18 November, 2006
Enhancing Bonds, Forging Bonds
Had a bit of a stomach upset yesterday. Actually, I don't know whether this can qualify as a stomach upset but I have this feeling of puking the whole day long, even when Choir started in the afternoon. The feeling is something like the vomit is about to come out anytime but it's stuck somewhere around your lung area. I think it may be due to the breakfast I had that morning.SO, after much thought and discussion among the Choir peeps about what I should eat to make myself feel better, we decided on PRUNES. (Since it can't go up, make it go down! That was our agreed philosophy! heh heh!) Hmm...surprisingly it worked except that I did not shit as expected! HAHAHA!!
Met up with Mr Chia, Joan and Seng Keat for dinner at Genki Sushi. That was the first time I had soft-shell crab [haiya! don't laugh la...I very suaku I know!] and the Sashimi there tasted different from the one I had during my birthday. It was much better! Joan, as usual gobbled her Chicken Teriyaki Set so quickly that by the time she was done, I was only halfway through my Salmon meal! Actually, come to think of it, yesterday was a tad too quiet. It was mostly neutral conversations and polite chatter that it sorta felt awkward, compared to the tuition times where we would just laugh and talk like nobody's business...but nevertheless, Mr Chia is one of the bestest teachers I've ever known and I'm not saying this just for the sake of saying it. It's like he has so many tuition groups and he's bringing almost each and every group to dinner! And the places he brings us are not cheap. [He brought Rachel's group to Billy Bomber's and he brought us to Swensen's last year!] He's one teacher who can really relate to us...for that I'm grateful that I have met someone like him =)
Today, Choir as usual in the morning with AJC and MJC. After that Shannon, Dixon, Mimi, Eugene, Charlie Brown aka Yukai, Henry, Joanne, Eunice and I went to Parkway Parade to have lunch at Banquet and then to Scoopz for ice-cream. Their Chocolate Mint is really good! A good balance of Chocolate and Mint, not like some other brands where all you can taste is mostly the Mint! Found out that there are many more people who liked Mint, namely Henry and Shannon. [finally! people who think that they are not eating Colgate!] Joanne left after that and the rest of us went to a secluded part of Parkway to play [guess what?] The murderer game!
Imagine one bunch of JC kids sitting in a circle at a remote corner, playing the murderer game? We got chased away by a security guard for the "illegal gathering of 3 or more persons" and that's against the Constitution according to what Shannon or someone else said. Seeing that we have no choice, we left and headed to the dark and shady halls of snooker and pool. At first, we agreed to team up and play pool but as there was much conflict over whether it should be "each Man for himself" or tag team, Eugene and Mimi played the first round with the rest of us being their "cheerleaders" according to the words of Charlie Brown. [quite stupid I know!] After that, I paired with Mimi, and Charlie Brown partnered Eugene. [We won, mostly due to Mimi's prowess!] Then played another 2 games or so, paired with Yukai and Henry respectively and lost both games! As Shannon refused to play pool, I played "Dai Dee" with her whilst the rest continued their game. We were there from 2pm to 4 plus la!
Didn't expect myself to have so much fun today...at least I got to know them better...hmm, but it would be better if we get other Choir people involved instead of just the same clique. I guess this will take time...
Went home and asked Mum whether we're still celebrating Dad's birthday. This time it seemed as if she meant it. A simple but disappointing No. Actually it wasn't really a straightforward No. She simply told us [my siblings and I ] to go celebrate with him without her. I don't know what to say...After all, why must I always be the one trying to patch things up and stuff? I know partly it has to be me cos I can't expect my younger brother and sister to initiate right? The worse thing is, I have no one to be angry about. I can't blame Mum cos she has the right to feel hurt and all. Asking her to forgive and forget is not easy too. In fact, I think it's out of the question if Dad doesn't act fast. Blame Dad? No comments.
16 November, 2006
Vivo Viva with Grandpa and ma
This outing was especially memorable for all of us due to the simple reason that we had the pleasure of THE BLOB aka my brother as our company. I was quite surprised when he agreed to go with us but after much thought, I uncovered his motive: to explore Vivocity which he had not been to before! Oh well, nevertheless we got him of the one-eyed monster.
Entrance of V-I-V-O according to how Ye ye pronounce it!
One of the main aims of our visit was for the floating book fair exhibition onboard a ship called Doulos. Apparently my grandpa read about it somewhere so we decided to go see.
Ship With Books Ahoy!
younger sis and ma ma
Onboard the ship, I expected a wide array of books with various genres but turned out that moajority of them were Christian books and CDs....hmmm..not bad! However, I only wished that there were books in Chinese cos ma ma got quite bored.
Mama trying to make sense of the books!

As Maib aka my sister hasn't had her lunch and due to The Blob waking up at 1pm [he slept at 3am last night!] and there being insufficient time to have a proper breakfast/brunch, we went to B2's Kopitiam to recharge. Ye ye suggested going to Food Republic cos he wants to see the so-called fishballs which "came from Johor".

Finally! A foodcourt with a theme!
Normally in Singapore, all the foodcourts look the same: green and white setting, the clean look. That's why when I first got a glimpse of Food Republic and its "Early Singapore" theme, I got excited.hahaha....but don't you think it's true? I'm glad the management at Vivocity did something to quell the boredom of Singapore's typical foodcourts!
I think my grandparents loved the place, partly due to the nolstagia and the memories it brings back to them but also because of the food! Ye ye was so happy talking about the food man! You should have seen his face!
As Blogger is giving me problems again, I think I'll do the photos another time! Anyways, I'm sad to say that my brother didn't really interact with Ye ye and ma ma. He was just wondering behind at a distance, lost in his own world. Only when they talk to him will he give a monosyllabic reply. Maybe I'm asking too much. Him going out with us is already a miracle! I guess I'll just have to take things one step at a time.
We went outdoors on Level 3 for a breather and after that, we headed to Level 1 to source for more interesting things to do. Apparently, there was a James Bond Showcase going on. They brought in the Aston Martin, the car in the new Bond Movie, Casino Royale. I still think the new Bond guy looks weird! OK, that's besides the point!
Went out, took more pictures with the folks and went back.
Today may seem like a simple and effortless day but I beg to differ. As Ye ye couldn't walk fast [he walks with a cane now], all of us had to slow down to accommodate his speed and over the years, he's getting slower and slower but I can't blame him for that. At least he still makes the effort to go on walks by himself even though ma ma tells him not to venture outdoors alone due to his bad leg.
Sigh. Even though I complained about my brother being unresponsive, I think my attitude towards them was not that perfect either. I was rather impatient with them at times and even though I know they meant well, I still couldn't show them some patience. Argh! What's become of me?
I promise to visit them more often. I guess this would make them more happy and less lonely. Please pray for patience.
14 November, 2006
me, painter [continued...]
Argh! Cute kitties!
As I had to wait for quite some time before Cuiwen turned up, [she went with her mum to get paint!] I decided to capture some scenes of condo life [not that it really depicts the latter!]
Lift Lobby

Just a walkway [heh!]
Before we started painting, we "frolicked" in the swimming pools...up till now, we're not sure what the "furobath" is but Cuiwen had a great time being my model!

Cui's acting like she's the water goddess!

Check out the water jets!

The pool from our view
Then, it's down to serious business at Cui's new abode. We painted the hall a light but pleasant yellow and even though it looked like a simple-enough task, it was actually back-breaking work! But of course, our efforts paid off!

Freshly-coated and ready for use!
Even though it's still half done, I'm sure it'll look good when it's done, just that I feel the heartpain of all our effort cos they may be moving again in 1+ years' time....
Ps: sorry for the bad writing. These latest 2 posts are mainly about the pictures!
Charlene's birthday with me, the professional wall stylist!
ok, that done, let me first talk about the dinner date with the fab four: Charlene, Samantha, Rhyss and I. Actually most of the stuff is already found in Rhyss' blog but just a quick recap, it was fun,as usual. Went to Marche's after deciding that NewYork NewYork was a bit risky but nevertheless, it was quite an experience 'cos it was my first time there.
"A restaurant within a marketplace"
I expected marche's to be better, more classy, but it turned out that we had to find our own food! [sort of!] After much thought, Rhyss and I got the Jumbo Chicken Combo Set whilst Charlene and Samantha got Crepe. [theirs looked quite nice too!]
Rhyss and I, the new Bundaberg Root Beer promoters!

Group Photo!
After that, we headed to Esplanade to take photos. Unfortunately, blogger's being stupid again so I can't post anything! I will try again later though. Argh!
After choir today, I went to Dover Parkview Condominium, Cuiwen's soon-to-be new home! Like Ai Ping said, it's quite sad cos her old place had so many memories of us spending time there but I guess we have to accept change all the time. Anyways, my purpose in going there today was to help paint her house.
We discovered a family of cats hiding under an umbrella amidst the rain and I coudn't resist taking pictures of them!

OoOO! Cats!
Argh! I'll try to post the pictures in another post!
12 November, 2006
the simple topic of Friends
My day today revolved mostly around friends. Friends can help you in times of trouble or stress. Through such times, you get to bond with them due to the hardship that you and your friends endured together. One such moment happened today in the form of Choir. Even though this may not be hardship, there was, no doubt, pressure to do well, especially in front of the other JC Choirs [AJC and MJC].
In a bid to ensure that everyone know their parts well for the SCO Concert,Nelson issued a challenge. He told us that he's gonna test individual choirs with the repertoire given to us. There'll be a compulsory piece which we had to show him and also a piece that he will choose on the spot. Whichever choir that does not perform up to standard, the Student Conductor would take the blame!
To prepare for this challenge, he gave each school time to prepare for it in different rooms before Judgment Day arrives. For us, we split into male and female chorus to revise the songs. It was quite a good feeling, everyone trying their best to sing well. I'm proud to say that we passed the test! [It was quite scary when MJChoir was told to leave the room due to their lacklustre performance!] Therefore, friends are important. In this case, they have to work together as one otherwise they would suffer the consequences!
Friends are also our confidante(s). They are your listening ear and your outlet to vent your frustrations, to destress, to share your feelings and joy with. Shannon, Tulip and I had a very pleasant time of fellowship at Parkway Parade today. After our meal at Pastamania, we headed to a quiet place just to engage in good ol' talk and it was nice, considering we had many things to fill each other on regarding Choir, school life, our family and friends. Even though the heavy downpour prevented us from going home early [we had to wait for the rain to stop!], we really did have good, clean fun.
With friends, you can be crazy and not care about appearances. [actually, this is rather subjective as it depends on who you're hanging out with!] Time flies when you're with them! Samantha, Rhyss, Charlene and I went out to celebrate Charlene's birthday. We had dinner at Marche (Suntec City). As it was my first time dining at Marche, I was rather awed by the concept of "a restaurant in a marketplace", according to how they described themselves. We were given Marche cards for ordering our food. The system works like a marketplace, except that you use your Marche card instead of money to get your food. Eat first, pay later!
Charlene and Sam had a Crepe whilst Rhyss and I had the Jumbo Chicken Set Meal. Not bad but I was expecting better food at Marche's though. Headed to Esplanade to take photos and it was really funny!! We had a good time! ['will post the pictures here soon after figuring out how to do so!] By the time I reached home and settled down, it was close to 11pm...
oh ya! Charlene darling! Happy Birthday! Hope you enjoyed yourself today!
Friends are like your second family. Ai Ping called to inform me that Dhab tried calling me from Australia but as she was airsick [maybe she had jetlag], she would call me the next day instead. Hai~ its's just nice to know that Dhab still cares for us so much that she phoned us so soon even when she had not settled in properly yet.
Therefore, friends spice up your life. Even though sometimes they may disappoint or hurt your feelings, just thinking of the good times you spent with them makes you love them for who they are.
To all my friends, I love all of you! You have all made my life brighter in one way or another. Even though some of you may not be that close to me, you are still as important as anyone else! So if I don't get the chance to see you again or if we lose touch, just remember that you have impacted my life! =)
10 November, 2006
Good grief! It's Over!
This was how I felt:
Tired- Initially I had to reach Cui's house at 8am but because I overslept [sort of!], I arrived 45 minutes later! heh heh! Ai Ping was already there, helping Cuiwen with the gift for Dhab and writing her letter to Dhab at the same time! I left to meet Sze Yee and Joan under Dhab's void deck at 9.30am. Sze Yee was late!
Excited- While waiting for Sze Yee, who was later than Cui and Ai Ping, we partially discussed how to perform the item for Dhab. Sze Yee arrives before Dhab in the nick of time!
Sad- Hmm...this may be too simple a word to use to express sadness. [can't think of more powerful words to describe sadness at the moment!] After performing for Dhab, I had to go meet Ben and the Stephanies for PW. Actually, I was still fine when I said Bye but when Dhab hugged me, I couldn't take it anymore! Things would be different without Dhab during our gatherings from now on...boohoo! Dhab gave each of us inspirational posters with personalised messages! I'm keeping it for life! :)
Exhausted- I decided to detour home on the way to meeting the PW group so that I can leave the poster behind. The group decided to meet at Tampines Mart's McDonald's instead.
Paranoid- In the LT, it hit me like crazy! I know I'm relatively well-prepared and all but at that time, my mind was filled with "What Ifs". Turned out that Ms. Leow, my GP teacher and an unknown Maths teacher were our accessors so I relaxed a bit.
Super nervous!- After Rhyss' group presented, our group had a quick run-through of our presentation again. Everyone was obviously quite nervous and tense. Ben was clearing his throat profusely! I find that during our presentation, the atmosphere seemed less serious than before. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing but at least I sorta collected my nerves.
Tickled!- Ah! This is the highlight of the presentation! For the Question and Answer Session, I think it was quite Ok. Nah! It was very funny!!!! Steph Chung was given a question that requires her to explain about "Fruity Fate", one of the activities for our proposal. But the teacher pronounced it as "Flooty Feet" or something like that and the next thing I saw Steph Chung giggling hysterically to herself, her face turning red every moment. It was so infectious that everyone burst into fits of laughter as well! The teacher, who didn't seem to get the joke, said: "let me rephrase the question" and he made the same mistake again! Steph Chung was like "HAH?" and everyone started laughing again. Ms.Leow helped the teacher to pose his question again in which Steph Chung responded with a casual "WAIT AH.." before turning back to try to recover from her laughing fit. This was something we did not expect to happen for our OP at all! And before the project we were still reminding ourselves not to laugh or do stupid things but look what happened!
Relaxed- Now that the stress of Project Work is gone, I can smell freedom in the air! Went with Rhyss for some "retail therapy ". Saw SHSS people at Coffee Bean-Reuben, Cheryl, Nicole and Stephanie. My, have they changed! [think Reuben!].
Dinner was good today. Mum cooked Beef Kway Teow for us! For those who usually get to enjoy the joys of homecooked food everyday, this might mean nothing to you but for those "da bau" people who can practically remember the prices of each and every single dish at the coffeeshop due to it being dinner everyday, this means A LOT!! This time, mum added Enoki, the Japanese mushroom. I could hear the food calling out to me man! ("Shi Yun! Eat me! Eat me till you get sick of me!" hahaha...)
08 November, 2006
my two dearest friends!
I'm sure all of us are very sad that you have to leave so soon. You have played a significant part in all our lives and I'm really happy that our paths crossed. I have never seen anyone who is as generous as you, who constantly thinks of others before themselves. I admire your generosity and I wished I could be like you in this aspect. All of us had a great time that day and I'm sure it'll be deeply etched in our memories of you. Most of all, you never fail to bring joy to our lives. Even after secondary school, we still keep in touch! Now that you're going off real soon, I don't know how we can gather and not talk about you. It's like a part of us has gone and it feels weird! Now, as the date of your departure approaches, I don't know why but I can feel the pain of your soon-to-be absence. Dhabitah, I love you.WE love you and we can't wait for the day when you will come back and visit us in Singapore. Don't forget us when you migrate to Australia k!
Now for the next person:
I'm really sorry that I neglected you for awhile. Due to Choir and OP, I didn't have the chance to chat with you on the phone as frequently as before. Because of that, I didn't know of your recent but temporary depression. For that, I deeply apologise. Remember that life is not all that dull and dreary. There are many people around you that care for you and I'm one of them but, I've not been giving enough attention to you lately and for that I'm really sorry. After OP is done, I hope to resume the happy talk that we shared. Rememeber, I love you and I worry for you. Hope you will be the happy and cheery girl again, Charlene! Moreover, your birthday's coming! We will definitely celebrate it together k? Smile! Charlene is not Charlene without her small eyes, her uber-sweet high-pitched voice and her dazzling smile!
There! I'm done! =)