First things first. Tag replies. I think this is the first time in goodness knows how many aeons i'm replying tags on a post.
Yilin: Yeah, growing old sucks! imagine having a 2 in front of your age instead of a 1. The AGONY!!!
Chai: You got a blog? Wanna pop by urs too, if you haf...
Gracelim: Ok la, next time I try taking less unglam de k?
Mervyn: YOYOYOYOYOYOYO~!
Jasvinder: Well, your patience has finally paid off haha... Wasn't it worth the wait?
Ok, so heading into the entry proper. What do I have to talk about?
Let's see... SD Anniversary is looming up this Saturday. Rehearsal tomorrow afternoon. I promise I'm going to push aside all my problems and focus on making the SD Anniversary Panel Sharing a success! Watch me~!
And thanks to all the recommendations by 4D1, I bought "To Kill A Mockingbird" yesterday at Harris after my physio. The first few pages was boring with a capital 'B'. But after I ploughed through those, I really can't put the book down le. And after I finish reading it, I think I'm definitely gonna be able to appreciate the musical put up by CTSS better.
I need my sleep... urgh...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
SD Anniversary is looming up this coming Saturday. Panel sharing seems to be becoming more stressful. I've been assigned to be one of the speakers for the first session, meaning ASD won't be seeing me on stage. Not sure whether I should be happy about that. I know I shouldn't complain about being in the panel and I won't, becuase I really really need the good fortune from this if I want to successfully down pes. >.<
That's basically what's been on my mind these past few days. I guess it's because I really want this panel sharing to be a success that I've been so worried about it ba. Definitely a good sign! =D
Talked to Chang Jye on Saturday. He did assure me of having a big role to play in our upcoming May institution meeting. I really want to give my all for ASD before I leave for NUSSD this June!
Went for Nic Lam's birthday party yesterday. Actually not really much of a party la. Just some ASD people gathered together to play PS2, mahjong, piano and eat. Haha. Not that I'm saying it wasn't good. The atmosphere was great~! Nice and cosy when it's just a small group. Really enjoyed myself playing mahjong and piano. Not that I actually played it properly, just merely tapped out some melodies on the right hand. I can't play accompaniment for nuts.
Still thinking about 4D1'08 every now and then. I hate it that they moved on to pre-U education. I hate Time for pushing me ahead. I hate to move on.
To all 4D1-ians who watch this space, I plan to organise a 4D1 outing this coming March hols. Most probably on Friday. So please tolong qiu qiu ni men keep that date free k? Thanks loads~!
That's basically what's been on my mind these past few days. I guess it's because I really want this panel sharing to be a success that I've been so worried about it ba. Definitely a good sign! =D
Talked to Chang Jye on Saturday. He did assure me of having a big role to play in our upcoming May institution meeting. I really want to give my all for ASD before I leave for NUSSD this June!
Went for Nic Lam's birthday party yesterday. Actually not really much of a party la. Just some ASD people gathered together to play PS2, mahjong, piano and eat. Haha. Not that I'm saying it wasn't good. The atmosphere was great~! Nice and cosy when it's just a small group. Really enjoyed myself playing mahjong and piano. Not that I actually played it properly, just merely tapped out some melodies on the right hand. I can't play accompaniment for nuts.
Still thinking about 4D1'08 every now and then. I hate it that they moved on to pre-U education. I hate Time for pushing me ahead. I hate to move on.
To all 4D1-ians who watch this space, I plan to organise a 4D1 outing this coming March hols. Most probably on Friday. So please tolong qiu qiu ni men keep that date free k? Thanks loads~!
Monday, February 16, 2009
I took the poetry test on Sin Yee's blog and I'm quite impressed with my own results. 7/11, which I think is not too bad a score, given the fact that I let go of Lit after sec 2. hahaha... anyway, if you're interested, here's the detailed score sheet. (My answer for each question is in bold) My entry continues after the results, so scroll down to read the normal font if you aren't interested in the results (results in italics)
Your General Poetic Knowledge Score is 7 out of a possible 11.
0-3 You do not yet possess enough knowledge of general poetic terms, structure, forms, and techniques to be considered knowledgeable in this form of literature. An Educational course on general poetic techniques would benefit you greatly.
4-7 You have a good knowledge of general poetic terms, structure, forms, and techniques. People at this level have generally taken basic or advanced level poetry courses, or have spent considerable time in studying this form of literary endeavor. Improvement from this level can be achieved relatively easy as you already have a good basic foundation of knowledge.
8-11 You have an excellent grasp of poetic form, structure, and technique. People at this level have generally taken advanced-level study in literature or have completed advanced poetry courses. They have often spent considerable time writing, developing their own poetic "voice," and their own techniques. People at this level, particularly if they can apply their knowledge of poetic form and structure to their own work, are considered among the most talented of poetic artists.
Your answers to individual questions, and the correct answers, are as follows:
1. Consider the following poem:
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
The age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
Robert Herrick, 1591-1674
What is the theme of Herrick's poem?
a. Marriage is most successful when a couple is young.
b. Youth is best spent in ease; there is time enough in later years to accomplish our goals.
c. We must take advantage of the opportunities afforded in our youth because youth is fleeting.
d. Everything eventually dies, thus, nothing we do is truly important.
Answer = C
The theme of Herrick's poem is carpe diem--seize the day. The narrator pleads with the virgins to make the most of their youth. Youth, declares the narrator, is the best age, but once youth is gone, it and all the opportunities afforded by youth are never to be regained. Option B is exactly opposite of Herrick's intended message.
2. "A cement mixer collided with a prison van on the Kingston Pass. Motorists are asked to be on the lookout for 16 hardened criminals" is an example of a:
a. symbol
b. homonym
c. paradox
d. pun
Answer = D
These sentences provide an example of a pun. A pun is a word or phrase, sometimes referred to as a play on words, that suggests multiple meanings or interpretations. The pun in this example is "hardened"; it suggests that the criminals have become stone-like because of the cement and that they are also pitiless and unfeeling. A symbol is an image that stands for or represents something else. A homonym is a word that has the same sound and the same spelling as another word. A paradox is a statement that contains seemingly contradictory elements or appears contradictory to common sense, yet can be true when viewed from another angle.
3. Choose the line that best concludes the following poem. Consider rhythm, rhyme, and meter.
The little town and river grew as one
And played as children on the valley floor
In stormy weather if they scrapped for fun
a. They always liked each other again soon as they did before
b. This only made them like each other more
c. It was because it often rained without measure
d. They did so only when it would pour
Answer = B
Each line of the excerpt is written in iambic pentameter: five iambs per line. An iamb is a metrical foot of two syllables; the first syllable is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed. The only answer choice also written in iambic pentameter is B.
4. In the following excerpt from "Doc Hill," written by Edgar Lee Masters, who is the speaker?
I went up and down the streets
Here and there by day and night,
Through all hours of the night caring for the poor who were sick.
Do you know why?
My wife hated me, my son went to the dogs.
a. Doc Hill
b. Edgar Lee Masters
c. Mrs. Hill
d. An omniscient narrator who does not appear in the poem
Answer = A
The answer must be Doc Hill. The use of "I" eliminates the possibility of an omniscient narrator who does not appear in the poem. Likewise, the mention of "my wife" in the last line eliminates Mrs. Hill as an answer choice. While Edgar Lee Masters wrote this poem, one should never assume that the narrator of a poem is also the poet. The narrator is Doc Hill, a character invented by Masters, who recounts his life through this verse.
5. "A litany of little linnets alighted on the lamppost" is an example of:
a. dissonance
b. consonance
c. alliteration
d. refrain
Answer = C
The repetition of the "L" sound at the beginning of several words in this sentence indicates alliteration. Consonance is also a repetition of consonant sounds, but the consonant repeated appears at the end of words, rather than at the beginning. Dissonance is the mingling of harsh, inharmonious sounds that are grating to the ear. To the contrary, the alliteration used in this example creates a pleasant, rhythmic sound. A refrain is a phrase or line, generally important to a poem's topic, that is repeated word for word at regular intervals throughout the poem.
6. Identify the rhyme scheme in the following poem:
If We Must Die
If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Marking their mock at our accursed lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
O kinsmen! We must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!
Claude McKay, 1889-1948
a. aabbccddeeffgg
b. ababcdcdefefgg
c. aabbaabbcdcdee
d. aabbaabbccddee
Answer = B
Rhyme scheme is determined by assigning the same letter to lines that rhyme with one another. Thus, line 1 ("If we must die, let it not be like hogs") and line 3 ("While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs") are assigned the letter "a." In the same manner, lines 2 and 4 are assigned the letter "b," lines 5 and 7 are assigned the letter "c," and so on.
7. A poem must contain which of the following?
a. rhyme
b. stanzas
c. meter
d. none of the above
Answer = D
A poem need not contain rhyme, meter, or more than one stanza. Free verse, for instance, relies upon natural speech rhythms to convey meaning; few, if any, formal elements are used.
8. Consider the following poem:
Symphony in Yellow
An omnibus across the bridge
Crawls like a yellow butterfly,
And, here and there, a passer-by
Shows like a little restless midge.
Big barges full of yellow hay
Are moored against the shadowy wharf,
And like a yellow silken scarf,
The thick fog hangs along the quay.
The yellow leaves begin to fade
And flutter from the Temple elms,
And at my feet the pale green Thames
Lies like a rod of rippled jade.
Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900
What literary device is used in every stanza?
a. metaphor
b. hyperbole
c. personification
d. simile
Answer = D
A simile is used in every stanza of Wilde's poem. A simile is a comparison between unlike objects using the words "like" or "as." Lines 7 and 8, "And, like a yellow silken scarf, / The thick fog hangs along the quay," provide a good example of a simile. A metaphor is more than a comparison; it equates one object or idea with another. Charles Simic's statement, "Poetry is an orphan of silence," is an example of metaphor. Hyperbole is language characterized by extreme exaggeration ("I could eat a horse."). Personification is a literary technique used to endow inanimate or inhuman objects with human traits. "The wind whistled a tune" would be an example of personification.
9. An antonym for frigid is:
a. cold
b. tepid
c. sweltering
d. freezing
Answer = C
An antonym is a word that is opposite in meaning to another word. Since "frigid" means extreme cold, its antonym is "sweltering," which means extreme heat. "Cold" and "freezing" have meanings similar to "frigid." "Tepid" only means lukewarm, which is not exactly opposite in meaning to "frigid."
10. Consider the following poem:
On My First Son
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;
My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy:
Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
O could I lose all father now! For why
Will man lament the state he should envy,
To have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,
And, if no other misery, yet age?
Rest in soft peace, and asked, say, Here doth lie
Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry.
For whose sake henceforth his vows be such
As what he loves may never like too much.
Ben Jonson, 1572-1637
In what style is Jonson's poem written?
a. blank verse
b. sonnet
c. rhyming couplets
d. rhyming tercets
Answer = C
A couplet consists of two rhyming lines, usually of ten syllables each. "Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; / My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy" is the first example of a rhyming couplet in Jonson's poem. Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter. A sonnet consists of 14 lines written in iambic pentameter, usually containing one octave and a sestet, or three quatrains and a couplet. A tercet consists of three rhyming lines that work as a unit.
11. Consider the following poem:
When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer
When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.
Walt Whitman, 1819-1892
Whitman's poem is written in what style?
a. sonnet
b. haiku
c. free verse
d. terza rima
Answer = C
Whitman is considered the father of free verse poetry. Rather than employing rhyme or meter, Whitman uses natural speech rhythms to endow his poetry with musicality. A sonnet is a 14-line poem of iambic pentameter, usually broken into an octave and a sestet or three quatrains and a couplet. A haiku is a Japanese poem of only three lines; the first and third lines of a haiku have five syllables while the second line has seven. Terza rima consists of tercets written in iambic pentameter with an interlocking rhyme scheme.
Ok, so much for my Lit knowledge. Valentine's Day passed not so normally this year. Don't get any ideas. It didn't pass normally cuz i normally don't perform at the Arts House. But my performance was a pretty shitty one la... the first 2 shows were like crap... But i was relatively pleased with my last one... ^_^ and kudos to aven, yilin and darrin who came down to support me! So sorry u guys had to hear the shitty performance... went out with my fellow bachelors from ASD after that... went to mac talk cock a bit... laughed and basically just chilled out a lot... oso met up with a few of the SUJ ppl... but didn't get to talk much to them la... hope i can get to invite them to my zadankai this week.
Alumni BBQ the day before V Day was not bad too... saw my 4D1 '08 ppl again~! ^_^ e gals are reli hooked on jump shots... got CTSS carnival coming up on 18 Apr... should i go? lolz...
Your General Poetic Knowledge Score is 7 out of a possible 11.
0-3 You do not yet possess enough knowledge of general poetic terms, structure, forms, and techniques to be considered knowledgeable in this form of literature. An Educational course on general poetic techniques would benefit you greatly.
4-7 You have a good knowledge of general poetic terms, structure, forms, and techniques. People at this level have generally taken basic or advanced level poetry courses, or have spent considerable time in studying this form of literary endeavor. Improvement from this level can be achieved relatively easy as you already have a good basic foundation of knowledge.
8-11 You have an excellent grasp of poetic form, structure, and technique. People at this level have generally taken advanced-level study in literature or have completed advanced poetry courses. They have often spent considerable time writing, developing their own poetic "voice," and their own techniques. People at this level, particularly if they can apply their knowledge of poetic form and structure to their own work, are considered among the most talented of poetic artists.
Your answers to individual questions, and the correct answers, are as follows:
1. Consider the following poem:
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
The age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
Robert Herrick, 1591-1674
What is the theme of Herrick's poem?
a. Marriage is most successful when a couple is young.
b. Youth is best spent in ease; there is time enough in later years to accomplish our goals.
c. We must take advantage of the opportunities afforded in our youth because youth is fleeting.
d. Everything eventually dies, thus, nothing we do is truly important.
Answer = C
The theme of Herrick's poem is carpe diem--seize the day. The narrator pleads with the virgins to make the most of their youth. Youth, declares the narrator, is the best age, but once youth is gone, it and all the opportunities afforded by youth are never to be regained. Option B is exactly opposite of Herrick's intended message.
2. "A cement mixer collided with a prison van on the Kingston Pass. Motorists are asked to be on the lookout for 16 hardened criminals" is an example of a:
a. symbol
b. homonym
c. paradox
d. pun
Answer = D
These sentences provide an example of a pun. A pun is a word or phrase, sometimes referred to as a play on words, that suggests multiple meanings or interpretations. The pun in this example is "hardened"; it suggests that the criminals have become stone-like because of the cement and that they are also pitiless and unfeeling. A symbol is an image that stands for or represents something else. A homonym is a word that has the same sound and the same spelling as another word. A paradox is a statement that contains seemingly contradictory elements or appears contradictory to common sense, yet can be true when viewed from another angle.
3. Choose the line that best concludes the following poem. Consider rhythm, rhyme, and meter.
The little town and river grew as one
And played as children on the valley floor
In stormy weather if they scrapped for fun
a. They always liked each other again soon as they did before
b. This only made them like each other more
c. It was because it often rained without measure
d. They did so only when it would pour
Answer = B
Each line of the excerpt is written in iambic pentameter: five iambs per line. An iamb is a metrical foot of two syllables; the first syllable is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed. The only answer choice also written in iambic pentameter is B.
4. In the following excerpt from "Doc Hill," written by Edgar Lee Masters, who is the speaker?
I went up and down the streets
Here and there by day and night,
Through all hours of the night caring for the poor who were sick.
Do you know why?
My wife hated me, my son went to the dogs.
a. Doc Hill
b. Edgar Lee Masters
c. Mrs. Hill
d. An omniscient narrator who does not appear in the poem
Answer = A
The answer must be Doc Hill. The use of "I" eliminates the possibility of an omniscient narrator who does not appear in the poem. Likewise, the mention of "my wife" in the last line eliminates Mrs. Hill as an answer choice. While Edgar Lee Masters wrote this poem, one should never assume that the narrator of a poem is also the poet. The narrator is Doc Hill, a character invented by Masters, who recounts his life through this verse.
5. "A litany of little linnets alighted on the lamppost" is an example of:
a. dissonance
b. consonance
c. alliteration
d. refrain
Answer = C
The repetition of the "L" sound at the beginning of several words in this sentence indicates alliteration. Consonance is also a repetition of consonant sounds, but the consonant repeated appears at the end of words, rather than at the beginning. Dissonance is the mingling of harsh, inharmonious sounds that are grating to the ear. To the contrary, the alliteration used in this example creates a pleasant, rhythmic sound. A refrain is a phrase or line, generally important to a poem's topic, that is repeated word for word at regular intervals throughout the poem.
6. Identify the rhyme scheme in the following poem:
If We Must Die
If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Marking their mock at our accursed lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
O kinsmen! We must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!
Claude McKay, 1889-1948
a. aabbccddeeffgg
b. ababcdcdefefgg
c. aabbaabbcdcdee
d. aabbaabbccddee
Answer = B
Rhyme scheme is determined by assigning the same letter to lines that rhyme with one another. Thus, line 1 ("If we must die, let it not be like hogs") and line 3 ("While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs") are assigned the letter "a." In the same manner, lines 2 and 4 are assigned the letter "b," lines 5 and 7 are assigned the letter "c," and so on.
7. A poem must contain which of the following?
a. rhyme
b. stanzas
c. meter
d. none of the above
Answer = D
A poem need not contain rhyme, meter, or more than one stanza. Free verse, for instance, relies upon natural speech rhythms to convey meaning; few, if any, formal elements are used.
8. Consider the following poem:
Symphony in Yellow
An omnibus across the bridge
Crawls like a yellow butterfly,
And, here and there, a passer-by
Shows like a little restless midge.
Big barges full of yellow hay
Are moored against the shadowy wharf,
And like a yellow silken scarf,
The thick fog hangs along the quay.
The yellow leaves begin to fade
And flutter from the Temple elms,
And at my feet the pale green Thames
Lies like a rod of rippled jade.
Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900
What literary device is used in every stanza?
a. metaphor
b. hyperbole
c. personification
d. simile
Answer = D
A simile is used in every stanza of Wilde's poem. A simile is a comparison between unlike objects using the words "like" or "as." Lines 7 and 8, "And, like a yellow silken scarf, / The thick fog hangs along the quay," provide a good example of a simile. A metaphor is more than a comparison; it equates one object or idea with another. Charles Simic's statement, "Poetry is an orphan of silence," is an example of metaphor. Hyperbole is language characterized by extreme exaggeration ("I could eat a horse."). Personification is a literary technique used to endow inanimate or inhuman objects with human traits. "The wind whistled a tune" would be an example of personification.
9. An antonym for frigid is:
a. cold
b. tepid
c. sweltering
d. freezing
Answer = C
An antonym is a word that is opposite in meaning to another word. Since "frigid" means extreme cold, its antonym is "sweltering," which means extreme heat. "Cold" and "freezing" have meanings similar to "frigid." "Tepid" only means lukewarm, which is not exactly opposite in meaning to "frigid."
10. Consider the following poem:
On My First Son
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;
My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy:
Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
O could I lose all father now! For why
Will man lament the state he should envy,
To have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,
And, if no other misery, yet age?
Rest in soft peace, and asked, say, Here doth lie
Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry.
For whose sake henceforth his vows be such
As what he loves may never like too much.
Ben Jonson, 1572-1637
In what style is Jonson's poem written?
a. blank verse
b. sonnet
c. rhyming couplets
d. rhyming tercets
Answer = C
A couplet consists of two rhyming lines, usually of ten syllables each. "Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; / My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy" is the first example of a rhyming couplet in Jonson's poem. Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter. A sonnet consists of 14 lines written in iambic pentameter, usually containing one octave and a sestet, or three quatrains and a couplet. A tercet consists of three rhyming lines that work as a unit.
11. Consider the following poem:
When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer
When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.
Walt Whitman, 1819-1892
Whitman's poem is written in what style?
a. sonnet
b. haiku
c. free verse
d. terza rima
Answer = C
Whitman is considered the father of free verse poetry. Rather than employing rhyme or meter, Whitman uses natural speech rhythms to endow his poetry with musicality. A sonnet is a 14-line poem of iambic pentameter, usually broken into an octave and a sestet or three quatrains and a couplet. A haiku is a Japanese poem of only three lines; the first and third lines of a haiku have five syllables while the second line has seven. Terza rima consists of tercets written in iambic pentameter with an interlocking rhyme scheme.
Ok, so much for my Lit knowledge. Valentine's Day passed not so normally this year. Don't get any ideas. It didn't pass normally cuz i normally don't perform at the Arts House. But my performance was a pretty shitty one la... the first 2 shows were like crap... But i was relatively pleased with my last one... ^_^ and kudos to aven, yilin and darrin who came down to support me! So sorry u guys had to hear the shitty performance... went out with my fellow bachelors from ASD after that... went to mac talk cock a bit... laughed and basically just chilled out a lot... oso met up with a few of the SUJ ppl... but didn't get to talk much to them la... hope i can get to invite them to my zadankai this week.
Alumni BBQ the day before V Day was not bad too... saw my 4D1 '08 ppl again~! ^_^ e gals are reli hooked on jump shots... got CTSS carnival coming up on 18 Apr... should i go? lolz...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Just came back from Min Kit's house. Haiz, my standard is really still quite shitty. How am I going to perform on Valentine's Day? Oh well, 2 more days left. Will I make it?
CTSS Alumni BBQ tomorrow. I don't feel particularly excited or anything about it. Nothing to be excited about I suppose. Should I even go at all? Haha... Should probably spend the time at home practising for Saturday.
Today flipped through NUS website with Yap Chow to look at the various foreign universities that NUS has relations with i.e. universities that can be chosen for SEP. Of course, I looked at the Japan universities. Sigh... a typical month there will easily cost about S$2000 or thereabouts. But it really will be great to be able to study there! Just imagine the change in environment... No more sheltered life there. You really have to take care of everything yourself and stuff... I really can't wait to qualify for SEP in NUS haha...
Which is why I'm always super excited when students from Soka University of Japan come over! I get to practise my Japanese, make loads of new friends and find out more about Japan first-hand. 3 separate batches are coming over the next 3 weeks! Yippee!!!
And another thing to rejoice about is the fact that I've lost another 2 kg! In addition to the 2 kg I lost some months back I've lost 4 kg! I really have no idea how I managed to lose weight over CNY. But somehow, I've achieved it and I'm determined to go back down to a 2-digit weight by this year! I'm really glad that Dr. Michelle is my doctor for my weight management treatment at Alexandra Hospital. It's so easy to talk to her. I can use my 'teenager tone' with her and she can click with that immediately. I think it's through her candid way of explaining things to me that make me understand that I don't really have to do a lot to lose weight. A little bit here, a little bit there. These little bits will accumulate and make a big difference! Maybe 2 kg to you isn't a big deal la but to someone who loses weight just about as often as a drug addict can resist heroin, believe me it's a big deal. ^_^
Hey 4D1 '08, can we go for a KTV session again soon? Hopefully before your homework floods in like a deluge. Miss you all loads...
CTSS Alumni BBQ tomorrow. I don't feel particularly excited or anything about it. Nothing to be excited about I suppose. Should I even go at all? Haha... Should probably spend the time at home practising for Saturday.
Today flipped through NUS website with Yap Chow to look at the various foreign universities that NUS has relations with i.e. universities that can be chosen for SEP. Of course, I looked at the Japan universities. Sigh... a typical month there will easily cost about S$2000 or thereabouts. But it really will be great to be able to study there! Just imagine the change in environment... No more sheltered life there. You really have to take care of everything yourself and stuff... I really can't wait to qualify for SEP in NUS haha...
Which is why I'm always super excited when students from Soka University of Japan come over! I get to practise my Japanese, make loads of new friends and find out more about Japan first-hand. 3 separate batches are coming over the next 3 weeks! Yippee!!!
And another thing to rejoice about is the fact that I've lost another 2 kg! In addition to the 2 kg I lost some months back I've lost 4 kg! I really have no idea how I managed to lose weight over CNY. But somehow, I've achieved it and I'm determined to go back down to a 2-digit weight by this year! I'm really glad that Dr. Michelle is my doctor for my weight management treatment at Alexandra Hospital. It's so easy to talk to her. I can use my 'teenager tone' with her and she can click with that immediately. I think it's through her candid way of explaining things to me that make me understand that I don't really have to do a lot to lose weight. A little bit here, a little bit there. These little bits will accumulate and make a big difference! Maybe 2 kg to you isn't a big deal la but to someone who loses weight just about as often as a drug addict can resist heroin, believe me it's a big deal. ^_^
Hey 4D1 '08, can we go for a KTV session again soon? Hopefully before your homework floods in like a deluge. Miss you all loads...
Monday, February 09, 2009
Why does Valentine's Day have to be so commercialised? Everywhere I go, everywhere I turn, Valentine's Day is being publicised and glorified by the flowers, ideas for gifts and goodness knows what else. Even the performance I'm performing in this Saturday leeches onto this day (no offence Beron haha).
Not that I'm saying Valentine's Day is anything bad. I think it's great that many couples make this day a special one for them. I would too, if it was me. I just can't stand the spirit of Valentine's Day (is there even such a thing?) being engulfed by all this commercialisation, just like Christmas.
Well, my Intermediate course in Bunka has finally ended. I'm really going to miss Torinomi Sensei's teaching. She's really a great teacher! But there is one thing I'm glad about and that's not having to reach home at 11pm every Sunday anymore, especially when the next day is a working day~! It's a drag! Though no more of this drag in the future. But another kind of drag is coming up, because Pre-Advanced classes are usually in the morning on weekends, at least for those taken by Gima Sensei. Everyone sings his praises, so I really do want to sign up for his class. But his Sunday class starts at 11.30am! Takes me an hour to travel and given the fact that I like to wake up at like 11am on weekends... ok fine! Laugh all you want! Humphx!
Monophobia... It's coming back to haunt me... Or did it never leave me in the first place? He will appear again... him in his dark cloak, with that sulphurous smell...
Not that I'm saying Valentine's Day is anything bad. I think it's great that many couples make this day a special one for them. I would too, if it was me. I just can't stand the spirit of Valentine's Day (is there even such a thing?) being engulfed by all this commercialisation, just like Christmas.
Well, my Intermediate course in Bunka has finally ended. I'm really going to miss Torinomi Sensei's teaching. She's really a great teacher! But there is one thing I'm glad about and that's not having to reach home at 11pm every Sunday anymore, especially when the next day is a working day~! It's a drag! Though no more of this drag in the future. But another kind of drag is coming up, because Pre-Advanced classes are usually in the morning on weekends, at least for those taken by Gima Sensei. Everyone sings his praises, so I really do want to sign up for his class. But his Sunday class starts at 11.30am! Takes me an hour to travel and given the fact that I like to wake up at like 11am on weekends... ok fine! Laugh all you want! Humphx!
Monophobia... It's coming back to haunt me... Or did it never leave me in the first place? He will appear again... him in his dark cloak, with that sulphurous smell...
Thursday, February 05, 2009
it's not fair... IT'S JUST PLAIN UNFAIR!!!!!!!! why should i have to move on? why should they have to move on? why does everybody have to move on?
ok, as you can see, this entry is going to be an emo one... so if you ain't in the mood, simply click on one of the links on the left, key in a new address in the address bar above or simply click the red cross at the top right hand corner of the screen...
i don't want to move on! why can't i just live in this time and day? i love my life! i love ASD! i love 4D1 '08! but nooooooooooo, Time is forcing me onwards in Its usual cruel way! who am i to fight Time? how can anyone fight Time? Well, maybe people like Edward Cullen can... but then again, he's not really a person... but that's beside the point...
i've never been very good with change... change is the only constant nowadays, isn't it? but just cuz i have to cope with it doesn't mean i have to like it, so there...
i've spent 4 solid years in ASD... slogging my guts out, no less... and i've really deeply rooted myself there... i love ASD so much... and now i'm going to be forcibly uprooted and replanted in NUSSD... it's going to hurt... a lot... i really want to just stay in ASD... can the IICs come up with an ASD Alumni Group or something like that?
as for 4D1 '08... well, i guess there's nothing much to say, i suppose... anyone who visits my Facebook should know how much i love them... 7 albums of their pictures and counting... how did i leech on to a class that i taught for barely a month so tightly? now they're moving on... to their respective jcs and polys... how can i not miss them? they miss each other loads too... sigh...
ok, this was a long blog entry... kudos to you if you've managed to read till this line... hopefully Time has been treating you more kindly than It has to me...
ok, as you can see, this entry is going to be an emo one... so if you ain't in the mood, simply click on one of the links on the left, key in a new address in the address bar above or simply click the red cross at the top right hand corner of the screen...
i don't want to move on! why can't i just live in this time and day? i love my life! i love ASD! i love 4D1 '08! but nooooooooooo, Time is forcing me onwards in Its usual cruel way! who am i to fight Time? how can anyone fight Time? Well, maybe people like Edward Cullen can... but then again, he's not really a person... but that's beside the point...
i've never been very good with change... change is the only constant nowadays, isn't it? but just cuz i have to cope with it doesn't mean i have to like it, so there...
i've spent 4 solid years in ASD... slogging my guts out, no less... and i've really deeply rooted myself there... i love ASD so much... and now i'm going to be forcibly uprooted and replanted in NUSSD... it's going to hurt... a lot... i really want to just stay in ASD... can the IICs come up with an ASD Alumni Group or something like that?
as for 4D1 '08... well, i guess there's nothing much to say, i suppose... anyone who visits my Facebook should know how much i love them... 7 albums of their pictures and counting... how did i leech on to a class that i taught for barely a month so tightly? now they're moving on... to their respective jcs and polys... how can i not miss them? they miss each other loads too... sigh...
ok, this was a long blog entry... kudos to you if you've managed to read till this line... hopefully Time has been treating you more kindly than It has to me...
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
wow... there's been a flurry of emotions going on in 4D1...
those who are in jcs... well... most of them have settled down (more or less)... which i'm glad... esp since many of them were complaining abt hw they cldn't manage to get into their first choice... others who have not... i'm sure u guys just need a little more time...
to those who are going poly... i see most of u all r alr complaining abt the lack of school... i know hw u feel bliv me... i'm waiting for uni to start myself... but time flies... just look at hw it flew by e past 2 yrs ya?
but one thing i'm really happy to see is that practically every blog i visited talked abt hw they're gonna miss 4D1... how they had great times there... looking at all their fotos splashed across their blogs... really warms my heart a lot... i'm no exception... i'm really gonna miss u guys a lot too... no matter how much u hated me =P like i've told countless people countless times... i really hope i get to teach a class like urs in future...
ctss alumni barbecue on 13 feb... should i go? haha...
those who are in jcs... well... most of them have settled down (more or less)... which i'm glad... esp since many of them were complaining abt hw they cldn't manage to get into their first choice... others who have not... i'm sure u guys just need a little more time...
to those who are going poly... i see most of u all r alr complaining abt the lack of school... i know hw u feel bliv me... i'm waiting for uni to start myself... but time flies... just look at hw it flew by e past 2 yrs ya?
but one thing i'm really happy to see is that practically every blog i visited talked abt hw they're gonna miss 4D1... how they had great times there... looking at all their fotos splashed across their blogs... really warms my heart a lot... i'm no exception... i'm really gonna miss u guys a lot too... no matter how much u hated me =P like i've told countless people countless times... i really hope i get to teach a class like urs in future...
ctss alumni barbecue on 13 feb... should i go? haha...
Monday, February 02, 2009
DISCLAIMER: To all 4D1 '08 ppl, no offence meant with this post k? =P
i've been feeling uber bored in camp these days as ORD mood kicks in... so more often than not, i'm parked in front of my i-net... i mean come on, there's only so much time u can invest in facebook, msn, hotmail and blogging... so just for the sake of it i flipped through a few archives dating back to Jan 2007 (does that period sound familiar?) and i nearly cracked my sides with laughing... some weren't that extreme... but some with more colourful vocabulary... hahahaha... ok i know 3D1 (at that time) didn't really like me much cuz of the way i taught, especially with my speed and my excruciatingly loud voice... but hey guys, give me a chance k? that was like my first time actually teaching k... u try it in future if u ever have the chance... hahaha... and i suppose not everyone takes kindly to having their homework, stuff which they've poured sweat and blood into, vandalised... once again, it's one of my idiosyncrasies... so if you still nurse a grudge... please let it go can? =p though you guys were partially at fault too... every time i asked "So do you all have any questions?" the only response i had was =.= =_= -.- -_- >.> @.@ no matter how many times i ask that question... and i scribble stuff on your work cuz i believe u need feedback for your homework... and believe, as much as your reactions were big when you saw what was written on your scripts, mine were bigger... believe me, as a maths teacher, u can't imagine what i felt when ppl wrote stuff like 35 - 9 = 27 on their scripts... doubt i'll ever forget that... and i rmb one silly fella used msn lingo to write statements... -_-'''
like i said, please don't take offence to what i said above k? =P
but ok so much for finding ways to waste my time... like i said in my earlier post, i've been assigned the big task of being one of the panelists for the sharing on Sensei's peace proposal at SD Anniversary... i feel flattered that the chiefs think so highly of me... but i'm feeling the heat quite a bit liaoz... >.<
performance on valentine's day doesn't seem to be going too well either... tho i agree wif darrin la... my problem is pretty much just lack of practice...
when is our next ktv session? haha...
i've been feeling uber bored in camp these days as ORD mood kicks in... so more often than not, i'm parked in front of my i-net... i mean come on, there's only so much time u can invest in facebook, msn, hotmail and blogging... so just for the sake of it i flipped through a few archives dating back to Jan 2007 (does that period sound familiar?) and i nearly cracked my sides with laughing... some weren't that extreme... but some with more colourful vocabulary... hahahaha... ok i know 3D1 (at that time) didn't really like me much cuz of the way i taught, especially with my speed and my excruciatingly loud voice... but hey guys, give me a chance k? that was like my first time actually teaching k... u try it in future if u ever have the chance... hahaha... and i suppose not everyone takes kindly to having their homework, stuff which they've poured sweat and blood into, vandalised... once again, it's one of my idiosyncrasies... so if you still nurse a grudge... please let it go can? =p though you guys were partially at fault too... every time i asked "So do you all have any questions?" the only response i had was =.= =_= -.- -_- >.> @.@ no matter how many times i ask that question... and i scribble stuff on your work cuz i believe u need feedback for your homework... and believe, as much as your reactions were big when you saw what was written on your scripts, mine were bigger... believe me, as a maths teacher, u can't imagine what i felt when ppl wrote stuff like 35 - 9 = 27 on their scripts... doubt i'll ever forget that... and i rmb one silly fella used msn lingo to write statements... -_-'''
like i said, please don't take offence to what i said above k? =P
but ok so much for finding ways to waste my time... like i said in my earlier post, i've been assigned the big task of being one of the panelists for the sharing on Sensei's peace proposal at SD Anniversary... i feel flattered that the chiefs think so highly of me... but i'm feeling the heat quite a bit liaoz... >.<
performance on valentine's day doesn't seem to be going too well either... tho i agree wif darrin la... my problem is pretty much just lack of practice...
when is our next ktv session? haha...
okok... today's the first day of JC for j1s... wonder how my 4D1 is doing in their respective jcs... i guess i'll hear abt it soon enough on their blogs ba... hahaha...
went for KTV session with a few of 4D1... let's see... who went? me, see yuan, shin fen, zhenning, nic wee, hansen, aven and brandon... i was quite impressed with brandon... he reli can sing quite well... shin fen refused to sing, cuz she said her voice sounds like a guy... zzz... but in e end she did sing a few songs la... aven oso... nv sing much... but oso kena forced to sing by us... hansen was like the star of our session la... u noe when songs haf all these fillers like 'yeah...' or 'oh...' he'll fill it up wif a funny version... like a deep voice or a horny voice... haha... hansen can sing quite well too... ended up singing for 3.5 hrs... omg can't bliv it... lookin forward to goin ktv wif u guys again! i sang a lot too... or tried to at least... nic wee took a lot of my unglam pics n videos i tink... but i dun reli care... haha... jz went crazy tt nite...
i've been tasked to do the panel sharing for SD Anniversary... heavy responsibility... omg...
went for KTV session with a few of 4D1... let's see... who went? me, see yuan, shin fen, zhenning, nic wee, hansen, aven and brandon... i was quite impressed with brandon... he reli can sing quite well... shin fen refused to sing, cuz she said her voice sounds like a guy... zzz... but in e end she did sing a few songs la... aven oso... nv sing much... but oso kena forced to sing by us... hansen was like the star of our session la... u noe when songs haf all these fillers like 'yeah...' or 'oh...' he'll fill it up wif a funny version... like a deep voice or a horny voice... haha... hansen can sing quite well too... ended up singing for 3.5 hrs... omg can't bliv it... lookin forward to goin ktv wif u guys again! i sang a lot too... or tried to at least... nic wee took a lot of my unglam pics n videos i tink... but i dun reli care... haha... jz went crazy tt nite...
i've been tasked to do the panel sharing for SD Anniversary... heavy responsibility... omg...
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