some through the fire, some through the flood

wow! it just occurred to me that i havent blogged in ages.

an entire term. the whole term just went by. poof. just like that.

saw someone's nick on msn saying that university life is a marathon, not a sprint... but i think it's more like a perpetual sprint.. and it's very very exhausting. i still believe that pple are motivated by deadlines tho. at least, i am. it's really amazing how a typical project meant to be done over weeks can be literally 'churned' out in a matter of hours. at sm(u), we're being moulded into report and presention churners, very much like production workers. much scheming and planning goes into carefully ensure that the deadlines are spread out qutie evenly over the term, so that the workload doesnt get too unbearable at any given point in time, especially towards the end of the term.

this term was quite abnormal for me.

i thought i had everything under control with everything planned out (kinda anyway). i told myself that 6 mods wasnt such a big deal since i would survive somehow, so i might as well live through more within a given timeframe. heh. halfway through the term, i was still enjoying my long-awaited holidays since i didnt get any all summer. there weren't even mid-term tests to wake me up from my slumber, save for 1 - ethics, which didn't require much studying anyway. there were some presentations tests, and proj deadlines set for slightly after mid-term, but they ALL happened to be pushed back, so the net result was having ALL 5 projects and the various misc tests in weeks 11-13. yesterday is a case is point. there were 3 projs due, and they were all in shambles. AMA was the most stable because the report was actually out- only we just had to find out on thurs that we got therequirements wrong, and we were 3000 words over the limit. what does one do, when caught in that kind of a situation on a thurs afternoon, and with the other 2 reports not started on? ans: spend the afternoon cutting the AMA report anyway... and spend the night rushing a bit of the other 2 projs. so income tax was left to friday; and equities, well, it's still in progress, since the deadline got pushed back to monday. spent 12pm -12am in the library writing/compiling/editing/formatting the income tax report.

anyway, just to sum up a term of projects... project mates really made the difference for me this term. i had really 'heck-care' groupmates, who didnt initiate any thing or respond to emails, and really super on team-mates, who kept up with meetings and constantly set up more (a working style which doesnt really suit me)... and most imptly, i had luyi, who saved me from loads and loads of crap. i really dunno how i would have survived without her! thanks babe, can we please bid for MORE courses together....? heh.

adrenaline. it's what keeps you from being the easily distracted person you usually are, and also helps you forget hunger and not even notice the back ache from sitting on a backless stool for hours. it's as if your body knows that it isnt the right time to disturb the brain with such trivialities.

relief. is what overwhelms you after you hit 'submit'. you can only look back at the miracle and thank God, who seemingly tried to give you a chance to manage your time but you fail and he had to step in for a rescue mission. and your head finally has time to hear your body's cry again.

with lu and chian @ our cafe galilee corner around midnight on friday/sat with the fruit of our 12-hour labour... (sounds wrong. heh)

at sm(u), study-break = holidays because you're liberalised from the snare of projects... ; exams are an after-thought- even if they're 40% ; and birthdays, well... what birthday?

well, on a brighter note: only 2 more weeks till proper rest and holiday! about that same number of days till david comes home, and israel beckons, tho with it comes a different set of worries...
___________________________________________________________

In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,

God leads His dear children along;

Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,
God leads His dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,

Some through the fire, but all through the blood;

Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,

In the night season and all the day long.

Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,

God leads His dear children along;

Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night,

God leads His dear children along.

Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,

God leads His dear children along;

Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,

God leads His dear children along.

a perfect song which i was humming quite a bit this week... and goes hand in hand with my favourite verse too!

Isaiah 43:2 (King James Version)
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.