| Thursday, July 29, 2004 |
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Cold macaroni goes well with cream cheese and tartar sauce with olives. Would be even better if there were some onions in it. Don't think my breath would smell nice after that though. Been wasting my time by playing neopets- darn the game. I will refuse to play it for a whole day tomorrow. And for the rest of today. Should find some more rewarding way of spending my time.
Intend to go look for shoes later~have this funny feeling that there will be no fitting shoes and I'll come back empty handed.
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posted by wenster @ 5:55 AM  |
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| Wednesday, July 28, 2004 |
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Its been an outsy day. Went to the market at 7 am adorned with puffy eyes and tousled hair. Mom looked amazingly fresh next to me. Guess its part and parcel of being a stay at home mom. Came back, slept till 11 on the couch dreaming hazy dreams about me being some olden day sword wielder. Been watching too many ads for house of flying daggers.
Went to the chinese doc after that, and obtained a grand total of 42 packets of ground herbs that supposedly should fix the kidneys up. Also received instructions not to eat too much meat. Sad.
Met up with the super active Wan Fen and NDP dressed Fannie for girl talk, then headed over to meet Jer and his uni friends. His parents actually got me a scarf! .. speechless actually. Its so nice of them. =)
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| posted by wenster @ 3:13 PM |
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| Monday, July 26, 2004 |
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Met up with the girls today in the westernmost shopping mall on e can find in Singapore. Spent my entire train journey huddled on the plastic seat wishing I was there already. I've got nothing against Jurong Point- its just its location. Yeah, had some time to myself before they came so I got to explore it (properly) on my own. Its a pretty nice place. I felt rather suaku actually~ hey, the last time I was there it was because I had to wait at a certain shop to go to SAFTI for some ceremony. Seriously though, I suppose the place holds a comfortable familiarity for the west siders the same way the malls in Orchard are to me.
Speaking of malls, there was a short piece on telly lamenting about how there is a decline in the popularity of downtowns in America. Its funny how we (asians in general? or is it just Singapore?) refer to down town as the shopping mall belt in Orchard, while the American notion is a jumble of streets with rows of shops. They're saying that more people choose to go to malls instead (and here's another 'anomaly', the malls are only in suburban areas). But I suppose thats because of the way the city planning came about.. over here its orderly and allocated according to percieved value, while over there, the nucleus of the city just comes about. Part by chance, part by deliberate action of those in positions to do so, the valuable land gets taken up by the early big shops. And that leaves no space for the malls. Haha. Never thought I'd talk about such unconventional topics. Been reading quite a bit about their history (because of the book dad bought me), and its interesting. Did you know that in the early days they could buy an acre of land for $1.20?
Enough about the bushy land as stella calls it. Yeah, back to the top, met with girls, had a good time.. although we missed twin. Pray that she gets well soon. Learnt about the U scale from Sharon, passed 2nd hand knowledge around- and generally appreciated each other for who we are. Big thank you to Stella and Addy for their gifts, loved Leong's speech. Heehee.
Then went over to NTU hall 14. No prizes for guessing who lives there. ;) Its a pretty decent room you've got there dear. Just try to keep it neat k?
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| posted by wenster @ 2:53 PM |
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| Sunday, July 25, 2004 |
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Yumm.. i can smell the aroma of grilled food coming from the kitchen. My parents are great cooks. Mom does wonders with leftovers while dad usually works magic with experimental dishes. Gran is the Chinese traditionalist.. and bro is Maggi king. Me? I do desserts. Usually baked. Still in training for all the other kinds of food. That doesn't keep me from taking pride in the fact that I am no kitchen novice. Heehee. Jer, you can testify to that right???
Went to suntec. The supermarket trolley there ate up my one dollar. Wrested with several plug in things and even made one crack before I gave up. There are other things in life to worry about though.
Like retirement. After reading today's newspaper, I have a compulsive urge to plan my retirement!!! |
| posted by wenster @ 10:48 AM |
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| Saturday, July 24, 2004 |
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I will pack my stuff today. Been putting it off for weeks. I'm a master procrastinator man... Went for a nice thai dinner with parents and granma yeaterday. Mmmm. Thinking of it makes me want go back there for dinner again today. Absolutely loved the green curry, was totally surprised by rambutans in the red curry, and couldn't stop eating the nutty mango salad. Darn. Now I'm hungry.
Everyone is moving into their dorms! Twin, I'll be glad to help you ;) and Jer says of course the hall allows visitors. Not overnight though, for obvious reasons. I've seen the layout for my floor, and I am so happy because my room is near the kicthen! Haha. The simple joys of life.
Went back to GIS yesternoon to celebrate Lisa's birthday. It was great fun sneaking around, preparing the food. To be honest, there's not much to prepare because its either frozen or delivered. Hey.. we did have to get the food into the meeting room unnoticed, k? But anyway, the lunch was pretty much a success. So much so that Lisa hugged all of us. Haha. The girls were so astounded. Although it wasn't my birthday I got something too!! Heehee. Diane got me a nice puupy in a pot and framed a pic of the girls. So sweet of you girl!
Last night I got a special delivery of chocolates (swiss, no less) from a nice thoughtful person. Wonderful ending to a pretty unexpected wonderful day.
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| posted by wenster @ 2:33 AM |
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| Wednesday, July 21, 2004 |
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Hmmm.. I'm starting to think seriously about uni now. Haha. As in, I even have a plan for the first week done up so that my muddle-headedness will not make me miss anything. Gosh. Its starting to get complicated man.
Now doing comparisons no the laptop prices etc. Good thing Wellesley has tie ups to lower the price a little. Should I get an iBook? Actually, the question is, will I be able to use an iBook, given the fact that I'm just no good at this kind of thing. Argh. Everything is so expensive. Oh well, I guess I'll really treasure whatever notebook I end up with.
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| posted by wenster @ 3:15 PM |
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I think I'm hooked on some silly game in neopets. DIANE! I blame you! Haha. Nah, I guess this game thingy feeds my inner childishness. I remember that I used to keep neopets in Sec 2. Goodness. That seems like such a long time ago. Getting old.. Hey, in those times, the neopets page was super limited. It has somehow grown into this big big thing that entangles innocent players (like me) Heh. I shall stop trying to shove the blame around.
Darn excos have yet to reply me.. so far only gim and jiing can make it. *growl*
Jer's at the one-day OBS now. I've been for that too! It was during the Sunburst Youth Camp- wonder how the other campers are doing now.. I miss the crazy times we had; Edwin and Jasper forever trying to be like the models from the Amazing Race, staying up until we start babbling nonsense and doing that Indian dance with the elaborate costume.
The other OBS experience I had was in Sec 3- somehow our group had the nuttiest guys around: Jay, Derek, Sommanat, Rajiv.. then we had the crazy girls: Nina, Francine.. I'm really thankful that they were part of the experience though- it wouldn't have been the same without them. =)
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| posted by wenster @ 3:07 AM |
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| Tuesday, July 20, 2004 |
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Too lazy to do it all over again so here is the summary:
- Just got back from cell. Hope newcomers feel blessed.
- Dear got me a lovely cross. Lots of thanks =)
- Have a nice plan for the week. Hope all goes as planned.
- Saw nice shoes.
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| posted by wenster @ 2:54 PM |
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Darn it. I just finnished typing and the net got disconnected. BLEAH.
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| posted by wenster @ 2:53 PM |
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| Monday, July 19, 2004 |
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Will be going in search of a present for Lisa (my former supervisor) later.. Heh. This is the second time I'm gift hunting for this bunch of people. Just a thought: maybe I can do this as a service.. target consumers: working class who don't have the time/ideas to find a gift, especially for someone that is not really close to them. What I'll do: hunt down presents and gift wrap them nicely.. and maybe even deliver them (with/sans flowers). Good idea huh? This can even benefit clueless guys who need to shop for pressies for their gfs who say 'anything lah..' (I'd know.. I do that too) Yea man.. something to brood upon as a back up plan.
The weekend was good, I think. Heh. Can't remember much of it all of a sudden. And that which I can remember are the mealtimes! Gosh. Am I a glutton? Well.. maybe. Particularly enjoyed yesterday's dinner (not only because I made it *wink*) because of the company. Had a good jap lunch too.. went with the BHS people to sakae. I have no idea how the guys manage to eat so much yet not seem to gain weight. Jay, however, has a little something to show for his sedentary lifestyle ( it kind of makes me feel better, jie, albeit in a malicious way*grin*)
Jer's having orientation now.. Makes me think of the times I spent typing minutes for the J1's orientation last year. All that hard work that culminated in 8 days of madness.. (a week of post activity hangovers) and a lifetime of memories.
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| posted by wenster @ 3:02 AM |
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| Saturday, July 17, 2004 |
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Was reading the 40day fast booklet this morn.. Just fyi, its now at the part where Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a showdown kind of thing. The task is for them to build an altar with a sacrifice, and ask their respective gods to send down fire. So off go the prophets of Baal.. dancing and shouting for all they're worth. Nothing much seems to happen, so they get more drastic and start cutting themselves (its their custom). Blood flows freely as they try their hardest to catch the attention of their god. While they do so, Elijah justs stands there and watches, mocking them occasionally. Right now, I imagine that the people who are watching this spectacle are waiting in anticipation for fire to come down from Baal's side. 'Sure it'll come soon.. after all, they're doing so much.. while the other side is just eating snake.. '
After a while, Elijah takes 12 stones, and rebuilds his previously broken altar. He places the bull on top, then instructs his kakis to pour water over the sacrifice not once, but three times. 'Siao ah this guy.. first he starts late, now he pours water when he wants fire?!?!' His supporters must have thought that he was mad.. and any hope they had by now would have dwindled to almost nil. Then in a loud voice, Elijah said, "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your bidding. Answer me, O Lord, so that this people will know that You, O Lord, are God and that You have turned their hearts back." Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the offering, the wood, the dust and stones, and even the water that had overflowed.
How glorious is that scene.. in that day, I'm sure that any doubt the people had vanished like the water on the offering. Lesson here is that as long as our hearts are right, we don't have to slash ourselves to get God's attention. A simple, heartfelt prayer will do.
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| posted by wenster @ 5:20 AM |
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| Friday, July 16, 2004 |
| Tired, tired, tired |
I ache. Yesterday's tennis/badminton session was really fun. Just goes to prove that exercise is more fun in groups. Grace brought Robbie along, and in addition to the cell, Ben, Carine and Jo came too. Speaking of Ben, methinks he and Jer are really getting the hang of tennis (considering the fact that they wielded racquets for the first time yesterday). Now I've got more kaki to look for when I want to play. *sigh. no more excuses then ;)*
Had a mini dinner with them at Zion Rd hawker centre- the sugarcane is exorbitant! Yeah well.. stayed up quite late yesternight watching I do not know what(isn't that bad?).. oh yes, and Eunice called. Her mom just came back to Singapore.. so I guess the freedom part of being overseas has yet to sink in. School for her starts next wed if I'm not mistaken.
Woke up early today to the sound of my bro bathing. I'm positive that he spends at least 15 solid minutes in the shower alone.. falling asleep while standing. No wonder the water bill is rising. Went to eat breakfast, which turned into brunch, which turned into lunch, with Jer and his uni friends at Chinatown. Settled ourselves in a nice little shop which served dim sum. And I realised that I've been missing dim sum. Yum.. I want more.. (is it the msg that I'm missing?) Yup, had to part ways quickly because Jer had medical evaluation at Bugis and gran wanted me home early. After waiting at Raffles Medical for him (and finding out that he forgot to bring his glasses *knock head*) we left for Centrepoint (needed a hair cut). Met up with Alex and Pauline at the cuppage food court for a while, then went home. Heh. Not early anymore. By now the frozen yoghurt preparation I put in the fridge in the morning already solidified.. had a difficult time trying to mix it. It doesn't taste half bad.. but texture wise it needs improvement. Maybe I should put it in the blender like the book says *but leceh lah..* Did dinner, washed up and here I am. Oh yes.. today while waiting to cross the road, the bus was approaching, so I just said dear God, please let the lights change. And they did! Unfortunately the bus beat the red light *glare* and we had to wait for the next one. Oh well.
I've gotten my assignments for rooming in uni- I thank God that He's blessed me with a nice hall, and great room mates. One's from HCJC and Christine's from New Hampshire. Check out my hall here: http://www.wellesley.edu/Activities/homepage/shafer/home.html or.. you can just take a look at this.. 
Yeah.. thats it for now.. I'm.. tired.
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| posted by wenster @ 11:52 AM |
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| Thursday, July 15, 2004 |
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Its a rainy morning... and I'd like to sleep some more. Heh. Things to do today: 1. take vitamins. (Forget it on the pain of mom's wrath)
2. Cut fingernails.
3. Sweep floor. Yup, its time for the maria in me to surface again.. sigh.
4. Buy groceries? *darn.. don't want to walk all the way carrying so many plastic bags.. not only is it un-glam, its also heavy!*
5. Make frozen yoghurt- my happy project for the week. Or month. Whatever.
6. Meet dear, then meet Lishan and Jo.. then meet the rest. Prepare drinks and stuff to eat.
7. For now: close all doors and windows!!! fogging underway! *stinko*
Usually.. this list is made mentally or if I'm in an organized mood, on paper. Since I'm here.. haha. Everybody has to read it too..
Oh yes.. I realised not too long ago that most ppl I know have got blogs! goodness. So now I shall shift my shoutbox up and links down.. To work!
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| posted by wenster @ 2:17 AM |
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| Wednesday, July 14, 2004 |
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Got the results of the biopsy yesterday- it confirms the doctor's earlier diagnosis. And it shows that there is scarring inside the kidney. *sigh* poor kidney.
There's nothing much to be done about it, because the medicine that he reccommends lowers bp, and since mine is already low, I don't think there's a need for it. Now is the time to thank God for making me such that I've got low bp. He has infinite wisdom indeed. Fish oils may help.. so immediately after the doctor, mom took me to have sashimi. Haha. They even made fish soup for dinner. Looks like a healthier diet is inevitable for me as I try to cut down on red meat.
Went for cell at night- it was pouring! Jer gave me a lift there- I'm glad that mom allowed me to accept his ride. Shows that she trusts him to drive even in heavy rain. Can't quite say the same for myself though. ;) Won't be getting a driving license here because the law doesn't allow it. Quote: "If you got your PR before your Malaysian license you cannot convert" I shall enjoy being ferried around then.
Carine came for cell- and it was a good session. Could really feel the joy as we were worshipping.
I'm at the genome institute now, visiting my colleagues. Unfortunately they're stuck in a lab meeting so here I am in front of the computer that I used to play games *shhhh* and do sequencing forms on. I miss them. Spending 2 months here has been worth the unpaid status- the hands on know-how and friendships are invaluable. |
| posted by wenster @ 4:32 AM |
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| Monday, July 12, 2004 |
| missing a part of me- literally. |
I can safely say that today was the longest time I have ever spent in the hospital. Went in at 930.. was directed to the day surgery registration. After watching them print at least 30 copies of my details on sticker paper and signing several sheets of stuff including one SARS declaration form, mom and I went over to the nurses at the other side. One usually thinks of hospitals as quiet, cold places,but it was bustling with activity. Can't help but admire the stamina the nurses possess as they move from one patient to the next, without compromising on efficiency and warmth. Was attended to by this motherly lady who kept telling me not to be afraid.
After that I was taken to my bed.. and I have to say that its not long enough! Heh. Once I was put into semi upright position I slipped such that my feet were hanging off the edge. The procedure itself was very quick compared to all the waiting time I had. And the anaesthetic hurt more than anything else. Its a strange feeling to know that someone is intentionally taking a bit of you out but not feel the pain. The muscles in my back twitched though, as if there were some instinct to protect self from hurt.
After that, I went through the corridors the same way I got to the operating room- on my back. Theres a childish pleasure to be obtained from being pushed around by others, watching the world, or rather, ceilings, go past. Would be nicer if there were more than dots on the ceiling. Yup. After that, theres nothing much to report. Jer came to visit (thanks dear) and mom got me a mag.. slept a bit, watched some nonsense shows that I ordinarily would refuse to.. talked a bit- and generally felt my butt blending in with the foam mattress. The mini butt ordeal ended at 5. Now I know why I don't sleep more than 12 hours. Hope my butt doesn't get any bigger because of this.
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| posted by wenster @ 11:30 AM |
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| Sunday, July 11, 2004 |
| messed up plans |
Sigh. Gim had to stay in. BLame it on his entire unit (and him) who didn't keep the ropes and stuff properly. Oh well, like he says, life in the armed forces is not predictable.
Will be going for kidney biopsy tomorrow. Woohoo. All the urine testing has lead up to this. The suspected culprit is glomerularnephritis. Not quite sure if I spelt that right. Taking bio has really helped in this case. I actually understand every bit of what the doctor is talking about! Come to think of it its happening so fast. Didn't have time to ask many people to pray for me. Jer's worried sick, but it sound worse than it is. Can even go shopping after that, according to the doc. Now, isn't that just the thing to brighten up a girl's day?
Speaking of shopping, i'm still looking for a pair of rounded toe shoes. Ballet-like, but preferably funky at the same time. Something that can go from casual to dressy. And it has to be soft and comfortable. Now you understand why its so difficult for me to get shoes? Mom hates shoe shopping with me. |
| posted by wenster @ 1:33 PM |
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| Saturday, July 10, 2004 |
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| I'm meeting my other half today! No, not the bf.. But Gim. =) Will go shop for girl stuff for his sister.. such a nice boy, that. The shops are not as wonderful as they used to be.. things are so expensive, and so mass produced. Yes, yes, I know mass production leads to cheaper stuff but still. I'm a fussy shopper. What can I say? |
| posted by wenster @ 2:04 AM |
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| Friday, July 09, 2004 |
| Dreams |
Had a nice dream yesternight. Weird, but nice all the same. Dreamt that a very good old friend of mine came back- in the sense that we talked and laughed.. shared that connection we used to have. I miss those times. Think its sad that once people drift apart, the current that draws them away from each other is usually stronger than the on e that brings them together. If I could have things my way (just like a petulant child), I would make it such that I could repeat each day twice. One for myself, loved ones and my friends, and the other for doing things that just need to be done. Like packing my books, sorting out my clothes..choosing photos.. Argh. Refuse to think about these unappetizing matters. Hmmm.. then again, people may not have that much time to spend with me. Anyway, I believe that God brings people into my life to teach me things, to bless me, to comfort and support me. So if they are led out again, well, I can only pray for them.
On a more realistic note, went out with Jer for lunch. Had pizza at Raffles City basement- its not bad, because its prepared fresh (or is that because we ordered a whole pizza, not slices?) but I would prefer having a thinner crust. Absolutely love the Peking duck pizza at californian pizza. Yummy.. On the same not, did you know that California was once a part of Mexico? had Yami yoghurt after that.. I think its going to become one of my favourite foods soon =) We're such gluttons. Seriously. Headed off to carrefour to get more food in the form of caramel pudding. That was nice too.
Oh yes- have got a nice big thing to thank God for.. He prevented the Mount E toilet from being cleaned. Haha. Confused? The day before, I left 2 envelopes containing a reference letter and test results in the ladies. Only discovered that I had lost them at night, and even then I had no idea where they were. Thank goodness mom thought of the toilet.. and this morning before we left I just prayed for it to be there.
Note: it is not nice to enter Mount E at 7am.
Well, lesson learnt is to be less muddleheaded. And always, always pray. God hears. |
| posted by wenster @ 1:16 AM |
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| Wednesday, July 07, 2004 |
| Yay! |
Heehee. Just changed my template. I'm getting the hang of this. *big smug smile*
Soon I'll be able to do more stuff.. now.. if only I can decide on which template I like more.. Talk about being spoilt for choice. |
| posted by wenster @ 4:51 AM |
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| Commencement! |
Yupyup.. Yesterday marks the last day he has to be in NUS.. I'm glad he's in Sci Fac for a very bimbotic reason- I heard that the gold thing on him will be pink if you're in Arts. Gosh. How unsightly. Oh well.. I guess there are only so many colors a uni can pick. Most of the cell group made it there- it was fun, talking about how Lydia could wear sneakers, pink fishnet stockings and a neon green shirt underneath. (last 2 ideas are mine ;)
Wonder what mine will be like. Loong way to go babes.. loong way to go. |
| posted by wenster @ 4:17 AM |
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| Monday, July 05, 2004 |
| Yargh |
| I AM A TECHNO-IDIOT. Sigh. Really- can't seem to get the hang of doing this kind of thing. I can sit here for the whole day, and I do believe that I'll be going in circles. Time to squash my pride and ask someone for help. Maybe twin. She'll understand. |
| posted by wenster @ 4:00 AM |
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| Saturday, July 03, 2004 |
| at the beginning? |
This is weird. I feel as if I'm talking to myself, which I often do.. but at the same time I'm talking to many others. Yeah well. Even having a blog is weird. Never used to like the idea. Have to admit that its useful, but I still think of it as a tiring thing to have to do. Maybe I'm just a lazy bum. yeah.. thats it. I'm just lazy. Really really lazy.
Now that its started I'll just have to continue it I guess. Will have new-toilet syndrome for a while methinks. |
| posted by wenster @ 2:53 AM |
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