Colours

Was really happy with what I found in the mail. APC's Spring 08 catalogue is so sunny and bursting with joy that it makes me happy to feel its yellow fabric cover! I think I'm turning into those people who order catalogues for the thrill of receiving a thick package/envelope in the mail addressed to them, hungry for a mail-order surprise besides the routine, depressing stacks of bills.

And term reports for my class were given out today! Two of the subjects included in the report reflected the wrong marks, which was exponentially annoying, given my already-fragile state after the whole A maths rout. Anyway, the only subject that didn't reflect progression was physics. I guess since my parents take it for-granted that their son will always do well in English-related subjects, they'll probably zero-in on Chinese and Physics. Oh, joy.

Anyway, I had a laugh when I saw what was sitting on the kitchen table today. A box of those Chocodate things that Shiyun tried to get everyone to eat during the debate training held during around CNY! (It was rather unpopular since dates aren't exactly my generation's favourite snack.) Someone went to Dubai and gave a box to us, and now I'm stuck with the curse of the Unpopular Chocolate. My parents love it, though. Maybe dates are a 70s thing, I don't know.

Regarding foetuses and A Maths

Nearly broke down in frustration during A Maths today because I couldn't get the questions in Ex 15B and 15C right and everyone just kept talking when I was trying to listen to mr lee's explanations, and after learning that I failed the previous A Maths test. And the scene when Juno got out of her car when she reached home and plucked a flower and stroked it over her belly and says "I never realize how much I like being home unless I’ve been somewhere really different for a while" and when the music started playing was on 'repeat' in my head. So yeah, urgh.

What I did on e-learning day that you probably won't be interested in:

1) Woke up when the sun was already up; pleasantly surprised.

2) Did everything except part c of the history assignment (that I had just completed 5 minutes ago).

3) While drowning in ennui, decided to get out of the house.

4) Heard grandmother coughing badly. Recalls: Ben & Jerry's-addicted family members insisting on eating heaps of Chunky Monkey despite suffering from bouts of bad coughs.

5) Had a Juno-opening-credits-moment as I walked to the MRT station, because I was listening to Juno's opening credits song.

6) Stood around in the esplanade library, hand hovering over a Bergman film vs. Bridget Jones. Chose Bridget Jones.

7) Ate sea salt & caramel ice-cream. Was only good for the first few spoonfuls.

8) Bought the Juno soundtrack at HMV.

9) Checked out Breadtalk's new look. Wonders whether a Breadtalk outlet will open in Xinmin some day. Bought fire floss and chocolate fondant thingy for afternoon tea.

10) Back home, watches Bridget Jones' Diary, completes history assignment. Wants to stay home for e-learning day everyday!

pretty stoked.

Juno wins 'Best Screenplay'!



And 'Falling Slowly' by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova wins Best Song! I first heard it last year, but it was one of those songs that I keep on 'replay' but end up forgetting the title and artist. Because I guess I'm more captivated by the song than anything, and I couldn't possibly remember their names.


I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

sunday afternoon along the river.

I wish I could add 'Seine' before I ended my title with a full-stop, but my fantasies of the ubiquitous romance and euro-centric charm associated with Parisian waterways still remain unfulfilled. In these few years, I will probably not be enchanted by eccentric grocers who run those quaint shops with red-and-white striped awnings, nor will I be enthralled by the bursts of fluorescence by the Eiffel Tower against the backdrop of the evening.

But despite my bitterness in the stolid face of reality, I am actually rather happy, since it has only just dawned on me that I am only 40 minutes away from the semi-famous Singapore River and its bourgeois dining scene. As I bit into a chocolate chip-studded scone (even though my dad insisted that real scones don't have those things in them) at Paisley and Cream at Central, I was suddenly overcome by epicurean urges to try everything on the menu, partly brought about by the clotted cream and raspberry jam that had a tangy sweetness that somehow managed to complement the rather crusty scone I was eating, and partly because they were playing Glenn Miller on the sound system and there was a framed photo of Maria Callas gazing past my shoulder.


We ordered Earl Grey tea, which wasn't half bad, and Iced Chai, which was rather disappointing for me, because I couldn't quite tell that there were actually spices in this milky concoction. The panna cotta was superb, but my joy only lasted for a short while before guilt crept in. I think my favorite item was the chocolate and vanilla cupcake.


Need I explain further?

B-Movies

I'm supposed to be promoting the Natural Resources Conservation Service for English homework right now... on an online forum... for the module on Speech.

Ever given thought to the limitations of our water and soil supply?
Sorry, that was a really lame opening. I sound like a new Social Studies teacher trying to spread his enthusiasm to random sectors of the classroom, but failing miserably, and embarrassingly so.

Also have already promoted the WWF. And as I type this, my mum casually mentions how she had turtle soup for lunch today. My dad was like, oh, was it filling? (but more in a rather nonchalant way as he skimmed through the Singtel bills at the same time.) And I was like, ZOMG, LIKE OKAY, TURTLE SOUP IS SO SRSLY GROSS.

Which is oddly funny, because I remember scooping Ben & Jerry's Turtle Soup for my family after dinner, and wondering who would have thought of such a strange and disconcerting dish.

I wonder how turtle soup tastes like. Like Ba Kut Teh, only with tough, chewy meat and bits of green shell at the bottom of the bowl? I would imagine the broth to be slightly nutty, and quite peppery, with a slightly bitter herbal aftertaste. I can envision the soggy bits of fried shallots floating on the top of the soup, adhering themselves to the soup spoon with each slurp. And then, in the centre of the bowl, a single lump of mud-coloured flesh suspended in the opaque grey liquid.

And, if you peer closer, you may even be able to make out the slits where their tiny nails used to be.

I hate being a senior

Am having one of those 'looking-back-at-archives-and-sighing-as-I-reminisce' moments.

Is it really 4 years ago that I stepped into choir room for the first time, and listened to 2005's SYF team sing Shima E and Daemon, and get totally blown away by how cool they sounded? Did 3 years really pass since Shao Jie and I decided to call Andrea our hybrid? And why is it that it felt like only last week that I sat on those round tables in the canteen with Elizabeth and Hazel and Christine and sometimes Nicholas in the morning while I flipped through that green A maths textbook? And found A maths so seemingly interesting and fun? And seriously, am I the only one who misses the piano area and the tiger there and the out-of-tune piano with no ledge for scores, talking about The Bus Stop Of Great Disgust, taking neoprints and drawing stickmen in random sketchbooks?

When you're sec 4, your favourite seniors are all gone and the only help you can get are your teachers and peers. Not to say that it's bad getting help from them, but it feels as if one giant part of your secondary school life decided to merge with the ubiquitous tales of the 60th anniversary celebrations and stories of being bought with 5 pigs into the giant pit of oblivion that is the history of the school.

Like, I wish I could wake up and realize that I'm in lower secondary, when scoring full marks for 60% of class tests is a reality, when it's cool to care about one's L1R5 at such a relatively early age, and when everyone sleeps by 10.45 PM. I look at my sister's school life now and I can't help but, with some sadness, see the ghost of what I used to enjoy.

Not that I'm going to be all sulky and emo. I'm just, you know, remembering seemingly better days.

Post-Juno Reality Jolts

I really enjoyed watching Juno. Anyone wants to go watch it again? Like after school or something. We'll probably ride fire engine-red bicycles with our guitars slung on our backs after that. Then we'll sit by the driveway and munch doughnuts as we watch the leaves fall. If we're really lucky, it might snow, and that would make for some pretty interesting conversations when we grow old and end up sitting on tacky rocking chairs decked out under the shade of the porch watching the sun set with its rays forming shadows of our former youthful incandescence behind us.

But no; I live in Singapore; ergo my assumed motto brushes away the celebration of liberty and freedom as folly, and the little doughnut mediocrities that I eat aren't worth the hour-long wait. And not many people, perhaps with the exception of female 30-something yuppie-types, know about macaroons. And I can't believe the complaints choir was banned from performing in public, although I have to admit that listening to a persistent Greek chorus-like performance can sometimes be more annoying than, I don't know, an itch you can't scratch.
(Related: Article in McSweeney's)

(Pleasant and rather life-altering surprise:
Oh hey I can connect my phone to my mac and actually charge it at the same time! Cooool.)

Happy SAD!

Here's my inaugural Singles' Awareness Day post. (I received these candy hearts from Sherina! Can't seem to find them anywhere here. The white ones have a really cool root beery flavour.)

Anyway, I designed some cards for friends as usual. Not exactly to commiserate in our perceived loneliness, but to celebrate the liberty of being single! (And also to get my mind off the soreness of not being able to sell roses for choir this year. But the little vials of water that were attached to npcc's roses were really convenient! As in, they didn't disintegrate like aluminum foil and damp cotton wool.)

Scenes from Friday, the 15th of January

Angeline demonstrates the other use for her new nike water bottle.


Coolest Team In The World takes a group photo.


Atmosphere of joy prevails.

Sleep. Now.

I've just finished that hated ethics essay. I'm ready to gouge my eyes out now.
Andrea: omgwthbbq -_- shuhhhduhhrrrrp.
Lucas: I believe so! Let's watch The Shining!
Shiyun: Arghh yes. :(
Angeline: Yay thanks! (why are my comments suddenly marked as spam) :'(
Limin, Jun Hei: happy new year!
Bell: Haha. Yes!

Happy Birthday Lucas!!!

Lucas turns 21 today! Which I think is somewhat weird because I always think he's at least 25 but then sometimes I think he's 18. So I guess it evens out! I think he's the best coach ever, but he's probably uncomfortable with people attaching superlatives like that to him in public. (:P)


We had a great time in the canteen eating pizza. I really love it when the school's deserted and quiet. I feel a greater sense of order without having people buzzing past in all directions.

And this has got me wondering what I'll be doing during my 21st birthday. In an ideal world I would be having a quiet gathering with my friends by the beach. Maybe we'll watch the sunset together, and then we'll catch an indie flick after that. But of course, I speculate. Plus, there's still 5 years left for me to go including taking my o levels, taking my a levels, entering army, and filling in uni application forms.

Wordpress doesn't love me enough to allow my comments to be posted in people's blogs. (mildly frustrated)

:)

I am totally in love with Juno. I couldn't wait for it to be released in Singapore so I watched it by, er, non-conventional methods. I'm so going to watch it again! It's NC16. That leaves out a lot of people I love watching movies with :(

Oh yeah, happy new year everyone! I love being Chinese and living in Singapore. I get to celebrate the New Year twice! Since 1st Jan is usually a very sudden thing that tends to surprise people after Christmas, CNY's more like, to sink in the feeling that we're in 2008 and a month has just passed so O level students can start freaking out all over again.

:(

I feel like a chemo patient. I keep getting that nauseating bloaty feeling, I get thirsty every 5 minutes, I drink water, I exacerbate that nauseating bloaty feeling, and I get depressed because I have approximately one hour to recover in time for reunion dinner. The vicious cycle goes on. I have never looked at bakua with such disdain, nor have I turned down pineapple tarts before. So someone euthanize me now already.

Sick

Woebegone, have I been afflicted with the much-dreaded Chikungunya virus? I have vomited, ran a fever, and am still suffering an oh-so-annoying-almost-crippling backache, but I don't see any mysterious welts or painful red spots on my skin (well, other than that annoying zit that has formed after being in bed for close to a day).

Or am I just down with gastric flu, which is probably just as bad, if not worse with the persistent feeling of being a tad bloated and spewing every couple of hours.

Either way, it's not driving me to the point where I start to view euthanasia as a viable way out of my pain (or rather, irritation after having to forego the Japan booth Travel Fair in school that I was supposed to be helping to coordinate, and missing out on today's a maths lesson, and not knowing the results of my chinese and bio tests, and being nagged like every minute by overly-doting grandmother to drink water and lots of barley and never take a bath because I'll catch a cold which caused her to snort when I took a shower, sick of smelling like a dishrag, and had a relapse).

:(

Atonement is M18 :(

Hm. Bio test was so-so. Found the 3rd question about level of insulin in bloodstream vs. glucose level in the diabetic dog rather vague. Did not have enough time to do the last 2 essay questions properly!! (but so did most people in class) v. annoyed. Will be happy to score a B3, but hey it's the learning experience that counts at this stage, right. (I bet shiyun's going like 'I found it okay what', lol.)

Got mildly irritated with my learning during classes today. I can't see 1/10th of the whiteboard! It's not really a big deal but I keep getting distracted by the imperfect view from my seat. My seat-mate really likes asking questions! He's really friendly and I enjoy sitting next to him, but sometimes I don't want to complicate my understanding of different concepts with too many tangential questions. (I also miss speaking in English without having to resort to over-simplifying my opinions for the sake of being understood.)

Choir practice today was alright, although I was quite disappointed with some of the members for being so darn full of opinions. I can't stand how some of the seniors hiss at them to keep quiet but their goodwill falls on deaf ears that never listen. And this was after I tried to keep my cool while waiting for them to gather when choir practice started. Look, I said, despite me giving the Gather command, there are people still (freaking) strolling to take their places. So there was silence when I said that, and I realized that I hate sounding like previous seniors (not in choir) who stand and give long debriefs steeped in pessimism that cause everyone to turn melancholic. But that aside, I'm really glad to see so much energy being exuded from the vast majority! Especially during choreography today.

My sister has discovered how wonderful it is to not be in SOTA. She stumbled across some of their friendster profiles, which were peppered with 'I LURVVE MY SOTA JIIES AND MUIIS'-type of statements that although speaks volumes about the mutual bonds that they have enjoyed, also point towards juvenile tendencies that is unexpected and surprising, coming from an institution that chooses to focus on the fine arts, and at the same time putting their students on the much-celebrated and challenging IB track.

Anyway, I have flag-day tomorrow, and I'll lie in wait with my classmates to pounce on unsuspecting members of the public who look like they have lots of change to spare. I've been told to look out for (i) dating couples, because the guy's likely to donate as a symbol of his love for charity and generosity in front of his beloved, and (ii) primary school kiddies because there are stickers to tempt them. Oh, and not forgetting parents of young children who will be pestered into donating just for the sticker. I mean, that's what I did when I was young. Ha-ha.