31/03/04

*** yesterday **

i got up around 10am, mmf came over, and at some point SxS too, and we spent the entire day working on our project.

we're almost finished, too. huh.

this hunter x hunter thing is getting worse - the series just keeps getting better and better, and i'm now hopelessly addicted. this yoshihiro togashi is an absolute goddamn GENIUS.

our brit and i had a really long debate, which began as "what would aliens look like?" (inspired by a trailer for the new star trek). one of the more interesting points was a definition for life: anything that contains a process. the reason it's so general, is that we were trying to differentiate algae from humans, and at the same time trying to remove the possibility that life can evolve as a gas.

funny thing, that: it implies that the universe is alive (and computers too, i guess).

*** today ***

i spent the first hour reading the manga, then tried to fall asleep, and was attacked by the inspiration for the poem i've just added.

30/03/04

*** yesterday **

work was alright. had nando's for lunch.

i waited at the doctor's office for three hours before i could see him. when i eventually got in, he told me he couldn't really see me, and that i should come back in a few days.

at least i got some math homework done.

i got home, got ready for bed,

*** today ***

and then got caught up in the hunter x hunter manga. and now i'm talking to her online (does typing this count as cheating?)

29/03/04

*** yesterday **

i took the bus to da's place. everyone was bombed, and watching tv, so SxS gave me a ride home.
figures.
we worked on our project until 01.30, and then i went to bed.

i woke up around 04.30, had to fight with grootbek to get him awake so he could reactivate our internet connection, and spent an hour or two doing some more project work.
and i got stuff done, ek se.
i learned, also, that in vb6 it is impossible to use hebrew for buttons - you have to make an image of the text you want, and make it a graphical button.
not just for hebrew.
THAT's micro$o$oft's idea of localization...

i crashed for a bit, and am now on my way to work...

28/03/04

*** yesterday **

i did a bit of work yesterday, got reinterested in neon genesis evangelion, and read up some more hunter x hunter.

last night we went to da's place -

*** today ***

around 1 / 2am, i started feeling nauseous, and had difficulty breathing, and then passed out. i came to what i guess was a few minutes later, with everyone trying to figure out what had happened - i rate i was just too freakin' tired.

i need to learn how to not sleep so much. i've got to try to do some community service catching-up this week: if not, i'm in deep shite.
or, very expensive shite. they'll revoke my scholarship...

math homework - here i come!

*** later ***

well, i managed the homework, and the class wasn't SO bad. i made my way home afterwards, played some cs, and then went to my charge(s), and talked and played playstation for a few hours.

i'm now off to da's place again - more work, and hopefully this time i won't have any incidents.

27/03/04

*** yesterday **

i'm sick, so i did sick people stuff.
i slept.
i ate.
i admit i did a little shopping, and showed my surfboard to a guy who may be interested in buying, and i feel like i'm betraying a friend. no, not dirk diggler, but my board.

speaking of dirk diggler, i watched boogie nights last night. great movie.

she met my mom yesterday, and neither her, nor my mom, have spoken to me about it. i'm sure it was all okay, but i really want details!

*** today ***

i've just got up, ignoring the antibiotics run at 7am, and am currently demonstrating my slacking prowess. i've discovered the winamp tv channels. i'm watching some idiot cleaning out kitty litter.
and it fascinates me.

25/03/04

damn. she's just left. she'll be meeting my mom tomorrow. i'm still here.
bugger.

also crap is my feeling so shitty for so long - i've been properly sick since monday, and i can't concentrate on anything much for long before getting kicked in the head by an unhappy ear and swollen glands.

*** yesterday ***

yesterday is a bit of a blur. i went to a class in public administration. we spent an hour discussing the political situation now that the hamas leader is dead, after which the lecturer decided that it was too cold, and left.
amazing.

i planned on meeting with my charge, but he's been difficult to get hold of. i passed out, and woke up with a phone call from his mom, who's made my community service a lot easier - she informed me that i'm welcome to meet with her kids whenever, and that they're more or less always at home.
so there's a chance that this could all work out.

she got home relatively early, and we went out for coffee with a friend of hers. which then turned into supper at a chocolate shoppe, without chocolate. but really good nonetheless.

*** today ***

she left my place early this morning, and then returned a bit later, and we spent a good couple of hours watching absolute crap on the tv.

she dropped me off on campus, and i went through the trauma of three classes.
fortunately not all boring. she'd lent me her israeli flag, and whenever i made an anti-israeli comment in class (there's tons to nit-pick over here), i waved the flag - much to the amusement of my classmates. and the lecturer was noticeably less upset with my comments than he was a week ago.

she picked me up after class, and we've just finished lengthy, sobbing goodbyes - dammit, she's only going for two weeks! but i miss her already.
* whipped *

i cut out eleven hearts from some pink cardpaper, and put them in a really cute envelope for our eleven-month anniversary tomorrow ^_^

* yawn *
bedtime. suppertime. bedtime. suppertime.
damn antibiotics are messing with my timetable.

23/03/04

today was a big day.

work was tough, although i only had one phone call the entire night - my head was aching and spinning.

i got home around 3am, woke up at 7am for breakfast and an antibiotic, then went back to sleep until noon.

class was alright. after which i found out
that
i
got
80%
for my algorithms exam!! go me!!

i went to my usual doctor for a second opinion, and got referred back to yesterday's doctor, for whom i had to wait in the reception office for three hours (many, many other people).

it was decided that the original course of action was correct.

i came home for a sausage and rice dinner (i screwed up the rice again), and am now planning some serious quantities of sleep.

22/03/04

suck o' clock came around, and i hadn't slept properly. i showered, bought an expired chocolate milk - which, by the way, is NOT the ideal way to wake up in the morning - and hopped on the bus to the student authority.

the student authority went surprisingly well, although i'd already started feeling crap by the time i arrived. i didn't appreciate the beautiful breakfast fully - crepes with white chocolate and banana - and got more of it on the ground and my clothing than in my mouth.

i went straight to her place, and we went straight to my place, where we watched animal planet and drank tea.

she dropped me off on campus, i sorted some of my life out, and tutored the girl who joined our taekwondo group for her microeconomics exam - and she paid me NIS 100 (that's read "lots" in any south african's book).
good for me! (albeit a bit surprising)

i tried to make an appointment with a doctor for my swollen ear (no - not head), but everyone's unavailable till 4pm, so i went home to wait, err... pass out watching full metal jacket. i got up just in time, made the appointment, and went to the doctor.

i had to wait almost an hour, to have this enormous earlobe of mine examined (i've been considering wrapping a plastic bag around my head to hold it up - it's closing in on my ankles), to be told "it looks okay, here's a prescription for a week of antibiotics."
thanks, doc.

i got my drugs, and was on my way to work.

crappy bus ride. i'm going to be upset about her being in cape town without me for a very long time.

i just finished my supper, took my first antibiotic, and am utterly exhausted - and the phones have *JUST* begun ringing...

21/03/04

i got up at 9am this morning, showered the cold shower, and bladed to class.
stupid fscking class.

she picked me up, and we went to the park for some coffee - it was only there that she told me how sick she was feeling. i had a great cup of coconut flavoured coffee.

i drove us back to my place, where we slept until she felt well enough to go home. i drove her home, and bladed back - halfway home i began feeling really dizzy, and it's been downhill from there (the feeling, not the roads).

not in the least bit helped by watching killer klowns from outer space.

i've been doing math homework the whole evening, and am in the middle of it as we speak (my spurious breaks have included shopping for cardboard backing, and tekken - we now have some more funky "art" around the house, and SxS is annoyed with me for beating him).

the worst is that i'm feeling shite, and i have to be up at suck o' clock in the morning to deal with the student authority again. followed by a day of community service and my own crap to deal with, followed by work tomorrow night.

i'm sooooo excited!
* /me passes out cold on the floor *

20/03/04

*** yesterday ***

work went alright, but the ginseng tablet i got off a classmate started wearing off as we left, and by the time i got home i was asleep on my feet.

i spent yesterday sleeping, aside from a break to go shopping for birthday cards (damn, it took me almost half an hour to find ones without stupid messages).
and i finally watched the rest of apocalypse now redux, which is truly in a class of its own.

*** today ***

she came to sleep over at about 5am, and we slept until 12.30. we had breakfast at her place, and i've just got home - i'm going to be arbing around until supper tonight.

*** later ***

i arbed incredibly successfully. good counterstrike sessions, and some light reading (sinfest)...

we had supper with her family, at a very posh, expensive restaurant - great food, jolly good atmosphere, although while i was talking to her about cape town (she'll be there in less than a week), i realized just how much i miss drinking coffee with my mom at rediculous hours of the morning.
* sniff *

she's coming over in a few minutes, and we're watching 8 mile together.

18/03/04

FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY
* FREAKY *

*** yesterday ***

yesterday started off pretty badly, with a meeting about my community service, and how i'm in deep shite with regard to it.

i then participated in sucky classes. went over to a friend's place afterwards for some coffee and a Very Philosophical Discussion. after this, grootbek and i went shopping, which included buying some quasi-cardboard and poster-paper.

when we got home, i attacked it with spraypaint, signed my name, and we nailed it to the wall of our lounge.

it looks very nice. the more i see it, the better it looks.

i was really hungry, and had almost put the spaghetti in the pot before remembering that i was on my way to supper with her family. without her.
do - not - ask.

i had a shower, gelled up my hair to be as nerdy as possible, and took me a walk.

supper was really nice - and her father was quite polite, and civil, and not weird.
only, i had to take the elevator down with him when we left. that was, without any doubt, the longest eight floor elevator ride in history.
and possibly the quietest.

* shudder *
* double shudder *

i then went to my charge's birthday party - which was loud, and crazy, and i met his mom and little brother (who will also be my charge). very nice, but a little weird for me (so many people), and i couldn't stop thinking about the elevator ride.
or the homework i had to do.
which, btw, i STILL have to do...

i got home, to find out that grootbek had gone with our brit to the hospital. he's completely fucked. out of his mind on some serious prescription drugs, and suffering severely from an ear and eye infection.
and he's been walking around sideways in boxer shorts and socks, wearing michael jackson-style enormous sunglasses.
and no, i'm not making this up.

*** today ***

so here i sit, typing away, weirded out by tonight's events, and not in any mood whatsoever to get any homework done, with six hours to go before i have to be awake and on the bus to tel-aviv, to deal with the student authority.

i really could cry.

at least my artwork is good.

*** later ***

* whine *

i woke up at 06.30, and had to spend half an hour frantically rummaging through all my belongings, before finding my id documents in a rather logical place...

crappy bus rides. it took me ten minutes of argueing with the woman i had to meet with, in hebrew, before we realized that neither of us had a clue what the other was saying.
so we got a translator.
who couldn't speak english.

eventually managed to figure everything out, and went back home for a quick breakfast (and some spraypainting) before going to campus.

i did some of my "community service", and went to class.

the rest of the day sucked PILES. and i'm now at work, tired as all hell, and we're going till early morning again.

* sigh *. sometimes, i hate being me.

16/03/04

i am sooo tired. we had a really boring night at work. i caught up on some sinfest, and played mindnumbing games at miniclip.com, and am currently waiting for enough hot water to wash quickly before passing out.

there's no emoticon (that i know of) for simply sticking out your tongue. :P doesn't cut it.

*** later ***

crap.
complete, and utter, crap.
crappity crap crap.

i got to bed at 06.30. i got my first urgent phone call at 09.30, something about my community service, and my scholarship being in jeopardy unless i did something or other, or spoke to someone or other. from some woman who has this amazing ability to talk furiously, and non-stop, for hours.

i vaguely recall another call before the same woman called again... then i had to get up to give some documents to grootbek's mother (i've leased them my fridge).

after all that, i simply couldn't sleep anymore. so i picked up my photos, which cost me a bomb and a half (but they're good photos (some of them, at least)), and spent some time gabbing with petrol at the freak store.

i had a quick, shabby breakfast, and bladed to class - which was fairly not interesting.

i bladed home, watched the first half of spaceballs (decidedly not funny), and went with SxS to the beach, where we sort of watched a really beautiful sunset with a friend of ours.

i got home, and went to pick up my charge (the guy i'm working with for my community service), and brought him to our place for three hours of tekken, tv, and inane discussions with the millions who came over during this time.

most movie-like moment: kicking a SKANKY-ass friend of ours under the table when he started skinning up, and he still had to be convinced to go talk to grootbek in his room, where it was explained to him that my charge really shouldn't see that shit going on.
hmmph. so blind.

i walked him home, in the freezing cold, and came home to do dishes - my plan now is to shower, and sleep.

please, lord, let me get some sleep.

tonight is the memorial night for my grandmother, who passed away two years ago. i'm supposed to have prayed in synagogue, but i don't even know where to go...

15/03/04

the exam SUCKED. only a fat, ugly, beastly trance beat can save me now. i REALLY need to do some heavy-duty partying.

to make matters worse, i'm at work now, until early morning again, and i'm soooo tired. the red-bull before the exam was out of sheer necessity.
only problem is that it's running out.

i watched some hunter x hunter this morning - it hasn't yet ceased to amaze me, and i haven't been disappointed either, despite having already read the manga version.
brilliant.

our apartment is still clean. it feels like we're living in someone else's apartment - the place is all tidy.
kinda creepy, actually.
i also did some handywork on my door, after replacing the lock a week or two ago - it looks really neat and tidy now.
i can't believe i find this stuff worth writing about. i've been thinking about it a lot recently - i have to keep reminding myself that the only reason i write this "diary" is for my own memories. i'm sure nobody actually READS this... or cares that much, anyway :P

14/03/04

mmph. annoying day.

our first class was cool - we watched wag the dog. which had nothing, whatsoever, to do with our course.

had our first dreary math class, spent a little time with her before she left for the week, did some shopping, and played counterstrike.

something's missing from my day.
homework.
studying for the dreaded exam tomorrow.
naaah, that can't be it!

13/03/04

one of my esteemed flatmates has destroyed my beard-trimmer. and noone's owning up to it.

*** yesterday ***

ummm. i went shopping. i slept a bit. i ate lunch, and watched lost in translation (good movie!) with her, and we slept

*** today ***

until this morning (oops - she was meant to go home last night)...

so far, so good - lots of counterstrike, and sinfest archives. i should probably be doing some homework, but i don't wanna.

*** later ***

* sigh *
i'm so in love, i don't know what to do with myself.
she and i spent the last few hours watching human traffic, drinking "sachlav" (very tasty gooey liquid), and jumping on trampolines.
and watching a very pretty sunset.

in other news, we had a cleaning day today, which so far seems to have been successful.

plans for later on: coffee with sammy and his wife, and then we're off to bowling.

*** later ***

nope - coffee was it, as we were both really tired. but we did enjoy ourselves.

* YAWN *

12/03/04

*** yesterday ***

i got up at 07.40, which is way too early, and went to training. training was relaxed, and i got a ten minute massage at the end - most beneficial.

i was in class from 12.00 until 19.15, and it was SO boring, and then i went to training. which wasn't nearly as relaxed, and i was made to wear a white belt (kinda of humiliating, but i'd left my belt at home). and i performed really badly too - i left a bit shame-faced.

i got home, had a shower, and she came over - it would have been much nicer if she could sleep over, but her father is still (and, for the forseeable future, will be) unhappy with me...

10/03/04

i have hair. lots of it. too much. check out the photo gallery if you don't believe me.

i spent the day in class. hopefully i made another contact for the army, but i'll have to wait and see. not that waiting and seeing has done me any good so far, but my choices are rather limited.

i tutored a couple of girls in microeconomics. i really can't believe that i remember all that shit!

i had an absolutely AMAZING idea for a startup company today - i'm obviously not talking until i've started setting things up, and i totally don't have time, but this could be the big one.
kinda weird. it's always the simple ideas that have the most potential.

and i almost COMPLETELY forgot - MNGR!!!! (My NEW Goggles Rock), check out the photo gallery for that too.

09/03/04

i'm having difficulty getting back into study mode. i'm not entirely finished with the previous semester, and the new semester has already begun, and i just don't feel like i have it in me. i've been thinking that maybe i only performed because i was under too much pressure, and had too much to handle.

i really need to retake control of my life.

*** 7th ***

i got to class on time, only to discover that all classes were cancelled due to it being a public holiday, which i was certain was on the 8th. i could have stayed another night on the kibbutz...

instead, i spent a few hours doing prep reading in the library. the afternoon is a blank. mmf came over, and we watched all three back to the futures instead of working on our applied project.

*** yesterday ***

i got to sleep at 02.30. i woke up at 06.30, and went to taekwondo, where i trained hard until just before 12.00 - and i left early. it was absolutely awesome. about halfway through, i pulled a muscle in my back - fortunately one of the people training is a doctor (and lecturer in eastern medicine), and he gave me a ten minute shiatsu massage. it didn't really fix anything, but it did feel good.

i got home, showered, and passed out. i vaguely recall letting mmf in the apartment, and passing out again. i woke up for ghost in the shell, which we HAD to watch, and just as it finished SxS came over. we didn't get any work done. rather, we made a crappy pizza, ordered chinese, played tekken, and watched tv the whole evening. i eventually chucked the guys out around 23.30, and went to bed.

*** today ***

i had really weird, and bad, dreams last night.

after waking up, i worked on our applied project, before rollerblading to class. after class, i received an intro to martial arts from a friend of mine, who's also interested in the more spiritual and energy side of things - i'm trying to convince him to train with me (not taekwondo, the wicked-cool other shite).

i watched a bit of television, did some shopping, and spoke to my mum for the first time in weeks.

i played some counterstrike before taking a shower, and i'm practically in bed right now.

07/03/04

*** 5th ***

i got up kinda late, read the paper, took out all the remains of the last month's papers, and hopped on a couple of buses for afula.

i forgot that the friday schedule is shorter, and missed the last bus to the kibbutz, so i had to call my cousins to give me a lift, which was a tad embarrassing.

friday night was nice and relaxed,

*** yesterday ***

as was yesterday. i watched a lot of tv. we started watching a movie called storytelling, which is not only disturbing, but contains way more indecent subject material than was appropriate for the 13 year old girl watching with me.
embarrassed, i cut the film at the beginning of the second sex scene, and we proceeded to watch exit wounds, which was a fun movie.

we had a serious braai, and i ate like an absolute pig, after which i watched after alice, which is a great movie.

i got to the busstop just in time for the bus - she'd spoken to me just before i got on, and due to her bus-paranoia (typical israeli), i spent the entire ride thinking of terrorists...

*** today ***

it's late. i should go to sleep. but counterstrike calls me.

04/03/04

*** yesterday ***

i had a really great day! class was interesting (we have a course in technology), and afterwards i met up with the sixteen-year-old i'm taking care of for my community service.
and he's just like me.
it's kinda freaky.

after shooting hoops for about an hour, i had a shower, rested a bit, and went to work.

where i discovered that one of the guys there has been slandering me: claiming some pretty nasty shit, and not in a joking manner. i'm going to explore my legal options before i approach him about it, though, as i want to be able to stand my ground on anything he says.

*** today ***

work was hard, and i only got home (and immediately to bed) at 06.00.

i was woken at 10.30, by some stupid woman trying to get information from me that she already had, and couldn't get back to sleep, so i flipped through a bit of the newspaper, before blading to class.

class with santa claus (the boring dude from the previous semester) sucked. as usual. and we already have a huge assignment for next week. the next two class were fairly interesting.

during the hour long break between them, mmf, SxS and i went to the mall, where we ate kfc (not as good as the other night, i'm not going again), and played arcade games. they have this game there, with twin force-feedback machine guns, which is AWESOME. and our hands HURT afterwards :)

i got out of class at 20.00, half walked, half bladed home, had a shower, and am on my way to bed right now...

no purim partying for me. i neeeeeed to sleeeeeep.

03/03/04

*** yesterday ***

the rest of my day was pretty weird. largely due to the general indecisiveness of the weather.

i spent the day in a pair of shorts, only leaving the apartment once, to pay a visit to our new local kfc, which isn't up to standard, but still not bad.

*** today ***

it's been a crazy day already. i couldn't sleep, so i got up at 06.00, and went for a run: i ran for just under half an hour, got back home completely wasted, and had a much needed shower.
i then watched discovery channel, while eating another grapefruit breakfast, and finished off by reading the paper.

this is the start of a long day - our second semester begins in an hour, and i'm supposed to be doing two bouts of community service, as well as working tonight... this should be fun!

02/03/04

*** 29th ***

i'd agreed the night before to taekwondo training at 08.00, and i'd forgotten to set my alarm. i woke up, somehow, at 07.40, jumped up and got ready, and got to the busstop.

no sooner had i paid for the bus, and started walking towards the rear, when my alarm went off, informing me of a meeting at 09.00 with a city council social worker (for my community service).

so i got off at the next stop, and walked back home.

the meeting went well, and afterwards she picked me up, and we went for a walk in herzliya, including a visit to the public library, which is very cool.
and they have a HUUUUUGE kiddies section, so i rate i'm going to have to move in there...

she dropped me off at a busstop on her way back to gedera, and i took a bus to work.

i need to mention here that i was still suffering majorly from heat-stroke, and it was a really hot day.

i was at work for a little less than half an hour, sorting out my social security, and having a quick breakfast, and then i left to meet up with JOSH on shenkin (artsy-fartsy soho place). he sat with me as i ate an enormous portion of good thai food, at a place called "thai food", and we then went on a mission to nowhere, that ended up with us being at his kibbutz, about 7km north of gedera.
and she didn't have time to meet us. oh well.

we spent a few hours listening to crazy house and trance (and i played around a bit on his decks, which are a bit fscked, but i haven't touched sound equipment in YEARS).
we watched an inspiring documentary video on a huge israeli trance party, called "drugless" (the documentary name is karahana), and it was anything but.

i took a bus back to tel-aviv, where i visited with karnaf, and he joined me as i took my supper at pizza-meter. a spinach and cheese pizza, which was surprisingly good.

*** yesterday ***

i had a good grapefruit breakfast, and went to idc to finish up my community service. which didn't happen. we discovered that i have tons of work left to do still, and so it's all going to take far longer than expected.

i got back a bunch of exam results, and aside from algorithms (with exam on the 15th), math (i got 68%, and i need 70%), and israeli economy (no results yet), i did quite well on most things, and superbly on at least four exams - superbly being greater than 87%.
i'm fairly pleased with myself.

i came home, and learned about flash, putting together a cute site, for which a cheque for $140 is apparently on the way. it would be so nice if i could trust grootbek, but i can't.

i went out around 18.00 to buy a lock, and i got a good one. but when i tried to install it, the hole in the door wasn't big enough. so i went back to the store to return it.

but the store was closed.

so i returned home, pulled out a hammer and a pair of needlenose pliers (what? no chisel?), removed my door, and hammered new holes - a most successful enterprise, i must say. it's not pretty, because the old covers simply don't fit, but it's not so bad, and most functional.
i now have real protection from my extremely honest american flatmate.

training was good last night. this girl, who i introduced to our gym, thanked me with a very cute keychain, and one of the black belts kicked me in the face. it's the first time in my entire life that someone's given me a nosebleed.

grootbek accosted me as i got home, and i spent over an hour working with him on the flash and the website...

*** today ***

i had a hot shower, and a hot (loads of chili) supper, and fell asleep with no trouble.

*** later ***

i woke up at 07.00 to go running with our argentinian flatmate, but i couldn't get out of bed. my legs hurt.