Day 16 — Someone that’s not in your state/country

Many names easily come to mind. And well, just felt like writing something in general for all friends I have who're not in the country right now.

Hey. It's been quite awhile since we last had a nice chat together. How are the times? Doing well? It's the holidays back here in Singapore, though there're a couple of days I have to return to school(so I won't die of boredom! Just joking.). Christmas is just round the corner! Is it snowing over there? Got your gifts ready?

If you're overseas on a holiday, glad you're getting lots of weight off your shoulders, getting that well deserved break from an exciting 2010! Whether is it free and easy, or a group tour, you're bound to enjoy yourself, just be sure to play nice and safe! If you can, do upload some pictures of the places of interest, for I might have some interest to visit those places in future.

Whether or not you're in the same country I'm in now, or if you're just reading this to pass some time, Here's something for you. I might not be physically there with you, neither might I know you very well, but nonetheless, here's wishing you a very Merry Christmas in advance!

SG "Tour"-Day 5;2010 (Pasir Ris)

The tour was kind of a last minute plan that I came up with this morning. Here's the actual deal for today.

I wake at 9, head to school from 10 to 11am for a module experience interview for the School of Interdisciplinary studies, before I head home to watch my fingernails grow.

I did the first part of the main plan. Many muscles in my body were aching the moment I woke. Somehow, I was still able to go about doing the usual stuff almost without any difficulty, except walking. The impacts of the 5 hard landings on the standing broad jump mat the day before has caused some injuries to my legs. I went off to school, and the interview went rather well! Claire, my compere, was surprised my tutor wasn't Ms Adelaine, as she was the one who had recommended me to go for the interview. My tutor for 1COMT was Madam Rosita, who taught and helped me in the module almost 2 years ago.

At 10.45am, I was done. I rang up my mum, and arranged to meet her at my Grandma's. Met my dad and the 3 of us went for lunch till 1pm. When I arrived at 11.40(after a 30-minute bus ride on board SMRT 61), my mum asked if any of my friends had asked me out during the holidays, then she asked about John and Jon. Jon returned the reply I sent him asking if he was free later in the afternoon or tomorrow morning earlier this morning. I had thought he stayed at Tampines, so perhaps I could go for a walk with him around the whole of Tampines(thanks to the photograph of the flat I took earlier on Monday during the Exco meeting). Instead, he told me his home was 5 minutes away from White Sands at Pasir Ris. Thus, it was decided we would be spending approximately 3 hours walking around Pasir Ris.

I rushed home, changed my clothes, packed my laptop, hard disk, and my camera and lens before setting off, all within 10 minutes. I left home and boarded the 1.46pm SMRT 106 for Clementi Station. As I was short on time, I decided to take the train instead. I had to make a total of 2 to 3 transfers if I had to take a bus there, which could last anywhere between 60minutes and 3 hours.

After passing Kallang, I noticed the designs of school uniforms of some schools in the East had the same design as some schools in the West(Alright. Random observation).I arrived at Pasir Ris at 2.45pm. At 3.10pm, we set off, our first stop, Pasir Ris Town Park. I had no idea why I wanted to go walking around. I felt as though something had been planned, so all I had to do was to get it going. What's more, my legs were still hurting, but when we walked, I practically felt no pain. Wow. What's more, I had been standing the moment I left home.

I'll let the pictures do the talking on the sights I saw with Jon. We talked about many things, school, colour schemes of the flats, possible costs, differences in accessibility by public transport between old and new estates, just to name a few.

At 5.45pm, as planned, we went on our ways, I would embark on my longest bus journey yet within the city state, while Jon would return home to prepare for a dinner with his friends later that evening.

5.46pm I ran for SBS 88, but missed it when I thought passengers were still queuing for the bus, and the moment I started walking, the bus left. I realised the queue was for another bus service! For some reason, all the bus services I had to use to travel around, always had to be at the extreme end of the Interchange(especially for SBS services).4 minutes later, another double decked bus arrived, and I boarded it. 88 was bound for Toa Payoh Interchange, the interchange closest to home without taking the train. I started uploading the photographs into my computer the moment the left Pasir Ris. Somewhere along the way, I looked out the window. I saw the void deck of a yellowish flat, with the table I saw in a dream not too long ago. I continued looking out. One by one, I started to remember places I saw in my dreams. Within the minute, dreams and thoughts flooded my carefree mind, akin to titanic waves of water gushing toward after breaking free from a collapsed dam. That, was really scary. At the moment, I had the strong urge to alight from the bus to take a cab home. Shortly after ward, I turned off my laptop the moment the uploads were done, and I took a nap. I woke up at Ang Mo Kio, and the first thing I saw, was a real life crime scene. I had thought it was the mock up by mediacorp. I was wrong. Officers were placing number cards beside fragile traces of evidence and the area was cordoned off. Even passer-bys and residents were looking on with great curiosity! That, was the first time I saw the real thing.

I did the usual, thinking about many things, like what I usually do on long bus journeys, ultimately reaching no conclusion or answers to those thoughts. 80 minutes after leaving Pasir Ris, I arrived at Toa Payoh at 7.10pm. The moment I got up, I fell back onto my seat. My legs were hurting once again. Badly. But, how was that possible? Perhaps, I had walked too much for one afternoon. Perhaps, someone out there was playing tricks on me. I simply thought, 'it was all pre-planned. I just had to make things happen.'.

I walked slowly toward the last berth(yes, again) where SBS 157 was. There was a queue where I lost my footing while trying to evade two passengers who wanted to queue behind a girl I was walking past. I brushed hard against her bag(hope it did not cause her any injury), and left quickly as I saw the bus reverse from parking. I eventually caught the bus.

I slept through most of the journey back to Bukit Batok Interchange, on the bus bound for Boon Lay Interchange. I arrived at the bus interchange 50 minutes later at 8pm. I missed SMRT 106 as I could not run for the bus. I waited instead, and boarded SMRT 77, bound for Marina Centre, at 8.10pm. I reached home at 8.20pm, a grand total of 150 minutes after leaving Pasir Ris! That has got to be the longest bus journey I had ever taken!

Till now, I still have the feeling that everything that happened today, was pre-planned. I simply did whatever came to mind, without thinking so much.

Gundam Fiesta @ Compass Point 2010

Today was a great start to my second last Semester Vacation in a Polytechnic.

In the morning, I left home at 9.45am on board SMRT Service 106 for Dover MRT Station to have my passport photograph taken for a job during the F1 week. However as there was no photo booth there, I was forced to take a train to Commonwealth or I'll risk being late to meet my friends at Orchard station at 11am. I had my photograph taken, and boarded SBS Service 111 headed for Orchard MRT Station, arriving at 10.55am. I met Zhi Chyim and Eugene at 11.05, and we walked to our destination to submit our photographs, before walking to the bus stop opposite Far East Plaza at 11.25 to take SMRT Service 171 back to King Albert Park. At 11.55am, I boarded SMRT Service 77 home, while they transferred to school on SBS Service 74.

I spent 105 minutes at home, playing on my laptop and packing for a set of long bus rides in the afternoon. First, I would be heading for Compass Point at Sengkang, to take some photographs at the second Singapore Gundam Fiesta. I would then take a bus either to Bedok or Tampines from there(I was so engrossed in my game I forgot to check if any bus could take me straight to Tampines or a bus interchange nearby, and of course, I did not check if any bus services could take me closer to home from Tampines). Of course, if there's a shortage of time, I would have to travel by the Mass Rapid Transit train(which would be a minus for me as I only have a concession pass for travel by bus).

I checked the bus arrival at my bus stop. SMRT Services 189 and 106 were arriving at 1.46pm and 1.42pm respectively, and again at 1.55pm. I left home at 1.45pm, and boarded 189 which arrived at 1.55pm. I reached Clementi MRT Station at 2pm, arriving at the Temporary Bus Interchange(probably my first Regional Bus Station) 7 minutes later. I boarded SBS Service 156 bound for Sengkang Bus Interchange(my first long distance bus ride for the day, with an estimated travel time of 60minutes) at 2.14pm. The first part of the journey felt rather fine, as I was travelling on familiar soil. However, some time after passing through Bishan, I started to feel as though I was travelling in a foreign land. The change was subtle, yet I had mixed feelings. Although in my mind I knew that I was still in Singapore, my heart told me otherwise, that I was in some foreign land, though it wasn't as strong as a year ago when I visited Sengkang for the first time.

Shortly before I arrived at Sengkang Bus Interchange at 3.26pm(4 minutes ahead of schedule;total time of travel: 100minutes; distance travelled: 28.4km), the high LRT lines came into view. I felt as though I was in a commercial plane which was descending onto the runway. Upon alighting, I went to search for the board with the bus service information. There was only 1 bus service linking Sengkang to Bedok Bus Interchange. That was the closest I could get to Tampines. Oh well, depending on how things go, I might be forced to take a train from Bedok Station to Tampines Station.

I started off with a walk around Compass Point. As it was past 2.30pm, most students would have been dismissed from school on the first day, so it might get crowded. First thing I saw was the Gundam Fiesta. From the main entrance, I felt a little disappointed, as it looked exactly the same as last year's from that perspective. I decided not to worry so much and leave that for later. The first floor still felt like the current Jurong Point, connected to the Bus Interchange and Train Station. The rest of the floors felt like a "rounded" West Mall, minus the cinema. At the top floor, I looked down. Hey! The set up's different! There's much to say here, but I'll let the pictures do the talking. The link would be up as soon as I upload my photographs on Facebook. As I walked around, I planned my photo opportunities. Though I had slightly more than an hour to spare, I had barely ample time to take photographs of the whole exhibition(though the area covered was small, but the exhibits were greater in number this year with a whole lot of limited edition model kits on display). I guess it was a blessing in disguise for me not to have located the kit lens and was kind of forced to leave home with the 50mm prime lens that afternoon, for I was able to take lots of great close-up portraits of the humanoid models. I would say that this year's fiesta was planned in a similar manner compared to the previous year, and the organisers have gone two or three up to add on more new, and limited edition models, as well as the palm of a life-sized, 18-metre tall Gundam model that took 6 months to put together in Japan. For once, maybe I had missed it last year, I understood the different grades of the model kits, which are categorised into the High Grade, Master Grade and Perfect Grade.

I left for Bedok on board SBS Service 87 at 4.34pm(4 minutes behind schedule). I did not feel anything during the journey. It felt as though I was travelling on familiar soil, even though I had never been to a few places along the way. I arrived at Bedok at 5.10pm(6 minutes behind schedule; total travel time of 100 + 36 = 136 minutes; distance travelled: 28.4km + 13.6km = 42.0km). As I had only 20 minutes of travel time left(a result of my poor route planning), I had to spend a little more to travel the last leg of my journey for the day by train, from Bedok Station to Tampines Station, a total of 3 train stops. I did not notice Danial and Zarifah opposite me until Danial came over and gave me the bubbly 'poke'. They came from the city after catching Resident Evil, in 3D. We all met up with the rest of the Toastmasters group at 5.35pm(5 minutes behind schedule; total travel time of 100 + 36 + 15 minutes = 151minutes). We planned a couple of stuff from 6 till 8.30pm, before going to a food court for dinner.

At 9.55pm, I boarded SMRT Service 67 bound for Choa Chu Kang, toward my Former Primary School after King Albert Park, on my return leg of the trip. I had an unexpected, but enjoyable conversation via the Short Messaging System which helped keep me awake and relaxed on the way home. Before Entering Upper Bukit Timah, the moon tonight was one big, beautiful orange crescent! If only I was daring enough to take out my camera to take a shot of the sight. I arrived at the bus stop at 11.05pm(total travel time of 70 minutes). 15 minutes later, I boarded SMRT Service 77 bound for Bukit Batok, and headed home, stepping into my room at 11.28pm(total travel time of 70 + 23 = 93 minutes).

My travel history for the day:

106 > train > 111 > Orchard Road > 171 > 77 > Home > 189 > 156 > Compass Point > 87 > train > Tampines Mall > 67 > 77 > Home

Though for a moment I forgot the significance of confiding and having a conversation, I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent. I wouldn't mind sacrificing time for others, but I would mind if others had to sacrifice part of their time for me.

SG "Tour"- DAY 4(Sengkang)

Woke up this morning at 10.30am, and I thought. Since yesterday I did not have the chance to go to Sengkang the day before, why not go today? Maybe not. I felt sleepy, and my muscles were aching from the tiring ride the previous day. Drank some milo mum made early that morning, and out of curioisity, I flipped through the issue of My Paper that was left on the table. An article caught my eye. There's a GUNDAM Fiesta going on at Compass Point, and today's the first day! Perfect timing. I told Mum I was going to leave for Compass Point at 12 and would only be back at 7. She asked the usual,"Why not ask some of your friends along? Aren't they having their holidays as well?"

Simply, I said as we left for the bus stop,"I don't think my friends would want to walk with me under the hot sun taking pictures of HDB flats, though they might be interested in the first GUNDAM fiesta in the country." Mum was meeting Dad to go buy stuff and have lunch that afternoon.

Boarded 189 and left for Clementi. Transferred to service 156 to Sengkang, on a journey which lasted more than 2 hours. A bus is the way to go if you wanted a slower and more relaxed pace in travelling. The bus wasn't crowded at all throughout the trip. Reached Sengkang Interchange at 2pm, and it felt almost as though I had arrived at another country. Alright, first stop, Compass Point. There it was, just the way I had imagined the scale of the fiesta to be as I read through the advertisement earlier that morning. Relatively small, with numerous exhibits of the various designs of GUNDAM model kits on show.

I left on a short tour around the shopping mall, before going on to the Interchange complex which contained the Bus interhcange, LRT station and Sengkang MRT Station. Deja vu. I dreamt about this place a couple of months back. It was a dream where I was at a theme park in Genting with some friends, and the shopping complex had the same decordations found on the wall of the interior of Compass Point, on the fourth floor. A ship, a lady and a pirate if I could remember correctly. Compass Point definitely has almost every shop you could find at West Mall, except it was missing a cinema. However, the shopping mall was more lively and had more space than West Mall, though it only had 4 floors compared to the 5 that West Mall has.

As for the interchange complex, it was from another dream. I can't say for sure if that dream truly was deja vu, but the only things that were exactly the same was the LRT train, the interior design of the place, and the staff on duty at the basement, who surprisingly also wore the same lime green unifroms that only the SBS service staff wore.The staff on duty at the MRT platform wore the maroon uniforms put on by SMRT service staff. I did not realise it until I saw the lift and escalators that linked the LRT platform a couple of floors up and the MRT platform in the basement. In that dream, I was on the way from after making a visit to school on Teachers' Day, alone. In that dream, it started with me alighting from a bus and meeting other friends in school. The MRT Station, surprisingly had a basement for an LRT platform, and a platform a floor above.

I did not go down to look at the MRT platform, but I went up onto the LRT platform. It's different from the one at Bukit Pangjang. And there they were, 2 service staff in their bright, lime green uniforms chatting to each other. Similar to that dream, I missed 2 trains before boarding a train, finally. Went on Route C(or was it route B?) along the compassvale side of the route, before alighting and boarded another train for route B(or was it route C?). I kind of got myself confused with the simple network of the LRT system there, for it is in the shape of the figure 8. However, the 4 routes were rather confusing. For example, would the train I board go on route A, before continuing on route D when it arrived at the Sengkang LRT Station again? And the directions of the route change at 3pm, which were rather interesting. You don't see the trains change directions along any other LRT or MRT line in Singapore (I'll find out if it's the same for Punggol next Wednesday when I try out the line) at 3pm.

I alighted at Fernvale, and started taking photographs once again. By then, school students were already dismissed from school, so it was kind of a great, last minute plan, where I did not have to squeeze onto a over crowded LRT train. There's something about the train itself. Not only was it different than the trains you would see on the Chua Chu Kang LRT line, the trains were also faster, although you had to wait between 2 to 5 minutes for a train to arrive. Compared to the Chua Chu Kang LRT where you would see trains passing by almost every 2 to 3 minutes, I saw a train pass by on the Sengkang LRT line roughly every 3 to 5 minutes, maybe more.

2.50pm, all the way till 4pm. As expected, I did not get lost though it was my first time there, thanks to the LRT line. I did not expect that I would complete walking the full route within 2 hours! One thing that I could observe about my "tour" so far. The archietecture and design of the HBD flats there are definitely more attractive and they sure look more modern than the HDB flats in the western parts of Singapore, in places such as Jurong and Bukit Panjang. Some of the flats even looked like condos without the fences and swimming pools! Perhaps, the flats at Punggol would look similar, or even better?

Took a break at 4, before returning to Compass Point for the Fiesta. It was real crowded by the time I got back, though the queues at the cashier wasn't as long as I had expected. Bought a little gift for my brother who would be turning 16 the coming month, before boarding 156 and headed back to Clementi Interchange where I boarded 106 back home. Arrived at my doorstep at 7.15pm.

Here's some of the photographs taken this afternoon:

Oh, and if you would like to see more, Here's the links to the 4th day of the "tour" and the GUNDAM Fiesta @ Compass Point.

"sg tour"-DAY 4(part 1)

"sg tour"-DAY 4(part 2)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=32772&id=1040930846&saved#/album.php?aid=32772&id=1040930846

SG "Tour"-DAY 3 (Tampines via Pasir Ris, Loyang, Changi, East Coast Park,Telok Kurau, Kembangan, Bedok)

To students studying in government schools, todays a holiday as it's Teachers' Day. Here's wishing everyone who has taught someone at least once in their life, Happy Teachers' Day!

I obviously overslept again, since it was already the holidays. I woke at 7.30am instead of 7.15, changed, packed 2 sets of spare clothes, a towel, camera and lens, and left for Tampines MRT Station. Boarded 106 at 7.50am, and arrived at City Hall MRT Station only at 8.45. Successfully avoided the morning train crowd by boarding the train there. Reached Tampines 35minutes later at 9.20.

Met up with Jon and WM before w walked to Sunplaza Park to rent our bikes. Estimated time we would complete was 6 hours, from 9.40 to 3.40pm. We wre told that, if we were to rent the bike for a whole day, it would be the same cost(whole day rates from 9 to 6pm) of $18. We started off quite well, until we reached the chalets at Changi. Lots of humps and slopes, which slowed us down alot. Jon became tired after that, and we were slowed down greatly.

Stopped at Changi Village for drinks and a 20-minute break before we continued toward East Coast Park. The sky started to become overcast as we entered the route that ran along the airport runway, and it got really windy. I stopped many times to take shots of planes, and was still able to catch up with them. The sky became more overcast as we cycled on. It was only when we reached the Changi entrance of the park that it started pouring, badly. The rain drops felt like tiny niddles pricking our legs. Stopped at a shelter, waited for the rain to subside before we continued on to the nearest sheltered fast food outlet for lunch. It was really cold. From that point, I was unable to take any photographs for fear it might damage the camera.


After lunch, we continued on, via the Singlap Park Connector. More relaxed, slow cycle to Telok Kurau. We made a small detour due to on-going construction work at a junction. We were stunned when we reached the pitstop, as, it was closed. We reached the pitstop at 3pm, 40minutes ahead of schedule. However, we had to move on in case we could not reach the next pit stop before the closing time at 6pm. We passed Sean's place that afternoon, and if only there was enough time, we might just have been able to knock on his door, rest fo 30minutes before moving on. Had walked along that stretch of park connector three times before, but this was the first time we were actually cycling on it.

At 3.30, we reached the Bedok Park Connector. it ran all the way to Bedok Reservoir Park. This route was extremely challenging for us. Numerous steep hills, rough cycling surface, lack of directional signs which confused us, and a overhead bridge that did not have a slope. So, we were forced to carry our bicycles across the expressway,not push them across like we had been doing since morning. At 4.15pm, we made it back to the Tampines Park Connector.

The remaining route was relatively easy, on level ground. No slopes or humps to cycle on. The directional signs finally returned! At 4.35, we made it back to Tampines MRT Station, and 10 minutes later we returned our bicycles, an hour and 5 minutes behind schedule.


Total distance covered on the park connectors alone, 31 kilometers.
The distance covered in the parks was unknown as none of us kept count.
Total time taken, 7 hours, 5minutes.


Great achievement for all of us, and we plan to go on this trip once again in December, when their A Levels are over. This time, we'll start off from Telok Kurau Park, and I'll take more photographs as long as the weather would be in ur favour.

Went to Tampines Mall after that for dinner. before that we went to a new Japanese fashion shop. They were having a sale, and the items there were unique and unlike the usual stuff Giodano and Hang Ten were selling. 7pm, we all left for home. We went to Pasir Ris to look at the new safety feature, before taking a train back. I alighted at Bedok, and took 196 back to clementi, before taking 106 back home. The Clementi Bus Interchange is beggining to become my regional Bus Interchange to the Eastern part of Singapore!

You might wat to check out Jon's and WM's blogs, as well as this site for more pictures!

Teachers' Day Celebrations @ YCSS && SG "Tour"-Day 2

Woked up at 7.30, and went to Lakeside to meet up with the others. I left at 8.20am, an arrived 30 minutes later as usual, at 8.50. Zhong Rong came first, followed by Gabriel, Randall and Darren, Andy, Edward and as for who came after that, I kind of forgot.

First teacher we met was Mr Liew, who was gathering some councillors for a briefing of the students-teachers games. This time missed the chance to have a chat with him and other teachers, probably since we stayed only at one place, the canteen for almost the whole time. We went on to the Staff Room to meet Miss Lee, Miss Loh, Miss Kang and Miss Chee before we left, not to forget some of the photos we took!

After that, went to the coffee shop behind the school for lunch, before we left for the street soccer court. That's when I started to take pictures of the flats once again. For the record, that was the first time I did not play a single game when we got there. Soon, we were joined by more friends and I started to get a little bored before I started to go take some pictures of the area as well as of them, before going to the void deck nearby with Randall. fter awhile, we went back to watch them, and we stayed there for about an hour before we walked to his place. We reached about 2.35, 10minutes earlier than I had expected. Didn't stay too long, just had a change of clothes and left for Eunos via Boon Lay. Had a bad stomache on board bus 154 during the journey. Upon arrival at 4.45, went straight to the toilet and left on 63 for Funan the IT mall at 5, for a short walk before heading home.

Here's a few pictures taken at school:

More pictures can be found at these sites(from top: Teachers' Day Celebrations @ Yuan Ching Secondary '09, "sg tour"-Day 2, 1st soccer game of the afternoon):
http://www.facebook.com/photos/?ref=sb#/album.php?aid=32509&id=1040930846

http://www.facebook.com/photos/?ref=sb#/album.php?aid=32513&id=1040930846
http://www.facebook.com/photos/?ref=sb#/album.php?aid=32516&id=1040930846

SG "tour"- Day 1(Bukit Panjang,Chua Chu Kang)

Friday's paper, let's not talk about it. High chance I'll pass, but not too well, as I did not pay much attention to revising for that module.

Anyways, today I finally put my plan into action. Left home at 3, took 963 to Bukit Panjang LRT station where I began on the 3 hour-long hike. Simply followed the LRT route so that I would not get lost. Maybe tomorrow I'll have to bring my laptop(so that I could access the map) or take a snapshot of the maps of the towns I plan to wander around.

It's like this. During this 7-week holiday, there would be 2 major things going on. First, driving lessons. Just got the green provisional license this morning, so, from next Monday, I can start on my first lesson. Had been waiting 18 years for that day! The second thing is the so-called tour I'm doing for personal enjoyment? It started from 2 dreams. One, I was walking around the different parts of the island aimlessly. The other, I was taking photographs of things that came my way. Put them together, and I get the inspiration to go for it. There's a catach to it though, I'll be taking photographs of buildings(especially flats) and some vehicles. However, although some photographs might contain people, they serve a purpose which is more about bringing life to the picture.

Today's the second time I'm going around wit a camera in hand, so, being a relatively shy person, I rather walk by and not take any photographs(din't want to show off that much). In the end, I ended the day with only over 200 photographs, some were not well taken. For more, view my album on facebook (It's faster and easier to upload the photographs there).

As for tomorrow, I havent really decided on where to start, but I know that I'll be ending at the Marina Barrage(only if there's enough time). Hopefully I could decide on it soon enough so that I would not have to leave home late like today...

Happy 44th National Day

This year's celebration was unique. On Friday, woke up at 4.45am. Somehow I managed it as I slept at 2am the night before. Had just recovered from mild fever and alost fully recovered from flu the day before, and hopefully, I won't get chased out by the secuity when we enter the school later on. I took the 6.45am bus with my brother to Clementi, and after 2 years, it was just the same. That morning, half the bus was dressed in the patriotic red. Decided not to wear red this year. I had wanted to wear red at first, but, on second thought, let's try giving this year a miss.

Reached Lakeside at 7.20am, andthey were nowhere in sight. Weirdly, anything tht hasgot to do with meeting friends from secondary school, I'm always early. But when it came to activities with friends from polytechnic,I'm usually either very early, or I as very late. Classes included. 7.35am, Randall and Jin Tian arrived, and as we were way too early, we went for breakfast instead. Went back to the coffeeshop behind the school, and stayed there for over an hour before we went back to school. Like the year before, I skipped clases before lunch time, which meant I skipped the EM3B lecture hat morning from 9 to 11am.

We waited at the foyer after signing in, listened to his usual long speeh, listened to and sang along to the songs, and watched the performance by the students involved in the actual parade on Sunday. The performance was in fact a nice, close-up preview of what's going to happen on the big day. That short morning sure broguht back memories. One again, they had a carnival this year. We were soon joined by others(I can't remember everyone). As I woud be running around a few places the whole day, I decided not to ring along my camera. Thus, there were no pictures taken. Met up and caught up wih lots of familiar friends and teachers while we were there. There were also inter-class games for netball and table tennis.

At 11, the alumni formed a team to play against the current students(mostly players of the school team). I took part as well, just for fun. As expected, I had not fully recovered, and after just 5 minutes, I started walking. It was a nice match, although e lost very badly(which is a good thing). Good thing I informed the club that I would not be turning up for the friendly match in advance that night, as after the friendly match ended at 11.30, I went straight to the toilet to make myself feel better. The match lasted only 10 minutes. At 11.45, Alicia and I shared a cab to school, for I was late for a test, and she had classes at 12.

A cab arrived just in time, and it was a nice coincidence, as, the driver who brought us to school used to fetch our vice principal to school in the past. What a small word! We had a nice chat with him during the journey. Very memorable morning. In the taxi, I felt unwell again. Damn. Let's hope it would be gone by the time I arrived in school. During the journey, he asked if we both knew which school we were in. coincidentally, we only knew that our courses were both from the Mechanical Engineering Division, just minutes before we boarded the taxi(while we were walking to the school's main gate).

Rushed straight to the classroom(still perspiring very badly after the game). How nice, just after I got off I felt like fainting. Bought a drink, and once I sat down, I felt better. In a minute, the test began. Nice timing.For th rest of the day, I was back to normal, except for the flu that was still there. My mind went blank in the first five minutes as I was changing my mindset of the holiday mood to that of the studying mood. Completed the test for Thermodynamics without much difficulty although it was just 5 questions. Went for IA after that, got back my draft for the case study, and we started with the lessons. Toward the end, I became very restless and my mind just switched off.

3.50pm, I took 154 and headed for Toa Payoh Hub to meet Bernice and some others from Joy 5, class of 2002. Maybe I would consider it to be luck that the Meals on Wheels service was cancelled at the last minute, which gave me the chance to catch up with my long lost friends.I was the last to arrive. Everyone had changed so much, although I could still recognise everyone. But, like in the past, the nicknames had not changed very much, although we did not use them as often. We had a nice walk to Mr Peck's home. Drank some drinks, sat around, chatted a little and took a couple of photos before we went for dinner at 6.15. He brought up the old jokes we once shared, and we still remembered the essay where the "buglar ran to the bicycle and ran home", among many others. Sadly,when I said I had to rush off at 7, that was when the gathering ended. Mr Peck walked me to the bus stop and everyone offered to come along. Bernice went off to met her boyfriend, Yong Jie rushed off to get ready for a wedding at pm, Eugene and Andy most probably went home. Took 88 with Wei Yang to Bishan before we parted ways once again.

The part I liked about the evening. Travelling. I took the Circle Line,operated by SMRT, for the first time that evening. The train ride was pretty nice, especially at the front, where unlike the train operated by SBS Transit, the emergency exit had a window. I got off and transferred at Serangoon. The walk was really long. Did not walk very fast, for fear I might become unwell once again. Got onto the train just in time and headed straight for Harborfront Station. I was to meet my lecturer and some friends for a nigh of German Cuisine at Brotzeit, #01-149 Vivocity. I arrived on the dot at 8pm, and the queue was really long. Perhaps it was Friday night. We got a table for 4, and we learnt the pronunciation of some of the German food on the menu. We did not really order food in German(which I was looking forward to nervously), but we did learn that some of the ingredients were flown in from Germany! Wow. I ordered the German style of fish and chips. Instead of the coleslaw and mashed potato, it came with mushrooms and a unique sauce. The fish was really tender and nice, though, like other dishes, the price was high, but still affordable. We had desert, and it was really good! Definitely value for money! We chatted about a possible future educational trip to Germany which would last 2 weeks. I would very much like to go on that trip as well, but sadly it clashes with the schedule of the California Challenge in June. 2 great trips, but only 1 me. I definitely want o take on the California Challenge, but at the same time, I wanted to go on the educational trip to Germany. At 10.15pm, we went off. Not only did she offer t pay our bills, she also offered to give us a lift home! Wow thanks lots!

Saturday was the first day of the long holidays. my holidays were going to be slightly longer than most students this year. For me, I return to school only on Wednesday. Anyways, Saturday was spent more on resting, gaming, and a little on studying as well.

Sunday morning. Happy 44Th Birthday Singapore! I woke extremely early that morning, before falling asleep again till 10am. Studied in the morning, before going out for lunch with parents at Chinatown. We went to Chinatown square as they were looking for a Chinese stall to have lunch at, but as we had to walk a long way to get there, we decided to return to the hawker centre instead. At Chinatown square, there were many stalls selling all kinds of toys. They ranged from as early as the 80s to as recent as this year. Great place to get old stuff at low prices which look as good as new too.

After lunch, we bought dinner and supper before heading back home at 3pm. Slacked around till 6.15 when the parade was telecast 'live' on television. Did not go head down to take photographs, as I would be alone for the whole event, and my brother was already going there with the camera to take some shots with his friends. This year's parade was definitely better than last year. The displays, decorations, plot were a lot better. The aerial displays, theme song and fireworks were not as good as last year. The fireworks were better to look at, however, it did not last as long. Wondering how much better it could have been if it lasted a couple of minutes longer.

Today, I was gearing up for the examinations arriving in less than 2 weeks. Slack in the morning, did some Math again in the afternoon, and took a nap after that. I cried out a name again this time, though it wasn't as loud and clear as the first time a few years back, where I woke my dad, who came to check on me. Went to study a little more, before I continued slacking for the rest of the night.

Tomorrow, I don't think I'll be doing as much math as I did today. Tomorrow, I'll be doing and completing my IA case study so that I could submit it for checks on Wednesday, in case I had to make some changes to the mistakes.

Hey, I enjoyed this afternoon lots. Didn't really expect you to be there when I only had thoughts in my mind. So much I wanted to say, but I couldn't. Longing for the day where I could meet you once again. Always dreaming of that one day I could finally see the real you. Would you grant me this one wish?? Oh and by the way, sorry if the post was long and boring as usual.

Beyond Dhoby Ghaut

Today was the first time I took the North East Line beyond Dhoby Ghaut Station. The journey from home took close to an hour. Inclusive of waiting time, 15 minutes to Clementi MRT Station, 15minutes to Outram Park MRT Station and 13minutes to Boon Keng MRT Station via the North East Line. Once there, it was an additional 10 minute walk to the Luzerne to collect the gift pack which came with the desktop. It was about 5 when we were done. We carried on to Hougang, another 11 minutes' journey by train from Boon Keng. I had wanted to carry on to Sengkang to explore the area if we had time, but it was 6pm by the time we were done at Hougang to get my brother's books and stationery. Took 74 back to King Albert Park(KAP) before transfering to 77 back home. Total time spent on return journey: 105minutes.

While at Hougang Plaza, there wasn't much difference in the shops and all, but the place was not crowded with people unlike Jurong Point, even though the shopping centre was small in size. Another thing which I tested was my 'so-called' theory. After today, I guess it might be true, or I might have been extremely slow to notice it(if has already been proven by others whose eyes are sharper than mine).

Not a very bad day today, though I did not manage to explore much of Sengkang and try out the Circle Line today, there's bound to be other chances to do so in the future. Perhaps once I get my license, I might want to go for a spin around the Eastern parts of the country to explore a little.

End of the Storm

Actually, it has ended quite some time ago, just that, I'm breaking the news late. Finally found time to update, so here I am posting(of course). This is so going to be one extremely long post.So, ya, do read if you think you have got the time and interest to.

Last weekend was the very first time I fought in a Inter Varsity-Polytechnic championship(IVP). Went to NTU on Saturday to gain some first-hand experience of full-contact sparring at the tertiary level. The difficulty of each match varied greatly, depending on the amount of experience each side had, as well as the expectations of the judges and referee.

On Sunday, I experienced my first match. That, was the third time I wore the head gear since I first joined the sport as a CCA. Was extremely afraid before the day started, but as time passed, I found myself becoming someone very different(I wasn't that quiet self, my confidence level was very high, and I forgot the meaning of fear). However, the match was fast paced. We were both very fast, but he was just faster. 2 moves by me would be equal to 3 of his.

The very first counter that was dealt was a direct hit. It was a very nice score, though it left me stunned for a couple of seconds. The intensity of the blow was similar about 10% of Adrian's. to Each time I attacked, it would only end up with me being countered. I tried to retreat to time my counter, but that, too failed. So, I sort of gave up, and decided to take the blow when he attacked, go close(close enough that it seemed as though we were hugging), and try to make my move once he forced me away. The first part ended with a devastating 4-0 score( I knew I had 2 hits, though they were not very clear to the judges).

In the second round, I tired the same thing, except that I attempted to aim for his head this time round. It proved fatal. Two attempts met with two swift, direct counters. I gave up, decided to buy time, so that even if I lost, it would be about 30 seconds or so into the second round before I lost. Everything ended in the evening, so went to Jurong Point for dinner before going home.

After that match, the storm ended. Relaxation here I come! So the next day, went back to school for an hour of briefing on the general outline of the trip, before going to the Alumni Club House for the first time to accompany them for lunch, before going off at 12.30 for Sentosa for class outing. The moment I reached, it rained. Sad. That day, was the first time I sent the most messages. And it seemed to my friends that I had a partner. Well, I'm still not attached, and I'm proud of it!

Tuesday, was spent slacking and sleeping at home.

Wednesday, was the first time I stepped into National Junior College. The atmosphere, was well, different. It was about 4.20 when I arrived, and everyone was about to enter the school. There, both sides of the team met each other for the first time, and we also knew, for the first time, the whole backbone of the plans.

Thursday, was back to training, and I seemed to have gotten worse, and my stamina had dropped.

Friday, another day to slack and sleep.

Saturday, that's yesterday. Reached the TV room at 8.30am to find that the place was still locked. At around 9am, everyone had arrived and we went in shortly after the doors were opened. Played a few ice-breaking games, and I still found it hard to remember everyone. Forgot the names of almost everyone 30 seconds after the games were played. Anyway, we got down to our groups real quick, and we successfully came up with the complete list of things to do and bring for most, if not all our activities in just 3 hours? After that, we learnt one of the college's mass dance, and it was easier compared to the one I learnt last year back at MI. Mostly hand movements which made it easy. Went for our first group lunch, and we learnt lots os stuff about the difference in our education systems. we left at 3pm. Had a minor infatuation that morning, but, I'm just glad it's gone.

Today, it's slacking and sleeping again, only that I decided on the bags to use for the trip this coming Friday.Alright. I'll say it now. I'm part of the 30-member team comprising of 2 teachers and 28 students from National Junior College and Ngee Ann Polytechnic. We're going on a 7-day trip from this Friday(Friday the 13Th) till next Thursday(19Th March...4 more days) to Cebu, the Philippines for a Community Problem Solving Project, where we will be visiting two schools for activities, and after that, we'll be back in Singapore to complete our research, report and present on the trip( definitely for some of us at NP, but not so sure about the NJC side). This would be the second time I'm going on a joint Overseas Programme. The first time was to China back in secondary school.

And, here's the plans for the up-coming week. Tomorrow, go to Grandma's place in the morning, before going to Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station to meet Jian Hui and the others for a movie, change some money if there's the time, and head back to school for taekwondo training.

On Tuesday, it's the one day where I'll slack, sleep and pack up.

Wednesday, it's back to school to pay the 400 bucks for the trip and to NJC for the second and maybe, the last time. We'll be there to learn the mass dance as well as finalise some plans for the trip on Friday.

Thursday I'll be out with WM and Jon on a tour around Singapore I guess? One of the stops is a visit to the IT fair, post my NYAA application and also to change some money if I have not done so tomorrow.

Friday, it's plain simple. Get myself and my bags to Changi International Airport Terminal 2 by 6.45am and everything else will fall into place over the next few days till the 19Th. I can't wait!

Alright, here's something random. Was interesdted in thsi quiz found on Amanda's blog, and went to try it out. Surprisingly, it's very accurate! I'm still unsure about the commitment part and the one on death seems interesting.

What is your True Fear? Your Result: Losing Someone You love affection and the people in your life more than anything. Your greatest fear is that one day someone you care about won't be there anymore. You are a very friendly and inviting person, who draws in a lot of friendships with your kind, considerate, and loyal nature. However, deep down you are slightly insecure and unsure of yourself. You couldn't deal with it if you didn't have one of your loved ones in your life anymore. You don't have too much to worry about though, because with a friend like you, no one will want to lose you either!
Disappointment
Where Your life is Going
Being Alone
Commitment
Looked down on
Death
What is your True Fear? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Simple Goodbye to 2008, Challenging Introduction to 2009

Hi there again! It's been some time since I updated. Alright, first up, the top 15(decided to bring down the number as I felt it might be a little irrelevant).

15. 1 Month long PAE(provisional Admissions Exercise) at MI, from 2nd January till mid February.
Although it was just a month-long stay, I sure made many friends from all over the country, and till today, I still keep in touch with some of them.

14. Many long breaks and holidays.
School life up till the third quarter of last year was pretty slacked, with breaks lasting from as short as 2 weeks to the longest ever of 7 weeks. Even during the school terms during the first semester, the lessons were easy to understand, compared to the second semester where things gt tougher.


13. JAE(Joint Admissions Exercise) posting results

At first it came as a big blow, but over time, I gained much interest in my current course, ME(Mechanical Enginering) although I had very much wanted a place in AT(Aerospace Technology) before that.

12. Combined Toastmasters meeting with RJC and students from Hong Kong.
1 word to describe that 1 reason: Memorable.

11. 4E1-07 Class gathering at IMM.

That was definitely not a night to miss, when we invited Mr Liew to dine with us to celebrate Teachers' Day.


10. 42km runway cycle.
That was the first time I ever cycled such a distance, and on a heavy bike as well. I successfully cycled the distance, but with a couple of stops along the way for breaks.

9.Cycling the East Coast Park- Changi Village route twice in a year
The first time I travveled that route with friends from the Cycling Club, it was one tough challenge, with a short stop over at Changi Village to stock up on water and have lunch. Instead, I went to buy chocolates to eat while cycling back, which made things a little worse on the return part, as I could not cycle at the normal rate while eating. On the second time with a couple of friends, this time, we were able to cover the distance over a much shorter period of time, even though we stopped quite a number of times to watch planes landing an taking off from an active runway of Changi Airport, not too far from the cycling track.

8. First birthday celebration organised by friends
Earlier in March this year, it was a single sms that made me realise that I was actually noticed in class(I used to be so quiet that I always had a nice, cosy corner to myself). Really have to thank them once again for the gifts, dinner and cake, so thank you guys! So, getting a year "younger" to 17 was great I guess?

7. No Camps in 2008.
If I remember correctly, I did not attend a single camp in 2008, although I did attend orientation programmes organised by the Mechanical Engineering Society, Cycling Club and the Student Toastmasters Club.

6. Collection of 'O' Level stuff from YCSS
Decided to fill in this spot with something different, so ya. I guess that might be the last time I went to the school's office to collect a document that belonged to me, unless, in future I return as a teacher(which I'm still considering if I have not made up my mind on what I really want to do in future).

5. 08S6(PAE class) gathering at East Coast Park
This was the very first class gathering that I organised, which turned out very well, except that the weather was not in our favour that day.

4. 08S6(PAE class) second gathering
That day was the first time I brought girls home(please notice the 's'). Yes, that was the first time. Usually I brought only guys to my place for projects and the like, but that day, was solely to slack, just one day before the posting results were out. That, was the first successful barbeque for the class, and I hope it might not be our last.

3.Earned a place on the Director's List of Students
I had expected to be in the list, but never to claim the top position for the first semester. For the second semester of the academic year, I guess i might not be so lucky, for to date, I have quite a number of B and C grades, and possibly failure grades as well.

2.New Computer
The third laptop that I owned since 2003. This time, it's a Windows Vista operated Fujitsu S7211. At first during the first term, I used it purely for studying, but over the months I started installing games to kill time. Now, it's become such an asset that I don't really know what to do should I lose it.

1. 2 day 1 night stay at Downtown East Resort.
Learnt many things during the night of the stay, some of which came in handy when I walked the longest distance ever back home from the Marina Countdown.

So, now that you have the top 15 of 2008, let's head off into 2009! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

The first minutes of 2009 was welcomed with a big bang. Met up with a few friends at city hall at 6.30pm on Wednesday, 31st December 08,and we ate quite a lot at Swensen's, before going to the esplanade, to slack, before going to Merlion Park to find a place, stay there for 2 hours and watch the fireworks at 12am, on the first second of 2009.

The next part is practically about madness. After the event, there was a large crowd moving toward the City Hall MRT Station and the Raffles Place MRT Station. I got lost after they went to take the train home from Raffles Place MRT Station. So, somehow, I ended up at Tanjong Pagar after 30 minutes of walking at 1am. Over the next hour, I set off for Raffles City via Clarke Quay and Chinatown(somehow I managed to do that, though i did not know exactly where I was headed). That was the worst part of the journey, but I won't go on with the minor details(it's going to be one long story). At 2am, I found myself back on the route home when I arrived at Raffles City. So, from that point on, it was mainly the physical part of the journey. For the next 2 hours, I continued traveling on foot from Raffles City to Clementi, with 3 breaks of 10 minutes each. The toughest part was at Holland Village, where I had to take a slightly different route due to the on-going construction works there. I still enjoyed the 10 minute bus ride home though I had to pay $3.50 just to cover the last quarter of the journey. It was very difficult to complete the last part of the journey without transport, as although I had passed that area many times over the years, I still do not find it safe to walk there, as it's an industrial site.

At 4.40am, I reached home. After waking up at 10am, I did some calculations, estimating that I covered a distance of at least 14 km from Raffles City to Clementi, taking my average speed to be 6 kmh and total time spent of walking as 2hours(excluding resting time).

Anyways, I just hope that this year would be a better year than last year, though this time round, it just felt as though the digit 8 in the calendar was simply replaced by the digit 9. Since the journey home, I had been thinking of some resolutions, though I have not come up with the list yet(don't worry it's not as long as you think it is).

A Simple Christmas in 2008

Here's the first thing I did on a Christmas morning:

It's been 10 months since I last logged into my account, so today I finally reinstalled the game and played it, going all the way to kill some time before sleeping and waking at 10am in the morning.

Had lunch at 12.45pm, before continuing with training, but I soon gave up when I lost 10% in an hour. So, at 2.30pm, went to collect my new glasses and went on to Ikea with parents to get new stools for our dining table(our dining area is very unique). So reached home at 4pm, and we had guests coming down soon after. Heard and learnt a lot of things during the conversation too.

At 6.15pm, we went to Jurong East for dinner, before going home. So, I broke my television record for tonight: watching programmes on free-to-air channels from 7pm to 11.30pm. Guessed I neglected the computer so much that it appeared to my contacts that I was having lunch from 1pm to 11.30pm tonight.

Alright, that's all for today, and I'm glad it did not turn out to be a boring Christmas! Tomorrow, going for lunch at Jurong Point with some classmates from 4E1, looking forward to seeing everyone again after 3 to 4 months!

Blog Hoping for bored people

Alright, it's about a day late, but I have finally updated the Links List. Updated 6 links: Chong Siang, Christopher, Dominic, Xiu Wei, Yew Chong and Jeslynn. Added 3 new links as well: 2E1'05 forum, An Yan and Cherry Berry(what's that? well, why don't you find it out yourself and ask me when you think you have got it?). And also, I have added a couple of tags beside some of the links. Won't state them here, for I guess it's pretty much obvious when you see them.

Next, allow me to share with you something damn silly with you. This evening at 7pm, I random-ed a local blog using google search. I ended up at a blog belonging to an MDIS student. next, I blog-hopped to a blog belonging to a student also, this time from FMSS. Finally, after going around in circles a couple of times, I arrived at a blog belonging to a CJC student, followed by ACJC and finally NP. The last blog that I ended up at, of course, was mine. The second last blog that I landed at was Priscilla's blog, and of course, the link before that, was her friend's, and the link before that was her friend's friend, and it goes on, all the way until my starting point. Don't get it? Just ask me when you're free, and I could give the exact history of the 23 blogs(including the starting blog) that I went to before I ended up at my own blog.

Although it took an hour, as I was reading all the December posts of each and every blog(and also looking at the profiles of almost every author before I randomly clicked on a link to get to the next blog), but, come to think of it, it's kind of fun and exciting, to find out how linked you are to the people around you! Oh, and by the way, i came across a very young blog whose author just posted her first post less than 2 weeks ago!

Anyway, want a challenge, try this! Use google blog search, and random a blog belonging to an author who lives on the other side of the world. Following that, try your luck finding your way to your very own blog, using only links found on each blog you arrive at. Trust me, you will be amazed at your history page after you finally arrive at your very own blog!