Hokkaido

10 things you should know about this tourist destination (in Winter):
1) temperatures can drop to -41 degree celsius in the mountains/valleys
2) japanese food there is very authentic and extremely mouthwatering especially the ramen
3) they are famous for seafood - scallops and crabs
4) you should get ready to put on at least 2 kg if you want to go there
5) amazing scenery especially when snowing (prepare a camera with memory stick of at least 1G)
6) people there are very well-mannered (they keep on bowing)
7) communication can be a problem cos seldom will you find a jap that speaks eng
8) main things to do there: take pictures of scenery, eat n sleep
9) highlight of tour is usually hot spring baths which most singaporeans do not dare to try
10) everything is expensive
BUT it is indeed a wonderful place to be in winter! =)

Awesome Hokkaido

Some of the 400 over pics taken...

Picturesque Hokkaido (first set)

Just came back from Hokkaido, Japan. Shall just post pics first. 'Captivating tale' will come later =)

Memories of RGS

To all my friends:

Thanks for always being there to lend a helping hand, for sharing my ups and downs and for walking with me my 4 years in RGS. Will see you all in JC. Luv ya!

To my teachers:

A big thank you goes out to all of you for helping to increase my knowledge of the world around us, for making me more mature in my senses, for building and strengthening my leadership qualities, for guiding me in everything that I do, and for making me a better person as whole!

To my dearest school:

Thanks for all the facilities that provided a proper environment to enhance my learning, for all the journeys we have travelled together, for all the wonderful memories of my secondary school years...

FAM 2006

Prom was a BLAST (as my dear friend put it). Everybody let their hair down, and enjoyed themselves to the fullest. Will never forget the night where most of the sec 4 batch of 2006 gathered in the Orchard Hotel Ballroom to celebrate our graduation. The theme being Retro Nite, we were treated to our very own 'Elvis Presley and the Go-gos' while eating 8-course dinner. There were also many other perfomances put up by the Prom Queen wannabes, including a tap-dance by our very own debbo (404 rocks)! Then there was also the lucky draw where hps, cams, dvd players and many other attractive prices were given out. Too bad, I didnt get a lucky ticket haha. The announcment of Prom Queen 2006 got everyone hyped up, but the best part of the night was the photo-taking...YES...THE PHOTO-TAKING. Everybody looked really different, but very pretty at the same time. 40 mins was simply not enough time to finish taking photos with everyone we met. The photo-taking continued late into the night at our hotel room. A big thank you goes out to everyone to contributed to the prom in one way or another, especially all my friends. Luv ya! =)


Chng Min and I














Charmaine and I














Joyce, Ching, me, Mud, Kavya & Seet














Sec 404 We Rock!

Sharing the storms

You Raise Me Up- Josh Groban

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Book Marathon

Just finished My Sister's Keeper for the second time. Have read it before when i was sec 2 i think but decided to refresh my memory. It's one of Jodi Picoult's best novel so far. The twist ending is really touching. It can really move you to tears, if you are the emotional sort. Earlier on, i read The Chamber by John Grisham. His novels are mostly about law and punishment and they are surprisingly not dry to read. He puts the theme in fantastically by creating twists wherever possible. No one is able to second guess what the story is going to be like. This twist skill is the same for Picoult's books. Just after chinese 'O's, i finished Perfect Match also by her, and the entire plot is filled with twists. I simply could not put the book down. I seem to have an affinity with novels about law. Many books i pick up (including all 3 above) have certain elements of the law within the actual plot. Now am moving onto Mitch Albom's new book: For one more day. Hope its as good as his 2 other books.

School BREAK

(named after prison break, nah just kidding)
finally after a really long wait, our school vacation is finally here. it is the time to slack away before a new term starts in jc. here's how i shall spend my time (not in order of preference):
1. watching tv (go watch 24! its a really good english serial on countering terrorism)
2. reading novels (finished Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult, on to The Chamber by John Grisham)
3. using the computer
4. shopping
5. practising piano n vocals (exams in march)
11 days to PROM :) Graduation will always be a sad occasion but most of us will be going to RJC anyway so we can still keep in touch easily

here are some pics taken on the last day of school: 404'06

Wound

Red,
Raw,
Oozing puss.

A bus driver's sudden jamming of the brake.
Jerking forward, arms flailing.
'Wham!'
Into a nearby seat,
Elbow-first into the handle bar.

Plaster after plaster,
No;
Should just let it heal.

That's the result of inconsiderate bus drivers.

My friend drew this

Amazing Art

List of books i wish to own/read

John Grisham
- The Innocent Man
- The Brethen
- The Client

Jodi Picoult
- Perfect Match
- Keeping Faith
- My Sister's Keeper

Mitch Albom
- For One More Day

Paul Coelho
- O Zahir
- Eleven Minutes
- Veronika Decides to Die

Neil Gaiman
- Fragile Things
- American Gods
- Mirrormask

and the list goes on...

Bob Carlisle - Butterfly Kisses

There's two things I know for sure:
She was sent here from heaven and she's
daddy's little girl.
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night
She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes and
I thank god for all the joy in my life
Oh, but most of all
For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer;sticking little white flowers all up in her
hair; "Walk beside the pony, Daddy, it's my first ride."
"I know the cake looks funny, Daddy, but I sure tried."
In all that I've done wrong I know I must
have done something right to deserve a hug
very morning and butterfly kisses at night.

Sweet 16 today
She's looking like her mama a little more everyday
One part woman, the other part girl.
To perfume and make-up from ribbons and curls
Trying her wings out in a great big world.

But I remember
Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer; sticking
little white flowers all up in her hair.
"You know how much I love you, Daddy, But if you
don't mind I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek this time."
With all that I've done wrong I must have done
something right to deserve her love every morning
and butterfly kisses at night.

All the precious time
Like the wind, the years go by.
Precious butterfly.
Spread your wings and fly.

She'll change her name today.
She'll make a promise and I'll give her away.
Standing in the bride-room just staring at her.
She asked me what I'm thinking and I said "I'm not
sure-I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl."
She leaned over...gave me butterfly kisses with her mama there,
Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair
"Walk my down the aisle, Daddy-it's just about time."
"Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy? Daddy, don't cry!"

Oh, with all that I've done wrong I must have
done something right.
To deserve your love every morning and butterfly
kisses-I couldn't ask God for more, man this is what love is.

I know I gotta let her go, but I'll always remember
every hug in the morning and butterfly kisses.

The Pelican Brief

Just finished reading this book. The plot was so captivating i simply could not put it down. Read for 4 hours straight before realising i needed a break.

Summary from the internet:
The plot of this one is no different to his normal type of book. Darby Shaw, a second year law student, is dating her law professor Thomas Callahan. Callahan is a supporter of a Supreme Court judge, Abe Rosenberg who is mysteriously murdered on the very same night as a fellow Supreme Court judge, Glenn Jensen. Nothing seems to link the two but everyone seems to think there's a connection. Prompting every law student in the country to start investigating and coming up with theories as to what happened. Of course with her boyfriend being quite fond of Rosenberg, Darby starts to look into it herself. She even goes so far as to write a paper on it, which she shows to Callahan, who is so convinced by it he hands it to a friend of his within the FBI. Then just a week later after a particularly heavy night out Darby refuses to get in the car with a drunk Callahan, deciding to walk home instead. But just minutes later after starting his car Callahan and his car are blown up. Little did Darby realise how accurate her report actually was. Now she has to fight for survival, aided by journalist Gray Grantham who wants exclusive rights to her story. It's a race against time for Darby as the people trying to keep this a secret close in on her. She needs to do something quick.

Exams are over

i cant believe it. time flies by so quickly. i feel so free now that exams are over. now there is time to relax. have been watching movies (VCDs) and reading books. addicted to Jodi Picoult and John Grisham. wow, the feeling of not doing anything serious for once is so cool :)

Lovely notebooks

Can u believe these are the notebooks my friend made for 2 other friends and I. She is leaving soon. Oh man, her artwork is really amazing and the effort put into making these gifts was obviously tremendous. I really treasure handmade gifts. These are the ones that will never lose their sentimental value in time to come, and the friend who gives these gifts will always remain etched in one's memory. Should seriously scan in the picture of 2 cats she drew for us as well, really fantastic piece of artwork. Picture of the notebooks first (mine is the blue one, cover made of cloth), picture of the cats later.

WEP

Went for work experience over the june hols at Thomson Medical Centre (Paediatric clinic). The experience was an eye opener for most of ur who went. We got to see the nurses adminster jabs and suppositories for the babies. The poor children...so young yet have to undergo so many medical tests. Just because they have high fever, then the doctors send them straight for blood and urine test. More likely the clinic wants to earn money from the parents then anything else. Anyway, we also had the opportunity to meet triplets. They looked alike (duh!). So cute. Here are the pics.

All Things Beautiful

Whoa, a lot of things have happened over the past 2 weeks of the holidays, yet i haven't had the time to pen them down until now. First and foremost is that i got back my theory results and guess wad... i PASSED. I cannot be happier to know that i did almost as well as my g7 theory. I really thanks my teacher for all her patience and guidance that helped me to succeed. Then, a group of us went to watch Da Vinci Code. For me, the story line was rather blasphemous, but the acting was good. The next thing is quite sad though, one of my best friends is leaving for England in Sept. That's like 2 months away. I will really miss her. Anyway, my best friends and I went to botanic gardens to take many group photos, and some of them are really amusing. Those that we took ourselves (as in 'zi pai') ended up funny, which resulted in a lot of laughter. The trip was very enjoyable and the photos very candid. Yup, here are some of the photos which I took: (the last 2 photos are 'zi pai' ones=), not bad quite pro rite)

Happy Mother's Day

Before i start on the tribute for all mothers, i would like to comment that choir concert was amazing. I am totally inspired to sing better during my vocal trainings. Btw, my teacher told me i could take the grade 4 exam for ABRSM singing next year (feb). Not too bad, but i think i should push further for a grade 5 =) I am getting my pieces next week.YAY



OK, here goes the poem from a book, which I dedicate to my mum (you're my SUPERWOMAN) and perhaps all mothers who happen to stumble over my blog or sth...

If they gave out prizes for "Most Special Person of the Year"...
I want you to know
that my vote would
surely go to you, Mum.

If the judges asked
for the reason why,
I'd tell them i could answer
with a list a thousand pages long
about why you're so wonderful to me.

And there would be no question;
you would be
the winner in my book...
Definitely.
- Carey Martin

Mum, thank you for all that you have done for me. I really appreciate it
<3>

Rush...

The start of this week has been packed with activities - chem pt, eng and chin sa and 2.4 km run. i'm glad its finally over...can take a short break before the next round of tests. math, chem and bio what a combi. Anyway going crazy over cute dog pic :)

Vocal Trainings Reflection

Shall reflect on my vocal trainings in my blog:
Lesson 1: 8/04
Learnt posture, bringing one's voice out through our amplifiers (different parts of our body all the way down to our back), and how to open the mouth wide
To practise humming and the lala thing without moving ur jaws up and down
Lesson 2: 15/04
Learnt breathing techniques(diaphragm - actually lungs) and the repeated practising of throwing one's voice across the room in a curve, like throwing a ball.
To practise humming again to make one's voice rounder and continuous.

Tennis photos

Taken after the prize-giving ceremony of the National Inter-School Tennis Tournament (B div). See all the glittering trophies...

Holiday

Yay, its the holidays at last. Time really flies... Anyway, just completed my theory exam a few days ago, wasn't that bad. Hope everyone who did it will pass with flying colours, while those who went for the tioman trip enjoyed it. Wish i could go but just too bad the exam was on the same day. Now just lazing around and watching korean serials. Chatted with steph online yesterday and she was also watching korean serials. Looks like everybody is into it :) Enjoy the hols (or what's left of it)!

Im 16

Had a huge birthday celebration in school today. Ok just exaggerating...more like a lot of presents, fun, laughter, peace and joy. Hey, a big thanks to everyone who made by birthday so special, be it the wishes, greetings, smiles or presents. I realised something, people actually know i like soft toys ha ha. This means (and shows) that i got quite a few a soft toys which are extremely cuddly, soft (duh) and cute. Well wait till i take pictures of them and post it here. My brother's presents are the most practical - 2 pens... (yup), very useful. I almost forgot about the cake my mum bought from TCC. Anyway, it was a really huge and rich oreo cheesecake which probably cost her a bomb. You would just feel full eating one small slice but my brother can eat 2 at once so it was gone within 2 days. Oreo - full of transfat, but nothing's going to stop me from eating such delicious stuff on my birthday. I share this very special birthday with my very special friend as well in the neighbour class so Happy B'day to both of us!

Relax

Ah, i can finally find time to blog. Have been neglecting it lately due to the great amount of stuff piled on us. One barrier overcomed, few more to go. Shall erase the existence of the history test from my mind (my blog does not help at all) until the marks come back. Then, i can learn how to relax.
(I took this photo as well, very therapeutic...)

Lion Dance

The pictures were taken from my window facing the garden below during the CNY celebrations at my condo.

I like the scenery

These photos were taken from my window which faces part of the Bukit Batok Nature Park. That's the reason why I occasionally get to see monkeys perched on the fence of the tennis court when I go down to train, especially after a downpour.

Happy CNY

Hey, Happy Chinese New Year everyone! It's the year of the DOG, so those with dogs as pets please take care of them exceptionally well this year and give them treats to make them happy. After all, they make you happy! (just like my cute doggy:) - see previous post)

My Dog

My Dog - Pom Pom
Breed - Pomeranian
Age at present - about 1 year

both pics below taken when he was 5 months
this pic below taken while he was drinking water in his "home". age - 1 year

Swimming

Instead of tennis training, i went swimming with xiu hue and her friend, jasmine instead. there was a slight drizzle, and playing with wet tennis balls would cause me a tennis elbow, so training was postponed. Haha i swam like 2 laps then it rained really heavily, so we played in the "baby" pool. jasmine told some really lame jokes. next, to the suana...so nice and warm inside that we started singing. what fun!

Milo Dino

Successfully created my own version of the milo dinosaur which includes the unusual addition of fresh milk. Not sweet, yet so yummy!
Hoping to make the milo godzilla as can be seen below, but lacked the ice-cream ingredient today.