Unriddle

I guess everyone knew this was coming.

Farewell

We moved out the day before yesterday.
Our neighbours wished us all the best and we bade farewell.
"See you again somewhere."
Yes, we'll see you again somewhere.

And good neighbours for eight years we were, we couldn't help but feel unwilling to part.
I remember the times we stayed over at each others' house just for the thrill of it, although we were pretty much separated by a mere pillar.
I remember the shows we roleplayed along the corridors for the cleaners and anyone who would bother to look.
I remember the Sundays we went out together for family bonding activities.
So naturally, we weren't ready to part. My ten-year-old neighbour cried.
After all, we were neighbours for eight years.

We'll see them again somewhere, I hope.
On the bright side, one of them is studying at Hwa Chong Junior College.

Alright.
So we moved into a 5-room flat just a few blocks away from our previous home.
Walk out of the elevator and you'd see our mahogany painted door fitted with a silver-beige gate. 
Ironically, our neighbour is the housing agent who sold us the flat.

She greeted us with a smile of pearly white and welcomed us to "visit any time" and promised to impart some of her cooking skills to my mum. That was a really warm greeting.
She has two sons, one of whose birthday coincidentally fall in the month of June and the other saw the light of the world in 1996.

I foresee a strong relationship in the making.
I just hope I can part gracefully, for the second time, when we move out next year.

Second Chance

Have you done something wrong before?
Or perhaps you did it correctly, but it did not appear as such.
And even in this, there are various reasons why it didn't happen like how it was supposed to.
But you don't have to bother explaining, because no one will bother to listen.

But ultimately, I'm sure we all regret our doing.
Yet, how far can 'I'm sorry' go to get others' forgiveness?

You might be entrusted to organise a large-scale event.
Foiling the event will just yield you nothing but the loss of trust.
Without trust, you'll be fighting to survive.

People go with the flow. Once you're out, you're out.
It's all about capabilities and talents these days.

If you don't meet it, that's it.
No one bothers about what you say; What you say bothers no one.
After all, this is a competitive world.
This is the real world. A world so real.
It's reality, and reality is always cruel.

Sometimes in life, we are given chances.
There's a first chance, but there will always be a last chance.
And your first chance might very well be your last.

So have you done something wrong before?
I'm sure we all have.
To human is to err.

But will there always be a second chance?

Shortcut

I participated in an East Zone Science Carnival yesterday at Victoria Junior College, along with Jarrett, Cong Yang, Gary and Hua Ying. It was a one-way trip from school. We had lots of fun with the activities, especially the 15 minutes "star-gazing" in an inflated astronomy laboratory model. Hua Ying commented that it was awesome. (:

We could leave as soon as we completed the activities of the day.
We finished them at about 4.30pm.
It was a one-way trip from school, so we had to return home ourselves.
Since the nearest MRT station was Bedok, it was pretty far away from my home in Woodlands.
In a few stops, we reached Kembangan.
This made me recall the trip home last year during the Ramadhan sabbatical course.

Along with Jarrett and Wei Heng, we went to the Street Bazaar at night as part of our sabbatical programme.
It was a one-way trip from school, so we had to return home ourselves.
Since the nearest MRT station was Kembangan, it was pretty far away from my home in Woodlands.
I had to take all the way to City Hall and transfer to the North-South line, or take all the way to Jurong East and transfer there. The whole trip took at least one and a half hour.

The whole trip took me only forty-five minutes yesterday.
I stopped at Paya Lebar and transferred to the Circle Line, reaching at Bishan and taking the North-South trip back home.

This is how great the Circle Line affects our lives.
By giving us an alternate and quicker route to our destination.
And so I told Jarrett on the way back, "Isn't urbanisation great?"

First Timer

"Wei Jie, Yue Jun and I signed up as a team of three for a competition  organised by Nanyang Polytechnic named 'iCode', which challenges us to  code an iPhone web app. The competition is confined within the secondary  school circuit."

This was quoted from Yihan's blog.
Today is the official launch of the [i.code] Competition.
There was a mini ceremony at Nanyang Polytechnic at about 2.45pm.
That was when they would release the theme of our application for this year so we can start working on it until the judging date sometime in November.

Nanyang Polytechnic is situated in Yio Chu Kang and it would take us approximately 45 minutes to reach there by bus and train transfers from the school campus. This meant that we would have little time to eat, considering the few minutes taken up by the teacher of the last period and the need to reach there earlier to register.

And hence, Yihan's mother, Mrs Khoo, SMTP teacher in Hwa Chong Institution, offered to give us a ride there. Wei Jie had important EP3 stuff to handle, so he could not make it. That leaves Yihan and I.

Honestly, I have never met Mrs Khoo before.
Yihan's one of my best friends and I am aiming for SMTP next year, so I wanted to give her as best an impression as possible. I've asked Yihan. He hasn't talked about me yet, so I'm currently a clean sheet with no stains.
So I asked Joel, since he was in her Sabbatical Course in Term 2. He shrugged and said that she looked strict and whose face show no expression - rarely smiles. Asked me to be mentally prepared.

I prepared a speech. A three-word speech. "Hi Mrs Khoo." Just like that.
Then I got on the car and added a few extra words, "Thanks for the ride."
"Ya, sure." With a smile on her face.
That pretty much broke the ice.
Throughout the journey, she remained friendly.
Offered me a pancake (which I politely declined) and taught me how to go back home. I appreciated it.

I was greatly relieved. Still, I maintained my formality at the end of the ride. "Mrs Khoo, thanks alot."
Then Yihan pouted a sentence: "So formal." Mrs Khoo gave a gentle laugh.

Maybe I shouldn't trust Joel too much.
When you're a first timer, things might not turn out as expected.
But in fact, things turned out great.

The crow

An 80 year old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45 years old highly educated son.
Suddenly a crow perched on their window.
The Father asked his Son, "What is this?"
The Son replied "It is a crow".

After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time, "What is this?"
The Son said "Father, I have just now told you "It's a crow".
After a little while, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time, What is this?"
At this time some expression of irritation was felt in the Son's tone when he said to his Father with a rebuff. "It's a crow, a crow."
A little after, the Father again asked his Son the 4th time, "What is this?"
This time the Son shouted at his Father, "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?"

A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his Son was born. On opening a page, he asked his Son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:

"Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window My Son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a Crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child".

While the little child asked him 23 times "What is this", the Father had felt no irritation in replying to the same question all 23 times and when today the Father asked his Son the same question just 4 times, the Son felt irritated and annoyed.

(This story has the same theme as The Basket.)

Two anchors, four reporters and zero credibility

We are not the 9.30 news. We tried asking for that slot, but they said 'no'. We are so exclusive that we only come up once a week. Believing us is like believing crocodiles make good pets. Contrary to popular belief, any similarities to actual people or events are purely coincidental.

Do you give up your seat to the elderly?

If your answer is 'no', then I guess it's time to do so. Inconsiderate commuters, beware!

Distance Fares: Do you benefit?

I think I'm getting all the days of the week mixed up, but it doesn't matter. Just ignore the "unday" in the banner above. Only recently, in fact just three days ago on Saturday, the Land Transport Authority rolled out the Distance Fares scheme as an improvement to the current system.

The Passion to Teach

Miss Tong popped in during Current Affairs to give us our weekend homework and packets of jellybeans each for Youth Day. Everyone was elated and we ate the jellybeans in class, fighting for the extra packets and sharing them with classmates.

It reminded me of the past, when the occasion we looked forward to most wasn't Youth Day, but Children's Day.
I fondly remember how we always remarked,
"Miss Lee is a good teacher because she gives us lollipops!"
"Mr Tan is a good teacher because he gives us stickers!"
Small incentives like these were necessary for a teacher to get into the good books of a student.

When the occasion we dreaded coming wasn't SA2, but PSLE, and homework quickly piled up, the remarks changed to,
"Miss Lim is a good teacher because she doesn't give homework!"
No longer did we hanker after sweets and stickers and stamps. Instead, homework was a bigger deal.

But as we head on to the next stop of our education, we grow and mature.
Now, a good teacher is a teacher that really cares.
Really concerns. Really teaches. Really understands.
Really communicates. Really learns.
Really lives with the passion to teach.

Very few teachers meet the requirements today.
I would like to acknowledge that Mrs Teo Chin Chew was a great teacher.

Truer than true

What is your definition of a true friend?

Joel says it would be someone who really understands you. He also says that he is not very sure.
Denzyl says it would be someone who sticks by you even when he might face consequences too. He also says that they who won't forsake you for any other reasons.
Yihan says it would be someone whom he can lend money to and not expect it to be returned.

Clarissa says it would be someone that is always there for you no matter what happens, good or bad.
Sean says it would be someone who will stick with you through whatever, will be there for you to cheer you up when you're sad and just care for you.
Hui Jia says it would be someone whom you can say anything to them and act like a retard in front of them without any worry. She also says that it they can tell whether you're upset, even through the Internet.

I am very honoured to have Trevor's opinions on this.

"Oh... A true friend is there who shows the adequate amount of concern every day...
A true friend is someone who speaks to you, whether or not reasonable talk or unreasonable talk, whether or not crap talk or true, real heart to heart talk, whether or not a rush-out talk or calm and cool talk...
A true friend is someone who remembers you everytime he goes overseas and gets you a souvenir, whether or not it costs a few bucks or a few hundred bucks...
A true friend is someone whom you never get tired of meeting, and both of you do not have any envy for each other for you two are equal in both minds.
A true friend is someone whom you will choose to consistently keep in touch with, although you two have broke towards both different institutions."

The definition of a true friend is subjective.

A true friend? Not easy to come by.
I'm fortunate to have found him.

A friend, truer than true? One in a million.
I haven't met mine yet.

But when I do, I will definitely treasure him.

Expectations

A friend in need is a friend indeed.
But the friend I know has become a friend I knew.
And he was a friend indeed.

Why?
Why go?
Why go away?
It might have been better if you could stay.

Parents. Society. Life.
Expectations.
Worry. Worry of reaching expectations.
Worry of being not up to standards.

With the high standards of living comes high costs.
And you had to move away. To another foreign land.

It's always nice when a stranger becomes a friend.
But not the other way round.

How much I wish that I could be with you in Australia.
But expectations.
And even more expectations.
I'll have to stay.

I no longer know your heart.
But you will always be in mine.

The basket

Grandfather was old and seriously ill.
The medical expenses totaled up to an extravagant amount.
Dad decided that there was no longer any use keeping Grandfather in the house as his condition has not improve much since he started treatment.
He was no help to the family, in fact even a burden.

One fine day, Dad put Grandfather into a basket and headed for the forests to feed him to the wolves.
Just as he was about to leave, his son called out from in the house.

"Dad, after feeding Grandfather to the wolves, can you bring the basket back?"
"What for?" Dad replied irritably.
"So that when you're old, I can feed you to the wolves."

Just in case

This is the last book review for the mid-year break and this time, it's on a Monday. This is "Just in Case" by Meg Rosoff.

11:11

After hearing this being mentioned several times on Facebook, on the Internet and even in real life, I decided to research on it. I must say, it garnered some real interesting answers.

Here lies arthur

It's not Monday, but it's a review, so somehow it fits into this category. Here's the book review, "Here Lies Arthur" by Philip Reeve.

The departure hall

We went to the airport, a week and a day ago.
We, my family of four.
We bade our farewells at the departure hall.
Leaving for a week, my sister departed for Shanghai.
And we departed for home.
We, my family of four. Except my sister.

We went to the airport, a week later.
We, my extended family. Except my sister.
For my granddad's children wanted him to take a breather.

As age catches up, health deteriorates.
He fell a month ago.
Admitted to the hospital.
Worry of departure.

May God bless him.
God blessed him.
And he overcame it. Safe and sound.

And so we went to the airport, yesterday.
We, my extended family. Except my sister.
For my granddad's grandchildren wanted him to take a breather.
Leaving for a week, my sister arrived in Singapore.
And we headed for home.
We, my extended family. With my sister.

And she arrived. Safe and sound.

ITWeek: Rainbow Death

This is the response for Term 2 IT Home Learning for "Rainbow Death" war poem.

ITWeek: Children in the Darkness

This is the response for Term 2 IT Home Learning for "Children in the Darkness" war poem.

A solemn event

Yesterday we attended a funeral to pay our last respects to the dead.
The adults were silent as they walked around the coffin.

It was grave and solemn.
My cousins and I were there.
We were playing around, not serious at all.

The one who passed away was not directly related to us.
In fact, we never met her before.
She was my cousin's grandmother.
And we were not able to feel like the adults do.

Then I saw, sitting at the corner, my cousin.
She sat there quietly.

The one was passed away was not directly related to her.
In fact, she never met her before.
She was her cousin's grandmother.
And she was able to feel like the adults do.

My cousin, who is 7 years old this year, is more mature than her older cousins.

(Special thanks to iStockphoto.com for the picture.)

The grass is always greener on the other side

The Chinese Orchestra has a whole line of performances coming up, as well as a trip to Shanghai during the September holidays. SYF is also nearing and our teachers are worried as the Sec 4s, the above average players, won't be participating and us, the Sec 2s, are far below standard. Our orchestra is now only on par with other schools and the school will be counting on us to bring the Gold with Honours award home.

That's why the seniors are now raising the standards. I was asked to mentor the Sec 1s because they would have to participate in the SYF next year. Now, I'm held down with a heavy burden that comes great responsibility. The Erhu section is couting on me. The stress is building up.

Ten weeks ago, I received a call from my Chemistry teacher, announcing that I have been selected, together with a classmate and two others from 2A3, to participate in a Literature writing competition. After that call, no one talked about the competition until ten weeks later. The deadline is now in ten days and we haven't even started. Since Wednesday, our group had to stay back till late afternoon to finish this up. We even have to return during the weekends to complete what we failed to do so during weekdays.

I started to complain. I watched the other classmates head home after their Sabbaticals, or playing in class. I had to write.

I complained even more. I thought my friends were more relaxed. Why couldn't I be like them, as free as the mountain air? Then Yihan asked me, "Why complain?" I realised that he had even more committments: from the OT of APMOPS, AEP and Band to Council stuff. Yet, he doesn't complain. Who am I to complain?

The grass is always greener on the other side. I've learnt to accept what I have and give my best to what I've been entrusted with. From committments we have achievements that give us great satisfaction. There's a reason to why people entrust me with things. Deep in my heart, I know why.

(Special thanks to iStockphoto.com for the picture.)

Friends are awesome

We were caught in a dilemma. Should we watch Iron Man 2 or Ip Man 2? Gary, Qing Ze, Alston, Jianda, Wei Jie, Yihan, Nigel, Brian and me headed to Vivo City for a mini class cum movie outing after the Combined Sports Meet last Friday.

First was lunch. There was the lunch crowd and the whole place was full. We walked around to search for a possible eatery, but returned to Food Republic after one round with negative results. Yihan, Brian and Wei Jie went there first, so they got the available seats. When the other 6 of us went, there were still seats available at the long table where they were eating, but seats were short of one. That meant one of us could not sit together with the rest.

Having good friends around is beneficial to us. Alston, having finished his meal, volunteered to stand and let the remaining person sit. He had to stand while waiting for us to finish ours. Thank you, Alston.

Both shows were fairly similar in topic - both were fighting shows. Iron Man has western influences while Ip Man has eastern influences. We unanimously agreed on Iron Man 2. (Gary watched both already. xD) Our show was to start at 3+pm and we had about an hour before we had to be seated. We hung out at Toys R Us, relieving our childhood. Every toy brought smiles to our faces and we burst out laughing everytime someone cracked a joke. Everything seemed funny and time seemed to pass faster when we were having fun.

Iron Man 2 was good. The show was great. Hanging out with friends is awesome.

(Special thanks to iStockphoto.com for the picture.)

Uniquely Singapore... dramas

It has been a long time since I'm posting about my favourite topic, so I will take this chance to express my views on the current dramas on Channel 8 as well as those planned for the future.

Yes, we can

Late Thursday morning was the commencement of our Physics test this term. 50 minutes later, the classroom was buzzing with discussions (as always after a test) and our teacher had no choice but to award us a 5 minutes break.

We got back our results on Friday. Maybe the test was too easy, or our fellow classmates really studied hard. According to Miss Wang, everyone from both classes (2A1 and 2A3) did great for the test. Average marks were 35/45 and average MSG was 1.85. Everyone passed with flying colours. Colours of the rainbow.

If you wonder if we are aiming to reach the top for class MSG this term, you're asking the obvious. Who doesn't? Days before the test, we were having a class discussion for Physics. Although not practical, and not conductive at all, everyone took home something valuable. It just shows that we can achieve if we put in effort. And our effort paid off.

Yes, we can do it if we give our best.
Yes, we can do it if we give our most.
Yes, we can.
It just shows that if you put in enough hard work and effort, you can score well. And if you put in enough time and effort, you can finish marking 35 scripts in less than a day.

A good marker she is. I respect that.

Troublesome

"It's great that we don't have to write out the angle properties of circles."
"Yeah, writing it out is really troublesome."

We were on the crowded bus when a lady tried to squeeze her way through towards the back. Her last obstacle was Wei Heng, and it so happened that we were in the middle of a conversation.

We would have continued, if not for the abrupt interruption. No one expected it.

"Troublesome huh? I only want to get to the back of the bus. You young people are so... Ugh. What school are you from?"
"Err."
"Hwa Chong, is it? Wah, like that cannot lah. You guys are the future leaders leh, how can you be so inconsiderate?"

Chee Peng looked at Wei Heng and he looked at me. It's troublesome. Sometimes, the message just doesn't get to the right person. I don't blame her, but she seemed like she was staring daggers. I guess it's better to get things right before jumping to conclusions.

To save embarrassment, both parties kept silent.
Then she moved to the back of the bus.

A great cinematic experience

Cinemas are big black boxes and movies fill them with colour, thrill and excitement up to a whole new level, bringing them to life. It has been a few months since I've stepped into one and a few weeks back I walked in with great curiosity.

Darkness enveloped me as I entered with a box of popcorn in one hand and a drink in another. Golden Village cinemas have smaller rooms, so I found my seat in a swift and settled down as the advertisements play and replay on the screen. The room quickly filled up and within minutes, the show was on air. I grabbed a handful of popcorn and leaned back to let myself immerse in the world of dragons.



I was relieved that everyone had proper movie decorum. Or rather, everyone was greatly engrossed in the show. It was a good animation - it had a well developed plot, nicely done animation and a variety of completely different dragons. Creativity contributes to its success. I really enjoyed the film, every second of it. It's amazing how a little boy can change the perspective of humans... and dragons. From a world of humans vs dragons, Nightfury and Hiccup will change it into a world of humans and dragons. No one believed him at first. But he persevered and he succeeded. A great conclusion, a great ending. Watching it without 3D was amazing. I wonder how it'll be like if it was in 3D. A watch that will never bring boredom no matter how many times you watch it. It'll even make you want more.

As the credits roll, I crushed the empty paper bag into a ball and disposed it off, together with the cup which was filled with 7-up, now empty. I walked out with a satisfied grin and a tear, now dried up, left over from the climax scene.

What a great cinematic experience I had.

Blog updates

After a month long hiatus, it is about time to get back on track. Updates are long overdue, so to keep a long story short, here's the list of changes, summarised and tightly packed into a nutshell.

Upon feedback from readers, the various segments of the blog will no longer cease to exist from this term on, i.e. Review Monday and Newsunday. The segments limit content in terms of flexibility, so the different contents will be spilled out throughout the week throughout the month instead of a designate day of the week. More flexibility means more unrestricted and unlimited content! Hooray!

New "special features" columns are to come in the near future, and if you look at the sidebar you will find a hint. As for the highly-received comics, Leoj will no doubt continue his publications.

Next up, learn how to train a dragon!

The show packed with gossips

A new gossip show in town! Brought to you by the variety producers behind "Paris & Milan", "Buzzling Cashier" and "Life Transformers".
This show features seven hosts, Guo Liang, Kym Ng, Quan Yi Fong, Michelle Chong, Zhou Chong Qing, Marcus Chin and Henry Thia, who roleplay as famous people and celebrities around the world, mainly from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Singapore, and discuss about current affair topics from the character's perspective and give their views on things that truly matter. A gathering of international and local artistes, including “Jac Key Chan”, “Lee Ann”, “Chris-tofu Li”, “Patty Howl”, “Li Jinx”, “Yow Yow”, “DD Hsu”, “Risss Low”, “Jacky Woo”, “Aiyah” and “Gao Ning Feng”!

I must say, I enjoyed this show very much. Every episode is packed with laughter. Even the actors and actresses themselves cannot control their laughter! If you're the gossip monger, this show is packed with juicy gossips right up to the fullest! The show actually discusses everything and anything, with almost nothing to hide. You may even find out something new or shocking about your favourite stars through this platform! Topics that have been discussed include the stars' take on gambling in conjunction to the opening of the casinos in Singapore, the "Most Trusted Star List" coined up by the media is various countries and even the very recently Jack Neo saga (with footage of the press conference included if you missed it).

It has been a long time since I've watched an entertaining variety show (the last was Paris & Milan). If you're finding for shows of this genre, this show is a must-watch for you! In this show, the oh-so-famous Aunty Lucy has her own column, so if you are a fan of her, here's another show to take note of.

Someone has uploaded the episodes to YouTube, so you can watch them here.
Catch "Black Rose" every Tuesday from 8 to 9pm on Channel 8.

Rating: 4/5 (Wonderful!)

Save the Earth

Do your part to save the Earth! Come on, it'll only take one hour. The World Wildlife Fund provides a chance for all to do your part to save the Earth with the yearly initiative: "Earth Hour".

This Saturday, 27 March 2010, is when Earth Hour will take place. From 8.30pm to 9.30pm, majority of the lights will be put out and here, you can do your part by switching off all the lights to show your support. During this time, millions of families around the world are participating too!

To show their support for Earth Hour, Fish & Co. is offering $1 Fish & Chips (usual price: $13.90++) if you watch their Earth Day Rap video and send it to 10 friends! For more information, visit this page.

Lots of electricity is consumed throughout the year. If this huge amount of consumption goes on, the Earth would soon run out of natural resources. Take this chance to help the Earth. Is one hour too much to ask? I know I'll support this event as it is very meaningful. In fact, this one hour's effect will not be much. We should keep this in mind throughout the year and determine in order to save the Earth. The Earth's ours.

For more information, visit the official Earth Hour website here.

Paranoid much?

Have you ever felt the chill whenever you walk home alone at night and under blocks of HDB flats? Do you feel worried whenever you hitch a ride on a taxi or board the train? Are you always suspicious of your surroundings? Do not fret, you are not alone. In fact, most of us have the same feeling. It's purely human reaction, nothing unusual about it. No, it's not harmful.

I personally am afraid of terrorist attacks, so I try to avoid crowded areas. Before secondary school, I hated taking the bus and always shiver whenever I see a big black bag on the floor. Turns out it was a laptop, false alarm, but that didn't keep me from worrying until I started secondary school where bus rides became a routine. When I didn't think about these, I learnt much more about the society by observing the small happenings.

Why do we worry more about these as we grow up and mature? This is because of our environment. We are mostly influenced by factors such as scary movies, some which are powerful enough to give you nightmares for weeks. No one actually recovers, they grow inner and makes you react the next time such a situation occurs. We also tend to worry during the night as we have the knowledge that thefts usually happen during the night when it's too dark to see the person. Why don't we worry in the morning? Thefts happen then too.

Some of the contributing factors come from security talks. I'm sure everyone have at least heard one talk by the fire defense or police, or watched Crimewatch or even drama shows on the news. Taxi thefts and pickpocketing is oh-so-common in these areas that they tend to make us grow more alert and paranoid.

It is good to keep your worrying at a level as being too innocent and gullible will lead to danger. Yet, being too paranoid is also bad for oneself if it affects your lifestyle and patterns. Ask yourself, do you have this "phobia"?

Bond by bowling

Last Friday was our End of Term Activity for Term 1. It was meant as a break after the tests this term, so it was more fun and relaxing than educational and enriching. Above all, this event gives us a chance to bond with our friends and strengthen our relationship.

No, this event was not meant as a friendly competition or competition of what not. It was meant as a time where friends gather together and have fun bowling. No competition, no ranking, no match. We did have fun.

Bonding with friends let us understand more about each other and this in turn facilitates our future discussions, chats and gatherings. It is heartwarming to see friends cheering for you as you bowl, regardless of whether you are aiming for a strike, a spare, a hit on the pins or even a gutter. Your friends will always be there to cheer you on.

Bowling might seem just like a game, but we treat it more than just a game. We see it as a time to bond, a time so precious that we will value the time together.

And that's how we bond by bowling.

Fulfilling a simple request

Has been a long time since we had a special feature. Here's one to break the post barrier! Today's review is about this book, "Waiting for Normal".

This is a story of an innocent child nicknamed Addie who has only one wish. It's a simple wish, yet finding the solution to fulfill it is like finding a needle in the haystack. Addie's parents have divorced, twice. During Mommer's second relationship, they had two more children, who grew and became closer to Addie as time passed. When they divorced, Addie was separated with her half-sisters, stepfather and step-grandfather and left with Mommers to live in a simple tavern under the train tracks. There, she meets new friends in the minimart across her house and in the process learns about the horrible truth about cancer and adopts a hamster in the process. Mommers started to go out with another guy called Pete and was usually not at home. Addie grew closer to Soula and the others at the minimart. When a fire broke out in the house, Addie was put in the care of Jack, the step-grandfather.

Addie's waiting for normal, but how do you define normal? No changes, or just like the past? Learn and mature with Addie as she overcomes life's problems one after another. Oh, and together with her hamster.

For those whose hearts go out to her, don't fret. She gets half of her normal at the end and lives "happily ever after", but you've got to read the whole story to know how it ends! This is a wonderful story, written in plain words. The story is really touching, especially when you see Dwight giving out his love, care and concern. You can also see the story progress as Addie becomes more independent. She doesn't have a "love for learning", but her curiosity lets her learn much more.

Who is Hannah? Who is Katie? You just got to read the story.

Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

ITWeek: Tribute to Mrs. Dubose

ITWeek: Musical Maycomb

Dill came one summer and Jem was dared,
but physical courage made him not so scared,
He ran up to the oh-so forbidden Radley's mansion,
and touched the roof which caught Boo's attention.

The trio played and acted all summer,
But they never got the chance to know him proper.
Role-played Boo's forgotten past with a bunch of ideas,
And untrue myths made up by this bunch of liars.

The gifts.
Although the short skit made him sad,
But that didn't totally made Boo mad.
In fact giving gifts made him glad.
No matter how much they treated him bad.

It was this courage that Boo had there,
Daring to be in the minority and just stay there,
Because his family didn't go to church,
The religious prejudice left Boo in the lurch.

The gifts.
Two soap dolls, a pair of good-luck pennies.
A broken watch and chain and some chewing gummies.
A blanket during the fire and their lives on Halloween,
And a little care and concern and a hope to be unseen.

This led Scout discover,
On the night she brought Boo home.
From the start Boo meant no harm,
Longing to be a friend, not a foe.

And yet after so much Boo did to them,
their ignorance made Scout sad.
Boo was not forced, but wanted to stay indoors,
and this made Scout feel bad.

You never really know a man until you stand
in his shoes and walk around in them.
Boo dared to be in the minority and stay,
and this courage led him to this very day.

ITWeek: Multiple Intelligence Test

I first took this test on 27 February a year ago when Mr. Spelmer, our Secondary 1 Language Arts teacher, gave it to us. My results then were
"I took a Learning Preference test and here are the top 3 results.
1. Logical (Number Smart)
2. Musical (Music Smart)
3. Intrapersonal (Myself Smart)"
Taken from: http://yjs-pace.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html

Exactly one year later, I took the test again yesterday and I was surprised to obtain a different set of results.
"I took a Learning Preference test and here are the top 3 results.
1. Musical (Music Smart)
2. Visual/Spatial
3. Logical (Number Smart)"

I guess this shows that a person does change throughout a year, and so does his learning preference. Multiple intelligence test... What is it for? If we answer the questions of the test honestly and truthfully, this test will display accurate results that will show how the different intelligences are ranked. From the top intelligences, we can then infer our learning preferences. These will facilitate our learning better if we follow our learning style as we would learn from the direction of what we are good at. We can also maximize our learning potential by doing what we are good at and what we like.

I must say, this is pretty reliable. I'm one that is passionate about music and love challenging problems. Sudoku, anyone?

Balanced on both sides

The past week was a busy test week, with a refreshing new test everyday. Finally, it ended with a big bang on Friday with 2 tests, both going one after another and ending before recess. Therefore, it was considered as a happy occasion for the people of 2A1.

Life is unfair. While we were busy celebrating, the period after Language Arts Lecture, which was Higher Chinese, gave us a surprise when the teacher entered and gave us an on-the-spot test. Its details were only taught 15 minutes before the test. This really dampened our mood, but as what they always say, life still goes on. Most of us did not complete the test. However unhappy we felt, it was over and there was nothing we could do to change it.

During my Chinese Orchestra practice in the afternoon, the conductor did not arrive and thus we were released one hour earlier from the usual dismissal time. Which meant to me that there would be more time to relax at night. This was a good thing and I truly appreciated it.

Alas, just as we walked out of the building and into the open air, it suddenly rained! No, we're not talking about small drizzle and drops, but heavy rain pouring from the sky upon us. How wet we were, I guess it's imaginable. And our instrument casings.

It is rare to chance upon a day when everything goes well for you. Life is balanced on both sides, and whatever good or bad things that happen on you cannot be changed or decided. It's all about fate. And life.

The legend behind it

Good evening to all. Today, I am here to highlight the highlights of the Chinese New Year festival. After this speech, you may have a deeper understanding in this topic and learn to appreciate our Chinese culture better.

What is your definition of Chinese New Year? Is it a study break before the term tests? Is it a time to get as many Red Packets as you can? No, Chinese New Year is so much more. Through this festival, we get to understand our Chinese culture better. Let me share with you the story of Nian. The legend says that there was a ferocious and ugly beast called Nian in the mountains long ago who would come down from the mountains and hunt the innocent people on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month. People were very much afraid of it and locked their doors early before sunset on the days of its coming. An old wise man living in a village thought the monster was so bold and furious because of the panic in people and soon discovered that Nian was terrified of the colour red. Thus, he gathered the people and together they beat drums and gongs, burnt bamboo and lighting fireworks to make large noises to threaten and conquer the hateful monster. He also advised everyone to hang red decorations outside the house to scare the monster away. Alas, it worked and the monster never returned again. Today, there has been many spin-offs of the legend. Although it is completely fiction, it is still interesting to discover such legends and be amazed by how it actually contributed to the origin of the festival.

There are other things to look for during Chinese New Year. One is the bonding time with our cousins and relatives. No matter how distant we are, we are still one family. Therefore, it is important to cherish these visits, especially if you do not meet up often. "Blood is thicker than water", isn't it?

There are also other components of this festival. What do you look forward to? There are the Chinese traditional decorations (mostly Tiger for this year), festive goodies (this one I like best), new clothing and much more. What do you like about Chinese New Year? The discussion is now open to the floor.

Little things do so much more

It amazes me how some of us try so hard to satisfy oneself and others around them. Whereas, little gestures and actions do bring it further.

Of all the talk of giving your seat to the elderly, disabled and those with children on buses and trains, how often do you see these happening? Most of us have the habit of letting others do the job of giving up their seat. If everyone thinks that way, then the elderly won't ever get a seat until he gets off his stop. (or someone else gets down first, if not for another person taking the empty seat) Halfway back home on the bus, an elderly boarded the bus. It was crowded; there was no visible empty seat. Then this guy stood up and gave up his seat. Yes, automatically and willingly. While he stood, he was still smiling and chatting with the elderly. This small gesture brought a smile to my face.

A smile and a small gesture is what we need in our society today. The cashiers always greet us when we purchase, but what can determine whether their smile is genuine or just to keep their job? It makes the difference. The customer might feel it. One that enjoy his or her job is likely to get his or her customers happy. That depends on us.

A smile goes a long way. A little gesture might be much more to someone else. When we greet someone familiar on the street, we make them feel good for the rest of the day. And so do we. We help someone cross the road or lend someone a phone to call. These might not be much to us, but there are always people in our community that needs them much more than we can imagine.

A smile can brighten up someone's day. Bring it forward. Little things do so much more.

CNY'10!

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone! Have a great year ahead! :D

NOTICE

Due to the Chinese New Year celebrations and break, I will be skipping both features of Review Monday and Newsunday this week. They will resume this Sunday on the 21st February 2010. If you have not noticed, the Responsible Blogging Policy as well as a brief introduction to the features of the blog has been added as pages. You can navigate by using the links below the banner.

The runner that solved the maze

Sorry for the late Review Monday! Was busy yesterday, but oh well. Better late than never. (:

Finally, the first Review Monday that is NOT related to a show. Today I'm gonna do a book review, or what we all know as Book Talk, about "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner. It is a trilogy (book with three parts). I've only read the first part, but I enjoyed it and definitely WILL get the next book once it is released. One of my favourite books is "The Hunger Games", which is also a trilogy. I will share this book will everyone in the next possible Review Monday (or just leave it as Friday Book Talk).

Right, back to this book. The synopsis: A guy suddenly finds himself in a lift and transported to another world. The people there work to survive. For two years, they have been sending people into the dangerous maze to find the way out. They believe that the only way to escape this place is through the maze. However, when the first girl arrives in the island and promises no more, they experience a cut in food supply and this confirms that the way out is now crucial for survival. Will they be able to escape and go back to the real world? Read it to find out!

There is a twist at the end of the story. I will not reveal it here; I will leave it to you to find out. This is an interesting adventure story, where lives are controlled by the children/teenagers themselves. I would encourage this to everyone who loves adventure stories. If you liked "The Hunger Games", you will surely like this one.

Rating: 4/5

Luck when the least you expect it

No Newsunday today.

What is luck? It is an element of chance. Luck can be good or bad. Good luck is to your advantage, bad luck is just plainly unlucky. We always hope for 'good luck', but we should never depend on it; Nevertheless, we should never give up, for at the time where all hopes seem to be lost, it appears when you least expect it.

Luck. What can be considered as luck? I'll give you a simple answer in our everyday lives. Gambling. With the opening of the Integrated Resorts and Casinos in Singapore from this year, more people will be taking the chance to strike rich. Yet, "gamble 10 times and lose 9". These people will complain that they are down on luck. Whereas, a lucky streak will make one feel great, wealthy and lucky. It all boils down to luck.

Why "All the best" or "Do your best" before examinations, and not "Good Luck"? The paper's set. It boils down to whether you've studied and remembered enough to complete the paper or not, never a chance of luck. You might argue that the questions just so happen to all fall into the range of what you've studied, but it depends if you actually studied all. "All the best" works better in this context and you will give it your best.

What affects luck? Some people believe it fengshui, which is kind of meaningless to me. Personally, fengshui is just another random Chinese factor to confuse the people and to earn a quick buck. Nothing affects luck. There's only coincidence. Coincidence to the current event. Sometimes, you may even be able to plan and expect it.

In this world, luck plays an important part of our lives. Determination and knowledge are two important factors as well. I wonder, how is luck even calculated?

From 17th February 2010, catch 'Priceless Wonder' on Channel 8 at 9pm on weekdays. It is an anti-gambling drama with no princesses or princes, only other actors including Tiffany Leong and Xiang Yun. Give them a chance, will you?

Nine rules of indices

All the best for your Mathematics Test tomorrow, Acerians! :D

Reunion or not?

Today's Review Monday will be about the current Channel 8 9pm show "Happy Family".
The plot starts from 10 over years ago where the grandfather chased all his children out. He then adpoted a girl called Yang Xiaodong. 10 years later, the grandfather gets a stroke and Xiaodong aims to get all his children back for a reunion. However, it's not as simple as it seems. One of them was hit until she became limp and is unable to give birth anymore; one had swore 10 years ago that he will never return until he becomes rich, which did not happen after 6 failed attempts; the other one married to a Japanese and is under close grip by his wife, not allowing him to go back after being chased away. They have a shop in Chinatown where another Chen Liangcai is hoping for a reunion with his daughter and wife. Will the story have a good ending and will the family reunite?

Until today, I thought the show was only average. I thought it was just a typical show, without the Chinese New Year festive feeling. Thus, the show did not accomplish its objective. However, I thought Rui En's acting as a carefree and happy-go-lucky person was well acted. The others were okay, although I enjoy the family of Mei-e the best (the family of 4). It is really refreshing, though it can be boring at times. The different characteristics of the family members make it interesting to watch.

Rating: 3/5

Beat the bak kwa queue

Chinese New Year is here and everyone are rushing to purchase their festive goodies at the last minute. They look at the queues at these outlets in dismay and then purchase the goodies at market price after a long wait of three hours or more. We also have the smarter ones, who not only get to have a quick purchase, they even get a discount! That's where everyone will be flocking to after the news hit the papers.

I'm sure no one can resist the temptation of a slice of red and juicy bak kwa! Yet, the adults are starting to complain: Chinese New Year is one that will empty their pockets, for not only do they distribute a generous amount of cash to the children in red packets, they also purchase new clothing, decorations and goodies!

If you were kept up-to-date, you would have targeted your purchases at the factory outlets in the Woodlands area! That's right, not only will you be able to purchase your goodies quick, you even get a 5 to 10 percent off selected products. These sales are usually spreaded through the word of mouth and the main customers live nearby. Definitely, by participating in the factory sales, you get to avoid to crowd at their main retail stores at malls and in the heartlands!

While most of the bak kwa stores are holding factory sales, some feel that it is a waste of manpower. Customers also find purchasing bak kwa more convenient in shopping malls, while others think that they can also snatch deals from other companies as the factories are lined up in a straight line.

Whichever way you choose, it doesn't matter as long as you get to purchase it. In your opinion, which way is better?

Rules on the bus go round and round

I take the bus home everyday from school and have noticed that after so many years, people still don't follow the rules. They don't spare a thought for others. Be considerate to others and others will be considerate to you. Here is a recap of 4 of the rules when taking a bus.
Really simple to follow, right? Queuing up is respecting others who arrive earlier than us. Moving to the back of the bus is sparing a thought for others who have no space to get on. No eating or drinking on the bus is making the place clean. Giving your seats to the pregnant, disabled or those who children is being helpful. Often, when the bus becomes too crowded at the front, the bus driver has to shout for the people at the middle to move back. I feel that this is really not needed if people had the initiative. Imagine foreigners in the buses. How will they think about Singaporeans? No courtesy at all?

Same goes for trains. Recently, the fine for eating and drinking on MRT trains was imposed and officers are stationed in most trains to catch those inconsiderate people. Think about it: How much will SMRT have to spend if the carpeted floor was stained? No pets and durians allowed on the buses and trains either as the former might create droppings and the latter might produce a smell that will irritate some. Always allow the people in the train to come out before entering: That's basic courtesy.

Like what they always say, courtesy begins with me.

They make life better

I wanted to do a review on Happy Family, but decided not to as it is still too early to judge and comment on the show. I might do it next week. Instead, here's a meaningful variety show that won the "Best Variety Show" in last year's Star Awards and have come back for a 2nd season.
That's right. Life Transformers 2 is a variety programme hosted by Quan Yi Feng and Christopher Lee. This programme aims to help the less fortunate in life, for example treatments for sickness, work for the jobless, school for the children and house cleaning. Through this programme, we are able to feel for them and see how fortunate we are when we see the other society in Singapore. They have their problems, we have ours, but whose is harder to solve and more important for survival?

It pains to see them suffer without anyone helping. Come on, where have all the kind people in the world go? Fortunately, those willing to help have applied as volunteers. In fact, this process not only helps the less fortunate, it allows them to learn an important life lesson that can only be experienced, not taught. Through this show, we can also see the true side of the two hosts. While filming, they are able to crack light jokes despite of their feelings then. This really stands out to me and I really appreciate their efforts. This show would have easily obtained the "Most-Watched Variety Show" in this year's Star Awards 2010 if not for "The Wedding" of Christopher Lee and Fann Wong.

I personally feel that Quan Yi Feng is a host of her own. She is often asked to host helpful programmes like "Buzzling Cashier" and "Life Transformers 2" as she really can host it. Life Transformers 2 is really a nice and touching programme and we should all watch are remind ourselves to be happy with what we have.

Life Transformers 2 runs every Monday at 8pm for 1 hour with 10 episodes per season.

The pig that ran away

The wolf that dropped into the cauldron was never a real wolf! In fact, it was a Santa-sheep-in-wolf-clothing coming down from the chimney to deliver presents to the good ones. Just as the pig in the brick house was about to celebrate the death of the "wolf", the real wolf suddenly barged in! Turns out that the wolf finally realised that the fastest way in a brick house was through the door and not through huffing-and-puffing. The wolf then, with little effort, gobbled up the last little pig and completed his stomach collection of the Three Little Pigs.

That's where the pig from McDonalds went. By now, everyone should have known about the case of the missing pig at McDonalds to some degree. Just in case you don't, here's a short summary of the incident.

McDonalds outlets in Singapore are selling Doraemon zodiac lucky charms for $2 each with every purchase of a set meal, in which proceeds will go to charity. However, the collectors of these charms with stumped when they saw the whole set:

Where did the pig go? Instead, it has been replaced by Cupid. For several days, there were much speculation and discussion from Singaporeans. One clever forumer even suggested that Cupid sounds like "cute pig" and thus can be considered as one of the 12 zodiac signs. Fortunately, McDonalds explained few days in that this move was done in order not to offend the Muslims and thus replaced it with the Cupid, reasoning that Valentine's Day also falls in February.

For several weeks, there has been much objection to this move. Collectors said that due to this change, they are unable to collect the whole set of zodiac Doraemon charms and thus make their collection incomplete. Muslims have also voiced out that they do not mind as this is not a food, but merely a soft toy and this is not non-halal. Some people have pointed out that this disrespects the Chinese zodiac, which has been around for many centuries.

Alas, McDonalds finally decides to rescue the pig from the wolf's tummy! McDonalds apologises for the action and states that the Pig will be available in mid April.


I guess that's good news to the collectors. What are your takes on this?

"I coulda bin a contender"

Contend with what we have and not be unhappy with what we don't. You can always see things in more than one perspective: Which perspective to look from, the decision lies on you. Take a look at this picture of a gecko and a cockroach:

The gecko won. While the gecko has to fight for food, we get our food conveniently at our nearest supermarket or food store. Still, we complain that our food do not taste nice. Some people in this world don't even get food.

Remember the Si Chuan earthquake a few years back? Now, the people there have not totally overcome the incident yet. What kept the survivors alive was the spirit and the belief that they will survive. These are the optimists. Some of them gave up hope and stopped struggling for that little hope of life. These are the pessimists. Guess who won the struggle.

People really do not know how to count their blessings. Let's view the current big news: earthquake in Haiti. It was a strong one and not to be underestimated. Do you believe that this might be a good thing for Haiti? Ask yourself: Did you know that Haiti ever existed? If you look at it from the bright side, this might actually be a chance to turn the economy around with all those donations from organisations and companies. However, Haiti has dealt a great blow. This will affect its population and advancement as a country. Imagine yourself experiencing this earthquake. How will you feel?

Be contend with what you have. Here in Singapore, we are free from natural disasters. Although we are small, we are noticed because of our unique culture and attractions. Here in Singapore, we live a peaceful life without much interruption. Here in Singapore, we have enough to eat and eat till "I coulda bin a continent". Will you count your blessings?

Time does not fly

It runs. Okay, let's cut Leoj short. I will take this time to share with everyone my views about time.

Time. Remember how our parents, seniors (mouse over) and teachers tell us countless times not to waste time as time flies and is precious? Yes, definitely. Time is precious. We should use our time wisely and do more meaningful things. Here is a story:

"Daddy, how much do you earn an hour at work?" the little boy greeted his father as he came back from work.

His father was surprised by his question and said with a glaring look, "Why do you want to know? Not even your mother knows that. Don't bother me now, I'm tired."

However, the boy insisted and the father eventually gave in, "Twenty dollars per hour."

"Okay Daddy, could you lend me ten dollars?"

Showing his restlessness and positively disturbed, the father hollered, "So that was the reason you asked how much I earn! Go to sleep and don't bother me anymore!"

Late at night, the father meditated on what he said and felt guilty for shouting at him. Maybe, he thought, his son wanted to buy something.

Finally, trying to keep his mind at ease, the father went to his son's room.
"Are you asleep, son?" the father asked.
"No, Daddy." the little boy said, partially asleep.

"Here's the money you wanted to borrow earlier," the father said.

"Thanks, Daddy!" rejoiced the son and he took out another wad of bill from under his pillow.

Upon seeing the money, his father was angered, "Why do you still want money when you already have so much? Do you know how hard it is to earn money these days?"

"Yes, Daddy, but I did not have enough. Now I have twenty dollars!" the boy said.

"Why do you waste this money on something useless? Money is precious!" his father shouted.

Before he could finish, his son said timidly, "Daddy, could you sell me one hour of your time?"

As you can see, time is precious. Too precious to spend it all on work, so do remember to spend time with your close ones. Until here, I would like to clarify, I am not saying studies are not important. No, that is not the point at this time. Here, we are discussing about time, so let's try to put this is another way. Time is precious, so shouldn't we spend our time wisely revising and upgrading ourselves instead of wasting our time? (:

Asking around, you will realise the value of time.
The value of one year: Ask a student that has failed his annual examination.
The value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
The value of one week: Ask a weekly editor.
The value of one day: Ask a daily-wage labourer.
The value of one hour: Ask the lovers who are eager to meet.
The value of one minute: Ask a person who has missed the bus or train.
The value of one second:  Ask a person who has survived an accident.
The value of one milli-second: Ask a person who has lost a race.

Here we have, precious time.

Together, we conquer

As promised, I will be posting drama reviews. However, I decided to expand it to include books, movies and other interesting stuff, so I will just categorize them under "Review Monday". Oh, and to add colour to the blog, I will be posting comic strips randomly, mostly to make my point. That's Leoj in the banner above.

I wanted to complete this review yesterday, but I did not have the time. I will now post, just in time for the last episode tonight at 9pm!

That's right. "Together" is the Channel 8 Year End Blockbuster 2009, running for 36 episodes at 9pm everyday from Monday to Friday. The story is setback to the 1967, right after the WWII ended. It mainly revolves around the lives of 6 friends who live together in a shophouse. The story reflects true events of the past, like the Robinson Fire and the shortage of rice at one point of time in history. $4 eye lash rental, 1967 Car Race etc. stuffs from the olden days that our seniors will remember. As the story progresses, the years increase rapidly and they slowly grow up, getting more involved in the world and relationships. The finale today will end in the 1900s where North Bridge Road will be demolished and they have a final reunion dinner at the shophouse.

This is not just a typical plot. There are not many times where shows are set in the olden days in recent years as usually these shows require more time to prepare and film due to the differences in the time period. Two good examples are 2008's Blockbuster "The Little Nyonya", which caused a sensation and a craze of the peranakan culture, and 2007's Blockbuster "The Golden Path", in which the first few episodes were set in 1980s. There is another one planned in 2011, where the blockbuster will be a musical ("A Song to Remember" - tentative title) and set in the 30s and 40s which 10 original soundtrack. (A chance that it might be filmed in China!) I love this genre of shows as the storyline is refreshing and the characters are interesting to watch. The actors fared well, up to expectation, since most of them are experienced. The bad guys were real bad, and the good guys were excellent. I actually liked the plot when it involved action where policemen were dragged in the scene, but they were slowly eliminated (corrupted) and the last one standing disappeared without a trace. Wrestling was also included as one of the major components of the show.

It would be better if more details were provided and explained in depth, as nearing the end of the show, there were alot of things unexplained, left for the watcher to guess and interpret. However, I have to admit that the linking of the story was amazing, and I hope that Mediacorp will produce more shows of this genre in the future.

Rating: 4.5/5

Doing without an introduction

Kind of impossible. Let's just get this done away with altogether.

Hi, the name's Yue Jun. Before I get started, let's review my Responsible Blogging Policy (RBP), which was compiled by my Language Arts teacher last year.

1) Do not post derogatory comments that will defame others.
Never had this intention to do so. Forgive me if it is unintentional.

2) Do not publish information about yourself like your name, age, address or telephone number.
I guess I just shouted my name out loud and everyone of you should know my age. Now, let me keep this point in mind and keep the last two private.

3) Do not post remarks that are racist.
Keeping in mind this blog's content, this should not happen.

4) We should exercise caution with regards to exaggeration, colourful language, guesswork, obscenity, copyright materials and legal conclusions as everyone is libel for what he writes.
I pledge to be responsible for what I write. You too, be responsible not to copy my posts without permission.

5) Do not post personal photos or confidential information in your blog.
Get this fact right. Stop asking for information.

6) Be respectful of colleagues and peers when posting.
I will.

7) Always check your post thoroughly before publishing it.
Proofreading. Always works miracle.

8) When linking a website, always visit the website first before you link it.
Well, I only link websites if the content is relevant, and to confirm it IS relevant I have to visit the website first.

9) Do not engage in cyberbullying.
That's right, don't bully me.

10) Do not respond to anyone when you are angry.
Whenever I'm angry, I'll start hitting everything I see until my laptop stops functioning. (Just kidding.)

Here we have, the 10 rules in the RBP. I'm glad that it is done... Back to the introduction.

I'm a typical teenage boy like Ah Bao and have favourites and dislikes like everyone do. I'm a fan of local dramas, though I admit that some of them are seriously below average. I'm a music guy and I play the piano and Erhu. Yup, my EP3 is Chinese Orchestra. Don't worry, I will not be posting much about them.

I guess it wouldn't hurt if I reveal my birthday? The big day's 11 June and I'm proud to be a "Geminian". Speaking about birthdays, I think mine was recent, like 6 months ago... I have a sister, and though she's kind of annoying, it is great to have someone to fight with (especially when you win most of the time). I hate wall of texts, so I will try breaking the paragraphs down and summarising each one.

Back to the blog. What does the title, ixploreLife, mean to you? It is straightforward: I will share my experiences in life, as well as explore certain aspects of life. Of course, ixplore = Internet Explorer, so I will be sharing stuff from the virtual world too, though I use Mozilla Firefox. To summarise, I will be posting anything at random. I initially decided on "iexploreLife", but the domain was not available. Oh well...

The slogan. "Random Snippets of Both Worlds". Yeah, I pretty much explained it in the paragraph above. I appreciate your comments, but please keep them relevant. Remember to follow me, and if you are really in a rush, could you just leave a quick tag, like "Tagged!", please? :]

I will stop here for now, else it will turn into a Wall of Text (if it isn't now).

Till then.