go with the flow.

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Random Musings

Yeah, I know its coming close to 4am already, and its like a Saturday night and I'd be better off in bed at this freaking hour.

But my fingers are itching! They're urging me on to blog!

Like whatever, Andre!

So I've been down swimming for 2 consecutive days, and I know this won't happen again tomorrow. I won't be tempted to go downstairs for a swim anymore! But I think something's really gotten into me? It's like I've done 10 laps yesterday, and today too, and my limbs are all so tired. And, I'll still have to go running on Tuesday.

So much for an exercise regime, man.

I've been Blog Hopping! And I must say, I'm getting quite a hang on it now. Its really interesting to be kaypoh 'bout other people, read their random rants and shit and all. Its so nice just to watch humans go about their lives, just like how I'm living life right now.

And I've just added a Blog counter at the bottom here, just so that I can be aware of how many kaypohs there are round here. Fun, fun.

I've just adopted a new love in my life, and that's coffee. That's like after Dad taught me how to actually make coffee. Yeah, sua gu me didn't know how to and I've just gotten to realise how really simple it actually was, and still is. So I've been ransacking super-neatly-arranged cabinets in our little kitchen, and all sorts of interesting stuff's in them, like coffee from all over the world and just about any kind of tea available.

Coffee's making me so awake now, thats why I'm blogging lah. I'm starting to suspect coffee's making friends with my Blog. They're conspiring against me. They are, I can sense that.
Oh! Haha pardon me for all that. It's getting late, or early, however you may see it.

I'm starting to feel that my entries are all so random, and like, substance-less. Its all because my life's just been reduced to books and books only. I haven't exactly totally accustomed to Nerd Mode yet, but I'm sure I will really soon. Heh! I even have the glasses to match that Nerd Mode thingy.

Shucks lah. I so wanna go out. To Far East, and get all the damn nice tees that I saw. They're all waiting for me to purchase them and put them on. And I just realised today that my new Quiksilver wallet's print can be scratched out. I was like, wtf?!

And I was like, "Oh? It only gives me more reason to get another one sooner!" to Mel, right after she commented that the wallet's damn nice.

Tomorrow, I'd be off to Mum's office to study. Cos the home environment's too distracting, what with this bloody com of mine, and the other 69042 books lying around my place, waiting for me to read them. Magazines, comics, novels, blogs. Ah!!! Too many things I wanna read, but not enough time!

Anyway, I hope I can be disciplined enough to finish off my revision that I've planned for tomorrow, since i have like nothing on at all. Hur, how ironic. Nothing on but so much to revise for. Whats the bloody difference?

Well, exam's like in under a week's time. I am so looking forward to post-exam period. Where I'd finally have time to sit down and complete all my Ten Year Series', really and sincerely become a Nerd, read up all the materials that I've been wanting to, attend my last few camps in Dunman, go shopping with my absolutely-loaded-now Mum to get my must-haves, watch all the movies I've accumulated, call up old friends for a cuppa sometime soon, devote more time for my neglected little Canon cam, work hard with that pathetic exercise regime, pamper myself in more ways, and finally, eat up the boxes of Mentos Chewing Gum Ice Orange Mint Dragees sitting on my table!

Yes, Mentos HAS Chewing Gum indeed. Mum got them for me from Thailand. Speaking 'bout Thailand... ...

Thursday, April 27, 2006

So Unlike Andre

I still haven't really gotten over the fact that I went for a run yesterday at the gym downstairs. Didn't know what made me really wanna do that... Its really rare and seldom that such a lazy bum here would actually decide to join Dad at the treadmills.

Well, I did quite okay I guess, and I'm planning to gradually increase my running distances every 2 days. (Ambitious I know!) Manasi was at the gym, and I went over to chat with her. But she was really funny, she couldn't talk at all when she was running, and from the dashboard of the treadmill I could see that she had been running for 30 over minutes. No wonder she cannot talk lah.

And then she was done and I took over the treadmill from there. Felt much better after running and sweating it out... And went home and surprisingly again, the first thing I did was to sit down and do my Maths assignment.

A bit weird of Andre I know.. Maybe something's gotten into me?

Haha! Alright, just a random little rant 'bout yesterday then... I'll have to get started on my English essay tonight.. And I don't think I'd be sleeping at all lah.. Because I've just taken a 3 hour long nap!

So unlike me!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Beauty Sleep and Buttcheeks

Sleeping at 3:15am on Tuesday morning was not easy for me! Especially since the very morning was a school day!

But I seriously don't know how i managed to keep awake. Maybe it was the teh si Dad made for us. Maybe?

Why did I sleep so late, you ask?

I was on the phone lah, nursing somebody's broken heart. And in the midst of it all, dirty little secrets were shared. Well, I got to realise many things. So many many things. So many that I can't put it in words. Just a telephone call that lasted 2 hours, and I realised so much about life, life and its countless complexities and struggles...

Hah. But it has also made me worry for my future. It dawned on me that it could very well possibly happen to me one day... I'm not braced for these kinda things!

I also finally mustered enough courage to share my very own dirty little secret with the heartbroken soul on the other end of the phone. Our sentiments were shared that morning, and I felt much better. Waaaay better than before.

Glad that that phone call happened. Glad that I managed to make someone feel better. Glad that I was there!

So it pretty much sums up that night, or rather, morning that I spent not sleeping much. But I was so surprised when I managed to survive school the next day! I wasn't that whiny ass that kept complaining 'bout my fatigue and how I didn't get to sleep much at all the night before.

In fact, I was full of energy, brimming with smiles, and looking forward to a brand new day!

I guess it was really the enlightenment that gave me a whole new outlook, a new rejuvenation that I got.

Anyway, Tuesdays are always the BEST days in the week. Subjects and lessons are light and easy, and they're all my favourite ones! We had PE, which was spent whacking a poor little floorball everywhere. It whizzed across the charcoal tar ground at the parade ground, scaled a few rears of some teachers' cars, and ended up drenched in some long kang zui (loosely translated as drain water).

And then, it got whacked some more. Until it got stepped on by Hafeez, and ended up flattened and deemed un-usable anymore. So we found a replacement, and continued whacking!

We were having so so so so much fun. And my team was like winning 6-2 or something. More people joined and I must say the number of people, and the people themselves, made the game such a blast with the element of enjoyment every single moment.

The rest of the lessons were pretty blah, but I didn't complain anyways, because there are worst days in the week after all.

School ended at 2:05 as usual, and Karen and I left school immediately. We went to Lavendar to collect my Replacement IC, then Bugis with Fauzi to shop for presents, but we didn't manage to get what we wanted, because it was out of stock. We were utterly disappointed, and then we ploughed through Bugis Street in search of a nice tee for Raihanah, but to no avail again.

It was getting sickening, what with the disappointing disavailability of nice tees. Then for a cheap thrill, we went to take Neoprints, with Fauzi. Nah, it was more for a momento lah, cause Karen and I didn't bring our cams that day. I think the pictures turned out better than I'd expected, but it was totally retarded!

And then after that Karen and I, after much talk and cock, decided to go down to Far East to search for Raihanah's Birthday present. We had to get it as it was her Birthday the very next day! So we took bus 7 down, which was quick enough, but we had to walk down past Wheelock. Then I brought Karen to Pacific Plaza because we walked past and she said she hadn't been there before. We went to every surf shop there, and managed to get a very nice Roxy tee for Raihanah, at a good price too!

Yeah and so we snapped it up and heaved a huge sigh of relief. We planned to dump it in a really adorable box we got at Bugis, along with a carton of apple juice, Anah's favourite drink and surprise her with it! And I also got myself a new wallet, a Quiksilver leather one. I was damn happy cause I finally found something that I actually liked, and something that was totally love at first sight.

But being the very fickle person that I was, I couldn't make up my mind. Karen played a part in pressurising me, and I finally snapped it up after much deliberation too. Haha.. it was comical.. we came down 3 flights of escalators... and had to go up 3 again to get back to the shop.. But I'm happy now lah, so yay!

Then it was off to Far East, our initial destination, where Karen bought something kinky, black, and with diamante studs for Ainul. Can't reveal, so you go figure it out yourself.

Then we headed home on bus 518, after an overflowing cup of Soursop Ice prepared by a totally fiesty Auntie who tried to act my age. It took freaking long to arrive at Far East, and the ride home was like 45 over minutes, and this big-ass girl even had the guts, and the ass, to squeeze onto the little space between her friend's ass and my ass. Frankly, it was quite a can of sardines I must say and I had to endure her never-ending giggles which made the ride uncomfortable for my buttcheeks and myself. I still don't know what she was giggling to her friend about... What? Our buttcheeks being too close for comfort? I even had to squeeze up to Karen with all our barang barang and bags... So irritating...

That said, never sit at the last row of 518 ever again, cos things can get really really touchy-feely when you least expect it to be!

Sunday, April 23, 2006

You had to do it. You fucking hell had to do it.

Tell me how am I supposed to feel right now? It just aggravates me further... And I even thought that it was a turn for the better.

Is it worth? To compromise my happiness? To let go?

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Mummy!

Mum just got news that she's been promoted! Alright!

She's now gonna be the Secretary of the President of Dell Asia Pacific, no more a minion! Congratulations to Mum!

She was quite hesistant about this in the first place, cause her new position in the company would mean longer hours, busier days, more travelling overseas. And she didn't want this to affect her family time and all. So she was asking us whether she should go for it if they considered her.

Yeah, and of course we encouraged her! Mum's so capable, we were sure she'd be able to take on any challenge.

And to reward herself, she got herself a new phone! Its the Nokia 6280. I am so envious. Its screen is bloody big. And the camera's 2 megapixels. Its functions are aplenty. And to top it all off, the phone looks so smart, and it's black!

Hrrm. It just started to rain again. Man... this kinda weather... would surely cause my cold to stay for days. It's the conditions of the weather, lah. Sometimes its bloody hot, then in a while it becomes cold and wet. I'm lucky that my throat doesn't hurt anymore now.. its just an irritating runny nose now...

Here's a nice Photoblog to look at, for its wonderful shots of the streets of Paris, and if you dig deeper, there's also New York to look at.

Shutterbugs, you'd love it to bits. It's only a click away! Go here.

The Smell of Rain

The smell of rain reminds me of you, it really does...

Remember how we played in the rain?
You stepped on a puddle and sent splashes of rainwater all over me. And I did too, jumping into the puddles intentionally. It was so much fun having you around in the rain, and hearing your laughter made me smile even in the dreary weather.

We got wet, got soaked. But in our minds, all we wanted was to have each other's company.
The rain seemed to wash away everything - your worries, my troubles, our past.
There seemed to be a new connection, a new bridge of bonds, that completely wiped out any other doubts in mind...

The smell of rain reminds me of you, it really does...

Remember how we fought in the rain?
Me running after you, adamant about making you stay. But you didn't turn back. All I got was the violent pelting of raindrops on my skin. But that didn't matter. It didn't matter that I had been soaked to the skin, you too, and there wasn't any concern about that.

We got wet, got soaked. But what tore me was the pelting of my heart, deep down within, a mundane, rhythmic painful throbbing I felt. I guess we shared that pain, but in separate realities.
The rain seemed to wash away everything - your promises, my trust, our past.
There seemed to be a plague, a war on myself, that completely wiped out any hopes in mind...

The smell of rain reminds me of you, it really does...

Rain, it'll never go away. But once it has fallen, it'll never stay.
Rain, it'll wet you. But once it has vapourised, it'll take something away from you.
Rain, it'll come again. But once it does, it'll cause you to refrain.

The smell of rain reminds me of you, it really does...

Friday, April 21, 2006

L'et Me Entertain You!

Remember I said I'd blog about the show I was helping out at?

Yeah, here it is. Finally! (I know you've been waiting!)

First up, here's the brochure of L'et Me Entertain You... I've just scanned it cos I wasn't able to find any of its shots through Google.

It all happened when Fowl-zee asked Karen and I and the rest of the Mobius artists whether we'd be free to help paint some theatre sets for an upcoming theatre. And yes, as usual, Karen and I, the very-on people, volunteered our few hours and helped out at Tanjong Pagar!

Well, initially we thought it was some large-scale, overwhelming stage set we were gonna paint, but no! We were only tasked with the job of painting some cubes and cuboids white. Heh. Fun ah?

There you have it, our hard work and absolutely beauuuuuutiful painting!

And Karen and I also had some fun decorating our already-paint-sloshed cargos. Handprints!

Yeah and the painting stint lasted for only like, what, 2 hours? We were done painting and the good folks in charge of the production invited us to do Front of House for the show itself!

And so we were expected to turn up for 4 nights of the show to help out, to volunteer. So for 4 consecutive nights, Karen and I had to traipse down to Raffles Place MRT and walk to the Arts House. And I'm telling you, every single night was such a blast!

Firstly, we got to meet up with cool people. We first knew Elnie, the Stage Manager, Ripple, the Set Designer, and Loretta, the Director of the cabaret. They were the ones whom we helped out initially for the painting. Then on Day One, we were introduced to Min, the Production Manager and Hatta, the Bouncer. Here's Hatta in The Wig,

All these people are really really talented people. Seeing them in their professionalism and the way they make things work, its just incredible. It's like being able to watch a theatre production come together just minutes before the house is open for guests to enter and take their seats.

Well, my job, was to usher the guests and be on the front desk selling Programmes and stuff. It was fantastic fun, especially since we got to know other FOH people, like Amanda, Valerie, and Jeremy.

This is our pic with Valerie. She's only 15 man! Yet, she doesn't look her age! Oh! I feel so.. inferior..

And here's with Jin Jing and Jeremy on the last night.

I got to meet-and-greet certain familiar faces (theatre actors and actresses/celebs). Amy Cheng talked to me. And Koh Chieng Mun talked to me too. We saw Gerald Chew, Chua En Lai, Paerin Choa, Hatta Said, George Chan, Gani Karim, Leigh Macdonald, and Mervyn from Kids Central... It was kinda cool.. Yeah, I know they're not exactly stars but still, most of them are famous, accomplished people in the world of theatre.

Here's Jacky Pereira, in her flowery best, posing for us before she made her entry into one of the segments. It was just this show that Karen and I opted to stay outside and not watch. Well, we got to watch like 5 shows in total man, and we all had such a great time cos the cabaret was so so so so hilarious. And sexy. Hilariously sexy. At the same time.

And The Man himself, Mr Darius Tan! The one-man-cabaret. Da Bomb!

(We snapped this secretly, though he knew, when he was preparing to enter as "The ugly Convent schoolgirl who doesn't wear panties"!)

Darius wanted to do this one-man thing to commemorate his hardships and also the good times in his theatre career. To further elaborate on the Lessons he had learnt this entire rollercoaster ride of a lifetime, he dressed up to take on different roles and also went into a whole myriad of characters!

There was the Convent girl/singing wannabe, "East European transvestite with a fake accent and hairy legs" which was the one he did in drag, the Chao Ah Beng, the struggling actor in a COW SUIT, the typical gay stylist we always see at the hairdressing salons, etc.

In a peanut shell, I really think this was such a hit! I've never really laughed so much in such a short time before. Truly enjoyable. 5 out of 5 Stars!

But alas, we had to say our goodbyes, and hope that we'll get to work for/with these great, talented people again.

And the most wonderful companion you'll ever get for 4 freaking nights! (Unless you're talking about a 4-night stand, lah) its none other than......

KAREN!

Thanks, babe! For being there for 4 long nights! Sounds wrong, but what the hell... I never knew coming into this would widen our perception of things in life to such a huge extent! I must say, this was worth it! The memories are unforgettable!

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Return of the Kway Chap Auntie

She's back!

Imagine how I had to contain my excitement on a super-seh (rhymes with leh) Monday morning when I discovered her return! Haha! For those of you aware, yes, I am talking about the much awaited comeback of the Mee Stall Auntie. Well, Aunties to be exact, cos there are 2 of 'em.

And I've finally gotten to savour the delectable yet familiar taste of the Kway Chap once again this fine morning, totally tantalising.

Pure bliss, it is.

And the poor Auntie! She didn't come for like a few weeks because she fell and hurt her wrist. And we all know that without that wrist, noone's going to be able to boil those noodles till they're just right, hor?

School's alright today. Nothing much, nothing less. It's the usual feeling you get. I'd say the weight-on-your-shoulders kind of feeling. And I left school at 2:15pm today, miraculously, to head home earlier.

There are like two tests to study for tomorrow. And I hope they pass off as okay because I am studying for my mid-years proper already, and these little tests are just sticking around to irritate me.

Okay, I'd better go. In case you've not seen 'em, there are links to other's Blogs/Pages/Journals/Multiplys/Toiletbowls at the side bar on the right of the screen. Just scroll, scroll, scroll, and you'll see it there!

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Mad Rush and Kway Chap

Yes, I do strongly feel that I've just burnt my long weekend away.

Haven't really been able to sit still and do up my assignments though. I've only finished like my Social Studies Questions (due last Friday) and my Chemistry Workbook. And when I say finished, it means every blank is filled, every query is thought about, and the bloody book is closed with a satisfying feeling.

But I had E Maths tuition, and today Chemistry tuition. So I guess, it's not that bad after all?

But frankly, those things stated above are just to comfort myself. How much could actually have been done in this long period of 3 and a half days? A lot, actually.

But thinking about it, this long weekend has been used beneficially, though not wisely. I've rested well and grown more tired (to hell with 'beauty sleep') and made many, many new friends from the play during the 4 nights.

Tomorrow would be back to school again. Oh how I dread that Mad Rush.. It's a continuous never-ending chain of events that promises to blast your insides upside down like a bloody rollercoaster that won't stop and causes you to feel so so so so so so tired and yet there's no reason or chance for you to take a deep breath and exhale for a second cos its really such a crazy rush.

Well, if only the world would stop for a moment when you needed it to.

And if only the days were 48 hours long.

How about if humans only needed 3 to 4 hours of sleep per day?

Time, time, time. It all boils down to time management at the end of the tiring day. And a certain Lady even has the balls to tell the entire class Andre can manage his 24 hours so bloody well.

"Oh please share with us how you can do that"

To hell with that!

Oh. How I hope tomorrow would past swiftly. And I'd have some extra time to finish my never-ending list of assignments. Plus I'd have to study for the coming tests next week.

And I hope The Mee Stall in the canteen in school opens tomorrow. I wouldn't wanna speculate bout their demise from the canteen scene for these 3 weeks. Ghastly thoughts have begun to float into my little brain about why they're not opening. Did the Auntie die? Did someone die? Are there no more pig's da changs and xiao changs left in the market to cook my favourite kway chap? Did the poor Auntie get thrown into some lor mee broth, got cooked alive and served in the green bowl?

Choy!

I'm crossing my fingers. And when the Auntie makes a comeback with her delicious kway chap, I'm gonna sing for joy!

Bloody Fatigue

I've been feeling kinda sick recently. I don't know why but every morning I wake up with the flu bug and a runny nose... And its like I catch a cold every now and then.. Sneezing away... And now my throat's like feeling so sore...

And I've been feeling so tired. I would just come home from wherever and just slump over my table or bed and just sleep. I'd wake up a few hours later feeling all grouchy and moody... And then I won't have any mood to continue my work or even get started!

I seriously feel I am not keeping up the pace, the momentum! I have to I guess, cause we effectively have under 3 weeks left to Mid Years... And I haven't even started on all the subjects since Sec 3.. It's really a hell lot of work and topics to complete though..

I guess all this surmounted due to the past 4 days of helping out at a play at The Arts House.. Keeping late nights cos I only return home like after midnight consecutively for 4 nights.. Hrrrm, I'll fill you all in bout it the next time ok? When I get the rest of the shots from people.. And then I'll be able to blog about it all, completely yeah..

Oh. Somebody. Help. Me.

The Seven Deadly Sins

I don't usually do these things man, so you gotta pardon me. Cause after all, everybody has their first time, right?

Lets see,

Seven dreams before death:
1. To be on "The Amazing Race"
2. To live like a King!
3. To eradicate all nightmares
4. To have every friend and family I know at my death bed?
5. To be able to own a Japanese Conveyor Belt Sushi Chain
6. To have a lifetime supply of Ben and Jerry's Ice-cream!
7. To visit India, Nepal, Africa, Japan (the list goes on...)

Seven things I can't do in this lifetime:
1. Be on "The Amazing Race"
2. Bungee-jump
3. Fly
4. Sing to the millions
5. Commit suicide (cause life is too precious, and fragile)
6. Stop being vain
7. Pierce my bloody tongue!

Seven things that attract me:
1. Beautiful people
2. Picturesque scenery
3. My camera
4. One who sings
5. Tantalising scents
6. Opportunities
7. Black and white/Sillouette images

Seven things I say:
1. Shit!
2. Walao...
3. What the hell?!
4. Hi?
5. Bye?
6. Take care?
7. Fuck, lah (to myself, blaming myself, when i'm alone)

Seven books that I love:
1. Memoirs of a Geisha
2. The Harry Potter ones
3. The Christmas Mystery
4. The Lost Boy
5. The Water's Edge (wonderful lesbian tale, good read)
6. The Girl In The Picture
7. Fantastic Four Marvel Comics!

Seven movies that I love:
1. Memoirs of a Geisha
2. X-Men 1 & 2
3. Skeleton Key
4. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
5. Troy
6. Last Samurai
7. Alexander (I'm sucha sucker for war epics!)

Seven Sins of Mine:
1. Eating snake, or what you'd call Laziness
2. Jealousy
3. Lust, for something, someone, whatever
4. Getting into Scandals
5. Deception, in the form of white lies
6. Cursing to myself
7. Crocodile tears?! No, I don't cry!

Friday, April 14, 2006

Sports Day

Well, we had Sports Day yesterday at Tampines Stadium.

It was not much of a hoot, though I'd pretty much preferred it to be more ra-ra altogether. Its like the Dunmanite spirit just doesn't come through at all, year after year. And especially for this year's Championships, it was exceptionally quiet.

School ended at 10:30am but our class had a Chem Practical to complete before we could leave. Had Subway for lunch after that, before heading over to the stadium. It was a rainy day and we were unsure whether the weather conditions were gonna cause Sports Day to be cancelled or not.

But the sky cleared shortly after the event started! I sat at the Explorers' stand with Taariq and Wan Ting and we cheered Karen, Eirene and Melyssa on. It was a really un-enthusiastic atmosphere for Explorers, and the cheerleaders were like, almost useless.

But they did well for the House Cheering, though we didn't win that segment, they had the flips and the bridges, and the moves which impressed us a good deal.

Yes, and once again, Explorers won the title of House Champion, yet again! I think its a blessing, that for all these years, Explorers have been having the best athletes in Dunman. And because of that, we swipe most of the medals and trophies on the table.

Right. That was how uneventful Sports Day was. Pardon me for the un-excited air around it all.

ZzzzZzzzZzzz..........

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Superband Shots

For those more observant peeps out there, yes, you saw me on Superband's first competition show on Channel U that day. Your eyes weren't playing tricks on you.

Haha! So much for my one minute of fame.
Speaking of which, I think many people are just so desperate to get their one minute of fame! I dunno... desperados who do not relent in their continuous pursuit for stardom? Well, for me, I guess some are just not destined to be under the limelight, lah!
At the end of the day, viewers would benefit by getting the last laugh, and the laughing stock just shames himself even more. Hmmm. I think that's just a simple example of trying too hard.

Ok, back to what I was saying. Oh yes - I was at the Superband show at Suntec to support Xin Min, yes, the rising starlet who's my classmate. She's in Glamours, the only girl band of the lot and they've just gotten through to the next round! Wish her luck.
Yep, here's the blog entry for those who missed it. Just click here.

Snapshots we took on that very day are finally up, from dear Karen! Have a look!

Let's cross our fingers and pray hard she gets far in the competition!

Sunday, April 09, 2006

My Choir

ng Haha. No awards for me this year for Speech Day, which easily translates to me not doing well at all last year. Sigh. Lucky Mum and Dad didn't realise that they didn't receive an invitation this year!

One love.

But this Speech Day performance marks the end of my 4 memorable years with Dunman Choir. It is our very last performance with the choir before officially stepping down and taking a break from CCAs. We rehearsed for this performance, persuading our hearts and minds not to wander off and think too much about this being the last time on stage, but time flies man. Before you know it, the performance has already ended with a wave of Mr Toh's conductor hands as you belt out your very last note on crescendo. Sigh.. Then you step off stage, your toothy grin eventually resulting in teary eyes. Has reality finally hit you? Such reluctance to let the curtains close..

Prague 2003

Man. It's really sad to leave. Entered the choir as a blur Sec 1 and got into Tenor in 2003. Learnt a whole lot of things to begin with, and got transferred to Bass in July when my voice broke too quickly. Had a bunch of new friends, new seniors. The first year ended with a school concert which was staged in the school hall and I finally got to taste the thrill you get up on stage. The adrenaline and the kick. The bright lights and the audience's applause. Then the day after that wonderful concert, we departed Singapore for Prague, Czech Republic to take part in a competition. We toured and bonded well, and that was when I truly felt this sense of belonging with my choir. We came back, triumphant, with a Gold award, Best Conductor and Best Repertoire. Then it was off to Helsinki in Finland and back home again.

Grease Medley

2004 was another busy year. I was beginning to get my techniques right, and learnt well to work it all together. We had a choir camp with a Talentime, and nights that weren't spent sleeping at all during the camp itself. I grew closer to the choir, and realised it was something that couldn't be removed from me, ever. December, we staged a Reunion X'mas Concert at the Victoria Concert Hall and it was such a journey for all of us. We sang so well in songs we didn't know we could, danced and grooved to Grease, went all merry and jolly to christmas tunes, and fell in love with the choir once again! Unforgettable! It was also in this year that I joined the choir committee and contributed as a sectional leader for my section, Bass. Initially, it was tough for me, but I learnt how to handle things slowly and ensured that we performed well during combine. We'd not face any problems and we'd avoid scoldings from Mr Toh. In short, we'd rock!

As Long As I Have Music - VCH

And then came the SYF year, 2005. Preparations were stressful and intense and practices were frequent. Lots of our efforts were put in, and we managed a Gold although we were targeting a Gold with Honours. We were consistent, but we had to improve much more than that. the experience and the learning we went through was priceless. Nobody could beat that amount of things we learnt during that period. Things that would ultimately benefit us in our future - its impossible to measure. The end of the 3rd year was another tour to Prague again. This time, we visited Wroclaw in Poland and Vienna in Austria too. We got to see fantastic scenery and it was an entire unforgettable experience yet again. We made a Gold award and did Singapore proud.

Prague 2005

This year, we all knew that our days in choir were numbered. With the pressures that came along with studies, we savoured the very last months of choir, though we were plagued with fatigue from everything else, and made the best out of everything we could. We educated the Sec 1s and made them feel at home, we did our best to have great times with the juniors, cos afterall, we were the seniors, and we wanted to leave behind a legacy.

BASS

Think choir has really changed me and moulded me into an entirely different person. The opportunities, the life lessons, the scoldings, the joys. They all came at a price. But this price was not a hefty sum, it was just putting in my all, allowing myself to be immersed entirely in Dunman Choir and its people.

Farewell Party - Basses

I really hope we have left behind a legacy, made a difference to the ones around us, and proved ourselves right everytime we were wrong...

The Choir Committee

Sigh. My Tuesdays and Fridays will never be the same again!

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Torrential Downpours, Go to Hell

Yesterday, I managed to skip lessons, for the most part, from 11:45am onwards!

The lot of us - Sec 4 councillors and netball girls headed down to the DBS Auditorium at Tanjong Pagar for the NYAA Award Ceremony. We took a train down. And I was seated with Prasanna, Raihanah and Manasi on the MRT. They went mad, and I went mad too. We were laughing at the top of our lungs, literally. It was so fun cos we were telling jokes, you know, the usual laught-at-nothingness type of jokes that we shared. I think people were staring at us. Oh yes, I'm sure they were! Haha!

So we got off at Tanjong Pagar station and traipsed down to DBS Auditorium. We got there and registered and there was no briefing or anything or any form of welcome to us, and we were seated by 1:45pm? And we were made to wait till like 3pm before the event finally started! Why did we even rush down in the first place?! It was a total waste of time! I'd rather be off in class!

And there was nothing much lor. We were just made to walk up on stage and receive the scroll (which has NO cert inside, cos its only for show) and that was all! Imagine how lame I felt the entire time, while we were trying so hard to entertain ourselves by laughing at names in the Name Booklet thingy. We were so mean! But it was to kill time, lah.

Then at 4pm Vanda, Jia Yu, Maisie and myself left to cab down to school for choir. Had Speech Day final rehearsels that afternoon and we didn't wanna miss it.

The rain had started by the time we were gonna hail a cab.

And yes, I got caught in the rain, trying to hail a cab in the middle of Tanjong Pagar, like a madcap achieving nothing in the rain. And yes again, I got drenched! It was pouring elephants and giraffes! I was dripping. But luckily, we jumped into a cab headed for Pasir Ris, and got ahead of the damn bloody slow queue at the "Taxi Stand" (which coincidentally had zero taxis from the time we arrived)

Initially, it was just waiting in line, and watching the damn bloody cabs sail past us (no pun intended, although the roads looked flooded!) nonchalantly.

Simply what I'd deem as Heartless.

When I got into the cab, the 3 xiao jies dumb-ly jumped into the back along with me. And obviously, somebody has to sit in front right?! So me, being the sacrificial thing, decided to move to the front for them xiao jies. And yes yes yes, I got wetter, soaked to the skin, and I swear I think my shirt was see through already!

Nevermind, the cab brought us back to school safely, and we discovered that Mr Toh hadn't arrived yet. So we did run throughs with the walking-in for awhile in the hall before he came and we sound checked a bit with positions and all.

After that, I still had to drag myself home. Urgh. I hate the rain when I've got to rush around and travel around. It just sucks lah.

Today was another wet wet wet day. I left school after E Maths to have my long-awaited crave, Burger King! I dunno why, but its just today that I die-die wanna have BK.

So i went alone and got myself a Whopper. I munched away peacefully, enjoying the golden fries which seemed to be extra-good today and filling myself up, until I saw this lesbian couple having a little fight at the outdoor seating at BK. The androgynous one, meaning the guy-looking lesbian, was seated directly opposite from where I was. And it was not like I wanted to see her grouchy face lah.. its like whenever I look up from my burger it would be her. And she was trying to snatch this handphone from the girl-looking lesbian. Then dunno what lah, I didn't really care but somehow the table got like rocked and some stuff fell, and I think there was a heated argument thereafter.

So drama lah! Then they left in haste, much to the bewilderment of the happy BK patrons.

After that I took a train to Whitesands to get my Chem book from Popular, which was so kindly reserved by them for me cos it was the last book and I had to get it. Then I studied my Nutrition and Enzymes for Bio in the library for a while before the downpour started and I made my way back.

The bus stop at Eastpoint which I was waiting at was leaky lah. And, it was flooded. So completely dumb man. People couldn't stand and when the bus came, they had to duck the waterfall coming from above to get to the front of the bus stop. Luckily for me, I managed to get into the bus.

I alighted opposite home and guess what man, the rain just got heavier. There were violent lightning flashes illuminating the bleary sky.. and the claps of thunder reverberated in my ears......... And I got pissed! My shoe was soaked, plus the damn traffic light refused to change for 10 full minutes! My poor shoes had to endure their mini-tsunami down below, amidst the mad splashing of the drain beneath. Argh. Pissed me off badly. When I finally got to cross the road, I ran all the way till there was shelter.

Got home, felt even more pissed. Found my tie, and it was untied. Made me madder. And everything else, just made things worser than they already could be.

And that's what happened. I don't want my life to revolve around that bloody rain! If not my blog would be rain rain rain everyday.

Urgh. Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day!

If tomorrow is like that again arh, I swear I'd flip!

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Changing Appetites

Last Saturday, we went down to Changing Appetites over at Marina Square with some Norweigian friends. They were terrific company, and the food was good.

They have been family friends for quite a long while already, ever since I was born. The couple has three kids now, Markus, Ea and little Noa, and they all have deep and sparkly blue eyes!

They're really adorable, all of them, and Cheyenne managed to have a wonderful time playing with them although they don't speak English at all. I guess they communicated through body language. This was them jumping around at Changing Appetites, attracting so much attention from friendly Singaporeans who were so amused at beautiful blonde little kids (and my sister, of course)

This was Ea, who kept telling her Mum that she liked me. Haha! It was damn funny and she wanted me to carry her, but was too shy...

After dinner, we all were invited to the apartments that they were staying at over at the Treetops, a really beautiful place in the middle of Orchard Road that surprisingly, had the resort feel. And the kids went swimming! They had so much fun again. And we only left for home at like 11pm that night.

And I received a present! An album thats by a Norweigian artiste who sings English songs that she writes. She's Maria Mena, and her album's Apparently Unaffected. Her songs are good, damn good. I'm not sure whether her album's available in Singapore though, but her breed of songs are very her, very unique.

Sigh. Hope I can visit Norway one day. Heard the fjords there are really beautiful..

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Multiply, Alive and Kicking!

I have since managed to run through the ever-frustrating Multiply again, and guess what?

I've found the way to upload photos. Yes!!!

No more clicking and dragging of oh-so-many photos at Blogger, and wondering 'bout the photo limit over at Flickr. It's 150 per month at Multiply!

So what are you waiting for? Click here for the photos you've missed, taken during the Serenata Band Concert at Victoria Concert Hall. If you haven't got a clue what that is, you can click here to read my blog entry about how that particular day went. At the same time, there are also the nicer shots we took posted up there.

Enjoy yourself! And please comment if you've got a 5 cents worth to share.