Chronology

I have exactly 86 hours and 38 minutes until I have to leave again - that's according to my PC clock, though I'm not really sure if it's accurate. Either way, being off by a few minutes doesn't really matter.

Time has to stop. I don't want to go. Not yet, not ever.

I guess my nearly two-month stay here at home could be considered productive. I've finally learned how to drive. It's about time, considering that I've been 18 for half a year now. I still need a lot more practice before I can get my license though, so I'll have to wait until I return this October.

I learned the basics of Aikido, and though I enjoyed the sessions I took here, I'm not sure whether I'll continue studying the martial art when I get back - I might be too busy with school. I also started getting regular exercise (but only for a month) and it felt great. Also, after much difficulty, I've finally managed to put on the measly 5 pounds I promised myself when I got here. I wasn't underweight to begin with, but now, at least, I am closer to the middle weight range recommended for my height.

I bought a copy of the 26th edition of Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry some days ago. This is one of the many books I need for med school, and I chose to buy it here because 1. I like Biochem, 2. According to Kuya Lopao, it's a very useful book and 3. It's not that bulky, so I can carry it comfortably with me when I travel. Though I am determined to finish the first two introductory chapters before leaving, I have as yet only browsed through a few pages - I couldn't bring myself to read it for a sustained period.

However, during my stay here I finished re-reading two novels (I had already read them some years back), both written before I was born. One was a mystery book called Who Killed the Robins Family? and the other, a science fiction novel written by Arthur Clarke called The Songs of Distant Earth. I was pleased to find that I still enjoyed them both, though I never could solve any one of the murders in the first book, except for the ones whose solutions I remembered.

My mom is now in the middle of reading Anna Karenina. This is probably because I told her (quite truthfully) that she reminded me of the beautiful Anna Arkadyevna, who, incidentally, is the only character I liked in the novel. I, on the other hand, have suspended indefinitely my reading of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's obra maestra. Still, I'll make sure to finish it before my next birthday.

I won't be posting again until I am settled in Manila. I am not going to whine about having to go back. It just sucks, period. Save Tonight, a song by Eagle Eye Cherry, has been stuck in my head for several months now. It just pops into my mind at random moments, when I'm not thinking of anything definite. I wonder why.

It's 85 hours, 35 minutes until I have to leave again. I've been betrayed.