WHY IS EVERYTHING SO EXPENSIVE!!!
(macam wedding dinner haiz)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
another bout of fanboy-ism
haha, i knew it.
they added the famous kingdom hearts theme songs to her physical album.
i hope it will boost sales...
they added the famous kingdom hearts theme songs to her physical album.
i hope it will boost sales...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
good.
i decided to put the tag board back on. and the fields where you input your name and tag is miraculously resurrected. good...
ah, i'm oddly emo now. mr toh was illuminating today, kind of echoed deep sentiments within many people. and i did mention something about it in an earlier post, about being in a so-called elite school, what it means to not get first place (coming from the academically best school, that's horrific-sounding to some). and about doing the best you can to make the best music possible, rather than comparing unfairly and ranking choirs.
it seems some parts of the school culture HAS changed. i'm hearing a lot of mini motivational pep talks often during morning assemblies. the atmosphere is apparently much warmer, you get consolatory words every time a competing cca group does not come in 1st. or it could be because i'm experiencing it from an alumnus's point of view.
the students themselves, as individuals, i'm not so sure they have changed a lot? i don't know. but from what i hear, they have.
not that change is necessarily bad. there's no way you can retain something for ever, especially not attitudes; the school is not (really) isolated from the general society.
like what many have said in the past week, the important thing is to just do your best :)
should an 'elite' school be defined by its achievements i.e. results? or the kind of culture which influences its students. the positive enthusiasm, to be humane, do persevere and be earnest in doing your best for yourself, people and society which you belong and which mean something to you.
it seems that for a long time, it was the former. we're now coming to realise what is more important in life!
it's really true, and real. i quote: 'singapore's too small for more than one best/first'. at least, in the eyes of singaporeans. and many singaporeans are still scrambling to be the first or best in something. myself included, i guess...
i mean, isn't that what we should aspire to be! like, oh i want to be the next superstar, or top scorer, or star player, or... it gives us the direction and is a strong and definite goal to work towards.
but it's SO UNREAL. i guess, being in an 'elite' school can make you have a warped idea about how the world is like. you think the world is in your hands, you are a superior being.
i always think to myself, i really dislike those people in the army who don't put their rank into good use. sad to say, i observed this myself NOT in my co, ssm, oc or even csm, BUT IN FELLOW NSFS. imposing high standards upon recruits without being upright yourself, or issuing impossible demands just to stir trouble, then go back to bunk, slack, then wait till the correct moment to catch their wrongdoings. oh, so you think you're so damn good. ha! when you book out in your civilian clothes you're at the mercy of the general public which casts a knowing eye on irresponsible behaviour, and service personnel who treat you less-than-politely. we're all under the mercy of each other, inevitably. and i don't know why people just don't see this and instead have a pompous attitude about themselves.
i'm glad no one that i know of who knows me more than just my face and name thinks of me as snotty (i hope?). even friends from other jcs, polys or secondary schools (yay).
i mean, it's quite normal to form judgements in your head as you go about doing anything, like meeting up with people and all that. like, 'this guy doesn't sound very intelligent' when you start chatting with this stranger. but just push away your pre-mature perceptions and observe and interact with others again with some humility. he's no less deserving of respect than you are. (unless he pissed you off for a rational-enough reason, of course.)
and i think, i've somehow come to forget to appreciate efforts and think of the surface value of results? i don't know how that came about me. hm.
AND i hope i'm not throwing the school into any negative light :\ so far everything on the whole IS still great.
ah, i'm oddly emo now. mr toh was illuminating today, kind of echoed deep sentiments within many people. and i did mention something about it in an earlier post, about being in a so-called elite school, what it means to not get first place (coming from the academically best school, that's horrific-sounding to some). and about doing the best you can to make the best music possible, rather than comparing unfairly and ranking choirs.
it seems some parts of the school culture HAS changed. i'm hearing a lot of mini motivational pep talks often during morning assemblies. the atmosphere is apparently much warmer, you get consolatory words every time a competing cca group does not come in 1st. or it could be because i'm experiencing it from an alumnus's point of view.
the students themselves, as individuals, i'm not so sure they have changed a lot? i don't know. but from what i hear, they have.
not that change is necessarily bad. there's no way you can retain something for ever, especially not attitudes; the school is not (really) isolated from the general society.
like what many have said in the past week, the important thing is to just do your best :)
should an 'elite' school be defined by its achievements i.e. results? or the kind of culture which influences its students. the positive enthusiasm, to be humane, do persevere and be earnest in doing your best for yourself, people and society which you belong and which mean something to you.
it seems that for a long time, it was the former. we're now coming to realise what is more important in life!
it's really true, and real. i quote: 'singapore's too small for more than one best/first'. at least, in the eyes of singaporeans. and many singaporeans are still scrambling to be the first or best in something. myself included, i guess...
i mean, isn't that what we should aspire to be! like, oh i want to be the next superstar, or top scorer, or star player, or... it gives us the direction and is a strong and definite goal to work towards.
but it's SO UNREAL. i guess, being in an 'elite' school can make you have a warped idea about how the world is like. you think the world is in your hands, you are a superior being.
i always think to myself, i really dislike those people in the army who don't put their rank into good use. sad to say, i observed this myself NOT in my co, ssm, oc or even csm, BUT IN FELLOW NSFS. imposing high standards upon recruits without being upright yourself, or issuing impossible demands just to stir trouble, then go back to bunk, slack, then wait till the correct moment to catch their wrongdoings. oh, so you think you're so damn good. ha! when you book out in your civilian clothes you're at the mercy of the general public which casts a knowing eye on irresponsible behaviour, and service personnel who treat you less-than-politely. we're all under the mercy of each other, inevitably. and i don't know why people just don't see this and instead have a pompous attitude about themselves.
i'm glad no one that i know of who knows me more than just my face and name thinks of me as snotty (i hope?). even friends from other jcs, polys or secondary schools (yay).
i mean, it's quite normal to form judgements in your head as you go about doing anything, like meeting up with people and all that. like, 'this guy doesn't sound very intelligent' when you start chatting with this stranger. but just push away your pre-mature perceptions and observe and interact with others again with some humility. he's no less deserving of respect than you are. (unless he pissed you off for a rational-enough reason, of course.)
and i think, i've somehow come to forget to appreciate efforts and think of the surface value of results? i don't know how that came about me. hm.
AND i hope i'm not throwing the school into any negative light :\ so far everything on the whole IS still great.
Friday, April 17, 2009
chanced
i went to school for a short briefing for my stint next week, then went to bishan s11 to eat.
and guess who i met!
mr nelson kwei :) he was queuing up to buy, i think it was the pontian bak chor mee or something. i walked over and said 'hi, do you still remember me?'
and he DOES recognise me as his ex-ri student haha! that was like, a freaking SEVEN years back! considering that i was very low profile then (only just became an sl in sec 2), i really find it amazing that he can remember so many of his ex-students. i think he knew my name back then, not sure if he still does. haha...
anyway, i congratulated him for victoria school choir's results in yesterday's syf, and he asked me to join nus choir, upon knowing that i'm matriculating there this year.
but i'm studying archi leh! i said. he said, there's one or two archi students who are/were also from nus choir (wow). they must have sacrificed a lot of time for choir instead of coursework@studio...
see how la :) he said, this year (or is it next?) is nus choir's 25th anniversary. and the choir's pretty good this year. to me, they were so-so for a university choir during their concert this year leh. but, it sounds like a good time to join, can be part of their anniversary celebration heh!
and guess who i met!
mr nelson kwei :) he was queuing up to buy, i think it was the pontian bak chor mee or something. i walked over and said 'hi, do you still remember me?'
and he DOES recognise me as his ex-ri student haha! that was like, a freaking SEVEN years back! considering that i was very low profile then (only just became an sl in sec 2), i really find it amazing that he can remember so many of his ex-students. i think he knew my name back then, not sure if he still does. haha...
anyway, i congratulated him for victoria school choir's results in yesterday's syf, and he asked me to join nus choir, upon knowing that i'm matriculating there this year.
but i'm studying archi leh! i said. he said, there's one or two archi students who are/were also from nus choir (wow). they must have sacrificed a lot of time for choir instead of coursework@studio...
see how la :) he said, this year (or is it next?) is nus choir's 25th anniversary. and the choir's pretty good this year. to me, they were so-so for a university choir during their concert this year leh. but, it sounds like a good time to join, can be part of their anniversary celebration heh!
unexpected!
goodness, the choir blog has a much larger readership than i expected! i wonder if this blog of mine has been getting a higher viewership because of that.
i know it sounds contradictory and stupid, but i keep feeling that this blog, although listed publicly, is rather private because it's just one blog in a gazillion, one website in trillions and trillions. who would read my blog, apart from my friends and the occasional person who googled a keyword and stumbled onto this page? :\ i even took pains not to have my full real name on this web, so that's another added difficulty in finding my blog.
whatever la hahaha! i've been quite careful with what i post online so i may feel intruded but actually i'm not (relatively)? then again, i asked for it by not locking my blog or something. like how parts of my social network accounts are more or less viewable to the public.
i just hope total strangers don't recognise me on the street and go 'hey, you're that blogger from this website'. that will be really creepy! @_@
i know it sounds contradictory and stupid, but i keep feeling that this blog, although listed publicly, is rather private because it's just one blog in a gazillion, one website in trillions and trillions. who would read my blog, apart from my friends and the occasional person who googled a keyword and stumbled onto this page? :\ i even took pains not to have my full real name on this web, so that's another added difficulty in finding my blog.
whatever la hahaha! i've been quite careful with what i post online so i may feel intruded but actually i'm not (relatively)? then again, i asked for it by not locking my blog or something. like how parts of my social network accounts are more or less viewable to the public.
i just hope total strangers don't recognise me on the street and go 'hey, you're that blogger from this website'. that will be really creepy! @_@
Thursday, April 16, 2009
so this is it...
gold without honours...
received by an academically premier school. of course, it does not go down very well.
i guess, 'elite' schools take utmost pride in their status in any sphere, sporting or aesthetics or otherwise. especially when they're competing against perceived 'lesser' schools (just because they take in students who score lower in psle), there's a kiasu mentality going on.
i think, it's not wrong to hope high for the elite schools to do really well in sports and arts (there's the direct school admission thing, too, which contributes to those successes). but, what happens when we fall slightly short from being the top?
i don't know if my other ex-schoolmates feel it, but i'd feel slightly disappointed when my school sports team got anything but first place in the national competition. the name of the school and the school's long illustrious history are perhaps, overbearing in that way.
maybe this self-reflection should be taken in a positive way, that we always strive to be the best or be better in what we do?
especially in the area of arts competition, the battle gets even fiercer. in sports it's pretty much fair, if you have better abilities you will win (unless the referee is biased, but the damage dealt by an unfair decision is measurable). in arts, it's really hard to judge who has done better, because there's so many aspects to consider.
taking choirs for example, maybe choir A has better tone production than choir B, which is more musical. using the scoring criteria, it may be quite simple to conclude that, hey, choir A is better because it scored more points in the 'technical' components. but what happens when you appreciate the musicality of choir B and hence enjoy choir B's performance more than choir A's? by the way i'm not comparing between any particular choirs here.
aiya. don't know what to say haha! not really sad, la.
looking at it, they could have easily done worse (we all know) so we should be happy with a gold :) had they put in more effort... haiz.
if any of you happen to bump into my blog, hi :):) say hi to me if we bump in school k? lol.
but please work harder next time! FOCUS during practices! and appreciate working on a piece of music, making good music doesn't come at a snap of the finger, nor is it purely due to talent :)
enjoy your school life!
received by an academically premier school. of course, it does not go down very well.
i guess, 'elite' schools take utmost pride in their status in any sphere, sporting or aesthetics or otherwise. especially when they're competing against perceived 'lesser' schools (just because they take in students who score lower in psle), there's a kiasu mentality going on.
i think, it's not wrong to hope high for the elite schools to do really well in sports and arts (there's the direct school admission thing, too, which contributes to those successes). but, what happens when we fall slightly short from being the top?
i don't know if my other ex-schoolmates feel it, but i'd feel slightly disappointed when my school sports team got anything but first place in the national competition. the name of the school and the school's long illustrious history are perhaps, overbearing in that way.
maybe this self-reflection should be taken in a positive way, that we always strive to be the best or be better in what we do?
especially in the area of arts competition, the battle gets even fiercer. in sports it's pretty much fair, if you have better abilities you will win (unless the referee is biased, but the damage dealt by an unfair decision is measurable). in arts, it's really hard to judge who has done better, because there's so many aspects to consider.
taking choirs for example, maybe choir A has better tone production than choir B, which is more musical. using the scoring criteria, it may be quite simple to conclude that, hey, choir A is better because it scored more points in the 'technical' components. but what happens when you appreciate the musicality of choir B and hence enjoy choir B's performance more than choir A's? by the way i'm not comparing between any particular choirs here.
aiya. don't know what to say haha! not really sad, la.
looking at it, they could have easily done worse (we all know) so we should be happy with a gold :) had they put in more effort... haiz.
if any of you happen to bump into my blog, hi :):) say hi to me if we bump in school k? lol.
but please work harder next time! FOCUS during practices! and appreciate working on a piece of music, making good music doesn't come at a snap of the finger, nor is it purely due to talent :)
enjoy your school life!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
i am dreading my driving lesson tomorrow.
i HATE my instructor. he CAN'T TEACH.
i didn't understand AT ALL what the hell he was saying when he asked me to 'steer the wheel slowly'. then i did it the cross-hand way albeit slowly, then he was like, 'NO? you mean you don't know what's push and pull? show me how you push the steering wheel.'
what the hell is push and pull? applied to the steering wheel? lousy analogy, and he doesn't even explain it and expects me to do it? i swear i did not read anything about push and pull in the so-called official advanced theory test book issued by the traffic police, which contains poor explanations at parts.
and i realised he did not correct me when i depressed my clutch pedal at at least biting point throughout the duration of the lesson.
i paid an unexplained $50 'registration fee' (i don't see how much effort is needed to register me under your wing). i need to ask him about that tomorrow.
and i must remember to locate his car earlier than lesson starting time. i thought he was late for my first lesson, which was supposed to be from 1.30pm to 3.00pm. at 1.45pm i called him and he said his car was parked somewhere near the mrt station. he drove me to the secret training area (a heavy vehicle park) and back at the end of the lesson, and reached the station BEFORE 3.00pm, and i paid for a freaking 1.5 hours.
basket. stupid old man. how i wish i could make away with his car keys! i can't change instructor because of the registration fee (what is the fee supposed to cover? insurance, i hope?). the only bright side is that the rate is slightly cheaper ($24/hr before 6pm), but i'm paying for 1.5 hours PLUS i had a registration fee/down payment.
am i being cheated of my money? can i submit a complain to CASE about this? :(
i HATE my instructor. he CAN'T TEACH.
i didn't understand AT ALL what the hell he was saying when he asked me to 'steer the wheel slowly'. then i did it the cross-hand way albeit slowly, then he was like, 'NO? you mean you don't know what's push and pull? show me how you push the steering wheel.'
what the hell is push and pull? applied to the steering wheel? lousy analogy, and he doesn't even explain it and expects me to do it? i swear i did not read anything about push and pull in the so-called official advanced theory test book issued by the traffic police, which contains poor explanations at parts.
and i realised he did not correct me when i depressed my clutch pedal at at least biting point throughout the duration of the lesson.
i paid an unexplained $50 'registration fee' (i don't see how much effort is needed to register me under your wing). i need to ask him about that tomorrow.
and i must remember to locate his car earlier than lesson starting time. i thought he was late for my first lesson, which was supposed to be from 1.30pm to 3.00pm. at 1.45pm i called him and he said his car was parked somewhere near the mrt station. he drove me to the secret training area (a heavy vehicle park) and back at the end of the lesson, and reached the station BEFORE 3.00pm, and i paid for a freaking 1.5 hours.
basket. stupid old man. how i wish i could make away with his car keys! i can't change instructor because of the registration fee (what is the fee supposed to cover? insurance, i hope?). the only bright side is that the rate is slightly cheaper ($24/hr before 6pm), but i'm paying for 1.5 hours PLUS i had a registration fee/down payment.
am i being cheated of my money? can i submit a complain to CASE about this? :(
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
thoughts
1. the last-minute gathering on wednesday was rather lousy. if jeremy hadn't called me to ask if i were going i wouldn't have went haha. the good part was that i met up and chatted with him, dq and pong (but i call him lionel) and cpt lim, and that pong gave me a lift to pioneer mrt after the chalet.
what made the gathering so bad was that it wasn't special. i got there to utter brief 'hi's to everyone there, then WATCH (and smell) people smoking cigs and si-sha, playing soccer on ps2, with heavy metal malay rock music playing loudly in the background. so much for interaction!
2. i think non-jc people are generally better to talk with. because (the stereotyped/typical?) jc people are either too introverted or dao. or maybe it depends on the setting. if you are introduced to a friend's friend in a public area, would you be less friendly and chatty than if it happened before or after a church service, for example? that's quite sad, if there's a difference in behaviour depending on occasion :\ i hope it isn't really the case?
3. i'm earning slightly less than expected, because students keep cancelling lessons, and i'm called to school for a shorter period, too. but money isn't really what i'm so concerned with. i'm afraid i'm wasting my time now :| no major improvements in my life since ord, uh-oh. but i'm content with being the slacker that i am now. i see my tummy increasing girth compared to when i just ord-ed (exercised very often after coming home from internship). how, how, how to motivate myself to do SOMETHING. hahahaiii... somebody motivate me please!
what made the gathering so bad was that it wasn't special. i got there to utter brief 'hi's to everyone there, then WATCH (and smell) people smoking cigs and si-sha, playing soccer on ps2, with heavy metal malay rock music playing loudly in the background. so much for interaction!
2. i think non-jc people are generally better to talk with. because (the stereotyped/typical?) jc people are either too introverted or dao. or maybe it depends on the setting. if you are introduced to a friend's friend in a public area, would you be less friendly and chatty than if it happened before or after a church service, for example? that's quite sad, if there's a difference in behaviour depending on occasion :\ i hope it isn't really the case?
3. i'm earning slightly less than expected, because students keep cancelling lessons, and i'm called to school for a shorter period, too. but money isn't really what i'm so concerned with. i'm afraid i'm wasting my time now :| no major improvements in my life since ord, uh-oh. but i'm content with being the slacker that i am now. i see my tummy increasing girth compared to when i just ord-ed (exercised very often after coming home from internship). how, how, how to motivate myself to do SOMETHING. hahahaiii... somebody motivate me please!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
listen to these!
me muero. has a spanish flavour! eating godiva in old pajamas. reading old e-mails. haha so many nice imageries.
merry christmas mr lawrence - fyi (yes she sampled the soundtrack). from the lyrics, 'captain piccard' is from star trek, i think. there's even an indian chant weaved into the lyrics, just before the chorus lol.
imo these are the best songs off the album :)
this one (crying like a child). nice rnb ballad. listen to the lyrics. has quite a few references to popular culture.
dirty desire. very nice to bop to.
i also like: taking my money back (some people have issues with the arrangement though), on and on (has a guy shouting every other beat throughout the song lol).
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