To be proactive is to not be reactive. Simple enough?
Not to react to how others make you feel, but to decide how you want to feel.
Not to react to what others make you do, but to decide on what you need to do.
Of course, to the second point, there are always things pulling you down for every decision, but that is another story. The choice itself is yours.
Do not say 'I'll try' but 'I'll do it'
Do not say 'I have to' but 'I choose to'
Most importantly, do not let others ruin your day, because you ruin your own day.
"People are just about as happy as they make up their mind to be." -Abraham Lincoln
Its amazing how a little proactivity in my life has changed my attitude and the way I see things especially during this holiday. Not to be emotional and decisional marionette controlled by everyone else in this world takes a constant reminder to myself. It is a habit for me to train.
"We make our habits. Then our habits make us."
This is a relatively short composition but still...
To be continued...
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Rights for what's right
It is my birthday today! A cute bear given as a present now sits in front of my desk. I told myself to be happy today.
Yesterday, my family attended a violin concert where I was supposed to accompany my brother's violin on the piano and play my violin piece too. I stumbled quite a lot on the piano, probably due to nervousness, and even started dreaming while playing. When I hit an unfamilier part, I struggled to find out where I was on the score. My violin performance was still alright though. We left the concert halfway for dinner at a restaurant in Bukit Timah.
I shall start off with a "joke". Its totally unrelated to what I am going to talk about later.
My father's company wanted a 100% share in being another companies supplier. Finally, after managing to get that company to cancel its other supplier's contract, they realised they had nothing to sell. Make more? Nah, the company does not even have the machine. The products were bought.
Then, my father colleagues lied that the machine was malfunctioning, and some person came down to check it out. As to what happened after is out of my knowledge.
Honesty is simple, yet how complicated things get in its absence...
-End of story-
Sunday, my family planned to watch 'Bolt' the movie at PJ. We entered the car park. As we circled around, we found that one of the parking lot detectors are malfunctioning as it remains green although the space had been occupied. Anyway, we could not find a lot, and the number of cars accumulated. We were so unlucky, or should I say, some people are so lucky, that whenever we saw a space, it got occupied when we were about to reach it.
In addition, we saw a few people standing in the middle of the road chatting with one another in the carpark. If they were carpark attendants, they are idiots, as they did not do anything about the traffic or guide any of the cars. If they were not, they are idiotic for standing in the middle of the road and blocking traffic. Either way, they are idiots. Unless there was a threat behind them! We might have accused them wrongly as they saved our lives yet we scolded them behind their back! But we did not see any black bag so the chances of that would be very low.
After circling for 10 minutes or more, my father was really pissed off. This carpark had no idea of traffic control at all. At MT, there were two entrances and the guards between the two co-operated so as to ensure that there were not too many cars entering compared to exiting, which was better, although there was a long queue of cars trailing behind. 10 minutes in the carpark, that means 'pay-up'. As he drove towards the barrier, he realised his mistake just in time and whisked out his cashcard before the machine could deduct any money, and complained through shouting. The guard let him out free immediately.
He did something different from all the other cars which went out without getting a lot. He voiced out. 2 dollars might not be alot, but our rights do. We did not use the car park, so why should we pay? If this goes on, some people could get too confident in swallowing money and it has to be stopped.
This reminded us about another incident which made my father 'famous'. Our maid went to buy shoes at PL. The store attendants gave her the wrong size. My father went to the store and requested for a change. They turned it down. No negotiation worked and he started shouting at them, bringing in a crowd. The store attendants threatened to call the police, but he did not move. Probably knowing that they were wrong, they gave in. Its not a matter of money, but a matter of principles.
Once again, these triggered up the incident at sentosa earlier this year. I believe it is one incident that would not leave my memory easily. I succumbed to the peer pressure and gave up my rights on deciding for myself, whether to participate in their cheating act. I might be looked down upon, but at least not by myself, which is most important. If you know that what you are doing is right, then build your actions upon it. Be ready to voice out.
Many people come and go, just like a moving foundation. To build your actions upon their requests, everything can just topple once they leave, leaving what you have done in a rubble.
Principle is solid. Principles like "Being Honest", "Caring" are the solid foundations of living a life.
You might say that being petty over money (like in the first two examples) isn't a very nice way to live. Here, if a beggar comes to you and say, "Please give me some money". Sure, any kind soul would give. What if, he said "Please, I beg you to let me cheat off your money." Well, won't that make you think twice?
What's more if no one bothers to fight back when they have been 'bullied', would not that make them even more sure of carrying out such underhand means for their personal gain, and making more people suffer? And sure, this applies to robbing of other's rights for them to decide their own path.
Do not be let others trade off what's yours for their selfish gain, intended or unintended. If unintended, be nice; if intended, 'fight'. If dealing with a bunch of gangsters, retreat.
Yesterday, my family attended a violin concert where I was supposed to accompany my brother's violin on the piano and play my violin piece too. I stumbled quite a lot on the piano, probably due to nervousness, and even started dreaming while playing. When I hit an unfamilier part, I struggled to find out where I was on the score. My violin performance was still alright though. We left the concert halfway for dinner at a restaurant in Bukit Timah.
I shall start off with a "joke". Its totally unrelated to what I am going to talk about later.
My father's company wanted a 100% share in being another companies supplier. Finally, after managing to get that company to cancel its other supplier's contract, they realised they had nothing to sell. Make more? Nah, the company does not even have the machine. The products were bought.
Then, my father colleagues lied that the machine was malfunctioning, and some person came down to check it out. As to what happened after is out of my knowledge.
Honesty is simple, yet how complicated things get in its absence...
-End of story-
Sunday, my family planned to watch 'Bolt' the movie at PJ. We entered the car park. As we circled around, we found that one of the parking lot detectors are malfunctioning as it remains green although the space had been occupied. Anyway, we could not find a lot, and the number of cars accumulated. We were so unlucky, or should I say, some people are so lucky, that whenever we saw a space, it got occupied when we were about to reach it.
In addition, we saw a few people standing in the middle of the road chatting with one another in the carpark. If they were carpark attendants, they are idiots, as they did not do anything about the traffic or guide any of the cars. If they were not, they are idiotic for standing in the middle of the road and blocking traffic. Either way, they are idiots. Unless there was a threat behind them! We might have accused them wrongly as they saved our lives yet we scolded them behind their back! But we did not see any black bag so the chances of that would be very low.
After circling for 10 minutes or more, my father was really pissed off. This carpark had no idea of traffic control at all. At MT, there were two entrances and the guards between the two co-operated so as to ensure that there were not too many cars entering compared to exiting, which was better, although there was a long queue of cars trailing behind. 10 minutes in the carpark, that means 'pay-up'. As he drove towards the barrier, he realised his mistake just in time and whisked out his cashcard before the machine could deduct any money, and complained through shouting. The guard let him out free immediately.
He did something different from all the other cars which went out without getting a lot. He voiced out. 2 dollars might not be alot, but our rights do. We did not use the car park, so why should we pay? If this goes on, some people could get too confident in swallowing money and it has to be stopped.
This reminded us about another incident which made my father 'famous'. Our maid went to buy shoes at PL. The store attendants gave her the wrong size. My father went to the store and requested for a change. They turned it down. No negotiation worked and he started shouting at them, bringing in a crowd. The store attendants threatened to call the police, but he did not move. Probably knowing that they were wrong, they gave in. Its not a matter of money, but a matter of principles.
Once again, these triggered up the incident at sentosa earlier this year. I believe it is one incident that would not leave my memory easily. I succumbed to the peer pressure and gave up my rights on deciding for myself, whether to participate in their cheating act. I might be looked down upon, but at least not by myself, which is most important. If you know that what you are doing is right, then build your actions upon it. Be ready to voice out.
Many people come and go, just like a moving foundation. To build your actions upon their requests, everything can just topple once they leave, leaving what you have done in a rubble.
Principle is solid. Principles like "Being Honest", "Caring" are the solid foundations of living a life.
You might say that being petty over money (like in the first two examples) isn't a very nice way to live. Here, if a beggar comes to you and say, "Please give me some money". Sure, any kind soul would give. What if, he said "Please, I beg you to let me cheat off your money." Well, won't that make you think twice?
What's more if no one bothers to fight back when they have been 'bullied', would not that make them even more sure of carrying out such underhand means for their personal gain, and making more people suffer? And sure, this applies to robbing of other's rights for them to decide their own path.
Do not be let others trade off what's yours for their selfish gain, intended or unintended. If unintended, be nice; if intended, 'fight'. If dealing with a bunch of gangsters, retreat.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
A dream in a dream in a dream
Original version from
http://dream-collection11.blogspot.com/2008/12/dream-in-dream-in-dream.html
The plane shook violently.
As it descended at a steep angle towards the runway, passengers braced. I covered my head with one head and continued eating chocolate with the other for some weird reason. If I remember it clearly, I wanted to finish it really badly before the plane hit ground. Finally, I was so scared that I tried to force open my eyes and wake up from this dream, but just as my eyelids lifted a little...
Crash.
I woke up with a start...in the plane. Just then the air turned turbulent, the plane shook violently as I chewed on my chocolate. Ahead was a sea of terrace houses with just a small porch which was about to act as the landing strip. The plane is never going to make a good landing with that amount of space, i thought.
And I was right. Surprisingly, only the cockpit caught fire. Even so, the cabin was in a deep wreck. Fortunately. I pulled myself out of it and did one of those reverse chin ups which lowered my bruise covered body down those seperator walls between terrace houses.
I thought it was quite a good job for me to get out of that wreck before the fire spread furthur as I felt quite contented. Now it might seem weird but apparently I wasn't too traumatized.
I walked along the avenue and saw a house with a gigantic 3 storey tall soft toy lion which was just as lively as me, roaring bound by a gate at a house just across the main road. It was really frightening. I walked in the other direction and found a house in which some of my friends were there. The only people I could remember who were there were hk and jk. The people there said that they had to set off for some place but before going, they had to go to the toilet, and there was no toilet in the house. but I didn't really care. So all of us set out for the place we had to go to.
It was then I realised that we had to walk out of the gate onto the main road where the lion was. I was very scared, but realising that everyone was leaving me behind, I gathered my courage and walked past the lion. It went smoothly and I didn't get eaten up by that soft toy.
As our journey continued, I thought I might take some pictures as a memory. I took a picture of that burning inferno of a plane lying in some distance. Black Fumes rose out of the air and i could see the top of the broken plane. So there.
As we continued walking, I felt myself drift into another realm, but the same people were around me, with the same purpose, to get to the 'place'. But my surroundings were different, it was a green meadow with a pavement leading through it. As we walked, I decided to show cmc the picture of the burning plane. I took out my camera.
He asked if I was sure there was a plane crash, because he did not observe one. Perhaps I was dreaming? To confirm this, I checked if the picture was there. It was not. Alas, I found out that both the crashes didn't really happen. All I saw was a collection of jk's photos and weird postures. Cmc was laughing like crap, and I was reassured, the plane crash which seemed so real was all a dream...
And then this whole dream which contained the dream and the dream in the dream ended.
This dream, is one of the most realistic, and vivid ones I had in these few months. Everything was so clear, I could even describe the interior of the terrace house. It had a few religious statues, and it was dusty and dark. No toilets at all too. And the lion on the other side of the road - stood proudly with its paws together with its hind legs. It was yellow and had a brown mane, which made it look even more like a soft toy. Everything in the dream, it just seemed as if it is really happening in real life...
http://dream-collection11.blogspot.com/2008/12/dream-in-dream-in-dream.html
The plane shook violently.
As it descended at a steep angle towards the runway, passengers braced. I covered my head with one head and continued eating chocolate with the other for some weird reason. If I remember it clearly, I wanted to finish it really badly before the plane hit ground. Finally, I was so scared that I tried to force open my eyes and wake up from this dream, but just as my eyelids lifted a little...
Crash.
I woke up with a start...in the plane. Just then the air turned turbulent, the plane shook violently as I chewed on my chocolate. Ahead was a sea of terrace houses with just a small porch which was about to act as the landing strip. The plane is never going to make a good landing with that amount of space, i thought.
And I was right. Surprisingly, only the cockpit caught fire. Even so, the cabin was in a deep wreck. Fortunately. I pulled myself out of it and did one of those reverse chin ups which lowered my bruise covered body down those seperator walls between terrace houses.
I thought it was quite a good job for me to get out of that wreck before the fire spread furthur as I felt quite contented. Now it might seem weird but apparently I wasn't too traumatized.
I walked along the avenue and saw a house with a gigantic 3 storey tall soft toy lion which was just as lively as me, roaring bound by a gate at a house just across the main road. It was really frightening. I walked in the other direction and found a house in which some of my friends were there. The only people I could remember who were there were hk and jk. The people there said that they had to set off for some place but before going, they had to go to the toilet, and there was no toilet in the house. but I didn't really care. So all of us set out for the place we had to go to.
It was then I realised that we had to walk out of the gate onto the main road where the lion was. I was very scared, but realising that everyone was leaving me behind, I gathered my courage and walked past the lion. It went smoothly and I didn't get eaten up by that soft toy.
As our journey continued, I thought I might take some pictures as a memory. I took a picture of that burning inferno of a plane lying in some distance. Black Fumes rose out of the air and i could see the top of the broken plane. So there.
As we continued walking, I felt myself drift into another realm, but the same people were around me, with the same purpose, to get to the 'place'. But my surroundings were different, it was a green meadow with a pavement leading through it. As we walked, I decided to show cmc the picture of the burning plane. I took out my camera.
He asked if I was sure there was a plane crash, because he did not observe one. Perhaps I was dreaming? To confirm this, I checked if the picture was there. It was not. Alas, I found out that both the crashes didn't really happen. All I saw was a collection of jk's photos and weird postures. Cmc was laughing like crap, and I was reassured, the plane crash which seemed so real was all a dream...
And then this whole dream which contained the dream and the dream in the dream ended.
This dream, is one of the most realistic, and vivid ones I had in these few months. Everything was so clear, I could even describe the interior of the terrace house. It had a few religious statues, and it was dusty and dark. No toilets at all too. And the lion on the other side of the road - stood proudly with its paws together with its hind legs. It was yellow and had a brown mane, which made it look even more like a soft toy. Everything in the dream, it just seemed as if it is really happening in real life...
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
In memory of a two year journey - Part 2
This year, things have turned for the better, for some reason I can't seem to fish out at the moment. More unity, more acceptance, probably almost everything among the whole class. At least it seemed so on the surface.
It is amazing how it took one whole year for some interaction between certain groups of people in the class. Having experienced some of it, I should say that although some people are still not very friendly to each other, some invisible force, possibly one of the results of the theory of 'The friend of my friend is my friend', it just came forth as a chain reaction and the class just became more lively, especially in the second semester (which is maybe a little late).
It had been a great year, with all those times spent together during lessons, or going out. Even so, sometime ago I still feel like I am not fitting very well into the class. My opinions are really different from others, and this leads to some problems.
Firstly, it plonks me into a position to wrestle between conscience and peer-pressure. Take the sentosa trip for instance.
Secondly, it gives people a great reason to argue with me which is the last thing I would want, based on the experience I had last year.
Perhaps I should settle myself down and just hang on and spend more time with a smaller group, but nevertheless, this has probably taught me the greatest lesson I have learnt in my two year experience in this school.
Be proactive.
To be continued...
It is amazing how it took one whole year for some interaction between certain groups of people in the class. Having experienced some of it, I should say that although some people are still not very friendly to each other, some invisible force, possibly one of the results of the theory of 'The friend of my friend is my friend', it just came forth as a chain reaction and the class just became more lively, especially in the second semester (which is maybe a little late).
It had been a great year, with all those times spent together during lessons, or going out. Even so, sometime ago I still feel like I am not fitting very well into the class. My opinions are really different from others, and this leads to some problems.
Firstly, it plonks me into a position to wrestle between conscience and peer-pressure. Take the sentosa trip for instance.
Secondly, it gives people a great reason to argue with me which is the last thing I would want, based on the experience I had last year.
Perhaps I should settle myself down and just hang on and spend more time with a smaller group, but nevertheless, this has probably taught me the greatest lesson I have learnt in my two year experience in this school.
Be proactive.
To be continued...
Friday, December 5, 2008
Back from Hong Kong
I'm back.
Reached home at 9 yesterday night.
My lips hurt.
Weather in Hong Kong was sunny and dry, yet cold. It was really uncomfortable when my lips were very dry, yet were unable to absorb the water molecules when I drank water.
My family and I followed a tour group, and for the next four days were sightseeing, ocean park and disneyland.
As the plane started landing, my ears were unable to relief the pressure due to the change in altitude. It was a lot worse than the last time and it was just 15 minutes of torture to my ears...
Sometime after we landed we embarked on a long journey to the hotel. After some rest, we took a boat ride across half of hong kong to Llama island at the extreme south of hong kong for dinner. The boat trips lasted around an hour and it just caused me nothing but sea-sickness.
The next day, we went sightseeing in kowloon (九龙）and hong kong island. Though interesting, it was not very nice to walk in a chilling, yet sunny environment. Each time we alighted the bus, I was in mixed feelings - interested to explore and see things yet so excited to get back onto the bus.
Following was a day at the ocean park and the last two days were disneyland, check out and departure.
I tell a more detailed recollection in my next posts, but this is all for now.
Its weird. Before I left, I was so enthusiastic about going overseas. Yet on the 3rd or 4th day, I started missing stuff back home. Well, to list some are chatting with my friends, a nice weather, my blanket...
And so now, I'm back, but I still feel that something isn't very right. Something has changed. Are people being cold, or has it always been this way for me? Or is it just because of my exceedingly high hopes I had of everything back there?
Its back to that plain life I always had.
But its a good thing that my wound finally sealed after a week. :)
Reached home at 9 yesterday night.
My lips hurt.
Weather in Hong Kong was sunny and dry, yet cold. It was really uncomfortable when my lips were very dry, yet were unable to absorb the water molecules when I drank water.
My family and I followed a tour group, and for the next four days were sightseeing, ocean park and disneyland.
As the plane started landing, my ears were unable to relief the pressure due to the change in altitude. It was a lot worse than the last time and it was just 15 minutes of torture to my ears...
Sometime after we landed we embarked on a long journey to the hotel. After some rest, we took a boat ride across half of hong kong to Llama island at the extreme south of hong kong for dinner. The boat trips lasted around an hour and it just caused me nothing but sea-sickness.
The next day, we went sightseeing in kowloon (九龙）and hong kong island. Though interesting, it was not very nice to walk in a chilling, yet sunny environment. Each time we alighted the bus, I was in mixed feelings - interested to explore and see things yet so excited to get back onto the bus.
Following was a day at the ocean park and the last two days were disneyland, check out and departure.
I tell a more detailed recollection in my next posts, but this is all for now.
Its weird. Before I left, I was so enthusiastic about going overseas. Yet on the 3rd or 4th day, I started missing stuff back home. Well, to list some are chatting with my friends, a nice weather, my blanket...
And so now, I'm back, but I still feel that something isn't very right. Something has changed. Are people being cold, or has it always been this way for me? Or is it just because of my exceedingly high hopes I had of everything back there?
Its back to that plain life I always had.
But its a good thing that my wound finally sealed after a week. :)
Friday, November 28, 2008
Cycling Injuries
To conclude this month's posting frenzy, I end (up) with cycling injuries.
I got hurt twice yesterday while cycling. The area from loyang to changi is quite a hilly road.
While riding perpedicular to a steep, downhill road of slightly more than 30 degrees, I manoevered my bicycle slightly upwards as I estimated that the incline would pull the bicycle down, compensating for the rise. Unfortunately, I overestimated it and as I cycled back onto the track on the other side, the front wheel hit the curb, lifting the bicycle into an airborne position for 2 meteres.
I crashed into the metal fence which saved me from a terrible fall of 5 storeys, flew forward into the bicycle frame and slightly hurt my shin.
That was nothing compared to the second injury.
While cycling downslope slowly, where joelle fell the last time, I made a slight turn. I didn't expect anything to happen at that speed or angle. But it skidded. This is what I think probably happened.
I cycled at a pace at which the wet ground was probably maintaining the bicycle's speed. When I turned, the front wheel of the bicycle changes direction, and thus it slow down. However, the inertia of the backwheel caused it to continue at its speed and that probably explains why my bicycle suddenly turned sideways by so much as I turned the handle and started skidding. It brought my knees to the ground and scratched it as it acted as a brake.
That hurt a lot...
Really unlucky was that the part that was scratched was the part that stretched when I brought my knee up. So I could not really cycle back properly.
That slope seems to be a real accident hot spot. Joelle tumbled, I skidded, Ryan fell for some unknown reason and Jk went offroad, onto the grass. I guess its probably due to the slope and simultaneous turning.
They really should transfer the useless "dismount and push" signs at lifeless bus stops in changi to more usefull areas like these steep slopes, so that people would know when to 'DAP' at the right time.
The deep wound has not sealed yet...that disgusting pus seeps on everytime I press onto my plaster. I can't really climb the stairs properly either now.
I am leaving for Hong Kong on Sunday. So expect a week-long dead blog. Bye!
I got hurt twice yesterday while cycling. The area from loyang to changi is quite a hilly road.
While riding perpedicular to a steep, downhill road of slightly more than 30 degrees, I manoevered my bicycle slightly upwards as I estimated that the incline would pull the bicycle down, compensating for the rise. Unfortunately, I overestimated it and as I cycled back onto the track on the other side, the front wheel hit the curb, lifting the bicycle into an airborne position for 2 meteres.
I crashed into the metal fence which saved me from a terrible fall of 5 storeys, flew forward into the bicycle frame and slightly hurt my shin.
That was nothing compared to the second injury.
While cycling downslope slowly, where joelle fell the last time, I made a slight turn. I didn't expect anything to happen at that speed or angle. But it skidded. This is what I think probably happened.
I cycled at a pace at which the wet ground was probably maintaining the bicycle's speed. When I turned, the front wheel of the bicycle changes direction, and thus it slow down. However, the inertia of the backwheel caused it to continue at its speed and that probably explains why my bicycle suddenly turned sideways by so much as I turned the handle and started skidding. It brought my knees to the ground and scratched it as it acted as a brake.
That hurt a lot...
Really unlucky was that the part that was scratched was the part that stretched when I brought my knee up. So I could not really cycle back properly.
That slope seems to be a real accident hot spot. Joelle tumbled, I skidded, Ryan fell for some unknown reason and Jk went offroad, onto the grass. I guess its probably due to the slope and simultaneous turning.
They really should transfer the useless "dismount and push" signs at lifeless bus stops in changi to more usefull areas like these steep slopes, so that people would know when to 'DAP' at the right time.
The deep wound has not sealed yet...that disgusting pus seeps on everytime I press onto my plaster. I can't really climb the stairs properly either now.
I am leaving for Hong Kong on Sunday. So expect a week-long dead blog. Bye!
Victory's Illusion
Many people argue for the sake of their egoes, and nothing else. There is no reward, other than perhaps what these conceited people value most. Maybe its was due to misapprehension, so I, being uneasy about it, tried to clear things up.
One of the most hard-core ways to plough one's way through an argument is with insistence. Lets take an extreme of one of these cases...
A: Why can't you do that assignment?
B: I don't want to do it?
A: But why? ....(blabbers a whole chunk of reasoning why A should do it)
A: So can you do it?
B: (Not listening at all) No, because I don't want to.
As long as one is firm on his stand and what he wants his conclusion to be, without the slight swaying of opinion, what is the point of reasoning with him, considering that that person is deaf to any logic? And what if someone wins an argument, proved everyone else wrong and all? Is that going to do anyone any good?
If argument is not for the sake of hearing each other's views out, but for the sake of winning, its just a waste of time when I could be doing something better like sleeping. (Didn't I mention that before?)
Ridicule, defame, denounce me. Be ceremoniously welcomed to do so if you think it would help. Why should I care about what a certain someone thinks of me?
I would not be the least angered.
Opinions aside. Now that I have finished addressing an issue, lets move on to something else -next post - Cycling Injuries.
One of the most hard-core ways to plough one's way through an argument is with insistence. Lets take an extreme of one of these cases...
A: Why can't you do that assignment?
B: I don't want to do it?
A: But why? ....(blabbers a whole chunk of reasoning why A should do it)
A: So can you do it?
B: (Not listening at all) No, because I don't want to.
As long as one is firm on his stand and what he wants his conclusion to be, without the slight swaying of opinion, what is the point of reasoning with him, considering that that person is deaf to any logic? And what if someone wins an argument, proved everyone else wrong and all? Is that going to do anyone any good?
If argument is not for the sake of hearing each other's views out, but for the sake of winning, its just a waste of time when I could be doing something better like sleeping. (Didn't I mention that before?)
Ridicule, defame, denounce me. Be ceremoniously welcomed to do so if you think it would help. Why should I care about what a certain someone thinks of me?
I would not be the least angered.
Opinions aside. Now that I have finished addressing an issue, lets move on to something else -next post - Cycling Injuries.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Discipline
I am going to talk about one of my bad habits. Something to do with what everyone of us have to do everyday. Something essential for all of us, if we want to get anything done, that is. Something that all of us are supposed to do in the morning, something that all of us will do the first thing when we get up, and I am sure about it. That is waking up itself.
How many times have I been late for school because of this? How many times did I hold back my urine, just because I was too lazy to get my lazy body out of bed? How many times did I say I want to wake up early so that I can do some jogging, and in the end decided to do it tomorrow? To the last question, most recently yesterday morning.
I am going to take this passage as a guide from the book '8th habit' I have read quite some time ago. Discipline is not all about caning, corrective work order, or any form of punishment. It is having some control over your mind.
Some might think that with discipline, one has no freedom, confined to rules and all, but this is not true when you are the one disciplining yourself. In my case, by disciplining and telling myself to wake up at a given time, I am breaking free of other things controlling me, and gaining freedom from all these; like luxury of sleeping, comfort of the air-con, or not wanting to get up because the soft matress is grabbing you to the ground.
Just before the holidays started, my mother asked me to wake up. I did not. Ten minutes later, it was time when I should have left house already, but still...When I finally woke up, I fell half-asleep in the toilet. At 20 minutes behind my usual time, I rushed to school (Or perhaps I did not...)
Its amazing what a little discipline in to our lives can make. On one of the rare occasions when I woke up early for a jog, I felt time pass into the middle afternoon, when it is actually still late morning. People say that everyone is given same amount of time to spend everyday, I think how much time we have its only a matter of how we organize it.
Nice day today...woke up early and found nothing much to do for the rest of the afternoon...
How many times have I been late for school because of this? How many times did I hold back my urine, just because I was too lazy to get my lazy body out of bed? How many times did I say I want to wake up early so that I can do some jogging, and in the end decided to do it tomorrow? To the last question, most recently yesterday morning.
I am going to take this passage as a guide from the book '8th habit' I have read quite some time ago. Discipline is not all about caning, corrective work order, or any form of punishment. It is having some control over your mind.
Some might think that with discipline, one has no freedom, confined to rules and all, but this is not true when you are the one disciplining yourself. In my case, by disciplining and telling myself to wake up at a given time, I am breaking free of other things controlling me, and gaining freedom from all these; like luxury of sleeping, comfort of the air-con, or not wanting to get up because the soft matress is grabbing you to the ground.
Just before the holidays started, my mother asked me to wake up. I did not. Ten minutes later, it was time when I should have left house already, but still...When I finally woke up, I fell half-asleep in the toilet. At 20 minutes behind my usual time, I rushed to school (Or perhaps I did not...)
Its amazing what a little discipline in to our lives can make. On one of the rare occasions when I woke up early for a jog, I felt time pass into the middle afternoon, when it is actually still late morning. People say that everyone is given same amount of time to spend everyday, I think how much time we have its only a matter of how we organize it.
Nice day today...woke up early and found nothing much to do for the rest of the afternoon...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Happy Early Birthday to me!
Just went to play badminton with jk at hougang cc earlier yesterday afternoon.
The people there were not very friendly. When I tried using my mother's PA member card to book courts, the indian counter woman asked if it was my card, and I said no. She told me that I could not use it in an unpleasing tone, resembling a lecture, as I was not the owner of the membership. However, later when she checked the membership, my name was also part of it, so in the end I got that discount.
Jk and I arrived early, and while waiting for our playing time, we went into a small air-conditioned cafe. Seeing that we were 'stoning' at a table, the shop owner asked us if we have ordered our drinks. Having chased us out in one of the best methods, we walked out, but she shouted to us that she never said that she was going to charge us for sitting around the table. Well, but still, although there were not many customers, and there were lots of empty seats, something, judging by the way she talked and her attitude told me that she wanted us out still...
Hougang Cc was one of the first Ccs I have seen to actually have NTUC fairprice in it. There, in its air-conditioned environment, Jk and I spent like 10 minutes deciding on what drink to get. The 1.5 litre drinks were really cheap, but many of the other cheap drinks were not cold. (There would always be something to complain about no matter how good some things are) In the end, I chose a canned drink because it would be colder than the plastic bottle drinks.
---
My whole family went for a combined birthday dinner last friday, with my relatives, to celebrate my youngest brother and my birthday. Got some extra money to save/spend/give, and my aunt gave me two boxes of stuff in it.
Lets see what the first one is...
-Water clock. For 8 years and above. Its a total cheat. Just by looking at the cover, you can tell that with all the electronic displays and a digital clock at the base, it can't be a water clock. What is it then? Its a wet cell battery connected to a real and pre-built digital clock. So why water, the wet-cell batttery...
-Physics workshop. For 8 years and above too. Learn about gravity, force, simple machines...(Don't feel like reading anymore)
A new upgrade to the increasing entropy I have at home.
Cut and ate the cake yesterday night. My youngest brother was crying and utterly disappointed when he found out that we could not bring the cake to the restaurant. Why is that so? Because, according to the person at the phone, there would be cakes at the restaurant. What a rubbishy justification...
21 more days to my birthday. Still have one unwrapped present in my cupboard, awaiting for that day to come...
The people there were not very friendly. When I tried using my mother's PA member card to book courts, the indian counter woman asked if it was my card, and I said no. She told me that I could not use it in an unpleasing tone, resembling a lecture, as I was not the owner of the membership. However, later when she checked the membership, my name was also part of it, so in the end I got that discount.
Jk and I arrived early, and while waiting for our playing time, we went into a small air-conditioned cafe. Seeing that we were 'stoning' at a table, the shop owner asked us if we have ordered our drinks. Having chased us out in one of the best methods, we walked out, but she shouted to us that she never said that she was going to charge us for sitting around the table. Well, but still, although there were not many customers, and there were lots of empty seats, something, judging by the way she talked and her attitude told me that she wanted us out still...
Hougang Cc was one of the first Ccs I have seen to actually have NTUC fairprice in it. There, in its air-conditioned environment, Jk and I spent like 10 minutes deciding on what drink to get. The 1.5 litre drinks were really cheap, but many of the other cheap drinks were not cold. (There would always be something to complain about no matter how good some things are) In the end, I chose a canned drink because it would be colder than the plastic bottle drinks.
---
My whole family went for a combined birthday dinner last friday, with my relatives, to celebrate my youngest brother and my birthday. Got some extra money to save/spend/give, and my aunt gave me two boxes of stuff in it.
Lets see what the first one is...
-Water clock. For 8 years and above. Its a total cheat. Just by looking at the cover, you can tell that with all the electronic displays and a digital clock at the base, it can't be a water clock. What is it then? Its a wet cell battery connected to a real and pre-built digital clock. So why water, the wet-cell batttery...
-Physics workshop. For 8 years and above too. Learn about gravity, force, simple machines...(Don't feel like reading anymore)
A new upgrade to the increasing entropy I have at home.
Cut and ate the cake yesterday night. My youngest brother was crying and utterly disappointed when he found out that we could not bring the cake to the restaurant. Why is that so? Because, according to the person at the phone, there would be cakes at the restaurant. What a rubbishy justification...
21 more days to my birthday. Still have one unwrapped present in my cupboard, awaiting for that day to come...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
In memory of a two year journey - Part 1
Friday, last day of school.
CAP: 4.44, what a nice number...
I really do not know how to start this; it has been two years since I came this school already. Many things have happened and there had been many changes in my place in my class and school. I'll just try to remember as much as possible.
When I first came to this school, I expected quite highly of it. Not just academically, but high social standards. The first few days were orientation, and nothing much happened. I saw a short girl and kept on thinking she was angela, until later. I kept on mixing up ryan's name as 'bryan' too. Maybe it was because I did not talk too much, I did not have many friends then.
Of course, we learnt the mass dance too. I thought the song was quite nice, but my dancing wasn't very good so I kept on mixing up the moves.
I remember it was a saturday, when the amazing race was held. This is probably the most memorable day of the orientation, and I could retrieve scenes from my mind clearly. I remembered this was the day when I started talking more to cmc, and I made friends with him. I also remembered it was this day, when he started his theory about ryan dropping a one cent coin into a manhole and digging it, forming the grand canyon. Throughout, I talked to him quite a lot. When I asked him what primary school he was from, he insisted that he was from a non-existent primary school which then made me quite irritated.
Orientation passed quickly. In class, I sat next to him. After a few days, it was when I started to get a little pissed. He talks too much and lack a sense of knowing when to stop.
There was once when I requested for a seat change because I could not concentrate in class...
He used to find humour in things that I know why he thinks are funny, through my experience with my younger brothers, but I don't find them funny, but irritating. Once, when a teacher talked to him about it, he blamed me for 'complaining' about him.
Him, being not very well-liked, and with me being his friend, I was not very well-liked by many either. I felt quite, not to say lonely, I found many means to keep myself to not have that feeling, but rather, out.
Cmc, jk, ben and I used to do things in a group almost everytime, and that made it almost slightly worse, as I feel, because it takes away many chances for me to try to socialize more with other people alone. Just like my shadow in a moonlight, this undescribable thing keeps on casting a darkness which breaks the light of whereever I go.
Although this did not really bother me, what bothered me more was the bad impression others had on me. I have currently no means to defame anyone, so I keep these names anonymous. I once asked a person A if he could teach me how to do a question which I did not know how to do. A was willing to answer me, but B, being beside him and being A's good friend helped him answer a no. However, my impression of B was quite good, and yet at times I know he supports me, at other times he is against. This is what is scary, not a cunning enemy, but a person who has an unknown identity, whether you should be with him, or whether you should be aware of him always.
Over time, his impression of me had a turn for improvement, but his attitude remains the same to all that he does not like. I never thought that his judgement was wrong, but his attitude was, to those he does not like. I think that whether we change our judgement towards certain people is not at all important, what matters is our attitude towards those people.
Another setback for me, or more like, a group of people, was this double-headed snake, who changed sides often, whichever side favoured him. All I could say about him was that he equalises friendship with popularity...
This first year had been quite a tough one, not academically, but socially. Maybe because it was shyness within us, but not many of us talked to girls then, which limited my range of friends, or even people I could have a leisurely chat with even more.
One word to sum up all these - loneliness...
To be continued...
CAP: 4.44, what a nice number...
I really do not know how to start this; it has been two years since I came this school already. Many things have happened and there had been many changes in my place in my class and school. I'll just try to remember as much as possible.
When I first came to this school, I expected quite highly of it. Not just academically, but high social standards. The first few days were orientation, and nothing much happened. I saw a short girl and kept on thinking she was angela, until later. I kept on mixing up ryan's name as 'bryan' too. Maybe it was because I did not talk too much, I did not have many friends then.
Of course, we learnt the mass dance too. I thought the song was quite nice, but my dancing wasn't very good so I kept on mixing up the moves.
I remember it was a saturday, when the amazing race was held. This is probably the most memorable day of the orientation, and I could retrieve scenes from my mind clearly. I remembered this was the day when I started talking more to cmc, and I made friends with him. I also remembered it was this day, when he started his theory about ryan dropping a one cent coin into a manhole and digging it, forming the grand canyon. Throughout, I talked to him quite a lot. When I asked him what primary school he was from, he insisted that he was from a non-existent primary school which then made me quite irritated.
Orientation passed quickly. In class, I sat next to him. After a few days, it was when I started to get a little pissed. He talks too much and lack a sense of knowing when to stop.
There was once when I requested for a seat change because I could not concentrate in class...
He used to find humour in things that I know why he thinks are funny, through my experience with my younger brothers, but I don't find them funny, but irritating. Once, when a teacher talked to him about it, he blamed me for 'complaining' about him.
Him, being not very well-liked, and with me being his friend, I was not very well-liked by many either. I felt quite, not to say lonely, I found many means to keep myself to not have that feeling, but rather, out.
Cmc, jk, ben and I used to do things in a group almost everytime, and that made it almost slightly worse, as I feel, because it takes away many chances for me to try to socialize more with other people alone. Just like my shadow in a moonlight, this undescribable thing keeps on casting a darkness which breaks the light of whereever I go.
Although this did not really bother me, what bothered me more was the bad impression others had on me. I have currently no means to defame anyone, so I keep these names anonymous. I once asked a person A if he could teach me how to do a question which I did not know how to do. A was willing to answer me, but B, being beside him and being A's good friend helped him answer a no. However, my impression of B was quite good, and yet at times I know he supports me, at other times he is against. This is what is scary, not a cunning enemy, but a person who has an unknown identity, whether you should be with him, or whether you should be aware of him always.
Over time, his impression of me had a turn for improvement, but his attitude remains the same to all that he does not like. I never thought that his judgement was wrong, but his attitude was, to those he does not like. I think that whether we change our judgement towards certain people is not at all important, what matters is our attitude towards those people.
Another setback for me, or more like, a group of people, was this double-headed snake, who changed sides often, whichever side favoured him. All I could say about him was that he equalises friendship with popularity...
This first year had been quite a tough one, not academically, but socially. Maybe because it was shyness within us, but not many of us talked to girls then, which limited my range of friends, or even people I could have a leisurely chat with even more.
One word to sum up all these - loneliness...
To be continued...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
我的考试作文 - “一此失而复得的经历“
这篇作文大纲是略略基于真实的发生。
时间已经是三点多了。学校里剩下没多少人，一片寂静。当走到走廊时，个人就会觉得似乎它是世界上唯一的人。老师全部应该在教师室里吧，在充满冷气的环境里改簿子。学校里就是这么安静，除了我班那代以外。
在我的课室里十分热闹。就算有一两个同学坐着像乖猫子静静的读书，还会有五六个在调皮。有的在扔纸球，有的在私人电脑上网，但最起眼的就是四个同学，包挂我，在课室的一角激烈地打扑克牌，激烈地像在玩人命关天的游戏，几个同学偶尔还站起来完呢！总结一下，课室就像个老鼠宴会。为了“增添气氛”，有的人还大胆的把手机的音乐接到扩音机！
突然，一位老师路过，整间课室安静了下来...猫来捉老鼠了。虽然那老师没理我们，只是与几位同学聊天儿，但我们就像自我认罪的囚犯。立即地，我把牌子塞进口袋里。
那位老师走后，课室里的热闹又爆发了。我们的游戏也打了一场又一场。就在其中的一场，一个人发现一张牌子不见了。
“不见了”这三个字进入我的耳朵时，我愣住了，一时不知所措。那套扑克牌是我哥哥的，是我偷偷带来学校的。他是否会发现一张卡不见了呢？如果会，他会利用哪中刑罚杀了我？万一向父母告状怎么办？再说，我没得到哥哥的允许就拿走他的东西。就像个机关枪的子弹，万般思绪用上我的心头，令我十分烦恼。最好快点找到那张人命关天的扑克牌。越是找不到，越是令我心急如焚。
同学们分头到课室各个角落寻找失去的牌子，但无论找了多久，仍然找不到。小明问：“难道是刚才那位老师看到我们在打牌，恶作剧利用它的超能力把那牌子毁灭？”他边说边傻笑。
“这种时候你还开什么无聊的玩笑，还不赶紧找出我的‘出狱卡’？“
“哇，我们似乎是你的奴婢哦！都说找不到了，你还想我们怎样？”
在这时，我紧张，生气与惭愧的心情直交织着。一气之下我喊：“我怎么知道？找不到就是你们偷的啦！”没想好，这番话就在超音速*出口。我立刻后悔了我那么冲动。
三个人，一声不响，拿起了书包，迈着大步走出课室。我没办法收回我的话了，于是也背着沉甸甸的书包，拖着沉重的脚步走回家。
在车站，我拿出了我的钱包时，也发现还有一张东西- 就是那张失去的扑克牌。我欣喜若狂，简直不敢相信自己的眼睛；我感觉上好像种了彩票。一定是刚刚在把卡片从口袋掏出来遗漏掉的。
这件事给我了一个很大的教训。当有一件事难办，或办不成，别老是注重外面的东西，也别先责怪别人，而从自己搜查起。
打个比方就是甲同学华文不怎么好，他老是埋怨这华文的难度，多么不喜欢中国，但这样做，除了发泄，让人烦，还有用吗？别想去改变别人，外面的世界，而应该从心里找出自己‘失去的扑克牌’，便改变自己，进步自己的华文，让自己能应付这个世界。**
明天，我就向那三位道歉吧。
*我也不知道自己当时在写什么，声音怎能获得超音速呢？
**欲知详情，请到以下的超连结
tzy的威胁
时间已经是三点多了。学校里剩下没多少人，一片寂静。当走到走廊时，个人就会觉得似乎它是世界上唯一的人。老师全部应该在教师室里吧，在充满冷气的环境里改簿子。学校里就是这么安静，除了我班那代以外。
在我的课室里十分热闹。就算有一两个同学坐着像乖猫子静静的读书，还会有五六个在调皮。有的在扔纸球，有的在私人电脑上网，但最起眼的就是四个同学，包挂我，在课室的一角激烈地打扑克牌，激烈地像在玩人命关天的游戏，几个同学偶尔还站起来完呢！总结一下，课室就像个老鼠宴会。为了“增添气氛”，有的人还大胆的把手机的音乐接到扩音机！
突然，一位老师路过，整间课室安静了下来...猫来捉老鼠了。虽然那老师没理我们，只是与几位同学聊天儿，但我们就像自我认罪的囚犯。立即地，我把牌子塞进口袋里。
那位老师走后，课室里的热闹又爆发了。我们的游戏也打了一场又一场。就在其中的一场，一个人发现一张牌子不见了。
“不见了”这三个字进入我的耳朵时，我愣住了，一时不知所措。那套扑克牌是我哥哥的，是我偷偷带来学校的。他是否会发现一张卡不见了呢？如果会，他会利用哪中刑罚杀了我？万一向父母告状怎么办？再说，我没得到哥哥的允许就拿走他的东西。就像个机关枪的子弹，万般思绪用上我的心头，令我十分烦恼。最好快点找到那张人命关天的扑克牌。越是找不到，越是令我心急如焚。
同学们分头到课室各个角落寻找失去的牌子，但无论找了多久，仍然找不到。小明问：“难道是刚才那位老师看到我们在打牌，恶作剧利用它的超能力把那牌子毁灭？”他边说边傻笑。
“这种时候你还开什么无聊的玩笑，还不赶紧找出我的‘出狱卡’？“
“哇，我们似乎是你的奴婢哦！都说找不到了，你还想我们怎样？”
在这时，我紧张，生气与惭愧的心情直交织着。一气之下我喊：“我怎么知道？找不到就是你们偷的啦！”没想好，这番话就在超音速*出口。我立刻后悔了我那么冲动。
三个人，一声不响，拿起了书包，迈着大步走出课室。我没办法收回我的话了，于是也背着沉甸甸的书包，拖着沉重的脚步走回家。
在车站，我拿出了我的钱包时，也发现还有一张东西- 就是那张失去的扑克牌。我欣喜若狂，简直不敢相信自己的眼睛；我感觉上好像种了彩票。一定是刚刚在把卡片从口袋掏出来遗漏掉的。
这件事给我了一个很大的教训。当有一件事难办，或办不成，别老是注重外面的东西，也别先责怪别人，而从自己搜查起。
打个比方就是甲同学华文不怎么好，他老是埋怨这华文的难度，多么不喜欢中国，但这样做，除了发泄，让人烦，还有用吗？别想去改变别人，外面的世界，而应该从心里找出自己‘失去的扑克牌’，便改变自己，进步自己的华文，让自己能应付这个世界。**
明天，我就向那三位道歉吧。
*我也不知道自己当时在写什么，声音怎能获得超音速呢？
**欲知详情，请到以下的超连结
tzy的威胁
Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
Sports day - A wet day.
Sports day - A day when my friends and I loitered around the school.
Expected since yesterday...
Some people do not absorb enough before blurting out their opinions. These kind of opinions fall into a special group, a group called 'rubbish'. They do not try understand others, before being understood by others and making their point. (5th of the 7 habits of highly effective people by steven covey)
I lost my locker key you see? Thus when I asked some admin person for advice, she told me to pay 5 dollars to the school to make a new one. There, I went to the office today while loitering and talked to this woman sitting at the desk.
Me: "Excuse me, I lost my locker key, what should I do? (I asked what I should do just to get her into the topic first)"
Her: "You lost your locker key?"
Me: "Yes"
Her: "Well, you have to go and get the estate staff in charge of the lockers to help you then, I can't help you with that."
Me: ...
Her: "They would have to break into your locker."
I guessed that that meant I was not supposed to hand the money to her.
Later...
Me: "Excuse me, but since I do not have the locker key, even if my locker is broken, then how am I supposed to return the key?"
Her: *Blurs out*
At this point of time, I really felt like telling her that I was the boy she saw 5 minutes ago and asked her if she still remembered me, but I control my frustration in order to avoid trouble.
Me: "I lost my locker key."
Her: "Get the estate staff to break your locker."
This is getting no where...
Me: "But this morning it was announced that I have to return the locker key and if I break it and get all my stuff out I still will not have the key."
Her: "Wait wait wait... Some person broke into your locker?!"
Me: *Repeats*
Her: "Oh this you have to tell the estate staff"
Okay, I got the point. She does not know anything, I cannot ask her. I have to ask the estate staff. But one last question...
Me: "Ok thanks, but may I know where I can find the estate staff?"
Her: "In the estate office." (Might as well not answer my question)
Me: "Where is the estate office?"
Her: *Pauses* "Hey boy, you have to take responsibility for your actions okay? You lost your own locker key and don't expect me to help you with everything right." (Not the exact words but the intensity is not exxagerated at all"
By now I was already quite angry and turned to look at my friends...I replied in a voluntary impatient tone.
Me: "Yes I know I have to take responsibility, but now since I have to look for the estate staff and they are in the estate office and I do not know where the estate office is how am I supposed to get my problem fixed?"
Her: "Alright wait I would make a call."
On the phone: "Hello, this boy had lost his locker key and he has to return the key today...(I never said that)."
And she continued talking about things she assumed that I had never said myself. I looked down at my clenched fists. I loosened them.
Finally...
Her: "Do you know who (estate staff's name) is?
Me: "Er no..."
Her: "Oh my..."
Just when I was about to 'grrrr...' at her not helping me at all, D.W. came.
D.W.: "You lost your locker key?"
Me: "Yes"
D.W.: "Can you remember where you put it?"
Me: "No, it was in my wallet, then six months ago it disappeared."
D.W.: "And you only inform us now?"
Me: "I kept on forgetting."
D.W.: "I hope there isn't any food inside..."
Me: "A few sweets"
D.W.: "There has got to be a lot of ants now. Anyway, you email this person...blablablabla..."
She gave me the email address and asked the other woman, "Do you want him to Cc it to you?"
Her: "No No No thanks at all...Nothing to do with me. Students these days...just do not know how to take responsibility..."
Yes I agree, I responsible for my missing key and it is my fault, but although I am responsible that I do not know where the estate staff are and who to contact, why is it my fault? If I knew how to, I would have taken 'responsibility long ago' and not waste some 10 minutes of my time in that office trying to make my point.
Thats settled.
Before more trouble ensued, I quickly walked out of the office with my friends...
Sports day - A day when my friends and I loitered around the school.
Expected since yesterday...
Some people do not absorb enough before blurting out their opinions. These kind of opinions fall into a special group, a group called 'rubbish'. They do not try understand others, before being understood by others and making their point. (5th of the 7 habits of highly effective people by steven covey)
I lost my locker key you see? Thus when I asked some admin person for advice, she told me to pay 5 dollars to the school to make a new one. There, I went to the office today while loitering and talked to this woman sitting at the desk.
Me: "Excuse me, I lost my locker key, what should I do? (I asked what I should do just to get her into the topic first)"
Her: "You lost your locker key?"
Me: "Yes"
Her: "Well, you have to go and get the estate staff in charge of the lockers to help you then, I can't help you with that."
Me: ...
Her: "They would have to break into your locker."
I guessed that that meant I was not supposed to hand the money to her.
Later...
Me: "Excuse me, but since I do not have the locker key, even if my locker is broken, then how am I supposed to return the key?"
Her: *Blurs out*
At this point of time, I really felt like telling her that I was the boy she saw 5 minutes ago and asked her if she still remembered me, but I control my frustration in order to avoid trouble.
Me: "I lost my locker key."
Her: "Get the estate staff to break your locker."
This is getting no where...
Me: "But this morning it was announced that I have to return the locker key and if I break it and get all my stuff out I still will not have the key."
Her: "Wait wait wait... Some person broke into your locker?!"
Me: *Repeats*
Her: "Oh this you have to tell the estate staff"
Okay, I got the point. She does not know anything, I cannot ask her. I have to ask the estate staff. But one last question...
Me: "Ok thanks, but may I know where I can find the estate staff?"
Her: "In the estate office." (Might as well not answer my question)
Me: "Where is the estate office?"
Her: *Pauses* "Hey boy, you have to take responsibility for your actions okay? You lost your own locker key and don't expect me to help you with everything right." (Not the exact words but the intensity is not exxagerated at all"
By now I was already quite angry and turned to look at my friends...I replied in a voluntary impatient tone.
Me: "Yes I know I have to take responsibility, but now since I have to look for the estate staff and they are in the estate office and I do not know where the estate office is how am I supposed to get my problem fixed?"
Her: "Alright wait I would make a call."
On the phone: "Hello, this boy had lost his locker key and he has to return the key today...(I never said that)."
And she continued talking about things she assumed that I had never said myself. I looked down at my clenched fists. I loosened them.
Finally...
Her: "Do you know who (estate staff's name) is?
Me: "Er no..."
Her: "Oh my..."
Just when I was about to 'grrrr...' at her not helping me at all, D.W. came.
D.W.: "You lost your locker key?"
Me: "Yes"
D.W.: "Can you remember where you put it?"
Me: "No, it was in my wallet, then six months ago it disappeared."
D.W.: "And you only inform us now?"
Me: "I kept on forgetting."
D.W.: "I hope there isn't any food inside..."
Me: "A few sweets"
D.W.: "There has got to be a lot of ants now. Anyway, you email this person...blablablabla..."
She gave me the email address and asked the other woman, "Do you want him to Cc it to you?"
Her: "No No No thanks at all...Nothing to do with me. Students these days...just do not know how to take responsibility..."
Yes I agree, I responsible for my missing key and it is my fault, but although I am responsible that I do not know where the estate staff are and who to contact, why is it my fault? If I knew how to, I would have taken 'responsibility long ago' and not waste some 10 minutes of my time in that office trying to make my point.
Thats settled.
Before more trouble ensued, I quickly walked out of the office with my friends...
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Newton explains my week
So far, perhaps it had been quite an eventful week.
Some friends of mine and I went to play tennis yesterday, and today, we went over to someone's house to play games. Joelle brought another board game, which was even more fun than top secret - Cats manshion. I'll hope the games she bring would just get more and more fun. Other than that, we played some cards and sat around the television watching and playing Guitar Hero.
Once I started playing, I was quite reluctant to go home. Afterall, as the first law of fun states:
Every Person in a state of having fun tends to remain in that state of fun unless an external factor is applied to it.
Quite a lot of people went to play tennis and went to kat's house too. As the second law states:
F=ma (F: Fun m: members a: activities)
The relationship between having fun, the amount of activities, and the number of members is F = ma.
Again, there is the last law to be accounted for...
For every relaxation and fun there is an equal and opposite amount of relaxation and fun.
This probably explains script checking.
English: Remember my musical descriptive essay? The marker said that the expressions I used were confusing. Pity... Paper 2 was rather okay though. Although my comprehension section failed me, my summary pulled me up with a surprising score.
Chinese: Paper 2, 52.5/70. This was what I was quite contented with. What about my essay? I really do not know if I should feel sorry and pity, or happiness. I could have got 47/50, but I wrote too many wrong characters, and thus I got minused off 3 marks.
Chemistry: Alright, but many careless mistakes
Trigonometry: Careless...but my marks are good enough for an A.
Geography: This was the worse; again, but perhaps it was the most surprising. I spent half the given time to finish the paper and expected myself to get half the total marks, but i got 34/50. I was too surprised...
Now here comes in the equal and opposite reaction of 'fun'.
We went through the answers in 15 minutes for almost all the papers, and for the rest of the time people just ran up either trying to change their marks or signing their names. What did many of us do? Sign our names, go back to our seat, do nothing.
Maybe towards the end of the geography paper checking it started to get a little better, when some of us formed a group and I finally opened my mouth.
Hopefully sports day tomorrow and the day after would be interesting days.
Speaking about sports, I had quite an experience this morning...
I woke up my latest ever, and reached buona vista station the latest ever, 7:30. Thinking that the buses there would take too long to reach school, I proceeded on to clementi. I reached there, and looked at the digital bus arrival board. Noticing that no buses were coming soon, I decided to set off on foot.
As I ran towards a junction, I wondered if I should go by clementi avenue 2. I did not know if it linked to my school, though I guessed it would. Not wanting to take the risk, I left it behind and proceeded along the "conventional" bus 96 and 183 route to clementi road. As I approached school, I noticed that everyone was assembled. Oh crap, I was late. Or was I not? I realised that people were still walking to the track. I ran, and made it just on time as I caught some attention while running across the field.
Wonderful, an early morning 1.6 km run in completed in 10 minutes...Well, it was a well-taken risk - The bus had not reached when I ran past the bus stop outside my school.
Lalala.
Source: http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton3laws.html
Some friends of mine and I went to play tennis yesterday, and today, we went over to someone's house to play games. Joelle brought another board game, which was even more fun than top secret - Cats manshion. I'll hope the games she bring would just get more and more fun. Other than that, we played some cards and sat around the television watching and playing Guitar Hero.
Once I started playing, I was quite reluctant to go home. Afterall, as the first law of fun states:
Every Person in a state of having fun tends to remain in that state of fun unless an external factor is applied to it.
Quite a lot of people went to play tennis and went to kat's house too. As the second law states:
F=ma (F: Fun m: members a: activities)
The relationship between having fun, the amount of activities, and the number of members is F = ma.
Again, there is the last law to be accounted for...
For every relaxation and fun there is an equal and opposite amount of relaxation and fun.
This probably explains script checking.
English: Remember my musical descriptive essay? The marker said that the expressions I used were confusing. Pity... Paper 2 was rather okay though. Although my comprehension section failed me, my summary pulled me up with a surprising score.
Chinese: Paper 2, 52.5/70. This was what I was quite contented with. What about my essay? I really do not know if I should feel sorry and pity, or happiness. I could have got 47/50, but I wrote too many wrong characters, and thus I got minused off 3 marks.
Chemistry: Alright, but many careless mistakes
Trigonometry: Careless...but my marks are good enough for an A.
Geography: This was the worse; again, but perhaps it was the most surprising. I spent half the given time to finish the paper and expected myself to get half the total marks, but i got 34/50. I was too surprised...
Now here comes in the equal and opposite reaction of 'fun'.
We went through the answers in 15 minutes for almost all the papers, and for the rest of the time people just ran up either trying to change their marks or signing their names. What did many of us do? Sign our names, go back to our seat, do nothing.
Maybe towards the end of the geography paper checking it started to get a little better, when some of us formed a group and I finally opened my mouth.
Hopefully sports day tomorrow and the day after would be interesting days.
Speaking about sports, I had quite an experience this morning...
I woke up my latest ever, and reached buona vista station the latest ever, 7:30. Thinking that the buses there would take too long to reach school, I proceeded on to clementi. I reached there, and looked at the digital bus arrival board. Noticing that no buses were coming soon, I decided to set off on foot.
As I ran towards a junction, I wondered if I should go by clementi avenue 2. I did not know if it linked to my school, though I guessed it would. Not wanting to take the risk, I left it behind and proceeded along the "conventional" bus 96 and 183 route to clementi road. As I approached school, I noticed that everyone was assembled. Oh crap, I was late. Or was I not? I realised that people were still walking to the track. I ran, and made it just on time as I caught some attention while running across the field.
Wonderful, an early morning 1.6 km run in completed in 10 minutes...Well, it was a well-taken risk - The bus had not reached when I ran past the bus stop outside my school.
Lalala.
Source: http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton3laws.html
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Lighthouse
Disclaimer: This piece of work is created by me, no part of it have been reproduced from other sources in the process.After an hour and a half of working in microsoft paint, I finally completed this piece of art. What motivated me to do this? Boredom, and with some urge of mine to publish a little something more different from the rest of my posts.
Other than the solid sky background and lighthouse, coloured by a cheapskate method called fill, the rest are mainly completed with the spray brush tool.
The idea to create the clouds in such a manner with a slight 3d texture came to me when I realised that my sea looked more like blue balls of cotton than what it was supposed to be, when I sprayed a kaleidoscope of cool colours into it.
Connotation of clouds = cottom wool (Cool, 3 Cs in a sentence of 4 words. And cool starts with C too.)
Well, feel free to comment on it, and rate it too!
Kickoff to the final week
The weekends have been a usual noisy one. Other than going for my brother's kindergarten concert, nothing special happened.
It lasted for a whole two hours, with many performances hard to admire, needless to say, to concentrate on. Oh great, I am going to sleep throughout, was what I thought as I entered the performance hall. It turned out the utter opposite for three reasons:
1) The back of the chair was too low, I couldn't rest my head
2) The music was really really bright and loud
3) I had to film my brother
One hour after I got very restless, there was still a finale, and there was this girl stoning in the middle of a dancing crowd. I don't care about her. I care about the fact that she was blocking my brother, and I had to move about holding the camera trying to get a constant image of him for 7 minutes.
Enough of that.
The weekends are over and now its back to school for one more week.
The bio paper and statistics and probability paper were returned today. My prediction was correct, in fact, I should say doubly correct.
"Prepare to scare or surprise myself..." as mentioned in the previous post, well? I scared and surprised myself.
I surprised myself for my biology paper. 45/55. That is a record for any biology exam I had! I even won ben, for the first time. I guess its my essay questions that always fail me. Fortunately there were none this time round.
I scared myself for my statistics and probability paper. 41/50. Does not sound bad?
1) That is below average
2) Everything were just careless mistakes. No, I should not say careless, they were just plain stupid and nonsensicle mistakes I made.
I calculated mean wrongly as my entire formula was wrong and the formula I invented and assumed to be right did not make any sense either when I read it.
Also, I input a wrong probability of 1/3 when it was supposed to be 1/2. Why did I do it? Out of haste? No. Something just got into me.
However, two open ended questions still left my frustration hanging. Although my points for reasoning were quite similar to the model answer, my opening statement contradicted the model answer due to different judgements. Still, I was given no marks despite my reasoning.
Still, there isn't a need to complain about everything, and I was not really bothered about being top, or average, or anything that all matters a whole 3 marks (that's quite a lot).
Anyway, I have picked up a new way to pass my time on the mrt just today - rubik's cube (2x2x2).
School ended at 10am. That leaves 4 more days to the official end of two years in this school, or the two years which I could see my classmates easily almost everyday. Perhaps it would be time I started looking back and reflecting on all that has happened, all that we have been through...
It lasted for a whole two hours, with many performances hard to admire, needless to say, to concentrate on. Oh great, I am going to sleep throughout, was what I thought as I entered the performance hall. It turned out the utter opposite for three reasons:
1) The back of the chair was too low, I couldn't rest my head
2) The music was really really bright and loud
3) I had to film my brother
One hour after I got very restless, there was still a finale, and there was this girl stoning in the middle of a dancing crowd. I don't care about her. I care about the fact that she was blocking my brother, and I had to move about holding the camera trying to get a constant image of him for 7 minutes.
Enough of that.
The weekends are over and now its back to school for one more week.
The bio paper and statistics and probability paper were returned today. My prediction was correct, in fact, I should say doubly correct.
"Prepare to scare or surprise myself..." as mentioned in the previous post, well? I scared and surprised myself.
I surprised myself for my biology paper. 45/55. That is a record for any biology exam I had! I even won ben, for the first time. I guess its my essay questions that always fail me. Fortunately there were none this time round.
I scared myself for my statistics and probability paper. 41/50. Does not sound bad?
1) That is below average
2) Everything were just careless mistakes. No, I should not say careless, they were just plain stupid and nonsensicle mistakes I made.
I calculated mean wrongly as my entire formula was wrong and the formula I invented and assumed to be right did not make any sense either when I read it.
Also, I input a wrong probability of 1/3 when it was supposed to be 1/2. Why did I do it? Out of haste? No. Something just got into me.
However, two open ended questions still left my frustration hanging. Although my points for reasoning were quite similar to the model answer, my opening statement contradicted the model answer due to different judgements. Still, I was given no marks despite my reasoning.
Still, there isn't a need to complain about everything, and I was not really bothered about being top, or average, or anything that all matters a whole 3 marks (that's quite a lot).
Anyway, I have picked up a new way to pass my time on the mrt just today - rubik's cube (2x2x2).
School ended at 10am. That leaves 4 more days to the official end of two years in this school, or the two years which I could see my classmates easily almost everyday. Perhaps it would be time I started looking back and reflecting on all that has happened, all that we have been through...
Friday, November 7, 2008
Second day at the Chalet
Woke up.
Went Pasir Ris West Plaza to get Lunch, went to Pasir Ris Interchange to meet joelle and ethel, then finally took bus 359 and walked to the chalet.
By the time we reached there we were sweating quite badly. Many people went to play basketball but I was too tired to do so. Thus, the remaining people and I played a mad game which joelle brought in which you were supposed to lose all your money to win. We also played heart attack with peanut shells, blokus, a dinosaur card game played with peanut shells and Uno Cards and lastly a game called top secret.
It was a good way to pass the time. After lunch, we moved out to the chalet for a suite TZY's mum booked. We went in, went out and some people prepared the bbq. I say that that, is a terrible way to spend, or waste money. Even in spending money, there are ways to do it. Firstly, I think we did not need that suite at all. Secondly, I think even buying stacks of newspaper from a stand and then giving it to the karung guni is a much better way to waste your money. Instead of giving a country club, already so rich, money that you do not need, would not it be better to give them to someone else, at the same time giving the karung guni and newspaper stand business. Extreme case, but yes, I really think that there is a right and wrong way to do some "spring cleaning".
There after, there was nothing much for me to do, and so I went home at 7. I cannot see what people see in bbqs so much. Environmental-unfriendly, expensive, unhealthy, troublesome, supportive of the meat industry...Oh well. I just think that the cons outweigh the pros.
That ends my day at the chalet. Not bad at all, though the day could have dragged longer. Perhaps I should try staying over for once in future...
Now, off with all these outings. Next Monday- exam script checking. Prepare to scare or surprise myself...
Went Pasir Ris West Plaza to get Lunch, went to Pasir Ris Interchange to meet joelle and ethel, then finally took bus 359 and walked to the chalet.
By the time we reached there we were sweating quite badly. Many people went to play basketball but I was too tired to do so. Thus, the remaining people and I played a mad game which joelle brought in which you were supposed to lose all your money to win. We also played heart attack with peanut shells, blokus, a dinosaur card game played with peanut shells and Uno Cards and lastly a game called top secret.
It was a good way to pass the time. After lunch, we moved out to the chalet for a suite TZY's mum booked. We went in, went out and some people prepared the bbq. I say that that, is a terrible way to spend, or waste money. Even in spending money, there are ways to do it. Firstly, I think we did not need that suite at all. Secondly, I think even buying stacks of newspaper from a stand and then giving it to the karung guni is a much better way to waste your money. Instead of giving a country club, already so rich, money that you do not need, would not it be better to give them to someone else, at the same time giving the karung guni and newspaper stand business. Extreme case, but yes, I really think that there is a right and wrong way to do some "spring cleaning".
There after, there was nothing much for me to do, and so I went home at 7. I cannot see what people see in bbqs so much. Environmental-unfriendly, expensive, unhealthy, troublesome, supportive of the meat industry...Oh well. I just think that the cons outweigh the pros.
That ends my day at the chalet. Not bad at all, though the day could have dragged longer. Perhaps I should try staying over for once in future...
Now, off with all these outings. Next Monday- exam script checking. Prepare to scare or surprise myself...
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
To the Chalet...
Where shall I start?
I shall start when I heeded the sms' advice and took 8 stops on bus 403, although the sms said 6 stops but I read it wrongly. Even then, it made no difference, for 8 stops was closer to my destination than the 6 stops. I alighted and was surrounded by many houses on the hilltop. Where could the chalet be? Shouldn't it be a 30 metre walk from the bus stop? (at least that was what the message said)
As I started contacting many of my classmates to get directions to the chalet, none of them picked up my call. Finally, when I managed to get through with emman, I was so excited, but it turned out to be a recorded voice. Oh great, all of them must be still at wild wild wet. What should I do now...
Last resort, tzy. With his mother's help and based on my past experience and memories, I found the chalet just next to the year 2 campsite we went to earlier this year. Why didn't anyone just say that in the first place. It had been some 600 metres walk from that bus stop to that chalet, and when I reached the place, I saw a bus stop just outside. Which stop was it? The 11th stop. 11-6 = 5. Inaccuracy of 5 stops...
Alright, now that I have finally found the place after half an hour of probing into different alleys, I went into the building itself. The moment I saw it I went "wow". Doors wide open, electricity on, everything. Messed up tables and shoes and bags lying here and there. Count myself really lucky, or I would have stayed outside for the next 3 hours, or alternatively I could just go home.
There was absolutely nothing to do in there, so I stoned on the couch and tried to fall asleep. It was useless, and sleeping in the deafening silence was creepy...and boring. I slouched on the couch and watched a boring chinese show for an hour. Afterwhich, I walked around and looked out of the window. Nick and Yanni were there, walking. I sighed to myself, "Finally got some company!" I rushed down and it turned out they could not find the place either.
We went up, and watched Hulk. It was quite a movie with action and all but completely lacked a storyline, and considering I never watched the prequels, that made it worse. That was all for the day, and we three just left the chalet after the movie ended. There, at the bus stop, we met the rest of the chalet-goers who just returned from wild wild wet.
We waited at the bus stop, but that bus stop only had 403. So, I decided to find the bus stop that held both 358 and 403, since sms told me that it was just 8 stops from the interchange to take 358 too. Apparently, I forgot totally the only bus that plies through pasir ris park and the northwestern hills of pasir ris is 403. So while Nick and Yanni were waiting at a bus stop, I went to look for that non-existent one I had in my mind.
Running on the hills could not be said to be too easy. After I found a bus stop furthur down the road, I assumed it to be the right one. Then, I did not know where I was.
To be safe, I ran back to the same bus stop uphill, when 403 just arrived. It turned out that two things went wrong:
1) Nick and Yanni were waiting and the wrong side of the road for the bus, but it did not really matter because the bus made a loop.
2) I ran in a circle.
I shall illustrate my second point.
The Orange arrow shows where we were suppose to head towards.
The Green line shows the route 403 takes.
The Green arrow shows where Nick, Yanni and I headed for at first.
The Blue arrow shows where I headed for while trying to be smart.
And when I tried watching out for the 358 bus stops along the way home, I noticed that the 2nd and 3rd stops(red circle) were nearer to the chalet than the 8th stop(black circle) which was mentioned in the sms.
By taking 358, I would still have to walk at least 1km additional of slopes. Fortunately I did not take that bus.
All these just proves to myself one point, to be self reliant when possible especially when I live in pasir ris, having a headstart in knowing the place, yet I chose to rely blindly on an sms, and wasted myself so much time for this chalet, searching...
running...
complaining about the sms...
Okay I should stop complaining now.
Let me try getting to the chalet again tomorrow without any problems.
I shall start when I heeded the sms' advice and took 8 stops on bus 403, although the sms said 6 stops but I read it wrongly. Even then, it made no difference, for 8 stops was closer to my destination than the 6 stops. I alighted and was surrounded by many houses on the hilltop. Where could the chalet be? Shouldn't it be a 30 metre walk from the bus stop? (at least that was what the message said)
As I started contacting many of my classmates to get directions to the chalet, none of them picked up my call. Finally, when I managed to get through with emman, I was so excited, but it turned out to be a recorded voice. Oh great, all of them must be still at wild wild wet. What should I do now...
Last resort, tzy. With his mother's help and based on my past experience and memories, I found the chalet just next to the year 2 campsite we went to earlier this year. Why didn't anyone just say that in the first place. It had been some 600 metres walk from that bus stop to that chalet, and when I reached the place, I saw a bus stop just outside. Which stop was it? The 11th stop. 11-6 = 5. Inaccuracy of 5 stops...
Alright, now that I have finally found the place after half an hour of probing into different alleys, I went into the building itself. The moment I saw it I went "wow". Doors wide open, electricity on, everything. Messed up tables and shoes and bags lying here and there. Count myself really lucky, or I would have stayed outside for the next 3 hours, or alternatively I could just go home.
There was absolutely nothing to do in there, so I stoned on the couch and tried to fall asleep. It was useless, and sleeping in the deafening silence was creepy...and boring. I slouched on the couch and watched a boring chinese show for an hour. Afterwhich, I walked around and looked out of the window. Nick and Yanni were there, walking. I sighed to myself, "Finally got some company!" I rushed down and it turned out they could not find the place either.
We went up, and watched Hulk. It was quite a movie with action and all but completely lacked a storyline, and considering I never watched the prequels, that made it worse. That was all for the day, and we three just left the chalet after the movie ended. There, at the bus stop, we met the rest of the chalet-goers who just returned from wild wild wet.
We waited at the bus stop, but that bus stop only had 403. So, I decided to find the bus stop that held both 358 and 403, since sms told me that it was just 8 stops from the interchange to take 358 too. Apparently, I forgot totally the only bus that plies through pasir ris park and the northwestern hills of pasir ris is 403. So while Nick and Yanni were waiting at a bus stop, I went to look for that non-existent one I had in my mind.
Running on the hills could not be said to be too easy. After I found a bus stop furthur down the road, I assumed it to be the right one. Then, I did not know where I was.
To be safe, I ran back to the same bus stop uphill, when 403 just arrived. It turned out that two things went wrong:
1) Nick and Yanni were waiting and the wrong side of the road for the bus, but it did not really matter because the bus made a loop.
2) I ran in a circle.
I shall illustrate my second point.
The Orange arrow shows where we were suppose to head towards.
The Green line shows the route 403 takes.
The Green arrow shows where Nick, Yanni and I headed for at first.
The Blue arrow shows where I headed for while trying to be smart.
And when I tried watching out for the 358 bus stops along the way home, I noticed that the 2nd and 3rd stops(red circle) were nearer to the chalet than the 8th stop(black circle) which was mentioned in the sms.
By taking 358, I would still have to walk at least 1km additional of slopes. Fortunately I did not take that bus.
All these just proves to myself one point, to be self reliant when possible especially when I live in pasir ris, having a headstart in knowing the place, yet I chose to rely blindly on an sms, and wasted myself so much time for this chalet, searching...
running...
complaining about the sms...
Okay I should stop complaining now.
Let me try getting to the chalet again tomorrow without any problems.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Cycling once again
Finally, after the last cycling trip for some three months, my classmates and I went cycling once again on the last day of the examinations (3/11/2008).
Some went rollerblading, a group thought ryan how to cycle and another group went cycling, which eventually split up into two groups which went into different ways.
For easier references, I shall label these groups
Rollerbladers: Gen, Cheryl lin, Kat, Pyq, Nick, Ethel
Teachers: Cmc, Christine, Ryan
Beach-goers(they went to the beach halfway and turned back): Angela, Nar, Ben, Emman
Adventurers aka losers (We got kind of lost): Dillon, Cheryl lit, Jk, Charlene, ZF, Joelle
For a start, here a some statistics of my group.
Distance cycled: 36-42km
Time taken: 5 hours (due to some major yet interesting problems encountered on the way)
Time we SHOULD have taken: 3
Number of people who got injured: 3
Number of damaged bicycles: 3
Number of times one of our bicycle chains dislodged: 3
Looks like 3 is a lucky number:)
It started as a typical cycling event, when we cycled and rollerbladed leisurely. Slowly, the distance between people increased and we could not see many people around us. As jk, joelle and I approached the tanah merah side of east coast park, a light drizzle fell. That was not exactly the hard part, the hard part was the wind which we had to cycle against. I took out my umbrella for fun and sheltered myself from the rain while cycling, one hand holding it, and the other onto the bicycle handle.
However, the wind was too strong for the upright umbrella to take it, and it turned inside out. I stopped and tried to fix it, but my efforts were in vain. Just when I was about the give up and keep my umbrella, I had an idea to use poison to cure poison. I faced my umbrella infront, such that it looked like a radar and cycled really fast. The wind blew it back:)
We reached changi coast road and cycled and cycled and cycled and cycled and...you get the idea. Charlene was not very fast at first thus joelle waited for her. Now that made them the last people so I waited too just in case. And in front waiting were dillon, cheryl lit and jk near the end of changi coast road(we took very long to catch up). When we caught up, we started cycling together.
Nothing much happened as we cycled along towards changi beach and joelle suddenly became very sad for some weird reason; I guess its just no one talking to her. We saw the beach-goers playing at the beach ahead and thinking that they would catch up with us eventually, we just cycled on.
We rested at changi village. We were around midway of the park connectors to east coast and thus we decided to continue on. Time elapse was 1 hour 40 minutes and at this rate, we probably could make it in around 3 hours provided we cycled fast, but this was not the case...
Changi village was full of up and downs. As we rolled down a slope, we cruised along the track when I heard a crashed. Joelle fell off her bicycle while going down the slope and she rolled down. Probably she thought the slope was so fun that she did not brake. She landed in a sitting position and laughed hysterically with 3 minor injuries on her limbs. Her bicycle gearings were damaged too. That was very dangerous...and thank goodness she was lucky that she was not hurt too badly.
After washing her wounds, we proceeded and soon we reached loyang avenue which was still 'slopey' (full of slopes). Pushing the bicycles up long slopes was tiring.
Some where along the avenue, Joelle's bicycle chain dislodged and I went to fix it based on my experience the last time mine did. Great, and I thought that today would be a nice and 'black-hand-free' day. However, worse was about to come.
We passed by my home (Just when we passed by pasir ris drive 2 while cycling along pasir ris drive 3), and loyang point, and it started to rain. It did not stop and the rain was escalating, drenching all of us worse than ever. I could not take the cold and took out my umbrella, which turned out more of a hinder to getting to the nearest shelter. We went pass downtown east and lightning split the sky just like how my pants split in school earlier this year; and thunder roared louder than my chemistry teacher's voice. I held the umbrella at a 45 degree angle ahead of me and rode towards the bus stop, but jk was no where to be seen. We looked around, but no one could find him. I turned back and went to find him.
The road ahead was a fog. Pedestrians were just blurred images of a low resolution graphic. My only guidance was the traffic lights ahead, their circles of light breaking through the inpenetrable rain.
I reached the junction but jk was no where to be seen. I turned back and saw joelle along the way in the rain. Apparently jk was safe already and thus we tried to run back to the bus stop under an umbrella and pushing a bicycle which was not that easy, and I slipped and fell halfway there. I got up immediately and we moved back to the bus stop as fast as possible.
My knee was cut and there was quite some blood. My lower torso was also scratched but fortunately there was not any blood. I can't imagine my stomach sking bleeding.
Now, someone said that jk was here, and now he disappeared. He was nowhere to be seen. Surely he was not left behind, that means he proceeded on his own in the rain. That is very risky in a thunderstorm and we were all worried for him.
The rain finally diminished and thus we continued on our way. We met jk and he said that he thought we did not stop cycling thus he continued...how blur. I was keeping my umbrella when a blinding flash appeared accompanied by a thundering thunder of thunder. Oh dear, its starting all over again. We rushed towards the nearest shelter once again, which was in pasir ris town park. We had better not continue anymore until the sky fully clears of dark clouds.
Our bags were wet. Really wet. Lets see what I have in my bag...
-Soft toy kangaroo
-Library book (Paperback)
-Shirt
-Graphing Calculator
-Handphone
-Stationery(safe in the plastic bag)
Oh dear...
The sky cleared after 15 minutes. Pasir Ris, being an area of low lying land, was utterly flooded. I realised that the rain had washed away the grease stains on my hand from fixing the bicycle chains. As I cycled, my bicycle splashed into a big puddle, at least being 10cm in depth. It was around 2 metres across and yes, this was time when I got my shoes and socks really wet. Uncomfortably wet. I was quite surprise to see such a big puddle, and as I looked ahead, this was not the only one. Many more were ahead, with one of them covering an entire stretch of track. We reached the end of the flooded track, when we heard that dillon got into some kind of trouble. He fell into a puddle and his bag too, with charlene's handphone inside. At the same time, his bicycle chain got dislodged. Oh well, once again my hand is going to get dirty, but it did not matter.
In dirt-stained and soaking clothes, we proceeded. We went over the TPE pushing our bicycles tiringly across the overhead bridge, and just after I got back onto my bicycle after that, the chain fell out. I have too much experience in this already...
We cycled across tampines, across many streets so each time we saw a traffic light ahead, I'ld go 'oh great' and slow down my bike impatiently. We reached bedok resevoir and crossed another expressway. My first thought when I saw it was that it was the ECP and just across it would be east coast park, but it turned out to be the PIE only. How depressing.
Across the expressway at one point, just ahead of the track was a busy road, upper changi road east, and it appears that there were no traffic lights nearby. I didn't know what to do as I have never crossed a major road without a traffic light, until Joelle said just cross it when there are no cars, and stupid as it might seem, but I thought in my mind, "Oh yea when there are no cars we cross the road". This is what happens when people start to get mentally tired. And I must point out that its a terrible design of that track... Can't they at least lead us to a traffic light?
For some reason which no one ever realised, after we crossed the road, although the continuation of the bedok park connector was directly in front, we all turned and started to ride along Upper Changi Road East. I guess its just about our tiredness.
Then dillon said，"Oh I know this place, this is Singapore Expo." and someone else pointed out that the cycling track is just ahead, and we all started cycling towards simei. We only realised when we found out the track keeps on going straight. We turned back.
We got back onto the right track, when we realised that jk was still at the back. He collapsed on the floor with his bicycle. We turned back and found out that he had leg cramps. We surrounded jk, other than charlene who was taking care of the bicycles ahead.
Jk asked, "Where's Charlene?" At that time, I suddenly reminded of those shows, in which a dying hero wants to see his girlfriend for a last time. Oops sorry hope I offend neither of them.
Jk called his father, but after some time all of us just cycled on. All of us were confused. Finally, we reached Upper East Coast Road where jk talked to his father again. When I asked him later he told me that he told a lie that we were lost, well actually it was kind of true, but still...because he did not want his father to worry too much.
At last, East Coast Parkway! Another irritating thing is that to get to the underpass, we had to cycle along it for some distance, and when we reach the park itself, we have to cycle back in the opposite direction. We reached the underpass and to make things worse, the designers knew that there would be cyclists, yet there were no ramps, only staircases.
Reluctantly, I dragged my bicycle down the steps, or I should say that my bicycle dragged ME down the stairs. On the other side, a kind man and dillon were helping to carry bicycles up. It was quite slow, so I decided to carry it myself. Heaving it onto my shoulders, I managed to get the bicycle up, but I did not know how to put it down ironically. Out of a weird instinct, I flung my bike onto the ground. First was joelle's bicycle gearing, second, jk's bicycle handle that got bent as he crashed into a pole somewhere along the road. Crash. Third bike down. My bicycle landed on the handles and the bell automatically disassembled itself.
It was tiring and I was totally worn out by the time we reached the bicycle rental shop. Nevertheless, it was a good experience, and finishing the eastern park connector network finally, I had quite a sense of achievement. This trip is my standard of a wonderful outing it had been.
Some went rollerblading, a group thought ryan how to cycle and another group went cycling, which eventually split up into two groups which went into different ways.
For easier references, I shall label these groups
Rollerbladers: Gen, Cheryl lin, Kat, Pyq, Nick, Ethel
Teachers: Cmc, Christine, Ryan
Beach-goers(they went to the beach halfway and turned back): Angela, Nar, Ben, Emman
Adventurers aka losers (We got kind of lost): Dillon, Cheryl lit, Jk, Charlene, ZF, Joelle
For a start, here a some statistics of my group.
Distance cycled: 36-42km
Time taken: 5 hours (due to some major yet interesting problems encountered on the way)
Time we SHOULD have taken: 3
Number of people who got injured: 3
Number of damaged bicycles: 3
Number of times one of our bicycle chains dislodged: 3
Looks like 3 is a lucky number:)
It started as a typical cycling event, when we cycled and rollerbladed leisurely. Slowly, the distance between people increased and we could not see many people around us. As jk, joelle and I approached the tanah merah side of east coast park, a light drizzle fell. That was not exactly the hard part, the hard part was the wind which we had to cycle against. I took out my umbrella for fun and sheltered myself from the rain while cycling, one hand holding it, and the other onto the bicycle handle.
However, the wind was too strong for the upright umbrella to take it, and it turned inside out. I stopped and tried to fix it, but my efforts were in vain. Just when I was about the give up and keep my umbrella, I had an idea to use poison to cure poison. I faced my umbrella infront, such that it looked like a radar and cycled really fast. The wind blew it back:)
We reached changi coast road and cycled and cycled and cycled and cycled and...you get the idea. Charlene was not very fast at first thus joelle waited for her. Now that made them the last people so I waited too just in case. And in front waiting were dillon, cheryl lit and jk near the end of changi coast road(we took very long to catch up). When we caught up, we started cycling together.
Nothing much happened as we cycled along towards changi beach and joelle suddenly became very sad for some weird reason; I guess its just no one talking to her. We saw the beach-goers playing at the beach ahead and thinking that they would catch up with us eventually, we just cycled on.
We rested at changi village. We were around midway of the park connectors to east coast and thus we decided to continue on. Time elapse was 1 hour 40 minutes and at this rate, we probably could make it in around 3 hours provided we cycled fast, but this was not the case...
Changi village was full of up and downs. As we rolled down a slope, we cruised along the track when I heard a crashed. Joelle fell off her bicycle while going down the slope and she rolled down. Probably she thought the slope was so fun that she did not brake. She landed in a sitting position and laughed hysterically with 3 minor injuries on her limbs. Her bicycle gearings were damaged too. That was very dangerous...and thank goodness she was lucky that she was not hurt too badly.
After washing her wounds, we proceeded and soon we reached loyang avenue which was still 'slopey' (full of slopes). Pushing the bicycles up long slopes was tiring.
Some where along the avenue, Joelle's bicycle chain dislodged and I went to fix it based on my experience the last time mine did. Great, and I thought that today would be a nice and 'black-hand-free' day. However, worse was about to come.
We passed by my home (Just when we passed by pasir ris drive 2 while cycling along pasir ris drive 3), and loyang point, and it started to rain. It did not stop and the rain was escalating, drenching all of us worse than ever. I could not take the cold and took out my umbrella, which turned out more of a hinder to getting to the nearest shelter. We went pass downtown east and lightning split the sky just like how my pants split in school earlier this year; and thunder roared louder than my chemistry teacher's voice. I held the umbrella at a 45 degree angle ahead of me and rode towards the bus stop, but jk was no where to be seen. We looked around, but no one could find him. I turned back and went to find him.
The road ahead was a fog. Pedestrians were just blurred images of a low resolution graphic. My only guidance was the traffic lights ahead, their circles of light breaking through the inpenetrable rain.
I reached the junction but jk was no where to be seen. I turned back and saw joelle along the way in the rain. Apparently jk was safe already and thus we tried to run back to the bus stop under an umbrella and pushing a bicycle which was not that easy, and I slipped and fell halfway there. I got up immediately and we moved back to the bus stop as fast as possible.
My knee was cut and there was quite some blood. My lower torso was also scratched but fortunately there was not any blood. I can't imagine my stomach sking bleeding.
Now, someone said that jk was here, and now he disappeared. He was nowhere to be seen. Surely he was not left behind, that means he proceeded on his own in the rain. That is very risky in a thunderstorm and we were all worried for him.
The rain finally diminished and thus we continued on our way. We met jk and he said that he thought we did not stop cycling thus he continued...how blur. I was keeping my umbrella when a blinding flash appeared accompanied by a thundering thunder of thunder. Oh dear, its starting all over again. We rushed towards the nearest shelter once again, which was in pasir ris town park. We had better not continue anymore until the sky fully clears of dark clouds.
Our bags were wet. Really wet. Lets see what I have in my bag...
-Soft toy kangaroo
-Library book (Paperback)
-Shirt
-Graphing Calculator
-Handphone
-Stationery(safe in the plastic bag)
Oh dear...
The sky cleared after 15 minutes. Pasir Ris, being an area of low lying land, was utterly flooded. I realised that the rain had washed away the grease stains on my hand from fixing the bicycle chains. As I cycled, my bicycle splashed into a big puddle, at least being 10cm in depth. It was around 2 metres across and yes, this was time when I got my shoes and socks really wet. Uncomfortably wet. I was quite surprise to see such a big puddle, and as I looked ahead, this was not the only one. Many more were ahead, with one of them covering an entire stretch of track. We reached the end of the flooded track, when we heard that dillon got into some kind of trouble. He fell into a puddle and his bag too, with charlene's handphone inside. At the same time, his bicycle chain got dislodged. Oh well, once again my hand is going to get dirty, but it did not matter.
In dirt-stained and soaking clothes, we proceeded. We went over the TPE pushing our bicycles tiringly across the overhead bridge, and just after I got back onto my bicycle after that, the chain fell out. I have too much experience in this already...
We cycled across tampines, across many streets so each time we saw a traffic light ahead, I'ld go 'oh great' and slow down my bike impatiently. We reached bedok resevoir and crossed another expressway. My first thought when I saw it was that it was the ECP and just across it would be east coast park, but it turned out to be the PIE only. How depressing.
Across the expressway at one point, just ahead of the track was a busy road, upper changi road east, and it appears that there were no traffic lights nearby. I didn't know what to do as I have never crossed a major road without a traffic light, until Joelle said just cross it when there are no cars, and stupid as it might seem, but I thought in my mind, "Oh yea when there are no cars we cross the road". This is what happens when people start to get mentally tired. And I must point out that its a terrible design of that track... Can't they at least lead us to a traffic light?
For some reason which no one ever realised, after we crossed the road, although the continuation of the bedok park connector was directly in front, we all turned and started to ride along Upper Changi Road East. I guess its just about our tiredness.
Then dillon said，"Oh I know this place, this is Singapore Expo." and someone else pointed out that the cycling track is just ahead, and we all started cycling towards simei. We only realised when we found out the track keeps on going straight. We turned back.
We got back onto the right track, when we realised that jk was still at the back. He collapsed on the floor with his bicycle. We turned back and found out that he had leg cramps. We surrounded jk, other than charlene who was taking care of the bicycles ahead.
Jk asked, "Where's Charlene?" At that time, I suddenly reminded of those shows, in which a dying hero wants to see his girlfriend for a last time. Oops sorry hope I offend neither of them.
Jk called his father, but after some time all of us just cycled on. All of us were confused. Finally, we reached Upper East Coast Road where jk talked to his father again. When I asked him later he told me that he told a lie that we were lost, well actually it was kind of true, but still...because he did not want his father to worry too much.
At last, East Coast Parkway! Another irritating thing is that to get to the underpass, we had to cycle along it for some distance, and when we reach the park itself, we have to cycle back in the opposite direction. We reached the underpass and to make things worse, the designers knew that there would be cyclists, yet there were no ramps, only staircases.
Reluctantly, I dragged my bicycle down the steps, or I should say that my bicycle dragged ME down the stairs. On the other side, a kind man and dillon were helping to carry bicycles up. It was quite slow, so I decided to carry it myself. Heaving it onto my shoulders, I managed to get the bicycle up, but I did not know how to put it down ironically. Out of a weird instinct, I flung my bike onto the ground. First was joelle's bicycle gearing, second, jk's bicycle handle that got bent as he crashed into a pole somewhere along the road. Crash. Third bike down. My bicycle landed on the handles and the bell automatically disassembled itself.
It was tiring and I was totally worn out by the time we reached the bicycle rental shop. Nevertheless, it was a good experience, and finishing the eastern park connector network finally, I had quite a sense of achievement. This trip is my standard of a wonderful outing it had been.
第一次出国-第四级
年终考试终于结束了, 现在我终于有多点儿时间写记录了.
上次不是记叙到第三天了吗? 现在就谈谈第四天的吧!
今天, 咱们早一些起床, 因为要去搭猫空缆车. 怎么去呢? 就是搭捷运, 从淡水线换到板南线, 在换木栅线.
看看台北的交通工具使用者，我觉得他们比新家坡人有规矩多了。搭电动扶梯时，一定靠右。上捷运时，一定以两排慢慢走进去。新加坡呢，大家争先孔已经习惯了； 大家都这样，我们也不得不这么做，不然就无法上车了。
还有，这里等待一趟捷运只需一两分钟。可惜，台北捷运站的一个短处就是换线是需要走很长的路，我看至少200米吧。
在动物园站，我们下车。买了缆车票后，我们排了半个钟头的对。上了缆车，已望出窗口，就是树，又是山，又是树。偶尔，也看到鸟瞰的台北市。
后来，我们在其中一站下缆车，走到湖畔去。但是，不管怎么走，好像都到不了。虽然后来有听到水声，但山路难走，而且虫子有多，因此我们倒回去了。
接着，我们去看了几个庙就走了。
再回去路途中，拍到了这些。这就是台北101。在绿洲中的斑点就是不幸而拍到的坟墓。
回到了饭店，我们已经精疲力尽了。 第五天与最后一天我就略写了。第五天， 就是平凡的一天。爸爸带我到诚品书局看看。在那儿花了几个小时，最后我只买了一本小叮当的漫画书。后来姑姑带我们到一间餐厅吃自助餐的下午茶当作晚餐，因为晚餐的收费比较贵。
最后一天终于来了。早上到了科学馆后，我们和姑姑到桃园里的一间道馆办些时。最后去了飞机场。
天边的彩霞
抵达新加坡！
上次不是记叙到第三天了吗? 现在就谈谈第四天的吧!
今天, 咱们早一些起床, 因为要去搭猫空缆车. 怎么去呢? 就是搭捷运, 从淡水线换到板南线, 在换木栅线.
看看台北的交通工具使用者，我觉得他们比新家坡人有规矩多了。搭电动扶梯时，一定靠右。上捷运时，一定以两排慢慢走进去。新加坡呢，大家争先孔已经习惯了； 大家都这样，我们也不得不这么做，不然就无法上车了。
还有，这里等待一趟捷运只需一两分钟。可惜，台北捷运站的一个短处就是换线是需要走很长的路，我看至少200米吧。
在动物园站，我们下车。买了缆车票后，我们排了半个钟头的对。上了缆车，已望出窗口，就是树，又是山，又是树。偶尔，也看到鸟瞰的台北市。
后来，我们在其中一站下缆车，走到湖畔去。但是，不管怎么走，好像都到不了。虽然后来有听到水声，但山路难走，而且虫子有多，因此我们倒回去了。
接着，我们去看了几个庙就走了。
再回去路途中，拍到了这些。这就是台北101。在绿洲中的斑点就是不幸而拍到的坟墓。
回到了饭店，我们已经精疲力尽了。 第五天与最后一天我就略写了。第五天， 就是平凡的一天。爸爸带我到诚品书局看看。在那儿花了几个小时，最后我只买了一本小叮当的漫画书。后来姑姑带我们到一间餐厅吃自助餐的下午茶当作晚餐，因为晚餐的收费比较贵。最后一天终于来了。早上到了科学馆后，我们和姑姑到桃园里的一间道馆办些时。最后去了飞机场。
这不是山，而是飞机翼。
天边的彩霞
抵达新加坡！台湾旅游记就这样结束了。这是一个非常不错的经验。 即将到来的假期里，我全家打算到香港去，希望能和这次的出国一样美好。
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Kangaroo and the Crab
Resting on the floor is an orange crab,who looks so lonely and sad
Along came a kangaroo, who brought some tissue,and with a new friend the crab is no longer blue.
Happy birthday Katrina and Joelle:) Now that the crab has moved house, the kangaroo is feeling lonely:(
:PSaturday, October 25, 2008
First day of the exams
Yesterday was the first day. Four papers- English paper 1, English paper 2, Chinese paper 1 and Chinese paper 2. They lasted all the way up to 5pm.
English Paper 1: My essay topic was "A typical rainy evening". I tranformed the rainy evening into an orchestra and the sounds into a symphony.
Lightning crack: Conductor's stick
Thunder: Opening chords of the symphony
Splashing footsteps: Cymbals
Sputtering engine of the bus: Tremeloes of a double bass
Car wheels scratching against the road shoulder: Bassoon
Car skidding and crashing against a truck: Impatient violininst making his violin creak because of the slow music and smashing it against a cello :P
English Paper 2: One comprehension and one summary, how long could it take? Of the 1 hour 45 minutes given, I finished the paper in an hour. It was not too hard, and I fell asleep on the table...
When I woke up, I realised that the hall was empty and my paper was the only one left uncollected! Out of shock, I woke up(for real this time). Dreaming while sleeping in the middle of the exam...Interesting...
For lunch, I had one of the best meals I had in school ever. Then we had a nice, long group chat on the lunch table before the chinese paper. That rejuvenated my energy for some reason.
Chinese Paper 1: At first I did not know what to write about, so I finally chose my topic and thought of the storyline after half an hour of thinking. TZY and joelle gave me the inspiration for the essay:)
The story is about how "I" lost a diamond 4 from a deck of cards belonging to my brother. Then "I" blamed everyone about it. However, when "I" finally found it in my pocket, I learnt about how we should stop blaming others and try to work on ourselves first. Thats it-one of the longest chinese essays I have ever written. The introduction of setting the scene was flooded with description and lasted one and a half pages long. The main conflict was recited in two and a half pages and I had a half page conclusion. For some unknown reason, I felt quite happy after finishing that essay.
Chinese Paper 2: Considerably tired out by the first three paper already, and it being in the late afternoon, I worked twice as slowly and got very restless for this paper and finished it just in time. It was slightly tricky but not too hard.
After it was all over, I went home (duh). That marks the end of the first day of the exams. :)
English Paper 1: My essay topic was "A typical rainy evening". I tranformed the rainy evening into an orchestra and the sounds into a symphony.
Lightning crack: Conductor's stick
Thunder: Opening chords of the symphony
Splashing footsteps: Cymbals
Sputtering engine of the bus: Tremeloes of a double bass
Car wheels scratching against the road shoulder: Bassoon
Car skidding and crashing against a truck: Impatient violininst making his violin creak because of the slow music and smashing it against a cello :P
English Paper 2: One comprehension and one summary, how long could it take? Of the 1 hour 45 minutes given, I finished the paper in an hour. It was not too hard, and I fell asleep on the table...
When I woke up, I realised that the hall was empty and my paper was the only one left uncollected! Out of shock, I woke up(for real this time). Dreaming while sleeping in the middle of the exam...Interesting...
For lunch, I had one of the best meals I had in school ever. Then we had a nice, long group chat on the lunch table before the chinese paper. That rejuvenated my energy for some reason.
Chinese Paper 1: At first I did not know what to write about, so I finally chose my topic and thought of the storyline after half an hour of thinking. TZY and joelle gave me the inspiration for the essay:)
The story is about how "I" lost a diamond 4 from a deck of cards belonging to my brother. Then "I" blamed everyone about it. However, when "I" finally found it in my pocket, I learnt about how we should stop blaming others and try to work on ourselves first. Thats it-one of the longest chinese essays I have ever written. The introduction of setting the scene was flooded with description and lasted one and a half pages long. The main conflict was recited in two and a half pages and I had a half page conclusion. For some unknown reason, I felt quite happy after finishing that essay.
Chinese Paper 2: Considerably tired out by the first three paper already, and it being in the late afternoon, I worked twice as slowly and got very restless for this paper and finished it just in time. It was slightly tricky but not too hard.
After it was all over, I went home (duh). That marks the end of the first day of the exams. :)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Bye Bye
Bye Bye to the year 6s of our school. This morning a graduation assembly was held for the year 6s. There was a speech, and a few performance. Some sentimental music, some songs and ending the assembly, a 10 minute demonstration on how to make noise. I have to say that the singer at the last part of this organized enactment of noise seemed as if he was being strangled, puffing out his screams breathlessly like someone screaming painfully and rhythmatically because his constipated shit can't come out.
It is sad to see the year 6s having spent 4 years in this school (they joined in year 3), and see them part. Some of my classmates might think that it is also a saddening thought since it is also the last day class 205 is together in our classroom, but I do not think so, leave that sadness till year 6.
We can go for outings and still do many things together. We are still in the same school which does not ban us from seeing each other during our free time. We still have the holidays and 4 more years ahead of us. I don't see why so many people are upsetting over this.
Just today, I received three notes. As my friend had said, this is as if the marking of the end of our togetherness- Bye Bye, this is what I have to say to you...we are never going to see each other again... By giving out such notes, it is totally depressing.
So, lets not be sad and just look forward to the exams and the outings thereafter.
It is sad to see the year 6s having spent 4 years in this school (they joined in year 3), and see them part. Some of my classmates might think that it is also a saddening thought since it is also the last day class 205 is together in our classroom, but I do not think so, leave that sadness till year 6.
We can go for outings and still do many things together. We are still in the same school which does not ban us from seeing each other during our free time. We still have the holidays and 4 more years ahead of us. I don't see why so many people are upsetting over this.
Just today, I received three notes. As my friend had said, this is as if the marking of the end of our togetherness- Bye Bye, this is what I have to say to you...we are never going to see each other again... By giving out such notes, it is totally depressing.
So, lets not be sad and just look forward to the exams and the outings thereafter.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A sparrow and a research congress
I shall start off this post with some things you can do when bored on the MRT.
-Take this chance to learn the name of roads you pass by. Improves memory and spatial thinking when trying to fit all the places and roads in one mental map.
-Observe pedestrians' movement and try to guess what they are doing. Once I saw a family carrying their luggages walking along a construction site. Wondered where they were going...
Unfortunately these can only be done when you are not in the tunnel. Here are somethings that can be done in the tunnel as well as above ground.
-Sleep. Simple enough?
-Think about a problem you find hard to solve everyday. The tunnel and the boring black walls passing by the windows will keep you off distraction. At the same time, being engrossed in the problem will make time seem to have stopped for you and when you come back to the "real world", probably you are already at your destination. Well, it works for me.
-Or if you are feeling physical, you can try tip-toeing and hold your position till the next stop, where you rest. Then, repeat when the train starts moving.
Note that I did not put reading in the list which is what many people do. I get dizzy when I read on a vehicle for too long, even for a smooth ride like the MRT. Besides, having to hold the book in a standing posture is not too convenient. When I sit down, it makes no difference in my preference because I just fall asleep.
---
16/10/08 (Last Thursday)
A sparrow flew into class yesterday and roamed about the ceilings like a dare-devil, quickly yet carefully maneuvering its way above the chopping blades of the fans. I thought all it would cause would be some people screaming, but that was not the case. A commotion more of excitement than worry for the bird's safety erupted.
As it flew around for quite some time, it remained in the classroom. Some people wanted to keep it imprisoned in the class, others were sensible enough to think otherwise. As people closed and opened windows and doors like a war between two different sets of believes, the "closing side" emerged victorious.
The bird landed on top of the cupboard door. People gathered around it. E.H opened the cupboard door slowly which caused the bird's neck to be pressed against the ceiling. Some people tried to stop him, but he is someone who gets what he wants. Whats more, he is a guy with religion; see the irony?
At first, we thought that the bird was injured. I felt really sorry for it then while many were disturbing it. Why couldn't they have just left it alone? But after much disturbance, the bird finally flew out which was a good sign that it was not injured. People cheered, which I thought was quite funny. Why did they want to chase the bird out so badly, and for others why did they want to keep the bird captive in the first place? I think that had we just ignored it and let it fly out on its own, we could have saved a lot of energy and time. After all, we were about the leave the class soon...the bird was unlikely to stay there overnight, wasn't it? I looked at the drawing I was working on before all these started and suddenly, for some reason I did not feel like finishing it anymore...
Research Congress, 2pm, we went to the hall and sat in front of a projector screen showing the still and lifeless auditorium. It was boring. Out of boredom, Joelle, jk and I started playing I spy at the back of the line and started chatting after that. A piece of paper was passed down the line as the class decided to create a story with each person writing a word.
After the opening speech and a presentation was over, we left the hall surprisingly early. Though we were supposed to go around viewing the exhibits, many people just left. This gives rise to a question: Do we leave?
A group of people with me gathered and pondered about this question. We watched people going out and coming in the gate as I thought about reasons why they might have been allowed to go out but perhaps we were not allowed to. Maybe we should just stay back for a while and look at some of the exhibits since they are already prepared and meant for us to see, but someone thought that staying in school was a waste of time. Finally, out of slight peer pressure from that someone, I went home with that group.
Thinking about it now, it was quite a waste that we did not even browse through the exhibits or look through any art. This once in a year event, not as if it is held everyday, does not really waste much of our time other than an estimated 2 hours/year.
I think I should go along with my own will next time.
-Take this chance to learn the name of roads you pass by. Improves memory and spatial thinking when trying to fit all the places and roads in one mental map.
-Observe pedestrians' movement and try to guess what they are doing. Once I saw a family carrying their luggages walking along a construction site. Wondered where they were going...
Unfortunately these can only be done when you are not in the tunnel. Here are somethings that can be done in the tunnel as well as above ground.
-Sleep. Simple enough?
-Think about a problem you find hard to solve everyday. The tunnel and the boring black walls passing by the windows will keep you off distraction. At the same time, being engrossed in the problem will make time seem to have stopped for you and when you come back to the "real world", probably you are already at your destination. Well, it works for me.
-Or if you are feeling physical, you can try tip-toeing and hold your position till the next stop, where you rest. Then, repeat when the train starts moving.
Note that I did not put reading in the list which is what many people do. I get dizzy when I read on a vehicle for too long, even for a smooth ride like the MRT. Besides, having to hold the book in a standing posture is not too convenient. When I sit down, it makes no difference in my preference because I just fall asleep.
---
16/10/08 (Last Thursday)
A sparrow flew into class yesterday and roamed about the ceilings like a dare-devil, quickly yet carefully maneuvering its way above the chopping blades of the fans. I thought all it would cause would be some people screaming, but that was not the case. A commotion more of excitement than worry for the bird's safety erupted.
As it flew around for quite some time, it remained in the classroom. Some people wanted to keep it imprisoned in the class, others were sensible enough to think otherwise. As people closed and opened windows and doors like a war between two different sets of believes, the "closing side" emerged victorious.
The bird landed on top of the cupboard door. People gathered around it. E.H opened the cupboard door slowly which caused the bird's neck to be pressed against the ceiling. Some people tried to stop him, but he is someone who gets what he wants. Whats more, he is a guy with religion; see the irony?
At first, we thought that the bird was injured. I felt really sorry for it then while many were disturbing it. Why couldn't they have just left it alone? But after much disturbance, the bird finally flew out which was a good sign that it was not injured. People cheered, which I thought was quite funny. Why did they want to chase the bird out so badly, and for others why did they want to keep the bird captive in the first place? I think that had we just ignored it and let it fly out on its own, we could have saved a lot of energy and time. After all, we were about the leave the class soon...the bird was unlikely to stay there overnight, wasn't it? I looked at the drawing I was working on before all these started and suddenly, for some reason I did not feel like finishing it anymore...
Research Congress, 2pm, we went to the hall and sat in front of a projector screen showing the still and lifeless auditorium. It was boring. Out of boredom, Joelle, jk and I started playing I spy at the back of the line and started chatting after that. A piece of paper was passed down the line as the class decided to create a story with each person writing a word.
After the opening speech and a presentation was over, we left the hall surprisingly early. Though we were supposed to go around viewing the exhibits, many people just left. This gives rise to a question: Do we leave?
A group of people with me gathered and pondered about this question. We watched people going out and coming in the gate as I thought about reasons why they might have been allowed to go out but perhaps we were not allowed to. Maybe we should just stay back for a while and look at some of the exhibits since they are already prepared and meant for us to see, but someone thought that staying in school was a waste of time. Finally, out of slight peer pressure from that someone, I went home with that group.
Thinking about it now, it was quite a waste that we did not even browse through the exhibits or look through any art. This once in a year event, not as if it is held everyday, does not really waste much of our time other than an estimated 2 hours/year.
I think I should go along with my own will next time.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Basketball Training...
Ever since training has been move to monday, I had to wait for 5 hours before training started. This has pissed me quite much, especially when my friends and I finished homework and have nothing else to do. Thus, I decided to go once every few weeks.
Just last week, the basketball teacher-in-charge had a meeting with us and specially pointed out me and my friend's names for our unbeatable attendance at basketball training. He also pointed out the importance of CCAs and how it is compulsory to attend every session unless with a valid excuse. Well, looks like I have to just put up with this till the end of the year.
I don't think this is very fair. There is a friday training and we are allowed to attend it too. However, regardless whether we attended it, we still have to attend the monday training. Did they ever consider how long many of us have to wait? I say their system is not one of the bests in anywhere...
Without any choice, I just went for training last monday. The coach's face seemed to have change for a third time this year.
He told us to drink a lot of water before we started the excercises, which is naturally right. However, this was because for the next 2 hours, we were not allowed to rest or drink any water. I think that this is a considerably ridiculous way to train endurance, if that is what he wants.
After doing many lay-ups and shooting drills, we did ball handling. In one of the excercises, we were bending our back to pass the ball underneath our legs. Am I already not short enough?
Why did I ever join basketball...
Just last week, the basketball teacher-in-charge had a meeting with us and specially pointed out me and my friend's names for our unbeatable attendance at basketball training. He also pointed out the importance of CCAs and how it is compulsory to attend every session unless with a valid excuse. Well, looks like I have to just put up with this till the end of the year.
I don't think this is very fair. There is a friday training and we are allowed to attend it too. However, regardless whether we attended it, we still have to attend the monday training. Did they ever consider how long many of us have to wait? I say their system is not one of the bests in anywhere...
Without any choice, I just went for training last monday. The coach's face seemed to have change for a third time this year.
He told us to drink a lot of water before we started the excercises, which is naturally right. However, this was because for the next 2 hours, we were not allowed to rest or drink any water. I think that this is a considerably ridiculous way to train endurance, if that is what he wants.
After doing many lay-ups and shooting drills, we did ball handling. In one of the excercises, we were bending our back to pass the ball underneath our legs. Am I already not short enough?
Why did I ever join basketball...
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Back from a Time-wasting Session
Yes, I just returned from some guy's house. What was I doing there? To meet up with this guy and another guy. What for? For a physics project. What project? To build a solar car.
We are learning about thermal physics, yet I cannot see the relavance between that and building a solar car, which to me is more of engineering. So why are we given something irrelavant? There is a solar car competition. So, I suppose the rest is self-explanatory.
These two guys and I went to East Point to get lunch for them and materials for our project. We bought sticks-ice-cream sticks, satay sticks etc. for the framework, and tennis balls for the bottle cap which we used as wheels. The queing up alone at NTUC fairprice burned some 20 minutes and I was getting quite impatient.
We went back to the house and had lunch and started on the project. We had no machines, so all our engineering were based on rough materials, which meant that many parts could not fit. We assembled and dismantled our frame several times with superglue, chisels to widen holes that could not fit (Chisel = hammer + screwdriver) and pliers.
Initially, we tried making a platform with lined up ice-cream sticks, but it was too heavy. We tore it apart and redesigned it a couple of times. Sometimes, our gears could not fit so we searched for more. Finally, we gave up and decided to use a "conveyor belt" system which generates relatively much friction. And later for some reason, one of the jokers took apart a working toy electronic machine gun and took out all the gears inside.
We had all the gears needed now, but still lacked an axle long enough. Someone soldered two pieces of steel axles together with lead which i purposely broke as it would have broken if used in the car anyway.
Finally, we devised a method of placing the motor upside-down under the platform beside the wheels that would possibly work with our lack of materials. It did not work. We put the motor right-side up and it worked thereafter. What a joke.
In the end, we messed up this poor guy's room successfully with wrappers, screws, tools, pieces of wood and tape and toys(including lego transformers, spinning tops and pull-and-go toys), and at last the front wheel drive mechanism was done. Unfortunately, being in the evening already and with the horrible solar panel efficiency, the sun was too weak to power it and we could not test it. Thus, session over.
What a waste of time when I could be doing something better like sleeping.
We are learning about thermal physics, yet I cannot see the relavance between that and building a solar car, which to me is more of engineering. So why are we given something irrelavant? There is a solar car competition. So, I suppose the rest is self-explanatory.
These two guys and I went to East Point to get lunch for them and materials for our project. We bought sticks-ice-cream sticks, satay sticks etc. for the framework, and tennis balls for the bottle cap which we used as wheels. The queing up alone at NTUC fairprice burned some 20 minutes and I was getting quite impatient.
We went back to the house and had lunch and started on the project. We had no machines, so all our engineering were based on rough materials, which meant that many parts could not fit. We assembled and dismantled our frame several times with superglue, chisels to widen holes that could not fit (Chisel = hammer + screwdriver) and pliers.
Initially, we tried making a platform with lined up ice-cream sticks, but it was too heavy. We tore it apart and redesigned it a couple of times. Sometimes, our gears could not fit so we searched for more. Finally, we gave up and decided to use a "conveyor belt" system which generates relatively much friction. And later for some reason, one of the jokers took apart a working toy electronic machine gun and took out all the gears inside.
We had all the gears needed now, but still lacked an axle long enough. Someone soldered two pieces of steel axles together with lead which i purposely broke as it would have broken if used in the car anyway.
Finally, we devised a method of placing the motor upside-down under the platform beside the wheels that would possibly work with our lack of materials. It did not work. We put the motor right-side up and it worked thereafter. What a joke.
In the end, we messed up this poor guy's room successfully with wrappers, screws, tools, pieces of wood and tape and toys(including lego transformers, spinning tops and pull-and-go toys), and at last the front wheel drive mechanism was done. Unfortunately, being in the evening already and with the horrible solar panel efficiency, the sun was too weak to power it and we could not test it. Thus, session over.
What a waste of time when I could be doing something better like sleeping.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
A quick recall of the Hydroponics Farm
Last week, wednesday to be precise, we year 2s went to Oh Chin Huat Hydroponics in Sembawang. 6 people including me talked rubbish on the bus. It was quite hot when we finally reached there, considering that we went in the afternoon.
First was a brief lecture on herbs and spices as we got to smell them. Some of the spices like spearmint and peppermint smelled quite nice, but the smell is so strong that they smelled bad.
After that, we were guided around as we saw "departments" like packaging, onion and garlic selecting and peeling, the germination room and many greenhouses. As we walked around, we were introduced to more herbs. The Lemon Balm smelled really nice with obviously a slight scent of lemon, and the ribena plant leaf tasted between sweet and sour, which was still acceptable by my tongue.
After the whole tour was over, we went into an air-conditioned shade for a debrief. Before we left, we were each offered a bag of hydroponics vegetables, which I do not know why, I did not feel like taking.
On the bus back to school, I was quite tired, thus I tried to sleep but failed. The rest of my class were really noisy at the back of the bus. My friend, who was just beside me, turned around and told them to kindly gossip about him softer as he could hear everything. A nice piece of his mind expressed in friendly terms.
The rest of the journey back to school, MRT station and lastly home was in deafening silence.
Friday, September 19, 2008
第一次出国-第三级
已经很久没提到我上次去台湾旅游的经历。 虽然我没什么动机述叙完这个，但我非常不想半途而废，有一个有头无尾的故事。 事情就是这样。
第三天早上，我和爸爸到台北的街上逛一逛。这些就是我们所拍到的照片。
这就是一所大学的校场
台北的街上都是车子，公司，工厂等。四处好像没什么公园，娱乐中心等，我看台北的孩子就是整天呆在家里。我不住在这儿，应该算是幸福了。下午，我们去参观天文馆。展览都相当有趣，只不过科学术语是用繁体得国语表达的。好多东西不仅是我，连爸爸都看不懂。在那我们也看了三部短片，两部立体的，一部补通的。这三部短片合成一张票，大概只算150台币。值得性和我国比的有2-4倍。
在离开天文馆之前，我们搭了个骗小孩的“宇宙旅游"。
这就是第三天的行程。余言后续吧！
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Bike No. 86
I left home at 12:15. I was late. I walked towards the bus-stop slowly. I went across the overhead bridge as I saw my bus went off, which made me walk even slower. Just at this moment, 359 came. I half-ran across the beam, slid down the railings and caught the bus.
I reached bedok quite fast, considering that I live in the east and from there, my class took a bus to East Coast Park, where we rented bicycles. Joelle and I got the special red bikes for short people, 92 and 86. I had a feeling that my bike was a little too short for me though-my legs could not extend much when pedalling...
We progressed in the direction towards changi coast road. An average distance of 100m was held between the first cyclists and last, and it only increased as time went by. At first I was kind of excited; I kept on moving from the front to the back, speeding up and slowing down, but I got quite tired later, and just cycled at a normal pace near the back. We had neared Tanah Merah.
There was not much to do while cycling. Just concentrate on the track and enjoy the view. I looked in front-gen and dillon leading just like expedition leaders. I turned back and saw two or three tiny figures growing bigger gradually some 400 metres away-Cheryl and kat, riding leisurely and chatting. I turned back and fixed my eyes on the cyclists in front. One of them was recklessly swerving from side to side as rhthymic screams accompanied the bike show-Emman, still terrorizing joelle by moving in front of her bike every now and then. In front, I saw someone on the ground. Jk fell off his bike. I approached and as I was getting off my bike which happen to be still cruising slowly, my foot got stuck and thus my bike fell along with me, directly behind jk. I did not get hurt, but the situation then was rather awkward. Jk had a minor cut, but it was alright after a while.
Everything was going quite smoothly until we went onto the straight part of Changi Coast Road, along side the runway of Changi Airport. At that time, I was not sure why, but I was lagging as last. The others were at least 50 metres ahead of me. Suddenly, I heard a rattling sound below my bicycle seat, the pedals seemed easier to pedal than ever. The back wheel freed itself from the chain and my bike slowed down, finally coming to a halt. Probably those who took any notice was Ben and cmc. The rest shrinked into the distance.
I laid my bicycle onto the floor, ben and cmc watching. The chain was stuck between the axle and the metal frame. I grabbed it from a safe angle and pulled it free slowly from its trap. I tried chaining the chain back onto the back gear, and after several attempts, it worked, but it was set at low gear. I got onto the bike and pedalled, but as soon as I have covered no more than 10 metres, I heard another rattle. It came loose again. I put it back and being quite confident that it would work that time, I told Ben to hurry off himself and catch up with the others. Off he zoomed, and just as I was about to maintain speed, the chain fell off again.
Cmc carried my light bag and I pushed my bicycle as I ran. My speed in comparison with all those cars racing alongside the track on East Perimeter road threw cold water on me. After 100m, I decided that this was not the way. At this speed, we would not get anywhere. Once again, I tried fixing my chain and after several times of getting on and off my bicycle, I successfully got it working in low gear. Cmc and I moved on. Each time I saw a shelter, how I hoped that someone was waiting there with help. My hands were black and I pedalled furiously, yet my bicycle moved as fast as cmc's who was pedalling 5 times slower...
Each time I tried changing gear, the chain fell off. So this had to stop. After passing by the 2nd or 3rd shelter, we saw ben riding back for us. Waiting at the next shelter was Joelle. We four continued on our way and I saw an bright orange light going on and off 100m away. Reminded me of SOS signals. Well, those were just Cheryl and Kat taking photos and waiting at the next shelter. In contrast to the science center experience, I felt very......"un-alone", with so many people waiting.
Cheryl and Kat told us that the rest were turning back (which makes me wonder now why Ben rode off after we stopped as he was going to ride back anyway). If it was because of the lack of time to finish the entire trail, it was quite disappointing as we were going to see the same scenery on the way back. If it was because of me and my wonderful bike, I apologize for that.
At the shelter, we wasted much time trying to clean my black hands with water bottle water and toilet paper to no avail. Four things we wasted: Time, effort, everyone's water and joelle's toilet paper. Oops.
And Joelle, cheryl and kat eating the melted chocolates in a paper packet was disgusting.
While having nothing to do at the shelter, I manually set my bike to higher gear with considerable effort, which meant my hands had to get oily again. Still, there was something queer about the clutches that made them dislodge the chain everytime I change the gear with the handles. Half an hour later, emman and pyq zoomed past. They were on their way back already. After wasting a lot of time making ourselves comfortable on our bicycles, joelle, cmc and I set off as one of the last few people.
Cmc's heavy white zinc bag was weighing him down all the way. Joelle was really kind to help him carry it all the way for around 3-4km. I am really amazed at her perseverance and endurance to carry such a heavy bag, despite her size (ok I am in no position to mention that). I am sure cmc is too, and thankful also. Good job joelle:)
We cycled considerably slowly, partially due to our energy drain, and also because of the bag which pulled all of us back. We stopped frequently for no apparent reason and stared ahead.
Soon, we three were last. Realising that the others were already far ahead, probably even waiting at the bicycle rental shop waiting for us, we picked up speed. However, each time we thought we were near, I saw another landmark that told us we were not.
Ominous clouds loomed over our heads and it started drizzling. We cycled faster, but with joelle carrying the white zinc bag, she could not get any faster. At times, cmc and I suggested either one of us took over the bag, but she insisted on carrying it to the end. The rain escalated and a strong and chilling wind blew against us as we rode. After passing by many bicylce rental shops which to our disappointment was not ours', we finally reached ours' considerably wet. Fortunately we entered the shelter before the downpour emerged.
After some rest, we left East Coast Park. This is so far, the best class outing ever. We cycled approximately 20 km, 10 km less than the others. Nevertheless, I felt happy at the end of the day, especially with the company of cmc and joelle along the way. You two have really made my day, and many others like dillon and ben too, who organized the outing and helped me with my bicycle in many ways. :) Let us go there again in November. This time, let us meet earlier and finish cycling the entire circuit- past changi, loyang, pasir ris, tampines and bedok!
THE END of a very enjoyable day
Lessons Learnt: Never take Bike E86
Never give up or I would have had to push my bicycle for 12 km
How strong Joelle can be
Never Bring a big bag cycling
Never put off anything till later, you never know when a storm is approaching
I reached bedok quite fast, considering that I live in the east and from there, my class took a bus to East Coast Park, where we rented bicycles. Joelle and I got the special red bikes for short people, 92 and 86. I had a feeling that my bike was a little too short for me though-my legs could not extend much when pedalling...
We progressed in the direction towards changi coast road. An average distance of 100m was held between the first cyclists and last, and it only increased as time went by. At first I was kind of excited; I kept on moving from the front to the back, speeding up and slowing down, but I got quite tired later, and just cycled at a normal pace near the back. We had neared Tanah Merah.
There was not much to do while cycling. Just concentrate on the track and enjoy the view. I looked in front-gen and dillon leading just like expedition leaders. I turned back and saw two or three tiny figures growing bigger gradually some 400 metres away-Cheryl and kat, riding leisurely and chatting. I turned back and fixed my eyes on the cyclists in front. One of them was recklessly swerving from side to side as rhthymic screams accompanied the bike show-Emman, still terrorizing joelle by moving in front of her bike every now and then. In front, I saw someone on the ground. Jk fell off his bike. I approached and as I was getting off my bike which happen to be still cruising slowly, my foot got stuck and thus my bike fell along with me, directly behind jk. I did not get hurt, but the situation then was rather awkward. Jk had a minor cut, but it was alright after a while.
Everything was going quite smoothly until we went onto the straight part of Changi Coast Road, along side the runway of Changi Airport. At that time, I was not sure why, but I was lagging as last. The others were at least 50 metres ahead of me. Suddenly, I heard a rattling sound below my bicycle seat, the pedals seemed easier to pedal than ever. The back wheel freed itself from the chain and my bike slowed down, finally coming to a halt. Probably those who took any notice was Ben and cmc. The rest shrinked into the distance.
I laid my bicycle onto the floor, ben and cmc watching. The chain was stuck between the axle and the metal frame. I grabbed it from a safe angle and pulled it free slowly from its trap. I tried chaining the chain back onto the back gear, and after several attempts, it worked, but it was set at low gear. I got onto the bike and pedalled, but as soon as I have covered no more than 10 metres, I heard another rattle. It came loose again. I put it back and being quite confident that it would work that time, I told Ben to hurry off himself and catch up with the others. Off he zoomed, and just as I was about to maintain speed, the chain fell off again.
Cmc carried my light bag and I pushed my bicycle as I ran. My speed in comparison with all those cars racing alongside the track on East Perimeter road threw cold water on me. After 100m, I decided that this was not the way. At this speed, we would not get anywhere. Once again, I tried fixing my chain and after several times of getting on and off my bicycle, I successfully got it working in low gear. Cmc and I moved on. Each time I saw a shelter, how I hoped that someone was waiting there with help. My hands were black and I pedalled furiously, yet my bicycle moved as fast as cmc's who was pedalling 5 times slower...
Each time I tried changing gear, the chain fell off. So this had to stop. After passing by the 2nd or 3rd shelter, we saw ben riding back for us. Waiting at the next shelter was Joelle. We four continued on our way and I saw an bright orange light going on and off 100m away. Reminded me of SOS signals. Well, those were just Cheryl and Kat taking photos and waiting at the next shelter. In contrast to the science center experience, I felt very......"un-alone", with so many people waiting.
Cheryl and Kat told us that the rest were turning back (which makes me wonder now why Ben rode off after we stopped as he was going to ride back anyway). If it was because of the lack of time to finish the entire trail, it was quite disappointing as we were going to see the same scenery on the way back. If it was because of me and my wonderful bike, I apologize for that.
At the shelter, we wasted much time trying to clean my black hands with water bottle water and toilet paper to no avail. Four things we wasted: Time, effort, everyone's water and joelle's toilet paper. Oops.
And Joelle, cheryl and kat eating the melted chocolates in a paper packet was disgusting.
While having nothing to do at the shelter, I manually set my bike to higher gear with considerable effort, which meant my hands had to get oily again. Still, there was something queer about the clutches that made them dislodge the chain everytime I change the gear with the handles. Half an hour later, emman and pyq zoomed past. They were on their way back already. After wasting a lot of time making ourselves comfortable on our bicycles, joelle, cmc and I set off as one of the last few people.
Cmc's heavy white zinc bag was weighing him down all the way. Joelle was really kind to help him carry it all the way for around 3-4km. I am really amazed at her perseverance and endurance to carry such a heavy bag, despite her size (ok I am in no position to mention that). I am sure cmc is too, and thankful also. Good job joelle:)
We cycled considerably slowly, partially due to our energy drain, and also because of the bag which pulled all of us back. We stopped frequently for no apparent reason and stared ahead.
Soon, we three were last. Realising that the others were already far ahead, probably even waiting at the bicycle rental shop waiting for us, we picked up speed. However, each time we thought we were near, I saw another landmark that told us we were not.
Ominous clouds loomed over our heads and it started drizzling. We cycled faster, but with joelle carrying the white zinc bag, she could not get any faster. At times, cmc and I suggested either one of us took over the bag, but she insisted on carrying it to the end. The rain escalated and a strong and chilling wind blew against us as we rode. After passing by many bicylce rental shops which to our disappointment was not ours', we finally reached ours' considerably wet. Fortunately we entered the shelter before the downpour emerged.
After some rest, we left East Coast Park. This is so far, the best class outing ever. We cycled approximately 20 km, 10 km less than the others. Nevertheless, I felt happy at the end of the day, especially with the company of cmc and joelle along the way. You two have really made my day, and many others like dillon and ben too, who organized the outing and helped me with my bicycle in many ways. :) Let us go there again in November. This time, let us meet earlier and finish cycling the entire circuit- past changi, loyang, pasir ris, tampines and bedok!
THE END of a very enjoyable day
Lessons Learnt: Never take Bike E86
Never give up or I would have had to push my bicycle for 12 km
How strong Joelle can be
Never Bring a big bag cycling
Never put off anything till later, you never know when a storm is approaching
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