September'10 Vacation Birthday Surprise

Today was supposed to be a long day, but things turned out well. I woke up this morning, with the bottom half of my body in great pain. I guess I had pushed myself really hard yesterday during the walk around Pasir Ris with Jon(though I was already walking at a snail's pace).

In the afternoon, went out with my parents for lunch, before heading to school to surprise Melissa a day after she turns 18. Well, wouldn't say this was the best surprise ever, since she was always the one behind all the birthday surprises so far. I reached school at 2.19pm, but no one had arrived, so I gave Kim a call, and she was kind of depressed. Decided to help cheer her up by going all the way to Coronation Plaza to meet her. I seldom enjoy waiting for others alone. When I took my first step into the building, she called. I mistook her for a maid? Beside her was the cake and many other stuff that she and the others had prepared for the surprise! She had to do everything, as Iqbal and the others had a workshop and were unable to help us with the preparations. Though you were on the verge of breaking down from the stress of preparation, thanks for taking most of the trouble upon yourself!

Met up with Dandan, Shen Faye, Xinying and Jiamin when we arrived at 3. Slowly the others joined as time passed. We struggled to complete the custom made gift prepared by everyone she knew, before we left at 5.30pm. Till now, though some of them said the holder looks nice, I don't think I tied the card holder nicely. In fact, I guess credit should go to Shen Faye for helping me with the final touches, which brought the handicraft to perfection. The string looks worn from my rough handling! Looking forward to meeting them again soon...

The weekends would be a good time to recuperate from my muscle aches and preparation for my first job assignment coming up the coming week.

I guess maybe I should have returned 10 minutes earlier to at least bid goodbye, since things ended at the same time tonight. Perhaps I had disappointed. Anyways, enjoy the weekends!

Mid August'10

So far, August has been great. Not too stressful, not too relaxed, just the right pace.

On Saturday I went for my first fireworks photo shoot with classmates and friends. Learnt quite a lot of stuff, but found it really hard to apply. I was given a piece of black paper, something that was used if I wanted to shoot just one explosion in the night sky. Most of us used a remote, as the shuttle speed was set to the user-defined setting, also known as the BULB mode, where one would just hold down the shutter button for as long as he or she pleased. At the start, I simply thought all I had to do was to just press, and release. For the first wave of fireworks, all I had were photographs of nothing but black. As the time went by, I guess I did better, managing to catch some of the explosions, with 2 to 3 good ones. The segment where the Phoenix mother ship, with the torch bearer on-board, was escorted by her 10 Dragon Boat escorts, was definitely the coolest hands-down. However, the fireworks simply sucked. Compared to the National Day Parade's fireworks, the arrangement for the finale was more disappointing. Yes, the variety was there, but the duration just simply wasn't.

As I was unable to get my hands on the closing ceremony ticket, I shall be joining them again on the 26th.

The coming week was spent solely on our final year project. We did make some progress, and all that's left is the report, some experiments to determine the finalized product, and the manufacturing.

Yesterday, was probably the most eventful day in August. It was also the day I was blur as a sotong. In the morning, I woke at 8am, and took my time to turn on my laptop. It took me 10 minutes to realise I had a dental appointment at the National Dental Centre 9am, and I had not done anything, except to turn my laptop on. As a result, I arrived at 9.20am. When asked for my Identification number, I recited my Student Card Number. Twice. In addition, I let out a loud "huh" when I realised I was reciting the wrong set of numbers. In the end, she simply passed me my queue number. 5 minutes later, I was in. 10 minutes after that, I was back out, getting my appointment. For some reason, I blindly requested to have my appointment pushed back to 5th October from 30th September, although I was able to make it on both dates.

I took a bus home, and it rained heavily just as I made my transfer home. As I left home in a hurry earlier, I brought nothing but my gate key(I had it detached from the key chain as I went for a run the evening before), phone, and wallet. Without an umbrella, I waited 15 minutes for the rain to reduce its intensity before I walked home, only to find myself locked out at 11.15am. My mum had taken my relatives to the museums for a visit, and would only be back at 4pm.

I took an umbrella, went to take a bus to my dad's workplace. 10 minutes after arriving at 11.40am, I drove us out for lunch at a market nearby, before doing some grocery shopping, and headed home. At 2pm, I went to the Jurong Regional Library to do a quick research on some stuff related to the final year project, from 3pm to 3.50pm. I had thought the few of us would be meeting at 5pm instead of 4 in school to prepare a surprise. After some confirmation, it was indeed 4pm as stated a few nights before.

Once in school, I found myself going back out to purchase a few stuff at King Albert Park. 40minutes later, I was back at the venue at 5.25pm. We were preparing a birthday surprise for our club mentor. He came by the back door. I happily took my time to paste the photographs onto a large card. He asked a friend to get some cash ready to purchase some refreshments to break fast with our fellow Muslim members. He walked past. We saw each other in the eye. He went in. Awkward silence. Well, at least the night went extremely well, and he apparently forgot about the card, until we brought it in to be presented to him

Today, our group had a 3-hour meeting at the library to plan for our design and the manufacture of our product. We even met our lecturer and supervisor who were there to get a few books! I went home, and slept the afternoon away after a short revision. Woke up at 5.30, before going for an evening run. Covered 8km in 50 minutes, by far the best timing this month.

This afternoon from 4.30 till 5.30pm, I revisited an old dream. It felt kind of weird, almost as if I was dreaming in a dream, yet I felt awake the whole time. In the dream, I was with my neighbours, relatives and parents, going to Malaysia on a holiday to stay at a bungalow. Here's the thing. Apparently, I was the only child, and the only one who looked my age, my parents looked a few years younger. My neighbours are supposed to be around my age, but in the dream, they looked like 5 or 6 year olds. Everyone else was the same, except that the cars we travelled in belonged to the 90s.

We arrived at 9am, and at 12pm, a young child wanted to trek along an abandoned railway to the country side. instead of by car, with 3 toy pushcarts stockpiled with snacks, drinks and clothes. We were going to stay at a country club till 6pm. My parents said that we had visited the place before when I was younger, except that now they had built a country club near there(they did not even mention my brothers, who were apparently non-existent in that dream... The railway hike experience was a revisit of one of my dreams when I was somewhere between 3-5 years, where I had this white cart with a yellow seat on one end and a long, blue handle on another).One way, the journey would take an hour. This was the thing. We had to walk along the tracks, and about a kilometre to our destination, we had to pay a toll at the first booth. The guard stationed there was short, old and grumpy. The second booth sold drinks and snacks. The journey there seemed rather easy. Until we reached the toll booth. the kid ran past the guard, and as our carts were all connected, we were unable to stop. He started to chase us, and he eventually caught up when we stopped at the second booth to buy drinks. We paid him, and continued on.

Why I had thought it was a dream in a dream, was simply because the country club looked like the Singapore Zoo and Botanical Gardens combined, and it was in Malaysia, facing the sea. What's more, the place even had a golf course, with some holes located at the gardens and the zoo! A friend hired a buggy for us to travel around in. I decided to walk through the zoo, and we caught an elephant feeding session, before I hopped back on so that we could complete a tour of the place.

We went back to our starting point, which was a canteen facing a large swimming pool. Not too far in the horizon was the beach. We had a nice afternoon chat with some tea, coffee and biscuits. At 4pm, there was a warning. Yellow lights were lit and an air raid siren was heard. My uncle told us that the place prone to sudden gusts of wind, a result of the vast open area of the country club. In a moment, it came, and the whole structure shook as though there was an earthquake. After the winds stopped, we saw water sprouts appearing near the beach. I counted out loud for everyone. There were 6 or 7 of them, and they were big. We did not feel any danger, so we went for a short walk nearby. I followed, but went back after awhile. Back at the canteen, I saw someone familiar by the balcony, and went out to confirm it. She was roughly 1.5-1.6m in height, and wore a red shirt. Maybe she was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans as well? I went up, and yes it was her(Apparently, I have never seen this girl anywhere before, and somehow my subconscious picked her up to be someone I knew, and yet I din't even say, or hear her name once in the dream. Sadly, I was unable to remember all her facial features.). We had a good chat, sat down, and continued our conversation over coffee. She needed to go to the wash room, so I followed. Something unique about the country club was that, the taps were shared, except the toilets, changing area and the showers were not(just like Makan Place @ NP, though the colour scheme used was different). When she came out, I learnt that she was there with her family, so I guess it wasn't really a coincidence afterall.

At 5pm, we parted ways. We promised to ring each other up once we're back in Singapore so that we could meet. I did not get to return to the canteen to see if the weather had improved as we were going to trek back to the bungalow. The journey back was tough, especially at the start. The guard at the toll gate was there to stop us, saying that the railway suffered some damage, but if we wanted to carry on, we had to be prepared for the worst. The kid was upset, but stubborn and he wanted to keep going. The adults contemplated our options. A quarrel ensued. 30 minutes later, we decided to set off at 6pm. We had a few more carts so that the adults could sit in and enjoy the ride back instead of going on foot. I linked all the carts together, and we had an engine to help. Somehow, halfway through, I simply broke down, badly. I had no idea why. Even if there was a reason behind it, I can't remember. After we set off, the journey was great. a stretch of the slope that was there had collapsed, and along the way we were able to see the sea and the horizon! It was 7.30pm when we reached the bungalow. We sat down together for dinner, and at 8.30pm, my aunt asked me to the porch, and we had a conversation about my conversation with that girl from the afternoon. I can't remember the details about almost every conversation from the dream, but that one, was filled with lots of advice. I only managed to remember the last part, where she said that if I wanted to, she could send me back home so that we both could see each other the following day. I agreed, and the next moment, I found myself awake, at 5.30pm.

Tomorrow and Sunday, it'll be intensive revision all the way till the end of next week, as August edges to an end and September arrives.

It seems not having the usual conversation for just one day, makes me feel as though something's missing. Maybe with my tone and words, you might find it rather boring? Every moment in text, was lived like there was no tomorrow.

Back as Promised

2 weeks have passed. A week of examinations and a week of intensive preparation.

Won't be expecting good grades for the examinations this time, as I planned and did things in such a way that most things happened at the right place, at the wrong time. On Friday, went with the team for their immunisation at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, before leaving with Marcus and Shen Faye at 3.15pm.

The week after was fully occupied. Monday to Wednesday, I attended a standard first aid course, which was kind of like a refresher course, as my certification had expired 5 years ago. Tuesday night was spent totally on packing my bags for a camp the next day, and for the up-coming overseas trip the coming Monday, so I did not study for the first aid test. On Wednesday, found out that I was not going to be part of the orientation camp in April. On that same day, met Koon Teck to collect the First Aid kits and some stuff that would help us during the 14-day trip to Dumaguete City in the Philippines. Passed the course with 28 out of 30 for the theory, and cleared the practical and CPR test. Attended a pre-trip camp after that. THat's the first time I attended a camp for the purpose of bonding with team mates, getting to know the stuff we're going to do there better, all in preparation for an overseas youth expedition programme. Went to play pool with Danial, Iqbal, Mel and Hui Yin that night, before buying supper for some of the others back at the apartments.

On Thursday, ran 10 rounds at the stadium, before heading back to join the rest in preparing for the Cultural Nite performance. Had lunch with the team, and left for our pre-trip community service, which seemed like what a team would do in the I&E in Action Module, under the Community Pathway. Had a strong sense of deja vu once again during the briefing by Melinda at the centre, when I remembered the scene where we were all standing round her as she gave the briefing. Can't really remember when I dreamt of it, and what happenedin that dream, except for that briefing scene.

Today went to get some stuff to pack for the trip. In the morning went to Yio Chu Kang to meet Jacy to collect her package for her kids, before heading ome for lunch. Went out to change money and purchase some stuff to use over there for the 14 days, and went home for dinner. Joined some friends for dinner at Brewerkz till 9.30pm before heading home.

Shall complete the packing and final baggage checks later in the morning, before returning to sleep the afternoon away till 4pm. Tomorrow, hopefully I'll be able to do a short post before heading off for 14 weeks. Would only be able to post again after that.

I'll be on my way back soon. Please wait a little longer...

The Tiger's Turn

Happy Chinese New Year to all.

Three days of pre-exam break has ended, providing a clear mind for the last 4 papers, the first in two days. Making this short, for each year it's more or less the same(minus the different things that happen each year, good or bad).

First Day, a visit to the temples, movie at Lido followed by dinner at Revenue house, and ending off with the first two visits of the year with cousins. Caught Percy Jackson ad the Lightning Thief at Lido at 4.30pm. It was a great movie from start till the climax, afterwhich the thrill just died off with the producers trying to rush the ending of the film in the last 30 minutes. The whole film lasted for more than 2 hours, inclusive of air time for the ads. Went for a Japanese dinner after that, ending off with a visit to my grandmother's and uncle's homes, just like last year.

Second day, I fell very ill, but managed to recover in 5 hours. 4am I woke feeling extremely weak, shivering violently, my throat sore, running a high fever. First thought, damn the timing. Somehow managed to fall asleep again, waking 2 hours later at 6am. Before that, was having a weird dream, of how I was having a photography class with some of the people I knew, at the now-gone block 73 lecture threatre. It ended off when I started worrying about forgeting to complete and submit my photographs on the last lesson. If not for the air conditioner which made me shiver so badly, I was going to have a really bad panic attack that morning. 3 hours later, I woke again, but it fet as though I was dreaming all night long. I had no fever, the air conditioner was running, but as usual, I wouldn't feel cold(the temperature was alway set at 25degrees), I could walk normally around the room. It felt like a dream, until I drank a glass of water. Sore throat. At least it was better than fever, and being unable to walk around, eat, drink or do anything for the rest of the festive season. Went to the market to getsome drinks with my father before heading home. Cousins from my father's side came over for lunch, and stayed till 4, before we went over to my cousins' place for dinner, before continuing on to visit another cousin's home.

The third day. We did not really go anywhere yesterday, for friends and relatives came to visit. The only day I really had some time for some revision.

Something new this year, I was doing the driving most of the time on the second and third day. On the first day, I drove with my uncle to the Revenue House, and on to my Grandmother's home after dinner. On the second day, I drove to the market and back, and later on in the afternoon, I went on my first drive with my cousin, my first time driving with someone who was also a probational driver(for it meant less stress for both drivers when it came to driving from point A to B in terms of travel time). On the third day, I drove my parents do dinner and back.

Today's the fourth day, and it was also time I started studying for the examinations again. Just 8 more days and I'll no longer be at level 2. This year is definitely going to be better than last year!

So much for thinking random thoughts. Whatever comes to my mind, comes alive in daily events, sooner or later. Lately, I have been able to 'see' things from a different perspective, that I doubt most would not be able to. Give me a movie scene, and I could imagine the cameraman filming the moment and the director directing the actors in their actions and lines while looking at the product of the efort they put in fr the particular scene. Give me a photograph, and I could imagine what happened shortly before and after the photograph was taken(I have never been told if those events have really happened, so I can't be sure if the images I imagined are 100% authentic). I can't wait for June.

"Journey" To The Past And Back

In the past week, my mind and subconscious travelled back in time. On Monday, I dreamt of me being 14 again, going to a polytechinic which looked like a secondary school.

During the rest of the week, my dreams were somehow filled with images of the past, showing what the future would be like if I made the choice to take a different route at each junction back in those days. My waking life over the week was miserable, filled with nothing more than sheer regret. It's the same thoughts of "Why didn't I have the courage to make the move back then? Why didn't I sign up for it? If only I hadn't done this, if only I had done that."

Wednesday, I had a dream, as a result of too much video games. Found myself in a boss fight with 2 other characters. One girl, and a knight. The knight refused to accept me for some reason, which I forgot what it was after I woke. The fight took place at a small village, defeated the boss, and moved on to a cave, where we fought off monsters. Somehow, we ended up at school, and fr some reason, we made our way to the SDAR office. There, for some reason, the knight finally accepted me, and things started happening at a fast rate. A girl(not the one I started out with), rushed to me, passing me a small, A5 sized ring binded booklet, its cover made of recycled paper. Along its left side, was 2 words spelled in capital, and 4 digits, in olive green colour. On the right, were 4 photographs, presumably from a tour. She said that she was there to pass me the booklet on behalf of a Dr. __________ (it's an Indian name). On it was a note, which was a message written to her asking to pass the booklet to me, his name was at the bottom of the note. I fell into a daze as I saw the cover page and flipped the booklet open. I woke after that. That evening, I wrote a message, which might not mean anything to the recipient, but it helped me let go.

On Friday, I went to Pizza Hut with the peeps from N4. On the way back, I 'saw' the girl who passed me the booklet in the dream I had on Wednesday. She asked for directions to the school, and ran off. So, in the dream, she passed me a booklet, while in person, she asked for directions. Weird.

In the evening, went to Kismis field for the ME fun day. The tug of war lasted 5 seconds, with us petite friends, losing to a bunch of muscular students. It wasn't demoralising at all, in fact, our bonds got stronger. Then came the relay. It was funny to meet the same opponents, but it was funnier to see how we reacted to one another's ways of completing his leg of the relay. Rushed off to meet Zheng Yan and Zihao for the barbeque at Toa Payoh.

We took 157, and arrived at 7. Someone said Ryan would be late, but she never mentioned which one. As a result, both were. Nearly the whole class was there that night, and it was a night worth remembering, although there was no stayover due to a low response. Went for supper at King Albert Park with Zheng Yan, Ryan Ng, Jing Hui, Chiahua and Gekshan. At 12.45am, Jing Hui and Ryan Ng accompanied back home for the night, after we saw Chiahua, Gekshan and Zhengyan off halfway during the journey.

In the morning, they left, and I headed off for Lakeside at 10.15am. I reached at 10.35, and met up with Zhong Rong and Zijie(Yes! I finally met him in person!). Zhong Rong gave mr Liew a call, which gave us the reassurance that we could crash the secondary 1 CCA Open House without any complications. Went on a tour, and noticed the changes in the school(not physical changes though). At 12, went to Jurong Point for lunch with Andy, Zhong Rong, Zijie and the juniors. Had a nice time getting to know them a little over lunch. 1pm, we went to take a group photo. Before that, a few more joined in. A strong sense of Deja Vu. Many thoughts ran through my mind at the time, and that, prompted me to tell someone something later that day. Whatever the dream was, don't think it would be appropriate to describe it here nor what I felt due to sensitive issues(leave me a message if you are serious about it).

Took the train home after taking the bus back. Finally, I could catch up on my sleep. That night, was probably the best night I had that week. Regrets that I had back in old school that I kept close to me, I finally let go that dreamless night.

Sunday, I had my first driving experience on the expressway. It was no different than driving on the road, except that with low mental stamina, I found it hard to concentrate, to maintain the vehicle's course within the lane, for it was always moving toward the right. Even as I kept to a speed of 60km/h which made things easy for me, I found myself starting to become mentally tired 15 minutes into the drive on the way home. It's better to be physically tired, than mentally tired, for the consciousness of an average person is way stronger than the physical strength of the strongest person alive.

So many things happened in a week, I found myself 'travelling' to the past and back, through gatherings and re-visits. On Monday, I opened my eyes to a whole new future. I am starting to let go of the past regrets which have, and will continue to prevent me from doing some things in the future. Only by letting go, would one find more roads to choose from. Looking forward with no regrets, is better than looking back and wondering if the choice made was the right one.

And A New Decade Begins

Leagues later, 2009 has become yet another completed chapter in the history book. 10.10pm on Friday, on 1st January 2010. A quick look back at 2009.

First 'adventurous' journey home from Merlion Park on 1st January 2009, on foot, which lasted 5 hours. First camp and sparring competition. My first overseas trip with the school. Started on my driving lessons in March. Formation of a new CCA. CCA orientation camp. Went on neighbourhood photo-taking tour in Bukit Panjang, Chua Chu Kang, Taman Jurong, Rivervale, Sengkang, Tampines, Kembangan, Siglap, Pasir Ris, Loyang and Changi. Downfall of a great friendship with friends whose faces I have never seen before. Got my third phone on Saturday,5 September. My second, and very likely, my last sparring competition. One star kayaking course at Pasir Ris Beach. First leadership camp in school. First Marathon, completed in 6 hours 50 minutes due to unexpected circumstances. Night cycling around the Eastern Park Connector Network on Sunday, 27th December.

2009 has been a year where countless lessons were learnt, and many fond memories forged. Met many great friends, learnt ways of finding out who was true, and who was not.

The past year was filled with more hardship and sorrow than happiness. Pressed badly for time due to many commitments and the lack of proper time management. Lost many things I held closely to compared to the bonds and memories I gained.

The last week of December 2009 has been a great one. Saturday,26th December, went to my Primary school teacher's home for a primary 5,6 class gathering after our last gathering 2 years ago. It was difficult indentifying some of us, as everyone of us had changed. Spent a day gaming, taking photographs and having dinner and supper together.

A day later, went out for night cycling and photograph taking tour of sights seen along the Eastern Park Connector Network with three friends(after the first attempt in September failed due to torrential rain and time constraints). With that, I have become more aquianted with the Eastern part of the country, though some areas are not the safest places to be after midnight. Monday, reached home, packed, headed back to school for a last minute meeting.

Tuesday, had my driving instructor on his last day at the school. Wednesday, rushed to complete part of a project in school before going to the bus stop to meet some friends, beore heading off to Toa Payoh. That day, was the first time we had more than 10 volunteers helping out, delivering food to the senior citizens in the town. The night before, I had a dream of myself with a friend, helping two girls in finding their direction. It did not dawn upon me unil later that afternoon at 4.45pm, that I would be meeting them, though their looks were slightly different from the images I 'saw' in the dream the previous night. Met 2 new friends, and a former room mate at the previous camp. we completed our area in 45 minutes, before heading off to the HDB hub for dinner.

Thursday, went for my last driving lesson before the new year. Did not have much major problems, except for the minor mistakes that I never found out. In the evening, went for a 9 kilometre run that lasted 55 minutes, before watching a disappointing countdown party on television, and keeping watch of a blue moon from 1 till 4am.

Today, rushed part of my project, before continuing to Orchard Cineleisure with family to catch Avatar 3D at 1.50pm. It was a great movie, currently the best movie I have ever caught at a cinema. The graphics, cinematics and plots were espeially stunning. I had two dreams of the plot over a span of three days, which kind of gave me a short preview of the movie. Went shopping, before heading over to Jurong East for dinner after going home.

2010 began with a bang like the previous years, however, I have a gut feeling, that this year, things would be unimaginably great. Miracles would unfold. I don't know how, but I just know it, that 2010 would be a year that is filled with more pleasant memories compared to previous years.

2010, I see you. Top 3 resoultions(I'm still thinking of more to fill in). Finding you, because I just haven't met you yet. Finding my first GPA of 4.0. A chance to travel to places I have never been to.

We Came, We Ran, We Conquered

Sunday, December 6. The first time I completed 42.195km in one shot. Wasn't that bad, though there were moments.

We woke at 3, and left 40minutes later. The lights weren't on, so I wasn't able to notice the colour of his bag. Took a cab down to the baggage deposit point at the War Memorial Park. Just after we were on our way, we were at the 37km mark of the race. It was kind of like a preview of what things would be like hour later. We were rather early, so we put our stuff down, deposited our bags, and he left his phone there in his bag. First thought. What's the best way to keep in contact should the worst case scenario occur(separation)?

The first 13km was breeze. We completed the first 10km in 47minutes! That's my new personal best. At 14km, I started to feel a minor symptom of heat exhaustion. I felt some numbness in my body. Immediately, I told him we had better stop at the next water point. We did, though that caused problems for him and myself later on. I took a mint to consume. It helped a great deal! Within minutes I was ready to go, but sadly, he started having cramps. 15km, the first runner was on his way out of East Coast Park. We were barely 100 meters into the park. That was the worst part of the run. The East Coast stretch covered 15kilometers alone,with lots of slopes, bends and turns. We started running again after that water point, but since he was pushing me on, I decided to just keep up with him. But, after we passed the 16km mark, it was his turn.

For us, the real challenge came prematurely. At the 22km mark, it was the start of the mental war. It was fine, until he felt really unwell at the 29km mark. Since there were 2 medics, 2 officials, and another 5 volunteers at the water point at Station 16. Dropped him off there, more than an hour after our walk. I continued running, and met a friend along the way, joined him for another 5 minutes, before carrying on the race against my own time. I was aiming to complete the run in under 6 hours, with the expected time to be between 4 hours 30 minutes and 6 hours.

Since my engines were rather cold after that long break, I started feeling pain in the chest after running 2km after the 30km mark. I stopped, walked a little, and carried on at the 35km mark.
This time, the stitch arrived. I walked another 2 kilometers, before I was back on form. The 37-kilometer mark. It was fine until after the 38km mark, when my left calf had a mild cramp that lasted for less than a second. It felt like a rubberband that hit me lightly. I started walking a little, before running again. Turning into the F1 Pit area, I started walking again as I felt the second warning sign of a cramp. This time, I felt two rubberbad-like hits on my left calf. Fearing the worst, I walked the next 2kilometers. Walking along the building, I had a sense of deja vu. Some time ago, I had a dream of being part of a tour group I was with, at some building where there were lots of shutters with numbers on top of them. One of the shutters was halfway down, similar to what I saw in the dream, along with some music. The atmosphere there was similar, minus the marathon event. I came back to the flier. It's the 41-kilometer mark! I made 2 calls, one to my dad, which happened to be diverted back home(and I found out my brother had just gotten his new bike), and one to my mum, who was already waiting at the finish line since an hour ago. Alright, the last 1.195, I'll give it a sprint. I saw the timer counting away, with the time being 6 hours, 50minutes and 15seconds. I increased my speed, completing the run in 6hours, 50minutes and 28seconds. Physicaly, I felt really bad after that, but mentally, it felt I was at some grand celebration.

Anyways, today was a really bad day. I had 3 near accidents owing to my slow reaction(I wanted very much to cancel the training, but as it was less than 48 hours prior to the training time when I logged into the system, I decided to just go ahead with it. $60 for a session. If they would refund me the cash on the spot, I wouldn't mind cancelling it), all similar to one another. Other vehicles were wanting to enter my lane, but I kept going at constant speed, not noticing them, forcing them to make dangerous moves that could cause a fatal accident. But it was a good experience, although it would be best I did not repeat it again.

School, was a nightmare, when we were informed last minute that part of our plans could not be approved owing to some communication breakdown. Today, my team and I found a class that had the exact opposite gender distribution of one of the classes in our course!

I just hope tomorrow could be a better day. And I still think, the guy who won himself a place in the finals, would be doing the country a great deed by giving it to the girl who was more deserving of the position, but was eliminated for the wrong reasons, though it proves that miracles do happen.

I had yet another weird dream the night before, but it's a little personal to be posted up here. One thing, if that could happen in real life, it would be a miracle.

Shingaboomz 1st Outing @ Marina Barrage

I'll have to type fast. I have yet to complete one more tutorial that's due the first thing after lunch. Maybe I'll refer a little?

Woke up at 7.45am, had breakfast, changed, packed my camera, sandwiches, and left for the floating platform at Marina. The journey was alright, but I was getting worried about the worst case scenario at the Standard Chartered 8th Anniversary Race Pack Collection. Queues as long as an MRT train. However, I got there rather early, at 9.20am(even by taking my time). I was surprised. I was 7th in line. 10 minutes later, it started to drizzle a little, and we were let in for shelter. Another 10 minutes later, the counters were open. Something I wasn't expecting was the cheers of the volunteers at the counters as we were brought in. By now, the queues were getting longer, but not as bad as I had expected. The whole process for me, took FIFTEEN seconds! I passed her my IC, before she went in. In a jiffy, she was out with my race pack. Checked the number and name, confirmed it, and I went in search of the verification counter. I was congratulated by an official, who said I was the first to get my race pack. WOW! He directed me to tun to my left, where I passed my chip to a volunteer to verify it, before heading off. The rain had stopped.

I went to the bus stop, took a peek at the contents, before placing the whole pack into my bag(seems like it has gotten smaller this year compared to last year), and unpacked my DSLR. At 10am, I began on a long walk toward the Marina Bay MRT Station. If I was walking in the right direction, I would arrive at the station at 10.50am. Along the way, I stopped at the Merlion Park to help a tourist couple get a shot of them with the Fullerton Hotel in the background, before moving off. So far, so good. OK, so I'll make a left turn into Marina Boulevard. I walked on until, I came to a guard house at a T-junction. On the map, it was the shortest possible route toward the train station, and I was almost halfway there! Considering that only tipper trucks and concrete mixers were passing through, I decided to use an alternative route, which would cause me to arrive at the station, at least 40 minutes later, at 11.10am. Since it was the first outing, it might not be a good thing to be late, for I'll never know if the bunch of them would be the kind who would stick strictly to the 11am meeting time. I headed to the Raffles Place MRT Station, took a short tour of the underground shopping mall, before taking a train to the destination at 10.45am.

I arrived at 10.50am. There were less than 5 others at the station, none of whom I knew. It's alright, maybe I'm too early, as always. I went up to the ground floor, and was greeted with the best surprise! I saw the same building I was near earlier on! So, I spent about a dollar, just to complete a distance I could walk in barely 20 minutes, by taking a train? Went to take a little walk around the small concrete 'island' that was surrounded by roads and construction sites. It was 11am when I went back down to wait, and shortly after Shen Faye arrived. Just as I made a call to Jaemeng later on, Angsiang also arrived! I found out he was already there when I arrived, just that he was waiting at the platform(only that I walked too fast to have noticed him). I made a call to Lionel, only to find out that he was waiting for us at the Barrage! Oh my. Jaemeng arrived at 11.45am and Jorge came soon after at 12pm, just moments before we boarded the shuttle bus. That was when I found out he, too would be taking part in the full marathon the next weekend.

One there, we took even more photographs, not forgetting to meet Lionel who was waiting there alone for the past 1 hour! We went to the rooftop, to set up our picnic spot at a corner. It was getting really hot after awhile, so we moved into the shelter. We played Blackjack, except that the loser does a forfeit of truth and dare, while the winner asks the questions. Lionel was the only one who got out unscath, while everyone of us lost or won at least twice. Of course, there were secrets being revealed, and hopefully they wouldn't leave the place. Shen Faye left some time later. Lionel left shortly 10 minutes after Rachel arrived, by taking the long way up. More photographs were taken, before we went for a round of Frisbee, and were greeted by a passing shower.

At 4pm, Cardus was on the way from Vivocity after getting the kites. We took photographs, ate, drank, talked, lazed around and went for some Frisbee for an hour, before Cardus arrived with the main dish, desert and 3 kites. So, we celebrated Rachel's 17Th birthday (if I'm not wrong), followed by dinner, served by Cardus. I simply love the pasta he brought for us, even without the sauce, it was damn good! Flied kites till 7pm, before Rachel left for a family gathering after taking lots and lots of photographs.

Just as we were about to leave, I met the members from the Photography Club, who were having their outing there! Like Jorge who knew he had friends who were at the Barrage on the same day as it was a coincidence, mine was similar. All I knew was the club was having an outing on that same day, but I never expected them to be there too. If I had known, maybe I could have joined them for 30 minutes, before going back to join the others with the celebration and photo taking after Cardus had arrived.

We went to Frolick at Serangoon for supper, via Toa Payoh, as Lionel was back to join us! Along the way we took even more photographs, so that we would not fall asleep. Once there, the yogurt looked really tasty! The temptation was almost irresistible! We talked about exotic food and overseas trips, as well as possible plans about where and how the next outing would be held. Angsiang, Cardus, Jaemeng and I took a bus back to Ang Mo Kio, to the usual bus stop, the same way the camp ended for us. Angsiang walked to the MRT station, while Jaemeng accompanied us to wait for the bus. There we talked about the people from the camp, as well as plans for the next outing. The bus came, and we reached Bukit Batok Interchange, where I managed to catch the last bus home.

I uploaded more than a third of the 900 photographs taken that day, before having the best sleep since the term started. I went on a visit to Dreamland from 2.30am till 11.30am this morning, dreaming only 1 dream, of how that day would be like, if all 11 of us were present for the outing. A dream like that, felt too great to be true.

Tomorrow's going to be a long day, and I have completed only half of what I was supposed to have completed a week ago.

Photo albums that are up on facebook:
The morning walk from the Floating Flatform to Marina Bay MRT Station
First Outing at Marina Barrage(11am to 5pm)
First Outing at Marina Barage(5pm till 7.45pm)
First Outing at Frolick(Marina Barrage to Serangoon via Toa Payoh)

Photographs would be uploaded to Picasa over the weekend.

21-11-09

Finally started revising Calculus again after a long time. Less than 3 weeks to go, and I have yet to start on the actual revision. Falling behind for SOM and ED as well. Here I go. Next week till the week before Christmas, I won't be online between 7.30pm and 10pm on weekdays for revision. Weekends, well, have to see how it goes.

The morning started well, and I remembered almost everything I dreamt about, but wanted t wait till this evening before recording it in here. By now, it's a little too late, as I have forgotten most of te stuff that happened in the dream. I remember 4 things. Driving lesson(I had missed a lesson during the weekend in that dream), it took place somewhere on a weekday, I 'met' Germaise somewhere, and I 'visited' a few places I dreamt of some time ago. This morning I was able to remember almost everything, but once it was the afternoon, I had forgotten lots of it.

Went to IMM with parents to collect my brother's cake at 1.30pm, we took part in a cashback event at 2pm(and received a $50 Red Apple voucher), and reached home at 3pm to cut the cake. Set off with my cousin, parents and brother to Toa Payoh to drop off my cousin at the swimming complex before heading to Orchid Country Club to collect my brother's 2 bowlig balls, and continued on to Kallang to get his 2 'new' balls. Went to Bukit Merah for dinner, before we came home.

Took lots of pictures today. Most were blurred(as the were taken through the car window), some were ok, and a few were nice.

Tomorrow, it's back to revision, this time, re-writng my own notes for ED.

CampTCP5 '09-Day 3(The Moment I Confessed To The World)

"Attended a camp with a friend, at a school on a Friday. Booked in at 4pm, had activities till late, and we had the best night walk ever. Pitch black environment, used torches(those used in medival times) as torchlights and the monsters and ghosts, were real. We even entered the bridge of a space ship!

The next morning had some games, before we had the prize pesentation. For some reason, the both of us were down to help with the area cleaning, and when we got back, we were dismissed.Here's the weird part. A girl and her father, came to us, asking for a friendly match. Alright. This match is something that would never happen in real life. Seen the anime Avatar? That's what happened. They controlled water, we controlled fire. Behind them, was a boy who could control air. We sneaked up to him, told him our plan, and we got down to it.

However, we were never successful. Until when we finally managed to carry out our plan, the girl suddenly ran to the washroom, and came out soon after, only to throw out. Someone threw a roll of toilet paper out as well, and out came the cleaner, angry about the mess she made.

We just let her let lose her anger and she walked away. I went over to her with her father. He asked if she was fine before bringing her home. He thanked us for the time and took her home.My friend and I stayed there for awhile to help with the cleaning, before going off. We went to the bus interchange together, before going our seperate ways. Went to wait for the bus, before, I met her again. Asked where her father was, she only said he had to rush back to work after something cropped up. Offered to accompany her home, and the dream ended when we boarded an SBS bus.

Here's the weird stuff. A camp at a school? A super realistic night walk that was out-of-this-world. A girl who I had seen in 4 dreams, including this one. The first sighting was in March this year. A bus insterchange that was fully air-conditioned.

Some traits. 160 to 165 in height, sky blue tee with some sliver lines and white shorts, shoulder-length hair tied up with a black band and, neither too thin nor plump. This might freak some out. Aged between 14 to 16(though I think it's more likely to be between 15 to 16).Weird eh?

Discussed this with Jon, and we both agreed it was weird with lots of weird stuff, though some parts might just become a reality. Honestly, I hope this dream doesn't come true in any possible way. As for that girl, I don't know if someone like that really exists in the real world, an even if someone really exists, I have nothing to say, other than, how was it even possible for me to dream of someone I have never met in real life? "

That night, the final conversation started with me poping the question,"I just remembered something. Have you guys ever dreamt of someone you have never met before in real life?"

Cardus said he did, and he had a nice experience in that one(for more, just ask him). "Well, I also did, and that dream was this camp itself! Almost everything came true." That got Dax and Gary excited. I wondered if Philip was still awake, as he was acting kind of drunk although he as damn sleepy at the time. I told them about the three scenes that happened earlier during the day, as well as the team mate I saw a total of 9 times in my dreams so far. They went on asking me if I could do an introduction the next day, before I gave in and turned in for the night.

I slept for 2 hours, before going back to pack my bags and prepared to head to Ourspace. Breakfast that morning was similar to the breakfast I had back in the Philippines, but I did not have the appetite to eat much. As expected, they called me over, and asked who she was(although they only knew her name). I told them, and was relieved they let it rest after that.

"The next morning had some games, before we had the prize pesentation."

Session 6. The Moat Game. The ultimate test of our teamwork. Apparently, in my dream, we finished it in under 15minutes. However, during the actual activity, we were at it for 185 minutes! Throughout, there was something that was missing in the game plan. Cooperation among the sections. Had a short lesson on that, before we went back to the same place we first gathered at, for lunch.

The closing ceremony was grand with all the good food at the buffet, though I liked the closing ceremony we had the night before we left the Philippines more. As expected, there was the prize presentation.

We had out final M&M session. Before that, I had wanted to use the same move I used 2 years ago during the Graduation Nite Dinner, which was to tell her in person just after everyone else had gone off. That day, I did not. That's when I disclosed the dream to them. Finally, I told them 2 things I had wanted to say the night before. The first, was a brief overview of the things I did and experienced during my 7-day trip to the Philippines. The next, was the dream, which I was hesistant to tell at first. "Seen the anime Avatar? That's what happened."

"Alright, this is going to sound very freaky, and some might get freaked out. Has anyone watched the TV programme Flashforward before? It's because I can, kind of see the future in my dreams. And there's one that came true. Ok, Since March till Friday night, I had 9 dreams of the same person. I'll tell you about the person later. The first two I saw were just shadows, but for the third, I dreamt of this camp. Almost everything in that dream came true, and on Friday when I joined the team, I was freaked out as well. I dreamt of me running from someone, the grid game, the campfire and the moat game. As for the person who I saw, is among us, is a girl, and she is..."

The girl who I had dreamt of for 9 times, was Belinda. I got the results I had anticipated. On the inside, I was cursing and swearing. 'Why? Why did I have to go around scaring people off like that? Yes, no doubt anyone would find it really cool and interesting, but, won't it cause unnecessary harm to some?'

At 4pm, Cardus, Gary, Dax, Jaemeng and I left for Ang Mo Kio Hub via SBS service 74. We went to buy tickets to My Girlfriend Is An Agent, before going to the arcade and went to meet Cardus' friends. Had western dinner, before going to watch the movie. At 10, we went to the Air conditioned bus interchange to help Cardus purchase his bus concession, before we offered to accompany Jaemeng to her place, before we went to the bus stop, since it was along the way. After boarding the bus, we had a little talk about how they were going to give Jaemeng a surprise this evening at her home(wondering how it went), and discussed about the possible reasons about of all things, I 'saw' her more than 5 times.

There you have it. The third dream I had. On a side note, although most of the events in the dream revolved about the same person, in real life, the same events took place, except each time it was a different person. There were small portions which did not occur fully in real, but were linked to some of the events that took place. Thus, this dream, to date, has one of the highest accuracy rates I had so far, with roughly 90% of the events I dreamt about happening during the camp.

Today nothing much happened in school, and apart from that, I'm not really in the mood to study, and I'm too tired to type on. Got lots and lots of catching up to do tomorrow.

Experience Drive-13

Learnt about overtaking and being overtaken. However, since I was moving at the same speed as other vehicles on the roads, there weren't chances to overtake any other vehicle. Overtaking is just like changing lanes, however, it's only temporary, for after overtaking the vehicle, one would have to return to the original lane once again. Till that day, I have never went beyond 60km/h on the roads.

Yesterday, went to Wei Fan's place to celebate her 18th birthday. Met up with them at Lakeside MRT Station before we went to her place via the same canal we used to run at back in those days. After some time, her current classmates arrived. Among them, there was one, who looked almost like her, except that, her hair was longer than the one I "saw" those nights. Up in my head, which said,"It might be her ya? You never know when might be the next time you might meet someone who has a resemblence that close."

However,my heart said,"Hey, it has happened once. Don't let it happen again. Ok? You saw her picture for the first time the other day, right? The girl you met online and dreamt about for 5 consecutive times, only to lose contact with 10 months later and find out that her looks are exactly the same as the one you saw in your dreams back in January this year. Be patient. Wait. The other girl you saw for the sixth time on Thursday, you might just meet her in person when the time is right. Don't give up."

There were only the few ofus who were able to cook and prepare the food at the pit. Though the light conditions were not as good as expected, and I did not help around much, we still managed to do a great job preparing food for everyone there. The night ended when we took photographs together and had the cake cutting ceremony.

Anyways, it's less than 10 hours to the start of the new school semester. been a long holiday, with lots of happenings, both good and bad. I'll remember the good, and take the bad home as valuable lessons learnt. Tomorrow's the start of a brand new day. Lost some friends in the past, but I'll be sure to meet new ones in the future.

Perhaps, That would bring me a step closer to finding you? I don't know how, but like Jon said, I get the feeling that the day we met is drawing closer ith each passing second.

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!

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.

Approximately 4 More Weeks

This week has passed really quickly, and I find I am gaining the momentum to start revising intensively for the examinations which are arriving in 4 weeks' time.

Have not been feeling emotionally stable this week, as it feels as though everything's piling up, and yet I'm not doing anything. Have to start reducing the pile to nothing from Sunday. Today had a practical test for IA, went relatively smoothly, and due to a silly thing I did to the program, I ended up losing marks. Before that, went to Level 6 to study in the air-con with the remaining third of the class while the first shift was having the test. Instead of studying, we ended up slacking, listening to music, playing games and lastly, enjoying a buffet! Yes, a buffet, but on a very small scale. A member of the staff (a lecturer I guess) brought a trolley load of disposable plates and cutlery together with food packed into dispocable containers(those used to pack takeaway food from your neighbourhood hawker centre)! 2pm, the second shift left, and the first shift came to enjoy the food. I left at 2.20pm to do some revision at a more quiet place with friends.

Well, that's about all for tonight. Long day tomorrow, so I guess I might turn in early tonight, and wake early tomorrow.

Entering the 13th Week.

The weekend was rahter eventful, thankful the competition was cancelled till further notice. Friday went to Ang Mo Kio for Steamboat with the founding members of the Videography Club, to celebrate a birthday. Yes,it's late, but Happy Belated Birthday Violet. Still partially legal, but you're almost there. Met at 5.30, but we only started at 6.30 when everyone arrived. Had a hard time making up our minds where to go next, and finally decided on playing pool. As I did not have time to get a gift, I decided to pay the full rate for one of the two tables we used. Left really late, and I reached home close to midnight.

Saturday, I started revision for the final examinations, though I did not really do much.

Sunday, it was out to help prepare for as well as attend Chi Kai's Farewell party at Zhong Rong's place. Met Xue Li, Gabriel, Wei Xiang, Jun Jie, Kwan Wei, Ying Xiu, Chie Heng and some others(sorry I can't remember everyone) at IMM. We managed to get everything we needed in a mere hour! Wow. We arrived at the pit close to 5pm, after climbing over and crawling under two sets of barriers before arriving at the condo's gate. Everyone had changed. That evening was great. The food was just enough for everyone. There was exactly half the class who attended(minus Sean and Vignesh who are already overseas) the barbeque. Finally met Miss Lim after one long year. As usual, I am 'too shy' to speak. Anyway, it was a great gathering, and I managed to catch up with all the scandals going around, and catch up on lost time with everyone there that night. Siang Lin if you're reading this, your dream was kind of right. I had a bad outbreak shortly after the common tests were over, but now at least I have about 2 to 3 left on my forehead. Anyway, when we left at 10, I felt as though I was still in holiday mood, as though there was no school the next day. Just before the remainder of us parted ways, we met Mr Liew and Chun Hui at the MRT Station. It's been a long time, but, I still think they look just the same.

It's been a long long time since I heard the rumbling of MRT trains and walking along the long path to school. The school(just opposite Zhong Rong's place) really brings back lots of memories. Perhaps, that place, was just the perfect venue to have our class gathering. Seperated by the school by 2 fences, 2 cycling and running paths and a canal,and that was also the place where Chi Kai has been, and would be staying till this Wednesday when he flies off. So, 2 friends are already accepted into university. One in Australia, the other in San Fransisco. In a year's time, my turn to register would arrive. Everyone's changed, but it doesn't end here. Live goes on. To the near future, where we would all soon meet again, all 46 of us.

Today, Left for home immediately after school ended, due to my lower back injury. It's been there for more than a week. But today it was so bad I can't run for that long when we were late for the last lesson of the day at 3pm. Alright then, off I go.

First Step Into SPS

Yesterday I entered the St. Patrick's School(SPS) for the first time. First impression? No wonder the both of them were complaining when they visited the new Yuan Ching Secondary building. The school building looked more modern compared to YC's old building. In fact the school was really big with many blocks. Went around during the carnival with them, and WM passed me off as his brother, who was once a part of St Patrick's. Wow. I met them at 2.20pm, went on a little tour around the school, before we started slacking for one and a half hours. We bought mainly food and drinks during the short stay.

It was a carnival with an unusually low number of visitors. One thing that amazed me lots. Stall holders had to go by the book in selling food, drinks and games. Wow. Back in Yuan Ching, we had the freedom to sell our food, drinks and games at any price, at any time. It was as if we were running our stalls as a class. We did not need the teachers to be there at all times to supervise us. Back in those days, although we did not study Economics, we were able to apply the concept of demand and supply.

At 3.45pm, I noticed a girl who sat across the table we were at. She looked a little like you, except, younger and shorter. At 3.50pm, they left. 10 minutes later, we left as well.

The journey to the school was just great. I regret not bringing my camera to snap pictures during the journey. At 12.25pm, I left for Clementi Interchange on board SMRT Service 189. Transfered onto SBS Service 196 at 12.48pm. I missed the 12.35pm bus. I refused to allow myself to fall asleep on the second deck of the bus(although it was really peaceful at the time, since I was the only one dominating the whole second deck). I wanted to look at the sights and note some of the places the bus route visited. After an hour, I gave up and slept for about 30 minutes. 10 minutes later, I alighted a stop before SPS, to take the short cut. Never did I expect it to be so extreme. If I had wanted to take it, I had to walk through it sideways. Thus, I decided to walk to the school's front gate via the canal. 2.20pm, I met the group once again.

4pm, we left for Dhoby Ghaut via SBS Service 36. Failed to find a LAN shop to play L4D, so we went on to have our dinner instead, at Carl's Jr. I ate a little cheese, however I don't seem to be developing any rash from it. Could the cheese be lacking in that special ingredient, or have I overcome the allergy? We left at 7pm, and I took SBS Service 14 back to Clementi Interchange. This time it was the new bus. Transferred onto SMRT Service 189 and reached home at 9.20pm.

Today, went to IMM and Chinatown with my parents to shop for pants for my brothers. I was too bored to stay at home, chatting with a friend I have never met in person before, through a computer screen. Somehow whenever I chat with these friends, it gives the feeling that I am interacting with angels (since no one has any idea how angels look like). I have never seen their real physical appearances, however, I have only heard their voices no more than twice so far. Youthful and full of energy, except for one. I met Mr Choy, a teacher who I have lost contact with for over 6 long years. He has changed alot, and I could hardly recognise him when he walked past us with his daughter who would be celebrating her second birthday this month. Hopefully, I would still be in Singapore on the day schools celebrate Teachers' Day, so that I could return to the schools to visit the teachers I have not met with after so long.

Reached home at 5.45pm. Had dinner, practiced music, and left at 7.10pm. Sent my brother to his friend's place where he would spend the night, before I went to Hong Kah North Community Club for the lesson. Now, I'm back at home, slacking. After tonight, I would not be slacking as much as I used to. 6 weeks to the final examinations. 6 weeks to re-claim my place on the Director's List.

It's been a more than a week. No matter how long it would take, I'll just coninue waiting for a shadow to appear from the horizon. Somehow, I would rather wait longer, and carry it on the same way we are now, till it's September Nine.

YCSS SYF Gala 09

It was sort of unexpected for me. I had no idea there was such an event until one fine Monday morning when I received Andy's SMS about the event that was going to be held this evening. Today rushed off to Jurong Point from school after classes ended at 4pm. Met Andy and Randall for dinner at 5.15pm. Catched up on the times, and I just got my next polytechnic T-shirt today! Singapore Polytechnic's off the list. Went to walk around the shopping complex with Andy after sending Randall off at the entrance. Met up with the rest at 6.50pm at the bus stop outside the school.

The new school building was finally completed, and there was also the new indoor sports hall. We went to the Multi Purpose Hall which had two really gigantic fans, providing lots of wind for everyone present for the concert. This evening, we did not have to purchase any tickets, as we were part of the alumni. The environment sure has changed much over the past 2 years, but the atmosphere is still there.

Somehow, I managed to become a little "high" during the three hour event, but still, the feelings died away as it was only nearing the finale item when I started feeling that way. On a side note, it takes lots of effort just to make someone like me to become "high". Took lots of photographs before, during and after the gala, and you can find them here, and here. After it ended, Gabriel, Edward, Hong Yong, Zhong Rong and I went to the coffee shop behind the school for supper, and I had to leave halfway through in orer to catch the last bus home, as I still did not have a license to drive yet, nor do I have my own vehicle.

Tomorrow, I'll be doing really intensive revision for the upcoming common tests which would be arriving in slightly more than a week's time. Hopefully, I would be able to go for a short run to regain my stamina lost during the period I was unwell and ended up in more than a week of abstinance from exercise. Sunday I would be having my final theory evaluation for driving, and upon passing(I strongly hope I can clear this in one shot so that I can start my practical lessons in October without the need to use an extra two to three hours a week for theory practices and tests), I would be taking the Final Theory Test, which I really want to pass in one shot as well, so that the time and money would not be wasted.

My "Blacklist":
NP, SP, RP, TP, NYP

Taking Off Into The Second Year

A couple more seconds to midnight, and I'll be taking off into the second year of study at NP. The first year was filled with many challenges, surprises and memories.Aced every single test in the first semester, but crumbled in the second. Joined a total of 4 CCAs, 3 in the first semester, and one in the second. Went for the first TDP activity, also the first overseas trip in NP.

This year, it's going to get tougher. Tomorrow's my self-declared first day of school, where all lessons are in full swing. I'll start attending CCA meetings from tomorrow onwards, but there would be the problem of which CCA to attend on which day, as I have 2 CCAs being held on the same day, and that's going to be a little problem.

Today, did not really clean up the room again. Went out in the morning with my mother to get the notes binded and in the afternoon, went to look for a DSLR with my father. Everything, from research, sourcing for the best deal, travelling and finally getting the camera, took 5 hours. Went to West Mall at 12 to determine our targets, and came up with the D70, D90(way over budget), 500D(over budget) and 1000D. Went home, had lunch, did some research on EBAY. Finally scaled down to the 1000D and we went to SLS. The deal was really attractive! However, the price was still above the budget by a small margin of 99 bucks. After making several considerations on the spot for over an hour, the salesperson decided to throw in a couple more stuff, and we decided to make the purchase as well. So on Tuesday, I would be bringing the 1000D to class. We've come down to this, as during the last three weeks of lessons, my brother would be in China on a study trip, and I would be left without a camera for class. Thus, to cut a long story short, we decided to do what we did today.

The first semester of the second year seems to be well planned out, except for one main problem. Prioritization of time. Lots of revision and studying accompanied by 2 days of CCA a week. And once a month, I would have 3 CCAs in one week alone. Every Alternate Tuesday starting this Tuesday, there would be foreign language classes. Twenty evenings a month minus nine CCA evenings a month equals eleven evenings of proper study time a month(excluding weekends and public holidays). That's half of the evenings in a month to do some serious studying. Each evening I'll spend two to three hours on revision. No worries about tutorials, for they are usually completed before the tutorial session ends in school. Mathematics practices and tutorials are done on Saturday afternoons.

Starting this week, things would start getting ugly. CCAs and study don't mix. Having these two present in a reaction with time would only equate to an explosion plus stress plus altitude loss. I barely survived the previous semester with a GPA of 3.52. This semester, I'll have to time things so that I'll have an equal balance of up time and down time. AND, I have to push the blog updates further back to this weekend(long weekend, easier to get more things done). This coming Sunday, I really want to clean up the room.

The Hours Before Leveling-up

We're less than an hour beore I level up to level 2. Already, I'm feeling the jump way before the day is here. I'm getting the feeling that, everytime we enter the holidays, we're actually taking 7 weeks to prepare for the 6-month-long climb from the first floor of a building up to the 1000th floor. Let's say, that, for every 1000 floors, there is a break, so after every 6 months, we take a break of 7 to 8 weeks. After that, we make a climb again for the next 1000th floor. Of course, in between at every 500th floor, there is a short break of 2 to 3 weeks, before we prepare to complete the next 500 floors. As we know, as one gets higher, the air gets thinner and colder, making the climb more difficult with every step. so far, I have climbed a total of 2000 floors, and tomorrow, I'll begin the next climb for the 3000th floor. I have another 3000 floors to climb once the September holidays are here. Our progress is nothing compared to our JC friends, who, instead of walking, sprint to the 6000th floor in less than 2 years, with little or no breaks in between at all. Upon reaching the end of their 6000-floor sprint, they have to make that final sprint at top speed, in order to go further. By the way, no such building is existing in current history.

I'm already feeling the tension, and I'm seeing the amount of stress I would be going through the coming semester. Right now, I officially have got 5 CCAs, in short form and in no particular order, are MES, NPCC, NPTKD, NPSTMC and MPVC. My uncle is encouraging me to join the adventure seekers, but as of now, I am seriously doubting my capability to take up another CCA. I currently hold positions in 2 clubs, and I have 2 CCAs which will have weekly meetings, of which, one has 2 meetings a week. That is equal to 3days times 4hours, which is the same as 12 hours a week of my study time. Each month, I set to lose up to 150hours of study time from CCAs alone. Academics wise, I see little trouble this semester, as the modules are gernerally theory-based, and that would give me an edge over the others. A great chance to get my hands on 4.0. What's more, I have cleared an IS module earlier on Wednesday, so that leaves me with Tuesdays without school after the June break. My schedule has also been great this semester, giving me 3 days a week to pursue my driving course, mainly Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. As the timeslots are all in the morning, I would be having my driving practicals before 1pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the off-peak hours, and theory lessons and practices on Saturday afternoons. If everything goes fine, assuming that I will pass everything on the first attempt, I would clear it latest by the first two weeks of the October semester.

Lots of stuff to do, and I have got relly limited time to complete everything. DAMN. I just hate it. When you have got all that time to ponder over what to do, but time comes running after your pitiful back once you have started on the task. Each task slows you down, but it accelerates time as well.

Neither too slow, nor too fast.
Just have got to select the pace that's just.
What's past, what's present.
Important to finish the task that's urgent.

Saly, yet again, I'm left with no time to give my room a little tidying,as well as update the blog links and playlist. Well then, we'll just have to wait till the coming Sunday, hopefully we'll have the whole day to really get the simple things done...

Back into the Ordinary

So sorry it's been way too long! At 3pm on the 23rd of March, I got the best birthday gift ever! And, it was also from my laptop! Yes! It gave me a Damaged C Drive with all my data still inside. How sweet! Anyway, I had it repaired, and in one week, I got it back from the service centre, to find it as good as new. So now, I have to go look into my external hard disk for some of the backup files. I happened to have lost all my presentations, assignments and projects, all worth more than a millions bucks. Good thing I kept my personal files safe, for those are priceless.

Moving on, I have completed 95% of my trip report and reflections, of which it would be posted up here for all, well at least most of it. Some contents from forbidden to be released. Everything should be compiled, completed and submitted by Thursday at 2pm, if everything goes fine. I had wanted to submit it tomorrow, but it seems that there are missing details that need to be filled in. I'll be releasing them in parts, before posting the report and reflections as a whole. The first post is expected to be up on Friday.

Right now, I guess I'll be taking a break from writing the report tonight, and would continue it tomorrow evening. Thursday's my self declared deadline. Although I had a good sleep from 5am till 11am this morning, I am regretful of my return to dream land after I managed to wake at 9am. I had dreamt of something extremely terrible. So terrible that it would be thousands of times more terrible if it were to happen in real life. By the way, it's got nothing to do with the desturction of the world, so there's nothing to fear. I'll just let you know about the time and setting of the dream then. It's set in the month of January at a new shopping complex. I have no idea of the exact year and date. Time wise, it was either in the evening, or in the afternoon. In case you're wondering how terrible the terrible was, I felt a kind of fear that I have never felt before, the one that occurs when you did something that you should not even have thought of doing.

Next, tomorrow I'll be having an NYAA meeting in school, but I have doubts that the outcome of the meeting would be good. Lots of stuff to confirm and prepare, and lots of adminstrative work to be done as well. In the afternoon, I'll be rushing down to the Driving Centre for the first basic theory practice. Hopefully nothing goes wrong there. And, heaven seems to be on my side this semester, for I have Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to take care of my driving lessons. Afternoons are reserved for classes in school.

Thursday, it would be pretty much the same, minus the NYAA meeting in school. Friday's Good Friday, a public holiday. I'm so going to use that day to catch up on sleep, play some games, and slack the day away.