CXX—Avatar & everything else

120

Well, went to watch Avatar with some of my secondary school friends a few days back, and seriously, there is hardly a word to describe how wonderful this movie is. How corporate greed leads to racial—as in human-alien—betrayal and the such...well, if you have not watched it, I suggest you do, or your holidays may have simply gone to waste. ;) It is definitely one of the best films of the year. James Cameron should give himself a pat on the back!

In other news, school's starting soon, and if you're in a quandary over what to do over the New Year Weekend, too bad. Mine at the very least is filled, though not to the brim. Bryan's New Year party will feature quite a fair bit over the next 2 days. That means lots of XBOX360 (Halo at least), people, mahjong and of course, the annual movie marathon which we all love. Saturday's empty on my schedule, but Sunday evening me and the other choir people will be celebrating Moses' and Bryan's 18^th!

Still, that would mean the last term of my school year would arrive. Huzzah. Just hope I can land that facilitator job. :D

Thus with this post I wave adieu to this tumultuous decade that has been marked in blood, fear, empty pockets and the great surf surge (which means the internet domination). Since there is no word that can collectively describe these 10 years adequately (and since "Naughties" seemed, to quote a man of prominence, "silly"), I will aptly leave this aside.

Goodbye, decade with no label. Not that people need labels for this anyways, for it's just too...memorable. :P

Oh, and a happy New Year too!

Till then!~

P.S Happy birthday, Dad (:

CXIX - Joyeux Noël.

119

As I type this we herald what all people, regardless of who we are and where we're from, have been waiting for. Something maybe perhaps worth keeping note in a not-too-good year.~

It's cold right now. Perhaps it's to keep to this spirit so many are familiar with.

Christmas. What more is there to say? Fir trees, presents, Santa. We all love it no?

Well, nothing to say now, so before I sign off:

Joyeux Noël. Merry Christmas. (:



Till then!~

CXVIII - Holly-DAZED.

118

This holiday has proven itself much tougher to endure than I have initially thought.

It can get quite boring and routine, and multiplied with my siblings' rowdiness (sometimes I can't stand how immature they can become), it simply starts to turn out being quite disappointing.

However, these few weeks can redeem themselves yet.

Firstly, credit to Wen Xin for finding websites like MLIA to help me kill time. How much more average can my life get? Otherwise it would seem that Facebook is my only constant companion—maybe it really is. It becomes your friend when no-one else seems to have time for get-togethers (or for you), and after several hours refreshing your homepage and profile-hopping, it becomes a real bugger. So Wen Xin, thanks (:

Next, and no prizes for guessing, is Forza 3. –Graeme, this is a lil' taste-test for you.

It has given me hours of artificial adrenaline-fuelled racing in cars I hope, but not really expecting, to get. The fastest I've come to? In a Veyron, the thousand-horsepower legend, on the Le Mans straight—396km/h, 11km/h off the mark. It's the closest to actually driving it, as the tyres screech, the engine screams and whines, and the landscape passes in a blur of colour. To top the icing on this delight of a game is how your vehicle interacts with the environment—barricades, opponents, grass, everything. Trying to knock another car off the track when you're doing 300km/h, even on a straight, can yield disastrous results.

Or does it? The Rewind utility is there to mend every wrong you make when doing speeds even the traffic police would be afraid of. However, abusing this utility (or using it at all) could result in you cheating and winning races on its back. Sure, you can use it all you want when you're practicing, just to make sure you get a good feel of the track, but NOT when you race just to win—that's cheating.

Also in is the cockpit view, where you 'drive' in the driver's seat itself, with detailed...details of the car's interior (unique to each and every car) which adds to the realism. But, the view from there is poor, so those less comfortable with racing only being able to see some of the track ahead of you could try the bumper or hood view for a change.

See? I forgot all about my holiday blues already! :D

Anyways, Christmas is coming, so yeah. Hope to at least be merry with my friends around and NOT just have me sitting in front of some electronic device or console and burning my eyes out. That would really suck.

Happy holidays!

Till then~

CXVII – Yesterday’s everything.

117

It's a review, recollection, and result, all rolled into one convenient post.

Let's start with the review first.

New Moon

So I've been told, this show was only meant for sissies. And so I tell them, speak for yourselves.

Ok, let's move on.

The rough synopsis is as such: Bella is growing older; Edward isn't. When he and the Cullens leave Forks for her safety, she seeks solace from her painful depression through committing dangerous stunts and in spending time with Jacob, an old friend. However, something happens to him as well, and at the same time something/one is out baying for her blood (no prizes for guessing who, really). Through some miscommunications, Edward ends up going to Italy to have himself killed by an ancient coven, but is stopped just in time—not before a quick fight, though. They eventually return to Forks, and Bella, desperate to stay 18 forever, has to make a choice that could break an uneasy truce and cause...bloodshed.

On to the review. Surprisingly, it didn't contain very much action scenes—in fact it could possibly add up to not much more than 5 minutes of real fighting out the movie's 2-hour length—instead focussing on Bella's struggle with her feelings following Edward's departure. As such, it made for a, erm, rather dry plot which sees little character development (except for in Jacob's case, of course). Here however the feud between the vampires and local Indian tribes becomes much clearer.

Verdict: If you are a fan of the series, then good news: it could possibly appeal to you, though it could not be more appealing to teenage girls, as I found out in the cinema (yes, time to get Jacob's physique). However, if you are neither, well, just prepare for some disappointment.

Score: 3/5. Some reviews are far more critical of this, I promise you.

Other than the movie

My family and I had lunch at Billy Bombers which was, unsurprisingly, almost empty, yesterday. Who can deny that Orchard Cineleisure is a prime teen hangout spot, added to the fact that Billy Bombers is flanked by far cheaper fast food joints? Even then fast food can be notoriously expensive.

Had pretty good food, actually. Ribs were awesome, not to mention the oysters and the chicken, and the mixed grill (lamb, potato, chicken, whatnot), and the malt shake—see how much I ate? ;) I was pretty happy with the meal, though it burned a massive hole in my dad's pocket. After that was New Moon. Then we just went straight home.

Graeme and Sean had been telling me about Google Earth, and I couldn't help but try it out on my laptop.

I was astounded. I love it.

This is already the most basic tier, so don't expect much detail. As far as realism is concerned, only the lie of the land is. Buildings and structures are flat. Want to get more? You'll have to pay.

[EDIT]: After some tinkering, I realised that there IS 3D buildings utility, although it's quite unwieldy and slow (kills my processor when I go to cities like NY--massive lag). And weather. Don't know whether that's live, though.

Last, but definitely not least,

Results—not live from Prague

Ms Yeo has given us the most wonderful news: DmnChoir has gotten GOLD (2^nd in category) and BEST for interpretation of a song (Kasar)!! Best news I've heard in a while. Heard they're now headed for Dresden. Snowfights expected. xP So we're all happily awaiting their return on the 17^th. Flourish of cornets!

That's all for now. Quite a long post, this.

Till then!~

CXVI – HollyDaze!

116

EXAMS ARE OVER. Enough said.

Forza 3 shall soon be part of my console collection. This game has gotten rave reviews, and it could be the closest thing to getting an R8 or Veyron and travelling up to 350km/h on the streets without getting a speed ticket under your windscreen wiper. Can't wait!

Also, the choir is about to perform in a competition in Prague in an hour or so. Songs in the repertoire include O Magnum, Audete and 平安夜. Results should be out by evening there (which means past midnight here on Sunday). Prayers are with them! Ah, memories of winter 2005 are flowing back to me now, miss them.

Anyways, that's all I have to write for now. Three weeks of holidays!

Happy holidays. (:

Till then!~

CXV

115

I'm tired.

Next week's schedule is chock-full of exam papers. But on Friday I shall be set free.

Free to go wherever I please. Free to do (almost) anything without let or hindrance.

Or at least, that is how I hope it to be. After all, not everything can go your way, so I'll be happy with what the holidays can offer me. (:

Before I go on my week-long hiatus, here's a parting "gift", so to speak...hope you like it!

TO MY EXAMS

Well, it's time to part, adieu

Sayonara, goodbye.

Enjoy yourself while you can

But my exams, your end is nigh!

Tragic to think that you'll go so soon

But I'll laugh with vengeful scorn,

For when the time comes, so quickly

You'll disappear, vanish, be gone.

And thereafter I'll be thinking back,

What if you could feel?

Then when I realise that you CAN'T...

All I have to say?

Adieu.

Till then!~

CXIV

114

The controversy rages on.

Many say global warming is putting the Earth at risk, that the North Pole will have an ice-free summer by 2100, that if it isn't stopped, it will change the world as we know it forever.

And hardly anyone, least those who I know, disputes that.

However, there must be a form of balance in this dispute. That lies in climatology.

Haven't you noticed that all these things about the detrimental effects of global warming have been said, and written, by scientists, as well as influential personalities like Al Gore? Not that I am against their views, but what do the climatologists have to say? Isn't it that, as some say, asking a scientist about climatology is akin to asking a brain surgeon about the respiratory system? Maybe they would know a little of that, but nevertheless, that is not their specialisation.

Scientists talk of the human contribution to global warming, and mention little else of the other contributing factors. Climatologists, however, focus more on the latter, less-talked about facets of this aspect of their profession.

This increase in global temperatures, they say, is attributed more to the natural climate cycle, which states that such temperatures rise naturally before falling (like a balance) and causing a worldwide cooling, in which we know in the form of major ice ages of old, and other such phenomena than humans. And so our actions cannot be said to be conclusive of the detrimental effects of global warming.

In any case, what the scientists have stirred up has indeed brought about an improvement in the way we live. Green energy points to the future (although still in its infancy), and there have been pressure to reduce our carbon footprint in every way possible. In urban establishments, we enjoy fresher air and cleaner surroundings, and why not? Whether or not it would make a real impact in stemming global warming, at least for us living in towns and cities, we can breathe easy, literally.

The real debate between scientists and climatologists does not lie here. I only write about the two sides of this story, to make people aware that, in fact, there are people who believe this isn't our fault. After all, there will always be two faces to a coin.

Where is the debate, then? It could be in the international tribunals, numerous dialogues, or even simple arguments of loggerheads in a chatroom over the internet. The truth to that debate, however, lies in time.

One side has to be right.

Till then~

CXIII

113

Well, it's lost.

No more OC for me ):

Now I'm all for facilitator in the FOC/P! Sean supports me too, hope Jac succeeds as well! xD

School tomorrow, damn. But what the hell, holidays begin on the 12^th, so I'm just holding my breath. So quickly, this year has come, and now going...going...almost gone.

Come on Honour Roll, you're mine!

Ok that's all.

Till then!~

CXII

112

Hey guys.

I have well and truly run out of things to write on my blog.

Unless...

Anyways, I have gone for the SP FOC/P OC Interview just yesterday. Even though I stammered—not to mention quite a bit—my chances are, in opinion, quite good. I'm sure Sean and Jac have done well too. WE WILL GET INTO THE OC! :D:D

But, in the shock case whereby I DON'T, I shall not fret. Facilitator slots are up for grabs, and chances are competition will be low :S

And the rest shall be history.

Also, I will be busy this coming weekend with the YMCA Fencing competition in which my siblings are participating in.

(EDIT) JING XIANG CLINCHED THE BRONZE, AND I HAD A BLAST! WELL DONE BRO!!! :D LI-ING, YOU DID WELL TOO!

There, all there is to write has been written. Least for now.

Oh, and MSTs end on the 11^th of next month, with the time thereafter given free for me to enjoy the festive cheer. That leads to yet another thing: Freeman's New-Year party! That has been a tradition for most of us former choirboys (and gals). Won't miss it for the world (:

Till then!~

CXI

111

I'm watching Lethal Weapon 4 on HBO now, and it's really, really funny.

Swashbuckling kung-fu (ooh, ouch) and sarcastic humour—perfect for a Monday night. After a perfect dinner, of course.

Sarcastic, intelligent humour: what I like about British comedy. From Monty Python's Flying Circus in the 60s and 70s, Fawlty Towers in the latter decade, Blackadder in the 80s, A Bit of Fry and Laurie in the 90s, and Little Britain in the new millennium, Brit comedy has become a class of its own.

It also has a neat cast too, featuring but not limited to John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and Tom Robinson, and they would give us what would be quintessentially British. This is what I think is cultivated during the Blitz, using humour to get them through their "Finest Hour". 70 years hasn't ruined that, has it?

Whee. Looks I'm addicted to that. :D

So if you're feeling down or out (not surprised if it's homework), watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn15BUFBvu8&feature=related – FAWLTY TOWERS, 1975
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iB8qh0-hGc – BLACKADDER, THE CAVALIER YEARS, 1989
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npjOSLCR2hE – MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS, 1969

The rest? Discover them yourself! :D

Till then!~

CX

110

Cool weather, check. Nice breeze, check. Thunderstorms, ch-. Well, we can see that can't we?

Yes, the annual monsoon season is upon us once again, heralding temperatures as low as 24◦C, if you believe that is so. And I can safely say everyone loves it.

Perfect weather for sleep, for an afternoon indoors. And maybe perfect for a bad bout of cold, it's so cold at times!

Now, finally, I am finishing up the work meant to be done for next week, and I am proud of it. (:

And for IDEA, its Aston's for our experience presentation! That means root beer, mashed potato, and medium-rare sirloin steak! However, that would only come after Graeme and I conquer our CRS article assessment. Which means we're running out of time.

Also, it's only 2 weeks to the MSTs. Accounts is THE module to worry about, as everyone would agree.

So, with that:

Till then! :D

CIX

109

Ok, so I'm down with a bad bout of the cold.

Well, it isn't that bad, is it? Just my 3^rd bout in 3 weeks! Still, I feel absolutely pathetic.

Like I've grown...old. By multiples. It's aging, accelerated. I've even got white hair sprouting out! D:

Anyways, I've got work aplenty to complete, and here they are, in chronological order:

1. POA: Lab exercises 2-5, as well as Tutorial on Float, due Monday.
   
2. Critical Reasoning Skills: My article on Animal Testing, with a cross-reference to Graeme's "Life's a box" conformity article, to be tested on Monday.
   
3. Statistics: Tutorial on Chi-Square (wow), due Tuesday.
   
4. Economics: Tutorial 15 (so much for catching up), due Thursday.
   

With that in mind, I'll enjoy my Friday despite all the lectures. And maybe procrastinate just a tad bit (?!), before I delve in. MSTs looming over the horizon!!!

And on this "bombshell", enjoy your weekend!

Till then!~ (:

CVIII

108

Do bear with me, because it's gonna be really long, but I think I ought to write this out, since it's about someone who has made an impact to not just a few people, but perhaps thousands.

It is the end of an era for Dunman Secondary. Yes, yet another chapter of its 46-year history has been written and set in stone.

2005. I was no more than a freshie there. Dunman by then has become a fledging school, having been from strength to strength since it hit a trough 2 years before. Its principal, Mrs Edelweis Neo, along with the teaching staff then, was the driving force behind this extraordinary recovery. I was worried—it has gone so far already: the pressure was already on us. The question then was: "Can she better it?"

Mrs Neo knew the challenge. And she was ready to tackle it head-on.

Results never lie.

If 2005 was a good year, the next 2, progressively, would be even better. Naturally, 2008 would represent a zenith never seen by the school before. Such success would then pose challenges, which can be likened to the increase in the resistance of air as a plane approaches the sound barrier.

The pressure was on us now, but we were not alone: Mrs Neo was more than ready to take it on. But nobody said it was going to be easy.

And it wasn't. Not just for us and the teachers, but for our principal as well. As the Os drew near, she took time off her (amazingly) hectic schedule to teach us English. Teach! It is something that her job scope perhaps did not warrant. To add to that, she spent hundreds of dollars to buy us little buns and burgers to help us through the nights of endless study. How much better can that get?

This dedication, along with that of the teachers', didn't go to waste—our results were on par with those of the previous year—and I hope this year paid off as well. This principal didn't just take the managerial role, but the PR and teacher roles as well. She to me is a rare breed. And with her leaving Dunman, this breed has become rarer.

She has left a legacy, one never to be erased, one perhaps none can match, one that may not be seen in Dunman again.

For its current students, having a new principal at the helm doesn't mean the honeymoon is over (honeymoon is perhaps the wrong word to use). It just gives all the more reason to bring the school to new heights, under the aspirations and legacy of the old and the fresh goals of the new.

It is indeed the end of an era, but it isn't the end of the honeymoon.

No. It is only the beginning of true success.

Till then~~

P.S. Graeme introduced me to this dynamic way to blog—through Microsoft word! It's excellent, and I could be using this platform to blog here on out. 素晴らしい！:D

CVII

107

hey guys,

changed my layout. seems i'm finally sick of the old. and so, this is how it shall be henceforth.
just a quick update.

till then!~

p.s. mood: excited now. justin, viv, shirong, tb and larry are coming over in 10 hours' time! looks like halo 3 odst's multiplayer platform is gonna be a blast! can't wait! :D

CVI

106

it's been an uneventful week, really.

terribly uneventful. it's like having breakfast with ham, sausages, eggs and a nice hot cup of hot chocolate - WITHOUT the ham, sausages, eggs or the nice hot cup of hot chocolate. to have to drag my weary self to school every morning (cept' for fridays...12's the time: hope you like your book melissa!) and not having coffee help you through your day just turned me into a perpetual zombie. lattes work worse in this department.

but otherwise...it's been a good week for me! not winning food implosion @ sp just means i don't have to execute my promise (or swearing) of never wanting to eat again - which would have been the saddest thing to ever happen in my life.

also, even with me zombie-fied, at least i could plaster a smile on my face. and to top the icing on my expired-yet-still-tasty cake (ooohh this is in SUCH bad taste), i've memorised the entire hiragana alphabet!!! now it's on to katakana and kanji...which i hope would bring me the same joys of memorising it! :)

i hope this coming week can be filled with even more joy! :D homework, be prepared for elimination!

as such, before this post begins to look like an uninteresting essay (if it isn't so already) -
till then!~ :D

CV

105

if there's something i'm seriously losing, its my sense of self-control.

look, nevermind that i was weaned off the laptop - FOR A WHILE - when it was return'd (without a glitch when it went INTO servicing 0.o) i just went...almost nuts. also forget the fact i use it for poly work: after all, isn't it it's purpose?

i saw my results in sept on mysas, and i told myself i cannot afford to slacken. i was so determined...till the term started. something clicked. or snapped. i can't really tell. and now i'm (almost) hooked. how you define hook'd is up to you.

honour roll...i want my name in it, yet i'm doing little to justify my want. *sighs* i need to want. get it? i must want it bad enough to do well, otherwise i'm toast. the inferiority complex will consume me.

ok, now i'm completing my MOB powerpoint, as well as attempting my econs. so before i get carried away, i shall stop.

till then~

OH AND friday is COLOUR FRIDAY! PURPLE TOPS PLEASE :D

CIV

104

as promised (rather late), i've return'd to blog about my trip to JAPAN!!

well, won't say much, cos it was pretty much a pilgrimage. but i have to say, my 2nd trip back there was...exciting. (: who knows, there will be opportunities next year, definitely!

ok so here are a few of many pictures taken...


yes, the plane i was in - an A380! and actually, it put the b747 in perspective: roomier legspace, quieter travel and, of course, a bigger entertainment screen! couldn't sleep, so watched a couple of movies.

fuji! in autumn! and people of numerous countries just flocked here (thus the crowd). beauty uncompromised.

if this bowl of udon isn't perfect, i don't know what is.


same goes for this wonderful bowl of ramen. what's perfection?

the hoando, the largest temple in the vicinity. stepping into it gives an overwhelming sense of tranquility...well of course i'm buddhist (:

~

well it was a spiritual awakening....as well as a shopping paradise, despite the fact that browsing time was already at a minimum (with so many activities to attend) - my luggage was stuffed full of food and souveniors.

~

anyhow, i'm now learning japanese, partly because of how rampant language barriers are there. so, as of now, i know how to introduce myself, talk about about scenery, and write a little. reading is still out of the question.

~

and so, i'll just slowly get acquainted with this language. not hard really, its pretty standard.

~

as of opportunities, there are TWO:

~

1) study trip there (or so rumour has it)

2) backpacking! - which of course me and my friends have to pay for ourselves -.-

~

back to the present. zbrush is giving me plenty of headaches, its so cumbersome. to make things worse, the presentation's tomorrow! zzz. catching up, then, will be an issue.

~

AND, many thanks to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday! its the thought that counts! THANKS GUYS (:

~

well, time for bed. especially since tomorrow's hell day. 8am - 5pm to be exact. yawn.

~

so now,

till then!~

CIII

103

back from japan!

and to be honest, i miss it alot. 3 days was wayy too short.
i promised that i will return, perhaps next year? for the study trip? xD

anyway, will update later!

till then~

CII

102

well i'm leaving s'pore for narita in a few hours' time, so i'm basically spending the afternoon erm, idling.

it's a midnight flight spanning 7 hours, and since tokyo is only an hour ahead, i don't expect any jet lag. still, there are better things to look forward to, especially when i am flying there in this:~

majestic. the airbus a380. :D

~

don't ask me why this plane is so sought after. maybe its an opportunity to boast that "i've flown in the largest commercial jet airliner EVER". so? it's still a plane. it's just really, really, REALLY BIG. and somehow it makes you feel puny. very puny.

~

anyways, i'll not be back till tuesday morning, so if i'm lucky enough, i may make it for the 10am lecture that day. :P yes, as you can see, 7 weeks of non-stop holiday has made me mad enough to say "i want to go back to school!!", so yeah. SP DBF people see you then!

~

i'll try to pop a couple of pictures up here (and the rest on facebook)...if i can.

~

so yes,

till then!~

CI

101

hey people!

well, there isn't much to post, but least there's THIS:

actually, we wanted to celebrate ms kwek's birthday last saturday BUT she, at the last minute, told us that she COULDN'T make it...so i, lunchless and hungry, decided a COMPROMISE.

what COMPROMISE? zibin, amanda, weizhen, alvin, xianda, yinghong and i had lunch at CS instead (actually some already had their lunch at home so...yeah). and because we finished THAT so early, we were at a loss: what then? and ALVIN gave us the perfect time-killing solution. and even though i objected initially to it, i didn't regret it.

a movie.

surrogates.
basically it's about a society that is entirely dependant on biomechanical beings to go through the rigours of daily life - in style. and after one particular person (willis) loses that, he slowly realises that surrogates are merely masks that people wear (like how he remarked that a pretty lawyer could most probably be a fat balding guy sitting in his couch: could be true?!), and that there is something even more sinister....a destructive weapon and a twisty plot...won't spoil it.

it just reflects US as a society: we have makeup, then cosmetic surgery and, in the quest for bodily perfection, go even further. in the end, we become the people we are not, losing our true meaning and identity in the process. maybe this is what the movie intends to tell us...hmmm.

anyway after the movie i had to rush off somewhere else so i went home with zibin (who was already late for work).

oh well, back to reality. GEMS registration tomorrow, and japan in a couple more days, which means i won't be back till tuesday! HAAHA. and the BIRDIE is almost complete!
i hate my timetable ):

till then!~
:D

C

100

great cheer! :D

not simply because its the hundredth post (what's so special about that anyway?), but because of the following reasonssss...yes i haven't felt so happy for so long:

1. i made new friends!!! :D
2. finally found things to kill time!

had M.A.D. (Make A Difference) camp from last fri thru sunday, had loads of fun yeah?
first day, met up with graeme early @ sb (the post-renovation results look AWESOME!) and went in. our groups were splintered and reorganised because only half of the enrolment, in turn one-third of their aimed attendance, turned up.

anyway, did lots of activities to bolster bonding, and i loved it, even though water seemed to be its main theme. :D :D
that night, melissa attempted "heart-to-heart" talk, and it went out fine till the lecturers chased us back to our bunks.... -.- haha.

day two was the day for everything. morning was an amazing race, learnt lots of stuff, killed our feet haha :x then back to touch up our group page before going for a foodhunt (out, again) and finally, the nightwalk - more pple to know (: - a nightwalk with a difference...ending with a dance...sort of. we stayed up real late to finish up testimonials and to just talk...slept at 5.20am -.-

day three....cleanup and camwhore. need i say more?

roadrunners ftw! should meet up yeah? :)

and yes, the 'birdie' me, jasper, tb and ryan are creating @ dunman is a true timekiller. and better still, it now holds monetary value...for us!

next week...japan!
will miss school a little...couple of days perhaps ):

till then!~ :D

XCIX

99

yet another start to yet another potentially dreary week.

so, what happens to you when you're bored? really bored?

simple. this.

scribbling! :D whatever is better. (click to enlarge)

and of course, eventually, it came down to this.
boomz.

setting the record straight on english.

oh well. 7 weeks of holiday now coming full circle. helping ms kwek to do some designing and painting :P least it helps kill some of the time now. otherwise what you see above will happen again.

perhaps i'll post next after MAD camp. make new friends, i suppose. and of course new things to write about. i hope.

till then!~ :)

XCVIII

98

hamilton won. perhaps a win too late. but well done. you've done well. :)

and for those still consumed by CRASHGATE, GET A LIFE. just look at alonso: renault has had a massive fallout, and still he, undaunted, raced his way to podium spot.
well? he didn't cheat. all was fair. crashgate just shows how scandals and politics can consume such a beloved sport. if critics continue to cling on to the scandal, all i can say is this: you've lost sight of the sport itself. can't it have the essence of the 50s and 60s? can't it be just racing?

well done alonso. you kept your goal in sight, and crashgate suddenly seemed insignificant. you are an inspiration.

mad camp this weekend. can't wait (:

till then!~

XCVII

97

yes. time for the great reveal.
and frankly, i'm disappointed.

cumulative GPA: 3.346

FOM: B
EC : B+
ITAB: B+
ONOW: A

yes, it's paltry, especially after all the aims i've given myself.
jac is the best of the lot: 3.88. imagine that.

so yes, it's time. time to reflect, recall, and refocus.
and i'll reach for the sky...still, i have to be rooted and resolved. i will come back with a vengeance. (:<
but now, it's to enjoy whatever fruit life has to offer, before delving into books again.

till then.~

XCVI

96

gym is officially essential to my well-being. haha.
speaking of which, tb, zibin and i went there today. upper body is the main focus. i'm starting to be afraid of ns.

went back to dunman to, well, hang out. timmy & ashley, then jasper & zhi an (basketball!), and ms kwek, AND chock-full of kinder bueno bars. and air-con, mr ng and mr lee wl :)

anyway, i caught tb in the act of covertly grabbing a bar. on video. and sneakily, of course.

the man at the printer is mr ng. and yup, that is dunman's d&t room (:

went to hang out @ budget cafe last before going home.

ok, now to a graver issue:
RESULTS OUT TOMORROW.

i have my target set, and it's rather lofty: 3.4.
well actually i've revised my target downward from 3.7, so...yeah.
that's all. i tell you guys once i get to grips with it tomorrow.

till then!~
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
- howard thurman

XCV

95

hello people!

have returned from the 01 chalet @ aloha loyang yesterday! however, i was wasted from all the physical and mental torture endured in one short night, so didn't blog then. therefore, i shall do so now (:

MONDAY
left home with my brother's bike, cycling up the connector to prp. BUT! because certain people were late, i ended up being delayed, under the blazing sun, for half an hour -.- till they all arrived.

as a side-note, justin re-bonded his hair so it's straighter. better for him too.

so for most of the afternoon i did random stuff like tai-di (no translation -.-) and blackjack, losing miserably, and mahjong! YAY after learning how to win just last week (-.-) i managed to win 2 of the 5 games! :D happyhappyhappy.

in the evening we went to rent some bikes (9 in all), cycled to downtown east for dinner (can't be bothered to supply details) before the main event - night cycling!

not any old-how cycling round and round prp, this time we were doing it long-haul (40km)! was doubtful whether i (and the bike) can survive what looked like torture.

@ 10pm, we set off. naturally, uphill was a pain in the arse, but downhill was joy. travelled to changi village, then to the coast beach where planes fly right over your head, to perhaps the longest stretch of straight road in s'pore: 8km in all. and because it was parallel to the runway, we would see a plane take-off or land every 2-3 mins.

just as we finished that path, it turned to midnight, and already people were trailing behind and getting lost. also, the bike seats were killing our arses - every bump was a pelvic nightmare.

continued down to east coast park, where graeme, our friendly local area guide (FLAG), realised we had missed an exit which could have saved us - and our behinds - up to 15km of travel. and pain, of course. nothing could be done: it was closed anyway. soon, though, nature would give way to urbanised living.

from there,i became the convoy's FLAG, because i knew the kebangan - bedok route better. actually, it was straightforward, as the path was virtually straight. they simply needed a leader in the darkness. heheh.

you may have noticed that i haven't been complaining about my thighs burning or anything. sure they hurt but, remember our rears, bottoms, butts? when on every bump, crevice or kerb pain unimaginable to the common mortal becomes reality? ok i'm exaggerating, but i'm simply wanting to drive this point home: pain in rear > pain in thighs.

anyways back to the journey. went round bedok reservoir and back into tampines. while people were flagging in strength and their complaints ebbing away due to weakness, home was only less than 10km away. so, as much as we were in agony, we cycled to the bus interchange and into a 24-hour mac. by then, we were so sore that even sitting down on the softer, seemingly cushy seats became a task.

and once we sat down, we almost didn't get up again. ate and chatted in there for roughly an hour before heading back to the bikes and have our adventure - and pain - come full circle, literally. i was the 6th of 12 to finish the little expedition, coming back just before 4am.

i'd say even though the pain at the end was awful, it was definitely fruitful and ironically, enjoyable. not only did i get a thorough leg-and-ab workout, it also beat lying around the chalet, wasting half the night away. so i dare say it was 40km well travelled.

went in, showered, chatted and watched malcolm's collection of top gear (crap he has every single episode of every single series) before turning in for the morning (6am -.-).

TUESDAY (though much of the above happened that day but...yeah.)

woke up at around 11.45am. lazed in the corridor because i couldn't get back to bed. went in to sean's room and lazed some more. left the chalet at 12.40pm for lunch (there was a shuttle bus to catch then). missed the bus, so went to downtown's JUSTACIA for a meal. had a bulgogi ramen, which was actually not bad at all (the ice-cream was so-so).

after lunch a few of us decided to catch a movie at e-hub. the proposal. i won't give a review (too lazy), but i can say it's more than a just a girly chick-flick, because therein lies a tad deeper meaning. shan't spoil the fun for you guys.

went back to the chalet and decided that there was no point staying on because there was nothing left to do (justin was literally wasting away). went t o the beach for a walk, then packed up.

i left early (7pm) because i had someone else to meet, someone i hadn't quite seen for over 10 years.

i could hardly recognise priscilla, and there were many people i didn't know, so it took some time before we actually noticed one another. had a nice short chat, but couldn't stay long because she was busy and i was rushing for dinner ): so we had to part ways ): but we will meet up again soon!

went to white sands with the 'deserters' for dinner. had two 6-inch tuna subs and a 32oz cup of tea. was totally wasted by then. no details.

cycled home later on. showered, did a prayer, and went to bed @ 11.30pm. i didn't wake up for the next 11 hours (:

here's a vid to close off this entry (:

i do apologise: moving lights and some sound would be all you'd note of an aeroplane flyover, but yeah. it was already past midnight (:

jac's joke. don't want to discriminate anyone, but it's sooo funny, i think.
~~
one day, two blondes were walking through a small clearing in the woods.
while doing so, they came across a set of tracks.
"look,"one said. "deer tracks!"
"no,"replied the other. "those are obviously moose tracks!"
and so a quarrel broke out between them over what tracks those were.
10 minutes later, a train ran over them.
~~
till then! :)

XCIV

94

gym. laptop. jog. dmnchoir. console.
bored.

chalet. birthday. camp. japan. job (?).
results=oh no.

clinging on to the edge of existence.
~~
many many years from now, on my deathbed;
on my final breaths;
should someone ask:
"how was life?"
"has it been kind?"
"has it been forgiving?"
i shall chuckle and simply say,
"wonderful. fruitful;"
"and one without regret."
family and friends,
it's time to end;
and with a smile and a prayer,
to hell with the naysayer,
the curtains draw.
i hope it was a ticket well spent.
~~
time to accept mortality.
till then.

XCIII

93

happy. and nostalgent. (:

why, you may ask?

well, allow me to explain it in 2-three-word sentences.
1) had gym today
2) saw choir today.

first, gym. haven't had much of that recently. in fact, after only 3 sets of 15kg weights, my arms got killed. well, it isn't sore yet, but i'm sure that will come...soon. tuanboon teaching me all the right techniques ('cept for the lack of warmups), so 6 weeks of intensive training? gunning for it!

had a mcdonald's lunch (quite a waste, no?) then popped home for a quick shower before meeting up with the alums for choir.

choir. only the people wishing to go to europe come end year came today. laughs. nostalgia. especially when we went down to help them with 平安叶. woo.
later came their new song, the set piece Audete, Gaudete. tb came to lament: why? why is it that they, instead of us, got this song? it's deceptively simple: no emotions, brutal, strict. and loud, of course. not like all the other songs which require far more technique control. oh well. fate is fate.
then came O Magnum. killer song that, a stark contrast to the one they had sung earlier. ended at 4.30pm? ditto.
stayed inside for awhile, rummaging through the adam khoo booster items. then we popped downstairs for some basketball (which i haven't played since O lvls =.=). non-exercise took its toll - was exhausted not 10 minutes into the match. no.

later nipped back up to join the juniors and zer, nick, tb, moses for a carolling session. wonderful. nostalgia all around. (:

to be honest, i do miss the choir, its teachers, its conductor. so much has changed, yet so little had been lost. if i could, i would return. honestly: why not?

oh wells. nostalgia, experience. 2 teachers in life, almost like parents.
i guess there wouldn't be anything to write unless something terribly exciting happens during the holidays.

till then!~
Life must be understood backwards; but... it must be lived forward.
-Soren Kierkegaard-

XCII

92

today was awesome (:

went back to dunman for tchers day (tmr sch won't be open) with the (almost) complete 4D collection. me and tuanboon went around the school for awhile before the rest came. sat around a while longer :/ and later went on to visit ms kwek not once, twice, but three times! HAHA

and yes, ms thong is pregnant. and it's a boy ;)

took lots of pictures, caught up with one another (took very long) before actually splitting up (boohoo.) went for a lil bubble tea before going to tb's place for some mahjong.

well actually, i didn't play: i went on to watch some brit comedy, which i truely adore.
in fact, here's one for you guys to watch!

MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS
season 2 episode 11 part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15QfSAY6azw

warning: DO NOT WATCH if you:
1. don't understand or appreciate british comedy (mind you, you need some comprehension, not like many in-your-face american comedy); or
2. are below 16 years of age.

the link above is the most unpolluted of all the episodes - continue to them at your own expense.
btw it's just part 1 - you can find the other 2 parts to this episode by yourself.

IF you watch and are offended - do mind that this show was created by brilliant intellects - you are almost certainly immature :D hehe.

OH! back to the story.

tb, larry, weizhen, alvin and i later went to tmart for dinner. chatted alot on our ambitions when we grow up (thinking like adults now. not good.)
after that its home sweet home.

end of story.

well. that's all i shall write.
till then!~

XCI

91

three letters - Y. A. Y. get the jist?

yes, the exams are over, and so begins 7 weeks of Y. A. Y.
here's the schedule for the break. :D

AUG
31 - return to dmn!

SEPT
14-16 - chalet @ aloha loyang

OCT
2-4 - MAD Camp
15-20 - Japan!

sean, viv and i are looking for a job now: any short term things eg exhibitions. don't want anything which need longerand inflexible commitments hehe :/.

but until then, :D
till then!~

XC

90

yes people, it's the ninetieth post! and to top it off, it'll be my last for the next fortnight! the blog's going to be a year old soon. nothing special about that though....

the coming week is, unofficially, study week. and here's the schedule for revision:

sun: read up followthrough.
mon: econs - 2 past year papers.
tues: itab run-through, econs - remainding papers
wed: accounts - 1 past year paper.
thur: accounts - remainding papers/any tutorials.
fri: marketing - 3 past year papers.
sat: marketing - remainding papers.
sun: redo 1 accounts paper.

yes, looks can deceive. but this is where hiatus begins. i'll probably write again after the 28th (econs paper), and then thereafter it's 7 weeks of vacationing.
oh and would we be able to come back to dunman around teachers' day? suggestions please.

till then!~

LXXXIX

89

hello people.

feel terrible? like the whole world has gone to the dogs? want to chuck all your stuff out the window and curse and swear, simply because your kit-kat wasn't made from pure bitter choc? or maybe just feeling down?

fret not.

jac told me a really good 'joke', and it really gave me a real morale boost (as in laugh) :D even if you're already as bouncy as a squash ball, it doesn't really matter.
enjoy.
~

a line of dead people wove and looped round the clouds as they awaited their entry into heaven. as usual, st peter was at the gate, letting them pass. however, the job was becoming really dreary, and st peter decided he needed a little pick-me-up.

standing up to the line of deceased, he spoke. "if you can tell me how you died, i will let you pass into heaven."

a man walked up to the gate. "how did you die?", st peter asked.

then came the reply :"i was coming home from work, as usual. as i stepped into the house, i noticed there was something going on inside my room. as i opened it, lo and behold, my wife was sleeping with another man. seething, i chased him into the kitchen. his disapperance only angered me more, and i quickly rushed to the balcony."

"there, i saw a pair of hands gripping on to the railings. immediately, i brandished a large hammer and started smashing at his fingers. he cried in pain, but refused to let go. however, 10 minutes later, he lost grip and fell of 9 stories. i looked down with glee, only to find that he was still kicking! as enraged as i am, in a fit, i hauled my fridge out the balcony and killed the bas**rd. suddenly, from all the excitement, i had a heart attack. and here i am."

"ok", said st peter. "you can pass."

and so he passed.

the next guy came along. "how did you die?", the saint asked.

sighing, the man spoke. "i had just finished a run and was back home on the 10th floor of the apartment. all was well, until i slipped on a puddle on my balcony and fell over the railings! desperate, i clinged onto the balcony immediately below mine."

"just as i began hauling myself back up, there came this man, with a large hammer, and before i could explain, my fingers were feeling its wrath. it hurt, but i held on for dear life for a whole 10 minutes. i couldn't take it anymore, so i let go."

"this was it, i said. but no! i fell strategically on a massive bush, and lived! i was thanking god that i had survived, when there came falling this fridge. then i am here."

st peter nodded. "you can pass"

and so he did.

a third guy came along, cold with blue skin. st peter was puzzled. "how did YOU die?!"

in between shivers, he man replied. "imagine the scenairo: i was in a fridge, naked, hiding from some maniac of a man."

~
maybe it was how jac said it. ONE'S JOKE IN ANOTHER'S MOUTH (or writing, in this case) IS A JOKE NO MORE.
if you're ever down, jac will be your remedy. after all, laughter is the best medicine. and he is the bottle to that medicine.

yay! ec presentation is OVER! now i can focus on my papers which are 2 weeks from now. thereafter it's SEVEN WEEKS of pure vacationing! :D playplayplay!

toodleloo!
till then!~

LXXXVIII

88

well, if you hadn't expected me to post anytime soon, here. i posted.

anyways there was virtually nothing to post, so the 'hiatus'. what i intend to write about now concerns what happened only in the past couple of days. and here they are:

• G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra;
• SB Talentime 2009.

first things first. G.I. Joe at face value looked real cool. and to be honest, it is. with a bang here, a boom there, awesome chase scenes, it would make any guy's adrenaline run. except graeme's, of course. more bang than plot, for one, added to the fact that many physics laws were not just bent, but broken, ground, mashed, blended and then dissolved in this movie made his blood literally boil.
i'll leave the review to graeme. and it's apparent he's really not pleased.
http://totallysedated.blogspot.com

then came the talentime earlier. and once again graeme wasn't pleased with the result, particularly the chinese solo. why so i'll once again leave it to him. well, it was quite interesting and, erm, amusing, given that graeme and jac were sharing the same square metre of space. anyways jac won 5 free yoghurts, which he despised :/ had a light dinner thereafter, and home to where i am...

accounting tomorrow, effective comms presentation on thurs. i'm really looking forward to the more restive study week next week.
there. updated. don't expect me to blog often, though. exams coming. bahh.

till then!~

LXXXVII

87

hello world.

sickness gone, projects up to par. :)
so ya, really nothing else to type, except...

yesterday.

i was at my dad's friend's place (exotic) for "lunch"--and it ended up being a six-hour binge-eating session :p

what i ate: onion, mashed potato, lamb, florentine steak, tomatoes, pizza, cake, prawns, fish. top that off with water, apple juice, pinot noir and chardonnay.

oh and i made my 1st 'professional' observations of the moon. the palm tree was my standard while taking the time lapse photos of its transit across the sky.

1930hrs.

note moon as per perspective to the tree. light still dominates the satellite. just past halfway between tree and roof.

1942hrs

sky has darkened very significantly. moon has moved sightly down right towards the bottom right of the photo. note more than halfway to roof.

1958hrs

sky has darkened to the point that palm tree is not clearly visible to the naked eye; roof edge illuminated by moonlight. note moon has moved even closer to rooftop. clouds not discernible.

2018 hrs

complete twilight. palm tree nearly indiscernible. moon heading in roughly same direction as the sun. 5/6 the way to roof. clouds surrounding visible.

2037hrs

clouds obscuring outer rims of moon. moon almost touches roof.

moon disappears above roof by 2050hrs. moon completely obscured by clouds by 2110hrs; moonlight still visible. moon lost from vicinity (not that the observation space was very large) by 2210hrs. observation ends.

---

yup that's it for today. i just hope i can make a more detailed observation using a more...suitable imagery device for such express purposes :)

till then!~