shinkie

Counting down to Saturday..

2010-05-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last two days have been quite boring..had a text from my Uncle on Saturday night..asking me out for bowling on Sunday afternoon..I knew there was church in the morning..but guess wad..i actually said yes..goes to show the situation now with me and how regular I am in going to church..as stated in the last entry..half the need to go to church has actually disappeared...
changed the bowling appointment to the evening..to see whether i would actually go to church in the morning..in the end also din go..din even think twice about going..just laid in bed...looked at the lives of friends around me again..this time was ppl getting married..one of my classmates got married recently..thought to myself whether it was too early an age..read through ppl's blogs..mentioned about the plan to get married..
here i am..not even a single close friend that i can relate to..lease to say a potential gf..feel sorry for myself sometimes..especially now when i reflect on my life compared to my friends...

looking at my life

2010-05-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

saw that my last entry was about a year ago..how time flies..feels as though it was only yesterday that i stopped blogging..feels like the day before where i said i would try to keep the blog going..obviously its not working..
felt a need blog..going through a phase where i thought was over for me..going through a phase where i though i would nvr go through again..guess i was wrong..it was not too long ago that i felt as if i was the only person on this planet..that feeling..(and i only hope its a feeling and not a fact) has come back to haunt me..
i think about the reason i go to church every sunday..izzit because i know that God is real and that he loves me..or izzit because of something else..i honestly say the above stated reason is just part of it..another part is to feel accepted..hope that the ppl in church see me as part of their family..for a period of time i felt a sense of belonging..felt that ppl accepted me..i know i am a reserved person..i dun share much..but that is who i am..trying to change..to open up more..share more..there is change..but its slow..but at least i know i am trying..i know ppl dun understand me..i know i dun fit to social circles well..and i feel that is the case in church..slowly..i feel that i am drifting apart..apart from the ppl in church..apart from ppl that at one point i felt i could connect with..when i thought i had found ppl i would share my joy and pain with..they just fade away..
i look at the lives of my other friends..those that i have come to know in secondary..poly and the army..i look at their lives..through photos on facebook..through the stories they tell and frm the stories i have heard..compared to my life..its like looking at a colored photo..compared to mine of a black and white one..i look at the lives of ppl with companions.. and i envy them..envy them for they have found someone they can share and relate to..for me..its just a little more difficult..not that it is impossible..i have found these ppl in certain points of my life..just that..they dun come very often..and when they do come..they fade away..leaving footprints on my heart..my heart it filled with these footprints..of ppl who have made an impact and gone..but there is no one set of footprint..that is here to stay..i am waiting for that one set of footprint to appear..and just like the days go by..so does my hope..
my life feels a blank right now..from time to time i try to make a difference in the life of my friends..in one way or another..usually just to lend a hearing ear..i just hope that someone can make a difference in mine...

up and running for another day of sch...

2009-08-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

had my first day of sch yesterday..was pretty nervous..din sleep well also the previous night...but everything went well..made some new friends on the first day which is always good...and...GOT MY VERY FIRST ASSIGNMENT..!!!! first day of sch and already got assignment..didn't even have tat when i was in NTU..actually,,I ALREADY GOT MY FIRST ASSIGNMENT EVEN BEFORE SCH STARTED..!!!just some small ones lar..not some thousand word long essay...so shd be fine...got a few readings to do also...
had my first night in hall...its been an INTERESTING experience...dun wanna say too much here..slept quite early last night cause i was like tired from the days activities....having my first cup of coffee in hall..haha..everything is a first for me now...feels really good to be waking up later than usual..rather than the 3hrs before class thing...now...i cannot even slp in if i wanted to..not that i dun wan..i cannot..haha...too much sleep liao..tats bad...
well...today not much activities..after one 2hrs lecture can go back home liao..cause tml i got driving test..which reminds me..have to check whether my leave approved...and whether my pay enter already anot..din know its so ex to stay in hall..other than the fees u have to pay every month..theres like endless things to get..i have been going down to jurong point so often to get stuff..if pay haven enter..really no money liao...
ok..time to start the ball rolling on the day's activities...MUST PROOF JUDITH WRONG..!!!

bye bye grandma..

2009-08-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Said goodbye to my Grandma for the very last time...

Thank God for watching out for me the past few days...

Thanks Everyone...

2009-08-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for your condolences as well as ur concern...
I am fine..Just been thinking about some stuff..
Being the eldest Grandson..
There are alot of responsibilities during a funeral..
Being a Christian..
I cannot do any of those responsibilities..
All I can do is to take care of logistics..
Entertain the guest..especially during the prayers..
People do look at me..with judgmental eyes..
But my relatives are very understanding..
I have not been forced to do anything against my will..
Which is something i was afraid of since yesterday..
Since yesterday..
I have ask God for strength..
To see me through these difficult few days...
So far he has not failed me..
And I Thank God for that..

In Remembrance...

2009-08-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

O God.. Please watch over "Kong Zai"
Bless him with Good Health
Help Him Excel in his studies
(in this context, God=Budda; Kong Zai is me)

Those were the words she always said when i visited her..Those were the words she would always say when offering joss sticks to Budda...It lasted through secondary school...throught polytechnic..through my army days..evertime without fail..slowly the number of times slowly decreased..till the time when she did not say it at all..not because she did not want to..but because she couldn't..but one thing is for sure..I will never ever hear that from her again..
A flight of stone steps..badly lit area...to a place filled with the smell of medicated oil..those were the times when my family and I would visit her...she would be sleeping..in her armchair..but when she woke up...she was always happy to see us..to see her grandchildren...she would offer us packet drinks..even "fan shu dan"(potato balls) when she had any..it was my favourite food when i was young...even now when i eat it..i would be reminded of the times i stayed with my grandmother in chinatown...the 4am wakeup calls to follow her to the nearby park for exercise...the tea breaks where she would prepare steamed bread and milo for me as well as the early nights where she would sleep at 8pm...
Every Chinese New Year...she would be the first one that we visited...she would give us red packets filled with coins...every Chinese New Year it was like that..all but one..the red packet was rather light..no coins..something that puzzled my brothers and I..to be honest we weren't expecting much...a $2 note the most...it turned out to be a $10 note..we were thrilled and surprised at the sudden change..we used to stay for lunch...but slowly our New Year visits grew shorter..slowly there wasn't lunch anymore..slowly it turned into a 1 hr visit...sometimes even lesser than that..
Other than offering prayers to Budda..she would always ask..."why was I so skinny?".."Why am I so tanned?"..."Why am I so soft spoken?"..."How are you gonna get a gf if u remain quiet all the time?" Just endless questions..I would try to reply her..but all the years spent with her in chinatown learning Cantonese eventually went down the drain when i moved back with my parents...Even when i spoke to her in Cantonese is when i was instructed to...
After army...during the past year or so..she began suffering from dementia...she started to forget my brothers...the words she spoke also reduced..When i said hi to her..she would always smile to me..I knew she remembered me just that she could not express it in words..slowly the smile disappeared..the only sign that i knew she remembered me was from her eyes...slowly those eyes were filled with tears..tears from the pain that she was going through..
During the past 2 weeks..my dad has been asking me to visit her..together with my brothers..it was suspected that she was suffering from cancer..her breathing grew harder..she was given morphine to ease the pain..not very good signs..and the doctor even asked for us to be mentally prepared...
we visited her for the last time about 2 days back..
Got a call today..saying she was gone...

Love you Grandma...

disappointed..shd i be..??

2009-07-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

back to update again on my NIE situation...well..there shdn't be one in the first place..i did wad i have to do..submitted things that they ask me to...even went down to NIE to submit other stuff..but well...things happen...first was the registration thing...which they solve pretty quickly...now theres an issue with my registering of modules to be done tml...u see..once i have registered..they suppose to send me my username and password by snail mail..(why u ask since there's things like email and sms..i dunno)...i knew my registration was kinda late..on sat in fact..thus receiving my account details on monday wun be very possible..i expected that..but today..no letter from them...(i hate to say this but my faith in their administration is seriously low at the moment)..which now leads me to having the need to call them early tml morning so that i can log in and register...not that i am angry or anthing..just tsk..why liddat man...
moving on..moving in hall soon...needa get new stuff for hall..things like pillow..bedsheets..blanket..clothes rack..lamp..toiletries..pail..and some other stuff..not to mention have to clean the place up...well..see how it goes..onli can get the keys on the 8th..not much time really since sch starts on the 11th..
was browsing through upcoming movie trailers...saw some that really interest me..

1)Zombieland
2)Deadsnow
3Inglourious Basterds
4)2012
5)GI Joe
6)The Hangover

yup..some of these films have some similarities...(actually when i say some..i mean onli 2..) first similarity..hint:L4D(most likely only guys would know wad this means..) second similarity..(german nazis during WW2)...then the rest are like super action pack or plain lame and funny...check out the trailers if have time..its on apple website..
kk..time to watch a movie..maybe a few youtube videos...talking about movie...watched narnia using mio tv today..its like one of those free movies this month kinda thing..changes every month..anyway..great movie...think theres a narnia 2..definately gonna watch tat..whether on mio..dvd or other means...well..we'll see...oh..videos too...been watching alot of youtube videos recently...saw this video of a driver..a professional racing driver who was killed due to flying debris..cause a car had crashed early before..sending all this small parts and stuff flying round..including one rear tire..so this tire was bouncing on the track and he was driving behind..and it hit him in the head...he was wearing helmet and all and still got killed...told lesmong about it and he was like.."huh wear helmet still can die..??"...same thing happened recently to a very famous driver that all of u might know..Massa who drives for Ferrari in Formula 1..he din die btw..but suffered a similar accident..a spring this time..hit in the the head...when i say spring i mean those big and bulky ones that u see in cars and motocycles and not those in ur pens...well...he suffered concussions and need stitches but is ok...(at least i think he is ok..haven read about him since the accident...) anyway..pictures of him leaked showing him just after his accident..and it was not a pretty sign..the top i think left side of his helmet was damaged..the visor and all..plus there was a deep cut on i think above his left eye...so u could say the helmet saved his life...i mean when u are driving at those speeds..its hard to dodge stuff...and when it hits..OUCH...another video which i came across was this boxing match..tot it was very interested like a close fight thats why they hightlighted the video..was watching thru it halfway when i read the comments and found out tat one of the fighters had died recently and the video..which showed him winning the title was taken sometime back...he was killed when he was car jacked and shot..
all this videos about accidents and death really cause me to do some thinking..u hear about ppl saying to cherish ur loved ones...live life to the fullest cause u nvr know when something might happen..well..these videos are really the proof of the saying...
ok..shall end this entry on a low..(not like i have ended it on a high everytime..)

another new day...

2009-07-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

really cannot wait for sch to start..simply cause i have too much spare time on my hands...wun be complaining if i have like things to do...but so far really no programs wadsoever other than going to the gym and keeping fit..trying to lose weight...
talking bout my weight..had a medical checkup yesterday at Raffles Hospital...whole process took 4 hrs..3/4 of the time is waiting for my number to be called...took my height and weight..eyesight test..colorblind test..x-ray..only part where i was nervous was the height and weight part..cause obviously i have gained some weight and it could affect my place to become a PE teacher..definately not as fit as my army days..but still can run bedok reservoir lar...just depends on how long it will take onli..haha...anyway...took my height and weight...calculated my BMI by myself...and it was normal..well..it was like at the benchmark lar..the line between normal and overweight...but there is still one more category after overweight..and tats obese...(trying to comfort myself)
anyway..now tat the medical test is over..now wads left is just the registration of my modules...which starts tml...managed to register last week as MOE had resolved my problem fairly quickly...theres only one problem that i foresee..and that is i dun get my NIE portal password..ok..when u register and pay the fees( which i have done), they will send u ur username and password thru snail mail...u need tat username and password to log in to register ur modules(which is tml)...up till now i haven received it..well partly because i registered quite late and they need time to send me lar..anyway...hope i will get it by tonight cause my parents normally check the mailbox every night..so if tonight dun have..then i better start to check for the number to call liao..( or shd i do that now just in case)....
sch gonna start in bout 2 weeks time..all orientation programs for NIE have been suspended due to the H1N1 swine flu...its gonna be an awkward start lar..dunno anyone...new environment..and i that kinda person that if u dun talk to me..i wun talk to u...well..just hope it will be a smooth transition lar...
ok..tats all i have to update at the moment..will be back to update on the registration of my modules..

disappointed..patience running low...

2009-07-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

my mood is seriously very bad right now...cause of something that should have been done..but is not and is causing me anxiety issues and seriously my patience is wearing thin...
as u all know..the past one month i have been busy with my NIE admission..interview...submission of documents..appointment briefting..signing of agreement..stuff like tat..now wads left is actually to register with NIE...go through their orientation..register for my modules..get a hall..stuff that are relatively easy and can be done fairly quickly...but all these have come to a halt because of one thing...that MOE did not send my relevant information to NIE..so now..there is no such thing as me..in NIE..no record at all...without registering..i cannot register my modules...all these things..have deadlines to meet...if i dun meet them..i am in serious trouble..and i think i am right to say that i no fault in all this things happening...
i have since emailed...call MOE twice..constantly stressed the importance of this issue and my situation..and i haven't got a reply yet..i know it takes some time before it gets resolve...the thing is i dun have that kinda time..if i dun get this resolved...i am stuck...and i seriously dun like that kinda feeling...
i am seriously deliberating whether to call MOE again...cause i got this strong feeling that my persistence will not work..that i will not get an immediate answer...
my faith in the system is seriously dropping at a drastic pace...

some things bought...some things to buy...

2009-07-08T19:46:00.001-07:00

just wanna share some pictures with all of ur...some are things i bought already...things that i prepared...and things i wish to buy in future..apart from my wish list which i dunno when i can fulfill all of them...oh...i prepared this on monday for lunch..Rosti...crispy on the outside..soft on the inside..and super oily...

oh..this I bought from Tampines One for obvious reasons...now its on my door..haha

well..these are the things that i wanna get when i have the chance to visit Old Trafford in Manchester...already sourced all this our from their online store...altogether its like 100 pounds...hmm..alright lar..reasonable...haha

so many things..so little space..

2009-07-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

so many things i wanna blog about..partly my fault also cause i so long nvr blog le...the thought was always in my mind just did not execute it...well..first things first...I GOT INTO NIE..!!! i know abit late...i got this news like a few days ago..and only now am i blogging about it...it was really good news received amidst some other bad news which i dun wanna talk about...received the letter in a government service envelope..then i was thinking..oh no...reservist liao...when i opened it and saw the words NIE..BA/BSc(Edu)..We are please to inform u...then i went Ahhhh..!!!!!then my mum was like "wad happened"..haha...anyway from wad i know from my other friends was like this is quite last min lar..normally by now everything shd be over already like the medical exams and everything..i still have yet to go through my medical and get a hall..all this i gonna know more about tml when i go for my appointment briefing...
now that i am done with the more important stuff...shall update on my week...
Monday(6/7/09)
hmm..according to my planner on my phone..i had nothing on that day..haha...eh wait..i think i met gillian to do present shopping and sit down do work..though we din really do work cause the wireless at starbucks was down and gillian..well..was not really concentrating on her work the whole time...
Tuesday(7/709)
ok..suppose to have rehearsal for MissionFest's 2nd week service but was cancelled lar..theres gonna be another rehearsal on thurdays...which reminds me that there are new songs which i am suppose to look at but haven done so...uh oh...
Wednesday(8/7/09)
ok..went to church in the afternoon to help Zing and Isabel for the prayer booths...went TP to do some printing before going back to church to door all the cutting..arranging..sorting..all the "paper" work lar...at night met up with huisi..adelene..grace..jonathan and dennis as it was huisi's birthday...haha..she was our gang leader..cause she was the oldest amongst all of us...went to east coast to eat crabs..superb man the crabs..had black pepper..chilli...and butter...and some other dishes lar..in the end..ended up paying 30 bucks for our dinner..which was ok lar..expected lar..but the crabs were really very good...took a while after tat to the food center nearby where we had deserts...i think i can officially say that my favorite desert is cold BoBo ChaCha...cause i always order tat nowadays...
Thursday(9/7/09)
well...tats today..have alot of plans in mind..just dunno whether i really do them later..plan to go to the gym..really have to start training and lose weight...have to drop by the bank to replace my bank book..no more pages liao..plus the appointment briefing tml need my bank book.so better replace..but my hair...cause its getting long and as a future teacher...its not a very good example...haha...then er..oh...go for rehearsal in the evening...power pack day for me...
Friday(10/7/09)
ok in the morning i gotta go down to MOE for appointment briefing...afternoon gotta go back to church to finish up on the prayer booth..evening got prayer meeting for youth alpha...tml also gonna be another power pack day...
Saturday(11/7/09)
got youth event at hortpark...where i will be the photographer..quite scared actually...cause i not very confident of my photography skills...but will still try my best..haven been there yet..heard it was quite a fun place...looking forward to that...

okok..tats all for my week...a really long and busy week...but a preview to my live in future..think my life in future gonna be much worst lar..cause of sch work..hall activities and everything..
i saw somethings online that i wanna get...will blog about it another time...

NIE DEGREE INTERVIEW..

2009-06-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

went for my driving lesson earlier this evening...it was ok..a few minor issues..nothing that can't be solve...at the end of the lesson..no comments from the instructor..dunno whether tats good or bad..anyway..its my final lesson..next tuesday will be my moment of truth...pass on that day...or join charmaine in the quest to see who gets his/her license first..
after tat went to tampines interchange to meet zing and charmaine to get groceries for tml's prawning/bbq session..saw kok keng..had a chat plus shopped around..tats when i saw don...small world..like suddenly all the ppl from CCR had a gathering together..anyway..on the way to getting groceries..had a phone call..a special phone call whom if u ask me to guess 1 million times..no..1 BILLION times..i also wun get the correct answer..
i got a call from NIE..about my degree program..yes i know i said i got rejected...which i really did..but for some reason..they call and the first thing they said..(besides confirm whether i was who i am and all tat stuff)was.."are u still interested in the Bachelor of Arts/Science(Education) program.."..i paused for a moment..and said.."huh..Bachelor Program..??"...and the next thing i know..i have an interview scheduled for tml afternoon...(for ur info..i got this call at 8pm)..hmmm..last min call..interview schduled next day...hmm...all points to the word D _ _ P _ _ A _ E...
reached back home...as i was photocopying my certs..getting ready my portfolio for tml..i was marinating chicken wings according to charmaine's special recipe..the interview stress came straight away after i hanged up the phone...alot of things went through my mind..what questions would they ask...how i was gonna answer them..typical stuff i went through when i was going through my allied educator interview stage..
after finish preparing all my documents..preparing for tml's bbq...all the stress just went away..maybe its because i had already gone through a similar interview barely 1 month ago...or maybe its the constant prayers from church friends..all i know is that whatever questions they throw at me..whenever i feel stressed during the interview..God will see me thru...

appointment as AED..

2009-06-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

ok i know i am late for my update on my appointment of AED (Allied Educator)...I PASSED MY INTERVIEW..saw the notice on msn whenever there is a new email..and i knew it was the moment of truth..kinda new i got through the interview cause they told me onli successful applicants will get an email..but on the other hand i was afraid...(it was one of those situations where u have one hand over ur eyes and ur peering through the gap in between ur fingers..)...further more the email was one day early..still i opened it and the first line i saw was..."we are pleased to inform u..." i was like phew...!!!so whats gonna happen now is they gonna inform me on a place and date to do the formalities..go through contract...sign contract those kinda stuff..its gonna be another nerve wrecking moment during contract signing..3 YEARS ok...
anyway as for my driving..my lesson yesterday was smoother than expected..partly cause i got back my old instructor..the one who doesn't give me stress...bad thing was he was like guiding me along when i should be doing all the stuff myself..still i got one last chance tml to practice..then it will be the moment of truth next week when i go for my driving test..
alright...shall watch a few movies...play a few games..and go to bed...

updates and more updates...

2009-06-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

back from church camp and extension trip to port dickson..so many things to update..so many things to say..
firstly..changed my blog's layout again...got a feeling this one will stay for sometime..like the simplicity of it..white background..clean cuts and areas...included my detailed wishlist...added many new links to ppl's blogs..(credit to lesmong's blog..i simply leeched from this blog..haha)
now about church camp...it was my first church camp and boy did it leave an impression in my life..its always nice to have fellowship with fellow christians especially members of ur own church..had a really enjoyable time just fellowshipping with both youths and adults..the speakers were fantastic..they were so real and shared about things tat can be related to everyone..they spoke about things that were rather basic..but those were things to having an intimate relationship with God and I felt God speaking to me in an intimate manner that i have never felt before..it was as if he was just sitting beside me..talking to me.. initially when the camp came to an end.. i knew that was just the beginning..the real test is always after the camp..whether u would continue those intimate times u had with God..or would it simply just fade away...
had cell group yesterday..topic was us being tourist or strangers in the world..felt a really deep connection and God revealing what he had to say to me..it was as if i was looking myself in the mirror..the mirror reflecting the flaws and sins that i have..over powering the good part of me...it just showed how sinful i am and how unworthy i am..but God still chose me..a classic example of amazing and unconditional love...
decided to go straight home after cell..and stay at home today..just to reflect...so far i must say its been an amazing time..just alone..at home..peaceful..
moving away from my walk with God..i will know the results of my interview tml..if i receive an email then all is ok..if not..then i may have to do some planning again..driving test is coming up too...next tuesday to be exact..a little nervous..feel that i dun have everything at my fingertips..think its gotta do with the fact that i am a perfectionist.. initially had trouble booking lessons closer to my test date..managed to book two lessons this week just yesterday...at least i can fine tune and practice before my test..its as if the slots just miraculously opened up..booked the two lessons..and it was full again...so really had to thank God for tat...
well..tats all i have for now..i have uploaded pictures from the church camp plus extension on my facebook but for some reason the order is abit off..lazy to go organize it..will updated again once i have news about my interview..

academic updates..

2009-05-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

applied to become an allied educator yesterday..not really a teacher where u have a class to urself but rather an assistant to a teacher..to help students who need xtra attention..well..not really what i had in mind but what choice do i have...if i get selected will have to go through training..think the most will get a diploma in education..if not just a certificate..but definately not a degree...at the same time..overseas study has not been totally ruled out yet..
financially its still a problem..for me to go overseas...have to use my insurance and find degrees tat will provide exemption on certain modules..meaning i can only study overseas for 2 yrs maximum if i really want to..which means i have to study something that which is related to engineering..which i dun want to...my choices are getting more and more limited by the day..just wished that i had more options open to me..
anyway..gonna start working soon.gonnat work at expo at the popular fair tats coming up..after tat maybe pc fair..they haven got back to me though on the pc fair..well..at least gonna have something to do soon...earn some money which would help pay for my church camp..if i can find a permanent part time job...i may just stay on working..kinda tired of applying..enquiring..getting invalid replies...all i ask is for a second chance...i know my situation does not sound as bad as others..well..its just me i guess..
got driving later..not really looking forward to it..just wanna get over and done with my driving..wanna get over and done with waiting..getting all those nonsensical replies..why give me those replies when everyone knows its not answering the question..tat its not helping...all i ask is for someone to point me in the right direction..and i dun even get that...i dun think i can keep smiling forever..to be hopeful forever...all i ask is for an answer..

strike one..strike two..strike three..??

2009-05-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

just some updates on my university admission..as i said last entry tat i received a rejection letter from NTU..whether tat includes NIE anot i am not sure so i had to call and check..ppl have told me tat the two are separate issues maybe outta comfort or maybe its the truth i dunno...but i had to call to make sure...which i did..
first made a call to NTU and the answer was tat the rejection includes NIE as well...called the customer service center at MOE to double confirm and they gave the same exact answer...the customer service executive gave me an email to triple check my application status which i did..so now waiting for the reply..
honestly i am not very hopeful of an email reply tat could change everything..two times i have enquired..two times i met with rejection..i guess wad i need now is a miracle to change things...but i am not very hopeful....told my parents about it already..they were concerned...asked me about my future plans..i needed time to think again...rethink everything..but i have time..all tat i have now is time..
i have driving lessons in may...church camp and driving test in june..so i have about 2 full months to think and research...well..looks like i really have to get a job now..

good news..bad news...

2009-05-05T05:34:00.000-07:00

well just some updates as usual..got good news and bad news..so i will start with the good news first...
Baptism
as most ppl from CCR would know..i got baptized last week...on the 26th April 2009..it was the next step for me..to publicly declare my faith..to renounce the world of its ways and dedicate my life to God...starting i felt it was just another step i had to take..no pressure or stress at all..but as the date got close..i starting getting a little anxious and nervous as i started to realize tat i was not just another step...it was THE step..a big step..as it meant tat ppl where looking at me now..what i do..my behavior and many other stuff..the responsibility was there too..but i managed to handle all tat..through lots of prayer from ppl and encouragement..i believe its the 2nd onli time where u get so many congrats other than ur wedding day...haha..
Labour Day Outing
well..wun really call this a good news kinda thing but it was a day where a group of us got together and just had fun..when i say a group i meant different ppl...from different age groups..from different cell groups coming together to have fun..went over to pulau ubin..rented bicycles and cycled around the island..took alot of photos and all of them are on facebook..at night some of us went to eat chinese buffet..imagine things u eat at a wedding dinner..well..we had tat..buffet style..haha...all our hard work cycling during the day we made up for it during dinner...
Univerysity Admission
well..with the good news comes the bad news...just got an email from NTU today..and i failed my application in NTU..when i first opened it..i knew something was wrong..the email was quite short..and the mood was quite stale when i read the first few sentences...the thing is...i am not sure whether this means my application to NIE has failed as well...some ppl i asked say they are two seperate things...but i am not sure..tats why i am gonna call up to find out about this issue..having said tat..there is a sense of fear in my heart..its onli natural for me to sense fear...cause there is tat possibility now tat i dun get through..things start to run through my head..like what will i do if it really happens...tat i dun get into NIE..what will i do then..idea start floating into my mind but nothing concrete...all i can do now is call tml and hope for the best..

well..tats all i have so far..will update again when i have called up to enquire about tat issue..

why i think Manchester United Lost..

2009-04-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Firstly this is an all soccer critic edition to my blog and i believe all soccer fans especially Manchester United fans would agree and support me in this..
Firstly congratulations to Everton and all their fans for making it to the FA cup finals..i think they played well yesterday..but things could have been different and let me explain why..
Selection of Penalty Takers
soccer fans as well as man united fans would know that Man United fielded a very young squad for the match...an average age of 23..tats my age to play an important semi final match..i could understand the manager's intentions..they were playing for many trophies at the same time namely the FA CUP..the Domestic Premier League Trophy as well as the Champions League..now tat would mean more matches.. which would mean fatigue of the players and it was understandable to rest key players especially after the Champions League match against Porto earlier during the week. The youngsters that the manager fielded were i think up to the task...they played well..had a few opportunities and most importantly did not let in a goal as it went down to penalties..
what i did not understand was the manager's choice of penalty takers..Sir Alex decided to select experienced first team players..not surprising..understandable...Everton took the first penalty and missed..advantage Man United...all berbetov had to do was to convert the penalty which he did not..it was one of the most sloppy penalties i have seen..and i was utterly disgusted...from there Everton converted all their penalties while Man United failed to score one more..with Rio Ferdinand missing the second penalty..now u cannot really blame Ferdinand..his intentions were there to try to fake the keeper into going the wrong direction..just tat he did not have the adequate amount of accuracy..lets face it..he's a defender..what do u expect..Vidic's Penalty was quite lucky..inside of the post..(he's another defender btw)..while Anderson(a midfielder) converted the penalty with confidence...
now why din Sir Alex field others players for the penalty..??i believe several other players were available either midfielders or strikers...even if they were young..they played 120 mins of football under pressure..and they made it..i believe if u were to ask them to take a penalty..yes they would feel more pressured but at least they will give it their all..i would rather they than defenders to take the penalty..
the chance was there for the taking..to advance to the finals..but it slipped past them...in my opinion..it was a questionable choice of penalty takers...and Berbetov's first penalty was i think the turning point which led to United's defeat..

so much free time..wad to do..

2009-04-10T09:07:00.001-07:00

just felt tat i the last entry was way too long ago..so decided to update it..well..so far the same lar..no job..too much free time on my hands...bank account depleting..but well..things are starting to improve..job lobangs..almost at the end of my driving lessons..and found lots of all stuff tat i can sell for cash..
JOB LOBANG
well..been searching jobsdb.com for temp jobs lar..also enquire about my old job but not reply from them at all..sent my resume for some medical officer job...in the end got back a call from the agency saying will keep a lookout for jobs for me..pauline recently intro me a job too..will get back to me soon whether got tat job already...hopefully get tat one..or else really have to eat grass liao..
SELLING STUFF
been goin through my stuff lately and found tat i have alot of unused stuff lying around..decided to sort them out into those that are still working and those that are not..had many things tat i am not using..ipod(which i am currently selling on ebay)..pool cue..nintendo ds lite..3 scrap cpu..3 working monitors....tats alot of stuff which is taking alot of space..although its alot..the value is not really so..each monitor i heard can sell for 40 each..each scrap cpu for 20 each so total also about 150 plus..tot of repairing one for family use..but not really necessary cause each one of my family members has a laptop except my younger bro who has a mac..so no one will use even if i repair..plus the onli place which take those kinda stuff is simlim..transport is an issue but i got my uncle to help...
DRIVING LESSONS
speaking about transport..already book my test date in june..left a few lessons here and there..really hope to pass first time...even if i pass also dun think i have the confidence to drive...parking in the circuit and parking in real life is not really the same..will take some practice and some getting used to..and of course lots and lots of confidence..
ACTIVITIES
been hanging out with charmaine and mayteng these few days cause these are e few ppl who are not mugging for exams..mayteng just started work though..but still got time to hang out with us..bowling..movies..eating are just some of the activities we normally do..but charmaine and myself may be working real soon..but well..better than those mugging..alyo..really jialat man..but i can understand lar..i experience it for a while..haha..ok think tats all for now..will blog again when i have news about my NIE and job..

the most important thing for me..friendship...

2009-03-28T03:28:00.000-07:00

the feeling of being alone..as if ur the only human being on earth..no one smsing u..dropping a msg on msn or even a call..nothing..tats the feeling i felt about 6 mths ago..not saying tat i feel the same way now..just tat i know how important friends are to me..a small hi on msn..a small invite to coffee can sometimes make a whole lot difference to my day..
not tat i am anti social tat no one wanna talk or invite me to anything..i've been trying to open up more..starting conversations with jokes..letting others joke about me...sometimes even to the point where i feel so lousy about myself..yes i feel low those times but when i think about the fun others are having..about the laughter everyone is enjoying..to me tats worth it..
i try not to make enemies...every friend is important to me..but sometimes i do..sometimes even i am not aware..but when friends approach me to tell me about what i have done..i am quick to realize it and try my best to ask for forgiveness as quickly as possible..but sometimes tats just not enough..an apology is just not enough..not tat i blame others for not forgiving me...its their right to be angry..i have no say in tat..sometimes it hurts..to be denied forgiveness when asked...just have to bear with it i guess..
no one is perfect..guess this is me..my way of making up for other areas which i lack in..but its not enough..and it hurts..

Sunny Phuket..!!!

2009-03-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

As you all can see..I AM BACK FROM PHUKET THAILAND...first time in thailand...haven been to the capital Bangkok but after seeing Phuket...Bangkok shd be just as fun..after 4D3N there...if u ask me to summarize the trip in a few words..well i would say...Sunny Island with friendly ppl...the temperature there is crazy...without sunblock sure kena burn...(like what i am goin through now..)ppl there are friendly...they always have their palms together before and after a conversation be it asking for directions or even during a tour..think its their way of showing that they come and go in peace...really cannot judge a country by its political situation...before the trip i was like must be on my guard 24/7..must be vigilant always..but it was a surprise lar..well the occasional pulling of customers for tuk tuk rides or even eating at their restaurant is very normal lar..can be aggressive at times but its part of their job lar..heres a summary of my 4D3N in Phuket...

Day 1
Took an afternoon flight with TigerAirways and reached there in the evening...it was a 1h25min flight..upon reaching...met up with my arranged transport to the hotel which was a van meant to carry 9 ppl with only 4 of us..haha...it was roughly a 40 min ride...reached our hotel...Patong Green Mountain Hotel..as the name suggest..it was up on a hill...checked in and looked for a dinner spot...found this nice little place just near our hotel..cheap seafood..in the end paid S$10 for like fish..sotong..veggie..desert..and many more..headed back to our hotel as we decided to leave the exploring to daytime..
Day 2
Had breakfast at the hotel..nice american breakfast..started to plan for our days activities..most of the tours are like for the entire day..since we woke up quite late all these were ruled out...in the end we picked a speed boat ride for some sight seeing of the smaller islands nearby..the boat was also able to do rapid 360 degree turns and sudden brakes all to get us wet..went back to the hotel..washed up and decided to head to Patong beach..went for a little shopping..thai massage and another seafood dinner..were aggressively approached by many owners to eat at their place as their restaurants so happened to be next to each other...picked one after dunno how many U-turns and discussions..turned out ok...not say very cheap lar..reasonable only..decided to walk back to the hotel as it was supposedly 1km away..but obviously it felt more than 1km...eventually found our way back..had cup noodles together for supper and called it a day..
Day 3
Woke up earlier as we had arranged for a entire day tour of islands further away from Phuket..as usual we were not very prompt with our timing and ended up having less than 5 mins for breakfast...headed out to Phuket Marina for our speed boat ride to several destinations..Maya Beach..Khai Island..and Monkey Beach..these three were also known as Phi Phi..very popular tour package amongst tourist and each time we reached each destination..it was always very crowded...they served drinks...fruits and cakes on the boat...provided snorkeling material..package included a buffet lunch..and transport to and fro..
went back to the hotel to wash up..and headed out for dinner..decided to try some of the smaller road side stalls...in the end we picked one..selling seafood again...cheaper this time round..big portions..fresh seafood..we also bought smaller items like phuket style fried noodles and soya bean milk...their soya bean is slightly different..have more additional ingredients tat we can add...headed back to the hotel..tuk tuk this time as we gave up walking after finding out the real distance...decided to go midnight swimming as all of us were pretty sunburned form the day island tour package...wad was supposed to be a relaxing dip in the pool turned out to be playing monkey frisbee and the "see who can hold their breath the longest" competition..which Mayteng won..she has lungs of a whale..(Whales got lungs anot ah..??hmmm..)
Day 4
Last day of our stay...woke up later as the previous day was quite tiring..decided to go shopping again..shopped for 5 hrs before heading back to the hotel to pick up our baggage and headed for the airport..had BK at the airport for dinner..spent our last remaining money there..in the end shared one cheeseburger..large fries..and two milkshakes between the four of us..reached singpore at close to 11pm..to our horror both charmaine's and mengyan's baggage were opened..both missing some things...made a report...had our dinner and headed home..

so this is roughly how our trip went...all 4 of us felt that 4D3N was not enough...needed more days to do more activities...spent S$400 including hotel, air tickets, shopping and food...not very ex if u ask me lar..can definately spend 1 week there spending about S$1K...have a very good impression about Thailand..their ppl..their food..and of all their scenery...find out more about my trip by checking my facebook pictures and the videos above...

P.S. I know I am fat...but i dun really care..haha..

my 23rd bday...

2009-02-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

its FINALLY MY DAY AGAIN...haha...at least it was about 15 mins ago...past few days and hrs were spent preparing all the food..squeezing out every single penny from my bank account to buy exotic food for the bbq...and it was all worth it...yes it rained halfway through the bbq but it was still fun lar..ultimately it was the fellowship of everyone tat was the most important thing...
when the bbq started i was thankful for alot of things..first..the weather as it did not rain at the start..next is tat i dun have to go upstairs to celebrate with my relative with my big bday cake all all that bdae song singing...i dun really like being the center of attention lar...but things always have a way of working towards scenarios which u hate...which eventually happened lar..it rained halfway...so we decided to all go up...fry the chicken wings which some ppl play Wii...we had a good time mingling around..eating..while mark decided to chat with my mum...not tats its his choice or fault lar..just tat he came late due to his exams and everyone has eaten...so it was him and my mum...no one could really help to bail him out lar..cause all were scared to be sucked into the situation...haha..no lar...just kidding...
eventually all left and went well...its been a memorable 23rd bday..first cause of the rain...next just cause of the number of ppl who celebrated the day with me...its the first time compared to previous years where i kept it to a few ppl onli lar..seriously wanna thank gillian for helping me with the organization...for those who helped with bbqing the food like mingjie..and also gabriel for helping with the fire..think he lost a few pounds during tat exercise..haha...also for everyone for helping shift stuff during the rain..and just for coming to celebrate the day with me...
now i shall pass the baton to jacintha and joanna who are gonna celebrate the their bdays today...HAPPY BIRTHDAY..!!!

a day of find out truths...

2009-02-25T07:29:00.000-08:00

today has been a day of finding out about truths...as in finding out about stuff lar..not exactly truths...truth is too serious a word...anyway...finally finished submitting all the relevant documents i needa send...found out tat first i belong to another category...instead of b for poly holders i am now cat e..for previous students of NTU...plus the results date for my application is behind tat of those cat b ppl..which leads me to believe tat i will only be considered after fresh poly grads which would reduce my changes of getting a place..not tat i dun think its fair...its fair lar...just tat its not looking good for me tats all...secondly my portfolio for the design sch course was wrong..as in i did wrongly lar...when charmaine broke to me the details...i was blur at first...din know wad she was talking about..then she sent me a webbie of a page tat i have not seen before...about the portfolio requirements and everything..tats when i found out i did wrongly...well...wads done is done...nothing i can really do about it...
today also found out my wrist is injured...well...not just today lar..past few days was slight onli..today was worst...(maybe cause i went bowling this morning...hmmm) slight concern for it...cause my physical test for NIE is coming up like next week..needa do some activities like badminton...some ball passing game...and also other movements tat require wrist movements lar...but i am sure with ample rest...shd recover in time lar...but hor..this fri got badminton...somemore mingjie wanna qie me...cannot say no mah..later he say i scared...haha..see how it goes tml lar...if its better i may go for badminton on fri...
went for a run just now...din expect much cause haven run for some time already...manage to run for 30mins...weather was good also...but feel the ache in my legs already..tml surely will be worst...
also found out tat when driving...it is better to wear shoes with thinner soles so tat u can feel the clutch and the biting point better...actually din find tat out today lar..found tat out on tues when i changed shoes...could feel the clutch better...not tat i have been stalling the past few lessons wadsoever..haha...
anyway...posted a video at the top...its a comedy lar..very funny stuff..they make stuff up as they go along..plus its about something tat i like which is bowling..so...decided to post it up...there are many more clips on youtube..check them out with u have time lar...
kk..tats all for now..will update again on the bbq this sat..haha

too late for valentines..??

2009-02-23T05:45:00.000-08:00

came across this funny video..for those who were late for valentines...well..dun do it again...

so many updates...

2009-02-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

ok...back for another update since i haven updated for quite some time...so gonna make it quick before i go to slp...and in order to do tat..gonna categorize my entry today...so keep it short...sweet..and precise...

University Admission
ok uni admission just open not long ago...things different are tat i belong to catergory E now instead of B..cause i was an ex student of NTU before..plus i used up one month of my tuition grant so i have to sorta like pay for one semester's school fees lar...as usual got 5 choices which i used in the following order..BA SCn(EDU)..Sports Science and Management..BA(ARTS)...Product Design(ADM)...and Psychology...well..last choice was i anyhow one lar..cause could not find anything i liked..haha...better than wasting the choice i feel...so yup...also filled up the NIE online application and sent it to them...will know if i am successful in like 2-3 weeks time...other than tat...still have to send my academic transcripts and my portfolio which i will do next week...

Driving
well...driving has been good so far...next test will be the real practical test le..but not so fast lar..sch standard have to like clear 20+ lessons before u take the test...which by then u shd be quite well prepared already...now the lessons are like getting harder lar..so have to be super sensitive in the next few lessons lar...

Bowling
well...been self training for the past 2 weeks with my new ball and technique...quite hard to master but enjoyable lar...best is not to play too many games at one go...but when i play i always feel the urge to continue to practice again and prefect the method even if u are really tired already..cause my ball is quite heavy..too heavy according to my weight lar...but afew games and its still ok...its onli after like 4-5 games tat the ball starts to go a little off..cause no strength liao..haha...

Gym
did not go gym for the whole of last week..super lazy lar...plus the gym is always filled with ppl...hard to use the equipment also lar...all i need is to get a run in lar..need to keep the stamina up...at least i am playing badminton every week...so the run kinda comes frm there...plus the next day frm badminton legs always sore...so guess its a good workout lar..

Badmintion Racket
well..been considering whether to buy a new racket for quite some time...cause my own one quite old liao..the frame abit bent...plus the strings are showing wear and tear signs and like gonna break liao...but i have decided not too lar..cause low on cash lately...plus i feel its a want more than a need...so shall use my old one first..if the strings snap most likely will just change the strings lar...

Knees
my knees have been hurting as of late....will kinda ache after walking for some time..sometimes when i go bowling will have the pain also..especially for my left knee...well...kinda like an on and off problem lar..just tat this week it has been happening more often...well...guess i have joints of a 60 yr old..haha...

andrew's op on the 16th
andrew is gonna to have an op this coming monday...think its plastic surgery lar...please pray for the surgeons who are gonna operate on him and ultimately safety lar...tat everything will go smoothly and God's protection be upon him...

Valkrie the Movie
just watched the movie a few hrs ago...must say its ok..despite it being like a historic kinda show...it had a sad ending...but it reminded me tat not all the soldiers serving under hitler than were all bad...some knew right frm wrong and were brave enough to stand up for it...but ultimately they paid the price for it as well..really a good movie i would say...shd catch it...

okok...tats enough updates i guess...shall go to slp now or else cannot wake up for main tml...

one step closer...

2009-02-04T06:42:00.000-08:00

today...i walk one step closer towards getting my license cause...I PASSED MY FTT...haha..yeap...went for my FTT today and nailed it...i had to take a second look at the results lor cause i could not believe it...there were some tricky questions tat i was not very sure about..but guess i was right about them lar...ok..next step..the PRACTICAL TEST...!! but still quite long lar...so far taken less than 10 lessons...need like 20+..but slowly reaching there lar...tml got one more driving lesson...argh...
on the way back to tampines...i saw a celebrity...i saw Jade Seah...well..at least i think it was her...she was wearing sunglasses so i cannot confirm...but her figure and face structure about there lar..so like 90% confirm lor...plus she like so secretive...plus another 5%..haha...heard she lives around bedok area...so plus another 4%..haha..so total...99% SURE ITS HER...haha...she was with a guy lar..some jap looking person...dunno whether its her bf though...i was looking at the ppl she walk pass whether they would turn their heads...but none did lei..maybe her sunglasses too big liao...haha
several things happen this week also...went for a little retail therapy.. bought my bowling shoes...strap for my badmintion racket..(decided to buy a new one when i got more money..hehe)..bought a new psp charger...updated the firmware...hmm...yar tats about it lar...oh..also went to collect my bowling ball...had it redrilled to fit my fingers...(cause my uncle gave it to me..) now onli thing it to try it lar..but everytime wanna try like so many bowlers bowling...somemore first time trying new stuff sure super paiseh one...especially when there are pros around...thought of goin friday morning when like the bowling alley just open..haha...
ok as i continue to soak in the happiness from PASSING MY FTT...my attention now shifts to my studies..applications are now open...kinda like sizing up my options..first choice would be NIE teaching..the rest not very sure...i have to enter something just in case i dun get my first choice...so will be looking to fill those options lar...will post updates once i get the confirmed list...

P.S. I have since stopped playing pet society and moved on to maplestory..i am still considering whether to set up a bidding system where ppl can bid for the furniture in my pet society house..haha

many many updates..

2009-01-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

alot of things happened from before CNY all the way through the 2 days of CNY..heres a day by day update on the following happenings...

24th Jan
went to the supermarket to get some food stuff for CNY reunion dinner for band 2...instead of doin the traditional "lou hei", decide to do a salad instead..tat way can toss the food just like the traditional "lou hei"...the supermarket was super packed filled with last min shoppers...in the end got the ingredients in my shopping list within the hour and headed for another place to buy something else...which is....(drum roll)..a brand new Wii CONSOLE...!!!....haha...yes..i have been around for the price to see which place offers the best deal..and when i saw the price at simei..it was the lowest around and i knew it was hard to find another place which could compare tat price...so in the end i got the console..an extra controller...plus a game...all for $600...gonna spilt with my 2 brothers so tat i dun feel the pinch..hehe...so as usual...when u first play Wii u create ur own character...i wanted to create a character which looks like me...(just like charmaine's)..so i did and here is how it looks...

haha..alot of my relatives say it looks like me...especially the spiky hair..haha...so yeah..been having fun with it for the past few days...looking for nice games since then lar...anyway..went for rehearsal after tat..it was a good time of getting to know the new comers and guiding them lar...must say i am surprised at perlyna's voice..its very unique..we all know tat she has a rather low voice but when she sings...its very nice...wait till u guys hear it for urself...

25th Jan
went for main service and then youth..had kfc for lunch and played Taboo with Isabel..Charmaine..Jeanna..Jessie..Zing..at A COFFEE SHOP...partly because the coffee shop was closing for reunion dinner lar..so the place was rather quiet and empty..it was very fun..Isabel is the "Queen of Taboo"...(hmm..tat does not sound very nice hor..??)...anyway after tat went home for reunion...had a big reunion this year..relatives from my mother's side came and we had steamboat with lots of food..

26th Jan
First day of CNY...i was awakened by a very loud chirping sound..i knew there was a bird nearby but just could not determine where it was cause i did not have my glasses on..i looked far but could not see it.. and then i saw it..it was just about 60cm away from me standing on my table top..i immediately put on my glasses and tried to go near it..then it flew to the window grill and stood there for very long..very much aware of the curiosity of my brother and myself..my brother went to get rice to try to feed the bird..(din know were he got the idea of brids eating uncooked rice from..)..obviously e bird did not want it..i was smarter..went to get a banana..the bird tasted it..and turned away..haha..i knew i had to take a picture..it was a very brave brid with no fear of us at all..in fact it looked like someone's pet parrot or something...

only started visitation in the afternoon...as per usual..went to visit my grandmother(father's side)...this time round was a little diff..cause my grandmother's suffering from "dementia"..nomally she would have tons of words of wisdom for us..this time round it was just sitting in the wheelchair and just staring into blank space..calling the maid from time to time for water...she was glad to see us..think she remembers my brothers lar...but how long will she remember i dunno...heard from the maid she sleeps most of the time...waking up just for meals and the occasional walk...it really gets u thinking whether u will end up like tat in future...later on went to visit my other grandmother...tats where i got most of my red packets as of every year...saw many relatives tat i get to see onli once every year...left early to meet zing..lesmong..charmane..isabel..esther at Safra for a few games of pool..had a fun time where the cue ball was presented to isabel for the "SHOT OF THE EVENING"...unfortunately i dun have the photo..think charmaine has it...after tat went bowling and the pictures below shows the results...

for your information i am also known as "Longkang King"..haha..had alot of fun bowling...now i must say this cause this is the like the highlight of the bowling session...focus ur attention on the second picture...isabel's first frame...SHE GOT A STRIKE..!!!(not said in a sarcastic manner)...she is constantly hitting the targets she set..so must say not bad lar ah..although there are other highlights as well such as longkang king's score in the first picture...ok onli lar i feel..haha...after tat had supper at a coffeshop near esther's house..sent her home then walked out separate ways to WALK home...haha...

27th Jan
woke up at 12 cause of the late night..haha..stayed at home...had a few aunties visit..in the evening suppose to go a relative's bbq but i din go..cause had a movie appointment with charmaine..QC..jacinta and gillian..watched "The Wedding Game"..its quite good lar...i heard ppl saying tat the movie is not good..saw the trailer and thought so myself..but when i watched it was entirely different..cause the setting of the movie is quite light hearted...so when there are comedy scenes u are able to laugh more naturally...(for gals who wanna watch christopher lee semi-nude is a must to watch..haha)...after tat went home liao...cause think everyone is tired lar...

so must say the new year these 2 days are not entirely routine or boring lar..yes there is routine of goin to the same places in the same sequence at the same timings every year..but u never know when u gonna meet frens for some fun so tats the good part...well...hope theres more to come since new year last for like er..15 days...haha..oh..if anyone is opening up his/her house for visitng please drop a msg in the tagboard..haha..

another driving update..

2009-01-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

having fun at downtown east bowling..

me trying to hook the ball..er..sort of..hehe

hope u guys enjoyed the video clips..taken using charmines phone when we were bowling on sunday night after an "intensive" round of studying...guess by the laugher u would know tat charmaine was there..haha..QC and zing were there too...of course zing and myself were trying something a little different...u see sport channels as well as on tv when pro bowlers throw a ball...it sort of curls and of course there are a lot of strikes...well we were trying tat as well...zing had a strike..whereas me...well..i went for the spectacular..still it was lots of fun...
had my 3rd driving lesson yesterdae...if u read my last post..u wun know tat i had a very kan chiong instructor the previous time...on the way to the driving center..i was thinking to myself.."what if i kena the same instructor again...nah..cannot be lar..so many instructors wun kena same one lar.." as i walked up to the board to check my instructor..IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE SAME ONE AGAIN...but the lesson was ok lar..he was not as kan chiong already..(personally cause i think i improved alot..haha) also it was my first time on the road...it was an enjoyable experience actually...filled with many ppl overtaking and horning at u...haha...as well as occasionally a bad driver trying to turn without checking...
played badminton with jessie..gary..jeremiah..jenna...charmaine and isabel...i was looking forward to it...cause as u all..i have this like physical test with NIE cause i enrolling to become a PE teacher..and one of the items is actually a game of badminton..just to see ur movement and everything lar..so to me this was a chance to see where i was lar..i think it went well lar..in terms of the movement and everything...next step would be to know the actual rules of the game as in which side to serve and everything..(badminton can be a really tiring game when u play it seriously)..
been goin to the gym also..just to keep fit and work out...also the exhaustion is getting to me..running 3.5km everytime i go to the gym( which is like 2 times a week)...plus machines and weights...today had badminton...was thinking of goin gym tml also..but i am seriously considering taking a break...tml got driving again...if kena the same instructor..well..i dun mind lar..think he is quite ok...quite safe with him around..haha..
went to collect my new pair of specs as well...my old pair was like since poly days...so had to chance a new pair...degree still no change onli as-tic increased..still trying to get used to the new specs though...kinda giving me a headache but tats the way with new glasses...shd be ok within the next few days...
kk..think i shall go watch another episode of battlestar galactica and head to bed...

P.S. Really looking forward to rehearsal on saturday...

quick update..

2009-01-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

back for another quick update...i say quick cause its already 1am..i haven done my cell material and i plan to go main tml...haha..
anyway..tot tat today(saturday) was gonna be a super boring sat for me...had no plans wadsoever the day before..asked ppl i know whether they were free and all had plans...all except me...just when i tot i was gonna be stuck at home the whole day...lesmong came to my rescue..he invited me to his house to "study" and catch a movie after tat have dinner..
i say "study" cause i din expect them to study lar...them meaning furong..caleb..ruth and lesmong...when u hear this group more the likely they will play afool rather than study...when i was there...it was better than i expected lar..other than furong lying on the bed and lesmond at the com..the rest were studying...wad about me..?? well i also got study...my driving theory lor..haha..(tats the onli thing i can study now...)
after studying...watched a movie called "kite runner" when i first heard of it..i immediately tot of a small ball running with a kite and when he grew up..had fond memories of his childhood and started to run with a kite again...nothing much of a plot lar..but the actual movie was very different..very touching...its about 2 afgan boys..how when they were young..the lives they went through..all the way till they grew up..whether of not it was based on a true story i dunno...but it sets u thinking on the lives of children in middle eastern countries...whether the lives of those children are actually wad u see in dramas and films...i definately encourage ppl to watch tat movie...very touching..
we ordered macdelivery for dinner and went home after tat..well..not a day wasted after all...
wad is the first thing u think of when i say SATURDAY NIGHT..some will say clubbing..others will say chilling...but i say...SOCCER NIGHT...haha...yeah..it was an important night...as a MANCHESTER UNITED FAN...it was important as a win would mean they would top the table...and as usual..THEY WON..haha..not in convincing fashion but a win is a win...haha..chelsea had a great comeback...(wad s sigh of relieve for scolari..) and man city won...(tat may change kaka's mind tat man city ain't tat bad after all and may leave ac milan...haha)
so to sum up...great studying...great ppl..great dinner...FANTASTIC FOOTBALL...so...its a great day...haha..ok...15mins for posting this blog..45 mins for cell material and i am off to bed...chaoz...

2nd Driving Lesson...

2009-01-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

back for another update...wad else but my 2nd DRIVING LESSON..haha...todays lesson was quite intense...was driving all the way from start till end..not like the first lesson where alot of explanation was done...today's instructor not as good also...he's those kind tat MAY make ppl kan chiong one...talks quite fast then always hold e steering wheel..very hard for me to figure out on my own..but cannot blame him lar..my safety is his concern..haha
so today...started where i left off..correcting my hand steering problem as well as the 2nd gear thingy...i must say i really improved alot...well..after this theres all the turning...when to start turning...how much to turn..when to turn back..signaling...looking out for traffic...really so many things to do..now i understand why its so hard to pass the test...oh...talking about test...saw a dirver taking his test today...when he was about to drive pass a junction think he din see a car on his left..the tester jam brake for him..could hear the tires sounds...well..dun have to know also can guess wad the outcome of the test lar..haha...feel sad for him also lar..think it was the last part of the test already..somemore is a leaner which screw it up..haha..
anyway...tml another free day for me...tot of goin to the gym..was suppose to go today..but i forgot all about it...was suppose to meet zing and lesmong..luckily it was close cause apparently they had some dinner and dance thing...but still i forgot..was at home watching dvd..haha..so think shall go tml...also catch up on my driving theory...test in feb and i haven started on my FTT yet..revising on my BTT all this while..wanna watch transporter 3 also..looking for ppl to watch together..tot of asking my uncle for another weekend bowling session...so many things i wanna do...haha...but unlike others..i have time..so no rush..hehe..

driving is fun..haha

2009-01-13T08:22:00.001-08:00

kk..although its like past midnight already..still wanna blog about wad happened yesterdae...cause...I HAD MY FIRST DRIVING LESSON...haha..initially was super nervous..reached the driving center like 45 mins early cause i scared i would be late....while waiting i studied for my FTT which is coming up...still i was feeling nervous...so i said a little prayer...i prayed for safety..and an understanding instructor...haha..when the instructor saw tat i was a new student..first thing he asked me was.."you mei you jia kuo ce?"(have u drove a car before?)...of course i said no lar..then he asked me another question..."you mei you tou jia kuo?"(have u secretly driven before without a license?) i answered no again...haha..during the lesson when he was introducing the accelerator to me, he asked me to press the throttle till 2000rpm...i did as i was told...then he asked me the exact same questions again...cause apparently all his other students always step more than 2000rpm on the first lesson...haha...so he tot tat i had control over the throttle and commended me on tat...haha..first lesson and got commended already..not bad right...(if isabel were reading this...she would be thinking..."so familiar"..haha..cause apparently her instructor said she was talented as well)..anyway..as the lesson went on...started to drive...basic turning and also changing to gear 2...i managed to change but is the accelerating after tat i have a prob...well will work on tat next lesson which is...er...TML....haha...looking forward to it...
well..at night met lesmong and zing for gym...it was so crowed...luckily i went slightly earlier when there were lesser ppl...if not sure cannot get the threadmill one...haha..went to subway for dinner after tat...(have to healthy lifestyle...cannot expect us to eat macdonalds after tat rite...)
so far yesterday was a great day except for one thing...my haircut...NOW I LOOK LIKE A GANGSTER...PERIOD...decided to get a haircut...went to the usual place...to get the usual haircut...gave the same instructions as before...onli the outcome was different...just wanna tell all of u out there tat i am NOT trying to be a gangster...just a haircut gone wrong...hopefully it will be ok before chinese new year..my hair grows pretty fast...so shd be able to grow back by then...(imagine side super shot then the rest medium length...GANGSTER RITE...!!!)
ok..tats all tat happened yesterday..just tot of blogging it cause it was such a good day other than the haircut...haha...

SERVE's over..wads next...

2009-01-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

back for another update...spent last week helping with the SERVE program in terms of games...at first dun really know wad SERVE is all about but after some introduction by Gab and seeing it with my own eyes...SERVE speaks for itself..lectures are conducted..u have fellowship with ppl from other churches..also at the end u get attached to different places to practice what u have learnt...definately something i would recommend to ppl who just finish O levels...A levels...Waiting for NS...(if ur're older...hmm..also can join lar..if u dun mind mingling with the younger ones..)(to set the record straight...tats not the reason why i din join SERVE...) other than tat...went to enroll for my driving...taking sch and having my first lesson tml...(nervous..dunno wad to expect)..since then my days are spent studying for my FTT...going to the gym..(cause lets face it..i am getting outta shape..)..staying at home playing games..watching DVDs at home..
now tat i have finshed my "job" at SERVE..really nothing much to do liao....wads left now is just goin for driving lessons...getting back in shape cause i plan to be a PE teacher and i have a sort of like physical test at NIE in march...so needa get back in shape fast...other than tat nothing much...planning to find a part time job also...but i am kinda picky in tat area..so always pass on many potential opportunities...
was talking to isabel online just now...(i dunno wads the delay..just wanna tell her my grave has already been dug and i am waiting..haha)...apparently she was with charmine as she was doin her FYP...i dun remember my FYP being so stressed...remembered my days spent with my "ROBOT"..think its the fundamental difference between engineering and design lar..i guess design really have to depend on moments of inspiration...so it tat runs dry..stress comes in...haha..JIA YOU charmaine..just one more month to go...
today is also the day O level results are released...my bro went to collect his results...L1R5 18pts...which is not bad...average i would say...the thing is my mum was sharing with my brother..she said something like.."wah...18 pts...not very good lei..." it immediately hit me...(cause i got 21 pts)..after tat she did something...she came up to me...and asked me.."boy ah..how many pts u got last time ah..." i didn't answer her...she then answered her own question.."i think he got 21 pts..." and walked away... when she walked away..i was like...PPPFFFFFTTTTTT...(if u dunno wad tat means..ask rebecca...haha)...she always have a habit of asking questions..(which are 80% of the time plain dumb...) and then answering them 30 seconds later...
kk...enough of my mum....think i shall go and watch another episode of Battlestar Galactica..(since heroes 4 is not out yet..haha)

reflections on 08 and resolutions of 09

2009-01-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

guess its a little too late for this post but its gonna be the second day of the new year already...if i dun post now..nvr will get a chance to post again...
2008 has been a year of many significant milestones...filled with ups and downs...finished my national service in august...while ppl were celebrating their ORD date as if they kena release from prison...it was a different story for me...it felt like just any oridinary day...in fact i was nervous...not because i haven seen my pink ic for 2 yrs but cause of the next step in life..i had no rest time and was put back to studying in university...
university life was rough..i ate study...slept study and walked study...just to make up for the fact tat i picked up things a little slower than others...but slowly as the weeks passed..it was taking a toll on both physically and mentally...i had no break...before i could finish grasping the gist of a topic, another topic was thrown at me...it was the first thing in life tat i could not comprehend..i tried to fight on...but one final day..i broke down and decided to give it all up...
suddenly i had alot of free time on my hand..i dunno wad to do..first thing on my mind was to get a part time job to earn some pocket money..second was to complete my driving which i had dragged from before my national service...slowly word tat i had lots of free time spread to ppl from CCR and they asked if i could help out with activities such as "My Hope" and the Youth Camp..
I helped out in both..singing for a song item for "My Hope" and being in the sub-comm as well as a grp leader for Youth Camp..Youth Camp in particular was tiring for me..but i learnt alot especially wad it means to serve others...slowly Christmas arrived and before i knew it...it was already 2009..
so many things happened in such a short time...time flew really quickly..amidst all the activities there was onli one question on my mind...wad is gonna become of me...wad am i gonna do...continue studying..?? work..?? i worried for my future...cause for once in my life...there was a bump on the road...i asked God constantly wad he had for me in my life...i asked myself wad i wanted in life as well...it does not matter to me if i dun have a nice house or nice car or credit cards or cash..so long as i have a roof above my head..clothes to wear..food to eat...even if i dun earn alot..so long as i am able to get by...i am happy already..
2009 is a year where i will be entering unchartered territory...cause of the fact tat nothing is secure..i am entering blind...all i can do now is to have faith in God...believe that he has a plan for me and no matter what plan tat is..it will be able to path the way for the basic yet happy future that i am longing for...it is also a year where i have many plans lined up...first is for myself to be baptized..second to invite my mother and brother to church...all these are big plans...but as Pastor Andrew said during Watch Night Service...it a year for harvest and i am really looking forward to a fruitful harvest..
2008 ended with me serving more actively in CCR...and the start of 2009 will be no different...i have been given a task to plan games together with rebecca for the upcoming Serve Program...its another opportunity to serve God...an opportunity tat i am really looking forward to...
to those who are uncertain about the future..i ask for u to have faith in God and his plans...may all have a wonderful and blessed year ahead...

Great Helium..Haha

2008-12-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

Videos were taken using charmaine's phone after "My Hope"...second time trying helium...but this time i took it to the next level...at one point i inhaled half of the balloon's helium at one go...and i was feeling a little floaty and light..haha...anyway...enjoy the videos...although most of the time u wun hear my helium voice but charmaine's laughter...haha

Photos of Youth Camp 08...

2008-12-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

just came back from "My Hope"..super tired...event went well...the turnout was great..and the atmosphere was even more fantastic... the atmosphere really helped with out song item...think everyone did a great job...

after tat a group of us tired the helium in the balloons...it was great helium man...haha..i was the most successful trying the helium..will uploads the photos and video from "My Hope" when i get them...but right now..its time to crash...meanwhile enjoy the youth camp photos...ZZzzZzz

(Note: there are many photos taken during youth camp..but since its my blog my photos have exclusive rights..haha)

peak period...

2008-12-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

its the season to be busy..fwahlalalalala...yeap...its like the great singapore sale of CCR where things are happen almost simultaneously...just events piling up back to back...

first we had the planning of the youth camp...which i must say was a great success...after youth camp got the my hope preparations...then we have thanksgiving dinner...which i am not involved so good time for me to take a break...but others are still working hard so i will try my best to help out lar...(i got a feeling tat ppl will start asking me to help out after this post...haha)...

time has been passing really quickly this month...maybe because there are so many things happening...but i think mainly its because of the company tat u dun even notice u are tired or tat time is flying by..which reminds me...i haven finish writing my Christmas cards and Christmas is like next week...see see...so busy..haha..

well..been playing a game recently...introduced by charmaine...(think she regrets it now...) the game is called pet society...its like an app on facebook...i said tat i would catch up with her score...and within 1 week i almost there liao...haha..so she kinda taken aback lar...haha..i am those competitive kinda ya know..i will nvr rest till the job is done...muahaha....

kk lar..think i shd go rest for the day..tml will be out the whole day again...haha..

Youth Camp was Fantastic...

2008-12-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

Back from youth camp already...actually was back yesterday...but slept all the way till this morning...the weather was too good lar...cannot let it go to waste...haha..

This camp was somewhat different from the previous euphoria camp that i had attended...i had added responsibility...on top of the grp leader responsibilities i was also in the camp comm..so more work to be done lar...

i still remember the night before the actual camp...the camp comm had gathered to pray for the camp as well as learn the mass dance...i remember walking out halfway through the mass dance cause i could not remember all the steps...i was worried tat if i could not learn the dance..how could i teach it to my grp members..i went down to the canteen and stoned for a little while...also to settle down my emotions..then i told myself to start afresh the next day when the campers will learn the dance together from the start..throughout the camp...the campers constantly refreshed themselves on the different steps of the dance...i myself tried to remember...and eventually at the last day of the camp when we had to do the mass dance at the main service..i managed to do it...and i only have God to thank...

the camp was fantastic for me..although at the end of everyday where i would become so tired like zombie liddat...i still had fun and learnt valuable lessons that God had to teach me...i felt convicted to change for the better...i was struggling with certain things before the camp...and God addressed them all...showed me how to tackle my problems...the power of prayer..and most importantly that he will be with me every step of the way...if i could use a word to describe it all...it was LOVE....and i realized that it the most evident word in the mass dance song..its amazing how all these things come together...

this is the best camp i have gone to so far...beats all the other sch camps...and even euphoria (no disrespect to Zing..he did a great job for tat camp..haha...euphoria would come in second place..)realli looking forward to the next camp...

well....now tat camp is over...suffering from post camp syndrome liao...haha...still got some upcoming events like My Hope...the prayer and praise session...ThanksGiving dinner and of course Christmas...wah...December is really the peak period man...so many things..haha..but its really exciting lar...the expectation of feeling God's presence just makes all the busiest go away..haha..

P.S. If u guys haven noticed..it started raining after camp all the way till the next morning..praise God for keeping the rain from us at camp...

an all new beginning...

2008-12-08T17:35:00.001-08:00

u guys must be wondering how come suddenly change blog webbie...well...a few things lar...first..cause my old blog (shinkie.blogspot.com) was using my yahoo email...then very long nvr log in liao...so nvr really like verify so think one day they just deleted it...and i could not log in...second...its gonna be the start to the new year and i wanna starts things afresh...so if u could ppl..please change my blog add to this one (if u linked my blog to yours)...

well...as usual..just a few updates...

6/12

played soccer in the morning..it was the first soccer in months and i haven ran for like donkey years already..so decided to go run a little...quite a good session...of course everyone tired easily lar..including me..so long nvr play liao wad ur expect..haha..but overall it was good..considering i scored 4 goals...haha..after tat went home and started drawing animal facemask for the coming youth camp...then it was off to the bowling center at safra tamp for some bowling...my uncle is super pro lar..give me 40 pts i still lose him..but i am determined to train and better myself...so if u guys wanna play bowling can always call me..haha...then at night it was down to bedok 85 for my dinner...had stingray..lala...sotong..otah...satay...indian rojak..super satisfying...haha..

7/12

went to church for cell...played saboteur..super fun..consider getting tat game...after tat was super busy..meetings back to back..then at night was slack lor...stayed in the canteen with jessie..isabelle..charmaine..desmond..rebecca...started to cut out the facemask and attach the elastic bands...after tat went east coast for dinner..to eat exactly the same things i ate the night before...order a big coconut to cool my system..if not sure nose bleed sia...after tat we roamed around cause cannot think of any place to go...in the end went to jessie house to watch tv and play Wii...its amazing wad tv with cable can do...it just gives another dimension to tv...haha..

8/12

its a public holiday...went bugis to catch bolt with des..rebecca and angel...super funny...everywhere was very crowded lar..after tat went home..relatives at my place...mingle around....went to stain my maps for youth camp..turned out all rite i guess...but super time consuming...unless u got lots of time on ur hands...dun try to stain papers and make them look old...took me hours...

9/12

tats today..haa..later goin church to help out with youth camp stuff...finish my animal mask...finish my maps...double check on the games...then evening got rehearsal for my hope...today is super packed as well...

well...tats just about the things tat happen in my life during the past week...seems really busy but i enjoy it lar...a good way to end the year 2008..haha..

P.S. i am a little scared of coffee now..cause i use coffee to stain my maps...whenever i smell coffee my face will turn green...haha