Unfortunately, I think all the traveling, not recovering properly from jet-lag and accumulation of late nights, finally caught up with me and I fell sick on Wednesday. Woke up with a bad stomachache, which refused to go away..really irritating. And it became worse after lunch. We were supposed to go to Sukabumi, about 4 hrs drive from Jakarta, with a few relatives for rafting on Thursday. I was thinking of not going but in the end still went. Bad mistake. Got really carsick and it was quite bad..the road was really really bumpy. And I wasn't the only one. My brother was even more sick than me. But rafting was fun fun fun (though I don't think I would've gone all the way there..). I was sick after I came back and had to spend yesterday resting :( I haven't even played tennis ever since I came back. Oh well..I think I'm overusing the Internet here though haha. Can't be helped la. Life without MSN seems so...weird. It's kind of scary how i've become so dependent(??) on msn.
I feel much better today and went shopping haha. Made a few satisfying purchases :). And got a haircut. My cousins from Lampung are here in Jakarta and I think I'm gonna have dinner with them later. MU's match tonight, at 10, just before the new year kicks in. It'd better be a good result (i.e. win for MU)..
Last day of 2005 today. It's really unbelievable how quick this year has been. Come to think of it, tomorrow is just going to be another day, but it's gonna be next year. So why the significance of next year when it's just gonna be another day?
I found out today that my dad had won an ipod nano and he sold it, thinking that none of us wanted it. Argh!!
Anyway, it sucks knowing that you want to eat all the food here cos you don't get to eat any of it in US, but you can't have too much of it cos of the weight you had gained while over there, eating all the food that's actually not as nice. Bleah.
The madness all started on Wednesday morning, when I had to wake up at 3.30am to catch my 6.25am flight. I slept a grand total of 1 hour (more like a nap la), so was really really tired and blur. Luckily, someone fetched me to the airport, if not I would have had to start earlier. Anyway, checked in smoothly (though the huge luggages were giving me a bit of a problem) and went for the security check. I was chosen randomly for the additional security check, where they blast air at you to check if you've explosives. By the time I was done, it was time for boarding. Sat and waited until the plane was about to take off, and then they said something was wrong with the plane, so they spent another 30min trying to fix the problem. In the end, they decided they would "de-plane" (that's the word they used haha) everyone and we all had to find another flight somehow cos they just basically cancelled the flight. I was getting slightly panicky cos I had never experienced a flight being cancelled before and I was worried I would miss the connecting flights (which are like only once a day) cos the line at the ticketing agent was just so long. Well, it turned out that I couldn't make the connecting flights, but fortunately, they managed to find flights back for me the next morning, but different route and different plane. And then they had to print the dates on the booking slip wrong also. Luckily I spotted the error; if not I wouldn't have been able to fly home the next day.
So basically I had to stay another night in Pittsburgh. My dorm was closed for winter break, but luckily there were friends over in Morewood (which is open for winter housing), so I stayed with them. After a nap, went to Waterfront in the afternoon/evening, and I actually enjoyed myself.
On hindsight, I guess it might have been better for me to stay back another day. I had quite a smooth trip back (with the exception of having to go through another random additional security check in Pittsburgh..seriously how random can they get??) , via Chicago and HK, and I was upgraded to business class! And the airport in HK is nicer than that in Tokyo. And my friend said that there was a snowstorm in Tokyo, so all flights were cancelled. Who knows I might have gotten stuck in Tokyo had I made Wednesday's flight.
Arrived in Singapore on Friday night. And the moment I got home, in typical CMU fashion, I straightaway went online haha. Forgot to connect to the Internet too..guess I'm just too used to the wireless huh. Went to check my grades and got what I expected. I guess I was a bit jet-lagged so couldn't sleep much anyway, even though it was already very late (or early in the morning).
And this morning, went back to Indo. After 3 days of flying, I'm really really tired, but perhaps not so jet-lagged anymore. Just glad to be back home, in this type of weather, and the food!!! But ugh..I must watch those pounds..
And yes, I really miss the 4 (sometimes 5) of you. I really miss those dinners we had, those lame and corny one-liners/passing comments/jokes/stories/Russel Peter's spoofs etc etc you all said haha, and also not forgetting the crazy mass MSN conversations. I just miss us hanging out together. It was already weird when it was down to the 3 of us..but oh well. Guess I'll really see you all next year! It's really strange huh..that when I'm back home, I miss all the people over there, and yet when I'm there, I get really homesick and miss everyone back home.
Anyway, just want to say Merry Christmas to everyone. Enjoy your holidays!
I probably sound very high and incoherent now. Well I guess I'm just happy that I'm done with finals. Even though it didn't feel like exams to me (well..who would actually play pool and have a 2.5-hr lunch the day before calculus exam..), but it felt draggy. It didn't help that I've 2 papers over the last 2 days. Oh well, but it's over now so I don't really care.
I had dinner just now at Bangkok Balcony with Xinghao, Jiaqi, Aaron and Ning Sung. Quite a nice Thai restaurant. As usual, they asked for spiciness scale for each of the dishes, which I found quite amusing. Even the pineapple fried rice has spiciness scale!
Jiamin and Waiyong went to paint the fence last night (at temperatures of -12 degrees) haha. Quite funny. While walking to the exam hall just now, didn't notice the fence at all until Xinghao suddenly asked, "Did Jiamin paint the fence last night?" and we saw "piang" written all over. The other side of the fence was even funnier. Well I didn't actually see it, but from what I see from the pictures, it's really hilarious. Who knows what they painted may even stay until the first day of the spring semester because frankly, who's gonna paint the fence at such freezing temperatues? And you're actually supposed to guard the fence also (well..that's the rule anyway haha). Unless Xinghao and Jiaqi decide to paint it tomorrow..
Hmm..really trying to decide whether to sleep or not haha.
Anyway, Econs today was really bad. Klepper said we should be able to finish the paper in less than 3 hours, but with 1/2 hr left, I still had 4 questions left, which totalled about 62 out of the 200 marks. I think I must have been doing it at a snail's speed, but I felt so sian doing 100 true-false questions. In the end, I managed to figure out 1 of the 4 left, half of another one, randomly put true-false for the third one (well i put true for those that looked correct..) and put all true for the last one. Ugh. Totally no testing of Econs concepts at all.
Just took pictures of sunset from my room, but couldn't really get nice shots cos the tall Morewood building was blocking it. I love the view from my room. And I think that's one thing I'm gonna miss when I move out next year.
Back to studying. Ugh.
2 weeks to 2006..
..and only 3 days before I go back.
Jia you to the 3 of us :)
BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD (RASCAL FLATTS)
I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
And now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
Anyway, yesterday night it really snowed heavily and the snow I think is now 6 inches deep?? I just love snow! I'm quite sure I'm gonna get sick of it, but the initial excitement still hasn't worn off yet. Snowballed other people (and getting snow thrown at me) for the second consecutive day. Running around in snow is really tiring and it doesn't help that my stamina sucks (which reminds me I haven't exercised in a long long time. ugh) and so I'm quite an easy target haha. But I still like playing with snow. And I love the view of everything covered in snow and everything is all white. Seems to give me a sense of peace. And I think I'm slowly adjusting to the weather. My down jacket is thick enough so I don't really feel cold outside. Only my ears and nose are cold..I should really get earmuffs or headband as soon as possible. But wonder how I'm going to adjust to the heat when I go back. Such a big difference in temperature!
Hmm.. I think I'm really feeling quite high after playing with snow haha. I was feeling quite exhausted for the most part of the day. My brain was saturated from doing the last programming assignment, which is not really worth it for 15 points but I badly need those points. But I'm just touched that quite a few people were willing to help me, some even staying up (I slept at 6 am doing that assignment!!), so many thanks to xinghao, jiaqi, zhengheng, desmond and jiamin.
Back to my programming homework..which is ridiculously difficult bleah.
Anyway the weather here is REALLY crazy. 20 degrees on Monday..by Wednesday, it had dropped to -1. By Thursday night, it was snowing (ok..flurries)..yesterday it was -11. Whoa. I love snow! But I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get sick of it. But the snow this week wasn't as heavy as last week's in Chicago, so still can't really play with it. I can't wait to play with snow again (and throw it at pple haha).
One good thing out of this week is that I've been sleeping a lot. Or getting enough sleep at least. Mostly sleeping earlier and waking up earlier to do work (or to study). Which is good. I realize I'd feel more awake that way rather than sleeping later and waking up later.
Hmm..I sound very rambly now..I probably am. Getting quite distracted haha. Hmm..MU won 3-0!! So yay! :)