Ski Trip - Lake Mountain

The class went skiing today; another one of those activities organised by the school. Which was great! I never skied before, much less seen snow.

It was a cross country ski, not one of those where you get to ski down the mountain - Pity. It would have been extreme, but a great experience. Nevertheless, this was good fun. Spent the late part of the morning and afternoon at the snow, and had much packed lunch - Huge sandwich, which shocked the rest of them. It was a good day of fun, we all enjoyed ourselves. Perhaps the only fun we'll get before the exams.

More of my home.

(Continued from 4th July 2005, Monday – A day, far far away.)

I was going to post this up sooner, like maybe a week earlier. That was when I saw the film "The First of May" and decided to write something about that instead. I took more pictures of the rest of the home and posted them up. It's a small and cozy place to chill in, and I like it here. Contemplating whether to stay here for the rest of the study years or if I should move to the city on my last year. It's going to be costly though. I do want to experience living on my own for a while. We'll see how it goes. I'll definitely stay here for a while.

Desperate for more?

Tonight marks an end to an exciting season of Desperate Housewives. Yes, I do follow the secrets that haunt Wisteria Lane; I'm quite the busybody. The next season should be interesting. A twisted thought did come across my mind while watching the show though; Are you allowed to fall in love with your mother's boyfriend's son or daughter? Argh, what's wrong with me..

Realisation: It's going to be National Day back home. Crap..

A Tribute - The First of May

"I was having the hardest time finding something to talk about last night. Then it dawned upon me, I will talk about something that I had a special relationship with. They usually come in pairs. They demand a great deal of respect; if you treat them well, they will certainly reciprocate the gesture and treat you well too. I've had them since I was born but lost them as I grew older.

Before I go on, how many people still have their grandparents? And how many people thought I was going to talk about something dirty?

I never knew my grandfather; he died before I was born. I will talk about my grandma. Grandparents; they are a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. My grandma taught me my dialect - Cantonese. It was special between us because she was the only one I spoke the language to. She was also the one whom taught me how to play Mahjong. I would pester her ever now and then to play one-on-one Mahjong with me; she would occasionally oblige my silly request.

Grandmothers are the sweetest people. Grandma would be out shopping with my aunt and call me to check if I wanted anything from the supermarket. She would buy things that she thought I would like back for me. Grandparents were the ones that give you that extra pocket money for the toys that your parents won't buy for you. She would, however, make me learn by imposing a little fine on me every time I forgot to switch the toilet lights off.

My grandma suffered from diabetes. She was close to amputating one of her legs because of a wound that did not heal. She went through multiple operations to fix it and being the resilient woman that she was, she managed to save her leg. She passed away just before the turn of the century because of liver cancer. On her death bed, she told me to study hard, and that's why I'm here; hoping not to fail her.

All I'm trying to say is grandparents won't be here forever. If you have a grandparent whom you're close to, perhaps just give them a call just to say hi. I'm sure they'll be delighted. If you haven't been close to them, perhaps it's not too late to start. Thank you."

We were supposed to give an oral presentation in class on any topic that we wanted a couple of weeks ago and this was what I talked about. I decided to include it in this entry because of a film I accidentally caught a while ago.

A Film by Paul Sirmons and Gary Rogers (rated G)
A SHO ENTERTAINMENT Production

Starring
JULIE HARRIS - DAN BYRD
CHARLES NELSON REILLY - MICKEY ROONEY
ROBIN O'DELL - TOM NOWICKI
GERARD CHRISTOPHER - MIKKI SCANLON
and the late JOE DIMAGGIO as himself



First of May - A circus lingo referring to a novice performer in his first season on a circus show.

It is a feel good film but I was truly touched by the story and performance. It reminded me of the oral presentation so I decided to post this instead of another entry I had in mind. If there's any chance of catching the film, give it a go.

Warning - This entry features: Brains

Guess what we had during Psychology today - Yes, brain! I'm studying the central nervous system and we got to handle some for ourselves. I must say that it's an interesting sight; never actually got to see brains that are intact before. The only ones that I saw so far were from cats that had been ran over by passing.. Hmm.. anyway.. I think I should get back to the books. There'll be a spelling test coming next Wednesday for all the words. Can you imagine that? Spelling? At this age? Hmm.. then again, some people can't spell for nuts. Oh well.. h-i-p-p-o-c-a-m-p-u-s. c-o-r-p-u-s c-a-l-l-o-s-u-m. m-y-e-l-i-n s-h-e-a-t-h.

*Note: Sheeps were harmed for this experiment

Missing Out

I had the taste of some familiar food for lunch today - Nasi Rendang. In fact I've had this for 2 days in a row. I hadn't realised that I missed local food so much until I tasted this. It's not too bad for its standard but at the price of AUS$6.90 (S$8.97) after student discount, it was a little pricy for my liking. Normally priced at AUS$7.50, what can I do but succumb? The fragrant rice, the spicy sambal, the tender beef, with crunchy peanuts, ikan bilis and cucumber at the side; an ensemble too tempting for me to resist. It feels like I'm writing to promote this dish but with a name like Changi Village Nasi Lemak, I think it advertises itself.

I realised that there are many things that I've missed out being away: Like the numerous gatherings Da Guyz would have by now, the opening of the City Campus for Singapore Management University, the shift of Citibank (Orchard Branch) from Yan San Building to Macdonald House, and the many In-Camp Trainings.

I realised too that I would be missing out on several occasions: The completion of the Circle-Line, the completion of the Marina Barrage, and my first vote on the Presidential Elections. I would probably make it for the much anticipated Integrated Resorts.

I have been occupied with work and I will be even more. I'll be working on an anthology assignment for Professional Communication, and a report for English. If I hadn't been blogging, it's because I'm tired with writing. It's a pity though, I like the hobby but it takes to much time.