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Enjoy your stay

This weekend has certainly been packed. Just a quick post before I get a quick wink off. As mentioned in the previous post, mostly it's birthdays.

First up. Wei Sheng's birthday. Not trying to make it harsh for the birthday boy, but the guy made us into fools when leading us to his house.

And what did he do? He made us took a spiraling route before finally reaching the foot of his block when there was another line of travel which took us to his house straight. No one really knows what his rationale was behind doing that. All we know was that we were all drenched in our own sweat by the time we took a seat on his sofa.

Or more specifically, I was drenched in my own sweat. All of you know how merciless the weather has been in recent days...

Well anyway, long story short, here's pictures.


In these pictures, we had 3 fans blowing at us. Three.


Yes, yes...poker cards. Just playing with chips though.

Interesting events included me staring at Chang Rong for up to a minute before raising my bet while playing Texas Hold'em poker so that I could predict his hand. Turns out he was really bluffing, score for me. I just hope he wasn't thinking that I was interested in him, though...

On a final note, a HUGE happy birthday to Wei Sheng. Currently 16, huh? Can do so much more stuff while we can't, huh? Good for him.



As for today, there's my grandmother's birthday to attend. Managed to grab some together time with the rest of the Hengs. My little cousin is a joker man... Stole a picture of me while I was vulnerable. If he was taking a good picture, fine... but he wasn't. He-

Took a picture of me with his earpiece cable blocking the camera. My eyes were censored off.
I AM NOT A CRIMINAL, why censor my eyes off? Unfortunately, I do not have the picture. But even if I had, I wouldn't post it anyway, I'm not that interested in my own mug shot.

This year was special, we didn't buy a cake for my grandmother, my aunt baked one. It was a cheesecake, I think. Why don't you help me to identify?

Grandmother on the left.
Grandmaster Chef Aunt on the right. What a mouthful.


Crowds.



A low-angle shot I took. Grandmother looks so smug, LOL. Or perhaps just proud of her great day? I think now I know who I inherited my confidence from, though...


My Dad got a mobile phone for grandmother this year, and here's he trying to teach grandmother how to use it. No more grandma-hunting from now on, after we have this phone latched onto her, haha... Latching as in figuratively, of course.

Yup, that's it for this post.



"Another week comes to an end. More sweet memories to keep, but yet there will be even more bitter tea to deal with, and I'm still looking for my sugar... Wait for me."

Seriously, why are there so many birthdays all of a sudden? What the hell, both Ms Ng's and Wei Sheng's birthday are celebrated tomorrow, on Saturday. Leaving me in a dilemma , stuck between bros and teachers.

Well, friends for so many years, and Wei Sheng's 'attractive' smile has managed to convince me that his house is the place where I should be tomorrow. I just hope Ms Ng will have a nice day out with the rest of the M.A.P.S guys.

AND. I want to go KARAOKE WITH MS NG AS WELL. Too bad for me, then.

That's not all, my grandmother's birthday falls on this Sunday. 3 birthdays in one weekend... what do I look like to you, Santa Claus who loves giving out presents? Dude, Christmas is already over.

So... Wei Sheng will turn SIXTEEN by the end of this week.

SIXTEEN. 16.

You know, I once had a lesson in school which talked about 'Appropriate gifts' and 'Inappropriate gifts'. We were supposed to do an exercise on it, fill in a table with our answers.

One of my classmates, with his quick wit and sharp humour, wrote 'Condoms' under 'Inappropriate gifts'. The whole class had a good time laughing their balls off. C'mon, at that time, the pupils in that class were only 12, that guy can already be considered 'well-informed' as compared to the rest of us.

So, back to being 16. Should I get for him an appropriate gift or inappropriate gift? Something to signify his coming of age. The Marque of NC16.

Whatever.


Today was an earth-shattering day. How so? Well, for many reasons.

First of all, I woke up late today. Managed to work up a sweat just by walking to school. Um, not just really walking, actually. Mrs Lee already has me pinned down tightly for skimming latecoming all the time. At least I wasn't ever late... She only relaxed the nagging on me recently because I've been arriving earlier by at least a fiver, don't want all that to start again.

Speaking of Mrs Lee, I'm reminded that I'm about to have an adopted son very soon, fresh from the oven of 3 Commitment. And boy am I so thankful it's not that one outstanding student... Would probably need 3 mentors to keep that person in check. 3 male ones.

Mrs Lee somehow made us all laugh when we mentioned that she wanted to reduce the chances of us having a BGR with her junior students. Isn't that good? She gets to have to credit of being the matchmaker, doesn't she?

Sigh, I don't know why, but let me start on the 3rd aspect today of Mrs Lee I'm going to talk about...

When she talked about her Facebook account being 'dead', was I wrong or did I saw her smiling a 'shy smile'? I mean, that kind of smile are the types I see on young schoolgirls, not middle-age... Never mind. Perhaps, it's because Facebook is something which is currently more associated with the young rather than the... that could be why she looked shy.

That being said, I didn't just observe these phenomenons on Mrs Lee alone, I have saw many other people of varying ages do the same. I have not yet to find out why, but certain feelings trigger a physical response which can clearly portray that emotion (Works especially well with smiles) , if you know how to read it.

You see, for an example, Jasmine says that she's only saw me '冷笑' before, and nothing else. It's kinda depressing, saying that I only give away cold grins. Hehe... HAHA, hAhA! T_T Enough about psychology.


Alright, let's carry on.

In addition for today, I got nominated for an award which I'm not even very sure of what it is. Contribution to the environment? Does that mean I have to start using less toilet paper from now on? Or thinner ones, perhaps?

The curriculum hours was fine. What was NOT fine, however, came after the original dismissal time at 12.30pm.

Had to rush off for GEMs video editing straight after being dismissed. Decided to skip Pure Geography remedial, stayed in the air-conditioned environment of the Com Lab and rested myself.
Didn't really rest though, subtitling our speech in the video was hell. Fuggin' busy stuff.

In fact, I even forgotten about my lunch until Shu Shan reminded me about it. Thanks for getting me that sandwich, by the way. Then it was A.math Retest afterwards, followed by...

2 extra periods of Chemistry. Yeaa... The test was hard. Mrs Chew might as well come and electrolyse me instead. That would be easier.

During Chem, Jared said I was walking with a different swagger today, and gave me this... look. Holy mackeral, does he always ogle at people like that?

Next. Causeway Point.

Wei Sheng... next time when people want to buy present for you, please don't say that you want to come along. Managed to shoo him off eventually.


Came back home dog-tired at around 7pm. And currently it's 2am. What happened to my weekly routine of sleeping more on Saturdays? Ugh, gotta go get some sleep. Still have Wei Sheng's b'day party to attend tomorrow.

~~~ May my dreams bring me the lines of which to fill in the blanks of my forlorn poem. There's still some verses missing, but that's only because you're not here with me. ~~~

"In this last year with the school, stay and leave behind a legacy."

This were the exact words the teacher in charge of Creative Circle told me when I attended my first ever C.C meeting. Once these words popped out of her mouth, I knew it wouldn't be that simple. But I accepted the task anyway. Which is something I do not regret, but merely need to reflect.

C.C again today, and I had to conduct a lecture on the techniques of 'Interviewing' despite the thumping inside my head which almost convinced me I had a rock band in there. Fortunately, the lesson went smoothly, with me and my fellow peers having many a good laughs in the process.



I had divided them into 2 groups to brainstorm for a mock interview I had them to undertake.

And before you start wondering. Yes, this is the ACES Gallery. I thought I could get the library, but never mind that now, the impacts of the loss of air-con has already reared its ugly head.

Looking at today's attendance of members, I found out that C.C is practically a female-dominated club. As in like numbers, of course. Today, as many members were absent, only a portion managed to turn up, and I realised that they were all girls except for me and Hann Shen.

Thinking about it, even if I added the rest of the members in, the club would still perhaps be 80% female-population.

Which was just as well, actually. I'm sure I wouldn't receive such a warm welcome as today if the situation had been different. Girls are easier to charm, guys require much more hammering to get them to listen to you. (Something which I've learnt the harsh way through coaching my male juniors in M.A.P.S)

Truth is, I think I'm beginning to blend into C.C easier now. As compared to 2 weeks ago, I had several feelings of unease.



This is one my groups poring through the Scenario Sheet I gave them.


Although I can consider today's lesson a success, it is only partial. The lesson was supposed to be much more detailed. In fact, I stayed up to 2 in the morning last night to type out a lesson plan. However, due to the absence of my partner in teaching, and the low turnout for today, my lesson was shortened. Considerably.

Which brings me to think about the effort I put into all these work. I've been thinking... all these, it's not as if I'm getting paid to do the job, why does my enthusiasm towards being a teacher surges all of a sudden?

Well, I guess it's because I tend to be more or less a perfectionist when it comes to doing work I strongly believe in. I used to believe that in whatever work we do, anything short of 100% is 0%. However, when you start sleeping at half the number of hours recommended for human rest almost on a daily basis, you are forced to rethink your stand.

Maybe I should just...

Ah.

Flush them all to hell.


Which links my train of thought to something else...

The relationship between passion and logic. I've been thinking about my ambitions these few days, and involuntarily I think back upon the attractive option of being a...


Drift Racing Driver.

Frankly speaking, I gave up on being this quite some time ago. I realised that logic kept screaming at me about the low prospects and high dangers of being in such a sport. I wouldn't want my loved ones to worry about me everytime I step behind the wheel.

But.

I thought, fine. So what if I get a job sitting on a gigantic swivel chair in some office which you can't differentiate from a luxuriantly decorated hotel bathroom (Yes, that's how I see them offices.)? And like so, I thought again.

People rethink their decisions at many points in their lives, and more often than not they find new alternatives. Or reopen an old but one newly-discovered to be even more appealing than ever. Cars to me are like... like... It is indescribable. I've always felt naturally magnetised to them.

So, I told myself. Screw logic.

If I'm gonna die on a racetrack, engulfed in flames from my car's fuel tank, so be it. It is my principle to make a decision and to not ever regret it. Should I really become a racing driver and risk my own life, it is mine to risk. Even when I go up in smoke, I'll make sure my ashes will write "This is my passion." on the tarmac.


Well, do pardon me if I sound agitated despite not being anywhere near the age-limit for igniting an engine. My sudden mention of being a racing driver may seem as surprising as waking up with your face up your ass in the morning, but I do have underlying meanings beneath which I do need to express.

As a general clue, I'm just comparing the lifestyles of 2 very different types of people. One who has made the ultimate decision to dedicate one's life to something he is willing to die doing, and another who feels that leading a conservative life with your wife and 2 kids is what they would call happiness.

As they say, Life has no value when there isn't something you can die for.

Woke up to an early morning today. At least the moist, refreshing air was something to counter the much dreaded effects of sleeping late and waking early.

Had to spend 5 minutes sitting down to plan my schedule for the day, in fact. But that's not the point.

Basketball games like the one this morning are something me and my group of friends do very often, although I've never thought of blogging about it, until now.

The immense fun and laughter brought me to realisation that every basketball session on Saturday was something I'd always looked forward to. Today, I surprised myself by agreeing to going for basketball despite having a horrendous sore throat which made my voice barely able to go above a C key, and a nose so runny and that a long, hard sniff had to be done every 5 minutes.

Cutting to the chase, I just wanna thank Chang Rong, Ivan, Shao Qiang, Shao Hua, and Wei Sheng for being such loyal companions over the years. Sticking with me through CCA, outings, serious talks, or even idle chat.




Wei Sheng! Looks over. Snap. Get him onto a sports magazine please.



Take aim, Shao Hua, and take care. I'm right behind you. Nice ass, by the way.




One-V-One solo duel. Fancy footwork.



No, I'm not giving you the ball. Let's negotiate.



And shoot. Now wait and see if Chang Rong can get that large mass of his off the ground.



Shao Qiang trying to imitate the process of laying an egg. With a basketball.

Please, try not to attempt this kind of silly things next time when you see a mobile phone in my hands, a mobile phone which is camera-enabled.


For me, times like these are times when it's ok for me to slip up, act stupid, spit out lame jokes, and best of all, do what we boys do best. We cuss around. It can be so much relaxing among them, we accept each other for who we are.



Right, next then.

After barely 2 hours of rest, shower, and lunch, it's off to Chang Rong's house for... a Chinese New Year Visit, most probably. Hey, it IS a Chinese New Year visit, I did bring my mandarins and gave my good wishes. We received ang paos as well. It is very obvious.

Isn't it a Chinese New Year visit? Of course.

Well, anyone wants some FredTrivia here? Look closely, because in this picture you get to see Frederick in some of the body language which you will never get to see him executing in class.
You cannot believe his enthusiasm when it comes to this.

Played 4 rounds of 'Big 2'. Frederick and I won 2 rounds each. Sadly enough, winner has to take off his pants. Currently I owe them 2 pants-dropping.

On the right of the picture, I think you can almost read it out from Wei Sheng's face, "Argh, I'm suffering heavy losses..."

Went on the play Texas Hol'em Poker next. First time playing, but picked it up considerably quickly, since it has numerous similarities with Big 2. To my regrets, I had to leave the game early in order to attend Ke Xin's New Year Steamboat Party.



Thank you, Ke Xin, for treating me to such an enjoyable meal. It has been utmostly delectable, and I'm not just referring to the food, but also towards the conversations we had. Despite not being in close contact ever since Secondary 2, I'm really thankful for still being your friend, and I apologise for the isolation.

I lost quite a bit at your house, by the way. I won't forget that. ;)


Right, and so here I am, blogging after a busy day. Recalling and reminding myself of life's many joys I have in possession.

When one is down, thoughts of depression and distance spring to mind. These crucial moments are the times in which we most need the aid from others, but yet we involuntarily try to shift away from them in a bid to hide the dripping wounds in our hearts.

Inability to summon up sweet and reviving memories is the worst punishment anyone could ever receive.

Alright, since I'd just finished submitting my Interviewer's Report to C.C, might as well give a second update for today.

I really don't know whether to love or hate Chinese New Year visits. Today, when friends of my father's and mother's came over to my house, I lost all my drive to do homework. Instead, there was a nice shootout of FPS games on my comp. and a steaming hotpot meal afterwards.

Hmm, is it ok to be slipshod for once, just for Chinese New Year? Overbearing tests about to be slammed in my face tomorrow and yet revision is unheard of. Never mind that, time to recall my meal... (No, not recalling it from my stomach, THAT ONE STAYS.)



I think I stayed at the table the longest... haha. Not because I wanted to let the electric cooker continue spraying me with droplets of hot melted butter, but because I like these kind of meals. I mean, look at the spread! Even the shoe rack at the top corner of the photo had to multi-task, there were some more trays of food below the glass table proper as well, on the glass holder below.

Speaking of the electric cooker, I got scalded on the forehead, cheeks, neck, and even my eyelid by a torrent of scorching hot butter. Maybe they should invent some sort of masks for meals like these, makes life so much easier, and much less painful.

I think I better start reading up on Pure Geography, the last test's results didn't really bring a smile to anyone's face, so to speak. That's it for the night, then.

3rd of day of the Lunar New Year, how is all of your debt collecting coming along? Any splash of red in sight? How's the cash?

Of course, the cash's great, but that would just be a side incentive. For most Singaporean families, I dare say that we often did not have much time to interact with our blood relations because of crammed schedules. Reunion dinners in the past usually meant a better spread of dishes, but for modern times, it has really became a reunion for those families who have not seen each other for a long time.

Yea, my cousin Christina from Australia has returned for the LNY, it's real nice to see her again after such time. So, basically my real reap of benefits from this period of time has not been the red-colour packets filled with dough, but the precious time of bonding with the rest of my extended family. Gong Xi Fa Cai, Wan Shi Ru Yi!

Well, I really dislike the fact that we're still having homework hurled at us despite it being the festive season, and a very important one at that. Now that it's the last day of the holidays, I guess I should begin sweating it out at my study desk.

Nonetheless, all these pressure from school has not really stopped me from enjoying myself, as I'm sure what most are doing as well. Like I said, it's the festive season, the most prioritised thing is to let our hair down and recharge ourselves for the arduous journey ahead.

So, what did you do during these precious days of rest and fun? I for one, have derived great joy from visiting family and friends. Not forgetting, of course, my pleasure trip out yesterday with, well, Jiao Min. Wanted to catch a movie at Cathay Cineplex @ Downtown East, but I screwed up with my time approximation. We still could catch the movie, but perhaps just half of it. And so, we took a stroll around the entire place, and found some fun in the process.

Ah, there was kind Indian lady at Downtown East whom I enlisted the help of, to take a picture for us.

Here's her 2nd attempt:

A little blurred, I know. But there always is the 3rd try...

I think she managed to get the focus working on this one.

Well, there's the 2nd, and 3rd attempt. What about the 1st?
Unfortunately, the Indian lady has already deleted that photo away, or else I could've shown you what our helper looked like... 'Cos she managed to turn the camera on herself and flashed the camera straight at her own face. Hello, we told you to take a photo of US, not YOURSELF. (As Phil would say: "EPIC FAIL.")

Actually, I'm not trying to be rude here. In fact, I laughed so hard afterwards that I started to feel bad for her, someone who has been kind enough to help us. I wonder how are her eyes, was the flash too bright...?


Went to Pasir Ris Park after that to catch the sunset. However, by the time we got there, I think there were only a few remnants of orange left in the sky. Oh well, at least it's better than nothing. At least the light was enough for me to start my sand painting. Hmm, I think the tide would have got it by now, but that's alright, it just means that the lines in the sand have been amplified and distributed in the endless sea.

One thing though, the wind there was extremely strong, and both of our hair got messed up, big time. And although I didn't mention it at that time, someone ate her own hair again.

Oh, before the gratitude gets lost somewhere along my heartline, thanks for your Valentine's gift, Jiao Min.


Now that's over, people, enjoy your last day today, and I'll see you tomorrow, and perhaps we can compare our earnings together.

"Today, I thank you for walking through love with me, both figuratively and literally."

What happens to a person when he hasn't slept for more than 4 hours for past 5 days? Disease and illness will find its way up his backdoor. I'm referring to it as a metaphor, of course, I'm not trying to say that my arse is starting to rot.

I have thought that starting life as a Secondary 4 would mean lesser commitment to extra curriculum activities and more attention on the classroom. However, that is not to be the case, sadly enough. Being roped in by Ms Mazlinda into Creative Circle all of a sudden and given major tasks despite the fact that I've just joined, assures that what available time is used on schoolwork and CCAs. Whatever amount of time left, is spent tossing and turning in bed from insomnia due to a broken sleep pattern. Nevertheless, it still has been an eye-opener for me, being able to interview the school's invited guests on their opinions of our school and the 'Metamorphosis' concert. I just wished that the MP wouldn't lean so close when talking though...

...Peering into the body of clear water, what is that reflected beyond the stars?

What is this unexplained feeling, lost among a sea of stars, buried in a sky of clouds? Or could it be that too much inner gazing could be detrimental to a person's mind? Perhaps I may be reading too much into it and all of these just stems from exhaustion, that's all.

And the feeling I'm talking about is...? This, you may be asking. But the truth is that I can only recognise the elements attached to it, and not the exact problem. What is it that makes you exert yourself during exercise to your breaking point and then think afterwards, "I'm just letting off steam." ? What is it that makes you think of sinister and suspicious thoughts all of a sudden when they were unknown to you merely a year ago? Everything feels and seems so empty. Well, I'll just have to continue looking, with eyes dilated with images of a torn horizon.

Haha, I'm beginning to realise that what I'm writing on my blog is most probably not understood by most. Sorry, my bad. It's always like this, I write something here, wishing to express my thoughts, and it definitely will wind up into something cryptic. Maybe it's because the heart is much too saturated in guilt and shame to fully say anything at all.

Can you ever get lost in a maze which you've designed and built by yourself? Are you able to retrace the route? If so, can someone please give me the map? Being lost in my own thoughts has been nothing but common recently. Absent-mindedly walking into oncoming traffic and would have been ploughed over if not for the fortunate fact that the shouts of good friends Ivan and Frederick stopping me in my tracks. Next, how about handing in a Math exercise on Matrices to Mr Edward? How did I manage to see him as Mrs Lee? I am so baffled. I even gave Alex my Chemistry notebook when he asked for the Pure Geography notebook. Apart from being lost, I am tired. Exhausted from walking around in circles, committing mistakes I never would have even come close to within a mile in the past. Therefore it forms a resolution that I need to find the exit, and quick. Because... because night is falling and the funfair is about to lock its gates. Who knows when it will be unlocked again.

Well, seems like I'll just have to continue looking. Wish me luck.




Argh, they cancelled the Chinese Singing Competition for this year. Just when I was so looking forward to it... as a contestant. Yes, yes... LAUGH, laugh some more. Even I myself find it funny, especially when I recall the previous year when I'd went to the competition without bringing music. Instead, I was forced and 'coerced' into joining the Prose Recital Competition for Mother Tongue week. Thankfully, I was able to skip it. On Wednesday, when I was supposed to be either present for GEMs or the competition, I was away at the Marina Barrage. Flying kites.
The irony.


The Lunar New Year is coming, and one severely significant question lies in minds of us all...

How much are you expecting for your ang pao money this year?
For me, I'm still thinking about whether I want to spend it or save it. Hehe, Temptation looks gorgeous in that low-cut black gown tonight...

'Financial worries' aside, one thing about the Chinese New Year is that we get to visit family and friends during this period, many of which I probably only see once in a while. It is definitely a celebrative season I will enjoy.

That being said, if one wants to enjoy a holiday, it will be better enjoyed with a fresh mind. I'm off to recharge back my lost hours and hopefully chase away this impending cold. To the rest of you, A Happy Lunar New Year, and may prosperity prosper.