If only my knowledge of post-war Europe was like Jemain's lyrics

Good to see Alex Song, ostensibly a holding midfielder, scoring goals aplenty recently. Although I would like to see him defend better. Maybe he's trying to become the next Vieira. He's not French enough though. Also, I've always been a big fan of his name. Coolest last name ever (apart from Keys).

Anyway, it's that time of the year/semester again.

That's right! The night before my first exam!

I'm trying desperately to get into battle mode, but that may just involve actually writing something with pen/pencil and paper. Haven't tried doing that for any extensive period of time for a while. I've got European Studies tomorrow, and I've been revising by typing up the lecture slides.

This study is also slow going/I started a bit late (like, this morning). However, the upside is that this stuff just seems to sink in on first reading, unlike some other subjects I could name.

Speaking of cool names (refer back to the first paragraph (wow, this sounds like a report)), I've always wanted a cool rapping name, but ever since Hiphopopotamus and Rhymenoceros had been taken, I've been unable to think of any.

My lyrics are bottomless...

...

...

I think this will be it until after exams i.e. I probably won't blog again until after exams. Good luck for exams, if you have them. For those of you that don't, please wipe that smirk off your face. Kthxbye.

Word of the Day: Extensive

Tell him he's dreaming

I had one of the weirdest dreams last night. And the weird thing was, it seemed like a recurrence of one that I had the previous night, but I'm not sure if I did. Weird.

Okay. Here goes.

For some reason, two friends and I (I've forgotten which two now. I think it was Victor and Banh.) were inside a top-secret-compound thing. Yeah. Crazy. And we're in an armoured car type thing.

Somehow, we find out that people are coming to get us. We hear them coming, so I get somebody (I think it was Banh) to shoot him through the windscreen. He duly obliges, and we hightail out of there.

However, like all good action movies, they're still after us.

Solution? We somehow end up outside of the car, and start running. We run into Rui (not literally. He just happened to be there), who was going to a movie with a girl. We tag along and pretend to be innocent citizens (what was our crime? What were we doing there in the first place? Don't ask stupid questions). We snuck into the cinemas, and successfully avoided them.

Whoever 'them' might be.

Mission accomplished. Immense feeling of satisfaction.

I think the dream I had the previous night (or it might even have been the same night) involved Banh shooting the guy, but that was that. We just moseyed out of there.

I think I have a great idea for a new blog that I'm going to start in the summer. Stories based on my dreams. The major problem with that, however, is that I don't have, or technically remember, many dreams at all. Like, optimistically (or pessimistically, depending on who you are), you're looking at about a dream a month. But I would like to do something with stories. Any ideas?

Word of the Day: Accomplished

Cry Now

So last night I was listening to Taylor Swift's new album, Speak Now. Looks something like this:

Except I 'got' the deluxe version. So it looks something like this:

Anyway. I was listening to it at half-past-twelve this morning, and almost cried myself to sleep. No joke.

A thoroughly depressing album. Beautiful, but very, very sad. Her voice naturally sounds yearningful (like Oasis songs), and then you couple that with songs in minor keys, and love-lorn lyrics, and it's a killer.

Where shall we start? From the start of course! (This is just a summary of the most notable songs).

'Mine' is laden with yearning. A very nice song, and instead of filling me with hope, it makes me wish what she describes could happen to me.

'Back to December' is about screwing up. Something that I can totally relate to, except not about losing a guy.

'Speak Now' is probably the most upbeat, catchy song on the entire record. Catchy, catchy. Did I mention catchy? I've played it about ten times already.

'Never Grow Up' is probably the saddest. I think that was the tear-jerker for me. It's beautifully crafted, and she's sort of singing about her experiences, but through the role of talking to a little girl, and saying how she's going to protect her from all the bad things that she had to go through. Reminds me of that time I suddenly got all wistful about my high school days, playing football with the lads at lunchtime, massed singing, and catching the train home. Makes me wistful all over again.

'Last Kiss' has good lyrics.

Wearing your clothes,

All that I know is,

I don't know how to be something you miss.

'Back to December' live:

'Never Grow Up' (don't be ashamed if you cry):

I just realised everything that I had is someday gonna be gone,

So here I am in my new apartment

In a big city, they just dropped me off

It's so much colder than I thought it would be

So I tuck myself in and turn my nightlight on.

Yeah. Pretty much 90% of the album is along those lines. Get it anyway. Solid album. Just keep a box of tissues handy, that's all. Don't say that I didn't warn you.

Word of the Day: Wistful

Guys 3:0 Man City

There is something incredibly beautiful about girls wearing football (soccer) jerseys.

I can't place what it is. I mean, if you go by fashion conventions, it's a big no-no. They have no shape. Also, it's menswear.

And yet, it looks incredibly good on most girls.

I mention this because the Arsenal jerseys were out in force today. And I saw a girl wearing one in the Matheson Library. Apart from Arsenal recording a thumping victory this morning, this also made me wish that I had worn my Arsenal top.

It was a good win. To get a win at Man City, with all the money they've poured in, minus our two first-choice centre-backs, and best striker, is no mean feat. Haven't been this happy about the team in a while. Also, Fabregas is back (!). But w

hat was most pleasing was the performance of Fabianski. No screw-ups, and some decent saves. Hopefully he continues like this.

It's a shame I couldn't replicate this form in my French oral, despite having a cram session with Zara in the morning.

For some peculiar reason, I speak better when I don't read. So when I was reading, my pronunciation was way off. But here's the paradox. When I was answering questions, and not reading off the sheet of p

aper, I kept getting things wrong. But my pronunciation was spot on. Might have to look into that.

I winded down with Zara walking back to the Matheson. She stuck around til I finished my oral, which was very nice of her.

So after walking back to where we began, we said our goodbyes, and I faced up to reality. I plugged in Bumblebee (my laptop, duh), and set to work smashing out the rest of my essay.

This was high-pressure stuff, because (a) I w

as indecisive about whether to add more stuff in, and (b) I wanted to get it done before lunchtime.

Turns out that I co

uldn't be stuffed adding in more stuff, so it ended up about 300 words under, and I used one less source than the minimum. In hindsight, I should've put more effort into a 60% essay. I just realised it was that much. But it should be a pass anyway. Hopefully I'll get a Credit or higher overall. It was a dodgy essay task anyway.

I also finished way past lunchtime. 2 o' clock, to be precise. Which just proves the theory that when you're working hard, especially on adrenaline, hunger subsides. So I popped into Maccas afterwards, sped home, and just lay on my bed for an hour.

That's right. Lay. I wasn't sleeping. I wasn't even napping. I was just laying. Cool is me.

I think the double-adrenaline-rush-peaks drained me quite a bit.

I was originally thinking of leaving you with a picture of pretty girl in a pretty Arsenal top, but probably not appropriate. So instead, you can have this.

Word of the Day: Paradox

J'ai besoin de headphones de Roc Nation

The night before my French oral, and I'm trying to get into battle mode.

It's not really working. I've got that unwarranted confidence in my own abilities coming back now.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I speak French. How hard can it be?"

It'll be hard. As soon as I start thinking that, I know I'm in strife.

Anyway, next object of desire:

Basically, headphones endorsed by Jay-Z. More info here.

Roc Nation Aviators by Skullcandy. And aren't they just gorgeous. They look like the pair of aviators that I want next (gold frame, brown lense), and the touch of leather just makes it. Volume control, and in-built mic. The only foreseeable barrier is cost, which I am having trouble obtaining. But just wow.

Update: Apparently not leather, and $150 USD. Hmm. Not bad. Especially with the dollar as strong as it is now. Problem is, can I get them imported for that price?

Questions unanswered. Until next time.

Word of the Day: Desire

Superstar

Last day of the semester, and it's kind of bittersweet, for some bizarre reason. Fantastic weather though.

Last night, a strange thought took me.

I came to the realisation that I really, really missed that star of jars that I gave to that crazy Linda girl.

No joke. I'm actually really, really (time to go to the adjectives shop and make a few purchases) cut about it. I don't know what would be worse. The fact that it's in the bin, or the fact that she's still got it.

It probably seems a bit irrational to the neutral observer, but there are reasons.

Firstly, when I was making that thing, I made it with a view to giving it to a girl I truly liked.

I guess what I should have saved it for was love.

Secondly, that jar took ages to make. Not only that, it was an ingenious creation, even if I do say so myself. A thing of real beauty. I don't know whether I'll be able to recreate it, or whether I would want to. Time will tell.

Lastly...well, there is no lastly. It was just beautiful, that's all. At least I've still got photos. Maybe I should be a jerk and ask for it back. Somehow. I don't even know if I have her number anymore.

Yeah, I don't know what made me randomly think of that again. But I really do miss it. I have this weird tendency to get attached to random inanimate objects. Argh.

Actually, I think I only have photos of it in it's half-completed state. Which it was in for years, because I didn't know who I was going to give it to.

Sigh.

I can't find it on my hard-drive, but here is the post that it was originally in. Note the date. End of 2007. Almost three years. So, in effect, it was sitting around, half-completed, for almost two years before I completed it and gifted it. I feel stupid sometimes.

Let that be a lesson to you, young ones. Don't go thinking that somebody likes you, and giving them stuff that you'll miss deeply.

I'll leave you with a song that's semi-relevant.

Give me your autograph, sign it right here on my heart.

Word of the Day: Stars

Nine out of ten

Wow. I just had a pretty good day today. Amazing, right?

It is when you're me.

Anyway. I scored a job at a family friend's accounting practice. Although she'll be paying me practically peanuts, I don't really care. I could pay her to give me the job and I'd still take it.

That happened at the start of the day.

In the afternoon, I found out that I got into the Leader's Program. Although I'm still not too sure what that entails, the fact that it was (apparently) hard to get into makes me somewhat happy.

Also this morning, Arsenal thrashed whoever they were playing in the Champions League AND Eduardo scored against his old club. Can't ask for much more of a perfect game than that.

Here's to more good happenings tomorrow.

Word of the Day: Peanuts