Am reading - and liking - this thread on the Blue.

Especially: "New Zealand: Don't expect too much and you'll love it."

Yes, I think the problem this year has been that Welly has fallen way below my expectations in terms of pole and generally dance stuff. I've been less than impressed by the standards here (and I'm not talking about the Royal NZ Ballet).

On the slightly bright side, there's this:


(C has a Beached As T-shirt from Supre!)

... and there's Bro'Town (which makes us laugh even as we choke out, "This is SO. WRONG ... HAHAHAHAHA!")!

Some pictures I found in my cellphone. (Yes, I'm procrastinating; is it obvious?)

Fog over the harbor, some random evening



Sunset from the study window, some random evening


C wanted a picture of this license plate, some random weekend


At the Pak N Sav in Taupo (I thought it was really funny), that weekend in Taupo


From a toilet cubicle in the school library, prolly the one on Level 7, 09/09/09


An adorable window display, possibly from Kirkcaldie & Stains, on that fateful day we decided to have dinner at the very sub-par-next-to-which-any-dingy-ol'-fish n' chips-counter-is-gourmet-dining Long Bar, 09/12/09


Shoes which I would never have worn in Singapore; while waiting for someone to let me into the studio, 09/14/09


Someone at New World Metro can't tell longans apart from lychees, 10/20/09


Really quite in need of spelling - or typing - lessons (possibly both); entrance doors of MacLaurin, just after I finished my ENGL 402 exam, 10/27/09

And just this morning, I got to sit next to Sandy Rankine on the couch as I waited the rain out!

The Icelandic film night at Christine's was rather fun. She and Robert put on Cold Fever, then served freshly made pizzas for dinner. After sliced apples with a sweet cream and a story about St. Swithun (I still don't really get the how the apples and cream are connected to St. Swithun), it was decided that Reykjavik 101 would be screened, which is a film I've been trying to find but Civic Videos just doesn't carry the title.

The films were great; I enjoyed them more than Noi the Albino, which C once rented.

I don't suppose anybody does deadpan humor and understatements better than the Icelanders.

Sigh. Back to work. Research essay. Middle English.

I miss pole.

Old Norse exam next Tue, right off the Labor Weekend, then the Middle English one 2 weeks after that.

Still haven't touched my research essay and it's so bad it should be flushed down the crapper. Literary Linguistics (LING 410) about to start next month, and we're given 4 books to read (Faust, Eric, Cat's Cradle, and What Maisie Knew). I've to go search for them as the lecturer didn't think it necessary to order them in at the uni bookshop. Well, not a bad thing I suppose, as that gives me an excuse to traipse around the second-hand bookstores for used copies. Books here are SO. FUCKING. EXPENSIVE.

But I found a copy of The Collected Dorothy Parker for NZD 10 at Quilters, now happily relocated on Ghuznee, sharing floor-space with milkcrate, so I'll quit bitching about having to source for my own books. For now.

Back to studying. Sigh.

Am I stressed out? Yes, definitely. Yet, I'm quite unsure why ... exactly. I made a list of things that need doing/completing this 2-week break, and I started with my Old Norse translation. I've done more than needed. And needlessly so.

So now I'm left with the important stuff. Like, my research essay (halfway into the trimester and STILL NOT STARTED) and my ME project.

I've been trying to motivate/force myself to start my research essay today. Not only do I have to meet with my supervisor this break about it (I was planning to do it tomorrow, but I've got nothing, so why bother trekking to school to present nothing?), I also NEED TO START RESEARCHING IT.

Damn it, studying's not for me.

I'm just looking forward to the Taupo trip with C this Friday. Maybe I'll sleep better this weekend and not feel so stressed by my lack of motivation and seemingly increasingly mountainous workload.

Because all I really feel like doing is: 1) pole; and 2) watch Bones.

Sigh.

I passed my ME test! It's the last week of school before the mid-trimester break and I feel swamped. Lots of translation and reading to do.

And I still haven't started on my research essay.

And I gotta see my supervisor about it next week.

Sigh.

But above all that, I quite look forward to the weekend trip we're gonna be taking to Taupo next week.

No updates for a whole week means one of two things: 1) My life is in the shitter and someone's pulled the flush; or, 2) I'm living it up to much too have time to blog. Sadly, in this case, it's the former.

Gah.

I'm struggling. I can't focus, I'm not disciplined. I can't study no more. I aced that translation test but it's only 5% of total course grade. Today, I flunk my ME test, which is 20% of course grade. FUCK.

And now, I've over 300 lines of translation to do; 200 or so of which is due by Friday. AND I gotta finish reading Grettis Saga and Njals Saga.

However, I loved the weekend. C took leave for Fri and Mon so she was home the whole time, and I watched some movies with her. I can't wait for when I'm free to play with the new toy.

I'm thinking ... maybe chili con carne. Or maybe a tagine.

Hm ...

Sat night: Out of anxiety (for the ON translation test on Mon) and/or the movies I watched that day with C (The Cave, Apocalypto, and Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire), I had an anxious dream that night which involved Mrs. E. Lim and Mrs. Cheng. More than 10 years after being taught by them, I still dream about them - and usually (only) when I'm anxious. Hm.

Today: Made 3 Cup Chicken for dinner tonight. I came across several recipes - some called for fresh Thai basil, some called for spring onions and suggested the basil is optional - since I couldn't find any fresh Thai basil, I used spring onions. I couldn't find any shaoxing or huadiao wine either at Yan's, so I got (glutinous) rice wine, which is the only type of Chinese cooking wine there is.

I've never tasted 3 Cup Chicken before, but I was a little disappointed by my dish. C seemed to like it though, so I guess it wasn't too bad.

Sigh.

I'll be the first to admit to being a paranoid hypochondriac, but, really, I am feeling the pain, man.

My lower back pain might be due to - oh, I don't know - walking up to school via Vivian St. (of merciless and relentless steep slopes and stairs) 3 times a week; could be due to pole. Whatever. It all boils down to having a woefully weak core and a past slipped disc.

My right knee I'm not so sure about. It was the knee on which I'd taken a crash, but it also might be Vivian St.'s killer inclines and stairs. C think it's something to do with old age and sitting for too long at my desk. Yesh ...

My right shoulder I'm pretty sure about: I slept on it for a wee bit this morning. That should be the reason the ache and stiffness. This never happened before!

Gaaah.

I'm positively geriatric ... =(

(So I started taking glucosamine again.)

WTF Twitter? Why are you posting my updates to you on to my Facebook status?

So imagine my surprise, seconds after posting this twit, when I received a call from Ben in Hanoi. Since when does Twitter cross-post with Facebook? And why is this the default option rather than something I need to actively select.

Again. WHAT. THE. FUCK. Twitter?

Also: Not-too-accidental outings. Sorry, closets.

The curry turned out rather well, I think. I quite like what turned up, even if it were a little too salty (and too spicy - for C).

I marinated boneless chicken thighs (cut into bite-size pieces) with salt, tumeric, cayenne pepper, and cumin. Then browned some potato cubes. The curry was made with frying minced garlic and chopped onions, Thai red curry paste, coconut cream, and water.

The preparation and cooking took about 2 hours though, including stir-frying some sugar snaps (I hate snow peas, but sugar snaps seem pretty okay) and carrots, and cooking rice (I cook rice in a pot on the stove).

Day before I made (rather unsuccessfully) fried rice with luncheon meat, chopped onions, eggs, garlic, and McCain's mixed veges.

Today I think I wanna try Asian-style stir-fry fusilli with beef mince, mushrooms, and McCain's mixed veges (I bought a 1 kg bag that I need to use up soon) ... but I might chicken out. We'll see.

Finished the ON translation. Now on to studying for the translation test. Sigh ...

I don't feel like it but I suppose I should - blog, I mean.

Have finished 100 lines of Cursor Mundi (f.32, col.83 onwards), and just finished a scrumptious pear danish from Le Moulin (bought yesterday, but it's good even when it's not fresh).

Am constantly getting depressed about pole. I realized yesterday I should've focused on aerial classes by the WCT, because at least I'd've the benefit of instructors in my training, versus (unsupervised, uninstructed) pole prac by my lonesome. I've stopped checking in with my pole-mates in Sg (we've our own group on Facebook) because the photos and vids from their classes and jam sessions are making me cry.

Will make Thai-ish red curry tonight. Then start translating Grettir's Saga so I can spend more time studying for my ON translation test next Mon.

Sigh.

I should go watch Kaiser to cheer up ... again.

All right. Have managed to catch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Brüno this month (and in this order) ... and none of them left me quite satisfied. Perhaps I'd overanticipated them.

Have given up on this year's International Film Festival even though I'd shortlisted films to catch and hope to watch Antichrist - if only because it was as controversial as 9 Songs and Anatomie de l'Enfer (both of which I'd caught and enjoyed - in fact, I bought Anatomie when the DVD was released).

This blog is hilarious. (Spelling errors notwithstanding.)

This is so yummy. A marvelous concoction of seasoned lumpy mashed potato and marinated chicken cubes in side a thin flaky pastry crust.

The photos I took don't, unfortunately, do the precious parcel of deliciousness any justice.

(From Le Moulin.)