as a sophomore, ive been knocked out of inter-hall softball in e preliminaries once again. and for e second successive year (im not sure how Hall IV did in e past), we lost our final pool match tt decides who join e pool toppers in e quarter-finals.
softball is a great but misunderstood game. e only appeal we can manage for new players is to say it's fun. seriously all softball seniors also duno how to attract new blood with other methods. sports like soccer and basketball are no-contests, but few people play softball and yet it's an inter-hall sport, hence all halls try to form a team, often out of sportsmen from other mainstream sports. but seriously, anyone can play this sport, and if ur a sportsman there would definitely be added advantage. so more often than not, strong halls are represented well by their sportsmen, while weaker ones are weaker coz their hall players arnt active enough in this arena.
i really think we have alot of potential in softball if we train hard and e right people come.
i couldn't make it for our first two matches. from what i heard, we were whacked by Hall II, although we fielded well against em and held em in e first inning. in our losers' pool match, e guys scrapped past Hall XIV in a 3-hour marathon after some cool pitching by david.
i was glad i could make it for this crucial match, so did e rest of e team. this time we had Hall X. we know we can beat em, and infact most of us were looking beyond this match. e level of confidence was much higher than last year. last time round, in e all-important third prelim match, our stronger all-round team was put to e sword by an excellent pitcher of Hall XIII. he pitched like someone possessed while we timidly held back our swings.
this time, we swung too much. u can say tt it's overconfidence in a way. we have quite afew heavy batters, but when it came down to crunch time, they were too anxious to swing tt bat. in e end, they were either striked out, or saw their flyballs killed by a good opposing outfield. we sent a starting lineup tt was supposed to bat well to give us a lead before better fielders like gary, weisiong and i would enter.
but e script changed. like i said, we batted poorly and changeover happened v soon. something worse happened. our strong infielders left their form at yesterday's friendly and screwed up many short hits. by e end of e first inning we were 5-0 down. only then did we wake up and turn on our game but it was still way short of e level we can perform at. we made a three-man swop to bolster e fielding, and after another inning, e team decided tt we need to score to keep us in e game. to score means to bat fantastically.
i wasnt fielding well today, and my batting has never been fantastic. in short, i was in poor condition, since fielding has usually been my stronger game. e captain, david, told us of e need to score. i looked around e players, and i straightaway knew i should step down for e good of e team. in our reserves we had some great batters. and i think e way i did so, made e job easier for david and e rest of e team as well. it was no time to get sentimental or be generous, e task at hand was more important. now tt i think back, i think it takes a big man to do sucha thing. to accept one's flaws, be selfless, and live for e common good. and im proud tt i was e one who gave way.
pressure. luck. composure. experience. practice. off-form. underperform.
those were e words thrown around at e end, either in all our heads or during debrief. sian.
but guys, like i said during our debrief, i think we have a great crop of players now as compared to last year, when i was a low-profile freshie who made e starting lineup in our inter-hall match even though ive never played e game before. tt was how stretched we were in this sport. although we liked e game, we couldn't form a starting 10 who were confident in softball. this time round, i saw tt we had 11, 12 able softballers, including 4 considerably steady bases. we need to keep our heads up and believe. if we train hard, there is alot of potential and fortunes can only go up.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
sally, check in, bull's eye, check out, thank u.
leading hall 4's darts team into this year's inter-hall recreation games as a first-timer myself, this was my experience.
hall 7 - 1:2
apparently they've a good tradition in inter-hall recreation, but some ppl said this year they're not tt strong. who knows. they're our first opponents.
i started on Board 2 yet still kena their best player. really a pity because it turned out i was on form and if i had played a weaker player i would definitely have won.
in my first and third set i checked in within 9 darts, in my second i did with my 1st dart. i practically hit whatever i wanted, many times hitting 3 consecutive 16s, which was my comfort zone. e opponent was equally good at checking in, but his throws were mostly unimpressive, going all over and hitting many low scores. it was quite e same story all 3 sets, both of us reaching e end almost together, but he checked out first twice, me only in e last set.
i sat out hall 6, which our guys got overwhelmed by their experienced male players, and overall lost 4-1.
hall 16 - 0:3
damn stupid, damn cok, damn lousy. we hoped to pick off hall 16 but i screwed up my match. im not sure about their other players but i got a lousy opponent, and i got whacked 3:0! wah damn sian.
i checked in within 3 darts for e first set and zipped to 150 in no time when he finally checked in. i could feel his stress but i think i got complacent. i couldn't check out, he caught up, n he left e building. in e second we both checked in within 9 darts, raced down together, but stupid me miscalculated, forgot to forfeit a crucial throw, and actually declared victory when i haven won. i lost e plot and he took e set and match in e next few throws. i forgot what happened in e third, i was basically thrashed by a 2nd-rate player.
(20mins later)
ok now i remember. i was trying to hit my double and this Lady Luck's friend, from a remainder of 35, hit 3, 12, and a 10-double with his 3 darts in hand. wtf.
hall 5 - 1:2
derby match. and they've been almost as bad as us. so i changed e team's goal to just beating our neighbour hall.
i tried my luck and named myself for Board 1, which has e responsibility to sally with e opponent to decide which team gets first-throw advantage. i was hoping it would gimme confidence, and i was glad e three throws combined for quite a high score to help e team. i felt abit worried my last opponent of e day was a former hall recreation secretary. he definitely can play; only how well. i checked in early and raced off, he chased and caught up. i had deja vu all around me but lucky i kept my cool and converted to lead 1:0. i felt more relaxed for e second set thinking ive a real chance of winning this time. we were neck-to-neck, i was trying to hit an easy 7-double, but i wasnt focused enough and he took it. shit. i felt e momentum was all with him and guess what happened next. when i needed my form in this most crucial of times, i took almost ten rounds to check in (oh cmon tt's like 30 darts leh). it was so noob even he consoled me. i didnt catch up, i was hoping he would get stuck like me, but he was trying for his comfort zone of 6-double, so i was up against fate.
we lost e derby as well. sucks.
hall 15 - 2:1
since we even lost to hall 5, this was our only redemption left. hall 15 is stuck at e bottom of e group with us and by now our objective was to just beat em.
i checked in with my 1st dart but he struggled. and although i wasnt on form i took e first set before he could catch up. i checked in afew darts later than him in e second, we ran down together, and he had better luck this set. i could feel myself getting a little complacent and throwing rather awry shots, so to avoid a repeat of e hall 5 match i needed to stay awake. but it got worse. he checked in early, while like yesterday i took almost ten rounds to do so. it was a chasing game but i decided to ignore it all, thinking ive lost, and just throw my darts. as i slowly ran down, i realised he was struggling to check out with 1-double, and i saw hope. it was e kinda day when no matter how he throws he just cant hit e right spot. so i slowly picked my spot. i tried various doubles, but as e clock ran down i decided to pit myself against his 1-double to avoid losing by time-expire. guess what. after he took more than 40 darts to hit 1-double, i took match point first. it was great.
alas, it was not to be. we won 2, then lost 2, and it was up to gary at Board 1 to decide e tie. and, for e lack of another phrase, it was not to be.
hall 2 - 0:3
we had no chance left and faced a powerhouse in our final match, wth.
but things became a little complicated. hall 2 didnt destroy everyone in their path, hall 6 took top spot in e group, and now they have to whack us 5:0 to edge out hall 9.
gary had left so jianli came in and i took Board 1. expectedly, they planned their lineup conservatively, hence we had a captain-vs-captain match. this guy had fast and direct throws, and was most comfortable in e 20-zone, even opting for 20-double as check-in. we both checked in early, but his run-down was scary. in no time he was checking out, and he took e set before i even reach 40. i saw a thrashing coming, but since it was e last match i just wanted to enjoy it. in e second i checked in with my first dart and was e first to try leaving, but he caught up and did first. with a surprise check-out he took e match. so we're left with e last set, and something crazy happened. i checked in early, and somehow something happened to him. he just could not check into e game. e further i went and expected him to utter "check", it never seemed to come. he finally did when i was left with around 100. before he posed any real threat i was already settled with some good doubles to check out. when he neared and i haven left, he was still calculating like a mathematician and aiming all over e board to create some good opportunities for himself.
and. i still lost. wth.
jianli's opponent was a reserve, and i thought either me or yewhan would have beaten him if i had named either of us to Board 3. then i realised, no wonder jianli named himself to tt Board. it was his friend and both reserves wanted to play each other.
but things took a turn. i didnt realise, jianli actually won e tie. with tt, hall 4 took 1 of 5 points off hall 2, and eliminated em. we later saw their team in a debrief looking damn serious, with afew in tears. what's worse, jianli's friend, who lost e semi final place for hall 2, was alone emo-ing. jianli's friendly match became e decider and e rest is history.
haha ok maybe it's retribution for e manner hall 2 played their male vball match against us, which was utter unsportsman shit.
hall 7 - 1:2
apparently they've a good tradition in inter-hall recreation, but some ppl said this year they're not tt strong. who knows. they're our first opponents.
i started on Board 2 yet still kena their best player. really a pity because it turned out i was on form and if i had played a weaker player i would definitely have won.
in my first and third set i checked in within 9 darts, in my second i did with my 1st dart. i practically hit whatever i wanted, many times hitting 3 consecutive 16s, which was my comfort zone. e opponent was equally good at checking in, but his throws were mostly unimpressive, going all over and hitting many low scores. it was quite e same story all 3 sets, both of us reaching e end almost together, but he checked out first twice, me only in e last set.
i sat out hall 6, which our guys got overwhelmed by their experienced male players, and overall lost 4-1.
hall 16 - 0:3
damn stupid, damn cok, damn lousy. we hoped to pick off hall 16 but i screwed up my match. im not sure about their other players but i got a lousy opponent, and i got whacked 3:0! wah damn sian.
i checked in within 3 darts for e first set and zipped to 150 in no time when he finally checked in. i could feel his stress but i think i got complacent. i couldn't check out, he caught up, n he left e building. in e second we both checked in within 9 darts, raced down together, but stupid me miscalculated, forgot to forfeit a crucial throw, and actually declared victory when i haven won. i lost e plot and he took e set and match in e next few throws. i forgot what happened in e third, i was basically thrashed by a 2nd-rate player.
(20mins later)
ok now i remember. i was trying to hit my double and this Lady Luck's friend, from a remainder of 35, hit 3, 12, and a 10-double with his 3 darts in hand. wtf.
hall 5 - 1:2
derby match. and they've been almost as bad as us. so i changed e team's goal to just beating our neighbour hall.
i tried my luck and named myself for Board 1, which has e responsibility to sally with e opponent to decide which team gets first-throw advantage. i was hoping it would gimme confidence, and i was glad e three throws combined for quite a high score to help e team. i felt abit worried my last opponent of e day was a former hall recreation secretary. he definitely can play; only how well. i checked in early and raced off, he chased and caught up. i had deja vu all around me but lucky i kept my cool and converted to lead 1:0. i felt more relaxed for e second set thinking ive a real chance of winning this time. we were neck-to-neck, i was trying to hit an easy 7-double, but i wasnt focused enough and he took it. shit. i felt e momentum was all with him and guess what happened next. when i needed my form in this most crucial of times, i took almost ten rounds to check in (oh cmon tt's like 30 darts leh). it was so noob even he consoled me. i didnt catch up, i was hoping he would get stuck like me, but he was trying for his comfort zone of 6-double, so i was up against fate.
we lost e derby as well. sucks.
hall 15 - 2:1
since we even lost to hall 5, this was our only redemption left. hall 15 is stuck at e bottom of e group with us and by now our objective was to just beat em.
i checked in with my 1st dart but he struggled. and although i wasnt on form i took e first set before he could catch up. i checked in afew darts later than him in e second, we ran down together, and he had better luck this set. i could feel myself getting a little complacent and throwing rather awry shots, so to avoid a repeat of e hall 5 match i needed to stay awake. but it got worse. he checked in early, while like yesterday i took almost ten rounds to do so. it was a chasing game but i decided to ignore it all, thinking ive lost, and just throw my darts. as i slowly ran down, i realised he was struggling to check out with 1-double, and i saw hope. it was e kinda day when no matter how he throws he just cant hit e right spot. so i slowly picked my spot. i tried various doubles, but as e clock ran down i decided to pit myself against his 1-double to avoid losing by time-expire. guess what. after he took more than 40 darts to hit 1-double, i took match point first. it was great.
alas, it was not to be. we won 2, then lost 2, and it was up to gary at Board 1 to decide e tie. and, for e lack of another phrase, it was not to be.
hall 2 - 0:3
we had no chance left and faced a powerhouse in our final match, wth.
but things became a little complicated. hall 2 didnt destroy everyone in their path, hall 6 took top spot in e group, and now they have to whack us 5:0 to edge out hall 9.
gary had left so jianli came in and i took Board 1. expectedly, they planned their lineup conservatively, hence we had a captain-vs-captain match. this guy had fast and direct throws, and was most comfortable in e 20-zone, even opting for 20-double as check-in. we both checked in early, but his run-down was scary. in no time he was checking out, and he took e set before i even reach 40. i saw a thrashing coming, but since it was e last match i just wanted to enjoy it. in e second i checked in with my first dart and was e first to try leaving, but he caught up and did first. with a surprise check-out he took e match. so we're left with e last set, and something crazy happened. i checked in early, and somehow something happened to him. he just could not check into e game. e further i went and expected him to utter "check", it never seemed to come. he finally did when i was left with around 100. before he posed any real threat i was already settled with some good doubles to check out. when he neared and i haven left, he was still calculating like a mathematician and aiming all over e board to create some good opportunities for himself.
and. i still lost. wth.
jianli's opponent was a reserve, and i thought either me or yewhan would have beaten him if i had named either of us to Board 3. then i realised, no wonder jianli named himself to tt Board. it was his friend and both reserves wanted to play each other.
but things took a turn. i didnt realise, jianli actually won e tie. with tt, hall 4 took 1 of 5 points off hall 2, and eliminated em. we later saw their team in a debrief looking damn serious, with afew in tears. what's worse, jianli's friend, who lost e semi final place for hall 2, was alone emo-ing. jianli's friendly match became e decider and e rest is history.
haha ok maybe it's retribution for e manner hall 2 played their male vball match against us, which was utter unsportsman shit.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
dont need a title
they gave my hall jersey number to a freshie. wtf.
says alot about, firstly, a crumbling system and tradition and, secondly, my proven low status in hall.
jianli summed it up e best: "不会做人."
p.s. freshie (who happens to be from my OG), it's not ur fault and im not blaming u, dun worry.
once again, wtf.
says alot about, firstly, a crumbling system and tradition and, secondly, my proven low status in hall.
jianli summed it up e best: "不会做人."
p.s. freshie (who happens to be from my OG), it's not ur fault and im not blaming u, dun worry.
once again, wtf.
Friday, December 12, 2008
dope and poison
on my usual traveling around with my ipod, i realised i haven't changed e playlist back to e normal. it was still e run drug. e prescription needed to boost my marathon challenge afew days back. and it struck me how much e right music can really help.
these were some of what i had while burning off e last 21 km of e full.
It's not too hard if we start to believe
And we're not gonna take anymore
Can we try to erase all the pain
So please
I'm that star up in the sky
I'm that mountain peak up high
Hey I made it
I'm the world's greatest
I can feel it
I'm the world's greatest
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks
Break break with the enemy
But no matter how many cats I break bread with
I'll break who you sending me
I've been doing this for nineteen years
Wanna fight me? Fight these tears
Talk too much for too long
Don't give up you're too strong
Sometimes you just feel tired. You feel weak. And when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, find that inner strength and just pull that shit out of you, and get that motivation to not give up, and not be a quitter.
This is your moment
and every single minute you spend trying to hold on to it cause you may never get it again
So while you’re in it try to get as much shit as you can
and when your run is over just admit when it's at its end
That’s why you see me walking around like nothing’s bothering me
Even though half you people got a fucking problem with me
You hate it but you know respect you got to give me
If you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted, one moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?
He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king
Time for me to just stand up, and travel new land
Time for me to just take matters into my own hands
Once I'm over these tracks man I may never look back
爱情是你独特的味道
在我的心中围绕
因为你 世界不再单调
我的微笑 你明白就很好
你的微笑 编织了每一个奇妙
And hold on before it's too late
We'll run til we leave this behind
Don't fall just be who you are
We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me
你累了没有 可否伸出双手
想拥抱 怎能握着拳头
不管世界尽头多寂寞 你的身边一定有我
我们说过不管天高地厚
想飙到那最高最远最辽阔
没看见那天高地厚不肯放手
Cause i, need time,
My heart is numb has no feeling
So while im still healing
Just try and have a little patience
不要讓他們得逞
我不要變成他們要我們變成的那種人
我一條命 一個人
我自己有我相信的永恆之外的永恆
整條街都自己人 猿人不殺死猿人
我要活就要活得比別人還要狠 還要瘋
And when your back's against the wall
Just turn around and you, you will see
I will catch your, I will catch your fall
Just have a little faith, faith in me
我讨厌下雨天 亲爱的你快出现
You think I'd crumble
you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
We get it on most every night
when that moon is big and bright
it's a supernatural delight
everybody's dancing in the moonlight
and. unfortunately. some not-so-right additions.
On a Monday, I am waiting
Tuesday, I am fading
And by Wednesday, I can't sleep
Then the phone rings, I hear you
And the darkness is a clear view
Cuz you've come to rescue me
Fall... With you, I fall so fast
I can hardly catch my breath, I hope it lasts
Down down down down
Down down down down
Down down down down
Down down down down
It gets me so
But I won't be there when you go down
Just so you know now
You're on your own now believe me
Now you've got to face the pain
And the devil's got a fresh new place to play
In your brain like a maze you can never escape the rain
Every damn day is the same shade of Grey
But you proved to me unintentionally
That you would self-destruct eventually
All you got is a memory of pain
Nothing makes sense so you stare at the ground
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
而我知道有一天你可能就这么走掉
我就是受不了
而我知道放开手但不知道怎么忘掉
却还是这么难熬
hahaha. kill me please.
these were some of what i had while burning off e last 21 km of e full.
It's not too hard if we start to believe
And we're not gonna take anymore
Can we try to erase all the pain
So please
I'm that star up in the sky
I'm that mountain peak up high
Hey I made it
I'm the world's greatest
I can feel it
I'm the world's greatest
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks
Break break with the enemy
But no matter how many cats I break bread with
I'll break who you sending me
I've been doing this for nineteen years
Wanna fight me? Fight these tears
Talk too much for too long
Don't give up you're too strong
Sometimes you just feel tired. You feel weak. And when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, find that inner strength and just pull that shit out of you, and get that motivation to not give up, and not be a quitter.
This is your moment
and every single minute you spend trying to hold on to it cause you may never get it again
So while you’re in it try to get as much shit as you can
and when your run is over just admit when it's at its end
That’s why you see me walking around like nothing’s bothering me
Even though half you people got a fucking problem with me
You hate it but you know respect you got to give me
If you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted, one moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?
He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king
Time for me to just stand up, and travel new land
Time for me to just take matters into my own hands
Once I'm over these tracks man I may never look back
爱情是你独特的味道
在我的心中围绕
因为你 世界不再单调
我的微笑 你明白就很好
你的微笑 编织了每一个奇妙
And hold on before it's too late
We'll run til we leave this behind
Don't fall just be who you are
We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me
你累了没有 可否伸出双手
想拥抱 怎能握着拳头
不管世界尽头多寂寞 你的身边一定有我
我们说过不管天高地厚
想飙到那最高最远最辽阔
没看见那天高地厚不肯放手
Cause i, need time,
My heart is numb has no feeling
So while im still healing
Just try and have a little patience
不要讓他們得逞
我不要變成他們要我們變成的那種人
我一條命 一個人
我自己有我相信的永恆之外的永恆
整條街都自己人 猿人不殺死猿人
我要活就要活得比別人還要狠 還要瘋
And when your back's against the wall
Just turn around and you, you will see
I will catch your, I will catch your fall
Just have a little faith, faith in me
我讨厌下雨天 亲爱的你快出现
You think I'd crumble
you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
We get it on most every night
when that moon is big and bright
it's a supernatural delight
everybody's dancing in the moonlight
and. unfortunately. some not-so-right additions.
On a Monday, I am waiting
Tuesday, I am fading
And by Wednesday, I can't sleep
Then the phone rings, I hear you
And the darkness is a clear view
Cuz you've come to rescue me
Fall... With you, I fall so fast
I can hardly catch my breath, I hope it lasts
Down down down down
Down down down down
Down down down down
Down down down down
It gets me so
But I won't be there when you go down
Just so you know now
You're on your own now believe me
Now you've got to face the pain
And the devil's got a fresh new place to play
In your brain like a maze you can never escape the rain
Every damn day is the same shade of Grey
But you proved to me unintentionally
That you would self-destruct eventually
All you got is a memory of pain
Nothing makes sense so you stare at the ground
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
而我知道有一天你可能就这么走掉
我就是受不了
而我知道放开手但不知道怎么忘掉
却还是这么难熬
hahaha. kill me please.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
reading while running
some interesting words that runners had on their tops.
always on the run
follow me if ya wanna be 2nd
reason to run: because i haven't done it in a while
impossible is possible with I-M-POSSIBLE
don't look behind, im in front
i will run. will you?
running for presidency next
and u know. race organisers always like to place huge display boards with motivational phrases together with e distance markers. when u do forty-two good kilometres, there are many of them. some are corny but some can be rather refreshing or, simply, work.
im proud of you!
when the going gets tough, the tough get going
tough times don't last, but tough runners do
every step is one less to go
always on the run
follow me if ya wanna be 2nd
reason to run: because i haven't done it in a while
impossible is possible with I-M-POSSIBLE
don't look behind, im in front
i will run. will you?
running for presidency next
and u know. race organisers always like to place huge display boards with motivational phrases together with e distance markers. when u do forty-two good kilometres, there are many of them. some are corny but some can be rather refreshing or, simply, work.
im proud of you!
when the going gets tough, the tough get going
tough times don't last, but tough runners do
every step is one less to go
Sunday, December 07, 2008
forty two.one ninety five
a blow-by-blow account of my 2008 Singapore Marathon.
D-6
begin hydration routine of doubled fluid intake
D-1
8 hours of sleep
cut intake of spicy food
reduced physical exertion
increased carbs intake
prepare run accessories - tights, waterproofed mp3 player, hairband, sport shades, comfortable socks
*where i should have gone for a light but powerful diet to reduce my running weight e next day
H-7
increased hydration
consume energy chews
H-1
consume first banana
optimal hydration
light carbs-focused breakfast
consume redbull for sugar, taurine, sodium and metabolism
consume second banana
H-hour
robin and i started around 15mins after e flag-off haha. we went down shenton way towards tanjong pagar as like most other major runs in singapore. within 1 or 2 km, we saw e kenyan runners looping back in our opposite direction. crazy. they had already come back from robinson road.
4 km
we had looped back to e start point.
sighted e sis, ah keng, adidas runspirator.
raffles ave (esplanade)
my first major run which i had to go to e toilet this early. haha.
singapore flyer
republic ave-nicoll highway
robin and i split.
shaw towers loop
sighted sze ee.
mountbatten road-fort road
sighted alex lim.
7 km
first fluid replenishment. i had to balance drink-even-when-not-thirsty well with overdrinking. past experiences tell me that both are not fun when done wrongly. and please control. half a cup is good enough.
8 km
entered e dreaded east coast park stretch.
10 km
a quarter laid to rest.
14 km
first application of deepheat rub. e legs are feeling it.
first walk stop. although i was still perfect, it's wise to control my capacity. i didnt train much for this 42km so a run-all-e-way strategy is out. and as they say, even a fit body may not be able to endure a course of this distance, even if e lungs and stamina are good. if i run e first half, i might just die e rest of e way. as they say, a run-walk strategy may be better than a run-as-much-as-possible-first strategy.
16 km
sighted chalven, in e opposite direction. tt crazy commando officer.
17 km
many people started to stop to stretch and apply deepheat rub and spray. e effects are settling in.
19 km
begin a consistent run-walk strategy. run 2 km, walk 1/4 km.
20 km
east coast park loop
21 km
"here we go again!"
e mp3 drug comes into play.
22 km
sighted sze ee again.
receive electrolyte gel
27 km
went past trixie's water station. as always, she was pissed with someone/something and had tt pissed look.
29 km
exited east coast park. e legs are beginning to give way as my run-walk strategy got harder to follow. knees, thighs, hamstrings, right calf and right shoulder are worst.
fort road-mountbatten road
sighted alex lim again.
31 km
damn hungry. lucky we had a banana station.
sighted sern yong and chi hua.
32 km
fuck. 10 more. come on!
kallang road-crawford street
heavy noon traffic. sucks. vehicle exhaust killing us. run-walk strategy became walk 1 km, run 1/2 km.
sighted alex lim again.
35 km
e lungs and stamina are finally feeling it. e remaining is not going to be easy.
37 km
fuck. 5 more!
38 km
running on e F1 track. entered e pit area. where a ferrari exhibition was being held. woots.
39 km
3 km is nothing.
into e sunny stretch on e marina bay floating platform.
41 km
i started to hear and smell padang. managed to draw enough strength to run e last 1/2 km.
41.990 km
as they say, don't make a sprint finish. enjoy e final stretch, e reception, and e feat.
42.195 km
i am a marathoner. are u?
D-6
begin hydration routine of doubled fluid intake
D-1
8 hours of sleep
cut intake of spicy food
reduced physical exertion
increased carbs intake
prepare run accessories - tights, waterproofed mp3 player, hairband, sport shades, comfortable socks
*where i should have gone for a light but powerful diet to reduce my running weight e next day
H-7
increased hydration
consume energy chews
H-1
consume first banana
optimal hydration
light carbs-focused breakfast
consume redbull for sugar, taurine, sodium and metabolism
consume second banana
H-hour
robin and i started around 15mins after e flag-off haha. we went down shenton way towards tanjong pagar as like most other major runs in singapore. within 1 or 2 km, we saw e kenyan runners looping back in our opposite direction. crazy. they had already come back from robinson road.
4 km
we had looped back to e start point.
sighted e sis, ah keng, adidas runspirator.
raffles ave (esplanade)
my first major run which i had to go to e toilet this early. haha.
singapore flyer
republic ave-nicoll highway
robin and i split.
shaw towers loop
sighted sze ee.
mountbatten road-fort road
sighted alex lim.
7 km
first fluid replenishment. i had to balance drink-even-when-not-thirsty well with overdrinking. past experiences tell me that both are not fun when done wrongly. and please control. half a cup is good enough.
8 km
entered e dreaded east coast park stretch.
10 km
a quarter laid to rest.
14 km
first application of deepheat rub. e legs are feeling it.
first walk stop. although i was still perfect, it's wise to control my capacity. i didnt train much for this 42km so a run-all-e-way strategy is out. and as they say, even a fit body may not be able to endure a course of this distance, even if e lungs and stamina are good. if i run e first half, i might just die e rest of e way. as they say, a run-walk strategy may be better than a run-as-much-as-possible-first strategy.
16 km
sighted chalven, in e opposite direction. tt crazy commando officer.
17 km
many people started to stop to stretch and apply deepheat rub and spray. e effects are settling in.
19 km
begin a consistent run-walk strategy. run 2 km, walk 1/4 km.
20 km
east coast park loop
21 km
"here we go again!"
e mp3 drug comes into play.
22 km
sighted sze ee again.
receive electrolyte gel
27 km
went past trixie's water station. as always, she was pissed with someone/something and had tt pissed look.
29 km
exited east coast park. e legs are beginning to give way as my run-walk strategy got harder to follow. knees, thighs, hamstrings, right calf and right shoulder are worst.
fort road-mountbatten road
sighted alex lim again.
31 km
damn hungry. lucky we had a banana station.
sighted sern yong and chi hua.
32 km
fuck. 10 more. come on!
kallang road-crawford street
heavy noon traffic. sucks. vehicle exhaust killing us. run-walk strategy became walk 1 km, run 1/2 km.
sighted alex lim again.
35 km
e lungs and stamina are finally feeling it. e remaining is not going to be easy.
37 km
fuck. 5 more!
38 km
running on e F1 track. entered e pit area. where a ferrari exhibition was being held. woots.
39 km
3 km is nothing.
into e sunny stretch on e marina bay floating platform.
41 km
i started to hear and smell padang. managed to draw enough strength to run e last 1/2 km.
41.990 km
as they say, don't make a sprint finish. enjoy e final stretch, e reception, and e feat.
42.195 km
i am a marathoner. are u?
Monday, December 01, 2008
a storm i'll have to face
"Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing direction. You change direction, but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn.
Why? Because this storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step. There's no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverised bones. That's the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine.
And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You'll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others.
And once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over.
But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."
Kafka On The Shore, Haruki Murakami
Why? Because this storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step. There's no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverised bones. That's the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine.
And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You'll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others.
And once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over.
But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."
Kafka On The Shore, Haruki Murakami
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
i think 201, 208, 401, 402 can be whacked upside down by 207 anyday
COM207: Communication History & Theories, taught by Dr Ben Detenber, new Chair of WKWSCI.
one of e ten core modules required to graduate from this place with a communications degree. bachelor ok. and they put us through such shit. well last year we were complaining about 208; this time we hear seniors grumbling about 401; 402 is definitely not easy either. but hey 208 eventually reached enlightenment? we struggled together but came good together. 401, 402? i dont care yet. 207 we struggled till e very end and still did not know what e hell was going on.
msn nicks and facebook status are sometimes e best representations of what misery and adversity people are going through. especially when they're alone.
there are at least two people named charles/harold/ludwig/george/william/mead/herbert/robert in 207
huimin
Jacq would kill for chocolate, big hug, and anyone willing to go for 207 for her
jacq
207 burnout. not studying anymore. come what may!
thad
two hundred and seven ways to kill yourself
chrys
kurtlewinlazarsfeldlasswelldarwinfreudhovlandyitingisawesomemarxbleyerschramm
yiting
for those who understand, im starting to think that detenber is actually ichimaru gin in disguise
jin
FUCK ALL THE DEAD COMMUNICATION FUCKERS IN THE WORLD AND FUCK YOU TOO DETENBER!
cameron
actually hitler invented comm studies
melvin
if hitler had been a lot more efficient we wouldnt have to study 207
lyon
we are great grandkids of schramm if u follow e timeline
amos
detenber should collate all e 207 msn nicks and show to students
weili
and a dozen others had nicks in chinese. how bad can it get.
and after e paper.
207 breaks my heart
yiting
NO MORE DEAD SCHOLARS
melvin
i had to think so hard during 207 exams it gave me a headache. serious.
me
what an experience. with this in e bag i feel like i can do anything else. maybe we just went through e CS baptism of fire unknowingly.
p.s. i started compiling these rather late. i think i missed some classics. help me if u will? remind me with those i missed.
one of e ten core modules required to graduate from this place with a communications degree. bachelor ok. and they put us through such shit. well last year we were complaining about 208; this time we hear seniors grumbling about 401; 402 is definitely not easy either. but hey 208 eventually reached enlightenment? we struggled together but came good together. 401, 402? i dont care yet. 207 we struggled till e very end and still did not know what e hell was going on.
msn nicks and facebook status are sometimes e best representations of what misery and adversity people are going through. especially when they're alone.
there are at least two people named charles/harold/ludwig/george/william/mead/herbert/robert in 207
huimin
Jacq would kill for chocolate, big hug, and anyone willing to go for 207 for her
jacq
207 burnout. not studying anymore. come what may!
thad
two hundred and seven ways to kill yourself
chrys
kurtlewinlazarsfeldlasswelldarwinfreudhovlandyitingisawesomemarxbleyerschramm
yiting
for those who understand, im starting to think that detenber is actually ichimaru gin in disguise
jin
FUCK ALL THE DEAD COMMUNICATION FUCKERS IN THE WORLD AND FUCK YOU TOO DETENBER!
cameron
actually hitler invented comm studies
melvin
if hitler had been a lot more efficient we wouldnt have to study 207
lyon
we are great grandkids of schramm if u follow e timeline
amos
detenber should collate all e 207 msn nicks and show to students
weili
and a dozen others had nicks in chinese. how bad can it get.
and after e paper.
207 breaks my heart
yiting
NO MORE DEAD SCHOLARS
melvin
i had to think so hard during 207 exams it gave me a headache. serious.
me
what an experience. with this in e bag i feel like i can do anything else. maybe we just went through e CS baptism of fire unknowingly.
p.s. i started compiling these rather late. i think i missed some classics. help me if u will? remind me with those i missed.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
and then she left.
Californication, a 2007 american tv series about a writer whose move to California and a writer's block cause problems for his relationship with his wife and daughter. he is plagued by personal demons, including a sex addiction that basically fills up the bulk of the show's airtime. but no, ur not gonna see much of that when it runs on local tv. this is singapore.
im not exactly hooked to e show but i like e following. this scene says so much. not e usual kind of breakup or rejection or unrequitedness. u can feel e weariness. he's drained. it's like a sort of mature understanding that u have to let go. that leaving is e only option. or rather, unlike usual, she is leaving, u don't have to. n she's leaving u in a terrible, static ditch that ur already resigned to.
u happy?
just a simple question. are u happy?
i don't even know what that means anymore.
does he make u happy?
yes.
bullshit. no.
did i make u happy?
u didnt make me happy. u made me fucking insane.
ur saying i never made u happy, i made u insane.
oh yea. once upon a time u made me happy. but then u made me crazy.
well. that's a hell of a way to sum up a decade-long love affair.
well, mr moody. how would u sum it up?
i would say we loved each other too much. too much.
and i think i made a mistake in trying to get it right the first time. and that put an insane amount of pressure on us to keep it going.
and we buckled.
u don't wanna be with me. u think i know u think u do.
ur not in love with me, hank. ur in love with the idea of love.
im not exactly hooked to e show but i like e following. this scene says so much. not e usual kind of breakup or rejection or unrequitedness. u can feel e weariness. he's drained. it's like a sort of mature understanding that u have to let go. that leaving is e only option. or rather, unlike usual, she is leaving, u don't have to. n she's leaving u in a terrible, static ditch that ur already resigned to.
u happy?
just a simple question. are u happy?
i don't even know what that means anymore.
does he make u happy?
yes.
bullshit. no.
did i make u happy?
u didnt make me happy. u made me fucking insane.
ur saying i never made u happy, i made u insane.
oh yea. once upon a time u made me happy. but then u made me crazy.
well. that's a hell of a way to sum up a decade-long love affair.
well, mr moody. how would u sum it up?
i would say we loved each other too much. too much.
and i think i made a mistake in trying to get it right the first time. and that put an insane amount of pressure on us to keep it going.
and we buckled.
u don't wanna be with me. u think i know u think u do.
ur not in love with me, hank. ur in love with the idea of love.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
a neverending flood, an assault of opposites that catch you out
"A dark omnipresent pool of water.
It was probably always there, hidden away somewhere. But when the time comes it silently rushes out, chilling every cell in your body.
You drown in that cruel flood, gasping for breath. You cling to a vent near the ceiling, struggling, but the air you manage to breathe is dry and burns your throat. Water and thirst, cold and heat - these supposedly opposite elements combine to assault you."
Your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain, spilling over its banks. All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone, inundated and carried away by that rush of water. And still the rain beats down on the surface of the river. Every time you see a flood like that on the news you tell yourself: That's it. That's my heart."
Kafka On The Shore, Haruki Murakami
It was probably always there, hidden away somewhere. But when the time comes it silently rushes out, chilling every cell in your body.
You drown in that cruel flood, gasping for breath. You cling to a vent near the ceiling, struggling, but the air you manage to breathe is dry and burns your throat. Water and thirst, cold and heat - these supposedly opposite elements combine to assault you."
Your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain, spilling over its banks. All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone, inundated and carried away by that rush of water. And still the rain beats down on the surface of the river. Every time you see a flood like that on the news you tell yourself: That's it. That's my heart."
Kafka On The Shore, Haruki Murakami
Friday, November 14, 2008
death(s)
an msn convo i found rather interesting haha. in e tradition of COM207 which im mugging now, e Two-Step Flow model of passing on news.
T: dya know someone was mauled to death by tigers at e zoo?
S: huh rlly?
T: oh ya ur in hall.
S: how come?
the tiger escaped meh
T: suicide.
he jumped into e tiger place.
S: what a way to die
T: crazy fella.
got 20 zookeepers.
tried to distract e tigers.
n u watch Xing Guang 3 isit?
S: like v slow and painful death leh
T: ya lor for 5-10minutes.
S: are you bluffing me btw
T: WT*? for wat.
S: what xing guang what white tigers
T: i ask u watch or not.
S: ya but what does tt have to do w tigers?
T: white tigers mauled e man.
n another news.
who was third?
S: erm.
whos second.
T: third is this girl. Li sth Ning.
S: li chu ning
T: yea she died too.
S: HUH!
how come?
T: suicide.
S: WHY?
T: love.
S: omg how?
huh. omg.
why so many pple wanna die
its quite sad
what they live for
T: CO poisoning.
in car.
S: oh
thats what i would choose
T: haha ive made u talk philosophical.
T: dya know someone was mauled to death by tigers at e zoo?
S: huh rlly?
T: oh ya ur in hall.
S: how come?
the tiger escaped meh
T: suicide.
he jumped into e tiger place.
S: what a way to die
T: crazy fella.
got 20 zookeepers.
tried to distract e tigers.
n u watch Xing Guang 3 isit?
S: like v slow and painful death leh
T: ya lor for 5-10minutes.
S: are you bluffing me btw
T: WT*? for wat.
S: what xing guang what white tigers
T: i ask u watch or not.
S: ya but what does tt have to do w tigers?
T: white tigers mauled e man.
n another news.
who was third?
S: erm.
whos second.
T: third is this girl. Li sth Ning.
S: li chu ning
T: yea she died too.
S: HUH!
how come?
T: suicide.
S: WHY?
T: love.
S: omg how?
huh. omg.
why so many pple wanna die
its quite sad
what they live for
T: CO poisoning.
in car.
S: oh
thats what i would choose
T: haha ive made u talk philosophical.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
love is measured by fullness, not by reception
phoebe surprised me.
like i was to many people in e past, when love comes crashing down, some people will appear around u, which u never saw coming. she became a someone. i guess she could just relate. n she taught me e term 'comfort food'.
thanks for e little things, phoebe. it will and still hurts but im glad for u and i appreciate all of it.
and when u never knew, e people nearest may just be e most ready to give their love. thank u, mabel. u never asked for anything, just ready to give.
for all the wisdom and "experience" friends say i have, i guess it hurts e most when such things happen to myself. coz if u know me, i love as hard as it can go. i dont like things around to restrain me. coz i believe if u want that someone to be e most important person in ur life, u better treat her that way and show her she is. i believe we only love once so might as well make e most of it. at least to know that u gave ur all, is comforting.
phoebe got me hooked onto how words, when used perfectly and in e right mix, can express so much.
"The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost."
"You never lose by loving. You always lost by holding back."
"An act of love that fails is just as much a part of the divine life as an act of love that succeeds, for love is measured by fullness, not by reception." Harold Lokes
"Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart do not know how to laugh either."
how do i let go.
like i was to many people in e past, when love comes crashing down, some people will appear around u, which u never saw coming. she became a someone. i guess she could just relate. n she taught me e term 'comfort food'.
thanks for e little things, phoebe. it will and still hurts but im glad for u and i appreciate all of it.
and when u never knew, e people nearest may just be e most ready to give their love. thank u, mabel. u never asked for anything, just ready to give.
for all the wisdom and "experience" friends say i have, i guess it hurts e most when such things happen to myself. coz if u know me, i love as hard as it can go. i dont like things around to restrain me. coz i believe if u want that someone to be e most important person in ur life, u better treat her that way and show her she is. i believe we only love once so might as well make e most of it. at least to know that u gave ur all, is comforting.
phoebe got me hooked onto how words, when used perfectly and in e right mix, can express so much.
"The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost."
"You never lose by loving. You always lost by holding back."
"An act of love that fails is just as much a part of the divine life as an act of love that succeeds, for love is measured by fullness, not by reception." Harold Lokes
"Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart do not know how to laugh either."
how do i let go.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
falling
"It was vertigo.
A heady, insuperable longing to fall...
We might also call vertigo the intoxication of the weak. Aware of his weakness, a man decides to give in rather than stand up to it. He is drunk with weakness, wishes to grow even weaker, wishes to fall down in the middle of the main square in front of everybody, wishes to be down, lower than down."
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
A heady, insuperable longing to fall...
We might also call vertigo the intoxication of the weak. Aware of his weakness, a man decides to give in rather than stand up to it. He is drunk with weakness, wishes to grow even weaker, wishes to fall down in the middle of the main square in front of everybody, wishes to be down, lower than down."
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
hating love?
"Have you ever been in love?
Horrible, isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens your heart and it means someone can get inside you and mess you up.
You build up all these defenses. You build up this whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life.
You give them a piece of you. They don't ask for it. They do something dumb one day like kiss you, or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore.
Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so a simple phrase like 'Maybe we should just be friends' or 'How very perceptive' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart.
It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a body-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.
Nothing should be able to do that. Especially not love. I hate love."
In Love, Neil Gaiman
Horrible, isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens your heart and it means someone can get inside you and mess you up.
You build up all these defenses. You build up this whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life.
You give them a piece of you. They don't ask for it. They do something dumb one day like kiss you, or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore.
Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so a simple phrase like 'Maybe we should just be friends' or 'How very perceptive' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart.
It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a body-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.
Nothing should be able to do that. Especially not love. I hate love."
In Love, Neil Gaiman
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
说好的幸福呢？
你的回话凌乱着
在这个时刻
我想起喷泉旁的白鸽
甜蜜散落了
情绪莫名的拉扯
我还爱你呢
而你断断续续唱着歌
假装没事了
时间过了 走了
爱情面临选择
你冷了 倦了 我哭了
离开时的不快乐
你用卡片手写着
有些爱只给到这
真的痛了
怎么了 你累了 说好的 幸福呢
我懂了 不说了 爱淡了 梦远了
开心与不开心一一细数着
你再不舍
那些爱过的感觉都太深刻
我都还记得
你不等了 说好的 幸福呢
我错了 泪干了 放手了 后悔了
只是回忆的音乐盒还旋转着
要怎么停呢
怎么了
你累了
说好的
幸福呢
我懂了
不说了
爱淡了
梦远了
我都还记得
你不等了 说好的 幸福呢
我错了 泪干了 放手了 后悔了
只是回忆的音乐盒还旋转着
要怎么停呢
oh man. emo song of e emo season. delivered every time jaychou's new album comes around.
welcome to my world.
在这个时刻
我想起喷泉旁的白鸽
甜蜜散落了
情绪莫名的拉扯
我还爱你呢
而你断断续续唱着歌
假装没事了
时间过了 走了
爱情面临选择
你冷了 倦了 我哭了
离开时的不快乐
你用卡片手写着
有些爱只给到这
真的痛了
怎么了 你累了 说好的 幸福呢
我懂了 不说了 爱淡了 梦远了
开心与不开心一一细数着
你再不舍
那些爱过的感觉都太深刻
我都还记得
你不等了 说好的 幸福呢
我错了 泪干了 放手了 后悔了
只是回忆的音乐盒还旋转着
要怎么停呢
怎么了
你累了
说好的
幸福呢
我懂了
不说了
爱淡了
梦远了
我都还记得
你不等了 说好的 幸福呢
我错了 泪干了 放手了 后悔了
只是回忆的音乐盒还旋转着
要怎么停呢
oh man. emo song of e emo season. delivered every time jaychou's new album comes around.
welcome to my world.
Monday, November 03, 2008
of wounds and scars
"the wounds fester openly now.
i wish i could find an explanation for all these things that're going on in my life, in my mind right now. i wish someone could tell me why these seemingly-beautiful things can go so wrong within such a short span of time.
we all know this kinda pain doesn't just go away like that, any fool can tell you that. they linger and come back every now and then to gnaw and feed on your soul. you can't be completely cured. the only hope you can have is for the scab to form as soon as possible without an infection taking place.
even so, you just get reminded everytime you see the scars."
i wish i could find an explanation for all these things that're going on in my life, in my mind right now. i wish someone could tell me why these seemingly-beautiful things can go so wrong within such a short span of time.
we all know this kinda pain doesn't just go away like that, any fool can tell you that. they linger and come back every now and then to gnaw and feed on your soul. you can't be completely cured. the only hope you can have is for the scab to form as soon as possible without an infection taking place.
even so, you just get reminded everytime you see the scars."
Sunday, October 05, 2008
oh kay...
President, School Management Committee, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information
Seat on the NTU Student Council
Ex-officio, Inter School Games 2008 Sports Committee
Subcommer, JCRC Publications, Hall IV
Subcommer, Public Relations, Touch of the Hearts, Hall IV
Subcommer, Stage Design, Drama Production, Hall IV
Performer, Sing 'n' Strum, JCRC Cultural, Hall IV
Writer, Nanyang Chronicle
Soccer captain, WKWSCI
Darts captain, Hall IV
Member, Sociology Society
Part-time lion dancer, Singapore Nanyang (Xinyang) Dragon & Lion Sports Centre / Nanyang Junior College Pugilistics Society and Alumni Dragon & Lion Dance Troupe / Singapore Nanyang Huang Shi Chung Huay Dragon & Lion
Freelance journalist, sportmag/singaporesports.sg
i can hear e sound of my GPA sliding away. im gonna die this year.
Seat on the NTU Student Council
Ex-officio, Inter School Games 2008 Sports Committee
Subcommer, JCRC Publications, Hall IV
Subcommer, Public Relations, Touch of the Hearts, Hall IV
Subcommer, Stage Design, Drama Production, Hall IV
Performer, Sing 'n' Strum, JCRC Cultural, Hall IV
Writer, Nanyang Chronicle
Soccer captain, WKWSCI
Darts captain, Hall IV
Member, Sociology Society
Part-time lion dancer, Singapore Nanyang (Xinyang) Dragon & Lion Sports Centre / Nanyang Junior College Pugilistics Society and Alumni Dragon & Lion Dance Troupe / Singapore Nanyang Huang Shi Chung Huay Dragon & Lion
Freelance journalist, sportmag/singaporesports.sg
i can hear e sound of my GPA sliding away. im gonna die this year.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
the enlightenment
a news story for e 15th September issue of Nanyang Chronicle - the premier NTU newspaper - covering the visit of CSJ to NTU in late August was spiked, not by editors, but by e NTU biggies in CopCom. some people have called it censorship at its ugliest.
and he said.
"i requested to see the article ("CSJ visits NTU" story) when i heard about it, right before it was published, due to its sensitive nature. after going through it, i thought the context (what CSJ said and espoused) was not clear enough thus affecting the conciseness of the article. i decided we should slot in CSJ's message so as to better support what the whole article is saying, though i knew by reinforcing an unsolicited visitor's words and giving him a free media platform would definitely anger CopCom and the article would most probably be killed. but why did i still do it? for journalism, as simple as that. it is not in our capacity as reporters to worry about the workings of the higher level. it is our job to provide and maintain good journalism."
Assistant Professor Dr Cherian George, Acting Head, Division of Journalism, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information. he is also a prominent local journalist, columnist and critic. the expert in Singapore politics and media is well known for being part of the mavericks with Dr Catherine Lim who have stepped on the Emperor's toes.
disclaimer: those were not e exact words uttered; they're rewritten with e best recollection
and he said.
"i requested to see the article ("CSJ visits NTU" story) when i heard about it, right before it was published, due to its sensitive nature. after going through it, i thought the context (what CSJ said and espoused) was not clear enough thus affecting the conciseness of the article. i decided we should slot in CSJ's message so as to better support what the whole article is saying, though i knew by reinforcing an unsolicited visitor's words and giving him a free media platform would definitely anger CopCom and the article would most probably be killed. but why did i still do it? for journalism, as simple as that. it is not in our capacity as reporters to worry about the workings of the higher level. it is our job to provide and maintain good journalism."
Assistant Professor Dr Cherian George, Acting Head, Division of Journalism, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information. he is also a prominent local journalist, columnist and critic. the expert in Singapore politics and media is well known for being part of the mavericks with Dr Catherine Lim who have stepped on the Emperor's toes.
disclaimer: those were not e exact words uttered; they're rewritten with e best recollection
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Infinitum Voyage: the aftermath
i hope this will not be an extremely long post-foc post. like e one after CS foc. in fact i never intended to have one for this time. especially coz school begins in a little more than a day's time n i have more important stuff than blogging.
but to be honest. for all my love for SCI n still putting my school in higher regard than hall, hall camp 28Jul-2Aug was quite an experience.
firstly of course it was interesting for me personally coz my foot's hurt, as u should know by now. i returned to hall on crutches n was on crutches for Day 1. i was asked about it i think a hundred times by fellow ohmers, if u noticed my facebook status e last week. this is a highly physical n demanding camp n someone on crutches does not really fit in in any way. so tt's a reason why many of em found me exceptionally enthu tt i was there. it made me many new frens too, as my injury was a good icebreaker. therefore many ohmers i previously only knew existed became acquainted with me. im glad i recovered fast n tho still limping when camp broke, i went around for most activities without crutches.
secondly, this injury might have prevented me from fulfilling a dream of competing in e lion dance nationals, n pushing tt dream at least til a year later, im not gonna let this injury prevent me from finally coming full circle, another one-year wait, for my chance at hall camp after withdrawin last year due to anaemia. it was tough not getting to know more people n altho ive come a long way since then, i still aimed to finally be a part of it.
but this post is specially crafted to be about my OG, Eden.
as an SA to my Counsellors (similar to OGLs) xiwen, johnson n jianli, i was supposed to be e rah-rah force who would be there for all 5 days. e kind of key SA. unfortunately with my injury i could not, n for afew other reasons Eden's originally powerful ensemble of SAs did not materialise. of course, Minister Mentor alex lim, jieying, jon, isabelle, brandon, junwei, nina, eileen are excellent SAs tt everyone would want n ive to give alot of credit to em. but they are such high-profile figures n veterans in Hall IV tt they'll surely take a backseat. our youthful force was non-existent, with many of our original SAs not present most of e camp. sucha force was apparent in all three other OGs, n it worked magic for em.
but more about my Eden freshies. altho i cant boast a camp record like MM alex lim, but this OG was indeed an eye-opener for me. i discovered, sometimes when as seniors u give 200%, e OG may still not eventually be what u want it to be. if u know me well, im super competitive in such camps, believing tt competition, winning, n focusing ur energies on ur 'enemies' are e best ingredients for a strongly bonded OG. Mee Tai Mak fought n fought n was second, but at least we managed to make everyone else hate us. i transferred tt force into Linguine for my second CS foc, n altho they didnt fire off as well as MTM, by e end they were equally fierce, also finishing close runners-up. at tt very camp, i also learnt something new on OG Fusilli. they were quite bad at games, n lost almost everything. it was a good representation of their 'relaxing' seniors, who arnt e most competitive as i know em. but Fusilli deserve huge credit for being one of e most bonded, fun, n sporting group. altho they were consistently last, they cheered like no other n seriously were enjoying emselves. their seniors focused on building from e inside, with e camp only as a backdrop. it was not very me but it's still a great concept.
Eden did not fire off too. but it became a much bigger headache than anything. slowly slowly as i got to know em, i realised they're not going to be in e MTM model. they absolutely had no catalysts. n unlike Linguine, no one looked capable of standing up. or should i say, interested to do so. Eden is e kind where u have a whole bunch of freshies who arnt interested. many of em arnt mild, they're bo chap. n tt boded very badly for e OG. even with people like MM alex lim in our OG, who has so much camp experience n charisma, i saw moments of exasperation in him. i knew we might have to take e Fusilli model. but things were not tt simple. eventually, i can only say, it was e Eden model. for all e people reading this who have a good load of camp experience, i can tell u, this Eden is almost unmatched. i dont know in what sense, but they're just too unique. especially if even MM alex lim thinks so.
alex lim just graduated n returned as an SA. he has camp experience like almost no one. tt's why people conferred him Minister Mentor. frankly with all due respect, super-senior marcus is more senior n has seen more but alex lim is quite in a league of his own. he was last year's foc's awesome Chief Counsellor, previous year he was JCRC vice-president, in Year One he was JCRC Sports Sec. for his experience in hall, he is equally high-profile in NBS, where in e same manner he is MM. during poly he went to every camp too. he has revealed before tt when he entered poly n then uni he would have already mapped out what he wanted to do in a non-academic capacity. even in joint-hall, where e most prominent people in NTU's 16 halls congregate, alex lim is a legend. i still recall e mundane joint-hall carnival afew months back tt became a bustling affair with laughs all round when alex lim came n took e mic, volunteering as an emcee. in e badminton scene too, he is so high-profile, coming from a Montfort background n IVP status. when u watch him at camps, his abilities really can take ur breath away. i know, it cant be rosy everywhere n this man has his flaws, everyone who knows him will tell u tt, but no one has denied him e respect n admiration for what he can do tt no ordinary man can.
*this is the point i stopped writing this post and left it static for 8 months*
Eden's seniors had to come together twice durin camp to talk about e OG, what to do, n where to go from here. that was how bad n serious it was. we looked upon it as an emergency n a matter of gravity. e seniors could all see that our three counsellors were really exhausted managin this bunch of freshies. did u all notice, freshies? it was so bad that for e fun of it all we had to come up w a phrase to encapsulate what Eden is about. "我们又是最后了". hur hur.
*i left here the initials "SLMSS" but i don't recall what it stands for!*
let quotes speak for themselves.
MM alex lim, at e end of Initiation, sunrise, hilltop behind Hall IV:
"after so long, this is my final camp. as u all officially start hall life, mine ends today and im moving out. (he starts to tear) thank u. im really very proud. ive never seen an OG that lost everything. u all are the first."
me:
"i admit at times during the camp i was disappointed. but i must say im also extremely proud of u guys now that we're at the end. if i ever only have 8 freshies in my OG (only 8 left at Initiation) i might not have the motivation to continue anymore. and the most touching was seeing the way u guys prepared through the day for the skit. yes there was hesitance. there was hesitance throughout the camp. but everyone was a leader during the preparations. and i think i then understood. everyone in this OG plays a little part in making things work. it was really moving."
alex lim, at SP night:
"(after Eden's song performance) if we're on Day 1 or 2, u would never see them sing like that. that's how much they've changed. 3 years in poly, ive been to every camp. 3 years in uni, ive been to every camp. i have to say, this time, it was e toughest. i thought ive seen everything. i thought im already quite good. until i met Eden. when we cheer so hard, even after a few days, some of u still barely moved. some of u don't wanna clap or join in. some of u stay on ur phones for so long, or stand alone in ur own world, and u ignore the seniors. i must say u all taught me something new, a new lesson. ive seen other GLs come to me asking for help or reflecting that so-and-so freshie is problematic. but every time i ask ur counsellors, they would just say u guys are tired. ur counsellors never once gave up on u guys. it says a lot about the faith they had in u guys. our skit that night, only we understood it. but so what. we enjoyed it, that's the most important thing. nobody knows what we went through. Midas might have won Best OG but to me, we went through the most and all of us learnt the most. who cares about the little gifts and stupid cards after a camp. those are surface only. our experience was something truly inside."
*ok don't too emo. 8 months ago i intended to end off this entry with a little on what this camp opened my eyes to Hall IV's traditions. chill abit.*
unlike talking about CS foc where there are some taboos to avoid, recapping about hall camp will be much easier because here traditions are really traditions. as in, they go quite some time back. since Hall IV is one of e oldest halls around. our foc has some powerful n sturdy traditions tt we're extremely proud of n i must admit were eye-openers to me as a first-time participant.
e unique Hall IV cheer.
我要看到我的脸 photo formation.
十字路口.
Senior vs Junior: Ultimate Challenge.
e photo we must always take at e long staircase at nanyang lake's playground. which later will become a sabo. haha.
e awesome hokkien debate.
Initiation til sunrise. includin e hardcore human pyramid up e slope.
e traditional whacking rite of passage.
a yam seng with our special drink.
*til next foc! (4 months' time)*
but to be honest. for all my love for SCI n still putting my school in higher regard than hall, hall camp 28Jul-2Aug was quite an experience.
firstly of course it was interesting for me personally coz my foot's hurt, as u should know by now. i returned to hall on crutches n was on crutches for Day 1. i was asked about it i think a hundred times by fellow ohmers, if u noticed my facebook status e last week. this is a highly physical n demanding camp n someone on crutches does not really fit in in any way. so tt's a reason why many of em found me exceptionally enthu tt i was there. it made me many new frens too, as my injury was a good icebreaker. therefore many ohmers i previously only knew existed became acquainted with me. im glad i recovered fast n tho still limping when camp broke, i went around for most activities without crutches.
secondly, this injury might have prevented me from fulfilling a dream of competing in e lion dance nationals, n pushing tt dream at least til a year later, im not gonna let this injury prevent me from finally coming full circle, another one-year wait, for my chance at hall camp after withdrawin last year due to anaemia. it was tough not getting to know more people n altho ive come a long way since then, i still aimed to finally be a part of it.
but this post is specially crafted to be about my OG, Eden.
as an SA to my Counsellors (similar to OGLs) xiwen, johnson n jianli, i was supposed to be e rah-rah force who would be there for all 5 days. e kind of key SA. unfortunately with my injury i could not, n for afew other reasons Eden's originally powerful ensemble of SAs did not materialise. of course, Minister Mentor alex lim, jieying, jon, isabelle, brandon, junwei, nina, eileen are excellent SAs tt everyone would want n ive to give alot of credit to em. but they are such high-profile figures n veterans in Hall IV tt they'll surely take a backseat. our youthful force was non-existent, with many of our original SAs not present most of e camp. sucha force was apparent in all three other OGs, n it worked magic for em.
but more about my Eden freshies. altho i cant boast a camp record like MM alex lim, but this OG was indeed an eye-opener for me. i discovered, sometimes when as seniors u give 200%, e OG may still not eventually be what u want it to be. if u know me well, im super competitive in such camps, believing tt competition, winning, n focusing ur energies on ur 'enemies' are e best ingredients for a strongly bonded OG. Mee Tai Mak fought n fought n was second, but at least we managed to make everyone else hate us. i transferred tt force into Linguine for my second CS foc, n altho they didnt fire off as well as MTM, by e end they were equally fierce, also finishing close runners-up. at tt very camp, i also learnt something new on OG Fusilli. they were quite bad at games, n lost almost everything. it was a good representation of their 'relaxing' seniors, who arnt e most competitive as i know em. but Fusilli deserve huge credit for being one of e most bonded, fun, n sporting group. altho they were consistently last, they cheered like no other n seriously were enjoying emselves. their seniors focused on building from e inside, with e camp only as a backdrop. it was not very me but it's still a great concept.
Eden did not fire off too. but it became a much bigger headache than anything. slowly slowly as i got to know em, i realised they're not going to be in e MTM model. they absolutely had no catalysts. n unlike Linguine, no one looked capable of standing up. or should i say, interested to do so. Eden is e kind where u have a whole bunch of freshies who arnt interested. many of em arnt mild, they're bo chap. n tt boded very badly for e OG. even with people like MM alex lim in our OG, who has so much camp experience n charisma, i saw moments of exasperation in him. i knew we might have to take e Fusilli model. but things were not tt simple. eventually, i can only say, it was e Eden model. for all e people reading this who have a good load of camp experience, i can tell u, this Eden is almost unmatched. i dont know in what sense, but they're just too unique. especially if even MM alex lim thinks so.
alex lim just graduated n returned as an SA. he has camp experience like almost no one. tt's why people conferred him Minister Mentor. frankly with all due respect, super-senior marcus is more senior n has seen more but alex lim is quite in a league of his own. he was last year's foc's awesome Chief Counsellor, previous year he was JCRC vice-president, in Year One he was JCRC Sports Sec. for his experience in hall, he is equally high-profile in NBS, where in e same manner he is MM. during poly he went to every camp too. he has revealed before tt when he entered poly n then uni he would have already mapped out what he wanted to do in a non-academic capacity. even in joint-hall, where e most prominent people in NTU's 16 halls congregate, alex lim is a legend. i still recall e mundane joint-hall carnival afew months back tt became a bustling affair with laughs all round when alex lim came n took e mic, volunteering as an emcee. in e badminton scene too, he is so high-profile, coming from a Montfort background n IVP status. when u watch him at camps, his abilities really can take ur breath away. i know, it cant be rosy everywhere n this man has his flaws, everyone who knows him will tell u tt, but no one has denied him e respect n admiration for what he can do tt no ordinary man can.
*this is the point i stopped writing this post and left it static for 8 months*
Eden's seniors had to come together twice durin camp to talk about e OG, what to do, n where to go from here. that was how bad n serious it was. we looked upon it as an emergency n a matter of gravity. e seniors could all see that our three counsellors were really exhausted managin this bunch of freshies. did u all notice, freshies? it was so bad that for e fun of it all we had to come up w a phrase to encapsulate what Eden is about. "我们又是最后了". hur hur.
*i left here the initials "SLMSS" but i don't recall what it stands for!*
let quotes speak for themselves.
MM alex lim, at e end of Initiation, sunrise, hilltop behind Hall IV:
"after so long, this is my final camp. as u all officially start hall life, mine ends today and im moving out. (he starts to tear) thank u. im really very proud. ive never seen an OG that lost everything. u all are the first."
me:
"i admit at times during the camp i was disappointed. but i must say im also extremely proud of u guys now that we're at the end. if i ever only have 8 freshies in my OG (only 8 left at Initiation) i might not have the motivation to continue anymore. and the most touching was seeing the way u guys prepared through the day for the skit. yes there was hesitance. there was hesitance throughout the camp. but everyone was a leader during the preparations. and i think i then understood. everyone in this OG plays a little part in making things work. it was really moving."
alex lim, at SP night:
"(after Eden's song performance) if we're on Day 1 or 2, u would never see them sing like that. that's how much they've changed. 3 years in poly, ive been to every camp. 3 years in uni, ive been to every camp. i have to say, this time, it was e toughest. i thought ive seen everything. i thought im already quite good. until i met Eden. when we cheer so hard, even after a few days, some of u still barely moved. some of u don't wanna clap or join in. some of u stay on ur phones for so long, or stand alone in ur own world, and u ignore the seniors. i must say u all taught me something new, a new lesson. ive seen other GLs come to me asking for help or reflecting that so-and-so freshie is problematic. but every time i ask ur counsellors, they would just say u guys are tired. ur counsellors never once gave up on u guys. it says a lot about the faith they had in u guys. our skit that night, only we understood it. but so what. we enjoyed it, that's the most important thing. nobody knows what we went through. Midas might have won Best OG but to me, we went through the most and all of us learnt the most. who cares about the little gifts and stupid cards after a camp. those are surface only. our experience was something truly inside."
*ok don't too emo. 8 months ago i intended to end off this entry with a little on what this camp opened my eyes to Hall IV's traditions. chill abit.*
unlike talking about CS foc where there are some taboos to avoid, recapping about hall camp will be much easier because here traditions are really traditions. as in, they go quite some time back. since Hall IV is one of e oldest halls around. our foc has some powerful n sturdy traditions tt we're extremely proud of n i must admit were eye-openers to me as a first-time participant.
e unique Hall IV cheer.
我要看到我的脸 photo formation.
十字路口.
Senior vs Junior: Ultimate Challenge.
e photo we must always take at e long staircase at nanyang lake's playground. which later will become a sabo. haha.
e awesome hokkien debate.
Initiation til sunrise. includin e hardcore human pyramid up e slope.
e traditional whacking rite of passage.
a yam seng with our special drink.
*til next foc! (4 months' time)*
Sunday, July 27, 2008
and a dream ends. (II)
i didnt wanna give up so easily partly due to readin e many recent stories of inspiring n great Olympians in e media's lead-in to Beijing '08.
long distance multiple record-holder Paula Radcliffe just had a fractured thigh bone n is 35. doctors told her it's impossible to recover in time. she's training overtime now to not just compete, but to win next month. swimmer Eric Shanteau recently discovered he has testicular cancer but is still going to beijing, postponing surgery til after e Games. 78 days before her competition date, Silken Laumann saw her leg sliced apart in a rowing accident. after five operations n with a heavily strapped leg, she rowed to a bronze medal at Barcelona '92. dusk had arrived. e winner returned two hours ago n was about to receive his medal. then John Stephen Akhwari limped into e stadium at Mexico '68. he was last in e marathon event, he had bandages on his leg n a bruised shoulder from a fall, but he still finished e punishing test.
their bodies had let em or are letting em down, but they refused to be stopped. they reached for something within em tt differentiates em from e ordinary. e repetitive shots of inspiration put me in such a mental locomotive. but i dont know. it was not to be.
i had surrendered to circumstances yesterday. as a team we decided this year's dream is over. only e happening of a major miracle could change it. e sort unexplainable by science. i needed to heal instantly overnight from a rather grim situation. but something inside me, ive to admit, still held out for tt. i didnt know what's gonna save me, but e saved usually do not know right? couple tt with a strange gut belief in e supernatural. then i saw mingqi's sms tt she had prayed in e middle of e night at her elaborate altar of a house in a formal ritual. she believed too, saying a strange feeling came to her too.
it was terribly uncomfortable getting into bed n sleeping, but i woke up suddenly at some ghostly hours, with my foot feeling light. i ripped off my ankle guard n used e nearby ice-pack. it was suddenly so airy n utopic. was it happening? did they intend for me to miss e final training, even run up to e competition thinking im done? then give me back my chance? at tt moment i seriously felt there could be fairies working overtime constructing my ankle n foot, with deities standing around my bed lookin on, wise n smiling. i got a little mental, i must admit. those readin this please dont report me to buangkok or what.
coz then scepticism kicked in. or to fulfil e irony of it all, should actually call it realism. i thot, maybe it's my painkillers that are working. i took em some time before sleep, n there were no effects. yet.
i felt a hard n aching foot when i woke up just now. doesn feel good at all. but tt's also how u feel when u recover. i sat up, n settled my feet on e ground, before pushing myself up.
sorry, no miracle, not today. when e foot trembled, i know nothing much has changed.
long distance multiple record-holder Paula Radcliffe just had a fractured thigh bone n is 35. doctors told her it's impossible to recover in time. she's training overtime now to not just compete, but to win next month. swimmer Eric Shanteau recently discovered he has testicular cancer but is still going to beijing, postponing surgery til after e Games. 78 days before her competition date, Silken Laumann saw her leg sliced apart in a rowing accident. after five operations n with a heavily strapped leg, she rowed to a bronze medal at Barcelona '92. dusk had arrived. e winner returned two hours ago n was about to receive his medal. then John Stephen Akhwari limped into e stadium at Mexico '68. he was last in e marathon event, he had bandages on his leg n a bruised shoulder from a fall, but he still finished e punishing test.
their bodies had let em or are letting em down, but they refused to be stopped. they reached for something within em tt differentiates em from e ordinary. e repetitive shots of inspiration put me in such a mental locomotive. but i dont know. it was not to be.
i had surrendered to circumstances yesterday. as a team we decided this year's dream is over. only e happening of a major miracle could change it. e sort unexplainable by science. i needed to heal instantly overnight from a rather grim situation. but something inside me, ive to admit, still held out for tt. i didnt know what's gonna save me, but e saved usually do not know right? couple tt with a strange gut belief in e supernatural. then i saw mingqi's sms tt she had prayed in e middle of e night at her elaborate altar of a house in a formal ritual. she believed too, saying a strange feeling came to her too.
it was terribly uncomfortable getting into bed n sleeping, but i woke up suddenly at some ghostly hours, with my foot feeling light. i ripped off my ankle guard n used e nearby ice-pack. it was suddenly so airy n utopic. was it happening? did they intend for me to miss e final training, even run up to e competition thinking im done? then give me back my chance? at tt moment i seriously felt there could be fairies working overtime constructing my ankle n foot, with deities standing around my bed lookin on, wise n smiling. i got a little mental, i must admit. those readin this please dont report me to buangkok or what.
coz then scepticism kicked in. or to fulfil e irony of it all, should actually call it realism. i thot, maybe it's my painkillers that are working. i took em some time before sleep, n there were no effects. yet.
i felt a hard n aching foot when i woke up just now. doesn feel good at all. but tt's also how u feel when u recover. i sat up, n settled my feet on e ground, before pushing myself up.
sorry, no miracle, not today. when e foot trembled, i know nothing much has changed.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
and a dream ends.
e date was march 15. my first formal training to compete in e National Lion Dance Championships this year. i was 21 then, in e sport for more than 4 years. we thot, "why not?". if we procrastinate more, we may just be too old for it already. n i seriously thot we're technically ready to compete on e biggest stage.
i was e drummer, originally. but by e next training, i was converted to 狮尾 to better suit competition requirements. no problem at all. i like to think i can take on different challenges. moreover, i was trained from my earliest days as a 狮尾.
it is now 4 months n 11 days later. tmr was to be e big day. my zone qualifier for a shot at e finals at ngee ann city. but for all e hard work n sacrifices, it's over before even e first sound of e drum.
we were supposed to have a final run yesterday. but on thursday my sole felt extremely uncomfortable. it's been niggling me for weeks, often at trainings. it's an old injury, i believe hurt twice before, first by a bad landing, then an accident when a bench dropped on tt foot. but e full extent just came back without warning. so i told myself, rest it well, if i cant rehearse one last time, just chiong on sunday itself. giving up never once came across.
indeed, like a miracle, thru my attentive massaging of healing cream, icing e area, n just stayin stationary, on friday morning things were lookin up. but i knew i better not risk it, so i chose not to train a final time. i followed along to watch em, tho, to give em moral support. tt trip out of my comfort zone aggravated my foot a little, n e pain once again became throbbing.
like how many people around me had advised, n since i decided against going out on competition eve, which included e temple trip, i should at least pray at home. friday night, things returned to original n when home, in e dark, i kneeled, with tt excruciating pain, infront of my 观音菩萨's altar. i prayed i'll recover by sunday, if not 100% at least good enough to compete, tt we've all come a long way n this is not fair, tt im only 36 hours away n ur my only hope.
most of my teammates travelled to 四马路's 观音庙 today. im sure they prayed for my well-being. but also for e competition. so i had to recover. sheila told me she'll pray for me too, n i trust she will. if e elements are punking me now, at least im trying to get e gods onto my side.
n when i woke up today, my biggest nightmare happened. or rather, i wouldnt even have dreamt of it. e toe area felt quite e same, but out of nowhere, theres now a sharp pain in my ankle n i cannot almost move it anymore. before this, i could still force myself to compete with a pain in my sole n toe. but without my ankle, i can do nothing. i cant 坐头360, i cant climb e steps, i cant leap across e 'valley'. this being my left ankle, i also would not be able to execute e three 单脚.
how did my body fail me so badly. each time im battered down i come back stronger n go for more. this time, i think even e divine could do nothing. or is it intended? tt was my first thot. for all e calls for intervention, i actually received something worse tt outright denies me. is it fate, is it written? it seems like i wasnt answered, but could this be e answer? at tt moment i felt so spiritual. maybe i really shouldnt be competing.
i had resisted seeing a doc coz i know they'll prevent me from competing or wrap up my foot dramatically. then i realised today i need to get an MC in e scenario i really cant recover. it cant get us a postponement, but we'll get an honorary withdrawal. if we just disappear without explanation, we'll receive a 3-year ban from any lion dance activity. so how did an old injury return with a worse swell? how did something totally different pop up n so intense? apparently they could be linked. e GP reckons a possible stress fracture accumulated over time. i'll know after an x-ray.
e whole team came all e way down from west coast to my clinic in hougang. i hated myself for bringing em down, but they reassured me my body's e most important thing, tt we can always compete next year. it was encouraging. e superstitious jiajun even said this could all be a sign, to prevent me from competing, maybe something bad might happen, tt im being protected by higher entities. shannon related tt when 黄师父 heard e news, he shot back to e day we 点睛 for our new competition lion, when we dropped e two 大吉 n 大利 attachments from e lion's crown, an ominous n unlucky sign, tt he already felt uneasy. benwei n vincent just kept insisting tt my foot's staying with me rest of my life, competition's only this time, n i should think carefully.
am i disappointed. i would be lying if i said no. i wanted to get this done, a milestone in my life, be able to say ive competed in e nationals. i trained so hard n for so long. some days when there were only me, jiajun n adrian. or even on one occasion only e two 狮头狮尾. i can proudly say from e bottom of my heart i did put in alot. when i was struck with e recurrence, i still truly believed i would compete, altho i had only 3 days to recover. i thot, ive come this far, even if i limp i will still go out there n do it.
e team n other people who knew about it were worried for me, at e same time disappointed about how things have turned out. i wanna say im ok. i take it in my stride. im optimistic, but im not sure about what. coz when i think of it, i sink again. i wanna say sorry to my teammates. i dont know if u all know how much this opportunity means to me. tho we've ran into problems, n not everyone could commit on e same level, i would not have had this chance without each n every one of u. 黄师父, sorry n thank u as well. all u did was out of ur own generosity. i cant repay it.
n now im goin back to Hall IV FOC with a bandaged foot n on crutches. how our world is always characterised by such amazing revolutions. last year i had to retire from this very camp due to anaemia, which ive never suffered from previously, on Day 1. this time, im all ready to be part of it. n now this.
i was e drummer, originally. but by e next training, i was converted to 狮尾 to better suit competition requirements. no problem at all. i like to think i can take on different challenges. moreover, i was trained from my earliest days as a 狮尾.
it is now 4 months n 11 days later. tmr was to be e big day. my zone qualifier for a shot at e finals at ngee ann city. but for all e hard work n sacrifices, it's over before even e first sound of e drum.
we were supposed to have a final run yesterday. but on thursday my sole felt extremely uncomfortable. it's been niggling me for weeks, often at trainings. it's an old injury, i believe hurt twice before, first by a bad landing, then an accident when a bench dropped on tt foot. but e full extent just came back without warning. so i told myself, rest it well, if i cant rehearse one last time, just chiong on sunday itself. giving up never once came across.
indeed, like a miracle, thru my attentive massaging of healing cream, icing e area, n just stayin stationary, on friday morning things were lookin up. but i knew i better not risk it, so i chose not to train a final time. i followed along to watch em, tho, to give em moral support. tt trip out of my comfort zone aggravated my foot a little, n e pain once again became throbbing.
like how many people around me had advised, n since i decided against going out on competition eve, which included e temple trip, i should at least pray at home. friday night, things returned to original n when home, in e dark, i kneeled, with tt excruciating pain, infront of my 观音菩萨's altar. i prayed i'll recover by sunday, if not 100% at least good enough to compete, tt we've all come a long way n this is not fair, tt im only 36 hours away n ur my only hope.
most of my teammates travelled to 四马路's 观音庙 today. im sure they prayed for my well-being. but also for e competition. so i had to recover. sheila told me she'll pray for me too, n i trust she will. if e elements are punking me now, at least im trying to get e gods onto my side.
n when i woke up today, my biggest nightmare happened. or rather, i wouldnt even have dreamt of it. e toe area felt quite e same, but out of nowhere, theres now a sharp pain in my ankle n i cannot almost move it anymore. before this, i could still force myself to compete with a pain in my sole n toe. but without my ankle, i can do nothing. i cant 坐头360, i cant climb e steps, i cant leap across e 'valley'. this being my left ankle, i also would not be able to execute e three 单脚.
how did my body fail me so badly. each time im battered down i come back stronger n go for more. this time, i think even e divine could do nothing. or is it intended? tt was my first thot. for all e calls for intervention, i actually received something worse tt outright denies me. is it fate, is it written? it seems like i wasnt answered, but could this be e answer? at tt moment i felt so spiritual. maybe i really shouldnt be competing.
i had resisted seeing a doc coz i know they'll prevent me from competing or wrap up my foot dramatically. then i realised today i need to get an MC in e scenario i really cant recover. it cant get us a postponement, but we'll get an honorary withdrawal. if we just disappear without explanation, we'll receive a 3-year ban from any lion dance activity. so how did an old injury return with a worse swell? how did something totally different pop up n so intense? apparently they could be linked. e GP reckons a possible stress fracture accumulated over time. i'll know after an x-ray.
e whole team came all e way down from west coast to my clinic in hougang. i hated myself for bringing em down, but they reassured me my body's e most important thing, tt we can always compete next year. it was encouraging. e superstitious jiajun even said this could all be a sign, to prevent me from competing, maybe something bad might happen, tt im being protected by higher entities. shannon related tt when 黄师父 heard e news, he shot back to e day we 点睛 for our new competition lion, when we dropped e two 大吉 n 大利 attachments from e lion's crown, an ominous n unlucky sign, tt he already felt uneasy. benwei n vincent just kept insisting tt my foot's staying with me rest of my life, competition's only this time, n i should think carefully.
am i disappointed. i would be lying if i said no. i wanted to get this done, a milestone in my life, be able to say ive competed in e nationals. i trained so hard n for so long. some days when there were only me, jiajun n adrian. or even on one occasion only e two 狮头狮尾. i can proudly say from e bottom of my heart i did put in alot. when i was struck with e recurrence, i still truly believed i would compete, altho i had only 3 days to recover. i thot, ive come this far, even if i limp i will still go out there n do it.
e team n other people who knew about it were worried for me, at e same time disappointed about how things have turned out. i wanna say im ok. i take it in my stride. im optimistic, but im not sure about what. coz when i think of it, i sink again. i wanna say sorry to my teammates. i dont know if u all know how much this opportunity means to me. tho we've ran into problems, n not everyone could commit on e same level, i would not have had this chance without each n every one of u. 黄师父, sorry n thank u as well. all u did was out of ur own generosity. i cant repay it.
n now im goin back to Hall IV FOC with a bandaged foot n on crutches. how our world is always characterised by such amazing revolutions. last year i had to retire from this very camp due to anaemia, which ive never suffered from previously, on Day 1. this time, im all ready to be part of it. n now this.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
full circle
i was watching e taiwanese entertainment news daily 娱乐百分百 this afternoon. e episode's guest was 范玮琪. after belting out some of her trademarks, she did a cover of host 小鬼's single, 鬼混. of course it got him excited, coz it's his only solo song to date n he's more known as a host than a singer. artistes who feature on e show often does covers, usually versions of e other host 小猪罗志祥's chart-topping hits. it's an act of homage to e show n its faces - e hosts.
范玮琪 is an established, popular mandarin singer famed for her clear n clean vocals. covering a relatively newer artiste's song in his presence was a proud n touching moment for e lad. by e time she finished, her stronger abilities had made a good marketing of e single. but co-host 小猪, who is e senior of 小鬼 n has always strived to look e better of e two n put him down, quipped in his immediate line tt "this cover is actually better than e original!"
小鬼, a hardworking n unassuming youngster, was visibly hurt by e comment.
then i recalled so uncannily n in such ironic fashion. when shannon n vincent commented afew weeks back tt i actually can sing a song better than e original, tt song was 爱转角. n it's a hit number by none other than award-winning singer 小猪. tt idiotic n brash co-host.
karma. dont do unto others as you would not have others do unto u.
范玮琪 is an established, popular mandarin singer famed for her clear n clean vocals. covering a relatively newer artiste's song in his presence was a proud n touching moment for e lad. by e time she finished, her stronger abilities had made a good marketing of e single. but co-host 小猪, who is e senior of 小鬼 n has always strived to look e better of e two n put him down, quipped in his immediate line tt "this cover is actually better than e original!"
小鬼, a hardworking n unassuming youngster, was visibly hurt by e comment.
then i recalled so uncannily n in such ironic fashion. when shannon n vincent commented afew weeks back tt i actually can sing a song better than e original, tt song was 爱转角. n it's a hit number by none other than award-winning singer 小猪. tt idiotic n brash co-host.
karma. dont do unto others as you would not have others do unto u.
Friday, July 18, 2008
i like motion pictures
2001's A Beautiful Mind, adapted from a Pulitzer Prize-nominated book of e same title, starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany and Ed Harris. it was nominated for eight Oscars and won four, includin Best Picture, and Best Director for Ron Howard.
e film is inspired by real events in e life of e gifted mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. most well-known for his equilibrium theory, Nash made breakthroughs while strugglin w schizophrenia all through his life, which threatened destroy e beautiful mind. his theories were eventually recognised, influenced global trade negotiations, national labour relations, and evolutionary biology, earning him a 1994 Nobel Prize for Economics.
Crowe was as usual excellent in this outing, portraying a reclusive, awkward n schizo man. as e title character, n without a female lead, it can be argued tt he carried e film to a Best Picture. Bettany is e other guy who caught my eye. u sldnt find anyone else better for his role as a literature student. he could switch between frivolity n intensity seamlessly, n his charm is everywhere. it was more bewilderin to understand how Connelly won an Oscar for this. i felt she did not stand out in e few scenes she had, n was always second-best. Harris always looked e same to me in whichever film he stars in, n tt is not good.
let's relive some of e best lines from this film.
Nash's amazing theory tt debunked e great economist Adam Smith tt total self-interest is not good for e collective:
"if we all go for the blonde and block each other, not a single one of us is going to get her. so then we go for her friends, but they will all give us the cold shoulder because no on likes to be second choice. but what if none of us goes for the blonde? we won't get in each other's way and we won't insult the other girls. it's the only way to win. it's the only way we all get laid."
(Alicia de Larde is Nash's wife. they married in 1957. this scene was during dating.)
Alicia: how big is the universe?
Nash: infinite.
Alicia: how do you know?
Nash: I know because all the data indicates it's infinite.
Alicia: but it hasn't been proven yet. how do you know for sure?
Nash: I don't, I just believe it.
Alicia: it's the same with love, I guess.
speaking at the Nobel awards ceremony:
"I've always believed in numbers. in the equations and logics that lead to reason... I've made the most important discovery of my life. it is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reason can be found. perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind. but it is a better gift to discover a beautiful heart."
e film is inspired by real events in e life of e gifted mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. most well-known for his equilibrium theory, Nash made breakthroughs while strugglin w schizophrenia all through his life, which threatened destroy e beautiful mind. his theories were eventually recognised, influenced global trade negotiations, national labour relations, and evolutionary biology, earning him a 1994 Nobel Prize for Economics.
Crowe was as usual excellent in this outing, portraying a reclusive, awkward n schizo man. as e title character, n without a female lead, it can be argued tt he carried e film to a Best Picture. Bettany is e other guy who caught my eye. u sldnt find anyone else better for his role as a literature student. he could switch between frivolity n intensity seamlessly, n his charm is everywhere. it was more bewilderin to understand how Connelly won an Oscar for this. i felt she did not stand out in e few scenes she had, n was always second-best. Harris always looked e same to me in whichever film he stars in, n tt is not good.
let's relive some of e best lines from this film.
Nash's amazing theory tt debunked e great economist Adam Smith tt total self-interest is not good for e collective:
"if we all go for the blonde and block each other, not a single one of us is going to get her. so then we go for her friends, but they will all give us the cold shoulder because no on likes to be second choice. but what if none of us goes for the blonde? we won't get in each other's way and we won't insult the other girls. it's the only way to win. it's the only way we all get laid."
(Alicia de Larde is Nash's wife. they married in 1957. this scene was during dating.)
Alicia: how big is the universe?
Nash: infinite.
Alicia: how do you know?
Nash: I know because all the data indicates it's infinite.
Alicia: but it hasn't been proven yet. how do you know for sure?
Nash: I don't, I just believe it.
Alicia: it's the same with love, I guess.
speaking at the Nobel awards ceremony:
"I've always believed in numbers. in the equations and logics that lead to reason... I've made the most important discovery of my life. it is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reason can be found. perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind. but it is a better gift to discover a beautiful heart."
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Secret Affair: the aftermath
i wanna cap off this awesome ntuwkwscifoc2008 with a blog entry. but it was so much i dont know how to organise or structure it. so i figured i'll just give a lazy point-form list.
1.
i guess i'll have to start with Linguine, my beloved OG. really, there's just so much to talk about. to summarise e main emotion i felt through n after e camp, is pity i didnt have enough time with u guys n couldnt know u all better. i would have loved to stay with e OGLs n e freshies through e camp, but as u all should know by now i was involved in a whole lot of other stuff. very much like shixiong was last year, as AGL to my Mee Tai Mak. but he made a difference to our OG, so tt was what i wished for this year, tt even tho i had to be away much, i could still be a significant presence in e OG. i hope i was.
i think it's too much to ask for e freshies to understand, coz ive been thru it n it's not tt crystal to freshies e roles of e main comm, CI club, n other seniors not all e time with e OGs. i know most of e time only e OGLs left a stronger impression on e impressionable young minds. by now u should know of my involvement in Initiation, FN, n HC. for e first, i was stationed somewhere (this shall stay a mystery) so i could not accompany u guys all e way, esp at e location after e lorry ride. but i tried my best to protect Linguine from e horrible tekan by other seniors, so i think i did something. u all could have met alot worse shit. haha.
n also just a sidenote here. to tt someone (among a few) whom i cared for tt Initiation night while u were blindfolded n shivering, i did feel a tinge of disappointment after we broke camp on friday, because u never once did come up to me with a bare minimum "thank u". then next morning i realised i havent read e card Linguine did for me, then i saw u had expressed ur gratitude in e card. n i felt comforted. ok maybe ur not a very vocal person.
for FN alone, i had to miss 水天 with all of u. pity. i know it must have been damn fun. i actually dropped by raffles marina in cheryl's car so i could see how u guys were, n appeared at e Meepok Man movie screening as well while other ghosts were busy dressing up outside. haha.
lastly, my last-minute increased involvement in HC did a damage too. because of our OGLs' role in HC, me n mad were supposed to step up n take over e OG at times. but turned out i had a starring role in e whole affair n to successfully pull it off i had to either be away or give a straight face at times. sorry to those of u who appeared beside me but i wasnt friendly. it was part of everything.
n lastly i guess not staying with e OG at Hall 13 played a part too. because Hall 13 is at e northern tip of NTU n my hall is at e southern tip, please understand. haha. i had to go back hall at times, n usually late at night i couldnt walk u all back (altho i did on thursday night can!). urgh. i even missed e filming shixiong did of our OG for e final FOC video coz im e assigned one to look after all ur belongings.
anw. just to reiterate. e sentosa night's talk i had with a bunch of u was real n i meant everything i said, of course except e last HC part. so stop wondering if tt was a whole load of bull. so, true to tt, i think it's a pity i couldnt talk with everyone. some of u were knocked out e moment u hit ur sleeping bags. i personally felt tt session was e one moment i really felt i was with e OG. im sorry to those who were there, coz by tt night i still didnt know who u guys were so i dont remember anyone except huiling, pedro, sabrina n jiahui. it was supposed to be a small group but it just got bigger n bigger, im touched.
oh yes n another revelation. for e sentosa game, Battlefield, e plan to build a sandcastle tt way was in fact coz i was informed our OG would be ganged by e other three intentionally, part of e HC plot. so to prevent us from dying a terrible death, i decided to teach u guys e sandcastle my OG last year built, which was also ganged by e other three OGs but survived til e end.
oh well. i hope i left my mark in Linguine n all of u will remember me as part of ur rite of passage. coz i volunteered to be AGL (i was approached to be OGL but i had my reasons to decline it) for this noble reason. haha. stay together. at least for e opening weeks of school. u guys made e right choice of coming for FOC. everyone who didnt always tell me tt. but even as e months pass n new cliques form, no one takes away what Linguine gave u. trust me on tt. u saw 2007's Mee Tai Mak n Mee Pok at this year's camp. we dont hang out as a clique anymore, but we're still great buds.
to individual freshies.
sufiyan, grace, pedro, zhiyuan, candy, ur attitude n spirit were vital to e OG. thanks for helping bring up e x-factor within Linguine.
joanne, ur quite everyone's favourite at this FOC huh. haha. not just were u handpicked to be sonic e hedgehog, ur face appeared in so many photos n videos!
jiahui n sheryl, i think u twins had/have alot of potential within e OG. rah-rah on.
tiffany, tho u joined late, e seniors never had to worry about ur assimilation. ur outgoing nature n pleasing demeanour ensured u became an important part of e OG too.
nice talking to derrick, yanling, jayne, wanqing, huiling, felicia, maxie, radiah, jeslynn, jianyue, kiahui, sabrina, hanisah, xinyi, kiki.
sze ee, eldon, kimberly, ur quite e iceberg huh. haha. talk more to me when school opens leh.
ok n lastly i save it for yimei n xinyi, my two fave st nicks girls. u two like to form ur own small clique n stand alone right. haha. maybe tt's why i clicked best with u guys lah. coz im e same. im e default loner in wkwsci (yea right). but credit to u two, u contributed alot to e OG. u never hesitated to join back with e rest every time i nudged u two. Fusili has their twin towers, i think u two make tougher twin towers.
2.
i became so crazy... once again. trust me, esp freshies, im not usually like tt. im e quiet one, in fact. what u saw at FOC of me is exactly result of what i told some of u. if u choose to come for camp, u have to play n be up for it. no point making tt decision but being introverted thru e camp. like i said, u gotta be buey paiseh. n i think i left many of u with tt impression of me. bleh.
3.
Linguine. we're damn strong can. haha. i said this to afew of u, but ive never seen an OG so dominant in games at any camps. orientation games are designed to require different skills, tt's why all OGs should be rather equal. but we totally ran away on e first day! we were well into triple-digit in score while e rest were double. what's more, i was abit down on e first day coz our OG abit too quiet n lacking initiative. so it was harder to believe how good we were at games. well, guys, ignore e final results, it's not about winning. u know u took something irreplaceable away from this camp.
i think e seniors might not have reflected to u guys, but we're damn proud of e Starry Starry Night skit lah. partly due to me being from 2007's Best Skit, when i saw u all rehearsing at ADM in e afternoon, i had a feeling Linguine's gonna win it. dont worry about having no progressive plot or not following e theme of e camp, e other OGs are just boring. mine last year was total aimless n we made e whole hall split. ur skit was awesome.
n i have to be buey paiseh abt this. we have e prettiest OG this FOC lah (i mean our girls only, Linguine guys). some of e male seniors in e other OGs almost wanted to transfer to Linguine. haha.
4.
a vow made last year, tt e Mee Tai Mak people would reunite in e same OG this year, could not be fulfilled due to certain reasons. so i joined e OGL team of wenxu n jacq, one didnt go last year, e other was formerly of Mee Kia, so was my fellow AGL mad. a fresh start i suppose. i did go attend seniors camp with e two OGLs n we were then in e same Red Bull OG too. but when i met e three of em for our pre-camp meetings i realised we dont really know each other well. n we had to strike up a chemistry. it was a now-or-never thing. if we couldnt gel, how could we gel our freshies. n most importantly we had to look like we're besties so e camp would look good to e freshies.
now tt FOC is over, i can surely say we definitely are closer.
Linguine's cheers are damn cool right. e four of us thot of it all man. n for me personally i even had to fight Fusili for former Mee Tai Mak's cheers. if u wanna know why Linguine (or at least e four of us) is so good at cheering, tt's coz, as seen at e pre-camp briefing, we were e only OG practising our cheers loud loud.
thanks mad, for being e fellow AGL, for making e effort to gel us four seniors, for showing enthusiasm when most of us were tired, for being e quieter complement to me whom e freshies could confide in.
thanks jacq, for an irresistable energy, for being always so cute n funny, for tt dry sense of humour, for shouldering massive responsibility thru e camp.
thanks wenxu, for e leadership, for e ceaseless stamina, for always doing e thankless jobs, for going against ur usual self n becoming dumb when required.
5.
of course, it would be criminal to focus on just e four of us. Linguine would not be as awesome without e SAs. thank u for agreeing to join us after we asked u, or coming to join us on ur own. we were still worried we wouldnt have enough SAs! in e end we had e most of e four OGs, after i checked with e rest. haha.
a shout out to super-senior marcus (u guys were lucky to have him), shixiong (having e CI club president around definitely had its perks), philip (e man of wkwsci), cheryl ong, clement (a prominent n relaxing figure who helped e OGLs n AGLs greatly), bernie (one of e most rah-rah freshies last year, glad she agreed to join us), zijie (Chronicle photo editor n FOC publicity head as our photographer, what more to ask for), yiling, huimin, danielle.
n e mysterious amanda mok who's originally our first SA but couldnt make it in e end. freshies, did u spot her cameo during FN?
6.
after a year of studies n all our own lives n into our own small cliques, it's always amazing at this sort of camps when people come together, to relive e past or to know each other better, where lines are not drawn.
from seniors camp, as part of e FN team, i got to know kristle better. she's not just e smart ah lian sia. under pressure to deliver at these two camps she has done well to make things happen, as e able assistant to jeanette. she's damn funny n super 讲义气. her driving me n my stuff around this FOC was priceless.
n symbiotic with her as e other senior who had no OG for e larger part of e camp was my Mee Tai Mak buddy, titus. we all know after last year's FOC we never got into e same clique. but im glad we're still buddies. he's a brudder who will always be there for me man.
n of course, there's my senorita melissa. one of e people i was damn proud of as my OG mate. i was lookin forward to another camp with her. im still so glad she made it as an OGL, tho not being very close to e FOC people before this. just a pity i could not fulfill e one-year plan to be in her OG. still, we hung out abit here n there n i think being from different OGs actually struck up good energies within e whole camp.
part of seniors camp's Red Bull, were amos n pamy, better known together as pamos. never got to know em super well, esp since they're from Mee Pok. but since e last weeks of sem 2, i found em such swell individuals. it brought over to seniors camp n FOC n i must say they're really people worth knowing lah. amos is not very expressive but is good company. pamy has totally changed my impression of her since sem 1, when most MTM-ers thot she's stuck-up. no she's nowhere near tt. pamy is sucha sweet girl whom everyone rightly loved at this FOC.
e oft-misunderstood cameron showed me this FOC he can be a good worker. his clique, esp sara-jean, has constantly reminded me tt below his apathetic n rebellious shell, lies a true friend who will always deliver. i never questioned e fact tt he's alot deeper than what most people know, because he has impressed me when we talked. but he still seemed overly individualistic at times. this time, i had many good opportunities to work n interact with him, n i slowly got to know him better. cameron can be very real n sincere, n once he includes u in his circle of trust, he'll treat u like a brudder. when he got down to work with his OG, he was wholehearted. he's opinionated, n with him around, things will always improve.
cheryl chan became unusually friendlier than she had been e whole year knowing me. i guess it's love tt changed her. haha.
all in all. this was about e seniors coming together. love it.
7.
ok, let's be honest here, how many of u wernt exactly pleased with e FOC comm before this. CI club had its issues with em, e OGLs had their issues with em, n some seniors were not happy with either money matters or how seniors camp went. but FOC will always succeed because it's FOC. people want it to succeed. n very much FOC comm deserves e most credit. they might have stepped on many toes, but e effort could not be doubted n without em we wouldnt have a camp. n thru e two camps, were chances to know e FOC comm better. i know i did.
i got to know cheryl ong way before this vacation, possibly because of my undying support for FOC n their comm. i gave em canvassing lobangs, i tried my best to appear at their canvassing events, i discussed w her who to find as OGL, i gave my support thru e entire seniors camp tho i wasnt an OGL or subcommer.
then there is ruiqi, e loud, funny n happy girl u'll always see around SCI. i knew her from being classmates, but we only talked abit. but because of FOC, n esp due to HC, we became better buddies.
QQ is another one. we're only acquainted before all this, but interactions at seniors camp n then FOC brought us to another level. i found out she's actually quite a capable girl when work is required. CI club? haha.
jinyong, ive talked to, but never really knew before actual FOC. he was e kind of person, u wanna know better, but never seem to cross paths with. but ive heard alot of positive things about him. this FOC i would say we both took e initiative to open up more to each other, n he came across as a good worker who will be there for u if ur in his circle of trust. dependable lad who brings e right energies.
her job as financial controller is crazy, we all know, but siti never fails to joke n play when necessary. i think she's been a good ambassador of FOC comm who networks well with non-comm people.
of course, e three MTM-ers who made e comm. jeanette, thad n james. except for jeanette, whom ive still been in touch with thru e year, e others have gone on their separate ways after FOC 2007. but every time i see em around school, they still offer tt same friendship from a year ago. im just glad we had e chance to hang out again this FOC. they were definitely much warmer than at seniors camp. whenever i talk to thad n james, i feel like we've known each other for so long. hope e brotherhood lasts!
n e few whom i didnt know before these two camps: keax, jasmine, zijie, christine. i realised u guys are great individuals too n im gonna cherish e new found friendships. jasmine n christine are so funny. zijie is super friendly n unassuming. keax is just loud n bubbly. haha.
8.
pity e whole CI club couldnt be there. e traditional club introduction on e first day was missing quite afew of us. but 老大 still made us look good lah, i feel. he's so charismatic u know. he also led e wee kim wee cheer he invented out of thin air, scrapping e tongue-twisting CS cheer. n thanks for e once-again praise n publicity for ISG 2007. n wth's with "actually my preferred person for e next club president is in this LT now".
still, i felt e club had a good presence n representation at this FOC. it was important. we have to let e FOC comm know that FOC is a part of club activities, tt we'll support it, n CI club n FOC comm is a two-way rship. a shout out to OGL lyon, AGLs sara-jean, kenneth, melvin, SAs shixiong, philip n lastly e effort by zak to show up.
for e man himself, i really wanna thank him for everything at this camp. no gayness though. he was e best spokesman we can have for CI club. although he had so little air-time, im very sure all e freshies now know him well n in e process e club. thanks for joining Linguine too, when i recruited u. n then trying to pull e whole bunch of seniors to join us, including marcus. n thanks for slogging to produce tt final FOC video. even without a voice most of e camp, u still tried to rah-rah e school n talk to juniors. zai.
9.
i became so involved in HC in e end. n to think i only knew e *censored* e night before. being thrust into a key OG within this HC, n as an AGL i had to take up this responsibility. linking up e key characters, be e mode of communication, standing in for jacq at times, partner wenxu when she's missing, create e commotion in place of my OGLs etc.
if e freshies wanna know what i did within this whole *censored*, here it is.
- remember e first NTU game? making e connection between jacq n jason at e rooftop. an impromptu decision was made to sudden-death e game w a senior-vs-senior, n as Ravioli picked jason, i picked jacq, for obvious reasons. so without being planned, all e seniors present started teasing em. unfortunately e blur ruiqi was totally unmoved by e scenes.
- staring at n being pissed with ruiqi, yet laughin with her e next moment, is damn weird. haha.
- e sentosa night's talk. original intention was HC, coz i was told e OG needed to be fed gossip n e OGLs wernt e best people to do it. but truthfully, it was a good talk n true to CS FOC tradition, we always talk on sentosa night. nothing fake about tt.
- where did jacq go? haha. remember i kicked up a small fuss Day 2 morning coz jacq disappeared with jason for a beach stroll? in front of e whole Linguine. then i "called" her, which was in fact *censored* n there was no one on e other end of e line. then i walked all e way down to e beach to find her n jason, we stood there awhile, *censored* like we were talking, then i walked back.
- Amazing Race. ooh la la all e gossip. whatever u heard me talking about e whole day was intentional.
- e climax. began with us being late for tiong bahru, onto e bus, back in SCI, n e *censored*. last minute then they told me im involved in breaking up e *censored*.
- this has nothing to do with me, but it has seemingly become a tradition. e random table tt contains marcus which u guys sat in n listened n interviewed. e catch: e marcus table is always crap only.
10.
one year on, n i cant forget u guys. i believe for those of us who turned up this time round, it was e memories of Mee Tai Mak and I Heard A Rumour that led to it. we were e honorary Best OG, delivered e sterling Best Skit, n was e unanimous enemy of e people, simply because we're so damn good.
altho we see each other all e time in school, we've our own cliques, n nothing beats coming together again for tt same thing tt united us a year ago. i know we didnt exactly have alot of time this camp to hang out, but it was great nonetheless to be together.
for thad, jeanette, james n melissa who signed on to contribute for The Secret Affair, we deeply thank u. i know it was Mee Tai Mak tt drove u guys.
i remember i was asking elicia months before this to come for FOC already. eventually, she did turn up, after thad n i sms-ed her separately, to help mavis n waisze with their sentosa game station. crazily enthu n loud girl lah (did i mention everyone hated Mee Tai Mak last year n she was one of e reasons?). before she appeared, melissa n i were already fighting to take her. n when she showed up at e sapphire pavilion, so many seniors shouted out to her n ran over! haha. i rushed over to drag her to join me, so did Fusili's MTM-ers. how heartwarming.
i will never ever, for as long as i live, forget e cheer fight we had with Mee Pok on Day 2 at sentosa. it was stuff of dreams, really. i never thot we would have e chance to come together again. but miraculously, so many MTM-ers turned up tt afternoon. we got together, talked n reminisced, then decided to cheer abit. then i remembered my teasing of kristle missing her Mee Pok OG, so i continued again with our MTM-ers in her face. haha tt forced her to go gather her MP-ers, n e rest was history. n u thot they're e enthu OG? we seriously outnumbered em. haha. for tt cheer fight alone i lost my voice again.
a shout out to e MTM-ers tt afternoon. melissa, jeanette, james, thad, sara-jean, yiling, cheryl chan, titus, meisee, mavis, waisze, elicia, shixiong n cheryl ong. oh yes n ah lian, yiting, was in e crowd as e fake freshie unable to join us. haha.
11.
i wonder. n im troubled. why am i e perennial second-best. Mee Tai Mak tried all it could, sweat n bled, n still finished second, albeit controversially. this year, most of e MTM-ers were with Fusili, who uncannily lost most of what it competed in n thoroughly didnt exactly have e fighting spirit their seniors had in abundance. n for my Linguine, whom i told repeatedly tt im super competitive, we definitely looked like we're gonna win big this time as we ran away into a huge lead from e first day. but e Mee Pok-inspired Penne caught up n they emerged victorious n stole my Best Skit crown too. so perennially a second-best, my fate is. it gets tiring u know, being second again, while e same faces celebrated once more.
12.
to all who contributed to FN's blah-blah Penthouse, whatever its original name was, good job! i think from seniors camp til now, we seriously deserve credit. then, e seniors who trialed e routes wernt frightened by previous routes, so we pledged to give em a good one. n we succeeded. most of em reflected tt our route, supposedly e mildest coz it was held on e familiar fifth floor of SCI, turned out to be e fiercest in terms of scare factor. we made some cry, n made some guys jump. so we had a reputation to protect for actual FOC.
altho, with my experience in both runs, i would say this time wasnt as good due to change in personnel, at times softening our impact for distraught freshies, n having to handle bigger groups, we still earned some accolades lah. NBS n EEE routes could not earn e sort of reviews we did, n i believe it's not about e eeriness of e route, but e ghosts n e stunts pulled. apparently many freshies thot ours was e worst! other freshies observed tt many who did our route broke down here. im sorry for em, but im proud of our achievements.
good job, amos, sheila, danielle, jin, jinyong, keax, ruiqi, siti, ros, bernie, philip, stanley, zhihui, angela, melvin, cheryl chan. e butcher n his kitchen is e awesome. rock on!
anw. im quite surprised no one within e whole huge FN team did any sort of ritual before conducting FN. esp since this time involved alot of Chinese funeral material, like paper money, joss sticks, altar candles, obituaries n paper offerings. i hope my n shixiong's little something as respect to e netherworld helped.
13.
how do u keep coming back. haha. e super-senior marcus once again made his appearance. he is year 6, way into his working career, flying high with mediacorp n just wrote upcoming comedy First Class. but he keeps appearing in SCI.
ive seen him at some random CS events like Academy Awards. shixiong hinted to e camp n esp Linguine right from e start that a "spiritual figure" of SCI will be appearing soon, someone loved by everyone n who can make u laugh non-stop. what a shining testimonial! but we didnt expect him to be sucha big part of this camp. he appeared while e camp was checking into Hall 13 for accommodation, n tagged along from Initiation onwards! wow, committed lah. he even did e whole Amazing Race with us n gamely played along with HC.
i guess this place really means alot to him, from talking to him n judging from his blog posts. formerly of CI club too, he's been involved in all FOCs since his own. who better to offer advice at such events. i heard he even authored n compiled a manual on how to run FOC! Linguine, we're all proud to have marcus in our OG isnt it! n so, like every year, marcus is loved by everyone. shixiong's final FOC video even gave him a cameo tribute right at e end. i remember while into his anus theory, i realised he's e only one in e whole Starry Starry Night hall who had a chair n was sitting on a chair, unlike e floor-warming us.
14.
now i know why e CS tradition of Animal Blindfold Game is so fun for seniors.
15.
actually Initiation was fun. tho tiring, almost playing out like FN. some seniors had hated e idea during seniors camp. it was something associated more with hall camps. when i spoke to marcus about it, he reflected he's not one who supports e idea. but thru this experience, i guess if it's conducted in e right way, it should be fine. gotta explain e rationale, gotta take good care of e freshies, n not go too far. still, i heard a significant number hated it. hmm.
anw. many seniors, esp e AGLs, are still baffled n abit unhappy why we wernt told we're running Initiation. we had no clue what to do at our stations man.
n what a pity i didnt see e storm drain segment. i couldnt follow Linguine there coz i was stuck in SCI.
16.
thanks for all e citings/references, esp e two OGs, including joanne, who reenacted e FN Butcher during Starry Starry Night skits; getting advice from me on how to do song-song-dao-jurong; how to speak hokkien; how to act beng; even recognising my voice (blindfolded) durin Initiation when u wernt from my OG.
17.
dammit i still got cheers n games i haven taught Linguine.
18.
pity 滚滚 was missin at Starry Starry Night! man, FOC comm, u should have done better there. he's another spiritual figure of CS. or rather, his song performance. but yes i loved e final cheer-every-cheer moment, doing e wee kim wee cheer n Ecstacy cheer all together. n finally a 3-cheer for me, n e sweet appreciation card from e OG. thank u.
19.
now is e hard part again. where are all e photos n videos. ha.
p.s. ok i think i broke my record for longest post ever.
1.
i guess i'll have to start with Linguine, my beloved OG. really, there's just so much to talk about. to summarise e main emotion i felt through n after e camp, is pity i didnt have enough time with u guys n couldnt know u all better. i would have loved to stay with e OGLs n e freshies through e camp, but as u all should know by now i was involved in a whole lot of other stuff. very much like shixiong was last year, as AGL to my Mee Tai Mak. but he made a difference to our OG, so tt was what i wished for this year, tt even tho i had to be away much, i could still be a significant presence in e OG. i hope i was.
i think it's too much to ask for e freshies to understand, coz ive been thru it n it's not tt crystal to freshies e roles of e main comm, CI club, n other seniors not all e time with e OGs. i know most of e time only e OGLs left a stronger impression on e impressionable young minds. by now u should know of my involvement in Initiation, FN, n HC. for e first, i was stationed somewhere (this shall stay a mystery) so i could not accompany u guys all e way, esp at e location after e lorry ride. but i tried my best to protect Linguine from e horrible tekan by other seniors, so i think i did something. u all could have met alot worse shit. haha.
n also just a sidenote here. to tt someone (among a few) whom i cared for tt Initiation night while u were blindfolded n shivering, i did feel a tinge of disappointment after we broke camp on friday, because u never once did come up to me with a bare minimum "thank u". then next morning i realised i havent read e card Linguine did for me, then i saw u had expressed ur gratitude in e card. n i felt comforted. ok maybe ur not a very vocal person.
for FN alone, i had to miss 水天 with all of u. pity. i know it must have been damn fun. i actually dropped by raffles marina in cheryl's car so i could see how u guys were, n appeared at e Meepok Man movie screening as well while other ghosts were busy dressing up outside. haha.
lastly, my last-minute increased involvement in HC did a damage too. because of our OGLs' role in HC, me n mad were supposed to step up n take over e OG at times. but turned out i had a starring role in e whole affair n to successfully pull it off i had to either be away or give a straight face at times. sorry to those of u who appeared beside me but i wasnt friendly. it was part of everything.
n lastly i guess not staying with e OG at Hall 13 played a part too. because Hall 13 is at e northern tip of NTU n my hall is at e southern tip, please understand. haha. i had to go back hall at times, n usually late at night i couldnt walk u all back (altho i did on thursday night can!). urgh. i even missed e filming shixiong did of our OG for e final FOC video coz im e assigned one to look after all ur belongings.
anw. just to reiterate. e sentosa night's talk i had with a bunch of u was real n i meant everything i said, of course except e last HC part. so stop wondering if tt was a whole load of bull. so, true to tt, i think it's a pity i couldnt talk with everyone. some of u were knocked out e moment u hit ur sleeping bags. i personally felt tt session was e one moment i really felt i was with e OG. im sorry to those who were there, coz by tt night i still didnt know who u guys were so i dont remember anyone except huiling, pedro, sabrina n jiahui. it was supposed to be a small group but it just got bigger n bigger, im touched.
oh yes n another revelation. for e sentosa game, Battlefield, e plan to build a sandcastle tt way was in fact coz i was informed our OG would be ganged by e other three intentionally, part of e HC plot. so to prevent us from dying a terrible death, i decided to teach u guys e sandcastle my OG last year built, which was also ganged by e other three OGs but survived til e end.
oh well. i hope i left my mark in Linguine n all of u will remember me as part of ur rite of passage. coz i volunteered to be AGL (i was approached to be OGL but i had my reasons to decline it) for this noble reason. haha. stay together. at least for e opening weeks of school. u guys made e right choice of coming for FOC. everyone who didnt always tell me tt. but even as e months pass n new cliques form, no one takes away what Linguine gave u. trust me on tt. u saw 2007's Mee Tai Mak n Mee Pok at this year's camp. we dont hang out as a clique anymore, but we're still great buds.
to individual freshies.
sufiyan, grace, pedro, zhiyuan, candy, ur attitude n spirit were vital to e OG. thanks for helping bring up e x-factor within Linguine.
joanne, ur quite everyone's favourite at this FOC huh. haha. not just were u handpicked to be sonic e hedgehog, ur face appeared in so many photos n videos!
jiahui n sheryl, i think u twins had/have alot of potential within e OG. rah-rah on.
tiffany, tho u joined late, e seniors never had to worry about ur assimilation. ur outgoing nature n pleasing demeanour ensured u became an important part of e OG too.
nice talking to derrick, yanling, jayne, wanqing, huiling, felicia, maxie, radiah, jeslynn, jianyue, kiahui, sabrina, hanisah, xinyi, kiki.
sze ee, eldon, kimberly, ur quite e iceberg huh. haha. talk more to me when school opens leh.
ok n lastly i save it for yimei n xinyi, my two fave st nicks girls. u two like to form ur own small clique n stand alone right. haha. maybe tt's why i clicked best with u guys lah. coz im e same. im e default loner in wkwsci (yea right). but credit to u two, u contributed alot to e OG. u never hesitated to join back with e rest every time i nudged u two. Fusili has their twin towers, i think u two make tougher twin towers.
2.
i became so crazy... once again. trust me, esp freshies, im not usually like tt. im e quiet one, in fact. what u saw at FOC of me is exactly result of what i told some of u. if u choose to come for camp, u have to play n be up for it. no point making tt decision but being introverted thru e camp. like i said, u gotta be buey paiseh. n i think i left many of u with tt impression of me. bleh.
3.
Linguine. we're damn strong can. haha. i said this to afew of u, but ive never seen an OG so dominant in games at any camps. orientation games are designed to require different skills, tt's why all OGs should be rather equal. but we totally ran away on e first day! we were well into triple-digit in score while e rest were double. what's more, i was abit down on e first day coz our OG abit too quiet n lacking initiative. so it was harder to believe how good we were at games. well, guys, ignore e final results, it's not about winning. u know u took something irreplaceable away from this camp.
i think e seniors might not have reflected to u guys, but we're damn proud of e Starry Starry Night skit lah. partly due to me being from 2007's Best Skit, when i saw u all rehearsing at ADM in e afternoon, i had a feeling Linguine's gonna win it. dont worry about having no progressive plot or not following e theme of e camp, e other OGs are just boring. mine last year was total aimless n we made e whole hall split. ur skit was awesome.
n i have to be buey paiseh abt this. we have e prettiest OG this FOC lah (i mean our girls only, Linguine guys). some of e male seniors in e other OGs almost wanted to transfer to Linguine. haha.
4.
a vow made last year, tt e Mee Tai Mak people would reunite in e same OG this year, could not be fulfilled due to certain reasons. so i joined e OGL team of wenxu n jacq, one didnt go last year, e other was formerly of Mee Kia, so was my fellow AGL mad. a fresh start i suppose. i did go attend seniors camp with e two OGLs n we were then in e same Red Bull OG too. but when i met e three of em for our pre-camp meetings i realised we dont really know each other well. n we had to strike up a chemistry. it was a now-or-never thing. if we couldnt gel, how could we gel our freshies. n most importantly we had to look like we're besties so e camp would look good to e freshies.
now tt FOC is over, i can surely say we definitely are closer.
Linguine's cheers are damn cool right. e four of us thot of it all man. n for me personally i even had to fight Fusili for former Mee Tai Mak's cheers. if u wanna know why Linguine (or at least e four of us) is so good at cheering, tt's coz, as seen at e pre-camp briefing, we were e only OG practising our cheers loud loud.
thanks mad, for being e fellow AGL, for making e effort to gel us four seniors, for showing enthusiasm when most of us were tired, for being e quieter complement to me whom e freshies could confide in.
thanks jacq, for an irresistable energy, for being always so cute n funny, for tt dry sense of humour, for shouldering massive responsibility thru e camp.
thanks wenxu, for e leadership, for e ceaseless stamina, for always doing e thankless jobs, for going against ur usual self n becoming dumb when required.
5.
of course, it would be criminal to focus on just e four of us. Linguine would not be as awesome without e SAs. thank u for agreeing to join us after we asked u, or coming to join us on ur own. we were still worried we wouldnt have enough SAs! in e end we had e most of e four OGs, after i checked with e rest. haha.
a shout out to super-senior marcus (u guys were lucky to have him), shixiong (having e CI club president around definitely had its perks), philip (e man of wkwsci), cheryl ong, clement (a prominent n relaxing figure who helped e OGLs n AGLs greatly), bernie (one of e most rah-rah freshies last year, glad she agreed to join us), zijie (Chronicle photo editor n FOC publicity head as our photographer, what more to ask for), yiling, huimin, danielle.
n e mysterious amanda mok who's originally our first SA but couldnt make it in e end. freshies, did u spot her cameo during FN?
6.
after a year of studies n all our own lives n into our own small cliques, it's always amazing at this sort of camps when people come together, to relive e past or to know each other better, where lines are not drawn.
from seniors camp, as part of e FN team, i got to know kristle better. she's not just e smart ah lian sia. under pressure to deliver at these two camps she has done well to make things happen, as e able assistant to jeanette. she's damn funny n super 讲义气. her driving me n my stuff around this FOC was priceless.
n symbiotic with her as e other senior who had no OG for e larger part of e camp was my Mee Tai Mak buddy, titus. we all know after last year's FOC we never got into e same clique. but im glad we're still buddies. he's a brudder who will always be there for me man.
n of course, there's my senorita melissa. one of e people i was damn proud of as my OG mate. i was lookin forward to another camp with her. im still so glad she made it as an OGL, tho not being very close to e FOC people before this. just a pity i could not fulfill e one-year plan to be in her OG. still, we hung out abit here n there n i think being from different OGs actually struck up good energies within e whole camp.
part of seniors camp's Red Bull, were amos n pamy, better known together as pamos. never got to know em super well, esp since they're from Mee Pok. but since e last weeks of sem 2, i found em such swell individuals. it brought over to seniors camp n FOC n i must say they're really people worth knowing lah. amos is not very expressive but is good company. pamy has totally changed my impression of her since sem 1, when most MTM-ers thot she's stuck-up. no she's nowhere near tt. pamy is sucha sweet girl whom everyone rightly loved at this FOC.
e oft-misunderstood cameron showed me this FOC he can be a good worker. his clique, esp sara-jean, has constantly reminded me tt below his apathetic n rebellious shell, lies a true friend who will always deliver. i never questioned e fact tt he's alot deeper than what most people know, because he has impressed me when we talked. but he still seemed overly individualistic at times. this time, i had many good opportunities to work n interact with him, n i slowly got to know him better. cameron can be very real n sincere, n once he includes u in his circle of trust, he'll treat u like a brudder. when he got down to work with his OG, he was wholehearted. he's opinionated, n with him around, things will always improve.
cheryl chan became unusually friendlier than she had been e whole year knowing me. i guess it's love tt changed her. haha.
all in all. this was about e seniors coming together. love it.
7.
ok, let's be honest here, how many of u wernt exactly pleased with e FOC comm before this. CI club had its issues with em, e OGLs had their issues with em, n some seniors were not happy with either money matters or how seniors camp went. but FOC will always succeed because it's FOC. people want it to succeed. n very much FOC comm deserves e most credit. they might have stepped on many toes, but e effort could not be doubted n without em we wouldnt have a camp. n thru e two camps, were chances to know e FOC comm better. i know i did.
i got to know cheryl ong way before this vacation, possibly because of my undying support for FOC n their comm. i gave em canvassing lobangs, i tried my best to appear at their canvassing events, i discussed w her who to find as OGL, i gave my support thru e entire seniors camp tho i wasnt an OGL or subcommer.
then there is ruiqi, e loud, funny n happy girl u'll always see around SCI. i knew her from being classmates, but we only talked abit. but because of FOC, n esp due to HC, we became better buddies.
QQ is another one. we're only acquainted before all this, but interactions at seniors camp n then FOC brought us to another level. i found out she's actually quite a capable girl when work is required. CI club? haha.
jinyong, ive talked to, but never really knew before actual FOC. he was e kind of person, u wanna know better, but never seem to cross paths with. but ive heard alot of positive things about him. this FOC i would say we both took e initiative to open up more to each other, n he came across as a good worker who will be there for u if ur in his circle of trust. dependable lad who brings e right energies.
her job as financial controller is crazy, we all know, but siti never fails to joke n play when necessary. i think she's been a good ambassador of FOC comm who networks well with non-comm people.
of course, e three MTM-ers who made e comm. jeanette, thad n james. except for jeanette, whom ive still been in touch with thru e year, e others have gone on their separate ways after FOC 2007. but every time i see em around school, they still offer tt same friendship from a year ago. im just glad we had e chance to hang out again this FOC. they were definitely much warmer than at seniors camp. whenever i talk to thad n james, i feel like we've known each other for so long. hope e brotherhood lasts!
n e few whom i didnt know before these two camps: keax, jasmine, zijie, christine. i realised u guys are great individuals too n im gonna cherish e new found friendships. jasmine n christine are so funny. zijie is super friendly n unassuming. keax is just loud n bubbly. haha.
8.
pity e whole CI club couldnt be there. e traditional club introduction on e first day was missing quite afew of us. but 老大 still made us look good lah, i feel. he's so charismatic u know. he also led e wee kim wee cheer he invented out of thin air, scrapping e tongue-twisting CS cheer. n thanks for e once-again praise n publicity for ISG 2007. n wth's with "actually my preferred person for e next club president is in this LT now".
still, i felt e club had a good presence n representation at this FOC. it was important. we have to let e FOC comm know that FOC is a part of club activities, tt we'll support it, n CI club n FOC comm is a two-way rship. a shout out to OGL lyon, AGLs sara-jean, kenneth, melvin, SAs shixiong, philip n lastly e effort by zak to show up.
for e man himself, i really wanna thank him for everything at this camp. no gayness though. he was e best spokesman we can have for CI club. although he had so little air-time, im very sure all e freshies now know him well n in e process e club. thanks for joining Linguine too, when i recruited u. n then trying to pull e whole bunch of seniors to join us, including marcus. n thanks for slogging to produce tt final FOC video. even without a voice most of e camp, u still tried to rah-rah e school n talk to juniors. zai.
9.
i became so involved in HC in e end. n to think i only knew e *censored* e night before. being thrust into a key OG within this HC, n as an AGL i had to take up this responsibility. linking up e key characters, be e mode of communication, standing in for jacq at times, partner wenxu when she's missing, create e commotion in place of my OGLs etc.
if e freshies wanna know what i did within this whole *censored*, here it is.
- remember e first NTU game? making e connection between jacq n jason at e rooftop. an impromptu decision was made to sudden-death e game w a senior-vs-senior, n as Ravioli picked jason, i picked jacq, for obvious reasons. so without being planned, all e seniors present started teasing em. unfortunately e blur ruiqi was totally unmoved by e scenes.
- staring at n being pissed with ruiqi, yet laughin with her e next moment, is damn weird. haha.
- e sentosa night's talk. original intention was HC, coz i was told e OG needed to be fed gossip n e OGLs wernt e best people to do it. but truthfully, it was a good talk n true to CS FOC tradition, we always talk on sentosa night. nothing fake about tt.
- where did jacq go? haha. remember i kicked up a small fuss Day 2 morning coz jacq disappeared with jason for a beach stroll? in front of e whole Linguine. then i "called" her, which was in fact *censored* n there was no one on e other end of e line. then i walked all e way down to e beach to find her n jason, we stood there awhile, *censored* like we were talking, then i walked back.
- Amazing Race. ooh la la all e gossip. whatever u heard me talking about e whole day was intentional.
- e climax. began with us being late for tiong bahru, onto e bus, back in SCI, n e *censored*. last minute then they told me im involved in breaking up e *censored*.
- this has nothing to do with me, but it has seemingly become a tradition. e random table tt contains marcus which u guys sat in n listened n interviewed. e catch: e marcus table is always crap only.
10.
one year on, n i cant forget u guys. i believe for those of us who turned up this time round, it was e memories of Mee Tai Mak and I Heard A Rumour that led to it. we were e honorary Best OG, delivered e sterling Best Skit, n was e unanimous enemy of e people, simply because we're so damn good.
altho we see each other all e time in school, we've our own cliques, n nothing beats coming together again for tt same thing tt united us a year ago. i know we didnt exactly have alot of time this camp to hang out, but it was great nonetheless to be together.
for thad, jeanette, james n melissa who signed on to contribute for The Secret Affair, we deeply thank u. i know it was Mee Tai Mak tt drove u guys.
i remember i was asking elicia months before this to come for FOC already. eventually, she did turn up, after thad n i sms-ed her separately, to help mavis n waisze with their sentosa game station. crazily enthu n loud girl lah (did i mention everyone hated Mee Tai Mak last year n she was one of e reasons?). before she appeared, melissa n i were already fighting to take her. n when she showed up at e sapphire pavilion, so many seniors shouted out to her n ran over! haha. i rushed over to drag her to join me, so did Fusili's MTM-ers. how heartwarming.
i will never ever, for as long as i live, forget e cheer fight we had with Mee Pok on Day 2 at sentosa. it was stuff of dreams, really. i never thot we would have e chance to come together again. but miraculously, so many MTM-ers turned up tt afternoon. we got together, talked n reminisced, then decided to cheer abit. then i remembered my teasing of kristle missing her Mee Pok OG, so i continued again with our MTM-ers in her face. haha tt forced her to go gather her MP-ers, n e rest was history. n u thot they're e enthu OG? we seriously outnumbered em. haha. for tt cheer fight alone i lost my voice again.
a shout out to e MTM-ers tt afternoon. melissa, jeanette, james, thad, sara-jean, yiling, cheryl chan, titus, meisee, mavis, waisze, elicia, shixiong n cheryl ong. oh yes n ah lian, yiting, was in e crowd as e fake freshie unable to join us. haha.
11.
i wonder. n im troubled. why am i e perennial second-best. Mee Tai Mak tried all it could, sweat n bled, n still finished second, albeit controversially. this year, most of e MTM-ers were with Fusili, who uncannily lost most of what it competed in n thoroughly didnt exactly have e fighting spirit their seniors had in abundance. n for my Linguine, whom i told repeatedly tt im super competitive, we definitely looked like we're gonna win big this time as we ran away into a huge lead from e first day. but e Mee Pok-inspired Penne caught up n they emerged victorious n stole my Best Skit crown too. so perennially a second-best, my fate is. it gets tiring u know, being second again, while e same faces celebrated once more.
12.
to all who contributed to FN's blah-blah Penthouse, whatever its original name was, good job! i think from seniors camp til now, we seriously deserve credit. then, e seniors who trialed e routes wernt frightened by previous routes, so we pledged to give em a good one. n we succeeded. most of em reflected tt our route, supposedly e mildest coz it was held on e familiar fifth floor of SCI, turned out to be e fiercest in terms of scare factor. we made some cry, n made some guys jump. so we had a reputation to protect for actual FOC.
altho, with my experience in both runs, i would say this time wasnt as good due to change in personnel, at times softening our impact for distraught freshies, n having to handle bigger groups, we still earned some accolades lah. NBS n EEE routes could not earn e sort of reviews we did, n i believe it's not about e eeriness of e route, but e ghosts n e stunts pulled. apparently many freshies thot ours was e worst! other freshies observed tt many who did our route broke down here. im sorry for em, but im proud of our achievements.
good job, amos, sheila, danielle, jin, jinyong, keax, ruiqi, siti, ros, bernie, philip, stanley, zhihui, angela, melvin, cheryl chan. e butcher n his kitchen is e awesome. rock on!
anw. im quite surprised no one within e whole huge FN team did any sort of ritual before conducting FN. esp since this time involved alot of Chinese funeral material, like paper money, joss sticks, altar candles, obituaries n paper offerings. i hope my n shixiong's little something as respect to e netherworld helped.
13.
how do u keep coming back. haha. e super-senior marcus once again made his appearance. he is year 6, way into his working career, flying high with mediacorp n just wrote upcoming comedy First Class. but he keeps appearing in SCI.
ive seen him at some random CS events like Academy Awards. shixiong hinted to e camp n esp Linguine right from e start that a "spiritual figure" of SCI will be appearing soon, someone loved by everyone n who can make u laugh non-stop. what a shining testimonial! but we didnt expect him to be sucha big part of this camp. he appeared while e camp was checking into Hall 13 for accommodation, n tagged along from Initiation onwards! wow, committed lah. he even did e whole Amazing Race with us n gamely played along with HC.
i guess this place really means alot to him, from talking to him n judging from his blog posts. formerly of CI club too, he's been involved in all FOCs since his own. who better to offer advice at such events. i heard he even authored n compiled a manual on how to run FOC! Linguine, we're all proud to have marcus in our OG isnt it! n so, like every year, marcus is loved by everyone. shixiong's final FOC video even gave him a cameo tribute right at e end. i remember while into his anus theory, i realised he's e only one in e whole Starry Starry Night hall who had a chair n was sitting on a chair, unlike e floor-warming us.
14.
now i know why e CS tradition of Animal Blindfold Game is so fun for seniors.
15.
actually Initiation was fun. tho tiring, almost playing out like FN. some seniors had hated e idea during seniors camp. it was something associated more with hall camps. when i spoke to marcus about it, he reflected he's not one who supports e idea. but thru this experience, i guess if it's conducted in e right way, it should be fine. gotta explain e rationale, gotta take good care of e freshies, n not go too far. still, i heard a significant number hated it. hmm.
anw. many seniors, esp e AGLs, are still baffled n abit unhappy why we wernt told we're running Initiation. we had no clue what to do at our stations man.
n what a pity i didnt see e storm drain segment. i couldnt follow Linguine there coz i was stuck in SCI.
16.
thanks for all e citings/references, esp e two OGs, including joanne, who reenacted e FN Butcher during Starry Starry Night skits; getting advice from me on how to do song-song-dao-jurong; how to speak hokkien; how to act beng; even recognising my voice (blindfolded) durin Initiation when u wernt from my OG.
17.
dammit i still got cheers n games i haven taught Linguine.
18.
pity 滚滚 was missin at Starry Starry Night! man, FOC comm, u should have done better there. he's another spiritual figure of CS. or rather, his song performance. but yes i loved e final cheer-every-cheer moment, doing e wee kim wee cheer n Ecstacy cheer all together. n finally a 3-cheer for me, n e sweet appreciation card from e OG. thank u.
19.
now is e hard part again. where are all e photos n videos. ha.
p.s. ok i think i broke my record for longest post ever.
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