PSSC Fair / RSAF Open House

Sunday, May 29, 2011
Secret War Journal[29 May 2011][Photo-heavy]
Yes, me deciding to attend the Public Service Scholarships & Careers (PSSC) Talk was long decided. I had planned to invite some guests to the talk but because I was asked to register for them beforehand which I did not, I was wondering if they would be interested and didn't had the time to ask before the deadline as the decision to go was rather last minute too.

Johnston and I meet up earlier at Plaza Singapura for Lunch. This is perhaps a good time to inform you all, we are all pretty sick of fast food due to excessive eating of fast food during all our study sessions, dubbed Mugfest.
Much to our dismay, we couldn't find a food court in the shopping mall. I could had sworn I had seen a food court in there before. Oh well. We decided to dine at Pizza Hut.

Student meals were not available during weekdays. Johnston decided to order Baked rice while I ordered Hawaiian Pizza for lunch.

Keller arrived around 10 minutes later. At that point, our food had not arrived. I was starting to wonder where's our food and if the waiters forgot our orders.

Around 20 minutes passed and Keller started to complain about how long our food is taking to arrive because we were going to be late for the fair at this rate.  As a result, we went to ask a waitress when is our order would be ready.

It was only until then we released they forgot our orders. Mine was prepared in haste while we were given a free plate of garlic bread since Johnston's baked rice would take a long time.

Well, eventually, we got our food though we missed some of the talks for the fair.


The fair was not bad. There were really a lot of information about the scholarships. In addition, there were talks scheduled by various organisations to inform us in depth what their organisation is about.

As it turns out, there wasn't a need for worry about not registering your name before the deadline. The fair was pretty much open to the public, if you were aware of such a fair in the first place. The event was pretty much hushed up.

I guess I'm helping them to do some publicity for them right now. Hahas. The event was at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel this year. I wonder where the event would be held next year. :)

In the fair, I met the other Leroy. Actually, he spotted me first. Hahas.

After the talks, we headed off for the Royal Singapore Air Force(RSAF) Open House!

RSAF 2011
For this, I had prepared an image slideshow for simplicity. Unfortunately, it's in the opposite order, my apologies.

Time to rise the curtains, for I shall let the photos do the talking. *Walks off*


"War does not determine who is right - only who is left." ~Bertrand Russell

Learning How to Write in the Sand

Friday, May 20, 2011
Secret War Journal[20 May 2011]
A touching story about friendship. So true, so true. A short excerpt about two friends and how one of them learns what true friendship is all about.

Two friends were walking through the desert. In a specific point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one, who got slapped, was hurt, but without anything to say, he wrote in the sand: "TODAY, MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE".

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who got slapped and hurt started drowning, and the other friend saved him. When he recovered from the fright, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE".

The friend who saved and slapped his best friend, asked him, "Why, after I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now you write on a stone?"

The other friend, smiling, replied: "When a friend hurts us, we should write it down in the sand, where the winds of forgiveness get in charge of erasing it away, and when something great happens, we should engrave it in the stone of the memory of the heart, where no wind can erase it"

Learn to write in the sand.

From http://www.yourlifehappiness.com/friends_writeinthesand.html

Recipe for a happy family life

Thursday, May 19, 2011
Secret War Journal[19 May 2011]
Ingredients in heaps of quantity:
  • A Home of Love
  • 5 Beds of Patience
  • A Room of Kindness
  • A Big Sofa of Tolerance
  • A Kitchen of Good Thoughts
  • A Comfort room of Privacy and Happiness
  • A Basketful of Care and Concern
  • A Basin of Mindfulness
  • A Big Bucket of Respect
  • Ten jugs of Humor
  • A Barrel of Laughter
  • A Hallway of Playfulness and Physical Exercises
  • Bountiful Essence of Gratitude
Mix in A Home of Love with 5 Beds of Patience. Stir in a room of kindness and peppered in a big sofa of tolerance. Sift away negativity's and fill in a kitchen of good thoughts.

Allow a comfort room of privacy for growth and happiness. Set in the concoction of love in a basketful of care and concern and soaked in a basin of Mindfulness. Pour in a big bucket of respect for every person and serve each and everyone with ten jugs of humor and a barrel of laughter. Complete the portion with a hallway of playfulness,physical exercises and fun.

That is my ideal recipe for a happy family life. It all begins with love and when we have love for one another, failure is not an option.

Being mindful of one another and respecting each other is also the foundation of a happy family life. When we have care and concern and lots of laughter, family members can have their boost of positive energy for themselves and then they are encouraged to help themselves and to help others.

We have to be happy ourselves and only then we can encourage and support our loved ones. There will be times when there are challenges or issues and this is when the family plays an important role in being available and understanding for the family member. It is this support that the family member knows that they have in times of difficulty and this knowledge will help them go through the issue with confidence and growth.

Positive words are used to encourage one another and also allow each other to have space to grow. Respect for the young and old is truly important as one's self-esteem is linked with the respect one gets from the family.

Happy moments are created when there is fun time and playfulness. These happy moments will serve as an inspiration to each member of the family. Negativity should be trashed out and support is needed by each family member to help the one who needs words of encouragement, a pat on the back.

Acts of service and kind words are basic ingredients for a happy family life. We all want to be encouraged, to be understood and hence we all should encourage and seek to understand our family members.

Our lives are make up of moments shared with family members and friends. Let us always remember to appreciate our family members the way we do so for our friends, acquaintances and relatives. Gratitude is when we are so happy to have our loved ones in our lives and making us feel special and wanted.

For us to want the secret recipe for a happy family life, let us all cover ourselves with a blanket of love for ourselves and our loved ones. If we only have one ingredient, let that ingredient be love and that is the recipe for a happy family life. For us to have love, let us first love ourselves and then love our loved ones. The choice is ours to make and the recipe for a happy family life can be our legacy we leave with our loved ones.

By Helen Tay
From http://www.helium.com/items/872434-recipe-for-a-happy-family-life

Human

Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Secret War Journal[17 May 2011]
Happy Vesak day people!

That's the end of the my happy statements. O.o Starting from this line, things gets emo...

Had a talk with my dad. Apparently, my stepmother had been having a global metldown since last week. (I thought everyday??? =.=)

I would say most of the case was moot since it was a pretty much one-sided argument and I got sick and tired to bring up my case already. So I pretty much tried this new approach of just listening and not replying. Gonna give that little brother of mine back the same attitude IN-YOUR-FACE style.

Everything was going rather smoothly despite the time wasted until my dad just brought up the past. My dark past.

Everything just went dark.
The event that led to all this.
I just broke down on the spot.
Where my perfect life just shattered into tiny pieces and into nothingness...
The room turned cold and silent. But the damage was already done.

On the bright side, this proved I'm still human.
On the other side, I'm still human. I'm not strong enough to change things...

I wanted to embrace the Sun once more, how I used to enjoy the warmth provided by the Sun, and move away from the cold, desolate Moon. But I was proven wrong, once again, that the path I undertook is a path of no return. There's no other routes available for me left. The only path is forward and I should not be distracted by the allure of other paths. 

Perhaps you were the only one who will understand the significance of my name... My biggest regret is not being able to spend more time with you. What hurt the most was not that you left, it was me not being able to spend time with you. It's sad. Really sad...

It's being a long time since I shed tears, I couldn't stop it. Other sad events occurred but no tears formed. None were as painful as this... June is coming... memories....

With tears, I take another step forward, back into the darkness and beyond...

"
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll:
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
" — William Ernest Henly

Throat Infection

Saturday, May 14, 2011
Secret War Journal[14 May 2011]
There was school holiday on Monday due to General Elections
School resumed on Tuesday
Went home early.
My first: Taking early leave green form and using it.
Missed School on Wednesday and Thursday.
Went to school on Friday.
Today's Saturday.

Basically, I only had two school days. Fell sick on Tuesday due to throat infection. I didn't realise it was that serious actually until I went to consult a doctor. I thought it was just a simple sore throat or a bad day where my daily problem is just worse than usual.

Guess not. But I must say it was super fun to not talk in the morning and using sign and body language to communicate. Sadly, I had to use speech at the later part of the day because there was communication breakdown with lots of people. Hahas, only Johnston could understand what I was trying to say. Had to resort to typing messages to tell Cynthia what I'm trying to say. Still, it was fun. It's not everyday you get to play Charades with friends. Hahas!

I managed to 'survive' in school before the Fever got the better of me and cause me to be unable to do conducive work and absorb what was being taught. (My head is still a bit dizzy now, hopefully from the medicine)

Staying at home while there is school just plain sucks, especially when you're sick. You can't enjoy the days where there are no school and you still feel miserable because of the illness. It's just plain depressing. Hahas.
Well, I manage to rest on Tueday before getting sick of sleeping from Wednesday onwards. Since I'm going to be behind the rest of the class, I can't really play computer games or watch anime. Thus, I was sorta forced (by myself and social pressure) to do my homework and finish assignment that I owe teachers anyhow.


Quickly, Friday came. I'm not really sure I dread that day or glad that day came (finally can get out of my house, oh my god!). Let's leave it as mixed feelings. :)

Boy, I had no idea two days of school can cover so much content. I just realised I'm so behind in terms of study. Gonna work double-time during school (can't really do much at home because I have difficulty understanding what's going on)

I really want to thank Cynthia and Pei Shi for helping me collect the notes and Pei Shi for helping fill up the the Chemistry Notes (and Laura? If she had helped, hahas!). It really helped alot! ^^

Hahas, I feel a bit bad to Cynthia for making her bag heavier because of the notes. :p

Once again, thank you! :)
--
To those who wished me well, thanks! Especially to my aunt and her family who just sms-ed me while I was typing this. Hahas! ^_^
--
Ah, my lips cracked on Friday, now have two ulcers on my lips. O.o

"Our own life is the instrument with which we experiment with the truth." — Thich Nhat Hanh

Rio

Monday, April 25, 2011
Secret War Journal[24 April 2011]
Today is Darian's Birthday!

And we plan to watch a movie (since it's been a long time since we last watch) and we decided to watch Rio! Here's a trailer on it! :)


We watched the one at 12:25pm, but perhaps the most epic part was that Darian overslept so he missed the movie. So in the end, only Keller, Jie Sheng, and I went to watch the movie.

I didn't catch darian's SMS before arriving at the destination because I was playing on my phone and didn't bother to check my SMS. Oops! Sorry, darian!

Granted, this movie is a family movie but the mood is jovial which i believe suits us all because we need to relief some stress. :)

I'm not sure about the rest (those who didn't watch) and their opinions but I personally liked this particular movie.

Why? You know I always liked comedies and this movie is one of them with its jab of humour. Secondly, it reminds of Toradora! and Shana during the screening. Blu + Jewel = <3. Just had to say it, hahas.

That's Jewel. :)
Well, since Darian came late, he only had time for the usual rountine but that's his main objective anyway. I tried to drag him for the movie. Guess that failed. Sad.

Well, the next movie we're gonna watch would be THOR! Stay tuned! :)

"There are things that we don’t want to happen but have to accept, things we don’t want to know but have to learn, and people we can’t live without but have to let go." — Unknown

First Impression, do they matter?

Sunday, April 17, 2011
Secret War Journal[8 April 2011]
Today, I witnessed some incident and once again, it led me thinking about how people are so influenced by first impressions.

Someone(A) had a bad first impression of another person(B) because the latter appeared to be somewhat rude to his colleague.

In his defence, he wasn't exactly rude, it was appropriate for equal seniority. It was later revealed that he was actually the superior so it was nice he treated the other as his equal.

But the first impression was ruined, in A's sense. A had a very negative view of B, trending towards bias.

So I'm going to pose you a question right here, are you influenced by first impression?

I'm not sure about others but I had begun to view people at face value, the first impression hardly played a role in my opinion of that person. It's more about the person's attitude and behaviour, which can only be revealed with time, that I'm more concerned about. Yes, appearance play a hand but it's only useful if you getting that person for public appearances. Nothing much.

Of course, that's just my own view. I believe a lot of people judge people by their first impression. Disturbing though.

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." — Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

TM: Symposiums and NRP

Saturday, April 16, 2011
Secret War Journal[16 April 2011][TM Session#6]
Ah, how fast time passes. Today is the last session for Talent Management for this term.

Over the past 3 weeks, we discussed serious issues regarding Singapore and current affairs and had a intellectual discussion on them. This is the tradition of TM, sessions are set aside to discuss current affairs and solutions to them.

In addition, groups are tasked to present their findings before each discussion in the form of presentations like a Symposiums of sorts.

My team members are:
  1. Chun Hong
  2. Yonson
  3. Tian Hoe
  4. Stephanie
  5. Vanessa
Really liked how we managed to set aside time to do it despite our busy schedules. Hahas, the presentation is rushed but it's good job nevertheless. ;)

NRP Symposium
Alright, the other I wish to inform you people would be the NRP Symbosium!

Hmm, actually I think I posted about that already. (Had to go recall if I did) *Shrug* Hahas!

Well, then I shall announce the results instead! :)

I'm proud to tell you guys I got Gold! :)
All those hard work paid off. I couldn't had done it without the help of my supervisor Assoc.Prof Ma and my partner Jesse Tang. Thanks! ^^


Wore blazer on that day. ^^
As the picture above indicated, there were three student presentation shown on that day to everyone, including the 2011 NRP Participants. One was really nice. It was the mod of the Guitar Hero guitar controller to a educational game. It was really amazing and I learnt something new that day day. I learnt that it's possible to mod any console controller with a program as long as it can recognise the button commands. It's like a remote control. After that, you can specify what each command does in your program and bam! You made a simple console game. Wow!

Finally, congratulations to all award winners! :)
Award Ceremony Group Photo
Award Ceremony Group Photo

"Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone the question. … Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use." — Don Juan

Time for all Eternity

Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Secret War Journal[5 April 2011]

"Time is too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love,
time is eternity." — Henry Van Dyke


Just a short post on my current plight so far. Hahas, I'm working on some overdue Economics Homework right now. Took eons to finish one part of an essay question. I question my own wisdom in taking up Economics in Junior College...

Alright, back to work! Ciaos~!

"To live without art would be rather (he)artless." — Sateesh Malla

The tiny bits in Life

Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Secret War Journal[30 March 2011]
Hmm, depending how you view this, this post can be negative or positive. Normally, I would think of something post-worthy but later trash it due to lack of content or I feel that it is pointless but I feel something I experienced today is rather insightful.

We were waiting for a bus. There is this lady in front of me who dozed off while waiting for the bus. When the bus came, everybody started to board the train, leaving that lady behind. I walked past her... then decided to turn to her as I walked past her to wake her up, to inform her that her bus had come. The people behind weren't concerned about her missing the bus, they were more concerned of her blocking the way...

On the bus, I started to think... this is how the world has become since then. When someone need help, no one cares. Life goes on, what happened to others is none of their business. So what if your 'friend' is in trouble, you just move on as though that person never exist. As though you never knew that person, just a fragment of your reality that threatens to disrupt your daily routine.

Would you be the person who walk away when you meet someone in need? Or would be the person who lend that person a helping hand, pulling him or her out of the darkness when everyone just walks off? Guess we will never know until the situation arises...

Personally, I would say I had been tainted by the Society as well. I would not help those who had done me wrong or left me to rot when I needed help. (Guess you figured I'm someone who bear grudges.) However, I believe I will help those who never did me any wrong because I feel that they deserve that help. Because, in this world, no one else will. The majority won't anyway...

Lend a helping hand, every small, minute actions (you may feel) plays a long way in changing one's life, however big or small.
Yes, my friend. I totally agree with you. Sadly, I can't tell you how much I agree with you because saying so to you will only make us view this world with a much more negative light than it already is. There is hope, even if hope is a disease...

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending" - Carl Bard

Sucker Punch

Monday, March 28, 2011
Secret War Journal[24 March 2011]
"Awesome day. Hahas" That was my cliff notes for this post and I think it's super hilarious for me to write that. (Still laughing, oops)

Okay apart from the fact this week's buzzword for me is "Awesome", though many of you probably already realised I mostly meant it in a sarcastic way. That's a tale for another day. Fortunately, this movie outing occurred before this week so the word "awesome" is meant literally. :) Saved by the virtue of the fact that...

Skin-deep or Cell-deep?
For this movie outing, Cynthia's the organiser.
Apparently,... actually forget it. I think it's too chaotic to be written down in words. Just know that everything was done on the spot, the movie to watch, where to watch, everything. Haha. I say Chaos at the cellular level.

Buddy Hoagies
Attendee(s): Johnston, Eunice, Clarissa, Siew Yan, Bao Lin, Cynthia

Ah, before I forget. Let me mention that today, 24 March, marks the end of my March Block Test! Of course there's a cause for celebration! No?

Anyway, after much discussion, we headed off to E!Hub to have lunch!

The restaurant we went to dine at was one named Buddy Hoagies.  It sells affordable western meals! :)

I ate the Flame Grilled Chicken and it's not bad, definitely go try it out when you see a Buddy Hoagies resturant nearby. ;)

Sucker Punch, the Movie
Shoot, I'm running out of time. Let's jumpstart to the movie itself then.

I don't care what other might say but personally, I would relate this movie to one similar to Inception. The plot is rather complex which is actually thrilling to watch, plot-wise. However, the motivation of the plot was left unexplained which was a letdown in some ways. Of course, if you're someone who just wants action without much reasoning, then this movie suits you.
Yet, if you're a big fan of action, I would recommend you to instead watch Transformers: The Movie as it is more action-packed. Sucker Punch is a movie that goes from slow to high-gear then back to slow and so on.
Thus, one can say Sucker Punch is more of a generalist than of a specialised movie focused on one genre.
Sucker Punch incorporates a large amount of one's fantasy, much like Alice in Wonderland and one thing that I really appreciate about Sucker Punch was the director's use of movie technique.

The use of foreshadowing is very apparent in this movie, from the start to the end, subtle hints are dropped from scenes to scenes that allows your subconscious mind to already to be aware of what's going to happen yet at the same time, leaving you a sense of suspense. This, I feel, is very well done as it helps to enhance to the plot.

However, one technique I believe was badly used would be the slow motion scenes in the movie. Initially, I was impressed by it for the first few fight scenes. After a certain point, especially at one particular scene where almost every move was in slow motion, the technique was used too excessively which led to a negative afterthought about the scenes as it was far too slow for a fight scene and that particular move didn't seem to be of any significance (if it was used for a finishing move or one that would be critical for the finishing move i.e. the third move). Apart from that, this movie is still pretty decent despite the name. I'm not sure of the true meaning behind the movie unless what I suspect is true (but that doesn't make much sense in the plot. Okay, perhaps a little bit but...)

Really appreciated Johnston sacrificing his other events to join us. Thanks! :)

"Fear not darkness for that is when the stars shine the brightest" - Anonymous

TM: Interview Prep Workshop

Sunday, March 27, 2011
Secret War Journal[26 March 2011][TM Session #5]
Short post before I leave.
CVs, Recommendation Letters, and Essay Questions
MBTs have just ended, as such TM sessions continue on Saturdays once more. I will talk about MBT on another post. Let me focus on the most recent TM session first. :)

Since last TM session marked the end of the Social Etiquette, this week we attended a workshop by our own tutors on preparing for Scholarship interviews such as the the materials you would need to prepare for the application of scholarship.

Generally, for most applications for scholarship, they would require you to have the following documents ready:
  1. Curriculum vitae
  2. Essay Question / Personal Statement
  3. Recommendation Letters / Referees 
Curriculum vitae
Also known as Resume, it is basically a list of activities that you had did during your secondary schools and Junior College days. However, you should be reminded that you do not simply state all your activities, big or small, into the CV as it should only contain activities that are relevant to your scholarship and purposeful. 

A CV should be placed in a format such that the latest activities are stated first and it should be reader-friendly. It should also contain details of the duration of your education in the school and relevant CIP hours.

Essay Question / Personal Statement
This is the key component of your scholarship application. There isn't any model answer of any sort because it is supposed to be your personal statement, thus unique.

If the organisation requires to answer a Essay Question, then you would have to. Different scholarships have different questions and so there isn't much guidelines on how to answer them.

On the other hand, if a personal statement is required, you would not be given any question but would have to write about yourself to convince them why you're the better choice.

In general, you will need to use relevant and unique points to highlight your strengths and get their attention so that they would call you up for an interview. Above all, be honest. ;)

Recommendation Letters
These are done by your tutors or other relevant supervisors upon your request but they may refuse if they're busy.

What I really learn that was getting to know the fact that we actually have a very small time window to submit our scholarship application, 7 days after our A Levels Results are released, especially for guys since we most likely have National Service(NS) during that period. That highlights the need for us to prepare these documents early.

"A pessimist is one who make difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties." - Harry Truman

Over you is the Answer

Friday, March 18, 2011
Secret War Journal[18 March 2011]
Some of the songs may be old but I thought I would update a bit on the songs that I had added to my library recently. ^^

First up:

Maybe I should go search for more songs by Daughtry. Hahas!


A new group of singers, I really like this song!

Exams wise, next Monday is my Physics Paper. Ah, stress! Wish me luck! >.<

"OUR GREATEST GLORY CONSISTS NOT IN NEVER FALLING, BUT IN RISING EVERY TIME WE FALL" - OLIVER GOLDSMITH

Of arguments and philosophy

Monday, March 14, 2011
Secret War Journal[14 March 2011]
Rare are the days I can finally post on the actual day itself. Rare, indeed. Hahas. Well, that is if I finish this post in half an hour anyway. :)

So I have been promoted to JC2 if you had not been following due to the recent chaos and today marks the start of the March Block Tests.

The first paper would be General Papers. Fancy attending for examinations during your holidays. How great is that?

The paper was tough, not a very bright start.

I did some essay question on space exploration. Not sure if I made the right choice...
Halfway through, I sorta end up writing philosophy though I went back on track (hopefully)
The comprehension was scary, especially the summary.

I hope I pass. I hope. O.o

Had KFC with Bao Lin, Cynthia, and Lai Yin. Tried this new Hearty meal (I think it's called that.)
Left for Simei where I meet with Darian and Johnston for Burger King. ^^

Thanks Darian and Johnston for helping me out for Physics! Much appreciated! :)

Didn't really want to blog about this but... actually, today is White Day, exactly one month after Valentine's Day.

This day is mostly celebrated by Japanese but I doubt that would be so this year with the recent earthquake (and its aftershocks) and tsunamis in Japan...

Not a very joyful day, or this period of time for that matter...

Anyway, be Strong, Japan.

Not meant to be

Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Secret War Journal[9 March 2011]
Indeed, the path I took is one that has no return.
I was given an opportunity to take a turn at another path. When I was shown the opportunity, I was thinking, someone was giving me the chance to see if kindness pays off.

Sadly, like so many times in the past, I had been proved wrong again. Kindness is not often appreciated, not only mine but others, in the end, you only let others hurt you. Figures why there are fewer kind people as years pass... most notably you...

Can't believe I got tricked by Loki again... no matter I think I got the message, what does not kill us only make us stronger, history had been trying to tell us, and this time it will be listened, and heeded.

And thus, has the path which was not a path converges back to the path that I was destined. Another step into the darkness...

I must had been a fool, to allow others to hurt me so many times through my own kindness. God pray that I do not allow them to happen again...

Hurt

Sunday, February 27, 2011
Secret War Journal[27 February 2011]

All I wanted to say was... I'm hurt. When was the last time I...


True... My life's full of regrets. Hahas, ironic...

One by one, all shall fall just as prophesied.
You won't see it happening because you had let your guard down.
But it has begun.
Begun it had, none will be spared.
Just like how dominoes fall in succession.
This decision, I won't back down, we're too deep into it for that.



And so, I took another step further down the path of Destruction...

Past:Promise

Sunday, February 20, 2011
Secret War Journal[20 February 2011]
Our dark past....





















...One binding promise

One filled with regret and misery...

I wish I could let go... but I can't.
You left when I needed you most. I admit it's my fault, I didn't know reality then...
You were my last strand of hope that dreams do come true.
You shattered it just had Death had. One part of me never moved on that year. One part of me is still trapped in that past. I don't want to remember the horrible things that happened. 
But it had happened, and there ain't going to change... not even you, I guess...

Sometimes, I wish you never made me promise that. I wished I knew it was going to be binding. It's as if our path will never ever cross again. 

Maybe those are just my excuses... but I don't believe that no one remembers you. That you're hardly ever mentioned anywhere when old friends are found after all those years.
It's as though you're just a fragment of my dreams and you never existed. Are you?

Even if it's impossible, at least let me apologise one last time? I've changed. I don't want to live with so much guilt, I have more than enough regrets already...

TM: Social Etiquette

Saturday, February 19, 2011
Secret War Journal[19 February 2011][TM Session #4]
This week marks the last week of the 2-week series of social etiquette by Ms Suzenne Zheng. Shall we begin?

Useful things to take note for public events:
  • Punctuality
  • Refrain from asking personal questions
  • Respect people's privacy
Tips for the actual day of interview:
  • Come early
  • Ask the reception who are the interviewers (to know how to address them) and for the interviewers' emails.
  • Do not cross leg until determining interviewer is friendly

    Conversation Skills
    General Tips:
    • Silence your inner critic
    • Begin with the obvious (conversation starter)
    • Compliment carefully
    • Use friendly body language
    • Turn the spotlight on others - Be humble
    • Listen
    • Keep the conversation light
    • Give equal time to other participants of the conversation (avoid one-sided conversations)
    • Have a sense of humour
    • Make your exit graciously
    • Avoid personal questions

    Salutations (how to address someone):
    • You're not allowed to place titles on yourself when introducing yourself(e.g. Dr./Prof) unless you're in uniform
    • Introduce yourself without the use of "Mr/Mrs/Miss/Mdm"
    If Jane Low is married to Jonathan Tay, Jane should be addressed as either
    1. Mrs Jonathan Tay
    2. Mdm Low
    3. Mrs Tay
    Note: Addressing Jane as Mrs Jane Tay meant that she's a widow.
    --
    How to introduce oneself:
    "Good morning/afternoon/evening, Mr/Ms/Mdm [surname]. I'm [your name]. How do you do?"
    How to introduce others:
    "[Person A], please meet [Person B], [Profession of Person B]"
    "[Person B], please meet [Person A], [Profession of Person A]"

    Note:
    • Attend to the more important person first. In this case, Person A is the more important person.
    • By convention, women are more important than gentlemen
    • If both people are of the same gender, the older one is the more important person.
    • Business-wise, the ranking of the person is taken into account.
    • Do not shake hands if the other party is Muslim ladies or monks (not appropriate)
    How to introduce oneself in a phone call:
    "Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, [your name] speaking"

      Email Etiquette
      • Do not start with "Dear..." but rather "hi [recipient]" when ending an email with "Best Regards"
      • No smileys
      • No shorthands.
      --
      After an email, email the interviewer a thank-you note.
      Example: "Thank you for interviewing me. I can be reached at..."

      Dining Etiquette
      Terminology:
      • Aperitif-- An alcoholic drink taken as an appetizer before a meal.
      • Entrée -- Main Course
      Positioning:
      Bread on your left; Drinks on the right

      Ordering:
      The gentlemen place order, not the ladies
      E.g. "This lady wants [item], that man wants [item],..., [finally your own order]"

      Breakfast:
      Bread basket: Offer a bread to the left, take one for yourself, finally, pass the basket to the right.

      Toast: Cut into 2 equal triangles (the standard); eat from the corners and one at a time.

      Lunch/Dinner:
      • Knife, at all times, cannot point outwards
      • Fork, at all times, must face downwards
      Photobucket

      Buffet-style
      • DO NOT take for others, take only your own servings
      • Take at most 2 of the same item
      • Follow the meal procedure (appetizer, main course, dessert), do not start with the desserts.
      Functions
      • The main focus is not on the food, mostly just drinking and socialising.

      Check your personality
      There are four main types of personalities as described by her, namely:
      1. Natural
        • Sporty; casual dressing
        • Suited for athletes or NS men
      2. Classic
        • Self disciplined; very organised
        • Pedantic (Anal)
        • Suited for auditors, accountants, etc
      3. Dramatic
        • Dress to express themselves (relate Lady Gaga)
      4. Romantic
        • Stylish; Best fashion sense among the four
        • Outgoing; good interpersonal skills
        • Suitable for entrepreneurs
      By the request of Stephanie, here are some of our personalities, as analysed by Ms Zheng:
      • Stephanie -- Natural Classic
      • Leroy -- Very Classic
      • Joshua -- Classic  
      Note:
      • It is also useful for relationships, less conflict would occur between the couple if their personality are the same.

        V

        Monday, February 14, 2011
        Secret War Journal[14 February 2011]
        HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! :)

        V means something else to me. It means Vengeance. Yes, this is the year of Vengeance. One by one, each will pay for all the wrongs they did to me in the past. I remember all and the time for karma has come.

        JC Lightbulb Joke

        Secret War Journal[14 February 2011]
        Q: How many RJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: 4 whole faculties. One to design the new bulb, one to
        manufacture and test it out, one to write a proposal on it and one to market it.

        Q: How many HCJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: The whole school. To compete with RJC.

        Q: How many VJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: The whole school. One student to screw it in and the rest to cheer and wave flags and banners to give him/her support.

        Q: How many NJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. They can study without light.

        Q: How many AJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: They’re too busy trying to be one of the top 5 JCs.

        Q: How many ACJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. They’ll rather use all their money to employ YJC to do it for them.

        Q: How many YJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. Only one teacher to tell them what a light bulb is in the first place and to demonstrate how to change the light bulb. (So how do you think they’re able to change it for ACJC?)

        Q: How many CJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: They’ll prefer it to be darker. (Hmmmm?*raises eye-brows* )

        Q: How many JJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. Their physics is so bad that they made their macho male physics teacher cry.

        Q: How many TPJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. Would they even bother?

        Q: How many SAJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. They believe in praying for it.

        Q: How many NYJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. They are still using oil lamps.

        Q: How many SRJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: Huh, what litebarb?

        Q: How many PJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: Heck the light bulb lah, the principal would do something about the rightbarbs. Let’s do 300 jumping jacks for not wearing the proper school attire.

        Q: How many MJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. They are too busy trying to get promoted.

        Q: How many IJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. They are Innovians. They’ll find ways out of the dark.

        Q: How many TJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
        A: None. They think they are already very bright.


        Note: This is meant to be a joke and it is not written by me. No offense is intended.

        TM: Social Etiquette and Speaking Skills

        Saturday, February 12, 2011
        Secret War Journal[12 February 2011][TM Session 2 & 3]
        Hmm, ahhh I didn't had the time to talk about the previous session last week. My sincere apologies. Perhaps I should start by talking briefly about the previous session.

        Session 2: Speaking Skills
        Basically, last week, we received advice from Mr Max on how to say or present.

        I won't be talking in detail (though most should be self-explanatory) because the purpose of this series is to give you a clear idea of what Talent Management entails. Of course, it also helps to serve as a lasting mental note for myself. ;)

        Alright, for Speech and Presentation, we can categorise them into 4 stages. Namely,
        1. Pre-Speaking (Preparation)
        2. Speaking - Fluency
          1. Volume
          2. Pacing
          3. Pauses
          4. Signposting
        3. Speaking - Clarity
          1. Vocabulary
          2. Pronunciation
          3. Stress & Intonation
        4. Post-Speaking (Reviewing)
        There are also non-verbal features in a presentation.
        • Posture
        • Eye Contact
        • Facial Expressions
        • Gestures
        • References to slides - Do no read from slides
        • Use of Statistics - Use sparingly
        Other speaking devices include
        • Rhetorical Questions - to stimulate audience to think
        • Quotations - for effect
        • Audience Interaction - for relating to audience
        These skills would be really useful especially for JC1s who are having their Project Work where they need to present in Oral Presentations (OP). :)


        For more info: go http://eslgold.com/speaking/simple_presentation.html and http://eslgold.com/speaking/elaborating.html

        Session 3: Social Etiquette
        For this session, we have an external vendor, Suzenne Zheng, Founder of First Impressions Image International to come educate us on the aspects to take note of for job interviews.

        In summary, she taught:
        • Top 10 list of what employers dislike during job interviews for males and females
        • Dress code for job interviews - including shoes and ties
        • How to tie a tie (which I hadn't done so for a year)
        • How to walk properly (in the business world)
        • Colour Theory (Cool and Warm and their definitions) - Colour Harmony
        • Appropriate Sitting Postures for Job Interviews (2 for males, 5 for females)
        • Appropriate hairstyles for males and females
        • Face shapes and how to identify them and apply styles accordingly
        • Appropriate eye brows
        • Appropriate Sock length for males
        • Need for punctuality for job interviews
        • Brisk walking
        • Avoid "bedroom face" (and long or spiky hair for males)
        One interesting thing to note would be how your height affects your hairstyle (for females):
        • If you're >1.66m, you can keep long hair
        • If you're >1.40m but <1.66m, you can keep shoulder-length hair
        • If you're <1.40m, you should keep your hair short.
        Alright, that should be all. =]

          All of me and none

          Secret War Journal[12 February 2011]
          Like all old amea, I wanted to forget everything...

          One part of me did not want to move on...
          Another part of me hope for a better future...
          Yet another wish everything stay as it is now because of the bleak future ahead...

          My daily dilemma of whether to hold on to fragments of memories continues...

          Reason why I have this blog? To record my memories in case I forget them all...

          Walking off, without a word

          Wednesday, February 9, 2011
          Secret War Journal[9 February 2011]

          By the time you realised I have walked off, I'm already too far away.

          I left abruptly not because I have nothing to say or nothing to dispute your words.

          It's because I'm sick... and tired of all these nonsense.

          Yes, I would had tried to reason it out to knock some sense into the situation but patience had dried up. It dried up just as rivers did. I cease to care because no one does anyway. No one, on your side on that matter. So why I should I go an extra mile for people who don't even care? I might as well concentrate on others.

          Sometimes, I just stop talking because I don't want to waste anymore of my energy to talk to an imbecile. Because talking and not talking seriously don't make a difference so why bother. It's much better to not talk, saves me the anger from...

          Enough said.

          Disappointment is one. But I rather have at least a single day where my mood is near genuinely happy instead of all these rubbish.

          If you're going to give me attitude, I'm going to give you back the same shit, if not more. I will because I CAN.

          False King

          Tuesday, February 1, 2011
          Secret War Journal[2 February 2011]
          Tell me I'm wrong,
          Tell me I'm right,
          Tell me I'm the false King.


          TM: Induction

          Saturday, January 22, 2011
          Secret War Journal[22 January 2011][TM Session #1]
          Hmm, I realise there's hardly any content about MJC's Talent Management(TM). Perhaps there's a reason why but I figure it would benefit others in the future, if they happen to chance upon these posts, people would have a better rough idea what is TM about. I suppose. Hahas.

          Note: I'm skipping the selection process for TM. I'm not sure if I had covered before hand but... I'm definitely not intending to cover it. :)

          All right, the first session for Talent Management is called the Induction Session. Personally, I call it the "Introduction Session", "Briefing", "Ice-Breaking Session", or however you would call it.

          The first session of TM is rather carefree and easy. Basically, we would introduce each other and share a bit of ourselves, (just like Orientation). Hence, it being called a "Ice-Breaking Session". It's not bad, I get to meet new people. :)

          It's called an "Introduction Session" because the mentors also roughly outlined what are the events and activities that we would be attending for the entire duration of the programmes. Unfortunately, the schedule that was shown has not been sent to me via email yet and I do not have superhuman memory retainment of the information that was flashed for a short 3 minutes. Rest assured, however that, if I would post a rough outline of it in my subsequent posts to give you people a better idea on what people do in TM programme. :)

          The teacher-in-charge of TM also briefed us briefly on the criteria for the most prestigious scholarships, the Public Service Commission(PSC) and how the programme would prepare us for such scholarships. In addition, we did a bit of goal-setting as well, identifying one's strength and weaknesses and how to work on them. It may also be timely to mention that my tutor, Mr Max is the teacher-in-charge.

          I'm not going to discuss the games that we played today. One, it would spoil the fun. Two, the games may well not be the same the following years anyhow.

          Moving on, the first session is also the day where you find out who are your mentors. *Drum Roll*

          Well, what can I say, I can tell you visions do work in reality. My mentors are Mr Max and Ms Loo. I'm in Group 2. (just a mental reminder to myself, hahas)
          Perhaps, I should describe a bit about Ms Loo. According to a fellow TM member, Joe which was elected to be the second TM 2nd IC (congrats! :), she's a multi-talented teacher.

          She's a maths teacher which meant that she knew me before I know her. :p
          She's a musician, a good singer, a marathon runner, and she's also a scholar.
          That last bit explains how she holds a rather high position in TM at her second year in MJC. Like we both agree, she's very imba (meaning she's very good, you know talented)

          I feel owned. Hahas!
          So yay! These two are my mentors! ^^

          JustAcia
          Oh, the school would provide you snacks during breaks so you don't have to worry about being hungry during the sessions, just digressing a bit.
          After we are aware of which group we're in, the last leg of today's session is a lunch together as a group so as to get to know each other better.
          After a short discussion, my group decided to head to the nearby E!Hub for lunch.

          Well, turns out the other two groups are headed for E!Hub too so we went together and my group and one other went to JustAcia for lunch.

          Come to think of it, the price is really worth it. For less than ten bucks, you get free flow of drinks and ice cream plus a meal. The meal is average but the highlight is the drinks and the ice creams. Hahas!

          Drank 3 cups of hot chocolate today! Wohoo!

          "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Carl Bard

          A New Year. A New Face

          Friday, January 21, 2011
          Secret War Journal[21 January 2011]

          First official post for the new year 2011. The post that are supposed to be posted last year, will be.... posted sometime this year. Sorry for the disorganisation. There are other reasons for not posting them, hope you will understand. Let us start by talking about the class I'm in. (Well, yeah.)

          The class strength has fallen by 3 to 22. Perhaps coincidentally, my index number is now 20. *Had you meant for this to happen or fate?*

          There are several changes in subject tutors (AKA subject teachers) for my class.
          --
          For Physics, we have a new teacher named Mr Remedios. When he first introduced himself, the first thing that came into my mind was the word, "Remedials". Okay, a bit evil on my part and he don't deserve this because he's a great guy. He reminds me of a tuition teacher that I had when I was around primary 4. That teacher was Mr Ng and he tutored me for science then. That was the only tuition class that I had ever enjoyed so far (partly because I don't attend tuition anymore). I remember how I used to look forward to his lessons, going to Yuying CDAC for his lessons on weekends. Rocket science experiments were so much fun, especially when you're one of the few doing the crazy stuff, hahas!

          Back to my new subject tutor, so far he's a fun guy though I'm not sure if things will go serious in a boring way. Well, hopefully not. I'm not saying the previous teacher is not as fun. I feel that it's a pity for him because his area of expertise is not covered in J1 so it's being a bit unfair for him. Strangely enough, his designation in MJC is a blank instead of teacher. Hmm...

          For General Paper, we have Mr Max as our tutor again. Wohoo! My class is really lucky to have both Mr Lye and Mr Max as our tutor. Both are great GP tutors. Their approach are slightly different but I'm fine with both of them. Wohoo!

          Alright, enough said.

          A new year, the year of doubts is past us. Perhaps, this year will be a year of vengeance. It's high to enforce my principles to a even higher level. After all, don't everyone say we must not be complacent and constantly improve ourselves?

          This year, the mask will slowly melt like wax. What was done will be done once more. As aforementioned, I will enforce the value mirror more strictly. Let's see how low one can go. :)

          The Shadow King concept will also be enforced more as well, of course.

          As for the first principle, I doubt it can go any higher. Hahas! I think I perfected that art already but I guess there's always area for improvement, I will go look out for it. :)))

          These three should be the focus of the year, I presume. The others ain't so important, for now. After all, the word of the year this year is Vengeance. Enough said.

          Physics Major Joke

          Monday, January 17, 2011
          Secret War Journal[17 January 2011]


          YOU MIGHT BE A PHYSICS MAJOR...
          • if you have no life - and you can PROVE it mathematically.
          • if you enjoy pain.
          • if you know vector calculus but you can't remember how to do long division.
          • if you chuckle whenever anyone says "centrifugal force."
          • if you've actually used every single function on your graphing calculator.
          • if when you look in a mirror, you see a physics major.
          • if it is sunny and 70 degrees outside, and you are working on a computer.
          • if you frequently whistle the theme song to "MacGyver."
          • if you always do homework on Friday nights.
          • if you know how to integrate a chicken and can take the derivative of water.
          • if you think in "math."
          • if you've calculated that the World Series actually diverges.
          • if you hesitate to look at something because you don't want to break down
          • its wave function.
          • if you have a pet named after a scientist.
          • if you laugh at jokes about mathematicians.
          • if the Humane society has you arrested because you actually performed the
          • Schrodinger's Cat experiment.
          • if you can translate English into Binary.
          • if you can't remember what's behind the door in the science building
          • which says "Exit."
          • if you have to bring a jacket with you, in the middle of summer, because
          • there's a wind-chill factor in the lab.
          • If you are completely addicted to caffeine.
          • if you avoid doing anything because you don't want to contribute to the
          • eventual heat-death of the universe.
          • if you consider ANY non-science course "easy."
          • if when your professor asks you where your homework is, you claim to have
          • accidentally determined its momentum so precisely, that according to
          • Heisenberg it could be anywhere in the universe.
          • if the "fun" center of your brain has deteriorated from lack of use.
          • if you'll assume that a "horse" is a "sphere" in order to make the math
          • easier.
          • if you understood more than five of these indicators.
          • if you make a hard copy of this list, and post it on your door.

          Oh, believe me, how I wish for your death. Vengeance will be mine.

          JC2 Wishlist

          Saturday, January 1, 2011
          Secret War Journal[Earthen Year 2011]
          Another year, more challenges to overcome!
          1. Get good grades for PW*
          2. Be satisfied grades for Chinese* PASSED
          3. Be satisfied with NRP Results*
          4. Get more collar shirts*
          5. Able to set aside time on most Saturdays for Blogging
          6. Able to set aside time for Map Development
          7. Maintain healthy friendship in CG
          8. Find a job

          2010: Looking Back

          Friday, December 31, 2010
          Secret War Journal[Earthen Year 2010][Long post]
          Many posts ago, I mentioned that I sort of owe Mr Goh an reflection because of my not-serious attitude for this year's Promos. Well I guess I said I would do it. In fact, I will do it on the very last moment of 2010 before 2011 arrives within a blink of an eye. Hahas.

          This post may be very emotional or very confusing because of the nature of this post. So, if you're in the right mind, ignore this post, get the heck out of here. ;)

          What shall we talk about first? Hmm...

          Since my declaration in that phantom post that I shall not have an official Christmas post this year, let us discuss things that I would had if I had a post regarding Christmas. (Yes, it was purely intentional to forgo the post and not because I had no time.)

          This section is dedicated to my best friend. Who better to start the post with other than my best friend? :)

          How times fly, as I probably told you, we're finally in the same school. Truth is, that actually made a lot of things easier. No longer do we need to use phones to communicate, wait out months to finally meet up and have fun. Though junior college is without doubt more tough than Secondary school, your presence do help to provide much motivation for me to attend school. Hahas!


          Thank you, for being there to encourage me when I was feeling down. Thank you for reminding me to think on the bright side when I felt all is dark. Thank you for reminding me that we're all humans. Hahas, yes especially that last part. You may not be aware but it was you who often inspire me and set me thinking if I did something wrong and allow me to think in other people's shoes which is useful because Mr Goh always wanted us to be able to think from other people's perspective as it gives us an edge.


          This year, I'm glad that we managed to set aside time to have outings despite how busy we are from school.


          Hahas, I still find it funny that we never once were in the same class. I guess God knew that if we were to be in the same class, we would keep talking like no tomorrow just like how teachers who scold us for talking in the past, disallowing us from sitting next to each other so that we do not talk, how we sent out of the classroom because of the noise we make. Ah, happy memories. :)


          Speaking of memories, sometimes I wish school ends in the afternoon just like a few years back and we could meet up after school and chat, just like old times.


          Did I mention I miss Fire Rash? I wish we could play that again, I really liked that game. O.o


          Oh well, man I miss staying over at your house too. :p

          I bet if Mr Goh reads this, he would be frustrated with me because I bet he was expecting another kind of reflection. Well, too bad. :p

          Actually, one could say I was fated to go MJC. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but a bunch of us planned to go TJC, with the better ones going VJC, ACJC and NJC.

          Due to unforeseen reasons, I ended up in MJC. I can't say I was disappointed in entering MJC because in a way, I placed my faith to God, to let him decide which school I shall go. Since I was posted to MJC, then it means I was not meant to be in TJC. That was probably why I did not appeal to TJC (well, another reason would be because I was lazy? Hmm) when my friend decided to appeal to TJC.

          Unsurprisingly, the first thing I did was to check the name list of who was posted to MJC.

          Jackie went to MJC (no surprise, given his score)
          Marcus went to MJC
          Johnston went to MJC (yay, he entered in MJC! ;)

          Apparently, quite a big number of NCHS people came to MJC. Lai Yin came to MJC after the stupid smokescreen she set from telling our clique. =.=

          Many more went to polytechnics. Throughout the year, I kept wondering why I didn't go poly instead(though I myself knew the reason why but I realised that that point is moot on my first day in MJC...)
          Many times, I kept wondering, is my 2 years here worth it? I felt so restless. Something tugs me to a direction but I have no idea which. I felt so lost. I felt aimless. I don't even know why am pursuing in such a direction. It seemed so pointless now. My guilt that drove me for the past 4 years simply disappeared when I entered MJC. What drove to study simply vanished, leaving me feeling empty from the school life I experienced this year.
          For a moment, I tried to use sorrow and sadness as a substitute but it just doesn't work. It just.... felt different.
          Would poly be a better choice for me? I never considered poly when I was deciding which school to go to because of a simple reason. I guess I'm the one to be blamed for learning physics. After all, it all goes down to one stupid assumption and not seeing everything until it's too late. I can't help but feel that you placed me here for something because you seldom go out of your way to influence things. Throughout the year, I'm been thinking what you're up to but I'm just wild-guessing. After all, you are a master in these, you don't leave clues, you don't give room for things to be revealed until you know it is time. Much as I want, I can't reach that kind of level. After all, I'm just human.


          My biggest disappointment this year is perhaps, not seeing your name on the name list. I checked the list at least thrice but your name could not be found. When that happened, I can't say I should feel sad or glad. Darn, I still feel guilty. I wish I could use that guilt for studies but every time I think of you, it's like judging myself. I'm reminded by how much wrong I had done. I'm reminded how naive I was then. I'm reminded how there is a need for control. I guess I owe you for making me see sense. The reason I may feel glad is because of the dilemma of whether I should thank you or apologise you. It's like a crossroad. But I have decided to walk that path, I doubt anyone could talk me out of it. After all, I've sinned. God's Wrath, I would say I deserve my suffering but the selfish me still wish I could walk without guilt one day. A day without things to remind me of my guilt. Ha, I wish.

          Joel Stein called this year the year of leaks. (I can't disagree on that, hahas) I would call this year the year of Doubt.

          Man, I have no idea why all the year I name are so emo-ish. Hahas, I guess the Golden Age ended years ago.

          7 years... everything just went downhill from there. How deep is this fall? On the bright side, it's hardly possible for me to fall any deeper, I hope.

          Why a year of doubt? Well, there has been a increasing number of people I know who started to doubt themselves. Some may be valid, some are without evidence. Nevertheless, we should not start jumping at shadows. We're not madman, not yet anyway.

          I still believe things will go for the better (for the rest of you anyway). That much, I have hope. :)

          Believe in yourself, you would surprise yourself how much I do. ;)

          This year, there many difficulties, many challenges, many misunderstandings, but I know you can pull through because I believe in you.  Don't lose heart. I know you're afraid of the calm before the storm but you should know that you're not alone in this fight. So don't doubt yourself. :)
          --
          Speaking of which, yes it is sad but remember:
          "that which does not kill us makes us stronger" - Friedrich Nietzsche

          Take a deep breath and take a step, you never know where it may lead. =)

          Going back to MJC, though I should discuss this at the end of next year but I'm curious about something so I shall try something different. :)

          Strange as it is, I look forward to the daily gathering at the atrium every morning. I just wish I wasn't so tired and filled with homework.

          But I must admit meeting you guys(Bao Lin, Clarissa, Cynthia, Darian, Eunice, Johnston, Lai Yin, Marcus, Siew Yan) in the morning really helped to stabilise my mood most of the time in the morning. As some of you probably know, my mood pattern sort of scrambled after I graduated from NCHS.

          Now longer was I in the good mood from the morning until evening where I go into a foul mood. Most of the times this year, I'm grumpy when I wake up. (I suspect is the lack of sleep or...)

          Though it's not every time everyone gather in the morning (missing one or two), at least it helps to well, remind me that I need to look on the bright side of life. I'm not really sure why but talking with Johnston always helps to soothe my nerves. =]

          I shall finally reach the point that Mr Goh was driving about. Hahas!

          Yes, it's my fault. It was a lack of self-discipline on my part for playing games during the Exams period. It was unwise to stare at Facebook when I should be revising for exams. I should thank Mr Goh for making me realise my errors of my ways and refrain from committing the same mistake next year with more crazy tests accompanying it. Hahas.

          I did some self-reflection after promos. I think I had written them in my posts after promos. I should know when to play, and when not to play. I should not have have gone overboard and play as though there wasn't any examinations tomorrow when there is.

          As such, I'm proud to tell you, throughout this holiday. I have succeeded in not playing a single computer game for a week, not using computer for an entire week. Not using facebook for a day or two. (That would need work but I'm aiming for the longer period when examinations are coming. ;)

          And thus, that explains my unexplained absence from blogger for close to half a month. It's because I was I wasn't using computer for a month and when I came back, I had a lot of real work to catch up to for my a week absence. :)
          (which explains my one week of not playing computer games as well. Hahas)

          But this ordeal made me realise that I am actually not very interested in games (at least single player ones). That would explain why I prefer to go out and play together instead, the experience is much sought for though costly (and hence not as often). Anyway, I had people to talk to for that week of no computer usage so I felt no loss. Hahas!

          Maybe the reason I use computers at home is because there is nothing else better to do. The alternative would be to interact with my family which would be..... yeah.

          How did I survive Promos when I was playing like crazy? For that, I believe I need to thank Keller. Keller was the one who came out with the idea of group studying together but he is mostly lazy to organise. But he's the one who brought the idea. The rest of us simply made it last.

          If it wasn't for the mugfests by ILM(Johnston, Keller, Darian and Qi Xiang), I would had been playing like crazy for real. But because I went out to study with you guys, I was able to survive Promos. Thank the gods! Hahas!

          Mugfests made me realise that though I lost the driving force to study alone, I could still study in groups. :)
          Not to mention, it gives us excuse to meet up and catch up with each other. Hahas!

          And you got to admit they're creative people, not just smart. Hahas! 3 different JCs, maybe I should invite Jie Sheng over. Hahas!

          Ah, I also appreciated Jie Sheng keeping in touch after graduation even though we end up at different schools. :)

          Recently, we were discussing what University courses I'm interested in. The truth is, I don't know. Hahas. Nothing seems interesting, anyone has any good suggestions? ^^

          If you asking why am I in Junior College then, that's a very good question that gets you no good answers. ;)

          Now, let us review the wishlist I made in the beginning of this year! =)

          Link: http://leroyr.blogspot.com/2010/02/jc1-wishlist.html 

          Well, I fulfilled 9/13 of the goals I made myself. Due to imperfect information however, I came to realise that some goals cannot be fulfilled this year (a tad too late but yeah hahas). It's okay, those would be carried forward to next year. Now is a good time to review them and in the meantime, set goals for next year. Hahas!

          Well, cutting those impossible ones. I would be left with 9/11. I'm working on #13 now, I feel that I can achieve that, but not this year, next year. I'm not sure why but I'm like the idea of wearing collared shirts this years. Hahas! Weird fashion sense of mine. :p

          #7 should be able to be achieved but the phrasing was poorly done so it's not considered to be fulfilled. That too, would be carried forward next year.

          I wasn't expecting to achieve #6 but hey, I did! I'm so surprised when I actually got into a mood to do just that somewhere in the middle of my June Holidays. I was feeling productive that period of time. Wow! I still can't believe it now. I mean, if I were to do it now, I don't think I can even produce a new version, not even thinking about completing an entire drafted product. Wow. So next year, let's draft finish Draft 2 and complete it! (I guess after A levels? Hahas ^^)

          Woots, looking at my wishlist now, I feel a sense of achievement. Wonder what next year entails? Hmm...

          HAPPY NEW YEAR! (sheesh, it's just one more minute, can't I wish you in advance?)

          Another step, another stone to lay, be patience, vengeance would be ours.

          Stayover @ Aunt's House

          Sunday, December 26, 2010
          Secret War Journal[4~12 December 2010]
          By the time I am posting this, I'm not longer staying over at my aunt's house already. We have become so much more busy since the past few years. This is why it is so hard to organise a stayover nowadays. Not just my aunt's house, even Johnston's house. I always like staying over at their house, it's so much more fun. Hahas!

          Ideally, I postponed all other outings and activities for next week where I would be back home so I can make full use of the time there but some things are not flexible enough to postpone. On the bright side, I enjoyed myself during the period of time either way. :)

          It's been so long since I tasted my aunt's cooking! Not to mention the snacks her house has compared to my home where it seems to be devoid of nice snacks. Hahas!
          Had papaya which most of the time, I'm too lazy to cut it myself at home. (Or buy it since I can't finish it myself) Really appreciate my aunt cutting it for all of us. ^^
          Had Siew Mai, another rare food for me since I seldom eat that!

          Hahas, like my uncle say, when I stayover I eat food that I normally would not had eat. :)
          I still don't eat much seafood though. ;)

          Oh man, I missed the instant noodles there too! Really liked how we would go cook instant noodles together for a meal. It's so much better than eating instant noodles at home. (Though I seldom do that nowadays, rather buy out since my house doesn't has instant noodles anyhow)

          Funny as it may sound, I miss sleeping there too. I thought I would not be used to the different environment but I was able to have a sound sleep. (Hahas, nowadays I have some negative thoughts swimming at home. Wonder why...)

          I'm proud to say that every morning I looked forward to breakfast! :)
          Oh, not to mention the fact that I seldom use computer during the entire period. I'm so proud of myself! Ha!

          Sadly, my sore eyes was not cured during that period of time. I suspect my phone is causing it. (Though I suspect my computer at home caused it first when I was rushing work.)
          In the last few days, I decided to seek medication. It was very useful, it's much better now. Thank you! :)

          I just wish Qi Xian could join us. It's been some time since I see his old self...

          Ah, before I forget, this is one of the newer addition which I think is nice. :)
          The words are not inside because I think my camera would not be able to capture it.

          I also remembered how we even used facebook to communicate even though we were in the same room. Hahas! We really laughed a lot then. Ah, it reminds me of much my old life. If only times could go on like this, having such positive thoughts everyday, especially during school.
          I'm not sure you would read this, but I really enjoy myself there. Thank you! ;)

          Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

          Thursday, December 23, 2010
          Secret War Journal[11 December 2010]
          Well, today, there is a meeting about a particular event that I would be involved in. It's called "Let's take a walk 2010". It's a charity walk which my class would be helping out at as part of our CIP hours project of sorts.

          My class agreed to meet at Woodlands MRT station. Apparently, we were suppose to meet at some place called Boys' Town which should be located somewhere in Bukit Timah. Well, being someone who had lived under a rock for the past 10 years, I had no clue how to get there myself. (It's too far north to my liking)

          I don't really like Woodlands either, (It's also located in the North. Zzz), but I guess that's the lesser evil compared to tampines because it's very inaccessible, not to mention my bad experience there.

          Got a lift from my uncle who brought all the way to Yishun so that I can easily get to Woodlands, (from there, it's a just a few stops to Woodlands via MRT). I'm really glad that my uncle offered me to bring me to Yishun though I feel a bit bad because they could have taken their own time to have breakfast but they had to come out in a certain time to prevent me for being late. :S Really appreciated. :)

          Took a bus to the place called Boys' Town.

          Speaking of which, we passed by a LRT Station called Pending. One may thinking the station status is pending but it's actually the station name! Hahas! In fact, a few days after the meeting, the newspaper actually came out with a report on how misleading "Pending" Station was. ;)

          When we reached the entrance of Boys' Town. We encountered the security guard. When he was asked about the briefing (well, we needed directions, it was a big big place. :), he commented that the meeting was in the morning and it was already going to be over.

          (That turned out to be a scare as he mixed up our briefing with the walkers' briefing which was held on the same day, same place but on 9AM to 12 noon. Our briefing, being volunteers to help out, was from 12 noon onwards. :)

          Nevertheless, to those who heard the conversation (I doubt many cared anyway), I guessed that rattled them for a moment.

          It took some time before we finally arrived at our destination. We were a tad early and there wasn't really anyone else except us and the organisers. The briefing was short and brief. It was concluded with a statement that emails would be sent with more details which settled everything else.

          After the meeting, we headed for Causeway Point for lunch. Following this was a very impromptu movie outing. Hahas!

          Chronicles of Narnia
           Well, the movie wasn't bad. I guess you could call the movie average. Thrilling? Not exactly, it's more about the lore. Many things left unexplained and some parts felt skipped.

          The dragon design was very awkward too.

          Overall, I doubt this movie is worth the cinema ticket price. You should just wait for the movie to aired free on television some day when you're really bored.

          It's saving grace would the subtle magic used in the movie. It's at least of decent quality. :)

          Sadly, the magic showcased are not very elaborate so fans of magic could be disappointed as the magic is considered rather minimal compared to other movies and not meant for people to focus on. Like I said, subtle magic, I guess its role is just to supplement the atmosphere and the likes.

          After the movie, I had to rush off to my Grandma's house! It's been a long time since I visited since my family visit in odd weeks while my aunt's family visit weekly. ^^

          Had chicken chop for dinner! Yum! :D