University requirements....blah blah blah

I thought taking TOEFL and sending an updated transcript for my college would be enough but I was very wrong. I just got an e-mail from one of the Universities that I applied to and they asked me to send a transcript from my ex-college; TARC. I mean, what? What does that mean? For all I know, the A-Levels certificate is good enough. In addition to that, they want a transcript for my SPM results. It does not make any sense to me whatsoever. To make things more 'interesting', I have to send it all there by June 15. That is like in 2 weeks time. Are they crazy and insane? Gahh....so I guess it means that I have to spend the next few days running around getting the neccessary information!!! I am so having a horrible moment of deja vu again... Sigh~

TOEFL

No matter if your first language is English, foreign Universities somehow need to confirm your level of English; to see if it's up to par. Therefore, I'll be going to take my TOEFLS tomorrow at some obscure location in KL.So far, I've done one practice exercise for it on the Internet, I hope it somehow helped me get the idea of what will happen tomorrow.

The test does not come cheap, it's USD140 for starters. In addition to that, I was reading the registration website the other day and it stated that you could only take the test once a month. Imagine that! I don't understand why someone would want to take it so many times unless their command of the language is severely lacking. But to spend USD140 everytime is murder to the pocket. Anyways, I hope something good comes out of the test and of the universities when I send my results to them.

Cleaning Out My Closet (Part 2)

You know that song by Eminem, "Cleaning out my closet"? Well, that was basically what I was trying to do today. Everyone has secrets and burdens that they carry around with them though they may or may not realise it. However, its only a matter of time before you see the effects of such things in your life.

It's good to clear your system before going somewhere; which was precisely what I did with the help of good friends. I had a lot of rifts with my dad in the past and no doubt, it affected my relationship with him. However, I managed to get it sorted out tonight. Carrying burdens and unforgiveness with you while you go away from home for an extended period of time is not good for you spiritually, emotionally and psychologically.

Although I might have identified one problem, there are others which I still have yet to come across. But with God's grace, I hope to overcome them as they come up. To CC and RC, you guys are the best! I really enjoyed what we did today together.

A Clean Room (Part 1)

Although I've always been one neat and tidy person, an everything in its place person, I was one never much bothered about dust. Dirt and tidiness are two entirely different things. Before you picture in your head, my room 2 inches under a layer of dust, think again. Sure, I clean my room once a week but only the floors. And the table tops and bookshelves when I see a layer of dust.

However, I only throughly clean my room - meaning spending hours throwing out stuff and wiping down furniture and books one by one when I have free time. Thus, it only happens during my holidays which occur every three months or so. Although I've been on vacation for almost a month already, I've never really cleaned my room throughly.

Today was different. I had a friend coming over and to tell you the truth, I've not changed the cushion covers of the couch in my room for a long long time. And I even can't remember the last time I sat on it; it was used for storage of my various posessions. So, after mopping the floors, I decided that it was time to do something about it. Its a funny thing because, once you start cleaning, it's hard to stop. After the couch, I progressed onto other surfaces in my room.

I was cleaning out my shelves and decided to discard a whole pile of brochures that I've been wanting to get rid of for a long time but never got to it. Guess what they were? American University brochures and application guides! I remember the day that I got them and it was the day that I actually decided to major in Environmental Science. The rest is history as they say. But, if it weren't for those brochures and the trip to the STAR Education Fair, I wouldn't be where I am right now. It's good to see yourself progressing onto different things in life.

Anyways, the time I spent cleaning my room might be the last few ones that I spend doing that. I wonder what'll happen to my room when I'm gone. Will it be used for storage? As a guest room?

On Friend Lists and Emoticons

One of the painful parts about going away is that you will be away from your friends and family. However, this does not mean that one is limited to just paper and pen to communicate. Now with internet, anything is possible; even video conversations.

It had been a while since I last switched on my computer (not including last night) as I've been preoccupied with other things. But when I connected to the Internet last night, I was horrified to discover that I couldn't log into my MSN Messenger and no amount of troubleshooting fixed the problem. I even rang up my computer whiz friend to see if he knew what was wrong. He didn't. Since no amount of panicking helped, I decided to calm down and just let it go. All my lovely emoticons, the display pictures of my friends, and the easy access to my e-mail and MySpace tab, gone.Surprisingly, as the night wore on, I slowly got over it...perhaps it was also attributed to the fact that I was sleepy.

Anyhow, when I turned on my computer today, and tried my luck again. It worked!! The first thing I did was check and see if all my emoticons were saved. Haha! So sue me! But when I go away, it also means that I can't just ring my friend up to come over and help fix my PC if its acting up. What will I do then?

Time To Change

I've yet to decide if this blog should be a private one or otherwise but if you end up reading this sometime in the future, I think you can gauge for yourself the decision I've made. Its harder somehow to write and know that someone other than yourself is reading what you've wrote.

Anyhow, this is an alternate blog to my 'Life and Times of Being Rotten'. I've only got about 3 more months here before I have to leave for Canada. The very thing that I've been looking forward to all these years is finally coming to past. No doubt that the road to get where I am today was tough, tougher than I ever expected it to be. I was so close to losing this dream but thank God, He intervened in his own way and timing to grant the desire of my heart. I owe so much to my parents, the amount that they sacrificed and endured to try and give me what I want. Thank you Mum and Dad for supporting me in this endeavour of mine although you did not initially approve of it.

I know what it feels like to encounter financial difficulties in this area. There were so many times I came up with excuses to stall my application process because I knew that my parents did not have adequate finances to send me over. I was aiming to go to America but I ended up settling for Canada, one reason because it is cheaper. When I had to rush my application there, I thought I was going to go mad because I had to obtain so many documents to send to the universities. However, I am glad to say that I've so far received confirmation from all 3 universities on receiving my application. The only thing left is to sit for my TOEFL which will be this coming Thursday. I can't say that I'm not nervous at all because it has been a while since I wrote any serious long essays or went for English classes. However, I will be trying my hand at some online trial exercises to give myself some practice before actually taking the test.

It is quite hard to accept the fact that I will be wholly independent in a few months time. I will be away from my family and friends for a long time, the first in my lifetime and I have to admit, it is a scary thought. No doubt I felt excited when I got the confirmation but now, it is starting to get scary as I sit down and think about it. No more meeting my best friends, family, CG members, crush and my dog. I have no idea how I'm going to deal with it. I sincerely hope that will not end up becoming extremely homesick and cry all the time. I don't want to let my parents worry about me.

Things have to start being different from now on. I have to start doing things when I have to do them and not wait for someone to remind or prompt me. I need to get a grip on serious matters in life and learn how to deal with people and not let anyone put me down. I will have to be disciplined in my studies to excel in what I am going to do. I want to give my best shot at this because you only get one chance; don't let it pass you by.