Next Chapter Begins Elsewhere

This is it. I'm letting go. It's tough but it has to be done.

Perhaps it'll become a secret garden from now on, even though it isn't much of a secret when everything is online. Perhaps somebody will stumble upon this and scoff at the old me. Or I'll look back and laugh at how sentimental this sounds.

Oh well.

The new blog is already up and running. If you like you may join me on the other side. Come on, this isn't goodbye. I'll be right here.

Tying the Loose Ends

I am insanely aware of how long this blog has been neglected, but while this blog seems to be dying and probably will be dead, be assured that I am not.

I am in the UK, well and absolutely enjoying myself. So happy that sometimes it makes me sad to think that I'll graduate next year. But (shhh...) let's not talk about that.

At the moment, my life revolves around Concrete, the student newspaper, consuming chocolate while doing coursework, finding some spare time to read and making loads of online accounts when procrastinating.

I'm not even joking. I now have a Twitter account, a new Portfolio, Linkedin account, Goodreads account and am seriously contemplating a new blog to replace this, even after I once promised myself that this one won't be abandoned. Sometimes it just has to be that way.

Part of it is due to my inability to make the layout look as good as I want it to be. And I already have a general idea. It just wouldn't work. More importantly, I've looked through all the posts I'd written, blushing at how I used to fiddle with fonts and colours. And the content. I had a different style of writing then. Not that it's any less me; it's just a different version.

I don't want to stop blogging, 'cause I love it. I can't bring myself to update this particular site, yet I have no intention of deleting this. Too many memories.

You can probably tell where this is going. I'm going to tie up the loose bits here (because I can't leave things hanging or it will bother me), pack up and head off to a whole new blogging adventure. It'll be a fresh new start. I'll be happy and contented. And you'll be glad that I'm that way too, I hope.

Until then.
 

Lasagna. And updates.

Apologies for the hiatus. My bad.

Lasagna for family

It's been quite a busy month, much busier than I expected, and I realised how incredibly soft the couch was each time I sat myself down after a long day.

But I'm back and ready to start updating everything again!

Here are some of the highlights for now (as I am sure you are busy too):

1. I've completed my internship at The Star! It was a really an enriching experience, and I learnt a lot from it. I met a lot of different people from all over PJ and KL whom I wouldn't have met otherwise.

2. I've completed 30-hours of Basic Sign Language class. It's unfortunate that I can't continue with the next level. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with what I've been taught and progress with it after my studies.

3. I missed the Camp Nanowrimo target by 16,100 words, sadly. Time did not allow for too much to be done within a short period of time. I think I did pretty well for my first try though. Next time it'd be better.

Also, today is my last day in Malaysia and in less than 24 hours I will be flying off to UK again. Once I settle in, I'll write out some longer posts. 

Till then, say cheese (with tomato and beef; I made lasagna)!

Busy month ahead

Oreo Cheesecake, a photo by rachlyf on Flickr.
PS. Baked this for Joyce's birthday.

August is looking like a busy month but that makes it all the more exciting. Better to be out there doing stimulating things than to be talking to voices in your head. Especially if those voices love cake. But I digress.

1. I'm going to be an intern at The Star, an English-language tabloid newspaper in Malaysia.

2. I've planned out most of what I want to write for my first attempt at Camp NaNoWriMo. Half-expecting to break down mid-way (as seemed the common case) but those voices in my head are still convincing me otherwise.

3. I've been taking classes for Basic Sign Language with Mei Shan. I jumped at the opportunity the moment she asked. Why? (Popular question) It's something I've wanted to check off my list for a long time. Learning languages is an absolute joy and it's fascinating when people communicate in signs and gestures that make all the sense in the world once you understand them.

That's all in the meantime. Now for a Snickers bar.

Leaning

Leaning Tower of Pisa, taken in January 2012

Lately I've been trying to keep myself occupied. It's my natural defence against things that annoy or upset me. It's something I realized last year when there were a lot of news to deal with and half the time I thought about what I needed to do so that my work won't be affected. In other words, working to avoid not working.

Some people tell me it's good being productive under unfortunate circumstances. Some people say it's strength. I sense that it is a little unhealthy to treat certain emotions like brats, shut them out and tell them, "Not now. I've got work to do." 

Things don't work out the way you want them to. I understand that. Doesn't mean I approve of it. Over the last few days the world slapped me in the face several times, which got me working on certain things in a mildly obsessive fashion. 

It really is about time I slap back.

Pre-NaNoWrimo Muse

I will soon be taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), a creative writing project where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. The website validates the number of words at the end of the month and that determines whether or not you've won. In case you're wondering, it is something people undertake as a personal project. Check it out here.

People ask me why anyone would inflict it on themselves. I admit that being someone who had always been daunted by the idea of writing 1667 words a day, I'd imagine getting through NaNoWriMo would feel pretty awesome.

Plus, it will be my first time in August. When I first heard about it, it only ran in November. That is without doubt the worst time for university students to be thinking about writing novels. I wasn't keen on adding 50,000 more words on top of what I already had to write for my degree. I would have had to give up on one eventually and it would never have been the latter. Earlier last month, I was told that there are now NaNoWriMos in June and August. How could I refuse!

Also, today I did more research for my project. One of the documentaries on it made me tear up. Got me both horrified and excited. 


It's a good thing.

Symptoms include -

When I got back from the UK, I was frazzled and in a bad state. On the 3rd of July, I'd been lugging my suitcase up and down the stairs and trains of London to get to Gatwick Airport. Somehow it didn't sound as bad at first. Learning things the hard way really knocks sense into your head.

Before I go on, you should know that I'm not good with flights. It seems to worsen each time, as if it's this dark passenger that ages with me. Symptoms include migraines, being incapable of proper speech, lack of sleep and a facial expression that says, "Please don't ask me to direct you to your transfer terminal in an airport I've never even seen."

Well, no one catches the last symptom, really. I still help them whilst in my stupor.

Disclaimer: This photo does not belong to me, 

The first flight to Dubai was uneventful, which was good news for me. And the service was great. I remember thinking, "Well it's worth it I guess." (Famous last words.) The second flight home was not as pleasant. It's probably because the flight's terribly long, although I don't quite understand why last year's 20-hour flight wasn't as bad as this 16-hour flight.

Upon reaching KLIA, I approached the payphones to make a call; all were out of order. I walked around to check the rest. After inspecting 3 rows of unfixed payphones, I found 2 phones that worked. Got my bags, got outside and totally emptied my insides out. Way to detox, eh?

At least my jetlag's gone. No more staring at blank walls at 4am, or having no appetite until 2am or having a facial expression in the morning that says, "Please don't ask me to 'just force yourself to sleep'. It doesn't work that way."