Treasures

Yes, yes.  I'm at fault for putting social life and video games ahead of blogging and studies.  Honestly, my punishment should be more severe.

So I left this blog in the midst of International Week as it was just events day in, day out and I was left with almost no breathing space.  Luckily I had no quizzes or exams that week or I would have blipped right off and get tripping with caffeine (as if that works).  International Week was nice, although I am drawing comparisons to nothing of the sort as it was my first time experiencing it.  We had a theme for I-Week this time around, and it was the "Discovery of Treasure".

Before International Week kickstarted on Saturday, I volunteered to represent ISU as an international student to talk to the Boy Scouts of America for their Citizenship in the World badge.  I wore my scouts shirt from Malaysia and was really excited to meet the kids.  It was fun to share the culture I have to a captive audience, especially when they are eager to know more.  Although I did screw up some parts, as I didn't know we had to prepare a speech (mine was totally impromptu, boo).  They even had some hard questions like "What are your rights?" and "What changes would you like to see in America's foreign policy?".  I'll be honest: I dislike politics; not hate, dislike.  So giving me these tough questions to answer?  Sorry, bud.  In the end, we took a large group photo.  Yay!

We had our first intramurals, in which the ISC team (myself included) got obliterated in dodgeball in under 24 seconds.  Yes, you read it right.  Twenty four seconds.  We were bad right off the bat!  But hey, we had loads of fun.  Moreover, I was rather happy as I finally had an actual workout in a month!  On a sidenote, I think my left knee ligaments are straining up, as I always feel tweaks when I play any sport which involves running...  Hope it's not too bad.

I'll just skim through the events before this gets too wordy (although it might already be).  We had a Desserts and Snacks Fair, Scavenger Hunt, International Movie Night, International Bazaar, more intramurals, and the culmination of I-Week was the event I worked on alongside 3 others, International Night.  I-Night was okay, with a fantastic reception but not-so-good execution.  The major letdown was the douchebag of an AV tech as he was running amok without a clear plan in his head.  I got so worked up by him that for the first time in any event, I didn't say a word to him.  He didn't earn that word of thanks or acknowledgement.  Heck, if I knew how to work the equipment I could've done a better job.  Not to say that I'm good, but he was subpar.  Still, we had a great time!

After I-Night ended, everything seemed so lax to me.  Then again, I had not studied AT ALL so that may just be the case.  Yan Yao, with his tech brain similar to Roger, helped me get Borderlands 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.  Add that to my new GameBoy Advance emulator I got in my phone and BUH-BYE boredom, with a hint of discipline.

Thanksgiving break soon followed and Kevin Yan, Yen Fei and I found ourselves staying over at Cassie's place as her roommates had left and we all needed some company.  So for the entire week we cooked extravagant un-college-like food for ourselves to gorge upon.  It was so lavishing for a lifestyle.  Every night, to my dismay, we would watch a horror show, and you know how much I hate horror shows.  I think I gained a little more cajones after that.

Thursday saw us heading to Minnesota for Black Friday shopping.  On our way there, we had a flat tire, flurries and Malaysian food.  Awesomeness at it's finest.  So we shopped from 11 pm until 5 am in the morning.  Got solely essentials, with some wants like earphones and a gaming controller.  It was a good trip, I must admit.  I even had Kyoto Sushi for dinner, which was a Japanese buffet.  Win!

Last night there was a potluck at Tripp Street, where a majority of the Malaysians reside.  It was a great night and we had great food, a good atmosphere, and a good Taboo party game.  I need to play more in that game, it may just be the best party game I'm good at.  Needless to say, guessing the words like "polygamy" and "spank" did gain me some popularity, in the wrong way.  It was a great night, and I made new friends.

Moreover, today will be full of scholarship applications, emailing my lecturers, and hopefully, gaming studies. Dang it, I need to start applying soon as the deadline is a fortnight away!

So Good - B.o.B

Ping

You know why is it so hard for me to get closer to people?  It's not that I'm antisocial and like bunkering in a 30 x 30 ft room by myself.

I just lack the ability to show my personality.  That, I learned yesterday.  What a kick in the teeth.

Shotgun - Wallpaper

Spaces

Hey ho!!  It's been an extremely hectic two weeks filled with a highly charged atmosphere but I'm back in with a shout!

First of all, Malaysian Cultural Night was THE BOMB.  Great atmosphere and I got to see my cousin again (he's studying at Drake University, at Des Moines) and we did quite well for the dance.  There were some mistakes here and there, but I believe that we're a lot harsher on ourselves than we should be; the crowd loved it.  And here goes to our choreographer, Fifa, for pushing us to our fullest potential and making that night an amazing one.

Video's here and I cross my fingers that it will work.  *after a few minutes of HTML tweaking, I managed to cram down the video to fit and it works!  Pat on the back applied*

Here was part of the dance crew 

(Lynn had to continue her emcee work also Mellanie and Wilson were MIA, Gordon took the photo)

With my cousin, Kok Kuan, from Drake University after the night

Before the night ended we had a Gangnam Style flashmob and ended the night with a bang.  According to various sources, I grabbed some attention with my comical approach to the flashmob.  I'm hoping the video will be uploaded soon.  I also had many compliments by surprised friends that I can dance, which is an added bonus to showcase.

Moving on, there was a recent post on the AMSISU group about a person selling her axolotls (pronounced Axe-o-lot).  For those of you who don't know what they are, it looks like this:

How much more adorable of an aquatic pet can you ever, EVER ask for?

Pretty sure this Pokemon was inspired by the axolotl

So I Googled a ton of info on this cuties and found out it was a rather tough ask to care for them, with my hectic schedule.  So sadly, this will have to wait.  Nevertheless the person selling them is breeding MORE axolotls so I can always ask her again next year, and the following year after that.  Whoop-dee-do!

So on a long-needed high note, goodnight.

Did You Get My Message? - Jason Mraz

Dreams

Woke up today to the sound of rain and the chilly weather.  I had a dream last night, and in introspective it was quite a worrying thought.  Laugh all you want, but I dreamed about failed grades in my first semester here in ISU.  Referring to earlier posts on my MICRO 302 class, getting a C grade is hardly what I ever wanted.  But reflecting on why I had that dream, has studies been on my mind so much that I think of it so often?

Also, I expected things to change here with respect to the mentality people adopt here.  Although this only applies to a group of Malaysian friends I have, it is something worth my time to ponder on.  I expected them to act more mature and responsible with their actions, but it's all the same here:  kids being forced out of their country to "make their parents proud", and friends to them are simply a means to an end, as companions and nothing more.

It's sickening to know that all my contributions are taken so lightly with a "it's just this; it's just that", and that I'm so under-appreciated.  I've yet to voice out on them, but this is utterly ridiculous.  Total BS.  Touching on that, I think I've finally reconciled why I feel so moody of late: I have no life outside of college.  No one to spend time playing games with, no one to have serious talks regarding anything, no one; I'm as lonely as I always had been.  When I think about it, the time I spend outside studies and societies is time wasted with people who don't give two cents about me.  I know I'm making the effort and as selfish as this sounds, it's definitely not my fault.

With passion comes inevitable disappointment.  What keeps me dragging on is beyond me, but I am grateful of it.

Places We Should Be - Danielle Andrade

Introspective

So I lazed around the entire day, whilst totally scrapping any notion of studying tonight as I'm having my mental mood-swings again.

Today my roommate brought his girlfriend back to the room to watch a movie and I was totally okay with that.  Well...  I hardly am able to understand why I'm writing this post, but it's mostly regarding how today was a large self-examining session for me.

Firstly I took the now-familiar mile-long walk back to the dorms from the dining center, as my usual companion is away at Chicago for a debate session.  Being me, I easily get melancholic and starting thinking about things back home.  What I missed, and what I still am missing.  I thought about my grandfather again, and it all just floods back in.  Heck, I'm tearing up now.  It's a good thing my roommate left me alone for this.  Also I think about who I cared for, and how that has seemingly changed.

I returned to the room with Dan lying on his futon with Freyja.  I've longed felt a tinge of jealousy on how he has such a nice life.  But then again, my personal life sucks.  Not that I can do much about it.  But sitting at my study desk browsing YouTube for The Walking Dead: The Video Game "episodes", while just a few feet from me situated this couple with great understanding, passion, and respect, one does feel lonely.  In all respect, Dan is horrible with horror movies, yet Freyja accompanied him as they watched Scream 2 (of which they said was a letdown on all accounts).  I guess I was extremely jealous on the fact that he has such a wonderful person who cares for him, and that I've yet to have that moment with someone.

The ever-depressing end to The Walking Dead episode catalyzed this emotions.  Now to read that Wikipedia entry regarding Melancholic Depression.  Please quell this paranoia...

Lonely Nights - Bryan Adams

Heart

So I haven't gotten time to even think about blogging as in my spare time I've opted to play computer games to unwind.  Guess I'm back to my busier self.

At the moment, I'm juggling time between studies (I'm taking one particular class filled with mostly juniors and seniors, indicating it's difficulty), being an International Night Co-Chair for the International Student's Council, the Recycling Chair for my dorm's floor, a regular member of the Microbiology Club, as well as being a performer for Malaysian Cultural Night.  Social life is not out of question and I still spend time with friends, mostly by joining them for some workout time at the gym.  With such a tight schedule, I do feel bummed that I don't get to check on everyone else on the other side of the globe.

Back to the dance performance, it's a hip-hop dance routine with a dash of break-dancing, which was rather new to me.  We're into the 4th week of practice and things are still a little disjointed as not everyone can make it for practice sessions consistently.  As such, even my routine is shoddy as my dance partner isn't present at times.  Today I was praised by my dance instructor for the dedication I had put forth in the dance practices.  And as vain as this sounds, it's nice to get a compliment regarding my dedication.

Sure, people get praises and pats on the back for personality, but rarely for attitude.  That little compliment is very morale-boosting to me as no one had ever noticed the passion and dedication I put into the things I do.  In a sense, it's as though someone understood a crucial part of my being.  Conversely, I've been placing my nose to the grindstone every day for the Recycling Chair and half the people can't outdo a rhesus monkey in terms of recycling.  I've always been early for hall meetings, although how many god forsaken times it was reshuffled at the last moment.  I've had to reshuffle my schedule and had placed much of my time and interest on the line, only to be let down by a simple: "Oh, there's no meeting today" albeit the clear intentions made earlier that day.  So for the moment to get some recognition for my contributions, it is a very welcomed sight.  

My roommate just gave me a premature apology if he gets weird on me later tonight as he's going for some drinks.  This will be interesting...

Not Over You - Gavin DeGraw

Fall

So Fall season has finally kicked in and the last warm day, was pretty much two days ago.  Yesterday I challenged the 5 degree coldness by donning my favorite beach shorts and slippers. This act was carried out with both curiosity and laziness (I was about to miss the bus).  Clearly, I lost.  It was so cold that I could drink down my hot chocolate without burning my tongue.  By the way, Caribou Coffee near the Parks Library is absolutely divine.

Last night I did my regular checkups with the recycling room as I'm the Recycling Chair for my floor.  For the third time this week, there was thrash thrown in the bin.  The hilariously stupid thing is that the offender threw in the plastic bag as well.  Please, any tard monkey can do better.

I sometimes wonder which section of that idiot's skull should I bash into with a sledgehammer. Maybe, just maybe, I can finally find some peace every flipping week. Honestly, it's supposed to be a freaking voluntary position as Recycling Chair, not a bleeping anger management course.

I'm starting to understand why American college freshmen are so hard to deal with.

Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons