so the exams and deadlines for research papers are looming in the horizon. most of my days are spent cooped up in my room, trying my very best to translate my thoughts into coherent sentences on my computer screen. it hasn’t been going too well the past few days – but my friend just told me that the best cure for writer’s block is to just keep writing. so i will adopt that as my motto!
my roommates in my apartment are really nice, and sometimes quite amusing. the thing about 6 girls from 3 different countries living together is that there are things that will bind you (like being a woman) and things that are starkly different (Asia v. West) – but thank God it’s been wonderful staying with them. there’s just the right amount of space, with the opportunity to share joy and sorrow – not to the deepest levels, not for me at least. but it has been a good place to have company, and it’s comforting to know that you’re never really alone in this foreign house.
but there are some amusing things about 6 girls living in 1 apartment who all have exams and deadlines in a few weeks:
1. girls are concerned about getting fat, but girls also like to snack. so it’s interesting when people like us snack on celery sticks, microwave popcorn, dark chocolate, carrots, walnuts (natural caffeine) and the occasional whole-grain crackers.
2. girls are concerned about getting fat, but girls also have to eat. my roommates and i barely eat rice or noodles, it’s mostly just vegetables, fruits and canned tuna/salmon. if you look into our garbage, it’s mostly just compost (organic waste), or packaging from crackers, tuna/salmon, jugs of milk.
3. everything in the kitchen and cupboard is either natural (vegetables) or low-fat, low-sodium, or healthier choice. none of us drink more than 1% milk. the only oil we ever use is olive oil, or margarine. there is no smell of grease, anywhere.
4. girls use a lot of toilet paper – i have no idea why or how. we can go through 30 rolls in 1 and a half weeks – madness.
5. girls do strange things when they are stressed – when deadlines and tests loom, suddenly the kitchen is sparkling clean, or rooms are amazingly neat, or all the laundry gets done. anything to get away from the books and to feel like you’re doing something.
6. there are a lot of tea bags in the garbage – the amount of tea we drink to keep awake, soothe ourselves or just to take the place of a snack is quite amazing.
7. there is a lot of whining about putting on weight with the expected ‘no you’re not!’ and ‘yeah i know what you mean!'(s)
8. there is a LOT of procrastination – tv, walking to each other’s rooms, cooking, doing groceries, snacking, the list never ever ends.
9. ‘i’m bored!’, ‘i don’t want to do this anymore!’ in high-pitched i-don’t-want-to-do-this-anymore voices ring in the house quite often, i guess we’re all little daddy’s girls at heart!
10. the apartment smells nice, and is neat. more so when exams are drawing near. during exams, my roommates also dress nicely, even at home – just to procrastinate. i just walk around in my pyjamas the whole day.
11. someone’s always cooking – to procrastinate or because they’re hungry.
12. ‘good luck’, ‘goodnight’, ‘keep going’, ‘study hard’ are common refrains around this house.
13. we discuss grocery shopping, which produce store is the cheapest, where you can get good vegetables, and what specials are on in the store. the word ‘aunty’ is not limited to Asians.
14. a lot of sharing of food goes on here – because girls like to eat and ‘share fats’, and because it gives you an excuse to talk and not have to do work.
15. dishes are always done, the place is mostly clean. and people buy toilet paper to replenish.
i love living here, if you couldn’t already tell 🙂
and i have to get back to work.
Haha it sounds so fun and interesting!! Jia you!! it’s good that the apartment is clean and neat instead of the other way round XD
Hi dear,
Work hard, and all the best to you all!
sounds like i could totally fit in if i were living with you guys man (:
but let me tell u from experience that not all girls are like that. some pple (yes, girls) don’t share our same sense of cleanliness and responsibility towards the household. my sister is a living, breathing specimen of that species. she’s such a slob i’ll never invite her to stay at my place next time :s
anw, talk about procrastination. what am i doing here! my exams would have been done last wed, but i missed my paper last monday due to a wisdom tooth infection (now i feel your pain when u had to go thru all those horrible oral operations!) and i had to get it extracted. thankfully it wasn’t an op but a simple extraction cuz it was fully grown, but i was battling the infection for more than a week, living on semi liquid food or not eating at all. it was so bad i’ve dropped below 50kg :s
ok procrastination time over! back to corp law. my make up exam is tmr!!!! traumatic ):
love u paula dear!