Currently Watching Accepted (Widescreen Edition) By Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Adam Herschman, Columbus Short, Maria Thayer see related

Post-exams =

(The leaf, by the way, is Robyn's shot at artistry)

Currently Listening Weathered By Creed One Last Breath see related

maths does things to you

Currently Listening Away From The Sun By 3 Doors Down see related

Music is incredibly uplifting especially when you've been in the doldrums. In its own offbeat way, it's invigorating to hammer on the piano keys and pretend.

Of late, the air around me seems to have been permeated by a certain sullenness. People with their inscrutable expressions and deadened footsteps.

No wonder, it's a pivotal year.

Currently Listening Under the Iron Sea By Keane Hamburg Song see related

how to lose a hamster in 13 days

SMALL D ESCAPED.

This morning I received a hysterical sms from my mum which read:

BREAKING NEWS..HAMS made Great Escape! Last seen having Toilet break!

(My family, who claims to have gone down on their hands and knees to search every imaginable crevice, was tickled by the whole incident. When they went to my grandparents' place this morning to pick up stuff, they realised the hamster had escaped when it was supposed to be taking a sand bath. My dad, in a fit of inspiration, remarked, "Oh we've a Mas Selamat in the family!" Tsk, these Houdinis add a whole new spin to the meaning of toilet break. Notice that although the hamster is mine, I do not have the sovereignty to house it, because my immediate clan is animal-averse. At present, my grandmother (aka Small D's guardian) happens to be the only kindred spirit who shares my frantic sentiments. Small D's status is still MIA so I'm going over to hunt for it later )

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In other news, my braces have been removed after two years! Speaking is now an odd sensation because the obstruction that was there previously is mercifully gone. Takes some getting used to. The worst part was probably the physical act of extracting the metal wires. Some plier-like instruments were used to pluck the metal bits out and my orthodontist cheerfully said, "Don't worry about the cracking sound, it's just the cement breaking, haw haw." Gee, thanks doc.

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Last night was amusing. After class, a bunch of us went to watch Beowulf, live at Laselle. Gillian was assistant-director. It was pretty good, albeit abrupt at the end. I liked the percussions and fight sequences.  The journey back was perhaps even more entertaining because I met with a talkative cabbie, disillusioned by just about everything from skyrocketing fuel prices to the influx of foreign talent and Singapore's lack of substantial political opposition. Interestingly enough, he shares my apprehension that the end times are near. It's a wonder - the people you meet sometimes.

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Mid-years are coming up very shortly and I'm still wallowing in a woebegone state of ill-preparation. Everyone around me has suddenly morphed into an android, as Robyn likes to put it. On the bright side, I've the intervarsity debate competition to look forward to in May and GYLC this summer!

the hamster chronicles

Thank you everyone for your well-wishes, notes and presents (in particular, my best friends)! Turning sixteen was superb

I got a shock on Tuesday when Danya came marching into class armed with a cage and an arsenal comprising pellets and a water bottle for small animals. She actually gave me a hamster for my birthday  I kid you not, it was a living, breathing rodent named Small D! Initially, I almost had a seizure because the lil critter was clawing its way up the steel bars, scampering upside down and tumbling down in a heap of fur, only to repeat its stunts again and again. It's such an acrobat! Hahahaha I think I'm in dire need of a Dummies' Guide to Hamsters, anyone with such a publication?

Nevertheless, I cannot help but worry... What if in my enthusiasm to carry Small D I accidentally squish its innards and leave only entrails in remembrance of its existence? A very worrisome prospect. Entrusting me with an animal is a bad idea; I'm flighty, impatient and animal-intolerant (allergies and whatnot). To date, I haven't mustered the courage to pick it up yet but I will eventually, heheh. I've progressed to petting though, which is an improvement from prodding.

Despite my earlier aversions, I'm actually starting to grow fond of that boundless ball of energy. Yesterday, RMa and I traipsed to the pet store and bought it a new cage. I'm so proud of myself because I know that Small D is a female Sapphire dwarf hamster approximately 5-6 months old (courtesy of my lab partner!)  The cage I bought is this adorable black wire contraption with an exercise wheel, a yellow slide and a pink hut. My lovely classmates have volunteered to hamster-sit hahaha.

As for Small D, she's proven herself to be shockingly smart (unlike her namesake, hahahaha kidding). She actually managed to escape today, making a menagerie of my entire household. But all's well that ends well. Tomorrow bodes another day of worrying for her survival, hur.

In other news, the impending mid-year examinations necessitate that I become an academic automaton (although I assure you, this is a classic case of velleity!).

Priorities, people!