Priorities

So many things that I want to do, yet with so little time. I have no lessons for the next two days and really wanted to bring my parents out for a nice meal and some dou-feng, but I know I can't afford a whole day to do so. Without an entire day, there will be a lot of rush and urgency on myself to get things done efficiently, which I know it's not very much achievable when going out with my parents. Not that I mind the time and effort, in fact I would like to accompany them on special outings, but there will be a very strong urging in my mind to go home study and complete my assignments.

I don't like this kind of scenario.

There are just too many priorities on hand. I don't want to neglect my role of a good daughter and that of a good future daughter-in-law. But right now I know my top-most priority is my studies (at least, before WW comes back) and this course requires more than a full-time job. I study everyday, either busy doing the assignments or reading up the textbooks, and we even meet for projects on Sundays. It's like every minute matters. (Save for the first two weeks in every mini-term of seven weeks - our study honeymoon period.)

I wonder when I can bring my parents out for a ride and spend the whole day out happily.

Lazing the day away

The many faces of Fluffy. The younger Fluffy (on the left) appeared happier and the one at the bottom is the funniest - just look at her stoned expression.

Today I spent the whole day at home. Using this precious bulk of time, I did quite an amount of homework, taught my dad a little computer skills and simply enjoyed the different hours of the day. It felt like the times during my last year in Uni, where I spent my days mainly at home completing my final year project. I never thought I could get back these days of no-work and flexibility in time and in the things I can do during the day. It is indeed a bliss. Except that, now WW is away in Australia for work and we couldn't get to spend the beautiful weekday afternoons together. Not yet, till Dec when he's back.

Papa's bday & some random photos

It was Papa's bday last Tue and we celebrated with a lunch the Sunday before and cake-cutting on the day itself. Papa turns 56 this year. Don't know what kind of life I would lead when I turn 56. But it seems Dad is having a good time of his life :)

Papa happily singing his birthday song

See the big fat ang pow under Apa's fingers? We the filial daughters (and son, who is mugging away in NTU hall)

Greedy mama!

And some random photos from the last two months.

NDP 2008. See the big round heart drawn by the F16s?
Fave Summer the Dog
After grooming she looked more adorable. Worth the $51.

This was funny. Shasha sniffing at the butt of an indifferent Summer.中秋月圆. Actually it was one day post mid-autumn, where the moon was even rounder.

I bought the same top in orange. And spent a whopping $300+ on shopping yesterday. I need to stock up for one mini-term's worth of clothes. That's about 1.5 months. And also, it served as a form of retail therapy and to make up for the lack of "life" in the past two weeks.

Happy that WW is back. Gotta grab hold of him before he flies off to Aussie for another two months come this Sunday.

On school and modules

Yesterday's Corporate Finance was over. There were sections of the lecture notes I skimmed over thinking they won't be tested and they came out in the exam paper to many's surprise. So I think I have lost some 10 marks there. There were other questions I didn't quite know how to explain, but just smoked my way through. My grade for this module would probably not be good. But I'm glad it's over. This was one of the modules I don't have confidence in.

Today's exam is on Calculus, which hopefully *cross fingers* I can score, since the topic is not totally green. I recall I got A+ for Calculus I in uni. Haha.

After this evening, there are two more papers to go. Statistics tomorrow evening and Asset Pricing Theory on Sat. Next Tue we'll be starting our first lesson of mini-term 2 (so monumental since it marks the end of the start - mini-term 1). Pre-lesson, there are three stacks of notes waiting to be read. Assignments for the module (derivative securities) are all up. I suppose I'll be seeing a lot of my classmates in school from now onwards, spending lotsa time solving assignments together.

On a happier note, WW will be back tomorrow morning! Time to get back my life and time for more happy moments together :)

Exam crunch!

Four exam papers in a row, from this evening to Sat afternoon - it's crazy!
I'm walking around the house like a zombie now. And to think that next round of new modules will start next week, straight after exams. This is more no-life than working!

But I'm not regretting, coz I get to work at my own pace at the place of my choice. Hopefully after graduating from the course, it could give me more career choices too. Life is about having more choices, right? You then get the freedom to choose.

My late night blogs are back!

I'm back with my late-night blogs.

Had lessons till 1045pm just now, later than the usual 10pm as this was the last lesson before we close this module with its exam next week. As usual, I feel somewhat more stupid and more worried on Wed nights. Last week it was from trying to understand the case study and today it's due to the APT tutorial which there were some parts I still could not fully comprehend. Wed nights are no good, and I have to bear with it till Fri night when I'll start feeling a little smarter (because I will convince myself that I understand Statistics stuff).

Every so often, I'll have to remind myself the reason and motivation behind this path. Another pushing factor is the complaints I hear from classmates - I'm not the only one feeling stupid in the course.

It's weird how distant I now feel from the times when I used to lead the working lifestyle. In a way, I've been through the process and understand how working life feels, but the experience seems so far back and does not relate personally anymore. Thus, it's hard to weigh the pros and cons of taking full-time studies and putting work aside. But one thing I really appreciate now is the energy I still have at the end of the day. Like how I can study without feeling sleepy and grouchy. In fact, my mind is fully awake and alert at the end of lessons (held in the night) - the result of intriguing mathematics and lots of brain-twisting.

I'm going to the temple on Friday. And if time allows, every day next week too.

Studying into the wee hours... back to the old times

Ah, the wee hours of the day are still the best. I'm enjoying the golden moments, studying hard for coming exams next week. The radio is on, tuned in to the golden classics frequency, and the music is pleasantly breaking the silence of the early morning. Another chapter to go before I turn in to bed.

Last Thursday was a special day of its own. My dear sis and I had a great time together doing yoga in the afternoons and with her fetching me around in HC's car. It has been a while since both of us hang out together, and it's uncanny how we always get along perfectly well with each other. Perhaps because we started our bonding since in mama's womb. :)

WW has set off for Australia last evening but will be back in ten days' time. Although it won't be long till I meet him again, I couldn't help but feel emotional and sad, especially on Sunday (the one precious day of the week where we can devote entire time to ourselves). Furthermore, whenever I think of his next trip of two months from late Sep onwards, I feel a tinge of sadness and wonder how I can cope with my study stress while he's away. Just gotta grit teeth, bite lips, and hang in there.