OPPS, I DID IT AGAIN.



In case you're wondering, I vomited again. Just today, after I got home from Expo. In fact, I have been feeling kind of queasy since the previous vomiting episode last week - and it was so downright embarrassing to puke in front of so many people last week.

Nowadays, or at least for these past weeks, it seems like my stomach suddenly possesses a life of its own, and lurches and purges as and when it feels like. Oh man, this is the second time this month that I've vomited. And my appetite's shot too. Food just doesn't seem as appealing as it usually does - especially when it feels like an invisible hand is clutching and squeezing my stomach.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Perhaps it's time to go on a diet. Xiao Wei's matrimony is just a mere 6 days away!!! And I'll be ushering. Gosh, I can afford to lose some weight. Prettier, you know? Haha!


Anyway, we had our last Cell Group Meeting on Friday. I was supposed to meet up with Kelvin Lim and Ben Toh at 12pm at IMM, to shop for our BBQ stuff. However, due to the internet hiccup, I had trouble email-ing over the Song Sheet to Xiao Wei, who will print it out in her office. Finally, after much ado, I managed to send the email via Hotmail. And lo and behold, just when I was about to step out of my house, my Grandma - who had gone out hours earlier - bought home some food for the family.

She had purchased a Tau Sar pau and a cup of fruits for me. Well, it's a well-meaning gesture, and how can I let her down? Thus, being the good-girl-cum-princess that I've always been and despite that I'm getting late for my appointment, I quickly ate the pau. The cup of fruits is my favourite (I'm kind of a hypochondria), and there are 3 fruits - dragonfruit, papaya, and pineapple. The dragonfruit forms the 1st layer; and I've always loved dragonfruit. The papaya forms the 2nd; and I've always adored papaya.

I can't say the same for pineapples, though. I can't take sour. For goodness sake, I can't even tahan oranges. So sweet!!! So sour!!! Anyway, as my Grandma was seated at the dining table, this smart, sweet, and lovely princess here (i.e. yours truly) had to put on an act. Well, I can't possibly break her heart and dump the remaining pineapples into the bin, can I? Thus, obligingly, princess here had (no choice but to) force the tiniest bit of pineapple that I could find down my throat. All these without grimacing, you know? What a tall order. I had to curl my toes under the table. SO SOUR!!!


Come to think of it, it's rather ironic, really. Here I am, racing against time, but yet, still stuffing sour pineapples down my throat.

Anyway, I reached IMM at close to 2pm. The 2 guys were almost done with purchasing the food, and Ben was jesting me, "You've good timing, hor? People about to buy finish liao, then you come." Geez... Blame it on Yahoo! and the sour pineapples. Haha!


We bought loads of stuff for the BBQ, and man, the receipt is so super-duper long. Gosh, I've never purchased so much stuff in a single receipt before. We ended up with 9 plastic bags - all of which was shared between me and Kelvin Lim when Ben went off to deposit the trolley. To be fair though, Kelvin Lim carried most of the heavier stuffs (e.g. 1kg of sting ray, prawns, satay sticks etc), while I carried the lighter ones (e.g. veggies, sweet corns, sweet potatoes, chocolates, charcoal starters, marshmallows, bread, 2 bottles of sparkling juices etc). But nonetheless, it was so heavy!!! The BBQ is meant to cater for 16 people, you know? So heavy!!! Gosh, both my arms ache the next day.


Anyway, the both of us proceeded to meet up with Zhi Wei and Xu Bin at Jurong East interchange. We jaywalked across the road, and upon seeing a car approaching, Kelvin Lim was like, "Faster... Car's coming." However, my load was so heavy and I was carrying 2 glass bottles of sparkling juice, and I could barely run. So heavy!!! I replied cheekily and nonchalantly, "Aiyah, they won't dare to knock us down one, lah." And Kelvin Lim diao at me. Anyway, speaking of which, one of the drivers was sooo kind. He/she actually slowed down while approaching, and I threw him/her a paiseh smile in gratitude.

Xu Bin was at the nearby NTUC Fairprice, checking out the pricing for otah. The 2 mean guys then abandoned me with the 9 bags of groceries at the interchange, and left to join Xu Bin. Ben was the meaner one - he even dumped his guitar with me (!!!). Oh man, this is so embarrassing! I felt like an obasan, with 9 bags of groceries at my feet, and a guitar at my side. Thankfully, Zhi Wei arrived soon after. Seeing my pathetic plight from afar, he pretended not to know me and tried to sneak off. Am I so silly as to allow a such thing to happen? I hastily grabbed him by the sleeves and dragged him back, and the both of us basked in the "glory" together.

















Taken from my mobile camera: the super-duper long receipt (with Zhi Wei's mobile phone as a gauge for size comparison), and Zhi Wei and me basking in the unglamorous glory together. I think I'm such a talented photographer. The 2nd picture doesn't even look like I'm taking the picture using my right hand, does it? It looks as though someone took the picture for us, hor? Heeheehee!

Ok, fine. I'm a narcissist. I've had loads of training in taking self-portray pictures. Fine? Hohoho!




Anyway, we reached Kelvin Lim's place at 3pm plus, and proceeded to prepare the food. At 6pm, we adjourned down to the Function Room to decorate up the place with balloons. Man, the room was quite a disappointment. The floor was filthy and dusty, and Kelvin Lim went up to get a pail and a mop. After which, I proceeded to mop the yucky floor - to much ribbing from my dear beloved Cell Group Members. Xu Bin was saying that I have to rinse the mop after moping every 6 floor tiles, while Zhi Wei kept calling me "Maria". Oh man, they're so irritatingly and fulsomely sweet.

We had our Thanksgiving CGM, and 3 awards were given out - Most Beautiful Feet Award, Most Willing Heart Award, and Transformation Award. After that, we had the long-awaited BBQ (yum yum!!!). CGM ended late at around 9.30pm, and we had not much time left for the BBQ. There were still loads of food left when Dequan, Daniel and me left the place at 11pm (which is really way beyond late, considering that we live in SengKang and Punggol, while Kelvin Lim lives in West Coast). Fearing that we would have missed the last train at Outram Park Interchange, we took bus home all the way.

At Hougang Central, we boarded bus 80 to take us back to SengKang. Lucky Dequan and Daniel - bus 80 goes straight to their house. For me, I was starting to get worried. Most of the buses terminating at Punggol Interchange do not service till so late into the night (it was already slightly past 12.30am when we boarded bus 80). I was resigning myself to the doomed fate of walking home from SengKang. It's not as thought it'll be the 1st time anyway - I had walked home alone from SengKang Interchange and Rivervale Plaza at 1am before. Both are a long 45-minutes walk, and it being close to 1am in the morning, I absolutely have no burning desire to do it a 3rd time. What if someone kidnaps me and sell me to Bangladesh or Calcutta? I want to go to New Zealand, Australia, or France!!!

Thank God, Dequan caught sight of bus 82 when our bus 80 turned a corner. I transferred buses gleefully, and reached home at 1am on the dot.
So beat! What a tiring day.

AU REVOIR TO MATH, AT LONG LAST!!! !!! !!! (THE WORLD SUDDENLY LOOKS SO BEAUTIFUL, AIR SO FRESH, WATER SO SWEET, LIZARDS SO CUTE AND CUDDLY)


Memorized Xu Bin's and Poh Lin's mobile number today. Hohoho!

Met up with Ting Rui on Wednesday to shop for Li Ting's gift together. We were supposed to go gift-hunt at Far East - a paradise for women - but ended up at Kovan instead. We managed to get the gift that she wanted, and I hope she'll like it. *crosses my fingers*

Kovan - the place where I spend the first 16 years of my life growing up in. Being back there again, shopping around the mall; brought back a plethora of memories and stirred up loads of feelings.
I remember going to MacDonald's almost every Saturday after our NPCC parade during Secondary school, and heading down to the nearby arcade or Superbowl after our lunch.
I remember the camps we've organized, and the sabotages we schemed.
I remember going through the dreaded Secondary 3 Adventure-Training Camp (ATC) in Pulau Ubin where everyone gets tortured mercilessly.
I remember the cute songs and tap dance that we learned throughout the 4 years.
I remember our first Marksmanship test. A .38 revolver. And I recall how badly my fingers trembled and shook when I reloaded my revolver for the second round of shooting.
I remember the competitions and inter-school telematches we had participated in.
I remember the fun times we had goofing around in the arcade and Superbowl.
I remember the intensive training we, the Campcraft team, had to undergo for the annual Campcraft competition held by NPCC HQ. I doubt I'll ever forget the rusty iron pegs, heavy wooden poles, green ponchos, and white twine.
And I remember our Passing Out Parade (POP).
I remember how Xiao Hui and I would walk home from Kovan, which is just a mere stone's throw away - and how we would chat and bond. Sometimes, I would go the extra mile and walk her to her block, before detouring back to mine.
And I remember the enjoyable times we had devouring our favourite Ban Mian at the S11 near our house.


Sometimes, I think nothing is better than to look back on the past - the humble beginnings and where you have started - and discover how much you've grown and how far you've come with the passage of time. Not to relish on just merely the good and happy times, but also the tough patches you've hurdled through - and the experiences garnered. And personally, I think nothing is a worse tragedy than losing the inner person who has once been a part of you.


Treated Jun Ming to dinner on Thursday at Raman Ten in Orchard. I really owe him loads. Way beyond loads. Had it not been for his coaching, I doubt I would have even managed to scrape through my Math module. And I can still remember the exasperation and dejection I felt when I was hopelessly lost during the very 1st Math lecture. It honestly felt like listening Greek. I was about to tear my hair out in frustration.

Of course, apart from roping in Jun Ming's help, I had consultations with my Math lecturer too. But, more often than not, lecturers are exceedingly busy and can only afford 2 hours of consultation at best. 2 hours only? Math leh!!! Where got enough??!! *looks scandalized* And again, more often than not, he would rattle on and on at top speed, and does not touch on the basics. It apparently always seem to slip his mind that I don't have much foundation in A Math, and I had to pretend to nod in understanding - when my brain was still in the midst of processing and trying to figure out what he had said 10 minutes earlier. And so - after each consultation with my lecturer - apart from being totally mentally drained and brain juice exhausted-until-dry-dry, I ended up more confused than before.

Jun Ming is the one who cleared most of my doubts, and he's the one who shaped the foundation that's barely there. In response to each question of mine, he starts from the basic, and goes on to further explain in more elaborated and chim details. Unlike with my lecturer, I don't need to pretend in front of Jun Ming. I can ask questions that a greenhorn Secondary 3 A-Math student asks, and he'll not laugh or tsktsk at me.

And I know that he's busy with his own stuff too. Apart from teaching in school, he has loads of tuition to juggle. But yet, he has never rejected whenever I asked him for help. Not even once has he declined. And our Math sessions can go up to more than 3 hours at times. Sometimes, he even has to forgo fellowshipping with his Cell Group members after service - just to coach me Math. Honestly, I doubt I can pass this module without him.


Admittedly, the grade I obtained for Math is not fantastic. But at least I passed with a C+. In fact, if you ask me, I think C+ is only a mediocre grade. But things can so easily be worse, you know. I can get C, D, D+, or even F.
Am I pleased or satisfied with a C+? Honestly, no.
But am I thankful for it? Definitely yes.

I hate A-Math (I think the word "hate" is an understatement here). In my opinion, I think Math should be kept limited to 1, 2, 3, 4... ... ..., plus (+), minus (-), times (x), and divide(/). Math should not be tainted with weird-looking symbols or English alphabets. Alpha, Beta, Sigma, Pie, Infinity and etc - all of them rightfully belongs to ENGLISH, and NOT Math. And who are the idiot sickos who started Integral, Polar Coordinates, Derivatives, Fourier Series, Maclaurin Series, ODEs etc? I'd love to poke them to death with a toothpick.


Giving it a second thought, I think I should be as pleased as punch to get a C+. I don't even have O levels A-Math foundation, let alone A Levels A-Math, okie? I didn't take A-Math in secondary school, hor! And from a nil, a zero, a ko-song, a total greenhorn in A-Math; to getting a C+ in university A-Math, I should be proud as a peacock.

Fine. I admit. I'm trying to redeem myself. Fine? Hohoho! *geez*


Wednesday went out with Ting Rui.
Thursday - Jun Ming.
Friday - Thanksgiving Cell Group meeting-cum-BBQ.
Saturday - ministry visitation and service.
Sunday - ??? ??? ???

Semester 2 will commence on the 8th of Jan. 1 more week and a half to go before heading back to school. Gosh, where else can I go and what else can I do for the remaining 1 week and a half? I want to be out.
Out, out, and out.

MY KANGAROO. MY KOALA.














So, as I was telling Xiao Wei on Tuesday night - in the middle of our MSN chat - not to forget to kidnap a kangaroo or koala bear for me when she goes for her honeymoon in Australia. A live one and not a soft toy, mind you - one which is able to hop around like a bunny rabbit or conquer trees like a monkey. Xiao Wei, in her usual light-hearted style, replied jokingly, "I'm not free to chase after them, hoh".

Haha... I think I can be quite a pest at times. Either I'm unabashedly bugging her to make me the flowergirl for her upcoming wedding, or I'm pestering her to kidnap an animal home back to Singapore.

2006 is drawing to a close. And I wonder, for the past year, have I brought her laughter; or have I caused her much worry. Gosh, admittedly, I think it's more of the latter.

Anyway, I am in the middle of reading this book, Reading People - Secret Tips That Reveal the Truth Behind Body Language, by leading jury expert Jo-Ellan Dimitrius and Mark Mazarrella. A passage mentions that the first basic to learning to read people is, of course, to mingle with people. And it goes on to grip about how the advancement of technology has made personal and physical contact unnecessary and uncalled for.

Why bother to call when an SMS is able to get a message across? Why write letters when a simple email is suffice? Why bother with Christmas or New Year or birthday cards when an E-card is easily available? Why bother to talk to a person face-to-face when a call is totally capable of conveying the same message?

Even on rare occasions when we're having a direct conversation with someone, do we maintain strong eye contact throughout? Or are we fiddling with our fingers? Punching on our mobile number pad? Combing our hair with our fingers? Looking elsewhere? Toying with our wallet? Straightening our shirt or blouse or tie or belt? Munching away? Stirring our drinks?


It seems that with such rapid advancement of technology, the quality and quantity of person-to-person interaction has been affected adversely and dramatically. It seems that we can be at more than one place at a single time. A man can be in a room physically. But he can be - simultaneously at the same time - having an overseas call to Germany, SMS-ing to a colleague in Australia, sending an email to yet another colleague in New Zealand, and watching CNN - while his wife and kids are waiting for him to bring them out for dinner.


You see the big picture? Technology has made people so available and accessible - anywhere and anytime - that we're practically inaccessible. We're everywhere all over the face of the earth; except where we physically are.


Not only has people-to-people direct interaction decreased, we are being totally and hopelessly dependent on technology too. Gone are the good old days when we jot down our friends' and acquaintants' addresses and contact numbers.

Come to think of it, gone too, are the days when we die-die had to memorize our friends' residence number or mobile number - thanks to something known as the Contact List in our mobile phone. Admittedly, I can only remember my Dad's, Mum's, Bro's mobile number, and our residence number. For friends, I can only recite Xiao Wei's, Kelvin's, Kelvin Lim's, Jun Ming's, and Joanne Tan's mobile numbers.
Gosh, that's not a lot really. Man, I think along with the advancement of technology, our brain is, undeniably, getting increasingly rusty.

And both memory and brain, in my opinion, are just like muscles. Use it often, and it'll be stronger. Let it rust, and it'll atrophy.


So, I'm going to memorize 2 mobile numbers per day from today onwards. I want to have a super-human memory, just like Scott Hagwood. Watch out, Mr. Hagwood, here I come!!! Hohoho!

And I wanna bag home the prize for next year's Word Power too.

I'm smart. I've learnt my entire ABCs and I can, in a blink of an eye - and without the aid of calculators - figure out that 1 + 1 = 3.
Ain't I a prodigy or what?


Like real. Haha!

=(

THE BEST LECTURER AS OF YET

























Grabbed a photo from Yingyou's Friendster late last night. Shown in the picture above, is Mr. Humphrey Ko - one of my favourite lecturers in Temasek Polytechnic. We got acquainted when he taught my cohort one of our core modules, Human Physiology and Immunology (HPI), back in Semester 3.

Admittedly, we were pretty mean to him initially. There are so many types of educators, in my opinion.

There is the Strict Disciplinarian - these are the ones who, without needing to speak even a single word, effortlessly conveys the message that they are never to be messed or joked around with.

There's also the Slacking Sloth - spending your time sleeping in your cozy bed is much more fruitful than attending their classes or tutorials.

Ni-kong-si-mi? - these are those with such super-duper thick Indian-Cantonese-American-and-who-knows-what-else accent that a knife cannot even penetrate through; and poor little students have to put in twice the effort just to decipher what on earth they are saying. It's exhausting at the end of the day, you know?

Swift, Silent Killer 007 - these are the mean and nasty ones who set killer papers that would give the Ph.D holders a run for their money. Enough said.

Unwilling Imparters - these teach directly from the lecture notes only and nothing more. I mean, come on, I don't attend classes and lectures so that someone can read aloud my own lecture notes to me, right? Geez! And when students try to probe more, they'll tend to answer grudgingly.

Blur Kings/Queens - these are absolutely the worst. They win hands down. They know NOTHING on the subject they teach. Trust me; I had one for my Biochemistry tutorial. She doesn't know most, if not all, of the answers to our tutorials, and had once ended up asking us to "vote". Raise your hands if you get Answer (a), raise your hands if Answer (b), and majority wins! Can you believe it??!! *swears silently* And of course, she lasted for only 1 semester before having to pack her bags - courtesy of those proactive coursemates of mine who wrote a petition against her and sent it to the Dean. Hohoho!

Big Friendly Softie - these are the ones who are the easiest to push around and have things done your own way; and they hardly lose their temper or raise their voice. I had one in my secondary school, and I remember a friend telling me that her class had once managed to persuade (I think bully might be a better word here) him (i.e. the teacher) to spend their 2-hours lesson period in the library, when he was supposed to be teaching Physics. *faints*


Mr. Ko belongs to the Big, Friendly Softie group. He's sweet beyond words, really (just look at how toothy his grin is); hardly raises his voice by even a notch, and never quits smiling. Of course, this makes him the easiest target to be "bullied".

I remember we had a Term Test for HPI, and most of the class did badly; with quite a number of people scoring Ds and Fs. The Gaussian, bell-shaped curve is left-tailed skewed - very badly. It's not surprising, really; considering that HPI constitutes loads of memorizing work and is theory-heavy, and most of my coursemates did not commit the facts down to memory for that particular Term Test. Mr. Ko was, needless to say, upset and disappointed with the cohort results.

I remember sifting through my exam script immediately after receiving it back, making mental note of where I lost marks at and whether did I commit any silly mistakes. Deeply engrossed in my own world was I. It was not only until after I was done and satisfied with the "self-evaluation" of my exam script, did I catch the sombre and quiet atmosphere in the Lecture Theater. I took my focus off my exam script, looked at Mr. Ko, turned to my left, and asked Li Huey (my Ai Ai!!!) who was seated beside me, "Is he scolding us?". I was not trying to be witty or funny here, but I honestly had no idea that Mr. Ko was chilling us and expressing his disappointment. He's really too... soft... in personality. It doesn't even appear like he's giving us a dressing down.

Admittedly, I had my share in snubbing him too. I remember how surprised I was when he called me out of my seat to answer a tutorial question on the board on one fine day. He knows my name??!! I was so taken aback. Apparently, he's not the blur-blur-toot-toot type of teacher I had hastily classified him under. Obligingly, I got off my seat, went up to the whiteboard, and drew and explained the 5 different ways of how chemicals/neurotransmitters can interact with cell receptors. And I rolled my eyes at my tutorial mates on my way back to my seat, who snickered in response. I guess I was no angel back then - even though till today, I frequently declare myself otherwise.

Anyway, I think educators like Mr. Ko are always being tremendously under-appreciated. Their charm works only after they've done their part and had imparted whatever knowledge they are supposed to impart. And more often than not, the charm works brilliantly. It was only after Semester 3 had ended, then did we realize that he's actually a great educator; possibly one of the best in the Biotechnology/Biomedical Science department staff.

We were, of course, way beyond delirious when we learnt that he'll be taking us again for Basic Pharmacology (BPhar) in Semester 5. I had made a conscious effort to minimize communication with him during HPI back in Semester 3. If I had any doubts or questions, I would rather consult reference books in the library or search the internet. On the rare occasions when I did consult him, I would make it short and to the point, utter a quick "Thank you", and sashay my way out.

This time round though, for BPhar, I made it a habit to consult him whenever possible. In fact, it almost became an obsession (the guy is so sweet, you know?). He's an awesome educator, honestly.

By the end of Semester 5 (our last and final semester before the commencement of Student Internship Programme), everyone in my cohort had already taken a liking for him. I can still remember - my very last examination in Temasek Polytechnic was on 7th September 2005, while the first day of our internship attachment started on 19th September 2005. And we celebrated Mr. Ko's birthday on 31st August 2005. As his date of birth is just a day before 1st September, we celebrated Teacher's Day for him concurrently.

My scheming coursemates hatched a plan. Mr. Ko was, on that day, delivering his BPhar lecture as usual. After the lecture has ended, Timothy was supposed to catch up with Mr. Ko and claim to have left his wallet in the LT. Usually, lecturers will only lock the front entrance doors in the LT, while leaving the back doors unlocked; as there will always be another lecture going on later in the same LT.

A big batch of my cohort were gathered outside the back entrance. As soon as the lights were out and the front doors locked, we sneaked in silently in the dark. It's quite fun actually; we dared not switch on the LT lights for fear of giving ourselves away. The whole lot of us filled into the LT sneakily, stumbling around and using light source from our mobile phones to find our way in the dark. People kept "shh-ing" at each other, and giggling softly.

After everyone had grabbed a seat, we waited in silence. Finally, we heard the lock on the front doors clicked. Man, I could almost feel the anticipation in the LT. Everyone was practically holding their breath. Finally, the lights flickered on, and we yelled, "Happy Teachers' Day!!!". Mr. Ko was so surprised; his mouth hanged wide open. No kidding. He looked so funny with his mouth hanging open; the whole LT erupted into laughter.

He must have been so shocked. Imagine a student coming up to you anxiously, saying that he has left his wallet in the LT; and when you stepped into the LT, you were greeted by a LT-full of students waiting secretly in the dark.

The lot of us then presented our gifts. A group presented a big cake. Some gave cards. A batch of us - around 30 other friends and me - shared a big, huge gift. We bought him a BIG TEDDY BEAR that's worth slightly more than S$100.00. Super expensive ok, but luckily; it's shared among 30+ students. *phew*. The teddy bear was so huge; it's almost half my height. And poor Mr. Ko had to lug it back to the Staff Room. Poor thing. So paiseh!

Anyway, Mr. Ko was super touched. He gave a thank-you speech; and a couple of my friends who were seated in the front rows said that his eyes were teary; and they caught drops of tears at the corners of his eyes.

Aren't we the best students ever??? Hohoho!!!


He is a wonderful educator. He maintains sincere eye contact when I'm explaining what I don't understand, nods gently and smiles encouragingly from time to time, "uh-huh" occasionally to indicate that he's listening and following, and waits patiently - without breaking off the eye contact - while I try to find fitting words to express my queries. And when he answers questions, it's obvious that he places himself in the shoes of his students and tries his very best to facilitate understanding. His sincerity in teaching just simply shines through.

And personally, I feel that the more you are taken to an educator, the more you'll perform well in the particular subjects/modules he/she teaches. For BPhar, loads of questions just pop into my mind during lectures. Why does this specific class of drug results in drowsiness? Why is this drug contraindicated in women? What is the mode of action for Benzodiazepine? Why is phenytoin teratogenic?

Admittedly, sometimes I'll force my brain to question this and that; all in the hope of getting to consult Mr. Ko. Hohoho!


He's the best lecturer and educator I had in my 3 years of tertiary education in Temasek Polytechnic. Man, he's absolutely awesome.

HI THERE, MR. LEE (FROGMAN)


I'm in a love-hate relationship with the situation of blog visitors not making their virtual presence known. Admittedly, it's a nice and pleasant feeling to know that someone comes back regularly to read my blog entries; it makes me feel so flattered and honoured. But yet, it can, at the same time, be such a shock because I'll get paranoid over whether any of my blog entries has unknowingly offended the other person in one way or another.

Honestly, I'll feel an initial glow of pleasure whenever someone mentions that he/she reads my blog. After the smug and egoistic euphoria, my brain will then get into a hyperactive mode and start wondering what on earth does he/she think of it.

Anyway, Mr. Frogman, you're warmly welcome here. Read more... Read more.
=)


Today is Christmas eve!!! Speaking of which, we had Cell Group gift exchange yesterday. As per required, I had already listed down my 3 wishes on a card on the previous Thursday during Cell Group Meeting.

It's kind of hard, really, having to think what are the items I need that are within the budget of S$10.00. The first thought that crossed my mind is a watch. I honestly won't mind being given a watch; it's such a hassle having to flip open my mobile phone whenever I need to check the time. But heck, a S$10.00 ladies silver-chain watch will never last. I know better; having bought one in Bugis once, and the metal clasp came loose within 3 months [the auntie cheated my money... =(].

And speaking of watches, Kelvin Lim and I were shopping for our CG gift in Tampines Mall on Thursday before our Cell Group Prayer Meeting, and we walked past City Chain. I was, as usual, pawing hungrily at the beautiful watches on display. I caught one (with a rectangular face, of course) which I really die-die-also-like, and guess what? It costs a whooping S$1200+++!!! What the!!! Ji dan gao...

If only money grows on trees. Geez...



Anyway, after our Christmas service today, the Cell Group headed down to Hall 6. Dequan, Bi Zhi, and I were walking around the stalls casually, and as we neared the deejay stand, this smart princess here (that is, yours truly again) - naturally - had a smart idea. Why not use this opportunity to dedicate a song to Xiao Wei and Chee Foo on their upcoming marriage? Thus, we went up to the front excitedly and requested to make a dedication.

Just as we were gleefully penning our dedication message, the deejay suddenly gave a quiz. The question is drop-dead easy, and the three of us raised our hands eagerly and frantically. It's quite comical actually, considering that we were already standing right in front of the deejay; directly under the deejay's nose. She gave an apologetic smile, and said that we are not entitled to answering the question as we are up there only to pen our dedication; and that it would be unfair to others if she allows us to answer the quiz. And gosh, it turns out that the prize is S$5.00 worth of vouchers for the carnival. =(

After penning the dedication, the 3 of us walked around the stalls again and purchased our dinner. Not feeling particularly hungry but feeling dead thirsty, I purchased only a cup of watermelon juice. Dequan, who is eager to lay his hands on the vouchers, mentioned that he would like to have a go at the quiz. Thus, the 3 of us - being smarter this time round - stood at some distance away and waited for the deejay to pop the next question.

Walking around in high-heels is no easy feat; no kidding. Being someone who is quite comfortable in her own skin, I asked bluntly, "Mind if I squat?" and without bothering to wait for an answer from either Dequan or Bi Zhi; I proceeded to do so.

5 minutes later, my pretty legs are getting painfully numb. Thus, I did what other normal people on the streets would naturally do - I plonked my pretty butt onto the floor. The scene looked totally hilarious, really. Both Bi Zhi and Dequan are still on their feet, and are glancing down at me with an amused look on their face; as I sat luxuriously on the floor and slurped on my watermelon juice idyllically, lost in my own world.

Out of nowhere, Yao Hui suddenly popped out from behind. He took an overall look at the 3 of us, then threw me an unbelieving what-on-earth-are-you-doing look, and laughed out loud before asking curiously, "What are you doing on the floor???". Meanwhile - being caught nonplussed by his sudden appearance - I was too busy choking and sputtering on my watermelon juice and could not answer him even a word.

Anyway, the 3 of us waited for about half an hour for the next quiz. I suspect the deejay's playing hard-to-get. Haha! Finally, just as the 3 of us gave up waiting and were heading back to our Cell Group, the deejay posed the long-awaited question. Dequan was about to sprint back towards the deejay stand, until she added, "But it's opened only for those below 12-years-old." Duh!


We reached the table which our Cell Group was seated at the same time as Bingren did. He mentioned that Xiao Wei had, apparently, not heard the dedication; as she had appeared confused when he teased her about it earlier. Oh man, the disappointment! Anyway, Xiao Wei ended up getting wind of it as people were coming up to her left, right, and center to offer their congratulations. Heeheehee!


I left the Cell Group at 10.00pm in search of Poh Lin - who lives near my area - to head home together. I found her Cell Group in the queue for the Meteorite, and having extra carnival coupons, invited me to join them in the ride - an invitation which I, of course, agreed heartily.

The ride is really nice; feeling the strong gush of wind blowing hard across your body. I adore the wind. Sometimes, I really wish that the wind would lift me off my feet, and carry me the way they do leaves.

Anyway, Pei Hua, Poh Lin, and me made a pact to scream our head off during the ride; just for the fun of it. Well, it feels so good to scream and yell and yelp and shriek. I could not stop putting my vocal cords to use, and even when the ride was slowing to a stop, I kept screaming shrilly. Pei Hua burst out laughing appreciatively, and kept glancing at me as I shrieked my head off like a banshee.
I think she's falling in love with me. Keep looking at me. Tao yen!!! Heeheehee!

We left Expo at close to 11pm, and headed home. While waiting for the train to Tanah Merah, I suddenly felt a wave of nausea out of the blue. I wonder what's wrong; I have not eaten anything much for the entire day. What's there for me to vomit, anyway? And it can't be the rides, considering that it's been almost an hour.

I managed to keep the nausea in check; until the train arrived and reached Tanah Merah Interchange. While waiting for the train that's bounded towards Pasir Ris, I willed myself to hold it out until I've reached home.

Elisha came over and took a seat beside me. I forgot what he talked about, but I remember answering feebly and softly. He took a look at me, and inquired whether am I fine. I replied honestly, saying that it's nothing much; just that I feel like vomiting. He asked, "Huh? How come?", to which I joked weakly, "Pregnant is like that one lah." He chuckled, and I vomited right there and then.

Obviously, he was taken aback. That sweet guy leaped to his feet, and asked urgently, "Anyone has a plastic bag or something?!" Someone - I don't know who - produced a plastic bag from out of nowhere, while Poh Lin (I think it's her) handed me tissues. They thought of giving me something to eat, so as to fight the wave of nausea. But among them, they only had water and chocolate. Water, of course, will only make me puke more; while chocolate will probably cause me to either puke or choke to death.

The remaining Cell Group on the other side of the platform - who were waiting for the Boon Lay-bounded train - threw a pack of sweets over the platform. How cute. Someone caught the pack of sweets, poured out a couple on her hands, and offered them to me. I lifted up my left hand to take one, and for the first time, realized that I'm shaking slightly from head to toe. Even my hands are trembling lightly. The tremble is not very visible, but I know it's there.

The sweet's cherry-flavoured; and man, personally, I think it tastes painfully like medicine. *bleah* Not that I'm complaining or anything, I can't be anymore grateful to have at least something to suck on and counter the nausea. And I wonder who's the kind soul who "donated" the sweets.


Man, I really wonder what's wrong with me. This is the number-don't-know-what times I've vomited. The last time when I was on the verge of vomiting was before my examinations at NUS. That's not surprising, really; considering that it's the norm. In fact, if I don't feel nauseant before the commencement of an examination, I'll get worried sick. Haha.

Backtrack even further; the second last time when I had vomited is probably only a mere 2 months back. I had just finished my dinner at Expo, and within the hour, vomited out my entire dinner of Black Pepper Chicken Rice for no apparent reason.

I wonder what's wrong. Geez...

100 BUCKS IF YOU DO NOT CRACK EVEN A TINY WEENY SMILE






















Stumbled upon this picture while I was sifting through Yahoo! images. And man, how cool is this??!! This innovation, in my opinion, is creative at best; and downright horny at worst.

Note the peculiar angle of the head of the nuns. My gosh, how unnerving can it be - having someone looking on at your Di Di friend as you pee - and a nun at that??!!

I can just imagine. In my mind, I envision a toilet seat with a figurine of a man's face on top; and the gasping mouth forms the seat. Oh man, this is so freaking. I doubt I'll be able to conduct my, ahem, business.

THE BEAUTIFUL SIDE TO EACH PERSON


Going to catch a movie in town tomorrow, followed by a Penang buffet spread at the White Rose Cafe in York Hotel. This will be our last chance to meet up for weeks. George's flying off to Phuket for 3D2N this Wednesday, followed by Bangkok for another 3D2N, before coming back to Singapore. To add on, he'll be heading down to Bintan (more traveling??!!) a week later. And, to make things worse, he'll be leaving for his further studies in RMIT University in Australia somewhere in February.

Gosh, some people get to do all the traveling. *green*

I'm going to miss him dearly - a dear old friend since my Secondary school days. It's amazing that despite us not being in the same tertiary institute upon graduation from Secondary school, our friendship has not staled for the past 6 years.

Anyway, I find that the human nature can be so fascinating. Too often - just like organizing paperwork systematically - we have this innate habit to classify people a tad too readily. Flirt. Quiet. Slacking sloth. Nerd. Amorous Casanova. Motormouth. Goody-two-shoes. Jerk. Mummy's boy. Kiasu. Immature kid. Gentle, demure Missy. Foul-mouthed teenager. Know-it-all. Rude. Blabber. It's so very wrong; but we still do it nonetheless.

So, I find it simply wondrous and amazing when people exhibit behaviours or qualities that are totally unexpected of him/her.

Imagine a big-sized, foul-mouthed, and fearless teenager being totally loving and gentle to the parents.
Imagine a charismatic, confident, and poised man - coupled with a strong leadership role at work - being totally tender and soft to his wife.
Imagine a 7-years-old little girl guiding her Grandma by the hands and cross a busy road.
Imagine a strong-willed, career-minded woman being submissive and gentle to her spouse.
Imagine a wrinkled and wizened old couple taking each others' hands, and gazing into each others' eyes deeply and lovingly.

Beautiful. Simply breathtaking.


It's just like finding a wild mushroom sprouting out somewhere on a grass patch. Spotting a red rose in the middle of a sea of white ones. Leaves being carried by the wind, and the wind gently caressing your body.
So unexpectedly pretty. Such awe-commanding beauty.


Couple all these with their quirky interests that never fail to amuse everyone and raise a couple of eyebrows. Perhaps it's an obsessive superstition against the so-called "unlucky" number 13. Or it's the habit of blotting roti pratas with tissue papers before eating. Maybe it's the weird routine of going to the washroom at 12pm sharp. Or maybe it's the strange mandate of using a particular brand of pen and absolutely nothing else. Perhaps it's how they cringe when you call them by a nickname they do not like so much. Maybe it's the way they wriggle their eyebrows or roll their eyes. Or it's the way their laughter sounds. Or maybe it's their fascination with how planes manage to stay up in the air. Whatever.

Isn't it all absolutely beautiful, amazing, and fascinating? Each and every person is so uniquely different. And personally, I'll lit up whenever I observe even a small, tiny, weeny spark of unexpected beauty in people. It's just like finding a pearl in a gargantuan mass of sand. Or it's like spotting tingly, shimmering, and glittering stars in the night sky; blinking mischievously at you amidst the darkness.


And many a times - when I see some forlorn-looking people who feel lousy about themselves, or when I know of people who feel bad about whatever things they blame themselves for committing - I just feel like taking them by the shoulders and shake them real hard. I want to envelope them in a big bear hug, tousle their hair, and exclaim, "Can't you see how unique and special you are? You're so beautiful and mesmerizing!"

But of course, our society and culture do not permit me to do so. Either they'll back away a few feet alarmingly and cast me a weird, suspicious look; or they'll simply cart me off to the Institute of Mental Health.

LEAPING TERRORIST LIZARDS


I know that lizards don't leap (who in their right mind will insist they do?). But in my dream, they did.

In that disgusting, revolting dream of mine *shivers*, this particular lizard that's twice as disgusting and thrice as revolting is leaping from the left wall to the right wall, in a zig-zag manner. Left, right, left, right, left, right, zig, zag, zig, zag, zig, zag. With each approaching leap, I shrinked back in terror until I backed into a corner. Die! No where else to run, liao! So, I awaited my doomed fate in jaw-dropping, heart-thumping, legs-shaking, eyes-popping horror. Leaping Lizard took a last and final leap off the left wall, and flung itself gleefully in my direction. The last thing I remember before jolting out of my supposedly blissed sleep is the brown, scaly underside of Leaping Lizard looming towards my face.

I guess the lizard scare episode I had 3 days ago attributed to the leaping lizard dream this morning. On Thursday, I arrived at Xu Bin's place for Cell Group Meeting. Slipping out of my slipper, I stepped forward and reached for the doorknob with my right hand. To my shock and terror, nestled comfortably in the middle of the doorstep and only a few centimeters away from my pretty feet, is a disgusting LIZARD! Oh my gosh!!! The filth!!! I jumped a few metres into the air and hastily, scrambled to the top of the staircase; as far away from the filthy lizard as possible. This smart chick of a princess here (i.e. yours truly) then whipped out her mobile phone and called for SOS. Alvin Heng opened the door and, for a moment, casted me a what-on-earth-are-you-doing bewildered stare. I shrieked even more and yelled frantically, "Don't! Don't step down onto the doorstep!!!" Gosh, what if he frightens the damned lizard and send it scurrying towards my direction? The horror!!! I gestured for him to look down at the doorstep and, upon realizing the source of my ahem, distress, stooped down, picked up the brown, scaly filth, and flung it out of the corridor.
I don't feel sorry for the lizard at all. No kidding. Orbi-good ah!!!

I hate close shaves with lizards. I guess my biggest living nightmare, till today, is having to share a lift with an ADULT LIZARD. What the!!! What on earth is a lizard doing inside a lift anyway? How on earth did it even get there in the first place??!!

Another close, dreadful encounter I had was at Expo. Having just finished service, we adjourned down to the Food Court to fellowship. A few of us reached the eatery first and proceeded to find an empty table. After having managed to get a nice, long table, the next task was to find enough empty chairs.

"Si Lin, nah. I've found one." Kelvin Lim passed an empty chair over for me to arrange it around the table.
I reached out with both hands, and before I could grab its legs (luckily!!!), I caught something brown scurrying across the seat, and towards my direction.

I dodged sideway just in time, and the loathsome creature landed on the spot where I stood a mere moment ago.

Of course, the accompanying piercing and high-pitched yelp I let out earned me some attention. People in the vicinity turned around and looked, trying to locate the source of the commotion. I was thrown a dirty look from a woman sitting nearby, while a Brother seated at the table behind smiled to himself before ensuring me that he had seen the lizard escaping into the gutter.

How could Kelvin Lim throw a lizard at me???!!! So mean!!! *rages*
And, of course, I simply refused to sit anywhere near the chair which the lizard had occupied earlier.


Anyway, the reason why I overslept today must be due to the stupid Leaping Lizard. Was supposed to attend Sunday service as I could not go for yesterday's, but ended up being very late for it. I had 7 missed calls and 1 missed SMS on my mobile phone, mostly courtesy of Kelvin Lim. As a last resort, Xiao Wei called my home number.

"Si Lin? You just woke up ah?" She asked.
"Ya... Why? What time is it already?" I croaked groggily.
"It's 10am"
"Orh, okie." *yawns* "Then... What time is the service ah?" (pardon me. My brain was only beginning to start up.)
"10am loh."
"Orh... okie." *yawns somemore* "WHAT??? 10am, and now is already 10am??"
"Yes. Can you hurry wash up and make your way down?"

Oh man, she is so sweet and nice. I mean, if it's me, I'll berate the person upside-down, rage at him/her, and start my own preaching tirade about Time Management and Personal Responsibility.

Xiao Wei is such a nice person. Heeheehee!

Anyway, it's not entirely my fault that I overslept. Leaping Lizard shares half of the blame. Hummmph!

A SOLID-PROOF REASON FOR BLOGGING


"Dr. Roger Sperry received the Nobel Prize for his research that revealed that the brain is divided into two halves and each half is responsible for a variety of skills. The right brain, for example, provides spatial awareness of three-dimensional shapes, giving us the ability to see the "whole picture". Artists, musicians. and other creative people tend to be right-brain dominant. The left side is a lot more disciplined. It handles logic, language, math, analytical abilities, sequences, patterns, and details. Engineers, scientists, and other technical people think of themselves as left-brain dominant. Simply visualizing what you have done during the day is a great right-brain activity. You are imagining the people you have met, you are seeing an overview of the day, and you are recreating the experiences. Writing down what you see is a left-brain activity, as you form the words to analyze what you have seen, identify the structure of the day, and record some of the quantifiable knowledge that you have gathered. By writing down your experiences at the end of the day, you are exercising many of the same brain skills that are involved in creating and retrieving memories."
Excerpted from Memory Power: You Can Develop a Great Memory - America's Grand Master Shows You How by Scott Hagwood


Loaned this book from the community library while I was on my way to Poh Lin's house on Tuesday, and I thought that this passage is interesting. I mean, I've known all along that there are two halves in the human brain, and one half is more of "logic", while the other emphasizes more on "creativity". But yet, I never knew that writing a journal is actually a good activity to exercise both sides of your brain.

Ought to blog more.
=)

GOING TO BE A NUN - SOON











I don't know what's wrong, but I think nostalgia's going to fully devour me someday soon. Maybe I've got too much free time on my hands and thus, had sift through the entire contact in my Friendster's list. Seeing the names of my primary school, secondary school, and polytechnic school friends popping out left me falling hook, line, and sinker into the abyss of nostalgia.

Anyway, it's to my greatest surprise to find out that one of my secondary school classmate, currently aged 21, is already happily married. She's a year older than I am, and we got acquainted when she was retained in Secondary 3; and somehow, ended up in my Secondary 3 class. We've never got beyond "Hi" (come to think of it, I don't think we've even said "Hi" to each other before), and the word "superficial" to describe our friendship, or rather, the lack thereof, is an overstatement. She's a nice and pretty girl, but in a neighbourhood school that's peppered with... well... belligerent youngsters, I doubt we even have a common friend (classmates excluding) due to our very different clique of friends.

So - being the usual, typical woman hailing from Venus - I sifted through her testimonials and discovered that she's been married since 2004. Now, I've absolutely nothing against marrying young. If you ask me, I would very much prefer marrying young to marrying late. In fact, I hope to get hitched before my 25th birthday, you know? Can you imagine having a 10-years-old son in your twilight years? I hope not.

Come 2007, I'll be 21. Only a mere 4 years away from the deadline. Man, I ought to step on the accelerator hard. Real hard.

It's strange how people around me are getting hitched left, right, and center. And it doesn't help that each time I'm chatting with a friend on MSN, the inevitable question - to which I'll always reply that I'm (still) single - will pop up. As predictable as the weather, the comeback sentence would be something like, "Why?", "Sure not?", "You too demanding, is it?", "Don't bluff, lah", "I intro to you, lah" and etc.

And the universal phenomenon - more often than not - kicks into full, overgear mode during family gatherings - birthdays, weddings, death anniversary, Chinese New Year. After getting the basic courtesy over and done with (read: What am I doing, am I studying, and if so, studying where and which course. Yawn!), the dreadful question will rear its ugly head. And my parents are not making it any better. My Dad loves to budger me to bring my Significant Other home to let him evaluate; see can pass or not. And he enjoys teasing me, saying that he demands at least S$1million for the bride price. Please lar... He thinks his daughter is Britney Spears, meh? Anyway, sometimes I'll make a cheeky comeback of my own; saying that he can forget about both the bride price and "boyfriend evaluation", as plans to elope is already underway. Sometimes, before I leave home, he'll inquire what time I'll be back tonight; to which I'll simply quip, "Not coming back, liao. Don't bother to wait up for me. Eloping, you know?"


And no, in case you're wondering, I'm NOT homosexual. I'm VERY much straight, that I know very well, thank you. In fact, I make a promise to myself at St. Valentine Day every year that this will be the last and final V. Day that I'll be spending alone. I've made the promise for 4 years in successive running and sickeningly, it has not come to pass even once. Now, I believe making that kind of promise is a form of curse by itself, and will not be making it again this year round.

But well, it's not such a bad thing being single, you know?
At least I have all the time to myself and am able to do what I want anytime I feel like doing.
At least I don't have the additional distraction and thus, have the luxury to fully concentrate 101% into my studies.
At least I don't need to bear with the hassle of putting the Significant Other's feelings into consideration.
At least I don't need to spend money on movies, dinners and celebrations.
At least I have the freedom to go where I like to go, do what I like to do, cut my hair in whichever style I like it, dress in whatever way I like.
At least I don't need to invest my time in a boy-girl relationship.
At least I can still enjoy the feeling of being wooed.
At least I can still crap as much as I like and laugh as hysterically as I want.
At least I don't need to sit on the couch and watch football (a.k.a the most boring sport in the world) with anyone.
At least I don't have to bear with any heartaches should any conflicts arise.

Whee whee!!! See! The advantages of being single!!!



Yeah, right. Who am I kidding?

BABIES...


I honestly think that babies are oh-so-awfully cute; especially if they're mine to begin with.

Went to Poh Lin's house yesterday and as usual, had an enjoyable time with her. I think we'll fall head over heels in love with each other pretty soon. Lol! Anyway, Jing Che - her little toddler brother - totally charmed me off my feet. It's pretty hard to believe that it's been 8months since I've last seen him when the last time I was there to print my Major Project stuff. And now, 8months on, the lively and adorable boy is so much more stable on both his feet, and keeps running around bubbily.

I remember reading a newspaper article written by a columnist some years back who mentioned that a baby's brain is not unlike a bank. You'll get back what you've put inside years later - plus interest.

But you know what? I think that the human mind - especially and particularly a young child's - is just like a sponge. Good or bad, right or wrong, saintly or evil, the young mind just absorbs everything readily; irregardless of whether is it beneficial at all in the first place.

Children is such a wonderful and amazing blessing that's to be treasured dearly. And yes, I'm going to have at least 3 dozen someday. 2 dozen of them will form 2 separate teams, and have friendly matches with each other. The remaining dozen will form the U-21 talent. My Significant Other and me can take turns being the referee.

Yeah, right! Your head!!! 3 dozen... I'm not a sow.

Anyway, Jing Che's getting so thin. He has shrinked remarkedly and looks less chubbier. I suspect that Poh Lin's getting a little sicko and is starving him or something. Heeheehee! Kidding!

Enough of gushing about babies and my maternal instinct. Apart from those coo-ey cutesy pudgy chubby weeny little babies, I have yet another soft spot - watches. I have no idea why, but pawing the window panel and drooling at the glittering watches on display seems to be my favourite pastime.

I realized that at times, I can be such a procrastinator. My watch has been spoilt for ages, and till now, I've yet to get a new one even though I keep reminding myself so. I only realized how long I've put off purchasing a new watch when I had my examinations recently. Students need a watch to remind them of the ticking time bomb; especially so during examinations, you know.

And I'm such a fussy person when it comes to purchasing my own stuff. Either it's that the style does not appeal to my liking, or during the rare times when I chanced upon one which I really like, the price does not agree with my budget. For watches, I only wear those with silver chains secured with a metal clasp. It should, preferrably, have a long rectangular face. The reason behind my strange liking for rectangular-faced watches is that I've always figured that my face is already round enough; I don't need a round-faced watch to further accentuate it.
Yes, weird thinking, I know.

I'm just a weird princess, I guess. Lol.


It's the time of the year again. Just like for the past couple of years, I don't feel even a twinge of the Christmas-y festive "feeling". But yet, someday, I wish to have a white Christmas for at least once in my life. I yearn to experience the feeling of snowflakes caressing my face and cheeks, and I want to make snowballs and hurl it at somebody just for the fun of it. Anybody.

Whee whee!!!