!!!!

Cello exam and portfolio dued this Thursday (!!!!!)

Piano lesson tomorrow and collect assignment from lecturer.

50% lit essay due on Monday, which I have barely started on (!!)

Aural exam on Tuesday morning, Music Techniques written paper in the afternoon (!!!!)


The exclamation marks say it all.


On a side note: I got my hair trimmed today. Not much of a difference, except for the shorter fringe, and the hairstylist put a bit of layer in my hair as well. I couldn't take it anymore; I ought to have gotten my hair trimmed ages ago, especially since it's been permed, and the ends of my hair were in a ghastly state. I almost wish I could just shave my head bald and let my natural hair grow out nicely.

Lo and behold...

The laptop liveth!

Calvin called me just now to inform me that he can extract all the files from the aforementioned laptop. Hallelujah! Praise God! I can't believe it. The thought of rebuilding my entire data from the laptop was something I still couldn't face. Lol.

And I can't believe it! Because if I had brought it to the laptop repair shop, I would have forked out at least AUD$550 (!!!!!) Seriously, I would have been cheated. No wonder computer shops are thriving. I don't think I'm a total computer n00b, and I do know a bit of stuff, but still, unsuspecting gullible people (of whom I almost potentially became part of), must be bringing all sorts of problems, ranging from trivial to SOS-magnitude, to these shops where they are being ripped off, when they could just ask their nearest computer genius friends.

I'm still using my friend's laptop which has been on loan to me, for about two weeks now. I should be getting back mine sometime next week, I think.


Okay, I just felt really happy that I needed to tell the world. =P

Change.

As you can see, I've changed the template and renamed the blog. I kept the "World" part of it; it was pointless to keep the name "Opposite Corners" since Jerry seems about definitely never coming back. The "Center of the World" actually alludes to the 2004 Japanese movie, Crying Out Love, In The Center of the World. If you've seen this moving drama, you would understand why. That, and plus, I'm a sucker for romances and the likes. Unfortunately, the new blog name doesn't sound very romantic by itself, does it? Ah well.

Second year is officially over. Sorta. Until exams are over, I wouldn't know. The next week or so will be extremely busy for me as I *cough*finally*cough* set about doing and catching up with all the work I ought to have started on already.

Less than a month until I return home (!) I don't think many people are going back in December, it'll probably just be the few of us meeting up, and catching up with one another.


*Mind blank*



Okay, I don't know what to blog about anymore. I'll update when I can. Oh. Something really stupid and embarrassing happened today, but even if it's "in character" (because it's just, oh, you know, ME *rolls eyes*), I deem it too mortifying to even blog about what happened, and I hope never to meet the other party again.

"How often do you find the right person?"

Once is the most beautiful, charming movie. It tells the story of an Irish musician who meets a Czech girl immigrant, and their journey and relationship together through music. The title of the post refers to its tagline.

It is poignant, in the way that it is so simplistic in its portrayal of emotions, yet that simplicity evokes profound feelings deep inside of you; it is real, because it is raw and resonates in such a way that such movies can only bring, because it can happen to you.

The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful; so beautiful. The songs "Falling Slowly" and "Lies" stood out for me. (The website link features the soundtrack, so you can have a listen.)

Shot with a budget of only $160,000, it is extremely refreshing and different from the polished, high-end films we often watch on the cinema screens nowadays. Once won the World Cinema Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

If you have the chance, I implore you, please watch this jewel. My review simply can't do it justice.

Another one.

I had another nightmare last night.

I opened my eyes and sat right up in bed, feeling disconcerted. I guess what made this one stood out was that I felt as if I had been held tightly in its grip, and it refused to let me go. I could almost sense a, "Okay, you can wake up now" sort of feeling. Then, "Release", and I woke up.

Updates and reflections

Jon/Kok (whatever moniker you're going by now =P), and also to whoever's left in Brunei, whoever's still reading this blog: I'll be back 19th November. Okay, technically, 21st November, since I'll be in S'pore for a few days. I'll be meeting my mom and aunt there... not to meet me, but for their personal agenda (read: shopping). Of course, I will not hesitate to take advantage of their agendas for being in S'pore. (Hehehe.)

Oh yes, before I forget: Bev, happy 20th birthday!! Hope you're doing well wherever you are, and continue to grow in God's love, remembering that His grace is sufficient for all our needs =)



Having second thoughts about going back so early now... the theme for OCF Convention in December is "Awake", with the theme verse from Roman 13:11, and it's a really good one, now that I really think about it, and quite timely as well. Complacency is a real issue that most Christians are in right now, and we don't talk or think about the end times enough, simply because the urgency doesn't seem to manifest itself. In addition, we covered that particular segment in the book of Romans recently in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), so it's gotten me thinking about it as well. But I've already changed my flight dates TWICE, and I don't want to go back to the SIA office AGAIN. Ahh. On the other hand, I'm returning to Melbourne in early January for summer course, and the only reason why I'm coming back early to Brunei is to prolong my holiday back home.

Anyway.

Talking about urgency... it's about time I get a sense of urgency about the impending exams which are coming upon me... I have yet to get started on my 50% essay, I have to start studying for Music Techniques, as well as aural practices (damn those seventh chords - it's okay, you don't have to know what they are, just that they all seem to sound the same to me, much to my frustration); plus, squeezing in as much practice time as I can for my practical exam. I'm hoping to memorize my pieces this time round, even if it's not compulsory. Recital exams are open, so I can invite friends. I've got Holtham as my examiner (!!!) but Professor McGee is the other examiner, hopefully I'll feel less nervous since he seems pretty nice (as opposed to - okay, I shall not complain. Ahem.)

I seem to be ranting quite a fair bit. You guys probably didn't understand any of that; it's okay. Lol.


I've mentioned it before, but practical exams will always, to me, hold more stress than written papers do. With written papers, you can prepare and know your stuff, if you've studied hard enough, but you can never prepare for a practical exam last minute. It's just not possible. And it's a once-through event. The piece is played; bang - that's it. No turning back. No second chances. Every mistake is noted by the examiners, and that's it. It's a merciless project. From the moment I place my fingers on the keys, there cannot be any false starts. It begins now and if I screw it, I can't show it, I have to keep pressing on and play through. I can't show my despair and disappointment, I have to play it through to the end. And at the end, if I feel crap and if I feel that it was a terrible performance, the tears and disappointment will come, and worse, nothing can change it.

That was what happened with my Grade 6 exam. I was in Form 1 then, and I was going through the difficult phase where I hated the piano and wanted to give it up. My mom, of course, refused to let me. (And of course, "mothers really know best" when you look back on such events - I'm grateful now that she didn't let me quit.) Maybe it was just that I had grown tired of it - playing since I was 5, and taking practical exams almost every year. My life always seemed to have been revolving around music ever since I could remember.

But anyway, coming back to that particular time... to cut the story short, I was going through the 'I-hate-piano' phase, and didn't practice as much as I should have. The day of the exam came. I didn't prepare well; I probably wasn't prepared at all. I came out of the exam room in tears. Neither my mom nor my teacher uttered the dreaded "I told you so". I think the ordeal itself was punishment enough. In the end, I just passed by a small margin. It was a huge shock.

My passion since then didn't quite fully recover... I used to practice everyday, and loved and enjoyed it. But I guess some part of me has grown jaded with the years, and it's sad when I think about it. But some passion must have remained for me to still go down this path. And I'm trying my best to cling onto that.

I'm still rediscovering that joy and passion, and I like to believe that it is coming back. When I think about this path I've chosen now, I refuse to allow any regrets to consume me anymore. There's nothing else that I would have done. Music is it. And I will stick with it.


It's been quite awhile since I wrote such a long post... Gosh. Maybe I just needed to pour out some stuff... thanks for reading if you took the time...

Another one of those moments

My housemate Lydia comes to my room, asking, "Connie, are you bored?"

She is holding a pack of digestive biscuits in one hand and looks at me earnestly.


During the one second of processing that question, thoughts run through my mind quickly, the chief of which are:

"She wants me to help her eat biscuits."
"Are we going to eat biscuits together??"

Unsure, I respond, "Yeah... I'm sort of bored..."


"Okay, good. Can you help me crush the biscuits?"


It almost felt like a letdown. (Yeah, well.) Honestly, the thoughts which run through my head. I'm more like a 5-year-old than 20.

Or maybe I really am weird after all.



(By the way, I did help her to crush the biscuits while she popped out to buy the cream cheese for the cheesecake she was going to bake; the crushed digestive biscuits form the base.)

"These things happen"

These things happen, whether I like it or not.

These things happen regardless.


Five days later, my laptop officially crashed and died.

I'm using my housemate's laptop now to check emails and stuff after going Internet-less and laptop-less for two days.

I've lost everything on my laptop.



Sigh. I think I went through all the phases when my laptop died: denial, rejection, anger, etc. etc. I've come to accept that it's happened and I can't do anything about it anyway.


There's a really cliche phrase that goes (I'm using it for want of a better idiom), "When life throws you lemons, make lemonade out of it."

I'm trying. I really am.

Insert witty sounding title here

I should have amended to the previous post, that:

Running after the tram with a huge cello in hand is not an exercise for the delicate and faint of heart.

And I almost walked out of Safeway without paying for something, but that's a story for another day. Let's just call it another Connie moment.



I think my laptop's really going to the pits. For some reason or other, I'm missing vital drivers, so my USB ports might as well be non-existent now.

This afternoon, thinking that at the very least, maybe I can get my printer to connect successfully after re-installing with the CD setup and everything, since the drivers for the printer, by all logical means and reason, ought to be there...



Okay, let's try that again...



Hmm. Re-install again...



!!!!!



The laptop still refuses to recognize the printer.

*insert unintelligible screams of frustration*

Seriously, I need a new laptop. I've had mine for three years now, and it's like an old man wheezing and coughing. Even the Bluetooth between my laptop and Nokia is malfunctioning. I can't even send or receive files properly anymore.


Technology.



I don't know what the point of this post is. Sigh. But anyway, since Jerry's forever and truly disappeared from the blog, does anyone want to take over and co-blog with me?

A glance into the life of a blur girl

A near collision with a cyclist, just as I thought I had crossed the main roads safely, only to forget about the bicycle lane.

Almost walking onto the tram track without realizing that I am mere seconds away from being knocked over by the approaching tram.

Realizing too late that I got off the tram at the wrong street when I should have gotten off two blocks later.

Flailing my arms wildly in panic as I almost fall off the chair (which I should not have been playing 'balancing' games with in the first place).



Yeap. Definitely a day in the life of Connie.

Letting off some steam

JERRY WONG WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING IN NEWCASTLE STUDYING THERE ARE YOU NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE STATES WHY DO I NOT KNOW ANYTHING CAN YOU PLEASE UPDATE SOON AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T READ THIS ANYMORE SOMEONE WHO'S TALKING TO HIM PLEASE REMIND HIM THANK YOU.

/end rant.


I can't believe the practical exam timetable for the music faculty is still not out, while everyone else knows when they finish already. My mom told me to book after 23rd November, since she has a women's fellowship thing at church back home, and plus, she and my aunt are planning to fly to S'pore for a shopping spree as well. (Lol.) In addition, even though I told her to just help me change my flight date from 10th Dec to end-Nov, she told me to wait till I know when my exam dates are.

Exam period officially ends on the 23rd of November, but for some reason, the Music Faculty happily decided that the practical exams will take place from the 7th to 29th November (FREAAAAK.)

Come on, I can't be that unlucky as to be thrown a slot in the last few days?? The series of unfortunate events has got to end here.