One Aeroplane Clap...

*clap*
whoo-whoo-whoo!
*clap*
whoo-whoo-whoo!
*clap*
whoo-whoo-whoo!
*clap*
Om-ba-pa-ei-ah-ei-ah, om-ba-pai oh!
Om-ba-pa-ei-ah-ei-ah, om-ba-pai oh!

Ah, the memories of surviving Pulau Ubin and Changi Beach. Few of the many memories I've had here in 2008.

Yes, it's been some time since my last update, but I might as well confess something - This blog's seriously in a coma. I mean, sure it's not updating as often as it would a year and a half ago, but I guess that's just the sacrifice for my busier schedules. My commitments are expected to grow stronger next year, and I can already smell the gists of the broth back here in late November. If the waves are starting to flood the decks, some things' gotta give.

Not saying that this blog has no meaning to me. (Being a guy who likes to archive memories so much until his 'memory box' is already bursting, this blog is the most practical solution to getting my views of the many special moments in my life at the time itself.) But then again, what's the point of archiving your life to strict accuracy if you don't have a life to live in the first place?

So my compromise? Termly updates, I guess. I'll just do whatever I do normally, and after every three to four months I'll just update whatever I can, like a set of minutes. And if there's something really special or if I still feel I need more events to fill up my 'report', I can always intercept or delay the rotation as I please. A bit like what I've already been doing for the past year really, just that it's an official plan with a proper layout.

So don't drop by everyday just to check for an update. (I can see from my cBox that everyone's already got the idea.) Now with that's cleared, let's see what I've been up to from the time of my last update to today...

For canoeing, I raced again this year in the Round Ubin Race! Ended up 5th this year, though. See, Ting Wei and I were expecting rough waves like last year, so the strategy was that we wouldn't get spray covers and just endure the entire course while trying to get a good lead till Chek Jawa, where we would encounter the really big waves and capsize. Once we recover on a nearby shore, we would have rested enough to go for a hard burst all the way to the finishing line in hopes to beating whoever's in front of us.

But the waters were calm this year, so without a wave to capsize us, we had no reason to rest and had to paddle the whole 22km non-stop (with water spashing into our boat). Joseph and Barnabas were somewhere behind us (like last year), but lost a lot of time when they didn't turn at the buoy marking the start of Chek Jawa. Lucas and Zhihong had a rather smooth ride behind them, and since it was Lucas' first time there it was probably an adventure for him.

And news also came that due to the Youth Olympics coming in 2008, all involved sports will have their tryouts around the later half of 2009, forcing all competitions of such sports to be pushed forward to the earlier half. THis means that the Inter-schools will be held around March again, but also means that dragonboating may be around the same month. As such, timetrials will be held more often now so we can quickly form up the team.

I'll be running for K2 and K4! Yay, K4 is really fun! When I first rode one, Winston (who's already left the team to pursue Fencing, God bless him) was the frontman, so I wasn't so scared. But now with new crew possibilities, and me being a more experienced frontman (hehehe), I'll probably be condemned as frontman for therest of the year ahead.

I heard the rumour that if you turned the rudder of a K4 too fast or too far to a side the tiller rope will snap. SO when it was my turn to try out the frontman position, I was really scared and didn't dare make the sharp turns I'd recklessly do with StingRay or Boaz. But after a few training sessions of using the boat, I got over the fear (just need to get use to telling the other 3 people behind me I'm turning before I actually turn).

Ooo, and speaking of StingRay and Boaz, Ting Wei and I have decided we're through with StingRay (sorry girl, it's time you had someone else to take care of you. Such good memories...) and we're now aiming for one of the Advance Kayaks! Yes, we're going for Boaz! But now we have to fight against Nick Ng and Eugene for that boat, so we'll just have to see how it plays out. Worst comes to worst, we'll have to settle with Hybrid (which Ryan and Victor gave up to get Nelo).

Now onto Prefects, I'm now HR (Assembly) Councilor!!! Haha, the election process was a little scary at some parts, but it was still a good experience. The speech in front of the whole Yr 3 cohord will always be in my memory, as it was the first time in my life where I can honestly say I almost fainted (backstage can really be nerve-breaking). But by the grace of God, I managed to pull myself at the last minute and did my speech on stage! At the last part of my speech, I did a mimic of the "Yes, we can" thing Barack Obama did for his elections. Hehe, fancy I was elected into Council the same year he was elected into Presidency...

After that was the interview with Dr. Ong, which I must admit was the weirdest interview I had. For some of the questions asked, I ended up asking myself later on, "What does that have to do with me being in Council?" But I just answered whatever I could and before I knew it the interview was over.

And on the last Wednesday of school this year, it was confirmed not only that I made it to Council, but I got the position I ran for: HR (Assembly) Councilor! So now I have a key to the boardroom, a key for my HR cupboard, a 'Prefect Councilor' badge and the licence to move around during Assembly! (Haha, so cheap-trill...) I'm also invited to go for a Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington D.C. next year! But it's not being sponsored, so I'm washing my godmother's car every week to earn a little money to ease the payment a little.

But I also had my responsibilities: Since being elected, I've had to create my set of 'Standard Operating Proceedures - Assembly', run a HR duty (Sec 1 Registration Duty, the second HR duty I was in-charge of after National Day Celebrations), slug out an Adventure Camp (which for once, the councilors got tekaned as well) and plan out an EOY camp while on holiday in Japan (especially the HR games).

Whatever the case, I still praise the Lord for the opportunity to go through this. I have faith that God will somehow bless me through this experience, hopefully to help glorify His kingdom. (Can I hear a good amen?)

Ooo, and I need to talk about Japan! It was AWESOME!!! My second time there, but this time we went to Hokkaido! And do you know what that means? SNOW!!! Haha, yeah I saw snow for the first time in my life!! It was white, and fluffy, and soft, and it was nothing like the fake kind of snow you find in Korea where it's just small chucks of ice: It was real snow!!! And mind you, this was not suppose to happen; my mom wanted a 'white Christmas' this year, so she claimed the holiday through Christ. And after a bit of searching (and a couple of miracles) she finally got the tickets.

To be honest, I was a little edgy on the idea of going overseas this year. Next year being my last year in secondary life (let's face it, there's a little form of isolation between the yr 1-4s and the IB batch), I wanted to just dig head-first into my duties (in canoeng, prefects or acedemically) and get through this golden year, afterwhich I can spam on holidays for all the world could care about.

But I guess Japan was required to relax me a little bit. Yeah, I also learnt snowboarding there, so now I can do that and ski as well! Also met up with a few family frineds, so we decided to have Christmas Eve Dinner with them (had the honour of saying grace, too). And somehow, I also met up with Joel Yap on Christmas Evening! Haha, he was apparently with a few family friends as well, and we so happened to have dinner at the same pizza house in that nice snowy night.

But when we were heading home, a heavy snow storm struck Hokkaido and as such our flight home had to be cancelled. Mom was praising the lord, cause she wanted to have more snow. Me, on the other hand, was coughing away in sickness, dissapointment and fear, as I didn't want to miss too much of EOY camp (esspecially since HR Games was under me, I absolutely could not miss that). Daddy was somewhere in-between: he was demanding the lady at the check-in desk for the best alternatives to get back to Singapore, but was thankful that we had more time to shop around for souviniers and delicacies we could give to our friends back home.

When we got to a hotel to last the night before our new flight the next morning, I quickly went to the internet service (500 yen for an hour) and checked out my emails to see how progress was doing for EOY Camp and other council matters. Also got a chance to get in contact with Clifton (Head Prefect '09!) through Google Talk and told him to tell the others I'd be a little late as I was caught in a snow storm (no surprise people kept teasing me with the phrase 'snow storm' when I got back).

Anyways, now that I'm back from both Japan and EOY Camp, I've lost my voice to a severe cough which is so bad, I cough everytime I talk. But in the name of Jesus, I'll be healed by the time school starts (which is when the first Fall-In proceeds!).

That raps it up for now, I guess. To one and all, a (late) merry Christmas and a(n early) blessed New Year 2009!!! Luke 7:50!!! God bless y'all!!!

Journey's End...

Honours' Day was last Wednesday, the borderline separating the portion of the year that would be spent academically, and that which would not. Before that Wednesday, teachers scrambled as much hints and tips as they could into the remaining hours left to count down; after that Wednesday, the Series of Great Battle begins.

Battles so terrifying, people had cried minutes before the first fire ignites.

Battles so exhausting, men have collapsed out of breath just footsteps away from the battlefield.

But most importantly, battles so important, our futures depend on the final outcome.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. This war I share with you is none other than the Final Year Examinations. *climatic maestro*

But now that it's Hari Raya Haji, it really does feel like a seize-fire in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly so quiet, so peaceful. So now that I have time to relax, I'm just lazing around, taking a stroll in the park (and in Singapore, walking around your neigbourhood already qualifies as 'taking a stroll in the park'), and touching up on any parts of Advance Maths and History I haven't touched yet. And I still can't type out my post on Multi-Genre Music Appreciation, not enough time.

Oh, and I also updated a whole lot of pictures up on Facebook, as well as brozed through the photos of others' albums. Speaking of pictures, I might as well take this opportunity to archive a little on what happened during the F1 Singapore Grand Prix Finals which I attended last Sunday in pictures, can't I? Here's a brisk walk down memory avenue...

Ah, yes. Alex Loong, the only Malaysian F1 Racer up to date, giving us comments on what racing life is like (sry I couldn't get a clearer picture). He was part of a pre-race dinner programme laid out for us by Julius Bar, the bank that gave us the tickets to watch. After dinner (and some wine *hiccup*), we walked our way to the stands and took our seats an hour or less before the show began.
The Singapore Flyer towering above the circuit.
That's me.
And that's dad.
Cars from the old days parading along the track.

Oooh, Lewis Hamilton.
A parade of nations.
With Singapore walking alongside the F1 flags.
More pit-stops.
Even Austin powers came to watch the race.
Pit crews rushing onto the track to give finishing touches to the cars.
Pit crew setting up the pit stops for the race.
Only minutes to the race...
Chaotic pit crew on the track.
Fr those who can't see, PM Lee looking around the track, with representatives escorting him and answering his questions.
Singing the National Anthem.
Pit crew rushing off the tracks as the cars rev' up their engines (Man second from left starting to put on his ear plugs)
Race cars moving up to their starting positions.
Uh-oh, yellow flag. (safety car deployed)
Ah, yeah. Pit crew bringing back the hose yanked out earlier by a Ferrari. It was quite hilarious watching it from the grandstands: you see these cars zooming past you, then all of a sudden there's this obviously-slower pit crew chasing one of the cars. I tell you, the crowd was roaring with applause and laughter, which later died down when we realized what exactly happened.

However, of all the events I've had the privilege of going to, I've never seen as many middle-fingers pointed out in anywhere else than in here. But don't worry, it only happened because a couple of drunk Caucasian men were annoying the rest of the crowd by singing random songs in their language very loudly and very out of tune; even though the vehicles could easily drown out their voices, the both of them were nevertheless still annoying once the motors were an earshot away.

Man, I pitied the individual crowd usher who had to deal with the angry crowd by himself (he looked rather pathetic with the panicked smile on his face I assumed he was trying to use to calm the people down with). But I guess the sight of two full sections turning straight towards the drunk men sobered them proper, since we never heard their voices again for the rest of the race.

And eventually, the race concluded with Alonso as first, and with Hamilton at 3rd place (darn). Poor thing for Ferrari, though. Their two best drivers ended up crashing (the latter crash just 4 laps away from finishing), while the last car ended off at, what, 13th or 14th place? And with almost half of the crowd was wearing red (including red), many of us had to hide our caps and shout, "Viva Espana!"

Yeah, but when it all ended and the vehicles were parked back into their pits and the prize ceremony commenced and the champagne was shaken and poured over the crowd, my dad and I decided we better leave so I can sleep early for Language Arts and Core Maths tomorrow...

...after a few more photos on the tracks!
Me on the track directly in front of the Singapore Flyer.
My dad and I posing close to the last turn on the track (the rubber was still fresh and sticky, even my pants got a little stained)
View of the starting line, the crowd mostly condensed towards where the prize ceremony was.
Me running along the track.
Oooh, one of the damaged cars. ('Do-do you have a 1st aid kit handy?')
Another broken car (as evident by the missing right rear tire).
Policemen holding hands to stop us from moving any further.
Another pose with the tracks.
These dots are the rubber that the burning hot tires leave behind as they run along the tracks (now you know why they need to change their tires often).
Ouch, road kill. This critter was a fat moth the size of my palm, and compressed to the thickness of an average ball-point pen.
Posing with the safety car.
Hey, even Mediacorp artiste were present to watch the race (but I was too tired to ask them if I could pose with them, so I carried on walking).
Also having special passes to exit the race via River Taxi under Julius Bar, my dad and I sailed away from the crowded gates and into the relatively quiet hands of Clarke Quay (where we spent another 15 minutes searching for the MRT station to take us back to Orchard Road, where my dad parked the car). Here was a final shot of the tracks.

And that sums it up, I guess. All the best for the remianing half of the exams, fellow people-who-take-the-same-exam-schedule-as-me! Isaiah 55:8-13!!! God bless y'all!!!

Build, Plant, Grow...

This week goes rather well, I suppose. Visited Uncle Jo's office at Architect 61, where he showed me around the life of what goes on in an architect's life. Being the Senior Vice-President (woah, I'm the son of the friend of a Senoir Vice-President of a well-known Singaporean architecture company! Rock on!), Uncle Jo has a very artistic office with a rather good view of the city! I mean, look at this view;


I'd be a happy boss if I had a view like this in my office! I could navigate my way around the city with less help from the directory! Uncle Jo also gave me some documents to look through: floorplans, brouchers, diagrams, etc. And like a typical young enthusiast, I looked through the documents with intent insight.

Hmm, it's rather interesting that this company has been responsible for many famous construction and restoration projects in Singapore, such as Capital Square, The Hereen, Caltex House, UOB Plaza, Raffles City, Hitachi Tower, The Fullerton, Cineleisure Orchard, Harbourfront MRT Station, Scotts Square, Marina Bay Front Bridge, Formula One City Circuit, Changi Airport Terminal 1 (Upgrades), People's Association Headquarters and Raffles Hotel (OHMYLORD, I held onto the blueprints of the Raffles Hotel Restoration Project!!!)

(sry, didn't dare pose with the plans in the office, so I had to take a photo of it back home while Uncle Jo lent it to me) Ah, one week of architecture down, one more week of architecture to go.

Today, I attended Family Day at Prinsep Presbytarian, since the Church apparently invited me to join since Im an ex-member. For Family Day, the whole Church (or at least the many Church members that signed up) was divided into 15-odd groups to compete with each other through mind-boggling, body-punishing, stomach-testing games! I joined the Believers' Group, which consisted surprizingly more chior kids than altoe adults.

After the main service in Church, our group gathered in one of the music rooms and got our attires ready. We've chosen to wear a black t-shirt and jeans, with stickers on the t-shirts saying 'BLAZERS'. Tim was telling me of the horror stories he had with the blades while trying to cut all the stickers the previous night, while the other girls were giggling their parts of their story on the stickers as well (yeay, there were only 3 males in the group, including Tim and me).

Topping our attire off with a mask each, we marched off to the MPHall whe the time called for the games to begin soon. Seated according to our teams, we were given a briefing on what to expect and opened with a prayer before racing against time to finish our games!

There were many games planned out ahead of us: There were wet games and dry ones, slurpy games and not-so-slurpy ones, word games and active games, games that required lots of skill, and games that required lots of patience. But overall, we had a very good game, and a very good laugh too!

I even had a chance to have a look at the main santuary!

But all things, no matter how gamey, come to a gradual end, and with a great triumphant cheer, we've achieved 2nd place! Everyone's a winner in the house of God (AMEN!), but nevertheless praise the Lord for our victory! Once the games were over, we rationed the prize items out evenly and soon parted our separate ways.

Before I left the building, Tim and his mom (who was apparently a station master) asked if I would like to have lunch with them. I accepted their offer, and so they (including Tim's sis, Stef) showed me to a recomended spot down the street. I was treated to a snack of pineapple tarts I decided to bring back home to share with my family first, and had some noodles and a bowl of herbal soup recomended by my hosts, followed by a sweet desert to loosen the chat with.

Once we were all done, I gave my thanks to them and parted my way home, attempting a new route I discovered would be somewhat faster than the 700 bus route I used to take.

Ah, well. I'm now home, and that's the best part for now: Rest. May God bless you with rest, that you may be still and for once notice the finer things in life you never noticed before, and know that He is God!

2 Samuel 6:11!!! God bless y'all!!!

Five, Six, Seven, Eight...

Heh, first day of the post-exam break. Suppose to last 5 days long, and if you can't find anything to do at this period of time, you've not only about to waste over a hundred and twenty-five hours of free time, but also about to suffer the painful agonies of boredom. Something I particularly feared about last night.

But I guess I'm slowly being proven wrong that my break's gonna be stale. In fact, I'm starting to see that God's sprinkling a little - or should I say a lot of - adventure into my day!

The day starts off with me changing into my tangtop and shorts for the first Canoeing training I've had in a month. Slightly excited, and slightly lethargic, I stumbled around the house trying to remember the gear I would usually bring to morning training.

While searching fora second set of clothes to change into after coming back on land, I remembered the SMSes Ben Sim sent me about an emergency meeting for 'ALL prefects' at the Boardroom today at 7.45. I wasn't sure if I was suppose to go, or if Mr. See somehow fought the Canoeist Prefects out of it, but I took the latter opinion.

But then I felt a slight sense of insecurity, and so I decided to bring a set of my uniform just in case. Getting a lift from my Dad to MacRitchie, I strolled through the paths and to the chin-up bars, remembering the small details a regular to MacRitchie would notice.

Ah, yes. The beauties of the flora and fauna of a century-old man-made reservoir. Then just ahead at the last path, there's the rough outline of Mr. See pointing out to Brandon the different kinds of cloud formations in the sky. Ah, and there's Eugine telling more lame 'Kevin Beck' jokes, and there goes Mr. See in response by sub-strangling him with his left arm. Oh, he sees me here.

Wait a mintue. He's frozen seeing me. I wonder why. Walking towards him, he walked towards me as well, but without the need of much distance he asked in a loud but gentle tone why I was present. Before I could answer, he told me that Davin called him yesterday and informed him that the Prefects couldn't go for training today. I shortly asked back if he didn't excuse us, of which he answered back that it was organised by Mr. Samuel Sim so it was best if he didn't get us into trouble with him.

After commenting that he really appreciated the fact that I made the effort to come down for training today, Mr. See dismisssed me on the spot and so I ran my way to the bus stop. I checked my watch: 6:45 a.m.. Praise the Lord for an early dad to drive me to 'work'! Once most of the passengers behind me had already got off the bus (which was when I was nearing K.A.P.), I started putting on my uniform over my tangtop and slipping my gadgets (wallet, phone, MP3, blackbook, pen, badges and tie) in their respective places.

If anyone else was watching, they'd probably be thinking I was a very late student who couldn't tell if it was Sports Day or half-day. It took about three stops before I finished the full uniform, just about another five stops before arriving at school. At the final stop, I alighted with a slight sprint to the traffic light, before dashing across Dover Road and across the AstroTurf on the mark of the Green Man.

Along the journey, one of the cooks from the SAC (canteen) was cycling to work beside me, and we both had a short conversation in Chinese, of which I was so proud of God for giving me the ability to speak even that much without making myself unclear! Praise the Lord!

Arrived at the Boardroom just in time, with Ben Sim asking where I came from, and with me telling the whole story in a jumble of mutters. I then asked around what the meeting was all about, and David Hu said it was because the Senior Admin caught the Boardroom in a tragic mess, of which Mr. Samuel Sim was going to scold us on.

Ah. So I skipped training for a scolding, I thought to myself. But I was already there anyway, so I might as well just go through it. After socialising with other Prefects in a hustling atmosphere while waiting for a few more Prefects, attendance was checked and Mr. Sim soon arrived. Lined up into our respective committees, we stood up and greeted Sir before sitting down on the floor again, this time in echo silence.

He then introduced the matter in a formal tone, which was that a member of the Senior Admin once paid a visit to the Boardroom and found it in so bad a mess she started taking photographs of it with her handphone and showing them to Dr. Ong, who later called in Mr. Sim and Mr. Bongard for an explaination of the matter. They were both then reminded that if the maintainence of the Boardroom could not be sustained, then the Boardroom would soon be taken away from us.

Mr. Sim then added a footnoting that he wasn't going to scold us but rather point out an emphasis on a lesson we have to learn. He concentrated on the matter of how we had to take care of our assigned properties and not take it for granted, or it may jolly well be taken away from us again.

He tried using an analogy of a small girl with a big appetite to show how we had to maintain a good reputation by being first and foremost a good example, of which a Chinese scholar or to couldn't understand due to such specific bombasticness. Mr. Bongard later joined in and gave comments somewhat similiar to Mr. Sim.

They both then left us with a task: To clean and re-arrange the entire Boardroom from top to bottom within the next 3 hours.

We too the job seriously yet excitedly, and so the Trans-Council came together for a minute or two to discuss how the proceedure was to be carried out. They then divided the Prefectorial Board into 4 groups, of which were the respective committees, and they assigned shifts and roles within the shifts for each group, so that not too many people would be working inside the Boardroom at any one time.

Plans were slightly mis-communicated at the start, but after a few minutes or so we started catching well. As part of the Fund Raising Committee, I was involved in the cleaning and movement of the cupboards and shelves. Also had to help try to borrow custodian equiptment from the Estate Office, but by the time I arrived they they had already given out all the stuff to the previous batch that came.

After clearing out and cleaning the shelves, we brouht them outside along with the other items so as to allow the Student Act Committee to mop the floor. With the shelves and cupboards removed, the Boardroom looked a whole lot bigger than before. The SAC and another committe then scrubbed away busily while I went to rest along with the remaining Prefects at the Round-a-bout Dumpsite where we temporarily moved the furniture of the Boardroom to.

It felt rather weird sitting on a sofa in a surrounding that could easily allow cars to run you over, but it was nevertheless a good rest ith other Prefects. Some of the enthusiastic ones tried playing Table Tennis with a real tennis ball and the Council Meeting table just to kill the time, while some were playing a sport that was a mix between Soccer and Cricket with a rubber duckie, while some were standing at the window of the Boardroom watching the other Prefects mop the floor and pretending that they were making fun of them so that they'd get paranoid, while some were like me and sat on the sofas chatting about the current matters in our lives.

Soon, the mopping was done a Phrase 1.2 of the 'Renovate My Boardroom' plan was complete. While waiting for the floor to dry so we could bring in the furniture, we had a short break at the SAC, where I tried for myself a plate of baked rice fromthe Italian stall, of which tasted rather good but wasn't exactly worth $3.

I then went to the piano, where I saw the Prefects who could play piano show their stuff. For one thing, I never knew David Hu could play the piano. For another thing, I never realy realised how geonrome-flexible Prefects were on their taste of music. It was rather cool listening to them talk about a rather big spectrum of music, let alone watch them play it on the piano.

But before I could play He's A Pirate, we had to go back to the Boardroom in a jiffy. When we came, strong volunteers were called to help in the movement of the heavy furniture, of which I volunteered for. Removing my shoes, I went into the empty Boardroom with other strong and big-sized boys and we tugged in the shelves and tables and sofas and cupboards and so on and so forth.

The place slowly took shape, and I must say it was fun rushing around the room trying to move stuff to that perfect spot for that perfect feel! Slowly, but surely, the Boardroom took a new shape, and we were soon satisfied. We actually managed to rearange the tables in such a way that now we have a new Council Meeting arrangement, which is now a hexagon UN-shape instead of the old rectangular 'Mr. Trump'-shape! It was so cool, since now our Committee/Level/Prefect/Mentor Meetings could be held in such a more modernised format!

Soon, Mr. Bongard came to inspect the place, of which he gave a rather emotionless but comforting approval. He then emphasized that we had to make sure it stays this way, and make sure our mistake never repeats itself again. Hadrian then gave a debrief by stating that Phrase 1 on the Renovation Works is now complete, and that there was more to expect such as painting the walls!

We were then dismissed, of which I went home by bus along with a group of Year 3 Prefects. Arriving back home, I read the Bible at 2 Samuel 7:18-29, a segment where King David thanks and praises God for his victories after bringing the Covenant Box back to Jerusalem. The prayer comforted me in certain uncertainties I had for the past week, and I was at great peace and love!

I then went to sleep to rest after a good workout back at school (which was pretty fun while it lasted, if you ask me :D). My mom then invited me for high-tea at the Toast Box just nearby her office after fetching my younger sister from school, and we had a good meal to ease off the afternoon.

After the meal, we went to the Christian shop a couple of storeys up and looked around for stuff, of which Morriel found a manga comic of the Gospel, while I found another Ron Kenoly CD (Yay, Soul Gospel!!!). We then went to mom's office so she could fix a problem with the computers, since Kip McGrath sent us a new programme to include into the study plan but apparently didn't send clear instructions on how to run the programme.

While waiting for her and dad to fix the problem with help from a techie-on-the-line, Morriel drew more pictures of unicorns while I listened to my new CD in glee (Hehe!). Once everything was thankfully fixed, we headed for the Botanical Gardens for dinner at the Hawker Centre underground.

After meeting up with a coleague in the midths of the meal, we finished up and left for home. And that brings us to me going to my computer and typing out this post. Hmm, I guess God's really got control over the envents for the next 5 - sorry, next 4 days of emptiness and will be filling 'em up with activities to keep me entertained after all! Nothing to worry 'bout!

Well, after a fun and exciting day of redoing the Boardroom, and a calm and relaxing night of food and soul, I guess I better turn in now.


Psalms 91!!! God bless y'all!!!

Paul, Timothy, and who?...

Continuing from the last post, I ate an early breakfast at 4, then fell asleep again. x_x*

Woke up again at 8.15, slightly dissapointed that I wouldn't be able to make it for the Main Service today. At least there's still Lighthouse and Believers! So I ate a second round of breakfast, then took a bath before hitching a ride with Mom to Bras Basah Road.

We left the place at around 9.30, so reaching Bugis would mean... 10ish?

As I walked to Prinsep Presbyterian Church, I prayed that God would teach me something special today in whatever that would happen in Church. Let's just say I still had a little doubt to satisfy for joining PLH.

On the way, I felt rather thirsty and remembered that the last time I drank water was about 7 or more hours ago. So checking that I still had enough cash, I droped by at a nearby 7-Eleven to buy a drink.

In my wallet, I had a 2-dollar, a 5-dollar and a couple of 10-dollar notes. Making sure I had enough for offering and lunch, I looked around to see what I could buy with the 2-dollar note. I finally found a bottle of Jasmine Green Tea ($1.70)and brought it to the counter to pay.

At the counter, the Malay lady attending the stall said that they're selling those kind of drinks at an offer of an extra bottle for another 20 cents. She adviced me to take the offer, and despite my concience about not knowing if drinks were allowed int he halls of PLH or not, I took it up.

Packing the two bottles of Green Tea into my slingbag, which was a lot more than I expected rom just $2 at a 7-Eleven stall, God then told me, "Today, I'll be teaching about My grace in prosperity and peace! Get ready!..." (As if learnt in my walk with Christ, this is suppos to be one of those momments when I get excited 'cause I know something interesting's gonna happen soon!)

Once at Prinsep Church, I went to the Library to relax and wait for the Main Service to end and for Lighthouse to begin. While waiting, I decided to do the Bible workbook which they gave out. (Man, it's been a long time since I've seen these kind of books. About as long as the last time I've been in my previous cell group...)

The topic we've last left off was about the 'Conditions of Prayer' and 'For Whom Do You Pray?'. And what other ways can you ask for prosperity and peace than through the words of prayer?! I read along and saw the questions that went by, and was impressed by the way they organized their facts.

For example, Question 7) asks, "What conditions of prayer do you find in the following verses? - Psalm 66:18, Matthew 21:22, John 15:7, John 16:24, 1 John 5:14-15" Lets look at the verses now, shall we...

Psalm 66:18

18If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

Matthew 21:22

22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

John 15:7

7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

John 16:24

24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

1 John 5:4-15

14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

It was interesting how many details I saw with the book, but when I was finished with the topics covered for today, I kept my book back in my bag and got out my MP3 to listen to for the remaining time. And just as I looked back up, Tim's sister was just right infront of me!

At first, I didn't recognise her so I didn't respond when she kept staring at me. Then she said a soft, "Hi!", of which my memory was jolted back and so I said, "Hi!" back to her again. We then chatted for a while and looked around at other books and sceneries before she ended the conversation and I sat back in my chair to listen to more MP3 tunes.

Soon, I notice that the crowd was increasing outside the Library, so I assumed that the Main Servie was over. Tim's dad came into the room and attended to Tim's sis, who pointed at me and introduced the both of us again. We then had a short chat about Tim's mom and the History Project I did with Tim, before I told them I had to go for Lighthouse, of which TIm's dad pardoned me off.

And coincidentally, the momment I turned around to get to the door, Tim popped out. For a momment, I felt like those oldies' scenes when the cops confine a criminal with their cars and shout out, "Alright, Mugsy! Surrender now - We've surround'd the house! Put'cha hands up in the name of 'eh law!"

I gave the ussual short salute as he walked in and met ith his dad and sis. I then walked out of the room, keping close to Tim so I knew what was going on for now. As we went up to Lighthouse, along with other PLHers like Zeik and friends, I admitted to Tim that I woke up extremely early this morning so I might be drousy for the latter half of the day.

And at the same time, Tim handed over the notes for today's sermon in the Main Service. What shocked me the most was that the Opening Song was none other than Ancient of Days! For a little introduction, Ancient of Days had played a great role in motivating me through my first year in ACS(Independent) and as such I highly reguard and like that song.

And it was played in the service I missed! My stomach sank, along with my heart if it had wanted to join in. But I told myself God might not have wanted me to come for a reason anyway, so the guilt of not being able to attend passed off.

For Lighthouse, we sang songs (as ussual), welcomed each other (I always have a hard time in this one, but I know I'll have to go through this one time or another. Now, how many times did I tell myself, "It's just a handshake, stay cool..."?), did worship, then dismissed to cell classes.

At around this time, we also found that Kirby's now with Han Jie's Church. Well, good thing he's found a place to settle down at! As long asthe Grace of Christ is taught there, it should be fine for him...

Anyway, we had loads of fun back in class, and jokes were shared here and there at good timings. I'm apparently titled now as the Migtionary in this class with my assumably greater knowledge in vocabulary and Biblical references. Especially when I saved everyone from doing homework by answering A.J. that the word 'hallowed' means 'sanctify'.



Then sometime later, we came to the topic of a meet-the-parents session later in the year and who's parents A.J. knows already. He claimed that he has met all of our parents, of which Zeik rebutted with the two new Chinese-educated guys that have just joined us and me.

"Well," he said, after stating that he's even met the moms of the two boys, "I don't need to meet with Miguel's mom - he's already ived up to his name."

Tim turned and asked, "What does 'Miguel' mean, anyway?"

"Michael means 'Who is like God?'", I responded softly, turning back to A.J. when he continued proceeding through the book.

Soon, we had to be dismissed and Tim and I went down to check when we had to return for Believers. While Tim was asking, Zeik asked me why I keep following Tim around most of the time. Tim then told him I was also joining Believers, of which Zeik emphasized, "He can sing?!"

I was a little wobbled, since I was still stuck in my 'lower-than-what-the-piano-can-play' situation. But then we soon ended the conversation, and Tim and I went to an Ah Mei's nearby to eat fried rice, then headed back. We took the elevator, with Tim commenting that we "Dunnid to burn calories, lor."

Once upstairs, told us to go to Sim Lim Square to buy CDs to burn the music for the musical, so we had to go down again, of which I told Tim back that we "nid to burn calories after all."

After searching around a couple of storeys of Sim Lm Square in search for CDs, we found a good shop and bought the stack of disks before heading back to Church, commenting on the History Movie along the way.

For Believers, I tried singing some of the songs, but could clearly see the frame which my voice was limited to so far. Going low was no problem for me (I can go about 3-4 ctaves low, as I was to find out later...), but it's the high notes I need to practice on (Can't even hit the plain C).

After some singing, we then practiced on the dance steps. Time after time, there would be food breaks, of which Tim would go to the back to shake me up and try to teach me the names of the Believers. I had a rough idea of who's who, but most likely I'll be forgetting again. It'll take me some time before I remember them all anyway, so no rush I guess.


On one of the breaks, Tim looked at the piano score of Go Light Your World and saw how low the bass hand had to play. Qurious, he decided to play the note and see if I could swoop low enough to sing it. It was a D note about 4 octaves under the middle C, and I reached i flat on the note!

Yay! For once, I saw where I was special in singing! For now, I can reach notes very low, somewhat beyond the grasps of Tanners, and so even I have notes only people like me can touch! But then Tim played The Phantom of the Opera on the same octave, and I was scared in a split-second.

In my mind, I was like 'Hey! Tryin' to emphasize sumthin, punk?' kinda surprized. For one thing, I take it that that was the correct octave to play The Phantom of the Opera. That means that songs that I can uniquely blend in would be... opera?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

NO!!! I do NOT want to join OPERA!!! I mean, with my greatest for some of the greatest scores in the Romance Era, I'll feel and look creepy for an opera singer...

Back to rehersals, there was more dancing, more breaks, more dancing, more break, even more dancing, even more breaks, and soon we called it a day. Aunty Lisa (I hope I got this right) asked us to form into groups of 4 so we could each 'hallow' our efforts for today. For once, I managed to pray for the team(!). God bless us and our musical!

The singers were then dismissed, but TIm and I decided to stay back a little longer to watch the drama rehersals. I caught a glimpse of the script, and also of the play as it was acted out, but soon we had to leave since Tim's parents needed him back by theshold-hour.

It's interesting how everyone in the hall, whether rehearsing or just resting, was friendly enogh to wave goodbye to us as we walked out! Yeah, this place sure is friendly. Split off from Tim at the first light-junction, since I found that Douby Gouht (Is that how you spell it?) and the 700 was just the same distance from the place, but in the wrong direction.

Once at home, ate bee hoon dinner with mooncake and watermelon supper. Never had something so traditional in a long time.

Well, better do that piece of work Mr. Tay assigned me with. The cover page for the GEP 2008 booklet is at hand!... (I need help: What's the first image that comes to your mind when you hear the word 'Stereotypes'?)

Oh, and if you're interested in wathing the musical, Thief of Always, 8th & 9th September (Sat & Sun), 7.45pm & 4.30pm resectively, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' Secondary School (PLMGSS) Concert Hall, BY ALL MEANS ask me or TIm or any of the Believers/PLHers with brouchers and invitations! I've seen it bit by bit, and I garuntee a night to remember!


Matthew 21:22! God bless y'all!

National Pressure...

Nothing much to report today. Might as well just drag the celebrations of NDP a little longer...

Isaiah 40:27-31! God bless y'all!

Blood and jeansley flesh...

First day as a proper member in Lighthouse. Hmm, went rather average, if you ask me. Let's start from the (end of the) beginning...

Woke up at around 7.45, and was informed by my Mom that she could give Kirby and I a lift to the church on her way to New Creation. I said I already arranged with Kirby to meet me at the bus stop down Petir Road to take a 700 to Bugis, then fell asleep again.

The second time I woke up, I went to wash-up and eat a quick breakfast before going to change/pack up for Lighthouse. My Mom then re-offered her lift proposal to Bras Basah, which is conveniently nearby Bugis. I soon gave in after realising that this would give Kirby and I an extra hour to rest first before we leave, so I tried to SMS Kirby about the new plans.

Soon, it was time to go again, and Mom and I left for the car. I informed her that I still haven't recieved any comfirmation that Kirby recieved my calls/SMSs, so we decided to drive by the bus stop just in case. When we got there, I checked the bus stop (and also the neighbouring one) with no Kirby in sight, and after calling for many contacts to find Kirb's house number, I couldn't find it at all. I knew that Tim had his nuber, but I doubt he'd respond in the middle of the Main Service.

Having done all that I could, I asked my Mom to drive past Kirby's house just to check one last time if he's out of the house, which he apparently wasn't, so we then drove ahead without him. Mom dropped me off before the National Library, and I walked the rest of the stretch to PLH (I hope I got the spelling correct).

Once int he building, I went to the library room, which Tim told me (and Kirby) to meet up with him at. While waiting, I went to look around at the variety of books they had. It was more or less Christian journals on one side of a wall, and Christian stories on the other. Another corner had cassets and CDs, and the last corner was, well, the door. Having a seat on one of the roller chairs, I scrolled sideways towards a book titled 'Pursuit for Holiness' and started reading the first few pages.

While reading, I heard the voice of what I thought was an upper-primary boy swearing a lot and saying how much 'I give up on life'. Hearing it over and over again, I decided to see who was muttering all the racket. I lowered the book I was reading, only to be surprized that it wasn't a young boy, but a girl.

I knew it was normal for an older girl to sound like a younger boy, but what shocked me was how she was blunting out all those comments about giving up her life and all, and I almost had the mind to stand up and tell her that "This is a house of God, and I would very much appreciate it if you gave the life God gave you a little more respect."

I mean, by all means share about your problems in life with fellow brothers and sisters of Christ in a Church, but don't so candidly talk about suicide or cursing until it becomes too much a habit that about every conversation involves a sadistic thought. But I saw a bit of the book in my hands that told me not to get too caught up on the situation, so I stayed with the book.

Later, a few people from the same Bible Stuby Class as me came in and was fetching someone from the room, when they saw me and said that Lighthouse was about to start, so I followed behind them and went out of the room. But then I remembered that Tim still wants to meet us here anyway, so I went back inside again.

Preparing myself for the Bible Study, I dug out a pen from my bag and placed it into my pocket, which was around the same time Tim, Zeik and another tall ang-moh ('Western-looking') guy walked in to see if I (originally 'we') were present. I explained to Tim I tried to find Kirby, but he was apparently MIA. He called Kirby's house (finally) and found out that he overslept.

Well, at least that answers a question or two. After being omfirmed that he was going to come next Sunday, we al went up the stairs to the hall up in the roof. On the way up, Tim was explaining to me that the new character was Hudson, and that he wasn't exactly a new character - just that he migrated to the States about 4 years ago and now the only things he remember of this Church was Zeik and Tim.

Well, I guess I wasn't gonna be the only one nervous this morning.

During Worship, we sang a few songs (and half-way through, we sang the welcome song, which was starting to creep me out in the sense that I - being a new kid in the block - was partially in a state of panic after not knowing which hands to shake) and then singing a few more songs and giving the offering. It was followed bya few announcements on Church affairs around the country and then a few verses to remember for the week.

We were then dismissed to our classes, of which I went alone since Tim had to go for a Youth Committee meeting first. When I got to the room, Zeik was beggin me to sit between him and the girls, of which the girls were requesting me not to do in response. I didn't know which was better - sitting beside Zeik with the satisfaction that I saved a life, or watching him suffer from being attacked by smacks and jokes by the girls - but I just decided to stay my ground since I was already comfortable where I was seated.

Soon enough, everyone who needed to be present was present, and we began lessons on how the Bible will help us in life. This went rather well, and time after time we all had a chance to answer the questions. One thing, though, was that I wasn't sure if we were being thought the Book of Laws, or the Gospel of Grace. There's a difference, but they're both in the Bible, and one acts as an introduction to the other, the other being the perfect redemption from the first.

We finished early, and after a closing prayer we were dismissed early as well. Tim and I went out to eat lunch before we would come back for Believers. Tim told me a list of eat-outs around the area we were in and asked what I'd like to eat. So noticing that my legs were still slightly shaking from the fact that I was still shy back there in Believers, I span around and tried to see where I'd end up pointing towards.

"Subway."

We walked down a few junctions and prayed that Tim remembered the way, which was ironically answered with a large sign above our heads reading 'SUBWAY'. We went to the shop and bought our stuff, which I did first because Tim needed to go to the toilet first. I bought an Italian B.M.T. without the meal (opps...), said Grace and ate.

I then had a chat with Tim about the music scores and thigs related tot he sort (Note: When I say 'chat' during a one-to-one situation, always expect large chunks of silences inbetween the conversation.) and he showed me a few scores to look through. Once we were done with our sandwitches, we headed back to PLH, along the way meeting lots of people also from PLH.

Once at the 'music room', we saw it was bare, and so we played around with the piano and practiced a few scores. Time after time, we'd display our best pieces; his being The Phantom of the Opera, and mine being He's a Pirate. He also tried to teach me how to read notes, but it was more or less the same thing everyone tells me. The only problem with me reading notes isthat I'd have to read every secific note from the 'C' or 'Doh', and that's a lot more pain-staking than just playing out of memory or by ear.

Soon, more and more Believers came to the room, and the different ranges were forming their groups; the Sopranos giggling away in their lady-chat manners (something you wouldn't mind watching/listening to at all) and the Basses making active jokes here and there with their flexible heavy voices.

Tim asked Shaun (or is it Shawn? Oh, for those who don't know, this guy is the, well, recognised Embassador of the Basses? Yeah, I'll put it that way) to comfirm that I'm a Bass as well, and after saying, "Hi." he was truely certain, later singing to the tune of Drunken Sailor as Tim was playing it on the piano.

Soon enough, practice started, and we sat in our ranges. Shaun was sharing his scores with me, so that he could help me pitch with them. But after singing a few rounds, he noticed that I always sung one octave lower than the required notes. Asking me to sing a few notes higher, I ended up having nothing coming out literally. I was declared out of range, which isn't a bad thing 'cause I can just try to expand my range day by day, but being a Bass 4 means I'm just as good as an opera singer.

Looking through the score, I saw that there was no note within my reach until two songs from then, so I patiently waited during the other two songs. And even on that particular song, the part of it within my range is at the back fo the score, so I'm more or less useless at this point.

So this is why I never sing along to the music I play. The reason why I don't speak that confidently when at casual with new people. The reason why no one actually finds me singing at randomly appropriate timings like Hao Qing or Kenneth or Marcus Chua. I'm just too low to sing a modern pop song. WHat scares me now is that if my octave really is that low, I'm right now only useful for Opera, Honkeytonk and 50's Souls. Which creeps me out imagining how I'd look like performing them respectively.

Soon, it was time for dancing lessons. Was told not to share too much, so I'll try to keep it simple. I didn't have a role in the upcoming musical the Believers were setting up, so I went to the back of the class to watch, which for a few seconds made me feel like Mumble from the movie Happy Feet. I then watched as the rest of the guys were figuring out ways to blend the dance steps together wit the music, which in the end they found out how.

We then had a little 'derief' on what would be covered next week and the events to come for the group. We closed in player, and were dismissed, shortly told to come back to celebrate the birthday of one of the seniors. Ice-cream cake never felt so hard, but the cookies-and-cream flavour worked well enough.

I went off with Tim to Bugis MRT Station and had a small conversation about PLH/Believers/School affairs before leaving our separate ways (of the Green East-West Line). I took a train to Somerset and was about to get a 700 home when my parents called to say that the family was going to eat out at Orchard for dinner, so I took a bus to Borders and went to Isetan's Food Republic to help get a table for them.

When we all met up, we bought some stuff to eat (ghah! Their Fried Kway Teow is spicy!) and had supper at the Toast Box, later dropping by some digital product shops to look atround. (I thought I heard my Dad saying he intends to buy a Play Station 3. Oh no - I don't know how to play...)The ladies then went down to buy a watch, and we all left for the car in Dad's office to go home.

On the drive back, while Morriel was playing some of Choppy's Japanese Pop songs, I was telling the rest of the car about my day with the Believers. They then each also shared their encounters with their own choir lives - Mom had traumatising momments with the nuns at her old school and their methods in ensureing the right pitch, while Choppy had faint memories of Mr. Chew back in Nanyang and also of her solo which she performed live on a National Day about a decade ago.

After the drive, we went back home to empty out and relax for the week ahead. Well, to sumarise what I felt about PLH today, I was slightly alarmed on how much we touched on the Laws in the Bible. We now live in the New Testament, and as such we should be following the Grace, not the Law, of Christ. Wasn't that the reason why he died on the cross in the first place? To pay the price we all owed the Law so we could all be worthy to enter God's precense, and through so we could recieve His eternal love?

But that was just one day. I'll come again next week and see if the same thing happens. But for now, I'm still satisfied that I've not only found brothers and sisters to worship God with, but also that I've found another method of praising His name and spreading the Good News!

Well, that's about it. God bless y'all, and g'dnite!!!

The Perfect Storm...

As the StingRay sinks defeated into the dark waters, the Mosquito sets voyage at yonder for her avengence...

Yup, Hao Qing and I didn't make it to the Finals. 4th place at the Heats didn't get us much. But hey, the fact that we got 4th compared to other pro rowers says a lot by itself already. And besides, even if I don't get my name in the papers or a trophy of sheer colours or a fake scroll at Honours' Day, I feel like that doesn't matter as badly. And why?

Because God and my parents came to watch.

And that's all I needed to be satisfied. Even if they saw me lost, they were still there. And after that, I rushed back to school to help out in Inter-Class Debate which we won, so I didn't loose everything today! But enough with the mushy-mushy, let's get into the action...

It all starts early in the morning. I recieved an SMS last night telling me to report to Bedok at 7.30 for briefing and warming-up. A quick rice-based breakfast and I went to my room to pack my bags. I checked my time-table to estimate what lessons I might miss, and so packed accordingly. I ended up with two sling bags across both sides, and soon set off with my paddle to the reserviour. Once I got there, I walked alone the rubbled path towards the newly-installed boat sheds about 400 or more meters away.

Just then, I almost startled in shock when I heard Mr. See's voice. "I see you, Raemiguel," he said in a calm tone. Looking towards whereer the voice came from, I saw Mr. See beside a still electricity generator, looking at his phone. Observing the other bags in front of him, I assumed we were to gather over there, so I went over to place my bags and paddle down.

Monkeys then started appearing around the sheds and were making a slight racket in the place. "If you want, I can do a live disection in front f you," said sir, who took his eyes off the phone just when the monkeys were reaching our school's shed. I mumbled a soft laughter, then got down to my bags to check that everything was there.

Mr. See saw that I brought my tablet bag, so he wondered why I'd be bringing my laptop all the way here. I explained to him that they were my files and that I was going to return to school after this. He nodded with a firm, "Hmm." and went back to his phone. He the told me that Daniel and the others who were already here were further up the path to search for the 500m Mark, and adviced me to check it out.

For those who haven't seen/notice Bedok's tracks, they're not the kind that's convenient to paddlers around here. For one thing, the buoys aren't at specific intervals, so you have to commit to memory which particular buoys of the entire set are the 500 buoys. I agreed, and ran off to Daniel to see where the line was, after that returning back to the generator to wait for others to come.

Slowly, but surely, they came one by one or pair by pair or cluster by cluster, and soon most of the 'C' Division, along with much of the 'B' Division, were present. By around this time, the staff in-charge of the equiptment around here were starting up the generators, so Mr. See told us to move further up the road so we didn't get dosages of carbon monoxide before our races.

He later gathered us close and pointed out a few things we had to take note of in the race, using twigs and his pen for lanes, starting/finishing lines, boats and etc.. Another thing he pointed out was that the racing course wasn't the typical rectangular shape, but more of the inconvenient parallelogram shape.

At MacRitchie, we have our very own Mr. Goh to help us straighten the lanes and maintain it time after time. But in Bedok, not many people give as good attention to it as in MacRitchie, and even those who'd bother aren't in charged or permitted to be in charge of Bedok. Thus, as time goes by the buoys may loosen and end up twisting the shape of the course.

And as a result, you can never be certain that your bow had passed the finishing line yet by just looking left and right. Mr. See highlighted a mistake Abraham made yesterday. It was a tight match for third place in the heats between Chinese High and him, and AB was just at the lead of the two. But just as he was about to reach the finishing line, he looked left and right and thought that he made it through first already, so he slowed down thinking that he had already finished.

Well, he did finish before the other boat IF you were looking at it from the perpendicular view. Unfortunately, thoguh, the judges would only take the finishing line itself as the rough measurement of who came first and the sort, and that means the parallelogramic view. And it so happens that the tilt of the line alowed Chinese High to pass through first before Abraham did, even though AB was supposed to have crossed the perpendicular line first.

And which would the judges take? The parallelogram reading, of course! Why, they only have one camera to tell then who came first, and that camera is only in-line with the slanted finishing line, thus after watching the video over and over and over again, the judges decided to make Chinese High win over AB.

"So always make sure you sprint through the finishing line, gentlemen," noted sir. "If you want to be safe, wait till the boat is one-third through, then you can slow down. In fact, even one-fith through is good enough. Just one-fifth."

"In other words, till the line reaces you or your front rower," said Daniel, who was trying to help out as Captain.

"Yes, just one-fifth in, gentlemen. And then we also have wind conditions to settle. You all better have learnt your draw-strokes well, because here is a good place to use it."

Winds at Bedok are rather wild at times, especially in the afternoon. They always blow from the right of the lanes, and with the stern's greater exposed area this causes the boat to turn towards the right if you're not careful. Thus while you're lining up for your event, you shoudl always observe if you're drifting, and if you are then respond to where and at which direction you are drifting to - correctiong your direction while starting a sprint can cost you up to 3.5 seconds.

Soon, the organisers came to the area and unlocked the metal fence that protected the sheds which held our boats, of which canoeists of all schools of life rushed towards the area to collect their boats for warm-up. Right behind Saint Joseph's Institution, ACS(Independent) huddled towards the gates and went for our shed to grab out the lifejacks, seats, footrests, wingnuts, paddles and most importantly, boats.

After searching for where our items were within the scattered stack of equiptment, Hao Qing and I carried out the StingRay and assembled it somewhere nearby, later launching off for a rough warm-up. As can be seen as we walked closer to the shore, the wooden dock which was temporarily built along the shore was removed, so launching was going to be a lot harder and longer.

As a K2, we both went to this special pontoon which floated off the shore by a bridge. The only problem getting there was that the organisers haven't brought the key for the bridge yet, so with the help of coaches from other schools we had to climb over a fence with the boat securedly on our shoulders. A little funny tackling our way through the fence, but once that was over we paddled a couple of laps before returning to shore.

By now, the pontoon we launched from was already crouded with tonnes of other K2, so we had to pack up at a concrete slope near by. The problemS with this place is that on the slope, I may be able to feel the ground with my paddle, but Hao Qing may not AND that even if I wanted to paddle towards the slope, there were tonnes of boats also tryign to get out the same way. In our attempt to try getting on land, we ended up capsizing but quickly got the boat out of the way before the waves made it drift towards the rough concrete surface.


Back at the sheds, we gave Mr. See ezLink cards for registration. Placing the boat at a rack somewhere nearby, we proceeded to warm up along the coast as the first events began on the water (Go Ming Sheng, GO!). Mr. See later chased us away to another end of the coast when he saw that we were too close to the generator, which was producing enough gases to give Mr. See headaches on end.

Event after event went by. We watched, we cheered, we estimated. And in due time, I went to my bags to get my handphone just in case my parents SMSed me, which they apparently did. They were wondering if the competition was still on because it was raining moderately at their area, but I reassured them that the races were as normal where I was.

And around this time, it came to our event. Nick Ng just left, so now our turn is just around the corner. Event 14 could be called any minute now. Soon, Mr. See gave us the 'go' sign to launch off for our event. But as we bought the boat down from the racks, it began to drizzle. The winds were picking up, and the rain was increasing by the minutes. But haven' being told not to stop, Hao Qing and I continued to go launch.

As we were carrying the boat towards the pontoon, we had to tilt ourselves to the right to make sure the wind didn't blow us away along with the boat. I was giggling slightly with all the irony around and with the fact that rain meant a lot to me. Especially at a time like this. But as we went down the pontoon, the coaches were telling us to turn back, signaling that it was too dangerous to paddle now.

By now, the sky was extremely grey, and one couldn't speak without having 50ml of water going into the mouth every three sylabuls one says. It was rather scary - something like The Perfect Storm just that reduced to the scale of canoes - and so we turned and headed back for the sheds. When we arrived, we saw many canoers trying their best to hold down the boats onto the racks with their lifejacks or bare hands.

Not realising how strong the winds were, HQ and I placed StingRay on a close rack, only to realise 4 seconds later that it was just about to fly off. Nearby to the bow, I quickly ran back and caught the bow just in time to keep it from slipping off. Unfortunately, the stern was still free and it flew off by a couple of meters towards the neighbouring rack. At least it wasn't as bad as another boat which flung off and barely missed Mr. See by an inch or so, or the SJI rack that collapsed in the middle of the storm.

Thankfully to God, the rudder didn't have contact with the ground, so it didn't snap off. A couple of people rushed for the boat and slightly lifted it to allow me to slide the bow off the racks, then slowly release it onto the ground so the wind can't effect it anymore. With lots of people helping to keep the equiptment safe, Mr. See told the remainder of us to go to the ol' Pavilion just a little sprint away.

We all ran there, and soon the Pavilion was crouded with loads of ACS(I)an rowers trying to brave the cold temperatures (water freezes faster than air, so having both elements together...). Time after time, we would imitate the penguins in Happy Feet, saying lines like, "We remain!" or, "Keep your eggs warm!" or even, "Nah, I know you like it!". But despite whatever jokes were said, our skins still felt like 14 degrees or so and goosebumps were the norm.

After half an hour, te rains were starting to calm down, and we were greatly merry that the temperature was rising again! Soon, rain was back to a normal drizzle, and Nick Ng, HQ and I were called back into the water.

While Nick was getting to his event, HQ and I kept paddling around the 500m Mark of the tracks to wait for our turn. And as soon as ever, our time was up. We slowly paddled towards the Starting Line. After an entire year and three months worth of training, it all came down to this. This was it.

I could faintly hear the commands of the started at my farthest right.

"K2 500m Heats 1, alert!"

I looked straight towards the Finishing Line, making sure I had a straight route.

"Starts within 10 seconds!"

All paddles were raised in one swift move, and we were ready to launch off at the sound of...

*air horn*

Here we go! All the boats burst out in a rage of fury as we raced for those three chances to make it to the Finals. We padddled our hearts out, but I could tell that my boat was already burning out by 250m. Nevertheless, we paddled on.

Sadly, we didn't make it for even 3rd place, but just 4th place. Somewhat dissapointed, I held water and looked down in slight defeat. But then as I paddled towards the packing-up area, I noticed two distinct people within the slight croud. They were smiling at me, and one was holding a camera towards me. It was my parents.

I assumed that after that delay from the storm, they might not have stayed longer for my event. But they actually came, and in my presence! The momment I saw them, I lighted back up again, still defeated but nevertheless still loved. The feeling of being appreciated by your family no matter what you get is an honourable feeling, and that satisfies a medal hands down.

As we got out of the water, I carried my boat along the muddy path (and posed a bit for my parents to take photos) before arriving back at the sheds. At the shed, we placed g'd ol' StingRay back on the rack she was placed originally before reporting to Mr. See for debrief. He stated that "this was your whole year's work summed up, and it equals you both to 4th place. There is no disgrace in that, as long as you did your best."

We were then permitted dismissal, of which I searched for my bags and later found at the Pavilion. Over there, I decided to stay a little longer to cheer on Joon Sin and Kenneth for their K2 500m event. Might as well cheer on my avengers. They had a third placing, and after so I headed back to the shed to take my shoes and leave for the bus stop (which was a looooooooooooooooooooooooooog walk away).

If you've forgotten, I now needed to go to school for the Inter-Class Debate Finals. The fate of the class rested in my hands, since after all the replacement was Kirby (Hey, I'm quoting from others, so don't blame me for being blunt!). So my original plan to get there was to take a 67 to Bedok MRT Station to take a train to Dover, then take a bus/walk to school.

But just as I was about to board the 67, I realised that my ezLink card was still with Mr. See! I quickly got off the bus and stomped my way back to the shed, which mind you was the same looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog walk away. This time I didn't care: I walked through all the grassy patches in the park and didn't follow any roads. My main objective was to make a straight line for the sheds, and no roads were gonna stop me in the state I was.

Once back at the shed, Mr. See didn't need to look up to see I was there, and immediately got out my card with a sarcastic, "And I was wondering when you would've realized." I responded with a soft, "Opps." and collected my card before making my looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog way back to the bus stop again. By now, I didn't think I'd arrive at school early enough for the debate, so I decided to take Plan B! And what is Plan B?

Take taxi, lah!

I hailed a cab at the bus stop, and I hadf a friendly conversation with the driver in Mandarin (Yay! The fact I could hold a 10-minute conversation with the guy without any mess-ups is a great miracle! Praise the Lord Almighty!) Later, I also asked if I could change in the cab, which he willingly allowed (or at least he sounded like as if he was willing). I first stripped of my shirt and replaced it with a uniform shirt, then worked my way down until everything I wore for the race was replaced with a uniform's item (exception being the watch, 'cause it's practically under both categories).

After changing, I took out my Debate notes and read through them over and over again so I knew by scratch what I needed to say. And within minutes, the uncle alerted me that we were near by, so I had to help direct him to ACS(I) instead of ACJC (both are near-by each other, for those who don't know). I told him to drop me off at the school's bus stop, placed the finishing touches onto my uniform and made my way down and up the ramp to school, slinging my large water bottle from the handle like it was a Western pistol.

I seemed to have blended in rather fast, like as if I had always been in the school during the morning. Or did I just have a Sportsman's Immunity which repelled the security guards or something, I don't know. From the Space Frame, I met up with most of the class, which was making their seperate ways to their respective Enrichment Programmes. They informed me that the classroom was lcked, so I had to place my bags in my locker for the time being.

On my way, I met up with Ryan, who was shocked to see me at school, when he knew very well I was suppose to be at a competition, or else already dismissed and headed home. I explained to him I had somehtings to attend to in the school, so he teased me as a workaholic. He then asked what I got, so I said I didn't make it to the Finals. He was shocked again that I wasn't afraid he'd do something because of admitting my failure, but nevertheless went back to his lessons later.

I kept my stuff in my locker and made a dash for the 'unkown-area-somewhere-in-the-boarding-school' room (man, I still don't know the name of that room...) for my EP of Billards. When I arrived, the Mdm in-charge was just about to take attendance, with her back facing the door. Perfect! While she was still talking to the rest of the students that were surrounding the pool table, I quietly took off my shoes and quickly tip-toes towards the table, slowl leaning against the edge in a relaxed position as if I had been there all this while.

After she went through whatever she needed to go through, we queued up for our ques (har, har) and got our balls ready (har, har, heh). With alert instincts fresh from a race, I caught a triangle or two before it fell on Mdm from the top of the shelves. Man, race instincts feel good.

For me, I tried Billards first, then a simple game of Pool. Well worth the hour, even though I couldn't score that much. Yet. When we were done, I went back to class with Raam to class for LAA, and boy was Mdm Kavita angry. She mentioned a few dissapointments she had on this class, then turned to the Chairman (Tim), the Language Arts Rep (Me), the Favourite Student (Jai) and the Worst Student (Kirby) in one go, saying that she was dissapointed in our roles.

Those were just some of those moments when saying, "You're fired." isn't far from the subject at all.

After the dragged lesson, Tim, Niranjan and I were about to go to the class of 6.2 for the debate when I discovered that I had just lost my debate notes! Thankfully, Niranjan leant me a piece of fulscap, along with his own set of notes for me to copy with. We then went to the venue, permanantly registering in our heads that if the finals are post-poned one more time, we're gonna quit.

To cut the story short by half an hour or more, we won! By 2 points, but that's besides the point! When it was all over, we told the joyful news to Mr. Tay, who in response started laughing here and there, and later treating each of us with a dollar each for a drink down the SAC. We all thanked him, and he thanked us in return for our efforts, also legalising the Class T-Shirt again.

The whole team went down to the SAC to celebrate our victory, whole team being;

1st Speaker (Me)
2nd Speaker (Tim)
3rd Speaker (Niran)
Stand-by Speaker (Kirby)
Supporter (JKit)

And since I'm already out of the competition, I can now break embargo! Woohoo, feasting the anti-embargo way rocks! Haha, yeah the good times! We then chatted around before leaving for our own homes. And now here I am typing into my blog what happened today: I may have lost the Canoeing Inter-Schools, but I've won the Debate Inter-Class. Whether that's a fair exchange, you be the judge.

I'm just happy Mom and Dad were there to see me race.



G'dnite, and God bless!