Holidays (26/01/10)

During the December holidays, my family went to Malaysia for a holiday.  We went to Austin Hills Resort. On the way there, we met my brother's godparents for lunch.  We had roast duck rice and some side dishes.  After lunch, they brought us to a shop called the 'Chendol Factory' that sells a variety of icy desert. The shop was located not far from the resort.  Many different eateries can be found in those rows of shophouses.  After a satisfying meal and desert, we were all ready to head for the resort.  My brother and I were fascinated by the huge room, high ceiling, full-glass windows.  We also had a beautiful golf course view.














Even the toilet rocks!

We went swimming, had a short rest in the room before going out for dinner.  We went to an authentic korean restaurant along the shophouses.  We ordered quite a lot and finished every bit of it.  The food

was really yummy but it also cost quite a bit.  But we still felt that it was worth it because not only was the food good, it was quite a long while since we sat down and enjoyed an unhurried time, chatting and laughing over dinner.  We went to a big shopping centre nearby to buy my toothbrush (I forgot to packed it in my bag), some titbits and ice-cream.  Guess what?  We had  ice cream for supper.  The next day, I had ice- cream for breakfast. As we were on a holiday vacation, my parents "let loose" a little.  We went shopping the whole day, bought some clothes, toys, etc. 

For lunch, we went to a western restaurant that serves food on hot stones.

On the last day, we woke up very early for breakfast, and we checked out from the hotel by 11 a.m. so that we could catch a movie before heading home.  We went to the same shopping center where the cinema was also located and watched AVATAR.  The movie was quite long but we enjoyed it.  We got home late because of a jam at the causeway. I really enjoyed our time as a family together.  I'm looking forward to our next family holiday again!

(A special moment you spent with your family)

Books (25/01/10)

I really like to read, be it, books, magazines, or newspapers.  Many times, I prefer to read even though I have to do my homework unfortunately.  I dveloped my interest in reading when I was in Primary 4 in Australia.  I had nothing to do after school because there was literally no homework.  So, my parents would bring my brother and I to the nearest library.  There, we were allowed to borrow as many books as we wanted.  I was the one in my family who borrowed the most books.  There were several occasions where we borrowed more than 20 books at one goal.  The librarian there was so amazed at the number of books that we borrowed.  Interesting, there was once we misplaced a book and had to pay for a fine.  As we had a good borrowing record, the fine was waived.

At home, I'd just sit on the chair and read till my neck hurt or when my parents asked me to go to bed. The best time to read books was when it was winter.  It was just too cold outside and most of the kids would stay indoor.  I'd just snuck myself up on the sofa in the warm living room, just reading away.

Reading helps me to relax especially when I'm very stressed.  It widens my knowledge of things around me. However, most of the time, I read for the story - how the plot develops.  Occasionally, I'll pick up some new words.  I have to hand up an English reading programme assignment by next week.  So, I decided to use the book, Ender's Game, for the assignment.  I chose the book because of all the characters in other books, this one is most likely to manage a blog secretly.  It  is also because I can identify with the character, especially his anger.  It has been fun doing his posts, but it's getting a little too long and I'm still not finished with it yet.

(A moment spent alone doing something you enjoyed.)

Friends (17/1/10)

Hey guys!  Since Friday, I've been feeling pretty down and all.  You see, most of you guys know that I came back from Australia after being there for 2 years.  I cam back just before Primary 6.  On one Friday night, I was packing for my Boys Brigard parade the next day.  I opened my closet and saw something that caught my attention.  A file!  My mum has recently put it there while doing some spring cleaning.  Curious, I took it out and read what was inside.  They were farewell cards from my friends in Australia, bidding me goodbye and wishing me the best for my  future back in Singapore.  Floods of memory of Australia came rushing to my mind.  I could still recall - life there was really fun, sometimes tough but certainly very memorable.

The fun was playing outside in the sun during summer with my friends, riding bikes on campus ground in winter, playing games like crazy and going for birthday parties. Playing in the mud, climbing trees and falling down was equally fun too!

I must say that there's so much to write about because there's just so much that I cherished there.  I was the only and FIRST Asian in my school, besides my brother.  The kids there were all very friendly to me except for a few racists who called me nicknames like "chopsticks" and "ching cheng chong".  I was initially quite annoyed but gradually got numb to it and then started playing along with them.  Now, I'm just so amused by it.  Some kids took on my small size and started to tease and bully me. We'd quarrel with my friends over the smallest thing but would  "patch up" in the end.  Hey!  I was only 10 then, so of course I was immature and otentimes got into quarrels that were uncalled for.

My friends ranged from a 4-year old neighbour who made cute excuses just to come to my house, to friends who shared the same interests as me, and to those who were MANY time older than me, whom I regarded as my godparents.  I met people with different types of personalities.  Most of the kids at my age there were already very mature.  They interacted with those of different gender very easily, unlike us here, who find it odd or uneasy mixing with those of opposite gender until we are say about 14?  If you make friends with them, they can become your best friends quite easily.  However,  if you hate them or dislike them, you can make enemies with them easily.

I have many friends there whom I still remember.  The main reason why I said in the beginning that I'm feeling sad is I really miss them a lot.  They are people whom I'll never ever forget!  One of the cards that touched me the most was from the friends in church.   They all wrote in one big card their wishes for me.  There was this particular boy named Tim.  At first, I thought he was a little mental, but what he wrote really moved me.  I miss all my friends in Australia heaps (that's the word they use in Australia for 'a lot').
(A problem you encountered and how you solved or managed it.)

Long but Not-so-tiring

Yesterday, I went home straight away after school.  I did my Home Econs homework on my bed - sewing, sewing ... sewing ... then sleepy ... sleepy ... sleeping!  You see, I don't usually take naps in the afternoon no matter how tired I may be.  But that day, I just felt like lying down, then poof! I'm dreaming!  It seemed like in a second I was there, then when I got back to reality, it seemed like I was in a dream.  In a split moment, I was awaken, but hours have already passed.  It can be weird sometimes, I blink an eye and it's already a brand new day. 

Well, back to what I was saying, huh, I got side-tracked very easily.  I had all my needles and cloth beside me on the bed.  They were right in front of me when I woke up and I almost rolled over them.  Did all my homework by the end of the day.  Couldn't fall asleep that night because I slept too much that afternoon.  I turned and tossed umpteen times and I didn't sleep till 12 midnight!

Naturally, in the morning I was super tired.  Dragging myself out of bed was really hard.  I went to school and nothing much happened today.  So, not much to write about?  Oh, one more thing!  During History lesson, my teacher showed us a competition that has something to do with National Education.  Looked really fun, so I decided to enter.  I will upload the link for the website later.

Oh, dinner is ready ...

Here's the link. http://www.negc.sg/

(Something unusual that happened that day)

BoysBrigade Day (12/1/10)

I woke up very early today, and left house by 6 a.m. so as to get to school on time.

You see, today is BB day.  Yesterday, the BB boys needed to stay back for practice, did the same drill over and over again.  We were supposed to end at 3.30 p.m. but as we weren't in sync, it dragged all the way to 4.30 p.m.

So back to what I was saying, I reached school just on time and had a short briefing for the day.  We assembled in the hall at 6.50 a.m.  We stood, and we stood ... and we stood ... and schoolmates whom I know started walking pass me, smiling or should I say laughing.  This didn't make it easier for me to keep a straight mouth and my eyes focused.  So when assembly began, my chairman gave instructions to the school on the commands, but the equalizer of the mic was unstable, so his voice sounded weird.  Then, to make matters worse, the National Anthem was played really softly.  So our principal requested that the AV boys replay.  So the drill was a silent drill - no stomping.  Some of the boys, even those in front, made some very noticeable mistakes. You see, after the pledge, we weren't allowed to put our fists down until CSM said so, but some in front did it accidentally.  Marching off, we weren't suppose to stomp, but some still did. and by the way, we weren't suppose to go backstage, but, we did. When it was all over, this sec1 boy went up to me and asked where he was supposed to meet if he wanted to join BB, but I wasn't in the hall listening, so I just told him that I didn't know.  Guess what he said??  "First impression of BB sucks!"  I was pissed but I didn't let that ruin my whole day as I reasoned "Why should it?"

The whole day was spent in my full uniform - so hot and sweaty in my boots.  Fortunately, the day was quite cooling, so I didn't stink that badly.  Good riddance ... After school, I had to help carry most of the English files back to my classroom - quite heavy.  Thankfully, Gordan and Dominique helped.  We paid $183.60 for 36 English files!  I went back home feeling tired.  I immediately had a good bath - to get rid of the sticky feeling and smell. 
(Something that took place in school)