I'm going for Outward Bound Singapore tomorrow so I won't be online for 5 days until next Friday. I'm not really looking forward to it. I just hope that God will grant us safety and his might hand of protection there.


One secret to Victory is the Never Twins
- Never Give Up
- Never Give In


If love makes life worth living, shouldn't we have love in everything that we do.

Today we got back all our results. I'm pleasantly pleased with my results because compared to previous terms, I did much better. The last 2 results reviewed today were great ... I had a high A1 for Biology, and a B3 for Elective humanities, though I could have gotten an A2 if I didn't screw Social Studies.


Here's my Finalised Results:


English - A1
A Maths - A1
E Maths - A2
Chemistry - A1
Biology - A1
Physics - C6
History - B3
Elective Geography - B3
Higher Chinese - C5


Overall: 73%


I have to improve distinctly on my chinese, humanities, and physics, of which I deproved drastically. I screwed up the Section B for physics, failed it badly. I would have failed if my Section A didn't pull me up. Need to work on moments and heat, and to reduce my carelessness.


Went for an evaluation today. I think I have to change myself for the better. Perhaps sometimes we shouldn't be so full of ourselves. I'm trying hard to put others first. It always seems so hard, especially when reality sets in. I realise that I have a lot to improve on. We all do.


God's love hangs on even when we let go.

Most of the common test results are out except for biology and elective humanities. I think I did considerably better than my other terms this year because I'm likely to achieve above 70% this time. Current percentage is 72% ... physics and chinese pulled me down and I need to work on them. Other mediocre subjects would be history ... which was quite disappointing.


English - A1
A Maths - A1
Chemistry - A1
E Maths - A2
History - B3
Higher chinese - C5
Physics - C6


Biology - Hopefully A1
Elective - Hopefully A2


Well ... if we never experienced failure, we would never appreciate success. The fact that we improve after failing will eventually lead us to what we define as success. The only problem is ... how quickly are we improving?

Here's a touching story my Aunt sent me today.



The Fern and the Bamboo



One day I decided to quit... I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.



"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me...



God:- "Look around, do you see the fern and the bamboo?"


Me:- "Yes".



God:- "When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.



In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.



In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.



In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.


Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.


Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots.


"Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern, yet, they both make the forest beautiful."



" Your time will come, "God said to me. "You will rise high!"



Me:- "How high should I rise?"God:- "How high will the bamboo rise?"



He asked in return.



Me:- "As high as it can?" I questioned.



God:- "Yes." He said, " Give me glory by rising as high as you can."I left the forest and brought back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.



Never regret a day in your life.



Good days give you happiness.

Bad days give you experiences.

Both are essential to life.

Keep going...

Happiness keeps you Sweet,

Trials keep you Strong,

Sorrows keep you Human,

Failures keep you humble,

Success keeps You Glowing,

but Only God keeps You Going!


In life, nothing is for sure. Appreciate what you have today. Do not compare yourself with others...live humbly...do not flaunt your success or riches, instead share your blessings with others. It's how you live as a person and treat others that will be remembered even when you are long gone......

Dad bought me a pair of non slip sandals not long ago and I used it for the first and last time today. I for my Chinese tuition as usual today. As I was walking to the interchange, the sole of my right sandal was lose and it got so irritating that I had to pull the whole sole out and dispose of it. After an enriching tuition lesson, it started to rain and the stupid non slip sandals started to fall apart.


Yes, they were non slip sandals and I didn't slip and fall... the embarrassing part was when all the hinges and straps of BOTH SANDALS started to break apart when it touched the rainwater. It got so bad that after I walked out of the train station, all the straps had practically been dislodged from their original position, making walking a penance.


What did I do next? I was pissed and quite embarrassed that people were smirking at my dismantled sandals. Both sandals looked like flowers now ... the dislodged straps being the petals. So I pulled my feet off the sandals, which was pretty easy because my feet was apparently not bound to the sandals at all, and threw them away. I had to walk barefoot home with a couple of observant people staring at my dainty feet. OK ... so maybe my feet aren't so dainty. I'm quite used to walking barefooted since we prance around the reservoirs barefooted during canoeing trainings.


I also had a horrible umbrella which got stuck when I tried to open it. The metal pieces that held the umbrella up broke. I had to make do with a slant, disfigured umbrella in the rain. Worst still, it was dotted with Chinese flowers. How on earth did I get that umbrella?


More test results tomorrow. I hope that our class did well. Many people don't understand the great pleasure and enjoyment and satisfaction that come from the giving of oneself, one's time and one's resources. Try it, and experience the worthy payback!

Today was great fun at the Marina Bay Floating Gallery. The Fireworks were splendid and magnificent. Very tired and I have prefect duty tomorrow. Tonight will be just the uploading of pictures and other stuff.


Man makes rockets that can go to the moon. God made the moon. Nights

I'm so happy. I finally met my ultimate goal in maple ... I've obtained the level of 150 and I'm feeling very exuberant now. Anyway, it's time to get down with some serious work as the Final Year Exams are only 42 days away, in accordance to Darren's significantly reliable calculations.


The last paper, physics, was over today and it killed many people who didn't manage to complete it. I finished off my last sentence before the invigilator said stop. I hope I do well for all the other papers. I have lots of homework to catch up on.


There's this prefect thing on Saturday, something to do with the SJI Scholarship talk but even though I've agreed with Mitchell to by down for duty, I really don't wish to go as I would be back late at night on Friday, upon watching the Fireworks Festival tomorrow.


I'm beat and it's getting late. Can't think of anything but sleep now. Making hast decisions is like driving too fast: You might beat the stoplight; but you might not make it to your destination.

The common tests are finishing soon. The last paper, physics, would be over by tomorrow. I shall study pressure, temperature, kinetic gas theory and moments later. I achieved an A2 for E maths ... I could have gotten A1 if only I wasn't tricked by Q3 and lost 9 marks.


School dismissed early today. I can't wait for tomorrow. I'm gonna level up to 150 and take revenge for all the time I spent studying. Can't post much. The tests are still not over.


Aims for TA3


English - A2
Higher Chinese - C5
E Maths - A2
A Maths - A1
Chem - A1
Physics - A1
Biology - A1
History - A1/A2
Geography Elective - B3/B4


Well that's about all I have to say. May be going out to watch some fireworks on Friday night. How captivating! Life isn't a contest; it's a chance to do the best you can with what you have.

Just came back from the Batam Trip and I have to get ready for a gruelling week of common tests so as much as I want to post, I have to make it short. The trip was pretty much okay and it made me feel so fortunate not to be living up to the standards of Batam. There were shambled houses and broken huts everywhere. I even heard from the tour guide that a small plot of land there cost only 200 dollars but you have to build your own house from planks, or if you can afford, concrete. Also, there would be no electricity provided and entertainment would be out of the box. Water can be obtained from the nearby well, only about a few hundred metres away.


We had fun singing on stage in the Golden Prawn Restaurant. Apparently, there were no golden prawns but there was a nice stage in which we sang songs heartily. The drums and guitars on stage were in the most adverse conditions for any kind of musical instruments. We had fun clashing the grey cymbals using chopsticks and spoons, only to be warned by the Karaoke hostess to stop our din.


The Hotel, I mean motel, was only 4 storeys high but the rooms were in fine shape. Everyone was upset when they thought that they could not get double beds. Inconspicuously, upon lifting up the bed covers, Mandy and I saved the evening from further discontent and complains. In turned out that the bedsheets were covering the double beds and the double beds themselves were combined together to form what seemed to be a single bed.


We had a lame blindfold game in the morning in which 8 people participated. Then we went to the Mega mall to play which was, in contrary to the name Mega Mall, quite small. Me and the other boys went to plan at the LAN shop, charging Sg 1 dollar for 1 hour. We played counterstrike and I realised that Indonesian Audition is known as AyoDance.


Took the Ferry to and fro. Singapore's ports is definitely of a much higher class then the Indonesian ports. The Batam port had no electrical passport checking devices, incompetent service (man took my ferry ticket and forgot to return it to me at passport checkpoint), and wooden planks were used as platforms from docks to ferries.


Here are some of the photos I took using my low quality hand phone once again:

The Indonesian Seas, the roads, the stage (My uncle singing in the picture), the stage again, the din in the bus ... Blah. Accept what you can; forgive what you once can't; give what you don't have to.

Had a time out after studying playing audition with Darren and Mandy.


My best perfect combo in the history of audition. I hope to hit combo x20 someday because apparently, it's possible.


Off to lunch. Happy National Day Singapore.


Don't let mistakes of the past mar your vision for the future. Focus on the good to come.

I'm feeling hardworking now. I just shouted my heart out while bathing. Cancelled piano lessons today because I wanted to do history and my teacher is apparently not pleased. Well, I'm used to it I guess. I must master my piano but I still feel so lousy at it ... especially when they are so many new things in theory to learn and practicals have to be ... practised. I wanna learn guitar when I'm free, probably during the end year holidays. I'll dig out my mum's old guitar from the threshold in the storeroom and fix new strings and get myself a guidebook and aim to be some songwriter and singer next time.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE



National Day celebrations were okay. Should not have gone to mass because it was really really boring and I am astounded at the composer's ability to write such songs... perhaps it was the customised trend of music composition back then in medieval times. Anyway, the national day performance was mundane at first but the environmental spiced it up with their fashion show of environmental clothing which were awful in the fashion scene but fashionable in the environmental sphere of influence. Wei Jun got 2nd for dressing up as some jester? Congratulations to him them and his class ... CLeow must have done a great job in encouraging the boys to join this event and so were the designers.


Pizza hut closed today so I had to chance to eat pizza. It was really closed but just that the whole restaurant was booked for some kiddy party and there was no sign put outside stating, "Restaurant fully booked for Children and Teacher's Party". I shall try to level up in maple as soon as possible when I've cleared my revision because I really feel the urge to level at 83.6%. I need at least 3 hours of solid training with 2x exp to level up.


I shall now type out my version of WW2 opening phase essay here. Please don't copy it if you are using mozilla firefox, the copyright only works for Internet Explorer.


Germany aimed for world domination and conquering Europe during WW2. It's offensive war strategy was the Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) strategy , combining elements of speed and surprise. In stage 1, enemy headquarters and communications were be bombed by the Luftwaffe's. Parachutists would then drop behind enemy lines and cut off telephone wires and bridges. This would destroy command lines. In stage 2, armoured spearheads would target on the enemy's weakest points while main attacks would be launched by panzers and motorised divisions and tanks. In stage 3, enemy troops would be encircled by other troops following closely behind the armoured spearhead. Main thrust of attack by the panzer and motorised divisions would continue through the surprised and demoralised troops. The allies had thinly spread tanks supported by infantry on foot. (No air force, poorly armed) Blitz striked unexpectedly.


Too much to continue. You should continue from here with historical knowledge or come up with your ideal essay outline... It is in coming to the end of our own strength, accepting that we have weaknesses and admitting that we need God's help, that we find our full potential.

I wanna make this post short to let out some of my anguish that stirred during the last period of school today. I made 3 blunders today ... or rather, 2 blunders. I was suppose to go to the Lecture Theatre for PSE today but ended up at the Performing Arts Centre. I was unaware that the people involved in the 155th Anniversary Project had to meet at the lecture theatre, probably because I was either inattentive or simply blur at that moment.


So we sang hymns at the PAC and we sang them with gusto and spirit. Here's what I'm really not happy about. The teacher in charge of the programme kept encouraging us to sing louder and even the teacher who told me off was encouraging our batch of students to project our voices for the real thing on National Day itself. When we sang the ending hymn for the last time at the end, I projected really loudly in an octave higher than most other students or what seemed to be. Then the teacher (I don't want to mention her name but most of my friends should know) came to me and said: "Are u singing just to show off to your friends? If so I don't think you should attend this on National Day because you would distract the secondary ones and twos."


I had a dozen or so major points to shoot back at her but my though my spirit was willing, my mouth was shut. So I shall express it now. Firstly, there is no school rule that is against vocal acoustics. In fact, she and the other teachers were greatly anticipating us to sing loudly, as she initially told us when we were practising. There is clearly nothing wrong expressing our happiness, thoughts, feelings and emotions through music. This is a free nation and we are free children of God. In church, we can sing as loudly as we want. God is happy to hear us sing and be happy and furthermore, we were singing hymns.


Secondly, if others choose to be distracted by me, then it is not my fault but the mere human instinct of curiosity. If a piano crashed in your front lawn, you wouldn't continue having your lunch or doing your homework would you? No you would not. You would turn around and investigate the source of the incident. In the identical way, if I want to express my voice and if it sounds unique to others, then why shouldn't others turn around and investigate the source from which the voice is coming from? I sum up my point again, humans are curious by nature, which is how we learn many new things.


Thirdly, it doesn't matter how loud or how soft or how well or how bad we sing. The fact that we're all in one family already shows that no matter how different we are, or how special we appear to be, we're still schoolmates, part of a community that cares. You don't just chase people out of your family just because they're different. You can take everything away from me but you can never take away the love of God and the happiness that God has placed in my heart.


One day, the ugly duckling will become a swan. And the swan in turn, will shine for others and for God its creator.


Anyway, I hope to forget about this trivial incident. There's much more to life then music and sounds. Much much more. The third blunder was a really infantile act achieved by none other than the infamous Dylan. I wanna scold him again for taking my bag to the canteen and scaring me yet again for another incident of "Stolen Bag". Stop taking my bag please ... And I can't believe that we can't take out our ties till we go out of the school compound. It gets really hot at times, especially during the months of June to August.

Everything in heaven is going to be eternal. Eternal life; eternal love; eternal me and you. Praise God.

Edward's Farewell party was great fun but it wasn't really a farewell party at all. I almost got lost finding the place after church. We sang songs and ate food and had really funny performances by George and a few whimsical classmates. Edward got thrown into the pool.


I really enjoyed the happiness that we shared among ourselves and Ms Chia had a great time too. The barbecue was great and we have to thank Amos's Mum for assisting us in preparing the food. I hope that there would be more of such outings in future after our O levels or even after the exams this year. They help to strengthen the friendship bonds that we hold with one another.


That's about all I have to say. No decision is too small to ask God about. You might know what's best but He does for sure. He knows what we need even before we pray for what we need. Have you found your secret place with God? I Hope I find mine soon.

Haven't been blogging for quite a while. I missed school on Thursday because I had a nasty throat infection but since I always get throat infections, my body's immune system made haste to clear up the bacteria by Friday. That was really fast. I have a lot of phlegm and it feels so uncomfortable, just like a bolus of slimy mucus stuck in between the 2 walls of my gullet.


Maple released the Singapore Map on 2nd August but many people have problems patching it till now. My friend kept commenting that his patch was corrupted and I hope my cousin can still download the patch from alternative sources. I saved the patch in my computer already. The mirror links from filefront and sghosting are somehow not working for now. I finished most of the Singapore Map Quests but there is 1 quest bug which is apparently not fixed yet. I had a thrill in annihilating the boss monster in the deepest part of Boat Quay Town. 2 million Hp but I eliminated it in about 3 Minutes with my fire mage solo. It was so fun ... but I wasted 22 ramen since it kept doing 3k damage on me.


I leveled up in Audition to Level 18 too... I'm getting better at 8 keys and Darr just started playing using an unused account that I gave him. I hope to be an Amateur by year end. The songs that Audition is broadcasting now is extremely limited. I have no idea why they had to remove so many audition Korean songs for editing... perhaps it could be to rectify the problem of uncensored material or copyright infringement. Things are so complicated ...


Let's not talk about games. Today is Edward's Farewell Party for my class ... I dunno whether I should go to church first and be late for the party or go straight to the party. I shall decide later since both circumstances would begin at 5pm.


To some, an obstacle is an excuse to quit. To others it is an opportunity to grow stronger through adversity and come one step closer to their goal.

Someone said my blog was amusing. I hope it does cheer you up because it does cheer me up.


I'm mass downloading many songs tonight ... from my online messenger buddies and some other enclosed sources. I need to refresh my play list ... totally bored of the same old songs. I feel quite guilty that I might be infringing copyright but superstars should be kind and share their joy of music with others too right? Okay I'm talking nonsense because if that ever happens, when I become a superstar, I'll be broke... if that was a reality.


Aly and AJ's new album since heartwarming. I have only one of their latest songs. Their new album is called Insomniatic. I've always loved their songs. Anyway, I've a lot to finish up on my English project ... it's not even half done and we only have the soft copy of everything and I'm like suppose to compile everything ... from the meagre articles to the forum page to the scanty advertisements and to the obnoxious reviews. I don't have the heart to rush through something in such an unexpected dateline. I'm quite confident that my classmates are either feeling the same way too, or just can't be bothered to deal with something that doesn't affect their academic performance other than the overall mark imprinted in the report book at the end of the year ... incorporating the alternative assessments in which the project constitutes.


I have to get mum a birthday present ... OMG OMG OMG. I have been very repetitive in the past few posts too. I'm so busy doing relevant and irrelevant stuff that I just forget the most simple yet important things at times.


I had a haircut at the barbers today and it totally sucked. My hair looks terrible. I have no fringe. I have no slope, apart from a few spiky strands. I have much much much shorter hair to pluck and meddle with. This is so unfair. I PROTEST! Students must be allowed to make their decisions in the way they want their hair to look. What is wrong with long hair? Girls have long hair. Guys need long hair to establish a balanced feminine composure ... as we learnt in moral education today. There is nothing wrong with our hairstyle. The school just wants us to spend less time on our hair by keeping in short and to make us look neater ... I mean nerdier.


If I was the principal, I would abolish this ludicrous rule. Guys should be allowed to keep their hair the way they like it as long as it does not serve as a distraction in class or to others. And the chances of hairstyle serving as a distraction to those who truly desire to learn something during a lesson is nearly 0%. So I make my stand again ... there is nothing wrong with keeping long hair or short hair or curly hair or spiky hair or Mohican's hair or wavy hair or sideburns ...


When something seems impossible, call on the power of God's love. With his love, all things are possible. Cheers ... Chimmo.