(my version of 3:42AM)

Exhausted from flat-hunting, all day long. Being in a position to make choices is empowering although somewhat burdensome... I don't like rejecting something in which I have a keen partial interest. Sigh. Let's pray that what will happen tomorrow morning is the best that can be. Fingers crossed! :))

Tomorrow's set for a visit to the V+A Museum. The exhibition on Che Guevarra's icon seems interesting so far. Looks like it will be what I'll be doing for my written paper.

On the other hand, I took loads of interesting pictures this weekend, especially from BM. Ancient Egyptians embalmed not only the dead body of important personalities, but also cats! I will upload more pictures when I do get my computer... whether it's a PC or a Mac... whether it's a laptop or a desktop... fingers crossed too! ^^ One thing I'm not well-prepared for is the 2003 Microsoft Office Suit installation CD, which I completely missed out in comparison to the hype of bringing along the respective suites of Adobe and Macromedia. However, when you think about it, MS Office costs significantly less than the two combined. Which means it wasn't too bad of a decision either...

Finally, sleep! I'm off to bed now. This compulsory diary thing is kind of bugging me, but then again it's about developing the right kind of habits for success :-} So yes, I will keep up with it.

Take care!

(the Royal Game of Ur)

Good morning everyone.

I'm yet to figure out how to re-set the time configurations to GMT, but anyways... this is morning for me (at 11:16, it's not yet past midday.) This morning was the first time in my life I was woken up by a fire alarm. A nice, loud dummy drill for sure.

Even though the museums are likely to be packed today, I'm going. The British Museum is particularly interesting. As a teacher of mine commented, it's where you can go and see "what we have stolen from other countries in the past" (what a witty Brit he is. Kevin, don't be flattered.) There is this interesting exhibition on the Royal Game of Ur, where you have to move pieces around a funny-shaped board and knock/send your opponent's pieces back home. The museum's website has got a demo of the game online. It's interesting to see that we haven't changed that much from the old ages: we crave security, we want a solid base prior to launching an offense, we'd love to kick others around if we're not in our preferred circumstances and yada yada yada. This might be happening just on me as somebody who's got an I-want-to-win-every-competition-I-enter-in-a-fair-manner attitude, but it provides a good chance to discover more about oneself.

(As my [relatively] wise sister briefed me once, never say one wants to explore oneself. It's not something a well-bred woman would say.)

This game got me thinking again. I know the British Museum has considerably more money to throw around than the National Museum of Indonesia. OK, that being said, I'm impressed by how BM has the willingness to employ a team of programmers to develop an online board game just for the sake of getting people interested to come along. I felt that I was intellectually stimulated by the game and that it fuelled me to be more determined to go to the museum... just to see what the game these ancient people made up thousands of years ago. The game generates genuine interest in common people to see and learn more about other cultures, something in which I reluctantly admit Indonesians are not very good at. I'm not saying that Indonesians who do not see items of antiquities with their own eyes as uneducated, but rather their willingness to find out about things novel and unfamiliar to them is rather low. Can it be linked to the markedly low average ability to read? Heck, if it's linked, then my MI proposal hits the issue bulls-eye.

My hunger brings me to the point that I need to go and prepare some sort of decent meal for Dad and me... which will then enable us to walk the miles, queue up and see how this board game really looks like. And then again, the Museum may cop up some spare change when we grab a board game or two to bring home and share to others. You see, sometimes expenses aren't as bad as they may initially seem to be. They have the potentials to turn into investments if you know how to handle them. That being said, we as humans are the managers of funds, not the managed.

(I seriously haven't listened to an awful lot of songs lately... really sorry about that! x-{ )

Take care and enjoy your weekend!

A Foggy Day (in London Town)

London is not as foggy as I imagined it to be. There is actually a fair amount of sun (10-minute bursts?) in the afternoon.

I'm honestly nerve-wrecked at the fact I haven't secured another back-up apartment to move to. The one that's been confirmed is situated in a not-so-familiar-looking neighbourhood, and I (being a fussy young lady who lived her adolescence in a predominantly English-looking area) am not too impressed with it.

Surprisingly, I made friends to two lively girls, both packed with loads of personality and an interesting background (and suprisingly: Asians well-conversed in English, with one having a slight Brit accent.) At this stage I'm not too stressed not to find Caucasian-looking friends as it is a one-month preparatory class. There are some benefits coming from the classes too, one of them being well-acquainted with the accent. Meh heh heh heh.

As I have also left this blog hanging for some time, I will also clarify the experiences of being in a beauty pageant. Here they are:
1. Contrary to the presumption that beauty queens have their beauty sleep, we were expected to present ourselves to the make-up team no later than 5AM every day. This is noteworthy as our previous day usually ended at 11PM the earliest.
2. Yes, we do have good skin, but we do have the occasional zit or two. And yes, it's possible for one to be in an unlucky situation and have her foundation colour mismatched to her skin.
3. The majority of girls who were quarantined have good personality and ethics. A vocal minority, however, did exhibit certain traits of jealousy and tendency to cat-fight at minor setbacks. Therefore, it's important to keep one's sanity and develop an extensive network regardless of whether one is a target of such bitchiness or not.
4. Not all of the girls (myself included) have previous experience in such competitions.
5. The sash, the number plate and the nametag are indispensible accessories to every occasion.
6. It was amusing to find out the buses we rode in are flanked by two policemen riding in a zig-zag manner on a huge motorcycle.
7. Choreography was a day-to-day activity staple: at least four hours are dedicated to it every night.
8. It's important to keep one's room clean at all time, as you might have an interesting personality (or two) come into your room and go through your pile of dirty clothing. That being said, it's handy to take advantage of the daily laundry allowance being offered by the hotel.
9. We did get a range of unusual classes, one of them being "the wave" class.
10. Being down-to-earth is a trait of personality that is highly valued. The competition may get glamorous and unrealistic at times, but our lives do return to normal (exceptions for three very lucky/pitiful girls) after it ends, so be normal.
11. Not winning is not the end of the world, and it may be a good thing at the end.

I miss the friends I made during the whole experience though... sob... it's also enlightening to learn that we could get to where we were because of the extensive support of our friends/rivals and family, and not solely on our capabilities. These evidences only became so apparent and undeniable during those days, and seeing them materialize is definitely a life-transforming experience in itself.

After all those are being said, I am now making a remarkably smooth transition to London. I do have a visa that was sloppily prepared, but I have almost nothing to complain about (and I wouldn't like to complain about things anyway.) So... I guess that's all for now.

Oh, as another note, this blog will count in as part of my homework of a diary. So Kevin, if you're reading this, take it as my diary. Meh heh heh heh.

Take care!

A foggy day in London town
Had me low and had me down
I viewed the morning with such alarm
The British Museum had lost its charm
How long, I wondered, could this thing last?
But the age of miracles hadn't passed
For, suddenly, I saw you there
And through the foggy London town
The sun was shining, everywhere.