Pastel Comfort
I have exams tomorrow.
Thursday we studied at the Reading Room till about one, Tat Wei and I, headed off to have lunch at Ali Maju and then went over to Zi's place for a study session. We devoured chips, chocolate cake and lychee drinks. And then at nearly 3pm, we raided the kitchen, cut the same ingredients as used the day before and mixed them with a can of Campbell's mushroom soup to make a larger serving than the previous day's. Jin Soon swung by. Jia Liang came by too (he had Lit finals in the evening, 6ish), so it was five of us, Mini SHREK M&M's and the guitar, while plans and pleadings brewed for a night movie- Star Wars. I counted myself out and finally left for home at about..5.20pm..with Hui Wen (who had earlier somehow ended up on the way to Puchong). Suraiya came by when I was in the midst of dinner to collect mock examination papers as well. I know that night something kept me up until 3.30am. It must have been the excitement of having gone to Ikea to purchase my long-desired corkboard that overcame me, driving me to stay up to pin my collection of earrings up. Also, my newly purchased red nail lacquer from the natural source at The Curve got me painting, and repainting and re-repainting my left fingernails. In between all that were sms updates on how the movie went and how some people got lectured at for clocking into the house late, which later progressed to possible birthday surprises and what not. Don't even ask.
Friday there was an extra Math class. Being early, I declined the offer to remain at the library with the girls, I headed up to the DSA to say hello to Kelvin and prop myself on a chair before leafing through the latest edition of CLEO. Suraiya *found* me and so did Jeannette. We headed down for class with Ms Aw. Lunch was spent at Mid Valley; Kenny Roger's with Kang, Jia, Pui San, Hui Wen, Sook Yeen and Tat Wei before some of us ended up stuck at TOPSHOP admiring garments. When we finally did head back to college in Tat Wei's Kenari (sans Pui San who drove her Chevrolet Aveo home and Kang who hopped on a taxi), we popped by the DSA with Jia's one dozen muffins. Zi came to join us as well. Started off with talk and study attempts, then the discovery of the pool table..I ended up watching cheer and dance on ESPN, talking to Ning Jia about a half afloat LEO Club, fiddling with new nail polish..doing things other than studying. Hui Wen took me home (because dad was on his way to the airport to fly to India). Interesting revelations were made as I found out that my dad is acquainted to yet another Catholic High student's father, the second after Zheng Xi. I was rather beat at night, took a nap before being smashed with two secondary school examination papers to deal with. Then I hit the treadmill till about ten, hung on the phone for some while after getting told off while watching the penultimate episode of The OC Season 2, then finally had my shower at nearly one.
Saturday I sorta slept in. Sent my siblings out for tuition before coming back to face this vertical screen until nearly dinnertime- I was working on a supermegalongggggggggggg email reply to Zhi Lin in Adelaide and advising a cousin on her art exam (yes the same one mentioned before). Dinner was at SouLed Out, Sui Lin's 39th birthday I think. Cake and all later, they decide to come over so I can teach the kids art. Jokers. Reluctantly I got started with a picture of a fruit basket for Gene, the younger cousin of two. He seemed beat, stressed and pushed to the edge, worn..but I still tried to hold attention as my aunt, uncle and cousins had conversation around where I was seated. As much as I hated to have done what I did, it was some good I dare say. It reminded me how I still enjoy having pastels encircled between my fingers as they tastefully and almost magically bring life to mediocre sketches that I was once (and perhaps still am) capable of. As I coloured, there was this force that endeared me to the piece..Only what made my night was the fact that Sui Lin (I think) accidentally shut my email windows...and my reply was gone...forever. But I did get talking again with Andrew from my FictionPress days after about three quarters of a year. That was quite a pleasant surprise.
I wasn't early to wake today either. Had mum's mee mamak for lunch and pineapple for dessert. Now here I am, business scheme discussion later, ready to take on mathematical problems in preparation for my hour-and-a-half long paper tomorrow.
In retrospect and recollection, it's been a pleasant week. I never mentioned my dinner at Mum's Place, Damansara Perdana where the crown prince of Perak, Raja Nazrin, was present along with visiting (and very impunctual) Indian business friends of my dad's company which boasted an array of Nyonya and Portuguese dishes comprising exotic seafood and poultry. And while that all happened last Sunday, China won the coveted Sudirman Cup in badminton in the classiest form and fashion thinkable- toughly fought out matches in the best form of badminton I have witnessed in quite a while. Zheng Xi's parents, brother I met and a second cousin due to leave for Melbourne to study business at RMIT soon.
Today being Wesak, I wish I could be seeking blessings at the Maha Vihara in Brickfields. But with exams just a tick of the clock away, and in view of the possible traffic conditions on such an occassion, this year has to take a skip I reckon.