Escape Themepark for CIP

On the 17th of November, 9 of us from 08A04 volunteered to accompany the kids from Evergreen Primary School to Escape Themepark. In essence, we had to babysit the students and watch after them. Certainly it was an opportunity not to be missed, considering chasing after kids under the scorching sun, entertaining their nonsense, and waking up early in the morning, were small prices to pay for an all-paid-trip (including lunch) to the themepark. Most of the kids were the same ones we played with during our Service Learning. Based on that experience, I thought meeting them again would be nice. I was very touched when one of the kids, Yee Kang, actually remembered me from our earlier meeting. However, I was attached to 3 malay girls, who I did not meet during the Service Learning. 2 of them were Primary Threes, and the other one was Primary 5. They were really adorable kids. Very hilarious and witty, especially during lunch at Burger King. Amalina and I made conversation with them by asking them questions about school and life. Bill Cosby was right, kids do say the darnest things. Amalina and I were laughing in between bites of our burgers and french fries. The girls just looked at us curiously and shrugged it off with satisfaction and the erroneous notion that we were just plain crazy to be laughing non-stop. I must add, they were quite the dare-devils too. They tried almost all of the rides, and even went on most of the 'scary' rides more than once! I was impressed and utterly embarrassed that I was too scared to accompany them on some of the rides. With them, you are obligated to go on the rides, firstly to protect them, but mainly (and sadly) to protect your own pride. Of course, there were tears of fear now and then (No, not mine! Gosh, give me some credit.) but all in all I had a great time, and I hope they did too.

After, I had to rush from Admiralty to Toa Payoh to Potong Pasir for Track training! I was exhausted from the day at Escape and the rushing to catch the buses and mrt surprised me with a new-found stamina. I was quite the superwoman that day, I must say. I wrapped up the whole day halfway while watching Desperate Housewives and crashed onto my cosy and warm bed with a huge grin on my face. A meaningful and productive day it was, indeed.

Know this: During pregnancy, the average woman's uterus expands up to five hundred times its normal size. (A dedication to those who are baby-crazy at the ages of 17 and 16. You two know who you are.)

A Night of Ketchup

On the 16th of November, I met up with Nurul and Aqila, my secondary school gal pals. We desperately needed a night of catch-up to update each other about the on-goings of our college lives. It had been a long while since we last met up, therefore there was plenty to share. In a way, distance and time did us a favour, as the night was never at any point halted with a pause of awkwardness as we constantly had something to say. However, I should have been there for them when they shared about their not so happy times. There were indeed 'shocking' news and some not so shocking news. I guess some things just never change.

Anyway, it was a blast being with them, laughing and gossiping, and just hanging. We should definitely do this again. Love you girls, and till next time.

Know this: If you rubbed garlic on the sole of your feet, it would be absorbed and eventually show up on your breath.

Rihanna's Concert was Awesome!

On the 13th of November, my sister, her best friend and her best friend's sisters and I went to the Rihanna! concert. It fell on my auspicious and favourite number, so I just had to go. I must say, I had one of the best times of my life. I danced my ass off and sang my heart out. I waved my hands from side to side, just like Rihanna told us to, and jumped when she jumped. Rihanna was so beautiful. She looked as flawless as she does on television. I was so mesmerized. Her sweet and sultry voice filled the Indoor Stadium.
Of course, there were some undesirable events that happened along the way, all the more making the day a memorable one indeed. Firstly, my sister and I hailed a cab driven by a typical old man, who was not in favour of the night life, nothing of the partying and 'let's have fun at a concert' sort, unfortunately. He was bitter throughout the trip, complaining that there might not be space for him to park his cab since it was going to be crowded with teenagers who were only looking forward to having a good time. He also almost got into a fight with another cab driver next to us, who was on the verge on scratching his 'million dollar' taxi. He cheated by sister with the cab fare, of about $4. It was horrible! He was horrible.

Then when we reached the North Entrance of the Indoor Stadium, we were greeted with good news, as we were upgraded to much better seats than we actually paid for. And it was free seating too so being early birds, we got hold of the best seats in our area, the centre block and centre seats. It was perfect. Of course, it was too good to be true, when a lady, who was actually quite well-mannered, albeit calculative, demanded that 3 of the seats we took were hers. The ushers must not have informed her that it was free seating, so first-come-first-served, or rather, you-snooze-you-lose, we all thought. Except for this other lady who decided to 'express' her unwelcomed opinion on the situation and protested that the seats be surrendered to the other lady. Lucky for us, the usher that 'attempted' to mediate the situation, panicked and solved the problem by moving us even further up to the stage. It was unbelievable! We were so near to the stage, yet we paid for seats on the last row of the whole entire stadium! Gosh, talk about a blessing in disguise. Of course, we all were nervous as we sat in those seats, worried that more people might come in and claim that those seats were theirs. In the end, all was good. The ushers signalled the closing of the doors and the best time of my teenage life officially began.

However, the mishaps did not stop there. The opening song was 'Disturbia', which we were all so excited for. Then her microphone stopped working! She was so mad. She stormed to the side of the stage where the technicians were and gave them one hell of a scolding, while the song was still playing. She then marched to the centre of the stage after rolling her eyes at the technicians. It was all caught on the big screens! I was terrified, thinking that she would no longer be in the mood to continue with the concert, considering her opening act was a total mess. She ended up just dancing and waving to the beat of the song, while the back-up singers continued singing. Fortunately, she was cool about the whole technical glitch. She was smiling to us and the audience sort of sang the song for her. It was amazing. When her microphone did work, she apologized on behalf of the crew. She even had a sense of humour about it, and I was glad that it was HER people that screwed up, not Singapore. It would have been a bad first impression if it were to have been Singaporean technicians in-charged of the microphones, considering it was her first time performing on our island.

After all the madness, Rihanna performed all of my favourite songs, including those that I am just beginning to be very fond of because of the concert. It is so difficult deciding on a favourite performance as I enjoyed every single one of them. The upbeat songs were great to dance to and the slow ones were nice to sing-along to. I had the time of my life during all the performances. She even sang Live Your Life, "ain't got no time for no haters, just live your life". I especially loved it when she held her microphone to the crowd and they began singing. It was so sad to see her wave goodbye after performing her smash hit 'Umbrella'. Strangely, I miss her so much. And, I know it was awfully silly of me to actually expect my boyfriend, I mean her boyfriend, Chris Brown, to somehow jump out and surprise us all with a performance of his own and then after, a duet with Rihanna. I did not put my hopes up too high inspite of all the tempting rumours spurred on by the radio stations, about Chris Brown travelling to Singapore alongside Rihanna. It did not happen. I was disappointed, just a tad bit. But the awesome-ness of the whole concert pretty much made up for it. The glaring and colourful lights, the blasting sound-system and THE Rihanna, for crying out loud! It was surreal. Maybe next time, Chrissy boy, dear, my love, forever!

The concert lasted for an hour and then the stadium emptied. Outside, there were other celebrities we chanced upon who were also apparently fans of Rihanna. We met Nurul Aini, Nurfasarie and Shan Wee! I was so star-strucked despite having been in the same room as Rihanna just moments before. Well, it was different. We got to be so close to these people, we got to talk to them and even took pictures with them, not of them. So it was a different kind of excitement. Nurul was so funny and friendly. They both were very gorgeous. A pleasure meeting them both.

I shall end of with a declaration that I, indubiously, had a blast during the concert, all thanks to Rihanna and my sister, who generously sponsored the wonderful opportunity for me. Thank you!

Have a nice one...

In the 'Bad' Cab

Our view from our First Seats

The Beautiful Rihanna enters...

Shut Up and Drive

Rihanna waves goodbye to Singapore

Mummy, it's over!

Me, My sister, Nuraini, Siti and Haslina

Us with the Model-esque Nurul and the Stunning Nurfasarie

Still star-strucked. Can you tell?

Anyway, my 14-year-old cousin headed off to Hong Kong today, for a CCA leadership training camp. So proud of him for being selected. It will be his first plane flight. I wish him good health and good luck. Have fun lil' cuz!

Know this: If you lock your knee while standing long enough, you will pass out.

Right Back On Track!

I had dinner in school with my fellow track members last Tuesday. We had delicious pizza and sushi. I do not like sushi, so I did not touch those. Ms Tan apparently felt generous and decided to treat us all to the wonderful dinner we had, right after gym training. Thanks Ms Tan! It was really nice to eat together and grace each other with our presence. Of course we do that everytime during training, but it was nice to see each other relaxed.

Although I am the only girl in the sprinter team, amongst the mob of guys, somehow I still feel like I belong and I fit in. There are times where we have to get in pairs to do some drills and I will be left stranded like an abandoned child with my 4kg medicine ball. Then my oh-so-kind coach will go, 'Rose (yup, he must think I am a flower), you no partner, right? Come, I partner you.' That is when I know that it is alright being the only girl because coach will never make me feel alone. I have the BEST coach in the whole entire world. Moreover, the boys always make me laugh with their silly antics and their 'Go Ros, girl power!' before I run individually. I love it most when training ends and I'll go, 'Bye guys!' and they will simultaneously, like a kindergarten class say, 'Bye Ros!' They are indeed a sweet bunch. But just one more girl on the team would be a blessing, no doubt. Any takers?

Nonetheless, I am really glad that I decided to go back to running after my primary school days in KCP athletics team, and when I swore that I will never ever run again. We really had it rough back then when training was never something I looked forward to. Times got really tough for us 11-12 year olds. My only 2 driving forces were my friends and my competitiveness, my hunger to always come first. When I joined Netball in my secondary school years I realised how much I actually missed being on Track. And it would have been better for me too as I lacked stamina and I still do. When I was on Track, the focus was on building my speed, not stamina. So the sprinters were often excused from the distance running. However, Netball trainings always started with 10 rounds around the court. More often than not, I trailed behind. I hated warm ups. So at times, I hated Netball too.

Now I am fortunate to be running again. I may not be as good as I used to be (if I was ever good before), but I am working hard at it. I know I will not win any medals for the school, but I do want to represent the school someday in a competition. Let us just hope that I will not come in dead last, when I do wear the SAJC Track jersey one day. I will give my best in trainings and coach will help me too. Plus, the perks of being the only girl include having the guys as your bench mark. They push me to do better and be faster. We set the pace, you win the race. Of course there are other privileges, which include running half of 2.4km and an extended timing for dashes.

All in all, I am very happy to be in this CCA. Yeah there are days I just wished I never had a CCA at all, but the thought that it is for my own benefit, that I will gain a toned physique with a nice tan, is reason enough.

I guess my running days can never be considered as over. It is hard to give up something you know you are good at and have potential excelling in, no matter how much you may think you dislike it. Bottom line, it is great to be right back on track (get the pun?)!

Have a good one...

To a dear friend whose world may not seem so bright these past few days, know that I am here for you, for advice, comfort, a shoulder to cry on, a bodyguard that protects you from people probing you with questions when you clearly do not want to talk about it, or just a listening ear. Know that I care and that everything will be all right. Insya' allah. - From Mariah Carey to Avril Lavigne.

Know this: Eggs sink in water when they are fresh and float when expired.

Tyra Banks, Watch Out!

Chronic boredom has led me to do just about anything to entertain myself, and in this case you, my fellow readers. After shopping last night, my sister and I decided to snap some shots of me, posing my ass off, if I may add. It was a lot of fun and tiring too. I am glad that I have an equally insane sister to entertain my nonsense. I also decided to explore the wonderful world of Picnik to edit the pictures so they seem more editorial and professional. Modelling is fun, even if it is in the comfort of your own home. So Tyra Banks, watch out! A new supermodel is in town. Delusional, delusional... Say what you want, but Cyndi Lauper says 'Girls just wanna have fun.' Know this: During World War II, the very first bomb dropped on Berlin by the Allies killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

Do Somethin'

Basically my holidays are mostly taken up by my Track trainings, not only in terms of the days but the timing too. I will be having training every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. Translated, I will not be able to go out on these days because if I were to have a head-start on shopping in the morning, I will have to rush for training in the afternoon. I will not be able to enjoy myself then because my mind will be constantly bombarded with reminders about the training. And if I were to go out after training, I will be way too tired. And since I refuse to let the public see the horrendous me after training, I would want to take a shower and freshen up first. But getting home takes another hour and I will be even more tired to go out after 8.30pm. So on these three days, my time and energy are devoted to only keeping myself fit through Track trainings.
It is not that bad, to come to think about it. I still have 4 days out of the week to enjoy. Moreover, it makes the four days even more precious to me. If I could, I would want to drag my whole family out every day of the four days. In addition, since training starts at 4.30pm, I will never have to miss out on my beauty sleep in the morning. I can still sleep in as late as I want to.
I really do want to make this holiday a special one. My economics teacher, Ms Hon, once told my classmates and I that after the Promotional Examinations and PW, we MUST enjoy ourselves. We have to "really play", as quoted by her. She explains that when Year 2 starts, there will be no fun, no enjoyment and no freedom. It will be crunch time ALL the time by then. Many teachers consider Year 1 as the luxury year. Although, I personally was struggling in this supposed 'luxury year'. I could only imagine the intensity of next year.
So that is why I really want to have fun this holiday. I want to meet up with my secondary friends, even the Student Councillors, have an outing with my JC ones and spend more time with my family. If you happen to fall into any of the above categories, you know my schedule. Make my day and give me something to look forward to.
Whatever it is, I just want to do something.

Like accompanying my mother to Geylang (when it is not even the Raya season?!) to buy a selendang, for a fancy dinner my father and her are going to...

She started drinking the Coke, before it was paid for, which makes the drink haram. She felt guilty, can you tell?

By the way, I love this song. To those who are still looking...

This time
I wonder what it feels like
To find the one in this life
The one we all dream of
But dreams just aren't enough
So I'll be waiting for the real thing
I'll know it by the feeling
The moment when we're meeting
Will play out like a scene straight off the silver screen
So I'll be holdin' my breath
Right up to the end
Until that moment when
I find the one that I spend forever with
- 'Gotta Be Somebody' by Nickelback

Know this: Even when all the molecules in a single breath of air have been dispersed evenly in the earth's atmosphere, there will still be one or two of the same ones taken into the lungs with every subsequent breath. Every time you breathe in, you inhale one or two of the same molecules that you inhaled with the first breath you took as a baby.

The Wrong Vibe

Please tell me you can somehow relate to this.
Have you ever met someone who just gives you an uncomfortable vibe? Not meaning to offend any prude, but I mean more of you not being able to 'click' with the person. You just cannot stand being next to the person, to see the person or even being in the same room as the person, let alone engage in a decent conversation with him/her. And there is no word to describe how you feel about this person. You are certain though that the word is not 'like'. It is not 'hate', but more leaning towards 'dislike'. The best I can come up with right now is 'repel'. You cannot click with this person, so you repel.
And the worst part of the whole thing is, this person did not do you any wrong. This person did not hurt you or offend you. In fact, this person has been nothing but nice to you. And his/her good deeds repulse you even more because you think this person is trying way to hard to please you. This person becomes petty and pathetic. You on the other hand, act like a total bitch towards this person, everytime this person speaks to you, nicely. You just cannot bring yourself to like this person no matter how hard you try because this 'thing' gets worse. You start to dislike the person's walk, the way he/she talks, his/her appearance and even his/her bag. Everything about this person is wrong.
I wish I could wrap my finger around what exactly is the barrier that prevents me, oh-so successfully, from being a nice person, just as that person has been to me. And I begin to hate myself even more because I know this person is not at fault. I really have no reason to be angry at this person, let alone dislike this person.
I may not necessarily be referring to anyone. Just something I believe we all can relate to. If it were true, I will be experiencing tremendous guilt, penitence and pain, as guilt will be eating me alive inside. My mood will drain out as conscience begins to nag at me. Why do I put myself through this? Some say, I deserve it. And I agree.
First superficiality and now this? I feel a sudden need to express my thoughts about these issues as it is a way for me to admit that I am in the wrong. It is wrong to be shallow and it is wrong to dislike someone without any apparent reason. Well, like they say, the first step to cure is to admit that you have a problem.
I want to be a better person and make things right. I was utterly disappointed when I heard this quote from House as Dr House referred to Dr Cuddy-

"You won't be happy unless the world is as it should be.
That only means two things- one, that you are a good [person],
and that you'll never be happy."

My heart sank because deep down I know this is the truth. I can try, with all my power, to change what I know is wrong about me, and believe me I have tried, really hard. But this is me. I have to be at peace with the truth and what the world is, and not what it should be. Only then can I be happy, happy enough to make the best of things. We all have flaws. Let us just accept them and make the world a better place with our virtue.

Know this: Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.