being obscure clearly.

Saturday, June 30, 2007

yal(l)ergic.

hi from new haven, connecticut! the 2 hour- ish train ride was lovely- connecticut is a very pretty postcard perfect kinda place. new haven is filming indiana jones right now too- exciting times we've come to.

i've been to the barnes & nobles and urban outfitters here. will look around more later/ tomorrow. went into the dining hall with suresh for his dinner... umm yea. i must say while its terrible xenophobic of me to say this, i am unable to appreciate dining hall culture here. in fact, i am quite averse to the general vibe i'm getting from this place, hence the title. but more on that later. enough to say it makes me grateful i'm in NUS, and that's saying ALOT.

yesterday night was Revival the bar with a bunch of other new york couchsurfers. great fun, and made lots of new friends! more parties, BBQs and meet- ups await when i return, so am quite excited for all that.

so apparently now i have to scoot off for dinner with a suresh and bunch of other people so off i go. hopefully urban is still open so i can show him the boots i wanna buy- its $68 but if there's 50% off it'll be $34 which is about$50 in SGD... is it worth it? i can never get boots for that price back home but i have to go now suresh says we have to rush so bye!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

peekchas!

i'm having some trouble emailing the zip file to myself so while it loads, i decided i might as well upload some! am going to central park later, to see the memorial for john lennon and then maybe walk out a bit to the dakota, the building where he was shot. then times square to see things i missed the first night i was there, Hersheys store, M&Ms store, ToysRUs, MTV, Virgin... and then down to SoHo for more looking about before heading to Revival for the couchsurfing meet- up at 9. :D

so yup. from the top... that's lady liberty as viewed from the staten island ferry (which is free!), the very old WOODEN escalator in Macy's, flowers at the WTC Site- in the background is a list of victims (very sombre place, this), prosperity bull at financial district, me on brooklyn bridge, a very bubbly soho, crazy neon lights of times square and lastly, me and Spidey, in times square. :) he even sounded like spidey! he was dressed like that with a box in front of him that said donations. it really surprises you the things people do here to get money. yesterday i walked past a lady with a sign that said, "sick of prostitution, help me stop". jarring, much? haven't given anyone pennies though.

speaking of which i have no idea how the coins here work and as a result i have a bagajillion one cent coins! its madness. if i still have em' when i leave i'd just give them sporadically to the homeless. which by the way, is really really a huge issue here.

what i actually enjoy most about new york is the parks and libraries. there's so many of them and all huge. at bryant park near new york public library, they have an area called reading room and they have seats and tables and umbrellas and a bunch of shelves with several books. its lovely.

indian food the other day was lovely too, and pretty cheap given the amount of food and the general priciness that is new york. i'm doing fine though, financially, but that's cuz i haven't done much shopping yet. and already i need a new luggage. i LOVE strand. its a huuuuuge warehouse filled with books, new, second hand, anything. its wonderful! i am going to buy more soon, as soon as mum wires in the cash. :D

jerry springer is on TV now. there's too many television channels in the US, and too many shows like jerry springer. comedy central is nice though. they have alot of satirical news program. and if i don't shower and reheat my food soon i will be rushing through my day today so i shall leave now.

have a great day everyone! or night... since its 11.15 a.m. here, meaning 11.15 p.m. there. heh. much love to all!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

reading/ napping in parks.

fabio is at the gym now but when he comes back we're going for cheap indian food. yum :)

i'm too lazy to upload photos now so i've decided to do a photoblog when i come back. which is uh, in 2 week's time? haha. i arrive 15th july around 1 am. AHEM. apiz this is your chance to redeem yourself. hahaha. i got your email btw. i've found so many nice tees for you but i will try to narrow it down and let you know of prices... roughly how much you wanna spend on 1 tee? rough gauge. like USD10, 15? lemme know.

i went to cafe bon au pain for breakfast today. a chocolate chunk muffin bigger than my fist and yummy peach tea. i then proceeded to finish my book in the cafe so i had to go to strand to buy a book. paul auster's oracle night for USD5! whoopee! and i am going to shop like crazy in virgin megastore- there's SO MANY beatles stuff! and i am in love with an elmo suede bag and a rolling stones purse. tsk.

so then it was subway to central park, where i lay my blanket and promptly fell asleep. haha. couldn't read cuz its too warm so went to manhattan mall for a bout of shopping and a sandwich. i got a bag cuz my bike helmet bag strap was cutting into my shoulder. a gray bag from Sarah Jessica Parker's line, Bitten. USD9.98 okay! and yesterday i got a pair of leathery brown heels from DOCKERS for.... USD7.50!!! from a thrift store. i love new york.

and now CNN is showing a beatles special. fabio's tv is huge and i can stand next to paul and ringo and take a picture really. and i just might. this is just perfect.

22 and in new york. what a charmed life.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

strand!

the strand is a gigantic bookstore that apparently takes up 18 miles and is filled floor to ceiling with BOOKSBOOKSBOOKS for three stories. or more. so yes. and its near the couch i'm crashing! with fabio, who is brazilian and a yale graduate. i think he is single. haha. anyone interested? he's quite cute. i'll check with him if anyone wants to know.

other than that i am tired and pooped. new york is nice but very tiring. i need more vitamin C i think. hmm.

pictures soon promise. now i sleepy. its only 10.41 pm here but ya. good night!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

hello!

just a short hi from new york to tell you guys i'm alive and well and still in love with new york. :) its been a wonderful adventure, extremely overwhelming. new york assaults your senses and i genuinely come back to bed at night exhausted from the day's gallivanting about.

we're currently put up in a hostel near central park and will head to another one near soho and my next bed i.e. couch later on. the weather reminds me of melbourne, its nice when you hit the sun but in the shade the breeze gets right through my bones and i think, "what summer?"

i've got pictures but i'm emailing them to myself first cuz my camera memory's full. i'll see if i can upload some soon.

so far i've seen empire state and chrysler and union square and coney island and a mermaid parade! and most of midtown manhattan. one of the most fascinating experiences is to hear black people talk cuz they sound exactly like they do on tv. especially the black women! its so fun to hear 'divaesque' talk coming from an authentic black lady. :D

suresh's nose is permanently stuck in a guidebook and he keeps worrying about me being alone in new york. pffft.

oh oh oh and i got chatted up! before i met suresh of course. or when i'm alone wandering around looking for a toilet ( a rare commodity). more about that some other time, if at all. now i'm off to SoHohohohohoho!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

one day.

one day. just one more day.

tonight i go home and pack up. not just for new york, but for new home. haha. yea i'm moving again. nomadic tribe, much?

tomorrow i will wake up in a new home, and the day after, a new country. tomorrow night i leave for the airport with my two favouritest people still in singapore. haha.

i don't think i will have internet access anymore, since new place is well, new, and i don't think i want to lug my laptop to a macs for free wireless. we'll see how desperate i get la. if not, next time i blog will be either from the airport or from new york. i'm not bringing my laptop though, but i will try to blog as regularly as i can from there.

nervous trepidations, but i just can't wait to get lost. in new york.

:)

p.s.: maya, okay la i pack you in my luggage okay? haha.

Monday, June 18, 2007

2 days to new york.

[12:39:45 PM] Suresh says: you know, i dont know why but i suddenly thought of this the other day

[12:39:56 PM] Norfiza says: what?

[12:40:32 PM] Suresh says: it was soon after we got together before DnD
[12:40:53 PM] Suresh says: it was a weekday night and you were meeting with yc etc at usp level 7 to practice

[12:41:19 PM] Norfiza says: ya

[12:41:24 PM] Suresh says: so we stayed in sch and waited and i stayed till after pracetice too
[12:41:46 PM] Suresh says: then we went back on the train and met someone there i dunno who
[12:42:01 PM] Suresh says: but we suddenly decided to eat since we hadnt had dinner

[12:42:24 PM] Norfiza says: uhuh

[12:42:34 PM] Suresh says: so we jumped out at bukit batok or gombak and went to that place where you had mee kuah to eat!
[12:42:52 PM] Suresh says: that was a very nice night

[12:43:24 PM] Norfiza says: hmm ya.

[12:45:17 PM] Suresh says: when i thought about it, it was like falling in love with you all over again

mere days now, to you.

Friday, June 15, 2007

same time next week... (Part 2)

i'll be in new york. unfreakinbelievable.

i always knew i'd go to new york, maybe even live there, so on and so forth, but i never knew it will be this soon and in such dramatic fashion (accidental ticket purchase, anyone?).

i must say all my travelings have been mostly borne out of scrimping and saving, mum's donations and lately, suresh's as well. i was lucky to get a free stay in melbourne, and even luckier this time to get free stays in new york AND new haven for all 3 weeks. i am blessed by the Patron Saint of Traveling.

i kid.

i actually have fears going into this trip, no, not because of the crime rates and all that jazz, but because i've wanted this for so long i'm afraid when i get there i'd just be too dazed to take it all in. and i'll come back 3 weeks later mourning the loss.

i don't know. is it just me? or is it entirely possible that one can fall in love with a geographical space? but its more than just that, isn't it? each space has a character, has names and quirks and you put it all together it already has a life of its own.

traveling to a new place is like meeting a new person. you get to know each other, try to get past the awkward moments, then you fall in sync (or not), you banter endlessly and before you know it party's over, time for home.

and the excitement and anticipation is exactly like how it feels before a first date. do i look right, will i speak right, will he like me like i like him? will i fit in, or will i stand out like a japanese tourist with a sunhat and a camera round my neck? do i say yo wassup or shall i go with howdy do?

and then there's also the fear that i might not get to do everything i want to do (which is basically LIVE and eat GRASS in central park, really) and i will return from new york disgruntled. i so desperately need this trip to be wonderfully glorious so that i don't come back feeling shortchanged. but at the same time, the melbourne trip has taught me that too enjoyable a trip means melbmope for the rest of the semester. it took me half a semester to truly get over melbourne and even then, not really.

some people don't want to go to some places. i don't understand. why would you NOT want to go somewhere? i'd gladly be in war- torn countries if it means being part of something other than my own little world. to belong in something beyond my entire self and being. i'd love to be in china, in north korea, in vietnam, in liberia, in tahiti, in any damn place in the world, and know that i feel at home just the same.

some people think language can be a barrier. but i think it is only a barrier if you choose to speak your own.

the world is shrinking, and travel has become so accessible to so many people thanks to budget airlines, hostels, and websites like couchsurfing. it is no longer impossible to travel on the cheap even to the most expensive cities, as long as you're willing to go off the beaten path and me more traveler and less tourist. more street less hotel. seeing different peoples and cultures has become such a real possibility now, and it is no longer sufficient to see it on Travel & Living.

it is is an Age of Renaissance for traveling now, and i'm glad i'm part of it.

the inauguration of SoldSoul's first HomeFleaMarket! This Sunday, 17th June, from 12- 8 p.m., come over to MY place for cupcakes, drinks, music and lots of cheap, bargain shopping! everything will be cheap- cheap cuz everything must go! even if you're not looking to buy anything just come over anyway, there's cupcakes! :D for those who don't know where i live, email me: lim_fiz@yahoo.com.sg. those who do know, you have no reason not to come! and when you come, bring people! if people who bring people bring people who bring people, then we'd have a house party of sorts already! haha.

soooooooooooo.

yesterday was a veryyyyyyyyy... interesting day. i wrote the nehneh a long email to describe my ATM woes, my interesting Borders experience and the quest for my new york book. i'll just copy paste and edit it here okay? :) not much editing though, and my email language is atrocious, so good luck. haha.

okay so after work right i got my ride home... i told the uncle to stop me at admiralty station then i realized that EH NO CANNOT! my ATM is not with me! so yes. so i told him to drop me off at the bus stop as usual. then i went home.

i ransacked my room cuz i thought i used it recently to sign up for internet but i didn't. ITS STILL WITH MUM! so i called her and she's at the clinic at triple 8 plaza. she left me 10 dollars on the couch but she forgot my ATM. so she said take the bus down to meet her at the clinic then go back to admiralty to take train to town. MADNESS! so i said don't want so mafan. anyway plus her 10 dollars i had $19 in cash. then she asked if my ezlink got enough value, and i couldn't remember. but i definitely won't go aaaaall the way to triple 8 to take my ATM card la. so she said since she's going redhill for a house viewing after the clinic anyway, i go to town straight first if i need to top up ezlink and hence have no money for book, she will go to town to meet me.

so i went to admiralty mrt. and lo and behold! ezlink empty. so i told her she had to come to town. took the train down and went straight to borders. looked for all the books i had in mind and only found ONE. breakfast at tiffany's by truman capote. which i'm not very keen on anyway cuz i think the movie's better. but i held on to it anyway while hunting for the rest. now, while hunting for my eb white's here is new york, there was this guy sitting on the stool blocking the WH shelf. i didn't want to embarrass him so i walked to a different shelf. i kept coming back but he was still there. i guess by then he sensed i needed to look at something there cuz he looked up and smiled and said haha okay sorry i'm part of the shelf you have to read me along with it or something like that. so he moved.

then he asked what i was looking for. then he saw my list in my notebook with NEW YORK! in capital letters and underlined twice. haha. so he asked what i was looking for. so i told him about new york and reading books abt new york when in new york. (i am beginning to realize i sound like a horrible NERD.) and we talked and he kept saying i'm interesting. which actually puzzles me till now cuz i've never thoughtof myself as that. weird, maybe (ok DEFINITELY fine), but interesting? hmm.

so yes. then i asked what he was reading. and he said "a book on how to pickup girls. is it working?" so i laughed cuz i thought he was kidding (at this point i hear you and farhana and half the world go... FIZAAAAAAAAAA. -_- YES OKAY). then we talked about traveling then i said, "okay seriously what are you reading?" and he turned the book over and it was something like... a mysterious man's guide to getting girls in bed or something like that la. and i went, "oh wow you were serious!" hahaha. okayyyyyyyy.

so ya then he asked for my msn add cuz he's "more of an msn than a phone guy". and we exchanged emails. his name is derek. hahaha. he works IT in novena, likes to go bangkok cuz he likes shopping, and was reading expat and style magazines as well. and he likes motivational speakers ("what?! seriously? why do you listen to motivational speakers?"). after a few awkward moments where i tried to pretend to look at the shelves but wanted to look elsewhere actually, he said, "okay before i lose my cool i better go now". hahahaha. rrrrrright. aiya he's a nice guy la. harmless really.

okay so i walked around despondently with my breakfast at tiffany's, scouring for anything that said manhattan or new york. there was one old new york by an old woman which i didn't like (*i remember her name now! edith wharton!). 40s stuff. i even went to the info counter to ask and nope, they didn't have any of the books on my list. i was stuck. with breakfast at tiffany's. which wouldn't be so bad if it was LITERALLY.

so. i walked again and again and again, all over the place. if anyone noticed me they would have thought i'm a stalker. and maybe i am. a book stalker. then LO AND BEHOLD! (catchphrase, much?) while squatting and squinting i found ONE LAST COPY of slaves of new york by tama janowitz! and no its really about slavery. google it up. it sounded SO good. almost too good to be true. and the manner in which i found it convinced me it was the one. so i held on to it tight and walked around some more while waiting for mum.

time check: 815pm. i had last eaten at 11.00am and i was HUNGRY. i went through the bargain stuff and found a frog keychain for mum. 8.25pm. mum called and said she'll get to town ard 915 pm. thats it. i cannot survive till 915 on a (rather) empty stomach. but i cannot lose my new york book! my soulmate! the ONE (last copy)! and not the frog keychain too! so. i hid it in the desolated kids section. there's one kids' books area next to parenting section that is totally untouched. i guess the books there aren't popular but good for me.

then i walked to coffee bean but nope, nothing appealing. so i walked on further from my beloved, to 7-11, for chicken pau and apple juice. satiated, i returned. i almost ran to the corner but when i got there there it was. sitting pretty in the dark corners of my favourite fairy tales!, all cosy with the frog keychain. i took it in my arms, vowing never to let it go, then went to the magazines section, took the timeoutnewyorker, sat and read it till mum came. paid, purchased, home. :D

hahaha damn long i know. and i bet at this point you guys are thinking, "she tells him all this mindless RUBBISH?!" haha yes i do! *SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING*

so yes that was my very adventurous thursday and today is friday which means tomorrow is saturday which is no work day! then sunday! and monday! and tuesday! THEN WEDNESDAY!

i should stop shouting.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

same time next week...

i'll be on the flight to the Big Apple. mmm MM.

borders after work, yay! also thinking of doing some window shopping to wind down cuz its thursday and the weekend is near! wanna see some shoes. and bags. note to self: but no buying.

i'm also thinking of renting DVDs/ VCDs from either town or neighbourhood shop. all the new yorkish movies in the world to get me in the mood. i watched duplex yesterday, and i actually cried at one point. i'm not going to tell which point cuz suresh reads this blog and he hasn't watched the movie so HAH!

so anyway. i am liking my weekdays... work, home, Friends, Spongebob, rest/ dinner, CSI/ random TV, sleep. ahh. i mean considering i'm usually asleep till 5 p.m. on most holidays anyway, i pretty much have the same holiday routine, except in the day i have a job that provides me moolah for new york. brill.

i finished reading this book... emergency sex and other stories from the warfront or something like that... about 3 civilian peacekeepers working for the UN in different places... haiti, liberia, cambodia. its terribly inspiring. it will be awesome to one day work for the UN. and i am so going to see the UNHQ in new york. suresh was in new york for 4 days before going to yale and from what i hear he hasn't seen shit. HAHA. well okay he avoided some places that i told him not to see cuz i wanted to see it with him; but a bunch of NUS kids in NY and they don't go see UNHQ?! outrageous, but maybe not. they did do alot of shopping. hurhur.

i can't wait to shop there! hahaha. sarah jessica parker has a new line, bitten, and the clothes are nothing fancy, rather basic but looks nice and its all below USD20. yumyum.

sigh. another boring lunchtime at work. never mind, 7 days more, and minus the weekend which usually breezes by; 5! and i think i end work a day before NY trip so 4 days to O-V- OVAH! :D

eh i looking at jobs in the UN lei. but they say its hard to get a job in the US... visa issues and all that jazz. australia is easier... and it is closer to home. hmm hmm. ohwell. things to consider.

sunday was town with farhana, and brunch at toast. it was a nice respite from the bustle of work. for both of us, i think. and i think it will be so cool if we'll both be in melbourne next year. the tables will be turned eh? you study, i work. haha. have you decided where to go november 1st? its a thursday by the way. so 3 days sungguh pointless. make it 4, we come back sunday. same thing.

i've emailed so many people for their couches i'm beginning to feel a little couch crazy. but this is little effort compared to the amount of money saved no? its unbelievable how warm and friendly some new yorkers are. or maybe its just me cuz when i think nyorkers i think fastfastfast and notimeforanyoneespeciallynottourists. heh.

alrighty then. peejay people if you're reading this please note you're all expected at my house this sunday. all of you, including seniors juniors peers whatever. COME or else. hah. i dunno.

i need to sleep in desperately. maybe saturday. but if there's training then i have to wake up early. maybe sunday then. i'm definitely not sleeping in in ny cuz then its time wasted! so yes. must sleep as much as i can in flight. i ought to stop now. bye then!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

kosher mac and cheese.

well well well.

i'm busy with my deadly letter opener. having cramps from hell thanks to my state of being a woman. hah.

i can't wait for new york. 8 days!

not going for training but i'm doing sit ups everyday. i refuse to be the fat girl in new york, of all places. melbourne was okay cuz everyone else was bigger. haha.

so excitingableesque! i might be visiting the beach at new haven, they have carousels! and i'm still considering if me and the nehneh should do the rowboat at central park. its quintessential new york, but we're not romantic enough to sit still for ONE hour in a rowboat in a water body of any sorts and i have a funny feeling our boat will flip over and i'll get eaten by crocodiles. though he insists there isn't any. but MY POINT IS our boat will flip. he thinks it will be fun. i dunno if he meant the rowboating itself or flipping over. i'm afraid its the latter.

BUT i'm definitely going for the carousel in central park! whee! and the one in new haven. cuz carousels are such cool shits.

see? like so nice right. but who will take this shot for me anyway? hah. AND our boat would be upturned and we'll be in the waters, not the boat. totally different.

but its okay, he promised me we'll get books, so we can have picnic in parks and read. yay! and i have 4 books to read... i think. from my buys at the book sale at expo. and i plan to buy one tomorrow cuz i have that borders voucher. and i plan to buy the new connelly. so i should be well covered for at least a week. then again i finished 3 books in 2 days in melbourne so i don't know. books are dangerous and a fast- depleting but fortunately manmade resource.

i've made a couple of friends from new york and and and get this, out of the 22 nights i'll be there, i've gotten 16 nights of free stay! couch surfing is the best thing that has ever happened to the travel world i tell you. can you imagine paying for 22 nights in new york? even backpackers inn go for USD19, lowest, and that's about SGD30. 22 nights = SGD660. *faints*

i'm still hoping something/ some couch crops up for the remaining few nights. its not just a budget travel thing, i think that staying with different people in different boroughs of new york = getting different expert tour guides for each neigbourhood which is just so bloody awesome.

oh oh and i wanna go coney island! i definitely will take their roller coaster! the rest is not a must la. the boardwalk and all that. so... 5 people you meet in heaven.

i keep thinking 3 weeks is too long for new york, then i remember i'm spending a few days in new haven and i think it'll be too short for new york. i live in fear i'd FORGET to see some things i'm desperate to see. i better start writing down everything.

if any of you got any must- sees, must- dos, please tag me! and don't give me website links i'm sick of scouring website after website. it just confuses me further cuz FYI there's a bajillion new york things to do. and these sites list them ALL.

lalala. sunday! i need to start planning proper. and maybe tomorrow would be a good day to meet up since i'm headed to town. hmm.

i can't wait to 1) go new york, and 2) leave the workplace. which is one and the same thing i guess. but still. different meaning. haha.

god the office computer is so slow it kills me. and i just had twix for lunch! there goes my 50 sit ups.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

post #1729.

okay i'm having my usual morning tea and Today read and what do i see? alfian saat's application to do relief teaching was rejected after he had been teaching for a month AND offered a 2 month extension from the school. his supervisors had no complain, but MOE deems him unfit to do relief teaching.

they came up with 2 possible reasons for his rejection; him dropping out of a med degree in his final year in NUS (i still think he's the coolest shit to do that, quitting med school to WRITE?! how damn boho) or him being generally anti- establishment when it comes to his creative works; e.g. his Asian Boys theatre series. if you think about it, they're both the same thing; i.e. dropping out of med school IS anti- establishment, unorthodox, etcetera. and i think they are worried he would spread such ideas to the young unbloomed ones and create absolute anarchy (okay, i am exaggerating but you get my point) in the school he is teaching in.

it is sad when your work is much admired and much lauded but when you try to help others be as creatively free as you are you are stopped because apparently just one of you is enough for this tiny island. obviously he doesn't read this but i'm with alfian on this one. his pedigree deems him more than qualified to be a teacher, what more a relief, and it is entirely their loss. pity the kids who got him for a month though. there was so much hope for... something different, i think.

it is raining quite heavily today isn't it? feels nice though, its been warm for too long. hopefully the rain cools the night a little too, cuz i'm waking up a wee bit sweaty lately, and that's gross.

me and suresh were practicing talking like an american yesterday night over skype. like, you knowww... with all the fillers and uhh, all that, ya know? HAHAHAHA. i figured i don't watch enough american TV to do it right. i can do the black woman/ diva thing real good though. ask the windsorians. they're convinced. haha. anyway i think i should learn from hafiz, the american TV guru. i saw the pics of your newly painted room and you're not kidding about your tv being right in front of your bed lei... it is RIGHT.IN.FRONT.OF.YOUR.BED. gile eh! never watch the ring is it? wait at night sadako come out from the screen you know. HAHAHA. okay sorry.

and since i can't tag your board from office i will tell you here that when i first saw the pic of the car i thought it was a pic of your car. HAHA. blue mah. all cars look the same. except for a VW Beetle and a gray mini. HUR HUR HUR.

anonymous: haha i know about the GAPS and popular modules shindig. i've been doing this rubbish for 3 years already. its just that i've switched from a USP programme to a regular arts one and the GAPS doesn't reflect that yet so i have to 1) meet USP people to say fare thee well and all that and 2) manually map my mods. its bloody mafan. and yea i did wiki it but there's a bajillion shows and i can't be bothered to go through them all. besides its usually based in NY but filmed in LA so ya. i guess i'll go with Friends and Serendipity! and NYU.

cj: eh i checked out the site. its cool! thanks. coming for training tomorrow or not?

dizzie: i smsed you dunno if you got it. but its morning of 21st. so wednesday night must be at airport. something like that. farhana is supposed to follow cuz i've got a 100% track record of sending her off hahaha.

faidz: ;D tell me about it!

okay flea market is ON like donkey kong. its THIS sunday, 17th June, 12- 8 p.m. there's me, sara and shahira, both fellow NUS/ USPians and all 3 of us wear different sizes so there's variety. and norman/ nazri my ex- peejayians are selling cupcakes! MANCUPCAKES! okay i just gave it a name. cuz norMAN and they're MANly, no? hahaha. stuff for sale includes bags, books, general brick bracks (underwater non- batt camera!) and i dunno what else those girls are bringing. so yes. please tag me with blog adds/ emails so i can give you my add? thanks! and don't come alone okay, bring down the entire jingbang.

okay see i started off on a quasi- serious note and i've since totally digressed. i am getting too good at this. and i'm so free now cuz got no new emails to forward and the mail doesn't come in till lunch time so now mails to open with my beloved letter opener either. so blog, i will. and blogged, i have.

hahaha the other day nehneh sent me an email and he ended each sentence with a yoda- like sentence. so imitated him, i shall.

annoying, it is.

stop it, i will.

Monday, June 11, 2007

240 hours to new york.

if i don't stop smiling and laughing to myself my colleagues are going to think i'm crazy.

but i don't care!

i just made the calls and settled everything and in 10 days time, i am going to new york, new york. hurhurhur.

apiz! i don't care that my flight is at an unearthly 6 a.m. you have to send me off like you promised! and farhana, you too! mwahaha. we can go to airport late at night and eat lots of crap before i go. :D

okay too excited liao cannot think.

Friday, June 08, 2007

shaboom, shaboom.

well. i'm at work. and i just ended my skype chat with the nehneh.

i made $75 worth of sales yesterday! mum brought her friend over who tried on a thousand things and ended up with 8. not too bad. am pretty pleased. and thus i am motivated to go back today and take more pictures and update the damn site! yes. and start planning proper for the flea market! sha, are you in?

i'm also tempted to go borders and use my 25% off voucher but not yet. its till 14th june so i should be patient! i am most probably getting extremely loud and incredibly close. or maybeee breakfast at tiffany's by capote. reviews?

lalala. i feel like counting down to new york but i don't want to jinx it. maybe i'll do that once i have my tickets/ e- tickets.

i've gotten a couch offer for 4 days and another for a few unspecified days in july. and lots of coffee and chat offers. that website is heaven- sent.

i got whacked in the knee area at training the other day. a new girl. we were both going for the ball and i my knee/ thigh area made contact with studs. yeowch. now i have a very ugly blue black bruise.

i really should upload photos of wedding soon. then take new pictures. where have all the time gone?

okay back to work. if anyone want to ask me out for tomorrow please do. and apiz, wanna join me and banana this sunday? fly kite!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

APPLAUSE!

i feel like clapping. thursday! then friday! then saturday half- day! then sunday kite- flying day! so fun. :D

i'm also happy cuz the soci department has FINALLY updated their modules page and now i know what modules i want/ can do next sem! i only need 2 level 3 and above soci mods. therefore i am doing.... *drumrooooooooooll*

SC3203
Race & Ethnic Relations
Dr Daniel Goh

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand...

SC4216
Selected Topics in Law and Justice
Dr Ganapathy Narayanan

wheeeeeeeee!!!! wait gana know i stalking him. :/ hurhur.

hapiz! do with me! kau punya chua beng huat lain tahun buat eh, sebab dah tukar sem 2. hurhur. so meh stalk gana ngan aku!

i'm also tempted to do this one.

SC3220
Ritual, Performance & Symbolic Action
A/P Maribeth Erb

i can already imagine my term paper lei! i want to write about the Kop ritual of singing You'll Never Walk Alone. maybe i can do it for fun i.e. not to fulfill soci requirements but as... UE? got such thing?

i need to find out what are the damn modules i need to fulfill la. cuz i don't really know how my USP modules map onto the regular Arts requirement. nus ah. pfft.

wah so exciting in about 6 months time i file for graduation! whooooa.

okay i'm trying to map my USP modules onto the Arts requirement but its giving me a motherawful headache. apiiiz help meeee.

okay i know 1 must be exposure cuz 02- 06 batch must do 16MCs of exposure modules and i've only got 12... hmm okay. so i know 2 soci, 1 exposure. the other 2? UE ah?

okay confused liao. don't want to think. let's think about new york!

:D:D:D:D:D

*shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing* (remember that remember that? bright shining white light from circa faidzal era!)

i am SO totally SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGing right now!

its pretty much confirmed. accomodation will mainly consist of couchsurfing (do check it out and if you do sign in please add me!) and if necessary (buthopefullynot), backpacker's hostels. also crashing in at yale for a few days where the USP kids i.e. suresh) are. can bunk in with one of the girls who has a couch in her room. might also be exploring connecticut in the hunt for the quintessential stars hollow town (yes i know its fictional but its BASED on a several small towns in connecticut so i shall hunt em' down!). oh um stars hollow is the small town in which gilmore girls was set. :)

so far what i've come up with of possible stars hollow- ish towns are wallingford, midlebury, plantsville, washington depot, east haddam, and burlington. of course i won't be going through all of them. i don't plan to spend so much time on connecticut when NEW YORK doth beckons! but since i fly out the 21st and return the 13th, that gives me about 3 weeks to explore the entire place so i'm guessing i can spend some time in connecticut (depending on cash and couch availability).

zat might be joining me in my last weekend in new york too! :D so exciting. anyone else you know who's there please tell me cuz suresh will be with his sister 6th july onwards so i'm a long ranger from 6th- 13th! which i'm quite looking forward to but it won't hurt to have someone to have coffee and a chat with while i'm there. :D i plan to bring all my unread books and read in central park for at least 1 hour everyday. then i cannot complain about missing central park when i come back (ya i know fat chance).

lalalalala. what else? oh oh! and i want to go to serendipity III cafe! its the cafe that was featured in the movie serendipity la. SO.CUTE. and i can't wait to try their frozen (?) hot chocolate. haha. can feeling- feeling there. oh and i wanna see greenwich village, where friends was based. and i can't think of anymore movies/ tv shows set there. if you have suggestions, tag me! but i didn't watch sex and the city so its okay, i don't mind missing out on that.

how excitingableesque!

and dizzie; it wasn't DITZY okay. its the law of economics. i think. you can't spend money you don't have. but apparently, you can. hahaha. and yes, please accidentally buy your tickets to melbourne like NOW.

maya: aiyaaa but you also traveling what! :D and its okay, my friend selling his cupcakes also. maybe if you're free you can just come over la! bring husni, hannah etc. i'm inviting nana apol all also. so ya. the more the merrier!

okay lunch time! kfc fries + skype chat with nehneh. :D much love to the woooorld!

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

HEHEHE.

okay i know so biol this girl skejap unhappy skejap unhappy but i happy la! HURR.

(translation: okay i know so crazy this girl one minute unhappy the other minute happy but... that's my problem! um ya.)

so yes.

let me tell you a story on how to accidentally buy tickets to new york.

first, you surf countless websites in a hunt for the cheapest fares to new york. you consider china eastern airlines, eva airlines, and also a flight to LA then a budget domestic flight to NYC. you email countless travel agents and get disappointing replies.

next, you give up on travel agents and go straight to the airline websites. however, take note that airlines such as china eastern and eva air are more than a tad bit confusing which is why those should be left to the experts/ travel agents. search via statravel.com.sg, which will tell you the before tax fares on multiple airlines. then go to the airlines and search away for the cheapest combination of dates.

in my case, i landed on northwest airlines. user- friendly website, and trust me, there IS such a thing as NOT user- friendly websites. so i tested out various possibilities, and the cheapest combination was a flight out the 21st and back the 13th. for $1900++ with taxes. which is pretty okay i guess, given how late it is. SIA has already sold out all economy cabin fares to NYC.

so the next step would be to confirm your itinerary! why not, its the best way to check if there's hidden costs. so the price comes out on the next page. no changes. still $1900++. so they ask you to confirm. you click "confirm". they ask you to fill up your details. you do so. they ask for a credit card number, you give your debit card number which has a grand total of $900 available balance.

they say thank you, you close the window. you know there's nothing to worry about because you couldn't possibly have bought the tickets, you don't have the money!

then you check your email and NWA has sent you an air purchase confirmation. for the hell of it, you try selecting your seats, and you can! but they say they'll send you your trip summary and receipt upon payment and you don't get them, well obviously, you only have $900.

you panic for awhile with your mum and boyfriend about spening ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS that YOU DON'T HAVE and then figured out, nah, nothing happened.

then days go by and NWA lady calls you and says, "hi! i tried sending you the receipt but your credit card doesn't have sufficient amount. would you like to give a different credit card number?" you say, "hmm ya okay, do i have to give it to you now or..?" "oh no its okay you can just call our office all the documents are ready we just need the credit card number." you say thank you.

then you call your mum. who laughs. and then says okay, she'll figure something out. two of you laugh about it, discuss afterwork plans, and hang up. you continue doing your work.

and then you realize,

you have accidentally bought yourself return tickets to new york.

new york new york, a city so great they named it twice.

ack.

okay today i woke up feeling pretty okay unlike yesterday when i woke up feeling like i don't want to go to work at all. nada. today was okay, i figured, it can't be that bad.

now my elbows are aching (try sitting at the desk with elbows on it from 8-5 you'll know what i mean), my eyes are fuzzy from staring at the computer, i'm hungry cuz i didn't eat much for lunch (cuz i'm supposed to bring my own lunch and i just brought cereal which i didn't feel like eating but had to eat anyway), and i feel generally annoyed with the world.

i'm tempted to take a semester break and go on a work travel holiday somewhere. maybe aussie or UK. or US if i can afford it. really really tempted. the idea of going back to school is as joyous as having a hot metal rod stuffed up my youknowwhat.

i mean i only have 1 semester left. so i finish in december. but my graduation ceremony is in july next year. so why not take this sem off, travel, then come back and finish where i left off?

problem is this july- december period is where birthdays (of loved ones) and festivities (i.e. Aidilfitri) takes place and i think it will be incredibly selfish of me to just jet off like that. but i must admit it is incredibly tempting.

i can't imagine why anyone in the right mind would want to sit at a desk for hours on end. answering phone calls, opening mails and forwarding emails. i know a job is a job and i can already hear the "someone somewhere would kill for your job" but my point is, its not for me. this job is driving me insane actually. not because of its difficulty level (har har) but due to its extreme mundane- ness. its maddening.

and i can't stand it when someone calls and i transfer the call and no one picks up and before i can pick the line up again someone says "so and so is not here!" in an irritated way. or when the caller him/herself says, "why did you put me through if the person wasn't around?"

well here's some groundbreaking news for all you idiots: i don't have xray vision. I KNOW! shocking but true. so i can't see which person has gone where to do what and thus i can't tell if that person is at the table or not until he/ she doesn't pick up your call, OKAY?! stop being an idiot. idiots annoy me. bah.

just need to rant on that.

interview yesterday went well, but unfortunately the assignment is $70 for 2 pm- 12 midnight on the 21st of june, which is when i hope to fly out to NYC. so... hmm. probably a no- go. i'll tell them to keep me in mind for future assignments though. a good way to get extra cash since this sinda thing is in limbo now.

i really really want to go to new york but the finances is a bit of a stretch. that said i've tried applying for various financial assistance (not to travel of course -_-) to ease my mum's (and mine!) financial burdens. i hope they fall through. i'm a bit sick of working for money right thanks to this job. i really cannot explain how frustrating it is. some might enjoy office work i guess but its not the job for me. maybe if i had a more mentally challenging task i might not be complaining as much but uhh, right now i feel like a dumb blonde answering phone calls. "xxx good morning!" "xxx good afternoon!" if i were the caller i'd tell me to shut up.

every day i come back exhausted. i'm usually sleepy by 8 but i force myself to stay awake to watch some tv, read some papers, eat dinner etc. i haven't been on MSN since i don'tknowwhen and i don't even know what's happening with my friends anymore. its like being sucked into quicksand and its muddy and sandy and icky and just... brkehoieweurhtg.

which is why the idea of a new york trip at the end of all this seems so comforting. but i need more money and money sadly, don't grow on trees. sometimes i wish i had a rich relative somewhere who would be kind enough to buy me a return ticket to new york just because... he is rich enough.

i think money is the root of evil. in fact not just evil but all things negative. wanting money is like a drug; you can never have enough and you will always keep wanting more. its sick actually, and its also sad that i actually feel that way cuz i've never felt that way before. no matter how tight things were financially, no matter how many jobs i took up to get extra cash i never actually thought i needed money so desperately and to realize i do kinda just... sucks.

well its back to the mails. and calls. and all those dreary things. on the bright side, there's football later but since i am so tired and unhappy i will probably play like shit which will only result in a more unhappy fiza. but i guess that's the only way to go today.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

lalala.

so its pretty much confirmed... to me at least. haha. that i'm going to new york. now its a matter of getting tickets and trying to sell off more stuff to get more money. so help me ya! home flea has been postponed btw, to 17th instead of 10th june, cuz sara would be away and there's no point just selling my stuff alone since... well there's only my stuff and what's the 'flea market'ish thing in that?

chatted with nehneh via skype at work and got to see him and talk to him via webcam and skype yesterday night. how glorious the internet world is!

so that means i'm free this weekend! farhana? kite- flying? or for that matter, anyone else up for a day out? dizzie? let me know la. and dizzie, 30% is not bad okay. your questions all so hard. you should have like... "which is my dream girl?" then put pictures, then i know. or who do i like most in my world then put my name then at least i know the answers kan!

that said, maya, if its on the 17th will you be around? let me know.

and btw people i've changed my number so if you have not received an sms from my new number please tag me/ msn me/ whatever for the new number okay? i can't remember who i haven't given it to. tsk.

today i woke up and felt reaaaaaaaally reluctant to go to work. boring la! i'm so glad i did this though, cuz now i know for SURE i can't do office work. haha.

i want to be a cleaner at the new york public library. its my new ambition.

weddings. weddings make me feel weird. there seems to be such finality, a wedding. this is it. no more flings/ boyfriends/ girlfriends/ dates. this is the one and only forever and ever till death do us part. and any form of finality has always frightened me i guess. which is probably why nehneh and me works. there's no sense of finality, the idea that oh in 2 years we'll get engaged, in x years we'll get married, then house, kids, etc. we can't afford such plans and we don't indulge in them.

and while someone very wised told me that one day i will need an anchor and i will want that finality, for now i think this is as good as it gets. this suits me best now.

i have to admire those who want to or are already married though. i think it takes a lot of courage to tell yourself that this is the one, no doubts about it. that this is worth a marriage, not just a relationship. or maybe its just me placing such high premiums on marriage? it seems to be as easy to get married as it is to get divorced/ separated/ annulled. but that is pessimistic talk that i shouldn't bother with right now.

have that interview later on. in chinatown. feeling absolutely lazy, but money doth beckons.

zat; will you be in new york? say 7th july onwards- ish?

i think i'm a bit scared seeing my cousin get married. he was sort of a peer, a friend, a brother of sorts. and he has jumped on the bandwagon, so to speak. and i know soon there'll be more weddings; i have a gazillion female and male cousins. and i don't know why it scares me actually, but it does. i'm terribly scared of marriages and deaths. they seem so final, so eternal. especially death. as for marriage, even if its not eternal the alternative is no less scary; a divorce, separation by death (or what i call a double whammy) or whatever other possible senarios.

but i know it will blow over. its just one of those random things that happen when i attend a wedding. hur.

that said, don't forget to invite me to yours okay! i love the food. mmm.

oh and i've always wanted a dream wedding. you know, the ideal one? but the problem is i've never really imagined it to be with another person per se... i imagined myself married to a cat, or a book. which is all and fine i guess, except that then it'll be terribly excessive to hold a wedding of that magnitude (of which is imagined in my head) for a cat. or a book. hmm.

among other things, i want a chocolate fondue at my wedding. lots of junk food, books, and music.

oh and i've finished reading gold by dan rhodes. LOVE IT la. i simply love how he writes. such a genius.

okay before i spout more rubbish simply because i CAN, i shall return to... work. umph. yea.

just saying that makes me wanna type more here. anything, anything at all! to escape this corporate blahness. nyeh.

Monday, June 04, 2007

my nehneh is funnier than yours.

hurhur.

just to reassure everyone that i am not dead or feeling 'anti- social'. i was away since friday for.... drumroll please... my cousin's wedding in malaysia! as mentioned previously, i would think.

so wedding was a nice simple affair, i have pictures to be uploaded later of course. home flea this sunday is still on and its time for me to start aggressively promoting it. i'm not sure whether i want to go for the side- job interview later, am a little exhausted from the traveling, got home at 4ish am this morning and am at work now. we shall see.

and the reason why my nehneh is funnier than yours is because for a test i put previously, he answered "because he is tall" for why i love him. HAHAHA. wronkwronkwronk.

he's at yale already. i am surprisingly doing well, especially given that over at malaysia i was totally incommunicado. given how reluctant i was for him to do this thing, i think i'm doing pretty okay. that said, i'm making him sign a contract when he returns that states he shall only leave the country for no more than 2 weeks at one go, and any further extension should be examined on a case- by- case basis.

okay, back to work/ opening mail/ answering phonecalls/ sudoku. :)

hey nehneh! *waves*