The "JCPHQ"

2009-07-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

boo. i dont think ill be poastin any more stuff over here. unless for my own reference. anyone here, anyway?

^^

2009-04-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

It was so fulfilling to hear her say, "thank you, John, you really made my day."
whats more, it is her birthday.
i really didnt do much, but it meant a lot to her.
a little care and concern goes a long way.

soupy

2009-04-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

soemtimes it just doesnt pay to be kind.
today after i finished lunch, being a considerate person, i decided to return the tray with my bowls to the rack instead of waiting for the cleaners to do so.
so there was the lunch time crowd, and i moved slowly among it to get to the rack. and then suddenly this kan cheong idiot knocked my tray from the side, and caused the soup remaining in the bowl to splash out the other side - onto the sleeve of some girl's cardigan (there was one big wet spot after that) and also the back of some malay guy sitting down, who didnt look very friendly... his friend told him nvm little bit only, but there was actually quite alot. so i was there standing in the middle of the crowd holding a tray like an idiot, apologising profusely to these 2 ppl and not being able to offer tissues. worse part is i dont think they knew the accident was caused by that kan cheong idiot. luckily i got away without any scoldings or whatever.

Update 30/3

2009-03-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

So, today we had the quarterly jym break (or is it quarterly..?) and Acacia clinches 3rd again. the rankings are very similar to the previous time. shows how ppl never change. haha.

Cell outing was really too short. we barely had time to settle down nicely, play a bit of guitar hero, table soccer and monopoly, before half the group had to go. our monopoly wasnt even halfway through! but i was owning so everyone else decided to quit. leavers.
since there was no point staying when so few ppl remain (from Acacia, that is. myrtle all stayed on longer) and i was also offered a lift back on the condition i left immediately, so thats end of Acacia outing for me. we could have done so much more if there was time.

But today was a special day. where i actually had 2 cell outings. whats more, with a cell im not in. so happens the situations provided well for me to join in the Oak outing. and since its not the first time joining them, it wasnt too hard too fit in. so i joined them today for almost as long as i was with my own cell. great, triple cell fellowshipping.
-------------------------------------------------

My involvement in Venture Era aint bringing me much result. even though i have made that commitment to God, involving a significant sacrifice. i dont think im headed the wrong way now. but i see my peers having things so much easier. maybe God is saying 'wait'. but i cant be sure if He is actually saying 'No'. or maybe im just expecting too much. Confused and uncertain, i press on. im still waiting...

-------------------------------------------------
Though my recent journey has been great, and i have seen how God tested, provided and delivered me, i still do feel wary and afraid. a few warning signs are arising, though not so clear yet. i have a feeling that my next round of trials will be beginning, anytime soon. i really dont want to. i dont feel ready to let go. But bracing myself, gathering my defenses, i hope to be strengthened once again.

Doggy

2009-03-27T01:27:00.001-07:00

random photo from some time ago.

big but cute dogs belonging to my neighbour. the reason why they are sitting so nicely in the middle of the road, is because my neighbour actually trained them to do racing, and they are getting ready. haha.

but nowadays i hardly see the dogs anymore. the owner has gone away, and the maid brings the dogs downstairs once a while. no more tricks, no more entertainment. i kinda miss my neighbour. ><

random stuff

2009-03-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

well its holiday time now apparently. break away from all the projects and studies. i was pretty free during the first few days after my freedom, and i guessed i much wasted it away. but now it has been filled with activity so much that holiday isnt like holiday, in the sense that there aint much time for my own free activities at home, like learning on pipsology. havent even done 2 chapters.

i would say its a good thing to be always kept busy, provided im doing constuctive things. i guess most of them are... its packed nearly full this whole week as well as last week. but after that the plans are thin. thats the time i might go back to being bored.I was praying that i would spend my time wisely, and also to find a job. well about spending time wisely thats yet to say. but instead a job found me. yeah they actually call up students from the contacts i dunno how they obtained, and ask them to join.

im uncertain on how this career would go and how truly attractive it is. but im giving it a try for the sake of learning, even if i dont get to earn much after all. i dont see myself being very involved in this. ill just try to do as much as i can during this hols but wont go to any extents where i feel uncomfortable or too obliged.
one good thing about this job though, is that the manager in charge of me is same age as me.. even same month! but shes much shorter. haha. because of this we are able to break the junior-superior barrier or power distance between us and talk like as if we are friends. she even called me brother. lol.

results just came out. i expected a little better, but its still ok.. within expected range and not too bad. at least got improvement over last sem. hope can get A for ITP, then can cover for my whole 2nd year of deprovement! :D

French lessons

2009-02-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

Exams over, i am free! (quite outdated already)
sunny days.. keeping the clouds away..
i think we're coming to a clearer and brighter day
haha random.

Alors, my french course has ended, and im less than halfway through the textbook they made me buy. so slow lor. one whole year only do like 40 pages... now im thinking of continuing at the proper place for french. but if not, self study can do too.

a lot of french words are similar to english words, so much that you just need to know the sentence structure, and the new words can be guessed. but heres a list of words which means very different from the english words it sounds like.

blue = french word
green = suggested translation
red = actual meaning

merci - mercy - thank you

sil vous plait - silver plate - please

je suis - Jesus - I am

sympa - pitiful - nice

fille - fill - daughter

mari - a girl's name - husband

travaille - travel - work

campagne - campaign - countryside

aussi - australian - also

maintenant - maintenance - currently

parti - party - gone away

chemise - chemicals - shirt

vetements - vitamins - clothings

immeuble - immobile - building

promene - prominent - go for a walk

thinking carefully, most of them can actually be argued to have some relation between the suggested and real meaning.

Valentines..

2009-02-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

So, its valentines day. whats valentines day all about?
its just a specific day that dunnowho set aside for showing of love..but whatever for?
isnt love supposed to be ongoing everyday and not set just a specific time for?..
it turns out more like a commercial campaignwhen supply and demand for flowers and other romantic-related stuff gets a one-time high and bouquets of flowers everywhere jacks up their prices a few times.
everyone feels like its a special day which ought to be celebrated.
those married or have bf/gf needless to say who theyll go out with.
those without get left out when all their friends have gone dating,
and then they try to find other single ones to celebrate together
they get together to celebrate friendship, and also singlehood..,
something the married/steady dont get to enjoy!

but from what i see, it seems a good number of singles dont have any plans on vday.
maybe cause they just cant find other singles. maybe cause of other difficulties.
whatever it is, i dont see why i have to see valentines as a day that everyone should be celebrating, including me.
not celebrating v day should not mean lack of love.
because it is just another day.

Updated

2009-02-05T05:45:00.000-08:00

time to update again. i know hardly anyone visits this blog. but now got new ppl found my blog. but still no tagboard.. it expired long ago. and it probably will again if i restore it.

feel like deleting those emo posts, but nvm leave it for memory. no more emo posts... not emo anymore. but i still like some emo songs!
these some of my favourite emo songs

i am so lonely.. im Mr Lonely
i have nobody.. for my own
Oooooaaaahh...!

this is the song
lala lala
EMO SONG!!
lala lala
lala lala
EMO SONG!!
We love to sing
lala lala
EMO SONG!!
lala lala
lala lala
EMO SONG!!
he wrote the music
he wrote the words
thats EMO SONG!!

the last project/presentation for the semester is over! now i have 6 exam papers coming up, the nearest one just 4 days away! really man.. projects this semester had been ongoing throughout, and when its finally all cleared, i have hardly any time left before the exams. i gotta crash course now... fortunately 2 of them are rather minor papers.

2008-12-05T00:19:00.000-08:00

i long to hear your voice
Oh wont you speak to me this day
be it in a still small whisper
or a clearly audible way

i call out to you,
but i get no reply
where have you gone
Oh cant you hear my cry?

i know youre out there somewhere

i truly believe you care

but from the silence i receive

it just seems youre never there.

why have my ears been shut

that your replies dont get through?

how do i recognise your voice

so that i will know it is you?

lamentations

2008-07-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

Everything is falling apart
nothing seems to be going right.
all i had hopes on, all that i could look forward to, all that could bring a cheer to my day when i think of it, are all not happening or not any more.

Lord, is this your plan that i be in this situation?
Is it your will that i end up in this society, this environment?
was it your plan all along that my past been as such?
Looking back at the past, is just a cloud which my years disappeared into.
Looking into the future, its just a shadow of uncertainty and bleakness.
Looking at the present, i am stuck in this hostile world, with hostile environment and society.
I have nowhere to run. You hold the lamp to my path
i ought to trust in your guidance and know that you will lead me where the grass is greener on the other side. where the sun will shine brightly and flowers bloom once again.
but Lord, now all i see is darkness, even the lamp i fail to find comfort in.
All these things are tearing me down piece by piece. my morale, my esteem. laid to waste.
It makes it hard for me to find the will, strength and passion to live for you.
I just cant find the hope anymore that ill be great for you someday.

Lord, is this a test for me?
Are you doing this to humble me?
I choose to believe that you have always been there for me, watching over me
You know what i am going through and you care for me
You have allowed all these things to happen. yes it could make me stronger.
But i begin to doubt if your plan really intends for me to be great for you.
Am i really able to be, even if im fully willing? will you perform a miracle change on me?
Is this all contributing to the greater plan you have for me that i currently fail to see?
If so, Lord, i pray you show me the meaning of this.
The purpose for putting me through this, so that i may tide it through with a smile.
For then i know that all these happening is all in your plan.
As for now, Lord, please give me the strength and comfort i need to carry through this rocky and trecherous valley, doing the best i can to make things good.
Though i walk through the valley in the shadow of death, i shall fear no evil, for your rod and staff shall comfort me. Amen.

Shopping exp

2008-07-03T00:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I followed my classmates to marina square to shop. It was partly to specially help me to choose and buy clothes to try to change my image. its the first time I ever went shopping for clothes without my parents who would pay for them. And such shopping trips are uncommon either since I find clothes shopping utterly boring. So this time I was specially conscious of the costs. Furthermore its marina square – no pasar malam, brandless items or fakes. Plus the rentals cost for a location like that. So everything there was a bane to my budget. At least $10 for a simple print less shirt, 20 for a pair of shorts, 40 for jeans, and 25 for a nicer shirt. Ouch.

I always felt I don’t need to buy any new clothes. I have more than enough and I can reuse them. Shirts, I get a good supply from every event I attend. I have shorts, boxers, cargo pants, jeans shared with my brother. Footwear is all covered – slippers, sandals, formal shoes, sports shoes, plain shoes, kicks, even boots. Jeans are uncomfortable compared to my cargoes and theyre all too big for me. I would prefer to stick to my comfortable habitual attire of event t shirts, cargo pants and plain shoes. But apparently many ppl are criticizing my dressing. I don’t see whats so wrong with it.

Ok, I have a poor fashion sense. I don’t bother keeping up with fashion anyway. It seems not worth the cost. I would prefer being comfortable. But well, since now I know how much appearance matters in today’s very superficial society, I thought I could use a *temporary* change and see how it goes. Can it really get much better?

So my classmates were my fashion advisors during the shopping trip. Went from shop to shop and got all tired but I still haven’t bought anything after a long time. Fussy me would be complaining about the price (but I soon warmed up to it and after browsing the shops, found that I have to raise my budget. pain got less until I finally conceded at the ‘end’.) I also gave negative comments about whatever they chose for me and I guess they got pissed... its like I have to find the perfect item and yet want a good cost. It’s an amateur shopper’s dream but which sometimes do come true.

At Giordano the prices were lower than the previous shops plus there was discount going on so I finally bought 4 shirts from there. But I first had to try on many different stuff and show them each combination to get comments. Supposed to buy jeans too, but me being too below average in size for a normal guy, the smallest jeans available there was too big for me. Even after wearing a belt it looked baggy and weird. Then I tried on the girls jeans and it fit me well but made me look a bit gay. So in the end I bought no bottoms there. Well the shirts already added up to almost $60 - about 2 average weeks of my expenditure. I learnt for the first time how to use NETS. I really thought I had to withdraw to pay. I hope the new ‘image’ really makes a good difference to make it worth the cost.

And then there was the stupid misleading bus chart which gave me false hope that 961 would pass by, and made me waste time waiting. Luckily dawn and some others passed by and enlightened me on the truth.

spectacles

2008-04-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

Today i saw 2 special things. first, i saw Zoe tay! at about 1.30 today at holland V. at first i didnt know. there were camera crew and stuff but i still din realise it was a filming yet. then i saw this man carrying some big sun shade over this woman, then it caught my attention... like wah whos this VIP woman who needs ppl carry sunshade over her like umbrella to protect her precious skin from the sun. then i went right past her and saw her face and suddenly i got shock! its actually zoe tay! not that im a fan of her.. she actually looked quite ugly then; in those auntie pants (black color), white top with faint stripes, clogs, and a short flowerpot hairstyle. she was with an unknown actor, and during action, they did not talk. just walk towards the camera, then walk away. weird.

the second thing is a big dead rat. thats not the main attraction, but the baby rat that was left behind, just beside the dead rat. it was still alive and breathing, heart beating, but did not move. so i took it up with me on the way home, and halfway through, it started to move. first the front legs, then the back, then started to struggle, falling off my hand and wriggled into the drain. started to squeak. it could not walk properly. i thought, i it probably wont survive and i dont know how to take care of it. and nobody would want a pet rat either... so i left it on a car. a maid came along afterward and freaked out. she called another maid to see, and they were talking in a shocked manner. i went away before they suspect i put it there. i dunno what happened to it now.

school starting soon. sian. back to projects, notes, lectures, presentations and social politics. and this time its gonna be harder. what to expect.. its yr 2. But not to worry; God is my strength, in whom i stand strong.

update

2008-02-17T05:51:00.001-08:00

ok this blog is getting so dead, but i doubted anyone actually visits this place i call a blog. even the chatterbox broke down so theres no more communications system.
i shall be on my way for a nice 2 week holiday to aus tmr.
when i come back, i should start looking for work, church or elsewhere.

the mystery of the missing snails
it is general knowledge that snails dont move very fast, yet in 2 recent cases they actually.. vanished. really scary.

scenario 1
i was in church, going into the main toilet. and sudenly out of nowhere, in a place where the nearest plant is 5 metres away and across a wall, i saw a snail camping at the entrance of the toilet. i went in, had a leak of diarrhea, peed, wash hands, then took some tissue intending to throw it back to nature, but when i came out, the snail was gone without trace! i searched the whole area for it, but not even its trail can be found. its like as if within the brief 5 mins it suddenly got into action and went top speed along a planned escape route.

scenario 2
i went out one post-rainy day and along the way i saw a big snail on the grass, partially out of its shell, still alive of course. i came back a few hours later and saw a shell of the same size on the same place, but it had a big hole in it, and it was empty! could the snail have come out of its shell and find another or go around exposed like a slug? never heard of b4.

so we see that snails r really interesting creatures that can play tricks on ur mind with their antics. beware.

secondary school stats

2007-12-22T02:46:00.000-08:00

yay more stats. based on a sample of 50 secondary schools in singapore, i have found out quite some from the info i had.

i didnt know this earlier, but seeing from the cutoff points of many schools, the minimum score for normal acad is 152 and for express 188. see these magic numbers appear many times. its almost like its set by law and not demand.

the average PSLE cut off point for the express stream is 216 (standard deviation of 23) and 167 for normal academic.

the schools are quite evenly spread out across the island, with about 51% of them in the northern half and 49% in the south, but 65% are in the eastern half and only 35% in the west.

affiliation really gives students a big advantage. the difference in entry points for affilated and non affiliated students can be as much as 58 pts, in chij toa payoh. well my primary school is affiliated to nanyang girls high but obviously didnt have any help for me.

its shocking that students getting as high as 265 would opt for a school like east view sec with minimal cutoff of 188. that person could actually qualify for special stream in hwa chong or nanyang! whats going on man.

ok thats all for now. i shall look into it further next time

Statistics

2007-11-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

i was in the library when i had nothing to do and some time to kill. i chanced upon 1 of the most interesting types of books to me.
statistics.

the stats module im doing aint very interesting, but statistics are. not only can u find out things u never thought it would be and make inferences from the stats, it also tells u the magnitute of change and the process. and... its the most reliable source of information. if theres no discrepancy in the surveys, that is.

the population of singapore is increasing substantially over time, but the local population is actually falling. due to low birth rate and high migration. which means the gap between number of locals and total number is pulling in opposite directions. and the remaining population is made up of - foreigners. soon singapore will be dominated by outsiders and those who werent born here.

in every case, every year, every ethnic group, theres almost always more males born than females by about 0.5%. and the male number remains higher until they reach the 20 - 25 age group, when sudenly the male population becomes less then females. which means, men start dying off as early as their early 20s, and thereafter the gap continues to widen. i thouht we shoud be the strongest in our early 20s. the premature death rate of men is much higher than women's. there are twice as many above-80 women than men. but men are always said to be physically stronger. i guess there are many factors to it.

people are marrying later. now the 30 - 35 age group is majority. used to be 20 - 25 in the 1950s. most women give birth between 30 to 35. i was one of them. but theres still a significant number of ppl marrying in 15 - 19. about 1%.

main causes of death is cardiovascular and circulatory diseases, followed by cancer. few caused by crimes. but suicide rate is increasing every year. so much for better quality of life.

quality of education is also decreasing. in the sense that the express : NA gap has been flattening over the years. i thought it should be the opposite cos theres more schools being built to accomodate more express students. or maybe the education standard has been increasing so much that it pushes more ppl down to NA.

Enrolment in poly is currently much more than JCs, and the gap is steadily widening. there may come a time in the future where JCs lose their place here. largest discipline is engineerings, where guys make up about 75%, and total number is 3 times of the 2nd largest, which is IT. so it can be seen that there are more guys in poly. about 20% more. the poly girls fill up courses like mine. not sure about jc's ratio. NIE is majority girls. but there seems to be a noticeable disparity in the total gender-based enrollments in higher learning institutes. does this mean ...a lot more girls retain or study overseas?

Anyway... i know i shouldnt take stats too seriously cos theres other unseen influencing factors on the stats. though most of them are minor. ill be sure to spend more time with that book should i see it again, and have the time.

the fish bone

2007-11-08T03:38:00.000-08:00

yesterday night while i was eating a piece of fish, i thought it was all meat, but halfway swallowing i realised there was a bone in it. ok, nvm. i swallowed fish and chicken bones before, plus prawn shells, fingernails and fruit skins and nothing happened. So i just tried to force the bone down just like i did to previous others that went that far.

Bad idea.. it got stuck. and i tried to drink soup and eat sticky food to push it down. then i found its no use cos its no in the path of the food, but rather in the windpipe. i tried to end my finger down to investigate, but couldnt feel anything. so i went to the clinic. he shine the torch in and look all over, still cant find anything. so he said, "sorry, i cant see anyhting. so i cant do anything either. just go hospital lor." and sent me back.

I just had to tolerate it and went to sleep with the fishbone still stuck inside. it wont hurt as long as i dont swallow stuff. and it only hurts sometimes when the bone is in a position to prick my pharynx.. if thats what is called. and when it does, it would be a short but sharp pain. I just hoped that the bone would somehow dislodge during my sleep.

When i woke up, i felt the bone in some weird position. i thought it was coming out. what a false hope. so it was left with the only option of going to the hospital for some sort of surgery. i held on until after lunch, meanwhile receiving many painful pricks on my poor pharynx.

At the hospital, i had to register.. then wait... then get my receipt and referral.. then wait.. then go in for check.. the doctor couldnt find the bone again like the previous 1.. then wait.. then do x ray... then wait.. then finally i got a doctor who could find the bone. with the help of the x ray i suppose.

when doing the operation he pulled my tongue so hard it felt like it became an inch longer. and he inserted some bended tongs into my throat and made me feel like vomiting. while trying to pinch the bone he pinched my throat lining as well. but after a few attempts and throat pinches and tongue pulls it finally got out. about 4 hours was spent at the hospital just to et a bone out. he said it was big, but i find it rather small. about 2cm long.

seeing the shape of the bone, it all makes sense now. it was sharp on both ends and slightly curved. one end pierced into the wall of my windpipe, the other end which sometimes faces upwards would poke my pharynx whenever it closes. the bone is now kept as a momento.

Luckily my mom applied for insurance not long ago, so i got the bill subsidised by about 93%. otherwise it would be an unworth cost for removing a bone. just a simple food can cause so much trouble. i think ill be more scared of fish bones next time. but no doubt ill still like eating fish.

hari rayah

2007-10-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

yesterday there was a 'class gathering' at ernie's house at 3+, as part of hari raya celebration. but only 5 ppl went. only now did i know hari raya lasts a month, with constant visitors all month round.She lived all the way at hougang. and so luckily there was a direct bus from there to SP, that would bring us all the way to the neighbourhood. the trip took more than an hour. the bus fare was in the E region (1.48). after alighting we walked through a maze of flats before reaching her house.it was the first time i ever stepped into a malay or muslim household.

well decorated, with islamic scripture all over the walls. so religious family. there was a carpet covering the floor with intricate patterns. the place was stuffy from bad ventilation. The atmosphere was so bad that i suddenly randomly broke into a laughing fit while watching MTV and everyone thought i gone mad cos there was nothing funny actually. there were lots of goodies for guests to eat. we had about 15 choices to eat from. most of them were handmade by ernie. and these were supposed to be our food for the day, plus a bowl of tomato macaroni each, eaten at 4+, so far from dinnertime. if i had known i wouldnt have ate before i went.

ernie's younger brother was a super hyperactive kid, running around the place and making real lots of noise and trying to get attention. the girls think hes cute, i find him a nuisance. during the whole time we were there, we just spent the time watching 'shes the man' and MTV. so it seemed a rather unfruitful time, just sitting on the sofa wacthing tv for hours. the movie was ok, but mtv gets real boring so i kept occupied with the snacks. to spoil the movie, shane kept complaining about it. just like my dad.

halfway during the show, fiona's dad called her, and she had to go outside to have a heated argument with him over the phone, lasting 10 mins. when she came back she told us all that they been saying. i am amazed at her emotional stength. she told us everything including very sensitive topics without a trace of sadness or tears, but rather anger. both her story and the movie was interesting so i didnt know which 1 to attend to. i was waiting for some other activity, but it never came. at 7.30 we decided to go home.

as the bus doesnt go straight home anyway, i followed the rest at alighting near AMK mrt. there was a direct bus home at the place i alighted, but i decided to kill time at the place across the road.

first, i came to a supermarket, and spent about 45 mins browsing through every item sold there. window shopping, a form of education. dried seafood, vegetables, raw meat, animal organs, fruits, wine, ice cream, frozen foods, packet convenience foods, all kinds of snacks, breakfast cereals, beverages, fruit juices, milk & cheese products, rice, canned food, condiments, toiletries, hygiene & bodycare products and packeted delicacies. never been so attentive to the items in a supermart before so i found out interesting stuff about them.

next i went to a mcdonalds that was dimly lit with a cosy atmosphere and full of people. i went around observing everyone there. students studying together or alone with ipod in their ears, gossipy girls, businessmen discussing, project groups or net surfers, PSP players, casual gatherings, families. people from all walks of life, but mainly teens.

next i went to a large shopping mall with lots of fashion stores and fast food restaurants. fashion doesnt interest me, so i went back to bus stop. i just missed the bus so i went the other way into a hdb estate. i heard a ruckus coming 3 blocks away and investigated. it was a traditional taoist funeral. kneeling relatives in white burning paper beside the coffin, taoist priests chanting in indecipherable language and crashing symbals, some wind instrument blown to accompany the chants.

im glad there hasnt been taoist funerals in my estate cos its really noisy and irritating. as i returned to the bus stop the bus arrived just in time. another half hour journey home.

King Leoric

2007-10-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

A poem in an ode to the skeleton King in dota.

long time ago in a land far away
a great king in his grave peacefully lay.
but the scourge found favour in his strength
and raised him up to join the ranks

now the empowered, mindless brute
seeks to eradicate all things good.

with a vampiric blade in hand,

he brings terror across the land.

he could hurl a magic hammer at will,
stunning foes senseless, sore and still.

he derives great pleasure from inflicting pain
while drawing enemy's blood, his health to gain

seeking weak points effectively;
a critical strike kills instantly.

just when foes think that he's been slain,
up from the dust he rises again.
fully recharged and back in one piece,
their apparent win is bound to cease.

Class BBQ 27/8

2007-08-31T04:02:00.000-07:00

27 aug - class bbq event organised and hosted by shane. shceduled to meet at 4pm at yew tee mrt. i gave too little time for travel. it was only the 3rd time in my life i been on the NS line. the previous time also at yew tee, going to my pastor's house. i was walking down the train and so happens bumped into jundong. arrived late, reaching at about 4.30. i tot alot of ppl r waiting for me. but only shane, ronnie and si ting was thr. the rest of the ppl came later, meeting at the house or bbq pits. the latest arrival was jolene n yolanda, at around 10pm. altogether 17 ppl from my class came, including serping.

the fire was started by 6. some other ppl were present, like shane's ex clasmates and neighbours. but it took some time before they actually get to cooking. i went out for awhile to visit my pastor staying just nearby. so happens he was just outside the house so i didnt have to ring the bell and recieve stares from his family for my appearance. the previus time i went thr was at night, so this time i was able to see, the building just opposite his house was actually regent sec... jolene's school.

when i came back ppl were alr eating chicken wings and mushmallows in rich chocolate. i joined in and coated mine with lots of chocolate. heh heh. how nice to be able to eat without feeling guilty, while tempting the girls around to go against their vanity conscience. shane's mom made potato salad (tho nothings raw) for us, and it was the best one ive eaten. the bbq variety was rather limited, with some usual bbq food like chicken wings and satay, and an uncommon bbq food; hamburger patties. i expected to see sausages, and otak. and maybe some not so common food like squids, wrapped fish, kebabs, etc. so i decided to add to the variety by introducing my foil-wrapped chicken wing. it had succeeded b4 and i say it was good. but this time somehow my chickens were all burnt to ash despite proper wrapping. But i tried again, giving special attention, and it was success! even so, nobody really believed in my chicken and didnt want to try it. theyre all such psychocentric ppl.

after eating our fill, we went to play basketball for a while, then spent hours at the bench and the playground, chatting, drinking alcoholic beverages. some were playing cards and skating. its an awfully long time spent in idle chatter. but its a really nice place to pass time, overlooking a big canal with forest on the other side. at night, the whole place outside the compound is lighted only by the moon. and yes the moon was bright and beautiful. i even got to see a rainbow beside the moon. rainbows at night are rare occurences. there was occasional disturbance of the peace by the passing malaysian train on the railway.

there was also some things to spoil the nice ambience, especially a group of ppl who burnt tons of hell notes nearby over many hours. pollutes the air and instills creepiness. too peaceful can become creepy too.
to add to the creepiness, i think i saw 2 things that shouldnt be so. 1st, a white figure seeming like running along the corridor of yew tee primary. the size is of a primary school kid. aloysius also saw it, but at a different level and direction. 2nd, a steering wheel at the playground turning by itself. it turned at least 90 degrees. i was just 2 metres away.
both were seen by the corner of my eye, and stopped once i focused on them. and i wasnt drunk.

at 1+ we went up to the house. a whole tray of unfinished bbq food was left behind. shanes mom wanted to throw it away but i wanted to bring it home. she was reluctant at first, but after much coaxing she relented. she would rather give nice food to the dustbin than to me. it was kept in the freezer till i went home. after clearing all the stuff at the bbq area and putting i at the house, some went home, while the rest except aloy accompanied jolene in her walk home. while it may be unsafe for a girl walking home alone at that time, there was certainly no need or a gang of 11 ppl to follow. but i just went for exercise and exploration.

we came back by 2.30. i was the first to bathe in the yard toilet which was very small and had no hot water or place for hanging clothes. there were about 9 who stayed over. all those staying over took turns to bathe while the rest waited in 1 room. 4 ppl kept playing bridge and the rest had nothing to do but watch or use the laptop. i sat there watching for over an hour and got so bored and tired so i went to the living room to sleep. the living room was peaceful and dark enough for me to sleep, and i found the couch rather comfortable as a bed. soon after lying down i fell asleep but was awoken again before 7.

the fellows had just finished their business in shane's room and came out to the living room. only then did they realise i had been there all the while. it was raining and the weather chilly. the sky was just starting to light up. it was time for some of them like emily, yolanda and dawn to go back home. the rest of us hang around, watch mtv. i watched little kids stream into yew tee primary in the rain and to their clasrooms. reminded me of my first 10 yrs of education.

we wanted to wait for the rain to stop, but it seemed endless. so we decided to brave the rain and dash our way around to the mcdonalds near the mrt for breakfast. there were many students there, at a time when school should have started. mainly white top maroon bottom uniform ppl. blew $5+ on big breakfast. wanted to stay longer to exploit free coffee but they wanted to go alr. aloy went home and the remaining 5 of us went back shane's room to slack.

watched some mtv first, then spent the whole morning in the room in front of the PS, playing some boxing game, then DBZ. the whole time i kept hearing the characters yell until it stayed in my head "kamehamehaaa!!!". its strange why a jap game names sth after a hawaiian person.

at noon we went to book the pool table and played until about 2. then we went back, got our stuff and headed home.

though there was much time spent together, i felt there was hardly any bonding. this is due to the activites being not inclusive of everyone. i do not feel that i have gained much from this event. few fond memories to bring back, but at least i get to bring back nice bbq leftovers.

what is this?!

2007-08-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

My quiz result:

You Are 54% Feminine, 46% Masculine

You are in touch with both your feminine and masculine sides.
You're sensitive at the right times, but you don't let your emotions overwhelm you.
You're not a eunuch, just the best of both genders.

Are You Masculine or Feminine?

My goodness. i knew i was feminine to a certain extent, but not so feminine until im MORE OF A GIRL THAN GUY! But really.. i gave my honest answers for the quiz.. and this the rather unexpected result it produces. Gosh.. that picture is disturbing. it so doesnt portray me.

But i like the last statement.

Of cos im not a eunuch. i would go for full sex change if i ever became one.

Anyways.. despite being more feminine, i am still able to live to the title of being a 'proper' male all this while. and thats all that matters.

Bad & Best

2007-08-17T05:18:00.000-07:00

My birthday was just 4 days ago, 13 aug. And i was supposed to be celebrating in the midst of exams periods. if i could choose, i would rather be born in dec or june after all the exams. Cos every year, in every school, my birthday is always near exams, or in my case, in the exam period. the stress and all takes away my mood to celebrate, and nobody is in the mood to celebrate with me either. What a spoiler.

This year's birthday has 2 other factors that makes it seem unlucky, apart from one that occurs every year - it is the 13th. some ppl think 13 is unlucky. lucky it wasnt a friday.
- That date coincides with the first paper of my semestral exams. important exam. how was i supposed to celebrate...
- It is the 1st day of the 7th lunar month, the start of hungry ghost festival. Hungry ghost activity is supposed to be highest on the 1st and last day. And tho im not superstitious, i am still irked by the saying that hungry ghosts will join in if u hold a celebration. =.='

But this year's bd was the best so far, in terms of response. There was no big celebration like i had when i was a kid, but many more ppl remembered my bd this year, and bothered to send their wishes.
The number of wishes i received:

personally, church - 2
personally, school - 1
personally, relatives - 3
msn, church - 2
msn, school - 2
msn, other friends - 1
sms, church - 5
sms, school - 1
sms, relatives - 1
email, relatives -1
friendster testimonial - 4
blog tagboard - 1
Total: 24

Last year and the years before, it was only from relatives, and maybe a few from others.

Total material gifts received: 4
material gifts from relatives: 4

looking forward to see yet better birthdays in the future. =)

Fairyland!

2007-08-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

In a quiet green spot in my neighbourhood, a large cluster of mushrooms suddenly sprouted up... overnight. nothing like this happened here before. not that i know of, in my 16+ years living here. i know some mushrooms grow real fast, but this is unbelievably fast. strange.

mushroom clusters remind me of faerie rings. too bad these mushrooms werent in a circle.

i found another cluster several metres away. this batch is dying already.

and nearby i also found a new batch of young mushrooms rising from the earth. shall see if it blooms tomorrow.

whats strange is that.. mushrooms disperse spores by wind. so why are they growing in clusters all close together, instead of a few all over the place? interesting stuff. fairy invasion. haha.

The songs speak!

2007-07-06T06:33:00.000-07:00

dont look at the following questions yet. first list down 20 ppl who come to your mind and then spin the wheel of your ipod to get a random song. use the title of the song to try and answer the respective questions. if u try enough, most of them can! Have fun!

Now here are my 20 ppl... in the honour of DTRM 03

1.Shane
2.dawn
3.Aloysius
4.Zengkai
5.Tarcia
6.Fiona
7.Jundong
8.Genevieve
9.jiahong
10.Hazel
11.sally
12.Emily
13.shi ting
14.Jolene
15.veronica
16.ruiying
17.Louisa
18.Yolanda
19.Hafizah
20.Ernie

here are the 20 questions.

What will 1's future boyfriend/girlfriend be like?

What is 2's secret?

What will 3's life be like?

What will cause 4's doom?

What can 5 do to make himself/herself happy?

What's 6's theme in life?

What does 7 wish for the most?

What does 8 think of John?

What's 9's most common habit?

What's 10's favourite word/phrase?

What does 11 think about his/her life right now?

What would 12 do if he/she had a million dollars?

Does 13 think he/she is good looking?

If God were to appear to 14, what would He say?

What's 15's lifestyle?

How is 16's love life?

What does 17 hate most?

What will John do to 18 in the near future?

What will 19 to do John in the near future?

What does 20 think about this quiz?

Now time to spin the wheel.

What will 1's future boyfriend/girlfriend be like? (Shane)
It's gonna be me (N sync) - whao. this means the next girlfriend he gets is THE ONE for him! we shall see who it is.

What is 2's secret? (sesame streeter)
Big bad love (spring break) - oh that sounds scary. dont wanna know the details! dawn... din noe u r this kind of person! haha

What will 3's life be like? (Ah loi)
Freestyler (bomfunk MC's) - straightforward: a free and easy carefree lifestyle. nicee. enjoy!

What will cause 4's doom? (kaI kAiis)
Mighty morphin power rangers (power rangers) - omg!! this one really made me laugh! beware of the power rangers! lol

What can 5 do to make himself/herself happy? (tusser)
Dwelling places (hillsong) - i guess that means she is happy having a place to stay. granted.

What's 6's theme in life? (fiona)
How can we be lovers (michael bolton) - that could be her most commonly used phrase. she finds many guys unsuitable for her.. and rejects them.

What does 7 wish for the most? (dong dong)
Weeping (josh groban) - lol! jundong wishes he could cry! actually anyone can if they want.

What does 8 think of John? (samara)
you be in my heart (phil collins) - ok its all randomised.. i didnt make it up! thank you very much, samara. but dong dong may be jealous.

What's 9's most common habit? (nick-evilpig)
Uptown girl (westlife) - sounds funny. he behaves like an uptown girl, or mixes around with uptown girls? hah.

What's 10's favourite word/phrase? (hazel)
Its my life (bonjovi) - hmm. taking full control and responsibility of her own life. go for it!

What does 11 think about his/her life right now? (sally teo)
Sail (armin van buuren) - smooth sailing u mean. yea i could agree.

What would 12 do if he/she had a million dollars? (emirii)
Fall to pieces (avril lavinge)
LOL!! thats just so funny!! just imagine the scene where she gets a million dollar cheque...

Does 13 think he/she is good looking? (ting ting)
Be still and know (don moen) - aha... be still and look at her, then you will know the answer!

If God were to appear to 14, what would He say? (Jol)
Yesterday once more (carpenters) - Jolene... did u meet God yesterday??

What's 15's lifestyle? (ronnie)
Us (celine dion) - um.. catch no ball from this

How is 16's love life? (ruiying)
Cant help falling in love with you (F4) - omg.. so theres someone she is madly in love with.

What does 17 hate most? (luizer)
The distance (bonjovi) - tsk tsk. typical singaporean. want everything instant, nearby and convenient.

What will John do to 18 in the near future? (Your-lan-da)
moment of peace (gregorian) - well no need to wait.. im already giving her many moments of peace!

What will 19 to do John in the near future? (hafizah)
Do you know (angel city) - No... i dont know! and i hate this suspense!

What does 20 think about this quiz? (Suriani)
Winner takes it all (ABBA) - sadly this quiz is ungraded, so theres no winner.

Ok thats all. was quite fun!

Oops!

2007-06-20T03:06:00.000-07:00

You scored as History/Anthropology/LiberalArts, You should strongly consider majoring (or minoring) in History, Anthropology, or related majors (e.g., African and African-American Studies, Chinese, Classics, Cultural Studies, Economics, English, French, Geography, German, Greek, Hebrew, International Studies, Philosophy, Sociology, Women's Studies, or other Liberal Arts majors).

It is possible that the best major for you is your 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th listed category, so be sure to consider ALL majors in your OTHER high scoring categories (below). You may score high in a category you didnt think you would--it is possible that a great major for you is something you once dismissed as not for you. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it.

Consider adding a minor or double majoring to make yourself standout and to combine your interests. Please post your results in your myspace/blog/journal.

History/Anthropology/LiberalArts

81%

Psychology/Sociology

75%

Biology/Chemistry/Geology

75%

Accounting/Finance/Marketing

69%

English/Journalism/Comm

69%

PoliticalScience/Philosophy

63%

Religion/Theology

56%

HR/BusinessManagement

56%

Visual&PerformingArts

56%

Education/Counseling

50%

French/Spanish/OtherLanguage

38%

Mathematics/Statistics

38%

Nursing/AthleticTraining/Health

31%

Physics/Engineering/Computer

19%

WHAT MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
created with QuizFarm.com

done a quiz i found on my fren's blog. and it really looks like i joined the wrong course. my tourism n resort management course would be closest to 'HR/business management'. but i only got 56% for that, and its in 8th position. And history? i never took history as a subject except in sec1 and 2 where its compulsory. and didnt do very well. I wouldnt wanna see myself working as a historian in the future. i would think the sciences are more of my type. i only like to know about historical stuff, not study or investigate them.

I do prefer science (but not maths and physics) over what im studying now and i did strongly consider putting a Chem & life sciences course as priority on JAE, but i decided on DTRM after considering my future careers. the tourism sector seems more interesting than being stuck in a lab all day. so... this quiz shall not make me regret being in my current course.

Young achievers

2007-06-15T02:46:00.000-07:00

I have just uploaded a Hayley Westenra song onto this blog. its the only song i heard where the singer sings really high pitch but not awfully... in fact to me its quite nice. hers is a kinda sweet childlike voice. Shes got a beautiful face to go with it.

most of Hayley Westenra's songs are nice. one of them ive listened to many times (over 50) over the past 1+ years and still find it as nice as before. Her songs are of acquired taste.. after listening the first few times it gets more pleasant. but some ppl dont like it at all. need skill to appreciate. haha

A new zealander (tho her name doesnt sound native), Hayley has been singing for the public since 6, had her first music contract at 14, made at least 2 albums; the first one being a no1-selling for some time, and recently started acting in movies. And shes only 20! Really couldnt tell at first. Imagine Ernie in her place! (nvm whoever dunno who is that.) Theres another girl i noe of though, who is also 20 and has a few albums and also acts in movies.. and that is Hilary duff. also quite pretty, also quite a sweet voice (but doesnt use it properly). only in a few songs like 'Last christmas' can i detect Hilary's voice sweetness. i like both of them, but their songs are very different. one is classical and operaish, another upbeat and lively.

I admire Hayley's singing tho i know i can never sing like her (cos i cannot go so high pitch for instance.) The person whose singing i also admire and can most closely emulate would be Josh Groban. but still cant get it right. hes a little too low. ah well.. i dont plan to be a singer anyway.

Superstar Virgo!

2007-05-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

Star cruise on board Superstar virgo, 23 to 25th may 2007

A nice name for a start. named after my favourite zodiac sign. huge ship. but i noe theres bigger ones.

The cruise wasnt a heavenly experience, but memorable. also enjoyable and relaxing at times. A special treat to my eyes cause theres lots of nice and beautiful stuff to see, be it the interior of the ship, the outdoors and the scenery, as well as the short getaway on pulau redang. And of course, the company of my friends and coursemates enhances the experience.

DAY 1

was running late for meeting at SP. so i was in a hurry and forgot to bring my camera which i left to charge last night. BIG mistake cos theres so much good scenes to take. i realised b4 i arrived at SP, but i was late so i couldnt go back to get it. We gathered in MLT first, had more briefing , then went to harbourfront. waited in a long Q for immigration. the Q wasnt moving so i tot had a long time b4 boarding and went strolling around, go toilet n buy drink. then dawn found me n told me everyone else is on board the ship alr! so unlucky that just when i went away, the Q started moving fast. So we had to wait in another long Q.

I went to my cabin 8511. on the 8th floor and at the end. the rest of the ppl all on 9 floor. watch abit of tv, laze around, then at 5.40 i go n bathe. not used to the shower there so i took a long time slowly bathe. My roommates went off i din even noe. tv still on summore so i tot still got time. then i finish alr, check my clock.. alr 6.10... supposed to meet for dinner at 6.! Then i also dunno where to go for dinner so i go reception.. they gimme the list of restaurant. i went pavillion first, then mediterranean, and finally found them at bellavista. =.=" By then alr 6.30 and i missed appetisers. But i managed to catch up later. For that dinner we all had to dress nice-nice cos of the restaurant dress code. But really nice to see everyone so well dressed.

After dinner some filipino tourguide took us to tour the ship. see the restuarants, facilities, entertainments, etc. then we were free to roam. I followed the 9087s guys and 9077s girls to borrow twister and pictionary, then together went to the guys room to play. 11.50, went for mediterranean supper! but not much nice stuff la. Then hang around talk abit, walk around the ship, go KL's room do nth, then tired alr.. go back to my cabin n sleep. alr 2am but my roommates still not back.

DAY 2

Woke up abit late. about 8.30. rushed down for breakfast. joined the 9087s guys; they finished first and left without me. then i arrived at lido late. hope no demerits taken. had hours of talks in the theatre and almost fell asleep. others were too. then we went to see the kitchen in groups of 15. very big, connecting pavillion and bella. came back to lido, had disembarkation breifing, then dispatched for lunch. joined the 9087s and 9077s to lunch at pavillion. goood chinese foood in large qty cant finish. all the chicken feet went to me.

After that we went to visit the casino. but cannot play. by then the ship had stopped on unstable waters and causing all of us to become giddy and seasick. coundnt listen to casino manager giving talk.

at 3+ we got off the cruise ship, and took a boat to pulau redang. the people on my boat went high and crazy and started yelling nonsense and singing at top of their voice. especially shane and fiona. at redang, we first had a boring talk at some hall, then go over to a disco for another boring talk. only at 4.40 were we released to do whatever we wanted on the island. most of them went to swim in the clear waters or play beach games. i borrowed dawns cam and went around exploring the place by myself and taking pics. quite alot of interesting stuff around.

a stupid looking statue.

a forest atop a hill.

squirrels running above your heads

looks like a graveyard to me. but no markings.

playtime over at 6. we gathered at the jetty n took another boat back to cruiser. this time got aircon, nicer seatsand the ppl werent so high. from then on, free and easy! went back to cabin to watch disney channel. had dinner at mediterranean buffet. found the 9087s and 77s crowding around a small table outdoors, some still in wet swimming attire. no space so i had indian food by myself indoors and came out for bbq food later.

After dinner joined the group at 9077, play bluff n bridge but i din play. got so sian so i used the cam again, go around the ship taking night scenes. Got back to my cabin at 11+, enjoy a long warm bath, then slept at 12+.

DAY 3

set alarm at 8, but it was accidentally set to 8pm, so slept until 9.20. roommates took so long in the toilet. by the time i wash up no time for breakfast. went to helipad, but nobody there. so quickly had some pastry. time come to take class photo, nick was still sleeping in the room and the 9087 and 77 gang were nowhere to be seen. turned out that they all accompanied fiona in 9087 during her suffering of an injury.(and fell asleep in the process.)

went to pack up and check out at lido. nick offered to carry my bag (and ended up creating problems.) had lunch at medi, took a outdoor seat facing the sea by myself, then later somehow the 9077s girls picked the table behind me, like they knew i was there. the restaurant was short of tables, so some of my classmates couldnt eat.

Soon, the ship went past sentosa just a few metres away, giving us a great view of the forest, fort siloso and other stuff. too bad the camera was totally out of bettery so i couldnt take photos. The ship docked at harbourfront and we got off the ship. nick was nowhere to be found and uncontactable during that time, but i thought my bag was still with him. so i even went past the checkpoint without my bag. then finally we contacted them and found out the bag is still in the cabin and i din noe. worried for awhile, then approached the staff to get my bag. in the end it was sent over, intact. phew, what a relief.

we went viviocity supposedly to watch movie but in the end didnt. the class had alr split up by then, and i went with the 3 89-ers to carls jr for refreshment and idle chat until 5+, before i made my way back to home sweet home.

Study study study, earn more money?

2007-05-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

yes i do believe in that; the soul is willing but body is weak.

my accumulated work and things to do is getting more with each passing schoolday. And its not because theres too much to do, but cause of neglect.

i keep telling myself i have lots to do and even listed it all out to try to scare myself into action. But my procrastinative character took the better of me everytime. So i delay and delay.. and end up not finishing what i have to do. Bal c/d into the next day.

The long break before the start of poly has really turned me lazy and playful. Now im far from having that perseverance and motivation like i did before O levels. and i dont noe how to get it back.

Now i have a little more time cause of e learning, so i need not worry about more work coming in... but i alr wasted 1 day doing close to no work. arrghs. need some serious reformation soon. CAs are looming not far away.

Farrer Court Farewell

2007-05-05T02:39:00.000-07:00

The verdict is out - farrer court will be en-bloced. The 80% quota has been met. Not surprising, after a previous update showed that only 4 more sigatures were required. Obviously those 4 places couldnt hold out much longer. Many residents were in a hurry to clinch the deal and sell the units before the price should fall. Although the 'bubble' isnt expected to burst soon, ppl r just being kiasu because we were given a very good price. well in a situation like this, u can only be either kiasu or greedy. but actually yeah.. the price is alr so good, so i wun expect it to rise much more. better to be kiasu.

But i objected to the en-bloc not cos im greedy for a higher price, but cause i dont wanna move out of farrer court. I once even wanted to use farrer court as a heirloom, some time before the en-bloc idea came out. (now i noe it cant cos the lease is 99 yrs) It holds sentimental value more than any other place. I been living here since the day i was born, and since im not sum1 who goes out alot, i spend most of my time here. Although most memorable events happen outside, my home is like my shelter and refuge from the whatever hustle and bustle going on; a safe haven. A place i can find peace and quiet.

I like this place. the location, the position, and the view. im on the 8th level, and thats just nice, the same level as the canopy of that big angsana tree a few meteres away, so theres a nice view of the canopy, and shades from direct sun. around that tree there are also a lot of artificially planted bushes and short plants of diffrent colours and with flowers, and the rest of the area covered with a field of grass, making the view all natural and nice. A big old tree another several metres away would be covered in bright yellow flowers during a part of the year. Birds would frequently rest in these trees. sometimes there would be interesting birds, like some kind of white parrot, small blue or yellow birds and some pigeons not like the ones found pecking crumbs at some neighbourhood void decks in swarms. There would also be some animal visitors one in awhile, including a giant big-beak bird on my ledge when i was a small kid, praying mantis, a pigeon that made a nest among the aircon cables and recently a group of minahs coming into the kitchen, eating our apples and leaving shit on the table.
On the other side of a wall nearby, i can see a big bungalow which belongs to a series of really expensive houses along leedon road. this bungalow is only rented not owned. when theres no occupants, a guard would be patrolling the compound day and night. when there is, the whole place including the plants there would be lighted up and there would be some festivity going on.Outside the windows of the other side, the view is of leedon heights, which is separated from my block by just a small field, leedon road, and after a drop downwards, a small canal, and the footpath. The occasional passing of cars on leedon road as well as the people jogging or walking dogs along the sides of leedon rd and the footpath adds life to the area, making it not seem like a secluded place, yet not making it a busy place disturbing the peace. (the recent tunneling project very nearby has added a great amount of disturbance.) the view In between the leedon towers as seen from my window, is of a whole forested area, which i found out, is owned privately, with a nice big house in the compound. Farrer court is somehow mainly resided by midage workers or elderly. hardly see bunches of kids playing around. some buildings like mera saga, holland hill mansions, holland close HDB flats and the MOE building can be seen from my window. at a slightly higher storey, the ulu pandan CC, which is very near my former school, a singtel tower which is just adjacent to SP and chimneys of the jurong industries sprouting fire can also be seen. sometimes at night, the fire can get real big and lights up the sky with an orange tint. if i would like the taste of a busy main road from the window, a small portion of farrer road is also visible. the absence of tall buildings nearby other than the leedon towers and block G allows me a good view of the vast blue sky and its clouds.

i dont know if i can find and get another place like this or better. Today i went with my dad and uncle who is an estate agent to look around at some condos and view 2 units up for sale at pine grove and the sterling. The pine grove unit is on the 16th floor, good wide view, but when the sun is up it heats up the living room. The location is good.. very near my school and the mrt and rather accessible. the place is rather cosy if its enclosed and airconned, but if not it will be stuffy. the ceiling is very low and some parts have no ventilation, others quite poor. The rooms are quite small but theres 4 bedrooms and some extra spaces around. but in total shd be smaller area than my current unit. Since we wont agree to bear the hefty cost of aircon all day long, i guess we have to reject it. As for the sterling, its much worse. on the 8th storey. hardly any view. the windows are all in 1 direction only. 2 of them looks out into some junkyard beside the malaysian railway and a trek of wild vegetation. when the train passes its sure to create a din. the 3rd one looks out to a wall and the neighbour's kitchen window. eew. the study room is extremely small and only got 4 rooms in total. the facilities doesnt look good either. and the swimming pool environment is so plain. we also went to view the marbella and cavendish park.. quite nice but may not have units on sale, and even if there is it may be too expensive. But wherever we may finally move to and settle in, i know for sure, things will never be the same as before.

A new school life

2007-04-20T04:04:00.000-07:00

Its been a week since the official start of poly. And im warming up to the place and system.

I HATE having to use notebooks in school. my dad refuses to buy a new laptop, so im stuck with joel's old and lousy laptop. its a price to pay for getting a new desktop. joel boasts of it being a gaming laptop, but its slow! and the best game it can play is prolly dota. and many other laps can do that too. Its also relatively very heavy. adds a big burden to my bag everyday.

And if u study in SP, youll need to do soemthing called self certification on ur laptop if its not bought from the SP vendors. its meant to model the system to be what SP desires it be, and allows access to certain SP websites and connection to SP wireless. compulsory. its like the whole thing gets reformatted, everything on it erased, and then i have to manually install many programs and make many changes according to a thick manual to refer when doing SC.

Its a super sian thing. I did it on monday. i went there after school at 12+, and it lasted until 6+. I didnt have lunch first. So during my time locked up in that cold room i was all hungry, and that catalyses the sian-ness. Almost a torture. It was my new record: 11 hours of not eating anything at all, while none of the time spent sleeping. only had plain water. I totally skipped lunch and got home to eat dinner.

There are also other problems with this laptop that my classmates call antique. Due to incompatibilty of the system, a few programs couldnt be installed during SC, for example windows xp professional. So i might face some problems in future should i need the program. The comp's quite slow in loading stuff, so its rather inconvenient. After 3 years of wearing out, the battery is totally screwed up now. after charging for 3 hours it can only last without power for 5 minutes. Buying a new laptop from the school would have made things much easier and better. Plus its at a discounted rate, about 30-40% cheaper than outside price.

My transition from sec school to poly marks a beginning of a new school life, and that means a new chance to do things that i couldnt or didnt in sec sch. An example would be CCAs. i dont know what got into me.. in sec sch i only had 1 cca and i was rather bochup about it. Now, theres so many ccas that interest me... like campus crudase for christ, which ill likely join, theatre compass , CADC (i went for its orientation camp), student enterpreneurs, student exchange and for a moment i even considered choir! I have to make my decision.. at max ill have 2.

The school of business is overrun with girls. in my class theres 6 boys and 16 girls. and even larger ratio than the previous 11: 28 in sec 4.

Poly isnt so much like i expected and feared. if i knew it was like that from the start, maybe my desire to go jc wouldnt have developed. i expected poly to have a very irregular timetable. well it isnt as regular as sec sch.. it changes every week, but it always starts at 9. A good timing, cos sp is on the way from my moms office and the time is right, so she can fetch me to school everyday! a blessing in disguise to going SP, by the fact that i have no direct bus. initially i stayed in SP and didnt appeal to same course in ngee ann cos i heard SP is better on the whole than NP. SP grads enjoy their poly life more than NP grads, the lecturers and school system is also more efficient. (i have direct bus to ngee ann.) I also expected poly to be very project and hands-on based. but no, for my course its mainly academics. projects make up only about a quarter of my score. I didnt know poly also had CCAs, and theyre so 'on' about it. Cos joel has no cca. (CCA was one of the attractions to jc at first) And i also wanted to have a new uniform. i didnt wanna go poly cos i dunno how to dress up. But a special feature of my course is that starting from 2 may onwards, students will have to wear formal attire on thursdays, and smart casual on others. Strict checks will be taken to ensure our dressing meets the requirements, and failure results in penalty. So its almost like uniform! i kinda like it. =)

Poly, here i come

2007-03-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

At last, i have made up my mind. I am going to poly. It may sound like a weird on strange decision cos i always wanted to go to JC since a long time before my O levels until recently. In a way i was forced to go poly, cos i was posted there and my appeals to JC failed. But i alr made up my mind just before the results of my appeal came out.

I appealed to both CJC and SRJC. I fully understand why my appeal to CJC failed. Their cut off was 12. But i dont understand y my appeal to SRJC failed too. Their cutoff is 20. And i got 15 points. Maybe the principal was suffering depression when he looked at my appeal. I dont believe that everyone who got into srjc got better grades than me.

Well anyways, that just makes me more certain of going to poly. I was posted to Tourism n resort Management in SP, and i heard that its quite a popular course. So i should be grateful that i got in. And SRJC isnt anything fantastic too. The building looks very ordinary and quite old. Theres also a lot of malays and indians there. Not that im racist, but its easier to relate to ppl who r same race. At first i wanted to go SRJC because i was prepared to go JC, and not prepared to go poly. And since i wasnt posted to CJC, i still wanted to go JC so the next best option was SRJC. Almost certain i could get in.

But its better now that i didnt.I dont know whats in store for me in this course... and im not sure whether its even my interest or my forte. Im scared that its not my cup of tea and i end up screwing up. And gotta prepare for tough competition. But anyways, wherever i go, i just need to work hard and put my heart into it, and it should be fine. Wish me luck, peeps! =)

Serve Ends

2007-02-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the last day of my serve programme. Now my weekdays are all free again. Previously i had not enough free time to relax. Now i got too much free time that it becomes boring. I hope that i can get into JC so i can start school soon, and not wait a few more months till poly starts.

Everyone in serve was told to wear more formal on the last day of serve.. and i went in one of my most formal outfits, and i was very extra cos only a few were as formal as me, the rest just smart casual. Anyways, alot of ppl brought their camera to take some final pics with each other as momentos.. and i forgot to bring mine.

We had holy communion and the wine n bread was passed among the group. and i was the last person to have it. so actually i could finish all the bread n wine (which was alot when it came to me) then they sudenly change - the wine n bread is brought in front, free for all to take. so since i was behind they crowded around n finished it all.

AFter we were released i went with my group to suntec city. I was told we were gonna have dinner together, so that means theres much activity in mind alr. but it turned out that we just wandered around looking for things to do, and alot of time wasted, very boring.

we had lunch at secret recipe and the stuff there is so damn expensive. i ordered fish n chips $12. Then the orders of the other ppl came fast, but even after they finished, my fish n chip havent come yet.so we go check and they said it did not get registered! Stupid screwed up register caused me to wait so long and they didnt even offer any compensation. 4 of us actually. 2 of them ordered some irish dish, and there was some commotion between the ppl and the waiter.. i heard they cancelled so i tot it applies to mine also. Then the person beside me (who cancelled his order) went to buy a piece of cake and i also followed. Then i went back to sit while waiting. And suddenly 2 fish and chips arrived (1 for me) and i panicked. Only the irish thing got cancelled, the fish and chips was not! I quickly rush to the cake corner and i was just in time. the person was about to cut the cake and i shouted "XCUSE ME! STOP! HELLO.. CANCEL!!" Its like he didnt hear me until a few seconds later. Lucky he didnt cut the cake. Phew.
And so me n the other fish n chip guy ate while those who finished eating long ago just watched us eat. quite embarrassing. all their fault. but i didnt ask for compensation anyway.

After lunch, a few people went home already, so our group was quite small. We went to the cinema.. look around.. say wanna watch this or that.. deely dally... and in the end we didnt watch anything. Then we went bowling.. look around.. ask the counter on whatever stuff.. watch ppl play.. discuss wanna play anot.. then in the end never bowl. Then we went to the arcade. Look around the whole place, and finally we did something. We bought a few tokens and used it all on one machine. Some lame game where u just keep banging the color buttons.

After that we had no other plan in mind alr. i guess they would just wander around again. i very sian alr so i went home, together with 2 others. We went down to the mrt track there alr then i realised that upstairs got direct bus home! too late alr. i tap the card alr. if i exit maybe gotta pay also. and the mrt is more expensive, plus the nearest station is so far from my home. gotta take bus from there, but my card no more money after mrt ride. and my wallet only got 50 cents. so pathetic.

When i alighted the mrt, it was raining outside. i had no choice but to walk home in the rain, wearing formal attire. It can be refreshing walking home in rain in singlet, shorts n slippers, but its really awful with formal attire. The rain started to get really heavy halfway, and i had to hide under a flat for some time before the rain became lighter and i walked to church.

There was actually some stuff to do in church, but when i reached they just finished it and could go home alr. but they stayed on for some reason. nothing to do.. so i went home.
It was a rather interesting day, up to the time i reached home.

Living together in harmony

2007-02-04T03:33:00.000-08:00

Check this out. i took this photo during one of my exploration trips. initially i wanted to take photo because of the pigeons. then i realised the whole scene could actually portray some kind of racial harmony. It could be used as a poster for some 'living harmoniously' campaign, or for picture conversation in english oral exams. hahaha.
.................................................................................................................

The picture shows 4 ppl - a middle age indian man, young chinese girl, old chinese man and a malay man. The girl is holding some funny orange object, like a toy, and seem quite interested by it. The old man is pointing to the object and talking to the indian man. the indian man is giving his attention to the 2 of them. All 3 are smiling and enjoying each other's company. The malay man is sleeping, just next to the chinese.

1. the picture portrays inter-racial harmony, cos the major races are there, except ang mohs, who wont stay in these kind of place. There are 2 chinese ppl to symbolise their majority status. Haha.

2. The picture portrays harmony and interaction among the different age groups. Despite the age differences, the ppl can still take interest in a common thing. (heck care the malay)

3. The malay man may seem bochup about interaction cos hes sleeping, but that could alternatively show that the community is so peaceful u could just fall asleep beside all kinds of people.

4. The pigeons show that even the animals live harmoniously with humans!

5. The feeding of pigeons signify a simple life. Cos they have nothing better to do. --> they dont have a good job --> prolly cause of poor education. --> chances are, they dont speak a common language well. Even if they are retired n the girl got no school, if they had a good job, they will have money --> they wont stay in such lousy estates. So... ppl can live harmoniously even though they cant communicate well!

And.. ppl stereotype poor communities as high crime rate, but hey... these simple ppl are harmonious with each other! Lets rejoice in the peace we have in our nation!

A job at last!

2007-01-09T03:38:00.000-08:00

For more than a month, i have been making countless futile attempts to secure a job to last me till school starts again. Instead, i found out that i could go for SERVE, cos it doesn clash with my schedules nor school. I may only need a day off to collect O results. Serve is not a job... but i still do get a little bit of money as allowance.

I do encourage this giving of allowance to servers, even though its not necessary. Cos if its not given, some of the youths would not go serve and instead take up a job in fear of having an empty wallet during the year ahead.During this period, its also very normal for everyone to be doing jobs and earning $$. So if during the whole time i havent earned any money while all my peers are having hundeds and maybe thousands of dollars added to their name, id feel like a failure.

These are my failed attempts of securing a job.

1. Just after my sec school ended, i immediately searched for job alr. I got a job as a telesaler working for starhub. the office was sumwhere near the new national library. I even attended the 2 training sessions and was ready to start work. Then my boss suddenly told me im not suitable for the job cos he can tell that im sum1 who do not talk alot. So i dun have the personality required for the job. Stupid guy wasted my time at training.

2. Went for interview for job as waiter at some restaurant at club street. It was a very nice place in a quiet but not desolate location, nicely furnished and decorated. Got direct bus to go there summore. I was excited to work there. Then during the interview, his first question was: 'how old are you?' 1st question fail alr. he said i was too young cos theres a bar in the restaurant, so age limit is 18. Forgot to ask him that over the phone. wasted my travel time.

3. Got a part time temp job as a christmas card seller. i got the job, but its a very irregular job and wont last for long cos ppl wil only buy card during a short period of time before christmas. Can be quite lucrative if i sell alot. 40% commission but no hourly rate. i was lazy and doubted the card's sellability, so i only took 10 packs of cards and sold it at church, used the remaining 2 packets for myself and then quit the job.

4. Apprached my pastor to ask for job in church. But he cant grant me that cos he would be busy with serve so he cant be there to supervise me and make sure i dont slack.

5. Asked my friend working in fullerton hotel to recommend me a job there. (cant do the same job as her cos its female-only.) She gave me the number and email add for the HR dept. I called and they said theres vacancy (but din say for what job.) So i wrote in a resume applying for whatever position i qualify for. it took 2 weeks for them to reply: no available position.

6. Found a job nearby - at holland road. Caltex petrol station. Me n my fren went for interview... and same as the 2nd job... too young! Also limit 18. I applied for either cashier or pump attendant. I tot.. i surely qualify n no alcohol, drugs n stuff. The manager explained: Cashier - have to sell cigarets. so i have to be of smoking-legal age too. Pump attendant - petrol is potentially hazardous, so i cant be trusted to handle it. Wth....

Between these 6 instances where i went personally to the workplace, theres many failed attempts over the phone, where i found out some stuff about the job that put me off, or i tell them stuff n they say i dun qualify, or no more vacancy. The jobs include - hamper packing, hospital assistant, banquet waiter, bellboy, stock counter and floor staff.

Ah well... my next 2 months is occupied now and i need not worry about getting bored at home, wasting time, or having an empty wallet. Hehe.

Beginning and End

2007-01-01T00:51:00.000-08:00

A very happy new year to all! Only this year did i notice how terribly close Christmas is to the new year. Good or bad thing?i dunno. Its kinda cool that the beginning and the end occurs at the same time. That is, the end of the past year and the beginning of tHe new year.

Whenever it comes to the last half an hour of the year, i always get super sentimental... i spend the whole time flashing back on the events & experiences during the year; how i have changed during the year or how those events have changed me, and getting myself mentaly prepared to put whatever undesirable things onto the departing train and welcome the new year with a fresh start.

Last night i experienced what it was like to have a year passed in the blink of an eye. And it came so swiftly i was caught unprepared. Since there was no nightwatch service so i spent the last hours of the year at home. I thought there were a few minutes more, so i went about doing my own stuff. And when i was peeing halfway, i suddenly heard lotsa screams and the host on TV shouted "HAPPY NEW YEAR SINGAPORE!!" So of course i knew what that meant and i was like "what? the year has passed already? so fast? hey, im not ready yet!!" I had this kind of feeling like as if the train left without me. Haha. Anyway... what a place to spend the first second of the new year - in front of a toilet bowl! Lucky im not some superstitious person, if not it may signify bad luck of some sort.

Just after the new year began, the first thing i did was to bring the new year greeting to all my online contacts on msn. But there were only about 15 of them, and less than 10 responded. So i extended the greetings to those who werent online or responsive by a tag on their blogs. For those who dint have blogs... 2bad! haha.

As commonly practiced, a new year comes with new year resolutions! So what r everyone's resolutions? As for me, right now the biggest wish is to be filled with joy and satisfaction when i collect my O lvl results in 1+ months time. Other resolutions can be made further in the year, cant it? haha =)

Joy 2 the world!

2006-12-25T01:01:00.000-08:00

A very merry christmas to all! I notice that evry christmas some ppl, including christians, will use the word XMAS instead. Now i really dislike that word. X is sumtimes used as a word censor, just like in this case. And the word censored out is Christ. Whats christmas without christ? So actually wishing ppl Merry Xmas is no meaning.

Morningmare!

2006-12-05T21:05:00.001-08:00

Early this morning, i had a series of short unpleasant or scary dreams, of which the last one woke me up prematurely. (Since it happened in the early hours of morning, i call it morningmares.)

Its actually been a long time since i had nightmares, and an even longer time since it was this bad. I was actually in cold sweat for the next few minutes after i woke. I did not watch any shows or read any books on horror or paranormal stuffs, so i dunno y it hapens. There were many dreams in that series, but i only remember a few. they may not be in sequence.

In one of them, i was at a place like a shopping centre, outside a toilet. the whole place was dark, unlit and desolated, except for 1 small light from the toilet. I was supposed to be a vegetable seller! I was sitting at that corner on a stool, with some birdcages beside me. inside these cages, there were vegetable leaves packed together in the shape of birds! super weird. Of course, it made no sense trying to sell vegetables at a deserted building at night, and outside the toilet. Then, i saw 2 torchlights shining around and approaching from the darkness. they were being held by invisible people! in quickly dismantled 1 of the veggie birds n covered myself with the leaves.

Next, i was on a SBS bus. there was bright moonlight lighting up the place outside. evryone on the bus was sleeping. the outside place was unfamiliar, and i din noe where the bus was heading. the bus kept travelling n it didnt reach any familiar places. there was also no bus stops outside. i felt very lost n helpless. Then, following a few moments of pause, the next scene only lasted a few seconds: there were messes of bloody stuff on the seats, cant tell what they are. sth like entrails. The circular handles hanging from the ceiling (for ppl to hold) was replaced by hooks of the same size, with pieces of flesh hanging from them. Its like some mad serial killer suddenly took over the bus during that moment's pause.

Next, i was in my school. the sky was covered with dark clouds. i was on the 2nd storey of the classroom block. i looked down onto the quadrangle; The quadrangle had been turned into a cemetery, with typical western-style stone tombs on it! then, a parade of people approached from the main gate. they were short figures in white robes. 8 of them were carrying 2 coffins to the cemetery n the rest followed behind. i ran to the science block, which overlooks the soccer field, and i found that the field had also been turned into cemetery! the main thought in my mind: how and why did my school become like this?!

And this is the dream that woke me up. I was in some unknown large indoor place. i was at the entrance of what seemed like makeshift temple. it was just a room with a large altar in it. (cant make out the figure on the altar, but it had 2 glowing globes at the sides.) Suddenly, a person with a plastic bag wrapping his head came running past me and into the room. once in front of the altar, he took off the plastic bag. He stared at the altar with a really horrified expression and then started screaming.Then i woke up.

I was still semi-conscious, but i couldnt get to sleep again. after goin back to sleep for a few moments, new nightmares would attack me. But i eventually became so sleepy that i just fell asleep nevertheless. haha.

Vietnam

2006-11-30T01:32:00.000-08:00

From 24 – 29 dec, I was in Vietnam for holiday. Usually the places would be different. But this time, it is the tour that differs more.

Vietnam isn’t a very fascinating or unusual place. Some parts are just like Singapore back in the 1970s and others like rural and modern china. The only thing different abt that place is that motorcycles outnumber cars at least 10 to 1. Even at winter season, the air temp is higher than in Singapore. The time there is 1 hr behind SG and the sun sets at about 6pm, which means sunset occurs simultaneously in the 2 places. The local food is also very much like Chinese food. Just an occasional new style of cooking. If u talk abt a Vietnamese cuisine in whole, it’s a rather limited one. And on the average the dishes don’t require as much skill as Chinese cuisine dishes. U don’t find nicely furnished cyber cafés there. But theres a few internet centers around. Slow internets and comps, lousy envt, no games, but very cheap – only 30 cents per hour.

The tour package for the Vietnam trip was quite a relaxed one. Lots of free time and traveling time. Included a few unwanted visits to temples. Only traveled between Saigon and Vungtau. And the sightseeing was not very splendid either.

Day 1 – arrived in Vietnam n check in the hotel by late afternoon. Rest of the day was free. Spent some time at the LAN shop n after that watched TV in the room. It had cable TV channels like nat-geo and MTV. My parents went around the streets for shopping.

Day 2 – first thing in the morn, travel to Cu-chi to visit the warzone during the Vietnam war. There were remnants of the war like bomb shells, American tank rubble, traps set up by the Vietcong and the tunnel network. They purposely made the tunnels real small so that those fat American soldiers cant go in!
After that, made a trip to Vungtau n rested at a seaside hotel overlooking the south china sea. Unlike the beaches in SG, u cant see any islands in the sea horizon background. Just plain blue sea. Had dinner in a restaurant where a wedding dinner was going on. The couple greeted us at the entrance, unaware that we r not one of their invites. Ppl took turns to go on stage to sing karaoke. So loud n noisy that we cant eat in peace.

Day 3- visited the nearby Jesus statue. It was about 8 stories tall n located on the top of a hill. Had quite a bit of exercise climbing up the hill n statue. 2 ppl at a time can stand in the outstretched arms to gaze at the scenery below. After that, we made our way back to Saigon. Another long n boring coach ride.
Dinner was held on a cruise ship in the Saigon river. Throughout the cruise, there were performers singing along with a band, and also a firedance. We rested at the same hotel as the 1st day.

Day 4 – went to the Mekong river for a sampan ride. Visited the villages there, where theres homemade candy and fruits fresh from farms for sale. Had an idea of the rural villager’s lifestyle there. After that, we were dropped at a large market to shop for 2 hours. We had dinner at a nearby hotel before going back to our hotel. Rest of night is free time.

Day 5 – had more free time till 11am. Spent it doing more shopping to use up all the Vietnam money before we return to SG. Then, we packed our stuff n boarded the bus to the airport. Time to go home! Those 5 days went by really fast. Perhaps cos we dint do much during the trip.

#1 ROD night

2006-11-22T20:12:00.000-08:00

The past 2 days have been quite long for me. And I didn’t have time to blog abt it yesterday.

On Tuesday evening, I went for scouts ROD. It was held at downtown east at pasir ris. I din noe the journey would take so long, so I left 1½ hr before the schedule, thinking I would be early, but I was half hour late. Halfway thru my journey in the MRT, it started to rain heavily outside. I was worried for the bbq. But at pasir ris, there wasn’t a single drop of rain. Haha. God cares for all those ppl having bbq.

When I reached the entrance, the ppl on guard were repairing some spoilt machine, so I could enter without paying a dollar for a stupid chop. Haha. The whole area was smoky, cos everywhere I go there were ppl barbequing. I found my chalet without much difficulty, and the folks alr started BBQing. Much less than expected number of ppl turned up. Almost all the sec4 scouts, a few sec3 scouts, 4 graduating guides and only 1 sec 2. It was supposed to be organized by the sec3s, but not a single sec3 guide turned up. U can see now that girls r lazier. Haha.

Mr Chan served me a bowl of mee siam and some freshly bbqed food while I waited for more food to cook. So it does pay to be late sometimes. The other sec 4s had to cook their own food! The sec4s piled all their cooked food onto plates and laid the table. After my mee siam, I joined them to feast, without cooking anything myself. Haha. They all din say anything anyway. The problem was not a food shortage, but finishing the food. We had to discreetly feed the dustbin with leftovers.

After dinner, we sec4s went to the arcade, but I din play anything. Then we went to some xbox shop to rent 1 to play. I just watched them play. Bored after a while, I went back the chalet, where I found the sec3s playing poker cards. I joined them for a few games. The sec4s returned later and we played more cards till abt 12. The whole area was like a gambling den. Everyone was playing cards.

By 12+ I was very tired so I just lied on the only unoccupied bed, which was in the girls room, and tried to sleep. The girls noticed me trying to sleep there, but they din really bother. I was falling sick n my nose was running like a tap. I stuffed my nose with toilet paper, but it got drenched until the liquid ran into the bed sheet. Eew. The girls (and a guy) just continued playing cards, making a lot of noise and turning on the ipod on loudspeaker. I only managed to sleep after they went outside for supper and I could have my peace. That was about 2am.

3 of the guides had stead, and they all called their stead to come to visit them, dunno for what. Jurvia n Eugenia’s stead agreed to come, and Huiyi was tring to convince her stead to come, but he was reluctant. So the other 3 girls took turns to scold him over the phone n force him to come. I wonder if that is a widely practiced thing?

I didn’t get to see Eugenia’s stead, so that means I fell asleep before 2. (that’s when he said he would come.)

This post is getting long. The next day’s events will be posted some other time. To be continued……

unaccepted

2006-11-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

Today i went to school to collect my leaving cert, testimonial and some thick booklet for JC stuff.
The results are out: i am not eligible for orientation at any JC.
I cannot get my 2-point reduction at any JC.
I cannot "start school earlier' so that i wun be so stress when it actually starts.
I got nothing to do now during my 3 months to my results collection date.
Just gotta rot at home.
Maybe find a job, but jobs r hard to find and maintain.
Asked a few friends... all dun hav any good job recommendations.
Arrgh. Sianz.
Just gotta pray that my O lvl results r good enuf for my desired JC.

The 'O' has gone, the new has come!

2006-11-20T03:46:00.000-08:00

At last, the time has come! The ultimate period of torment for sec sch students is over for me! There will be no more sorrow, but joy. No more tears, but smiles. No more hardship, but enjoyment! haha. ok thats exaggerated, but whats for sure is that there will be NO MORE STUDIES!!! until at least a month later. cos of some stupid MCQ paper, i was delayed 3 days b4 i could say these.

It feels like i have just escaped from a scorching desert and entered a lush tropical paradise. Suddenly, from endless brainbusting studies, to none at all. Its gona take some time to get used to. A sudden change, catching me 'unprepareed'. Some may noe what it feels like alr, but im sure the feeling will be stronger after a leaving exam. after all, that exam would play a significant part in determining your future, and after the exam, theres no more "studying for next year's syllabus". haha.

But still, I cant enjoy in total peace, cos the end of sec sch only signifies the start of a fresh new stage of studies, not long later. That is, JC. I dun wanna go poly. And im constantly bugged by my worries of not bein able to get into my desired JC. Whenever my mind is idle, possibility is that it would stray to thinking abt my results.

The problem is, results are really unpredictable. And as my mood changes from optimistic to pessimistic and back again, my ‘prediction’ of my results keeps going up n down like a roller coaster.

So I had to devise a possibility range, that is, 8< L1R5 <16. I would expect my L1R5 to be no higher than 15. But even with 15, I still cant get into my desired JC. Arrrgh.

Heres abit of info abt how things went for the O’s.
English and POA, supposedly my best 2 subjects, both had serious screw-ups. My English compo was halfway written outta point and barely scraped the 350-word minimum, n the compre gave me a few scratch-head moments. And for POA, I did a qn almost to the end, then found I made a small mistake at an early part… so I had to waste quite a bit of time correcting it, and I couldn’t finish the paper.

Fortunately, My maths and humanities made a clear leap upwards from my prelims. Maybe it was easier, but no doubt that I have improved. Ahh. My focusing on these 2 subjects after the prelims have paid off. But possibility of A1 is very low.

The F&N theory paper was the swiftest of all, excluding the MCQs. But my coursework may pull me down. It contributes a friggin 50% of my score. Still, theres chance to get the coveted A1… so ill continue hoping for it!
Combined Science...no comments. It went quite ‘normally’.
MCQs r purely meant to pull up your grades. dats y only hard-to-score subjects have MCQ.

Yeah.. that’s all for the O’s. Ive seen my elder peers go thru it, now I tasted it as well, and in a year’s time ill see another batch of students get their turn. Its like the BCG treatment (that was once given to all students. Its no longer in use) – an inevitable period of torment n suffering, but for our own good!

The Grand Opening

2006-11-20T03:35:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Greetings to all visitors to my new blog. First things first, for those who may not noe me, i am John 'Constantine' Pang, aka JCP. I will try not to be lazy in my posting, so on ur part, pls do come and 'warm' my blog often so it doesn become cold and lifeless like my previous blog did. A quick update of latest events happening ard me - i have just finished my O levels! more details coming up soon.