This shall be in white font for Nelvie's sake.

Can you believe it got stolen?? I mean, the whole reason I never changed my Nokia 3315 [!!] is so that it would not get stolen since it IS terribly ancient and boring. Besides, I actually liked it too! The buttons were nice to use. Lol. But NOOooo, apparently someone thought it would be cool to take it away and cause me temporary hysteria. ANYWAY, to cut this short, my aunt gave me her old mobile AND a new simcard. It's...errr...I don't know what model, but it is definitely not as old as my 3315, haha. *blink* Sarah can't make it to Bangkok.I can't imagine how potong it must be for her! It's okay my darling, you come in June, kay? And we shall have a blast then! [especially since i'll probably know more ECB ppl by then] So since she can't come, and south Thailand is flooding, I am taking her place in the flight to Bangkok on 3rd Jan,instead of the original plan to get back before NewYear's. Which is good. Yay! *happy happy joy joy* [haha,picked that up from Eirene, who, btw sarah, I think I saw at Acts' Christmas play on Sunday but wasn't sure]. Can't wait to put all our pics in here!hehehe. Blessed Christmas and New Year, y'all. I have lots to fix and start and restart this 2006. It's gonna be a great year. *breathe*

This, my friends, is my one and only lecturer Max Petersen. He's Danish. He plays/played saxophone,clarinet,keyboards, and who knows what else. He teaches Audio Engineering. He has an electronic music album thingie "Phithorsn - Airflow".http://www.subliminaltapeclub.com/music/artist/Phithorsn. He's part of a electronic music duo called Simplex.http://www.subliminaltapeclub.com/music/artist/Simplex. He used to be in a band Fairytale Abuse. Which is really still a piece of info that bewilders me coz....coz....well...he's so...NOT death metal-ly! I still find it hard to picture..haha..but yeah. He's cool. I'm glad to be under his instruction. Once, a bunch of us in the class were just talking and we all agreed that we really ARE in good hands with Max. While watching Simplex play at the Fat Festival, Noah and I were like "We are sooo lucky, we have this dude as a TEACHER, all these fans of his are just fans, we're his STUDENTs, man"...and it's true. As soon as Max got onstage, the whole room filled up and was packed. He's known. I'm so proud. *chuckle* Whoa. Some major promotion going on here,eh? Lol.. Ok, moving on. [If the pictures load obediently, that is]

Ah. This is Simplex. As you can see, the poser on the right, is Nannue, the other half. He's Thai. He's also a lecturer here, but he teaches Electronic Music Production. Oh yeah, he also...*ahem* ..is/was a model. hehehehe. I'm not sure whether he still is, but that's what I heard. He's...an interesting person. Hahaha.







OK, so let's see some of the classmates, yeah? I know y'all been waiting on this...akehakahekehkeahek...'specially the foursome. Here goes.













Fahmi's Malaysian, yes. But he was an exchange student in Mexico once, so he can speak Spanish, which is pretty cool, if u ask me.














Captain Nayos has been named so because of his party habits, to put it plainly. hehe. He drums but I haven't heard him, yet.














Mario's American. He plays guitar TOO WELL. :) Oh, and he cooks. Guys who cook always get an extra two points from me. Lol.

Eddie is British. He's good at the practical stuff in class.

Shemaiah's also American. He seems to be Uhu-glued to his phone, like us KL kids. :p

Khyle is...... well,he's just...Khyle. I lack the appropriate adjectives right now.

Ed is Dutch. He has a lot to say. 'Nuff said? :D Sahan is SriLankan. Micah is Singaporean-Philipino. He teaches Sunday school :)

Noah is British-Thai. He plays jazz piano that would make Arielle's eyes visible. Lol. [no offence,doll..*muak*]

So

this is pretty much most of the class. The other two who ponteng, too bad lah. And my other pics aren't loading. Either my blogging skills are still crap, OR [as I'd like to believe], blogspot sucks. haha. Tell me the latter is true.

SO (what's it gonna be?)

[2 OCT 2001]

So, what's it gonna be this time

Did your dog just die, or the clock didn't chime

Or is it that you just ran out of time?

So, you're just another painted face

with an extra copy of it - just in case

You're going through that partial living dead phase

I'm sick and tired of waiting for you

I'm ready to throw my hands up

Look at you and say I give up

[chorus]

So, is this how it's ending?

Yeah, I need you to be leaving

Don't look at me and say you're sorry

I don't want no apology, no

Will you ever learn to keep things real

Or will you stay in elementary and never sit still?

Are you aware there's so much more?

When you give another lame excuse

You just prove my point and there's nothing left to say

After all this ___ did you really think I'd stay?

[Bridge]

No more hoping, no more trying

The sun'll shine, tomorrow's comin'

No more waiting, no more crying

Open window, burst of light shine through.

The Lady herself, with Susan and Paul whom I stay with. She gave me a book after I sang the song to her. It has her face on the cover and is in Thai so I dunno what I'm supposed to do with it. haha.

The scary bunch I had to sing to. Aren't they so uncle-auntie.

And this is Shemaiah, my classmate, who came to help with the sound system, only to discover that it was crappy. Ah well.

The president of Aglow, Susan, and I. She's the best.

Yes we will remember you, Charles. Always.

Being Malaysian

The great thing about being Malaysian is that you can speak Malaysian English and most English-speaking people from other countries [except Singapore] are not gonna understand half the things you say. Unfortunately, the downside about being Malaysian is sadly the same reason. A lot of Malaysians use Malaysian English [Malenglish] so much that they forget real English. Either that, or they've got Malenglish so embedded in them that they don't accept proper English as....well..proper. So why am I bringing this up? hehe. Selfish reasons, really. Coz' I think I've been "FOUND" by either Max or Nannue [for more information, refer to Nov 7th below] so I quickly scanned through all the posts to make sure I've never said anything too harsh about them. *chuckle* Well, I guess I shouldn't really care too much since it IS, after all, JONI's blog, eh? Eh. Also, it's full of Malenglish, I noticed. So prepare to think , "HUH??". *grin* But all the same, WELCOME to the jonified blog. Comments welcome at all times. *handshake*
Welcome to my abode. It needs filling up and if you can do that, then by all means, go ahead. Hehe. Actually, for the first time, the walls are bare, did you notice? I haven't lived in a bare wall-ed room for a loOong time. I shall have to find time to "fix" these empty white spaces. Real soon,too.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Lysander was really good. But then, maybe I'm biased since I know him. eakhekaehkea. I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Meet Derek Porter [darn it,where's the camera when you need it!]. 16, American, dancer, actor, singer. And today he was, yes, Lysander of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream in his high school play. Gosh, if ever I complained about how Malaysian schools suck, I didn't do justice. To say they "suck", is so insufficient and mild, when compared to many schools outside the Malaysian government. Remember how we had "Kelab Drama", which we never watched EVER in the year? And what about "Kelab Musik"? Anyone ever heard a note from them? And let's not even go into the halls we used to cram our icky two-layered turqoise uniformed bodies in to hear some Doraemon-lookalike supervisor yak about the fundamentals of who-knows-what and Raymond-will-you-PLEASE-sit-down-and-shut-up-right-now? Oh,the memories. Haha. But *snaps back to reality* yeah, no wonder they had to FORCE us to join the clubs and extracurricular activities. Because they SUCKED, and no one was interested, not even the nerds who joined, I'm pretty sure [Bet they joined just to please the teachers, or their parents, or just for the good grade. hyek.] Even the TEACHERS weren't all to excited about being in charge, except maybe the supervisor in the Kelab Bola Sepak [football/soccer club, to those who need translation] who had watched too much World Cup that month. Pah. If we had more resources and were given better chances and opportunities, I'm sure our schools would produce brighter and happier kids. *pauses to re-think* Well, at least to SOME degree, I think. Think about it. I personally love music, but I was rarely compelled to join any such music club in school. Why? Well, okay okay, the others in the picture looked super nerdy, but that's not the entire reason! There's never any promotion, there's never any show put up, there's just never ANYTHING! If those already IN the clubs at least PROMOTED [fliers/announcements/miniconcerts/yadadoo] what they had, surely those interested in that particular field would take notice more and be more likely to find out what was going on. But I assume the clubs never HAD anything to promote anyway. Either A. they were too small a group, B. they had a boring president, C. they didn't have money and were too stupid to think up fund raisers, D. weren't allowed by the teacher-in-charge to proceed with new ideas OR, E. All of the above. Going to that play today made me realize how much we miss out on in the public schools in Malaysia. There's so much more to learn than just sums and which-fruit-fell-on-whose-head-and-so-he-named-the-state-so. Not all of us are meant to end up as teachers or accountants or mathematicians. Wasn't that the whole purpose of extracurricular activities in the first place? So the rest of us who feel lost in class can excel elsewhere and have a chance to explore other career options/hobbies? To hone talents that are lurking around waiting for opportunities or newfound skills that need refining? Why do you think so many foreign artists are so young? Yes, of course some may be dropouts who got miraculously spotted and signed, but there are those who started in school. The ones who had teachers backing them up. Encouraging them. The ones who went to competitions and fellow schoolmates were there to support and announce their victory back in school and celebrate. The ones whose faces were out there so much more, so their skill or talent was noticed somewhere along the road and they were given bigger chances eventually. Maybe THAT's why so many "second world" countries are seemingly stuck in their own little holes - because they refuse to let the younger generation in and are so caught up with cracked highway repairs. [But that's of course another story altogether]. ANYWAY, back to Lysander, the lover boy. Yeah, the performance they put up was so impressive, I'm proud of you Derek!!! I can't imagine me memorizing all those lines so perfectly! And they were convincing, too. No silly giggle-giggle-oh-i-forgot-my-lines-giggle. They had scenes which weren't meant to raise eyebrows yet in the back of my mind I was thinking "Yeah RIGHT Malaysian teachers would let any of US do any such scene without "censoring". It's ridiculous. Can't they see that the more they restrain you from doing something, the MORE you'll wanna try it just to rebel?? It's .....wait, sorry. FOCUS. Mm. Basically, the play was excellent. I give them an A+. *clapclapclap* Their hall was a real HALL with sloping seats and a stage that WASN'T falling to pieces and a sound room behind on the upper floor.We shall not describe OUR halls in our schools. Oh oH! And Isaac, played the little Indian boy!! He's a darling. [Isaac is Derek's 9yr old brother]. Pah.My pics refuse to load! I give up. I'll try to get pics of the play from Derek soon.

And the pressure's on!

I was asked to sing at this event where Lady Khun Ying Jaruwan is going to speak. She's some Thai politician who was fired coz she's a Christian. Hm. And of all songs, Mariah Carey's Hero was requested. I mean, nobody pulls off a Mariah Carey as well as only she can. Sheesh. So I gotta practice giler. And change the vocal techniques here and there so I can actually fake it. Plus, I gotta this terrible outfit. Long skirt [which restrains walking space], freaking high heels [which restrains normal walking and makes me nervous that I'm going to fall coz they're new], and Chinese blouse [which makes me feel Auntie], and hair's gonna be up in bun with chopstick [which makes me nervous that that too will fall]. AIYOHHHHhhhhhhh. The alternative would be to find a matching pair of pants and scarf for that new top Susan got me. Which I shall frantically do soon. Either way, I need to be formal. Ok now, on to the main reason why I'm so gafferlunking about the outfit. Coz I'm supposed to get a classmate to help with the miking and video stuff. And obviously I don't want them seeing me look like an Auntie, righhtttt? Right. So like dat lor. hehe.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few days ago these two guys peeked their heads out of a bar outside my house, while I was hailing a cab under the rain. Chubby European middle aged dorks. "Hey, come on inside and have a drink with us..We like you...It's raining anyway, and you're getting wet and it's dry in here...just come on in...but we like you!". *groan* With slight regret, I have to say I was kinda rude to them. I mean, I was nicely dressed up and getting wet, the cab was taking forever, and I was just NOT in the mood to be polite! Anyway, it's irritating when this happens. So they got the response they deserved. I think. arghhh...
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Churchy holyschmoly people should just get real. They piss me off majorly. I'm just too lazy to explain what happened. But seriously, they need to just buzz off.
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Oh, this fan is in this living room. I think it's darn freaky. Look at the holes. They're huge and totally not child-proof! I'm so scared it's gonna get my fingers or hair one day!! *shiver*

Bras and Bars

Thai females have no boobs. Can you tell where this complaint is headed? Haha.. Yup, bras. Their general lack of upper assets causes the market to stock up on pillowed brassieres. Which is really frustrating for people like, me. I mean, even if you want those ridiculous pillows shoved in your bra, at least make them REMOVABLE for the rest of the world. *grunt* EVERY single one I picked up during my shopping spree had a horrid cushion in it. Pah. Reese's choc bars are good. Period. lol. Randomness of Joni. Actually, my mind's pretty blank right now. Bjork's playing in my ears right now, so maybe that explains it. Aehkaehkeahkae..Love.

Girly Wirly Badaboom Weekend.

Fun. As most know, I have long weekends which start Fridays. This particular one started extra early,Thursday night after school, and has been packed [with seemingly a LOT of shopping,strangely]. Now I'm the total opposite from the day before the quiz. SOMEONE PUT ME TO SLEEP,please! See, after class on Thursday night, a bunch of us went to check out this jazz band which turned out to be VERY good. So we stayed till they closed! The lead female singer could play bongos so well!! *jealousness* Then we sent a friend home, and one tayar kena nail. So had to change tires and waste precious beauty sleep there. Friday afternoon I went shopping as soon as I woke up. Checked out an area that's well known for shoppery, but it was outdoors and too hot so ended up in a mini mall. Pet, I got three "basics" for RM10! Ok, sorry, ya then, Susan calls me and asks me to go to a mall with her later that evening, to shop for a nice something that I can wear for the KhunYing event [more on this later]. At first she wanted to find a SUIT. Then we tried this lovely brown/gold top that Pet would probably kill me for. And it was more suitable she thought, then bought. *big grin* Like I said, I'm so blessed a.k.a. spoilt. Yep. Anyway, after that I went out to meet some friends coz' it was my classmate Khyle's 19th birthday. It was hilarious, really. We all went crazy. haha. More details in inlay. Or not. So that was Thursday&Friday. Saturday, I go "Christmas" shopping when I wake up.And shop indeed I did. But nothing Christmassy, I realize now. *searches for camera to take pics of purchases* *fails*. Sigh. Anyway, the foursome would be proud of me if they'd been there. I made decisions so much quicker! haha. Spent way too much, but I'm happy still. *satisfied grin* It's hard to find perfect sizes for me,kayyy. Then I got home, played dress up for a while, then Mario says we're going to Saxophone. Which is another place where the live bands are good, he's been saying. So Saxophone turns out to be alright. It made me wish Darren was here to "show 'em". Coz the drummer was boring.com. Thai lead singer was real good, though. She looked and sounded like black singer from where we were on the second floor looking down into her Afro. *chuckle* But it was good lah. I met two girls!!! Mario's friends. SO NICE TO TALK TO THEM about lil girly nonsense. Like the cockroach hunt they'd had at home just before getting there to meet us. And we both said at the same time "The FLYING ones are the worst". AHAHhhhaaa. Girls are fun. ny. This night was very relaxed, very slamba, just lepaking together-gether. I declare it was swell. [yes, I seem to be feeling the Christmas spirit these weeks]. Today is Sunday [they don't put the day of these posts,mah]. Decided to visit a Thai church nearby instead. Just for fun since I pass by it pretty often.The service was so long. Max and Nannue [both lecturers at SAE, and both combined together, named themselves SIMPLEX and make electronic music] played live electronic at the Fat Festival today. No I don't know why it's "Fat". It was great, but the setting of the area could have been wayyyy better. The whole concert/festival was pretty weird and split up, it seemed. *shrug* But Simplex did a good job. *clap clap* I think I'm gonna learn how to appreciate trance/house/drum&bass wayyy more these few months. Just a random comment. So yes, after all those dayshoppingsprees and night outs, you see why the blotches/crates on my face are present, and why the bags are being discovered [Yar,Sarah, turns out I DO get bags after all. sighhh] And that pretty much sums up my weekend. Sorta. *grin* How was YOURS?

Miracles and randomage by color.

It really amazes me everytime. I mean, I know I wasn't prepared for the quiz today. But somehow I made it. And for the first semester exam, I made it too. I even got third in class, kicking some guys' butts. It's shocking, I dunno how I managed it. But I'm grateful. Today is Raya, as Fahmi [the malay dude in class] told me. How did one month of fasting go so fast?? I thought he just started fasting last two weeks?? Anyway, so halfway in class, I just blurted out ,"By the way, today is Fahmi's Christmas, guys, so everybody say Se-la-mat Ha-ri Ra-ya to him." To my surprise, ALL the guys obediently turned to Fahmi and followed after me with the Selamat Hari Raya. It was cute beyond cute. I was so tickled by it. *chuckle* My Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants dvd not workinggggg *whine*. I thought caffeine doesn't work on me. Today it proved itself to be what they say it can be. Coz I thought I wasn't gonna make it through class after the late study night I had. So I attempted caffeine. An OVERDOSE of caffeine, since it kononnya doesn't work on me,right? Wrong. Apparently, a little coffee doesn't affect Joni, but if you add 2 spoons more to a 3-in-1, she gets ultra fidgety/hyper/shaky/excited/gila/giggly/jittery. And so I was. It was crazy; Mario asked what drug I took,okay. *chuckle* The hyperness is worn off now, although I'm still awake. Actually, I kinda like some of Charlotte Church's new songs. She's totally changed image AND genre. I thought I'd hate it, even though I've been expecting it to happen sooner or later. But strangely, her pop is hooking on me. Hm. And I wanna sing more and more these days. Joss Stone lah! I wanna sing like her. Which makes me sing along with her songs and repeat them until I can follow properly. Which makes me realize I didn't finish my vocal class properly and then I wish I can. And I've been performing on a few occasions at different meetings, including a different district, Pattaya, and not been satisfied with them. Someone recently told me I'm a perfectionist in certain areas. The topic at that time was my singing. I won't sing onstage randomly unless I KNOW for sure I'm capable of a 100% good job. And that if I could only give 98%, I wouldn't do it. And that if I overcame that hurdle, it would hard to get me offstage after that. And I realized that this is so true. I DO refuse to go onstage unless I'm sure I will do good. And I also realize that you'll have to drag me off once I'm on a roll. I'm not used to performing, but I really DO love to sing. But really, can you imagine me onstage performing for real? Seriously? Hm.

Chiller.

This is my hangout corner in my room. It's very comfortable. You'll love it too, really. This is where thoughts pour out, ideas flow, backs rest, emotions run free, creativity oozes, minds take ease. And the orange lights are the best. I love orange lights.

Faking It.

[19th Sept 2004]

I'm losing a litle bit more each day

All I hold close to me seems to slipping away

I'm looking for clarity

Would someone please be real

Do you really know me?

I only wanna hear sincerity

[Chorus]

Don't ask me how I am

If you don't really wanna know the answer, or don't really care

Wipe away that look from your face

Coz' I don't need your symphathy

Reeking with pretense

Stop faking it

Go cite your poetry somewhere else

I'd rather not have been high at all

Then have you smash me down [down]

Can't tell where the truth ends and where the lies begin

Why say what you don't feel?

Would someone please be real

[Bridge]

Pounding reverberations resound through my head

[and my veins through my skin]

Wishing you would take back everything that you said

Michael Buble It's Time concert...

...was awesome. I don't care that my classmates laugh at me for liking him, he's good and just proved it even more. He can sing LIVE. I mean, it was like listening to the CD....no, better! His character is funny,normal,very human,easy-going,fun. Not a stuffed up long-sleeved shirt who thinks he's all that. He fell down attempting to slide across the floor! Awwww..but he was cool about it. He also did Maroon5 and MJ to spice things up a lil. ehhahehha.. all round, he did justice to my 1000baht. *grin*

In terms of sevens

Sarah,can't believe you tagged me!

Seven things I wanna do before I die:
1. Nashville, Dead Sea, Scandinavia
2. Produce a really good album
3. Direct a full stage show.
4. MARRY. akakakakaka..
5. Train to sing&dance at the same time without losing breath.
6. Watch Beyonce Live.
7. Design and make a line of clothing for me and me to wear.

Seven things I could do now:
1. Exercise
2. Get someone to pick me up and take me out
3. Look for a dance school and enroll.
4. Write 5 songs to make up for the lack this year.
5. Buy my tickets to M'sia.
6. Enter Thai talent competition where people said I would "CONFIRM" win.
7. Kiss him. haha..

Seven celebrity crushes:
1. Chad Michael Murray
2. Josh Hartnett
3. Adam Brody [good grief,Pet, Sarah, we need new celebrities!akkakaa]
4. Matt Thiessen
5. Beyonce
6. Michael Buble
7. Nick Teh. aekhekahekhekhaekeahk

Seven often repeated words/phrases/sounds:
1. What?
2. Riiiiighhhhtt
3. Seriously
4. akakakakka
5. Shush u
6. huh?
7. Oh darn it.

Seven physical traits I look for in the opposite sex:
1. smile
2. hands
3. jawbone
4. hair.pls don't load it with gunk.
5. eyes
6. cleanliness.
7. strength. *chuckle*

Seven people to tag:
1. Rishaad
2. Chernie
3. Titus
4. DD
5. Pet,have u done it?
6. V-lyn
7. Bernice

Randomness.

He's really sweet. But I only see the best after he downs a few. I wanna see more. It's intriguing.
It's a tough decision to be JONI here.Coz I can't be my normal crazy self. No one would get it or they'd misunderstand or they'd just plain freak out. I mean, if Tasha were to really show herself, goodness knows what their reactions would be. *think* hm. Maybe I shall find out soon enough. Lol. It was amazing tonight. She really believes I have BIG things coming up for me. And she's willing to support me. I'm in awe of it all. The Big Boss Upstairs really knows my heart. It's comforting, to say the least. Thanks.

Closet Bone

Closet Bone.
Trapped inside a cage, though it's invisible

Don't know who's up on you, really close

Kinda in the room , but not quite there

Call up Johnny Brown 'coz he's seemingly fine

And now you're crying

You're not really sure exactly why

But you've been trying

To get your life back again

Dying to keep what's left of you

You know you're better off without

more of Johnny in your mind

Told you that he'd treat you just right

That he'd take away your fears and kiss you goodnight

Called him everytime you felt the world on your back

But Johnny cannot be your life-source

No, he shouldn't be walkin' in your head

'Coz he is causing you to fade and..

Cry, you're not really sure exactly why

But try, to get your life back again

Dying to keep what's left of you

You know you're better off without

More of Johnny in your mind

He might seem relieving,sort of fly,

Convincingly amazing, satisfying

But reality says he is..

Deluding, deceiving, all in all an excavator

Bottom line's you need to leave him

Or let him silently kill you whole

You'll find the strength to live without

Johnny's con-elysium.

Hmm.

Jonified took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "Strives for a life rich in activity and experience..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

Happiness.

Caught Somewhere Nowhere

[9th August 2002]

Groping about in what seems like the darkest night
Telling myself I don’t wanna lose this fight
So many voices in my head
Oh God, which one belongs to You?

This is me on my knees
Beneath these tangles I know I need more of You
And I trust that You’ll rescue me
And show me who I am inside

Take my hand, lead me from this place
I’m trapped in me and I can’t get out
God, am I the first to feel this way?
I’m searching me, clinging to You
Coz’ I feel seventy worlds away
[So I’m] hanging on every word You say

This is me on my knees
Beneath these tangles I know I need more of You
Here I am, make me whole again
Saturate all my soul
In Your name I trust

I’m lost in me
So I’m calling Thee
I’m clearly unclear
So I’m calling You near
Lord, You said, ‘Come to Me, and I will come to thee,
Believe in Me, I’ll set you free
When you’re unclear, let Me draw you near
Because I love you, I love you, I love you’

So this is me on my knees
Beneath these tangles I know I need more of You
Here I am, make me whole again
Saturate all my soul, in Your name I trust
And I believe that You’ll rescue me
And show me who I am inside.

CAN YOU HEAR?
[4th January 2003]

I don’t wanna know how it’s gonna be tomorrow
But it feels like the rain is gonna pour
I could use a lil’ time to get the thoughts in my head straight
But I think it’s just a lil’ too late, a lil’ too late

Stop the world, I think I wanna get off here
I fear I won’t be able to pick myself up
When I’m pushed and struck down
I don’t wanna be left here to stand on my own
Didn’t think I was ready. Am I ready?
To face the world and those eyes that scare me
Can you hear..my cry?
Do you know what I’m feeling inside?
Could you try to understand why my pain is so real
Why my mind’s so unstill
Can you hear?

Tell me I will survive this thing
Let me know that somehow you’ll always be near
Insanity’s just a few hours away
But tell me I, tell me I won’t be going that way

Snippets.

I keep telling Seth he has a great voice. He keeps refusing to believe. His voice will go perfectly with songs like Adam Sandler's or Howie Day or Marty Sampson. But will he listen when I say he can sing? I'm crossing fingers and hoping one day his lightbulb will be turned on. :) My family's moving back to Malaysia next month. Coz' my siblings' education needs to be dealt with. I don't know how long they'll be there. I don't even know where they're planning to stay yet. But they are moving, for sure. Hm. Michael Buble's concert is on the 14th of October. I can't wait!! I wish I could have gone for STOMP too, though. Didn't even know they were in Malaysia. But nevermind, Buble first. hehe.

Amen,Pet.

I'm repeating part of Pet's blogpost. It applies to me too. I realized I socialize much easier when I'm alone. Or with Pet. I dunno why, but it just is. For some strange reason, I feel uncomfortable making new friends when I have friends around. Even if it's just one other person. Weird.
Seth leaves for Chiang Rai this Sunday for a month. I'm guessing I'm gonna be lonely. Hope this will be my chance to break out and be friendlier to the youth at church. Haven't exactly been attempting to get to know any of them.*guilty look* okay okay, I'll try. I get the feeling I'm not gonna fit in too well, but at least give it a shot, right? Right. So I will. and we'll see what happens. Oh, Sarah, btw, Richesse yoghurt with prune is lovely. Really. kahekhekahekheakehakea. Go try it.

There. I did it. Polite applause please.

I got 80% on both tests. *jigs around in peejays* I was so nervous about today's test on computers, my hands were literally shaking. But all's well. We moved on to "Decibels". Not much happened apart from that today. Oh, I decided I neededa reward for my first college test scores. Yes, yes, I can hear y'all laughing, and yes they were just minor tests, but HEY, it's hard for me,okayyyy...*pout* The pressure of being the only girl in class. Think about that-seriously. And not to mention, the tiniest. Arielle Arielle, wherefore are thou when I needeth thee? *cliche not intended* Oh, I got to chat with Ronnie! hehehe, finally la! Ronnie rocks more than ladies' smocks. I like this picture better now, Seth. *grin*

the going on's

Going on #1. We started Audio Editing today. Finally some practical work. It looks manageable, but I get the feeling it's gonna be tougher than we all think. Max said that too. I have 4 different assignments. The program looks fun. I just wish I had a computer at home to work on stuff at my own time, not only at school. Ah well. They'll just have to bear my face in there a whole lot,then. haha.

Going on #2. Third week of class,right? And Mr."Gum" [refer below:Sept 4th] asks me out today. Sadly, I had to say no. *pause for polite reverent silence* *un-pause* *snort chortle chuckle* I'll try to feel sad. I mean, the guy totally blew it for himself, but I think he'll only realize it tomorrow or something. But then again, people can be so unpredictable nowadays. I thought I'd made it clear I had no intention to kamcheng kamcheng, but apparently not. It's a weird world. Why is it that some guys are so clueless about the OBVIOUS rejection hints given and others are totally clueless about the OBVIOUS i-like-u hints?

Umbrella-man and headphones

I was just walking home after class. It was raining. He just came under the umbrella while we walked across the road and asked if I minded. I didn't really, but...I dunno. I mean, he was like, what, almost 40?? So then he asks where I'm headed and yada yada yada. What I study, why my English is so good, how old are you and do you know Texas University? I was wary of it all, giving just short answers and walking briskly. Anyway, in the end when I'd reached my destination, he asked me to dinner. yup. Dinner. I could've gagged right there. Then when I said no, he's like Why? "Coz I don't do that kinda stuff". But it's just dinner. I promise, just dinner. EEWW. Do you realize what that meant?? I mean, remember what my street is, and put two and two together and the response is EEW. Double EEW. Ah well, it was an experience. haha.
I almost had enough to get the digital camera. I was THAT close to owning one. Then Max says we need personal headphones. That should cost about RM600-800. Awesome. So today was spent hunting for headphones, passing by all these camera shops, internally and majorly sulking. So I gotta start all over again with saving for that camera. The drama queen in me wants to eat Reese's to my heart's content and scream WHYYYYyyyyyy????!!!! Here comes that I-wanna-be-rich thing again. sigh. I will survive. Because apart from that, it's all been good. Real good. College is tough but bearable. Life in general is going smoothly without too many rocks.

Lambda=speed of sound/frequency

Confusion galore. Most times in class so far, I've been clueless. Not entirely nice feeling but I'm surviving. Homeschooling got me accustomed to reading the work myself and taking time to grasp things. Thankfully, Max [my lecturer], understands and is very helpful. He's cool. The nationalities in the class are amazing. British, German, Mongolian, Dutch, Malaysian, Thai, Irish, American,Sri Lanka and the mixed up ones like me. It's fun. And we're a terribly curious bunch too. We keep interrupting Max and asking a gazillion questions.haha. Anyway, classes and lessons have been a lil tough, but I'm determined to do my best. *crossed fingers and toes* Oh, and NO, I'm not the youngest in the class *phew*.
Apart from school,.... um,well. This IS after all MY blog and I shouldn't care who else reads this...right?Right. [trying to convince myself here..hahahehhaehea] So, yeah. I guess Joni is tryingto loosen up a lil in a specific area she's tried to neglect for years. Translation? I'm sorta going out with someone....yeah. And I hear the gasps from Malaysia loud and clear. Well, as you all know, I'm totally blur and absolutely stupid about the whole thing. But I'll learn. Eventually. But on the other side, I am having lots of fun. Confusion aside, of course.haha. I've learnt quite a few things already, including things that..um..can't be....published..here......yeah. [ Again, I can see eyebrows raised from all the way here..aekahekeahekaheka] Ah well. I still have a looooonng way to go. I'll have to learn 'em all one step at a time. Or two. lol. I'm absolutely scared but I'm trying hard to grasp the entire thing. At some points, the confusion makes me wish I'd learnt earlier. But the wheel still turns and I just go on ahead. Looking back too often hurts the neck,don't it? Ah well. I've had a BLAST and I hope to goodness it stays this way.*looks up* Pretty please?

And so it begins.

"Gum?" said the kid next to me who seems to think he's all that. I'd just plonked myself on the nearest seat after arriving LATE to the orientation. Why is that,you ask? Coz the lecturer had told me to come at 6.30pm but apparently they changed the time without letting me know and at 2.45pm while I'm out SHOPPING with Veronica, I get a "where-are-you-we've-started-at-2.30" call. NOT funny. What a first impression I must have made.And in my slippers too! ahhahahahaha. ah well. Life goes on and the first day of class commenced yesterday. It was alright. Still pretty much an introduction to what's ahead. I have a drum recording project in November, so I plan to ship Darren in to help.hehe. Don't wanna use the two Thai classmates who claim they play drums, until they prove themselves worthy. eek. Am I being mean? 'Course I am. Anyway, class times have been changed to 5.30-9pm,Mondays-Thursdays. Which is...okay, I guess. I mean, at least my Fridays are free.For now. I miss my girlfriends.Real BAD. I wanna wave my wandand make them appear here. I wanna show my classmates how hot my bestfriends are. Just coz. I wanna be able to turn three times 'round, snap my fingers and sing laliloo and see that they're right there standing and laughing with me on the skytrain on our way to one of the zillion malls. I wanna be rich and ship them all here to stay with me for a month. *huge sigh* eeheheh..I miss Rishaad too. and Ronnie. *hug*

Three moves in one month!

Yup. I moved to the red light district. It's my fifth day here. The room is enormous, attached bathroom with bathtub and heater.Air-conditioned. TV. Sofa sets. Lovely orange lights all over the room. I am so blessed a.k.a. spoilt. I love it. I went to ECB [Evangelical Church of Bangkok] last Sunday. It's an English service with people from all over the world. Worship was....a lil strange. But maybe I came on a bad week.hehe. [Trying to be optimistic here] I also went to YWAM's youth service with my friend Seth. oh right. Seth. Cambodian, 21, involved with YWAM, guitarist, bassist, singer [and great one,too], can play keyboards, is pretty amusing, and allround nice guy. Generally. ehheaehehe. Yep. Aren't I being a darling, Seth? 2points for me,yes? *grin* Anyway, life in Sukhumvit Soi 4 so far is good. It's kinda funny coz when I look out my window each night, I see the word SIN on a huge lit signage.It's a club or pub or something. And the whole street is full of them..and worse things. AH WELL. Orientation is on the 5th of Sept. I'm excited but anxiety has settled in too. I guess it's only now hitting me. Been filling my remaining free days with activities and going 'round Bangkok. PET,SARAH,ARIELLE, you HAAAVVVVVE to come QUICKKKK!!! I'm serious.SERIOUS gila.

*bump*

And she arrived in Bangkok, city of smells, buses, underground trains, overground trains, motorbike taxis, and glorious heat. This is gonna be long - brace yerself. Mere hours before I left Chiang Rai, I'm told that the room I was supposed to stay in was given to someone else, reason being they thought I was coming the week before and when I didn't, they figured I wasn't coming at all. So they offer me another room, but it's on the third floor a.k.a. rooftop. The rooms are glass-doored, glass-windowed, and almost 40degrees celsius midday. No air-condition. It's so not funny. But I've survived today, the first official day alone in Bangkok. My room's a good size, if anything. And I spent the entire day in this room [and watched the thermometer go up,too] cleaning up, and taking out my stuff and rearranging the cupboards and shelves and keyboard ,etc. It was fun, though, despite the heat. I try to forget the fact that the bathroom is on the first floor. And everytime I forget something on the way up, I have to go down and up AGAIN. At least there's a kitchen with all the things you need, like a fridge and toaster. hehe. [for the blur, I didn't have a fridge or anything in USJ] ANYWAY, overall, the change is bearable. I do see some privileges of living in this big building. The people who live here are nice to me, very friendly, very family. I have yet to meet the Sunday service congregation and the band that plays. I got a glimpse of the drummer,though- he had Guy Sebastian hair..haha. It's gonna an interesting Sunday, I predict. I'm excited about college. I have absolutely no clue what to expect but nevertheless, I'll take the ride, thank you. Oh, there's a chance that I may have a room available to me which is 15mins walking distance from college! Minor issue : red light district. But nothing's confirmed, it's just talk right now. We'll see. But think now, wouldn't it be DARN interesting if I were to move there. *chuckle*
DO write when you can. Here's to life in Bangkok. *clink*

Hot Rock,Cheek-to-Cheek,and Dusty.

Hot Rock Cafe. Warm ambience, excellent lighting,stage set up and ready,sound system tiptop. Darren, my brother, has played as a band at this cafe once with a couple of friends and he said it was a nice place. Hence the visit. First mistake: left my keyboard in the car. Second mistake : brought mom. Coz' my family knows the people who run the cafe, who are [by the way] Philipino graduates who've come to start a ministry with uni students. Which also means they're young and excited people. Bringing mom meant that she'd catch up with them after introducing me and then later tell them to get me to sing onstage. And "get me" they did. The keyboard was carried out, set up and MIKED up too before I had even agreed to sing!Next thing I knew, I was being introduced onstage to the lil bunch of Thais and mat sallehs who were cafe-ing there. I sang a OneTreeHill song first, then one of my own songs "Touched". They wanted me to go on but I just "couldn't think what to sing" [heehee], so one of the girls took out a songbook they have and together [I felt better with the company] we sang a few more songs like Emotion, Someday We'll Know, Kiss Me, and so forth. It was fun,really. We intro-ed ourselves as TheBandWhoHasJustMetAndWe'llSeeWhatHappens. And the audience was enjoying themselves too, it seemed. Anyway, we ended our roll, were applauded, and sat back to chat a while more. Mom gets up to pay the bill, and discovers that one of the white guys who was watching us sing and had left after we got offstage, had paid our bill!! *stunned* See, THIS is what I call a proper and easy-to-accept Thank You. *chuckle* But seriously, call me ja-kun but I thought it was quite interesting, lor. Oops,proper English, Joni, proper English. Lol. So anyway, before the trip to Hot Rock, we'd been invited by another cafe-owning friend to lunch. And we usually sing a little at his cafe coz he likes jazzy stuff and all. His cafe is named appropriately Cheek-to-Cheek.It really is cozy inside,and he's a pro-photographer so there're loads of pictures mounted all around [found my face stuck up there too from the last visit I paid!]. It's also a nice homey place. And before that, [going backwards through the day for some reason], we'd gone to this American couple's house. Warren is a professional ventriloquist. I mean, he's SERIOUSLY GOOD. And his puppet,Dusty, is like, one of the best in the production line/world. He was telling us some stories of shows he's done and I'm just sitting there enthralled by Dusty coz the whole time he's telling us stories, Dusty's just sitting on his lap quietly blinking and looking around and he looks so darn real. Warren rocks. Too bad the weather here made Dusty's wooden mouth part swell and so he couldn't talk today. But even with him just sitting and looking around and answering yes/no questions, it was absolutely amazing. I stand in awe. *stands*. All this,however, brings me back to the miserable fact that I don't have a digital camera yet. I SOOoo want you all to see these things/places/food/people/creaturefeatures I'm seeing too! I'm a-gonna save up for a digital cam, I am I am I am. *determination*

Of new licences and thirteen males.

*a little dance* I am proud to say I got my motorbike licence today. wait. licenSe/licenCe? geez, my English and spelling is/are deteriorating by the day! Anyway, I did the test in the rain, which is why my nose leaks now. But alls well when Joni can legally wheel around. *think* Don't beg to differ.Please? hehe.
This pic brings smiles. Pringles,melting cups, and *ahem* the occasional "other" stuff. I need a CBK shot.
Ah yes. Did I mention that in my class of fourteen, I shall be the only female?

The Verdict.

Ok fine, so the place wasn't that bad. In fact, it was pretty interesting. And huge. And clean. And safe. And...arghhh. It had TWO pianos. I wish I hadn't wished to find a fault in it because we did. Remember the 40mins travelling info? As I predicted, wrong. Mom and I first walked out a 'lil to the main road, took a bus to the underground train [MRT, I think it's called], took the MRT to the station where it connects to the BTS [their version of LRT], then took the BTS to the nearest station to college. And no, it doesn't stop there. We still had to walk quite a bit before we actually got to school. All in all? An hour. This is apparently the fastest route. Or any other route would take just as long, except maybe if I drove myself/was driven to school OR rode the motorbike. Ah yes. Anyone heard of public motorbikes? Well, Bangkok is sufficient in this mode of transport which as I have seen, could very well be the fastest way to get around especially during rush hour. The prim and proper would never consider it, I suppose. But I'm not prim nor proper [akhekhekaheke *snort*] , and when we found ourselves in MoChit 1 instead of MoChit 2, and the jam could no way be described as even trudging, we took a motorbike. Both of us on one. The guy claimed it was okay. So there we were clinging on for dear life as he swerved through the cars and OH YEAH, rain, and puddles and muddles. An experience.
So bottom line is that I will probably stay at the church. The room I'll get is a nice size.I have a choice of air-conditioned or non. I will have a full kitchen to utilize. I will have a washing machine [praise be] . I will assume I will have the pianos to play at will :P The only fault, really, is the travelling to school everyday. I'll psycho myself into thinking it's a small matter. Life can't possibly be ALL fine and dandy now,can it?hehe..
I got me a denim skirt. FINALLY. It's almost perfect. I'm happy.*yawn* I need some rest now. *wave*

*crossed fingers*

"We'll just see the place first,okay?" said I earlier today. It was after lunch and my parents and I were talking with Ps.Suphot about my accomodation in Bangkok. There's a Korean pastor there who is willing to let me stay at his church.For free. The catch? I play keyboards/piano for his church service on Sundays. Do they have different teams that take turns to play?No. Which means, I'd play every week. Frankly, considering past experiences, I'm not too keen about this idea. Apparently, if I take a public bus [ugh,not again!] it would take about 40 mins to get to college. But that's coming from someone who doesn't take the bus and I shall assume the info slightly faulty. As in, exchange the 40mins to, say, an hour or so. Audio engineering has an unpredictable schedule. So I need to be ready in case I find myself in an unpredicted situation. I was full of what-ifs 'cause all this while I'd been hoping for a room where I don't need to be obligated to entertain whoever else is there. But staying for free at a church and being expected to play every Sunday sounds like just the beginning of a looong string of other obligations-to-come. sigh. And that's when the discussion became a 'lil heated. Which was when I ended up saying we'd just see the place first and try out the routes to get to college and THEN decide. And that's why tomorrow, I leave for Bangkok to go see this place. The evil, inconvenient, princess side of me is hoping to goodness that we'll find some sort of fault in the place. *guilt* *pushes guilt away* We'll see.
Oh, I'm supposed to be taking my motorbike license sometime soon. Hope it works out. *grin*

That's it??

Ok.I've just about done/seen/gone to/eaten everything you could possibly do/see/go to/eat in this town. And I've gotten bored. And it's gonna get to a dangerous level if I don't fix it soon. See, boredom leads to reminiscing, which means I'll start to get nostalgic, and ...yeah,you know. I like this pic for some reason. Ronnie rocks. I have no idea what we were doing, but it's a happyhappy random pic,eh? And it has essential memoric [??] details like the Starlight Cinema waterbottle. And the Hershey's choc sauce!!(it's there,look closely) lol... I do appreciate crazy fun friends like the ComeBackKings..cheh,promo for free,weii.. Oh ya, another thing about the pic. I miss my hair that way. I dyed it but as usual tak jadi. And the new cut is like Simba-meets-hair iron.Which is not good, in case you were wondering. But I'll be innovative 'til it grows out. I was dared to shave bald by two people. Was really considering it too, but then I thought of the trouble of growing it back again after I was through. That part isn't too appealing, so...sorry Jer&Rish..guess I won't do it after all...Oh no. I'm supposed to speak distinguished English in here, I forgot. Yeah, I'd planned to spell well, and type in good English in my blog, just for the fun of it. Besides, I figured I'd not done any of my required essays when I was homeschooling, so I probably suck at writing and this would be......good..training ground?*sheepish look* Anyway, I'll try to be proper-er. *blink* If that's possible. And hey, no one's yet told me if I can put a different section for other topics, and I'm really too illiterate to figure it out myself, so pleease help. *big eyed blink* [to those it will work on] and *genuine begging look* [ for those on whom the puppydog technique wouldn't work].

Justification!

"Floppies are ancient",they yell at me. Well, ppl, i got news for ya. Floppy drives in KEYBOARDs aren't. Data is put into floppies on lots of keyboards,okayyy...so gimme a break.
The crowd today was incredible. We had been invited to play for the last night of a combined church camp, where it was mostly Presbyterian,as I found out later. Apparently they were under the impression that our band was the best in the district of Chiang Rai. haha. We practiced all of 3hours, I think. But there we were, white tops black slacks, ready to storm the place up. The people,however, took me by surprise. You'd think Presbyterian=quieter. nuh uh. This bunch was LOUD. and active. It was fun, altogether. I haven't had that much fun playing in a band for a loooong time.
Other than that, the plan is to go to bangkok with dad or the whole family next week or the following. Just to get a place to stay, and settle those things first. I will come back up again I think, depending on what accomodation we find for me. If it's someone we sorta know through connections, then I'll go back to bangkok later, if it's some stranger house thingamie, then I'll probably need to move out earlier to figure my way around bangkok myself. My own plan to go there earlier to get myself acquainted with life there doesn't seem to materialize due to certain circumstances.sigh. ah well, we'll just have to wait and see what comes of all this. Seems pretty slowmoving, as is all of Chiang Rai. I have been a-shoppin'.haha. yep,joni.shopping. oh and for those who are not aware, joni hardly shops. oh but it's been good!hahaha..
I want to start like a different section on this blog thingie. Like, a place to talk about other stuff. how do i do that,pls?

My cousin Sheila and I on her holiday to Thailand. She left too soon, and with her went the digital camera...sighh. i need/want/crave a digital camera.

to complain?

Not even a week here and I've already been assigned three jobs. To teach piano "voluntarily" [translated free], to teach piano with pay, and to play for seminar in another town.whoa. But so far it sounds alright. I started today with a lady who plays keyboard sometimes for the thai service.And I realized..I've forgotten a lot of Thai vocab. What a horrid revelation. Anyway, I've also gotten myself a Thai line,so my phone is activated again.yay.It's a strange feeling right now,these few days..like I'm holidaying,and yet,not.Like I should be doing something,and yet I know not what. Hey, it's kinda fun talking like this. lol. But whatever it is, I'm sure I'm a-gonna have my fun while I'm here. I do declare. *with flare*

Wasted tears?

It was my fault,really. I should have known better than to just leave my precious disk in harm's way. Yeah, you know I compose songs, right? Well, I record some of my music into my keyboard which is then saved into a floppy. And I suppose somewhere during the travelling here, something hit and squished the metal part of that floppy with the most songs. I cried so hard when I saw it. You don't understand. This floppy had about 30 compositions in it, and some of the songs had required a lot of effort. I can't just re-record it when I want to. I think what made it worse, though, is the fact that this wasn't the first time I'd lost my music data. Last camp, somehow the disk I had been recording on then, got lost. I realized the fact only after we'd got back. Anyway, later in the evening, Kay came over [thai friend,for those who just went "who??"] and he said all was not lost. He fixed the problem easily. I could have just kissed him. aeheakeaakehkehkae...I always say you learn a new thing everyday. Well, today's lesson was almost too painful, and I'm grateful it ended in my favor. The Big Boss Upstairs was kind.

On a different tone, I've been hearing about the many things you can do in blogspot and I like what I hear. But so far, I'm still blog-illiterate. To those who read me, hang in there,yeah..I shall figure this out and make it happen.As soon as my schedule takes a stroll. You CAN, in the meantime, help by showing me the hows and suggesting the whats. I thank you in advance.lol..And what do you think about the box that shows you how many people have visited the site?any good?what are the cons?

3 days and a sleepless child

First we went to the thai-myanmar border. The attraction for me on the Myanmar side is basically the quality pirated discs. I mean, these people go through LENGTHS to get cds to look real! Leaflet,lyrics,cover and all. It's awesome. And all that work for the same price as what we get them for back home. You know, when I get something of m'sian piracy quality, it's no more than RM2, I kid you not. ANYWAY, amongst others, we've gone to the elephant farm [where the stench could replace ammonia anytime], and the Golden Triangle [whoopeedoo] , and oh,we visited the Palong LongNeck tribe. I didn't like that at all. It felt totally wrong and inconsiderate. What you do is you pay THB150, to see a bunch of people. How sick is this world getting. I felt awful when we got to the longnecked girls. It's plain.....i don't even know the word for it..you just DON'T pay to watch people!! I'm glad Matt feels the same way. Matthew John. What a relief to discover him. It made being in this small town just that bit better. Description, I hear you beg. Hahaha.. sorry,Matt, I have to :D I'll keep it simple. Realistic,bold,entertaining,charming. All very flattering,eh Matt. And to think I'd assumed my days in 'silly little Chiang Rai' would pass uneventfully. Oh, the joy on my face when I was told Veronica would be here too! Veronica. Thai-Italian,perky,sanguine-to-the-core. I met her a coupla years back and we had one BLAST of a month,didn't we? What with swimsuits flying off and the tanning planning. Lol.
So am I doing good? oh YEAH. I'm good.

I have arrived.

Natalie's 'Going Crazy' playing in the background has nothing to do with what I feel, but somehow its melody and tone is making me feel melancholic. I left my Malaysia 17th July and have just arrived in Chiang Rai, Thailand today at 1.30am. Travelling was madness, no wait, JONI's stuff was madness. I carried 6 bags. All the way,yup,SIX. And they weren't exactly lightweight or small. But anyway, here I am. I was in Bangkok earlier this afternoon, and that's when it finally hit me. I'm gonna live in this town alone for the next ten months. The thought was scary, for sure. I don't know anyone there. I don't know my way around. And in these scenarios, being female is dangerous. But then another part of me takes a deep breath and tells me I'll be fine. I mean, hey, I survived two years alone in Malaysia, right?Yeah, I knew a lotta ppl there to help if ever the need arose, but I had to learn a lot of routes and yada yada,right? So, yeah. I'll calm down and focus on the fact that I will be okay.

I laughed. a lot. The two of them were at it again, and as usual I was in stitches. There's something about Zac and Joash that I really appreciate. Maybe it's the way they click, no matter the tangles. They drag me back to Ladidaland so easily. So yeah, I did have loads of fun, even if at a mamak. Like I always say, in the end it's actually the company that's important to me. We could sit in the middle of a field for all I care. wow I haven't laughed like I did tonite in YONKS. It was so refreshing. Thanks again you two.

So here I am - blogging. Or at least I think I am. Haven't quite grasped the idea of it all. I suppose I shall journalize my life in Thailand when I'm there, because I do want to remember. As for now, I have approximately two days left here. I wanted to fill them up to the brim with memories. I love good memories. They are what I thrive on some days. *nostalgic smile*