sun set at 12:41 PM

xxxHoLic

I am currently watching xxxHoLic now. Started watching this anime after finishing Tsubasa; decided to watch because of 2 main reasons: I miss mokona!; and also because xxxHoLic is one of CLAMP's works, which is tied to the Tsubasa Chronicle (and thus it must be good!)^^

Indeed, xxxHoLic rox!! XD I think that it is a very deep anime, and also the funniest anime I've ever watched! (all thanks to black mokona and Yuko!) The characters have their own 'funny quirks', like for instance, the protagonist, Watanuki's super flexible-slobbish movements, sudden, unexpected mood swings and his great exaggerated reactions whenever others tease him - like he'll always become pissed and start complaining aloud why something bad would always happen to him. And his friend, Domeki's ignorance to everything around him, coupled with the 'devious', stuck-up teaser, black mokona, who always sides with the aloof Yuko and combo together to make fun of Watanuki, makes this anime very fun to watch!

Oh btw, this anime is all about supernatural stuff, superstitions and other wierd stuff. Even though it's hilarious, the anime has it's serious, grim, darker and deep side too, which makes it super nice! Although, most would think that supernatural stuff and superstitions are crap, but this show is so realistic in portraying them and linking them to certain aspects of life in which you might really have experienced before but cannot explain those kinda situations, that after watching you can like wonder about it and like ask yourself: "Hmm, is it true? Woa, sounds very interesting... ...

xxxHoLic is also very wise and deep in the sense that behind the supernatural and superstitions happenings, there lies a very real and deep truth about us, human beings, like why we do the things we do and that sometimes there is so much more to the 'plain everyday life' that we think we're going through. Like for instance, a prominent quote from xxxHoLic would be: "There is no such thing as coincidence, only necessity." Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Oh, and I wanna share this one deep very true truth about us that hit me the most from xxxHoLic - As human beings, we are not free in the sense that nothing belongs to yourself and only yourself. Everything is connected by bonds. For instance, if a friend goes all out to retrieve 'something precious' that you have lost but gets into deep trouble, and because you care for your friend's safety that without second thought you are willing to give up that 'something precious' so your friend does not need to suffer for your sake anymore, and you think that you are doing the right and honest thing, but in fact, you are being selfish towards your friend, who has painstakingly tried to retrieve your 'something precious' just because he/she wants you to get it back, because to him/her, you are precious. Ever thought about that before? Interesting right?

It's the same when telling others not to worry about you; sometimes, you end up actually being a despicable, selfish person to those who care for you, by not letting them worry about you or by hiding your sufferings. See how being a human being you are tied within countless unbreakable bonds that disallow you to make decisions on your own now? It's never that simple. Otherwise, you'll just end up hurting others more; this is reality indeed, a hidden one. So instead of telling others "don't worry about me", tell them: "Thank you so much for worrying!"

sun set at 12:37 AM

CHSCO Party!

Went back to CHS today, met up with my good old CO buddies after quite a while!

Oo, it was fun indeed! I arrived at abt 1pm, then more people from my batch came, and also past years seniors too! We hung out in the CO room, which was pretty messy I must say, well, expected cause they are in the midst of CHSCO camp.

We went to play basketball, where my right leg got muscle cramp. Fortunately it's not serious and later I played soccer, followed by basketball again!^^ Wa, I really very long never play le! But it's so fun playing match with my CO friends and seniors, just like old times!

Ate buffet dinner after that - to my stomach's content. We were so hungry since dinner was delayed till about 8pm. But overall, it was quite fun and enjoyable, and I think the current EXCOs did a pretty fine job of accommodating for us, graduated seniors!

I really look forward to another meeting with my CHSCO pals!

sun set at 10:24 PM

My Christmas... is bishbishbishbishbish AWESOME!!!^^

Wa, I'm so siked today!^^

Okay, okay, here goes... ...

Firstly, went to church in the afternoon to serve lunch, then attend Christmas service - Christmas with the +Factor. The Christmas service was interesting, reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas once more; the two sides of Christmas. It's so nice to be able to spend Christmas with my church friends, as well as serve lunch together with them! We even played a little impromptu soccer after service, wearing our shirt and long pants! A bit crazy but it was fun! Haha! Good fellowship indeed!

Next is the best part - dragged Isaac Ee to come watch Ip Man with me and my bro! Wa man, it was friggin worth it; worth the time and money! (well actually worth the money for Isaac, cause me and me bro gt free tickets^^). Waa but the film is REALLY AWESOME!!! The word 'awesome' doesn't even suffice to describe the show; waa it's like transcend my ability to describe. I think no one word can do enough justice to describe the movie. Okay, I'll try: Ip Man is so totally wham-bash-bish-bish-bish-crak-kapow-bish-bish-zham-slam-wham-bam-bishbishbishbishbishbishbishbish uber-tastic butt-kicking jammed-packed action AWESOME!!!

Waa, the fight choreography really exceeds first class, and like totally OWNS all other previous traditional martial arts movie. Ip Man is totally 'a cut above' and set a new mark and 'The new standard' for martial arts movies. Hard to believe that I can get so high and worked up over the movie, oh wait, it's not just me, we all were like can't stop saying the word 'awesome' repeatedly after the movie. Btw, it was a full house. The tickets were like way selling fast! I watched the 7pm show at J8, and the next show at 9pm plus were running out of tickets too! It's really a miracle for us to be able to get 3 seats when we arrived around 6pm. TOTALLY AWESOME!

Really made my Christmas this year, and ended it off with a BANG, oops sry, more like a BISH!!

bishbishbishbishbishbish... ...

HoHoHo...

Season's Greetings everyone! It's Christmas day today!! MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!

Hmm, I remember this few lines from carolling that seems meaningful to me... ...

"Christmas, isn't Christmas, till it happens in your heart.
Somewhere deep inside you, is where Christmas really starts..." (taken from 'Christmas Isn't Christmas')

"Spend your Christmas, where you should be..." (from 'Spend your Christmas with the Family')

(hope my memory serves me well and I don't get any parts wrong, haha!)

Anyway, rejoice cause it's Christmas! Don't waste it; make it happen! Once again, I wish everyone a merry merry merry merry Merry Christmas! God bless everyone, and I hope that all you people out there will have a fun, meaningful and special Christmas which you'll truly enjoy!

sun set at 8:49 PM

Christmas Eve!

It's a 'snowy' night of christmas eve... well actually the 'snow' is in the form of rain here, haha! But anyway, a most fitting weather for the arrival of christmas!

I'm snugged in cosily at home now; what a cold night. Wish I have a fireplace, that'll be classic, haha! Anyway, just came home, went out for a bit just now to Sunshine Plaza, and around bugis; did a bit of shopping. However, came back feeling a little light-headed (must be the crowd...) Hope I don't end up feeling unwell, I mean who'd want to get sick on christmas??!

Well, I think I'll be fine, daijoobu! I wish everyone a merry Merry Christmas!!^^

sun set at 7:58 PM

Today...

Woke up at 9.30 plus... ate breakfast... clear my loaded bookshelf of my leftover sec 4 worksheets. Wa, my room looks much neater now^^ (not that my room is untidy or anything, haha!)

As I didn't have any plans for the whole of today and tomorrow, I thought that I would be quite bored stoning at home, but luckily I got into the mood of practicing on my keyboard, and so I really worked on it, before and after lunch. Yay, just in an hour plus or so, I can play most of the song le! Btw, I was learning Tsubasa - You Are My Love, found the piano score on the net; it's so nice^^ I'm gonna continue polishing up the piece tmr so I can play smoothly!

Then, in the late afternoon, my church buddy, Isaac, gave me a call. We went to Causeway Point to do some job hunting! Isaac went ahead to submit his job application form for V Hive; we browsed the whole of Causeway Point for job ads. It was pretty fruitless though (now I know that it's not that easy); quite a few shops like Four Leaves and Value will only hire female assistants, then other shops have age requirements, must be above 18, and some required working experience, which we didn't have :( In the end, we only gave our names and numbers to Each a Cup, the bubble tea shop in Cold Storage, though we were told that we probably won't get to work together, and will be posted to the branch at North Point or Novena if we're accepted. Hmm, that's concludes the job hunting. Oh well, I'll take my time; just wanted to find a job to earn a bit of cash and burn off my free time!

Oh, then after that, we impromptu decided to catch a movie since we were bored and got nothing to do. We decided to watch Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (I had no idea what the movie's about but Isaac said it's funny, so yea) and it was very nice and funny indeed! It's a Teen/Comedy Nickelodean movie, about this girl, Georgia, and her 'imperfect' life. Do watch the trailer, it's good - and of course catch the movie! I think that it is a very enjoyable, meaningful and heartwarming family film! Great movie!! (Two thumbs up from me, definitely worth the money^^)

So ends my seemingly mundane day made great by an unexpected phone call!

sun set at 5:07 PM

Hi, I finished watching Tsubasa, all 52 episodes and 3 OVAs! Now I'm left with the movie! And I definitely have to read on the manga since the anime stops here :( I'll miss the anime...

Anyway, The 3 OVAs, which covers the events that happened in the Tokyo Revelations arc, is a MUST watch! It explains a lot of things, and it develops the series into the next phase; a darker twist in the plot - things will never be the same again! I wonder how Tsubasa is going to end; no, more like "I want a happy ending!!" Btw, the manga is not yet complete, but it's entering the final arc! (Oh, the 3 OVAs can watch @ youtube^^)

Hmm, I wonder what I'm gonna do in the next few days before Christmas. I wonder how I should spend Christmas too. I feel like doing something really special to top it all up. In the blink of an eye, 2008 will be over. I'll miss a lot of things... ...

I hope everyone's Christmas will be truly special!

YOs! Today was fun - came back from Qin Kai group outing and church carolling!

Went to Heeren to eat @ Fish & Co for my group outing^^ Waa, the meal was quite expensive of course (luckily, I brought just enough cash), but the food was definitely good! About 15 of us turned up; I ordered 'Seafood Platter for 1', I liked the serving, I think it's just nice, with a good spread of seafood variety! However, it's very expensive - $19.90 ~.~ Most of the food on the menu cost $15++, but at least the food is nice, and once in a while ok ba... (Lol, we were hoping Qin Kai will treat us!)

Lol, we got to see Han Hao's se4 lang2 side today!! Omg, You know what he did?? We were walking from Somerset mrt towards Heeren, then got this guy giving out flyers; Han Hao refused to take from him - then a few metres away got this young lady giving out the same flyers he approach her gleefully to take one from her! Walau, me and Qin Kai and the rest were like :O Then , just outside Heeren got another lady giving out flyers; Han Hao went off course to collect one before rejoining our group!! Qin Kai was like all " Walau, dam diu1 lian3!" LOL!

Anyway, I left after lunch to go for carolling, so I didn't catch Twilight with the rest. Fortunately for me, I heard afterwards that the movie wasn't that nice, so I didn't miss much, hehe^^ Maybe next time the DVD come out then I watch.

Oh, and carolling was fun, like last year! We sang at church, Darren's house at Pasir Ris and Priscy's place and Jurong East. Ya, I know, like world tour like that, from East travel to West, lol! But the journey was quite fast by bus, only took about half hour odd from one end to the other. I think carolling is quite meaningful, it's like once a year the youths and young adults can get together to spread the gospel through the songs, and also to fellowship with one another. Even if one's not a christian, I think it's just nice to carol and listen to Christmas songs in this festive season of giving and thanksgiving, to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas! Btw, we had some good food too - the chicken drumlets at Priscilla's place was awesome!

Today has been a long and wonderful day indeed! Well, gotta rest soon for tmr! C ya!!

(P.S. I want the grp photo taken @ Fish & Co!)

sun set at 11:27 PM

1 Day Melacca trip...

Yeosh! Back from Melacca. Quite a nice family trip; the weather was good, everything was smooth, thank God indeed!

What a relief, if it had rained it would have ruined half the trip - we wouldn't be able to go outdoors! We set off from home early about 7.30, ate breakfast and sat on the car for more than 2 hours before arriving. Even though my butt hurts from sitting still for so long, I thought that the journey there was a pleasant, once-in a-while experience - cruising along the highway with fine weather, clear blue sky and nice scenery, while listening to music!

Even though Melaka is know for good food, we didn't have any for lunch. We couldn't find those delicacy stalls after much fruitless searching and ended up making a rather bad choice of eating at the food court in a Megamall - the food wasn't nice there :( my Thai Fried Rice was way too salty! I guess we were tricked by the 'too good looks' of the food, which didn't taste as good as it should.

After that we walked around the mall and we got to try eat something nice: Chocolate-coated marshmallows! Oh, this is no ordinary chocolate-coated marshmallow - the chocolate is fine and nice, and the marshmallow is neither too soft nor hard but just nice and chewy - a yummy treat!

Then, we went to Plaza Melaka at Jalan Hang Tuah (actually I wanted to go there), and visited this anime shop - Teen c@m. I got something cool there - a Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE illustrations book by CLAMP! Here it is, along with some of the contents:

I think the pictures are super nice! Nothing less form CLAMP! CLAMP rox^^ (My favourite anime artists!)

After that, we went to visit an old, famous church; take pictures; see historical displays; and explored the place a bit.

Afterwards, we went to Jonker Walk. Ate at a famous chicken rice stall (I forgot the name), and yes, the Chicken rice was uber good!! Probably the best I've ever eaten! We walked along the street; there's nothing much around then, cause I heard the place is crowded at night. Then we headed back towards home, stopping at Johor for dinner before coming back to Singapore.

sun set at 10:42 PM

Melacca Trip!

Haihai! I'll be off to Malacca for the entire day tmr! Be back tmr late at night! Hope the weather will be good like today, and it will not rain, cause I don't like to go out during wet weather :( ; and also for a safe and wonderful journey!

Let's see, I have a bit of events lined up for me in the next few days: Friday hopefully can watch movie (probably Bolt) with my classmates. AHH, but Saturday Qin Kai's group outing in the afternoon will clash a bit with my church carolling in the late afternoon!! I hope somehow things will work out and I can make the best out of the closely packed time I have! I don't wanna miss anything, but I guess have to make a bit of sacrifice after all to make ends meet.

Okie, see ya when I return!

Hihi! The weather is soo nice today - a bright, radiant sunny (but not too scorching hot) day! Yea it feels great, I love this kind of 'beautiful day' weather, makes me feel all positive, lively and cheery!

Hmm, anyway, I'm kinda affected by the weather. I'm kinda like a plant - gets energy from the sun; need to photosynthesis, lol! Haha, yup! During dark cloudy days where the radiance of the sun is absent, I'll tend to feel low and negative :(

Haiz, a bit can't believe I'm blogging about the weather :O Went out for a bit in the morning just now; came back and continued a bit of Tsubasa; next I'm going off to church for carolling prac. That's about it for me to day. Jya ne!

sun set at 10:26 AM

GECO NAC Photos!!

Yes, I finally got the memorable NAC pics!

Must thank all photographers for taking the wonderful pictures, friends for uploading the pictures, and of course everyone who came together to be shot at by the camera!

Btw, I've put up some of the photos; go to the link at the side >>> - 'GECO NAC 08' under VISAGES. Enjoy~

sun set at 5:07 PM

Post-competition trauma...

Yesterday seemed so surreal to me all of a sudden today; I feel a bit dazed, like I'm experiencing a jet lag. Haiz...

It was such a long and truly special day, hmm, did it actually happen... yes... but it feels so distant yet near, so vague yet clear, within sight but out of reach... ... I wonder why am I feeling this way. Maybe, it's the emptiness setting in. Perhaps I'm starting to miss it all, so soon...

Wa, I juz feel like I'm a butterfly floating in a dream, ya like 梦蝶. It's like everything hit my head today.

Btw, meng die and yang guan san die rox! I think it's a wonderful combination; both songs are so deep yet nice. These songs like really penetrate my soul; those moments with Qin Kai's grp will always stay with me in my heart.

I'm starting to feel a little drained only today. Maybe it's because my life had been fast-paced for the past few weeks preparing for NAC, but now it's like suddenly slow down so much, almost as if time stood still... ...


Sorry if I emoed for a bit, haha! It feels much better now that I've blogged about it, I'm sure everyone kinda feels the same way. What a relief! Wakata!

Hmm, I think we (GE ppl) shld really keep in touch now that competition is over! Oh yea, I want yesterday's photos!^^

Now that I'm more free and easy, time to get back to my anime! I'm currently watching Tsubasa Chronicle - it's nice! Ja mata ne!

NAC Finals!!

Look's like we've bagged the BIGGEST prize of all - the GECO family!

Indeed, after all that competition, we've returned as a family, as GECO! We set out together, and came back more bonded and stronger than ever! I truly feel that the whole experience was invaluable; the good times we've spent together throughout the heat of the competiton was just awesome! Thus, we've reaped what we sow with all our hard work put together, we've received the greatest reward, and nothing can compare to that!

We set out as three seperate groups, yet our hearts are one. The results doesn't matter. I felt that we've really outdone ourselves and gave our best. Heck the little mistakes here and there, we're not perfect, but it's these things that help us learn and grow. The entire process was fruitful, spectacular and just amazing! I'll definitely cherish these memories...

THUS, hurray for GE!!!^^

sun set at 11:56 PM

Big day tmr!

NAC ensemble finals is here...

Tomorrow will be a long day for everyone in GE. All the hard work and countless hours of prac will amount to tomorrow's short time on stage under the spotlight. I'm all riled up to go!! All the best to everyone!!!

Now for some sleep...

sun set at 11:33 PM

Church Camp

Hi ppl! Back from church camp today!

This year's Youth Fellowship Retreat was fun! Even though I missed some parts of the camp here and there due to CO practice for the National Chinese Music Competition, I'm glad that I still got to participate in most activities and enjoy myself.

As for the fun and games, my group, Luther, was constantly pitted against our rival group -Wesley(A.K.A Weasels). The wet games were thrilling; I got bombarded with wet sponges coming from different directions and later got blasted by a big water gun. Although, it was slippery and we had some casualties, but thank God that the injuries were considerably minor. The most fun I've had is the unplanned after-midnight soccer matches that we played in the courtyard. However, The game ended when the police dropped by, saying that they've got 3 phone calls of complaints for being too noisy. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

The most important thing about the camp though, was the lessons that I've learnt through the messages. Personally, what hit me most was that, as a Christian, I should be closer and more reliant on scriptures in my discipleship with the Lord, in order to be able to identify with Christ.

Finally, thank God for the wonderful time of fellowship spent in the midst of the camp, that I can get to meet and make new friends, as well as get closer to one another. I'll definitely be loking forward to the next YF Retreat!

P.S. Luther rox! (most bonded group!^^)

sun set at 12:31 AM

GECO rox!
(haha, a bit random..)

I don't think I'll ever want to quit!
(so long my friends remain...)

So glad I joined!
(thanks to my evg friends who dragged me in 2 years ago!)

Haiz, tmr gt prac, monday too. Now's the climax, right before NAC finals! Good times indeed! (Just hope that I can use the percussion instruments when I go for prac, if not I'll be stoning at the corner, lol.) Anyways, aside from that, everyting's good; go home with evg pals after prac and have some good laughs. Speaking of which, sze min is getting lamer"; sheila's a bit high and teary today; and layting is mugging jap. There was some 'camera shootout' on the mrt ride home today (between sheila and sze min), then there was ceasefire and a peace treaty was reached. Soon the laughing gas spread but I was not affected much as I was too tall, (lol, sze min cracked this one..)

Oh ya, befor GE prac I went to ACJC co prac with jun yang, julian and jeanette (woa, triple 'J's - I juz realised). I had quite a good time there and I hope I can get in the sch nxt year!

sun set at 11:35 PM

NAC Prelims!

Yes! We got into the NAC finals!! Hurray!!!

One of the happiest moments was during the announcement of the results, especially when my group, the last of the GE group, was announced to be in the finals as the fifth and last group to be in. Wakata, what a joy and relief! (I could feel tears well up behind my eyes, sob... lol!) I think it was a job well done and a huge moral booster for GE! Even, ZHAM! and NYCO percussion group all got into the finals! What could be better! hai~

Now that I recall, backstage I was definitely a little nervous. Everything happened so fast - felt as though I was lagging behind time. Well, I snapped out of it when I turned to 'serious mode' when my group was just about to go on stage, lol. On stage, I tried not to look to tense, smile a bit, and just tou3 ru4 into the music, while maintaning the seriousness (haha, a bit hard though), cause I was trying to avoid making any mistakes. Thinking back, I literally poured my soul into playing the timpani! For me, I think the final roll + crescendo at the last part of 放排 which brought the whole music into its final climax was the best one I ever did - it felt just soo positively right and good! Thankfully, everything went well as we really gave all we got for the piece. I think our group succesfully brought out the feeling and moved both the audience and judges, that's why we managed to get into the finals along with the other 2 GE groups. Hurray for everyone!

But now, It's time to work and pia even harder as the finals will be tough! But then again, yay, cause it's a wish came true, and more! Besides all 3 ensemble groups, our GE percussion made it together too! The good times will last indeed!

Lastly, I could really see that all our efforts paid off! We went together to pizza hut to eat dinner to celebrate^^

Time for some catching up...

Hilo! Notice the list under 'EVENTS' on my sidebar that I've checked - I havent really blogged to share more about them. So I thought I would catch up on some of them now...(though its a bit late, sry if I lag :)

Let's see, thinking back... ...

Grad Nite...

The 'O's aside, Grad nite was quite memorable. It was held at Marina Mandrin and we had to pay $75! But I think perhaps it's worth it, after all it's one of the last cohort gathering ever, plus it's a 5 star hotel, and the buffet-style food for dinner was not bad at all(the quality at least). Yup, the standard of the Grad nite was there - the sch booked a ballroom; carpeted floor, tablecloth & shiny utensils, a stage, multimedia projection was quite good, not forgetting games and lucky draw - summing it up: a fine dining experience!

Ms Leong's Wedding...

Next is Ms Leong's wedding! It was the most meaningful wedding that I've ever attended, cause I really was happy for her as it was then that I truly first understood the true meaning of a 'wedding bliss'. Indeed it made me realise how wonderful a marriage is! (btw, ms leong is CHSCO teacher-in-charge) long lau shi, all e best for ur married life!

AFA 08...

After the wedding, I went to suntec for the Anime Festival Asia(AFA) 2008 with a good friend. Well, I had very much anticipated AFA before my 'O's, but I was a little disappointed when I went there. It wasn't as grand as I had expected; pretty sian actually, not much to see and do, and I feel that it is lacking the atmosphere to be called a 'festival', though quite a crowd turned up. Well, maybe cause I felt that the Toys & Comics Convention held there in July was much better. Oh but the displays were not bad; though I feel that the event should be more interactive for it to be more interesting, meaningful and successful.

sun set at 11:13 AM

Operation Major Blog Revamp!

Ohio! This morning, I changed me blog quite a bit - successfully and most satisfactorily!^^

...Therefore without further ado(drum roll...) Ta Dah!
muhuahahahahaha, lol! (sheesh I'm getting quite lame aren't I...)

Anyways, it took me quite a few hours of sheer mouse scrolling and clicking to find this wonderful blogskin - and I must say the effort paid off! So how do u all like the new look? (Please do comment on the tagboard, haha.) Well, I think it's much better than me old, out-of-date blog. It's rather cosy with a 'just nice' simple feel. Makes blogging feel so alive again! And the side bar is soo nice and comfy and easy to use, compared to my old blogskin that is!

Yup, I'm most pleased with my blog revamp, and I hope u all like it too!
(oh btw, I'll be more actively blogging now^^)

Yos, I'm back!

Oh, I just embedded background music for me blog tonight, it's from e anime Futakoi - Omoide. It's one of my favourite songs from the OST.

This past week, I've had a great time in GE during prac! Somehow, GE restored my passion for CO all over when I came back after my 'O's. Well, This is probably due to e warm, freindly people there, and my old and new friends I've made there! Honestly, this is the first time tt I've really enjoyed myself in GE - I finally start to feel at home there, after all this time, haha! GE is really a nice place to be in to spend my time fruitfully.

Despite the stress of the NAC competition, I feel that everyone working together towards e same goal is what makes it all so worthwhile - it is bonding and good fellowship in the making! To all GE ppl: We should really treasure our time there while e competition lasts! The drive and commitment that puts all of us there in one room is really something to glad about!

I truly do hope that all 3 GE groups will persevere and make it through all the way! That way e gd timez will last longer :)