So much to say... but where do I start... would you listen if I spoke from the heart...

[Quote of the post] Love can sometimes be magic. But sometimes, magic is just... an illusion. -Javan
[Song of the post] Ebay - Weird Al Yankovic

It's been six days since the end of my exams and one begins to wonder why I haven't blogged. Well, a lot has happened within these six days, including my computer being disconnected most of the time and my Internet being !@*&%$#@*.

Exams are over and well, my Chinese is confirmed not good. I just hope I can do Higher Chinese next year, so I can keep with the same class. I don't ever wanna leave this bunch of friends...

I've moved house. Whee. I still can't publicly publish the address (because of those orbital ion cannons and arch enemies and such). Movig is such a tiresome process. You'll never be completely unpacked. Ever. I got my own room now, though. =)

Moving has such implications with my Internet. Now my Internet Explorer isn't working, but for some reason Firefox is. Wonder why.

Post-exam is nothing like I ever wanted it to be. I've still got prefect assignments, MPac assignments, a promotion test coming up, emceeing for three different events, two Prefect camps, emotional problems, psychological problems, etc. I don't have time for anything, especially my TCG.

Short blog, because I have too much to say but no words to say it.

Stay happy, people. Don't become like me.

20 hours left.

[Quote of the post] 98% of all teenagers are bad at math. If you're one of the 5% who are good at it, paste this into your signature.
[Song of the post] Higher Chinese - Parody

Gah. One day of exams left and still I'm feeling very bad. I don't think I'll do very well this year. There's something about the summary that really bugs me. Two to six - I'll never forget that phrase.

I doomed for Chinese. Don't know if I'll make it into Higher Chinese next year. I really hope I will; I wanna keep the same class. Lit today was just under par; Geog was okay, P-Sc was fantastic; so was Life Science.

I'm blogging now since there's just Math tomorrow and I don't have to study much.

There's something wrong with me. I don't feel the same... It's like something's consuming me from the inside. Think Lord of the Flies, Ralph's feelings. Funny I should mention Ralph; there's something in him that I can connect with. I dunno... I think in the Cliffsnotes somewhere it says, "Ralph has given up on humanity; humanity has failed him." That's kind of how I feel at the moment. I dunno why I only make the connection now. I think Lit is messing with my brain. Everytime I was in need, nobody helped me.

Humanity has failed me.

Higher Chinese - Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
Would you know my name
If I’m not in Higher Chinese
Would it be the same
If I’m not in Higher Chinese

I must be strong
And carry on
'cause I know I don't belong in Higher Chinese

Would you be my friend
If I’m not in Higher Chinese
Will you MSN
If I’m not in Higher Chinese

Is that the end
Of TNN
'cause I know I don't belong in Higher Chinese

That test brought me down
That test bent my knees
That test broke my heart
Failed Higher Chinese
Failed Chinese…

Beyond the door
A distant shore
When I know I’ll be no more Higher Chinese

Would you know my name
If I’m not in Higher Chinese
Would it be the same
If I’m not in Higher Chinese

I have to wait
To moderate
It’s just fate I don't belong in Higher Chinese

'Cause I know I don't belong in Higher Chinese

Flash! Bam! Alakazam! There goes my Lit exam...

[Quote of the post] So, no matter how politely one puts it, we owe our existence to the flatulence of blue-green algae. -Diane Ackerman, We Are All a Part of Nature
[Song of the post] Yesterday - Parody

Argh. I feel really bad today. A week of exams has just flown by. Well, not exactly a week, more like two days, but you get the picture. We're looking at the prospect of another week of exams next week. Ugh.

Argh, then today, after Chinese Ting Li (of which I was only absolutely sure of half), Mrs. Yeow announced my name to the entire Sec 2 level to say that I was one of the people who helped stick the stickers on the tables. I FEEL SO GUILTY that I was the only one who stood up and walked up to collect the Oreos she presented as a token of appreciation. I should have brought everyone else with me. I FEEL LIKE SUCH A LIMELIGHT STEALER. Specifically her words were, "...And I know one of them is Kevin from 2.12..." ARGH! I should just have let the other Kevin go up or something. Argh! I should've done something... something else... anything other than what I did... Now I feel terrible... And the only reason she called me was that she knows me from Y2SC... and because of that my other friends didn't get the credit...

I tried to pass around the Oreos later, but when you have an entire Sec 2 level swarming out two tiny double doors, it's not easy to find your friends. See, the thing that sets apart nice people from... them... is that nice people don't plead for you to give them the Oreo, even if you offered them. If you asked for it, but was refused, and let it be, then I thank you, for you are not one of... them. They ask for it and if you refuse they assault you and latch onto you and take advantage of your kindness and make lunges for the packs... I sacrificed my pack for Justin Tan and Ivan. I hope you are happy.

Eek, and after that I could tell that Gid was angry at me for stealing the glory; he didn't want his Oreo and he was all moody and didn't want to talk to me and I had to force it into his pocket. Zhang didn't say anything when he took his Oreo packet. Kev tried to act happy, but deep down, I know he's also annoyed, because the Kevin could have meant him. (Or maybe that's totally not Kevin at all. I can live with that.)

Argh, and now I got three packets and I forgot who helped yesterday and didn't receive one.

Argh, argh, argh.

Portrait of a Friend

[Quote of the post] Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater. -Albert Einstein
[Song of the post] Bleh.

Portrait of a Friend

I can't give solutions to all of life's problems, doubts, or fears.
But I can listen to you, and together we will search for answers.

I can't change your past with all it's heartache and pain, nor the future with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.

I can't keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.

Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine;
Yet I can share in your laughter.

Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;
I can only support you, encourage you, and help you when you ask.

I can't prevent you from falling away from friendship, from your values, from me.
I can only pray for you, talk to you and wait for you.

I can't give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
But I can give you the room to change, room to grow, room to be yourself.

I can't keep your heart from breaking and hurting,
But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces and put them back in place.

I can't tell you who you are.
I can only love you and be your friend.
--Unknown

Seven-Up

[Quote of the post] Give a man a match, and he'll be warm for a minute, but set him on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
[Song of the post] I'm cut off from music right now till exams. Work with me here.

7 things that scare me:

1. Insects.
2. Nasty surprises.
3. Donation cards.
4. Being alone.
5. Loss of imagination.
6. Rejection.
7. Fear.

7 things that I like the most:

1. Reading.
2. Writing.
3. Creating TCGs.
4. Being with my friends.
5. TNN.
6. Thinking.
7. Imagining.

7 important things in my room:

1. Prototype TCG cards
2. Soft, comfy bed.
3. The floor. If it wasn't there, there'd be nothing to step on, ya?
4. Books. Lots of 'em.
5. My computer.
6. My homework.
7. Random memorabilia.

7 random facts about me:

1. I am the owner of three and a half self-manufactured CCGs, of which the gameplay may be ripped off but the characters/units are personal.
2. My humour is mostly pun-based word play.
3. I don't have a best friend, but I do have many close ones.
4. You're reading my blog right now.
5. I like quotes. They really speak to me.
6. My computer has 1GB of RAM. This will probably be outdated in three year's time.
7. I have an alter-ego called the PUNisher. He appears regularly in TNN.

7 things I plan to do before I die:

1. Draw better than I do now.
2. Create a TCG.
3. Take TNN to the next level.
4. A class reunion in 20 years time.
5. Make more friends.
6. Make my impact on the world.
7. Live life.

7 things I can do:

1. Breathe.
2. This meme.
3. Make people laugh.
4. Pun.
5. Imagine.
6. Dream.
7. Socialize.

7 things I can't do:

1. Murder.
2. Draw.
3. Chinese exams.
4. Get along with Justin Tan
5. Stay happy.
6. Publish TNN
7. Save the world.

7 things I say the most:

1. Hurry up!
2. Keep quiet!
3. Help me return the key?
4. Hi
5. What...?
6. TNN
7. Puns.

7 celebrity crushes:

Dream on, dream on...

7 people who could do this: has been changed to...
7 people who have already done this:
1. Packrat
2. Demel
3. Jun Yi
4. zQ
5. Uh... Me?
6. Um... Random blogger...?
7. Another random blogger...?

Met Mdm Yeo at Bukit Timan Hawker Centre four hours ago. I almost didn't recognise her without her glasses. One just doesn't expect to see one's Geography teacher on a Saturday night. I didn't talk to her much because I was quite stunned. >_< Also she was with her husband, I think, so I didn't want to interrupt them... they were leaving anyway, so... yeah.

Click the X. You know you want to.

[Quote of the post]
"Pun (n.): the lowest form of humour" —Samuel Johnson, lexicographer
"…but the height of wit." —common rebuttal to the above
"…when you didn't think of it first." —common rebuttal to the above (that is, the above which is above that immediately above) [Wikipedia]
[Song of the post] I 2 I - A Goofy Movie

I am going to attempt to explain my feelings for this past week. If you are easily frightened or have a severe disposition I recommend you click the little X in the corner of your screen or click the little left arrow directly opposite the little X. You'll probably find something more happy than a fourteen-year-old ranting about stuff he doesn't completely comprehend.

First off, I'd like to thank Herrick for helping me philosophically solve my problem. A big 'Thank You!' also goes out to Henry for writing me a very nice email, which, sadly, is something nobody does nowadays. Henry must still have some of the British customs alive in him.

By the way, we've got MASSIVE respect going out to Gid and Herrick, for trying to comfort me (either by hugging or psychiatry, or both). Even more MASSIVE respect goes out to Herrick because, unlike Gid, he doesn't try to smother you in his jacket, nor blind you with logic.Massive respect. Yo.

Basically, now I feel that I have no real 'selling point' except for my position, my friendliness, and my humour. But even the first two cannot garner me the respect of my friends. You may have heard of this before, but, for example's sake: Even though I'm class chairman, nobody (the term is used very loosely here) listens to me in class. Heck, they take the teachers' niceness and patience for granted. Like today, when there was a lesson observation, it was the quietest Literature Lesson of the year. I feel that I am being used. My parody of Welcome to my Life says it all, really: they chose me as chairman so I could be a scapegoat and keyholder.

I dunno. If this were a test of human relationships, the majority of my class would fail. You see in some of them attitudes worse than the worst of mainstreamers (and I'm also saying this because of my UYO squad). It's human nature, and Dr. Demel says, live with it.

But I can't. How am I supposed to live with something that irritates me? My human nature is to try and help everyone, no matter what (except for some cases in which I have to make an exception). Maybe that's why I write superhero stories. Ever since I was introduced to the Vs. System, I got hooked on the idea of superheroism. I felt that I was helpless because I couldn't help anyone with any of my strengths. So I made humour my superpower. I tried to help people with laughter. But no, according to Dr. Demel, people now view me as the personification of humour, and that is the way they'll always see me. So I'm stuck here.

Then there's the whole business with Kwong. Everybody likes him. Who doesn't? Nobody can not like Kwong and live with his conscience. He's got that likeable personality that just attracts people to him. He is, and I quote Bassanio: "[One of the] dearest friend[s] to me, the kindest man, the best-conditioned and unwearied spirit in doing courtesies, and one in whom the ancient Roman honour more appears than any that draws breath in [Naphtali]." Thus, I, having the same name as he, feel that we have this bond between us - this bond of identity, of namesake. So, I feel, it's like this tribe of Kevins against all other forces, like Shylock against the rest of the Christian world. O wise Daniel is one who discriminates against Kevins in general, so I feel that we are going through life together, as members of the same tribe. So I places both of us on equal footing. Thus, if I get left behind, I tend to feel left behind. I feel lonely if he doesn't talk to me (I feel lonely if ANYBODY didn't talk to me, so this point's pretty moot). Like I said, it's this bond. And whether Shylock will keep to it, or have his bond, only time will tell.

I guess I am in the wrong too. I can't make the world live to my ideals. Don't you think I sound too selfish? Too idealistic? So confused I sound like I'm against my own ideals? Too bad. You're just gonna have to live with it. I have too, too. Unless you'd like to change me. I'd be more than happy if you'd like to try. More happy than I am now, I mean.

I'm sick.

[Quote of the post] "You have UYO tomorrow?! That's terrigible!" -Kevin Wong
[Song of the post] Welcome to my Life - Parody

No, I'm not physically sick. It's something else. The school bus rides are now so bumpy and so crammed with people it's tighter than fish in a sardine can, and I can't sleep anymore. This brings rise to some interesting philosophical realizations, usually in my head.

Daniel asked me yesterday, "Do you think life's a stage?" I say no. I believe the choices we make have an effect on the world, even though some of these choices may only seem to have insignificant outcomes. I mean, if our life was already planned out by some higher power, or if we are just pawns in some Game of the Galaxy, wouldn't that be a bit boring?

I am an idealist. At least, I think I am an idealist. That's why I'm sick now.

I'm sick of UYO every Friday. I'm sick of the fact that I have UYO tomorrow until six and exams in two weeks. I'm sick of having people liking me for my humour, and not for who I am. I'm sick of people taking advantage of me and my kindness. I'm sick of people attacking me for no good reason. I'm sick of the injustice in the world. I'm sick of the fact that we are all limited by certain conventions of society. I'm sick of the fact that even I can't control myself. I'm sick of the fact that I lie to myself. I'm sick of being unappreciated. I'm sick of the fact that I cannot work with other people in a gropu for a change. I'm sick of being angsty. I'm sick of being sick.

I have UYO tomorrow. Two weeks to exams, and I have UYO tomorrow. As Kevin Wong says, that's terrigible. Spending three-and-a-half hours tying knots and pitching tents for a promotion test is going overboard. Do policemen marchin real life? No. Do they tie knots in real life? No. Do they pitch tents in real life? No.

That's why I write TNN. In TNN, everything goes smoothly. Nothing can go wrong. Even if the odds are stacked against you, you'll pull through. You can actually do something, instead of sitting around and tying knots when you could be studying for an exam. Action >>> Reaction, not compliance. The superhero's guise is a mask he can use to fight injustice.

You say the world's not fair. Then what's the use of having this world? Where's the justice? Are superheroes just characters in a two-dimensional world whose ideals and justifications do not apply to our real world?

As a happier side note, there was Engligh Orals today. Here's a number of things not to do during your examinations:

1. Say that your religion bans you from reading this text.
2. Memorize a section of a famous Shakespearean text. Recite this instead of your reading.
3. Check the time before you enter. Start with, "Welcome to the <> news. Here are today's top stories."
4. Roll your paper into a cigarette.
5. Fold it into a paper aeroplane.
6. Try bribing the teacher.
7. Adopt a Chinese-educated accent.
8. Tell the teacher in English that you cannot speak English.
9. Make a list of words before you enter the room. Force yourself to use these words in your conversation.
10. Sneeze onto the paper during picture description. Ignore it until you get to that area, then say, "On the left there is a big blob of mucus..."
11. During conversation, drive your point home with lots of table-slamming and finger-pointing.
12. When the teacher asks you a question, crack-up. Do this for about half a minute every time she asks you something.
13. Grab his/her hand and say that palm-reading is a component in the exam.
14. Compliment him/her. Say things like, "Hey, gorgeous!" or "Hey, handsome!"

Kudos to Gid for coming up with most of them.

Arr!

[Quote of the post] Ahoy thar! Be wishin' all ye landlubbers a Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!
[Song of the post] Pirates of the Carribean - Disney

My pirate name is:

Mad Davy Kidd

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

You Are A Pirate!

What Type Of Swashbuckler Are You?
brought to you by Maddog Varuka & Dawg Brown

Arrr! Them landlubbers these days, nobody be takin' Talk like a Pirate Day seriously. I'd be writin' me captain's blog, and I'd be thinkin', why? TLAP Day be introduced in 1995 by an olde column writer. It be a day to be havin' fun, yellin', "Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!" while ye take a swig from ye water bottle, or call ye shipmates "landlubber" or "scalawag" or other piratey stuff. It be the only day where ye might acutally find such fine words like "swashbuckler" or "buccaneer" or "keelhaul" bein' used in normal conversation. It be saddening. Shiver me timbers.

Aye, I'd be makin' some names for the salty sea-dogs in me crew aboard the Naphtali. I'd be Cap'n Klow, and this is me crew roll-call:

1. (Red) Herrrick
2. Cutlass Kwong (Arrr, this be less murderous)
3. Scalawag Shaun, Sailor of ye Seven Seas (and with ye olde alliteration)
4. Black-Eyed Josh
5. Two-Eyed Gid
6. Jun Yi the Spiky one
7. Darrrell
8. Jarrrel
9. Bryan Blackbeard
10. Peg-Leg Peter
11. Untuck Job

That be all I can remember.

Aye, I'd be in a service apartment now. Me olde house be undergoin' upgradin', and me new house be undergoin' construction. So I'd be stuck here for a month. It be like a hotel, so it ain't too like-the-brig.

It be hard throwin' away me olde nicknacks. Me new house be havin' new furniture, so me olde chairs and sofa had to go. Aye, not even for a couple of dubloons. Given away. Me dad's own plunder.

Arrr, me be disheartened nobody be speakin' like a swashbuckler on TLAP Day. Ye olde language of the pirates be lost forever. May me cap'n's blog be a reminder to all ye people, landlubbers or buccaneers, who tried to make a difference by doin' somethin' out o' the ordinary. Aye salute you. And, Arrr, have a jolly Talk like a Pirate Day, or at least what's left of it. Arrr.

Ahoy, thar! We'd being chased...

[Quote of the post] "By the powers, would ya look...!" John Silver, Treasure Planet
[Song of the post] I'm Still Here - Johnny Rzenik, Treasure Planet

Ahoy, matey! It be Talk like a Pirate day tomorrow, so I'd be practising! Ye better get used ter it!

It's been a while since I've blogged, so first: an update.

Prefect interview went okay. I like knew two thirds of the poeple on the interviewer panel! Jeremy, Daniel, Sujesh was my Camp Instructor, and Andrew Tay reads my blog. o_O Thing is, I think all of them read my blog. O_O Yes, it's freaky. They kept referring to stuff there, like the time I got angsty. It's freaky...

Well, I'm now blogging from a service apartment somewhere in Singapore. I'm not giving specific addresses because I know some people who read my blog *ahemahempbahemahem* who have access to Orbital Ion Cannons or the Mafia or something, so... YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!!!

Got exams coming up and it's gonna be kinda weird studying from this service apartment (now known as s.a. for short). It's kinda small, but quite cozy.

Talk like a Pirate Day tomorrow, can hardly wait.

I'm sick. Again.

[Quote of the post] "No more Bhangra - there's been a lot of Dengue fever lately..." -Dhanesh
[Song of the post] When you Wish Upon a Star - NSYNC

Well, I've been sick again. Third time this year, or so my mom says. This means more of my paranoid brother, less of school, more lying in bed all day with nothing to do...

And especially since Prefect Camp a couple of days ago nicely tenderized my biceps and calf muscles, the raging fever I got two nights ago aggravated the muscles-under-construction, and now I can barely walk, I can't raise my arm over my head, my parents fear I've got Dengue fever, and, oh, did I mention? I've got some ear infection, so my left ear's pretty moot.

I hate being sick.

What with all this Dengue fever and all. Funny it became such a major outbreak like SARS in a matter of days. It's unbelieveable. Now insect repellant prices are dropping, mosquito-killing-fog is rising, and I'm still sick stuck at home.

I can't be bothered to write so much now. My ear is, well, not working and I'm very troubled about it. Well. Cya.

The perfect prefect.

[Quote of the post]
[Song of the post] Brave and Bold - ACS Cheer

Well. Back from Prefect camp. There is much to say, but not much space to say it.

Firstly, I want to say that this camp has changed me. I'm not sure about the ways and ideals they talked about, but sure in one thing: I'm beginning to talk like the instructors. It's freaky and loud and rude at the same time. *Shudder* It's freaky when you start leaving pauses every two syllables like Jin, or keep asking questions with an "it it?" at the back. Freaky.

Anyways, prefect selection camp was much slacker than last year. Seriously. I've been to both, and it's not pretty. There was less screaming but more cheering, less pumping but more holding in pumping position. This year they let you convert to crunches if you couldn't take it. We only touched the parade square twice, and only left out hands to fry for about fifteen minutes total.

There's a lot of stuff and I'm too tired to type it all here, but here's a parody of Weird Al Yankovic's Eat It (which is a parody of Michael Jackson's Beat It) and it pretty sums up this camp. By the way, pumping means push-ups, knock it down means get into pumping position, and hit it is what they yell when they want you to start a cheer.

Hit it
When you first come to camp they’re gonna say it ain’t fun
They tell you, “Knock it down!”; the pain has just begun
You run when they say walk and you fly when they say run
So hit it, just hit it

You better cheer, you better shout what you can
Don't wanna feel the floor, don't be a macho man
You wanna be good, better plan before hand
So hit it, don’t you hesitate now

Just hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it
Don’t you make him repeat it
Shout AC Warrior or scream Brave and Bold
You may not know it but you have been told
Just hit it, hit it Just hit it, hit it
Just hit it, hit it Just hit it, hit it

Hey don’t you know you’ve got to learn your nine cheers
When you’re in pumping position you persevere
Get lost in five seconds when they shout “Disappear”
So hit it, just hit it

You have to show them that you're really not scared
You're playin' with your health, this ain't no truth or dare
They'll pump you, and yell at you, and they'll tell you it's fair
So hit it, don’t you hesitate now

Just hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it
If you’re not well admit it
Showin' unity and loudness of cheer
It doesn't matter if you cannot hear
Hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it
Your assignment, submit it
Have a fire drill in the dead of night
Hope the dead “corpses” don’t give you a fright
Just hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it

Hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it
You’ve got some teeth so grit it
Where’s your encouragement, don’t cheat your friends
Instructors shout stuff you can’t comprehend
Hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it
Don’t you dare try and quit it
Have some salt water, have a light snack
Then the next morning you pump on the track.
Just hit it.

I've also compiled a list of common phrases used this camp.

Most loved word: RECOVER!
Most hated two words: HIT IT!
Most imitated three words: *in Andrew Tay accent* HIT IT! THUNDERATION!
Most dreaded six words: How many of you cannot run?
Most dreaded ten words: I give you two minutes, go to the field now.
Most interesting insult: Hey, Sujesh! They're not jokes anymore. They're brainteasers.
Most confusing phrase: When we say walk, you jog. When we say jog, you run. When we say run, you fly. So, field, two minutes, FLY!

Happy prefect's camp and have a good holiday.

Happy Teachers' Day!

[Quote of the post] "If you're gonna give this ticket up for something as common as money, then you're a dummy. Are you a dummy?"
[Song of the post] Anything from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack. I have got to get my hands on it.

And, once again, it's TEACHERS' DAY! Yay! The one day of the year every teacher loves! WHen they get a bunch of cards, presents and other useless junk that they can keep for decades so they can reminiscence years to come! Whoo!

ACES day today had one use: missing lessons. Nothing besides walk, walk, walk, and bombard teachers with questions. I didn't even manage to make my annual parody.

As I said earlier, all the teachers got a bunch of presents from the many thousands of students they had. Ms. Tan was the lucky teacher who had a lesson and thus was worshipped and got extremely attentive students for once. (Attentive by my class's usual standards.)

Teachers' Day celebration was okay, except that the singing was (simply put) not very nice. And the Educator ROCKED! It was like the best thing there! Okay, I'm not doing this because I scripted the thing, really, it was the only thing that really caught the audience's attention. You just can't have boys going through puberty to sing. It pains the ears.

Just a note, I bet the author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves goes through a big angsty period right about now since everyone is typing Happy Teacher's Day! when it should obviously be Happy Teachers' Day!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a very nice movie. Very funny! It uses recurring humour, puns and very interesting character-interacting-with-the-movie plot twists that are hilarious. The effects are really good, and the Oompa Loompas' songs were excruciatingly funny. I need the soundtrack.

I am still stressed that my class is very disruptive, but since these past few days were not technically school days, so I'm trying too cool down a bit. I'm working on a parody of Bouncing off the Ceiling. I still am stressed.

I just wanna scream... nobody listens to me...

[Quote of the post] There are some things so serious you have to laugh at them.
[Song of the post] Why must this happen to me - Simple Plan

What a day. Argh. This next few paragraphs are going to be quite insulting, so I don't mean everyone of you in my class, okay? Just those few...

I made my speech today. Not technically a speech; it was more like a couple of sentences. Kinda expected when you're eating into recess. Pun not intended.

Laoshi was there. If Laoshi didn't take that extra five minutes things may have turned out differently. Not that I'm blaming her. She has enough on her hands.

Anyway, due to the lack of classroom attentiveness, I couldn't make my entire speech, so it didn't quite have the shock therapy that I intended it to have. Ah well. Nothing ever goes according to plan anyway.

Well, it ended just as I expected it would: everybody rushing off for recess and not having taken in a word I said. Obviously. And, even more obviously, Gid came up to me and hugged me. Argh. And Isaac too. I couldn't breathe.

If all the apologies and consolations I got were pennies, I would have 20 right now, but that's not the point. I'd rather have the class actually listen to what I say and carry it out than 20 or 76¢ or $42,070,118 for that matter. Just for once I wish that somebody would actually listen to what I have to say, respect my needs and cut me some slack. I may seem selfish, but isn't that what consideration is all about? Sacrificing your needs for somebody's selfish others. It's a vicious cycle.

The scratch of pens on paper marked the beginning of the test. It was simple, and yet so difficult. One could say it was simply difficult. The problems were easy, the trick was that you had to use algebra to solve them. It doesn't take a genius to guess what the class cried as Ms. Mazlind announced the test.

Uncle Edna's pen raced across his paper. "This is actually quite easy," he thought. Then the noise began.

It started as a gentle humming in the background. Nothing too serious; his head usually buzzed when he was thinking. Slowly but surely, it grew, like a great swarm of bees drawing closer and closer. It just needed one thing, one single catalyst, and they would all attack, their droning louder and louder, buzzing in your ears, drowning out all other noise, you can't hear yourself think...

"SHUT UP!" The fire of seven months of angst, anger and irritation lit up his eyes as he yelled it across the room. Kevin Wong looked distinctly worried. A anonymous "Whoo!" surfaced from the depth of the clustered students, all cramming around each other, trying to copy, discuss, make their way through the loophole in the test system.

Eyes still alight, he looked back at his paper. He wondered why it didn't burst into flames straight away; he was staring at it so with a hatred that burned deep, leaving scars that cannot heal in such a short time.

"It's a record," he thought to himself. He had spoken to them a mere two hours ago. A couple of sentences explaining that he was very stressed and wanted the class to cut him some slack. "I can't believe I actually thought they would change." He buried his head in his hands.

The noise level rose and fell like an ocean wave. The smallest of comments sparked another slow burst of flame, but the quick retort of "Shut up, lah!" brought it down again. As time passed, the duration of the breaks of silences decreased, as did the number of "Shut up!"s.

He started pacing the room, clutching his head. He couldn't think. The noise... drowning out thought processes... Ms. Mazlind crossed the room. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah, I'm fine; I'm just thinking," he lied. He sat himself down and begun to write a few more figures.

Like a ticking time bomb to the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa, the noise level broke the sound barrier as the teacher left the room. She'd be back in ten minutes, but the decibels had skyrocketed once the teacher's foot disappeared outside. His mind was on overload again: the anger, the frustration, the uncapability of shutting out the noise while trying to find the value of x at the same time. His anger bottled up inside him; he wanted to let one rip, but he kept it in. He was gonna blow. Any moment now.

On a more lighter note, I'm in the IB programme. Yay. Most of my friends are in as well as a couple of some people. Some friends didn't make it though. I hope that they get past appeals.

Oh, one more thing. If you're going to the ACS(I) Prefect Selection Camp 2005 as a Nominee, the do NOT under any circumstances bring a gigantic SuperSoaker 5000 with hydraulic pump action and 500ft. range. I've been there before. They'll take the gigantic bazookas and pass around the handguns. Then they'll announce that they have immunity and you're not allowed to shoot them. And the have the big guns and are allowed to shoot you. Think about it, and spread the word.

That's about it for today. If you believe in miracles, come pop by my class and see for yourself. You'll be a skeptic in no time.

It... is just... a GAME.

[Quote of the post] Take it that this is combined with the previous post, okay?
[Song of the post] This too.

Sorry. This is a double-post. This only appears the next day because I wanted to type this but I already posted today. (Sorry about the angst emanating from the previous one.)

Basically something happened today that started me thinking, posting parodies of angsty songs, and started other people blogging about this as well.

Today was the last few preliminaries of the Geography mapwork competition. Simply put, each group is supposed to create a group of 10 geographical questions and the winner is the who can answer the most questions on somebody else's powerpoint.

Well, maybe the instructions weren't clear, maybe they just wanted to sabotage other groups, maybe they just got carried away. In any case, some questions were definitely not geographical. The questions were supposed to be geographical, but they couldn't merely include geography inside. It doesn't count.

For example (sorry, this was the best I could think of), asking you to find out the amount of potential energy you have atop Bt. Timah Hill does require you to know the height of Bt. Timah, but calculating potential energy isn't something you can do in 10 seconds.

Anyway, a certain someone was arguing that some questions he had to answer today were void as they were not geographical. Well, the above example was one of his group's questions. Just goes to show.

I'm not insulting anyone here. The point I'm trying to make is, please, one or two points is not going to kill you. The prize is probably a packet of sweets or something. If you don't win it, you won't die. Calm down.

In the words of the great and immortal Mdm. Melissa Eu, "This... is just... a GAME." And that's what it is! If we didn't have this game, we wouldn't have any idea what an oblast was (a provinve in Russia, can you beat that) and at least now you know what the capital of Kyrgyzstan is! The points don't matter. What matters is that now you know where the Dombra originates from.

Sorry if I'm offending anyone. I'm just telling it as it is. And sorry if I seem to be becoming cynical, depressed and angsty. Just a question: do you like reading report blogs, philosophical blogs, angsty blogs or happy blogs? Just wanna know.

Well, this is coming a day late. Have fun, everybody, and keep smiling.

Angst.

[Quote of the post]Nobody listens to me...
[Song of the post] Welcome to my Life - Simple Plan

Welcome to my Life
Do you ever think your class is loud?
Do you ever feel really mad?
Like somehow you are liked too much
But no one understands you

Do you ever want to run away?
Do you lock yourself in your head?
With imagination turned up loud
But no one appreciates it

No you don't know what it's like
When you turn off the light
Then everybody starts
To shout at you

You feel hurt, you feel pain
You’re the last one to lock the door
To be scratched, poked and punched
To feel like you're being strangled to death
To be on the edge of falling down
But no one's there to catch you
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life

Do you ever wanna save the world?
Helping people with your super powers?
Are you desperate to heal someone else
Before your life is over?

Do you try to cheer up everyone?
Do you think you are just too nice?
So everyone thinks you’re too kind
To put them in detention

No you don't know what it's like
When nothing goes to plan
You don't know what it's like
To be like me

To be sad, to loose cheer
To be left out all alone
To feel that you have none
But friends who make you smile
To be taken advantage of
But you’re too nice to say so
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life

No one ever lies straight to your face
But everyone just stabs you in the back
You might say, “Be happy!”
And then hope I'm gonna be ok
Everybody always is a critic
You never had any encouragement
You don't know what it's like
What it's like

To be kind, to a fault
To feel that you’re so useless
To have expectations
That you have to live up to
To be discouraged from doing things
That you’d really love to
No you don't know what it's like (what it's like)

To have friends
Who still care
Who still cheer you up when you’re down
To be loved
Everyday
To feel like you’re on cloud nine
To be on the verge of cracking up
And friends are there to laugh too
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life

Welcome to my life
Welcome to my life

Would the world please JUST GROW UP???

[Quote of the post] I'm not paranoid! Which of my enemies told you this?
[Song of the post] Reflections - Disney's Mulan

Title seem familiar? Quote Michael's post a couple of posts ago. Seem familiar now? That's because you just saw it, silly. Ooh, angsty much?

I write stories. Maybe you'd want to know why.

The world never works out the way you want it to. Many elements are out of your control, especially if you're under eighteen. But that's different in a story. You are the writer; you have control. Things may look bad if you're the main character, but in the end everything works out. (I assume this to be untrue for Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events.) Everything works out. You survive against the odds. You always win.

Maybe I'm fantasizing. Maybe I'm idealist. Maybe I just have an overactive imagination. Maybe I just like writing. Maybe I write to entertain. Maybe I should stop all this hypothetical "maybe"s.

My class doesn't know when to keep quiet. (Note: This is again in general; if you're one of those quiet ones who doesn't talk in class, then I'm not referring to you.) Talking and talking and talking... Haven't I blogged about this before? Everybody talking, nobody listening, especially to the class chairman... leadership... it's down there somewhere... check the archives...

I sick of this situation. Hell will freeze over before this class gets into order. That's why I write fiction. Everything works. Nothing just sits there with out a use, making unnecessary noise or distracting you.

I started TNN to try and change this. Everybody works in a team, working together, nobody useless. I realize it is another of my futile attempts. The people it most concerns do not read the forums except Kwong's homework list.

I will not shut down TNN as I still can see a hope, and also because my fans want more. (No, really, I have fans.) I just had to say this again. Nobody seems to understand.

Munzhangus Quaner. What's the sitch with that?

[Quote of the post] So not the drama.
[Song of the post] Save the World - Kim Possible

Just watched Disney Channel's Kim Possible Movie - So the Drama and I tell you, is it hyped. There are like ad everywhere. Every ten minutes, commercial, Watch Disney Channel's original animated movie, Kim Possible - So the Drama and stand a chance to win a free screening of any movie with ten friends, drinks and popcorn included, etc.

Well, the show was okay; I was expecting better/more, but it's technically a normal KP episode drawn out to fill a 1 hour 35 minute slot. It was funny though. As in, Ron-funny, villain-funny, sneaky-reference-to-other-episodes-funny. In other words, a nice blend of stupid humour and smart humour.

And I spend the entire Saturday afternoon decoding the codebreaker word, and then I find out I can't enter the conest. Argh.

By the way, yes, I watch KP. What? So not the drama. (Pun not intended, really.)

Aaanyway, today there was this ETMR installation, which for me and Mike meant a morning of filming, and that reminds me I have to kill Zhang for misinforming me about the time.

So after the installation, Zhang and Kev (W) had planned to see Charlie and his Chocolate Factory. But since they found out they were the only ones going, and that no-one else wanted/could go, their plans melted. (Yes, this time, pun intended. Muhaha.)

So Kev (W) goes home by himself, and Zhang has no idea where to go, only that he must be at Bishan MRT at 4:30pm to watch the Japanese Festival thingie. So he decides to come to my house.

Let me tell you this. My house is sorta sacred. Nobody ever goes in without my/parent's permission. And if you think this is normal to everybody's houses, restate that third sentence and ignore everything after the fifth word.

The only people (non-relatives) who have stepped into the sacred domain are Hsieh Wen, Juzzie, and Chris, a ex-school friend. So Zhang is like the fourth person to enter my house.

Which I find weird. Usually nobody comes to my house. And here's Zhang coming to hitch a cab with me to my house. Strange. Unusual. Queer. Different.

Ah well, it's no big. Well, see ya next time. Call me, beep me, if you want to reach me.

Existentialist puberty

[Quote of the post] Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure. But a moment of laughter is much better pleasure.
[Song of the post] Waltz for the Moon - Final Fantasy VIII

Sorry, addicted to FF8 songs right now. =D

Anyway, Mdm. Yeo today displayed some form of angst so similar to that of a teenager's that cause people to wonder if she is being exposed to too much teenage angst.

Quote Mdm. Yeo (roughly): "I don't feel that my life has any purpose, I feel obsolete..." (something like that)

Amateur psycologists, like myself, have termed this condition Existentialist Puberty, exhibiting both forms of existentialism and forms of teenage angst.

Teachers have a very stressful life, 'tis true, far worse than that of the common student. They are great, wonderful people.

The scary thing is that she wants to read our blogs. This poses a new question: Is this just an excuse to read our blogs? Everybody, one, two, three: Dun dun DUN!!! I don't believe so. Mdm. Yeo's a nice person, and doesn't have to resort to this sort of thing if she wanted to read our blogs.

The problem is not what is on my blog, but what it links to. You notice on the right you'll see a link, longer than most of them, the longest of them all. That is the link that I most fear the teacher will click, because there lies a piece of fiction so powerful, so secret, so... fantastical that no teacher may ever read it. EVER. (That reminds me, the link is now broken, just in case.)

People fear that teachers may read what is on their blog. Then they shouldn't get a blog in the first place. A blog is to voice your feelings, your thoughts, and in the case of Michael Wee, your angst, not just for your friends, but for the world. Hey, anything on the Internet is accessible.

Acording to the Rule of the Internet, you can start from one blog, go around clicking the links to other blogs, and eventually (and I do mean eventually) you'll get back to where you started.

I'm happy just to see you smile!

[Quote of the post] Two wrongs don't make a right. Three rights make a left. But two Wrights can build you an aeroplane.
[Song of the post] Liberi Fatali - Final Fantasy VIII

ARGH!!! I haven't blogged in weeks! Sorry to all my fans out there! (If I even have any...)

So much has happened in the past week: Demel and zQ have gone to Japan, I'm getting an award tomorrow, National Day is coming up, I've had three tests, and the Avengers set has appeared in the Vs. System. Whee!

A question of Daniel's has triggered the topic of this post. Actually, he raised it on Thursday, but with all the stuff I'm doing, I barely have time to blog. Sorry.

Anyway, Daniel's question is something along the lines of: "Are you happy with your life? Tell me how to be happy! You better tell me now, or I'll kill you." Something like that.

Well, there's me and Kwong telling Daniel how we stay happy and stuff, and along comes Gideon and he says, "Good ." We all know what the censored three-letter word there is, but the less about that, the better.

So, anyway, it gets me thinking. Am I happy with my life? What makes me happy? Is Daniel really that emotially-troubled?

Well, as far as an anti-angst teenager goes, I'm pretty happy with my life. Yay! I got great friends, pressure I can handle, and enough entertaining hobbies to get myself on a high without using drugs. Yup, that's pretty well said and done.

What makes me happy? Well, it's pretty obvious if you know me. Puns, humour, trading card games, time to myself to develop my own trading card games, TNN, etc. But if you're one of those who argue that these only bring material happiness that money can buy, then I have to say that what makes me happy are my friends.

Yes, here we go again, and you'd be expecting me to drone more about my friends and fill the post with quotes and complain why you have been left out of my list. Well, that's not going to happen this time.

I like my friends. I like making them laugh. And when they laugh, I'm happy. So basically, if you're happy, I'm happy. Kapeesh?

Urgh... I want to go on and on, but time prevents me from going further. Good night to all, keep being happy, and have a nice National Day weekend!

Why isn't there a "we" in "friend"?

[Quote of the post] "I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends." - Walt Whitman
[Song of the post] Lean on Me - Not sure who

"If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't jump with them, I'd be at the bottom to catch them." -Anon

Everybody's been blogging about their friends lately. Now, you'd think I'm just jumping onto the bandwagon; and of course, you'd be right.

What are friends, anyway? It'd be simple enough to look into a dictionary and find out, but that entry simply cannot do justice to what a friend really means. Friendship is not a symbiotic relationship; it is like an anti-parasitic relationship: you try to help the other party so much that it does you harm.

What is a friend? "Friends are like pillars on your porch. Sometimes they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you." -Author Unknown. A friends is one who volunteers to keep your notes for you when you are absent from class. A friend is one who doesn't get angry when you forget to return his CD for the fourth time. A friend is one who laughs at your pitiful jokes even if they aren't funny.

"A friend is like an oreo, its not always that great, but it always gets better!" - Erin Westbrook

I know countless people. Are they truly my friends? I am friendly with them, and they are friendly with me. Does that make them friends?

"Friends are like Peanut Butter ... it sticks to the roof of your mouth, and it feels as if they never go away!" -Author Unknown

Herrick
As Assistant Class Chairman you've been a wonder. You've helped me when I was down. You cheer me up when I am sad. You're the one closest to sanity in our OM group. Just for that I am grateful.

"I believe in Angels, the ones that heaven sends. I believe in Angels, but I call them my best friends." -Author Unknown.

Kevin
Everyone sings praises about you. Think I'm not going to? You have a pure heart full of kindness, compassion and understanding. You help me, even if it isn't to your advantage. You comfort me when I am down. Perhaps it is because we share a common name. But that is enough to create a bond like no other.

"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend."-Author Unknown.

Juztin
I appreciate you more than I show. Without you, I would never make it through my UYO alive. Maybe because we are both subject to discrimination as GEPers, and that unites us. You help me through four hours of torture every Friday. I thank you for being my friend.

"Love is blind, but friendship closes its eyes." -Author Unknown

Shaun
You are another who cheers me up when I am down. I feel that you most qualify in the last definition of "friend" I typed above. You do not doubt me, yet I turn you down. I am sorry for that. I can still trust you; that above all is most important.

"A friend you have to buy, won't be worth what you pay for him." -Author Unknown

Zhang Quan
You are a fountain of joy that never dries up. You have an infectous laughter that spreads and spreads, and which cannot even be bottled up inside you. You keep me happy in the worst of times, and share my pain on early Friday afternoons.

"If I'm in heaven and you're not there, I'd carve your name in golden chairs, for all the angels there to see, that I love you and you love me. If you're not there on judgement day, I'll know you've gone the other way, so just to prove our love is true, I'd go to hell to be with you." -Jackie Paul

Michael
I know our relationship has been weakened by our infrequent communication, but to tell you the truth you play an important role: another who keeps me cheery in the darkest hours, and one who I look up to in terms of literary arts, full of advice and humour.

"Keep your friends in your heart and your enemies in your range of sight." -Author Unknown

Sorry I cannot show each and every one of my friends; friendship may last but the day still ends.

"I looked for my God; my God eluded me. I looked for my soul; my soul I could not see. I looked for a friend and I found all three." -Author Unknown

"We may laugh, we may cry but our friendship will never die." -Rachel Gould

There may be more, I cannot tell; for now it is time for my farewell.
It's getting late; I've got to sleep; in a few minutes I'll be counting sheep.

Funny how the quotes which have the most meaning are often anonymous.

"Friends are like poems, you may never fully understand them, but you will always love them." -Ashley Correll

"Choose your friends by their character, and choose your socks by their color. Choosing your socks by their character makes no sense, and choosing your friends by their color is unthinkable."

"I value the friend who for finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar." Robert Brault

Songs I know that refer to friends:
Friend Like Me from Disney's Aladdin
Lean On Me by I don't know who
You've got a Friend in Me from Disney's Toy Story 1 and 2

"When we are dying, we need friends to survive. But in between, we need friends even more." -Just heard it on TV.