Happiness! The Ten Simple Pleasures of Life. And Thanksgiving before my birthday

I am happy! Feeling very happy nowadays. I'm happy just to come to school and be with dear Six-Oh!

The Ten Great Pleasures of Life
1. Being in the embrace of loved ones and friends.
2. Leaning back-to-back with loved ones and friends.
3. Watching the sun set / rise, sitting closely together with loved ones and friends.
4. Star-gazing or cloud-gazing, lying on the back, with loved ones and friends.
5. Strolling in the drizzle with loved ones and friends.
6. Playing sports with friends. Like playing tennis during every break with Zi Chong, Jin Quan, Geordie, Che Hao and gang.
7. Eating lunch / dinner with Six-Oh!
8. Kite-flying with friends. It brings out the child in me. Six-Oh, let's do that one day!
9. Ponning lessons together with my dear Six-Oh, whether to cloud-gaze and crash NJC, to play tennis, to eat a slow lunch together and whatnot. It really gives a new meaning to the idea of a class (not just people you attend lessons together with, but the people you get into trouble with.)
10. Knowing that you matter, however much, to someone. That you're needed, that you're very much a part of the class, that you're not...extra.

Being part of Six-Oh has enabled me to experience 6 of these Ten Great Pleasures of Life (No. 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10). That's the reason why I'm so happy.

Tomorrow will be the day I turn 17.

I look back and I find that my short three months so far at Hwa Chong has been the happiest school year, in the 16 years of my life.

This day I give thanks to Hwa Chong, to the class seniors, and to my Chinese Dance friends. For enriching my time here and making me feel so welcome and warm.

This day I give thanks to Six-Oh, and to all you great people in Six-Oh, for being the greatest class ever, for accepting me, for making my life in Hwa Chong such a happy one.

This day I give thanks to all my dearest friends (Xinying, Michy, etc) for caring for me.

This day I give thanks to my dearest family: Mom, Dad and Sis. For loving me for who I am.

I am the way I am because of all of you. My happiness consists of you.

I dedicate tomorrow, 1st March, my birthday, to all you wonderful people! May happiness be with all of you!

Soft Toy Day!!!

Such a lovely morning today! I feel happy just going to school and seeing my dear classmates!

The early morning sky reflects my blissful contented state of mind.

It's...The Six-Oh SOFT TOY DAY!!!


Cute little soft toys of our Six-Oh girls.

While the others had their Econs lecture, 4 girls huddled around the class bench cuddling their soft toys.


Ooops, girls caught unaware. Before the "Cheese!" came.



a HAPPY! bunch of girls and our softtoys. Front: (left) Cheryl, Charmaine, Rachel. (back) me.

And then we had Chem lab, after which 4 girls went to the clean and nice toilet near the lab, and decided to take photos against the mirror at the spur of the moment.

(left) Miao Qin, Siobhan, Rachel and me.

Towards the end of the day, we had Math lesson!

Chris is actually listening in class! And Sam's either sleeping OR intently writing, though the former seems more possible. Spot Che Hao in the far left corner sleeping.


And my dear Michelle la Belle (my lovely plushy SOFT softtoy bear) came to Math lesson with us.


This was where Michelle la Belle spent the whole lesson -- sitting on my shoulder.


The human Michelle (left), bear Michelle, and me -- the Owner of Michelle! (hmm...which?)


The seniors, obviously aware that I was taking photos of them, and refusing to pose for the camera.

School life at Hwa Chong is really FUN! Well, it's as fun as we make it to be. The class is going Sakae Sushi this Thurs afternoon -- just one day after my birthday! During lunch break and You-Know-What period. And maybe we'll go shopping for a Six-Oh Class Ring so that we'd all be permanently engaged to Six Oh!

I love my life. I love Six-Oh. And Hwa Chong.

chi dance; shopping

There was Chinese Dance practice as usual. And it was the first time I cried, in school, this year. Somehow I just couldn't remember the dance routines and forgot the steps, so the instructor-cum-grandsenior made me and Xinying do the steps again and again, and each time I got the steps wrong. It was so disappointing, to a perfectionist me, to not be able to remember the steps, much less execute them well; a disappointment to the instructor and seniors and everyone as well. It was so exasperating as well, because I really tried my best to remember but somehow I just got a mental block and my mind was blank. And worst of all, to think of poor Xinying doing the routine with me over and over again because I just couldn't remember; to think of wasting all the time of the other dancers just because of me and my stupid blank mind! I couldn't control my emotions; all the frustration and disappointment just flowed out, gushed out through the tears. But at last I got the routine right. To this I'm really grateful for the patient guidance of the seniors and the concern of all other dancers, especially Xinying.

But in no way am I less passionate about Chinese dance. I'll try, try my best. If it takes others 2 hours to remember the dance routine, I'll spend 4 hours to remember them. I just hope I can follow through with what I set out to do, and not just let this end at the stage of empty talk.

Life has its ups and downs. After a nice lunch with Xinying, I went shopping at Bugis with my mom and sis. My dear Mom bought me 100 bucks worth of Arena swimsuits as my birthday gift!!! The expensive one was the one-piece swimsuit, the other was a cheaper two-piece swimsuit. On top of that, I got a pair of nice pink one-inch heels, and a lilac U2 tank top. Shopping really makes me relaxed and contented.

Dad has announced that he'll bring our family to eat at this nice Italian restaurant on my birthday -- Wednesday night! That's really good news! Finally a family dinner, for once in a long time. Most of the times we just eat dinner ourselves (or at least, I eat with my sister most of the times) because of clashing schedules.

I am down with an evil cough that wakes me in the middle of the night, disrupting my nice dreams. And there's a UWC Selection Interview-cum-Camp tomorrow from 8.45 to 5pm! Means I have to wake up early, YET again, and not be able to do all the overdue tutorials and homework. Hope it'll be a fun day tomorrow, and that I can bid good riddance to Mr. Cough soon enough.

my dear class 60

Today was a fun school day! Not because of lessons (it never is) but more because of the breaks. During Physics practical, Charm, Rachel and I had a discussion about...well, love. Instead of Blu-Tac, which we were supposed to be talking about. Ha ha! Over lunch, I had yet another interesting discussion with the other KI people in class about free will, Freudian concepts, and whether love is predetermined.

After lunch, I went to play tennis with Zi Chong, Jin Quan, Geordie and some of their friends. It was fun! (obviously) So much so that I actually *ahem* You-Know-What lecture again. After tennis I went to play squash with Geordie -- this was the first time I actually tried playing squash! But it was easy to pick up, and fun as well, though tiring at the same time.

This is what school life should be about! Playing sports, enjoying food, conversation, laughter, the energy of youth, and life, together with friends and classmates! School life shouldn't revolve around studies; it should revolve around friends. I wish my JC days would never end; I wish I could remain this age, a youth, a teenager, forever, to enjoy the carefree, happy days of playing sports during breaks with friends, eating, talking, joking, fooling around together.

And I wish our class could stay together and not undergo reshuffling. It would be simply unkind of the school if they were to move people out from the class considering that they firstly scored well enough in O Levels to remain in Hwa Chong, secondly did not change subject combination, and thirdly are happy to be in the class. What's the point, the joy, the fun of school life in Hwa Chong if the class is broken, split up, and people separated and transferred to various different classes just like that??? I really can't imagine it happening. I don't want to imagine it, much less see it happening. Maybe I'm worrying too much, but I just can't stand the idea of breaking up 60!!! It's not about whether the class is nice or not (though 60 definitely is), not about whether the new people are going to be nice or not, but it's about the people--WHO they are--who make up 60! 60 is not the name of the class, it's the combined existence of all the individuals in it!

And on another matter, it struck me today that 6c is much closer to the seniors than our class is. It's nothing bad, but I think it's quite an irony that though we're 60, the same 'class' as the seniors, we're not as close to them as we should be. We don't really interact much with them, much less with 6c. It seems almost as though we just keep to ourselves. I don't know what to say of it, it's just an observation I guess.

PE lesson...and my coming birthday party

Had a 2.4km trial run during PE today. I got a personal best of 11:40! I'm quite happy. This year my running seems to have improved. :) But I don't really run anymore than last year; it's just 3 times a week (at most). I'll try to maintain the standard though. After running, Michelle and I, and some of the other guys played a fun game of basketball for a while.

I love PE, and sports! I think I truly live for the moment when I'm engaging in sports, unlike lectures, tutorials, and (dreaded) practicals, where I just keep looking at the clock / my watch and wondering when lunch / break / dismissal is. When I'm engaging in sports, I'm fully alive. When I'm stuck in lessons before lunch, my stomach comes alive with its incessant growling and impatient churning, and my head starts turning to look at my watch with increasing frequency.

Next week we're having swimming lessons. I hope I'll enjoy them, and I hope the lessons won't spoil my liking for swimming. I read in an article somewhere that swimming is the sport where the difference in standards between men and women is most narrowed. Hmmm... It's a pity that I finished the Lifesaving Course (Lifesaving 1, 2 and 3; not yet Bronze Medallion) a long time ago when I was in Primary 4. Now I've forgotten all that they taught. Who knows, if I'd not learnt it so long ago, I may just be able to save some lives, HA HA HA!

After school today, I went shopping for gifts. It's a nice sensation standing there, wondering what gift to choose for that person and imagining her smile or surprise when she sees the gift. Which was why I spent more than 2 hours de-stressing by choosing gifts and emptying my wallet of money at the same time.

Yu Zhong says STJ is this Saturday. But the other seniors (Mak, Felicia, Xiao Ying) say it's unconfirmed. If it's NEXt Saturday, it'll be on the same day as my birthday party (for my class and seniors too if they're free) I plan to organise. Which is quite good, as there'll be more people turning up for the party! We could go to my party first then head off for STJ later. But if it's THIS Saturday, the new CSC Clubhouse would still not be opened, and I can't hold my party there, which I really want to, mainly due to the attraction of the tall, fun water-slides, treehouses, and bowling alley there. So I really hope it's held next Sat! :)

On a sidenote, my mom just carved me cute little balls of honeydew and served them to me on my favourite fruit plate! So sweet of her! It just made the already-sweet honeydew 100 times sweeter! :) And, I tried natural yoghurt + strawberries + chopped walnuts today. It tastes really good! So now I shall end my blog, eat my nightly spoonful of Lingzhi honey (to help me sleep better) and be happy. :)

P.S. Hey people, please go to the website http://kevan.org/johari?name=qintan and help me fill in the personality traits thingy. It won't take too long and it'll be interesting (for me at least) to see the results. Thanks so much!

JTS at Suntec Rice Table!

I shall try a different way of blogging today -- a picture tells a thousand words. As the title suggests, this afternoon was our JTS lunch buffet at Suntec Rice Table. As usual, most people arrived late. And as we walked from City Hall MRT station to Suntec...

Rachel and Billy in matching couple shirts. (note: Billy's wearing the shirt Rachel bought for him...)

And then we arrived at The Rice Table, an exquisitely decorated restaurant.


...the people eating at my table: senior guys and junior girls = less wastage of food at the table.


Yu Zhong, Pin Xuan and Melvin. Trying unsuccessfully to get Yu Zhong to smile.


Attempt is successful but the picture is blur, unfortunately.


Zi Yang and Christopher.


Eating...my hands reaching out for the first plate of Tahu Telor.


The other table. Seniors + Chris and Sam.



Sam and Chris acting weird. Too bad the pictures are blur (indicative of violent motion).



...and the food.


Me and my love affair for Tahu Telor (tofu omelette). This's my 4th plate.


And my FIFTH plate of Tahu Telor. Yu Zhong and I were competing to see who finished more food, but obviously he couldn't break my record of ordering FIVE plates of Tahu Telor, haha.

The events preceding this unique fifth (and last) plate:
Me: Waiter!!! I'd like a plate of Tahu Telor without Telor (egg).
Waiter: *jawdrop* HUH!!??
Me: I'd like egg tofu with more tofu and less egg.
Waiter: But it's already made.
Me: I thought you cook it on the spot?
Waiter: *extremely confused*
Me: Ok, just get me the tofu omelette with less egg and more tofu.
Waiter: ERM, okay....

So they piled heaps of chili on the tahu telor to "silence me".

Then lunch ended and we made to leave the restaurant. More photos:

Class girls.


Wei Heng, Jun Zhe and Li Hao. 3 guys acting cool, haha.


Me and my two mortals: Wei Heng and Li Hao.


Angel-mortal: Melvin and Pauline; Pau-pau showing off Melvin's gift to her -- the bracelet.


60 girls! Seniors and juniors.

And then the senior guys went off to play DOTA, the senior girls went to shop at Carrefour, some of the class went to shop at Minitoons or someplace else, and Billy, Chris, Sam, Zi Yang, Pei Han and I went to Yammi Yoghurt.

Guys loving Ronald Macdonald, and Billy feeding him.


More people who love Mr Macdonald, and me feeding Ronald Macdonald watermelon.

Then the rest of the class magically reappeared.


Sam sitting very happily on Wai Hong and Chris, and all 3 appear to be enjoying themsleves immensely.

Afterwards, we went to the arcade to play. Initially I wanted to play DDR (Dance Dance Revolution!) with Wai Hong, but due to some problems with the machine, I played DDR solo, dying at a super fast song "Paranoia". Wei Xiang and Geordie played DDR together later, so: I've succeeded at getting people interested in DDR! Then we watched Billy play shoot-basketball (so pro!), Wai Hong and Jonathan played Time Crisis, then Geordie and I played car-racing (to quote Wai Hong: "Battle of the Sexes!") At first I was winning, but I crashed at some turn and from then on lost the lead!

Then I went home still feeling very bloated. Imagine 5 plates of Tahu Telor sitting inside your stomach!!! To be fair, poor Melvin finished most of the egg (since I liked the tofu more than the egg.) But nevertheless, it's cholesterol and calorie overload for me, so I shall TRY to stay off eggs for one week (that's very very hard, since I love to eat eggs, especially fried runny-yolk eggs!). And I went jogging (not running, as my thigh muscles still hurt from Chinese Dance practice) for about 25 minutes, before having MORE TOFU (famous and delicious Ampang Yong Tau Foo from this very old shop in Sembawang that my mom bought on her way home from Grandma's house.) for dinner. I come to the conclusion that: I'm an incurable tofu fanatic!!!

Now I shall try to crack my brains over the KI minutes on the Plato seminar, which I have not finished. I don't seem to have done any homework, I wonder where my weekend went. Ah well.

cross-country

Happy day! This is the first time I've skipped Maths lecture. We walked over to the Poolside Restaurant at the high school side during lunch, but the food took so long to be served that by the time we finished eating, half-an-hour of Math lecture was gone, so we headed straight to the field for fire-drill. After we were dismissed, I played several fun rounds of table soccer at the fishtank with Pau-Pau, Siobhan, Che Hao and Jonathan (my team!), as welll as Yang Sai, Steve, Bryan and Wei Xiang (the other team!). Obviously, due to the presence of 4 girls including me, we created quite a racket in the fishtank (understatement of the day).

Cross country this year was satisfying. I got 11th position in the Competitive Girls Run, an improvement from 12th position last year. After running, I went and walked the Girls' Mass Run with Pau-Pau and Yang Sai, and 2 of Pau-Pau's friends. On the way we held and swung our hands, blocking the entire path (didn't matter since we were almost the last) and sung "dang1 wo3 men2 tong2 zai4 yi4 qi3" (literally translated as "when we're together". it's the songs we used to sing in primary school days, remember?) very loudly. So amusing! And after a while, when the guys (Mass Run) started overtaking us, we cheered for all those people we knew, telling them to run faster, run on, when we were strolling. The irony!

After dismissal, our class and seniors walked to "The Long House" (a hawker centre) for dinner together. In short, it was amusing and fun. I conclude that I have an interesting bunch of seniors, just like our class is an interesting class with such unique and diverse characters that it's very difficult to form cliques. There's a saying that: several girls come together = a market. I say that: several guys come together = a primary school. HA HA HA!

On a sidenote, I think Chris really likes my trophy. Therefore maybe I should get him a replica of the trophy, including the words "competitive GIRLS' race", for his birthday. :D Of course this is a joke, sorry to disappoint you. :P

Oh, and I got into the second round of the selection process for the UWC Overseas Scholarship! It's a day camp on 26 Feb (Sun). I don't know whether to be happy or what. I'm having mixed feelings. I guess IF I get the scholarship (which means I've to leave for overseas end of Aug this year), I probably might not take it up if I'm feeling too attached to Hwa Chong and to 60. I'm someone who decides by my heart and not my mind. Haha.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is a day of giving and receiving presents, to loved ones, to close friends, and, in Hwa Chong's case, to our angel(s) and mortal(s)-- seniors we have been writing to for 2 months. It's our version of Thanksgiving, which we don't celebrate. On this day, I gave a bagful of presents (which I spent more than 10 hours preparing, if you include shopping and procrastination time) and received a bagful of presents which I really like in return.

When I came home, my sister asked me: "Where's my gift?" I told her there wasn't any, because giving gifts to (for some, girls/guys they like) friends and angels/mortals is a tradition. Then it occurred to me: aren't my sister, my family loved ones too? Aren't they the people I love most?

Then it struck me. Do I care about being nice to people in general so much that I neglect those closest to me? Am I so self-indulgent that I neglect the needs and feelings of others? Do I take the presence and concern of those closest to me, so much for granted, that I never reciprocate their feelings?

Taking people for granted is a sin I've committed.

And these are the oens who help me up when I'm down, who stay by me in silence as I cry, who cheer with me when I'm high, who care for me when I'm ill, who love me regardless of how I change and how I look.

Has anyone seen me cry? I'm only happy, so often, because of these people. My loved ones -- my family. And my dearest friends: Xin Ying, Michy, Sheue.

Happy Valentine's Day, my dear friends and 60! Here's a song I dedicate to all of you.

Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through through it all

[chorus]
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

[chorus]

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

[chorus]

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

happiness

I'm HAPPY! It seems that everyone can stay in our class, cos the O-level track people did well, got below 8 points, and those in the IP got above D7 for HCL paper, which means they don't need to take H1 MTL and can stay in the class! Pau-Pau the crazy girl actually went and got 10 A1s! I felt so proud of her when her name was flashed on the screen under the "girls who got 10 A1s" in the hall. It's a great feeling, to know your friends did well for their O levels. It's almost as if you got those results yourself. Rachel and Siobhan all did well for their Os too, I feel really happy for them. As for me, I was contented as well. A1 for HCL and 4 prizes. Actually I'm not happy because of my results themselves, though of course I'm satisfied with my performance. I'm happy because my Mom's happy. I love to see her smiling, happy and proud of me. It beats other kinds of personal happiness. And that's my main motivation in studies.

On Saturday, the Chi Dance practice was tough as usual (with the result that I'm currently aching all over), aggravated by my flu and sorethroat. But the tough training gives me a sense of purpose, and spurs me on to improve as a dancer. After Dance practice, Xin Ying and I went to Bkt Timah Food Centre for lunch. The whole experience of walking slowly (both of us hungry souls aching terribly) together, chatting, eating together was really pleasant. Nothing beats spending time together with a close friend.

I spent 6 hours yesterday trying to download great songs I like a lot and burning them onto a cd to give people, but somehow the cd burner's screwed, so I've to spend 3 more hours this morning burning them. But the thought that at least it's a sincere gift which I compiled with my own effort and time, warms me and keeps me continuing. I hope the computer appreciates my hardwork and cooperates. (hear that, computer? Or shall I put it into binary code for you?)

my dear 60

Last night was a memorable class dinner at Bkt Timah Food Centre. Yes the food was good, but besides that, it was memorable, because of the people who bothered to come even though they may be tired after an entire day of school and the tension they feel due to the approaching release of O level results; the chatter and laughter as we talk loudly over food, mindless of table-manners preached by adults; and the amusing mass "escorting to the bus stop". I really love 60. It's a great class. I love Hwa Chong because I'm in 60, because I'm a part of this fantastic group of people.

I can't imagine people leaving our class because of O Level results. I can't imagine our class being split up after March because of the differences in subject combinations (the 2 major different combis being PCME and PCMK which I take) and because of the possibility of people having to take H1 MTL. No, please let that NOT happen to our class. Please let us stay together!

And to my dear beloved 60,
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

first chi dance practice

I broke my record this morning: I had a stitch which lasted 2.5 hours! Unbelievable isn't it? I think it came about because I was almost going to be late for KI lessons after running 3 big rounds around the school, so I just rushed to the classroom and sat down for the lesson without cooling down / doing any stretches or exercises. Which resulted in an intense stitch on the left side, lasting throughout the entire KI lesson and break, and the first part of Math lecture. Now I finally figured out the perfect way to get rid of stitches: Drink lots of hot water and lie as flat as you can, which was what I did during Math lecture.

This afternoon heralded the official start of HC Chinese Dance: a gruelling 4 hour practice from 3 -- 7pm. Wearing the (newly bought) body-hugging dance leotard for the first in a long time made me feel uncomfortable initially, but I got used to the feel of the leotard soon after. Now I understand why many dancers are so weight-conscious. Hahaha. The pressure to have a slim and yet (ahem) non-flat figure at the same time. LOL. Some J1 dancers felt the instructor was too harsh, but personally I quite prefer this strict training. At least it compels me to move beyond my comfort zone and exceed my limits, and it gives a sense of purpose in the whole dance practise: to better myself and (try to) satisfy the high expectations of the instructor. (Ok, maybe he's not an instructor, but a very pro grand-senior) It's quite sad that I may have to go for the SRP selection tests at NUS this Saturday, so I've to miss the dance practice. :( I think I may just become a Chi Dance fanatic. I hope my passion for Chinese Dance will continue burning just as strongly or more strongly throughout the rest of my time in Hwa Chong! :) Chinese Dance rocks!

The Tag of Love: your ideal Other Half

I've been tagged by Michy, so here're the answers, in conjunction with the upcoming Valentine's Day.

The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover. Need to mention the sex of the target. Tag 8 victims are to join this game & leave a comment on their page saying they’ve been tagged. If tagged the 2nd time, there's no need to post again.

Target: Male (I'm 100% straight, yeah)
1. Loves me :) (obviously duh)
2. Good-looking (athletic + tall + non-nerd-looking)
3. Not necessarily have to be outgoing / talkative. I'd much rather the kind of person you can spend time with without speaking a word and yet still feel absolutely comfortable, contented, secure and happy just being with him
4. Nice personality + good character
5. Sporty, adventurous, and has a great love for the outdoors/ nature
6. Understanding and caring
7. Has a direction in life that complements mine / same basic beliefs
8. Gentlemanly! AND non-metrosexual = no sissies please (I prefer guyish guys but not the act-macho kind)

(P.S. Michy! I realise I've lots in common with you! In fact I think some points I just copied from yours and edited them, lol.)

Is that considered overly-high expectations? I suppose that's why I've chosen not to be attached, yet.

Now, I tag:

everybody in 60! (06S60 and seniors!)

cross country familiarisation run; (new cca???)

The main highlight of today was the X-country familiarisation run at MacRitchie. In my memories, X-country was always hell and heaven. The running bit was hell, but the moment when you just crossed the finishing line, and the getting of a position that you're satisfied with (of course, there must be improvement from previous years as well), was heaven. Yet, when I ran today, it really wasn't as bad or as tiring as I had supposed it to be. Maybe because I didn't have to sprint all the way to the finishing line, maybe because there wasn't the stress from the actual race itself, maybe because I was running with Rachel beside me throughout, but I found the run to be quite enjoyable actually. I clocked approx 17min 40s for the route today (3.2km or 3.4km I guess). Improved timing, but I was rather perturbed today when I found out from Yu Zhong that J1s and J2s compete together. That effectively means, getting into Top 20 is much much harder, with competition from the seniors as well. Argh!

On another note, I think my drama skills are really not up to standard, so I wasn't selected for Dramafeste (but I don't really mind it, I'll be able to enjoy Dramafeste as audience with 60!!!). I was asked to be one of the calafare in one scene, but I declined. Partially due to pride I guess, partially because I can't really do what I've no passion in, and partially because KI's starting to get increasingly demanding. I don't really know whether I'll actually get satisfying roles in ELDDFS. There's been like, near zero meetings for Drama and Debate wings so far anyway. And I heard that my friend (who was not from Trampoline and is not very tall), joined Trampoline. I'm actually rather interested in joining it. But considering that Chinese Dance may require a lot more commitment as the year progresses (already, it's now Wed and Sat for practices!!!), and that KI is gonna get demanding as well, and there's a possibility that Debates and Drama may start having sessions, I really don't know whether I should join it. Maybe...not?

Btw, does anyone feel like going to MacRitchie one of these days, weekends probably, to do another trial run? Hope more 60 people can come join me! ALL FOR THE CLASS, ALL FOR 60!!! Whee! :)

thanks! the importance of communication.

Firstly, I really want to say: THANK YOU!!! to everyone who's given me encouragement and advice regarding the problem with my sister (there's something wrong with Blogger, so the post below regarding my sister should be dated Saturday). I'm really very touched by all of you. So, to all of you: Rachel, Billy, Michelle, Pei Han, Ernest and Jun Wen, a big THANK YOU yet again! You guys really rock!

As for the problem with my sister, I spent the whole of yesterday night talking with her as nicely and openly as I could for over 2 hours. Amidst tears and laughter, we finally sorted out all the misunderstandings and differences between us, and I'm happy to say that we're both more or less enlightened. Though our eyes were swollen this morning from last night, the warmth still hasn't dissipated.

I guess relationships are all about communication. Communication is like a tie, a bridge which links two islands. Without communication, it's like building ice walls between the two, so much so that one day when we finally decide to communicate, we find that the wall is so high it's insurmountable. Just as it is for siblings, it's the same for parent-child, and for friends.

It's not that easy to set aside 1 hour every day to talk to each other. Each of us have our own friends, school life, homework, CCAs, activities, and what not. Perhaps I'll just take the effort to take evening walks around the estate with her every so occasionally. Perhaps then our relationship can be one that's open and relatively free of misunderstandings.

I can't understand my sister!

ARGH!!! My sister DYED her hair reddish brown today!!! AND SHE'S ONLY SEC 2! She's still schooling!!! I still can't believe it. When I came home today, I found that she had cut her hair (her previous hairstyle was short hair, quite ordinary but still pleasant looking), and her new hairstyle turns out to be very much thinned hair (above-shoulders), with SPIKES AND VERY SHORT HAIR poking out on TOP of her head like some rambutan! It's totally horrid!

I really can't understand her. Even though it's not my hair, my heart aches at how she destroyed her hair. Before, she looked decent. Now she just looks like some punk-wannabe or ah-lian-wannabe! But why, WHY? Why must she try to look "cool" and try so hard to fit in with the 'in' crowd? Why must she care so much about brandnames? Why does she care so much about trends, be it in fashion or in hairstyles? Why is she ashamed of the black hair that she's born with, that all of us Asians are born with?

Why does she mistrust Mom and I so much, thinking that we're always against her opinions /decisions simply for the sake of disagreeing with her, to the extent that she has to lie that she's going to the library, but went to dye her hair instead; lie that she only wanted "treatment" for her "dry hair", but the hairdresser dyed her hair without her consent; lie that she was going to the sauna downstairs, but used the time to further highlight her hair???

What's wrong with dry hair? Nobody touches your hair to feel if it's dry or not.
What's wrong with black hair? Asians are meant to have black hair, it's natural, it's actually nice. It's OUR ROOTS! It's part of ourselves, what we were born with. Why must we be ashamed of ourselves, the way we are naturally???
What's wrong with JUST ONE EARHOLE on each side?? More metallic stuff / more holes punched through one's body doesn't make one any more attractive / "cooler"!
What's wrong with good-quality / decent stuff that's not of any famous 'brands'? Aren't they of just as good, if not better quality? Aren't they just as nice?
And so what if you have branded goods, that doesn't make you stand out from the rest, nor does it make you any more popular with people!
What's wrong with looking decent/ nicely presentable? Getting short tufts of hair poking out the top of your head, and streaks of red all over your hair, does NOT, in any way, make you look any more attractive. Conversely, it only makes one less attractive / pretty, not to mention less classy!

Why does she care so much about all these things? Is she so insecure, so unconfident?

Why does she always think that Mom and I are against her decisions solely for the sake of not allowing her to do what she wants? Why does she think that we don't care for her at all?

Am I such a failure as an elder sister?

When can she stop being such a disappointment to Mom, and come to her senses and be more mentally mature and self-assured?

What should I do?

papaya milkshake! + shopping at Bugis

I love papaya milkshakes!!! My Fav Beverage! Discovered my love for it this morning. After running less than 3km (3 big rounds), Zi Chong, Jin Quan and Geordie (all of whom I dragged to the track, cos I didn't want to run alone. They didn't run though, just sat there talking) and I headed off to the high school canteen (yes, again!), where I got my first taste of lovely creamy milky foamy thick and yummy papaya milkshake!

After school (another day of boring lectures + tutorials + not-so-boring-but-lots-of-arguing KI class), I went to Bugis. I got my dance leotard which is VERY tight-fitting! That means, I must maintain my weight and absolutely cannot get ANY fatter OR I'll not be able to fit into that costly piece of black cotton-spandex thing again! I also got a pair of long black dress pants which I adore. At least it doesn't cling on as much, and flares out nicely at the ankles.

When I walked out of Golden Landmark Complex into Bugis Village, the first thing that greeted my eyes was: a shop selling PAPAYA MILKSHAKE! Naturally I couldn't resist the temptation and bought it for $1.80. More ice + less milk + less papaya + $1.80 = conclusion that the Chi High papaya milkshake is TONS better than papaya milkshakes outside.

Anyway I strolled around Bugis Village for another 2 hours, buying random and not-so-random things before eating at Rochor Food Centre and finally deciding to head home.

Now, my main headache is to decide which gifts are for whom. Not an easy task at all...(and there's still a very fei4 and redundant BUT compulsory CT module on Public Speaking tmr! Yucks.)

fun day!: x-country practice plus njc crashing!

It's been a pretty fun and exciting day! Well, the first part wasn't. Chem lecture was so rushed, though I kind of understood what the lecturer was saying. And Physics practical was quite boring, to think I yawned 10 times during the 2 hours! Mr Loi is a really nice and funky teacher, but it just happens that the rhythmic swirling of the fans in the lab (plus the fact that I never really liked Physics prac, + the fact that I'm suffering, still, from a lack of sleep), proved to be too sleep-inducing to me. Side-note: Rachel's shoulder is really nice to lean on!

When our long-awaited 1.5 hour break finally came half past noon, I was practically dozing off as I walked back to the class bench. I was thinking of sleeping at the class bench or at the FishTank, but in the end I went running at the track with Rachel, Siobhan, Wai Hong and Billy, and dear Miao Qin came along to watch us, even though she'd already ran earlier during her 2-hour break. I'm happy! My timing has improved, 19+ minutes for 3.6km, down from 18+ minutes for 3.2km. I know I've still got a long way to go, if I don't want to let the class down, but I'll take it slowly at a time. (oh dear, X-country is coming up soon!) It was much more interesting and fun running with them, rather than running alone, and for the last 100m, Billy and I were sprinting, trying to outdo each other, so perhaps that's why my timing improved, haha. There should be more "class" X-country practices together!

After doing some stretching and cooling down, the 5 of us lazed around at the terrace beside the track, chatting, lying on our backs looking up at the bright white fluffy clouds above (thank goodness no birds flew above), doing different variations of push-ups, and just laughing. It was the ultimate form of relaxation and 'chilling out with friends' (it was really windy!)! I thoroughly enjoyed those moments, though they may span only half an hour, but they're the most enjoyable moments of today. Hey Rachel, Miao Qin, Siobhan, Billy and Wai Hong, you guys rock!

the highlight: crashing NJC
It was almost 2 and we'd been lazing around for quite some time, when Siobhan got the crazy idea to crash NJC. Rachel immediately agreed, and so Wai Hong, Billy and I went along too, while dear Miao Qin went back to help us take attendance (so nice of her!). It was really funny, the 4 of us in Hwa Chong PE shirt and shorts, brazenly strolling into NJC while people stared and the dear security guard just looked at us without doing anything. We went to their big canteen, and lo and behold! A great variety of stalls greeted us. NJC students sure are lucky. We decided upon the Dessert stall, and I ordered a Soursop-Icebowl, which tasted refreshingly fantastic, while the rest ordered different variations of the Icebowl. We also attempted persuading the auntie operating the stall to shift stall to Hwa Chong, or set up a sidebranch there, so if you see a nice Icekachang stall in Hwa Chong in the future, you know who to thank. ;) The toilets there are also really nice! Not to mention, clean and dry.

After spending an hour at NJC without anyone chasing us out (though we were stared at a lot), we finally strolled back to Hwa Chong. On our way out, we smiled, waved and did V signs with our fingers at the security camera near the gate (you must always be polite and nice to the host! haha). Of course, we didn't forget the jolly security guard, how could we?:
Us: BYE uncle!!! *wave wave*
Guard: *waves back* Bye, you're from Hwa Chong aren't you?
Us: Ya! We...went to see some teachers!
Guard: *nods understandingly*
Us: BYE BYE uncle!!! (me: Have a nice day!!!) *wave enthusiastically*
Guard: Bye! *waves*
HAHAHAHA!!! What fun-ness!

When we finally went back to Hwa Chong, I went to laze around with the rest of the class, and Pauline, Zhao Rui and I formed an "S.H.E." team! It started out with them singing a song ("Yi Qian1 Nian2 Yi3 Hou4" by LJJ), then I joined in as well, and Yangsai commented that 3 of us sing well together, which inflated our ego, spurring us to form the "S.H.E." team -- ('Selena' is Pau-Pau, 'Hebe' is me, and 'Ella' is Zhao Rui) how funny! We went on further to embarrass the class by singing "Bah bah black sheep", the Hwa Chong english school song, and other songs at the top of our voices before we finally stopped and I went off for Bio.

After a mind-boggling Bio lesson, Billy, Miao Qin and I went off to watch the Inter-CT Touch Rugby competition. Pau-pau, Yang Sai and I were the 3 crazy girls who kept shouting "60 jia you!!!" throughout the competition. The 60 team was cool, and we had drawn 1 and won 1 by the time I left. I hope we won. :) But it doesn't really matter, as long as the players enjoyed themselves.

I hope all school days can be as fun as today! And I'm looking forward to shopping at Bugis with my fellow Chi Dancer for dance leotards tomorrow!

Whee! Life is about having fun and enjoying every moment!

swimming cleanses exhaustion

Fatigue and tiredness shows itself after 3 days of adequate rest ended abruptly. I was glad to go to school, but I guess my sleep-deprived body wasn't that glad. Much of the day was spent stoning; it seemed I didn't have enough energy to be as animated as usual.

In the afternoon, practising the college dances in the hall during the "30 minutes of school spirit" rejuvenated me (pity it wasn't earlier or I'd be much more awake for the rest of the day). How I wish there was "30 minutes of school spirit" every single day, then I'd be able to enjoy dancing the college dances daily. Then I went for my first Chinese Dance session. Which was quite alright, since it turned out to be 'orientation' and 'meet-the-seniors' session. The seniors are so bonded! I hope our batch turns out like them as well, after all as the seniors said, we'd have to perform for 2 very major and important events -- this year's Mid-Autumn Festival and next year's SYF -- alone, without any seniors or juniors. Dance practice aside, I've to invest in a dance leotard and dress pants. Somehow the thought of going shopping, especially at Bugis or any other area with lots of affordable and funky stuff, never fails to excite me. :D

I just went swimming earlier. I think I'm falling in love with swimming. It gives me an almost noiseless void and time to think, to contemplate, to reflect, to be truly alone, shut off from all the noise, chaos and bustle on the land. The cooling water cleanses my body and my mind from all the exhaustion and stress; it purifies my soul. I especially love swimming right after a downpour, when the water's so refreshingly cool, and swimming in the rain, hearing the raindrops patter down in a soothing lullaby, feeling the drops splash onto my body when I surface. How much more in tune to Nature's elements can I get? Of course, having a relatively void-of-people, clean and free-of-chlorine-stink swimming pool conveniently located right downstairs adds to my enjoyment as well. It's a pity that school ends really late most of the days, so I won't be able to go swimming as occasionally compared to during the holidays.