Selectives

The presentation on "Prevalence of Obesity Among Female High School Students" for our selectives went well. In fact, it was smoother than any of us thought possible. Despite the lack of preparations and coordination, we pulled it off. Shawn and I practised practically the whole evening before (independently of course) and did two trial runs before getting it started. With sweaty palms and shaking voice, I tried to deliver what I thought was pretty dry information.

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The selective coordinator didn't think so and approached us after the presentation to ask us to complete our study with a larger sample group and get it published in the journals. Oh man, that sounds so exciting. Learning how to conduct a study and publish a paper is like an opportunity that I never thought would come while I'm still in IMU. It probably isn't much to the rest of the world but I guess there's the thrill of the first experience. Shawn and Eugene were equally enthusiastic, so even if no one else wants to participate, it is comforting to know that we would be in it together.

Don't Ask Me

"Put the family first". So two things were sacrificed yesterday for my brother: (a) a high school gathering with Wee Kuan (who's back from Australia for a while) and (b) Boon Hui's 21st birthday party at his mansion...
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Yesterday was just hectic. Fetched Kelvin (that's my brother), Sue Fong (brother's girlfriend) and Ker Yi (brother's girlfriend's high school classmate) to Cyberjaya for MMU Open Day. We went for breakfast near Ker Yi's house halfway across the town, which was quite a welcome change from the overpriced food available in Bukit Tinggi 2.
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The 1-hour journey to Cyberjaya was rather awkward since my brother was having his periodic PMS mood swings that I have confirmed through experience is not limited to humans with xx chromosome only. That left Ker Yi and Sue Fong chatting animatedly at the backseat, Kelvin with a stormcloud over his head and me entertaining myself practising math using digits from the passing cars' number plates.
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We arrived at MMU. The three were so self-conscious that they stayed away from the booths offering information about the courses available at the school. Great. After a minute and many nudges, I walked up to the booths and just grabbed all the relevant papers from the tables, smiling at the lady who probably thought I was some sort of high school kid without an idea on the direction my life was going to take me.
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Then they just stared at the papers I handed to them. Ker Yi looked at me and asked, "where now?". I stared at her. What do you mean "where now?"... It's you kids' idea to come to this event. I'm just the taxi driver. Since when my job description was changed to include tour guide? I sighed. I was starting to see the direction the day was about to take me. At every point of the exhibitions and counselling sessions, the three developed acute transient selective mute syndrome, major symptom: inability to ask questions.
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They stare at me. I think and ask questions. The counsellor answers. They stare at me. I repeat whatever that was told in layman's terms. They nod. Repeat process to infinity. Found out that chemical engineering and industrial engineering isn't offered at MMU and information on law can only be obtained in Malacca. I stared at them. Hello??? What happened to research on the university? And these kids decided to come to MMU even before they find out whether the course is offered here???? We went to marketing, accounting and engineering - three fields in which I have no knowledge or experience. It's their interest, their future... and they stare at me nevertheless. I'm supposed to decipher whatever information displayed or told, and at one point, one of them asked me to decide for her.
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My role has just changed to include mother.
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Gee, I'm not mature enough to decide someone's future. Ask my mum that. I get into enough trouble on my own at home without trying to guide others to make the same mistakes that I'm doing right now. I'm not even responsible enough to handle my own life and you're asking me for career guidance??? Everyone says that my 17-year-old kid brother is mature than I am and you're asking me to get information for you?
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Nope... I'm not gonna make decisions for anyone right now. No opinions... I'm just a taxi driver.

Durians

Durian selection education courtesy of Jacob Tan Lit Way whose father owns a durian orchard

Inspect Thy Durian
Cracked? Tak bagus. Masuk air (is that water or air, forgot to ask) already. Got hole, check whether it's wet or dry. Jacob says that it's like gangrene. Those wet one really teruk case edi la. Dry one still salvageable. The rest may be good.

No Palpation Required

Percuss Thy Durian
With your fingernails k... jentik jentik a bit. If it sounds hollow, then yeah, it's great

Auscultate Thy Durian
Shake shake a bit... if the interior sounds like it moves, it's great

Then there's the different species la... but that one depends on individual taste. He says that D24 is "decent", not good... just "decent"... Apparently Takar is good... really gotta try la. Now I'm hungry

Internet Bliss and More

Having Net @ Home is really a luxury. Significantly easier to actually find resources for the literature review instead of having to wait for school to open on Monday and rush there before 10 when the connection speed slows to sloth speed to accommodate students filling in the E-labs upstairs.
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Today was a day spent doing absolutely nothing. Papa came into my room well before 0730, when my alarm is supposed to blare and jolt me from my diabetes-inducing sweet dreams. Apparently your father is supposed to be perfectly capable of functioning in the same capacity. Some pre-requisite of fatherhood. I lazed in bed and waited until the alarm DID blare. It's not as though I got any EXTRA sleep... it's the principle of the matter... Thou shalt not raise from bed before thy alarm allows.
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And so I walked over to grandma's place (next door, for those uninformed that my grandmother and my family have shifted to Bandar Bukit Tinggi 2 and only a small garden separates our houses)... and she wasn't ready to go yet. You see, there is this one rule that binds all grandmothers. They are early risers when they have the entire day free but always oversleep when there is actually something to be done on that day.
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The Goddess of Mercy apparently is a very popular figure. The temple was full of devotees at the ungodly hour (defined as any hour before my stomach demands for breakfast) and so we had to wait for the third prayer session before my grandmother got to climb up that treacherous staircase to get to the prayer hall. I assisted her up, of course... but apparently a grandchild's duties go beyond that. I had to kneel down for what seemed like eternity before the prayer session ended and my duties considered fulfilled (for the time being). It was near noon and VERY near the time for prayers at home in which not helping would spell disaster.
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With painfully throbbing left knee, an aunt was picked up. Of course, I turned out to be taxi driver again. There, my Harrison's continue to be untouched. We walked two hypermarkets that day - starting off with TESCO, we walked one end to the other, covering EVERY aisle except the stationery and electronics. Then repeat procedure to ensure that nothing at all is left out. All this time, please ensure that aunt holds onto the front end of the shopping cart, tugging it every now and then to allow other shoppers are hit just in case no one notices your presence. Of course your presence would be acknowledged with glares.
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And then because the banana cake was RM5, auntie dearest asks to go to GIANT, which is conveniently less than a kilometre away. You do a timecheck that tells you that you've been driving (either the car or the shopping cart) for an hour now. You travel the entire GIANT hypermarket, which is not called GIANT for its miniature size. By now, you are convinced that at least half of Klang population have become victim of your tugged shopping cart.
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Just as you load the stuff into the car, you are told to go back to TESCO because some things are cheaper there. You wonder about the cost of your petrol and time. So to TESCO you head and you wander the aisles once more. The entire expedition took more than 2 hours. And then you have to chauffer your aunt home, your brother to his girlfriend's house and then wait a couple of hours and fetch your brother from girlfriend's house.
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Tired (not so much from being chauffer but the sheer stress of thinking about the tasks that lie before you the coming week), your mother tells you to make sure that you are home tomorrow at 3 because the computer guy is coming to do things to the computer connection. She then hands you cash, which you leave on the table because you're working on your unfinished work. Then, fatal error... you did not keep the cash, resulting in a persistent knock on your room door (which is locked for the very reason of keeping out "drive through shooters") and a upsetting lecture about not leaving money lying around, a reminder that you are irresponsible and of course, it was more effective than an alarm clock. Alarm clocks should jolt you up like I was for the past two mornings
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And you are sorely reminded of why you shifted out to the apartments opposite school. A student's responsibilities become more focused when he moves out. It is a very ungrateful and selfish thing, reflecting on a bratty self-centred character but I have to admit that being family waterfish does interfere with my revisions timetable... and is very painful if you have recently injured your ankle and your knee.