On a Valentine High...

HEH HEH!!! I'M BACK! WOO~


Well, I tried to post an entry last night but stupid Blogger took a long time to direct me to the "New Post" page! Anyways, I'm so glad I can finally blog...been waiting to do this cos 14th Feb was a good day-even "good" is an understatement!


For the record, I felt absolutely,super,duper guilty for not doing anything for Valentine's Day: making cards or small gifts for friends...cos I thought that it wouldn't be that celebrated in school...


I was so wrong.


Upon reaching school, I was flooded with chocolates and sweets from Olivia...and after that she took advantage of my guilt and gave me more to make me feel worse! Anyways, almost everyone in school was distracted. Ms Lee complained about the J1s and their stupid pickup lines ("What's in your eye? The sparkle.") and there were many flowers of all shapes and sizes, real,fake,withered,the works...


But really, I feel so appreciated and touched by all the gestures of love..hahaha! And so, since I can't reciprocate much now, the least I could do is to acknowledge the people who made my day, even though some of them (Well,most actually) may not even be reading this.


A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO:



Olivia for the sweets,chocolates and the cute mini-bottle (and also for the extra tinge of guilt...)


Jillian for the handmade flower

Cuiwen for the Turkish Delight and the card (plus the most reliable and elusive delivery service ever!)

Charlene for the Chocolates

Samantha for your card and Chocolates

Geraldine for the Chocolates

Lizard for the Toblerone

Hanisah for the Dove Chocolate (you're so sweet!)

Sufriena for the nicely-wrapped Ferrero Rocher and Dove Chocolate

Steph Chung for the Chocolate

Mimi for the Candle and Rose

Charlie Brown and Duc for the Rose (after going through so much pains to get it!)

Vivian for the Candle

Marie-anne for the Chocolates

Shannon for the jigsaw puzzle (it really encouraged me a lot! And I'm really honoured!)

Sochenda for the letter and the Dove Chocolate

Henry for the self-baked cookie (not bad!)

Luke for the letter and sweet

Weilin for the Chocolate and Cookies (thanks a lot! a lot of effort!)

and also the people who wished: Zhiyi, Ai Ping, Isebelle,Maggie,Annie,Valerie,Hanh,Hui Jun,Xavier,Ben Sum,Ms Ho...and many more...

And not forgetting those people I forget in the process,just in case....thank you!








As my guilt was so immense, I just had to state out what each person gave so as to give them more recognition and to show them how grateful I am cos I really didn't expect these =)


The chocolates could sustain me for a month!

Today was really good man...hahaha...I just can't describe how I felt. It's like already JC life is starting to become such a bore everyday and this really made me feel better, even though I know that I shouldn't be relying on people to make me feel good all the time cos there's Him (as in God...) But sometimes, when certain people say things they don't usually say, you light up immediately like how Joanne, of all people, complimented me on my hair (OK! Cheap thrill but still...you know...) :P

Favian made Mr Sahlan happy too by giving him a rose ( and a seaweed, I think!). Oh ya! I have to say this! Today was the first time I actually chewed on a rosebud (Yes, a raw one...) and guess who taught me that? Ben Sum! Hahahaha! He was randomly plucking a petal from one of his flowers and he shocked Evatte and me when he suddenly put it in his mouth! Subsequently he offered a petal to us and I was the only one who felt like puking. (Evatte chewed it as if it were potato chips!)

Practice was cancelled,much to some people's delight, due to poor attendance and so I had an early day.

The excitement's not over yet.


At night, the family and I whipped up a storm in the kitchen for The Blob's birthday (Ok! I'll be nice! The Animal's birthday :P) As The Cow requested for a home-cooked Western Meal, my mum gave the go-ahead! (Finally! After how many years of non-Western Food-dinners! heh heh!) He personally cooked the steaks and the scrambled eggs (my sis is a great fan of his scrambled eggs!) whilst I did the Calamari rings and the soup and mum and sis did the miscellaneous. Don't ask me where Dad was.

And the result?

makes your mouth water,ain't it?


Maib was so proud of how she set the dining table



Can't wait to have a taste...


The Blob in action



He started eating straightaway!

I told him to take a photo with Mum and he was acting coy. (Just imagine! heh heh!) But finally, after much hardship and struggles, he gave in.

Just look at him,a never-before-displayed side of him..heh heh! See the vulnerable way he holds mum's hand and just look at his face!

But after that, he was back to his old ways when I wanted to take a photo with him.

struggling to stop him from eating

But apart from that, we all enjoyed ourselves and he even held a decent conversation with us! How I wished everyday was his birthday man!

happy! shalala~

happy clappy!

I'm feeling rejuvenated!


It may be due to the fact that I stayed home for the whole of today due to a viral infection of the digestive tract and a fever. Is it a blessing in disguise or what? Doctor gave me an MC that lasted till today so I'm happy even though I have to suffer the consequences of a much-desired break from school. For the record, I've been to the toilet several times due to the occasional bouts of pain that seemed to be "pulling" on my stomach as well as the dizzy spells throughout my short vacation at home...and I haven't even mentioned the periodic surges in body temperature I'm experiencing...


Found myself worrying about school and choir today though..."the grass always seems greener when you're not on it"


Anyways, I was talking to Joseph just now and he did well for O Levels although according to his standards he felt that he could have done better. ( 11 points for L1R5: distinctions in 6 subjects with some A2s along the way) He's holding his ford at TJC though and he's happy with that so, all's good! Cui, my work is finished! =)


Spent the day poring over Phy Geog lecture notes and realised that my brain has undergone an information overload...




Anyways, today I'm radiating with positive energy as I saw your comments. They made my day! Oh man! I can't believe it! Argh! :D



Well,just a cheap thrill...it'll be back to school for me tomorrow. 'Was telling Cui that I wished that I could sustain my present momentum (of not going to school) but reality bites.

Tomorrow WILL be a good day,not because it's Valentine's Day, but because it's my brother's birthday. I know I'm contradicting myself by saying that my brother's birthday will be good but it'll be good because my mum's preparing dinner tomorrow! And it's a Western meal! I can't wait!

Oh well, back to homework...




A simple word from you makes me smile :D

Social Settings...

As mentioned earlier,Econs Makeup Lecture was boring and to exacerbate our misery,Ms Tan Chien Ming decides to extend the duration of the lecture due to the simple reason that she could not cover her lecture within the stipulated time. I suspect that one of the main reasons why she failed to complete it in time is due to:




(1) Her periodic moments of silence during the lecture which lasted for eternity.
(2) Her ever-so-slow monologue of which one could predict what she will say next even before she finishes.


Nevertheless, it's already a thing of the past so, I shall not harp on it.


In the afternoon, my family and I celebrated my paternal grandfather's birthday at Coleman's at The Peninsula Excelsior Hotel. As usual, Er Yi chanced upon a good buffet deal which was amongst the promotions of her credit card (1-for-1 buffet if I'm not wrong) and so we decided on a buffet lunch there. Initially, the Grandparents were quite against the idea of dining there as they preferred to stick to their old hangout:Mitzis Cantonese Restaurant, but they gave in in the end.

Buffet was not that bad although I think that their specialty would be their desserts and the teh tarik





Just look at the bubbly froth!

I have to say that the lunch was an enjoyable one: no squabbles in between,just good food and pleasant coversation.

Shopped for awhile before heading to Cuiwen's Church BBQ. The rest of the Cheapskate Clan (including the boyfriends) were already there participating in the games when I arrived after a long 40-minute bus journey from City Hall. All I have to say is THANK GOD FOR SZE YEE!

And Cui,thanks for the BBQ although I wished we had more time to talk...haha!

I finally found out the reason why I'm so tired nowadays (although it seems like I'm forever in this lethargic state but this time, it felt worse...)

I'm starting to develop a fever.

Perhaps it's a good thing cos I wouldn't have to go to school, no opportunity costs cos there's nothing to look forward to anyway, but Thank God that Maib was nice enough to help search for medicine on her own and administer it to me.

Speaking of Maib, I managed to psycho her to go for a haircut and this is a victory in its own right,knowing that Maib has a stubborn temperament. Of course, when there's a gain, there's a loss (Yes, Sze Yee... I can see you nodding your head in approval!) In return for her haircut, she gets a bubble tea treat from me and I have to take her swimming after Chinese New Year. But everyone's happy to see her mob of hair trimmed to a T so all's good. Hmm,the hairdresser seemed a lil' pissed though cos I kept instructing him to "cut shorter" or to "give it more shape instead of a straight cut". For your information, my sister's hair is so thick that 1 haircut for Maib=2 haircuts for adult customers...

OK! And now,it's goodnight to all...

It's been a long time...

After what seemed like eternity, I managed to push myself to update my blog...hmm,seems like the blogging momentum is finally taking its toll on me...


Frankly speaking, I can't remember what really happened the past few days cos this week just seemed like a breeze and I'm not saying that it was an easy week but that it passed so fast that I can't really remember the gist of the events.


Due to the Road Run,which took place today, yesterday was a long day for me.Normally,my day would end at 11.50am but yesterday it ended at around 4 plus due to double period of Ms. Kon's Lit and single period Physical Geog lecture...and my brain is undergoing an information overload and this sucks...



Oh! Just to digress a bit, Rhyss is flying off to the Philippines tomorrow and she wouldn't be back until 11 days later! Boohoo! Come back soon Rhyss! We'll miss you! :)


Anyways, back to the Road Run,our class had an amazing attendance record of 13 people to cheer Eagle House,Woo~ but it was rather hilarious seeing the teachers all dressed in their "sporting best" especially Lorraine Lee and Ms.Kon...

Actually we planned to walk all the way but in the end, Shannon,Evatte,Charlene,Sam,Lizard and I started to run-walk (!!!) but towards the finishing line, we arrived "in style!" heh heh!


In conclusion, the Road Run was a total waste of time. Expected it to be more exciting but turned out to be a complete bore. The only thing that provided comic relief was Zhiyi and her classmates renting bikes to cycle on the running trail, not giving a hoot about whether they were supposed to run or not...



Spotted this during the Road Run. We wandered off halfway...




Clear blue skies...Fresh, hot sand...the breeze in your hair...an imperfect day for a Road Run...

Lunched with Shannon,Evatte,Emily and her History Seminar Group at Long John's Bedok before heading home to sleep... (sleep away all the bad memories)

Hmm..I think my mensus is coming soon cos all the depressing thoughts are coming back again...Just by thinking of schoolwork,tutorials,make-up lectures (which I have to attend tomorrow,argh!!!),more work,CHOIR (another level of stress! I wished you would be more reasonable... ),people....(sometimes I feel that working with animals is much better than dealing with people. I rather an animal bite me than to hear people stabbing people's hearts and backs...)

Anyways, this was supposed to be a happy blog...so, :D

Today was the day where the O level results were released and I just can't help but think back to the time where we were going through the same stressful situation a year ago...I was talking to Fan Cuiwen while she was on her way to school and she was really quite nervous cos normally, conversations with her would be full of shrieking and non-stop laughter but she was really very serious and tensed just now...her heart was "beating every milli-second". Same goes for Virnice and Michelle...but I'm glad that they did well...Virnice is contemplating AJC or TJC and Mich is thinking TPJC..HAHAHAHA!! SEE YOU THERE!

As for Fan, I'll be meeting her soon after the Chinese New Year Week to spend time with her. She's even planning to take leave to accommodate my schedule! HEH HEH HEH!! I can't wait! It's been ages since I last saw her!

Alright, guess that pretty much sums up everything I wanna say...

Stupid Econs Lecture spoils my day...

all in a day's work...

Finally! It is the month of February which means around 9 more months to go before I experience true freedom from the clutches of Singapore's tertiary education system!


Anyway,just to recall what happened recently, Sze Yee popped over my place and we had a nice long chat.Well, of course we did other things besides talking and it was really nice cos I sorta missed her...(happy eh,Sze Yee?) =)
She crashed my school just to eat the Roti Prata in the canteen today..hahaha!
Now for some unflattering photos of the 2 of us doing Hard Gay to the sounds of Ricky Martin's Livin da vida loca...WOO!!!!

In Choir today, we celebrated Sochenda's birthday!!! Haha...I'm glad she enjoyed herself even though she was too smart to know that we were planning a surprise for her! We tricked her into coming to sectionals quickly by saying that Weilin and Ai Ping are mad at her for coming late for practice but she was quite suspicious even though she was terrified that Weilin and Ai Ping were really angry with her (which would be impossible!)

So cutting the cake (we gave her a bear too!)
Altos!

Anyway,Soloists of the Day were Henry and Ai Ping...nice! Songs we learnt today were nice too especially the one which Joshua Habermann recommended. After practice, CHARLIE, Mimi, Duc,Shannon and I went for Alpha dinner at Ai Ping's church. Quite nice to see them all go (especially Mimi) and I'm positive everyone had a good time. Food was good (our table was so cluttered with all the chocolate wrappers,empty drink packets, chicken bones and empty plates! But it was ESPECIALLY MESSY at Duc's area! I wonder why...hahaha!) Games were simple but enjoyable. Charlie Brown soon established a reputation of being proficient in another language (Japanese) and suddenly there was an influx of people who asked him to sign on that portion of the Bingo card. Actually we wanted to go around asking for signatures but we ended up staying where we were and signing on the papers of those who looked for us..."like superstars!" Oh ya! How can I forget to mention this?!?! FINALLY, I get to see Jerome in real life and not in photos! Hahaha...and Charlie Brown had to ask whether I was excited and whether I was secretly peeking (...)

Been spending a lot lately on shows: Vocal Consort's Concert at Esplanade, Sam's TWO Band Concerts, the Phantom of the Opera Musical in April at Esplanade, and Junwei's gig at ITE Dover AND, I'm gonna talk about the latter cos I can't believe I got tricked!!!! Who started the rumour about the terrorist attack?!?!?!

Anyway, Valentine's Day is coming and I'll be spending time with A SPECIAL SOMEONE whom I love a lot...

My Brother.

As 14th February is his birthday, and as I have no SPECIAL SOMEONE to go out with (I'm an official member of the Spinsters' Club,right Rhyss?) The best thing I can look forward to is Cuiwen's rose which she plans to send to me (supposedly) through the inter-college friendship week or something...heh heh!

"this love is taking its toll on me..."

Iron Lady of Choir!
Trying to be Wallace & Gromit (?)

From the heart

Bitching

Something others do and something which one unconsciously engages in.(Although I have to say that most of the time I am aware yet I still persist.)


Something which is,most of the time, inaccurate due to the massive spreading of similar rumours but which, something which we tend to believe easily.


Something which you can't help doing due to an obvious and recurring weakness in the subject you're bitching about.


Something which you have no right to do as it is considered as passing judgement on someone when it should actually be settled by God.


The more I type this, the more guilty I am. I can say now that it is wrong to gossip and talk bad about people but once I'm in a group, it just happens naturally. It's always the case and I'm not proud of it!

Sometimes I try to be conscious of my tongue and keep my words to myself:being quiet the whole time the gossip is making its rounds. However, in the end, the pressure becomes so immense, like that of a water hose that is waiting to burst, that the floodgates of hell are released and everything starts coming out.


I just hate this weakness of mine. Can I just shut my mouth once and for all?


Things are made worse after people realised that I am God's child. Maybe I need to learn it the hard way. Maybe God would heighten my flaws, take away what little talents left in me just to show me how imperfect I am and make me realise who I am to question others when I'm worse than them?



From the depths of my heart, Lord, I want to change and be a better person:not one who brings people down. Help me to see people with your eyes. Sometimes the best person is the one who listens more than he speaks. Help me to learn to pray for them to replace each gossip I have said, each negative word I have uttered about them....

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

Actually I have no intention to blog for a long time, partly due to studies and other commitments but it just came as a random thought.


I was reading the additional mini-sermon which came with the "Our Daily Bread" and this time, it was about Knowledge and Wisdom. It states that Knowledge without Wisdom is nothing as you would be constantly listening to the many voices and not knowing which is the correct one. This leads me to think about Life in JC and the sudden influx of knowledge that is hastily thrusted on our weary minds. I realised that the more I understand how things work, for example,how the economy responds to price signals and why inflation and many other economical jargon takes place among other things, the more confused I become. Just like what the sermon said, my mind would soon become a computer overloaded with too much information that it is bound to crash one day.

The more knowledge we acquire, the more we have to see things through different perspectives. Also, we are expected to have a wider scope of our subject. An example would be Literature. In secondary school, Lit was not as complex as now with regards to analysis and essay structure but now, there's poetry and prose comparison: we have to question from both sides and argue with substantial points. The same goes for GP: wider scope, more marks...no black and white areas, there are always the "greys" to be considered. Recently, we are told to take a stand regarding the debate of God vs. Science. When is this going to end?



No wonder adults often say that they would very much want to be children again: carefree, without worries. This is indeed a case of "Ignorance is Bliss." Does education really give you more knowledge or more headaches?

"Teach less, learn more", they say...


Lord, give me the Wisdom to study smart. What's the point of poring through lecture readings and tutorials,understanding everything there and then but forgetting them soon after going through everything? I know that I'm not as academically well-off as many around me but give me the Wisdom to know what to do such that I would be able to perform sufficiently to go where you want me to...