Week 11 has ended more or less. it was a THREE-DAY WEEK!! Haha and i’m still in wonderland. Last night supposedly our chaplain’s last mass (excluding exam mass). Holy Week is this coming week, i shall try to attend the tridum if possible. Yes! Another 3 day week! =D=D cos of Good Friday + my usual free day! Last night’s dinner was enjoyable, haven’t met the Samsonites for so long Missed all of them, can’t wait for after the sem ends, when we can meet up more often. Gradually detached from hall….which is good. I love my home more now ahahaha. Anyway this year RH’s cut-off points surged by 10pts to 55pts!

I was reading about a TV News journalist Shin Na in today’s Straits Times (Saturday Special Section). Read her blog & saw the pictures of her lovely family. Very saddening… Spent the whole morning looking thru’ her blog n photos until i so emo… made me reflect on my own life…

Next week have marketing presentation >.< i don’t like don’t like don’t like….also have stats midterms on mon, i’d rather sit for 2 stats mid-terms than do marketing proj….aaaaahhh….kk don’t talk rubbish. no point also. haha…just get along with the flow lah & things will look up!

Haha and the beetle-catching on Thurs night with Charm was super duper hilarious!! HAHAHAHA we were chased out of our rooms cos of a beetle which we initially thought was a bee! and we were wearing jeans & jackets & charm even wrapped a blanket round her legs! Haha n miah was on webcam & he saw us “jumping” on our beds! HAHAHA we screamed n ran out of the room when the “bee” flew towards us, waking up the PRCs next door who were laughing too! oh gosh. RH6 is indeed an insect block!

i was facebooking n chanced upon this quiz in jas’ note. long time since i’ve taken one.
It’s surprisingly accurate except for the parts on commitment to a r/s & views on education. haha.

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don’t judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren’t necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people’s eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren’t interested in wasting time with people you don’t really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education

Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. Deep inside you want to start working, earning money and living on your own.

The right job for you:

You’re a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you’ll be set for life.

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don’t succeed. Don’t give up when you haven’t yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don’t ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

My sis is coming back tmr. waiting for her to come back….and for the 7pm taiwanese drama serial “Love” to start. why is it so draggy! wished they could fast fwd the drama serial. So many mangoes on the tree in the backyard. I think at least 50 of them. Oh one last random thing – wearing plastic retainers since thurs. It was so extremely painful on the first two days cos i didn’t have anything on my teeth for 7days prior to the retainers. Anyway i think retainers are like dentures, have to brush them with colgate. Troublesome to remove them b4 eating then put back again. Oh, final random thing – in CSS FOC fundraising subcomm & will be facil for the camp itself.

Super duper uber long haven’t posted anything. School’s still the same. I may be moving to pgpr next sem, but if i can find nice roomie, i’ll continue staying in rh cos i love its central location. Anyway there’ll be more places to shop at by the end of this year!

Lifestyle reported that there will be 7 new malls (equivalent to the size of 5 Vivocity’s) opening this year. Why??!! Economic downturn – people unlikely to spend. If they were opened in the suburban areas like Heartland malls, still have chance that will spend, but in posh areas like Orchard & Somerset, and carrying such posh brands, how many potential buyers will they have?

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the not so posh brands, the very affordable brands like Sheng Shiong, and they’re having their own credit cards. Good move.

$40million was spent on revamping the shopping belt along Orchard Road. Haha i didn’t see any change. Somehow, i feel that this recession is different. People are still spending at travel fairs & IT fairs – and these are big-ticket items. Hmmmm…maybe the 7 new shopping malls will work out after all.

yeeeeee….har!

in a happy, happy mood! haha one of my new year resolutions shall be to be more optimistic & cheerful!
in whatever situation i will be in, to always focus on the bright side.

i’ve really, really enjoyed my 3/4-month break like never before! catching with friends, daydreaming at home, bonding with my bed & bonding with my dear notebook!! =) reliving the primary school days even – youtubing abt royalty & c. wunderlich & recalling those pop songs that we used to sing in p6 – Westlife, a1, etc. Lol!

4 months more & we’ll be rewarded with the oh-so-long-awaited THREE-MONTH BREAK! YES!!!

stepped up for RCIA sponsor again! Yay!

Lines Written in Early Spring by William Wordsworth

I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure: –
But the least motion which they made,
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

reflective poem (:

1 more week to the end of 2008.  It has been one of the most eventful Decembers spent in Singapore.

2008 has been so full of different experiences & lessons. I hope I’ve grown much from it & at times, i can’t help but wonder what exactly is the purpose behind certain experiences. It’s as though i’m finally growing up into an adult gradually – working for the first time in my life (juggling a 9-to-5 job & 3 tuition assignments & rcia); going for weekday masses more frequently; being part of a Catholic community (on campus) for the first time; not wearing a uniform for the first time in my life; AND staying on my own (or rather, with a friend) away from home; not relying on my dad always; joining RCIA for half a year; going for one TM class & ending up in an accident haha; organising a retreat & so, so much more.

One prominent thing about 2008 is Independence. I like that word.

Through the hardships faced (when away from home), I’ve learnt tenacity & independence.
From the occasional happiness that i was blest with (in times of trouble), I’ve learnt how God dots the black, cloudy skies with glimpses of light & hope.
From the hardships, joys, happiness, hurt, challenges & everything in 2008, I’ve come to realise that I can never understand what God’s plan is for my life until years later when it pleases Him to reveal it to me; and from the realisation that i’m unable to control alot of things, comes humility.

When u just get so tired of all the unpleasant things that slam in yr face & it suddenly dawns on u “what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer”, u just have this great desire to drop everything at the foot of the Cross & pray for Him to resolve it somehow in His Wisdom.

Perhaps it’s due to my friend’s constant longing for christmas.

Many times, when i close my eyes n hope to drift off to dreamland, i  begin to revel in the wonders of christmas & holidays. sweet dreams of the christmas in olden day Victorian era that one reads in English classics in which the little boys n girls bake gingerbread men while their granny n grandpa sip hot chocolate by the fire side. grandma sits in her antique rocking chair telling christmas tales to her grandchildren late into the night by the cosy n warm fire place.

Ah well, that’s just a fantasy extended beyond the English classics that i used to read in sec sch. For now, i’ve to lock it away in the recesses of my mind n focus!

advent is coming soon n so is christmas. it’s time to decorate the christmas tree! though there won’t be a santa filling one’s stockings with presents for christmas morning.

i wanna live in a beautiful countryside with lush greenery, tumbling down the hills of fresh green grass, running freely across a vast expanse of the green field, the cool autumn breeze against my flushed cheeks.

a picture tells a thousand words, so can a song -

- an abundance of words weaved into a beautiful song like this:

YOU SET ME FREE

Sandi Patty

Artist of My Soul (1997)

There’ve been times in my life you’ve opened doors

They weren’t what I was hoping for

So I walked right by them

I didn’t even try them

There were dreams I forgot and dreams I let die

Unnoticed sunsets in front of my eyes

I just couldn’t see them

I thought I didn’t need them

Sure, there are things I’d do diff’rent

And yet, grace gives me days where I simply forget

Cause you set me free to run through fields of laughter

And to sing as though I have no yesterdays

You set me free from my befores and afters

From a debt I know I’ll never pay

When you set me free

There’ve been chances to love that I’ve ignored

Mercies I’ve found I couldn’t afford

I’m sure I would’ve shown them

If I would’ve known then

How we all play a part in each other’s lives

And there’s more to the gain than winning the prize

So much I wanna try now

I feel that I could fly now

Sure, there are things I’d do diff’rent

And yet, grace gives me days where I simply forget

Cause you set me free to run through fields of laughter

And to sing as though I have no yesterdays

You set me free from my befores and afters

From a debt I know I’ll never pay

Father, you father me ever so patiently

You give me wings to fly

When you set me free

To fly, to soar to places I’ve not been before

The bound’ries of humanity cannot contain

What you set free

Cause you set me free to run through fields of laughter

And to sing as though I have no yesterdays

You set me free from my befores and afters

From a debt I know I’ll never pay

Father, you father me ever so patiently

You give me wings to fly

You give me wings to fly…

May the NJ Mugger in me resurrect! (very soon!)

May the NJ Mugger spirit burn brighter every day!

Awake, O mugger, within me!

Urgh i’m still so tired.

i think i’ll have to drop accounting. i can hardly understand what i’m reading and don’t even talk abt memorising it. my brain & accounting just can’t see eye to eye. There’s no harm in dropping accounting – i’ll just become a normal bizad student.

yet, another part of me refuses to do so, it’s like if i drop it, then i’m giving up.
and i dun want to give up. cos i wanna show it to myself that i’ve the perseverance & persistence & determination & the fighting spirit to go on.
the nights & days spent on accounting remind me of econs in jc. just kept failing despite putting in so much effort for it. i spend like 2 or even 3 days on ONE accounting tutorial & end up entire tutorial wrong!!!

why is it when pple sit thru the econs lect, i come out from the LT having a different set of concepts as the rest? (as in, for game theory) then of course my tutorial for Game theory was wrong too. some more i happily thought that the tutorial was quite easy to do (i.e. unaware of my basic fundamental conceptual error)
why ah? i can’t understand how my brain is wired. totally distorted.

This final exams is the last chance that i’ll give myself at accounting cos in subsequent years, the accounting will be of a higher level, i.e. i’ll drown in a deeper ocean. i want to persevere still. dogged determination. but not at the expense of my other modules!

i feel so stupid n idiotic.