AYYY!

on my way back from DC i could have sworn the steward was henry winkler (the fonz from happy days), only older. he talked like him, walked like him and had his hair combed like him. it just reminded me of what a fan i was of the fonz when i was little. he defined cool and set the standard for cool.

ayyyy!

SUNDAY SOBS

i spent part of my sunday night crying alone in my room watching armageddon. with my laptop on my lap, a half-empty box of donuts, 2 bags of chips and a 1-litre carton of juice around me on my bed.

i am the picture of depression.

D.C.

the orientation in DC wasnt as bad as i expected. in fact lan was right; by the time i had to leave DC i didnt feel like it. and i actually delayed my departure to the airport because i didnt want to come back to pittsburgh so bad. which wasnt a wise move since currently the security level is up to orange alert. i stood in the boarding line for a good 15 minutes and even after all the x-rays, they did a second search on me.

5 days in DC and i met a lot of new people. interesting, i might add. it was 6am every morning and back in bed at 12am every night. the most memorable thing about the orientation would have to be the meals we were provided with every 2 hours or so. i hardly even have 3 meals a day here in pitt, and after those 5 days in DC i realize that i become hungry a lot more often.

suddenly i feel very very incompetent and almost sloth-like. i've been in ever since i returned on christmas eve and have been spending much of my time on my back with the telly on. everything i need is at most 4 feet away and having mel gibson on 24 hours today just makes me happy to stay in bed.

to those who celebrate christmas, hope you had a good one :)

ps: i copied the "perjuangan yang belum selesai" video from kak ayu and en saiful also gave me a cd of pictures that he took during the orientation. message me on my msn if anyone wants it, ok.

GOD'S ART

the weather's erratic as always. somehow i'm able to brave the 27 degrees with just a thin coat and no socks. the salt gets in my boots though, and it's pretty annoying that i have to kick my foot in the air to make it go to the back of my shoe. even then, it still annoys my heels, but not as much. one thing i do love about these tame flurries is that the snowflakes come down intact and stay that way until those few seconds after they land on your coat. you can only just make out the intricate spiderweb patterns before they dissolve. it reminds you how great God is.

i'm falling in love with lenny's 'butterfly'. i know i'm 12 years behind the music scene and i'm not exactly miss current affairs, but i honestly love the simplicity of this song. i only wish i had someone special enough to share it with :)

WHO STOLE MY TIME? (And My Coffee..)

i've opted for tea now.

it could be that it's called Rest Assured or that it's been a long time coming, but it surely works and for two nights in a row i've been knocked out cold before the stroke of midnight.

i'll be leaving for DC on friday for an orientation and i'll be spending tomorrow with prof stanton finalizing grades for his class. that leaves me an impossible amount of time to do my laundry. but that's not a priority. people tend not to sweat in winter :p

with all this time on my hands i simply cannot find the motivation to write.

PILE ON THOSE CALORIES, MISTER!

my favorite dessert, without a doubt, is apple pie with ice cream and caramel.

I ATE SANTA *Burp*

i was walking back from school and this lady was walking right behind me. it wasnt weird at first, but as i walked further, she was still a few paces back and still following me. she could have been heading the same direction. but the creepy thing was that she walked directly behind me even when we were walking down the sidewalk which could fit 3 people walking abreast. i dodged around a bit, which resulted in me looking like i was drunk or maybe doing a little dance, and somehow she did the same. i kept turning back but she had her eyes down the pavement, probably hard at work trying to memorize my steps :p

anyway, somewhere between forbes and south craig she dissapeared.

yesterday during finals they served bagels and other breakfast goodies. everyone ended up having bagels upon bagels on their tables, munching away while they answered the exam questions. this guy kept going to the back of the room to get more and tripped on his way down to his seat; bagels and all flying everywhere. it was quite a hoot. i think i snorted.

by the way, if santa doesnt come round your block this christmas, that'd be 'cos i ate him.

THE TORTURE CHAMBER

yes. the torture has begun. in 8 hours time i will be bent over a desk drenched in sweat for 180 minutes of answering sadistic questions on the software development process and all that good stuff.

exams make you hate your major; they don't necessarily make you learn stuff better.

i'm glad i'm not in it alone. everyone i know is working their sweet behinds off and i'm not about to claim that i'm working a lot more than anyone else.

right now i wish i was president.

CHATTING CATCHING UP

it's snowing pretty heavily outside. no surprise there; it is, after all, december.

however, i did take a walk outside to get a cup of coffee from kiva (where else??). and it was surprisingly pleasant. although the road is fast disappearing under the accumulating snow, there was only a mild wind that could pass off as a spring breeze. with the entire street lit up and decorated with fir and christmas ornaments, i couldn't help but feel the holiday spirit; albeit i don't celebrate christmas myself. no harm in joining in the fun and soaking up the atmosphere, yeah? (^_^)

in the past few nights of sleepless exertions, i have been actively accompanied by endless chat sessions. hats off to whoever invented instant messaging.

while catching up with my colleague En Hasan, i was informed that Pn Khairi has been promoted to e-learning ibm asean level. Congratulations to her. it's very well that they should all be having fun at work while i sit here on tenterhooks waiting for my finals to be over :p.

i also just got off a very girly conversation with kerr and idd. aah.. to be immersed in gossip and feminine banter! sometimes a girl needs her dose of reassurance to celebrate her womanhood (^_^). thanks duddettes... you guys made my night!

now, back to my science paper... and more importantly, my cup of coffee.

BIRTHDAY BOYS

Happy Birthday my lovely Arif and Afiq!!!

two classes ended for good today, and there's only two days left til the end of semester. Finals are next week and i'm more excited than i am scared. Though i doubt i'm prepared for it :p

i'm on my 3rd cup of coffee already and i don't think i'll be sleeping until the 12th. yep, it's that time of year and i'm stocking up on caffeine.

anyway, here's a prototype of an educational software on photography i created. there's still some glitches but i'm not bothering myself to fix them right now. my Lingo programming skills is questionable, i'm proud to admit.

anyhoo, check it out and see if you learn anything from it. if you don't, i'm pretty sure the music will irritate the hell out of you :p

Photography: The Gift of Vision - An Educational Software for Amateurs by Yazmin Islahudin

... or if that doesn't work, try this...

Photography.exe

FATMA'S 10 THINGS

this is just about the most honest and funnest entry i've read in a long time.
fatma dear, i hope you don't mind that i'm posting your entry here (^_^)

Ten Things I Learn During Thanksgiving Break by Fatma Nazihah

BALIK KAMPUNG PURDUE :)

Alhamdulillah we got back safe from the wonderful trip to Purdue! Purdue people, you are great :D

Raya was not as bad as i thought it would be. I gave myself a treat by skipping my 2 classes and going to the salon (Actually the trip to the salon was an unprecedented emergency. I foolishly lopped off a fistful of hair the night before due to extreme boredom). Then there was all the rendang i helped finish over at K-syu's.

Going to purdue was like going back to kampung. The food was awesome and the density of the malay community hit me like a bullet. It was so fun to see so many malaysians! Best of all though, was meeting up with all my dear friends :D

On saturday i got to see bands performing raya songs and other more guitar laden ones. Then there was the usual scurry for supper at Denny's. if only all veggie burgers were made that way :(

anyway, now i'm back in school, all safe and comfortable in my room, and all i have to look forward to for the next 2 weeks are my finals.

Pray i do well!