So this is what it feels like...

I had my last exam of uni ever this morning. How am I feeling? Happy/excited/sad but happy more than anything else :) It's quite a big thing - finishing uni. It's the end of being a student/kid and the beginning of being a proper grown-up, and being fully responsible for myself and independent. Right now, I'm still in the transition period and it's not easy... How does everyone else handle this crazy rush of emotions?

Having said that, the enormity of this event still hasn't fully sunk in yet. Hopefully it will... Tomorrow...

Haha :p

Killing time, waiting for my Big Bang Theory to download. I should have been studying, but I turned on the TV just as I was having breakfast and 'Prince of Egypt' was just starting. It's been a while since I watched an old-school cartoon animated movie and watching 5 minutes of this was enough to get me hooked - brought back so many childhood memories. Now, I kinda wish I could turn back time and be 10 again. Being grown-up is too much effort.

Download complete! Off to watch my BBT, and then back to studying about steel fracture and pre-stressed concrete... funfunfun :p

The Light - Sara Bareilles

The morning comes, heaven sent a hurricane
Not a trace of the sun, but I don't even run from rain
Beating out of my chest, my heart is holding onto you
From the moment I knew
From the moment I knew

You were the air in my breath filling up my love soaked lungs
Such a beautiful mess intertwined and overrun
Nothing better than this, and then the storm can come
You feel just like the sun
Just like the sun

And you say
It'll be alright
I'm gonna trust you babe
Gonna look in your eyes
And you say it'll be alright
I'll follow you into the light

Never mind what I knew
Nothing seems to matter now
I'm lost without you, I can't do without
No one knows where it ends, how it may come tumbling down
But I'm here with you now
I'm with you now

Let world come rushing, come down hard, come crushing
All I need is right here beside me
My love I swear it
Take my love and wear it over your shoulders

And if you say
It'll be alright
I'm gonna trust you babe
Gonna look in your eyes
And you say it'll be alright
I'll follow you into the light

♥

Random, but I was just thinking - "What's the best advice my dad has given me?"

Answer:
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket"

Soooo truee - it works all the time!

Yes, it's that time of year again - assignments... I NEED to be panicking right now if I want to produce good assignments and have them finished on time! Sometimes panic is a good thing?

MOTIVATION

I could do with some right about now...

Meh.

To Make Average Great

So, I was having my healthy lunch of chicken soup with tofu and choy sum, and watching Oprah (yes, I watch Oprah!), when I heard this quote. Everyone's already probably heard some variation of it by now, but I like it so much that I'm going to post it here anyway:

"When you make average great, your dreams become a reality" -Suze Orman

The hope and optimism embodied in this simple phrase - quite overwhelming (and perhaps slightly idealistic?). Now to brainstorm ways to make my average great... Hhmmm...

Any Way The Wind Blows...

I'm at the point in my life where the decisions that I make now, are what will shape the rest of my life. Well, at least it feels that way to me. Is it bad to say that I find solace in the knowledge that I am not alone in this? Many of my friends at uni who are graduating this year are also in the same boat - to stay or to leave? For good? :s Honestly, the ideal solution to this intensely emotionally and mentally draining problem is that one morning, I will wake up, and everything would have sorted itself out - there will be one clear sign, one that leaves no room for misinterpretation, that will point me in the right direction... Hah! I know, keep dreaming right?

They say that ignorance is bliss. But also, knowledge is power? And so I am, to put it simply, torn. The past weekend was easily the most stress-free 2 days I have had in a very long time i.e. ignorance = bliss. And then suddenly, I was back in my regular life surrounded by all these crossroads (yes, I am not just at one, but MANY crossroads... it may not be physically possible, but figuratively, it definitely is!).

It's funny in a way because the natural way of dealing with difficult choices is to sleep on it for a bit. But when you have a deadline looming, all you are doing is putting more pressure on yourself to make a choice in a shorter time. I am so tempted to push this matter out of my head until December, but I know that come December, I will be at my wit's end trying to figure out what best to do. If I was crazy, which I am definitely on my way to becoming, I would say 'make granola'. Why? Because it's healthy and it tastes good...

So I am tempted to do the lazy thing (some would call it Taoist?) and just go any way the wind blows. But at what cost? And then I start weighing the pros and cons again... It's a vicious cycle.

Argh. First post in awhile, and it's this emo.

Good job... ? :p

At times like this, I wish I was a sheep... One that they breed for wool, not meat of course. And all I have to worry about is where the tasty grass is...

So it's just one of those days - Friday night/Saturday morning, mid-semester break, eyes barely open - and for some reason I don't feel like going to sleep. It feels like I'm an 8-year-old all over again. I don't know why I chose the age 8, or why I am even writing this post.

I'm giving in to my sleepiness in 2 minutes (just enough time to shut down my laptop :p).

You Know You Love Me

Gossip Girl season 4 has started! Just watched the 1st episode and it looks promising... By Gossip Girl standards, that is :)

Something weird has happened to Chuck Bass. Hhmm...

Coincidence?

So I just decided (only 10 minutes ago) that I hadn't listened to Sara Bareilles in a while. Searched for some of her old songs to discover that she's just released a new album!!! Only 1 week earlier! Coincidence, no? Haven't listened to it yet... but I can't wait! Hhhmmm :) I'm happy :) SO looking forward to the quirky (yet deep?) lyrics and catchy tunes!

Oh and it's called 'Kaleidescope Heart'.

♥ the view from my window :)

Ok, so the picture obviously doesn't do my view any justice :p But you can see the tall buildings in the background.... they look nice... ?

I ABSOLUTELY LO-O-OVEEE


















MUSIC




Just putting it out there :p

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”

Apparently people who are born in the Chinese zodiac year of the rabbit are not risk takers. I beg to differ. So maybe the risks that I take are ones that have been carefully weighed but what's life without a bit of excitement? So I say - step out of your comfort zone once in awhile and just take the leap.

Easier said than done? :p

A few random thoughts -

Recently I've been thinking a lot about the concept of reciprocity, i.e. the concept of 'it takes two hands to clap'. In this world, it feels to me like everyone is treading the fine line between what's too much and what's too little; worrying too much about who cares about what; and all the other implications of their actions. Don't get me wrong, I would never do something that could/would be bad for another person, but when it comes to certain things, I'm a huge advocate of the philosophy of just closing your eyes and taking the leap. Having said that, how does one do something, say something, feel something without blowing it completely out of proportion? On the other hand, how does one do something, say something, and/or feel something and make it substantial enough to be significant?

I have always been and will always be a firm believer in the concept of reaping what you yourself sow, and that while fate may be predetermined, I'd like to believe that it has the flexibility to allow for sheer hard work, determination and dedication to chart a new course for it. Then again, I've also always been a hopeless optimist. No point in being anything less, right?

From my observations, I've realised that life always throws you a curveball when you least expect it. (Yes, a very American phrase, but so appropriate!) Sometimes for the worse, and sometimes for the better. But ultimately, even the worst things happen for a reason and fearing the consequences before even making your move means that life could end up being one tame (and boring!) roller-coaster ride.

What was it that they say is the spice of life? Variety? Idiocy? :p

And since, I've recently become quite fond of the word 'amalgamate', I will use it in a sentence in this post :) - This post is an amalgamation of some of the more prominent thoughts that have been going through my mind in the past week or so. Ok so maybe not the best use of the word, but hey, it works... somewhat...

Emo Song of the Month :p

And before any conclusions are made, I'm not feeling emo at all. But stumbled upon this song on YouTube, apparently it's quite popular with them country folk :p

Super like!!!

Unfortunately, embedding has been disabled. But here's the link :)

Need You Now by Lady Antebellum (for the record, I have NO idea how to pronounce the name :p)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB7T3lJ3dZ4&feature=related

vs

I've noticed that more and more people are switching over to Google Talk from MSN Messenger... There are still lots of people who are Messenger users, but is this the beginning of the end for MSN Messenger?

Hhhmmm...

Inspiration

in·spi·ra·tion

–noun

1. an inspiring or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.
2. something inspired, as an idea.
3. a result of inspired activity. a thing or person that inspires.

It's funny how simple things can be such big sources of inspiration in a person's life - the clear blue sky; an old couple holding hands; a silly tune. Simple things that make us realise the wonder of the world we live in.

I am currently reading 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell, and it has just got me thinking about my sources of inspiration - why I have chosen the path that I have, what inspires me, and whether I inspire others. It has made me appreciate the fact that anything inspired by true, unwavering passion cannot possibly result in a failure. And if it does, then you'll need to re-examine your definition of failure.

One particular excerpt from the book really made my inherent optimism 'bubble over' in excitement. And it's something I'm sure everyone knows deep down, but only sinks in when read as someone else's words:

"... if you work hard enough and assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires."

And if you are still skeptical, there is only one way to find out if this message rings true... :p

Random, but somewhat related to this topic, here's one of my favourite paintings from the European Masters Exhibition that I went to yesterday :)

Houses on the bank of the River Zaan, by Claude Monet (1871)

Currently reading 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell. Quite interesting...

Updates?

This week's Masterchef is the last week before the finals and frankly, I CANNOT WAIT!

A few reasons why I like watching this show:

1. It always makes me hungry, so having dinner while watching this show is what I look forward to nearly everyday (sad, but true :p)
2. It makes me want to cookcookcook/bakebakebake and has definitely pushed me to try a few things I would never have tried making (or even knew existed!)
3. It has taught me sooooo many new things about how to appreciate certain types of food and how they are prepared.

MMmmm! Basically, I do believe that Masterchef Australia is successfully educating the general Aussie public about what food really is about. Having said that, I have also realised that fine dining dishes ain't no walk in the park for your liver - so go slow on the expensive stuff!

This show has been HUGELY received by Aussie viewers and there are a few silly people trying to sneak a ride on its success. It drives me crazy! Just wanted to put it out there :p

On a seperate note, I woke up at 4.15am this morning to watch the FIFA World Cup final and I must say that I was just a tad bit disappointed by the fact that both teams had to resort to so much violence on the field in order to put adequate pressure on each other. And I thought the AFL and NRL here were bad! But all that aside, I was ecstatic that Fernando Torres played in the end, albeit for only about 10 minutes. It was all worth it after all. Viva Espana (♥Torres!)

Oh and on another seperate note, Wang Lee Hom has just released a song from his new album! I'm not sure what it means just yet, since it's in Mandarin and all, but I will and must obtain a translation soon. Squee!