Graduation - Pictures

Pic 369: Piggy Fren and me, and her little MashiMaro thingie.



Pic 270: Alex and me! Haven't seen him in a long long time.



Pic 271: Me and Daniel, also known as Piggy Fren's official photographer for the day.



Pic 272: Piggy Fren no have steady hands.



Pic 273: Kang and me. He flew back specially (not for me) from I-don't-know-where to be around for the after-ceremony.



Pic 274: Piggy Fren and me waving our scrolls about.



Pic 275: How come she no smile bright bright like me???



Pic 276: My bestest secondary school friend. Quick, she's still unattached, who wants her number?



Pic 277: Victor "High On Coffee" Cheng. I think he smiled so much that his face is permanently stuck on bug-eyed mode. He abandoned his gf for so long larh, the poor girl was just hanging around waiting for him. Lousy bf! *wags finger*



Pic 278: Another one of those silly Maths major/English Studies minor person. d= Met her in Sem1, and just kept ending up taking same modules with her.



Pic 279: Me and Uncle Brown Nut!!!! He looks constipated, as usual.



Picture 280: Me and the smartest girl I know. She is like, so smart. I like this picture, the lighting was just right.



Picture 281: The funny part about this photo is that we were both muttering under our breaths in Chinese, "Eh, hurry up can. Very hot, very hot!!! The sun shining on us, can hurry up or not!!!"



Picture 282: Bullying Uncle again.



Pic 283: And again. *jabs his stomach*



Pic 284: My beloved Baobei.



Pic 285: Both of us in our gowns!!! I completely forgot that we took a picture in our gowns!



Pic 286: I love this picture. Love you, Baobei!!!



Pic 287: Must bao bao!



Pic 288: Cannot forget to take picture of Uncle in his gown.



Pic 289: Class of 2006. 

Graduation

Sometimes when you hit a rough patch, you really want to just lie down and yell at the world. And the thing about it, no matter how many kind-hearted souls are out there, you'll just keep pushing, and pushing, and pushing them away. Sooner or later, they'll go away, and you'll say, "They never really cared anyway." Do these people who go away know that if they go, you'll really have no one left?

I am deeply grateful for Uncle Brown Nut who came all the way down early, even though his convocation was only at 2plus, and he even hung around helping me take pictures and holding my cameras and a whole lot of other boring shit. Out of all the people who said they would turn up, he's the only friend who actually bothered. Thanks, Uncle, you're always the best.

I am also thankful for my Baobei who came to school in a taxi because she didn't want to be late to meet me. She could have easily said that she'd be late, and take the mrt or bus down to save money, but she took a taxi down instead. Thank you for being the one other friend who came and took of picture with me in my gown.

Pictures to follow.

Wedding Pictures

Last weekend, I attended the wedding/s of one of my Kendo seniors. Was quite a packed weekend! Here are some pictures, cos I wasn't really in camera-whoring mode.


Pic 360: The church.



Pic 361: The hamsum bridegroom, looking smart in his No. 1.



Pic 362: Twinny and me.



Pic 363: Godspeed and me. Either he is taller than I thought, or my heels aren't as tall as I hoped.



Pic 364: Enginger and me, him being the melodramatic person that he is. He is about to attack a small cube of oreo cheesecake.



Pic 365: I love capturing people at awkward times. Enginger's drinking punch while Godspeed's chewing something.


That's all for the church wedding. After that, I went home to take my ez-link card, cos I forgot to bring it out, then went out with some friends. No pictures from there! I got like, the most terrible chafs from my new wedges. I'd take a picture of them, but I'm too lazy to walk out to the living room. Those shoes are KILLERS. And to think that I may potentially have to wear them and walk ten minutes to the school I'm posted to... *dies*

Had grading the next morning. After I was done, I asked Michael for permission to leave, and then rushed to Saizou's place with help from Enginger. Saizou's dog is really lazy, and so nuah. And it wants to be sayang so much... Tsk. Spoilt dog! But very cute larh. d= Got the results of my grading when I was at the wedding lunch, and I kaypoh-ed about people's results.


Pic 366: Peepee's ocifers. It's blurry cos the zoom on my camera is shit lousy.


After the lunch, me and Saizou went down to Borders to meet some of the Kendo people to walk walk. I bought a book, then we went to Taka to walk around. Had Mos Burger for dinner, and... I don't really remember what else we did.


Pic 368: Saizou and me! She has yet to send me her pictures. I taught her how to change exposure in her camera, and I would bet she's eternally grateful. 

what's the deal?

Read this! I came across it while surfing/gestapo-ing/whatever you want to call it. I think it's quite well-written. Here are some bits:

"If you've ever wondered about rank in kendo, the general bottom line is that rank doesn't matter. In my experience, no one really cares too much about it. Everyone's goal really is just to get better at kendo and perhaps you've noticed that no one in kendo wears anything special to denote their rank."

"...rank (and achieving rank) can be a positive thing in kendo. It can give us a sense of where we are (in terms of kendo ability/knowledge) and where we're headed or what we can look forward to. In our goal-driven society, rank can be a source of encouragement as well."

"So... should you worry about testing? The first testing can be a bit stressful because you want to do well. You know what the judges expect you to be able to do, but you may not know how well the judges expect you to do it! In the end, it's nothing to get worked up over. In my past as taekwondo student, I went through several testings which lasted anywhere from one to three hours. This is simply not the case with kendo. At best, you may be on the floor in front of the panel for 5 or 10 minutes. This obviously may add to your stress as you feel you don't have enough time to fully demonstrate what you can do. Promotional panels have a lot of experience, though, and are very able to see potential even when you're not "picture perfect". So, when you go in for testing, simply do what you know how to do and let the judges do their thing. No sense in worrying about it! Whether you hold a rank of 4.kyu or shodan, you'll always find yourself practicing and sparring people with more experience and higher rank and anyone, of any rank, can score a point or win a match against anyone else on any given day.

Regardless of rank, kendo is an ongoing learning experience. You might consider using promotionals as an encouragement to better your kendo, but ultimately, rank is not the end-all/be-all of kendo.

Something to keep in mind...."

Pictures from PeePee's wedding(s) will be coming soon. Congratulations to PeePee and his lovely wife, Joanne!

Ju's Index.

Took the following off one of my pals. I miss her so much! When are you coming home! Meanwhile, I'm also missing my Baobei lots. When are YOU coming home? )=

---

INDEX OF GUYS FOR GIRLS NOT TO DATE (Can be reversed for the vice versa)

1. High-profile guys
Because girls are attracted to them like flies to food and if they take an interest in you, you should be wary. If you don't fall at their feet like all the rest do, you become a challenge, a commodity they want to obtain. After which you will be dropped like a hot potato.

2. Flirts
They want to charm the pants off girls and they develop crushes easily. They can’t be trusted with your heart. Who wants a boyfriend who pays more attention to other girls than to you?

3. Sweet Talkers
I’ll pick the moon from the sky for you, I’ll catch you the stars, I’ll give you the world. Really? Go ahead and show me. I love you. Liar. They never live up to all the sweet talk. The sweeter the tongue, the less trustworthy the person.

4. Half Assers
This breed has the distinction of being particularly half assed about relationships. They give up at the first roadblock because they’re too lazy to put in effort.

5. Guys whose exes hate them (and guys who lie about it)
There must be a good reason all these girls hate his guts, no?

6. Shy introverts
Instead of them standing up for you, you have to stand up for them. Extroverted girls should never date introverted guys. Severe inequality = severe discontent.

7. Arrogant/Cocky/Egoistic/Testosterone-laden males
Arrogant guys think they’re right all the time, they don’t give a prick about your opinions. It’s always me me me me me I’m the man I’m the bronzed god of fertility yada yada yada look at me check me out am I cool or what am I God’s gift to women or what. Eff off buggers.

8. Horny Guys
Horny guys just want to bang as many girls as they can; they will do anything to get you in the sack. And who knows what assortment of STDs they have

9. Guys who want to cheat with you
Because if they’ll do it to other girls, they’ll do it to you. Never ever date a cheating boyfriend (not yours and not some other girl’s either).

10. Guys who fall in love with you at first sight
You can’t. How do you fall in love without knowing a person? A face tells you nothing. It’s only one of many faces and you can’t be sure it’s the one she wears most often. Tell me whom you love and I will tell you who you are. So it is only reasonable to suggest that if you're prone to falling in love at first sight then you must be fairly superficial.

11. MCPs
Because they are insensitive pigs who place their values, opinions and needs above yours. Because they think women should do all the cooking and the cleaning, and that we're stupid broads who are only good for sex.

12. Guys who don’t make you feel alive
Only one life to live girls. Don’t waste it on corpses.

RECOGNIZE THE BAIT
(The bait that gives you hope. Dangles juicily but when you try to grab onto it, you get a hook through the roof of your mouth)

Baiting generally abides by three important rules.

1) Charm her and make her laugh, then delve into a sadder, lesser known aspect of your life and make her feel like she's the only one you confide in because she understands you

2) Tell her what she wants to hear (or hint it) so she feels special eg. you miss her/need her/like her/could love her/you've only done this with her

3) When she's vulnerable, play catch and release or hot and cold or caring then aloof

Okay ladies. Once you recognize the bait, you won't fall for it. But you ask, how do you know that the guy isn't serious? Some of them do actually go about it that way if they really like a girl.

The answer is, I don't know. lol. Just use your head, isn't that what it's for? Oh, don't lie to yourself. That never works out well.

---

Isn't this like, da bomb?

Last time in JC, my class started writing this epic story. When I mean epic, I mean really epic. It started off one day in class when a girl or two was bored. So they wrote a little story about gorillas and I forgot what else. Basically, it eventually evolved to the point where everyone in the class was included, and we all had our own little nicknames. It was damn funny. There were like, little scandals here and there. Unfortunately, I can only remember one particular nickname: Sir Vadid. Then there was some really long funny name for Ju, but I can't remember what.

I got my own little role too. I was... SeeNeek. Now, say it out loud and figure out what word that is. Go on.

I really want to be seventeen again. I want to be that little cynical girl who didn't need to deal with things like romance and flowers, who only needed a bunch of good pals around, who faked cramps to get out of P.E., who looked at cute guys in the class next door, and also laughed at a guy in the class next door.

Damn, I miss being seventeen.

Savage Garden - To The Moon And Back

I remember hearing this song for the first time somewhere around the age of 17 or 18. Actually, I saw the lyrics for it first, and I kinda liked the chorus. I was on my way home from tuition when my Zen played this song, and I'm like, wow nostalgia. I still like the lyrics.

---

She's taking her time making up the reasons
To justify all the hurt inside.
Guess she knows from the smiles and the look in their eyes,
Everyone's got a theory about the bitter one
They're saying, "Mama never loved her much,"
And, "Daddy never keeps in touch,
That's why she shies away from human affection."
But somewhere in a private place
She packs her bags for outer space,
And now she's waiting for the right kind of pilot to come.
And she'll say to him:

She's sayin,
I would fly up to the moon and back if you'll be,
If you'll be my baby.
I've got a ticket for a world where we belong,
So would you be my baby?

She can't remember a time when she felt needed.
If love was red then she was color blind.
All her friends, well they've been tried for treason
And crimes that were never defined.
She's saying, "Love is like a barren place,
And reaching out for human faith
It's like a journey I just don't have a map for."
So baby's gonna take a dive and
Push the shift to overdrive,
Send a signal that she's hanging all her hopes on the stars.
What a pleasant dream...

Chorus

Mama never loved her much,
And Daddy never keeps in touch,
That's why she shies away from human affection.
But somewhere in a private place
She packs her bags for outer space,
And now she's waiting for the right kind of pilot to come.
And she'll say to him:

Chorus x2

Beach Outing

My father suddenly decided to bring the family for a picnic at Changi beach on Sunday. Since I had nothing better to do than to sit at home and watch Buffy, I decided that I should spend some quality time with my sister.

So I got picked up around 12plus, and I drove instead. Apparently my father has some problems these days with driving, so I took over. My stepmom had to look after my sister in the back seat, so it had to be me. On the bright side, my father said that my driving is more steady now. Of course! After driving for six months, almost at least once a week, it SHOULD improve, else I'd be really upset.

So, pictures, after a huge drought.


Pic 352: My stepmother and me.



Pic 353: My sister and my father, waving to me. It was my father's turn to bring her into the water. I went into the sea with her first and got my shorts wet.



Pic 354: My sister!



Pic 355: Sister running across the sand towards my father. There was this huge ship that was being tugged along.



Pic 356: Sand angels, anyone?



Pic 357: Another one. The good thing now is that she actually understands the concept of staying still for a picture.



Pic 358: Playing with sand.



Pic 359:Hehe, stepmother's turn to go into the water. I forgot what my sister was looking at. 

benchmark

As of 3rd June 2006 at 11am, I signed away four years of my life. Why four? One year training, three years bond. Well, two more things to get settled by 20th June, and then I'm all set for the rest of my life.

Too bad the only secondary school within walking distance is now currently undergoing some major uber renovations. Don't know when it'll be back, hopefully by the time I graduate from that ulu campus in Boon Lay. Meanwhile... please don't let me go to some school in Katong... *crosses fingers*

Quote

All your life you are told the things you cannot do.
All your life they will say you're not good enough
or strong enough
or talented enough;
they will say you're the wrong height
or the wrong weight
or the wrong type
to play this or be this or achieve this.
THEY WILL TELL YOU NO,
a thousand times no,
until all the no's become meaningless.
All your life they will tell you no,
quite firmly and very quickly.

AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES.

-Nike advertisement

something funny

Ten Top Trivia Tips about St!

1. If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn into st!
2. Olive oil was used for washing st in the ancient Mediterranean world.
3. It takes 17 muscles to smile, and 43 to frown at st.
4. St has little need for water and is capable of going for months without drinking at all.
5. Contrary to popular belief, st is not successful at sobering up a drunk person, and in many cases she may actually increase the adverse effects of alcohol.
6. It's bad luck to put st on a bed.
7. St is the smallest of Jupiter's many moons.
8. St is actually a vegetable, not a fruit.
9. A cluster of bananas is called a hand and consists of 10 to 20 bananas, which are individually known as st.
10. St is the only king without a moustache on the standard pack of cards!

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

Got this off vickypoo. I didn't do this, Bix did it! It wasn't me!

I have a bunch of photos from a recent birthday party, but I'm too lazy to do it now, cos I just wanna wait for my exam results.

No Laptop = A Limited Life

Sigh, in case you don't know already, my precious beloved Daisy is being repaired. My harddisk died on me, and the Toshiba people are replacing the entire thing. When I called them up today, they said that the new parts haven't arrived yet. Nooo... I should have sent in my laptop sooner. )=

On the bright side, the important data has not been lost. I managed to boot up my laptop the day it died, and thank goodness for my external hdd. So now I'm on my mother's laptop waiting for my Daisy to return to me. I'm heart-broken. Bring back my Daisy to me...

These days I've been getting all kinds of bad luck. This does not bode well. For all I know, I might sprain something or injure something really bad during one of the trainings this week. Or I could get into a car accident. Or I could... Perhaps I should stop jinxing myself.

Anyway, Godspeed, this is for you because you complained about the lack of photos:


My super cute and completely adorable little sister. Wait eighteen years, k.

test!

This is dead cool. Photobucket now allows free members to upload VIDEOS. Omg can you just see the possibilities?

This is an old old video, from our camp in 2004. The most interesting part of this video isn't the the fight... it's the background commentary by Enginger. X= Btw, this is a practice shiai between YK and Lincoln, with Dax as the shimpan. If you're bored (which I somewhat was, cos I was waiting for the classic one-liner), scroll towards the end, right after YK takes a do point off Lincoln.

ARGH!

Argh... I was like, all ready to come to school with my Daisy (the laptop) and listen to Rent the movie OST while I study for my pharmacy. THEN. When I sat down and switched on my laptop, I realised I forgot one thing.

MY EARPHONES.

@#$%!@#@#$!%!

So while I can study for my PR next week... I am unable to enjoy my music. *sobs* I didn't bring my mouse cos I don't think I need it, but my earphones!!! *cries* I've been addicted to it for about a week now, and the worst part is, I didn't bring my Zen either!

So now I'm stuck in a room with no music. )= This sucks. And I shall start studying now.

Dinner outing

Had a dinner outing, in 'celebration' of Zach's visit to Singapore. Here are some pictures:


Picture 342: Guess who's back?



Picture 343: Zach looks REALLY happy to be taking a picture with Enginger...



Picture 344: Just can't stay still for a nice shot. See how eager Saizou is! She was making the guys pose like that with her...



Picture 345: This is what I call spontaneous (and bu yao lian).



Pic 346: My turn!



Pic 347: I don't know what he's trying to do, but don't you agree that Zach has this very, "YES! I'VE DONE IT!" kinda pose? Nvm, it's just me.



Picture 348: Dky: "Look! There!" Mky: "Look? Where?"


Picture 349: Caramel Ice Blended from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. My favourite. 

Searches

Someone has been searching for Casper on Google and Yahoo. Wonder why?

I HATE MY HAIR *edit*

I HATE MY HAIR AND I'M GOING TO CUT IT ALL OFF. *minor rebellion*

---

I cut my hair! But it wasn't the same hairdresser I went to. You know when you go for a haircut... it's near impossible to stop the hairdresser from doing whatever they want? And I always feel really guilty asking them why they are cutting it that way, or asking them to cut a certain way, cos I know next to nothing about cutting hair. So even I get the shittiest haircut, I'll still say thank you, and then start fuming once I'm out of the shop.

I swore off $10 haircuts when the last one I went to couldn't even cut my hair. She "trimmed" it, if you could call it a trim. You know how hairdressers will like, pull at your hair, then cut off the uneven edges? Well, this particular one just placed her scissors at the end of my hair and cut. Like, WTF!!!! I was thinking, "When is she going to start trimming the uneven edges?" Turned out she didn't! And I was so dulan! And yet I said, "Thank you," and walked out of the shop. =
Then a few months ago, my Piggy Fren introduced me to her hairdresser, this man with really fast fingers. Since my attitude towards a haircut is, I Put Everything In Your Hands, he did the most magnificant job. I was raving about him for days after my first haircut from him. And the best part about his style is that even when my hair starts growing longer, it doesn't look bad at all, almost like you meant for it to be that way.

So today I went back to the same shop, and realised he wasn't there anymore. And too late, I was in the chair when I asked the lady about my hairdresser, so I couldn't run away. =\ Anyway, she started thinning my hair a lot, and I was getting a bit panicky, cos my hair will poof up when it's dry, or if it's a hot day. So I was crossing my fingers and hoping that she'd do a good job. Anyway, the long and short of it (haha) is that I got slightly shorter hair, and though not as nice as my previous hairdresser, I don't really care. Cos I'm going to go do hair treatment and other stuff with Piggy Fren in May (if she can find the hairdresser), so I'll cut it again then.

Meanwhile, though I'm not entirely satisfied with my hair, I'm just happy that I cut it. It's therapeutic.

Pointless entry.

GEK1005 Essay = DONE! Much earlier than I expected, considering how I printed everything out, and drew out the family tree (oops I meant, Kinship Diagram) by 2am. It's a record! Next on the list to tackle: EN3242 proposal and MA3111 test. Garh. I'm injured all over! But training was good larh. Today too humji to do taitari with Fendy and Dong, so I just ran away. Haha. FENDY! OIOI!

That was another minute of your life gone and never to return. I'm getting a headache, so I'm going to sleep now.

Bored.

I'm bored, waiting for my Sims2 Nightlife to finish installing itself. Also, I'm using my mother's new Dell laptop, which is like, even more uber than my previous cranky desktop. I can play SIMS2 on the laptop, which is a plus point in itself. Who cares if it's big and bulky and has a weird screen resolution? For the first time, I can activate the Special Events camera in Sims2. I get to see those little videos that everyone was so intrigued with at the start.

I hope there's nothing wrong with the Nightlife CD... It has stopped at 57%, and doesn't seem to be continuing. But it hasn't hung. Yet. Choy! I forgot what happened the last time I installed it. I remember that it was pretty painless and quick, despite the horror stories Enginger tried to push on me. I bought the Christmas Holiday pack, but haven't installed it yet. Waiting for my backup to arrive sometime next week.

I'm not PLAYING Sims2. I'm just installing it first, since I have the time. I don't have enough patience to switch on my laptop, think about what I wanna write for my essay, which is due in two days. I also have no inclination to study for my MA3111 test, even though I really should, since I have not attended a single tutorial. And the install is still at 57%.

You know I'm rambling. The keyboard's pretty shiok to type on. Lala. Twenty more minutes, and I'm going out to pick up the car, then it's off to training. Wonder what fun things I'll learn today. Lala. Still 57%.

If you have read till here, congrats!! That's three minutes of your life that you will never get back! All on a friviolous entry! It's cruel to be kind, in the right measure...

(Still 57%.)

Edit: Yay, I finally got my NightLife installed. Went out to get the car, came back, decided that I have enough time to try again, and have finally installed it! Apparently at 57%, you are supposed to insert Disk 2. However, the first few times I tried, there was No Prompt. It's not because I'm stupid and bimbotic, but because there really isn't any prompt! But this time, the installation went so well, so smoothly. Everything's set up, and now all I have to do is wait for my saved games to come back to me.

Next on the list: Open for Business. Anyone knows where to get it?

Question

Today at training - when I say today, I usually mean the day until I go to sleep, so it may be 2am now, but I still mean Wednesday, not Thursday - today at training, Damian sensei asked us, "Do you believe in the Kendo fairy?" Who is the Kendo fairy? Well, if the Kendo fairy can magically level me up a few kyus and a few dans, then yeah, I believe in the Kendo fairy. I'll sleep with a few quality shinais under my pillow, and when I wake up in the morning and find them gone, that means the Kendo fairy has just levelled me up.

You know that previous paragraph is all crap, except for the "Do you believe in the Kendo fairy?" bit. Here's why he said it: If you only just hear/read the things that you're supposed to do, then you'll always be stuck at whatever level of Kendo you're at (unless, of course, you believe in the Kendo fairy). The point is, there is no easy way to improve yourself other than to actively change yourself during training. You have to consciously aim to improve rather than hope that some fairy dust will land on you. There is no point in nodding your head and going, "Hai!" whenever someone tells you something. You have to seek to change it, through practice. There is no other way.

Kendo philosophy only brings you so far. The perfect men cut only exists in your head if you don't practice. The ippon you think of scoring is only in your dreams if you don't train. You may think you're the fucking best kendoka EVAR if you know how to do all kinds of waza and all the kendo kata in your head. Well, that's the only place you'll be the best - In Your Head. So you can talk and talk about how to do the perfect rei, the most cheem waza you can think of, the rightest state of mind to do kendo in, but you'll never improve if you don't think of your own kendo and how you can change it.

"Do you believe in the Kendo fairy? I have been training for over twenty years, and I still haven't seen the Kendo fairy."