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.)