Holidays started last week!!

:) Didn't really have the time to write my blogs as I have been busy enjoying my summer holidays.. :P

Attended my last lecture and handed in my reports last Thursday... and off I go to Osaka with my sister.. I am currently in Osaka.. :) Will be here till Thursday evening.. So far, I have been to Osaka, Nara and Kyoto.. if time and weather permits, I wanna go to Kobe too.. Had lots of fun but also spent lots of $$$$... Will definitely blog about this trip and share some of the photos taken.. most probably after my sister goes home.. :P Will be busy showing her around till then...

So stay tuned!!

School is almost over...

.. I can't wait for it to end officially... Arghhh...

Been writing reports like a mad person for the past weeks.. No mood to write but still have to come out with something to give to the professors.. :( Was already in holiday mood a week ago, right after my 2 Japanese grammar exams..

Talking about my grammar exams, I am just happy that I didn't fail them.. :P I got 79/100 for one of them and 60/100 for the other.. :x I don't think I would be able to maintain my strings of A for my Japanese language classes anymore.. :( :( :( But What the heck! I will just pay more attention and work harder the next 2 semesters. :P

Now that my sister is in Tokyo, it had became even more difficult for me to concentrate on my reports.. I still have 2 more reports to go.. :( :( Why do these professors like to give so many last minute report assignments????

High on caffeine

I have not been able to sleep for the past 24 hours.. been awake since 8am yesterday... :( why? not because of my reports.. but because of some black coffee that I drank yesterday afternoon.. last night my mind just can't seems to take a rest, I kept tossing and turning on my bed the whole night unable to get any shut eye at all... Now I felt like a zombie.. awake but numb.. my body feels sluggish and my legs draggy.. I felt like I sleepwalked to school this morning.. and luckily today's final test was very easy, so no worries.. :P

I am never a coffee drinker. I only drink coffee once in a while, maybe some ice-blend coffee from Starbucks or Coffee Beans. But this semester, I have 2 back-to-back lectures on Monday afternoons that are pretty heavy, I need something to keep me awake so I can pay attention to what the lecturer is saying.. so I would have 1 can/bottle of coffee every Monday just this semester.. and yesterday, I bought a 500ml black coffee that boasts having zero calories. The coffee taste was not to my liking but yet I still drank all of it since I didn't want to throw it away after 1 sip...

When I was studying in NUS, nothing could stop me from falling asleep when preparing for exams. I tried coffee, red bull and other "tonic" drinks but I still sleep like a pig at the end of the day.. caffeine doesn't seemed to have any effect on me.. but as age catches up, I became more and more sensitive to it.. I have to avoid drinking coffee after 4 or 5pm, else I would not be able to sleep that same night.. But this is the first time I am became insomnia due to caffeine.. :P

Cos frankly, I didn't expect the effect of caffeine would be so strong until I can't fall asleep even after more than 18 hours!! Luckily, now the sleep bug is beginning to bite me.. so I think I would have an early night tonight... my eyelids are getting heavier and heavier...

他妈的！

真的有够他妈的。。 :@

堂堂一个教授竟然说话不算话。。明明答应了做课外报告会给学分，我照实地做了交了还发表了，现在竟然说不会给！！！！ :@ :@ :@ 还要再帮他做一次国际会议才肯给。。真有够赖皮的。。课堂上没有教导我们什么也就算了，还不时把我们当免费劳工在用。。我也有够倒霉的。。 :x

每一次上完研究室的seminar之后，都会后悔选择来日本念书。:x 什么也没学到，尽叫我们做些跑腿苦力的工作。我们都是来念书的呀！！也许因为研究室里都是国费生或是政府派来的公务人员，所以老师就毫无顾虑地“挤压”吧？？！！要是当初知道来日本会有这种情形，而预知前同事们个个都会升官加薪，老实说我可能不会选择过来日本念书。如果想要一个Masters Degree，我不会去念一个夜间部的大学吗？我的opportunity cost也未免太高了吧。。 :x :x :x

老实说国费生其实没什么了不起的。嘴巴甜一点，成就夸大一点，理想描绘的远大一点就可以了。所以我有一点看不起国费生，因为我自己是所以我知道内幕情形。无可否认，的确真的有一些国费生是认真来念书做实验的，对学术界是真的有所贡献的。但是这类学生只有百分之四、五十吧？！ 其他的，包括我在内都还算蛮混的。。:P 有一些国费生日语不会讲也就算了，连英语也是“有限公司”或是五音不全的，这种人怎么写论文怎么在国际会议上发表啊？？？真有够丢人显眼的，连我都为他（她）们脸红尴尬，无地自容呀。。

也许是上梁不正下梁歪吧。。有怎样的老师就会教出怎样的学生，这个理论应该是真理吧？！？ :( 一些老师完全无为人师表该有的谆谆教诲，而部分学生们也没学子该有的虚心受教。。可悲啊。。这种现象竟然年复一年地在这间日本有名的私立大学里不断地发生着。。人们所说的象牙塔竟是如此这般。。真的是金玉其外，败絮其中。。 :x :x

可能这也算是一种“报应”吧。。毕竟我来日本的动机根本就不明确，说是想念Masters也不尽然是，好像是想忙里偷闲的成分多一些些。。既然我是来“混”的，那我不应该埋怨自己选中的老师。自己种什么豆就理应得什么豆，还是节哀顺变啦。。自己从其他方面下功夫增知识吧。。

还有一年我就会重回职场，我一定要为自己加分增值！！加油啦！

30% done..

Okay, just had the most (mentally) torturing Japanese grammar tests today... :x :x Passing them should be doable, but I don't think there is any possibility for me to score an A for them.. :( :( :( Well, I can't have everything my way, can't I??

Well, anyway I still have 2 more tests to go next week, but they are not as stressful as the Japanese grammar tests... Next Tuesday an open-book quiz which I think should be a breeze, while the Japanese written test next Thursday would be slightly more challenging but since the Sensei allowed us to use electronic dictionaries (that shows how horrible we are.. :p), I think it wouldn't be too tough..

What is left now is tons of reports to write.. :( :( :( Let me list them down...

14 Jul -> 1 report (ID: 3212), at least 2 pages..
18 Jul -> My practice report - Have yet to revise and rewrite certain portions of the report after receiving feedback from my Professor.
22 Jul -> 2 reports (ID:1231), at least 2 pages each..
24 Jul -> 5 reports (ID: 3502), at least 2 pages each
Theme Research Report - I have submitted my first draft and am awaiting feedback from my Professor.

So all in all, I need to gather lots of information/data and write tons of stuffs which I don't think will be of any use in future.. but well, these are the requirements for these subjects.. so.. I will just do it..... :)

High Security

Japan, a country that prides itself of civil vigilance and self-maintained order, seldom flaunted its police force. But for the past few days, I have seen a lot more policemen and security forces out patrolling.

At first I was puzzled.. Did the fatal stabbing in Akihabara last month really triggered such an increased security measure?? Then I remembered that the G8 summit is due this coming Monday, in Hokkaido, Japan..

Compared to the policemen/policewomen and armed personnels that I saw in Singapore patrolling the streets and airport, the policemen here looked kinda under-armed.. and pardon me from saying this, but they also looked non-threatening (ie weak), and some of the security personnels looked rather amateurish with their over-sized uniform.. Maybe they are there more as a deterrent than a real combatant force.. Maybe it is just my perception.. :p

Stuff to do in the next two weeks

Summer holidays are about 2 weeks away... :) but before I could enjoy my well-deserved holiday, there are some reports to hand up and quiz/tests to take.. :(

08 Jul -> Quiz by Prof Terashima - not too worry about it as it is an open book quiz..
11 Jul -> 2 Japanese grammar tests - this is the NO. 1 concern for me this semester. :# And my aim of getting all A or A+ might not come true due to this subject.. :( :(
15 Jul -> Quiz by Prof Terashima - again, not too worry about it. :)
17 Jul -> Japanese essay writing in class as test.. I think I should do okay in this..
22 Jul -> Due date for 1 report assignment
Theme Research Report - I have submitted my first draft and am awaiting feedback from my Professor.
Practice Report - Have yet to revise and rewrite certain portions of the report after receiving feedback from my Professor..

Other than the above, I am expecting at least 2 more reports to be given out in the next 2 weeks..

I am soooo looking forward to the end of this semester..

First hair cut

Just got my first hair cut in Japan this afternoon.. :p and frankly, I like the result a lot.. :)

For those who knew, I am very particular about letting people touch my hair.. My mum was my hair stylist since I was born.. Until the time I went over to Singapore for my studies, the number of times I frequent a hair salon can be counted with 2 fingers.. Also, I tend to stick to my stylist for years.. in my 13+ years in Singapore, I had only 2 stylists.. I left the first one cos her fee went through the roof, imagine being charged SGD$45 for a haircut??!! Anyway, I think up to date, the number of stylists who cut my hair doesn't even reach the next prime number after 5.. that is how fastidious I am about my hair.. :p

But the weather is getting hotter by the day here in Tokyo, and my hair is getting longer and messier.. I couldn't stand having long hair in this weather.. I tried last year.. I don't want to "waste time" tending to my hair.. also, I tend to sweat a lot, meaning I need to wash my hair very often.. the cost of the shampoo, water and time is not worth it.. not to mention the fact that my scalp isn't strong enough to "hold" onto long hair, in the end I tend to drop a lot of hair when my hair is long..

Anyway, this afternoon I went to a salon next my dormitory.. one that I pass by everyday on my way to school.. There are 2 salons on that route, but I choose this one cos the other one specializes in men's cut.. Cos I know that these kind of neighborhood salons rely on repeated/regular customers and without making a reservation, I might need to wait for a long time.. Whenever I passed by the salon, there are always customers so I kept postponing.. Since I don't have seminar today, so I thought I would try and see if I could get a haircut today.. Luckily, when I got there, there was no customer at all.. so I was attended to immediately... :)

I was asked the usual questions - how short do I want my hair to be, do I prefer fringes, etc.. then she inquired when was the last time I had my hair cut and if I had a perm.. Told her that my last hair cut was in Feb and I have natural curly/wavy hair.. I asked her for suggestions, taking into consideration the shape of my head and my fine thin hair. She suggested a layered cut which will give my hair a more volumed look and showed me a picture of it.. I okayed it and then she began to do her stuff...

Whenever I visited my stylist in Singapore, I would just tell her that I want a hair cut.. I would not inquire more about what she plan to do.. Sometimes she would change my hair style, sometimes she won't. I would just allow her free rein to do whatever she thinks is good/suitable for me.. After all, she is a professional stylist.. I would just close my eyes or concentrate on reading my newspaper/magazine/book and let her do her magic.. I would not be scrutinizing her every snip because I trust her.. I would only look up when she is done..

So I did the same here.. I concentrate on my magazine while the stylist cut and snipped away.. I only glance up once or twice.. after she had finish cutting, it was shampooing time.. Before the shampooing start, she placed a towel over my head to prevent any suds from getting into my eyes, but I think another reason is the way she will be washing my hair. The shampooing style here is quite different.. usually, the person doing the shampooing would be standing behind the sink, but here, she was standing beside me, or rather beside my head. Whenever she need to wash the back of my head, she would lift and support my head. It was very unlike in Singapore, where you would need to use your stomach/abdominal muscles to lift your head up.. :p

After the shampooing, she did a 5-10 minute massage on my head, neck and shoulder.. :) I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this extra service as I did not expect it at all.. The blow-drying of my hair was done by an assistant, then the stylist came back and did a final inspection with a few minor touch-up... and Voila! a new hair style for me! :)

The whole haircut took about an hour and set me back by 3330yen.. but I think it was money well paid.. Now, my head feels lighter and less cumbersome.. Oh, did I mention that I like the end result? :p ;)

A fine speech indeed..

During Harvard University's 357th Commencement Address early Jun this year, J.K.Rowling gave quite an inspiring speech.. you can read it here.

I read about it in one of the past editions of the Straits Times in the central library yesterday.. Regardless of what some might think, personally I think her speech was inspirational.. some parts of her speech had struck a chord..

"Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way."

"The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive."

"Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone's total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes."

She ended her speech with a quote from Seneca (4 B.C.-65 A.D.) which I think was incandescent, which said:

"As a tale, so is life; not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters."

:) :)