- sleeping with cockroaches wasn't that bad -

as compared to standing at the drawing table from dinner time till wee hours of the next day, oh yeah... even if it costs me sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor, in a room filled with crawling insects and annoying smells of styrofoam and glue, with people forever walking in and out of the door some 2 metres away from you.

*****

i got some friends from the other departments to come and help me with my final design project - the theme was "a house which provides a space for the residents to enjoy the outside world".

----------------------------

some 6 days before the deadline, a girl came to help me with the house model. we bought a minimum amount of materials for the model before heading to the university.

at first she seemed unhappy with my design, commenting that my house and the room allocation were "too square" - i agreed that it was too symmetrical. and she drew me 2 brand new designs for the house, saying that these designs would be so unique that nobody in the architecture department would have thought of them. she even took a tour around the 2nd year drawing tables to check if her hypothesis was true. and of course it was true, because nobody would want to take the risk, making something so special that the teachers might not approve. but anyway, i couldn't be bothered to change my plan since i had very little time to redo everything.

i know what's my biggest problem. i don't have an entrance. why? because my hallways are outside the house, they're the wood decks. and the staircase to the 2nd floor is attached to the "outdoor-ish" hallway (with a sliding door). so basically the 1st floor is absolutely dangerous, especially since it's the floor where i allocated the bedrooms. however, building walls or fences around the hallway would destroy the idea of giving "a space to enjoy the outside world" on the 1st floor.. well, just to excuse myself, a space to "enjoy the outside world" doesn't necessarily mean a "24/7 100% safe" space. THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE HAPPINESS IN LIFE. besides, nobody ever said anything about designing a comfortable, safe and live-sable house. the assignment handout only says "外の生活を楽しむ家". famous houses like Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier and the Fallingwater by F.L. Wright weren't 100% efficient too.

pffft. talk like professional sia. sure kena bashing from the teachers on 11th Aug. hahahahaha.

----------------------------

on the day before the deadline, 23rd of July, i forced *grin* two chemical engineering majors to spend the night with me at the drawing room. one of them (who initially promised to help me but i didn't tell her the exact date) was very reluctant because she hates overnight work and didn't bring her contact lenses' case.

got them to help me with my model and perspective drawing. and i learned a few lessons through recruiting helpers....

never invite outspoken English-speaking friends while everyone's working in the lab. they make everyone stare at you like you're some kind of a newly discovered species of dinosaur. sadly (?), most of my friends who aren't in the architecture department are foreigners, among which nearly half of them are English speakers. outspokenness? well.. we're all outspoken. otherwise we wouldn't be able to survive in Japan.

secondly, choose your helpers wisely. i.e. get an Art major or at least someone who's gifted in painting if you wanna paint. and get someone who knows how to cut styrene boards and use a glue so that it cannot be spotted on the model at all, inside or outside. yeah so... one of the two friends who came to help, was an amateur in Art (like me, i can draw but i paint like shit). so my drawing turned out..... funky. but it was pretty much what i've expected.

the model was... decent. i wouldn't say it's good, since it looks like a wreckage on the inside from certain angles. but it must have stood out among the 50 models in terms of colors and choice of vegetation in the garden.

and i must be the only person who has stars and artsy letters in my name and registration number. not me, i wasn't the one who wrote them. *sheepish grin*

^ exhibited our works along the hallway (mine's the 3rd column from the right) ^

^ my perspective drawing. prolly a C, i guess? ^

^ my first model. umm... no comment on this one ^

^ another model that stood out. he's a top student in architectural design. orang perancis. ^

^ the drawing room/laboratory/whatever ^

^ yes, we sleep underneath the tables ^

- the vomiting kitty -

i think i'm an antimasochist. i enjoy procrastination and going hysterical at the very last minute before a deadline, moaning "why didn't i begin my work earlier??" and repeating the same mistake over and over and over again. based on my research (on myself, lol), here's what i usually do during my procrastination period:-
(a) watch an entire anime series, often in one go (my 2008 record: the shortest being Elfen Lied 13 episodes and the longest, Eureka Seven and BLOOD+ 50 episodes);
(b) read a manga series, -almost- in one go (with breaks in between.. shortest Eureka Seven 6 volumes, longest Inuyasha 54++ volumes);
(c) overnight ragnarok / granado espada;
(d) collect materials that i might want to read (regardless of their relations to the assignments i'm supposed to do) and pile them up in my "To Read" folder (and never read them);
(e) sleep - oh, the greatest joy.

by the way i've found out that i'm not really fond of TV or movies or phone calls (not that i've not realised all this while, but yeah....).

*****

on the 10th of July, i had 3 major tasks to complete: the final presentation for the design class, the final report for Architectural History, and preparation for Richard's birthday celebration. the 1st task was somewhat completed on the previous day (although we rehearsed only right before our turn to present), but the 2nd task was a little thrilling. it was due 5pm that day, and at 1pm, i was only halfway through. the design presentation session was held from 1.20pm to 6pm. so i kinda sneaked out of the class while the teachers were assessing other presenters to finish up my work, and safely materialized in class during tea-break.

i know. i shouldn't be doing this anymore.. but easier said than done. my words cannot guarantee my actions, i'm afraid.

what on earth was i doing the day before?!

umm... we finished up our art piece for the final presentation. behold, the "vomiting Kitty". hahahaa... i got our presentation scripts translated into English around 2am, while doing the history report. went to a friend's house to bake some lemon bars for the birthday celebration (since i thought my present was crap). done cutting at 5am. continued with my history report but fell asleep on the desk instead. woke up at 8-ish and arrived at the university for English class at 9am.

at this rate, i'm doomed to get diabetes. **CHOI. touch wood, touch wood.**

^ our kitteh ^

^ some other group's work. boots on tokyo 23-ku? ^

^ and that's the lemon tart that we baked in the morning... ^

^ birthday boi ^

^ i think La Pausa is a pretty good place to celebrate birthdays ^

- i wonder where's that -

if only i could sing this song in karaoke properly..

but.. why Larger Than Life..? >.>

- randomization -

RULES: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post the player then have to tag 5 people and post their names, then leaves a comment at their blog, letting them know they got tagged.

*****

Starting time : GMT +9.00 17:22
Name : You know who
Sisters : 1
Brothers : -
Shoe size : 7
Height : 161.5
Where do you live : Itabashi-ku, Tokyo
Favourite drinks : Ginger Ale, Ice Lemon Tea, Calpis
Favourite breakfast : McGriddle Sausage & Egg Cheese
Have you ever been on a plane? : Duh
Fallen asleep at school : Only when I stay up overnight the previous day
Broken someone's heart : Most probably
Fell off your chair : When I play too much with the chair
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call : Why would I?
Saved e-mails : They're automatically saved
What is your room like : Chaotic
What is right besides you : Wall
What is the last thing you ate : McGriddle Sausage & Egg Cheese =.=
Ever had chicken pox : Yes
Sore throat : Yes
Stitches : One beside my left eye (1 inch), another under my left bust (3 inches).
Broken nose : It's broken to begin with
Do you believe in love at first sight : Haven't experienced it, can't say anything about it..
Like picnics : With cool people and nice food, yeah.
Who was/were the last person you danced with : Tokodai people, in a karaoke room
Last made you laugh : DAIGO and his vibrato *penpen~~*


Today..
Did you talk to someone you like : Hemumu~
Kissed anyone : In RO, yes
Get sick : No I'm fine
Talk to an ex : Ex what?
Miss someone : My family~ and friends~
Eat : Yes. McGriddle Sausage & Egg Cheese, how many times do I have to tell you..


Best feeling in the world : RO > Eat > Sleep > RO > .... *aaaaah~*
Do you sleep with stuffed animals : I sleep with bolsters. Stuffed animals are guardians, they're placed elsewhere.
What is under your bed : Umm.. my floor?
Who do you really hate : That senile old geek who stole my Mercedes Benz. I'm joking.
What time is it now? : GMT +9:00 17:33
Is there a person who is on your mind now : McGriddl...... No..
Do you have any siblings : A younger sister
Do you want children : When I feel like it
Do you smile often : Apparently no
Do you like your hand-writing : When it's neat
Are your toe nails painted : 2 of them
Whose bed other than yours would you rather sleep in : My.. other beds? >.>
What colour shirt are you wearing now : Blue
What were you doing at 7.00pm yesterday : RO + Report
I cant wait till : I submit my report
When did you last cry : 2 nights ago, after a bad dream
Are you a friendly person : I..... think so?
Do you have any pets : A bongun. LOL
Where is the person you have feelings for right now ? : Tsukuba
Did the last person you held hands with mean anything to you now : Hemumu~
Do you sleep with the TV on? : I sleep with RO on
What are you doing right now? : Should I use my usual answer? "Breathing."
Have you ever crawled through a window? : Duh, best record: on the 4th floor.
Can you handle the truth? : What truth?
Are you too forgiving : I'm not sure..
Are you closer to your mother or father : Mother
Who was the last person you cried in front of? : My friends in my room in Osaka Gaidai
How many people can you say you've really loved? : My... family? 3. No.... 6.
Do you eat healthy : When I feel like it
Do you still have pictures of you and your ex? : Like I said, ex what?!
Have you ever cried because of something someone said to you? : During my 1st part-time job. This Indian man who rented cameras told me that I suck.
If you're having a bad day, who are you most likely to go to? : My family
Are you loud or quiet most of the time? : Seemingly quiet, but loud on the inside
Are you confident? : Rather.. I'm decisive. Most of the time.


Things I was doing 10 years ago : Causing my parents (who are quite famous) lots of trouble, getting (almost) terminated from elementary school just because I wrote "fuck you son of a bitch kiss your butt and lick your ass" on the back of my ruler and passed it to my friend for fun.
Things on my to-do list today : Finish my report, teach my sister, and play RO
Things I would do if I were a bilionaire : Err.. Save up? I don't know what I wanna do with the money..
3 of my bad habits : 1) I skip exams (and thus, lose credits) 2) Sleep too much (and thus, lose credits) 3) Play too much RO (and thus, lose credits)
3 Places I have lived in : Malaysia, Singapore, Japan
5 Jobs I've had : Daughter, Elder Sister, Office Girl, Interpreter, Scholar!

*****

If you're bored, consider yourself tagged! :)

- danjo -

Reborn Version:

Death Note Version:

.......... Omfg:

lots more in youtube. hehehehehe.. they have 比較版1, 2, and 3 too. four videos of Danjo being played at the same time...

- Kodaisai -

abbreviated version of the name KODAIRA-sai, one of Hitotsubashi University's annual festivals. the shortened name is confusing especially to Tokodai students, since our festival is called Koudai-sai, with an extra U.

went to a Japanese tea ceremony held by -obviously- the Sadobu a.k.a Tea Ceremony Club, in an isolated, antique building in the West Campus. anyhow, it was my first time experiencing a full tea ceremony (had something similar when i went to an ikebana event 2 years ago in Osaka, but that was just tea-drinking, and did not include the appreciation of the 30-minute-long tea-making process and sitting through the entire session in the traditional seiza way).

yes we seiza-ed for, if including the time we spent to drink and eat, probably 45 minutes. even the Japanese students couldn't stand up immediately after having "sour" legs.

oh by the way, we attended the tea ceremony in groups of.. 10 or 12? the first person (who sat nearest to the tea-maker) is the shoukyaku a.k.a principle guest, and he/she tastes the tea and the sweets first, followed by the guest sitting beside, so on and so forth.

before drinking the tea, bow down to the guest next to you and say, "osaki ni itadakimasu (allow me to have it first)". then, turn the cawan twice (or 3 times, until θ=90°.... LOL) clockwise before drinking the tea. my former Japanese culture teacher told us that when we're taking the last sip off the cup, we have to do it loudly and quick. after that, turn the cup anti-clockwise back to how it was and wait for the host to collect the cup. meanwhile the host explains the origin of the tea-making tools, cups, as well as the drawing and flowers in the tatami room. the guests may take their leave after appreciating these things.

at least that's how it was on that day..

later we (Zoloo and her sister and i) saw the grand finale of Kodaisai at the sports stadium.

dancing 1st-year boys, cross-dressed as high-school girls

in case you didn't get it, they're singing We Are The World