Sachets of Inspiration
November 9th, 2008
the workload here has been so crazy. i wish someone had warned me how insane the pace here can get. i keep forgetting that i’m not back home anymore, where getting A’s was actually easy and all i needed to master was the art of mugging and regurgitating. le sigh.
i know i really have to step up my game if i want to do well here, but i just feel like there’s so much to see and do here besides freakin’ homework. yet at the same time, i feel so crappy when i see all my classmates handing in their assignments and essays and staying in to study when i’m just out there goofing off and taking random train rides to nowhere. people here.. are not human. they seem to get so much work done in such little amounts of time, and there’s loads of the typical thing where they go ‘oh i havent studied’ but they end up getting A plusses on all the tests and quizzes :( i mean.. really.. i thought i was spending a lot of time studying here, and for a while i was getting really angry at myself for wasting so much time doing homework when i could be out there exploring the city and going to museums and art galleries, but in comparison to some of my peers, i’m not doing nearly enough work. so many of them stay up till the wee hours of the morning studying, every day.
midterms week was especially sucky. i spent about two weeks barely sleeping and fueling myself with red bull, lots of energy drinks and as much coffee as i could get my hands on O_O i was just so tired and stressed out all the time, coupled with the fact that i couldnt really stay awake anymore because coffee was starting to lose its effect on me and red bull, while effectively lending me the energy that i needed, would give me those horrible hangovers in the morning. but i was so desperate to stay awake that i just kept chugging the stuff anyway.
but guess what :) over the weekend before my last midterm paper, i got something really cool in the mail :) i got..
Puppy was telling me how he drinks green tea to keep awake, and because i’m so used to drinking chamomile tea to go to sleep, i’d never really thought of tea as something that could be used to keep people awake, even though i knew at the back of my mind that tea contains caffeine. so i recently started buying mugs of english breakfast tea from the university cafes, and found that tea actually does work really well on me. while it doesnt give me that electric buzz that coffee does, it does keep me awake enough, but without dehydrating me or giving me headaches the way coffee does for me these days.
so it was really nice to get a box of tea sent to me all the way from Malaysia :) it’s a special kind of tea called Hirameki, which means to ‘get inspired’, and says the box: if you need to feel relaxed but alert, you can ‘get Hirameki’. that’s exactly what i need for midterms week - something that will keep me awake but wont cause me to be jittery. it seems the active ’special’ ingredient that defines Hirameki is this thing called ‘theanine’. i’ve never heard of theanine, so i looked it up online and found that it’s an amino acid commonly found in tea that reduces mental and physical stress (!), produces feelings of relaxation (!!), and improves cognition and mood when paired with caffeine (!!!). zomgs.
thank you to the secret ice cream-loving person who sent me this box of tea all the way from Malaysia! you really shouldnt have :) … haha but then i’m totally not complaining!! tea, like everything else, is so expensive here in NY. and now i have a 100 free teabags of stressless and awakening tea!!! take that, super-expensive Blue Java cafe with the mean cashiers. patronize you i shall no longer.
anyway, ya man, a 100 teabags. my brain wasnt working as i was opening the box, and because i expected to see something like only ten teabags in there, i kinda ripped the box open a bit too quickly.. and sent teabags flying all over my room. wtf.
i’m having my second calculus midterm in about 16 hours’ time. it’s going to be my first coffee-less exam. Lipton, if you help me through this exam, i will love you forever and ever. i will even play your online game for hours on end. just please! give me an A for calculus!!!
wish me luck guys :( i didnt do too well for my first calc midterm and i really need to compensate for that with tomorrow’s exam. aaaaaaaaaaaa >___<
P/S: lo and behold, the Hirameki Way of brewing tea:
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37 Comments Add your own
1. clem | November 10th, 2008 at 11:19 am
this hirameki tea works for you? lemme buy one box off giant and see if it keeps me 'relaxingly alert' too - i've been so tired and lazy and procrastinating a lot lately. :/ and i swear not to drink another drop of red bull anymore if i can help it.
2. amber | November 10th, 2008 at 11:54 am
good luck su ann! im pulling all nighters almost every night too nowadays. exam in 2 wks time. CAT, the foudation for ACCA, is not for human! im so not looking forward to ACCA
3. sweatlee | November 10th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
got lipton in US wht! i tried before but doesnt work to keep me up one =( but i still like lipton best! apple cinnamon or whatever tea they drink here sucks!
4. Jinny | November 10th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
lipton always has the best aroma! <3 uhmmm, just wondering, is it very difficult to get financial aid in top universities/colleges in america?
5. Kevin Chan | November 10th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Uni life is hectic in Singapore too… What to do lah? People mugging like crazy all around me now that my finals are like…. IN TWO DAYSSS! *FREAKS OUT*
Haha, take care Pinkpau!
6. povege | November 10th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I still prefer Green Tea. Luckily they have them in Tesco :)
Good luck in your exams.
7. Yappy | November 10th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Lolzzz… so cute the last pic, “penyediaan cara hirameki'! I have the lipton 100 sachets box too but it's black tea instead of hirameki. You definitely won't have to spend anymore money on tea for quite awhile. I agree that it is good to keep you awake. Especially at night when i need a few extra hours to study/ do assignments, but without the jittery effects from coffee. And it actually helps me concentrate better coz it reduces the stress and knots i got after hours of studies. =)
Love your post, as usual. You always write well and have great pics to go with them! =D Good luck for your calculus paper!! =)))
8. Nada | November 10th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Theres this Lipton 100% natural green tea that I love the most and I think it goes perfect with milk =)) Also I think US has a greater variety of Liptons. Some of the flavors I just cant find it back home.
9. berlina | November 10th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
omg i so agree! never mind US, ppl here in singapore are ALL not human too. my courage is like all gone pete tong everytime i compare my effort with theirs
goodluck there btw,
i'm here painstakingly trying to glue my ass to the chair and mug for exams too (which is coming in 3 days and i have 7 papers, i'm doomed)
at least many ppl are suffering too so you're not alone
10. MIchelle | November 10th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I still owe you podssssss via maill!!!!!
:(
11. KY | November 10th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Yummmm TEA!!!!
12. RuYi | November 10th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
That's so cute, Lipton tea so nice!
Hope you'll receive my card soon but post here goes slower than a dead carrot in its wintersleep.
13. nyrac | November 10th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
i liked the cara-cara penyediaan, so cute :P so did you try that? some form of exercise to encourage blood circulation for the lower limbs, especially useful for people who sit and mug so bad that they don't have time for proper exercise :P
14. pinkyboo | November 10th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
i think u're doing good. Dont compare yourself to other people. Everyone has their own methods of studying and living life - some prefer giving up their social life and stay home with their books 24/7, some prefer a little bit of both. There is never a right or wrong way, and u should never EVER feel guilty that your peers are clocking in more studying hours than you. Maybe they need to study 5 hours to grasp 10 pages of work, whereas you only need 2 hrs, who knows? Everyone works differently.
I say, just stick to what suits you best. U look like someone who knows how to prioritize, and u're a smart girl. So yes go explore nyc during your free time. Its perfectly OK to take train rides to random places! Thats the best part about living overseas alone. Put in reasonable hours of study, but dont forget to go out and have fun and get crazy too. Yes u may have the next 4 yrs in nyc, but being 20 and in nyc and being 24 and in nyc gives u a different experience. I hate it when people say “oh i have the next 10 yrs to enjoy” but they forget that they're only that age once.
15. Ee Vonn | November 11th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Jia You, Su Ann!!! XD
16. amy | November 11th, 2008 at 12:29 am
“brewing the hirameki way” lol. wtf
17. cheryl | November 11th, 2008 at 1:55 am
I was just talking to my journalism lecturer, I didn't do too well for my mid-terms. So I was trying to get extra points with the usual puppy eyes and all but it didn't work.
T__T
IT IS hard to score an A here in the states.
Starbucks ice blended green tea and Lipton Raspberry works for me all the time.
18. WP | November 11th, 2008 at 2:04 am
Wow, there's even a Hirameki way to brew tea? Funny…but I guess it's a good exercise, especially if you've been sitting down studying all day! ;)
19. Rachying | November 11th, 2008 at 2:13 am
Hahaha the Hirameki brewing way is cute right?! summore have to do exercise! lol! I saw it on the box that ky has it at more…
20. miss susan | November 11th, 2008 at 3:50 am
oooo
you have jumped onto the tea wagon!
much better than coffee which is sometimes hard to stomach when its the instant kind =(
i much like the twinings english breakfast =D
21. penny | November 11th, 2008 at 4:31 am
hi su ann! I've been lurking forever on your site, so I'll stop now, cause i wanted to tell you - keep being exactly who you are! A lot of your peers are missing out on the amazing life in NYC you're experiencing. They may not get to see it until they graduate, and you're seeing it right now. (plus, a lot of them are lying when they say they haven't studied, I should know) Work hard, play hard. :) good luck on all your midterms!
22. aunt kiasu | November 11th, 2008 at 4:54 am
hope this offers some solace albeit a little kiasu :P
1. almost everyone said “getting an education at MIT is like taking a drink from a firehose” and it is not just about the sheer amount of work. it's about the difficulty of the work etc”… in Columbia? i see only a teacup marr..@-@
2. many unflattering/comforting? reports screaming in the internet “U.S. Teens Trail Peers Around World on Math-Science Test..U.S. 15 year olds ranked 35th in Mathematics - U.S.A. rank #35 below some developing countries *think Malaysia* = your calculus got hope lerr!!!
23. aunt | November 11th, 2008 at 5:06 am
and of course, if all else fails nothing like a little “cutomized”prayer to steady the nerves. all it takes is to substitute some words in my no-brainer prayer below ..haha
“lord if i cant be skinny, make all others fat” *_*
24. Artificially Tamtim | November 11th, 2008 at 7:37 am
@ aunt kiasu: for part 2, i think what you mention is a study on the whole of america not just kids who end up going to ivy. all you need are a few bright ones to populate the ivy leagues aka outliers.
25. Cher Wee | November 11th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Pinkpau ' jia you' !!!!! (Gambateh)
26. aunt kiasu | November 11th, 2008 at 11:38 am
@ artificially tamtin
i agree with what you said. the whole idea was to keep PP artificially comforted. hahaha…aiyuh mana tau… PP's fans/frens are ivy league materials!…so quick in sorting out facts from fallacy… ;(
27. hudarling | November 11th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
the preparation steps is cute.
28. js | November 11th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style...
don't mean to scare you , but stay away from red bulls / coffee …. especially if those are meant to be drank in large amount to keep you awake at night
29. sheon | November 11th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
wah…so sweet. haha.
hey, you know you'd never be short of love and care from this side of the world, right??
goodluck, and do well k?
*does brisbane sound good? hmmmm….
30. reallybites | November 12th, 2008 at 1:23 am
wah so pinkpau should say smth like
“lord if i can't be smart, make all others stupid? hahahaha (kidding ar! pinkpau's already smart!)
31. jane doe | November 12th, 2008 at 9:54 am
jiayou! (:
32. michelle | November 12th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Hi Su Ann
I was shocked to read your post. Majority of Malaysians in the US ( top schools) been getting better grades compared to when they were in Malaysia. I personally think it's easier here. Back home, lecturers play partial, it doesn't happen here.
33. Patricia | November 12th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
yeah tea works for me too! coffee just stain my teeth and make me feel bloated.
34. aunt kiasu | November 13th, 2008 at 12:33 am
@ reallybites
good substitution. you're 'reallysmart'.. LOL . ..it works to lift one a lil whenever dieting/slimming fails for the umpteenth times.. haha
35. Albert Ng | November 17th, 2008 at 12:53 am
You should demonstrate the dance!
I think of a verb when I see “teabag”.
36. iSpeak » Blog Archi&hellip | November 30th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
[...] by buying a box of Lipton tea. I got this kind of tea to drink during exams as suggestion from Pinkpau. She’s a blogger and also a freshman at Columbia University. She used this tea to keep herself [...]
37. SiCunit | November 30th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Yeah, I thought the same way when I bought this tea. I was pretty sure it’s not the same tea. But in fact, I still bought it. Haha… But, it’s okay anyway. Will try to find it later.
Oh yeah, good luck on your exams too! Mine’s coming up next week. ugh!
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