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| [I don't have that album, but I listened to the quartet piece online. Never did I think I would like Debussy's stuff. Btw, I recommend Highbury Quartet's version.]
A good friend, dorm- and coursemate of mine recently lost his precious wireless mouse, and he's freaking out about it. That prompted me to wonder why he--and most other people in campus for that matter--needs a mouse so much. I know it's just not as good as a full-blown mouse, but would it really kill to use the touchpad? My mind wandered off from there, because I have like, so much of time to think about such important matters, and I found my thoughts landing at the things that I do not need in campus. Now, I'm talking about physical, material needs in general, and I'm going to make a pseudo-list here. Appreciate it, because I don't often make lists.
Things that I do not need in school:
1. A Facebook account. Or any other social networking sites, for that matter. Even out of school, for that matter. Yes, I admit I have a Friendster account, but that was made ages ago, back when I was young and naive. But in any case, I never saw the point of it, and I still don't. I don't understand why people need these sites to connect with (mostly) the people that they see every single day. Don't they need some alone time? People tell me Facebook is just different, but I don't care. I tell you, whatever it is, it's just another hype. I don't know how long it will last--congrats to the founder if it lasts--but that's just not my cup of tea. Even the name doesn't make sense to me.
2. A fridge. Oh yes, I said it. C'mon, we have cafeterias. I know, the food there sucks, but do you really need the snacks, milk, and all the other stuff that needs cold storage? Do you really need to eat in your room at all? I don't know about other people, but when I'm hungry, I either don't eat, or eat at the cafeterias--unless there are people going out; then I'll tag along. Yes, I do not get to enjoy satisfying cold food whenever I want, but at least I know I don't have a whole chunk of minibar clogging my room and emanating heat that eliminates the difference between a cooling room atmosphere and the Malaysian weather outside. Besides, since when did cold food become healthy anyway?
3. A cooling pad. Yes, it's another cooling device that I find superfluous. I know, it's supposed to cool off your laptop so that you can have it on the whole day, downloading nonsense and hogging the Internet connection, buy why do you need that? Don't you think that laptop manufacturers realise that laptops heat up when used for a long time, and install cooling devices within them? Sure, it might not be a lot, but at least you know your laptop won't burn out even though it gets hot. If it does burn out, it's entirely your fault, because: first, you're not supposed to have it on for such a long time; second, you were too dumb to turn it off when you realise that it's excessively heating up; and third, you got yourself a piece of crap that should be chucked into the dumpster in the first time--because you are too cheap to get a proper laptop that does not burn out!
4. A mouse. Oh look, it's another computer gadget! As you may or may not know, this is already mentioned above: does it kill to use the touchpad? I'm perfectly clear that it's not the most convenient device in the world, but what the heck are you doing on your laptop that needs such fast and accurate movements? If you're gaming, or drawing, or photoshopping, that's still reasonable--but if you're typing a document or surfing the Internet and you tell me omg you need a mouse, don't blame me if I gave you a live mouse. C'mon, you are typing a document, don't you think the main device to do that is like, I don't know, a keyboard?! You use the pointer to click buttons and icons; you're not drawing a line or figure. The important thing about the pointer here is the destination, not the journey/process--thus you do not need the mouse to have complete control over the pointer's movement. The same thing goes to surfing the Internet: in case you didn't notice, there are built-in scroll functions on touchpads nowadays, so use them.
5. Pork. This is a very Chinese thing, and it just struck me like that. You may or may not know that Chinese in general are big fans of pork; we have so many kinds of pork dishes that we lost count, and a lot of them remain unnamed (such as most of my mom's recipes). Now, surprise, surprise: I am not part of that crowd--gasps! Well, I mean, yes, I am Chinese, I eat pork, I love dim sum, etc., but I do not crave for pork, for goodness' sake. There are people who actually go like, 'omg, I miss pork so much!' in campus as my school serves kosher/halal food, and these are the people who often eat out and salivate over the sight of fat, oily pork products. I don't get that; do they die substituting pork with chicken or beef? For me, the pork-substitution situation is supposed to be worse as I do not take beef; there is only chicken left for me. What have you to say about that?
And people say I'm like the rich kid who lives in luxury back home, and is picky and finicky. Look who's finicky now, you needy overgrown babies.
P.S.: Initially, I plan to get into the things that I actually need in campus too, but it looks like the list/post is already getting pretty long, and the things that I need is not all that interesting anyway, so yeah, we'll just leave those for another day. | | |
| Last Sunday, I finished the Shark Attack Theatre Tour with my TTS (it's a drama club) mates, and while we were at it, even shot a short film based on the theatre production we were staging. I gained more experience as to acting.
I was told that now I seem comfortable onstage. I was both unsurprised and surprised: unsurprised, because I knew I was pretty uncomfortable throwing out my lines onstage before the KL show; and surprised because I didn't think it'd show so obviously. But I guess experience, not to mention compliments, really help. Experience gets you familiar with what you are doing, and compliments empower you.
As mentioned, we shot a short film, and for my part, I was required to act in public, on the street where there was crowds. I realised it was going to be absolutely embarrassing even before I got into it, but in any case, I did it. I can proudly say I was not disturbed by the sight of being watched by total random strangers on the street at all, and that says a lot.
And yesterday, which was Friday, my school held the finale for its Talent Search night, and I was one of the hosts of the event. I was not nervous at all prior to the show, until about 5 minutes before the show. To be frank, I was so nervous I could have had a nervous breakdown any moment if I hadn't the stage experiences that I have.
But as nervous as I was, I kept my mind clear, and after the opening gimmick, I was sailing through onstage--even when I forgot my cue cards. I only freaked out for a moment there when I realised I stepped out on the stage without my cue cards, but then I took control of the situation, saying whatever I could recall at that time and improvising the rest. Of course, my co-host helped me out a lot.
Excepting for dancing, I can confidently tell you that now, I am very comfortable doing whatever onstage. And, I think dancing should not be a problem, if I could just look normal and not like I'm trying to recall my next steps. I'm sure a little practice will help on that part.
All the words above lead to my point here: am I ready for it?
As you may or may not know, I secretly dream to be in the entertainment industry, ultimately one of those people that you see on TV, in cinemas and on the Internet. I do not know how I am going to get there or if I'm going to get there at all, what with a contract up my back and not a lot of connections, but I'm heck sure going to try. I will grab opportunities when I see them, whether people like it or not.
But, do I have what it takes? Would height really be a factor?
Whether or not height is a factor, while I can, I will try to change that. If sports is what it takes, I will do that--however much I'm awkward at that field. Many people think otherwise, but on the very inside, I am actually a quiet and shy person. It takes me time to be comfortable doing a lot of things, trust me. But I have conquered the stage. Sports should not be a problem at all! I must be pro-active--like I preach: fake it until I make it. What could be scarier than public speaking, right?
So, am I truly ready for it? Do I really have what it takes? And, ultimately, how am I to go about it? | | |
| Now that I'm relatively free, I should really start doing my homework and what not, instead of lazing around surfing the Internet and downloading stuff. Heck, I'll start work after this. Last weekend was the second stop--at Ipoh; the first was in school--of the Shark Attack Theatre Tour by my school's drama club, TTS. Two more shows were done and there leaves only two more this weekend, in KL. I thought the shows in Ipoh were very successful, despite the poor amount of audience. Being happy for the team aside, I also feel acknowledged and appreciated as I received what I call the second major compliment of the week after the Saturday night show. The first compliment came on Tuesday, from the orchestra instructor. As you may or may not know, I play the cello in my school's orchestra, for about a year now. I've only started playing since I entered university, so I majorly lack experience, let alone skills. I try to make up by putting more effort into practising. Last Tuesday, the instructor, Mr. Goh, who I always secretly fear and revere, was stopping by the school after his returned from his 'trip' to the hospital due to exhaustion. He was just around for a meeting with the committee, but the vice president, the past section head for the cello and double bass, and my personal tutor and sifu (yes, it's all the same person), did not know that. She told me, and another amateur cellist like me, that there was going to be a practice session that night, and that we should go. And we did, only to find out that there was no practice whatsoever, except the special session for the erhu (it's like the Chinese violins) players as Mr. Goh brought in someone. However, since I was there at the orchestra room already anyway, I just sat down and did my own practice session, with the other cellist. We were just running through our individual pieces for the upcoming evaluation. Fast forward to when the meeting was over, the committee and my sifu ushered us to pack up as they were going to close the room. Mr. Goh passed by and heard me play. He told my tutor that I played well, or something along the lines of that. She came in and reported that to me, but I was still pretty engrossed with playing, and the information did not sink in. After I packed up and stepped out of the room, Mr. Goh was still there, and he personally gave me a thumbs-up and said, 'Good!' plus elaboration on how I've improved and become better. I only sheepishly smiled at him, not knowing how to respond. But after I got back to my room, oh, the euphoriant feeling was rising in me. I was so happy. For the whole week. Even now still, a little bit. The second compliment came from the drama club instructor-cum-founder, Dr. Shark (now you know why the tour is called the Shark Attack Theatre Tour). For the past two weeks, and this week, we have been doing this school-Ipoh-KL tour, and the production Asylum--which talks about a mental hospital trying to stage a play--is part of the main highlights of the show. Of course, I'm involved in the theatre show, acting as a psychotic politician, with (this is self-developed as the director allows it) a double personality of a gone case cuckoo patient. During the about a month of practice prior to the tour, I was very insecure about my performance. I did not know how to act as a winning (read: confident and convincing) politician candidate. I was constantly asking the other cast how I was doing, and whatever comments I received did not seem to be helping me find the character at all. All until a few days before the show. It just snapped within me that the key factor is the confidence. However dramatic I wanted to do it, that was up to me, so long as the confidence--the glint in the eyes--was there. Even if I don't have it, fake it; that's what acting is all about anyway. So I did. I gave my all and let it all out during the first show in school, and I can say, yes, I did it. But the second show was a little disappointing, for myself, because the audience was smaller and frankly, my performance was seriously affected by it. I learnt that nothing like that should deter my onstage moment and shake my 'confidence'. For last week's shows, I put it (the 'confidence') all up again and embraced the spotlight, however much I still did not believe in myself deep down. I thought I just did okay (I think the first show was really good), but I guess Dr. Shark saw the confidence that I used to cover up the insecurity, because on Saturday night, after the show, he sent me a text message: 'Love you! You are my upcoming star!' 'Wow,' I was so surprised and flattered that it was all I could tell myself. I did not in a million years think I would get anything like that from him. He actually elaborated on it the next day, saying how with that confidence, I could be the CEO of a company already. Those two compliments really are confidence boosts. Psychological effect or whatever, I feel like I'm smoother on the cello now, and my character comes easier to me. I feel like I actually have talents now. I really appreciate the acknowledgement of my efforts. I know I mustn't let them get into my head, but...keep them coming! | | |
| [I have no idea if the song is from the album, but I think it's a single; his tribute to Michael Jackson.]
No, Morning is not a dog.
I actually got up in the morning today half an hour before class to get ready for it. This is amazing stuff! Usually I just lie in bed and get up 15 to 20 minutes after shutting my phone alarm, which I usually set half an hour before class time. I actually have human alarm clocks too (as my phone is not the wake-me-upper in the world): my dorm-, class- and coursemates; but even that also, I start moving about 10 minutes after they wake me up.
Yesterday I wrongly set my alarm an hour earlier than my usual wake up time because I was so tired from studying until late night I thought the class was an hour earlier than it actually is. But as usual, I shut it off and dropped back to sleep, until my most efficient human alarm clock came. When he left, I checked the time, and thought I was already half an hour late for class, and was debating with myself whether to skip it altogether when my mind snapped and I realised I had half an hour before the class started. And then the miraculous thing happened.
Even though I was damn tired and obviously wanted more sleep, I voluntarily got up, went to the bathroom to wash up, and got ready for the class. I was still a little behind; the rest left without me, and I was a few minutes late to class, but the point is: I voluntarily made it to class in the morning! Woohoo!
Okay, this is not the first time this has happened, but I have to tell you, I feel so good everytime it happens. Because, let's face it: I am not a morning person. My Monday blues is especially heavy.
I can't help it: I just cannot sleep early, even if I worked myself out thoroughly. No, I do not have insomnia, but something will just be in my way of going to bed early--or rather, not late. Even if it's not test or assignment season, something will just come up, such as a book I'm reading that I just 'have to read before I sleep', a new song, an awesome performance or music video, or--heck--the Internet, etc. And the other thing is, I love my bed in the morning. It's just so cool and cozy, and my pillow and blanket are fantastically soft and tender after a night of use. How can I keep myself away from them? The best things in the world cannot compare to them.
I want to change it, but like most things circumstantial, it's a little hard. Very little people know this (not after this post), but I hate it when I can't get up on time. I feel so bad when I wake up too late; I feel like so much time is wasted--precious time that can be used much better than (over-) sleeping.
I want to do much more, even simple stuff like eating breakfast, taking a morning stroll, reading, or playing an instrument, even singing. I am actually secretly happy everyday I get up on time for morning activities, even just classes, however mundane and tedious they might be.
Oh, how I wish I could be those people whose sleep is optional to them. They can sleep late and get up early like it's not the most difficult thing in the world to do. And even not getting sleep at all for a day or two is fine for them. Oh, these people are figures for admiration, although, I think they'll age much faster than most of us.
I want to be a morning person, who can also stay up late at night for whatever activities, urgent or not, but I guess that's damn hard. I can only struggle with this until it all works out for me. Sigh.
Is Morning your dog friend?
P.S.: I'm only taking a break for this post after I finished reading the lecture slides for a test tomorrow. Yes, an academic test on a Saturday, can you believe it? As if weekdays are not gruelling enough. But anyway, I better read them through again, especially the 78 slides that I could barely remember I read last night, causing me my beauty sleep.
And, now that the song is done, what's next? The book? Leaning up? Hmm, more like tests and assignments and practices and performances. Sad.
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| [I don't actually have the album, but I watched the performance online, done by students. They played it well!]
All my life, my hair has been straight. Silky straight, to be exact--so much so that people actually ask me if I straighten or rebond my hair. Hell no, whichever guy does such things? Well, maybe the Jonas brothers, but they also wear skinny jeans, so yeah...
Anyway, although I do not straighten my hair, which emphatically is silky straight, I did something to it that most other guys don't do as well: I permed it. What? Don't judge me. I was just a little tired of having incredibly (silky) straight hair, and I want it curly for a change. So I went ahead and permed it. It wasn't like super curly or what, but definitely wavy. And I looked good, I must say... although, with (good) looks like mine, I can pull off most hairstyles if not any, so saying I looked good is biased, as I probably looked normal. Btw, now I know what the pungent smell in the saloon is: it's the smell of chemicals used to perm hair.
After having wavy hair for about two months, for a typical guy, my hair was falling apart, what with the (silky; oh, this never gets old) straight roots growing out and the wavy ends straightening back after multiple washes. So, I should get a haircut soon. Maybe I should cut it shorter, and perm it back again, as having wavy hair is pretty fun!
But no, I cannot. Now is not the time for that, because I have another radical change to make. It's not voluntary, but I have to do it, for a theatre production about crazy people staging a theatre production (talk about twists). I don't mind it personally, since I've been doing it for six years when I was in primary school; it's a Chinese school rule boys must follow. No, it's not dying my hair pink. Just see the pictures.
I've turned from
fabulous loose curls, to
zomg skin head!
You just said, 'Shit!', right? But really, it's no big deal for me. The facial expression is for contrasting purposes only. I just did it, like, just now, and no one knows about it yet except the guy who brought me to the barbershop (also involved in the production; thus, bald), my roommate and a couple of friends.
Well, and the whole world after this.
Comment me your first response; I want to know.
P.S.: The song is done! Okay, the arrangement sucks because the software I have sucks and my music skills are not first-class, and the vocals suck even more because I only recorded it in my room with the fan off and I don't sing too well, but still, it's done! I win in life. | | |
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