2 guys, a girl and a pizza place. 8 guys, 1 bottle of alcohol and 1 Japanese restaurant. What's the link? Well, the former is a hit drama/comedy, the latter was an outing I just came back form. The outing was memorable for more than one reason.
To be honest, I've not seen most of the people for a long time. While the time gap for KW and Shawn is perfectly understandable (they are currently studying overseas and are only back for the holidays) and that of Calvin and ZY can still be acceptable (they are studying in NUS), the fact that I've not seen CL, WL and JLo is quite amazing since we are all studying at NTU. Well putting that aside, it was a happy occasion to see all of them again. Reminisience was definitely on the cards.
Eventually selecting a Japanese restaurant at Marina Square, we made our way there exchanging stories and playing catch up. After placing our orders we began a HTHT which was nothing short of intriguing. We touched on personal relationships which I would not disclose here since there are sensitive issues. We also talked about what we wanted to do in the future. This would be one of the outings that I would cherish because the time we spent together in the company of brothers is precious to me!
We've set another outing soon. Hint: It has something to do with our passion.
Hope to see everyone again!
Mad World!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Approaching the end of the holidays...
The national anthem rang out from the loudspeakers. Everybody stood up to take the pledge. The president takes his leave. The after-party starts amidst the excitement of the fireworks. Parade ends and school holidays draw to a close...
Very real indeed. I'm just picturing how it would be like on 9 August 2009. There would be joy and there would be a sad voice inside me telling me that school is starting again. I must say I have enjoyed the very long holidays. Busy with the little things as well as the big things, the holidays gave me a much-needed break away from the stressful studying environment. The changes that may happen (i.e I'm no longer staying in hall and I may be joining a new CCA) provide some anticipation.
The impending D-day leaves me the impression that I must cherish the last part of the holidays. As such, I'm trying to organize outings to meet up with old friends (did I say old? I mean young!) as well as new ones. I sincerely hope the attendance won't be too bad.
The autumn wind brings with it the scent of fallen leaves. The leaves fall so that new ones can grow. The cycle of life continues in a never-ending cycle that never fails to amaze me.
Very real indeed. I'm just picturing how it would be like on 9 August 2009. There would be joy and there would be a sad voice inside me telling me that school is starting again. I must say I have enjoyed the very long holidays. Busy with the little things as well as the big things, the holidays gave me a much-needed break away from the stressful studying environment. The changes that may happen (i.e I'm no longer staying in hall and I may be joining a new CCA) provide some anticipation.
The impending D-day leaves me the impression that I must cherish the last part of the holidays. As such, I'm trying to organize outings to meet up with old friends (did I say old? I mean young!) as well as new ones. I sincerely hope the attendance won't be too bad.
The autumn wind brings with it the scent of fallen leaves. The leaves fall so that new ones can grow. The cycle of life continues in a never-ending cycle that never fails to amaze me.
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Korean Wave
Yes everyone, it's here. For the very slow me, it has come. But for the more updated, it has been here like eons ago. The Korean wave (or K-wave) has landed on our shores, threatening to sweep us all off our feet. The onslaught of Korean drama serials, pop music and culture has open up and challenged our perceptions of Korea. It is not uncommon nowadays to watch Korean drama serials on our TV with Channel U offering up its fair share. For the cable subscribers there are even 2 more channels which cater to your every K-needs. Fortunately (or unfortunately? :-) ) I have finally caught on to the craze and come to appreciate these serials for what they are. Jewel in the Palace, the hit Korean serial about a palace chef introduced me to the traditional form of Korean culture with the scenic locations as well as a well-thought storyline. On the topic of storyline, although there is a school of thought that Korean serials have very similar storyline (they are quite really), they do have variations and the realistic portrayals more than make up for the predictable storyline. Korean reality television also has a very different way of attracting the viewers that I have difficulty trying to describe. Then there is Korean pop music which was introduced to my more fashion-conscious bro. Super Junior, the recent performer in the recent Melody Awards in Taiwan, is a mega-hit with fans all over the world. Their single "Sorry Sorry" has sparked massive following with fans taking to imitating their dance moves and even classes on how to dance to their music. It helps that they have boyish good looks and lots of idol quality. FT island graced our shores just yesterday and released quite a few hits.
Well, I'm not really sorry that I have caught the K-train. (maybe just a little since I caught a really late one) Till next time, may we all learn the dance steps for "Sorry Sorry". :-)
Well, I'm not really sorry that I have caught the K-train. (maybe just a little since I caught a really late one) Till next time, may we all learn the dance steps for "Sorry Sorry". :-)
Monday, June 8, 2009
The many faces of English
The English language is a mystery. Many people have tried decoding it but to no avail. Many more have tried to understand it but failed. There are so many facets of English that are all unknown territory. Not even Christopher Columbus could completely discover this vast piece of land. How many ways can you express sadness? Heartbroken, downhearted, disconsolate, devastated. These are just some of the words that are synonym to "sadness". Unbelievable isn't it? That is probably one of the contributing reasons why some people (me included) find it hard to learn a new language. If there are so many words that have the same meaning then why not use them interchangeably or even eliminate some of them to make things easier? Linguists will say that there are some differences to the different words and although some of them differ by a minute degree, they add colour and variety to the language. They will say it's the beauty of the language. Well, tell that to the normal primary/secondary/tertiary students. It's a massive headache!
On one hand the intricate patterns of the English language can be a terror to learn, on the other hand I must admit that I do enjoy the language especially what is written in books. The different words use in different situations has a magical feel to it, bringing something as two-dimensional as a story in a book to life. They can change something as mundane as going to work/school into vivid pictures and endless adventures. Learning it is difficult but appreciating it makes it much more bearable.
On one hand the intricate patterns of the English language can be a terror to learn, on the other hand I must admit that I do enjoy the language especially what is written in books. The different words use in different situations has a magical feel to it, bringing something as two-dimensional as a story in a book to life. They can change something as mundane as going to work/school into vivid pictures and endless adventures. Learning it is difficult but appreciating it makes it much more bearable.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Updating the updates...
Just had an exhausting mj session just now. Whew! We managed to complete 3 complete rounds and I'm glad to say I ended up in the green despite being in the red after the 1st 2 rounds. It was great fun and I hope to do it real soon.
On another note, some events coming up include the financial literacy camp at Shu Qun Sec Sch, the training and the camp itself. Should be a fun-filled experience starting with this Saturday morning with the training for the camp. There will be some testing for the stations for the fun-trail among other interesting activities. Side-tracking, the Praxis game looks to be one of the highlights of the camp. The elegant game-play infused with simple tidbits of financial education makes it ideal for secondary school students to tackle.
Finally, results are going to be released in just over a half an hour. Good luck to all NTU students!! (Though there's nothing we can do about the results anyway :p )
On another note, some events coming up include the financial literacy camp at Shu Qun Sec Sch, the training and the camp itself. Should be a fun-filled experience starting with this Saturday morning with the training for the camp. There will be some testing for the stations for the fun-trail among other interesting activities. Side-tracking, the Praxis game looks to be one of the highlights of the camp. The elegant game-play infused with simple tidbits of financial education makes it ideal for secondary school students to tackle.
Finally, results are going to be released in just over a half an hour. Good luck to all NTU students!! (Though there's nothing we can do about the results anyway :p )
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Marina Barrage + MJ session
On Friday I went with my air force buddies to visit the much talk upon Marina Barrage. A little background about the place. It's actually a large dam which helps to store water for the reservoir. In times of flood, the dams open and allow water to flow out to the ocean. It's a pretty interesting place because its architecture at some parts i.e the Green Roof actually looks like the design of NTU's ADM. We took a shuttle service from Marina Bay MRT which took us directly to our destination. When we arrived, we proceeded to visit the exhibition. It was quite cool since they made use of recycled materials to put it up. There was even a place where we could take free photographs and we stayed quite a while. Next, we went up to the rooftop where we saw a couple of interesting things which included 2 different couples taking their wedding shots there. After our visit to the barrage, we went down to Clarke Quay to have our dinner. Our dinner was...bak kut teh!!! Delicious it was, and there was even free refill of the soup. There were 3 different tables which categorised our spending powers: low, medium and wealthy. After dinner, some of the guys went to play LAN while the rest (including myself) started for home sweet home.
The next topic was the overnight mj session at jon's house. It was pretty exciting because it was the first time the 4 of us i.e the spades/mj/Big2/bridge gang were playing overnight. The night promised to be one of intrigue, deceit, risk-taking and of course barrels of fun. As we caught up with each other with regards to our school and personal lives, we also engaged in one of the most deadly spy games in recent history. Bluffing and double-bluffing as we tried to rack up the most number of doubles. I didn't do too badly and yf was the big winner. When edwin left, the rest of us pored over the updated CM 01/02 with yf taking on his beloved Blackburn. Combining tactics and his transfer acumen, Blackburn managed a very credible 8th place and even made it all the way to the quarter-finals for one of the cups. Exhausted and only standing because of adrenaline, we managed to stumble our way to the coffee shop downstairs to take in much-needed rations. The we went our separate ways while planning other more fun activities in the coming holidays.
Well, that's all for an update. On another note, I've not paid my hostel application fees and am seriously considering not paying for it since the chances of success is not particularly high.
The next topic was the overnight mj session at jon's house. It was pretty exciting because it was the first time the 4 of us i.e the spades/mj/Big2/bridge gang were playing overnight. The night promised to be one of intrigue, deceit, risk-taking and of course barrels of fun. As we caught up with each other with regards to our school and personal lives, we also engaged in one of the most deadly spy games in recent history. Bluffing and double-bluffing as we tried to rack up the most number of doubles. I didn't do too badly and yf was the big winner. When edwin left, the rest of us pored over the updated CM 01/02 with yf taking on his beloved Blackburn. Combining tactics and his transfer acumen, Blackburn managed a very credible 8th place and even made it all the way to the quarter-finals for one of the cups. Exhausted and only standing because of adrenaline, we managed to stumble our way to the coffee shop downstairs to take in much-needed rations. The we went our separate ways while planning other more fun activities in the coming holidays.
Well, that's all for an update. On another note, I've not paid my hostel application fees and am seriously considering not paying for it since the chances of success is not particularly high.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Holidays
Holidays are here. I thought they would never come. Yet here they are. What should I do? Should I find work? Who would want someone who can only work for a few months? So many questions but how do I find the answers? Anyway, some relaxation first. There are some events coming up including the Singapore Outreach fun trail. Looks like this could be fun! Tomorrow would be the release of Alara Reborn. This set promises thrills and spills as it's an all-multi-coloured set. Difficult to pick and choose. The Premiership is going down the wire but Man Utd looks set to clinch it. Not sure about their Champions League charge though they managed to defeat Arsenal at Old Trafford. Well, we shall see of course. Not much more to say except I'll probably enjoy this holiday. After all, this spells the official end of my first year in NTU! Hooray!!
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