The Anti-Birthday

Listening to: 'One Thing' by Finger Eleven [Finger Eleven]

Was in London for a friend's birthday on Friday...and was reminded that there are 2 weeks (not 3, as I had hoped) left until it's my turn. I don't like my birthday. Birthday wishes reek of insincerity...especially when they come from people who I know couldn't care less about me. When someone reminds me about my birthday, I feel so antisocial...I just want to crawl under a rock and wait for the day to pass. And this year I don't even have exams to hide behind.

Ugh.

Shopping list: fish, milk, bread, husband?!?!

Listening to: 'Come What May' by Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman [OST - Moulin Rouge]

Apparently some my-life's-so-boring-I-want-to-meddle-in-everyone-else's aunty had told my mother recently that it's stated in Buddhism that it is the parents' responsibility to find a suitable spouse for their child...and therefore, my mother should be actively looking for a 'good Sinhala Buddhist' boy for me. I'm sorry, what? If anyone can verify that claim with evidence from the scriptures, please do! I'm guessing it implies that parents should have some say, but I hope it doesn't mean that my mother's supposed to go boy-shopping for me! Thankfully my mother is a sensible lady, and had told this meddling female that she will do no such thing.

Why can't they just mind their own damn business and leave me alone?!?!

Sigh I don't know what I want. On the one hand, I'm faced with the prospect of going solo forever...so being handed companionship on a platter would be favourable, yes? No. I'd rather go solo than be pimped to all the eligible bachelors in Colombo. A number of my friends are currently being pimped by their parents...with all due respect, it makes my skin crawl.

I feel sorry for my parents...as I get older, they're just gonna have to put up with this interference more and more. For their sakes I sometimes wish they would start looking, just so everyone else would shut up...but I know they won't do that. Sigh...the debt owed by a child to his or her parents is one that can never be repaid.

OK, rant over. Back to my literature review.

Back to reality

Listening to: 'Sweet Misery' by Michelle Branch [The Spirit Room]

I woke up (late, as usual) on Wednesday morning, only to be greeted by an email from my supervisor:

PR,

I'd like to meet to discuss your work. Would next Tuesday at 9.00 be OK?
Could you please have a short presentation ready to update me?

Discussion? Presentation? NINE AM?!?!?!?!? I can't remember the last time I made it into the department at 9am. I signed up for 40hour working weeks, not 9am meetings! Sigh. Yes I know you probably have a 9 to 5 and are cursing me for whining about a 9am meeting...but how would you feel if your boss suddenly said he/she wanted to meet you at 7.30am? Would you be happy? Didn't think so.

Once the shock of having to leave home before my usual wake-up time had died down, I realised that he actually wanted to see some results. Eh? Results? Nope, never heard of them! Oh crap. He'd better be happy with a big fat literature review! I've read over 50 journal papers...yes, fifty, for this report. My head's a jumble with this information overload, but the scary thing is...I remember most of it. And if that's not scary enough for you, here's the shocker...I actually like it! As frightening as it is to realise that I enjoy reading scientific articles written by smelly old men (and some not so smelly and old women), it's comforting that I don't want to give up (yet...there's still time, I know).

Still hurting over the cricket. The World Cup final should be a level playing field for the two best teams in the world...last Saturday's game was anything but that! Oh well, what to do. At least Sanath's supposed to be playing for Lashings XI this summer! What a joy it would be to see him play in Cambridge. The fact that the match is two days before my report deadline is just a minor inconvenience. Grr.

Living alone sucks. I miss the family feeling of college...being able to reach your friend's room in less than a minute...being able to organise a get-together in less than 5 mins (more like 5 hours...but we could've, if we didn't procrastinate so much!) I find myself working till 7pm on most days for no other reason than to avoid coming home. I guess that's not such a bad thing, considering how far behind I am with work. It'd be nice to have some companionship, though.

Now Pseudo, don't be greedy.