the week that was a month

It’s not exactly new, but the week launched (note: Sunday) by spewing random evils on my study table and computer desktop. A paper, a quiz, and the major report for UN class were lined up. I had to start early Sunday. There were lots of readings piled up, which I couldn’t organize in coherent thought.

Despite being deliberately perplexed throughout the week, there were goodies to be grateful for. I’m not hallucinating people! These are actual experiences and in no way “mere”, which a very qualified term here, psychical realities:

O, rejoice!

1. The tons-of-readings-class (i.e. UN class) concluded (!) yesterday with reports on East Timor, Afghanistan and mock goodbye chitchats with the Teach. A classmate was insisting on drama akin to parting words and what-we-should-improve-on mentoring type of conversations, albeit unsuccessfully. It wouldn’t have been so bad to listen, but I guess the Teach wasn't particularly interested in epitomizing The Panopticon.

I won’t definitely miss the heaps of readings, but the class and the brilliant Teach was worth a doodle in my memories- Uck! That attempt at schmaltz sucks. They were cool.

3. Hello mocha frappuccino! It's been a hell two years of abstinence, according to my psychical calendar, without you. Then I heard about fair trade- finally, something valid to rationalize exorbitant fee for coffee! Bah! I'm still just a student so a draught a month won’t hurt, probably. I had one yesterday, and surprisingly my caffeine-yesterday-depression-today didn’t act up this morning- my hyperacidity did.

4. Idol number 3 talked to me at the stairs of MVP in one on my way to the Caf. We sort of know each other from Immersion during senior year- and I got to hear her sharp yet feeling brilliance then. The chitchat was surreal, and I was blabbering “Is she actually talking to me?” in my head over and over again. It was probably purely perfunctory on her part, but to me it was beyond words. Now, I doubt whether that really happened.

5. I got to know, somehow, a small population of smarties and interesting peeps for the last month. This population is entirely different from the rigid, aloof, and well-lauded whiz kids during MIS days. It’s only now that I get to appreciate genius that makes sense.

...

I have to write something interesting about Evolving Chinese Traditions for Chinoy. Okay, not really. I'm no way the major player to organize everything for this section of the magazine- isn’t it just nice to know that you’re writing for a freshman? And, it's not exactly that I'm passionate about working for a theme I'm not particularly interested in. I'm just tired of the here's-what-Chinese-culture-is-all-about of Chinoy. It's eternal recurrence- a vicious circle if you're a pessimist- that the org “can't” get out of.

But (alas!), this can bring about doodles on issues about the relevance of Chinoys to society at large. This is one of my reasons for liking (?) Celadon’s VMO this year. But, really, mere “what we can do” is not enough. I really think issues not seen up the hill should be discussed- aside from the relevance thing. There’s a need of sophism to validate this point though.