Wednesday, 31 December 2008

Thanks...

it's 2009!

It's a whole new year.

correction.

It's a whole new scary collective of 365 days ahead.

I must say, with the current unstable economic situation, a whole new surrounding that I'll be diving into, and a whole new environment for the others in my cohort, I'm guessing 2009 is a year that many are uncertain of. That can be scary, but let us remember that GOD holds the future, HE is always in control and HE has a plan for everyone and everything. Hence, we can always trust in HIM in whatever situation.

Aside from that, I think I should take this opportunity to really reflect on the past year and give thanks to all who have made a difference in 2008.

Ms Seah,
for her continuous support in this crucial academic year.

Ms Gan,
for being a source of moral support for me, and for the really great birthday gift. I really like the CD.

Ms Lee Bin Choo,
for always pointing us in the right direction.

Mrs Julia Huang,
just for being a teacher who has so much faith and trust in me.

Mr Albert Tay, Ms Jennifer Tham, and Ms Gan,
for the fun music-making process during the choir trip and the early part of the year.

Andre,
for being a fun person to fellowship with.

Kevin Chiam,
for helping me with my Combined Humanities.

Chem Yeo,
for helping me improve in my Chemistry, especially through the extra lessons.

Zexun,
for being an awesome panda photographer [jk. I meant "photographer".], for inviting me back to church, and for the birthday present that I needed so badly, along with Ernest, Nigel Lee, Jack, Secret Friend [I still haven't figured out who you are]

Ernest,
for being the hilarious toot that kept my sanity and sense of humour in one piece throughout the year, especially while doing the Art Coursework.

Jack, Jasper, John, Kevin, Ms Chua, Veknesh, Seno, Syed, and the other Art guys,
for the help and entertainment while doing the Art coursework.

Raymond,
for being a really awesome conversation buddy and friend to go out or home with.

Ben See, Luke, Reuben, Barnabus, Jonathan Poh, Jeremy Tan,
for being amusing juniors in choir.

Jerome Tan,
for being a great roomie during the Choir trip, as well as a great Choir VP.

Shaun Chui,
for helping Jerome & I learn the music for the Bratislava Trip, even though he himself is not going. All the best for '09, with SYF, O Level and everything else.

The '08-'09 Choir Exco,
for their effort in the choir.

Melvin Sim, Ee Rong, Ee Wei, Junior, Timothy, and any other PA guy(s) I may have missed out,
for biting "bullets" for me by taking up major projects (or a significant part of them) throughout 2008, such as the musical, Founder's Day, etc.

Aaron Chua, Jonathan Phang,
for being great classmates plus brothers in Christ.

Marcus Giam,
for being a great brother in Bass, and in Christ.

Isaac Wong,
for being a hilarious conversation buddy and always-supportive friend.

Ryan Lee,
for your awesome taste in music.

Mrs Jennifer Yew,
for keeping the 2A Full Value Contract after all these years. Never thought it would still be with you.

Matthew Ho, Jedidiah Chia, Eugene Low, Theodore Koh,
for helping me learn the guitar

Everyone who went on the Bratislava trip,
for the joy, frustration, and everything else that we went through.

There's so many more "Thanks" in '08 that I missed out, but these people have really made an impact in my life in '08, and some even lasting way beyond just '08.

So, Thank you for making a difference.

This post was composed from 31DEC08 11.30pm, till 1JAN09 1:06am.

This is the last of 3 pre-composed blog entries between 29DEC08 and 1JAN09.

New Year's Resolution '09

For the year 2009, I still do not know what is ahead. But praise the LORD, HE is in control of whatever will come my way. So, with that in mind, I shall come up with my hopes for 2009.

  1. I will get into Bellerby's College [UK]
  2. I will keep my mass under 75kg.
  3. I will grow to above 1.80m by the end of '09.
  4. I will not go into overdraft when I am in the UK.
  5. I will keep in contact with my Singapore friends.
  6. I will meet Indonesians in the UK.
  7. I will cook at least once, be it in Indonesia before I leave, or in UK.
  8. I will post minimum 100 posts in 2009. A low target for a busy year ahead.
  9. I will stop buying physical albums [i.e.: Music CDs] by the last quarter of 2009 [Oct-Dec]. I will, instead, buy online.
  10. I will grow stronger in the LORD, and while I'm at this,
  11. I will find a church in the UK, and go to it regularly.
  12. I will get a new MacBook in 2009.
  13. I will drive with a license in 2009.
  14. I will vote in the 2009 Indonesian Presidential. SBY or Megawati? that's the question at the moment.
  15. I will watch a performance of a choir in 2009.
  16. I will watch min. 3 movies in the theaters / cinema in 2009.
  17. I will still take photos in the UK, but for artsy and casual reasons only.
  18. I will sit on the Airbus A380 for the first time in 09.
  19. I will not be in Singapore for more than 100 hours in 2009.
  20. I will take up music lessons. Specifically, piano.
  21. I will run a half-marathon in 2009. [i.e.: 21km. Not competitive, though]
  22. I will run in a running event in 2009, even if it's the London Marathon or Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon. Hey, if people from Africa fly all the way to run in Singapore, why not me? Hopefully, I'll be having my holidays by then.
  23. I will grow more muscles in my arms and the six-pack region. a four-pack would be nice, over the one bulge I have now.

There. 23 resolutions. 12 needed to really pass. 09's gonna be exciting!

Composed on 29DEC08, 11:22:32pm GMT+0700

home-sick.

yeah, you thought I was referring to the time when I was in Singapore when I chose this title, eh?

I'm kind-of sick of my home in Indonesia after the short few days that I've been here. Kind-of.

Sure, my parents are with me. So are my brothers, nephews, relatives and all.

But I realised that just because I'm younger than my brothers, just because I'm a teenager, my family doesn't really regard any of my opinions, whatever I say, yadee-yadaa. I feel as if this home is just a shelter before I get to my next phase in life - in the UK, alone.

Call me an a.s.s. [anti-social soul], but I really have no-one else to relate to here other than my family, when I am in Indonesia. And they don't give a sh*t about me, nor do they regard me as an actual person.

Then again, I'm not so surprised. My family's somewhat blinded in their own reality-distortion field. Here's an example. They're really racist. My whole family will always despise against the "huanas", aka the darker-skinned Indonesians. They also have something against the "Cina-Benteng", which is supposed to mean a Chinese-skinned person from Benteng. Something like that. Personally, I feel that they keep criticising these groups of people as if they're dogs. I'm really disapproving of this, but what can I do? My parents barely listen to me.

My mom's been giving me problems as well. She thinks I am short [which, she has a point. I'm only 1.76m, and I'm not very tall for my age], and so, she's been gouging food down my throat by always adding / ordering more than I can handle. Feels kind-of like a foei gras. The problem with her is that she doesn't know when is too much. I have breathing difficulty while sleeping almost nightly since I came back, and it's not due to the air here.

Perhaps I became too detached from my family, but if there's anything I learnt about my family after seeing them from a third-person's perspective, it's this:

When people get too rich, they become so full of themselves, they feel like they're the boss.

My word of wisdom to anyone out there: However successful you become in future, remember to always humble yourself.

This saved entry was typed on 29DEC08, 10:52:10pm GMT+0700

Happy 2009!

I'm sorry I've not been posting recently. My internet connection has not been very good, causing problems with uploading posts.

I've composed a few blog posts in the meantime, and recorded the time I typed my posts. So, I shall NOT fake the posting time, but rather post them after this post you're reading now, in chronological order. Hope you'll enjoy them.

Alright, gotta start posting before the connection gets flaky again. Keep on reading!

Once again, happy 2009.

Sunday, 28 December 2008

New Year's Resolution 2008 REVIEW


  • I shall get 5 A1s for my O Level [not over yet]
  • I shall do badly for CA1, especially for Chemistry. [1 wrong]
  • I shall make more enemies than I have now in school. [yup]
  • I shall NOT make new friends in 2008. [wrong]
  • I shall join minimum 2 study groups gatherings in 2008 [The Tripartite Humanities study group and S.O.S. = yup]
  • I shall try to apply to go somewhere outside Singapore for my post-OLVL studies [trying, so yup]
  • I shall go to 4 different countries in 2008, even though it's my OLVL year [Singapore, Indonesia, China, Slovakia, Hungary]
  • I shall CONTINUE to blog during my OLVL study period! [doing so now]
  • I shall watch 2 NC-16 movies next year.[Only Juno. So 0.5]
  • I shall ace English Oral. [yup]
  • I shall survive choir performances. [morning assembly, Musical, etc.] [yup, except musical, but that was an exemption.]
  • I will make sure the other PA guys respect Melvin. [hmm...]. if that plan backfires, I willmake sure somebody else takes over. [hmm...]
  • I guess BenSee is getting pissed with me. That's gonna need a fix. [fixed, since he wasn't pissed]
  • For the first time in 10 years, I will go back to Indonesa to celebrate Chinese New Year with the family. [I did!]
  • I will eat a total of 3 pints of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream throughtout 2008.[2pint + 1 cone +1 cup + 1pint = 3.5 pints]
  • I shall get my blog on the "Blog of Note" list! [not likely.]
  • and my photo [1 of] will be marked as an "Explore" Picture [even less likely]
  • I'm no longer buying anymore iPods. Nor iPhones. [heh]
  • I may buy a gaming console. think PSP... [nope]
  • I may get a Blu-Ray player to call my own... [no]
  • I shall make around300 250 posts in 08[exceeded 300, anyway.]
  • I will change the blog skin 3 times. [3 of 3]
  • I will not get the things I put on the wishlist [no. no. no. no. no. no. anymore 'no'?]
  • I will leave Singapore for the UK or US or AU by 2009. [yep]

  • min.13/24! a projected pass!