10 posts tagged “family”

18th.

Aug 23, 2009
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Love my family!!

Can't wait to visit D in Australia next yr!

Holler! Today was awesome. I think the last time I felt this good was last year. Big difference what you can do with your head and how it affects you. I should feel horrid, but strangely I feel the exact opposite. Maybe because I'm just too used to it, or my mental will is way more powerful that I thought it was.

Now I feel ready to tackle prelims, well not in the prepared sense but mentally ready so let's go. Life always seems to come full circle, like how you lose stuff all the time but gain in another way. Sometimes, you only need to be more open to see what you've gained, if not I'll just wallow in what I've lost, things that I can never get back no matter how hard I try.

GERALDINE ONG. without you I would have positively died for NAPFA. like seriously thanks for pacing and pushing me even though I was dying in the hot hot hot sun. And for listening to me and understanding

CHLOE ANG. For always being there! And being so nice. And like the billion times your bought me drinks since last year which I owe you a bomb for. And for being so random yet nice. And haha if you read this don't feel bad for being snappy, I understand, never blamed you!

EILEEN LIM. For being a great mei mei. And listening to my rubbish. And making all of us laugh.

STUART QUEK. Aiyah for just being there to let me bully you haha. That's more than enough.

I think no matter what, it's a blessing. I want to be able to study overseas and have anything to hold me back, or consider. There's not much point right now, especially since I can't wait to travel and do new stuff and really just soak in new experiences. Yes I like stability but was never one to just sit around and be unoccupied. It's a personal goal to lead a fulfilling life, definitely with my family supporting me always. Number one priority is going to church next year, super super super excited. Have to say I draw strength and inspiration from people who are so dedicated to God, like Marvin, Naomi, Geri, Dora and even people like Gareth. God has been great, praying has purged me of unhealthy stuff that the devil tries to grow in me, so that alone is a triumph I should be happy about.

You know how they say that when children marry, their marriage usually mirrors how their parents were like (of course this is by no means 100% accurate)? But I really sure hope so, because I would be blessed to have my parents' relationship. And having dinners together everyday is definitely something I want. You know how the common perception is that Westerners don't value family as much etc? I think that's absolutely rubbish, my half-English cousin (who is like in some private prep school in the UK and is probably going to Oxford next year) is so close to his parents. They have breakfast and dinner together, and they do projects like paint the rooms together, which is doing so much more than most families here.

Oh had this discussion/ semi-debate with my mum today in the car on the way home about China/ urbanisation/ globalisation. Super exciting and funny, I realised I actually quite like learning Geog because it's just so applicable. Am extremely excited for my birthday though it's so near prelims. Can't wait for the dinner with family+aunt+cousins. Brilliant :D And my mum has hinted at my present, can't wait to see yipee! (:

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall

Kazuo Ishiguro

And I'm reading! Kazuo Ishiguro's Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall (not this coverart). My dad bought a signed first edition in London, how awesome is that?

Okay so this is a mishmash summary of what's been going on, minus the bad stuff that should not be recorded and probably won't be remembered in 1 years time when I look back and laugh at what I did. But stress, better go do my stuffs.

P.s. I got a Razer (according to The Tech Twins, it's a gaming mouse so it's very very good) wireless mouse for my mac (finally after using the touchpad for 4 years!!). The best thing is that it's PINK, and it was on discount!

P.p.s. I won't reccomend Harry Potter - much better off reading the book alone. Random: Am I the only one who feels uncomfortable that Ginny is taller than Harry?? A sore disappointment that it wasn't good, there are much better shows coming out that I can't wait to watch (one at picturehouse caught my eye - Elynn/Xty interested?)

very funny.

Jul 12, 2009
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Conversation with my Dad:

Dad: Read this magazine then pass it back to me

Me: Wha...???? [Looks down at Asian Legal Business]

Me: Looks closer at the magazine....Oooooo someone familiar on the cover page, which reads "Asia's Leading IP firms 2009, the who's who of intellectual property law firms and lawyers this year"

Me: [Calls out to Dad's retreating back] HAHA DAD, very funny.

Haha indeed, and to think I thought it was a brainwashing ploy to encourage me to study law.

Ohwell, options are open.

Went out with Mum and Sis today to buy personal artefacts and popped into ZARA. Sale is exciting, and I think still beats Topshop in terms of quality. Hrmph Yanhan raised my "3 levels of ZARA" hopes yesterday, but I abstained from buying anything today.

Been reading some very very interesting stem cell research and debates recently, spurred on by what we're learning in Bio now. I love the Applications module, way better than molecular mumbo jumbo like prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells eurgh.

Hopefully getting back Bio and Geog tmr. They had better be brilliant, after extremely dismal Chem grade. My Chem grades fluctuate like a woman with PMS ):

After all.

Jul 6, 2009
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Ummm. Life is good, June holidays really gave me the time to think, reflect and slow down.

I only wished the times spent at Starbucks could be spent reading a good book instead of studying.

Missed math CT because I was on Leave Of Absence, chem CT was a killer, geog was difficult, and bio relatively painless. Pray I'll get Bs for everything because As seem slightly out of reach right now.

But anyway, post-CT has been good. Spent time with classmates, the gang and my family. We went to the pool today and Mum let us eat by the poolside - which was totally relaxing and fun.

Did I mention I panicked over the Mac? At its lowest, it read 552MB of space, and I went on a backup-and-delete spree. Oh well, it's been with me for 4 years now with no problems whatsoever. I remember when Patrick and I used to discuss Mac stuff when everyone was still using PC, before the Mac craze started (I like to think I was a pioneer haha). I'll be getting an upgrade next year though, so maybe I'll retire this trusty Powerbook to my sister.

Oh and I put up stuff on my wall. Will take a picture and post it up soon, extremely happy with it. My wall looks happier, and I got to reminisce about the brilliant times I had.

New additions to ITunes: Camera Obscura My Maudlin Career, Sondre Lerche Phantom Punch, Owl City Of June, David Cook Analog Heart

I quite like Sondre Lerche's new album. First heard of them during Mosaic last year.

Currently listening to - After All, Sondre Lerche

I like you too much
After too little time
I hold back my heart’s crazy rambling
The fear that I should overwhelm your smile
Frightens the spiders inside me

Oh this could be magic
After all, after all

You daren’t define which has happened to us
Well, I’ve had a name for it for some time
You try to find what it is that you feel
I long to tell you so truly

Oh this could be trouble
After all, after all

And I say is it a dream like it was back then
Is it a dream like it was back in the stars
Could I be so wrong? Could I be so wrong?

Chew every word to prevent what I know
From slipping right out of my fingers
Out of control, I don’t know where to go
‘Cause you were my map when I found you

Oh this could get lonely
After all, after all

And I say is it a dream like it was back then
Is it a dream like it was back in the stars
Could I be so wrong? Could I be so wrong?

No one can say all the things that they feel
Without the risk of a failure
So keep in my cards close to my heart
All of you I loved from a distance

Oh this should be magic
After all, after all

Season

May 15, 2009
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I realised I kinda stopped posting about Season. Not sure why that happened, just couldn't find the motivation to blog.

Maybe I've become a huge nerd, but I half wish Season was over quicker so I could settle down and focus of my work. I'm not yet behind, but barely. Yet if I could, I would slow time so Season wouldn't end so soon.

Yesterdays semi-finals against VJC was horrible. We were punished horribly for all the errors we know we make, guess that's inevitable when you play a team like VJC that capitalises on every possible chance to attack and poke through our defense. But the scoreline was really horrific, we let our goal get to us, we forgot to maintain our shape, to communicate, so support-play. VJ's team this year is so much better than last year's, and as opponents, I'm honoured to have played against such a strong team. But it stinks to see history repeating itself all over again.

If I thought yesterday was bad enough, watching it today again during match analysis is worse. To see every excruciating moment that the ball rolled into the goal, and so many which we really could have prevented.

It's not much comfort to say "you played your best, that's all that matters", because the truth is I didn't play my best. I gave it my best, but played my hardest.

Not everyone will read this, but I still want to thank people, because I want to remember the kindness they have shown me:

To those who asked me "are you ok?" in school today, although I might not have been able to answer you, thank you for your concern. Especially to those who comforted me with smses or on msn, whether it was expected or unexpected, thank you for showing me that you care - I think that's the greatest comfort I got.

To my batch mates and the team, we are awesome. We may have our differences, and we're so diverse in so many different ways, but I couldn't have asked for a cooler batch. I think each of us individually contributed in so many ways to this CCA, extending into how we carry ourselves in our lives. We definitely brought the status of Girls' Soccer up by so much.

To Mr Leong and Mr Mann, thank you for being our pillar, our mentors, our coach and our comedians. Your faith in us is deeply treasured.

To my family, I can't say how grateful and incredibly lucky I am to have this family. I will forever replay the moment where I walked off the pitch to the sidelines with my head hanging, to hear my name being called and to look up to see Mummy in front of me. My heart lifted, and when I looked behind and saw my siblings, it lifted even more. I never expected them to really come, but their presence speak more to me than words ever will.

Above all, thank you God, for not abandoning me, for giving me the strength, and for allowing me to find another sister in Christ in Dora. For your protection and care throughout.

So you see, all the frustration, the "could-have-beens", the mistakes, the irritation I feel will all be channelled to the last match against MJC. For all the people I've thanked above, I will play hard for them.

So no, I'm not ashamed. The better team won and they deserved to win.

Like what BG said: "Success isn't forever, and neither is failure. Trophies will fade away in the end but the friendships will stay"

seabreeze.

Mar 15, 2009
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Yesterday was one of those days when I just sat back and let things be the way it should be.

I had a lot of fun, despite my acute discomfort from walking on gravelly sand with a lousy pair of sandals. It didn't rain, which surprised me. The sun on my face, the rhythmic lapping of waves and the taste of salty sea breeze was a welcome change from grass, mud and dampness.

Sometimes people create barriers around themselves. One of my greatest fears being in Raffles, is the person I'll be when I graduate. I hope, for all my great education that I've been blessed with, I'll turn out even more like my parents - who are able to converse and interact with taxi drivers, hawkers, politicians and socialites alike, in whatever language or dialect. Today reminded me all again that people are never meant to be judged by their covers, or by the person they make themselves out to be. Behind every created impression is a story.

photopost.

Jan 27, 2009
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Chinese New Year this year has been nothing short of amazing.
I know recent surveys have shown that family if the topmost priority for most people this year, especially with the gloomy economic outlook and all. But I'm really just so blessed to have a family that is my strength, a family that eats dinner together almost every single night, a family whom I can talk about stuff to so openly. I pray dearly to God that he blesses me with such a family when I'm married and old and wrinkled.

It's cool, I feel quite grown up because this year I've joined the ranks of older kids. And it's super fun and interesting to play and just watch my younger cousins interact, they say innocent, funny things that just make you laugh. I've eaten a lot, had a lot of fun and learnt new stuff about my family:
- My paternal grandpa has a Malay cousin
- I have 2 aunts married to Caucasians
- My maternal grandma had 9 siblings and my maternal grandpa had 10 siblings. So that translates into many many aunts, uncles, cousins, distant cousins that I have not met in my entire life. We have never had a major major reunion dinner.

My Love, my strength

The Girls

The bookworms

The Red Shoes

Daddy and Mummy

Derrick - Cousins, confidante, playmates

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Hayley

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Helping my mum in the kitchen

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Lunch @ Kaiyin's
Besides listening to Linkinpark HSM, discussing Heroes Friends, gossiping about Soccer Boys,
we're super intellectuals at heart - we played upwords, chess and uno.
And we're damn cool cos we're multicultural! :D

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GUESS WHOSE NAILS THESE BELONG TO!! :D

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It's times like these I thank the lord for his blessings.

Random: Money Honey is my current earworm!

today in some words.

Jan 10, 2009
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To start this new school term going and all, it's back to blogging about the boring occurrences of my personal life.

Today was so wonderful, in different ways.

It started great:

I woke up at 6.15am, climbed into the back seat of the car, hearing my parents tease each other the entire way to SHINES, even when we were having breakfast. I grimace at their lame jokes, wince when they try to include me in their teasing, mumble something about how I'm not awake enough to joke and feel light-hearted knowing that my parents are for life. I've seen their ups and downs, but their kind of commitment is something that I look up to, adore and absolutely feel blessed for.

It continued great:

Yconf was cool. It's like an onion, I feel like I've peeled off the first purplish epidermis layer, but I still have so many layers to peel before reaching the core. That's kinda like the new friends I've made. Each time is a different challenge, each time is a different learning, each time is a different fun. I really can't wait for camp, I know people get so close to each other then.

It dragged on great:

Decided to go back to RJ to wait for my parents, ended up talking to Yanhan, and then joined spontaneously by Sherrie and Yityng. It was all unplanned and impulsive, but the catching up was amazing, even half of it was randomness and lame jokes a la Yityng. It reminded me of so many people I've drifted from, but yet when we're together, our presence reminds us of the fact that we have to learn to enjoy the life and friends we have. Watched the guys play soccer for a while after.

It ended great:

Went over to my Grandpa's house and walked over to my Dad's Neighbour's Baby's 1 month old celebration. Yeah cool right, the very same neighbour my Dad used to play in the longkang with when he was a kid. Went over to Uncle Joke Kim's house after that to visit Mathius. He is so cute, and he kept wanting to open his present, and making cute baby talk haha (:

The Foo Fighters sums it up pretty well in Times like These:

It's times like these you learn to live again

It's times like these you give and give again

It's times like these you learn to love again

It's times likes these time and time again

I love the feeling I get when I finally manage to find my new equilibrium, especially so if I've been feeling destabilised.

So to those who are feeling unstable, I hope you regain your internal balance soon.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!.

Dec 25, 2008
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It's been a peaceful day, spending time with family and all. Cleared out the broken shoe rack and installed the new cabinet.

Went to Aunt's house again for a big big big feast. Roast Chicken, Sushi, Sashimi tray, grilled scallops, grilled asparagus, fried prawns, spaghetti, smoked ham, caesar's salad. chocolate cake, fruits, agar agar, cheese and biscuits, wine, punch, chocolate for dessert. I think you get the picture. We ate so much that the entire family (with the exception of my Dad) decided to skip dinner.

And of course, hung out in the cousin's room, where she promptly decided to give me a lesson in make up. I wonder if I should post the end result, took me 1 hour to do it, at least I hope I don't look like a clown? And of course, I got a whole bag full of unused make up which I doubt I will be able to finish using before it expires.

A thought that was passing through my mind: I never actually understood the hoohah over Christmas for non Christians. Not that I'm discriminating, but if you don't believe and rejoice in the birth of Jesus on this day, then what are you celebrating Christmas for? Like Chinese New Year is for family reunions, and ushering in a new year of good luck and prosperity. So what is Christmas for? Or has it become such a meaningless, commercialised event? Maybe someone would like to enlighten me to their point of view.

Anyway, just chanced upon this song and decided that I like it, even though it's un-Christmas and gloomy sounding but something about it stuck a chord with me.

Zombies By The Cranberries

Random 1: I love the adidas bag that I got from Auntie Joanne - it's pink and grey!

Random 2: I really really really need to sort out my clothes, dump those that are too small and hang up my new ones. I think those who have seen my room agree that a clothing hurricane has blown through it for the the past 12 months.

snapshots.

Dec 7, 2008
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#1: New Zealand, 25Nov-2Dec
es·cap·ism (-skpzm) n.

The tendency to escape from daily reality or routine by indulging in activities such as daydreaming, fantasy, or entertainment

For 8 days, reality didn't exist for me. Every day was spent learning new things, making friends, having fun, taking in the natural beauty, laughing and joking. No work, no worries, no planning ahead, no thinking about the future. For 8 days, time stood still.

I would spend my days in retirement in New Zealand, just for the beautiful landscapes,
(Disclaimer: I've enhanced some of the scenery pictures, but they are no less stunning in real life)

for the bustling yet unhurried city life,

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Overall, I'm thankful for this retreat, especially for the friends - those I'm now closer to and the new ones I've made.

FAMILY PICTURE! - Stuart, Omi, Eileen, Geri

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KQuek - Camwhore Extraodinaire

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Roomates - Felicia and Shi Hui (Sheena not pictured)

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Tammy - known her since Primary School

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New friends Eugene (who has awesome music taste) and Zhi He

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OG Mate Nick, whom I now know a bit better.

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Some of the girls

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The guys

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#2: Dinner @ Aunt's House
I love such family gatherings and basically hanging out with my cousins haha, reminds me of the times we used to play together as kids. (photos snapped with my brother's phone)

#3: Soccer friendly with John Curtin College
Dragged myself to school the afternoon after I flew in from NZ, only the match was eventually cancelled due to bad weather and postponed to Saturday.

Eventual score was 6-1, of which 2 of their goals were penalties due to stupid mistakes we made. We could have done a lot better I guess, if we had more than 13 people turning up to play. Although I hadn't remotely kicked a ball for nearly 1.5 weeks, it was strangely not tiring on the pitch and I actually quite enjoyed myself playing CDM.

Comment: Can I express how elated I am that I can finally blog properly. I think the two very frustrated email feedback I sent to the vox team helped, either that or my Harry Potter wish actually came true. It is absolutely very frustrating when I need to garble my thoughts out and can't do it. It's like verbal constipation, uncomfortable and vaugely painful.

To appease my agitated soul, I've been listening to more music these past few days, and have discovered songs on my playlist that have been quite neglected. E.g, for some reason Franz Ferdinand songs have not been appearing on shuffle mode. Am currently listening to the Hard-Fi cd I borrowed.

Have a lot more thoughts that I want to blog about but I think I'll save them for tomorrow, would be quite mood dampener if it were to go on this post anyway.

Random question: Didn't anyone think the uproar that erupted during the SG-Myanmar match was hilarious?? We were so amused!

edit/
Can I just share the amazing food cravings I have since I've been back?
Fish Beehoon soup, Maggi Mee, Herbal soup, Prawn Noodle soup. Yeah all soup, I think I like soup far too much (soccer mates can attest to that)

Still have slightly screwed up body clock which causes me to feel hungry at 3pm and sleepy at 6pm.

I've only ran once since coming back, I am so dead for fitness test next year.

THANK YOU JAMES for the chocolate coated gummies, my mum loves them. I have about 3 left in the box ):

Going to have fun on Monday and Tuesday before flying off to Jap land! Whee eggciting!
/edit

18th.

yoohoo.

very funny.

After all.

Season

seabreeze.

photopost.

today in some words.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!.

snapshots.

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