Summing up the year in one post isn't easy. nevertheless, i've been doing my best for the last few years, and this year will be no exception. but before i start, i'd just like to say that it doesn't feel like the last day of the year today. maybe i'll believe it when i see that my phone calendar displays 2010 tomorrow.

anyway, to start off, i'd say that my theme for 2009 is "The Start of Something New". incidentally that's the title of the very first song in the very first movie of the high school musical series. i think the reason for the choice in theme in kind of obvious, so i won't really elaborate on that. i will say one thing though: back in 2005, i did say that there is no such thing as a completely new beginning, considering that previous acquaintances will somehow figure into your life at various points in time. i guess this year is as close to a new beginning as i'll get, considering that i haven't really seen that many people that i know floating around in NUS. that's actually both a good and bad thing. good because i can be less inhibited (not that i have been...sadly), and bad because there's no sense of familiarity.

let's briefly look at this year's resolutions and see how i did:

- Get my driving license by May 2009. (not done. no choice; no test slots)
- Pass all driving theory and practical tests on the first try. (yes for theory, no for practical)
- Not get into any accidents after acquiring the license. (yes, so far)
- Keep in reasonably good shape by consistent exercise. (mmm...no. even after going back into judo, no.)
- Kick a bad childhood habit. (i'm undecided on this...half, i guess)
- Survive in university (and get into the top 20% of my class). (while i survived, i didn't do as well as i'd thought i would)
- Be more outgoing/self-confident. (generally, my outgoing-ness has remained about the same, which isn't much to begin with)
- Engage brain before mouth under all circumstances. (not always, but most of the time)

i think my adherence to this year's resolutions could have been stronger. as it is, i know i haven't been putting 100% into every single thing i did. and i guess it shows. the main thing holding me back is laziness, which causes procrastination. while it's easy to make ambitious plans, that doesn't count for anything unless the plans are actually carried out.

this year, i've learnt a lot of stuff, both in and out of school. some of them are common-sensical, like how to observe a person properly (from the coaching course), while it's difficult to wrap your brain around some of the other stuff (quantum theory being THE major example here). some of them were learnt pretty easily and comfortably, while others tested my limits (coaching primary 3 kids being the major example HERE). but theoretical stuff aside, i've also learned several more life skills, like to be less trusting of people whom i don't know that well. i guess it's true what my friends say - that i'm gullible. personally, i prefer to think that i'm willing to give people a fair chance to justify themselves, but same difference in the end. well, after a pretty expensive lesson early on in the year, i'm now salting most of the stuff that i hear. all in all, i've acquired some new knowledge and skills which will benefit me someday.

for some reason, i think that i've become more easily-annoyed this year. from idiots on public transport, to people who don't keep left on the escalator. i think it's because i didn't really have to deal with such social issues while i was in army, considering i was in camp 5 days a week. i'm sure this has been around for WAY longer than i've been in army, but i probably didn't notice it back then.

several times this year, i've been wondering whether i was switched at birth. i can't understand how some aspects of my character can be so different from the others in the family. i swear, i get along with my extended family/relatives and friends better than i do with most people in my immediate family. kind of messed up, huh? looking at it objectively, my verdict that it's due to a lack of communication. once again, isn't it ironic that it's easier to talk to extended family/friends than to talk to immediate family? guess i'm the oddball.

aside from all that, this year actually passed by really quickly! i wasn't expecting that, due to the LONG-ASS slacking period, but apparently, even that had to end sometime. and as you can see from the disorganized-ness of this post, i'm shaking off the last residual effects of army. but honestly, i don't have much else to say, except that 2009 turned out pretty good. sure, it should have been way better, but i'm satisfied with it as it is. overall rating on the happiness scale: 7.

right now, i have to step outside for a bit to dispose of some stuff (mainly the boxes and waste material from my bookshelf assembly), and grab dinner. i think tomorrow's new year post will be longer than this one. no promises, but that's how i feel now. of course, that's provided i'm not too drained by the new year mahjong session which my friends organized.

-random thought of the day: Have to go exchange a screwdriver at the hardware store.-

Reached home a short while ago. yes, i finally gathered sufficient motivation to go to east coast. spent about 2 hours there skipping stones on the sea surface, watching people enjoy themselves, and thinking about my year thus far. here's something funny i noticed while skipping stones. out of the 40 or so stones i tried to skip, some of them didn't skip at all. most of them skipped once, and two of them skipped thrice. however, zero stones skipped twice...and i don't know why. i'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for that using statistics and/or quantum theory, but i really couldn't be bothered to think about it right now.

anyway, let's get back to the primary objective for the trip. i did manage to mentally review my year, and more or less confirm my theme for 2009 (it's been floating in my head since last year). however, it seems that this year's session was a little less helpful than previous years' ones, mainly because i've already had most of it planned out prior to the trip. still, it wasn't COMPLETELY wasted, since i did think of a few possible alternatives should i be feeling ambitious. i also managed to come up with some ideas for my 2010 new year's post, including some resolutions. all in all, i'd say it was 2 hours that were pretty well-spent.

i have a feeling that my jaw's slightly out of alignment. there's quite a noticeable shift when i open my mouth too wide. i was hoping that it would naturally crack back into position, but that hasn't happened yet. well, at least it's not causing major discomfort or problem. i'd really like it to sort itself out, but if that doesn't happen, i'll have to go to the chinese doctor (probably by thursday, since friday is new year's day) to get it fixed.

ok...time to plan for the upcoming few days. there are a couple of new story ideas floating around in my head, so i'll probably do some writing. aside from that, i have to log into CORS to check out the modules available, and to decide what electives i'll be going for in the upcoming semester. as another reminder to myself, wednesday afternoons are to be cleared for coaching. aside from that, i'll probably get in a short run sometime in the next few days. then, i'll do my year-end post on thursday, followed by the new year's post on friday. if information is correct, judo training should have resumed already, and i'll go for it on saturday. last thing on the list is physics tuition with my sec 3 (well, soon-to-be sec 4) kid, and that's set for sunday. looks like a good way to start gearing up for next semester. considering the ideal schedule i have in mind, i'll definitely need preparation.

-random thought of the day: Time to change my template design?-

This year's christmas was quiet. well, quieter than usual anyway. didn't really celebrate much, just went to my third paternal uncle's place for dinner yesterday. saw some of the relatives from my dad's side of the family. it's a change, considering how i'm used to seeing them only on chinese new year (which, incidentally, is in another 2 months or so).

speaking of which, 2009 is ending! i can't remember when i noticed this, but there's exactly one week separating christmas of one year and new year of the next. kind of brainless, but i thought it was cool when i first noticed it. if i'm not mistaken, next year will be the first time since 1998 that new years' day falls on a friday, and school begins on the latest date possible, january 4th. too bad it doesn't affect me any more, since school begins in mid-january for me.

i've done some browsing around in CORS, and if the information is accurate, my major modules' lecture times will not clash with coaching...provided the coaching time doesn't change. now, all i need to do is figure out what electives i want to take. japanese does look tempting, but i just worry that it's too memory-intensive. maybe this upcoming semester would be a good time to fulfill my singapore studies requirement. hmm...i'll have more details when CORS re-opens for bidding, so i'll leave it until then.

i can't believe making an east coast trip is turning out to be this difficult. the ironic thing is that it's not even a group outing, and i don't have to coordinate anything with anyone. guess it's the distance factor. ok. that's it. i'd better commit to something, otherwise nothing will materialize. i'll go to east coast tomorrow. i just hope it doesn't rain.

last thing i want to blog about: driving. apparently, driving once a week isn't sufficient practice. my judgement still isn't as good as i'd like it to be. sian. oh well. at least there haven't been any accidents. but i do realize that i have to be way more alert when on the road. guess i need more time...or more practice.

-random thought of the day: My jaw's aching...-

Visiting the dentist today just reminded me that i should stay away from that place as much as i possibly can. the treatment hurt like hell! it wasn't a constant dull pain; i can withstand that. instead, it was random jabs of sharp pain on/in my teeth. weird, huh? on the bright side, turns out i don't have any cavities! instead, the sensitivity was caused by my teeth wearing out. the dentist used a cool UV(?) light to check for wear and tear, like those seen in the colgate commercials! i still have no idea how the back sides of the teeth can wear out faster than the front/bottom sides, but oh well. i'm not trained in dentistry, so i'll take his word for it.

basically, treatment involved using some funny compound to cover up the sensitive areas, then setting it using some funny piece of equipment (which caused the pain). as a result, my bite is slightly off in alignment, since i think he used a slightly thicker coat of the compound on one of my teeth. it feels odd right now, but i was told that that compound would wear down with daily activities, so i suppose it'll only be a matter of time before i either get used to my new bite alignment, or wear down the compound sufficiently to revert back to my previous one.

since i was already there, i got my teeth cleaned as well. thankfully, this process was slightly less painful than the patching, though my gums ended up bleeding. i wonder - do dentists do anything that doesn't involve pain? guess i haven't been visiting the dentist as often as i ought to, otherwise, i doubt it would hurt as much. but i suppose the pain (and blood) was worth it, since it got rid of some deposits between my teeth which i haven't been able to clear. and i suppose that's why biannual visits to the dentist are necessary, because their nice shiny instruments (which spin really, really quickly) can clean teeth better than any toothbrush on the market.

as far as i remember, my first visit to the dental clinic was in december 2007 (my J1 year), for the wisdom tooth extraction. while waiting to settle the bill, i had a chance to look at my patient record card. turns out that my first visit was actually when i was in sec 1! heh. who'd have thought?

made a detour to the tampines branch of ikea after my dental appointment. purpose: to scout for bookshelves. saw a couple of candidates, but there wasn't anything that i fell in love with at first sight. halfway through browsing, my dad thought of asking one of his contacts to custom make a bookshelf. i only wonder why the idea didn't strike him sooner. anyway, i just passed him a sketch of my ideal design for him to show his friend. we still bought some stuff from ikea, in case the quoted price was too astronomical (and to make sure the trip wasn't completely wasted). luckily, ikea has this policy where you can get a 100% refund within 100 days from the date of purchase, provided that everything hasn't been assembled yet. that means the last possible day i can return the stuff i bought is april 3rd next year. i don't expect the price quote and negotiations for the custom bookshelf to take that long, but excess time is better than having to rush everything. see how it goes, i guess.

this is the 6th (i think...might be 5th) year that i've sent out christmas cards. decided to change my writing format a little, so that it looks more continuous. think i'll stick to the new format for subsequent years. i sent 22 cards this year, which (if memory serves,) is one of the most, if not THE most, number of cards i've sent out in any given year. hopefully they'll reach their intended recipients by today, because i really don't know if i managed to make the 5:00pm posting deadline yesterday. here's hoping that i did, though.

had dinner with a couple of my JC friends last night. they were telling me all about their recent CIP trip to cambodia, where life is slow-paced and people look younger than they actually are. after hearing them out, i'm tempted to go there for a short holiday. the only things that might not agree with me are the food and the lack of electricity. even though i've taken steps to include vegetables in my diet, i'm not prepared to go vegetarian for any length of time. well, at least that's one potential new tourist destination for me to consider.

one topic of discussion that came up was about routines. i briefly mentioned that i had some annual routines, mainly new-year posts, east coast trips, sending christmas cards, and year-end posts. my friend (who got 4.05 out of 4 for his GPA...i'm jealous.) mentioned that routines are comforting. see? i knew that human beings were naturally change-resistant! and speaking of routines...

right now, the most glaring/out-standing thing i have left to do is to go for my east coast walk. that will happen tomorrow, provided (1) the weather is clear/favourable, and (2) we're going to my cousin's place for christmas. actually, condition #2 isn't all that important, since i can just take the bus (or even convince my aunt to let me drive back!). but if the weather's screwy, then i'll have to shelve plans and push them to a later date. at any rate, my east coast trip MUST be done before the year ends.

well, i figure i've hit my word-quota for this post. no, i don't actually have a word quota. it's just another way of saying that i'm done with blogging for now. the weather is nice and cool, so i think i'll have a pretty relaxing christmas eve...though i still have this urge to grab a nail file and grind down the back of my over-patched tooth.

-random thought of the day: Should I risk going to Orchard Road later?-

My results are currently in an SMS in my phone. normally, i would list all of them out, then blog about them collectively. however, since NUS runs on the module system, i think it's better if i analyze the results module-by-module. here goes:

modern chem: B+
it's sort of expected, considering i messed up 2 labs, a bit of the mid-term, and parts of the final exam. to think i thought that this module would be brainless! well, it is, but you have to be fast and accurate when answering exam questions. apparently, i wasn't accurate enough. still, i'm more or less satisfied with the result.

physical chem: B-
looks like i really screwed up the final paper. taking my decent labs and mid-term into account, i was expecting between a B+ to an A-. guess not. then again, i never did like physical chem all that much anyway.

maths: B+
i know i threw marks away in the final, so i guess i can live with this one. still feels kind of wasted though.

bio: A-
i don't know how to feel about this one. i could have done better, since i threw away some marks in the lab component. but i could have done worse too, considering i guessed a few answers in the final. balances out to be neutral, i guess.

physics: A
it's kind of conceited of me to say that this was somewhat expected, but it more or less was. the only thing i wasn't sure of was whether it was going to be an A, A-, or A+. i mean, i did A-level physics, and this is a GEM module! only thing that kind of worried me for a while was the group presentation project.

CAP: 4.1

so, that's the breakdown of my semester's result. in general, i'm satisfied, because the actual result is actually the same as my highest predicted one. of course, i have to aim MUCH higher. after all, i'd be short-changing myself if i remained stagnant here. furthermore, i would not be upholding Mr Lee's principle of constantly pushing yourself, no matter how high up you are already (see his devotion story which i posted sometime in 2004). i do find it kind of ironic/sad that i scored better for my elective modules than i did for my cores. but that helped to pull my grades up, so i'm not complaining (much). as a side-note, had i known my actual and predicted results were going to match, i would have predicted 4.9 or something like that. damn it. yes, i know it doesn't work that way, but one can dream, right?

now that i have 1 semester behind me, there are 5 (or 7, depending on honours candidacy) to go! as far as first semesters go, i think this one didn't turn out too badly. sure, there's still room for improvement (0.9 CAP points' worth), but there's way more room for deprovement. unsurprisingly, the latter is easier to achieve than the former.

this semester also has (had? has had?) its fair share of learning points. i've mentioned most of them sometime or another in my previous posts, so i won't really reiterate them here. on second thought, i will, as a reference:

- no handwritten lab reports or assignments, EVER. unless the professor specifies, of course.
- make sure lab reports and all graded assignments are ai-zai.
- skipping tutorials is ok, as long as you know what the hell's going on.
- don't be afraid to email professors/tutors to clarify doubts.
- under all circumstances (especially exams), stay calm.
- don't trust everything fellow students say, especially if you don't know them that well.
- trustworthy seniors are a valuable source of information/help/advice.
- i have to choose my modules carefully. S/Us are precious.

bearing all these in mind, i hope my subsequent semesters' grades will at least match up to, if not surpass, those from this past semester. at present, it looks like i'm on track for my honours goal. let's keep it that way.

now that the anticipation, mental anguish and all that are all over, i guess i can relax until it's time for me to bid for next semester's modules. so, if you'll excuse me, i'm going to rock out to bon jovi.

-random thought of the day: I have conflicting emotions.-

Gloomy weather is somehow negatively affecting my mood. sure, it's been nice and cool the entire day, but something feels off. probably because it's been darker than it normally would be. i think i need to get out of the house more.

but wait...i just did that! convinced my dad to join me in bookshelf hunting. we spent a total of about 90 minutes going to the ang mo kio branch of courts, as well as a furniture sale in jalan pemimpin (i swear, i still can't spell that from memory). nothing really appealed to me at both locations. or rather, nothing really appealed to me at the furniture sale, since courts doesn't even have bookshelves to begin with. all the potential choices were lacking something, from stability, to colour, to wheels, to (excessive) height. or maybe i was being fussy? i was entertaining thoughts that the ideal bookshelf would jump out from nowhere, yelling, "here i am!"...but no such luck. looks like i'll have to go to ikea after all, probably sometime tomorrow.

one of my friends' MSN personal messages just caught my eye. it goes, "nature's first green is gold". a cookie to you if you can tell me where this line originally comes from, or which lower secondary literature book uses it, or better yet, both. seeing that line certainly brought back memories of my horrible attempts to appreciate literature. i even remember trying to write a few poems (all of which are subject to "burn on sight" orders if they ever resurface). up till now, the beauty of poems still elude me. probably the only poems i can appreciate are those intended to be humorous. bleh. i suppose no single person can master everything in his/her lifetime. thank goodness i'm not a literature major.

sometimes, i wonder how two people who are almost polar opposites in character can decide to get married. yes, i know that opposites attract and all that, but isn't that for the short term? i mean, sooner or later, conflicts will arise from the sheer opposite-ness, right? case in point: my parents. my dad is more laid back (a trait which i'm extremely grateful that i inherited), while my mum is a typical kancheong spider. let's use a very simple example, like housework. ok, maybe because it's a male thing, but my dad (and i) do(es) not have problems with putting the housework off for one - or even two - days. it's not like the dust/dirt which accumulates over that short period of time will kill, right? perhaps it's the difference between standards in gender or something like that. i just don't see how minor things like that can lead to arguments.

i'm getting tired, so i'll stop for now. if there's one thing i wish i didn't inherit, it's the ability to procrastinate. arrgh. i must at least get started on those damned christmas cards tomorrow.

-random thought of the day: Nothing's on my mind right now.-

Nothing significant has happened between now and the last post. i'm just blogging to record something i noticed.

now that i'm in university, secondary school and JC seem so far away. the realization that a lot of my juniors have already started, or will soon be starting national service does makes me feel old sometimes. some of the juniors (mainly those who are 1 year younger than me) have already ORD-ed! and the small little sec 1 kids i saw when i was in J2? they're going to start JC/poly next year, then it'll be their turn to go into army once their term of study ends. i know that this sort of progress is all a part of life, but it seems so surreal sometimes. i can't imagine what it's like for a parent, to watch their children grow starting from day 1. maybe i'm finally understanding why older relatives keep commenting on how much we've grown every time they see us during the new year period. either that, or i'm thinking too much due to having too much free time. think i'll head to bed now, then start on my christmas cards tomorrow.

-random thought of the day: Perhaps I'll visit East Coast on Christmas Day...-

From the reduction in update frequency recently, you might think that i've been tremendously busy. well, that's half-true. i've had my busy days, but i've had unbelievably slack days too. guess it sort of averages out.

probably the most significant thing i've done over the past few days is to clean up my room. everything looks more organized, and now that i've moved my books, i have more space on my bed (yes, i had books on my bed. am i the only one to have done this?)! problem is, i'm still bound by the law of conservation of mass. in non-scientific terms, i need to find somewhere else to put my books. that's led to me considering an ikea/courts trip one of these days to get a bookshelf. incidentally, can anyone advise on which place to go to? personally, i'm more inclined towards ikea, but i'm willing to hear out any arguments in courts' favour.

went down to thomson plaza today. vhive was the first place that came to mind when i started looking for a bookshelf, so i went to visit the thomson plaza branch. unfortunately, they didn't have anything that suited my needs. while browsing through the store, i saw the new version of my computer chair. it uses flat bungee cords (bungee bands?) instead of round ones. based on common sense, i would guess that flat cords are more comfortable to sit on. that's not to say that round cords are uncomfortable, though. i'm perfectly fine with my current chair, so i'm not going to waste $198 (or $268 for the silver one, which i think has slightly better support) to find out the difference. not until my current chair gives problems, anyway. while i was there, i also managed to get my phone's screen protector replaced. the old one was peeling a little, and some parts of my screen weren't that well-protected. so far, i've used 3 protectors in the 11 months i've owned the phone, which means one protector lasts for close to 4 months on average. looks like the lifespan of each protector is kind of short. should take better care of my phone, i guess.

my oral problems (minds out of the gutter, now) are still, well, problematic. sensitive tooth aside, i've also sustained a wound/ulcer/something on the right side of my tongue. i'm lucky that both things are on the same side of my mouth, so i can use the left side for chewing. i've already made an appointment with my traditional family dentist (the same one i went to see to get my wisdom tooth out 4 years ago(!)). thing is, his first available opening's on christmas eve! to think i'd thought that i would be able to call a few hours in advance, pop in, and get it over and done with. the news was kind of complain-worthy at first, but my cousins in australia and invercargil (that's the southern- and westernmost city of new zealand) told me that waiting time could be as long as months to weeks respectively. relative to that, 10 days doesn't sound all that bad. in fact, it sounds fantastic. so, i'll just stick it out until then. hopefully it doesn't get worse. if it does, i suppose i could take a risk and visit the dental clinic at the MRT station. at least i think it's a dental clinic...it could just be a tooth whitening centre for all i know.

as for the next few days, there's nothing much in store. the most pressing things are to get my christmas cards written and to visit east coast. should be easy to get everything done on time, provided i focus.

-random thought of the day: Should I get new pillows?

Close to 3 days have passed since my last update. true to expectation, i haven't done all that much constructive stuff. probably the most significant thing i did was to clear up my computer table, getting rid of a bag's worth of trash in the process. i've also started to started to gather all my books into one place. now, all i need is somewhere inconspicuous to put them, as opposed to the pile they're lying in next to my computer. figure i'll work something out on sunday, when i start clearing up my room. bet there are a few lost books there as well.

in the time between the last post and now, i've managed to more or less normalize my sleeping hours. i'm typically in bed by 12:00am (12:30 latest), and i sleep until about 8:00+am or 9:00+am or so. don't know whether it's due to this or not, but i do feel a tiny bit more refreshed and alert when i wake up. not to the extent of jumping out of bed, ready to face the day (i will never be a morning person), but definitely less zombie-like. whatever's the reason for it, it's good. i could get used to these new sleeping hours.

here's my to-do list from a few posts back, modified to reflect the past few days' changes:
- visit east coast (probably in the next couple of weeks)
- write my christmas cards (by the 22nd of the month)
- consider making a few online purchases (within the next couple of weeks)
- consider going on a physical shopping trip
- clear up my room (on this coming sunday)
- research second-hand cars (not urgent, but it's good to have the information handy)
- plan an exercise schedule for the holidays, as well as for next semester
- write either a new chapter, or a new fanfiction

everything up there is pretty much self-explanatory, but i'd like to expand on a few points anyway. let's start with the "online purchases" one. right now, there are a couple of things which have caught my eye. one such thing is a green lantern ring, from guardianrings.com. oh...there's that batman ring too, from the same website. i'm interested to get them for purely aesthetic reasons (translated: they're pretty and shiny. i like...). including shipping, i think that will set me back by about $150. looks like that'll be my christmas present this year...provided everything works out, and the website is trustworthy. the other thing i'd like to buy online is star trek online. at present, i'm still holding back from committing to it, due to the possible negative influence it may have on my schoolwork. i'm thinking that i'll only buy it if they offer a lifetime subscription package, like they did for champions online. of course, there's the grades factor, too. if my CAP is anything below 3.9, i won't even consider it at all. even if both important criteria are cleared, there's still a choice of where to buy it from. to be honest, i'm not too keen on the pre-order stuff (though the borg bridge officer from amazon.com looks kind of cool). i also don't feel the need to jump headfirst into it as soon as it launches, unlike my friends. well, we'll see. there are still too many unknowns right now.

as for my car research, i've spent an afternoon or two browsing through several used-car websites. the common consensus is that a vios is probably the best car for me (as i'm a newbie driver), and i shouldn't pay more than $30 000 for it. i wonder, would i end up saving money if i got one of those off-peak cars and converted it to normal plates? i also intend to get a manual car, seeing as i could use the practice in multi-tasking while driving...you know, watching the road, shifting gears, and trying to keep up with the conversation within the car, all at the same time. besides, it would help with my sensitivity/feeling/timing, since i have to judge when to change the gears. another reason to choose manual over automatic is that i miss engine-braking too much! however, all this is just theory for now. i don't think i'll be getting a car anytime soon. nevertheless, it's good to have the information. that way, i can just pull out some figures in case anyone decides to buy me a car provided i have the sums worked out.

i've promised to begin my exercise plan on this coming monday. since i'm horribly unfit, all i'll do initially is some light to moderate cardiovascular exercise, like 3 to 5km runs (well, jogs, really) plus some physical training after that. problem is, i have to decide on a good time to do all those; when the pavements aren't too congested and when there aren't too many people to laugh at me (yes, i'm still quite self-conscious). sometimes, i wish i could use army camp facilities freely. i think it would increase my interest to run, especially since there's less chance of people judging you based on appearance and performance in camp. actually, i don't really need much, though a shower facility would be nice. only 2 places come to mind when "shower facility" is mentioned - the stadium, and school. then again, i'm not sure if the stadium has one in the first place. maybe i should recce it one of these days. i really hope it does, because it would be kind of stupid to go all the way to school just for a run and a shower. perhaps i should consider going for NUS judo training. i'll probably have to do some foundation work to get my stamina and strength up to acceptable standards first, hence the running and exercise. well, the training is set to begin this coming monday, and will last for the rest of the holidays. i figure i can miss out on a week or two to do my own training first. after all, there will be junior grades there, and i can't lose face in front of them, can i?

just this afternoon, i felt a jolt of pain in one of my teeth when i drank something cold. to make things worse, there's a lingering bloody taste in my mouth. looks like i'm overdue for a trip to the dentist. with it being so close to the holiday season, i hope i can catch him while he's open. better get it over and done with as soon as possible. it's not wise to drag this sort of stuff. but between now and then, 'till i see you again... i'll just have to bear with it.

mmm...this is a surprisingly long post, in view of the relative slack-ness. then again, most of this post is more about what i plan on doing, as opposed to what i did. i still have a couple of things weighing on my mind, but i think i've done enough writing for one day.

-random thought of the day: 5th anniversary gathering tomorrow!-

To think that i'd thought that i wouldn't have anything to write about! guess coaching matters do make good blogging material. speaking of which, today's coaching session was a little more slack than normal. most of the kids weren't performing up to expectation, though. it could be because of the simulated competition environment. i suppose it could also be because today was their last training session of the year. one way or the other, their standard kind of slipped. i'm not too worried about it right now, because they'll forget almost everything during their break anyway.

after coaching, we had a little meeting to discuss plans for the upcoming year. being an assistant, all i had to do was sit down, listen in, nod my head a couple of times, and pretend to be interested. the brief meeting made me realize exactly how easily i zone out. despite my inattention, i caught a few key points. most of them are irrelevant to the topic i'm going to bring up, so we'll ignore them.

the few points discussed during the meeting which i will talk a little about is the training times and number of coaches. right now, we're tentatively set for 1 session a week on wednesday, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. if my schedule for the next semester is going to be the same as that of my previous semester, i would be totally fine with it. problem right now is, i have no idea what next semester's schedule is like! sure, i can choose my GEMs and electives, but what if one of my core modules' lectures occupies that timeslot, with no alternative times? my boss is currently under the impression that the lecturer can change the timeslot if majority of the students agree. i don't know why he refuses to accept the fact that that is not the case in NUS. to think he was telling me to be open-minded and flexible. makes me wonder sometimes.

anyway, like i was saying earlier, if any of my classes happens to be on wednesday afternoons, during training time, i don't know what i'll do. i can't just quit like that, because part of the negotiated deal states that there must be at least 2 coaches per session, and so i will more or less have to be a permanent fixture there. in the event of a conflict in schedule, i suppose it comes down to what i deem is more important. here, i must pause to remind myself that right now, i am a student first, and a coach second. but, i'll worry about it only if there is something to worry about. for now, this is just a contingency plan to remind myself to keep wednesdays free for the upcoming semester.

most importantly now, i have a sleep deadline to obey. it would be good to sleep early and wake up early too. some other non-urgent things i want to blog about can wait for the next post, which should only come after a few days (for real this time!).

-random thought of the day: Relaxation!-

About 3 posts ago, i mentioned that completing the NCAP course has given me added confidence when i'm coaching. apparently, i'm not the only one to notice this, as my boss said something similar today. yays. shows that even though i'm commenting on myself, i'm not a biased source. well, i just hope that i can keep the (so-far-so-)good work up. still have one last training session tomorrow before the kids go on their break. it's a mini-tournament, so my guess is the coaches won't be all that involved. of course, we'll be supervising and all that, but we won't be correcting mistakes as often as we do on a normal training session.

unfortunately for me, having theory certification is only half the battle won (well, it's more like one-ninth of the battle in the grand scheme of things, but let's focus on the present for now). there's still a practical component to complement the theory. from what i've been told, my experience thus far as a bowler and assistant coach more or less covers everything i need to know at level 1, and may even go a little bit beyond the required syllabus for now. sadly, i still have to go through the 4-day practical course and take the full-day test, even if it's just a formality. i can deal with a week of lessons, but the course and test fees add up to $300! hello, hole in pocket. thankfully, i'll only have to worry about that next year, since this year's course is long over. just have to keep this in mind when planning my finances. hopefully, it won't clash with semester time. i'll just leave this to the higher powers to sort out.

my sleep cycle is messed up. now, this is usually not a big deal, since i've blogged about similar stuff happening before. i'm kind of worried that it's not "usual" this time. it might be because now that everyone at home who is of school-going age is on holiday, the average bedtime in my house has been pushed a couple of hours even further back. so i, for one, am typically sleeping at around 2:30am and waking up about 8 or 9 hours later (when i don't have coaching, that is). apparently, that's not healthy. therefore, i'm going to do what i did sometime during my long slack period, which is to set a "sleep-by" deadline for myself. since it's the holidays, i think i'll give a bit of chance and set it at 12:00am, starting tomorrow. before you say anything, tonight's deadline will be even earlier than that (11:30pm) due to coaching obligations tomorrow. so, that's a good start.

sometimes, i wonder why people can be so technologically-impaired. it's not my intention to stereotype, but it just so happens that the most tech-unsavvy people i know are middle-aged and/or female. that's not to say ALL middle-aged people or ladies are like that - one of the tech support personnel in NUS happens to be (you guessed it) a middle-aged lady. and yet, she regularly changes projectors and resolves problems for the professors. though i know a tiny bit more about this sort of stuff than the average person, i bet i'd still lose out to her. on the other side of the spectrum, i have an ex-army friend who's in the same university and course as me, and his IT standard is barely passable.

back to the initial topic, i don't know why people who fit into either (or both) of the categories mentioned earlier tend to ask for help immediately when something is wrong. it could be something minor, like the internet isn't working on a particular computer, or they can't open a file. i wouldn't mind helping if the problem was due to a virus attack or something that requires more-than-average knowledge to solve (not that i'm almighty, but at least i know where to look if i can't solve a problem myself). but when solving the supposedly big problem only requires the flick of a switch, or connection of a cable? that's kind of anticlimactic, if you ask me.

personally, i cannot understand why these people don't look around and try to solve the problem themselves. maybe they follow different thought patterns. don't know whether it's a guy thing, or whether it's from my signaller training, but every time i encounter a technology-related problem, i'll follow logical steps to try and solve it. you know, like seeing whether it's a hardware or software issue, or even whether it is within my power to solve the problem or not in the first place. maybe that's why people ask me for help...because i'll save them the trouble of troubleshooting. *random thought: wouldn't that just be "shooting" then?*

to add on, i'll help (or at least try to) even though the problem may be minor and idiotic. what really annoys the hell out of me is when the people who ask for help try to offer advice. i mean, if you click on a button and it doesn't work, will it make a difference if i click on the very same button? it's sort of like backseat driving, but less dangerous. besides, if i had wanted their input, i would have asked for it. the fact that they are unable to solve the problem and have asked for help means that they're acknowledging that i'm more proficient in that area than they are. sometimes, when people offer their opinions like that, i'm tempted to just throw the problem back to them and walk away. anyways, i think i've found a less confrontational way to solve both of these problems. i'm going to design a sign/card that says "SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN" (remember the whole AWARE thing earlier this year?), maybe with a picture of the person who said it...or some other appropriate logo. then, i'll hang up the sign in the car whenever i'm driving! hopefully that will drive the message home. if it does, it'll totally be worth the $1 that i'll pay in school to have it printed in colour.

looks like i wasn't as over the backseat driving incident as i'd thought i was. heh. well, that mini-rant has helped to get rid of some (more) steam. i think the only time i'll be able to put it 100% behind me is when i next get the opportunity to have a nice, uninterrupted drive without unpleasant surprises. hopefully, circumstances will allow it to happen within the next few days.

ever since a couple of hours ago, i've started feeling soreness around my left (aka. more screwy) knee. it's centered around a tendon-y/muscle-y/soft tissue region, so i'm guessing it's that meniscus thing again. not sure what could have aggravated it, especially since i've been reminding myself to take it easy on the left leg. that makes the weather my greatest suspect at this point in time. after all, old peoples' joints tend to ache when the weather's cold and damp, right? does that make me old!!? oh noes. at least it's bearable for now.

i currently have about another hour before i have to follow my own deadline and go to sleep. i think i'll spend it in some nice, relaxed way. i just haven't decided on what exactly i'm going to do. i figure i'll find a way to entertain myself.

-random thought of the day: Happy 1-year ORD anniversary to me!-

Something tells me i overdid the post-exam slacking just a little. that "something" happens to be the fact that i've been oversleeping and missing a few morning appointments. of course, i've been sleeping kind of later than usual too, so that may play a part as well. nevertheless, i have to re-tune my body clock, or at least tweak it a little. can't afford to miss the coaching sessions which are scheduled for this coming monday and tuesday.

as a(nother) reminder to myself, here is a list of things i intend to do in the near future:
- get my hair trimmed (probably tomorrow)
- visit east coast (probably in the next couple of weeks)
- write my christmas cards (by the 22nd of the month)
- consider making a few online purchases (within the next couple of weeks)
- consider going on a physical shopping trip
- clear up my computer table and maybe my room (within this coming week)
- get my bank book updated (maybe tomorrow, before/after my haircut)
- consolidate and organize my books (also within this coming week)
- research second-hand cars (not urgent, but it's good to have the information handy)
- plan an exercise schedule for the holidays, as well as for next semester

there are probably some other things which i want/need to do, but they're not coming to mind right now. maybe that's a good thing, considering how long the list looks already. well, i figure it can't be that important if i can't remember it. i'll update this list if anything does suddenly come back to mind, though.

christmas mood has started floating around. i've been feeling it a little bit more, especially since i've promised not to let academic matters mess with my head for at least the remainder of the month. i think 12 years in the education system plus 2 years in NS have conditioned me to look forward to this time of the year. after all, it's the only time i get to spend a whole month completely away from school, free from any holiday homework. and, of course, my excellent planning allowed me to not set foot in camp for the majority of the month during NS days. so, i guess it's natural that i'm slowing down a little during this month. not that i was all that fast in the first place, but what the heck.

i think i'll go to orchard road one night, just to see the christmas lights (yay rhyme!). i've seen them once or twice before, but it wouldn't hurt to go once more (ok...now i'm pushing it). seriously though, looking at christmas lights does lift my spirits. and i think it would be nice to just take a leisurely stroll down the street, admiring the view. only things that worry me are the possibility of rain, and the crowd that's sure to be present. well, i figure i'll check the weather forecast to solve the first problem, and only go at a day/time when the crowd is expected to be the least populous to solve the second. whatever the case, i'll make that trip probably sometime the week after. might be good to meet up with my cousin, who has chosen to spend his long semester break interning at an auditing firm (he tells me he's bored to tears there, so i suppose arranging a meeting with him would break the monotony for him).

ok. i'll stop here for now. will have to leave home in a few minutes to go to said cousin's place. seeing how as my life's "interesting" factor went down when the holidays arrived, i'll be updating less...unless the writing bug bites me, that is. but if all goes well, i'll check in on either monday or tuesday with a status report on that to-do list. until then, then!

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*minor update*

just got back from my cousin's place not too long ago. it's about 12:25am now, so i suppose that i should be starting a new post, but i can't really be bothered to.

anyways, the reason for this (maybe not so) tiny little update is for me to get something off my chest. if i don't blog about this, i definitely won't get a good night's sleep. i'm referring to the fact that i got backseat-driven for the first time on the way home just now. i thought i understood how my cousin felt when his parents did it to him close to a year ago when he just passed, but i realize now that i underestimated its irritability.

i mean, i'm ok with people not having that much confidence in me as a new driver. i can understand why they feel like that, and i expect/accept it. but, it's one thing for me to KNOW about it deep down inside, and another thing for me to actually SEE the manifestation of that unconfidence. a sudden sharp intake of breath, or worse still, an exclamation, can throw a new driver off and just demolish all the confidence that has been accumulated thus far. in fact, i found my driving to be comparable to that of a fresh learner after the incident. you know...braking late and unevenly (more so than usual, anyway), accelerating jerkily...the usual obvious errors which i'm not supposed to make by now. needless to say, i was (and still am) horribly annoyed.

even then, i would have reacted better if the person who did that was (1) in the front seat, (2) a licensed driver, or (3) preferably both. sadly, the person who was responsible fulfilled none of the conditions. maybe that's why it happened in the first place. any driver worth his/her salt wouldn't do something that idiotic. if it ever happens again, i'm stopping the car (extra jerkily and abruptly) at the next convenient place, getting out, and asking any other licensed driver in the car to take over. if there isn't one in the car at that time, good luck. either the backseat driver goes, or i do. in fact, i had wanted to try doing that today. luckily my dad handled the matter well, and didn't give me a rough time over it.

right now, i'm still sorely tempted to yell "CHEEBYE!!!!!" at the top of my lungs. maybe that urge will fade with sleep...or maybe i'll give in to it; i don't know. but i promise myself not to let this little setback affect my enthusiasm for driving. i mean, how retarded would i be if i decided not to drive any more after today's occurrence? a couple of thousand dollars and about half a year's driving lessons wasted just because of one backseat driver? i think not.

-random thought of the day: I want the Green Lantern and Batman rings from this website!-

With the conclusion of my exams today, my first semester at NUS has come to an end. funny...that sounded way better in my head than it looks on-screen. must have been the feeling of liberation messing up my thoughts. but yes, the main point is that school's out, and it will remain out for about 5 more weeks, until mid-january or so. by right, i should be relaxed and carefree by now, but that isn't the case. that's because in exactly 3 weeks, i'll be getting all my modules' results back. even though i don't think i'll do that well (especially with today's up-lorry performance for maths), i'll know for sure when i get the results back.

as i've just briefly mentioned, maths wasn't too great. somehow, i think the professor sets killer questions (which are actually meant for maths majors) on purpose. good thing he marks super leniently and is more concerned with methods as compared to answers. out of the 10 questions in the paper (7 pure maths, 3 stats), i think i only managed to answer 3 or 4 completely. did bits and pieces of the others too, of course, but not to my satisfaction. the help sheet did help a little, mainly for the stats part. i realize that having a help sheet isn't that useful, especially if your knowledge is half-assed. there were times in the paper i was questioning what i'd written down for the stats part! hang on...my professor just posted the answers to the pure maths part online, and i got some of them right. missed a really easy integration question, though, so that's 3 wasted marks. arrgh. i can't believe the answers to some of the questions are THAT EASY! trust me to over-complicate things. sian.

well, i hope my final grade won't be too bad. according to my latest estimates, my CAP is 4.1 at best (and i'm not even bothering to think about the worst-case scenario). i'd be content to see it at around 4.0, actually. anything above that is a bonus. seems like CAP 4.0 is a B+ average. and, as luck would have it, i need a whole semester's worth of A+'es before i can bring it up by just half a point. or i suppose i could settle for an A- average and bring it up by a quarter-point. looks like my lab reports and stuff are going to have to be ai-zai next semester. which reminds me...i should choose my modules carefully. but right now, i'm going to heed the advice of my recently-departed physics lecturer (rest his soul). during one of the initial lectures, he told us that university life is all about how fast you can pick things up and put them down again in order to pick other new things up. furthermore, after some discussion with my boss, i've arrived at the conclusion that i'm far too concerned about my grades. after all, everyone is bound to mess up at least ONE semester, and i'm glad it happened to me sooner rather than later. gives me a chance to fight back in the subsequent semesters. it's a lesson learnt...just like handwritten lab reports.

halfway while writing this post, the line "meet me at the top of the world" suddenly came to mind. a bit of googling and youtubing later, i found that it was linked to this song:

this isn't the nice studio version, but it's the only video of this song that youtube would allow me to embed. so we'll have to make do with it. this version doesn't sound too far off from the original, anyway...except for the singers interacting with the audience. if you want to hear the nice recorded version, i think the link will pop up in the "related videos" thing once the video ends. come to think of it, i have no idea why that line came to mind. maybe it's a sign that i should consider joining that upcoming mountain-climbing expedition or something.

i'm also trying to get in more driving practice when it's practical to do so, like driving to turf city in the morning, and back from my cousin's place at night this past saturday, as well as driving to school this morning for the exam. granted, there weren't that many cars on the road at those times, so it wasn't that much of a challenge. still, it's good exposure and helps me to adapt. at present, my major weakness is that i'm still taking some corners too fast, and not capturing/processing certain data as fast as i need to. must look at the speedometer, mirrors, and surroundings more often.

now that the exams are over, i can focus on other things, like coaching (we only have a couple more sessions at maximum before the kids break for the holidays), writing (i'm planning to get at least one other fanfiction chapter and/or a new story up), making my annual east coast trip (which i conveniently forgot about for the large majority of the year), and possibly some physical exercise. in the almost-year since i left the army, my fitness has gone down the drain. too bad i won't be able to attend any of the 2 remaining judo training sessions before they stand down for the holidays. well, i suppose there's always running...but that can wait until after tomorrow's coaching session.

-random thought of the day: How is it possible for me to have a scientific brain and a romantic soul!!?-