My 1st day

My first day got off to a bad start... 1stly, the EJ i was enrolled in had only like 3 girls out of 20 +... tt ratio seems more appropriate for an ece class lorz... Not tt i was in the class for the girls also...
Then i went to return a rented car... N i got horned at least by 3 different drivers... To now i still dun understand why. Or perhaps they are horning at some other car, which i prefer to believe...
N can u believe it? Tcpulse gave the wrong classroom! Was suppose to go for my wireless sensor networks class, but the classroom it gave was for advanced analog design class... I was baffled for 5 mins, before i realize tt i was in the wrong classroom... N needless to say, i was late for the other class... which turns out to be a complete nightmare... There is so much to read up on, so much to do, n its really very intimidating... Sighs... A complete blanket of darkness enveloped the room... The class comprised of almost all indians... who seem super pro too...
N the worst is yet to come... I went to the next class, the prof teaching it is the same prof i did research with in summer... A really very nice person... i sat in the 2nd row, right in front of her... N then she started teaching... page 1, page 2, n soon page 10... N the next thing i know, last page... I fell asleep right in front of her! omg, i was so paiseh when i woke up... Faster walked out of the class with my head bowed...
N of course, the day wasnt over yet... Juz found out tt i must really know my 202 stuff, most of which i've returned to the prof tt taught me... This current prof seems garung, n i dun like tt... Would prefer a slack prof to TA for... Sighs...
Was feeling down when i got back, this sem seems to be much more than i had expected... I shd really start making plans bt which subjects to drop...

Back in pitt...

Time flies... I've been in pittsburgh for 3 days already, n school is starting once again tmr... Sighs... Been looking ard for cars to buy recently, but to no avail. There are cars matching my budget, n there are cars matching my type but just none that i really fancy... There are 2 kinds of purchases i make: 1. i buy when i think sth is a gd deal n i will prob use it. 2. i buy when i really like it. Cars belong to the 2nd type of purchase; if i buy, i will make sure tt i really like it. N i'm willing to fork out more if i really like it... but up to now, there arent many of those cars i like ard... sighs... I hope i can settle it by next week if possible, before all the school work comes in...

These days have been relaxing, helping michelle out a bit, playing some games, doing some exercise, looking at some cars... Still cant believe tt school starts tmr... Esp when i haven cfm my courses yet... Now tt i'm thinking of it, next sem may not be as nice as i picture it to be... 2 ece grad courses + 1 ece course... No matter how smart i may hope myself to be, i think i may still suffer... Getting ready to drop a course now already haha... Juz in case... Last yr liao, dun wanna suffer too much...

Pray tt i can find a good car soon...

rambling on...

I finally realised y i cant get to sleep the week before... I basically did nothing much... Gng out is very tiring, taking the bus/mrt is in fact, much more taxing than playing games at home... N so, i can juz sleep well at night... Had fun wif jw n mich over the last few days, really reminded me of last sem where i spent almost all my time wif them... N this time, its gonna be different... No one for me to call n bug in the middle of the night... No one for me to call for technical support... No one for me to call ask for advice on other "matters"...

Watched secret over the weekend... Thought it was a really nice movie, though there are some parts which i dun really like... I.e. the ending, n of cos, the idea behind the movie. But as a first time director, i thought jay really did a great job... The movie was quite touching, esp towards the end... It has been some time before i was so touched by a movie, would recommend it to everyone... N there are lotsaf talking pts too... In fact, i had a 1 hr conversation wif my fren bt it over bnet... Yes, we talked from like 4-5 am... Haha... One of my best buds ard, definitely my first choice as movie bud... We both enjoy similar shows, esp shows like jiang hu, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, etc. All shows in which we are "tricked"... Guess its cos both of us like to guess what happens in the movie as we are watching it, so we form some kind of an impression on how its gng to go... N as the movie progresses, the impression we form gets stronger until we are so convinced tt we are right. But at the last minute, we realise that we are both very wrong, n that all the clues actually point to another story... Sighs... N yes, i am gng to leave him again too...

Also juz realised that car insurance is darn ex... $600 for 1/2 a yr... zzz... I am gng to be so broke next sem if i buy my car... For a moment, i was thinking of just saving up the money n screw the car... But i juz dun want to once again retract wad i was gng to do once again, think i shall persevere on with my plans, money can always be earned, but my final yr life happens only once...

Flying off again...

1 more week to me flying off... Or even lesser... N suddenly i realise tt i am pretty packed... lotsaf frens i treasure, n of cos, i need to dedicate time for my family too... They're the ones tt miss me the most, and the ones i would hate to leave behind the most... I thought it'll be easier for me to leave as the years go by, since i shd have been used to this kindaf feeling... But no... This yr is especially strong... Almost like the first time i'm flying off... Tt kind of "i-dun-wanna-leave-u-behind" feeling... Maybe its cos, i know there are even lesser frens in cmu compared with the last yr... All those who graduated will no longer be there... Perhaps it means tt i'll be forced to make new frens too, but i'm not really interested in tt... Still prefer my old frens anytime... N just nice, liu geng hong's "cai hong tian tang" is playing at the back ground... Making my emotions even stronger...
Well, the only consolation is tt at least i still have some pals over in cmu... Die die got my new old roommate, haha... though i'm wondering if he'll be a "busy" man once more... =p Hmm, sounds like a rather emo post... But well, i usually feel more things at night... Like esp before i go to sleep, i think tts the point of time when i feel the most vulnerable, cos lotsaf thoughts will pop into my head... Hopefully my next yr in cmu will be like my previous years, my mind goes blank once i touch the bed... =p
Still got lotsaf things which i feel like writing, but well, suan le... Think its better to juz go watch tv... N enjoy tmr's shopping at orchard!

A reason to watch ch 8 drama serials...

I realise that the more chinese drama serials i watch, the more thoughts i have... Juz finished watching "bao jia wei guo", the ch 8 9 pm show... Yes, i started watching it cos of felicia chin, but now, i think the plot n stuff aint too bad... Esp a quote from wang lu jiang when he was describing how he felt towards some ger...
"She makes my mind blank and my tongue all tied up"
See? I am not the only guy ard who would feel like that... Stupid jw makes me feel so useless when its so normal... N apparently u'd naturally be like that when u are wif someone u like...

Anyways, me n my sis also observed 4 good tactics to be used on girls...
1. Have a present be delivered to a girl, with the card asking her to meet u somewhere... But do not sign it off, so tt she'll be kept guessing.

Y it would work: Unless the girl is busy, else they'd probably meet u... And even after seeing u, even though u may not be the person she hopes it is, her effort in meeting u would probably make her say yes to a dinner or sth... Unless she really hates u, then its gg anyways. (social psych)

2. When u meet the girl, ask her if she could do u a favour. If she says yes, (n hopefully u have a car), ask her to talk in the car... And when she gets on, tell her ur favour is for her to have dinner wif u...

3. Find out if she is bothered by anything. If so, try to bring it out in the conversation, making her feel emotional or sad... Then thats where ur shoulder comes in... lolz..

4. I forgot... Maybe someone who watched the episode can tell me.

3.

A little story...

Went to jog a few days back, and met a neighbour along the way. Dun really know him well though, but i recognize that face as the uncle who always parks his bmw at the same spot everyday. N as usual, he started the routine "shihong" questioning session.
Uncle: "How come i nv see u recently?"
Me: "Studying overseas"
Uncle: " So u juz came back for break?"
Me: Yeap
Uncle: Where u studying?
Me: US
Uncle: Which university?
Me: Carnegie Mellon
Uncle: U on scholarship?
Me: Yeah
Blah blah blah....

Until he asked a qn which no one ever asked me before...
Uncle: But i see u like very fit lydat. How come u always come jogging ar?(or sth lydat, happened a few days ago, forgot the exact qn)
Me: *Smile stupidly*

I really dunno how to reply. For once, i was stupefied. Is it because i am health conscious? Or i juz wanna keep fit? Or just cos i'm vain? Thought bt it at night, (yes, the same recent nights i spend in bed turning n tossing, unable to sleep... )

Reminded me of a story, a story bt a little boy's childhood. His family loves food a lot, and they can save on almost anything, but nice food is a must... They can spend 40 mins travelling, to n fro, just for a good meal at a hawker. They made sure that their fridge is always stored with snacks and drinks, n as expected, everyone loves to eat. However, this little boy, dxn have a great appetite, but he loves to eat, and makes sure tt good food is nv wasted... He likes 100 plus a lot too, and drinks like 1-2 cans per day. But of course, everyone say he is chubby n cute n in primary school, who cares? But when he got in secondary school, things start to change... He was separated from his primary school buds, all alone in a class... He was admitted to a certain program, but wasnt doing too well to meet up wif the expectations of it... Ppl ard started to look down on him, calling him names n stuff... It may seem like nothing to them, but to tt little boy, he dxn feel too good bt it... His past family and school environment made him feel gd bt himself, n he juz wasnt too used to this treatment... Gradually, he decided its time to do sth bt it... He needs to slim down, be smarter, be more handsome, be more sociable, be better. And he knows tt he can be better than anyone, and tt he will be better than everyone.

The thing bt chinese drama serials...

Everything seems so perfect... Things turn out the way u want it, every good guy wins, every bad guy lose... U almost seem to always see the hero (with a stroke of luck) get the girl they want, be the hero, and life happily ever after... In real life though, how many ppl can be that hero? We are the hero in our own life drama serial, but more often than not, things dun turn out the way we think it shd be... But at least watching this kindaf stuff gives me hope, making me feel that somehow, i may just be that hero i've always seen.

N wif so much watching of these serials, i realised that most often than not, the heroes (as in the male lead) is either a). the intelligent, mature, goody-two-shoes kindaf guy or b). the young, industrious, pai gia... Then i'll start thinking, which one am i? or rather, which one shd i be? Maybe i shd go n try out the unshaven look, and start to act serious... Sounds plausible... But cannot... If i dun shave, i'll look more like lao fu zi than liang chao wei... How bt the more punkster look? Gel up my hair a bit(not that i dun already do), constantly chew on some gum, n stare at ppl with the corner of my eyes... Lets first ignore the fact tt i dun belong to the 1.72m, 55kg grp. Hmm... Maybe i could just do that... Yeah, i can do tt for 5 mins... Maybe 30 mins... Maybe 2 hrs... But to put on a look which really aint me at all juz cant be done forever... Sighz... Then how? Perhaps the simple soln to this is not to change myself to be the hero of the story, but rather, change that hero of my life to be me... Perhaps just making myself look myself is the best image for me...