.... and I Will Be Flying On a Broomstick

Listening tests.. Where we are introduced to indecisive shoppers... Case 1: "Hmm.. Okay then, I'll take the square-shaped clock with the black dial." (You: Ready to circle the answer.) "Oh wait!!! That round one with the white dial looks cuter. Maybe I should buy that one instead." (You: Move to the other answer.) "Oh well, never mind, my friend said he doesn't really like white. So, I'll just take the black one." (You: Oh, god dammit!!)   Where people are forever lost and never get simple directions... Case 2: "Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the fitness center?" "Oh, go straight until you get to the crossroads. Turn left. Go past two traffic lights. Turn left into the third street you see after the second traffic lights. On your right, you'll see a green building." (You: Finally! Pencil poised to choose the answer.)  "That's the bakery. And then turn...." (You: -________-) W

Once you begin those "sidebar journeys" on youtube, it's like being sucked into a black hole. And say bye-bye (or sayonara or au revoir or ta tar or Zàijiàn or whatever) to the next three hours (or more) of your life.. Anyway, since all my finals and reports are done and dealt with, I think I deserve the right to waste some time.. :D Here are a few songs I came across on one of my "sidebar journeys" and a few posted by facebook friends.. In no particular order.. - The Dreamer by Tallest Man on Earth - Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men - All I Want by Kodaline - I Can't Make You Love Me (Bon Iver Version) - I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know by Never Shout Never - Gonna Get Over You by Sara Bareilles - Freight Train by Sara Jackson-Holma - Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

I once saw a TED video by Josh Sundquist.. He lost his left leg when he was young but later, he became a paralympic ski racer. He said he has these three letters written on both of his skis.. 1MT 1MT It means 1 More Thing, 1 More Time. Whatever you do, do 1 more thing than what others are doing. And do it one more time than you would normally do. It means more hard work but when all's said and done, I believe it will be worth it. So here we go! 1 More Thing, 1 More Time..

8:45 pm. I like turning off all the lights in my room at night and looking out of my 4th floor window. I can see city lights blinking in the distance and their reflections on the water surface. Tonight, only a few lone stars up there. Down here, just a gentle breeze. The silence is much welcome. All in all, it's a quiet night. And moments like these are my favorite here.

Dear Dad, Happy birthday, Dad! Last time I saw you was at the airport. You kept waving at me every time I look back. There was the glass screen between us and I wanted to shout out but I knew you wouldn't hear me. And did you know? In that moment, I just wanted to run back and not board that plane. I hope I can meet you soon. I know you worry about me. But I'm doing fine. I love you and miss you. :)

3 words. 8 letters. It is HOTT.  Yep. With an extra "T". Coz that's how hot it is. -_- Seriously. The heat is unbearable. It's getting to my head.  I can't concentrate on the lectures. I can't bring myself to get any work done. I just wanna stay in my room and sleep all day.  Oh wait. These are just the normal symptoms. ke ke.. :P It's been a long and tiring day. And it's just the start of the week. Geez.. Now, I should probably prepare for my Japanese speaking test tomorrow. I have two reports to finish and a midterm on Thursday. Yet, here I am, listening to "All of me" by John Legend and blogging about my mediocre life. July needs to end quickly so that I can breathe. Enough complaining. Getting back to work. Signing off for now. Over and out.

Taking a moment of silence... To mourn for what? For the words that died on the tip of my tongue Or all that time wasted on thinking what could have been? For the things that I couldn't understand Or the things that I lost along the way? For the expectations that were buried alive Or the pride that was tossed aside countless times?  This moment of silence It feels like a lifetime And it hurts in the most delicious way.

On Wednesday, we organized a Tanabata event in AP House. So, I got to learn some interesting things about the Japanese Tanabata festival. First, a short introduction. Tanabata is written as 七夕　in Japanese. The first kanji is "seven" and the second one is "evening". It means "evening of the 7th". It celebrates the meeting of two stars on the 7th day of the 7th month. The custom is to write your wishes on a piece of origami paper and hang it on a bamboo tree. You can also make other shapes such as paper cranes or hearts. Image taken from http://japansocietyny.blogspot.jp/2012/07/tanabata-tutorial-seven-ways-to-wish.html There's a story behind it and it goes like this. Once, there was a princess who was very good at weaving. Her father was the Sky King. She worked hard every day at the bank of the heavenly river (which is the Milky Way, by the way). But at the same time, she was very sad because she didn't have time to fall in love. So, t