Jeffirean Stories
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
hmm...
the third week of school has arrived and it's crunch time! i need to really do some homework now, which i haven't done any for the past 2 weeks, let alone study. tomorrow is my free da yet i wonder if i can harness enough energy to do all that is required for submission this week. on top of that, i have cca stuff to do.. wonder how i am going to cope.. (u can see that i'm refraining from using initial caps for my sentences, trying to save time :p)
there are other stuff on the agenda as well, my first minutes for ltb, like collecting the X-Box and selling it away for my extension of the Maxonline, helping my mum repair her beloved watch, sell my dad's old phone and get a new nicer one, visit jiaxing at the hospital, blah blah... worse of all, life is in a mess now and i need a real clear direction...someone signal the way for me while i get stuck in the roundabout circle first..thanks.
geekout was a disappointment. the music sucked, but i was more sad by some of my OG ppl's attitude... like they din even bother to say hello... anyway i shall forget about it for another OG friend mentioned that they might be busy searching for their own friend and thus din see me. on hindsight, maybe i ought to had been more proactive and said hello straight to them... i guess i have to learn to really say hello with warmth and sincerity.. i am alwiz sincere but my blank face may had put many ppl off... sighz. other than that i had fun taking photos of the crowd (but yet to see them cos my cam is with my boss now) and helping out bizcom to give goodies out... oh well i had my first alcoholic drink in 2 years (shh, dun tell my parents), but it wasn't ordered by me as i dunno anything about housepours and clubbing stuff. anyway i managed to see my senior in bizcom and she helped me get a drink (vodka 7up). i drank it in one gulp and left for home, walking to the mrt from zouk.. a long and lonely walk... the aftermath was that some friends of mine told me that they saw me at the entrance taking photos but couldn't confirm that it was me for i looked very much different than usual... ok. luckily i have something positive to remember then..
sunday had a short meeting with junkai, eileen & liguang at comex 2004, they were all discussing purchasing a mp3 player....i'm not in their league to talk about that luxury item..din manage to see the printers and pdas which i wanted to see. din bring the old printer for trade-in, and anyway we dun have any money to buy anything. sad rite? well, i think i'm improving my driving skills with the van since i am now free to drive it my way and my parking has been excellently executed... but i feel like i'm a chauffeur now! like sometimes my dad makes me go run errands or send my family somewhere...haha. i hope i can get a car of my own soon though.. what a dream to have.
to round off, today i went for my second round of seminar at the mlm company called DCHL.. the seminar was quite standard.. figures that make u go 'wow!' and weird ppl who dance together with old old music.. feels odd to be so positive - minded.. haha. anyway the good part wasn't the seminar or how to make money, but the conversations i had with a professor from my school (a former CFO of HP!) and bernice's friend, caiyun. she's so cool! she was in suit and had those squarish specs, but so cool...the real businesswoman! enjoyed very much talking to them.. the culture here is so nice.. they dun talk abt earning money all the time, not too much of those serious stuff... but more on their personal views and their sharing of their experiences.. it feels good to be talking to ppl with the same vision... that's why i say i enjoy talking to ppl who loves to talk about business.. it's not about doing this and that, it's about experiences....little experiences, big experiences... learning is so fun...
well.. no.. i'm not as psychoed as some mlm ppl u see, i haven't joined yet anyway.... need to settle my life first before doing this and that... $300 allowance is not sustainable in SMU life and hence i am looking forward to clinching a job soon to at least start a ball rolling... then maybe i can consider joining the mlm line ba..
hope things will be settled soon
looks to the sky and wonder why am i so lost
jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
12:01 AM
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Feeling slightly better now, had a short nap just now after reading today's New Paper. My fantasy league team didn't fare so well this week. Sigh..
For a change, let's have a Q & A session with myself. Intra-personal communications? Well, my Comms grp's definition of Communication is 'Entertainment', so let me have some self-entertainment.
Q: What is your idea of a nice girl?
A: A nice girl is a girl who sings well, who doesn't smoke, who smiles brightly most of the time, and finally, she must be 'able to walk into the kitchen, able to walk out to the hall' (a chinese saying for a virtuous and presentable lady)
Q: Why haven't you found a girlfriend till now?
A: I won't make the first move until the girl makes the move, or at least give a big hint...:p
Q: Why do you always look stoned, or blank faced?
A: I have no impetus to look happy or sad, do I? In the past I thought I was trying to act cool, but actually it's that I am actually busy thinking of stuff all the time, so no emotions directed by the brain.
Q: Why do you always mumble weird stuff, like the jap lang you always blabber...
A: I have a tendency to speak too fast, that's why..by the way, the jap words i blabber usually means 'sadz'
Ok, think that's enough for today. Let's continue some other day....yawnzz
I just slept 1.5 hrs today! Then was late for school and lost my timetable! luckily my memory was fine today, can remember where the class was....
.....
Jeffire
PS: I will be going Zouk on Sat for my school's bash themed GeekOut!
Acknowledged my existence at
10:02 PM
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
DIED.
I cannot cope with school work, CCAs and all sorts of other work.
I am broke and in debt because my first attempt at doing business failed.
I owe so many people so many things.
I need a new life. Save me...
Burnt out and ironed flat
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
7:41 PM
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Heso!
Finally life is starting to return to normal, somehow still unsettled though, because my home is yet to be ready for residence. I wished I've was in the army though, then maybe could have gone back to bunk to sleep. But sleeping in a sleeping bag at home against my parents' wishes isn't that bad, I only need to endure some naggin and of course violent objection by my brother, who is as addicted to our computer like me!
School work is in a mess now. I've yet to get the textbooks and I won't want to be paying for a new book because I never mug, which means the books won't be of much use at all, albeit for homework and probably knowledge absorbtion. I certainly hope there are still some 2nd hand books left around to be sold by the seniors. Dream on...I've still have some assignments yet to be done, but oh well, what to do. Life isn't about studying and getting honours only.
Last night Huiling complained to me that I mentioned that she was 'fierce'. Well, gotta clarify that I meant that she's actually an aggressive person who takes the initiative, as well as being vocal and straight forward. She also mentioned she wanted to be a banker, I suppose she would be doing well if she was working in SGX! Hehz.
This keyboard is miraculously revived! Unlike the first time when I returned to the cyberworld, where Jinki had to endure the weird typing, now it's doing absolutely fine! However it's still sooted though, probably need a dash of 'Magiclean' solution....
Will try to recall the good times during the last week probably on Tue when I have no classes...so stay tuned!
Meanwhile, my best wishes goes to Jason 'Pigeon' Ling who turns 21 today! The party celebration last night was indeed an eye opener, but sorry that I had to depart earlier than expected. You know la, we are not really chiongster type of people, but probably next time when I'm feeling better then I go chiong with u? Hahaha. Hope you enjoyed a good time. I will put up the fotos in my cam on Tue..
Good luck to everyone and me! (Tml's Toto is a million bucks!)
Feeling hopeful
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
12:20 PM
Thursday, August 19, 2004
SOBZ
2 days after the fire, this afternoon was the first time I returned home. The damage I saw was simply far more that what I imagined. There was soot everywhere! On the floor, on the appliances, on the walls, on the ceiling, on my comics, on my books, INSIDE my cupboard, INSIDE my drawers.......the smells lingers around. My bed is now a bed of soot. My computer is damaged because of my neighbours who threw water into my room. My brother's bed is gone, wet and dirty.
Some stuff I hope I can leave at people's place to make sure they are still working, if you wanna lease it for a while, I dun mind it. They are my PS2 (i've yet to play the WE8 I bought! SADZ), SCV modem, PC... yeah, that's about it.
Thanks to all those who have offered their help and concern somehow another, like what I posted on friendster, i may just hold a post-disaster celebration after the clean-up, so that I can thank all my friends.
I hope school can stop temporarily! I cannot do my work if this goes on! Sigh.
Oh ya, I still managed to take time out to send my good friend Nigel off. He's flying there to study Philosophy. I wish him all the best and hope we will keep in contact. Oh maybe you wonder why I can take time out to go to the airport, well, it's because at night there's no light and we can't clean up my home. Hahaha. =p
Still sad and very busy
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
5:25 PM
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Sobz
I'm currently in the school library doing this blog. Why? My home had a fire and now everything is in a mess. Well, luckily the damage was pretty limited to a piece of the wall and the altar. Nobody was at home when the fire occurred. The SCDF staff mentioned to my mother that the fire started due to a short circuit of the lights at the altar. I'm not that sure about that though. Unfortunately, due to the fire (and my neighbours), my room's window has been smashed, the floor's wet(due to my neighbours), the stuff's in a messs and everything is covered in soot and smells.
Since I will not be at home (yes, due to the fire we have to shift out (to my grandma's place in AMK) because
a. my doors and windows were smashed,
b. we have to clean everything up before we can return,
c. the electrician has to repair the power grid.
Everything will be lagging. I won't be online as much as normal, until things are cleared up.
Meanwhile, I will like to seek your help if possible.
a. If you have cardboard boxes, please do give to me, 1 or 2 from 3-4 persons will be sufficient. Since there are gonna be paintworks and shifting of stuff, I'm gonna take it as though I'm moving into a new home.
b. Tell me where you can find a traditional laundrette! You know, those places with coin operated washing machines, need to wash up all the bed stuff and clothes because they all smell of plastic.
c. Keep in contact by HP, or email (for non-urgent stuff)
Thanks a centrillion to all of you for your kind assistance or understanding.
Sadz
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
9:34 AM
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Heso!
School started today but I had only one lesson and that was in the afternoon. However I had to be in school early because of the flea market registration booth which I am supposed to man with my teammates. Business hasn't been good for the registration but probably tomorrow it will be better with more publicity by us.
During lunch time the traffic peaked at the Business Block Lobby where there was a second hand book sales. It's like this, there's this society SMUVerts, which organised a book fair for the seniors to hand down their books to us, the freshies so that the books are recycled and we get them at cheaper price. I wonder if there are any left because I need to get them for my Finanical Accounting and stuff.
My first lesson in SMU was Leadership and Team-building, under Prof Ma. Now my courage level has risen slightly as I took the initiative to get to know people. This feels good. Anyway, my class has so many pretty girls! Especially our Teaching Assistants...but no no, it is just a comment. There are pretty girls all around SMU.
I've got to know a new team of friends and we will embark on a community service project for this module. It started pretty well as our discussion progressed fine. I hope this will go on for the whole module...afterall, it's all about teambuilding isn't it? I will introduce them to you when I get to take a group photo of them..
After class I went for SCS meeting. The bulk of the team weren't around as I was very late but I managed to helped out around, even having a little heated discussion with the seniors. Haha. It turned out real well and I hope I will be getting involved in more of the background work. I told them about it but our big boss, Paul, is not really receptive to it because he prefers everyone to learn more PR skills. What to do? I always sucks at PR.
I only got to reach home at 9+pm and dinner was a big vegetarian bao (diameter of 15 cm i think!) hahaha. Another good day gone, more friends known.
=)
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
12:11 AM
Monday, August 16, 2004
Pika~
I've returned from a variety of activities which will lead to school starting tomorrow. For me it was a great week spent, despite all the hustle and bustle. I will definitely miss the holidays and the pleasure of doing nothing day by day. Since school has commenced, I will have to start to manage my life properly, with issues like getting a part-time job, rearranging schedules and trying to hit targets I've set. What's missing was a birthday resolution (which I did for 19th n 20th birthday), but in my mind (and also here), I have set out what I want to do. Let's just hope school starts with a breeze, without too much trouble brewing.
Pow Wow Camp
===========
11 - 13th Aug marked the period of SMU 2004 Orientation Camp which was named Pow Wow Camp. Some memorable moments included the Night Fright walk (kudoes to the organising and acting team, they sure scared the daylights out of us), the Mystery Hunt in Botanic Gardens, the teambuilding games led by Sam Sikes, and also the breaking of the Guiness World Record for no of people being held together in a gigantic, linked racoon circle formation. My OG was a pretty fun group, although they didn't really like the fantastic sun which I liked, and also work, which I liked very much too. Basically I didn't really enjoyed that much bonding to people, I enjoyed more of being present at the camp. There are all sorts of people in the camp, but a general feeling I get is that most of us are pampered kids with poor attitudes and non-appreciative of the stuff done by others. Probably life in a small country is about making oneself comfortable because we got really nothing else to enjoy.
SMU Convocation 2004
=================
Convocation 2004 marks the start of undergraduate life for us, the new freshmen of SMU. The whole ceremony was formal, with all of us decked in white and black formal wear. It was a cool sight seeing everyone in such nice attire. The ambience was great too, although I felt the emcee, Ms Margaret Chan, tried too hard to warm up the students. The performances were stylish, and displayed the spirit of SMU, since it was really different from what we usually see. It was modern, tradition, East and West all mixed into one.
Our OG took plenty of photos, and you can see them there in my photo album. Too bad I didn't manage to cough up enough courage to get more people to be featured. Seriously I didn't want to take any photo of myself with anyone else; I prefer taking others' photos. Yet because I'm not very good at bringing myself to talk, so I did have some regrets not catching enough people for my camera. Sigh... However I did take plenty of shots enough to give me a good memory of the day itself.
Chalet at ECP
==========
It was a mad rush after Convocation as I struggled to reach home with 857 coming after a 35 min wait. It was worse with the traffic conditions, but luckily I had a seat and could get a few winks although I overdid it. I alighted one stop after my usual stop, but oh well, just another 2-3 mins added. After washing up and being forced to eat dinner, I managed to get my dad's van for a drive since he was at home watching EPL for the rest of the night. I got to ECP safely though it was a long 45min drive.
The chalet was organised by some team from a MLM company. The people there were mostly youth around my age, with a few older by a few years. I had only Bernice there as a friend, but soon she introduced me to nearly everyone there. They were all kind, friendly and interesting people. Bernice is such a whacko, trying to make fun with every person there. Haha. The only funny thing is that she didn't introduce her boyfriend to me. Oh well, things aside, the guys told me more stuff about MLM so I will be down there to listen again. This time it will be at Shaw Towers at beach road. Anyone with information can kindly advise me. I had a great time there talking to people, but I had to leave as I promised the beach team that I will be there the next morning. Bernice then walked me to the gate and bidded goodbye.
The drive back was pretty tiring because of the stupid jam at Paya Lebar. Sad to say, I took a wrong turn and had to go u-turn to get back to the right track. To think that I've always been a great street directory. Perhaps when you drive, the safety measures sap your brain and make you less aware of the correct routes to take. It's very much different being a passenger and a driver.
Light Me Up Charity KTV
==================
I broke my promise to the beach team as I woke up late (1030 am)and couldn't make it to the beach (originally wanted to go 11am - 1pm)because I had to go for this ktv at 2pm. My deepest apologies to the organising people. I will definitely go the next time if I'm free. It was pretty hectic as I was trying to find girls to fill up the team. In the end, they had their own appointments, leaving only Lixia to be free. Luckily she didn't mind, and we had a great time with JiaXing and Guiqiang together too. Guiqiang surpassed his own limits and made plenty of great funny jokes which we had roaring laughters. Haha. 6hrs of KTV went by, and we had exhausted ourselves very much. Lixia now sings pretty well, a big improvement over the past years. Probably it's a willingness to show off her voice, you know, many people don't sing well because they lack the impetus, the courage and the humility to show it. After the KTV we went to Tiong Bahru to have dinner, except for Guiqiang who went home to have his. We ate plenty of hawker fare, enjoyed the steamboat porridge especially.
The EPL season has started, but my interest for soccer has waned substantially since leaving army. Probably it's because of school. I wonder how would I survive school for the next 3-4 years, given that I have so many interests and targets. There will be some gain and losses, but I am not sure what I can afford to lose. Friendship? Dreams? Principles? Like I told Jinqi long ago, only time will reveal where we end up, so speculating now has no benefits at all.
I hope I can do my best in the weeks to come and not disappoint anyone who has put their chips on me.
Tired and Confused
Jeffire
By the way, folks, I'm back to 'Love Only Myself' status so don't expect any improvements in my love life. I don't really care at this juncture. I told most of you before, I will not budge until the other party moves first. :p
Acknowledged my existence at
1:02 AM
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Heso!
Today was a very interesting (but time-consuming) day in school with Vivace 04 (CCA Fair)on. We had to play games and visit CCA booths to get our goodie bags (which we unknowingly paid $300 for, inclusive of orientation charges, due to an accounting trick). My OG was very intelligent as we stuck together for the games, and in the end it was much faster for everybody. I went to many booths and signed up for plenty. I'm already in BizCom under the Student Card Scheme, but I put my name for SMU Ventures, table tennis, tennis (for beginner lessons), M.I.C (music interactive club aka ktv club), SMUSIACs (photography, cinematography and digital media), Japanese Appreciation Club, SMU Run Club, E.y.E (Investment Club), Tsu Ching (signed up for the Vegetarian food fair project), wonder if I left out any....haha. Signed on too many stuff.
I finished the book (Cash Quadrant, by Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert T Kiyosaki) Bernice lent me, despite having a 8 day loan term. On my birthday, she lent me the book, but the next 3 days I'll be in Orientation Camp aka Pow Wow Camp, so how to read? Thus, I had finished it earlier. HOWEVER, I must really thank her for the 2 hr lecture, because the book is really inspirational. (and I've yet to bet on soccer in this period wor~)After reading it I've come out with some more business ideas(top secret info). I hope I can work on it once school starts because I really lack technical knowledge.
Lastly, I've got a whiteboard in my room to put down my targets for the month, appointments, to-do-lists, and notes for my family on my whereabouts. Think it would be pretty useful.
Will be absent for 2 days, hope nobody will miss me. (nobody will, anyway)
Restlessly
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
12:00 AM
Monday, August 09, 2004
Was on the wheels of my dad's van today. All the time! First stop to the busy Chong Pang area, kena horned 3 times, vertical parking was slow. 2nd stop to Sin Ming, my dad's workshop, had to wash the car for him. 3rd stop back to Chong Pang to fetch my mum who was there to do her hair, no problems. 4th Stop to Queensway SC, no prob. 10 secs finished the parking. Last stop back home, 10 secs finished the parking! Woo.. I'm getting better with the parking. Haha. Just need to note that vans are different from cars. They are much heavier(thus more power needed) and starts with gear2 (i dunno why). Well, it was a great time driving around, though a car would be nicer...
Got my timetable liao. Think I emailed most of my friends about it. I've got a 4 day time table that goes like this.
Mon : 1530 - 1845 Leadership N Team Building
Tue: Off
Wed: 1015 - 1330 Financial Accounting, 1715 - 1845 Intro Stats A
Thu: 0830 - 1145 Comms: Competencies n Strategies, 1345 - 1700 Intro Econs
Fri : 1345 - 1515 Intro Stats A
I got so many blanks! Probably will go gym or exercise during the blank times. Too bad I don't live near nor have a hostel to sleep in. Sad... Also have to go without sleep on Champions League Thu mornings...haha.
Lastly, I've outlined 3 major stages for my image makeover, therefore it won't happen so soon.
Stage 1 (2 mths): Lose weight, shape up, improve skin, and let hair grow.
Stage 2 (1 mth): Maintain shape, change hairstyle, change specs
Stage 3 (2 mths): Review wardrobe, change speaking habits
Do you think these will work? Hahaha. I'm not sure though.
Missing you
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
9:31 PM
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Heso!
Just back from a visit to a religious site in Sengkang. I don't think it's a temple because it looks more like a columbarium. However the event today wasn't about visiting the deceased, it was about finding the 'Way'. It's also a fund raising event for the organisers, a buddhist association which I am not sure of its exact name, given that there was a vegetarian food fair (and a super crowded one too) and talks on finding the 'Way'.
I managed to borrow my dad's van and drove the guys there, including Guiqiang, Qinyi, and Winston. It's been a some weeks since I met them, especially Winston, so we had plenty of jokes and updates for each other. The drive was smooth, less the parking at the multi storey car park because it was the first time I drove up a multi storey carpark. Luckily it wasn't anything serious (just a mount kerb while going up the circular way) and the parking needed a redo. Haha. It was a great day driving, eating, and interacting with my friends from the army.
My brother fell sick after his POP and I had been home most of the time taking care of him. He's much better now, after some high fever(39.4deg) and an inflammed throat. I realised that I am so inexperienced in caring for the sick because I myself have rarely been sick. Luckily there was MSN where I could ask my friends for help. Thanks a million to Yenmei who told me something called 'ice pack' which I've long forgotten.
It's National Day tomorrow but in my area there aren't many flags being flew here. Hadn't heard the new version of the theme song 'Home' either, but I'm never a patriotic person. I believe a country is just a place where people gather and try to use collective identities to ensure they maximise their own benefits. It's a you-win-i-win world out there (i hope so, rather than the zero-sum game theory usually potrayed by greedy people "Winner takes all" that sort of attitude). Anyway, Singapore is a great place to live in, so another year without any serious disaster is considered great effort by every citizen of the country, so congratulations to everyone!
Orientation camp and school stuff coming up next week, then it will be convocation at Suntec on Sat, and tada! School starts! I am not really looking forward to school start, but it looks like my university life has just begun, so let's get positive about it!
Oh ya, look forward to your visiting of my Health Snack booth on SMU LIFE! Day on 25 Aug 04. For those interested in venture capitalism, I'm open to selling a share to you to raise funds for my 1 day business. For those interested in buying health snacks, or simply like to contribute business ideas/information, feel free to look for me to discuss more about it.
The deserts miss the rains
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
4:01 PM
Friday, August 06, 2004
Recollections of 5th Aug 04
Was online from 4th night to the midnight of 5th Aug. Interestingly, the first wishes came from Agent Fern. Haha. I was talking to many people, like my Project Radiance friend, YenMei, who proclaims herself to be a 'cow'. (or rather, people gave her such a nickname). Had good time trying to push each other towards our dreams, because hers was indirectly related to mine. Her dream is to invent a new renewable source of energy as a substitute for oil. If she could manage to do that, I could buy off the parcels of the deserts cheaply without being held ransomed for the sole reason that I may had discovered oil deep in the sand. (which I wouldn't bother to look for). Haha. I pray that all of us make our dreams come true then.
I woke up quite late around 10+am, even though I wanted to get out earlier to collect Jay Chou's new album for my brother as a present (which I've owed him for 1/2 a mth) and then perhaps go to the school library to use their computer to do a database for the registration for the flea market. Didn't manage to do all these. Instead I went to school at 1 and reached school earlier by 15mins to the 2pm talk. Do you know why I took so long to get out of home? Actually I was busy trying to find something suitable to wear, and tested quite a few shirts, but because of the new bag I wanted to carry, I couldn't wear all those I wanted to wear. Haha. Eileen, if you see this you should be touched. Anyway you can see in the photo album in the new album under Secret 7 Agents what I wore. It was indeed a huge disappointment which strengthened my belief in getting an image changeover.
I had brought some books to read along so it was a relief to see the auditorium door wide opened 15 mins before the talk. As I went in, some senior requested that I go to the end of the auditorium to fill up the gaps. I promptly followed and went to the lowest furthest end seat. Being comfortable with the corner seat I proceeded to read my book only to be disturbed by a call. And it was WeeLing. As usual, in her commanding voice, I was summoned to her row and got a seat beside Glenn's friend, Oliver. Actually it was a better seat because the screen could be seen clearly. So thanks to WeeLing. Luckily as time went by, others filled up the gaps that the whole auditorium was filled up with extra people sitting on the stairs.
The whole talk was pretty pointless and non-enlightening at all, since the main speaker kept stressing everything could be found on the Oasis. I was pretty much amused by the guys who started whipping out their notebooks and pencils. Yeah, everything could be read on the Oasis. A long boring talk continued (maybe except Prof Anne's section and the videos) till 3.30pm, 1.5 hrs earlier than what I anticipated. And surprisingly there was light refreshment catered by Bondue..the club of the School of Business.
Waited in the sun for those who were in school to gather to know what were their plans since time was still far away from our 6pm gathering. In the end Valerie, Huiwen had to depart first. The rest of us, WeeLing, Glenn, Corine, Fern and me were stuck in the middle of the courtyard when Prof Francis came to speak to us, and Glenn put up a great question for him regarding the openness of our school at the new campus. Soon after Elvis, one of the seniors we got to know from the Leadership Camp, joined in and it was another long wait in the sun. Finally when we could leave, Glenn and WeeLing had to go OSL to collect their Tertiary Ez-Link cards. That reminded me that I haven't gone to applied for mine.
We couldn't decide on where to go, Town or straight to TPY. WeeLing and Corine didn't want to walk more, especially WeeLing due to her heels. In the end we compromised and decided to go to town to chill out while I could collect my Jay Chou album. Yet this was made impossible by the non-appearance of 171, the only bus that could take us to town. Fed up with the sun and the road dust, we decided to go TPY straight instead. Soon enough, the bus 153 came and we board it happily. WeeLing then asked me if this bus goes straight to TPY interchange and I answered yes to her. It was the prelude to trouble.
Going to TPY was a breeze cutting through CTE. While I was still assuming the bus should go TPY, then to my horror I realised 15X buses tend to go towards Hougang instead and my idea was confirmed when the bus turned towards Braddell Rd. I braced myself for scolding because it meant that some unnecessary walking was required. The unlucky misfortune escalated when I stood up to give up my seat to an old lady, because at the same moment I realised that if we didn't alight, we would be going to Braddell Rd. They, with the crowding of the bus blocking their eyesight, instead thought I was giving up my seat. To my worst imagination, as I promptly alighted, they were still sitting on the bus! I waved to them while I panicked at the sight of Glenn waving 'what?' to me. What was done couldn't be undone so I messaged WeeLing immediately(because she's the fiercest) to get everyone to alight, cross the road and take any bus that goes to the interchange. I then promptly made my move to the interchange since any domestic bus they took would take 5mins to reach the interchange.
Soon I was at the interchange waiting. Time flew and I got worried. Were they angry with me and turned their backs on me? Dialled Glenn and found out that they were on their way to the interchange. Phew. Yet what was unknown to me was that they were WALKING to the interchange because some idiotic Malaysian told them that the interchange was within walking distance. Of course WeeLing screamed at me when we finally met up at LJS. They had even finished taking a group photo at the Fabrics of the Nation exhibition at HDB Hub! I was very regretful that I didn't bring my bus guide out and my old stupid problem resurfaced - ASSUMPTIONS. I had told myself a trillion times never to assume and to find out when in doubt. Sadly, I assumed that a. the bus was going to TPY interchange, b. They will follow me when they see me alight. It was a snowball of trouble.
Fortunately at Fiesta we managed to get the team down to peace. WeeLing emphasised 3x that she would be on fire if the day wasn't my birthday (plus every other Aug babies'). I got the idea and felt really sorry about it. However I had other ideas in mind too because earlier in the week I had got some items for the other Aug people, Zing, Fern and Baoqin, but haven't wrapped them up. I decided not to wrap them up because of the lack of scotch tape and scissors. Instead I found very nice folders and tried to stuff the items in while I waited for Bernice at the escalator exit of the MRT. She caught me redhanded with the items and asked me what were they for. I didn't reply her about it. Haha. Anyway when we got to the restaurant and started having a whale of the time, then I tried to find a moment to pass the items to them. Very sorry that I didn't have the time to go wrap the presents up (and the value isn't really very high) but just hope people would accept the idea "It's the thought that counts!" (haha, what a lame excuse for myself)
You can see in the photo album under Secret 7 Agents with the shots I took. There were actually other shots taken but I deleted them away at the restaurant because they weren't up to my expectations. However the gem was not of the photos, but the video I took. Hahaha. The video is too big a file so probably I will get it into a cd and pass it to one of them in school. Then perhaps we could all watch the 2min clip in Foodhaven.
After the dinner, it was the cake. I was very touched because the same person who seemed very angry with me was the one who got the cake for all of us. Woah. She deserves a googlean thanks. We had lotsa fun cutting the cake and eating it partly because of my inexperience with birthday cakes. Hey, I had mentioned many times liao in the previous entries that my last cake was a big '1'. So it was really whacky and hilarious with the cake cutting. Haha. We all got so full after finishing the cake.
It was time to part, as we had our own stuff to do. I still wanted to go HMV to collect the cd because it was only 8+pm. Coincidentally Corine and Fern was heading for town as well, and Bernice needed to get a swim suit for Sports Camp. She then decided Corine could help her get one, so we were on our way to town. The shopping girls alighted at Orchard while Fern and I, who were getting to Heerens, alighted at Somerset. I bidded Fern goodbye and hoped she had a great time with her OG while I proceeded to get the CD. Luckily the VCD was in together so I needn't come on the 10th again. Phew. After that I felt it was too early to go home since nobody would be at home. My brother had passed out from Tekong and would be with my parents. My parents were involved in a religious event at Serangoon North. As I walked to Wisma Atria, then I decided to follow the shopping girls, so promptly messaged Bernice if she minded my tag-along presence. To my surprise they were already at Cineleisure and didn't mind at all. So it was another 2hrs with them as we shopped, drank at Coffee Bean of Centrepoint (and I learnt something new at the cafe). Finally departed at Dhoby Ghaut because they had their own dates to go to while I decided I should jolly well spend the last hour of my birthday with my parents.
So that was the whole day of a memorable birthday. Guess most readers would have yawned 10 times at least by now!
Regards
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
11:27 PM
Heso!
5 Aug 2004 - One of the most memorable day I had in my entire life! As I mentioned, turning 21 wasn't really very anticipated by me, for I fear adult life. However I had a great start to it with the many many well wishes from friends whom I had been very fortunate to have got to known from different walks of life.
Certainly, the day was memorable because of this certain group of people who I got to know only 2 weeks ago at the Leadership Camp. Yes! The Secret 7 Agents! I will put down here, my personal thanks to each and everyone of those who took time, money and effort to be there celebrating for me impromptu.
Hope the Agents understand that no priority is intended in the list.
Glenn,
Being the other only guy of the group, it is you who has been always there to support me when I felt going down. You are one of the best guys I have ever known, talented, diligent, friendly, etc etc. A future champion to be, a future leader of the world. A centrillion thanks to you for being a good fellow Agent to me, (kinda like my elder brother! No..not saying you are old)
Wee Ling (do you preferred your coded name or ?),
You are the engine of the group, the one who brings about the dynamics of the team, the one who can power the team with simple use of your beautiful voice(and mouth). Your cake was ultimately delicious, especially for me who hasn't had my own cake for the previous 19 birthdays (My last one was when I was 1). Many apologies for making you walk that distance on heels, next time I will try to compensate by adding a 'w' to your footwear. Another centrillion thanks to you for all that you have done for us.
Fern,
You bring a new dimension to the team with your steadiness and cool personality. Your birthday is 2 days after mine, so may I take the opportunity to wish you a great 19th birthday, hope you like the present I gave you. Haha. It looks unsincere on the outside for these items aren't expensive nor elegant, but I'm a poor guy and these little bits are a huge portion of my resources. Anyway, I hope my thoughts count the most to you! Haha. Another centrillion thanks for your constant encouragement and sure hope you will become the star stage performer you so always want to be.
Baoqin,
Your diligence and knowledge sure aids the team alot, and we know we can depend on you in times of needs. Coincidentally we have been together in all sorts of activities, it's kinda fated, right? Like what I said above, I certainly hope that you will like my little present, even though it seems a little tad too early to your birthday. Another centrillion thanks for all your advice and may your dreams come true soon~
Corine,
Your whacky ideas have always underlined the creative force you are, the team has much benefited from your maybe-this-maybe-that suggestions. We sure have taken some great pictures of you (see in the album) , sho cuteeeee.... haha. You will get another centrillion thanks for all your hot and cold humour, for all your creative juices and for all that your presence is much much felt in my life.
Bernice,
Sleepy eyes aside, your warmth, coupled with your willingness to help, sure fits the bill of what we called 'burn ice' (which effectively means, ice to be melting soon). You are one who strives for dreams, who never gives up, who will never brush off people's dreams. You reignited my life, showed me the path with your 'books are good' ideas, and I have to give you another centrillion thanks for showing true action, lending me a book to read, telling me how to do this and that, and letting me in on your dreams and ideals. I hope we will achieve our dreams and to that, cheers!
These people let me had a memorable birthday celebration. Cake, laughter, birthday songs and all. For me who had never demanded to celebrate my own birthday, it was a blessing that I have such friends who were so kind and keen to be with me on this very important day. I never forgotten those who couldn't be with me too, and they too, I must show them another few centrillion thanks for all that they have done. My 7seas brothers, Jinki, JK, Kevin, and 7seas sisters, Eileen, LX.
Zing, the Agents' leader
Huiwen, my fellow Agent with her sidekick Tommy,
Valerie, a fellow agent,
Jinqi, my best friend whom I've only met once,
Siyu, my table tennis buddy in Canada,
Ally, my new netfriend from Malaysia,
Marcus of my OG,
Charles, my soccer betting and ktv buddy,
Aloysius, my ex-bunk buddy,
JiaXing, another soccer & ktv enthusiast, mahjong khaki of mine
Kaze, my army great pal,
Jayne, my dearest partner in council,
Lyon, my one-time swimming instructor
Chris Soh, my army buddy in Taiwan,
Janet Lee, my primary school classmate,
Anthea, a long-lost friend who was reunited by fate (Friendster),
Jason Ling, my sec school buddy who sat beside me in sec 3&4,
Darren, my ex understudy and great pal,
Clarissa, my jc classmate,
and those who had wished me a happy birthday but I can't remember at the moment, many many thanks to you. I pray for you too that you will enjoy the rest of the year, especially those critical moments that you so want to be happy.
Time for me to go recollect the events for the day, which I will update you soon.
Fantasy in Reality
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
2:02 AM
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Read through my blogs for the past few days. Guess I've been writing too much about my life and not enough about my thoughts. Should I write about my thoughts SPECIFICALLY? Maybe I write too much that what I say becomes superficial, but memories of events all come coupled with thoughts. Experience cannot be fully conveyed in words, because environment and people change all the time.
What am I trying to say!?
Forgot to write about my thoughts on the cycling trip yesterday. It was tiring but adventuring is always fun. Too bad I always venture alone. Anyway, finally found out 82 goes to Punggol Beach directly. I very much regretted being unable to answer a Malay couple who had their 3 children, 2 walking toddlers and 1 in the pram, together walking under the hot sun, in the undeveloped Punggol New Town, when I first ventured on the LRT towards the terminal station (also to see my new home). The memory of one whole family walking under the hot sun trying to find the beach impressed deeply on my thoughts. Wonder eventually did they find out the way there. I hope their God gave them the answer. Now that I found the answer, it makes me realise that having more street knowledge helps myself and others very much more. I now pride myself as the 'walking street directory', soon I hope to be the 'walking bus guide'! Of course this is nothing to boast about, but I hope to be of help when you, my dear friends, get lost somewhere, like I always do.
Being spurred on by Bernice's 2 hr lecture, I decided to visit the library once again after a 10 mths of abstinence. Since I was at Toa Payoh on a recce (for cafes, food outlets), I thought might as well. To my disappointment, somebody borrowed the book I wanted to read (yes, Rich Dad Poor Dad) a minute after I found it on the OPAC (the search system). Of course I couldn't go home empty handed, so I dug into the shelves and found other books of similar nature. Tried to find books on MLM/Network Marketing, but to no avail. Perhaps I should go read on it on the Internet.
Well, currently I am financially crippled with a debt to my father and a diminishing bank account. I was certainly too hopeful when I ended NS, thinking that the little amount saved could last me through the holidays, thinking that I could find a temporary job (which I never could find a suitable one because of pre-school committments) I hope the Aug babies won't mind my downsized presents! Anyway, 9 Aug is D-Day for me because I will get to know my timetable then I can plan the road ahead. Will definitely be working, just not sure what kind of work I will be doing.
A centrillion thanks to Charles whom I visited today his home for the WE challenge. Thanks for a Nike polo tee, thanks to his mother who was a fantastic host, and thanks to giving me face, letting me win 5 straight games with the last one ending 5-1. Unfortunately I was too focused on refusing to take back my little tidbits bag that I forgot to return the unfinished coke can and the cups to the bin and sink. Charles, if you read this, please help me apologise to your mother.
Ok, birthday stuff to announce before I close today's chapter.
Another 10 hours before I can consider myself 21! I was born at 0739am, when the sun shone brightly, 21 years ago. My mother wanted to drag on till National Day (notice my middle name has 'country' in it), but I wanted out earlier...haha.
Being 21 has no meaning to me except for the legal rights it brings. Won't be holding celebrations, won't be seeing the 7seas brothers, won't be with my 3 buddies from sec school. Will be in school instead for a talk that will shed light on my next 4 yrs in SMU. Thankfully there will be a gathering with the Secret 7s Agents instead... I never wanted to celebrate my birthday anyway (oh well, my last birthday cake was 20yrs ago too, a big chocolatey '1'), so I hope people will see it as a normal gathering (which I am certain it will never be). Anyway the goverment gave me a good present (my driving licence), 7Seas let me had my concert, threw in a 'buy one get one free' offer with a belt pouch and new backpack. I pray it will just be a peaceful day tomorrow.
My very best wishes to our Secret 7 Agents Leader, Zesty Zing, on her 19th birthday! I wish for her that she will continue to be as smiley and enthusiastic as ever, and hope that she will remain as 'shen' as ever!
Life goes on
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
9:18 PM
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Heso!
Ok, so Luffy has ended his adventure in Skypiea but I like the way the angels greet each other with Heso! (Refer to One Piece anime episode 180 - 193?) Anyway I caught up with the tv after finishing 199.
Anyway, added 2 albums today to the photo album, feel free to take a look.
Bernice gave me a lecture on gambling and reading last night......and also told me more about her ideas on MLM. Looks like I must go read Rich Dad Poor Dad very soon! I am not sure if I can kick the soccer betting habit though. To me it's just recreational...
Before her lecture on MSN, I was in school from 2.30 - 5.30pm. It was a meeting with Ford Lai, the Business Manager of the Student Association of SMU, and his ad hoc committee which is organisng a flea market on 26-27 Aug. I will be helping out in the administrative tasks under Registrar, who is led by a senior called GY. She's very experienced from the way she leads us, I certainly hope to learn more from her! And so coincidental BQ is working with me again under Registrar. She's super efficient! World class work attitude! After the meeting, a Indian girl called Arvinder asked people if they wanted to go have a bite, but the cafe in school was closed so we went to the foodcourt, Foodhaven.
Foodhaven's a nice place by the park. There isn't that many stalls, but their food aren't normal fare. Wonder how will I survive in school! Looks like I may be visiting the finger food stalls often. Haha. Actually I told Eileen and co that maybe I ought to get a Bento box and bring my lunch to school! Let's see how... but maybe next time I should ask my friends to join me at Foodhaven because when it's not crowded, it's a nice place to chill out. We had a good chat, and got to know somemore people, like Renjie, an Airforce Officer who is already married at this young age. And coincidentally 4 of us at the table were from the same community service project, BQ, Billy, WJ and me! Hehz. So not too much a problem to chat around.
After the bite (which most of them had food meals, or waffles (looks yummy!)), I departed with them and walked to the bus stop to take a bus to Orchard. I was 1 hr early so I walked around to look for inspiration to find some product to sell for the SMU LIFE! Day booth. I didn't manage to find anything. Then I went HMV to see if Jay Chou's CD could be pre-ordered, and yeah it was available for pre-order, so I had one copy ordered for my brother as his birthday present/POP present. I won't be able to attend his POP as I will be in school and with the Secret7 agents for dinner. So coincidental that his POP is on my birthday. *Shakes head*
After getting the pre-order, I went to find that Li Zi's cd that Jinki wanted us so hard to find. Still there wasn't any sight of this singer/actress' name around so too bad. I went to sit at the fountain in Heeren to wait for my facilitator, whose name I need to reveal (usually chinese names will be initalised in my blog) but my facilitator's name is Goh Kai Wei.
The meeting time 7pm had passed for 5mins. Where was the facilitator? I decided to call and was shocked to hear a girl's voice. I thought I got the wrong number, but well, she was just behind me. Ok, so everyone in the group was shocked to find a girl as our facilitator. Anyway she's known as Kai in school (woah. wonder if she reads Lone Wolf adventure books). Oh yeah, the group photo of my OG is uploaded at the photo album under SMU Friends. Soon the people arrived and we made our way to Marche.
The stupid Marche service crew are so inflexible, refusing to allow us to join tables even though we had several big OGs around. We bring so much business to them but have to suffer their arguments. Ok, they were polite and firm, but this is such a little issue that can be easily solved. Wonder why they must be so rigid. In the end some tables were joined, groups were shifted so that the bigger groups got the bigger tables. Our group was 8 out of 11, so we got the joined tables. Then we ordered our food, and chatted around.
Cindy and Timothy sat beside me, and I was kinda sianz when they had their word fights. Apparently Timothy was a SAJC SC President but Cindy didn't believe so. They had plenty of common topics/interests too, so I had to listen to them.. haha.
Marcus originally sat beside me before the shifting of tables. He seemed quiet for the whole night. He told me he'd just finished NS and still trying to be comfortable with so many girls around. Well, I faced the same problem too and after the leadership camp, with the support of the Agents, I've changed for the better, and probably soon he will warm up too.
YC knew Japanese too and we were trying to exchange a few words in Japanese. Haha. Too bad I am still trying to relearn my Japanese so we couldn't have a proper practise.
Lydia was another quiet girl, probably need some warm up. Cindy and Charmaine were friends for 6 years , so they had no problem chatting around.
Cindy's quite an outgoing girl who goes clubbing like twice a mth.
Charmaine I didn't get to hear much about her, probably during the orientation camp ba.
Kai's a very nice and interesting girl in Accountancy. Quite pretty too. She's a regular at Mambo Night, I heard. Haha. Don't be mistaken! She's on the Dean List for the coming sem! Woah. Power rite! But comparing her to Zing, Zing is so infectious with her smilez, laughter and positive attitude....hehe. Each have their own special points and unique personalities, so have to adjust abit so that our group is still one spirit, one team. Anyway my OG is 92, fyi.
On the way back I was walking with the seniors who were the other groups' facilitators, Shawn, Michelle and one guy who was my previous colleague in CPC before I left. He's one of the facilitators too! Anyway, met Cindy halfway and we started to talk about our experiences in the Leadership Camp while she waited for her friend. Unfortunately I wanted to go back together with Michelle (for the sake of not being alone) but I spent a little bit more time with Cindy until the train left and of course she wouldn't have waited for it was late, and it was only the first time we met and she's not my grp facilitator. Oh well.
Switched on the PC immediately once I reached home and found the mailbox to be flooded. Then I was also approached by Justin, Fern and Aloysius on MSN too. So was busy chatting and updating each other....that I didn't have time to bathe.... Soon as you saw earlier, Bernice got online and asked me if I had started reading...haha. And so the lecture. She's really very helpful as stated in her Friendster testimonials by her friends. Woah. Ended being lectured till 2+am.
Washed up, checked email again, and then went to bed.
The elation had peaked yesterday, I suppose. Starting to feel depressed again...
Tomorrow I will be at Charles' home challenging him WE! Hahaha. I will try to make it 5-0 if possible!
Bored
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
9:33 PM
Monday, August 02, 2004
Another weekend gone...2 weeks to commencement of lessons! Sigh or yeah? I am undecided.
An action packed Sunday starting with voluntary community service @ Tsu Chi in Chinatown. I accepted the invitation to help out with making more Medical ICs (by the way, this project was featured in the Straits Times on Wed, 26 Jul) for the elderly living around Chinatown area. Unfortunately, I was actually late 20mins, because I couldn't wake up on time. My usual habit of going for an extra snooze backfired as I woke up in horror only to see the clock pointing at 7.15am. A bout of rushing ensued, and I was on the train at 7.47am. Phew. Upon reaching Chinatown @ 8.25am, I immediately got a call from Yuting who invited me in her capacity as the leader of the Tsu Chi community service club in SMU. She gave me some directions, which I couldn't make out because she wanted me to walk while following her directions. Fortunately I spotted their volunteers due to the flashy purple/dark blue t-shirt, white pants, and promptly followed them. After that, finally met up with the group and realised there were 4 of us there, BQ, DK, AW, and me. We had a briefing and soon work started as the elderly flowed in. It was a smooth process with our experience and also many thanks to the help rendered by the Tsu Chi volunteers who could converse in dialects, especially Cantonese, which none of us knew. We finished before 10.30am, which was earlier than expected. However, the elderly did not heed the instructions to bring their medication, so there was this proposal to visit their homes to help them note down their medication. It was soon approved by the senior volunteers of Tsu Chi. Yet I couldn't continue because I had to go back school for the soccer trial I so much wanted to try out.
The soccer trial was a total disaster. I didn't play as well as required, probably due to a long term absence of playing the game. Anyway, they welcomed us for training after the IVP tournament. I suppose I will just turn up for training and see if I can make it next year. I need some regular exercising before my spare tyre expands!
After the trial, I had my first shower in SMU. Then I proceeded back to Chinatown for the ktv session with JK, LX, Eileen and LG. Since there were only 5 of us, it was a good workout for the voicebox....haha. Enjoyed the session very much, since it was a birthday celebration for LX and me (her birthday is a day after mine). Will like to show my appreciation to all of them who took time to organise and attend the session, also many many thanks for their presents. They will be very handy, JK gave me a belt pouch while LG/Eileen gave me a backpack! Hehz. Just in time for school. We then had dinner at Ajisen Ramen at J8, with Kevin joining us too. Unfortunately, the rest of the 7seas brothers weren't informed of the outing (I had no idea of it until the ktv), otherwise I would have been much honoured with their presence. Anyway Kevin, thanks a million for taking time out to have dinner with us. Appreciate it very much too.
The first I did when I reached home was to check email. I got a SMS from a guy called Shuhao who claimed he was the OG Asst Facilitator. He said 'FIC @ 8am in LT 27, with formal wear, orientation @1pm in LT27.' I asked him in return what was 'FIC'. It actually meant 'Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony'. Hmm, being a freshie too, I panicked at the sight of the SMS, as nobody told us there was such an important event tomorrow. That was why I first check my email and also MSN to see if my peers were around. After some discussion and a couple of 'false alarm' emails, I realised that this guy was from NUS and he got the wrong number, which happened to belong to me, a freshie too. KAOZ, so coincidental. If not for my friends on MSN, (thanks to BQ, Fern, HL), I guess I would be decked in formal wear tomorrow morning in school trying to find the elusive LT27! By the way, SMU doesn't have LTs, which I realised to my horror just now while chatting with the 3 girls I mentioned. Man....how blur can I get. Anyway I dialled back Shuhao and told him to check his name list so that the person he originally intended to message will get the information. Phew.
Saturday was not that happening. I went to Marsiling for an interview for a teacher post in a student care centre. Generally they are fine with me, but not fine with my timetable, as it is still not out yet. Sigh! I hope I don't get that many afternoon lessons (if none, all the better), then I can get this job! It's a nice place to be at, because the student care centre is ran by a group of alumni from NTU BSA (some Buddhist community service club, i suppose). I can also fulfil one of my childhood dreams - to be a teacher! Let's pray the timetable will be a favourable one...
Also, remember my WE7I Master League team? This team beat my brother (who is rated at 15stars, where the com highest difficulty is 5 stars) 4 times in a row! We had a bet on the initial match, where he wanted a KFC treat from me when he POP and I wanted him to clean and tidy the bedroom. He lost it, then begged for another chance (which we will always have for each other because we enjoy beating each other totally till the loser admits true defeat), and finally he lost 4 matches in a row. Hahaha. Yet he did not honour his defeat! When I came back just now, it was still a mess and a worse one even. However I am very happy that this team I pieced did so well! Now I can declare I am open to any challenges from any of you! Hahahaha.
Finally, I've been occupied with organising outings for the various groups in school. It's my birthday this week. In order to fend off the attention on my birthday, I decided I should manage the organising so that people won't be reminded of it so often. Hahaha. Is this weird of me? Nope. I just wanna leave the surprise till next year, which most probably I will host a big celebration simply based on my idea that a '22' shaped cake is nicer looking than a '21' shaped cake. What do you think!? Hahahaha.
Yeah! I got to chat with my SA Camp groupmates, we call ourselves the Secret 7s! So coincidental, it is also '7'! I'm a 7Sea brother, and also a Secret 7 agent! Woah....enjoyed the chat, particularly with Bernice, why? I found someone with similar ideas/ideals like me! Hehz. And if possible we may be running a booth soon at SMU LIFE Day! I'm not very sure if we will be running it, because at the moment there is no inspiration on what to put up on sale at the booth...sigh.
Elation Continued
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
2:22 AM