Journey of a Dream

This is what I did: Drove to Ikano, found my place at Starbucks and started my study marathon - from 2 - 8pm. Around 6, I was hungry and had a hotdog at Ikea. Went to Starbucks/ Borders, had my second shot of caffeine and sambung belajar. Plan to do that again some time this week. Maybe a lonely birthday, but a productive one at least. How would I have mood to celebrate when the next days my exams begin, not just one paper but two? I had pre - birthday celebrations though.

2 Weeks ago
My coursemates threw me a surprise celebration. I was surprised when the cake appeared, because who in the right mind would celebrate birthday 2 weeks in adavance? We did because we are a bunch of crazy chemists. I really appreciate their effort in the midst of preparing for exams.

A day later
Karen and Sam took me to Manhattan Fish Market for dinner after watching Meet The Robinsons. I bought Kampai for them, and gosh, Sam became the laughing stock of her dorm mates due to the redness of her face. I told it was to prepare her wedding. Coming back home, I felt like crying. It's a week 14 thing. It's not just week 14, but week 14 of the final semester. We've just started bonding with each other, but now we have come to an end of our uni life. I miss them lots.

Last Tuesday
The leaders of South Zone celebrated Angel's and my birthday with a cake. They gave me a very nice top. I love it. Apparently it was chosen by pastor.

Last Saturday
Family dinner at SS2. Bro asked me if I like a gift or cash for birthday. What do you say?

This Thursday
Cell group celebrated with a huge walnut cake and gave me RM 100 of Topshop shopping vouchers. Shappaholic strikes again!! (after exams OK). Sherene and Ally sang a song for me.. not gonna tell what they sang.

To those who wished and called me, I wanna say a big big thank you. Will upload pictures after exams.

When was the last time you had an "unrestrained impulse" to achieve something? Pat Mesiti asked in Dreamers Never Sleep. The answer is... a long long time. I remember it was STPM, I stayed at home every day and despite the gloom, disciplined myself to study with heavy eyebags and tears running on my cheeks. I was sad (I don't know why I even felt sad), a heavy cloud hung over me, yet I committed to daily devotion every single morning and never missed a cell meeting. I did not allow my emotions to take over me and looked forward to the prize not yet seen. When I didn't understand a thing, I would go the extra mile to read again and again and ask someone to teach me. Things like metallic bonds were not easy to understand, to see the crystal lattice as a sea of electrons that could conduct electricity.

Pat Mesiti says, " The inner rush, the inner push, the inner drive, whatever you want to call it... it is a sense of abandonment. Abandonment to the cause, to the price, to the finish line..."

I have come to the end of uni. It's the grand finale. I wished I have kept the unrestrained impulse but there is no time for regret. It's the final battle.

When I was a 12 year old kid, I did something amazing which I can't figure out how I did it. I read 150 books in that year alone; Sweet Valley, Sweet Dreams, Love Stories (the title of the series), Christopher Pike's and R.L. Stine's books, which meant I completed a book in every 2 - 3 days. Sure they were easy to read, the prints were big and the books were thin (except for a couple few which were thick), but I read them in the midst of chaotic situation at home and UPSR. I lived in a world of imagination and fantasy and it could be well said that I read more than I talked.

Later on, I grew out of Sweet Valley and ventured into some other topics besides the Wakefield twins. I started reading classics (Jane Austen, Louissa Alcott, Shakespeare and Charles Dickens), biographies and autobiographies (Abraham Lincoln, Lady D, Anne Frank, etc), books on astronomy, first aid, weather (of all things!) and history. I also started reading the Bible and other Christian titles. Then I began reading law fictions (as such by John Grisham).

Today, I am no longer the avid reader I used to be. I give excuses that I can no longer afford the time and effort. The other reason being people in uni don't read (Trust me, uni students only bury themselves in heaps of academic books). John Grisham has been replaced by Medicinal Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry and journal articles. Unread books keep stacking in my collection awaiting to be discovered and opened. Ps Pat said that we have to find ways to AFFORD it because good books will feed our mind.

I don't know why I wrote this but I just suddenly realized how much reading meant to me and how did I ever lose track of the thing I loved so much. Wait till exams are over in a month time and I'm gonna read, read and read in the cool breeze of Genting Highlands with a cuppa hot Cappucino in my hand.

It is the time of the year again that I am losing my sleep due to imsomnia. It's a sign that exams are coming soon. And when I tell people how serious it is, no one seems to believe me. I tried milk with honey, I tried push up for 30 times, I tried to read an article to make me go to sleep, but all of it did not help. My body is stiff and refuse to rest, my biological clock is rigid and refuse to listen to my instruction. It's only with Nickey and his wise counsel that I slept in peace last night. How about now and every night?