The long-awaited photos from Louis, although not complete...I can picture Rhyss nodding her head fervently in agreement! :D

Rhyss looks like a porn star here :P

Anyway, The Cheesecake Cafe was really good:from ambience right down to the food (cheesecakes were great!). Almost felt like sleeping there...I mean, just look at the place! Had a really good heart-to-heart with both of them. We should do it more often,maybe after "A"s or something :)





Can't wait for this Saturday. Will be celebrating Joan's long overdued birthday at a weird place: Kallang KFC 'cos Joan wanted KFC and Cui, living up to the "Cheapskate" name, decided on the Kallang outlet due to its free flow of drinks. talk about product differentiation. [HEH HEH....those taking econs, doesn't it sound familiar?]

Baby Ally Whatever

super cute!!! i felt stupid,grinning to the computer screen throughout :P

Michael Buble - Everything

In this crazy time, you make me sing,

You're every line...
You're every word...
You're everything:)

After reading about National Service in yesterday's "Sunday Times" paper, my perspective about it was slightly changed-slightly because I understand that going to NS is like going to a slimming centre where YOU get paid but I realised that it's more than just that: It's like another culture in itself with their own language, food (haha!) and many more...





However I was quite surprised that they mentioned love in the article:as in NSman-Girlfriend love. I thought it was quite trivial...heh heh...but this portion caught my attention:





NSman's message to Girlfriend: "Baby, no fun here..The sergeants made PT hell for us, you'll be proud, I'm on drill squad, can't wait for your call tonight..."

Girlfriend to NSman: "Dear,miss you always...it's just 5 more days dear,just 5!" (which means he just booked in and they're already feeling it...)

NSman to Girlfriend: "You are so sweet darling, you are my box of crayons in this drab and tough life..."

HAHAHAHA!!!! OK! Maybe I shouldn't comment so much on this 'cos this is out of my league....

It seems that most of the men who were asked to comment about their NS days mostly had good things to say about it....but NS also has its dark side, although this is really not the government's fault.

Negative peer pressure led my father to become an honorary contributor of global warming (he's actually eligible for the long service award for this honorary achievement)...

What's so good about smoking?

To endanger your health just for a few minutes of stinking "pleasure?" (No offence to all smokers out there but please be considerate to your fellow non-smokers who have the right to breathe clean,fresh air in their already stress-polluted lives...)

Heh heh..Ok,I'm digressing....hmm...I'm imagining how life would be like for my brother who would be enlisting in 4-6 years' time. Would there really be a change in him and would it be for the better? Would he get bullied by his platoon mates? Would he come back looking like David Beckham? (fat hope)

Sometimes I wished that they made it compulsory for females to go through NS...then all the ah-lians and those whiny, weak and pampered girls will understand that there's more to life than just their shopping and cam-whoring and hot dates and I don't know what (what do girls do nowadays anyway...)

But if they wanna implement this rule, which would no doubt, cause a huge uproar among the female population here, they can do it after I've gone to Uni...heh heh! For now, I'll just be contented,standing on the pier, waving my brother off with a big grin plastered on my face :D

"All Singaporean men start reminiscing about their army days when they get together. It's a little irritating but still really intriguing listening to their stories. One of my husband's friends wore paper underwear during field camp and it rained heavily. When it was time for inspection, all that remained were the rubber band bits." -quoted by actress Selena Tan in The Sunday Times

I miss Jie Min, Yi Ping, Christabel, Vanessa.....the seniors....

"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket..."

Mid-years...

...felt like eternity.



I was beginning to wonder when it will end.



'Got so sick of all the late nights studying and worrying and stressing that after Lit Paper (Othello and Poetry Comparison) on the second last day, I felt this aura of heat enveloping my face ( you know, those heaty, hot-yet-cold kinda' feeling). Nevertheless, I must say that all the papers are quite "study-able" but it was just too bad that I was not "operating at full capacity."




Really have to thank God seriously, for giving me strength throughout. Writing for endless stretches (After Geog, I swear I'll never write forever man!) is no joke. In fact, after Physical Geog was over, I felt like I just survived some war man!


As for the other subjects, I can only hope and pray that I did not under/over estimate my performance. But one thing's for sure: If I pass Math, I can safely say that it's purely divine intervention and not my doing. Cui, your "body and guts" theory for tackling differentiation might be my only saving grace :)




Later on at Ajisen Ramen, Charlene and I agreed on our strategy for acing Prelims and A Levels: Remove your shoes (and socks if you're kiasu) and make squeaky noises with your shoes for stimulation of the brain a.k.a Sharina's method.




Other possible ways of doing well (inspired by my dear class,06A03):


- Study for the last paper of the exam and sit only for that paper. You'll definitely do well, considering the vast amount of time you have compared to the rest. (a.k.a. Pulling a "Favian")



- When in doubt, leave the question blank so that you wouldn't be demoralised when you get back the paper, knowing that this is not your best. (the "Evatte" solution)



-When the questions become a bore, and you have nothing better to do but be contented by the sounds of anxious scribbling from your equally-anxious classmates, draw strength from your passion (literally, just like how Junwei did. FYI, he sketched a drum set on 3/4 of his exam paper.)



- When all else fails, just ensure that you leave an impression on at least 2 sides of the paper and make frequent toilet trips so as to meditate on your actions. God will definitely make a way. (the "Ben Sum" theory of scoring)





Ps: I love my socks and shoes worXxxxZzz!

L-O-V-E

Service Learning this year was much more fun than last year, that's for sure. If you ask me, I'd rather handle these kids than deal with people who are much older....

This year, only about half our class turned up, plus Luke so, Nat was a little worried that we couldn't handle that many kids.

Initially, I assumed that handling kids would be a piece of cake but they proved me wrong. This bunch was really hyperactive but very lovable. Upon reaching the home, 'could tell we were quite lost but after awhile, we started to get more acquainted with the kids.

The whole time was spent reading storybooks to them, coaching them academically (although very minimal as they seem to dislike studying a lot!), playing games with them (I think I'm gonna be sick of "Heart Attack" and "Scissors, Paper, Stone!") and talking to them.

I wished we prepared better activities for them, maybe some outdoor games, 'cos they were really bored. Imagine spending the whole time, cooped indoors, learning origami and vegetable painting, playing charades and hearing songs that you probably wouldn't remember anyway? Well, credit goes to our favourite teacher Ms.Ng Swee Chu for being so paranoid about the children's safety....

Speaking about Ms.Ng, I think she spoiled part of this experience. Like what I ranted about in my earlier blog entry, she was really paranoid about EVERYTHING. That's why we didn't have any outdoor games and more interesting activities. During the programme itself, she was such a mood-dampener. When the children tried to play with her by pretending to shoot rubber bands at her, she shouted at them, telling them to stop such a dangerous act otherwise, she would refer them to their discipline teacher (....) When another kid tried to shoot at her again, she offered a sweet in exchange for the rubber band (which would endanger her life) and gave the poor guy a lecture about honouring their word (as if such a young kid would know what it means to "honour" his words...). AND, we really should have gone on to teach them Christian songs instead 'cos the kids would rather listen to those than to our futile attempts at performing the song to them. Moreover, heard from my classmates that she didn't dare to go close to the Indian kids...sigh...man, it would take forever just to go on complaining about her.

On a lighter note, I got to see a different side of my classmates rarely seen in school. Some of the girls were cuddling up to BEN SUM, Evatte surprised me all over again with her patient nature (last time was when we went to the Spastic Home), Charlene was playing "Scissors, Paper, Stone" with Boon Peng, Rhyss was being her usual "mother hen" self while Sam showed motherly potential. Speaking of Sam, Mediacorp was there at the same time, filming a documentary, and Terence Cao and Chen Hanwei was there. Sam was going crazy over them man! HAHAHA! TOO BAD SAMM!!! YOU CAN GET THEIR PHOTOS ANOTHER TIME! :P

Also, I was quite amazed that Luke could handle the kids relatively well...heh heh....


Learnt many things during this project. Besides the fact that we're very fortunate, it brings me to the issue that kids can be quite bitchy. It may be due to their troubled past or just their inherent nature but I wished they were brought up in a better environment. Ok, maybe it's pointless to brood about this but I wish I could do something about it. In fact, I will after A Levels :D

Finally, the trip was also a sort of re-affirmation that everyone needs love and everyone wants to feel appreciated. Everyone, in this context, also applies to us of course...Take Xiu Ling, the kid that I spent most of the time with, as an example. She was ostracised from a group of girls who called themselves the "Chinese Dancers" and one could tell that she was quite affected by that. When I talked to her and showered my attention on her, she was much better after that but when I left her alone, she immediately called for my attention again.


Also, this experience makes me wanna pursue what I can safely say would be my desired career in the future: psychology :)

"L", is for the way you look at me, "O" is for the only one I see...




just noticed Suf's face at the back! :D

Xiu Ling!

one of the rare moments where you see the children being this attentive...


Francesca!




Terence Cao's no.1 fan ( I mean Sam!)