searching for me?

The number of hits per day has suddenly gone back up to 20+. Sorry hor, if you're looking for Youth Tournament analysis, you won't find it here. Another interesting thing is that someone has been looking for me. Again. I mean, when the search string is my name + kendo... You know. So. Hi. Whoever it is that's looking for me.

Tiring week, and it's not even half over. Why! At least micro-teaching is over... thank goodness I managed to crap something out even though I hardly prepared for it. I like reading the comments on the feedback form. Who cares about whether you Strongly Agree or Agree? I just wanna see the Strengths/Weaknesses part.

Something funny that I found out by reading my feedback forms: Almost the whole class think that I am quite fierce. HAHAHAHAH. Okay there's this line in my feedback form that says, "Was I warm and enthusiastic about teaching?" Almost all my classmates ticked Agree rather than Strongly Agree. And there were a few who actually said that I should "smile more!", "quite fierce in the beginning", etc.

I fierce meh? Hehe. Lousy Kohai told me the other day that some people are scared of me. Why scared! I'm so harmless. I'm so harmless that people can do all kinds of shit to me and still get away with it. (=!

Remembering the old times:



If we can do it once, we can do it again. Don't go for team one liao larh, go for individual!!! Cheer up!

Bloggerbot is dead.

So, well. I was bored yesterday and wanted to upload pictures of my second day in Chiangmai. But guess what! Bloggerbot is dead, which means Hello! is also dead. Which also means I can't post large amounts of pictures easily at one shot. I think this is the one thing about the new blogger that I will miss the most. So. I shall be concise and slowly, sloooooooooowly upload the few photos that matter.

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Chiangmai Day 2:

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Picture 345: At some smallish orchid garden. The flowers were really pretty!


Picture 346: My sister. (=


Picture 347: An elephant drawing. We visited this elephant camp place, and this was part of the elephant show.


Picture 348: The completed works of various elephants. The one at the far right was the most expensive even though it has the least number of strokes. I guess they think that it's amazing for an elephant to draw its self-portrait.


Picture 349: Me and an elephant! I like this photo only because I was wandering around alone, after voluntarily separating from the rest of my family. I liked the feeling... Some day I'd like to go overseas alone, or with just one companion.


Picture 350: My stepmom, sister, and father coming back from their ride on an elephant. My father kept raving about it, and told me and my brother that we were missing out on something really spectacular. Next time lor. Haha.


Picture 351: And that's the name of the elephant camp. The Thai people really love their King. My da gu says that it's almost freaky, the way they hang up his picture everywhere, as though he's some kind of deity.


Picture 352: Next, we visited some silk factory. Owned by the former Thai president's family or something. Wanted to post a picture that I took on the walls, but I don't want to be seen as a Thaksin sympathiser. (And I am not one.)


Picture 353: Following that, we visited a place that made paper umbrellas.


Picture 354: One of the umbrellas on display.


Picture 355: Pretty handicraft! Think this was a lamp. Pretty larh, but man, where to put in the house?? My place doesn't even have enough table space to put my printer, much less a pretty lamp.


Picture 356: More pretty shiny things.


Picture 357: And finally, my favourite shape. I was looking at my broken star necklace and thinking, It's time to start searching for a new one.

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Man, it took me forever to upload those photos. Wonder if Blogger/Google will bring Bloggerbot back. =\ I thought the whole point of Bloggerbot was to make uploading pictures simpler and less tedious. Seems that they have decided that they are going to make people work to put pictures up. So much for technological advancement and New Blogger. =\

I guess you all can expect less pictures from me from now on. Oh, and finally...

Since I've spent so much time uploading all of these, APPRECIATE, K?

HAHA

I just figured out the ultimate rejection line!

"Shall we go buy a HDB together?"
"Nope! I already own one!"

Teehee. That'd teach any guy who wants to propose the Singaporean way.

I'm just bored on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I have nothing planned today after tuition. Thinking about it, I should have planned something for the afternoon. Which I tried! But fell through.



Piggy Fren and I at VivoCity on Tuesday. She joked that she thought she was buying a phone with a camera function, not a camera with a phone function. Yeah, this is taken with her new phone, I don't know what model cos anything outside of Nokia... I'm just clueless.



Lawrence and Bear. I don't know what nickname to give Lawrence. I think I'm running out of nicknames to give people. This was taken with the same phone at Settlers' Cafe last night. Found another nice game to play! It's called Ugly Dolls.

Okay that's it, I don't want to ramble any more.

Chiangmai Trip - Day One

At the start of the year, about two weeks ago, I went to Chiangmai. It seems that everyone's going to Chiangmai these days. Haha. I think it's cos of the flower show, which I didn't go to. We went to see elephants and went to Laos though.

One thing I learnt from the trip: I cannot be away from Singapore for more than three days and two nights without the internet or friends. I can't stand being with family any more than I have to. Sometimes it's a good thing to have family, sometimes it's not. So the next time I go overseas, and with family, I won't make it more than three days/two nights. Haha, it's just me. I don't particularly like travelling.

The pictures!


Picture 332: View from my seat, at Changi Airport.



Picture 333: I was fooling around with the camera. My brother and I on the plane.



Picture 334: View of the airport from the air.



Picture 335: My breakfast. Chicken noodles. It was... not really nice.



Picture 336: More cam-whoring. Me and my stepmom.



Picture 337: First destination of the day. Some Buddhist temple on top of a hill. We took an elevator up, cos none of us wanted to climb the flight of long long steps. Haha.



Picture 338: Another picture of the same place. It's really golden. Too bad I forgot what the name of the place is. I could google it, but I don't quite feel like it.



Picture 339: Stepmom, father, and my little sister.



Picture 340: View from the top. According to the guide, you can see the whole of Chiangmai from here. The view was pretty.



Picture 341: Random shrubbery.



Picture 342: Eldest aunt (on my father's side) and my father. I like the tree with the blossoms in the background.



Picture 343: My father and I. People say I look like him. What do you think?



Picture 344: My brother being camera-shy. 

last pics of 2006

The Kendo people had a small gathering at Twinny's house on the eve of Christmas eve. We didn't do much, just ate a lot of stuff, and played this game called "Dirty Minds". I remember being very tickled by some descriptions, but obviously I don't remember any of them now. So well, here's what I do best:


Pic 327: The unruly scene.



Pic 328: Introducing the Lousy Kohai! We actually took another photo with her camera, but some idiot accidentally deleted it. Oh well.



Pic 329: Wai and Precious, with a beginner in the background.



Pic 330: Precious and Lawyer.



Pic 331: Me and Twinny, who refuses to stay still for a shot.  

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And so, that kinda wraps up 2006 in pictures.

A blog I read summed up 2006 in a very cryptic way. Like, the things that happened all throughout 2006. I am not going to do that cos I can't write as well as her.

I know I haven't been exactly the best person to hang around with over the whole of the year. I know I throw pissy fits, I shout, and I get angry, and then I also get depressed. I shut people off, and I'm glad that sometimes they let me back in.

So 2007 is going to be a better year. I'll MAKE it a better year. I won't drink so much, I won't complain so much, I will keep my temper, I'll be a better person, basically. Thank you to all my friends who stood by me and listened during my shitty times, and to all the people who still love me deep deep even after so long.

Thanks, Godspeed, Precious, Baobei, Darling, Piggy Fren, Jane, and all the others whom I can't really recall at the moment because I'm not thinking too clearly now. this is what one mug of vodka + rootbeer does to you.

SMS

One of the sweetest SMSes I've seen in a long time:

"This is a toast to us ladies for 2007! For the men who have us, the losers who had us, and the lucky guys who will still meet us! Send this to all the beautiful women you know. I just did. Don't break the chain. You can make someone feel real special. Have a wonderful year ahead. To all my special pals."

This is the best New Year message one can receive, in my opinion.

KL Trip Dec 2006

Went to KL for the first time the few days before the Christmas weekend. The journey up wasn't bad, they upgraded us for free to a nicer bus with nice big plush seats. Too bad I didn't get to sleep much cos I was chatting with Piggy Fren. When we reached KL, she started to play with my seat. Okay, see, our seats are controlled by pressing some buttons, so yes, she pressed my buttons. It got her so amused, I do not know why.

Our first destination after putting our stuff in our hotel was to go to KLCC. We took a taxi there. I don't know if taxi is the right word. But it was a nice big cab. Bear decided to try out his (brand-new) camera in the cab.


Pic 315: Bear and Chris. I really like this photo.



Pic 316: Piggy Fren and me. I think this was the only pic we took together in KL.



Pic 316: I think Bear was trying out the flash or something. Me and Snowflake. bear took a thousand and one photos of us, with the excuse that he's 'testing his camera'. I think he just wants to see my pretty face. *blush*


Then we reached our destination.


Pic 317: Petronas Twin Towers. I hope I got the name right.



Pic 318: A closer view.



Pic 319: Getting tired of all these shots yet?



Pic 320: A picture of us. I don't really understand why when people are tasked to take pictures for other people, they always assume we want a full body shot. And you know what, they NEVER ASK. The other day I was at Vivocity and someone asked me to help them take a picture. I asked them, "Full body? Half-body?" Turns out they only wanted half-body shot, so if I had been idiotic, I'd have taken pictures like these. Grrr. Okay rant over.



Pic 321: Another picture of us, missing the Bear (cos he was the one who took this pic) with the ACTUAL THING (huge-ass Christmas Tree) we wanted to take in the first place.



Pic 322: More scenery pics! This was taken from where we were sitting at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf inside KLCC. Before that, I bought a book from Kinokuniya, Kamila Shamsie's Broken Verses.



Pic 323: And yes, we did sit there until it turned dark.


We took a cab back as well, and Chris had great fun bargaining with one of the cabbies. We got a cab back at a slightly cheaper price than when we went. Just for the kicks larh, yah?

We ate at some place which name escapes me already with not very good food. )= We didn't wander about much cos I think we were all tired. We ended up playing bridge till quite late, then went to bed. Piggy Fren and I slept even later, cos we were gossiping under the covers.

The next day, Midvalley! Took public transport for the first time in four months. Haha.


Pic 324: Piggy Fren and Chris in the train. Got fu qi xiang k. Don't play play.



Pic 325: I think this was at Midvalley. Chris was trying on a pink shirt in a shop, and the changing room has TRANSLUCENT DOORS. I won't want to change in a room like that.


We had a much nicer dinner that night, and was even cheaper larh. Then we went to a shopping complex near our hotel. Wandered around before returning to the hotel, then playing bridge again until 3.30am. Even though we agreed not to sleep, we all ended up sleeping except for Piggy Fren and Chris.


Pic 326: On the last day in the coach. I didn't sleep much the night before, so I just wanted to sleep. That's why I'm not smiling. 

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What I've learnt from the trip: I look good in every photo I was in. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA. No, I'm just kidding. Whatever I learnt, it's between myself and the last few people I've talked to.

Next post, pictures of the NUSKK pre-Christmas party at Twinny's house.

1st kyu

I know I promised pictures, but I am an incorrigible liar.

Grading is finally over, and even though my grade was waiting for me, I don't feel like I did my best to take it. But it's okay, if the grading panel gave me the grade, it means that they think I am capable of being that grade, training up to that grade, and then training beyond that grade. I'm just glad that the grading panel sees it fit to give me the grade.

That being said, I will always feel inadequate about my ability. I will never be as good as my opponent in shiai, in training. I firmly believe that as long as I think that I'm better than my partner, I will never be as good as someone who is of a lower rank, but more humble.

Congrats to all those who passed grading, and all the people who got what they want.

And Godspeed, you cannot jump grade from ni-kyu to shodan larh.

pictures coming soon

I got tons of pictures from my GESL project. But I'm lazy to upload them. (= So next entry.

I learnt something new today. I learnt that being blue = being happy. Haha. Original context: "Went training yesterday. Arms almost came off towards the end. Woke up today with an aching body. But I like my new gi and hakama haha. I'm blue again!"

I had to babysit my sister today, and again on Saturday. So today I brought her to the playground near my new place. There was an old auntie there with her two-year-old grandson who thought I was my sister's mother. (Does that make sense?) She asked me in Mandarin, "Only one? Why not have more?" I was wondering if I should tell her that she is not my daughter, but nah, the truth requires a bit more explanation and more lies. So I just said I didn't want more. Help, I think I've reached that stage in my life where people think I'm a very young mother. I don't think it's supposed to be flattering, because it means I look plump enough to have given birth. Ugh.

Brought her swimming at my beloved Piggy Fren's condo, but my idiot sister refused to let Piggy Fren in. So bo bian, I just 'swam' (in the loosest sense of the word) with my sister. Then we headed off to IMM to have lunch (Happy Meal!). This sister is expensive... I spent $4.50 on her Happy Meal, $3.85 on her Pringles, and $9.90 on a VCD that she picked out. Since she was being okay (read: not needing me to carry her so much), I bought it for her.

I also learnt today that carrying a three-year-old is more tiring on the arms than swinging a shinai way over my head. I finally went back to training yesterday, after a month off. All I will say is that I lost focus in the last few months, especially during the May to September period when I was quite depressed (-squish-, as someone said). I woke up this morning with no aches. But now my arms are aching all because I carried a kid around.

I'm babysitting her again next week argh. But this time I'm bringing her to the beach with my NIE friends. I still haven't figured out what nicknames to give them. One of them is Strawberry, cos of an inside joke about painting her first car like a strawberry. The other one... (=

Pictures next entry!

a lot of stuff.

The next house I buy, I will set aside one room with plenty and plenty of bookcases/shelves. Because I realised that I have way, way, WAY too many books. Not just fiction books or textbooks, but Notes. Lots and lots of Notes. And Files filled with Notes. I am a pack rat; I keep all notes that I think are useful, which are usually too many. For example, I have all my JC Mathematics and Biology notes. I also have my Sec 1 through 4 E. Maths textbooks, and two copies of the A. Math textbook. I also have all my maths tuition notes from Sec 3 to JC2. I also have six semesters worth of NUS notes.

Well, now. I thought this bookshelf that I bought would be enough, but it isn't, sadly so. So! Next house I buy will have one room specially for all my books/notes.

While packing, I also realised something horrifying. I always thought that I have very little clothes, as in, not a whole lot. But today as I was packing, I realised that I actually have a lot of clothes. A Lot. )= So much for thinking I'm low maintainence. I have always firmly believed that I don't have anything wear most of the time. I shall stop buying so many tops. I just bought a new one from Espirit some more.

Okay it's time to do more packing whee!

*prods idlely*

Actually, there's nothing that I really want to write about. I know, I know... If you don't feel like blogging, then don't blog. But I feel a compulsion to fill in the empty space.

I like this section from one of mrbrown's latest podcast: *After passing under an ERP gentry* "Another dollar down the drain. Why you drive this way? Why you want to go to town? For what? In fact, why are you even driving? Petrol very cheap ah? Road tax cheap ah? Your car is father buy for you one ah?"

But I'll repeat what one of my classmates asked me the other day, "Have you ever regretted buying your car?" No. Absolutely, positively, definitely not. Public transport? Heheheheheheheheheheh. It's a phrase alien to me. Once you get a car, you'll never go back, I swear. The ERP. The season parking. The road tax. The carpark coupons. The annoyingly expensive shopping centre carparks. It is worth every. single. dollar.

Of course, I must learn to look after my car larh. I think I will take it to a carwash tmr. I have finally succumbed... I have no time and no energy to wash my car by hand anymore. Boohoo. And I got a lesson plan due on Monday.

(This is a completely inane entry, you should know what's best for you.)

Sometimes I wonder why people ask me, "Are you okay?" What do they want me to answer? Of course the answer is, "Yeah, I'm okay. Why leh?" What makes them think that I'll say anything else? Psschh. I'm fine. I'm okay. Like that lor. Can larh. So-so. Do you really wanna hear about every single detail of my mundane little life?

Also, I'm wondering who's the boliao person who's searching for me using Yahoo!'s search engine. C'mon, Yahoo! is of the past. People use Google Blog Search now. Keep up with the times, man! Anyway, I tested out the phrase on the search engine, and lo and behold, my blog url was the first url displayed. I don't understand it! I am so nice that I don't even use people's real names on my blog. Well, almost.

Yesterday I had lunch with Valedictorian, then I went to have lunch at NUS with Les (I have no nickname for you). Then I stoned in Central Library for a good three hours before throwing in the towel and going home for a shower. Twinny called me lazy when I refused to walk to my car and drive back to get my laptop. But my car was so far awaaaaaaay. *whines*

Oh, would you just look at that? I spent ten minutes typing this inane entry, and you just spent three minutes of your life (if you read fast) on absolutely nothing worthwhile. Yay, life!

guess what???

Guess who's going to watch Phantom of the Opera next year???



I got these five seats the first time round, then for some inexplicable reason, my internet suddenly conked out on me. I was annoyed! I quickly connected, and tried to rebook, but I got lousy seats, so I tried again. This time I got a bunch of seats to the left, 17-22. I was thinking, mai hiam buay pai larh. So I proceeded to purchase those seats, and guess what! When SISTIC says DBS CREDIT card, they really mean CREDIT CARD HOLDERS. So I argh-ed and went back to re-do the booking.

And this must really be Fate, cos on my final try, I got back the exact same five seats the system allocated me the first time round! Is this Fate or is it Fate!!! In case you can't see the tiny words, these are Cat 1 tickets, meaning, just a notch below the VIP seats. Hell, I only get to go for these things once in a blue moon, might as well spend since I can right? However, now I have to get money back from Root Plant, Lawyer and Little Unwashed Body cos $810 is a damn siong amount to be suddenly gone from one's bank account. After all, I got a car to pay for.

The last person who's going is my beloved Precious. So! Five of us. Too bad, Godspeed... Don't be cheapo larh.

confession

Actually, the main reason there is a lack of photos these days is because... I kinda lost interest in my camera. Cos it's old, and it's crappy, and I'm too lazy to charge the batteries. So it's either I get a new camera, or I make do with my current one. You know, I don't really spend a lot of money on stuff like that. The only money I spend recklessly on is Kurt Halsey's stuff. Go google him, I'm a little lazy to do a link. I just recklessly spent money on his new journal which I might not even use. But! Like Precious said, "Disposable income, disposable time." That was actually a response to my sudden, last minute question, "Eh, anyone wants to watch movie tmr?? (where tmr = friday)"

Actually, that's not quite true. I just spend when I want to, not like a certain Root Plant who compares his bank account balance to other people's and get miserable. The only bank account balance I compare with is my Past Bank Account Balance. Like that I'll always be happy. (=

I completely forgot that I had this window open. I shall stop blabbering and go to bed because I have to head out to Bukit Timah Hill tmr at the ungodly hour of 7.30am. )=

I miss having someone to talk to.