Hey guys,

Sorry about the wait for this post.  It's been pretty hectic.

So, last you heard from me, I was still in Singapore.  I left Singapore for about five days to visit Thailand and didn't bring my computer with me.  For the first two days of Thailand, Boyfriend and I didn't do a whole lot.  We checked in to our hotel in Phuket and explored the nearby areas and I have to say, the staff at our hotel were wonderful and the people in the spots we explored were incredibly friendly.

It might not sound like it to some, but we really felt like we took advantage of those two days we had alone before his family came to join us on the third day.  We got some well-needed rest and travelling with fewer people makes co-ordinating and decision-making much easier.  I'm hoping that Boyfriend and I end up being able to travel together a bit more, especially since parents are telling us that we'll never be able to travel so much again once we start working.  Honestly, I hope that's not true for us.  I have had so much fun seeing different parts of the world with him and just walking around and discovering different foods and cultures.  It feels so freeing.

After Thailand, we went back to Singapore for a few more days before we flew home.  We've been home for about a month now and things haven't slowed down much, in all honesty.  We rested for a week before going to my grandparents' place to help them paint around the house and trim their hedges and, boy, did that tire us out.  At this point in time, I think we're both just looking for some quiet time to rest and relax, but we still need to look for work and Boyfriend wants to move out of where he is currently staying.  Hopefully, he finds a place soon for the sake of his sanity.

That's about all for now in terms of what's been going on. 

Until next time,
Dusk

The future is scary and that's okay.

Boyfriend and I have been talking a bit recently about what our plans for the future are in terms of careers as, firstly, while we are living with his mom in Singapore, it's brought up quite often anyway, and secondly, it is something we'd have to think about soon since we just received our undergraduate degrees.

Right now, it seems like we're going to take roughly a year out of school and decide whether or not we want to go back or if we can make it without.  Personally, I think he'll go back.  He tells me he was never much of a school guy, but he likes to learn and I can definitely see him excelling in whichever path he chooses.  He's a pretty versatile guy when it comes to the options he's given himself.

For me, I'm not sure if I want to return to school to get a Master's degree or even a PhD, but the more we talk about it, the more it seems a bit enticing.  I've never been one to feel like writing a dissertation or anything formal would be something I'd want to do, but some times when I look at what I've studied, or when I read something, it's the only way I can work with it.  I still prefer to write fiction, but it's been so long since I've properly sat down to write any fiction outside of a dialogue that I don't know if I could do it.  I would need to sit down and read more fiction first to pick my style back up again, I think.

I like the idea of living off my writing whether it be on my blog, on Youtube (writing scripts for myself to discuss different topics), publishing various forms of fiction, or even using my writing as a form of discussion like many critical thinkers.  For most of these things, I wouldn't need any formal graduate degree to do them, but for the last one especially, it would be helpful because it would give my arguments that much more heft.  I would be able to not only say what I have to say and potentially have people retort, but also be recognised as a person who knows what she's talking about in a formal situation should it come to that.  Perhaps my writing would be able to be used in classrooms and university or college lectures that way.  Who knows?

In the mean time, I'm trying to figure out what I could get into for at least this coming year.  Perhaps work in a book shop or something to pass the time and make a little money to support myself and hopefully move out.  Whatever happens, I'm glad that it looks like  Boyfriend and I will be going through it together and supporting each other.  It's something that we'd both like and I definitely feel like I need.  I like being able to discuss my current foggy future with someone who understands where I am in my head and in my life.  He knows that I'm unsure of which direction I want to go, but he also knows that I want to be able to be self reliant and he's supporting me every step of the way.  If it weren't for him I don't know where I'd be right now.  I wouldn't have even considered a Master's or any other form of graduate degree.  I know my mom wants me to get one, but that doesn't feel so much as if it's for me as it does for her peace of mind because it appears to be the minimum requirement for anything now-a-days.

I'm just glad that I have someone with whom I can venture through life now.  A romantic relationship is certainly not something everyone needs at this point in time, or for some, ever, but for me, this works.  I have the kind of support I need and, in turn, I am able to support him and we are able to bounce ideas about our future with one another without outside influence because we listen to each other and what the other wants and needs.  For all of you out there going through this time in life, you do it your way.  My way is by no means any model towards which you need to strive.  What works for me might not necessarily work for you and vice versa.  But no matter what happens, I hope things turn out well for you.

Best of luck to everyone.

Dusk

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't updated on the trip much lately, but what can I say?  What I do might not sound as interesting as it was for me to experience.  I'm a bit of a little details sort of person.  I appreciate a lot of little moments that don't relay as well as they felt at the time.

Anyway, yesterday, Boyfriend and I went and did something a bit more touristy than usual.  After seeing where he went to school a couple days before, we decided to go to Sentosa.  Yup.  The place that you, apparently, "must" go to while you're in Singapore otherwise you haven't gone to Singapore.  Personally, I've never understood when people say things like that because, clearly, I am in Singapore, so to tell me otherwise would be ridiculous as I know where I am and what I'm doing and you can't tell me what it is that I'm experiencing.

That aside, we had a nice time walking along the harbour and Siloso beach front in the evening.  It's crazy, you can actually see the sun setting here.  It moves much faster here than it does at home.  At first, I thought I was imagining it, but when Boyfriend said that it could be seen, I was amazed.  The sunlight is interesting here.  You would think that being near the equator, you would have more hours of sunlight, but instead, it's similar to the amount of sunlight I get at home in the autumn just before winter.  The sun rises at 7:00AM and sets at 7:00PM everyday without fail.  I have no idea why it works that way, but it does.

We had a real nice time there.  I've never been to a salt water beach before and I do love to be in the water.  Though, I wasn't particularly prepared for that, so I just waded around the shallows.  I'll be honest, I was expecting the water to be cooler than it was and was certainly surprised when it was so much warmer than I was preparing myself for.

Boyfriend spent the last few minutes of the fading sunlight to draw the shoreline.  Me, on the other hand, I just love to see him draw.  Something about how focused and intense he looks is alluring to me.  I just really like to see artists at work, what can I say?  It's like watching magic happen.  Unfortunately, because of the quickly falling sun, Boyfriend had some troubles figuring out the pressure he should put on his new brushpen for different strokes.  I still think his drawing looks fine.  Especially considering the fact that he didn't have a brushpen prior to this.

When we finally got back home, we curled up and watched a film I had watched in school called "Waking Life".  Considering the time of day I had originally watched, it was pretty overwhelming in terms of information and questions, not to mention the art styles involved.  It definitely makes more sense the second time around, but it is still a lot of information to take in.  Boyfriend says it might be better if they just tackled one question raised and stick to it as the main premise.  Considering what the film is about, he's right.  It gives the feeling that the director is trying to cover more information than he is able in the time given.  I still can't say it's a bad film, though.  It raises interesting thoughts and questions that I feel are important for people to think about and don't often do if they do at all.

I'm not super sure what's in store for today or the rest of the week, but that's the fun of not planning.  You just figure it out as you go.  Besides, a few days of rest here and there are always good to keep.  Don't want to burn yourself out on vacation, right?

Until next time,
Dusk

Two posts in one day?  What???

Yep.

I'm just making this post to say that if you like to look at creative pieces and reading comics, then you might want to check out Boyfriend's webcomic called "Heartland" on which he works with great focus.  Updates are a little slow because life has been quite demanding, but in it, you not only get an interesting story building, but you also get to see the development of his drawing skills.  Here is the link to that: https://heartlandcomics.wordpress.com/

He also just set up a Facebook page which showcases some of his non-comic related work.  Some are just doodles or practice work, but they are quite nice as well.  If you like his work and are interested in getting some commission work from him, he is very much willing to do so.  Here is the link to that: https://www.facebook.com/KPDraws/

Thanks for your time and for sticking around.  There will be more stories, thoughts, and updates to come, so stay tuned!

Dusk

Hey guys!

So, instead of a summary of today, I'm going to give you a sum up of last night since today just started.

Boyfriend and I went out to Clarke Quay which is, apparently, the nice and touristy spot in Singapore.  The prices sure reflected that, but in my opinion, it was worth it.  We walked around for a bit looking for a place to eat and eventually stopped at a bar/café type place called The Connoisseurs Concerto.  It's small, a little dark, but beautiful.  The some of the light fixtures were made to look like vinyl albums and there were paintings and prints of different musical artists up on the walls.  The service was so nice and patient.  And the food was delicious.  I ordered bourbon beef with a side of, what was supposed to be a stuffed portobello mushroom cap, but I guess our server misheard me because I ended up with an omelette with potatoes and tomatoes in it.  Still very tasty.  I have no complaints.  The beef was so soft and the flavour was incredibly rich, yet not overwhelming in the least.  It was wonderful.  Expensive, but wonderful. The atmosphere, the service, the food, all beautiful to the point where I could legitimately justify the prices.  If we had a place like this at home, I would be there every once in a while for a treat.

Now, something I didn't tell you all was that I'm not a night life person in the least.  I don't do bars, alcohol, clubs, dancing.  None of that.  But, I've gotten curious lately.  I don't know what things are really like inside bars at all.  My only experience of bars, really, is what I've seen on television.  Knowing this, Boyfriend set out to bring me to one last night.  Completely unexpected for me since, with all the moving, we've never gone out for dinner without Boyfriend's mom.  Before you take it the wrong way, that isn't a complaint at all.  It's just been somewhat expected because we've all been in these two small spaces moving things around, packing, and unpacking for the past two weeks.  When he told me what we were doing, I must say, I was pretty excited.  It was something I haven't even seen at home before.

On top of it already being out of character for me to be a part of night life and visiting a bar, I also got an alcoholic beverage.  For those who know me, this is not something one would ever expect of me.  I didn't get a wine or a beer, though.  I got a Bailey's toffee flavoured coffee.  At this point, it's been years since I've tasted alcohol not being cooked into food.  As Boyfriend put it when he tasted it,
"It tastes like alcohol."  It did, but after stirring the whipped cream into the drink and licking the spoon, you taste more of the coffee mixed in on the spoon.  The flavours, I found, complimented each other pretty well.  I'm still not much of a fan of alcohol at all, but I do have a growing fondness for coffee and I have been curious to taste what alcohol and coffee taste like together.  It was interesting to say the least.  I didn't hate it, but the final third of the drink was definitely tasting more and more of Bailey's; a taste that was getting a touch more difficult for me to handle as we finished the drink.  Again, I didn't hate it, but I did spend some time trying to analyse the taste in my mouth as it was different from the wines and beers my family has let me sip.  It's not a taste I would go out of the way for, to paraphrase Boyfriend, but it was a fascinating experience.  Now, if I go back, the next one will probably be the Irish Cream coffee.  That was always one I've been curious about.

Boyfriend, being the thoughtful guy he is, changed his order from an Oreo coffee drink to a plain coffee in case I didn't like the one I ordered.  It was so sweet of him.  Turns out, it was not a change he would ever regret.  His coffee came and when we tasted it, it was like no other.  It was literally the best plain coffee I have ever tasted.  And truly, I can say, never have I ever had plain black coffee until last night.  The closest would be a cappuccino with no added sugar.  Last night,  even I felt needed nothing to be added.  It was wonderful and somewhat sweet.  Not bitter at all like most hot brewed coffees.  I have to say, it's experiences like this that make me want to learn to make good coffees and espresso-based beverages more.

After dinner, we walked around the area which was wonderfully lit and music was playing in different sections of the space.  Although not our usual choice in music, we had a great time walking and listening to it.  It turns out, so did this one older man who was dancing to it with a younger lady.  Boyfriend and I were thoroughly enjoying seeing this man have fun.  It just goes to show that fun doesn't die with age.

After a while, we both decided that we wanted ice cream.  Me, being the type that I am, decided to go local and had a durian flavoured ice cream sandwich.  It was basically a block of durian ice cream that I got a slice of and wrapped in a bakery style slice of bread.  For those of you who don't know, Asian bakery breads are generally sweeter than something like Dempsters, so as strange as this dessert might sound, it was quite nice.  Boyfriend, being Boyfriend, doesn't like the smell of durian at all, but somehow ended up becoming curious enough to actually try my ice cream.  If I can explain his willingness to try it at all, then, his curiosity probably got the better of him like mine did with bars and night life.  He still doesn't like durian, but he can't say he hasn't tried it now.  I can't say I haven't tried durian before, but durian flavoured ice cream, I never touched until last night and it was exactly as you'd expect.  Since it's cold, though, the flavour isn't as strong.  Believe me when I say that it's much stronger than it tastes.  As it warms up a bit in your hands, it does begin to taste stronger and those around you might not appreciate your breath too much, but I don't think it's the worst thing in the world.

When we finally got home, we spent a couple of hours watching Pulp Fiction.  But what came afterwards, neither of us were prepared for.  I was going into the bathroom to fill the kettle because we still do not have faucets installed, and I found a cockroach on the floor just chilling out.  I have seen two here prior to this, but neither have I really had to deal with.  This one was IN OUR LIVING SPACE.  What was I supposed to do?!  I called Boyfriend over and that's when chaos ensued.  We spent much longer than either of us care to admit trying to kill it.  When we finally did and got it out of the space, sleep was difficult to come by.  I would go into detail on how we got rid of the cockroach, but neither of us are particularly willing to let that information out at the moment.  Something you need to know is that where I come from, bugs, including cockroaches, are not that big because of winter--which I now appreciate even more--so, this experience was truly harrowing for me.  After at least a half hour of bringing ourselves back down from this adrenaline rush, we finally decided to sleep.  And so ended a good and crazy night of firsts.

All righty, everyone, it's certainly been a while, huh?  You see, this past weekend was the weekend of the big move.  We've officially moved all of the things, big and small, from Boyfriend's mom's old apartment into her new space.  Boyfriend and I have slowly been unpacking while his mom is at work.  We are still waiting on a few things to be delivered and installed like the washer, dryer, and refrigerator, but that's not much to worry about at this point.

These last few days have been a doozy.  The night before the big move, we thought we had everything packed as Boyfriend and I were working on packing everything in the old apartment...as you might've guessed, while his mom was at work.  She would give us an assignment each day and each day we would finish up as much as we could.  For some reason, as we worked, she never had us finish a space entirely.  We'd finish most or, at least, half of a room, and she'd send us to work on another room the next day.  By the night before the initial moving date, she was looking through all of the boxes we had packed, still not sealing a single one.  By the evening, there appeared to be only minor bits and pieces left to pack to the point where I wasn't needed.  So, I took to my room and lounged around, that is, until I heard Boyfriend's exasperated exclamations just outside my door.  As it turns out, while I was relaxing and playing Pokémon SoulSilver, his mom had been repeatedly telling him that there was only one thing left to pack, only to realise immediately after, that there was another...for five hours.  I would be exasperated too.  By this point, it was very near midnight and his exclamations concerned me.  So, I went out in hopes that, despite how small the final things to pack were, I would be able to help move it along faster and to lighten his mood.  We were still somewhat jetlagged, so having woken up quite early in the morning and staying awake until midnight, and later still, when he was already exhausted was taking its toll.  We eventually got everything packed and went to bed some time after 1:00AM.

The next day, I woke up to find that, despite all the packing done the night before and having been told that all there is left to pack were the bed sheets we slept on, there were still a variety of knick knacks left to tuck away into boxes.  To my surprise, we somehow managed to pack up everything and have just about all of it delivered to the new apartment before 2:00PM despite some delays with the movers.  Upon returning to the first apartment, though, we discovered that the movers had missed a few things and we would have to find a way to bring them to the new apartment one way or another over the course of a couple of days.  We brought some things back with us on the bus and some in a taxi, but the rest had to be delivered by movers still as they were too large to bring in either bus or taxi.

Now, everything is in the new apartment and Boyfriend and I have been unpacking and shifting things around to make it more of a living space rather than a space full of boxes and undressed mattresses.  We've had to have the air conditioners and lights looked at and/or repaired and are still in the process of waiting for some lights to be delivered and installed, but it's not the worst.  I can deal with not having the few lights we are without as Boyfriend's mom seems to really love these little solar powered lanterns she bought.  What is most difficult to deal with,though, is probably the lack of doors to the bathrooms.  That's right, for the past three days, I have been living without some lights, and completely without bathroom doors...on top of that, sinks and the kitchen faucet have not been ordered and installed yet...the sinks, honestly, are not much of an issue for me right now.  I've adapted fairly well to using the faucets in the showers...which are also without doors or curtains, but the lack of bathroom doors is more difficult for me to deal with as there is always a possibility that someone may walk by or in while you are in the shower and the only space to put your clothes in the most private shower we have, is in plain view of anyone who would be in the bedroom to which that bathroom is in.  It's not so bad if you announce that you are going to shower and for whoever is around to not walk beyond a certain point in the apartment, but there is always this twinge of doubtfulness that makes you feel like someone may come your way despite what you've said.  The paranoia that comes from this is surprising.  You're living with people you trust, and yet, you feel it more difficult to trust when you realise how vulnerable of a situation you are in should someone come by and see you bathing.

I'll be honest, these past few days have been incredibly stressful and the tensions have been running high between the three of us due to sleeplessness and general physical exhaustion from moving houses, but Boyfriend has been wonderful even in the midst of all this.  He knows just what to say and when to say it.  The other day, while I was becoming frustrated trying to figure out what to place where in the kitchen, he came in and told me, "This is nice.  It's like we're moving in together and trying to figure out where to put things."  He gave me an entirely new outlook on our situation and eased the growing tension within me.  He's really wonderful.  Today, we were moving some furniture around in the common living space and it was my turn to realise how nice this feeling was.  We were discussing how we would have arranged the furniture differently from his mom's set-up and how it would work for us.  It's quite a comforting thought, really.  And since we were told one of the air conditioners wasn't working, he and I set up a spare mattress on the floor of the bedroom I'm staying in (there's no way his mom would let us share a bed.  The bed in there is only a twin anyway, we would be too cramped and warm together) and we've begun calling the space "our bedroom".  We're really hoping to be able to move out together some day soon, but with the difficult job economy and the high living expenses, it's hard to say how soon we might be able to do it.  Either way, we are both hoping and trying.  In the mean time, we're enjoying the walks we're taking together to buy food since the kitchen isn't entirely functional yet, and we're really enjoying each other's company now that things have settled down a bit more than pre-moving day.

Once all the dust has settled and things are in place, I will finally be able to tell you more about some of the things I have eaten here.  I've had a few interesting things in the past few days.  I hope I will be able to get to those soon.

Until then, take it easy and stay safe.

Dusk

Hi guys!

I only have a food update for you today as we are still packing things up to move Boyfriend's mom to a new apartment this week.  As a result, not a whole lot of interesting things going on as of late beyond what I'm eating, but that's fine.  Food's always interesting.

So, to start off, for lunch yesterday, Boyfriend and I went out for some black pepper beef and curry.  Standard sounding stuff, but very different from what I get in the west.  Both dishes are much spicier than I am used to having and not in the painful way.  For those of you in the west who may not be aware, in the east, spicy foods are incredibly flavourful on top of the hot spiciness we're used to.  It's really great.  The curry was far smoother than I was expecting and a touch too spicy for me.  I did manage to eat a good portion of it, though, and it was so tasty.

For dinner, we had hainan chicken rice which you can sort of get in the west, though it's not quite the same.  In the west, the chicken sauce is lacking in some sort of taste that it normally has here.  It's not really a taste that I can explain.  It's a subtle difference, yet it makes all the difference in the world.  The same for the rice that goes into this dish.  I'm not sure what goes into it, but it has a wonderful flavour in it that would have made me enjoy rice much more as a child (I was notorious for not liking rice).  In the west, this dish is served with plain white rice which--by comparison--is fine, but like the chicken sauce, it is lacking.  You might not think that something so small would be such a big deal, but it is.  This is not to say that the western version of it is bad, it's good in its own right, it just isn't the same.  As Boyfriend put it, it's fine, but it should have a name of its own as it very much is not the same.  A little fun fact for you all, Singapore is actually famous for this dish, so if you get a chance to come this way, definitely look for a local place to have it!

Today, during a break in packing, Boyfriend and I went out and got some ramen for lunch.  Doesn't sound interesting enough for you?  Well, let me tell you that it's not like any of that instant stuff that you get at the super market...well, maybe just a little bit like it depending on what you get.  Boyfriend's dish was more similar to the super market stuff, but definitely nicer still.  And, surprise, surprise!  Ramen isn't curly as you might think due to the instant super market ramen.  It's pretty straight, and honestly, much tastier.  What the difference is in the making of the two to make them taste so different, I may never know, but the texture and taste are both much nicer.

I got a curry pork ramen which we both thought might be too spicy for me as I'm not particularly good with spicy foods and...well, I AM in Singapore.  Luckily for me, it wasn't all that spicy after all.  It was spicy enough to be enjoyable, but it wasn't spicy enough to warrant a gulp of cold water between bites.  Unluckily for me, my body decided that I needed to cough just as I was swallowing some of the curry soup and, believe me when I tell you, curry soup travelling up your nasal passage is NOT a nice feeling.  I'm just glad that the feeling of curry soup up my nose finally passed so I could enjoy the rest of my ramen and my strawberry soda because it really would have been a shame to waste it.

On a side note, I don't know how people can eat hot things in such a hot country, but hey, each to their own.  Maybe I'll just get used to it in this month and a bit that I'm staying.  We'll see.  After all, I, apparently, already handle the sunlight better than a number of the locals.

Finally, I just thought I'd share a picture of my ramen with you all.  Yes, it really does look like the stuff on animes, and it's great.  You really should try the real deal if you get the opportunity.  You won't regret it.

Anyway, that's all I have for you now.

Until next time,

Dusk

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't updated you on my trip until now, but since we're still pretty early into it, I thought it shouldn't be too bad.

So, today is the morning of my third day in Singapore.  I arrived in the early morning of the first day, so I've only really been here for two nights.  I would say that the jet lag is bad since I did just go through a 12-hour time change, but in all honesty, I think I did pretty well.  It's probably because I couldn't sleep any longer than an hour at a time on the plane on top of the fact that I absolutely refused to sleep until the later part of the day after we landed.  I ended up taking a few hours' nap between 4:00-7:00PM which definitely went against my attempt at sullying the jet lag, but surprisingly, despite waking up at around 3:00AM the next morning, it didn't affect me much.  I definitely blame Boyfriend for the nap though.  When he's sleepy, he gives off an entirely sleepy vibe that spreads to me if I'm close by and I end up dozing off too.  Aside from that, I'm gradually waking up at more normal hours (around 5:00-5:30AM) and sleeping at more normal hours (around 10:00PM).

In terms of culture shock, I can't say that's too bad either.  There are some little things that are done differently around here that I'm not used to like hanging all of the laundry up to dry instead of select items and boiling the tap water before drinking it instead of drinking it straight from the tap, but it's not too bad.  I think my biggest shock, if any, is how much I'm hearing Mandarin being used around here by comparison to home.  I hear some at home, but more often than not, I hear Cantonese and English.  When I'm walking around with Boyfriend, I do feel a touch out of my element, but it was definitely to be expected.  I think the one thing that surprises, and entertains, me the most is the fact that the locals here stay out of the sunlight as much as humanly possibly and only walk through it when necessary.  On my first day here, Boyfriend had already reverted back to his habits from when he lived here and walked only in the shade while I walked in the sun.  It takes a little getting used to, but the sun actually feels quite nice on my skin despite how hot it is out.  So far, we've had weather averaging at around 30 degrees Celsius, and boy, did we ever feel that yesterday.  I think we felt it more yesterday because it might have been more humid while the first day wasn't quite as much, though definitely more humid and hot than I'm used to.

Today, a friend I met through Boyfriend is going to come by to help us pack and hang out a bit.  They haven't seen each other in...I'm going to say at least 5 years as that was the last time Boyfriend was back here.  I think it'll be pretty interesting meeting him for the first time, in person anyway.  I've talked to him plenty of times online prior to now (since my first year of university, actually) and we have had some conversations over Skype video chats, so I have an idea of what to expect.  He does occasionally get a touch unpredictable, but that's cool.  Keeps things interesting.

I hope we get this packing done soon, it sure does make things feel much hotter around here.  Plus, I want to wander around more and see what Boyfriend grew up with.  I did come for an adventure after all.

Well, that's all I have for you today, but I'll be back again soon.

Until next time,
Dusk

Hey all,

So, I'll be graduating university this year and I have no idea what I want to do post-grad in terms of a job, but I have nothing in line yet.  Not in terms of something being in my field, anyway.  But before that starts, I'm going to be flying half way around the world to meet a friend and to explore.

You see, I've never been outside of my time zone before and even within my time zone, I haven't really gone on any adventures without my family.  So, this summer, I'll be embarking on a journey with Boyfriend and learning about the places he's seen and the things he's done before we met.  This is probably the coolest part about it for me.  Why?  Well, we officially met through my high school friends who took him in as one of our own when he was the new kid in school.  So, he already knows just about all of my friends and family, as well as what I do, but I have yet to know what life was like for him before meeting me.  And believe me, the curiosity is there.  As a result, I'm going to be flying half way around the world to explore other places and, perhaps, learn more about myself in the process.  And I'm going to be taking you guys with me.  You'll be hearing about what I'm up to and what I've learned; it'll be great.

In the mean time, I'm anxiously trying to gather the appropriate things and information before school ends and before the summer begins.  Definitely the less exciting bit, if you ask me, though it doesn't feel as calm as one might think.  I still have plenty of time, but I have a good amount of stuff to mull through, so things will be a little crazy in the next few months.

Aside from that, I hope you're all doing well and I'll update you on how things are going.

Until next time,
Dusk

So, I was listening to Fall Out Boy's "The Mighty Fall" and I thought that Pat Stump's enunciation got better with this new album of theirs.  Until he sang, "So I'll lock you up inside/And swallow/Swallow the key."  When I heard that, I ended up hearing it as "Swallow the cheese."  Told my boyfriend, and...well...all I can say is, all Hell broke loose.

Me: NO!  DON'T LET HIM SWALLOW THE CHEESE!  WE NEED THAT CHEESE!  ALSO!  HE'S LACTOSE INTOLERANT!  WE WILL DIE OF HIS STENCH IN THIS CAR!

Boyfriend: WHAT IF HE KNOWS LACTOKINESIS?!

Me:  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  Well...if he knows it, I don't think he'd really care because no one is threatening to kill him with this cheese unless he wants to commit suicide.

-sudden realization hits me-

Me: WHAT IF THEY'RE TRYING TO GET INFORMATION OUT OF HIM AND HE'S DOING IT TO COMMIT SUICIDE?!...why would they even provide an out or a weapon for him though?  Unless...unless they didn't know and they had it in a sandwich or on pizza and he lactokinesisized it to his mouth so he could eat it and kill himself.

At this point, I think my boyfriend just got really entertained with my freaking out and serious consideration of the situation. 

I've decided that I really need to write more when I'm tired because I come up with the best things and I give thought to some of the strangest things and situations that it's almost ridiculous and amazing at the same time.

Hope you all enjoyed my little update on my crazy mind.  Also, if you don't know what lactokinesis is, you definitely must watch "Misfits."

Until next time!
Dusk

Hi guys!

Just finished my fourth exam this morning.  Bright and early.  I'm so glad I have time between this one and my last one.  I miss sleep.  I don't even know if I got six hours of sleep last night. 

My mom came for a visit today.  We had lunch, when she left she told me to take a nap.  She said I looked tired.  Boy, do I feel it.  Took the rest of today as a day off from studying because, let's face it, four straight days of studying subjects for almost back-to-back exams is pretty killer.  Also, Mom told me to. =P  The last exam is the one that I'm also most worried about, so I need to at least let my brain rest a day so that I can get back into the studying. 

Dad's instructed me to go to bed as he knows I'm tired and I just can't handle things anymore.  He's distracted me with Amazon for a good number of hours.  I was thinking about what to get for Boyfriend and he suggested that I see if Amazon has what I want.  Well, not exactly, but I think I got him something that he might like just as much, or even more.  I'm so excited to get the stuff now.  I really hope I'll be able to sleep with all this excitement going on in my head...well, at least it isn't as much stress and panic as it was for the past few days.

Anyway, I'll be off.  Hope you're all doing well.

Until next time,
Dusk

Hey guys,

Sorry about not writing much recently.  School and all, you know.  I've also been feeling a tad empty lately.  Not a hungry empty though, more along the lines of emotionally empty.  I wouldn't quite say apathetic though.  It just sort of feels like there's a hole in me and I can't fill it.  It hurts emotionally and it makes me very sad. 

It's been around a month and a half since I last saw Boyfriend for Thanksgiving.  I'll only be able to see him for two to three days before Christmas, then he's flying off to see his family for the Christmas break.  I really hope that none of you think poorly of him for this.  It's been even longer since he's seen his family and I do feel that it's important for him to see them too.  Whenever we're together (in the same city), I feel like I monopolize a lot of his time and I think it's nice that he sees his family.  In fact, I feel like we should have lunch or dinner with his family again or something.  It was fun the last time, so why not do it again?  They're amazing people even if they weren't his immediate family.

Regardless, I'm glad he gets to see his family again.  The week or two of his seeing his family must feel almost like the few days that we get to spend together between weeks to months of separation because of school.  Especially since they are further away.  I'm sure he appreciates what time he has with them every time he gets to see them.  It must be hard being so far from them.  They sound like amazing people and I'd love to actually meet them one day. 

Anyway, I hope you're all doing well.

Until next time,
Dusk

Hey guys!

So, Boyfriend is back at school, I'm starting again on Monday (yay...) and everything's relatively fine and dandy. 

Over the summer, I have gotten four of his shirts because he outgrew them and they were still in decent condition.  Needless to say that I've been wearing them.  Well...two actually.  One to sleep in, one to go out in (for the record, I have no idea how he kept that white shirt SO white...neither of us are particularly neat and we're both clumsy as heck).  The other two are dress shirts, both of which I can wear rather casually.  Except one is a bit too big so it'll have to stay unbuttoned...which is a shame.  I really love the look of it.

I've also been talking fairly regularly with one of his friends.  He's a real pleasant guy to talk to, I really wish he could see that.  He's real sweet and nice.  It's a shame I have to wait a year to actually meet him, but hey!  Definitely worth the wait.  He's an interesting one. =]

I'm not particularly sure about how I feel about going back to school, I mean, yes, my friends will be there, but at the same time, my friends from home won't be.  I haven't seen much of them this summer either what with our jobs and all.  I wish I could have spent more time with them.  Being away for nearly two months doesn't help.  But, whatever. 

I think it's safe to say that I won't be going to another field school next summer, so I should have more time to hang around everybody.  At least, that's what I'm hoping. 

Not entirely sure how coming home from school for weekends is going to work yet.  There's this one friend that I usually take the train with once I reach downtown, but he's working right after school now, so I don't want him to be late.  Not to mention in second term, I have classes right when I normally take the train, so not sure how to handle that yet.  I guess I'll just take it as it comes.

Anyway, I guess this is just my little rambling update about the summer.

I hope you've all been doing well, and I will see you all soon!

Dusk

Gooooooddddddd day, everyone.  Good evening to those on this side of the planet. 
Today, my boyfriend and I hung around and went to watch "Total Recall."  It wasn't nearly as good as it's all hyped up to be.  It's basically a typical guy film: explosions, girls, explosions.  So, plot, a bit flimsy, and writing?  Well, that could have been much better. 
I would write a review for it, but I don't feel quite as strongly towards it as my boyfriend does.  Probably because I just see it as a typical guy film that's just used as an excuse to see explosions.  So if you guys want a review, I shall redirect you to his review.

After the movie, the two of us grabbed dinner and went back to his place where I met his cousins, aunt, uncle, and great aunt (his great aunt is so awesome.  I love her! =D)  After that, we went upstairs to his room, where we--finally, after quite a while--put Pokemon Gold on my phone. 
You sickos, we didn't do that!  We just got Pokemon on my phone, that's all.  So, since I've gotten home, I've been super torn about writing this post and playing...I've been jumping between the two for about a half hour now.  It's so bad how distracted I am. o.o But, the thing is, this is really new to me despite having grown up in the original Pokemon era.  I've really missed a lot.  I mean, the most I did was watch some of the episodes, I never played the games.  So, here I am now with Pokemon Gold on my phone and loving it. =]

Anyway, back to my game.  I'm sorry about the lack of posts lately.  To make it up to you, here is a picture of a sleepy corgi pup.

Stay awesome, guys!
Dusk

Hi all!

So, today, I talked to my boyfriend about one of his friends whom I've been talking to for a while.  This friend of his told me that at some point in time, my boyfriend went to go see the first "Twilight" movie with some friends of theirs.  Was I ever shocked.  He also told me that throughout the movie, my boyfriend gave it a few snorts and sarcastic remarks.

No, I'm not one of those girls that forced her boyfriend to watch it because I love Edward (I don't).  I am, however, the girlfriend that discovered that he watched this before he watched this one particular movie critic that made him ever so much more snarky about movies.  Boy, was he ever in for it.  Neither of us enjoyed the movie, but I somehow ended up with a copy of it.  So, we put it on, just to see his newer reactions to it.

The movie hadn't started yet, and I wasn't able to skip ahead to the menu to play it.  So, what does Boyfriend do?  He gets all snarky and sarcastic on the trailers!  I was SO entertained!  He ripped on movies that we weren't even going to watch.

Once the movie started, my sister and brother walked in.  There was talk happening over the first five to ten minutes of the movie.  When it finally quieted down, he slowly began to snort and give all sorts of remarks.  He questioned the part where Bella and Edward sat around the piano with no background information.  I don't think I actually realised how little sense that made without having read the book first.  For anyone who hasn't read the book, they wouldn't know that this is the part where Edward plays the lullaby he wrote for Bella.

I apologise to anyone out there who likes this movie, but really, the directing, acting, and staging could have been improved greatly.  But, then again...so could the story itself.

We had to end the movie early since Boyfriend had to go home.  So we'll be finishing it up tomorrow.  You'll probably be hearing more about it. =P

Oh, yeah.  He's really upset that they used Muse for the soundtrack of this movie.  He loves Muse.  I was sad to tell him that this is how I discovered both Muse and Paramore.  But mostly Muse since it's one of his favourite bands.

Hi Everyone!

As you probably know from the title (that is, if you read it) I'm DONE with the field school!  It was officially out this past Friday, but we still had a paper that is due today.  Finished it this morning at about 1:30 and woke up around 9:00 this morning.  I am SO tired.

BUT!  That's okay, because I am DONE!  I can sleep when I need to now and wake up whenever. 

I'm amazingly happy to be done, but I am going to miss all the people from the field school a lot.  It's sort of like U101, I guess.  I miss the people I was with, but I'm sure I'll see them again sometime, somehow.

Now, I have this entire week to worry about getting my wisdom teeth out on Friday...I have books from the library ready to go.  Sadly, we're low on bandwidth at home right now.  So it looks like I'll be reading, watching TV, and sleeping for most of those days.

I am soooo nervous. I don't like pain, the thought of pain, and--oh, yes--did I mention I'm squeamish?  Brushing my teeth is going to be interesting...and the gauze in my mouth?  Oh, dear...yeah...I have an easily triggered gag reflex too...

The surgeon said that I'll be getting a drowsy med and a non-drowsy med afterwards.  Mom is saying I should just keep on the drowsy meds so I can sleep through recovery and just not worry about things.  My siblings have already begun tormenting me, so I sort of don't want to be on drowsy meds.  But, we'll see. 

We're bringing Boyfriend along so he can help me to the car and whatnot.  I'm told that I'll be awake and coherent after the surgery, but I get the feeling that we'll just stumble to the car, into the house, and into bed.  Poor Boyfriend, just going to see me completely nervous, then all delirious. 

Hope he doesn't worry about me as much as I'm worrying about the surgery.  He has to work during the week while I recover.  He can see me over the weekend, but I might be sleeping the days away.  I don't know.  Depends if Mom really does want to keep me on the drowsy meds or not.

Anyway, I'll let you guys know how it goes.  Scared as heck right now. @_@

Hope you guys are doing well,

Dusk

Hey guys.

I don't know if I'm excited, or sad.  I'm going to be leaving home and Boyfriend for six weeks again soon.  I love the idea of going on an archaeological dig, but at the same time, I finally get to be with Boyfriend again.  I don't want to leave him again.  Not after so long of being apart. 

*sigh* A few days before I go.  I'm really not ready now.  I need to pack again.  I need to make sure I have everything, and most of all, I need to make sure Boyfriend knows that I love him.  I don't want to leave him, but I need to just for a bit.  We'll still be in contact, but it'd be difficult since I'll be working all day long and presumably quite tired at night. 

I haven't gotten to see many friends in the time that I've been home.  I do feel bad about that and I do suppose that it would have made me feel better instead of falling into this rut.  But we'll get there.  We have all summer, right?

Well, anyway, I just really want to be able to see people.  I want to be with them and I want them to know that I love them.  Society does not allow for time anymore.  "Family time" and "social time" are barely existent when there's school and work to be "done." =\

I guess we'll work this out one way or another.

Anyway, that's all I have for now.  I'll talk to you guys again later.

Dusk

Hi everyone!

I finished exams this past Thursday and have been celebrating with Nicole by watching Doctor Who and Teen Titans! =P

Being Human will be the next thing to continue watching and I'll probably be watching the Sherlock Holmes series soon too.  My friend from back home has introduced me to Sherlock on our way home one day on the train, and I wanted so much for my assignments and exams to be over so I could watch.

NOW I HAVE TIME!!!

We also went to see the Hunger Games movie.  It was quite good, but I think the camera work could be tweaked a little, it almost made me motion sick. @_@  The movie has been quite good otherwise though, it made me want to cry.

Well, anyway, I will be going to see more houses for next year today with my parents and moving out of Nicole's.

I'M GOING TO MISS YOU, NICOLE!!! Dx

But, we will have our time. 

I get to see my high school friends again soon, Boyfriend included.  I've missed them all so much!

We will have to hang out when we aren't working or something this summer. 

Oh!  I'm going on an archaeological dig this summer for a month and a half!  Ian will be there and we are going to be outside ALL DAY LONG!!!  This is going to be interesting. =]  I'll let you know how it is if I'm not too exhausted after doing that all day.

I'm so sorry that this post has gone everywhere, but so much has been going on! @_@

I hope I haven't confused you guys too much.  But, regardless of that, I hope you're having an awesome time!

Until next time when, hopefully my mind is a bit better organised.

Dusk

Hey Guys,

Sorry I haven't been posting much.  Been spending the week with my boyfriend.  I haven't seen him since Christmas Eve when I had to see him off to Vancouver.  We were only together for 3 days then.  This time we had a whole week.

You'd think we'd get used to this whole being apart thing after a while now.  But, honestly, I don't think there is any getting used to this...it just hurts every time we need to separate.  Sure it's only for a while, it's not like we'll be apart forever, but it still hurts.  There just is no getting used to this.

I swear Dad is getting irritated at me breaking down emotionally just about every time we need to see him off, but I can't help it.  The longest he's been away from Mom is just a week for her business trips.  It's not like it happens all that often either.  Boyfriend and I are separated for at least a month at a time.  With, if we're lucky, only a week to be together.  Sure, there's summer and all, but we're both looking for jobs, and it doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be working together.  Besides, how long are we going to have to wait until the next summer, right?

Like, sheesh, way to be insensitive.  Thanks. 

I'm really sorry if you guys were looking forward to some happy, cheery post, but I really needed to get that off my chest.

If you're reading this, I miss you so much.

Dusk

Hey, Everyone!

If you haven't seen on my previous post, I went to go see The Woman in Black recently.  I haven't been able to sleep well since then.  I don't know if this is a good or bad thing.  Good in the sense that the movie definitely did what it was meant to, but bad since I'm not sleeping well.

Also, in case you haven't heard, Boyfriend is coming back soon. He had to watch The Shining for his Philosophy and Film class.  He managed to wake up late and miss it so he's going to get that.  I told him not to watch it yet because I want to watch it with him. 

Being the good boyfriend that he is, he questioned about how good of an idea that really is since I'm already spooked and he had to try and comfort me so many times last year during my Mystery and Horror Literature class.  He's only had to comfort me once this year...being for this week starting Wednesday night when I watched the movie.  I told him that it shouldn't be as bad this time around since I watched The Shining for my Mystery and Horror class and besides, this time I have him holding me, so it can't possibly be as bad, right?

We'll see.  If it traumatises me more, he, and you guys will definitely be the first to know.  I must be the least rational girlfriend he could have.  I still sort of question why he picked such a self deprecating, seriously negative, dark, and irrational girlfriend even after having reached our anniversary.  I must say though, since we've started going out, I've been feeling a lot better than I usually have.  I still have my strange bouts of being down, but a normal person isn't happy all the time, right? 

Well, when he feels he has an answer, I'm sure he'll tell me.  He's such an amazing guy though, I love him so much and I'm so thankful that he's held tight to this relationship for so long already (has never been in a relationship prior, so a year actually seems kind of long considering the two of us never expected our first relationships to last so long).  I don't know what I'd do without him.  Time would definitely seem to pass slower considering the fact that I look at assignments and exams to be milestones that I must get past so that I can get closer to being able to see him again.

Anyway, I guess that's enough for tonight.

If you read this, Boyfriend, I love you. =] <3

From the computer of your crazy little blogger,

Dusk