[london baby] is where i shall be for the next few days. granted i'm a little worried about flying during times like these, i still believe in not letting adversity stop you from living the life you were meant to live. it'll be a good time -- london always is =) me so excited about seeing some high school friends and being in a different country where pubs are the law. hiak hiak =D nah, i'm just looking forward to a change in culture =) heeee. can i bring anyone anything? =D see you next week.

[shooting guard or small forward?] it was brought to my attention by p that i was poorly mistaken about shawn marion -- he is a shooting guard. i apologize to all parties affected, and thank goodness shawn marion himself didn't read this, because i'd surely be kept out of phx suns game in the future =( also, p was pretty adament about pointing out that centers are actually really skilled players.. except that they're only perceived at not being so skilled due to their rather unswift and tall nature at times. he pointed out players like alonzo mourning (who i loved back in the day when he was on the Hornets! woo!) and david robinson are excellent and valuable centers. i stand corrected, and thanks for keeping the learning moving (that can't be grammatically correct, but oh well, it sounds good) =D

[disappointment and confusion] seems to follow me around when it comes to people. a friend and i had a really great conversation on friday (whom i deeply thank) about relationships with people. mainly friendships. just when you think things are in that ~pinky promise~ mode, they don't seem to be. i also noticed today that it doesn't take much to hurt and be hurt, and that people can be so oblivious to other people's feelings so easily. stunning realization: exclusion is the root of all evil. i indeed speak in large paraboles and with immense vagueness because i don't want to offend anyone i care about, but yeah.. =P usually, i'm not one to complain that much, but i just get really disappointed and dismayed when people treat me like i don't exist. hello, i live in the same house, street, city, country as you -- yes, i exist. gootness. i donno waht else to say except... poop. di is confused.

[the psychology behind picking a toilet stall] is something i realized actually exists! i'm not quite sure how it works for guys, but for girls.. it's a subconsciously strategic move if you want to find the one immediately. either you pick the one right at the end that you think *no* one goes to, or you pick the very first one. those are the strategic suckers. the not-so-strategic-suckers go into every one, inspecting the quality of the toilet seat and availability of toilet paper before settling on relief. just a subtle daily act that i noticed. =D i wonder how it works for guys.. i recently found out that there are actually some urinals that aren't encased? =O eeeee good grief.

[shopping is good for the soul] y'know after a long day of sorts.. or just.. after a day, it's so therepeutic to browse in stores. naturally, the likelihood of spending more money increases by mounds, but for some reason, it's also very comforting -- and that, my friend, is insurmountable value right there.

[personal social responsibility strategies] i haven't spoken of this class very much, but i really should because it's had a profound effect on me. or i hope it will anyways =) honestly though, it's the only class i've taken at the business school that i have really felt connected to. the subject material really strikes a chord with me, and it's made me think a lot about being a better person along with trying to make better, more socially responsible businesses! many of my high school friends would say this is my "yi-ching" -- the essence of di -- because it's all about doing good.. somehow... somewhere. lately though, i don't know if i've been spreading that charma around enough =T

so anyhoo, we got an assignment due after spring break, which our professor touts, will take longer than a night to do if we want to get a good grade. hehe (don't all professors say that?!). it's a paper/mobile/interactive game on my personal social responsibility strategies. what are my core competencies? and what have i done with them in the community? the great thing about this assignment and this class, is that it doesn't shout philanthrophy -- instead it shouts practicality -- how do you integrate a company's core competencies and business goals with responsible business strategies. i think it's a great realm, and one of these days.. just maybe i'll make a career out of it somehow. so yah -- much like with my Lentian duties -- i have to think about and search within for what i believe. our professor gave us an example of this one girl who found a lot of dichotimies with her personal SR strategies. for example, she loves wildlife and outdoors, and is environmentally friendly, but the last time she went backpacking or hiking was a year ago. similarly, she loves and values her family, but she's always tardy with their birthday presents when they're supposed to symbols to honor them on their day. so it's just all very interesting and tantalizing for me =)

just in case anyone is interested, it's a ba 196 class taught by professor kellie mcelhaney. she is a new professor from umich, and is *awesome* i tell you. =)

[tornado time] looks like a storm is coming... =P

[http://www.fanta.dk/default.htm] i don't know how many ppl would appreciate this, but it was rather amusing to me :D

[this odd] i think i have a magical underwear and sock drawer -- sometimes, when i do laundry, i have a missing side of a sock, and when that happens, i just put my sock away and pretend that all is dandy. the wonderful thing is, when i do laundry again, i all of a sudden have a pair of socks again. odd this.

[pooped] is di today. so pooped in fact, that she was telling ellen how tired her hair was. *blah* =P happy midterm-ing everyone.

[i don't mean to sound morbid] but the Father told the most compelling story about death in church today. as many of you know, today is ash wednesday. no one really knows how to describe what its significance is, but it all kind of revolves around the dramatic saying that goes something like from dust we came and to dust we shall return . basically, it means it's the start of Lent -- so Happy Lent y'all! =) heehee. anyhoo -- it was so weird because even though it's the start of Lent, and i really should know by now what it is i want to do *for* Lent.. i still haven't got it figured out. last year, i decided to donate to a bum every day -- instead of giving up something, i decided to do something proactively that would somehow make the world a better place. this year though, i'm truly stumped. i'm all for self-improvement and i know i try my bestest to be a better person on a daily basis.. but.. you need something a little more than that for Lent.

so the Father told this story after the reading. not only did i like the message behind it, but the story helped me figure out a project for Lent! he was describing how an obituary was usually written. so it goes.. [full name] died today on [insert date here] of [insert cause here] in [insert place of residence here]. he or she is survived by [who will speak of you when you've passed] and is remembered for [insert thing you're remembered for here]. now.. the thing he pointed was that clearly, none of us know right now what goes in those brackets (apart from our full name of course, but as a girl, that might even change for me! =O ] he asked questions like.. when would you want to die? (not that any day would be good).. what do you think you would die of? where do you think you will be? and basically, a lot of questions about the future that he urged us to ponder about.. i guess, to help us embrace where and what we are now. the most significant thing to me though was that he asked, who will you be survived by? family? friends? and.. what will you be remembered for. now *that* really got to me. what will i be remembered for? to be honest, i can't really think of anything wonderful that i'd be remembered for -- i'm not saying that my life is empty and i conduct myself in a meaningless manner, but.. there isn't one large, overarching thing that i can say is truly di. can you? =T this disheartened me a little. the Father then went on to say that wouldn't that make a great Lent project -- discovering or enhancing something about your life that you could potentially be remembered for. so guess what? that's my project =D it may feel a little vague and intangible, and no way am i striving to be remembered as the person who could eat the most marshmellows in one sitting, but i'm looking for something worldly. =) and in order to find that -- i'll hafta try out all sorts of things. but yah -- it's so odd because i went into church without a project.. still searching for one.. and uncannily enough, church gave me the answer =D quite funny and unexpected.

so yeah, i truly don't mean to sound morbid -- but they're just some interesting thoughts that really invigorated me =)

happy Lent everyone.

[long time no write] just to preface the rest of my entries -- i just wanted to say that the last 5 days have felt like an eternity. do busy days make time fly by quicker? or does it make time feel longer?

[thick &juicy] no silly =) not steak! but The Roots concert! =) never have i been to a concert that felt so *real* before (though standing in the first row with my arms on the speaker cables probably helped). these musicians are amazing and every song that they hip--hopped to were full of layers. the bassist was incredibly talented, and haha, the drummer.. and the guitarist and the rapper and the.. and the.. and you get the picture =) the music was just so thick you could.. feel it in the air. grab it. rarrr. keekee. it was amazing. i've said this before, and i'll say it again... nothing beats live music =) *ah*

on another note though, the Fillmore is super!! *bounce bounce bounce* airy, baroque-looking with chandeliers, and pleasantly lit, me wants to go to more concerts there =D a lovely way to top off the weekend indeed.

[what di learnt in her NBA class this week] i'm definitely liking this class more and more.. guess what we did for half of the class today? we watched the NBA all-stars game! haha =) something i missed too, and i was more than happy to watch snippets of it. we also had a really interesting debate in class about individualism. do you think the NBA is all about individuals? when do you think the NBA became so individualistic? i mean, when you think NBA nowadays, more people think players than they do teams. the rael debate today though seemed to circle around MJ and whether or not his success can be attributed to him alone or him and the support of players he's had over the years. waht do you think oh-male-ones? teehee.

so anyways, as a recap:
- did you know that cheryl miller is reggie miller's sister? (thanks again steve!) and apparently, she's a better baller than him! oh, she's a reporter for TNT Sports btw =D
- i learned what the five positions in the team are -- though i've never really heard of a small forward before? do you really need one?
- that a center player doesn't really hafta know how to do jack. hahaha =) (i still think you're cool yao ming)
- that shawn marion is a point guard (haha, thanks again steve)
- what "post-out" means. uh....
- what a board is. and in the bball sense of course. =D

yeah yeah, i'm a lame wannabe basketball fan =( but i still thoroughly enjoy watching basketball games live even if i don't know what all the technicalities behind the game are =) at least i know the rules? hiak hiak =P

[yay to long hair] okay so i have been discovering the last few days that the small pleasure of being female and having long hair is brushing it out at the end of a long, hard day right before you go to sleep. now i'm not trying to be gender-biased by any means, but come on, how many guys will decently long hair do you know (and in berkeley?! uh... ) and of those guys who have decently long hair, how many of them actually *brush* their hair? anyhoo, my point -- *ah*

[small thanks] to those of you who said hallo in my new message board. no thanks to any of you though, i've decided to employ buzz lightyear in my quest for never-ending clean teeth =D

[tee-gee-i-eff] i'd just like to say that friday......... has never felt so good.

[talk to me] so thanks to george (for discovering this nifty thing).. to ellen (for bringing the link to my attention, hehe), and to bri (for helping me with my html-retardedness), di's blog presents: tagboard! you're it! heeee. (yeah yeah, lame di)

but the real question now is: which toothbrush should replace Blue?! =D

markang: you wanted to comment? keke

[senses] so tell me my oh-so-very-limited-viewership. which of your senses are the most powerful? i think it probably varies from person to person, but i realized yesterday that my sense of ~smell~ overpowers all others. like, something could look bad, it could feel odd, but if it smells good... mm mmm mmmmmm. come to mah-mee. odd that.

[manic mode] you'd think being a senior and all, that i would have gotten the hang of this studying-for-midterms thing =) um. no. i think it is perhaps a skill that detiorates with time, rather than ameliorates. it's sooo easy to get better at.. taking lazy mornings and strolling to the rsf.. reading blogs for an hour...chatting with your loved ones till it's lunch-time *oops!*. but studying -- well, it's a tough one to crack, that studying. (can you not tell i'm going mad?)

[me] so how have i been? the better question to ask is, how have we been? -- but since no one can respond, we'll work on half of that response. me? i have been dandy. i am truly embracing my days and wishing i could share it with more people.. but i think everyone thinks i'm an old fogie now, so it's rather uncool to hang with an old fogie =( ish okie, i understand. luckily, i have other old fogies to hang out with =D hehe... i was thinking the other day.. have you noticed how the evolution of friendships become less and less natural as you get older? like when you're a kid -- "can i have the swing after you?" -- and bam! you become life-long friends, teaching each other tricks and swinging together like the gleeful youth of the world should. when you're in high school -- "*sob* sob* that bastard forgot to call me again! -- and bam! instant bondage, and you'll have something to connect over for years to come. in your freshman year of college -- "hey dude.. know where i can get some weeeed?" -- and bam! you and your new bud are 4-yr long druggies together =D in your senior year of college -- "so how's recruiting going?" -- and bam! the person you asked instantly hates you b/c they're still recruiting and you happen to.. just be studying. hahaha ok i know that's a tad overly cynical, but i guess what i'm trying to say is that.. i miss you guys. all my dear friends who are either across the pacific and atlantic oceans, down the street on channing, a way's way in emeryville, or have simply graduated from di. let me know how you've been doing?

[repentance] what should i give up/do extra for Lent this year?

[a matter of clean teeth] okay so one last thing -- help me out here. i think that my oral-b Blue's Clues toothbrush is just about worn out, and by the end of the week, i'd like to retire dear 'ol Blue. i have two incredibly attractive, yet somewhat puzzling choices.
(1) a Stages 2 Oral-B Winnie-the-Pooh-is-scratching-his-chin toothbrush. Meant for ages 2-4, designed for child learning to brush. May have full set of baby teeth. (oh, this is sooo me, isn't it?)
(2) a Stages 3 Oral-B Buzz Lightyear-is-flying-into-the-atmosphere toothbrush. Meant for ages 5-7, designed for child who is brushing with less help (hardie har har, no wise-cracks now). Some baby teeth may have fallen out and some permanent teeth may be in.

so now you're probably wondering how old i am. hey my dentist told me i have a small jaw and need to use smaller toothbrushes to clean those hard-to-reach back molars ok? so help me pick one already =D my clean teeth depend on it.

[di is going to be a baller] ha! yeah right -- if only i could dribble... and pass... and shoot =P no for real, i'm taking this decal class called The Organizational Dynamics of the NBA , which is supposed to address how the NBA functions as an organization from an OB point of view and how the teams work and all that, but really, it's a whole bunch of guys gossiping about the latest news and game scores. yay! fun for di! so here's what i learned this week (and i'm so proud of myself):

- gary payton is from oakland! wow! (thanks steve for filling me in)
- what a salary cap is (and how obscene it is that the nba actually needs one?)
- current trends in the nba: high schoolers going straight into the nba, international players and what they do for the game, large player contracts
- that tim duncan, grant hill, vince carter, and chris webber all have a college diploma =O
- the lakers have the most valuable team in monetary terms (and before you bash me, i said *monetary*, not in play, performance, or anything else)
- that the playoffs are now a 7-game affair (wooo, more games to watch!)

let's see.. what do i hope to get out of the class? to get me a favorite team already! before you know it, i'll be spitting out nba jargon like no other ;o) *teehee* then mebbe i can contribute to some dinner conversations :(

[professor cerf says] "it's more important that you talk loud than if you know anything." that's right -- i'm learning intermediate accounting. to be fair to professor cerf though, he has been teaching this class and others like it for a good 50 years of his life now, so i don't blame him for trying to be realistic about his students. hehe. he's a funny and silly old man who takes 15 minutes to walk down two flights of stairs. everyone say hi to professor cerf when he zooms by.

[reflections on eating cereal] when you're really hungry right, and you don't want to splurge on chocolate or a box of cookies, what do you do? why you dip your hand into a box of healthy Post cereal! *awe yeah* thing is, by the end of my munchfest, i end up having cereal all over my lap.. and my dear laptop =T does anyone know a way of gobbling cereal neatly without putting it into a bowl of milk? =D

[on a final note] di time is important. di needs more di time. as much as i cherish all the time i spend with my near & dear ones, i realized today that i just need some di time. be it di-bathroom-time, di-baking-time, di-sleeping-time. di time is important.

[love is in the air] despite my cyncism towards valentine's day being a money-making holiday and despite the fact 7th Heaven this week almost made me barf (i needed something to watch over dinner, ok?), i think it is *incredibly* endearing how everyone is running around berkeley buying flowers, overflowing the card store, and making reservations at the last minute. it's not like we start instantly caring for people more on that one day, but in the end, it's kind of nice to have a day devoted to completely loving and appreciating the ones near and dear to you =) i strongly believe it's not a "lover's holiday" but just a loving holiday -- so to everyone who ever reads this.. just know that you are loved, even though i may not say it all the time =)

[poor pinky toes] you never realize how important your little baby pinky toes are... until you bruise them. then you realize how much you actually need them for balance, for climbing hills, and for general comfort. imagine only walking on four toes.

so lame di bruised her pinky toes last night. yikes they hurt, and it's really impossible to walk without discomfort. let's hope this doesn't keep up too long.

[angry weather] i think the weather is mad at berkeley. boy is the wind strong.. i think i nearly got pushed down bancroft this morning. eeps. not to mention, it makes my nose run, kills any sensation on my face, and works my abs. good luck to all you east coast folk. us west coasters aren't used to this kind of thar-she-blows.

[slow down] when was the last time you consciously lingered in the shower one extra minute and said "*ah*, this feels goooood"?

[second new start] chinese new year was this weekend. starting from february 1, it's supposed to be fifteen whole days of celebration (ie. stuffing your mouths and nostrils with food, food, foood!), and then on the last day, we're supposed to have another very special meal. does everyone but me see the correlation between food and prosperity? =P anyhoo-- one of those seasons where i wish i was with my family back home, but i'm not. my parents threw an open house at our home yesterday, and had a lot of people over. it's the one time of the year where you see alllll those people that you haven't seen in a year. hahaha =) funny that. here's wishing everyone a joyous, prosperous, and healthy year of the ram.. =D

[when a song and life become synonymous on the radio] you know some real bad tricks and you need some discipline, but lately, you've been trying real hard and giving me your best. And, you give me the most gorgeous sleep i've ever had, and when it's really bad, it's not that bad. you're really lovely underneath it all. you want to love me underneath it all. you want to love me, underneath it all. i'm really lucky, underneath it all... you've used up all your coupons, and all you've got left is me. somehow i'm full of forgiveness, i guess it's meant to be.

ok-- what does this song really mean?

[ain't no mountain high enough] i suddenly miss my brother. i know he doesn't read my ramblings, so it's okay for me to write this, hehe. he has an uncanny way of making me laugh and keeping my attention. he also has the most entertaining sneezing fits of anyone i know. he's the only one that asks me how a shirt looks on him and actually cares about my opinion. he's one of the only guys i know who'll hold the door open for me. he's also the only one who can piss me off like no other. hahaha =D but ah, that's what makes us siblings. anyhoo-- i wish he was here =P

[last craving] i need a kit-kat =T.

[just what i needed to end my icky day] http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/dah18/america/ (cut and paste this if you can't click it) *duh* but seriously, it's great for laughs. MarkANG, if you're reading this, i think you shall appreciate it =D

[amalgamation] gootness, it's been awhile since i've written. i'm sitting here now going through my regular morning routine.. sipping my coffee.. dipping my rich-tea biscuits in my coffee.. waiting to eat my hawaiian papaya.. and reading about all the news online. so i just read this story about the heir of the Onassis family who is 18 years old and just "earned" 2.9 billion dollars, or something of the sort. she earns another 2 billion when she turns 21, but gosh, will she be able to enjoy any of that? all her relatives had tragic and very young deaths, her father is involved in a scandal, her aunt was clinically depressed and had four failed marriages, and this poor 18 year old girl naturally lives a very sheltered and abnormal life. the moral of the story -- money isn't everything the people who don't have it wish they did, and the people who do have it couldn't care less. is that not true of everything? instead, we should probably embrace what we do have.. health, friends, family, people who care about you, and most importantly, your sanity.

the past two weeks have definitely been a roller coaster of emotions for me. the first day of my last semester.. my car kapooting on me... thinking about my relationships with people.. pondering my current and future responsibilities. BLAH. as 311 sings... all mixed up, donno waht to do..

[goodbye humidity] maaaaaan. it's time to go back to berkeley-- and though i am excited, a small part of me also wishes i could lounge in my pyjamas all day in my singapore home. it's been super - home always is. thank you to my dad, mom, and brother for spending such great times with me. thank you to all my friends who made the pilgrimage back to singapore to create even more super memories. and thank you to my bed for always keeping me warm and safe at night =)

[speaking of which] last night, i watched a video of my brother's graduation ceremony with him. it definitely reminded me of the evening my class of '99 crossed that wonderful threshold (and how young we once all looked =O ), but most of all, it made me realize how different i am now. not my personality or character per se, but just how i see the world. sadly, a lot of idealism has dissipated and my high school worked sooo hard to instill values of tolerance, peace, and understanding in all of us. yes, i've always held such values, but how far am i going to actually practicing it or even spreading it? all of us used to be so active in promoting ourselves in environmental activities, community service contributions, and the like.. but what happened? hmm. perhaps this should be one of the 2003 resolutions... hrm.

[phlegm] go away already. =T