Salvation, was what happened to all humans when He died on the cross.
And such a comforting and blessed word it is to human beings, that it is commonplace in the English vocabulary now. It has no links to the word 'salvage', btw.
Salvation, is also a frequently word used in the world of football, often when a late winner is scored or a string of good saves are made, especially in leagues like Italy where they do indeed believe in the 'footballing gods'.
And alas, salvation is what we felt when the common tests finally ended. It's been tough days for me, plagued by insomnia. Somehow, the tiredness I usually feel during the eves of tests were absent, and I just couldn't fall asleep! Seems quite a few people had such problems too, and now I know how badly it feels. Sunday night could only sleep at 3, and monday could only sleep at 4. Thankfully the monday and tuesday tests were afternoon tests, and I was able to rid the problem on tuesday night, just in time for Wednesday's morning paper.

Well, econs was a real test of time, maths was a test of whether you have did your tutorials, chemistry was a test of our brain saturation level, and physics was a test of carefulness. That's my interpretation of the tests. Nothing more to say till the papers are back. =)

So anyway, fortunately enough I had no tests on Friday, so I could go about getting much-needed sleep and spending time on the phone with friends, which is so, so, good to relieve stress. Friday was Anderson's Speech Day too, which was great meeting up with all the ex-andersonians and enjoying ourselves and the momentary freedom that we have, as well as having short chats with the teachers that have brought us to where we are. The concert was interesting, except the storyline was pretty random.

With some time available, I'll start uploading pictures of my trip to Paris and London.

Day 1.


The pantheon









Church Notre Dam.




Very artistic stuff at Luxembourg Garden.

Day 2



This is the Invalides. A military monument housing many tombs including that of France's most famous hero, Napoleon Bonaparte.




Musee de Rodin. The sculpture there is 'The Thinking Man'.
That and the abit of the Eiffel Tower in the second picture.



Arc de Triomphe.



At the base of the Arc.



Making our way up the countless steps.



View from the top.



Champs Elysees. The popular road leading to the Arc which contains loads of food outlets and shops.





Pont (French for bridge) Alexandre. The bridge with the best sights in Paris.



Arc de Triomphe du Carousel, very much smaller than the real Arc and it's opposite Musee de Louvre.



Outside the Louvre. The controversial triangle was the idea of the famous IM Pei as all you da vinci code readers would know.



Overlooking the Louvre.

---------------------------------------
Ok that's all for now then. Gee, football news hasn't been great. It seems Wenger is looking to Martins as the replacement for Henry, and believe you me, he is rubbish. And so is Henry's reason for leaving. Sigh, are you just not brave enough to admit that you think the future is bleak for the club? At least more comforting news is that Rosicky and Ljunberg are eager to stay on for the long haul. Oh well, that probably means that in a year or two they would leave for some European club with bigger tradition as "things are not just the same after that canteen waiter has left the club". Get the sarcasm?

It's getting ridiculously late into the night, and yet I still can't sleep. Hate it during these nights, and they seem to happen ever-increasingly. Sigh.

Anyway, I was feeling unwell on friday night, that weird and ominous feeling in the throat. I tried to sleep early, and then I suddenly woke up feeling very giddy. Went out for a drink but that only made it worse, until...at last - vomit, "salvation", albeit very temporary. I felt normal right after vomiting, though the giddiness started to course back through my veins (i mean brains), and it was morning spent in bed. I prayed that I could recover soon, I knew monday was not a problem for me, I was strong enough for that. But it was whether I could recover and study anything by monday, for the toughest of the lot. And thank God, I was able to recover by the evening, spending practically the entire day in bed and doing nothing but reading the newspapers and replying to sms-es until there was this one message that particularly jolted me. I'll move on to that later (it's very anti-climax la really.) So anyway as I laid in bed, I thought of yesterday, CG, and I remembered (bits of) the sentences that Leon ripped off a card from Hallmark, that God would not give us more burdens than we can handle. That, and the fact that the nature of our relationship is with trials and tribulations. A somewhat surge in confidence ran through me then, I finally felt I could get through the week ahead. God is on my side. He would pull me through, as long as I put in my 100%. It's funny, how I sounded so pessimistic before and during the holidays, and then it is during times of suffering (this is hardly suffering compared to others la but..) that one finds the motivation to get on with life. The moment of reflection and realisation. That is also why I love watching sports. To be inspired by how sportspeople react in times of adversity.

Anyway, that bout of sickness meant it was another one missed. Rather I'd like to think it as a lesson well-worth-it that I have learnt. I look through my MSN contact list and there are plenty of occurences of pessimism. People saying they aren't ready for midyears and such, and true, I am no more prepared than them in terms of what I've been able to get into my head. However, I am indeed mentally and spiritually prepared for the week ahead. And when you are, you've always got a chance. I forgot who said it, but to win a Grand Slam Final or a penalty shootout, the only difference is in the mind. Obviously, England players are always too fired up about how they failed to win a game in normal time or extra time, and so they always falter during shootouts. And, to continue on this sports analogy thingy, I have 4 papers in the coming week. And monday's economics will certainly be the equivalent of Federer's French Open. Just FYI, Federer has been the no.1 tennis player for 3 years already and he has won every grand slam except the French. Just weeks ago, he was beaten in Paris by his arch rival Nadal. It was a pity. But oh wells, back to the common tests, all results are relative. And indeed, any progress would be good. As I always say, time is the enemy. And it is such a tough thing to overcome. I could never finish a higher chinese paper with the feeling that 'I wouldn't have written anything more if I had 5 more minutes'. Same thing is happening to be with GP and econs. But that is the challenge of it all. =)

So, the one message that was unexpected was the one that mentioned that Henry, the star of Arsenal and the Premier League's best player since the turn of the millenium, is leaving, for Barcelona. Smirks. Fair enough, he has been transformed by the manager into the star that he is now, and he has given more than that in return to the club. He has been dazzling during 03-04 when we were unbeatable. And in the past 2 seasons, he has been in decline. The spectacular goals have been very low in supply, and, he has no longer been the inspiration he once was to the rest of the team. Oh yeah, and he cost us the Champions League in 2006 with miss after miss which any average striker would have tucked away easily, and I mean easily. Indeed, the role of Arsenal captain is not an easy one. He has not been able to lead the team well, and now, at least we'll have someone worthy of being captain. He is heading to Barcelona, and I feel for him. Barcelona are going to become what Real Madrid was many years ago, a team of 'galacticos' i.e. superstars. Yes, they have Ronaldinho, Eto, Messi, and now Henry. When you have an attack like that, you know your defence is going to be under huge pressure to allow them to function. And sadly, as Real Madrid found out, that doesn't win you titles. So, this is indeed the end of an era for Arsenal. All the players I've come to know and like when I first supported them - Bergkamp, Vieira, Ashley Cole, Pires, and now Henry - are gone. It's time a new batch of players rise that I come to assosiate with under "the time when I lived", haha. And the future is bright. Whoever replaces Henry, will come to be known as the legend of Arsenal for this era, it's time Henry stops overshadowing the other wonderful players that have developed in this wonderful club. Yeah, let's move on.

I'm finally back from my overseas trip with my family.
It's been 10 days of non-stop walking and walking, and taking the subway, having a quick meal and then, more walking, haha.
But of course, it's been so refreshing and enriching and inspiring to see all the wonderful things that Paris and London had to offer that one could never get in Singapore (apart from cheaper food), and I got to spend so much quality time with my parents. It is certainly worth screwing up a common test (which I will, rest assured) for this, and I'd do this trade again, for sure. (Okay maybe not)

Here's the rough outline of my trip.

I left Singapore on the night of the 7th (thursday). The 13-hour odd flight direct to Paris meant that I arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle at 7+ on the 8th. Time zone difference between Paris and Singapore is 6 hours. (We are ahead). So, taking the 8th as Day 1...

Day 1:
Took a bus and then Metro (their MRT) to the hotel, checked in.
Went to see the Pantheon (different from Athen's Parthenon) which was very nearby.
Walked to Notre Dame, checked it out.
Walked more to some shopping centre.
Looked around, then went to Luxembourg garden, and then back to the hotel.

Day 2:
Went to this museum-cum-garden of Rodin, which included the sculpture "the thinking man".
Then took the Metro to Champs Elysees, the widest and most crowded of the NINE roads leading to the Arc de Triomphe. Went up the Arc de Triomphe after that, took good pictures. Went back early to rest.
Came back out at night (which is like at 10, cos that's when the sun STARTS to set, it gets dark by 1045 approx.) to see the Eiffel Tower at night.

Day 3:
Went to see the Eiffel Tower during the day. Went up this time. Amazing views.
Then walked to the area around the tower, where there are quite a few wonderful-looking buildings. Walked all the way through some gardens to the entrance of the Louvre. Didn't go in, went back instead.

Day 4:
Went to see Musee de Louvre and Palais Royal, which occupied us till like four plus. Then went to Sacred Coeur which is just another of the many many many brilliant looking churches in Paris.

Day 5:
Took a train to the outskirts to this place called Versailles. O level History students would know this place. Spent the day exploring the palace and the huge garden. Went back to Paris in the afternoon to buy souvenirs. And that's my 5 days in Paris!

Day 6:
Took the morning flight from Paris to Dusseldorf, Germany, then from Germany to London Heathrow. (Btw, France is nearer to England than to Germany, and there's a funny reason for such a weird route which I can explain if you ask).
Reached our hotel which was right outside King's Cross Station.
Checked in. Then went to see the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge (different from London bridge). Then went to Westminster to see the London Eye and the Big Ben in daylight. Next was Piccadilly Circus where we did some shopping and had dinner.

Day 7:
Went to Madame Tussauds. The wax sculptures are amazingly real-like.
Next, took the train up north to Arsenal Station and saw the Emirates Stadium, whatever was left of Highbury, and went to the Armoury to buy some Arsenal souvenirs.
Went out at night to see the Tower Bridge, London Eye, and Big Ben.

Day 8:
Went to Victoria Station to see Buckingham Palace and the changing of guard ceremony (which is daily). Then spent the rest of the day at the natural history museum. Then walked abit to see Imperial College. Dad was not feeling well with persistent hiccups (really hope it's not serious) and so we went back early.


Day 9:
Sat on the London Eye. Apparently Singapore's will be bigger, cool eh?
Then went to Portobello Road, it was downpour at that time, so it was difficult to move about. Now I know why so many players can't stand the English weather. Had dinner with my cousin at Chinatown near Leicester Square. She studied actuarial science at London School of Economics and is now working (and earning a good income!). There were plenty of limousines probably containing celebs as they went to attend some movie premiere.

Day 10:

Late start to the day due to packing and checking out. Went to see the Millenium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral and Tate Modern Gallery in the afternoon, and then Marble Arch.
Went back to the hotel to get our luggages, took the Underground to Paddington Station after which we took the Heathrow Express to get the airport in a very quick 15 minutes. Taking the normal underground would take 45++.

Pictures to come and more detailed stuff when I have more time, hopefully. =)

I'll be leaving on the night on Thursday, the 7th, for Paris and then London and I'll only be back on the 18th. Which means........my CTs are pretty much screwed. But oh wells, I'm not rich enough to be able to cancel the trip and not feel guilty so I guess I'll just really enjoy myself there and relax myself.....away from notes and tutorials and cool (yes cool) textbooks. Yeah, I've decided I ain't going to bring any notes or textbooks or TYS or tutorials and what not. So I'll finally be able to spend time really the books which I really do enjoy reading (purely for the sake of it), i.e. football biographies (gonna read Jose's and Terry's), Philosophy books (those very simplified ones), and math storybooks on numbers, the one thing I find especially fascinating about math. It's going to be my first venture into Europe, and it's a long-awaited one. No disneyland and no theme parks, but I guess I've experienced enough of those, now it's time to appreciate the finer things in life that you can't experience in Singapore, such as the Louvre and Madame Tussauds'. Another thing that (if there is time and hopefully there will be) would be cool is to check out sporting arenas. This Sunday (will be in Paris by then) will be the final of Roland Garros (French Open - Tennis) and it will 99% be a Federer - Nadal final. Of course I won't be able to get a ticket, but I guess it would be cool to see the atmosphere around the stadium. Also during my time in London I'll be able to make a trip to my dear Arsenal's lovely new home - Emirates Stadium. (picture above, lol). Oh well, that's a lot of cool stuff I can't wait to see. Also, the usual overseas 'formalities'...kapoh-ing food from the airport lounge...vomiting on the plane (?), fitting into miserably small accommodation rooms, making the most out of 'free/provided' breakfasts...those are just typical stuff of my family. ANYWAY, back to CTs, and the reality is that I had planned to hardcore during the last week, but, owing to lack of urgency and in part my weakness, I just couldn't discipline myself to be in full-fledged studying mode. Sadly. So, I'm practically staring down the barrel of a bunch of disappointing results. But sigh, I only have myself to blame at the end of the day. If I was determined enough, probably rushing everything during the one week remaining after I return from the trip would be enough for me to scrap through with reasonable grades, but I know I won't. Yeah, maybe writing this will sort of like spur me on to make me eat my words, but (again) I know I won't. (I'm not even bothering to reduce it a "I doubt I will or something". Haha) But anyway, I'll enjoy myself in Europe, that I am sure. =)

Last Friday was Central Service! And I think it is indeed amazing for a district to reach Nexus already. It really is a breakthrough and looking through all the slides I really wished to be part of it, to have been part of the central family earlier...so I would really feel the taste of progress. But no la, Northeast is amazing too, and I'm sure they'll hold their own service in due course. yeah? Haha. Moving on, the speech Daniel made was very direct and true. The humour involved was minimal, but we were all fully focused on what he was saying, that Nexus is our 'set' target for now, for all groups be it JC, high school or NS. I really haven't been devoting much of my time to Him, but I'll really keep on trying. It is difficult asking people to come to church, sigh, but there's always that glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel to look out for.

Then that night, I just couldn't fall asleep. I was feeling so unwell. I was twisting and turning for the most part of the night, only being able to catch half-hours here and there. I finally vomited at 6 in the morning - all that i ate for dinner (which was at PS with the cg). After that, I felt ok. And then gradually, the giddiness came back again. And it lasted for the rest of the day. That sick feeling was just sucky. I had to stay in bed all day long, couldn't eat anything for breakfast or lunch (no appetite), and I was starting to feel all hot and sweaty. I feared dengue, but then my temperature did not go beyond 38.5, so I wasn't having a fever. So, I decided to persist and just fall asleep in bed instead of seeing a doctor. After all I think I would have felt much worse walking to the car, and would have been even more giddy in the car. So, it just didn't look like getting any better. I was praying, and then suddenly by 5pm I was able to start walking again, and by the night I was ok to watch TV and read books again. [My opportunity cost of studying]. Thank God for that. At the peak of my short spite of giddiness, I was even contemplating the fact that I would not be able to go on the trip. I guess that's just the typical pessimism I have.

Speaking of worries. I have been worrying a lot lately. I worry about my health. Whether, eating so much cereal and Weetbix will result in cancer. Whether, my retina might just drop off anyway. Whether, eczema is a prelude to something very serious. Whether, I will get cancer because my gums are not well (there WAS this Mind Your Body article this week about this..). I worry about my parents too, especially my dad. His myopia is quite bad, I worry everytime he has to drive back home from work and it's already past 7. I'm saying why not take the bus? Why not even take a taxi? And then I'll refute the second point cause I know it's too expensive and I'm a cheapskate. Recently my mom just told me of a scary threatening phone call to my cousins living in Penang. Sigh, why do such evil people exist in this world? And why is their law enforcement there so corrupted? Oh whatever. I'm just thankful that Singapore is such a safe place. And it would be a safe place even if there is strong opposition to the ruling party. It's the foundations which matter.

Anyway then on Monday there was PW. Only like 12 people turned up and we had to wait like half an hour in the stuffy area outside the comp. labs, and it was really frustrating and sweaty. lol. We really could (and should) have had a class breakfast. My group finally made great progress (at least I think)! But alas, there is still a long long way to go. After that met with Weelic and Cybil who were studying at the library, went to borrow some books about french and some math books. [Math books doesn't mean math textbooks here duh.], then went for lunch and back to school to see Jun Jie screw up at Chinese Chess...aha. So yesterday night and this morning, I have finally [or perhaps I'm just saying this to make myself feel good / show-off] shown some signs that I CAN study hard enough for CTs...did revision of Math and Chem and managed to do a few long-winded energetics questions. Now the thing is doing them fast enough, sigh. Speed is always my no.1 enemy for exams. Or should I say, time. So anyway, I was doing well for 1 night and 1 morning and I was going to continue it into the afternoon until bang-on-the-nail there had to a complete hacking down of the house above mine. The noise was like so loud, I couldn't talk on the phone, watch TV, study, read books, or do anything I thought was meaningful use of time. It was frustrating to let that momentum go. Cause it takes a lot to get me into that willing-and able-to-study mode. So I went down to the management office and asked why on earth the thing took place so abruptly without even any asking if any date was suitable. And thankfully he responded very nicely which made me decide to hold my frustration and just get on with life [nothing he could really do anyway]. So I just spent the afternoon running and then going to the gym downstairs and [the best part of it] bathing at the pool bathroom which means saving a few cents off my water bill. lol. And so that's how the pitiful day came to an end. At night I just wasted it chatting on the phone and reading some books and watching a bit of French Open, Federer's quarter final match. You see? Momentum lost. So much so for learning principle of conservation of momentum, I wonder where all that has gone to.

Ah. I've recently read some this interesting book about sleeping well and beds. (Cause there were some occasions where I've tried sleeping early and couldn't). And I decided I will try to change a few things. The book mentioned that the bed should only be used for sleeping and sex. So, fair enough. Only sleeping for me. I will do my reading of books/notes/work on some slightly-more-uncomfortable surface. I suppose the idea of it is all about relativity (not THAT relativity, but), making your bed feel relatively more comfortable. It also mentioned no afternoon naps. Sigh, I don't know how I am going to be able to avoid afternoon naps and watch champions league matches...but I guess I'll just have to reach a compromise eventually. Indeed, almost everything in life is relative. It has to be balanced with realism too. And then pessimism (so things don't become too realistic). Ah, I don't know what I'm saying anymore. Let's talk about soccer.

It's all pretty sad stuff in this entry today really. But I'll try to change it. The champions league was over long ago, but I must talk about it. England had 3 teams in the semi-finals. Chelsea. Liverpool. Manchester. No Arsenal in there, and everyone was saying how Arsenal have been 'left behind' and 'trailing'. What nonsense, since not one of those clubs managed to win it. Ahaha. I was really hoping for a Milan win and boy they did they do me proud. Yet again like last year, it was 2-1. Yet again, the team which dominated lost. This time the victims weren't Arsenal, they were Liverpool, the team with the supposed 'winning culture'. And even that couldn't lift them in the grandest stage of all club football at Athens. They lacked cutting edge and were simply outclassed by Milan. Ah, just as I declared when Italy beat Germany en route to winning the World Cup last year in Berlin, FORZA ITALIA.

Lastly, I recently got links from friends to some blogs by local students, with shocking content. I guess Singapore does indeed have some very extreme personalities who lead very extreme lives. Ah, while it's sad so know that such who commit such disgusting acts exist amongst us students in Singapore, I do admire the openness they have in describing explicitly the lives that they lead. After all, blogging is a freedom of speech. What wrong is there to offend yourself?

Busy week ahead, so I'll keep it short.

Monday had guitar practice till 8, and stupid me cut my nails, so it was oh so painful and took a heck-of-a long time for me to get used to it. Also got back that crazy Machiaveli compre on politics which was a slight improvement over my previous one la, although I still need much work on time management. Of course, there are people who can just consistently get 40/50 and top the class when the next highest is just 32 or 33. That's what I call deviation and that is simply amazing. Which is why 6N is BIG. lol.

Tuesday had econs case study test, and like many others I couldn't finish on time. Sigh, what's the point. Standardized marking across the level has resulted in bad-8, average-13 and good-13, over 25 btw, according to ms wong. zzz.
And there was also physics SPA, which, i screwed up, aha. But hey, I've moved on from the guy who would dread over it for nights and nights, and thank God for that realisation that there's so much more to life. I'm thankful that the A level SPA is split up into so many separate practicals, so that our SPA mark would be a good reflection of our practical skills (and acting skills). I'm thankful that I've got chem B and C out of the way with an assured sub-full mark kind of performance, so hey, there are a lot of positives to point to. Somehow, I still get frustrated when Arsene Wenger (Arsenal manager) keeps talking about the positives when the young gunners lose a match or a cup tie. But anyway, that's not the point.

So to all who managed to mess up your SPA (which I doubt will be much), fret not. There's more than enough time to improve.

Wed, we had a dry run for the concert in the PAC. I was a little pissed and stressed when I was suddenly put in charge of the stage hands and had 2 (yes TWO) minutes to assign people for the tech plan. Obviously it was near-impossible, but what was worse was when we got 'scolded' as if we had a week to prepare this. Oh well, so the tech plan on wed was screwed but at least during the dry run there was a lot more time in between performances to assign people to bring/remove whatever. Ended at 8+. Anyway, it meant I couldn't go for match support at Police Academy for the rugby guys against SAJC, which RJ WON! by 24-15. Coupled with the 7-3 win against AC a couple of weeks ago at our home turf, we have got to be favorites. Yet, AC still seems to hog the sports pages in ST. Ah, media stereotypes (shan't elaborate).
Oh, and I finally had PE after 3weeks (my eczema has flared up badly within those weeks again, but I shan't elaborate on it anymore). Although it was basketball (which I.M.O is rubbish) it was good to play with our classmates and not those imba guys from the other class. And I could get a few high speed sprints to maintain my fitness with regards to running.

Thur, had to stay back to do abit of PW and then of course there was phy olym. Which reminds me, selection test is next thur, just a day after the big GP CT. Will I watch the champions league final on wed morning? Damn.

Friday then, had debaters AGM and guitar concert at night. At debaters AGM I tried to run for treasurer but like Yong Jin, didn't get it la. Either way, 6N is still really a big class la, with the AV vice chair, Council Treasurer and BB house captain in it. BIG! Now I won't be sour grapes and mention about stereotypes again. But guitar concert went relatively smooth, although it was so hot in the PAC, thanks to the highly-intense lights. Man, now I can understand why people express concerns for the night F1 race in Marina Centre.

So that's my week in short. "short". FA Cup Final tomorrow, and I'll just enjoy it from a neutral's point of view. EPL season is finally over. Arsenal's first at the Emirates Stadium was my worst yet, but hey, when it's that bad, the only way to go is ___. Can't wait for the holidays, need to catch up on sleep friends, and, spend more time thinking about my future, and what's right.


Lastly, my personal message as of now is that
"Some people just always look beautiful in my eyes."
And mind you, it's not football-related, and it means what it means.
Now, am I sounding unusual, untypical or am I being just a little more honest?

It's almost a month since I've last blogged. Sigh, it's not an easy habit to maintain....

I mentioned in my previous post I need more self-control. And if I have free afternoons, I will more often than not, spend them slacking away during class lunches [which is not entirely meaningless in all honesty], playing bridge at mini-canteen, or worst, at home, either sleeping since I watched prem. league midwk matches / champions league matches, or playing the computer [which means FIFA / middle-earth], Gosh, imagine if I had Tiberium Wars........then I would indeed be wasting all my afternoons. So, might as well load up the afternoons, cos I'm sticking to my policy of night-time studying; that's the only time I ever seem to be able to focus.

The other aspect of self-control was about eczema. And boy did it get worse very very quickly. By week 2/3, the rashes were as bad as last year. And i'm sure pple like Jun Jie and Cybil would know all about it, how it stained my uniform, affected my sleeping and more seriously my writing habits [can't pivot the elbow on the desk]. And guess what, deja vu. =(. I had to be so disciplined to continue to apply the cream on those disgusting areas, and to use cotton wool to dab potassium permanganate solution on it every morning, every night. [which means preparing the hot water, adding the crystals in minute amounts.....etc.] And yes, there were days and nights where I was totally down, not in a good mood at all. I'm sorry to those people who have had to endure my remarks, including my family, and really a big thanks to those who gave me a call or sms-es. Some days, when I wake up, i spend 5 minutes in bed, sulking and thinking when it will go away. Those sms-es really cheered me up, and of course, thank God that I kept the faith by continuously praying. Well, fortunately the stains on my uniform [pus and blood] could be washed off without any permanent scars, so, phew. And the anti-biotics has dried up most of them, although I'm still expecting a short second spell of rashes after which it would go into dormancy again. Oh well, really hope it can go away by the June hols when I'll be going overseas.

The other part i wrote about it my previous entry was about my temper. And I lost it at times due to the stress and immense itch from having eczema. And, to all those who keep telling me not to scratch, it's not that I don't appreciate it; I do. It's just, the scratching, it's not for want of it. If i could choose not to, I would. Unfortunately, the itch is really unbearable. Comparing anti-itch tablets to anesthesia for surgery would definitely be exaggerating, but not by a million miles. And believe me, imagine not being able to pivot your hand on the table [unless you want to stain it] and having to draw curves. It's that irritating. So I'm sorry, but once I hear the 'stop scratching' too many times within a short period of time, it is downright annoying. [Again, not that I don't appreciate it, I'm just being honest] Well, enough of the self-pity [that I fully deserve]. Specialists seem to have so much difficulty diagnosing the cause of the rashes, so why not, all you bright bio students out there, take that step and go research into areas like this. Instead of the standard stuff. I fully agree with Lee Wei Ling's comments. There are so many other different aspects of the human anatomy to do research on.


Okay. The other aspect of my temper to control on was football. And it has been difficult not to lose my temper as well. sigh. Arsenal have simply been in free-fall since February. All was looking so bright, challenging for the 3 cups, and then all of a sudden knocked out of all of them in a matter of 11 days. Worst was to come, from being comfortably in 3rd, they've lost 3 on the trot, first 1-0 away to Everton from a last minute sickener in a match they dominated possession. Then 4-1 to Liverpool, Arsenal's biggest loss in 6 years, thanks to defending that was nothing short of comical [unless you're an Arsenal fan]. That was humiliating indeed. Forums were filled with cocky Liverpool fans' boasting soon after. But what to do, ai. Thankfully, I wasn't able to watch that match due to debates camp. Okay, it climaxed when we lost to West Ham 0-1 at home. First home loss in the new stadium, gosh, and who would have ever expected it to come against a team like West Ham [who are rubbish]. Yet again, a match dominated, with amazing chances wasted, the woodwork hit twice, amazing goalkeeper, and some invisible force preventing the ball from getting across the line. Yes, I was chatting with Arsenal fans I got to know from some forum, and we were all worried that the unbeaten run at the Emirates stadium would be broken by Chelsea who are due to play Arsenal in the penultimate game of the season. Guess we all looked too far ahead. I was really shocked by the result, and I badly wanted to scream. Thank you for that sms just moments after the match had ended. I know you don't watch football but you somehow knew the result and you calmed me for slightly. Slightly, but enough.

Alas, that's the beauty of football, to see a team bottom of the league winning at the Emirates, where big teams like Man U and Liverpool have lost, and then also to see leaders Man U lose to Portsmouth. THat's precisely why football is so exciting.

Oh well, it's already week 5, and econs test sucked. lol. Now i know why Mr Vadi keeps talking about the adjusting process by drawing all those funny arrows, and so many of us just assume it and don't explain it. Oh wells. Better not go too in-depth on it anyway.

It's been busy weeks, since I'm now in like...guitar (just learning....), R-artistic, 4d cinema course and debaters....and hoping to get into phy olympiad also. As the saying goes, "Jack of all trades...master of none", that probably applies to me, just substitute the 'all' with 'almost all'...But i suppose, since there's only 2yrs of JC, we have really got to make the best use of our time, and that means cramming everything. sigh.

School's been okay la. Recently us "golf club members" have become very sick with our interpretation of golf terms.
"Ah, I missed a birdie"
"Screw the hole."
Okay, more to come next time when [hopefully] a full list of it will be compiled, lol.
Anyway, I've made my mind up and I've now got an N73 which has a damn good camera, and damn cool phone speakers too, heh. Who cares about Wifi man.

Just met with Leon [my new shep.] and Raphael at ps for dinner. Raphael had to go after awhile, so it was quite good getting to know Leon better, and talking about the different cultures in our schools, and I realized that there ARE indeed major differences. Oh well, I'm happy that I chose Raffles over Hwa Chong. And I will leave it at that. =)

Long time since I've been able to find the time to blog. Either way, already into week ONE of term TWO. And I haven't been really getting serious about work yet, sigh. But that's not the point.

I have certainly over-exhausted myself during term 1 with all those late nights, and the holidays spent in Penang with my relatives were certainly a good reprieve. I guess not seeing each other often, has made us treasure that one week per year we have together. And it just shows how much we've grown. Always staying at my aunt's house in Penang, I would play computer games all day long with my cousins [two of them, one 2yrs older, the other a yr younger, than me]. That was during the pri sch days. Then during sec sch, more MSN-ing already on our own computers (with my dad bringing his laptop). We still watch TV programmes together, such as HBO movies or Discovery documentaries or Starworld sitcoms. Next, upper sec. Less talk now, still watch TV programmes together. Oh, and football matches too of course. And now, the elder cousin has left for UNSW in Sydney to study medicine. Btw, some trivia, my family is really a medicine family, with so many doctors/ specialists. Though I don't think I have the interest to be one.

And oh well, played alot of mahjong, and now i know how to count money. haha. But yeah, I enjoyed myself, I enjoyed the suppers I had, and I enjoyed embracing my grandma, I enjoyed listening to the worship songs I haven't had time to listen to, I was able to spend more time with Him. I've got the rest I needed, and I'll be rearing to go this term. And I do hope to improve my faith, my self-control and TEMPER (with regards to football and this fresh spell of eczema), and my willingness to spend more time with friends. Oh, and my academics of course which I am struggling indeed...lol.

Monday, first day back to school was unusual indeed. L'odges used to be filled with RGS uniforms, and now its all RJ uniform and the campus looks so whitish all of a sudden. Oh well, we got our new timetable, and it's better and worse. The good: less breaks. The bad: two days where there are 5 periods in a row withOUT breaks. And it will be a case of tough starts and smoother endings, with mon and tues ending at 315, and then everyday after that is earlier than the previous one until friday which ends at 1130! wow. And now I'll have 8, yes EIGHT rooms in total to go to throughout the week. zzz. A55, B31, A68, C63, D3SR5, H1R6, A24, and B41. Rooms in so many different blocks. Man, it's so different from the B45/46 which were side by side during our first term. So much for the timetable man.

Tuesday, was the last CG for grads. And it was a good atmosphere, with almost everyone present, and it was especially nice to be able to make it, and of course nicer to have Jelvin and Syn Yeow coming. I really prayed hard for alot of things during worship, and I it was meaningful. Funnily/Fatefully enough, I had been listening to At The Cross on the way there, and also many times on my iPod. I've checked, and it is indeed the 3rd most listened to song on my iPod, with first being Coldplay's Fix You. And I realised, many times I'm reading verses out loud, when I'm singing songs out loud, I focus solely on the lyrics that I hardly grasp the meaning of the songs (for worhsip la), and this time there was that greater understanding of that song, and it was a good feeling to have. The teaching that Alvin gave was also very useful, and I will really miss the fun I've had during these caregroup meetings, as well as the times spent with James and Alvin. In all honesty, I don't think I've gotten as close to the others in the group as I would have liked, perhaps because I haven't had the time to go to many services and many of their planned outings, perhaps because I lag too much in replying messages which I have to blame my auto-signin MSN on dad's laptop for! But I'll take these learning points in my stride, and try to improve on that in my next group. =)
Speaking of which, have to thank Alvin and whoever else for helping me Syn Yeow and Evona organise a meeting with some central guys like Raphael who himself was also a fellow Rafflesian! aha.

Wed and Thur blitzed by (early days). And there's a new edition to 6N, a girl from 6M, who somehow managed to cook up reasons to switch within PCME. yeah man, now its 13-13 as far as the gender ratio is concerned.

Friday, found out how freaking unfit I was. Was able to cope with the 1:40/45 per round for about 5 rounds until I just suddenly felt so giddy and couldn't continue. Well I suppose it's been a long long time since I ran that long [soccer training?], and my body obviously isn't able to cope with such a sudden burst.

Managed to recover and went to watch BEAN with anna/ ying ling / joanna / izza / elita / xian jie/ jinkai/ jaya. Although I encountered a very annoying taxi driver which really threatened to make me lose my temper. After that sat ard. with the guys and chatted with them for awhile, they left to play bowling while I bumped into some long-lost friend, spent some time with that long-lost friend, then almost got into a sticky situation later on. Which was when Marcus entered. This was 162 that doesn't go close to NJC/ HCI. lol. Probably be able to guess how that sticky situation was brought about by my wording summore, lol, but yeah [again u can probably infer that] I'm slightly embarrassed about it to write it down explicitly. LOL.

And so this has been the week for me. Arsenal lost to a last minute sickener, and that all-too-familiar feeling sunk into me yet again, last Sunday night. Bang, there was something to be glad about though, that was getting 30pts for this IKnowTheScore game on the EPL's official website. Even better was that I also predicted Chel 3-0 Sheffield that weekend, and that in another game, Fantasy Prem. League, I scored big time with defenders frm Reading and Portsmouth in my team as both teams drew 0-0 thereby keeping a clean sheet. ok, digressing way too far.

Football. My temper. I realise tempers fray so easily. That was what got Rooney sent off during the World Cup. And that the passion runs so high that violence is not omnipresent in this Beautiful Game. Look at Italy. Many years ago, Inter Milan players went to Highbury (dear Arsenal's old home ground) and started a fight. Just a few months ago, a referee was killed during a derby match and only then did their security come under scrutiny. And even more recently, there was that bull-fight that took place in the Champions League when Inter faced Valencia, disgraceful scenes, the most ugly of which was David Navarro running from the bench and punching (and effectively breaking, really!) the nose of an Inter player. Inter was not innocent too, they started the fight. And now look, for that moment of outburst, he has been banned for 7 months, and may even be charged by local police. Disgraceful indeed. Football. Temper. Perhaps this has been a greater illustration of the potentially high level of frustration I'm capable of reaching when profligacy from their star players cost us big time in results?

I'm in Malaysia now, I guess it's a sign for be to rest, after a very tiring term. Tiring, mostly because I forced it upon myself, I suppose. But then again, if i didn't, I certainly would have spent the term slacking away online, playing FIFA...etc, which I so didn't want to. Have to admit though, sometimes I just feel so disappointed with my own indiscipline, for example saying I want to sleep early on a Saturday night, and then being dragged by chatting on phone/online, and then dragged even further by premier league late 0115 kick-offs.

This last week of the term seemed to last a long time indeed. Tuesday was posting, and yes, posting is truely as unpredictable as O results. But I guess such things are part and parcel of life, that we don't always get the rub of the green, that, we don't need to get so upset and worked up over it, that, we should thank our lucky stars if we've gotten to somewhere we're satisfied with (which I think most of us are). MOE apparently does not reveal their criteria for ranking people with equal points. For one, it is definitely not by alphabet. Many people speculate that it's ranked acc. to no. of A1s, while others [many!] think it is from english grade. If they were the case, surely there would have been enough people in the history to have come up with stats. to blast the MOE for being biased against one language in this multi-racial country of ours. And thus, my best bet is that it's plain and simply random. Don't blame me, blame this wonderful probability book I just borrowed which elaborated on the usefulness of randomness, ahaha.

So knowing that it's likely a random process, there's really no reason to be down. Cause you're that much more likely to have more luck in the future. But seriously, to those who feel down about their posting and the future, the important thing is not to fret about the past and look to the future which can only get better, after all God has a plan for all of us. We will eventually all reach that goal and succeed in life, so long as we persevere and keep the faith, yeah? I'm so happy for all those people who managed to appeal successfully, in particular the 6B pple and Philip and Joanna, yeah man. Now 6B has 8 pple, and anderson, wow...16 if im not wrong. Well O2 never lived up to the highs of L'a udeamus, but I guess it was commendable [finally i use this word not in a sarcastic manner], and BB11 ended up slacking photo scavenger hunt away, although I must say it is quite a creative idea.

Part of the 'tiredness' I mentioned at the start that I heaped upon myself this term has definitely due to the many cup competitions Arsenal have been involved in, as well as cup replays, which postpone prem. league matches to weekdays...etc. And well, I guess, there'll be significantly less of them to watch in term 2 after a horrible 2weeks which can be best described by this picture which I got so fed up with after seeing this stupid advertisement online that I've decided to edit:


Oh wells. We all have to face up to questions. And those players at Arsenal certainly have to find answers as to why they can't finish off games when they are dominating, and why they can't blend that mix of superb passing football with that winning feel which the record breaking 2003-2004 team managed to do. Of course, buying a renowned striker like Torres/ Eto/ Huntelaar would do wonders. But that's never the Arsenal way. I support it, although I really do hope the youngsters can live up to their expectations cause more and more frustration is building up in me. For now, I'm going to beg my parents to let me go on the RJ econs trip to London which includes touring my home of football, the Emirates Stadium.

Tiny rashes are starting to appear again, ah. and of course the ones that haven't gone away are starting to ooze again. [not being abstract here,] I'm so afraid eczema will strike me strongly again, ahhhhhhhhh. It's so difficult not to feel frustrated. The viral cough, and then this. Frighteningly similar to Henry's spate of injuries with his foot, nerve and all...and now he's out for the season. Sigh. There really isn't any stress in me yet, or is there?

Really, I can say all those things and yet my heart ain't on the same wavelength as my eyes. It's cruel but I'm sorry.

Postings are out on Tuesday, and I wish everyone the best, especially those who have partial points with regards to the expected cut-off of their desired JCs, and those who are trying to appeal to get into JCs. I'll pray hard for you all from now till Monday night. Just know that it's not the end of the world if you don't end up at where you want to be. It's God's plan for us, and furthermore it's never too late to try again. And to try harder next time round. Even so, just look at the many people who entered a JC they were reluctant to go to for PAE, and have liked it so much now that they have decided to stay.

I'm still down with cough. It's been a long time already. 3 weeks in fact. Found out that it was some kind of viral cough which is slightly more severe, so it would take much longer than usual to go away. Sigh, hope it won't compromise debates, and I really want to start going for trainings!

This week in school has been okay. Apart from screwed tests which I'm still getting used to, due to extreme carelessness on my part. Area of a circle = 4.pi.r.r [even a p6 student knows there's not supposed to be a 4], oh I got to be freaking kidding myself. aha. Really hope it won't be long before I start using the phrase 'no kick to describe tests again. [just joking of course, I know full well it won't be anymore].

On Friday, tutors were getting so tense, with A level results being released. Reason being that J1 tutors this year were J2 tutors last year. And to some teachers, they already know the results of their students, but are still anxious to see if they will be satisfied.....or.....[inevitably some will always be..] disappointed. Which reminds me, that was probably how our teachers felt for us on 9 Feb when we got back our results. They must have been feeling so worried for the few that might be disappointed. And so, I really thank them, again. I realise in Anderson Sec. students are very close with their teachers. And i think few other secondary schools can boast that.

Well, for the avid football fan that I am, this has been one hell of a depressing/frustrating week for me, due to Arsenal's lack of cutting edge. They've played brilliant football in two matches, and two times, they've lost. Last Sunday their manager fielded such a youthful team in the league cup final, with all the star players [henry, van persie, rosicky, gallas, lehmann...] except Fabregas, not even on the bench, against Chelsea, with all their riches, their expensively-assembled teams with big-money signings such as Drogba and Michael Ballack. To be honest, I expected Arsenal to get thrashed. But they weren't. They outplayed Chelsea, and played such fluent passing that I haven't seen for quite some time from the first team. And even though we lost, I was so proud of them, apart from the mass brawl at the end which was so unnecessary, and the match ended in such an unsavory manner.
Mourinho can say all he likes, but the fact is that he had a virtually unlimited supply of cash to spend, while Arsenal had saved so much money year after year in order to be able to build the magnificent Emirates Stadium, While Chelsea spent 30 million on Shevchenco, 24 on Drogba, 25 on Wright Phillips, and 24 on Essien, we've managed to get Henry for only 7, and Fabregas for less than 1. And apparently he says he ain't a sore loser, well, we'll see what he has to say come May when Manchester win the prem. league.

Okay, so much for the cup final on sunday. On wednesday night, we were out of the FA cup. A match that they dominated, missed some unbelievable sitters, and then lost 1-0 to a world-class goal 4 minutes from time. This was frustrating. This was disappointing. This was the first-team bar Henry that was playing. Boy was I upset. Who I was upset with, was referee Graham Poll. He is supposedly England's best referee. He was their representative in the 2006 World Cup, and he was the disgraced one who gave 3 yellows to the same player before sending him off. And he will be the one in charge of Liverpool v Manchester later today, arguably the biggest match due to the rich history both clubs have. Well, he waved away two blatantly obvious penalties, and how obvious were they? The commentator was continuously showing replays of it and kept repeating 'how on earth could he miss that..'. So obvious, that after that match questions are being raised yet again whether technology should be used in football. And if there was technology, Arsenal would not have lost.

Arsenal play the most fluent football in the world, and the only teams comparable to us are Barcelona, Brazil and Argentina. They make the least fouls of all teams in England, they are fouled the most in England, and yet, we have been on the receiving end of so many waved away penalties, and so many offside decisions. Sometimes it seems really hard to believe that players like Henry can sprint so far ahead of the last defender from an onside position, and hence the linesman waves the flag up right away. He lacks common sense. He lacks the knowledge that Henry is such a fast sprinter. He doesn't know how inch perfect the pass through the defence is. And that is why I am so disappointed in referees.

Now that JAE is over, I suppose my previous post is irrelevant, and thus it shan't be at the top anymore. Today, Friday the 16th, is the eve-of-the-eve-of CNY. And for RJ students that meant taking a break/ breaking a record/ i.e. TAKE 5 @ CCAB.

Thought having dad so send me there would be easier, and since his new office was at the bukit timah branch, might as well, but apparently not! The whole place was so congested, with either NUS students / lecturers on their way to work or other similar parents fetching their kids to CCAB / SCGS. I was like 20mins early, opp. side of the road, by the time i reached the right side of the road, I was just on time. Phew!

Okay, so RJC broke a record of most people eating oranges at the same place / time, whatever, typical southeast asian habit of breaking awkward records [that very likely hasn't really been set]. After the record-breaking event, Talentime was taking place, but our class decided to go and practise frisbee / soccer. It was my first time wearing the new pair of street soccer shoes, and I had to get used to it. Anyway, just for the record our class ain't very sporty at all, just like....4/7. haha. So we really signed up just to 'have fun', when boo hoo we realised other classes were dead serious about winning. So, first match, I played 3mins, then slacked off and got subbed, the other class had so many sporty people, and yet they couldn't score, so it was 0-0....and we had a penalty shootout! lol, after 4 penalties each it was 1-1, and then the other class missed one. So up stepped me with my first meaningful shot using the new shoes, and whoo, i smashed it into the top corner, and we won! lol we sort of exaggerated our celebrations, but hey, we knew we were so lucky. Of course, next rd., we got pumped 2-0 by a team which managed to beat J2 classes! but hey it was a fun experience. Oh, and the frisbee guys got thrashed too. So off we went to drown off our misery at the bouncy castle, which was so lame. We had a plan , but that plan blew up big time when we all collapsed on yong jin, and cos he wasn't standing in the middle, the whole castle collapsed, and sad to say there was a little girl down there that got crushed by us. Of course she didn't die. She didn't get hurt. Much at least, haha. yeah, but it was pretty scary.

So after that Leroy and I took 165 back to ANDss to cont. playing footy, but of course, not after the few of us ran to check out pool party. Which was $%$@. Pity, that other people ard. insisted on playing despite dressing so inappropriately. As a result, wasn't that much fun with so many bodies around. Oh and I had a bad slip and now there's a bad patch on my knee.

Rushed to NEXUS for service after that, and met Anna and Ying Ling after coming out at Somerset MRT. Such a coincidence. Felt a lil' sleepy during service, but managed to stay awake for the most part of it. Then, waited with ZiJie for awhile at the MRT, and boo hoo met Anna and Ying Ling again! This time they were going into Somerset MRT. Boy, so qiao la!

Took 162 home, and I was lucky in that the 162 was the NOKIA 5300-themed bus. It's white leather seats were so comfortable, to go with the great choice of music they choose to play. Oh, and I have to say this, I saw such a sweet couple there. They were talking about professional stuff, their likes / dislikes...and they were talking in such a mature manner, they were probably 20+ I suppose, but they seem to be very bright people. And when the woman left, the guy's eyes kept tailing her, smiling along, so sincerely. I always joke about my dream date being one watching football, but hey, that wasn't that bad too. haha. Then, there was also this CJ girl who lives in the same condo as me, another coincidence to be in the same bus! She was talking to a couple of guys la, but they alighted before my stop / her stop. It then started to rain. Really heavily. I don't know why, this kind side of me suddenly prompted me, and guess what, I lent her my umbrella, and walked in the rain for the 300m or so back into my condo. to shelter. Haha. I really don't know, I mean it wasn't like she was a good-looking girl, cause if she was then I much rather would have just let her get drenched and get to see her all WET [mind you she was in school uniform]. yeah, but I'm really thankful to James for talking to me a week ago about letting others know that I'm living a blessed life with my actions, being more helpful when I can, and showing more concern, support, and understanding to others.

It was a pity I couldn't go back to Pei Chun again. I'm really sorry Cheryl, Denise and Kennedy cause I sort of said I would go back.....and......in the end I didn't. But at least I've managed to add many contacts thanks to the mass convr, lol. And hopefully I'll have time to talk to each of them and get to know them better.

To end off, Arsenal finally ended their jinx against Bolton in a crazy match in which they spectacularly missed 2 penalties but yet keep knocking on the door and eventually got the decisive goals. As a result, they will finally get to play an early kick-off on Saturday! so i no longer have to stay up till 12 MN as has been the case recently for Home matches against united and only last week against wigan. ah, thank God that the week worked out despite me sleeping extremely late for so many days!

So we have all got our results, and for many, it is decision time. And yes, it ain't easy. The sacrifices one has to make when picking a choice, weighing up the pros and cons, opportunity cost as well. Distance, the friends that are going there, the friends that aren't whether you can fit it to their respective cultures. And more crucially whether you realistically have a chance of entering, and what you may incur by not putting something else as your first choice.

Some people like their current place so much, they can't bear to leave, even though they know that they can go to another place with a lower cut-off. Some people hate their current place so much, they want out no matter what. Really, the dilemma that many of us face is pivotal. It may only be 2 or 3 years, but it will most certainly be the most important 2 or 3 by far- we've grown so fast. And thus, I am so relieved that I am not facing such a tough decision, as I could imagine I would not be able to think level-head-dedly if I was in such a situation. I've spoken to many people unsure of where they should go, and I hope I have helped at least a couple in making their decisions, in weighing up their options, cause really it ain't easy. To all out there really, take time to think deep and hard about your future, and always keep faith in yourself, that God will guide you on your way. =)

On friday, before we got our results, word was it that we all did remarkably well, and I was still feeling normal. Time slowly passed as we caught up with old friends, chatting, swapping badges and.....taking pictures! (cam whores indeed, haha). I was quite calm until we walked up into the hall, and suddenly, I don't know why but I felt a lot more nervous. I thought back to 4years ago, when I was [very young and immature and dumb but still...] doing very well in my studies for exams and prelims, and I played computer games everyday, haha. The Red Alert days, they were. And, I still live to regret those days. Firstly, I messed up my PSLE, got a good score, but not good enough to get into RI, which was what my parents had expected of me. Secondly, my eyesight deteriorated at such a fast rate, and how I wish I had spent time more wisely then. And so, 4 years on, I was still watching football during the exams. I remember Arsenal suffering a bad loss on the night before HCL. That was against West Ham. I remember them beating Liverpool 3-0, that was before AM P1. Well, I guess this time round I was definitely more disciplined and mature, but sigh, my new-found love of football never fails to get the better of me, still. I prayed as we were sitting down and eagerly anticipating our results. And fortunately I didn't have too much time for my thoughts to drag me to further places. But well, just for the record, I got C5 for my HCL, after C6C5C6....so I guess it was pretty much expected. TBH, I thought the HCL exam was not that difficult, that HEY maybe I HAD a chance to get like.....A2! But I guess, this is really a reality check. My chinese has really sucked, I have put very little effort in improving it, and I'm just grateful to scrap a pass. And I'm sure many people have that similar feeling towards other subjects too. So really, I'm very mediocre too actually.

After we collected our results, many of us were delighted with our grades. Why, our cohort had so amazingly exceeded expectations and done even better than our ex-seniors! And, credit has to be given where credit is due. Many double science students have certainly worked very hard and put in their all for the O's. I remember making this comment to many people about how big the gulf has been last year, between trip. science and double science people. Yes, I know I've been very critical, and I will try to change that part of me. Back to the topic, the double science students have really bridged the [wide?] gap in the O's. And full credit to them. So many of them had less than 10pts, and now they can go to a 'top 5' JC. And I think they deserve much more praise than us trip. science students!

Many of our wonderful teachers were in attendance, and they deserve nothing but all the thanks we students have for them. In particular, I really want to thank Mrs Allison Lim for all her encouraging words in times when they were so needed, and of course it was a pity Mr Tan wasn't there so see JunJie and I......haha. I have been very offensive towards Ms Goh and Mdm Chan. And I must say, most of it was probably just to get that feel-good you get by bad-mouthing others behind their back. And that is so wrong me of me la. So I decided that I would at least have a proper conversation with Mdm Chan AND Ms Goh. And I did. And of course I'm not so courageous as to openly tell them all the bad things I've said of them and that I'm sorry, but I did wish them the best in teaching future batches, and, and, Ms Goh shook my hand sincerely to congratulate me! And I won't blow this by saying something bad about her now. HAHA. but seriously, I felt so much better.

Next, I'm trying my best not to boast here, but I am really flattered by all the thanks from people who I've helped in some way or another throughout the O levels period la. In particular Sherhan's message was really touching la, haha, thanks DEAR...and...it inspired me to create SMS-es for teachers and thanking them in a similar way...and Mrs Lim was so touched by it too. haha. A great way to spread the love and joy la. There are really a lot of people I want to thank, but I guess that'll make this post way too long. So I guess I'll stop here for the moment.

After missing so much football over the past couple of weeks I have finally managed to watch 2 wonderful games with come-from-behind scorelines. On Saturday, Newcastle beat Liverpool 2-1, and it was damn funny to see Liverpool's all-so-feared strikeforce miss absolutely ridiculous sitters. Well, there were more spectacular ones to come on Sunday. It was deja vu as I endured 80mins of pure frustration as Arsenal wasted a plethora of chances [yet again!] at the Emirates, Henry most guilty of them all. And to compound that frustration, after Wigan took a shock lead through a very good long-range shot, their 'keeper wasted SO MUCH TIME taking goal-kicks. This is all too similar to what Man Utd did a month ago, and boo hoo, they lost. So did Wigan, as justice prevailed with 2 late goals in the final 10mins, with Rosicky scoring a sweet winner 4mins from time. And what more sweeter was seeing our wonderful German keeper wasting time after that, giving them a very good taste of their own medicine, as Arsenal come back yet again and remain unbeaten at the Emirates. I love that word. Unbeaten. A delightful week indeed, now, I just hope.......

that this holy cough of mine would go away ASAP. =)

Silly football stuff.

"I am very tired. Yesterday, I was booed by Thai fans in Bangkok, but I still managed to hold my nerve to pull Singapore through to win the ASEAN football championship. Then, I had to run up and down the stage 3 times during the award ceremony, first to get the golden boot, then to get the player of the tournament award, and then to receive a medal with my mates. Their organisation com. so bad, make me run up 3 times. It's so obvious I was going to win the awards, can't they just give in all in one go? Then I had to fly to London to see Man U thrash Spurs 4-0, fortunately the stadium was so empty by then so I could get out easily. I had to fly back all the way to Singapore in time for flag raising. I already sang the National anthem yesterday before winning my awards, and now I have to sing it again. zzz. I am so tired, that's why I fell asleep. Sorry, sir. "

Shit excuse by someone for falling asleep in class today.lol.

So, it's been one week on [from the last entry].
And it has been a rather busy one....haven't had much sleep. sigh.

Last Saturday had a very very tough soccer training session. The warm-up was 1km more than normal, which meant it was 6km / 15rds. Then the drills were okay, although my passing went awfully astray at times, damn it la. Passing was what I prided myself on.
Then had a 30min match, on an extremely muddy pitch thanks to heavy rain the night before. Many people had already established positions, so when it came to me the coach just went 'Put him up front'. I won't forget that, and I won't remember it as a compliment either. Haha. Was so shitted, having to keep dropping back to help the midfield, and then also having to stretch my lungs to sprint upfield whenever a break was on. All in that f-ing muddy pitch. Didn't do much but pass, pass and pass, blocked a cross [painful!], and managed to get pass 1 defender and set up a powerful shot which hit the bar. Off-day la. Whatever, I was indeed feeling shitted that day. Training ended at almost 12.....and had to wash everything up, it was 1230 by then. Couldn't get to service in time, and neither did i bother to go for class outing, just spent the rest of the afternoon nursing the aches and wounds. When i went to bathe my underwear was like fully drenched. And no, it wasn't a wet dream. It was pure sweat. lol. Man it was a tiring day.

Anyway I've decided I'm dropping soccer. Perhaps it's cause it's too tiring. Perhaps it's cause I ain't good enough to be in the first XI, but I just thought I had more priorities. This opens up tues, thurs and sats, so I'll hopefully be able to sign up for other interesting ccas, and also of course more enrichment programmes and research electives. On monday they announced during chem lecture that we could start signing up for the Materials Science course, and then by the time the few of us went to the noticeboard, it was fully booked, WTH?!. haha, very fortunately i stumbled by the enrichment board again on Wed, and spotted the photonics form there. Couldn't believe my luck n signed up for it right away. Also signed my classmate and leroy up for it. Man, only on thur did they announce it during phy lecture, and sadly it's too late for most of the people interested. aha.

BACK to the chem lecture on monday. It was a crazy one. The previous [also-crazy] lecturer took an eternity to finish relatively simply parts like mol. concept and standard acid-base titrations, and as a result the relatively more difficult part of the topic, on redox titrations and half equations and stuff was just rushed through in less than an hour. Almost every typical student there was like stunned after that. And this is in RJC mind you.

Anyway, do hope I can get into debates, the last 'trial' session was on wed and i had to speak a bit on prop side for whether voluntary euthanasia should be allowed. lol.

Throughout the week I had been in a sort of 'mugger' mode, cos of the SRP aptitude test that was to take place on saturday. Mugged at the library on tues till 6, then went to watch the football match with leroy, where Hashair scored an eye-opener! Rest of the days I mugged on the internet. lol.

Well anyway the aptitude test was f-ing tough la. There was prob alot that I could have read up on with regards to chem, but the qns there were like sick la. And although MCQ has seemed like the easiest form of test to many of us [apart from T/F DUH], it was just all the more difficult when
a) many topics weren't in our scope
b) the questions on those that were IN were tough as well
c) the answer options were intelligently set to maximise difficulty
d) you lose a mark if you answer a qn wrongly
e) there were 5 options and not the usual 4. lol.

Oh I'm just ranting. So of 75qns, [25 each from PCM], i answered about 10 frm phy and chem and 20 from math. Oh well, I think my math has improved a whole lot through this week at the least.

After that headed right back to school for this HWA sports day thing. Think almost everyone in my class signed up for it but on Alicia, Yiting and I were selected. By random most likely. lol. It was quite a fun few hours there la, the wheelchair-handicapped people were like damn pro at basketball, and mind you it isn't easy to move the wheelchair on it's own, much less shoot when you're moving. haha. It was the second Saturday in a row spent outside of home not at Nexus. But I suppose that's the end of this wave.

Btw, so much so for having that record of watching consecutive Arsenal matches, I've missed 3 in a row, the 2 league cup matches against spurs and the Fa cup one against bolton. Finally managed to catch the league match, and it was yet another wasteful performance. Just hope we can get that consistency back in time for next season. I'd be quite content with the cups this season. hehe.

Time really passes so quickly. It's always the case, be it during exams when you're staring at a question you know you should be able to do yet for some reason you can't at that point of time, or when you're enjoying yourself on the phone with someone whom you haven't spoke to for a long, long time. Either way, this month has passed us all by. As much as I've enjoyed myself [and I have to a large extent], I miss many people, be it seeing them or talking to them face to face. I think of many people when I listen to those songs that are so effective in charging up that part of me. Man, it's that weird but normal feeling that everyone has occasionally that they just can't describe. There just hasn't been enough time. This must be the xxxx th time I've said that, lol. Soon, we'll get back our O lvl results and know where we are bound. All the best to all, and to our friendships!

REGRETS.

[Now before you think this is about me regretting going to RJ for the first 3months, it isn't, fortunately/unfortunately].

The first 2 hours of the week started on a high, okay and this time I shan't elaborate on it, since everyone who knows about it knows what happened, and everyone who doesn't care about it doesn't need to waste time on it. Haha.

Now this post is not on a happy note.
During the week, I have done plenty of reflecting, during the [very short] bus rides to/from school, during QT [short too.....sigh], when I'm in the toilet, be it bathing, brushing teeth, and all else. In RJC, there are so many programmes on offer for us students. And so many programmes that I'm interested in joining. There's ISLE, which is some service learning programme which allows us to get exposed to the poorer countries in the region and undertake projects there. There are so many Research Electives. In particular the materials science and photonics ones appeal to me. And then, there's Science Research Programme [SRP]. I had so much time to think, yet only recently have I realised that research is the one area that I want to pursue, for the near future at least. Yes, I know it is boring to most, but hey, what's accounting and banking then?

And so, while I check up all more info. on these programmes, I start to regret. Regret that I didn't spent my time in secondary school fruitfully. That I spent so many afternoons playing computer games. That I never signed up for much CIP programmes, that I never signed up for any research attachment programmes. That I dropped Japanese when so many people out there desperately want to learn it. That I didn't take French. That I never took the time to think hard about my future, only until I wanted to get a scholarship for a university. Now it is so difficult to sign up for research electives as so many people are interested in them. And then, SRP, is tough indeed. Apparently they are only selecting 120 students for RMMs, after which only 80 odd will be able to do the proper SRP thing [from the whole Singapore btw]. And boy would experience in research help here. Oh well, next week 'll just have to try my luck at the aptitude test.

And then there's soccer. Trainings are like 3x3hrs a week. I don't know if I can handle it.
I guess I'll fruitfully spend the next few days prioritising and thinking about my future.
At least now, there's God to guide the way.
That, is another regret. Not knowing him sooner.
So please, heed this message and let Him guide your way too!

I want to thank everyone who has spent time to talk to me about my predicament, [if it even is one, really],be it in school, on the phone or on MSN, which I have been spending too much of my time on. You've all helped me lots, my dear friends. Thank God for you guys.

I'm not sad, really. Just regretful. The week in RJC has been great. The tutorials, the lectures, hell, even sex ed. was fun. And STJ [seniors-treat-juniors] on Friday was very successful indeed, got to know alot of people from 07S06N, [my class is 08 btw], and the pizza was great. I'm definitely looking forward to more of em'!

And then, meeting the 2/4 peeps once again was great as well. Although we didn't get to talk much much [yes 2 words intended], it's still good that we are 'sticking in touch'. [sticking together + keeping in tough]. And I sure hope that Philip will come to RJC!

Haha, I don't know why but this entry is something like a Jose Mourinho interview - frank and honest, but always finding positives. Oh well, I'll end the entry by giving a big shout to all you man u fans out there [just can't resist it], that ARSENAL DID THE DOUBLE ON YOU GUYS THIS SEASON, and that they are still UNBEATEN AT THE EMIRATES STADIUM, all thanks to van Persie's and Henry's late goals which turned defeat into victory!! and mind you, doesn't Rooney's goal celebration [which looked as if he had won Mr Universe] look oh so stupid now? lol.

heh. and now for some much needed rest before training tomorrow.

Full timetable has kicked in this week.
And surprisingly, mine isn't bad at all.
1510 on Mon and Fri, and best of all 1230 on Thur. wow.
And there are friends who end at 1730....gosh, my heart goes out to you guys.

Hmmm, guess science students are all very happy as most of their lectures are in LT 1, i.e. center court. i.e. slacker LT. Only my physics is in LT2 which is the neither big nor small one and econs is in 5 which is very small, sigh.
And classrooms are weird indeed. The air cons can't be switched off. And the 23 deg. is equivalent to airport / library kind of air con. zzz. Well, at least I'm thankful that classrms are all on lvl 4 which LT1 can be entered from.

Teachers are all wonderful man. My chem teacher is soooo much better than the previous one. And apart from maths they're all friendly and approachable. that's good.

The class is good too! Fairly even gender ratio, the boys are great. girls are fab. as well. aha.
Have been feeling sleepy whenever I attend lectures after 11....man, guess my body needs time to adjust to changes.

Today's CHEM lecture was interesting indeed. Mr Lee totally reached boiling point and it was scary man. With THAT look of his and his continually blinking eyes. Either way, it sure woke me up. Before that GP was fun too, "George Bush is in deep shit". and "Western culture corrupting our Confucius values".
Okay, better be careful blogging from now too esp. when Rafflesians have such a reputation in blogging. [dawn yang? wee shu min? ].

GP turned out to be better than than standard english lessons.
Oh well, it's been a tiring week, but the weekend is one to savor. Gonna celebrate my sis's birthday, and i got her a pair of 'furry' slippers for wearing at home, lol. Congrats man, she's going the opposite way of me. And that's good for the family.

Then of course, there's the football! It's grand slam weekend the sequel, with Liverpool v Chelsea on saturday and then on sunday its Arsenal v Man United, the battle of the two teams in the EPL who play sexy football. And, I won't be pissed if Arsenal lose their first match at the Emirates to some skillful play by roon/ ronaldo, just as long as it isn't a dive again.

Okay, I'll keep it relatively short.
Lately quite a few people have been having personal problems, be it having to make a choice, finding it hard to fit in or lacking self-confidence. Know it sounds so general, and it's not just you I'm talking about, it's also you, you, you, you, and you. You could be any one of the 'you's, or anyone else. <---------zzz
Well, if only you all have the lyrics to our class of 2008 batch song You're Not Alone, then I'm sure it would help.
Most importantly, remember that we're not alone, that there's always someone walking with us, someone guiding us, be it in the form of some extremely sociable person, someone who calls you once in awhile, someone who initiates IM conversations, OR, that feeling inside you that prompts you on what to do next.

The last 3 lines of the Raffles anthem,
With one voice let us Pray,
Auspicium Melioris Aevi,
With God to guide the way.
Is meaningful indeed.