Friday, September 28, 2007

Nasal sprays don't work

It's a Friday night and I've locked myself in the bedroom trying to complete my stupid assignment so that I can go out and play this weekend but, no such luck. I've been sitting in front of my laptop since this afternoon and with every sentence I type, I saunter off to do something for at least 10 minutes before I get back to my work - which explains why I'm typing an entry now. It doesn't help that my nose is dripping non-stop. Sigh, looks like nasal sprays aren't working their magic anymore. Plus my bed is calling out to me and the cool weather makes it all the more tempting to dive under the blanket and call it a night.

My test went well today. I'd be damned if I fail. For those who are wondering what's this test I've been fretting about, well, if my earlier entry hasn't given enough clues, come look for me and I'll tell you personally. It's really not convenient plastering my life in cyberspace because you never know who's reading. But I promise that more will be revealed in due time...

Wow, I just typed this entry in a record of 5 minutes. Gonna head back to work now. Or bed. Or both. Enjoy the weekend ahead folks.

Posted by Jo at 9:29 PM

Thursday, September 27, 2007

10 ways to prepare for THE test...

1) Read every single magazine and newspaper you can find in the house.

2) Play word games on heavygames.com. (Practise grammar while shooting targets like a ninja.)

3) Type a blog entry. Tada!

4) Do a google search for "S _ _ writing test". It's amazing the sort of stuff you can find online. Here's one I found:

"...There were 4 segments. The first segment gave us a passage that had grammer, spelling and punctuation mistakes. They said there were about 15? Don’t know why I have so many. I think it’s bad. Then close passage. When was the last time I did close passage? I left one blank. Can’t seem to find the right word to fit. Third was this summary exercise and last was this essay, GP-styled. Die la. Turns out both KX and me chose the same question. LOL. “The value of sports is tainted by money. Do you agree?” I think I wrote crap..."

Let's hope I do better than her.

5) Eat corn.

6) Get some beauty sleep...

7) ...Erhm, but not too much...Must remember to wake up on time.

8) Oh yes, gotta call my boss in the morning...

9) Important items to bring:
Pen - Duh...
Jacket - Can't think properly if I'm frozen for two and a half hours.

10) Pray like crazy!

Well, if things don't work out, at least I can still take comfort in the fact that there's a job somewhere out there for me and my uniformed buddies...

Must be the corn...

Posted by Jo at 10:48 PM

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

My brain hurts

Random 1
Come Friday, I'll be taking a very important test - One that will possibly shape my future. While I am quietly confident that it'll be a breeze, (based on my good track record so far), I cannot discount the fact that things may go wrong and life will find a way to slap some irony across my forehead. I will be sorely and utterly disappointed if this doesn't work out, but I guess that's what this whole walking-on-water stuff is all about. Do pray for me.

Random 2
I was sitting in the lecture hall on Monday evening, trying to grasp the concept of subordinate clauses when my classmate turned to me and said, "My brain hurts." The statement was amusing and it grew on me. Then I realised that I shared the same sentiments - my brain kinda hurts too. The overwhelming amount of work has left me jaded and I sometimes forget to even breathe. I need to regain some sanity.

Random 3
While waiting for Hil to pick me up from school, I heard a loud thud which made me jump. I immediately turned to find a three-car collision less than 3 metres away from me. Times like these remind me of how dangerous the roads are and how fragile life is. Thankfully, no one was hurt. This ad on the dented cab caught my attention...

Random 4
I just finished an assignment about half an hour ago. This leaves me with one more essay which is due for submission this Friday, four unwritten articles, a folder of writeups waiting to be edited and finalised, a launch that has yet to be planned and some overdue collaborations that are waiting to be inked. (Excludes day job).

Random 5
I attended a talk last Sat and the doctor was saying that the lack of sleep can cause memory loss. Hmmm, what was I talking about earlier? Anyway, I better stop rambling and totter off into dreamland before I lose more than just my memory. Good night folks...

Posted by Jo at 10:50 PM

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Deep blue sea

A visionary.
A vision is scary.
What's scarier is getting off that fat ass to get something done.
If this is what I've been wanting all my life, why do I get all jittery?
The water's so near but so dangerous...
"Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water."
He spoke, not once but twice.
The voice was faint, the message's clear.
Is this a figment of my imagination?
I want to believe...
But the water is cold, the wind is chilly, the night is dark.
Then again, what do I have to lose, really?
I put a foot out and grazed the water, my heart beating at abnormal speeds.
Then, I remembered and retreated my foot immediately.
I don't want to sink.
I don't want to be soaking wet.
I don't want to be the fool. Like him.
But the call is too overwhelming to ignore.
So I said a prayer, took a deep breath and stepped out of the boat...

Posted by Jo at 10:31 AM

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Intimacy

I have a bad habit of making the TV screen my faithful companion for dinner. Tonight, my date was Jim Carrey, who was making a fool of himself as he discovers how difficult it is to be the Big Guy. As I chomped on my curry chicken, Grace (played by Jennifer Aniston) was praying by her bedside, crying, while Bruce Almighty watched on.

I couldn't help but feel a little choked up at that point, largely because the scene was all so personal to me. It transported me to a recent time where I too, was doing the same - pleading to God in prayer, desperately hoping that He was listening. I remembered the dark quiet nights, when I laid in bed, calling out to Him. I remembered being bare, naked and completely stripped of everything that defines Me. I remembered embracing the silence and stillness, being bitter and yet longing for Him, all in the same breath. I remembered crying myself to sleep, because that was the only way I could get some rest.

That was my cross to carry - something not even Simon of Cyrene could have helped with. Incidentally, that was a moment of unadulterated intimacy unlike anything I have ever experienced.

What seemed like a cruel sense of humour on His part turned out to be an affair which took our relationship to a whole new level. Those nights were nothing short of a bad dream. As I looked back, I still see myself, lying in bed, in the darkness. This time round, I see Him lying next to me, in the stillness, embracing me for the person that I am.

Posted by Jo at 10:15 PM

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Malaysian Pirate

That's what Hil calls me...Not because I download Malaysian music, or that I go to Malaysia to buy pirated goods (well, not a lot at least). Actually, come to think of it, I have no idea why he calls me that - The "Malaysian" portion to be exact.

Anyway, pirate or not, I decided to make a list of all the silly things I used to say...You know how it's like when you're growing up and you just pluck words from your limited vocabulary to make sense of what was said? Yea...something like that.

During mass

Pirated: "Thanks bittergourd"
Actual: "Thanks be to God"

Pirated: "Lord I'm not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be ill."
Actual: "Lord I'm not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed."

Singing songs

Pirated: "Sweet dreams are made of cheese..."
Actual: "Sweet dreams are made of these..."

Pirated: "Only you can set me free, cos I'm guilty, guilty as a wildebeest. Come on baby can't you see, I thank you, for love in the first degree..."
Actual: "Only you can set me free, cos I'm guilty, guilty as a girl can be. Come on baby can't you see, I stand accused, for love in the first degree..."

Cartoons

Pirated: "Transformers, robotic disguise"
Actual: "Transformers, robots in disguise"

Pirated: "Captain Planet, he's our hero. Gonna take pollution down to zero. He is always by our side, fighting all our planet's fight..."
Actual: "Captain Planet, he's our hero. Gonna take pollution down to zero. He's our powers magnified, and he's fighting on the planet's side..."

Pirated: "Teenage mutant ninja turtles...Heroes in a nutshell / Heroes in a hard shell."
Actual: "Teenage mutant ninja turtles...Heroes in a half shell."