i've just finished reading "n0 sec0nd chance" by harlan c0ben. it t00k me 7 h0urs. the st0ry's gripping. brilliant, as always. i'm n0t g0ing any deeper int0 that. when i finished scanning the last page, *and the ackn0wledgements after that, and the ab0ut-the-auth0r thing after that* ;) i grabbed my hp and msged.. well. this might strike 0ne as weird 0r daft 0r anything but there was a reas0n as t0 why i did it. hehe. i msged Ana, wh0 was a few feet away fr0m me. in 0ther w0rds, we were in the same r00m, 0nly the tw0 0f us, yet i c0uldn't seem t0 find a m0re direct f0rm 0f c0mmunicating with her. n0t under CURRENT circumstances. hehe. well, here's what was in the sms:
"d0 u want me t0 fix y0u s0methg? that cereal 0r h0t ch0c? we're n0t 0n speaking terms right? s0 i figured sms w0uld be 0kay. heee~ :D"

the thing is, Ana was (still is) s0 abs0rbed in her w0rk that i dared n0t distract her. we've agreed 0n n0t speaking t0 each 0ther; she had t0 finish up her rep0rt which is a l0ad 0f mess; f0r starters, she hasn't even begun w0rking 0n the results (let al0ne the discussi0n) and w0rse, she hadn't even g0t a result; she'd been running the experiment/pr0gram 0r whatever it was that she did f0r her pr0ject survey all in vain. it's been 3 weeks. and she had t0 hand in the rep0rt t0m0rr0w. earlier 0n she msged her dad, asked her parents t0 pray f0r her final attempt t0 c0me t0 a success (which we t00, had agreed unanim0usly that it was like h0ping f0r a miracle t0 happen) and her dad rang back. and she t0ld her 0ld man j0kingly that the 0nly 0pti0n left if she didn't get all the equati0ns needed f0r the rep0rt was t0 jump 0ff the building. and sure en0ugh, he freaked 0ut at her t0ne. y0u kn0w, y0u might think y0u kn0w s0me0ne very well yet i've always believed that there just has t0 be s0me territ0ry that y0u're unfamiliar with. and that y0u're b0und t0 find s0me surprise every n0w and then. at least, i believe it w0rks that way. s0, back t0 Ana and her 0ld man. he 0ught t0 be a little wary ab0ut her resp0nse; funny as it might've s0unded. then, she sat at her very-rarely-used desk and started w0rking. and i was c0zily tucked in Yatie's bed, reading my third n0vel this week (despite the fact that my first paper is less than 0ne week away). i'd wanted t0 resume watching the g0dfather (0h i'll get t0 that in a few minutes) but she'd specifically requested 0n having n0 s0und whats0ever. plus the b00k i was reading was m0re appealing at the time. Ana's w0rking very hard (and y0u c0uld say that's a breakthr0ugh hehe). we're 0f the same league; never paid much attenti0n t0 studies, never w0rried much ab0ut assignments... well, y0u g0t the picture. and s0 seeing her n0w with her b0dy in an upright p0siti0n and her fingers actively tapping away at her lapt0p it's like... dunn0. and it was her wh0 helped me 0ut with my rep0rt last week.

just a quick recap; i was supp0sed t0, wait. let me rephrase that. WE were supp0sed t0 hand in the rep0rt 0n tuesday (it was a gr0up thing) yet they dumped it 0n me in the eleventh h0ur, and expected me t0 finish it. wth? that was what i was s0 furi0us ab0ut. heh. n0, that wasn't really infuriating. what was was the fact that they expected me t0 finish it all by myself 0n such sh0rt n0tice yet they expected t0 see their names 0n the fr0nt c0ver. again, wtf? and like it always did, my bad luck f0r the day didn't end there. while struggling t0 analyze the data and everything, with the time cl0sing in 0n me, i'd felt a severe pain in my st0mach. that was at 1.25pm that tuesday. and i had t0 bring the rep0rt t0 class later 0n at 2pm. i've rarely been sick bef0re and it was sheer bad luck that the preci0us m0ment ch0se t0 happen then. i cr0uched 0ver the lapt0p; 0ne hand squeezing my st0mach, the 0ther still tapping at the lapt0p; th0ugh a little less frantically. Ana made me take s0me Alka-Seltzer (whatever that is :p) and helped me 0ut with the graphs. i lay in bed, h0ping that the pain w0uld die d0wn. after a g00d few minutes i g0t back t0 the rep0rt. finally i managed t0 get it d0ne. and (i certainly kn0w this bit isn't necessary but heck wh0 cares?) my lecturer said it was g00d and suggested that the 0thers ask me t0 pr00f-read their rep0rt bef0re handing it in. that really put the big g00fy smile 0n my face. at least, it paid 0ff ;) and as f0r the pain in my st0mach, it g0t w0rse, i tried t0 sleep it 0ff but it was futile and i ended up cr0uched in bed all day, until later that night. i c0uldn't even talk when dennis called. and i felt really bad ab0ut that. i tried t0 listen t0 her and bear the pain but in the end i really c0uldn't f0cus anym0re s0 i t0ld her i had t0 hang up. and the fact that i'd said it abruptly while she was kinda d0wn and she was actually telling me s0mething really made me feel bad. s0rry, denn =(

s0 n0w i want t0 help Ana but i d0n't think there's any part 0f her w0rk that i c0uld help with. the title 0f her pr0ject: "m0delling 0f affinity precipitati0n system 0f enzyme rec0very". i kn0w s0me basics ab0ut her pr0ject (i myself am studying m0delling and simulati0n this semester, and MATLAB, well, is there any engineer wh0 d0esn't kn0w what it is?) but at this crucial p0int basic w0uldn't suffice. s0 i th0ught perhaps i c0uld at least get her s0mething t0 drink 0r anything. as s00n as i hit the 'send' butt0n, i fled the r00m *haha* and went t0 the bathr00m. when i was back, she was slightly slumped 0n her chair; her face deadpan yet there was a faint trace 0f amusement. she was biting her l0wer lip. within 3 sec0nds she cracked up a little. i instantane0usly checked my hp and there it was; her reply msg. haha. i kn0w it wasn't much, i kn0w it w0uldn't help as in miracul0usly make all her w0rkl0ad just disappear, but at least it t00k s0me strain 0ff her face =)

the g0dfather. i read the b00k by mari0 puz0 last tw0 days. it's a damn great st0ry, i fell f0r all the characters instantly (0r michael c0rle0ne, at least ;b) i've always been keen 0n all the mafia s0rts 0f stuff and that explains my fav0ring "the italian j0b", "f0ur br0thers", etc (n0t menti0ning mark wahlberg, ahax!) i watched "f0ur br0thers" a few times; in 0ne night. s0 last night i watched the dvd; the g0dfather part 1. i was transfixed in fr0nt 0f the lapt0p f0r the wh0le 3 h0urs. i n0ticed tw0 differences between the m0vie and the b00k. 0ne thing ab0ut reading the st0ry in w0rds is that y0u get better (and/0r clearer) view 0n things. better understanding even. the 0nly d0wnside is that i c0uld remember alm0st every dial0gue in the b00k and s0 i f0und myself mentally checking whether Al Pacin0 was saying exactly the right thing fr0m the b00k 0r n0t, thr0ugh0ut the m0vie. and when he 0r s0me0ne else in the m0vie wasn't, i felt an unnecessary dejecti0n. haha. as if i was afraid that they might twist the st0ry fr0m its 0riginality hence alter my c0mprehensi0n 0f the st0ry (0r my feeling t0ward the characters *ahem*) ;b i'm g0ing t0 watch part 2 and part 3 s00n. t0m0rr0w, perhaps. have t0 brace myself f0r the w0rst th0ugh, heard that michael c0rle0ne is g0ing t0 be sh0t t0 death. huuuuu.. ;b well, mafi0s0! 0h, the g0dfather definitely has t0 be 0ne my m0st fav0rite b00ks/m0vies ever! \(^_^)/

Yatie had g0ne h0me 0n friday. i didn't see her bef0re she left. but we had early lunch t0gether at 10am that day, with Ana. and managed t0 g00f ar0und a little while we were at it. eheh. \(^_^)/ she's c0ming back here t0m0rr0w. can't wait t0 hear ab0ut her grandparent's (i'm n0t sure if it was her g'm0ther 0r g'father) new cat. she msged me ab0ut it this aftern00n. s0unds 'interesting'. hehe.

quite a l0t 0f 'interesting' things happened t0day. hehe. i had brunch with Ana yet we f0und 0urselves c0nstantly munching s0mething afterwards; Ana claiming she needed all the extra energy t0 think, and me.. well, i've always been kn0wn t0 eat a l0t. after maghrib, we shared chicken papar0ng pizza a friend had kindly br0ught us and after having p0lished 0ff the last crumb, i l00ked up at Ana and she said "let's g0 0ut and get s0mething t0 eat." haha. and s0 we did. (t0gether with Jah). we were raven0us. haha. i ate nasi lemak, and then r0ti telur. the game 'chelsea-west ham' was 0n and it was all i c0uld d0 n0t t0 beg them t0 linger a bit l0nger until the end 0f the game. i underst00d they had the rep0rt due t0m0rr0w. i had actually asked Ana if we c0uld stay a little while s0 i c0uld at least catch the first half 0f the "arsenal-MU" game at 11pm; 0n the 0ff-chance that she might suddenly change her mind. heh. it was like asking a questi0n t0 which the answer is 0bvi0us (and y0u knew :p) but y0u ask anyway. well, the interesting thing was ab0ut Jah. and.. s0me guy. ehehh. \(^_^)/

hurm... what a lengthy p0st. well... haven't written in a while :)

ahhhh *b0red*