My life cycle

My weekly cycle begins on Monday and ends on Wednesday. Then will pass in between a period of interphase- the G1, S, G2- before the cycle recommences faithfully. And there is the so-called period of panic which stretches from the late hours of Sunday- the eve of a new cycle, where metabolic activities mount up in preparation for the new cycle- to the ascending sunrise the morning after. This period is highly traumatic, during which a high dosage of caffeine might be consumed (which has proven cycle after cycle to be ineffective for its desired purpose) and distress signals are exchanged between members of the colony (simply for the sake of alleviating the pain of having to panic alone- “Shared joy is double the joy, shared sorrow is half the sorrow”, remember?). After the late afternoon of Wednesday however, the cycle mercifully ends and life will be all blue skies, sugar and spice and sunrise and everything nice for a while- that is, until the next Monday shows up.

Today is Sunday, and the sweetness of it is slowly evaporating and soon, I’ll be sending out distress calls everywhere. Watch your phone (or any means of communication), my panic vibe might just reach your ends =)

Here are some of the ways Russians relax at the park in front of the academy, all taken from quite a distance with my mediocre zoom (hopefully I don't get sued with these!)







An old, magnificent tree in the middle of the park



Amongst the first blossoming flowers there...



Sin Ye's loving the weather =)



An impossibly adorable girl who kept following us, wanting to play ;)



A bird at peace...



... before the hurricane comes!



And totally chased the bird away...



'Now who's my next victim...' pondering whilst scratching head



Got ya first! Haha...



During Latin class with Tatiana Ivanovna

Today's a rainy day

Despite my being scared stiff of thunders and lightning, the boisterous clatters of the former pulsating through the hours of darkness last night almost sounded like sweet music to my ears. It has been six months and those were the first thunders and lightning I had ever observed on this good land (perhaps some took place whilst I slept, do excuse me) and I was strongly reminded of home- of the never-ending rain during the monsoon season. Of sitting by the widely open door to feel the cool brush of the wind… the fresh scent of the rain… the harmonious rumble of heavy raindrops. Disregarding the puddles-of-water-and-mud factor, rainy days are actually quite cool ;)

I can’t thank enough those who went through lengths to celebrate my birthday in one way or another. Thank you to the SMS-es (I especially dig the birthday song in German- danke sehr once again, dear Azleen =)); the Friendster testimonials; the blog entry =); the blog comments; the cards (got my only cards via airmail from my grandparents and aunt on the day itself, no less!); the four fabulous cakes (cream-caramel-icing cake, cheese cake, banana cake, and one micro-mini leftover cake *haha*); the midnight wish; the singing in class by classmates; the singing in lecture by lecture mates; the sushi feast with roommates and sister; the supposedly-surprise birthday bash by classmates (which was a bit obvious since they cooked in my floor’s kitchen. LOL.)… and my favourite part- the presents! Haha. The presents were all lovely and thoughtful (like the cat tabung for example… sangat bermakna *wink*).

To tell the truth, I had almost the same elated feeling as I had during each raya on that day (or every birthday, for that matter) =) And it’s all thanks to these people who really made me feel special that day. Lots of love to you people!

Happy Birthday, Abah!

I would have settled for a corny poem, but I knew better than to permit myself in becoming the subject of laughter by many. So here’s a simple, loving birthday wish to you, Abah, with all the prayers I could muster in the favour of your happiness in this world and the hereafter. You have always been the centre of my world,

the backbone of my successes,

the shoulder I could weep on...

You are my walking encyclopedia,

My partner-in-crime,

My bulletproof vest (haha),

My friend;

The person I aspired to be as a child… and still do;

You are dearest to my heart.

Happy 45th Birthday, Abah!

Ps: This is corny too I guess. Sheesh.
Pps: Sorry I didn’t get to dedicate an entry for your birthday, Mak. I’ll write one for Mother’s Day, insyaallah =)

Too right you are

Butterfinger

They call you sticky fingers for a reason!

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Now isn't that simply appropriate?? *guffaws*