Leroy's Secret War Journals

Secret War Journal [23 August 2009]

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Wa...I sort of predict this is going to be a long post.. Brace yourselves! ;)

NCHS Prelims 2 Pt3 [2009]
This will be the final time I will be talking about this, I mean ain't you guys bored of talking the same old topic for the past three posts?!

Since some people are curious about the details, so I will oblige with this picture which will explain on behalf of me. :D

English Oral
Okay, back on track. First things first, my "O" Levels English Language Oral Examination.

One word, Horrible.

Elaborate? I screwed up.

At least I feel I did. LOL. I really hate being the first few students to take the oral Examination(mine was on the very First day, =.=)

Some people said the topic on that day was the easiest so far. I, on the other hand, think not. It's so difficult, so uniquely special that I totally had a shock.

Talk about oral blues...Brr...

Before you start screaming at me for not telling you what the topic was(please don't scream), I will share with you guys. ;)

Topic: Holiday/Shopping

Sounds easy? Think again.

Question 1: Tell me about a far-off place you've been to or a place you want to go.
Question 2: How do you like to shop?

Question one was manageable slight because I sort of overheard the question when I was in the waiting area which in turn allow me time to prepare for this question. Quite a number of us overheard too, talk about flaws of having an oral examination in an enclosed area.

Question two was in every way twisted beyond comprehension. The addition of the word "How" adds depth and bring complications. I got a feeling I did not even answered their question. (Which is probably why I think I screwed up...)

On top of that, our examiners on that day was horrible. Luckily for me, this incident happened after I left the exam hall.

As told by Angeline...[Adapted]

For starter's, we have two examiners who are invigilating us(try to imagine...). On the left was a woman, and on the right a man.
Halfway while Angeline was answering the question, the man dozed off. (Yes, appealing)
Shocked, Angeline stood up and rose her voice, (subtly, of course) so as to 'indirectly' wake the man up. The man, of course, woke up and smiled back to her. (Daring)

From the looks of it, the man sounds indifferent. O.o

Another incident, as told by Christopher and many others [Adapted]

There were rumours about another pair of examiners that day, that one of them muttered a swear word.
And many agreed and witnessed that on one occasion after a student finished his/her oral, the woman(the same) sprinted off. Some said that she was heading for a loo.(reasonable) while others say she couldn't stand it anymore(which is not so reliable)

What angered me was not the fact that the man(the one who slept) dared to sleep but the fact that he did not even made an attempt to stay awake. I don't mind yawning(it helps the brain) because that's hard to contain but sleep? There's so many ways to stay awake. Drinking coffee or tea, for starter's and those WERE provided.

Tsk Tsk...

"O" Levels Chinese Language Results
Wohoo!

Okay, don't get the wrong idea, I did not get A1 or A2 but I'm happy all the same!

I reached my goal! B3!

Wohoo!!

Sadly, my school is forcing me to re-take at the end of this year. (Spoilsport)

Friends' Results:

Christopher Lim -- A2(D)
Christopher Widjaya -- C6
Cynthia -- B3(D)
Donavan -- B3(D)
Demond -- A1(M)
Hai Jin -- A1
Jia Xing -- C6
Jie Sheng -- B4(P)
Jing Ting -- B3(D)
Johnston -- C6(P)
Ker Shiun -- B3
Marcus -- B3(M)
Me -- B3(M)
Pei Si -- A1
Pei Wen -- A1
Sherman -- A1
Siew Yan -- A1
Wei Siang -- B2(M)
Ying Ying -- A1

Yeah, just some random people because I'm lazy to ask the rest.

In case you're wondering, those little letters next to the grades are the Paper 3 grades.
(P) = Pass
(M) = Merit
(D) = Distinction

Note: Paper 3 cannot only be taken once, hence these grades are pretty much permanent and hence so important in your decision in whether you wish to re-take at the end of the year.

Congrats to those who got A1 (which is half of my class!) :D

Checking of SGC
If I'm not wrong, SGC means Singapore Graduation Certificate. This certificate is awarded to you when you graduate from Secondary School. The graduating classes were asked to check for errors, during this week, in the Draft Version of the SGC so that our SGC would be nice and perfect when we officially receive it. :D

Here's how it looks like:

This is the cover page, some information has been removed due to privacy. ;)

The next page would be a blank page, followed by your "O" Levels Result.

Moving on, the following page would be your CCA Achievements and your CCA Grades.

The following picture is also not finalised(Because I'm still aiming for A1! Hahas!)

Finally, this last page will be written by your teachers who assessed you and write a testimonial of your qualities, which may be useful when you want to enter certain schools. ;)

Revisit: Primary One Registration
At the request of my cousin, I'm coming back to this topic for an update!

It has been confirmed not more than 2 days ago that my younger sister is successful in applying for Anchor Green Primary School!

But my family was too overjoyed to miss something - The orientation day, which was 3 days ago...

Yep, so we totally missed it, now the burning question is: Is my younger sister still successful in applying into that primary school? Guess we'll only find out when Monday comes...

Now we need divine intervention.

Overreaction
This hilarious incident happened today!

As told from my dad...[Adapted]

Today, my father dropped my Mother at the MRT Interchange at the dropping area so that my Mother can go to work. As my father wants to leave, he reverses and hit someone's car door.
(as to whether to the car door was already open or not is in doubt)
The driver, whose car was hit, came out and demand compensation from my dad. Thinking that the damage was severe, my father went out to take a look and assess the damage. To his amazement, it was hardly a scratch(if you can even consider that a scratch)
Damage? A tiny speck of paint from MY DAD's car was rubbed on to the other party's WHITE car. Now then, the white car's stained. Sounds serious, huh? My father went to rub on it, and the paint disappeared, or should I say flaked off.

Continuing the tale, the driver was pissed and demanded to claim from my father to have his car fixed(which was pretty much fixed by my father's handing rubbing off the paint...)

Obviously, this was too minor a damage to use insurance claim to repair. Hence, my father offered money as compensation instead and asked how much was the driver needs to fix it(LOL.)

To my father's horror, the driver demanded SGD 50 for the repair. (!!! Day-light Robbery!)
Luckily, my father refused and went off. The driver tailed my father back home(sounds like stalking to me...)

That's when I laughed. I mean, he actually chased my dad for such a trivial thing. LOLS!

When my father left the car, the driver called my dad to stop and give him my dad's IC. The driver said that my father was being ungentlemanly because he hit-and-run and all that stuff.

My father left him to his own devices and returned home.

You know, I got a feeling that the driver was using this opportunity to get money from my dad. With the context of recession now, who knows what people are capable of? But this is a first, demanding $50 for a paint-plating for such a small area. WOW. Just plain wow.

Worse, the driver's car was parked illegally, yet he had the cheek to demand compensation when my father was just dropping my mother for work. (I mean duh, that's a drop-off point?)

LOL. Recession makes people do funny things.

Phew! Long, isn't it? I even cut off some parts of my dad's story to make it shorter! For example, there was a mediator(an old man) who tried to resolve the commotion.

Well, next week would be my Prelims 3. another trial, another period of boredom. Until next week then...

Secret War Journal[16 August 2009]

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Alright! Welcome back! Time really passes when you're busy.(Now, have I said that before? Hmm..)

First up is a event that occurred yesterday...
Extraordinary Lift Encounter!
Yep, it's the lift thingy again. But while the prior encounter touches on spookiness, this encounter is plain cool! (for me, that is)

This time, it involved the lift on the left! Here goes...

I was with my younger sister and I pressed the Lift Button as we're going down for lunch. (As in eating out.)
One lift was on Maintenance. What's surprising is that, it's that lift that came down for us...

I was like, "is this some sick joke"?

Before I jumped into conclusion, I looked at the other lift. It was not moving.

Oh great, why me?

When the lift arrived, I was expecting some lift repair workers inside, but it was empty.

Remember I said it was not spooky? Scratch that.

Nevertheless, I had no other options, we went in.
Obviously, my younger sister looks indifferent, she has no idea what's going on. Now could she?

It was a risk that could well end my life. But it was cool to be in a lift in maintenance, and it's lifting you too!
How cool is that? I mean, not many people ever could experience that.

I'm so proud I experienced that and nothing bad happened to us. ;)

Like I said, plain cool!

Prelims 2 Marks Pt2
Like I promised in the prior post, I'm going to share with you my pathetic results for Prelims 2.

L1R4 -> Same as Prelims 1 L1R5; 11
L1R5 -> 15
Poorest Subject -> Chemistry
Best Subject -> Probably E.Maths
Overall %(For best 7) -> 70%

Okay, on the bright side, the overall percentage wasn't so bad. I don't really want to comment on the results but yeah, in case you're wondering, I'm definitely not the third in class anymore.
I mean, if I get third, that would just mean that my class is really lousy, (which I hope isn't, duh?)

Anyway, it just means that I have to work harder for Prelims 3! Right!

National Day@9 August 2009
National Day for me this year is kind of boring.

But here's a memorable experience: The pledge Moment

And I'm proud to say that my family and I participated in it, even though my younger brother only joined in the middle of pledge.

But it felt so awkward, reciting the pledge at home. I think it's because my family never recited the pledged as one family before. So it felt...so strange.

And I totally missed the aircraft performance. What a pity.

Despite that, we had durians on that day. Mmm! It had been some time since I 'mass eat' durians. :D

Primary One Registration 2009
Next year, my younger Sister would be going to a Primary School to start her first formal education.
Unfortunately, since we're new to Sengkang, the process is rather messed up.

For starter's, we wanted her to enter the Nearest(and the best around here) primary school, which was Nan Chiau Primary School. Sadly, due to overwhelming response, the places were left to luck...through balloting. Obviously, my younger sister did not qualify for a place there.

Next up, we applied for Anchor Green Primary School(never heard of this school until two days ago).
As of yesterday, there were overwhelming applies for that school too. Shocking, yes. It's all left to fate once more, whether my younger sister enters that school will be up to god's will. I have no comments on that matter.

Opps, I ran out of time. But rest assured, next week I'll be talking about my results for "O" Levels Chinese and how my English Oral went. Like always, wish me luck!

P.S: Boy, I'm very nervous about Oral!

Secret War Journal[12 August 2009]

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Before I start this post, here's a (rather late) Message:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE!!!

Yep, it was Singapore's 44th Birthday a few days ago.

Contrary to the the previous post, this post will be very short. I'm rather busy this week so I hope you guys would understand.

I would not be discussing about my Prelims 2 Marks until I get back my report book (or until next week, I got time).
Like I said earlier, it was very disappointing.

Next up, lots of things happened over the week but I may not have the time to discuss them. I'm so sorry.

To be frank with you, I'm just updating with this super brief post so as to let you know that, no, I had not stopped blogging. I just simply lost track of time and you know, forgot to blog on Sunday. :p

Which is why I'm posting this post in the meantime before next Sunday which I believe, I will be writing about happened over last week as well. (Which might mean it will be another long post. Hahas)

Well, finally, next Monday would be my "O" Levels English Oral Examination, followed by the announcement of my "O" Levels Chinese Results on Wednesday.

So, wish me luck! (and for tomorrow's Amaths Test too!) Hahas.

Will update with a more worthy post, sorta promise!

Secret War Journal[31 July 2009]

Friday, July 31, 2009

Another week went by! That was fast.

I foresee that this post will be rather long, so bear with me. ;)
--
Prelims 2 Marks 2009 Part 1
So far, I'm not very happy with my results.

Chemistry -- 59.2 [C5]
Combined.Humans -- 69 [B3]

Not a single A yet! OMG! I fared really badly for these two subjects. I feel so sad. Chemistry, I can understand but combined.humans?

This is like Secondary One all over again. Argh. I need to see As. (Someone help me pray for As for the rest of the subjects. ;)

On the bright side, Mrs Hay said that my Chemistry marks should be rounded up to 60[B4]
Then it won't be so bad.

And I'm in the process of claiming one mark for my Combined Humans. Wish me luck on that. :D

English Paper 2
I got it back and the results weren't as disappointing as the other two aforementioned. I scored 32/50. I was not expecting to get the top position for this Paper 2 for my class(still not confirmed! Hahas)

Anyway, I hope my Paper 1 would be just as good, then my english would have improved way lots! Hahas.

And on top of that, this prelims would be memorable. Wanna know why? Because....

That's right! I wrote some funny answers on the Question Paper. I'm quite proud of it.

Please note, however, that these are not model answers and should not be used as learning aid or for educational purposes. There are simply meant for entertainment. ;)

Elementary & Additional Mathematics Paper 1

E.Maths -- 72+1/80
Add.Maths -- 62/80 (I think, I sort of forgot)

Here's something I think is funny(okay, that was evil of me)

I wanted to claim 2 marks from Mrs.Sim because she marked Cynthia's Answer(which is same as mine) correct but mine wrong. So I went over and it turned out that the answer was wrong(talk about false hope) and I sort of made Cynthia's marks reduced by 2 marks(my bad!)

But I need to thank her on one matter, because she lost two marks, she argued for one mark to be claimed due to method marks. Since she got the one mark, I got it too(Because I had that method too, hahas).

So her marks overall were reduced by one while mine was added one mark. Sounds like she sort of 'transferred' one mark to my paper. Hahas. (okay, should not laugh at people's mishap)

Let me clarify, I'm laughing on the way I got one extra mark. ;)
--
The Day there was Biology
That exams portion took you so long to reach here and guess what? It was just the beginning. (Told you this post would be long ;)

Next up, on Tuesday, my class and some other classes have no school on that day because of the fact that we have no exam papers on that day and hence we decided to go out and relax.

People who went(with me):

Christopher
Jing Ting, Jaytii
Lai Yin
Yan Zhi

This time, we have fewer people. Vanessa was feeling unwell and hence she did not come with us.

Well, it turned out that Vanessa still went out that day, with Bernice and co. She claimed that she recovered overnight(yes, hard to believe) and so can go out. Well, no matter what she claims(whether it was true or not), we have to respect her decision so no hostility there when we spotted her. Hahas.

After that, we went to Bugis for Lunch. Actually, I had lunch before meeting them but I ate all the same. Hahas. Of course, I did not order a full meal set. Just some side orders, which was just some garlic bread.
They decided to dine in "PastaMaina" for some pasta. I must admit, that was my first time dining there and I wasn't very impressed.(Partly because I don't really like pasta)
Nevertheless, they had a great meal and we went off to accompany Lai Yin to buy her musical tool(s), whatever that was.

So, you would be wondering, what's the freaking highlight of this outing? Obviously, our aim was not to wander around in the streets of Orchard. In fact, we haven't even reached out final destination yet. Yan Zhi was still not with us. (Surprised?)

Next Stop: HarbourFront
Yep! Insane as it sounded, I thought it was insane, we're heading towards VivoCity. Yes, the land of HarbourFront, on the opposite side of Sengkang, the great journey from the North to the East to the South. Ahh! We were really insane then. Hahas.
Now, of all places, where VivoCity, and why so far?

The reason lies with Jaytii - She wanted to watch a movie. In 3D(ah, the catch).
As to why this cinema, beats me. I'm pretty sure that isn't the only cinema in Singapore that offers 3D movies...

Oh well, so we go..the movie...:D

Ice Age 3: Dawn of Dinosaurs

Cute little poster, hahas. Basically, the 3D effects were really a let-down. Not much worth noting effects inside which is why I feel that we should had just watched in a normal movie environment. Sigh, I was expecting more...

As for the story, it's rich, funny and fresh. For that, I urge you all to watch this movie(if you hadn't)

P.S: I used my handphone on that day. Ironic, huh?
--
Interview Skills Seminar
On 31 July 2009, our school invited NanYang Polytechnic to host Seminars for our graduating classes. I chose "Interview Skills" Seminar which I found enriching, hence I do not regret going to that class.

Basically, we were offered the following choices:

Business
Roller-Coaster Engineering(something like that)
Interview Skills
Infocomm Technology
Life Sciences
Media and Information Technology

Our class was rather special, majority of us went for Interview skills. The rest of the classes mostly rooted for Business.

Unless I can split myself into many pieces, I did not attend the other 5. So, I can only discuss about the Seminar that I attended.
--
Key Tips in Interview Skills

First Impression lasts
1. It takes 7 seconds to make one.
2. 55% of the time, the outcome is based on your appearance.
Accept Compliments (Don't deny them :o)
Use Good English. (Simple English would suffice)
Use interviewer's name occassionally (For interaction)
Avoid simple answers like "yes" and "no".
Do not lie (It's a big no-no)
Don't be a "know-it-all", it will sound cocky and arrogant.
Never make negative statements about your present or former schools/organisations.

Life Skills touched on

"The world is unfair". This is why first impressions are so important.
Learn to prioritise which is more important and spend more time on it. Do not spend too much things on trivial tasks.
Don't spend too much. Learn to manage finance well.
Overall, family is the most important, not the company. Avoid becoming a workaholic and end up being married to the company instead of your life partner.

Preparing for the Interview

Investigate the target organisation/Do your homework or research.
Study the job description.
Practise answers to typical interview questions.
Expect to explains problems area on your resume.
Build interviewing experience with less important jobs first.

Possible problems area on Resume

Time Gaps. In between your timeline, what did you do? For example, you graduated in 2007 but only got a job in 2009. What were you doing during 2008?
It is not advisable to put in your school grades unless they were superb. Else, it serves no purpose.

Fighting Interview Fears

Video Record a practice session to see how you come across(if you can)
Rehearse your closing statement.
Prepare 110%
Practise More.
Know how to answer the most frequently asked Questions.
Get ready success stories such as your experience as a leader. (If you have Leadership positions). Hence, get such experience by taking up leadership posts.
Take deep breathes to calm down and think. It is useful when you're nervous.
Remember that during some parts of the interview, you will be in charge.
Remember that you are also assessing the interviewer, and his or her organisation. This should give you confidence. (For e.g. assessing their culture)

Sending Positive Message

Never be late
Be courteous
Dress Professionally
Wait for the receptionist to offer you a seat.
A right and firm handshake (skill)
Introduce yourself
Control body movements
Make eye contact but don't get into staring contest
Sound sincere and interested
Smile

--
Your face is the most important tool in non-verbal communication.
--
I did not copy down the Don'ts for the Female and did not copy finish the Don'ts for Male.
--
Don'ts(Male)

Bad Breath
Oily Hair
Short Trousers

Important Areas of Interview

Communication Skills
Attitude
Motivations - Your goals
Potential

Different Interviewer Types

Dominance
- Interviewer of this type are often impatient, direct, short and sharp.
- To counter this, be brief and confident.
Influence
- Interviewer of this type are often chatty which makes you at ease.
- To counter this, remember to smile and tell stories to illustrate your points.
Steadiness
- Interviewer of this type are often Patient
- To counter this, speaker slower so that they can hear you properly and clearly.
Conscientious
- Interviewer of this type are often questioning.
- To counter this, be precise, be serious, and think before answering questions.

Closing the Interview

Stand up and shake hands again.
Ask when you would hear from them.
Thank the interviewer
Take notes of the interview when you reach home.
Write a thank-you letter to the interviewer and that you really like the job (if you're interested in getting the job)

--
With that, I will end this post. It is getting too long and I want to revise for my Chemistry Practical Assessment Tomorrow. Until next time!

Secret War Journal [26 July 2009]

Sunday, July 26, 2009

It's been a long time, how are you guys? I hope life's good because this week hadn't been so good for me. Hahas...

This week had been packed with Examinations and more Examinations. (lols...)

On top of that, this Wednesday, we had "O" Levels Chinese Listening Comprehension. I should have every reason to feel stressed right? Hahas...

"O" Levels Chinese Listening Comprehension
So, I guess let me start on what happened on Wednesday then...

Ironically, on this day, the World witnesses the Longest Solar Eclipse ever occurred. The whole of Singapore missed it, wow.
You would be wondering why the whole of Singapore(, shouldn't it be only the "O" Levels Candidates?). Well, on the Wednesday Morning, which is around 8~9AM, it rained. Well that's partial darkness for us. (Laugh out loud!)
For my class, we never figured when the eclipse occurred so yeah, we lucked out (big time)

But on the bright side, we had no lessons on that day. The School decided to let us relax before going for the Examinations. I heard from some teachers that this is the first time the School did that and they were trying to figure out why the school made this strange move after so many years. My answer to them would be: Who knows? Hahas...

On the not-so-bright side, we got back our Chemistry Paper 1 for Prelims 2.

Boy, the class screwed up. Only one-third of the Class(excluding people who are taking Combined.Sciences) scored above 30 out of 40. Which is disappointing. Even more disappointing is that, I'm not the few who got 30 or above. T.T

I got only 28!!! AHHHH!!!!
(Okay, I know 28/40 is A2 grade but I want A1!!! AHH~!!!)

So yeah, the class got lectured by Mrs Hay. Nice backdrop for day of National Examinations, huh? Guess not.

So I guess I can kiss my Ai-grade for my Chemistry goodbye. Haiz...
--
I have the Question Paper for the Listening Comprehension since they allow candidates to keep it. But I won't be showing it here because of Copyright issue. Duh? Hahas.

Anyway, I feel that the Paper was very difficult. So I'm just hoping that I scored at least 14/20. I would be leaping with joy that I reach that goal.
Hopefully, I do not need to re-take my Chinese at the End of this year. :D

NCHS Prelims 2 Pt2
This week, I took quite a number of examinations:

Elementary Mathematics Paper 1 & 2

Compared to the first Prelims, this paper is much easier and Mrs Sim had mentioned that we did well for Paper 1. Paper 2 was not known because she had not marked finish.

Chemistry Paper 1 & 2

Chemistry Paper 2 was a killer and I thought Chemistry Paper 1 was easier. With my Paper 1 so badly done, I doubt my Paper 2 would be anyway near better...

Additional Mathematics Paper 1 & 2

Same as Prelims One...Paper 1 easier than Paper2. Hope I did not screw it up like the first Prelims...

Physics Paper 1 & 2

Gee, what can I say, the paper should be easy but I think my answers are filled with careless mistakes. So I'm good as dead.

Which leaves one last paper for me to tackle: Geography. My weakest subject, you can say. Oh great. Yeah. I'm proud to say that revision should be half done. :D

But I still think I will screw it up. Best not get hopeful. Haha...

Wish me luck! Because I would really need it.
The Wrong Signboard
Next up, here's a queer thing that happened. ;)

Remember the shop that my family set up? It turns out that a typo occurred at the Signboard. It wrote "Quenna" instead of "Queena"
And guess what, neither my father nor me spotted it. I should have realised it because I was advertising it on Facebook and used the Signboard as the logo in there. And the thumbnail wrote "NN" right in front of me.
I can't believe I did not register the problem! Stupid me!

Well, thankfully, my stepmother spotted it and the problem is dealt with(I think). ;)

Which is why I changed the Logo for the Facebook group too. ;)
The Lift Encounter
Another queer thing happened recently would be about the right-hand-side elevator.

On this day after a stressful examination, I reached the Lift Lobby. The Right-hand-side lift doors opened and I entered. So far so good. ;)

I pressed my Storey number and pressed the button to close the door.

Everything was fine until the lift door could not close. Okay, let me rephrase that, the lift door could close fully but it does not move up but open the door again.(only to close it again)

Yep, just imagine a mouth that opens and close. That freaked me out. I was worried I would be trapped in this lift. (God, why me...) I pressed the "Close Door" Button so that I can somehow move up.

Well, that failed. :o

My next move was to press the "Door Open" button. Hahas...Well it opens it doors alright, only to close it again moments later. LOLS...

Now that's one freak lift, so I sort of time it and exit when the Doors are open. I jumped out, literally. Phew! I thought I would be crushed by those doors, given my fragile body. I'm so freaking glad I'm thin! Wohoo!

But that's not all, the freaky thing is that the moment I left the lift, it closed its doors and launched off...leaving me on the Ground Floor...

=.=
Talk about rejection...

Since the lift on the right-hand-side was moving up, when I pressed for a lift, the left-hand-side lift came for me. Nothing funny happened to me, thank the gods.

As to why the 'rejection' occurred, I have no absolute idea. Subsequent trips using that lift gave no problems. It was a one-out-of-million chance for that to happen, I guess.

Well, just to be safe, avoid using that lift. If needed, just be on guard, the lift's spooky...

Epilogue

All right! That's all, folks! Gotta go now and continue revising for my Examination tomorrow! Until next week! ;)

Secret war Journal [18 July 2009]

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Three Subjects for Prelims over and done with. Woot! Two more weeks and I'm exam-free for a few more weeks. (before Prelims 3 begins...=.=)

Well, I don't know what to say for the past three papers. I guess, I can only talk about that after I get the results. Hahas

Well, to begin with, I took this few papers during the last three days:

English Paper 1 & 2
Chinese Paper 1 & 2
Social Studies
History

Yeah, and I should stop talking about Exams. God, I'm tired from all those papers.
--
Now, lemme think. Was there anything interest that happened this week? I think not. But here's something to take up the space. ;)

Queena Fashion on Facebook

Right! The thingy on top is a shop that has just been recently set up by my family. It sells Women Clothing. So those interested, please visit us and check it out! ;)
--
Come to think of it, it's been some time since I visited my Grandmother, maybe I should visit her next week.

Secret war Journal [4 July 2009]

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Wee! What a busy day today had been! I was intending to start on my homework today but I guess I got distracted. Or rather, I was given no chance to even so much as touch it. :o

Now, why?

Early in the morning, I was woken up by my parents just so that I can help out with extending the visit pass of my grandmother. BUT!

They had an ulterior motive! They wanted me to help out at the shop we're setting up today. So I was moved from my home, where the homework lay, and to the the office. Okay, I meant the shop. :p

So that's basically why I did nothing, homework-wise. :o

But I can't exactly say I wasted the entire day. For starter's, I helped settled the problem of extending the visit pass for my grandmother(which was met with lots of problems, the government should solve them as soon as possible)

In addition, I read some pages for "Wheel of Time". But that is not important.

Today is the day. Today is the day that I see the shop for the very first time. It is not exactly completed which is the reason I'm summoned to help out in the first place.

We, parents and I, sorted out the goods and drilled holes for the installation of furniture. That's when we realised that the walls of the shop is HOLLOW! We were doing nothing for a period of time, deciding on the next course of action as we really need to screw some fixtures onto the wall. So we thought of an alternative (which do not require strong walls) and so they left me alone in the shop while they shop for those things.

That's the time when I started reading the book. LOLs...

My parents were away for a very long time and at 4 o'clock at the evening, I realised that my fingernails are blue!
Forget fevers, talk about frostbite in a mall! Panicking, I locked the shop and went out of the mall for warmth. After walking out of the mall, I kind of got awkward. Me, alone, walking around the entrance of the mall for no due reason(I know I have, but the others don't)

That's when I wish I had someone beside. At least, I won't be at risk of being accused of loitering. :p

Anyway, my handphone battery almost went flat. Thank god, there's still battery when my mother called me to buy lunch (at 5+ o'clock..=.=)

And guess what? I had my dinner at 10:15PM! -.-

What a life-draining, energy-draining and mental exercise it had been!!!

Oh and before I forget, here's an interesting situation that happened after my parents came back:

My father and I started to place price tags on the goods. I was using the machine which prints the price labels and it went out of labels to print after we sort of spammed it.

Then, a problem occurred. We just bought this machine, and...

We had no idea how to refill...

LOLs....We wasted lots of labels just for trying to figure how to make that machine work for us. In fact, we were puzzled at how the labels went from one end to the other. LOLs.

All came to light after my step-mother took out the packaging box of the machine and showed instructions on how to refill. LOL, I was such a fool.
--
It's late, before I go off and sleep, here's some tips:

Never go eat Beef Ramen in Far East Plaza (it's...just not nice)

See ya, guys!

Wake tomorrow for a bright sunshine!

Secret War Journal [30 June 2009]

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Phew! Time really passes fast when you least expected it. The last time I posted, I was still enjoying my holidays!

Now? Today is the second Day of school already! And I hardly finished any homework. Opps?

Here's the not-so outstanding Holiday Homework:

4 x English Comprehension [2 Done with the remaining 2 incomplete]
3 x Physics Paper 1 & 2 [All done except a few Questions in Paper 2]
2 x Chemistry Worksheet [Done]
A.Maths Worksheet [Done but may have missed out something here]
History SBQ Excercise [Just Done ^^]
Geography [Do not intend to do until teacher presses for it]

Ah...Come to think of it, that really is a quite an amount of homework here. :o

Great, so what's this fuss about telling us this stuff, anyway?
Hahas, true. You probably read all this stuff about homework if you went to my classmates' blogs but hey here's something different! My thoughts! That's what make this MY post, right? ;)
Now what?
As I was saying, I have some kind of reflection over this super-lots-of-homework-incomplete matter. To be frank with you, I was trying out a new approach to finishing my homework. Previously I used to do homework pieces by pieces. This meant that I kept focusing on that piece of homework that I was doing (sometimes, to the point of being stuck there forever...) until I completed that and moved on.
It's fine since I still complete my homework but what's not fine is that I tend to get super bored from this.

So here's what happened during this June Holidays, I decided to do the homework, parts by parts.
Yeah, I know. I did not manage to finish all the homework by the end of the Holidays but I figured that it was just time management (at least, that's what I hope)
But here's one challenge: The beginning was a brisk but the later part was mind-boggling. Perhaps I will have to spend time one day and try to perfect this approach. :->
--
Okay, enough about my homework, let's move on to some stuff that had been the topic on the headlines for quite a period of time.
--
Influenza A (H1N1-2009) AKA Swine Flu
Here's a quote from Singapore's Crisis News Website:

30 new confirmed cases of Influenza A (H1N1-2009)

Singapore has confirmed 30 new cases (600th to 629th cases) of Influenza A (H1N1-2009) today, bringing the total tally to 629 confirmed cases. Though the number of infected cases has increased, the severity of the disease remains relatively mild. To date, 246 patients have fully recovered and the rest are in stable condition. Singaporeans should carry on with their usual activities whilst observing good personal hygiene at all times. If unwell, they should see a doctor, stay away from work, school or crowded places, and rest at home. In addition to these 30 new cases, 105 other cases were pending investigation yesterday. Of these 135 cases, 71 have been investigated. The latter includes 58 local cases, and 13 imported cases. The remaining 64 cases are still being investigated.

The 58 new local cases comprise of a new cluster of three cases at Raffles Institution Boarding while Republic Polytechnic sees another 17 new cases.

MOH would like to stress the importance of being socially responsible and exercising good hygiene practices, such as covering the mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing. This will go a long way in protecting ourselves, our families and at-risk groups of people who are more vulnerable to developing complications from H1N1, such as young children, those with comorbidities, and pregnant women.

For those planning to travel, we encourage them to be informed of developments globally so that they can take the necessary precautions when travelling. The list of countries with confirmed cases and/or exported H1N1 cases is available on MOH’s website at www.moh.gov.sg. For more information on Influenza A (H1N1-2009), please access MOH’s website, call our hotline at 1800-333 9999, or visit www.flu.gov.sg.

- Extract from Singapore Official Flu Site

And here's a piece of old news, WHO has raised the level to Phase 6 for this Flu. Pretty serious, huh? True.

Now, you guys are going to groan (thinking that I'm going to drone on about this flu situation and stuff) but surprise! I'm not going to talk about this. :D
--
So now, why had I bought it out then? Read on... ;)

School Starts...(once more)
Getting a clear picture? We will see. ;)

Let's start with a quote! (once more. Haw...)

"the first sight at school made me chuckle a little today.
ms peh, me leow and even chowchow accompanied the security guard and pretended to be dentists!"

-Extract from Angeline's Blog

Obviously, they're not trying to be Dentist! (seriously...)

They are dressed up to prepare for the Swine Flu (pardon me, but I prefer the nickname of this Flu). And what impression they gave the students on the First day of school! Of course, this practice is still being carried out today, though not as intimidating as the first day of school yesterday. :D

Let shed light on what happens when you enter the school gates ;)

"Ms ... : travelled?
me: *shakes head*
Ms ... : well?
me: *nods head*
(i dont know how to spell the teacher's name =X)"

- Extract from Vanessa's Blog

So yeah, that pretty much will un-nerve anyone who totally did not expect this on the first day of school, not to mention their appearances. :o
--
Aside from this, some not-worth events occurred in school on the first day of school.
But towards the end of lessons that day, I got pissed. I'm not entirely sure why but I figure something that Christopher Lim said pissed me right off. But of course that's a guess and I figured I may never know. So oh well, live and let learn. ;)

But it left me doing some reflection. School may stressful but no matter what, we must all live our days to our fullest. Some say life is short, some say we will never know when our life ends. But no matter what, if we treasure and enjoy the days we lived to our very best, would we have regrets then? Maybe not, maybe we would still have. Who knows? But it's better to be optimistic than being pessimistic right? At least, I believe so.

So with that, I end my seemingly-long post. ;)

Oh, almost forgot.

I hope you guys all enjoyed your holidays
however fun or tiring it was!!!
;D

Best wishes,
Leroy

Secret War Journal[18 Jun 2009]

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Yeah, this is a super outdated post but nevertheless, this day is kind of important to me so I guess I should not leave it.

Now, why is this day so important that I can't just ignore this post and move on with my current life? Beats me, until my father told me, that is.

Now look at the date: 18 Jun. For those who know well enough, this date has no significant meaning in my life. Okay, apart from the fact that it is one day after my birthday.

Nothing right? Sorry, just trying to make sure we're on the same page.

Now we can move onto what exactly IS going on here. ^^ (that's right, I was just fooling around, to a certain extent)
--

Mother's Death Anniversary 2009

Hee hee, got a shock of your life yet? Yep, today is supposedly the Death Anniversary of my late mother. But *WAIT!*, didn't my mother died on my younger sister's birthday? And today is certainly not my younger sister's birthday.

So what in the world is going on here?
Haha, fear not, you have gone nuts and I'm still in every bit sane. I'm sure there is a logical answer to this. (:

The logic behind the answer is so simple that you should had laughed your head off this. Today IS my late mother's death anniversary, on the lunar calender. Now, I bet you hadn't thought of that, right? It is expected for Chinese to use their own calender to commemorate its special days. (I hope I used the right vocabulary)

So, here I am, waking up early in the morning and boarded a bus with my dad to meet my grandmother before paying respect to my late mother.

The temple was very empty today(today's a weekday). During the journey to the temple, I stained my shorts with curry. =.=
Upon reaching the temple, the first I did was to wash my shorts. LOL! Unfortunately, I was unable to wash off the stain, if not lighten it.
As of posting, the stain remains....

Aside that, my father had to meet my mother somewhere else, so he left grandmother and I to go back grandmother's house by taxi. After which, I went home by bus.

The bus was a long trip. Bus "80" is always fast when heading towards harbourfront but slow when going towards home. I'm not sure if this is something to do with mentality but I waited for 1 hour just for that one bus to appear.

Which is why I'm glad I brought a book along to entertain me.

Actually I brought along my PSP too but it went flat during the trip to my Grandmother's house. I think I forgot to re-charge. =.=

God, I miss my mum. Hahas. Anyway, I got school tomorrow and it's late now. So I will end it here. So sorry for not elaborating much, there wasn't time.

Secret War Journal[17 Jun 2009]

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

With this post, I'm officially 16 years old! ^^

Man, I feel old already. Hahas!

Before I start off this super-long post (with no pictures, no groans please), I would like to thank a few people who wished me a "Happy Birthday!"

Hmm...Wonder how to thank you guys in orderly manner..let's try something that no one presented before! ^^

I would like to thank(May be in chronological order, I try):

Johnston Tang (Ever the Best friend ^^)
Marcus Tan (For your thoughtfulness and your slice of birthday cake which I did not foresee it coming! hahas)
Trevor
Keller Goh
Clarice Chua (for wishing me happy birthday the day before the great day)
Jing Ting AKA Jaytii (for being the first to wish me happy birthday using an audio file *lols*)
Aunt Michelle (for her awesome present! and still remembering my birthday! ^^)
My Father(for wishing me happy birthday near midnight :p)
Shawn Lim(for being the first to wish me happy birthday today)
Frank Heuckeroth(for bothering to wish me happy birthday, a great guy you are ^^)
Pei Si(my god-sister, thank you for sending an virtual cake. hahas)
Michelle Tan
Joey Tan
Alexia Lee (So sorry for not wishing you happy birthday on 16 Jun! I was not aware that that was your birthday!)
Siew Yan (And for calling me geek? hahas)
Travis (my CCA Junior, thank you!)
SockYii(my CCA Junior, thank you!)
Khong Yew(my CCA Junior, thank you!)
Yan Zhi (for trusting me with one of your secret ;)
Guan Hui (For coming on Wednesday, I hope you would like your b'day present as well!)
Lai Yin(thank you for ur present, still have no idea what's that though. Haha! Hope you like my present ^^)
Vanessa Lim
Christopher Lim (Why do you want pens for presents? O.o Anyway, hope you like it)
Bernice Teo(thanks for wishing me getting fatter =.= hahs)
Angeline(lol, thanks for calling me the "best technical guy" you know.)
Yuki(my cousin! Thank you!)

♡♡♡THANK YOU!!!♡♡♡

--
You guys made my 16th Birthday so special! It's been so long since so many people wished me "Happy Birthday" hahas.
--
Now..to the highlight of today's post! ^^

My Birthday(BASH?)

Woke up and used my computer immediately, I just realised that I had not checked my mail. Some bad habit of mine. :p

Turned out it was not a bad decision, I have received quite a number of "Happy Birthday" Greetings. Hahas.
Sad to say, I got caught up with using the computer and forgotten to trim my fingernails(it's not trimmed) and I went out with long fingernails! Ga! The horror. Have I ever told you how I hate having long nails? They give me the creeps. Funnily, I don't feel that way when I see long nails on other people.

Back on track, I called Lai Yin to confirm details of today's gathering. Later on, Aunt Michelle went online and we discussed on the meeting place so that she can pass me presents as well meet up. Come to think of it, I had not seen her for close to a year(now was it?)

Left Home @ 11:19AM
--
The journey begins(like always ^^)...
--
First to arrive at Popular Store(1st Checkpoint), though Jaytii and Christopher are already at Library(at this time).
Vanessa Arrived. We waited for Lai Yin, meanwhile we chatted. (About random stuff? Quite foggy about the details)
Lai Yin came running(she needed my popular card to buy her album)
Yeah, Vanessa and I pretty much rolled our eyes(oh right)

To make things even funny, Lai Yin used just coins to pay! Imagine SGD$11+ worth of coins passed to cashier!
We joked with the Cashier(a friendly one, of course) and the cashier replied that next time if Lai Yin does that again, she will need to pay additional service charge. LOLs!
--

Hide~&~Seek!(well, sort of)

After the purchasing the album, we went to the library to look for Jaytii and Christopher. Surprisingly, they were not there. We came out puzzled. After staring at the crowds below(we were at 4th Floor), Vanessa spotted them at the flower shop and so we go!

And guess, what. They're gone(once more). Once more, we scanned the crowds until Lai Yin got fed up and called Jaytii for her whereabouts.

And that Lai Yin(very smart of her) took the lead without telling us where they were. And the amazing thing is that she led us to the wrong place, with Vanessa and I finding(or spotting) them earlier than Lai Yin. Life is so strange, isn't it?
--

He Up-ed, unnoticed, bought, appeared.

We finally met up with Jaytii and Chris at the Kiddy Palace. That's when I realised that Jaytii was wearing a skirt. (I thought she hated skirts and dresses?)
Christopher was very curious on our reaction on Jatii wearing skirt(a mini-skirt too =.=)

Apparently, Vanessa and Lai Yin did not notice. Well for my case, I don't have much reaction. Maybe I gave a semi-confused face. Yeah. Anyway, they explained to me why Jaytii wore mini-skirts. Lai Yin tricked Jaytii into agreeing to both wear skirts but Lai Yin backed up at the last moment but Jaytii wasn't aware of that so yeah we have this situation. LOLs.

Next person to meet up would be Yan Zhi, who would be going to Value$ Shop. We waited for him at the Escalator. We end up chatting until he appeared. With a drink, and he came from the Value$ Shop. I was like, "Since you came? I did not see you coming up!" Yan Zhi's reply was that he saw all of us chatting happily so he sneaked past us and bought himself a drink first. LOL!

How did we miss such a tall person is beyond me.
--

The AWESOME Present!

The last person to meet now would be Guan Hui. Going down, it's time to meet up with Aunt Michelle. We had agreed to meet MOS Burger because I did not know what was "Ya Kun"(now I know it's the Kaya Toast but that's too late right?)

Guess what? I got a Ipod Nano from her! How cool is that? I'm so happy of that present! ^^
But I will not dare to bring it out of my house(for the time being) after what happened to my PSP while outside. THE LCD SCREEN CRAcKED! It's like "how did this even happen?". Yeah, amazing.

But the Ipod is really cool, I like the click wheel, though it took me half-an-hour to figure it out how it works. (Prior to this, I have no idea how to navigate in there)
Boy, it was fun experience. Hahas.
--

Food Fest(for me anyway)

We met up with Guan Hui at the MRT station and went to Plaza Singapura for movies. But before that I want lunch! So Lai Yin, Guan Hui, Jaytii, Vanessa, and I went for lunch. Leaving Chris and Yan Zhi to their...whatever thing. Yeah.

I ate quite a lot. ^^ To my heart's content ^^

Not to mention the popcorns and drinks that I will enjoy later at the cinemas.
--

(not so)Movie Review

We had decided to watch the movie "Night in the Museum II". Johnston had recommended me to watch this movie and I'm so glad I did!

What I did not like is that they introduced too much characters but the jokes are good and so is the plot. So readers, if you have not watched this movie yet, go on now and watch at your nearest cinema!
--
(Okay, I'm trying to cut short the post)
After the movie, Yan Zhi went to a dentist while the rest of us ate Fish & Chips at a restuaurant. I did not eat anything there(and wise choice too) because I was very full from the Popcorns and stuff.

Turns out that the food there isn't very nice. Oh well. After this, Vanessa went home. We went to TIMES Bookshop where I get Lai Yin's, Guan Hui's, & Chris' Presents.

I always like to give them free reins to buy what they like.

Budget: SGD$100(I got the vouchers already ;)
What they got:

Chris -> 3 Pens (What got into him? Maybe he like pens. Actually he wanted Manga...)
Lai Yin -> A guide book on learning Piano
Guan Hui -> Undecided. Bought nothing. Saved up the SGD$50 until next time. When she decided, of course. ^^

Amazing how little a SGD$50 can buy in that bookshop. Then again, we always knew books are expensive. ^^
--
Then it's time for dinner! Lai Yin and Guan Hui went home with Yan Zhi(he joined us again), Jaytii, Chris, and I going to Kovan for dinner. Actually only Yan Zhi and I ate dinner.(Jayti and Chris got sick of food after the fish and chips...)

Then I went home while they went off to a park.
--

Epilogue

And ta-da! I'm done with this post. I'm sorry if I cut short severely for the bottom portion of the post(though I think you guys are cheering for that ^^) but my fingers are hurting from the massive typing(or I was afraid your eyes would die of boredom.. hahas :p)

Tomorrow would be a semi-eventful day for me. Would tell you tomorrow!(if my fingers recovers...:p)

~Distants cries of "At last!"

Secret War Journal[15 Jun 2009]

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Okay, so I'm posting on 16 Jun but hey I reached home late!
--

Outing @ SAFRA @ Tampines

Hahas, anyway, I went to SAFRA @ Tampines on 15 Jun to have a great time (hey, I'm speaking the truth :p)

Let's be honest here, the planning process was a tedious one. The location was hard to find - One that is near a cinema, near Bowling facilities, gaming, and food - and I'm glad we went to SAFRA @ Tampines (even though we never went to play bowling in the end)

For this gathering, Johnston, Marcus, Trevor, Keller(only for Lunch and Boardgames), and I were present.

Emelia did not attend because she only wanted to go Jurong to swim(which is too far for us to go, it's like on the other end of the Island!, so sorry!)
--
We played some computer games until Lunch(waiting for Trevor though we played with him for an hour)
--
Though going to Mindscafe was not the original plan, we went there for lunch and played until 6pm.
--
Played@Minscafe
We did several stuff, all of which are boardgames(duh?)
Settlers of Canan
First up(which we have to thank Mr.Goh), we played "Settler of Canan" which was introduced to me by Mr.Goh. Since keller had not arrived, we were all involved in this game but sadly Marcus(being the only one clueless on how to play), soon left the game after got fed up by how complicated the game is. (We don't blame you)

Winner of Game: Trevor (I was going to win next turn! T.T lols)
I'm the Boss
We never this game before, so based on my first-time playing this game, I will say this game is very intense, confusing, and really a cut-throat game(as it claims)

It's a game of making deals with other players and with Keller around(who propose that he represent some of us and wants no money), it's hard to even secure a profitable deal.

Well, this changed at late-game when I started to represent everyone and I get all the money ^^
Winner of Game: Me ^^
Game of Life
Our last game was this, but unfortunately, this game was not never finish as Keller had to go for Tuition and thus, there was no winner. The suspected winner should be Keller since he had the most 'Life' cards. However, I had the most amount of cash on hand at that moment though there is a chance of me losing all of that.
--

The Unexpected

Marcus ordered a slice of Birthday cake for me. I'm so touched! Thanks guys! I really appreciate it! No one did that for me before, I'm so happy! I have such great friends! ^^

So many people remembered my birthday despite me not even mentioning much. I feel good though I don't why. Hahas. But nevertheless, thank you all for wishing my Happy Birthday (albeit early ^^)

Tomorrow, I will be going out once more. This time it will be with my classmates for my secondary school. Probably tell you more tomorrow since today's topic is not about tomorrow but today! (15 Jun, to be exact)
--

He's da man

Then we went back to play Computer games for half an hour before sending Marcus off because he needs to be back early to prepare for tomorrow's camp.

Which would be fair to him only if I give him some limelight in my post ;)

Initially, he was supposed to leave by 7pm to attend his grandparent's anniversary. He arrived at our planned meeting place wearing more formal than expected (or over-dressed)

He looked like a businessman! Especially his shoes, the kind of shoes that working man wear for work. Office shoes. Hmm..very formal. Just missing the blazer. :p

Okay, we should not tease you anymore (opps?)
--

la Movie Expressio

Next up, the remaining few of us(John, Trevor and I) went to Tampines Mall to catch a movie!

Upon reaching the cinema, (at 6.30), we decided on the spot to watch "Land of the Lost" which starts at 6:30PM. Imagine the rush we had, buying popcorn(which funnily was our dinner that night) and entered the Theatre.

But hey, it was worth it. The movie was nice. I enjoyed it. It's funny oh right. ^^

I'm not sure if I should spoil it but I guess I could say this much:

The movie is a comedy that centres around a scientist who have invented a machine that can open a portal to an alternative dimension that is called the "Land of the Lost"(ah duh?) Together with his friends, they must find a way to return home(saving it along as well)"

Yeah, that should be pretty much the plot for the movie.
--
After the movie, we all got drained and returned home.

And that's when I realised that I forgot to pass Marcus the bookshop "TIMES" vouchers (So sorry! I forgot!) I feel so ashamed.

I'm not going to talk what happened when I reach home, it's not exactly a joyful thing but the trip on the bus I was half-freaked, I was very afraid I took the wrong bus. Hahas, overall, I'm glad that I returned home without any unexpected events. ^^
--
With that...

Until next time pals! See ya!

Secret War Journal [11 June 2009]

Thursday, June 11, 2009

It's a been a week. Hell yeah, a horrible week it had been for a holiday.

To start it off, I have spent the last few days completing homework without much rest and entertianment. Which is probably I see it fit to relax now(after completing all my homework, of course)

To start if off, this Wednesday, I went out with Johnston and Emelia to check out the "Da Vinci" Exhibtion. I will not write much detail right now as I'm waiting for Emelia to post the pictures on her blog. If by end of next week, the pictures are not up, then I will write in words on how was the exhibition.
--
Moving on, I am supposed to start off this post with a happy tone, having finally cleared my homework for this week, I was going to relax when my mother gave me work to do. =.= How great to spoil one's mood in an instant.

My life is so depressing and my step-mother is so not good at giving people work(which makes life a lot harder around here)
I mean, how am I suppose to complete that task with close to no information at all. She did not give me her expectations, what she wants to see in the end-porduct...just nothing. It's like she just want me to do something for the sake of doing something(Grr....)
--
Am I even taken seriously around here? Seriously...
--
Closer to school matters, I have decided to go for the Prom Night which will be held at the end of this year. Despite the various shortcomings of the management team in our school(which I have covered in previous posts), I decided it may one of those last chances to have a gathering for my class and school(not that I really want it in the first place but I wish to give them face, :p)
--
I think it's pretty well confirmed(I sort of infered), I have done okay or well for my Chemistry SPA. Not bad, that leaves Physics SPA. It's hard to know when you do not even see the teacher once since school closed.
--
And that reminds me, do you know that in-line with the Swine Flu outbreak, there is a chance that schools will be closed nationwide for 2 weeks? That would be distratious for us, being graduating students. We can't afford to miss school! Unless, of course, they decide to moderate the examinations accordingly. LOLs!
--
There are so many things to tell you guys but those are too personal, so I guess that's all folks! Until next week then!

Da Vinci Exhibition @ S'pore Sci Centre

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Hey, do you recall what I said on the earlier post on "11 June 2009"?
(Update: I shift the posting date for this, so sorry if it seems that I posted in the future)
Well, the photos for the "Da Vinci Exhibition @ S'pore Sci Centre" have finally arrived. Without further ado...*

First and foremost, I would like to thank our photographer, Emelia Tang, who so generously passed me the pictures! ^^

In this picture, she's listening to an Ipod. :)

Right, on the way to the Science Centre from the MRT station nearby, we have no idea how to reach the Science Centre. So we sort of consulted the guide. :p

This is the map nearby the MRT station. This map proved very useful to us! ^^

Useful to an extent, though we walked to the Science Centre in the end...

And that's us judging the distance from the MRT Station to the Science Centre. That was when we're deciding whether to take a bus there or just walk.

Emelia commented that we looked like tourists in the photo. :o

This picture was taken secretly by Emelia!!! O.o

So we walked and the first thing we saw when we reached the Science Centre was...

Some kind of display, huh? But wait! What is that?...

Ah...kind of self-explanatory, right?

Woah! A T-rex! Sound included too! How cool is that? Pity it can turn its head to face you. (that would be way scary...hahas)

Walking up, we saw something amusing...

Behold! At first glance, you see children playing in there(which is nothing wrong). But I doubt anyone would notice that no one is allowed to play in the water containers....O.o

Entering the building which contains the exhibition hall, we saw a preview of what's in store for us...

This is an Wooden Bridge designed by Leonardo Da Vinci himself. :o
(Notice the smaller version next to it, so cute...)

The Vitruvian Man displayed at the Entrance. Read up on the Internet if you have no idea what that is! ^^

And so we go! Into the Exhibition Hall!!!

Unfortunately, no photo-taking are allowed inside, so we just have to skip to photos that were taken after we left the exhibition hall...

This is proof of our entry into the exhibition! Fear the fellowship of "DV"!!! lols....

The compound when you exit.

Took a photo with Johnston and Ronald! How nice of him to pose for us! (lols...)

It is spoiled. Pity.

That's where we went after the exhibition.

I think this is supposed to work when the sun is up, but I don't think it's working.

A Hydro-Pump that requires you to rotate it to work. Be careful though, Johnston turned it too fast and accidentally splashed out water onto Emelia. LOL!

Water Mill. No water coming out from above though. Wonder what went wrong.

Following the Water Mill, gives you this.

Figured this would be spinning if the Mill is working.

Erm...I forgot what is this...(opps!)

That would be Johnston and I walking or exploring around...

Did you know SunDials can be used for Pull-up? I didn't. :p

Even so, it's fun to do so. ^^

A massive network of sound pipes which leads to everywhere and nowhere. Hahas...

A bigger version(without the pipes) would be this! :D

Up-close picture of Johnston listening. O.o

That would be me.

You should try this, if you can pedal without getting exhausted. I would say you're Pro!

Emelia standing on a rolling wheel!!!

Finally, this is called the "Fireball". I can see why. Call a couple of your friends to spin you and lift up a leg! You will thrown out like a fireball! (That's what happened to me, spit out from the vortex)

Johnston was safe, he did not lift his leg up. :p
Emelia was taking picture, and hence the safest. Hahas...

This concludes our journey in Singapore Science center. I hope you enjoyed reading this! ^^

Note:*Click on image to enlarge.

Secret War Journal[2 June 2009]

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

1st Post for June 2009! Yeah, I know, it is not a week since my last post yet so why post now? The reason being is that I can't wait to talk about the Holidays! ^^ (okay, that was a lame reason)

Anyway, your second question might be why I did not post yesterday(when Chinese "O" Levels Examinations was held). The reason being is (no, not because I was lazy =.=') that I was deciding between posting after a week or post now or post daily for holidays. As you can see, I decided against posting daily during the holidays(I'm not that free...)

Moving on...

I don't really wish to talk about "O" Level Chinese Examination.

But personally, I don't feel much difficulty from doing the paper except for the letter writing for Paper 1. Which could be a bad sign because that might mean that I was so stupid to not be able to feel the challenge(given my pathetic standard at Chinese...)

Finally...(yes, I wish this to be a short post ^^)

The situation at my school is getting pretty grim for graduating students(that includes me...)

Our science teachers are like trying to convince us to drop to "Combined Science" which is in every way depressing(I believe I have discussed this topic before so let us move on)

Now, the next pressing issue would be our Science Practical Assessment which is very worrying because for some reason I lost the skills since last year(AHH~!)

I'm very worried, screwing this up and I will have to drop. And I don't feel prepared! Actually, no one is.

I mean, having such a test right after mass-brainwashing of Chinese is plain nuts. Haiz...

And worst, today, Mr Goh told us some pretty bad statistics for last year's batch: 90 students took Pure Sciences, 75% Distinction(so far so good), only around 10 A1 (horrid face), 50+ A2, the rest lower(oh god...)

How much worse can it be now? [Someone (please) just shoot them dead....]
The cruel reality of life...

Of course, I prefer to stick to my "Pure" Status. So I must work hard! Onwards to good results(I hope...)

Okay, so much for the morale boost. Lolz

Wish me luck!

Secret War Journal[30 May 2009]

Saturday, May 30, 2009

What a week! I could have sworn this was the most boring week I ever experienced in my entire life! I will tell you why in a few moments but first...

Results[Part 2]
Guess what? I forgot that students are given back their result slips on the last day of school (partly because I was not aware the school term was ending...)

So to make things convenient for you and myself, I decided to show you the finalized results of all my subjects. There have been some changes to my marks since the last time I posted. :o

NOTE: Click on image to enlarge.

So as you can see, my L1R5 is 13. Even though I got 3rd in Class and 15th in school, my performance for most subjects have dropped, with only Chemistry, E.maths, and Chinese improved. Like I said last time, my A.Maths was tragic. Not to mention English now...

Anyway, being 3rd in class symbolise nothing except the addition of stress of maintaining that ranking. (With many plotting to overtake me now, and I cannot be complacent as there are still many Prelims to go and most importantly the "O" Levels)

So, all in all, my life just got more complicated and less enjoyable but the feeling is good, though not as good as I thought. I don't exactly feel a sense of accomplishment, maybe I will only get that if I score well for my "O" Levels Examinations...

Meanwhile, life goes on, upcoming would be my Chinese "O" Levels Examination(the one I least confident about) which will fall on the very first day of June Holidays(this Monday...). This is then followed up by several Science Practical Assessment Practices on that very same day(Practically screaming now).
On the fourth day of my Holidays would be my Physics Science Practical Assessment. On the sixth day of my Holidays would be my Chemistry Science Practical Assessment. My life is getting sadder by the month.

If you ask me why I sound so depressed, I believe I had been hearing too many bad news. Science Teachers are pressing those who did not score well for the examinations(though I'm not one of them) to drop to combined Science. The way they preach was like they want the entire class to drop, which is depressing. And another blow to morale would be some of my class 'elites' are also considering to drop to Combined Science. =.=
Actually, I feel that the more 'elites' that are dropping to Combined Science, all the more you should not drop, because there would be fierce competition there. (ha!)

But case in mind, I cannot afford to drop. Yes, I'm in a perilous situation, if I ever drop to Combined Science, I'm as good as dead. And here comes the element of risk, if I do not score well for Pure Sciences for my "O" Levels Examination, I'm as good as dead too.
Ah, the irony.

Now, to explain why this week had been boring.

Because of the upcoming Chinese "O" Levels Examination, I have been revising Chinese for the entire week! I mean, I actually revised! First time for my entire lifetime! Wow.

And the time used was not exactly wasted, I feel that I am finally of the Primary School Chinese Standard! Woot! I feel so accomplished! But yeah, I'm a secondary student which means I'm so screwed through and through. Sigh.

My Chinese Teachers wants the entire class(including me) to get A1 but personally, I'm aiming for A2. Getting that would be best marks for Chinese since I stepped into Secondary School Life. O.o

Why can't life be without obstacles and challenges? I guess that what makes life so fun...

Sometimes, I can't help but wonder what will happen after taking my "O" Levels Examination. To many, it is the end of the dark tunnel they had been in. But it seems to me that the exit is just as grey(uncertain). So my question after taking the last paper would be: "Okay, now what?"

Would I panic over the potential risk of me not scoring well or would I be pleased with my performance and enjoying life? I guess it's about my mentality then...

Oh great, I feeling even more sad now. I'm starting to feel a cloud of 'DOOM' above me. (I was kidding, serious!)

Oh, before I forget. My school is organising a prom night for us after our examinations! How cool is that?
Okay, being me, I'm not exactly very happy some details about the prom night(which is why I'm undecided on whether to attend). We read much about Prom Night in Foxtrot but whatever.

I'm not happy about:

The food - they seriously need to amend, the food selections are a disaster.
The time - it's too early for me to decide! What if something coped up?
The Venue - the cool management team still could not decide on a venue *Roll eyes*
The Dress Code - no one knows, it's a grey area. *Roll eyes*
The Games - Once again, no one knows, yet another grey area. *Roll eyes*
Money - like everything, money is a factor. It cost a whopping SGD$60 for entrance fee(ouch.) Not to mention the clothings that I may need to buy. Thankfully, as of now, money is not an important factor (yet)
The prizes - I don't need prizes, so why am I paying for the prizes? *Roll eyes*
Too many unknowns - as shown above, there are many things that...no one knows...

So yeah. 'Wow', just plain 'wow'. You got to love the Management for this. 'Seriously'. *Roll eyes*

I so hope I did not waste my 60 dollars in the event I decided to attend.

Alright, this post is getting too lengthy, so I'm ending it with this:

TO ALL SINGAPORE SECONDARY GRADUATING STUDENTS THIS YEAR,
I WISH YOU GUYS GOOD LUCK FOR CHINESE "O" LEVELS EXAMINATION!!!

P.S: That includes me ;)

With that, I thank you for reading this super-unusually-long post. =]

Secret War Journal [23 May 2009]

Saturday, May 23, 2009

End of Mid-Year Examinations 2009 cum Prelims One

Wee! It finally ended! It felt like an eternity for it to just end. Not to mention the further extension of examinations with the inclusion of Chinese Mock Examination during Marking Day.

Just plain horrible.

Nevertheless, it took me so long to finally give you this post, so I am able to give my results for some of the papers that I took back. ;)

Results[Part 1]
They are sorted by chronologically order.
Chinese

Paper 1 -> 46/70
Paper 2 -> 44.5/70
Paper 3 -> 14/20

Total => 65.3/100 [B3]
Additional Mathematics

Paper 1 -> 61/80
Paper 2 -> 56/100

Total => 64.9/100 [B4]
Physics

Paper 1 -> 31/40
Paper 2 -> 62/80

Total => 77.5/100 [A1]
Chemistry

Paper 1 -> 27/40
Paper 2, Section A -> 39+1/50
Paper 2, Section B -> 23/30

Total => 75.0/100 [A1]

So yeah, my maths was done extremely badly, I completely screwed up my paper 2. Horrible. So right now, I 'm hoping for English to have B4; E.maths, Combined.Humans to have A1 so as to maintain my L1R5 of 11. Wish me luck! ;)

Return of Parents

Just for background information: My parents recently flew to Hong Kong(yes I'm aware that there have Swine Flu, beats me why they still want to go) just to collect some goods and have a vacation.

And after so many days, they're coming back this night. Not any night, but tonight(Yeah, I'm being lame)
And guess what? I'm supposed to tag along with my younger siblings to watch some pathetic dog cartoon movie. (It better be worthwhile.)

In other news, The last book to the Pendragon Adventures is out! Go buy and let me read. Hahas!

I wonder when will I ever have the time to enjoy life again. The "O" Levels took so much time of our life. Haiz...Anyway, good luck to all students taking exams!(including myself :P)

Til Next week! Hahas. ;)

Secret War Journal[10 May 2009]

Sunday, May 10, 2009

For some unknown reasons, I feeling more and more depressed. I hope it's just the prospect of incoming examinations but I feel that maybe I feeling kind of lonely, being not able to call my close friends to chat and stuffs. It will not be the right thing to call at this period of time no matter how bored I may be as everyone's having examinations now and I would only disturb them so I guess I have to bear with it. [Sigh]

Okay, we're not moving to happier stuffs yet so brace yourself...

Holiday, good or bad?

Not so good for my family. Last night, my younger brother started vomiting. My parents brought him to a hospital as clinics are not open during Public Holidays(yesterday being Vesak Day)
A fundamental flaw, if you ask me. But we must understand that doctors are humans too, they need rest so I guess it can't be helped.
Anyway, our wonderful dinner was cancelled and I had to make dinner for my younger sister. So that night we have some sort of home cooked TV Dinner. Hahas. By the way, we had porridge with sliced fish and lean meat. (And some vegetables though I seriously doubt my younger sister even ate it)
Well, the good thing is that my younger brother just have some gut infection so it's nothing serious. Poor him, he can't eat all the good food we have for holidays now.

Which reminds me. We had western food for lunch! Personally prepared by my father himself. :D
Second time eating his western meals. Mmm!

Revised big time today! I finished last year's Additional Mathematics Paper! I feel so accomplished! And guess what? Johnston called! I thought he finished his examinations. This is because my school started examinations late so I assumed that most of my friends have already taken all their papers. (Some of my friends really had taken all)

Anyway, Emelia had some 'doubts' as claimed by Johnston. The whole idea was funny. It's just another misidentification.
You see, Emelia has this friend who know someone in my school called "Leroy" who is a Prefect, member of NCC(BTW, the guy he/she was talking about was in NPCC, not NCC) and etc.

This "Leroy" is obviously not me. (DUH!?) The guy mentioned is Leroy Tan in my school so don't get the wrong guy again!
I mean so many people are mistaking me for the other Leroy and vice versa.

That's it for today. See ya!

Secret War Journal[9 May 2009]

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Happy Mother's Day 2009~!

Well, my family celebrated Mother's Day last week.

Sidenote:

To be frank, I did not even know Mother's day was near until I was informed by my father. And I thought last week was Mother's Day. Cynthia said I was evil. Even Penny agrees. Hahas. Hey, I am a crude guy who don't bother to remember Father's or Mother's Day. Why bother showing filial piety to your parents on only one day? Shouldn't you be exercising it every single day?

Anyway, last week's celebration was rather fun. The main thing funny that happened there was Qi Xian purposely mixing up the crabs and prawns.
So there we are, saying prawns are crabs and vice versa. This started off when Qi Xian kept saying every single dish coming up would be crab and on one occasion, it turned out to be prawns. Of course, being 'cruel' cousins we are, we laughed at him and throughout the entire meal, we referred the prawns as crabs and crab as prawns.

And we were like saying, "The prawns nowadays are so large and the crabs so small now"

Really funny. ^^

Now for updates on school affairs: Exams --> Prelims

I had two papers recently:

Chinese
1. Paper 1 was challenging
2. Paper 2 seemed easy but utterly no confidence
3. Paper 3 was just confusing
English
1. Paper 1 was average, slightly nervous. I wrote about 'Acceptance'
2. Paper 2 was finished too fast to my liking, I had spare time even after rewriting my summary 2 times. I believe I have insufficient points for my summary. So overall, Paper 2 was difficult.

And I got back some of my tests before the official launch of Prelims:

A.Maths Paper -> 70/100 (Pity I did not get A1)
Physics -> 20.5/50 (Yes, I'm aware I wrote that I got 20/50 from my previous post)
History -> 11/12 (WohoO!)

Now to something more about current affairs.

Swine Flu
Okay, I know that this is not its official name anymore but I think "Swine Flu" sounds more cool that H1N1 Influenza A.
Overall, I'm glad that Swine Flu acts much more like seasonal flu than deadly. That changes things a lot down here. Several drastic measures had been taken in my school which shifted our examination from the Examination Hall to our respective classrooms. It's a disappointment, I like the feeling of being the Examination Hall despite it being too cold and other stuffs.
However, it is a good thing that Singapore was not affected. The measures taken by the Government and involved communities proved to be successful and prevent the spread of Swine Flu.
They also succeeded in not causing general public panic during the crisis. For that, I believe that they deserve praise.

Arrest of Mas Salamat
This is really recent and I feel that his arrest is a great morale boost to those combating terrorism. This shows that despite some being able to escape, they would eventually be captured once more.
But this issue is a rather sensitive one. Hence, I will not go too in-depth on this subject.

Right, I need to sleep now. My next paper would be on Additional Mathematics, wish me luck! ^^

Friday, May 8, 2009

Here's an Video on Machale, D.J., the great author of "The Pendragon Adventures", enjoy!!!

Seriously, I think it is funny, here's a quote(SPOILER ALERT):

"I think everything is funny"

LOLS!? Some like us. Hahas. We're not alone~!