i don't wanna be anything other than what i've been tryin'a be lately...

nj ip from week three to week five will not haf lessons...
some genius thought up the idea of enrichment week(s)...
we haf to fulfil 65 hours of enriching activities in those 3 weeks, ending off with a kite festival a la pre-u sem...
registration for the activities openend at 5 yesterday, and by 510 many of them were filled up already.. thank goodness i was able to get what i want...

went out to buy tisiana's birthday present with meltee, cherry and jo at plaza sing...
ate at macs where cherry insisted on blotting her fries till they were so flat...
jo and cherry bought planetshakers cds which i helped pay for first.. =P
and the four of us are going for sonicfest 2005!! can't wait...

john-.

casiNO! peeps: hi again! we've gotta meet to discuss our project, no matter how dreary it seems... x)

first two days of school haf been pretty mundane...
our new timetable is really crappy...
end at 430 on mondays (far too early in the week)
1230 on tuesdays
310 on wednesdays
1140 on thursdays (three periods only, might as well not go to school)
250 on fridays...
plus we dun haf any free periods in between...

been practically doing only maths...
alot to digest and absorb (trigo graphs, urgh)
and i think i'm getting my GPA back tomo...
i know i'm gonna do so much worse than term 1, but nvm...
joel and i are resolute to study uber-hard this term... =P

went for lunch at one of those strange restaurants along bukit timah...
just down the road from coronation, its called "the stop"...
first impression is really good... the interior design is fab...
rating-wise:
service: 8/10
food:2/10!!! it was really disgusting... and their lemon tea was red!!!!
in comparison to other cheap bukit timah restaurants:
prince at coro plaza:
service: 5/10
food: 6/10
black canyon coffee at serence centre:
service: 6/10
food: 7/10
so yeah, meltee, weiliang, lou and i are going to try all the other weird restaurants in the area!

going for acsi's choir festival of arts next sat...
wonder who i can sit with.... hmm...

that's the time you must keep on tryin'...
smile, what's the use of cryin'?
you'll find that life is still worthwhile...
if you just smile =)
john-.

just a few hours to school...
its exciting to think about, but i'm certain that tomorrow morning i'll be dreading waking up at some unearthly hour...
still going over some of the maths problems i haven't been able to solve...
really frustrating to just sit there for so long and not arrive at an answer...
i wonder if i haf maths makeup lesson tomo... for the one i missed in the hols...

church was as per normal today...
jake left to audition for school of rock at sph building...
heard that it didn't go too well although the guitars were pretty good...
went over to josh's place with adriel... listened to their recording...
read through two issues of the economist before going back to church...
played a game of bridge with aurdrey, abby and deb lam (thanks for the keychain!)
went for lunch and then home...
took a nap just now...

hmmm... half the year's gone already...
it does feel pretty fast...
2004 is still quite fresh in my memory...
but i haf a feeling this term's gonna seem to last forever...

throw myself into the maelstrom and hope to get out alive
john-.

could you see i want you by the way i push you away
dun judge me tomorrow by the way i'm acting today
mix the words up with the action
do it all for your reaction yeah...
get tangled up in me...

went over to sam's house to watch the first of three test matches between the all blacks and the lions...
was a pretty cool match by any standards, with the blacks winning 21-3...
it was raining and then it started to hail... so it must haf been quite cold...
watched sam play half life two... cool game with cool storyline and good graphics, plus the freaky headcrab thingamajigs...
left with josh after dinner at pasta fresca...
adriel's staying over yet again...
hahas...
tomo's the last official day of summer break...
kind of not looking forward to semester two...
for us, its gonna be really tough to handle...
but i welcome the new work to keep me on my toes...
been in a far too relaxed mood for too long...

somethings are just as they seem...
dun try to do the whole sophisticated-reading thing...
it doesn't become...
john-.

its friday...
a day meant for relaxation and stuff...
but i've been holed up at home due to the onset of a fever last nite...
so irritating...

yesterday's events at sentosa were really fun...
met paul at harbourfront macs for breakfast...
then while waiting for the teams at siloso beach, april, aug, kal, josh hoe, joseph, paul and i spent the time playing bits of captain's ball and burying mine and kal's legs in the sand...
the teams arrived and the pushing ppl into water routine began...
plus some ppl were buried in the sand...
apparently there are lots of hilarious photos i've yet to take a look at...
played bridge, mrt and more captain's ball before going home...
was with jovel (justine's sis) on the train back...

didn't go for day three coz of my fever...
and all the ac prefects also had to go for juneact...
so not sure if there was alota excitement...
heard from jaz and yk that there wasn't...
so yeah...
still haf yet to finish some bits of work and research...
school's returning...
john-.

feeling uber exhausted after today...
ac summer debate camp day 1...
really really fun!!!!
went down to ac at 9...
had to call kal to finally locate everyone at the lt...
waited nearly another hour before everyone came and the icebreakers started...
only one interesting scene where crawshaw kissed suze's hand...
*there's proof on april's cam*
(the ac sec 1s are so strange...)
was just telling jaz how i feel like i'm the junior again since going to nj...
dun really haf any juniors of my own... x)
neways, round one started...
used smu hammers round two motion... the one with minors, abortions and parental consent...
paul and i walked to every room to peep in on their prep and maybe give a suggestion or two...
adjudicated with paul and al the debate between lis's and paul chuan's teams...
lunched at holland v's crystal jade la mian xiao long bao with sam, paul, sham, val, al and their junior...
second time in two days... yesterday was at taka's outlet...
ate exactly the same thing... the xiao long bao and 5 spices beef la mian... =)
went back late after a detour to 7/11...
played bridge with kal, feli and elizabeth from rg...
then had to adjudicate round 2 with paul and sam chan the elder...
ths supports free trade in the 3rd wld... allison's and lloyd's teams...
then the craze started...
went back to the lt to play cards, and after a while we started playing mrt...
really really really hyper game involving shouting and screaming...
val's changi airport terminal one
paul's choa chu kang
feli's bukit batok
kal's jurong east
auggie's punggol
sham's tanah merah
i'm serangoon!
maniacal shouts of these names were punctuated by the ever ear-piercing SCREAM from paul...
then came the heart attack...
played so many rounds to the sounds of many other screams as well...
can't wait for tomo... sentosa, here comes us!
now need to sleep...
*snores*
john-.

what a week...
or lack of one...
week three of the june hols was completely wasted...
due to my ridiculous fever which comes and goes as it pleases...
and a headache which i still haf till today...
its my 8th consecutive day at home...
spending time at home doing work is fine...
but spending time at home incapacitated to do anything is vile...
that's why i haf to get my chinese book review done TODAY...
coz next few days i've got stuff planned already...
going out for lunch with sean and javier in town tomo...
and weds to fri is ac's debate camp...

-adriel is a meanie!

semester two is just about to dawn upon us...
its meant to be a really difficult term with lots more work...
i really cannot imagine how much "more" is...
dep is supposed to begin as well...
that i can't wait for...
didn't haf any training this hols...
plus only debated once after smu hammers...
so i'me pretty creaky all over...

to work, to work
john-.

i recovered yesterday and even went out to do some shopping...
but at night, i was hit by this headache...
the sensation is incessant... you just can't get rid of it no matter how...
each heartbeat is like something crashing against your skull...
i only fell asleep at three coz i was too exhauseted to feel the pain anymore...
haf taken three types of painkillers, but nothing's helped...
after a little activity like walking, i haf to steady myself and let the throbbing subside before carrying on...
i'm absolutely incapacitated to do anything...
and my table is still piled with incomplete assignments...
and now i can't exhibit for SHINE tomo...
it would haf been a good experience debating at jurong again, this time in front of a larger crowd...
sorry mich for the last min notice...
fever's back as well...

i must must must get well by tomorrow... can't miss church...
haiz...
dun normally use that term, but its exactly how i feel rite now...

all the best jake for your regatta this week!
john-.

i somehow agree with adrie'ls latest entry...
it feels kind of strange to wake up and feel like there's nothing planned for the rest of the day...
when actually there is stuff like piles of work to clear, but there's no motivation to start...

i've been ill for the past two days...
couldn't really get out of bed to do anything...
until last nite (this morning) around 130 when i suddenly felt full of energy...
so i've decided to make a headstart on my chinese book review...
the book's simple enough (hopefully not too much so)
but there's not much depth to review... not sure how i'm to complete 700 words...
i'm up to my neck in maths... all the stuff that was taught last term seems to have been replaced by stuff from this term...

can't procrastinate any longer...
haf a great rest-of-the-hols!
john-.

BMChurch Camp 2005
i arrived at water city resort in malacca on wednesday just in time for lunch...
*the coach ride was not very pleasant, though the buses were from tourism malaysia, so at least it was comfortable*
first thoughts were that its a pretty snazzy joint, what with the balinese music in the lobby, the fruit juice bar and elevated open-air band space...
but how wrong was i...
met the rest of the musks who were playing table tennis...
went for lunch at the ballroom which didn't look ANYTHING like the brochures...
but i was still to find out lots more about this supposed relax haven...
the food was substandard and completely unappetizing... ate minimally before going to the apartment... was gonna share room with adriel and josh, while sam and jake were opposite...
the apartment and bedrooms were fairly alrite, save for the sandy beds (sand??!)...
skipped the first briefing of the camp (only josh went) in exchange for reading jake's 8 days and listening to music on my mac...
josh returned and we played cards and cluedo for a pretty long time, and that marked the emergence of our new forms of cardgame tactics...
on the way down to the go-kart track, i realized that NOTHING in the resort looked remotely like it did on the pamphlet... the man-made lake was green, dirty and shallow, much of the place was still under construction and thus there were no squash courts for us to play...
but go-karting was fun, if not a bit pricey at 20RM (S$9) per person per five laps around the small track... the cars were really scarred as well...
but it was fun racing and timing laps... jake was fastest at 28, josh at 30 and me at 32... adriel took 35...
not to mention that every time adriel drove, something disconcerting would happen...
in the morning before i came, i watched the video footage (thanks for the vid cam miche) of adriel plowing into the back of jake's car...
this time, his car stalled, and the second car he drove, he collided into a tire wall... (hahahahas!! x))
first session of worship and message after dinner...
uninteresting but thought-provoking, as i would witness in all the other messages...
nites at camp were times for social activities...
and the musks apartment was descended upon by a number of folk...
namely josh goh, dan, deb, abby, becky, audrey and amanda...
we put our newfound card tactics to playing bridge...
it took a while before they figured out our lingo...
*lions team two umaga*

day two was little different, just that we skipped the games, deciding instead to nap, causing us to miss photo-taking...
but the morning message was replaced by this game of life... the five of us decided to go blackmarket style, selling bowls and cups... x)
but no biggie, it was much more fun in our room...
adriel's bed was the centre of much attraction... *hahahas!!*
after the message at nite, jake and adriel stayed behind to watch "life, or something like that", starring angelina jolie in an unflattering hair-don't...
josh, sam and i went back to the apartment to chat... really interesting conversation... (the five ppl you meet in heaven)
the food situation improved for the next few days...
but our toilet decided to start flooding after each flush... strange...
third day was cool... we tried to skip the message after lunch, but auntie linda would hear nothing of that sort...
went to mahkota parade to play squash... fun but extremely tiring and sweaty...
ate dinner at pizza hut... plus our supply of food and drinks were restocked for that nite...
we didn't sleep till 3/4ish...
josh insisted we stay up to win the wager against uncle hing lee... hahas...
played lotsa bridge, ate lots of junk and laughed too much at taboo...
it was a hilarious nite!!
abby, deb, dan and jansen stayed in our apartment way past three...
we actually planned to go for a walk... but in the end just gave up and slept...
today woke up uber late... missed worship in the midst of breakfast with jake and adriel... the lam/tay gang also decided not to go...
we found out that the message for us was optional, so it was back to our apartment for more cards...
had a last round of go-karting before departing...
adriel rammed into another set of tyres (no surprise there), but this time it was worse...
the steering was a bit screwed up, so when the guy manning the centre tried to test-drive it, he almost killed a lady lining up to drive...
*adriel should never ever get a car of his own*

josh, adriel and i were asked by josh tay if we could play for worship tomo, but we couldn't make it for prac... so not sure who'll be leading tomo...
miche wants to go to sentosa again... hahas...

notes from the sideline:
- there are a number of videos you must take a look at if you get the chance...
- at squash, there was this queer guy who adriel insists was oogling at sam and josh...
- deb lam named her bolster baboo... (??!!!!)
- i'm rather good at taboo... x) and abby unknowingly says things with so many innuendos...
- jake wanted to go jogging at some unearthly hour in the morning, but of course couldn't wake up...
- josh wore prc-like socks with sandals on day one... odd to say the least...
- sam has an affinity to adriel's bed, much to our entertainment... =P
- my mac has different forms of chess which is so cool!
- we changed our bridge code to debater names to befuddle them further!
- adriel bathes 5 times a day...
- josh and i can't help but laugh really loudly at adriel at nite...
- sam, "i'm bored... let's go rape adriel"- the room next to the youth function hall hosted this group of ppl in jackets, with uncanny resemblances to stereotypical terror oraganisers... we found a picture some location with markings on it, as well as a paper plane and boat... hahas...
- adriel dropped a slice of pizza onto charmaine's jacket and tried to wash the stain off with a cake of blue dettol soap...

it was fun...
thanks musks...
thanks josh goh, jansen, dan lam, team airhead, the tays...
john-.

hope the time up in malaysia will be fun...
especially for the five of us...
*points to pic*

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia
fear of long words...
john-.

spent the good parts of sunday and monday at sam's place...
after church, adriel, jake, josh, miche and i went over to sakae at airport...
decided to train over to sam's place for table-tennis, gelato and dinner...
went as part of the surprise crew for leemay's party at vic's house...
which also turned out to be a celebration for kal...
happy birthday you two! x)
auggie and sam fell into vic's pool...
its pretty hilarious actually... especially sam's bet with hiutung worth a hundred bucks...
there are videos on kal's and my phone!
lunched at the pines before going to town to meet christine for a movie...
but she went home, so we decided to play monopoly at sam's place!!
so so so fun!!!!
it really brings out the evil side in all of us...
sam and miche pressured sean into joining their conglomorate of the dark side...
so kal, mich sham, val and i merged...
but after i left, we apparently lost...
al was our resident independent till she went over to join miche's side... hahas...

the 4 of them plus alota others haf gone up to malaysia already...
*sniffs*
but i'll be there tomo!
dun haf too much fun without me!
-back on saturday-
john-.

i've been listening to brian macfadden's album...
and i dare say its amazing... didn't quite realize it earlier...
thanks josh for the album again... (after 6 months)

went for the first time to a pc show at the expo yesterday...
needed to get a new wireless internet plan...
and i haf surprisingly got a free ipod shuffle...
its a good player on the whole, just that it lacks a screen...

sparred rj with bryan and kylie... (i did so so so badly)
thbt the internet has rendered formal education irrelevant...
jon pflug gave the debrief...
went for lunch at j8 with them and mich...
trooped to town to get mich's notebook and my new pair of ripcurl slippers...
they're pretty odd... but it was the best i could find there that was something not above $40... alota stuff in pac plaza is seriously overpriced...

need to do research for spire project...
and church camp begins next week...
musks for once are all going... should be really fun...
but they're all giong up a day in advance...
i'm hafing to take the boring coach...
*the dispair of hafing parents who don't drive*
hahas...
john-.

i still have not done an acceptable amount of holiday homework...
but its the first week only... (its not a good excuse, but the only one i've got)
woke at 2 in the afternooon yesterday...
went over to the hiew residence to join jake and adriel in watching the pacifier...
its so disney-family-cum-secretagent... not that good... but i liked the song they used for the credits
"average ordinary everday superhero..."
while waiting for michE and before leaving for the airport, adriel read my purple kinsella book, i read this odd book about a kid in mars, and jake played that star wars game...
we finally left, though michE fell asleep, so only met us there...
met abby on our second train (adriel decided we get off the first)
ate at bk... hmm...
met deb who's going for the multidisciplinary trip to the UK...
saw leemay and cynthia there as well...
not to mention deb, dan and darius...
had ice-cream at swensons (thanks michE)...
then went home...
could not sleep till two something in the morning...
and woke up at 5 am... not sure why... but i couldn't get back to sleep...
so i was on the net for awhile..
then fell asleep again at 7... till 11...
played sims 2 till 3 before going shopping...
actually the main aim was to get a chinese book from the library for my du2 hou4 gan3...
but needless to say i was sidetracked by the gss...
in the end, borrowed three books from the library, bought a pair of socks from converse, and a tee from esprit...

to seb and paul in the jungles of malaysia: take immense care!
and christine who's going to mg... x)
jlc

thanks adriel for updating our blog... its been rather dead... look up lift up? hmm...
went for spire meeting with jo, cherry and mel at library@orchard...
had a discount on our milkshakes...
went down to raffles cartel to meet jake, adriel and pet for lunch...
had this weird thai salad... my suggestion is dun try it...
went to suntec to collect jake's levi's glasses, then met pet for a movie...
madagascar... my recommendations again: stay far away...
its completely lame and lacklustre... i really thought much higher of it before...
thanks michE for the tickets anyhow...

need to finish quite a lot of work by this weekend...
next week it'll be off to church camp...
to all who are going far away on holidays (so so lucky):
darius in UK,
deb in UK,
johnson in UK,
jo in orlando,
sam in nz,
and anyone else i've not mentioned...
haf a great trip!

john-.