meet russell

isn't he the cutest??? heehee. i didn't really name him after anything or anyone... but russell DOES happen to be the surname of the boy's favourite philosopher. hrm...

the new kid seems to be getting on nicely with my other bedmates, fergie (the green frog) and isobel (the purple moose). what a lucky coincidence that they're all beanies!!! i just love beanie toys. heehee.

thanks, dearie. russell is much appreciated.

blech

that's how i feel today. been running around a tad too much the past week. and i don't mean exercise.

just had a good slice of raspberry cheesecake to lift my spirits. i think i need more.

this week has been the most stressful thus far into my graduate programme. nice to know i'm not wasting money here. but really, a girl can only take so much. that is why i declare today a personal holiday.

will be going to st martin-in-the-fields for a lunchtime concert at 1pm. pianists of the world series. aaaaaaaaaaaah. to hear good classical piano playing. that should soothe the nerves.

i realise i've been neglecting my blog of late. but what can i do, my life is so packed with things to do that i can't even squeeze in a few decent paragraphs. i do miss writing those little insightful blurbs about life and people. i feel i've become a bit banal these days - none too poetic about the things around me. how sad.

well. as i seem to say a lot nowadays - life goes on.

argh. just remembered. i have to stay home to wait for a parcel pick-up for my father. GRAR. that just really puts a damper on things. that is the NTH time this week that this thing has screwed up my schedule. it's so annoying that it's not even funny. nerves shot again.

dammit.

pleasant surprise

for the first time in years, i received flowers on valentine's day. of course, i had to be halfway around the world for something like this to happen. of course, the flowers had to be sent by someone twenty thousand miles away. my blueberry pancakes got burned that morning (i had to leave them while signing for the package), but i'm not complaining.

i should have taken photos the day they arrived. the flowers don't look too healthy now. oh well. just imagine them fresh, and not quite in full bloom. they are quite pretty, though. especially the pink and yellow ones. heehee.

the bouquet came with chocolates and a teddy bear. talk about pulling out all the stops. effort well appreciated, sir.

now i have to name my new bear. hm. will post photos of him once i have him christened.

some days, it feels great to be a girl. heehee.

harassed

i don't usually post this often, but i'll make an exception.

last night, on my way to dominion theatre, a strange man asked me if i'd like to go to a hotel with him. he'll pay me sixty pounds, he says.

he got off the bus right after i did, and after a few paces caught up with me and made small talk. usually i don't respond, but what the heck, i thought.

you from japan?
no.
where you from? china?
sort of.
what? where's that?
yes, china.
i see you take the same bus a lot.

warning bells going off in my head. no response.

what do you do? do you work?
i'm a student.
where?
at the architectural association. - like he'd know where THAT is.

i see. you live in king's cross?
no. - shit. he knows which stop i got on.

no? where do you live?
islington. - flat out LIE.

ah, islington. you live in student housing?
no, i share a flat...
with friends?
yeah.
so how do you like london?
it's...
it's expensive, yeah?
yes, it's VERY expensive. - i think i said this too emphatically.

at this point i had to cross the street, and i decided to use it as an exit. he seems to be still going straight down the road.

i'm going this way now. - crossed street to island. left stranger on other side of road.

mumble mutter take the 73?

i turned around. he was following me.

i thought he wanted the 73 bus. i pointed to the stop we got off. you have to take the 73 from that bus stop over there.

are you going somewhere?
yes, i'm meeting friends at the dominion theatre.

THEN he popped the question.

want to go to a hotel with me?
no. - check street for oncoming traffic. making getaway.

i'll pay you sixty pounds.
NO.
you sure?
YES. - crossing street. don't look back. end of conversation.

THIS, before that comment about not having people skills. HEH.

on building a reputation

apparently, i now have a reputation in my class. in the middle of last term, the irishman and the american guy coined the term "clar-oogle" - the result of stringing my name and google together. hrmph. my greek teammate says it's a compliment. ask a question, and you'll get an answer.

this has been further validated by my other classmates. the hongkong girl (she calls herself hongkongese, how funny sounding is that?) sometimes says, "do you have...? of course, you do. you have everything." yesterday, another greek girl said the same thing. "eh, do you know where we are going? (millisecond pause) of course you do." like it's but natural that i have the answer to everything.

it's nice to be in the know, but i get the feeling i project that image a little too much. to the point that people give me a ribbing by saying, "oh come on, this is not characteristic of you..." or "i'm disappointed, this is so unlike you..." when i take longer than usual to come up with results. case in point - leading a small class trip to a drama school. i didn't print out a map anymore, because i pretty much knew what the map looks like. result: we walked up the street for ten minutes after we've passed the school. i've never been to the place, and i couldn't recall the exact address when we were going around. (i later recall that the school does not HAVE a number, just a street name.) lo and behold, it was just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the tube stop we came from. but, in my defense, the place had big letters saying "embassy theatre" in front. and smaller (think font size 8) letters on a side door saying "central school of speech and drama".

of course, in hindsight, i did recall reading the words "embassy theatre" somewhere in the materials i found related to the school. it sounded familiar when i saw it, but it didn't register straight away. then there is the sign just outside the tube station with an arrow pointing in the direction of the school. when the american guy saw that sign, he told me, "hey, you shouldn't feel bad about not finding it." i'm sure he was having a good laugh inside. but 'tis ok, i DON'T feel bad about it. i'm smart, after all, not omniscient.

i guess i have to keep myself from answering all the questions i hear from now on - especially those not even addressed to me. but sometimes i can't help myself. (i'd like to think it stems from the compulsion to help people. but in hindsight, it could be the propensity to show off. eeps.) they're looking for an answer, i have it, why keep it to myself? it shouldn't matter where the information comes from, but that they got it. right?

argh. okay. i'll shut up now.