Same old, Same old

Difficulty falling asleep, Spooky nightmares, Fitful sleep, Tired mornings, Monday blues.

Looking at the task materials for this week's classes leaves me feeling like..

I don't know what the learning objectives are, (even if I refer to the objectives they have stated) I have no inkling of how we're even going to achieve that with their disorganised materials, I can't draw the links among the different materials (slides, videos, reference materials etc.) and I don't see how the materials relate to the final exam.. Essentially, I really don't quite know what exactly we're doing right now. What are we really learning? I don't even know how or where to start with for personal notes when I'm just drowning in information overload. It's a mind-boggling mess.

And when it comes to drafting... (exasperated laugh) they throw us a couple of documents describing the process in generic terms and then expect us to be able to draft a perfect court document?? Where from?! Plucking it out of thin air? Using a wand?! Drafting is a technical skill that has to be acquired from experience and since we're young lawyers-to-be with little drafting experience, you have to either guide us through the entire process step by step or simply provide us with sample documents (in simple terms, you either teach or at the very least, let us have something substantive to refer to) - so that we even know how the documents are supposed to look like, duh! If you refuse to do any of the above and insist on throwing us into the deep end, then take responsibility and make the facilitators evaluate each and every draft so that (yells) WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT/WRONG! This is exactly the same thing that happened in my drafting module in university - sure enough, we can draft until our fingers drop but if you don't let us see what a reasonable/acceptable draft looks like or mark our drafts to let us know what we're doing wrong (this is crucial!!), all the fluffeh instructions and theory in the world won't help! I may know what to do in theory but having to translate that into practice is entirely different!!!!

Ah whatever. (anyway, I still can't believe a fellow batchmate commented that she would rather have our 4 years of university done the Part B way. Uh, hello, I'm not gonna pay 40 grand just to self-learn the syllabus o.o)

Mood of the day (or last night): Standing at the base of a cliff with a huge boulder balancing on the crumbling cliff edge, unable to run or hide. 

Aite, time to stop whining and get down to work.

Weekend Slumber

Early in the morning and the dad's going on about how men are only out for two things in this world: money and women. "男人不是骗财，就是骗色。" ._. And you wonder where my (somewhat) deep distrust of men came from.

In other news.. not exactly looking forward to the upcoming week's social engagements (facepalms).. 

Why do I always get myself involved in potentially awkward social activities?! There was that dinner with the senior last semester and more recently, the dinner with the childhood playmate.. and now this tour guide-like job/obligation/I'm-not-sure-what-to-call-it this week. (cringes) Now, don't misunderstand - I would love to bring my foreign friends around Singapore and catch up with them.. but to have to talk for hours on end.. I'll prolly run out of energy and topics to chat about mid-day (and this applies to all friends, local or foreign). Not to mention some of the odd things he says.. D: Could be the culture difference.. I suppose.

Anyway, this weekend has been so relaxingggggg, I don't want it to end!! Hahahha I'm in full-on escapist mode right now (basically eat, sleep, watch dramas, repeat) and guess what, I'm lovin' it! :P

Song for tonight:

"Sixty Five" by Gentle Bones #localtalent

Uncannily accurate horoscope readings :O

"You can succeed romantically where others have failed." 

I notice that it's a 'can' instead of a 'will' and it doesn't talk about what happens when any particular Leo has already/just experienced failure with matters of the heart. (dejected look) Don't get my hopes up..

Yes,. We don't always have to carry the burden of the whole world on our shoulders.

Should we attempt more "Me before You" moments..?

Snooze Mode

Impossibly sleepy.

So groggy from the lack of sleep, I feel almost drunk ._.

I didn't have a restful night yesterday so having to wake up early this morning to accompany my mum for her doctor appointment was.. difficult. Haha I felt like someone had to pry me off the bed (the same way one pries off a fried egg from a non-stick pan) because my inner Snorlax had glued itself to the bed. I hate bad dreams, really. I'm asleep (and hence, the dreams) but I feel like I'm hardly getting any rest. I need sleep.. but I need to do my work too. (yells in frustration) And it seems like there's a 79-page tutorial for one lesson next week?? I honestly don't get why classes are structured this way - how is it realistic to master a subject over 4-6 practice sessions?! A syllabus that took us close to a semester to cover back in university (and that's not even the full picture) - they're trying to complete in 6 to 7.5 hours (1.5 hrs x 4/5)..?! Like.. whut?! 

Anyway, we've been here for 3 hours already and the consultation/tests are still not done. I thought it would be far more efficient in the morning - the afternoon appointment last month saw a wait of 4-5 hours - but nope, "efficiency" probably doesn't exist around these cold, clinical halls. Perhaps.. they're striving to be as inefficient as possible..? It's a possibility! 

Anyway, so looking forward to the end of class today. Come, freedom, comeee! Let mama give you a biggg hug!

Home and showered! Had a good dinner with the girls, was surprised with a not-so-surprising slice of birthday cake (haha our birthday surprises always faillll) and got a very lovely card from them. I can't ever express enough how glad I am to have met this bunch of friends in university.. just seeing them helps put a smile on my face ^^ anyway, I should sleep soon zz! Been up for far too many hours zzzzzzzz

If we look hard enough, there are plenty of reasons to be happy.. :)

I don't have the time to type now so I'll just post pictures (and add captions later)!

Commencement 2015!

 

 

Birthday Celebration!

Thank you and I love you all very, very much.

Friends'/Birthday Gatherings!

Fun museum trips!

Exhibition 1: Dreamworks Animation

Exhibition 2: The Deep

Screw you! ^^

To the shitface who commented that Findlay's lesson was "Madeline fucking boring", this is for you.

I'm not sure why I've been replaying that encounter over and over in my mind lately - perhaps it's the anger boiling over and there's really no outlet to vent the frustration (but you can tell that I was traumatised, considering how it stuck around in my mind) - but I've decided that I'll no longer tolerate such nonsense from people anymore, regardless of whether the disgusting loach is a batchmate, someone higher up/same level/lower in the profession and/or younger/older than me. (If it's the former two, you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself. All that education gone to waste on you, this sad, pathetic excuse for a human being) That practical concern might have held me back then, together with the shock/surprise (of course) but nope, not anymore. No one, I repeat, no one should be allowed to get away with insults, especially unwarranted ones, (I mean like dude, I don't even talk to you. In fact, I haven't spoken to you in close to three years and that's the first thing you say? What would you even know about me? Do you even know shit about anything?) You could have very well left the seminar room without anyone noticing.. but you just had to walk through the middle aisle, pause to talk to us and conveniently throw out an insult, didn't you? I admit that I was too stunned to respond - I don't even know what I said although I recall mumbling something and trying to brush the insult off (a weak reaction I now despise) - but you know what, I will never let history repeat itself ever again. I know there are people who joke around with insults and I often refrain from reacting in a certain way because I don't want to risk ruining those relations but.. that mindset's been thrown out the window by now. People have to take responsibility for what they say - if you can't bear the consequences, then think before you act. If otherwise, I don't think the current me would care very much to have you as a friend/acquaintance either. It would be more like, good riddance? 

I may be quiet and reserved around people but that doesn't mean I'm a pushover. Try pushing and I'll crush you, I promise. Maintaining decent relations with people may be important but to stand up for oneself is even more important. (remember the be-someone-I'll-be-proud-of bit I've mentioned in previous posts?) If it means learning/getting used to swear(ing), then so be it.

Anyway I didn't/couldn't say it then but this:

"Oh really? It's thankful then, since it means the class wasn't half as fucking boring as you. 

Shouldn't you be on your way out..? 

While you're at it, why not try jumping from your IQ to your EQ? Should be fun."

(and you know what, his IQ doesn't even have to be very high for it to work)

I'm glad to get this off my chest - the girls helped (thank you if you're reading this) - and rest assured that I'll only grow stronger through this experience.

A whole new world to explore!

This is a super cool article on the top ten coolest places on Earth that are completely off-limits to visitors, most at least. Some of the places that stood out:

1. Heard Island Volcano, Australia
Just because it's a volcanic Antarctic Island. And that excites the geographer in me a lot.

2. Snake Island (Ilha da Queimada Grande), Brazil
This sounds like a place right out of a story book! An isolated, uninhabited island that is crawling with snakes - and deadly snakes at that - awaiting unsuspecting/lost travelers to make land and.. (cues scream of horror). The Golden Lancehead Viper is one of the deadliest and most venomous snakes in the world and its venom can burn through skin and flesh, killing its victim within an hour. (shudders) This is one island to stay away from!

It looks treacherous already haha

3. North Sentinel Island, Andaman Islands
The Sentinelese aborigines live there. Yes, one of the world’s last few communities to remain untouched by modern civilization - what more do you need?

People should just leave them alone though..

4. Lascaux Caves, France
Paleolithic cave paintings?! Come on, you have to share this with the whole world!

5. Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway
This took the cake. (awestruck me) It's like the seed-version of Noah's Ark! Described as a "vast subterranean seed bank and storage facility on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen," the vault is an estimated 800 miles from the North Pole and built 400 feet into a mountainside. Wow, just wow. I never knew such a place existed (props to the Norwegian government for their good foresight!).

I don't think I'll get to visit these places (unless I suddenly become a scientist or historian) so um, let's look at some of the places on my bucket list instead!

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

(I might cry when I do get to see this)

Machu Picchu, Peru

Tomamu Resort, Hokkaido

(and cry again here haha)

Santorini, Greece

(just cos everyone on Facebook seems to have been here before)

Anyway, reminder to self to do the following activities soon!!

BUY TICKETS for Bounce Off!!!! I AM SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED TO GO FOR THIS RACE \o/ hohoho I still have to convince 4 other people to join the event with me (and really, it's no easy feat.. not with the hefty price tag but I shall not give up till I get my tickets!!!!!!!!) but I will make sure it happens!

Try batting or pitching!! To be honest, I'm terribly afraid that I'll miss all the balls (embarrassed laugh) - wah if that really happens... malu to the max - but it's still something I want to try at least once! I never got to try it in Korea and since Singapore has it too.. no excuse for not giving it a go!

Stargazing at Science Centre! I missed today's event boohoo (I kinda forgot it was Friday today..). Oh well, there's always next Friday! :D So excited!!! Anyway, fun fact from the site: 

What is the difference between stars and planets? 

Stars are huge and made of hydrogen, which under immense pressure is converted to helium and energy. Stars are very far away. In our sky they appear fixed in defined patterns called constellations.

Planets are large round objects that orbit stars. The planets in our solar system travel around the Sun, they are much closer than stars. In our sky they appear to move in front of the stars, gradually changing position from one constellation to another

And...

That's all for today, folks.

Random fact for the day that I read online:
Anthropometry is the science that defines physical measures of a person's size, form, and functional capacities.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures in this post. Please click on the images for their respective sources.