I’m worn out. Frazzled, fried, half-baked, sauteed, steamed, rolled up and inserted in a bun and wrapped up in toxic plastic.

Ok so perhaps that was an unnecessary visual, but it’s all good

Week three of uni, and I’m beginning to think I may have bitten off more than I can chew (as usual, nothing new there!).

On top of a full load of class, I have snagged the position of Assistant Returning Officer for the upcoming MUSA general elections, am writing for four publications, and have not long ago extended my services as willing dogsbody to the wonderful people at the All-Womens’ Action Society (AWAM). It’s only really beginning to hit me that I’m going to wear myself out, but hey! It’s only uni on top of work and volunteering, it could be worse I could be having a baby!

Heh ok that was completely random. But yeah, seriously. It feels good being active and productive, and I have the feeling that I am meant to do this—the writing, the volunteering.

I had a mystical experience in uni yesterday during lunch, over a frankly, rather bizarre conversation about tantric sex, when a classmate who is a self-taught healer and spiritualist took one look at me and said how he’s sorry I’ve been having a rough last few months. Which frankly, startled me because I hadn’t talked with him for ages. He also remarked how I have a lot of rage bottled up inside (whoops)…we talked about callings, about divinity, meditation, spirituality.

And the whole conversation left me feeling remarkably rejuvenated because I’ve always been a bit of an airy fairy, and hearing all this, right now, made everything fall into place Intuition is an amazing thing, and signs are all around us. I know I sound very mysterioso right now, but it’s all good. I’m not trying to explain myself, just merely relate my epiphany of sorts and encourage anyone else out there to do the same

Today we also had two remarkable speakers from AWAM and WAO who spoke for the Wom*n’s Affairs Collective’s Feminism 101 talk in Monash’s Wom*n’s Room. It was a small session, but no less powerful—we traced the history of feminism in a Malaysian context, talked about what we can do to empower ourselves (the answer, my friends, is not blowing in the wind—it is in education, and finding one’s voice. Speak up and do it proudly, because our rights are all enshrined in the Federal Constitution) against everyday harassment.

It’s so inspiring being around strong, beautiful women who have such strong conviction in their beliefs, not only as feminists but as members of society because that’s what feminism is about to a large extent in this country—fighting for protection, or against obscure laws that affect all of us as citizens.

I’m waxing lyrical, and at the same time falling asleep. I suppose nobody really wants to listen to my endless yibberings, so I shall end it with pop culture propaganda: watch The Simpsons Movie, it is possibly the best movie I’ve seen all year save for Babel

*hums* Spider-pig, spider-pig…

Yes by the way thanks for all the nice encouraging messages about the car To my shock and horror, driving back from my aunt’s place on Sunday night, I discovered that the backlight behind the speedo- and tachometer is a terrible, bright, brazen, incomprehensibly Ah Beng electric blue.

I am horrified to realise that I am driving an Ah Beng car.

But is ok, I like being different (just like everybody else ho hum), and plus I’m glad I don’t have to walk home anymore ;D

Just call me Ah Lian, but don’t ever forget that I could probably write circles around you or beat your ass in a game of Scrabble. Ha!