i am v grateful to mrs. oshiro for lending us her car for me to practice driving for my test.

so the date is set, i'm heading for licence test next friday. she doesnt see any problems, since i can engage in traffic pretty well n all.

its been time. i wonder how long it'll take for me to get a licence tho. i'll prob hav a temp one in the mean time.

o well, at least im gettin the licence before heading to atlanta.

okay findin out that your blog has been linked from someone, who ure not too familier with, is quite scary.

found out like 4 or 5 blogs where i was linked n i never knew. found out by accident while clickin around for good blogs. nah, the two blogs i still think is worth the read r TJ's and emily's. i hav no idea who they are, but they write superbly.

ok, so if i am being linked from ur blog and i hav no idea about it, do tell me. i guess its only right that i link you back in return. sometimes i cant help it, i mean you someone im not familer with n suddenly i find out im being linked.

katy rose's 'overdrive' is a very gd song. kinda found it while watchin the trailer for lindsay lohan's 'mean girls.'

i saw her album in a shop n supposedly she's one of the breakthrough artist of this yr. she has tt avril feel, but more rock than punk. n if wat they show in her video is true, then she is a ballerina as well as a drummer. how cool is that.

Yeah yeah... I'm independence...
Yeah yeah... I'm borderline...
Yeah yeah... I'm California...
My minds all screwed and upside down
But my hearts on overdrive
Yeah my hearts on overdrive

very gd. the stadium is only 3 miles or 4 train stops away. i guess bt 10 mins ride.

n the basketball team and the ice hockey team also plays there.

i shouldnt disclose who got voted off, but lets juz say its not as dramatic as last wk.

was listening to couple of tracks by this new star, british soul singer joss stones. she's gd. n i was reminded tt jennifer hudson sings like her. but jennifer's the more old school soul diva kind. like kelly price or someone.

idol on tour. there's illinois dates on 25th july at moline, but if i am to be in illinois at that time, most prob i'll b wit my bro to catch the man utd vs bayern munich in the tour of americas in chicago. n then another one at 5th august, a good date, at chicago.

but i guess the best date would be on 15th aug at atlanta. afterall, by then, i would hav spent my first night in my dorm in ga tech. n since ga tech is in atlanta, i might as well. hopefully get to know couple of new ppl who would wanna go along from ga tech, tt would b nice.

gotta find out where this philips arena is. coz it seems that a train station is like 15 to 20 mins walk away from the campus. i can juz drop at the airport, take a train there n walk back to campus if i were to go somewhere for a trip. how cool is that.

atlanta... im real excited.

its a pleasant feeling when you get a surprise email from someone you havent talked to for so long. I just received an email from my jackass friend Lokesh, who's in India right now. He left for India shortly after our A's ended and neither did I get to sent him off, nor see him at Grad Nite.

so it was a real nice surprise to hear from him. seems he'll be back in singapore soon to study in the university there, so that means i'll prob get to see him in the future.

anyway, i was jus thinkin how certain lines in news articles and news reports can totally distort someone's view or opinion about such things.

for example, few days earlier, i posted this editorial piece from soccernet about the spanish league, in which at the end, the author mentioned this specific case where he was somewhere n he overheard a group of nuns talking about a soccer player's impact on the team performance n all. he ended the article sayin the league is so much on fire, even the nuns talk about football.

now, ordinary ppl would start to think that spanish nuns are also into spanish football, but wait, think about it. there r so many nuns, and that particular group of nuns could hav been like less than a percent of the nuns there r in spain. wit this article, it sends an unintentional message that all spanish nuns follow and talk about spanish soccer.

talk about how to phrase things.

it is only one of such examples. this happens especially in the media, where they convey the wrong message, but it doesnt seem to bother them much.

like i was watchin the second season of fox's 24 last night, a situation where the president was at a loss, when a terrorist was threatening to release a biological weapon in a major city. when he was facing this massive group of press, all he said was that, 'you are the media, you need to convey to the people that right now, we cannot panic, we need to remain calm and vigilant. do not send the wrong message and worry the citizens' or somethin like tt. n its v true. sometimes the press n media is so engrossed in their own Q&A scenario, they dont seem to think tt what they're broadcastin or writing can convey a wrong message, if not, somethin tt isnt completely true.

u remember the case where this girl was being attacked by a dog... n this man saved the girl. everyone was interviewin how the man rescued the girl til one reporter found out that he was a muslim and immediately changed the title of the article from 'man saves girl from dog' to 'muslim man attacks dog.'

yea its a dirty world out here. as i was talkin to a denise about jobs, i phrased my words in a way i meant it. lets get raped by the corporate world before we think about backing ourselves into a world of seclusion from it all.

okay, there's a wind advisory. dont tell me there's another tornado. wind's so freakin strong, the trees are swayin n sometimes this eerie thumping noise hits on the whole house, like there's a tiny whiny vibration. chicago, the windy city. n again, im convinced more than ever of its nickname.

"Destiny" by Zero 7

I lie awake
I've gone to ground
I'm watching porn
In my hotel dressing gown
Now I dream of you
But I still believe
There's only enough for one in this
Lonely hotel suite

The journey's long
And it feels so bad
I'm thinking back to the last day we had.
Old moon fades into the new
Soon I know I'll be back with you
I'm nearly with you
I'm nearly with you

When I'm weak I draw strength from you
And when you're lost I know how to change your mood
And when I'm down you breathe life over me
Even though we're miles apart we are each other's destiny

On a clear day
I'll fly home to you
I'm bending time getting back to you
Old moon fades into the new
Soon I know I'll be back with you
I'm nearly with you
I'm nearly with you

When I'm weak I draw strength from you
And when you're lost I know how to change your mood
And when I'm down you breathe life over me
Even though we're miles apart we are each other's destiny

When I'm weak I draw strength from you
And when you're lost I know how to change your mood
And when I'm down you breathe life over me
Even though we're miles apart we are each other's destiny

I'll fly, I'll fly home
I'll fly home and I'll fly home


oh god, its such a soothin song...

k its done. ive sent an email to admissions office to change my major.

so thats that. dont hav anythin to worry bt for next couple of weeks, mayb months.

so im now i hav to introduce myself as a tech who's doin engineering. short n simple. i like tt.

it found out tt freshman at tech r called RATS, which stands for Recently Acquired Tech Students. oh my... im really goin to a nerdy school, tt proves it.

i keep listening to alicia key's 'if i aint got you,' hoobastank's 'the reason,' nelly furtado's 'try,' nickelback's 'someday,' john mayer's 'clarity' and zero 7's 'destiny.'

perfect mix of balanced n quality music.

k finally i got rid of my debuggin prompt. it was a simple matter of checkin a box in the internet options advanced setting. i hardly venture to tt area coz tt can really screw up how ur internet functions.

but im glad its gone.

now i can get to writing testimonials in friendster. gosh, i owe so many people. gonna b spending the next couple of days taking my time n writing to my friends.

n its pretty much set, im gonna go ahead n change my major to undecided engineering. i mean its no loss, i'll make a better choice. ive got approval from dad as well as advises from my uncle n cousins. n not to mention friends too.

i juz hope tt during my time in uni, i get interested in somethin tt is not engineering. coz tt would b a big prob, esp if i am still in ga tech, since its a engineering speciality sch.

fuck.. woodgate's off for the season. now the newcastle defence wall's stretched too thin.

wat the heck...

southern california's sizzling at a record 99 degrees (37 deg celcius) whereas im feelin chilly in the 50 to 60 deg (15 deg celsius) in chicagoland.

okay, so finally got a reply bout my credits in the gt message board. i can discuss the whole thing in detail when i go for FASET, which i hav no idea when that is, but since they said mails will arrive in may, i guess i gotta wait.

so, now the only thing i hav to worry is either to stick wit computer engineering or change to undecided. all you readers, please do leave a message in a tag board about what you think. so far, my uncle's the only one who told me to stick to computer engineering, whereas the rest all said tt i better change to undecided. ur opinion will b appreciated. thanx.

From Soccernet,

The league's on fire by Phil Ball

The last time Barcelona won at the Bernabeu, Rivaldo was still in his prime, Luis Enrique scored against his old mates and Giovanni, if my memory serves me well, scored the late winner and ran off down the pitch making the famous 'up yours' gesture that earned him a docking of his wages.

Beckham was still single, Ronaldo had just gone to Italy and nobody had heard of Ronaldinho. It's difficult to know which is the more surprising news now - the fact that Rivaldo is going to Bolton or the fact that Madrid have as good as blown it, but as they're saying here now, Arde la liga! (The league's on fire).

'El clasico' was one of the better ones in recent seasons, with the football generally fast and furious, and the play open-ended. Either side could have won it, but after Mr Grumpy (Luis Figo) got himself sent off for an X-rated lunge at his old sparring partner Carles Puyol, the Catalans sensed blood and went for the throat - mixing their metaphors along the way but still managing to score a nifty goal through the vastly improved Xavi, after Ronaldinho had looped a pass over the gawping Madrid defence.

Indeed, it's shaping up to be a classic finish, and like last season could easily go down to the wire. Valencia's draw at Bilbao puts them a point ahead of Madrid, with Barça now a mere five points off the top, but those five points would surely prove too many to make up if Real Madrid were in a happier state than they are at present.

The interesting thing is that Barca have two things to aim for now. One is the title, but Valencia are unlikely to lie down and die. The second is the deliciously motivating desire to nick the second spot from their friends in the Bernabeu and bring about a major crisis in the royal house.

After the June tournament in Portugal, all eyes will be on the presidential elections at Real Madrid. At the beginning of the season, Florentino Perez appeared to be in an unassailable position of strength. Everything he touched turned to gold, journalists far and wide were hailing the club as a new concept, as a shiny new marriage between marketing and sport. Never mind the all-round frailty of the squad, because the feel-good factor was so much in the ascendancy.

Barcelona were also down in the dumps, and nothing seemed to be going right, despite the changes at presidential and managerial level. As mentioned before in this column, the history of the Spanish league has been characterised by this dualism, so that it is has always seemed to be a logical impossibility that these two sides can both be happy simultaneously.

Up to the King's Cup Final against Zaragoza, however, everything was within Real's grasp. Now there is the unthinkable threat of them finishing with nothing, and worse, finishing below Barca.

It's not the fixture list that you need to look at but rather the differing morale of the two clubs. The Catalans have gone 16 games undefeated, and despite the Celtic blip in the UEFA Cup, are playing some great stuff.

Madrid are hanging in there, but the cupboard is looking strangely bare. If they blow the league, Perez may suddenly find himself back in the business of full-time property dealing.

The candidate coming up fast on the outside railings is one Enrique Sobrino, a less wealthy man but one who has already begun to outline his strategy from the unofficial hustings of the national football press.

He has so far been generous enough to acknowledge Pérez's good work since the year 2000, but claims he would reverse the galactic policy and get rid of Beckham and Figo, just for starters.



This is a high-risk venture, since there is no guarantee that the Madrid faithful will necessarily see this season's failure as one that can be solely attributed to the presence of too many world-class players.

All the evidence at the moment points to the likelihood of Carlos Quieroz being made the scapegoat, so that Perez and Valdano can continue to smell of roses, albeit less scented ones than before.

Quieroz is innocent of all charges, of course. He has generally gone about his work in a quiet and dignified manner, and whereas some would point to a lack of inspirational leadership, others would point to a lack of a balanced squad - which is hardly his fault.

If Madrid fail to win the league, then surely they will look back upon the events of late summer when the flashbulb glare of Beckham's arrival obscured the fact that the club's bid for Valencia's excellent centre-back, Roberto Ayala, was about to fall through.

Had they secured his services, they would have steadied their own boat considerably, whilst opening up a fissure in the solid walls of Valencia's back line. Valencia, in truth, have been Spain's most consistent side now for the last four or five seasons, and you'd be a brave punter not to back them now.

They could easily end up with an excellent double of UEFA Cup and league, as they will surely now dispatch their brave neighbours Villarreal in the second leg of the semi-finals.

Deportivo could also end up in a final - the Champions League to be exact. If they were to win it, it would complete one of the oddest statistics of all time - a team winning the Champions League after having lost 8-3 in the earlier rounds. Not only that, of course, but they may still face the side that inflicted that defeat on them in the final.

Deportivo are themselves something of an oddity - still unhappy with their manager, still squabbling amongst themselves, but capable of brilliance and ineptitude in equal measure. For all Spain's presence in European club competitions since the 1950s, it remains a disappointment to its collective football culture that only Real Madrid and Barca have won the maximum prize.

Valencia and Atletico Madrid have both had a stab in the past, but it would be wonderful for a club like Deportivo to win the trophy, especially given their rather mundane history.

Down below deck, things are hotting up too. Forgetting poor Murcia, four of the drop-threatened sides won, with Espanyol at it again. Luis Fernandez, sucking furiously on his lollipop, informed the press in his inimitable Spanish last Saturday evening that it was the first time that he had faced the press with his team out of the bottom three.

Unfortunately for him, Mallorca went and beat Valladolid on the Sunday and sent Espanyol back from whence they came, but with De la Pena and Tamudo as brilliant as ever, and Hadji rampant on the left, Atletico Madrid were simply swept aside on Saturday night.

Spain play this week, and if I were Inaki Saez I would have a good hard look at De la Pena again. Once the toast of Spain, he disappeared into the depths of his own troubled psyche and embarked on an odyssey of rejection around Europe, only to return and eventually shine again.

Saez won't pick him of course, since he lacks the imagination for such a bold act, but there's no harm in suggesting it here. There's still nobody in the league who can pass the ball quite like he can.

Finally, talking of good passers of the ball, I was having lunch in San Sebastian during the week in a regular haunt. Gathered around a table to my left sat four nuns, all dressed in their habits, deep in conversation.

The woman whom I took to be the Mother Superior was holding forth on the topic of Javier De Pedro, Real Sociedad's out-of-favour midfielder, who is more than likely on his way to Manchester City next season. De Pedro had committed no sin, but was simply the best crosser of the ball in the Spanish league, according to the MS.

One of her flock agreed, in between mouthfuls of cauliflower, that this was surely the case, since he had been the top 'assist man' in the league last season. The other three nodded in earnest agreement and were of the firm opinion that the manager should think again.

Spain - the only place where such a scene is possible. The league's on fire and even the nuns are talking about it.

oh fuck oh fuck...

juz when woodgate's injured, probably KO for the season, o'brien is also out, n his appeal against the red he got at villa park was rejected!!

damn it, gotta rely now on unstable bramble, hughes, who can b superb at times. urghh. when we really need em, they r gone.

luckily for attack, ameobi seems to cover pretty well for bellamy. jenas, dyer n bowyer r still doubtful, but thank god for the international break. we've been playin too often recently.

next match, man city at city of manchester. should b ok, but we never know. then wolves, must get the points there, wit a gd scoreline to shore up the goal difference. n then saints and then the final match up against houllier's kops.

my ideal situation would b by the match against pool, we're ahead by 3 pts. even if we lose, hopefully by a small margin, we'll b ahead of goal difference, which should b gathered from games against man city n wolves. n even if its the same goal diff, we would hav scored more.

yea right, who am i kiddin, its newcastle. they always play badly when they hav it all in their hands. n this injury doesnt help.

mayb the best i could ask for is tt they get past marseille. mayb not.

i was browsing through the internet n discovered the motion for the A Division debate finals, needless to say, between ACJC n RJC.

This House Would Re-Elect George Bush

wat the heck? how can u put a motion like tt in a foreign country where the american politics dont play any significant role? all the world cares about american politics is how they handle iraq and the war against terror. that's it! the elections this yr would be dependant on how the domestic issues will b resolved, mainly taxes, medicare, corporate mismanagement, education, same-sex marriage, etc. the election isnt all about how bush fucked iraq up. yea im sure they'll talk bt the domestic issues, but this isnt somethin can talk abt juz coz u researched. u hav to hav lived here to feel it.

this is ridiculous, they could hav changed the motion to somethin like this house will hand over the iraq crisis to the united nations or this house would support same sex marriage, etc, more general one. y do they hav to stuff their nose into a foreign political affair?

talk bt whether clinton needed a blowjob, tt would hav been better. this is ridiculous. n after this, everyone would assume they r experts in analysin american politics. its more than that, way more than that. its not simply re-election, it isnt simple, this is a war between the democrats n republicans, i cant fully comprehend the difference yet, its much more than leftist or rightist movement.

this is simply ridiculous.

Final Score from St. James' Park;
Newcastle United 2
Shola Ameobi (43rd)
Alan Shearer (47th)

Chelsea 1
Joe Cole (5th)


Alan Shearer is mobbed after netting his fantastic winner
Copyright LaurenceGriffiths/GettyImages

oooohh yess.... you can count on shearer to save the day!

okay, this victory is so unexpected for me. who would hav thought, seriously. but then i guess pool's victory at old trafford and the fact tt chelsea suffered a devastatin loss to monaco spurred the team spirit. o well, this would hav effectively handed the title to arsenal, but wat the heck, its not like we can win it anyway.

this is good. on par wit pool on 4th place, same goal difference, juz few less goals scored. oh, and a game in hand! we got two games tt we must win against man city n wolves before saints. n then hopefully we would hav accumulated enough advantage over pool so that even a loss might not be enough for em to get tt champs league spot.

things r lookin well. if we too can beat the champs league semi finalists, then we should b able to beat marseille n nick the UEFA Cup.

this might turn out to b one of the best season in the recent yrs.


Ameobi slams home the equaliser.
Copyright LaurenceGriffiths/GettyImages

HOWAY THE LADS!

heh.. im not surprised!!! the controversy started long time ago..

--------------------------------
From CNN.com/entertainment

'Idol' voting results start controversy

Several factors postulated for Jennifer's removal

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Theories flew fast and furious Thursday after the "American Idol" viewer vote went against favorite Jennifer Hudson, ranging from racism to fateful weather to teenage puppy love.

Or maybe America just has a tin ear.

While Hudson and two other singers lavishly praised by the show's judges ended up at the bottom of the heap Wednesday night, contestants who gave marginal performances were top vote-getters.

Hudson, Fantasia Barrino and La Toya London -- "The Three Divas," as they've become known -- seemed to have the best shot at taking the Fox TV contest. But they were less popular than their competition, including redheaded crooner John Stevens, a 16-year-old whose highest compliment from the judges was that he was a nice guy.

With the lowest vote tally, Hudson was bumped from the show. Even series host Ryan Seacrest chastised viewers.

"America, don't forget you have to vote for the talent. You have to keep your favorites in the competition. You cannot let talent like this slip through the cracks," he said after results were announced Wednesday.

Series judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul play an advisory role after helping winnow down the field of 70,000 applicants to 32 semi-finalists and then, with viewers, to 12 finalists. The audience takes charge from there until the winner is picked.

Weather to blame?

A storm that caused a power outage in the Midwest may have been a factor in Hudson's ouster, TV entertainment newsmagazine "Extra" said Thursday.

More than 15,000 people in Hudson's hometown of Chicago were unable to watch the show or dial in Tuesday night, when the vote turned out to be the closest in the show's three-year history, "Extra" said.

Jackson, who said losing Hudson was "nuts," told "Extra" he thought the outage could have been a problem but it wasn't enough to alter the outcome. Fox didn't release the viewer vote count this week, but about 24 million votes were recorded last week.

Others offered more cynical assessments.

"It simply seems inconceivable that the 'Idol' results would turn out this way," Sam Rubin, an entertainment reporter with local station KTLA, said on the air. "You would almost expect (boxing promoter) Don King to replace Ryan, it looked so fixed."

"'American Idol' is telling the world that John actually got more votes than Jennifer," one outraged fan wrote in a Web site posting. "The bottom 3 is really the top 3. It was rigged!!"

Charges of racism

The New York Post reported it was deluged with calls complaining that the voting was racially motivated: Hudson, Barrino and London are black. (The Post is owned by News Corp., which also owns Fox TV.)

George Huff, still in the competition, is black, as was last year's winner, Ruben Studdard. "American Idol," unlike other reality shows featuring competition, is more popular in black homes than white homes.

For the current season, the show was watched in 19 percent of all black households, compared to 15 percent of white households, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Questions of racism also came up in the first season, after talented Tamyra Gray was voted off.

A call to Fox for comment on this week's vote was not immediately returned.

One online posting compared the contest results to Academy Award voting.

"It is the same in years when someone wins an Oscar because three better films split the votes. The three ladies more than likely have people voting along the same demographic and that splits their vote," the message said.

Other remaining contestants are Diana DeGarmo and Jasmine Trias.

Internet chatter included speculation that the female teen audience the show attracts in big numbers was skewing the vote toward the male contestants, Huff and Stevens.

For London "to be put in the bottom three proved what Simon has been saying all along ... 'That's what you get when America votes,' " another online message proclaimed.

"As proven with last night's results, you can never assume that any contestant is safe," said "American Idol" executive producer Ken Warwick. "You can never assume that they have enough votes. It's imperative that viewers vote for their favorite idol every week."

For the contestants, a recording contract and instant career are at stake. But the show has produced winners among those who didn't finish first: Last season's runner-up, Clay Aiken, has outsold Studdard, while third-place finisher Kimberley Locke has an upcoming album. Gray has been visible as an actress and singer.

k i hav to head somewhere really soon so gotta make it quick.

i hav been thinkin real hard bt the whole uni dilemma for the past few nights. n ive pretty much made up my mind.

i dont really understand y i was so bothered about. i mean, all the schs tt r in the picture r the top 10 engineering schs in the US. n i was havin a hard time choosin which one of the top 10 i should go to. doesnt it sound ridiculous? i mean specifically, the schs tt r in question r ranked 5th, 6th and 7th. its like agonizin over which shirt im gonna wear when im gonna wear a jacket over it.

whichever sch i go to, im gonna get pretty much the same standard n quality of education. ultimately, its all down to me to make sure tt i do well. all those stats bt employment n all doesnt matter if i let the stats speak for themselves n not do the work myself. so wat if i hav to go to urbana champaign. its cheaper, i'll b nearer to my family and considerin they need me nearby, its only right as a member of the family tt i should, n besides, its cheaper. n i'll graduate in 4 yrs instead of 5. so wat if its not all glitzy n reputed. it has a reputation of its own.

but the bottom line is, it all doesnt matter til i apply as a transfer student. hell, im not sure if they'll accept me or not yet, so y bother all the talk?

i feel so much better now, knowin that whichever path i take, there is somethin in the offing.

n as weird as it sounds, i went to sleep wit a smile on my face last night. i felt so happy n content all of a sudden. like nothin else mattered.

n i also realized how much that particular event did not affect my mind. had it been serious, i wouldnt not hav been able but to think abt it over n over again. n now tt i realized i wasnt thinkin about it tt much, i know the truth. tt also made me feel better. it truly happened for the better.

n like the last scene in the roswell series, where liz parker (shiri appleby) gets married n hops into the van while the voiceover reads the last section of her diary n goes off to finish tt amazin series, "I'm Liz Parker, and I'm happy." im feelin exactly like that.

its seems to me like im beginnin a whole new start from today onwards.

n u know how cool it is, that for me, the goo goo dolls seem to hav the perfect songs for any mood that i go through. n now tt im feelin happy, the album to listen can only be gutterflower!

"Ecstasy is all you need, livin' in the big machine now, oh, you're so vain..."

the damage done by the recent tornado in the town of utica, IL, located about 90 miles southwest of Chicago, IL













All pictures copyrighted by AP Photos & WFLD

n here's wat makes me sick.

obviously the people in the town of utica r in shock and mourning. and the god damn companies tts all about the money sees this event as an opportunity for investment. right after this incident, construction companies, insurance companies, repair companies flooded the place to con these poor souls into gettin a deal for em so that in the name of 'rebuilding the town' they can get to work.

cut the crap out, will ye? leave those people alone. i mean at least give them sometime to get over the shock n all. i mean this is how money infested their minds r. even if it means squeezin the money out of people who r grieving.

where is ur conscience?

oh yea n im back online... the damned DSL finally restored itself.

Final Score from St. James' Park;
UEFA Cup Semi Finals 1st Leg
Newcastle United 0

Olympique Marseille 0

k, for a injury hit newcastle, gd scoreline. once we score in the return leg, we're in the driving seat.

so long as its a win or a draw. i think we might juz edge on a draw. hopefully a scoring draw, if not we'll sure go out on penalties. we've always been bad at penalties.

but newcastle's record in competitions in france is bad. no successful outings so far.

so im pretty worried.

n there's tt barren run we've had for 35 yrs.

will it finally be this yr tt we break the curse?

sonovabitch...

juz when i wanted to follow the UEFA Cup Semis real time and get back to a number of ppl, my DSL Modem stalls...

dunno wats wrong wit it. juz cant connect. so im back to using 56k on MSN.

this sucks. i can hardly do shit now.

wow...

the tornado did more damage than i knew...

one sch's roof was blown off, a building collapsed, 8 ppl died, etc, etc.

scary. n it might hav been possible tt the tornado was comin my way. tt small city, called utica, which has a population of 900 was one about an hour's drive away from where i stay! roughly 70 miles away from where i stay.

n over dinner, my uncle said tt the houses in our area would easily blow off should a tornado strike. now, tts v scary.


okay, new photos updated. u can access the page through the link on the left, tt says photos. new album titles r 'more house' and 'naperville downtown.' u might like the downtown pics, a real gd collection of pics of the spring here.

n i shall adopt a new principle which i will not disclose here.

take it as things come, y didnt i come up wit tt any earlier? would hav made things so much simpler.

n im drownin in the sounds of the goo goo dolls...

their sounds... makes me feel like im part of the beats... i can totally immerse myself into it...

a voice so addictive, it leaves me wanting for more... n i feel free when i get in the zone...

yes im drowning...

Oh, here you are
There's nothing left to say
You're not supposed to be that way

ok, mayb this could b the event tt ive been waitin for it to happen...

the event tt can give me a fresh start.

im not sure if it happened for the better of the worse, but definately its a kick start i needed. i might b selfish sayin this, but there arent any more emotional burden attached to this particular issue. or any chance tt i would feel any... i wouldnt wanna use this word, but obligation?

it wasnt meant to b this way certainly. its the second time i made an error like this, but unlike the first time which was down to my pure selfish pride n lack of guts, i could say i had no choice but to follow this course of action this time round.. wait, the action wasnt done by me... but that doesnt make a difference.

but it was only a matter of time before somethin happened.

but im kinda glad it happened, made me realize wat my real intentions were, or so i feel, at least. now i think its definately for the better. i mean y drag somethin wit ur burden?

but as selfish and thoughtlessness as it seems, i think its a brand new start for me.

I never put you down
I never pushed you away

yea i guess this is it. it was only a matter of time. im surprised im not that bothered about it, but i keep thinkin of what it could hav been like. but i know better than to keep thinkin abt it, which leads to nowhere. but im happy/sad. mixed emotions. but its somethin tt i really needed. i think.

Is there anything to feel?
Is it pain that makes you real?
Cut me off before it kills me

i bet none of u hav any idea wat the fuck im talkin abt. theres no reason u all should. coz this is one of the very first private entries tt im makin publicly. n its not like any of u should know wat im talkin abt, coz its somethin i havent told anyone, k actually just one recently, so the majority wouldnt know. so dont pretend like u know wat im talking about. coz its better bein left that way. soon enough, this incident too will dissolve into merely an experience, juz like any other incidents.

n i hope it wont b somethin i'll come to regret in the future.

i did it again... i hope there wont b a third time for this. next time, im gonna do wat needs to b done.

i cant help it, but this song keeps runnin in my head!!

Goo Goo Dolls - 'Long Way Down'

Oh, here you are
There's nothing left to say
You're not supposed to be that way
Did they push you out?
Did they throw you away?

Touch me now and I don't care
When you take me, I'm not there
Almost human, but I'll never be the same

Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
Long way down
I don't want to live in here alone
Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own

I never put you down
I never pushed you away
You're not supposed to be that way
And anything you want
There's nothing I could say

Is there anything to feel?
Is it pain that makes you real?
Cut me off before it kills me

Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
Long way down
I don't want to live in here alone
Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
I never put you down
I never pushed you away
Take another piece of me
Give my mind a new disease
And the black and white world never fades to grey

Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
Long way down
I don't want to live in here alone
Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
On my own
On my own

k probably the closest i came to facin a natural disaster.

i was watchin american idol (contents i cant disclose til after it airs in singapore due to readership) and while seein george huff sing, the screen blanked out, n this message tt said 'emergency tornado warning' came on. i sat up n stared at the screen. it was the first time tt i can recall tt im facing natural disasters. obviously singapore was positioned so well, the only thing we had to worry about was dehydration due to intense heat. but then water is available everywhere.

yep, so it told me to change the channel for more info. i did, n then said tt tornado had build up n was comin from the south. so i had to watch out for any strong wind or drop in pressure, etc. the update every 20 min or so cut a lil of the idol time, but i knew where the tornado was n all. so i had to b cautious from 7:45 to 8 when the tornado was expected to arrive in Will County, which i stay in.

fortunately the tornado weakened n changed its course before it arrived, so we were spared. tornado speed was reported at 30 MPH (between 40-50 KPH) and a nearby county called Joliet, which is abt 1 to 2 hrs drive away, was affected. electricity was cut off, windows of stores broken, people trapped in some stores, a building collapsing, when i saw the images on the 9 o clock news, i was startled.

after comin to naperville, i realized how strong the winds were. but it seemed to b considered normal to those who lived here. n for the people here to call it a tornado, i was expectin somethin real bad. well, i guess it wasnt as bad, but the damages done to walgreens tt they showed in TV was bad enough.

later on, there was another notice for flash floods. i guess the tornado left some side effects on the way.

but im lucky to hav not encountered any real hazard.

ah, n i wanna take this opportunity to say,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULINA!

welcome to the cherished club sweet 16.. heh heh heh...


hmmm. anyway, often after i finish puttin up an entry n sign off, i click on the recently published sites as well as the blogs of note section tt blogger puts up. yesterday, i clicked on the latest blogs of note titled 'Life at TJ's Place.' its a blog by an assistance manager/bartender at a midwestern american strip joint.

sounds a lil discouragin? well, read on. he is such a good writer, i was clickin back on his archives to read more. whoever thinks workin at a strip job is sleezy n all, think again. he puts his experiences in such a interesting manner, it juz leaves you wanting for more.

n its amazing, but not undeserved to say tt even tho he's had the blog for roughly over a month, he's in the blogs of mention. coz he's really good.

so check it out. Life at TJ's Place

english investment bank northern rock extend their sponsorship of newcastle united for a further 5 yrs for 25 million pounds.

at least considerable amount of money there... we will hav to start lookin for replacement when shearer retires next yr.

okay, so another one of my big worries tts occupyin my mind is this whole university thing.

the plannin starts now, not later, coz there wont b time for it.

k screw ann arbor for now. i wont worry bt tt sch until i decide to do MBA. but tts for later.

the current problem now, is tt im torn between georgia tech and a possible transfer move to univ of illinois at urbana champaign. the key reason is obviously money. tho georgia tech is well known for its cheap tuition but high quality education. but then by next yr, i'll qualify for this thin called in state tuition, which would bring the amount bein forked out significantly. ok, the idea is this, if you've been stayin in illinois for a long time, or in my case, my parents stayin here for at least a yr, n u decide to go to a illinois public university which is funded by the state, its like gettin a discounted tuition rate. i mean, its quite a simple idea, u go to a public uni tts in the same state as u reside, u get a deal. so tts wat i should b entitled to.

k here's the math part. obviously i wont qualify for georgia in state since as a college bound student, i cannot claim residency. so tt means i pay out of state fee, which is approx US$14k. yea, it seems a lot, but b surprised, tts considered a very gd deal. other places charge more, like ucla, berkeley, ann arbor wants almost US$24k. k, to top it off, its the board cost, which in ga tech is approx US$6k. tts not too bad. so annually, the cost is US$20k for ga tech.

of cuz tt could decrease if i decide to participate in peer leader program, co-op, internships or even partial scholarship n aids.

but lets juz speak in terms of in case we hav to pay the full price.

k, so if i remain at ga tech, which i really want now, i'll prob stay there for 5 yrs. co-op program takes another yr of ur uni life, but u graduate wit a better resume, work experience n stats prove tt those wit co-op exp get higher starting salary. so all's gd. tt means i'll prob hav to pay approx US$100k for my stay in ga tech.

now.. my dad wants me to move to univ of illinois at urbana champaign. k, firstly coz the of the in state tuition. second, its standards a similar to ga tech, not as rigorous, but its department is almost the same, so y not, since we pay less? makes lot of sense. in state tuition is apporx US$6k n board is also US$6k. so totally annual cost US$12k. i'll most prob graduate in 4 yrs in UIUC, so total cost, taking into consideration my first yr in ga tech is roughly between US$55k to 59k. i cant figure tt one out, coz mayb for the first semester i might hav to pay the out of state fee of approx US$14k, coz when i apply, i'll b considered a non-resident. so tt comes to a diff of 4k.

4 yrs, total lets say 40k. the amount i potentially save would b between US$40k to 44k!!! im tryin to convince hasib to go to UIUC for dad's sake (but they're no. 1 in finance, which i think hasib should consider) n the amount tt we would save would cover him for at least 3 yrs since he'll definately qualify for in state.

so u can imagine the big dilemma. i want to stay n graduate from ga tech. but for the sake of money, i might hav to go to UIUC.

not tt i hate UIUC. i mean its department r comparable, so there isnt a prob on tt pt. but its coz ever since acceptance, ive practically planned my ga tech life out. ive been readin n researchin so much bt tech, ive grown attached to it. n the close to success basketball season didnt help.

im entitled to 12 hours of semester hours. one semester hour is equivalent to one hour of class per week for 16 wks of the semester. n i get 4 semester hours of MATH 1501 - Calculus I, 4 hours of PHYS 2211 Intro Physics I and another 4 hours of PHYS 2212 Intro Phy II. so tt means 4 hours of maths and physics per week for 16 wks. now y shouldnt i claim credit eh? basically, i dont have to touch maths for my first 6 months, then for second semester, i dont touch physics while i cover MATH 1502 Calculus II, and for second yr first semester, i dont touch phy. isnt tt a great? suddenly im thanking to hav sat for the A Levels. even wit shit grades, i'm entitled, well, juz barely managed to be entitled. if i had gotten B or even A for chem (which is kinda impossible, the most i could even dream was a C) then i would hav gotten 4 hours of CHEM 1310 General Chemistry I too. but then tt would mean i would only hav ENGL 1101 English Composition and CS 1321 Intro Computing to do for the whole first yr first semester.

n i think i can use all those vacated hours to v gd use. normally the suggested schedule advises students to take up electives tt r needed for graduation from second yr onwards. but instead of cramming my 3rd n final yr up wit electives, i might as well do them when i hav more free time so tt when i reach my 3rd or final yr, i can concentrate on my mandatory n more important subjects. tt makes a lot of sense doesnt it?

n wit the not too crammed schedule, i was more in favour of taking up a minor or a certificate program to broaden my scope of my major. then i can really put free hours into v gd use. so its great, instead of having to go through 16 total semester hours every semester, i get away wit only 12.

so u can see, ive been doin a lot of thinkin n researchin n planning. now u must understand y i dont wanna move away from ga tech. i already imagine myself there. even if its for 5 yrs, im sure work exp will b enriching.

another prob is, im reconsidering my decision for computer engineering. tt would not affect my credit hours, since Calculus and Phy r common subjects for all engineering disciplines. im intending to mail the office of admissions to change my choice of major to 'undecided' engineering. i would prefer to explore all the disciplines of engineering and come to a convinced choice. wat if i realize i might actually feel comfortable wit chemical engin? (tt would actually make it real funny) or wat if i realize im a natural wit materials engineering? i would never know til i try. n since i hav the opportunity to, y not? i wouldnt wanna end up contemplatin 10 or 15 yrs into my career and question y i decided to do comp engin n not, take for example, mech engin. who knows wat might happen? i wouldnt want to do comp engin simply coz the field is continuin to grow til i seek employment, or the fact tt it pays well or the fact tt its the new hot thing. i would want to b doin somethin tt would keep me interested. coz im talkin bt the majority of my working career. i better not lose interest or do it for the sake of the paycheck.

n its scary to think tt among the disciplines, comp n elec r supposedly the hardest. ppl who drop out (actually opt out) from these courses usually follow this pattern, first drop to mech, then to industrial, then finally to the notorious civil.

n since diversity is the key to more opportunities n success, ive already preplanned my post graduate plans. mayb after couple of yrs, say 4 to 5, i enroll for MBA. i think i hav finance in mind. will come to a more complete decision by then, but not too sure at this moment. ive already shortlisted couple of schs, namely, ann arbor, Duke, Univ of Chicago, univ of Virginia, USC and of cuz, our beloved UIUC.

call me crazy, obsessed, but i prefer all these to b planned than to take it as it comes. its definately better that way.

n by now, u should understand how bothered i am about this whole thing for the past few days, together wit the twist in the way i look at the systems of this country. my head feels real heavy. n tired. n uneasy.

i know im thinking way too much. but i cant help but not b bothered bt all this. i dont think ive ever been bothered bout anythin as much as this.

n by the time i end this, i would hav finished listenin to Goo Goo Dolls' 'What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Arts and Commerce' all the way from the start til the end. all 22 tracks.

oh, if anyone runs Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Pro, and know a way to get rid fo the debuggin prompt setting, please please do tell me. im sick n tired of it interferin wit almost every webpage i access or any program i run (I can't play CM, i wanna tear my head apart!)

n not to mention, i owe hundreds of ppl in friendster a testimonial. wit VB interrupting, i cant get anywhere. mayb i should uninstall. but then changes hav been made to the setting. installin it takes a long time and besides, i need it.

n im sleepy n tired of all this. better go try calm my mind a lil n try to take a breather.

caught in the breakdown...

after last nite's entry, i feel like my fuel for rage has reignited. somehow, i feel more alive, than ive been for a long time. havent felt like this since the last time i had a strong opinion about a certain issue, cant remember wat it was, was it the start of the war in iraq? was it the way singapore handled the education system, i really dont know.

but wat i can say for certain, this dormant rage is back. yea, rage against the machine i am. a rebel with a cause.

n the whole nonsense about the politics race. i dont think im gonna take any sides to the elections. be it the democrats or the republicans, i agree when zach de la rocha said both parties sold america out. its clear bush has been one of the worst leader to hold office, but then again, u gotta consider the presidents who conspired a scandal and another one who had a blowjob.

kerry might b the next JFK we've been waitin for a long time. but then again, nothin is certain.

i saw someone in the RATM DVD who was wearin a shirt tt was appropriately printed "Let's Like Bush & Dick in 2000." i wonder if they're coming up wit a 2004 one. coz if they r, im definately gonna get it.

okayyy.... this is gonna b one long post..

in the past 2 to 3 days, my whole perspective on america has turned upside down. well, i think it was triggered by marc's last entry bt simple lifestyle n appreciatin things for wat its really worth, together wit a cheap shades tt i got and a automobile magazine tt i was readin while tryin to shortlist potential cars tt i would recommend my dad to get for mom.

im trying hard not to lose my chain of thoughts here. coz for the past 4 hours, one thought has led to another like nuclear fission reaction.

it got triggered by this FOX News special on medical malpractices in this country. basically the prob now is tt insurance premiums and lawsuits r drivin the medical profession mad n it could potential lead to a shut down. lemme explain y. when doctors begin their practice, they hav to get malpractice premiums, its for in case shit goes wrong fund. as a doctor, its inevitable tt one will come across a case they cant help, worse, lead to death, etc n its premium is a staggerin amount, considerin the amount these insurance companies hav to pay for compensations to the victims. but its way too much. as more malpractice takes place, the premium increases, n together wit the income tax, doctors r forced not to practice, optin for early retirement or juz quittin the profession altogether. its real sad. coz its not tt doctors dont wanna help patients, but they r forced not to. suppose a seasoned doctor earns US$300k, premiums go up to US$150k... tts hald their annual salary.. n then the 30% income tax is calculated upon their original salary, not the remaining. so tt leaves em wit roughly 100k, to take care of everything else. tts not too bad actually. but imagine if ure a fresh graduate from 8 to 10 yrs of studying. after all u pay, ure left wit roughly 30k. 30k! tts below the average american income and considerin the amount of work hours required to practice, its sooo not worth it. but its the way this freakin country works. lawsuits, money, corporate policy.

n wats worse, some of these cases r whacked. take for example this particular situation. girl born wit cerebral palsy. doctors couldnt tell wit their equipment. parents knew somethin was wrong n demanded they do somethin. but doctors know better. watever they did, they couldnt detect n let it go. lawyers calls tt negligence. n its not like it was caused by negligence, these conditions can come up anytime and without any sign or warning. it juz happens n no one can tell yet y. so they sue for freakin US$216 million!! but then in the end, the family ended up wit US$5 million coz most of the money went into other stuff i couldnt b bothered to know, n the lawyer nets himself a handsome million. n this is kinda becomin common stuff. but tts not wat angers me the most. the sickenin thing is tt the verdict is decided by a jury, tt isnt educated about medical practice, who r picked from a normal street person n all they giv is sympathy vote juz coz the girl was paraded infront of the very jury. 5 million isnt enough, one says. shit, a million is enough to care for the girl for her lifetime! a million can take a brotha far. some ppl retire wit a million in hand. n the jury claims it isnt enough to care for her. full of crap. n the verdict is decided by a jury as ill informed as ppl like this.

sickenin. totally sickening.

second issue. how these big companies take advantage of the ignorance of the public to squeeze the bucks outta them. in one way or another, u know, that some products r cheatin u big time. n still, the people dont care n end up paying for the products. take for example. an issue ive had in my mind for a long long time. this super SUV called Hummer is a v popular car. its basically a commercialized version of a military vehicle. its so freakin hot. i know i feel like drivin at times, but think abt it practically. the giant costs at least 90k. a regular car costs between 20k to 30k. tts a lil too far. n ppl still buy it coz it looks so cool. n to top it off, its very OPEC friendly. its fuel consumption rate is phenomenal. abt 15 miles per gallon??? its crazy. now tt OPEC has effectively raised the price of gas, its bt 2 bucks per gallon, n tt fuel bill is gonna hit the roof if u keep drivin the hummer H2! i mean i dont get it. all these cool features bt the car n all, how much of it r u goin to put into effective use? its not like the monster goes to b driven on off road conditions all the time. its driven on the road. im lookin at cars tt cost between 10k to 15k n one tt has fuel consumption rate of roughly 40+ miles per gallon. n japanese cars r the most effective in tt sense. anyway, so ppl still pay for it. even tho its freakin ex. n these arent those super rich ppl. its juz regular guys. by the time u consider ur fuel cost, auto insurance n car loan, ure forkin out 1500 per month. n tt goes for bt 7 yrs. but then u can hav that kinda car for 10-12 yrs at the most. american cars dont seem to last, everyone knows. but then there still r ppl who go on to spend $30k+ on american cars which isnt reliable. i dont get it. r ppl juz plain misinfomed or plain dumb? its not worth the money at all. get a cheap japanese car tt will last for a very gd 15 yrs at least n pay less than 700 per month. its a super deal, its doesnt take a genius to figure it out, but not many ppl r still doin it. if ure gonna pay 1500, might as well buy a house, then by 30 yrs, u'll get a permanent house in ur name. a car lasts for 15 yrs, compare to a house for life. u know wat i mean? n these ppl can afford a hummer, but they prefer to continue payin a monthly rent for their apartment. i juz dont get it. n its not like they earn a lot either.

average american earns roughly US$40k per year. if u take into considerin monthly mortgage, auto insurance, health insurance, car loan, credit card debt, food cost, etc, etc, tts not much ure left wit. hardly any savings. continue on like tt n most ppl should b drivin themselves to bankrupcy by the time they reach retirement. is it juz me or wat? i mean they need to understand all these. they better. its not a joke.

i guess when they say tt the average american SAT score is around 900, i dont doubt it anymore. in a sense, i should b feelin v lucky. no, i am feelin v fortunate n blessed, coz out of 200 over university, im goin to a sch tt's ranked 37th. or had a choice to go to 30th or 25th. in singapore sense, i'm already in the RI/Chinese High or RJC/HCJC class. path more or less secure. by the time i graduate, average tech comp engineering graduate is expected to get US$60k per annum. given my difference n the fact tt im asian, i might face a lil prejudice, but the figure should b close to tt. only bt the top 10% of this country earns above US$100k and some ppl work 10-20 yrs to reach tt stage. i'll prob reach there faster, n even faster if i do my MBA. but tts not wat im concerned abt. even ppl who earn 100k+ hav to worry bt the money tts goin out on income tax n the other necessry costs, so y arent the average americans concerned? it baffles me.

suddenly i felt a sense of nausea. n the way this whole country is run by consumer-demand market and the whole endorsement of globalization. its crazy. i am seriously reconsidering my future. coz its scary, to b surrounded by everything tt is money. i was holdin the shades i bought for 10 bucks n was thinkin, now tts a gd buy. cheap, reliable n functional. y should i go on to spend 200 bucks on somethin tt prob cost only 10 or 20 bucks to manufacture and 'donate' the rest of the cost in the name of brand? im not endorsin em. n its not like im gonna use shades all the time. i was lookin at E! Channel n when i saw tt britney spears spent 300 bucks on her shades, i juz chuckled to myself. n its the same wit all other products. rippin all of us off. i suddenly feel ashamed of myself tt i went on to spend a considerable amount of money on my discman, when none of those 125 hr battery life n all matter (n by actualy fact, it never lasts till 125 hrs)

n u see these ads, promotin a product's multi function capability n all, how much of tt actually matter? n some of these ads r juz so stupid n cheesy. n wats more surprisin is tt there r considerably number of people who believe these ads! how dumb can u be?

im very disillusioned right now. but wat can i do. this is how this country, among many other, mainly western european countries r run. im more shocked n bothered bt this than i was bothered wit how singapore is bein run. this makes singapore look like nothing. in a sense, this capitalist wont work forever. but its not clear when the time comes for a change. im not an advocate of communisim, but if u ask me, if only communism was carried out properly, it would hav worked for the better. but as wit all things, there must b someone in control. we've all seen tt. it never works.

so i refer to my dear friend marc's last entry in which he said y cant we all live a simple life n appreciate life for wat its worth? i totally second tt opinion.

this world is bein run too much by money.

i dont feel like livin in this country for long. the longer i stay, the more dismayed i become. my friends in singapore should feel glad. everythin is bein taken care of, but they dont want tt. they dont realize how much responsibility and independance is required. they already r complainin abt the way things r, should it work like america, those complaints would escalate to a whole new level of its own.

i imagine myself livin in some secluded area of a moderate country n not caring about anythin tts goin on in the world. i really wanna live life simple and carefree.

will tt day ever come? i hope it will. but right now, im disillusioned, very much. unless someone can convince me tt the evil of this world is not to be taken so seriously, please do tell me.

this thought is not completely the way i intended to b, but its roughly conveys the pt i wish to express for now. n it will b runnin in my head for the better part of the next few days.

right now, this song playes in my head...

Goo Goo Dolls - Long Way Down

Oh, here you are
There's nothing left to say
You're not supposed to be that way
Did they push you out?
Did they throw you away?

Touch me now and I don't care
When you take me, I'm not there
Almost human, but I'll never be the same

Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
Long way down
I don't want to live in here alone
Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own

I never put you down
I never pushed you away
You're not supposed to be that way
And anything you want
There's nothing I could say

Is there anything to feel?
Is it pain that makes you real?
Cut me off before it kills me

Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
Long way down
I don't want to live in here alone
Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
I never put you down
I never pushed you away
Take another piece of me
Give my mind a new disease
And the black and white world never fades to grey

Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
Long way down
I don't want to live in here alone
Long way down
I don't think I'll make it on my own
On my own
On my own

and obviously, this is a fitting line to describe wat i feel right now.. a line from a song called 'Lazy Eye' also by the Goo Goo Dolls,

Caught in the breakdown...
Caught in the breakdown...

argh, fuck...

bellamy's out for the season wit 2 crucial games coming up..

n jenas n dyer is doubtful too.

crap crap.. juz as when things r gettin well n we're in the driving seat..!!!

i juz drove to naperville downtown and also managed to come back. bt 30 mins total. not much, but gd enough. drove at a max of 55 mph (near 90 kmp) today n it didnt seem tt scary. volvo's a pretty balanced car.

oh my, this is a great feeling. im basically okay navigating through traffic. juz one more lesson, and hopefully get more chance to drive like this couple more times n i shall sit for the licence test.

Final Score from Villa Park;
Aston Villa 0

Newcastle United 0

well well, for newcastle to hav had a player sent off after only 10 mins and come out wit a draw is v gd, but they should hav tried to win, considerin pool r droppin pts. next premiership encounter will be against chelsea so better not drop pts on tt one. if not, it'll b all square again.

but it seems we're on our way to champs lg next season.

urrgghhh... fuck!!! sonovabiaaattcchh...

i was talking to my dad this mornin n found out tt i was accepted by the university of michigan at ann arbor!!!!!

tts like a freakin gd uni... n im wonderin y i was notified of it so late! the decision date's only 2 weeks away, but worst of all, ive submitted all deposits and whatnots to georgia tech already, coz no sch notifies applicants this late!

shit... given the choices, i'll prefer to go there. y is this happenin? to those who dont understand wat the hell im talkin abt, its this; ive been rejected by most of the lower ranked schs, the ones i should not hav probs goin in, but im gettin accepted to those schs tt i didnt expect i'll get into! the really hard ones..

look at the successful ones so far... umich is the 3rd highest ranked of all the unis ive applied to, n then there's USC, then georgia tech and then, the backup uni, which was umass at amherst.

this is weird, confusing. i mean, there r 3 type of schs we hav to pick. 1, the target unis, the one tts hard to get in, but worth a try, coz u never know. 2, the reach schs, the ones tt should b relatively ok, coz ur academic ability is considered average, basically the one tts perfect, and 3. the safety unis, in case pt 1 n 2 should all go wrong, u still hav a place to go, usually v low ranked ones, so obviously ure way above average if u end up in this uni.

so here's the breakdown. the number in the bracket is the overall national university rank. * denotes public unis.

Target
University of California at Berkeley* (21) - Rejected
Carnegie Mellon University (23) - Rejected
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor* (25) - ACCEPTED
University of Southern California (30) - ACCEPTED
University of Wisconsin at Madison* (32) - No News
Georgia Institute of Technology* (37 - ACCEPTED

Reach
University of California at Los Angeles* (26) - Rejected
University of California at San Diego* (32) - Rejected
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign* (40) - Rejected
Pennsylvania State University at University Park* (48) - No News
University of Texas at Austin* (53) - Rejected

Safety
Purdue University at West Lafayette* (58) - Rejected
Marquette University (91) - No News
University of Massachusetts at Amherst* (91) - ACCEPTED

this is crazy... but expected. i knew my british standard credentials would bring problems and it has. juz look at it. ure supposed to get accepted to reach n safety schs.

now i hav a bigger dilemma than USC. coz UMich is gd, v gd. but then, GaTech n UMich seems almost equal. the engineering programs is neck to neck, some UMich r better, some GaTech is better. but always next to eachother. starting salary is almost the same, only diff, is money. by goin to UMich, i'll b payin almost US$11k more. but then, i think its a price worth payin? job offers... GaTech more on computer field.. UMich more on automobile field...

urgghhhh.... y did they hav to notify me so late...!!

ive found out that ive been listed among other newcastle supporter's bloglist by a certain individual whom i only know as BykerSink. n it seems ive been in that list for sometime, but only got to know recently when he popped a simple message of "have you seen a mackem in marseille?" which somewhat pokes fun at newcastle's eternal enemy, sunderland's inability to compete in european competition for a long long time.

its nice to know that through my various topics of discussion, ive come into contact wit different sort of bloggers. there has been a fellow college bound student, a goo goo dolls fan and now a newcastle fan.

n i found out from my netstat that ive also had visitors from zambia, uruguay, mexico, portugal and other countries i cant recall, but are not listed among the top 10 countries.

i guess readership expands over horizon. but nothing makes me feel better than to be welcomed into the newcastle family.

All of the moments that already passed
We'll try to go back and make them last
All of the things we want each other to be
We never will be
And that's wonderful, and that's life

Final Score from St. James' Park;
UEFA Cup Quarter Finals 2nd Leg
Newcastle United 2
Alan Shearer (9th)
Gary Speed (66th)

PSV Eindhoven 1
Mateja Kezman (52nd, pen)

Newcastle through to semi finals after 3-2 aggregate score

YES!!!!

n marseille has beaten inter milan at san siro too! so its newcastle vs marseille match up, i think we got a pretty gd shot at making the finals.

alas, villareal has beaten celtic, so no dream final. but i think it'll prob b newcastle vs valencia final.

hope tts the case..

HOWAY THE LADS!

The world spins 'round the secret lives
Of everyone that needs to hide
A cheap parade of endless lies
Filters through this lazy eye

And I don't believe in signs
No, I don't believe your lies

Caught in the breakdown....
Caught in the breakdown....

i liked guy ritchie's works... well, to b exact, only two of em. 'snatch' and 'lock, stock and two smoking barrels.'

but after watching 'pulp fiction,' the one tt propelled quentin tarantino into stardom, i know where ritchie got his influences from.

the past few days has been a delightful deluge of very nicely directed films.

n naveen, im gonna try 'reservoir dogs' right now. cant wait. im sure it's gonna b quite gd.

k i hav someone new tt i respect.

meet julie dreyfus. the woman tt played sophie fatale in kill bill vol. 1. my initial reaction when i saw her was tt she might b monica belluci. stark contrast.

anyway, this native of paris is super talented. i dont need to mention tt she speaks french, or english. but she's also fluent in japanese!

while trying to become an interior designer or an architect, she was spotted coz of her striking beauty. then she went around n acted in couple of japanese dramas, making her an instant celebrity. she's classified in the category of gaijin tarento which literally means 'foreign talent.'

n had a dream once tt i could hav a big chance to b a celebrity in japan. n lookin at her, i dont see any reason why i too cant. juz tt my japanese is so rusty, i'll hav to get it back to standard level. no, i hav to b better than ever before. i bet she is at ippan level, which means ordinary, on the same level as any japanese would be.

its juz a fantasy dream i hav. but if i were to do it, i think i can. who knows, mayb when i get a job in some MNC n request a transfer to japan, n i get spotted at some eatery.

im sure tt would b cool. but its juz a fantasy.

wow...

i drove through illinois route 59!!!! u know how scary tt route is??? its cars r movin super fast n lotsa monster size trucks and trailers whizzin right past u n they wouldnt even care if u were under it n it crushes u flat. it was intimidatin when i was movin right next to this huge container truck. but i did it!!! 95th street, 87th street and now 75th street.

instructor said tt parallel parkin is not tested! yes! i think i can take the test earlier. only got two more lessons to go, n hopefully i'll get to drive more often wit my uncle or Mr. Oshiro's. but i still like the chevy malibu. ideal. today i drove toyota corola n i could feel the diff between american and japanese cars. n my uncle's volvao s80 was not bad too, but feel the artificial help is kickin in a lil too much. i wonder if i'll ever get to drive a hummer. whoa, tts some giant ass car.

anyway...

liverpool lost! yes! now we hav a game in hand. they're on top coz they scored more goals. same pt, same goal difference. but the scary thin is tt villa beat chelsea. n this wkend, who else r we playin but villa, in their own turf. ouch. n coz of the victories of both charlton n villa, its now a 4 horse race for the coveted champs league spot. villa n charlton r only a pt n 2 behind respectively. n should things fuck up, birmingham n boro will catch up too. hope tt doesnt happen.

but first, we need to get to the semis of the UEFA Cup. n it doesnt help tt PSV beat Groningen 5-0. the next one will b super crucial.

hmm.. interesting.. v interesting..

i finally got to listen to the two songs ive been wanting to listen, alicia key's 'if i ain't got you' and nelly furtado's 'try.' both r such kiss ass songs.

the prodigal girls of music r back! i've kept track of the select bunch of girls in this category called 'talent' singers coz these ppl can play instuments, write their own songs and of course, sing. i guess the members need no introduction; michelle branch, nelly furtado, norah jones and alicia keys. there r other members of cuz, but they're not as well known as i would want them to be.

this is wat music is about. no mass-produced commercial singers whose purpose is to poison the charts wit popularity-intended songs and also to accumulate revenues for the recording company.

real music is for those who can sing, compose their own songs and at least play some sort of musical instrument. tts wat talent really is.

n since the days of i'm like a bird, which i was crazy over, eventually irritating the hell out of my sec 4 classmates, she has done it again, with a classic. n so far, alicia key's two singles from her sophomore album r top notch too.

n suddenly i realised. N.E.R.D. concert in chicago... i think its in two days time. i feel like goin, but its too late anyway. n i dont hav the means to travel to chicago n back. ah well, i guess i can go to plenty while im in georgia tech. no biggie.

k gotta go for driving lesson...

ooh boy..

finally managed to watch kill bill vol. 1....

its a fuckin brutal n gruesome show, but hell, its cinematography is the best ive ever witnessed (way way better than LOTR in my opinion) n im talkin bt a very artistic cinema point of view.

no wonder critics either love or hate this show. u ask me, i'll say its darn fuckin good. the camera settings, the ideas, the way some scenes r taken, the whole backbone idea of the movie, its all ive been waiting to see. you only see the artistic movies in low budget, v draggy-feel movies, the non-commercialized ones, but this is one of the first few tt i know tt has been advertised and commercialized tt has this kind of direction.

i felt sick watchin the blood spill out n the inhumane slayings, but at the same time, my jaws were drop open coz i was juz overwhelmed by how the whole thing was filmed. absolutely great.

ive always heard n read bt the movie before it came out, but of cuz, it was a seriously R(A) show. they better come up wit a new rating, R(A) wouldnt b appropriate enough for this show.

im a lil surprised tt the very person who convinced me to make sure i watch it sooner or later was my friend vieda. she told me the last time i met her n now tt i sit down n think abt it, it seems almost absurd tt she was the one who recommended tt this movie was kick ass. i never knew she'll like this bloody a movie.

hmm, im so delighted tt i decided to download the DVD quality version, which was like 700MB, but definately worth it. it wouldnt b the same on cheap VCD or filmed-during-show kinda format.

I think I might end up gettin the DVD, which came out just few days back or should b out within next week. n kill bill vol. 2 is starting next fri. i wish i could go watch it, but i guess i wont get to.

n i heard there's even a plan for vol. 3. i think this is where it gets bad. over-commercialized. it becomes like the flop matrix reloaded n revolutions were. should juz stick to the original plan. hope tt wont b the case. tt also happened wit jurassic park, star wars, etc.

oh my god...

ok, to begin, i hav two baseball heroes who r playin right now. gifted pitcher, pedro martinez and the ever so charming short stop and home run hitter nomar garciaparra. n both plays for the boston red sox (4-3 since start of season)

n u know wat? nomar is a georgia tech alumni.

AHHHHH!!!!

can u believe it, im gonna enroll in his alma mater!!!! this is so unexpected!

n to b included in the hall of fame is also former u.s. president jimmy carter.

my my. im really lookin forward to it.

but lately, after the a-lil-too-late-coz-i-wasnt-observant discovery tt georgia tech also offers undeclared engineering, im reconsiderin my choice of major. sure, from the descriptions, i decided comp engin suits me most. but then again, i made tt decision upon readin the engin faculty booklet of USC. not georgia tech's. since all freshmen take basically the same courses, im wonderin if its possible to change major. ive posted some queries on the message board, i might call to ask, but i hope i can do tt. at least during FASET. i hope i get a gd FASET date. by distance, i qualify for the last FASET, which is on 11th & 12th aug. but im not sure if tts guaranteed. i juz gotta wait for the mail which should arrive in few weeks.

i mean undeclared is the best choice, if u think abt it. instead of makin up ur mind so early, take 2 yrs to explore the different courses n see which one i like or do well in. i did another set of research n realised georgia tech is quite gd in these fields as well - aeronautical engin / civil engin / industrial or manufacturin engin. well, those r the ones tt r in top 5 of the country. the other notable ones r biomed engin / comp engin / elec engin / environmental engin / material engin. who knows, i might realize im better off doin mech or aeronautical.

dammit, gotta talk n discuss wit my dad n uncle over this decision. coz i dont wanna b makin the wrong step right now.

jeez, its freakin cold today...

chicago weather sucks. it gets warm n drops all of a sudden repeatedly.

n the last of my guy friends will headin off to army to become a propery of the singapore government. its quite a sudden twist, as he expected to go in durin june but he has to go in tomorrow (today, rather) anyway.

n who's da man? of cuz, winfrid.

winfrid n i go waaay back. prob the guy i know best from the SA guys. mayb except jonas. first time i met him was in IRC. coz queensway n buona vista was gonna merge, i was gettin to know number of ppl. wats more, winfrid was a prefect and a micromouse member, two of the activities i'll soon b heavily involved in. so obviously we saw eachother n worked together a lot. n then, we ended up in the same JC, better stiil, his friends were my friends. so obviously, we hanged around n joked, crapped, stoned, n a whole lotta things together... even after i moved here, we've been chattin quite often in messenger n all.

we've come a long long way together.. i have to praise you like i should...-d-d-d-d-d....

yep, so this is for u, winzee! take care in army n all the best!

Final Score from St. James' Park;
Newcastle United 0

Arsenal 0

k so juz a goal behind pool now.

6 more matches.

n newcastle still has to face pool.

dammit. i think it'll really b down to the final day. it seems v exciting yet scary...

here's a look at the next 6 matches.

Newcastle


Apr 18 - Aston Villa (A)
Apr 25 - Chelsea (H)
May 1 - Man City (A)
May 8 - Wolves (H)
May 12 - Southampton (A)
May 15 - Liverpool (A)

Liverpool

Apr 12 - Charlton (H)
Apr 17 - Fulham (H)
Apr 24 - Man Utd (A)
May 1 - Middlesbrough (H)
May 8 - Birmingham (A)
May 15 - Newcastle (H)

dammit.. i realised i newcastle has 4 away games.. n pool has 4... but they're facin charlton n man utd.

grrr. this is gonna b tight.. real tight...

as i was watchin some music shows on tv, i felt like reflectin on my own musical influences.

believe it or not, the first few english songs i started listenin to were simply red n scatman jones (oh my, it almost embarrasses me to think tt i used to listen to him.)

but then again, at tt time, the radio i heard on the bus tt i used to board when i used to go to UWC was the only time i listened to music. n i could only catch the names of those two artists.

then came the revolution.

puff daddy, reelin from the death of his best friend, Christopher 'Biggie Smalls' Wallace, also very well known as the Notorious B.I.G., came up wit a cover of Sting's smash hit n released 'I'll Be Missing You,' which remains one of my favourite songs to this date.

then i went through so many musical genre changes. Hardcore Rap, general hiphop, mainstream pop, top 40s, R&B, Alternative, Latin, etc, etc, etc...

n it ends up wit Soul/Urban/Acid-Jazz/Lounge, whatever we call it. in fact, im not sure how i can describe this particular genre. its a mix of so many.

anyway, juz tot i make a list of my all time favourites, in no particular order.

Puff Daddy feat Faith Evans & 112 - I'll Be Missing You
112 - Your Letter
Maxwell - Fortunate/This Woman's Work
Rage Against The Machine - Wake Up/Guerilla Radio
Lauryn Hill - Ex-Factor/Doo Wop (That Thing)
Goo Goo Dolls - Name/Black Balloon
Shakira - Ojos Asi
Lenny Kravitz - Again/Are You Gonna Go My Way
Tracy Chapman - Give Me One Reason/Fast Car
Coldplay - Trouble/Yellow
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me/More Than This

the prob is, i tend to always miss out somethin. i know ive missed out couple of songs, but this is wat i can come up wit for now n its a pretty decent list.

ive discovered so many things bt 'friends' cast and other notable stuff like never before. this is like gettin to know the show all over again!

for example..

monica was actually intended to b older than ross (her control freak nature indicates a big clue anyway)

david schwimmer got the role of ross without auditioning. (he fit the role of nerdy jewish guy coz he is one)

the monkey tt played marcel was the monkey in the movie 'outbreak' (i always had a feelin it was...)

lesbian lovers susan n carol's characters r based on co-creator martha kauffman's daughter's godmothers. (!!!)

talk show host conan o'brien and lisa kudrow used to go out with eachother in the late '80s.

studio audience r treated to pizzas on top of gettin to see the filming.

the guy who plays gunther got the role coz he was the only one who could operate the cappucino machine

jennifer aniston used to date red hot chilli peppers front man, anthony kiedis.

david schwimmer used to date natalie imbruglia (see tt hui???!!)

courteney cox and jennifer aniston used to fight over counting crows front man adam duritz. aniston introduced duritz to cox while they were datin, but when they broke up, cox dated him secretly.

matthew perry could hav been a tennis player if not for acting.

matt leblanc would hav been a ice hockey player if not for acting.

lisa kudrow would hav been a doctor if not for acting.

oh, and lisa kudrow was originally a brunette. she dyed her hair blonde prior to castin for mad about you.

david schwimmer turned down the role in men in black, which would eventually be filled by will smith. he opted to make a movie wit his college friends n couldnt think of dumpin them for the role. his film made $4 million dollars whereas men in black churned $250 million.

okay, went for grocery shoppin juz now n while i was browsin through the magazine section, i stumbled across this special edition 'friends' magazine tt highlights the past 10 years and has like biographies on every one of the 6 friends as well as episode guide for every single episode til the end of season 9!!! i took the mag n bought it straight away. im gonna read every single thing there is to read in tt mag. its like a fan must hav. i think clarisse and koustav will kill me to hav it. heh. the past 6 wks, NBC has been broadcastin the 6 most popular episodes as voted last year and they showed the no. 1 episode yesterday, which was 'The One With The Prom Video.' I expected something better, but i guess tt was wat the fans loved most. So after a 6 week break, NBC will finally get to air the new episodes. Can't wait. Only bout 4 more episodes of Friends and its over for good. May 6th, the day beckons. I'm lookin forward to it, but at the same time not, coz i dont want it to end. But plans for the spin off Joey is already in plans and one of Joey's sister is already decided or something.. Wonder when that will start.

an article tt proves my very pt.

-----------------

'American Idol' gives too much power to the People

Rabid fans help untalented performers

By Linda Holmes
MSNBC contributor

It's not news that "American Idol" isn't a meritocracy, given its long history of injustices. The Fox reality show wasn't through its first season before it elevated plastic punk-rocker Nikki McKibbin over powerhouse Tamyra Gray, and the lengthy run of hunky Marine Josh Gracin in the second season still boggles the mind. "Idol" is, however, supposed to be a democracy. Power to the people and so forth. Unfortunately, more and more, "Idol" is not about the people. It is about the People.

Who are the People? You know them if you've been where rabid "Idol" fans gather. They are the Ruben People. The Kelly People. The Jon Peter Lewis People. And, of course, the People who perfected Peopledom: the Clay Aiken People. They scream. They go to war with opposing factions. They trade stories of meeting a guy who knows a guy who met the contestant's father, who turned out to be just the nicest, sweetest guy! They trade low-quality MP3 files of contestants' bootlegged high school choir practices and try to give away sample CDs to unsuspecting strangers on the subway.

Unlike the general public, which would probably be capable of trimming a list of candidates down to a serviceable pop singer by the end of a season, the People are systematically ruining it for everyone. The People must be stopped.

Witness last week's "Idol," when pink-haired Amy Adams was tossed. Joining her in the bottom three vote-getters were Jennifer Hudson, an over-the-top but undeniably talented belter, and LaToya London, a versatile performer who is probably the most talented person in the entire competition. Meanwhile, escaping inclusion in the threatened few were the distractingly twitchy Jon Peter Lewis, the disturbingly robotic Diana DeGarmo, and redheaded born-behind-his-time crooner John Stevens, who had offered a version of "My Girl" so flat that you could slide it under a door. It was a ridiculous result, and although I can't prove it, I blame the People.

To understand why People are powerful, you have to understand the basics of "Idol" voting. Voting is free, and you can vote as many times as you can get through. And we're not talking about voting two or three times, either. The People redial constantly for the entire time that the phone lines are open. Remember, you don't vote for contestants to be eliminated; you vote for the ones you like. A good stable of People, therefore, can take a performer several rounds farther than his talent or his general appeal ever would have.

Horsing around

Jon Peter Lewis is a perfect example of a guy who really isn't very good, but has People anyway. They're the ones who fell in love with him during his bizarre performance of "A Little Less Conversation," which featured bad singing, apparent loss of motor control, and quite possibly appendicitis.

America cringed, but his People found his convulsive "dancing" adorable, and from here on out, they cannot be swayed by any number of mediocre showings. He could get up on stage in a given week, wave, spit on the floor, and leave, and they would dutifully vote for him for two solid hours. So far, they're keeping him in the game.


You see, People don't really care about the performances week to week. They treat "Idol" like a horse race. Pick your horse, bet on your horse, cheer for your horse. And, in some cases, carry your horse across the finish line. Above all, tolerate no suggestion that your horse has shortcomings.

He acted like a jerk? He's misunderstood! He sang badly? He has a cold! He has irritating, cloying, obnoxious mannerisms? That's what you love about him! No one understands him! Everyone is jealous of him!

The problem with People, of course, is that they don't respond to talent so much as to the ability to attract vaguely obsessive personalities. A cynic might argue that "A Little Less Conversation" was no accident — it was a well-planned effort at People recruitment. If it was, it was brilliant, because one of the rules of People is that People love geeks. They love underdogs, they love losers, and they love everyone who is picked on by Simon Cowell. Many mid-level performers struggle in the early rounds, but the real stinkers? The ones it hurts to listen to? They've always got People.

Another rule of People is that they favor the young. This is why DeGarmo and Stevens — both 16 — have People. So did last year's underage nightmare, Carmen Rasmussen. To put it delicately, a lot of People share demographic characteristics with 16-year-old contestants, and, all other things being equal, support them enthusiastically, talent notwithstanding.

Vote for the worst, not best

So who cares? Why not let the People take over? Not everyone with People is untalented. Shouldn't those who care passionately be allowed to determine the outcome? In a word, no. It is past time to put an end to the reign of the People.

Voting that is driven by the People, after all, rewards a level of fanatical devotion that generally cannot be sustained over any significant period of time. Being a Person is a full-time hobby, but you can't make it a career. Thus, the exposure that "Idol" offers is wasted on the commander of whichever fan base can remain the most fanatical for a period of a few months, while performers who might actually develop into long-term prospects — as Gray might have, and as London might — wash out because the admiration for them is wide but not sufficiently deep. And by "deep," I mean, "blessed with large quantities of free time."


It also detracts from the show to see better performers kicked off in favor of poorer ones. Sure, some of the disastrous auditioners in the first episodes are amusing, but no one wants to watch an insipid voice linger week after week. No one wants to see a kid who's in way over his head struggle through Big Band night being berated by Simon and screamed for by — you guessed it — his People.

So what's the answer? How can it be stopped? Fairly simply, as a matter of fact. Votes shouldn't be cast for who you like; they should be for who you want to see eliminated.

I have absolutely no doubt that the People would attempt to coordinate their efforts — they would conspire in their various online speakeasies to vote for one particular person in an effort to protect their darling. But it wouldn't be as easy to do, and they would at least be at risk of some other group of People choosing their guy as the target of the week.

Elimination-oriented, "Survivor"-style voting may not be an ideal solution. It's nice to think that you can succeed by accumulating fans, rather than by avoiding the wrath of detractors. It is also possible that the People might turn even uglier as they zeroed in on targets. But in the end, the best way to avoid the injustice of the steady, relatively solid performer being eliminated while a far inferior one advances is to sap the power of the People.

Linda Holmes is a writer in Bloomington, Minn.

i saw a different ad of jennifer garner's new movie '13 going on 30' and suddenly hav a great urge to listen to goo goo doll's 'iris.'

and when everything's made to be broken... i just want you to know who i am...

Final Score from Philipsstadion (Holland);
UEFA Cup Quarter Finals 1st Leg
PSV Eindhoven 1
Mateja Kezman (15th)

Newcastle United 1
Jermaine Jenas (45th)

okay, no surprises for today. the last 2 days has been real interesting. o wait, yes there is a surprise, marseille has beaten inter. juz wat is goin on.

i dont think i put this in, but deportivo beat holders n current serie a leaders ac milan 4-0!!!! after an initial 4-1 loss! i tot monaco beatin real madrid was bad enough, but this, oh my oh my. its like champs lg is totally gone.

it seems uefa cup is more interestin, wit the likes of celtic, inter milan, bordeaux, valencia n newcastle playing.

well i guess the surprises gotta wait til second leg then.

ooooh yeaaa....

its only my third lesson and i was driving pretty much around naperville! drivin through usually busy roads such as 95th street, book road and 87th street too! never thought i would be driving through real traffic pretty much like a seasoned driver. well, not really. i slow down quite a bit when i turn, but other than that, i feel so much more comfortable drivin!

cruisin down the freeway in the hot, hot sun...

k it wasnt hot, in fact far from it. when drivin, wind's super strong n since its chicago wind, chilly. but felt so good when there was this road, which juz stretched on n on wit no traffic behind! n im pretty much comfortable drivin at 45 mph (approx 72 kph) too.

next lesson's gonna b on mon, but over the weekend, i'll get to drive my uncle's car for practice.

while sittin in for mom's lesson, i couldnt stop thinkin bt the effects of camile's ejection from idol. i agree, she doesnt sing too well, but i think she deserved to stay on til the two johns were voted off. those two completely lost their steam through the finals so far.

oh camile...



juz look at tt smile.. doesnt it make ur heart melt..?

from now on, i think im backin diana degarmo. in one of her intro vids, i noticed she was singin the national anthem before a georgia tech basketball match. n she's a georgia girl! i think whether or not she wins, i'll prob get to meet her while in georgia tech. besides, i realised diana has sung v gd songs for the past few weeks, notably 'think', 'do you love me' and of cuz 'i got the music in me.'

o well, now tt camile's gone, i hav to refocus my undivided attention 'back' to her. if ure readin this, u know who u r..

i have lost my idol... it pains me so much, to hav followed her since day one, when she sang so magnificently in her audition, a rendition of 'ready or not' by one of my favourite female artist, lauryn hill's band 'the fugees.' since then on, i didnt care bt anyone else, voted for her durin the finals, watched her performances n reaction, so the thought of not seein her beautiful eyes n smile anymore is painful. it is such a heartbreaking sight, as she saw her own tribute video in tears.

here's my tribute.






i hope u find a chance to hav a recordin contract and do well, coz i'll b sure to buy the CD.

u might not be in idol anymore, but ure still very much my american idol. all the best camile!

okay.. so here i am.. gonna b one long post, i reckon.

k, first things first. i can pretty much drive through normal slow traffic streets. in juz 2 lessons. i feel great. most of yesterday's lesson i juz followed the instructor's orders to go left, right, etc, n basically i can do all the easy stuff. juz fine tunin aspects of traffic turns. it felt better when i could drive myself home from the place that we were practicing. so im definately lookin forward to the next lesson tomorrow. denise has been telling me bout clutches and drivin uphill and stuff and it seems its so much easier than singapore. im not sure if tts good, since im pretty convinced those goin through lessons in singapore would be a much safer and betterd driver than me. but i guess thats coz the roads are narrower, tighter and cars are pretty much travelling fast everywhere. i can juz travel at 30 mph and it seems normal here in this neighbourhood.

k.. next.. uconn huskies has done the impossible. capturin both the men's and women's national basketball championship. its the first time in ncaa history and it is quite amazing. the men's pages hav started forecastin the drafts and prediction for next yr n accordin to em, georgia tech will start the year as 3rd in the top 25 ranking and that makes me optimistic for a good ride for next season when i'll b part of georgia tech's family. they said not to b surprised if they r eventually ranked 2nd. wit pretty much of uconn's team graduated, they r not favourites next yr.

oh, tt brings me to another pt... its confirmed. im a yellow jacket. since they didnt get back to me, i called em yesterday while at my uncle's place waitin for the delivery of his mattress. i asked if my grades will do any damage, they checked, said all my credentials are in, and that im good to go. that didnt quite answer my question, but i guess there's no problem wit me. i wanted to know whether my grades would be a problem, but since he didnt say anything, fine. besides it's almost unheard of for a sch to turn down students after acceptance. so yea yea, atlanta here i come, august 16th the yellow jacket quest will start for me. i gotta b there by august 14th or 15th tho. tt i gotta see til the housing is settled.

okay... talkin bt the mattress that my uncle got, the same gringos who delivered the day bed to our place came. n when i opened the door, he looked n was like, yea, i think i can here before right? i laughed told him tt it was the other house. but he seems like a nice guy. when he saw tt there were stacks of mails all organised in my uncle's bedroom, he was like, ur uncle works in the mail? n i told him tt my uncle was busy fillin up the income tax returns, hence the mess.

k... then wat... hmmm, oh, this is interesting. last night, someone saw my webcam and supposedly wanted to hav cyber sex wit me. i was like, haha, yea rite! but i was caught off guard when i realised it was serious. but then i was kinda sceptic from the start, since the person mailed me usin one add and signed in to messenger wit another. and when she sent me her photos, the pics were named in different name. she said her name's crystal, then the two pics were named olivia and yari. n the two girls looked visibly different too! so all the while, i was tryin to figure who would wanna play a joke on me while chattin wit her. i can come up wit few ppl, to whose name i wont mention here, not sure if he/she reads, but i wont b surprised if he/she does. but then again, it all seems so fake. i mean, u can so easily tell. so i kinda played along, seein wat more 'she' would come up wit n all. then i realized, if she went straight to my webcam, its not possible to mail me from there. the only way she got my email add is if she accessed my blog first and then click on my webcam status page. so after tt, i was pretty much convinced it was pretty much a hoax. so whoever that was tryin to play wit me, well, haha, im not that easy to fool. lets see if she comes back for more. she said she was mix of african american and puerto rican. if i am wrong and if she really was for real, i'd b damned, coz if tt pic was real, she looks gd, tt i admit. heh. she tot i was puerto rican too, n i was like, u gotta b kiddin me, puerto ricans r so distinctive. im nowhere near how they look. n its funny to think tt after i disclosed tt i was bangladeshi origin n i might hav some sort of an accent, she kept sayin that was hot. now, tell me u all would believe this crap?

oh i also seem to hav visitors from uruguay and portugal on this blog. random clicks can b interesting at times.

idol idol.. hmm, unless somethin unprobably takes place like last week, the camile and john stevens are sure to be in bottom 3. they simply cant make it anymore. but i hope my votes count. i guess its kinda easy to say its gonna be a contest between diana, fantasia, georga and latoya. those few really r outstanding. jasmine was doin well but she seems to hav lost the talent since 2 wks back. chi-town girl jennifer seems to hav changed for the gd all of a sudden. wonder wat that's all about.

okay, chelsea beat arsenal in the champs league, a 87th min winner by bridges. i was shocked, like anyone else. juz a week ago, arsenal were gearin up for a treble, which seemed so likely considerin their unbeaten premiership campaign this season. and then, after the losses to man utd in the FA Cup and this, they only hav the premiership to look for. and even that might b at risk, coz chelsea seems to b catchin up pretty fast. arsenal r ahead wit 4 pts, wit a game in hand, but the next few matches will determine their fate. they next face liverpool, and then newcastle, and tottenham. u ask me, im all for upsets. it'll b interesin if pool and newcastle can hold arsenal to two draws and see how chelsea can cope from there. apart from those three matches, arsenal hav pretty easy games, but who knows, the nerve might wreck. it'll b a cool finish to the season if chelsea manages to catch up, when everyone didnt expect em to win in their first season under abramovich. n the champs lg? to complete an unexpected double? my that would hurt arsenal so much.

and wat the hell is up wit real madrid? hav u ever heard of a team losin after winnin the first leg 4-2 and then losin on away goals aggregate? and its real madrid we're talking about. and on top of that, its monaco. if it was some english or italian team, fine, but its monaco!! i guess all these make soccer so freakin interesting. it is indeed a beautiful game. truly. chelsea faces monaco for semifinals now. on the other hand, it's most prob ac milan against porto. unless another french bogey takes place. i guess we'll see about that.