because life's like that

It's been a long time, been a long time...

2012-01-11T10:26:00.002+08:00

Hmm...

Ok i don't expect this will mean a comeback to blogging. Ugh this blog is so ad-hoc it's getting depressing. Posting from my phone is depressing. Maybe i'm just old fashioned... Wow things move so fast. Blogging was the in thing like 5 years back and now it's dead.

I had some time for reflection, life and whatnot.

Everyone has different parts of their lives. I think mine is neatly split into 5. One of them is random people i don't care about haha. One of them is class, which i have been neglecting. All my classes that is. 2m, 4q and 3k. I would like to catch up but i am busy of sorts. An afternoon or an evening is okay i guess but as army draws nearer, my bed looks more appealing...

Oh and i am posting this because i am sitting in my mum's clinic, bored to death. Free labour.

Anyway, what i wanted to say was that for all the parts of your lives, they are never at peace. When you finally thought you've settled one, another problem crops up somewhere. It keeps life interesting and makes it exciting.

I feel so much from another generation. Maybe it has something to do with how fast paced life is now. Things change so fast. Smartphones are now some common sight where a few years ago, our phones could only play snake. I grew up with no phone until sec1. I remember calling Jerome Siew in p4,5,6. When calling meant i had to ask for him because house phones actually had a purpose back then.

I have wanted to do something unlike myself. Actually i'm not sure if it is unlike myself or a more truthful side of me.

Socially ineptness is interesting. Maybe i am antisocial. How do you define weirdness? Something unlike yourself? Something "against nature" is bullcrap because nature is diverse. From supersonic bats, to crabs which can do dragonball-like moves. And gay dolphins, musn't forget them.

Life is good, but the people in it do not get along.

The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.
- Oscar Wilde

And it spins round and round

2011-07-03T23:05:00.000+08:00

I am happy.

Well not from CTs obviously, but i guess i am pretty satisfied with my life now. I guess i am one of the lucky few huh.

I have not much to say haha.

Maybe i need some stony silence to think about what i am doing and where i am going. Ah 'A's are messing with my head.

At least i have one bit down.

And by that i mean you girl (:

Finally...

2011-05-28T23:34:00.000+08:00

Was getting sick of school. Of all the tutorials and lectures. Can finally start mugging proper.

Haven't been blogging since godknowswhen. Busy i guess? And i'm kinda getting turned off posting my life to the world. I think those that need to know already know and this is not very much useful already? Well it never was intended to be used that way, but the posts have been getting more and more mindless so i'm wondering if this is really still what it was supposed to be.

Maybe it is all the facts and correct answers i have been cramming in, but nowadays, my brain has lost the will and ability to crank out anything insightful. Or maybe it is just that it has run out. Either ways, i'm all out. No more stream of consciousness blathering on and on about something meaningful. Ah wells, could explain why my GP essays have lost (or maybe it never had?) its personal voice.

I don't know what you want me to believe, and when i probe too hard you sink further in. Sometimes i wish i could read your mind.

2011-05-10T22:12:00.001+08:00

Maybe i'm just doing it all wrong. Someone tell me where the hell i am going wrong cos i can't seem to see it.

2011-05-04T22:37:00.000+08:00

Watch your thoughts, for your thoughts become words.
Watch your words, for your words become actions.
Watch your actions, for you actions become habits.
Watch your habits, for your habits become character.
Watch your character, for your character becomes your destiny.
-Unknown

Reflect (:

From my iphone (:

2011-04-22T22:45:00.001+08:00

First time I'm blogging on my phone. Started cos SOMEONE bugged me to blog xD

Anyway, yesterday, I went out with Renci after school. We went to Potong Pasir (which is gonna be contested) to eat beef hor fun, it was nice, but the Thomson one is better. Anyway following that i went to my mum's clinic to freeze my wart. It's siiick.

Ok all that is boring stuff.

Now for the fun stuff.

On the way to back to bishan, on the way to Thomson plaza, we were on bus 58. We were in the back row of the bus, in one corner, with this other dude sitting at the other side. So suddenly, halfway through the journey, the dude starts blasting loud china style music. You know those wordless instrumental noisy ones. So then I started whispering to her, saying that it was very noisy and that I had a headache (which I really had ok!) and that maybe it was cos of the loud china music. Apparently I dunno how to whisper >< She was like, you very loud, now the guy staring at you. Oops >< and he stopped playing it. Aaaand he didn't get off until one stop before us. So... Awkward... And I when he got off he kept glaring at me. Anyway I felt like a dick after that ):

Ok that's all. iPhone post is the novelty of this post(:

01 campfire is tomorrow!

Marching on...

2011-04-10T17:02:00.000+08:00

A lot of things look better in retrospect. Then again some decisions could have been better made with more information.

I was supposed to spend today working on the team dynamics lecture. No mood i guess. Stayed up late doing a training schedule for the teams that are going for the UG Adventure thing. Spent church sleeping, breakfast wasn't great. Ended up coming home and crashing for 2 hours, waking up soaked in sweat because i couldn't be bothered to turn on the fan. Then spent the next few hours wondering what the hell was happening in my life while watching TV and eating lunch.

And now, it's raining. Feel like going back to sleep. Perfect sleeping weather. But i really should do my lecture. The weather just hates me.

I wish i had a punching bag. I mean it is a good training equipment thingy and i guess some things just need fist contact. Never felt so prone to violence before. Then again, in the past few weeks i've felt things i never knew i could feel anyway.

My CT results are crap. Absolute bullshit by anyone's standard. PW is a B, real comforting way to end the week, on top of all the other crap. And then doubt from everywhere. Only looking back at everything and seeing the wrecked field do i realize the full extent of the carnage. One by one, they didn't look that bad.

Then again, Japan has it worse. What with even more earthquakes now. Life's a bitch i guess.

Why are we so masochistic that we keep coming back for more?

2011-04-05T00:26:00.000+08:00

To create a future and hope it comes true.

Give me this one dream.

Love is staying through everything, and making everything right again.

Boy, give up your pipe dreams and grow up.

2011-03-26T23:53:00.000+08:00

Love is...

the simple words
the unthinking gestures
the happy smile.

-------------------------

http://survivingtheworld.net/Lesson914.jpg

Surviving The World. Read it.

Ah CTs are finally over.

Sorry this has been so inactive. I think i have been rather busy. But not the kind of busy i am used to. It is a kind of happy, contented and satisfactory busy.

Well CTs haven't helped. Did my psychometric analysis exercise thing for PSC yesterday. Ohmywhatawasteoftime.

I'm sorry but i'm not the smart type that PSC would want, so why in the world are you testing me again?

I think i have run out of wit (assuming i had some before) and interesting things to say (again, assuming you found me interesting in the first place).

Ah wells.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction; nothing you do can ever, ever make EVERYONE happy.

Happy Bubble Stage

2011-03-04T21:48:00.000+08:00

Things seem to be moving fast and slow at the same time. It seems like so much has happened but looking at the calendar, it has been barely a fortnight.

School. Hmm there is a lot of things going on. But yay a B for chinese (:

As my sister says, we are starting a legacy of D7s to Bs. Oops xD

Ah well just as well (:

I think i like keeping secrets too much. dang.

18! (:

2011-02-22T00:12:00.000+08:00

But it doesn't really matter. Just another day to appreciate what i have (:

2011-02-21T23:40:00.002+08:00

Today.

Because i don't have a diary xD

2011-02-20T22:47:00.000+08:00

Layers of meanings and sometimes the key to make it complete is hidden right below.

127 hours is a... i dunno how i would describe it. I felt kind of cheated cos there was totally no back story. Who is that woman?? His GF? Why his GF pangseh him?? Maybe cos i wasn't watching very carefully. But seriously the movie could have been better.

I jailbroke my iphone on friday. Now its so fun (:

I realized i hardly use my twitter. Maybe cos i can't think of what to say on it. Yeah my life is kind of boring. And then i always forget about it when i do have something to say. Sorry to all those following me.

Life is kind of boring now. Other than me failing my 2.4 epic-ly, there is not much other news. Yes i am not exaggerating about my 2.4. I took 11:11 okay. So stop saying that i'm damn fit and can get A no prob.

I think i'll go sleep early. Feels better (:

Happy birthday Renci!! This is one day late here though... Hope you enjoyed your presents (:

One and a half months in

2011-02-15T23:36:00.000+08:00

And i look back and realize we've been moving so fast that it seems like yesterday we hit the ground running.

Maybe every must reach this point. What i understand is the want to keep it there, keep me at a distance, what i don't understand is the distance.

Where do i draw the line between getting closer and getting irritatingly close?

I don't trust my senses.

You're waiting for someone
To put you together
You're waiting for someone to push you away
There's always another wound to discover
There's always something more you wish he'd say

-Everything You Want, Vertical Horizon

Schools fine. What i didn't realize was how i was staying back everyday doing something or other. I guess this would be the first time i didn't have pressing work and so can sit down and blog. Gather my thoughts if i may. I am perfectly contented with the way things are now. This is one of those moments i wouldn't mind freezing and staying in forever.

But rivers flow and winds blow, sands sift and plates drift, and change is the only constant.

What are we even chasing after?

I guess if you're so caught up in achieving your next goal, reaching the next milestone, you lose sight of the eventual finish line, the big picture. If anything, 18 is just another number.

2011-01-31T22:14:00.001+08:00

Unconsciously overwhelmed

In the light of recent events

2011-01-28T22:48:00.000+08:00

I've been finding really interesting things to do. I guess i need a sort of hobby other than mug-my-brains-out. I'll probably go back to duct tape something or other. Kinda miss my old duct tape wallet. And maybe some other new stuff. Internet is just so full of rubbish. Or more like stuff to make out of rubbish.

Went to Giant with my mum today to uh buy a foldable table after moving the other one to another house. Quite fun. I think. Am i weird for thinking it was fun? I guess i just like walking around looking at stuff. Bought quite a lot of stuffs.

Actually i can't wait to get a house of my own. Then i can happily go buy stuffs to stuff it with. Quite fulfilling if you get my drift (:

But that doesn't look like it's coming any time soon. So yeah i'll keep dreaming.

When they said we would hit the ground running this year, i didn't really expect us to hit it that fast. And damn this isn't running, it's like trying desperately to fly.

Apparently we're lagging quite a bit in most subjects.

2011-01-21T22:35:00.000+08:00

I guess sometimes it just takes a few things to go a bit off in the same day. It wasn't much actually. Like i was fine until like 5. Arghh damn the convenience of 3G. I have no idea what i was checking anyway. But i guess i just felt pretty disappointed in myself. And pretty pissed at how stupid it was. Ruined my bus ride to be honest. And then watching and feeling how far i've dropped after that ruined bus ride was just depressing.

Now... Just tired.

thankyou friend (:

Jailbreak

2011-01-19T23:16:00.000+08:00

Kewl. According to blogger, my last three posts were on: 1/11/11 and 1/1/11 and 1/1/11

My brother jailbroke his (my former) ipod. Apparently i'm quite good at getting it to go into DFU mode. Whatever that is. Just press and hold stuff haha.

School is in full swing now. It has been since the first day of coming back. GP tests every week, Chem class tests almost every week, lecture tests coming up, tutorials everyday. Sounds like fun.

I don't think i should be thinking of a break now but OHMANICAN'TBELIEVESCHOOLISINFULLSWING!

I'm getting tired of waking up before 7. I think even during the holidays i can count the number of days i woke up after 8 on one hand. Pretty sad. Doesn't help that i am sleeping at 12 every night. Actually i think i can sleep earlier.... But habit. Habit is a bitch.

My new resolution is to sleep at 11 if i have no outstanding work to do.

Now i need someone to force me to do it.

Catch-22 is quite a good read. Not even halfway through yet. I read it like once every 2 days so uhh... Quite slow. But it's funny. (:

Oh my new year's resolution (and the rest-of-my-life resolution) is to read at least one novel every year. Good right?

Here we go again. For the last time.

2011-01-11T00:20:00.000+08:00

Lets see.

Homecoming, Open House, Class chalet, School start.

Quite happening.

This year has to count.

Talk about NEW year.

2011-01-01T23:24:00.000+08:00

Just in time for the new year, our new 42 inch LED TV came on the 31st of December 2010. So today when i woke up at 12, my dad was busy setting it up. It is now fully functional! Just right to go with our (oh did i mention?) new couch. And the house got a new arrangement because of Christmas and the new couch. It can recline now! (:

On a unrelated note, i have a new mattress too. It is full of bumps but it is kinda comfy.

Today was pretty relaxed. Spent a lot of time not doing anything, because that is the best way to relax. New year resolutions? Maybe not for this year.

Sing it out

Boy you've got to see what tomorrow brings

Sing it out

Girl you've got to be what tomorrow needs

For every time that they want to count you out

Use your voice every single time you open up your mouth

-Sing, My Chemical Romance

I kinda watched The Tourist at my grandma's today. Kinda cos i saw the start and the end but fell asleep all the way through the middle. So yeah i don't know why people call it confusing cos seeing the start and the end pretty much makes sense to me xD

Anyone want to go watch it? I kinda want to see the rest of it. In a movie theatre. Somewhere.

But then again school is starting soon and damn there is a lot to do. Clear my room come to mind. Sigh. And i don't think i'm mentally prepared for every aspect of my life for 2011. how do i do more?

Wisdom of a late night taxi driver.

2011-01-01T04:01:00.000+08:00

Countdown was fun. The people i was with were enjoyable. But didn't really feel the adrenaline rush of doing something. Quite a great way to end the year and to start the new one.

Happy New Year everyone (:

Taking the taxi home this morning, i was busy talking to the uncle because it's plain rude to just fall asleep while he is working his through-the-night shift. So yeah first was the usual why you going home so late, why at such a weird place, talk about countdown at Boon Lay, then to what he heard about countdown at Marina Bay, apparently the fireworks only lasted 5minutes according to the China people he sent home before he picked me up. Of course, this being a typical Singaporean cabbie, the whole conversation was in Chinese. Which, surprisingly, i can do pretty well when it is just conversation. So yeah we talked about a whole bunch of stuff, like countdowns, how it is pretty crowded in town, etc. He told me about how all the cabs were there picking up people, he told me what time the crowd is expected to die down, and when it will pick up again because the people who went drinking would finally be going home, and how tomorrow will be a pretty free day because all the youngsters would be at home nursing hangovers.

Then when we saw another taxi speed past, he was telling me how on the highway (speed limit is 90kph) he would only go at max 110kph, and that is on the condition that it is at night. Surprisingly, i got a pretty safe cabbie. He was all about being safe and not recklessly fast. After all, he was saying, the customer pays for them to drive safely, not to get killed on the way. So we were talking about cabbies speeding, then each time we see one go past he would be like: ka ni na...

Oh yeah before we hit the highway, we saw a police check. First time i saw one was when Renci's dad was sending me home from Claire's party. So yeah this time i could recognise it. From afar the cabbie was saying it is either an accident or police block. I happily said it was a police block, then he said but usually got the blue and red lights. I was right (: hahaha cheap thrill.

Anyway following that we talked about the food around my area (Kovan), apparently an actor stays nearby, at Rosyth there, and then went on to how Nex has a 24 hours NTUC (found out yesterday morning) and how he can even pick up passengers from there at this hour surprisingly, and next was onto how Chinamen are damn smart, they come here and earn money, buy property and become PR. Of course it ended with the usual, we cannot underestimate them.

On the whole i rather enjoyed that taxi ride, the driver was nice to talk to and it was simple enough for my chinese, while being complex enough for me to actually be thinking.

Also, i think he thought i was 18+ or so. While talking about reckless idiot drivers, he asked if i had gotten my license yet. And uhh cos i didn't want to reveal myself to be just finishing seventeen, i just said yeah i haven't learned yet.

This new year is starting off quite well.

2010

2010-12-31T02:11:00.000+08:00

Maybe this tradition of summing up the whole year in a post is not the best idea. Maybe it reduces my experiences into a few meaningless words, soulless paragraphs.

But this is the best i can come up with as a tribute to the year that has just gone by. I just read my new year's eve post from 2007, 08 and 09. And each year i see a different person writing that. That person has not lived through the whole year of experiences i just lived through. Change IS the only constant.

Where do i start? Last year i was quite clear on what to say, it was like the final words in a chapter. But now? Now it is like i am starting on a new notebook. I can never bear to taint that immaculate paper with my ugly scrawl of a handwriting. Someone said life is the art of drawing without an eraser. So as i scrawled across the canvas of my life, it becomes less of a pure gift given to me but more of a notebook that is slowly becoming part of my polluted self. It is like dropping a drop of concentrate into a clear glass of water and watching the drop slowly disperse through and claim the glass as its own.

The past few years i have been recounting the year as a (mostly) chronological corridor of events. Now, i think i want to head in a different direction.

GC'10. What can i ever say to express the whole year we had together? I guess it started around this time last year. Remember when we were full of inspiration and drive, ready to set things in motion, to be the spark that reignites the Group. The year started of so great and though there were down times, we pulled through and i cannot say thank you enough for such an enriching and perspective-changing and fulfilling year as a GC member. The satisfaction at the end of camps, the tired happiness when we see the scouts finally stepping up, the exhilaration of trying new things. And of course, the frustration of not seeing anything change despite trying our best, the exhaustion of running camps and activities, the stress of deadlines.

I think despite all the arguments during meetings and disagreements, we always came out as a united GC moving in the same direction. And i take a childish delight in seeing each of our projects showing some results.

Alvin, our best Group Secretary ever. If not for you i think i would not have kept to most of the deadlines, and probably forget everything we discussed during the meetings. I am so grateful for you listening to me complain about a thousand and one things and telling me when i am taking things too far. All the monthly updates and your strong sense of responsibility helped me to not slack off even when i felt dead tired and just wanted to sit there and rot.

Jack! Finance Secretary. Hahaha everything so confidential. Sometimes you're so quiet i kinda forget that you're there. And sometimes i think you're there when you're not cos you are busy with something else. I am still pretty amazed at how you manage to handle so many things outside 01 and still do your FS duties at the highest standard. Not like this year was very simple. Buying the poles and shoveling out money for TWO jamborees (most years we don't even have one), i am amazed. I really respect you, especially after seeing all the finance side just run so smoothly through the year.

Joel. Hmm to be honest i only started really knowing you this year, cos of us being classmates and GC together. I hate paperwork so i really have no idea how you deal with all the millions of documents you have to deal with. All the test papers and courses and everything. Actually quite funny to see you scold the adults on the phone sometimes. And oh man the pole saga was indescribable. Your epic email added some comic relief in a stressful time. I think people will see that next time and laugh. Thank you for listening to me complain about uhh almost everything actually. From school stuff to 01 stuff. This year was fun (:

Anurak the campfire dude. This year's campfire was.... epic. The improvisation and the panic and everything. I remember sitting with the sec2 and 3 dancers and when the screen came up it looked like someone announced a war had ended. All the apprehension, tension, anxiety all faded and they were cheering. Quite funny. But really good job with campfire and reviving the ad-hoc comms, which honestly were dead even when we were the ones chairing them with Hiok and Alvin.

Hiok. Actually not much to say except good job with the Ventures. Didn't expect them to grow up so much and so fast haha. I think GC'11 will do quite a good job.Thanks for the jokes during our meetings, and all the simple solutions to everything. TTL, it's not just a game, it's a lifestyle. Thanks for that also (: oh and for Interact side, thanks for uh helping me get to know people so it was not so awkward since i'm some ghost.

Amos. Same as Hiok about the Ventures part. I think it was a combination of your gl and Hiok's gl and both your seriousness that did the job. Thanks for the suggestions during our meetings and helping with the SU side when we needed the manpower. It was great working with you in the GC, especially when us 4 TLs got together. You and Hiok are damn creative hahaha (:

Kenneth! Fellow STL. Since i have no idea when i have always respected you a lot, so working together as STLs was quite a privilege. Our styles are quite different so i was quite surprised when i realized how we complemented each other in training the SU. Planning the camps and executing them were really fun (and dead tiring), and i cannot imagine our GC without you as STL cos really that is the only position you fit and you fit it so well. I think we did quite well this year (:

Despite Hillary Challenge ending in June, i think it felt like it took up so much more time than just 5 months this year.Maybe it was all the trainings and trainings and trainings.

BenGoh. i think i really cannot say enough thank yous for what you did for the team. I really respect you a lot as the team's leader. Our trainings could not have been so fun without you, and the challenge would have been so much harder (not to mention frustrating) if not for your support.

JonSee. Thanks for being there to navigate with such a sure attitude. It took helped take the pressure off me. Especially because we both were scouts and knew all the navigation skill and tent pitching and knots and everything already.

Joel! You and your 20+++ kg bag with the meat. Thanks for all the jokes and comic relief and first aid knowledge. And tanking all the weight and just walking on without complaint. And i'm not the strongest can. You obviously stronger lor.

Bryan. Your pacing usually kills me cos my legs are like half the length of yours. Thanks for being so encouraging and anal (we needed someone anal). The way you pushed the team on and selflessly taking on the extra weight and prompting the rest of the guys to stop being lazy and take the extra weight was really amazing.

Ziqi. Thanks for the thousands of jokes. Like literally thousands. And for pushing on even though it was so tiring and exhausting.

For the girls. I think i am still amazed at how much willpower you three have. I remember during finals at MacRitchie when we were walking towards the kayak part. My legs were literally spewing out lactic acid and then you three started walking so fast that i had to RUN to keep up. I was dying and then i saw you three just pushing on even though you were dead tired so i knew i had to keep up at the very least. NZ was another such experience. The three of you dragging the team on with your willpower, i think when any of the guys looked at any of you during the hike we just felt like we had to push harder because you three were putting in that much effort. Thanks for all the nice meals (well mostly anyway), helping us do the thinking parts of the challenge and making everything less guyish.

Gracia, i think you surprised me the most. The way you pushed through the whole challenge without complaining was amazing. And all the random laughter was refreshing, at least someone was laughing when it got tough. Thanks for the (brutal) honesty with my hair xD

Claire, i remember you complaining that you were not that fit and everything, but look at the whole challenge, how could anyone go through that and not be fit? Your super fast pace when you were in "Avatar" mode was killer. I nearly died each time. Haha just don't make lunch anymore ok? xD kidding! lunch actually wasn't that bad.

Renci, how is it that you are so small and yet so strong? Like not just physically but in every way. It was quite scary to see you lugging a bag half your weight around a bloody mountain. Talking while on the hike helped me keep going. Thanks for the company. And thanks for being such a great friend (:

11s03k. No i am not going to write every single person's name. That is like 25 people you know.

Firstly my PW group, Joyce, Rachel, Vincent, Lim Qian, Mahdi. Thanks for an awesome year of PW!! I think not many groups can honestly say that they enjoyed PW and that is something we can boast about. It really was fun going down to the kindergartens and doing all the work together. The most sian was OP i think when we rehearsed countless times but had fun afterward. Joyce! thanks for the best PW topic ever!

Next is the gang. Nick Eu, Nicole, Joel, Lim Qian, Nick Khaw. See more of you all next year (: hanging out during breaks was really fun. And the card houses and all the random stuff that happens.

The rest of the class, thank you so much for a wonderful year in class. All the epic things that happened, hijacking an LT, Mr Chan's wedding, mass ponning PE, and many more. And things like Ding Jun coming 10minutes late for econs CT and getting highest in class, Mahdi's parade commanding, all gave our class our unique feature (:

And i think we owe a big thankyou to Gillian for helping glue our class together. Without her being CTrep and coordinating all the class stuff, class outings, gatherings, chalet! Thanks Gillian for being encouraging and talking to Mrs Yeo on our behalf (:

Interact, okay i hardly know anyone there.

To Lin Sen, Yihong, Khairi, going down for weekly service at Jamiyah has been super fun with you all. Sometimes i just feel so dead cos they are not listening and they're climbing bookshelves or crashing chairs instead, then when i look at any one of you and see you still trying to get their attention, my motivation comes back. Thanks for being such great company (:

To GC'11, I think you all will do great next year. Keep doing your best and remember to keep the flame alive. You all need to support each other to make it through the year. It is a team effort and i know you all will achieve a lot next year.

I'm only posting this because i'll be at Boon Lay tonight, counting down to the new year. Hopefully 2011 will be a good year. This year, i am quite contented.

(:

Happy New Year everyone

Room Cleaning

2010-12-28T23:16:00.000+08:00

I am quite amazed by how each time i clean my room, regardless of "massive cleaning" or "clean a bit", i always end up with at least one FULL bag of rubbish. I would've thought that by now i would have run out of stuff to throw. I think my room is like the Room of Requirement in Harry Potter. Full of shit and not normal shit at that, but reappearing shit. The only things that go into my room are notes (from school) and for obvious reasons (A levels bleah) i do not throw those away, and yet i still have a full bag each time.

"Massive cleaning" could be described as what i am doing now. Basically clearing every pile of shit in my room, which was 6 or more on Sunday, after two days, it is now down to 2 (YEAAHHH), table inclusive.

"Clean a bit" would be described as the formation of the aforementioned piles of shit. Yes i put them in a categorical mess, each pile of shit has a category, which i tend to forget (in about 2 days) and then it just becomes a mixed pile of shit.

And during each of those i throw away all the useless things, including but not limited to: broken toys, pieces of paper, broken stationery, bits of i-have-no-idea-what-the-hell-this-is, pieces of plastic from i have no idea where, water bottles, leftovers from camps (broken knife, solid fuel, twine, etc).

Honestly... and today i found 3 bottles of half empty prickly heat powder. Each one was in a different corner of the room. I think this is the first thorough clean up in like 2 years.

What i am proud of having accomplished these past two days:

1) Cleaned the bloody fan - Rag turned black, water turned black.
Note to self: never clean the fan again.

2) Fixed the door of my cupboard - Stupid hinge hasn't worked for.... since we bought it.
Note to self: wow i learned how the hinge works, and the person who installed it installed it wrongly.

3) Fixed a shelf in my cupboard (yes same cupboard, bloody thing full of problems) - Plastic piece got stuck then broken off inside.
Note to self: turn on the aforementioned-but-had-not-been-cleaned-yet fan or end up sweaty and sticky.

4) Put in something to hang in my (you guessed it, the same bloody) cupboard so i can put more stuff in - Velcro is irritating to put perfectly straight.
Note to self: Congrats (:

5) Tied string on my cupboard so my tie hanger can hang somewhere more secure - i used the string for decorative knots haha.
Note to self: don't be so anal in making it look nice.

Tomorrow will be part 3 of room cleaning. 2 more piles to attack, then time to file in everything. As of now, i have 7 plastic bags full of stuff. They are called Bio, Chem, Math, Econs, GP, Chinese and PW. Dang.... Need part 4 to file in everything. Sighs...

Then again i feel happy when i have a large garbage bag to throw stuff into. It feel good (:

Merry Christmas! (:

2010-12-25T22:16:00.000+08:00

Well it was a better day than most anyways. Haha more than i expected. My family went out to Nex to watch Narnia (again for me.). Then took a slow stroll home and bought durian puffs and stopped to eat along the way. It was all pretty nice and relaxing.

To everyone out there, Merry Christmas! (:

2010-12-23T20:59:00.000+08:00

It was tiring. Not the rush around with a lot of things to do tiring but the boredom of not being in the centre of things kind of tiring. BBQ was fun though.

I guess as the year starts coming to an end, looking back at all our idealistic dreams at the start kind of stirs up regrets and yet gives a deeper perspective into the workings of the Group and insights into my own working style and management.

The sad thing is that no matter what or how many things you say, they still do not have the experience that we gained. But without the backlog of our experience, it gives them a better chance to do it better.

I feel very lost when i realize i cannot influence how things may be or even a person for that matter. Is it so wrong to feel the need to be in control of at least some things?

Maybe it was the fatigue from today, i started thinking of things i have not thought about in quite a while. They were harder to brush off though.

Dinner at Crystal Jade!! Went to pick up my sis from airport. She finally got back from UK after her flight got canceled. So yeah we went to Crystal Jade as a welcome back dinner. For some reason everyone suddenly had small stomachs today. I ended up eating 5 pieces of crab because no one wanted to eat it with lame excuses like i'm too full. Ahhh I'm gonna put on weight this Christmas ):

Ohhh man tomorrow is Christmas Eve! About a week more then it will be time for my usual year end long post. Looking forward to that because that is the time to summarize my year and to thank (and apologise to) all the awesome people in my life. It really is quite a big thing for me i guess. It allows me to consolidate everything about this year and makes it all clearer to me.

I don't wanna have to talk about it,
How many songs you gotta sing about it?
How long you gonna live without it?
Why does someone somewhere have to doubt it?
Someday we'll figure it out

- What Do You Got, Bon Jovi

2010-12-20T22:38:00.000+08:00

Can you believe it?

The holidays just rushed by and now they're nearly over already. There was hardly time for a proper chat with it. So rude!

Busy till Christmas. Busy on Christmas. I need to stay home on Christmas Eve cleaning up the house and moving furniture around to accommodate my family's two clans. By clan we mean the Lim clan and Yee clan. Mum and dad side to be short. By Lim clan we mean we will have: Lims, Chongs, Chans. From Yee clan got.... Yees. Yeah.

But it's a giant family. Every year we somehow manage to fit everyone into our small house. If you came on the evening of Christmas eve, you'd see people lining all the walls (to lean on) and our 3 seater sofa turn into like a ten seater (including sofa arms). But our poor dog will be tied up cos she'd probably go crazy with all the food being displayed (and all the people who'd go crazy if they saw her going crazy).

I feel tired even thinking about it. But yeah i like my giant family. It is relatively close i think, compared to most other families. I'm just waiting for my generation to grow old enough to start bringing special someones to these gatherings. Cos then it will really be crowded (and quite amusing to see).

Went to school today to help out with decor for BoonLay Countdown. It was pretty fun to be in the company of friends while cutting uhhh what can be roughly, approximately described as animals. Hahaha apparently the ostrich looks like a camel and antelope like a rabbit. Bizarre.

Who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?
- King Of Anything, Sara Bareilles

Pretty nice. I seem to grow on songs with a metaphorical middle finger. Hahaha metaphorical middle fingers remind me of GTC. Dang...

2010-12-18T23:23:00.002+08:00

I be getting fatty. Everyday i look at my stomach and it wobbles back at me ):

to be the best, the best that i can be

2010-12-10T23:05:00.002+08:00

Now as i start upon my chosen way,
in all i do, my thoughts, my work, my play,
grant as i promise, courage new for me,
to be the best, the best that i can be.

Hope all the new postholders can keep that in mind as we start moving into 2011.

Group Council 2011

Group Secretary: Kalyanasundaram Ragavendra
Programmes Secretary: Ong Ming Lun
Projects Secretary: Lee Yen Ter
Finance Secretary: Chen Kai Jun
Venture Training Leader: Koh Rui Liang
Venture Training Leader: Goh Zhong Xian Lionel
Scout Training Leader: Li Yi Ming
Scout Training Leader: Ong Jun Jie Kevin
Group Quartermaster: Quek Boon King
Group Quartermaster: Goh Zhong Xian Lionel

Venture Executive Committee 2011

Chairman: Koh Jin Kiat
Vice-Chairman: Yong Guang Xia Eugene
Venture Secretary (Programmes): Wong Han Yi Daryl
Venture Secretary (Projects): Shi Haixiao
Venture Treasurer: Tharun Ragupathi
Venture Quartermaster: Tang Zi Wei
Venture Quartermaster: Chen Wen Hao

Scout Unit Council 2011

Patrol Leader (Kestrel): Lee Wei Teng
Patrol Leader (Eagle): Toh Jia Le
Patrol Leader (Hawk): Edison Goh
Patrol Leader (Owl): Colin Gan
Patrol Leader (Falcon): Tan Jun Xiang
Patrol Leader (Kingfisher): Ahmad Musthofa B Murdifi

Assistant Patrol Leader (Kestrel): Sean Ng Kuan Jie
Assistant Patrol Leader (Eagle): Low Qie Hua
Assistant Patrol Leader (Hawk): Ho Han Yao
Assistant Patrol Leader (Owl): Nigel Chew En Yi
Assistant Patrol Leader (Falcon): Ong Zhi Long
Assistant Patrol Leader (Kingfisher): Wilson Lim

Scout Unit Secretary: Chua Yee Shuen Darren
Scout Unit Quartermaster: Weng De En Jonathan
Sec 3 Test Coordinator: Ong Zhi Long
Sec 2 Test Coordinator: Paul Keh Sze Keat
Sec 1 Test Coordinator: Lui Bin Yu Nicholas

Projects Committee Chairman: Joshua Chin Zen Jie
Projects Committee Vice-Chairman: Lim Juebin Martin
Recreation Committee Chairman: Joshua Wong Hsien Chien
Recreation Committee Vice-Chairman: Lim Xue Xian

Be Confident (or Act Confident) and lead the Group well. Prove to us that we made the right choice. (:

Group Celes was pretty fun. Thanks Alvin!! (:

And my week of attachment is finally over. It was interesting and yet boring. It just kept swinging from extreme end to extreme end. Waking up at 6.30am was oddly more difficult than usual. Maybe it is the holiday mood? Nex is getting boring. After going there 3 times in a week, it is getting less Xciting, less Xtreme, but is still equally Xpensive. My wallet has a few holes, and my ez-link card is now so well acquainted with the machines that they flash many lights and remind me to top-up.

J1 flew by.

2010-12-02T22:51:00.000+08:00

Eggs and pains.

The mad rush starts tomorrow

2010-11-28T23:14:00.000+08:00

Following that, i will be busy everyday until like christmas or something.

But my nights are free. So uhh i dunno. Maybe can go dinner and late night movie. I intend to squeeze every little bit of fun from this holiday. Squeeze it dry. So i can chiong next year with no regrets haha.

So dead. I'm gonna end up repeating what i do every year. Pack until like 2am then sleep for a few hours, feel unrested, and chiong to camp and be half asleep the first day. And that will carry on to subsequent days, cos its camp. You can't catch up on sleep during camp. Unless you're Jack. Then you sleep more than usual in camps. Haha Jack GO SLEEP!

Can't believe this. Last GTC of my life. This will be my fifth year. I only skipped the last day of sec3 GTC. So yeah almost perfect attendance for all the GTCs of my life.

There won't be anyone to talk to at 2am after i'm done packing and end up wide awake right?

Dang.

Tired

2010-11-24T20:50:00.000+08:00

To be honest i have no idea why i am tired.

Maybe it is the anticipation of all the work coming on.

The talk at SGH was kinda boring. But useful i guess, in terms of how to put on and take off the mask. The bitter thing they used to test if the mask was put on correctly is so disgusting.

Then met in school for hush hush stuff. And now i'm back at home, thinking through what i need to do. I should bathe. Like now.

Picture Perfect

2010-11-20T17:34:00.000+08:00

So many different fruits but...

They're all called "Deluxe" for some reason. The tree must be so proud. Its offspring are so diverse and can specialize in different areas, like milkshake, dessert, appetizer, etc.

Yeah... about that... We were really bored. Like really with a capital B bored. But this one is cool, no? 4 supported by 2. I am a genius (:

Nick Eu's artistic house. I have no idea how he did it. But it looks super cool.

Hahaha this just speaks for itself. Too awesome for explanation.

No really. I can't say anything about it cos it's too awesome. Super cool (:

2010-11-19T00:32:00.000+08:00

I'm just slowly watching my holidays get burned up.

Something just feels wrong. It's like saddening but yet not really that. A bit of worry, some disappointment, maybe a bit of longing.

I want to sleep!

Thankless jobs.

Humdrum

2010-11-15T22:07:00.004+08:00

Back to school. Ohman this is boring. But no morning assembly. More like back to just lectures. ONE AND A HALF HOUR LONG lectures. Enough to fry your brains a few times. Most people looked dead by the time the hour was up. I'm quite sure there were flies flying around people's rotten brains by the time one and a half hours passed.

I have a feeling that the whole of this week is going to be quite boring. I seriously
think that if not for monopoly deal and classmates, i'd be rotting. Recently,
i have started reading again. Terry Pratchett to start off then back to mystery. I
am trying to get back to the "joy of reading" cos after a few years i realised i am
falling into a dark pit of stupidity as my brain turns to mush due to a lack of food
for my starving, shrinking, intellect. My mind is not in this post. Hopefully i can be
Someone in the future. Being Nobody is fine too, but people need people.

Not that i need to be famous. Just need to have enough friends. Haha thats so vague. I guess what i mean is i want to know people, not i want people to know me. Cos it's just interesting to know stuff. Watching the world go by is kinda fun haha. Like sitting at a table and watching people, seeing all their actions and their faces warp from emotion to emotion. It's just interesting.

Openmindedness

2010-11-13T00:00:00.000+08:00

What the world would be without open-minded people.

And how screwed we'd all be if such people didn't exist.

I guess this week has been kinda messy in my head. Well first there was OP, then after that it was kinda like holiday. But next week there are lessons again.

It feels like OP was so long ago. Ahhhh something is messing with my head. My sense of time is getting warped. Maybe its cos yesterday felt so long. First i had not much to do the whole day, and then when i did have something to do it was so fun and time passed too fast.

Bus rides are relaxing. Not so noisy like MRT. Which ding dong every station. Plus buses tend to have more seats and be emptier. Nicer as a thinking environment. Stare out at the window and watch the world go by. Especially at night. Everything just looks calmer.

Today, we killed ants, stirred up a super smelly can of mega old paint, interviewed people, ate lunch, did a lot of stuff basically. Can't believe it is all going to come to an end soon. About 5 years with you guys. I guess you all are really just great. I hope we can make the best of the next month or so. I mean, after this, how often will we get to see each other? Today was just really comfortable, relaxing in the den. Then spontaneous cleaning lead by Kenneth. The den looks much better. And we lived through 2 dens. Remember how we used to all just stay in the den, playing carrom, talking, sleeping (personal favourite), throwing pillows at each other. How did the years fly by so fast?

2010-11-10T23:14:00.000+08:00

Be prepared to waste your time reading this. But it's funny xD

Lost in the Desert
(Author unknown)

So, there’s a man crawling through the desert.
He’d decided to try his SUV in a little bit of cross-country travel, had great fun zooming over the badlands and through the sand, got lost, hit a big rock, and then he couldn’t get it started again. There were no cell phone towers anywhere near, so his cell phone was useless. He had no family, his parents had died a few years before in an auto accident, and his few friends had no idea he was out here.
He stayed with the car for a day or so, but his one bottle of water ran out and he was getting thirsty. He thought maybe he knew the direction back, now that he’d paid attention to the sun and thought he’d figured out which way was north, so he decided to start walking. He figured he only had to go about 30 miles or so and he’d be back to the small town he’d gotten gas in last.
He thinks about walking at night to avoid the heat and sun, but based upon how dark it actually was the night before, and given that he has no flashlight, he’s afraid that he’ll break a leg or step on a rattlesnake. So, he puts on some sun block, puts the rest in his pocket for reapplication later, brings an umbrella he’d had in the back of the SUV with him to give him a little shade, pours the windshield wiper fluid into his water bottle in case he gets that desperate, brings his pocket knife in case he finds a cactus that looks like it might have water in it, and heads out in the direction he thinks is right.
He walks for the entire day. By the end of the day he’s really thirsty. He’s been sweating all day, and his lips are starting to crack. He’s reapplied the sunblock twice, and tried to stay under the umbrella, but he still feels sunburned. The windshield wiper fluid sloshing in the bottle in his pocket
is really getting tempting now. He knows that it’s mainly water and some ethanol and coloring, but he also knows that they add some kind of poison to
it to keep people from drinking it. He wonders what the poison is, and whether the poison would be worse than dying of thirst.
He pushes on, trying to get to that small town before dark.
By the end of the day he starts getting worried. He figures he’s been walking at least 3 miles an hour, according to his watch for over 10 hours. That means that if his estimate was right that he should be close to the town. But he doesn’t recognize any of this. He had to cross a dry creek bed a mile or two back, and he doesn’t remember coming through it in the SUV. He figures that maybe he got his direction off just a little and that the dry creek bed was just off to one side of his path. He tells himself that he’s close, and that after dark he’ll start seeing the town lights over one of these hills, and that’ll be all he needs.
As it gets dim enough that he starts stumbling over small rocks and things, he finds a spot and sits down to wait for full dark and the town lights.
Full dark comes before he knows it. He must have dozed off. He stands back up and turns all the way around. He sees nothing but stars.
He wakes up the next morning feeling absolutely lousy. His eyes are gummy and his mouth and nose feel like they’re full of sand. He so thirsty that he can’t even swallow. He barely got any sleep because it was so cold. He’d forgotten how cold it got at night in the desert and hadn’t noticed it the night before because he’d been in his car.
He knows the Rule of Threes – three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food – then you die. Some people can make it a little longer, in the best situations. But the desert heat and having to walk and sweat isn’t the best situation to be without water. He figures, unless he finds water, this is his last day.
He rinses his mouth out with a little of the windshield wiper fluid. He waits a while after spitting that little bit out, to see if his mouth goes numb, or he feels dizzy or something. Has his mouth gone numb? Is it just in his mind? He’s not sure. He’ll go a little farther, and if he still doesn’t find water, he’ll try drinking some of the fluid.
Then he has to face his next, harder question – which way does he go from here? Does he keep walking the same way he was yesterday (assuming that he still knows which way that is), or does he try a new direction? He has no idea what to do.
Looking at the hills and dunes around him, he thinks he knows the direction he was heading before. Just going by a feeling, he points himself somewhat to the left of that, and starts walking.
As he walks, the day starts heating up. The desert, too cold just a couple of hours before, soon becomes an oven again. He sweats a little at first, and then stops. He starts getting worried at that – when you stop sweating he knows that means you’re in trouble – usually right before heat stroke.
He decides that it’s time to try the windshield wiper fluid. He can’t wait any longer – if he passes out, he’s dead. He stops in the shade of a large rock, takes the bottle out, opens it, and takes a mouthful. He slowly swallows it, making it last as long as he can. It feels so good in his dry and cracked throat that he doesn’t even care about the nasty taste. He takes another mouthful, and makes it last too. Slowly, he drinks half the bottle.
He figures that since he’s drinking it, he might as well drink enough to make some difference and keep himself from passing out.
He’s quit worrying about the denaturing of the wiper fluid. If it kills him, it kills him – if he didn’t drink it, he’d die anyway. Besides, he’s pretty sure that whatever substance they denature the fluid with is just designed to make you sick – their way of keeping winos from buying cheap wiper fluid for the ethanol content. He can handle throwing up, if it comes to that.
He walks. He walks in the hot, dry, windless desert. Sand, rocks, hills, dunes, the occasional scrawny cactus or dried bush. No sign of water. Sometimes he’ll see a little movement to one side or the other, but whatever moved is usually gone before he can focus his eyes on it. Probably birds, lizards, or mice. Maybe snakes, though they usually move more at night. He’s careful to stay away from the movements.
After a while, he begins to stagger. He’s not sure if it’s fatigue, heat stroke finally catching him, or maybe he was wrong and the denaturing of the wiper fluid was worse than he thought. He tries to steady himself, and keep going.
After more walking, he comes to a large stretch of sand. This is good! He knows he passed over a stretch of sand in the SUV – he remembers doing donuts in it. Or at least he thinks he remembers it – he’s getting woozy enough and tired enough that he’s not sure what he remembers any more or if he’s hallucinating. But he thinks he remembers it. So he heads off into it, trying to get to the other side, hoping that it gets him closer to the town.
He was heading for a town, wasn’t he? He thinks he was. He isn’t sure any more. He’s not even sure how long he’s been walking any more. Is it still morning? Or has it moved into afternoon and the sun is going down again? It must be afternoon – it seems like it’s been too long since he started out.
He walks through the sand.
After a while, he comes to a big dune in the sand. This is bad. He doesn’t remember any dunes when driving over the sand in his SUV. Or at least he doesn’t think he remembers any. This is bad.
But, he has no other direction to go. Too late to turn back now. He figures that he’ll get to the top of the dune and see if he can see anything from there that helps him find the town. He keeps going up the dune.
Halfway up, he slips in the bad footing of the sand for the second or third time, and falls to his knees. He doesn’t feel like getting back up – he’ll just fall down again. So, he keeps going up the dune on his hand and knees.
While crawling, if his throat weren’t so dry, he’d laugh. He’s finally gotten to the hackneyed image of a man lost in the desert – crawling through the sand on his hands and knees. If would be the perfect image, he imagines, if only his clothes were more ragged. The people crawling through the desert in the cartoons always had ragged clothes. But his have lasted without any rips so far. Somebody will probably find his dessicated corpse half buried in the sand years from now, and his clothes will still be in fine shape -shake the sand out, and a good wash, and they’d be wearable again. He wishes his throat were wet enough to laugh. He coughs a little instead, and it hurts.
He finally makes it to the top of the sand dune. Now that he’s at the top, he struggles a little, but manages to stand up and look around. All he sees is sand. Sand, and more sand. Behind him, about a mile away, he thinks he sees the rocky ground he left to head into this sand. Ahead of him, more dunes, more sand. This isn’t where he drove his SUV. This is Hell. Or close enough.
Again, he doesn’t know what to do. He decides to drink the rest of the wiper fluid while figuring it out. He takes out the bottle, and is removing the cap, when he glances to the side and sees something. Something in the sand. At the bottom of the dune, off to the side, he sees something strange. It’s a flat area, in the sand. He stops taking the cap of the bottle off, and tries to look closer. The area seems to be circular. And it’s dark – darker than the sand. And, there seems to be something in the middle of it, but he can’t tell what it is. He looks as hard as he can, and still can tell from here. He’s going to have to go down there and look.
He puts the bottle back in his pocket, and starts to stumble down the dune. After a few steps, he realizes that he’s in trouble – he’s not going to be able to keep his balance. After a couple of more sliding, tottering steps, he falls and starts to roll down the dune. The sand it so hot when his body hits it that for a minute he thinks he’s caught fire on the way down – like a movie car wreck flashing into flames as it goes over the cliff, before it ever even hits the ground. He closes his eyes and mouth, covers his face with his hands, and waits to stop rolling.
He stops, at the bottom of the dune. After a minute or two, he finds enough energy to try to sit up and get the sand out of his face and clothes. When he clears his eyes enough, he looks around to make sure that the dark spot in the sand it still there and he hadn’t just imagined it.
So, seeing the large, flat, dark spot on the sand is still there, he begins to crawl towards it. He’d get up and walk towards it, but he doesn’t seem to have the energy to get up and walk right now. He must be in the final stages of dehydration he figures, as he crawls. If this place in the sand doesn’t have water, he’ll likely never make it anywhere else. This is his last chance.
He gets closer and closer, but still can’t see what’s in the middle of the dark area. His eyes won’t quite focus any more for some reason. And lifting his head up to look takes so much effort that he gives up trying. He just keeps crawling.
Finally, he reaches the area he’d seen from the dune. It takes him a minute of crawling on it before he realizes that he’s no longer on sand – he’s now crawling on some kind of dark stone. Stone with some kind of marking on it -a pattern cut into the stone. He’s too tired to stand up and try to see what the pattern is – so he just keeps crawling. He crawls towards the center, where his blurry eyes still see something in the middle of the dark stone area.
His mind, detached in a strange way, notes that either his hands and knees are so burnt by the sand that they no longer feel pain, or that this dark stone, in the middle of a burning desert with a pounding, punishing sun overhead, doesn’t seem to be hot. It almost feels cool. He considers lying down on the nice cool surface.
Cool, dark stone. Not a good sign. He must be hallucinating this. He’s probably in the middle of a patch of sand, already lying face down and dying, and just imagining this whole thing. A desert mirage. Soon the beautiful women carrying pitchers of water will come up and start giving him a drink. Then he’ll know he’s gone.
He decides against laying down on the cool stone. If he’s going to die here in the middle of this hallucination, he at least wants to see what’s in the center before he goes. He keeps crawling.
It’s the third time that he hears the voice before he realizes what he’s hearing. He would swear that someone just said, “Greetings, traveler. You do not look well. Do you hear me?”
He stops crawling. He tries to look up from where he is on his hands and knees, but it’s too much effort to lift his head. So he tries something different – he leans back and tries to sit up on the stone. After a few seconds, he catches his balance, avoids falling on his face, sits up, and tries to focus his eyes. Blurry. He rubs his eyes with the back of his hands and tries again. Better this time.
Yep. He can see. He’s sitting in the middle of a large, flat, dark expanse of stone. Directly next to him, about three feet away, is a white post or pole about two inches in diameter and sticking up about four or five feet out of the stone, at an angle.
And wrapped around this white rod, tail with rattle on it hovering and seeming to be ready to start rattling, is what must be a fifteen foot long desert diamondback rattlesnake, looking directly at him.
He stares at the snake in shock. He doesn’t have the energy to get up and run away. He doesn’t even have the energy to crawl away. This is it, his final resting place. No matter what happens, he’s not going to be able to move from this spot.
Well, at least dying of a bite from this monster should be quicker than dying of thirst. He’ll face his end like a man. He struggles to sit up a little straighter. The snake keeps watching him. He lifts one hand and waves it in the snake’s direction, feebly. The snake watches the hand for a moment, then goes back to watching the man, looking into his eyes.
Hmmm. Maybe the snake had no interest in biting him? It hadn’t rattled yet -that was a good sign. Maybe he wasn’t going to die of snake bite after all.
He then remembers that he’d looked up when he’d reached the center here because he thought he’d heard a voice. He was still very woozy – he was likely to pass out soon, the sun still beat down on him even though he was now on cool stone. He still didn’t have anything to drink. But maybe he had actually heard a voice. This stone didn’t look natural. Nor did that white post sticking up out of the stone. Someone had to have built this. Maybe
they were still nearby. Maybe that was who talked to him. Maybe this snake was even their pet, and that’s why it wasn’t biting.
He tries to clear his throat to say, “Hello,” but his throat is too dry. All that comes out is a coughing or wheezing sound. There is no way he’s going to be able to talk without something to drink. He feels his pocket, and the bottle with the wiper fluid is still there. He shakily pulls the bottle out, almost losing his balance and falling on his back in the process. This isn’t good. He doesn’t have much time left, by his reckoning, before he passes out.
He gets the lid off of the bottle, manages to get the bottle to his lips, and pours some of the fluid into his mouth. He sloshes it around, and then swallows it. He coughs a little. His throat feels better. Maybe he can talk now.
He tries again. Ignoring the snake, he turns to look around him, hoping to spot the owner of this place, and croaks out, “Hello? Is there anyone here?”
He hears, from his side, “Greetings. What is it that you want?”
He turns his head, back towards the snake. That’s where the sound had seemed to come from. The only thing he can think of is that there must be a speaker, hidden under the snake, or maybe built into that post. He decides to try asking for help.
“Please,” he croaks again, suddenly feeling dizzy, “I’d love to not be thirsty any more. I’ve been a long time without water. Can you help me?”
Looking in the direction of the snake, hoping to see where the voice was coming from this time, he is shocked to see the snake rear back, open its mouth, and speak. He hears it say, as the dizziness overtakes him and he falls forward, face first on the stone, “Very well. Coming up.”
A piercing pain shoots through his shoulder. Suddenly he is awake. He sits up and grabs his shoulder, wincing at the throbbing pain. He’s momentarily disoriented as he looks around, and then he remembers – the crawl across the sand, the dark area of stone, the snake. He sees the snake, still wrapped around the tilted white post, still looking at him.
He reaches up and feels his shoulder, where it hurts. It feels slightly wet. He pulls his fingers away and looks at them – blood. He feels his shoulder again – his shirt has what feels like two holes in it – two puncture holes -they match up with the two aching spots of pain on his shoulder. He had been bitten. By the snake.
“It’ll feel better in a minute.” He looks up – it’s the snake talking. He hadn’t dreamed it. Suddenly he notices – he’s not dizzy any more. And more importantly, he’s not thirsty any more – at all!
“Have I died? Is this the afterlife? Why are you biting me in the afterlife?”
“Sorry about that, but I had to bite you,” says the snake. “That’s the way I work. It all comes through the bite. Think of it as natural medicine.”
“You bit me to help me? Why aren’t I thirsty any more? Did you give me a drink before you bit me? How did I drink enough while unconscious to not be thirsty any more? I haven’t had a drink for over two days. Well, except for the windshield wiper fluid… hold it, how in the world does a snake talk? Are you real? Are you some sort of Disney animation?”
“No,” says the snake, “I’m real. As real as you or anyone is, anyway. I didn’t give you a drink. I bit you. That’s how it works – it’s what I do. I bite. I don’t have hands to give you a drink, even if I had water just sitting around here.”
The man sat stunned for a minute. Here he was, sitting in the middle of the desert on some strange stone that should be hot but wasn’t, talking to a snake that could talk back and had just bitten him. And he felt better. Not great – he was still starving and exhausted, but much better – he was no longer thirsty. He had started to sweat again, but only slightly. He felt hot, in this sun, but it was starting to get lower in the sky, and the cool stone beneath him was a relief he could notice now that he was no longer dying of thirst.
“I might suggest that we take care of that methanol you now have in your system with the next request,” continued the snake. “I can guess why you drank it, but I’m not sure how much you drank, or how much methanol was left in the wiper fluid. That stuff is nasty. It’ll make you go blind in a day or two, if you drank enough of it.”
“Ummm, n-next request?” said the man. He put his hand back on his hurting shoulder and backed away from the snake a little.
“That’s the way it works. If you like, that is,” explained the snake. “You get three requests. Call them wishes, if you wish.” The snake grinned at his own joke, and the man drew back a little further from the show of fangs.
“But there are rules,” the snake continued. “The first request is free. The second requires an agreement of secrecy. The third requires the binding of responsibility.” The snake looks at the man seriously.
“By the way,” the snake says suddenly, “my name is Nathan. Old Nathan, Samuel used to call me. He gave me the name. Before that, most of the Bound used to just call me ‘Snake’. But that got old, and Samuel wouldn’t stand for it. He said that anything that could talk needed a name. He was big into names. You can call me Nate, if you wish.” Again, the snake grinned. “Sorry if I don’t offer to shake, but I think you can understand – my shake sounds
somewhat threatening.” The snake give his rattle a little shake.
“Umm, my name is Jack,” said the man, trying to absorb all of this. “Jack Samson.
“Can I ask you a question?” Jack says suddenly. “What happened to the poison…umm, in your bite. Why aren’t I dying now? How did you do that? What do you mean by that’s how you work?”
“That’s more than one question,” grins Nate. “But I’ll still try to answer all of them. First, yes, you can ask me a question.” The snake’s grin gets wider. “Second, the poison is in you. It changed you. You now no longer need to drink. That’s what you asked for. Or, well, technically, you asked to not be thirsty any more – but ‘any more’ is such a vague term. I decided to make it permanent – now, as long as you live, you shouldn’t need to drink much at all. Your body will conserve water very efficiently. You should be able to get enough just from the food you eat – much like a creature of the desert. You’ve been changed.
“For the third question,” Nate continues, “you are still dying. Besides the effects of that methanol in your system, you’re a man – and men are mortal. In your current state, I give you no more than about another 50 years. Assuming you get out of this desert, alive, that is.” Nate seemed vastly amused at his own humor, and continued his wide grin.
“As for the fourth question,” Nate said, looking more serious as far as Jack could tell, as Jack was just now working on his ability to read talking-snake emotions from snake facial features, “first you have to agree to make a second request and become bound by the secrecy, or I can’t tell you.”
“Wait,” joked Jack, “isn’t this where you say you could tell me, but you’d have to kill me?”
“I thought that was implied.” Nate continued to look serious.
“Ummm…yeah.” Jack leaned back a little as he remembered again that he was talking to a fifteen foot poisonous reptile with a reputation for having a nasty temper. “So, what is this ‘Bound by Secrecy’ stuff, and can you really stop the effects of the methanol?” Jack thought for a second. “And, what do you mean methanol, anyway? I thought these days they use ethanol in wiper fluid, and just denature it?”
“They may, I don’t really know,” said Nate. “I haven’t gotten out in a while. Maybe they do. All I know is that I smell methanol on your breath and on that bottle in your pocket. And the blue color of the liquid when you pulled it out to drink some let me guess that it was wiper fluid. I assume that they still color wiper fluid blue?”
“Yeah, they do,” said Jack.
“I figured,” replied Nate. “As for being bound by secrecy – with the fulfillment of your next request, you will be bound to say nothing about me, this place, or any of the information I will tell you after that, when you decide to go back out to your kind. You won’t be allowed to talk about me, write about me, use sign language, charades, or even act in a way that will lead someone to guess correctly about me. You’ll be bound to secrecy. Of course, I’ll also ask you to promise not to give me away, and as I’m guessing that you’re a man of your word, you’ll never test the binding anyway, so you won’t notice.” Nate said the last part with utter confidence.
Jack, who had always prided himself on being a man of his word, felt a little nervous at this. “Ummm, hey, Nate, who are you? How did you know that? Are you, umm, omniscient, or something?”
Well, Jack,” said Nate sadly, “I can’t tell you that, unless you make the second request.” Nate looked away for a minute, then looked back.
“Umm, well, ok,” said Jack, “what is this about a second request? What can I ask for? Are you allowed to tell me that?”
“Sure!” said Nate, brightening. “You’re allowed to ask for changes. Changes to yourself. They’re like wishes, but they can only affect you. Oh, and before you ask, I can’t give you immortality. Or omniscience. Or omnipresence, for that matter. Though I might be able to make you gaseous and yet remain alive, and then you could spread through the atmosphere and sort of be omnipresent. But what good would that be – you still wouldn’t be omniscient and thus still could only focus on one thing at a time. Not very useful, at least in my opinion.” Nate stopped when he realized that Jack was staring at him.
“Well, anyway,” continued Nate, “I’d probably suggest giving you permanent good health. It would negate the methanol now in your system, you’d be immune to most poisons and diseases, and you’d tend to live a very long time, barring accident, of course. And you’ll even have a tendency to recover from accidents well. It always seemed like a good choice for a request to me.”
“Cure the methanol poisoning, huh?” said Jack. “And keep me healthy for a long time? Hmmm. It doesn’t sound bad at that. And it has to be a request about a change to me? I can’t ask to be rich, right? Because that’s not really a change to me?”
“Right,” nodded Nate.
“Could I ask to be a genius and permanently healthy?” Jack asked, hopefully.
“That takes two requests, Jack.”
“Yeah, I figured so,” said Jack. “But I could ask to be a genius? I could become the smartest scientist in the world? Or the best athlete?”
“Well, I could make you very smart,” admitted Nate, “but that wouldn’t necessarily make you the best scientist in the world. Or, I could make you very athletic, but it wouldn’t necessarily make you the best athlete either. You’ve heard the saying that 99% of genius is hard work? Well, there’s some truth to that. I can give you the talent, but I can’t make you work hard. It all depends on what you decide to do with it.”
“Hmmm,” said Jack. “Ok, I think I understand. And I get a third request, after this one?”
“Maybe,” said Nate, “it depends on what you decide then. There are more rules for the third request that I can only tell you about after the second request. You know how it goes.” Nate looked like he’d shrug, if he had shoulders.
“Ok, well, since I’d rather not be blind in a day or two, and permanent health doesn’t sound bad, then consider that my second request. Officially. Do I need to sign in blood or something?”
“No,” said Nate. “Just hold out your hand. Or heel.” Nate grinned. “Or whatever part you want me to bite. I have to bite you again. Like I said, that’s how it works – the poison, you know,” Nate said apologetically.
Jack winced a little and felt his shoulder, where the last bite was. Hey, it didn’t hurt any more. Just like Nate had said. That made Jack feel better about the biting business. But still, standing still while a fifteen foot snake sunk it’s fangs into you. Jack stood up. Ignoring how good it felt to be able to stand again, and the hunger starting to gnaw at his stomach, Jack tried to decide where he wanted to get bitten. Despite knowing that it wouldn’t hurt for long, Jack knew that this wasn’t going to be easy.
“Hey, Jack,” Nate suddenly said, looking past Jack towards the dunes behind him, “is that someone else coming up over there?”
Jack spun around and looked. Who else could be out here in the middle of nowhere? And did they bring food?
Wait a minute, there was nobody over there. What was Nate…
Jack let out a bellow as he felt two fangs sink into his rear end, through his jeans…
Jack sat down carefully, favoring his more tender buttock. “I would have decided, eventually, Nate. I was just thinking about it. You didn’t have to
hoodwink me like that.”
“I’ve been doing this a long time, Jack,” said Nate, confidently. “You humans have a hard time sitting still and letting a snake bite you – especially one my size. And besides, admit it – it’s only been a couple of minutes and it already doesn’t hurt any more, does it? That’s because of the health benefit with this one. I told you that you’d heal quickly now.”
“Yeah, well, still,” said Jack, “it’s the principle of the thing. And nobody likes being bitten in the butt! Couldn’t you have gotten my calf or something instead?”
“More meat in the typical human butt,” replied Nate. “And less chance you accidentally kick me or move at the last second.”
“Yeah, right. So, tell me all of these wonderful secrets that I now qualify to hear,” answered Jack.
“Ok,” said Nate. “Do you want to ask questions first, or do you want me to just start talking?”
“Just talk,” said Jack. “I’ll sit here and try to not think about food.”
“We could go try to rustle up some food for you first, if you like,” answered Nate.
“Hey! You didn’t tell me you had food around here, Nate!” Jack jumped up. “What do we have? Am I in walking distance to town? Or can you magically whip up food along with your other powers?” Jack was almost shouting with excitement. His stomach had been growling for hours.
“I was thinking more like I could flush something out of its hole and bite it for you, and you could skin it and eat it. Assuming you have a knife, that is,” replied Nate, with the grin that Jack was starting to get used to.
“Ugh,” said Jack, sitting back down. “I think I’ll pass. I can last a little longer before I get desperate enough to eat desert rat, or whatever else it is you find out here. And there’s nothing to burn – I’d have to eat it raw. No thanks. Just talk.”
“Ok,” replied Nate, still grinning. “But I’d better hurry, before you start looking at me as food.
Nate reared back a little, looked around for a second, and then continued. “You, Jack, are sitting in the middle of the Garden of Eden.”
Jack looked around at the sand and dunes and then looked back at Nate sceptically.
“Well, that’s the best I can figure it, anyway, Jack,” said Nate. “Stand up and look at the symbol on the rock here.” Nate gestured around the dark stone they were both sitting on with his nose.
Jack stood up and looked. Carved into the stone in a bas-relief was a representation of a large tree. The angled-pole that Nate was wrapped around was coming out of the trunk of the tree, right below where the main branches left the truck to reach out across the stone. It was very well done – it looked more like a tree had been reduced to almost two dimensions and embedded in the stone than it did like a carving.
Jack walked around and looked at the details in the fading light of the setting sun. He wished he’d looked at it while the sun was higher in the sky.
Wait! The sun was setting! That meant he was going to have to spend another night out here! Arrrgh!
Jack looked out across the desert for a little bit, and then came back and stood next to Nate. “In all the excitement, I almost forgot, Nate,” said Jack. “Which way is it back to town? And how far? I’m eventually going to have to head back – I’m not sure I’ll be able to survive by eating raw desert critters for long. And even if I can, I’m not sure I’ll want to.”
“It’s about 30 miles that way.” Nate pointed, with the rattle on his tail this time. As far as Jack could tell, it was a direction at right angles to the way he’d been going when he was crawling here. “But that’s 30 miles by the way the crow flies. It’s about 40 by the way a man walks. You should be able to do it in about half a day with your improved endurance, if you head out early tomorrow, Jack.”
Jack looked out the way the snake had pointed for a few seconds more, and then sat back down. It was getting dark. Not much he could do about heading out right now. And besides, Nate was just about to get to the interesting stuff. “Garden of Eden? As best as you can figure it?”
“Well, yeah, as best as I and Samuel could figure it anyway,” said Nate. “He figured that the story just got a little mixed up. You know, snake, in a ‘tree’, offering ‘temptations’, making bargains. That kind stuff. But he could never quite figure out how the Hebrews found out about this spot from across the ocean. He worried about that for a while.”
“Garden of Eden, hunh?” said Jack. “How long have you been here, Nate?”
“No idea, really,” replied Nate. “A long time. It never occurred to me to count years, until recently, and by then, of course, it was too late. But I do remember when this whole place was green, so I figure it’s been thousands of years, at least.”
“So, are you the snake that tempted Eve?” said Jack.
“Beats me,” said Nate. “Maybe. I can’t remember if the first one of your kind that I talked to was female or not, and I never got a name, but it could have been. And I suppose she could have considered my offer to grant requests a ‘temptation’, though I’ve rarely had refusals.”
“Well, umm, how did you get here then? And why is that white pole stuck out of the stone there?” asked Jack.
“Dad left me here. Or, I assume it was my dad. It was another snake – much bigger than I was back then. I remember talking to him, but I don’t remember if it was in a language, or just kind of understanding what he wanted. But one day, he brought me to this stone, told me about it, and asked me to do something for him. I talked it over with him for a while, then agreed. I’ve been here ever since.
“What is this place?” said Jack. “And what did he ask you to do?”
“Well, you see this pole here, sticking out of the stone?” Nate loosened his coils around the tilted white pole and showed Jack where it descended into the stone. The pole was tilted at about a 45 degree angle and seemed to enter the stone in an eighteen inch slot cut into the stone. Jack leaned over and looked. The slot was dark and the pole went down into it as far as Jack could see in the dim light. Jack reached out to touch the pole, but Nate was suddenly there in the way.
“You can’t touch that yet, Jack,” said Nate.
“Why not?” asked Jack.
“I haven’t explained it to you yet,” replied Nate.
“Well, it kinda looks like a lever or something,” said Jack. “You’d push it that way, and it would move in the slot.”
“Yep, that’s what it is,” replied Nate.
“What does it do?” asked Jack. “End the world.”
“Oh, no,” said Nate. “Nothing that drastic. It just ends humanity. I call it ‘The Lever of Doom’.” For the last few words Nate had used a deeper, ringing voice. He tried to look serious for a few seconds, and then gave up and grinned.
Jack was initially startled by Nate’s pronouncement, but when Nate grinned Jack laughed. “Ha! You almost had me fooled for a second there. What does it really do?”
“Oh, it really ends humanity, like I said,” smirked Nate. “I just thought the voice I used was funny, didn’t you?”
Nate continued to grin.
“A lever to end humanity?” asked Jack. “What in the world is that for? Why would anyone need to end humanity?”
“Well,” replied Nate, “I get the idea that maybe humanity was an experiment. Or maybe the Big Guy just thought, that if humanity started going really bad, there should be a way to end it. I’m not really sure. All I know are the rules, and the guesses that Samuel and I had about why it’s here. I didn’t think to ask back when I started here.”
“Rules? What rules?” asked Jack.
“The rules are that I can’t tell anybody about it or let them touch it unless they agree to be bound to secrecy by a bite. And that only one human can be bound in that way at a time. That’s it.” explained Nate.
Jack looked somewhat shocked. “You mean that I could pull the lever now? You’d let me end humanity?”
“Yep,” replied Nate, “if you want to.” Nate looked at Jack carefully. “Do you want to, Jack?”
“Umm, no.” said Jack, stepping a little further back from the lever. “Why in the world would anyone want to end humanity? It’d take a psychotic to want that! Or worse, a suicidal psychotic, because it would kill him too, wouldn’t it?”
“Yep,” replied Nate, “being as he’d be human too.”
“Has anyone ever seriously considered it?” asked Nate. “Any of those bound to secrecy, that is?”
“Well, of course, I think they’ve all seriously considered it at one time or another. Being given that kind of responsibility makes you sit down and think, or so I’m told. Samuel considered it several times. He’d often get disgusted with humanity, come out here, and just hold the lever for a while. But he never pulled it. Or you wouldn’t be here.” Nate grinned some more.
Jack sat down, well back from the lever. He looked thoughtful and puzzled at the same time. After a bit, he said, “So this makes me the Judge of humanity? I get to decide whether they keep going or just end? Me?”
“That seems to be it,” agreed Nate.
“What kind of criteria do I use to decide?” said Jack. “How do I make this decision? Am I supposed to decide if they’re good? Or too many of them are bad? Or that they’re going the wrong way? Is there a set of rules for that?”
“Nope,” replied Nate. “You pretty much just have to decide on your own. It’s up to you, however you want to decide it. I guess that you’re just supposed to know.”
“But what if I get mad at someone? Or some girl dumps me and I feel horrible? Couldn’t I make a mistake? How do I know that I won’t screw up?” protested Jack.
Nate gave his kind of snake-like shrug again. “You don’t. You just have to try your best, Jack.”
Jack sat there for a while, staring off into the desert that was rapidly getting dark, chewing on a fingernail.
Suddenly, Jack turned around and looked at the snake. “Nate, was Samuel the one bound to this before me?”
“Yep,” replied Nate. “He was a good guy. Talked to me a lot. Taught me to read and brought me books. I think I still have a good pile of them buried in the sand around here somewhere. I still miss him. He died a few months ago.”
“Sounds like a good guy,” agreed Jack. “How did he handle this, when you first told him. What did he do?”
“Well,” said Nate, “he sat down for a while, thought about it for a bit, and then asked me some questions, much like you’re doing.”
“What did he ask you, if you’re allowed to tell me?” asked Jack.
“He asked me about the third request,” replied Nate.
“Aha!” It was Jack’s turn to grin. “And what did you tell him?”
“I told him the rules for the third request. That to get the third request you have to agree to this whole thing. That if it ever comes to the point that you really think that humanity should be ended, that you’ll come here and end it. You won’t avoid it, and you won’t wimp out.” Nate looked serious again. “And you’ll be bound to do it too, Jack.”
“Hmmm.” Jack looked back out into the darkness for a while.
Nate watched him, waiting.
“Nate,” continued Jack, quietly, eventually. “What did Samuel ask for with his third request?”
Nate sounded like he was grinning again as he replied, also quietly, “Wisdom, Jack. He asked for wisdom. As much as I could give him.”
“Ok,” said Jack, suddenly, standing up and facing away from Nate, “give it to me.
Nate looked at Jack’s backside. “Give you what, Jack?”
“Give me that wisdom. The same stuff that Samuel asked for. If it helped him, maybe it’ll help me too.” Jack turned his head to look back over his shoulder at Nate. “It did help him, right?”
“He said it did,” replied Nate. “But he seemed a little quieter afterward. Like he had a lot to think about.”
“Well, yeah, I can see that,” said Jack. “So, give it to me.” Jack turned toface away from Nate again, bent over slightly and tensed up.
Nate watched Jack tense up with a little exasperation. If he bit Jack now, Jack would likely jump out of his skin and maybe hurt them both.
“You remember that you’ll be bound to destroy humanity if it ever looks like it needs it, right Jack?” asked Nate, shifting position.
“Yeah, yeah, I got that,” replied Jack, eyes squeezed tightly shut and body tense, not noticing the change in direction of Nate’s voice.
“And,” continued Nate, from his new position, “do you remember that you’ll turn bright purple, and grow big horns and extra eyes?”
“Yeah, yeah…Hey, wait a minute!” said Jack, opening his eyes, straightening up and turning around. “Purple?!” He didn’t see Nate there. With the moonlight Jack could see that the lever extended up from its slot in the rock without the snake wrapped around it.
Jack heard, from behind him, Nate’s “Just Kidding!” right before he felt the now familiar piercing pain, this time in the other buttock.
Jack sat on the edge of the dark stone in the rapidly cooling air, his feet extending out into the sand. He stared out into the darkness, listening to the wind stir the sand, occasionally rubbing his butt where he’d been recently bitten.
Nate had left for a little while, had come back with a desert-rodent-shaped bulge somewhere in his middle, and was now wrapped back around the lever, his tongue flicking out into the desert night’s air the only sign that he was still awake.
Occasionally Jack, with his toes absentmindedly digging in the sand while he thought, would ask Nate a question without turning around.
“Nate, do accidents count?”
Nate lifted his head a little bit. “What do you mean, Jack?”
Jack tilted his head back like he was looking at the stars. “You know, accidents. If I accidentally fall on the lever, without meaning to, does that still wipe out humanity?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it does, Jack. I’d suggest you be careful about that if you start feeling wobbly,” said Nate with some amusement.
A little later – “Does it have to be me that pulls the lever?” asked Jack.
“That’s the rule, Jack. Nobody else can pull it,” answered Nate.
“No,” Jack shook his head, “I meant does it have to be my hand? Could I pull the lever with a rope tied around it? Or push it with a stick? Or throw a rock?”
“Yes, those should work,” replied Nate. “Though I’m not sure how complicated you could get. Samuel thought about trying to build some kind of remote control for it once, but gave it up. Everything he’d build would be gone by the next sunrise, if it was touching the stone, or over it. I told him that in the past others that had been bound had tried to bury the lever so they wouldn’t be tempted to pull it, but every time the stones or sand or whatever had disappeared.”
“Wow,” said Jack, “Cool.” Jack leaned back until only his elbows kept him off of the stone and looked up into the sky.
“Nate, how long did Samuel live? One of his wishes was for health too, right?” asked Jack.
“Yes,” replied Nate, “it was. He lived 167 years, Jack.”
“Wow, 167 years. That’s almost 140 more years I’ll live if I live as long. Do you know what he died of, Nate?”
“He died of getting tired of living, Jack,” Nate said, sounding somewhat sad.
Jack turned his head to look at Nate in the starlight.
Nate looked back. “Samuel knew he wasn’t going to be able to stay in society. He figured that they’d eventually see him still alive and start questioning it, so he decided that he’d have to disappear after a while. He faked his death once, but changed his mind – he decided it was too early and he could stay for a little longer. He wasn’t very fond of mankind, but he liked the attention. Most of the time, anyway.
“His daughter and then his wife dying almost did him in though. He didn’t stay in society much longer after that. He eventually came out here to spend time talking to me and thinking about pulling the lever. A few months ago he told me he’d had enough. It was his time.”
“And then he just died?” asked Jack.
Nate shook his head a little. “He made his forth request, Jack. There’s only one thing you can ask for the fourth request. The last bite.
After a bit Nate continued, “He told me that he was tired, that it was his time. He reassured me that someone new would show up soon, like they always had.
After another pause, Nate finished, “Samuel’s body disappeared off the stone with the sunrise.”
Jack lay back down and looked at the sky, leaving Nate alone with his memories. It was a long time until Jack’s breathing evened out into sleep.
Jack woke with the sunrise the next morning. He was a little chilled with the morning desert air, but overall was feeling pretty good. Well, except that his stomach was grumbling and he wasn’t willing to eat raw desert rat.
So, after getting directions to town from Nate, making sure he knew how to get back, and reassuring Nate that he’d be back soon, Jack started the long walk back to town. With his new health and Nate’s good directions, he made it back easily.
Jack caught a bus back to the city, and showed up for work the next day, little worse for the wear and with a story about getting lost in the desert and walking back out. Within a couple of days Jack had talked a friend with a tow truck into going back out into the desert with him to fetch the SUV. They found it after a couple of hours of searching and towed it back without incident. Jack was careful not to even look in the direction of Nate’s lever, though their path back didn’t come within sight of it.
Before the next weekend, Jack had gone to a couple of stores, including a book store, and had gotten his SUV back from the mechanic, with a warning to avoid any more joyriding in the desert. On Saturday, Jack headed back to see Nate.
Jack parked a little way out of the small town near Nate, loaded up his new backpack with camping gear and the things he was bringing for Nate, and then started walking. He figured that walking would leave the least trail, and he knew that while not many people camped in the desert, it wasn’t unheard of, and shouldn’t really raise suspicions.
Jack had brought more books for Nate – recent books, magazines, newspapers. Some things that would catch Nate up with what was happening in the world, others that were just good books to read. He spent the weekend with Nate, and then headed out again, telling Nate that he’d be back again soon, but that he had things to do first.
Over four months later Jack was back to see Nate again. This time he brought a laptop with him – a specially modified laptop. It had a solar recharger, special filters and seals to keep out the sand, a satellite link-up, and a special keyboard and joystick that Jack hoped that a fifteen-foot rattlesnake would be able to use. And, it had been hacked to not give out its location to the satellite.
After that Jack could e-mail Nate to keep in touch, but still visited him fairly regularly – at least once or twice a year.
After the first year, Jack quit his job. For some reason, with the wisdom he ‘d been given, and the knowledge that he could live for over 150 years, working in a nine to five job for someone else didn’t seem that worthwhile any more. Jack went back to school.
Eventually, Jack started writing. Perhaps because of the wisdom, or perhaps because of his new perspective, he wrote well. People liked what he wrote, and he became well known for it. After a time, Jack bought an RV and started traveling around the country for book signings and readings.
But, he still remembered to drop by and visit Nate occasionally.
On one of the visits Nate seemed quieter than usual. Not that Nate had been a fountain of joy lately. Jack’s best guess was that Nate was still missing Samuel, and though Jack had tried, he still hadn’t been able to replace Samuel in Nate’s eyes. Nate had been getting quieter each visit. But on this visit Nate didn’t even speak when Jack walked up to the lever. He nodded at Jack, and then went back to staring into the desert. Jack, respecting Nate’s silence, sat down and waited.
After a few minutes, Nate spoke. “Jack, I have someone to introduce you to.”
Jack looked surprised. “Someone to introduce me to?” Jack looked around, and then looked carefully back at Nate. “This something to do with the Big Guy?
“No, no,” replied Nate. “This is more personal. I want you to meet my son.” Nate looked over at the nearest sand dune. “Sammy!”
Jack watched as a four foot long desert rattlesnake crawled from behind the dune and up to the stone base of the lever.
“Yo, Jack,” said the new, much smaller snake.
“Yo, Sammy” replied Jack. Jack looked at Nate. “Named after Samuel, I assume?”
Nate nodded. “Jack, I’ve got a favor to ask you. Could you show Sammy around for me?” Nate unwrapped himself from the lever and slithered over to the edge of the stone and looked across the sands. “When Samuel first told me about the world, and brought me books and pictures, I wished that I could go see it. I wanted to see the great forests, the canyons, the cities, even the other deserts, to see if they felt and smelled the same. I want my son to have that chance – to see the world. Before he becomes bound here like I have been.
“He’s seen it in pictures, over the computer that you brought me. But I hear that it’s not the same. That being there is different. I want him to have that. Think you can do that for me, Jack?”
Jack nodded. This was obviously very important to Nate, so Jack didn’t even joke about taking a talking rattlesnake out to see the world. “Yeah, I can do that for you, Nate. Is that all you need?” Jack could sense that was something more.
Nate looked at Sammy. Sammy looked back at Nate for a second and then said, “Oh, yeah. Ummm, I’ve gotta go pack. Back in a little bit Jack. Nice to meet ya!” Sammy slithered back over the dune and out of sight.
Nate watched Sammy disappear and then looked back at Jack. “Jack, this is my first son. My first offspring through all the years. You don’t even want to know what it took for me to find a mate.” Nate grinned to himself. “But anyway, I had a son for a reason. I’m tired. I’m ready for it to be over. I needed a replacement.”
Jack considered this for a minute. “So, you’re ready to come see the world, and you wanted him to watch the lever while you were gone?”
Nate shook his head. “No, Jack – you’re a better guesser than that. You’ve already figured out – I’m bound here – there’s only one way for me to leave here. And I’m ready. It’s my time to die.”
Jack looked more closely at Nate. He could tell Nate had thought about this – probably for quite a while. Jack had trouble imagining what it would be like to be as old as Nate, but Jack could already tell that in another hundred or two hundred years, he might be getting tired of life himself. Jack could understand Samuel’s decision, and now Nate’s. So, all Jack said was, “What do you want me to do?”
Nate nodded. “Thanks, Jack. I only want two things. One – show Sammy around the world – let him get his fill of it, until he’s ready to come back here and take over. Two – give me the fourth request.
“I can’t just decide to die, not any more than you can. I won’t even die of old age like you eventually will, even though it’ll be a long time from now. I need to be killed. Once Sammy is back here, ready to take over, I’ll be able to die. And I need you to kill me.
“I’ve even thought about how. Poisons and other drugs won’t work on me. And I’ve seen pictures of snakes that were shot – some of them live for days, so that’s out too. So, I want you to bring back a sword.
Nate turned away to look back to the dune that Sammy had gone behind. “I’d say an axe, but that’s somewhat undignified – putting my head on the ground or a chopping block like that. No, I like a sword. A time-honored way of going out. A dignified way to die. And, most importantly, it should work, even on me.
“You willing to do that for me, Jack?” Nate turned back to look at Jack.
“Yeah, Nate,” replied Jack solemnly, “I think I can handle that.”
Nate nodded. “Good!” He turned back toward the dune and shouted, “Sammy! Jack’s about ready to leave!” Then quietly, “Thanks, Jack.”
Jack didn’t have anything to say to that, so he waited for Sammy to make it back to the lever, nodded to him, nodded a final time to Nate, and then headed into the desert with Sammy following. Over the next several years Sammy and Jack kept in touch with Nate through e-mail as they went about their adventures. They made a goal of visiting every country in the world, and did a respectable job of it. Sammy had a natural gift for languages, as Jack expected he would, and even ended up acting as a translator for Jack in a few of the countries. Jack managed to keep the talking rattlesnake hidden, even so, and by the time they were nearing the end of their tour of countries, Sammy had only been spotted a few times. While there were several people that had seen enough to startle them greatly, nobody had enough evidence to prove anything, and while a few wild rumors and storied followed Jack and Sammy around, nothing ever hit the newspapers or the public in general.
When they finished the tour of countries, Jack suggested that they try some undersea diving. They did. And spelunking. They did that too. Sammy finally drew the line at visiting Antarctica. He’d come to realize that Jack was stalling. After talking to his Dad about it over e-mail, he figured out that Jack probably didn’t want to have to kill Nate. Nate told Sammy that humans could be squeamish about killing friends and acquaintances.
So, Sammy eventually put his tail down (as he didn’t have a foot) and told Jack that it was time – he was ready to go back and take up his duties from his dad. Jack, delayed it a little more by insisting that they go back to Japan and buy an appropriate sword. He even stretched it a little more by getting lessons in how to use the sword. But, eventually, he’d learned as much as he was likely to without dedicating his life to it, and was definitely competent enough to take the head off of a snake. It was time to head back and see Nate.
When they got back to the US, Jack got the old RV out of storage where he and Sammy had left it after their tour of the fifty states, he loaded up Sammy and the sword, and they headed for the desert.
When they got to the small town that Jack had been trying to find those years ago when he’d met Nate, Jack was in a funk. He didn’t really feel like walking all of the way out there. Not only that, but he’d forgotten to figure the travel time correctly, and it was late afternoon. They’d either have to spend the night in town and walk out tomorrow, or walk in the dark.
As Jack was afraid that if he waited one more night he might lose his resolve, he decided that he’d go ahead and drive the RV out there. It was only going to be this once, and Jack would go back and cover the tracks afterward. They ought to be able to make it out there by nightfall if they drove, and then they could get it over tonight.
Jack told Sammy to e-mail Nate that they were coming as he drove out of sight of the town on the road. They then pulled off the road and headed out into the desert.
Everything went well, until they got to the sand dunes. Jack had been nursing the RV along the whole time, over the rocks, through the creek beds, revving the engine the few times they almost got stuck. When they came to the dunes, Jack didn’t really think about it, he just downshifted and headed up the first one. By the third dune, Jack started to regret that he’d decided to try driving on the sand. The RV was fishtailling and losing traction. Jack was having to work it up each dune slowly and was trying to keep from losing control each time they came over the top and slid down the other side. Sammy had come up to sit in the passenger seat, coiled up and laughing at Jack’s driving.
As they came over the top of the fourth dune, the biggest one yet, Jack saw that this was the final dune – the stone, the lever, and somewhere Nate, waited below. Jack put on the brakes, but he’d gone a little too far. The RV started slipping down the other side.
Jack tried turning the wheel, but he didn’t have enough traction. He pumped the brakes – no response. They started sliding down the hill, faster and faster.
Jack felt a shock go through him as he suddenly realized that they were heading for the lever. He looked down – the RV was directly on course for it. If Jack didn’t do something, the RV would hit it. He was about to end humanity.
Jack steered more frantically, trying to get traction. It still wasn’t working. The dune was too steep, and the sand too loose. In a split second, Jack realized that his only chance would be once he hit the stone around the lever – he should have traction on the stone for just a second before he hit the lever – he wouldn’t have time to stop, but he should be able to steer away.
Jack took a better grip on the steering wheel and tried to turn the RV a little bit – every little bit would help. He’d have to time his turn just right.
The RV got to the bottom of the dune, sliding at an amazing speed in the sand. Just before they reached the stone Jack looked across it to check that they were still heading for the lever. They were. But Jack noticed something else that he hadn’t seen from the top of the dune. Nate wasn’t wrapped around the lever. He was off to the side of the lever, but still on the stone, waiting for them. The problem was, he was waiting on the same side of the lever that Jack had picked to steer towards to avoid the lever. The RV was already starting to drift that way a little in its mad rush across the sand and there was no way that Jack was going to be able to go around the lever to the other side.
Jack had an instant of realization. He was either going to have to hit the lever, or run over Nate. He glanced over at Sammy and saw that Sammy realized the same thing.
Jack took a firmer grip on the steering wheel as the RV ran up on the stone. Shouting to Sammy as he pulled the steering wheel, “BETTER NATE THAN LEVER,” he ran over the snake.
THE END

Enough time wasted? xD

Haha sorry, i was lazy to post. BUT PW IS OVER!!! (:

2010-11-07T22:50:00.001+08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9139000/9139971.stm

Thought this was interesting.

(:

2010-11-07T20:49:00.000+08:00

Hate unresolved things.

The small random snippets of conversation and chats are enjoyable. Feels nice to just talk. Today was more or less normal. More of less i would think. Not normal that i spend a few hours sitting by myself in a library. But i got some books for "holiday" reading. Not that there is much of a holiday. The cashier at Popular gave me a pleasant surprise when he gave me a one of those huge CD pouches that hold like a million discs. Free things just makes one feel happy. And the bus ride was pleasant too. A nice ride with good news brought to me by my dear phone.

Really makes me want to say thanks. But to who?

Thankyou (:

2010-11-06T21:53:00.002+08:00

Doing things help. But it's always nagging at the back of your head. Piss off. I know i did it right.

When it boils all the way down

2010-11-05T23:14:00.000+08:00

True friends will always be there. Thankyou so much for just listening. There is going to be a lot of tension here for the next few weeks, seeing as how some people never ever forget or forgive. But hell i've lived through it a few times. This is nothing. It's just a slow degradation, but i'll be out soon enough.

They just keep coming

2010-11-03T23:19:00.000+08:00

One A level paper over, next one coming up.

PW is stupid. But it was a fun experience (:

And YES CHINESE IS OVER!!!

Hopefully i will never have to take another lesson in it ever again. (:

Not looking forward to tomorrow.

2010-10-31T20:18:00.000+08:00

2010-10-27T22:59:00.000+08:00

Tired of it all, in every way, in any way.
Sore all over, in some ways, in other ways.
Hunger pangs, in usual ways, in different ways.
Person aching, in abstract ways, in concrete ways.

Wandering aimlessly, in straight ways, but more in crooked ways.

In every place, in any place.

I know i promised photo posts. Be patient!

2010-10-21T22:10:00.000+08:00

http://www.funnyyahooquestions.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/wtfweek.jpg

http://ouroboros.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/catinthehat.jpg?w=503&h=722

http://ihasahotdog.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/funny-dog-pictures-casual-farted.jpg

http://mattstone.blogs.com/photos/christian_art_anime/farside-creator-god.jpg

http://www.babybacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/quiet.jpg

http://kb3302.k12.sd.us/images/funnystuff/funny-kid-tells-joke-to-dog.jpg

Ok enough funny stuff.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1mvigf/img1.socwall.com/Nature/Landscapes/201013011728-16225.jpg

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1CQt0z/www.instantsfun.es/

Hahaha they have Legen- wait for it - DARY

In memory of Sleep.

2010-10-19T22:46:00.000+08:00

This is why you FINISH YOU WORK ASAP.

Bleah backlog catching up. Rushing to do work today and i can't finish! ):

Makes you wonder why I'm blogging right?

Yeah I know, makes me wonder too.

I promise a long post soon. With lots of photos. It has been too long that i didn't spam this with photos.

Post Number Five Fifty

2010-10-18T23:50:00.000+08:00

I think OP dry run went pretty well today. I was super nervous and it got worse near the end (weird right? usually you start off nervous and get comfortable). But we did a pretty good job. Jiayous my PW group!! You peeps are awesuumm.

I'm sleepy. I think i had something to say. Some insight. But my brain just shut down on me. So thats it i guess.

You know something is wrong when your goal ends up as "get to the end of the day and sleep". Lack of purpose? Or lack of motivation?

Probably lack of stimulation.

Staying at home too long is not good for your health.

Dog is cute. She lies there and waits for people to manja her. Wish that "being babied" period could occur once in a while. It's nice to feel taken care of.

Aches

2010-10-16T04:11:00.000+08:00

Can last for a long time.

But the many years of scouting has taught me that aches are just drawn out pain. Mind over matter. Well not that you'd really have a choice, despite all the pain, if you don't continue you'd never reach the night point.

Yep the clock is right. 4am. No idea what i'm doing.

because nothing is ever smooth (just need to look close enough)

2010-10-12T22:03:00.000+08:00

I feel the need to be so sarcastic that it hurts. But i have no idea what to be sarcastic about. i'm using the idiotic on-screen keyboard.

Feel destructive...

I think i need/want a punching bag.

This is painfully irritating to type.

Today started from last night

2010-10-11T20:29:00.003+08:00

Went to sleep thinking about something.

Woke up and decided that i would wear contacts today. Just to look nice. Or better anyway. For a while.

Got up too early. Was at the MRT by 6.15am or so. Ended up at Marymount at 6.35am (the train i usually take at Kovan comes at this time).

First few things.

Mornings for me are a time to warm up to the world. Just plugged in in my own world, slowly getting used to the crowd (i'm sorry i'm no good with crowds okay.). Like when changing a dog's diet, you give it about a quarter of the new mix and slowly increase it over the days. I need the real world in small increasing doses and i'd be ready by the time i'm in school.

So it really got on my nerves when this small boy with that irritating trolley bag (i've always hated trolley school bags) was running from the NEL side to the Circle Line side of Serangoon MRT. And i just had to grit my teeth when the bloody wheels rolled over the ribbed metal platform of the escalator. Trolley bags are stupid. Grow up and carry your things. Must you be so lazy. The only thing worse is getting your parents to carry it for you. Grow up damn it.

Next right after that irritating boy. The stupid dim sum dollies bloody stupid jingle. Must you play such an irritatingly sharp and noisy and loud and piercing sound at 6 BLOODY AM in the morning. Go and die. Seriously. The idiot who created the damn jingle should hang him/herself. I thought oh yeah oh yeah was bad. This tops it. What the hell is wrong with Singapore. Don't you idiots at the media have some inkling of a brain? Or some taste maybe? Any idiot would tell you that "jingle" belongs in hell to torture people. Not in a bloody MRT station, killing off commuters. If i had a car and public transport was an elastic service to me, you'd be damn well sure i'd swear myself off the bloody MRT. Well done chasing away customers. And incidentally, the bloody jingle does NOT improve people's courtesy or anything. They do NOT line up more with the half-assed composed tune. If anything it awakens the rebel in everyone and makes people who want to queue just not queue. Shame on the idiots who composed it and proposed playing it in public.

It spoils everyone's mood.

Then i realized i forgot to pack anything in my bag because for some reason it didn't occur to my brain that there were lessons today. I only remembered chinese. So i did have a ke ben, but nothing else.

Spent most of lessons thinking of whatever i thought about last night.

And today we also helped build the IHC thing in the canteen walkway. Yeah i guess the pentagon design is good. But me being me, i would definitely prefer it like 4 metres high and with a ladder and platforms. Structures are made to be climbed!

By the way the last post was:

i can't blog

my keyboard screwed up.

it selectively chooses which keys work

sorry

I'm using the desktop now so yeah thats why i have a full word post.

I

2010-10-09T22:28:00.000+08:00

i ct bo

my eybor screwe up.

it seectiey chooses which eys wor

sorry

It over.

2010-10-04T22:21:00.000+08:00

There has been a steady degradation of my mastery of the English language ever since i stopped reading regularly.

Finally promos are over. Being optimistic, i think i will promote.

But enough about that dreadful thought. Now is the time for less emo-ing, a bit more playing. A bit only. Because these two years are the race that ultimately leads to A levels. No one really stops in the middle of a marathon and goes off to macs to celebrate upon reaching the 21km mark right? (actually i dunno cos i never run before and i not interested. but i'm guessing no one does that? ask zhi. or kenneth.)

Realized i can't blog on my ipod. Because blogger's stupid new composing thingy isn't supported. And the old one, for some reason, can't be selected, so my cursor can't even appear.

My nose gave me a headache. Pain pain pain. This is my reward for surviving promos??!!

But today was enjoyable. Went out with some of 3K to eat at Swensens then went to watch The Other Guys. Which was honestly a totally brainless show. The first part already didn't make sense. Two guys jumped off a building and died. Like whaaaat???

Good show to rest braincells after promos though. Just laugh at the crude jokes and not so much deep insightful thoughts like Inception.

Shall not talk about papers.

Sometimes trying my best just doesn't cut it.

quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur.

2010-10-01T23:31:00.000+08:00

Basically it means anything said in Latin sounds deeper. Deep no?

Yeah actually no. But Latin has a certain old, dead beauty to it. I like it. Hahaha maybe it helps that most of English was from Latin.

Alea iacta est: the dice is cast.

That is what a blog is i guess. Whatever comes on here cannot be taken back. It can be deleted but once it has been read then it is no longer a secret to call my own.

So yup.

1 paper left!!

In the spirit of Bio

2010-09-30T20:19:00.000+08:00

Take a break, stop cramming. If it isn't in your brain by now, most of it is likely to leak out by tomorrow. Last minute cramming does NOT work. So lets watch a video.

A zombie invasion just got ten times more realistic. OhEmGEEEE.

Don't dwell on past (papers), look to the future (aka OP. Damn...)

Smile and be happy

2010-09-29T21:18:00.000+08:00

Just because you can.

3 more to go. Less than a week left. Jiayous everyone!!

One down, 5 more to go.

2010-09-28T22:21:00.000+08:00

Well 4 since i'm planning to fail econs.

I had 45minutes to do my AQ. That is NOT a good thing. Arrgghh got this bad feeling that i did the questions wrongly and did my summary wrongly. I knew it seemed too easy to be true. Bleargh.

Tomorrow is econs and chinese. Blargh just fail both lar. Screw this shit. Okay try to pass econs and try to get C for chinese. Hopefully can replicate CTs.

Can't wait for this hell to be over. But that would mean we'd be one exam closer to A levels. Why is it so real now??!!

Just a year ago, A levels was like so far away. Like a whole school away. And ohmygosh it is here now. Panic panic. But then again i still have a whole year to mug my brains off. Ah envy those naturally good at acads.

ohmygawd it tomorrow?!!

2010-09-27T22:31:00.000+08:00

And the countdown shall start from 6

2010-09-22T23:44:00.000+08:00

more days to promos.

I think most people would have stopped blogging by now?

And quite a few have probably frozen their facebook accounts.

Its all about focus.

And sleep.

Promonstaaaaaa.

2010-09-21T23:32:00.000+08:00

Is about one week away.

Kinda can't wait for it to be over. And yet i think i'm not studying hard enough. Somehow no matter how much i do i just don't feel prepared enough. Unlike last year where i just felt like i knew everything (and i didn't do too badly okay).

So everyone, good luck and all the best!! It will be over soon!!

Because i can!

2010-09-20T00:31:00.000+08:00

Got a new sim card. BECAUSE I CAN!

Since 21 months was up, i could recontract and get a new phone. And that phone would go to my sis cos she wanted one that is simple enough and not so laggy and irritating like her current LG when she go UK. And when the woman offered to to give me the new sim card for free (can store more contacts and some other stuff), my dad asked if got anything else free. Cos if got, then we'll take it BECAUSE WE CAN!

I think sometimes (i mean most times), we should just do things just because we can do it. Cos you never know when you will be able to do it again. Like YOG. Once in a lifetime thing.

Yeah i had nothing else much to say xD

Bumps. You don't necessarily need to slow down, go fast and make a scene

2010-09-16T21:56:00.000+08:00

I guess there are things you never expect?

Today started quite normal. By normal i mean about half the class was absent. Like we had 17 out of 26 people. But yeah they appeared later. Quite normal for 11S03K.

PW is nearly over. Almost last stretch already and it feels good. My group is awesome. Joyce, Rachel, Vincent, Lim Qian, Mahdi, you all are DA BEST PW group ever!

PW has actually been quite fun i guess. Because of the people if nothing else. And it was definitely an eye-opener. That excursion to St James Church Kindergarten was just so totally cool. Made us all miss being in kindergarten haha.

GP was mellow.

Chem was pretty boring actually. But yeah it was useful. Reminded me how much more i need to mug ):

It's not that I didn't care
It's that I didn't know
It's not what I didn't feel,
It's what I didn't show
-Misery by Maroon 5

heyo today probably seems like one of those really trying days, or maybe its even the whole week, but look forward. what happened happened and its really not your fault, don't let anyone control your life through guilt. and i'm here whenever, for whatever.

2010-09-13T23:36:00.003+08:00

I stare at this blank space and wish i could just project out my heart and mind on to the blank canvas. Words can only describe so much, actions can only show so much, what if what is inside cannot be expressed?

And Confusion is the rule of the day.

Dum dum d

2010-09-12T21:58:00.003+08:00

"Nothing girly about a horse. Nothing girly about a horn. But put them together and you get a unicorn."

-How I Met Your Mother

http://www.smbc-comics.com/?db=comics&id=1839#comic

Hahahahaha

I'm sorry.

Suddenly everyones so friendly...

2010-09-10T22:59:00.002+08:00

No seriously... Like did i change or something? Oh wait... Nope its just that they had no reason to talk to me until now. Not that it wasn't enjoyable haha. But yeah sometimes it just makes you feel used.

Night Hike

2010-09-09T00:11:00.002+08:00

It was a long night. And i think i learned a lot. Like Kenneth said, it was a very reflective night (something along those lines). It was full of htht (heart to heart talks) and it did kind of help me consolidate all my experiences in 01. I've learned a lot about people and how they work in 01. Well for guys anyway. But i think that Monday night was really the time i realized it.

Don't bear grudges, seek to solve the problem then leave it behind. You'll find that usually, the whodunit part does not matter. What matters is what you plan to do once the problem arises.

I don't know if anything i said had any effect, but i hope you guys see it as it is and not out of proportions. And again, for the hundredth time this year, i see how well suited the VTLs are for their posts.

And if you all have any problems, feel free to talk about it to any of us. Even if you don't want us to do anything about it, talking about it to someone outside can help you see things objectively if nothing else. As you talk, take time to listen to what you're saying also.

Slept for about 5 hours then went to school to study.

Monday and Tuesday were quite tiring but fulfilling.

Let's complete our dreams okay? But yours will take much longer than mine xD

Productivity.

2010-09-04T22:40:00.002+08:00

Got up at 7 or so. Was uncomfortable so didn't stay in bed for long. Ended up leaving for school at like 8.15am.

Stoned in the senior block classroom for like 45minutes? Or about half an hour. All by myself. Blasting music and playing Veggie Samurai (alvin go download it!! dunno if its still free though).

Renci and Gracia came in first. Followed by ZiQi and then Joel. Bryan came about halfway through. We told Mr Kelvin Tan what happened and our reflections, etc. Boring stuff basically. But it was fun reminiscing and just talking.

We went for lunch then went back to school to mug.

Bleah i have no idea if i'm actually doing productive work. Cos i'm like doing work but i have no idea if anything is getting into my brain. And i am super scared that i'll fail promos. And i still get stumped at plenty of questions (not a good sign!) and i'm quite sure i am totally unprepared ):

Haiz...

What to do? Plus my brain just feels really messy right now. It's like it is on autopilot and just messing around. Random thoughts float in and out so much more frequently now and they're distracting!!

Can't seem to think straight or concentrate for long periods of time. And my eyes hurt. Sleep is becoming like a drug. I'm addicted to it and it provides escape. Pathetic really.

I have this feeling i'm going to fall sick soon. So if i do, please come back and read this post, cos these are all the reasons as to why i'm sick.

And i kinda hope i will fall sick, if to just take a break. Argh everyone is so hardworking and accomplished and all achieving whatever they want. It's pressurizing to say the least. I hate Singapore's education system. Bloody hell i read the newspaper and see some ginormous number of dollars being spent on tuition and i'm like what the shit... Singapore some studying nation is it. No wonder we are not having many all rounders or innovators. Everyone is too busy drilling the best way to score in exams. When will people realize that LIFE is not a freaking EXAM. There is NO freaking MODEL ANSWER to LIFE. And they wonder why we have no Nobel Prize winners.

Hillary Challenge let me see how much more there is to be done in life. Go on an adventure, see the world, let it affect you. Stop studying the world and experience it instead. Hell we don't need to know every physics principle to know to use a bike (though some would probably be helpful in balancing on water xD).

Live life, don't mug it away. But then again, in Singapore, if you don't mug it away, you won't have much of a life. Ahhh the contradiction.

My eyes hurt and its 11pm.

Sleep is dying, dreams are going to another world, waking is coming back to hell. But hell has some nice people (:

And it hits you (hit me) like bang and suddenly everything becomes (became) clear

2010-09-01T23:07:00.003+08:00

So yeah i've been moving into title posts and the words have been getting fewer and fewer. I guess it's just that j1 is moving so fast and things just seem to fly past. My days seem shorter and shorter. Like now it's already 11pm and i'm like whaaaaaaaat?!! What happened to the four or five hours since i got home. Or maybe i'm just doing things slower.

There isn't a lot to be unhappy about. Actually more things to be happy about. I guess this is a good place in my life yeah? Just about the right of amount of bullshits to keep things realistic (no such thing as perfect right?) and more than enough good things to leave me on a high (of course the more the merrier but beggars can't be choosers right?).

A few days ago, while waiting for our super uber long chem tutorial to start, i randomly started playing this game with Joel. Actually it was more of just me spouting rubbish. But yeah the point was to look at something and then compare life to that. So stuff like: Life is like blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah. (Okay i can't remember what i said on that day but the start is all that is important here.)

Life is like studying (mugging, abusing your brain, trying fruitlessly to expand that puny 3%, hoping that this is really only 3% and they find a way to unlock the rest soon and wondering if 3% is even correct cos 3% doesn't leave much for memory.) Sorry for the digression.

So, life is like studying. Sometimes, no matter how long you look at a question, ponder it, re-read it, internalize it, check for errors, tear your hair out, you still never get the answer. But once someone mentions something, even something so minuscule, or even something you have thought of before, you suddenly see it in a new light (insert title here).

And it leaves you feeling like an idiot sometimes. But more often than not you feel like an obstacle has finally been subdued. It happened once quite badly to me. It was a stupid chem question. I got stuck on it and i spent about 2 hours on it. Following that i spent the next week or so trying it again once in a while, hoping time would clear my brain and i'd get it. Then one day during chem, Joel tried doing it and he mentioned something (insert title here). So i got it and felt real dumb but happy at the same time.

Now i'm not sure if i am really making a point here, but just keep your eyes and ears open, someone will walk by, mention something, (insert title here) and you'd have your problem solved. Of course, do try to solve it by yourself first. The universe (God, Fate, Spaghetti Monster, whatever you want to call it) only rewards those who try their best (though it brings up the question of what if i tried my best at something immoral?). Sometimes even things you thought were clear can become clearer or you'd see it in a new perspective (Panic! At The Disco) and you'd be glad your ears and eyes were open.

Oh but never hope it comes on a white horse with prince (or princess?) Charming and deliver it in your face. Usually it comes with crude jokes and long walk home from a day of brain bashing. Or taking pens and twisting your hands in weird directions to literally see things from a new point of view. Or maybe even little kids jumping around in front of you, making you realize how they are irritating to most everyone except their parents.

It has been a long time since this had a long post which didn't consist of plain day to day life. I was in the shower just a few minutes ago (insert title here) and i decided that some things are just worth talking about and remembering forever, while others are better kept for short mindless chatter, which, mind you, is an important and integral part of friendship building. Though sometimes i know i chatter to much, so feel free to tell me to shut it and hang up.

Why isn't the scroll bar at the side getting smaller??!

Wait for this year's New Year's Eve post kay? i promise it will be at least twice as long as this.

And to all J1s out there clobbering your brains, good luck and all the best! And keep smiling, don't stress yourself too much, because sometimes, things happen (insert title here).

Blargh

2010-08-31T20:12:00.000+08:00

the pressed

I just want to say thank you

2010-08-30T21:50:00.003+08:00

For just being around. Its just so much easier to be myself when i know you'd understand. And i don't feel the need to act around you or impress you or anything. I guess this is what freedom is like (:

2010-08-28T23:55:00.001+08:00

Everyday we wait

If it takes too long

Just tell me something new

Forget about the sunshine when it's gone

You can say it's right but it feels so wrong

Show me something true

Forget about the sunshine

Forget about the sunshine when it's gone

-Sunshine by The All-American Rejects

Then ask.

2010-08-24T23:16:00.001+08:00

Shoutout

2010-08-24T22:21:00.001+08:00

BOO!

Productivity level decreasing.

Every time i see my dashboard i wonder if that icon has you backing it or is it just a liar?

Carpe Diem

2010-08-20T21:10:00.003+08:00

Mal: I'll tell you a riddle. You're waiting for a train,

a train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you,

but you don't know for sure. But it doesn't matter.

How can it not matter to you where the train will take you?

Cobb: Because you'll be together.

- Inception

I guess a lot of Inception was about just taking chances and trying things you would never dream of doing in real life. Carpe Diem.

Saito: Don't you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone!

-Inception

I should put that memo somewhere. Seize the moment!

But sometimes i guess you just don't know how to carpe that damn diem... and then when you finally do it is over already.

Surrounded, slowly closing in

2010-08-19T22:39:00.002+08:00

I'm lagging behind on a lot of things. Studies, service hours, homework, 01 work, sleep, life.

Being in RJ means you never feel like you are doing you best (even if you may be). It also means you never really feel very accomplished. This is all for the average person i mean. Because there are always those who seem to achieve so much and are still heading for greater heights while leaving people like me behind wallowing in some muck.

It would be nice to be top in something once in a while yknow.

Promos. 38 days left. (today is almost over)

Good luck everyone!

My New Clean(er than before) Table

2010-08-16T22:34:00.001+08:00

every once in a while

2010-08-15T22:49:00.002+08:00

life seems perfect.

Or maybe it is just because there is this sudden lack of motivation to do anything else.

It kinda hit me today when i was talking to the sec1s in my group today. The differences in maturity level of guys and girls even at sec1 is... huge. The girls were talking about cliques and backstabbing and gossip. The guys probably didn't even know what a clique was. They pretty much thought their lives were perfect and most problem-free with the occasional homework or project or something.

It is just how simple you want your life to be. And i guess having it complicated gives you more satisfaction and a larger sense of accomplishment. But being content is a skill we lose as we grow up.

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on."

-Robert Frost

i hope you'll continue to be honest with me and tell me if i start creeping you out in any way

i wish that

2010-08-14T22:45:00.002+08:00

you would stop taking everything so damn personally and stop being hyper self sensitive and totally insensitive to others.

but then i also wish for a A in chinese.

So i guess not everything is possible or even worth wishing for.

keeping still

2010-08-12T23:40:00.002+08:00

how much should one chase self improvement? or should selflessness always be a top priority?

Walking slowly, watching others race past. They run for the train like it is the last one, dash the traffic light like it will never change again, run the roads as though it will disappear from under their feet anytime.

In a fast paced world, isn't it so much more important to keep still and figure out exactly what one is rushing for?

Rushing to the end, as they say. Rushing to the end of our lives.

National day. (Again. For the 45th time!)

2010-08-09T20:15:00.000+08:00

So i was (and still am) watching the national day parade. And they were doing the explanation of the 5 stars. In and dance and stuff. Showing what each star meant on the big screen. First one... Justice. Second one... Progress. Third one... Peace. Fourth one... Equality. Then dance dance dance and then it ended.

At this point, you must be very confused right? Wait a minute, aren't there FIVE stars on the Singapore flag? I can't have been blind for the past 17 years of my life right?

So exactly what does the last star represent? Guess what? Democracy!! So what happened? I mean last time i heard, and saw, about half an hour ago, they were flying the giant flag on the helicopter with FIVE stars. Are we in denial now? Cos there has been this whole debate about Singapore not being a *true* democracy (though honestly which country can say it is *truly* a democracy?). Ok so seriously what happened to democracy? Hello NDP!!! Where is one of the fundamental pillars that supports the very foundation on which Singapore was built on? The thread that holds the fabric of our nation together? The star that makes our flag complete?

Next thing we know we are going to become the Communist Nation of Singapore. (Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah, HEY! Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah HO!)

But the fireworks redeemed it (:

Fire and work would go well together. It makes a profession (:

Oh and over the long holiday the GeeCee went on a Recceee for patrol Oriiiiienteeeering. We have a lot of photos showing how much we enjoyed ourselves but i can't post them cos they will reveal the answers ): So here is a teaser!

Whatcha watching Joel?

So 01 scouts, if we could have fun planning it, you can definitely have fun walking it (:

It's just a matter of making it fun for yourself.

Oh and on the recce hike, these were the roles we *NATURALLY* took on.

Alvin - PL

Joel - "foamy" APL (xD)

Kenneth - irritating patrol member

Anurak - perma failing patrol member

Jack - zao halfway patrol member

Francis - NORMAL patrol member (hahaha but if you ask the rest you probably get a different answer)

But it was fun hahaha. At the endpoint it was fun. We took loads of emo shots and stoned around. So yea in about a weeks time i'll post all of them (:

Oh and on friday i woke up to loud music blasting from the kindergarten opposite my house. Guess which songs i woke up to?

Bad Romance!

And then followed by....

Tik Tok!

And i shall leave you wondering why (even though it was national day celebrations and sports day) a kindergarten would ever, ever play such songs. And there is our future of Singapore.

Wishing everyone a happy national day!! (:

Happy 45th Singapore! You're becoming a lao jiao xD

2010-08-05T23:35:00.000+08:00

hello hello hello...

National Day celebrations

2010-08-04T22:35:00.002+08:00

I think the councilors did a good job of trying to hype up the RJ student body. So here is a big thumbs up to them!

Quite amusing to see everyone standing on tables and benches just to get a better look (including the cleaners). Haha injects some fun into our lives.

But with that brings the usual red-and-white-patriotism that is forced down our throats every year. Yay happy birthday Singapore, now please stop talking about the great past and whatever. Ok, we got very far, our forefathers were these wickedly awesome dudes. Now enough!!! C'mon do we really need that at JC level? Civics lesson could be spent so much more productively (i.e. breakfast xD)

I think RJ people (or RI people in general) are quite apathetic towards all this kind of stuff. Which is kind of ironic seeing as most RI/RJ people end up in politics and the government somehow. Then it kinda is like revenge right? Like HAH now i get to make the younger generation suffer what i went through! Eat that!!

And then make stupid things like PW just to add the icing to the cake.

Which reminds me.

When our GP tutor returned us our CT scripts (it was the last paper we got back), we were all quite sad and our faces all bore this sad expression and he was like: why are you all so sad? Is it because GP is the last paper and its like the icing on the cake?

And my classmate was like: don't even have a cake to begin with...

On the bright side, my class doesn't need to go for the learning journeys to "cram the whole of RJC into museums". But we do have 2 whole hours of exciting chemistry mock SPA debrief! Wow so fun!! (if you can't sense the sarcasm, please go kill yourself) <- if you took that literally please go improve on your english xD

Lets see how tomorrow turns out then.

There are times when that thing in my mind goes on a holiday

2010-08-01T23:13:00.002+08:00

"The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly."

-Jim Rohn

To be honest, sometimes i have no idea what i am doing. It is already August. In a way, i can't wait for this to be over. And yet i know i am going to miss it. But if it means that i can sort of relax then it should be a good thing right?

After each time, i look back and wonder if i am doing it right? Was i justified? Even if i was, was that the right way to do it? How will it affect them? Will it even produce the intended effect?

And thinking of the previous people i always respected, how did they do it? With such natural flair. Everything just seemed to be part of what they are. And here i am feeling like it is an inadequate fit.

Putting things off is so NOT = procrastination.

2010-07-28T22:07:00.002+08:00

I procrastinate stuff that i need to do but i don't want to do. I put off stuff i don't need to do but kinda want to do one day. Some day. In the future. Distant future. When i have time. (Never)

Doing my correlation and regression tutorial now. Bleah. Breathing kills you know? Statistics show that people who breathe show a 100% mortality rate. Dangerous.

Going to RJ, i think a lot has changed. Like people. I mean you kinda think you know most of your friends pretty well. Then they kinda act differently now. But i guess that is just JC life? And it is interesting to watch. Just that one never gets to be the audience in life. It's all about going out there and acting cos no one will allow you to sit idle by and just watch and appreciate.

I think once in a while people need to relax. Step back and take a look at exactly where you are going. And then look at the people around you. And see where they are going. Hopefully i'm heading in the same direction as people close to me. Or somewhere nearby anyway. I know this is kinda late, i mean it is already July (going on to August), but i want a resolution for the rest of this year. To not lose anymore friends. To make sure that no more bridges are broken to the point of being irreparable.

Unlike last year's messy episodes.

It worked.

2010-07-27T23:11:00.002+08:00

Okay so new skill. Will be using that next time. Like when i'm in army (:

Post a whole bunch of retarded stuff. Make my online presence felt!

I feel kinda accomplished. Kinda. I did my reaction kinetics tutorial today. And then i wanted to do econs but it was boring. And i had to write a lot. So uhh i didn't do it.

Laziness.

I think in some way it's good also. It helps you chill. Relax.

I think i have this knee-jerk reaction of sleeping when i get overloaded. Too stressed, sleep. Too much work to do, sleep. Too emo, sleep. So honestly, believe me when i say that i do not understand how people can be too troubled to sleep. If and when that day comes, i will probably be thinking about suicide at the same time. And that would be so damn extreme.

So umm... Ya sleep is my answer to life.

Know where to stop. But i think i would prefer something that lasts longer instead of something that runs a risk of breaking.

And YuenHyung, GET WELL SOON!!

Hello from the past

2010-07-27T10:56:00.001+08:00

i'm trying out the scheduled posting thing. Imagine this, i type a whole bunch of meaningless posts, and schedule them for you to read xD

So yea this should be posted around school time, i guess maybe when i am having GP?

Something like that. It should work. Wish it good luck (:

So i lied...

2010-07-26T21:58:00.002+08:00

I was tired okay... Went to my mum's friend's house. Sat around eating and listening to the doctors catch up and stuff. They were trying to plan a ski trip also but that kinda failed. Hahaha it has been KIV-ed to the next time they meet... Which can be anytime from next month to like a few years from now. I honestly do not recognise most of them even though, apparently, i do see them every year during Chinese New Year. But yea Chinese New Year is that time of the year when short term memory comes in the most useful.

Ended up spending most of Sunday sleeping in bed. I was tired okay. Really need to just catch up on sleep and all.

But ended up lagging in terms of work and stuff ):

Today was fun though. Went to school early to study. Chem lecture was boring. Math lecture was boring. Bio SPA was INCREDIBLY boring. I tell you, only chinese and GP were relatively tolerable. And i kinda slept through chinese -.- Mostly cos i was away when they did the worksheet and she was going through it and i didn't have it. So ya...

I guess some people are just born more self-centred than others? I mean it's not like we get to choose whether our personalities lean towards self-preservation or genuine care and concern for others.

One more time and i'll come running and leaping over the barrier, down and out of this dream called reality (:

2010-07-24T19:06:00.003+08:00

Hahaha i watched Inception again. Already watched it once with my sis on the day it first came out. But today we went out after Patrol in Town as a GC to watch a movie. And it had to be Inception. Cos Sorcerer's Apprentice is too lame and Jack already watched Despicable Me, and since Inception is a movie to be watched more than once, i was pressured (forced xD) to go watch it again.

But yea watching it again answered quite a few questions. And i gathered more from all the little subtle hints Christopher Nolan (writer and director) put in the movie.

Honestly, anymore times and i will probably start believing that this is all a dream xD

Time to go out for dinner, promise i'll be back and post more about Patrol in Town and some other thoughts.

Wait for me pweeease? (:

Time to get to writing.

2010-07-21T21:35:00.002+08:00

I took a nap yesterday. From 7 to about 930. My sis was super happy that she beat me. She slept from 4 to 10. Thats like... as good as sleeping at night.

So yea it was very refreshing. Seeing as i stayed up until 1am the night before and woke up at 5 to finish my EoM. Actually, i stayed up until 1 looking for the material to evaluate and generally procrastinating. Ended up with a headache which prompted the 4 hour nap. Then woke up at 5 and finished the EoM in about 45minutes -.-

Argh getting stressed. I need to catch up with all the work. Catch up as in start studying properly and all. Time to do tutorials on time and all. And i totally do not understand chem.

So i am supposed to be doing my EoM.

2010-07-19T22:29:00.002+08:00

Pfft like i will do it without procrastination.

You know there are somethings in life which i just do not see the point in doing. PW is one of them. All the random stuff in research also. Literature reviews are pretty useless except for other people to comment on. It really does NOT help in actually doing the research.

Anyone noticed that i changed some stuff on my blog? (:

Doing my EoM now. Sort of. Tons of material i guess but i have to choose one to review. Which means i have to read them. I have this aversion to reading long paragraphs on my computer. My eyes hurt!

I'm starting to miss things that i should have gotten over a long time ago. People, places and periods of time. I find myself having less and less time to just think about where i am going, what i am doing, who i am becoming. Every once in a while, we need to stop and take a look back, and plot our route forward. That was something i learned in scouts, and recently, found that i have been applying it less and less to my life. I seem to be moving day to day, with not a clue as to where exactly i am headed.

Exactly what do i want? What is my endpoint? Where are my rest points? Who do i want to bring along?

There are so many of these questions floating everywhere and all over inside of my mind. And amidst all of that chaos is still this everlasting want for something constant.

Sometimes one gives up and suffocates other feelings,

Lovers come and go but friends are here to stay.

because i know i prefer the friendship and i want it to last.

Change is the only constant. Time and tide waits for no man. Everything is just about change. It is all just a comfort that we can't keep our perfect lives for long. That everything that we've worked so hard to build will eventually, and shortly, be wiped out. That life is essentially purposeless and meaningless. Comfort statements. Statements that assure us that yes, we do want that change, that we want to embrace the destruction of it all. Because we know that no matter how hard we fight back, we won't be able to resist it.

Struggle all you want, the futility of it all will have you succumb to the crashing waves. The constant battering of change change change will have you at your knees and begging to leave your old self. Eventually, a new person emerges. For better or for worse, only you can decide. Everything is a matter of perspective anyway.

Sometimes i think of how everything i do, consciously or subconsciously, is for selfish gains, that there is an ulterior motive for it. And what i hate most i how easily these ulterior motives come into my mind, to the point where i feel that if i still follow through and do it, i still feel guilty that i know i benefited from it in some way.

Rant rant rant. Ok this doesn't actually help. But its nice to see what i actually think about once in a while eh? Rather than the usual happy happy lets go make a joke.

Woof woof

2010-07-17T23:26:00.003+08:00

You know, dogs don't actually eat cats. They just like chasing them. And then dogs like mine, they go chase other small dogs and then come back running cos the small ones are actually fierce -.-

So yea curiosity killed the cat, which killed the mouse, which ate the cheese. Hahaha first time i went there and read something the day it was posted by the way.

I found one of the poems. Ask me on msn if you want to see it (:

Speaking of cheese, 0106 went out for dinner today (JON ED SO SAD YOU COULDN'T BE THERE xD)

We got our food. Seeing Sup dump stuff on his food is damn funny. He unscrew the chili bottle, dump a whole lot. Then did the same with the cheese. And following that he looked for the Tabasco sauce and dumped that too. Hahahaha. But i kinda did the same thing after that -.- not including the Tabasco.

Dinner was really good. It was nice catching up and listening to all the bs and suanning between Hiok and Sup. Need Amos to complete them though. Still remember our VC, when the few of them were some radio in a basha. xD It was super funny!! Like a radio station with all the witty comebacks and suanning.

Talking over blogs is boring. Oh by the way i'm not answering my tagboard, but rest assured i still am reading it!! Just imagine me giving you my reply. It's not very hard!! Haha Zhi, it's called the bright side of life lor.

And now for a CSI exit. YYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH *weird guitar solo* (i think its a guitar. Can't really remember xD)

Ah wells (those things that hold water)

2010-07-13T23:20:00.003+08:00

Sorry for the abrupt ending in the last post. If i remember correctly it was because i suddenly got really emo and ran out of the happy lala mood. Yes i was actually happy and lala while typing that.

Anyway moving on.

Bio: D

Chem: E

Econs: S

[EDIT 15 July 2010: I forgot, i actually got E for Chem. Not C. So uhh... yea it just makes a stupid face now. Like some triple drool face. Sad. I know. However, i did get C for Chinese and D for math... So uh dunno how that is related but yea it's all By The Way sort of thing]

On the bright side, they all kinda make funny faces.

Kinda represents what i was feeling when i got those papers. I got Chem first. So yea kinda sad :E

Then got Econs back, and i was like :S damn this is not good.

And then Bio. :D cos i finally passed something.

Yes i know its quite pathetic. ):

ANYWAYSSSS

MOVING FURTHER ON.

Yesterday, after chinese oral (i will talk about that later. LATER!!), Joyce, Lim Qian, Rachel, Vincent and i went down to St James Church Kindergarten at Dempsey hill area to do our PW interview. Honestly that is like the coolest kindergarten in Singapore!!

They had a pool and a few gardens and a tilapia pond. It was really the perfect place for outdoor education in Singapore (our PW topic). By outdoor we mean learning through going out and exploring nature. Not OBS. I repeat, NOT OBS.

So yea it was really pretty awesome there.

And as for chinese oral. I am pretty confident. I think. Well more confident than the practice oral definitely. Helped that the chinese teacher who was testing me looked like this nice old woman. Sort of like laoshi, so not as nervous and stressed out.

Oh and the topic was on buying stuff on the internet. So yay i could roughly know what to say.

Hmm forgot what else went on. We did balloon sculpting today. And we acquired ourselves this giant red balloon which we brought everywhere with us. Including the LT xD

I guess i should start blogging more regularly. It has been very intermittent since Hillary. Not very used to it i guess?

Today was significant cos i feel like i've let a load off. I mean it's not easy to really take that risk to trust someone and i'm so happy and relieved that you're cool with it (:

And i think i'm gonna get really really fat. Bleh i can feel the fat rolls!!! And i've started drinking loads of milk (high in fat) and eating at almost anytime during the day in addition to the usual 3 meals ): Someone kill me!!

I've decided i shall start taking my studies seriously. Have to mug more and slack less. So i guess that would mean less time online. And i realised even though i am feeling productive, i actually still take like 2 hours for a few math questions ):

Anyone signing up for O Comm? I want!!! Hope i don't screw up promos though

Procrastination destination

2010-07-05T23:16:00.003+08:00

All the arrows and road signs point here. And so here i am. Ready to procrastinate. Leaving my half done GP CT on the table, plugging in my headphones and getting ready to revive my darling blog here after it died due to negligence.

Blame it on the CTs. Or my batchmates. But everyone was studying so much so i got peer pressured into studying too. ): Remember, mum always said: "Never be peer pressured into doing......... things." I think maybe contained within those dots were words like "the" and "wrong" but the heart hears and sees what it wants to. For love is blind, deaf, and in other words, a pure cripple. Ok no link.

So anyway, ended up pangseh-ing this blog and it died. So sad right?

After a bit of CPR and stuff, i realised that blogs don't need to breathe so i probably spoiled my com for no reason whatsoever.

I guess a lot has gone on (well one month isn't exactly a very short time either). Chinese oral was like the culmination of my failure to incorporate chinese into my linguistic repertoire. Yes i didn't know how to say reporter in chinese. And now that would probably be the only chinese word that i will never forget ):

And i suddenly ran out of mood to write. Sorry.

Sorry, taking a break from posting about Hillary

2010-06-06T22:50:00.004+08:00

So, 5 days of AC over.

Umm... I think leisure is like...

After this camp... I'm like... OMG THIS IS HOW DIFFERENT FROM SUTC.

From a J1 point of view even.

But it was very very interesting. Especially since this year we did the kitchen tent structure thing. Haha saw some really "cute" (as described by Renci) kitchen tents, and then saw that they couldn't build the "dong dong" (by Leonard) properly.

At first we were quite worried that they wouldn't be able to do it on time and end up not being able to cook under a shelter or generally have a shelter from the sun (other than Raja foyer -.-)

But luckily most of them managed to get a basic tent up once day 1 was over. Well we practically gave them the whole day... Something should have been produced.

The camp was pretty smooth. Except one day when we woke up late. ><

Not going to post the whole AC timeline here... cos like... most of it was for them to do camp D (development).

Some interesting stuff we did. We brought down Anurak's twister mat and got Atsushi, Marcus, HanYao and Joshua to play. Quite hilarious. Atsushi camping in one corner and doing everything damn easily, then the other three all fighting to get into weird positions and stretch like mad.

Oh and we played tug of war with the patrols. KF won. Probably cos they had the most people xD

We managed to play 3-way tug of war. ((:

Tested out by j1s first. knotted two pythons to each other so that there were 3 strands. Set up this triangle. The first group to pull the knot at the centre past their line of the triangle wins. Simple right?

It was damn fun lah.

J1s played a few times. We wanted to challenge some SU people but no time. Awww.

Parents' night was a sort of headache. Had to get quite a lot of stuff settled.

But the food was good. Hawk's stingray and fish thing. But they destroyed a pot cover...

Haha AC was really a great experience again. And this year there was not shortage of interesting stuff that happened. Like 2 giant cooking fires and all the super gl patrol videos.

(Sorry by the way, i started this on 6th june then forgot about it and left in drafts until now... 8 days later ><>

Expedition

2010-06-05T00:15:00.000+08:00

Woke up with the: i need to force bankai. Again.

Froze in the toilet as usual. Then we were off to get ready to get started.

Oh yea forgot to say what happened the night before.

We met our instructor: Sally!!

She came over to our chalet to make sure we all had all the equipment we needed. Then she passed us the helmets and the safety slings and karabiners. We also had to bring this giant basket of food from the YDC over to our chalet pack in our bags. Some of the food included: Pasta (bloody heavy), minced meat (bloody heavier), chili beans (bloody disgusting), pita bread (hahahhahaha), oatmeal (ughhh).

Anyway the foods were like damn heavy. And i was like i want to carry my bag with about constant weight through the whole hike. So i was loaded till like damn full. And the girls happily passed me the pasta and planned to eat it on day 4 night (end of the hike). Anyway i managed to carry that weight throughout ((:

Back to day 3 morning. Gathered outside YDC for instructions. We were given a map to our start point. Then everyone rushed off to their vans to drive to that start point. We dumped our bags in the back of the van and got in. (On the way there, we saw one team's van stuck in a natural gutter thing. They all got out and pushed it back onto the road) Then we realised our van had a problem. Due to the sub-zero temperatures the night before, the windows had all frosted up, so we couldn't see out of any of them. Including the windscreen. So the teachers got out their driving licenses and whatever other card and started scraping a big enough hole for Mr Tan to see through to drive.

Took the long drive to the other side of Mount Ruapehu. We slept along the way (like we do for almost all of the car rides... no matter how short)

When we got there, there was activity buzzing all over. All the teams were getting ready and warmed up. And Darren (race director) was trying to get everyone in order. Finally he gave us the briefing. Then we did the "run from start line" video for the cameramen, and then walked back to the start line. There was an inspector check of equipment, followed by us collecting our maps, planning our route and then setting off.

We were the 3rd last group to set off. If i'm not wrong. The other teams mostly started off running. Well they could run with their packs...

We joked around, started off on a high note. Hit the first checkpoint quite accurately. Sally told us her GPS was a few metres off. Hit the second checkpoint by bashing through the bushes. To the 01 scouts reading this, the bashing is seriously bashing. Like just walk through this bush that looks impenetrable.

After hitting the second checkpoint, we took out lunch to eat along the way. Chutney!! (yep it is nice. It is this spread thing that is nice.) Sally told us the GPS is messed up.

Walked on to try and find our next checkpoint. Kinda got lost. Gave up on that checkpoint. Headed back to the trail and followed it up to the house.

Up there there was already another team, but they were getting ready to set off. We stopped there to take out our second pack of lunch and we rested there for a while. The St Cuthberts and Auckland Grammar Team also got on that hill sort of thing while we were there.

Then the navigator was like, hey guys, lets come down here out of the wind so that we can make a decision. And he was like standing in the middle of most of our team. Then his teammate was like: why would we want to make a decision right in the middle of the other team? And the dude looked around and saw us and he was like... Oh... good point.

Hahaha

Once we started moving again, Jonsee and i promptly got our team lost. ><

We walked west but we thought we were moving north. Arghhh... The terrain screws with your orientation.

Ended up on this hill and realised we had to go down. So since we were up there anyway, Jonsee and i tried to find our checkpoint since like from the top it is easier to see the terrain. So yea we found it and were like, okay we shall head there.

Then we spent the next half hour or so just getting down from that elevation to "ground" level, which is like still 1000 metres above sea level or something... (OPC is at 750 or 800, ROGAINE started at around 1000)

From there, we followed this dried up stream... and missed our checkpoint. Cos once we didn't have our bird's eye view, we kinda got lost -.-

Oh just by the way, we planned to have our night point at this stream, about halfway to the end point. But i guess we should have taken heed of the many many many dried up streams we walked along. All the streams on the map were dried up. Only those with names still had water. Guess should have noted that and replanned our night point instead of rushing to checkpoints.

Cos yea we ended up hitting another checkpoint, (bringing the count to 4) and then trying for one more, couldn't find it, climbed up this ridge, still couldn't find it. Moved onwards and realised our night point stream was probably dried up and we had about 45 minutes to either rush forward a stream or backtrack to the one we crossed earlier on. And that was back over a few ridges.

Decided to backtrack, cos then at least we would be sure where it was. Argh... we moved painfully and emo-ly back.

Started setting up our tent. Figured out that we couldn't peg the tent down cos the wind was bloody strong and the ground was like... rocks. So we got these (big ass) rocks and used them to hold down the tent. So like almost no wind got in cos it was so flattened by the rocks.

Smart person (me) set up the tent so that there was this mini tree (bush) inside the tent. And one entrance couldn't be used cos the tree was in the way. Err my rationale? Cos i wanted to tie the guyline to the tree.... But ended up not doing so.

Uhh so yea... hahaha quite cool. Except that Joel had to step over everyone (and ON Renci and Claire) to get out to pee. This is where the "When nature calls, you heck care the rest of nature" quote comes in.

Dinner was quite nice. This minced meat with chili beans in a wrap kinda thing. It was nice.. But there was too much. Until i was forcing down cold crap-looking thing cos no one else wanted to eat it. Oh and if we had to shit, we had to do it in this biodegradable plastic bag and put it in a tube. And we had an agreement that whoever shat first would carry the tube. So no one wanted to shit.

Before we slept, Jonsee and i planned our route for the next day. The Plan: follow the track all the way, do not get lost like today, our navigation damn suck.

And then when i wanted to sleep, i found that Bryan, Joel and ZiQi managed to sleep in weird position such that they took up like the whole half of the two connected tents (1 tent). So i ended up sleeping with someone's legs on my lap -.-

Woke up the next morning feeling warm and toasty. Apparently no one else shared that feeling. So uhh yea i was the first to get out of the sleeping bag. Poured hot drink we made from last night, went out to the river to get water with Joel. And he washed his face in the freezing cold water (crazy)

Got back to the tent to cook breakfast.

Joel: "i can't feel my face."

I shall post more tomorrow. I started this on AC day 4, now it is the end of AC, took a whole day for this -.-

Day2 of HC (posted on Day2 of AC)

2010-06-01T10:28:00.004+08:00

Yep i am sitting in camp now and posting. Why? Cos i can (:

So anyway will go on about Hillary. (Sorry for the long gaps ><)

Day2, woke up with Joel's "i need to force bankai" (oh and yea he didn'y say it on day 1. just day 2 and 3 xD).

Went out to do the same. Froze my butt to the toilet seat. The toilet is crowded in the morning ):

Everyone trying to do something or other. And have 2 sinks and 2 toilet bowls do NOT help a lot. And everyone stops in at the drying room on the way to and back from the toilet. -.- Too cold hahaha.

Then went for breakfast. Have no idea what it was but it was good (: Just like all the other meals. Like mmmm pita bread. xP

Had the usual briefing and giving out of instruction sheets. And we were off! (:

This time our first station was within OPC itself. At the resource centre. Waited outside and talked a bit. Took photos with Julie (this lady who is going to be organising the Australian chapter of Hillary Challenge this September.) and the other teachers.

And then we met Julian again! (: He was just about to go off on his kayaking expedition.

Finally we could go in and do our first challenge of the day. Got briefed. We were to construct a stretcher and then transport it across a Tyrolean. It is what they call a horizontal wire spanning across a room. So yea we had to make something for people to get across first. 4 members had to go across before we could transport the stretcher.

Umm long story short. We got Jonsee and Bryan across only. The stretcher was good and snug and the dude (this makeshift mannequin thing) wouldn't fallen out. And the way we attached people to the Tyrolean was quite good also. But could have been better (i.e. tied the person closer to the wire)

Anyway... We moved on to the next challenge. To use some materials to create 2 floating shoes. And then get a person to go on the shoes and get pulled across the pool and at a certain place, shoot a ball and hit some target.

Err we couldn't even get anyone to balance on the shoes, much less get pulled across. I mean once or twice someone could balance, but once the pulling starts, they fall off. Ahh whatever.

Next station. The golden egg one. We had to make a nest out of wire and police caution tape. That was the easy part. Then, with only 2 people allowed on the element, the nest had to be attached to a blue karabiner at the top of the high element. It was the log kind. Like a giant rope ladder. But the logs got further apart. Going from foot to chest level at the start till about foot to forehead level at the top.

So Jonsee and Joel went up first to attach the nest. Then ZiQi and i went up to put in the first egg. And by then we were running out of time, so i came down with the nest and the egg inside it.

It was quite fun cos we were all talking shit while doing the challenge. Hahaha very entertaining.

4th station was quite far away. Traveled to OPC's leadership centre (i think). We were brought to this wooden wall thingum. Given boots with crampons and ice axes. Then we were told to climb the wall. There were some bonus points things (most stations had but i couldn't be bothered to type them out for all since we didn't manage to get them anyway -.-), one was that the whole team makes it past the overhang. Another was to bring up some clothing to dress the dummy that was hanging up there. So yeap first we had to put on the boots with the crampons. Crampons are those metal spikes attached to the boots for climbing ice. I wore them in NZ in 2007 when i went for holiday in South Island ((: Cos we climbed a glacier ((:

Anyway, after finally put them on, the instructor taught us how to use them and the ice axes. There were some holes in the wooden wall which we could stick the axes into, or we could just try jamming the axe into the wood. After a few tries while i was climbing, i kinda realised that it is actually quite stupid to just do that. Cos usually the axe just comes right out after you put some body weight on it. So it was better to just use the pre-made holes.

I think this station and the next one are the most fun ones cos we got to use totally new stuff we hardly (never) get to touch.

5th station was about building a container with equipment provided to hold water and these "eels". The eels were stuff wrapped in black tape. So we had to abseil down from a bridge to the river below, grab the eels from the shore of the river, then get back up the rope. Ok i have no idea what the names of the equipment are, so excuse me if i start using "thingy" for everything.

So firstly there is this weird harness with a chest strap, where you had to put it on like, and i quote Joel: "It's like wearing a bra." And only Jonsee and i wore it. Imagine how manly we were feeling xD.

The chest strap had this thingy which rope goes through. It is unidirectional so once the rope goes through it in one direction, it cannot go back. Then attached to our loop at the waist in front was a whole host of thingys.

First, this thingy with a brake. It is for abseiling down. You squeeze the lever to release rope through the thing, once you let go, it jam breaks. Again, it is unidirectional.

Then there is other thingy (shall call it blue hand thingy), a unidirectional thingum for your hand, and connected to it is this string with a loop for your foot. This is used to climb up the rope. You put your leg in the loop then straighten your leg, this would make the rope go through your chest thing, then you can relax your leg without dropping down, then you use your hand, holding the blue hand thingy, to reach upwards and push the blue hand thingy up, then it will lock, bringing the leg loop up with it. Then you repeat the process. Until you get to the top.

Another thing attached to the waist loop is the safety belay. And yet another is the karabiner connecting the chest strap to the waist.

So before we started, we needed to make something to attach stuff to. There was a pole there, so we used it to attach our rope (the one to abseil down and climb up). Then we had to come up with a system for the safety belay. We used the Italian hitch Mr Kelvin Tan taught us to replace the ATC since they didn't provide one. Then we wanted to start, but the instructor said we were still missing something. He hinted damn heavily to us before we realised that he meant we cannot use a human anchor to anchor the belayer cos both may end up getting pulled over the railing and down into the river. Ended up tying Joel (belayer) to the other railing of the bridge. Used sheet bend (:

And we were ready to go. Jonsee went first. And following the normal course of action, he came up. Then we were deliberating whether or not i should go down cos we only had like 5 minutes left. And if not everyone was on the bridge by then, we would lose points. We decided to go ahead. I just pressed the lever all the way, so whoosh went down quite fast, stepped on the rock and slipped... Causing me to swing a few times back and forth, before i stepped on another rock.... and slipped again... And by now Jonsee was like shouting: you should be coming back up now!! And i hadn't even gotten the eel yet. (Yes i was wearing the slippery New Balance shoes) Finally got over to the other side of the river where the eels were. Stuffed one down my shirt and then started going up. Like Jonsee, first time i tried hooking the stuff on, it got tangled, and i couldn't get up. Then finally managed to untangle it by taking out stuff and reclipping the thousand and one things on my loop. Then chionged to the top. I just climb over the top with like 10 seconds to spare. ((:

Last station!! Whoohoo finally! There was this rock face. We had to transport water up on one side and then down the other to fill up this container. The rules were like, some containers cannot move, some can only more vertically, some only horizontally, some cannot move past a certain mark. And Jonsee, ZiQi and i climbed up to the top of the rock face to transport water from one side to the other side, where we used a tube to get the water from the top to the last container. We did some scam thing. Cos they said we have to use these 4 pieces of guttering at the top, so we brought them up, stacked them together, poured water from one container down the guttering into another container, then we brought the container across. Hahaha instead of the expecting lining up of guttering and using that to cover the distance in between.

And oh ya... I dropped my sunglasses when i first got up there. Cos they were hanging on my collar since it was not bright enough for me to wear it and still be able to see properly. And i happily forgot about them when i reached the top. So uhh... i think it bounced like 3 times before it hit the bottom. And now i have one nice big sexy scratch on the right lens )':

And we were done for the challenges. (:

Yay i covered day 1 and 2 ((:

Hmm... Now i shall go on to ROGAINE.

Some things we discussed during ROGAINE was like how Singapore's one should be called GA.

ROGAINE= Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance.

Singapore's Hillary Challenge hike was like.... Not rugged... not outdoor-ish enough, no need a lot of navigation and endurance.... lol

I shall now stop the post here. Cos Alvin told me if too long then people don't read. And cos my blog the font too small then people will read until eye pain. So i am saving your eyes ((: Thank me! ((:

(And no i am not going to change my font size. xP)

I'm going to try post as fast and as much as possible before i forget.

2010-05-28T16:35:00.006+08:00

So yea day one. We got in the van and drove off to Lake Otamangakau. Julian had brought us there the other day so we were quite happy that we were going somewhere familiar.

When we got there, we started some team talk and warming up, all the while watching the instructors prepare the equipment.

There were tubes, kayaks, paddles, ropes, wetsuits, PFDs (personal flotation device).

So yea it was kinda obvious we were going to do rafting. We were just waiting for the catch. Yea cos Hillary Challenge is never that simple.

So yea the 60minutes started and we were given the instruction sheet.

So we were tasked to create a raft that can fit everyone in it, then we had to light a candle and bring the light to an island on the lake. If the flame got blown out halfway, we would have to return and relight it on shore.

We started off with putting on our wetsuits (dem blarrdy hard to put on, but we had practice before.). Then started creating the raft. And wheehee we were off. And i broke the candle into two so that we had 2 flames instead of 1. We were given a tin and we used that to shield the fire from the wind.

Then we started paddling out. Only a few people had paddles as we weren't given enough for everyone (part of the challenge). Halfway there, Jonsee was like saying we didn't have enough time, so we should just head back. And so we did. Headed back and packed up all the equipment and finished just on time. (we lose points if we end late)

Umm... Thanked the instructors then we were off to the next challenge.

A whole bunch of boats were lined up and we were to, one by one, bring one down, put people in and blindfold them, then get them to go through a certain path (weave in and out of 3 buoys and then weave back). The number of people in the boat must be the the number the boat was made to hold. So like the first one was a single kayak i think. Jonsee went. Then a double canoe. Renci and i went. Then Claire and Bryan in a double kayak. Then Joel in a single. And finally ZiQi, Gracia and Jonsee in a triple seat canoe. But we didn't manage to finish the course for the canoe. So yea didn't get like bonus for the whole team completing the course.

3rd Station. The Line Up. (sorry i can't remember the names of all the challenges. i'll write those that i do remember.)

It was the communication game. So there were 3 talkers, 3 performers and uhh i think its workers but anyway got 2 of those lah.

+ = F

+ =

+ = B

Ok, so the + are the performers, they are facing the right. The = are the talkers, they are facing the +. F and B are myself and Bryan. So yea the + people were Joel, Claire, Gracia. The = were Jonsee, Renci and ZiQi.

So the + people had the sheet of tasks to be done by B and F. They cannot talk, so they had to perform what they wanted B and F to do. B and F were blindfolded so we couldn't see anything. And we were only allowed to say "yes" and "no" but the + and = people didn't know that. We did quite well. ((:

Bryan and I did all sorts of things. For me, i had to tie 3 knots, rearrange some laminated cards in order, put on the spray skirt, PFD, helmet, pick up a basketball, skip rope. I think that was mostly it. Then there were some where both Bryan and i had to cooperate to do it. Like Bryan had to throw the basketball to me and i had to catch it. Hahaha we tried that like 4 times before we finally got it right. There was once the ball totally missed me hahaha.

The last task was the most bomb one. We had to set up a tent blindfolded. Like O-M-Geeeeeeeeee. Haha time ran out before we managed to do it. But hell it was fun lah that station.

Next one was the Aim to be a Winner. We were supposed to construct a catapult to do 3 things. Shoot the tennis ball the furthest, lob it up and hit a target on the ground, and hit a vertically standing board. So we tried this see-saw fling thing kinda thing. It failed miserably despite being damn big and obiang. So that one was constructed by myself and Jonsee. Then we tried the one made by the rest of them. It was this crossbow thing. The rubber snapped...

Final design. A stick. Attached to it was half a bottle, used as the ball holder. Then a person just holds the stick, and flings the ball. hahaha.... yea not exactly a catapult, but hey its still within the rules ((: We just needed to make something that can shoot the ball.

Next station. Supposed to cook pancakes and set up a shelter. Some items can only be touched by one person, so we had to assign people. Anyway, it was painful cos i failed at lighting the fire, so cannot cook pancakes. So long story short, we only made the shelter.

Last station. Bridge to Somewhere.

We had to use some stuff to make a bridge across a lake. Umm... Yea... it was kinda fail... Errs... Ya.... Shall not say much.

Yay then that was the end of day 1 (((:

Went back and washed up and stuff. Then went for dinner and got ready for the Presentation.

They drew lots and uhh we had to honour of going first. Hahaha. So yeap.

I think most of the presentations were like damn cool lah. Quite awesomes. Oh yea the subject... Hold on, i copy it over.

Share with us the story and great learnings, from an expedition or adventure in the Great Outdoors that did not achieve the goal(s) it initially set out to achieve.

As a team, come up with an original, creative and informative presentation about an epic journey or adventure from New Zealand history. Tell us the story of who, when, where, how, why….any important discoveries or learnings, etc.

Extra marks will be awarded for originality, so think hard try not to choose something too common.

The expedition / adventure can be from recent time or further back in history.

So yea that was it.

Whangarei's one was quite funny (: hahaha the sexy policewoman and the "sexy" nurse. Hahahaha

So hmm that was it for day 1. I am lazy to blog more. So day 2345 will be posted another day.

[edit:7.53pm] Contributions from Joel:

.pıʞ pǝɔı says (7:48 PM):

*never put the name of stations

ғrancis` says (7:49 PM):

*i forgot the names liao lah

.pıʞ pǝɔı says (7:49 PM):

*1st

*save the fish-monkeys

*2nd: have you seen my buoys?

*and the line up is

.pıʞ pǝɔı says (7:50 PM):

*2 entertainers

*your diagram very confusing -.-

ғrancis` says (7:51 PM):

*its not lar

.pıʞ pǝɔı says (7:51 PM):

*actually the + people knew you all can only say yes and no

*the task sheet for the + people had everything lol

ғrancis` says (7:51 PM):

*lol no fair lor

.pıʞ pǝɔı says (7:52 PM):

*5: survivor

yay ((: [end of edit]

And Interact movie outing was like quite fun. Despite missing like 10minutes of the show hahaha.

Guitarra was fun also. Quite entertaining. And the audience really made it super interesting hahaha. Whoohoo good job Jolene!

lol this is post 500.

2010-05-26T22:43:00.004+08:00

So yea continuing with the NZ journey.

Rules of ROGAINE (we came up with them on breakfast of day 2 of expedition):

1) Do not make/cook disgusting food that you will not eat.

2) Do not bring friends who will make/cook disgusting food and then make you eat it.

3) Do not lie to yourself (especially about the disgusting food you just made/cooked).

4) Do not get others to lie to you (especially especially regarding that disgusting food you just made/cooked and cannot force down and because you already failed at lying to yourself).

Of course there are a whole bunch of other rules which range until like 20 but no one can remember them or they do not apply to ROGAINE really... (i.e. Claire's rule no. whatever which states that you should never ask a guy a rhetorical question. And another which states that you should never talk to francis. But that is like so wrong right?)

Ok so back to day 1,2,3 of training with our Awesome and Wicked trainer: Julian!!

Ok so uhh... I kinda forgot what really happened during those training days. Like its not really chronologically in order in my mind... So i shall uhh... Wait for Renci to blog then kope from her ((:

Skip skip skip to day 1 of Competition. Monday.

So yeap everyone woke up freezing cold. We had been sleeping with the heater off to try to acclimatize faster. But it results in freezing mornings. And first thing i heard when i woke up was Joel chionging to the door and saying: I need to force bankai.

Then BenGoh and i also went. The toilet seats in the morning are like freezing cold. You can like literally freeze your ass off in there. Then it was off to the Youth Development Centre (YDC) for breakfast. After breakfast we rushed back to change to our competition gear and then got our team equipment and gear.

(Sorry i'm kinda falling asleep now... so uhh... will post more tomorrow. paiseh!!! ><)

I can't feel the tips of my fingers. I think they got frostbitten.

2010-05-25T21:10:00.003+08:00

Mum says they should heal in 6 weeks. If they don't, then i'm kinda screwed for life cos i can't really do fine finger work.

But hey i'm still high from NZ so i don't really care right now.

It was really really very awesome there. So i shall start off with some epic quotes from some epic people on this epic adventure we had.

Joel:

"When nature calls, you heck care about the rest of nature" (talking about urgent need to pee)

"Wazzup!!!"

ZiQi:

"Where's my shoe?!" (after jumping into mud on day 5's scramble)

"Arrest me pwease" (hahaha inside joke. thanks to Whangarei's awesome presentation with the sexy police)

Mr (Jeremy) Tan:

"We will be back!"

Claire:

"Dr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" (no idea how that sounds like The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus but thats what she meant anyway)

"Hi Tara, my name is Renci" (intro-ing herself to Tara, right after Renci said the same thing)

JonSee:

"Lets go boozing!! Sparkling grape juice! We take permanent marker and cancel the sparkling and grape!" (which leaves us with juice... not very formidable either haha)

Now onto codewords used during our NZ trip.

Shunko: A release of gas from the nether regions

Shikai: The act of releasing Stream of waste liquid

Bankai: The act of releasing Compressed solid waste

And Joel's Categorisation of Shunkos:

-Silent but deadly (most commonly known)

-All Style no Substance (loud but not smelly)

-Harmless

-(forgot what the last one is.... but its for loud and stinky)

[edit:28May2010 Friday]: Last one is Loud and Proud.

Words commonly used by New Zealanders to describe stuff:

-Awesome (and they really mean it. not the rubbishy way we abuse it here)

-Wicked!! (Julian's favourite word)

So yea... I kinda forgot what we did the first few days... Sorry!!!

Took off on tuesday night. Thanks a lot to all the guys who turned up to see us off!!

All the super awesome peoples. We were nearly late for boarding ><>

So... we got on the plane. I was sitting next to Renci and Bryan (yes i got the centre seat -.-) Bryan switched with Mrs Lee.

Kinda half watched movies and half slept all the way there. The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus was like.... damn boring... I fell asleep while watching it.

Wheehee then we touched down in NZ. Came out of the airport and experienced the cool air. Like aircon everywhere!!

Loaded the trailer with our luggage then we were off to the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC).

Stopped by a town for lunch. First time seeing their big portions. The burger was gigantic. And the beef was awesome.

Then moved off again. I was sleeping most of the way. Stopped at a toilet once. We got out to see Lake Taupo. Its like a sea... Damn giant. We saw some ducks. Mandarin ducks apparently. But they didn't respond to us speaking chinese to them.

Finally got to OPC at like 7 plus. It was super dark by then. Like 10pm kind of darkness. And darker cos they don't have as many streetlights as in Singapore.

Dumped our bags in the chalet then off to dinner!! It was nice (:

And we were all freezing. Totally not used to the weather there.

So uhh... I shall post more tomorrow cos i'm sleepy now. Nights (:

Ok so i didn't reach 500...

2010-05-11T16:49:00.002+08:00

Spent last night packing until like 2++ am.

My bag is too small ):

Honestly i have no idea how i am going to fit in more stuff that i buy over at NZ. Seeing that my hand carry is the giant hiking bag... maybe can?

Or just kope Joel's space xD

Haiz... Wish us luck ((:

Gonna miss everyone 'cept those other 8. Hahaha

Photo spam cos it has been damn long since i've uploaded a photo

2010-05-09T22:03:00.005+08:00

Photo spam!

Bored. 11s03K!! (:

Ok seriously, who took this with my cam? All serious and whatnot...

Annual show!!

So fun!

I had a dream last night. I dreamed that i found my eraser.

I woke up. I realised it was a dream. I somehow still felt sad that i can't find my eraser. ):

Productive morning

2010-05-08T23:48:00.002+08:00

So yea we spent the whole morning and some of the afternoon doing our skit for Hillary. It is like damn awesome. But i don't want to say cos later someone come kope our idea.

But we had a lot of fun doing the work. Like walking around barefoot in the carpeted classroom, playing music through the classroom speakers (i won't say blasting cos it really wasn't loud. Actually it was more like ambient music), joking around and relaxing.

Lunch at foodjunction. Then went down to Velocity at Novena. The girls bought their boots at 40% discount. Cos 30% for mothers' day special, additional 10% cos i am a World of Sports member. And ahhh wish i could have bought there instead. Got nicer colour and design and it was so much cheaper!!! Hahahaha

Went to army market and just sweat it out there. Man hot....

Bought stuff which i carried home. I took 107 back. Took all the way to Hougang Interchange so i could go to the Concession Replacement Office (whatever it is called. seriously, who cares.) and replace my card. Bloody hell make me waste how much on adult fares cos of an apparent glitch in the system. Like 10$+++ in a week alone. -.- Now i feel the adults' pain. ARGHHHHH losing my 45cents fixed rate was like the worst thing that could ever happen lah. End up i spam taking bus cos i still can scam my 55cents student rate ((:

So anyway, i finally changed my card, so now i have my 45cents back again. Yay!

Went to Heartland mall after that. Bought some stuff from Popular, bought dinner, bought a drink.

Got home and relaxed. Moved the cupboards in my room so that one doesn't stick out anymore. And i vacuumed the back of the cupboards. The amount of dust collected there was like... ... ... ... ... ... indescribably a lot.

3 more days to NZ!