Missing Out? I Think Not.

In the beginning, I was pretty adament that I was not going to hunt for a holiday job. I had some reasonable backing for that decision. First of all, I promised myself a well- deserved break, in which I will sleep as late as I wanted to, do whatever I wanted to do and catch up on things that I had missed out on because of school, such as this very blogging thing and shopping. Secondly, 3-weeks was not enough to build a reputation in a workplace. It would just feel wrong to resign after just 3- weeks. As an employer, I would be pissed- off if my employee decided to quit after such a short period of time. Now I am seeing, hearing and reading of most of my friends working. I am starting to feel dubious about my laze.
Not long ago, I went to school to collect some stuff and I ran into a teacher, Ms Tay. She asked me about my current status, whether I had signed up for the 3- weeks JC program. When I replied no, she immediately assumed that I was working. When I told her no again, she said ' So just bumming around lah?' Her tone was so judgemental, as if it was such a crime. I replied to her, 'More like enjoying the holidays.' She gave a smirk and walked away.
That encounter made me question my decision to relax and spend more time at home. Do I always have to be doing something respectable? What was worse, she judged me when I responded with a 'shocking' answer, as if it was expected of me to work.
I might be blowing this out of proportion. I guess I was too used to be the one everyone pats on the back in school all these time. I was always involved in the school productions, which was always handed to me. The teachers are probably concerned if I will be able to grab an opportunity myself someday. Well, I assure them, I am a go- getter. The main reasons why I chose not to work this holiday is because firstly, I don't need the money. I was able to snag $250 from my Merit Bursary because I had already worked my ass off in school to achieve good grades. Secondly, I have much better things to do, such as going shopping with my beloved family, one thing that I did not really get to do often because of my million and one commitments in school.
To those who have a vacay- job, good for you. The pay can really come in handy.
As for those who don't, breathe in and savour the holiday. We might never get to again.

Know this: "Speak of the Devil" is short for "Speak of the Devil and he shall come". It was believed that if you spoke about the Devil it would attract his attention. That's why when you're talking about someone and they show up people say "Speak of the Devil."

Reverse Psychology Secrets Revealed?

I assume that it is pretty clear now that I do not go to crowded, over- rated places, especially with my family, due to certain self-conscience reasons. So my outing strategy is simply to go to under- rated places like Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio Hubs. My other going- out strategy is a little complex--reverse psychology, they call it. Meaning, I think of an exceedingly over- rated place and that is my place of shopping conquest. Quite simply, many people would think that the place would be full of familiar faces. Not that familiar faces are a bad thing, but sometimes these faces are meant for school, in uniform, not outside with your family and other friends. Catch my drift? Moving on, this 'many people' I mentioned earlier on, will think alike, and so an exceedingly over- rated place is actually not what most people think it is. Hence, reverse psychology.
It is quite obvious that the topic of this post was inspired by a true event. So, filling in the blanks: recently, I have been going to Junction 8, to grab a bite or DVD shopping with my dear mother, while my other siblings head on to school. Also, lately, I have been catching a glimpse of familiar faces everywhere, a particular gang in my school to be specific. The first time I saw them there, I thought to myself, it must be coincidence. The second time I saw them again, this time in an expanded gang, yup, there were more of them! This time, I do not think it was a coincidence anymore. Could they have cracked the reverse psychology code? I doubt because when it comes to anything at all, I am the only one who put in the effort to analyse the situation just so my family and I can go out in comfort. Looking at their dress- code, they were a little over- dressed for Junction 8. So what the f*ck were they doing roaming around my turf? Return to yours, at Orchard Road, man! Now I have to be on my toes, having to think twice as hard as to what I wear and how to do my hair. Image is everything when it comes to people you know. Frustration overwhelms me but Junction 8 is a place I have to venture into, whether I like it or not. It's where they sell my favourite Honey Dew Milk Tea.



Know this: Temper is the one thing you cannot get rid off by losing it.

Check Out 'Play Me' Element

It is featuring Meredith Grey and Derek Shepard from Grey's Anatomy, one of my most favourite shows all- time. It is so compelling. I also love the song played in the clip, by Travis 'Love Will Come Through'. While watching, do catch Meredith's confession of love at exactly 2:11~

"I love you in a really, really big

'pretend-to-like-your-taste-in-music',

'let-you-eat-the-last-piece-of-cheese-cake',

'hold-a-radio-over-my-head-outside-your-window',

'unfortunate- way- that -makes-me-hate-you'

love you."

I'm sure everyone has loved someone in that 'crazy-in-love'' way once in their lifetime before. Well, at least I have.

Know this: Grey's Anatomy is on every Tuesday at 11.30pm.

An Early Wake Up Call

My flat is currently undergoing an upgrading, building an elevator in front of my house. The damn contractors start work at around 8.30am every day, except for Sundays, as that is their break day. How do I know this, you may wonder. Well, I have made friends with one of the foreign workers. Yeah right! Just kidding. Actually, I am woken up, everyday, by their relentless drilling. The ear- bleeding noise of the drill kills me. From my usual, 11.30am wake-up time, I am now usually awake by 9am. I am honestly going crazy with all the noise. And all the sleep that I'm NOT getting is making me a bitter and cranky person. It's ugly! So I thought to myself, maybe it's just for today. They are using the drill to remove portions of the corridor to make way for the elevator. Once they get to building, not removing, it should be quieter. I was sadly mistaken. When I peeped outside to see the progress, to my surprise, they were not even removing any parts of the corridor YET, they were still trying to remove, what looks like to me, the layers of paint on the walls of my flat. If such a pollutive noise is produced to only remove a thin layer of the corridor, I could only imagine what the noise would be like if they were to ever remove the whole thing. I am honestly going out of freaking my mind, tossing and turning at 9am to try to fall back to sleep, experimenting every position I possibly can to shut the noise out. Unless the contractors put the drilling and more recently, banging, on silent mode, only then will I ever be able to get back my beauty sleep. Till then, the beast is here to stay.

Know this:"Happy Birthday" was the first song to be performed in outer space, sung by the Apollo IX astronauts on March 8, 1969

Flash Backs

Recently, I went back to school to receive an Edusave Merit Bursary Award. While I was seated among other recipients waiting eagerly to just get the cash and go home, my heart simply skipped a beat when I heard the emcee announc that the Flame Dancers from my school would be performing a song entitled 'I Believe'. There are many songs entitled 'I Believe', one of which was once performed by the Student Council girls and I in 2006, then there is also of course 'I Believe' by Tata Young. I reckoned that Tata Young's song was much more popular and it had a video even. The one I performed was taken off from the movie 'Honey' starring Jessica Alba. It was not really a debut hit. All of a sudden, a familiar beat filled the school hall. The Flame Dancers, as amateur as they are, used that song for their performance! Flash backs starting flooding in my head, and my palms were sweating. It brought me back to the days I spent with the girls to rehearse the steps together. I would not consider the dance as remarkably fantastic, but everyone was praising us. So respectfully and humbly, we thanked them anyway. We did work hard to master the choreography from the movie itself. It was even a harder challenge for me as I had to first learn the choreography and then break them down to teach the girls. Unfortunately, the Flame Dancers did not do the song justice. Actually they never really did any song they performed justice. Once, they performed 'My Love' by Justin Timberlake, only to be soon labelled the 'Lame Dancers' or the 'Phlegm Dancers. Those poor girls. Better luck next time. And remember never EVER re-use a song that had been performed before, especially when those performers had set the bars too high for your reach.

Here's our performance back in 2006 starring (in front): Siti, Aneza (back from left): Aqila, Me, Nadia, Cheryl, Nurul and Priscilla


Know this: A snail can sleep for 3 years.

Cares up in the Air are now Tumbling Down

Man, it's crunch time. The thought of my Olevel results are kicking in already. As the money in my household dries up, I find myself at home more often than usual. Naturally, thoughts are sinking in, both positive and negative ones. in the beginning of the holidays it was like, 'throw your cares up in the air and I don't think they're comin' down'. Now the 'cares' are raining on me! I am truly shaken up by the possibility of me not doing well for my Olevels or worse-- I fail my EL subject. I have this disgusting gut feeling that I wrote out of point. My sister and I have been deliberating the topic for my Olevel composition. What the hell is 'reputation'? How the fuck is is different from 'expection'? If they mean the same thing then why wouldn't they just use 'expection' , a word we are more comfortable and familiar with when used in a sentence like 'live up to her expection' not reputation. That could only mean one thing then, there is an underlying trick to the word. The examiners must have been looking for something in our composition that justifies the fact that we do know the EXACT definition of reputation. Oh man I'm screwed.
Anyway, the worst that could happen is I end up the Institute of Techincal Education. Boy, will I be the misfit there. The squeaky- clean girl who didn't live up to her expection. (See how easy that sentence was. Damn it!) My friends are almost certain that I will do well. So the pressure is on. On top of all that, my family are counting on me to admit into a junior college. Easier said than done, dear!
Personally, I want to go to a junior college. My target is Nanyang Junior College. I would have to achieve an L1R5 of 11, since I wish to enter into the Arts stream. My target aggregate is 12, and with the deduction of the CCA points, I would be fine. I am so scared. I don't know how I'm going to react once my name is called out to receive my results. I would probably faint. I just don't want to cry. Maybe tears of joy, but definitely not of sadness and disappointment. To have to confess to my parents the bad news, I might just kill myself.
To any other person, it's probably not a big deal if they don't do as well as they expected, but it means the world to me if I don't do as well as everybody expects me to.
Well, when the day comes, it's do or die, sink or swim. It's really only up to the one that is above us all. As for me, I can only pray.

To lighten up your spirits after reading such a depressing post, here are some pictures of me and my family in the care- free days for your viewing pleasure.

Know this: Butterflies taste with their feet.

A Brand New Year... Already?

My oh my! 2008 came in a hurry, didn't it? Well I would think that because 2007 was indeed a hectic and flustered year with my Olevels, prelims and mock exams. Too much studying that time sort of went by. Gosh I thought the saying was 'time flies when you're having fun', not 'time flies when you are stressed and have your face buried in your school books'. I guess that saying is new.
Anyway, 2007 was a crazy year for the celebrity world wasn't it? Well there's Britney Spears to say the least, then Lindsay Lohan in and out of rehab, Jamie Lynn Spears latest pregnancy announcement, also the planned pregnancy of Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Richie (well not too sure if that was planned or not), Paris Hilton jail- term, then there were also unfortunate deaths, like Kanye West's mother Donda West, Anna Nicole Smith and the legendary James Brown (Rest In Peace for them all), then our own Hady Mirza was also crowned the first Asian Idol, not forgeting the Team Singapore who won a record- breking number of gold medals-47! Congratulations to them all!
Wow! A lot went on for them. As for me, 2007 was also memorable. I experienced my very first allergy reaction in my entire life. I was covered in hives during the September holidays. I will never forget how grotesque I looked then. I also started this blog thing, something that I never thought I would ever venture into, since I hate advance technology. I also became the Vice- President of the Student Council. Oh yes, Olevels happened too.
Now stepping into 2008, I feel rejuvenated. As though I have a second chance to start things over again. I promise I will do things better this time. I'll be more sociable and friendly, since that is an essential requirement now that I'm entering into a new tertiary institution. I will also be more brave and vocal to issues that matter. I used to be too shy to ask and too proud to lose, but that will all change.
Every new year is an opportunity given to us to do things over. Some of those things we encounter may not be the same as the year before, it's usually tougher actually, but as for those things we have been through, like studies in general and your friends and family, we now have a chance to make things right. This is our shot to be a better person. Let's just take it.

Know This: . When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red.