Christmas 2008

Happy Christmas!

Biennale, and promos.

I got my results back today and I’m glad to have been promoted. Calculating the score was easy enough, all I take are four subjects and they’re all H2, so it’s a possible twenty points each, adding up to the eighty total perfectly. I cleared the thirty-five points to promote minimum by a good margin and I’m content. I think it’s interesting that almost two years ago, I was so absolutely fixed on getting into SA, and here I am now! You would think it’d be satisfying to be able to fill in the blank for something you want to know – dog meat tastes ___, or bungee jumping is ___ – but if were to ask me how living out a dream is like I’d probably just say it’s all just a bit too real; the way the fantasy of a beautiful girl at a distance disappears when she comes close. JC life can sometimes be unpleasant and exams are tough, but paradoxically, it’s probably only when one realizes dreams aren’t flawless, but accepts the flaws anyway, that the dream becomes far more beautiful than it was before.

Take the outing with my KI class to the Singapore Biennale just yesterday. You wouldn’t believe the trashing we got for sacrificing PW lesson time to embark on our own little adventure outside, though it was rather inevitable that if we wanted to go at all this month with our busy schedules someone was bound to complain. I think it really was worth going though, and it’s these unpleasant experiences (of risking stuff and getting caught) as well as the good ones that make school life so favourful.


Of the biennale I have only praise for, though I still think that that which evokes disgust cannot be art, like say the framed picture we saw of a bloodied head with drooping eyeballs and jutting teeth. I think art should be noble; appreciate-able. Like this art piece that had hundreds of miniature trees and plants stuck into a bed of sand, all black against the dusty yellow background of the sand grains. It already looked awesome, but when we walked past the exhibit we noticed all those trees and plants had their backs painted with colour, and the view from the back looked even more grand. The piece I thought funniest was this:



an art piece I would have probably missed if I’d been in a hurry, since it was outside in the open while all the other pieces were displayed indoors. All the artist displayed was a few alien figures, but the genius lay in its chosen background, courtesy of the Singapore government – you know how people always say the Supreme Court looks like an alien ship?

Perhaps aliens control the highest levels of our bureaucracy.




Oh, do you know the power of Korean drama serials? All Tim did was to take out his phone and answer in Korean, and look!

& the class.

Daydream Express

I was recently thinking of what I’d really like to do if I weren’t sitting for the A levels.

For one, to travel the world, and see the novelty of the different walks of life people in the world have. Not too long ago, the Straits Times published an article on an expedition by train from Singapore, through a few ASEAN countries, to China. I thought it was fascinating, because traveling off the beaten track by choosing to ride the train instead of taking a commercial flight revealed so much more about the areas that news team passed through. I’d like to do that too. Or perhaps, rather than passing through countries, it might be wonderfully fresh to stay or work in another country and to learn its culture and language. I’ve always admired England for being the centre of the world’s largest empire, and because a few very inspiring teachers I had long ago were British, but I already think and dream in English. Perhaps Thailand, Spain, New Zealand, Latin America ... or even China! Haha.

Well, that’s wishful thinking for now. Maybe I’ll have the chance in future. Right now, I’m happy with the life that I have. Today’s the last day of a week-long break from school. I only went out once, and that was on Teachers’ Day with my old primary school classmates, but it was a good time we had. I’m glad that we’re still close after so many years.



Picture from Valerie. I hadn't seen Zixuan for 5 years, but he hasn't changed much. These guys are awesome :)

Well,

I said I'd write after the Thai trip here, but I've been busy, mainly with school.

It's been two months now since the exchange program, and life continues. I won't forget the whole experience though, because I met some really great people who made it all worth remembering.

Out there, people are not all too different, regardless of race, language or culture. We're all pretty much the same, deep down.

The mid year break.

I don’t have time to write because school’s starting tomorrow, but here are a few photos from my two trips this hols. They were brilliant.

Saints to Triam Udom Suksa School

Sri Lanka

Our trip to Thailand certainly deserves more mention, but the Thai students who hosted us are coming over pretty soon, so more then :]

A few updates.

Hello world! Recently, I’ve been having the time of my life.

In the spirit of econs, my new-found love:
On the one hand, life’s getting tougher what with the jc workload and how everything’s just packed together (I always thank God for Sports and Fitness Club for getting me home slightly earlier most schooldays), but on the other hand, I’m really enjoying this stage of life.
Why? I prefer the jc system over the one in swiss cottage. I have great people as friends, not just in school (but you guys from church as well! and the 6A brothers, of course) And SAJC’s a great school. When I talked to her, lizard also mentioned feeling this sense of belonging in St Andrew’s. It makes being in the school worthwhile. Yeah, I think it’s all that and a little more. Regardless of what I mentioned, there’s always reason to smile because, well, this is the day that the Lord has made, and why not rejoice in it? :D

What have I been up to lately? Well,

Caught a few matches after school. This is the girls' soccer semi finals against MJC.

And I watched the rugby finals! Couldn't miss it. This is SAJC vs ACS (I) @ the Padang. My heart’s with Team SAJC, but I think the ac guys played much better and deserve to win, fair and square. The SA support that day was fantastic though :]

Life Concert '08. I never thought our CC could look so hip.

I think school looks rather grand at night. Like a hotel. It always reminds me of my stay at Palace of the Golden Horses in KL, sometime back...

I've also been enjoying all the dinners after church with the cell. It's great to have a group to trust and let one's hair down with. Yeah, and dinner never fails to be interesting. Here's a pic of the time that a cat dropped from the ventilator above and landed in my plate of (finished) food. Cats like me.

My neighbourhood's still the same, but I think the vandals are running low on inspiration...

And I've been watching sunsets. Beautiful stuff.

I’m leaving on Wednesday for a student exchange program to Thailand. Goodbye Singapore! Be back in eight days!

What do you see? iC! i see...

I thought I’d write a bit about the spectacular camp that I spent my mar holidays on.

iCamp. It was called iCamp because the i stood for Identity in Christ. The camp was a secondary segment camp held at the GB Centre at serangoon, and though it was a secondary camp there were plenty of new P6s. I was supposed to go help lead one of the groups, that is, play the games with them, bunk with them, and just be there for them. I don’t remember having any thoughts about being a camp leader (maybe I was too caught up with JC work) but I’m definitely glad I agreed to it. I really enjoyed the time I spent with my group, even though the group took a long time to warm to each other and the leaders. There’s a certain gratification in living for someone other than yourself, and simply put, I believe it’s because seeing somebody you care about smile makes you want to smile too.

Funnily enough, the parts of the camp I enjoyed most weren’t on the program. I liked singing in the bunk during free-time and talking late into the night with Chong Hao and Clarence. And I liked bathing at night in the cold water and eating food out of a packet. I think it reminded me of BB. (:

Today, I was sitting at the church hawker with some other iCamp-ers helpers after we broke camp. Samuel was next to me and he just turned 17 today. Someone said “I can’t believe I’m 18 already” and someone else said “yeah, same.” I’m going to be 17 in four days, and you know, I can’t believe I’m so old either. It seems only yesterday that I was the cute P6 in the camp.

Oh speaking of which, please don’t get me anything for my birthday! I think I’m really more than blessed already. :D

After a week and three days.

What we took after dinner with our sec school classmates. The 4E2-SA people! My schoolmates for 4 years and counting. =]