Juumal & Chooku Adventures

BT 2 GP Paper is over! Whee :-) But I should not be celebrating so soon, because there is still Litertaure, Econs, Geography... However, I am happy that for the moment I can focus on the upcoming OCIP Selection Camp!

After our paper, Chek and I went straight to Balestier Plaza to have some KFC (cheat day, all day, every day hoho). Following that we watched X-Men: Days of Future Past. It was wonderful! Even watching it for the second time :-) I must admit I was a little distracted because Chek was literally shivering in the theatre and I was tying to keep him warm :-( Worried for him, urgh. I am glad he enjoyed the movie! He also tried to explain the whole Wolverine waking up in the future concept to me, so I learnt more about the movie the second time :-)

Thursday nights = Tuition nights. So, we went for tuition as usual followed by our chilled Novena Square/ United Square exploration sessions afterwards :) It was a lovely day to give me energy for the next two strenuous days of screaming and scolding and worrying and of course having loads of fun :-)

Thanks Chookurella! (We have too many nicknames, I don't know which one to choose)

Photographic Society (28/5/14)

 

The juniors prepared a mini farewell for us seniors :-) Though because BT2 GP paper was the next day, many seniors could not make it, so I was pretty sad :-( Nonethleless, I am rest grateful that they actually planned something for us, no matter how small! I rushed over from my consultation to find out that Domino's do not deliver to central regions of Singapore. The horror! So we had to substitute for Canadian Pizza. However, it turned out to be d e l i c i o u s :-) Now, I want to order some Canadian Pizza 2 for 1, hehe!

Before indulging in our tea time snack, Gavan wanted to take some batch photos, which I thought was very sweet too :-) Photograpers photographing a Photographic Society batch photo! Photos are always nice to keep, so we took the above ones!

Though it was quite a short session, I'm thankful for all of then, no matter how strange and awkward they are, hehe! There may have been people who I could not get along with, and probably never will, but memories were made and I do not regret any one of them :-)

"No one is here by chance"

Human Nature (?)

"In harmony with Nature?" Restless fool,

Who with such heat dost preach what were to thee,

When true, the last impossibility--

To be like Nature strong, like Nature cool!

Know, man hath all which Nature hath, but more,

And in that more lie all his hopes of good.

Nature is cruel, man is sick of blood;

Nature is stubborn, man would fain adore;

Nature is fickle, man hath need of rest;

Nature forgives no debt, and fears no grave;

Man would be mild, and with safe conscience blest.

Man must begin, know this, where Nature ends;

Nature and man can never be fast friends.

Fool, if thou canst not pass her, rest her slave!

Matthew Arnold

Today has not been the best of days, heck it, the week has been terrible and we're only at the half mark. Thank goodness tomorrow is the last day and the start of the June Holidays (which is just a pretentious name for the strenuous mugging month ahead). Friendships turned sour today and everyone seems off from their usual self. Or maybe this is their true self? Sometimes I cannot stand the way some are treated so terribly just because of who they are, and how they act. I can understand if their behaviour is rude and even harmful to others, but in whatever case there is always a better way to let them know. Sometimes it is not their fault, but their innocent ignorance that guides them to act a certain way. If so, we should all take a step back and approach them maturely, letting them know our intentions and feelings towards their behaviours. Talking behind their backs is not the way to solve the matter. Neither is lashing out at them one too.

Another more personally matter was me being wrongly judged. Just because I don't want to do something, you do not have the right to turn it into a laughing matter for your own entertainment. Furthermore, do not drag others (people I care about) into the conversation because that is when I will get mad. How can you judge something you have no knowledge about?

Such a strange God we have, always placing events in our life together at the most precise time we need it. I was having a Literature consultation with my teacher about nature - human nature. How Man sometimes stray from the divine morals that are set by God, and instead follow their base impulses. When this happens, they are blinded by their sole emotions that cause them to commit regretful acts. Just like today, I've seen a lot of that, and also carried out such regretful actions. I know I need to be in more control of my emotions, be more rational and thoughtful towards others. I also hope that other will do the same, treating their peers with respect.

I know I too am not perfect and make mistakes. I have to learn to be more patient with people and not just push them away as and when I feel like it. However, I feel like I can learn from this - how to treat other people, I mean.

1. Think before you speak - once it is said, words can never be taken back.

2. Just because someone behaves differently from you, it does not give you the right to judge them/tease them/scold them for it.

3. Be kind to others even if they are not kind, because they too need to be understood and cared for.

Another learning point of the day is that when life gets you down, sometimes you just need to focus on the positive people/things in life. This way, their positivity will flow into your beat down soul and somehow find a way to life you up :-) Yeah, so that's what I am going to do! Can't let myself be surrounded by people who are consumed by hate and spread this negativity to everyone else. On a side note, I am really glad a had a long night chat with Chek :-) He listened to my bad day and it felt good to let everything out. It's true that he does not have the solution to all my problems, but sometimes a listening ear is all I need. Not to mention he always has a way of being weird and funny, making my day completely (well almost) better :-) Hehe!

TGIF ❀✿❀

Slightly-ruined Panorama shot :-( But it's pretty nonetheless.

Cacti's New Home

YAY! So I just gave Cacti a new home ❂❂❂ But he has to live outside with the other plants and not in my room anymore :-( Well, I think it's better because he gets more sunlight hehe! He'll make new friends. I hope he will grow bigger and fatter :-)

On the other hand, my day was not going too well because I was sick / tired / stressed / emotional tensed. Probably because BT2s are coming up so soon and I know I am so unprepared. Furthermore, I really detest the feeling of having to be cooped up at home for an entire day, so that just made my tangled ball of emotions even worse. As for exams, I really need to make miracles this June Holidays! Time management is the key to my goal I guess, so I've got to stick to my motto - delayed gratification.

Dance!

The day got better as I managed to meet my babes, Erica and Nicole, for dance at Recognize Studios :-) I always enjoy just talking to them. Erica always inspires me with new points of view (while prompting me to speak in better English - cough-), while Nicole always just brings laughter into my life. I've really seen Nicole mature, especially from today, and I am happy she can take care of herself better now. Though she's still a little chubby baby in my eyes!

Dance was... e x h a u s t i n g... Really upset and worried that my stamina has dropped by quite a bit. During practise just now, I almost fainted because we were repeatedly doing a move that required a lot of energy (and breaths). Looking around, the lights started to dim and I got scared. However, I pulled myself together and kept pushing, and pushing. Maybe it's because I was sick today, haha! Nonetheless, this is a sign that I've got to start strengthening my body and losing some weight. Yikes! Gained 2kg over the period I stopped dancing :-(

The Mystery of the Lost Cake

So in the morning, a chocolate cake arrived at our house. However, it was not anyone's birthday, haha! For the whole day nobody did anything about it because it seemed ridiculous to visit each house in the neighbourhood to find the cake's owner. When I arrived home from dance, I was reminded of the cake again. This time, I decided to hunt down the house, hehe. It really felt like I was a true detective solving a mystery :-) Cheap thrills but it really made my night! I googled the recipient's name and miraculously, details of her appeared. Seeing a "Jalan Novena.." address, I quickly rushed out of the house to look for the owner. After about 15 minutes of relying on Google Maps and wondering if I was at the right place, I indeed managed to find the rightful owner of the cake! :-) Relieved, I rushed back home to retrieve it and hand it back to the family. Be it altruism or not, I feel happy that I got to help send this baby cake back to its momma, hehe :-)

☾ R e f l e c t i o n s ☽

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Sometimes it is hard not getting to meet Chek over the week, and I think it's more difficult for me! However, I know I can't be weak. This is not healthy. Slowly, I hope I learn to understand and practice the above quote: to be "patient...kind...protects...trusts...perseveres...". I believe I am still growing, that we are still growing, building on what we have. So I am not worried, but I guess I get easily caught up in the moment and my emotions spill over into my logic. I just pray that God will give me the strength to persevere and see what is most important in the present moment :-)

On a side note, I guess I should use my time more wisely. Maybe even spend more time with myself, because I know myself best ☁

SAJC Drama: Kuo Pao Kun's Kopitiam

Marianne (cat 1), Jingyi (cat 2), Aman, Yuyan, MR CK, Juumal, Rachel, Esheen!

Love Rachel's cute cat dress and Mar's adorable Mango dress ♥♥♥

Jingyi just being a supermodel, as usual. While, Esheen is in her cute skirt :-)

Mar and me = Ⓒⓤⓣⓘⓔⓢ

"Wealth can come and go. What is most important in a man is good character."

Kind of an impromptu decision with some of the A06 people to go for Drama! (Probably because Mr. CK asked us too, haha!) Nonetheless, I enjoyed the production. I like the issues the play brought up - filial piety, old vs. new, ambition vs. duty. I guess because it was very relatable, I found myself really listening and reflecting on the ideas they presented. What I agreed with the play was the notion that wealth does not last forever, so don't bet on it. Instead, we should pursue a life which pushes us to become better people for ourselves and others. Live to make others happy. However, though that seemed to be one of the morals of the play, there were some conflicts within in. Possibly, the many events that have occurred over the span of last year and this year have changed my perspective on life quite a bit. Now, I wish better for myself and try to enjoy life a bit.

So, overall I feel that life cannot merely be carried out in a way to support my own desires and relentless pursuits to crush others to obtain success. However, while knowing when and how to make myself be happy, there is a duty to do the same for others which I have responsibility of.

On a happier tone, Mr CK seemed pretty happy as he quickly got his "kopitiam towel" and placed it around his neck to take a selfie with us :-)

Proud of all the SAJC Drama people for putting a lot of effort into making the play enjoyable for us :-)

SAJC Rugby Finals ~ Play the game! Keep the flame burning brightly ever!

With the art kid, Fuyuan (who did not play due to an injury, but it's cool).

Gerald | Chooku | Juumal | Enqi

Just look at these two boys' ridiculous idea to paint their entire faces ☠

Weird kiddo 1 and 2 selfie

The tribal king and his assistants ♀♂♀

Another shot where we all play with Fuyuan's 'hat' thing, hehe ☺

Second SAJC Rugby match I've attended and each experience was wholly different. I remember how intense it was last year, being the first time I watched such a crucial rugby match! Cheering till my voice went hoarse, it was thrilling to watch our players swoop past their opponents and Fuyuan beautifully kicking the ball into the post. For today, the first half of the game was going well as SA managed to score 3-0. However, the later half of the match proved otherwise with the final score of ACS(I) winning 12-3. The crowd's mood changed as Team SA was constantly pushed back to the scoring line, and I felt it too. However, I am really happy for them because being 2nd is still awesome! I hope they aren't feeling to down about their loss because their fought a tough opponent, and they should be proof of how far they've come.

After the match, a massive groups of SAJC students ran to the field to show our players support. Soon after, we linked arms and sang our school hymn as One Family, Unbroken. It felt really, great. Being a part of the SA community where we are bonded by our friends, our achievements and even our sorrows. On a side note, I also felt that there was too much unnecessary and unplanned cheering.

Later on, my class with Chek and Gerald went to have dinner at Lot 1. My first time exploring the West in such detail, hehe! We had Pizza Hut, which I felt was pretty expensive :-( Overall, I had a really good time and a good laugh, especially when we started showing off the strange abilities of our bodies. One classmate could wriggle her ears, another fold his eyelashes into his eyes (what?). talented friends I have :-)

Lastly, we embarked on our long MRT ride from Choa Chu Kang to Novena. It was really pleasant though as we talked and talked and talked. One by one, each friend (Cheryl and Vinitha, then Gerald and finally Chek) left the train carriage.

Overall, it was a pretty amazing day :-) It was happy, and I am still happy. I hope I can maintain such feelings everyday through the hours of studying, when I don't have much opportunities for rest/family/Chek.

Shakespeare In The Park: The Merchant of Venice

This is the second Shakespeare In The Park that 13A06 has gone for together as a class. Hehe, seems like a nice tradition to keep (?) 

Anyway, this time we watched The Merchant of Venice, which I studied back in Secondary 2. It really seems like a long time ago and I almost could not remember the plot. However, after about half an hour into the play, I recalled the scenes and characters. This made understanding the play much easier, haha. I was really impressed with the set because I could really tell they put a lot of effort into it. Also, the opening scene was quite impactful to me! I really liked how they decided to integrate a more "modern-feel" to the play and established today's busy life. They did so in a rather abstract and interesting dance-movement where it was chaotic yet orderly at the same time.

Knowing that the play would be about 2.5 hours long, I really expected myself to feel dreary. To my surprise, however, I managed to sit through the entire performance almost paying full attention all the time. It must be because I was also recalling how the play went by listening closely to the speeches (because the Shakespearean language is just daunting and difficult to understand). Also, the second time coming across this play, I feel more empathy for the antagonist Shylock. I feel that he was thoroughly mistreated after having all he owned taken away from him.

I don't think I can judiciously judge on the quality of the performance because I have forgotten the play and how the characters are meant to be presented. Though so, I did have some good laughs at the characters' speeches and the ridiculousness of Portia and Nerissa's plot to "test" their husbands. Another rather unenjoyable factor would be the crowd's "sound-effects" that were made, probably because it came from Secondary school students. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed myself and do not regret going for the play because - good food, good company and a pleasurable performance.

A really interesting and eye-catching stage set.

It's a picnic, all right! SHEPHERD'S PIE | DOMINO'S PIZZA ◀ ◁ ◂ ◃ ◄ ◅

This is a pretty cute shot :-) And my hair looks good #selfconfidence

Class photo shot + Sayhao ☺❀★