Warning: Never-ending monologue below. Blogger is apparently overcompensating the 11 day hiatus.

Hellew hellew! Yesterday my charger finally arrived in my hands safe and sound. This is actually my first purchase through eBay (albeit through proxy since I don’t have a credit card) and I’m actually quite impressed. It arrived exactly as described if not better and felt that I actually got a good deal because I bought the charger for only approximately BND$70 (not really sure of the exact foreign exchange)- half the price they’re selling it at The Apple Store.

Here it is still in the paper bag

Inside the paper bag: travel adaptor, the wire thingie (?), and the charger.

New vs Old

Hee. Still wrapped in protective plastic.

As a result, I am now practically glued to my laptop. Phew, this is suuuure an expensive month. First my cars need new tyres (and brakes!), and my laptop needs a charger, and nowwww I’m afraid I need to fork out quite a bit for a new battery because my old charger seemed to have brought it along with him to “The World Where Electronic Goods Die”. I think I’ll just buy this off eBay too though not via proxy this time. Unlike the charger, the battery has more sellers who are willing to send to Brunei. We’ll see, we’ll see. 🙂

However, all worries aside, it sure is nice to be back sitting cross-legged on the bed whenever I feel like mindlessly surfing the Internet. You know: as opposed to sitting on a proper chair and desk office-like with a PC glaring back at you. The structured chair-desk-light isn’t very conducive to Turquoise and Roses blogging. Hehe.

Come to think of it I’ve always been a mediocre performer in a structured environment. Last semester, I had a research project where I was assigned a partner to work with. We were great together. But it was also funny because, when doing work, we were complete opposites.

She likes to do work in the library, where there are proper tables and chairs and I admired her for being able to spend hours and hours at the same table, reading book after book, journal after journal, while practically on the verge of hypothermia with the library’s minus zero temperatures. As for me, I could never pass the one hour mark. After that I start to get restless and move around a lot and eventually become lazy and unmotivated.

So, aware of my unproductiveness, and not wanting to disappoint my research partner, I started carrying my laptop around where ever I went. I sat at the staircase and was able to do work for more than 2 hours (only moving when I realised my butt has fallen asleep), I brought it to me to the toilet (some breakthroughs were made there in fact), and practically wrote a whole chapter when sitting sitting at the lounge (while National Geographic was on).

I started to realise that as long as I am not working in a rigidly structured environment, my productivity level is quite consistent. Haha. Ahhh yes. 🙂 Those were fun times. I’ll be doing another mega research project this semester, most probably even bigger than the last one. I won’t be surprised if I actually end up “tunggang tebalik” (upside down) as the Boipren would say.

Anyway, speaking of university libraries and projects, it was my first day back today, and unfortunately for me, it was also the first day for the brand new intake of UBD students. I’m sure you probably have grown tired of listening to my aversion to early morning traffic, but today was a traffic jam of epic proportions! I didn’t realise how eager people are for 8am classes. I didn’t get them till well into my second year. If you are one of those stuck in that particular jam, holler in the comments section! Hehehe.

As of 7.45am, there was a line extending from the Tungku Link up to Empire Hotel and Country Club. So I went the alternative route (longer) instead and took an illegal U-Turn near Berakas Forest Reserve so I could enter through “the back door” as the UBDians would say. The 20 year old Volvo I was driving rocked and rattled at 130 km/h (do not tell my dad I drive that fast in his car). Hehe.

Anyway, first day back was great despite only sleeping for one measly hour the night before (brought upon by a sudden urge to reformat my laptop at 2am in the morning). I am pleased to announce that the rumours going around saying JadeSimian has hair is quite true. So did the usual first day of uni stuff. Had classes, arranged tutorials, pretend to take notes while lecturer asks questions, etcetera etcetera.

The day ended with a really lovely TESL lunch at the Manjaro. While everything was quite yummy, I’d have to say the star of the meal was dessert: double chocolate fudge cake.

So I heareby release a royal declaration: EVERYONE MUST GO DOWN TO MANJARO TO HAVE THE AFOREMENTIONED CHOCOLATE CAKE.

It was soooooo good! The warm kind, drizzled with chocolate sauce on top and garnished with a sensually red strawberry. I didn’t have my camera with me so B had to take this with a camera phone.

Can you feel it in your wobbly brainmeats!!!

Yum! That was nice. It’s quite a nice day today isn’t it? :):):) Don’t mind me: I’m just ‘appy.