Tsunami update: more than 80,000 dead.

"Enjoy the last era you ignorant pride machine. Enjoy the last era you, pathetic propaghanda whore. When will you realize there's nothing left dying for? And Now you've wasted your existance. I hope Im there when theres nothing left to hate."
-ultra pulse

Tomorrow is the last day of the year 2004. And what have we accomplished? It saddens me when I hear my friends talk about their superficial worries and their miniscule problems and dramas which they escalate and are really nothing.

Nothing

I feel so apathetic. I feel no allegience to my old high school friends and everyones just an acquaintance and going out takes more energy and trouble that I wnat to get into. I miss being ignorant.

Do you know how many people 80,000 is? Do you have any idea about the loss of life that has just occured while you stand there and worry about whether or not you should highlight your hair or break up with your current lust object?

I suck at writing journal entries.

I can never just talk about my day. I always have to turn it into some quasi-philosophical entry. Am I so pretentious? Am I the superficial shallow one? Am I the one trying to show Im deep but Im really not? Could I handle myself in another forthcoming year in university, let alone in a tsunami situation?

Well, going for church tomorrow for new year mass.

Tomorrow is the last year of 2004.

And what have you accomplished?

I know we talk about the disasters hitting the world a lot. So much that most of us dont even really care, anymore.

But..seriously: http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=644823

Dead: 23,000 and counting. SO many people displaced, missing.

Its mostly South Asia.

The worst thing we all would have felt, as South China Sea comes in from Malacca Straits, which comes in from where the earthquakehappened.. was the tsunami effect of the earthquake. 200 miles per hour waves. I was in a boat on the way back, and at the time, it was really horrible, the waves. I didnt realise about the tsunami tho the waves were really strong. Probably not even related.

Thailand. India. Indonesia. Sri Lanka. Maldives. Parts of Africa were affected.

I hope Navodi and Thush are okay..

While most of us complain that we had boring, unexciting Christmasses..

Not to quote a christmas song, but....do they..the victims of the tsunami..do they know its Christmas time at all..?

'all i want is to capture your smile, your laughter and rewind it over and over again'

So, Im going to Labuan today for the Christmas weekend. I think my family needs time away together, and this could just be it. :) So, Brunei, byyye! See you again in 3 daaays!

I cant believe its almost Christmas 2004. Time flies so fast. Take the time to sit back and appreciate your loved ones and rock this Christmas!!

Have fun, everyone!!!!

Happy Advanced Birthday, Jesus, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.
-Evan Esar


Oh my oh my!

I logged onto Oasis, this online thing my uni uses for students, for what must have been the, I dont know, the millionth time? And guess what, the sanction on my results (which was there because I lost a library book, hehe, but that sorted itself out), and a sanction means you cant access your results! At all! And for the past week, since the results came out on Dec 14th, Ive been on eggshells! Imagine! Not knowing what your results are, when everyone already does, and youre thinking you FAILED everything. I swear, after every exam, I was crying my eyes out, because I just felt overwhelmed by my own pressure to not fail!

And I logged onto oasis, with about ALL of my brothers friends gathered around the family living room..and guess what? I screamed! I would have burst into tears if they werent around!

I did better than I expected!!! I so so so thought I was in for failure!! If you want to know the details, let me know, but suffice it to say I cleared everything and did even better than I expected. Im really sort of delirious right now. :D

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=7148608

What is that link you ask?

That link confirms that today, yes, today, JKs Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is coming out officially on July 16th, 2005.

Let us pause for a moment to take in this tremendous piece of news. *grin*

*moment*

*CARTWHEELS!*

12:07pm (UK)
New Potter Novel Named

By Anita Singh, PA Showbusiness Editor

The sixth Harry Potter book will hit the shops on July 16 next year, it was announced today.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be published simultaneously in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The latest adventure from author JK Rowling is sure to spark a frenzy among Potter fans.


Click the link: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=7148608

*screams*

And I had such a good day today! My results are out! If you wanna know the actual results ask me, but suffice it to say for someone who thought she was gonna FAIL and FAIL miserably, its !!absofreakingfabtabulous!! that I well, didnt! I did so much better than I even expected! Ate! You and me and Ron have the winning strategy! Just relax during study week! Wahoo!!!

Top that off with the HP release date, and well, today is just a really good day. :)

Wait. No failures= no need for summer courses= Philippines in January!! Yay! Im so excited!!!! Its my home country, isnt it, and Im such a stranger, but I hope to make up for it when I get back, if even only for a short month :)

And seriously. Malls in the Phils? Heaven!!!

"i know a place"
And I know a place
Where the smiles last for days
And that place cant be found just anywhere

And I know a soul
That should be in tears
Yet shes all in smiles, dont you know

And I know a fella
Who is always in tears
While I know he's better off than me

That soul and that fella
Have met more than once
Their meeting clashes more than it shoul

Because that soul was me
And the fella was you
And together
We're right just as we are

But you know
I know a place
where the smiles last for days

And that place
is found
Oh, that place is found
Only when you are with me


That was written in a moment, a flash of prettiness really.

Ive had a very good nice, boring, relaxing week.

And funny how I cannot access my results because of evil Oasis. I WANNA KNOW MY RESULTS, GOSHFREAKINDARNIT.

Or maybe Ill do absolutely horrible. I dunno. I do know that when I went to uni last Friday that I cleared Managerial Accounting, and that was the subject I most feared, becasue after I paid the sanction (long story there. and its boring. So i wont tell it!), I saw my lecturer and he congratulated me.

I hope I cleared the other units as well. *tear*

On behalf of all the daughters whose fathers are well..not.
"Daughters"

I know a girl
She puts the color inside of my world
But she's just like a maze
Where all of the walls all continually change
And I've done all I can
To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands
Now I'm starting to see
Maybe it's got nothing to do with me

Oh, you see that skin?
It's the same she's been standing in
Since the day she saw him walking away
Now she's left
Cleaning up the mess he made

Boys, you can break
You'll find out how much they can take
Boys will be strong
And boys soldier on
But boys would be gone without the warmth from
A womans good, good heart

On behalf of every man
Looking out for every girl
You are the god and the weight of her world

So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

-John Mayer

I love my daddy. Seriously. Great parents are such blessings. That song by JM has been in my head for weeks.

No proper update, really. Just know that I am home.

And I am happy.

certain things you'll wait your entire life for,
and some you'll get lucky and you won't have to.


List Of Books I Have Read Over The Week

1. Dan Brown 'Digital Fortress'
2. Dan Brown 'Deception Point'
3. K.A. Applegate Animorphs 'Andalite Chronicles'
4. Sophie Kinsella 'The Dreamworld of a Shopaholic'

I feel very proud of myself.

And in the same week, I was abnormally busy with volunteer work at the church all day and meeting my friends at night, and being busy in the wee hours online. Its been a good week.

Ive hung out with so many wonderful friends, and I never realised...Im so lucky to have such wonderful friends. I never appreciated them before.

And I read the books in between. I read books very fast, too fast for comfort.

Ehon!!! I WISH YOU HAD COME SEEN US *cries* Miss you, pare!!!! :(

Im currently reading JD Salinger 'Catcher In The Rye', rereading the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and Memoirs Of A Geisha. ...yeah, its obvious I love books, isnt it?

They are my high.

Wow, that sounded SO much less freaky in my head.

"Inside me there’s a fire fuelled by passion and a disco inferno. A Joan of Arc ready to fight for her beliefs and a Princess who isn’t waiting for Prince Charming. There’s a mystery, an open book, a romance and a thriller. A lion who will bite your head off, a kitten who wants to play and an actor who deserves and Oscar. There’s a diva and a daydream believer. Hot Chillies and a red hot lover. A shooting star. A stick of dynamite. A sparkler. Well, that’s what’s in me today."
- Diet Coke Magazine Ad (heehee)

Okay, okay, here's an update =)

So, if any of you check out Gretchel's blog, youll have a pretty clear idea of how my crazy weekend at empire was. She left out certain details, such as my hilarious knee abrasian (the hilarity comes from how I obtained it, mainly, falling off a swimming pool bouncer o_0), our crazy attempts at the 'perfect pictures', Rons attempt to get me to hail a buggy, Manuels friends, and Gretchels entire family was a blast and a half. I enjoyed that lil 'retreat', being back with Ate Gret and Engineer Ron again :D Miss you, pares!!!

This past week, Ive been helping out with the Kids Advent Classes with Mel and Audren in the mornings, and Kuya Mike in the afternoons with the ever amazing Timothy band ::JOHND::IVY::ADRIAN::CHRIS::ALEXIS::MAE::SARAH::LA::SU:JASMINE.
Whoop!

Been extra social this week, meeting up with MATET the other nite, and then CHERRY and FEI MEI and EMILY last night. Blasts from the past. The four of us were primary schoolmates and its just amazing how grown up we've become since those days. Okay, maybe not more mature but certainly taller anyway. ;)

My brothers and I also watched Saved! together, as well as Lion King 1 1/2. Word of advice, never watch funnyish movies with people who have crazy senses of humor, youll crack up twice, no, four, no, 7 times as hard. *love my bros*

Also, my family has been on a Dan Brown reading extravaganza. Lol.

As you can see, Im really having a really amazing time back home, and Im just savoring every second because I just know that my results are coming soon, and my January plans hinge on them. Summer classes, Philippines, Driving lessons? AGH! I wish I had more time to fit all these in, before plunging back to university in Feb 2005.

And now, Im headed off to SERIAKB for the weekend, helping out at a youth retreat. Should be spiritually enlightening, as its always good to tap into the different perspectives and levels that other individual youths have on faith.

So, thats me documenting my week. Ive had a great time and the week isnt even over yet =D

Its late, but:



When we can't access our inner resources, we come to the flawed conclusion that happiness and fulfillment comeonly from external events. That's because external events usually bring with them some sort of change. And so we've learned to rely on circumstances outside ourselves for forward or backward momentum as we hurtle through life. But we don't have to do that any longer. We can learn to be the catalysts for our own change.
~Sarah Ban Breathnach

Thank you to all of you who have given the thumbs up regarding my new layout, on my tagboard and msn and such related!! Ehon, Tiang, Passerby(whothe? Thanks!:)), Nadia, Chewy, Christine, Marilou, Marianne, Sangeetha, Uriel, Emily, Tan, Jeff, OJ. Thanks in multitudes! I was so nervous, honestly!

Layouts have never really been my thing, but with Fiona's tremendous help, it was a cinch. That woman has more talent in doing these kinda things in her pinky than I have overall. All i did was the banner and icon *grin*

DO you know how lazy Ive been? Aside from church related functions, Ive been so introverted lately. I think the whole semester at university went by in a blur, and it was such a whirlwind of a semester that I really needed to just lay back and catch my breath.

Yesterday was a blast. I spent the whole day socializing and just chilling, which was a vast imporvement over my antisocial behaviour. Spent the morning helping mom run errands, then the afternoon was so beautifully nostalgic, an afternoon spent cathcing up with darling Emily and Jon. Emily made me watch Shutter! AH! Scared me like the lil girl I am. But she bribed me with chocolates. Delicious. Caught up with various people I saw at the mall and yayasan and varios places. Everyone looks so grown up. Or maybe Im just stuck in a rut. Haha. That was sweet.

Came home and saw Matet! We gotta hang one day, girl.

Then the second i stepped home, I got a surprise phone call from an old friend, Cherry! OMG! She's in Brunei. That blew my mind away. Cant wait to see her.

Then, i decided not to go out at ALL at night. However, Jasmine and Ivy changed my minds and I went back to the mall again. I think the shop people were prolly thinking: ooh, she was here earlier...:P

Drank at Coffee..ZOne?Bean? I forget. :D Met Tan and Yen! yay! Its like a culture shock almost.

Im just recapping my day because it was a really tiring yet fun day. See!? I can be social when I want to be! :P

Also, GRETCHEL JUST FREAKING CONFIRMED THE PLANS! *leaps for joy* Yay! I get to see her again! I miss my old Curtin hostel crowd. You know, the people who are there for u 24/7 and see you in pjs and messy bedhead hair at hostels and are just..there.

Being back in Brunei is so...serene...compared to the stupidityandsillynessandfunnness back home. Its fun here, yeah, but its a different kind of fun. Kind of refreshing, really. And after that hurricane semester, perhaps a little serenity is just what I need. =D

love {or something} ignites in my veins/
and I pray that it never fades - White Houses/Vanessa Carlton


So, Fifi and I are in the midst of tweaking my blogspot. I made the collage myself up there, but well, whatever layout happens, it'll be off Fionas doing aight? She's great at this stuff and Im afraid my artistic ability only extends towards banner making :D

Ive been home for a week! OMG! And I couldnt be any happier. Seeing old friends is always wonderful. :D

My family is such an amazing family and Im blessed to be blessed like this! My dad finally got out of his leg cast, whoopee. We just celebrated his 54th birthday. WHich reminds me!

Happy Belated Birthday, Gretchel!

She just turned 20! Mwaha! I had a blast at her place last Sunday, my mom neglected to TELL me, right, and on the way to her house, after mass, my mom goes: blahdeeblah btw, youre going to Gretchels house coz she invited you for her birthday..

Im all: huh!?

So i just had enough time to reach under the car seat for the card and book I got for her earlier that day. Thank God. lol.

So it was the first time Ive ever stepped foot in her home. Her home is so warm and loving. I truly enjoyed my short stint there and I was sad to have to go home. Ron was there too (of course, the ever loving boyfriend to ate ;) ) and it was cool. We ate (our specialty when the three of us are together!), made videos (she's gonna have a blast with her great new video/digitalcamera next semester!), played with her brothers and sisters and sang our hearts out on the karaoke machine. Haha. It was really a great night and I really enjoyed myself =)

And I think we're continuing celebrations this weekend! Cross fingers!