Archive for August, 2009
The wonders of organic chemistry
The other day I was sitting through this long and boring lecture on organic chem nomenclature. Naming molecules was something I learnt once in secondary school and well.. it was fun back then but now it is just really boring. Anyway, there I was falling asleep and suddenly the lecturer said something that was really interesting.
He showed us a series of 3-D cycloalkanes and..
- Cubane
Pretty easy to guess why it is named like that. And then there was the…
Just fluff
And the semester starts again, well, yesterday. It doesn’t feel that good to be in school, I kind of miss the sleeping in. However, now that school has started, I do feel a little bit more useful. saw many familiar faces, well, some things changed, some things didn’t. Whatever it is, it makes no difference to me. well.. maybe a little. A little gossip always make the day more enjoyable.
Swimming is such an enjoyable sport. It is like the best things to do to pass time. Other than the occasional plaster that floats past… there is nothing bad about the sport. It is when my head really clears. I think of nothing. I just keep going. And I think I can go on forever. Because I don’t get tired from swimming. Which makes me wonder whether I do it wrongly. Because I don’t ever get the muscle ache and I don’t ever get out of breath. And I don’t need to think about anything.
I am glad I no longer have to be responsible for Jarvis’ school work. But I feel like I am cheating their money. The mother asked me to talk to him and read him books. Who in the world get paid for doing that. I do.
I need 8 free weeks for the horse riding course. I don’t think I have it during the hols. But I don’t want to sacrifice my sunday mornings during school term. damn it. it wouldn’t be that difficult to make a decision if I have free days. But everyday is an early day this sem and there is jap class on saturday. and I have tuition twice a week, plus I want to do UROP which means some late nights in the labs. Then again… school term is 13 weeks. 8 weeks should be ok. right?
I don’t know.
yea. my head is empty nowadays. I only think about one thing. I shudder to think about what I think about.
ah. get that cotton out of my head. I need brain juice for school.
The horror
Once in a while, we hear horror stories, from friends, relatives etc. About a life gone wrong, a bad trip, a failed relationship… blah blah.. And I think it is probably pretty normal to then wonder why did something like that happen. Why will a person behave this way, how did they get themselves into such trouble or simply “How unlucky”. It often appears unreal, and therefore, very little time is actually spent thinking about such things. Until one day, they happen to you (or about to) and you say.. yea someone told me about this before, I just never thought it could happen to me.
Of course, I think everybody does a little of the telling as well. heard from a friend, happened to me etc. I always thought they will exaggerate it a little. After all, it is meant to be a story.
If it only is a horror story.
I can’t feel it, I can’t see it, I don’t hear it. Yet, I know it is happening and I cannot get it out of my head. I see my parents discussing, worrying about something that is so far away. And why do we care? it is just a phonecall. We didn’t need to know because there is nothing we can do. I wish we didn’t know. when this thing passes, it will be yet another story to tell a friend, to tell relatives. But it feels like it is never going to pass. At least not so easily, not so quickly. It is like well… non fiction. just a little closer and a little more real than something like the starving children of Africa… which is something that most of us can choose not to think about or pretend not to know about.
I wish I didn’t know.
Which is why I don’t really like to talk about things that worry people… especially when they can do nothing to help. Well, even if they can, I still don’t like to tell. because I don’ like to know. at least not until it is over. Then maybe I will pretend to be concerned and say “why didn’t you tell me?” while thinking to myself “Thank god you didn’t”. I guess that makes me coward. more than any other.
I wish it is just another story.