~Musically Aspired~

Lost iPod Classic 160GB; If found by any kind soul, contact me ASAP!

2009-04-17T20:56:00.001+08:00

Though the chances of retrieving my iPod Classic 160Gb is slim, I'll still post this up as I still hold onto a little hope of having it returned to me eventually. If any kind soul happened to find it, pls contact me. A fair reward will be given.

I lost my iPod Classic 160 GB recently & its details are as follows:

-Silver iPod Classic 160GB

-Serial No. on the Back of it: 8K80137MYMU

-Encased in a whilte silicone DLO Jam Jacket

-Screen Protectors applied on the LCD Screen, Click Wheel & Back

-Black Earphones attached

-Placed in a Dark Blue Denim pouch altogether

-Contains over 2000+ songs, appx. 18 videos, 1800 photographs & other data in the hard disc

I may have dropped in on SBS Bus 30 on my way to work, or on Sentosa Island itself. Once again, if any kind soul happened to find it, pls contact me via email. Pls title your email as iPod Classic 160GB Found; Serial No. 8K80137MYMU. A fair reward will be given.

Thanks a lot!

Depressed Lost iPod owner

Email: musicallyproficient@gmail.com

Forgotten...

2008-07-07T22:38:00.003+08:00

The title of this post -

It speaks of my blog. It speaks of ME. How apt, isn't it?

I may be wrong, but that's how I felt at this very moment in time. I just realised that I can't keep something that I never had...

I wanna own a Segway Personal Transporter (PT)!

2008-01-27T15:18:00.000+08:00

I want to own a Segway! A Segway PT Model x2 Adventure! I simply fell in love with it after seeing some Segway owners riding on theirs at Sentosa yesterday! It's SO COOL! The riders could manoeuvre on their Segways so easily by simply shifting their weight or by leaning forward and backwards. Such a cool transport gadget!

It got me so enticed that I went to check out the Segways Singapore website. After looking through all the models available, I think the x2 Adventure really suits me!

Here’s a picture of it:

It’s more versatile than the i2 or i2 Commuter. I wanna own that! Argh!!!!! If only I can afford it right now. OMG, I gotta save enough for it from now on! Next time on my pre-roster, I’m going to indicate that I’m free to work on weekends (BOTH Saturday & Sunday, additional $1 in gross hourly salary) & public holidays (TWICE my gross hourly salary)! I need the extra cash!!!

I JUST WANT TO RANT ABOUT IT! Grrgh!!!

2008-01-21T21:35:00.000+08:00

I wanna rant it all out on this post on all the crap, literally C-R-A-P I came across on 1st day! It wasn’t the whole lot of duties at Dolphin Lagoon, but the irritants I have to bear with!

No, I’m not talking about my supervisor as he’s not the cause. & no, it’s not the scorching hot sun in the afternoon that got me slightly sunburnt on my face. Neither is it blood-sucking female mosquitoes as I didn’t get a single sting on me.

So what made me so agitated? It’s the IDIOTIC STUCK-UP dolphin trainers (hereinafter referred as ISUDT) ! *curse input here* I HATE those trainers to the core. Those idiotic HongKees & Malaysians! They really show no respect to anyone except themselves (amongst the trainers) & the dolphins! You know what? I really don’t pity those dolphins which are made to do those tricks. The dolphins receive BETTER welfare than us - the GSOs, & the guests! The dolphins DON’T get ticked off by the trainers, but the fate of GSOs isn’t the same even at the slightest mistake (though the trainers aren‘t the supervisors of GSOs).

The ISUDT have such domineering characters that is way far from reasonable. If anyone (doesn’t matter staff or not) tried to go near the lagoon to take a closer look at the dolphins, or simply wave at the dolphin or call out the dolphin's name, the ISUDT will DEFINITELY give u a black face. They think as if dolphin lagoon is solely their territory (NOT). WTH. As if when we go near the lagoon, we're invading their territory.

Hey, I don’t usually disclose names on my blog entries without the person’s consent, but I’m going to make this post an exception. There’s this MOST stuck-up ISUDT named Keith (a damned HongKee) who’d go beyond giving a black face. He even insults you when you’re just following your supervisor’s instructions. WTH!

The ISUDT don’t even give any respect to people from the management! Worse still, sometimes, they’d even scold the guests! In what way is that acceptable in the right mind?

I really agree to what my colleague said to me. Those trainers do indeed live in their isolated world (talking to dolphins) & have no sense of the REAL WORLD out there. HUH! No wonder they possess no perceivable sense of humanity at all!

1st Day @ Work

2008-01-21T20:17:00.000+08:00

Yeah, finally I’m not categorised as an UNEMPLOYED. Reported for 1st day of work today!

I’d been posted Dolphin Lagoon for today & tomorrow. My reporting time supposed to be 9am, but I arrived at the workplace at 8.30am. 1st day, can’t afford to be late, so to be safe, I came early.

As I’d been warned that it’ll be scorching hot most of the time at dolphin lagoon, I had myself prepared - sunscreen SPF 30 for body, SPF 50 for face & my cap. I’m thinking of getting a pair of shades too. My co-Guest Service Officers (GSOs) colleagues I met today are great! They showed & taught me the duties to be done at Dolphin Lagoon.

A typical day at Dolphin Lagoon goes like this:

1) 9am: Reporting for work & get keys from key press

- Punch in one’s time card. Get key to key press from security room. Retrieve required keys from key press. Prior to Swim With Dolphins (SWD), we have to open up the shower facilities. Wash the 2 gigantic wash basins, fill both of them up with water & add a capful of Dettol disinfectant to 1 of them. Prepare the required number of drawing paper on clipboards & paint buckets filled with some paint.

2) 9.30am to 10.30am: Swim With Dolphins (SWD) Programme

- Assist participants in paperwork. Get participants ready in life jackets & booties. Have them seated for briefing. During the programme, we have to wait for the cue to hand them the drawing paper & paint for which the dolphins will use to paint with. Thereafter, we collect the paintings & leave it on the platform to dry. When the programme ends, we collect the paintings & lead the participants back to the shower facilities to get changed.

3) Show sessions at 11am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm & 5.30pm

-Prior to each show, we have to do ushering at the entrance as always. Tearing off ticket stubs & guiding the guests. When the crowd is in, we have to do crowd control at the seating area before, during & after each show. Each show lasts around 20 mins.

4) Interaction with Dolphin Session After Show

- Split the crowd according to the dolphin’s name indication on the required coupon that have been purchased. Get the crowd seated. Brief them on the interaction procedure & safety instructions. Thereafter, we perform a 6-step demonstration with the dolphin on the photo-taking procedure.

5) Returning of equipment back into their original places

- Making sure that all disinfectant bottles r kept back in the storage hut, the used life jackets & booties are cleaned & hung in the right places. Lock up the shower facilities. Switch off the air-conditioner & lights in the GSO container. Lock up GSO container & return all keys to the key press. Punch out one’s time card & evacuate from the place by 6.30pm.

There. & that’s only my duties at Dolphin Lagoon. I have another set of duties at Underwater World. As for that, I’ll only find out on this Wednesday, the very 1st day I’m posted there.

Shoe Drying

2008-01-20T19:36:00.000+08:00

Just when I thought I won’t be blogging about shoes so soon, here I go again…

For this entry, it’s not on the washing of shoes, rather, it’s about the drying of shoes, as my title suggests. I went to check on my newly washed shoes this morning, & realised they’re not completely dry yet, so I placed them under the beam of sunlight, hopefully to get them to dry at a faster rate. I went back to check them at noon. They don’t feel any drier than in the morning, so I placed them properly back under the intense beam of sunlight.

In the late afternoon, I did another routine check on them. Still very moist to the touch. I’m getting a bit worried if they will dry by tonight so I can get them ready for tomorrow morning. The next thing I did was getting the shoes hanged in front of the table fan with the fan speed at maximum. While the shoes dry in that manner, I went online & searched for the various ways to dry shoes in the quickest way.

Here are some interesting ones. Let‘s compare:

1) After washing, stuff the shoes with newspaper. Check them in a few hours. Remove the moist paper and stuff them again with dry paper. Repeat until dry.

Pros: Shoes dry within 24 hours as the newsprint wicks the moisture away. Not only does it not distort the shape of the shoes, it keeps the shoe shape in better condition.

Cons: The coloured ink of the newsprint may bleed into the fabric of your shoes. May cause soiling/staining of the inside of the shoes.

2) Place the washed shoes in front of a small fan & turn the fan speed up to the maximum.

Pros: They dry usually in less than 12 hours. As no heat is being used, it does not shrink the shoes.

Cons: The fan runs on electricity. This method uses a fair amount of fuel just for drying the shoes alone as the fan couldn‘t be utilised at the same time for other purposes.

3) Place the washed shoes at the area where the warm air escapes from the compressor in your refrigerator. The warm air does a great job in drying the shoes. Be sure to place the inserts to retain the shape of the shoes. Alternate way would be the warm air from the air-conditioner compressor.

Pros: Shoes usually dry within 12 hours. This method also makes use of an appliance that is already running/in use.

Cons: The heat from the warm air may cause certain shoe materials to shrink, making the shoes lose shape.

4) Place heatproof inserts into the shoes. Place both shoes in a laundry bag. Place the bag into the dryer & dry on low heat for 1 to 2 hours.

Pros: This method is the fastest by far, taking only 1 to 2 hours for the shoes to be completely dry.

Cons: Shoes may shrink due to heat exposure.

Well, I guess I’ll still stick to method 2, & hopefully, it’ll dry by the time I head to bed. If not, I may need to use a hair-dryer to speed up the process.

Shoe Bath

2008-01-19T21:37:00.000+08:00

Ok, I admit. When it comes to cleaning of my SHOES, I can be quite lazy. Unlike for my clothing & bags, which I diligently hand wash when they're in need of some urgent washing, I don't really bother much about my shoes.

Well, I'll be starting work on Monday. See, I'm supposed to be in my track shoes when I'm at work, & I don't wanna be seen wearing a pair of dirt-covered track shoes on the first day of work. So...what do I do then?

Grabbed my pair of Reebok (don't bother to wash my pair of Nike 1st), undid & removed the laces, removed the insoles & dump the whole lot into a wash bucket. The washing process begins... Oh my, now I realise that I should be more diligent when it comes to washing shoes. The dirt stains (that was accumulated over a year) on those shoes were stubborn. All that scrubbing with Dynamo liquid didn't do such a good job, but it managed to remove most visible dirt & stains. & yeah, the 1st batch of rinsing water was truly disgusting. As for the stubborn spots, I scrubbed them with an old toothbrush with CIF cleaner. It didn’t remove the spots completely, but it lightened them. Beats nothing, right?

Now, I’m just waiting for them to dry completely so that I can redo the laces & get them ready to be worn on Monday morning! Don’t wanna be wearing moist squishy track shoes on the first day of work either!

CPR for my blog

2008-01-18T12:53:00.000+08:00

Just as my title suggests... I guess my blog has been suffocating in the past few months (almost a year). Time for a revival via CPR before it actually dies out. :X

Ok, just a little update on what's been going on with my life. I had just clinched a job @ UnderWater World, Sentosa yesterday. I'll be training cum working as a Guest Service Officer. My job scope if pretty wide, with lots of duties to handle, so don't interrogate me on that. Wanna find out? Visit http://www.underwaterworld.com.sg/contact_career.htm .

Just to share a little. I'll be trained at both UnderWater World & Dolphin Lagoon. As I'll be working outdoors when I'm at Dolphin Lagoon, you may see a charred me next time! I'll most probably be working during the Lunar New Year Festive period, & I've been warned, it'll be so busy then that I may not even have the time to visit the toilet! (Mental note to self: No excessive input during this period)

Well, my training begins on Monday, 21 Jan, 9am to 6.30 pm at Dolphin Lagoon. All the Best to myself & hopefully, I'll be skilled enough to handle the duties for the LNY festive period. :)

GENUS!

2007-04-22T20:27:00.000+08:00

GENUS - Guitar Ensemble of the National University of Singapore

GENUS - My KEY Motivation to have myself enrolled in NUS!

NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS! NUS!

P.S. Pardon my craziness. I know I'm going nuts!!!

The Return of... Me?

2006-11-08T11:57:00.003+08:00

I have neglected my blog for the past 5 months or so (after getting THAT kind of results for Mid-year common tests). So sorry, my dear bloggie, I don't mean it.

OK, I admit it.

Sloughful + shelfish + busy with school activities Ying Xian = Couldn't be bothered about updating her blog

This remorseful her have realised her mistake. Hence, she shall make an official come-back to her dearest blog today, right now!

Lol! Here's the interesting part. The reason behind my choice of time: I have completed my Promotional Examinations, GCE 'A' Level Chinese Language written paper and Project Work Oral Presentation! What a relief! Whee...!

What's more, I've received the news 2 weeks ago that I've been promoted to JC2 (just did slightly better than the minimum criteria though). This means that I would have a tough year ahead of me, but I'm ready for it!

Here's a summary of events that took place in the past 5 months or so of my 'disappearence':

15 June >> Went for 2nd interview for a position in SR Guitar Ensemble ExCo @ 11.00am. Guitar Ensemble Chalet follows up @ 1.00pm to 10.00 pm, East Coast Resort.

17-25 June >> My maiden journey beyond Asia! I went to Perth, Australia to attend my cousin's wedding held on the 24th. But on the 17th to 23rd, I went on tours around Kings Park, Swan Valley, Fremantle, vineyards, The Pinnacles etc. I even had a farm stay @ Catton Hall. I simply LOVED sandboarding @ the white sand dunes too! Tis' Aussie trip's sssoo FUN, mate! I'll return for more...

25 June - 3 July >> Mid-year common test period. Sighss...

19 July >> SRJCians' Day! A day to honour all SRJCians. Our very first SRJC Superstar is born today! Also, my CG received the Top 10 Most Creative SRJC/Singapore Icons Award, but more importantly, we received words of wisdom and encouragement from our teachers on this very day.

8 August >> National Day Celebrations + Sands of Missions + Beach Run. The first outdoor donation drive SRJC organised. For details, refer to previous entry entitled 'Sands of Missions', 8 August 2006.

9 August >> National Day! I manage to capture 2 videos of the fireworks from my balcony!

19 August >> Attended the Youth Champions Programme(YCP) Meet-the-Parents dialogue session.

31 August >> Teachers' Day Celebrations! Guitar Ensemble performed 2 pieces on this day. The pieces are Ballade pour Adeline & 关怀方式. Forrester was the conductor! It's so nice to see him conducting the ensemble for the first time!

1 September >> Visited the RSAF Open House today with my mom, brother, aunt and 2 cousins. 1 of my cousins is a Pilot-in-training. He looked so cool and smart in his Pilot uniform! The opens house was fun and educational. The downside was the scorching hot sun. I got sunburnt that day.

2 September >> Attended the YCP Leadership Training Module 1 @ Study Area from 11.00 am to 2.00 pm.

2 - 10 September >> 1 week September break. Returned for lessons and PW meetings.

9 September >> Attended a talk by Professor Lee. The talk was inspiring and motivational.

13 September >> Guitar ExCo Meeting to plan Guitar Ensemble Camp. Members are not aware of this. It'll come to them as a surprise.

28 September - 5 October >> The Promotional Examinations! Starting with GP and ending with H2 Physics

10 October >> Palette Organising Committee for Guitar Ensemble had a meeting. Making sure that all guitars are tuned and broken strings fixed before Palette on 11 Oct.

11 October >> Palette Day! A day when students of different CCAs get to immerse themselves in another CCA, learning new skills and having fun at the same time! Guitar Ensemble exchanged time with Taekwondo and RocMoc. Taekwondo was ok. RocMoc was tiring but FUN! It's the first time I've ever climbed a rock wall but I think I can get hooked to this sport! I wanna go rockclimbing again!

Teaching the students of Taekwondo and Rocmoc how to play the guitar was not an easy job as it takes time and patience to play the guitar well. But the session still turned out well.

14 October >> Attended the YCP Leadership Training Module 2 @ LT3 from 8.00 am to 12 noon.

16-20 & 23 October >> Checking of Promotional Examination scripts, Intensive CL Revision Lessons and PW OP rehearsals.

24 October >> Hari Raya Puasa

25 October >> Release of Promotional Examination Results. I got Promoted with results just slightly better than the minimum criteria.

26 October >> Commendation Day. This marks the end of the academic term before the commencement of the GCE 'A' Level CL Written Paper & Project Work Oral Presentation (PW OP).

31 October >> The last day of PW OP rehearsals before the actual assessement.

3 November >> The Day of the GCE 'A' Level CL Written Paper Examination. The paper was do-able & fairly OK.

8 November >> The Day of my PW OP Assessment. I was confident and comfortable in my presentation. Overall, it went well. What a relief! This burden of mine is finally lifted.

From now till 14 November, I'll be taking a good long break from all that PW. I should now focus on playing the 2 SYF pieces. SYF 2007, here I come!

I'll be returning to school on 14 November for the submission of the PW Group Project File. That would be my FINAL concern for PW this year.

Sands Of Missions

2006-08-08T18:49:00.000+08:00

Serangoon JC students build Singapore's longest sandcastle
By Joanne Leow, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 08 August 2006 1906 hrs

Some 1,600 students from Serangoon Junior College celebrated National Day in a rather unusual way this year: they got together to try to build Singapore's longest sandcastle.

It was no child's play but four days of hard work were needed to build the sandcastle fantasy - with help from some experts.

Shannon Tan, Serangoon JC, said: "The most challenging is all the little bit of details, because you need to be very accurate to actually carve out the shapes."

But all this did not daunt the students who were still at it till the very last minute in a bid to make it to Singapore's Book of Records.

Koh Yihan, Teacher, Serangoon JC, said: "When you build a sandcastle there are a lot of lessons you can learn like teamwork, the importance of building a foundation before you build the castle and you must be careful every step of the way, so it doesn't crumble in the end."

Kaladevee, Student, Serangoon JC, said: "When we were young we really didn't do much, just play around with the sand that's all. But now with equipment you can build a better sandcastle and you feel the joy again as a child."

Noorkiah, Student, Serangoon JC, said: "We're gonna have exams soon so it's a good de-stressing time right now."

The bid was also part of the junior college's fundraising efforts for Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Community Charity Fund.

The school has raised over S$36,000 so far and the sandcastle is a way to show their gratitude to the donors.

The magnificent sandcastle is also to wish the nation a happy birthday. - CNA/ch

Source taken from: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/223788/1/.html

SRGE Section Leader 1

2006-07-26T19:09:00.000+08:00

Ok. It's settled. I'm Section Leader 1 for SR Guitar Ensemble. My duties are piling up.

Imagine - messaging and calling members of Section 1 to remind them of practice, chase after them to ask for reasons of absence when they don't turn up for lessons, chase after them then agian to make sure they come for the next practice, teach them how to play the different pieces, watch the progress of the not-so-keen-and-committed members/learners...

Well, to tell the truth, being an SL is not easy, especially when some (>4 out of 9 in fact) of your section members aren't committed to the CCA. The reasons for absence they can come up with can be absolutely outrageous! Some examples are " My friend isn't coming for practice, so I won't be going.", ''I've sprained my leg, so I can't come." and "My friend is having heavy fever. I'm sending her home."

Oh, what jokes are these? CCA is called CCA for a reason! It's not called ECA anymore! It's co-curricular activity for heaven's sake! CO-CURRICULAR! It means it's incorporated into the curriculum! It's part of the curriculum!

If your friend isn't coming for CCA, he/she is already playing truant if he/she does not have a valid reason. So if you are joining your friend, YOU are also playing truant!

As all people with common sense should have known, playing the guitar involves using your arms, hands, eyes and most importantly, your fingers! So what's with the sprained leg? It wouldn't affect you when you play the guitar! At most, other members could help you get your guitar out of the store and out of its case if you find it inconvenient to do so due to your sprained leg.

It happens that your friend is having heavy fever? It happens that you are sending her home? It also happens that both you and your friend are in SRGE Section 1! How coincidental can that be? Hmm... I should test the reliability of this source, shouldn't I?

Now you can see that being a SL is not easy. But I'll perservere and perform my duties as I should! I hope everything ( and everyone) will change for the better and not let SRGE down. Wish me luck!

Quick Update

2006-06-14T18:05:00.000+08:00

I hardly have the time (& chance) to blog nowadays. So here's a quick update of the happenings I've been thorugh for the past month or so.

1) I'm a nominated EXCO member of SR Guitar Ensemble!

2) I had guitar practice on every school day starting from 15th May so as to prepare for Shiokissimo'2006.

3) Submitted PW GPP Final Draft on 17th May. It got approved on the 22th.

4) Shiokissimo'2006 was a SUCCESS! I'll hereby extend my thanks to all who came down to support us! And SR Guitarists, YOU GUYS DID GREAT!

5) I'm a facilitator at this year's CSSP Challenge IV! I learnt so much through this camp! Made lots of new friends( facilitators from SRJC, AJC, HCI and campers from OPSS). I get to experience a stimulated terrorist attack on an MRT train. I also learned how to report suspicious items/figures and how to evacuate safely from the train. It's the fisrt time I get to walk down the emergency exit ramp onto the tracks of the MRT! How cool can that be?

6) I'll be heading to Perth, Australia in 3 days' time. It will be my maiden journey out of Asia, finally! I'll be attending my cousin's wedding there. Couldn't wait for 17th of June! Aussie, here I come!

That's about all for now. I'll be posting a more detailed entry on Shiokissimo'2006 and CSSP Challenge IV when I have the time.

Am I...Psychic?

2006-06-13T19:15:00.000+08:00

It's so weird. Imagine that you want something and you have been thinking about it for a short while, like say, for a week. Eventually, you get what you want after that week without expecting so.

There's a few incidences that I would like to watch a movie that is no longer filmed in cinemas. I keep thinking about them for a week or so. After that one week or so, I found out that a local channel will televise that movie in a week's time.

Recently, at the beggining of this June holidays, I wanted to learn how to play 'Hu Huan', the theme song of Da Chang Jin (Jewel in the Palace) on my guitar as the song is pleasant to listen to. It happened that during my 1st guitar practice, the guitar instructor handed us the score of 'Hu Huan' first thing at the practice.

Are these conincidences or am I slightly psychic? I have yet to find out.

Youth Champions Programme - CSSP Challenge IV

2006-05-15T20:10:00.000+08:00

Thanks to the Youth Champions Programme I've joined back in March, I get a chance to be a facilitator for the annual Community Service and Security Programme (CSSP)!

I've already been through the civil defence training at SCDF HQ 2nd CD Divison(Tampines) yesterday. The training was indeed relevant to the CSSP camp.

Training was SO fun, especially module 1 and 2, which are First Aid and One-Man CPR respectively. For these 2 modules, we had a humourous paramedic named Meeran, who taught us the basics of First Aid and CPR. He added a tinge of laughter to our training. What's more, he shared with us some 'classified' information about SCDF and his... erm... job as a paramedic specialist.

Here are some quotes from him:
-'Anyone thinking of becoming a doctor? Don't! Doctors are sadistic.'

-'When you attain a burn of scald, run the area under cool running water or cool in it a bucket of cold water. DO NOT apply toothpaste, soy sauce, egg white, cooking oil etc. Tell your grandparents/parents about this. There's this incident where one victim has egg white, another has cooking oil, and another has soy sauce. Add these 3 together and you can cook.'

-'To check for the responsiveness of a suspected unconsious victim, tap him or her by the SHOULDER and shout "Hello sir/madam, are you ok?". If you do not know whether it's a male or female, go "Hello, are you ok?" Do not tap on the chest area or give a slap on the face. One is molestation, and the other, physical abuse.'

-'When you feel for the pulse of the victim, for a guy, NOT HALF-HALF, feel for his Adam's apple and shift 2 cm into the groove at the side of the neck. For girls, your Adam's apple is not so obvious, so feel for your voice-box. As for HALF-HALF... forget it.'

We tried our hands on several types of dressing and learned how to bandage different forms of injuries. The triangular bandage was so useful and fun to use.

The first 2 modules are great! But when it came to module 3 - Fire Safety and Casualty Evacaution, it became boring. The speaker was a fire fighter, who wasn't a good speaker after all. As for module 4 and 5 - Emergency Procedures and Unconventional Threats, we had yet another speaker. He was ok, not as good as Meeran, but much better than the second speaker.

Finally, we got to do a hands-on exercise on IPP (In-place Protection). Sealing up the gaps of the windows (with grills) was tedious, plus, we keep running out of masking tape and the pairs of scissors are high in demand that we have to share around. But nevertheless, doing the IPP was an enriching experience.

At the end of the day, we each received a certificate of participation from SCDF.

Civil Defence training ended at 4.30pm+. Thereafter, I travelled to Tampines Bus Interchange with Stefanie. She took the MRT home while I took bus 67.

One whole day of training was tiring, but fun. I learned so much and I really look forward the CSSP Challenge IV Camp on 29th May! Till then, I'll have to practice real hard for SR Guitar Ensemble's Shiokissimo coming on 26th May.

SR Guitar Ensemble presents... Shiokissimo'06!

2006-05-07T20:27:00.000+08:00

What's happening?
SR Guitar Ensemble will be staging a charity concert entitled 'Shiokissimo'.

When is it happening?
Friday, 26 May 2006 from 6.00 to 7.00 pm. (By the way, 26 May is the last day of term 2!)

Where is it happening?
The concert will be happening at Serangoon JC Lecture Theater 4.

What is the admission price?
Tickets for 'Shiokissimo' are selling at $3.00 each. ALl proceeds will go to charity.

Who can one approach to purchase the tickets?
If you are interested in attending the concert, you can approach me or any SR Guitar Ensemble member for the purchase of tickets.

Anyway, I'll be performing. So come and support SR Guitar Ensemble on 26 May 2006! See you there!

P.S.: For more information, please visit www.hostunlim.com/srjc_guitar_ensemble/index2.html

19th January 2006

2006-01-19T21:07:00.000+08:00

Happenings on 19th January 2006:

-My Birthday
-Jones' Birthday
-Premiere of Memoirs Of A Geisha
-Premiere of Cheaper By The Dozen 2
-Premiere of In Her Shoes
-TP Open House
-NYP Open House
-SP.INNOVEX 2006

Loads of happenings on this day... Such coincidence.

KHS 5/3' 2000 Class Reunion Chalet

2005-12-20T23:57:00.000+08:00

Hey, this day finally arrived! I've been looking forward to this day for over 2 months. It's the day of the 5/3' 2000 Class Reunion Chalet! It's the day when I'll meet some of my primary 5 friends after 4 long years!

The chalet event is organised by our beloved 5/3' 2000 class monitress, Ting Ting. It's held at the People's Association(PA) chalet inside Pasir Ris Park. It's a rather tranquil and quiet place as compard to Downtown East and Coasta Sands. The best thing about it is that it has a sea view, which I simply love!

Well, I left home at around 4.50pm. My journey there took around an hour! I took MRT from Paya Lebar to Pasir Ris, then bus 403 from Pasir Ris Bus Interchange to the PA chalet. Bus 403 took such a terribly long time to arrive at the interchange (around 28 mins). By the time I arrived at the PA chalet, it was already 6.10pm and the BBQ had started (the BBQ started at 6.00pm)!

Saw lots of familiar faces... The girls who attended the chalet were Ting Ting, May, Dawn, Sheng Jie, Joslyn, Meng Jiat and me. (Don't bother to name all the guys...) Sheng Jie (and her elder sis) brought along her 2 lovely Chihuahuas! We had fun with those adorable canines. Joslyn, the well-known dog-lover of 5/3, spent most of her time with them.

At around 7.30 pm, Mr Lee Kok Hoong & family arrived at the PA chalet. We've invited them. Mr Lee didn't manage to recognised most of us, but after some hinting, he managed to get all our names.

We chatted with Mr Lee. We made several findings about him at KHS, and realised that his Mandrin improved! Hmm... It seems like he reaped some benefits from being the teacher i/c of table tennis.

It was getting late by the time Mr Lee left. The rest of us continued barbequing the remaining food. Dawn went around snapping pictures with everyone. I took a few pictures with the girls and everyone took several group photographs together.

I left the PA chalet with May, Dickson, Travis and Shan Yong. We took a bus back to Pasir Ris Bus Interchange. By the time I got to the MRT station, the last rain had already left. Therefore, I took bus 21 home instead.

I felt so glad seeing my Primary 5 classmates once again after 4 long years. KHS Primary 5/3'2000 is my FAVOURITE class in my 6 years of Primary School education! Hurray for 5/3!

For Guitar Lessons...

2005-12-15T22:03:00.000+08:00

As some of you would have known, I've started my guitar lessons last week. Well, here's a peek at the items I'd need in learning the guitar.

My Guitar! A Classical Type. From Congress.

My Guitar Pick. 0.73 mm thick. Ideal for novice guitarists.

My 4-in-1 Tuner. Comes with Metronome Feature. Cool eh?

Tuner at Work! Metronome Setting: 216 Beats per min; Beeps every 2 beats.

Now in Guitar Tuner Mode. Setting: 440 Hz

One Step Closer

2005-12-13T10:18:00.000+08:00

Usually, on past year's Nov/Dec holidays, the only thing I look forward to is Christmas. However, this Nov/Dec holidays, there's plenty of other events to look forward to, starting with Prom Nite. It'll be one of the last school events that I attended throughout my 4 years in CCHMS. Next was guitar lessons, then 5/3' 2000 Class Gathering Chalet!

OK, I've started learning guitar on 5th Dec. Guitar lessons are fun! I never knew learning guitar can be such an enticing experience, and it's easy too. The key to become a better guitarist is PRACTICE & to PRACTISE. I've been plucking and strumming that guitar of mine till my fingers hurt! Guitar lessons are what I look forward to every Monday & Thursday this December!

The CAGED system and that Elephants-And-Dogs-Got-Big-Ears Fretboard have been dwelling inside my mind thorughout these days. I love playing the guitar, though I'm not very good at it yet. But that doesn't stop me from playing it. I want to be able to play a full song (chords or melody) on my guitar soon. The first song I'll be playing shall be Jones' 'Hei Ye Guo Hou'. I only have the guitar score for this song of his album. I want the scores of ALL of his songs!

I've taken one step closer to becoming that accomplished musician-drummer-guitarist! Watch out world! You haven't seen what this girl can truly accomplish!

Maximised Usage (Or Wastage) of Holidays

2005-12-01T19:42:00.000+08:00

The GCE 'O' Levels ended on the 18th of November. The week of 20th to 26th Nov had been spent preparing for Prom Nite and the PAE. I attended the 4 LY class chalet barbeque on the 21st as well. Prom Nite was on the 28th. Prom was... Pure Entertainment... Well, at least I enjoyed myself.

December arrived. There's only a month left of the holidays. I don't have much in mind for my plans for the remaining 1 month besides my Holiday Intensive Guitar Lessons starting on the 5th.

The birthdays of Eunice, Madeline and Lin Hui are arriving soon. I havn't prepared them presents! The KHS 5/3' 2000 class gathering chalet will be arriving soon. Christmas is also around the corner. My bank book may need to suffer for the expenses for this festive season.

I can't imagine my expenses for the month of November and December. 4 LY class chalet, Prom Nite ticket, clothes, accessories, makeup and hairstyling for Prom Nite, a new digital camera, presents for the respective events, guitar lessons, a guitar, 5/3' 2000 class gathering chalet... The list goes on.

My bank book is bleeding (and so is my heart) ! Can you feel the pain?!?

Finally, It's Over!

2005-11-18T20:25:00.000+08:00

18th November 2005, 5.45pm in the CCHMS School Hall.

It'd ended. It'd ended after such a long time... It's all over now. My GCE 'O' Levels Examinations are FINALLY over!

iPod Flea

2005-11-16T22:20:00.000+08:00

iPod Flea. You'll be itching to use it.

See it for yourself at :
http://gprime.net/video.php/ipodflea/

SFW6310Z

2005-10-01T22:31:00.000+08:00

It's such misfortune to meet inconsiderate drivers when one is on the road. I met one while my father was driving on the Pan Island Expressway today. The driver, who was drving on the lane next to the one my father was driving on, hastily barged into the lane, which my father was driving on then, WITHOUT signalling. Of course, my father honked at that driver. Thereafter, that driver kept shifting into the lane that my father was on, trying to block my father's vehicle from overtaking his as if he's the king of the roads. Well, I guessed he's afraid that we'll get a glimpse of his scheming, despicable visage.

It's totally infuriating. Such inconsiderate drivers who assume they dominate the roads should do some soul-searching. That driver sure made a major mistake to think we're pushovers! I rememered the licence plate vividly - SFW6310Z! Driving a Mazda does not mean you own the roads!

So, to all drivers in Singapore out there, be cautious when you drive. Take note of SFW6310Z (Dark Blue Mazda)! The owner of SFW6310Z is an inconsiderate driver who may be driving on the roads without a licence (since he did not obey to traffic rules)!

Singapore Hit Awards 2005

2005-09-24T19:40:00.000+08:00

Congratulations to my CCHMS senior, Jones 石康军!

Jones has been nominated for 4 awards in the Singapore Hit Awards 2005. The awards he got nominated for are namely Best Local Music Composition, Best New Act, Best Local Male Artiste and the Media Recognition Award – New Local Act. His song '黑夜过后' have also been nominated for Best Local Lyrics.

Jones' talent and passion for music is undeniable. His persistent and undying spirit in making it into the music industry is admirable. His accomplishments in music have brought upon recognition. It's almost time for him to claim the fruits of success he deserved!

I truly hope Jones could clinch the awards for Best Local Music Composition, Best New Act and the Media Recognition Award. As for his song '黑夜过后', I hope the lyricist would be able to claim his well-deserved award too. '黑夜过后' is my favourite track from Jones' debut album as it's a beautifully written piece.

Your CCHMS juniors and I will be rooting for you, Jones! Congrats to Jones once again.

PS: Just for my viewing pleasure and enjoyment, I'll post the lyrics for '黑夜过后' at the bottom of this entry. For more information on the Singapore Hit Awards 2005, visit www.singaporehitawards.sg.

黑夜过后

我是说真的　你如果累了
别犹豫　随时都　能来找我
我不善言语　但愿意陪你　
让你至少不孤单　渡过难眠的夜晚

不管夜多漫长　天终究会明亮

黑夜过后第一道阳光　是为了融化你心中的霜　
闹过哭过当力气全耗光　发现你不过又爱了一场　
黑夜过后另一个早上　是最后一次和他说晚安　
你要相信你比想像勇敢　逃离夜的捆绑奔向日出的方向

我是说真的　你如果累了　
别犹豫　随时都　能来找我
我不善言语　但愿意陪你　
让你至少不孤单　渡过难眠的夜晚

不管夜多漫长　天终究会明亮

黑夜过后第一道阳光　是为了融化你心中的霜　
闹过哭过当力气全耗光　发现你不过又爱了一场　
黑夜过后另一个早上　是最后一次和他说晚安　
你要相信你比想像勇敢　逃离夜的捆绑奔向日出的方向

黑夜过后第一道阳光　是为了融化你心中的霜　
闹过哭过当力气全耗光　发现你不过又爱了一场　
黑夜过后另一个早上　是最后一次和他说晚安　
你要相信你比想像勇敢　逃离夜的捆绑奔向日出的方向

(黑夜过后　第一道阳光　黑夜过后)
像夜会过　天终究会再亮
(黑夜过后　另一个早上　黑夜过后)

Canon Digital Life Workshops

2005-09-23T20:01:00.000+08:00

I'm invited to attend two of Canon's Digital Life Workshops. One of them is Canon's 'Youth Digital Life Photo Workshop' while the other is Canon's 'Youth Digital Life Video Workshop'. They're held on the 2nd and 9th of October respectively at the Canon Digital Media Hub.

Nothing unusual, isn't it? Now, here comes the problem. They only invited ME, but I intended to bring a friend along as she's a photography enthusiast. There are only limited slots for both workshops and I have to register in order to attend. The registration form that I have to fill in only caters to my name as it is pre-determined (which means the form only stated my name and NRIC under the particulars of registrant).

Should I or shouldn't I attend? What should I do?

Songwriting

2005-09-17T17:14:00.000+08:00

I've been coming out with a whole list of themes for writing songs, but seem to be held back from completing a single song. Futhermore, I wish I could have some inspiration for the melody, or just even the chords or bass.

This reminds me that KHS has this interesting way of improvising the CL lessons. Singing of selected pop songs and poems is part of the cirriculum. The students will then rewrtie the lyrics of the song and they could even compse their own song using their song lyrics. What an awesome way to learn, and it will benefit aspiring songwriters!

If only this programme had been implemented in my primary school years... I would have gained some experience on songwriting and composing! Why do I have to graduate so soon? Why can't Ms(Mdm) Chong have such an innovative mindset during my years at KHS? Why? Why? WHY?!?

I don't seem to get the benefits of life being born in year 1989. Here are just some of the benefits I missed out on: Representing KHS Brass Band in SYF (Primary Section); Songwriting and composing lessons @ KHS; Getting into a Sec. 3 pure Bio+Chem stream; CL Elective Programme @ CCHMS...etc.

The world is unfair. Life is unfair. If it's fate, then all I want to say is, "我想找命运的轮盘, 用我的双手运转!"

渴望

2005-08-28T17:06:00.000+08:00

"我想找命运的轮盘
用我的双手运转...
我相信黑暗的反面就是希望的曙光
夜里的太阳!
Sunrise In The Dark!" - 曙光

我实在、的确、真的好想找到我命运的轮盘，用我的双手运转! 我要看到黑夜里的太阳! Where's my sunrise in the dark?!?!?!?

National Day

2005-08-09T22:32:00.000+08:00

9th August 2005. Singapore celebrates her 40th birthday today! For a start, let me wish Singapore a happy birthday!

How did I celebrate this day? Well...I visited my aunt's for lunch. I wore a red top in celebration of this day. Nothing special there though. Watched TV most of the time, till around 4.00 pm.

Thereafter, I went over to the Celebrations @ Tampines! There was a sea of red-whites in at the audience seating area, all armed with NDP'05 Funpacks of assorted colours. Emcees Michelle Chia, Guo Liang and Aaron Aziz were there to host the event. Prior to LIVE telecast of the NDP, the emcees shared some activities with the crowd. Dance No. 40 (dance for Reach Out For The Skies) was rehearsed time and again. The crowd was reminded to have their tamborines, flags and torches (resemblance of a Nokia mobile phone) ready for the pre-parade segment.

I decided to browse around the exhibitions set up by several organisations, e.g. The SAF, RSAF, RSN, The Straits Times... I was really fasinated by the exhibition by The Straits Times. Articles from its 1st issue till the latest current affairs were on display. Hmm... In the 1970s, males with long hair (sideburn reaching end of earlobe and hair touching collar) are forbidden to enter Singapore. They had to visit the nearest barber shop 50m away to get a haircut before the authorities gave them permit to enter Singapore. Walking through the exhibits seemed as if one is walking down (The Straits Times') memory lane.

Thereafter, I joined in the celebrations at the audience seating area. Obviously, there weren't any seats left. I searched for a good angle at the side of the crowd and watched the NDP standing up. The NDP celebration ended at around 8.25pm.

At my quickest pace, I rushed back to my aunt's, hoping to catch the premier of Shooting Stars on time. I had one blister on each foot which made my trip from Celebrations @ Tampines back to my aunt's a painful one. By the time I reached my aunt's, I've already missed the 8 mins of Shooting Stars. Well, at least I get to watch most of the premier of Shooting Stars. I'm so glad my favourite Singapore Idol Finalists Jessea Thyidor and Olinda Cho stars in Shooting Stars! In my opinion, and backed up by the SI judges, those girls have the best voices in the competition. I can see that judges were unhappy when Jeassea was eliminated in the 1st round of the finals, and Florence Lian even cried when Olinda was eliminated...

Now, back to the topic. After watching Shooting Stars, I watched Full Circle. The 1st episode featured a heartfelt true story of two long-lost twin sisters reuniting. I had my share of National Day and it was time for me to head home. My father came to bring me home after my long day.

Music 让我更精彩!

2005-07-30T15:52:00.000+08:00

It seems that I've been bitten (badly) by the music bug in the past few weeks, thus the entry title. I've been singing along with most of the tracks playing on my PC, ranging from pop songs to soft rock, from English chart toppers to the new releases of Mandopop. Without doubt, I'm addicited to music.

Tracks from 石康军 Jones' debut album '火光 FireLight' are my favourite picks currently. I'm supporting my (CCHMS) senior.

Here's a little something to express how I feel (at this moment):
我承认我已为音乐上隐了。我必须服用解药! 但我能确定我对音乐的热爱与热情是永远变不了、永不会变质的。漂浮在音乐中的我仿佛能穿越时空, 穿梭到陌生的年代, 有如在爱中飞行似的。我相信我能将在音乐道路上找到属于我的火光。黑夜过后, 我就能看清那道曙光!

假如你认为这世界是冷酷无情的, 而你的心在低温中一天一点的冷冻, 甚至使你麻痹, 请你抬起头, 俯视这世界。你就会发现这充满音乐的世界是那么美丽的! It's such a Beautiful World with music around!

PS: 别在我背后冷嘲热讽, 因为我还没疯!

Whenever I'm feeling low, Jones' 'Beautiful World' will naturally come to my mind. It shows an optimistic side of life, and makes me think positive! You should try it too, after listening the song of course! It really helps, trust me.

CCHMS Youth Day Celebrations cum Breaking the World Record of the Longest Chain of Cans!

2005-07-01T21:31:00.000+08:00

It started like any other day, with the usual flag raising ceremony. But hey, today's different! It truly was. The day finally arrived. It's the day that CCHMS sets a whole new world record!

In celebration of the school's 66th Anniversary, CCHMS chained the World's Longest Chain of Cans, breaking the previous record set by Aurora Private School! Two students from each class were selected to participate in the chaining of cans. I played my part in this mega project too, not as a representative who supposed to do the chaining, but as an individual who contributed 80 aluminium cans.

The chaining of the cans started at around 0800 and lasted for approximately 3 h 40 min.The masterpiece was astounding. The cans totalled up to a number of 45,358! Way to go, Chung Cheng!

Here is a picture of the masterpiece:

The Masterpiece by CCHMS - The World's Longest Chain of Cans

Thereafter, a new local ballad-rock singer, Jones 石康军 was invited to perform for our Youth Day celebrations. Jones is an ex-CCHMS student, which makes him my CCHMS senior! How cool is that?

Before his performance, Jones was interviewed by Friday Weekly about his visit to his alma mater. Here a link to the extract of the article Jones was featured in: Friday Weekly Issue 705. I managed to get a glimpse of him from my classroom window at around 1110. He was in the basketball court.

During assembly, he performed 3 songs, which are namely 爱中飞行 (Ai4 Zhong1 Fei1 Xing2), 火光 (Huo3 Guang1), and 黑夜过后 (Hei1 Ye4 Guo4 Hou4),from his debut album,'火光 FireLight'. He shared interesting stories of his secondary school years and some 'cold jokes' with us.

After school dismissal, I got myself a copy of Jones' debut album. It comes with 2 complimentary entry passes to his music gig at DXO on 8th July, which is exactly 1 week from today! I'm attending it for sure!

Jones will be promoting his album in China soon. He'll be away for 4 months! Hereby, I wish him all the best in his music career and whatever he undertakes. Jones 学长, kambateh!

Maple(global)BETA V.S. MapleSEA

2005-06-16T16:06:00.000+08:00

I've started playing MapleStory on my MapleSEA account, but I really missed using my Maple(global)BETA account... Awww.... I want my MapleBETA account!

I just can't stop thinking about the numerous ores I've collected over the months, the number of times I 'mati-ed' in order to stay at level 30 to do PQ so as to collect black crystals, the 1 million+++ mesos I've saved for my armour, weapons, the precious, sacred pair of glass shoes I've collected after so long, the pairs fo sapphire earrings that my character should be wearing at level 35... That account is just too valuable (in terms of items,mesos and memories) for me to abandon.

I want MapleBETA back! Why can't MapleSEA move SEA MapleBETA players' account to MapleSEA instead of signing up for a new account using AsiaSoft? *Curse, curse, curse*

Ok, rant off. Whatever done is done. There's no turning back.

Emotion

2005-06-04T12:29:00.000+08:00

Song Title : Emotion
Artiste(s) : Destiny's Child (also re-performed by American Idol 4 Final 6)
Album : Survivor

I simply couldn't resist this song ever since the American Idol 4 Finalists performed it on one of their results show. I'm posting the lyrics for my viewing pleasure.

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooh yeah

It's over and done
But the heartache lives on inside (yeah, yeah)
And who is the one you're clinging to
Instead of me tonight

And where are you now
Now that I need you
Tears on my pillow
Wherever you go (go)
Cry me a river
That leads to your ocean
You'll never see me fall apart

In the words of a broken heart
It's just emotions, taking me over
Caught up in sorrow, lost in the song
But if you don't come back, come home to me darling
Don't you know, there's nobody left in this world to hold me tight
(Don't you know) there's nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight
Good night, good night
Good night

I'm there at your side
A part of all the things you are
But you have a part of someone else
You gotta go find your shining star

And where are you now?
Now that I need you
Tears on my pillow
Wherever you go (go)
Cry me a river
That leads to your ocean
You'll never see me fall apart

In the words of a broken heart
It's just emotions, taking me over
Caught up in sorrow, lost in the song
But if you don't come back, come home to me darling
Don't you know, there's nobody left in this world to hold me tight
(Don't you know) there's nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight
Goodnight

And where are you now
Now that I need you
Tears on my pillow
Wherever you go (go)
Cry me a river
That leads to your ocean
You'll never see me fall apart

In the words of a broken heart
It's just emotions, taking me over
Caught up in sorrow, lost in the song
But if you don't come back, come home to me darling
There's nobody left in this world to hold me tight
There's nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight

Good night, good night
Good night

American Idol 4 - The Final Results

2005-05-26T20:31:00.000+08:00

'I... Wanna be inside your Heaven... Take me to the place you cry from..."

This line, from the yet-to-be-realeased single, Inside Your Heaven, of Carrie Underwood's debut album, has been echoing in my mind since 4pm, which was after I've watched the encore telecast of American Idol 4 - The Results Show.

I should really emphasise that Carrie had indeed done enough to win this competition, like Simon commented yesterday after her 3rd vocal performance. Randy agreed to that too!

3 cheers for Carrie! I've been rooting for you and you didn't disappoint me! Carrie, you're undoubtedly the American Idol, and will be selling more records than any other AI did!

I'll be anticipating for Carrie's debut album. Vonzell and Anthony, you guys did great too! Hold onto your dreams!

PS: Carrie, you trashed Bo! Good for you!

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE 'O' Level Examinations

2005-05-22T20:45:00.000+08:00

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations : 1

American Idol 4

2005-05-17T22:49:00.000+08:00

I must say, Carrie Underwood and Vonzell Solomon undoubtedly have the finest and most alluring vocals in this competition! I’ve been rooting for them since they made it to the Top 12, together with one of my favourites, Anthony Fedorov! Indescribable disenchantment overwhelmed me when Anthony was voted out on 11th May.

Ok, let me put this straight before I start to craze over the Idol Fever once again.
To all residents of the United States, if you happened to stumble upon this blog, PLEASE vote for Carrie Underwood and/or Vonzell Solomon as your next American Idol!

Numbers have been provided to assist you. Call these numbers to vote:
Vonzell Solomon : 1866-43657-01 / 1866-43657-04 OR Text ‘VOTE’ to 5701
Carrie Underwood : 1866-43657-03 / 1866-43657-06 OR Text ‘VOTE’ to 5703

These are 1866 numbers, NOT 1800 numbers. Numbers are TOLL-FREE*, so what are you waiting for?

Remember, YOUR VOTE COUNTS! You have to vote. Get these girls into the Finale and you won’t regret!

*PS: Standard text messaging rates do apply for Cingular Wireless customers.

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE 'O' Level Examinations

2005-05-17T19:12:00.000+08:00

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations : 2

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE 'O' Level Examinations

2005-05-09T21:10:00.000+08:00

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations : 3

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE 'O' Level Examinations

2005-05-02T14:57:00.000+08:00

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations : 4

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE 'O' Level Examinations

2005-04-24T13:22:00.000+08:00

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations : 5

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE 'O' Level Examinations

2005-04-17T19:20:00.000+08:00

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations : 6

'That White Thing' Tactic

2005-04-14T19:51:00.000+08:00

‘That White Thing’ Tactic didn’t seem to work. I’m still considering about the purchase. Think of the investments I have to make - ‘that white thing’, the protector cases et cetera. So, to purchase or not to purchase? That is the question. Poddy and Gruff will have to be patient in awaiting for the addition to their family.

PS: Tiger will be available in the US on Friday, 29 April! I’m not sure about the its release in Singapore.

Awareness cum Impending Future

2005-04-11T20:58:00.000+08:00

The Secondary 4 Mid-year Examination 2005 schedule had been distributed today. I’ve scrutinised the whole schedule, and realised that besides 4th May (Wednesday), I will be sitting for 2 different subjects on each examination day. Physics Paper 1 & 2 will be held on the same day, 9th May (Monday), and it’s ditto for Chemistry on 12th May (Thursday).

Just as I expected, Pure Geography isn’t the last paper for me this time round. The CL Listening Comprehension paper is, which puts my mind slightly to ease as I need not do much last minute preparations (unlike for Geography) for both papers on the last examination day, 16th May (Monday).
There is approximately 3 weeks left before the arrival of the 1st Mid-year paper, the EL Paper 1, thus preparations start today for me! I’ve planned my study schedule as instructed by Ms Gan.

Physics! I truly need to add fuel to my (physical) fire! I shouldn’t and wouldn’t disappoint Ms Munirah. She had been such a patient teacher, yet some students do not appreciate her effort and patience. Without doubt, those *ahem* students don‘t realise that they are at the advantage.

Oh yar, I’ve finally got myself a copy of Lindsay Lohan’s debut album ‘Speak’ today. Dynamic and upbeat. It perked me up instantly after a prolonged, fatiguing afternoon in school.

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE 'O' Level Examinations

2005-04-11T20:25:00.000+08:00

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations : 7

Casino : Ca-Si-No?

2005-04-08T18:34:00.000+08:00

The ongoing political issue :

CaSIno - Yes!
CasiNO - No!
Casino - A Yes or a No?

What is your vote?

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE 'O' Level Examinations

2005-04-03T20:36:00.000+08:00

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations : 8

Surprise! It's...MW!

2005-03-31T20:28:00.000+08:00

Just making a quick note here. Madeline and I met MW at the bus stop on our way home! I caught the sight of MW before Madeline, who was oblivious of MW’s existence then. MW is still as cheerful and effervescent as ever.

She purchased her preferred char siew bun at the nearby dim sum shop to savour on her way to CCHMS. I presume that she went back to pack and relocate her belongings she had left in the staff room from last year.

We waved goodbye to MW when we boarded the bus. A friendly, wide smile beamed across her face and she waved goodbye to us too. What a pleasant surprise this is, and speaking of that, it's exactly 1 week since I last met MW (on the day of the 4 Schools Combined Sports Meet)!

MW's dress code : Collared White T-shirt, Cream Bermudas, Black Framed Specs.

Monday, Bloody Monday. Sighs~

2005-03-28T21:39:00.000+08:00

Monday - This noun may look simple, but it holds 3 meanings for me. Monday. It indicates the start of the (hectic) school week. It indicates the day I have my Chemistry Practical Lab Session, and that means I have to make sure whether did I bring along my precious, sacred Pyrex glass test tubes. It indicates the most dreaded school day of the week.

Monday, bloody Monday, why do you have to come? Life would still be good if Sunday stayed on. Monday, you ruined the start of the week (at least for me). I loathe your arrival. I hate your existence. I only love it when you are gone, or when Sunday is a public holiday.

I think it's only appropriate to write this entry on, yes, you guessed it, Monday. My verdict: Monday, you give me the blues. Say no more. Period. Full stop.

Anyway, I just walked past my stack of CL notes fastened with a metal binder clip. I accidentally swiped it off the table and it landed on the ground with a loud reverberating sound. I nearly frightened myself, thinking that I swiped my container filled with the precious, sacred Pyrex test tubes off the table. What a close shave, or else, you’ll know the consequences.

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations

2005-03-28T18:49:00.000+08:00

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations : 9

MW in a Different Light

2005-03-24T19:56:00.000+08:00

Straight after my last 4 Schools Combined Sports Meet, I, together with Eunice, Pak Nian, Lin Hui, Sin Yee and Jessica, the 6 of us, boarded bus 16 to Parkway Parade. Mrs Michelle Wong (MW) had ‘made an appointment’ with Eunice there.

Before MW arrived, we cleared off our hunger pangs at Yoshinoya Japanese Restaurant. Eunice was complaining about her growling stomach since 8am, and lunch was indeed the solution. She mentioned about the meals she usually have on regular school days, and upon hearing “breakfast, second breakfast, lunch…etc”, I questioned her, “Are you a Hobbit?”

She paused for a moment, and answered, “Ya.”

Our conversation turned humorous when it comes to our dessert - a fruit jelly with coconut fibre (nata de coco) and some white spheres. We all wondered what the spheres were. All of us come up with so many assumptions such as ‘Styrofoam balls’ and ‘pearls’, but they were just gelatine/agar balls which did not taste good.

MW arrived at the restaurant at around 2.45pm. I could not recognise her at the first sight due to her new hairstyle. It’s shorter and seemed to be dyed, unlike the last time I met her. Her hairstyle makes her look much younger and energetic. She looks great and I like it!

She brought along her iPod Photo. MW also revealed the story behind her son's persuasion technique to get an iPod shuffle. She was watching television with her son when the Apple iPod shuffle commercial was aired. Her son commented that he couldn’t dance like those silhouette figures in the commercial as he didn’t own ‘that white thing’ the figures had strapped on them. The hint was palpable, and after much consideration, MW decided to purchase an iPod shuffle for him.

Next, she drew out a red envelope from her bag. One look at it, I knew it’s that red envelope Eunice had mailed to her in January/February. She showed us the receipts from her purchases using the vouchers enclosed in the envelope, and most of the purchases were made for her sons.

Oh yah, MW is going for a blood test soon at the diet centre. The reason behind it? “I’ve already told you the answer. Refer to source A” was her reply.

We discussed about the (new) P and the different teachers that taught us this year. Sin Yee mentioned Madam Phua - the teacher who seldom (or never) smiles. MW searched her mind and have no idea who Madam Phua is. Her only question to help trigger her ‘photographic memory’ was, “What shoes does Madam Phua wear?” The answer given wasn’t much of a help for MW. “Short, old, and looks like a Chinese teacher” were some of the descriptions given. “She is a Maths teacher but she has her staff room at the 1st level” was added on to clarify.

Speaking of the staff room situated at the 1st level, MW explained the reason behind why the CL department is situated there and why many teachers would like their staff room at the 1st level. Tsk, tsk, not stating it here.

Regarding the P, some said that he looks strict but he couldn’t bring himself to scold us, and to show his dissatisfaction, he made all classes write an apology letter each, even when the Sec 4s were so quiet and well-behaved then. “He can’t differentiate between an eagle and an owl!” commented one of us. MW’s eyes widen when she heard that. As usual, we explain the story fully. Well, MW shared with us some of the chronicles of the P, and the system on how MOE civil servants are positioned. Interesting.

MW redirected our conversation to Joel, the FG student who left for Shanghai last year. Sin Yee, Lin Hui, Pak Nian and Jessica shared the interesting changes and events. Jessica stated that Sin Yee’s parents wanted to send Sin Yee to 3 different countries for immersion programmes during the months awaiting for the ‘O’ Level results. MW was supportive of that idea. She said, “You have to experience it for yourself instead of trusting all that you see on TV. When you return, you’ll find out how…much the television had deceived you.” That is pretty true. I’d like to go for an immersion programme if given an opportunity.

MW seems to be more of a friend than a teacher to us, considering that she received a…special gift/tribute from us and some of her other students. It’s just a pity that she’s no longer teaching in CCHMS, but some of us still keep close contact with her.

Reflecting back, MW is the only teacher I’ve known that received the special gift/tribute. My most preferred teacher, Madam Lianne Sia, did not receive such gifts, and neither did the most affable teacher I’ve ever met, Ms Yeo Wenqing, nor did the most effective and amiable English Literature teacher who greatly changed my former perspective of English Literature, Mr Lee Er Ker, received such gifts. When I was first introduced to MW, I knew that she’s unique, and the gift/tribute had verified it. I hope that she’ll have as much fun teaching in ACS(I) presently as in CCHMS last year.

MW’s dress code : Dark Blue T-shirt, Beige Bermudas and Black Framed Specs.

PS: Congratulations to Pak Nian, Lin Hui, Sin Yee & Jessica. Your Biology test had been officially cancelled in the coming week (thanks to the enthusiastic cheering of CCHMS?).

Countdown to the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations

2005-03-23T18:47:00.000+08:00

A reminder for myself and all students taking the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations this year. I’ll be updating this every week.

Number of Weeks left till the arrival of the Chinese Language GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations :10

Vandalism (4JT)

2005-03-09T22:24:00.000+08:00

I was spreading my slice of bread with strawberry jam this morning when it triggered this memory of mine. The red, translucent, sweet-smelling raspberry jam reminded me of the red, sticky liquid that was splashed at all corners of the 4JT classroom, thus vandalising the classroom. This happened in January, and it was discovered on one Monday morning.

The vandals are yet to be revealed, but, one particular class aroused my suspicion. I shall not mention that particular class here, since I apparently have no concrete evidence against them.

I could not recall the exact date of the incident, though it is crucial in order to investigate this case. If anyone does remember the date of the incident, please keep me informed.

PS: Madeline, Eunice, Zhi Yin and the rest of JT, was anything said or done by your class or teachers regarding this incident? Just curious to know.

The Most Crucial Year

2005-01-07T15:49:00.000+08:00

Argh……! I just want vent all my anger and literally de-stress a little by writing this entry!!!

Why, just WHY on Earth am I so UNFORTUNATE to have an extremely demanding, unfriendly & rather unreasonable Chemistry teacher named Mrs Kee-Kong ; and a sadistic & psychologically violent Chinese teacher named Ms Tay Hui Cheng for my MOST CRUCIAL year in Secondary School! Why, why, WHY?!?!?!?!

I’m getting worried that I may lose interest in both Chemistry & Chinese, my 2 potentially excellent subjects and my grades for these 2 subjects may slip drastically. Hopefully, these will not happen, as like I mentioned above, this is my most crucial year. I’ve already started working towards my goal of getting A1s for these 2 subjects, and nothing would stop me (physiologically)!

Maybe, just maybe, having Ms Tay as my Chinese teacher isn’t as terrible as having Mrs Kee-Kong as my Chemistry teacher. Mrs Kee… She could give me nightmares, literally nightmares! Not to forget, Ms Lai…(roll eyes…head is spinning inside)

I’ll try to look on the bright side of life, at least I have a better Physics teacher (thanks to the banding system) and a better English teacher. Now, I feel much more reassured with their presence.

Singapore Idol - Stage and Screen

2004-11-19T21:52:00.000+08:00

This had to be the most controversial episode so far. Out of the Top 3 Finalists, only 2 will be competing on the Final Showdown on the Dec 1st, and 1 will be eliminated. It’s a tough decision, as they’re the Top 3 Finalists!

Sadly, 1 has to leave, and it turned out to be Olinda. She has the most strong and powerful voice amongst all other contestants. It’s such a pity she’s out of this competition, but someone has to go. It’s such a close fight. I was rooting for her to be the 1st Singapore Idol!

Now that Olinda has left, I will be rooting for, none other than, Sylvester! He can rock both the English and Chinese Idol World. I truly hope he’ll emerge as our very 1st Singapore Idol!

Now, I’m cracking my brains on how to get tickets to Singapore Idol - The Final Showdown. I’m taking part in most of the contests to win tickets. Hopefully, I can get a couple or so. I would really like to attend it. It’s going to be a blast on the 1st of December as Singapore decides who will be our very 1st Singapore Idol!

RPG - Maple Story

2004-11-15T13:34:00.000+08:00

I have been playing this fairly new online RPG named Maple Story (MS in short). The trend had been going on for quite some time amongst some friends. Madeline had been complaining about her problems when signing up and logging into Maple Story. Blame IE.

Ok, back to MS. It’s more fun when compared to simple RPGs like Pokémon Y, R, B, G, Ag, Au, Sapphire and Ruby. I have been rather lucky, picking up ores almost every time I played MS. I seem to be addicted to MS, as I’d play it everyday, and every time, I’d play for at least 3 hours.

Being at level 13, I’m still in my beginner clothing. Pathetic huh? I’m planning to purchase them when my level increases. Hopefully, I could get my Magician armour by level 15. Speaking of armours, I hate the armour pigs! Only if I have the ability to kill them!

If you are also playing MS, look out for my character in the game. Add me as a buddy if you like. My character’s name is Dysprosium. No hackers or scammers, please. Your scams would not harm me as I would not fall for them.

I think I'm going to end my entry here. Time to play Maple Story now!

Tiger(s)

2004-11-13T13:13:00.000+08:00

Looking at the computer table nowadays, I could see this (fairly) little tiger sitting on top of the scanner cover. It’s my little Bengal tiger plush from the Wildlife Fact File Co. Its bright, shiny, beautiful eyes are still in the flawless condition when I first received him. Sad thing is that his whiskers are curled up and slightly frizzy.

His default name is Benny, but my brother started calling him Richard Parker after he read the book entitled “Life of Pi” by Yann Martle. Whatever that is, Benny will remain as Benny. Remember, it’s his default name!

In my house, there’s a whole collect of tigers, from Benny, to the tigers from Esso Petrol Station, to tiger key-chains from Maybank. Tigers seem to be the most abundant creature in my house, contradicting the fact that tigers are endangered species.

I don’t know why am I posting this entry. I seem to be a little fascinated by tigers nowadays, especially with the adorable little Benny.

PS: Madeline, how’s your tiger plush from the Wildlife Fact File Co.?

Singapore Idol - Asian Pop

2004-11-12T22:39:00.000+08:00

The results for tonight are just as I expected. The baby of the group, Daphne, has been voted out. She can sing, but someone has to go and it happened that she got the lowest number of votes.

Channel 5, for heaven’s sake, cut down the number of commercials in between the Singapore Idol shows! I wanted to listen to Daphne sing ‘I will Survive’ at the end of the results, but due to the lack of time, I only got to hear the introduction of the song!

There on the stage left the Top 3 Idol Finalists, namely Olinda, Sylvester and Taufik. Who will emerge as the Top 2 Finalists who will make it into the Final Showdown on the 1st of December at the National Indoor Stadium? Be sure to stay tune to Singapore Idol next week.

Sec. 3 Leadership Camp

2004-11-08T19:36:00.000+08:00

I’ve finally returned to my Home Sweet Home from the Sec. 3 Leadership Camp (partially Torture Camp, I should say). Despite the unearthly date and time the Pastoral Care Department had set for the camp, it turned out to be better than I expected.

I’ve been allocated to Group 1, the 1st group on the list. My two facilitators, namely Susan and James, are rather friendly and helpful. They kindly allowed my group to sit under the shade after tent pitching, unlike some other groups who had to sit under the intense heat of the sunlight. Oh yar, I have to mention that the National Cadet Corps who taught us how to pitch a tent were rather inexperienced and (sorry to say) useless, especially this particular guy named James from 3 BN. He even has the cheek to state that he isn’t very familiar with tent pitching.

We headed for Shatec for the Social Graces and Western Dining Etiquette Workshop straight after dismantling the tents. It was the best component of the camp so far. The only problem is that the area got far too crowded and noisy when we exited the Shatec building. Lady Luck was smiling at me as I was in Group 1, the 1st group to board an air-conditioned bus, away from the heat and crowd. The evil side of me surfaced as I grinned gleefully at the rest of the students (who were still seated on the warm ground in the crowd and heat) when the bus drove past.

The ice breaker games could be considered challenging. Besides that, we had to come up with a group name and a group cheer. My group had not come up with a name when we entered LT 1. The facilitator-in-charge was kind enough to allow us extra time to think of a cheer, so he did not start from the norm when the groups supposed to share their cheers with the rest of the students.

Well, Johnathan came up with the group name ‘10 cents’ after he was inspired by the group ‘5 cents’. Our cheer? It goes like this : 10 cents, 10 cents, TWICE 5 cents. 5 cents, 5 cents, half 10 cents. 10 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents. This is just our common sense. That was just the primary version of the cheer. I’ll be posting the full version later on. The facilitator-in-charge ‘agreed’ to treat us to Starbucks if we managed to cheer the loudest. I remembered he promised the whole of group 1 a genuine Starbucks treat. We even made our orders e.g. Ice Blended, Cappuccino, Mocha, Latte, Espresso et cetera, but it turned out that every student who attended the camp had a ‘Starbucks’ treat - Hot Milo and some crackers.

I managed to clock in around 3 hours of sleep that night. It’s so uncomfortable sleeping on hard surfaces, unlike my comfy bed at home. The poncho I laid on the table didn’t help much either. To make matters worse, the air was still and humid. (If I were to compare my air-conditioned room to the classroom, one would be like heaven and the other would be hell respectively.) I would prefer to sleep in a more ventilated area.

Everyone had to wake up early as usual the next day. Breakfast was not that appetising , but it’s still edible though. I wouldn’t wish for better food, as this is the quality one should expect when camping. The day then started with Team Building games. Some of them were rather challenging, but overall, they’re pretty all right. I enjoyed the game at the 8th station (the scissors, paper, stone game) best. At least I have some integrity when playing the games, unlike some people who actually cheated and were boasting about it. Group 1 sure thrashed Group 2 at the 5th station (making of egg-protector). Group 2 had to perform the penalty specified by Group 1.

We had drained most of our energy by the time the Team Building games ended. A SWAT session was held thereafter. Lunch was served next. It was not appetising as usual, but I did finish my share. A sports water bottle was given as a souvenir for this camp. We were then told to fill up our bottles and assemble at the concourse as soon as possible.

The event that most people didn’t look forward to was next on the list - Survival Cooking. Our venue was at the Basketball Court! Very, very interesting, huh?! Each group had missing items in their boxes and the rule of the game is to barter trade. Since my group had an abundant amount of solid fuel and an extra stove, we decided to use these items to trade. Since solid fuel is a necessity for survival cooking, and we had two extra boxes of it, we ‘abused our authority’. One group offered us 1 can of sardines, with the trade of solid fuel. We agreed to some extent, made our specifications, which was 1 can of sardines, to ONE PIECE of solid fuel. Of course, without doubt, they declined our offer. From my analysis, even if they were to offer us 1 can of sardines, I don’t think it’s worth it to trade that with 1 full box of solid fuel. Subsequently, they had no choice but to offer us 2 canned food with the trade of 1 box of solid fuel.

The can-opener, listed as the most sacred item during this survival cooking, was what my group didn’t have. The ‘traders’ at the trading post wanted a 5 min performance from the group who wanted the can-opener. In the end, group 5, a.k.a Polar Bear, won the traders’ hearts with a silly performance of “She Bangs”. Thereafter, the shameless, petty and attention-grabbing facilitator of group 5, whose name is Louisa, came bouncing and running around the basketball court, holding the can-opener and chanting, “Wanna borrow the can-opener? You have to trade with us! Want the can-opener, give us a 5 min performance decided by us…” It’s totally outrageous, but it such a pity for that attention-grabbing Louisa as none of the other groups paid attention nor wanted to trade with her (Hahaha, my toes are laughing! Serves her right!). The traders offer my group the can-opener willingly without any performances nor trade. They were so impressed by my group’s determination and survival skills of opening the can with the use of a sharp blade. This shows that determination makes you a winner, not shameless, despicable acts.

Teik-ling and Hui Ting sure did a marvellous job explaining to the judges about the nutrition values of our survival meal. I could hear all that talk about carbohydrates, proteins, essential fats, dietary fibre, calcium, Omega 3 et cetera. It’s a job well done for both of them!

Hot, sticky and dirty after all that activities, we were given a 1 hour shower plus rehearsal break. After my shower, I returned to class and rehearsed for our performance. Our dinner only lasted around 15 min, but I managed to get a ‘full course’ meal, complete with a drink and dessert. We had to assemble at the concourse in our classes after dinner.

The Girl Guides led us to the respective places around the campfire. There were performances by most of the classes, and a simple little ‘contest’ named “Are you Hot?” Some of the contestants are the jokers of our level, with my emphasis of the two best friends, Chiaw Sang and Zhi Hao. Their answers to the questions were obviously FAKE! They, as usual, were being lame.

Prize giving was the last event before the campfire ended. Hooray, my group won the ‘Best Cheer‘. Now, to my group members: 10 ¢ , we‘re DEBEST!

My father drove Lin Hui to Eunos MRT Station that night before sending me home. This camp had been a new experience for me.

Last but not least, this is the full version of Group 1’s cheer:

10 cents, 10 cents, TWICE 5 cents. 5 cents, 5 cents, half 10 cents. 10 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents. This is just our common sense.

Aye! 一毛一毛一极棒 aye, ai yi ya yo!
五分不够上厕所 aye, ai yi ya yo!
五分那么 WEAK, 怎能和咱们比较 aye!

PS: For members or acquaintances of 5 ¢ , please understand that this cheer is not created by me. Any cases of related incidents, stories or characters, whether alive or dead, are purely coincidental.

PSS: To view the full version of the cheer, you may need to switch to Chinese Simplified (GB18030).

Who will be the 1st Singapore Idol? You fill in the _BLANKS_!

2004-11-05T21:27:00.000+08:00

Ever since Singapore Idol started, I've been a regular viewer every week. From the auditions at Suntec City to the Final 75, 45, 30, then to the Piano Shows and there emerged the Final 9. The Wildcard episode was next, 3 more candidates had been voted to be in the Final 12.

The next episode was the Unsung Heroes Special, where 8 ‘unsung heroes’, who had showed courage and determination in pursuing their dreams, were invited to perform. Just as I expected, “Pink Lady”, Patrick (the Careless Whisper guy) and Jane could not sing a proper piece. The only ones who could sing were Roslina, Rocky and some other guy (whose name I’ve forgotten). The rest just lack the element.

The Spectaculars were next on the list, with the Final 11 (yes, Final 11, not 12) competing for the audience’s vote. It was such a pity that Jessea was voted out that night. She does have a powerful voice with great vocals and she indeed is a natural stage performer. I didn’t think Jerry could have done it better, but still he made it all the way to the Final 8, all thanks to Singapore’s votes.

Beverly and Jessea were the 2 who were voted out on the Spectaculars: Parent’s Choice. Next was David on the Spectaculars: Rock n’ Roll, followed by Jerry on the Spectaculars: Disco Fever, then Maia on the Spectaculars: My Favourite Idol. The most recent 2 who were voted out were Christopher and Leandra on the Spectaculars: Big Band and R&B respectively. Though seeing an Idol leave every week is a sad thing, I enjoyed every MTV the Idols had filmed for the Spectaculars.

We witness 1 Idol getting voted out each and every week. I have to agree on one thing, the choices are getting harder and tougher each week. Till now, on the stage stood the Final 4, who are Olinda, Taufik, Sylvester and Daphne. Who will be the 1st Singapore Idol? No one knows till the very end.

Now since Jessea had been voted out, I truly hope either Olinda or Sylvester will emerge as the 1st Singapore Idol! I’ll be giving them morale support till the final results show.

Bush V.S. Kerry - The Results

2004-11-05T16:44:00.000+08:00

I’m just making this entry short and sweet. It had been confirmed, Bush will be having another 4 years as the US President. He had won Kerry by a meagre 2 votes, which was good news, at least to me and supporters of George Bush.

Kerry had made his conceding speech two hours before Bush made his victory speech. (source courtesy of Madeline) Well, now I can put some of my worries to ease, at least for now, since US Senator Kerry will remain as US Senator for another 4 years.

I bet Clinton and the Democrats were disappointed with the results, but what can they do to help? The answer: absolutely nothing.

Bush V.S. Kerry. Whose side are you on?

2004-10-29T19:25:00.000+08:00

As we all know, both Bush and Kerry are running for the next US President. The results of the election will be out soon. Who will emerge as the next US President? Whose side are you on?

Personally, if I am eligible to vote, my vote will be for present US President George W. Bush. Step aside, US Senator John Kerry. What kind of President would become of you? One who’d withdraw US troops from Iraq? One who'd declare 'peace' for the world? Haven’t you thought of the consequences?

If US troops are withdrawn from Iraq, terrorists there shall be scot-free. What will that result to? A direct answer would be TERRORISM. The world would be in turmoil with all these terrorism acts surfacing, thus problems with safety and security will occur. Declaring peace with them? Forget it.

Not only that, if you look into the bigger picture, prices of oil and fuel would also increase. Please bear in mind that present US President Bush had sent US troops over for the 710 reason(s) too. Once the troops are out of Iraq, the Iraq government would rise oil prices to an estimated US$40 per barrel. That’s a 60% increase from the current US$25 per barrel.

Disheartening news is that Bush’s stake aren’t doing too well. Hopefully Bush will emerge as the next US President and not that ‘peace-blabbering’ Kerry. Singapore may have to be prepared for upcoming economy challenges if Kerry wins.

Double... or is it Triple?

2004-10-22T16:28:00.000+08:00

I've always knew that I do not have single eyelids, and have in mind that I have double eyelids. However, I've made a new discovery.

Not long ago, I was curious to find out if my parents had single or double eyelids. I observed their eyelids and found out that they both had double eyelids. Strangely, I noticed their eyelids had only one extra fold of skin. I recalled that I had two extra folds of skin on my eyelids when I last examined them.

In order to clear my doubts, I examined my eyelids once more. True enough, there are two extra folds of skin. Now, my question is "Do I have double eyelids, or is mine a (unique) triple?" It may be a product of the genes from both of my parents. My formula: Double1 + Double2 = Triple1.

Double or triple, it doesn't really matter, but that discovery "inspired" me to make further investigations on genes.

Long Awaited Entry...

2004-09-03T20:23:00.000+08:00

It had been almost 2 months since my last entry, and I'm posting this long awaited entry at this hour. It supposed to be my EL lesson, but Tigress (a.k.a. Crazy Barking *itch) is absent from school today, therefore, my class is in Computer Lab 1 (with a relief teacher, Ms Sharmila, who is my A&E Mathematics teacher) doing our class newspaper project. But, as for certain, most of us (including me) AREN'T doing it. I decided to blog.

Anyway, my cousin will officially be part of the RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force) in 3 week's time, if he passes his 2 survival tests. Wish his best of luck!

Madeline has been complaining that my blog's slacking. True enough, but come to think of it, I do have lots of happenings in the month of August. I just did not have the time and mood to write, edit and post my entry. What's more, my PC is having this problem of not co-operating with me, and Madeline suggested that I kick my computer's CPU down the stairs. Doesn't that make matters worse? Most probably, I'll just replace the graphic card in order to solve the problem.

Musically Talented

2004-07-07T19:58:00.000+08:00

After some analysis, I realised that out of my generation of my maternal family tree, all of us have a mind for music. My mother believed it was the credit of my maternal grandfather, and we had inherited some of his genes. He was musically talented. He was able to play the ruan and the violin flawlessly without any guidance from instructors. Anyway, both instruments were given to him as gifts, and he learned to play both of them all by himself.

Well, he has 10 grandchildren; 5 of them are grandsons and the other 5 are granddaughters. 2 out of 5 grandsons, and 4 out of 5 granddaughters play the piano. 1 grandson plays the violin; another plays a guitar, and my brother plays the euphonium. 1 granddaughter plays the guzheng as well. Not forgetting myself, I am a percussionist, and drums are my choice.

Reflecting back, I had learnt how to play 5 different musical instruments so far. Starting from the piano, then to the recorder, trumpet (cornet), euphonium and the drums. Now, I’m learning how to play the keyboard and I’m planning to learn how to play the guitar and flute. I’m may be making Music my life, an alternative to Science of course. Music sure brought joy and happiness to me, and once again, I would like to thank my grandfather. :)

Social Studies... would never be the same again.

2004-06-29T20:15:00.000+08:00

A figure in black stepped into my classroom straight after the PCCG lesson. With that long, protruding nose, I could distinguish her right away. It was Ms Harjit Kaur, my new SS teacher, and this was her first SS lesson with us.

She has 2 expectations that we have to meet up to. First, students should never talk when she's speaking. Second, she expects students to take Social Studies seriously as it's a Combine Humanities subject. From this, I can perceive that Ms Kaur is a strict teacher.

She began the lesson by asking my class to introduce ourselves. Javin told Ms Kaur that Rui An's name is Richard, and she bought his story! So thereafter, Ms Kaur addresses Rui An as Richard, and no one corrected her mistake, not even Rui An himself! Amazing.

In just her first SS lesson with us, she had covered the chapter of Conflicts among Countries. It wasn’t a complicated chapter to me, and the 1½ hour lesson did not seem prolonged. She could even give us a 5-minute break to refresh ourselves. In my opinion, Ms Kaur is a strict, yet seemingly efficient teacher.

CD Compilation

2004-06-20T14:45:00.000+08:00

I have a whole list of CDs to add on to my CD collection. Here’s my wishlist. Hopefully, I would be able to get them all by October this year.

1) The Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Soundtrack CD
2) Broken Bracelet (Indie Album), The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper by Michelle Branch
3) Beautiful Angel by Ruby Xiao
4) Metamorphosis by Hilary Duff
5) Anastacia by Anastacia
6) Let Go and Under My Skin by Avril Lavigne
7) “Castle” by Jolin Tsai
8) Superstar and “Magical Journey” by S.H.E.
9) Fallen by Evanescence

I’m also waiting for Lindsay Lohan’s debut album to be released in Singapore. Out of the whole list above, I would most probably be getting the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Soundtrack CD first. I truly loved Lumos! (Hedwig’s Theme). It’s really well composed, and John Williams did a great job. His music compositions were one of the best I’ve ever heard, and many were themes from renowned movies like E.T., Jaws, Dracula, Home Alone, Jurassic Park, and of course, Harry Potter, and that‘s not all. He had been composing themes for movies over 46 years! That’s a dedicated composer, I should say.

Anyway, I've heard some of the pieces from the Soundtrack, and there are a few pieces which really captured me, like The Knight Bus, Double Trouble, Buckbeak's Flight, Quidditch-Third Year, Lupin's Transformation and Chasing Scabbers, Finale, Mischief Managed etc.

Expectations

2004-06-17T18:58:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, I feel that no matter how hard I try, it doesn’t matter if it’s my results, grades, CCA, or even the subject combination I had been posted to, my mother would compare it with someone else’s. It isn’t fair, and she actually put hopes on me just because she THINKS I can do it, NOT because I CAN do it.

Since my Primary school days, she would compare my results and grades with Lin Hui’s (so sorry to mention you, my friend, but it’s a fact) and Wei Lin’s. In my Secondary school days, she would compare my results with Lin Hui’s still, and Jolene’s (when she found out that Jolene was my ex-nursery school classmate). She kept telling me that I scored higher than both of them for my PSLE, and expect me to do at least of the standard of theirs in Secondary school. Can’t she understand? Lin Hui was 3rd in class in Primary 4. Yet, again, she told me that I got into the EM1 stream in Primary 6, Lin Hui didn’t. So what if I got into EM1? Lin Hui still clinched 3rd position in her class in Primary 6. I don’t understand what exactly is my mother trying to prove?

Not to forget, my CCA. She kept asking me why aren’t I that busy with CCA compared to my brother. The complaints started only after I entered Secondary School, since I have the same CCA as my brother in Primary School. I admit that I’m not that busy with my CCA, because my CCA is not a uniform group. She had always given support to my brother for his CCA, not for mine. When I asked for the family to support me at ITMAP2003 last year, only my parents went. My brother had a choice whether or not to go. I remembered in 2002, I wasn’t even given the choice to state whether I wanted to attend the Jubilations2002, an event which both the Concert Band and Choir was involved. This year, my mother is making me attend some performance at some community centre this Saturday because my brother is involved in it. She said that it was to support my brother. What gives her to right to do so? It didn’t seem that support was given to me by my brother, now again, why should I support him? Dream on, I’m not going and that’s final. I have better plans of my own.

By the way, she’s willing to foot the $2000 for my brother for the CCHMS Concert Band Australian Music Festival 2004 if he did not get the subsidised fee. She’s so biased, yet she doesn’t admit it. Or to say, she doesn't realise it.

Entrepreneurship - Sarpino's Pizzeria

2004-06-12T20:28:00.000+08:00

I've just heard the news from my mother. Sarpino's had set up a branch at the Singapore Discovery Centre. Another branch at Sentosa Beachfront will be opening soon. My uncle, who is one of the shareholders, is now planning to set up yet another branch at the Singapore Science Centre, in a unit somewhere near Snow City.

I have only ONE thing to say about this, “TAKE IT EASY, Sarpino’s!” It has been less than a year since the 1st Sarpino’s Pizzeria had been set up in Singapore, and around October this year, there will be a total of 6 branches in Singapore? That would be 6 branches in around 15 months!

I understand that the government of Singapore is encouraging its people in becoming entrepreneurs, but let’s think about it, the prices in Sentosa are higher than that of Singapore Mainland. The branch at East Coast isn’t doing very well either. I don’t know about the branch at Eastpoint (Simei), but I don’t think it’s a right choice to open so many branches so soon. Sarpino’s should at least help resolve the problem at East Coast first. Hello, there’s something called publicity, you know.

In my opinion, it’s also not a very good idea to set up a branch near Snow City. The branch should be either set up in an area near the Annexe Building or beside McDonalds. Why? I’ll tell you my analysis: If the branch is set up near Snow City, the flow of customers varies directly to the number of visitors to Snow City (with the exception of the minor percentage whom ordered via the hotline). According to my “market survey”, there aren’t many visitors to Snow City on normal schooldays, and that is an abysmal sign.

But, it if the branch is set up beside McDonalds, it might be slightly better. McDonalds is the only F&B place, where the visitors of the SSC, Omni-Theatre and Snow City could get a decent meal that fills you up at a more affordable price, in the SSC area. Other F&B places in the SSC area serve either snacks only or meals at a much higher price. Naturally, visitors would visit McDonalds for their meals, and by setting up Sarpino’s could give the visitors a wider variety of choices and there’s no better place than beside McDonalds. It could be seen once visitors approach the main entrance of the SSC to purchase their admission tickets.

I can’t understand why NTUC Income offered that unit (that is near Snow City) to Sarpino’s anyway. Are they trying to promote Sarpino's? Maybe.

The Lord Of The Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition

2004-06-04T19:37:00.000+08:00

I visited The Lord Of The Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition today! It was the last day of the exhibition, and I would not miss it since the Singapore Science Centre is the ONLY VENUE in Asia. I didn’t visit it on my own, I went there with my cousin, who is a hard-core LOTR fan ;) . We were so eager to visit it since it was launched on 13th March, but we did not manage to fork out time from our busy schedule till today.

The exhibition opens at 10am, we reached the Singapore Science Centre at 10.10am, but we were not considered early. There was quite a lot of people and several school groups. The whole exhibition was so cool and awesome. We took our time and read through all the details labelled about the exhibits.

Many technological advances had been used in the making of LOTR. There is a scaling interactive sector explaining one way in which the films managed to make the characters look different from their original heights. It allows visitors to experience in becoming Hobbit sized in a scene from The Fellowship of the Ring. It was totally dramatic and fun too.

The exhibition also showcased the props, used for the filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which were not on display in the previous two venues, namely New Zealand and London. Weapons belonging to Arwen, Gandalf, Frodo and Aragorn were also showcased. Not only that, outfits including Arwen's riding costume, Galadriel's stunning dress and Gandalf's robes were also on display.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers were screened at the exhibition. The making of the films were also screened. I watched LOTR:FOTR, but did not watch LOTR:TTT.

By the time we exited the exhibition, it was already 2.40pm. We browsed through the souvenir shop. I really wanted the LOTR collectible mug. It’s an exquisite mug, black in colour and totally cool. It’s such a pity that the mug was SOLD OUT! I should have visited the LOTR Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition sooner. But, I did not go home empty handed. I bought two collectible tins, one with a picture of Arwen and the other with a picture of Saruman. Anyway, I enjoyed my time at the exhibition and it truly was unforgettable.

Common Tests (Part IV)

2004-05-26T20:37:00.000+08:00

Geography, my last paper for the Mid-Year Examinations. The seating plan in the hall is a little different today. Students taking English Literature and Chinese Literature have to sit at the far left of the hall, where 3BN was sitting for the past few papers. The students taking Chinese Literature have to sit on the first few vertical rows, followed by the students taking English Literature. As for students from 3HM to 3MD, we were sitting at our original seats. 3RP arrived a while later and they were seated at 3GR’s original seats.

The duration for the papers were also different. The duration for the Chinese Literature paper was 1½ hr. The duration for both the English Literature and Geography papers was 2½ hr. The students taking Literature started their paper before the students taking Geography, yet the students taking English Literature ended their paper at the same time as the students taking Geography!

The Multiple Choice Questions were straightforward, and the answers could be spotted easily if one did revise. The Structured Essay Questions (SEQ) were quite all right. The case study for Floods, Droughts and Volcanoes did not appear in the paper. Climatic zones, Deforestation and Earthquakes came up for the SEQ.

Well, I dwelled too much on Plate Tectonics while revising, I can almost list out all the key words when describing a plate movement, e.g. continental plate, oceanic plate, subduction, mantle, oceanic trench, mid-oceanic ridge, volcanoes, island arc, fold mountains, earthquakes, constructive plate boundary, destructive plate boundary, conservative plate boundary etc. Gosh, have I been studying too hard for Plate Tectonics? Will it be my fault if I did not fare too well for the other topics (maybe it‘s San Adreas Fault :P)? Hot water may be steaming out of my head like a geyser then…

Luckily, Factors influencing weather and climate was not tested, or else, I might do slightly badly, maybe a whole lot worse.

Invigilators (Part II)

2004-05-25T19:44:00.000+08:00

As I was saying, something about Mdm Rose happened yesterday. As you know, I was seated in front of the cluster of students, on the 1st row, I had a clear view of what the invigilators were doing at the tables right in front of the stage. After the collection of the scripts of HM to JT, I saw Mdm Rose’s “unique” way of counting the scripts. What did she do? Well…this is what happened:

Mdm Rose licked her finger once she counted every 10 (or is it 5?) scripts and dabbed it on the top right corner of the 10th (or 5th) script. I saw the whole procedure, and I was not the only one who saw it, some others from IT saw it too.

I told Eunice about this and she went, “Yeee… Better not touch *someone’s* script!” Well, I think some people do have that habit, but I strongly do not recommend anyone to follow.

I remembered another invigilator who had this other habit. Who is this invigilator? He’s none other than the black faced Mr Marcus Kuek. His face is ever that black, it’s even darker than Justice Bao’s face (and I‘m not talking about skin tone). He was invigilating my class for a short while, during the Physics paper, when Mdm Tan was away. He sat on an empty desk and rocked his feet on the empty chair.

Such actions are not advisable for a teacher. If students were to portray those same actions, do you think is reputable? I guess not. Mr Kuek better think twice (or trice or even four times and more) before he does those actions in front of students again.

One amusing invigilator was Mr Vincent So. He was the invigilator for CL listening comprehension. When he played the compact disc, there was some music at the introduction. He then asked the students sitting at the back of the class if they could hear it. They did hear it, and some wanted Mr So to fast forward so that they need not listen to the music. Mr So then commented, " Actually, this music quite nice what…” In the end, he did not fast forward the disc.

After the CL listening comprehension, it was only 10.50am. The compact disc played for less than half an hour. Mr So then told my class, “They said this paper is 1 hour leh”. The boys went groaning and complaining, saying that the paper had ended. Mr So went to double check with Ms Soh Guat Ee, who was invigilating 3JT, if my class could be dismissed. It turned out that we could.

Common Tests (Part III)

2004-05-25T19:11:00.000+08:00

It was the last day of common tests for……Lin Hui and classes such as 3FG, EP, DL and CR, not for me :( . CL paper 2 and CL listening comprehension was on today. I managed to concentrate better as the venue was in the classroom. It wasn’t that warm and I’m sitting right beside the window, where there’s a breeze blowing by.

The CL paper 2 was quite all right, except for my usual poor time management. I better hope for the best… The CL listening comprehension was easy. It was the easiest paper so far, and I bet it would be the easiest throughout this common test.

After school, I walked out of school with Eunice and we met up with Lin Hui, Pak Nian and company. On our way to the bus stop, we had several conversations, and I told Lin Hui that she had Cong2 Huo4 Zi4 You2, and she replied, “Ya lah”. I continued, “But I’ll have to struggle with one more paper…” Lin Hui went, “Ya Hor”.

Next, I asked Eunice if she knows when Mdm Rose will be leaving. Well, Eunice was not very sure, but talking about Mdm Rose, I remembered something that happened yesterday… (To be continued in the next post)

Lin Hui and I boarded bus 197. As she was alighting, she turned around and said, “Happy studying…”, in a cheeky way. I don’t really mind it though, but I do envy her somehow.

Common Tests (Part II) + Philosophy

2004-05-24T19:51:00.000+08:00

The next venue for my common tests - the new hall (it isn’t that new though). The Additional Mathematics paper and Chemistry paper was on today’s schedule. I was so unlucky to be seated right in front of the cluster of students, on the 1st row! What I really hate about sitting in front is that invigilators will usually stand in the area in front of you when they invigilate. You might think it’s no big deal, but it truly disturbs me and that will disrupt my concentration. Furthermore, SOME teachers have their little conversations when invigilating and that is indeed annoying, especially if you could hear it…from where you are seated.

Well, back to the topic, the venue was warm (from where I was seated) as usual, despite that several fans had been switched on and were blowing across the hall. Both papers were…on the 50 : 50 stake. I did not have much confidence in them, though Chemistry ought to be my best and most preferred subject that is in my syllabus currently.

Additional Mathematics had been one of my poorest subject. The question on Sets is all right for me, but for Functions, I could not figure out the equation for f99(x). I should have paid more attention during A Maths lessons, it’s just that I could not seem to concentrate when Ms Sharmila is speaking. There were some complaints about Ms Sharmila, by ******** and the bunch of loud mouth critics. I do not understand why they would say such things, but if BN and GR can cope with her lessons, I don’t see LY can’t. As all teachers would say, it’s not about one’s IQ that allows them to attain excellent results, but it’s about one’s attitude and effort one puts towards one’s road to success.

Invigilators

2004-05-23T22:48:00.000+08:00

A week ago, the period of common tests started, and for each paper, there is a different invigilator. There are a few invigilators who left me an impression. Who, you might ask. Well, here they are…

First, it is Mrs Michelle Wong. She was the invigilator for EL paper 1. While my class got our bags and notes outside the classroom, Mrs Wong started placing the papers on our desks and told us not to come into the class yet. I stood by the front door for the next set of instructions. Mrs Wong walked to the door and announced, “2 seconds, run in. Those who sit down first can start.” I was one of them who ran in first. It was so cute of Mrs Wong. She is the first invigilator who gave such an interesting set of instructions.

Secondly, it is Mr Ambert Khoo. He was the invigilator for EL paper 2. There was not anything interesting till we were about to start the paper. When it was time to start, he said “Okay, your paper is 1 hour and 40 minutes. I’m timing it on the stopwatch here. All right, begin.” It was the first time an invigilator ever used a stopwatch to keep track of time for an examination.

Thirdly, it is Mdm Tan Lay Gin (aka Chen Liren). She was the invigilator for Physics. She is simply the most calculating invigilator I have ever seen! She stepped into my class and started writing some instructions on the board in Chinese. “Only pens, pencils, rulers, erasers and calculators are allowed. ALL other belongings are not allowed, even pencil cases.” was written. Everyone was like thinking…"What the hell! Pencil cases are also being prohibited?” She then added "staplers" when she realised that we needed it too. I was smart enough to have it in my pocket before placing my pencil case outside.

She is the worst invigilator I had ever seen for the time being. She did not collect and count the scripts by herself. All the work is done by students (including me, somehow unwillingly).

(To be continued…)

Movie Update

2004-05-22T21:05:00.000+08:00

I have noticed that several movies in favour of me are and will be in cinemas. First, it is Shrek 2. The trailers of Shrek 2 tantalised me to watch it. I had watched Shrek last year, and this year, there are several new characters featured in Shrek 2, e.g. Puss in Boots, the Gingerbread Man, Prince Charming etc. The storyline of Shrek 2 seemed particularly interesting. I will have to find someday to watch it.

Secondly, it is Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. I knew about this movie since February, and the movie has a moral behind it. This movie was in cinemas, in the US, on 20th February. It will be in cinemas, in Singapore, on 27th May. I may be watching this movie. I think Lindsay Lohan is a true Teenage Drama Queen.

Thirdly, it is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It will be in cinemas on 3rd June. I am also looking forward in watching this movie in the June Holidays.

Common Tests :(

2004-05-20T22:39:00.000+08:00

One word to describe the 2nd day of common tests - dreaded. For Elementary Mathematics, I did not manage to finish the paper. I cannot solve some of the quadratic equations… I hope the results will not turn out in red…

As for Social Studies, I chose question 3. I had a lot to write for every question, except for question 3b, for which the facts did not get into my mind. I had tonnes, truly tonnes of information to write for the other questions, but I did not manage my time too well, therefore, I did not manage to complete a few questions.

Ms Gan was the invigilator for Elementary Mathematics, and Mrs Goh was the invigilator for Social Studies. I stayed back for the Physics supplementary after the Social Studies paper. The previously stated time for the supplementary was 12.30pm, as Mrs Goh said that she will be invigilating a class, so she had to collect the scripts and deliver them to the office before she could return to my class for the supplementary. Little did she know that the class she is invigilating is my class! As a result, we had our supplementary at 12.15pm, which was a good sign as we need not waste much time.

I shall be having the EL paper 2 and Physics paper tomorrow… Wish my luck!

Time Constrain...

2004-05-20T21:25:00.000+08:00

Common tests and debriefs, they are getting on my nerves! Right after common tests, debriefs will be next on line! From 20th May to 3rd June, my schedule is almost fully packed! There are only a few exceptions, e.g. 23rd May (Sunday), 27th May (Marking Day), 30th May (Sunday) and 2nd June (Vesak Day), but these days are not in favour of me.

I am planning to visit the Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition at the Singapore Science Centre. The last day of the exhibition is on Friday, 4th June. I may not be able to fork out time to visit the exhibition on 23rd and 27th May, but by hook or by crook, I WILL visit it on the other days, most probably on the 4th June, the last day. I will most probably be visiting the exhibition with my cousins, since one of them is a huge fan of LOTR. It is such a pity that bags, cameras and camcorders are not allowed to be brought in, so I will have to purchase some souvenirs in memory of this exhibition.

The movie of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will be in cinemas on 3rd June. It had been almost 1½ years since the movie of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was in cinemas. I bet Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will be another box office hit.

Common tests! Argh….. Stressed, stressed, stressed! My cousins are now relaxing at home without that stress currently since their examinations are over… I better get through this smoothly and obtain better grades compared to my 1st common test!

Flasher on the Run!

2004-05-15T16:51:00.000+08:00

Everyone in CCHMS must have heard of the Flasher! He is currently active again, therefore, our Discipline Master (DM), Mr Soon warned us about the flasher, and if one chances upon him, call the police at 999...

Now, this is the interesting part. Mr Soon is my brother’s EL cum SS teacher. During every EL or SS lesson, Mr Soon would spend at least 10 minutes talking about current news and issues, both concerning and not concerning our school, e.g. the red string death, the Nicoll Highway collapse, the stepping down of the principal of Nan Chiau High School, Lake Odyssey et cetera.
This week, of course, is on the flasher! This is the discussion session of the topic:

Mr Soon: It was said that the flasher gets to work at 3pm. He targets at females (he would be AWFULLY perverted if he targets at both genders), both solo and in a group. The last case was at a group of 5+ girls. He travels in a green and blue motorised bicycle.

Mr Soon demonstrates a person riding a bicycle.

Mr Soon: Usually, he is dressed in a tee and baggy pants. When he notices his target, he would park his bicycle in the shade, like under a tree or behind the bushes. He will then stand in the path of the target. After which, he waits patiently for the target to come his way. When the target is in front of him, he would attract her/their attention by saying “Hello” or start a conversation with her/them. It was then he would do……what he is supposed to do.

Student: Was it the top or bottom?

Mr Soon: Basically, it’s the bottom. He would not be considered as a flasher if he did it only on the top.

Student: So did the police take action?

Mr Soon: They haven’t caught the flasher yet. In the past, the police went patrolling on bicycles, but now, for the welfare of the Police, they came patrolling the areas in police cars. Since the flasher strikes along the path of the canal, now, they have less mobility since cars could not drive along the path.

Student: So how?

Mr Soon: I did suggest that the police to come as plain clothed police. They should send policewomen over and they can borrow Chung Cheng uniforms and set an ambush.

More stories to come….

Down Memory Lane

2004-05-14T22:56:00.000+08:00

Time indeed flies. It was 4 years ago since the new millennium; it was 4 years ago since the last Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia; it was 4 years ago since I had my 1st chance in watching a circus show; it was 4 years ago since I started playing the drumset; it was 4 years ago since I had my 1st Higher Chinese examination, now all these are history.

I clearly remember the experience of a lifetime - the Countdown to 2000, the Countdown to the new millennium! I went over to my cousins’ house and we had a great party there, whilst watching the Nation’s Countdown 2000 live on Mediacorp Channel 5. It was, is and will surely be a once in a lifetime experience for all!

The 2000 Olympic Games, held in Sydney, Australia, was extravagant. Although I did not get the chance to watch the Opening of the Olympic Games live, I did watch the encore telecast. Singapore had won a sliver medal in weight-lifting 44 years ago. It was the one and only medal ever won in the Olympic Games for Singapore. This year, the Olympic Games will be held in the land of origin, Athens. I hope the athletes taking part in this year’s Olympic Games will do Singapore proud. MediaCorp is the official Olympic network for this event!

After watching the commercial, I comprehend that the Stars of the Moscow Circus will be here in Singapore once again. I had watched their performance in 2000, and from the commercial, I can see that they had some new items created for the show. I may not be watching this year’s show though.

The drumset, how could I have missed that out! Well, it was a new skill and it indeed added some music to my life! It had become more than a practice during CCA, I simply love playing the drumset! I may consider becoming a professional drummer if offered a chance… :P

The Hair Issue

2004-05-13T22:15:00.000+08:00

A lot of 3JT and 3LY students should have heard of the Hair Issue on Tuesday, 11 May. A disgusting hippy-wannabe (whose name I do not wish to mention) in 3LY sent an SMS to a girl named Samantha(3JT).

The SMS was so disgusting, and it goes something like this: "Your hair is long, silky and TASTY!" Almost everyone in 3JT and 3LY have been reciting that line on Tuesday. I even heard the news of Samantha’s mother calling the hippy-wannabe and giving him a warning.

Yesterday, Mrs Lim-Soon noticed that the hair of the hippy-wannabe is too long, and urged him to cut it, or else, Mrs Lim will be a free hairstylist for him. She also asked him, “Why is your hair so long? Are you trying to be a hippy?”

Now, you know why I addressed this person the hippy-wannabe.

Life => Fate or Coincidental?

2004-05-12T20:33:00.000+08:00

Life’s full of surprises. Is it fate or is it just plain coincidental? Personally, I had stumbled upon lots of them. Here are a few of them:

1) Jolene Pang was my classmate from NURSERY SCHOOL! Our parents registered us into different primary schools respectively. (More stories behind the scenes…)

2) I got to know De Xin since primary 4. We went to the same tuition centre for CL creative writing. I did not confirm my intuition till she recognised me during the 2nd day of the Secondary 1 orientation in 2002.

3) Ms Soh Lay Na is the younger sister of 1 of my CL teachers in primary school. (Coincidental or...?)

4) Mrs Lim-Soon is my present EL teacher. In term 1, she did not report to school on Mondays and Thursdays. Mrs Lim-Leong is Jolene’s present Chemistry teacher. Coincidentally, she does not report to school on Mondays and Thursdays too! (Maybe not much of a surprise…?)

There's more to come... Be patient...

Lake Odyssey (Part III)

2004-05-08T19:32:00.000+08:00

It had been quite a day. It was the last day for the performance of Lake Odyssey, and I’m selling the programme booklets for the day. I reported at the Esplanade Mall at 12.30pm as told, to meet Ms. Sharmila, the teacher i/c. There were about 9 other student helpers. We collected the stacks of programme booklets and transported them to the Foyer entrance of the Esplanade Theatre. The sales of the programme booklets yesterday was extremely low, only around 250 of them were sold.

Ms. Sharmila briefed us on the procedure for the day. We transported the booklets to the various stands and I sat there patiently for the audience of Lake Odyssey to approach and purchase a booklet at $3 each. Some of them were approached me and purchased the booklet willingly, without any complaint; some were rather unsupportive of the idea of selling the programme booklets at $3 each, but in the end, they bought it still. Others were simply too disobliging of the idea and one even muttered in Mandarin cum Hokkien, “Selling programme booklets at $3? It there a mistake?”

My duty ended as soon as all the audience had settled in the Theatre and the performance starts. We collected all the unsold booklets and transported them down to the Foyer entrance. They were then transported to the loading bay by some of the officials of the Esplanade. The next assignment was to remove all the calligraphy scrolls and artwork displayed along the corridor of the Foyer. The artwork had to be wrapped in newspaper and tied up securely; the calligraphy scrolls had to be removed from the display bars, rolled up neatly and tied up securely. By the time we were done with our job, the audience had already started exiting the Theatre. All the artwork and calligraphy scrolls were then transported to the loading bay as well.

I did not accompany the rest of them as I was granted permission to go to the backstage. This time, I brought along a digital camera and took several snap shots of the performers in the backstage. One of the pictures was taken on the stage itself. I was so energized when I stepped onto the stage. Can you imagine, I actually stepped onto the stage of the Esplanade Theatre without the identification of a performer! The whole stage is really deep and wide. The height of the stage floor to the ground of the musician’s pit is 3 metres, which is also equivalent one storey!

Eunice and I waited for Prescilia while she was removing her makeup. I met up her a while later and we went taking snapshots. She took pictures with several teachers too. Eunice, Prescilia and I went home by MRT that day.

I bet Monday’s assembly will be interesting…

P.S. I'm part of the Front of House (FOH).

Lake Odyssey (Part II)

2004-05-07T22:20:00.000+08:00

I've just returned from the Esplanade Theatre after watching a spectacular performance of Lake Odyssey. I did not know that my CL teacher (Mr Wang Feng) had certain hidden talents beneath his sleeve, like the Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon.

The performance consists of 4 stories, each upholding one of the school’s values, which are With Passion we learn, With Perseverance we strive, With Integrity we live and With Pride we progress. The performers were remarkable, but I think the animation put up on the screen was emphatically unorganised. Not only that, the subtitles appeared a little later than that of the performer’s line; some of them are jumbled up too.

Besides the flaws, the whole show was astounding, and it was a real success. Since I’ll be on duty tomorrow, I had been issued a backstage pass (to collect the programme booklets), which allows me to have access to the backstage. Eunice and I went to the backstage after the show to search for Prescilia, who was one of the performers. On actual fact, I went there to search for both Prescilia and my brother (who was in Concert Band), as well as to take a look at the backstage. To me, being at the backstage of the Esplanade Theatre was totally awesome, and I’m going to bring a camera tomorrow and take a few snapshots of the place and the performers.

My father drove both me and my brother home that night. That’s all for tonight, I’ll be blogging again tomorrow.

Lake Odyssey (Part I)

2004-05-06T22:58:00.000+08:00

In conjuction with Chung Cheng High School (Main)'s 65th anniversary celebration, the school had set up a performance, at the Esplanade Theatre, entitled "Lake Odyssey"on 7th & 8th of May. The 1st show of Lake Odyssey will be on tommorow. I have been waiting for that very day. The preparations for this major event had been going on since last year. Many CCA groups, which include the Chinese Orchestra, Concert Band, Dance, Chinese Drama, Wushu, Choir, Chinese Calligraphy etc, are all taking part in this event.

They had been practising hard and rehearsing seriously these days. Yesterday, they had to rehearse till 11pm++. It's sure tiring, so Mr Yue broke the news to them that they would not need to attend lessons today. But, they had to report to school at 3pm for yet another rehearsal, and the time for their dismissal is also 11pm++.

I'll be watching the 1st show, therefore, I'm really excited and looking forward to it. I will be on duty(Front of House), selling the programme booklets, on Saturday, 8th May. Well, that's all I can think of now. Maybe I'll add more to this entry later on.