LiFe'S LiKe tHaT~MuAhAha!

Moving over to the UK in 2 weeks time!

2009-09-04T12:54:00.005+08:00

WOW it's just 16 days more and I haven't even started packing my stuff! But no worries, I'm pretty sure 16 days is more than enough time. Just feeling more and more excited each day as I see September 20th inching closer.

Life in the UK is going to be a mind-blowing experience! A whole new country, whole new culture, whole new school, and new friends coming from all over the world! I feel so overwhelmed just thinking about going there to spend 3 years for my studies!

For the benefit of those whom I haven't been updating, I will be flying off to the UK to study Statistics, Economics and Finance (single degree!) in University College London soon under the Singapore Armed Forces Merit Scholarship. This scholarship is awesome man! Besides being able to go for my university education earlier than most of my peers, I would also be receiving a monthly salary apart from my overseas allowances while I'm studying! Best of all, I get to continue my pilot training after I come back from studies and be an air force pilot (if I can pass everything) as a career after that! I feel so blessed by this award haha.

For the junior guys who are interested in what I'm doing, you can consider applying for this scholarship when you enter National Service! And girls too! There's also a similar scholarship for women with the same benefits! But you would need to sign up to be enlisted and go through the tough but meaningful military training with the guys... haha.

Anyway, back to the main topic, I think I will miss all my friends and family a lot when I leave Singapore for a prolonged period of time. I have so many people I wanna thank and so many others whom I really really want to say a big "thank-you" to. The people who have appeared miraculously in my life, helped me out when it seems almost impossible to get out of certain troubles, and then left silently without expecting gratitude from me. I will find all of them and thank them before I leave hahaha.

Meanwhile, if you would like to meet up with me before the 20th (flying off at 2330hrs, Terminal 3 on an A380!), do contact me and let me know! I'm relatively free almost everyday as I have started to clear my leave from work, other than the packing which I seriously need to start soon. Hope to see you guys soon! =)

The folks who passed airgrading 05/09

2009-07-12T15:08:00.003+08:00

Here goes! (though the picture was taken ages ago):

From left: Me, Wesley (Director for Exercise Hotshot), Gwendolyn ("very good" friend), MAJ Boxer (course commander), Gerard (loves facebook), Shi Bin (loves more than facebook), Jui Sern (most horny-just kidding)

James is a qualified car driver now!

2009-07-10T15:30:00.006+08:00

Took my driving test yesterday and at 4.15pm, by the time i finished my final driving test (the traffic police test), I was declared to have passed class 3C driving by my tester! Woohoo! (Lots of endorphins rush)

So, from next week on, you would probably see me cruising around in my black Chery A168 every night, trying to hone my driving skills and perfecting my car-park parking techiniques, which driving lessons do not teach. (You do know they only teach you how to park a vehicle with poles as guiding points right?)

So, this means, once I've perfected my techniques, I will be out full force in the weekend driving around from place to place! Heehah.

Here's a picture of how a Chery A168 look like:

Just to recap, I bought a Chery A168 (OPC a.k.a. Weekend/Night usage car) for my family usage back in February this year, when the COE was at its lowest point (haha). That certainly depleted almost all of my savings then (and now even-you know, a car no matter how big the discount is still a HIGH PRICE to pay!), but considering the price i paid back then and the satisfaction of owning a not-so-bad car, plus being able to go out on weekends with my family, I'd say that it's definitely worth it!

The last point for this blog-post: Although I would love to take a picture of my own Chery A168, I still do not own a decent digital camera of my own at this point in time and hence am unable to accommodate that desire. Sobs. I'm still trying to save up to buy a camera, and I believe that I would be able to do so before departing to London in September for my studies!

Wish me luck! =)

June the boring month

2009-07-08T22:17:00.004+08:00

Yup, I've came back from Australia since 2nd June, and I PASSED AIR-GRADING COURSE! Woohoo Awesome. (Happiness index: x10)

However, it's so unfortunate that since I'm departing to London during end-September this year for studies, the period is too short for the Air Force to place me in any course. Thus, I've been just floating around in a relatively idle state in Air Force School since I came back from Australia and I can't help but profess that life is soooo BORING!!!

June gone, 1/3 of July to be over pretty fast, hopefully the month ahead will be more exciting, fun and fruitful!

Meanwhile, I must really proclaim that facebook is such a convenient and easy way of staying updated with your friends and updating your status/progress. You just have to use only simple, short sentences each day! And that's how i keep others informed of my progress during airgrading course. Used "bankai" a lot haha.

If you haven't add me, here goes!
www.facebook.com/jamesyongdj

Stay cheerful everyone, and hope to meet up soon! =)

Current Status: Pilot trainee, and going Australia 27th April

2009-04-19T00:34:00.006+08:00

Before my blog goes into hibernation mode again (like it's always been prone to), let me provide some updates of my life and its heading before I unwittingly go missing again haha.

First thing first, I'm SOOO HAPPY that I'm finally a pilot trainee now!!!!!!!!! Though the chances of eventually succeeding in becoming a full-fledged pilot is extremely low (passing rate is usually around 10% to 20% per course), I delight in being able to fly to Australia to enjoy the scenery and immerse myself in the wonderful world of aviation soon on the 27th April (coming soon!)! Down there in Tamworth, I will be taking up the most basic flying training (air grading) course whereby trainees will be put on a highly steep learning curve to learn ALL about basic flying (from conducting checks on the instruments, taking off an airplane, flying it around accurately, transmitting on radio to the relevant controllers, to landing), everything within a month!

Although I may not make it eventually, I think that this experience of being able to fly an aircraft up in the sky is worth my bestest efforts put in, and I'm gonna put in all of my sweat and soul to pass the course, for the rewards are so awesome if I can succeed! And of course before that, I would like to thank my friends who have been supporting me since ages ago in my aspiration to take up the route as a pilot trainee. You guys rock! =D

Here's a picture of the aircraft which I will be flying for the month of May 09 (the CT4B):

Life's getting pretty much exciting from here, and I look forward to the journey which I will be embarking on. Right now it's almost all about studying flying notes and preparing myself for the Tamworth experience. Haha being a pilot trainee really demands high standards - with lots of material to study, intensive training to go through and many other tasks to handle! But tough as it may sound, the rewards are absolutely tremendous.

To all my friends, I will definitely miss all of you, and if we can't meet up before I depart, I really wish that we can meet up as soon as possible after I came back from Australia to catch up on lost times! Haha.

Alright! Let's hope for the very best in the future. Cheers to all! =)

YES WE CAN - Barack Obama

2009-04-13T17:33:00.002+08:00

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom. Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics... they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

YES WE CAN!

A To Z Of Kiasu Philosophy

2009-01-27T15:24:00.002+08:00

Singaporeans are always Kiasu (afraid to lose)! Aiyo hear until don't want to hear already. These "A to Z" sounds quite accurate though.
Here it goes:

Always must win
Borrow but never return
Cheap is good
Don't trust anyone
Everything also must grab!
Free! Free! Free!
Grab first talk later
Help yourself to everything
I first, I want, I everything
Jump queue
Keep coming back for more
Look for discount
Must not lose face
Never mind what they think
Outdo everyone you know
Pay only when necessary
Quit while you are ahead
Rushing and pushing wins the race
Sample are always welcome
Take but don't give
Unless it's free forget it
Vow to be number one
Winner takes it ALL! ALL! ALL!
Yell if necessary to get what you want
Zebras are kiasu because they want to be both black and white at the same time.

Haha alright I know I haven't been updating this blog for a long time, and the promise of a Taiwan blog post hasn't been fulfilled yet. Sigh this blog always seem to have a tendency for periodic hibernation huh? I must admit the owner is extremely lazy (But hey, sometimes it's really true fatigue from my daily hectic work, but still...)

Nonetheless, I assure that a Taiwan post shall come! Taiwan is just too awesome to not share about! (Hahaha, anyone for another trip this year-end?) Erm, just stay tuned for now la. Happy Chinese New Year at the meantime. =)

Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday to sister!

2008-12-26T19:38:00.005+08:00

25th December-not only was Jesus born on that day, but my younger sister too! Her birthday dinner at the Oasis certainly costed me a bomb last night, but nonetheless, a very HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY TO HER!!!

(3 more teenage years to go, unlike me, at the last teen already...)

My Commissioning Parade

2008-12-24T14:32:00.006+08:00

Officership finally! Now you can all call me 2nd Lieutenant James Yong (full of pride haha).

Just to spice things up a little, I will blog about my comissioning parade first before sharing about the wonderful experiences of Taiwan, which was so heavenly to me... =P (Actually commissioning parade also not that bad, with all the endorphins it pumped into your bloodstream upon the successful completion of the 38-weeks Officer Cadet Training.)

Here's how the commissioning parade square looks like before all of us entered (on the 13th December 2008):

And after the graduands of the 71/08 Officer Cadet Course entered:

In this highly anticipated parade, the extremely enthusiastic officers-to-be sang patriotic songs of 3 different languages, executed drills and marched in steps impressive to the audience, which brought us lots of claps and cheers from our much beloved family members and friends whom we have invited. Right before the award presentation for the 8 Sword-of-Honours for this graduating cohort, we also had 8 different religious leaders pray for us for a minute, blessing us with the good qualities of an officer, and hoping for us to serve as future effective leaders of the nation.

My proudest moments came when I was presented the Air Force Sword-of-Honour by the parade's reviewing officer-Mr Adullah Tarmugi, Speaker of Parliament, as shown below =) :

(Receiving the Sword:)

(The Sword-Winners:)
Finally, the most anticipated moment of the parade-the changing of shoulder boards to signify the change of rank from a cadet to a true officer!

(Below: my last moment standing as an officer cadet...)

(The changing of my shoulder boards by my parents:)

And alas! A proud officer standing tall in front of all!
(That's me and my family =D)

The Commissioning parade was indeed an awesome experience, and the feeling of successfully completing a whole Officer Cadet Course and achieving something for yourself was really exhilarating and worth the effort put in! For my juniors who have yet to enlisted, and are looking forward to worthwhile challenges to bring yourself up to a whole new level, do opt for officer cadet training, do your best in it, and achieve something for yourself out of it! It's definitely worth it. =)

This BLOG shall be REVIVED!!!

2008-12-23T23:11:00.007+08:00

After so long (close to a year) of not blogging, I have finally decided that I'm going to resurrect this blog again for the credit of the exciting events which I have gone through during this hectic, hellish yet exciting and rewarding (particularly towards the end) year of 2008! Yippee! 3 cheers go to simple2remember.

To summarize all that has passed during my absence in cyberspace,

from January to March - I was in Basic Military Training on Tekong Island as a recruit;

April to May - I was in Officer Cadet School adjusting to the new training demands of an officer cadet;

June to November - I was a trainee in Air Force School going through professional training to be an aircraft controller;

December (MOST REWARDING AND "SHIOK") - I finally commissioned as an officer, with a Sword-of-Honour, on the 13th December, and went to Taiwan for an awesome holiday from the 16th to 20th December with my coursemates!!!!!!!!!! (definitely wanna blog about this soon)

Haha though most of this year was dominated by training and a lack of social and recreational activities, the rewards at the end were truly enjoyable and totally worth the efforts put in! I will be sharing about those experiences really soon! So stay tuned!

Meanwhile, to all my friends, take care always and look forward! =)

Time's running out!!

2008-01-05T04:36:00.001+08:00

Wow. it says 4:44am on my computer clock.

And oh, mentioning about the word "computer" makes me think of the sexy DELL INSPIRION 1420 NOTEBOOK i have been eyeing on the newspapers for the past few days! But due to budget, uncertainties and many other reasons, oh wells...

Haha guess what I was doing before typing this post! And the mere thought of it makes me wanna faint. IT'S SOO DEMORALISING PACKING MY BAG TO PREPARE FOR ENLISTMENT!!!

Yes, preparing 9 underwears and trying to find if i have more (just in case)... ...squeezing 7 clothes-hangers into my bag (because SAF wrote in the letter must bring at least 6)... ...and finding my stupid nail clipper among the mountains of books, stationary, papers, and magazines!!! (all thanks to my Dad who wants me to "revamp" my table before going into NS)

TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!!

9 JANUARY 2008!

It's like just 4 more days left!!! :( :( :(

Ok here's the Checklist:
PSC Scholarship application undone,
NS bag not ready,
table not cleaned up and organised yet,
portfolio is in a totally chaotic mess,
resolutions 2008 is partially completed,
and I haven't start preparing for the upcoming Air Force Pilot Interview on the 8th January!!!

Oh man.

But thank God who helped me pass the super-tormenting, taxing, and draining Computerised Selection Test for Air Force Pilot applicants on the 14th Dec last year! No matter what, i'm gonna do my best for the interview in order to not let Him down after He's helped me pass the first stage! Pray for me and wish me luck, friends. =)

Ok sorrows aside (for they always seem to rectify themselves at the last minute miraculously somehow-and don't ask me how!), I'm gonna share about my hero Daddy today!

Well, the story begins at 8:45am today (oops, yesterday!) after i just completed a 3-km run in my neighbourhood park. And wait, side-track a bit, i seriously think my fitness now is like a primary 6 year-old kid! Seriously seriously. You can't imagine the fatigue and inabilities experienced after months of physical inactivity. (I want to go back to canoeing days again!!!) How i wish i can really catch up within weeks in NS or even better, improve tremendously in the first few days! Sigh.

But back to the story first.

So poor, worn-out James tried to walk back home after the run but was so exhausted and breathless that the empty long bench in his void deck looked so appealing to him and he decided to recline on it and pave the way for black-screen and meditation. And there appeared a full-10 minutes of quietness and peace and slow returns to regular breathing that made him more relaxed and revived...And suddenly,

a malay man, in his 20s, approached James and abruptly woke him up from his almost sweet slumber and tried to sell a Motorola C168 (if i didn't remember wrongly in my daze) to me. "Hey brother, i can see that you need a handphone. I'm selling this handphone with charger for 50 dollars. With ear-piece it is $55. Buy from me la." He said.

James regained consciousness and saw a tattooed man who looks like he's been on drugs. But being dazed and not wanting to squash his hopes instantly, i tried to explain why i won't want to buy from him because his phone was not the kind i wanted. However, instead of walking away, he became more persistent and start cutting prices to $45 and even $40! His reason was that he is in desperate need to buy cigarettes and that's why he wants to sell off "this phone which he bought yesterday at a loss". He was persistent.

Hey this is doubtful.
I guess you can figure out the reasons why, and hence i casually told him: "Hey, let me go back and ask my dad. I'll come down soon to let you know if i can buy from you."

Well, initially he was reluctant to let me go, but i insisted and promised him that i will be back whether i want to buy or not, and i went back home!

Now tah-dah!

I have my power-daddy at home who's preparing to go to work! woo-hoo!

Ok i'll start explaining my "highness" now.

Dad has a face that is fierce-looking, a big body mass that can look muscular and full of strength with clothes on, and a free-to-alter voice that has its modes of operations ranging from thunderous to threatening to gentle! Coupled with his history as a notorious secret society member with a totally clean record but yet possessing strong links with both good & bad in his time, he's my most perfect spokesperson!

Now i'm grateful for my dad.

I told him all that had happened just now, and heard what i desired to hear from him: "Oh. No prob, i will settle this when i go down later. where's the place?"

"Yes! Bingo!" was the cry in my heart, and i told him all information i could about the person's descriptions and the place downstairs. Haha go daddy!

Well, throughout his life, even in his workplace in Rocher Street now, Dad has coincidentally met many street gangsters along the way and "accidentally" intervene in their problems. Most thought that he is a lao-da or someone big on first impressions and a couple of them has literary fell on their knees before him begging for help before! Powerful dad. Too bad i don't even inherit 1% of his looks, if not i can perform these magics too! hmmm...

So the story continues and daddy called me back after 5 minutes. And i'm so grateful that he went down instead of me!

Because, there were 2 tattooed guys this time! (wow, lucky i didn't go down. if not i would sure feel intimidated and scare out of my wits!) And i don't know why, but somehow when they see my dad walk towards them, according to my dad, they got uptight, nervous, and tried to walk away. But my dad sternly said, "Sit down." And they just did! hahaha.

One of them thought he was a government officer checking for illegal cigarettes due to my dad's confidence and was afraid but was reassured when my dad told them it's regarding the handphone. HOWEVER, the malay guy (with guts at the wrong time) offered $55 and talked about his phone. Haha! Seeking death! My dad immediately scolded them and told them things that they even want to show him their ICs! But well, even though they were trembling with fear, my dad is certainly not an evil person and he just called off the "deal" they made with his son, yours faithfully. And, they flee! Woo-hoo!

And James lives happily ever after for the rest of the day and Kudos to Daddy!

Haha amazing dad i have i must say. And this is the first time i shared about my dad to anyone! On this blog! Don't play play... hahaha.

Anyway, here's some food for thought. Imagine if your son encountered the same situation, would you have "settle this problem" for him as a father? Or just rush off to work and tell him to settle it himself when there are two tattooed guys this time? And will you be able to be act tough and settle it confidently even though it's a gangster you're facing? Hmmm for some time today i wondered if my dad (or the dad of another person in the scenario presented) wasn't as tough-looking, both physically and mentally, as my dad is now, would he have confronted the two guys with courage to help his son settle this minor problem?

My answer is a definite yes after some reflections. At least for me that'd be the case. Fatherly love is indeed great.

Oops, running out of time!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!!!

2007-12-31T18:16:00.002+08:00

The New Year's finally coming!

2008-the year of Olympics, Euros, Taiwan's Presidential Elections, Malaysia's general elections...and James going into National Servie! It's definitely not gonna be less exciting than the events of 2007.

2007 has been a really meaningful year which has seen me accelerated through in all my responsibilities and achievements, and it has granted me lots of aspirations (powerful and revoluntionary ones in fact) and make me a much focused and effective person overall, though the element of fun in my life has decreased drastically. But nonetheless, ask any of my friends if I'm rising, most of them would probably say a solid yes.

It's been truly unfortunate for me for the past 2 days and today to be down with on-and-off fevers and feeling random dizzyness constantly. AND I CURSE WHOEVER (Satan, human, food, animals, germs, any micro-organisms or whatever) WHO IS OR WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SPOILING MY NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION FOR THAT! But more importantly, i just hope that this sickening sickness can be gone soon. Already it has caused me to work on my Emergency Preparedness Concept Paper at a trememdously slow pace! Even now, as i'm typing all these i'm feeling so giddy and full of curses in my heart.

Ok i'm really gonna faint soon. The helicopter that has been hovering in circles in my head has completed at least 1000000 rounds while i was typing this! Once again, curse the one who made my illness possible and i pray for speedy and effective recovery soon. =)

我不配 - I'm not worthy

2007-12-22T15:47:00.001+08:00

Went through the songs of Jay Chou's new album 我很忙 (I'm very busy) over the past few weeks, and yes i realized that he has indeed been very busy! Haha reason for this is that you can hear many songs with melodies similar to the piano pieces played in his previous movie Secret. I guess with his upcoming concerts, movie, and all, he's really probably too busy to construct an album with totally brand new songs, and with the really nice piano pieces in Secret, why not? And hence 我很忙 with its seemingly familiar music pieces.

Most people i know like 牛仔很忙(the cowboy's very busy) and 彩虹(rainbow), but for me personally, the song 我不配 was the nicest in the album. Love its melody, lyrics in its soft saddening style, and the realism of the "glamour" and woes being a celebrity as depicted in the Music Video. The girl was kinda the type i like too, ha.

But do check the music and MV out. =)

For me, it's a song which you can play repeat over and over again if you would like to indulge in a soft melancholy in the evening. Nice song overall. Cheers to those who share the same taste.

Going farm later with Mr Zaqy (Member of Parliament for Hong Kah GRC)! Haha i think it sounds both impressive and not impressive at the same time. -_-

Until then,
Cheers!

Pictures of ICEP 2007, as promised.

2007-12-18T00:55:00.000+08:00

Yay endorphins after MPS.

Here go the pictures!:

On the 7th December 2007, all the cadets and officers from the various countries had an ICEP dinner at Orchid Country Club where the food was gorgeous - shark's fins, prawns with cereals, steamed fish, golden roasted chicken, and many more mmmmmmm. Surprisingly, almost all the foreigners were allergic to seafood and all the Singaporeans were spamming the shark's fins! (i think shi hao or desmond gulped down 8 bowls of that if i'm not wrong!)

Here's a picture of the flags of the countries present at the ICEP dinner...

Cool diplomacy.. hmmm..

Here's the New Zeanlanders' table:

The mischievous James from New Zealand is the one right smack in the middle staring into the camera's lens! (that's the one i missed most)

And we (New Zealand cadets and hosts) performed during the dinner too!
And here goes:

Lastly, with great comradeship, all of us danced macarena together (adult officers too!) at the end of the dinner.

It was truly an enjoyable experience which will stick with me a lifetime. =)

And here's a picture of our local handsome dudes that evening:

Me, Desmond (Fuhua), Yu Xuan, Sean.

On the 9th December 2007, we brought our foreign counterparts down to Orchard Road. (They had went to sentosa the previous day, but thanks to budget constraints, it's anti-Singaporeans =.=)

And here's a random picture taken on the MRT train, which amazed many.

Orchard Road!

Unfortunately (or fortunately, i was taking the pictures):

Oh, before that, we went to chong pang for breakfast too! Sorry for the long walk from Yishun MRT...=.=

Here's me and wee kien:

And Thomas the Harry Potter!

Erm, well, you can tell from his expression that he didn't really like being harry potter... :(

There was also a visit to MOE HQ on the 10th December 2007, which contains only a 5-minute presentation.... =.=

Oops i only have the picture with the locals for this visit at the moment.

From left: (NING!, =D), Xin Ying, Captain Lee (from Hong Kong, a.k.a lao fu zi), James, and (FUHUA =P)

Oh, and we have quiet time together on some of the nights too!

Evident who's the leader huh... hehe.

Of course there are much more events than those which i've posted about, such as the other shopping experiences, heritage trail, Night Safari, adventure training course, Singapore Discovery Centre, Embassy visits etc... But i haven't got the pictures yet! MIGHT post on them if circumstances allow in the future. =P

Until then,

GoodNIGHT!!!

Yawns.... =)

ICEP's over, and yearnings glide across oceans.

2007-12-17T17:51:00.000+08:00

The International Cadet Exchange Programme (ICEP) 2007 was finally over on the 12th December 2007 with the sending off of the last batch of UK cadets (woe to Shi Hao! haha.=P). Prior to that, on the previous day, gifts, hugs, last words, tears, and forced laughter were exchanged fervently amongst the Australian, Brunei, Hong Kong, Indian, Thailand, New Zealander, USA and Singaporean Cadets in Changi International Airport, switching between terminals constantly.

SO, why the late update now?!

Erm, not exactly late, but sometimes the human body requires a longer-than-usual hibernation period right after a major event in one's lifespan, and for my case, it is 5 days! hahaha. (Hey, considering that i actually went through a super grilling Air Force Pilot Computerised Selection test on Friday, that's not being a lazy bone and getting excessive sleep!) Hmmm i would applaude my Singaporean friends at the ICEP who managed to post on their blogs just a couple of days after the event, or even more "hiong", right after! Ok i'll now admit i was just being lazy with some guilt.

ICEP 2007 was a truly meaningful programme.

I am really thankful to be able to go through these days with so many newfound international friends before leaving the NCC and entering National Service! And truly, i miss every single person in ICEP, local and overseas, and the days we spent together in Singapore-visiting the places of interest, SHOPPING, messing around with the rubix cube, talking crap, singing, being playful on the MRT train, and staying every night in the fateful SISPEC (School of Infantry Specialists) in Pasir Laba Camp!

I definitely miss deeply all of my New Zealand friends, whom i was supposed to take care of in the course-Trae, Joshua, Allan, JAMES (not me, but an even more playful one), Thomas (HARRY POTTER!), Captain Allan Plaisted, Chris (happy birthday once again!), Jamie, Tracey, Keryn, and Jayde. They're truly a humorous batch and really carefree people who surprisingly--i think--took more care of me than i of them!

Hmmm as i'm rushing for Meet the People's Session now, i'll let the pictures do the talking first and post more updates at a later time. =P

OH WAIT! I'm SERIOUSLY RUNNING LATE!!!

Haha ok i'll post the pictures TONIGHT. Needy residents are waiting!!

Until then,
Best wishes! =)

i love flux

2007-12-03T00:07:00.000+08:00

Hmm life's getting really busy at the moment...

But who believes that in the midst of busyness one can find new meanings and fulfillment too! Here's one filled with faith in this!

The International Cadet Exchange Programme (in Singapore) is really meaningful! Just imagine, meeting like-minded and similarly youthful teenagers from all over the world -Australia, USA, United Kingdom, Thailand, Hong Kong, India, Brunei, and last but definitely not the least (in fact the best,) NEW ZEALAND! (Well, i just must proclaim it's the most beautiful and desirable-to-go-to-country in the whole wide world!)

Yes, things have been really overwhelming and taking up every single moment in my life - in the midst of all the events, there is still Meet the People's Sessions, MINDEF (Ministry of Defence) Internship Programme, Vacation Bible School, Weekly church services, scholarship talks, and even the RJC PROM NIGHT! Haha it's so cool to be like a super-busy man, taking leave here and there constantly to attend every possible event, turning down offers to "hang-out", postponing other appointments, and possibly declaring to your friends how capable you are, being able to handle so many things with your high capacity! =P
(Ok i don't really mean that last point)

2 days have passed since i entered Pasir Laba Camp (according to Benedict, it was the most digusting place ever). And having interacted extensively with our overseas cadet counterparts, I felt truly blessed and a happier person. Indeed, diversity rocks.

Different cultures, different attitudes, different tastes, different beauties.

AND "BEAUTIES" DOESN'T MEAN THOSE I USUALLY "REJOICE" ABOUT.

Yup, different beauties of every culture. Every man with his unique choice of beliefs and actions, and the reflection of his love through the picturesque description of his environment, circumstances, and relations, is indeed beautiful. Friendships of genuine connection between two or more souls inevitably form out of the small but important sparks, igniting significant bursts of colourful fireworks in the process.

I love the people from England. (Hey, not only the super hot babe with seducing blue eyes and eye-catching features, though that's cool. or hot?) The English people, initially, may seem like an audacious group, due to their strong and seemingly innate nature to "get drunk", and party their lives away. However, upon closer inspection, and finding out more, hey! They are a serious batch too! These could actually be good role models for us!

Haha one may wonder what if i understand what i'm talking about. But yes, i'm pretty sure. Let me explain why. It is of great importance to look at the competitiveness of their academic and working environment, which was something i initiated asking Stephanie. Youths, though to the naked eye, looked like they only knew how to seek fun and pleasure, are actually working their best during the weekdays, slogging their lungs out, and striving to achieve better results each day! No clubbing during weekdays, and no getting drunk if you have school the next day. Hey, they know what they're doing -

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD!

This is a really cool revelation. Think about it. We Singaporeans are often either working too hard and neglecting our families, friends, even taking time off just for a break... (like those in a certain Junior College i frequent...) or slacking too much, enjoying life excessively (clubbing, pool, movies, BGR, promiscuities...) and not seeking improvements for the better!

Seek a balance!

Know what you want out of life, strive REALLY HARD for it (like the Britons aiming for Oxford, Cambridge etc..), and do PLAY REALLY HARD when you're not working!

The Thais are a really awesome bunch of people too! Yes, the country may be associated with regular coups, corrupted governments, terrorism, poverty, and many other characteristics, but i certainly believe this is what molded good character in the Thai youths too! Villains may corrupt the times, but such times also raise up a whole new generation of heroes too!

What i see in the Thais are compassion, helpfulness, modesty, and sincerity!

I took the Thais, New Zealanders, and cadets from the UK to shop at Suntec City today (met Cai Jing, whose nose bled by the way) and then took some photos at the Singapore River. Beautiful Sunday spent. However, it is not the shopping part or photo-taking part that the Thais impressed me. Rather, it was the experiences on the train that touched me. While we boarded the train from Boon Lay where there were abundant seats and i was satisfied most of us managed to enjoy the comfort of sitting through the journey, the Thais, having no prompting from anyone, were actually the first and only ones (shame on you, local youths) to give up their seats the moment an older lady or one carrying heavy things entered the train! By the time we were approaching city hall, most of them with seats initially were actually standing up without seats! How amazing...

I love their character. I love talking to them and showing them Singapore.

Oh, and i truly think today, that soccer is indeed a universal language! World Cup's message was especially evident to me today. Players may come from different backgrounds and spoke different languages, but when on the same playing field, both players and spectators were undoubtedly united by common purposes. It was really so delighting to see New Zealand, Thailand, Brunei and India cooperating so well together in their game and everyone from different countries watching their game with one heart! I love diversity and the flux that brings it together.

Flux is cool. I love flux.

Until further news from yours faithfully,
God bless friends. =)

Updates after A levels-and be thankful!

2007-11-27T00:18:00.000+08:00

Woo A levels are finally over! (haha it's been over long ago since last week, but James just has to relieve himself, unwind deadly stress, and celebrate all the good in the world and procrastinate with alacrity before embarking on simple2remember again...)

Yes A levels are finally and finally over! Alas!

Woo! Praise God that all of us endured through!

Now that all has been done, and we have put in our very best, let's just enjoy the remaining holidays (before the dreadful National Service for the truly blessed...) and live each day with a celebratory mood before we collect our results in March 2008! And i'm sure all of us will wear smiles on our faces. Well, you may doubt, but as i have learnt over these weeks, always hope for the best! Who knows? haha.

Life is just such a blessing. Be thankful that we are able to wake up every morning with a new surge of energy overflowing in us, ever indicative of the freshness and hopes ahead! Be appreciative of the morning air, the family we say "o-hai-yo!" to, and all the friends accompanying us for the rest of the day in orchard road, camps, shopping malls, expeditions and even online or on the phone! I love life.

And ah-ha, it's not only the holidays. Even when toiling in work during the daily worklife, isn't it such a blessing to be able to strive towards success each day and ever bearing the hope of enjoying the sweet fruits of labour one day? Not to forget all those comrades whom are always alongside you all day long with their most earnest encouragements and genuinely sincere fellowships! Be thankful! =)

Sometimes i feel thankful for the existence of poverty too, for the presence of wars and broken families and the woes of the needy. Yes i know that shouldn't be the case, BUT they do in fact show us how blessed the commonfolks like us are! Being born in a safe and peaceful country, having at least one close family member by your side, enjoying the company of at least one close friend, and not having to worry about not having enough to eat to fulfil the daily 3-meals requirement.... Aren't we just so blessed?

But in case you think James is a sadist rejoicing over others' misfortune, NO! haha. James is a regular volunteer at Meet the People's Sessions helping needy Singaporeans, a contant volunteer at South East CDC, and continuously initiating and running community projects!

It is the fact that i'm so blessed (although my family continuously is in a dynamic state of flux, and there is a mountain of debts yet to clear, and more...), that i truly want to use my time to help others and attempt to make their lives better. Well, that may not solve their problems entirely, but at least i'm sure my little efforts will help ease their a bit of their woes.

Always see the best in people, and always offer them hope in life. Motivate them! Encourage them! And belive at all times that the best can happen to them too! Let these be cornerstones in your lives too!

Haha some updates: I'm currently planning a pre-christmas party for 20 children from a children's home. Hosts for this party are of course our ever-super-duper-hyper youths from the Y2Y Network! (Y2Y Network is awesome man, by the way... Just look at our projects and our diversity of people... hahaha) Place should be at Jubilee Cinema (VIP LOUNGE!), and movie will be the gonna-be-released "Alvin and the chipmunks". It's a premiere (woo!) Who's says community work can't be fun and yet fruitful? =P

Y2Y Network youths, please call or message me if you are interested to help out. (Though i will most likely be calling you soon anyway haha)

There will be more updates and stories coming up on simple2remember soon! Do stay tuned, and lastly....

Be thankful for everything! =D

A new type of taste acquired - Japanese Rock!

2007-11-01T13:12:00.000+08:00

Haha yes, there haven't been any visible activity backed by empirical observations for a very long time, as many can perceive.

I'm now under the intense stress of A levels examinations - THE REAL ONE!

How i wish it's a period of hibernation instead. (drained out)

Haha it's been rather fine up till now, with Physics Paper 3 and General Paper past, and 9 more papers to go. And how i wish for 20th Novemeber to approach soon, where i can be liberated from such pressure!

This song is called Doubt & Trust by Access, and used for the latest opening theme of D Gray Man! And haha, yup, James is apparently super obsessed with D Gray Man and Jap Rock. But it isn't any major problem as sometimes i can really feel the beats of the songs helping me to drown the inner voices of my stress!
(You can get some more music from me if you want. Just contact me.)

Enjoy the song! =)

Until then, all the best for Maths Paper 1 tomorrow, and for the upcoming papers! Let's give it our best, comrades taking the A levels! Muahahaha.. (will share more about other experiences in due time_) =D

Oh and here's the anime opening version:

Chapter S1 - Probabilities

2007-09-23T12:42:00.000+08:00

Manipulating Statistics to your advantage

Aunt Bessie loved to visit her nieces and nephews. However, she had relatives all over the country.

The problem was that no matter how much she enjoyed seeing them, she hated flying. No matter how safe people told her it was, she was always worried that someone would have a bomb on the plane.

She read books about how safe it was and listened to the stewardess demonstrate all the safety features. But she still worried herself silly every time a visit was coming up.

Finally, the family decided that maybe if she saw the statistics she'd be convinced. So they sent her to a friend of the family who was an actuary.

"Tell me," she said suspiciously, "what are the chances that someone will have a bomb on a plane?"

The actuary looked through his tables and said, "A very small chance. Maybe one in five hundred thousand."

She nodded, then thought for a moment. "So what are the odds of two people having a bomb on the same plane?"

Again he went through his tables.

"Extremely remote," he said. "About one in a billion."

Aunt Bessie nodded and left his office.

And from that day on, every time she flew, she took a bomb with her.

(Now that's a smart lady_)

(contribution from ahajokes.com)

My Creation

2007-09-13T16:17:00.000+08:00

I looked with amazement as the gleam breaks through the clouds,
with approval it seems to penetrate my thoughts.
Feelings of loneliness overlap with confusion,
i know i will never be the past again.

Currents of passion streamed from the river of determination,
casting shadows over the weak of the soil.
I recognise the love from the jealous grass,
and liberate the tears of the sword.

With the soul of the Innocence
Let me overcome the barriers set up by truth for life
The storms will roar, and the skies will split,
sending down the light of fervent hope,
the way for me to carve
the power, the ambition, the resolution, the order,
as i commence back to the dawn...

With the joy of the sphere
Let me surmount the darkness within thee
spreading wings of feeble adoration,
i sought to contend.
The choice for peace, the righteous road,
the Innocence,
will utilise my strength
to overcome the barriers, the uncertainties, the evil...

And i will never be the past again...

As we loom closer to prelims...

2007-09-04T02:01:00.000+08:00

It's the official countdown once again and like many others, i just feel that time is forever not enough and we have just too much to cover. Well, at least the rest have not been like me, still actively involved in community projects until just 10 days ago.

I definitely have much much more to catch up relative to the rest of my peers,

and THIS IS A CRISIS.

Right now, studying is of paramount importance, and i have to muster up all courage, efforts and support possible. Argh why am i in all these mess? Papers and papers everywhere. "So sian."

Ok I have to tweak my method of studying now. Relax first, there're 6 days left, and no point giving 100% every day lest i run out of fuel when it comes to the real prelims. Let's take a genuine risk now, James. We step up our efforts over the days and peak during the next 2 weeks.

Let no other circumstances, people or matters blight the big Plan in life, and may your positive attitude perpetuate in your life.

FOCUS.

The reward at the end is always pleasing to the heart. =)

Study please...

2007-08-31T13:28:00.000+08:00

Right now, it's gonna be a tunnel vision all the way - that of A' levels and of Prelim Examinations.

However, with veracity, i just find it so hard to concentrate! Guess i have been too accustomed to doing Y2Y Network projects and being busy with community work that i really find it extremely uncomfortable to be not doing things related to South East CDC! Ok that's bad.

Probably i should find something else to distress along the long and arduous route of mugging for exams! Perharps blogging, swimming, going to the gym, maintaining my friendster (yes i do have one, http://www.friendster.com/jamestheguy [Do add me or post a comment!]) or research the stock market?

Ahh study first for now! We have to do well to make it further in life! Focus, Focus, focus...

P.S. As can be seen, James is under so much stress that he's behaving weirdly and not knowing what he's typing now. I hope he gets back to normal soon. :(

The value of "stopping time"

2007-08-29T15:17:00.000+08:00

Hello! I received an email from annabel a few days back which i think may be relevant and useful to some of us out there, who are either overly-stressed by the inevitable hounding of daily life or seeking an explanation somewhere.

Here goes:

hi people, i read this in a book and thought it was really relevant to those of us who rush through the day with really alot of things to do and get done (which is about, all of us?).

enjoy!

An excerpt from Prayer – Does it Make Any Difference? by Philip Yancey

Chapter Twenty: Prayer and me

Stopping Time

Anthony Bloom struggled to learn patience, with good reason. He lived a tumultuous life in a tumultuous century. After spending early years in Russia and Persia (now Iran), he fled as a refugee with his parents to France, where he served in World War II and trained as a surgeon.

Having no religious background, Bloom professed atheism until he experienced a dramatic conversion while reading the Gospel of Mark. Later he resigned his medical practice, entered the priesthood, and eventually rose to become the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan for Western Europe. In his book Beginning to Pray he tells of the crucial step of conquering his impatience and creating space for God by ‘stopping time’.

As a physician, Bloom was always focusing on the future. While examining one patient he would peer behind her into the next room to count the heads of those waiting to see him. By the end of his surgery hours, he had not the slightest recollection of the people he had seen. Furthermore, he found himself asking the same questions twice or three times, not remembering what he had just done. He decided he had to change his approach, by treating the patient before him as the only person who existed. Whenever he felt the urge, ‘I must be quick’, he forced himself to sit back and engage in small talk for a few minutes in order to keep himself from hurrying. Surprisingly, he found that he actually had more time during the day because he no longer had to repeat questions and procedures.

We must deliberately stop time that is trying to move too fast, Bloom decided. Say, ‘No’, and you will discover that time passes perfectly well and without the inner tension. ‘Can you imagine that only one minute goes by every minute? That is exactly what happens. It is strange, but it is true, though from the way we behave one might think that five minutes could rush by in thirty seconds.’

The practice of stopping time gradually transformed Bloom’s life with God. He concentrated on living in the present, recognizing that the past is irremediably gone and the future is irrelevant because who knows whether it will happen or not. Now, a fleeting instant, represents the intersection of eternity with time.

At certain times in the day Bloom would pause and say, ‘I am seated, I am doing nothing, I will do nothing for five minutes… I am here in the presence of God, in my own presence and in the presence of all the furniture that is around me, just still, moving nowhere.’ He practiced this for short periods, two to five minutes, when tempted to fidget. Then he extended the few minutes to a longer time, learning to be calm and serene in those intervals, before resuming his busy schedule.

To his amazement Bloom found that the rest of the world could, in fact, wait five minutes while he was not busy with it. He learned that even the most pressing tasks, which normally would fill up his mind, could be postponed for three, five, or ten minutes – and in fact he did those tasks more calmly and quickly after the interludes. Eventually he linked those stop-time moments to a protracted time of prayer in the morning and evening.

He began each day in quiet and stillness, acknowledging that the day itself was a gift of God, something that had never existed before, a chance for a new start. It stretched before him like a vast expanse of unspoiled snow in his native Russia. ‘This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ He prayed to enter that day as God’s own messenger, carrying God’s presence to everyone he met. Then at night he would review all that had happened, committing both the progress and the failures to a gracious God. The day is now spent; it rests in God’s hands.

Intervals of stillness and prayer became for Bloom a series of markers, strung together like pearls in a necklace, reminding him of the true nature of reality. Life is not a meaningless sequence of actions but an arena in which to live out the will of another world, the kingdom of heaven. Prayer is a state as much as an act, a fact that easily gets forgotten when we confine it to one or two isolated instances a day.

I point to Anthony Bloom (who died in 2003) because it would be dishonest to pretend I have achieved the discipline he recommends. When I sense that my activity means something and has worth, and so move faster and faster trying to accomplish more and more, at that moment I give in to pride and a feeling that all depends on me. What a foolish thought. My heart could stop beating within the hour, my brain could fail from an aneurysm. This present moment itself is a gift from God – I would live more realistically, and at the same time accomplish far more, if I allowed that fundamental truth to pervade my day.

in His love and mine,
bel

i guess that the realization that the past is truly a past and the inner acceptance of it would enable us to move on and produce the best of what we can or could in the future. By seeing each moment as a precious gift to you by God due to His love for you and being thankful for it is probably one of the most important cornerstones of happiness.

BACK

2007-08-01T22:02:00.000+08:00

OK things are getting back into control again for now.

James is currently undergoing strong recovery and is expected to conclude a strong growth rate at the end of the year. Stock price increased by 25.9% this week, the highest positive rate since 11th July 2007.

Well, with the PSC (Public Service Commission) Psychometric Test for potential scholars coming up, and an invitation to a Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship (SAFOS) tea-session on the 18th August, appreciation is anticipated to come into great force strongly. Furthermore, with active involvement in Y2Y Network, South East CDC's upcoming major projects as an overall project mentor heading the committees, James is believed to be able to come into stronger growth.

The only compromise James might have is a declining physical fitness, which he has so neglected after the National Canoe seasons. However, this is considered by some to be a manageable problem given the time surplus James now possess without canoeing and setting his life back on track again.

While we pray for his continued momentum,
Let's wait for the official quarterly reports to be released.

It's all over.

2007-07-14T01:31:00.000+08:00

I didn't expected it. Really. I didn't.

It was really a joke from heaven, planned so perfectly for me to fall into it. I have since lost faith in many many things.

DISQUALIFIED.

That's the word which i hated the most. Yes, i made it to the semi-finals on Tuesday. I got second for my heats.

And yes, i did "made it" to the finals on Wednesday. But wait, split seconds after my cry of triumph and victorious punch into the air, i was disqualified due to an underweight boat. Everything was like a joke.
Everything was like a joke.
Everything was like a joke.
Everything was like a joke.
Everything was like a joke.
Everything was like a joke.
Everything was like a joke.

And everything was like a joke.

It's all over now. No one expected this outcome. There was supposed to be a bag of rocks in my boat which would make everything balanced out perfectly well. BUT, it seems like all luck was against me. While my juniors were carrying out my boat for me to launch it into the water, this bloody bag of rocks slipped out in the process and none of us noticed it.

SO, i actually rowed without the bag of rocks. An underweight boat. Something which heaven only made me realised after i have won and qualified for the finals. This is really some f***ing sh**. i put in my best. And i qualified. And i did not.

I have really lost faith in many many things. I have even lost myself.

It was an accident of course. Not one to blame. Even if there is it should be me and myself only. It's all over. It's all over.

1 and a half years of hard work. The sweat, the blood and the tears. It all ended in the worst way possible for me and for RJC. And i encountered the worst mistake of my lifetime. All these preparation gone to waster because of such a stupid reason. I feel really useless.

And yes, what people "knew", claimed to know, and propagate: "James didn't make it! He got disqualified.", "RJC sucked this year.", "This batch didn't train hard enough"... I'm really sick and tired of all these. It's not as if i didn't make it to the finals. OK I DID NOT MAKE IT. I AM WEAK. HAPPY?

I'm tearing apart from within. I can't lift my head high in school at all today. This feeling sucked. I'm sorry everyone. I'm sorry RJC. I couldn't get the badly needed points for the college. I'm sorry friends-those who came down to support and those who gave great spiritual support. And i'm sorry coach, i didn't make it.

It's all over.
It's all over.
It's all over.
It's all over.
It's all over.

And it's really all over. Bye Canoeing. Bye Kira, my paddle. And bye shui shang piao, my boat. I love all of you. But i'm sorry i failed you.

I'm sorry.

The best to your futures, though i can't be there anymore.

7 more days!

2007-07-03T17:10:00.001+08:00

As the day of the heats approaches,

my heart just became more and more nervous.
The anticipation,

the fear,

the possibilities.

I've gotten myself into a really tough heats.

Look.

This is heats 1 of the T-1 500m race.
Lane 1: NYJC 2
Lane 2: NJC 2
Lane 3: CJC 1
Lane 4: ACJC 2
Lane 5: HCI 1
Lane 6: RJC 1

Super duper competitive.

Featuring NJC who always row like a champion in my heats,
and the HCI guy who is damn strong in his rowing.

(We rowed together once 250m and drew, but he went on to beat another T-2 boat in my school after that)

The CJC rower is not one to be reckon with either. He's the captain of his college.

One who cheong (according to coach)

With these "star rowers", pardon me,

but i think ACJC and NYJC can forget about many things.

Further obstacles to me.

The competition will be held at Bedok Reservoir this year,

for the first time.

Down there,

Buoys are around 150m apart.

(compared to 25m between two buoys in MacRitche)

This is a big challenge.

(Not to get out of lane accidentally and get disqualified)

Not to forget Lane 6 is my weakest lane everytime during training.

(Will i eat the HCI guy's backwash and got affected in my rowing like crazy?)

Me,

I'm never going to give up!

I'm one big force they should fear too!

Let's see on 10th July, the race of the day!

My strength will come from a source which provides all power-

That will bring me through to the finals.

I believe

The finishing line shall be my victory.

Refuge Camp!

2007-06-26T00:03:00.000+08:00

The chaotic situation above is a typical illustration of how my table area looks like during periods of war between me and the common test papers. (Looks quite manageable to me actually.) As can be seen, a lack of administrative procedures (file your work!) can be destructive. Having food near your table is a good idea too. Not to forget making entertainment facilities readily available.. Hmmm..

This picture was taken during March this year. Of course things are now much better, and i swear i'm at least 2% more organized! Nevertheless, James is still going to suffer very badly for Chemistry tomorrow! Oops, or should i say today? Die, die... Expect a high casualty rate...

Mug, mug, mug...

All the way for Canoe Champioships 07!

2007-06-23T02:15:00.000+08:00

And finally...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, this is it. I received the confirmation 23 Days before the National A division Canoeing Championships.

"James, will be competing in the T-1 boat 500m race in the Championships, representing RJC!"

and hence the motivation and this "calendar" set up with the courtesy of my sister.

==> Yup that's her. (small picture so as to not overshadow the main content of this post =P)

Indeed, hard work paid off. Training and struggling so hard for the whole of these 2 months has indeed not been wasted. To repeat again, I AM COMPETING FOR RJC! Woohoo, and the endorphin level. (which will be even higher when i win a medal, heh)

Right now, I'm in a really excited mood whenever i think of the championships that is going to occur in 17 days time. By then, I would be comfortably tucked into my T-1 boat, raising my paddle and getting ready for the whole race, with a "gonna give my best for RJC"-kind-of-mood! Cool man.

And the race will begin and I'll be rowing my best in my boat,...

Just like this!

And expect extremely fierce and intense competition from the super-tough and "monster-like" opponents from other JCs!

Wow Cool!

Ok Ok, all the fantasies are going to make me explode with joy and excitement. I'm gonna win the race! I'm gonna conquer the heats, the semi-finals and then the finals! I'm gonna achieve a medal for my school, my coach, my teammates, my friends, and myself!

ROAR!!!!

Let's work hard for the remaining 17 days, Raffles Canoeists! We're going to make it. We're going to punch our fists in the air on July 10 and July 12! Oh ya, talking about July 10, the Tuesday, hmmm... Come and support me if you can, Friends!! Your support will definitely be deeply appreciated by yours sincerely (especially if i have already asked you to! =p). My race will most probably be in the afternoon. So come to Bedok Reservoir after school! Do msg me if you would like to come down. =)

And,

looking forward to demostrate this triumphant punch of victory!!! Aye aye, Captain!

i shall win a medal for you. it's a promise.

Nice Video

2007-05-07T00:18:00.000+08:00

Just came upon this video posted by Shenglin on the RJC Canoeing Blog. http://www.dontpissinthewater.blogspot.com/
Nice Music (especially emo when listening to it at the dead of the night),
and Cute Pictures too....
and for the her who will ever see it... ... ...

Enjoy! =)

Bush's reasons for war with Iraq

2007-05-06T00:33:00.000+08:00

Haha here you can see his reasons for war in another perspective,
as seen in this picture.

This cartoon is from http://www.hilarious-pictures.com/. Most of the pictures there are not really that hilarious though (Disclaimer: personal opinion only!).

Cheers =)

Smile Friends!

2007-05-04T23:11:00.000+08:00

Ok this is random.
But it suddenly came upon me that the world would be a much happier and better place if everyone carries a smile around and passes on his joy to others! Coolness.

Smile Everyone! yays. =D

Go Go GO! (to my comrades)

2007-05-02T10:56:00.000+08:00

Comrades,

Whatever that has happened has already occured. Let us now discard the past to the distant past and trek on ahead with the real goals we have in our minds- Those which we have been planning for and desiring desperately since a long long time ago.

This year- the year 2007 is our year! It's the year to see us emerge as the star of stars and the crown of crowns amongst all those competing with us. Let's focus and really focus and truly do it. Crush all those who will be weaker than us and achieve our dreams. 2007. The year which sees us leaping our final hurdle-the A levels; the year which sees us at the peak of our college achievements; the year which sees us just a few steps away from the 18 years-old young adulthood (some may be already there); and the year which will see us making a REAL difference in our lives!

Comrades! While some of us are still slacking, in their unawakened state, and others already fighting hard, whether struggling or not, we should view this moment as the time we must wake up now, shout out thunders of victory, roars of strengths that will definitely frighten our opponents and make them tremble. This is our final year. Whatever could be done should be carried out NOW! Let's do our best comrades. Let's join in the battle with full throttle.

At the end of the day, whether it's your 4 As, National A divisions Gold Medal, Outstanding Testimonials, or the PSC Scholarship you have always been aiming for, will you be your own "conquerer" and proudly proclaim that you did it, and have no regrets that you had put in your very very best? OR, will you be at a forsaken corner, weeping to yourself, feeling remorseful, and whining in self-pity for being MEDIOCRE, lazy, slack, procrastinating when you could have done much better?

Comrades. No year could be better than this year for us to shine. LET'S DO IT NOW!

Your Age by Eating Out

2007-04-08T12:48:00.001+08:00

I got this from http://bigshottexas.blogspot.com
the first reading may seem amazing to you (well i was amazed by that too initially), but subsequently, a more careful analysis of the steps would show you how these calculations actually work. It's just child-play heh. Alright, read on first and see if you can find the flaw in the steps which would give you the same answer no matter what you choose in the first step.

"
Don't tell me your age; you probably would tell a falsehoodanyway
-but your waiter may know!

YOUR AGE BY DINER & RESTAURANT MATH

This is pretty neat.

DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!
It takes less than a minute .
Work this out as you read ...
Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it
out!
This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you
would like to go out to eat.
(more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1757 ....
If you haven't, add 1756.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number

The first digit of this was your original number (I.e., how! Many times you want to go out to restaurants in a week.)

The next two numbers are
YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2007) IT WILL EVER WORK,
SO SPREAD ITAROUND WHILE IT LASTS
"

OK read the following only after you've done your analysis and wanna know how this actually works.

Solution:
The key is in step 6. The rest are all bulls**t. =P

Funny Cartoon of the day

2007-03-31T19:33:00.000+08:00

Yay it's back again! The olden days...

Ok, just in case we still do not know James' attitude towards the different genders, my own thoughts are that James is fundamentally a sexist who up to date still holds strongly the view that women can't drive and he laughs whole-heartedly in his inner self whenever he encounters a struggling female trying to attempt a simple turn near a bend or park her vehicle slightly accurately into a parking lot. (erm of course there're exceptions but maybe the ratio of these exceptions to the majority is 1:100? )

No offence. Scientifically, men should be stronger than women both in brains and general physical abilities right? But one thing's for sure. Women are rising. Beware Men! But don't worry we can reign for at least the next few decades and as long as we are smart enough to play our cards well, we can be dominating for the upcoming next few centuries as well!

Aspirations

2007-03-30T21:33:00.000+08:00

The James this time feels a distinctive difference in his perceptions of the world.

I think I am beginning to learn for myself how to see things on a wider perspective now. Probably I have not attain the masterly worldly level of skills and gain the abilities to criticise about global issues yet, but I believe that i'm now able to see the Singapore society better and clearer. The bottom 20% of households in terms of income, the problems they face, the sensitive and fragile ethnic ratios, the woes of the middle-income, polically apathetic youths, community problems, Singapore's foreign relations, and many more are a few of many pressing problems faced by the society needing to be resolved which just appeared more apparent to me this year.

I went to the MOE Scholarship seminar conducted by the MOE in their Ministry building today. This, coupled with an earlier Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship talk held in RJC by the PSC, has aided me carve my future path out for my life after RJC. I have decided. Though i want to bring myself and my family out of the poverty cycle, i shall not aim to start my own business empire at the expense of others' cash.

Definitely, we need more future pillars of the society to make the crucial decision to stand and rise up to these challenges mentioned in the second paragraph. I may not be up to the task, but I hereby make a committment to attempt to enrich myself with the necessary skills so that i may serve the nation diligently in the future. I will aspire to be the next PSC scholar of Singapore and a future young changemaker in the civil service!

May God bless me in this extremely uphill mission. I will do my best.

And I will let go of whatever I think is not worth it to retain, because i ain't superman.

Reflections Log for MPS 26/03/2007

2007-03-27T02:05:00.000+08:00

Finally! Simple2remember has returned! Officially, let's start the 2nd post this year - with the inspiring experience just now at Chua Chu Kang until 11.15pm (and mind you, i live in Yishun.) Of course, expect more updates and previous interesting experiences which i have yet to share.

Today was the first Meet-the-People-Session (MPS) where the 3 RJC students were attached to Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Zaqy Mohamad for the first time. The 3 students-me (James), Rae and Desmond met at 6.45pm at Chua Chu Kang MRT station and reported to the PAP Keat Hong Branch at Blk 353 Choa Chu Kang Central #01-313 Singapore 680353 at 7pm.

For the first few moments of meeting up with a few of the senior volunteers who help out regularly at the MPSs, we chatted about our schools, background and how we can learn from each other over a catered dinner. Mr Zaqy Mohamad came at about 7.20pm and interacted with us for a brief 20 minutes, where he talked to us about the mechanism of the MPS, purpose and importance of it, different kinds of situations we might encounter, as well as a new format that he wished to try out that night for the MPS. Mr Zaqy is an amicable man who shared with us generously on his thoughts and views on many matters ranging from the problems faced by middle-income families to globalization and shifting economies.

Typically, a constituent has to wait 2 times per MPS- once to meet up with a petition writer who pens the letter on behalf of the MP, and another to meet the MP one-to-one to inform the MP of his/her problems. Mr Zaqy’s revised format for that night was to skip the second queuing procedure and he overcomes it by walking from table to table, speaking to the constituent about his/her problems, and reaching a conclusion and after-action right on the spot. In this way, the constituent only needs to queue once. Personally, I feel that this is an efficient approach which could save a lot of waiting time even though I myself have not experienced the first format of MPS before. However, one disadvantage would be that the MP would have to walk around from place to place, probably getting tired more easily since he has to do the walking physically, and organize many things on the spot. For Mr Zaqy’s case, we can see that he was very enthusiastic and passionate about helping out his constituents, never revealing any sense of lethargy all night.

The experience tonight was an extremely fruitful one. The 3 of us were given the privileged opportunity to seat right beside petition writers (one petition writer to one of us) and we were able to find out first-hand, more about the common problems faced by the constituents and interact with them directly. I was even given the chance to take over the petition writer for several occasions and draft the petition letters myself! For today, me and my attached petition writer-Mr Cheong encountered a ___________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________(haha sorry i can't leak out the individual details =P) ___________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___. I did the petition letters for the last 4 mentioned cases by myself, with the guidance of Mr Cheong!

Through this MPS experience, and the words of Mr Zaqy Mohamad, I found out that we should always be clear on what the resident needs to appeal for, for what he actually needs may be different from what he is saying. For example, in the case of the _____________________ __________________________________________________________________ _____(alright if you really wanna know more about what's on these lines, appraoch me!)___ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Also, I learnt that we should always consider other forms of help a resident may need. For example, if a resident has arrears, he/she may also need financial assistance too. In this case, we should check his/her income, household situation etc to see if he/she qualifies for financial aid and help him/her with the application. This learning point was illustrated in my encountered with the ____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________(sorry can't leak out! Find me if you wanna know more!=P)______________ __________________________________________________________________

The MPS is important in the sense that it provides a good means of communicating first-hand with the residents and allows a direct understanding of the problems they face and thus, arrangements can be made to help ease their pains and difficulties. After all, the MP was voted by the people to represent their voices in parliament and to take care of their general well-being.

The 3 of us stayed to help out and gain tremendous amount of new knowledge at the MPS until 11.15pm, when we reluctantly bid goodbye to Mr Zaqy Mohamad and the volunteers as we had to be home earlier to prepare for school the next day. Overall, the MPS session tonight was a pleasurable experience and indeed, we had learnt much new things and developed a new perspective towards the government and residents’ needs.

That's all folks tonight! or should it be "this morning"? Alright, James is even more motivated now to work in the civil service and probably even as a MP in the future (Yea i know people will start saying things like "tell me when that happens cos i'll migrate" and "oh no, Singapore will collaspe!" ................................... But one day i'll show you guys! Humph!). So, you've got to work hard, James. The future is still ahead! Jia You!

(more updates coming up...)

Let the year 2007 start now...OFFICIALLY.

2007-03-27T02:01:00.000+08:00

The passing of a 3 months-14 days-1 hours-03 minutes-hibernation period now signifies the awakening of simple2remember.
Life will never be the same again.

My experience in working so far...(part 1)

2006-12-15T00:59:00.000+08:00

I've gotten myself a holiday job in a drug-pharmaceutical company, working as a "everything-worker".
Ha! I know it sounds strange, but it's true. The things that i'm supposed to do and those things which my boss, the "business development manager" (Hah see the sarcasm?:P) tells me to do, really made me seem like a "bao-ka-liao" worker. That's what they call it in Hokkien.

I must say, this company is really full of funny people, though there're only A FEW people in this company. =_=
We have the boss, who is always being criticised, and laughed at behind his back... George, sales manager, 50 years old, who looks rather cute for his age... His actions like teletubby.. Jacqueline, which i don't know whether i spelt her name correctly, who's always complaining about the company and laughing all day long.. and ME and YVONNE, the part-time workers, who are like the admin-packing-labelling-labour-maid workers in the company.

Hmmm 5 people. And wait! One more came in today. A rich tai-tai 47-year-old lady, Catherine, who has been in this company for 16 years..But i only saw her today...=_=

(Anyway, i literally encountered the "=_=" expression on my face numerous times every day ever since i start working in this company...=_=..)

And she's the legend! She's the legend! She's the legend i swear... Here's her history.. When i first joined the company and was introduced to the staff, i was told by my boss that she, being one of the sales manager, was hospitalised because of asthma and took MC for a week. Awww poor thing, that's what i felt at that time. But, But, But, further interesting facts came out of the other colleagues' mouths right after i got out of the boss' office.

Here's one. I asked around how did Catherine get hospitalised. And here's one of the responses i received:"Hahahahahaha... She told the boss that she got asthma and needs to go to hospital. Then she applied leave for a week and then went off."

Another perspective:"She looked and sounded so fit at that time, and still smiling while she said she has asthma attack."

=_=

Wow... It's either she's a super calm and composed wonder-woman or she's a holiday-maker.. I was like =_= at first and then it became "hahahahahahah" for the rest of the days. This laughter reached its peak today morning when i reported to work at 9am and saw her for the first time there. A CHEERFUL "Hello" sounded out and then after confirming her identity discreetly with the sam-bas (38 in chinese) in the office-yvonne and jacqueline-, i began to "hahahahahhahaha" all the way for the whole of today. Of course, we never let Catherine know what we were laughing about for the whole day today (laugh until cannot finish work gotta OT!), but i dropped hints sarcastically to her and it was really funny today.

Well, I know i'm bad but i can't help but burst into laughter suddenly at the office. Imagine.. Seeing one worker wearing face-mask to work in the office all day long and then you are reminded of the history of her "asthma attack" and "hospitalisation" and "MC" and there she is looking so fit and cheerful to you, cracking jokes which are not funny, but you know you just had to laugh because she is just so funny. Hah, you know funny in what ways...

That's her with her face-mask, meant to protect her from another "asthma attack". =_=

Haha, that's only one funny aspect of the company. Now, we shall take a look at what me and yvonne-the maids did yesterday, which i really really must blog about! Julius, our boss, said, "Hey, James and Yvonne ah (he always use "ah"), can you clean up the old office and the whole warehouse...blah blah blah... (instructions on detailed cleaning)"

Well, if the warehouse is smaller or less dustier, James would be like "Oh sure, Sir, no problem!". But, look at the warehouse.

The dust on top of everything inside is enough to fill up the Coastal area of East Coast Beach... =_=

Alright, let's get to work. Sweeping, moving boxes, wiping shelves, arranging goods and the INTERESTING THINGS in the old office... Dust particles were literally flying all over the place the moment we lifted or wiped somehing, creating a smokescreen that was worse than the haze last month, choking us both in the mouth and in the eyes. There were moments that i can only see black in my vision because of the dust-screen formed by moving surfaces of boxes. (that would make a good pokemon attach to reduce accuracy) So, i was like, give me goggles too! Besides the face-mask, which was insufficient, and i could still taste dust in my nose and mouth and the place was smelly too. Don't ask me why, i don't wanna know either..:P

=_=

At least now i could understand how Catherine got her asthma, but her process of getting leave was still extremely funny to me too. Imagine... "Hey Julius, I've got an asthma attack. I going hospital, so take leave for one week ah.. ok thanks,. Bye bye!!(cheerful tone)" =_=

And ah-ha, i can also understand now why George always talk to me like as if he is going to die out of breath the next instance all the time. He's been in the warehouse for years! And if being in there for a few days can give you an "asthma attack", then George must be really strong and James and Yvonne second strongest. Ok sarcasm!

Haha anyway, this company is funny in the way that it contains "funny" items both in the warehouse and old office too! Let me share with you the wonderful things we discovered during the rumble with the dust.

A mahjong set... (Maybe the staff here last time are big-time slackers who played mahjong during working hours..)

(But surely not this Tamia car?)

(And not this strange gigantic latern too i supposed?)

Or maybe they spent their time shading 4D?

Or probably drawing Christmas cards, which we saw a whole big carton full of stacks of these cards in it..

But, that's not the worse.. If you were to infer what the old staff members have been doing based on the items you discover, then what would the following items show...

Haha i'll leave it to your imagination....

And i wonder what these bottles of shampoo and showering soap were for...erm to clean up after "work"?...Hmmm... =_=

see! I told you guys this is a "funny" company.. And stay tuned. There'd be more coming up while i continue to explore this company.. Anyway, those things you see earlier have been removed. i asked for all these to be thrown away. HAha.

Right now, work, work, and more work! Look at the length of the invoices coming out of the printer... And there's work tomorrow! Must reach by 9am, which means i need to wake up by 7am. Look at the time now!! Wa-ah-ah...

Dreading-work-but-enjoying-though-James

0248hrs

15/12/2006

Bimbotic..

2006-12-15T00:28:00.000+08:00

haha with responses to complaints that i haven't been updating my blog for a long time, i shall start a quick one here with some bimbotic pictures of me.. Hopefully these can be some eye candies for you OR not scare off my readers too much.. (Haha since there're seldom pictures of me which you can see in this blog this make them a rarity! =P)

Self-posing for a photo with my digital camera while on the way to Sentosa for a class chalet on the 21st Nov. My best photo so far leh (i think), so you guys better say it's not bad. :P

Next up, from the fashion designer Fizzy's camera phone, we have...

Haha don't be alarmed.. Even I myself wonder whether if it's real too... Hmmm..

Ah-ha... A nice and oldies shot by Fizzy this time round. It was taken in the conference room of Braddell Heights Community Centre during early November while we were helping the Women's Executive Committee preparing for Fashion Fiesta 06. (nice?)

Retarded picture taken in coffeebean somerset in early July this year while giving out flyers for y2y network. I think it looks really retarded.. (oh-no...)

Coolios!

Enjoying-Holiday-James

0058hrs

15/12/2006

DISCLAIMER: This is fictional yea?=P

2006-11-21T10:38:00.000+08:00

Supplementary Notes: The Goods & Services Tax (GST) is a general tax that affects ALL classes of consumers, be they poor or rich. Take for example 5%. If you are rich, you pay 5% of the total price of a good you purchase to the government. And if you are poor, you too pay 5% of the total price of a good you purchase to the government. If for instance, this percentage is increased to 7%, the poor would definitely be the ones who suffer more as they would most likely be the ones who feel a larger impact on their reduction in real income. So, unless the government is actually paying these poor families cash or tax rebates DIRECTLY, there's no reason to say that increasing a tax percentage can benefit the poor. And if the government claims that increasing taxes serves as a policy to increase the pool of money to take care of the poor better, isn't it moving towards a welfare state, where the rich are heavily taxed to provide for the poor? Also, as stated earlier, the GST is a general tax which affects ALL classes of consumers. It is often largely debated whether the government's purpose to increase such taxes is to increase its reserves for the country and boost an image of an effective government leading a rich country to its international neighbours.

Note: This is purely fictional! It's a hypothetical situation created to stimulate analytical thoughts in our holiday-rusty brains..=P I wouldn't want to see GST increase though, personally.

This test illustrates how dependent we've become on our computers..

2006-11-21T10:13:00.000+08:00

Are you male or female?

To know the answer, look down!!!

Not here, Stupid!
__._,_.___ =P

adapted from http://bigshottexas.blogspot.com/

Character of the month-MY BROTHER!

2006-11-19T14:44:00.000+08:00

A new policy we can implement here in this blog-The Character of the Month!
Ok here goes. The principle is very simple (simple2remember heh?:P). It works like just any feature article you can find on the monthly magazines. Based on my encounters and mood, i'll select a particular person every week (i try my best yea?) and talk about him or her for the entire post. Through this section, it is hoped that readers can know more about the people i interact with and hence an insight on my thoughts and life. Excited? OK here goes the first...

My little brother-Xiang!!

Here's his profile
Name: Yong Jun Xiang (no christian name tentatively)
Age: 5
Institution: Chong Pang Sparklelots PAP Kindergarten
Hobbies: Singing, dancing (esp. to Wilber Pan's songs), being spiderman

Well, i just love my brother. Although he has a age difference of 12 YEARS OLD with me, there is no doubt that he brings me joy and fun throughout the day, and at night too. Here's a cycle of my daily life in the holidays with him. Every morning, while still snoring in my sleep, there would be screams by him waking me up from my dreams to bring him to school at 8am in the morning. "Kor!! Wake up and bring me to school!! Don't be so lazy!!" would be the crazy exclamations by him every morning at 8am. 8am!! in the holidays! Alrights, don't get too emotional. As usual, piggy James would answer back a simple "Orh!" and then try to establish reconnection with dreamland again.

Now, at 8.30am, Xiang would come and shake his brother violently again, this time shouting:"Kor, i've already brushed my teeth and wear my uniform. Can you bring me to school now?" Awww.. so sincere.. Alrights then. So within 10 minutes, i had washed myself, brushed my teeth, and gotten ready to bring him to school. Xiang is full of crap. Haha i know this term is normally used to describe crappy teenagers like us. But trust me, that 5-year-old is full of crap too. From talking about how fast he can run, to his spiderman adventures, to his dreams, and kindergarten classmates, the whole journey from home to school is never boring. However, you can imagine how i would "Orh, orh, ya. ya." all the way since the time would be from 8.45am to 9am during the period i bring him to school.

So the life goes on. He being in school until 5pm and me doing my "business" outside until then. I have a "busy" life even in the holidays. Haha really. And yup, no matter how busy, i try most of the time to fetch my little brother from school to home too. And another session of chit-chatting between us commences.

And yup, this is his favourite pose for any picture in front of the camera. A smile with largely diminished eyes and two fingers on the cheek on each side.. (Compare this to the first picture..) No creativity! Haha..

Xiang is caring to all his family members too. Even though he would go great measures to get himself a sweet or cold drink, ultimately he has all of our interests at heart. It would make him happy if i buy him a packet of sweets, and at the same time, sad too because my sister didn't get one. Also, he never fail to hold our hands when we go out together. My relationship with my brother is even closer because we share the same single bed at night. Well, i know it's squeezy and can get overly warm at times, but i just love his presence beside me, and i bet he doesn't mind, since he's always the one persuading me to go and accompany him to sleep every night. Of course, there is a mattress available every night, but we seldom used it. Even when we do use it, it's rarely we sleep separately. So, you can imagine how much of a trouble he becomes when i go for ovenight camps outside. =P

So, to conclude, you can imagine how much me and my family members love my younger brother, and how much he loves us.

Some more pictures...

My brother with mum...

And my brother and me on my birthday!!

Take care everybody, esp my sisters. Let us all enjoy ourselves in the holidays and bring back much good memories and learnings.=)

Nothing-much-to-do-James

1813hrs

19/11/2006

A meaningful experience at the NCC HQ

2006-10-29T21:43:00.000+08:00

It's been long since i experienced that feeling in my heart---the nice feeling of knowing that you just made someone's day. For me on the 26th of October, it was not just making someone's day, but rather the smiles of the 20 boys and girls from the Balestier Special School which makes my day.

Strictly speaking, since being enrolled in RJC, i have done little community work which caters to the less fortunate. My CIP hours before Thursday all came from helping out in South East CDC, RJC Open House, Canoeing and other work which doesn't exactly benefit the less fortunate. Yesterday's experience has therefore appeared much more significant in my life.

On the morning of 26th October 2006 (a school-day!), i started feeling compassion and seeing kind acts in the NCC HQ. This is exceptionally unusual, because in the NCC HQ, the daily things we see all day long are Cadet Lieutanants, SAF Sergeants, and occasionally the Lieutanants and Captain scolding the lower ranks using all sorts of "styles" available under the Earth. (Hey, don't take this to heart ok? It's James' own "exaggerated" view.. heh.) So, what happened first in the campus on that day was Captain Leong, our District Commander, buying sets of McDonalds' Big Breakfast meals and sausage Muffins with Eggs for each of his staff working in his office and the cadet lieutanants helping out on that day, which includes me! What a wonder! Just imagine! Eating McDonalds as breakfast in an army camp! And this Captain, hmmm, can be really really fierce if he wants to at times.. Scary..

But the most dramatic was not yet to come.

Soon after our breakfast, settling of logistics, and the 20 Special kids coming in, Captain Leong literally evolved from the stern-face Commander into a fatherly character full of smiles and love for children. Trust me, any EAST CLT who might be there would get a total shock. Captain Leong, with unlimited energy, went about from point to point, interacted with the children and their teachers, and attempted to make all of them laugh by carrying them, saying funny things, and doing all sorts of things you can do to make these children aged from around 6 to 9 years old giggle.

Well, seeing such enthusiasm sprouting out from our top leader, the CLTs started getting friendly and followed our leader's example too.. Now, that's what i called lead-by-example. The kids from Balestier Special School who came to our NCC HQ are different from normal children and they do not have the chance to go for National Service (NS), unlike perfectly healthy youths like us. Yet, when they are being given the army camouflage uniform to wear, their faces revealed a state of happiness and the pride of being a soldier. (Shame on the healthy ones who dread NS at all costs man! =p) But well, although soldiers must be faced with tough training and sharpening of skills regularly, it was our purpose to let them enjoy themselves the most they can since they were the special guests of the NCC HQ. So, through fun games and team-building exercises, we did our best to bring joy to them, as well as to relate to them. Captain Leong, by lowering his status to mingle around with the kids and removing any social barriers there might be, has shown us an excellent example of the things we can and should do in this camp and how we can do it well. Hey, come to think of it, you can't tell another person to go act like a clown to impress the kids when you, as a leader, wash your hands off the matter and use "eye-power" only! Captain Leong is a good leader. However, it's rather sad that he is stepping down at the end of this year to return to his teaching career again.. Hopefully, the new District Commander would be a nice guy on par with or even better than him...

Oh! And talking about his, would buying Big Breakfast in the morning for all his staff and CLTs be a final publicity campaign to leave a lasting good impression in our hearts before he leaves the NCC?=p haha, just a wild thought... Captain Leong isn't like this, i hope? Heh.

Anyway, back to the main track, the things we did for the kids in NCC HQ included the standard obstacle course in the HQ, low elements, paint-ball, a display of aeromodelling by the Air District CLT, and even showing them videos of Hi-5 when it was raining and no outdoor actvities could be done! 1-2-3-4-hi-5!!

Of course, the route on Thursday was not a bed of roses. Dealing with children, the playfulness and noise were existent all the time. You can constantly see some random kids running about and screaming, sometimes into the danger zones (like the paint-ball area), which absolutely took your guts out of you. You can also see some "dao-kia", who would not talk at all costs, amongst those who wouldn't not talk at all costs too! What a wonderful mix.=p

But nothing beats the overall nice feeling of knowing that u are helping people who are less fortunate than you and definitely, the smiles of these children when u played with them and give them gifts.

The most funny and joyful moment would be the Certificate Presentation Ceremony. Down there, i was the one giving out the Camp Feast Certificate to these cute little children while another CLT was in-charge of calling out their names. Now, before i continue to share these experiences, i must state clearly that this was the most hilarious certificate ceremony ever and i definitely enjoyed myself a lot. Haha. Just thinking of it makes me laugh. In this ceremony, we have children who do not response to thier names and require lots of prompting, children who response over-enthusiastically to thier names (one ran to me at light-speed and fell face-down with extreme-light-speed.. haha i know that's super bad, but i found it funny..haha.sadist-.-), children who response to every name (one came out to receive certificate 4 out of 5 times other people's names were called), children who gave strange responses when their names were being called out (one knelt and crawled on the floor when receiving his cert!), and children who posed for photographs by taking the cert and then going to a corner without me! Haha imagine a scholar doing this at a scholarship presentation ceremony!

Anyway, to sum up, I liked the feeling of heping these kids and they certainly brightened up my life despite me having a tired day and having to pon school (heh..). I felt my strongest emotions when we were waving goodbye to each other as they left the NCC campus on their chartered bus. The smiles, faces, thanks, and everything... That night, i even dreamt of them. Hmmm.. These poor children may face further difficulties in their process of growing up, but they do enjoy something which we normal humans often fail to appreciate. That is, the simplicity of things. It's simple to please these little innocent souls, and easy to see their smiles, in the most pure state. These people are also the ones who will feel contented with life easily. But for us humans living in this competitive society, we have evolved to become such complicated creatures that material needs, and sometimes spiritual needs are no longer able to fill up those desires in the heart. We are never satisified and we always seek for more and more and more.. Our relationships are complicated too. Love triangles, rivalry, dysfunctional families.. All these often reflect the ugly side of human nature, how each person for his own selfish gains, tries to eliminate others.

Actually, many things can be made more bearable and many hearts satisfied just by thinking things in a simpler manner. If you're forever concerned about personal things such as whether the girl u have a crush on would like you back, or you die-die also must have an i-pod, think about those kids. There are much more meaningful things in the world for you to think and do about. Some people are starving, others are facing abuse, and nations are in conflict with each other... These issues certainly pose a bigger problem to the human race than your crush or i-pod. I have thus decided to work hard and delicate myself to helping others and making Earth a better place.

Others-above-Self!

thankful-and-Inspired-James
1252hrs
31/10/2006

P.S. Lots of thanks to NCC for opportunities. And hopefully i can go Exercise Thunder Warrior in New Zealand next year Feb. Stupid RJC already caused me cannot go Australia this year..:(

Now, the much awaited Results!

2006-10-24T22:26:00.000+08:00

OK, here are the updates for James' results for the Promotional Examinations 2006. Cheers to those caring friends who's always asking me for my results!=p

Common Test Promos
General Paper B D
Chinese B B
Physics S B
Chemistry S A
Economics E C
Mathematics B A

(Chart 1: Results' summary)
Source: Exam Scripts verified by teacher's marking and James' sight
(statement of results to be out on 1st Nov)

Solution:
As can be seen from chart 1, James' results have generally improved (1m) with most of his subjects obtaining improved grades ranging from 1 to 5 grade differences. For example, in the case of Chemistry, James has improved by 5 grades from the S-grade in the Common Test to an A grade in Promos (1m).

However, there are subjects which did not follow this upward trend too (1m), such as General Paper and Chinese. In the case of General Paper, his grade has actually fell from a B-grade in Common Test to a D-grade in Promos (1m), and for the subject Chinese, his grade has remained stagnant at B-grade.

To conclude, despite these differences, James has made a significant improvement in his academic work as there has been an improvement in grades in 4 out of his 6 subjects, and only a drop in grade for one one subject(1m).

Total: 5/5 marks!

Continue striving James!

HAppy Deepavali to all Hindus and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all Muslims!

Preparing-for-Holiday-James
24-10-2006 (hmmm this date is appraching some special day for me this year...)
2241hrs

Ben Cao Gang Mu MV!!! =D

2006-10-21T13:29:00.000+08:00

Haha this song from Jay Chou's latest album is super cute.. and the Music Video is even cuter and cooler!! Check this out! =D

love-Jay-James
1327hrs
21/10/2006

Money isn't everything!

2006-10-20T22:55:00.000+08:00

adapted from http://www.ahajokes.com/crt106.html =)

"Kind"-James
2252hrs
20/10/2006

Updates after an eon...><

2006-10-20T21:45:00.000+08:00

Hey folks! It's been a long time since you hear from James! And for those who send me messages to ask if i'm still alive, rest assured i'm still alive and kicking. Just feeling lazy to blog though for the past few weeks just after Promotional Examinations.. (haha you know...how one can loses his momentum to do something after not doing it for a long period of time.. and yup, an eon is a long period of time!)

Now, one must have wondered. What the heck in the world made James blog again?!

Well, it's infuriating to be reminded of it again, but the key cuprit behind this revival of my momentum (p=mv?) is due to me passing my General Paper by just one point only!!! it's a 51% percent this time!!! A "D" grade!! A-R-G-H!!! Well, it wasn't that bad last time during the common test where i've gotten a "B" grade. What exactly has resulted in this undesirable result?
Any normal human being would inevitably be compelled to reflect under this kind of circumstances. And as for me, under my half-deep-half-shallow thoughts, i linked this phenomenon to the reduction in blogging during the pre-promos period. And well, with a decline in blogging, my usage of the English language would decrease linearly along with it, and it is assumed that this subsequently caused the deterioration of General Paper abilities and hence the lower grade. So well, it's back to blogging again, more usage of English, and hopefully a "B" grade or better the next time! (Crazy idea!)

SOOOO...Expect to see more entries coming up, including debatable issues such as the one on piracy which i have done in July or August (i can't remember) as well as stories both virtual and authentic regarding life~~...(yeah man..)

Probably will start with a summary of my days during the M.I.A. period or the super unwanted haze!!! Let me start gathering ideas first haha..

Back-to-blogging-James
2212hrs
20/10/2006

In the midst of promos...

2006-09-27T01:47:00.000+08:00

HAh it's 1:45am and here am i still wake awake mugging all the maths into my head!! Haha shouldn't spend too much time and effort on this easier subject though cause there're still the much tougher Physics and Chemistry coming up!!! (i swear i'll burn the notes of these two subjects after A levels..)

Wish me luck for the remaining three days, whereby after 1115hrs on friday, i'll leap to the sky and cheer like a madman to celebrate the end of the Promos Age.. After that, with the entirely free days of the next week coming up, i'll most probably whack the gym, magazines, computer games, orchard road, movies and many more (haha, can't wait for the exams to end right now!) morning, evening, day and night!! Imagine the days where you can sleep at 3am and wake up at 12pm preaparing to go out for another outing coming up... hmmm..!

Anyway, to those people who came to me to fulfil your aspirations of being a model, THANKs a lot! You'll definitely make it, since you've already taken the initiatives to take the first steps and apply.. Even if you don't make it to the runway at the end, as long as you have given your best, you're the greatest..;)

Do look out for pages 59 and 95 of the latest Teenage October issue for those who missed SKINS! or are keeen to find out more about us!

Cheers,
Stressed-James
0152hrs
27/09/2006

YeS!! tHE EvEnT yOU gUys hAvE beEn wAiTiNG foR!!

2006-09-10T13:47:00.000+08:00

No doubt, it's the annual fashion fiesta again!!
This year, fashion fiesta 06 plans to take our aspiring models and designers to a much higher level. We're going to show the world what we youths of today are made of! Who says young and inexperienced people still schooling are not able to do anything big for the world yet? Who says that youths should not and are not able to take over?

Well, WE OF Y2Y NETWORK SHALL PROVE THESE PEOPLE WRONG!!!

From the organising committee to the models, designers and even the technical crew, we are made up totally of youths and only youths! Despite each individual's commitments in our schools and colleges, we set time aside for community work and our aspirations, and put in 101% to work towards them! (Well, 101% is what i see in the youths of Y2Y network.) And this 101% is not any pushover too! Look at SKINS!, the short films which we have created to reach out to the youth community, and past year fashion fiestas! Through Y2Y network, we have under our umbrella celebrities such as Kim Walkerman, Carla of First Mums, and even Gayle from Singapore Idol coming into this year's fashion fiesta! Still in the baking process are our very own aspiring models and designers who would one day be served from the oven fresh and delicious, ready to take over the world anytime. Even right now, I can foresee a handful of them who will definitely make it big in their bright futures ahead.

Well, who can but agree that Y2Y network is the best place for a youth to be outside of school? Our rising actors, singers, dancers and even debaters can testify to this..:)

Ok, enough of promotion. For this year's fashion fiesta, places for the girls are all filled up (however may be negotiable? :P).. I'm looking for aspiring male models who might stand a chance this year to be a youth icon for Y2Y network,earn yourself loads of fashion spread, interviews with the media, or simply get featured in youth magazines such as Teenage. And definitely, you will walking for Fahion fiesta this year too! What more can a typical guy like you out there ask for?

Come forth and join us in Y2Y network! Meet like-minded youths like us in there, share ideas on the things we do together, and let us find a common identity and a common cause in ourselves!
Interested, please contact me asap at modesty_02@hotmail.com

Hurry up, before the places are filled up!

Y2Y network-James
1411hrs
10/09/2006

P.S. You can copy this whole post and help spread the word on your friendsters or blogs too! Take it as a favour from me! Thanks! =)

M.I.A till 29th of Sep..

2006-08-24T21:42:00.000+08:00

I'm so stressed because of the impending Promotional Examinations.. If i fail this major exam this time, i'll be retained for a year and study JC1 all over again.. And the fact is, using my common test results, i had barely made it through.. (RJC isn't that fun after all, huh?) So i must make it this time! i can't afford to be retained and kiss goodbye to a PSC scholarship which i have always dreamt about. Time to get serious.

Right now, it's NCC Senior Specialist Course 2006 coming up in the September holidays which will slash 3 full days and 3 full nights off my remaining days to study! What's even more exciting, i was selected to be the 2IC for this whole course! That's tremendous responsibility, given i'm still rather junior compared to many other cadet lieutenants, and many others will be watching me perform in the midst of Promos. Life's tough, huh?

Hmmm and there's also South East Youth Fashion Fiesta coming up.. Well, i certainly don't believe Ranjeet will let me off in the models' training coming up throughout the weekends before the actual event in December. Definitely, being in the organising committee, i have some responsibilities, obligations, and standards to keep up too! haha. i'll just bite my teeth and fight it all out. (Helping the public sector is definitely something an aspiring PSC scholar ought to do.. Let's think it this way..)

Lastly, not to forget the at-least-twice-per-week canoe trainings plus the personal trainings we have to do ourselves to maintain our physical level at top-notch.

LIFE'S TOUGH HUH?

See all you guys again after 29 Sept.. And if you do miss my pressence because i'm going to literally shut myself up to the outside world, do give me a call anytime! At least i'll reply once i'm free? Heh.

Take cares everyone!

Promos-phobic-James
2153hrs
24/08/2006

The impending ultimate war of 2006...

2006-08-15T22:11:00.000+08:00

Enemy soldiers getting ready. Well you can feel the teachers racking their brains out to set their trademark "killer" papers now.

Aggressors are sending out warnings ever more often now than before (well teachers just love to remind you how close you are to the inevitable battle, and how you will lose this fight if you don't buck up your armies and supplies). There is imminent "brain-juice-shed" coming ahead, and much casualities promised. Still, renmants of the previous war, named "JC1 Common Tests 2006" continue to taunt the memories of our soldiers up till this date. Cadet Lieutanant James here was one example, with two S-grades for both of his sciences. (that definitely didn't turn out great when my dad saw these two grades being underlined on the report slip?)

Will the JC1 soldiers be able to take such major blows again? The emotional damage, spiritual destruction, and over time, deterioration of mental health...*Ahh i heard cries of help somewhere in the North*

Back to the track, though bad as it sounds, i'm sure the students forces will perform better against our aggressors this time. Firstly, we have more time to brace ourselves for this fight. There is still about 40days ahead of the final war, and we were notified of this battle 60days before, compared to Common Tests which only gave us about 30days to prepare. More time, more stuff revised, better grades i supposed?

Of Course, Secondly, i guess the previous exams have taught us a lot on our fighting strategies and what we ought to do to win. With these factors, getting good grades should be at leat two steps closer now compared to the previous time? Well, whatever we say now is sort of redundant.. It's definitely high time to MUG!!!

Let's go guys... We'll ace this war together..

not-liking-exams-James
2235hrs
15/08/2006

P.S. do ask me out if anyone wants to relax occasionally though.. You can't study for 24hours a day!

Mi Lu Bing!!!

2006-08-10T10:27:00.000+08:00

Now we can really see why they deserved to win the SuperBand Finals!

Adapted from youtube..=)

Dreading-school-day-again-James
1026hrs
10/08/2006

SKINS!---the event that rocks TOTALLY!

2006-08-09T12:53:00.000+08:00

Oh my everything, SKINS is just such the perfect production ever. This event which has took a whole six months of preparations has bonded together youths from all walks of life in the y2y Network, ranging from models, designers, actors, debaters, singers, dancers and even pure youth volunters! Rehearsals which took place like almost thrice every week since early this year have definitely tire our actors and dancers out, but looking at the results and their expressions last night after the Senior Minister (Guest-of-Honour) left, this was definitely worth all the efforts for them! I felt happy and proud for them, and everyone else would definietly feel the same.

Feedback from ranjeet: Senior Minister was damn pleased with our productions, and he told mayor that he would want to see more of such youth-initiated events coming up and he be invited to these events. Oh and before i forget, yup, this event was entirely initiated and run by us, youths, with Marc, Nadia and Dewei taking the lead and making sure everything runs smoothly. They are the ones who rock the most! Of course, in this theatre productions, actors, dancers, singers, even the crew, are consisted of youths and YOUTHS only. I'm sure we had showed the public what youths nowadays can be capable of. Which is good of course!

As an usher-in-charge and the "knife-person", i saw how everything is being run from the start of the show to the end. I daresay that all youths were coordinated and wonderful in running the show. Our ushers were warm and friendly to all the guests, especially Senior Minister and Mayor; our performers putting in their best on stage; our crew members ensuring no "cock-up" in visual and audio effects; and of course our dear Ranjeet putting in his upmost efforts to shout at all of us. Well, i guess the statement he made at the end of the show during his debrief was right.

"i think each and everyone of you guys had gotten my scolding during the whole rehearsals."

Yup, no one was spared. BUT scolding is definitely good for us. We put up the best show ever in the end! Even Senior Minister, while i was carrying the knives for the cake out, said: "Oh, why not we let the youths themselves cut the cake?" From that, we can see how impressed he was with our show and how he's willing to take a step back and let us youths front the show during the finale. Even the media was impressed. Oh man, i'm (we're) so looking forward to reading the media reports about us coming out real SOON! Look out for Straits Times, LianHeZaoBao, Teenage etc!

Not to forget, all of us involved enjoyed ourselves too! There were great cooperations, initiatives, and definiely wonderful friendships involved. Hmmm let me share some of the "things" i gained during this recent period of time, especially last night. Well, i saw the most beautiful girl ever in my life few weeks ago, yup, in case you're guessing she's a key part of this production process. (But i'm not gonna let you know exactly who she is.) Observant people should be able to find out without much effort at all..so many hints given.. :) And of course, there was this girl last night, an Eurasian, with the most beautiful eyes ever. Trust me, if you look into her eyes, you wouldn't believe that belonged to a real person. Those eyes were so shiny, beautiful, and outstanding that they seemed to come from an artist's impression. I can't believe they were real too if i never saw them from that girl last night. Hmmm hints? She shared a cab with me last night? Oh no that's too obvious. Take another one. She seldom appear in y2y events, but she appear for fashion fiesta last year. Yup, that's enough.

Yes, you can't believe how cool and vibrant Y2Y network can be until you join it for yourself and experience the things with do. I daresay truthfully, without Y2Y network, i would have died in RJC long ago. You would probably see me on the newspapers headlines "RJC boy committed suicide". Both are totally different envronments which have helped in giving me variety to life. In one, i had a vision to my future and what i want to achieve in life. In another, i had a perspective to the lives of other fun-loving youths, share precious friendships with them, serve the community, and not to forget, relieve myself from the tremendous stress of RJC! Well, my experience in SKINS this year is a testimonial to the fun you can gain in Y2Y network.

So, folks out there, if you, like me, want a whole new experience to your life, and of course, fun and friendships too, DO JOIN ME IN Y2Y NETWORK. We're looking for aspiring fashion designers, models, actors, singers, dancers and event organisers like what i'm doing currently. Do text me or email me, especially aspiring male models! See you soon guys!

Happy-41st-National-Day-James
1333hrs
09/08/2006

Let's define Piracy...

2006-08-06T11:58:00.000+08:00

This time, the blog shall move away from personal life-sharing in this post. With regards to the a special report on bloggers in the Sunday Times last Sunday, 30/07/2006, the millions of bloggers we have on the net sharing their daily thoughts and experiences were being refered to as self-centered people publicising their "me-world". Well, this is true to a large extent, as what netizens usually find on blogs are the life stories of unknown people, living on the same Earth as us. In fact, it is reported that only less than 10% of bloggers based their daily posts on current affairs or society issues. So, to make this blog more diversified, it is decided that I will discuss about certain issues in our society every now and then. While not neglecting the readers who are interested in my life story, don't worry, my experiences will not ceased to appear on this blog. :)

Firstly, like the introduction paragraph in every discussion essay, let us define piracy and the implications it has on our society today. How do we define piracy? The fact that it is further divided into so many forms only made the boundary between piracy and doing it legal more unclear and uncertain. Generally, i believe that piracy means the infringement of copyright. However, even with this defination, there is still a varying amount of people who may or may not be labelled as pirates. On a stricter tone, if sharing music, video or even ten-year-series without knowledge and approval of the publisher means piracy, then i think everyone is or had been a pirate. They had infringed the copyright! And if all pirates be prosecuted, let everyone go to court then. The police can just go to any housing estate, any HDB block, any floor, any unit, and capture ANYone for piracy.

But well, we don't see that happening in real life, so the police must have adopted the more lenient tone on piracy. You won't go to jail for sharing a latest "Jay Chou" album you just brought with another friend, who copied all the files onto his own computer; you won't be charged if you share your "I not Stupid 2" DVD with a friend, who too, copied the whole video onto his hard disk; and, you definitely are considered legal even if you give a pirated VCD retailer support by buying his "super-cheap products". This is it in Singapore now. But what about the implications? Forget it dude. I need not repeat what the Media Development Authority (MDA), and other companies had said a billion times.

Insulting the artists' creativity, not recognizing his efforts, no moral ethics in you... What crap!

If you look into the reasons behind all "Anti-Piracy" movements closely, you can find only one motivation behind all these exaggerated actions. MONEY.

Well, the government wants money, music companies are profit-motivated too, and singers, of course, hope to reap as much income as possible. Who wouldn't? In Economics, we studied the problem of scarcity and the limitation of resources, thereby causing producers and consumers trying to attain as much utility as possible, i.e. buying the cheapest available product (consumers), and selling the product to earn as much money as possible (producers). Right now, consumers' hunt for CDs worth the price they are willing and able to pay for had led them to the haven of pirated products, which cost an average of $5 per disc compared to $25 for a brand new original album. That's exactly 200% cheaper! Well, this is gladdening news for people like us, but saddening news for people like Universal Music. Why? That's because they experience a lack of income!

Let us go back and use MONEY to argue why these firms work so hard to prevent piracy. Firstly, it is not as if their singers won't be showcased and supported by fans if people buy the pirated version of their albums for a cheaper price. Well, it's the same artist, same song, same way of singing, same lyrics, and SAME messages portrayed! Don't try to tell me that you receive a different message from a same song just becuase you heard it from the internet and not from an original album. That's bullshit.

HOWEVER, you do see a difference in the price between an original album and that of a pirated one. Of course babe. These firms are the ones who need to pay the artists for their songs, the government for taxes and themselves for income, of course preferably more so that they can afford to go SPA, massage, treatments etc to increase their quality of life. Being money-oriented, it is no wonder now, why consumers are being charged at such a high price---JJ Lin telling Ocean Butterfly that he wants a good pay; Ocean Butterfly, within itself, desires higher revenue every year, of course the more the merrier, and the higher the growth the better; and apparently, PAP telling Ocean Butterfly:"where are my taxes?". MONEY.

On the contrary, pirated retailers are able to bypass all these payments. Being a small-scale firm on their own, they need not pay the artist, they need not so big an income for themselves, and they need not pay the government too! I'm not supporting pirated retailers in this post, but rather i'm explaining how these players determine the market equilibrium. Being expenses-aware consumers, and seeing such a big difference in the prices for the same disc with the same songs, same artists etc, it is no wonder why consumers convert to buying the much cheaper pirated CDs and actually prefer it more. So now, we can see how close a substitute pirated product can be compared to an original one. 200% cheaper for a same thing!

Back to Earth. This fact has set producers worrying about the big hole in between which allows their revenue to fall through. Snap, with a twist in their brain, governments around the world started whacking on how unethical it is to purchase pirated products, how immoral pirates are, and how consumers insult artists' creativity by purchasing pirated products. To complement such desperate efforts to save their income against the strongly arising pirates and its supporters among consumers, laws were constantly being made stricter and more firms begin joining this global battle too. What we can see today is a fierce battle between the legal bodies and the illegal ones. Who is the winner actually? i believe we consumers can say.

Is it really an ignorance in acknowledging an artist's efforts and creativity if we buy his pirated albums? Well, i personally think that piracy made available the artist's creations to more listeners and fans. With regards to the expensive original albums, there are definitely people who can't afford to buy the original ones and thus turn to the internet or friends for the songs they want. These people, after listening to the same songs, may still love and support thier idols too, and ultimately, contribute to thier idols' earnings through concerts and other products. Well, i believe there is no such thing as a pirated concert ticket. If piracy is not allowed and these people unable to even listen to and enjoy songs apart from original albums which some may choose not to purchase because of the price, fans would decrease and revenue generated from concerts would go down as well too!

Piracy is not necessary bad in this case. However, whether it is morally wrong or unethical, i leave it to we consumers to judge. Remember, MONEY. Hmmm have you downloaded any songs from the net recently?

Sunday-James
1839hrs
06/08/2006

Back to Monday again...arghhhhh...

2006-07-17T19:44:00.000+08:00

Yup it's back to Monday again... And the usual response: "arghhhhhh..... Moan......"

Firstly, the main reason why Mondays are so demoralising is due to the foreshadowing of at least 4 more, similar or even worse, days coming up ahead! You can really cry boy. Especially when first thing in the morning, your subject teachers asked your mates around for your whereabouts, hunting for the assignments which was due one week ago, however still with you! (Erm, well, those long forgotten work may be still in your messy "school-file" of worksheets or the "pile & clutter" mountain far far away in your house. ) Hmmm it may be interesting to note that James is the prime prey for hunters Mdm Lee, Mr Tan, and samsui woman Mdm Lee (chinese teacher)...

Yeah these proachers never fail to trap James and sometimes i may even have to avoid them the minute i see them due to some preditable circumstances! You know, life is tough, especially on Mondays..*haha.*=(

And now, i have the Chemistry Focus which would be really, really, really due tomorrow! You know, i signed a contract with my teacher to promise i would hand in Chem Focus assignments on time. (regretted...) But actually, there has already been a breach of trust since the assignment was due today.. Ah who cares as long as i don't get sued..haha..;P

Speaking of Chem Focus, i really regret not getting that ONE mark more! Argh... Argh again.. Simply put, Chemistry Focus is a remedial series for those people who had gotten 40% or lower for their previous Chemistry Common Test. This particular remedial series is one which rob a few hours off your time every week and deprive you of another weekday after-school freedom..
NOW, guess what score has James gotten for his Chemistry Common Test?

39.3%!!!

Can cry man.. Sobs.. Sobs...

Today's Training Sets

-6 kg: 4 sets x 12 (front deltoids, mid deltoids, hind deltoids, left & right biceps, left & right triceps),
-100lbs: 4 sets x 12 long pulley,
-120lbs: 4 sets x 12 chest machine in RJC Gym
-5km run

Train hard James!

Dreading Tuesday James
2003hrs
17/07/2006

Future in Canoeing..

2006-07-16T23:02:00.000+08:00

Firstly, as usual...

A funny cartoon of the day.. hahahaha..
:D

Yeah all wives are ALWAYS right... Try getting a boyfriend to oppose his dear and there would most likely be a sweet natural quarrel within the couple. Try getting a husband to say "no!" to the old hag at home and you know he's in for a jolly "good" time.. As the saying goes,...

When in love, your darling is a cute little sheep, so vulnerable all the time, deserving protection..

After marriage, she took off her sheep's skin, revealing her wolf colours and the dangerous teeth, making you vulnerable and deserving protection all the time...

HAha enough..Now, back to the main track,

As we can see, canoeing nationals was just over two days ago, with Raffles clinching a double bronze this time round. Erm this may sounds a bit lousy, but it is definitely not! There are only 3 awards each year and you are either the national champions, second or third or nothing at all! For the past, National JC and Hwa Chong Institution have always been thrashing Raffles to the game, leaving us to be considered ants among tigers. But for this time, a significant number of us have made it to the finals as underdogs and achieved considerable performance in the different races.

The result? We only lost to Hwa Chong by a few points! Say, only 2? If we had pushed a little harder, or had had more luck, Hwa Chong would be third instead of us! Haha.. But since the nationals are over, and it's a fact that we're third on the national level now, it's time for us to work harder, even more harder, to beat Hwa Chong next year and emerge second! I bet Hwa Chong must have felt threatened by Raffles on friday too!

SO, Raffles Canoeists out there should train doubly hard and fight for better results in the next nationals! For me, i hope and aspire that i can represent the college to compete in the next NAtionals for a medal but this may mean a challenging and difficult route ahead. As a typical schoolboy with not yet Selwyn's muscles, Kaiyang's body, Peter's stamina, Guoren's speed and Kenneth's charm... I have to really put in all i've got to clinch the very limited spaces we have.. (Aiya should have stayed in Victoria, where everyone gets to compete! (but no one wins la..=P sorry Victorians..:)))

SO, from now on, don't be surprised to see JAmes training real hard and hard and hard to improve himself. Don't be stunned to see James looking tired (or haggard?) all the time and don't be astonished to see James sleeping in school.. Haha..

All the way!

Sets completed today

5kg: 4 x 12reps front deltoids, mid deltoids, hind deltoids, left and right biceps

120pounds: 4 x 12 reps chest machine in Yishun Gym

13 x 50metres in Yishun Swimming Complex

Dreading-MOnday-James

2353hrs

16/07/2006

P.S. Goodnite to Charmander, Belsprout and Golem..;)

France or Italy?

2006-07-09T23:11:00.000+08:00

YOUR CARTOON OF THE DAY!

Cartoon provided by: http://www.thefunnypage.com/funny/tastes-funny.html

As the minutes ticked off, James became more anxious... I have not done my Chemistry SPA Skill C assignment yet and it was due last friday!!! Oops, side-tracked.. Yup it's the World Cup Finals coming up and Italy versus France... Who will win?!

Let me make a guess..(or a bet?) Italy will be the champion this time round.. Looking at both teams' performances, France seemed to be tired out against Portugal in the semi-finals (scoring one goal in the 32nd minute when Zidane’s shot was just slightly out of reach and went past the keepers right to make it 1-0.) whereas Italy had turned out strong against the powerful Germany and is the team favoured more most brokers around.. However, both teams have their advantages and disadvantages.

France had depended a lot on brilliant captain Zinedine Zidane to push the team forward, and also had one of the best strikers in the world, Thierry Henry. However, their goalkeeper was slightly disadvantaged in height compared to others (with a height of only 1.83m), and not to forget their lousy drew-matches with Switzerland and South Korea, which were rapidly wiped out.

On the other hand, Italy, being famous for its steel-strong defences, would prove to be a challenging target. One big determinant of the results would most probably the battle of Zidane and Henry versus the Italian defence.

Hmm i'll make a prediction of score 2-0. Let's see if it's accurate and start counting down to the finals now.

Chemistry Assignment!!

World-Cup-Fever-James

2339hrs

09/07/2006

"S" equals "Surprised?"...

2006-07-08T22:09:00.000+08:00

Firstly, to implement a new policy to improve the publicity of this blog,

YOUR CARTOON OF THE DAY!

Cartoon provided by:
http://www.tessatoons.com/truly-funny-cartoons.htm

Haha can't imagine happy-go-lucky James here can still put on a smiling face all day long and "crap" around the usual way... But that's him!

Despite the uncovering of his remnants of "JC1 Common Tests 2006" and being inflicted with all "S-grade" damages so far, James is still in for fun and fun and fun... Well, indeed it was astonishing and shocking and bewildering and taunting...etc that his usually-superb Physics and Chemistry would get S-grades.. However, "S" in this case does not stand for "superb"!

Haha it was demoralising, it was discouraging, it was undesirable, it was unexpected...etc, however it has happened! Argh that's so sad, depressing, heart-throbbing etc, (oh man i'm seriously stressed now..haha..=p)... For me, "S" will just mean "surprising" for now..

Let's think positive, optimistic, hopefully etc... I'll do better next time. And there shall be no more "S"urprises again! humpff common tests...

Do feedback.=)

S-James
2223hrs
08/07/2006

Final Auditions for Fashion Fiesta 2006---Annual Youth Fashion Event of the year!!

2006-07-05T20:56:00.000+08:00

Hey it's the Fashion Fiesta Session again! With our young local aspiring designers and models showcasing their designs and themselves on the runway, and gaining much invaluable experiences to infiltrate the fashion industry, having fun and forging great friendships while profiling yourself is definitely guarranteed..

SO, for the last time, i'm urging you people out there to grab this precious opportunity and achieve the maximum potential concealed in you all along! Of course, acquiring new useful, practical speech skills, confidence and social abilities and many other more desirable outcomes is a bonus!

For youths out there who aspire to reach out to the rest of the youth population in Singapore and inspire them to aspire, there's also the "Youth Model 2006" pageant waiting for you.. More details can be found in my yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rjcssssss/message/50

Lastly, PLEASE, if you're one person who has been rejecting my offer all the time, THIS IS THE LAST AND FINAL AUDITION THIS YEAR and after this, if you regret, there won't be any more chances for you to join the catwalk or be a designer.. SO, PLEASE, REMEMBER IT'S ON THE 8TH OF JULY, SATURDAY, NATIONAL LIBRARY, 5 TH LEVEL..

FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT KEEN ON JOINING OUR NETWORK PLEASE DO NOT CONDEMN THIS EVENT..it's fine if you think you are not good-looking or street-smart enough, but please do not condemn this prestigious annual fashion event and act as if it's lame and you're so cool.. INSTEAD, YOU CAN SPREAD THE MESSAGE TO POTENTIAL FRIENDS AROUND YOU AND OPEN A NEW DOOR FOR THEIR LIVES...

Hoping to start on my "Youth Model 2006" Project real soon!
Anyone interested, please contact me at 81882747 or email modesty_02@hotmail.com..

Cheers and take care,
Stressed-cos-of-schoolwork-James
2128hrs
05/07/2006

P.S i got 39.3% for Chemistry...My worst score ever since i was born..And that's a S-grade!! Sobs Sobs..=(

Peace again!!

2006-06-30T09:59:00.001+08:00

Muahaha... After one week of intense battle, the war against common tests is finally over! However, with much casualties... The toughest enemy proved to be a villian by the name of "Chemistry" whom i think will inflict the most number of "F" damages on our army. Following up closely should be a soldier named "Paper" with the rank of "General".. (so put together it is...)

Well, from now till next Tuesday would be our recovery time, since Monday is a Youth Day holiday..So comrades let's make full use fo this time to take a good break and heal our injuries, as well as bracing ourselves for the coming week ahead when we will start counting the number of casualties and collect a report known as the "report slip"...

Going for NCC in an hour's time.. Bye..

Post-"war"-James
1004hrs
30/06/2006

One week of M.I.A coming up!

2006-06-25T17:06:00.002+08:00

Starting from tomorrow, students from RJC, VJC, MJC and almost all other Junior Colleges in Singapore will be virtually uncontactable, as they struggle to fight a war that occurs twice every year---The EXAMINATIONS!

Mountains of books and piles of notes... all stacked up high on boot-camp desk, or maybe in a mess of remains after a bloody battle fought...against the fresh papers that said "2006 JC1 Common Test" on them.. Even commando-students sweated their brain-juices out to the cruel and heartless enemies, who cold-heartedly try to inflict "F"s on the students, thereby causing further damages through remedials, pressure by parents, and demoralisation within the hearts of the poor souls..What vicious armies are they!

To devoid us of our opportunities to watch World Cup matches too!

Tonight England versus Ecuador.. tough match.. And James versus Economics & Chinese..Even tougher one.. Argh..

Good luck to our comrades fighting this inevitable battle starting tomorrow and stretching for the whole week ahead.. All the best!

United We shall stand!! Go Ecuador!

gonna-be-M.I.A-for-a-week-James
1720hrs
25/06/2006

Phased OUT..

2006-06-22T17:23:00.000+08:00

Ok, that's the end of my flying training for now..

Flew my last flight, did pretty ok (i think), however still not satisfactory enough to convince Prithipal to move me on to the next phase, so he phased me out of the whole flying training right on the spot, with no second chances attached.

Well, i guess i would only have myself to blame. For not performing good enough, for not putting in enough effort, for being such a lousy guy.. Now James, are you happy you got phased out? You could have done better! Your destiny was in your hands initially! You big idiot!

Haha so this leaves me with only 2 CCAs left. Canoeing and NCC. Well i guess i'd better excel in both now. NCC will give me opportunities to further develop my leadership and more chances of making it to the Officer Cadet School (OCS) in my NS. OCS has always been my goal, being an army offficer for Singapore, and shouldering the responsibility of Singapore's defence. (Hmmm did i mention that you must go OCS if you want to become an Air Force Pilot?) Now, there's still hope in my aviation career. YES, EVEN AFTER BEING PHASED OUT.. I can still join the Air Force in my NS and then sign on as a pilot! Though the process and training are going to be much tougher...

Canoeing, shall build up my phyical fitness to top-notch and give me the capability to make it big in NS and OCS, and ultimately, my Air Force Dream..Haha.. So this shall leave me no excuses to "pon" canoeing training again from now on..

Hmmm, maybe it's fate. Maybe fate is it in such a way that i got phased out, so i can focus more on my studies and other areas which i have been neglecting.. Maybe getting phased out will bring me closer to good school results and better performance in canoeing too! Think optimistic.

However, i still remain pessimistic about my effectiveness as a person. So far, i have achieved very little, very little of the goals i have set for myself.. And after being phased out today, it really made me think twice whether i'm useful, whether i'm effective etc.. I aimed for 6A1s or more in my O levels..Yet i got only 4.. I aimed to be a master segeant in NCC when i was in secondary school, yet in the end, i end up with only a 1st Sergeant (though it was also largely due to my responsibility).. I wanted to be happy, yet getting into Raffles only made me sadder.. I had wanted to have a lasting relationship with somebody, yet she just walked out of my life a few weeks before prelims last year..

That's it..
Sigh..

Extremely Sad James
1737hrs
22/06/2006

Demoralised...

2006-06-16T17:02:00.000+08:00

The next flight would be my last flight, according to instructor prithipal. My flying experience would end the next time i fly..

Now one would realize the need for consistently good performance in air and luck to get yourself into the next phase and EVEN better, the Private Pilot License (PPL) stage... My performance have not been up to the "pro" standard and thus, had no right to get into the next phase of flying..

These were the things Prithipal told me:

I have decided to phase you out at the next sortie.
Maybe your mind is not mature enough to handle the different challenges of flying at this point in your life..
Probably when you get older, when you decided to make flying your career, things would get better.
When you can concentrate 100% on flying in the future..
SYFC is a CCA, and probably you have other commitments now too..
You can still try to join the Air Force, the commercial airlines are still open for options, .....
I hope that you don't stress yourself so much..
I also never went through SYFC when i was young.. (oh, but **** it, his family was rich and he had personal flying training..)
Try to think of what you want to do at your last flight.

In conclusion, James is sad... He really aspires to be a pilot, travel around freely in the air, and visit other countries frequently.. But sometimes things don't really turn out the way you want them to be..

Sad James

1720hrs

16/06/2006

Random..

2006-06-08T13:36:00.000+08:00

Don't worry if people don't say that you rock,
at least you can stone!

Never envy people who are hot..
You have the same (37.0±0.5)°C as them!

This is true for cool people too!

So, in conclusion, James is a hot guy, he is cool, and he stones!

Random James
1346hrs
08/06/2006

Finally a grade 5!

2006-06-08T00:12:00.000+08:00

A long awaited post on this blog, especially by dear little Heidi, is finally here...

Right on this blog!

Some Updates for the 29 days when James was M.I.A...

My back finally healed on the end of May..=) However physical fitness plunged to a 5-month low, and lagged behind other stocks (canoeing boys), for the time being...=(..
James was also rather demoralised over the past 3 weeks for obtaining low grades (super low grades!) for his 4th and 5th sorties for his flying training.. Apparently, he was super sad and felt that his aviation future was at stake.. (will elaborate more on this later in this post..)
Yet, James was happy from the 31st of May to the 3rd of June when he went to serve as an instructor in NCC East District Specialist Course Phase 1.. There, through visits to SI SPEC (the camp in Singapore where real army specialists are trained) and the SAF Warrant Officer School, and experiences of coaching and commanding squads of NCC soldiers, he sort of found his future calling (another one again!) to be a soldier for Singapore.. He like the feeling of staying in the army, doing military-related stuff, and interacting with fellow platoon mates and even the higher-ranking sergeants and officers.. (Maybe that can be an alternative if he fails to become an Air Force Pilot!) An officer, high ranking, with the responsiblities of defending the country put on his shoulders.. Sounds cool huh? (Let's see if I can talk more about this in my next post...=P)

Now, back on track...

I went to fly my 6th sortie for my fying training today.. It was on the second wave of the day (1120hrs take-off time) and the weather was clear and fine, and in line with my mood!.. This time, I went fully prepared.. I was not going to get the "just-passed" grade anymore.. Hours of intensive mugging and memorising flying stuff were not going to give me just 4 points out of 7 anymore.. This time, I was aiming for a 5.. I was absolutely ready to break the 4-4 pattern and get a grade 5, just like before!

Today's assessment was on climbling and descending. This would be a hard task for me and i was still not well-versed in Striaght and Level yet, let alone to climb and descend the aircraft, while maintaining it towards a specific direction.. However, i knew i was not going to be put down by my own limitations and some of the others who have gotten grade 4 for this sortie for my flight today.. This time, i made sure i read absolutely all the stuff available and practised flying mentally..

For straight and level,

Check and Maintain reference point -ailerons
Check and Maintain wings Level -ailerons
Check and Maintain Attitute -stabilator
TRIM IF NESSCESSARY! -trimmer
Then, check and maintain height -stabilator
Ball in the centre! -Turn Coordinator, if not use Ailerons, DON'T USE RUDDER!
Lookout

For Straight and Level at low airspeed (75 knots),

Push throttle to 2100RPM!
Raise aircraft nose progressively to S&L low power attitute
TRIM, TRIM, TRIM!!!
WINGS LEVEL ah...
Check speed, too high, lower power A BIT,, raise attitute A BIT..
THEN TRIM!!!
Check S & L finally...

See? I know my stuff..=P

But, but, but, shall not write the techniques for climbing and descending.. TOO LONG! Not that i don't know ok! haha..

Anyway, back on track, Prittipal (my primary instructor, sounds like Pretty Bao huh?) said i made improvments today.. However, in terms of maintaining wings level and coordination of the different controls, i still need to improve! (Well, it's tough you know.. You would need at least weeks of practise, i estimate, to know exactly when you depress or turn the specific controls simultaneously and the duration and degree they should be deflected to fly the plane efficiently).. Said Pretty Bao that he would consider promoting me to the second phase if i made further improvements in the next sortie (sortie 7!! all the instructors and flying students have been emphasising a lot on it.. Sortie 7!!) as my performance for the previous flights have been "very average" so far.. So I MUST WORK HARD!!!

To conclude, i broke my 4-4 pattern and got 5 today, which has made me damn happy and the glimmer of hope can be seen again.. James shall continue to work hard and eventually make it second phase, and then Private Pilot Liscense (PPL!)..

Should he, i repeat, SHOULD HE fail, hmmm... There's still the army.. believe NCC experience should be able to help a lot..:P

HAHA Cheers,

take care everyone!

Joyful James , do comment

0118hrs

08/06/2006

The stupid back...

2006-05-10T22:05:00.000+08:00

Can't believe i actually got this back injury which has lasted for almost a week... It's hurting whenever i exert strength and James can't do any pull-ups now, Which is so ESSENTIAL for canoeing... I wonder how much counts i'll actually lose when i recover..=(

It's demoralising me everyday and making my sprits low...Sigh.. Better Recover faster, James..:(

James
2210hrs
10/5/2006

Sortie No. 2!

2006-05-03T16:54:00.000+08:00

Had my second flight today and learnt the effects of controls in the plane...HMmm appreciate the art.. Control Column backwards, aircraft pitches up; control column forward, aircraft pitches down... Turn it left, you get a roll to the left and vice-versa. The rudder's even more amazing.. On the ground, stepping on the rudder paddle changes the direction of the plane's nose-wheel to the direction of the paddle u stepped on.. This is used to taxy the aircraft towards the runway, just like driving a car, however using only the legs for diretion (no steering wheel!) and the trottle for power.. On the air, the rudder paddles act differently, yawing the whole aircraft to the desired direction...But do bear in mind there are secondary effects to the controls too.. The secondary effect of yawing is rolling to the direction of the inner wing while that of rolling is yawing towards the direction of roll...Hmmm appreciate the art...:)

James will most probably dream of planes and driving one tonight.. (No more dreams of the class flower!haha..=P)

Beginning to love flying now, though it gives me airsickness and i have to endure it all the while inside the plane to "prove" to the flying instructor i'm of flying material...hmmm being a pilot is tough...However love flying now because of the feeling you get while in the air with the buildings, reservoirs, satellite dishes, kranji horse racing course and even the causeway looking so small below you...It's just like a toddler above the land of Lego, feeling so proud and amazed by the land of the "very small" below him... And of course, the very knowledge of learning how to drive a plane entirely on your own one day really gives you the satisfaction and motivation! =)

James love flying..But he must love mugging for it too! The checks alone can kill thousands of brain-cells..From the initial checks, external checks, to the pre-start checks, engine checks, take-off checks, in-flight checks to even the landing checks, there're literally hundreds of procedures for a pilot-in-training to memorise and perform without any difficulty..And if you think that's hard enough, you still have the radiotelephony procedures(where you have to talk to the radio control tower as much as you talk to your girlfriend on the phone while on land and on air using standard radiophoneic language), aircraft limitations, how everything in it works, airlaws, methodology and lots other more stuff to memorise and put it to practical use...Which i think may be the reason that accounts for the high dropout rate..Learning to fly can really be considered as a H2 subject boy..

Hmm it's no wonder why RJ's so strict on letting its SYFC students go for flying training..After my first sortie, my form teacher had warned me personally before that she would not allow me to skip lessons to go for flying next time.. This is also the reason why James 'poned' school entirely today.If i went to school today, i may not be able to come out again until school's over, so better play it safe..;)

It can be rather hard juggling the things you are passionate about outside and schoolwork. A private pilot license is definitely important for my future career as it's my aspiration to be an airforce pilot when i grow up. However, is the A levels examinations, my only door to university education, less important? It's sometimes hard to strike a balance...:)

Hmmm good friends around, pls do offer me advice on this by leaving your comments or tagging...and do leave me your blog addresses!Will link all of you people soon...=)

James
1730hrs
03/05/2006

P.S. Happy 5th birthday to my cute little baby brother Jun Xiang... Please be more well-bahaved this year and don't always kena whack by mum..:P

My Class in RJC!!=)

2006-04-26T20:09:00.000+08:00

Just received the pic today though it was taken before April if i don't remember wrongly...My class never send me lor! Haha James is the second guy from the right..:P

Do Comment...
P.S. and Happy Birthday Dad!=)

James
2014hrs
26/4/2006

Night...

2006-04-24T03:00:00.000+08:00

Night... Beautiful night...:)

Ever stayed up throughout the warm yet cooling night to read a book you're really engrossed in or to just simply ruch through an assignment due tomorrow? I'm sure the feeling's really cool, especially after you just finished what you're supposed to do for the night..Just look, hear, touch and smell the surroundings around you...and just relax..

The quiet night, very quiet, not to be disturbed.. Look outside the window...Cars parked at their slots taking a rest too..Other housing units with their lights all off, and occassionally spotting a few at 3am with their lights on... "Hmmm.."you wondered..."It feels so nice and calm to know that there're people like you staying up and appreciating the night.." Don't break the silence.. Enjoy...

You went to wash your hands..such a nice feeling given by the cold water from the tap..You can even smell a tinge of the impending dawn's fresh air..Even as you tune in to the radio, it's music all the way...Hmmm it's a totally different way you appreciate the same music you hear in the day..Now is different..The environment's free of all the background noises, people talking, shouting, vehicles roaring and construction work now...It's just pure music from the radio, without even the DJ interrupting...Ah-ha..You never knew how nice this music actually is! Being heard in the silent dead of the night..For some, you even could get a sensation of music filling up the loneliness in you, and you love this feeling...

5am...Let's go for a jog and then watch the sunrise..Hmmm...It's rather nice to stay up throughout the night occasionally and enjoy the totally different experience it can bring you...Hush Hush...Soft..Don't break this silence now,..Enjoy the cool and slight breeze and watch the beautiful neighbourhood around you...:)

Do tag,
James
0314hrs
24/4/2006

12km...

2006-04-20T22:57:00.000+08:00

Never Never Never Give Up!!
That's what i learnt in VJC kayaking and which is also the spirit which guided me through my 2.4km, 4.8km, and even 8km!

However, it's a record-breaking attempt in RJC canoeing training today! We were supposed to run 10km for the first time, which eventually evloved into 12km.! Thanks to an expected landslide which makes us "tour" round the whole reservoir...

Ok..before today, the furthest i ever ran was 8km on the 28th of February this year, if i never remember wrongly..Since then, after finding out that i was posted to RJC, i became demoralised and lose interest in running and basically exercising..SO today was actually a tremendously difficult and challenging task to complete the monster 10km..To top it all, i just took my 2.4km run for NAPFA yesterday! Today's definitely not the day to run a 10km!

However, it would reflect badly of you to the team if you dropped out even before the record-breaking running starts. So politically correct little JAmes just started the run with the rest of the canoeing team...As expected, i got tired very fast, after not even a kilometre..However, i applied what they usually teach in NCC---ENDURE!!!

Well, the scenery was super nice along the way, the forest with its fresh and clean rain after the brief rain, the clear and huge reservoir, and the trees with birds chirping all aound...However, you could really imagine how much i appreciate that, given continuously panting and suffering muscle aches in my legs all the time... The wet and dirty mud, occasionally accompanied by the sharp, slippery rocks, and sometimes a small "river" formed by the leftover rain water certainly didn't cheer us up...;(

Of course, all of us endured..With peer pressure and constant encouraging, seeing none of us stopping, there was really no reason and courage for one to just stop running..Especially me! I was the slowest runner and towards the second half, the team got me to lead the group in running and the senior instructed that none of them could overtake me..SO when i got slightly slower, there were shoutings of encouragement for me to speed up and widen my pace..You could really imagine how stressed that was, given that i was already on the verge of reaching my physical limit, and suffering from a stitch..HAHA..

But to conclude, i'm extremely happy that i can finish this run today, though i am too tired now to study for my econs test and mock Science Practical Assessment tomorrow..(However strangely i've got the strength to blog!) ANd oh yeah, canoeists are great liars too!

"COme on James! This is the last bus-stop! Just Go for it!"
i sped up.
"Yeah that's the way! No more bus-stops after this!"
and within the next 500m, one bus-stop appeared.
"COme on James! This is the last bus-stop! Just Go for it!"
The encouragement sounded again..and i gathered my strength to run again..
and the same thing occurred..not for 2 bus-stops, but at least 4!
the same goes for the slopes...Haiz..i feel so cheated...On the verge of dying already they are still so humorous to me..

It's good being gullible sometimes...

2320hrs
20/4/2006
do tag..

RJC teachers?

2006-04-19T20:16:00.000+08:00

I got scolded by the project work teacher today...

"I can see that you have an attitude problem! THis is your own project work! Do it whatever way you like! Since you think you are so smart, go and produce one PI that can get you an exceeding expectation grade straight away! You should see how i had helped other students with their project work! This is your own project! i'm not going to do anything about it! GO!"

BaMM!!

Well, that summarised the scoldings i got today from the project work teacher, "RJC".. (no name mentioned for protection rights..=p)

Basically, what happened was i went to her to discuss about my Preliminary Ideas(PI), which the deadline for submission is on next monday, talked nicely together for a while, then asked her whether if Project Work is about planning the project only or carrying out the project itself.. Said she that it's about obtaining necessary details to plan a project which can be carried out realistically.. So i just suggested that this can be done quite fast because i've had experiences planning projects in South East CDC.. Then BamM!

She called me "arrogant, attittude, think that i'm very smart and project work is so easy", and despite me apologising and stating that i misunderstood her definition of project work, she just scolded me and condemned my preliminary ideas! I was really on the verge of shouting *u** and **t*h to her then.. But forget it! SHe's a teacher! And a teacher has every right...especially in RJC, where a typical one is already so "arrogant"...

James will just miss his Band 1 grade from now...And that may or may not be important...depends...haha..

However, there's just one area which one can reflect upon.. Are RJC teachers really good teachers? SO far, truthfully saying, i think majority on the students depend mostly on themselves for the academic areas, the minor help we got is only the notes the school printed for us.. Forget about lectures, they're useless! i daresay only a few would really, in their hearts, want to go...The rest of us don't mind going or go for the sake of the attendance only..trust me...

Maybe RJ teachers need not be good teachers as the students learn mostly by themselves??

I just can't see the enthusiasm in RJ's teachers in teaching their subjects, which however, in definitely present in VJ's teachers.. Most probably, i have made a wrong choice in going RJ... Better study hard now! it's gonna be self-study all the way already...

And hopefully, project work will get better... =))

2051hrs
19/4/2006

The vEry VErY FiRsT bLoG eNtRy!!

2006-04-03T09:02:00.000+08:00

Yeah!! That's tHE vEry FirsT bLoG enTry... A wHoLE nEw eXpEriENcE oF BloGGing iS GoNNa BeGin Soon!! =)

AnYwAy, am In PrOjeCt WoRk lEssOnS nOW...the TeACher WenT foR sOme mEEtNG wiTH thE priNcIplE SinCe 8aM AnD nEvEr cAme baCk TilL noW!! hAHA so I tOOk tHE ChAncE to CrEAte ONe BLog... HaLf An HoUr MoRe anD it WiLL bE reCeSS!! HaHa RaFfLeSiaNs neED to sLacK OccAsIonALly too! if not wiLL brEakDoWn..(Oops i thInk iT's OnLy MonDaY toDay rITe!=p)

aHH DuN CaRe lA...LiFe iS buT a ShoRt mOmEnt.. LeT's EnjOy it To thE FUlLeSt! (能SLACK就SLACK吧!!!)

tO ToP iT aLL, bOyS, gIrLs, LAdiEs, GeNtLeMentS, UnCLes, aUnTies, ah-PeKs, aH-Mas, TuToRIals, LeCtuREs, wOrK aND CCAs aRe SeCOndAry comPareD to Your HeALth!! Pon IF you NEeD to!! GeT YouR pReCiOUs sLeeP aNd do HAve FuN on tHE nET aND mOvIeS iF yOu TrULy DeSiRe!! Be TrUe To YoUrsELf! hahaha...

do tag,
jAMeSss