Exams and early 2000s

Hi just wanted to express shock? surprise? anguish? indifference? at my exam timetable that just got posted. I will basically have 3 open take home exams across the same 3 days from 23rd-26th June. Yay.

Although 2 of those papers have been written with the expectation that you can finish them in 2 hrs - they've just given us a 2-3 day submission window.

Life!

In other news, there isn't really other news. I finished reading The Haunting of Hill House and found a netflix adaptation that I don't want to watch because it looks legit scary, whereas at least the book was more about the main character's psyche and everything could've happened in her head.

I watched the Michelle Obama docco on netflix, then I went and bought the book and now I've started reading it. I hope I'm as cool as her when I grow up.

I also dug up some old chinese songs that I used to listen to. I find it very comforting revisiting the things I used to do in the early 2000s in the middle of today's pandemic. Anyway, here are two of those songs if anyone's interested:

Her voice is so good! The song is from a rite-of-passage-ish Taiwanese drama (rite of passage because it's quite well-known and very heavy) called The Hospital - known for it's un-rosy depiction of hospital politics that some might call realistic, and its not so satisfactorily-happy ending, but that's life I guess.

(Segueing, because the song is about being wilful in youth) I don't mind growing up, but the saddest thing about it is that the older you get the more grief you will experience. I know that not everyone's childhood was a happy one. I'm lucky because when I look back on mine I remember a carefree, contented one. It made me believe in good things, and I still have faith in those things even though the older I get the more shit things I see. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to develop a sense of how the world should be, and how I want to be as a person. Blah blah blah, that's my bit of mindfulness for the day.

It's funny how we have adult catchphrases for these kinds of things like 'mindfulness' and 'meditation', like when we talk about practicing mindfulness or keeping gratitude journals. Like there are a set of tools and routines that people adopt when they want to be a thoughtful person. You need to set up habits, time your activities, and record them with an app. Maybe you do need those things. Maybe you do need the $35 pastel-themed gratitude journal from Kikki K in order to be thankful and to reflect. Maybe. But all those things are aides. The most important thing is that when you do it, you're intentional about it and it comes from a place of truth. And it shouldn't be done for any purpose except for your own personal growth.

By the way, did I ever tell you that my favourite Whitney Houston song is The Greatest Love of All? I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadow!! Anyway, so of course this is my favourite scene from School of Rock:

Hmm, now I'm just watching School of Rock videos...I can feel my afternoon disappearing. Also, Lawrence is such an asian name. They got that spot on.