Listening to : Ryan Cabrera - True
Feelin : rather in a spot of physical torment, old chap

No Pain, No Gain..err... or Loss

Ow. Ow ow ow. Just got back 'bout an hour ago from the gym. Went anyway despite major sleep deprivation and residual muscle aches from getting back into fencing after Easter - idea. Until now, i've got cramps in my legs that can't be beat even if you were an iron-defecient woman 8 months pregnant with octuplets. If the sheer murderousness of that session won't knock me out, i'd be hard pressed to find something that will.

A queue is still a queue, by any other name

Gragh. Just swung by the engineering labs yest. to print out some solidworks stuff for the coursework and a few slides from the last Tech Sci Module.

Time taken to sift thru the PDFs and spool them : 2 mins
Time i had to wait to get up in the printer queue : 30+ minutes

Why? Because one guy's like printing practically the whole year's worth of notes for a few of the modules. Like never before go to lectures or check pigeonhole like that. Single page. And one sided too, for some reason. No prizes for guessing where the inconsiderate fucktard comes from.

Well, i'm just gonna hit the sack now. Actually finally feeling sleepy. Just hope i wont freakin wake up before dawn.

Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit.

Listening to : Benny Benassi - I Love My Sex
Feelin : insomniac

Tossin' & Turnin'

So much for returning to my sleep cycles - i even hit the sack early tonight ( hey 12.30's friggin early) only to wake up completely sleepless - but not all that refreshed - at 3.30 in the morning. Thats it - no more naps and breaks until midnight tonight. The most irritating thing was that its like....its not like i'm obsessively worried about anything ( at least thats what im tellin myself) or under THAT much stress......just goddamned broken goddamned sleep cycles.rrRRghhh!!

En Garde! **slip/thud**

First fencing session today since the end of last term - now its all the way on the main campus cos Westwood sports' hall is being used for some of the early exams. Well at least its a nice warm up jog. Man everyone was soo out of form - but i think i kinda topped out the list of weird moves when i slipped on my heels during a balestra and i fell, simultanously badly twisting it and banging my other knee hard on the floor as well...the ankle stung like hell, but had to cover that for the rest of the session. Kontrol!!

Thoughts on the 'mill

Been doing a helluva lot more cardio recently at the gym - stickin to a 20 min run, 20 min row followed by a 20 min crosstrainer or cycling. Yup thats a lot of time to listen to music, or just let your mind wander .... about...well macam macam la....like the fact that some things i definitely like to do alone and alone only , like gymming ( no one can motivate me better than myself) and shopping ( i like my time to choose - fussy fussy fussy). The other thoughts? Tak yah tau la...

Oral/Aural delights

Okay that was a cheap shot. Anyhoo, anyone up to eat at Ell Bulli ( Barcelona, Spain) in, say...2010? 2011? It's supposedly THE best culinary experience on earth ( a steal at about 155 euros a head as compared to some places in London and even back home) - It's only open for 6 months during the 'summer season' , and closed for the remaining 6 while the head chef ( 3 starred Adrian Ferra) experiments and creates a brand new 27 course ( tiny, tiny courses) menu that covers all interactions of texture and flavour. With gems like Strawberry sorbet stuffed with queso fresco with campari and orange confit, jellified melon and passion fruit caviar pips , orange and mandarin foam on olive jelly.....**amar loses focus and starts drooling**. But yeah you gotta book years ( 5 is good) in advance, and the odds of getting any seat on any given day it 200 to 1( probably higher now - they had a piece on it in the Times today - but dah lama dah i tau tempat ni....), but it is like a pilgrimage for foodies. Must go. If i don't i'll probably eventually kill myself trying out his nitrious oxide 'flavour foam' method.

Also, my Shure in-ear headphones came in today - got a good deal on 'em on eBay. Excellent replacement for my sadly deceased Sony in-ears. Dunno what all the kefuffle online was about when it came to it being really hard to get a good fit on them. They weren't kidding about the headphones revealing details. On "Sephia" you can actually hear the backup singers whispering over the first few verses.

Well i might as well get some work done while i'm waiting for sleepiness to sink back in.


Ich redet immer Scheißdreck.

Running low on diversions...

Gasp i'm actually resorting back to work ( well for a bit before this entry anyway) . I must be running short of things to procrastinate about. Well ThIS was a boring ass saturday save for the odd few piquant conversations on MSN ( which is also irritatingly unsteady and disc-ing left right and center).

A good sign for when you know you're bored - You're popping into blogs you haven't been into for ages and randomly leaving shoutouts like a super random stealthy ninja breaking into your room just to set all the clocks 1 hour behind. Another is coming up with equally random and lame analogies like the preciding unforgivable rubbaysh.

By the way, Pinky, i get the hint. Not only am i no longer going to go with inspirational or altruistic quotes, i am not going to bother leaving the translation either. Ho ho ho no one's gonna smother or copy my new idea...**Amar's demented, evil laughter - c'mon you kNOw what it sounds like**

Carpe noctern, carpe puga....

Must....have...Coke...

So far my (overly ambitious) plan to cut down on coke is progressing somewhat satisfactorily...In this whole week i've only had a cup of diet coke and a can of pepsi ( does that even count). But i'm sure i'm equally catching up on those caffeine quotas with all the tea im drinking.

I've also gotten even more picky about what i eat. I'm still spending too much money at Tesco's eating 'well' ( Lotsa cheese, meats, fruit and veg ). Well, as long as improves my overall health and focus hmmn? - along with my new cardio-crazy gym regiment.

Okay in the end i wavered and did go down to the union for Soul Nation. I'm not sure weather its the fact that i dah puas clubbing kat London, or really really had no mood that day, or just the plain fact that the SN playlist is getting boringly repetetive. Either way, i'm more than happy just to consign myself to quietly toiling away in quiet, boring Westwood.

There was something else earlier i wanted to blog, but i forgot. It'll probably come back to me later.

Oh yeah i'm trying out this new thing for a while - ending every entry with a random proverb from a foreign language. Something original for a change, yesno?

Virtus sola nobilitat - Latin, "Virtue alone ennobles"

Sleepless in Warwick

eeRRgh can't tell wether its my screwed up clock, or those three mugs of tea (which is pretty much piss caffeine-wise, since i normally drink espressos ) or some other elusive reason but i just can't fall asleep right abt now. Considering that i've pretty much drained myself at the gym the other evening, ( lembik selembik cacing mati) i should have fallen asleep just like that **snaps fingers**. It really sucks to drone through your super-pancit state to read Manufacturing and do peer assesment of other groups' dragster proposals and then when you finally get to drop in bed....you blink and toss and turn for 2 hours. Time now? about 6.15 am. And i have another group meeting at 11. curses.

First Soul Nation at the union tonight where entry's restricted just to Warwick students. Apparently all through the last 2 terms there has been problems with outsiders from the general midlands area comin in and causin all sorts of trouble - they used to have like, police vans around at every last SN... we-heel big whoop. Give me oone good reason to go - If you'd excuse me i'll just spend another quiet night in with my notes. I might sound like i'm turning into a frumpy grumpy gimp, but i guess its high time i sacrificed a little more instant gratification to redeem my honor. ** do i hear a "ZigacTLy!" from about 100 miles yea south?** ;P haha kan dah puas puas to the max melepak/memasak/beromong/beronggeng di London, bah?( or is it "sih"?)

A brief respite...

Just had an Econs test today - may have been a sniveling 25 MCQ questions but it was still 20% of the module....so serious sikit la. Haha sampai buat colour coded notes by hand and brought around the pdfs on my PDA to revise - at least better prepared than last time...

So here i am, catching up on some monkeying about with my guitar while lightly skimming through last term's Mechanics and Signals stuff.....yaawn... yup its back to the boredom and tedium of workin' in Warwick. Probably be rolling down to london again soon hmn?

**yaaaAAwns again**

Already on form...

Sigh....4.15 am Monday morning and i'm already burnin brain cells finishing off some math and thermodynamics..... and of all things i got a CAD lab at 1100 for our spring powered dragster project....man today's gonna be a bitch. At least i'm ahead of the others on the econs and management revision for my test on weds. Kiasuism lives on!!

Oh funny thing today...i was just finishing tidying up the aftermath of my unpacking when i was checking on the stuff i put in the high cupboard, when the bulky picture frame with my parents pic that i missed while unpacking fell out and thwacked me right across the face, barely missing my eyes and giving me a "Squall"-ish scar through my left eye. Irrititatingly stinging but strangely cool at the same time. Morbid, hmmn?

Back to work!!! ** Retro spirited Japanese-ish tune plays in the background **

As snug as a bug....in a rug..on a pug...drinking from a jug

Finally completely settled in this morning after moving in yesterday. Everything's back in place and organized - from every single piece of clothing in the cupboard to the random mix & match decor.....now if only i can find that gruddamn chopping board. Well, that and the fact that it WAS a stupid idea to carry ALL my things (easily 90 kgs) all the way from Lakeside to Westwood. Sakit belakang nak mampos...

It was a real fun easter! Props to the 3 other stoners/pervs with me on the Amsterdam trip, all of Emperor's Gate #26 , and my kakaks at Windermere #26 (whoa coincidence). It was fun gettin' all that steam out, and shopping ( a little bit ) and cooking like a michelin star whore of a frenchman. And the picnics....fun!!!

All that fun aside.....now is the time to go for it...bumped into Pn. Mariam in London who told me that i can most probably work something out with Petronas if i manage a 1st this time.....all the more reason to redeem my honor!! Now if you'd excuse me, its back to hitting the books..

**thump thump thump thump**

Okay lame joke. Expect more random bollocks as my 'procrastinating entries' start to pile up...

Toodles!

**insert mental image of bangla tengah korek jalan**

Well while skimmin' thru my increasingly frequent work breaks i've decided that my blog needs a leetle overhaul. So bear with me while i get it back up with all the little bells and whistles!!

**sssSHHhh!** I should be workin'!

EEsh kasi can la sikit....final bit of procrastination before i get back to serious work again....promise!

Well as some of you would've figured out, i'm still languishing about in London. Between bumming about at Emperor's Gate ( and getting a leeetle bit of work actually done) and cooking and being kiddified oleh anak- anak dara kat Windemere (**grunt grunt**), i just couldn't bear to go back to Warwick early OR trundle down to Plymouth to gaze at sheep at my Cuz's.

London, Part Deux!

Nothing remarkable actually....besides the usual amusing silliness now and then at Emperor's Gate, and the shopping run for 'essentials' - really - replacement contacts, stationeries, a pinch of summer fashion and the like...

Oh yeah my darling Windemere kakaks took me out for Italian at this really cool place at Goodge Street - " Zizzi's". Really nice place and a yummy, original menu. And excellent company, of course **wink wink**. After that, i can't remember how, but i got hooked back to their place to lepak 'kejap'. Ended up with me staying over ah-gain, and making pancakes in the morning! Man that took quiite a coupla tries to get right..hahaha. Lepas tu lepak kejap kat M'sia hall for lunch(mm...nasik minyak...)and then Whiteleys for s'bucks. Sayang clubbing tak jadi.

The weather over the weekend was beautifully sunnay - which was a godsend for Su as she was planning on having a b'day picnic then. Haha kesian tau.....dahlah awal awal the 5 day forecast said it was gonna rain, half their phones broke down ( apparently the LG 3G phones do that a LOT). Nyaris nyaris kena bawak 'segerombolan' budak Pet pegi Natural History Museum. Well in the end it was a really fun, sunny Sunday aft. at Kensington Gardens followed by another mass invasion of Malaysia Hall.....

I think it was then that i was swayed to stay over for another day or two - to try my hand at making a ful(ish) Thai dinner and may-haybe get that itch to club in London outta my system. So, after again dropping by Kensington Gardens on Monday for the IC leaver's picnic (" i already left, bole makan free kan?"). I ended up cooking at Windermere again. Ambik tu - Prawn Tom Yam, Holy Basil Green Beef Curry , Som Tam ngan mango with sweet glutinous rice ( okay, so we cheated with sushi rice ). Pedas giler nak mati terlentang, but apparently sodap jugak.... puas teran keluar semua ilmu siam aku...hahaha

The next day? juust krispy kreme and clubbing with Puteri, Elle, and a coupla of their friends ( after a whole smirnoff's worth of "Fudge" ( 'puteri's the best, puteri's so cool!**cha cha**). Was reminded why i hate the clubs around the main leicester square area...eee....they're ALWAys full of dodgy, sleazy immigrant men and hardly any decent ladiess....well anyway it was good company and it was fun!!

huih huih i'm sure most of you also know full well i usually blog when i'm procrastinating. As of now i have my books, notes and slides all up around me as i try to do work. I'm hoping when i click on "publish post" i'll finally get this freakin monkey off my back and focus on getting that 1st and redeeming myself!! phoaRR!!

Till next time, buh bye!

aaand the penchant for posing continues unchecked.... 

Su's ( far left ) Birthday Picnic!! haha semua budak Pet memang poser bangattt!! 

Aja aja aja aja aja aaaaaaaahhh......

Man the first week of easter holidays was a blast. First of all, of course was IC's Malaysian Night. Very very entertaining. Whatever they said, this year's was better than the last. **Proceed to distance myself from any association with Warwick's mnite(shhh!)**. Noteworthy mentions were the intro dance ( amaaazing choreography!) the bhangra ( hilarious!) and of course the 'chicken' and 'tai chi' scenes - classic.

Over the next coupla days i managed to get a leeetle bit of shopping in, made vietnamese kuey teow soup for my UCL sistas over at Windemere(ahhhh...missed Puteri's razor sharp banter and Alina's disarmingly cute blurness), and ate way too often at the Jap centre in Picadilly.

Uw inzet, alstublieft..*(your bets, please)

Met up with Taib, Woon and Wave at Gatwick on tues for the midday flight to aaAAmsterdam!! Well....what can i say? The train ride from the airport to the town center wasn't particularly scenic ( yup...flatland, canals, flatland, canals and the occasional 10-storey-ish building). The central station and town center wasn't really that much different from any other European capital...except maybe a little more drab and there were a heckuva lot more bridges.

We got a cheap yet really nice and cozy room in a hostel just on the edge of the red light district. Just outside the hotel there were already buttloads of "coffee shops"(mmm that doesn't smell like cigarette smoke does it?) and just further down there were already some of the main tourist attractions of the city - the subtly highlighted windows and the 'cabarets' with their "variety shows". At night the main streets are quite colourful - and busy. Mostly tourists ( some already walking rather strangely, i might add), those who are more seriously perusing the 'wares' and the oddly common pusher or two. Of course, with the munchies being a pretty common ailment here pretty much every other shop is either a restaurant or a takeaway too.

Further out of the town center, there are quite a few museums ( Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, Sex museum, Marijuana museum and the like). We also took the tour of the Heineken brewery there - quite an unconventional tour....a run through of the brewery and the brewing process i can understand - but a shot at DJ-ing and 2 motion master rides ( of the bottling process and of a horse drawn beer shuttle)? Haha at least we all got free glasses in the end... We also saw a casino on the way there, so we gatal gatal just HAD to give it a shot that night......haha started with 50 euros, played a little blackjack - got pretty lucky....after some violent winning and losing got away with about 150 euros 'clean'(shh) wins.Yay......man some of those hardcore gamblers are fuckin scary.......like want to die only like that..

On the last day, i suggested that we take a coach tour to the countryside - a typical dutch fishing village that also makes clogs and cheese. But in the end not everyone managed to get up in time for that tour so we scrapped that. Sigh. Sooooo we ended up going to the casino againnn!! Not so hot this time tho.......almost lost all my winnings. So far during our 3 nights and 4 days we've had Tibetan food, lotsa chips and waffles, argentinean food and italian food....the only things dutch we know of were pancakes and raw herring - i found the latter quite nice...but we didn't bother trying the pancakes.

Yayy..London...again....

Over the next coupla of days i managed to play chef again at Windemere - hehe they asked for french and they definitely got it. Lemon mustard roast chicken with edamame and sweet potato coulis, ratatouile, potatoes gratin and creme brulee.....managed not to screw anything up althoooo the chicken took a bit longer than expected to cook..(yes thats it...masssaaaage the chicken..hee hee hee). And also tried my hand at making some Jap food for Darren's household and Lu......haha strangely i rolled the worst sushi rolls. ( but im a lot better now, serious!!)

Back in Warwick again. Boo.

Alll settled down in my cozy, tiny Cryfield room. I can't count the number of times i've leant back and banged my head on the freakin dresser. I've been pretty much spending my time doing obscenely little work, playing Unreal and Warcraft with the plonkers in Lakeside and Heronbank and sleeping too much. Bleurgh. Well, i finally managed to get back my key( that i left in the auto-locking kitchen) so i'm going to make something outta this sleepless morning and dash over to the gym! Adios, compadres!

oooh the alleyway into the red light district....ooooo 

Pretty much the same view over every bridge hmmn? 

Passed by this place on the way to the casino. Can't remember the name, but sounded a lot like "Leicester" and it was quite like it too... 

Hard Rock Cafe. Big whoop. Just came across it so take only lor... 

All the liqour and tobacco shops were really pretty - too bad i didn't have a photo of the tabacalero that looked like a harry potter shop....