i found this funny; at the same time, there was a curious pang of guilt in the humor. i am frequently surprised at the inordinate amount of time that is lost once i get going on the comp but maybe not enough to actually do something about it yet.
weekends usually come and go in a swift haze, so it's a treat to revel in an unusual one when it does comes along.
i experienced a lot, felt alot and learnt even more over the past three days. school has been nothing less than surprising, and what i gain each time classes are held have been invaluable in challenging and shaping me.
the downside to all that intensity is complete emotional saturation and physical exhaustion. still, it's nothing a 13hr sleep can't begin to mend [with maybe a bowl of smooth tomato soup].
i felt good after this weekend. i hope you did, too.
so it turned out that i was embarassingly premature in my mildly celebratory post a week ago. i did screw up my interview after all but not enough to warrant an outright rejection. instead, the agency's offer to accept me as an intern came with a one month probation condition attached.
the memory of my dream becomes uncomfortably startling in its prophetic overtones.
my field placement coordinator delivered the news and kindly gave me this past weekend to decide. should i accept their terms and risk failing the probation after the month concludes? for my placement, the requirement is to clock in 100hrs this semester and losing 4 weeks will make it a veritable nightmare to play catch up at a new agency.
a part of me wanted to grab the challenge defiantly by its collar; to prove to the agency that i deserved a place among them and to prove to myself that i possess the necessary eptitude for this work. but was this just my bruised ego raging?
it took me a few days to stabilize my shaken confidence, and after mulling over the process, i can say that i did the best i could during the interview. since that still falls short of the agency's standards i should then be humble enough to admit i'm not suitable for their needs.
after i came to terms with it, i felt a whole lot more at peace with myself. when God closes a door, He opens a window, right?
so i emailed my decision to my field placement coordinator and he arranged a new posting for me. stay tuned for part iii [hopefully this post will end happily as a trilogy]!
despite its directorial pedigree and mind-blowing effects, the tissue-thin characters and largely-missing script disappoints; even videogames tell better stories these days.
however, the kid in me enjoyed imagining the possibilities that the gift of teleportation could open up. see the cool guy atop the sphinx in the movie poster? how could i say no to that?
feb 14 can be a really hazardous day.
you could get blinded by the colors of intense red and pink, or have the outlines of hearts burned into your retina permanently, or develop nausea from the relentless bombardment of the word 'love'. you might also need to sell half of everything you own to afford dinner in restaurants, most of which have evidently been taken over by opportunistic white-collar criminals.
or it could be spent deepening affection and understanding, strengthening emotional cords and adding towards a firmer foundation.
thank you, lil, for exactly that. and i want to remember this day, so that each day ahead can be just like this.
happy v-day every day.
if the header for today's post sounds like a strange horror movie, that's because it almost is.
it all began with an anxious evening of speculating tragic scenerios about the upcoming interview for my field placement. an uneasy foray into sleep later, a disturbingly vivid dream about mucking up the interview process had me back in tight knots.
after i hauled myself out of bed at noon today, i spent the next 3 hrs trying to avoid thinking about the impending ordeal but, of course, i could imagine nothing else and dreaded every crawling minute.
the interview itself was conducted before a panel of 3 and consisted of, interestingly, 3 segments as well. the first, a rather simple getting-to-know-you q&a session went by without much drama. the second segment required me to study a bona fide case and deliver my impressions, recommendations and action plan after 10 mins. the last was a role-play with one of the panel and was meant for them to assess my core competencies as a counselor.
thanks to the friendly and encouraging demeanor of the panel, i was able to keep my cool (or at least pretend that i did) and i went out of there feeling like i did an ok job.
so my dream didn't come to pass after all. all glory to God!
another week of earnest well-wishing and raucous fellowship of the lunar new year is winding down to a close. near-empty bottles of sweet and savory goodies line the shelves as the seasonal decorations of red and gold are being taken down. the work-week splutters to a reluctant start while the memory of the holiday excesses lingers fondly.
i have to admit that i had a great time, even though the visitation itinerary tripled in length this year. it was exhausting and ended up with me feeling over-socialized (not that it takes much for me to get there) but i honestly found the whole experience to be a real treat.
so allow me to raise a figurative toast to family and friends, to health and laughter, to quietude and reflection, to the most amazing kueh bang kit i've ever eaten, and to God for the gifts of all that i hold dear and near to my heart.
till next year.
this somewhat-acclaimed film adapted from a short story by the most recognizable name in horror, stephen king, is actually a study on the man's propensity to descend even to madness in order to find sanity. our hunky hero, naturally, doesn't belong to the ilk of common folk; but even well-meaning leading men are not spared from twists of fate, no matter how cruel.
by combining basketball and martial arts, two personal hobbies of taiwan's r&b prince, jay chou, the end result is a nonsensical and even whimsical showcase of his goofy likability and endearing enthusiasm. he enjoys himself so much in his own forgettable star vehicle that for a brief moment, we do, too. 
this lauded french work succeeds admirably in bringing to life what a man suffering from near-total paralysis cannot share or explain. achingly riveting and beautifully shot, this poignant tale is based on a true story.
as a fan of tim burton and johnny depp, i was assured of a good time. i loved the gothic air pervading every frame, the melancholic melodies and the underlying humor and dark irony which has become burton's hallmark. but my taste for violence has diminished dramatically with age and i found it difficult to stomach the first throat-slashing scene to the last.