Wednesday, January 31, 2007
well... consider this: is it worth it to lose our friendship over such a small thing like this?
tired of everything right now. why are people like that? dont they care for friendship? 4 years, and they have changed a lot. and not for the better. i'm tired. it's so fun, isnt it, to take pictures while other people are sleeping? wow. i hope you can see the sarcasm dripping from these words.
--------It´s been a long road, getting from there to here.--------
x It´s been a long time,
but my time is finally near
at 11:02 pm
Sunday, January 28, 2007
i'm short of sleep! haha... calculated... i slept an average of 4 hours every night for the past week. only last night slept for about 8 hours. so a total of 32 hours. but i'm supposed to sleep an average of 6 hours per night. so therefore i'm short of 10 hours of sleep! haha... anw, yesterday supposed to meet axel at 6.50am so that his mum could fetch us to TJC. instead, i woke up at 6.55am! rushed to get ready. called axel and told him that i just woke up and not necessary to pick me up... but in the end, his mmum came to potong pasir to pick me up at 7.20am. she drove us to TJC. had the preparation, then went for the debates. first was the proposition for the THBT Democracy is an Illusion against maris stella high. we won. i was the second speaker. was quite nervous, i think i did quite ok... then dickson's team went for the opp against pasir ris sec. they won. so we moved on to the quarter finals. during the lunch break went to bedok interchange to eat lunch. had kfc. axel treated me. that makes two. i need to treat him back again soon. anw, went back, got the impromtu motion of THBT racial quotas in GRCs should be abolished. caleb, brandon and dickson were to be the speakers. axel and i were to be the reserves and help them for their reply speech. we went against St Anthony's convent. in the end, after all the debates, we won again. so we're gonna move on to the semi finals next friday. after the thing, dickson went over to the SAC girls to shake hands, but ended up getting their numbers. such a flirt. haha. anw, after everything, axel's mum came again to fetch edmund and i. sropped off at dhoby ghaut stationa dn took mrt back. had dinner and quite a fun night. now on to today. had quite a boring day. woke up, ate breakfast, went to toa payoh with my mum. went to popular to buy stationary ans stuff, then went to buy things for the 11th of feb. came back, ate lunch, wanted to read the papers, but mummy suggested that we got to changi to check out the chalet. so at about 12.45pm we left. the chalet was quite ok. went straight to tuition after that. reached at about 2.20pm. discussed with edmund about tmrw's motion of THW negotiate with terrorists. we're gonna be the opp. after tuition went to popo's place. had dinner, then came back at about 7.30pm. walked the dog, then read the papers. gonna do my work soon.
"Do not marry the one you can live with, marry the one you cannot live without. If you really found the right person whom you cannot live without, you will devote your time, love and soul to that person for every single minute of a relationship in which the love will never fade. But if you marry someone you can live with, the relationship will sour."
--------It´s been a long road, getting from there to here.--------
x It´s been a long time,
but my time is finally near
at 8:31 pm
Friday, January 26, 2007
tired. last night slept at 1am. had to do history hmwk. source based and mind map. woke up this morning at about 5.30am. 4 and a half hours of sleep. went to sch. after sch had a small meeting with mr lim about npcc, concerning our badges and stuff. SANA project about drugs and the like. after that, prepared for the debate. when the NJC ppl came, we had a sort of mock debate. finished at 6.30pm. was raining. went to 7-11 to buy dinner. took a 31 with edmund and dickson. on the bus found out that i had left my umbrella at 7-11. so had to walk in the rain to church after i dropped off. had a session about "being plugged in". how do we lead our lives and stuff. the session ended at about 8.40pm. took a bus home, reached at about 9.05am. did a bit of exercise then bathed. watched tv about the USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, on NGC. tired. tmrw got the debate competition at Temasek JC. gotta practice more of my speech. hope that i dun screw things up....
"It's an acquired taste." - Captain Kathryn Janeway
--------It´s been a long road, getting from there to here.--------
x It´s been a long time,
but my time is finally near
at 11:50 pm
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
woah. so busy nowadays. whole week packed. last sat went to SRJC to view other schs debate. saw the CHIJ St. Nick's team that took part in The Arena there. they debated on the motion "THBT the age of the printed page is over". was quite good, but in the end, they lost to VJC. came back at about 6.30pm. at 7pm, went for tuition at orchard. ended at 9.30pm. took a 36 to sch. reached there, slacked, helped out in the sec 1 orientation camp, then went home on sunday at about 11.30am. went out for lunch with granny, then went for tuition. yesterday had to stay back till about 7pm for practice on the debate that we're gonna have at TJC. Motion is "THBT(This House Believes That) Democracy is an Illusion". just finished preparing my speech as best as i can. i'll be the 2nd speaker of the proposition team. tmrw gonna have a mock debate with the opposition team that we're sending, namely, dickson, axel and caleb. then today had to stay back for prefects. the EXCO had to meet with the tchrs in charge of sports day as the prefects will be running the show. came back at about 4pm. went for tuition at 6pm. all the way to 9pm. tmrw got NPCC training. after that got the mock debate. on thurs gotta stay back for maths and physics. then friday got to practice for debate again. sat got the debate at TJC. so tired. but i gotta admit, SO FUN!
"Things are only impossible until they're not." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard
--------It´s been a long road, getting from there to here.--------
x It´s been a long time,
but my time is finally near
at 11:44 pm
Friday, January 19, 2007
today woke up at about 5.40am. got ready, then went to sch. had sch till about 1.10pm, then changed to NP uniform. waited for Chee Keong. when he came at 1.40pm, took the sergeant test, then changed back to sch u with long sleeve. took a 48 with en jia and jerry to SCGS for their Prefects' Investiture 2007. wore blazer. the thing started at about 3.10pm. they had a ceremony where all the prefects went up to the stage to collect their badges and stuff. had a talk by a former Head Prefect of the sch. the show they put up was quite nice. about "Ohana" or Family. about the Prefects being one big family and how family is important. after the show, went down to the reception. supposed to mix around, but because of en jia's attitude, lost my mood. got really fed up with him. en jia was like "eh, you exco should do it. everything you must do." was so irritated. then james tan went MIA. dunno what happened to him. one moment he was following me, then the next he was gone. looked around for him but didnt find him. fed up. in the end, we left without getting any contacts for future liasons with SCGS or anything. what a waste.
"Do not get confused between a man who leads and a leader." - King Arthur Pendragon
--------It´s been a long road, getting from there to here.--------
x It´s been a long time,
but my time is finally near
at 7:10 pm
Saturday, January 13, 2007
today went for some debate thingy at SRJC. quite ok... came back at about 5pm. i hate ppl who waffle and avoid the question being asked to them. then in the end, they give some crap answer that doesnt even answer the bloody question. you know who you are. there's also another thing that i dont like about myself. i always give chances, even when a person has done me wrong a great number of times. always. even when i dont want to continue on. it's just like, just give him/her one more chance. just one more. just one more. hate it. anw, on a lighter note, to continue on the CHINA trip...
31st December 2006 - Sunday
7.37am
in Victory Hotel in the old colonial part of Guang Zhou(Sha Mian Island) right now. last night left the 7th Heaven cafe at about 7.20pm. went to the West Street, the main shopping street(the one where we stayed at the first night in Yang Shuo). chehcheh and i had our faces painted onto shirts. mine doesnt really look like me. it cost about 30RMB. after getting the shirts, went back to the Oversea Chinese Hotel to collect our luggage. after resting a while there, went to the Holiday Paradise Travel Agency, where they took us to the bus. we had a sleeper bus. the bus had beds instead of chairs. 2 levels, like bunk beds, and 3 rows of them. boarded the bus at about 8.55pm. journey was really eventful except for the man behind us, who snored so loudly. reached Guang Zhou at about 6.15am. took taxi to Victory Hotel. gonna take a bath now.
12.20pm
in macs right now. left the hotel at about 9aqm. walked about, saw the pet market, then went to breakfast of dim sum at Lian Xiang Lou, a quite famous place. then we shopped a bit. now resting and toilet break. gonna go shop again then go for lunch afterwards.
1st January 2007 - Monday
1.25am
gonna sleep after this. after the last post, left macs, then went on shopping. bought quite a lot of stuff. went for lunch at a local place along Di Shi Bu Lu(10th walkway/street), the same street that we shopped on. the street is very long. had lunch of won tan mee, beef noodles, chee cheong fan, red bean paste. after lunch, which was at about 3pm, went on shopping on the way back to the hotel. reached the hotel at about 4pm. rested, slept, watched tv, used com till about 6.45pm, then went out again. took a bus number 1 to Bei Jing Nan Lu(Bei Jing South Road). walked down the road admiring the place. it was so crowded. it's like the orchard road of Guang Zhou. had dinner at another local restaurant. dinner consisted of chicken porridge, beef kway teow, some rice with meat and vegeatbles and some chinese eggnog. walked back, bought chehcheh's shoes(finally), then took a bus back to hotel. reached at 11.10pm. went to granny's suite to celebrate the New Year. ate fruits and moon ckae. watched tv then went back to charge phone, bathe and use com. internet broadband is free. spent the first hour of 2007 in the toilet and in front of the co. haha
2nd January 2007 - Tuesday
1.40am
woke up late at 8.45am this morning. had breakfast at the new Victory Hotel annex. after eating, went to check on the rates of the rooms in the new annex. found out that our rooms were more expensive because we're staying in Deluxe Rooms. walked around Sha Mian Island, so colonial. quite a nice place. it had a very nice, European atmosphere. the buildings were all so British style. saw the cannons that the Brits installed on the island. then went back to hotel for about 20 mins for toilet and rest. walked down to the restaurant Dai Thong for lunch again but this time at the dim sum part. had quite a lot of dim sum there. cannot rmbr cos we ate so much! haha. after eating, took a bus and a train to Liu Hua bus station. took the 4.15pm bus to Fo Shan. thought it was a small village/town, but it turned out to be so modern. seems that our perceptions of China is so backward. hahaha. walked around. went to the temple, the main attraction fo the city, but it was going to close and we had to pay for entrance, so we did not enter. then walked back. went to Bai Hua Plaza(White Flower Plaza). rested at the KFC there. ate a bit, then walked back to the bus station and took a bus back to Guang Zhou. reached Guang Zhou at about 7.35pm. took a train to Chang Shou Lu. shopped all the way back. by the time reached back at the hotel was at 10.45pm. went to toilet, packe bag, used the com, bathed, now gonna sleep. got a totally blocked nose. hope it will clear tmrw.
11.30pm
just boarded TR989. full flight tonight. have to sleep cos tmrw got sch. this morning woke up at 8.15am. bathed, then went out for breakfast. had won tan mee at a local place near Shang Xia Jiu Lu(Up Down 9 Road... i think. at least, that's the direct translation of the road name.haha) then walked down the road toward the Tan family temple/ancestor house. passed the jade market along the way. bought souvenirs for friends. didnt stay long at the temple, cos had not enough time. rested a while there then bought a chap tay and played with it for a while while eating chestnuts. took a train back. walked from the train station back to Victory Hotel. packed our shopping and stuff, then checked out at about 1.10pm. left our luggage at the concierge, then went to have lunch at Number 2 Shang Xia Jiu Lu. every restaurant's dim sum is different, although they are the same. haha. not making much sense. what i mean is, they have different styles of cooking and they taste slightly different from each other at differnent restaurants. then walked about and shopped around again. after that, walked back to Shang Xia Jiu Lu and ate again at Lian Xiang Lou. had suckling pig, fan tui, scallops, fried mee etc. Da Pao-ed 20 egg tarts to bring back home. after dinner, walked back to hotel. reached at about 7.45pm. took our bags, repacked our recent shopping, went toilet, then took taxi to the airport bus station near the China Hotel. took an airport bus for 17 yuan pax to the airport. reached at about 9.45pm. checked in, went through the customs or Frontier Checks, as they put it, and boarded the plane.
3rd January 2007 - Wednesday
the rest is history. reached back home at 3.40am. unpacked everything, bathed, then rested for 20 mins before going for school.
--------It´s been a long road, getting from there to here.--------
x It´s been a long time,
but my time is finally near
at 5:56 pm
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
well, to continue my CHINA trip...
29th December 2006 - Friday
11.24am
woke up at about 8.10am. bathed, changed, then went out for breakfast. had breakfast at another local place. had mee with pork. after taking a few pictures along the way, stopped at a touristy cafe called The 7th Heavn. had milk tea(too bland), hot chocolate with brandy(NICE!), banana milkshake and hot toffee with bananas. it was very nice. then we went to walk along the market. quaint. they sold animals live and cut in front of you. cool. then we came back to the hotel. now gonna pack up then change hotel. moving over to the Oversea Chinese Hotel.
11.28pm
so full now. anw, in the afternoon, after checking into the Oversea Chinese Hotel, settled in, then at about 1pm went out. bought bus tickets back to Guang Zhou for tmrw night. after that, walked to the bus station. took a bus at 15RMB pax to go to Gui Ling. was about an hour's journey there. reached there at about 2.30pm. was so suprised cos Gui Ling is so urbanized. walked down Zhong Shan Nan Lu(South Middle Mountain Road). ate at a restaurant. had dog, chicken soup, some shellfish thingy, gan wo yu(dried pot fish), mee. ate till about 4pm. went to shop down the road. bought a few sweaters and outer wear. then we walked down the road till we hit the river. it was so nice. the water was quite pristine and the walkways are quite well maintained. took a little sampan to the other side. the man punted us to the other side while we took pictures. then we followed the pathway along the river. was damn cool and great atmosphere. quite romantic, the place. the weather was just nice. temperature was at about 18 degree C. the scenery was really good. trees lined the walkway, sky was a nice blue.there was a sch(i think) along the riverside where we walked. followed the pathway till we reached another bridge, then crossed back. walked down the road till we could see the curious rock formation in the limestone hills(elephant trunk rock). bought some mata kuching(Longan like fruit) from a peddler there. then, as it was getting dark, walked back toward the bus station. walked along the riverside again(opposite bank this time). really beautiful. sun was setting, temperature was dropping. i really enjoyed it. reached the bus station and took the 7pm bus back to Yang Shuo. reached back at about 8pm. walked to a restaurant/bar called "Cloud 9". had fried squid with mixed vegetables deep fried pig's stomach and intestine served with stirred fried nuts, noodles with vegetables, beef tendon, roasted pork ribs, and banana pancake. after eating, went to the toilet. helped granny there. while waiting, went outside on the roof. the view(although it was dark) was great! could see the silhouettes of the mountains and the lights of the town were beautiful. half moon tonight. we left, then walked down the shopping road(where our previous hotel was), then bought a sesame paste(nice!) and walked back to the hotel. bought mineral water along the way. reached out rooms at about 11pm.
30th December 2006 - Saturday
5.49pm
now in the 7th Heaven Cafe again. this morning woke up at about 8am. by the time we left was 9.40am. went to the local place we went to two days ago for breakfast. ate the mee, then went back to hotel cos daddy, mummy and chehcheh got lao sai. left the hotel again at 10.30am. walked down to the wharf. tried to get a boat to go down to the river to Fu Li., but didnt know how to. so went ti the bus station and took a bus to Fu Li instead. walked down the main street to the river. walked past shops that made and sold fans. at the river, saw a man washing a dog's intestines in the river. then he cut off the dog's ears and threw them into the river. he washed the dog's paws next. took a tuk tuk back to the mainstreet and went back to Yang Shuo. had lunch of claypot rice and soup at another local shop. then we walked back to the hotel. went up to toilet, then checked out and left our bags at the concierge. walked back to the bus station. took a mini van to Gao Tian(High Fields). saw that it was a small place. took a few photos then went back. chartered the bus that took us there and the driver took us around. he was quite a nice guy, friendly and honest. first went to see the 'Moon Hill'(Yue Liang Shan). took pictures there, then went to some temple. had to pay to go in, so we did not. just stayed at the outside and took photos. the limestone hills around the place were nice. then we boarded the van again and went to the Gong Nong Qiao(Workers' Bridge) across the Yu Long River(Pearl River). took lots of photos there. there were rafts with ppl punting there, but it was surely to be expensive as it was a tourist place. then the bus took us down a small track along the river. quite bumpy. i didnt know a van could fit in there. anw, the place was very scenic. passed a small cemetery along the side of the river. stopped at a place near the river, then went to play about. washed hands(water was quite cold) and played witht the water:D saw a man smoking rats there to be eaten. haha. went on down the riverside. stopped at another smaller bridge, was really great. the river water was clear, the wind fresh and cold, the hills tall but not imposing, rather, they were quite a good backdrop. stopped along the way to buy some keuh tu tu like stuff(ma tee gao, according to the driver) while the driver went in to a sch to see if his daughter had gone home. then took the van back. stopped at the street near the 7th Heaven cafe and walked to it. ordered fried rice, hot chocolate, tea, mee, and hot toffee bananas.
--------It´s been a long road, getting from there to here.--------
x It´s been a long time,
but my time is finally near
at 5:58 pm
Friday, January 05, 2007
yeah.... finally got time to do this... sch life so busy... haha... LIKE IT! anw, here's how my CHINA trip went! went with my family and granny. took a diary with me, so posts are time-lined and are from a viewpoint that i had there and then.
26th December 2006 - Tuesday
7.25pm
wooh. plane has just taken off. experienced air pockets just now as the plane went through the level of clouds. on board TR988 to Guang Zhou. just got the immigration card from the air stewardess.. the whole immigration card is in chinese! no english! haha.
9.40pm
two and a half hours into flight. bored. trying to sleep but cant for the ppl behind, speaking so loud. in chinese too. typical chinamen! haha..
10.20pm
got this idiotic chinaman knocking on my seat. talk so loud and cant keep his hands to himself. must knock on my seat! how am i gonna sleep!? plane starting to descend already. seat belt light just came on and the stewardess announced that we're gonna have turbulance.
10.35pm
captain just announced that we will touch down in about 20mins. just passed Hong Kong a few minutes ago. temperature at Guang Zhou is about 11 degree C and slightly misty. cabin crew to prepare for arrival.
27th December 2006 - Wednesday
1.35am
landed at Bai Yun international airport in Guang Zhou at about 10.55pm. went throught the customs and everything, then took an airport bus to a station, then took a taxi to Furama Hotel(Fu Lai Hua). entered the room at about 12.45am. was like 'wow!' they had plasma tv and even a computer! and the internet rates are like 0.02RMB per minute! bathed then used the com for a while. tired. gonna sleep soon. didnt have much sleep on the plane thanks to the chinaman behind me on the plane... haha
9.25am
woke up at about 8am. went for breakfast. now in the room. gonna go out soon.
7.35pm
after leaving the hotel in the morning, walked to a nearby metro station and took a train to Liu Hua bus station to buy our ticket to Gui Ling tonight. after that, took a train down to Qing Ping market. wow. they sold dried snakeskin, dried seahorse, starfish, dried centipedes rolled into bunches and lots more weird animals. haha. then we walked back. on the way back, stopped at Dai Tong restaurant for lunch. had kway teow, fried Fan Tui(pig's trotters), goose, suckling pig, wo tip(gyoza like thing) and a peanut pancake thingy. after eating, at about 1.40pm, walked back to the hotel checked out, then depositedour bags at the concierge. then we started to go to Bei Jing Lu. but on the way, saw a market selling toy stuff and chinese new year stuff and the like. so went in, bought a few stuff then went on. but we were tired, so we stopped and rested at a place called "Village Of Gruel". we tried to order a few bowls of porridge, but found out that they sold porridge only by the kg! so bought 1kg of porridge at about 38RMB, and we managed to eat it all! haha. after sufficient rest, we walked on. went to a side street that seemed to sell everything. it was in the general direction of Bei Jing Lu, so we went in. inside, saw a young boy peeing in the middle of the street. the adults didnt care. just walked and laughed on. in a matter of minutes(as it was a relatively busy street), the pee was spread everywhere by the countless wheels and feet that rolled and stepped in it. so disgusting! but, hey, we're in CHINA! haha. after doing a bit of shopping, we didnt really have time, so just stopped at a nearby macs to go toilet then we took a bus 61 to the hotel. collected our luggage, then walked to the metron station and went back to Liu Hua bus station. now waiting at the bus station for the bus that will bring us to Gui Ling.
8.30pm
we're on the bus and off. wow. so suprising! the chinese are unctual! haha.
28th December 2006 - Thursday
8.50am
so cold. now in the hotel room in Yang Shuo. bus dropped us off at the bus terminal at about 6.20am... bus ride was ok. managed to get about 6 hours sleep. the bus stopped every 3 hours for toilet break. at least the toilets here arent so bad as in Kazakhstan. haha. will be going off breakfast soon.
9.45pm
wooh. just came back. anw, in the morning, after taking a bath in the hotel, went to walk around. had breakfast of some sort of mee at a local outdoor hawker stall. hope dont get diarrhea. haha. but it should be ok... wind was blowing. luckily we wrapped quite warmly. walked downm the street. had some paste thingy(sesame and corn) at a shop, then continued on. bought smth that looked like ang ku kueh, but was sweet and had a nice fragrance and with sesame paste inside. shopped around, then took the 11am bus to Xing Ping. upon reaching, took a tuk tuk like vehicle to the sorta quay. then took a boat down the Li river. the scenery was really nice. mountains(limestone hills) carved out by long gone water. ranges upon ranges of them. tall, but not too intimidating, covered with trees that look almost luminous against the misty background. hmm... i think i'm getting a little too poetic... haha. then the boat stopped at a tourist trap. ppl trying to sell their wares. bought only a few stones that were carved out like fishes. fishermen and women carrying cormorants asking if we wanted to take pictures woth the birds. didnt go near them cos scared of bird flu. haha. after about 20mins, we boarded the boat again. the boat was supposed to go to Yang Di, but becuase of some crap reason the boat ppl gave, we did not(we all kana cheated). so went back to Xing Ping. walked back to the bus station. saw the village. old fashioned houses, quite quaint... on the way back, stopped at a local restaurant that sold dog, snake, pheasant and other exotic animal meats. we had chicken, yam, beerfish and fried rice. after eating, took a bus back to Yang Shuo. left at about 3.35pm. reached Yang Shuo at about 4.30pm. shopped around, went to a market that sold dog meat, saw a skinned rabbit to be fried and even a fish head that was still alive thought the body had been cut off! went to a bakery to get some biscuits and some sweets. after that, went shopping along tyhe roadside. went back to the hotel for a while to put down our stuff(they were getting heavy) then walked about again, as our hotel was on the shopping street(i cant rmbr the name) itself. went to another local restuarant, wanted to order dog, but they said that they didnt have it in winter. so sad. haha. anw, had pig's ears, some beef noodles and tendons and pig's trotters. after eating, went to a grocery store and bought mineral water and some chinese wine. then went shopping again along the streets. came back about 20 mins ago. gonna bathe soon.
11.30pm
mummy, daddy and chehcheh came in just now so we can eat fruits. finished, then they went off to their room. i'm sharing room with granny. just took a bath. i NEVER like to take baths in winter. cos you dont wanna take off your clothes cos you know it's cold. then when you're bathing in HOT water, you dont wanna stop cos you know that once you stop, you're gonna feel cold again, if not colder!(the water loses heat very fast!)haha. you have to quickly dry and put on your clothes, lest you freeze. charging phone now. i hear a dog barking. maybe it's gonna be tmrw's lunch! hahaha...
i'll stop here for now... will continue my trip in the next post. no time right now... have to go for tuition.
--------It´s been a long road, getting from there to here.--------
x It´s been a long time,
but my time is finally near
at 3:45 pm
