I’m happy to announce that the exam results are out, and my crazy schedule and zero social life were worth it. I scored all my papers successfully.
Looking back I can’t believe the kind of life I led last semester. Forcing myself to wake up early for lectures…trying to stay awake in tutorials. I down probably tones of litres of orange juice to wake my system up, and still I had to rely on No Doz to stay alert. During those times, I could maul a bear and claw a tiger with just my pinkie. Oh yeah, my tempers ran very high last semester!
I banned everyone except Hero from calling me unless it’s dead important. “Text or e-mail,” I would say, but never call. I state clearly that “important” does not mean that you’ve broken up and need to analyze (yet again!) your situation, is not happy with your current romantic partnership and need to analyze it, ask for help for projects or assignments, to ask for that guy’s/girl’s number you saw me with…I had a long list. I should only be called when someone is 1) in fatal danger, 2) has gone broke, hungry and homeless, therefore needing help or 3) has had death of family members or close friends. Oh, and pets too.
Wanting to kill yourself, wanting to kill someone else and wanting to kill your neighbour’s noisy dog does not get into the “can call” list. Wanting to tell me that this girl you know wanted to kill that other girl you know because that other girl stole this girl’s boyfriend, who had been analyzing his relationship with that girl and is killing himself to break up with her…
…will earn you into my “block list”.
Last semester I operated on “block hours” mode. It’ll go something like “2 hours for Financial Review, 2 hours of Google reader, 1 hour of ABC world radio, 2 hours of library…” etc. It was madness. I had one of those timesheets printed out and filled in before I go to bed every night. I pulled it out today and am really horrified at the way my schedule was. If I head to uni one of these days, I’ll have one scanned.
I had an average of 3 hours of sleep per day. My grocery bags were filled with instant food. Cereal and multigrain breads were my best friends. Canned tuna and canned salmons were my gourmet meal. Tin spaghetti and instant noodle was my staple food. I don’t eat properly until I get to Hero’s.
My MP3 player became my vital organ. I recorded every lectures and tutorials I attended because I’m either not fully awake during lecture or is nodding off to sleep. I spent my daytime scouring stuffs in the library or revising if I don’t have classes. My afternoons were for work. I spent my night reading financial newspapers and financial blogs…etc. I spent a LOT of time researching for assignments and projects. And God help me, last semester I had group meetings every 2 days a week. Then there was commuting to Hero’s with my array of books and my laptop. For a one hour train ride, I snuck in a chapter of textbook reading.
Sure, there were a few hours in between where I could have indulged in whatever I wanted.
I used my free hours to sleep. 
What else can I do!
Thankfully Hero is very supportive of this busy schedule. I know he’s a bit apprehensive of me bringing stuffs when he said “I’m supposed to be relaxing”.
“You brought books, baby?” he usually said in disbelief. “You’re supposed to come here to de-stress.”
Despite that he has been very supportive all along. Waiting patiently and watching TV all alone upstairs, when I’m supposed to be there to spend time with him. Sometimes he sleeps alone too. I tuck him into bed, kiss him goodnight and get out to battle with my work. I know he doesn’t like it sometimes, but he endures. Like he said, studying is what I came here for in the first place. That, and he knows it’s not forever. He likes to joke, “ah, another half year isn’t that bad” to lighten things up but we both know. He has the patient of a saint. If I was in his shoes, I admit I will be very pissed and annoyed.
I’m getting better at balancing though. In between we snuck in date times, eating out times and window shopping time. Oh, and 4WD. We drop whatever personal projects and activities some nights to light a small bonfire in the backyard and having long conversations while laughing at the mad dog’s antics. I bring up my reading materials and snuggle up to him. He’d be watching TV and I’d be reading. Sometimes I bring the things I’m working on up to the lounge and do my work in front of the TV, sitting with him.
“What are you working on?” or “what are you reading?” he’d ask during commercial, and I’ll explain it to him. Once he gets a hang of what I’m doing, he gives frequent inputs. Speeding my work, no doubt, which is probably what he wants. The earlier his lady finishes whatever it is she has to do, the earlier she’d climb up to the sofa and snuggle up like a cat.
And that’s what I love about him. When I’m stressed and life has bruised me, I put on a sour face and snuggle up to him. I sleep the best at his place. He doesn’t ask if I don’t want to say, and he doesn’t offer unsolicited advice.
Just his strong arms, protective nature, a fair amount of backrub and his heart.
That is enough for me. 
Now it’s holiday, and even when I’m busy during the holidays I’m still less busy than I was before. It seems like a cruel twist that we’re spending 1/3 of my holidays apart. Yet I’m not complaining that much. I haven’t had any time to spend on myself last semester, so having a whole month to myself is really lovely. I’m making full use of my holidays.
I miss him, though. I hope he comes home soon!
