nothing special

It feels like just yesterday that I was 23, well actually, it was 5 days ago but still, it's gone by quick. Already it's nearly May and Christmas is like, just around the corner. I organized a little bbq with the missus for a few of the guys and girls who were around and it was good to finally relax and not have to be anywhere.

We spent the day down at Burleigh heads eating snags, beef rissoles, catching little crustaceans and becoming bait for more than a few sand-flies. The Missus and Bondy got a few good shots of DaSoom who was their practice model for the day. I guess the entire trip wasn't as unproductive as it sounded. When the night was still young, we decided to call it before the mosquitoes became larger, and headed back home to share some stories at Korean bbq, washed down with some taro milk tea.

The missus took Tien, Cassie and myself out for a feed at Sofitel during the week which was a good change of pace. Brisbane city I have to admit, is actually pretty beautiful. The architecture of the old buildings which tower us on the way to central station tells such an exciting story. It's hard to believe how the road would of been before the neatly arranged pavements under our toes. It reminded me of walking the streets in Melbourne, but hot, it was hot for an Autumn Brisbane morning, actually, Brisbane's pretty hot regardless.

The following week was filled with eating. I felt spoiled as when Christine took me out for some steak. The guys all contemplated on the 1kg rump but as always, Ross pulled out and Bondy was scared of the calories. Not really, I just bitched out, eating 1kg of rump is terrible! Dinner was followed by 3 bowls of soy custard and a little catch up with Martin and Linnie whom we bumped into at the cafe.

For that week up to my birthday, we ate pretty much Brisbane. Hit up Bentos at Sunny Breeze twice (compliments to Ricky), Sakura out in Westend (terrible), Funny Funny, Bazaar at Q1 and Little Taipei for a buy 5 get one free meal (which was shared by myself, Ross and Ricky). We've hit up pies and sausage rolls the size of coke bottles, pan fried dumplings, and coffee, so much coffee I think I've become addicted. Again.

So much for a freaking diet. Thank you all for the love, if only every year were like this!

P.S. Please help me eat this pizza sized biscuit/ cake, compliments of Molomolomolo.

A big massive sigh of relief is let out after finding out the whole semester for my final year is not being assessed. I have to admit, I wanted to jump as high as I could after hearing that news but in not doing so, I've come to realise that the good news is short lived anyway. You see, after failing 3 out of my 4 exams for the mid semester, to come up even close to passing, I've got to do above average for my finals, a fair amount above it...

But you know what, my optimism is back and it's finally summoning my final bout of motivation, put away deep in my soul, something I haven't been able to find in the past couple of months. Maybe my endorphins are high after taking a bunch of painkillers for my wisdoms or it could be from the insane chest workout I just completed with Ricky, but endorphins talking or not, I'm serious.

Seriously sick of wondering whether or not I passed an exam. Seriously sick of stressing out before an exam because I didn't study enough. And seriously sick of not wanting it enough to be the best. There comes a time in life where just passing and just getting by doesn't cut it. I think that time is now.

Time to get started. Relief levels = decreasing. Stress Levels = 1.

F*ck off! Honestly, it's really been something that I haven't been able to control lately. My temper has been absolutely out of control and apart from the rare occasion that it actually isn't, well, that's just the calm before the storm my friends.

Honestly, I haven't been that bad, but to be really honest, I'm getting there. I mean, who would say that they are an angry bastard unless they really did realise it for themselves, then again, I say what's usually on my mind anyway right. But it's true, everything ticks me off these days. From the stresses of university life, and an epic final chapter at that, to wisdom teeth pain, being a poor bastard and with everything else filling in the gaps, it's hard not to feel a little ticked even when the simplest things go wrong.

The beast suddenly started stalling a lot more than usual and even with my money saving techniques (not wasting 100 bucks on fuel a week by refueling every 150 kilometers at 160+ cents a litre), it shorted me 100 kilometers of what I usually got on a tank. Investigating the problem led me to buy a fuel filter which was wrong the first time, didn't fit the second time and upon fitting it anyway, I lost my banjo bolt in the engine. After an hour or so of trying to get the bolt, I headed over to Supercheap to find that I had to get it directly from Honda. How the f*ck I was supposed to do that still beats me but I decided to eventually try my luck and take it off of the accord (still a work in process I might add) and it fit (thank f*ck!). Not long after though, when it rounded off the new fuel filter which left me back at square one, I chucked the old one back on and threw the other one as hard as could, somewhere.

The other day after a whole year or so of parking at the same spot to get to uni, I parked a whole 10 meters closer and got chopped with a 75 dollar fine. Mother f*cker, if I had to throw away 75 dollars, at least be it in 75 dollars worth of streamers or balloons or even anything, at least it could of been a pretty photo or something.

Today I tried to disconnect my Ipod from my car and the prongs on the cable prevented it from coming off. That pissed me off. 

My girlfriend made me promise to be a little more patient with the little things and ensured that it would eventually lead to the bigger things. I think my ranting has actually helped me put things into prospective. It's actually not 'THAT' bad I guess. I did find 10 bucks though which made me happy. 

We went into a restaurant today for their lunch special because we were feeling cheap. Lunch wasn't available after 8pm. Can't f*cking walk out 'now' can we.

Random mumblings and sleepy speak, you have been warned.
'Just breathe....' Hello. Thank God we've passed that now. For the past month or so, the only contact that I have had with this blog is pretty much the glimpse I have of it's shortcut on my browser. That pretty much applies with everything else I've tried to be involved in this year, exams came, are coming and pretty much, starts all over again, again.

I have to admit, my results are nothing worthy of bragging and there's a clear indication that if I don't start to pick up my game, I'm going to have to spend another year, doing it all over again. I'm worried. I don't think I'm worried enough.

It's been really good with the shop closing for a couple of weeks. Tien, Cassie and the family are doing a trip back to their homeland (we all came from China somehow right, don't be racist...) Not being at the shop for the Friday night is definitely something I miss, I just need to get rid of the 'vale shift and I'd probably be in heaven, not too much longer to go, only a few more months, just keep telling myself that....

My only priority for these next few weeks will be to knuckle down and study. No way around it. I don't understand why my work ethic for study is just not there. I can force myself to wake up for a Saturday shift at the sixer on less than 4 hours sleep, and I can even drag myself to the gym and give a workout even Arnie would be proud of but to study, I'd just rather sleep. But I'm changing by trying to concentrate on the reward. The end, seeing it, the light.

It gets hard when history doesn't look good but I guess someone who hasn't failed, hasn't really succeeded right? It's time to breathe again before it all comes to an end, a long road ahead before the end that's for sure!

Consider yourself lucky if you have the ability to choose your path.

Damn, definitely got to start soul searching!

Here we are, the start of week 5 and I'm studying for two out of my four mid semesters. Wish me luck. I'll need it.

So we are in full stride at the moment. Mid semesters are just around the corner (next week in fact, so more around the corner than I actually thought) and before you know it, semester 2 will be about to begin.

If anyone told you the final year at uni will be cruisy as shit and over before you know, they are half right. Shits' coming so fast, I'm scared it will be over before I even get started. Lecture attendances have dropped down to about 94 or so percent which is still actually pretty good considering last year was about a 5. I really do thank God that I attended these lectures because if I didn't, I'd probably would of dropped out due to the stress I've felt so far.

Monday 9-1, Tuesday 9-5, Wednesday 9-5 and Thursday 9-4. It really doesn't matter how long the days are, but as you can see, the four days I have at uni all have one thing in common. 9 o'freaking, clock starts! Living pretty much on the shittest side of the southside, if I had the patience to wait for on the bus which leaves Acacia Ridge at 7:40 and takes an hour to get to southbank, I'd be late to every morning class. So I drive, and I park about 3 kilometers away from uni just so I don't get fined 100 bucks for over parking my 2 hour stay.

To get to my car park area, I have to get up before 7, and pack pretty much my life into my bag, (work, gym and my extras if I'm staying with the missus that night), my lunch because I'm a big boy now, make my breaky, have a shower, brush my teeth, do my hair and leave before 8. Thank fuck I have 2 minute showers. If the traffic is bad, I usually have to chuck on some skirllex and power the shit walk to uni or else I'll be that lonely guy that walks into a full theater in the middle of the lecture. I laugh at those guys.

It's a quarter semester crisis. Don't mind me, I'll be back to complain some more.

I've been so stuck these holidays that it's been such a relief to get unstuck,...and stuck into my final year at uni.

I have to admit, it's a little strange saying that with such a positive attitude but given my second chance (third actually) I'm definitely not going to let this slip me by. It absolutely sucks having to sit a supplementary exam on the holidays. Then again, my holidays weren't really too evident with work, gym and all the other things in between them taking my holidays pretty much a long long way away from me. What sucks even more is that I needed to sit one, despite the fact that I received a 65 percent overall (71% after my supplementary exam) and still failed; due to course requirements. But that's all done and passed, sometimes being shit on isn't such a bad thing (sounds like a similar post I made last year?)

Sydney was a great break, as was the couple of days we had for Christmas and New Years but I guess with all the busyness, it's actually prepped me for the start of my forth year uni. Hectic is the only word that is needed to describe it so far. I'm getting kind of flustered with all the due dates, mass amounts of knowledge that we need to cram in and just work, gym, family and girlfriend, all wanting a part of my left over time. I cut work down a day which is going to be incredibly useful, definitely something I'm going to cherish. 9 o'clock starts four days a week, 5 o'clock finishes for three and work till 10:30 for two. Wow.

If someone were going to be able to do this, it definitely isn't going to be me.
It's going to have to be me.
38 hours of work a week, 30+ contact hours a week, 1 week down, 9 more weeks to go!

First of all, Happy Chinese/ Vietnamese New Year to everyone, wishing you all the most prosperous, joyful and healthiest New Year.

That aside now, we recently (seems just yesterday but it was actually more than a week ago) returned from Sydney. It was absolutely amazing! We spent 5 days down there for a real holiday after Christmas passed (once you're in hospitality, you pretty much have holidays after everyone finishes theirs). We were a little short of cash but pulled everything together in the last couple of days with New Year Red pocket which ended up adding to nearly a grand. Wowwers, definitely some good extra cash on goodies we were planning to skip.

The first couple of days in Sydney felt pretty much the same as Melbourne. Crowded streets filled with people and shops. Heaps of shops. Unlike Melbourne, the city is much more spaced out which although killed the legs, gave us some false hope of burning off the calorie laden foods we ate. That being said though, we ate pretty much everything in sight. I mean, to me, a holiday is much more than just getting away. It's about exploring, trying new things, seeing new places, experiencing new experiences and yes, getting fat.

I have never in my life eaten such wonderful foods, foods which would rival the best I'd had in Melbourne if I were to be honestly honest. Deep fried Ice-cream from Holy Basil just beside the Museum train station was absolutely out of this world! The Poached eggs from the Oyster bar which sat on the Harbour with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House as the back drop, it's custurdy consistency cannot be described! And to top all of that off, the midnight treats we would venture for, - custard puffs, taro balls, fish balls, funky teas; rock salt cheese green tea...It.Was.Amazing!, and could be found pretty much at any-time of the day/ night.

so I can get away.

2012. A new year, a new beginning, really?