Although the semester isnt over yet, i think i can safely conclude that this has been the toughest and most trying so far.

Like i've told some people, i miss the days when i was doing mostly literature modules. This meant that it was just individual essays to hand up and not projects laden with lots of field work and presentations.
But not that i really mind project work. I find it's a lot more interesting than simply churning out essays and a hands-on experience is definitely a whole lot more fun.

However, what led me to this comparison is really the whole notion of "individual" versus "group".
No names here but let's just say quite a few have already managed to irk me. For those who know me well, i usually dont get angry or worked up over such things, especially when it comes to other people. But this time, i think they have succeeded in frustrating me.

Up until now i still havent got parts of a project due next tuesday. Its really annoying me because its not like i dont have other things to do. And the recipient involved promised to email it to me on tuesay. Then she apologised and said Friday. Then she said by 7pm Friday. So much for keeping to deadlines, and (more importantly) to your words. Im extremely frustrated because i cant consolidate the whole project because it is her parts which are missing.
BAH.

But on top of it all, i feel like there's something that i need to learn. JY reminded me that as much as others are praying for me, i need to pray for myself too. sometimes i feel like i refuse to seek God's help, only God knows why im so stupid to refuse divine help, and i trudge along like an old woman with a hunch. i need to start relying on Him entirely. And to cast all my cares on Him for He cares for me. Even a grumbling tired kathleen like me.

Of course there are those who have been listenning to me rant. Thanks. You all have made it that much more bearable.

And, on a much happier note, im finally going to order my birkies. Only one problem, which one? *grin

Gizeh Bronze

Madrid Rain of Flowers (orange)

Madrid Kimono (beige)

Madrid Kimono (black)

Why cant i just buy them all?

in all honestly, im quite fed up.
what's the point of emailing in my questions when replies are as hard to come by as a 100 dollar bill on the sidewalk.
and when emails are sent out, im not even part of the mailing list.
emails with important information might i add.
or when they come in when the deadline is already over.

so far, i feel like ive been self-taught and relying on friends from other classes.

sigh.
im already predicting a big fat C for this module.

After 10 weeks of school, i think i can safely conclude that every monday is "annoy-kathleen-day".
hurhur.
just ask alicia or michele.
they would completely agree with me.
*bleah.
but its all in good fun.
and it generates lots and lots of laughs to chase away the sleepy/grouchy monday blues.
so why not?
(:

someone tell me why (why why why!!!) everyone in singapore is going to hongkong in december.
and not just in decemeber, but during the same week my family is planning to go!
argh.
very very very annoying.
my parents are rather reluctant to be put on the waiting list for the flight.
it doesnt make much sense because you cant really start planning to go anywhere else.
shucks.
mum tells me to pray hard. hurhur. pray that people will cancel their booking.
yeah right.


so much for hongkong i guess.
bye bye to daily indulgences of dim sum, shopping for pretty but useless winter clothing, delicious portuguese eggtarts from Macau (sorry gina and mish!) and cheap stuff from ShenZhen.
and i was really looking forward to meeting my relatives.
especially the cool grand-aunty who is about 84 years old but uses a handphone, has a tv bigger than mine and a full sound system.
funky (grand) mama i tell you.
hur.


well, my one consolation is that if all else fails, we'll be heading to bangkok.
BUT.
because my brother is going for reservist, we have to come back on a friday.
how can anyone go to bangkok and not stay for the weekend!
bah. so much for going back to chatuchak.
oh well.
at least i know i'll have a blast shopping till i drop, sneaking out to eat street food with jy (my mum strongly objects!) and cheap japanese food.
and hopefully we get to stay at Pratunam Princess only because its connected to MBK.
(being a 4-star hotel helps too. hurhur.)


but still............
i want to go hongkong!

*sulk.

i wanted to blog this on tuesday but i was just too tired out to do so. anyway, during lecture, a video was played for us. it talked about Disney's clothes factory in Haiti. Haiti is a poverty-striken country with people desperate for work to survive. as a result, they are easily and heavily exploited. if i remember correctly, they are being paid about US$2.40 for working daily. if they meet the quota for the day, they earn about 10cents more per hour. however, the quotas are usually unrealistic. the conditions of the factory they endure is terrible. it is stuffy and hot. they are not allowed proper breaks or given sufficient water to drink. employers even deem their toilet breaks as "a waste of time".

when i saw the video, i was appalled. i'm sure michele and everyone else in the lecture theatre would share my feelings. Disney is a company that produced fairy tales and promoted living your dreams and other social values. and yet it is being grossly hypocritical by cruelly exploiting these helpless people. furthermore, a tshirt is being sold for around US$34. think of the amount of profits Disney is making.

disgusted. just plain disgusted.
google "Disney+Haiti" and read more.

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today mishie moo and i paid a visit to the new Vivocity shopping centre. we were supposed to be meeting a few of our acjc classmates there for dinner but it was cancelled in the end. i still wanted to check out the place so mish graciously went with me. let me say a big thank you to mishie moo first and foremost. thanks for accompanying troublesome whiny little me even though you were not feeling well. drink more water ok? get well soon!

vivocity doesnt live up to all the hype it has been given. initally you feel overwhelmed by the scale of the place. but i feel its only because its new and i havent been there before. but once you start walking around, you realise its really not that large after all, especially if you've been to the mega-malls in KL. i overheard one lady saying the place reminds her of KLCC.

the shops are your typical shopping centre staples - giordano, esprit, zara, mango, fox, ebase, charles and keith etc. of course there are the new entrants into the singapore shopping scene such as GAP and Ted Baker. unfortunately, GAP was a complete disappointment. the things were just okay and rather plain looking. the price definitely didnt warrant the article of clothing. i do want to check out GAP kids though. i look like i could fit into their larger sizes. heh.

overall, me and mish finished navigating the entire place in about 3 hours, inclusive of going into several shops. we also did manage to get some stuff. mish got a really pretty puff-sleeved chilli red jacket from topshop and a cherry necklace. i got myself 2 necklaces, a collar tee from topshop and a wide belt from forever 21. not too bad, considering i spent less than $70 in total.

i guess i would go back to vivocity. i have yet to go up to the viewing level where you can see the sea. and there are still quite a few shops that arent opened yet. its a rather nice place to just take your time and walk around, that is, if the crowds die down just a little. i also havent really explored what food options are avaliable but i already know my favourite Carl's Jr. is there. and that's already reason enough to go back. throw in the convenience factor (its on the NEL and near NUS!) and im quite sure i'll be back.

(:

instead of reading my literature textbook, i started browsing the latest ikea catalogue.
i guess its moments like this that spurs rather unimportant action such as a sudden keen interest in wanting to rearrange the layout of my room.
sounds fun doesnt it?

yes and no.
yes because i'll get a new room for FREE (sorta. but there is high possibility that i'd go out and buy accessories to decorate my new room. hurhur.)
no because it's gonna be a huge headache not only trying to move things around but, in the first place, to come up with a new layout.

for those of you who have been to my house, you should know how puny my room is.
one bed, one desk, one chair, two shelves, one beside table are pretty much all the furniture there is.
(speaking of which, all of the aforementioned are from *where else?* but ikea. im such a fan. ha.)
coupled with the built-in wardrobe and shelves as well as powerpoints and cable points and phone points and the lack of a wall (one of my wall is made up of sliding doors connecting to the outside PES), i think its gonna be a real challenge.
hmm.

well, we'll see if i eventually get down to doing it.
for now, its back to the textbook that got neglected.

toodles.

Leisure
W.H. Davies

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

my friend was looking for this poem and im glad she did. i had heard of this before somewhere and just had to look for it or else be constantly irritated by not knowing the full version as well as the poet responsible for this melancholic poem.

how timely did the poem come too. a much needed reminder.

simply put, the poet here is lamenting about not being able to appreciate nature due to a lack of time. this was written during the 19th century hence the main focus on the wonders of nature.

despite being in the 21st century, we still can apply his words to our lives. we need to know when to stop and find time to "stand and stare". much more than that, our standing and staring shouldn't be, in very local terms, "stoning" but rather to appreciate the things around us. i suppose the people around us more appropriate than nature, as was for the poet, especially since Singapore is pretty much a concrete jungle.

so do heed to advice of a dead man. haha. dont burn out and take the time to stop and smell the roses. live a life rich with experiences and love, not a "poor life" ridden with care.

in case you were wondering, no, this blog isnt dead. well at least not yet. haha. just that my lappy was spoilt and was sent for repair. i was using my bro's lappy for the time being but it just didnt feel the same blogging on it. haha. and then there was paziness. and a heap of undone work that needed to be done. but at least im finally back. and here's a much needed update.

ok before any updates proper, i need to complain about the IT co-op service centre at YIH. more specifically, about the fujitsu guy. he's the most unhelpful, impatient and annoying service assistant i have ever encountered. tsk. if you ever have trouble with your fujitsu laptop, i suggest you go straight to their service centre instead of going there. it took my laptop a total of 2 weeks just to be fixed. and it was only the keyboard that needed changing. furthermore they charged me an exhorbitant price of $52.50. shucks. i should have just brought my laptop to sim lim square and get it changed there. my brother says i can do it for much cheaper and get it done in ONE DAY. bah. what a waste of time and money.

hmm..updates..nothing much has been going on really. just been doing work work work. so thank God for my brother's generousity in lending me his laptop if not i honestly would have been seriously handicapped. haha. the invasion of new media into our lives. but since our lecturers want essays to be typed out and everything about school u need to get from our wonderful IVLE, it really is a necessity isnt it. oh well. im just glad that my laptop is back! but getting it back means having to return my brother his. haha. and i was just starting to get used to the larger and wider screen and the harder keyboard. haha. oh oh oh! i'm gonna miss the convenience of having a webcam in-built into the laptop! especially when u have a bf who is down under. hurhur.

what else have i been up to. well most recently i went out shopping with gina yesterday with the intention of getting formal wear for my presentations coming up. but lo and behold, the most amazing thing happened. i didnt get anything. yup. you read it right. kat got NOTHING. i was devastated! haha. ok maybe thats too strong a word but its RARE that i dont buy anything. plus the fact that i was all ready to spend money. bah. what a wasted trip. it also means i gotta find some other day to go out again. any takers? haha. but thanks Gina. thanks for sacrificing your study time to go with me. even though i didnt get anthg, i really enjoyed your company and all the laughter. lets do this again soon alright? and yes. our high-tea session. we'll do it when we've handed up all our term papers and what not as a sort of celebration yeah? hurhur. start saving money!

alrighty folks. kat is dying of hunger and needs to go eat. i know this is probably the start of crunch time for most uni students so hang in there guys! (: