to say that I love this place - Hobart/ Tassie/ Australia - more than I've ever liked Singapore. It's not just the rainbow; its all the views, the buildings, the way of life, the attitudes, the people...

/// remember today, for it is the beginning of forever ///

2007-05-18T12:38:00.000+10:00

Today was really great.
I got out of bed just before breakfast because the smell of cooking bacon woke me up.

I feel a bit strange because I've just moved to Surfer's Paradise and there's weird people hanging about outside the house.

I'm so happy. I just found out that I have been accepted into Harvard. And Yale. I don't know which to choose... oh, why is life so hard sometimes?

Last night I had to finish my term paper on the history of pre-communist Russian society. I focussed on the needs of women. I think it's ok, but if I don't pass this I'll lose my scholarship.

I want to tell the world that I'm gay.

Today, I got a digital camera! Yes! But then i exchanged it with my neighbour's really cool surf board, so now i don't have the camera any more.

I want to say thanks to simon and Abbey and Dave and the other Simon for helping me on Saturday. You guys are the best. By the way, if you happen to find my wallet, keys or underwear, could you SMS me? Adrian has my number.

I went to the doctor yesterday, and he said I have bipolar disorder, and should stop smoking drugs.

You should all do this quiz! It's amazingly accurate. You just put in your name and birthday, and it will tell you next week's lottery numbers.

I hope you realize there is something wrong about this entry.

That's enough for now. But I'll leave you with this thought - sharing your life with strangers on the internet is the cheapest form of therapy available. Leave a comment and tell me I'm beautiful.

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2007-05-18T12:14:00.000+10:00

finished reading Perfume. nvr knew smells cld be described in so many diff ways. the guy acting as Grenouille in the movie looks nth like the one described in the bk.
taking a break frm zoology. jus wanna get the test over & done wif so i can enjoy my wkend. 2.5hrs to go
abt 3 more wks b4 exams

i nvr knew octopuses (octopii?), squids, cuttlefish etc were molluscs.

dreary weather today. mt wellington all covered in fog. wrest pt was v much obscured as well. rite now, sitting in lib wif the river in the distance barely discernible. i can vaguely make out the houses on the opposite bank. no rain tho.

2007-05-17T17:11:00.000+10:00

finally got my dm card! i look like a positive HORROR in the photo. even worse than i rmb. i took the photo in phuket after an entire day of diving - hadn't showered/bathed/changed my clothes/washed my face, rushed to the photo shop b4 it closed, and the result: a drug addict/homicidal maniac. at least the addict part is rite... is N2 considered a drug?
now i can put up my dm cert on my wall so it looks less empty.
also got the april issue of NG wif the dead fish on the cover. so nice!!! (not the dead fish, but the magazine). the 'latest' issues of NG or New Scientist etc here r 2006 ones. i've decided tt getting bks in parcels are the nicest. some ppl get nice, warm, happy feelings at getting certain things. for me its bks :D esp bks frm ppl who noe my taste. so if anyone wants to send me stuff tt'll make me happy, send bks!
just finished chem prac an hour early, despite having to work alone cos my partner dint show. chem pracs r the best cos they dun involve any drawing! zoology pracs r ok cos of dissections, but plant pracs r jus a bore.
tmr is zoology prac test, 15%. gotta study for it now

2007-05-12T21:29:00.000+10:00

went to salamanca this morning to get a bday present for emily. 3 of us bot her a scarf n a raggedy-ann-like doll. then walked down to sandy bay for her bbq bday celebration. walked along the beach for a bit n got into the water. freakin cold! but the closest i;ve gotten to 'swimming' since coming here. i realli realli realli miss the water.
also played ard on the swing (we - uni students - hogged the 2 swings such tt little children were waiting ard desperately for their turn :p)
came back at abt 3.30, the entire morning n early afternoon gone

2007-05-12T09:42:00.000+10:00

first paper: 12 jun
2nd paper: 15 jun
final paper: 20 jun
3 three-hr papers in 3 days, spanning 1 wk.
i'd rather the papers were back-to-back, done in 3 straight days.
this means i get slightly more than 3 wks of hols

2007-05-10T14:54:00.000+10:00

gotta rush off for chem prac in 5 mins. batt almost gone. here goes:
ytd spent an entire day in the lib and finally completed stats proj no. 3. 1 more proj and 1 more test to go... its the only unit without a final exam, so tt sorta lightens my load...
exam timetable out tmr. hope my papers end early so i get a longer winter break.
next wk: zoology prac test
wk after: stats test
wk after tt: stats proj 4 + plants assignment
anyth else on its way?

today's weather's been gr8. q sunny n warm in the afternoon (rite now).
prev nitess haf been real noisy. the wind howling n rattling away at my windows. every nite i lie in bed listening to the wind n it brings me back to tioman/phuket nites when the waves wld be crashing outside on the beach...

gtg mix acid n base solns

2007-05-01T17:10:00.000+10:00

happy labour day!
not tt its a holiday here, on acct of it having been 'celebrated' back in march...
spent the entire day studying for plant prac test tmr. hate plant pracs, hate prac tests even more.
nice weather today. wasted in staying indoors in the library.
the farmers shld be happy, wif the rain the past few days. unless its all been raining on the bass strait or sth, where it wld do no gd to any of the crops here.
back to my txtbk

2007-04-28T17:08:00.000+10:00

walked to sch this afternoon. autumn is well n truly here - leaves of all shades of yellow/red/orange/brown on the trees, even more underfoot. never seen autumn like this b4. different in hk. realli nice to walk on the soft crunchy fallen leaves haha
raining today. mt wellington totally hidden behind fog. if u dint noe it was there u'd think it was just grey sky.

2007-04-26T14:49:00.000+10:00

ytd's dinner sucked. most of the comm was busy serving n got to eat only at the end of it, when there was practically no gd food left. the rice was crunchy, the green bean soup lacked water, and there was too much bandung left. there were no tablecloths n the cutlery was dirty. but the turnout was unexpectedly gd... which was why there was not enuff food. made a considerable profit, to be donated to the tassie devils (the animals, not the team).
this evening: talk by contact singapore, s'posedly to promote s'pore as a future workplace. a thousand yrs in the future, sure, but no way am i gg back to work after i get my degree. the work hrs suck, the pay's worse, the govt - hmm- xxxxxx, the ppl arent tt gr8 either...
this wk's almost over :D

added a count-up timer: calculates the time lapsed since my last dive. look at it ticking away...

2007-04-25T16:36:00.000+10:00

current state: wrapped in a quilt, sitting on my bed, laptop on my knees, earphones in my ears.
cold front!
ting jus gave me some anzac cookies she baked. not bad at all, tho a bit too sweet.
gg to charity dinner later on. the dinner i paid $20 for, n will be serving food at. hmm.

2007-04-20T11:19:00.000+10:00

next wed is anzac day holiday n sss charity dinner. & no-prac wk!
chem test later on at 2pm. hopefully the qns will be recycled frm past yr tests, like for stats.
zoology prac from 3-6.
then the wkend :-D tgif!
[slp slp slp]

this wk's been pretty hectic. 2 tests n a horrible assignment.
wk 9 will be another hectic wk. prac test, lect assessment & god noes wat else.

winter break cannot come any sooner

wat if sch was during wkends n wkdays were break-days?
guess we'd get bored of it after awhile. but it wld be a nice change.

weather: still sunny n relatively warm (15-18 thereabouts). such a long dry spell tt the radio's saying sth abt doing a rain dance to induce wet weather.
i sorta wish a huge thunderstorm wld arrive. have yet to see a proper downpour/storm here. miss the warm, cosy, slpy feeling one gets when a thunderstorm is raging outside & u're indoors wif a nice bk/music/bed.

jus learnt tt there're q a few dormant volcanoes ard hobart itself. near mt wellington n across the bridge near rosny. wldnt it be cool if one of them sarted showing signs of eruption, after more than 200yrs?

today's zoology lect was q interesting. sharks' tails enable them to thrust themselves downwards in order to catch prey, cos their mouths r ventral. research is being done in the manufacture of swimsuits to mimic shark skin/scales, hoping it'll enable swimmers to swim much faster.

2007-04-18T16:06:00.000+10:00

i miss A lvl stats. it used to be so straightforward and, at times, fun.
just spent countless hrs completing the 2nd stats project. this one's much more difficult than the 1st one. had to design an investigation and apply things like Poisson distributions to calculate probabilities n assess risks. Half the time i had no idea wat the qn was asking for.
at least i'm done now. looks pretty pro, but the content is pure crap. 8 pages of weird inconclusive statements and 2 pages of Excel formulae makes for a v lengthy n boring report.
time to get out of the library

chem test this friday

2007-04-17T17:23:00.000+10:00

Countries i have visited

Countries i hafta visit b4 i die

i'm alr almost 19.

2007-04-17T16:55:00.000+10:00

check out the great turtle race tt just started in costa rica. leatherbacks on their mass migration
since i started diving, i've onli seen one leatherback turtle. in tioman, i think. (cf. old entries) amazing sight...
which reminds me of the one dive in tioman where i saw at least 10 turtles and experienced, for the first n onli time (so far), turtle burnout.

stupid stats project. who the hell cares how many weed seeds there are in a shipment of grains?

2007-04-15T09:42:00.000+10:00

skyped wif clare, elsie, farah, lois n mj last nite for more than 2hrs. gr8 hearing their voices again! farah n lois r still gg at each other hahaha

last nite reminded me of how badly i wanna go to the uk.

$$$$$$$$$

also trying to get ppl to go diving in south australia wif me. specifically cage diving wif gr8 whites. each trip is abt 4 days, cos they need time to lure gr8 whites to the cages.

fiji: shark reef: dive to a depth of abt 20m, where theres a platform for divers to observe sharks being fed 2m below them. tawny greys, nurse sharks, black tips, white tips, etc...

2007-04-12T13:18:00.000+10:00

end of easter break :(
dun feel like gg back to sch, yet here i am...
2 tests, 1 assignment due next wk
looking fwd to winter break in july, cos tt's when JFH will be super quiet once more, with everyone home for the holidays.
this easter break, there were only 4 ppl remaining in aldridge middle. super quiet! cld play loud music without fear of others complaining. mealtimes were queue-free. campus was silent. no drunkards banging on doors in the middle of the nite. pool table unused at all times. common rm unoccupied. empty driers n washing machines in laundry. no need to worry abt stolen clothes on drying lines.
after returning from camp...
played loads of bball. on my own, cos everyone else who wld even be remotely interested in playing were off at home celebrating easter wif their families. solitary bball is pretty therapeutic, tho. no other sound but the ball hitting the court/ hoop. and the view from the tennis/volleyball/bball court is gr8. water + hills + sky. fortunately the weather the past 3 days has been warm n sunny, so i dint have to worry abt the cold in my tshirt n shorts.
went to eastlands on tues wif sham, caddie, tam n ilow. dint buy anything (was the only one who dint haha) but walked ard window shopping. loads of easter chocs on discount.
chem prac later on. rates of rxns...
skype session this sat wif the virtuous gang!

2007-04-09T15:55:00.000+10:00

Camp photos are up!

cows blocking the rd

Lake St Clair

wallaby eating

Shadow Lake

Shadow Lake 2

Mt Rufus

my hiking grp

sitting on log

still sitting on log

lost slipper

bunch of us

SSS exco (spot me?)

exco

Easter camp was fantastic. all the hard work totally paid off.
the weather this time round was MUCH better than the first time we went. clear sky, no rain, cld actually see the summit of Mt Rufus properly!
the nites were freezing tho. on the 2nd nite, the 3 of us in my tent decided we cld not possibly spend the entire nite freezing our asses off, so we snuck into the kitchen n turned on the stove for some warmth. still dint manage to catch much sleep, on acct of us first worrying tt someone wld come in n find us slping in the kitchen (not allowed, esp when we were all on the committee n setting bad examples to the other campers), n then finding ourselves still freezing indoors. ended up pulling chairs right up to the fire n slping sitting up. not at all comfy. at abt 6am vas came in n we all went out trying to watch sunrise but waited at the wrong spot n so dint catch it.
first day, taught the rest how to pitch tents, had lunch, then played games. or, to be exact, the committee stood ard the diff stations watching the 3 grps playing games we'd planned for them. then had a short walk along the aboriginal walk. came back for dinner. night walk to platypus bay in pitch darkness. came back to campsite for warmth next to campfire.
2nd day: the long walk. set off at staggered times frm 10am onwards. i was supposed to be in grp A but one of the 4 of us who went on the recce trip few wks back hurt himself n cldnt take the walk, leaving onli 3 of us who actually knew the route. so i was assigned grp B. had to lead the team, being the onli one who'd walked the circuit before. loads of times the path got sorta fuzzy n hidden n i kept thinking i'd lead the grp off the path n get us all lost. but of course tt dint happen! the grp did complain some of the time n going 'are we there yet' repeatedly, but it was pretty fun, esp wif the beautiful weather.
returned to camp at 4pm. ppl rested n hung ard taking pix.
went to the lake n decided to test the water, since i was wearing slippers. rolled up my jeans (COLD air) n waded in. BRRR. but got used to it after awhile. got ilow n benji to get into the water as well n watched on amusedly as they slipped abt on the slippery rocks. dun ask how it happened, but one of my slippers took part in an experiment n drifted out, nvr to be seen again.
saw possums stealing chicken bones, a wallaby eating, n many kookaburras laughing away. grp C saw a snake on the walk but i dint. no koalas/platypus...
wanna go back there again, minus the cold.

2007-04-04T09:37:00.000+10:00

meeting at uni at 5.45am tmr. how crazy is that! this means we'll have to leave Jane by abt 5am. lugging tents, slping bags n other stufff.
can't believe the camp is so soon. seems like we've been planing this for ages, with late night meetings n tt recce camp.
ytd it snowed at lake st clair and was 1 deg.
mebbe i'll finally get to see real, falling snow (as opposed to the pathetic, dirty, melting white stuff in melbourne)

but the time of talking
using symbols using words
can be likened to a deep sea diver
who is swimming with a raincoat

come stand a little bit closer
breathe in, get a bit higher

2007-04-03T10:37:00.000+10:00

Since i haf nth better to do rite now...

got tagged by jw:

I'm tagged.

Each player of this game starts off by giving 6 weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write in a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rules clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.

1. i can make my knees crack really loudly.

2. I obsess about diving n am keeping count of the exact days i've gone without N2 (51 days n 20hrs).

3. I see animals/faces in the fenders of cars.

4. I absolutely cannot stand the names Helga, Eugene and Clemence, for no reason at all since i dun noe anyone with those names. I haf other names i'm prejudiced abt as welll, but these r the most hated.

5. I am fascinated by blood n gore. some ppl find tt weird.

6. i nvr sunburn

I tag yy2, 480144, mei, n no-one else.

2007-03-28T19:22:00.000+10:00

my dive stuff is finally here!!!
was ecstatic to see the little slip of paper informing me that i had TWO parcels to collect from the office. when the office lady handed me the larger box, i realized i have indeed been suffering from nitrogen withdrawal - i was SO glad just to LOOK at my gear. it's like waving just the tiniest amt of heroin in front of an addict who's been on rehab for a mere 5 wks. that's how long it's been since my last dive. 46 days, to be exact.
i took out my wetsuit, booties n fins and... sand fell out. Phuket sand!!! Kata beach sand! i'd been in such a hurry before leaving s'pore, having returned from phuket only the night before, i dint get to wash my gear properly!
god, i miss the phuket days. nonstop diving, all day, everyday! i even miss lugging oxygen tanks for customers.
as for sg, i have to admit not missing it at all. the ppl, sure, but not the place. does tt make me unfeeling?

don't pretend you're sorry

(p.s. yy2: which song?)

2007-03-26T21:39:00.000+10:00

today was pretty productive :)
got to catch up wif farah, yiiwen, pn, wj n char. free internet in the lib! :-D
glad my msn's working again. even tho it's onli web messenger n i cant do loads of stuff...

but on the telephone line
i am anyone
i am anything i wanna be

on the telephone line
i am any height
i am any age i wanna be
i can be a caped crusader
or space invader
& u wldn't know the difference

2007-03-26T09:30:00.000+10:00

Hobart is now onli 2 hrs (instead of 3) ahead of SG time! daylight savings ended at 2am on sunday. the past 2 days i've woken up at ard 6am cos i'm still tuned to daylight savings time. also, the sun at 6am is still the daylight savings-7am sun, which means it gets super bright n my rm faces the east...
currently bumming ard in the library doing some schwk & using free internet :-D
the wkend was uneventful, as usual. i did watch edward scissorhands, tho, which was cool. johnny depp & winona ryder were so young then.
mondays n tuesdays r now my fave days of the wk (not counting wkends, of course), cos i have onli 2hrs of sch on those days, whereas i have sch frm 9-6 on wed-fri.
dissecting earthworms this friday for zoology prac, which shld be funner than peering at tapeworm sections.

2007-03-22T21:32:00.000+11:00

first chem prac today. so far it's the most enjoyable prac i've had. no microscope, no cells, no peering crosseyed at some blob that i have no clue how to draw, no painfully trying to make pencil markings even remotely resembling a biological organism.
harmony day ytd was pretty successful. made profits far exceeding our expectations. nvr knew frozen prata n fishballs cld sell so well! a couple of ang mohs were so happy with the food, they came back for second/thirds n paid us more than the food cost.
tmr is the last day of the wk!
zoology quiz tmr.
cant wait for easter hols. one wk! first camp at lake st clair, then probably some canoeing stuff.

weather these few days: hot hot hot. today's sky was beautiful. blue n totally cloudless.
2 nights ago i went outside to look at the sky & it was INCREDIBLE. stars everywhere. the sky was so clear i cld see the milky way. even the tiniest stars cld be spotted. unfortunately, i onli know orion.

the view on the way to uni, from the top of the hill, nvr ceases to amaze me

ta

between the lines of fear and blame
you began to wonder why you came
where did i go wrong
i lost a friend somewhere along
in the bitterness

2007-03-16T22:51:00.000+11:00

heading for lake st clair tmr. staying there 1 nite to check out the site for easter camp. it's gonna be freezing...
on the subj of weather, it's realli weird here. several days ago it was like 11 degrees. ytd, 30 degrees. today, 20 - the perfect temp so far.
last nite a couple of us went abt soaping door knobs & leaving 'love notes' frm innocent ppl.
[reminds me abt the story my dad told me abt pouring cologne into his uni dorm air vent & stinking the entire place up]
fire alarm went off at aldridge (tt's the building i stay in) ytd after dinner. fire truck came with sirens n all! false alarm (wonder who set it off)?
someone's at the door

2007-03-12T22:44:00.000+11:00

my MSN's giving me problems, so i've gotten a skype acct. add me if u wanna chat! my contact name's shrugnsay_whatever i'll most likely be online at abt 7pm s'pore time...

2007-03-10T22:38:00.000+11:00

long weekend :-D labour day hol on monday
nth much to do tho
ytd (fri), returned after 3hr animal bio prac at 6pm. walked back frm uni cos dint wanna wait for bus. lugging heavy zoology bk uphill.
had dinner, watched (& played some, terribly) table tennis, headed to common rm to play pool/cards/watch tv.at 10+, decided to watch the exorcist (more comic than scary). ended at 12am. played more pool, talked alot of rubbish. 3+am. trooped to one of the guys' rms to scare him awake (having gone to bed halfway thru the movie). scratched door, called rm & hung up. finally got him awake. everyone sat ard in the rm & watched videos on laptop. some ppl began to fall asleep. decided to take early morning walk in the bitter cold in attempt to stay awake till breakfast at 8am. half-walked, half-jogged all the way to the gate. found it too cold. returned to not-much-warmer-indoors.
must be the weather or sth, cos i dint feel at all like sleeping. the others did, tho, so off they went to catch several hrs of sleep. i headed back to my rm, watched movies on the network. watched sunrise at 6am. went to dining hall the moment it opened. read newspapers. had breakfast.
played pool again. in common rm till lunchtime. more watching of table tennis. back to rm to try to get some work done. 5pm went for a walk to fitzroy gdns. found the incredible long slide tt is SO much fun :D shld try it when it's rainy, will be much faster & more exhilarating.
went back for dinner. listened to piano music. v nice.
have been awake for 40 solid hrs.
onli starting to feel sleepy.
hmm

(just to rub it in)
signing off,
#490755

cheers

2007-03-08T17:52:00.000+11:00

i'm now 490755, DM YY :-D
quick fwd me my card (with my horrible havent-bathed-et-the-end-of-a-long-day-in-saltwater-and-sun photo)

2007-03-04T22:32:00.000+11:00

week 1 ended. week 2 starts tmr.
been crashing medicine lectures. pathology lects so far r quite cool n much more interesting than biology of plants.
now in exco of s'pore students' society. no idea wat my role is haha
also joined scuba diving club n canoe club :-D shld keep me occupied
1 wk of easter hols in 5-11 april. some ppl r going to visit frens/family in various parts of australia. i'm itching to take tt chance to do some diving up at the GBR. suffering from serious nitrogen withdrawal here...
unfortunately, there's the matter of $$$$$$$$

CONGRATS everyone on their excellent A level results (according to andrea n everyone i spoke to over the phone on friday)

2007-02-27T16:02:00.000+11:00

I have internet from my rm FINALLY!!! got my student ID ytd, tgt with my acct name and password. after the last lecture, headed home to try to get my com set up... spent roughly 2 hrs trying diff permutations of configs in an attempt to trick the com to get an internet connection. cldn't follow the given instructions cos they were for windows n mine is a mac. asked the office for help. told me to call uni helpdesk. called the given no and was told to ask the office! so back to the office, who called the same no. and finally told me to bring my apple to the uni the next day for the ppl there to take a look. !!!!! lug my notebk all the way to the uni (30mins WALK downhill) n back (UPHILL)!? no f-ing way!
so... asked one of the guys to see if he cld help. n here i am, online!!! yay. no need to take the com all the way to the uni :)
lectures started properly ytd. v boring stuff, really. it's not v diff from JC, cos all the lect notes r printed for us, n lects even recorded for us to download online, which basically means we dun need to go for lects. tuts r entirely up to us, not at all compulsory. onli prac sessions r compulsory.
bks r costing a bomb. havent bot much yet, but i've seen the prices.
units i'm taking this sem: bio of plants, bio of animals, chem1A, and data handling&stats1. so far, fairly Alevel stuff. onli prob is my lects r all over the place: life sci bldg, physics bldg, arts bldg, chem bldg, socialscience bldg... dun ask me why bio is in the arts building.
meeting so many new ppl tt i cant rmb most of their names (n so just call them 'hey'), wat they're studying, where they're from, how long they've been here, etc...
nth much to do here. quite boring, actually, unless u luv drinking/clubbing/smoking. ytd after dinner, frm abt 7-9.30, 4 of us did nth but play pool and cards with occasional glances at the tv. if this keeps up (plus wkly 1.5 hr laundry sessions to play even more) i'll soon be a pro at pool hahaha

SYDNEY

2007-02-15T17:16:00.000+11:00

PHUKET

2007-02-15T17:02:00.000+11:00

2007-02-15T15:56:00.000+11:00

reached Hobart this morning. was picked up at the airport (which is tiny!) & taken to my hall of residence. met some ppl, had lunch wif them, then went to unpack stuff. now at central hobart, having wandered ard looking at the sights for quite some time.
it's supposedly 21 degrees now, but it's as hot as sg & v v sunny. cloudless as well.
i have yet to explore the uni, tho i did pass by just now...
ytd i went to bondi beach in sydney & it's GORGEOUS. to think i'd found phuket beaches beautiful! bondi was WAY more breathtaking. on the bus trip to the beach itself, we sorta went up & over a hill, & from the v top of the hill one cld get an awesome view of the sea, such tt it looked like it was all sea & sky, no buildings to block any view.
PROMISE i'll post pix, but it's timetaking & i'll wait till i get the internet set up in my rm b4 i do it. in an internet cafe rite now. i've spent these past few wks in more internet cafes than i have in my past 18 yrs of life :-p
more updates soon!

2007-02-14T11:42:00.000+11:00

hello ppl!!! i'm in sydney rite now.
'tis a beautiful place! lots of old buildings & castle-like architecture. will post pix soon. Phuket pix, as well.
was last here abt 8-9 yrs ago, so i have no recollection of anything.
i'm staying with my mom's fren's family. since they've all got work, i've been left to my own devices. been wandering around the city, hopping on public transport whenever i dun feel like walking anymore, & taking loads of random photos. just took the ferry to darling harbour, but i dint pay anything to visit the usual tourist attractions like the Aquarium/wildlife place cos they're v ex.
everything is v ex here. i have no idea wat this (using the internet at some huge internet cafe) is costing me, but it'll definitely not be the 60baht/hour rate i got in phuket...
next stop: Hobart. tmr 8.35am flight. terribly early! tt will make it my 3rd flight in 5 days. total of 1.5+8+1.5 = 11 hrs spent in the air, many more in airports.
speaking of which, the singapore airport is indeed better than some. better than the phuket & sydney ones, at least. larger, spacier, cleaner, brighter. but i still prefer the hk one.
& there're heaps of cantonese here. mostly from hk, i think. i've met more cantonese speakers in my 2 days here than i have in singapore, seriously. u can hear ppl speaking in cantonese (most hk-ers are v loud, so they're not hard to 'spot') practically everywhere, not just in chinatown.
the weatehr here is gr8. sunny but not hot cos there's a wind & the temp's not as high as in sgp. at least, it feels cooler.

the flight to sydney was interesting. it was like a tour, with the captain occasionally pointing stuff out to us. i saw: an active volcano spouting black smoke (cld spot it from the air - a grey patch amidst the snow-white clouds); ayers rock; a huge expanse of desert in central australia; the sunset.
the plane was full of arabs, cos i was flying gulf air & the flight originated from bahrain. the arab children are v beautiful... but there seems to be considerably fewer beautiful ADULT arabs, wonder why? the little children i saw on board the plane (& there were many) had enormous, dark eyes, long lashes & thick curly hair, such tt even the boys looked like girls. mebbe their beauty diminishes with age, at least for most of them. haha
dinner was served at 12pm singapore time, and breakfast at 4pm sg time. prob cos it was to fit wif the bahrain time zone, or sth.

and i'm finally a DIVEMASTER!!! 67 dives now. 33 to a hundred. i hope to get to 100 by the end of this yr. i shall make tt my RESOLUTION for this yr.who wants to sponsor me? i plan to travel up the coast of australia during the hols so i can dive the GBR to my heart's content, and accumulate enough nitrogen to last me...abt a wk, tops. despite all the diving i did in phuket (onli one dry day in those 2 wks), i'm alr suffering from nitrogen-withdrawal. & my last dive was onli on saturday. tt's 4 days ago. 4 days too long! can't believe i'm so near the GBR (relatively speaking) & yet so far!!!
my dive gear's gonna be restored to me in abt 7 wks time, if nothing happens to it... it's been singpost-ed to tasmania cos excess baggage costs &43.25 per kg at changi!!! so i singpost-ed some of my stuff (by ship) to save costs. if i'd paid excess baggage for all my stuff, i'd have had to spend enuff for another ticket to australia! fortunately, jetstar charges $10 per kg, not 40 plus.

2007-02-05T23:31:00.000+11:00

more than one week into the course and i'm almost done!!!!!!
all the knowledge reviews completed, all 8 exams done, OW dives done, all skills finished, 400m swim + 800m snorkel swim + rescue assessment + tired diver tow + 15min treading water also over...
left: mapping project, AOW dives (which i'm gonna start tmr, with the new student) and ... payment!
2 more dives till the big 60.
by the time i'm done i'll have at least 62 :-D [dun worri, yy2, u'll soon catch up. serious.]
water this morning was FREEZING. it felt like ice-cold, at least, even tho my watch read 27 degrees. i think there's sth wrong with the temp sensors. always 27 degrees. afternoon, led the AOW student on a scuba tune-up and demonstrated some skills. skill demonstrations r surprisingly fun - u get to do everyth super slowly, with big gestures & exaggerated actions
just came to terms with the fact tt when i return on sun nite, i'm not gonna have much time to pack the stuff for australia. tt's why it's clled last-minute, i guess. i'll be a zombie, stepping off the plane, getting home, telling everyone abt the trip & showing pix, then stuffing clothes & dive stuff haphazardly into enormous bags. mebbe i'll haf to bring my dirty laundry to australia, since i doubt if my clothes will dry overnite...
now i shall head for dinner. the food here is fantastic. seriously, i dunno why ppl keep claiming sg to be food paradise.
as for tv, i'm usually too bushed to watch any. tt's why when yy2 keeps asking me abt the sg-thailand match, i'm like, huh? wat match? my brain's saltwater-logged. my hair's crusty from salt cos i haven't bathed yet.
signing off now. hafta pay alot, i think. for the internet time...

2007-01-28T15:58:00.000+11:00

GREETINGS FROM PHUKET
arrived late last nite. spent the nite in phuket town.
this morning, took a motorbike-taxi to Kata beach, where i'll be staying for the next 2 wks. the beach is INCREDIBLE! all white & long... & v crowded, with half-naked women ambling shamelessly abt.
going for an afternoon dive later.
have 3 manuals to study for the DM course. gotta start on them soon...
pix will be up soon

2007-01-24T20:47:00.000+11:00

I'm GOING TO PHUKET!
this saturday evening, after my powerboat driving exam.
not just for the sun/sea/DIVING, but to do the DM COURSE!
it's way cheaper to do it in thailand than if i were to do it in australia as i'd prev planned, plus i've nvr dived in thailand, plus i'm positively DYING for a nitrogen fix!
i'll be returning ONE DAY before flying off again for sydney. cross fingers tt there'll be no delays...
busybusybusy!

(sorri if this entry is full of exclamation marks!!! it's just tt things r all happening at one go!!!)

2007-01-15T20:35:00.000+11:00

will be leaving on 12 feb instead of the 8th. which means more time in s'pore!
most likely going to hk this sat, to say gdbye to my dad, & hk.

2007-01-14T17:10:00.000+11:00

watched My Fair Lady at the esplanade on thurs, with Andrea, Lois & her fren. incredibly long - 3 hrs! the music & singing were gd, but i found eliza's character too coarse, even when she was s'posed to have learnt to act like a lady; colonel pickering was ridiculous, dancing stupidly all the time; professor higgins was also rather idiotic at times. but, enjoyed it on the whole.
was discussing with andrea how anyone could possibly fall to her death on the stairs in the esplanade concert hall/theatre (as was reported in the news not long ago). then, right after intermission, while we were heading back to our seats, this guy in front of us tripped & nearly launched himself down the stairs (we were on the 3rd floor). so andrea & i were like, "Now we know how someone can fall to his/her death this way"...
in an attempt to escape going home the looonnnggg way in bus 195, i took 75. it didn't take much less time. then i ended up in holland v, which wld've been perfectly fine if not for the fact tt by tt time my shoes were hurting me & it was raining & my pants were getting soaked as i trudged home. & i got blisters from tt v short (5 mins) but uphill walk.
ytd my dad called to say he'd be in town (meaning near enough for us to see him). so we went to JB to meet him for dinner, cos tt was the only time he'd be free. watched a movie (really cheap!) then had dinner, after which we said our goodbyes. most likely won't be seeing him for years - he isn't likely to come visit me in australia; even if i come to s'pore for hols, the likelihood of him being here at the same time is next to zero; & it'd be incredibly expensive for me to fly to hk to see him. sigh.
i might just be going up to hk next wk tho. *fingers crossed

2007-01-08T21:52:00.000+11:00

did MORE painting today! the dark brown bkcase in the hall this time. painted it white so it'll go with the rest of the place. it is v difficult to paint a dark colored object white. had to do more than 2 coats. bent over backwards doing the underside of the shelves. got paint in my hair. again. then i made a newspaper hat so 'twas alrite after tt. lyn said i looked like a pirate/medieval king/priest... hmm. somehow i doubt they wear newspapers on their heads. unless they're too poor to afford proper headgear, perhaps.
i know lotsa ppl are working & everyth. i feel such a slacker. but no one's willing to hire on a less-than-a-month basis. so i guess i'll just continue painting the house haha. tmr: the ceiling of the bathrm, which is horribly patchy & desperately needs work
after all this i shld just go advertise my services as an 'experienced painter'

my room's gonna be let out. the tenant's already been found. i'm gradually being prodded out - 1st my bks, then my personal stuff, then my clothes, now my rm... the tenant's gonna be moving in way b4 my departure, which means i'll have to camp out in lyn's rm for more than a wk. horrors of horrors.
since my flight's gonna be early morning on a wkday, my mom & sisters can't send me off to the airport. unless they manage to get leave from work/sch. quite horrible, tho, having to drag them all the way to changi, mainly for the purposes of helping me w my luggage (on the pretext of saying gdbye for a long while)

must catch up w everyone i've not seen for a long time

2007-01-07T15:40:00.000+11:00

got my student visa. finally.
1 month & 4 yrs

2007-01-04T15:54:00.000+11:00

painted the house yesterday. v fun! dint realli enjoy having to line the floor w newspapers, but other than tt it was gr8. finished just as the entire can of paint had run out.
went to the macs nearest my house this morning and the pond there had flooded. the walkway was submerged, and the pavement just beside the pond was flooded as well. the little tortoises in the pond were climbing out of the steps, making their way to freedom...
urrgh. the dentist later this afternoon.

2006-12-22T12:43:00.000+11:00

HAPPY 17TH YY2!!

how much does excess baggage cost?
& I'll have to pay it twice - from SG to SYD, & frm sydney to hobart. mebbe i shld just start shipping my stuff direct?
the last time i was in sydney was 6 yrs ago. can't rmb a thing, only tt my mom's fren kept bringing us to chinatown. apparently sydney is the most expensive city in australia.
in tasmania, the sheep outnumber the ppl. fortunately i'lll be in hobart.
dun think i'll have the time to go to hk to see my dad one last time b4 i leave for australia. bloody unlikely tt he'll be able to come visit me down under... as for the rest of my family: yy2 has As, Lyn can't come on her own, my mom hates flights (more so long ones, or trips tt involve more than 1 stop - no direct flight to hobart yet) & my grandmother doesn't feel able to go any further than JB, m'sia.
will i miss anyth in s'pore? i'm sorry to have to say no. 'tis true, i've given it some thot. strange, cos i know i miss lots from hk even tho i spent only my 1st 6 yrs there. despite having spent the other 2 thirds of my life here, i'll be leaving w no regrets. i'll miss the ppl (some, tt is) but other'n tt...
if anyone wants anyth tt can be gotten only in australia/ is much cheaper there, drop me a note, i'll send it over when i'm there :-p

currently: i'm learning to drive. not a car, but a power-driven vessel. in other words, a motor-boat. much cooler than driving a car, i'd say. loads of theory & nautical terms, but at least i'll be near the water. the practical is tmr. pray tt i dun crash on my 1st try. i'm the only female in the class, & one of v few who do not work at a kelong. mebbe i shld think of getting a part-time job. how much does a kelong pay?

i miss diving like anything. it's monsoon season so no diving nearby. i'd love to go to phuket, but i've so much to do b4 i leave. maybe i cld catch a spot of diving at sydney... i've had to suffer more than 2mths (hmm. feels way longer, but i checked my earlier entry) w/o my much-needed fix of nitrogen

2006-12-16T18:44:00.000+11:00

Several months.
This is v late, but: A's are OVER!!!
I've accepted UTas' offer, even though it has always been (and still is) my dream to go study in the UK. I would LOVE to go to St.Andrews/Newcastle/Glasgow/Queen's/Bangor/Aberdeen...
(u might ask, 'Why, YY, did u apply to such out-of-the-way unis?" ans: they're the few tt offer marine bio)
... BUT... $$$$$$$$$$$! The Scottish unis are way cheaper than those in, say, London, but they're still considerably more expensive than those in Australia.
& a clarification: I'm going to Tasmania, not Tanzania or Princeton (as opposed to Queensland)! (i laughed fit to burst on hearing tt - the way news spreads!)
at least i won't be staying in S'pore any longer.
this means i won't be around to collect my results next March.
the one thing I'm gonna miss (other than my family & frens, of course) is my books. I've already cleared my bkshelves (not an easy task!), wrapped up all my bks n stored them. my numerous shelves (n my wardrobe. my entire room, actually) look terribly empty, n for the moment i've got nth but library bks to read. I won't miss my clothes/desk/bed, but the bks...
can't bring them. have u any idea how COSTLY excess baggage charges are!!?? i shld just ship all the stuff i need over to hobart, like, now, so i'll be able to receive them when i arrive. most of my luggage consists of my dive stuff. the rest are: 1/2 bks plus some of my clothes. altogether alr 20kg, altho i still have loads not packed.

anyway: if anyone i know are gonna be visiting australia anytime in the next 3 yrs, do pay me a visit! even tho hobart is out of the way of any part of australia, n not exactly convenient to reach...

2006-12-16T18:41:00.000+11:00

I've returned.

2006-10-06T12:46:00.000+11:00

diving at Tioman was gr8. went there alone, stayed in a RM25/nite place w freezing cold water, no sink, no mirror, one unreliable fan and a holey mosquito net. the result? short, cold baths; brushing teeth over the toilet bowl; no looking at my reflection for 5 days; multiple sandfly/mosquito bites; IMMENSE FUN!
despite having dived at Tioman for quite many time alr, the dives nvr cease to bore me. i luv swim-throughs!!! they're totally diff from normal dives, and i like the contrast btwn the light outside and the darkness inside the swimthrus. plus there're a gr8 many micro stuff to look at :)
lots of cuttlefish. even MORE jellyfish. fellow divers got stung cos most were wearing shorties. my legs n arms were entirely covered, so i was safe! plus, i had gloves, so i played w the jellyfish by taking them in my hands n poking them. they're far from soft/jelly-like! in fact, they're hard, as if they have shells. maybe they go limp only when they're dead.
saw a marble ray (relatively large) at a mere depth of 3m! it was lying peacefully next to a smaller blue-spotted ray. I got as close as possible - if it had wished to, the blue-spotted cld've stung me exactly like one did to Steve Irwin. dint provoke it, tho, so i'm still here.

papers all returned... back to mugging, i guess. god knows i've loads to catch up on.
too little time, too much to do.

2006-09-22T10:05:00.000+10:00

IT'S OVER!!!!!!!
the first part, anyway.

I know some ppl have alr said we shld start mugging again, but i DON'T CARE. i'm gonna take a long overdue break. knowing me, this 'break' will probably drag on indefinitely...
going diving in Tioman again till next Wednesday, so i won't be going for the class treetop trek n bbq, much as i'd like to. haven't been to the treetop trail since it opened, n wasn't tt like ages ago? but being the nitrogen addict tt i am, diving takes first priority :-p

prelims were TERRIBLE. tt's all i have to say.

2006-08-30T21:21:00.000+10:00

today: 3+ hrs of lit lecture. already-tired hands frantically scribbling. there's a dent on the side of my index finger where my thumb presses it when holding a pen; the side of my little finger is all shiny from rubbing it against paper. the past 3 days have involved 1 GP essay, an AQ, 2 PC essays and 2 Bio essays, plus lecture notes. my almost-new pen is down to about 1 cm of ink left.

ytd: PC in the morning. 3hrs! 2 essays! dint noe wat the heck to write for the poetry comparison, but did tt qn anyway; dint even attempt to read the drama; did the prose cos i cldn't be bothered to analyse the last poem.
then Bio S in the afternoon. ??? quadrupeds??? on acct of my not having studied/ read up in prep for the paper, i cld only rmb bits of stuff abt ethanol/biogas, so the fossil fuel answer was v short. the 3rd world ctry one was marginally better in terms of length. crapped lots of stuff, made up the rest. was deliberating attempting the protein qn but how can one write an entire essay discussing the tertiary structure? cldn't for the life of me rmb even one example, so gave up on tt. at least i can be sure i wont have to treat the other bio s ppl to lunch cos i'll definitely get a U.

monday: GP. globalisation. which most ppl did, so = competition! the compre was !!?? the 1st psg had little to do with population. 2nd passage went on at gr8 length abt Americans n their obsession w numbers. summary was a scavenger hunt.

entire chem syllabus. entire bio syllabus. entire math syllabus. 6 lit texts. little more than a WEEK.

2006-08-08T10:48:00.000+10:00

yep, i've neglected this blog for quite some time.
there's been nothing interesting for the past few wks, really. been inundated with an incredible amount of assignments, tutorials, etc. just bio alone is more than enough to occupy me for hrs. not to mention math, thermodynamics*** and lit essays.
how can anyone expect us to get down to studying when we're all up to our necks just trying to clear the load of schwk? every time i clear one stack and think i've finally got time to study, another flood comes in.

*** speaking of which: what does the word 'option' mean to the sch and whoever plans our chem syllabus? why issit tt we are not given a choice as to which chem OPTION to take? several other jcs are being considerate to their students and allowing them to choose, such tt the non-physics students are not forced to grapple with horrible physics-like equations to do with work done and pressure and energy and wat-have-u. sure, the tchrs can say tt thermodynamics is easier to score... but tt's if students first GET THE CONCEPTS and are able to apply the equations. some ppl dropped physics for a REASON.

tmr: another day gone. dad going to JB, have to go up to meet him since we've not seen him for several mths, and since he can't come down to s'pore...

2006-07-21T22:16:00.000+10:00

THANK YOU everyone for the b-day wishes and presents! Had a wonderful 18th bday 'cos of all u guys!
i promise i'll make gd use of all the stuff i've been given... including the hair stuff, which reminds me tt i need to cut my hair soon as it looks too normal :-p luved the skull and crossbones! the brownies were yum (no signs of food poisoning yet). PN: i'll keep the bk 4ever, it reminds me of all the gr8 times we had :) yy2 and lyn: i'll wear the bikini on my next dive trip! and another big THX to everyone else!

2006-07-13T12:08:00.000+10:00

ooh i forgot to say this:
some of the locations in POTC2 are absolutely stunning. filmed on site in the caribbean. when i saw the incredible beach and the unbelievably clear blue water, i was, like, whoa- amazing dive site! GOT to go there some day.

makes it all worth it

2006-07-13T11:53:00.000+10:00

went to watch POTC2 ytd after chem (rushrushrushed to orchard to catch the 6.30pm at lido - was practically jogging across the road once out of the mrt stn).
the movie's GREAT. hilarious and lots of action. funnier than the first one.
ppl who're intending to watch: stay till after all the credits (super super long) to catch an additional scene!
>>> don't worry, no spoilers here :-p
very long, but dint feel draggy at all cos of all the laughs, mostly provided by johnny depp. orlando bloom n keira knightley were not worth looking at. glad yy2 is sorta over her orlando-phase haha
found myself getting irritated, for no apparent reason, with davey jones' face and, to be precise, certain of his facial expressions. mebbe it had to do with the flat area where the nose ought to be... his eyes are oddly human, and incongruous with the rest of his very-obviously-nonhuman face.

today: stuck at home with a horrible-sounding cough tt resounds frm the depths of my chest. i've never had such a cough before, previous ones mostly originating from the throat. keep trying to get phlegm out but to no avail.
not tt i'm complaining abt not being in sch. there really are better ways to occupy myself.

off to do sth productive (hopefully)

2006-07-11T22:05:00.000+10:00

stuff seems to have piled up overnight. last wk i was slacking thruout and all of sudden i realize this wk seems to be incredibly busy. i, for one, do not recall ever having so much gp stuff to complete...
needless to say i have yet to begin plowing thru said pile of work.
i keep kidding myself tt i've got all the time in the world.

2006-07-06T22:06:00.000+10:00

been a while.
CTs are over and as usual i'm in a holiday mood. borrowed bks frm the lib so i've been doing little other than reading lately :) proper bks, not stupid notes. currently i'm in the midst of 4 bks! got to keep track of all the plots...
finally got proper fins and booties. they cost somewhat, so i'll be using them for as long as they last me, which wld hopefully be forever...
went to tioman again last wkend, during the youth day hol. did only 3 dives, but enjoyed the 3 days of relaxation. viz wasn't too gr8. no turtles this time (last time i went to tioman i saw ard 10 turtles in total), no sharks, and of course no manta. nonetheless, it's always gr8 to get away frm s'pore.
did a heart dissection today. first dissection for me, on acct of my sec sch bio tchr being afraid of blood and so refusing to allow our class the opportunity of doing any dissection at all. it's not as if there was even loads of blood. managed to see the valves and to locate the diff arteries/veins by poking our fingers thru random holes to see where they ended up. v unprofessional, haha. i'm sure surgeons do not manhandle patients' body parts like we did today...

2006-06-20T10:38:00.000+10:00

i saw a whole school of dolphins.
they were swimming right alongside the boat and were so close!
other highlights of the dive trip (indonesia n m'sia):
- enormous pink jellyfish swam right past my head. did my best to avoid it by squishing myself to the side of the boat in an attempt to get the largest possible distance btwn myself n the huge thing.
- 2 small puffer fish hiding underneath coral
- 2 trigger fish on one of the dives at P.Pinang. one of them was a huge black one, and threatened to attack! got away as quick as possible by finning madly away, all the while watching it to make sure it dint come any closer
- viz at Jack Rock dropped from 5m to ard 2m! as a result cldn't find the nurse sharks
- the actual 7 skies wreck tt i saw was only a v small part - the bridge. fortunately the descent line was v clean, unlike the one on the prev dive at aur where there were millions of sea cockroaches...

the liveaboard was v fun on the whole. gr8 food! dint get seasick, and cld even manage to sleep v soundly despite pitching of the boat all thru the night. when i arrived back in s'pore and back on land, i cld still feel the rocking of the boat. cldn't get used to being on land again after 3 non-stop days at sea...

2006-06-14T23:13:00.000+10:00

watched R.V today. very absurd and at times plain ridiculous, but a gd laugh. some v predictable scenes, but on the whole it was harmless fun.
as u can see i'm doing hardly any mugging.
barney and his frens were singing away at ps. incredible crowd enjoying their performance. lots of ppl (and not just the kids) were also shouting along with the dinosaurs, professing their love for one another. what on earth is so appealing abt a purple dinosaur with a perpetually open and grinning mouth, stunted useless arms and a stomach so huge it cant even peek at its toes?
realized stuff in carrefour are way cheaper than stuff we usually buy frm cold storage/ntuc/ shop n save. unfortunately it is a considerable distance btwn ps and my house, which meant i had to lug loads of stuff over a longer dist than usual (ie. frm holland v to my house).

i found something today. far from good, but it'll have to do.

2006-06-14T00:53:00.001+10:00

CIP today again. the kids have really evolved, from the first time we met them. the younger grp esp, who were terrors on the first day. today they were practically angels - they listened to instructions, got organized very quickly and were basically surprisingly well-behaved. i'd like to think it's cos they respect us and wanna be on their best behavior for our sake, but it's likely all thanks to the lure of sweets. who said bribery doesn't work?
have i been mugging 10hrs a day like some ppl? no. i can't sit half an hour at my desk without feeling restless. funny, cos i can sit for hours on end with a gd bk, and yet i can't even tolerate 30 mins with my notes.
glad i'll be going diving this wkend. nowhere far, but at least i'll be away. while the rest will be returning frm hk/macau/guangzhou (which is where they went), i'll be heading off, matching their two weeks with my two days. hmm.

finished reading the dark tower today. i wldn't wanna be in the gunslinger's place. an endless, vicious cycle of suffering. urrgh. to get to the end and return to the beginning, and to do that over and over again, is worse than death. while the others get reunited and live 'happily ever after'.

2006-06-08T11:31:00.000+10:00

went to mt faber park & harbourfront ytd, for want of fresh air.
stupid construction opp my block. terrible noise and a total nuisance.
it just absolutely had to rain this morning, just when i'd planned to go for an early morning swim.

more time?

2006-06-04T14:22:00.000+10:00

watched the Bus Uncle video on youtube ytd. now i know one more cantonese swear phrase! haha. the uncle kept on repeating tt one phrase, tho. dint he have more to share?

home alone.

rosemary's baby.

2006-05-25T18:22:00.000+10:00

went to watch the da vinci code ytd. the bk is definitely the better version. lots of extra lines on robert langdon's part so tt the Christians who watch it wont get even more offended. the plot wld seem rather complicated to those who haven't read the bk cos the bk explains stuff so much clearer. tom hanks looks nth like the robert langdon as descibed in the bk. ian mckellen was q gd as teabing, especially the part where he gets arrested. the albino monk silas was also well played, i thot. the self-flagellation and tightening of the cilice part was morbidly fascinating...
read in today's newspaper tt angels n demons cld be made into a movie too. the bk is much more enjoyable than the dv code, so hopefully the movie (if it's really made) will be better as well.

today: my left eye was first v itchy, then red, then painful.

a plane flying off with one less passenger

the sacrifice

2006-05-17T22:37:00.000+10:00

will be going to macau this june, staying there several days before going to HK!!!
miss HK loads, esp the food. once u eat there u'll nvr place s'pore food in such high esteem anymore.
unless u're one who can't do w/o chilli
fortunately i can't stand chilli so i wont miss it one bit in hk.

to hell w cts

2006-05-07T16:58:00.000+10:00

a few pix frm 28 Apr - 1 May P. Aur dive trip:

humphead

puffer underneath a slab of coral

moray eel

cuttlefish

crab

lionfish

clownfish (more commonly known as 'nemo')

spanish dancer

FAB detergent advertisement

2006-05-02T11:00:00.000+10:00

Aur was GREAT. (then again, diving is always gr8)
highlights:
- went deepest i've ever gone, 40.0m! was trying to find 3 wrecks but cldn't prob'ly cos of the monsoon season which swept them away frm their original place, i guess. descended using some rope which was terribly dirty, with red moss-like stuff growing. onli at the end of the dive did we discover, to our horror, millions of tiny sea cockroaches clinging onto our bodies! they'd migrated frm the rope onto our wetsuits n equipment. the moment we divers got out of the water we were all frantically trying to wash the disgusting little bugs off. got most of them off but found some more on subsequent scrutiny in preparation for the following dives. we were all scary ourselves silly with tales of insects crawling into our ears/ into our REGS! which wld mean breathing the bugs in and feeling them crunch btwn our teeth...
- 2 large cuttlefish! v ugly, but a wonderful sight nonetheless
- crabs!
- moray eels
- 7-armed starfish
- blue-spotted stingrays
- went snorkeling in search of some sharks. swam q far out but cldn't find them
- no manta :(
- dint see turtles this time. the other grp of divers did, tho, when we were on our deep dive
- loads of barracuda

until someone is generous enuff to buy me an underwater casing (and pref a better cam), there'll be no pix taken by me. however, i might load some of the photos taken by fellow divers, who seem to be q gd photographers, judging by the photos.

till next time!

2006-04-25T22:04:00.000+10:00

this wk seems v hectic.

going diving at aur again this wkend! long wkend, so can go frm fri to mon. :D

ADEX was an eye-opener. saw an amazing no. of dive sites which i wanna visit. loads of equipment for sale. lots of incredibly tanned watersport-type ppl. also saw eugene frm dive atlantis n i wanna go to manado!

2006-04-19T17:05:00.000+10:00

the dive scene in sg is realli q pathetic. so, to do sth on my part:

Asia Dive Expo 2006
22-23 April
Sat (22/4): 11am-7pm
Sun (23/4): 11am-6pm
Suntec Exhibition Centre Halls 403 and 404

EXHIBIT PROFILE
-Dive Travel Resorts / Destinations
-Live-aboard Dive Operators
-Dive Equipment & Accessories Manufacturers /Wholesalers / Exporters / Retailers
-Underwater Photography & Videography ß Diving Related Print and Electronic Media
-Commercial Diving Companies
-Diving Related Art & Handicrafts & Accessories
-Dive organizations / Institutions /training Certification Agencies / Clubs

If u are a:
-Certified Diver
-Dive Beginner
-Water Sports Enthusiast
-Adventure Sports Enthusiast

This event is a MUST!

Dive Expo 2006! 22-23 April! Must go!

2006-04-17T23:03:00.000+10:00

most dreaded part of napfa is OVER for the last time!
hooray
after this fri i'll be FREE
from napfa, at least.

the weather sux. was praying for rain which dint come this morning, and instead came down in bathtubs (as opposed to buckets) when i was heading home.
needless to say my small umbrella wasn't much help.
fortunately the rain sorta stopped when i went for dance.

it's been ages since i the sun was out when i was swimming. went ytd and it was nice n sunny up till the moment i reached the pool. in no time the sky was grey n lightning bolts appeared successively. barely got any laps done. no wonder i'm starting to look yellow...

what does the weather have against me?

and now, for a commercial break:

DIVE EXPO 2006
22-23 April
11-6 a.m. (or ard there)
Suntec

ppl who're interested in diving must go! just to take a look at all the promotions and hopefully get influenced by the enthusiasm of divers attending the event.

as an aside, i'm going on sat.