In which I try something new. Though this may well be a one time thing.

 Using my crappy phone camera, I present to you, my guitar and singing fail.

Summertime is one of my favorite songs from My Chemical Romance's album, Danger Days. I wish I was as  awesome as a killjoy.

I won something! *gasp* and an unfortunate rant on Punctuality, or the lack there of

So last Monday, the 26th of November, my batch, which is the cool and totally awesome 2007 batch, held a goodbye dinner. Because we are graduating. At least, a majority of us are graduating. (where did my life go?) And among the many fun and tear-jerking things that we did that night was an award ceremony, in which we voted for people in certain predetermined categories and guess what? I won the "Book Worm" category by a landslide. My nerd spirit rejoices with this acknowledgement of profound book consumption. Though I think this pretty much shoots down any preconceived notions that I may have had for being, you know, cool. But it's a small part of me anyway. The nerd has really, and truly finally be acknowledged.

So yeah, I got this really cool hot pink sash which mentions my honorary status as resident book worm written in fairly cheap fabric writing ink thingy, and a cheap brooch. We had a limited budget, trust me, I know. I'm part of the committee. In fact I head the freaking dinner committee. In which now, I will gracefully segue into a small rant on punctuality and the amazingly depressing lack there of.

As head of the committee (unofficial head, I stepped in after the previous also randomly elected leader walked out on us because there was some problems with public opinions being too public and opinion-ish) organizing the thingamajig, I had made an announcement that said activities will start at 1830 hours. I had expected, that as would be doctors and all around already grown up and responsible persons, the latest anyone would be was 1845. And I was prepared for it. The worst case scenario was that we would start at maybe 1900 hours.

But woe is me, yet again, I have been proven too naive. The nerd has a very idealistic view on life in where people actually know how to read a clock. By 1900, there were only maybe less than 25 of the confirmed 71 attendees.

Yes. I call this, the unfortunate Malay Syndrome. Where among the things that happen in Malay syndrome is that, when they say that they are "on the way", it actually means that they are on the way to the toilet to get ready. They have not even dressed yet. The three little words that are guaranteed to make me cringe in despair, "On The Way". So, say you have a date, and you're there on time because you actually have a concept of time and said date is not even there yet. You call them, and they say, "Oh, I'm on my way." Or maybe, if said person is a man of few words, will then reply with OTW. Despair, because now you can safely say, that you will die of starvation before said other party is out of their house. I hyperbole you not.

Okay so maybe I'm being too dramatic. But I expected better of my friends. Even my committee minions were late. And that says something.

Also, I tell you, I am the only girl I know who can get ready in less than 10 minutes. I kid you not. Now that I have made that statement, I expect to be beating them back with a stick any day now. But I guess one of the things that I did wrong that day was because I forgot to factor the fact that women, at least, other women who are not me, basically needs a minimal of one and a half hours to get ready.

So yeah, take note.

Actually, I think the worst thing about this lack of punctuality is the fact that everyone expects it. It is a god given fact that any thing organized in this region will never start on time. And everyone expects this. And because they expect this, they will be like "I don't have to be early, it's going to start late anyway. We'll just be wasting our time if we go there early." And because everyone has the same expectation and reaction, they all come late and the ceremony starts late. And they're all smug like, "We said so."

But, what I think nobody realizes is that, when everyone expects and reacts that way, they are actually causing the entire thing to start late. Can you start anything when there are no participants? No. So we have to wait for them. And we wait for them. And we keep on waiting.

And because this is a mass reaction, even the committee expects and reacts the same way, making lateness inevitable. What happens is a vicious cycle of non-punctuality. (inpunctuality? is that even a word?)

It's a problem of behavior. The hardest thing to change.

And with that little note, have this really awesome poster I found at Pangandaran.

It's a poster that advises you to take Kina. An old drug used for Malaria. (We don't really use Kina anymore because of the bad side effects).

i'mma go read a book

akunona

Self preservation not available

But not really. Maybe there was a shortage. Maybe we had too much faith in out own indestructibility. Maybe we're just that stupid. But last Wednesday, I and 5 Other people, willfully jumped in a river, during the rainy season, with life jackets and 4 guides. I don't know how to swim other than keeping myself afloat and maybe the backstroke.

Not something I'll probably do again any time soon. If we went during the hot season, where apparently, the currents aren't as rapid and the scenery would also be more beautiful, I might contemplate doing it again. But that will be somewhere in the really far, really distant future.

But dammit if it wasn't scary fun. Scary but also fun. When you are safely dry, in your room, in front of your computer and reminiscing. Scary fun. While in the water, shaking from the cold, feeling the current pull at your legs and your knee aching from where you smashed it on an unseen rock under all that water, and you're remembering that you can't swim for nuts, and your nose is aching from all that river water you snorted up during that tumble over the rapids (where you also bashed your knee) and grabbing hold on a rock for dear, dear life, all you're really thinking is "I can't believe I'm doing this" and "Get me out of here".

Funny how hindsight can also be pretty dumb.

It was really kinda epic though.

So, to explain, a bunch of us went to Pangandaran and Green Canyon last Tuesday to Thursday. That thing with the water and rapids was at The Green canyon. Normally, when the river isn't overflowing from the rain, it's supposed to be really pretty. With green colored water and nature. And you know. That kinda stuff. You can swim down the river and enjoy the view. Or do some body rafting or some such nature stuff. Right now, if you didn't know, it's the rainy season and the river is something of a yellow dirt color and swollen because of constant rain fall. But we jumped in regardless. Which is why self preservation isn't exactly available right now.

On Thursday, we went to Cagar Alam, a kinda nature reserve where we tracked through the forest and saw caves and weirdly shaped stalactites and stalagmites. On of the caves there was a man made cave made by the Japanese (I say Japanese made but what I really mean, is they pointed the guns at prisoners and made them carve it out manually). It was pretty awesome. I mean really awesome. The WWII buff in me had a field day. They had all kinds of tricks in it. Like a fake entrance, and a fake exit. Holding cells and torture rooms. It's a shame that we couldn't see most of it because the rain had made it really slippery and apparently dangerous, so we only like, took a gander and came out the fake exit. I was pretty excited over it though. Even gave a really short lecture on the history of world war II in Malaysia and how what I found out really blew my mind. (I might write about it if I can collect enough guts to make my opinion known on the interwebs).

It sounds like we didn't really do much but with all that walking and climbing and tandem bicycling and getting swept by the currents thing, we were pretty wiped out.

So all in all, I can safely say this is the most fun I've had in the past two years or maybe more plus. Excepting of course, when my family came to visit because family tops everything.

And that's it for this post. I'mma have to take care of revisions tomorrow and as much as I like being a student and everything, I hate this shit so, so much.

nursing my aching muscles

akunona

Ear worm

You know, that song that's practically bored its way into your skull and there's no way you can get it out. No matter what you do, you are doomed to forever hum it. At least, until your brain kicks it out. But before that, you are doomed to hum it, sing it, jiggle to it and basically have it annoy you to the ends of the earth and back. And then, have you annoy everyone else with it as well, because you are physically unable to sing another song. Any other song. You might try, and manage a verse or two or a chorus before, when you realize it, you're back to humming that blasted ear worm.

So yeah. Dumb ways to die. SO many dumb ways to die.

I've been humming that absolutely all the time. And I just learnt the chords because, maybe, just maybe, giving it a form to come out with may abate its insistent droning in my head. Seems about alright now though.

So Anyway, I finished my degree? I think? I have another result that I'm currently waiting for and yeah, I really, really hope I'll pass.
Tonight I'll be off with some friends to this place called Pengandaran and The Green Canyon. Yeah, we know it's the rainy season and honestly, we don't care. I've finished packing my bag this afternoon, now all that's left is to wait for our ride. :)

I'll write about it soon. I've been planning to write some really long post about my co-ass experience but haven't been able to sit down and write, so till then, maybe.

Have a nice holiday everyone, Ignore the rain. It happens.

dumbest ways to die---

akunona

coughcoughwheeze

Back from Karawang since Saturday evening. It was fun, we had fun. Or at least, as much fun as can be had anyway.
Now exams are upon us, and I know sh*t. 8D

Watch me as I freak out. And there you have my current situation. (A small irritating voice is telling me I can handle this if I would just stop procrastinating on the net, but I killed it).

cheers

akunona

p/s: I'll probably write a more decent entry after all this is over.