I went for Prefect's Camp from the 27th to the 28th December.


It was enriching and really motivated us to work harder and more efficiently for the coming year. There's only 2 more days to the New Year. It's amazing how time flies. Sometimes I'm amazed at how others work, how things work, how events come and go, how life circles.


Never hesitate to trust the unknown future to a known God.

MERRY XMAS


I just came back today after spending Xmas at Costa Sands Resort Downtown East. We played at Wild Wild Wet on Xmas Eve and it was really fun because I haven't been there since 2005. Escape Theme Park wasn't that fun partly because it was raining and most of the rides were boring. Mandy won a penguin plushie at the games stall where we wasted 40 dollars on games.


I just finished my english essay today. It's entitled Blue and I cant believe I wrote 1000+ words on paper in less than 2 hours. Well, I hope everything goes well. I'm left with a bit of chem homework, biology and chinese work. I'm gonna finish it over the weekend.


I'm sunburnt again thanks to half a day splashing about in the water. I was compelled to take neoprints with Mandy and her friends and I don't think it's very appealing to spend so much money taking and decorating a photo. But I kept a few of the prints as memorabilia.


I've decided to work hard since next year is the O levels. My mind is clogged up now so I can't really remember what happen during and over christams because an umpteen number of events took place.


It's humbling to think out infinitesimally small we are compared to God, and more humbling still to comprehend that He created us to be His children.

I went for The Father's Love event today at church. It was truly touching to see how God cares for us as his children. The music, hosts and singers were superb too and God's presence was amazing. I feel very happy for those who worked so hard to make this year's Christmas event a success. I hope many benefit from this experience and never forgot The Father's Love in their hearts. I know many will see the light this week, and their lives will be touched and transformed.


I've learnt from this event that as teenagers and youths, we wonder a lot about our future and our purposes in life. I do so sometimes unconditionally. I'm not afraid to move forward anymore not because I can't turn back time, but because I know that his love is always with me since the day I existed, throughout the days of my existence, and beyond my life into eternity.


Home

Some people live in a house on the hill
And wish they were some place else
There's nobody there
When the evening is still
Secrets with no one to tell

Some I have known have a ship
where they sleep
with sounds of rocks on the coast

They sail over oceans
five fathoms deep
But can't find
what they want the most

Even now when I'm alone
I've always known
with you I am home

Some live in towns
Cardboard shack on concrete
All bluster and bustling life

They search for the color
they can never quite see
Cause it's all white on white

Even now when I'm alone
I've always known
with you I am home

For me it's a glance
and the smile on your face
the touch of your hands,
And an honest embrace

For where I lay it's you I keep,
This changing world I fall asleep
With you all I know is
I'm coming home, Coming home

I'm clearing my homework the past few days and I still have quite a lot left.

Church was void of people yesterday when I thought there was supposed to be guitar lessons. I don't know where everyone went. Perhaps there was a change in venue and I was unaware of it.

These few days have been flying by and I've been doing nothing progressively or useful. I need inspiration now.

We sail through our youth so impatiently that sometimes we miss the good things in life that would have happened in our youth.

My family and I are back from Gold Coast, Brisbane, Australia. It was fun, hot and cold, dry and wet.


The beaches there are white and golden. I love the sound of the waves. The waves are huge compared to those in Singapore, since Gold Coast faces the South Pacific Ocean. The only thing that bothers me there is that the beaches are packed with people from all walks of life and there are only several designated swimming areas where visitors are allowed to swim under the supervision of a lifeguard. There were many surfers there but they didn't really impress me with their surfing, most probably because the waves were not long enough to sustain their balance on the water.


We stayed at Paradise Resort somewhere near the coast. We went for a farm tour on the first day and I took a photo with a Koala. We had lunch at the restaurant with live country music. There was a sheep shearing show, camping exhibit, horse race and sheepdog herding show.


The hosts were very entertaining and the Japanese, Chinese and Korean Translators were remarkably quick to translate the english words spoken by the hosts, into the respective mother tongues of the tourists. I bought some sheep plushies for Rachel and myself and a whole lot of shirts and gifts.


We went to Seaworld the next day. I enjoyed the viking ship ride. It was thrilling and scary, especially the parts where the ship accelerated and deccelerated. Mum bought more gifts and shirts and keychains, so many that I don't remember them individually. I had a tummyache and went to the loo several times. We watched a dolphin show that was really fun and exciting. Mum bought some salted popcorn which she mistook for sweet popcorn. I ended up eating it on behalf of her during the show. We took many photos on top of the ferris wheel which went round 5 times, allowing us to have a long and spectacular view of the landscape at Seaworld and the coast. We watched a 4D show on Marine Conservation. There was also the dugong exhibit, Polar beat exhibit, shark bay exhibit, aquarium, etc.


On the third day, we went to Movie World. Dad and I sat on the Scooby Doo Spook Ride which was not spooky at all but nerve-rackingly fast and thrilling. Who would have expected what seemed to be a ghost train, to turn out to be some indoor rapid roller coaster ride. The lightings and sound effects were very well organised. We watched Shrek 4D adventure twice to enjoy the air conditioned atmosphere. It was fun and cooling. Batman's cinemania experience was also very entertaining. The food there kept making me poop though. We took photos with Slyvester the Cat and Daffy Duck.


The fourth day was a free day and we took a walk around the city. Mum wanted to get souvenirs, I wanted to go to the beach. So I did in the morning and she did later in the afternoon. We had Japanese Miso Ramen for lunch and chinese food for dinner again as we did for all 4 nights. I enjoy the western breakfast at the hotel. Bacon and eggs rock, though they do give u flatulence and too much scrambled eggs makes your stomach feel scrambled. Okay, forget that notion.


Our flight to and from Singapore to Brisbane was 7 hours or so. I love watching the TV on the plane. I watched Superbad, Failure To Launch, The Attack on the Pin Up Boys, Ugly Betty, Little Briton, Stars Series, etc. I learnt some Japanese language playing the languages games in the airplane. We were stuffed with food during our flight --> Tea break, dinner and supper.


The hotel room had Nickelodeon & I spend my late nights watching spongebob... There was no toilet hose in the washroom and the shower head was immobile. This made it really unpleasant to wash certain parts of my body after egestion. It would be an awkward sight. The bed was nice and comfy though.


We got a soft toy puffer fish that made bouncy noises from the Movie World Fair. I enjoyed sleeping with it at night and still do. There's probably a lot more to this trip then what I can currently remember. I also have to thank my cousins for cleaning up our home while we were gone. It was so nice and thoughtful of them to do so.


I shall upload some pictures later. To live long, it is necessary to live slowly.

This will be my last post before I leave for Australia on Wednesday.


I hope the vacation would be a fruitful one and I really have to get down to serious work after my trip. I leveled in both Audition and Maple recently. I'm level 153 in Maple now and 20 in Audition. I guess I wont be playing much of both games after the trip, not that I can't play them but I mustn't play them too much.


My skin is very reddish and dry now. I feel that it's sun burnt and caked. Gonna bring extra sunscreen and lip gloss to Aussie. The weather is really unpredictable now. And it's not even raining heavily though it is the supposed monsoon season now.


I've learnt 7 chords during guitar lessons. I wanna master my piano and guitar hopefully. Aunt Amy said that she is getting me a new guitar for Xmas. I'm quite looking forward to it actually because the old guitar has very awkwardly tuned strings. I went out with her to Vivo City yesterday and we took a peak at PageOne Bookshop, Daiso Accessory Store and an Art Exhibition before heading home. She gave me a treat at a Japanese Restaurant.


I also have to start going for my Chinese tuition after this holiday trip. Time passes so quickly and rapidly. I wish that there were 48 hours in a day. I could really use more sleep and time for activities which I won't be able to do otherwise.


Men of force are men of faults, and their greatest fault lies in trying to force results in their own strength and wisdom instead of seeking God and others for help.