Bye bye 2008

It's shocking how fast the year went by. It's the last day of the year already! What have I done this year even? Doesn't matter, I have plenty of photos to remind myself what I did. Good year on the whole I must say, could be better - of course - but I'm happy and ready for 2009 *holy crap I'm graduating!*

This is suddenly the ideal time to decide on my new years resolution... Tough one.

• Again, need to lose weight, but that's short-term... I should be saying something like oh yes I will live a healthier lifestyle, exercise more regularly and watch what I eat
• Stop cracking my fingers, I've said that for the past two years and if anything it's gotten worse
• Play the guitar, again nothing new, my goodness am I excellent at procrastinating (which I shouldn't exactly take pride in)
• Study really, really hard for the final exams - it's my last big push for good good grades

Hmm... whatever else there is left to think about I'll come up with eventually. It's 1.30am - it's time to clock out.

Blah

This holiday hasn't been a complete waste, I've gotten around to watching quite a few movies I've been meaning to watch but never quite did:

• Pirates of the Carribean: At Worlds End
• Transformers
• Lady in the Water
• Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (if that's the name)
• Epic Movie
  
• Santa Clause 3 (not that I wanted to watch it)

Hmm, around there. I'm tempted to watch 1408 but I think it'll scare the sh*t out of me so...until then. Another day gone doing nothing, quite a nice feeling when it's so rare. I really have to start doing work :(

Now what

So I took my GMAT on boxing day, don't even start telling me how sad that is, I'm well aware of the fact. Had to get there at 8.30 in the morning, which meant leaving at 7.30 and waking up at 6.30 (for a *hearty* breakfast) - and having slept after 2, my brain wasn't exactly in shape to take on 4hours of intense thinking.

The two essays, even though I've never practiced before (because I couldn't be bothered, no one's going to mark it anyways), weren't that bad. It's just a whole load of b.s., I'm quite curious how I did, need to wait 3 more weeks, blah.

The quantitative section went much slower than I expected, I hit quite a few walls - really no clue. I managed to shuffle my way through to the last question and randomly picked an answer without even reading the question - ha. I had 5 seconds to do the last one, what was I to do? Not finishing a question is worse than getting a question wrong so I had to pick something.

The verbal section was worse than when I did the practice test, don't know why. I finished almost half an hour early. I just wasn't in the mood to think anything through. Braindead with that much sleep really. Yet funnily enough the math score is exactly the same as the practice test. Overall I'm quite pleased actually. It's not as high as I'd like it to be but when converted into %, I'm impressed. Happy I am.

That said, I just realised I haven't gotten a single krismas present. That's pathetic and unacceptable. I'll just frickin go buy myself something *rar*

Countdown 2009

Ok, so what's there to do in Bangkok on new year's eve that's not standing squished next to a gazillion people waiting for midnight to strike? Well, something in style of course. A late night dinner and drinks pre-midnight tens of floors above the city's skyline sounds like a must but let me explore the choices...so far...

1. Red Sky (rooftop of Centara Grand) Set Dinner going at B9,955++/person
2. Zense (18th floor Zen) Buffet going at B6,969/person
3. Sirocco (63rd floor The Dome Bangkok) Gala Dinner going at B23,539/person...and guess what, it's fully booked!
4. 55 (55th floor of Centara Grand) Set Dinner at 12,555++/person
   

Now what? Rot in front of the tv shouting 10, 9, 8... into the tube? Watch the fireworks on the telly? Sad.

Yet again, amid a dilemma

What to do? I fear that I won't have enough time to do both my masters applications and my uni essayS. If I do well on my GMAT, emphasis on if (which the underlying assumption is that i dedicate all the 6 days left to it and nothing else, yes, even on krismas day), I'll be applying to uni's, which means I'll need to write them application essays.

At the same time, one of the three uni essays is due on the same date as the applications...and it's a 100% weight, so I can't just ignore it. Kill me. The stress is getting to my head and I don't like it.

I mean I want to go to the beach. I want to drive away from home and enjoy some good seafood in good weather. I don't love the sun but then I don't even remember when we last met, I could do with a bit more of that sunlight thing. I want to go into town, walk around, even if I'm doing nothing. I miss the having-nothing-to-do feeling. I want to go eat out. Go watch movies. Go karaoke. Do I have the time? N-O! Yet ironically enough I have the time to blog about it. Sad.

Blogging away

It's not like as if I don't have more important things to do but I guess it's because I'm supposed to be doing something else that makes me blog instead. I just feel like saying I wanna watch the second Chronicles of Narnia (yes I still haven't watched that), and Mr. Magorium's something something, which is coming on to Star Movies or something. Sigh, random blurbs per usual.

Ok I'm gonna go krismas tree photo-taking around Bangkok at some point. Is a must. Three really cool trees at Siam Discovery and Siam Centre...awesomeness. Damn it I wanna go take photos! I need to go with someone so I'm actually the photo >.< Gawd.

Krismas Time

I'm in such a krismassy mood. I feel like doing krismas shopping. Mailing cards. Cooking up a krismas meal. I need to get out of the house more and go absorb in all the festive atmosphere. It's nice to walk through a mall listening to krismas music. Hmmmm I love krismas. I want presents!

I shall put up my brand new white krismas tree, soon.

Whenever I have the time

I'm going to Tops in Sukhumvit 24 to take photos, and while I'm there I'll grab some bakery from Au Bon Pain and do some grocery shopping at Tops. Whenver I have the time.

I think pharmaceutical companies should really make them concentration pills. Ok there's the thing for them attention deficit kids to take but hmm. Oh wait, in desperate housewives if a normal person takes the pill it'll have a reverse effect and makes you super active, keeps you going non-stop! I'm suddenly so tempted to try.

I just finished taking Barclays' numerical and verbal test, hoping this time I passed the verbal (don't even know why I failed last year one, I still think it's because the system cocked up once I submited my results and claimed I haven't taken it but wouldn't let me take it again). Just need to wait to hear back from them...patiently. I've done oh-so-many tests this year though, that should have given me enough practice, hopefully.

And the stupid group presentation. Seriously. Professionalisation? What the hell. Where's the relevance? Seriously! UK accountancy? What about them? Gee!

And my GMAT is in 11 days. Kill me.

Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong

Ok I know rank is all good and stuff. The higher the rank for the uni, the better the job I'll get, and of course the higher the pay. But what difference would it make going to Wharton, Harvard or Stanford?? I need to start reading those sections "Why choose ..." - I need to like where I'm gonna be.

Mangoes

I like them. A lot. There aren't enough mangoes in the world.

Ok that random burst of randomness aside. Toilets here flushes *walks to bathroom and flushes toilet and walks back* ...*drum roll*...anti-clockwise!! What about the rest of the world, is it really just Australia that flushes the other way round.

Handling that pile of work

So I got myself to watch Twilight today. Interesting. Somewhat predictable, if not very, but a decent movie nonetheless. Now that one thing worth doing's done, I feel slightly more obliged to do my work. Yet funnily enough I'm blogging and not reading my rather-short case study and send in my part of the group work.

I've pushed my flight back to the 8th, I could have gotten the 7th but doesn't matter. I won't miss much though - just one Derivatives lecture (which I may later regret this) and a 2-hour seminar. I hope I get all the stuff done in time, I is quite worried.

I shall force myself to finish reading this professionalisation crap.

Darn it!

Why is it that I just don't seem to want to do anything. It's only when the deadline's looming in that I feel the heat and force myself to push through my limit and run on adrenaline and caffeine (as opposed to peaceful night's sleep). AT LEAST I finished 3 internship applications. Goldman's one was the day before but that I didn't have much choice, tests and essays were popping up like mushroom during the week so it's not like as if I had the time. I sent off Barclays yesterday and Deutsche Bank today - well ahead of the deadline, like weeks...but given that it's opened since September that doesn't quite cut in. In my defense (why am I talking to myself?), I was planning for a work-free holiday really...

There's Merrill Lynch left if I'm bothered, but their application is oh so long and their deadline is in 4 days so forget that. Morgan Stanley I'll attend to if I had the time. Same with Credit Suisse, and maybe even UBS. JPMorgan doesn't have private wealth and HSBC's closed - blah. I shouldn't even be doing them because my GMAT's about to piss out and die. I really need to be doing that.

I really need to get my references. I really need to fill my applications. I need to do my uni work (which is shitloads). I AM *THIS* CLOSE TO HAVING A SHUTDOWN.

I want

I wanna watch the new Bond movie. As much as I hate Daniel Craig as the new Bond, it seems like one of those movies you just have to watch. It's left all the cinemas in town, which blows, so I'll figure something out later. Next term sometime after week 3.

And I wanna watch Twilight. I don't know much more than it's about human-vampire lurve but since there's all the rave about it, has to be good right. People are already dubbing it the next Harry Potter.

Hmmm... I don't understand why crisps bags are so big. Wait, on second thoughts, I do! I used to think what the hell, such a rip off, big bag, barely any crisps. Now I see, the air = protection. Voila!

My Godiva chocolate: 15 unique pieces in a fancy gold box wrapped with gold ribbon at a mere 11.50pounds (duty free of course, yes, I'm transforming into a (temporary) cheapskate - who eats Godiva, how ironic). The thing is, I usually go by the philosophy that if I'm gonna get fat for eating it, it has to be worth eating. Thing is, so far I've had 2 of those pieces and they didn't wow me. I mean I've had better, it's about time I start experimenting with other brands.

Oh, Gordon Ramsay - boo you too! I was extremely disappointed with the food at your Taste of Christmas event. I mean for your calibre I would have thought your food would send me to seventh heaven three times and back but it didn't even do so much as tingled my tongue. If the food was sub-standard because it was mass produced for this event (though the portions were so small so I doubt it) then that's pathetic. And if it's really just the way your food taste, then oh my god did I think too highly of you. Flavours were missing from everything - what the hell. I've been wanting to go eat at your Restaurant Gordon Ramsay but now I'm second guessing. Imagine if I have to pay 90pounds for your three course meal, or 45pounds for your set lunch, I expect to be satisfied beyond imaginable. Gee!

I'm doing my internship applications and I'm wondering whether I'm wasting my time. Doomed!

Stay out of my dream!

You already take up enough time during my conscious hours, so really, I don't need you to come around in my sleep. You mind?

Boo Gucci

I'm beyond tired and could really use some sleep right now but I felt like blogging...ok, no I wanna sleep. I'll finish this off in the morning.

And so it's evening, already, how very fast. Had to extend my passport today early in the morning, tiring. I was more than keen on sleeping in but since that didn't happen today, tomorrow shall be dedicated just for waking up at noon.

Anyways, Gucci. That stupid sales person. I was going to get a belt, and was hesitant because it wasn't exactly very nice. I almost paid but then I forgot my boarding pass so I said I'll be back. Before I went back in I thought if I'm going to spend that much I might as well cough up a bit more for that Hermes belt I've been dying to get my hands on, so I walked into Hermes first before hopping back into Gucci. The sad thing was they didn't have my size, at times it blows to be the mannequin size - same problem with shoes, annoying. Anyways, so I walked back into Gucci and my friend was getting a bag (for someone else) and I told the sales staff I don't want it anymore. She pulled a face. That creature. And when my friend remembered the flight wrong she snared "be careful you might end up in the wrong place" with this super satirical tone - how very rude. Boo Gucci for recruiting you!

Things are suddenly so expensive at home. All the imported stuff has sudden sky rocketed. Insane. The what-seemed-cheap food isn't suddenly so cheap anymore, maybe it still is if I stopped converting. Hmm, the whole credit crunch crap is starting to take its course.

Oh, and I've been sick for almost two weeks now. How inconvenient. At least my throat's not so sore anymore but I'm coughing my day away...maybe I should tone down the chilled drinks - sigh.

And there's so much f*cking work to f*cking do! Man am I rambling! Just to freak myself out:
- Corporate Strategy essay = 2,000 words
- Project Management report = 2,000 words
- Financial Statement Analysis & Security Valuation essay = 1,500 words
- University applications = too many
- GMAT = OMG!! *thinks why am I making this list*
- Read 'Employee Empowerment' book [o yes, it is as boring as it sounds] and write a 1-page summary, prepare a 7-minute presentation, and eventually a 1,500 words book review
- Prepare for a 20-minute group presentation

I hope that's it, just looking at it is sickening.