Treasure Hunt!

Today is a super packed day... Let's start at the beginning... I struggled reli hard to wake up at 7.30am today cos I'm supposed to meet Si Hao, Yi Yong and Chengyi together with my brother for breakfast at tm Mac... Well, I almost lost the struggle but somehow I managed to tell myself to get out of bed at 7.35am... Anyway my brother was complaining tat we'll be late but I was confident that we wont be last, lolx... In the end we were the second to reach lor! Shared a meal with my brother b4 leaving for City Hall... We reached there super early (9.10am I think) then got nothing to do, lolx... Chengyi gave us the instructions first so that we could read the first page... I waited for Kaiqi and then for Shuting's frens (Sheryl and Hsiaoqi) to arrive... Super familiar la her frenz... Turns out that they came to Agape before...

Anyway we started off by taking photo with the Christmas tree juz outside the Starbucks cos the more photos a group takes with Christmas trees, the more bonus points they have, lolx... Muz be one of Chengyi's clever ideas, hahaz... After that we decided to head down to the Esplanade to begin our search... There were mainly 4 different areas that we had to visit - Esplanade, Suntec, Marina Square and Funan... And we onli started off with the clues to the first part of the hunt, at abt 11.10am I literally dashed back to the Starbucks to get the clues for the second half la... Super tired after that... Along the way we reli took many photos with Christmas trees, lolx... First time in my life I so thick-skin ask so many strangers to take photo for us with the Christmas trees, hahaz... Got rejected a few times but after awhile you get used to it... It's juz like doing flag day, lolx... But this one got motivation, so it's not tat bad, cos there's something to look forward to at the end =)

Anyway, we were close to finishing the whole thing at abt 12 plus, where we stopped for lunch at the Funan KFC... I had to tar pow cos got worship prac at 1 then had to leave :( Well all gd things muz come to an end... Jason came down and sub me... I got a surprise when I reached Agape and saw Chengyi and Li Juan there... So tat's the ending point! The way they set the clue abit hard to get it la, lolx... In the end I was told tat he had to call every gp and give them additional info...

As for worship, initially it was onli Enz and me playing and I realli tried my very best to fill in wadever I could fill in... Then Simon said that Jing Ping could make it somehow but would be late, so thank God la, at least got 3-piece band... Drum and Keyboard onli I super stressed leh... Somehow the 3 of us did it and we even managed to finish way before time, which is super rare, lolx...

I went down and was surprised tat the youth were still there... I rejoined my gp while listening to Chengyi reading out the various answers... Soon it was time to reveal the gp positions... At first I was hopeful tat we would make it to the top 3 at least... (there were 5 gps altogether) When the last 2 gps were announced and it was not us, I got a little more ambitious... Probably 2nd? And maybe, juz maybe we'll be first? When we got down to the top 2 gps my hopes started to get up and I actually believed that we'll be the champions... And guess wad, WE WON!!! =) Was abit stunned but happy nonetheless cos it was worth all the effort and sweat and brain cells we killed trying to figure out all sorts of funny things, lolx... N we won not becos we got more qns rite but cos we had more christmas tree photos taken, lolx... During the hunt it became quite routine for the gals to point out christmas trees while I tried to find someone to take the photo for us... Anyway our "grand prize" was a $60 Popular voucher and lots of Potato Chips... Kaiqi kindly gave up his share of the voucher so we got $15 each =) Haha can finally buy books from Popular again, lolx... It was reli tiring but I enjoyed every single bit of it =)

After tat went down to Expo with my brother to meet my Dad to go see the Metro Sales... Bought a new bag although it wasnt reli tat nice... I think it was becos of the discounted price la, hahaz... After tat went back home to bathe and get ready to attend Donne's 21st bday party... Muz say that he's reli a relaxed kinda guy... Juz wear casual then mingle with frenz... He seems so happy too! Anyway the best part was when after Jasper prayed for him the guys literally pushed him into the river and he went in with a resounding "SPLASH"!! He was still cool abt it after tat, hahaz... That's Donne for u =) Thanks Donne once again for ur invitation... It was reli enjoyable! =)

Christmas Marathon (Part 2)

Ok to continue from part 1, Hui Ping notified me tat they'll be late shortly after I finished my post and I was v tired so I went to sleep =P Woke up at abt 5.30pm to check the time but they still havent call yet... Anyway as I was abt to return to bed my phone rang... Finally!! Lolx... I described my location to Enz (I was at home la) and we decided on picking me up at the bus stop opposite my hse... Called Danny after I got on and guess wad? He told us to go to AHS, cos apparently his cousin's hse super near there =) SO gd, can go back to my sec sch yet again, hahaz... When we arrived, he was outside the sch at the first junction guiding us in... (turn left at the very first junction after exiting from AHS main gate) Stopped at no. 7 on the left (odd numbers) and went in...

His cousin's place was reli cool la, super nice and spacious... As we stepped in, the gals were watching TV and the guys were crowded around a labtop... My curiosity got the better of me (actually Enz oso) so we bent over to take a look... It's..... MAPLESTORY!! Dotz rite? Nv play b4 and I dunno how it can be so addictive, lolx... Anyway Danny showed us around and we oso went up the stairs... Climbed and climbed and climbed somemore... In total there were 4 stories la!! It's not everyday that u get to visit a 4-storey hse rite? Anyway rite at the top there's this big balcony which is reli windy... As we stepped out the wind juz gushed pass us and its reli cooling =) Looked around at to my utmost surprise, we were like so near to AHS la!!! Its like u can almost jump across into the sch parade square! Amazing la! Imagine staying there and waking up at 7.15am and still being early for sch, lolx... Enz and me were so fascinated that we took a photo together... (a pity the AHS background not v obvious)

After that we went back down to first level and started attacking the fd =P Oh ya, Danny even prepared presents for us... (I'm so touched!) Anyway, the food was quite nice and I couldnt stop myself from taking second helpings... After that he even took out a log cake and served us personally... My piece was so big la but the cream super nice and yummy =) His hospitality level reli upz la! We oso went to look around outside at the koi pond and some waterfall thingy... Think there was a mini garden too... We would reli love to stay longer but then we oso wanted to go for caroling, hahaz... So we took a pic with all the kids after the meal and left... Thanks Danny for inviting us to the Christmas Party! =)

In the van, we tried to find out where the rest were and after some failed attempts, we managed to meet them at their 3rd location, which was somewhere in Hougang... Initially was abit not in the caroling mood yet but that was easily settled after one hse =) The best part was still the randomness/craziness in the bus... This part alone is worth going for the whole caroling, lolx... Donne was leading well as usual with his jokes and everything... I thought I joined late and had alot of energy and so I reli tried to use them up all... Bad move! After the last stop at Pastor Soh's hse, I was reli super tired... Luckily Enz could fetch me back home =) Thanks man! Somehow, I still think last yr's caroling was more fun... Maybe cos I joined halfway this yr... Hopefully next yr we can all look forward to a fun session again! =)

Reached home and was reminded that I had received some presents from my relatives (they came while I was caroling) so I started to open them up and the rest of my presents... It was a pleasant surprise to see that I had received a Diesel bag from my Grandma... That was reli nice cos my current bag is like super old and worn out already... Weiting's present is one of my favourites... It is a stone... Yes a stone, and a special one at that... One side had "God is Love" written on it and the other had my name... I wonder how she finds all these interesting presents, lolx... Thanks Weiting!! Some other practical stuff I got were shirts, (I receive it without fail every yr, lolx) towels and a mug... Some gave me chocolates and candy sticks also, and a handphone accessory if I'm not wrong... So this yr's gifts were still not too bad... (if you count my labtop as an ORD cum Christmas cum Brithday gift la, hahaz)

Woke up late on Christmas day cos I was still super tired... Wanted to meet Kai Lun for lunch but he lzay dont wanna come out, lolx... In the end I tar pao Western food to his hse eat, hahaz... Reached at one plus but I still very tired... Went to sleep at around 2 plus... Little did I noe tat I would slp for 2 hrs! After 2 missed calls Kai Lun woke me up and I was like OMG! its already 4.30pm? The most recent missed call was from Ben... Called him back and told him I would make my way down to Simon's hse... Nothing much achieved from the visit but at least got to eat with him b4 he went overseas on the 27th =)

When I reached Simon's place, Ben and Ricky were already preparing the food and starting to cook... Ricky was the one with the most exp. so Ben and me juz helped out as much as we could... (I think I cut some ham, stirred the Campbell soup, and arranged the fries to be oven toasted) It turned out nicer than I expected and we reli enjoyed ourselves =) The garlic bread dipped in the soup was one of the best dishes I've ever tasted! Ricky's fried mushrooms with scrambled egg and ham was oso superbly delicious! =) After dinner Simon called Chengxin and we took turns to talk to him... Kinda miss him =P Anyway he'll be back in abt one month's time latest... Soon after that he'll ORD and we can all move on, hahaz... After that we went thru our 2007 resolutions (there was a soft copy printed out) and thought abt '08 resolutions... Mine got quite alot, (I randomly added and added, lolx) later cannot fulfil super paiseh =P All in all it was a gd session and we even mimicked a caroling session at the end (super random idea by I-forgot-who) It'll prob be my last time in 2007 singing "Feliz Navidad" at the top of my lungs! =) Well, that's abt it for all the Christmas happenings this yr!! Wish u guys a Blessed Christmas!

Christmas Marathon (Part 1)

Wow so many things to update that I cant finish it all in one post or else it'll be super duper ultra long! Let's start with Sat... Slept at 4am cos I was writing all the cards and wrapping some gifts myself =) Miraculously I woke up at 9 and reached Simon's place at 10 for deco... Waited for Sing Heng and Alvin to arrive b4 going over to Simon's old place to get the Christmas tree first with all the accessories... Came back and shifted furniture around... The sofa's the most irritating la, everytime shift liao got dirt marks on the floor then muz try to scrape off... By then Si Han and Jing Hui already arrived and they worked on the "wish" cards...

Next Simon, Calvin and I went down to Ikea Tampines to get chairs and decorations... We also shun bian buy some plates and bowls for the thanksgiving dinner on Christmas Day... Bought $100 plus worth of stuff but luckily got voucher so we didnt pay a single cent =) Went back and called for reinforcements to help us carry the stuff up... (by then more ppl had arrived) Apparently Simon's purifier suffered some injuries from some overly-creative gals (haha juz joking!) and there were 2 "hotspots" on it =P Anyway the work was split up and things started to happen... We (Simon, Calvin, Jin Xiu and me) had to leave at around 1.30pm for the worship prac on Sunday so we couldnt do much... It was rather stressful but I managed to sortof give them wad they wanted...

By the time we went back it was like "WOW!!"... The place reli looked so different! Simon called in a few of us and briefed us on our roles... Ben and Serene were MCs, Shuqi would be leading the mini song session, Xin Hui would be in charge of the door gifts and getting ppl to write their wishes... I was supposed to sortof take over the whole thing and make sure everything ran smoothly (when I didnt even noe the program by then, lolx) Anyway I clarified the program with Simon shortly after and tried to remind everyone of their roles... With that, we waited for our guests to come =)

Juz b4 7, dinner officially started... Food was gd (esp. the noodle) and I took quite alot =) Managed to join a group with Jason and Zavier (both Serene's friends) and got to know them better... Was mainly talking to Zavier (army was the common topic, lolx) and found out abit more abt him... Had a nice long chat with him and he was quite open too... The whole thing was reli cool =) After that had games (a round of intro plus zhong ji mi ma) Luckily I didnt get to taste the wasabi, if not think I'll puke, lolx... Had caroling after that and prize presentations... Shuqi won the "best wish" prize and Zavier won the "best-dressed" prize... After that Weiting shared her testimony with us... It was simple but impactful, about her experiences from young with church and christians... She became who she is today becos of her desire to want to make a difference in the lives of young people... I think its a very touching story; almost cried but didnt la cos later paiseh =P Anyway after tat we had something more fun - GIFT EXCHANGE!!! =) I got a "high-class" journal (160 pages of cream paper, wadever tat is, lolx) Ended the whole thing with the classic "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" but apparently there was still alot of ppl after that...

Serene suggested charades and after some question-setting by alvin and sing heng it begun... Didnt play but quite fun watching them act, hahaz... Well, all good things muz come to an end and in this case, the end came when the caterer arrived to clear up the food... Everyone started to take down the deco to revert everything back to normal... It took some effort to settle everything and we were exhausted when it was finally done... After tat bathed, ate leftovers (the mian reli v nice) and watched Evan Almighty till 2 plus b4 slping... Simon's room was cosy as usual =)

Woke up at 10 plus on Sunday to prepare for the celebration later... Borrowed a jacket from my brother and a BIG cross from Simon... Thought I looked cool, hahaz =P Anyway I was still v nervous in spite of the prac that we had juz b4 the service... Thank God that I didnt make any too obvious mistakes during the actual service! I actually managed to pull it off in front of like a few hundred people?? It was really by God's grace cos it was my first time playing in front of soooo many people... Felt super relieved after the whole thing la!! =)

Anyway, by the time I went down there was no more rice left, onli mi fen... Luckily Weiting took rice and she me gave me some (Thanks Weiting!) and I gave her some of my mi fen... Managed to ask Benjamin (Amos' fren) to go for our mini celebration after that...(Yay!) We were supposed to meet 6.45pm at the from porch to board the bus but I almost missed it cos was talking to Xiao Yuan's mum... Mainly worship stuff, specifically abt playing the keyboard... It's reli gd tat she's so willing to learn more =) And I was so engrossed in the chatting tat Chengyi had to call out for me to board the bus, lolx... Told me they almost forgot abt me, hahaz... So lucky la if not like Cheryl muz go herself...

When we reached Agape I was surprised to see so many people helping out with the night service for the China workers... It felt like they were welcoming us, hahaz... We went up to the 3rd floor and played Taboo... Amazingly I can describe better than acting, lolx... Had quite a few rounds and I think my group did well (Moses, Amos, Yiyong, Jason, Li Juan, Doreen, Han Xin, Shu Ting, Kailin, Joey and me) Yiyong was sabotaged into acting out a mermaid and that was the most HILARIOUS thing I've ever seen!! =P Ask yiyong to demonstrate when u see him, hahaz... After that we had a short sharing sessions by Chengyi; think it was quite gd and thought-provoking... Are we gonna see new faces in church in '08? Or are we juz going to keep growing within the 4 walls of Agape? Com'on youths, lets JIAYOUS next yr to outreach to our frenz!! =)

After that we went down to the sub hall... There was excess food and we got to try some chocolate stuff, ham, and sausages... Then we had the card exchange, which was quite cool cos I've had many gift exchanges but nv had a card exchange... Most of us juz bought cards but I think Kailin actually spent time and effort into making it herself... Her card was super nice la! =) The whole thing ended shortly after that and I left with Jin Xiu for Jasper's place... Spent the night there b4 going home in the morning (after breakfast at SGH with Jasper, Simon and Jin Xiu) Officially was away from home for more than 48 hrs (Sat morning to this morning) which was a record, lolx... (not counting NS of cos) Alright, now I'm waiting for Enz to come pick me up me to go Danny's party... Thereafter will join the rest for caroling! Do remember to check back here for Part 2 =P

YMCA Flag Day/ORD dinner at Sakura

My alarm rang and I ignored it... When I finally woke up, I glanced at my hp - it was 7.22am already!! Which means I'm late, lolx... Supposed to meet Yi Yin at 7.45am at Tampines Mrt... Anyway b4 I could drop her an sms, she told me she overslept too, lolx... So I sortof took my time... (not reli la, later she kill me, hahaz) Reached Dhoby Ghaut at 8.30am (we're not late =P) but her frenz were nowhere in sight...

It was close to 9 (8.50am I think) when 2 of them arrived... The last one arrived at around 9... There was Naomi, Jun Lin and Jia Sheng (hopefully I spelt their names correctly, lolx)... We went straight down to YMCA, (saw Weiting juz b4 we went in; she was on her way there oso) reported, changed and started work... First stop was Little India... Nv actually went to tat station b4 so it was something new to me... There's this Tekka market juz outside the MRT so we went there and started asking for donations... It was like more than 2 yrs since my last flag day (with Agape) so initially I was abit lost, hahaz... But I still remember that my first "customer" gave me a $2 note! After that sortof of remember how to do flag day and the pace picked up... One thing I learnt abt flag day is tat u cannot be scared of rejection, lolx... N sometimes the ppl tat look the least likely to give will actually donate... Shifted down further near Tekka Mall and continued until abt 11 when we had an early lunch... (so tat we could catch the lunch crowd later on)

After lunch we walked on down to near Sim Lim Square tat side... (at the Fu Lu Shou area) There's this big open area like a parade square and we split up into different directions to continue our flag day... "Business" was gd and I did all the way until 2 plus where it started to rain quite heavily... Sadly, tat marked the end of our flag day as we didnt do any more liao :( I was so close to filling up my tin can, think abt 3/4 full liao... We walked back to Little India in the rain (it was pouring la!) and went back to Dhoby Ghaut... It was still raining when we reached so we juz sat there and I stoned quite abit... Luckily the rain stopped after awhile and we went back to YMCA to return our tin cans and get our $3 allowance (Yi Yin was v worried tat we got no allowance, lolx...) After tat we went to ps mac to buy some food (I onli drank some ice lemon tea) cos some us were hungry... Apparently Naomi was quite interested in some of the songs in my hp but there wasnt enough time to send anything in the end, lolx... At abt 4 plus we split up and went our separate ways... I roamed around ps until abt 4.45pm b4 taking the train back to Tampines... Was super tired and contemplated going to Pasir Ris and back but in the end I juz got off at Tampines... That marks the first part of my day... Flag day was tiring but definitely fun!! =)

For the next part, I was supposed to meet Jing Jin, Weiding and James at 6pm to eat the Sakura buffet at Tampines Safra... It was to celebrate our ORD la, though Weiding and I ORDed abt 2 weeks ago whereas James and Jing Jin ORDed yesterday... In the end James and Weiding were late so we reached and started eating at abt 6.45pm... Barely one hour and I was ready to surrender... (I tried different kinds of salads, some sushi and had 2 rounds of main course) Getting old then the digestive system not so effective liao, lolx... But we managed to tok and share abt the 2 yrs spent in army... So many funny stuff la! N of cos there were topics Math and Science cos they were some of the best in the field in MJC (Weiding was the top student of our yr) So we talked abt how Weiding went to Wikipedia and discovered that there was so many ways to solve a Cubic Equation tat we didnt noe abt to some StarGate movie (sic-fic) that Jing Jin and Weiding wanted to watch, hahaz... N oso many other funnily intellectual stuff that I dont usually get to hear with other frenz, lolx... All in all it was a gd time spent I suppose... At least my brain cells get stimulated a little after 2 yrs of stagnancy or even deterioration, hahaz... Well, another day spent doing fun stuff... Let's hope things stay this way, at least for now =)

Christmas is coming! =)

One more week to Christmas!! Oh man time reli flies, so fast its gonna be Christmas again =) And finally for this yr, I can celebrate Christmas out of camp, lolx... I'm reli looking forward to it!

This yr I decided to get abit more presents for more ppl, simply cos I think its very timely for me to show my appreciation to the many wonderful ppl around me... Of cos my onli limitation is budget, hahaz... Well, I tried to get as many stuff as possible without spending too much... Went down to Felly's shop at 12 plus and started to pick and choose... Luckily she was there and could gif me some advice on the gifts/cards that I could buy... Took me more than an hr to look around (I'm reli indecisive, lolx) until I finally chose most of wad I wanted to buy... After tat she helped me to wrap up everything and threw in a few decorated carriers... (Thanks so much Felly!) Abit poor after I paid but I think it was worth it =)

Went up to the food court for lunch after that when I saw that it was raining cos I wanted to keep my presents dry... Got back and "organised" some of my gifts... (as in decide on who to gif wad) Later at night went out with my family for a sumptuous dinner at some coffee shop in Tampines... Ordered 4 dishes with 4 plates of rice and juz ate and ate, lolx... Another gd meal in my tummy, hahaz... Went back home and managed to catch the 5th Episode of "The Golden Path" on Channel 8 at 9pm... First time watching it but seems quite nice =) Would want to follow the serial but on weekdays nowadays I'm usually not home yet at 9pm, lolx... Trying to find the balance between slacking and working... No matter wad, Happy Holidays to everyone!! =)

p.s. Check out the chipmunks' Christmas song below =P

Christmas dont be late!

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The above is the super nice song from "Alvin and the chipmunks" =) Found it on multiply (Thanks Ben! =P) Enjoy! :)

Whee! =)

So many things to update over the past few days... I shall attempt to organise my thoughts and focus on those events which I think r the most fun =)

Wednesday did something which I havent done in more than 2 yrs, lolx... Actually I juz watched 2 movies within the same day, hahaz... Used my Dad's HSBC Credit Card so the price was $7.50 (online booking) and $6.50... The 3pm show was Alvin and the Chipmunks... Watched with Ben, Kaiqi, Nicholas, Calvin and Noel... Super nice and funny la, esp. their Christmas song, lolx... Then Theodore is sooooo cute la =) There was this part where he had a nightmare and was afraid of slping by himself so he went to Dave (the guy who was looking after them) and said something like, "I juz had a nightmare; can I slp with you? I promise u wont even notice I'm there." In the morning he was on Dave's face, LOLX!! Then he drew this picture as a Christmas present to Dave in which everyone looked like pineapples, hahaz... He super cute la! =) Although the storyline is quite typical and predictable, but I would still rate it many many stars, hahaz... Muz say that the concept of singing chipmunks is quite interesting...

Then at night we watched The Golden Compass... Watched with same group of ppl minus Calvin (he got meeting) plus Yong Jie and Ying Dan... I suppose it was against my better judgement... Hmmm, muz say tat it wasnt as nice as wad many ppl told me la... In fact I would say that watching Theodore being cute is better (haha I'm in love with Theodore) Of cos the visuals are better but the story was abit draggy... N although its the start of a trilogy, I thought the ending could have been abit more complete... Dunno la... Initially reli wanted to watch this movie but watch liao then juz liddat lor, lolx...

Thursday was sortof like a working day la... Met up with Simon and Calvin to discuss their tuition (or rather consultation thingy) over lunch... Was abit surprised at wad was expected of me but I agreed nonetheless (I'm expected to be some sort of consultant for Ivan and Derek, lolx)... Prob cant afford a 3-hour time slot when sch starts but I guess its more of a favour for now =) After tat went down to Yiyong's place for his first lesson... Everything still seems quite ok from wad I see now so I think its gd la =) Still got free pastries from Four Leaves (courtesy of his mum) Thereafter I went home for a quick dinner b4 proceeding to Bedok to teach the P6 girl... Finally noe how to spell her name, lolx... (It's Nashirah) Had another gd lesson; she's reli very serious and willing to learn, lolx...

Friday, which is today, (or rather yesterday since its past 12am) was even more happening =) Went down to my cousin's hse for tuition at 9.30am... The incredible thing is I earned $120 within 24 hrs while onli working for 5.5 hrs, something that I've nv done b4, hahaz... (reli thank God!!) So cool la, gif tuition =) After tat boarded 31 and msged Felly so tat she can meet me halfway; she boarded at the stop juz b4 Bedok Interchange... Reached Katong Shopping Centre at abt 12.30pm... By tat time Kaiqi and Yilin were like finishing their lunch liao la... Sat around for awhile then Felly and me went to ta pao lunch and they went to the karaoke place first...

When we went inside, Serene was also there liao... When I saw her I knew she would set the benchmark for "highness" liao, lolx... I wasnt disproved =) The thing abt having not too many ppl is tat u get to sing more... Obvious rite? Hahaz... I oso learnt how to operate the remote control and look for songs... My 2nd time onli lor! (in case u're wondering y I so noob, hahaz...) We sang from 1 to 4 but Felly had to leave at 3 cos she got work... At the end was rather cheap la... Think Kaiqi treat us abit =) I paid onli $3 la... (excluding drinks) Then we went to this pastry shop cos they say got v nice eggtart but the eggtart sold out so Kaiqi and me shared a banana pie... Tried their rum ball also... (v nice la!) After tat went to SweetTalk to get some drinks... Got free treat from Serene, hahaz... (Thanks arh Serene if u're reading this!)

After tat we deliberated on where to go cos it was too early for them to go Bedok for jogging (6.30pm) Yilin was meeting her frenz at Tampines at 5.30pm la so she took 10 and went off first... In the end we took 14 la... (after missing one cos we couldnt decide) When we were almost there, Simon called and said tat the jamming was cancelled cos Joe couldnt make it... Which means I can go jogging! =) But the onli problem was tat I had no clothes to change into and also no running shoes =( I made a crazy decision which was to go back home and change! Abit waste money but I reli wanted to run and its not everytime tat ppl r free to organise such activities...

Luckily when I got back at abt 6.45pm, they juz started running and I joined them after one round... There was Kaiqi, Serene and Jason, Li Juan and Shane... I was so excited to see Shane la, lolx... I shouted "ORD LOH!!" in his face and we laughed together =) Dunno wad came over me but I thought I would try to train my 2.4 so I sortof chiong for 6 rounds... After I think 2 rounds Si Hao and Si Hui reached and joined us... A pity I didnt have a stopwatch to time myself; I juz told myself to run as fast as I could... Sprinted the last 50m or so b4 I slowed to a walk for one round... After tat slow jogged with Si Hui for 3 rounds... Wen Bin had also joined us by then... Finally I tried running another 2 more rounds b4 stopping and walking around to cool down... So in total covered a distance of 4.8km... Next time muz aim for more, hahaz =)

Shane had a craving for Long John's and I voted for it too... In the end we sortof won, hahaz... Tried the grilled fish with rice and took the coleslaw for the side... Shared a large lemon tea with Shane... Later on I even ordered another Fish Wrap together with him... It was reli sinful >< Learnt abt his 5-week trip to Kenya... Apparently his experience was quite cool... The people there are reli serious abt running... They run 3 times a day, at 6am, 11am and 4pm... Each time they run abt 1 hr, so its like run from 6 to 7, eat breakfast, slp/rest, run again from 11 to 12, eat lunch, slp/rest, run yet again from 4 to 5, eat dinner, then prob relax for the rest of the day... Sounds crazy rite? N people actually pay them to run in races, and they may not even be among the top few but they're paid... Reli cool listening to him share his experience... Got some advice from him abt running too... Maybe next time I can apply it and put the knowledge to gd use =)

Serene and Jason had to leave at abt 9 plus but we went on to Mac... Juz continued toking and listening lor... At one point in time we ended up seeing whether we could do super lame actions with our hands... Those kind where u hav to repeat a pattern or u keep alternating between both hands to see if u're confused... Super dotz la... Left at abt 10 plus cos Si Hao and his bro had to reach home by 11... I walked with Wen Bin and after tat Li Juan towards Tanah Merah to take 9... As I was reaching the ahs bus stop reli felt nostalgic la... Miss ahs so much!! =P Anyway the bus came shortly so I didnt have to wait too long... Wow I juz realised its a super long post and I'm finally reaching the end! If u managed to read every single word I muz salute ur patience, lolx... Looking forward to a great weekend! =)

Li Juan's 21st Birthday!

This was actually something tat I was looking forward to... Li Juan told me abt it a few weeks in advance that it would be held at the Tropica but at tat time I didnt noe where it was exactly except that its near Temasek Polytechnic... Onli last fri when my fren offered me a ride back to camp (ORD day!) in his Dad's car did I noe where it was cos he lived there and I had to get there in order to get the free ride, lolx... Turns out tat I have a direct bus to the Condo so its super convenient la! =)

For her bday I wanted to try making a card myself cos I thought it would be cool... I've nv made a bday card b4 so I was quite worried tat I would make a mess out of it, lolx... (Li Juan if u r reading this juz wanna say tat I didnt mean to use ur bday as a guinea pig for making bday cards, but I'm relieved that u like it, haha) I made use of some coloured paper, glittering laser glue and felt-tip pens and some magazines to create the card... In the end I took like 2 hrs plus to finish everything cos I did some parts wrongly and had to redo... But I reli liked the whole experience, cos u get to choose how u want the card to look like... It can be custom-made until the way u want it to be =)

So i touched up the last few details of the card and put it carefully in a box so as not to ruin the glittering laser glue (it was not dry yet)... Armed with a plastic bag with the box inside, I set off for The Tropica... Upon reaching I was told that Li Juan was in the toilet (still) touching up her makeup... Apparently she had been inside for quite awhile, lolx... Soon, Chengyi announced tat we can start eating but I wasnt reli hungry so went outside with Thomas and talked for quite some time... Mainly was army stuff la (I realised tat guys who are in NS reli make it one of their common topics without fail everytime they meet up, lolx...) After tat it was abt 7 plus liao then we went in to take the food... My first buffet after ORD, hahaz... The food was not bad and I kept taking the choc eclairs, lolx... Super nice la =) Oso managed to finish getting some songs from Kailin and Yan Zi songs from Felly (she's a true Yan Zi fan, lolx...)

Soon it was time for the "cake-cutting ceremony" as quoted by Chengyi, lolx... B4 the birthday song, Chengyi played the guitar and sang a song to Li Juan which I think was very nice and romantic too =) I'm sure she's touched, hahaz... After tat was the usual 3x "Happy Birthday combo" which we always sing and the cake cutting... Turns out that one of her frenz also had the exact same birthday as her and she invited him to blow the candles together with her... Thereafter we had the photo taking sessions where Ben and I ended up taking photos with her again, lolx... I enjoyed the pink part of the cake the most; it had some sweet taste which I liked alot =) Towards the end managed to talk to Audrey and she asked if I'm going for the special term... Told her I'm not sure yet; will try to find out more from Raymond first b4 making any decision... And I finally knew the difference between double degree and double major, lolx... Apparently my joint degree is somewhere in between... At the last part everyone received a personal note from Li Juan and I thought it was reli a cool effort on her part to write one to everyone who came =) I knew I loved mine, hahaz... Thanks again Li Juan for inviting me to ur 21st Birthday Party... I enjoyed myself and hope tat u had a great celebration too!

Badminton!

Was reli looking forward to the badminton today cos can finally meet up with Raymond and ask him stuff abt NTU... He's my direct senior btw, in the same sch as me... Mainly wanted to ask whether I shd go for the special term, which means I start sch in May... I'm trying to see wad's the opportunity cost (something I learnt from my frens taking econs in JC, haha) if I go earlier, lolx...

Anyway let's backtrack abit... We reached Tampines stadium at around 5 to go run first... Was with Serene, Jing Hui, Xin Hui and Yi Yin... Serene's fren Jason arrived awhile later... It was quite fun cos Serene was her usual "high" self, lolx... She was actually singing while running... So we ran and ran for a few rounds... As the floor was wet after the rain, and becos my badminton shoes r like expiring soon (the right sole coming out), so my socks were wet; the front part at least... Had to take them off and squeeze water out :( After tat we played one round of bridge but I wasnt reli paying attention and started off with a trump card, lolx... But I won with Serene anyway cos I think everyone wasnt paying attention too, lolx...

After tat Xin Hui and Yi Yin left and we headed over to the badminton courts... I think I'm reli getting old la, play one game of badminton then abit breathless liao... Haiz... Ren Lao Le... Last time sec sch tat time play with Enz and Shane can go 3 hrs singles, now play a few games of doubles like dying liao, hahaz... I want my stamina back!!! Anyway, as I was saying in the beginning, I wanted to ask Raymond stuff abt NTU cos he's in the same sch as me... He say my course very jialat leh, cos I need to do Math plus Econs plus Electives... Prob will have some days study 8am to 10pm??? That's like crazy la! I look at the people around me in Uni and its like scary enough when they do one degree... Then mine is 75% each of Math and Econs... I'm starting to wonder if I chose correctly, esp. since I nv take Econs b4... But I am still quite sure tat I wont change course, cos there reli isnt any other thing I could go for, hahaz... Well, I'm still trying to find out abt the special term, trying to weigh the pros and cons... Personally I'm lazy to start sch so early, and at least can work abit longer to earn more money... Well, Raymond said he'll help me ask around abt the special term... Hopefully I will hear from him soon =)

To continue the story, we went to Long John at tm for dinner... I tried the potato salad for the first time... So so onli... But the $0.50 for the cheese was worth it, hahaz... I LOVE NACHOS CHEESE!!! =) Sat at one table with Wen Bin, Nicholas and Raymond... Jing Hui, Kai Qi, Serene and Jason had to sit at another table... It was gd juz sharing and listening... It gets even better when u noe tat u dont have to go back to camp tml morning or something, lolx... Sometimes its reli not easy to find time and sit down with frenz to juz tok... Realised tat everyone is so busy, hahaz... Well, I think its reli good when we take time out to appreciate our frenz or juz drop them a note thanking them... Muz reli learn to treasure family and frenz =)

ORD LOH!!!

Finally!! 2 yrs of my life gone juz like that =) It was a journey like never b4, with ups and downs, good times and bad times... There were times when I felt so totally helpless and emotionally strained, but there were also times when the overflowing joy juz makes u think that it's all worthwhile...

Indeed, there were many mistakes made and lessons learnt as well... One of the obvious lessons was learning how to work with people from different backgrounds and from all walks of life... It seems that communication is very important when a group of people are working together... When everyone knows the common goal that they are working towards, it helps people to focus and be distracted so easily... When everyone can see the big picture and put aside their differences, I'm sure great things can be achieved =)

Another important lesson that I've learnt is to treasure the people around u, esp. ur frens and family... During the whole 2 yrs, my parents took turns to send me back to camp on Sunday nights, and its not exactly a short journey... Becos of them, I'm able to maximise my time outside of camp... The support that they've given me has been most essential too... Not forgetting Simon who gave me the most support, both emotionally and spiritually... I reli miss the late nights talking on the phone with him where we can tok abt juz anything... Although I can still do that now, but the feeling would be different... While in camp, I can reli feel the support from him thru all these calls... There was even once when we talked for more than hr while I was outfield =) There have been many more who were very supportive of me during different phases of my NSF journey, and I juz wanna take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you; you noe who u are =)

During my 2 yrs of service, I've oso realised that my mindset has changed and the way I view certain issues in life have also changed... I'm once again reminded that we shd use things and love people instead of loving things and using people... Also, I believe that there is a gift in everything if we will onli see it (quoted from Carly Fiorina, u can check out my review here)
I oso started to think more abt the purpose of life... As a unique individual what is/are my role(s) that onli I can fulfil while on this Earth... Maybe I'm someone who thinks and reflects alot, but I reli do hope that I'm not wasting the Earth's resources by wasting my life away, lolx...

On a lighter note, I'm reli glad that I've already been given opportunities to move on in life... As of next yr I will be giving tuition to 5 students and teaching the keyboard as well... Prob will start learning driving towards the end of this year... It's all so exciting!! In the meantime, I've been relaxing and playing all I can after 2 yrs of slogging for the government, lolx... This whole month will prob see me go all out to enjoy myself even as I prepare for 2008... A new yr brings with it new challenges as well as new opportunities... I look forward to whatever may come my way! =)

My first tuition lesson...

Finally after a long while I'm back to giving math tuition =) Today marks the start of my tuition plans... Made my way down to Bedok North after having dinner with my Dad... Reached the place and had a short talk with the Dad... It's a P6 girl I'm teaching, so I will have to teach all the way till after her PSLE, even though sch starts in August... Anyway I had a short chat with her juz b4 we started on anything... Nice little lady who's abit shy but at least she speaks her mind when I ask for her opinion...

Can see that she's super serious when I'm talking and concentrating with all her might, lolx... Reli felt respected but at the same time also tried to make the mood lighter =) We used 2 A4 exercise books; I wrote in one to explain concepts and solve examples and she took notes in the other... I got to draw a model again after dunno how many donkey years and it was sortof fun, hahaz... Anyway, I found out tat for Pri Sch students, the content is not reli tat hard, but u need to noe how to deliver it in a simple enough way so tat they can understand... Quite cool la, I started off with abit of revision for fractions and it was reli satisfying to see tat she understands after I explain it step by step to her... I also told her that she'll have to become more proficient with the multiplication and division tables and that I'll give her speed tests in between lessons to let her practise... Thought it would be gd for her to have the answers at her fingertips =)

I finished by summarizing what I taught for the whole lesson and asking if she had any questions... Apparently she's doing fine so I said that if she had any questions along the week she can always clarify with me again next week... Left the place feeling great... It was definitely worth the time spent, not onli becos of the money but also for the opportunity to bring her understanding of certain math concepts to another level =) Now I'm reli looking forward to next week, where I'll start with 2 other students, bothe of whom I noe personally, haha... One is my cousin and the other is Yiyong... Hopefully the experience can be as gd if not better than this one... I am always thrilled when I see that someone else is able to understand math concepts and attain a whole new level of understanding =)

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2007

This story began a few months back when Weiting asked me if I wanted to join her and a few others in the Standard Chartered run... The distance was 10km... I was immediately thrilled by the idea and asked her how to register... As I was serving on a regular basis every Sunday, I needed to find a replacement... Luckily Limin was available that week to help me out, but by the time I settled the replacement with her, it was already mid-October and the registration had already closed... For awhile, I was quite sad as I reli wanted to take the chance to participate in the run... Amazingly enough, Josiah had a fren who wanted to sell his ticket as he didnt want to run... However the distance was 21km and I had doubts on my ability to complete the run... In the end, my eagerness to participate outweighed whatever concerns that I had and I agreed to purchase the ticket from his fren... The discounted price of $30 prob pushed me to buy the ticket as well =)

As the big day drew close, I was excited but a little apprehensive as well cos abt 10 days b4 the run, I had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted... Nonetheless, on the night b4 the run, I could hardly contain my excitement... It was quite last min when Josiah msged me and told me to wake up at 3.30am and pick him up at 4... Craziness la!! I drank lots of water and tried to go to sleep...

In the morning, I woke up even b4 my alarm went off, lolx... Drank lots of water again b4 I left the house... Its been ages since I last water paraded myself, hahaz... We reached the Esplanade area at around 4.45 and went to deposit our bags... At 5, we applied Deep Heat (some stuff that's supposed to relieve muscle ache) b4 commencing on 2 sets of warm-up with a 15 min break in between... After that we applied another layer of Deep Heat... Along the way we went to the toilet at least 3 times, lolx... At about slightly past 6, we made our way to the start line to prepare ourselves...

"Bang"!! After like 30 seconds we were still stuck at the same spot, lolx... There was simply too large a crowd to begin running... After awhile we made it to the start line and began to jog... I told Josiah not to wait for me as I suspected that he would be much faster than me... So he took off and I slowly picked up my pace... The start of any race was always fun cos u get to overtake lots of ppl, lolx... I weaved my way through the crowd and managed to keep at a constant pace... I was doubtful of how far I could actually run cos prior to that day, I had never run more than 10km in my entire life, and so my pace was rather slow...

It was relatively okay all the way up to the 5km mark and I sortof enjoyed myself =) However, when I passed the 8km mark, my legs were beginning to feel a little tired and I slowed down... When I reached 12km, I could not take it anymore and started walking... So I walked and ran, walked and ran... After the 15km mark, I suddenly experienced severe cramps in both thighs and had to stretch for a few mins b4 continuing to walk... By then, my legs were already screaming at me to stop and I had to force myself to keep walking... I tried to jog again but as I started my right calf started to cramp followed by my left calf, so in the end I ended up walking again... After much effort, I made it past the 20km mark and told myself that it was ending soon so I started to jog again... Managed to do so for a few hundred metres b4 walking yet again, lolx... As I rounded a bend near the end, I could sense the enthusiasm of the supporters from both sides and broke into a run again... 150m... My legs cramped but I continued running... 100m... I actually felt inspired by all the cheering and continued... 50m... Too close to stop now... Finally, I crossed the finishing line and a rush of joy and satisfaction surged through my body!! =) The feeling was great... Although my legs were dying, I felt truly happy that I completed the 21km run... The gun time was 2 hrs 48 mins and 24 secs...