Duane

After

2009-11-07T22:35:00.001+08:00

And you'd think with exams over there would be time to really enjoy yourself. Not so. Research essay and TOK essay due soon. ):

Exam results not that good either. Must work harder next year.

Apparently next year will be nightmare for us. God help me.

Exams exams exams

2009-10-08T22:37:00.002+08:00

I'm in the midst of the final year exams now. Thankfully there's a little break of the weekend to unwind a little of the tension in studying. :)

So far, english has been ok. chem is better than mid-years but still not very confident of getting a 6 or 7. Probably a 4 or 5. ):

and history paper 1 was not too bad as well.

that's all there is to report now. next monday i still have math paper 1 and history paper 2. tuesday is bio. wednesday is chinese and thursday is math paper 2. then IT'S OVER!

:):):)

ok cya! haha.

Happy Teachers' Day!

2009-09-01T23:38:00.001+08:00

Happy Teachers' Day to all teachers. You deserve it. (:

6 August 2009

2009-08-06T20:09:00.000+08:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted something on my blog, but well I'm doing so now. The past month of July has been hectic, with the Common Tests being on the first day of our return to school. The results weren't any better. In fact, they were extremely bad. The entire cohort did badly for this round of tests. I wonder why. Probably due to our overconfidence and the paper's hardness too.

Anyway, it's the third term now. We're in the middle of it, the 7th week starting in a few days' time. Busy too, with lots of projects and assignments due near the same time.

As to that, I think I better go now. Haha not that I have anything else to say, but well...

Keep smiling! :)

Common Test 2009

2009-06-28T21:33:00.001+08:00

Exams coming up tomorrow. One and a half weeks of slogging. God help me.

1 week in Taiwan

2009-06-07T15:24:00.002+08:00

So I'm back from Taiwan. What I've gone through there, it's been a most enriching experience.

From the flight there to the flight back, I've been through a wonderful time with the locals and also being part of a historic trip there.

Interacting with school children, pulling radishes, harvesting tea leaves, making pudding, shopping, pruning trees--all these are nice things in and of themselves, but also it is very meaningful because it helps the community over there.

Thank You Lord for the WOW trip, where I got to bond with my classmates even more. =)

WOW

2009-05-15T21:14:00.002+08:00

Leaving for Taiwan for my WOW trip soon. 31 May. The anticipation. Please God, no worsening flu situation. :D

It's gonna be fun!!!

Busy

2009-04-22T21:34:00.000+08:00

Busy.

Very. busy.

Start here

2009-03-27T21:27:00.002+08:00

It's the end of the first week of term 2. The year has progressed past its opening stages and has well and truly begun. So what have I accomplished so far? Well, a good deal actually. I've settled down into my new class and have become accustomed to the later dismissal time. I've become a true IB student in ACS(I). Haha.

CAS hours are coming in (well at least some). The workload too. But amidst all the hustle and bustle, I do find that there's still time for friendships and fun. A good example would be today when a group of us went to Clementi Shopping Centre to eat and talk. It was quite fun, and we had a great time.

What I wish for is greater class unity among everyone, not just a select group. Oh well.

The upcoming WOW trip is filling our minds with anticipation. What will it be like? What experiences will we have? What kind of service will we do there? Will we like the place? Will we rally together under one banner to achieve our tasks? But most of all will we have fun?

The fundraising has gone not too bad, although we still have a long way to go in reaching our target of $3000. Right now we have only slightly more than a $100 if I remember correctly. That leaves us with less than 3 months to raise the rest. :O Looks kind of impossible. Lol.

Term 2 will have more information and activities piling up on top of each other, so it's important for me to manage my time. I hope I can be able to (God be my strength). :)

That's all!

An update

2009-03-06T22:12:00.002+08:00

It's been the third week of lessons this year. Time has flown. Next week will be the last of term 1, and then we'll truly be into the academic year. I think some of us haven't really felt the significance of the months passing us by, but I think they soon will. Ha.

I've been very busy this past 2 weeks, and very tired as well. Late days and tiring ones have become a norm for me over this period of time. Eye bags have grown more prominent. Dark circles too. I'm finding it a little hard to stay awake in school sometimes. Now I know why people fall asleep in lectures, because I'm starting to do so myself. :S

Frisbee has a large part of my time and energy as well. I don't know whether I should join competitive, or still remain in recreational. Somehow I think that I should stay in the latter. I get the feeling that if I join competitive, I'll have no more time left.

!nk is my other CCA. I've just had the first meeting today. We brainstormed ideas for the next issue and I indicated I would like to join writing.

My class is quite nice. I'm looking forward to WOW in order to get to know them even more. But as of now I forsee a nice 2 years ahead. Cheers!

Ok that's all I'll write here. :)

Check

2009-02-20T21:24:00.002+08:00

So the first week of proper lessons has gone past. We're all more or less settling down into our new classes for the next 2 years. People are starting to open up towards one another. My class has elected a class committee, and for the first time we're a class. Some disagreement over the vice-chairman. There's still some preference to go back to old friends though.

Curriculum time: way too long. 4.40pm dismissal on monday, tuesday and thursday. 2.40pm on wednesday. 1pm on fridays. Why so long??? Everyone's asking that question. No idea.

The real tough school week hasn't actually started per se, but I can sense the impending doom coming. :S That's all for now.

Auld Lang Syne

2009-02-14T11:42:00.002+08:00

After about 4 months of holliday and orientation, school is finally going to start in actuality. No! These past 4 months have been very enjoyable, I think the most of all my hols in my life. But I think orientation was the best of the best.

Even though the activities we had was not as fun as other JCs, it still enabled us to get to know each other better and do some crazy things together. Example was the "psst" game and the hand game. Shiok!

Granted, my OG was not the most lively or the closest of them. There were very enthu and close OGs like 16 and 18. Mine was 8. But still, we managed to get along quite well, and some laughter was made at each other's expense (a good sign that the friendship had progressed to a stage where it was possible).

All the things we did together...I will forever treasure it. (I know it sounds corny but ya it's true. lol) Let's continue to maintain this friendship we've built, my friends. :)

One word to describe orientation: Unforgettable.

Snails and time crawl

2009-02-09T20:36:00.002+08:00

Second week of orientation/bridging programme has started and it seems as if this past week has been going on for longer than usual. I wonder whether it's because of the longer hours in school and the 4-hour lectures everyday, or whether it's because I don't know. Hmmm...

School's starting to get more fun each day, with friendships getting more firmly established within my OG. Problem is, the subjects we're taking are mostly different from each other, so once again we'll be uprooted and put into new classes with nobody we know again. Sigh.

Handed in the Subject Option Form today. Hope that my class will be a good one. I'm gonna spend the next 2 years with them, so hopefully it will be good. :)

Tomorrow will be the last day of bridging (FINALLY). Then Wednesday to Friday will be orientation again, and finish! Then it's school routine. Ugh.

Anyway, no point worrying about then until then.

OG 8

2009-02-02T22:07:00.003+08:00

The first real day of orientation has ended. It was fun!

In the morning when I went to school, there were many new faces around. Most were the O-level girls who had come in only today, same as the ones who went to JC. As expected, being surrounded by boys caused them to stick to each other. Can't blame them right?

And so we went to chapel with some quite awkward silences from normally noisy classes. The girls has been split up into about an average of 6-7 girls per class, and they were sitting among the 18 different classes.

First 3 hours of the day were taken up by briefings. Snore. The 1-and-a-half hour briefing by Dr. Ong was the most draggy and long-winded. Happily we could have a break about an hour after that too (after contact time).

The Orientation Group is still not close, with all of us preferring to stick to our own previous classes or schools. We watched a heritage tour of ACS. Very funny stuff. Then we had a talk by the Director and Student Council President.

Then it was icebreakers. The usual games played -- dog and bone, chicken to rooster, ping pong, thumbs up, that kind of thing. But fun.

Another break.

Telematches. Blow a pea through a straw and it had to break the paper held about 50cm in front of it. Of course, it didn't but they let us continue. Haha.

Then you had to balance a tennis ball on a plastic soup spoon. No hands allowed, but then you know.

Then there was the limbo where you had to bend backwards in order to go under it. Needless to say, some people crawled under instead. In fact, my OG had a councillor who actually lifted the tape for one girl. :O No names will be mentioned of course. (Thank me :P)

The OG sort of loosened up a little by the time of the telematches, so it was more interesting. I just hope they will continue to do so. ;)

Wow this is like the longest post in years I think. Bye!

Back to doing nothing

2009-01-20T21:48:00.003+08:00

School has started, but there isn't any lessons nor even any orientation yet. Now is just enrichment courses like visiting traditional chinese medicine places, learning a new skill, having so-called fun subject briefings, and doing stuff like mini-symposiums.

There are 20 girls who came in through DSA. 20 girls, and close to 400 boys. Intimidating for them. Haha. There's only about 1 girl per orientation group as of now. Hopefully it'll change once the O-level batch comes in, or else it's going to be quite sad. ;)

So this 2 weeks until 2 Feb will be pretty much doing nothing in school, except to sit in freezing Lecture Theatres listening to some talk. But the Adam Khoo talk was the one of the best I've heard in a long time, surprisingly. Ok maybe not surprising. The trainer Leroy was very good. He's going to be very beneficial for many people whom he talks to I think.

And oh yes, we dismiss at 12.40pm everyday for this 2 weeks. Yes!!!

Nooooo

2009-01-12T16:56:00.002+08:00

It's the last week of holidays before school starts. Nooooo!!! But I think it's time I get back to doing something more meaningful than rotting at home. Ha.

O-level results released today. I must say the results for our church people were pretty impressive.

I went to school in the morning to help pack a whole lot of clothes into little bundles for the Sec 3s to bring to Kunming, China. This was part of my SL project last year, but we couldn't find the time to finish it, so we had to come back again this year to do it.

Yes, it's one more week. That's all I have to say already. Bye!

New Year

2009-01-01T14:48:00.003+08:00

2009. A new year, and a new environment.

Funny thing is, I don't have much to write about (again). I wonder why. But then, it's not so surprising is it, since I've always never had much to write about anyway. Ha.

Well this year will have some changes in school, biggest being there'll be girls in my class for the first time in 4 years. Looking forward to it of course, but not targeting anything yet eh? ;)

IB will be much more challenging than the IP, so I really pray that God can help me to adjust to the different rigours of the year.

That's about all I'll write here, bye!

Sick.

2008-12-16T21:38:00.003+08:00

Heroes Youth Camp 2008 is over.

I know this is kind of late to update after like 3 days, but well I've been sick throughout the camp and after as well, so now is only time I've actually thought about writing anything on it. Ha. Anyway, it has been an enjoyable 2 days of camp, even though I was shivering for the last half of the second day due to fever!!!

Camp admin and finance is a shambles right now. Amounts don't tally, and Yao Qi went Bali so I can't ask him anything. :S Oh well.

Nothing much else to say, except it's my mother's birthday today! And we had an appreciation dinner for the GLs and GFs and some YA helpers at Paramount Hotel just now.

Ok ciao. :]

When it's all been said and done

2008-11-30T17:17:00.002+08:00

Well The Promise is over. One week of long hours practicing the show at the University Cultural Centre has left its mark on me. I kind of miss the show and the practices, even though I've only been doing it for such a short time. What more for the cast? Well life goes on...(I sound emo :O)

But yes I've certainly nejoyed being a part of the wardrobe team for the musical. Apart from interacting with the cast who came to change their costumes during the show, we also had the opportunity to mingle with one another. :)

The ponies were a hit by themselves. Everyday there were people watching them eat grass or go on walks. Ha. By the way, thanks aunty Judy for the excellent food and snacks you provided for all of us!

One more very exciting and important thing is that about a 150 or more people accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. Woooooo!!!!!! Now the important thing is the follow-up for them. Pray for the people in charge of that, that they may effectively minister to these new believers in Christ.

Well I have many more things to say about this wonderful musical, but I don't think I shall list it down here.

Ok then. Bye everyone! =)

16

2008-11-18T18:20:00.003+08:00

It's my 16th birthday today!!! Well I don't really feel anything different. Am I supposed to? Spent today at home. Surprised? Ha.

Nothing much to say except that I wish God will continue to help me in my walk with Him daily.

I want a N79! I want Call of Duty 5! I want Empire: Total War!

That's my birthday wish. :O

In response to requests...

2008-11-04T20:33:00.002+08:00

The holidays are well and truly started, and I am visiting the Faith Factor blog more often, and also updating my blog more regularly than usual. That doesn't mean my posts will be any longer than they were before though.

My birthday is coming soon...18 November. (No hint.) Yes and I'm planning to get a new handphone to replace this free phone that I've been using for the past 5 months. Not that my current phone is lousy or spoilt, it's just that it doesn't have a memory card slot! So no music and no pictures or videos on my phone. :( I was thinking of getting maybe the N85 or something like that.

Well, it's confirmed that I turned down my job offer from the Scripture Union, and I've decided that I don't want to go to work at all this holiday. Maybe I'm too lazy. Ha.

So you'll probably be hearing from me on my blog more often than before, at least for the duration of the school holidays.

See you!

The future?

2008-10-25T19:20:00.002+08:00

The holidays are here and it's the end of my secondary school life. Kind of sad, of course, and wondering how the time could have passed so fast (it was just a while ago that I first entered secondary school, wide-eyed and innocent). But also looking ahead with a sense of anticipation at the new environment and curriculum that next year will bring. For the first time in 4 years, I'll be having girls as classmates. What are my feelings? Happy of course ;).

Anyway, here are my results for the end of year exams, and also the overall year (in brackets):

Biology 74 (75.8) 6 points

Chemistry 73 (76.9) 6

Chinese 79 (73.1) 6

Core Mathematics 56 (64.7) 5

History 78 (82.3) 7

Introduction to Human Societies 71 (77.2) 6

Language Arts 82 (80.6) 7

Physics VR (62.2) 5

Overall aggregate IB points: 37 + 3 bonus points = 40

As you can see, my C Maths is the one pulling me down, having a 5 points. The VR for my physics end of year is because I dropped it just before the exam.

Actually I'm quite happy with my results this year. Thank God for it! :) I'm aiming for 42 points in the actual IB exams though. If I can get it. ;)

Ok that's all I'll be sying for now. See you all soon!

Now?

2008-10-15T16:44:00.002+08:00

So exams are over. No sudden rush of elation or great relief comes over me. Surprised? Well, I was too, until I realised that, oh, I've been playing throughout my exams! Oops... Anyway I'll get my results back on Friday, then we'll see whether I can take my HL subjects next year.

Again surprisingly, I feel no great worry or tension or suspense at waiting for the results to come in. I wonder why again. Right. Of course, I'm playing like a retard now that exams are gone.

This was the last exam I had for my secondary school years. Next year I'll be in IB already! Yeah time flies.

The school just gave us its 2008 magazine today. Beautiful pictures (thanks photographers) but quite a waste of money with its glossy pages and super vivid illustrations and printing. (And I wonder where our school fees go?) Haha.

Ok that's about all I've got to say for now. I'll you all posted when I've gotten back my results. Until then, bye! [There I've updated. ;)]

Can you feel the pressure mounting...

2008-09-21T21:21:00.003+08:00

Well, it's the last week before the end-of-year exams. I've stopped playing computer (finally!). Ha. Yeah I'm feeling the pressure now. Chionging some revision now. I have sent in my letter to drop Physics, and I should get some confirmation by tomorrow whether or not I can. Hopefully this will give me more time to concentrate on my other subjects. I figured that since I'm not taking Physics next year, I might as well drop it before I take the exams, although I admit that it's a bit of a waste, since I have studied almost 2 years for it already. Oh well.

I'm planning to take these subjects next year:

Higher Level (HL)

Chemistry

History

Biology/Economics

Standard Level (SL)

English

Chinese B

Maths

I aim to get 40 IB points for this year, including bonus. =)

And oh yes, school's starting on 19 Jan next year! Yeah! I know it's not as late as JCs, but I'll finish my exams by 7 Oct, and I'll have orientation until mid-Feb, so technically I'll be having hols for about 4 months! :D

Ok, enough said now; more on subjects and stuff later on. Bye!

:S

2008-09-01T20:28:00.002+08:00

Well well well. It's the holidays and I'm updating my blog again. What's the big deal you may say? Actually, not much, besides the fact that I'M UPDATING MY BLOG AGAIN! Ha. Yup it's big news when I do it.

This holiday is not really one which I can enjoy fully, because of the end-of-year exams coming in less than a month's time. And by the way, this exam will decide whether I'll enter IB, and what subjects I can take. So it's really quite different from previous exams.

Hot news is that we've got a new external hard drive which can store 1TB of things. Nice. It's quite small, maybe about only 10 computers can go in. Yeah. Nothing much really. ;)

And we've gotten a new computer!!! Yay! Finally we can discard this old and super laggy com and get a decent one.

That's all I have to say. Abrupt huh. =)

After one month...

2008-08-09T16:54:00.002+08:00

It's National Day, and it's about a month since I have updated my blog. Therefore I shall attempt to write a slightly longer post than normal. But I don't think I can...

Ok, today I woke up early and went to Toong Chai Presbyterian Church for a friendly match in Captain's Ball. We had a team of 29 people who went there, and the Toong Chai had about 10. However, we had heard that their reputation in Captain's Ball was formidable, as they practice every other week in their carpark/grass lawn. So it was that with shaking knees and low expectations we started our battle.

But before that, we played ice-breakers. 3 stations and retarded games. I shan't say what. Ha. As usual, Samuel was the most retarded gamemaster. (I mean, what else do you expect?)

Now back to the Captain's Ball. My team were the first to challenge the Toong Chai team, and we bore the hopes of Katong Presbyterian Church on our shoulders. The sweat was dripping off our faces even before we began (no, it was not the prospect of being humiliated that caused the sweat glands in our epidermis to began secreting a mixture of water, salt and minerals; it was the weather).

From the start, the sad condition of our team was clearly evident in the way we spread ourselves out too thin, and how we didn't mark the other players properly. Let's just say that in the end, we got thrashed. Haha. I think the score was 10-1 for my team. I don't know about the other KPC teams who played against them.

But anyway, we really had a good time today, and we definitely made some new friends on the way.

Oh yes, before I forget, I missed the Olympics Opening Ceremony yesterday!!! Noooooooo!!! And I missed the encore too!!!! Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!! Ah well. Never mind. Lol.

Wow, I've actually written quite a long post. Ok maybe it's not as long as some people's posts, but it's definitely one of my longer ones, if not the longest.

That's it then. Cya all soon! =)

A first

2008-07-08T19:22:00.002+08:00

So it's 2 days after Youth Sunday, and the fever is fading from my bones.

The sense of anticipation and expectation is gone, and in its place is satisfaction and contentment.

Yes, I'm talking about leading worship on 6th July 2008. It was definitely a first-time experience for me in leading an adult congregation in worship. Of course, I was a little nervous at first, but thank God that I managed to pull it off. =)

Thanks too to everyone who helped out in the band and the sound and projection. Marianne Lee for your invaluable co-leading: I couldn't have done it without you. Really.

Thanks to all the breakfast people, the ushers, and anyone else whom I may have missed out and who may not have been able to attend the service.

As always, all glory and honour forevermore goes to the One who is alone worthy of our worship.

Praise Adonai!

After

2008-06-15T17:44:00.002+08:00

Here I am after the church camp, and I must say that I have learnt alot from the 5D4N stay in the Renaissance Melaka Hotel. The messages by the speaker were very well discussed and broken down into understandable words -- no mean feat considering that the passages were from Revelation.

Suffice it to say that I renewed my commitment to God to remain faithful to Him and His Word. Pray for me that I can continue to stay true to this promise.

Results

2008-05-23T09:59:00.002+08:00

The results are in and I've got 38/42 or 41/45 IB points for my Mid-years. Surprisingly my best subject is Language Arts with 88. Woah.

I'll list down the marks for my subjects:

Biology: 76
Chemistry: 78
Chinese: 68
Core Maths: 64
History: 82
Introduction to Human Societies: 75
Language Arts: 88
Physics: 43

Average: 73.30%

Thank God for my results, even though I failed Physics this term, because overall semester I passed it! Woohoo!

Signing out.

The day after May Day

2008-05-03T10:45:00.002+08:00

Well. I'm well and truly into my exam now, and I must say that I don't really feel any stress. Is that good or bad? But it's fine with me because I don't like stress. I mean, who does? It's been a long while since I've posted anything. Always too busy or some other thing comes up and I forget or don't want to or don't feel like posting. Haha.

Quick update of my tests. Finished Chinese Paper 1 & 2. Language Arts and History.

I'm left with the rest. :S

Basically this year has passed by rather quickly. Strange that every year seems to be moving even faster than the one before it. But never mind.

Ok I've nothing else to say already. Cao!

Term 2. Yes it is.

2008-03-25T22:02:00.003+08:00

Well! As expected, I didn't post my results here. And now, I forgot them already. Sigh. Right. But anyway, it doesn't really matter does it? Whether I post it or not? I guess not.

As you can see from my tagboard, I'm in the same school as Melissa. We've seen each other quite a number of times already, going to school, around school. Yeah but as she said, we've never actually ate in the SAC together yet. Haha.

Time to start studying for common tests this term. I saw the topics tested for Biology and I was like :O. Yup. ALL the Year 3 topics PLUS about 5 MAJOR topics this year. Woah... Mugging time. ;)

So. More studying, less fooling around. God please help me with this, I'm failing miserably. Thank You Lord for helping me! :DD))

Why'd I write?

2008-02-29T18:09:00.003+08:00

Leap Year 2008. February 29. Cool. Tha't why I'm writing today. I haven't been writing for a long time already, and my test just ended yesterday, so I'm quite happy. Yay! :D

Results this term not that good. Could have been better I know. Haha yes confession. Tomorrow I have to go for my school's Founder's Day Parade. I'm in the supporting contingent -- NCDCC or National Civil Defence Cadet Corps unless you didn't know that. Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it's really a Uniformed Group. So I have to wake up at 5.15 a.m. and be in school by 6.30. Sigh. Anyway, I'm glad tomorrow is finally the day. We've been practicing for so long that I have a beret line on my head and also I've been tanned. Lol.

Well, as always I've nothing much to say. Be sure to tune in for the results of this term which I may or may not put up soon. Very hard to say with me. Until then!

CNY

2008-02-07T22:44:00.000+08:00

Well it's been quite a while since I last posted something. So what's the occasion you may ask? It's Chinese New Year man! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Yeah but the real reason I've not been posting is that there's always something that comes up, or I forget to type, or can't be bothered. Haha.

So just a quick update on what's going to happen for this term. Next week I have 3 tests: Physics, Chinese and Core Maths. Folowing week I have Biology test, and the week after that I have Chemistry test. Yup, so you can see that I have basically a tight schedule. Ok then. Xue ye jin bu everyone!

:D

Stunning beyond belief

2008-01-07T18:32:00.000+08:00

The results for the 1st International Baccalaureate cohort are out, and the news is astonishing. Our school fielded by far the largest candidature of students for the IB exam -- 357 to be exact -- and we got the highest in the world. By the way the IB population last year was 15000. Praise and thank God yeah! :D Also because of this wonderful news, tomorrow is a holiday for the whole school. Wooo!!! Ok then, the pressure is now on the next batch of Year 6s. I wonder how they feel with the weight of the school on their shoulders. Not something I'll want to be in definitely, but something I'll have to go through nevertheless. Until then, I don't envy them.

2008-01-01T19:49:00.000+08:00

School starts tomorrow. Applause. Right. No actually I don't really mind going back to school. Of course I don't want the work and all, but even I can get bored of holidays after a long time. Ok wait, not precisely bored, but not minding something new for a change. So it's with a normal heart that I go to school. Haha.

2007 was a good year. Praise the Lord! :D

Back to Earth

2007-12-14T13:34:00.001+08:00

So Plug-in and Contagious is over. The memories fade, but the lessons and experiences remain. Thank You Lord for the precious 9 days of camp. My prayer is that You would help me to be committed to You.

Over

2007-11-24T22:55:00.000+08:00

So the GB/KPC camp is over, but the memories remain. Experiences, thoughts, emotions. I've learned alot from this camp. Thank You Lord for Your love to me.

Work? Debatable...

2007-11-12T21:39:00.001+08:00

So the IBA is over, and the holidays are before me. My work on the GB camp is not yet done, however. I still have quite some stuff to do before I can rest easy. So. The 2 weeks of attachment was not bad, although it's not what you'll get (far from it) the working world in the private sector, since there you have to slave yourself out. In church it's quite ok, I must say. Yup. Basically what I did was plan and organise and run the GB camp, then sort out the Synod youth camp forms and all, then do the faithfactor directory...

All in all, I'm quite glad that it's over, even though it was a unique experience, and I could get to see what happens in the day to day running of the church. Haha.

That's all I have to say. Thank you. (Oh no I sound like the guy in the Why U So Like Dat? album)

IBA time

2007-10-29T21:20:00.000+08:00

I am about to start my Industrial Business Attachment (IBA) -- in church. Yeah rather industrial don't you think? Ok so this is just a little post to tell you that I'm going there for the next 2 weeks, from the 29 Oct to the 11 Nov. Cya! :)

Post...

2007-10-21T22:41:00.000+08:00

And so, more than a week into the post-exam period, I find myself wondering: "What to do now? Should I continue just playing and playing and playing, or should I find something else worthwhile doing?" I confess I don't have any answer as yet, although I have pledged to exercise when the real holidays start. Yup. But as of now, I need some time to think over how to spend my last week in school.

We;ve been playing computer games in class, because there are many scholars who have laptops, so LAN gaming can easily be set up. UNO card games also attract lots of people. I've heard more than one of previous year's classmates tell me how they wish they have the same happening things happening in their classes. Right now the teachers don't come to class at all, so we're pretty much left alone. A student's true heaven. Haha.

Well, results are out, and I have to say that this final year was quite average in terms of marks, about the 60-70 range. Thank God that my overall year is still quite ok. :) Here are my results:

Biology--77

Chemistry--68

Chinese--61

Core Maths--65

History--75

IHS--97

Language Arts--74

Physics--59

For the overall year, I scored 40/45 points, including the 2 bonus points from Individualised Study Option (ISO) and Philosophy of Disciplines (POD). My average is 76.9%. So yeah, I'm really glad and thankful to God for my results. By the way, one Malaysian scholar got 44/45 points. Amazing huh!

As this is the last week before school closes, we'll be getting all the report books and next-year classes and booklists and such. So I anticipate a pretty busy week ahead, not like last week which was really doing nothing in class. And finally the teachers will come to class again, I think.

Woah this is the longest post I've written for some time, and it feels good. Lol. Ok I have to go already...remember, comfort those who mourn, for example over their results. But always rememeber too to praise the Lord and thank Him. :)

Exam Over?

2007-10-09T19:08:00.000+08:00

So the exams are over, the 1 week holiday starts, and there's no more work to do. Rejoice lah! Haha. But really, it feels good to not have anymore studying to do. Here's what I thought about the papers:

Language Arts (both)--quite ok

IHS--quite ok too

C Math--bad

Physics--bad

History--quite ok

Biology--quite ok

Chinese--not sure

Chem--not sure

Ok that's all folks! I'll let u noe what results I get ya! Until then...

It's The End (of preparation)

2007-09-30T20:52:00.000+08:00

Well, it's the last day before the exam, and my nerves are surprisingly not jangling alot. It's quite funny really, because you know...the final year?...ya. Ok so the preparations have been ongoing for sometime already, and I guess I'm feeling a little numb to the fact that the big day, or one of them, is coming up in about 14 hours more.

I have the papers in this order:

1. Monday--Language Arts I

2. Tuesday--Language Arts II

IHS

3. Wednesday--Physics I

Physics II

History

4. Thursday--Core Maths I

Biology I

Biology II

5. Friday--CL I

CL II

6. Monday--Core Maths II

Chemistry I

Chemistry II

The official ending date for the exams is on the wednesday, but because I don't take Advanced Maths or Geography, so I can get to go two days earlier than the rest who do. Which means I get 1 whole week of post-exam holiday, since tuesday and wednesday are not my papers, thursday and friday are marking days, and monday is Hari Raya. Woo!!! Lol.

I must really thank God for seeing me this far, and I pray that He will continue to help and guide me in my exam and my walk with Him as well. Thanks be to Him! And now I have to zao already. Cya guys! :)

Take a break with (blogging)...

2007-09-13T17:39:00.000+08:00

I'm in the midst of preparing for the final year exams, but it seems to me that I haven't even started yet. So...today I'm going to do my POD essay for the final year examination. We're not supposed to write more than 1500 words, and I don't even know how to get to 500. Very good. Haha. Wonder how everyone's doing with exam stress. Hope you're all doing fine. :)

Thank God for His protection and guidance the past week, and tomorrow as well when I go for NCDCC training. Cheers!

Update

2007-09-05T10:23:00.000+08:00

The holidays are here. What this means for me is freedom from school. Of course right...Anyway, there is still work for me to do. Revision too. Haha. But good thing I have free time as well. :D

So this will be a short post again, as usual. The past few days have been quite relaxed for me. Ok now I'll have to really get down to studying and doing my work. Cya guys!

19/8/07

2007-08-19T21:35:00.000+08:00

Gongs sounding loud and deep in the bowels of the earth. Closer to the surface, alarm bells ringing madly as the date inexorably approaches: 5 October 2007. The day of doom. The day of judgment. The day of death.

Right. Haha. No that's was just some wierd stuff. Well this week has been a relief in more ways than one. For one, there wasn't any homework, only the getting back of results for projects and assignments that are counted for this term's assessment. Thank God I got full marks for my history essay. :D Chinese was quite good as well -- 80-something. Now I know why they say that the results are well worth the hard work and effort and sweat and time and energy and whatever put in. Whew!

Yesterday we learned about taming the tongue. This is one of the hardest things I've faced or will face in the years to come, I'm sure of it. It's our nature to just spew out all kinds of words when we stub a toe or are very irritated or other stuff at something or someone. Of course, by now you should know that the only way to solve this is through God's help. Isn't it wonderful that we have such a loving and caring God, that He bothers to do all these for us. Truly, it is the Great Love Story of the ages.

Somehow I still haven't mastered the way of sitting down in front of the computer for a long time and just typing out the words (like someone suggested, you know who you are ;)). So, this will be the end of the post for today, and I don't know how long more either. Goodnight everyone, and remember that blogging too much is bad for you!

Alive again

2007-08-07T16:36:00.000+08:00

Now I know what the swimmer feels like when he comes out of the water and gasps for breath. The past week has been like that, I realised. I've been swimming underwater for about 500 m before surfacing at last with a tremendous splash and gulping of sweet air. Yup. Looking back on the past week, I realised that I would never have gone through it if not for the grace and mercy of God, who has so wonderfully borne me up on his wings of love to let me soar like the eagles (my school motto). And now it's the National Day holidays. The workload is less. I'm feeling great. God is good. What could be better? :)

I went to the Christian Fellowship of my school on both last Friday and Saturday. When the programme started, I was struck by the passion and energy of the youth who gathered there. The singing was led by a student, and the guitar was played by one too. To hear the fervent and eager schoolmates of mine just crying out and praising God with all their hearts...well, it left a very lasting impression. I thank You Lord so much for the chance to worship You with no fear of persecution.

Then an old boy of the school shared his message with us. It was simple but powerful: live you life in such a way that when you die, people will talk about your life, not your death -- to the glory of God. This reminded me of many people, including me, sometimes. We get so caught up in doing things for God that our motives become confused. We end up seeking the praise of men rather than God. We volunteer for leadership positions and upfront things, but shun away at the thought of background, behind-the-scenes, "dirty work". This is very dangerous, as it leads people away from God, and instead points the attention to ourselves. The worst thing is that sometimes we don't mind either. We just accept it and in fact revel in it.

It recalled to me the song by Paul Baloche, that went "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man boast in his strength. Let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let the humble come and give thanks. [...] I will boast in the Lord my God. I will boast in the One who's worthy." It is a timely reminder that we should not be proud of our achievements, but that we should ascribe ALL honour and glory to Him who sits on the throne forever.

God is faithful and never changes. I have been through only 14 and 2/3rds of my life, but already I can see that He is true to His word, and that his promises never fail me. He has always been there when I fell, and will continue to be forevermore. Thank You Lord! :D

Take a breath...

2007-07-31T22:11:00.000+08:00

What can I say? The past 2 weeks have been absolutely full of work, work and work. I had almost no free time at all, in fact none in the last week. Am I tired of it? Of course. Sick and tired of it and wish I don't have any work? You bet. But I just can't keep this thought out of my head: whatever we do, we do it for God. Somehow the thought just keeps coming back to me at the most unlikely times. I may be feeling super low-down at the amount of work I have to complete in an all too short time frame, but one of these inspiring thoughts will suddenly pop up. Thank God for that. I don't even remember the typing of the keyboard, except for doing work. Haha. Yup, that's how long. Ok even now I don't really have the time to blog. This is just a filler post to keep you all updated on what's happening in the busy school life of an ACS (I) IP guy. Yeah that's what they told us when we complained about the workload. Lol.

Ok I have to go already since it's quite late and I have lots of other stuff to do as well. Cya people soon, I hope! :)

The 10th Hour (almost the 11th)

2007-07-19T22:18:00.001+08:00

I have reached the point where the word "homework" doesn't just mean daily assignments. It also means projects and file checks and revision. Of course, that's why I haven't been updating. Oh haha, look at me now. Only 1 month ago I would have considered 7 days as a very short interval between posts, but now it's become a super long gap. Amazing how things change eh.

So this will be a short post since it's quite late already and I'm very tired, with work and all that. I played badminton in school today for P.E. I don't know why they can't let us choose what sport to play last time, but I'm just grateful that I get to play badminton for the past 2 weeks now. Well, it's definitely more fun than running or playing soccer (I'm not that great a football fan) so I would gladly play badminton. Oh wait I think I just repeated myself. Must be the late hour and nights.

Ok I think I better go now. Got to prepare more stuff and all.

Goodnight my readers. I pray that God will restore you and me as we look to a new day ahead. With love in Christ. :)

A Valuable Lesson

2007-07-12T20:11:00.000+08:00

It's wonderful how God can work. Yesterday the class just received news of more assignments to be done, which piled on top of all the other work we have to do. As the list of things to do grew, I became overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff that seemed meaningless to me. I wanted to just escape from it all somehow, but couldn't find a way to. Then, as I flipped the pages of my student handbook (for recording homework and such) to jot down one more entry in an already full day, I happened to really notice for the first time since last year the bible verses and sayings that are written on the top right corner of the page. What struck me was that the verse was from Colossians 3: 23,24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...It is the Lord Christ you are serving." I was awed. It really drove home this message to me: It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. I thought to myself, non-believers also do their best in whatever they do. Even Muslims pray, and Buddhists do good things. If a Christian lives in this way, he is no different from them.

I hope that I can learn from this experience and constantly check my purpose and motivation for doing things. I still have alot of work to do, but instead of feeling hopeless that doing so much work is meaningless, I will strive, with God's grace, to see it as my service to Him and so give my best.

Thank You Lord! :)

End

2007-07-06T21:42:00.000+08:00

The 5th or 6th or 7th (I can't remember which) IP Symposium has come to an end. NOoooooooooooo......I want more, because there's no school during symposiums. Haha. Anyway, school is going to start next week (I mean properly) and there'll be no more free days... Of course still had work during this past week lah but no daily work and lessons.

What I learned from the symposium was quite funny. I learnt that the United Nations has so many levels of beauracracy (is it spelled correctly?) that they take months to reach a decision. By the time they agree on something, the crisis would have long gone or else beyond repair. Lol.

I'll write out the one of the crises they gave us: India and Pakistan have been at war with each other for many years already. They have been disputing the region of Kashmir, which Pakistan was originally part of before they gained independence. China controsl the northern part of Kashmir. Suddenly, India launches a full-scale attack to capture and hold Kashmir. The UN reacts by calling an emergency meeting. The US sends 2 carrier groups to the Indian Ocean to keep the peace. The UN has to pass a resolution quickly before 2h, or a war will occur, as both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons.

The two funniest comments from delegates from other countries were China and France. China's delegate said, "We hope for peacful negotiations between the two countries. However, as China also has part of Kashmir, we propose that China sends in a few thousand troops to ensure the peace. To further maintain order, China will also impose its administration on Kashmir. This is in line with our one-China policy. India and Pakistan have 20 hours to evacuate the region before we attack them." I can tell you, the General Assembly laughed their heads off. France's delegate said, "We will support the US in sending troops to the Indian Ocean too. We hope for peaceful settlement of the Kashmir situation. However, if this is not accomplished within 48 hours, we will fire a warning shot over India and Pakistan. If they still cannot reach an agreement, we will resolve the crisis quickly by bombing both sides with nukes." Oh man......HAHA.

Ok that's all there is to share about for me. The rest is too long already. Goodnight.

Model United Nations

2007-06-29T23:11:00.000+08:00

The 5th IP Symposium started today. For the Year 3 IP, we have a Model United Nations Conference (MUN). It's basically a debate-like thing, but it follows the actual United Nations style of debating issues. The process is very complicated. First you must submit a position paper, which is our country's stand on a particular issue. There are 4 or 5 committees, depending on whether or not your country is a Security Council member: Political, EcoSoc, Environment, Human Rights, (Security Council). Each country has one delegate in each committee.

Ok I won't go into too much detail; it's too long to write all anyway. But just understand this: there are tonnes of decorum and stuff like that, including votes and all, that takes place at a single meeting (now I know why UN meetings always tkae so long). It's so confusing that I dunno whether I'll be able to use the correct terms and all. What's the point with politically correct speech when everyone knows whether or not there's really an insult or something behind the sweet words? Haha.

Anyway, this week has been quite fast for me, because I don't have any homework I suppose, only lots of pass-up-in-2-weeks-time-or-more projects and assignments.

That's all I have to write about. God bless!

Joy in work

2007-06-25T20:39:00.000+08:00

Now that school has started, how do I find joy in it? There's alot of activities in this term, and when I say alot, I mean alot. Yup.

So, where is the meaning in all of this work, work and more work? Actually ah, I only have one answer loh. We live--that means our daily lives, completely for Christ. Which of course includes our studies as well. Haha. So the meaning I find in studie and school work is that of doing everything for the sake of Christ, that His name may be glorified.

It sounds a bit cliche (in fact the term cliche is itself) but it is an age old truth and will help us find the strength to carry on and persevere in whatever we do. So fellow students, rejoice in the LORD always and again I say rejoice! :)

Update

2007-06-23T10:43:00.000+08:00

This is an update. Due to various people's requests. Ok.

I must say that the thought of going back to school is not as daunting as it would seem in previous years. Maybe because the reality hasn't hit me yet. Ah well I'm not complaining about that, but when it does...

Somehow it reminds me of the days when going to school was fun. Wow I can't imagine it now. Haha. Super white socks and shoes, even used the white polish thing to make them whiter! I think I must have dazzled passersby on the way to school. No wonder the high myopia rate in Singapore.

But seriously, I think that school has lost some of its roles as nurturing its students holistically. Nowadays students are much more stressed than last time. I really hope something will change for the better. In the meanwhile, just pray about it eh? Amen.

Back from the dead

2007-06-15T22:55:00.000+08:00

Wow I just realised that I haven't updated my blog for about 2 and a half months already. Amazing record. I shall honour some requests to update my blog and do so now. Haha. What can I say? That I'm more talkative than usual and finally spent some time typing this instead of being glued to a book or stuck in front of the computer screen (for playing games)? No. Actually, I decided to update my blog because I've resovled not to be so stuck with my com games and books. Hmmm...I hope I won't switch places with being stuck at the com for blogging. Lol. Most probably I won't, with God's help. Amen? :)

The hols have been pretty much the same so far, work and play, but more play than work I must admit. ;) But just this last week the kias and I went for a mission camp in church, where we were commissioned to live the gospel and thus bring others to Christ. I hereby pledge, in front of the world (since this is a public site), to live as an ambassador for Christ and bring at least one friend to church by the end of the year. I know it will be very difficult, but I know also that He who lives in me is greater than he who is in the world. Praise the Lord!

Finally, I want to thank the people who prepared and ran the camp. It was a very meaningful and enriching 4 days, and I am very grateful to you all! :)

Snore

2007-04-30T17:38:00.000+08:00

This is a post written when I'm currently sleepy like I don't know what like that. I don't know what to write, except that if I don't write probably the blog will be closed down if it's left outdated for too long.

My exam is starting on this Thursday...yippee!!! Right.

Ok.

Bye.

What can I do

2007-03-20T17:44:00.000+08:00

The title of this song is the same as my post title. It's a very nice song. If you have the chance, borrow Paul Baloche's A Greater Song album and listen to the entire thing. It really is very meaningful, and the music is nice too!

I finally decided to publish another post...haha.

CNY

2007-02-17T10:19:00.000+08:00

This is just a post to celebrate and wish everyone a happy Chinese New Year. And oh ya, I just created the google account thingy!!! Wooooo...!!! Haha.

Class Test

2007-02-07T18:08:00.000+08:00

I'm in the midst of the class tests. 2 days ago was the Chinese paper. Hm...I'm not very confident about it. That day I couldn't think properly, so I don't know whether I wrote correctly or not. Great.

I just finished the Core Mathematics today. Surprisingly, I feel quite okay about it. I wonder why. Oh yeah, for those who don't know, Core Maths is the ACS (Independent) IP version of E Maths.

Ok. Bye. Ha. Short. And. Sweet.

Post OEP

2007-01-18T13:33:00.001+08:00

The past 7 days have been very fruiful for me. I went for my school's Overseas Education Programme (OEP) in Kunming & Guizhou, China. I won't describe in detail everything that happened, but I'll recount a bit of what occured in the CIP there.

Ok, so first we took a 3h bus ride to a remote part of Kunming (sore and tired by then, haha). Then we walked 5km to reach the village where we were to do our CIP. The children there gave us a warm welcome, and about 30min later, we found ourselves grouped with them, heading off into the hills to plant walnut trees. It was a long and ardous journey to the top, but the children made it seem easy (hey, they had been climbing that hill since I don't know when): they were running up and down the steep and trecherous path like goats. I planted about 7 trees with the aid of another classmate and a few of the children.

After we got back down, we gave the gathered children some food that somehow magically appeared. I could see the joy in their faces as they received the bread and buns we gave them, albeit quite shy. It was very heartwarming to note too that some of them stored their share away, maybe to take it to their family members or relatives.

Then it was time for games--catching, basketball, soccer (if about 30 people chasing after the ball can still be called that), and Duck and Goose. They children were running around screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs, obviously enjoying themselves. There were also a few who stood together in groups and watched everything.

All too soon it was time to go. We took pictures with them and showed them the photos. They laughed with delight when they saw themselves inside. We said our goodbyes (they were waving to us) and walked the 5km back to the bus.

It was one of the best, if not the best, section of the OEP.

2007-01-18T13:33:00.000+08:00

2007

2007-01-02T18:22:00.000+08:00

Ahhhh school has started...again. Oh well. PSL duties coming up, new subjects and classmates. Woah. Oh ya, don't be offended (can't think of any other word) if I don't add anyone to the links. First reason is I don't know how to, second is that I don't update my blog. Sorry for that, hope you'll understand.

Oh wow, I've just posted another post.

I have decided...

2006-11-21T18:30:00.000+08:00

I won't be continuing my story...too tedious. And also I'm not regular in updating my blog, so it's quite a waste of time to write a story here.

Gap! No, not the fashion store

2006-11-12T22:58:00.000+08:00

Wow, I haven't written a post for about 3 weeks now. Cool. Just F.Y.I., I have chosen triple science and history as my subject combination.

I have a blocked nose (since this morning), and I am sniffing away at the computer. Sniff sniff. Right. Okayyy... I really have nothing to say, so I'll tell a story (no, not like Cheryl's one).

It was a bright and sunny day. An icecream man was selling icecreams along Icecream Road. The children had just dismissed from Icecream Secondary School, and were headed towards the bus stop in the direction of the icecream man.

The icecream man looked at the passing students, hoping that some of them would buy an icecream from him to support his meager income.

Suddenly, he stopped and stared...

To be continued...

Different classes...sigh

2006-10-21T23:04:00.000+08:00

I just submitted my subject option form yesterday. My original choice was double humanities and double science, but too bad only 5 people chose that as well. Hm...I wonder why they have this type of choice if they are going to put you in a class that is not your first choice because there are too few people in your supposed-to-be class. Ok I think you didn't get that. Never mind.

Anyway, I have been posted to triple science and history...so I think that there'll be quite alot of studying and such stuff. The year director says that it won't be so hard as long as I read up for biology consistently. The only positive thing I can see is that there'll be alot less Maths to learn and practise.

So far as I know, I'm the only one in my class to take this combination. Looks like I'll be alone in a new class next year. :( Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, please pray that I'll be able to adjust well to the new environment and that I won't feel so cut off or anything. :) Thanks.

Monday will be the third last day I'll be seeing my classmates all together. On Wednesday we'll get back our classes, and also our book list (I think). I'll miss my classmates...of course right...? Haha.

Oh and by the way, I won't be blogging regularly, as you know, so I can't add people to my blog or anything. Sorry for that.

Ok. Until Wednesday then.

Woah

2006-10-07T22:30:00.000+08:00

I"m in the midst of my exams now. Sigh. This is the first time I remembered or bothered to write since 10 September or something. Wow. Ok anyway, the unseen prose and poetry was quite ok I think. History was so-so, but geography was quite easy (hope so). The real killer was Maths. Argh. I think I'll fail Maths or at the most get only 50 something.

Next week is the second paper for Language Arts, Physical Science, Chinese compo and letter writing, Life Science, Chinese Compre and close passage, and Chinese listening comprehension. Ok, I wonder why I wrote all the full names out...

I have nothing more to say. Until next time!

The Great Hiatus (over)

2006-09-10T21:49:00.000+08:00

Ah, holidays are over. Too short ;) . Oh well, back to the grind of school and the final term. Oh no...the final exam is here. 50% of the year's weightage. Hm. I wonder why they push it all back to the end. Ok. Nothing else to say, except I don't feel like going back to school. Bye.

Holidays!!!

2006-09-01T15:00:00.000+08:00

Holidays are here! Yay. Ok this is not a very long post (as always), but it's to remind myself that I have to do some work and exercise. Yeah. Ok. Bye. I won't write long posts from now on unless it's something really important (like I mentioned in my previous post). Goodbye.

2006-08-26T11:52:00.000+08:00

Do I have to post something everyday? Because if not, then I'll probably be coming here less often from now on. Yeah, I think I'll do that. Ok. Goodbye. I really have nothing to say. I'm starting to wonder whether I created this blog on a whim or whether it was for genuine diary- keeping. Anyway from now on I'll only come here when I remember and there is something worthwhile to write and burden my worthy and patient audience with.

LMS - good or bad?

2006-08-23T19:51:00.000+08:00

The new LMS programme that the school embarked upon about a month or so ago is quite useful. Assignments can be submitted online without the hassle of bringing the document to school. But then, the documents go through TurnItIn, a massive software that tracks down any plaigiarised work. Cool. But the LMS is VERY strict. It won't let you make any changes to your assignment once you've submitted it. The deadline is also to the second. But the worst of all is that once you open the assignment, you have to finish it, by hook or by crook. If you close the window, you get a 0. Very fair. I wonder why.

Ok, can't talk much today. I have to learn my Geography for a test tomorrow. Great. I foresee that I won't be writing many more entries for the rest of the academic term. Ok. Bye.

Blank

2006-08-19T16:20:00.000+08:00

This post will be nothing at all. I just submitted it to be counted as a post. Hahahahahahaha...... Goodbye.

The Short (Lone) Post

2006-08-14T20:22:00.000+08:00

This will be a short post because of its title. Ok. Went back to school after a week of basically doing nothing. And there's still 3 more weeks before the holidays. Great. But they are only 1 week. So. Singapore has the lowest number of holidays in a year. Sad right. Out of 52 weeks, I think we work for more than 7/10 of them, maybe more. Talk about workaholics. Ha.

Ok. I have nothing else to say and this is supposed to be a short post. Goodnight.

Title

2006-08-12T20:59:00.000+08:00

Oh no. My maths hasn't been done, and it has to be passed up on Monday. How? Aaahhh... Chinese test on Tuesday, and Ting Xie (yeah, we still have that) on Thursday. Sigh. And oh yes, my Chinese is not very good at all. Hm. Looks like this week will be one full of tests and quizzes and assignments. Right.

I'm in the midst of typing out a POEM for geography. Didn't know that Geog teachers wanted students to write poems. But I'm not complaining. It's better anyway than writing essays or doing some other harder stuff.

Time for digression. J.R.R. Tolkien is a brilliant writer. His works are among some of the best I've ever read. That's saying alot by the way. Ha. The Lord of The Rings is the best fantasy book I've ever read or will be likely to read. Yep, it's that good.

Ok. Enough digressing. Goodnight.

OOOOOOO

2006-08-10T12:39:00.000+08:00

National Day is over! Is that good or bad? Well, the parade was nice, but it seemed shorter and smaller than last year. Maybe because it's the last time the Stadium is going to be used. We ordered pizza for dinner and sat in front of the TV glued to the screen.

This year's theme song was nicer than all the previous year's. It somehow had a more, how to say it, professional and warm aspect to it. The previous year's were all a bit too cheesy and patriotic. And oh yes, the fireworks were magnificent. I like the ones that linger in the sky.

But now it's all over. And today is the last day before I return to school. Hm. Ah well, what can I say? Tomorrow I have a CPR test. Argh. I don't think I'm prepared for it. If I pass this test I can become a sergeant by the end of the year, I hope. Ha.

Ok, this post is coming to a close. Rararararararararararararararararara. So long.

National Day

2006-08-07T16:42:00.000+08:00

Yippee! National Day in 2 days time. But better, tomorrow got no school! Singlish again. Ha. No school for 3 days. Shiok! But of course (as always) there is work to do. But never mind! Work is small matter compared to holiday. Next...

Had a good day in school today. Literature (or Language Arts A as they call it in the IP) was quite rushed. I simply can't understand certain things. You must have a certain flair in order to excel in lit, I've found out. Seems like I'm somewhere in the middle, between the literary and analytical person. That leaves me with nothing to excel at. ;)

Anyway, you should see my Maths file now. It's super thick, and the new topic that my maths teacher gave us today is about 8 pages in length. Wait, that's not very long... Oh yes, Mr. Keith Tan is VERY organised. He has his share of quirks too, like saying "I'm waiting" everytime the class is a bit noisy. He also has a slightly annoying habit (no offense meant) of repeating himself a few times. The only advantage I can see is that it captures our attention. And his hair. Right. I don't want to talk about it. But maybe I should. His hair is well, I don't know how to describe it, but if you ever see it, you'll not forget it.

Ok, enough about teachers. I find that school is actually quite boring without girls. They add spice to the class, and also it helps the boys to behave properly. (Erhem) There, I've bared my thoughts. But it's time I aired them, instead of keeping them and letting them grow sour or rot. Lolla.

And so, here's all I'll say for today. Goodbye.

Haven rocks!!!

2006-08-05T00:15:00.000+08:00

We had our 42nd Annual Cross-Country Race today. I didn't do anything as I was a first aid person. Actually, I didn't do anything. Anyway, the main topic of this post is not about the race; it's about the musical I watched today: Haven.

The crowd present was amazing. The turnout was very good. I must say that the new CPA is world class, even though it may not be as big as some theatres.

The play was set in WWII, and it chronicles the story of this boy named Julian, whose mother abandoned him 18 years ago to his aunt. As a result, he was sent to the Boys' Home called Haven. He made many friends there.

One day, a new boy joined the Home. His name was Victor. He had lost his whole family to the Japanese, and was angry at everything. All the boys tried to make friends with him, but he was cold to their approaches. Only Julian kept trying. When Victor met Jun Ling, Julian's sister, however, he felt love, something he never experienced before.

Not long after, a Japanese soldier caught Jun Ling out in the street at night, and tried to rape her. Victor and Julian were nearby, and in the struggle that followed, Victor killed the soldier.

The next day, Victor was locked in the basement of the Home, wrongly accused of putting something on the ground that caused the Home's pastor to fall.

The Japanese soldiers barged in and demanded to know where the boy was who killed their fellow comrade the day before. (By the way, their Japanese is good) Nobody answered. Then the officer told his men to take away all the girls. Then Julian stood up and claimed that he was the one who killed the Japanese soldier. He was beaten and then shot in the head by the Japanese officer.

When Victor found out, he was very sad and angry that he had caused his freind's death and his girlfriend's pain. He was angry at God for just standing and watching, not doing anything.

(I'm not so sure what ahppened next, but I do know that Victor left and only returned after the war was over. After that, the play ended.)

These are the main points of the play, I think. It may not sound very appealing here, but really, it is a very nice musical. The choreography and music was very well done. Only a few technical glitches here and there, but of course, this was the first performance. The solos by some of the actors and actresses were quite nicely executed (a bit off key at times, of course).

Overall, it was a great show. The atmosphere was great, the orchestra played superbly, and the actors and actresses performed wonderfully. I lift my hat to the scriptwriter (can't remember her name), composer (Mrs. Elaine Wan), and director (Mr. Ferdinand Quek).

P.S. I'm buying the DVD.

Good morning (or night). I hope this entry wasn't too long or cheesy.

Help me, God

2006-08-02T20:14:00.000+08:00

I'm troubled by the discussions we had today for e-POD. The teacher asked whether Jesus is God's son and not God. I was surprised that some people who claimed to be Christians said yes. One of them even thought that the Trinity is Catholic, not Christian. To be fair, however, the Trinity is really a hard thing to understand. Those weak in their faith or who don't know about this truth may be swayed and shaken in their faith. I pray that they will learn to grow in their walk with God.

I'm also worried about what the non-Christians may think about some Christians who make fun of other religions and speak as if all of them were under them. People who are agnostics or atheists may be turned off by the way we live our lives. God, please help me to be a good example for You.

The teacher, who doesn't have a religion, also suggested that Hinduism and Christianity are the same in that both have one God in three entities. This sparked off some confusion as to what was believed by both religions. Through it all, I fear that some of the non-Christians have been given the wrong impression as to what Christianity is about.

I feel troubled in spirit. I'm going to do the Bible Challenge now and see what it has to say today.

Lalalalalalalalalalala

2006-08-01T19:23:00.000+08:00

Had a charity bazaar today. My class sold lasagna, fishballs, and fighting fish. We worked in shifts of 4 people at a time. My group managed to sell quite a number of fishballs. In the end, all the fishballs were sold. The smell was overpowering.

There. The above paragraph is a bit disjointed. Hahaha. National Day celebrations coming soon. Cross-country and Haven even sooner. Oh ya, the T-shirts the participants and crew of Haven get are super nice. They should have had T-shirts made for viewers too. Ah well.

This week has been quite slack. I wonder why. Hm... I'm not complaining. Ha. This entry is weird. Very. I'm like talking to myself. Argh. Oh no. Really. Anyway. I. Have. To. Go. Good. Bye.

Haha. Ok serious. Goodbye.

Title

2006-07-30T21:15:00.000+08:00

The Ten Commandments are very interesting stuff to learn, but quite hard to understand. It's even harder keeping them. God reminds the Israelites that He is their Lord and God. And the tablets were inscribed with the finger of God Himself. Whoa. Awesome. Talk about a personal God. Moses actually saw the presence of God. Not God Himself, because he would die, but God's presence. That's good enough.

Stayed behind to clarify some points with Yao Qi about the lesson today. Yao Qi, if you're reading this, I would like you to know that you're a very good BS teacher. I see that my blog title is "Why do we love?" I always ask myself that question. My personal statement in school is "Love one another as I have loved you." That's the second greatest commandment of all.

Ok. Sorry for the preaching. Now for other stuff. Cross-country on Friday, and then watching a musical called Haven in school. It's $20 a ticket, and they forced us to buy them. Oh well, I hope the musical is nice.

The corporate T-shirt they gave us is super nice. If only the ACS crest can be removed from the front of the shirt, it would be even nicer. But then, of course must show loyalty to the school right... Haha. Yeah, I'll admit I'm proud of the school. Those were the days when I was set on not going to any ACS or Raffles institution. Shows how much people are misunderstood. (This is not a publicity blog for ACS)

Muahahahahaha. Ok I have nothing to say. Bye!

Just another day

2006-07-29T21:32:00.000+08:00

How do I begin? Of course, by telling you it's 2 days since I posted an entry. But it doesn't seem so long now. Sometimes I jus wonder what am I writing posts, or even having a blog for. It seems sad, doesn't it, not to live for anything. "Meaningless!" like what Solomon said. But I'm glad that I can live for God, if nothing else is worth living for.

I've made some progress in my work. My Individualised Study Option (ISO) is a tedious process which requires all my endurance to carry it through. My topic is interesting, however. It is "Why did Napoleon fail in his conquest of Russia?" I like history, but not studying history. There's a difference. I wonder why people don't see that sometimes. However, the thing that makes history boring to some people is the studying of the subject. The curriculum doesn't let students enjoy the true meaning of history, instead focusing on the aspects of source-based questions and exams. I really hope the government will reconsider the way history is taught in schools.

Another piece of work is my chinese newspaper collage. I'm not a very artistic person and I don't know how to make a scrap book look nice, but I do know how to cut and paste stuff. Haha. Anyway, I have done 4 out of 10 of the required number of articles. The only problem with the collage is that I don't know Chinese well. So I'm obliged to check a dictionary for every article I comment on. That's a hassle. Hm. And the words are tiny. Double whammy. I love that phrase. Hehe.

Well, so long everyone. I have run out of current. There is too much resistance in my brain. The ammeter measures a record low of 0.00000001A. Ha. Goodnight.

Busy

2006-07-27T21:29:00.000+08:00

No school tomorrow. Or at least, no lessons, except for one hour of Maths. Going to Kranji War Memorial for "Learning Journeys". No idea what that is, though. Anyway, I'm just happy.

I can't write long now because I'm quite busy now. Gotta go.

Temptation to cheat in tests

2006-07-26T20:53:00.000+08:00

Praise You God of earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love
You never change, God, You remain
The Holy One and my unfailing love
Unfailing love

-Chris Tomlin

What a meaningful verse. This sums up what I'm feeling now. I'm just glad that God is so good, as the children's song goes. God really is unfailing in His love of us. God is love.

After reading the bible passages from the Bible Challenge, I'm refreshed and rejuvenated. I no longer have an oppressed feeling about my schoolwork or homework. I'm thankful to God for helping me through this period of time.

It's so hard not to cheat in tests sometimes. When you see people copying, you get an urge to follow. What should I do?

Bible Challenge

2006-07-24T20:35:00.000+08:00

I've just completed my first reading of the Bible Challenge. I must say that it is quite useful, especially when you forget to do quiet time with God. This is a handy reminder to do QT. I wholeheartedly support this new vernture by KPC Youth.

My language a bit flowery eh. That's how I talk sometimes. :P

This post was just intended to express my feelings about the new programme. Any resemblance to any material found anywhere is purely God-ordained, not coincidental. There's no such thing as coincidence anyway.

Work work...

2006-07-24T18:45:00.000+08:00

Whoa. When I read my last post, I discovered that it was 4 DAYS AGO! So long right... Yeah, I've been busy or forgetting to write my blog these past few days. This week has been a mass of projects, projects, and tests. I know you think I'm boring, talking all about homework and such stuff. Of course right...it's the only thing that is causing me so much trouble.

This is only the 5th week and I'm already drained out. I wonder why? Spent like nearly almost all my mental energy on school stuff. Whew!

I don't know if I'm going to take part in the National Day celebrations in school. Seems to be quite a big thing. But then, in this school, everything is big. Yup, even the selling of T-shirts. Haha.

By the way, I really wonder how people write such long blogs. Ok, now I know that you know I'm going to end already. My endings are all similar right... Erm, (I wont say DUH) of course lah!

The End.

Status quo

2006-07-20T20:32:00.000+08:00

Sigh. Thought that the debate was today, but the teacher didn't come. All that preparation wasted. Well not really. At least it forced me to finish up the points for my speech. Which I would normally not do. Haha, yes I confess that I am sometimes quite lazy. (Hey, everyone has flaws)

Anyway, homework and projects are PILING up bit by bit, or chunk by chunk, into a HUGE workload. There is so much to do that I cannot pass a day by without thinking of them. Argh. As I'm typing this, I still have about 3 or 4 projects left, not to mention other nitty-gritty homework. I have a feeling that next week will leave me mentally drained of every ounce of brain juice. There will be no more grey matter. Muahahahahaha!!!

On a lighter note, I'm thankful I still have some time left to relax and unwind my severely overloaded mind on computer games!!! Yay!!! This post is one of those breaks I'm allowing myself to take. Lalala, lalalalala, lalala, lalalalala... Ok. I'm quite refreshed now.

Did an online survey for the MOE today. The school spent about 10 min just pleading with us to be honest and truthful and not to select the answers thoughtlessly. They wanted us to THINK before we clicked. Nice new proverb. The best thing was, they worded their plea in such a way as to be almost a demand that we put them down as good in the survey.

Oh yes, I forgot. (Someone said that he could actually see my train of thoughts on this blog. That's scary.) I saw this nice movie yesterday on YouTube. It's titled Why. I forgot the publisher, so you have to go and check every single movie on YouTube that starts with Why to find it.

Wow. This is the longest post I've EVER written. A very big achievement for me, I must say. But all eloquency must come to an end sometime, and mine is now. Goodnight everyone.

Ok

2006-07-18T22:04:00.000+08:00

Today I had a new blogskin. You might think it's a bit too religious, but it really does look nice.

Ok, I don't know what to say already. Goodnight everyone.

Tag please

2006-07-18T21:56:00.000+08:00

Hi guys I would appreciate it if you would tag my blog when you visit it. It would make it feel so much more warm and friendly. Thanks.

A New Face (Hope)

2006-07-18T18:07:00.000+08:00

A big thank you to my sister for helping me to set up my custom template (aactually she did everything). Hooray! I finally have a nice blog template.

I have a debate coming up on Thursday. Shocked right... No lah, I'm not so good one. Lol. There I go, lapsing into Singlish. Which reminds me, Singlish is infectious. Ok, I'm getting sidetracked. This debate is part of my history assignment for this term. Problem is, I don't know how to start! (I'm the first speaker by the way) The motion goes like this: "This House believes that McDonalds should be shut down". Now how do you support that if you're the first speaker? And on top of that, we're given 3 min to speak per person. Is that long or short? Seems too long for me. Lol.

What a beautiful day it is. The sky is blue with just the right amount of clouds in it. The birds are singing. The grass is green. Summer is in the air (wait, we don't have summer).

Oh no. I'm talking rubbish. Sure sign that I'm getting bored and don't know what to write. I'll end here for now.

Projects!!!

2006-07-17T21:41:00.000+08:00

Now with the Integrated Programme, there are many more projects and what-not to do. Not to say that there are also more in-depth coverage of topics and higher expectations. I wonder why teachers think that IP students are supposed to be smarter than Express ones? Maybe because they think that in order to qualify for it, we have to sit for a "General Ability Test", which is basically an IQ test. But IQ doesn't make a person smart, does it?

Whew! I've got it off my chest. Now that I look at it, I prefer projects to tonnes of work instead. I suppose we must all be thankful and contented with what we have. "Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might". Can someone please tell me where that Bible verse is from?

Oh yes, I forgot to tell you all. I'm a Christian. That's right. I love the Lord.

Testing

2006-07-17T17:10:00.000+08:00

Hi.

Help needed

2006-07-17T16:56:00.000+08:00

Does anyone know how to create a custom blog? If so, please tell me how. Thank you.

Here I go again

2006-07-17T16:49:00.000+08:00

Ok. This blog will not be a diary. It is merely a place for me to talk. Rubbish. That's what blogs are for isn't it? I dare not say any harsh or unwanted comments lest I get hauled up for charges of inflammatory remarks or defamatory remarks. In that case, I shall just talk about normal things. By now you would have been thinking how long-winded and boring I am, but if you have read until this point you will not think so anymore. Because from now on I will keep my sentences short and SWEET. Yup. Very short. And sweet.

Weather forecast: cloudy skies and quite cool temperature.
Number of times I'll laugh: uncounted

Somebody got fired from a newspaper because he hinted that a government was not doing enough for someone. I will not say who because if not I too will be fired--from this blog.

Hm. I really have nothing to say. Please give me suggestions as to what to write about. Thank you.

Second message

2006-07-16T22:44:00.000+08:00

Well, what can I say? I finally created a blog. Whoa. I know you guys will find it boring, but after all this IS my first time at it. Forgive me. Thank you. Ok I don't know what to say already. But anyway, you may be sure this is only the beginning of MORE that is to come. Hooray. Ok now, bye!

Hm...first time creating a blog

2006-07-16T22:40:00.000+08:00

Hi all this is a test to see whether it works or not...if it does I'm wild. Yay!!!