Math Notes! =)

Was awakened today at 10 plus by Jing Hui's msg asking me how to go Parkway Parade from Bedok... Apparently she was frustrated by the super unreliable shuttle bus which I didnt even noe existed, lolx... Told her to take 31 cos I was most familiar with tat... After tat I lazed around for awhile b4 finally eating the Nutella tat I bought a few days ago with some bread... Miss the days when Nutella were a morale booster outfield when all we had were some green packets of slimy stuff, lolx... After tat I proceeded to attempt a Coordinate Geometry Qn which stunned me last Thursday during tuition and finally managed to find a shorter and neater way of solving it =) YAY!! Later can go explain to my student liao =) Since I still had some time, I came up with the random thought of trying to "create" my own set of Math notes for reference as well as to gif some of my students =P

Looked around the notes tat I had summarised for certain chapters and thought tat I would start with something simple... In the end I chose "Simultaneous Equations"... What could be simpler than tat? Spent some time trying to figure out how to insert equations and matrices while at the same time marvelling at Word 2007... Its seriously amazing la, being able to insert all the equations and different kinds of symbols! I explored abit and adjusted the different ways to present my case and finally came up with a 2-page summary (you can onli see part of it here cos I enlarged it) which consisted mainly of solving Simultaneous Equations using the Matrix Method... After like more than half an hour, I managed to finetune everything and settle for my summary... It's juz so cool, cant wait to do the same for the rest of the topics as well! =) Printed out one copy already, lolx... Looks cool to me! =P Anybody want Math notes?? =)

*This was one of the stickers I received from Audrey on Facebook... Super cool la! =P

Nostalgia...

Meridian Junior College Anthem

Born of a vision to be the best
Rising above the rest
We speak with one clear voice
As this is our choice...
'Cause we're

Born of a vision to be the best
Rising Above the rest
We speak with clear voice
Yes this is our choice
Meridian, yes we will be the best.

Feel the flame of our dream, burn forever
As our journey here begins
We're together
With each step we take we know
Strength to strength we'll grow
As we set ourselves apart

Facing challenges ahead
We will overcome
With passion, fervour we will strive
Spread our wings and fly
We will reach the highest star
Through Meridian
Yes, our hopes and dreams will shine.

Accomplished
Honourable
Servant Leaders

Happening events! =)

There's juz so much to write abt over the last few days! I shall do it in reverse chronological order, starting today =P (Note tat this entry's gonna be super long as well)

In the morning...
Went down for my 2nd driving lesson today... Finally got to start the engine and drive around, lolx... Had to practise maintaining the "half-clutch" position b4 starting the engine but the engine still stalled cos I released the pedal too quickly =( When I finally got moving after a few tries the feeling was quite fun... (cant imagine tat I'm actually driving, lolx) Stopped after some distance and the parking was another problem, hahaz... Dont reli noe how to gauge properly as I turned and reversed and the car became either slanted or it didnt fit nicely into the parking lot... (my car was "eating" slightly into the lot beside me as well) Learnt tat I needed to depress the clutch when coming to a stop if not the car would shake violently... Anyway there was this part when I was turning out of the parking lot and I didnt return the steering wheel to the original position and the car moved in a zig-zag way, lolx... Then there was this lady somewhere in front of me whom I think I scared cos my car was moving slowly closer and closer towards her... Luckily it was ultra slow speed and I turned away in time =/ Had total 3 chances to park but every opportunity was a mess, lolx... Guess I cant reli coordinate my hands, legs and eyes tat well yet... We touched abit on blind spots after tat and I practised abit as well... Quite dumb la, juz jerk my head to the right and left, lolx... Well, I prob hav a long way to go as I juz started onli... Reli hope tat my coordination gets better =)

Airport Day!(270108)
Woke up at 9 plus today feeling relaxed and carefree... No stress today cos I'm not playing =P Reached Agape at 10 plus and took my time buying something light to eat and oso got myself one iced Milo together with Yi Yin... The feeling of being able to hang around downstairs until 11 plus was reli v different =) Managed to tok and chat until abt almost 11.30 b4 I went up with Amos and company... Worship was great simply becos I could express myself so freely for once =) Totally enjoyed myself worshiping with the rest of the congregation... Cherished the opportunity cos it doesnt always arise... The sermon was gd as well... The topic was communicating the gospel clearly but in the end the focus shifted onto the need for God's love... I thought it was an impt reminder once again as we need to experience His love daily in order to move on in life... With everything tat life throws at us, if we try moving on with our own strength we'll prob collapse v soon... The lesson tat our self-worth is not based on our performance was reiterated once again and I think tat's wad many of us need to remember time and again, otherwise we'll juz get too caught up with the expectations of our society and go into depression... The altar-call song touched me the most during the whole service, though I already knew it quite well... Tat day it somehow found its way into the depths of my heart and I knew for sure tat "My Whole Life Is In His Hands" =) Its a Chinese song but I shall try to translate it here:

As I face You and look back on Your grace,
I realise Your miraculous guidance
I wait upon You, longing to touch Your heart's desire
Walking in Your Will, I entrust my future into Your Hands
Giving my all at the altar,
I will follow You to the Promised Land

I entrust my whole life unto Your hands
In the midst of storms and floods You are with me
I entrust my whole life unto Your hands
And run this race of life with purpose
I entrust my whole life unto Your hands
Learning to submit and wait for my final reward
I entrust my whole life unto Your hands
Truly, my whole life is in Your hands

Cool song isnt it?!? =P

Anyway after service I rushed off to the airport together with Nicholas, Chengyi, Li Juan and Mei Juan Jie to received Chengxin back from Brunei... We were looking for him from outside when he came behind us somehow, lolx... Went for lunch at Mac b4 heading down to his place... He shared many interesting experiences with us and told us abt the differences between Singapore and Brunei... For example, there is one point abt the way the ppl there shop... For some reason, they only go shopping on the last wk of every month, after they get their pay... So if u oso go on the last week its super crowded and there are massive jams all over the place... Tat's y Chengxin and his frenz always do their shopping within the first 3 weeks to avoid the super large crowd, lolx...

After lunch Chengyi and Li Juan left and the rest of us went back to his place... Nicholas stayed around for awhile b4 leaving at 5 plus cos he had to get back to work (night shift) I had a gd time looking at his Brunei pics and toking to him in his room... Tried to give as many updates as I could think of so tat he wont be too lost, hahaz... At abt 6 plus we left together with his mum for TM and I recommended the VienThai place again to him, lolx... We ordered first and shortly after Chengyi and Li Juan joined us again... This time round I tried the Omelette Rice (choice of chicken instead of prawn) and it was oso very nice la! =) Chengxin paid for our dinner (Thanks bro!) and I left for the airport again to fetch Simon and Calvin who was coming back from their business trip in Myanmar...

Arranged to meet Jasper at the airport at 9 and we waited for almost an hour cos their baggage wasnt out yet =( The service nowadays getting from bad to worse, lolx... Went down to Simon's place in Jasper's car and I listened while they shared their experience and how fruitful the trip was... Left at abt 11 plus and Jasper dropped me at the 27 Bus Stop... Thank You Jasper! =P It was close to midnight when I finally reached home... It's gd tat everyone is finally back with us! =)

Youth BBQ!! =) (260108)
I woke up close to 9 with a feeling of excitement... Called my bro to wake up as well to go NTUC together with me... I reached the TM NTUC slightly after it opened and we begin to grab packets of chicken wings like nobody's business, lolx... Spent some time arranging everything into the trolley tat we brought and lugged the rest back... Saw Zhi Yuan doing flag day with his senior on the way back and I gave him my full support =) AHS ppl do flag day I confirm donate, hahaz =P

Anyway I reached home and my mum showed me how to defrost the chicken wings asap so tat I could marinate it... Marinated one batch and waited for Yi Xin to arrive... I got her help last min cos my guys ps me =( At abt 11.30 she called then I went down to the bus stop to meet her... So the 3 of us (me, my bro and her) took up different positions and started to defrost the chicken wings and marinate them... She reminded me to break the chicken wing joints so tat it was easier to BBQ... Asked her abt her experiences in US oso and apparently she's still abit not used to Singapore, lolx... At first I thought we wouldnt have enough storage space but luckily all the aluminium trays we bought were enough... Phew! We finished everything b4 1pm and settled down to rest... Showed her around the hse and also talked for quite awhile... Jason called soon after tat and it was time to leave... Got my bro and Yi Xin to help carry the chicken wings downstairs as well as the hotdogs in the fridge, along with some other misc BBQ stuff... A big Thank You to Yi Xin for helping out! =P

We made our way across the road to Yi Yin's place to collect some fd and went down to Agape after that to get the rest of the BBQ stuff, including the ice at 7-11 and water dispenser... Reached ECP at abt 3.30pm and started to unload everything... Luckily the Pit was near enough to the carpark tat we stopped at... Jin Xiu was already there and I got her 2 sec 1 frenz Pei Xuan and Jia Jun to help us with the unloading...

After everything was finally in place, Uncle Yao Zhong and Chengyi helped started to set up the BBQ pit... I was getting worried waiting for the Otah and Satay but Thank God the uncle finally came =) By then, more ppl came and we got busier... Soon after, Jin Xiu started with a round of introductions and a simple game... After tat, it was officially announced tat we could all start eating!! =P Luckily we had already prepared some hotdogs and heated up some satays =) People started eating and we juz got busier, lolx... Soon the drinks ran out and I had to go top up... After tat we realised there was not enough drinks (although we had 24 1.5 litre bottles) and had to ask ppl to go buy...

Slightly after 6 Jin Xiu started with the second round of games - Dog and Bone... The gp was so big tat we had to split into 2 gps to play! We seriously had lots of new frenz la... Didnt manage to join them cos Chengyi and I went preparing more fd for them... I oso went to top up the water to the brim cos I anticipated tat they would be super thirsty after the games... Towards the end more ppl came oso but in the end we still had tons of fd left... Apparently I had prepared too much fd =( Thank God that Chengyi somehow managed to give away all the Otah and I gave away lots of hotdogs and chicken wings (Many Thanks to Shuqi, Danny and Eric)... Packed up the rest of the stuff and took a ride home from Shao Hong Uncle... All in all it was worth the effort cos I see everyone enjoying themselves! =)

Many many ppl to thank for the success of this BBQ:
- The youth leaders who believed in the 3 of us, esp. Li-Shien Jie's encouraging replies to my emails and Jasper's call on Thursday morning
- Chengyi for helping with the setting up of the BBQ pit, cooking the majority of the fd and teaching me how to tell if the chicken wings are fully cooked
- Li Juan for helping me to consolidate all the names of the ppl who were there, including new frenz as well (I want tat paper plate, lolx)
- Jason for helping me with the logistics and transportation of everything
- Yi Le for coming down although it was last min and helping to outreach to the new frenz
- Jin Xiu for coordinating the games and leading the welcome
- Kai Qi for helping me to top up the drinks when it ran out
- Mavis for buying the charcoal for us and helping to gif out the Encounter Camp cards
- Yi Xin for helping me to prepare and marinate the chicken wings
- Xin Hui for recce-ing the place to locate the nearest carpark as well as helping to collect the money from ALL the Sec 1/2s
- Sing Heng for meeting and bringing the Sec 1/2s over from Bedok Interchange
- Shuqi for gathering the Sec 1/2s for games and oso bringing home tons of packets of hotdogs, lolx
- Jing Ping for praying abt the whole event although he couldnt make it
- Yiyong's whole family for preparing the fd and helping with the logistics
- And last but not least THANK GOD for giving Jason, Jin Xiu and me the opportunity to prepare and plan this whole BBQ (I reli learnt alot from this Youth BBQ)

THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!! HOPE TAT U GUYS HAD AN ENJOYABLE BBQ!! =P

Reshuffling...

Actually I'm glad that I'm onli working 3 days every week... Makes things easier oso when some of my students hav something on last min, like wad happened yesterday nite... Jian Qian couldnt make it for her lesson today cos of afternoon lessons and cca after tat (prob due to her performance on Sat) and I had to slot her in tml nite, which means I hav to shift Joyce's tuition to Fri... Abit of inconvenience but I finally managed to pull it off, lolx... So juz now I was free after 5.30pm =)

Randomly managed to tok to Sean on MSN in the afternoon and we decided to meet up since we were both free... (He was on off and my tuition was shifted) Since I was in Bedok for tuition, I went down to Sheng Siong to check out some prices again to compare and confirm wad I had... Hope I'm not getting paranoid man! I reli want to get the best value out of the money tat we have... I do hope tat we hav enough fd! If got alot of new frenz then not enough fd so paiseh, lolx... Saw Eugene at KFC and he told me he may be bringing some frenz for BBQ... Oh man, GOD is reli working! (Initially he not bringing one) I cant imagine wad it'll be like on the actual day itself! =P

Anyway went down to Tampines MRT to meet Sean after tat and I took him on a tour of TM and CS to see wad we wanted to eat for dinner... In the end we decided on some Vietnamese fd at TM basement... Its juz beside the escalator when u go down (turn rite and voila!) We looked thru the menu and Sean saw this interesting dish which he ordered... Pineapple Laksa! I ordered the Soft Shell Crab with Chef's curry cos I thought it was kinda cool, lolx... We oso shared one side dish... Some prawn thingy with sugarcane inside... Sounds exotic? Lolx =) To top it all off, we ordered Viet Ice Tea and it turned out to be quite nice... Cant exactly describe the taste but its nice la, lolx... U get my point rite? It's juz super NICE!! =P Caught up abit with each other and toked abt the gd old days... It's reli quite unfair tat he has to go thru some major exercise juz b4 ORD =( Well, hang in there man! Freedom is coming very soon!! =)

After dinner we walked around TM for abit... I went to Popular to get myself a card holder (need to put in all my name cards cos if not my wallet becomes super bulky) and bought 2 pens as well... Then we went to YAMAHA to look at electronic drums and keyboards... I found the exact same keyboard resting in my living rm over there but a pity it was off and I didnt want to bother the staff to go on it and try... Sean managed to get a super duper comprehensive brochure on ALL the different kinds of drums they had in YAMAHA, and I reli mean ALL! Think it'll be sometime b4 he can finish going thru everything in there, lolx... Next we went to TIMES and stopped outside to watch Ratatouille for awhile... This is one of my personal favs! =P Went inside and browsed abit too... Saw the Ladybird Series which reminded me of my childhood, lolx... Used to read from 1A where there is like a few BIG words on one page all the way to 12C where it feels like u're reading a novel from the small size of the many many words on every page...

Talking abt books I think its time I start reading something b4 all my unread books rot and decompose, lolx... Think I'll start with this book titled "Wild At Heart" tat Calvin juz passed to me from Li-Shien Jie... Now the thing is I need to make sure I start, cos if its interesting enough I'll definitely continue reading and reading until I finish it... The onli problem is tat I dont start somewhere and in the end nothing gets read, lolx... Other then tat I think I have abt 10 other books waiting to be read??? Gosh! When will I learn to start reading and stop buying so many other books, lolx =P Alrite then, I shall set this goal for myself : to start reading books now tat I still can afford the time!

My first driving lesson!

Went for my first driving lesson today at Ubi Ave 1... Reached Blk 315 slightly earlier and there was still another student (a lady) inside the car toking to the instructor... Luckily I didnt hav to wait too long b4 it was my turn... I approached the white Nissan and got to see my instructor face to face for the first time... (my fren's uncle) He looked reli old and full of exp, lolx...

We started off with some admin stuff and I filled in my particulars in this booklet of his... He went thru the "terms and conditions" with me and tore out my PDL from its original form... Then he proceeded to ask me some theory stuff and I think I flunked most of it, lolx... Learnt abt the 5 diff kinds of lights at the back of a car and the diff parts beneath the bonnet... Also managed to play around with the clutch and gear abit though the engine was nv actually started... Other then that we toked about other random theory stuff ranging from signs to situations on the road... Think he could see that I wasnt tat knowledgeable, lolx... I tried my best to ask wadever I could think of and oso to ans all tat he asked... Overall was still ok... He was serious but the mood wasnt too heavy cos he cracked some jokes =) I left with my head bursting with stuff and trying to remember all tat I learnt... We arranged the date and timing for the next lesson and I bid goodbye... All in all I thought it was quite cool la! =)

After tat I went down to Agape to get back my foolscap pad tat I left behind on Sunday and also to collate all the stuff tat I could bring and use for the BBQ... Thought I might as well consolidate everything since I'm there already so tat things will be easier on Sat... Took me almost one hour but I finally managed to sort out wad I could bring and noted wad else I had to buy... Thanked Li-Shien Jie for her help (she had the keys to the cabinets near the water cooler) and left Agape... Went down to Simei to meet my Dad and cut my hair... Did abit of price checking for the fd at NTUC b4 finally heading back home... So far there's near to 80 ppl!! Reli thank God man! I do hope tat this BBQ will be a fruitful one and tat the harvest will come in! =)

p.s. All the best to those who are getting their 'O' Level results on Thursday! =P