zeekie: take two.

I'm in the computer lab now, waiting to go home; I finished my Digital Tools assignment early, and I can't go home yet because I've rented out my apartment for the weekend.

Hence this update.

First, a huge piece of news: my brother's finished the first part of the book he's writing, a memoir about his relationship with his boyfriend (Rusty, who passed away earlier this year). He's been sending me versions of his query letter and summary all weekend, and I've been helping him polish them. I think he's ready to send off packages to agents, so I'm really excited for him. He's a very good writer; I honestly think that he will be able to get - and deserves to be - published.

So there's that. As for my own writing aspirations: work on the fellowship application continues to go on; I'm also in the process of outlining two short stories, stories I will be using to apply for the Clarion workshop. That takes place in June next year, so I think this definitively means that I don't want to return to Singapore in the summer, at least not for the SPH internship. I still need to talk to HR about this, but I've already paid enough internship dues, I think.

As for the financial side of things: I've been taking part in a lot of experiments. They're conducted by Stern, the NYU business school, and most of them involve cognitive or psychological studies, so there aren't drugs or anything like that involved. They're actually pretty fun; I did one today that involved making as many words as possible from sets of letters, and I got paid twenty bucks for half an hour of that. I'm also renting out my apartment sporadically, and crashing at my good friends' dorm when I do that, so that's also been pulling in a tidy sum of money. And there have also been random jobs on the side; typing up instruction manuals for department stores and the like. If it all sounds very scrappy, that's because it really is. It's not so much that beggars can't be choosers, but that - they're fun, I need the money, so why not? I also like to think that they're good experiences to have.

As far as personal relationships go: I miss you guys in Singapore (and Australia, heh)! It's not said enough, so let it be on the record permanently here. I also miss laksa and all that other stuff (not that I put you guys and laksa on the same level... usually). But I think I'm finally fairly happy with my relationships here; it's probably a combination of changes in me as well as changes in the people I've been around. Of course, I'm not attached - although that might change soon? heh - but I'm (mostly) okay with that.

And that's about it, really. I'm not really doing anything that exciting, although I am planning to do some house swaps in the future, go places and live in other people's homes. Hopefully that will work out.

Oh, and it looks like there's a good chance the author I've been pushing for will get a contract. At least, my supervisor is really invested in getting her one too, so - fingers crossed.