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-