Q: I wish I could take you home.

Sigh, I need to work on my papers and presentation today. But I went out for a stroll around the harbor and bought two Coach bags for mom. It was probably my first at shopping before opening hours. I got to know the branch manager last week, and continued to keep in touch the entire time over email. After a quick talk with mom, we’ve narrowed down those two bags. I got home at 1pm and rested till 3pm, with the showering and the meals. If I ever need to get back to work, it will definitely take a while.  

There’s this one good news to share! I’ve sold the one three drawer dresser I picked up from the hallway last month. That’s not all there is to it, but the customer was this Malaysian couple! What a weird coincidence that they were the first to respond to the advert too. We were fast friends and I did promise to hang out with them after the semester is over. It felt good to know that your countrymen live at the same apartment, just one floor below.

Calico,
Vonnie S.

Q: Even I lost the capability to be in agony.

Seriously? This is the second time I’ve witnessed a car accident right outside my window. What are the chances really? A fat lot apparently, especially since it’s Bmore we’re talking about. Drivers here are sick in a bad way. Scratch that, I have better news to share. This sentence alone deserves this entire blog post. :P

LanceT found himself a three-week fling.

Le gasp,
Vonnie S.

Q: It is better if i do that with my wife now.

I was staring at the laptop for a good three minutes. PingF sent me a private message on Facebook to tell me that she “got into a car accident” and that she “hit 2 cars” in the process. First thought to mind: she must be well. You may then say, some friend you are to think that she’s doing good now. That must have been some terrible experience. I mean, she could have died! Hold on. She sent me this message via Facebook. This implied that there was no sense of urgency in message relay. It almost seems as though she just wanted to notify me of that incident. As someone who thinks deeper than a layer, I felt compelled to analyze where her mind’s at and to then approach the subject matter carefully. Just in case she flips out PTSD style.

I called her, like a friend naturally should. She was well indeed. Almost too cool as a seasoned cucumber. I was betting on her being upset about her mishap, and she did sound disappointed. I mean this girl hit the first car at the crossroad, drove on and proceeded to hit a second car because her flight mode switched on. Friend was laughing at the end of the conversation though.

Hello there,
Vonnie S.

Q: I paid a lot for the stupid card.

Blog posting will be pretty slow for the upcoming weeks. Gosh, the mountain looks overwhelming. But things have to be done. May it all ends well by the end of the fifth month, at least sufficiently so for me to continue onward to the third semester and the finale. I can’t wait for summer really. Not so much for the heat, but for the four months break until school restarts. Waking up to more assignments sucks. I cannot ever imagine myself doing PhD after Master’s. In fact, I’ll gladly remove myself from the academia world once I close this chapter of my life.

Yesterday, AshleyM and EliP needed to stay back to talk further with our professor. So I hitched a ride from FarisK to the hospital. We were a bunch of Internationals in the car, minus ChrisT (who has the façade of an Asian, but he clearly is an American just from his behavior alone). Chris took me home as he was on en route to his girlfriend’s place for dinner. I am grateful for nice classmates.

Unfinished,
Vonnie S

Q: What do snails do in their free time?

I came home from work with a bite that some claimed to look like a hickey. Seriously people, I could have honestly lost a piece of meat there. Just kidding. The lil one had to sink his teeth into my inner arm. Yup, the more sensitive region, and that spot I suppose is pretty much where you get your blood drawn from. Thankfully, this wasn’t as serious as my first one. No breaking of skin; which is all I am asking for.

I cried reading this article. You give it a go. Ain’t human if you ain’t got no tear to shed. 

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/In-cyberspace-a-daughter-remembers-mother-hero

Planting trees,
Vonnie S.

Q: I'm sorry for not being able to be honest with my feelings...

Let’s just say what I had intended to finish last night did not happen. After a four-hour chat with Ika, I lost the motivation to start working, choosing instead to cook my dinner. I had a quaint meal while watching Yuru Yuri 2. My stomach was rather satiated, but the procrastination devil was yet to leave me alone. So I got up to make agar-agar, which took a good hour. As I sat in front of the laptop, I was reminded to call home. And there, I spent another hour talking to my parents.

The clock dutifully followed through every second. At 2am, I only managed to compile some pictures for my presentation slide. I’m screwed for sure. That is when I decided to completely ignore Skype calls until this semester ends. Save for my family members, all relevant temptation to stop working will have to wait till summer. Hence, I will apologize to some of you for maybe coming off short. But I have to do what I have to do, and as a friend of mine I do hope you respect this.

Closet monster,
Vonnie S.  

Q: Next time should tie you up and see cute or not.

Uwo! I’ve received these cards I ordered two weeks ago. Trust me, people. I didn’t have to pay a cent for them, thanks to a voucher I got from a survey. Still, they look really pretty. Knowing that they are free makes it even more so I suppose.

Each wallet contains 12 cards, 3 each of 4 designs, left blank for one’s own message. These designs were drawn by artists. Sure feels great to be supporting them. But to be honest, fifteen bucks is a little steep for the both of them. 

Time to chime in on my presentation. Gonna burn the midnight oil tonight! At least I can count on my agar-agar to keep me awake!

Back to work,

Vonnie S.

Q: If you take the vowels out of FEMALE, you get FML.

Wow, took me a whopping 20 minutes to do those dishes. Gives you a rough idea how many I had stacked in that sink, huh? Anyway, I am to play Sayonara no Natsu (again) and Peng You this month. Not too sure if it’s gonna happen since workload is very the banyak.

Since I’ve learned my mistake from the past week, I shall start early on my presentation. Hoping to finish one this weekend, with slides and script ready for next month. At least I know this assignment is quite a walk in the park. Still, you know how pro I get when it involves presentation right? But much is expected of me again, especially after I found out that I am one of the top three presenters in class (according to a loose class survey). I was like “say what?” with that blank look of mine. Seriously people, it’s a lil late for April’s Fool don’t chya think?

Haiyak!
Vonnie S. 

Q: Nooooot that I forgot your birthday or anything.

I went out for a walk again today. The weather wasn’t all that pretty, for there were light rain and strong winds. Apparently, we’re on a tornado watch again. Forget that, I needed to mail those cards out by today in order for it to arrive by Mother’s Day. Interestingly so, Starbucks was giving away free tall-sized house blend coffee till noon and I chanced upon that as I made my way around the harbor.

Next stop was the post office and I bought myself two sheets of postcard stamps. I had forgotten to mail that one postcard to Belarus, so I brought it home to mail it. Anyway, I did some light shopping too! Couldn’t find anything interesting at the mall, so I went ahead to H&M. Splurged a little as things were on sale.

Now that I’m home, I am to wash up the kitchen. Those dishes really pile up after a while. Sigh.

Boo-boo, go away.
Vonnie S.

Q: Once I'm in, you're mine.

I went down to Barnes & Nobles to collect 20 books for the World Book Night. It’s on the 23^rd of April this year and as a giver, they would be distributed out for free!

An earful,
Vonnie S.

Q: When a Chinese man passes by, it says "one Bluetooth device found."

It’s 6pm and I am almost done with my critique. One paragraph on the strength of the article and I can close case on this assignment for now. There is still that probability assignment I have yet to do. O well, time for a dinner break and then a bubble bath. I’m starting on a new anime—Haiyore! Nyaruko-san. Probably another random love comedy one, but it’s just for my meal time entertainment. So why not?

PF called me on the phone to ask for help: she needed to know how to go home from a church. Seriously, that girl is very gullible to just go to a new place without checking out directions first. Scary much. But all is well for now.

Ikan bakar,
Vonnie S.

Q: Wasting time? Do you want me to punch you?

Today I shall see to it that my critique paper and probability assignment finish by tonight. I won’t let the hours of lounging around go to waste. With that said, I’ve finished Gintama (all 265 episodes) over the course of eight months. I will end that bag of butternut squash and rice noodles for tonight’s dinner. Hence, the motto of the day is “TO GET THINGS DONE!”

D'awww~~

It’ll all go down beginning 11.30am. Just bear with this while I prepare for battle.

I know,
Vonnie S.

Q: The result of a Malaysian's craving...I finally caved in!

Go to your local mamak stall la! I can see you drooling there.

That is a picture of my dinner yesterday and what would be tonight’s dinner as well. Had some leftovers to spare and this will definitely save me the trouble of having to cook something. So yea, I can cook an average meal. That picture is evidence of my chicken tikka masala and stir fry Brussels sprouts with rice.

Last night was uneventful. I did not do anything, choosing instead to look up for some hotels. This morning was disappointing. I went to the harbor, hoping to buy some stamps and to mail out two Mother’s Day cards home. Instead of accomplishing what I had to do, the post office closed on me and I was left wandering the streets a little for some sunshine. Got back home shortly after 1pm. And now that I’ve started on something, I guess this day will become sorta productive. Don’t wanna jinx it now yo.

Northern lights tonight? Hell ya!

Learning,
Vonnie S. 

Q: Are graduate school decisions deterministic or stochastic?

Scratched away my words on trying to finish those journal readings. Heck, the professor has yet to send the study objectives again. Seriously, someone needs to teach him that it’s important for him to act in a timely matter. Otherwise, his student will fall behind schedule and they can’t blame anyone but themselves. So, I’ve gone ahead to cook for my dinner, ate it and saved half for tomorrow’s dinner. Gonna heat myself in the tub, and when I’m done with that, it’s time to tackle the probability assignment. What am I doing now, you say. That’s for me to know and you to wonder.

Yet another friend has ranked up in society. Ika will be a working woman on Monday. Here, I’m still kicking the books. Sigh.

Calibrate, not celebrate,
Vonnie S.

Q: I'm a regular on this bridge.

Dream a lil narwhal dream~

This drawing went out to a birthday girl (LizC) last week. Probably this is the one masterpiece that I’ve poured out a good soul on in a while. It was an alternative present considering that I wasn’t able to fulfill her commission wish—a mural size Narwhal drawing. Now, that would have killed me no matter how much she’s willing to fork out for such work. Time to finish up that quetzal too.

Drunk,
Vonnie S.

Q: Which type do you normally choose?

A very strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars.

Someone needed me to post the picture above to set his mind at ease. As you can see, the injury could have been worse. I am simply thankful that my body is in its efficient mode, working hard at clearing those dead blood cells and patching up any torn skin. Perhaps the hardworking Chinese attitude speaks by its genes, for the bite wound looks way better than it did already this morning.

As the rain poured this morning, I continue to lie in bed. Not going anywhere, as the wet roads aren’t as welcoming as I would have wanted it to be. So I clocked in an extra hour of sleep, and only got up because my stomach was throwing a tantrum. Since I’ll be making Chicken Tikka Masala tonight, it’s only fair game that I eat simple for lunch. That bowl of instant noodles seems perfect for now. I ought to just throw in a fried egg as a side.

There is much to do this weekend. Today’s goal is to settle my journal readings. Three of them in total. I can do this!

Hard to love,
Vonnie S.

Q: DON'T WANNA WORK D LA. Go home tell my mom to marry me off!

Today is the worst day so far. I was thrown off schedule, got confused on what to do, only to get a short reprimand from my supervisor. If that wasn’t bad enough, my late block kid had to bite me on the arm, leaving a puncture and what looks like blood spill beneath my skin. It sucks that both children are undergoing demand treatment evaluations this week. If you don’t know what this means, that’s okay since I don’t expect you to be fluent in psychology terms. Long story short, you are testing the kids’ patience and probing to see what works best for them. Unfortunately for me, both cases are on the baseline phase today and it's like walking on landmines. So basically we’re taking hits and stones like bosses all day until the supervisor decides to move onward.

Somehow the Pepsi tasted so good when I got home. Honestly, things could have been worse. I am simply thankful for having a roof above my head and food to keep me going every day. Today will pass and may it simply be forgotten. I've gots to cheer up!

The Nile river,
Vonnie S.

Q: Kalau cheque, mail DHL.

Color me green. I'm of Guatemalan pride!

Drew a quetzal for VivianI, who just told me that she might consider getting my drawing tattooed on her body. I *le gasped* at her statement. It's always plus and minus when people say such things. On one hand, the pressure is on to do a good job while on the other, a compliment like that is hard to come by. I suppose I’ll just keep it real and color the bird however way I wish. My methods ain’t perfect, but it sure did scored some big fishes in the past. So here I go, armed with some color pencils and wet cotton bud. Oh, it’s going down!

Kirim postcard jer,
Vonnie S.

Q: Let recap what the 5.3k consisits of again.

Credits to suikuzu (c) A SUNNY DAY

Six hours on Skype; I was talking non-stop on three separate conversations. A new record set left my jaw tired and my throat parched. Looks like I’ll be sleeping well tonight for sure. But there are these articles to read. Imma screwed as they say.

Damn you. Wasted my time and my effort. Seriously man, pull your act together! This is why I hate working with half-assed people. Zzz… Why o why does this happen to me? 

Conversions,
Vonnie S.

Q: Are you trying to say "slam dunk"?

Sigh, I am disappointed that I wasn’t able to convince my professor. I needed a date change for the final’s exam. While this is upsetting, it is not that bad of a situation. Brainstormed with my younger brother and we came up with a plan for when my parents come over. I’ll join them at Buffalo for my brother’s graduation ceremony, and then take a Monday flight back to Baltimore to do my final presentation. Sean will be taking them around New York City for four days and head straight to Washington DC. I’ll join them there for a couple of days, and then return to Baltimore for my last final exam. We will then reunite for the remainder of days at Baltimore until my parents go home bound.

Sankarea is such a cute zombie romance anime. :) Sure wished that there were more romantic scenes of Rea and Chihiro. 

Achievement unlocked! 17 million neopoints yo!

Tentative plan,
Vonnie S.

Q: All them boys are out, except that one half ass fellar.

Credits to MaripazVillar (c) True story

The new anime cycle begins this week. With so many choices and so little time, I probably pick three to replace the ones I’ve completed (Magi, OreShura, and Minami-ke). It’s a good thing they come once a week, so I wouldn’t do a whole marathon and neglect classes. As of right now, my weekly entertainment will continue like so: Monday (Running Man), Tuesday (Fairy Tail), Wednesday (Hunter X Hunter), Thursday (new anime 1), Friday (new anime 2), Saturday (new anime 3), and Sunday (Gintama).

Watered down,
Vonnie S.

Q: What a disaster of a conversation!

Today’s meal will consist of simple Teochew style porridge and pieces of spam for taste. I need to push fluids since my skin is drying up faster than an arid desert, leaving cracks and dead cells. This massacre has to stop, but despite the layers of lotion, I was left helpless. Thank goodness it’s finally Friday. The stress and workload will reset over the weekend, I am most positive of that happening should I ever procrastinate again. The cycle may repeat, somehow or rather I’d manage to overturn the dire situation.

Following my inner desire, I want to go for a good walk around town. It may be unfortunate that I don’t have anyone to accompany me of late, but I’d like to get some more postcard stamps. Maybe tomorrow.

Not going anywhere,
Vonnie S.

Q: Out in short sleeves for the first time in months!

Through my observation, people who own cars are in general very much sought after regardless of their personality. I used to joke with another friend that his worth merely amounts to his Chevrolet. A car gives one an extra ability-to go far in a short period of time and conveniently so, a necessity in this age of instant noodles. Of course you may argue that if one is pleasant enough, people would surround him/her. That is true to an extent, but have you considered this scenario: Your group of friends is living in the vicinity of say, OUG and since you’re the only one living in Jalan Alor, you’d end up going to OUG anyway. Odds are stacked against you for several reasons.

You have a good heart, but majority rules. We’re a creature of conformity, which is why traditions hold on for so long no matter how absurd sounding it gets. From the day you’re born, you experience social pressure. Don’t pick your nose in public! You’d feign innocence even when you know you’re the one who is responsible for that stinky smell. Why do we succumb to other’s desire? An easy answer would be to maintain harmony. Well, we’re simply not crazy enough to be testing the boundaries of propriety anyway.

Context plays a major role as well. You have to be close enough, location-wise or physically so that you’re easily reachable. Response cost can often motivate our desire to work toward something, yet it can also work the other way around. For example, if I need to drive all the way from OUG to Jalan Alor, it is by all means taxing (time, gas cost, and sometimes health detriment). This scenario is like getting a rat to push a lever 1000 times before it gets its sip of water. But should your friend then say, “hey, let’s meet up at Times Square!” you’d fly there in a heartbeat. Think about that for a second.

So people, a good heart can get you only so far. A car will bring you further. And maybe, I should start renting one this summer. Sigh, is it really worth it?

Shortly after,
Vonnie S.

Q: WHO else was going to make me feel good about myself?

Credit to grainesDeSel (c) Tne stone soup 

Cheese nuggets are currently my guilty pleasure. I can proudly say that fast food no longer tempt me as much. However, it’s hard to explain why my stomach has been wagging its tail ever since I brought them nuggets home last week. I am pretty certain that home-cooked meals are the best for nutritional and price value. Yet I succumb to these pieces of golden manufactured meat pumped fat with cheese. Pfft, it all boils down to fried food.

Drats,
Vonnie S. 

E: Happy April Fools' Day!

And if you have yet to catch on this little prank of mine, you epic failed. I digress. Lately, I have been passed around to different teams ever since my last child was discharged over Spring break. But I’m seeing a variety of treatment procedures used to treat problem behaviors and with that I made peace with the schedule coordinator. While I have managed to complete readings on Saturday (yay me!), I didn’t do anything on Sunday which left me waterlogged for the next couple of days until Thursday is over and the cycle repeats. I still do not understand my want to procrastinate. Apparently, I love the stress of having to partake in the deadline chase. I wonder what’s wrong with me.

World! I am still a very happy single lady!

Restless fools,
Vonnie S.