i'm so proud of myself.

woke up at the ungodly hour of 6:15 am, drove my mum to the airport and went back home. and i actually moved myself to wash the car. i hate to wash the car. brings back bad memories of having to wash bicycles. the horror of the unremovable muck of teflon and synthetic lubricants mixed with dirt. now it is nice and clean, till the next avian bombardment. i'm going to reward myself by watching trinity blood. actually... i just do not want to study. ugh.

*edit*
and it rained later today. *grumble*. a *censored* long lasting thunderstorm.

with the departure of my mother for hong kong, and my sister for batam tomorrow, i will be home alone till saturday, when my sister gets back. joy. and my parents return on the 23rd. however, household chores await. *groan* cannot expect my sister to do anything.



Bertram awoke @ 8:37 AM with (0) flashes of inspiration

music is a very interesting medium.

people have always likened many things to following a rhythm. the spartans were taught dance and music so as to keep in formation while marching. blademasters seemed to dance as their swords whistled through the air, both in the eastern and western tradition. melee combat has been romanticized as a deadly dance of blows and counterblows, exchanged in an effort to secure a superior position. roman leigions to napoleons's armies are always accompanied by musicians that acted to help them march in step as well as sound out orders. modern infantry sing as they march. as violence is contained by music, the crescendo is held in the score. likewise, the flurry of our internal beat and song are contained by our musculature, our minds, and black and white.

it has begun. the battle-hardened quill dances on the parchment, mapping out its troubled path. it runs forward, retrogrades. it rebelliously skips from side to side. its dark, bloody trail mars the pristine white surface. apprehensively it crawls forward and pauses in respite. suddenly, it leaps across the white marble chasm, as if suspended by an ethereal hand. it lands in a dark inky puddle, shakes off the excess burden of muck and forges on. onward it creeps in an unpredictable manner, moving from one continent to another. finally, at its journey's end, it rests at a single point before the unavoidable snowfall begins. the final destination.

the chattering begins as a blur of motion dances across the coloured keys. black and white they were, and black and white they will be. the staccato is drowned by the melody. then, as suddenly as it started, it ends. so does the wanderings (wonderings?) for today.



Bertram awoke @ 9:00 PM with (0) flashes of inspiration

it is a sunday, i am sitting at home (rightfully) slacking my life away, and i write. look in the comments of vera's post here. of all things a limerick comes to my mind in the shower.

oh well. nothing to be done. dammit. *slaps self*. we could start over perhaps. *slaps forehead* that's the spirit. let's abuse each other.

it is a sunday and here i am sitting at the computer trying to compose a blog entry that my still unconscious mind fails to construct. BUT it is not the blog that matters. it is the conversation with people that matters. it makes you grow and learn. i have learnt. and we have all come a long way.

"Est autem fides credere quod nondum vides; cuius fidei merces est videre quod credis" - Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
--- St. Augustine

“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) do not doubt your abilities in your self, do not doubt what you write, and do not doubt your ideas when you speak, for if you doubt your own writing, why should others believe in it? that said good luck to us all in the exams.

it is a sunday evening and all through the house, not a thing is worth doing, even killing a louse. haha. i want to go shopping and undergo retail therapy. the books await.

i have temporary catharsis in grocery shopping. i think i eat/snack too much.


ben and jerry's:

cherry garcia
Cherry Ice Cream with Cherries & Fudge Flakes

phish food
Chocolate Ice Cream with Gooey Marshmallow, a Caramel Swirl & Fudge Fish

i love ice cream... cherry garcia is great. the large cherry halves are so juicy and the fudge flakes (chunks actually) gives a different texture. phish food is a first try. and the calbee pizza flavoured chips are very nice. recommended by a friend.

i'm a pig. or galdalf.

You scored as Gandalf. You are Gandalf! This wise, old mage is loyal and brave. He is known for his counsel and advice to his friends and allies during tough times. "All you have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you." Gandalf 81% Samwise 75% Frodo 63% Aragorn 56% Pippin 50% Eowyn 50% Arwen 50% Faramir 44% Gollum 25% Which LOTR character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Bertram awoke @ 5:51 PM with (0) flashes of inspiration

it has been so long since i have updated. went through 2 semester of exams and into the third, suffered in a full triathlon and starting to learn about personal hobbies, changed courses and made new friends.

i'm now doing english literature, a surprise to few, especially my teachers. 'nuff said. i am here now.

cycled a lot, built up my own bicycle (short of welding all the tubes and lugs together), exploring the sport as a whole and looking into different facets, stopped painting (because of time constraints), am making new friends in my new school (or faculty for you NUS students) and exercised a whole lot less. i have also worked in a bicycle shop as a mechanic, worked for ben and jerry's as a temp scoopy and worked as a tuition teacher (so far the most horrible job).

read shakespeare, milton (finally finished the damn book which i had been planning to read in the army), did essays, which seem nice and fresh now but will probably be a horror in the years to come. sonnets are nice. i like poetry. and now i can concentrate on finishing dante. and read up more on rhetoric when the exams are over (as well as playing maple story). and write a poem or two as well. did i say i like poetry?

while it takes some time getting used to, there are a few interesting people i have met in my division. interesting in a good way, because they impress me and they inspire me. that said i have had feedback that i have tread on a few toes as well. not that i care though. give me your best shot (or backstab, if you are into that sort of thing). another thing about literature is, if i have to write essays similar to secondary school scope (like in HL101), i am so going to die. seriously. it gives such a strong sense of deja vu. however there are the better core modules. HL102 has some interesting books and intriguing arguments presented that we students can dissent about together ad infinitum, or ad nauseum. the tutor is a tad eccentric but is also a brilliant academic. HL104, however, has a very colourful teacher. i must say he makes literary theory seem bearable. he does have a disturbing fetish for film though, and seems to be a rabid wong kar wai fan. but that is what makes him endearing.

and after going to orchard after like months of loitering around the west side of singapore, i have to say my favourite shop of the moment is l'occitane. love the products there, not for myself though.

shea butter tinted lip balm, and rose lip gloss. to quote what one of my friends said, "looks good enough to eat"



Bertram awoke @ 12:56 PM with (2) flashes of inspiration