...and life goes on

THE AFTERMATH

Italy 1 Australia 0

Italy were the favourites to win, with Australia coming in as the underdogs.


Was hoping for an upset; it would have been great to go through the city and see the place in a state of euphoria. It's just the whole atmosphere thing, you know? Ah, should have gone to Lygon Street to watch the match instead; then can celebrate in full mode with the Italian fans. Wish I had a camera! Walking back, I took the Lygon Street route, and it was utter chaos; the police blocked off entrance into Lygon Street, and the roads were filled with bottles and rubbish everywhere. I think they were probably preventing a riot from occurring. Fed Square didn't quite have that football frenzy atmosphere I was expecting; on the contrary, it was quite distracting, with some people just wanting to cause disturbances. At the end of the match, some people even threw flares (even though it was banned) and bottles at the screen (probably out of frustration) after Totti scored the controversial (?) penalty kick.

I thought Australia played well, and almost matched the Italians evenly, but as a friend put it, their "finishing is just crap". Anyhow, Italy have been, after all, three-time world champions. But guess it's really a matter of opinion as well; we're all biased by nature (no one can truly be objective and impersonal), and I admit I'm biased, and that's only because I'm in Australia now. Heh.

Refereeing has been one of the biggest issues at this World Cup so far, and this match was no exception. That penalty kick was rather/very/extremely controversial, and will probably generate many arguments or discussions in the days to come; I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment on it, and I shan't bother. =P

Overall, it wasn't a spectacular match - I've seen better ones, but oh well, that's soccer for you. Life goes on; Australia will probably go through some days of misery and heartbreak. But give it some time, and the soccer fever will die down.

Sigh. What a disappointment. Not because Australia lost or anything (I don't really care for Italy or Australia; got better teams to support =P), but I was really hoping for the game to go into overtime, and maybe even end in a penalty shootout. Anything, except for this kind of a dubious end, especially in the dying seconds of injury time. You probably can't get more controversial than that! Some fans will argue that it was justified; some will continue to criticize and lash out at the referee's decision; there will be no end to this debate.

Seriously, Australia may have made it this far by "luck" or whatever you guys may call it. I personally thought they played rather well - they exceeded most people's expectations, and despite the sceptism and criticism, made it up to this stage; although I was expecting them to be kicked out sooner or later anyway. But they did not deserve to go out this way.

Definitely not this way.





Btw, I've been using the word "soccer", mainly 'cause the term "football" has very different connotations here in Australia, where it is taken to refer to Aussie Rules, which is something like rugby, and they call it 'footie' as well here... I think. =P Someone correct me if I'm wrong. It's quite a craze here in Melbourne, and even back in Perth.

Italy - Australia; your pick

THIS IS IT.

Italy vs. Australia, 1 a.m. Melbourne time.

In less than two hours' time, soccer/football fans all over Australia, Italy and the rest of the world will be glued to their TVs, listening to radios, hooked to their computers, or however they are accessing the game.

Go Italia!...

A street away, Melbourne's own Little Italy, Lygon Street (practically a long stretch of Italian restaurants and cafés) is already filling up with excitement and energy. A huge television screen has been set up on Lygon Street for the Italian fans or other people supporting Italy (I presume so, since it is Lygon, after all). I can hear the noise already. It's just as well that I'm staying up to catch the game, as I don't think I can be able to sleep with the noise from Lygon Street tonight! (Which is just a block away.)

Federation Square

Over at the other end of the city, Federation Square also has a huge television screen set up there (as it has been for the previous two games Australia had played); but tonight will probably be more significant than any other matches, since Australia made it to the second round, after all. I will be heading down there later on with my friends to join the massive crowd in supporting - actually, I still have no idea who I'm supporting. =P

... or will the Socceroos pull off another surprise again?

If Italy wins tonight, I can imagine headlines in tomorrow's papers: NO MORE PASTA/PIZZA/(insert Italian dish here). LOL. The Australians will probably boycott Lygon Street after that. The Italian community will have to endure being shunned for awhile.

On the other hand, if Australia wins, the Lygon restaurants (or any other Italian eateries) will probably treat the Australians coldly (just as well that I'm Asian, heh). Oh my goodness - I can't imagine how things would be like tomorrow morning when I go out. Wonder what I will see tomorrow. LOL. I recall a friend telling me about what happened after the Australia-Japan match; after the match, he was on the roads, in his car, and this car of Australians passed by him and one of them shouted at him, calling him something obscene, thinking he was a Japanese!

Will be leaving my place soon to walk down to Federation Square with a friend later to meet our other friends there. The match starts at 1 a.m., but we're going early to get a good vantage point where we can actually see the screen. I expect tonight to be even more packed than ever. I didn't watch at Federation Square, but from television reports and newspaper pictures, the crowd is MASSIVE.

The speakers from Lygon Street are SO LOUD, I can hear the commentator's EVERY WORD. The city is full and alive tonight. The roads to Lygon Street have all been blocked (and to Fed Square too, I should think; would find out later!), and people in cars, walking, on bicycles, are already travelling all over the city to wherever they are heading to. If I was staying home tonight, I can probably tell what's happening in the game even without stepping out. Probably can hear the crowd cheering and shouting all the way.

It's so alive. Tonight will probably be the closest I'll ever actually get to feeling an authentic soccer-mad atmosphere, and lose myself among the spectators. It probably won't be exactly the same as over in Germany, in the stadium itself, but close enough! (Note to self: something I definitely want to do when I can and have the means to do in the future- catch the World Cup live!)

It is extremely noisy outside; it's either from the gathering crowd or from the screen (and will probably be worse when the match starts later!) I can practically feel the tension and excitement hanging thick in the cold, Melbourne air.

Most of my friends think that Italy will be the one to get through; but then again, it's soccer we're talking about. Anything can happen. There's been many upsets throughout soccer history.

And tonight is no exception.

=D

Another soccer post

Yes, it's yet another soccer (football, if you prefer) post... you guys will have to bear with me throughout the whole of this World Cup. Considering that I have been waiting for 2006 Germany WC since 2002 Korea-Japan, you have to forgive and understand me. Lol. I'll probably post random stuff, probably complain/rant/jubilate about some matches, all the way to the finals on 9th July. =D Disclaimer: I do not know/understand everything about soccer, considering that I'm 'new' at this, hence, you may or may not agree with some of my viewpoints or 'ideas' about soccer, but heck. =P


Australia is through to the second round! The Socceroos are meeting Italy this Tuesday, 1 a.m. (Melbourne time). What glory for Australia; the television, radio and newspaper is full of jubilation over the win/draw, and Australia's advancement into the knockout rounds. What heartbreak for the Croatians, who fought bravely, but alas, will be heading home after yesterday's match; agonizing, considering that they were this close to getting through.

I went shopping with Ong Chi today, and some shops had the radio on as the background music, and the every single time the DJ was on, he/she just had to spout a sentence with at least the words 'Socceroos', 'advance', 'World Cup', 'win', 'Australia', etc.

Waiting at my friend Grace's place before heading to church for fellowship, I read the newspaper while her cousin switched on the TV and channel-surfed randomly. The huge headlines on the front page of The Age read: "KEWELL!" with the "Australia 2 Croatia 2" score in smaller font size on the top and below the huge "KEWELL!" caption were little bullet-points saying:

"History is made" , "Socceroos into round two" , "Now for Italy on Monday"

Harry Kewell, by the way, is the Australian player who scored the equaliser, which saw Australia's dreams come true. It had been a crucial match; Australia needed at least a draw to get through to the second round, while Croatia needed a win, and the score went back and forth as each side fought intensely. But what was with Hiddink's decision of putting in Kalac as goalie? He made terrible blunders!

The 5 o'clock news was full of Australia's win, and the Kewell equalizer which saw their World Cup dreams revived. The Australians are obviously very, very proud and happy. On SBS, they were showing the replay of the Australia-Croatia match again.

Funny, there have been these ads on TV as well, by Nike, shown very often during halftime breaks, before matches, and after matches; basically the ad shows this old man laughing at the Socceroos' chances of winning in World Cup:

"Soccer-whos?"

And stuff like, "You'll never beat Brazil, etc. etc."

(Can't remember exact words)

But anyway, the advert ended with the players aiming the soccer ball towards the old cackling man, knocking him off the stands. Haha, it's just sadistic, but it is funny.

Basically, it pretty much summed up the general perception of the Australian team - "Soccerwho", but defies that by:

STUFF history.

So I guess in a way, history really has been stuffed, seeing that Australia has defied all odds. Whether lucky or not, they've done it, and made it to the second round.

Anyway, it's been rather amazing. I'm not really supporting Australia as yet (I'm not supporting any particular teams, for that matter!), but I have to admit, they have been playing rather well so far, with Guus Hiddink at the helm, guiding the team. (Guus Hiddink coached South Korea at the previous WC, bringing them from mere 'outsiders', all the way to the semifinals - can the magic work again this time? Heh.) Guess this victory would be silencing most of the critics and doomsayers who haven't been too optimistic or positive about Australia being in World Cup.

I have almost recovered now, save for this annoying cough. It'll take another few more days for it to clear; but in the meantime - it's back to World Cup for me!!

=D

A Rabbit's Life

I’ve been rendered hapless since Friday night. Saturday and Sunday were spent in isolation in my apartment, away from the world outside my door as I idled away my time in my bed, sniffing and coughing – hibernating like a real rabbit during winter.

Yes, that’s right; the miserable creature called virus has found its way into my body, generating an immune response from my defence system. I could practically feel my B cells and T cells hard at work as they whoosh around my circulation killing off the infected cells – and in the process, killing some of my healthy cells as well. That probably explains my aches and pains.

My throat cell lining have been destroyed in the process as well, as I’m left hacking like an old man every five minutes. I have been suffering from a constant throbbing headache since Saturday (and that is due to dehydration, I was told by a friend who’s a practicing doctor now). So I’ve been drinking bloating myself up with endless intake of liquids, liquids, and more liquids, that I’m visiting the toilet every one hour now.

Worst of all, I have been missing FOUR DAYS OF WORLD CUP!!! (I heard Argentina thrashed Serbia 6-0!! 6-0!! And I missed the Germany-Ecuador match and England-Sweden match last night...Somebody, anybody, tell me I did not miss any great matches… *sob*)

Okay, that should be the least of my concerns, as I should actually be concentrating on getting well now. Heh. *grins sheepishly* (How do you grin like a sheep anyway – okay, never mind, lame joke. Cold getting to my brain cells as well.)

I dislike being sick. I feel heaps better now than I felt on Sat/Sun. The headache's gone, the aches and pains are gone, but the cough has not gone away. And because of the constant coughing, my stomach muscles are aching now. Great – a place where you think that the cold virus won’t affect. Well, actually no – I haven’t had much of an appetite lately as well. Although I'm recovering that as well. Hehe.

I haven’t been out at all. Although I did go for prayer meeting yesterday (which kind of sapped my energy out of me). =( I was supposed to go berlepak-ing with my music friends today, but I didn't feel up to it today and stayed home (again), thinking that I could do with one more day of rest. I want to go out...! I’m sick of being cooped up! Although I do have plans for the next two days.

=(

PS: Juang, I got your e-mail, really made my day! =D I'll reply it ASAP.

PSS: Sharon, glad you like it. =) I was worried you wouldn’t like it!

PSSS: Sherissa, nooo, I missed the Czech-Ghana match as well!! I can’t believe Ghana defeated Czech!

PSSS: Karen – shouldn’t you be complaining to Charles instead? I know nuts about computer technical problems. Haha.

PSSSS: Ern - I know I should have put your name first, but - here, I saved the best for the last. =P I've been sick, so you can't blame me! And if you've got "something to tell" me, I can just predict that by the time I get online and talk to you, you'll just go, "Oh, I forgot what I wanted to tell you."

As always.

-_-"

Ohh, btw, JUAN, Happy 18th Birthday! Hope you read this. Sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you, but hope that you have a wonderful day with many beautiful moments to cherish =) I'll see you (hopefully) at the end of the year or something.

England...

...may have won (2-0 with Trinidad), but damn, that was one of the worst and most frustrating matches I've ever seen. My friend informed me that was England's style/way of playing. It was almost agonizing to watch the match. I can't believe I wasted my two hours of sleep for that kind of match.

They will never make it with that kind of performance.

Crouch's goal in the second half wasn't worth the jubilation and celebration. It just didn't match with their level of playing. Although I have to concede that Gerrard's goal was a nice one, something is just lacking - England has good and talented players, but somehow they're just lacking something: They didn't seem as if they were playing to win, and those goals seemed more like lucky shots than anything else.

No offense to England fans out there. But if they expect to go far, then they better buck up.

Kaki bola

I pulled an all-nighter with a few friends from OCF at Lee's place.

Three soccer matches in a row.

No more... this is the last time I'm ever doing this... *groan*... It's overkill, I tell you! There was an hour's break between each match, and we tried to squeeze in a little nap time. Not that I can sleep anyway. Lol. Sleep an hour, get up, watch, sleep an hour, get up, watch... I think we've just joined the legion of crazy soccer fans around the world. It's truly a soccer lifestyle now.

S. Korea 2 - Togo 1: Great match (or second half - I only caught the second half, lol!) S. Korea fought back from 0-1 to 2-1 to win the game at full time. Ahn Jung Hwan, the hero of the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup, scored the winning goal.

France 0 - Switzerland 0: First half was exciting and fast-paced, but the game just dwindled into frustration and disappointment as neither side managed to score a goal at full time. And oh my gosh - what is wrong with that block-headed referee??? He must really, really like giving out yellow cards - Zidane got a yellow card from him for not waiting for his whistle before he took the free kick. (There were countless of undeserved yellow cards as well.) I was like, Whaaaat??! Kick out the referee already!! He's probably a huge factor in why the game's atmosphere was just ruined. You can obviously see the players' (from both sides) frustration at this nincompoop.

Brazil 1 - Croatia 0: If I thought the previous match was fast, this match seemed like you were watching it at a fast-forward speed! Very, very quick and overall, a very good match. Brazil, for all its "invincibility", was matched almost equal-for-equal by the Croatian team. Kaka scored the winning goal, and there were many great shots from both sides. That said, I have to mention the Croatian fans sitting in the stadium, who were simply cheering on their team and still full of enthusiasm and energy even till full-time (and after!). Towards the end, the match was even disrupted by a Croatian fan running onto the pitch... (Okay, maybe that's too much lah.) Haha, first time I catch this live on TV.

The match ended with a lot of handshakes all around. Great sportsmanship. Excellent game!!



The Australian fans have to learn from those Croatian fans. I didn't comment on this, but now that I'm on this topic, watching yesterday's match, did any of you catch how dejected and subdued the Australian fans towards the end of the match? I've never seen such a 'give-up' attitude. Come on, where's your spirit?! Don't tell me you flew all the way to Germany just to sit and watch. Cheer on your team! A little encouragement goes a long way. Only when Cahill scored the first Australian goal in the last 8 minutes of the game, then the Australian fans were 'awakened'. Oh, for crying out loud.

No offense to all Australian fans, but I can't imagine when the Australia-Brazil match rolls around. They better show more spirit, even till the end. I'm not really supporting Australia, but it'll be nice to see them put up a good fight, and not just go down. Anyone hopeful for an upset?


I'm truly turning nocturnal... this is really a makan bola, tidur bola lifestyle now.

But no more crazy all-nighters!

Astounded, flabbergasted, speechless...

OMG, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT:

AUSTRALIA 3 1 JAPAN

I cannot believe it, I cannot believe it!!!

Distant sounds of cars honking are all over the place. The Australians are really celebrating tonight! There's no rest for the soccer fans tonight, who are exulting over the totally amazing win. Amazing!! I probably can't sleep properly tonight either, due to the perpetual honking noises.

That was one of the most spectacular matches I've ever seen - amazing comeback by Australia!!! Looking at my MSN contacts, there's apparently mixed feelings - on one friend's personal message: Brazil shall take revenge for the Japanese! i promise to support socceroos if they beat BRAZIL. :D good luck with that :p

Another not-so-updated-with-soccer-fan: did Aussie win the match?cuz i hear loads of screamings everywhere..

One 'sceptical' friend has this to comment: Lucky Australian win...

Strong sentiments: uwaaa.. I hate you Australia I hate you

A happy fan: OZZIE OZZIE!!! 3-1!!! dam good game

Anyway! What made this an amazing game was the fact that Australia scored the equalizer, and the subsequent two goals in less than 10 minutes!!! 10 MINUTES!!! I was left flabbergasted, astounded, and speechless. Did you guys catch it?! That was simply shocking. It is definitely one of the best soccer matches I've seen!! Action-packed all the way, and not without tension as well! The Japanese goal, for one, was a controversial one.

I was totally expecting the Japanese to win, especially after the first half of the match which saw better skills and better tactics from the Japanese side. I really admire their defense; the Japan defense was rock solid, and the Australians couldn't seem to get through it. The Japanese were playing a man-on-man marking, and making it almost impossible for the Australians to have any scoring opportunities at all.

My support went from Japan to Australia, and I'm mixed now; LOL. When Japan dominated the whole of the first half, it was good - and then I started feeling sympathy for the Australian team (the Socceroos, as they are called here). It's the first time in 30+ years that Australia has qualified for the World Cup, and it will be disappointing for them to lose, especially since the nation has been hyped up about soccer recently (considering that Australia is more of a cricket and footie nation).

The game was well-played by both sides. The Japanese and Australians both worked hard, and one of my friends whom I was watching with commented that the ball seemed to fall so easily to the Japanese players, and it was true; the Australians were almost fighting constantly to get the ball back into their possession. There was considerable tension in the air after the Japanese scored the first goal by Nakamura, and you can just sense this determination in the air; a lot was at stake for this game.

The tension went all the way into the 2nd half; my friends and I agreed that the Japanese team definitely had more skills than the Australians showed. The Japanese was very strong on their defense in the second half (if not, tighter than it had been in the first half), and the atmosphere and in the playing, was tinged with this desperation as the Australians fought to find a way through the Japanese defense. I thought that Japan would just end this with their win, and I started supporting the Socceroos.

Marianne and Lee Yung started joking: What if you had an Australian man with a Japanese wife? They probably watch the game on separate TV sets, and will probably sleep on different beds after the game! Hahaha!

Anyway; the turning point came when the Australian coach started substituting his players. Lee Yung was quite familiar with the Australian players, and was constantly supporting the Australians the whole way, while Marianne and her housemate, Jean, were supporting the Japanese team. My support swayed from side to side, and I'm still flabbergasted at this stage.

The equalizer was just wow.

(The car honking is still going on outside! Man, I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight!)

Even so, you can tell that both sides were just NOT going to settle for an equalizer - the tension went up a notch (if not, more!) in the atmosphere after that. The Japanese stopped 'relaxing', and started to push with their attack as well, and just minutes later, when Cahill scored the second goal (he scored the first one as well!), emotions were running high. It was just heart-pounding - there was just less than 10 minutes left of the game, and it was nerve-wrecking!! I honestly can't remember such a high-tension game (that I've watched myself, anyway! =P).

The 3rd goal was stunning - the Japanese players were practically all down on the other end of the field, bent on attacking, and wow, wow, wow... I am just left without words.

If you didn't watch the game, then you definitely missed one amazing game! I feel sad and disappointed for the Japan team, though; they fought hard, but the Australians finally got their act together in the final 10 minutes. That said, they had absolutely no tactics at all before that, and seemed to find the teamwork and balance in the final desperate moments. And despite the win, the Japanese are obviously more skilled - and the Australians can certainly learn from the Japanese's defense (and their own mistakes as well)! The Japanese are quick to act, and hopefully will still make it to the next round.

Tomorrow night: Brazil vs. Croatia! (early morning, actually; 5 a.m. here). That'll be another game I think soccer fans have been looking forward to.

At least tonight's game was a REAL soccer match; power and tension all the way, unlike the England vs. Paraguay one (which was just boring, as you put it, Sherissa!). England didn't score a goal, but they won - thanks to an own goal from the Paraguayan side. Hopefully we can see more high-quality matches in the upcoming weeks!

On another note, I finally understand what an offside means on the soccer field! LOL. I may just turn into a soccer fan, even after World Cup ends. ;p

Honking still going on! No rest for Australia tonight, who apparently seems to be celebrating till morning and the rest of the week (probably till the next game!)

No rest for me tonight, either! (Who can sleep with the ruckus going on?!)

WORLD CUP 2006 GERMANY!!!

GERMANY 4 2 COSTA RICA

Oh my gosh!!! Did you guys catch the last goal by Frings?? That was a spectacular goal!!! Straight kick from quite a distance, past the heads of the Costa Rica players, flew right over the hand of the Costa Rican goalkeeper, straight into the net!! Two goals by Klose (and it's his birthday, apparently!) , and the first goal by Lahm. (Not that I actually know these players - but I do recognize Klose.)


Just came back from Adrill's place (a fellow brother in OCF - Overseas Christian Fellowship). A bunch of us gathered at his place to catch the first match of the World Cup, and I left feeling much more enlightened on the technicalities of soccer. Lol.

I was watching soccer with these soccer fans, who really knew their stuff. I learnt that Costa Rica isn't a very good team to start with (no offense to Costa Rica supporters), and the fact that they managed to get 2 goals was due to bad defense on Germany's part. But anyhow, it was fun - I was, a-hem, quite enthusiastic, at the fast-paced moments.

I'm not technically a soccer buff - you can call me (and a few other people who were present as well) those soccer fans who only exist during the World Cup fever. LOL. (Yes, I can feel the cynical scorns of the real fans now.)

Having said that, I discovered that I am still as gullible as ever as I was tricked, not once, but twice. (Deceived is more like it -_-" )

I was just wondering about Oliver Kahn's absence as Lehmann was playing as goalkeeper instead (for Germany), so I asked it out loud. I was first told about some match between Bayern Munich and Manchester United some time back (I think; when you're a super-gullible person, some things just fly over your head), and apparently Man U won, and Oliver Kahn withdrew into depression, and that's why he's not playing in the World Cup, and for the same reason, the captain of the German team is now Michael Ballack.

"Really?? He was depressed so he retired??"

...

Okay, okay, so that's a really lame story, and I can't believe I believed it.

So then I was told that he had simply retired lah, I mean, he is getting old after all.

Halfway through the match, the cameras panned to the sidelines, and I saw Oliver Kahn sitting on the bench, looking as relaxed as his stony face can allow.

"Hey, isn't that Oliver Kahn?? You told me he retired!!"

NOOOOO, I can't believe I am tricked again.

But my friend insisted that he really thought that Kahn had retired, and then he speculated that perhaps he'll be playing when Germany enters the knockout phase. There was some soccer technical talk from a few other people at this point, and they lost me.


Anyhoooo~

That was quite good, albeit rather slow at certain times. I still think the last goal by Frings was spectacular, and it's a good start to the World Cup - I mean, come on, a total of 6 goals!! I found out that it's usually common to have only one or even nil goals in the first match (that was how it was for the past few years, I think?)

Tomorrow: England against Paraguay!! There's supposed to be another match as well, after Germany and Costa Rica, and that's between Poland and Ecuador (but I'm told that they're quite 'rubbish' teams this year - again, no offense to Poland or Ecuador supporters, although I did find out that Poland was quite decent in the 1980s, reaching 4th place at one of the World Cups).

Anyhow, I'll definitely be catching the "big" games. And right now I need to sleep. It's almost 5 a.m. and I'll probably get up late again tomorrow. Haha. I think my sleeping patterns will be totally disrupted due to World Cup now (seeing that most matches are late at night).

World Cup!!!!

Lalala

Just one more exam to go - and that's my practical tomorrow afternoon.

(Repeatedly chants to self, "I shall not stress, I shall not stress, I shall not stress!")

Funny, isn't it? You'd think that after YEARS of sitting for exams or going through it, we'd be "used" to it by now. And yet we still feel stressed/anxious/nervous before AND after an exam. We stress and worry over the questions that would come out, and we fret over the results that would be released after.

Too bad we can't "immunise" ourselves against exams.

Personally, I think practicals are more nerve-wrecking than written papers. Simply because practicals are ... practicals. I don't know, is it to do with preparation? With written or theory papers, you can study and memorize, and at least feel a bit confident if you've done your preparation well, but with practicals (for music, especially), you can practice for hours, days, weeks, months beforehand, and when it comes to the real thing, you sit at the piano, and you can just break from all the stress and pressure emanating from the atmosphere (and the examiner's stern/friendly look). Once you place your fingers on the keyboard and play, you may panic halfway through and slip up a few notes, or even just forget what you're doing entirely halfway through and stop (it happens!) - you know, those sudden moments of brain blocks, where you suddenly forget what's the next note, and that's it.

Anyway... the exam tomorrow would constitute 50% (if I recall correctly) of this subject, so it's not that bad. Still, I hate having to face the nervousness and anxiety. And with the cold weather, it doesn't help to have almost-stiff frozen fingers. Anyway, all I can do now is commit it all into God's hands and trust that He'll be with me throughout the ordeal. =)

I can't believe you're back in Brunei, Jerry!!! Argh. How long is your holiday for? I probably won't see you in YEARS (you're not coming back in December, are you?) since our holidays don't really correspond. (That, and the fact that, yes, my mom wouldn't let me go back these holidays. =P Laugh if you must. >=/)


(Continues chanting "I won't stress" mantra...)

Stress (or not)

Blogging from the Music computer labs now (yes, we have computers in the Music building - all Macs, for that matter). It took some time getting used to using Macintosh, but it's actually not too bad. Its user-friendly capabilities are NOT that rigid, as I initially thought it to be.


I finally finished my MIDI assignment!! Argh, spending hours in front of the computer is seriously mind-numbing. It may seem 'fun' to create MIDI tracks, but nevertheless - I shall never ever take another computer-related subject again! I thought I saw the last of computers back in Form 5 (with that major Computer project), and to think that I was practically thrown into this subject called Computing for Musicians. To sum it up, it's basically just learning how to use music programs like Finale and Logic.

Computers to me are good as long as it's NOT study-related.


Guess everyone's been busy stressing over exams and such... I don't know if I should be worried. I finally finished this assignment today (it's dued tomorrow, and guess what - I did it all in one afternoon - *heaves a great sigh of relief*). I've got a major research essay dued on Monday (which is also the first day of exams) and I've barely started. And I still have to revise my Music Techniques.

But anyway, no big deal... right! Right? Right...?



I can't wait for this period to be over... I tend to feel quite homesick around this time of the year, and that feeling's especially augmented around exam period. My mom used to make chicken soup or some other healthy meal at the start (for brain power! =P) Sigh.

I confirm won't be back until December... half a year more to go.

Okay, I see this post going into the "Danger - Depression mode" zone... stop!


On a lighter note, World Cup 2006 Germany!! One good thing is that I'll be done with all my exams on the 8th (World Cup begins on 9th!) Need to unwind and relax with something - but Sherissa can probably tell you that my football-watching antics are.... very amusing. (Remember when you showed me the clips of goals by Paul Scholes? LOL.) I get quite ... "excited".

A-hem.

Anyway, must get started on my research essay... But I'm destressing tonight! I'm watching a Bell Shakespeare production of Romeo and Juliet later at the Arts Centre with a friend!! One great thing I LOVE about Melbourne is the endless concerts, theatre productions, musicals, etc. that goes on around the city. It's just so HAPPENING with art-related activities. Back in Brunei, I used to rue about the lack of musical concerts and the likes. But I can just indulge myself totally here! It's ENDLESS!!! (Okay, Connie, chill it...!)

Romeo and Juliet may be "over-done" in some ways, but it's still an amazing play, especially the language. I'm looking forward to it.

Perfect way to de-stress after spending the entire afternoon with a computer.