December 6, Saturday
Australian Time: 2205
10th Day
Location: Hunter Valley, NSW
Accommodation: Madigan Cottage
Cost: $350 for two nights
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Woke up especially this morning for horse back riding. After a platonic breakfast (pancakes again), we headed out and reached James Estate around 0910. We were required to sign a contract proclaiming that should we incur any injuries (or even death) during horse riding, whether due to the absence or presence of the tour guide, and no matter they were reliable for the cause or not, we vow not to blame them for any misforgivings. I think I was horrified that they refused to take responsibility even if they were at fault. I mean, most of the customers were probably tourists, with little or no experience in riding horses, so what did we know? The contract blamed it on the temperament of the horses. O.o It was like our fate was in the hands of the horses.
Luckily, they horses were exceptionally well-trained and followed the rules and trails very specifically and faithfully. The horses were all magnificent creatures, my dad’s Jimbo with a dark chocolate mane, my mom’s Trigger with a light brown color, my sis’s (with a name I do not know) a dirty white and mine, Chloe (Emma, your hamster’s name!!!) with a lovely milk chocolate mane.
Chloe is a playful girl, yet she is still very obedient when it comes down to business. I love her. Her personality is vibrant (when I said hi and stroked her neck, she ‘hmmph’-ed and greeted me with a nod – isn’t that sweet!) and she is very energetic.
First, we trekked through a forest trail, with minor accidents along the way (horses pooping out of the blue, banging randomly into trees, scraping our knees when we passed too close to adamant branches and frequently fanning insects away from our faces). The horses were well-behaved, but I noticed (since I was directly behind dad), that Jimbo was very clumsy. She often slipped and lost her footing, which was quite hilarious if not for the fact that my dad was the one riding on her.
I had to steer Chloe very often – she was always too close to trees or too close to branches, causing me to scratch my knees and elbows, so I had to teach her to avoid that. Chloe becomes extremely annoyed when too many mosquitoes attack/kiss her face, and liked to stomp her hooves and shake her head vehemently to show her displeasure.
When we entered the pasture, however, Chloe got a little over excited and started galloping. Though I quickly halted her, I really enjoyed it. The way she ran was so carefree that even I felt it. And the way her body moved was a lot more comfortable for me to sit on than when she was just moseying along.
The next thing to look forward to after horse back riding was dinner at ROBERTS. My dad’s assistant, who had come to Australia just not too long ago, introduced this restaurant to us. We had booked two days ago to ensure that we had a table. When we first got there, the restaurant looked torn and tattered, the wood chipped and the windows scratched. However, the inside was gorgeous. The entire room was candle-lit, and the ambience was warm and relaxing. All the wood made the setting romantic, and the candles just added on to the atmosphere. The fire mantle was decorated with plenty and elaborately designed plates as well as a cock and hen, with a huge vase containing white and yellow flowers. Our table was spacious and comfortable, except maybe the chairs, which was made of plain, hard wood, and certainly not something you’d want to sit on after a day of bumping on horses.
The food was highly priced. We ordered three main courses, comprising lamb, beef and pasta, as well as desserts chocolate fondant and cinnamon ice cream. The lamb was fantastic, but it had a somewhat typical taste (something you’d eat at Morton’s), but the beef was unique due to its very interesting sauce. I loved it. The pasta was nothing I had expected. The sauce was non-creamy, something more Japanese, and the mushrooms were fabulous! Sweet, but a little bitter, and something that you could just chew and chew! Haha. The chocolate fondant was a cake with melted Belgian chocolate inside, and when eaten with vanilla ice cream, brought you straight to heaven! I quote from a chocolate shop we’d visited in the afternoon, “If this was sin, heaven would be hell.” I figured I didn’t like cinnamon much, though. :P
I really don’t want to mention the price…
Saturday, 6 December 2008
Friday, 5 December 2008
Hunter Valley -- Day Nine
December 5, Friday
Australian Time: 2341
9th Day
Location: Hunter Valley, NSW
Accommodation: Madigan Cottage
Cost: $350 for two nights
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Pancakes for breakfast this morning, and sad to say, it wasn’t as nice as one would have hoped. It was just plain. Bland. The redeeming fact was that the butter we had with it was great! Otherwise, it would just be boring.
Checking out was an arduous task. We had to rip out the bedsheets, empty all the food in the “otto” bin, rid the fridge of and traces of food, wash up all the dishes we’d used, switch off the central heating and close all the windows. They call this “self-conditioned cottage/villa”. You can’t really leave anything behind or they’d just charge it on your credit card. I’ve never met the owners of the villas, they just call themselves Kenny and Ross Smith. We just give them the number of our credit card, and they have free access to it until we leave. -_- So best not give them a reason to charge us extra.
After that it was about two hours trip to Hunter Valley, where we searched a very long time for a place to stay. We came across Leisure Inn which cost about $400 per night, which simply blew our minds away. No way were we gonna pay that much! Another promising villa was Crowne Plaza, which looks nothing like the one you see in Singapore! Crowne Plaza Villas look absolutely luxurious, with huge windows and balcony for you to simply enjoy the scenery. $300 per night.
Another shockingly expensive one was set in a classical house, with expensive tea sets, 1980s armchairs and intricately carved cupboards. It was, no doubt, luxurious and zapped us back in time, but the price was eye-popping. $480 per night!
After sifting through more motels and B&Bs, we finally decided to call Crowne Plaza to reserve ourselves a villa. However, on the way there, we came across Madigan Cottages, which was set in a secluded piece of land and near a vineyard. It was similar to a Scottish Cottage, wooden walls and staircase, and two-storeys high. And even more amazingly, it was $350 for two nights!
My parents loved it, so it was an immediate yes. I ended up being the one to break the news to Crowne Plaza, feeling guilty all the while doing the cancellation.
In the evening, my sister and I went driving around our backyard. It was so awesome that we lost complete track of time, and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. Dinner was an easy affair, having driven past a Chinese restaurant by chance. We ordered Prawn Omelette, Mixed vegetables, Mongolian Combination (Tie Ban Shao), long soup (Noodle soup) and steamed rice.
I think I liked the omelette and the rice the best. :P They rest was all gooey and watery…as per usual. ;)
To work off some calories, we went to Woolworths (similar to NTUC in Singapore) to get our breakfast.
Australian Time: 2341
9th Day
Location: Hunter Valley, NSW
Accommodation: Madigan Cottage
Cost: $350 for two nights
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Pancakes for breakfast this morning, and sad to say, it wasn’t as nice as one would have hoped. It was just plain. Bland. The redeeming fact was that the butter we had with it was great! Otherwise, it would just be boring.
Checking out was an arduous task. We had to rip out the bedsheets, empty all the food in the “otto” bin, rid the fridge of and traces of food, wash up all the dishes we’d used, switch off the central heating and close all the windows. They call this “self-conditioned cottage/villa”. You can’t really leave anything behind or they’d just charge it on your credit card. I’ve never met the owners of the villas, they just call themselves Kenny and Ross Smith. We just give them the number of our credit card, and they have free access to it until we leave. -_- So best not give them a reason to charge us extra.
After that it was about two hours trip to Hunter Valley, where we searched a very long time for a place to stay. We came across Leisure Inn which cost about $400 per night, which simply blew our minds away. No way were we gonna pay that much! Another promising villa was Crowne Plaza, which looks nothing like the one you see in Singapore! Crowne Plaza Villas look absolutely luxurious, with huge windows and balcony for you to simply enjoy the scenery. $300 per night.
Another shockingly expensive one was set in a classical house, with expensive tea sets, 1980s armchairs and intricately carved cupboards. It was, no doubt, luxurious and zapped us back in time, but the price was eye-popping. $480 per night!
After sifting through more motels and B&Bs, we finally decided to call Crowne Plaza to reserve ourselves a villa. However, on the way there, we came across Madigan Cottages, which was set in a secluded piece of land and near a vineyard. It was similar to a Scottish Cottage, wooden walls and staircase, and two-storeys high. And even more amazingly, it was $350 for two nights!
My parents loved it, so it was an immediate yes. I ended up being the one to break the news to Crowne Plaza, feeling guilty all the while doing the cancellation.
In the evening, my sister and I went driving around our backyard. It was so awesome that we lost complete track of time, and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. Dinner was an easy affair, having driven past a Chinese restaurant by chance. We ordered Prawn Omelette, Mixed vegetables, Mongolian Combination (Tie Ban Shao), long soup (Noodle soup) and steamed rice.
I think I liked the omelette and the rice the best. :P They rest was all gooey and watery…as per usual. ;)
To work off some calories, we went to Woolworths (similar to NTUC in Singapore) to get our breakfast.
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Blue Mountain -- Day Eight
December 4, Thursday
Australian Time: 2155
8th Day
Location: Blue Mountain, New South Wales
Accommodation: Echo Point Villa 2
Cost: $177 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
I woke up to the smell of ham and eggs. We’ve finally come across a villa that provides oil!! I’ve been missing sunny-side up eggs (my favourite way of doing eggs) for ages, and today’s eggy flavour was especially heavenly.
After a relaxed morning, we headed out to the famous Genolan caves, also strongly advertised by the dear Mr. Meinhold we had met in Boonah. He had promoted it as the “most beautiful”, and was a definite must-see. Though I had no idea the trip would take so long! Mostly because it was a long and windy mountain road, resulting in severe car-sickness (not really, just a splitting headache.
The cave itself, though, was beautiful. Some of the huge rocks were enchantingly shiny, whilst others were just gargantuan in size and towered intimidating-ly over the measly humans. It felt like we’d shrunk to the size of ants.
Some of the caves looked suspiciously like a waterfall, some had numerous holes in it, and one of them (we took a picture) looked a really sad person, albeit only having two holes for eyes and a hole for a mouth forming the shape ‘o’.
The Devil’s Coach House was the one that Mr. Meinhold had particularly mentioned (and even wrote it down for us), but we couldn’t find the trek that led to the self-guided tour cave. The signs were pointing in a different direction than stated on the map – we went both ways but ended up going in circles. When we were done walking opposites directions, it was late, and we figured if we continued the aimless walk we’d end up trapped in complete darkness. So we gave up and headed back to Blue Mountain.
And – would you believe it – it was already dinner time! We ended up getting pizza and instant noodles (plus vegetables). Pizza was a lot better than last time; this time we had an oven to make it crunchy, and the sauce used by the different brand was more familiar and tasted much better than the previous failed brand.
Lastly, a few more rounds of Da Lao Er before we headed off to bed in hysterics (again).
Australian Time: 2155
8th Day
Location: Blue Mountain, New South Wales
Accommodation: Echo Point Villa 2
Cost: $177 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
I woke up to the smell of ham and eggs. We’ve finally come across a villa that provides oil!! I’ve been missing sunny-side up eggs (my favourite way of doing eggs) for ages, and today’s eggy flavour was especially heavenly.
After a relaxed morning, we headed out to the famous Genolan caves, also strongly advertised by the dear Mr. Meinhold we had met in Boonah. He had promoted it as the “most beautiful”, and was a definite must-see. Though I had no idea the trip would take so long! Mostly because it was a long and windy mountain road, resulting in severe car-sickness (not really, just a splitting headache.
The cave itself, though, was beautiful. Some of the huge rocks were enchantingly shiny, whilst others were just gargantuan in size and towered intimidating-ly over the measly humans. It felt like we’d shrunk to the size of ants.
Some of the caves looked suspiciously like a waterfall, some had numerous holes in it, and one of them (we took a picture) looked a really sad person, albeit only having two holes for eyes and a hole for a mouth forming the shape ‘o’.
The Devil’s Coach House was the one that Mr. Meinhold had particularly mentioned (and even wrote it down for us), but we couldn’t find the trek that led to the self-guided tour cave. The signs were pointing in a different direction than stated on the map – we went both ways but ended up going in circles. When we were done walking opposites directions, it was late, and we figured if we continued the aimless walk we’d end up trapped in complete darkness. So we gave up and headed back to Blue Mountain.
And – would you believe it – it was already dinner time! We ended up getting pizza and instant noodles (plus vegetables). Pizza was a lot better than last time; this time we had an oven to make it crunchy, and the sauce used by the different brand was more familiar and tasted much better than the previous failed brand.
Lastly, a few more rounds of Da Lao Er before we headed off to bed in hysterics (again).
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Blue Mountain -- Day Seven
December 3, Wednesday
Australian Time: 1612
7th Day
Location: Blue Mountain, New South Wales
Accommodation: Echo Point Villa 2
Cost: $177 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
This morning we had to wake up earlier than usual, and needless to say, I was sleeping throughout breakfast. Though I still remember what I ate. Moove Chocolate Milk, orange juice, croissant with butter (de-LI-cious) and a few bites of muffin. The croissant was surprisingly tasty, the taste just right. In fact, for something that was bought from the supermarket (frozen/chilled/whatever), the food tasted awesome! Overall, the meal was cheaper than having breakfast at some random café.
After breakfast, I reluctantly left the place behind, and settled myself once more for an arduous journey that would leave my posterior numb. On the way, we stopped at Mudgee (haha) for lunch at Subway. As always, it tasted great and refreshing. We were sitting outside the restaurant, with the wind howling furiously, so things flew all over the place. We had a great time testing our reflex skills.
I fell asleep for the rest of the ride.
Then, we finally reached Blue Mountain. Nothing blue about it, obviously. But we were in the mountains, so when I stepped out of the car, it was as if the wind was just waiting for the chance to jump at me, and it blew my hair all over my face. The wind was strong and bone chilling, and my hair erector muscles all contracted immediately (homeostasis wastes no time). I hurried into the house in hope of some warmth, but the house was as cold on the outside as it was on the inside. Useless thing you call villas.
In turn I searched in vain for the central heater, and emerged victorious. Maybe there was some use for the house after all.
Anyway, the house was just as beautiful as yesterday’s motel room, if not better. This villa had a more warm feeling, and things were made of wood, so that made it feel more at home and relaxing (wood does that to you). The kitchen was supplied with everything we needed for cooking, oil, salt, pepper, etc, and we could not be happier because previous accommodations did not provide such luxury. Usually they gave us a microwave.
Dinner was sumptuous, including noodles, half a stuffed chicken, and Chinese takeaway (steamed rice [here they call boiled rice], mixed vegetables [once again in a malt-like state] and duck meat). We’ve taken to eat more often at home (or in the motel/villa, whatever), so that the bills would not be so ridiculous.
Everyone helping around the kitchen was fun; mom was, of course, the captain of the ship and was sending out orders while controlling the wheel. Many a times we tripped over one another (imagine four people in a mini kitchen half the size of your regular kitchen) and ended up in fits while trying not to get scalded. It was, despite the peril, fun.
After dinner and bathing, we gathered together on the comfortable double bed and began playing Da Lao Er, all the while laughing and screaming, and generally waking our neighbours (hopefully not). Everyone was in hysterics before going to bed.
The room, with the lights off, was so dark to the point that I couldn’t even see my own fingers (think the Chinese proverb). Even after my eyes adjusted to the dark (I hope), I couldn’t really see much except the window (which had a little light penetrating through). With the serene surroundings, it was difficult to not fall asleep almost instantly.
Australian Time: 1612
7th Day
Location: Blue Mountain, New South Wales
Accommodation: Echo Point Villa 2
Cost: $177 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
This morning we had to wake up earlier than usual, and needless to say, I was sleeping throughout breakfast. Though I still remember what I ate. Moove Chocolate Milk, orange juice, croissant with butter (de-LI-cious) and a few bites of muffin. The croissant was surprisingly tasty, the taste just right. In fact, for something that was bought from the supermarket (frozen/chilled/whatever), the food tasted awesome! Overall, the meal was cheaper than having breakfast at some random café.
After breakfast, I reluctantly left the place behind, and settled myself once more for an arduous journey that would leave my posterior numb. On the way, we stopped at Mudgee (haha) for lunch at Subway. As always, it tasted great and refreshing. We were sitting outside the restaurant, with the wind howling furiously, so things flew all over the place. We had a great time testing our reflex skills.
I fell asleep for the rest of the ride.
Then, we finally reached Blue Mountain. Nothing blue about it, obviously. But we were in the mountains, so when I stepped out of the car, it was as if the wind was just waiting for the chance to jump at me, and it blew my hair all over my face. The wind was strong and bone chilling, and my hair erector muscles all contracted immediately (homeostasis wastes no time). I hurried into the house in hope of some warmth, but the house was as cold on the outside as it was on the inside. Useless thing you call villas.
In turn I searched in vain for the central heater, and emerged victorious. Maybe there was some use for the house after all.
Anyway, the house was just as beautiful as yesterday’s motel room, if not better. This villa had a more warm feeling, and things were made of wood, so that made it feel more at home and relaxing (wood does that to you). The kitchen was supplied with everything we needed for cooking, oil, salt, pepper, etc, and we could not be happier because previous accommodations did not provide such luxury. Usually they gave us a microwave.
Dinner was sumptuous, including noodles, half a stuffed chicken, and Chinese takeaway (steamed rice [here they call boiled rice], mixed vegetables [once again in a malt-like state] and duck meat). We’ve taken to eat more often at home (or in the motel/villa, whatever), so that the bills would not be so ridiculous.
Everyone helping around the kitchen was fun; mom was, of course, the captain of the ship and was sending out orders while controlling the wheel. Many a times we tripped over one another (imagine four people in a mini kitchen half the size of your regular kitchen) and ended up in fits while trying not to get scalded. It was, despite the peril, fun.
After dinner and bathing, we gathered together on the comfortable double bed and began playing Da Lao Er, all the while laughing and screaming, and generally waking our neighbours (hopefully not). Everyone was in hysterics before going to bed.
The room, with the lights off, was so dark to the point that I couldn’t even see my own fingers (think the Chinese proverb). Even after my eyes adjusted to the dark (I hope), I couldn’t really see much except the window (which had a little light penetrating through). With the serene surroundings, it was difficult to not fall asleep almost instantly.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Narrabri -- Day Six
December 2, Tuesday
Australian Time: 2056
6th Day
Location: Narrabri, New South Wales
Accommodation: Club Motel
Cost: $165 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
We woke up late this morning – at 0800 – since my dad set the wrong time for the alarm clock. -_- Mr. Marcus Meinhold, however, was definitely an early riser and had gotten hold of his book from the mechanics before any of us were up. The Falling Feathers writer was really friendly, and even gave us the book free of charge. I couldn’t be more thankful.
Breakfast at Flavours Café was a cultural shock as usual. We only ordered for two plates of breakfast, one Breakfast Grill ($9.95) and one Full Breakfast ($12.95), but both of them still left us filled to the brim. Bacon, apparently, is a favourite among Australians, since almost everything came with bacon. Burgers, French fries, steak, chicken – you name it. I was totally missing the eggs (I’m a great fan of it) and I was really pleased when the egg came in just the way I liked it – sunny side up. The only downside was that the food was extremely oily, which really was a bummer.
The rest of the day was consumed by traveling, traveling, and more traveling. I think my posterior suffered tremendous claustrophobia. Anyway, there was nothing interesting during the car ride – except when we stopped by Goondiwindi for Chinese food at Fu Sing Restaurant. The food was oily and gooey…definitely not Asian food, but we swallowed it all anyway – mostly we were just glad to fill our stomachs with hot steamy food. Did you know Singapore noodles is actually bee hoon in Australia? O.o None of us saw that coming.
I plugged earphones into my ears for the rest of the day.
When we reached Narrabri, we immediately started looking out for motels, and came across one that looked new and…well, generally inviting. The pastel colors of the wall and the shiny reflecting windows were very appealing. Fortunately, they had one family unit left, just for us(:
I was the first one to enter the room and – OH MY GOSH it was fantastic! Soft, carpeted floors, peach-colored walls, a sleek, clean mini kitchen and a wide, dark green sofa. And the bathroom! The tub was spacious enough to accommodate two people, and the whole place was so comfortable and relaxing! I fell in love with the place immediately, and I thought it a pity we were only staying for a night.
Nothing like enjoying the luxury while it lasted.
My parents went out, while my sis and I stayed behind to use the Internet to do whatever we want, and when they came back, they were carrying bags of groceries. Part of it was our dinner – fish and chips, chicken cutlet, French fries, salad, and a gooey vegetable spring roll (-_-), while the rest was going to be consumed during breakfast.
The fish was lovely, and the chips, albeit a weird shape and color (it was pale and flaccid) tasted better than I’d expected. I tried the fruity wine, but I didn’t like it. I guess I’ll never like wine much. The orange juice, however, was pure and real, instead of drinking loads of artificial ingredients that I was prone to do in Singapore.
And guess what, while shopping, my parents realized that the time in Narrabri was different than the time in Boonah! We were actually an hour faster! So in total, we’re three hours faster than Singapore! I was so intrigued – we practically went through a time machine!
For the rest of the night, I just enjoyed the ambience in a laid back manner, the way it was meant to be appreciated.
Australian Time: 2056
6th Day
Location: Narrabri, New South Wales
Accommodation: Club Motel
Cost: $165 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
We woke up late this morning – at 0800 – since my dad set the wrong time for the alarm clock. -_- Mr. Marcus Meinhold, however, was definitely an early riser and had gotten hold of his book from the mechanics before any of us were up. The Falling Feathers writer was really friendly, and even gave us the book free of charge. I couldn’t be more thankful.
Breakfast at Flavours Café was a cultural shock as usual. We only ordered for two plates of breakfast, one Breakfast Grill ($9.95) and one Full Breakfast ($12.95), but both of them still left us filled to the brim. Bacon, apparently, is a favourite among Australians, since almost everything came with bacon. Burgers, French fries, steak, chicken – you name it. I was totally missing the eggs (I’m a great fan of it) and I was really pleased when the egg came in just the way I liked it – sunny side up. The only downside was that the food was extremely oily, which really was a bummer.
The rest of the day was consumed by traveling, traveling, and more traveling. I think my posterior suffered tremendous claustrophobia. Anyway, there was nothing interesting during the car ride – except when we stopped by Goondiwindi for Chinese food at Fu Sing Restaurant. The food was oily and gooey…definitely not Asian food, but we swallowed it all anyway – mostly we were just glad to fill our stomachs with hot steamy food. Did you know Singapore noodles is actually bee hoon in Australia? O.o None of us saw that coming.
I plugged earphones into my ears for the rest of the day.
When we reached Narrabri, we immediately started looking out for motels, and came across one that looked new and…well, generally inviting. The pastel colors of the wall and the shiny reflecting windows were very appealing. Fortunately, they had one family unit left, just for us(:
I was the first one to enter the room and – OH MY GOSH it was fantastic! Soft, carpeted floors, peach-colored walls, a sleek, clean mini kitchen and a wide, dark green sofa. And the bathroom! The tub was spacious enough to accommodate two people, and the whole place was so comfortable and relaxing! I fell in love with the place immediately, and I thought it a pity we were only staying for a night.
Nothing like enjoying the luxury while it lasted.
My parents went out, while my sis and I stayed behind to use the Internet to do whatever we want, and when they came back, they were carrying bags of groceries. Part of it was our dinner – fish and chips, chicken cutlet, French fries, salad, and a gooey vegetable spring roll (-_-), while the rest was going to be consumed during breakfast.
The fish was lovely, and the chips, albeit a weird shape and color (it was pale and flaccid) tasted better than I’d expected. I tried the fruity wine, but I didn’t like it. I guess I’ll never like wine much. The orange juice, however, was pure and real, instead of drinking loads of artificial ingredients that I was prone to do in Singapore.
And guess what, while shopping, my parents realized that the time in Narrabri was different than the time in Boonah! We were actually an hour faster! So in total, we’re three hours faster than Singapore! I was so intrigued – we practically went through a time machine!
For the rest of the night, I just enjoyed the ambience in a laid back manner, the way it was meant to be appreciated.
Monday, 1 December 2008
Boonah -- Day Five
December 1, Monday
Australian Time: 2110
5th Day
Location: Boonah, Queensland
Accommodation: Boonah Motel
Cost: $120 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Breakfast was extraordinarily sweet this morning. Goldsteins specializes in “bakery & pies”, and naturally the entire stall smelled of flour, bread and cakes. We had scouted around the Carrara Market (remember it’s always a huge area of land dotted with one-storey buildings) for something similar to bacon and eggs (I was seriously starting to miss even the icky egg yolk), but to no avail. Thus we settled for chocolate éclairs, bacon and egg pie, a box of chocolate chip and cornflakes cookies, a cup of cappuccino and BIG M chocolate milk (all for $16.40; I had a strong suspicion they overlooked something). Overall, it was sickeningly sweet, but that’s what you have to live with when you’re in others’ country – thus no complaints were uttered, except maybe a jibe here and there.
After the unusual breakfast, we headed towards Brisbane once more, this time with Mt Tamborine as our destination. I had no idea it was situated in the mountains, needless to say, the road there was more curvy and meandered through the mountains. It was a long ride, we expected 20 minutes but the trip took 40 minutes, and we took a wrong turn and had to turn back again. Not a smooth ride, that’s for sure. After much agony and a spinning head, we reached Thunderbird Park, where Adventure Parc was situated. My sis and I cost a total of $82 (student price) to enter the place and went on three different courses, green, red and black, in order to difficulty. The three courses consisted a grand total of 72 obstacles, which included walking on wire ropes, abseiling, climbing (ladders and rocks), balancing on suspended wooden logs and, my favourite, FLYING FOX! Everything was stringed together in one whole series, where you just moved from one tree (platform) to another, always remaining at least 3 metres above the ground. The green course was the easiest one – I got through it steadily without breaking and sweat. The red course raised the bar slightly, and my arms were aching lightly when I finally climbed down the ladder to reach the ground once more.
We were fitted with overalls (full body) and given safety harnesses, with a pulley and attachment cords. The attachment cords ensure that we stay secure all the time and in the case should we lose our balance, we would not plummet to the ground and go to heaven.
What frustrated me the most was that the wooden planks and bars were always situated pretty far apart, and whilst most Westerners would be able to reach them easily, it was a tougher feat for me since I am vertically challenged. But hey, I got through it still, didn’t I?
The forest was hot, the sun was extremely bright today, but yet it was such a dry place that you don’t really perspire much. You don’t get the chance to.
The black course was the toughest of all, and I gave up the last two obstacles and instead jumped straight to the flying fox. It was AWESOME!! It was the longest I’d ever been on, I crossed the forest at least 5 storeys above ground and even crossed over the river/creek! The sense of freedom and adrenaline had never been more prevalent as I had felt then. I was beginning to feel that all those times I missed my chance at flying fox (Primary Five camp and OBS) was well worth it if it’d all built up to this.
Also, there was an obstacle were we had to swing across with a rope just like Tarzan! It was hard to overcome the fear at first – would I fall halfway? What if I let go by accident? What if I slide down the rope? So many possibilities, but in the end, I managed to just forget the questions and just jumped it. It was exciting and scary at the same time.
I was so tired after the black course that I just handed back all my equipments and my family and I headed to the car with the intent of having a filling lunch. And then…the car refused to start. We tried again and again, but the engine was just…stuttering, without getting any better. We were mortified, and hurried to seek for help. A friend of the restaurant’s manager came to help us start the battery, but it was fruitless. Helpless, we could only call for Hertz professional help. They gave us an estimation of 45 minutes for the help to reach, but we were very grateful when help came within half an hour. The mechanic was friendly, and helped to start up the car. He stayed around to ensure that it was completely fixed and running before driving off.
During the wait, we sat down in the restaurant and ordered some things to eat – only chocolate cake, coke and tea were available. They do serve lunches, but they stop serving lunch at 1500, so they didn’t turn on the stove for us. It was only 1440 too! Argh.
So we decided to eat our own emergency cookies, and also begged them for some hot water to cook instant noodles. They weren’t very pleased, but hey, who was the one who refused us hot food even before their time was up?
Anyway, after lunch we drove off, and I fell asleep on the car.
When I woke up we had already checked into Boonah Motel, situated in a small town called Boonah, with a population of only a few hundred people. The motel room was small, and things were kept dirty (I guess they can’t do much about it), with insects flying all around. INSECTS WERE ENLARGED. Looking at the insects was like looking under the microscope. You could see the legs, the body…ew. And there were frogs! Little green frogs as well as large brown ones! A brown frog was trying to hop into our room by continuously banging against our closed door! It was hilarious. Then we went to a secluded road and had driving lessons there from my father. I was getting quite the hang of it – whether it was turning a corner, reversing, or controlling the petal. I love driving, and I had a fabulous time driving around.
I drove all the way back to the motel to pick up mom for dinner. We were actually looking for a Chinese restaurant which the motel owners had introduced to us, but after 40 minutes of aimless driving (and it was a small town, even) we realized that it was closed. Which rather pissed all of us off, since we were practically starving.
In the end, we bought pizzas from Eagle Boys (a restaurant chain bigger than Pizza Hut in Australia). A double decker set (includes 2 large pizzas, 1.25litres of coke and garlic bread) and chicken wings cost $31.40, which was relatively cheap considering that a usual dinner at Pizza Hut in Singapore amounted to about $65.
One pizza was Hawaiian, whilst the other was Aussie Bacon & Eggs. AB&E was a very interesting combination, who would’ve thought that eggs could come with pizza? Even on them?
Anyway, we polished everything off and then threw them away before ants and other insects could get to them. You wouldn’t believe the large population of insects here. All sorts. Cockroaches, crickets, mosquitoes, flies, you name them. I think they’re the reason why there is such a wide variety of birds around as well.
Lastly, we came across a writer, who was just driving around from place to place, writing when the inspiration came and spending his days not knowing where he was going next. He’d stayed in China Xin Jiang for ten weeks, and could speak Mandarin. Though not the best, but we were still impressed. He had just finished his second book a few days ago, and was hoping to go China again to write his third book. His first book was Falling Feathers.
His name is Marcus Meinhold.
And now, it’s late, I’m tired, and I’m off.
Australian Time: 2110
5th Day
Location: Boonah, Queensland
Accommodation: Boonah Motel
Cost: $120 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Breakfast was extraordinarily sweet this morning. Goldsteins specializes in “bakery & pies”, and naturally the entire stall smelled of flour, bread and cakes. We had scouted around the Carrara Market (remember it’s always a huge area of land dotted with one-storey buildings) for something similar to bacon and eggs (I was seriously starting to miss even the icky egg yolk), but to no avail. Thus we settled for chocolate éclairs, bacon and egg pie, a box of chocolate chip and cornflakes cookies, a cup of cappuccino and BIG M chocolate milk (all for $16.40; I had a strong suspicion they overlooked something). Overall, it was sickeningly sweet, but that’s what you have to live with when you’re in others’ country – thus no complaints were uttered, except maybe a jibe here and there.
After the unusual breakfast, we headed towards Brisbane once more, this time with Mt Tamborine as our destination. I had no idea it was situated in the mountains, needless to say, the road there was more curvy and meandered through the mountains. It was a long ride, we expected 20 minutes but the trip took 40 minutes, and we took a wrong turn and had to turn back again. Not a smooth ride, that’s for sure. After much agony and a spinning head, we reached Thunderbird Park, where Adventure Parc was situated. My sis and I cost a total of $82 (student price) to enter the place and went on three different courses, green, red and black, in order to difficulty. The three courses consisted a grand total of 72 obstacles, which included walking on wire ropes, abseiling, climbing (ladders and rocks), balancing on suspended wooden logs and, my favourite, FLYING FOX! Everything was stringed together in one whole series, where you just moved from one tree (platform) to another, always remaining at least 3 metres above the ground. The green course was the easiest one – I got through it steadily without breaking and sweat. The red course raised the bar slightly, and my arms were aching lightly when I finally climbed down the ladder to reach the ground once more.
We were fitted with overalls (full body) and given safety harnesses, with a pulley and attachment cords. The attachment cords ensure that we stay secure all the time and in the case should we lose our balance, we would not plummet to the ground and go to heaven.
What frustrated me the most was that the wooden planks and bars were always situated pretty far apart, and whilst most Westerners would be able to reach them easily, it was a tougher feat for me since I am vertically challenged. But hey, I got through it still, didn’t I?
The forest was hot, the sun was extremely bright today, but yet it was such a dry place that you don’t really perspire much. You don’t get the chance to.
The black course was the toughest of all, and I gave up the last two obstacles and instead jumped straight to the flying fox. It was AWESOME!! It was the longest I’d ever been on, I crossed the forest at least 5 storeys above ground and even crossed over the river/creek! The sense of freedom and adrenaline had never been more prevalent as I had felt then. I was beginning to feel that all those times I missed my chance at flying fox (Primary Five camp and OBS) was well worth it if it’d all built up to this.
Also, there was an obstacle were we had to swing across with a rope just like Tarzan! It was hard to overcome the fear at first – would I fall halfway? What if I let go by accident? What if I slide down the rope? So many possibilities, but in the end, I managed to just forget the questions and just jumped it. It was exciting and scary at the same time.
I was so tired after the black course that I just handed back all my equipments and my family and I headed to the car with the intent of having a filling lunch. And then…the car refused to start. We tried again and again, but the engine was just…stuttering, without getting any better. We were mortified, and hurried to seek for help. A friend of the restaurant’s manager came to help us start the battery, but it was fruitless. Helpless, we could only call for Hertz professional help. They gave us an estimation of 45 minutes for the help to reach, but we were very grateful when help came within half an hour. The mechanic was friendly, and helped to start up the car. He stayed around to ensure that it was completely fixed and running before driving off.
During the wait, we sat down in the restaurant and ordered some things to eat – only chocolate cake, coke and tea were available. They do serve lunches, but they stop serving lunch at 1500, so they didn’t turn on the stove for us. It was only 1440 too! Argh.
So we decided to eat our own emergency cookies, and also begged them for some hot water to cook instant noodles. They weren’t very pleased, but hey, who was the one who refused us hot food even before their time was up?
Anyway, after lunch we drove off, and I fell asleep on the car.
When I woke up we had already checked into Boonah Motel, situated in a small town called Boonah, with a population of only a few hundred people. The motel room was small, and things were kept dirty (I guess they can’t do much about it), with insects flying all around. INSECTS WERE ENLARGED. Looking at the insects was like looking under the microscope. You could see the legs, the body…ew. And there were frogs! Little green frogs as well as large brown ones! A brown frog was trying to hop into our room by continuously banging against our closed door! It was hilarious. Then we went to a secluded road and had driving lessons there from my father. I was getting quite the hang of it – whether it was turning a corner, reversing, or controlling the petal. I love driving, and I had a fabulous time driving around.
I drove all the way back to the motel to pick up mom for dinner. We were actually looking for a Chinese restaurant which the motel owners had introduced to us, but after 40 minutes of aimless driving (and it was a small town, even) we realized that it was closed. Which rather pissed all of us off, since we were practically starving.
In the end, we bought pizzas from Eagle Boys (a restaurant chain bigger than Pizza Hut in Australia). A double decker set (includes 2 large pizzas, 1.25litres of coke and garlic bread) and chicken wings cost $31.40, which was relatively cheap considering that a usual dinner at Pizza Hut in Singapore amounted to about $65.
One pizza was Hawaiian, whilst the other was Aussie Bacon & Eggs. AB&E was a very interesting combination, who would’ve thought that eggs could come with pizza? Even on them?
Anyway, we polished everything off and then threw them away before ants and other insects could get to them. You wouldn’t believe the large population of insects here. All sorts. Cockroaches, crickets, mosquitoes, flies, you name them. I think they’re the reason why there is such a wide variety of birds around as well.
Lastly, we came across a writer, who was just driving around from place to place, writing when the inspiration came and spending his days not knowing where he was going next. He’d stayed in China Xin Jiang for ten weeks, and could speak Mandarin. Though not the best, but we were still impressed. He had just finished his second book a few days ago, and was hoping to go China again to write his third book. His first book was Falling Feathers.
His name is Marcus Meinhold.
And now, it’s late, I’m tired, and I’m off.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Gold Coast -- Day Four
November 30, Sunday
Australian Time: 1951
4th Day
Location: Gold Coast
Accommodation: Montego Motel
Cost: $115 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Breakfast at McDonald’s was surprising once more – the size of the portion was so mini that I wondered how the other customers survived on just one set meal. Their usual consumption size had to be a lot bigger than that! No wonder business in McDonald’s is never as packed as, say, McDonald’s in Tampines. They don’t get enough value for money there.
The one hour trip to Gold Coast flew by and before we knew it, we were stepping out into the scorching carpark in Harbourfront Town. It’s like an American shopping mall, no tall buildings, just rows and rows of shops stretched and curved in a very attractive labyrinth. Anyway, the sun was heating up the open air space, and every single drop of sweat my glands produced evaporated immediately, leaving me dehydrated, hot yet un-sticky. Which is a great feeling, minus the constant parched throat.
There were loads of accessories on sale that would usually have caused a dent in my pockets (about $20 or more), but I got them at only $10, including one free! I was very satisfied with the buy. Sketchers, apparently, is not as popular a brand in Australia as in America, thus the choices were extremely limited and there was no chance for me to dump my old Sketchers into the garbage bag. Oh well. Better luck next time.
Next we paid a visit to the local supermarket, where a whole seedless watermelon was selling for only $3!!! It’s the kind of deal that’s near impossible in Singapore! So all of us jumped at the chance and had to drag the huge watermelon all the way back into our smothering car. The sun was still showing off its radiance.
McDonald’s – again – for lunch. The usual: French fries, Cheeseburger, Nuggets, Chicken wraps and coke…all for $16.40. At least it was cheaper than having Club Sandwiches at The Coffee Club.
After filling our empty stomachs, we went in search for a motel with Internet – which turned out to be a very difficult feat. Since my dad promised my sis that we would stay in a hotel with Internet if she forced down a few mouthfuls of Apricot Yoghurt, we had no choice but to meet with many dead ends before finally coming across Montego. The only reason they gave us free Internet and a lower rate (U.P $135 per night) was because business was not good for this particular motel. But hey, we got lucky and nobody’s complaining.
Anyway, I spent most of the late afternoon researching on things to do and attractions to see. At first we wanted a go at the Hot Air Balloons, but it’s about $310 for each person for an hour’s flight. Of course, they include breakfast and also transport services, but it was still considered expensive. So we gave up on that idea. I came across Adventure Parc, where we get to do exciting challenges like flying fox, rock climbing and crossing bridges hung by a rope through a rainforest! The surroundings would be so genuine, as well as your supervisors, and you would be able to do 3 courses for the price of $41! I considered it relatively affordable, seeing as there were 72 obstacles the instructors would have to guide us through. Also they provided the equipments that were needed, since we would be constantly at least 3 meters above the ground.
But all the excitement would have to wait until tomorrow, since the park closes at 1700.
In addition, I’ve decided to have a go at Kart Racing…it seemed fun enough! I get to drive without a license – who doesn’t want that (you may not, but future drivers like me are certainly gonna be interested!)?!
Finally, the researching was done and we headed out for dinner at Yellow Fin, where the food was freaking fantastic!
Menu:
Smoked Salmon Bruchetta
Salt and Pepper Calamari
Kilpatrick Oysters
Spaghetti Marinara
Gold Snapper
A glass of red wine
All for only $69.90!
The reason for the extremely low bill was because we had a coupon that took 50% off our FOOD.
All the items were delicious and unique! Sauces I had never tasted before in my life melted easily in my mouth and slid smoothly down my throat. The calamari was unlike anything I’d ever eaten – it was thick, chewy and crispy, complete with a lemony sauce that I’d never come across before! The smoked salmon obviously tasted smoked (which I didn’t enjoy very much, but the fact that it was salmon made up for it) and the oysters little bit too salty to my liking. Otherwise, everything else tasted better than I had imagined.
After dinner we had a stroll on the beach… The sand was actually soft and smooth (something you’ll never find in Sentosa)! The sky was a range of different colours (it was dusk), purple faded to gray which became pink and then darkened into a light blue. The beach was clean, the sea was clean and the air was clean. Of course, by then the wind had picked up, and I was shaking furiously in my T-shirt and shorts. I marveled at the lovely ladies who managed to wear bikinis in the scorching sun as well as in the windy evening. Everyone walked around in just trunks and bikinis! Even the diners!
What an eyeful.
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Brisbane -- Day Three
November 29, Saturday
Australian Time: 2051
3rd Day
Location: Brisbane
Accommodation: Southern Cross Motel and Serviced Apartments
Cost: $245 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
McDonald’s Breakfast this morning (the portion was a lot smaller than we expected), and we’ve come to the conclusion that McCafé is simply not the same as what Singapore offers. Their coffee tastes bland, they do not serve Double Chocolate Frappe (what I always drink) and their hot chocolate tastes too sweet. A pity, really, since I was expecting the same kind of food in outlets all over the world. Obviously, Australians prefer something else rather than Value Set Meals with drinks and harsh browns included.
Things are awfully expensive around here, what with drinks costing $3 or more any old how, which irk the hell out of me. Did you know that water and coke costs exactly the same? You’d think that in a country where water is in abundance and sometimes more than enough or needed, water would cost cheaper than Singapore, where we have to buy water from Malaysia.
After breakfast we headed to South Banks (finding another free parking lot :P), where we had a lovely stroll along Brisbane River, all the while searching for a bicycle rental outlet. They have a huge public kiddies pool there, and also a makeshift beach where birds swim with humans. Everyone was dressed so scantily that you eventually got used to it and I had a fine time staring at those with…erm, more delicious body figures, males and females alike. I think that those who had better bodies were either blessed with super metabolism rate or they’d had to work hard to attain their dream figure, since the rest of the population appeared to be extremely…voluptuous.
In the end, we didn’t find the bicycle rental store, but we came across a marketplace where stalls were set up within faded white tents, where they provided services like temporary tattoos, 10-minute foot massages and psychic readings (palm/face/tarot). Of course, what was a marketplace without selling dresses, ornaments and paintings? We came across a stall where he handcrafted all sorts of modern-looking, sleek and interesting clocks. Usually, they were made in silver and black, and occasionally with red to boost its attractiveness. Some clocks looked like a guitar, others just took up various lopsided shapes such as oval, square and cone, all distorted of course.
What we bought was an awesome looking clock at $55.
Eventually we came to the local flyer, similar to the one in Singapore, though it goes around a lot faster than what we usually see. Adults: $15, Children: $10. It’s a lot more affordable than Singapore’s $27.90.
And that was about it for South Banks. We headed to the city (over the Story Bridge) to have lunch in a food court, and then headed to Borders and Gloria Jeans as it started raining cats and dogs.
I searched vehemently for a book on analyzing handwritings, but it wasn’t where the search engine said it ought to be. Needless to say, I was disappointed. The rain stopped its relentless downpour and all of us headed home to rest and prepare ourselves for the upcoming dinner at Pineapple Hotel at 1830 just two blocks down the street.
It certainly was a novel experience! The waiter led us to table 26, where we had a look at the menu and decided on Pineapple’s Signature Steak, Eye Fillet Burger and Chips, Pizza Bread, Soup of the Day (Pumpkin) and Kid’s Meal Nuggets and Chips. We were absolutely under prepared for the size of the portion of the food. The T-bone was huge, nuggets thick and juicy (do NOT imagine the ones you see in McDonald’s), French fries elongated, larger and thicker than fingers and the bowl of soup enough to wash your face in it by dunking your head into it. I think I was already half-filled when the food came into my vision.
The beef was juicy and the mushroom sauce lovely, with a glass of red wine to go with it that upped it to perfection. The pizza bread was crunchy but tasted nothing like pizza, whilst the mushrooms (that came together with the T-bone) tasted freaking fantastic – just the right amount of saltiness.
And guess what – everything under $100! Unbelievable, since my estimated bill amounted to about $120. Wow.
Australian Time: 2051
3rd Day
Location: Brisbane
Accommodation: Southern Cross Motel and Serviced Apartments
Cost: $245 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
McDonald’s Breakfast this morning (the portion was a lot smaller than we expected), and we’ve come to the conclusion that McCafé is simply not the same as what Singapore offers. Their coffee tastes bland, they do not serve Double Chocolate Frappe (what I always drink) and their hot chocolate tastes too sweet. A pity, really, since I was expecting the same kind of food in outlets all over the world. Obviously, Australians prefer something else rather than Value Set Meals with drinks and harsh browns included.
Things are awfully expensive around here, what with drinks costing $3 or more any old how, which irk the hell out of me. Did you know that water and coke costs exactly the same? You’d think that in a country where water is in abundance and sometimes more than enough or needed, water would cost cheaper than Singapore, where we have to buy water from Malaysia.
After breakfast we headed to South Banks (finding another free parking lot :P), where we had a lovely stroll along Brisbane River, all the while searching for a bicycle rental outlet. They have a huge public kiddies pool there, and also a makeshift beach where birds swim with humans. Everyone was dressed so scantily that you eventually got used to it and I had a fine time staring at those with…erm, more delicious body figures, males and females alike. I think that those who had better bodies were either blessed with super metabolism rate or they’d had to work hard to attain their dream figure, since the rest of the population appeared to be extremely…voluptuous.
In the end, we didn’t find the bicycle rental store, but we came across a marketplace where stalls were set up within faded white tents, where they provided services like temporary tattoos, 10-minute foot massages and psychic readings (palm/face/tarot). Of course, what was a marketplace without selling dresses, ornaments and paintings? We came across a stall where he handcrafted all sorts of modern-looking, sleek and interesting clocks. Usually, they were made in silver and black, and occasionally with red to boost its attractiveness. Some clocks looked like a guitar, others just took up various lopsided shapes such as oval, square and cone, all distorted of course.
What we bought was an awesome looking clock at $55.
Eventually we came to the local flyer, similar to the one in Singapore, though it goes around a lot faster than what we usually see. Adults: $15, Children: $10. It’s a lot more affordable than Singapore’s $27.90.
And that was about it for South Banks. We headed to the city (over the Story Bridge) to have lunch in a food court, and then headed to Borders and Gloria Jeans as it started raining cats and dogs.
I searched vehemently for a book on analyzing handwritings, but it wasn’t where the search engine said it ought to be. Needless to say, I was disappointed. The rain stopped its relentless downpour and all of us headed home to rest and prepare ourselves for the upcoming dinner at Pineapple Hotel at 1830 just two blocks down the street.
It certainly was a novel experience! The waiter led us to table 26, where we had a look at the menu and decided on Pineapple’s Signature Steak, Eye Fillet Burger and Chips, Pizza Bread, Soup of the Day (Pumpkin) and Kid’s Meal Nuggets and Chips. We were absolutely under prepared for the size of the portion of the food. The T-bone was huge, nuggets thick and juicy (do NOT imagine the ones you see in McDonald’s), French fries elongated, larger and thicker than fingers and the bowl of soup enough to wash your face in it by dunking your head into it. I think I was already half-filled when the food came into my vision.
The beef was juicy and the mushroom sauce lovely, with a glass of red wine to go with it that upped it to perfection. The pizza bread was crunchy but tasted nothing like pizza, whilst the mushrooms (that came together with the T-bone) tasted freaking fantastic – just the right amount of saltiness.
And guess what – everything under $100! Unbelievable, since my estimated bill amounted to about $120. Wow.
Friday, 28 November 2008
Brisbane -- Day Two
November 28, Friday
Australian time: 2330
2nd Day
Location: Brisbane
Accommodation: Southern Cross Motel and Serviced Apartments
Cost: $245 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Check out time was 1000, so all of us were out on the streets once more immediately after our simple breakfast. To be honest, we had two slices of toast each, with peanut butter spread. The milk we bought in the convenience store yesterday was low fat, and now I’ve learnt one thing: Never buy low fat milk in Australia. Mostly because, the milk in always fresh, so full cream milk probably came directly from the cows without processing it. Obviously, it would taste nice than skimmed milk, which would have probably went through some factory, removing some of its natural contents and adding some artificial ingredients. And also, low fat milk tastes horrible, or even worse, they have no taste. Ack.
Anyway, as Airport Motel was on the outskirts of the city, we decided to move closer to the city. Three areas of consideration: Spring Hill, Kangaroo Point (you wonder if there are wild kangaroos hopping about with baby kangaroos waving at you from their mothers’ pouches) and South Brisbane. My dad was pretty keen on staying in a serviced apartment this time round, but the first one we went into, Hillcrest, was riding on the high tide and had no more available rooms. Beside Hillcrest was another building – red bricks, clean cut style, and balconies to go with the rooms. And guess what the building was called? XXX Hospital. I wouldn’t mind that much to break a leg or two to stay in there.
So we moved on and finally came to Kangaroo Point Serviced Apartments. The building had a very modern design, dark gray walls, tinted windows, white, tall pillars and a sleek wooden interior, giving it a very homey feel. Unfortunately, they were out of rooms. By now you’d be wondering just how bad the economy. It couldn’t really be that bad, since these serviced apartments were prospering so!
But then, fate smiled upon us and led us to Southern Cross, with the clean-cut, white-washed walls, spacious and clean bathroom, comfortable beds, two kitchens, two rooms, and a really big sofa (my sister could stretch out on it). My dad took a liking to it immediately (he had a thing for spaciousness), and truthfully, so did I. Everything was kept in order, the walls were clean, and the building was only a year old. In short, it was great.
The owner was an Indonesian lady, and it was then that I finally had a chance to compare Asians and Westerners! Although both races speak politely, you would always notice that Asians tend to sound a lot bossier, and a lot more raucous. We just have a natural instinct to raise our voices to an irrelevant level, but Westerners seem to have to ability to speak demurely, even if they were in a noisy, crowded restaurant.
Anyway, things were settled pretty quickly from there, and after a period of rest, all of us headed out to the city. We got lost along the way, and we made a huge circle before we even reached Story Bridge, the one that would lead us across the water and into the heart of the city in Spring Hills. We parked our Ford Falcon in a free carpark (YES, FREE) and just walked the rest of the way. In Australia, a mall is something that you would never expect when in Singapore. There are no tall buildings in Australia, instead, and the whole friggin’ street is called Queen St Mall. Shops are all lined up on both sides on the road, and cars were not allowed to be driven in – instead chairs and resting areas were situated along the mall, where you could rest at any given time, though seats are subjected to availability.
We had Subway sandwiches for lunch, and after shopping around for a while, settled in Gloria Jeans to have a tea break. Due to coupons I had picked up along our way there, we used it quickly to our advantage, upsizing our drinks for free, and so on.
Things we’d bought:
Mom: 3 pairs of Adidas socks, $25; A black, elegant handbag from Nine West, $29
Me: Twilight by Stephenie Meyers from Borders, $12.50 (at half price, originally about $27); A pink, kawaii handbag from Nine West (smaller version of my mom’s), $19
Sis: Low Cut Flurt Denim Shoes from so-called Billabong, $39.95
All of us were wiped out from all the walking and carrying of our newly acquired things, so we headed home after having our coffee. Before we piled into the car, however, we went into a supermarket to choose our dinner: Hawaiian Pizza ($3.85), Garlic Bread (about $1.20), Potato & Egg & Bacon salad (about $3), 2.5 litre Coke (about $1.60), a few packets of Instant noodles (about $1 each) and Spinach (I don’t know the price for this).
Anyway, we reached home and started to heat the garlic bread and pizza in the microwave (slow, I know) and mom started cooking the noodles. Dad just lazed around, waiting for the food to be ready. -_- What was hilarious was that the garlic bread was over-microwaved, and it became rock hard… I think my teeth are still stinging from trying to eat the bread. But we all had a good laugh after that, though I was embarrassed; I was the one who forgot to keep an eye on it, after all.
After dinner we went out for a walk to work off some calories (though I didn’t think it was much of a help) and dad ended up buying chicken wings from KFC. O.o I thought someone was trying to lose weight here? Luckily for me, chicken wings never held a lure for me, so I remained blissfully peaceful without sinking my teeth into them.
After the wings we began a round of Da Lao Er and boy was it fun! Everyone was in the laughing fits at the end of the game, with mom having to shuffle the cards 8 times, me 4 times, dad and sis 2 times each (the loser had to shuffle and distribute the cards). Everyone was so relaxed and happy…
So am I. Right now, I’m contented, satisfied and sleepy.
Good night.
Australian time: 2330
2nd Day
Location: Brisbane
Accommodation: Southern Cross Motel and Serviced Apartments
Cost: $245 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Check out time was 1000, so all of us were out on the streets once more immediately after our simple breakfast. To be honest, we had two slices of toast each, with peanut butter spread. The milk we bought in the convenience store yesterday was low fat, and now I’ve learnt one thing: Never buy low fat milk in Australia. Mostly because, the milk in always fresh, so full cream milk probably came directly from the cows without processing it. Obviously, it would taste nice than skimmed milk, which would have probably went through some factory, removing some of its natural contents and adding some artificial ingredients. And also, low fat milk tastes horrible, or even worse, they have no taste. Ack.
Anyway, as Airport Motel was on the outskirts of the city, we decided to move closer to the city. Three areas of consideration: Spring Hill, Kangaroo Point (you wonder if there are wild kangaroos hopping about with baby kangaroos waving at you from their mothers’ pouches) and South Brisbane. My dad was pretty keen on staying in a serviced apartment this time round, but the first one we went into, Hillcrest, was riding on the high tide and had no more available rooms. Beside Hillcrest was another building – red bricks, clean cut style, and balconies to go with the rooms. And guess what the building was called? XXX Hospital. I wouldn’t mind that much to break a leg or two to stay in there.
So we moved on and finally came to Kangaroo Point Serviced Apartments. The building had a very modern design, dark gray walls, tinted windows, white, tall pillars and a sleek wooden interior, giving it a very homey feel. Unfortunately, they were out of rooms. By now you’d be wondering just how bad the economy. It couldn’t really be that bad, since these serviced apartments were prospering so!
But then, fate smiled upon us and led us to Southern Cross, with the clean-cut, white-washed walls, spacious and clean bathroom, comfortable beds, two kitchens, two rooms, and a really big sofa (my sister could stretch out on it). My dad took a liking to it immediately (he had a thing for spaciousness), and truthfully, so did I. Everything was kept in order, the walls were clean, and the building was only a year old. In short, it was great.
The owner was an Indonesian lady, and it was then that I finally had a chance to compare Asians and Westerners! Although both races speak politely, you would always notice that Asians tend to sound a lot bossier, and a lot more raucous. We just have a natural instinct to raise our voices to an irrelevant level, but Westerners seem to have to ability to speak demurely, even if they were in a noisy, crowded restaurant.
Anyway, things were settled pretty quickly from there, and after a period of rest, all of us headed out to the city. We got lost along the way, and we made a huge circle before we even reached Story Bridge, the one that would lead us across the water and into the heart of the city in Spring Hills. We parked our Ford Falcon in a free carpark (YES, FREE) and just walked the rest of the way. In Australia, a mall is something that you would never expect when in Singapore. There are no tall buildings in Australia, instead, and the whole friggin’ street is called Queen St Mall. Shops are all lined up on both sides on the road, and cars were not allowed to be driven in – instead chairs and resting areas were situated along the mall, where you could rest at any given time, though seats are subjected to availability.
We had Subway sandwiches for lunch, and after shopping around for a while, settled in Gloria Jeans to have a tea break. Due to coupons I had picked up along our way there, we used it quickly to our advantage, upsizing our drinks for free, and so on.
Things we’d bought:
Mom: 3 pairs of Adidas socks, $25; A black, elegant handbag from Nine West, $29
Me: Twilight by Stephenie Meyers from Borders, $12.50 (at half price, originally about $27); A pink, kawaii handbag from Nine West (smaller version of my mom’s), $19
Sis: Low Cut Flurt Denim Shoes from so-called Billabong, $39.95
All of us were wiped out from all the walking and carrying of our newly acquired things, so we headed home after having our coffee. Before we piled into the car, however, we went into a supermarket to choose our dinner: Hawaiian Pizza ($3.85), Garlic Bread (about $1.20), Potato & Egg & Bacon salad (about $3), 2.5 litre Coke (about $1.60), a few packets of Instant noodles (about $1 each) and Spinach (I don’t know the price for this).
Anyway, we reached home and started to heat the garlic bread and pizza in the microwave (slow, I know) and mom started cooking the noodles. Dad just lazed around, waiting for the food to be ready. -_- What was hilarious was that the garlic bread was over-microwaved, and it became rock hard… I think my teeth are still stinging from trying to eat the bread. But we all had a good laugh after that, though I was embarrassed; I was the one who forgot to keep an eye on it, after all.
After dinner we went out for a walk to work off some calories (though I didn’t think it was much of a help) and dad ended up buying chicken wings from KFC. O.o I thought someone was trying to lose weight here? Luckily for me, chicken wings never held a lure for me, so I remained blissfully peaceful without sinking my teeth into them.
After the wings we began a round of Da Lao Er and boy was it fun! Everyone was in the laughing fits at the end of the game, with mom having to shuffle the cards 8 times, me 4 times, dad and sis 2 times each (the loser had to shuffle and distribute the cards). Everyone was so relaxed and happy…
So am I. Right now, I’m contented, satisfied and sleepy.
Good night.
Thursday, 27 November 2008
Brisbane -- Day One
November 27, Thursday
Australian time: 2010
1st Day
Location: Brisbane
Accommodation: Airport Motel
Cost: $190 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Landed at about 1919, and took about an hour to get past the intense scrutiny and inspection of the airport officers. Currently (or when I was writing in my notebook anyway) renting a car from Hertz – but it’s taking up an excruciating large amount of time. So I’ve taken to music to relieve my boredom. The airport is definitely not as lavish as Singapore’s newly built Terminal 3, but Brisbane’s airport is spacious enough – with the arrival hall complete with fast food outlets! EAT! they scream at you. The people in the waiting area definitely seem at home enough – some are just lying flat across the sofa (taking up the entire space in the process) and others have settled themselves comfortably around a tiny coffee table with a deck of cards. (Note that this was written directly after arrival.)
After that we headed to Airport Motel, just a short distance from Brisbane International. It was simple, bright, and comfortable enough. After having supper at a secluded Thai eatery, we headed home to bed. In Australia, shops close at five or six; restaurants holding out till slightly later, depending on their nature. However, most outdoor activities cease at nine, which is very different from Singapore, seeing as how Singaporeans adore the night life.
We’ve begun poring over maps and leaflets to plan for the next day. Anyway, I gotta sleep early today – have to adjust my body clock to the local time. Time difference: 2 hours faster than Singapore. Waking up at 0700 tomorrow, or in Singapore’s time, 0500. o.O
Australian time: 2010
1st Day
Location: Brisbane
Accommodation: Airport Motel
Cost: $190 per night
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1
Landed at about 1919, and took about an hour to get past the intense scrutiny and inspection of the airport officers. Currently (or when I was writing in my notebook anyway) renting a car from Hertz – but it’s taking up an excruciating large amount of time. So I’ve taken to music to relieve my boredom. The airport is definitely not as lavish as Singapore’s newly built Terminal 3, but Brisbane’s airport is spacious enough – with the arrival hall complete with fast food outlets! EAT! they scream at you. The people in the waiting area definitely seem at home enough – some are just lying flat across the sofa (taking up the entire space in the process) and others have settled themselves comfortably around a tiny coffee table with a deck of cards. (Note that this was written directly after arrival.)
After that we headed to Airport Motel, just a short distance from Brisbane International. It was simple, bright, and comfortable enough. After having supper at a secluded Thai eatery, we headed home to bed. In Australia, shops close at five or six; restaurants holding out till slightly later, depending on their nature. However, most outdoor activities cease at nine, which is very different from Singapore, seeing as how Singaporeans adore the night life.
We’ve begun poring over maps and leaflets to plan for the next day. Anyway, I gotta sleep early today – have to adjust my body clock to the local time. Time difference: 2 hours faster than Singapore. Waking up at 0700 tomorrow, or in Singapore’s time, 0500. o.O
Thursday, 20 November 2008
December Boys
I rented December Boys today, and spent my afternoon watching it while nursing my burning heels (I'd been dancing non-stop (almost) for the past few days).
The storyline, I think, is simple. Four boys, all born in December, were sent to the seaside for a holiday for their birthday month. The place was old, people few, and things were kept simple, dirty and wet. The plot blended in some "mystic" about horses being able to fish (mostly to tell us about how miracles can happen in the least likely of places), and also showed how Maps, the oldest of the boys, matured along the way (how? By meeting a girl, duh.). And all the while, the younger boys, having found out that their next door couple were considering adopting one of them, began to shamelessly trying to win their affections.
Overall, there were quite a number of scenes that would make you giggle or smile to yourself (whatever your preference), and some heartwarming moments that would made your heart tinge slightly, but not enough to rouse any through emotions.
I apparently felt no climax at all -- when it was done, it was done. And it made me reflect that, well, life's just like that. It's done! So even though I didn't cry, nor did I feel particularly moved, I felt that the film captured "life" nicely in approximately 100 minutes.
The storyline, I think, is simple. Four boys, all born in December, were sent to the seaside for a holiday for their birthday month. The place was old, people few, and things were kept simple, dirty and wet. The plot blended in some "mystic" about horses being able to fish (mostly to tell us about how miracles can happen in the least likely of places), and also showed how Maps, the oldest of the boys, matured along the way (how? By meeting a girl, duh.). And all the while, the younger boys, having found out that their next door couple were considering adopting one of them, began to shamelessly trying to win their affections.
Overall, there were quite a number of scenes that would make you giggle or smile to yourself (whatever your preference), and some heartwarming moments that would made your heart tinge slightly, but not enough to rouse any through emotions.
I apparently felt no climax at all -- when it was done, it was done. And it made me reflect that, well, life's just like that. It's done! So even though I didn't cry, nor did I feel particularly moved, I felt that the film captured "life" nicely in approximately 100 minutes.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Back from Land of Oblivion
O LEVELS HAVE OFFICIALLY ENDED
(for me, anyway.)
And yes, I have finally returned from the LandofOblivion. During the awful month respectfully dubbed O Levels, I've been an absolute recluse, consumed completely by ten-year-series-es, crumbled under a mountainload of Biology notes, and have no idea whatsoever of those immediately around me as well as those 'none of my business' world news. Newspaper? It seems years since I'd dirtied my fingers. Only things I do know is that Obama is America's first black president and Chen Shui Bian (Taiwan) shamed the country by being the first ex-president to grace the prison with his presence.
Life has never been this boring. Everyday it's studying, eating, sleeping, studying, eating, sleeping. And swimming. I think swimming's about the only exercise in my schedule that I've enjoyed during O Levels. The only thing that kept me sane and kept me up and running throughout the prolonged month.
A bit of thoughts about Os:
1. Hated it.
2. Dreaded it.
3. Curse it.
4. Over it.
I don't enjoy exams all that much.
Anyways, it's good to be back. Life belongs to me again, except that I have to choreograph, teach, and perform dance...hm. I'll enjoy it, though I do admit it's a pretty heavy responsibility and rather tiring. Still, when you're doing something you love, it passes by quickly enough.
Next on my list:
1. Celebrate with my best buddies!
2. Horse Riding with Ash!
3. Prom stuff!
4. Start my new Chinese blog!
5. Play Neopets (I just started being addicted again.)
6. Give away my textbooks and notes!
7. Pack my stuff to move house!
8. Enjoy my holidays in Australia and Taiwan!
...and other things.
I feel good.
(for me, anyway.)
And yes, I have finally returned from the LandofOblivion. During the awful month respectfully dubbed O Levels, I've been an absolute recluse, consumed completely by ten-year-series-es, crumbled under a mountainload of Biology notes, and have no idea whatsoever of those immediately around me as well as those 'none of my business' world news. Newspaper? It seems years since I'd dirtied my fingers. Only things I do know is that Obama is America's first black president and Chen Shui Bian (Taiwan) shamed the country by being the first ex-president to grace the prison with his presence.
Life has never been this boring. Everyday it's studying, eating, sleeping, studying, eating, sleeping. And swimming. I think swimming's about the only exercise in my schedule that I've enjoyed during O Levels. The only thing that kept me sane and kept me up and running throughout the prolonged month.
A bit of thoughts about Os:
1. Hated it.
2. Dreaded it.
3. Curse it.
4. Over it.
I don't enjoy exams all that much.
Anyways, it's good to be back. Life belongs to me again, except that I have to choreograph, teach, and perform dance...hm. I'll enjoy it, though I do admit it's a pretty heavy responsibility and rather tiring. Still, when you're doing something you love, it passes by quickly enough.
Next on my list:
1. Celebrate with my best buddies!
2. Horse Riding with Ash!
3. Prom stuff!
4. Start my new Chinese blog!
5. Play Neopets (I just started being addicted again.)
6. Give away my textbooks and notes!
7. Pack my stuff to move house!
8. Enjoy my holidays in Australia and Taiwan!
...and other things.
I feel good.
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Halting Screech
Things have come to a halting screech. Yesterday was all about 4K, BBQ at Fiona's house. I got a ride from my parents and reached at 2pm, way too early for anything interesting. It was a windy lazy afternoon and I just watched television on her comfy sofa until the guys decided to have a game tennis. No one appeared to have any training in that area, so it was a rough and messy game. Fiona and I did manage to snap a few shots of SJ shooting hoops, though. ^o^
Mr Tan came with his pretty half and they had half a game of tennis before the security guard came and disallowed people with jeans from entering the court. -_-
Starting the fire pissed off whoever that tried to start it. That's why I'm never going to try to learn how to start one.
Cooking and eating was free and easy, and we just fooled and joked. Suddenly I found myself talking to people I usually wouldn't chat with, and it felt pleasant. Listening to them gave me a completely perspective of 4K and brought on another wave of sentimental contentment.
Many thanks to Mrs Lee and Mr Mok for gracing us with their presence.
Things eventually came to an end (I skipped all the details). And with the end of the BBQ, I felt the curtain drop on my carefree school life. Now things are really firing up. It was time once again to hit the books and get my head in the game.
'O's will come soon and go fast enough. Then I'll begin another chapter of my life.
Funny how I can turn an enjoyable evening into something so austere.
Mr Tan came with his pretty half and they had half a game of tennis before the security guard came and disallowed people with jeans from entering the court. -_-
Starting the fire pissed off whoever that tried to start it. That's why I'm never going to try to learn how to start one.
Cooking and eating was free and easy, and we just fooled and joked. Suddenly I found myself talking to people I usually wouldn't chat with, and it felt pleasant. Listening to them gave me a completely perspective of 4K and brought on another wave of sentimental contentment.
Many thanks to Mrs Lee and Mr Mok for gracing us with their presence.
Things eventually came to an end (I skipped all the details). And with the end of the BBQ, I felt the curtain drop on my carefree school life. Now things are really firing up. It was time once again to hit the books and get my head in the game.
'O's will come soon and go fast enough. Then I'll begin another chapter of my life.
Funny how I can turn an enjoyable evening into something so austere.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Empty
What it feels like to be left alone,
What it feels to have a broken home.
How it feels to be forlorn,
How it feels for all to be gone.
What it feels to have a broken home.
How it feels to be forlorn,
How it feels for all to be gone.
Sunday, 27 July 2008
Additional Maths, Anyone?
I spent my entire afternoon doing A Maths. I redid my midyear papers. I could do all of them. So why did I get such lousy marks? I'm coming down hard on myself for this one. Of all my subjects, maths should be the least of my worries. Now, it's broad-jumped over all others and superseded Literature into the first place of my Studies-Worries List.
I'm gonna get my hands on those practice papers from Mr.M by hook or by crook. Even if he refuses to give them to me.
So, as you can understand, I'm nearly brain dead by now. But that doesn't stop me from listing some of my E Maths problems:
1. Vectors, dammit!
2. Sets, I failed the entire section!
3. Probability, I've got no common sense!
Gosh. This is exactly like primary school. It just gets worse at every turn. I haven't been blessed with a natural common sense, unlike the rest of the world (more or less). Argh.
I'm gonna get my hands on those practice papers from Mr.M by hook or by crook. Even if he refuses to give them to me.
So, as you can understand, I'm nearly brain dead by now. But that doesn't stop me from listing some of my E Maths problems:
1. Vectors, dammit!
2. Sets, I failed the entire section!
3. Probability, I've got no common sense!
Gosh. This is exactly like primary school. It just gets worse at every turn. I haven't been blessed with a natural common sense, unlike the rest of the world (more or less). Argh.
DSA Application: FAIL
It sure is demoralizing when you applied for DSA and didn't get in. The way they break the news is even more horrible. They link you to their website (where you're constantly reminded of when you first began filling in the application form with hope) and then state there: Application Unsuccessful.
I don't know which is worse, unsuccessful or fail. Let's cut it short and go straight to the four letter word, huh?
I wonder if I'm stinging from the fact that I didn't manage to get in via DSA. I'm sure the people around me are even more disappointed then I am. Maybe that's because I knew I wasn't gonna get it. Then again, I've always been a pessimistic person. Gosh, what am I saying?
I knew I wasn't gonna get in and yet I still hoped (a little) for some kind of miracle. I'll just learn to follow my instincts next time. Consider it a lesson learnt and absorbed.
As much as I would like to dish out the possible reasons I wasn't allowed to join their happy family, some of them are rather personal and others slightly offensive. So as not to sound arrogant and indignant, I shall shut up and end this post.
I don't know which is worse, unsuccessful or fail. Let's cut it short and go straight to the four letter word, huh?
I wonder if I'm stinging from the fact that I didn't manage to get in via DSA. I'm sure the people around me are even more disappointed then I am. Maybe that's because I knew I wasn't gonna get it. Then again, I've always been a pessimistic person. Gosh, what am I saying?
I knew I wasn't gonna get in and yet I still hoped (a little) for some kind of miracle. I'll just learn to follow my instincts next time. Consider it a lesson learnt and absorbed.
As much as I would like to dish out the possible reasons I wasn't allowed to join their happy family, some of them are rather personal and others slightly offensive. So as not to sound arrogant and indignant, I shall shut up and end this post.
Enough of Skins -- Looks Aren't Everything
That's it. I'm back to austre, simple, plain blogskins, the one that you can just select from the Pick New Section and be happily done with it.
I think photos are more important than the outlook right now. I'll come back to change my skin to something more interesting when I feel like it.
I think photos are more important than the outlook right now. I'll come back to change my skin to something more interesting when I feel like it.
Friday, 4 July 2008
A-Mei, 人质
我和你啊存在一种危险关系
彼此挟持这另一部份的自己
本以为这完整了爱的定义
那就乖乖的守护着你
相爱变成猜忌怀疑的烂游戏
规则是要憋着呼吸越靠越近
但你的温柔是我唯一沉溺
你是爱我的就不怕有缝隙
在我心上用力的开一枪
让一切归零在这声巨响
如果爱是说什么都不能放
我不挣扎反正我也没差
人质在这一刻得到释放
想爱得纯粹落得如此下场
你满意吗我们都别说谎
--A-Mei, 人质
I can't find words or energy to describe how I feel today. Don't bother finding the music, the melody isn't very nice, but the lyrics express my feelings.
彼此挟持这另一部份的自己
本以为这完整了爱的定义
那就乖乖的守护着你
相爱变成猜忌怀疑的烂游戏
规则是要憋着呼吸越靠越近
但你的温柔是我唯一沉溺
你是爱我的就不怕有缝隙
在我心上用力的开一枪
让一切归零在这声巨响
如果爱是说什么都不能放
我不挣扎反正我也没差
人质在这一刻得到释放
想爱得纯粹落得如此下场
你满意吗我们都别说谎
--A-Mei, 人质
I can't find words or energy to describe how I feel today. Don't bother finding the music, the melody isn't very nice, but the lyrics express my feelings.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Emma's Sixteen Birthday
I can't get the pictures on without cropping up some idiotic problems that just irritate the hell outa me. Argh. Please go to http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn402/Renikachan/Emma%2016%20BD/
Everything's there. :D
Everything's there. :D
Argh.
I wanted to put pictures of Emma's birthday celebration here, but computer won't let me. ARGH. Try again later.
Birthday Cake for Ash
A picture I took with Emma in the school canteen. Now it's not our wallpaper anymore, we'll share it with everyone else! :D 
Ash's birthday cake. HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN.
I really like this cake..'cause I was the one who picked it out for her. ^^
New Skin
I've just changed my blogskin, and boy was it frustrating! All the formatting, change of fonts, rearranging, etc...they're all driving me nuts. Of course, I have stoleninnocence beside me to help me along with it. Forgive my previous paragraphing, I just don't have the patience to go back and change them again. -_-
Monday, 2 June 2008
Penang, Malaysia
It doesn't get any better than this. Though the ride from KL to Penang was less than enjoyable, what with me holding my bladder for more than an hour, the end-destination was the door to heaven.
Shangri-la Resort and SPA is the epitome of paradise. Not only did my dad receive an upgrade to the exclusive Rasa Wing, the best of the best, with an executive lounge that serves free drinks all day and pre-dinner finger bites, he also managed to get free breakfast and dinner in the Spice Market of Shangri-la.
As much as Spice Market sounds like some inexpensive wet Middle-East Market, it is far from its name. The restaurant is as big as the lobby itself, immersed in a dimmed, Italian atmosphere, with endless good food that is arranged in a neat maze, for you to meander through and choose your food at leisure. At night, the place in brimming with cuisines from all over the world, you have your pick: Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Malaysian, etc. The food you find there is typical of any five star restaurant's buffet, but of much higher quality and taste.
Currently, I'm sitting in my lotus position in the Rasa Wing Lounge, exclusively for executive members of Shangri-la only. Free internet, peaceful ambience, an array of freshly squeezed juice, coffee, tea or wine at your fingertips, amiable service and an enormous balcony to bring you a step closer to Mother Nature... I can sit here all day long if not for the pool's call.
Take a five-minute walk from the lounge and you can practically taste the salty sea on your tongue. As romantic as it sounds, I am no fan of the ocean and would prefer to float comfortably in the swimming pool. However, I did go para-sailing yesterday, with my sister trembling in front of me. We flew in the air, like eagles soaring in the sky and you can't hear anything but the wind. As the wind howls louder, we leviate higher. Look down and you will see the sea, calmer than the busy beach, but more dangerous than the pile of sand. You see the length of the beach, and you find it short when you'd taken 30 minutes to walk half of it. You feel free. For once, I didn't feel the presence of 'O' Levels lurking behind me, overshadowing my every step. For once, I didn't feel the need to pretend. For once, I flew, and left everything else behind me.
As much as I would like to continue expounding on how this place just reeks of quality and elegance, my orange juice has finished and my battery is running low.
Like I said, it doesn't get any better than this.
Shangri-la Resort and SPA is the epitome of paradise. Not only did my dad receive an upgrade to the exclusive Rasa Wing, the best of the best, with an executive lounge that serves free drinks all day and pre-dinner finger bites, he also managed to get free breakfast and dinner in the Spice Market of Shangri-la.
As much as Spice Market sounds like some inexpensive wet Middle-East Market, it is far from its name. The restaurant is as big as the lobby itself, immersed in a dimmed, Italian atmosphere, with endless good food that is arranged in a neat maze, for you to meander through and choose your food at leisure. At night, the place in brimming with cuisines from all over the world, you have your pick: Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Malaysian, etc. The food you find there is typical of any five star restaurant's buffet, but of much higher quality and taste.
Currently, I'm sitting in my lotus position in the Rasa Wing Lounge, exclusively for executive members of Shangri-la only. Free internet, peaceful ambience, an array of freshly squeezed juice, coffee, tea or wine at your fingertips, amiable service and an enormous balcony to bring you a step closer to Mother Nature... I can sit here all day long if not for the pool's call.
Take a five-minute walk from the lounge and you can practically taste the salty sea on your tongue. As romantic as it sounds, I am no fan of the ocean and would prefer to float comfortably in the swimming pool. However, I did go para-sailing yesterday, with my sister trembling in front of me. We flew in the air, like eagles soaring in the sky and you can't hear anything but the wind. As the wind howls louder, we leviate higher. Look down and you will see the sea, calmer than the busy beach, but more dangerous than the pile of sand. You see the length of the beach, and you find it short when you'd taken 30 minutes to walk half of it. You feel free. For once, I didn't feel the presence of 'O' Levels lurking behind me, overshadowing my every step. For once, I didn't feel the need to pretend. For once, I flew, and left everything else behind me.
As much as I would like to continue expounding on how this place just reeks of quality and elegance, my orange juice has finished and my battery is running low.
Like I said, it doesn't get any better than this.
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Pfft. Pressure!
Life hasn’t been going well. Ever since June Holidays started the textbooks were immediately chalked off my to-do list and every spec of informative dust was swept into the farthest corners of my mind. The beginning of the holidays was like a trigger for the automatic shut down of my brain, once began, impossible to stop. I find myself wandering through realms of imagination instead of assiduous studying for my Mid-Year examinations.
Even now, I should be curled up warmly in the comforts of my bed, instead of staring at the screen and typing away my frustration for the whole world to see. The balmy weather has gotten me lazy, and to top off my wonderful day, my stomach began assaulting me in the evening in a malicious attempt at my life. You can expect me to be in a foul mood tomorrow, no doubt.
Rumors are flying about that people around me are working off litres of sweat to go through every single one of the practice papers for English Oral, and that really adds to the immense pressure that is already suffocating me. Moreover, I’m lagging horribly behind in all of my eight heavy subjects and I don’t have an iota of motivation to study them. In addition to academic stress, I find that I seem to have lost contact with the people around me as well. While I concede that this happens every once in a while and one does get used to it, it nevertheless affects my mood and emotions.
What I seem to be stressed about can seem perfectly superficial, but underneath are so many more undercurrents that I cannot express or bring up. For now, getting the tangible pressure off my shoulders is enough. To really unload I will have to call up my pastor and start my confession all over again even though said pastor has heard it a million times. O.O
Anyway, it’s time to go and work out some answers for my Oral tomorrow, to assuage my meaningless worries. At least I’ll sleep easy tonight.
Even now, I should be curled up warmly in the comforts of my bed, instead of staring at the screen and typing away my frustration for the whole world to see. The balmy weather has gotten me lazy, and to top off my wonderful day, my stomach began assaulting me in the evening in a malicious attempt at my life. You can expect me to be in a foul mood tomorrow, no doubt.
Rumors are flying about that people around me are working off litres of sweat to go through every single one of the practice papers for English Oral, and that really adds to the immense pressure that is already suffocating me. Moreover, I’m lagging horribly behind in all of my eight heavy subjects and I don’t have an iota of motivation to study them. In addition to academic stress, I find that I seem to have lost contact with the people around me as well. While I concede that this happens every once in a while and one does get used to it, it nevertheless affects my mood and emotions.
What I seem to be stressed about can seem perfectly superficial, but underneath are so many more undercurrents that I cannot express or bring up. For now, getting the tangible pressure off my shoulders is enough. To really unload I will have to call up my pastor and start my confession all over again even though said pastor has heard it a million times. O.O
Anyway, it’s time to go and work out some answers for my Oral tomorrow, to assuage my meaningless worries. At least I’ll sleep easy tonight.
Quotation of the Day
"I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works." --Oscar Wilde
I wish I had that much genius and talent...I just don't have enough to meet both ends right now.
I wish I had that much genius and talent...I just don't have enough to meet both ends right now.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
My Own Two Cents
Perhaps I should have been more tactful and given my full three minutes in quiet prayer for the broken families, broken homes, broken people in Sze Chuan, but more than two weeks have passed and life didn’t seem to stop at 512.
Then again, life shouldn’t always be downcast, even in the most delirious situations. In tumultous pain there’s always the yang side of it. That’s why, in the same footsteps that we tread in dilapidation we celebrate the joy for our survivors and dance for the heroes of our nation. More than ten thousands have died in Mother Nature’s wrath, many more permanently damaged for life and the rest traumatized beyond redemption. And the number of lives lost just keeps rolling in every other day as more people are reported missing.
But, as my father always says, crying does not help the situation. After you’ve cried and vented your feelings, it’s time to get off your lazy arse and get to work. In this instance, you don’t even have the time to cry. The clock goes tick-tock every second without fail or falter, and with every minute, more who were trying to hold on lets goes of their last thread of hope under the collapsed buildings. They just want to be rescued and we want to rescue them.
This short post is dedicated to the people in Sze Chuan, though I don’t think they will ever see this. Humans are humans, and we’ll get through this together, no matter what. Maybe I won’t, at least not personally, but people who matter will, and that’s all I need to know.
Then again, life shouldn’t always be downcast, even in the most delirious situations. In tumultous pain there’s always the yang side of it. That’s why, in the same footsteps that we tread in dilapidation we celebrate the joy for our survivors and dance for the heroes of our nation. More than ten thousands have died in Mother Nature’s wrath, many more permanently damaged for life and the rest traumatized beyond redemption. And the number of lives lost just keeps rolling in every other day as more people are reported missing.
But, as my father always says, crying does not help the situation. After you’ve cried and vented your feelings, it’s time to get off your lazy arse and get to work. In this instance, you don’t even have the time to cry. The clock goes tick-tock every second without fail or falter, and with every minute, more who were trying to hold on lets goes of their last thread of hope under the collapsed buildings. They just want to be rescued and we want to rescue them.
This short post is dedicated to the people in Sze Chuan, though I don’t think they will ever see this. Humans are humans, and we’ll get through this together, no matter what. Maybe I won’t, at least not personally, but people who matter will, and that’s all I need to know.
Monday, 26 May 2008
My Mess
Before you, my life was a mess.
After you, my life was still a mess, in a more organized sort of way.
After you, my life was still a mess, in a more organized sort of way.
Thursday, 22 May 2008
Happy Birthday to You
Birthdays come and go faster than you can sing 'Happy Birthday'. Nevertheless, they are memorable, even if for a fleeting moment -- precious for the care that your circle of friends exhibit around you and the love (not to mention presents) you are showered with.
Birthday wishes to (in chronological order) Alicia, Christopher and Ashley. Their birthdays came in a barrage of dates, hectic and rushed. The cakes looked positively lovely, adorned with simple chocolate bits that simply adds to the embellishment of the cake perfectly. To add the icing on the cake, all of them were chocolate! For a more illustrative (completed with pictures) of their excitement-filled birthdays, click on Profile and Link yourself to Emma's blog. You won't be disappointed. ;)
Personally, birthdays to me is one of those cherished days that provides you with the perfect opportunity to remind your friends just how much you treasure them. On a certain level, it gives the receiver warmth and happiness that no amount of presents could ever possibly replace and it brings joy to a whole new level. I've had the experience and loved it.
The camaraderie I have with the girls; sometimes I reflect on my actions and I wonder what kind of rapport we have for them to actually have the capacity to accept me for my worth. And vice versa, of course. Then I realize I don't really want to delve that deep and dissect every single aspect of the many reasons. I'm contented where I am and what I have and despite the insecurity I feel at times, the knowledge of what I have already acquired remains dulcet to my ears.
Most of the time I don't know how to express my gratitude -- or any other mushy feelings for the matter -- but when I do, it comes out all wrong and, I quote, "so philosophical". Chinese culture has taught me that I should not portray myself as Truth or the spokesperson of Truth. I agree wholeheartedly. But how else do I bring across my feelings? Or maybe, you guys have already felt it.
Confidence and exuberance can be faked, ethereal can be imitated, but underneath the facade, one has the insecurity that we all feel when we try to survive and outwit the odds stacked against us. The girls are a constant reminder, however, because they touch me within the depths of my shallow heart and give me courage like the belief the lion in Wizard of Oz had in his medal.
My birthday cards may be short and simple or long and lengthy, but in the end, I just hope I have given just as much to you as you have given me. If not, it is a pity that I am that incompetent. You may guffaw and you may smirk, but think again before you comment on what I have said.
You may be insouciant to birthdays, but they are emblematic to me.
Birthday wishes to (in chronological order) Alicia, Christopher and Ashley. Their birthdays came in a barrage of dates, hectic and rushed. The cakes looked positively lovely, adorned with simple chocolate bits that simply adds to the embellishment of the cake perfectly. To add the icing on the cake, all of them were chocolate! For a more illustrative (completed with pictures) of their excitement-filled birthdays, click on Profile and Link yourself to Emma's blog. You won't be disappointed. ;)
Personally, birthdays to me is one of those cherished days that provides you with the perfect opportunity to remind your friends just how much you treasure them. On a certain level, it gives the receiver warmth and happiness that no amount of presents could ever possibly replace and it brings joy to a whole new level. I've had the experience and loved it.
The camaraderie I have with the girls; sometimes I reflect on my actions and I wonder what kind of rapport we have for them to actually have the capacity to accept me for my worth. And vice versa, of course. Then I realize I don't really want to delve that deep and dissect every single aspect of the many reasons. I'm contented where I am and what I have and despite the insecurity I feel at times, the knowledge of what I have already acquired remains dulcet to my ears.
Most of the time I don't know how to express my gratitude -- or any other mushy feelings for the matter -- but when I do, it comes out all wrong and, I quote, "so philosophical". Chinese culture has taught me that I should not portray myself as Truth or the spokesperson of Truth. I agree wholeheartedly. But how else do I bring across my feelings? Or maybe, you guys have already felt it.
Confidence and exuberance can be faked, ethereal can be imitated, but underneath the facade, one has the insecurity that we all feel when we try to survive and outwit the odds stacked against us. The girls are a constant reminder, however, because they touch me within the depths of my shallow heart and give me courage like the belief the lion in Wizard of Oz had in his medal.
My birthday cards may be short and simple or long and lengthy, but in the end, I just hope I have given just as much to you as you have given me. If not, it is a pity that I am that incompetent. You may guffaw and you may smirk, but think again before you comment on what I have said.
You may be insouciant to birthdays, but they are emblematic to me.
Saturday, 10 May 2008
Hectic
Friday was crazy; I felt like I was in four places at once. Skipping the mundane details of my lesssons in the morning, I fled the classroom at 12.30pm, off to Nicole's classroom and we left together for Tampines. I broke away from the group at Simei, to drop off my bag and some of Nicole's stuff.
Within minutes I was out of the house, a sling bag slung across my shoulder and caught the MRT to Tampines. We met again at LJS, and I would strongly recommend you not to go there. It's not that the food doesn't taste good or anything, but it's just...everything's fried. Forgive me for being such a health freak, but I do not want to get cancer, thank you very much. Eating at LJS once in a while is fine, just not too often.
Speed Racer was nothing like I've expected. When I read the summary, I thought it was oh, just gonna be some show about racing for something, and then the person gets it, everyone's happy...smile smile, cheer, cheer. Nah. I laughed my guts out. Though the whole movie was simply just too bright. I was seeing stars after I left the cinema.
It was 5pm when it ended, and I rushed home for a quick bath and left the house promptly at 5.40pm. Took bus 14 all the way to Siglap to deliver MQ's present and caught 12 back to tuition in Simei.
Reached home at 9.10pm.
I'm tired.
Within minutes I was out of the house, a sling bag slung across my shoulder and caught the MRT to Tampines. We met again at LJS, and I would strongly recommend you not to go there. It's not that the food doesn't taste good or anything, but it's just...everything's fried. Forgive me for being such a health freak, but I do not want to get cancer, thank you very much. Eating at LJS once in a while is fine, just not too often.
Speed Racer was nothing like I've expected. When I read the summary, I thought it was oh, just gonna be some show about racing for something, and then the person gets it, everyone's happy...smile smile, cheer, cheer. Nah. I laughed my guts out. Though the whole movie was simply just too bright. I was seeing stars after I left the cinema.
It was 5pm when it ended, and I rushed home for a quick bath and left the house promptly at 5.40pm. Took bus 14 all the way to Siglap to deliver MQ's present and caught 12 back to tuition in Simei.
Reached home at 9.10pm.
I'm tired.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Life in General
I'd wanted to blog a couple of times over the past few weeks, but the computer was PMSing and refused to let me in to Blogger. When you've got a laptop as temperamental as mine, you just gotta learn to deal with it.
But all that's in the past, so let's blog about today.
In summary, Coach D invited a couple of ex-students over; currently studying in various JCs, and practically displayed their lives on stage for us. During the ‘talk show’, a whole range of emotions was played out, from highly enthusiastic to plain regret. Though there were only three students, it was enough to categorize them. One was fitting in snugly into his new surroundings; one was busy burying her head in books and self-upgradation, while the last one was still harbouring feelings of regret when the choice was irreversible.
Which one will you become?
Moving on. I headed home after school today, fully expecting a relaxed and comfortable afternoon, and got exactly that. Can’t say that I feel guilty for not studying, though. Somehow, I knew that if I didn’t take this break, I would never take it. Thursdays and Fridays are out of the question, and my weekends are reserved for intense revision. It’s now or never, and I chose now. People are fretting over how much they still have left, but I think it’s time to realise that we will always have a lot of things left to study. Don’t forget to smile and take a break if you know you have been giving your best all the while. If you haven’t, it’s not too late to start feeling guilty now.
I’ve been trying to adopt a nonchalant attitude towards my studies recently, and so far, it’s been working pretty well for me. I feel less stressed and my marks are steadily improving. I’ve been trying out different tactics for a while now, and just like the stock markets, it’s given me unpredictable results. It’s a great risk to try this out only this year, but I believe I can safely say that I only became less like a child in the beginning of this semester.
I came to a lot of revelations and realisations only recently. It’s helped a lot, it has jolted me awake, and I’ve been trying to make the best out of it as much as I can. Too bad How to Live Your Life isn’t a topic commonly approached by teachers. We just gotta catch up ourselves. But it’s an interesting topic, and unfortunately I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. Then again, I quote freakyAngel, “I just take them as they come.” There’s no use being impatient – in the meanwhile, you can spend your time somewhere else that needs it more than this current sector. It’ll make the wait seem a whole lot shorter.
And as much as I would like to continue expounding on this topic, I’m still a daughter and my mother is hurrying me to finish up whatever I’m doing so we can head out for dinner. My stomach agrees, so bye.
But all that's in the past, so let's blog about today.
In summary, Coach D invited a couple of ex-students over; currently studying in various JCs, and practically displayed their lives on stage for us. During the ‘talk show’, a whole range of emotions was played out, from highly enthusiastic to plain regret. Though there were only three students, it was enough to categorize them. One was fitting in snugly into his new surroundings; one was busy burying her head in books and self-upgradation, while the last one was still harbouring feelings of regret when the choice was irreversible.
Which one will you become?
Moving on. I headed home after school today, fully expecting a relaxed and comfortable afternoon, and got exactly that. Can’t say that I feel guilty for not studying, though. Somehow, I knew that if I didn’t take this break, I would never take it. Thursdays and Fridays are out of the question, and my weekends are reserved for intense revision. It’s now or never, and I chose now. People are fretting over how much they still have left, but I think it’s time to realise that we will always have a lot of things left to study. Don’t forget to smile and take a break if you know you have been giving your best all the while. If you haven’t, it’s not too late to start feeling guilty now.
I’ve been trying to adopt a nonchalant attitude towards my studies recently, and so far, it’s been working pretty well for me. I feel less stressed and my marks are steadily improving. I’ve been trying out different tactics for a while now, and just like the stock markets, it’s given me unpredictable results. It’s a great risk to try this out only this year, but I believe I can safely say that I only became less like a child in the beginning of this semester.
I came to a lot of revelations and realisations only recently. It’s helped a lot, it has jolted me awake, and I’ve been trying to make the best out of it as much as I can. Too bad How to Live Your Life isn’t a topic commonly approached by teachers. We just gotta catch up ourselves. But it’s an interesting topic, and unfortunately I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. Then again, I quote freakyAngel, “I just take them as they come.” There’s no use being impatient – in the meanwhile, you can spend your time somewhere else that needs it more than this current sector. It’ll make the wait seem a whole lot shorter.
And as much as I would like to continue expounding on this topic, I’m still a daughter and my mother is hurrying me to finish up whatever I’m doing so we can head out for dinner. My stomach agrees, so bye.
Monday, 21 April 2008
Pinch Ma's Cheeks LOL
Ma Ying Jeou has become some sort of celebrity. Besides negotiating with China, he's attending celebrations and doing rounds and rounds of shaking hands. And his wife just turns her back and continues doing her own thing. Rock on, Zhou Mei Qing!
I saw a particularly funny clip on the news today. It shows Ma's crazed fans squeezing, pushing, and fighting for his hands during a parade. And guess what an old aunty did...wait for it...SHE PINCHED HIS CHEEKS! WAHAHAHA. The look of shock and desperation on his face while trying to maintain a polite smile was so entertaining!
My tongue hurts. Gah.
I saw a particularly funny clip on the news today. It shows Ma's crazed fans squeezing, pushing, and fighting for his hands during a parade. And guess what an old aunty did...wait for it...SHE PINCHED HIS CHEEKS! WAHAHAHA. The look of shock and desperation on his face while trying to maintain a polite smile was so entertaining!
My tongue hurts. Gah.
Friday, 11 April 2008
Get Off Your Laurels!
Warning: This post isn't, by any means, degrading, condemning or rebuking anything or anybody.
---
So my class was selected to attend the Business China seminar today. As for the speakers, perfect, they are not, and unfortunately, the only one I really enjoyed listening to was Miss Lim. But they did share their experiences with us, and as students, I think we should be grateful that they took time off their hectic schedules to attend this talk.
Sleeping was definitely a no-no in this seminar, not when the school went to great lengths to provide a comfortable environment for us, as well as to prepare a gracious tea and not-so-gracious lunch. I admit that I did doze off -- that was way in the afternoon after we'd been listening for hours -- but I managed to pinch myself awake by chatting with my neighbours. Hey, at least I made an effort.
I compared the professionals and students by the way they spoke, and one would realize after a while that the adults spoke in slow, measured sentences while the students spoke with a brisk and impatient manner. Note that I am generalizing here, even though I know that there are those that could control the bullet train speed they could speak like. Back to the comparison. It is very obvious how the adults have gained a sense of serenity that youngsters seem to lack nowadays. No matter what the undercurrent was, on the surface they are like the lakes and rivers -- calm and peaceful.
And I liked that. It is a characteristic I would like to have someday (or maybe in five years' time): Cool and collected.
And then there was something that irked me immensely. Some students were handed remote controls and asked to vote from the choices reflected on the screen. The instant results were more than contradictory, and all the more confusing. But that wasn't what fueled my anger. It was the fact that was presented before me that irritated me to no end.
In the first question, it asked if the students felt that Chinese or English was more important. More than half of the students said 'Chinese'. In the second question, the students were asked which view was closer to their perspective. 1) S'pore is not doing enough to bring students to another level in Chinese. 2) S'pore is doing enough to spread the Chinese culture, but it's the students that are not interested.
More than half chose 2.
Combine this result with the previous and you see a contradictory sentence. "We [students] feel that Chinese is more important than English but we don't want to take time to learn it." That's my interpretation. And I went, "WTH?"
Why is it that when China scholars come to Singapore, they immediately slacken? First, they've already learnt what we're learning now, and more. To come to class was like revision. All they had to do was understand the English and they'd be able to answer the questions. So they come, and they focus on their English, and they leave, with a better English standard than most of us. To learn a new language and speak it fluently at the age of sixteen is no easy feat. They have to work five times harder than most Singaporeans. And they emerge winner while we rest on our laurels and complain that all these 'Cheena Scholars' are taking away our first, second and third places. Yet it never occurred to our students that we are the ones that aren't working hard enough -- what right did we have to point our fingers at others and put the blame on them?
The students' attitude speaks for itself from the survey results. It shows our selfishness and just how narrow our vision is. We can't see that everybody around us is getting of their feet and racing to embrace the competitive future. No. We're still sitting in our warm, comfy seats, too warm in fact, and we still do not want to get off our butts and start walking. I think China scholars are a wake-up call. So why aren't we waking up?
Because we are defiant. Our students have too much pride to speak of. Singapore is the best because we have a successful Prime Minister. That does not mean the rest of us would be.
I am not saying that all China scholars are nice, fantastic people, but some of them are. And we should learn from them. We have China people as our neighbours, literally, so why aren't we making good use of the situation? Why do we ostracize them? Why do we mock them?
The wake-up call is ringing, people. Get up.
---
So my class was selected to attend the Business China seminar today. As for the speakers, perfect, they are not, and unfortunately, the only one I really enjoyed listening to was Miss Lim. But they did share their experiences with us, and as students, I think we should be grateful that they took time off their hectic schedules to attend this talk.
Sleeping was definitely a no-no in this seminar, not when the school went to great lengths to provide a comfortable environment for us, as well as to prepare a gracious tea and not-so-gracious lunch. I admit that I did doze off -- that was way in the afternoon after we'd been listening for hours -- but I managed to pinch myself awake by chatting with my neighbours. Hey, at least I made an effort.
I compared the professionals and students by the way they spoke, and one would realize after a while that the adults spoke in slow, measured sentences while the students spoke with a brisk and impatient manner. Note that I am generalizing here, even though I know that there are those that could control the bullet train speed they could speak like. Back to the comparison. It is very obvious how the adults have gained a sense of serenity that youngsters seem to lack nowadays. No matter what the undercurrent was, on the surface they are like the lakes and rivers -- calm and peaceful.
And I liked that. It is a characteristic I would like to have someday (or maybe in five years' time): Cool and collected.
And then there was something that irked me immensely. Some students were handed remote controls and asked to vote from the choices reflected on the screen. The instant results were more than contradictory, and all the more confusing. But that wasn't what fueled my anger. It was the fact that was presented before me that irritated me to no end.
In the first question, it asked if the students felt that Chinese or English was more important. More than half of the students said 'Chinese'. In the second question, the students were asked which view was closer to their perspective. 1) S'pore is not doing enough to bring students to another level in Chinese. 2) S'pore is doing enough to spread the Chinese culture, but it's the students that are not interested.
More than half chose 2.
Combine this result with the previous and you see a contradictory sentence. "We [students] feel that Chinese is more important than English but we don't want to take time to learn it." That's my interpretation. And I went, "WTH?"
Why is it that when China scholars come to Singapore, they immediately slacken? First, they've already learnt what we're learning now, and more. To come to class was like revision. All they had to do was understand the English and they'd be able to answer the questions. So they come, and they focus on their English, and they leave, with a better English standard than most of us. To learn a new language and speak it fluently at the age of sixteen is no easy feat. They have to work five times harder than most Singaporeans. And they emerge winner while we rest on our laurels and complain that all these 'Cheena Scholars' are taking away our first, second and third places. Yet it never occurred to our students that we are the ones that aren't working hard enough -- what right did we have to point our fingers at others and put the blame on them?
The students' attitude speaks for itself from the survey results. It shows our selfishness and just how narrow our vision is. We can't see that everybody around us is getting of their feet and racing to embrace the competitive future. No. We're still sitting in our warm, comfy seats, too warm in fact, and we still do not want to get off our butts and start walking. I think China scholars are a wake-up call. So why aren't we waking up?
Because we are defiant. Our students have too much pride to speak of. Singapore is the best because we have a successful Prime Minister. That does not mean the rest of us would be.
I am not saying that all China scholars are nice, fantastic people, but some of them are. And we should learn from them. We have China people as our neighbours, literally, so why aren't we making good use of the situation? Why do we ostracize them? Why do we mock them?
The wake-up call is ringing, people. Get up.
Monday, 7 April 2008
Genius and Success do not equal
Read The Sunday Times on 6th of April and you'll come across a page dedicated to Ms SufiahYusof, the prodigy who entered Oxford at the tender age of 13. Don't gasp in surprise yet. Read on and you'll realize that later on she became a prostitute.
If I only tell you this much, you'll be going along the lines of What a pity..what a waste of talent.. And yes, I'd agree. But she's no good girl gone bad. She'd been subjected to extreme study conditions by her father's "special teaching techniques", e.g. doing stretching exercises in freezing temperatures every morning, banned from media and kept from friends. For those who are still resting on your laurels, this is the real case of "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".
Obviously the techniques worked -- she entered Oxford, after all. Goes to show that if we worked hard enough we could always be geniuses.
But the poor girl was ostracized (you can't not expect it) and she ended up where she is today. (I'm not going into the studies done by scientists on human behaviour, read up on that yourself.)
Another potential down the drain.
If I only tell you this much, you'll be going along the lines of What a pity..what a waste of talent.. And yes, I'd agree. But she's no good girl gone bad. She'd been subjected to extreme study conditions by her father's "special teaching techniques", e.g. doing stretching exercises in freezing temperatures every morning, banned from media and kept from friends. For those who are still resting on your laurels, this is the real case of "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".
Obviously the techniques worked -- she entered Oxford, after all. Goes to show that if we worked hard enough we could always be geniuses.
But the poor girl was ostracized (you can't not expect it) and she ended up where she is today. (I'm not going into the studies done by scientists on human behaviour, read up on that yourself.)
Another potential down the drain.
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Like A Dream
He smiles at you, turns the key and opens the door to the terrace house. You nod in return, out of curtesy, even though he seems rather dishonest and pretentious. You enter the house, and the man turns around to attend to another lady whom you cannot see clearly. You peek through the gap between the door, and you hear them talking in hushed voices, barely above a whisper, but you cannot make out what they are saying.
Suddenly the man turns back to you, gives you another sinister smile and gestures for you to move so he can close the door. You oblige, letting him close the door with a resounding snap. Tentatively, you walk down the corridor and enter the first room you see to your right.
The room is spotless, with fluffy white bedsheets, and a bedside table with a beautiful, elaborately designed table lamp. You notice an alarm clock lying innocent on the table, but there are no numbers. It isn't working. The closets, made of expensive wood and metal, seem outstanding and prominent in the bedroom. Your ideal bedroom, actually.
There is a sliding door on your left, and you open it, revealing another room an exact replica of the one behind you. Everything is made and tidied, delicately rearranged, just as you like it. Then you leave the room, back into the long corridor. To your left is a window that looks out to the forest. You think that the view is breathtaking and you cannot wait to get out there and stroll through mother nature as you enjoy the fresh air.
You then enter a living room, with white leather sofas complete with a coffee table stacked with magazines and a plasma TV. You decide that the sofa looks too good to be left un-sat on, so you plop down and close your eyes. It is just as comfortable as you have imagined.
After a while, you decide that you have rested enough, and it is time to continue the journey. You walk along a corridor again, and the kitchen looms near. Inside, the kitchen is clean and tidy, not a single hair out of place, with plates, bowls and utensils stored neatly in cupboards.
Before you know it, it is night-time. You return back into the living room to receive the greatest shock of your life. There, sitting on the sofa as if they sat there every night, are your parents, smiling benevolently at you and motioning for you to join them. You walk forward slowly, tears forming at the corners of your eyes but you manage to hold them back in a deep breath.
You make your way slowly towards them, and reach out a hand. Thin air. Your mother's hand is made of thin air. She smiles again, "Hey."
You stutter, "You're a....s...spirit?" You are disbelieving. When did they get here?
"Yes," your father answers, nodding seriously at you.
You decide not to ask anymore questions. You could have been dreaming. Three of you settle down, your parents on the sofa and you on the floor in front of them. You talk about things. This and That. That and This. And you fall asleep.
Next morning, you wake up, and see that your parents are gone. You run into the two previous rooms you have been in and search every crook and nanny you can find. Any evidences, any clue, anything... Bits of paper under the bed with writings on them that do not make any sense. An alarm clock that never works. A window that never opens.
Running past the kitchen, you realise that the back door has no knob. There are hinges on both sides of the door. Sprinting to the front door that you came from the day before, you realize that it is the same thing. There is no door knob. You wonder why you didn't notice it yesterday.
Night comes faster than the previous day, and once again you see your parents sitting patiently on the sofa, and you spend another night talking to them in the living room until fatigue overtakes you and you fall asleep.
The same thing occurs everyday, searching for evidence, a way out, and at night, you chat with your parents. There is no one there to company you in the days, and that's when you realize how lonely you are. You have no one to talk to you, to care for you, to share with you. The silent stillness of the house terrifies you to the very core of your faint heart.
There is nobody.
Nobody.
One day, you wake up to the silence of the house. Today, you feel lethargic. You sit there, alone, as tears roll down your cheeks and you tremble with the emptiness in your bones. You hold your head in your hands, and you remain there, unmoving, even as your body groans with the pain from sitting on the floor last night.
You do not have anymore strength to continue this ordeal. It is too painful. It is too tiring. It is too lonely.
That night, you say to your father, "I'm going to use the chair to smash the window to get out tomorrow. Is that okay?"
Your father nods gravely.
Your mother smiles at you again, sadness evident in her hollow eyes.
Tonight, you fall asleep with your head on the sofa.
Morning comes. You wake up and the first thing you do is to find the heaviest chair in the room. With all of your might, you throw it against the glass window. The chair bounces back like a basketball.
That was the last straw. You collpase onto your knees and this time, you howl. You howl for all the loneliness you had felt. You howl for the spirits you see every night. Are they bits of imagination, even? You howl for the emptiness of the house. It is a beautiful house, but it is empty. It contains no joy, no laughter and no happiness.
You cry until your tears dry out and your eyes sting from the empty air that surrounds you. Your shoulders slump, and your eyes lose the shine they once held so vividly.
You turn around to face the steps that leads to the second storey of the house. You have nothing else to lose. Shrugging, you venture up the stairs and you realize that you have entered the master bedroom. There is something -- or someone -- on the bed. As you near it, you realize there are two people on the bed.
The sheets are white, like all the others downstairs, but they are stained red with blood. You examine the two people by bending down closer to them. They...
...are your parents.
The ones who had been talking to you every night since you were trapped inside this house. The ones who had kept you company. The ones who you thought came from your imagination. Each of them have a knife wedged in the middle for the abdomen, and their eyes remain wide open.
If they weren't your parents you would have shrieked and ran away. Instead, you remain stunned, pained by their betrayal. Had they not trusted you enough to tell you that this was where they had died? They had been lying upstairs, eyes wide open, while you chatted every night downstairs.
Looking at them, something snaps deep within you. The last thread that had been holding everything together for you, has snapped. Tears that are pouring out of your eyes are now out of your control and you have no desire to command it. Instead, you climb into bed, in between your parents who are lying and facing each other, pulled out the knife from your father's abdomen and plunge it into your own.
Finally it has ended. Your agony is gone. Everything comes to a close as your vision fades. Death is a welcome relief.
Home-sweet-home.
And you awake, cold beads of pespiration on your forehead.
Suddenly the man turns back to you, gives you another sinister smile and gestures for you to move so he can close the door. You oblige, letting him close the door with a resounding snap. Tentatively, you walk down the corridor and enter the first room you see to your right.
The room is spotless, with fluffy white bedsheets, and a bedside table with a beautiful, elaborately designed table lamp. You notice an alarm clock lying innocent on the table, but there are no numbers. It isn't working. The closets, made of expensive wood and metal, seem outstanding and prominent in the bedroom. Your ideal bedroom, actually.
There is a sliding door on your left, and you open it, revealing another room an exact replica of the one behind you. Everything is made and tidied, delicately rearranged, just as you like it. Then you leave the room, back into the long corridor. To your left is a window that looks out to the forest. You think that the view is breathtaking and you cannot wait to get out there and stroll through mother nature as you enjoy the fresh air.
You then enter a living room, with white leather sofas complete with a coffee table stacked with magazines and a plasma TV. You decide that the sofa looks too good to be left un-sat on, so you plop down and close your eyes. It is just as comfortable as you have imagined.
After a while, you decide that you have rested enough, and it is time to continue the journey. You walk along a corridor again, and the kitchen looms near. Inside, the kitchen is clean and tidy, not a single hair out of place, with plates, bowls and utensils stored neatly in cupboards.
Before you know it, it is night-time. You return back into the living room to receive the greatest shock of your life. There, sitting on the sofa as if they sat there every night, are your parents, smiling benevolently at you and motioning for you to join them. You walk forward slowly, tears forming at the corners of your eyes but you manage to hold them back in a deep breath.
You make your way slowly towards them, and reach out a hand. Thin air. Your mother's hand is made of thin air. She smiles again, "Hey."
You stutter, "You're a....s...spirit?" You are disbelieving. When did they get here?
"Yes," your father answers, nodding seriously at you.
You decide not to ask anymore questions. You could have been dreaming. Three of you settle down, your parents on the sofa and you on the floor in front of them. You talk about things. This and That. That and This. And you fall asleep.
Next morning, you wake up, and see that your parents are gone. You run into the two previous rooms you have been in and search every crook and nanny you can find. Any evidences, any clue, anything... Bits of paper under the bed with writings on them that do not make any sense. An alarm clock that never works. A window that never opens.
Running past the kitchen, you realise that the back door has no knob. There are hinges on both sides of the door. Sprinting to the front door that you came from the day before, you realize that it is the same thing. There is no door knob. You wonder why you didn't notice it yesterday.
Night comes faster than the previous day, and once again you see your parents sitting patiently on the sofa, and you spend another night talking to them in the living room until fatigue overtakes you and you fall asleep.
The same thing occurs everyday, searching for evidence, a way out, and at night, you chat with your parents. There is no one there to company you in the days, and that's when you realize how lonely you are. You have no one to talk to you, to care for you, to share with you. The silent stillness of the house terrifies you to the very core of your faint heart.
There is nobody.
Nobody.
One day, you wake up to the silence of the house. Today, you feel lethargic. You sit there, alone, as tears roll down your cheeks and you tremble with the emptiness in your bones. You hold your head in your hands, and you remain there, unmoving, even as your body groans with the pain from sitting on the floor last night.
You do not have anymore strength to continue this ordeal. It is too painful. It is too tiring. It is too lonely.
That night, you say to your father, "I'm going to use the chair to smash the window to get out tomorrow. Is that okay?"
Your father nods gravely.
Your mother smiles at you again, sadness evident in her hollow eyes.
Tonight, you fall asleep with your head on the sofa.
Morning comes. You wake up and the first thing you do is to find the heaviest chair in the room. With all of your might, you throw it against the glass window. The chair bounces back like a basketball.
That was the last straw. You collpase onto your knees and this time, you howl. You howl for all the loneliness you had felt. You howl for the spirits you see every night. Are they bits of imagination, even? You howl for the emptiness of the house. It is a beautiful house, but it is empty. It contains no joy, no laughter and no happiness.
You cry until your tears dry out and your eyes sting from the empty air that surrounds you. Your shoulders slump, and your eyes lose the shine they once held so vividly.
You turn around to face the steps that leads to the second storey of the house. You have nothing else to lose. Shrugging, you venture up the stairs and you realize that you have entered the master bedroom. There is something -- or someone -- on the bed. As you near it, you realize there are two people on the bed.
The sheets are white, like all the others downstairs, but they are stained red with blood. You examine the two people by bending down closer to them. They...
...are your parents.
The ones who had been talking to you every night since you were trapped inside this house. The ones who had kept you company. The ones who you thought came from your imagination. Each of them have a knife wedged in the middle for the abdomen, and their eyes remain wide open.
If they weren't your parents you would have shrieked and ran away. Instead, you remain stunned, pained by their betrayal. Had they not trusted you enough to tell you that this was where they had died? They had been lying upstairs, eyes wide open, while you chatted every night downstairs.
Looking at them, something snaps deep within you. The last thread that had been holding everything together for you, has snapped. Tears that are pouring out of your eyes are now out of your control and you have no desire to command it. Instead, you climb into bed, in between your parents who are lying and facing each other, pulled out the knife from your father's abdomen and plunge it into your own.
Finally it has ended. Your agony is gone. Everything comes to a close as your vision fades. Death is a welcome relief.
Home-sweet-home.
And you awake, cold beads of pespiration on your forehead.
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Think
I lay in my bed, thinking...about the things I want to do.
Believe me, I'll do it.
I'll do it until you have nothing to say.
Believe me, I'll do it.
I'll do it until you have nothing to say.
The Walk Home
I walked home with SY today. What's so significant about that? Walking home together, just the both of us, was an everyday occurrence. Not. So that's why it's different.
We talked about nothing in peculiar yet talked about everything that was queer. First was the discussion about OSCAR (no, I can't act you gundoo), then moving on to some other stuff that I don't really remember. The main point is, we argued. Our relationship is based on arguments and make-ups. (Nah, you can't ever dissect a relationship like that, I'm just trying to express it in layman terms.)
But seriously. We like to argue over all sorts of things, and she likes to get on my nerves. The good part of this is we haven't had a big fight yet. It's brewing, perhaps? (:
Why am I blogging about this?
...
...Dunno.
Heh.
We talked about nothing in peculiar yet talked about everything that was queer. First was the discussion about OSCAR (no, I can't act you gundoo), then moving on to some other stuff that I don't really remember. The main point is, we argued. Our relationship is based on arguments and make-ups. (Nah, you can't ever dissect a relationship like that, I'm just trying to express it in layman terms.)
But seriously. We like to argue over all sorts of things, and she likes to get on my nerves. The good part of this is we haven't had a big fight yet. It's brewing, perhaps? (:
Why am I blogging about this?
...
...Dunno.
Heh.
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
I tried
Truthfully, frankly, and in all honesty, I've tried, and I've done my best. Whether you're blind and refuse to acknowledge it, or you're just way to self absorbed to notice, I have. No regrets whatsoever on my part.
People will see what they want to see, and they won't see what they don't want to see.
I cannot force you to acknowledge what I've done for you, because seeing is believing. You'd just think I'm vindicating myself, but I'm not. I've done my best, plain and simple.
Either you agree or you don't.
Another thing, don't listen to whatever you hear. Because rumours do more harm than good. The one whispering to you is the one whispering behind your back.
Don't let it get to you, though. Happens all the time.
People will see what they want to see, and they won't see what they don't want to see.
I cannot force you to acknowledge what I've done for you, because seeing is believing. You'd just think I'm vindicating myself, but I'm not. I've done my best, plain and simple.
Either you agree or you don't.
Another thing, don't listen to whatever you hear. Because rumours do more harm than good. The one whispering to you is the one whispering behind your back.
Don't let it get to you, though. Happens all the time.
Friday, 15 February 2008
Valentine's Day
Everyone was going, "Happy Valentines!"
"Happy V-day!"
"Happy Val!"
and so on.
Personally, I didn't really like Valentine's Day, not because I haven't found my soulmate, but because it simply doesn't mean anything much to me. Valentine's Day is just like any other day, except that I had to prepare gifts and cards for everybody (not literally, of course). I hope it'll mean something to me next time. For now, I just want to remember who gave me the lovely presents. It doesn't matter when you receive the presents, as long as you get something, it still makes me happy.
Roses -- Peak Deng, Alicia, Celeste and Brenda
Ferrero Roche -- Grace (my lovely angel)
Sweets and biscuits wrapped in a beautiful transparent wrapping with white butterflies -- Si Yun
Precious Memories magnet and jelly tots-- Emma <3
Card -- Anna, Kai Ying and Emma <3
Lollipop -- MQ and another no-name hero
Cupcake -- Fiona and Graci
Poker card (Spade Six) -- Graci
Fox's Orange Crystal Sweet -- Jervis
Bottle with message, plaster, and other misc stuff that I really like! -- Ashley (late) XD
Roses (!!), sweets and poker card!! XD -- Nicole^^
Erm, might have missed out some, but, whatever. Nobody cares what I got except me anyway.
"Happy V-day!"
"Happy Val!"
and so on.
Personally, I didn't really like Valentine's Day, not because I haven't found my soulmate, but because it simply doesn't mean anything much to me. Valentine's Day is just like any other day, except that I had to prepare gifts and cards for everybody (not literally, of course). I hope it'll mean something to me next time. For now, I just want to remember who gave me the lovely presents. It doesn't matter when you receive the presents, as long as you get something, it still makes me happy.
Roses -- Peak Deng, Alicia, Celeste and Brenda
Ferrero Roche -- Grace (my lovely angel)
Sweets and biscuits wrapped in a beautiful transparent wrapping with white butterflies -- Si Yun
Precious Memories magnet and jelly tots-- Emma <3
Card -- Anna, Kai Ying and Emma <3
Lollipop -- MQ and another no-name hero
Cupcake -- Fiona and Graci
Poker card (Spade Six) -- Graci
Fox's Orange Crystal Sweet -- Jervis
Bottle with message, plaster, and other misc stuff that I really like! -- Ashley (late) XD
Roses (!!), sweets and poker card!! XD -- Nicole^^
Erm, might have missed out some, but, whatever. Nobody cares what I got except me anyway.
Thursday, 14 February 2008
Skinned Alive
Website: http://www.furisdead.com/feat/ChineseFurFarms/
Take some time to watch this. Gruesome, it may be, but it's better to know where you're getting your material satisfaction from.
Take some time to watch this. Gruesome, it may be, but it's better to know where you're getting your material satisfaction from.
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
School
It's being ages since I'd last updated, and it's not because I had nothing to say but things were so overwhelming that I just couldn't find it in me to post all of them. So I ended up not posting anything. Whatever.
Things are really piling up, with a little bit of this another bit of them, and WALA! you have a mountain of stuff to do. I do set goals for myself (for the day, at least), I really do. It's just that half of the time I never got around to doing it. Time is being a bitch and doesn't want to wait for me.
Homework has been really slack this week, no tests, no nothing. Guess what happens next week? Yeah, you got it, genius. Everything. Tests, homework, deadline, etc. I wish the school would be a kind soul and just spread out the tests evenly. It won't be so taxing on my mind then.
Okay, let's move on to something else -- school is boring me out.
Music. Ha. My sis has somehow gotten wind of Jap Pop Songs and are downloading them like crazy into my phone. They're not half as bad, just that I can't sing along. Help, Mei Wei! Yawns. Now I'm bored of this subject. Moving on.
I'm really unhappy with our new dance instructor. Says he's coming at 3, so we wait till 5 and he ain't coming! >.< What gives?
Humans are scary beings. I'm so goddamn wary of them that I get paranoid and it simply drives me up the wall. What's with all the bitching, gossiping, backstabbing and complaining? Half of the time they don't know what they're talking about and they still chatter away like a know-it-all. I can tahan it for most of the time, but sometimes it just irritates me to no end. And guess what? I resort to their level too. Some kind of person I am.
Then when I resurface again, I disgust myself. I look at what I'd done and I retch. Life's so full of disappointments. I'm disappointed in others yet I disappoint myself too.
Sometimes when I hear all those lies, I feel nothing but hurt. They trash a person like that for entertainment and then discard him. What a painful truth. We can't be alone, but when we're together it ain't all that great either. Nothing's perfect. Not me, not my life, not you.
I just feel like sighing. There's nothing I can do about it. You just sit back, and watch everything unfold, cry at some parts, sympathize, and then move on. It's all about moving on.
This is starting to become an emo post. Better stop here before I reveal too much.
Just me and my muses. Don't take it too seriously.
Things are really piling up, with a little bit of this another bit of them, and WALA! you have a mountain of stuff to do. I do set goals for myself (for the day, at least), I really do. It's just that half of the time I never got around to doing it. Time is being a bitch and doesn't want to wait for me.
Homework has been really slack this week, no tests, no nothing. Guess what happens next week? Yeah, you got it, genius. Everything. Tests, homework, deadline, etc. I wish the school would be a kind soul and just spread out the tests evenly. It won't be so taxing on my mind then.
Okay, let's move on to something else -- school is boring me out.
Music. Ha. My sis has somehow gotten wind of Jap Pop Songs and are downloading them like crazy into my phone. They're not half as bad, just that I can't sing along. Help, Mei Wei! Yawns. Now I'm bored of this subject. Moving on.
I'm really unhappy with our new dance instructor. Says he's coming at 3, so we wait till 5 and he ain't coming! >.< What gives?
Humans are scary beings. I'm so goddamn wary of them that I get paranoid and it simply drives me up the wall. What's with all the bitching, gossiping, backstabbing and complaining? Half of the time they don't know what they're talking about and they still chatter away like a know-it-all. I can tahan it for most of the time, but sometimes it just irritates me to no end. And guess what? I resort to their level too. Some kind of person I am.
Then when I resurface again, I disgust myself. I look at what I'd done and I retch. Life's so full of disappointments. I'm disappointed in others yet I disappoint myself too.
Sometimes when I hear all those lies, I feel nothing but hurt. They trash a person like that for entertainment and then discard him. What a painful truth. We can't be alone, but when we're together it ain't all that great either. Nothing's perfect. Not me, not my life, not you.
I just feel like sighing. There's nothing I can do about it. You just sit back, and watch everything unfold, cry at some parts, sympathize, and then move on. It's all about moving on.
This is starting to become an emo post. Better stop here before I reveal too much.
Just me and my muses. Don't take it too seriously.
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Monday, 28 January 2008
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Plants
I may as well be a plant.
I absorb the situation around me, but the deduction only comes hours later, when I'm lying in bed, about to fall asleep, then it hits me -- what was going on this afternoon.
What's wrong with me?
I absorb the situation around me, but the deduction only comes hours later, when I'm lying in bed, about to fall asleep, then it hits me -- what was going on this afternoon.
What's wrong with me?
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Many Thanks
Many thanks to all my best friends around me. You know who you are. You guys rock my world and you know I can't make it without you. :D
Scream
No, this isn't about the famous picture with that ugly woman who sends shivers down my spine everytime I see her.
This is what I had written when I was drowning in self-pity.
--
The worst kind of pain you can experience is not of those that you yourself go through. The real pain is when you watch someone you love fall into despair. There is only so much you can do. She falls down into that bottomless pit before I could get a firm hold of her hand. I can only stand at the edge of the pit, cringing at her tortured scream as she continues falling... Time cease to exist and it doesn't end. You can do nothing about it.
Yet someone else stands beside me, sniggering at the fate of the fallen woman. She thinks it's a joke. Is it? She doesn't know. She doesn't know that the hysterical scream will never end and her guilt will never dissipate. She doesn't know what she has caused, but the ball had started rolling. It would be over before she knew it started.
I can only stand and watch. Two pathways form themselves from my eyes to my jaw. Then, they stop abruptly. As I lean over the edge, my tears drip straight into the pit to pacify the resounding shriek.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you."
"I'm sorry that I didn't have the courage to jump down this goddamn pit to join you."
"I'm sorry I'm so selfish."
But, please survive. Because until the deafening scream stops, my eyes will never stop bleeding for you.
It's painful to suffer, but it's excruciating to watch someone you love fall from grace.
--
Incoherent, I know. But who the heck thinks properly when you're in an emotional maelstrom?
This is what I had written when I was drowning in self-pity.
--
The worst kind of pain you can experience is not of those that you yourself go through. The real pain is when you watch someone you love fall into despair. There is only so much you can do. She falls down into that bottomless pit before I could get a firm hold of her hand. I can only stand at the edge of the pit, cringing at her tortured scream as she continues falling... Time cease to exist and it doesn't end. You can do nothing about it.
Yet someone else stands beside me, sniggering at the fate of the fallen woman. She thinks it's a joke. Is it? She doesn't know. She doesn't know that the hysterical scream will never end and her guilt will never dissipate. She doesn't know what she has caused, but the ball had started rolling. It would be over before she knew it started.
I can only stand and watch. Two pathways form themselves from my eyes to my jaw. Then, they stop abruptly. As I lean over the edge, my tears drip straight into the pit to pacify the resounding shriek.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you."
"I'm sorry that I didn't have the courage to jump down this goddamn pit to join you."
"I'm sorry I'm so selfish."
But, please survive. Because until the deafening scream stops, my eyes will never stop bleeding for you.
It's painful to suffer, but it's excruciating to watch someone you love fall from grace.
--
Incoherent, I know. But who the heck thinks properly when you're in an emotional maelstrom?
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Third Ten Words
The naive child does not really know the murky waters of the real world.
Living in affluence is a priviledge, not what you should have.
In retrospect, I think that I was happier in my childhood days.
The restaurant specially prepared a sumptious meal for the gourmet, hoping to get a good review to attract more customers.
You can simulate and lie to others all you want, but you'll be the one living the lie in the end.
The magnanimous donater gave enough money to renovate the entire orphanage.
This was supposed to be clandestine, kept under wraps, not for everyone to know!
Nothing can be said to move the apathetic citizens who have lost interest a long time ago.
She tried to placate me by buying me chocolates.
She vacillated before accepting the proposal.
Living in affluence is a priviledge, not what you should have.
In retrospect, I think that I was happier in my childhood days.
The restaurant specially prepared a sumptious meal for the gourmet, hoping to get a good review to attract more customers.
You can simulate and lie to others all you want, but you'll be the one living the lie in the end.
The magnanimous donater gave enough money to renovate the entire orphanage.
This was supposed to be clandestine, kept under wraps, not for everyone to know!
Nothing can be said to move the apathetic citizens who have lost interest a long time ago.
She tried to placate me by buying me chocolates.
She vacillated before accepting the proposal.
Second Ten Words
When revolutionary came about, technology far supersedes man-made tools.
He had to perform an autopsy on a cadaver sent in by an annoymous person.
He was an indefatigable sales person, whose loquacity and glib annoyed many around him.
I am an atheist, because I have a hard believing in someone I can't see.
She was born in a wealthy family, who gave her everything she wanted, making an incorrigible, spoiled little girl.
Unless you show me ocular proof, I will not believe you.
If you vote for a demagogue, you will suffer its consequences as he conforms to everything that is popular, but not necessarily right.
He had to perform an autopsy on a cadaver sent in by an annoymous person.
He was an indefatigable sales person, whose loquacity and glib annoyed many around him.
I am an atheist, because I have a hard believing in someone I can't see.
She was born in a wealthy family, who gave her everything she wanted, making an incorrigible, spoiled little girl.
Unless you show me ocular proof, I will not believe you.
If you vote for a demagogue, you will suffer its consequences as he conforms to everything that is popular, but not necessarily right.
Thank You
We are having a hard time. But we often forget that the teachers are, too. Teachers are the communication portal, the middlemen, between the school's authorative figures and the students. They know we are unhappy, and they are willing to face our wrath. So why are we, students, giving them a hard time?
Deep down, we know the teachers cannot control what the school does. What the ministry does. So why are we so keen on picking a battle with the wrong enemy? The teachers are not our adversary, as many have proven before, so why are we going against them?
In our anger, we forgot ourselves. I want to thank my Chinese teacher and my English teacher for taking time off their lessons to patiently explain the whole situation to us. And I believe we got our message across. They know that it was their tone that got the ball rolling, and the teachers are having a difficult time explaining when the students are being way too stubborn to talk to.
However, despite the various explanations, the teachers still do not get it. They try to explain, try to mollify our anger, and try to talk sense but it only exacerbates us. Mrs G feels disappointed in us, in our relentlessness, and she thinks that we are just trying to pick a blind fight. But it's not like that. This situation isn't black and white, but she failed to see that.
But I quote, "I can wake a man who is really sleeping, but I can't wake a man who is pretending to sleep."
So true.
But we aren't pretending to sleep, Mrs G. We are trying to wake you up. Not you, literally, I meant the school. You have to wake up and see us. We are dealing out our cards right under your nose but you still refuse to see it.
We only want a 'sorry'.
And that is what the teachers failed to say when they used every ounce of energy they had to speak to us. Indeed, we heard the underlying apology under your tone, but you still cover it all with glamorous explanations and exemplums that was really uncalled for.
I believe teachers do see what we are trying to get at. But you won't give it to us. As students, it is nearly impossible for us to ask for an apology from adults. It is morally incorrect. We should never expect a 'sorry'. But what you don't know is that this one word can pacify all of us and disperse this situation once and for all.
Both of us are unwilling to relent.
Who's going to be the magnanimous one to back down?
Deep down, we know the teachers cannot control what the school does. What the ministry does. So why are we so keen on picking a battle with the wrong enemy? The teachers are not our adversary, as many have proven before, so why are we going against them?
In our anger, we forgot ourselves. I want to thank my Chinese teacher and my English teacher for taking time off their lessons to patiently explain the whole situation to us. And I believe we got our message across. They know that it was their tone that got the ball rolling, and the teachers are having a difficult time explaining when the students are being way too stubborn to talk to.
However, despite the various explanations, the teachers still do not get it. They try to explain, try to mollify our anger, and try to talk sense but it only exacerbates us. Mrs G feels disappointed in us, in our relentlessness, and she thinks that we are just trying to pick a blind fight. But it's not like that. This situation isn't black and white, but she failed to see that.
But I quote, "I can wake a man who is really sleeping, but I can't wake a man who is pretending to sleep."
So true.
But we aren't pretending to sleep, Mrs G. We are trying to wake you up. Not you, literally, I meant the school. You have to wake up and see us. We are dealing out our cards right under your nose but you still refuse to see it.
We only want a 'sorry'.
And that is what the teachers failed to say when they used every ounce of energy they had to speak to us. Indeed, we heard the underlying apology under your tone, but you still cover it all with glamorous explanations and exemplums that was really uncalled for.
I believe teachers do see what we are trying to get at. But you won't give it to us. As students, it is nearly impossible for us to ask for an apology from adults. It is morally incorrect. We should never expect a 'sorry'. But what you don't know is that this one word can pacify all of us and disperse this situation once and for all.
Both of us are unwilling to relent.
Who's going to be the magnanimous one to back down?
Friday, 18 January 2008
Gone Are The Days
Tighten the school rules, fine.
Tighten your hold on our reins, fine.
Take away our priviledges, fine.
Make me pay for a school calender that costs ten bucks, not fine.
Is there a need to rip us of our priviledges and control us like the robots we were supposed to be? I agree the school's students have been getting more and more out of hand lately, and it was high time you guys stepped up and did something about it. Nothing better than a tight slap in the face. It's what you're doing, but at the same time, you deprive us of the reason we came to school in the first place. Have you long lost your goal somewhere along the way?
If you did, please, I urge you to find it back and place it on top of your priority list. You are breaking all of us apart, scaring us shitless and making us fear the very entrance of the school. You are separating us, to break down our influence, our power, our bonds. You know that we cannot stand alone, so you go for our only weakness. Together we are strong, but a part without a part is apart. This is what I've learnt from OBS. You are sending us mixed signals. You want us to be supportive of each other, yet we cannot choose oppose authority? Everything you are doing for us is for our own good? Think again.
Ever heard of daylight robbery? This is daylight fear.
You have our bests interests at heart, but sometimes, your selfishness shines through like a bright light in a dark tunnel. You know we know what you are doing, yet you shower us with blessings and lies. We don't buy this shit, thank you very much.
Let me get back to the finance issue. Yes, you are "upgrading" the school's facilities to build in state-of-the-art equipments for the students to enjoy. But the original exercise gym, in my opinion, was perfectly fine. Eunice pointed out this very good fact the other day. We are fine with it. One more thing, it is rumored that if the sports students want us out of there, we have no choice but to comply. Why, o' mighty one, are we paying for it? Not to mention the fact that we are Secondary Fours, in the final year of our Secondary Life, and you are here making every single freaking one of us pay 10 freaking bucks for something that doesn't benefit us in anyway?
Sorry to be practical, but hey, that's how you survive in this world. You can't live your everyday life by just praying to God. He doesn't send money fluttering down from the skies. My parents have to work their asses off to provide me with what I have today. Why are you giving them more pressure in investing in your own interests? This is what upsets me. You renovated the Staff Room (like it wasn't good enough compare to the rest of the school) and even the General Office! Have you seen the Art Rooms? Have you even tried to work there?
I am so disappointed. To add "the icing on the cake", you've been spending all the money in the right places at the wrong time. What you are doing is morally wrong. I'm so disappointed in these supposed adults and decision-makers that I have nothing more to say. Until the next post, then.
I'm not handing the ten bucks over. If this continues I'm gonna go on mutiny.
Tighten your hold on our reins, fine.
Take away our priviledges, fine.
Make me pay for a school calender that costs ten bucks, not fine.
In fact, I want to tell you: Get out of my face.
I don't really care if you want to "shape up" the school's image and resurrect it once more on the glorified list of the government's. That's your job, and no way am I gonna hate you for it. Make us look like nerds and call us out on stage to bring shame that flush right down to the very tips of our toes for our unkempt hair, but finance is another issue altogether. I will get back to that later.
People are complaining, rebuking, berating and vituperating all over their emo-blogs these days without restraint, are you gonna catch all of us and whip us in front of hundreds pairs of eyes? Or are you going to look past the anger, confusion and upset emotions and understand what we are really trying to say? This country does not allow outright protests and riots, so we computerize it instead. Are you going to be like the government and round all of us up like they did during the Japanese Occupation and eliminate us? I'm talking harsh here, but it's time someone heard and understood.
Is there a need to rip us of our priviledges and control us like the robots we were supposed to be? I agree the school's students have been getting more and more out of hand lately, and it was high time you guys stepped up and did something about it. Nothing better than a tight slap in the face. It's what you're doing, but at the same time, you deprive us of the reason we came to school in the first place. Have you long lost your goal somewhere along the way?
If you did, please, I urge you to find it back and place it on top of your priority list. You are breaking all of us apart, scaring us shitless and making us fear the very entrance of the school. You are separating us, to break down our influence, our power, our bonds. You know that we cannot stand alone, so you go for our only weakness. Together we are strong, but a part without a part is apart. This is what I've learnt from OBS. You are sending us mixed signals. You want us to be supportive of each other, yet we cannot choose oppose authority? Everything you are doing for us is for our own good? Think again.
Ever heard of daylight robbery? This is daylight fear.
You have our bests interests at heart, but sometimes, your selfishness shines through like a bright light in a dark tunnel. You know we know what you are doing, yet you shower us with blessings and lies. We don't buy this shit, thank you very much.
Let me get back to the finance issue. Yes, you are "upgrading" the school's facilities to build in state-of-the-art equipments for the students to enjoy. But the original exercise gym, in my opinion, was perfectly fine. Eunice pointed out this very good fact the other day. We are fine with it. One more thing, it is rumored that if the sports students want us out of there, we have no choice but to comply. Why, o' mighty one, are we paying for it? Not to mention the fact that we are Secondary Fours, in the final year of our Secondary Life, and you are here making every single freaking one of us pay 10 freaking bucks for something that doesn't benefit us in anyway?
Sorry to be practical, but hey, that's how you survive in this world. You can't live your everyday life by just praying to God. He doesn't send money fluttering down from the skies. My parents have to work their asses off to provide me with what I have today. Why are you giving them more pressure in investing in your own interests? This is what upsets me. You renovated the Staff Room (like it wasn't good enough compare to the rest of the school) and even the General Office! Have you seen the Art Rooms? Have you even tried to work there?
I am so disappointed. To add "the icing on the cake", you've been spending all the money in the right places at the wrong time. What you are doing is morally wrong. I'm so disappointed in these supposed adults and decision-makers that I have nothing more to say. Until the next post, then.
I'm not handing the ten bucks over. If this continues I'm gonna go on mutiny.
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