Reading Week

Right. Reading week. No one really reads, honestly, but this time, I believe I'll have to.

The to-do list:
1. Econ 2004 Problem set + readings (since when did anyone have "readings" for econs? since now, the answer is. Hello, printing room.)
2. Econ 2001 Problem set, provided I manage to figure out the yet-to-be-taught content
3. Econ 2007 Problem set, once it gets published on moodle. noodle. moodle.
4. French homework. quite a bit of it.
5. Go to the chambre de commerce française - and beg
6. Go to the franco-british council - and beg, again
7. Wait for the reply from ESCP - remember to let Teresa know, go, and beg; remember to say hi to Terence if he's there.
8. Wait for the reply from ESSEC - and hope for the best.
9. Wait for the reply from Dauphine and Polytechnique - hoping, as well, for the best
10. Wait for the reply from the Lexington - remember to ask for a bill split, let LeMag team know once that's confirmed.
11. Talk to Nick and French Dept about accommodation
12. Fill KCL FrenchSoc in on the conference
13. Talk to Nick, Douglas and Victor about LeMag launch party. £2 per entry per person, members free, provided Lexington okay - refer to item 10.
14. Ask Sara about Monday.
15. Remember to go to P&G on Tuesday.
16. Look for the person interviewing Sapho on Thursday - do I still need to go? Yes
17. French Revolution XVII on Friday!
18. Jimmy Choo for H&M Sat morning. Night out. yea.

I guess that explains why I'm staying in London for reading week. Perfect.

Oh yes, I forgot to include the most important of it all.

WATCH MUSE AT THE O2 AND IT WAS AMAZING. FANTASTIC. INSANE. I'VE LOST ALL VOCABULARY, BUT WHAT WORDS CAN EVEN DESCRIBE MATT, CHRIS AND DOM, LIVE?! NONE! :D

E

and here we go again

Having gotten rid, quite ethically naturally, of a microecons tutorial, some French exercises (a few more to go) and the last vestiges of flavor from half an infuser-full of Mariage Frères Tea (it's pretty good, I must say. The uncertainty regarding the trip to Paris leaves me hesitant as to the rate of consumption of the remaining half-tin of leaves), I should give myself an interesting welcome back to writing posts on blogger.

As it happens, the old template had to go. The div tags used to look decent but owing to the evolution of perspective, they don't look too good no more. So they had to go. Apologies to Jiaming who worked on that design around 5 years ago - I was mangling it beyond recognition anyway.

So, yes, welcome back. What's new, some ask. Lots, I'd say. Second year in London now, new address, "new" bed double the size of the old one, "new" desk, 2/3 the size of the previous. Well basically a decently furnished room, far from the decadence characterizing the Ritz, but given how the cost of living here is lower than what it would've been if I'd spent another year in Commonwealth Hall, I'd say it's a good deal.

And yes, the society - reestablished, rebuilt, refurbished, reconstructed. New committee - really proud of the entire team, I must add. Considering the start point (for convenience, we'll just call that point "nothing"), and where we are now (would've called it "something" but it'd be a horrible understatement of what the team has achieved), it's some damned good work done in the last four weeks. It's been four weeks already?
Thought on the side - seriously doubt anyone reads this page. But if anyone does, then a huge thank you goes out to the following people:
Teresa and Zoe, for work on LeMag; Krzysztof, for the wonderful photos; Niro, Francesca (for purposes of disambiguation, all mention of "Fran" refers to Fran Barrie unless explicitly specified), Yves-Lang and Arpinder, for running activities and keeping things going; Adam, for the workshops and for helping me get my cash back; Pierre (Beniguel. Another disambiguation statement, ditto the above, modify with some common sense) for the advice and help and Mathias, for the website that we can unfortunately no longer use.
And to everyone else who's made society activities outstandingly successful - you know very well I can't go listing everyone here, in which case we'll never get on with business.

This is a very unstructured post. And I don't intend to structure it.

Did I mention how murderous year 2 economics is? I think I didn't. I shall do so now. Very murderous.

Add that to running a society and the work it entails, and I doubt even a stupid insurance company would refuse to insure me against the risk of insanity.

So, coming up: French Kiss Tour (Claire Denamur, Zaza Fournier and Oshen) on the 3rd of november. If you're in London, and you want to watch three really talented musicians play for free, then drop by. Ciné Lumière, L'institut Français, South Kensington.

This coming week, Housse de Racket at Heaven (on the 29th) and the Lexington (on the 30th) - CATCH THEM. They're GOOD.
www.myspace.com/houssederacket


Also, if you were somehow at The Borderline (off Tottenham Court Road, into Manette St, then into Orange Yard), you'd have heard some very very amazing music by Kid Bombardos. So if you're from Bordeaux, be proud. Because they are too.
www.myspace.com/kidbombardos


If you're wondering where the sudden onslaught of gigs at horribly expensive places is coming from, given my reputation as being equally horribly particular about expenditure, fear not, for nothing has changed. A huge thank you goes out to BureauExport for the kind opportunities to watch these amazing performances at affordable cost! Of course, we do our part in return - LeMag covers these gigs, and I leave their tracks playing all day on Winamp. almost all day at least.

Right. Time to wash the glass before the tea stains it.

à la prochaine fois, from London.
E

28h30 to econ 1002.
52h30 to stat 6202.

xh30 to math 6401
x+24h30 to lcfr 6045 french

yh to econ 1001
y+28h30 to math 6402
y+30h30 to the end. for now. good enough. ça suffit.

survive. vindicate.

now since i hate these irritating things, i shall post on my horribly lonely blog such that no one reads it but i still post it. it's amusing, in any case.

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the game from.


If someone says, "Is this okay?" you say...
Queen - Seven Seas of Rhye [righto.]

What would best describe your personality?
Velvet Revolver - Dirty Little Thing [no, no, not true.]

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Tryo - Le Temps [je crois que je n'ai JAMAIS entendu cette chanson..]

How do you feel today?
Les Enfoirés - Et dans 150 ans [no really, i don't think so far ahead.]

What is your life's purpose?
Elton John - I guess that's why they call it the blues [someone got THAT right..]

What is your motto?
Santana - Smooth [ah.]

What do your friends think of you?
Iron Maiden - Flash of the blade

What do you think about very often?
Steve Vai - For the love of God [well. i didn't know that. haha]

What is 2+2?
The Killers - Jenny was a friend of mine

What do you think of your best friend?
Christina Aguilera - Come on over baby [er. wrong best friend.]

What do you think of the person you like?
Dead or alive - You spin me around (like a record) [yeapp]

What is your life story?
Edith Piaf - Bravo pour le clown [bravo pour moi..]

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Eric Clapton - Reptile [scales, anyone?]

What do you think when you see the person you like?
Goo Goo Dolls - Cuz you're gone [this is not working..]

What do your parents think of you?
Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler - Tears [this is REALLY not working.]

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Guns N' Roses - Mr. Brownstone

What will they play at your funeral?
Jazzcafe - But not for me [i don't believe i've ever played this song]

What is your hobby/interest?
Wang Chung - Let's Go [really. let's go.]

What is your biggest secret?
Iron Maiden - The Wickerman

What do you think of your friends?
Patricia Kaas - Les hommes qui passent [it's winamp's fault. it lies.]

What's the worst thing that could happen?
Jet - Are you gonna be my girl? [????]

How will you die?
Iron Maiden - The unbeliever [er..]

What is the one thing you regret?
Margie Adam - Something about us [??]

What makes you laugh?
Zade - The beauty of her soul [ =) ]

What makes you cry?
Queen - Radio Ga Ga

Will you ever get married?
Jean-Louis Aubert - Voilà c'est fini [right.]

What scares you the most?
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

Does anyone like you?
Iron Maiden - Another Life [depressing...]

If you could go back in time, what would you change?
Pink Floyd - The happiest days of our lives [eh?]

What hurts right now?
Goo Goo Dolls - Broadway

What will you post this as?
Iron Maiden - Prodigal Son

La liberté c'est l'enfer quand elle tombe sur un coeur prisonnier
Enchaîné comme aux galères
Au coeur de son âme soeur, de sa moitié
Les chaînes se sont brisées
Et mon coeur n'appartient plus à personne
A quarante ans bien sonné
J'ai peur qu'il ne soit perdu à jamais

Coeur à prendre, pas à vendre, à donner
Un peu naze, un peu d'occase, un peu cassé
Coeur en miettes, en détresse, en compote
En morceaux, en lambeaux, au fond des bottes

Il a aimé bien longtemps
La plus belle de tous les temps
Il a chanté,
L'a battu pendant vingt ans
Pour un amour à présent
Envolé
Il a eu plus que d'aucun
Du bonheur au quotidien
Chaque seconde
Il a pleuré en silence
Pour l'éternelle souffrance
De ce monde

Coeur à prendre, pas à vendre, à donner
Un peu naze, un peu d'occase, un peu cassé
Coeur en miettes, en détresse, en compote
En morceaux, en lambeaux, au fond des bottes

Qui voudra bien ramasser
Ce petit coeur abandonné, à la casse
C'est pas un cadeau ma belle
Il est plein d'idées rebelles
Mais hélas, il aura du mal un jour
A croire encore à l'amour
Si tu veux
Je t'offre ce coeur perdu
Qui n'aimera jamais plus
Ou si peu

Inner peace - "for the lulz"

the quote is highly appropriate, i believe. credits to david huang.

in my last msn conversation before i proceeded to subject myself to 45 minutes of self torture at RPM class, i was asked a pretty unexpected question:
"How do you entertain yourself so well?"
to which i responded, admittedly without much thought,
"you have to find inner peace.. lol"

but isn't that what it was always about? I've spent the last few days here, in London, almost alone. The rest of my batchmates are either in Singapore or somewhere in Europe on holiday. The ones left, I can count with one hand: Bobo, Eileen and Jess.

Well, alright, we could include weijun who was here last week, and is currently frolicking all around the united kingdom (rightly so. i, on the contrary, am financially limited and hence confined to the domains of well, arbitrarily, London).

It is, however, interesting to note how the last few almost-solitary days have indeed been enjoyable:
30 Dec - Victoria & Albert Museum £0.00, Notting Hill in search of the travel book store. obviously didn't find it.
2 Jan - Dirty Dancing @ Aldwych £22.50 (originally £62.50. hmm. good deal)
3 Jan - The 39 Steps @ Criterion Theatre £15.00 (originally £22.50. not that good a deal).
4 Jan - Oedipus @ National Theatre £10.00 (originally.. £10. good seats nonetheless.)
5 Jan - sleep. tired you know.
6 Jan - Tate Modern £0.00 (freaked out by viennese actionism. no really. go look.)
7 Jan - Saatchi Gallery £0.00 (not bad at all. and you thought chinese art was about mountains and rivers. okay yes, there were mountains and rivers)
8 Jan - sleep
9 Jan (today) - RPM class. and i don't dare to sleep, lest the aches emerge when I wake.

fulfilling.

would've been impossible without "inner peace", non? :)