Kitty Cat

I've Moved!!

2008-09-08T10:52:46Z

Hey people! I've moved to http://kitty-cat-melly.blogspot.com

Can start changing ur links! See ya there! =)

stupid comp!

2008-09-07T14:41:19Z

Im so pissed with my comp right now. The wireless really sucks and i know it's my comp cos my sister is not having the same problem. I've got tons of turandot photos i wanna post and i cant because i cant upload any photos on livejournal or blogger. I cant open imeem cos the page takes forever to load, and even msn takes at least 30 secs to load. Haiz...i hate technology. Wish no one is smart enough to have ever invented it. Then we'll still be in stone-age or sth.

So everyone has uploaded turandot photos. When's my turn??

The arrival of Ah Boy!

2008-09-04T10:52:37Z

It has been more than a year since Jasper left our home. It was on the night of Good Friday that he left. My mum has recounted this over and over again for the past year. She was on her way to church that evening for Good Friday mass and she saw jasper running arnd downstairs. He was his usual active self and my mother fussed over him for 5 mins before she left for church. She told him she'll be back in 2hrs and take him home (this was normal). After that night...we nvr saw him again. My mum has regretted not bringing him home before she left for church. She thought he still wanted to play downstairs and decided to bring him home after church. So it has been more than a year since we've gotten a cat. My father hates animals that can walk arnd the house cos he finds them annoying. He wasnt very fond of jasper cos jasper was really a difficult cat to be with. He was a stray and he would get extremely bored being confined to the house. He only came home to eat, bathe and sleep. The rest of his time was spent playing downstairs. He was also difficult to discipline. Scolding him wasnt an option cos he didnt really care and volume of our voices didnt scare him. The spray can method did work, but only to a certain extent. Jasper was wild. Spaying him didnt really work well either.

So ever since he was gone, we havent gotten a cat cos our area was pending en bloc and getting a new cat would interfere with our future house-moving and stuff. It would also be difficult to get the new cat to adjust to new environments in the midst of us adjusting to our new home after en bloc. The only pet we had this whole time was vodka...melody's hamster for a birthday present.

On Monday morning this week, i was getting ready to go to school. My lecture was at 9am. Melody left 20mins earlier than me cos she had an exam. I wore my shoes, slung my bag, strapped my flute over my shoulder and opened my house door. Then i stared into space for a few seconds and realised i didnt take my vitagen. So i closed back the door, put my stuff down, took a vitagen from the fridge, carried my stuff again and opened the door. And a cat that looked like jasper started meowing and came right into my house. For one moment i thought it was jasper who miraculously managed to find his way home after a year. But the meowing was very loud and jasper has no voice (his vocal cords were broken when he was young). The colour of this cat's fur was also slightly different and this cat is not spayed (i dun see how testicles will grow back). This cat just walked right through my door and started snooping arnd. I took the opportunity when he was curious and afraid of his new environment (cos it will prevent my house from going topsy turvy) to awake my sleeping mother. My mother grumbled at first but jumped up in excitement the minute i mentioned "cat".

She hurried to the living room, saw the healthy-looking cat in amazement and then brought him into the kitchen where she fished out jasper's leftover packet of cat food (it hasnt expired yet!) This cat ate to his heart's content, and meowed alot. And when he was slightly settled down, i left for school. By the time i came back at 12am after turandot performance, the cat was named "Ah Boy" by my sister (Jasper was named by me), and the cat was wearing his new blue collar. He was also sleeping on my bed.

It has been 3 days since his unexpected arrival. We suspect he belongs to someone in my neighbourhood cos he looks so healthy and he was clean when he came. He was only very hungry. But there have been no notices looking for a missing cat put up so until the day someone is looking for this cat, then we will have to part with him. But now...he's ours! Muahaha! He's much more well-behaved than jasper. Very domesticated, doesnt even think of going out. He greets everyone who comes into the house. He loves being near people but is fine with being alone too. He can get overly excited when i play with him. He'll start chasing my legs and biting my legs which can hurt. Melody scolded him just now and he responded very well. He just sat still at her feet and looked at her. He meowed at every sentence she said and after a while he rubbed his ears against her legs as though asking for forgiveness. Lovely cat. He's very responsive too when we talk to him. And best of all, he is litter-trained! =)

So we got our dream cat by chance. But that doesnt mean we dun miss jasper. Sometimes, i still wish he is jasper. Cos jasper is just different in his own way. They may look very much alike, but they are very different in character.

This is Ah Boy =) He has yellow eyes. Jasper has green eyes.

Ah Boy on melody's bed.

Turandot

2008-08-24T07:18:25Z

Alright. I havent been updating my blog in ages! Esp since school started and im super busy again. But this time, im busy not cos of history portfolio, but cos of turandot rehearsals! Yup yup! Im performing in turandot...as a peasant in the chorus. I thought it'll be a stupid role but im quite happy with my costume. It's purple and i have to wear like, 3 layers. I think it's gonna be a...erm...for now im not sure if it'll be a good production cos we havent had one complete rehearsal from the beginning to the end. But we'll see within the next few days. Opening night is this friday. Last performance is next wednesday. I think it's gonna be fun. And there's putinpao! Haha...i dunno what's his real name. His character name is putinpao...and he's the executioner. And he is 199cm tall! So cool!

Yes ying ying...i've got plenty of photos not uploaded. But im so lazy to upload them! There's the vocal platform ones...the turandot rehearsal ones...and wait! We must take photo of our beloved green tea which is currently sold out and that patrick guy cant replenish them cos he's no longer working in the company. Sad case.

Im falling sick again. Must be the turandot rehearsals which have been draining me out. Been having migraine for the past few days...wonder when it'll stop cos panadol cant stop it. The sore throat has just arrived today and the flu has been see-sawing in and out of my body. Sucks big time! Trying to save myself from all these so i can perform for turandot. If not i'll be wasting all the rehearsals i attended.

Kk...im suppose to be doing my presentation stuff now...have to chiong!!! Will update again after turandot. byes!

Pressure!

2008-07-22T15:24:39Z

School has started today for me. Time table....very slack...dunno why. But the pressure is increasing for me! Very slack time table = fewer lessons = more time to practice flute = need more discipline to practice flute! So there. This will be my pressure for this year if not i'll get kicked out by the end of the year for sure. If anyone sees or hears me procrastinating abt my individual flute practices, rmb to scold me ok? Must rmb hor...

So my food poisoning has somewhat subsided and im eating a little more each day. Appetite is really bad though. I used to be the fastest eater among the 4 of us; ying, yol, jiayu and me. And now, im buying my food, taking an empty bowl (the small one for the children) and pouring small quantities into them bit by bit so as not to get a shock with the "huge" portion i bought and slowly eat my way to the "end". Pathetic right!

And i know i've got such a kind lao shi! *hehe. Jiayu, jeremiah, yol and me came back to school after lunch and we met jin lao shi at the lift lobby. The minute he saw me, he immediately ask me abt my stomach. So nice right?? =D

Food Poisoning!

2008-07-21T11:07:58Z

I've just wasted a weekend!! U know...i was supposed to have 2 performances this weekend, honour roll for NBC on saturday evening and band fiesta at the botanic gardens yesterday. But I came down with food poisoning on saturday morning and have been stuck in bed for 2 days in a row. The funny thing is, i ate proper food the day before. I had duck rice for lunch, some gardenia bread thing and i bought nuggets from MJ canteen before band, and after band, i ta pao ABC soup home from my house near-by coffee shop.

At 4am on saturday, i woke up and suddenly felt queasy. So i went to the toilet and threw up once. Then i felt so much better...so decided to drink a bottle of vitagen to regulate my stomach. In less than an hr, i threw up another time. At that point in time, i managed to keep my family asleep and none of them woke up....surprisingly. I decided to go back to sleep and see how. At arnd 6am, my parents were up and about cos my dad was gg for a biathlon (he won the gol medal!), so i woke up again and went to the kitchen to tell them abt me and my stomach. My mum asked me to take one tablet for stomach pain. I told her ok...but i'll go and puke another time first. 3rd time in 2 hrs. I took the pill and went back to sleep. At 8am, i religiously woke up for and threw up for the 4th time that morning and that wasnt all...i had bodyaches all over and i was having a fever. My sister was being nice that morning and sponged me. At 11am, i went to see the doctor, he gave an injection which chased the nausea and pain and fever away, but left me eating practically nothing!

I had to cancel all my piano teaching classes for saturday (much to the parents' dismay but i cant help it becos it's too last minute to find a replacement), i cldnt perform for the honour roll and i cldnt perform for band fiesta either. Im still wondering what i ate that was just so wrong to my tummy. I've got a feeling it's the soup. Cos the gardenia bread and nuggets didnt leave me queasy for hours after that. I didnt eat a single thing on saturday, i struggled to eat a biscuit and er...3 mouthfuls of porridge yesterday, and today, bigger improvement. I managed to eat one biscuit without struggling and most of my mum's macaroni soup. Now, my stomach is a little better. Still uncomfortable at times but im trying to eat more and more each day. Hopefully my stomach will get used to food going in again.

My flute and nafa's piccolo has been left at MJ's band room and now, i've got no instrument. Jialat. Tmr got performance class some more. And i missed band directing class today!! *cries*

Back-to-school preps

2008-07-17T06:05:43Z

School is officially starting this coming monday and i've made my first but huge steps in preparation to the coming semester.

I've finally quit giving tuition to that lazy student of mine. I've spent the last 6 mths putting in a heck lot of an effort into her, travelling to her house twice a week only to see her homework unfinished (4 pages of maths in a week????), teaching her the same thing over and over again and it just doesnt get into her brain at all...and that's not all...her mother keeps on changing the tuition times as and when she likes. If it's a weekday, tuition will be arranged at 8pm and at 7.20pm, she can call me and tell me that they cant make it for tuition. And it didnt just happen once or twice, it happened almost every week! If her daughter is a good student and will just have the discipline and do her work instead of watching tv every single day, i will put up with the teaching. But this has seriously been a waste of my time.

My results for the previous semester havent been that good. A's and B's with an addition of 2 C's and 1 D. That's bad cos i know what im capable of. And im very sure i did place equal effort in my academic work for both my first and second semesters. So i guess it is my shortage of time in practicing my flute, that's why i've decided to give up teaching tuition and teaching piano. At least i will have full weekends for my academic work and i can slot in at least 2 hrs of flute everyday, instead of cramming both flute and academic work in the weekdays and waste entire saturdays teaching piano. It will be a huge drop in my income but what the heck...my studies are more important.

With these 2 arrangements done, i've now got more time to organise my time and balance work and play. So this semester, i shall not procrastinate anymore, and i will have no chances to blame my lag in my homework on exhaustion from travelling arnd and spending whole saturdays teaching piano.

So anyway, since im not teaching piano anymore, does anyone want my job? They're finding replacements. Let me know if u're interested. =)

MJCSB Gold!

2008-07-14T12:49:41Z

It's another Gold Medal for Meridian College Symphonic Band. We took part in the open division category of the National Band Competition and we came in 3rd place with the Gold medal. I played as alumni, piccolo, but i forgot to bring my camera and take photos, so unfortunately, there are no photos.. =(

Now that NBC is over, and school is starting, i still have a couple of activities coming up in these 2 weeks. Since we came in 3rd place, we might have to perform in this saturday for the i-cant-rmb-what-it's-called. Then on Sunday, there's band fiesta at the botanic gardens. So if any of u are free, can bring picnic mats and have picnic k! Next week, aichi meiden is coming to Singapore again!!! I have to rmb to take leave from school to attend the band exchange. I dun even know whether they will allow me to take leave. With aichi meiden in singapore, we're gonna have concert with them next thurs. This is so gonna be fun!

Righty...i havent really blogged abt kenny's birthday. Photos photos!

On the cable car to sentosa!

The view from the cable car =)

Dinner at Barnacles, Shangri-la Rasa Sentosa

This was the grilled seafood platter we shared. It rocks big time! But it costs a bomb though..

This is the view from the alfresco dining. It faces the sea and we managed to catch sunset. I didnt take a picture of it though...heh..

Our little uninvited guest...*bleah!

Singapore's Education System

2008-06-23T14:22:01Z

I read what ying ying wrote on her blog abt Singapore's education system, abt everything having a model answer and all. View ying's blog at http://yingxzi.blogspot.com with the entry she wrote on 18 June 2008. After reading her entry, i did realise that fact, especially within the past few mths giving tuition to primary school kids and jumping back on board the i-have-to-write-the-phrase-good-conductor-of-heat-if-not-i-cant-get-any-marks kinda thing. While thinking abt her entry, i suddenly rmbed sth stupid i did years back...when i was 10 years old.

I was in primary four, and it was the streaming year. So my exams ended earlier than my sister's, who was in P3 at that time. My dad happened to have a Frankfurt-New York flight which lasted for a week, and he decided to bring me along. All my life, i loved books, and it wasnt an exception even when i was 10. So in New York, my dad brought me to some huge bookstore (somewhat like borders or bigger i cant rmb). While browsing books, i had an urgent nature's call, so my dad and i went to the information counter to ask for directions to the toilet. Americans have their ways of giving directions. This lady happened to describe it as "approximately 60 steps to the left". Typical Singaporean kid who goes through MOE education, ie. me, walked to the left and counted 60 steps only to realise that the toilet was another 10 steps away. I can still vaguely rmb telling my dad that the lady was inaccurate.

Gosh! Im actually one of those model answer kids. =(

=)

2008-06-19T08:48:56Z

Went out with ying ying, yolanda and jiayu on two days ago. Havent seen them in a mth and i missed them to bits! Cos we see one another in school everyday and suddenly nvr see them in a mth. Anyways...it was fun fun fun! Esp at suki sushi...we cldnt stop laughing. This is why...

It's just some raddish, two salmon balls and a crabstick with mayo on it...what are u thinking?? =p

me and ying ying =)

yolanda and jiayu =)

After dinner, we went to take neoprints! And i havent taken neos in like....3 years!!! U shld see the machine now man. It doesnt even accept sing dollar...need to change to jap yen.

(click the picture, and then click the picture in the new window again to enlarge) There's still one with a black background that i dun have...can someone scan and send to me or sth???

Then...ying ying had to rush off for some practice thingy...so it was the 3 of us left...and we went shopping. At arnd 9 plus, we grew tired of walking, so we went to an al fresco macs near isetan scotts there...and here's yolanda trying to eat her ice-cream.

I dunno whether it was the really hot weather that made it unsuitable for eating the ice-cream cos it was melting very fast. Or...maybe yolanda dunno how to eat ice-cream...*hehe. =p

After that, we decided to go home cos it was getting late...and our feet were tired from all the walking.

Anyway, i wonder what's wrong with me...been sick on and off the whole week. Lucky thing today got no band prac and i dun have to give tuition cos my student also lao sai like me. Sad case sia...and i've run out of charcoal pills. =(

Girls

2008-06-16T09:28:17Z

Here's a short story...

I've known isabel since sec 1. She was the very first person i spoke to in tkgs and vice versa. Then we sorta changed cliques after the first week, and in sec 3, we got into the same clique and we were good friends again. Then we got into the same JC, and there, i met my classmate gilian and we became good friends. So all along in JC, isa knew gi existed and gi knew isa existed but they were never close. Then came along the Phantom of the Opera which was showing live in singapore. I cant rmb who asked me whether i wanted to go, but i rmbed saying no cos i've already watched it in broadway years back, and i cant rmb how isa and gi ended up watching it together and they became best of friends ever since. I think it's kinda cool. =D

Anyways, after months of busying in school, i finally found the time to spend a day at Sentosa with them.

Isabel. Me. Gilian. at cafe del mar, siloso beach.

We shld meet again soon soon!

My holiday job working at the student care really makes me boil sometimes. Esp when the boys start fighting and i have to peel them apart. And when i have to yell at them to shut up and do their work. It's real annoying. Oh well..i get paid...so who cares?

I got back my semester 2 results. They suck! okay...they dun suck all that bad. Just PS that sucks really bad. I really screwed up that day. But it's over. I must look at the new semester that's coming up and see how i can plan my time again. Academic work is getting more and more difficult. And im getting a little worried abt whether i can juggle both academic and PS. It scares me a little...but at the same time, it's kinda exciting. What's life if there's no challenge. I just need sheer discipline and proper time planning. Hopefully, i'll improve, and i'll live through the next semester with hopefully, better grades.

Grand Copthorne

2008-05-31T15:38:04Z

Hey people!

I've just had a very busy week! My mum does a part-time job as a hostess for this company called terrapinn financial. It arranges financial courses and masterclasses at hotel function rooms, and my mum will be the hostess for some of these courses. Working hours were 7.30am to 6pm. This week, she had 2 courses held simultaneously at Grand Copthorne, and both are at different venues. So i agreed to help her by taking care of one of the courses. It was busy at certain times, like during the breaks when the delegates and lecturer comes out. But the rest of the day is spent slacking, reading newspaper and books. Meals were fantastic! They were all paid for. A huge spread of international buffet (Brio's) for all days except wed, where we had lunch at pontini, an italian restaurant. It was also fun playing host...taking care of the delegates and the lecturer, ensuring their needs are met and all. They were quite an easy bunch to work with...nice and all. And the lecturer at my mum's seminar was damn handsome can! British young chap, tall with deep-blue eyes. Woohoo!

Another highlight of this week....my mother's surprise birthday party!!! Melody and I came up with the idea only one week ago. My mum's birthday was on 29th may, thurs, but we decided to hold it one day later instead cos it's a friday night and my mum wldnt be too tired. So here was the plan (i can finally say it on my blog cos the surprise is over):

1. Since i was going to work with my mum on friday, i wld be spending the entire day with her. My job was to take her out for shopping and dinner straight after work (it was surprisingly not difficult asking her out) while melody prepared the small party at home.

2. Melody got the house ready, the guests ready, the presents ready.

This plan rocked big time! Cos on one hand, i had first-hand knowledge of the movements of my mum and i cld control the time, while melody cld msg me the whole evening and make sure everything is ready by the time me and my mum reach home. I even reminded melody to switch off all the lights at home, to pretend no one was at home, and we even planned to msg when im on the CTE, PIE, and when im turning into my house carpark so everyone could position behind the sofas. I was so excited the whole day, not to mention the whole evening, and i was trying not to give my excitement away, and trying not to be too obvious with the constant sms-ing.

So i let my mum open the house door herself and the minute she stepped in, everyone jumped out from behind the sofas and shouted "Surprise!" together with poppers, and my mum got a huge shock! My sister presented my mum with her birthday cake and everyone sang her a birthday song. My sister bought those trick candles that cannot be blown off no matter how hard u try, and my mum kept blowing and blowing but cldnt blow out her candles. muahaha!

After the small party, i asked my mum whether she was in the least bit suspicious abt this whole event, and she said no...not at all. Surprisingly since she's our mother...haha. But this afternoon, she suddenly said that she has been thinking back and she can finally understand some of the strange things me and melody did throughout this week, and the real reason why i asked her out for shopping on friday night.

Anyway, it was a successful party. Completely flawless! Melody is not my sister for nothing! =D In future if i have two kids of the same sex, i'll definitely make them share one room until they're old enough. Cos it really helps in sibling bonding and understanding. After the numerous arguments and fights and throwing things at one another, it's very hard to stay angry with one another for long cos we still share the same room, the same lights, the same air-conditioning, the same tv, the same dressing table, the same closet and the same clothes...we dun have a choice but to share and communicate in some way. And even though our last quarrel was years ago, and we hardly really sit down and talk to one another, we dun really have to. Cos we can utd one another very well. For example, i'll just leave her alone when she's one of those i-feel-like-being-rude kinda days, unlike in the past, where i'll get mad at her and piss her back. Oh well...i just hope our r'ship wun change when we move to the new house and get a room each. U know what...i'll just make a promise now...that's i'll spend some of my free time in her room sometimes (even though i know i wun be welcomed most of the time but who cares?). Keep the sisterhood alive!

K lah...i've been typing quite a bit. Kudos to those who have actually bothered to read all the way till here. And is sentosa set for wednesday? Oh no! I just realised i've got a new job! Wonder if i can take leave! I dun think so right...leave in my first week of work. Not very nice.

Summertime!

2008-05-21T08:19:22Z

Exams are finally over! They've been over since last friday...i've been too excited to sit down and blog properly since then. It's the summer hols now...although in singapore we wldnt call it summer hols cos it's summer all year round...so im still wondering why my ang moh lecturers in school still want to call it summer hols. Nevertheless, it hasnt rained for almost a week now and the increasing heat is making it look more like summer than the constant rain a mth ago.

Exams were close to a flop. Aural was excellent. MOA was almost screwed up...but i really have to thank ying ying and yolanda for the help the gave me. U see...we were being last-minute for the exam again and we only had the day before to prepare for it. There were 3 distinct parts to the exam and we needed to collate all our notes so we could study, and if we did it all individually we would not have completed much. So we each took a part and did the notes for each part, and we shared all our notes and voila! By the evening, we had detailed and easy-to-study sets of notes to study for the night! I swear i cldnt have done it without u girls so thanks lots! My only worry is that all of 3 us regurgitated the comparison table that was done by yolanda and we were seated side by side in the exam. We didnt copy! We shared notes.

Kenny drove me home in a mercedes! Muahaha! It felt good, despite the fact that he was driving at 70km/h on the highway and i sorta directed him the wrong way and we ended up driving all the way to changi airport and had to u-turn back to my place. And u dun wanna know what happened to the merce after he dropped me off. Nothing much...but bad enough. It's alright dearie...practice makes perfect. =)

I've discovered an inner talent. After all the years of art, after those days of having my dad do all my art homework for me, after eccentric ms ong became even more eccentric having me as her student, i've finally learnt how to tone. It may be easy for some, but certainly not easy for me. And im taking this holiday period to learn how to colour and tone properly. Drawing is still difficult for me cos i cant seem to form shapes in my mind and put them down on paper. But anyway, here's my 2nd "work". It's not very impressive but im still trying...heh...

Mickey, Goofy and Donald!

I'll upload more when i've completed more. *hehe.

Dance lessons are on my list for this summer too. Studio wu offers pretty affordable and flexible dance lessons. I think i'll start next week. Melody said she'll go with me...so i hope she's really gg with me.

NAFA friends...let's go to sentosa again and relive our very joyous experience that we had last year. And christopher...please bring sunblock this time round...we dun want u to be shedding ~~shreds~~ pieces of skin.

Holidays!

Life

2008-05-06T05:55:45Z

Lately, I've been thinking abt what i want to do in my life right now, and for the rest of my life. And it seems that though many might consider 20 years old as young, i would consider it quite old already. If u think abt it, i only have 10 years before i fall into the trap of marriage and kids, and it's so gonna weigh me down for the rest of my life until my kids are my current age and i turn old and grey. If u think abt the last 10 years of ur life, u'll actually realise that time has passed really quickly, and in actual fact, there's nothing much we've all done in 10 years.

Being a current music student, my life is very insecure. Besides having to compete with my peers for the relatively few music opportunities in Singapore, i still have to think abt what i want to do in future. The fact's gonna be music. But what aspect of it? Performance? Teaching? It's still a blur to me...and i only have 2 years left, provided i take the degree, then it'll be 3 years. But what difference does it make? My year 1 officially ends this may, and look how fast time flies.

There have been many things i've been wanting to learn. Like dance and art, and other music instruments. I also want to do some social work...makes life more meaningful. And how much time do i have to actually learn and do these things if i dun start now. How much of life can i enjoy before i tie myself down. Maybe marriage isnt such a good idea anymore...especially since my partner doesnt seem interested in life anyway. All he does is play computer games all day...and sleep (like right now). And all that talk abt networking marketing and the motivation stuff...i wonder where is it all right now. It's not that im not supportive, cos i am and i have always been. But he's not proving anything to me. He brought me to the zoo, after 1 year of considering abt it, and that's abt it. No learning new things or doing sth useful (no more social work anymore, no more attempts to learn drums). It's killing me...cos i cant live like that. I'll just die. He woke up at 11am, and that's fine. Cos i do that all the time. But he's asleep now, at 1.30pm, again. I dun wanna live like that for the rest of my life.

I am so daring right? To write all this here...like he wun read it. Heck! He obviously wun read it! Cos he doesnt read my blog. Dun ask me why...cos i myself dunno why.

Im gonna die of frustration soon. And mind u, i've spoken to him in detail abt this. And i really mean in detail. In fact, i've already spoken to him abt everything i've written here. This means that I've tried. If all I do is complain and complain behind his back, and dun make the effort to tell him how i feel, and then break up with him because "i tried", then that's not really trying isnt it? Btw, i didnt break up with him, that was just an example.

Anyway, i'll see how long i can tahan before i break. Cos i really cant be bothered right now. I have things to do and things to learn. I dun want to bum arnd every single goddamn day!

ciao! =)

Portfolios drives me nuts!

2008-04-29T15:47:59Z

It was the portfolio season again a few days ago. The NAFA list on my msn messenger was filled with green icons, not red, in the wee hours of the morning. It's crazy, really, how much hw we are given. Many people think we're super slack, afterall, it's arts school, not science school, how much homework do we have? Yeah right. Even if we're given as much hw as any other university or tertiary school give, we need our daily dose of instrument practicing. So how much time in a day do we really have to do our work. And our hw isnt just copying from lecture notes...the lecture notes isnt enough for even half a portfolio...we need the library...and esplanade library to be exact. Cos that's where all the arty farty materials are. So there! Nafa isnt easy...at least not for the music dept.

Other than the evil porties, life has been fine. Or more like im not really caring about other stuff much. School's draining...and i dun really wanna think abt bad stuffs. Haiz...what i can i say? Everybody changes...even me...but it's either for the bad, or worse. And nobody can ever be too confident abt themselves, and think they can handle the world on their own...i used to be like that...but i still count on my best friends. And when i mean best friends, i mean those that have been my friends for years. Even though i hardly meet them and hardly talk to them cos of my busy schedule, they're always a call away...and i'll have someone to talk to and help me solve my problems. But that doesnt mean i dun help my best friends with their problems. When they need someone to talk to, Im there too. But then...if they're giving me the wrong info, and im helping them based on the wrong info, what for even talk to me abt it? It wld be a fruitless conversation anyway. Everyone has their reasons, i have mine too. So whose reasons really count?

Sometimes, we think we're just hurting the people we think we're hurting, but in actual fact, we're hurting others too.

Too many portfolios

2008-04-25T16:51:46Z

Picture this in ur head:

‘An aging Beethoven, ill and deaf, conducting the orchestra and chorus in the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, conducting even after they had ceased to perform, after they had reached the end of the stunning new work, after the audience had already begun to applaud, until a singer turned him around so that he could “see” the thunderous cheers that were resounding throughout the hall. The fact that it passed unheard by Beethoven makes clear that he could never have heard a note of this most magnificent composition. Think about that bitter fact, and then wonder that a man so crossed by fate could still demand a choir to sing rapturously of joy.’

This is amazing! Beethoven Symphony No. 9 is such a fantastic work. Youtube it and u'll be able to see it for urself. And poor Beethoven didnt even have the chance to hear one note of it, and there he was conducting his own symphony. I wish he heard how magnificent his work is.

This is what happens to me when i stay up till 3.30am the night before to chiong a presentation; my eyes can hardly open and i have to wear geeky specs to school. This is what I have to do when I get the submission dates wrong, and I actually have more time to complete my portfolios. Stick the submission dates on my forehead.

Portfolios are drving everyone nuts. We have 5 to hand in: Harmony, Singapore Arts Scene, History, Methods of Analysis and Concert Attendance. And they require heavy content. Everyone has been getting all emo lately due to them, and it doesnt help when PS (principal study) exam is round the corner. Good news though...my appeal for the debarment thing got through. So i'll get the credits and advance to year 2.

Here are some photos:

On the day of Beethoven Ninth Concert. Thanx to Ying Ying and Yolanda who curled my hair...i love it! That's Mr Eric Watson. He's the music tech king..haha.

This was our attempt to snap an emo photo. Everyone cooperated...except one obvious one who spoilt the photo: Barley boy!

Yolanda, Me, Ying Ying and Jiayu. Beautiful picture. And i love these girls! They make school fun!

This is in Bali...and that's me parasailing! It rocks man! It goes really really high...and u can even see the end of the island.

I cant upload any more photos...livejournal always screws up like this. I'll upload more the next time.. =)

DEBARMENT

2008-04-10T17:54:35Z

Dear GOH LING YING MELISSA,

As you have not met the attendance requirement, you are thus barred from taking the final assessment for module Performance Projects IB. We will be sending you the official letter soon

Regards
Student Administration

Good Game!

Updates from a very busy life

2008-04-06T17:05:44Z

Right. I havent updated for a month now. Life's been very busy. I realised it's always the case in the second term of every semester. Where all the presentations start piling in, and this means more group work (including meetings) than individual work, and more time has to be spent in practicing instruments cos the exam is nearing. I've been trying to keep my weekends free so far. Weekends free meaning saturday is still devoted to teaching piano but sundays will be spent with kenny and my mum at SIA sports club (i'll come to that later). Additions to my busy life would be the upcoming Beethoven 9th concert this wednesday. It's been hard for all of us in the music department cos every single one of us is involved. It's kinda difficult to explain why...just spend 2 mins googling the phrase "Beethoven Symphony No. 9" and u'll know why. Practices are crazy, and since im in the choir singing soprano, i've got to reach all they way to high A (which pretty much means the second A after middle C...go figure). My throat is killing me and my cough and flu is coming back again. Definitely not good.

Right. About kenny, my mum and the SIA sports club. Kenny and I have decided to make it a habit to spend our afternoons at the SIA sports club every sunday afternoon. We'll swim and gym, and my mum has decided to join us too. My body is weakening alot (i've just recovered from a flu and cough two weeks ago and it's back again), so it'll be good if i can exercise more. So far so good...we've kept our sundays like this in the past 2 weeks including today. And it's kinda fun. Cos not only do Kenny and I get our own private time together during the weekdays, we're spending time and socialising with my mum too. She's beginning to see kenny in a different way, better than how she did in the past. At least she knows how we're like together, and she can understand his character and all. It's cool...a dream come true.. =)

Although things are good with my mum, things arent that good with the other (guess who!). How would u like to be scolded for sth u didnt do? I personally dun like it. And once im sure that im scolded for the wrong thing, i'll speak up and get to the bottom of it. Yeah...i didnt say a hell lot of things the last time i was scolded by him, but surely, he shldnt think it wld be over just like that. The e-mail is still kept in my inbox. And i can refer to it everytime. Sometimes, things dun seem the way they are at the time, but in time, it will all spill out. Even worse still, it sowed discord with my sister. How nice! Breaking up the family further huh. Not so easy. I've changed to be more patient...believe it or not. And i 'll wait. I'll just wait and see.

The thing about my grandmother...well...up till now, i havent really gotten over it. No one talks about her anymore. And even if they do, they just mention the bad stuff she did, and it only occurs randomly in random conversations and the topic usually changes after a couple of sentences. It's sad, really. Considering that this has been happening ever since i came back from Japan in december 2006. She passed a few days before 26 November 2006. We dun even know when. And u dun wanna know why. Just when the funeral was over, i had to leave for japan for a band thing, and when i came home 5 days later, no one talked abt it anymore. All the leftover funeral stuff in the house sort of vanished, and no one cried or mourned over it anymore. It was as though it didnt happen at all. But she's still gone, and i still blame myself for it. And nobody knows. Only kenny, all of u who are reading my entry now and me. My family? I havent been able to open up to them about this. It's gonna be strange doing so, cos they just pretend it didnt happen. When i left for japan, i wasnt done mourning, japan was just a distraction. And when i came home, reality hit me, and i wanted to continue mourning but it seemed as though everyone just moved on from it already. I still cry sometimes, before i sleep, when i start to think of her and the numerous things i could have done to help her and most importantly, love her. I could have moved out and stayed with her and make her feel loved. She hated everyone else in my family, but she didnt hate me. I could have done sth but i didnt. And now she's gone.

Alright. I think im done updating my life. I cant think of anything else that might be different. Although i've got this strange desire to cut my hair short, like shoulder-length. I even dreamt of it last night. But now, my hair is very very long. I've kept it for more than 2 years...and i cant bear to cut it all off. Oh well...maybe a while more. For now, toodles!

Toilet break

2008-03-08T14:24:35Z

Do u know...my body is so weak right now that im prone to falling sick anytime. I have already recovered from that high fever and bad cough, but just yesterday...i was beginning to fall sick all over again. I woke up with a sore throat and my whole body felt very weak. Walking to simei mrt from my house (which happens everyday and is manageable) became an exhausting affair, and sitting and resting in the mrt didnt make me feel better either. In the end i skipped band and went to kenny's house to rest, only to feel even worse cos my whole body felt just like how it did when i was having a fever, just that i could feel the heat contained in me and not expelled out via a fever. I fell asleep on his bed and thank goodness the weather was hot, i was perspiring and when i woke up in sweat, i felt so much better. It's really freaking how frail i am right now.

I went back to MJ band yesterday with donovan and kenny. It was good...i found out that they're preparing for NBC already...and they're playing vesuvius. And Ms Sia asked us to join the band for NBC. Sheena is really walking in my footsteps. The ironic thing is, 2 yrs ago, i was the one not doing well in my studies and Ms Sia didnt let me play for NBC. This yr, sheena is being like me and she's not playing for NBC...so im replacing her. But my schedule is kinda tight right now. It's either i try and change my aural class to some other day or time, or cancel tuition on fridays, or do both. Otherwise i'll nvr be able to make it for practices. We shall see... =)

Another thing i've found out ytd, is that aichi meiden will be coming again this july but sachiko and her batchmates will not be arnd cos they have graduated. Sad case right. Anyway, MJ band will be gg to nagoya again at the end of the yr and this time, alumni is allowed to go. Good news for me is, since we're alumni and we're no longer part of the school, we are a separate lot from the main band and i can use my free ticket! This will really bring down the cost for me and let's hope kenny can go then we can go japan together again! Yay-ness!

I picked this up from isa's blog. I think it's funny man...and i think singapore's wild goose chase is funnier. I cant believe it! Singapore is so small and yet, we cant seem to find him. I dun think he's hiding in some jungle like MM Lee said in the papers today. I think he's somewhere in our HDB. Maybe someone's housing him and if he doesnt come out, how the hell are we to find him? Knock every HDB door? But if he's in the jungle, he cant really hide cos the dogs will find him and he cant run very far off cos he'll be caught up with somehow. If he's seeking refuge in some HDB flat...no one will find him.

And he's really a pain in the ass...either that or the singapore police are a pain in the ass. Kenny cant take leave on my birthday cos he's not caught. So i think i'll be spending my birthday in school...practicing my flute maybe..sad case! =(

Professionalism

2008-03-06T12:10:23Z

I swear i could almost burst into tears in anger! I went to school this afternoon, excited at the thought that i practiced my flute and that im gg to have PS (principle study). I walked into school, saw andi, said hi and we marvelled at the fact that we're so not used to not seeing one another everyday cos it's the holiday now. I wasnt really in the mood to speak in sentences...so i just said PS, PS, PS when i walked along the corridors and suddenly, andi said there's no PS. (andi is not even a flautist...he's a trumpeter...and he knows there's no PS!!) I thought he was bluffing again...cos guys just love to bluff...but he wasnt! I saw jeremy lim...and jeremy said no PS! And i travelled all the way to school for nothing!

Jin Ta forgot to msg me. He msged everyone else to inform them of the change to saturday and he forgot to inform me! I was so pissed and frustrated that i started throwing tantrums to the wall...kicking and punching it. This isnt the first time. It has happened before. And im wondering what a huge difference one week of not appearing at PS makes. It seems that he has forgotten me. He has freaking forgotten my existence. Im wondering...am i that insignificant in his life? I know im not the best player there is...but im sure im lousy enough to keep my place in his memory! He wasted my time can. He wasted my travelling time!

So...after that...i went shopping with my sister. Quite productive i must say...i bought a new book, a new bikini for bali trip next week, a matching pair of ripples slippers and body lotion. Spent less than 100...which is good. Im suppose to be saving money. I still need to buy a new pair of black shoes for concerts. My boots are wearing out.

Anyway, NAFA wind ensemble performance at Botanic Gardens this sunday, 6pm! Bring ur picnic mats and enjoy the music! =)

Updates updates...

2008-03-04T12:50:24Z

I swear this page is at a point where readers are slowly deciding not to come here anymore. I've been so busy and life has been on a roller coaster for so long, that i find my posts having no storyline to follow. So since i've reached the middle of my semester, it's time to look back on how well, or rather how bad, i started this year.

The first day of this new year wasnt even good to begin with. I was faced with an old problem, one i decided to conquer first thing at 7am in the morning, only to realise a month later that i didnt do well enough. Nevermind what the problem was...the point is, i made a resolution, kept it on day one, and it disappeared by the end of the month. And right now (tt's the most impt part of it right?), im stuck with plenty of insecurities and a 2nd mind which has trained itself to psycho me in the right path (the beauty of being a piscean - two fishes, two minds).

Like relationship woes werent bad enough, family woes had to add to the bad beginning. After sitting down and making a resolution to try and repair the damage made for the past few years (by saying this, i dun mean im entirely in the wrong, neither do i mean that im entirely in the right). Anyone can guess that my efforts obviously failed cos there was no one else on the same frequency as me.

So there was chinese new year to make things better. It was a good rest, a better start to "another new year". I learnt alot from those few days kept off somewhere. It was like a holiday...a vacation. I was with completely new ppl in a completely new place (in singapore), away from the tension in the house, away from all the homework and music and responsibilities, and did nothing but play and slack and play.

And then came the dreadful huayi and chingay performances which were a total waste of time. We weren't even paid...let alone be aired on tv. I bet we werent even seen at the padang, i mean, walls of the supreme court. It was tiring, tiring cos we had to wait alot and stand alot, and sing for no one to listen cos we were lip syncing. Anyhow, there was more than enough time for cam-whoring and time to spend with friends (like time in school isnt more than enough). I have pictures. I think i said this before...but im too lazy to upload them. Here's one though:

Last week was an unfortunate one for me. I had a high fever...one that went all the way up to 39.2 degrees celcius. I even had to perform on stage for my band concert, with that ghastly fever. I swear i could have fainted. I then skipped school for the next few days cos the doctor gave me a jab in my butt and placed me on mc. I have been afraid of needles my whole life (after countless visits to the doctor and hospital), but i guess, no matter how much i didnt want that awful jab, i knew i needed it. And that's that. The fever finally died down and here i am...living the last bits of a bad cough and typing this all out in the middle of my semester break, aka. study leave.

Im suddenly at a lost for words. I dunno what else to talk abt. I dunno what u all wanna know. I dunno who's reading my blog too. But i guess, it doesnt matter. I'll just say that i'm hoping for what's best tmr (yes, TOMORROW! it's a day to feel insecure again), and the days to come. There will be many things for me to look forward to, some of those being my 20th birthday which will be in a week's time, and my Bali trip right on the next day...and missing even more school which sucks like hell cos im actually at a lost as to what's gg on for methods of analysis and history. Whatever it is, i have to face it and enjoy it while it lasts.

anger management

2008-02-29T14:31:42Z

Unhappy things always happen because of me. As much as i try my very best to prevent it, i tend to slip sometimes. But who doesnt?

I know i always have the impulse to shout when im pissed or angry. And trust me, i used to be much worse. More often than not, i dun mean it, cos it just comes straight out of my mouth. More often than not, i dun realise it either, cos im so used to being the way i am. But am i trying to change? Yes i am. It doesnt happen overnight u know...it takes time, esp when it's a habit i've been having ever since i cld talk. And who are the people who can help me change? My friends right?

Before i shouted, there were another two similar incidents where i kept my mouth shut. How come no one acknowledges that? In the past, i admit, i wld shout at any little thing that pisses me off. But now, im beginning to control myself. That day was the third time it happened...and it really pissed me off.

Here i am, trying to change. But there are times, like i said, that i dunno where i go wrong, cos it's a habit kept with me since i cld talk. If no one is gg to tell me where i go wrong, then how will i know how to change? Then how can u say that im not trying to change?

Im not an unreasonable person. Maybe im only unreasonable when im really angry. Who isn't anyway? But if there's sth abt me that displeases anyone, then just tell me...online, face-to-face...whatsoever. Dun just keep it to urself and talk abt me to other ppl. What's the point of telling other ppl? Will i change if u tell another person?

Im really sorry for shouting. But at the same time, i really hope people, esp my friends, can tell me where i went wrong instead of keeping quiet abt it. Cos if u really want me to change, the only way is to tell me where i went wrong. Like christopher told me that i shldnt write abt the "family" thing. I listened and i removed it.

Lastly, there's someone who has completely nothing to do with this, and is picking on me. I didnt even shout at him! I didnt do anything to him...and he's picking on me.

My new pink laptop!

2008-02-22T13:09:07Z

I've finally gotten a laptop! After a super long wait, my mum decided to help me pay for it, and i'll pay her back in monthly instalments. And it's pink! It's a dell inspiron, and i bought it from courts. This will be my baobei no. 3. *hehe. And there's a webcam too...so chyi...we can webcam tgt. haha.

I've fallen sick again. Like what's new right? Only that this time, i got the cough from my sister. We share the same room, she coughs every 1 minute, and so the germs all spread to me. So...does anyone want to fall sick? I've got a quick way for u to do so. Just spend a night in my room, and u'll be coughing till the cows come home!

Next week will be a hectic week for me. I've got a harmony test coming up, im suppose to submit 3 history journals and i havent even started on one, and there's the band concert on tues evening at NAFA theatre, where u'll here yours truly trying to control a relatively small and deafeningly high-pitched instrument which can run wild when it chooses to.

I've actually got plenty of photos to upload. But im so lazy to do so. Another day i guess. Im too lazy right now. After a hectic day and a history presentation, i just feel like slacking the whole night. Tmr still have to teach piano. Let's just hope they practiced. =)

Chinese New Year!

2008-02-10T12:55:39Z

After all the years of chinese new year, this year's was the best. If a certain someone reads this entry, i might get another thrashing session, but it doesnt matter...it's too wonderful to not talk abt it. Unfortunately though, i dun have any photos...and there's a reason for it which i will explain later.

Chinese new year eve was spent at my ee po's house (my grandauntie's house). We has our annual reunion dinner...steamboat. The two naughty girls were there...chloe and celeste. They are so adorable can. Kept playing with the sparklers and me and melody had to play with them. But it was fun reliving my childhood days. =D

The 1st day of chinese new year was a meet the parents session. Melody's bf and my bf came over to pay respect to my parents. It was better than how i expected it to be...but it was far from how i wished it to be. Anyway, it was a big step forward for us, and im looking forward to more occasions like these. Just hope it'll get better with time. Xiao gu came over and had lunch with us. Thank God she didnt give us an interrogation session. But im happy she's supportive. Her support to me is pretty important...afterall, she's the closest aunt i've got and she did play a part in my growing process...with all those trips to the library which clearly increased my interest in learning. After lunch, the guys left to do their own visiting and my family made our way down to the chinese temple to pay respect to my late paternal grandparents and my 2nd aunt who has already passed away. It has been a few years since i've stepped into the temple. It was good to be able to experience it all over again. Then, we went to visit my mum's godmother. Nothing much there...just the regular visiting. Then it was paying respects to my late maternal grandmother and great-grandmother. Honestly, i kinda miss her. Esp after talking to melody abt her last night. It was actually the first time since her death on 26 nov that we've seriously spoken to one another abt how we felt. And it seems that we share the same sentiments. Visiting with my family ended there...and then began the visiting of kenny's family.

I can still rmb how i felt when i entered the chalet. I was faced with 40 new faces. They were watching tv, playing mahjong, playing blackjack, children running arnd, eating...i have nvr seen a family with so many ppl before. Before i cld even settle down, the adults were pushing ang baos into my hands. I was receiving one after another, and i didnt even know them. What amazed me was that kenny's relatives were not exactly closely related. It was too tedious for him to slowly explain to me the origins of the people there, but he mentioned 2 along the way. There was an old lady who is his grandmother's sister-in-law (can u believe it?! grandmother's sis-in-law), and another who is his auntie's cousin. His m'sia relatives also came, but they werent all of his m'sia relatives. There are still those on his father's side who didnt come.

The place was close to chaos...there was food everywhere. The frist night was bbq...and two bbq pits werent enough for everyone. Eating of chicken wings needed "call numbers". There were not enough tables to eat at...and some of us had to eat in the living room. There was steamboat in the next few days. Imagine having 8 ppl sitting arnd one steamboat, and another 10 ppl standing arnd the same steamboat. And everyone is eating steamboat without ladles. I've nvr experienced that and it was kind of a shock for me...cousins, aunties, uncles, grandmothers...all just throwing food into the steamboat for themselves AND for other ppl. There was no such thing as fighting for the food in the steamboat, or complaining abt who took whose food. It was communal. If i wanted sotong, i'll throw in not only 2 pieces for myself, but a few more pieces so that in case someone else takes my sotong, i still have some for myself. There was no such thing as "this food is mine and that food is yours", everything was for everyone. And i liked that.

There was also plenty of time spent with his family...watching tv, playing blackjack. The blackjack part was shocking for me too. Do u know what was the age group for blackjack? There was no age group. The youngest were primary school kids and the oldest was kenny's grandmother. There were all ages in between. And everyone, be it children or adults, were betting 2 bucks per round. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I've nvr seen children that young playing blackjack. It was fun...and kenny won 50 bucks overall! =)

I duuno what else is there to say abt this chinese new year of mine. Most importantly, i finally managed to experience sth i've always wanted to experience...spending time with people. Doing nothing but sitting arnd with ppl, watching tv, playing games, building bonds. From not knowing any of them the first time i stepped into the chalet, to engaging in conversations with them. Imagine! Within 2 days, i was talking to emily and chelsea (kenny's kid cousins) like how i speak to chloe and celeste. It was a bit difficult to suddenly adjust to spending afternoons with so many ppl. Kenny was hesitant abt bringing me to the chalet at first...for fear that i wld not be able to face so many ppl at one time. He was so afraid i wld get a shock cos my house has only a maximum of 4 ppl, and family gatherings of mine did not exceed 10. I was also a little scared abt having to face so many ppl at one time..but i managed to get my fair share of being alone in the afternoons. There was a hammock that was tied to a lampost and a tree. And it was suspended in the backyard, further away from the 30-40 ppl in the noisy house, and it provided me with time alone to regulate myself. It's true that im not used to being with so many ppl at one time, and im usually alone most of the time. That hammock provided me with time for myself...and it was so shiok can! It was 5 plus 6pm, and i was lying in the hammock under the shady tree, and the wind was so strong, the hammock managed to rock me to sleep. Bliss! =)

Want to know why i've got no photos? It was cos no one whipped out a camera...so much so that it wld have been so weird for me to whip out a camera and start snapping photos. To me, it was a new experience, but to them, it was normal and so they didnt even need to take pictures. It probably happened so often that there was no big deal in keeping pictorial mementos. It was fun. And i want to experience it all over again. =)

Cheena pok!

2008-02-02T15:54:00Z

OMG!! Im so busy i dun even have time to update this page! I have been "conscripted" into performing for chingay and huayi festival, and although the chingay rehearsals have not begun, i can feel it coming, and the huayi rehearsals have begun. I can die from singing chinese songs man...and standing there for almost half an hr, waiting 300 over bars before we can all sing our parts...and then waiting for another 200 bars before we can sing the next part. I swear my legs were giving way, and i cldnt help but fidget when it was getting boring. Nonetheless...i feel it's going to be a good performance...as long as someone wun blast her head off and spoil the chorus. Singing these songs also brings sentiments...esp since these were the songs my late grandmother loved...and although i have no recollection of her singing these songs to me, i can always hear her voice singing the same words i sing, with the cracking voice that comes with the beauty of age.

I've also got newfound unnecessary stress in my life. I love school...but someone is out to make life in school a fearful one for me. I can imagine myself dodging the fifth floor fire lift lobby, and sending my friends to walk ahead of me so they can tell me who's right in front. Sometimes, i just dun utd ppl. I dun utd why they must make things difficult for me. I've already done my part and ~~draw~~ paint a thick, clear line, but they just dun get the picture. It's right smack in the face, and yet....haiz...maybe i dun look like the faithful sort. But there goes my double personality again. There's a part of me that doesnt show on my face. But trust me, i am faithful, cos i've nvr once wavered in this past 2 yrs.

Chinese new year is coming...and im getting pretty excited! I'll be meeting new people...i just hope they'll like me. I'll probably be experiencing sth i've nvr experienced before...that's why im excited. It'll be another few more days...i'll just wait. And pedicure on tuesday with ying ying! I'll have nice nice toenails! =) =) =)