A Great Week

SAJC had their annual Sports Day on the 23rd of April this year. I was rather excited considering it would was the first Sports Day I attended in 2 years. KCP abolished it when I was in secondary 3. Anyway, I participated in the 10 x 200m relay. Our team came in dead last, but it was all cool. We tried our best. We shall kick the J1s' asses next year (like the J2s did to us this year) and reign champions! The events held were interesting; they had the CT race, where the teachers ran a whopping 50m in a 8 x 50m race! Pathetic, I know. But they were so adorable, in their oh-so sporty out-fits. Then there was the Musical Chairs event. A classic, a crowd favourite. It was so hilarious! The participants were so focused during the game, as if it was a matter of life and death. The way they aimed for the chairs and anticipated for the song to stop, I could barely contain my laughter. Overall, the day went smoothly. I was quite impressed by some people who one may not necessarily think they can run like the wind. Especially the boys. They guys in SAJC are very very fast. Not bad, not bad at all.
After Sports Day, my class celebrated my birthday as well as Monique's. Then we headed to Plaza Singapura to watch a movie. We ended up in 2 separate theatres, as some of us preferred Street Kings and the rest the Forbidden Kingdom. It was the first class outing. I had a blast getting to know them better. We should have more of such outings and better attendance this time, ya? It has always been a great way of fostering close bonds with your fellow classmates.
Anyway, I would like to thank Farina, for being the first to give a birthday present; a mug and a cool personalised chain that I hang on my bag, Amalina for the 'shocking' gift of hers; a card with Chris Brown's pictures, Jie Xin for the unexpected present; 2 bottles of lotion, my family for treating me to Swensens and buying me the Nike Shoe Bag. And to all those that wished me well wishes and 08A04 for the cakes [especially Shelley (sorry for the accidental disposal of your cake tin) and Monique] and their birthday songs. I truly madly deeply appreciate them all.
Here are pictures taken during my birthday on the 21st at Swensens and on Sports Day. I had a blast.

Birthday Celebration at Swensens!

SPORTS DAY 2008!

Me, Amalina and Farina

Yummy! Thanks Shelley!
Birthday Girls of the Week: Monique and I

I am so over you, I think.

Know this: An Octopus has 3 hearts.

21st April

Yesterday was indeed a glorious day! It was my birthday! How exciting, my first birthday spent in Junior College. I received 2 birthday songs yesterday from my beloved class, 08A04. They were so adorable when they dragged my name during the birthday songs. Really appreciate it, guys. Thank you all for wishing me the well wishes, verbally and via text messaging. I am truly touched. Monique, whose birthday happens to be this Friday, self-made these heavenly cup cakes. There were delicious! I shall put in much thought into getting her a present that is just as satisfying. Of course, nothing compares to a gift that is self- made. Those gifts come from the heart. So I shall make her something too. Let me think this through first.
I celebrated my birthday with my family at Swensens after school on Monday, after a tiring day at track training. With my out-of-placed hair, and my crumpled uniform, I marched into the Toa Payoh Swensens outlet and ordered Spaghetti Bolognise and Hazel Daze ice- cream. I took quite a few of photos to capture the spectacular moments. I will upload them soon. I promise.
During track training, I was the only girl there. 'The only ros (rose) among the thorns,' as they say it. (Pretty original, eh?) For every drill, they said, 'Birthday girl goes first,' or the classic 'Ladies first.' They were such cowards but pretty funny ones at that. I enjoy their presence. They are entertaining. Plus, the weather was superbly good that day, breezy and at the same time the sun was in hiding. Perfecto! It was a special day, indeed.
Also, I forgot to mention significant events that happened last week. Firstly, I went into panic mode when I lost my wallet! My ez-link (how was I to go home?), my IC (my father is going to slaughter me alive!) and the wallet (which was brand new, and my mother paid $33 for it for me!), were all gone. I went to Econs lecture feeling anxious as I thought about the outcome of my irresponsibility. Then, a hero came along. Farina received a message, from a friend of hers, Marcus. He text messaged her that his friend had found my wallet outside the library. The timing could not be anymore perfect. I was relieved. When I met him after the Econs lecture, he handed me my wallet with 2 hands! What a total gentleman. I was grateful and very very relieved. Thank you once again, water-polo dude!
Last Friday, I almost missed the bus to the MRT interchange. As I walked towards the bus stop, I saw that the bus had already reached the bus stop. I was disheartened. I was certain that I was going to be late for school, as I knew that the next bus would not arrive in the next 15 minutes. Even if I walked to the MRT interchange, I still would not make it in time to board the 705am 142 bus that takes me to school every day. When all hopes seem lost at that point of time, I realised that the bus did not move after the last passenger alighted. As I walked closer to the bus stop, it remained stationary. Then I realised, the bus driver actually waited for me, as I strolled my way to it, uncertain if such good samaritans exist. I was grateful. I flashed the widest smile to the bus driver and uttered 'thank you' to him. He acknowledged with a smile and a nod. The day went on smoothly.
So to conclude, good does exist in this world. Through the smallest deeds we do for others, the impact can be greater than we think. Like today, a woman sheltered me into the bus, even though anyone would think that the few seconds in the rain as we boarded the bus would not really matter. She insisted with a nod and I smiled. I thanked her. A small deed, and I am already blogging about it. If someone was to save me life, I will insist that it be published in the newspapers, in English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese! That is how much I am grateful.
I believe in the good in people. It is through these people that I hold strongly and firmly to my stand.
Anyway, I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to my very good friend, Tessa Yan. As well as a new track friend of mine, Jerrard! May you two have all the blessings and love in the world!!!
In the next post, I will update about the Traditional Games Day I had with my fellow MCS (Malay Cultural Society) mates. There are pictures! Stay tuned.
Tomorrow is Sports Day in SAJC. I am participating in the 10 by 200m event. I know, what an odd event to have. So wish my CG and I luck! I hope there will be good news to share. More importantly I hope that we all have a blast tomorrow! Wishing for good weather and strength to get by Sports Day 2008.
After possibly boring you with this long post, here is a clip, but it is in Malay. My apologies to my fellow Chinese readers. Basically it is about someone whose horoscope is Taurus, the bull and is born in the month of April, mentioning certain characteristics of these Taurians, such as being stubborn. Hmm.. I wonder who. Enjoy!
Taurus (Penawar Rindu) performance by Imran Ajmain and Dia Fadila during Sinar Lebaran


Know this: A mosquito will become restless and start flying around if there is an increase of carbon dioxide in the surrounding air.

The Hate Week

It is safe to say that last week was the worst week for my friends and I, so far. There were so many deadlines to meet and so little time. Plus, there was 2.4km trial run on last Friday. I could not help to think that we a about to see more of such week. We were all drained by Friday. We had assignments such as GP essay, Literature essay, Econs tutorials, not to mention PI, GP project and for me, History essay tuturial question dued last week. On Friday I had my 2.4km run. I completed the 6 rounds with a record timing of 17 minutes. I was shocked! But I took it in my stride and realised that I would not be doing myself justice if I were to keep that horrendous timing of mine. I shall not be arrogant. So I have decided to do a re-run. I know I can do much better than that and I will, I mean I have before. 2nd chances are there for a reason. It reminds me of my Malay paper in my olevels, when I screwed up the June paper and got an A1 for the October paper. I was so thankful and glad that I had decided to take the 2nd paper, although I was rather hesitant at first, considering that I once perceived 'do-overs' as a confession to your failure the first time round. Looking back, it was a decision that I never regretted. Sometimes, we just have to swallow our pride in order to achieve what we know we truly deserve. Grasp the opportunity while we can. We always hope that we could turn back time in some parts of our lives. Having an end in mind is also crucial in success, as so I have learnt. I really hope I do better in the next run so that I can get a Gold for PFT. Wish me luck!
Today, I went to a Malay Forum at Temasek Junior College, with some of my malay school mates. The only 2 boys were in fact twins and they have to be the most unique pair I have ever met. I shall not go into details on how shockingly different these 2 are. But I will come to terms with their individuality soon. The forum was rather interesting. The auditorium was a strange environment to be in, considering it was filled with malay kids, from secondary schools as well as junior colleges. There were mutts sitting behind us giving cruel comments, especially during the finale malay performance from the TJC Malay Cultural Society. With their thick 'mutt-minah' accent, I felt like vomitting. I hated being there, at that time. Overall, the day was fine.
I got through the whole week. I survived. I am fine.

There were two songs that I really felt like listening to on my way home today, 'Wait For You' by Elliot Yamin and 'Over You' by Daughtry. I had to choose. Then I thought of 'him' (of the past). I paused my MP3 before a song played. I chose 'Scream' by Michael and Janet Jackson, instead.
'With such confusions

don't it make you wanna scream'

Know this: Adolf Hitler's mother seriously considered having an abortion but was talked out of it by her doctor.

I'm doing fine.

I am back after completing a substantial amount of my work. Due to my hectic schedule, I not only have to complete the homework that needs to be handed up the next day, but also those that are due the following day, knowing that I will not be able to complete them on time if I were to wait until the 11th hour. Honestly, I am pretty amazed and impressed with my discipline. So far, I have completed everything that I have planned out to do. I am able to complete things on time and at the same time, ensure they are not done half-heartedly. Yes, I make sure there is quality. Well, nothing is worth doing if you plan not to do it with quality anyway. On the flipside, I have missed all my favourite TV shows, such as Survivor, America's Next Top Model and the various Suria shows. I am not even sure if the episodes are still showing or not! Goodness! But somehow, I find time (and trust me, I literally 'find' it by reviewing my timetable many many times) to catch David Archuleta on American Idol. For those who are unaware, there is a David Archuleta look-alike in SAJC. Looking at that imposter reminds me to watch David Archuleta on AI every Wednesday. So to sum up, I am doing fine!
Anyway, I attended a wedding today. The bride is my second cousin, I think. I don't even know her name, and that is how close we are. But the reason why I went was to meet my grandparents who will be 'balik-ing kampung' soon and I will not see them for quite some time. So here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure, until I return again this Friday or the weekends. Miss me when I'm gone.

For the record, whoever you are, I wish you two the best of luck in your marriage. The food was great and you two looked fant-abulous!

My Uncle, Nenek Gemok and Mommy DearestThe one and only picture I have of the newly weds. Shameless. But they looked great, from where I was.

Atok!! Looking good.

Alfizan is cute! As always.Hakim acts cool. The Ghetto called, they wanted their doo-rag back.
Haziq was not feeling well today.Farihin is too good-looking for his age. He is a charmer.
I just had to take more pictures of him. It was irresistable.Hannan was not feeling well today either. Fever.
After some cheering up, he smiled for me. Ain't he cute?Ain't he really really cute? I love him and miss him already. Hope he gets better soon.

Know this: "Rhythms" is the longest English word without the normal vowels, a, e, i, o, or u.

On One Side-- The Wrong Side

Most, I am certain, will be able to relate with this following issue. It is one that annoys me so very much, to the extent that I am actually blogging about it! It is rather blatant in Singapore hence, when I say that you, my fellow readers, may be able to relate to this situation, that could either mean you are a victim or the guilty one. I, for one, am an regular victim, unfortunately.
I am sure you have seen how some Singaporeans, when on buses, sit on the outer side of the seats, even when there is not anyone on the inner one, the seat by the window. I hate to be quick to judge them as inconsiderate and conceited people, for they may be alighting at the next stop anyway, so it will be more convenient to be on the outer seat. But, just a few hours ago, on the 56 bus home, almost all the seats were occupied, but only the outer seats. Thinking positive, as I always remind myself to, I figured that maybe the following stop was theirs. Sadly, my prediction was wrong. They did not get off the next stop, or the following one nor the next few stops for that matter.
Of course, the argument would be that they never really stopped us, victims, from sitting at those inner seats. But just like them, we refuse to experience the hassle of 'squirming' our big assets (i.e. school bags, or asses) when our stop happen to be before theirs. Furthermore, when they choose to enjoy the luxury of the outer seats, they are at the same time, forcing us to again squeeze in to our seats. For those who have never experienced such predicaments, I shall take the time to enlighten you, since I am, as I have mentioned earlier, a regular. When you are 'excuse me'- ing yourself in and out of your seats, with the unthoughtful passenger next to you, you risk the possibility of embarrassing yourself. You tend to be clumsy, especially if you are loaded with things to carry or extra weight. The passenger next to you just slide on to the side, so you would also have to make sure that you so not hit the man in the head with your enormous bag, whilst escaping the entrapment (although secretly I hope I accidentally do. Let fate take its course, as they say it.) When I am in the position where my fellow 'inner-seat' passenger is alighting before I do, I kindly get myself entirely out of the seat, just so that passenger can get a comfortable get-away. This is mainly because I have been in their shoes umteen times before and really hope that my next few bus partners will do the same for me.
Recently, I am seeing more and more of such inconsiderations. I am truly annoyed. Especially after a long day in school and my legs are cramped up from track training, I really just want to sit down. But with such people living here in our homeland, even sitting down and enjoying the scenes outside the bus during a long journey home, while listening to music, is considered a luxury.
Hence, I sincerely urge and hope to impress upon the importance of courtesy. It is nothing personal. Sometimes, I just really need to sit down.

Strangely, I miss the sound of your voice.

Know this: A kangaroo can't jump unless it's tail is touching the ground.

Track and Field

My body is currently severely aching from my hamstrings to my thighs to my shoulders and to my abdominal area. All thanks to the recent track training. I am certain it will get worse tomorrow morning. Oh, the sore! You can only imagine the agony.One would assume that a rainy day would mean a less demanding training. But this is where the saying 'when you assume, you are making an ass out of you and me (ass-u-me)' comes into play. The rain forced the coach into training our fitness under shelter, in front of the General Office, to be specific. Although tough, it was still somewhat manageable as the coach gave us sufficient and yet reasonable time to rest before proceeding on with the training. The team was also very supportive of me as I struggle in the lunges.II was really behind all of them, understandably because I was just the junior of the pack. I can barely lift my arms because of the push-ups we did. And my thighs burn in pain as I climb up and down each staircase. At this point, I really want to get rid of my thigh muscles and buy new ones. That was yesterday.
Today was gym training, where we did several unusual exercises with exotic names. Of which were the Smith Machine Lunges and Squats, Medball Hamstring Curl Flip and Leg Flip, and the Hanging Knee Up. The gym trainer for the day was this really good- looking and adorable dude, but I am not really sure of his ethnicity, whether he is an American or British. His name is Scott. He had such impressive accent that draws you into listening to his soft-spoken words. He clearly said that if we were not sure of how to do those exercises, we should ask him. So Jamie and I, at first, thought of asking him just one question, about what was a Hanging Knee Up. Then we realised that we did not recognise any of the other exercises either. Hence, we swallowed our pride and asked that ever-so-easy-on-the-eyes trainer of ours about every single exercise. He patiently and skilfully demonstrated to us the various exercises. He was a good help. To my dismay, he is only a temporary trainer, and the actual one is on course. So, no more Mr. Good Looking for my viewing pleasure.
I am really starting to bond with the other trackers, mainly the seniors. The tough times in training really bring us closer together. We are now at the hi-bye level of the friendship tier and are consistently working towards the ultimate BFF level. The progress is rather promising, I must say.
All in all, Track training is tough and the hours are long. But good people and a good coach (and hopefully a good-looking physical trainer) make everything worthwhile. I choose to stay because of them.

Know this: "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson was the first video to air on MTV by a black artist.