Wearing Chucks, Not Making It To The Gym, and That 1% of Uncertainty

          Yesterday, I was so set on going to the gym after the morning exam, that I didn't even bother to wear my white uniform shoes and wore my Chucks to the exam like a boss. Yet I also intended to go to the bookstore, and since I decided to hit Kinokuniya first - under the condition of being book-deprived - I never made it to the gym.

         But truthfully, I had an important reason to go book shopping yesterday other than for myself. Earlier this week, a friend of mine who I don't get to see everyday had a birthday. I will be meeting her in a few hours for another very special occasion, which I'll probably elaborate on in another post. Anyways, when I usually struggle to decide what to buy my friends for their birthdays, uniquely with her, I have no trouble figuring out what to get as the perfect gift - a book. The only problem I had with buying a book for her was finding a meaningful one that I've read that she hasn't. To give you a picture of how difficult this was, consider the fact that in high school, we once took a course that gave us a list of 50 or so books, from which we were to select 2-3 to read and report on. What are the odds that, out of that list, we were chose 2 same books [Wild Swans and Like Water for Chocolate]? We didn't even really know each other then.

          After 4 hours though, I did find one, which I'm 99% sure she hasn't read. I got her this:

One of my faves.

My copy on the right.

Happy Birthday, Mind. =]

Irrelevant: Why are philosophy books so expensive?! I wanted so many yesterday. 

Okay, A Serious One

          It's hard for me to fathom that only a month and a half of university has passed. Just thinking about all the new relationships I've built since August leaves me in awe. I remember my only pre-uni goal... "Make friends, Mika, make friends." But on top of that, who would have guessed that I'd become so involved in an activity I had no prior attachments to before university? Right now, I'm in the midst of preparing for my first international debate tournament, the Hong Kong Debate Open. {BRAG ALERT} I'm proud to say that I beat the odds of being a freshy AND a newbie to debate winning an official Chula team slot in the HKDO. Yes, I've been patting myself on the back since Friday morning, when the selection results were released. It's official. I will be partnering up with Rabert (Explosion) in BP-style debate. Psyched.
          As for classes, what classes? AP has made me immune to anything Nitade could possibly throw at me. My Academic Writing professor would be first to admit that it's almost mockery to make me sit in that class after I've taken AP Composition. We're currently learning about the types of sentences - simple, compound, complex... Not kidding. The positive side of a relaxed education however is simply and obviously that it gives me time. And trust me, I know how to make the most out of my time. Besides offering it at an alter to debate, on Saturdays, I tutor! Guess what subject?... Academic writing! Honestly, teaching something I'm confident in and passionate about to someone who's so willing to learn gives me so much joy. Again, never could have guessed. 
           Lastly, in the past month and a half, I've noticed changes on an intrapersonal level. I've become become less of a slob and increasingly more responsible. I iron my own shirts every week now. I actually sleep on my bed and not on the livingroom couch as I did for half of my highschool life. I'm willing to wake up earlier just to save transportation costs.  I think more about saving and making money. I've gotten a little better at perpetual cleaning. And I take more initiative to read the news. This comes at a cost of my creative activities though. Oh God, don't tell me I've grown up. 

This Gives Me Incredible Self-Satisfaction.

I'm an icon somewhere now. At this point in my life, I would mind losing one of my horcruxes.

Nothing to See or Read About Here.

So I was going to check out the blog or webpage of a "Chubby Chub Geeky Girl, Freelance Web & Graphic Designer, Advanced Open Water Diver, Very Liberal & Atheist..." and I got this notice instead. Now I'm really curious of what she had to say, so I'm going to Tweet her and ask. Yea, I'm circumventing the system.

-Keeping it short and vague so I don't get blocked by MICT. Sorry for any inconvenience. - 

This Is Only Interesting To Me Oh Well: 30-21

30. The Boy Who Murdered Love - raspy voice + disco flair.

29. Desert Song [Unreleased] - This is really a hidden gem. The beautiful raw voice of Gerard Way. A melody eerie but emotionally piercing. Inserted with sounds of triumph and pain. And the incredible fact: it has never been released on any album or single. It is only a background track for a documentary about the band.

28. Bulletproof Heart - Inside joke about "Gravity don't mean too much to me."

27. A Mess It Grows - Serious addiction. Not even funny. Gives me a lot of pride to say that I found this band by myself. I was just surfing aimlessly through Purevolume. This was even before the band became a household name on the site. I don't think I've ever fell so much for a band that NO ONE introduced to me.

26. Little House - Inspired me a drawing. First introduced to me by the movie Dear John. Gotta admit Seyfried is talented.

25. Dream - This is the first song I heard from Slot Machine. (Recommended by a person who I've deemed has the best music taste). It has since been my favorite Slot Machine song, and now... my ringtone. =]

24. น้ำลาย (nam lie) - my favorite Silly Fools song for reasons I can't quite explain. It is the kind of sound I'm talking about though when I say "I like rock music." =]

23. Welcome To The Black Parade - THE FIRST MCR SONG OF MY LIFE. THE MOST EPIC ALBUM CONCEPT EVER.

22. Ooh La - Luke is talking about me. I just know it.

21. ยินดีที่ไม่รู้จัก (yin dee ti mai roo jak) - Soundtrack for my favorite Thai movie กวน มึน โฮ (English title: Hello, Stranger). Cute, friendly song for a cute movie about friendship.

The Bait

Debate. What a healthy thing to have gotten involved in. 
But before I elaborate, let me show you this pen that I just laid to rest in the trash (RIP).

          This pen was brand new, fully loaded, when I joined debate club late July. Since then, it has been the only pen I carried around and used (it was actually a really good pen). On Thursday however, as if to mark a closing of a chapter, my trusty pen truly ran dry during the first club meet after the whole EU-TH shebang. I have to admit, the symbolism was a little moving. This story also illustrates how much I write in debate, and writing is definitely is exclusive of my regular classes because I DON'T DO SHIT IN THEM.


          Anyways, down to the serious reflection.... I've found something really valuable in debate club. It's ridiculous how easy it was to find the best of the best in Chula. Yes, I'm talking about the intellectuals, but I'm also talking about real personalities. Starting out as a newbie, I was always afraid to be a waste of time to the other members. Seriously, why would anyone so smart and so eloquent want to invest time in me? I also predicted that it would take me a long time to establish my individuality in the debate society... This was just one of those times reality slaps expectation in the face.
          It's been a month, but I'm still not desensitized to the seniors' attitudes towards me. They've NEVER made me feel like I was wasting their time. And though I may not know what they really think of me, I believe their sincerity and that's enough for me. In fact, there is no "seniority" in debate society. But what I love most about the club is knowing that for once I'm not being judged on my reputation or appearance. That I have to prove myself right there and then with that 7 minute speech. It's so exciting. People often disregard the negatives of having good attachments to your name. Not having that baggage for once is extremely liberating. I guess everyone in the club had to go through that to some degree. Since on top of that, people are from different faculties, there is no expectation for people to be similar either. In effect, there is no pressure to be anything other than who you really are. 


          ... And the extra unbelievable part: despite how many times I've embarrassed myself in the club already - I've even cried pathetically in front of a few - they all still give a crap about me. 

Just look:

Reference to: LOOK AT THE CHAIR.