In Transition

'I've got some friends, some that I hardly know...

But we've had some times, I wouldn't trade for the world...'

-Swing Life Away, Rise Against-

So as of 2 days ago, I am officially no longer a Taylorian. And today is my 2nd of many days of rotting into oblivion before pulling myself together and plunging into life as a pre-medical student.

I didn't think it would be that hard to leave Taylor's. But in the end, it was. The lyrics above felt so true to me as I left my last class of the day.

In all honesty, throughout the past 5 months or so, I was a complete introvert. My classmates all bonded with each other, formed close friendships, talked and laughed all day... while I sat quietly in the corner. I couldn't figure out why I was finding it so hard to fit in. I was usually the one they turned to for questions of coursework, homework, etc. Rarely for a friendly conversation. So yeah, I was the awkward, socially inadequate nerd of the class... harhar.

So yeah, I wasn't that heart-broken about leaving Taylor's. But on my last day, we went to Pizza Hut as a loud, rowdy class. My classmates treated me to lunch and wished me all the best for the future. And when it was time for me to leave, classmates whom I hardly talked to came up to me and gave me hugs. And that's when I remembered the song lyrics. That was also when I suddenly felt sad that I was leaving.

I just want to say here that I'm sorry you guys, for not making more of an effort to get to know you guys better. And I wish you all the best too, and we should always keep in contact. Call me when you're in Penang for the class trip and I'll be your official tourguide. Haha.

*

Lecturers! Wow, I couldn't ask for better. You're a big part of what makes studying at Taylor's fun. I'm going to miss Maths terribly when I head into INTEC. And I'll have to struggle with Physics, which I know nuts about now... *runs away from Ms. Chow*. And I'm definitely going to miss Psychology... I don't get to finish the last four core studies!! *whines* =(

*

One thing I'm going to miss a lot about Taylor's is CF. I love the CF crowd. With them, I was no longer the socially inadequate nerd. It was so awesome to be able to serve in CF as the secretary, albeit only for a short while. And the opportunity to play guitar in the worship team was an experience that I would never forget. (Thanks, Daniel! Not many people would lend their precious guitar to someone else to abuse, but you did! XD)

CF was such a great blessing to me. I learnt so much and met so many awesome people.

*

So yeah, the past five months have definitely not been a waste of time. In fact, I wouldn't have spent it any other way. =)

Now, back to rotting.

Wow... it's been four months already.

Some days I'm happy,
Some days I'm sad,
Some days I feel inspired and on top of the world,
Some days I just want to crawl under the blankets and hide,
Some days I actually feel enthusiastic about studying,
Most days I'm not. Har har haaaarr...
*Ahem*
Some days I finish all my homework and more on time,
Some days I watch 2 hours of TV and don't do any work at all,
Some days I keep questioning where I'm headed next,
Some days I just go with the flow,
Some days are bad days,
Some days are good days,
Some days I miss the old days,
Some days I wish the days will fly by,

But whatever the day,
I'm always grateful anyway,
Because He is always there,
Everyday of my life.

:)

I feel...

LOVE...

... for my parents, more than ever before.
Ok, I've always been the kind of person who was very close to my parents. I was never the uh... 'stereotypical' teenager who argued and screamed at her parents over the tiniest matters, for which I'm thankful for every single day. Heck, I don't think I even know of any teenagers who actually fit that stereotype except for on the TV. Boo to stereotypes XD. *thinks for a moment* Ok, wait, maybe I do... :P

But I digress...

Of course, there were those occasional times where I got irritated at my parents for who-knows-what reasons. But there were never any shouting matches or anything of that sort. The days leading up to packing up for college left me irritated more often than usual with the usual parental advice, lessons, *cough* nagging *cough*.

But once they left home for Penang and left me semi-alone in KL, I finally realised how much I love them. Not a day went by without me thinking of them. For the past week, I won't deny it, it had been quite bad. You have no idea how bad it got. Let's just say I was definitely not my usual self. It was through this past week I realised how much they were part of my life, and how much I appreciate and love them. Obviously, we never know what we've got with us until it's taken away from us.

LOVE...
... for the internet, phones and all other general communication devices.
Thanks to these technological marvels, I can at the very least exchange an sms with mum every morning. Mummy's sweet words of encouragement and love were the perfect start to the day while her emails and our conversations on Skype were the perfect end to the day.

LOVE...
... for my room mate.
Gosh, could I ever ask for more in a room mate? She's there to make me laugh, to comfort me when I'm feeling down and to be my constant companion so there is never a dull moment. The past week could have been a lot worse had she not been there. We talk non stop, traverse KL city together and try (with not much success) to keep each other from reverting back to our usual procrastinating habits...

LOVE...
... for my other family members.
Thanks for all those messages of 'how are you doing' and 'call if you ever need anything'. They mean so much to me.

LOVE...
... for campus life.
Well, sort of... The course work is quite heavy. All the lecturers go "I don't mean to scare you, but..." Sigh.
But I like it because of the fun atmosphere. The lecturers are all very fun and welcome everyone's opinions. Classes are fun because everyone has something to contribute, something to say. It is so different from previous schooling life, where no one dared/wanted/bothered to open their mouths in class (except when the teacher is not inside, of course. XD)

One week in college. There were plenty of down moments, thanks to the fact that I'm such a home-body... harhar. And there were plenty of up moments as well. At the end of the day, I'd take it. Ups and downs and everything in between.

It's all part of the learning experience. Being away from home, no more mummy to wash your clothes for you, no more mummy to make sure you eat a well balanced diet everyday, no more daddy to drive you all over the place. No more being a person who didn't have anything to worry about, other than to go to school and study hard and play hard. Now, we still have to do that, plus worry about all the things above.

Here's to another week in college, where the work load will get heavier, the homesickness will get lighter (hopefully) and I will be able to embrace the life I'm living to the fullest.
Oh, and I'm celebrating my 18th birthday this week. Away from home. :( Ah well....... Ups and downs. ;)

Better get down to getting some reading done for class tomorrow. :P
It's our first practical class for chem and bio, which means, I get to wear a very cool lab coat and goggles, which I get to wear in the way Danny Messer did before he stopped wearing his glasses. Jolene, you know what I mean... muahahahahahaha!!!

What I've Learnt...

My desire to chase independence completely blocked out all the negative aspects, and I'm now paying the price :P
Funny that the thought of homesickness never even once occurred to me when I was in Penang. I was so looking forward to college life in KL that it never hit me until the moment my parents left for home, leaving me to start my new life in KL with them three hundred kilometers away.
No, I won't deny it. I miss them terribly, although it's only the second day and college hasn't even started. I find myself needing to occupy my brain with other tasks, including mindless games to distract myself from the homesickness. And I admit, yes, I cried a fair few times.

But I guess most people feel the same way when leaving home for the first time. My mood would probably pick up once classes start and I have no time to think about home XD.

To mum and dad, because I know you'll read this, don't worry about me here. I may feel sad sometimes but I'm happy with the choice I made, no regrets. Don't hold it against me if I cry when I talk to you on Skype. I'm just happy to see you :-). I'm perfectly fine here and I will survive. And I will be home before you know it! ;-) Tricia's taking good care of me. Haha.

I thank God that I have Tricia for a room mate. Her happy nature is just the thing anyone needs on their down days and she's always there for me. MUAX, dear!

College starts tomorrow! Wheeee!

Geez, I'm like a yoyo, first up, then down, then up again. XD But I tell myself that I'm learning new things and getting stronger everyday. I will survive! Muahahaha.

Happy New Year

Worst minor illness to me? Food poisoning. When one begins to feel queasy out of nowhere, all one can do is lie down on the bed and pray that the sick, sick feeling goes away.

It doesn't. It gets steadily worse and worse, and worse, and before you know it, it's a mad dash to the bathroom and one lets out a torrential downpour that scares everyone within a one mile radius. Bleh. And this goes on for the rest of the day until one feels completely shriveled and dried out, unable to do anything but lie in bed like a bag of potatoes. (potatoes being one of the top causes of food poisoning...)

What a way to end 2009. Heh. But oh well, it's over and I pray it does not happen again for a long time.... Considering I missed an interview for a leadership program next year because I was too busy puking my guts inside out. Blah. Guess it was meant to be... :P

A new year about to begin! And with it, a new life!

Catherine Willows: Scary thing, sending your kid off to college.
Doc. Robbins: Lindsey looking already?
Catherine: Yeah. We just looked at WLVU last month.
Doc. Robbins: At least she'll be close to home.
Catherine: Trust me. When she's on campus, she might as well be a thousand miles away.

How symbolic that the first CSI episode I should catch after such a long time, I hear this dialogue. I can relate... or rather, my parents can relate. And every other parent whose child is heading off to their next step in their life journey as well.

The days have been filled with the usual mummy-daddy advice, covering every topic from safety to hygiene. Haha. I'm excited, no doubts about it, I can't wait for this new adventure to start, but of course at the same time, I know I'm going to miss home and the comforts it brings. Here I am, stepping off into new territory, no longer going back to CGL where everything's familiar, and everyone knows everybody (almost). It's sad, but everything has it's pros and cons... ups and downs. Carpe Diem!

Happy 2010!

Compare and Contrast

Compare and contrast today with the past three weeks. [10 marks]
Bandingkan hari ini dengan hari-hari tiga minggu yang lalu. [10 markah]

1. Last 3 weeks: Woke up either at 7.30 am to clear overloaded studying pile, or at 4, 5, 6 am, to cram last minute and/or freak out about the day's exam.
Today: Woke up at 6 am, laughed to oneself in the dark like a mad man and went back to sleep.

2. Last 3 weeks: Study, study, lunch, study, dinner, study, freak out, study some more.
Today: Housekeeping. Update laptop, throw out books and papers, internet, walked around room aimlessly but not caring the slightest.

3. Last 3 weeks: Been no where except home and school. (I'm such a pathetic prude...)
Today: First stop; Mall. (P/S: 2012 is pretty good! XD)

4. Last 3 weeks: Pale. Blood shot eyes. Constantly sleepy.
Today: Alive. No other words to describe it.

5. Last 3 weeks: Goals: Finish this whole form by 1 am...
Today: Goals: Do nothing academically productive and let my brain rot into a mouldy pile of gloop.

Total marks: WHO CARES??

SPM is over.

Nuff' said.

D-Day

Just replace Hobbes' first dialogue with 'Have you started studying yet?'

3 more weeks to go..... Gaaaaaaaaaa........... -plop-

*sigh* Good luck, all fifth formers.
-disappears to find inspiration, motivation and discipline to last til' December 8th-

The Case of the Elusive Pendrive

One week ago:
Mum: Hey you. You left your pendrive in your shirt pocket lah... I didn't see it, so it got a thorough washing from the washing machine.

Me: What? *completely surprised, having not even noticed the pendrive was missing in the first place*

Mum: Yalah. I always check your skirt pockets, but not your shirt pockets. Mana tau you keep things inside there and forget to take them out... *hands me the pendrive* Anything important inside or not?? When I shook it, water droplets were still coming out from it... Scared later spoil ledi...

Me: Oh, uh. Nevermind... I have the files saved in my computer.

Mum: Aiyah. Go and dry it and try and see if it can still be used or not... *shoots me a look that seems to say '17 years old nya, forget things so easily ledi... haih...'*

After plugging it into the computer, I found it to be perfectly fine, thank goodness. Plus, it's really clean now.

Today:

Me: *searching high and low* Oh noo... *goes downstairs* Ma, did you by any chance see my pendrive? I think I left it in my shirt pocket again... *sheepish grin*

Mum: Really? Go and check. I didn't wash the clothes yet.

Me: *searches* Don't have wor......

Mum: Where did you last have it?

Me: I KNOW it's not in my KRS shirt pocket because I didn't bring it to school yesterday. So it must be in the white shirt...

Mum: Maybe it dropped somewhere?

Me: Maybe ar.... but I KNOW I didn't bring it to school yesterday... so it must be somewhere around... it's DEFINITELY not in my KRS shirt loh........

*after mum and dad help search around for a while*
Me: Oh well... nevermind. It'll turn up....

Later:
Mum: Oi! I found your pendrive!!

Me: Really?? Great! Where was it??

Mum: In your KRS shirt pocket.

Me: Oh. Oops.

Mum: Keep insisting it's not there summore. Haiyah you...

-----------
Moral of the story?
When your daughter tells you she 'DEFINITELY didn't put it there', ALWAYS check 'there' FIRST!

:P

Boing!

Season Six! Season Six! Season Six!!!

*Boing*Boing*Boing*Hoppity Hop*

Season Six! Season Six! Season Six!!!

[SPOILER SPACE]

Wheelchair! Scruffiness! DL, DL and more DL!
Reckless suspect chasing -again-
Obssessed Mac 'Tempt not a desperate man...'
Adam and Stella... *blek*

Season Six! Season Six! Season Six!!!

'I'm not inclined to resign to maturity' ;-)

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Tag: 36 things I have come to realize

1. I’ve come to realize that my chest-size. . . is perfectly fine the way it is.

2. I’ve come to realize that work. . . can be fun and a nightmare at the same time.

3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m on the road. . . I get pretty nervous. :P

4. I’ve come to realize that I need. . . to start revising consistently for SPM. *snort*

5. I’ve come that realize that I have lost. . . I agree with the one who tagged me. Too many marbles.

6. I’ve come to realize that I hate it when. . . people prefer being carbon copies of others than original copies of themselves.

7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk. . . I would be in biiiiiiiiig trouble.

8. I’ve come to realize that money. . . is something I save very well... until today. XD

9. I’ve come to realize that certain people. . . are just wired that way.

10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always. . . be an OCD donkey.

11. I’ve come to realize that my sibling(s). . . is one awesome bloke. Well... I've always known that... -awwwwww-

12. I’ve come to realize that my mom. . . is my best friend who is not imaginary (see previous tag). XD

13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone. . . wait, isn't this a repeat question? Uh. Is acting weird, but nothing serious.

14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning. . . the holidays are zooming past so fast, it's not fair.

15. I’ve come to realize that last night before I went to sleep. . . Bill Watterson never allowed Calvin and Hobbes to be merchandised, otherwise there will be Hobbes stuffed toys every where. I know I'd want one.

16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking. . . why tags are pretty pointless, and yet so fun to do.

17. I’ve come to realize that my dad. . . is someone I haven't played Scrabble with for a very long time.

18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Myspace. . . I only do so to check out Ceesau's page.

19. I’ve come to realize that today. . . was the first time this holidays I actually went out to the mall. Or anywhere other than tuition for that matter.

20. I’ve come to realize that tonight. . . Youtube just isn't cooperating. I'm switching to photobucket to see if it's Youtubes fault, the internet's, or my music video...

21. I’ve come to realize that tomorrow. . . is another tuition day and I haven't finished my homework yet. And don't intend to tonight...

22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to. . . extend this holiday.

23. I’ve come to realize that the person mostly likely to repost this is. . . anyone. It's the holidays, so it's fair game.

24. I’ve come to realize that life. . . is too short to get all philosophical about life.

25. I’ve come to realize that this weekend. . . is another step closer to the end of the holidays.

26. I’ve realized the best music to listen to when I am upset. . . is 'Smile' by Uncle Kracker. Even better, watch the DL video I painstakingly built around it. XD

27. I’ve come to realize that my friends. . . are pretty awesome. Most of the time. XD

28. I’ve come to realize that this year. . . was full of surprises.

29. I’ve come to realize that my exes. . . my what?

30. I’ve come to realize that maybe I should. . . seek professional help about my infatuation with CSI NY... But whenever I think about that, I just pop in a CSI NY DVD and the thought goes away.

31. I’ve come to realize that I love. . . rainy days curled in bed with a good book. Who doesn't? (HAH! Got ya! Bet you thought I was gonna say something CSI NY related. XD)

32. I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand. . . a lot of things.

33. I’ve come to realize my past. . . is in the past.

34. I’ve come to realize that parties. . . are not my thing.

35. I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified. . . of watching horror movies. Because I'd get so totally terrified afterwards. :P

36. I’ve come to realize that my life. . . is nothing to complain about so far. :)


Youtube is not cooperating. I give up. Arggh. :P

Tag... because I'm being forced to...

Tag time! I have two tags to do... all thanks to the same person... :P

By the time I finish answering these tags, the Danny/Lindsay music video I made had better be uploaded on Youtube, because I have been unsuccessful thus far. It is KILLING ME that the dang thing is not uploading because I'm so happy with it and I invested so much time in it (Don't I ever learn???? :P), but can't post it up (*cough* show it off *cough*)!!

1. I’ve come to realize that my last kiss… is non-existant and I think my parents prefer it that way. :-)

2. I am listening to… the sound of falling rain outside my window... -poetic tone-

3. I talk… to myself an awful lot.

4. I love… CSI NY. Oh, I'm sorry, tired of hearing that? Okay, Carmine Giovinazzo! And Uncle Kracker's new song, 'Smile' (Hence, the DL music video...)

5. My best friend/s… are imaginary. Haha... just kidding. Make life a whole lot easier.

6. My first real kiss… is not gonna happen until I can actually answer number 1.

7. Love is… Danny and Lindsay.

8. Marriage is… Danny and Lindsay. Finally.

-I'm doing my 'evasive-answers-when-questions-are-too-personal' thing again. XD-

9. Somewhere, someone is thinking… of me. Lol. First sentence that came to my mind.

10. I’ll always… remember the 1 a.m. study sessions the next time I consider procrastinating on revision again.

11. The last time I really cried was because… Marley the dog died. :-(

12. My cell phone… has been acting weird lately, but nothing serious.

13. When I wake up in the morning… I walk to the bathroom with my eyes glued shut.

14. Before I go to bed… I read. Always. Reading helps me fall asleep. Unless it's a really good book, then reading keeps me up longer than I intended to...

15. Right now I am thinking about… why errors keep on occuring and the music video won't upload...

16. Babies are… adorable, especially Lucy Messer! :P

17. I get on Myspace… never.

18. Today I… left the house to go somewhere nice for the first time this entire school holidays. Seriously.

19. Tomorrow I will be… going out for the altogether 3rd time in the past 6 days... to go to tuition. Bleh.

20. I really want to be… in some cool secret spy operation. Lol. Just watched G.I Joe...

Which CSI NY character are you?

Which CSI: NY Character Are You?

More on CSI: NY. Created by BuddyTV

Can't say I'm surprised... after reading the description. Pretty accurate. XD I'm such a boring dud. Rofl. I knew it was a 'no go' on getting Danny Messer, based on my answers and the answers I knew a Danny-like person would give... :P

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARMINE GIOVINAZZO!!!

Just for fun, I manipulated my answers just to see if I could get Danny. If anyone needed any more proof on how freakishly well I know the guy, I got him on my first attempt. ;-)

Which CSI: NY Character Are You?

More on CSI: NY. Created by BuddyTV

Freedom

EEEYAAAAHOOOOOOOO!!!!!
SPM TRIALS ARE FINALLY OVER!

Excerpts from two really tough weeks... partly our own fault for our usual procrastinating habits, partly because our school was one of the few who took the State Trial papers, so our trial was one month earlier then we expected...

Day before a certain paper;
Me : Faktor-faktor tercetusnya nasionalisme... uhhh... -stares at page until all words become blurry-
-phone rings-
Tricia: Fern ah! I dunno what to do ledi arrrrrr!!!
Me: Me also lah....
Tricia: There's so much to study arrrrr!!!
Me: I know lahh... cannot sleep tonight ledi lahhh...
Tricia: *Whines* I wanna cry ledi lahh....
Me: So do I lahhh... Die ledi lah...
Tricia: Yalohhh... how ah????
Me: I dunno lahhhhh....
- The rest of the conversation is pretty much along the same lines, along with strategising on what we can afford to skip so we could sleep earlier than 2 am that night...-

Lesson learnt/Not learnt:

Form Three
Tricia: Aiyoh... next year Form Four ledi... must not study til' last minute... must study consistently.
Fern: Yeah, yeah. True.

Form Four Midyear Exam
Tricia: HOW TO FINISH STUDYING!!! We were supposed to start studying consistently! Where did all the time go??!!!
Fern: Nevermind... we have learnt our lesson. We must start studying early for the final exams.

Form Four Finals
Trica: -See above-
Fern: Yeah, yeah... we all very teruk wan hor. Haih.... Nevermind. Next year, Form Five, must really really work hard from the start.

Form Five Midyear
Tricia: HOWWWWWW?????!
Fern: I know, I know. *sob*
Tricia: How come we never seem to learn our lesson wan!!??? Trials must seriously start studying early....
Fern: Yeah, at least we have the August holidays to study more.

Before trials:
Teacher: Exams have been brought forward by three weeks.

Cue, Ms Chow:

'Ok, this is the concept of half-life. Like you all lah! Trials brought forward, you all look PUA-SI (Hokkien for 'half dead') like that! Haih.... poor, poor, little girls... -shakes her head- Everything also mong-cha-cha...

Trials:
-Refer above-

And that is the story of our exam life. It's a miracle we actually get through the actual papers well enough. I for one, am very thankful. Yes, guys, first in class doesn't mean the most disciplined when it comes to studying okay... In my case, far from it...

SPM in about 3 months. And one final event to worry about, PROM 2009 (bleh :P). Here goes nothing.

Fellow Form Fives, enjoy this week's holiday, alright? It's way overdue... XD

Drama Madness

Just when we thought the drama headache was finally over for good, along came English week and the fact that we had to perform one more time... in front of the whole morning session!

I wasn't that eager about it. (Come on, who wants to wail like a maniac in front of all your school mates and teachers?) And the week before was photoshoot week, so we had a lot more work on our hands (when have we ever not? :P) to concentrate on. The laziness factor was definitely there, with most of the drama team in low spirits about the performance. Add in our semi damaged and missing props along with the fact that we merely 'practiced' (in the most loose meaning of the word possible) once by running through the lines, I was really dreading the performance.

It was seriously chaotic. You people in the audience have NO idea what kind of havoc was being wrecked backstage.

No curtains, no bathrobes, no support stand for our kitchen wall (Thanks, Shu Zian and Renee for holding it up!), no broom, no 'umbrella stand', no white cloth to cover Jonie. For that, we ended up using the fancy table cloth Pn Yon brought instead. Hence, no fancy table cloth. XD

And the mikes were placed in really awkward places we couldn't reach. It was so hilarious when a couple of Form Four prefects 'sneaked' onto stage to pass us the mikes. Jonie and I couldn't hold our laughter in at the sight of them walking right onto stage in the middle of the performance to pass us the mikes and acting as if they hope they were invisible.

We ended up not using the mikes anyway. Which was why towards the end of the performance, with the heavy yelling part, you might have noticed my voice was sounding pretty strained. Heck, exactly one week ago I missed school cos' I was in bed with the flu. And there I was yelling my head off, praying I don't lose my voice the next day.

But at the end of the day, it was an awesome experience. Performing in front of people you know is actually a lot more fun. The audience responded so much better than the audience in the competition. During the competition, the audience was so unresponsive I was half wondering whether we weren't loud enough that they couldn't hear us.

Here in school, everyone was laughing every few lines and it was a great feeling to be up there on that stage. But the best part of the day was the scene where Jonie's character was supposed to die. When on stage, I never got into the habit of observing audiences, so I saw nothing. But after the performance, I was told that A LOT of people actually had tears in their eyes. Especially quite a few of the teachers.

O.o

There are no words to describe the feeling. At the very early stages of preparing for this drama, I never imagined that it could touch people so deeply. And heck, I was burying my face in Jonie's shoulder thinking 'This is stupid, this is stupid... when are the bloody angels coming? I'm so tired...'. Of course, having done the scene a bajillion times already, I'm of course pretty jaded...

But seeing a response like that from the audience, and hearing all their comments and praises later about it, it really puts all the work and commitment we've been putting into this drama into perspective. From yesterday alone, all the hours we've logged into this drama project really felt worthwhile. I felt even happier about the whole thing than the State Level competition where I won 'best actor'.

Granted that we've put so much effort into this drama and all we got to show for it on paper is '1st at Zone level', which isn't much. But in terms of experience, fun and lessons learnt, I think what we've gained from this is far more important than any dang Ko-Kurikulum marks.

I really wished I saw the teachers -secretly- dabbing their eyes with tissue. XD

Xin Fang: Teacher, you cry ah??
Ms. Chow: (bravado tone) NO LAH! My eye got problem lah! Drama-nya, why would I cry?!

Hahaha...

And now the whole morning session is looking at their Head Prefect and the rest of the cast from a whole new angle. As Pn Chang said, "Saw a whole new different side of you. Last time, I never even heard your voice. Thought you were a very serious person..."

SERIOUS??? I'm insulted.
Ask my mum when I fast forwarded though the CSI NY episodes on DVD just to show her the DL parts, squealing and laughing giddily.

Me: Ma, ma... show you something. -fast forward to DL wedding- Romantiknya, right?
Mum: You fast forwarded all that just to watch that part? Siao lah you! -slap-
Me: OW!

and...

Me: Ma! Wake up! You fell asleep!
Mum: No, I didn't! I was watching.
Me: No! You slept!!! -picks up remote and rewinds- show you again!
Mum: Haiyah! Yah, wat! I saw that part!
Me: No you didn't! -bey kam wan (not satisfied)- -rewind rewind rewind-

But I digress.

Thank you to Pn Yon for her constant drilling until we were all sick and tired of drama. XD. And thank you also to Pn Gan and Ms Leong for their suggestions as well. Also to Ms Poon for babysitting us so kindly.
Thank you to the wonderful drama team who was willing to sacrifice so much into doing the very best we could. MUAKS!

I'm so glad it's over for good. But I'm so glad we took on the challenge in the first place. :-)

NS... Kena tak Kena

The school was all abuzz today. For the first time, Michael Jackson's death was not the topic everyone was talking about. (Rest in Peace, King of Pop.)
Instead, every Fifth Former was asking every other Fifth Former they met:

"Did you check ledi?"
"Send in SMS... can check ledi..."
"What???!! It's out??!!!!"
"So-and-so kena you know! Hahaha...."
"Don't laughlah! Why I so suay (Hokkien for 'unlucky') wan..."

That's right. The list of 'lucky' 1992 kids chosen for NS is out and available for checking.

It's quite interesting to me. Even as late as the past week, NS meant nothing much to me. To me, it was "Oh, NS... okay..." It's one of those things that I just never thought much about. And somewhere, in the depths of my mind, I had this weird feeling of acceptance that I'll never get chosen for it... No idea why... it was just there.

So today I found out a bunch of my friends like PC, Xin Fang and Esther got chosen. Once I got into the car, I told my parents, "Hey, guess what? So-and-so got NS..."

And my dear mum said, "Really? So did you!"

-Stunned silence-

"WHAT??!!"

"Yah! I saw the article in the newspaper this morning and I kay-po mah, so I smsed in loh..." she handed me the phone showing the message.

'Tahniah. Selamat Maju Jaya.'

Oh. Har dee har... Was that the depths of my mind rolling around in laughter over the irony of it all?

I came online to check the website and boom... there it was again. 'Tahniah. Selamat Maju Jaya.'
Yeah, yeah, yeah... thank you... :P

I'm more shocked than anything. I know a lot of people dread finding out they were chosen. But after surfing around online, it is quite clear that the ex-NS trainees did really enjoy themselves there.

Two of my cousins went for it before, Vern (Kooky Jar) included. And after reading around many blogs, I see that it really isn't something to be miserable about after all. In fact, it does sound quite fun and it is really a once in a lifetime experience. Provided none of that NS camp 'horror stories' happen lar, of course... :P -choi choi touch wood-

We'll see how things go... muahahaa.... :-B

Tag 'I...'

Complete each sentence.

I am: supposed to be writing a speech for Teachers' Day right now. But I am not, obviously.

I think: this procrastination thing really has to stop...

I know: that just as you close the chapter on one busy stressful week, another one begins almost immediately.

I have: too much work. (refer: 'I am:' and 'I think:') XD

I wish: to jump over the next two days and go right into the holidays.

I hate: being unable to fall asleep quickly at night and being so sleepy in the morning because of it. -screwed up biological clock-

I miss: Dhivvya and Maria. :-)

I fear: missing a couple of upcoming tight deadlines.

I hear: nothing quite often. Have patience if you have to repeat something several times.

I smell: I dunno. You tell me.

I search: my soul. -snort- Sounds like lyrics from some song... first thing that came to my mind...

I wonder: what it would be like if we changed the names of everything into other names?

I regret: not doing the speech right now. Or at least I will regret it tomorrow.

I love: CSI NY. 'Nuff said.

I ache: I'm not sure how to complete I ache. All I'm thinking is 'I ache' Full Stop

I am not: the only one who has OCD.

I believe: there's nothing wrong with doing donkey work, just know when to put the Full Stop.

I dance: like a person who has never danced before.

I sing: very often when alone and I enjoy doing it.

I cry: on stage because I have to. Or at least I try to. XD

I fight: pretty well on PlayStation fighting games...

I win: today/tomorrow.

I lose: tomorrow/today.

I never: say never. Hardeehar.

I always: over-analise the sentence 'Never say never' and so

I confuse: myself.

I listen: as well as I hear. XD

I can usually be found: in my room.

I am scared: of a lot of things. Who isn't?

I need: a machine that churns out great speeches automatically.

I am happy about: the 2 week holiday in 2 days.

I imagine: I better go and finish that speech now... :P

Midway through Midyear

We're all tired. No other way to describe it. So much for my much earlier post on exam breeds... Told ya' not to hold me up to studying early... :P

I am consistently avoiding the consistent study habit. Most studying was done on the day before the subject itself and all the way til 1 or 2 am. It's just hard to find the 'mood' sometimes. Add in the 'drama mania' which only ended a week before the papers began, we were tired every single day , went home late from school and conked out for the rest of the day.

Oh well, lesson learnt. The next exam is the trials. Definitely not something to mess up... XD
Hopefully the midyear papers went 'relatively' well for the rest of you. I'm just glad we won't know the results until after the holidays.

Like Pn Hafizah said, we get to enjoy our holidays, but the poor teachers have to spend it ploughing through all the rubbish we gave them. This includes:

- Chicken-scratch writing from having too little time
- Made up formulae and facts
- Correction tape all over the papers making everything extra messy
- Careless mistakes that will either make them laugh or cry...

But anyway, three more papers to go and at least the weekend is here. Recharge time! Plenty of sleep and plenty of TV. I missed House, CSI NY (THE FELONY!!!!!!!), CSI and the American Idol Finale. Gonna sit in front of the TV until my butt sticks to the couch. Then unstick it to practice Add Maths and Accounts. :P

Exams aside, plenty of other things have happened, like:
- I passed my driving exam about a month ago. But up til' now, I have yet to pass the Daddy Exam. I torture him emotionally everytime I drive. He gets 'kin-cheong' until his knuckles turn white. Rofl. I'm even further behind on the Mummy Exam. She has yet to dare to sit in the same car when I'm behind the wheel. :-) Oh well, soon!

- For the first time in my life, I took on the main role in our school's drama team, as a male character. We managed to get to state level, but only got Consolation Prize. Unfortunately, (or fortunately?) we won a special award. I won Best Actor. As if that wasn't embarassing enough, the emcee pronounced my character's name wrong. It's supposed to be Phillip.
They announced the Best Actress Award first. So we thought that was the end of it, we didn't win anything. And then...

Emcee: And the Best Actor in the Penang State Level Drama Competition is.... Philleeeps! From, SMK CGL.
Me: GAK!?!!
Team mates: -Starts applauding and laughing madly in their seats-
Audience: -Probably puzzled why there is a 'Best Actor' in a Convent school...-

So I am now the proud owner of a certificate that states I am the 'Pelakon Terbaik'. Bleh. Try explaining that to future interviewers/employers... :P

-Teachers' Day is coming up. Busy busy.

-The Twitter phenomenon is spreading like wildfire. But I resist. I'd sooner get Facebook than Twitter.

- Kris Allen's big Underdog Win! Not that it matters much to me. I don't like either of them much.... XD -ducks rocks being pelted at me by Adam Lambert fans-

- Kevin Cowherd's 'Don't Get Me Started' column has been discontinued because he went over to sports writing instead. Now there's nothing in the newspapers on Tuesday and Friday to make me snigger to myself like an idiot anymore. :-(

- *CSI NY SPOILER*
We welcome little Lucy Messer into the CSI NY family on May the 6th 2009. Danny's little girl... 'Daddy's little girl.' Geddit'? Geddit'? -snorts geekily-
But here in Malaysia, we won't know about her until June 16th. -Torture...-
Although I've already seen all the relevent clips, I always look forward to watching it on AXN with my mum.
Everytime I over react about CSI NY (all the time then...) she'll always give me that 'look' and say, "Siao ah you?" or "Fern, I think you're a little crazy..."
Ergo, I can't wait to see her reaction to me reaction during the whole 'DL Baby' storyline.

The bed beckons. Goodnight. :-)

Maths Homework

Jonie: -walks in- Class! Ms. Ho isn't here today.

5 Airf: YAY!!!!!! (No offence to all teachers, it's just a normal reaction... XD)

Jonie: But, she left us homework. Take out your Maths textbook!

5 Arif: WHAT???!! Awwwww...
A: Whatlah... got h'work summore...
B: Yeeer... cannot finish Physics report.
C: Aiyah... thought got free period....
-general grumbling-

Jonie: Oi! Fasterlah! Take out your Maths textbook! I read to you.

D: Write on the boardlah!.

Jonie: No marker pen. Take out Maths textbook!!

-the few who didn't grudgingly walk to their bags to take the book-

D: Nah. Marker pen.

Jonie: Ok. -Proceeds to write on the board-

'MATHS TEXTBOOK'

5 Arif: -Sighhhhhhh....-

'PAGE: APRIL FOOL!!'

5 Arif: -dumbfounded silence-

"JONIE!!!!!!!"

Jonie: -collapses laughing-

5 Arif: -goes beserk laughing and yelling at Jonie for the next 10 minutes-


Kudos to our class monitor for successfully fooling the entire class in one shot. XD

And for the rest of the day:
Jonie: Class, Pn Chang isn't here. Bio in class.
5 Arif: Sure wan ah not?! You tipu us ah, Jonie?! We don't trust you anymore Jonie!
Jonie: AIYAH! I'm not lying lah this time!!! -laughs again-

Happy April Fool's Day. :-)

Getting 'Retricked'

So, who knew for sure that 'retricked' is not an actual word? All of you did? Good! Why didn't you tell me a week ago?!
Of course, you needn't tell me that if I was not so blur as to think it was an actual word... it cost me about 82 friggin' points! Bleh... Sthooopid (re: Post on Prefects Camp)!!

I'm talking about the Scrabble competition last week. All in all, it was seriously fun -geek-. Although by the end of the day, we were all pretty knocked out. Who wouldn't be after 6 games?

We were matched according to our spreads. I did pretty good for the first 3 games, got trashed on my fourth game and everything pretty much went downhill from there. XD My fourth game was against Ms. Retricked. 'Dang it, girl, I gotta shake your hand. You re-tricked me!' -curses stupidity- I went from a positive spread to negative in that one game. Trust me, you don't want to know anymore than that. My opponent meanwhile, went on to win first place. Haha. I hope she remembers my contribution to her. She owes me biiiiiiiiiig time.

But anyway, Xin Fang placed no. 5, which is awesome because she will get to represent Penang at national level later on. The others also did great. It was indeed an interesting experience, as we got to meet and play against all kinds of people with different habits when it comes to playing.

And of course, there's that adrenaline rush whenever one tries to play nonsense words, whether intentionally or otherwise.

There is a certain air of vindication whenever one gets challenged on a word that one knows exist.
A: -places word 'Lavalava'-
B: -eyes you suspiciously- Challenge.
A: Sure. No problem... -Struts confidently to computer and hides a smirk when word is accepted-
B: -completely baffled- 'Lavalava?????'

Of course, it sucks when you think it exists, when it actually doesn't...
B: Challenge.
A: Sure. No problem.
B: -types word into computer- Not accepted.
A: WHAT??!! But... but... I thought... but... WHAT?!!! -sigh- -walks over and removes letters from the board dejectedly-

But sometimes one doesn't get challenged at all.
A: -Places 'ac' on the board- -stares at opponent, ready to be challenged-
B: -Goes on with his turn-
A: -Heaves a very silent, but very big sigh of relief- 'Sucker... -snicker-'

Then there's that obligation on ethics when it comes to being fair when using the clock.
-B doesn't press the clock eventhough it's A's turn-
A: 'Hmmm. Tell or don't tell? It's his own fault for not realising it... Hmmm... I'll just wait a moment more... Ladeedadeda' -takes own sweet time shuffling tiles-

At the end of the day, our minds were so 'scrabbled' that nothing but Scrabble tiles and Scrabble boards loomed in front of our eyes.

"Time to go home."
"Home... H-O-M-E. Home. 9 points..."

But heck, I wouldn't mind doing this all over again. :-)

Scrabble-d

Oh, lookey here... two posts in one day. I'm on a roll, baybeh.

I just stumbled upon the official Scrabble website and found the history of Scrabble on it.

Scrabble-Mania just started in me this year ever since I signed up for the Scrabble team, which I'm still not confirmed to be in yet or otherwise yet, fyi. but I'll know that for sure tomorrow.

One of my most vivid memories of Scrabble would be playing it with my mum and dad when I was much younger. I kept wondering why my dad could score so high marks and I was so pathetic. Sometimes, I even played it by myself... yeah, against myself. :P I always gave up halfway because it got too boring.

Back then, I played the game in the simplest way possible. Just place words on the board and count the points. I usually placed the first word I could think of and that was that.

But this year, I'm suddenly exposed to the world of Scrabble with heavy strategies. New terms were introduced to me by the school Scrabble Gurus like Xin Fang and seniors Yi Lyn and Audelia.

Front hooks, back hooks, stacking, and lists of 2 and 3 letter words, lists of Bingo words, etc. etc. Whoa... is this Scrabble? And dang, I'm having a blast. There's something really fascinating about watching these Scrabble Gurus tossing around tiles and explaining strategies. Who knew there were people who could make shifting tiles on the rack and tossing tiles on the board seem so intimidating and cool at the same time?

Anyway Jess, you asked you wondered what the history of Scrabble was, and whether it was designed by someone named S.C. Rabble.

Allow me to correct that sentiment. XD

Scrabble was started by this architect in Poughkeepsie in New York State named Alfred Mosher Butts. (I'm pretty thankful the game isn't called Buttler or Buttable...) And I quote the official Scrabble website;

Mild-mannered, bespectacled Butts disliked dice games. They were all down to luck. On the other hand, he felt that all-skill games, like chess, were too highbrow for the general public.

Yep. I don't know how to play chess... and have no intention on learning. XD

Anyway, during 1931, in the midst of the Great Depression, he developed the initial idea for the game, which he called Lexico.

'Lexico was played without a board and players scored on the basis of the lengths of the words formed. There were additional scores for words employing 'minor honours' (B, F, H, M, P, V, W, Y) and a higher additional score for major honours (J, K, Q, X, Z).

Butts calculated the letter frequency and value of each letter of the alphabet by meticulously combing the front page of the New York Times.

He reasoned that too many S's made the game too easy. So he reduced them to 4.'

However, the patent board did not like his idea much. He did a little more tinkering here and there, changing to names like New Anagrams, Alph, Criss-Cross then Criss-Crosswords.But all were still unsuccessful with the patent board.

'Then came the big breakthrough in the shape of James Brunot, an owner of one of the first Criss-Crosswords games.

The Brunots decided that the game needed a few finishing touches.

They rearranged the premium squares and simplified the rules, which were overly long and reconsidered the name of the game. Then they lodged a Copyright application, which was granted on 1 December, 1948.

Soon after, came the all important name change ! After much searching, they decided upon the name Scrabble for the game and managed to register the trademark on 16 December, 1948.'

The popularity of the game grew and never stopped growing. Ta-dah! And that's the history of Scrabble. Oh gee, is that the word 'Geek' written across my forehead? Oh, no. It's been there for a long time already. XD. Gonna go explore more of the Scrabble website now.