RAMBLINGS

WASSUP WITH TPJC'S BIO PAPER 1 MAN!! So tough! ): I give up.

Next!

Passi(t)on - LSBC Youth Camp 2009

What made Passiton different from past youth camps was

1. We had an entire day dedicated to games.

2. The Prophetic Act after the Holy Spirit Night on the second day, which felt very much like we were going for a battle against the unseen forces, to break the barriers that may hinder us from carrying out the work for God.

3. YA_18 was REALLY bonded together. Those 3 days were far more effective in bringing out a more united batch of 18yos, as compared to any other zonal bonding we've had so far.
The comm made the right choice by putting Keng Ling and Arathi into group Q, and shifting Joshua, Xi Ying, Clarissa and Cheryl into group R. We would otherwise (still) have been just Joe&WanHui's cell, and Kara's cell instead of YA_18 by the end of the camp.

4. YA_18 got all the 'sai kang' jobs (in Xi Ying's words :P) such as cleaning the toilets after lights out on the first night and cleaning up the MPH, dining hall and atrium on the second night, etc. But I guess what was commendable was that no one complained or argued about it :)

5. There was no fixed camp speaker for this camp. (we usually have a pastor from another church to speak at our camps, am I not right?)
When it comes to Community Penetration (CP) work, I think LSBC's own pastors can do the job equally well. Evidently, given the level of enthusiasm observed during CP on the seconday.

6. The timing of this camp. I still have one more A level paper which I have yet to tackle. I faced slight resistance from my parents (esp. my mum) when I made the decision to sign up for camp. She even 'reminded' me quite harshly that the A levels have not ended and that I was being "very daring" to go for the camp. I replied simply, "My paper is on Thursday. If others have a paper on Monday, right after the camp, and they can still honour God by going for it, I don't see why I can't do the same." Well I guess she had nothing to say about that.


That's a very brief summary of what happened, and what made Passiton stand out from other camps. I NEED TO GET BACK TO BIOLOGY so, byebye!

Wants

I want!!

it's here

Okay, this is it.

IT'S HERE, MAN!!!!!!!

Breathe. Or that panic attack will come again and I can say bye bye to NTU or NUS in 2010 and hi to ACJC and funorama. Omg no way not another year of econs geog bio math gp. Thankkewvellymuch.

Today I sat at macs for more than 12 hours. horray.

Thanks friends for all your encouraging smses, tags and wall posts:) I'm only replying smses, sorry! and will only use my laptop for charging my mp3 player or to check the LMS for additional revision resources.

Goodbye, world. See you on December 3rd. or.... in heaven. HAHA ok i'm kidding. bye. Anyone interested in sitting at macs next Sunday from 9am to 11pm please let me know via SMS, thanks!

haha, like anyone would want to be as retarded as me.

ok bye.

this is bad. i sound like i'm talking to myself. it's the exams, i promise!!

Okay. The bomb is going off any moment now. And there's still SO much that has not been done, so much that needs to be done.

I really am not prepared. I don't know how I'm going to do this. Yes, I'm casting my cares on Him, but the mere thought of the A levels just gives me the creeps.

Andrew's mum dropped me off at Serangoon MRT just now. I was supposed to take the train towards Punggol, but I blindly boarded the train towards Harbour Front, and had to alight at Potong Pasir to take the other train back to Kovan. What was I thinking...

No time, no time ):

At 10pm earlier I walked out not with Esther or Rayner(??) or by myself or just Amelia or any of the regulars who remain in school to study till we get chased out. I walked out with 5 other classmates and Ammar. Like, wow, the most unlikely group of people! It was my first time seeing Jenisse, Andrew and Matthew stay till 10pm. Anyway, it's been a long time since I last walked out of school smiling and laughing so much. So that felt good (: Just wonder if they're all going to start adopting my daily mug-in-school routine.

Amelia and I went for the MEP recital by the J2 students. I kinda dragged her there =/
I think the performers could have done wayyyyyyy better. Still, good job! Especially to Chowder and Clairebear! (: Andrew pointed out that I go for almost every MEP concert/recital. hahaha at least this time it was free.

What's stuck in my head - You Belong With Me (Taylor Swift)

You're on the phone with your girlfriend,she's upset
She's going off about something that you said
Cos' she doesn't get your humour like I do

I'm in my room it's a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like
And she'll never get your story like I do

But she wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts
She's Cheer Captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see
You belong with me, you belong with me

Walking the streets with you and your worn-out jeans
I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be
Laughing on a park bench, thinking to myself
Hey, isn't this easy

And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town
I haven't seen it in awhile since she brought you down
You say you're fine, I know you better than that
Hey whatcha doing with a girl like that

She wears high heels, I wear sneakers
She's Cheer Captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see
You belong with me

Standing by and waiting at your back door
All this time, how could you not know
Baby, you belong with me, you belong with me

Oh, I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night
I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're 'bout to cry
And I know your favourite songs and you tell me 'bout your dreams
Think I know where you belong, think I know it's with me

Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see
You belong with me

Standing by and waiting at your back door
All this time, how could you not know
Baby, you belong with me, you belong with me

You belong with me
Have you ever thought just maybe
You belong with me
You belong with me

Things don't always turn out the way you want to

It was my first time stepping into an ICU ward. I didn't really like the feel of it, but I don't regret being there. Too many chances for me to visit Aunty Daphne at home have slipped by, and each time my family went without me, my mum said she'd ask for me. It was always the same answer, 'Joyce is out studying'. Once, my mum lied that I was studying when I was with my friends at some concert or cell bonding or some other gathering, I can't remember. It was the least I could do less than 6 hours ago, appear by the side of her bed as she lay sedated...

I love you, Aunty Daphne, we all do. I'm so sorry for not doing what I wanted to do when you were still able to walk around at home, play with your dogs, forward inspiring emails and make status comments on Facebook. Hang in there, please, I know you're strong. For Uncle CK, for your loved ones. Don't go. Please.


Note to self: always carry a packet of tissues.

young? in what sense?

I just remembered a remark you made last Sunday which really pissed me off. I was merely concerned about her, and you just had to say, "you're still young lah".

Excuse me, I believe I am of the same age as she is. One and a half months difference isn't very significant, is it? And if you're talking about level of maturity, I'm not going to comment on how mature I think I am, but please know that my stand on the issue of __________ity shares a zero correlation with my concern of how she is coping. Just because I have strong convictions and beliefs that make me different from the typical youth of today, this does not mean that I am made less mature as compared to the others. That is, other youths my age.

Come to think of it, I still feel mad about this. I promise you that you will have no knowledge of the details of my life from now on, besides my grades, maybe. Cos' you don't have a right to know, and why would you want to, since my life is so mundane and so much less exciting than others', right? And neither will I ask you how she's doing, I may as well go ask her myself. Or, I could put it another way - since she already has backup, all sharing the same views, I think I can take my leave and dissolve from her life or risk being viewed as nothing but a busybody. Not that I actually care about what others may think... Well maybe I do. Call me sensitive.

Urgh.


(just in case anyone's planning to comment on this post... don't do it. time heals all wounds anyway. it won't be long before mine gets healed. just feeling a bit angsty of late.)

Things don't always turn out the way you want to

I don't know what's wrong with me. Don't tell me there's nothing, cos' there is something. I want to be a hermit and hide myself from the world, although one may say it's ironic that I say this while blogging on the World Wide Web. This phase will pass. If not soon, then later.


Take me now, way beyond the veil...
Where I can see You
Where I can see You, Jesus
Hold me now within Your arms of love
I wanna be with You
I wanna be with You

lao peng you

I saw Kenneth Gan at Bishan library today!! hehe, so happy to see an old face :) Man I really miss my very first OG from SRJC, Cetus 4!!!

Turned 18 on 18 August (:

Yes, the prelims have started... and we're right in the middle of it.



My birthday happened to fall on the second day of prelims, when everyone had math and econs papers. Instead of waking up full of dread for what was to come that day, I woke up reading "happy birthdays" on my phone. Good start, I figured.

Then I got to school, and classmates were saying HB to me. I thought, hey, how did they know? but thanked them nontheless. There were gifts and cards from Claire Sheena and Janet Lydia LiLin Santi, thanks a lot girls ((: Pei Yan handed me this large red vanguard with lots of signatures and little notes written about how I'm 'lucky' to have my 18th birthday during the prelims. She actually took pains to mass SMS CO members and some other friends to gather and pen these down the day before. Amelia and Sheena and Claire deserve credit too for trying to get more ppl to fill up the 'card' (knowing that my network isn't very wide...). I had to lug all the stuff around the sports complex and void deck the whole day. After the 2 papers for the day, there was THE cake *speechless, Amelia's idea* and then KFC dinner with the usual void deck muggers which I didn't pay for....

My dad picked me up at 10pm, I couldn't take the train cos' I'll look like an idiot with too many things to carry and probably have ended up dropping stuff everywhere I walked. And so this was waiting for me at home...
No, no, the cake wasn't on fire, it's just some camera effects. haha. My family actually waited for me to come home.. and that was the second cake of the day.

I feel bad for all the precious mugging time lost by my dear schoolmates as they took time off to DO something for me, especially a certain few who went great lengths to make this special, for injecting some life and joy on a gloomy day where I believe the whole cohort had to sit for a paper or two. and for my family for waiting for me till what, nearly 11pm..? All these efforts are very very much appreciated, I don't know how else to thank the people who made that day a day to remember.


Meet the Rabbit and the Rat. People who have seen Pei Yan and I studying together would have seen these two too. Impossible to miss! Just for self-amusement, eighteen-year-olds need such toys too. It's our way of de-stressing, not playing with frisbees like what many choose to do..


Yes, I've been staying in school till ten daily...
With me at the void deck are the councilors (33rds), some other familiar faces (one of them being James Low's brother, yeah staying at 231 but we dont talk), some sconers, Amelia, and my bio classmates from 2SC3. I really thank God for the friends whom I mug with (Amelia Jane Dixin Ammar Tims Esther and sometimes JiaEn Rebecca Daryl(who doesnt stay late)) cos' having them around is like having a third family where we offer moral support to one another as we (TRY to) study through the night till the security guard chases the whole crowd away at 10pm. Definitely beats studying alone as I had planned to do, even if it meant I had to face other J2s I didn't know and watch them so comfortable and at ease with the company they have, only to realise I'm on my own. Well, that didn't happen cos' God provided my bio classmates (: What more can I say?


It's a blessing to be here in this college. It's a blessing to know that God supplies all our needs, even wants. But to be greedy? Clearly, that's not an option. (must. stop. slacking. and. FOCUS. and. read. my. bible. and. pray.)

General Issues

Culture

Globalisation has made our world more compact, more integrated and inter-dependent. It is now easier to transport people, as well as their goods and services without incurring large costs of travel (unless, of course, one is trying to be Christopher Columbus). This ultimately brings about a homogenous culture, where other cultures unique to the many societies will be lost. That which has been passed down by past generations, shriveled and forgotten, while English becomes the universal language. This is already happening, what with America exporting its culture in so many areas. Its influence is not only seen in the area of politics and economics, but also in societies as American products and media content becomes inceasingly available. The fate of each society's own culture is very much dependent on the people's attitude towards their roots. We can't stop foreigners from integrating into our society and introducing their cultures. It's just not feasible, especially when economies are in need of foreign talent and like Singapore, open its doors to the world.

Soon, many will have serious identity crises, being part of an inceasingly homogenised world, yet unable to find a sense of belonging, to a culture they can call their own.
ok i dont know what to say because i'm not thinking hard enough. and i'm sleepy.


Should torture be legalised in your country for the same purpose in the war against terrorism?

I cannot provide a balanced argument for this one.

For one, the war against terrorism has been a long-lasting one, dating back to 2001 after the 911 attack on the World Trade Centre in the US. Terrorism itself has claimed thousands of lives (no doubt easing the pressure on Earth's natural resources, at the same time bringing about massive damage to the affected country's economy, even in more extreme cases altering their demographic structure). Can terrorism ever be justified?

To have a war against terrorism means that more lives would be taken, including that of innocent Afghans which had no part to play in the murderous schemes of terrorists. The Bush Administration received its fair share of criticism. What I find ironic is this - a war against terrorism is one that is intended to eradicate terrorism (correct?), yet being a war, as the name suggests, widespread terror is placed on the citizens whose countries are targets of the war. Trying to live normally with foreign troops strutting around neither eases the tension nor introduces peace to the society in question.

Torturing does instill fear in would-be terrorists, many of whom are youths being trained by the Al Qaeda and other sadists who see no value in the human life. Does it really help, now, or we discussing about a cycle of violence which leads to yet more destruction?

Torture is an extreme, violating human rights as it gets carried out. Well, there really is no war in Singapore. No war on terrorism, war against rape, against the dominance of one political party throughout Singapore's 44 years of independence. Singapore already has a decent legal system which administers justice to those who walk down that path. It would be unnecessary to introduce torture. Unless there is another Mas Selamat or Bin Laden in our midst, torture should not be legalised in this country. once again i aint making sense but i'm just trying to get into the hang of writing essays, yes, few hours before the exam, you hear me

Celebrity Activism

Some articles on celebrity activism...

Celebrity Activism: Publicity Stunt or Sincere Care?
The Limits of Celebrity Activism

(more to come)

Why so many celebrities are tagged with a cause, or few causes. Are they for real, or are they simply trying to act all goody and saint for personal glory?

Hartono

This is so disturbing. I was checking my email when I spotted one with the title with Nathan's name in it. Random blog post here. Totally random okay.

This person is someone we J2s frequently see in school, and he's my classmates' lit classmate (it's ok if you can't catch the ball). No, I don't know him personally but arts students see their fellow arts people all the time so you get the picture. I saw him carrying a this fashion bag around in school O_O wtheck right. Then there was this very unforgettable day whereby he made a joke out of himself over the PA system. He was leading the school in the national anthem and pledge that day.

"We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people. So as to achieve happiness, prosperity, and --"
*silence*
"We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people. So as to achieve --"

??????

Don't we all take the pledge every day? Since we were little kids? Everyone was amused by his blunder. Tsk, how could he be so blur as to forget the words to the pledge! But he's really your average JC student (at least that's what I think), it's hard to imagine him as a big shot out there.

Hello once again

We all know the H1N1 virus is spreading like fire (I wouldn't say wildfire). Here in Singapore, students hope(d) that the Government would extend the June vacation in view of the rising number of infected individuals, supposedly concerned about the well-being of fellow students who return to school after the long break and risk being exposed to the deadly virus. Hmmm.

A group was created on facebook, "A Petition to MOE to Extend the June Vacation due to the H1N1 Pandemic". Thousands have joined the group, and I am one of them, though I knew nothing would come out of this. I posted a question on the group's Wall.

Click to enlarge.
The creator of the group quoted from me, and her response is boxed in pink. Well... this whole thing is rendered useless because I don't think the Government actually does take something like this seriously. Anyway, too many lesson plans will be disrupted, and in the end it'll be the teachers who'd be panicking and thinking of how to make up for the one week of lost time. Much can be covered within that week.

I, however, have wasted 3 weeks and have not done much work this term break. Save me.

Significant events this month were CF camp, enCOre, and cell bonding. Yes, there's much to blog about. But I must return to my online lecture on Nervous Control......................

SYF CO JCs 2009

When the results were announced, most of us were just stoned. Only some cheered. Lukas jumped from his seat. Why? Even though we're AC's only performing arts group to sustain the award from 2007, there was no excitement among us. Was it because we knew that we could have done better? Regrets, perhaps? Or was it because we just did not like the fact that a quarter of the participating schools managed to attain the highest possible award, and we were given only the second best?

Okay, I have to admit. I was - as a certain someone in ACCO had said, everyone's hoping for a gold with honours in their hearts - one of them. I really thought luan yun fei could get us the honours. We could have, if not because we did not play the set piece well while on stage, we brought the tempo of the set piece down so it's different from other schools, xianyue's pitching was off.

Of course, there are other factors to consider. We had 6 to 7 inexperienced J1s in our midst, we brought scores up to stage - something very few or none of the schools did, we had the smallest orchestra out of the 16 schools that participated.

Of course, there's still much to cheer about. Gold for an orchestra this small does say something, doesn't it?


I know that I shouldn't be ranting so much.
Let AC Performing Artistes unite, stop all these elite CCA nonsense about this-cca-is-better-than-the-other and stuff. SYF 2009 has been a great challenge for all of us and no doubt the biggest heart attack in the history of AC's performing arts.

Oh, I've been wrong about that certain someone. . .
and now the lack of communication is annoying me.

So... it all boils down to TODAY.

We received the score for our choice piece last November or so. TODAY IS THE DAY. Will we bring Singapore Conference Hall down, or will we receive cheers and jeers from the way we carry ourselves on stage? I don't know. I have a feeling someone in the orchestra is gonna sneeze while playing or sneeze during the silent part. I'm thinking too much. This will be the J1s' and J2s' last SYF ever (unless the J1s retain in year 1) and well we definitely want to give our best.

Choir did the school proud by bringing the school a gold with honours yesterday.

Today, it's our turn.

Are we going to save the school's niche in performing arts? Cos' honestly, the other performing groups did not do too well this year...

God bless us as we present our pieces later on. Go AC Band! Go ACCO!

Updates - early/mid April

Project Work Results 2009: Well Done ACJC!

The release of the Project Work results for the present batch of JC2s on April 9, 2009 was a very happy event for the college. 100% of the cohort achieved A and B grades, with an astounding number of 84% of the candidates achieving distinctions. This well surpasses the national average. ACJC is very pleased with the performance of our students and we congratulate the students and their Supervising Tutors who have guided them through this journey.

In all we do, we want to thank God for His blessings and give Him all the glory for His continued faithfulness to the College. The Best is Yet To Be.

I quote that from my school's website :) Yup, it was a TERRIBLE journey.. 100% achieving As and Bs is really something, and the road towards this was a tough one, filled with obstacles of all sorts. J1s of 2009, give your best and BOND with your PW group. It'll make things a lot easier.


I got my term exam result slip not long ago. Passed everything - thank God - but no A grades either. Still far behind, still have a lot to catch up on :(

SYF is in less than 20 days now, and we've been practicing almost every day of the week. I have CCA from Monday to Sunday this week, CO every day except Friday (CF). Really hope this turns out well! Some re-imaging of the chinese orchestra needs to be done, and this competition will either reinforce our existence or send more 'boos' in our way. Perservere, people!

I've been rushing through my homework lately, that's baddddd. Today I spent my only break (1h20min long) with Andrew in the library, rushing through a geog essay. Early at 5.30am I managed to complete the last half of my GP essay. Yesterday I used up my break (again) to do another geog assignment. Seriously man. TIME MANAGEMENT!


Good Friday was a whole day out for me. Santi, Amelia, Andrew and myself spent five whole hours at Santi's house doing up a report on Germany's economy for an econs problem-based learning project (PBL). It felt like PW all over again, just that this time we were all furiously discussing and arguing over concepts learnt in school and their applications to Germany. That drained out a lot of brain juice. Five hours. Then Andrew's dad dropped Amelia and I at Serangoon Central cos' it was pouring.. Ame and I had lunch there (omg i'm hungry now), then we went separate ways.

Evoke Your Dreams was a really big event, I hadn't expected it to be that grand. I think the organisers did a good job (*pat pat*) and their efforts have definitely paid off! Judging from the crowd and their enthusiasm both during the finals and the post-party, I know that it was a success, and it's been a long time since the youth ministry has seen such a gigantic crowd for a church event, though that was non-evangelistic. I caught the first half of the competition finals, just the first half. Cos' I was helping out with the food and for the post-party and helping to sell them during the party itself. Again, it's been a long time since I got involved in church activities.

Those were the days... Where I had time on my sleeves, and I'd always make my appearance in church on weekdays either to study there or to help out with some minor tasks in the office. I enjoyed doing that. Now, however.... hoho. Look at how school has robbed me of my time. I don't even have enough time to sleep. I've cut down on time spent on blogging (it's evident from here). School hours are long, and breaks in between are short. Yawns.

Targets, expectations, deadlines, results, assessments