The Long Delayed Entry

Note: This post was meant to be posted up 2 days ago (Saturday) but due to inability to complete the what- would -have- been -an -extremely- verbose entry ( I had to do last minute chores for The Mother then dash to Rena's place for the movie marathon), I'm posting it instead today. (Not that you were interested in reading that mouthful of rubbish)

Saturday, 26th July 2008

The plan was to wake up early, clean up my increasingly messy room (before it reaches an intolerable point) then blog. But in my world, plans are never executed (notwithstanding the deluded belief that I would actually follow the plan on the day I make the plan). The Valerie of the Future persistently refuses to obey the Valerie of the Past. Take that statement in its simplest meaning and don't ask me to explain the notion of Time and Relativity. ( Without memory,
Time would be an irrelevant concept.)

I've been meaning to blog about the significant events of the past few weeks but my laziness has been the greatest obstacle. I'm the Queen of Excuses and I'm highly adept at deluding myself with my myriad of justifications to procrastinate. So instead of writing about an event right after the event itself, I postpone it, until the fresh memories and feelings (be it excessive irritation or warm fuzzy feelings) become diluted in time. I'm now numb.

I'll begin with WKWSCI FOC 2008. As you all know, I aint exactly a big fan of camps, but with that, I must say that I truly do not regret joining this orientation camp. It was worth missing Lobo for. I've always had the impression that orientation camp was where you meet people who'll eventually become mere acquaintances ; people you smile at and occasionally say a quick "Hi!" and "Bye!" to when you happen to see each other in school. That's what happened in JC. It's amazing that I do not (and do not want to) remember the names of half my OG in JC, while I know every single person, including the seniors in Ravioli. Even Chinese names! (OK, I did cheat a bit and gave some special people nicknames). But the point is, I'm amazed at how well our OG bonded. I'm seriously amazed. Just look at the turn up of yesterday's outing. About 30 people gathered for dinner (i.e. approximately 90% attendance. *gasp*) The idea of an OG outing in JC was going out with Rohan and Fang Fang.

I cheered enthusiastically, participated in the games actively, had fun during mass dance, drank orange juice with someone's spit in it, passed tomatoes with my cheek (Let me reiterate that I absolutely loathe raw tomatoes), shared tubs of Ben & Jerry's ice cream with the whole OG, survived the scariest Fright Night, went banana boating, was made to believe I drank water from the Toilet Bowl while wading in the flooding Toilet floor, did situps on a mat laden with Goo and Ketchup, had late night girl talks, sang "I want it that way" till it became an earworm and most importantly, felt like I was part of an actual OG, despite all our differences. And so with incredible mushiness (since everyone else is being all mushy in our Ravioli blog I might as well join in) I declare that I HEARTS RAVIOLI! (note to self: That was so uncool. Oh w.t.h.)






On a personal note, I found myself being less talkative th
an my usual self. I'm extroverted when with introverted people but do not remain so when with extroverted people. It's like, I go back to my little shell, contented with being the quiet(er) observer. Not to say that I become mute wall. I just somewhat tone my "bubbly-ness" a notch down. I listen more than I talk, I have more emo moments than usual (mooning over things I've observed/realised) and I show less of my weird side. I'm basically quieter. (I can already imagine Rena exclaiming in incredulity, "Is that even humanly possible?" ).

I pray these new friendships forged will stand the test of time.

Monday, 28th July 2008

My brain is rather fuzzy today. I've been attempting to navigate through the NTU website, trying to collect information on Matriculation, Course Registration, Course Requirements, Electives To Choose, and Timetable-ing. Basically, The NTU System. Hours of staring at the screen, reading pages and pages of information has lead to overload. The Brain now seeks the great panacea known as Panadol. So now I'm sane enough to continue this blog entry.

Continuing on my Ravioli Entry, we had a Ravioli outing last Thursday. The morning and afternoon were spent playing Frisbee, Captain's Ball and Volleyball under the obnoxious heat of the sun and chilling under our 'Umbrella' while waiting for a passing cloud so that we can resume playing. Needless to say, I tanned. Again. Oh, and not to forget our Jamming Sessions where Zed (The Rocker) played the guitar and Job (The Earthworm) attempted to show his bass playing talents on an acoustic guitar. I spent half my time playing the guitar because I didn't feel like burning myself black by stepping out into the sun.

We chanced upon a hilarious sight of another orientation group. With their multicoloured umbrella's held high while cheering (The sight of guys holding umbrellas while strolling on the beach is the epitome of sissy-ness. O well, to each his own), only God knows which faculty this orientation group is from. *Hint: The male population is huge*

Under my Umbrella, Ella-ella-eh-eh

Nuraini, Junhua (Sep), Jean, Val,Charlene

Now showing: Everybody loves Earthworm

Literally on the 'dark' side. Dinner at Marche

Ok. Uploading Photos is such a bitch. Blogger is being such a retard. Instead of placing my uploaded photo where I want it, it places it at the very top of the entry by default. I then have to drag it all the way down. Save Me.

Anyway, let's talk about my first Scuba Diving Trip! Check out my photobook for Camwhoring Moments.

Make a Smilebox photobook

I must say I enjoyed the experience! Being born under the Star Sign Aquarius makes me Hydrophilic. (Don't you just love Biology terms?) I remember how awkward it was, the first time I wore my Scuba Diving Gear. It felt so...bulky and restricted while on Land. But once I plunged into the water, everything became weightless. Even that hideously heavy tank. The very first giant stride I took off the boat and into the sea was exhilarating. However, the first descent to about 6 metres was scary. I felt acute pain in my ear as the pressure dropped hastily. Saltwater entered my mask and irritated my eyes. The air from the regulator dried up my throat. I remember panicking slightly at that moment and only wanting to go back up to the surface to breathe. Then I remembered the fundamental rule of Diving which was to "Relax and Breathe normally". So once I calmed myself down, I accustomed myself to the tranquility of the underwater world. For once, I won't be using words to communicated and that is something I found very difficult. The idea of not being able to talk for an hour when there's something to talk about was a challenge indeed.

I became unevenly tanned because I was not wearing a full body suit and also had my fair share of scratches on the exposed parts of my body. My hair was a saltwater mess and I looked like a major Dork in that suit. And that Tank! Where do I even begin. That bloody heavy tank has probably made me shorter. If it weren't for that kind uncle who helped me carry the tank while I take of the gear, I'd probably topple over. My most hated part would probably have to be getting out of the water and climbing that cute ladder to the boat deck. That sudden pull by gravity is not a nice feeling. I also realised that I'm not a fan of snorkelling. On the first time we went to a snorkelling site, I remember putting on my Fins when suddenly my instructor pushed me into the water for fun. That's not why I dislike snorkelling. I just loathe it when my snorkel clogs up and I end up swallowing salt water. And it happens often. No matter how much and how strongly I blow to clear it (I look like those whales already ok).

Now to what I loved. I loved the Freedom diving offered to get close to aquatic organisms and their habitat. It was quite surreal. It's like being in a gigantic aquarium. A different world altogether. I liked spotting Nemo every few minutes. I liked seeing the colourful fishes up close. I liked being surrounded by schools of fishes. I loved watching the blue spotted ray flap its "wings" and glide. I liked the fact that I was swimming in the sea, 18 metres from surface level. I liked looking up to see the surface and the sunlight glistening on the surface. I loved the thrill of going through small overhead passageways because it's as if you're seeking treasure in a sunken ship. I loved being aboard that rather old boat; the wooden floor, the laid back feel, the sea air blowing at you as the boat moves forward to the new diving site, sitting at the edge of the side of the boat, the scenery, that feeling of insignificance amidst the seemingly endless sea, the choppy waves and the boat going up and down. I loved walking around the island, in just my swimsuit and shorts without a care in the world. I loved meeting new people from all walks of life and how our paths crossed because of a common interest.

One day, I'm going to try living the Island Life. And I don't mean buying my own island Princess Natalia. I don't want to be an owner but just a member of the community. Bohol? Boracay? Someday. =)

--------------------------------------------------------------

I have a long list of things to do waiting for me tomorrow. It's time I press the snooze button.

Good night.

P.S. I've matriculated. ( I don't know why but matriculation sounds like a pregnancy word)
I got COM 201, COM 203 and COM 204(T9).
Now to choose my electives... *headache*
I want to take Japanese!