Me and Miss Jones / Birthday Dad

Norah Jones, that is. Had my first paper on Thursday, and i was a wreck. So there i was, writing my cheat sheet the day before the paper when suddenly i could hardly breathe, everything was a blur, and my heart was beating faster than ever. It was my first ever panic attack! I didn't know i was so worried 'bout the paper till that moment. Usually i'll study what i can and that's it, see what happens in the exam hall. But this time was terrifying, 'cause i've never felt this way before and i didn't know what to do. Not having slept for 20 hours straight leading to the paper didn't help. In the end i decided to cook myself a big meal and listen to some music.

That's when i found Norah Jones and her collection of songs in my Winamp player. I wouldn't normally listen to her, but that night she saved me from a total meltdown. Managed to calm down a little after that and the meal, and the rest of the night passed by uneventfully. But the thing about Norah Jones' songs is that while they're soothing and calming sometimes, other times they're sleep-inducing. So now i'm just keeping her for panic attack moments and switching over to John Mayer to see what effect he has.

Did okay for the paper by the way. At least that's what i think. Marched (slumped) into the exam hall, all dark circles under eyes (my first ever btw, kinda proud of it), and just did what i could do. Though after the first hour or so i was trying harder than normal to keep awake. The cheat sheet helped. A whole lot. Managed to squeeze in a few examples which proved extremely helpful.


It's my dad's birthday today. Usually, and this is true for most occasions, me and my brother would leave it to the last minute to figure out something to get or do to celebrate. We're just not gift-people, my family. You know how usually our personality and outlook on life are based on our parents' personality and outlook right? Here's a story that best reflects my dad and a little bit of myself:

So i had my big break up roughly two years ago now, and i was a mess. That day was particularly rough for me as a new piece of information came up. I couldn't eat and i even had to rush to the uni stairway to isolate myself and bawled my eyes out (yeah, i cried). I called my mom just to talk to someone. Moments later my dad called and asked me what time my classes ended, so he can come pick me up (i usually take the bus). When i got in the car, my dad didn't say anything, only asking how my classes went. Then he drove over to Asia Cafe and brought me pool-ing (and bought me beer too). The main focus on that day was not to see who could win (as it normally is), but to just play and have a beer or two. Then after a couple of games we sat and talked with beer in hand. I remember i was worried 'bout the stupid-est of things, but my dad was just cool and collected, talking to me about it. The thing that struck me most was that he didn't pass any judgment, telling me what to do and all that. He just focused on how i felt and let me do most of the talking.

My point is that my dad may not be the coolest person ever, and yeah we have our disagreements and clashing of views over stuff. But that one incident just showed how he's a great dad, to me at least. Not only because of the beer of course. My family's never big on displays of affection, we don't say "I love yous" as often as some, but when it comes to coming to the aid of a family member in need, there's no doubting my family. I'm a lot like my dad, i think. So while i hope like hell i don't have any family members reading this page ever...

Happy Birthday Dad