sunburnt in bintan

it was a weekend of quality time spent together as a family in Bintan! the rooms we were booked on were spacious and had a spectacular view of the resort from our balcony. the guys think they have conquered the world. heh. i think it felt like their 2nd honeymoon for mum and dad...haha. once dad hit the waters, he was transformed back to the kampung kid he used to be when he was much younger! damn funny lor he. kept jumping at the waves and crying out for attention like a small boy. dad's trying to show us that he could still climb a coconut tree, and flexing his muscles to prove to us that he is still very fit. lol. 返老还童! and mum kept forcing me and dad to help her take pictures of every single rock/plant/tree/beach/flower she sees! this is called an ATV, i think it stands for Automatic Transmission Vehicle?? anyways, damn cool. we followed a guide who took us through some really rough terrains around the island.
surprisingly, mum was rather daring this time! although she kena accident many times along the way...always running into trees and sand piles...ha!

i really liked Bintan and i'm definitely interested in going back! the beach was beautiful and not crowded at all. at one time it felt like i was sunbathing on a private beach...but i got quite badly burnt by the sun. =( now i'm experiencing pains all over! and i got a little disoriented when i woke up this morning, due to the sunburns too! grr...

good thing is...i have a very nice tan now! :P

year of the pig(out)

Chinese New Year = FATS...eat eat eat. i've been pigging out! :(

first it was an early reunion dinner with sis and PD before they go off...
this restaurant is at Pan Pacific 37th floor. super expensive ($600 for 6 courses), food was good but somehow i think it doesn't justify the cost? then it was reunion dinner at home on new year's eve...for the first time, my grandparents were invited for reunion dinner with us at our place. my eldest uncle came too. and i polished off all the food on the table. :( then it was reunion dinner again with the entire extended family at grandma's place. all my previous dieting efforts have gone to the drain. look at all the food grandma whipped up for all of us. aiyoh...damn nice lah! then dad told my cat to help him pick 4 lucky numbers after reunion dinner cos apparently he has ran out of ideas. i think he is more siao than my ah siao. as absurd as it may sound...the cat really picked out four numbers for him!! wahahaha. but never strike. so now dad is a little upset with the cat le. ^^" now you see it...soon you won't. :( it doesn't help that the house is full of new year goodies and junk food. argh. must really stop eating!

pain in the neck

i had a good sleep last night (which explains why i overslept for CI class today), despite the pain in the neck that hasn't gone away... guess i was really tired. went for a very good (also very expensive) full body massage two nights ago cos my stupid stiff neck caused a massive headache.

damn shy lah... they made me wear nothing except this really ugly dark green paper underwear that looked like a surgical mask. the masseur had no qualms about pulling my ugly underwear down and massage my buttocks in repeated motions. (ok, now it's getting a little obscene)

when she (the masseur) got to my upper back, shoulders and neck area...she could feel the stiffness. so she did a very hard, deep tissue massage in those areas, in an attempt to clear up the debris, scar tissues...whatever? and it is Damn painful!! she completely ignored my pleas for mercy. ^^" sigh, a very heartless woman indeed. desperate to make myself feel better, i went to see physio again yesterday afternoon to see if she could help fix my neck with her magical touch...

ok, enough whining. at least one good thing happened to me today - while i was cursing and swearing at how i'd have to spend $24 taking a cab down to stupid NTU... i woke Vaan up with my phone call and he generously offered to send me to school! hahaha... i am such a lucky girl. ^^

ok, got to get changed now, going for an early reunion dinner (which btw costs $600!) at Pan Pacific hotel later..hopefully i don't overeat. :P

brokeback mountain

you know how people say when you do things as a family...you unite? well, for our case, we divide...even further. basically, my entire sunday was spent on painting the rooms...(sis and PD came over to help out too)

first, it was impatient dad who started complaining how we slowed down his progress instead of helping because we all suck as painters. then crazy mum had to create a hoo-ha and screamed at sis (god knows for what?!) when she tried to help tidy my parent's room. unhappy sis then packed up and left cos she cannot stand crazy mum. leaving pissed-off me to do all the work with exhausted dad. then, with incessant nagging coming from crazy mum, pissed-off me shot my mouth off at her and triggered yet another wave of tsunami...ok shall not elaborate on that.

we are one big drama family.

poor dad was really tired out by the end of the entire thing. all that climbing up and down has taken a toll on his body... i felt quite bad when i saw him doing all the hard work. it suddenly hit me that dad is really getting old...

couldn't bear to see him working so hard, i volunteered to do all the climbing up and down the high chair (not mountain)... and it totally broke my back (hence the entry title, haha lame i know). it's even harder than all my TKD trainings. and it also hit me that i am getting old too!...not as fit as i was, i need to work out more i guess.

lessons learnt:
1. engage professional painters, do not attempt to DIY
2. painting walls aggravates stiff neck & wrist injuries + creates back injuries
3. do not attempt to do anything as a family
4. shut the fuck up

i am so slim now :P

hello everyone! i have an important announcement to make!

i am now 54.5kgs!!! and this is my record lowest in the last decade!!! the last time i was below 55kgs was when i was 15 years old!!! hahaha...so happy.

and to be 55kgs was one of my new year's resolution...i'm so glad to have achieved it. now, it is a matter of trying to maintain. heh heh...wish me luck! and you evil friends out there! stop asking me out for foooood!! bad bad influence... la la la la la...

no more physio no more doc (2)

LL: maybe it has become a permanent injury so they can't do much?
me: umm...maybe lorrr.....
LL: ah! then instead of getting medical claims from the insurance company, you should claim for permanent disability leh!
me: ................

i have no idea why i am still good friends with LL.
hmm....does that mean i qualify for the next para-olympics??

sigh having headache the entire day! it is due to lack of sleep? my stiff neck? dehydration? or too much staring into the computer screen? argh. PAIN!

no more physio no more doc

the good and the bad...

the bad: it all started with; lack of sleep. went to bed at 5am this morning and totally overslept for physio appointment. so i had to take cab down...

after 10 mins of waiting, a cab came along. before i could hop in, someone tapped me from behind - a lady in her 50s asked if she could share the cab with me cos she's just going to one of the condos further up and claims she has problems walking. i was reluctant since i hate to be late for appointments but decided to be kind so i said ok.

fwah...never did i expect her condo is not only just further up...but also very further in! so after like 50 bends and 10 road humps...she finally got to her destination. next thing i know, she walked away calmly...without paying her fare! (and showed no signs of difficulty in walking!) share = split costs right?? wth...cheat my feelings...sob

the good: physio today was good. she's very good at zero-ing on the 'problematic' spots, although it often means pain inflicted on me :( then physio treated me to lunch today :) i had turkey salad but her bacon wrap seemed much more interesting! damned i made a mess of myself with the stupid cranberry salad dressing! so embarrasng!

i like treats cos i'd like to think that i must have been a nice person for someone to want to give me a treat right?...hmm...ok not exactly...*recalls how i was forced to treat JJ to ice cream cos he's a mean guy who threatened to tell everyone about my little secret if i refused to. but i felt bad for letting her treat me cos i didn't do anything to deserve it? must treat her back next time! haha

the bad again: WY called to ask how's my wrist doing.

WY: so how? what did the doc say?
me: doc said nothing much he can do, he'll give me the injection if i want
WY: need to see him again?
me: doc says no

WY: so, how was physio?
me: was good, but she said nothing much she can do either
WY: need to see her again?
me: physio said no

WY: oh, what did u do?? no one wants to see you again.
WY: no one wants to treat you because you're so irritating!
me: .......................

hmm...so, doc says no need to see him, physio says no need to see her. but, but, my hand still have not recovered!~ so who should i see?? i am so confused~

hi-life

today's lunch at hotel miramar's ikoi retaurant was good. went with two of my ex TP lecturers, we talked about going there forever. before they left school they actually told their colleagues that they have a lunch appointment to "build" alumni...of course the alumni in this case is Yours Truly. and being very hardworking and responsible workers, they hurried back to show face work after (a 3 hour) lunch. hahaha....

after lunch Mel picked me up from the hotel and we went to this Boat Asia launch at One°15 at Sentosa cove... i have never seen this place before, and cannot help thinking that it bears a resemblance to the waterfront in NZ! (except that NZ is nicer) singapore is so copy cat lor.

anyways, this place is where all the rich people park their yatchs and speed boats. this particular small-med sized boat costs a whooping $150,000! and this is excluding all the maintainence/petrol and parking fees hor.


Ling and her daughter was on this house boat and according to an ang moh, who was the owner of the 150 grand boat above... this house boat costs a few million...walau. the season parking for this house boat sure also very siong.
the interior of this boat is even more scary...it's fully air conditioned, has 4 bed rooms, 2 toilets, kitchen (with fridge, electric stove, dishwasher) and living room with nice nice couches. and the stupid plasma tv sitting there was at least 54" i tell you! and there were 3 plasmas on board lor!!! siao. and one more open air upper deck for people to BBQ there....
sigh...how i wish i have the money to buy all these...but seriously if i have the money i also won't buy it lah. haha...but have the money first. sian.

a pain(t)ful day

was no joke painting those walls at home! and dad and i only managed those ceilings! now both my arms are aching so much that i don't even feel my wrist injury anymore. good alternative treatment aye? haha

i was super pissed off with my mum today over the paints. she's like telling me to choose my own colour, only to say all my choices sucks and i should let her choose instead. really win already...then don't ask me to choose in the first place! grr... she's like our government you know...tell you to make a choice when you don't really have one? but i went ahead with the colour i wanted, without her blessings of course. heh...

anyways my cat was really confused about what we were doing the entire day, he stared at us suspicously from outside...i think he's put off by the smell of freshly coated paint too, cos he refused to come into the house...

damn i gotta stop typing, arms really painful right now.

i wish you'd lost!

i cannot believe i actually went all the way to the national stadium to watch the 22 people run around the field with a stupid ball. it was the ASEAN soccer semi-finals between Singapore and arch rival Malaysia on Saturday. it would have made more sense for me to be at the indoor stadium listening to S.H.E's concert lor. (it was on the same night) that's not the worse, i actually turned up in a silly red t-shirt and apparently many many others did the same thing. look at that 'red sea' of people! the 55,000 crowd that night was unreal.
actually i don't know why i turned up in a red tee, sitting at the Singapore side. afterall i was hoping that Malaysia would win us. i hate the soccer players, they are so arrogant. i can still remember their yaya papaya pattern when we used to train in the gym together. and the smell of their sweat seems to linger in the gym even after a very long time. yucks. conclusion, i is damn angry when Malaysia lost.

PD was very supportive of the SG team, and he seems a little unhappy to find out that i was actually rooting for the Malaysian team. haha. relax lah bro, i know you just got your PR and full of enthusiasm to show your interest in my country now... give it a few years and you will be as sian as me :P

tattoo

been hanging out at Mel's tattoo shop. now that he has a pool table there, i pop over to play pool like every other day. if this goes on, i think by the end of this year we may be good enough to form a team and participate in a nine ball competition, heh!
it's actually quite an interesting place to hang out. you see the strangest people ever. i mean, why would anyone wanna put a permanent mark of Winnie the Pooh and his friends on his biceps??! not to forget the guy who liked satay so much that he decided to tattoo the word "SATAY" on his neck....sigh!

i share a love-hate relationship with this dog. love him for he's so sweet, hate him cos he is SO Smelly! he's Mel's dog btw, and his name is...what else but, Tattoo.

no rain no

fwah...it was raining so hard a few days back that after the rain, what's left behind is a thick fog covering more than half of the skyscrapers in Shenton Way. this scene somehow reminded me of Hong Kong... then as i flip the papers, i found out that He Is Coming!!! in fact he is already in Singapore as i type my blog. but seriously, i think rain is the last thing we need now leh. later flood again.

mind my own business

seriously...i've been wanting to set up my own business for a long time now. (and i actually believe i have pretty good business acumens!) the opportunity has come;- someone's willing to fork out money to support my entrepreneurship!

now the issue is: what business should i go into???

i really like Mel's life as a tattoo artist. he owns a shophouse right at Pagoda street, in the heart of Chinatown! where he lives and work at the same place. everyday he gets to interact with all sorts of people; tourists and locals alike. many of his customers became his friend after. his shop is always filled with friends who have come to hang out, just chill and to play pool with him.

then i was at this expensive (but good) physiotherapy clinic owned by this lady at Cecil St. she waits for the people who have made appointment to see her for the day. and while doing physio, she chats with her patients about what happened over the weekend, the latest topics in town and all... heaps of interactions and her job satisfaction comes in when she knows that she played an important part in their recovery process.

i wish i can be like them...have my own business, do something i have passion for, meet different people everyday, interact and derive job satisfaction...

but how? cos i don't know how to poke needles and put ink into people's flesh...nor do i know anything about fixing an injured wrist.

so can someone help me think of what business should i go into??

holy matrimony

i went for 2 different weddings over the weekend.

on saturday was a church wedding, the bride is one of my nanny's daughter. i think i've known her for as long as i've lived?? heh... she had a huge gown, ivory in colour. she looked blissful and pretty in it. it's my first time at a church wedding and i thought it was quite romantic! i was almost moved to tears when the groom took the oath and promised to be with the bride forever...aww...

Mel was in a blue gown. gorgeous she is! my nanny's eldest daughter and also elder sister of the bride

my older sis...you don't have to tell me that we do not look alike. i know she prettier lah! but at least i am TALLER... :P
sunday was a malay wedding, the bride, Az, was my poly classmate + project mate. quite an eye opener since it's also my first time at a malay wedding. i really liked how the drums troupe escort the groom to pick up the bride.
Az looked really really beautiful with all that make up, elaborate costume and head dress.
i enjoyed the malay wedding although it would have been greater fun if my poly gang turned up with me...

and yes, it was an expensive weekend too. heh.

anyways, it is a very good way to start the new year. :)

bucks $$

what an expensive day!

saw the sportzdoc at cuppage for my left wrist injury this morning...

25 mins of his consultation and medication cost me like 150 bucks! then he sent me for x-ray and that's another $32. later i got referred to this physiotherapist at cecil st, just 30 mins there meant another 80 bucks gone from my bank!

and i'm booked for another 3 sessions of physio next week. sigh...now i'm starting to wonder if my wrist is worth that much?? aiyoh...

2007

oh my god. 2007 is here...and in this year, 2 'bad' things will happen to me. i will turn 25, and i will not be a student anymore.

quarter life crisis:

1. i am going to be retrenched as a Uni student in 4 months
2. i will then contribute to Singapore's unemployment rate
3. i am old, fat, broke and what else?

sucks.

i don't usually do new year's resolutions but guess i will this time?

1. be 55 kgs by June, maintain weight until at least Dec'07
2. chew my food (at least 10 times) properly before i swallow it
3. do not add salt to my food before i even taste it

nothing great, but hope i achieve them. to a healthier qix!

btw i am in Malaysia since 29th December. in KL now, going off to Sunway Lagoon later in the morning. will upload photos when i get back to Singapore on the 2nd.

happy new year to all!

ASEAN University Games (AUG)

Opening Ceremony
apparently this AUG thingy is a big thing in Hanoi. the opening ceremony was so grand, almost like our NDP parade. guards of honour, mass display and fireworks display for almost 20 minutes!


Key People
NTU TKD Coach Mr Keith Chua
International Referees Mr Darren Lee (L) and Mr Robin Chow (R)
Physiotherapist Yi Jun (L) and Team Manager Celine (R)
didn't manage to take a photo with Uncle Sam; the sports trainer who was attached to TKD cos he is too camera shy. man, i love him!!! he melts my heart!!! (erm, don't think too much ok, he is old enough to be my father + he is married liao)

TKD Team and Supporters

7 ardent fans from NTU TKD flew to Hanoi to support us in this event!
Food
biggest bowl of rice i have ever seen! heh...
four vietnamese friends brought me out for dinner on the last night
hawker food

Afterthoughts
the entire Singapore contingent only managed 2 golds. 1 from Silat and 1 from Taekwondo! so proud! it's like the very first time TKD became "the" sport to look out for in any Games. martial arts rulez!

was really proud that TKD managed to clinch a gold and four bronzes...it was quite an emotional moment to hear Majulah Singapura and watch our flag go up in first position. although i was not the one who got the gold, i was happy to witness this happening.

this trip must be the best TKD trip i have ever been to, for the past 7-8 years! free and easy, no politics, no need to hide my real feelings...everyone (well, almost everyone if you know what i mean) was really sincere. everyday we wake up and start talking crap until we fall asleep again at night. damn shiok! oh and we managed to get a teammate drunk and what she did after was Hilarious! heh.

we participated in the opening ceremony thingy, went to watch volleyball, basketball matches and supported our fellow athletes from Team Singapore. very interesting. something i always wanted to do when i go for such sports meet, but never had the chance because the national squad people were never participative in such events. sigh.

anyways conclusion is, very happy, very enjoyable, had heaps of fun, nice weather, met lots of kind people like uncle sam, Yi Jun and Dr Low, kept in touch with old friends from Vietnam and other countries...

SIMPLY AWESOME!

was really sad when we had to leave. nearly wanted to cry...serious! although i don't look quite like the emotional type..but yeah...wanted to cry. :(

weigh in woes

Hanoi is getting colder and colder as each day passes...

i arrived in Hanoi on the 15th, almost 3 kgs overweight! 2 days have passed and i managed to lose like 2 kgs.i'm so hungry now that i'm starting to get hallucinations! damn it. haven't been eating and i've been training twice a day. 1 more kg to go! arghs...

my match is on the 20th, can't wait for it to come! good news is, a medal is within reach, i just have to make sure that the team manager doesn't screw up during the drawing of lots.

alright, signing off now. using my friend's macintosh laptop and it's so damn difficult to use...

TKD trips, one after another

i helped to bring Mel's TKD club on a friendly match visit to a Malaysian club over last weekend in KL. the trip was good, the bunch of teenagers we brought over were rather interesting, and quite well behaved too i'd say. it was great to see how these youngsters mingle among their Malaysian counterparts.

it turned out that the Malaysian club we were supposed to visit belong to two of my Malaysian friends. we got to know each other at the regional games, that is quite a coincidence yeah...i was happy to catch up with them, we haven't saw each other for almost 2 years now as i have left the national team. (both of them left the national team the same time as me too)

the Malaysian team had very good discipline! their students came over to bow and greet me before and after the class. even at the farewell dinner, they waited for me to start eating before picking up their chopsticks. hmm... very impressed. this is what i call respect.

ok, leaving for the ASEAN University Games this friday. hopefully we find something to do in Hanoi or else it is going to be a boring 7 days. anyhows, i know that i am unprepared in terms of speed, stamina, fitness, (and being overweight by 2kgs is not much of a help) but i still hope that my skills and experience can bring me some results. at least a bronze.

we shall see!

what's the password?

my NTU student password gets expired every end of the semester and i am supposed to change it for security purposes.

my greatest passwords of all time revealed!
yr 1 sem 1: ntusucks
yr 1 sem 2: ntufoodsucks
yr 2 sem 1: ntututorssucks
yr 2 sem 2: ntutoiletssucks
yr 3 sem 1: ntueverythingsucks
yr 3 sem 2: ??

just realised that the "sucks" passwords are longer each time. well guess it makes sense since i feel ntu gets suckier each semester.

since it is my final semester in school i thought i should be slightly different, a few passwords came to my mind:

iamsodonewithntu
thankgodiamoverntu
sogladiamleavingntu

not bad, but all like very long leh...maybe i should use this instead:

tpisthebest

short and sweet heh...

crack ass

man...as far as i am concerned, exams have officially ended 3 days ago. sure it feels great to finish those evil papers that were set to make us feel like we're dumb asses when we're writing our scripts, by some dumbass lecturers to begin with!

finally got our backsides moving when me and NY met up for FYP. it took us forever to get started. after sitting 7 hours in the freezing cold NTU computer lab, we've got together some stuff and hopefully it's good enough to pull us through...now i'm starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. but i'm still not sure if those lights are rays of hope, or headlights from an oncoming train that is gonna hit our buttocks hard at the end of my 3 years spent in school.

anyhow, what was i doing for the past few days yeah? i spent 2 days watching prison break (almost non stop) and managed to finish all 22 episodes of season 1. very efficient indeed. anyone with season 2?? i love the show. tell me if you have it please! tsk tsk...

i got chinese ink

2 papers down, 1 more to go.

final paper in a few hours time...seriously i am getting a little worried. TANG POETRY!

i have not start to memorise the poems...i also have not memorise how to write the chinese characters that make up the poem... *duh

siao liao lor...

anyways this is the poem that i intend to memorise for question 1 of the exam paper. very the "got chinese ink" right?

无题诗 by 李商隐

昨夜星辰昨夜风，画楼西畔桂堂东。
身无彩风双飞翼，心有灵犀一点通。
隔座送钩春酒暖，分曹射覆蜡灯红。
啜余听鼓应官去，走马兰台类转蓬。

007% GST

can you tell that i am a happy citizen?

shame on you PQ

had a huge row with dad last night over some stupid thing like.. the SCV digital cable box! what the F?!

stupid cable box cannot be powered up and for some quirk reasons, he thinks i'm responsible for it.

the entire drama/saga could have been avoided if i had just freaking kept quiet and stop answering back to him every single time he tried to open his mouth. unfortunately for him that i had to be so 'eloquent' (only for the wrong reasons)...i absolutely crushed daddy's chances of winning the 'debate'. boh bian, as my screen name suggests...i am qixSALIVA wat...always saliva more than tea!

PQ...PQ...can you just shut your fucking mouth up the next time?!

why can't you just be daddy's girl? give in to him! afterall he has already given you the best he can right? at age 24, you're still a taker and not a contributor. how dare you bite the hand that feeds you? you deserve one tight slap on your shameless face!

finally: to avoid drama/saga episode 2...i scrambled out of the house on my cycle and didn't come back until 7am in the morning.

what a wimp.

awake or asleep?

my core paper in 7 hours time...
i showered 4 times already, just to keep myself awake.

it is in times like this, i feel like slapping myself for skipping all the lectures.

PLS GIVE ME AN A!...although i am totally undeserving...

argh!

world full of devils

that's it man. i am convinced that this world is full of devils.
at least for sure, the internet is full of devils! (casinos also)

everytime...every single time, when it comes to the examination period...something on the internet is bound to make me lose focus.

last semester...i was hooked on youtube. i watched Hard Gay throughout the night when i was supposed to be crunching numbers on the calculator and memorising my theories.

this semester...pacman!
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pacman.html

and it doesn't help to have devilish friends who kept asking me out despite knowing that i have a paper on friday!

PQ U MUST FOCUS!

quote "focus is one of the top 5 critical success factor!"

sigh.

Frontline

U ABSOLUTELY NEED TO CHECK THIS OUT

Frontline is a New Zealand hip hop music group formed by Nick Maclaren and David Dallas. Nick does the music and David is the rapper. Frontline recently won a music award in NZ and the following link is a really cool video of them at the awards.

David performing 'Lost in Translation' with Aaradhna in this video.

the coolest thing is; David Dallas is the younger brother of my bro-in-law! so you can say that David is my brother-in-law lah...

i hope they are making plans to hit Asia!



Frontline's MTV

Breath with Me


Lost in Translation

globalisation

globalisation, not in business terms but rather, socially, it has affected me. more and more friends and family have left, planning to leave Singapore or have left and came back...

called XX the other night. wanted to know how's she coping with life in Beijing so far. it seems like she's happy to be there with Kinbo, her Chinese boyfriend. but i also sensed that she has not totallly eliminated living in Singapore as an option. i know she might want to come back...but serious considerations have to be made, especially since it is not going to be easy for Kinbo to stay in Singapore, and to get a job.

i seriously admire XX's courage, her decision to give up her potential bright future, her comfortable and protected life, her family and friends here in Singapore. she flew off in a jet plane alone and ventured into the unknown lands of Great China in pursuit of true love. (against her parent's wishes too)

i'm sure life is not easy there. a foreign person in a foriegn country. all the cultural shocks and environmental changes...work, people, relationships...it all adds up. and it doesn't help that her family is not providing her with much mental support. after studying so hard in Switzerland to obtain her degree, she is made for bigger things in life. but instead, she chose to be with the man she loves.

Mr Heok

i have always talked about how much i wanted to see him again...i like him alot, he is the only teacher from secondary school whom i miss. you must understand that i generally do not like my teachers alot. (of course the feeling's mutual) i thought i might have a chance to see him at Ms Peh's wake, i did not.

but today, i bumped into him at Simei Eastpoint mall!

he still looks the same...apparently i still look the same to him too if not he wouldn't be able to recognise me. but was very disappointed because he doesn't seem to be very enthusiastic when talking to me. i do not know if it's because he has a friend with him, or if he is rushing off to somewhere or....

anyways, we had a very brief chat. the usual "how are you"..."working yet?" kind of conversation. sigh! but i have so much more to tell him!

so sad. :( when will i see him again??

NTU CMI

i got this from mrbrown.com



it shows an NTU lecturer sharing with his students, the kind of feedback he has gotten over the years on his teaching evaluation form.

to be honest, i always write unconstructive comments on those forms too. haha.

no wonder NTU is ranked 60+ in the world, compared to 49th position last year. sigh! and NUS' ranking has risen to 20+ i think! shit!

genting boleh

everything about Genting was great this time!! except that i lost money to the casino! but a quote from my friend made me feel better..."no, you cannot say that i lost money, what i did was to open an account with the casino and deposited my money there for the time being. i will be back to withdraw it, along with its interest!"

very positive thinking! :)

anyways apart from the casino, i finally got to play at the amusement park! i have never played at the theme park despite visiting genting for a few times already. finally found kakis who are thrill seekers too!

me and UU tried the free fall thingy for 3 times! so exciting! the feeling is similar to bungy too. wow, i am sure the free fall at Gold Coast is going to be so so so exciting since it is much higher than Genting's.

Mel totally regretted going on this flying coaster ride with us! can hear him cursing and swearing all the hokkien vulgars throughout the entire process. heh.

the go kart is a little boring. especially after driving at 160kmh from Singapore to KL...the go kart's 10kmh speed limit is just...too slow.



the cool weather made the trip even more enjoyable. :)

malaysia tak boleh

i promised myself that i will spend the entire yesterday to catch up on my projects. but i totally wasted it away...again.

went in to JB with Mel, Ling, and YY last night, bad decision!

it was really late when we got there and only one stall was still operating, it was not our usual stall. ordered so much seafood but somehow, it doesn't taste as nice as our favourite stall leh. Mel felt uncomfortable throughout the entire meal cos there were so many big fat rats running around the place! it's kindda scary...although i am not as afraid of rats compared to cockroaches, which fortunately i did not see any. (maybe all eaten up by the rats liao)

then the stall owner tried to help us keep the rats away by pouring boiling water at them!!! EWW!! that's really cruel!! i can just picture how the rat's fur is going to fall off and their skin peeling!!

the DVD store was closed by the time we finished our meal...quite disappointed cos i have ran out of shows to watch. (just as well, exams coming!) on our way back to singapore...JAM...sian...kena stuck for 2 hours at least. and some idiot had to cut my lane dangerously...i nearly gave him the finger! but decided to blast him with the horn instead. haha...

luckily never buy DVD...the custom officer checked us rather thoroughly and he nearly spotted the pack of Malaysian cigarettes in my bag! first time kena checked until like that...must be because he saw how heavily tattooed Mel's arms were!! my face so kuai ok!

anyways...yeah...exams round the corner and yet i'm on a road trip to Genting next week!!! someone help me stay focused!!

argh...

siong siong siong

preparations for the Asean Univ Games which would be held in Hanoi from 15-22 december has begun. seriously...the training is DAMN SIONG lah... i don't remember myself going through such siong training even for my SEA Games last time.

don't know if i can take it any longer. especially since i am not exactly very young anymore. not much motivation, the training is eating into a lot of my time and using up almost all my energy. wonder if i can sustain until the actual competition itself. i sure hope so, because i do not really want to disappoint the school coach, who has done so much for us.

suck it up pq!

the angel must die

alright, i have a 1500 word Tang Poetry assignment due this thursday... the tutor said we can write just about anything related to Tang Poetry. as of now, i have written... 0 words.

i am so dead.

quick thinking me, went on baidu.com and searched frantically... my efforts finally paid off when i found a perfect article, 1612 words to be exact! the devil in me says i should just submit that article as though i wrote it. but the angelic side of me says i should be honest and try to churn out the report by myself.

i think i have no choice...the angel must die this time. cos i have alot of HK drama backlogs to clear!! too many episodes, too little time.

believe me, i am an angel trapped in a devil's body, i really am.

i live in singapura

watch this clip as Hossan Leong sings about living in Singapore. rather well written song! so funny! heh...

i always thought that the TalkingCock.com events are imaginery one leh... i didn't know that they actually exist! i really wanna go for their events next time!! i want to talk cock!!

random ramblings...

@#$%&*....i misplaced my wallet, Again!! totally no recollection of where i could have left it. did i leave it on the 7-11 counter? the bench at pan pac? backseat of the cab?... i don't know lah! argh... i is so suay...all my credit cards, atm cards, ez link card, cash card, driver's license, my beloved tp alumni card...are gone! sad, very sad :(

according to the chinese horoscope thingy, people who are born in the year of the dog (ie: me) have got 破财运 this year. i wonder if i should reconsider my decision to go genting casinos with Melvin and company next weekend. sigh... don't wish to 破 more 财 leh!

anyways i jio jio-ed my TP lecturers to go Bangkok and they said ok! but...after some planning, it seems like it's not going to happen afterall? cos they are very ma fan people...children having exams lah... want to use kris flyer points to convert flight lah....ma fan ma fan lah. aunties are like that i guess?... haha

i am so screwed, so many assignments to hand in when school re-opens next week and i have not accomplished anything! i am officially sick of being a student already...i need to graduate... Fast!

life and death situation

...so, on thursday night, there were a couple of policemen hanging around my house when i came home. i thought someone had just broken into our flat! after talking to them, i found out that my neighbour had died in his house. the ah pek who died was really old, i guess he's about 90?

shortly after, i saw the casket people arrive to set up the tentage for the wake...hey but wait, why are there 2 different casket companies?....... another old folk from the next block had passed away that same night...

friday afternoon...i received an sms from WY, she said her dad passed away peacefully at home in the afternoon. can there be any more sad news? (noticed i said sad and not bad... because i really think, to live a life that long and can pass away peacefully, really not a bad deal...i've seen people who struggled and died really painfully...now that's really bad)

yes! cos on friday evening, another sms came to me, this time from V. she told me that her mum had just passed away in the hospital.

this year's mooncake festival is not going to be very meaningful for some people :(

ok sad moments aside, i just received an sms, this time good news. CF's water bag broke this morning! she is in the process of delivering her baby boy while i'm here at this blog!! woo hoo!

finally some good news :)

i love skippy!

why the hell am i still online at this hour? it's 419 am for godsake!!
and i am supposed to wake up and go to school for my tutorials in like 4 hours time?!

1. Tang Poetry Class: i attend i also don't understand.
2. Retail Management Class: i no need to attend i also can understand.

yay! i am so going to skip school today!

so wat u wan?

i realised something...
Singaporeans do not know what they want, but they know what they do not want.

let me give you a simple example:

me: eh eat wat?
friend: dunno leh...sian
me: fried rice wan?
friend: fried rice i doe wan...
me: bak chor mee leh?
friend: doe wan lah... yesterday eat liao
me: eat Mac?
friend: doe wan... don't feel like burgers
me: wah lau eh then wat u wan?
friend: dunno lah!...sian!

...does it ring a bell? many times when people ask you what do you want, instead of answering to the question, you start telling the person the things that you do not want. when asked again, what is it that you want exactly? you cannot produce an answer. hmm... (oh and another common thing that i just realised... we are sian most of the times. ok, but that's beside the point.)

relating this back to my career woes... i doe wan to be...

an insurance agent
a salesman/girl, whatever
a civil servant
an admin person

but what do i want to be??.......dunno lah! sian!

recruitment talks

geez, i realised i've signed up for like 9 recruitment talks! (and counting) like a bit kiasu right? not sure if i'll turn up for all of them though...most of these talks are by the investment banks. which honestly, i do not see myself having a career there. not like i can count very well right?... although i definitely wouldn't mind the kind of $$ that they are willing to pay...*bl!nk bl!nk*

by May, i would have finished my exams and getting ready to get a 'real' job.. to start embarking on my career building process. my friends have been telling me that i'm worrying too soon, 2006 has not even ended yet! but i am so caught in the same situation 4 years ago when i was a poly fresh grad; i really have no idea what kind of jobs i want!!

it took me 4 years, and it's not figured out yet. what makes you think that i would have things figured in 8 months time??...sigh.

i am so sick

this is a post about how i am so sick.

during my last medical checkup the doctor told me that i should wake up slowly, and sit at the side of the bed for at least one minute before standing up to avoid a sudden flux of blood to the brain.

but i think i got out of bed too quickly again on sunday afternoon, that i got so dizzy and fell on the floor! gave me a shock and it took me a moment to recover from it. then guess what, the moment i stood up from the fall, i started to puke. it was some yellowish juices that came out...now i'm starting to worry.

then the puking didn't stop, for the last few days!!! :( finally went to the doctor's at night, and realised that i was running a temperature - 38.0deg. doc said i had gastric flu. wah lau i also know, puke + diarrhea...confirm food poisoning. but what did i eat?! sigh....

so for the rest of sunday and the entire monday, i was in bed. i think i slept for more than 30 hours in a stretch. the more i slept the worse i felt. i need alot of focus to write this blog, and i'm not even writing coherently...

ok, not writing anymore, i think i need to puke again. i am so so sick. the only good thing that is coming out of this illness - i lost 1.6kg and counting...

myth vs. truth

contrary to popular belief...i did not get my nickname "Champion Chen" from TKD!

i was playing badminton with my mates and...

me: come let's start!
friend: we play challenge one ok?!
friend: i sure win you one. :P
me: pui! you mean i sure win you right?!
friend: nahbeh if i lose i call you champion chen!
me: call me champion chen!!!

yup, and that's how i got my nick. :)

victory is sweet

i knew i was not prepared for this nationals. my fitness level and skills were below par. if i were to win, i needed all my experience, and luck. as it turned out, luck was on my side.

not so on edwin's. he was doing so well, no one expected him to suffer such a serious injury in his finals. when i saw him cry, i knew it wasn't because of the injury. it was because of the pain of loss. he really wanted to win and he deserved to win. my heart went out to him.

sad moments aside though, last nite i won my 7th consecutive nationals gold medal. my final opponent was a girl who took over me after i left the national team. the feeling was fantastic; to win the match right in front of the crtics' eyes. i wanted to prove the critics wrong, and i did.

as yoda would say "sweet, victory is". in the ring, i could see, hear and feel the entire stadium behind me. spectators from all walks; people whom i knew and did not know were all cheering for me. it warmed my heart and filled me with a memory that will never leave me. no words can quite describe how i felt last nite. i was really high and felt like a superstar.

standing on the podium, my joy and pride were hard to hide. and yet, looking at my defeated opponents on the lower steps, i could not help but feel that a competition is a cruel thing. for there to be a winner, inevitably someone has to be the loser.

a perfect ending to my TKD career. a memorable retirement match.


all my 7 national gold medals...time really flies.


i was so excited the whole night that i felt no pain at all, even though i had some bruises here and there. but somehow, the same feeling didn't last till the next day. when i woke up just now, i almost couldn't feel my arms and legs and i felt like i was breaking apart!! haha. this teaches me i have to come back to reality. age is catching up.

special thanks to:
TP, NTU, SAFSA and Sports Team tkd members. i know you guys cheered the loudest :)
DH, for coaching me all these yrs, i'm very happy we won this together
small sir and big sir, who brought me into competitive sparring
bygon, who kept forcing me to do last minute training becos he thinks i am too fat to win
esther, who called back to congragulate me from China
JF, for the photos
everyone else who shouted my name throughout the match

A BIG THANK YOU. *bow*

45th

this year's Nationals are coming, my match will be on the 27th. competition is steep this time with many up and coming young players. some of them pray hard to not meet me in their matches, while some came with the intention of pinning me down. i think it is going to be an exciting competition.

someone just asked me if i feel the pressure to win, and i said No. but in fact the answer is Yes. i know i cannot accept defeat, especially this time. i wonder what will my reaction be if i really lose my match this year. will i be able to accept my defeat graciously? i really cannot tell yet.

i cannot remember since when, i started to keep a record of the competitions that i have been to. this Nationals will be my 45th one. is this a good number to retire? heh...will this Nationals be my 7th consecutive gold? i hope so, but i really don't know.

some tell me that i will win for sure while some speculate that i am over the hill. will i win this year? i'm excited to find out too.

the end or just the beginning?

his funeral was both heartwrenching and heartwarming. more than a hundred of his TKD students, friends and relatives attended. we gave him a very special send off...all of us were clad in TKD uniforms, some of his friends even had trouble searching for their uniforms as they had already left the TKD scene for a very long time. his students put up one last performance. news reporters even came to cover his story.

it has been one whole week of insufficient sleep for me. i stayed over at his wake every night and slept an average of 4-5 hours per day. i wanted to be there for the fact that i knew him for so long, knew his brother, knew his wife, his parents, his cousins, his friends...

i came home quite relieved that his funeral is over. i'm exhausted from all the crying and helping out...i am glad that it has ended.

but is this the end...or is it just the beginning?? life has to go on for the people who are still alive. everyone must learn to move on, it's hard, especially for the family. as friends, we can only do this much to help...they must help themselves and pick themselves up from despair. i just hope that they can stop grieving soon...

my only photo with Ross, taken a few years back.