New-s.

This period of time marks several beginnings. First of all and most obviously, the start of a new year (~11 days ago). Secondly, and less obviously, the commencement of semester 4 of university. Just the thought of what's to come is enough to give any uni student the shudders. And not from the cold, that's for sure. This semester is going to be exceptionally draining both physically and mentally for me. I'll be wading and swimming frog-style in a pool of projects, assignments and tonnes of lab reports. But I guess it'll be over in no time. Or so i hope.

Anyway, I wonder why people celebrate the first day of every year. I mean, if this day marks new beginnings, so does every other day. Something new happens every single day of our life. Someone may fly a kite for the very first time, while someone else may have baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies without burning them to soot after 10 tries. Something remarkable happens every single day and we by human nature undermine these happenings or chuck them aside without much thought. So why should we celebrate simply the first day of every year? Every day should be a celebration and the mark of something new.

All this aside, today marks the release of the O level results. I still remember this day rather vividly from over 4 years ago. In any case, I'm really pleased with my tutee's grades. She managed to improve her A math grade 3 fold (from an F9 to a B3) and her science grade 2 fold. My primary school tutee improved too! At the end of the day, this is the best repayment I've had from giving tuition.

Anyway, this is about it from now. Am exhausted to the bones and beyond. Cheers!

2 decades.

Tomorrow I would have completed a whole 2 decades on earth. Currently, mixed feelings are welled up within me. Apprehension for the next stage of my life as well as a certain tingly feeling of excitement are building up within me, among many others. For those who drive, turning 20 feels like the stage in life when you remove your 'P plate' from your vehicle after an year of acquiring a license. Which will be arriving soon as well, in December. Actually, this would be a more accurate description of turning 21. But well, 20 is no joke either. It feels like you can no longer make a mistake on the road and point to the P plate, which serves as a self-explanatory mechanism to inform the driver affected that you're an inexperienced driver.

In any case, for some reason adding a tiny 2 in front of my age feels like a humongous change to my life. It almost feels like the 'next stage', whatever that means. But whatever it is, change comes and this is just one of those changes. I shall accept this bend at the end of the road, which shall wrap up my teenage years and head me in a completely new direction. But at the same time, I think nothing much will change and maybe this will just be my twen-TEENth year, so to speak. I'm excited for what's to come my way, although apprehension's attached to that excitement.

Oh and with the global recession and financial downturn and what not, people should utilise this ingenious idea of a shopping cart (see picture below) to minimize their spending and stick to their bare necessities. I should market this product someday - it'll work wonders. :)

Black House

Obama won. Phew. Thankfully McCain no longer has the avenue to follow in the footsteps of a certain republican predecessor. You know who I'm talking about. And what a historic day yesterday was. America's first african-american president. Something that would have been unimaginable and hard to swallow decades back. I surely hope big changes in the positive light are implemented. We know where most eyes will be focused for the next 4 years at least.

On a more micro level, the semester's drawing to an end SOON. It's one of those instances where you look back and wonder where all the time went. For some unfathomable reason it just feels like the semesters are getting shorter and shorter. Maybe the body's biological clock gets adjusted to the yearly schedules and rhythm sets in. Amazing system, we have. Right from the components of human cells to arms and legs.

In any case, the end of the semester also implies the onset of a system of torture and agony manifested in the form of repeated blows from question booklets conducted during a period of silence - the finals. This is one of the main reasons behind pre-mature ageing of hair for some, and insomnia for others. Whatever it is, the brain cells definitely get more exercise than the body does. Or so has been the case for me, at least. For a long time. Hence the accumulation of 'tyres' around my waist.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Cheers!

Directions.

How many people can say they know exactly where they'll be maybe 5 years from now, or know exactly what is to happen, when and where? I highly doubt anyone can. Well, unless he or she claims to have supernatural, psychic insights or something of the sort. But even then, we don't and will never know exactly where we're headed until it happens and *BAM!* realization throws cold water in your face.

Life is like a maze of some sort. You make a turn and see a corridor in front of you, but when you reach the wall at the end of it, there's another decision to make - to turn right or left. Once you're in the maze, you have a whole series of decisions to make to finally reach your destination. And when you do, another destination commences and you get thrown into yet another maze.

In this loony world of possibilities, anything can happen at anytime. But I do believe one thing strongly, that things happen for a reason. Spiritually speaking, God knows what's best for one. Knowing that works wonders when one has no clue as to why certain things transpire in their life. But at other times, the pile of questions one has overshadows all logical thoughts or thinking processes and leaves one in a daze and completely muddled up.

And in spite of all this, I'd rather not consult a crystal ball for what's to happen in the future (if there ever were such a ball). Maybe we're not meant to have a map of our life with the directions scribbled on them. We're meant to figure these out for ourselves as we tread along the path of life. We're all born with a blank sheet. When we leave this world, we have a map of the directions of our life.

Phelps-piration.

First of all, congratulations to Phelps on having won 8 gold medals. (like he'd ever chance upon this humble blog of mine. But well, you never know.) It was sort of expected though, given his performance in the 2004 olympics (his first shot at the medals). One can really grow and develop himself or herself within a span of a few years if he or she sets her mind, heart and soul to it. Anything is possible. Success comes to those who think they can succeed.

In any case, I subjected myself to the sport of swimming for the first time in maybe 6 years today. I still prefer jogging, but swimming truly works out every inch of your anatomy. Truly and surely. Well, that's if you actually bother to swim laps and not float in the water and look pretty. I'm going to have to endure the aches for some time. I feel fulfilled though. Speaking of swimming, attached below is a video that'll crack you up for sure. A classic, might I add.



Cheers!

The Season of Sunglasses and Umbrellas.

The heat from the 1pm sunshine is enough to fry an egg or a patty on the sidewalk these days. Even if one is indoors enjoying the bliss of a personal air-conditioning system in one's abode, one stare outside the window in the afternoon is enough to make one shudder. Hence the remarkable rise in numbers of umbrellas, classy sunglasses and well, people clad in sun-proof clothing (less clothing). Sunglasses do work for multiple reasons. Eye protection from UV rays is one thing. It also causes the brain to interpret the external heat as more tolerable (due to the shaded effect or the feel of one being in a shade) and hence they perspire less. My personal theory. Logic or not, that's for you to decide.

It feels as though human beings have this innate need to create problems and then fuss over them. Global warming wouldn't exist without the involvement of thousands of millions of people burning fuels excessively and unnecessarily or refusing to do something as simple as recycling a piece of paper. And then we complain about the heat and the suffering we have to endure. More people should give the song 'Man in The Mirror' by Michael Jackson a thorough listen. The chorus, especially. I've pasted it below.

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Ooh!)
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change)

Anyway, that's about it for today's random rambling. Cheers! And God Bless.

The Mummy - Flop.

This entry is my critique of the movie 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor' so if you've yet to catch the movie or are contemplating watching it, continuing to read on is strongly unadvised.

0.5 stars out of 5 is what I would give the movie. This is me being completely honest. The lines used in the movie sounded like they were being read out by amateur actors from a horribly assembled manuscript. They sounded over-rehearsed to the point that they lost their fresh, crisp feel and it didn't help that the dialogues were cliche and predictable. I could predict what the actors were going to utter more often than not. It was that bad. Ok, I'll give some credit to the special effects and what not. But the delivery was just thumbs down. I enjoyed munching on my popcorn more than watching what was being shown on the screen. I very much prefer the older two versions of The Mummy.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Cheers!