In Continuum.

So, we all remember the major screw up with the class registration system last semester. I logged into my account the night before the registration actually began, and I even opened three separate windows just to make sure that I could refresh all three back to back to back when the time comes. It was supposed to happen at eight o'clock in the morning, and I was already up at seven, refreshing even thirty seconds or so, anxious to get my the classes that I wanted. I remember how my other schoolmates started to trickle in, faster and faster when there was just merely half an hour remaining. Then everybody was online, all of us wanted to get into the best classes possible, and it wasn't difficult to know what they were. As long as the classes were not too early, don't end too late, and if there are free days in the week, it was a good class combination. I had that combination in mind, and I repeated it a hundred times to myself per minute when the time drew near. Then, as soon as the class registration exercise began, it ended. All the classes were taken up, and a minor technical error caused me to lose all the classes that I desired. A lot of us suffered the same fate, not many of us got the classes we desired. So, the friends got into different classes, some to the lecturers they wanted while others weren't so lucky. We got stuck with our classes, and changing it is somewhat of a myth in my school, really. 

And we were stuck with our registration results, and a slew of vulgarities rose up from chat windows on my computer monitor that morning. I was a part of it, cursing my head off because of the technical screw up. And then there were the rest, with their anger and frustrations all translated onto their MSN nicknames. But there wasn't much we could do about it, and we went through with the exams that way, and then later the December holidays. And here we are, starting out a brand new semester, and things have been OK to say the very least. There's always a rather frightening sense of disorientation when you look at all the course syllables, with all the things that you have to do for the next couple of months, all within a tight scheduled, everything being numbered and alphabetized. It is daunting, but then we've already been through so many semesters with the exact same thing. Sure, we have a few different projects and assignments, but the basic principle remains the same: work hard, and play hard. Yes, play hard, because that is the only way we are going to enjoy the school. I kind of like how things turned out last semester, when fun was all part of work, and when work was all part of fun. It worked nicely that way, and I intend to carry that on to this semester, somehow. 

So, we begin with the first lesson this week, with a quirky looking lecturer already in the classroom when I entered. The patch of hair on his head looked as if it was being glued on, and he greeted all of us with a wide smile on his face, though I still felt as if I walked into the wrong class. You see, the name "Abel" didn't immediately strike me as being the name of a guy. I know, that it is a biblical name, and that the character in the book is a man, sure. But I've never actually read that far into the Holy Book before, and I actually expected the lecturer to be a woman. Anyway, so we started the class, and let's just say that this man isn't very good with humor, or just jokes in general. He attempted at them throughout the class, and even sang a familiar National Day song. Some of us chuckled, but mainly because of how awkward everything felt right after the punch line was delivered. But anyway, he is a very nice lecturer so far, soft-spoken and doesn't seem to give off the bad vibes like Sachs did when he stepped in front of the class and pointed his finger accusingly at Ting Ting. Shenny thinks Abel looks like the blue chipmunk from Alvin and the Chipmunk, and I am just glad that I have no idea what she is talking about. 

Then we have the insect lady, and I call her that because her first name is the repetition of the name of a famous insect. I hope it is obvious enough for you guys to realize who I am talking about, and at the same time not have this entry appear on Google's search engine or something. Anyway, she seems nice enough for the most part, but she's also the kind of person who seems incredibly boring. You know, those high school teachers who'd come into the class with the textbook and give a hour long lesson before walking out the same way that she walked in? Nothing happens in between other than the words being read from the pages, and that is kind of how she is like - a walking life form of boredom. She doesn't look particularly exciting, and her stature seems to support that theory as well. She is constantly bent to one side of her body ever so slightly, and her weight seems to be gathered in all the wrong places. It does seem somewhat awkward to see her walk around the class, trying to carry her weight on her bones. But when she isn't trying to survive the walk around the class, she is sitting in front and staring at us for the most part. Yes, she comes to class twenty minutes before it is supposed to start, and stares at us. It's creepy, and it isn't helped by the fact that her teaching style seems to remind me of the Hawaiian and the cock-eyed, combined. 

Now, there was supposed to be another lecturer teaching our class, someone called Lance. But Lance couldn't make it in the last minute, and the other two lecturers had to have extra classes being shared amongst them. So, we ended up with the Blob, a person I've seen around school and never thought much of. His stomach is always spilling over the edges of his pants, and those buttons on his shirt almost always look strained, as they desperately try to hold the two sides of the shirt together. But it does seem rather awkward and uncomfortable to see him the way that he is, and he cannot stand in class for too long before he has to crash back into the chair. He is a big guy, and by that I mean that he is grossly overweight. Bald above his forehead and an avid fan of Coke, the Blob takes two of my modules this semester. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not just yet, but Jeremy seems to think of him as someone who is "not simple". His humor, Jeremy says, may be just a cover up for something way more sinister, kind of like how Sachs was when he first started out with us. Anyway, he seems to be pretty alright so far in the semester, and the lack of a mid-terms and finals in one of the modules is certainly very welcomed. He is stern in class, but always finds a way to insert some humor in. The seniors seem to like him, and I think Barney is a big fan as well. I suppose, if Barney approves of a lecturer, then it is good enough for me. 

The workload seems to be pretty heavy so far, with three research papers to be done. That is also why I have decided to drop NTR 109 and 110 altogether. First of all, I think I need to spend the time on my research paper in proper, and not have the time being divided with a module like NTR which I cannot care less about. Second of all, NTR just seemed like the obvious choice to drop, because health and nutrition just doesn't seem to click very well with me. I haven't been a very good science student all my life, and all those long chains of names of acids and vitamins confuses me greatly. I can never summon enough brain cells to remember those names, which is also why I got only a fair grade last semester. Besides, if I am going to take into account these two NTR modules, that is going to amount to a full six modules this semester! That is something I am not going to want to go through, and Jeremy agrees. He dropped PSY333, along with so many others that I wonder if anybody is left in that module at all. Anyway, so I have dropped NTR, which means that my Friday is pretty much an one-class affair. Which is a good thing, because it just kind of makes the weekend seems somewhat longer. 

So, this is spring semester so far, one week into it the classes and about two weeks into the year. Everything seems to be going OK so far, though I am sure the stress is going to crash upon me soon enough. I've gotten my head around working with iWork 09, and I'd like to put it to good use this semester by giving some of the best presentations ever. I've already tried my hands on a dozen animations, and even forked out money to buy an iPod application online called Remote Keynote to control the presentation slides with my iPod Touch. I am all ready for this semester, and I hope that my friends are just as enthusiastic about things as I am. I do miss the rainy Januarys in the past years, all those rain that carried on from the cold month of December, now replaced by strong winds and sunny skies. The world does seem to be screwed up somehow, with the weather system working in the wrong direction. But we have to pull through, even if the spring fails to bloom. We pull through, because that is what we do.