The Day I Celebrated Dad's 55th Birthday

And so it is, another year, another addition to the number we call age. My Dad turned 55 today, and we had a nice family dinner at the Fiesta Japanese restaurant in Great World City.

Time really flies!!!
And it's only two months to the A's...

Work hard everyone! The sweat and toil will be worth it! :)

The Day I See The Light

"The dark sky fell like pearls
Blackened by the dust of night
No one could feel the pain
Or the hurt that he felt

His soul was worn
His heart, torn
All meaning
Made no sense

Gazing up from Misery
The blinding stinging in his eyes
He asked God
"Why?"

No answer
No sound

In his heart he heard
A whisper so soft, comforting
Like a mother holding a child
To her breast

The pouring stopped
Pain ebbed away
Sun-beams returned
Triumphantly

His heart was filled
With warmth and peace
Healing
Had already begun

Looking up again
He broke into a smile
Strained but trying
His lips parted

"Thank you"

Sometimes life can throw you off your feet at the most unexpected moment. Sometimes, a love lost is like an itch where you can't reach. An itch, deep inside of you. But give it time, and it will fade. I mean the itch, of course, not the love. You can't stop loving lest living is without meaning.

We all learn from our mistakes, because we all make them one way or another. That's the way Life works. Fall and pick yourself up again. That's what we're taught to do. But should we really do that?

Isn't better to just stay down when you're down, just in case we fall again?

That's a selfish thought though. Living can be a bitch, but living is also an experience. We get to feel a myriad of emotions and do a whole lot of things, so being all negative about things is not going to make life any better. It just makes us regret the things that we have not done, the things that we have let slip through our fingers like sand.

I don't want to regret anything as long as I'm alive.
____________________________

"It seems like just yesterday when time stopped for us. We worried about nothing trivial. Nothing at all. We were both happy. Then you changed. A part of me was thrown back into my face without warning, without a sign. You expected me to take it back. You expected me to be able to move on with life, pretending nothing had happened.

I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't. I just stood there when time was jolted back to life, when you stopped looking at me. Stopped caring. You said that things could still be the way they were. But your actions tell me otherwise. You drifted away. We drifted apart.

I tell myself that you're selfish, that you're cruel, that you don't care. But I know that that's not true. Somewhere inside of you is the real you. It is that somewhere that you're trying to find, that somewhere that you're learning to embrace. Then I tell myself that you need time. So I've decided that I'll give you time. As much time as it takes for you to come to terms with yourself.

The part of you that was growing inside of me is still there. Please don't let it die."

The Day I Caught Pretty Persuasion

My day's been pretty ok, with all the stress of school (as usual) and weariness. I was lucky enough to have time to spare for a movie today. Here's a little review and write-up of Pretty Persuasion:

Pretty Persuasion is meaner than Mean Girls. It is a naughty, sexed-up social satire about America and the community at large. There are many hidden social commentaries and jibes at the American state-of-mind throughout the course of this black comedy.

The show revolves around Kimberly Joyce (Evan Rachel Wood), who in a nutshell, is a dangerously intelligent girl who manipulates everyone around her to get what she wants. She and her best friends, dumb-blonde Brittany (Elizabeth Harnois) and fresh Arab-immigrant Randa (Adi Schnall), plot to file a harassment suit against their English and Drama teacher, Mr Percy Anderson (Ron Livingston).

There is also a touch of the lesbian element when Kimberly seduces hot-shot dyke reporter Emily Klein (Jane Krakowski - Ally Macbeal alum) for her shot at fame through the eyes of the media.

The movie cleverly portrays the sexual tension that exists between a hot-blooded male teacher and his female students as a mixture of confusion and fantasy, which adds comic relief to the otherwise serious undercurrent of the show.

It satirizes the media as a medium of sensationalism, and it takes a jibe at the public's fascination with scandals. Any news is good news as long as the people demand for it. Therein lies the social problem that the film is addressing – the proliferation of irresponsible media. It reflects the real world problem of the media spending more time on tabloid instead of reporting more important information.

Racism is also blatantly and uncomfortably talked about. However, this theme was dealt with in a rather deliberate manner, and in the end, it came across as forced. But on the bright side, it did bring to light the difficulties and stereotypes faced by ethnic minorities in America.

The film also dealt a lot with sex politics. Kimberly uses sex to her advantage and plays it both ways to wrap people round her fingers like a master puppeteer. Woods does an amazing job in portraying the young, eccentric, sexual yet innocent-looking (think Paris Hilton) Kimberly with much conviction.

Do keep an eye out on the director's witty take on the American obsession with health and looking good. Clue: It involves induced-vomitting (think bullimia) and abstinance from food that's "fattening". Incredible use of irony in that scene.

The title Pretty Persuasion in itself captures the true gist of the movie. It loosely alludes the Jane Austen novel, Persuasion. The protagonist cleverly "persuades" everybody in her way, whether directly or indirectly, to do her "bidding". She constantly makes use of her god-given assets to give sexual favours in order to get what she wants, which is why it's called "pretty" persuasion.

At the end of the movie, you will ask yourself: Are fame and hatred really worth the sacrifices of friendship and trust? The alternative choice would definitely seem to be better in retrospect.

After all that's said, Pretty Persuasion is definitely a movie worth watching.

The Day I Talk About Friendship

I love all my friends.

Life
Can be tough sometimes
But it's life
And it keeps us strong

Friends
Are the pillars of support
Who help us through our days
Some may leave
But some will stay

At times it's hard
To figure out our destiny
When our vision's clouded
With all the rain, the fog and the mists

We spend our lives
Searching for the moment
Yearning for the instant
That we fulfil our dreams

We just need to
Believe

The Day I Get Another "It's OK Mdm..."

I'm so sick of being mistaken to be a woman (over the phone, that is).

Just recieved a call at home from one of my dad's credit card companies and the freakin' guy called me "Madam"! WTF? Do I sound so androgynous over the phone?

Bloody hell...

The Day I Bought Back To Basics

I finally got my copy of Back To Basics!



It's sooooo good I tell you!

Christina rocks my world... Whee~~ :)

The Day Jean Lost Her Wallet & Eating Peranakan Food

The weekend has been exciting.

New people, old friends, and lots and lots of drama and spice into your usually mundane life I tell you. Jean lost her wallet yesterday and we (meaning Me, Jiapei, Jean and Eric) scoured (almost) the whole of the Clark Quay/Mohamad Sultan area for it, but to no avail. After a police report (for the lost IC), we went on to chill at MOX. It was a fun night of joy and alchohol and laughter.


Finding a wallet isn't easy...



...but we still have time to take photographs (of each other)



...and we saw some crazy kids getting wet in a fountain



Chatting in the Police Station



Eric hates the flash



...but Jiapei & I love it :)


After mugging today, went for dinner with Mum and Eric at some Peranankan restaurant in Joo Chiat. We ordered too much food, and ended up leaving the place like stuffed turkey. But it was a good dinner, nonetheless. Saw something amusing while I was there.


Meifeng, this is for you!

Tofu Pau (from Joo Chiat)

Mum trying to open the packet of gravy

Eric isn't very helpful

And THIS is the joke of the day:

Yup...

80 days to the A's!

The Day Of NDP 2006

Singapore's 41 today!
Happy 41st Birthday Singapore!
Did some revision today but slept through most of the day thanks to a godawful headache. This is what the A's does to you. I swear.

84 more days..

The Day Of Almost Doing Nothing And Lotsa Bitching

We had some crappy Career Talk after school today, and lots of people did turn up in office wear. Some were, naturally, disasters, but there were a few people who looked quite good.

My classmates didn't turn up in office wear, with the exception of our beloved Marilyn, who turned up in school looking the part of a prospective banker. No kidding. Some of us made paper ties and badges to "mock" the occasion.

Here are some pics of:


Tammi, the one who started the paper ties and all. God bless her...



Shaun, with his pink "bow tie, with his "Emplyeee of the Month" badge. Lovely, innit?



Here's Sean in a post-gym, mismatched outfit of singlet and paper tie.


Bitched and chatted at Tom Yum again during lunch. Some random, candid pics:


(From left)
Kitson, Jiapei and Shaun



(From right)
Sean, Shiyun, Anita

It was a long lunch cos GP was cancelled! I know I'm not supposed to be syaing this but it I was nice to have one less lesson... Tomorrow will be the "Fund Raising" National Day celebration. How fun it is to raise funds... Haha! Pun! Get it? Get it?

87 more days to the A's...

The Day Of Learning And Teaching, Teaching And Learning

Today was a day of fruitful mugging and teaching, of which the latter activity almost burnt a gargantuan cavity through my thick skull.

Was studying after school at the McCafe in Great World City after curch today, then post-lunch, at the Serangoon Gardens Country Club study room with Jerome, who was preparing for his SATS while I tried to cram Econs into my almost non-absorbant gray-goo.




Here's the study room that we studied in. Too quiet for my liking,if you ask me.




And this is Jerome. Having the time of his life practising his SATS skills. Looks fun, eh?




This is the Dictionary that he uses to check-out unknown words. Like how much information can this little thing store? (Note the size difference between Calculator and Dictionary.)

After mugging, I went to Grandma's place for dinner and at the same time, gave my cousins (4 of them) tuition. It was terrible. After my constant nagging and "must remember ah!" and "use the dictionary!" and "do your corrections!", they still made the same mistakes. Over. And over. Again. Imagine this: One's in K2 (going to P1 next year), one's in P3, another's in P5 and the last one's in P6 (yes PSLE year). How can I not worry, I ask you?

Sigh.

If only they could be more responsible with their own work.

The Day After Pirates And The Departure Of A Certain Animal

Caught Pirates Of The Carribean: Dead Man's Chest with Shaun yesterday (yes Shaun it's only becuase of you that I agreed to catch the show). My take on the show? It wasn't as good as the first, and for the fact that I'm not a fan of the franchise, it was quite a boring show. If there's one person who saved the show, it's Johnny Depp. You gotta admire his eccentricity.

Dunno why but Keira Knightley gets cloyingly annoying with every show she stars in. Maybe it's just me.

The cow has left Singapore. Feels weird without the constant moo-ing. Thankfully it's only for a week.

89 more days to the A's...
And 10 more days to Christina's "Back to Basics"! The anticipation... *drools*

When there's no one else
Look inside youself
Like your oldest friend
Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength
That will guide your way
You will learn to begin
To trust the voice within

~The Voice Within - Christina Aguilera~

The Day I Talk About My NS Vocational Interview

I had a break from my own angst yesterday and stepped into a whole new world of angst aka Commando Training Camp (Singapore).

I was down for my vocational test, which turned out to be a IQ & Personality Test-cum-Medical Checkup-cum-Fitness Test-cum-Interview thingy. Here's a possible future scenario, starring yours truly: I'm a Commando, doing all the rigorous training that Commandos do, running with my campmates, doing all kinds of dangerous stunts like parasailing, parachuting, eating bugs etc, body dripping with mud and perspiration... Can you imagine?

Cos I certainly can't.

Anyway, here's a blow by blow account of my experience yesterday:

- Took a shuttle sevice provided by the SAF from Pasir Ris MRT to the campsite at 8.

- Some high ranking Commando guy told us that "We interview about 500 people but only take in 250 only every year." And I sat there thinking, "Riiiight..."

- Had that IQ test thingy from 8.30 - about 11 plus. All of us practically froze our arses off in that bloody cold LT. Imagine being in your PE get-up and in a very well air-conditioned room.

- Defrosted ourselves on the way to the "Medical Centre" to do some check-up, which was actually just some guy sitting at a desk while we stood three-by-three, and answered "Yes" or "No" to this question: "Have any of you had any serious injuries before?"

- Answered "No."

- Did pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups (it's not even tested in NAFA. Oh well...) and my favourite standing broad jump. Was pretty ok I guess.

- Had lunch "at your own expenses" (quote Commando guy).

- Went through the interview. It didn't take more than 5 mins. Just asked me stuff like what I liked to do and what I know about the army. Quotabale quote: "Don't listen to what other people say about the Army." And I sit there and thought to myself (yet again), "Riiiiiight..."

And that pretty sums up my Cammando interview experience.

Dad was ok when I told him that the interview was for Commando but Mum didn't take the news quite well. Well, I'll just take whatever comes, I guess.