I didn't think I would be able to get an entry in tonight, but my evening appointment was cancelled and here I am, with a couple of hours free. I have to get started on research for my IR paper in a bit, but I'll indulge in a journal entry for now.

The first thing Terz and I did on Sunday morning when we woke up (the day after purchasing our new cellphones, remember?) was to log on and try out alternative ringtones, and download the ones we liked. Alas, Terz couldn't find an equally strident version of "The Imperial March", which was his trademark ring for his old phone, so he had to settle for a Guns'N'Roses tone. I re-downloaded the version of The Simpsons theme that I've been using, as well as the theme from E.T. and "Kyle's Mom is a Bitch" from everyone's favorite kiddies at South Park; I'm not sure I want to use the latter, but the sequence of notes is good for a telephone ringtone. I've heard people using Buffy and Angel ringtones --- rare, but all the more unusual in Singapore, where most kids have theirs tuned to Britney Spears or something lame like that --- but I couldn't find them. Ah well.

However, I have not yet purchased any new press-on covers for my phone. I'd have to go to one of the neighborhood shopping centers, and I haven't quite found the time or energy for that yet. I have, however, a child's sock with Winnie the Pooh on it that is doubling as a cellphone case. My colleague's student gave her a pair of the socks, and she was like, "Um, Winnie the Pooh is okay, but my feet aren't that small," and the student was like, "Uh --- this is all the rage now for carrying your handphone, ma'am." But her phone doesn't fit into it, so she gave me one sock and gave another colleague the other, and we've smooshed the phones in the socks in a way so that you don't know they're Winnie the Pooh socks unless I show you where the Pooh is hidden.

(Heh. "Where the Pooh is hidden." That should be a title for this entry.)

Which is all way more than you needed/wanted to know about my telephone lifestyle.

Okay, what else did I do these three days? Work was ho-hum. Non-work was ho-hum. Our social calendar is filling up with events --- everyone wants to do something next weekend (Oct 27-28). I ICQ'd my sick friend in Florida and I don't think things were too awkward; we were talking mostly about his daughter, who is a darling, from all accounts, and can cheer up the dourest personality. He also forwarded me e-mail updates on his health situation, which contain both good and bad news. But everyone is, naturally, grateful that there is the good still.

Bookwise, I've finally finished Tender is the Night. Damn, that book's depressing. I thought it ended a little too quickly, which might be the result of Fitzgerald having opened up several cans of worms and not really having any other neat way to close them again. I'm moving on to A.S. Byatt's Still Life; I bought it last week with my expiring-on-October-11 Kinokuniya vouchers, based on the recommendation of a colleague/friend who's reading Possession. I have to admit that the first chapter put me to sleep on the train ride home today, but then again, maybe I was just tired at 4:20 pm when it's oh-so-hot anyways.

My new resolution is to speak more slowly. I received this ICQ message today from a student:

"Ms [Tym] [Ed: name edited] was saeing sthg like."when u wana ask qn,.. plse intro urslf... etc etc... only 1 qn... n not argue wif the guest over certain issues..we dun want a repeat of wat we saw at Scube"..she said alot more.. but u noe she speaks so fast..only got the main idea.. cant rem the exact words..but she made it sound rather funny...n everyone was luffing"

Internet-Singlish/English Translation: "Ms Tym [Ed: name edited] [that's me] was saying something like, "When you wanna ask a question, please introduce yourself, etc. etc. ... only [ask] one question ... and don't argue with the guest over certain issues ... we don't want a repeat of what we saw at S-cube [a defense seminar all the second-year students at my school had to attend earlier this year]" ... She saw a lot more, but you know she speaks so fast ... only got the main idea ... [I] can't remember the exact words, but she made it sound rather funny ... and everyone was laughing..."

I've always known that I speak too fast for my own good --- my mom's been telling me that since I was about eleven --- and I've tried time after time to slow down, to remind myself to slow down as I'm on my way to teach a class. But the moment I'm on a roll, I don't even think about the speed at which I'm speaking; I'm too eager to get the words out. I suppose living in the USA for four years exacerbated it because Americans speak damn fast too, but I really should do better. I worry that my students only heard or understood half of what I've been saying for two years. And all my good jokes! All lost in haste! The ICQ comment above redeems itself somewhat with the latter bit about everyone laughing, and I distinctly remember trying to make it light-hearted because you've got to prep students when they're having a serious or important guest speaker, otherwise their minds switch off before the guest even arrived --- but it really doesn't obviate the overall problem.

I speak too fast. I type in too-long sentences. Oh, and my thoughts frequently wind up in a completely different place from where they started.

Tourette's, anyone?