Today is November 29. I got a gorgeous bouquet of a dozen roses delivered to Coffee Bean where I was studying.

You made my day.

Yay yay yay yay yay. (I just felt like rhyming)

=)

I had a conversation with a good friend today, he asked me a question. Not a ground-breaking, earth-shattering, ultimate revelation kind of question, but a question that got me thinking nonetheless. And the aftermath reading of a related blog post inspired me enough to get me to pen my thoughts.

 I’m not going to repeat the question, nor am I going to post an excerpt of the post I read. No, the relevant people know who they are.

I’ve begun to realise the kind of friends I really treasure. The friends that will stand by your side no matter what mood you’re in, the friends you can tell anything to, the friends who won’t disappear when opportunities are missed (certain opportunities are more significant than others….a recap of a prior post should throw some light).

 SNAB! You’re one of those people. The kind who can anticipate what I’m going to say before I say it, the kind I know who won’t disappear from missed opportunities, the kind I can tell anything to without worrying what you’re going to think of me, the kind that will always be around.

And this post is dedicated to you.

Yes, your birthday treat is coming.

We wanted to buy tickets to the Phantom of the Opera but we were too late… ticket sales started in late October and ALL (I repeat, ALL) the good seats have been sold… for the $145 tickets, the only seats left were those right at the back of the specified section (which is in the circle and not worth watching from there). So we decided to give it a miss. So sad. =( But nevermind, I will constantly fuel my thoughts with scenes from the entrancing Notre Dame and ease the dissatisfaction missing Phantom because we couldn’t get good seats.

It feels rather sad to know that people do not get the treatment they deserve….I say You deserve better, and I reiterate, don’t look for someone who’s just ‘good’, look for someone who is ‘good for you’. And never, never, settle for what has been termed the ‘maximin’ state of events (in layman terms, the maximum of the minimum). And it’s not worth the constant stress and waiting in vain for something that will never materialise, tested and proven, again and again. Be bold and take the first step… because if not that situation will never change… And I reiterate… you deserve better.

That being said, I’m not too sure how to come to terms with certain aspects that do not allow me to completely put my mind at rest, on the one hand trying to convince myself that the best decisions had been made at the time, but on the other hand having a nagging voice at the back of my mind jolting me out of that reverie, with oh-so-small messages, just barely sufficient to throw that tenuous balance into disarray. Ah, the vagaries of life.

Two exams down, and one more to go. Today has been a: one exam, zero study, lots of eating day. Who on earth gives Eight questions in a two hour exam? 10 marks, 20 marks, 10 marks, 20 marks, anyone who has taken an exam before will know that it’s practically impossible to distinguish the amount you’re supposed to write for a 10 mark and 20 mark question. And also, I didn’t buy new pens for exams this time round (yes, I buy about 5 pens before every exam, all the same kind), so for this exam, I couldn’t quite decide which pen I wanted to use, so, every question was awarded the use of different ink. =) I hate to write for exams because my beautiful cursive handwriting is plagued with the stress of having to get that ink out at double time, triple speed. Whatever. Out of sight, out of mind.

I like being pampered. I like being spoilt. And NO, I am not a brat. Please get my referrals to attest to my seemingly dubious claim… (referrals can be found from the author herself or from anyone in the blogroll =p)

And no, I’m not going to talk about some supremely intellectual scientific theory about the workings of the brain or any other part of the body for that matter, I’m not feeling that intellectual at the moment, just plain, ol, BORED OUT OF MY WITS.

Exam tomorrow, but I’ve been feeling mighty sleepy all day long for some reason, I can’t quite put my finger on it because I woke up at 10am this morning (slept at 2), well ok granted, I did have an interrupted sleep because I woke up at 7am prior to that, but went back to sleep, was supposed to go and have Long John’s for breakfast but couldn’t wake up.

And when I’m bored, and I can’t sleep, I eat. Eat eat eat eat eat eat eat. Eating is a good cure for boredom. Unfortunately not such a positive choice for a healthy diet, and home today was supremely boring because there were no interesting snacks to eat (but Marks and Spencer’s digestive biscuits are rather good, I have nearly finished the packet).

And then I watched little bits and pieces of ‘So you think you can Dance’ on YouTube.

And when I start writing blog posts alla logbook style, we all know I AM BORED.

In the past, I had often had conversations with friends who asked me, “So what do you look for in a guy?”

And, depending on age, I would answer differently (VERY idealistic when I was young, I wanted the perfect guy, then gradually more realistic as I matured).

But, I must say, that my “requirements” (for lack of a better word) have not really changed even through time. At this point in time, I don’t think my wants are idealistic. Granted, I no longer look for the Perfect person because that obviously doesn’t exist, we each have our own flaws, faults and failings and it’s the coming through and accepting each other’s faults that strengthen a relationship and also help us to grow.

But, I have also made a tremendous realization. It just hit me.

And so, if someone were to ask me again,

“So, what kind of guy do you look for?”

My answer would be,

“The kind of guy that will take as good care of me as my parents have.”

Because they take Real good care of me. And they make me mad, they make me annoyed, they irritate me with their “stick in the mud” values as I used to think (ok maybe I still think some of them are =P), but they also make me happy, and they make me laugh.

 It’s funny, the things that hit you when you’re supposed to be studying. Time for a nap.

I gaze at the floor in front of thee

Remembering how it used to be

I can oh-so-clearly see

Me on the floor, alive and free

And it just all comes flooding back

The visual persona has a knack

Of showing that in this life I lack

An ever constant dancing track

I reminicise of days of old

Memories worth their weight in gold

 Do one by one slowly unfold

The passion of dance that is so bold

Cease this longing, turn it around

And give me that melodious sound

For I have but my pleasure found

The tapping of my feet on the ground

Take my hand and feel the beat

Move the body, and the feet

Get that bum off from the seat

Shakeyourbooty, feel the heat

In raging waters, an endless sea

A burning desire within thee

The music, it will set you free

Take my hand and dance with me.

…For the long lost dancer.

I have a love-hate relationship with dance shows. Love, because I love to watch dance, and Hate, because it reminds me of how long I haven’t been dancing. I watched Step Up today.

How long ago was it that I actually picked up my feet and danced to a cheoreographed beat? There’ve been so many dances that I’ve done; Ballet (for 9 years), Modern Dance, Modern Jazz, Hip Hop, Latin (Salsa, Cha Cha, Samba, Jive), Ballroom (Viennese Waltz, Rhumba), and well if you want to count Gymnastics because floor routines do have dance steps, then Gymnastics for 11 years of my life.

My blog title is shakeyourbooty for a reason. A reason that hasn’t materialised in over a year, and dancing is sorely missed. And everytime I watch a dance show….I’m reminded of the days I used to dance so often.

LAYER ONE: ON THE OUTSIDE
Name: Bev
Birth date: 27 March
Current status: Convincing myself that 2 weeks will pass in the blink of an eye (not very successfully, I might add)                                                                                                            Eye Color: dark brown
Hair Color: depends
Righty or Lefty: righty
Zodiac Sign: Aries

LAYER TWO: ON THE INSIDE
Your heritage: Scottish, Chinese, Peranakan, Jewish? (I seriously don’t know)
Your fears: Failure and disappointment
Your weakness: Food.
Your perfect pizza: The kind with the thin, hard, crispy crust, with spicy tomato sauce and lots of seafood (prawns, fish, squid) on top. Cheese is good too. Mozzarella.

LAYER THREE: YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW:
Your thoughts first waking up: Abolish exams!!!!!
Your bedtime: depends
Your most missed memory: India.

LAYER FOUR: YOUR PICK:
Pepsi or Coke: Diet Coke
McDonald’s or Burger King: mcdonald’s
Single or group dates: Single                                                                                                        Adidas or Nike: Nike
Lipton Tea or Nestea: Lipton tea
Chocolate or vanilla: Depends.
Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee. Black, and bitter. (not too bitter)

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU?
Smoke: no                                                                                                                                   Cuss:
Take a shower: Yes
Have a crush: No
Think you’ve been in love: Er…..
Like(d) school: Yes
Want to get married: I think so…eventually.
Believe in yourself: Most of the time
Think you’re a health freak: I like very healthy stuff, but I also like very unhealthy stuff. So… er… somewhere inbetween.

LAYER SIX: IN THE PAST MONTH
Drank alcohol: Yes
Gone to the mall: Yes
Been on stage: No (I want to do the Cha Cha on stage again…)
Eaten Sushi: Yes
Been dumped: No
Gone skating: No
Dyed your hair: No

LAYER SEVEN: HAVE YOU EVER
Played a stripping game: Er…
Changed who you were to fit in: No

LAYER EIGHT: GETTING OLD
Age your hoping to be married: Before I reach 30

LAYER NINE: IN A GIRL/GUY
Best eye color: Doesn’t matter
Best hair color: Doesn’t matter
Short or long hair: Short and spiky and grass like!

LAYER TEN: WHAT WERE YOU DOING
1 MINUTE AGO: This
1 HOUR AGO: Bathing
5 HOURS AGO: Doing an exam
1 WEEK AGO: Studying for an exam
1 YEAR AGO: Too long ago

LAYER 11:FINISH THE SENTENCE
I LOVE: eating
I FEEL: like eating
I HATE: Hypocrites
I HIDE: When I want to avoid everything
I MISS: India
I NEED: Asics running shoes, climbing shoes, a digital camera, a new handphone, new bags, new running dri-fit tops, new shoes, new clothes, lalala, on and on and on

Because exams are by no means an adequate way to judge a person’s intellectual worth (ahem, yes, I do say so myself).

 When writing any piece that is aimed at becoming somewhat intellectual and needs evidence to show some form of intellectual discourse,

I like to have some time to think. And then some time to contemplate. And then enough time to write.

NOT

‘thinkcontemplatewrite’ all at the same time in the course of 2 hours.

And in the interest of qualifying speculation over the uselessness of exams,

Disclaimer: The views in this post are entirely the author’s own and represent no factual basis on the views they uncover. No fair comment, nor qualified privilege, just a plain and simple consequentialist justification of free expression: Autonomy and personal development. (yes, I do believe that airing my views aids my personal development)

We went for GoodWood Park Coffee Lounge buffet dinner yesterday. And all I ate was seafood (well, mostly). More than 30 prawns, plus steamed fish (the chinese dinner kind), crayfish, salad, lots of salmon, tofu, and lots of pappadums. The dessert section had lots of chocolate stuff which didn’t appeal much to me… but the prawns and salmon sure were good.

Then we went to watch “A Good Year” starring Russell Crowe. I had higher expectations, so I won’t deny that they fell a little short of what I was expecting, and although the idea behind the plot was a good one (the realization that work isn’t everything and the finding of love after giving up work), it ended a little abruptly.