Sup3rnality

Some nights ago, Tuesday night if I am not mistaken (yes, it was cos now I remember that it was after my Feature Writing class and we were supposed to discuss MSL, but couldn't), Ash and I took a walk to Convest (the convocation festival held at the large parking lot near the Law Faculty). I haven't been there since it opened, eventhough it was right next to my college, as compared to it being so far from the guys' college.

Anyway, it was nice, walking together on that cool night just talking. Nights are usually very boring for me cos I would be cooped up in the room not doing anything and able to communicate with anyone. Usually, I'd be playing games, or watching a movie, doing laundry or something or other. So it was a nice change of scenery to be spending time with my love.

I was there with not so much the intention to eat. So I just looked at the many different foods that were there, each deliciously tempting with it looking so yummylicious and giving out yummylicious aroma as well. I swear I could have gained pounds just taking in the sights and sounds.

We stopped at one of the stalls, and I saw the reason as to why Ash was so intent on going to the Convest thingy in the first place: the gerai bihun sup utara (I hope I got that right). My sayang was intent on getting some genuine Northern glass noodle soup with a generous amount of beef and topped with sambal (chilli paste or something like that). So we sat down and enjoyed a hot bowl of soup and noodles on that cold, windy night.

Satisfied and full from a big bowlful, we took a walk somemore around the Convest hill. Despite the coolness of the night, I was just intrigued by the ice cream stall. The kid in me was jumping at the thought of ice-cream and so I got meself one yummy chocolate ice cream in a cone. It was a nice balance to a hot meal, and yet so cold to eat on a cool night. But with the company and the atmosphere and the food, I couldn't ask for anymore.

Ash and I sat down under a tent where there were some seats and a fan while I finished my cone. We talked a bit about some randomness, just having a laugh before we had to get back to our respective colleges. It was just nice, spending time like this...

What hit me the most was that this would be my last Convest as an IIUM student. The next Convest I go to, it would be as a graduant myself, cos it will be held at the time of my convocation (insyaallah). Felt a little sad and the bout of nostalgia started to make itself known... The end of my life as a student is coming to a close. Regardless of my decision for my future (in further studies), this will mark the end of my academic requirement. Whatever else I should pursue, would be my choice entirely, not because I need to.

Whatever it is, this last time was perfect. I had good food, I had fun just looking and browsing, and most of all, I had great company, just being with someone I love. Perfect.

Thanks, sayang, for taking me there.

Here's to Convest, and the next one to come.

Love, Linzy~

My room tells alot about me.

Take one look at it, and you'd know the state my head is in at that time.

My room reflects me alot, and right about now you'd think that I am pretty messed up in the head.

I've had a whole lot of work this entire week. On top of the 5+1 assignments that were due this week, I also had two midterms. Because of the time I have been dedicating to doing my assignments, I've hardly the time to really study. So most of the studying was done last minute and pretty minimal at that.

Thankfully, my midterms weren't all that all bad. They were definitely do-able. And I left the classroom with that air of confidence of someone who thinks they have done well. Well, ok, sometimes I am prone to being a little overconfident, but then again, I am rarely disappointed.

But at the very least, I am not worried by them and there is no nagging feeling at the back of my mind telling me that I should have studied more or answer the question this way and that...my conscience is clear at the moment.

The assignments on the other hand, drove me a little off my rocker. Arabic 2 and Error was a breeze, and I finished them in just a bit. But it was American Literature, Malaysian & Singaporean Literature and Feature Writing that just squeezed the brain outta me. I've been suffering from a writer's block, and when I write, I don't like just crapping everything. I really had to do it good, you know. So it took me a whole long while to actually get my head in check and get something done. Thankfully, everything's done now and I now can catch up with sleep and rest.

So how does my room look at the moment? Well, for one, my bed has clothes, books, notes, and various other unmentionables piled up. The reason for that is to make my bed as uninviting as possible lest I fall asleep and not do my work. My floor is full of assorted laundry, all divided into different piles (whites, lights, underwear, tudungs, baju kurungs etc.). My table is just indescribable cos you just can't see any surface and the cupboard is a splash of colours all thrown carelessly. Summary? My mind is in a mess due to work, therefore my room looks the same. I cannot bring myself to do any tidying up when my mind is all used up for different reasons. It's focused on work and work only.

One thing though that you can say about my mess is that they are organized. Things may not be where they should not be, but even then they are arranged nicely and not just thrown about. It is sort of like an organized chaos. Something like that mess room that Monica has in the apartment; even the mess in there is all neat. So maybe you can say that even when I'm messed up, I'm still the organized nerd? Maybe.

Anyway, it's time I get back up there (to my room. I'm at the lab now) and do a little kemas-ing. Now that my work is all done for the week, and plus it's a holiday next week, I'd better get a little cleaning and laundry done.

So, okay then.

Love, Linzy~

After reading Fidzy's blog some days back, I couldn't help laughing every now and then whenever I think about it. I forgot about this little incident we had when we discussed what we would all be doing five years down the road. But now that I am reminded of it, I remember that it was during the first week of Semester 1, and we were having a little get-together at Leha Kelfood. Aaina wasn't araound cos a) she was in Bangi; and b) I forgot to tell her where we were.

I don't remember how we got to talking about what we would be doing five years from now. Perhaps it was about how this was my last semester and we were probably talking what we would be doing after graduation. I guess at this point of time, we were starting to see the long stretch of possibilities of the future. And really, 5 years is not all that far away...

Apparently Fidzy recorded our predictions onto paper, and this is what came of it... (copied off Fidzy's blog)

Lina - Married with kids
LinZy - either married to Ash or still planning their wedding
Ash - re: above
Ayumi - Travelling the world
Maj - some politician who loves island hopping
Aaina - still in Bangi.......HAHAHHAHAHAHAH!
Raqib - getting stabbed upon meeting the love of his life
FidZy - a rockstar or somewhat.........married or not!

Interesting indeed...I'm curious to see which one turns out true. They're all pretty plausible, but then again, we never know what lies ahead, yea? We'll see in time...

Love, LinZy~

I was anticipating Monday night. My sayang had a theatrical performance that night at the Experimental Hall and I was very psyched to watch it. It's been quite a while since I've watched a play staged by my fellow coursemates and this being my last semester, I was very excited to watch my last play as a student of IIUM.

I was quite disappointed for a while when the play was almost cancelled due to some complications. I really wanted to see Ash doing what he does best. But when he told me on Sunday that the play was back on, I couldn't wait for Monday night.

It was a bit of rush, definitely, for the whole cast. I mean, thinking it was cancelled but only to have it back on schedule at the very very last minute... They had rehearsals the whole afternoon hours just before the performance, and eventhough I wasn't there, I'm guessing it must have been a helluva lot to do. And I'm also guessing that since it was so last minute, they had to forgo alot of things cos there wasn't enough time to really get into it. And Ash did mention that he didn't get to really get into the feel of the character.

I would say that the play was done nicely, regardless of the last minute-ness and all. The story carried and I was taken aback at the ending...so much so that I stared unblinking at the stage and unable to capture any pictures. I just sat there watching my sayang act the crazed person as he killed his 'daughter' and then laughed hysterically on the floor.

Me wish me could watch more plays...but this is my last semester, yo; and there ain't anymore. I regret having missed so many plays in the past due to my nerdly intent to finish my work instead of a little RnR. In fact I missed several plays that my sayang was in... Sorry!

Anyway, it was a good night. Despite the tiredness and worry I had in my brain cos of all the work I had to finish, it was good to take a little time off, have a chat with Fidzy for a bit and watch a play (one that Ash was in at that).

You really were good, sayang. And I'm not just saying it. You really portrayed your character well and it was very believable. Especially at the end...you sounded really mad that it actually scared me. I just wish you didn't punch the stage so hard...Now I'm worried about your bengkak hand, which is now a little blue. Get it checked will you?

Love, Linzy~

Argh, it hasn't been a very good week for me. My mind's all over the place (I know it already is anyway, but it is a tad more than usual) and it's not very helpful. The strain of the semester is beginning to show, and I know that it's bound to spiral for the next month or so til the semester wind's down. I think I've said this a million times before: I need a reprieve.

This week did not go altogether right for me. I mean, there were moments of sanity and wonderfulness, but for most part, it was as though the odds were all against me. For one, I just got a fine because I left my laptop on the table, and there was a raid early in the morning; so when they opened up my compartment, they straightaway saw the laptop and gave me a fine for not having my laptop registered....what a rude awakening that was. On top of that, I'm totally turned off by the prospect of going to my ComApp class after the blunder my groupmates made in our presentation the week before. Error & Contrastive Analysis is killing my braincells badly. I lost my matric card, and I swear I left it at the CC but they say it ain't there. It's my frikkin' last semester and am already halfway through it at that and I lose my matric card. It costs 50 bucks to replace it and I can't even withdraw cash to pay for it cos my ATM card is my matric card.

And last but not least, I'm having a killer writer's block that is hindering me from writing 3 assignments that are due next week. In fact, I have one due this week but I couldn't submit it cos I can't seem to write a single paragraph right. And I have three midterms to think about next week and I am not prepared for that.... Argh. My brain hurts.

Among other things, after the lepak session at the stream behind campus, I discovered that I got bitten all over my body. It was raining earlier in the day and the river was a little murky. All the weird bugs were probably taking a swim in the river after the rain washed them into it, and me being the one allergic to bug bites, am now covered with little red bumps that are just so itchy. Eeee....annoying giler.

Ok, it's not so bad now that I have listed it out. But my brain is overloaded with stuff and they're just spilling out for lack of space. I just need some time to sit back and relax and sort through them...but the thing is, I do not have the luxury for that. The time that I do have left is for me to finish up all my work that is due soon... Sigh. Here's to insanity.

Of course, not everything has been bad. There have been good moments. Like going for the Body Shop's launch of the 'Breaking the Silence' Campaign at The Apartment, KLCC with Ayus. Lepaking with the Twisties at Bangi Kopitiam like the good old days. And of course, just spending time with my Sayang or just simply talking on the phone at the end of the day or my classes with him. Those are my shining lights during my dark week...so it's not all that bad. And now I am home after 2 weeks of not seeing my family.... So all is good. There is a ghost of a headache just lingering in my mind, but I'm putting it off for a bit til I get my bearings of things.

Anyway, lets hope next week gets a little better. I know that I have 3 exams and 4 assignments to submit, but I know I'll get through. With a lil help from my friends.

Love, Linzy~

It was hot, I was bored and I just needed some time out. It was a typical Tuesday afternoon. I didn't have anything else to do since there were only 2 classes which were all done by 1pm. Usually Lina, Yumi and I would just sit around and chit-chat...but this day I was just feeling so sweaty with the heat.

I had an impulsive idea. I was thinking, since it's been a long time since we've been swimming in the stream, I thought the idea of going for a dip in the cool cool water of the stream would be simply wonderful. I proposed the idea to Lina, who said she didn't mind. Yumi couldn't make it cos she had classes til 7pm on Tuesdays and Thurdays. And lastly and importantly, I called up my darling Ash to see whether he wanted to go. Since he, too, said he didn't mind, we began the hunt for a car to rent.

After calling here and there, we finally got ourselves a car and Ash was gonna be picking it up and then picking us girls up. But right after we settled everything, we ran into Raqib. We invited him to join us and he agreed. And since raqib wanted to go too, there was no need for car rental; cos we could all take Raqib's car. So we did.

After dropping by our rooms and picking up what we needed and changing, we set off to the stream. We got a nice, shady spot with somewhat of a pool to wade about in. The water felt so refreshingly cool after enduring such a hot hot day. It was just so good to be feeling so relaxed in the water, splashing about with good company, that is, Lina, Raqib and my Sayang.

We had lotsa fun. It gave me a chance to forget about class and work for a few hours and enjoy having fun with friends and being in the arms of my dearest sayang...it's just exactly what I needed.

I wish we could do that again soon... That was definitely one of the best ways to wind down after a tiring day.

Love, Linzy~

Written for my Feature Writing class 'Song Interpretation' exercise on the 7th of August 2008.
For this exercise, I was inspired by Jewel's "Who will save Your Soul", and the song sets the mood for this story, almost like a soundtrack. I call this piece:

Feature Writing really proved itself to be much fun on Thursday night, and it reminded as to why I love words and writing so much. I loved class that night, and I'm glad I didn't miss it in favour of hopping onto one of those buses to Genting (of course, I would have chosen being with you over anything else, sayang, but the Genting thing was an impulse comment; and if we really wanted to, well, that would take planning. Maybe sometime soon?).

Anyway, the class that night opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of writing styles and methods; and the method we used was 'Song Interpretation'. And while in some ways it is nothing new to me, since I've blogged a few entries inspired by songs or used song to interpret/emphasise my words; I've never written in that way before, in a way that while it was by my definition, what I wrote out of it had nothing to do with me. Well, it could if I wanted to, but I preferred the suggested method.

This was what we were supposed to do:

-Think of a song that inspires you.
-Think of how they make you feel.
-Write a short story or scene using the song in some way.

So I thought long and hard, shortlisting the my favourite songs and favourite artistes in my mind to think of the perfect song that could inspire me to write a story. Initially, I came up with this list:

- 'A Sorta Fairytale' by Tori Amos
- 'Full of Grace' by Sarah McLachlan
- 'Kiss the Flame' by Jewel
- 'Who Will Save Your Soul?' by Jewel
- 'Sign on the Door' by Edwin McCain
- 'Write Me a Song' by Edwin McCain
- 'Spark' by Tori Amos
- 'Here is Gone' by Goo Goo Dolls

It was quite hard for me to choose, since, well, they all pretty much inspire me in some way or other. Tori Amos for example, has a way of not connecting any of the words to create an immediately understandable meaning, but is layered with various interpretations. Jewel's concern for society is happiness and sadness sung as poetry. The Goo Goo Dolls casually rock out the sounds of their concern and advice. The Edwin McCain Band sings sultry blues-y rock that pulls at heartstrings....

Of course, I'd have thrown in more songs, like that from Sarah Bettens, Sarah McLachlan etc. But that would involve listing down every song on my playlist. But after long deliberation, particularly taking into account how vague the lyrics are so to create my very own story and not something that was already plainly described in the lyrics. In the end, it was a toss up between 'Who will save your soul?' and 'Sign on the door' and I chose, 'Who will save your soul'. It was vague and could be interpreted in any way regarding the wayward modern society. So within the next half an hour or so, I scribbled away a story....

TO BE CONTINUED...

P/S: I'd like to think that my creative streak that night came from having a wonderful day with my sayang. Right after our MSL makeup class, we managed to steal away for the rest of the day and spent it with each other in KLCC, before my Feature Writing class that night. Ash took me to Kinokuniya to get my Buffy #16 comic and made the rest of the time so much wonderful with much love and pampering (and scaring... leaning against the railing on the top floor... You know I'm afraid of heights, sayang). Thank you, love, for putting the many smiles on my face. You're very much my inspiration. I love you.