Login U codename ultimax++ February 6, 2012 // 49439
Daily // September 2005
September 30, 2005
Last day of september. Well, unlike august or july, september just came and went like water between fingers. I simply have an unlimited amount of things undone now.. Ogle (n) - amorous or lustful stare.
September 29, 2005
I'm still here..
Well, I've just been really busy with everything. By the end of the day, I just become too tired to stay up later to write. That's why I've disappeared for almost three days..
One thing worth mentioning today: all the classrooms in the language wing have been installed with new computer systems and projectors, which is simply a great advancement. But the even greater thing is that the department invested on the Sony wireless keyboard + touchpad setups for each room. Isn't that startling yet delightful? September 26, 2005
This free monday turned out to be not so free at all.. Expostulate (v) - protest against, dispute.
September 25, 2005
On this ordinary sunday, I woke up around 10 and started doing some math. In the afternoon, Derek, Jeffrey and a few more ppl played tennis with me. It was somewhat fun and meaningless..
At night, 16 of us had dinner at Golden Palace. It was quite fun really - with good food and great conversations. (I still can't believe that thai ppl know so much about our culture.) And when we got back, we played a foosball championship in the rock. Well, as he himself said, Wilson emerged victorious this time. We then rushed to student union for more foosball, ping pong, and pool. It was definitely a wild night. Compendious (adj) - summarized, shortened.
September 24, 2005 Busy Life 2
I never expected this - this perpetual cycle of work, this monotonous life, this overwhelming force of pressure - in summer.
I awake with a start almost everyday. Telling myself to sleep for another minute and persuading my body to wake up at the same time is not exactly the best start for a day. Then, classes start, and end. Next, yoga lessons. Oh yes, yoga.
Yoga [n] - Indian system for training the body and soul using breathing exercises and meditation
In the evening, work period starts and I struggle through it most of the time - not because of my academic ineptness, but because of my tiredness and fatigue. And then, when I finally finish work and have a bit of free time, I discover that there's so much I want or have to do. Without them being done, I collapse onto my bed and pass out.
So yes, this weekend is a slightly longer one, with a free monday. Something new tonight: Doug and I played the double feature saturday movies today. We got the privilege of setting up the screen, entering the Booth, and of course, dimming the lights.
And ten minutes before sign in just now, Wilson and I walked to the pond to gaze at the stars. As I said, I think that stars are the reminders of our own puny and momentary existence. Harbingers (n) - something which foreshadows a future event; signal, omen (預兆). Vestiges (n) - remnant, remaining (殘餘).
September 23, 2005 Sand Mandala
Tibetan monks arrived at Taft this past monday. Their main aim for this visit is to raise money and awareness for their tribe. Beside that, they also used these four days to construct the famous sand mandala. For those who don't know, sand mandalas are diagrams of certain palaces made by laying grains of sand. The beautiful end-product is then dismantled at the end of the ceremony/festival. While it aches in the heart to see the Tibetan monks destroying the hard work they have put forth, it reminds us of the message sand mandalas tell us: that beauty, and ultimately everything, is impermanent, that true beauty lasts forever only in the heart.
And so, the dismantling ceremony took place this afternoon, and lucky enough (as many others), I got a tiny portion of the dismantled sand. The remaining sand was then poured into our pond, signifying a blessing of health and well-being for all of us - since this time it is a mandala of medicine. Coquetry (n) - flirtration, dalliance.
September 21, 2005 "The function of man is to live, not to exist."
Where was I yesterday? Well, I was here..just too tired to type.
Today, as I listened to Wilson's melancholy piano sound, I felt bouts of repentance - repentance for stop playing the piano when I was young. I get the same feeling everytime a friend plays it. This regretful feeling certainly puts me into a depressed mood, but it also serves as a reminder for me: don't end what you've started.
Always end where you start. Protuberance (n) - bulge, swelling.
September 19, 2005
A tiring day of classes.. May all be well this week.
New song today. A song collegium is going to sing in our performance in October - For the Blue Green Hills of Earth. Inane (adj) - empty, lacking substance.
September 18, 2005 "Loss constitutes an odd sense of fullness; despair empties out into an unquenchable appetite for life." - Gretel Ehrlich
I'm in Palmer's class of A Sense of Place, and our first reading was Ehrlich's The Solace of Open Spaces. While fractured and arbitrary at times, its a very earthy, figurative, real and raw narrative. Although I'm still not up to her par to fathom her realizations, I guess I've experienced such emotional breakdowns. But anyway..
Still have readings, readings, and more readings to finish before I go to bed. So, bye for now. Insinuate (v) - hint, allude to (暗示).
September 17, 2005
Although I am not totally done with unpacking, I've decided to take pix anyway, since there is a dire need for photos here.. Well, I am just showing tidbits of my room though, since my bed is covered by just-washed-and-unfold clothes and.. Well, we'll go to the pix:
Tidbits of my room
Bedside shelf
One corner of desk
New water kettle + utensils
Wall of random pix
More pix will be posted soon when I feel like my room is orderly.
Tonight, the night before Mid-Autumn festival, I reflected on my past experiences on this festive night. I remember distinctively that, from primary 1 to form 1, I would meet my friends around 7-8 pm the night before Mid-Autumn to play candles in Mei Foo park. I would prepare fluorescent-sticks, paper and plastic lanterns, and empty mooncake boxes and race down to the park and seize the perfect turf - a windless corner. We would play till 11 or sometimes even midnight, since there were no school on the next day. At thoses ages, I never really cared much about the full-moon - it was just there every year! I always thought that only adults gaze at the moon and eat mooncakes..
But, gazing at the moon means so much more to me now. I begin to appreciate its beauty. Its fullness juxtaposes my absent family. As the saying goes, 月有陰晴圓缺 人有悲歡離合, I just can't stop thinking about everyone at the other side of the world. Looking at the moon, who do you see and think of?
I've been listening to the wondrous theme song from Healing Hands III - No Matter by Angel. Unfortunately it is a recorded one..so it's just abit more than a minute long. Does anyone have the full version?
"In the sunny days, sun will light your day. In the windy days, wind will lead your way..
Just go your way, and leave things all behind, spread your wings and fly away.."
Voluptuous (adj) - sensual, luxurious.
September 16, 2005
So far in this month, I have already missed two pieces of dailys. Why? I really don't know.. It might be because of my monotonous lifestyle that desiccate all the writing juice in me, or it might be that by the end of the day, I feel too tired to type more words. But as I said many times before, I care about my readers, so I shall try my best to write something everyday.
After writing the paragraph above, Eugene went to remove his contacts in the bathroom, where he encountered an interesting dialogue between two he'd-prefer-to-keep-anonymous people.
"Yo, I'm getting an ipod nano," the tall guy said.
"Oh cool. Wait what is it?" replied the shorter guy.
"Ipod NANO."
"Nano? Why are they naming it nano?" the short, dull-witted guy asked.
"Cos it's the size of pencil. But it has a color screen."
"Wow that's sick."
"It's disgusting."
Well, what can I say.. Wonted (adj) - used to, accustomed to.
September 14, 2005 "A mistake is only a mistake if you don't learn from it."
Today was a half-day of classes and another half-day of revising. With so many things due Friday, how could I waste my afternoons?
Btw, since we have a school-wide sleep-in tmr, I squeezed some time to work on a Chinese Club website. How will it look? Well, we'll see. Mimesis (n) - mimicry, imitation.
September 13, 2005 Busy Life
School this week has become increasingly strenuous. Already an English paper is due this friday. And a test on 1-D motion that day too. I wish I could stop for a moment and see what I've been missing around me.
Internet's finally been fixed. It turned out that I was correct - the port in the basement was somehow unplugged. But anyway.. Douse (v) - throw water on, plunge into water.
September 11, 2005 Another day to be remembered.
Well, nothing special today. Just did hw all day long basically. Tired now..more tmr. Good nite. September 10, 2005
After classes today, I decided to go to Brooks for some remaining essentials. I asked Wilson, but he said he didn't have anything to buy. Well, Chris and Steve had to try out for jv soccer; and Derek and Jeffrey had xcountry practice. So in the end, I walked down to Brooks myself. It's quite solitary indeed.
After I got back, I organized my room and played tennis with Jeff later in the hrs. For dinner, we ordered out and ate in Steven's small and carpet-less room.
In the late evening, I watched last week's episodes of Healing Hands III, which Wilson downloaded. It's strange to think that I was still watching it live in HK a few days ago.. Sigh..
If you think that I've disappeared in the last few days, it's because that the internet's not working in my room. It'll be fixed soon.
Weekly Recap VII
(Highlight the corresponding spaces for answers)
September 9, 2005
Another long day of classes.. Fridays will become my second busiest day, since I have almost every block.
Hopefully, after classes tmr, I will finally finish unpacking and get rejuvenated from this wild start of a new school yr. Jester (n) - prankster, joker.
September 8, 2005
Today was a tiring first-day of classes.
After waking up at 7, I had a long breakfast before heading to math class. I have a huge math class - 16 students. It's a good class though, Mr. P is humorous and seems to get the job done. After math, we had a school meeting with Mr. Mac. I'm glad they merged the meetings/assemblies with the breaks, since it's less confusing and more efficient. After meeting and break, I headed for chem. There are actually three chem sections this year. My section include many students from my block last-yr. We spent time reviewing some topics and Hostage announced a quiz on monday.
The next block for collegium for me. We had some 'placement tests' to see which section our voices pertain to. SInce it's a super block, it ended in an hour. Lunch block came, and my first day of classes is done. Looknig forward to other new classes tmr. Desiccate (v) - dry up.
September 7, 2005
Woke up at 6 and couldn't get back to sleep. So I climbed off my bed, and prepared some hot drinks. During the hours of 6-8, I continued my quest of unpacking and organizing. Derek and I then had our first breakfast at Taft. The food was acceptable.. Around 10.30, I went to my new boy's room and guided him around the campus. It's quite reflective really - it was not long ago that I was escorted by the Saudi Arabian senior (forgot his name now) around the school.. The afternoon was occupied by Mr. Mac's welcoming speech, my McNeill-storage-stuff-driven-to-cpt-with-his-kids trip, and more unpacking.
School starts tmr. Let's take a look at the schedule:
Strangely, we have a whole-school sleep-in on thursdays, since the first block is faculty's meetings. B's math, G's chem, E's collegium, and F's lunch. The xH blocks simply mean flexible blocks that give teachers an option of extending their class.
P.S. Received my kettle today. It looks quite elegant. Yes, I promise to post pix when I finish unpacking. Riposte (n) - quick and sharpy reply; retort (反擊).
September 6, 2005 Settling down..
After 20 hours of traveling, I finally arrived (back) at Taft. The flight was fine - food was okay, neighbor was okay - but I didn't get much sleep. As for the drive back, it took almost 2 hours, and I slept through most of it. Thats quite normal, since it was 3am hk time.
We arrived around 5pm. As I checked-in in the duty office, I was extremely frustrated when I found out that I'm inhabiting on the 4th floor.. I requested for, first-choice 2nd, second-choice 3rd, and am assigned on my third-choice! Fortunately I later found out that Derek is opposite to me and Jeffrey's on the 4th floor as well. My room is fine - not the biggest for a single but overall spacious. I'll post pix when I finish unpacking.
Dinner at dining hall was terrible tonight. It doesn't even compare to the on-flight meals.. Anyway, after dinner, I moved my stuff back from the trailer with Wilson's help. Well, my computer chair is once again lost this time (the same thing happened last year).. History does repeat itself..
All old boys and girls were summoned to a meeting with Frew at 7.30. It was quite inefficient. After that, I walked across the street to McNeills to claim partial of my storage. Stayed in room unpacking and organising since then. It's been a long, long day.. Panacea (n) - cure-all medicine.
September 5, 2005 Farewell
I didn't use the word 'goodbye' because I don't see where the good is in goodbyes..
Today, my last day in HK, was spent miraculously. Well, miraculous in both a good and bad way. The good: it lightened me up for this otherwise boring day. The bad: it made me more gloomy.. I want to hold on to you guys more than ever now.. The lunch with Stephy and Tiffany..the tea with Kevin, Michael, Martin and Thomas..everything is inscribed so deeply into my heart that I can't not think of it.
Besides that, I also had a pre-celebration for my bro's bday tmr. If only I had spent more time with my family this summer; if only I had payed more attention to their well-being - because it's too late now. The dreams I had thought of before and during summer were broken. Well well well..in a way this legend continues - I carry on thinking of my family, my friends and other people, and look forward to my reunion, in the near future.
Since I have been so busy packing just now, I had little or no time saying individual farewells to you guys. So, let's do it here:
Kevin - guess what? you're the first on the list but i typed this last. anyway, you're just.......admirable. i hope that our friendship continues to grow, as it has this summer, in the coming years, decades, centuries.. add oil and pursue your dreams
Michael - you're so empathetic..sometimes you just act as if you're unsubmissive to show your toughness, but in the end, you're still the kind and caring person I've always known. add oil and prepare well for al - you can do it.
Martin - just be yourself! we kid around alot, teasing you and such..but don't you dare give in..because as long as you accept who you are, people would have no choice but to accept you too. don't waste your half-yr break, make good use of it!
Thomas - what can i say..you're always so enigmatic. but when we do chat, it seems that we're attracted to similar stuff. but still, i am losing you in the past few yrs, we'll change that in christmas. study well and, all the best.
Tiffany - you're the breaker! ice breaker..wall breaker etc. no, not literally, but you break the walls between us. so..just keep on being boisterous! add oil and good luck in applying to us universities.
Stephy - you're still a mystery to me. a great friend though..we had some fine moments in shenzhen. continue to amaze your audience with your voice!
That's about it.. Well, I'm sorry if your name does not appear. I've tried my best to open my eyes and type..
"離是苦 想是空
忘掉一份感情談何容易"
Well, family, friends, I'll miss you all dearly. Farewell.September 4, 2005
Traveled to TST for a haircut this morning. Afterwards I got my eyeglasses tweaked back into normal shape - it had been crushed a few times by footballs and other objects.
Played some tennis with dad around sunset. Fortunately it did not rain regardless of the clouds above us and the wind gusting to remind us of its power.
A last note for today: as I consoled and persuaded myself to stay at home tmr to pack, people began asking me out for farewells.. It's great, just a bit surprising. I look forward to my bout of farewells tmr.
P.S. During my haircut today, the salon played a captivating song, and it turned out to be the original version of Faye's 夢中人. Correct - thats what you're listening to right now. Enjoy. Proprietary (adj) - pertaining to owner or ownership.
September 3, 2005
Went out in early afternoon for tea at Jade Garden. I also brought along my old R505 to sell. It's really a big decision, since I had always loved the machine and now exchanging it for one-twentieth of its original price is a bit absurd.. But in the end it is meaningless to store a low-par notebook that could no longer be turned on.
After lunch, I went to Silvercord Muji to take advantage of its removal sale. Most of the sale items were clothes..which is good. I bought a few of them in great bargains and also got a small box for my contact lens container. (Unfortunately it's quite impossible to picture the box since it's an eccentric habit of mine to store things like this.) Finally, my family had dinner in another Jade restaurant (the shanghai one) and left around 9. Mettle (n) - characteristic disposition (氣質).
September 2, 2005
Just stayed at home again to finish up my work. Well, if I put monday as my packing day, that leaves me tomorrow and sunday only..
I would do anything to stop time now.. Despondent (adj) - depressed, dejected.
September 1, 2005 September Starts
Isn't September the month of awakening? In dreams, we often get awakened when something good is happening. If summer holiday is a dream, then september is definitely the awakening sense that puts us back in reality.
So, had a multi-celebration dinner with family in Yuen Long 大榮華. The food was alright - when you eat at these places, you simply expect something along the line of 鄉村風味.. Yeah, it was a celebration of my two cousin's birthday. Exiguous (adj) - scarce, scanty.
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