blimey. i just got a call from Mrs Chua and received a sordid dampener of my enjoyment of this extended break in the form of Econs Case Study homework. bleagh. sometimes i don't know how i should approach econs. on one hand, i love the intellectual rigour of the subject and the practical applications. on the other hand, when the math starts kicking in, my eyes start doing mikaela-like gymnastics. sigh. shall be studious and do my homework diligently.

i'm feeling a bit mush today because kai is at princess' palace without her phone so i can't contact her for most part of the day :( absence makes the heart grow fonder and mike is one boyfriend obsessively in love, so mike is now a little puddle of melted ice-cream [to kope smife's description].

on the brighter side, i'm going out with kimkangsmife today! whee. in characteristic chaos, everyone's going to be late/held up in some manner or another, but that's ok. it's been too long since i met up with them. kinda think of it, i haven't got a picture of the 4 of us. we have one methinks, but someone hasn't sent it. grr. for memory's sake at least, so i can tell me children/nieces/nephews that these were the crazy doofuses whom i spent a lot of time with from pri sch to eternity :D

okies. daigor's quiche lorraine is ready and my grandparents are already tucking in, so i'd better tear myself away from the computer [which has kai and princess' faces plastered across the desktop :D] to have my lunch.

i decided to indulge kai on her last day of exams [having indulged myself yesterday on mine :P] and we had the most interesting shopping experience ever [ok, for me at least lah]. kai was intent on getting this pair of orange-red-multitudeofcolours pair of shoes at World of Sports, so beckoned a straightforward trip to the third floor of Plaza Sing.

or so it seemed.

no thanks to the tinyness of kai's feet, none of the World of Sports had her shoe size! so we wandered from outlet to outlet, from PS to Cine, Wisma and Paragon just to find the same pair of shoes. like some urban treasure hunt. twas funny because we got progressively closer, from not having the shoe size to having one size too big, then the right shoe size but not having the right design. our epic test of faith ended when we finally found the perfect pair at taka :) since kai didn't have cash, i paid through NETS, which meant a 20% discount! yay. cheap :D so, 1.5 hrs and 5 stores later, we had kai's elusive pair of keds.

between that was the not-so-unexpected bumping into people of every manner of association. we met abt a third of my class at cine, who'd just finished watching superman returns. i just had to see cheapskate ling there, trying to save money by watching it on a weekday ;) kai bumped into a myriad of pri sch and sec sch friends from other JCs. i presume they were looking at me as if i had a death wish XD

then, of course, was the climatic moment of the day, when we bumped into ex. i swear i panicked and i didn't know what to do, not least because she was with someone else i knew. thankfully, kai kept her feet on the ground and rescued her ailing boyfriend so all was still well.

after everything, we went back to toys'r'us at paragon, where i entertained/scared a little girl with an ernie puppet :D oh oh, i saw the cutest spongebob + patrick toy there. they talk to each other and move!!! but costs a fricking $70 :( kai indulged herself in her childhood with elmo before the two of us made a fool of ourselves playing on the Xbox [at least it was free entertainment :)]

after a brief hello to cai and yeek, kai says bye and mike waits patiently for the next episode in the tale :)

tomorrow, smifekangkim! [reversal, for a change] after foregoing 'krrish' with yish, krystle and saif for them. germany v argentina! woo! XD

my brother's back! :)

he's a wonderful inspiration. today, as i was eating lunch, he decided to work his magic on the piano again, and i'm reminded how small a musician and music team member i am. every key my brother touches is like a carressed note that eases its way into the ear, and even a deaf man will revel in his playing because he plays with such passion and indulgence.

the most amazing part of it all is that you know he's worshipping God unfettered, and he leads you to worship God together with him. as he was playing "I Want to Know You", i was just sitting there at there dining table singing along silently to myself. the most beautiful rendition of the song i've ever heard. almost made me cry actually, by virtue of the music alone, and the lyrics in my head.

yay. another 3 months of free piano concert at home.

it's funny how God chooses the strangest, seemingly inopportune yet perfectly timed moments to speak. Moses looks for a sheep and finds a burning bush. Joseph sleeps uncomfortably on a rock and, voila! ladder to heaven. Paul, of all ironies, when he's going to persecute some Christians.

i'm dawdling my time away, having finished my essay for GP and waiting for the time to pass. as is habit, i start looking around at the people in LT and, unsurprisingly, i spot all the faces that bring back memories. of course, there's kai. then i pick out each groopea one by one by sight. then look around at more. and everytime i look at that one person, i feel this overwhelming happiness and think to myself stuff like, "he's kinda eccentric and difficult to understand, but that doesn't make him any less brilliant" or "haha i'm glad i met her. she's so funny and a great person to have around".

so all these abnormally happy thoughts about so many people are making their way to my consciousness [in the midst of an exam?!] when a fresh voice in my head speaks; i know it's not me because it's...different. and of course i'm very aware of who it is.

"that's the way i see them, mike."
"wow, God. hello."
"i want you to love people the way i do."
"sorry i'm so judgemental sometimes."
"there's beauty in everyone because i made them each, and they're made like me"
"i guess i kinda forget that sometimes."
"be like Christ and honour me."

and there ends my short conversation with God in the middle of my exam. God has been blessing me wonderfully this weekend past and today, too, even though i know i scarcely deserve it. His theme seems to be humility, which, i realise, is a major problem in my life. i think so highly of myself in my own head sometimes that i forget that everything comes from God. thanks yvette for the off-the-cuff but much needed reminder.

2 Corinthians 5:17 stuck in my head now, and i shall keep to it :)

blimey, TSD tmr and dreaded history! everytime i walk into a history paper venue, i can feel the crunching weight of expectation go ka-plunk on my shoulders. sigh. to God be the paper and the glory :D

a random song post

song of the moment:
Beautiful Saviour, wonderful Counsellor
Clothed in majesty, Lord of history
You're the way, the truth and the life
Star of the morning, glorious in holiness
You're the risen one, heaven's champion
And you reign, you reign over all

song of memories:
Crucified, laid behind a stone
You lived to die, rejected and alone
Like a rose, trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me above all

song of girlfriend and of thai:
Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart and let the Healer set me free
I'm happy to be in the truth
And I will daily lift my hands
For I will always sing of when Your love came down
I could sing of Your love forever

song i want at my funeral:
Some bright morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away
To that home of God's celestial shore, I'll fly away
I'll fly away, Oh glory, I'l fly away
When I die, hallelujah, by and by
I'll fly away

golly. talk abt predictions gone awry. after this last round of group matches, the Czechs are out, Brazil look tragically unconvincing and there goes my future as a football pundit! ugh. i think i followed my heart too much with the czechs, seeing how the tight marking of italy and ghana, plus the absence of both key strikers, totally hampered their play. well, there goes FIFA world ranking no 2.

so, with the round of 16 teams almost fully confirmed and more matches being played, it's time for new predictions! haha... ok, it wouldn't take a genius to root for Argentina after their absolutely scintillating 6-0 display. that said, more of the same please, and against a more united, well-rounded team. the draw against mexico is a bit easy on them though, so maybe the quarter-finals for a sterner test.

my other second-faves, Holland, meet Portugal and that will be my must-watch match for the round of 16. i like both teams a lot and it's a pity they have to knock the other out. my heart says Portugal, my gut says Holland and my mind tells me it's gonna be a damn close-run thing.

Germany should beat Sweden just nicely, Spain should top their group and breeze past their opponents in the round of 16 whoever they may be. i'm not even going to talk about England, disastrous as they are and i'm ready to bid adieu to the French; the sooner the better.

ok, sleep time. meeting girlfriend tmr :)

World Cup fever more than ever, midyears - failure! whee!

random thought of the day: do something to my hair before the nation's worst barbers custom-fit it for a helmet

dear A52, i have a confession to make: i bluff my way through every econs tutorial. i actually don't know anything about inflation or unemployment. today was the first time i actually opened my lectures notes and understood what 'cost-push inflation' really meant. i just co-opt whatever mrs chua says into my answers, throw in a few references to other topics and all is well. and that is my sound advice for the econs paper on monday :)

apologies for the disjointedness of this entry. econs has addled my senses XD

i fell asleep last night with bittersweet memories of pacing around a foreign room some months back. i remember the pillow clunking my head and the voice asking if i'd gone blind. the surreality of the moment at 5.15 am. adding insult to injury was a kick to the bum by a fantastic friend. a reassuring hug. dawn broke, from thosai to school. thereafter, life began anew :)

i desperately miss kimkangsmife and will meet up with them soon. i'm thankful as ever for vernie [I LOVE YOU PRINCESS!!! :)]. i can't wait for the final hurrah of groopeas at public-pee [quote mikaela]. strangely enough, i think i miss alvin, although i'm not quite sure why [lol. kidding dude.]

ooo-k, that was a random list.

i braced myself for june, for the rush, rough and tumble. then, in a flash, it's gone and i'm into the gentle twilight of coasting towards the A levels. it feels lovely, certainly, but it's only just occured to me that perhaps the most meaningful event in my schooling life of the last 12 years has drifted irreversibly by. did i remember to remember everything? will i still laugh at the same jokes when groopeas meet again? or share those classic moments with my crew?

wah lau. damn cheesy lah, mike. emo again :(

cool me down like a jars of clay classic to deny the anger
make me smile as a message from my girlfriend would
drive me with passion like a riveting football game
warm my heart like the devotion of a brother
with the addiction of a computer game compel me

help me love you.

my love-life's been dramatic to the point of soap-opera-ness. i spent the last few days thinking and remembering, and it's been an interesting experience, as it always is. discard everything before evelyn and it's still an awful mess with a multitude of mistakes on my part.

the problem is that i've always been looking for a long-term commitment but i haven't the patience to see my short-term infatuations develop into something more stable. urgh. maybe smife might empathise. tis an awkward, often misunderstood feeling that confuses me too.

i guess it's good in that way now that kai's around. i spent the day studying with her then strolling around a bit more. after being a flighty, somewhat reproachable love-seeker for over a year, it's extremely comforting knowing that i've found mutual love and faithfulness. the problem with trying to pursue someone is that it feels awfully one-sided after a while and gets exhausting. haha..so maybe it's just as well that i never had to 'pursue' her per se *smiles*

ok i don't know why the hell i'm talking about love and life, which is tragically adolescent but what the heck. i think i'm just gushing. i swear that's why no-one reads my blog except kai :P

alright i haven't blogged for a while. actually i haven't been doing very much for a while. my schedule has been like this everyday: wake up, play on the computer, eat, play on the computer, talk on the phone with kai, eat, watch WC match 1, watch WC match 2, sleep. unlike saiful, i have been completely hopeless in my attempts to study, as is rather obvious. i think there are too many distractions at home, what more with the World Cup on. sigh. looks like i have to go out to study.

the only major break from that routine has been yesterday, when the rather deranged triumvirate of princess, girlfriend and myself went to celebrate princess' 18th year! whee. happy birthday vernie! for once, i actually didn't mind being the guy tagging along with the shopping girls, carrying their shopping bags, handbags, etc... twas good to go out with them both again. vernie spent perhaps just below $200 on a pair of birkenstocks [pink and flowery!], 3 books from borders [on offer! haha. cheapskate], a pretty sundress and a pair of earrings. kai and i bought her a pair of bright pink heels to accentuate her princess-ness and treated her to a [not-so-] royal fish & co lunch where we coincidentally bumped into yish. who also happened to splurge on birkenstocks. tsktsk.

anyway, the expression on vernie's dad's face was quite funny when he saw the number of shopping bags :P but princess deserves royal treatment once in a while lah.

so kai and i wandered around aimlessly after that, as couples tend to do for lack of a purposeful direction. we argued over my spending on her, as usual, and we went to toys'r'us, where kai started playing with elmo. hm. after that, she had to go home and mike was sad :(

bleagh. there were so many things i wanted to do after the TSD exams that i haven't quite started on yet. i wanted to find a job/volunteer but i haven't even started searching. i've had some cursory practice on the drums and brushed up slightly on my rusty thai. but that's about it. sigh. at least i've spent more time with kai, which is good.

my head is spinning from the lack of exercise and continued staring at screens [TV and computer]. i really should get started on some kind of work. or look like i am at least. or maybe start thinking about doing it. sigh :(

a little review on the World Cup matches i've managed to catch thus far:

Germany 4 Costa Rica 2
A good opening tie for the Cup, with plenty of goals all round to make it a lot more exciting and entertaining. That said, by way of 'good football' there was not an awful lot on display. The excellent goal from Lahm just inside the area and an even better one from Frings about 30 yards out were about the highlights of the match. Germany defended woefully, with both Costa Rican goals coming from Wanchope springing a poor German offside trap. Lehmann was very unimpressive too. This 'new Germany' are like a downgraded 'new Arsenal': much improved in attack but much work needed at the back. Perhaps the introduction of Ballack might add some steel into the midfield but no further than the quarter-finals for Germany. As for Costa Rica, nice play but out in the first round.

England 1 Paraguay 0
Dear England, are you Italy in disguise? Eriksson's careful approach was a total match spoiler because the only good thing that came out of this game was the three points for England. Beckham was in form, yes, but was largely anonymous in the second half. Both teams were applaudably industrious but highly uninventive and woeful in attack. England looked lke they missed Rooney badly. The decision to haul Owen off for Stuart Downing stank of Azzuri negativity. England to make it to the quarter-finals on ability but, unless Rooney conjures some magic, they'll get beaten by the more creative teams. Sorry Paraguay, you looked far too nervous to make it past the group stages this time around.

Sweden 0 Trinidad & Tobago 0
This, in comparison to the England match, was a lot more entertaining. There wasn't a lot of quality on either side, which was surprising considering the star-studded Swedish side, but the attacking passion of both sides made for some good viewing. The game really came to life after Avery John was sent off a minute after the break. T&T seemed to tighten up their game and hold out improbably against relentless Swedish attacks. At the end of the match, T&T supporters and players celebrated as if they'd won the Cup! Haha... Sadly, they're not going to make it past the group stages because they lack quality. Sweden will make it through, but only because Paraguay and T&T just aren't good enough.

Holland 1 Serbia & Montenegro 0
I've been eyeing this match since the fixtures came out. Holland with their dangerous attacking play coming up against the meanest defence in Europe. Undoubtedly, Robben aced the Serbian defence with terrorising runs and all-round good play. The rest of the Dutch team looked pretty alright, with the exception of van Nistelrooy who looked pedestrian, but altogether certainly not world class [yet?]. The Serbs threatened with preciously little and their defence failed to live up to their billing as the tightest, perhaps attributed to the absence of the impressive Vidic. Should the Dutch manage to navigate through this 'Group of Death', they look good to make it to at least the semi-finals. Serbia, if they manage to somehow qualify, might just touch the quarter-finals but no further. It appears that the matches against the classy Argentina for both these sides look doubly crucial.

Mexico 3 Iran 1
This match took a while to come to life. I'm not awfully familiar with either of the teams save a few key players like Mexico's Marquez [of Barcelona]. It was 1-1 at the interval with some good periods of football, but nothing comparable to the magic of the Hollan-Serbia matchup. I guess the quality of football was always going to be deficient considering the respective skill of both these teams. Mexico eventually ran out winners, but only because the Iranian defence, having stood up for so long, finally seemed to wilt and lose concentration in the heat. Mexico to go through because the other teams are weak; first or second depends on their result against Portugal. Iran look too poor to qualify, even though they are industrious.

Australia 3 Japan 1
An absolutely riveting match. I was rooting for an Aussie win but that looked unlikely when Nakamura chipped in a lucky goal over Aussie keeper Schwarzer's flailing arms. In fact, Schwarzer looked so ill at ease throughout that i thought Japan would extend their lead. For the whole match, Australia huffed and puffed, with some good attempts on goal by Viduka from open play and free kicks, but to no avail. Kawaguchi seemed up for every shot and the Aussies looked weak under the hot sun, especially the ailing Kewell. Unsurprisingly, it took an Aussie set piece to crack the tight Japanese defence, Kawaguchi making an uncharacteristic mistake that led to Cahill scoring from the ensuing chaos in the box after the corner. An inspired goal outside the area from Cahill and a third from Aloisi, who profitted from the Japanese trying to surge forward, sealed a late comeback for the Aussies. A good win for them, but neither side looked capable of matching the quality of Croatia, let alone mighty Brazil. Unless Australia manage an unlikely win over the Croats, it's a long flight east for both these teams.

Czech Republic 3 USA 0
I tuned into this match 15min in but it got me salivating throughout. The Czechs played with some fantastic, eye-catching football, the best that the tournament has seen thus far i'm sure. The sight of renowned veterans like Poborsky, Koller and Nedved weave beautiful passes between the struggling Americans was beautiful to watch. The play of Rosicky was magnificient at the very least, capped with two outstanding goals. He's already looking a bargain for Arsenal. The USA wasn't too bad, with some decent shots and moves. They were simply outclassed by a world-class Czech side who snuffed out any telling final pass that might have led to an American goal. The Czechs reaffirmed their status as one of my two favourites to win the Cup, alongside the Samba Kings of Brazil. The free-flowing passing style of the Czech Republic offers a different take on 'Beautiful Football' in contrast to the Brazilians. The Czechs must win the group to avoid Brazil and, should they play with such domination in their other 2 matches, they should top this group comfortably, even over Italy.

some matches i missed, particularly the Argentina-Ivory Coast match which i heard was splendid. The Poland-Ecuador upset i missed too, as well as Portugal-Angola. from what i've read and heard so far though, this looks like an exciting World Cup :)

My favourites to win the Cup are definitely the Czech Republic and Brazil. Unfortunately, they'll meet before the final [as early as the round of 16 if either fail to top their group] if they qualify so that means the winner of the contest should go on to win the whole thing.

My second-faves would be the Netherlands and Argentina. I haven't had a chance to trace their route but i sure hope they meet in the semis at the earliest. it'd be a pity for either to drop out before that. both teams are quite complete, perhaps even more so than Brazil though maybe not the Czechs, but they lack the experience to be firm favourites. They just might surprise though, especially the Dutch. The group match between the two should prove to be a tantalising forerunner of what could come.

I'll put my head on the block and say that the Czechs will win it :)

kai's hp has been confiscated for 3 weeks and mike is feeling a little down :( i think i take it for granted that i could always contact her at will and get little msgs to make me smile. now that the privilege is gone i feel a bit lost. bleagh.

no work done today but i unearthed the piles of rubbish in my room and am in the way of sorting this junkyard out. patience, mike.

oh and i have my medical checkup at CMPB tmr. finally get to know my fate for the coming 2 years. hopefully everything runs smoothly and i don't have to go back down again.

i miss that girl :(

goodbye to you, dear TSD.

it's been a festival of theatre over the last week, mostly for mr pymm's critique and enjoyment, but also for our own. us. the one and only full cohort of TSD students outside of England. we've been slaving away at our group and individual pieces, working and working and giving 7-11 a hell lot of business; all in preparation for undoubtedly the most important and most enjoyable exam we'll ever have in our life.

it's literally been our own journey of blood [hannah being cut by glass shards], sweat [groopeas warmups!] and tears [when everything is finally over]. the wonderful thing about the TSD exams is the realisation that the exam itself is unimportant. well, not worthless, but it is the experience that it brings you that grips you. i've learnt to battle through problems and setbacks while working on my trouble-ridden IS. i've made countless relationships forged under the stress of the exams, everything from the madness of groopeas to, arugable, getting attached to kai as i struggled through the prelims. on hindsight, the burden of expectation was sometimes unbearable, but the after-taste of joy is sweeter still.

a round of big thank yous then,

God - for simply making everything work. assuring me that my piece would be fine, helping me bond so wonderfully with my group, comforting me through all those anhuished moments. everything, essentially.

Lofty, Albert, Mrs Low, Dax Young - just about everything, because you have been more than teachers, more than supervisors. for suffering the chaos to the very end with us.

Groopeas - vernie, yish, bob, ming, mik, mak. the balls family. munckins. true believers [all the way]. everything i can say has already been said, but i'll say it again: i love you guys!!! we created a new piece out of nothing in 3 days. we've survivd the emo moments, the stressful moments and every other moment without cracking. we are the true believers!!! *hug*

Kai - it's during the crunch time that you learn to appreciate your girlfriend a lot :) thank you for checking on me during slots, always buying coffee for me when i was working into the night and being there to give me a reassuring hug when the wheels started coming off. love you dear.

IS crew - tanying, matt, muthu, charlotte [the original 4], christian [the aptly named crusader], hannah, laypeng, andre, kyna, stephy, ahnaf [hired, fired then rehired]. you've been a fantastic crew!!! coming down every slot, even when it was last minute, or late, or simply seeing me emo on the teachers' chair. maybe the IS wasn't the best, but heck. it was thoroughly enjoyable working with you guys and i promise i'll support you in what ways i can during your practicals this year and next :) oh yes, and a treat too.

of course, many, many big thanks yous to my mum, which have already been said and not point putting it up since she'll never find my blog :) and to all the TSDians who survived the A lvls together! wahoo! :)

so, a few choice snippets from the A levels:
1. the rain and our group piece. we stood there, waiting for mr pymm to arrive while watching the wind blow this ominous rain cloud closer and closer from the horizon. lofty clutching his head in sheer panic, albert reassuring us with his mouth but not his eyes. every groopea and chickpea almost praying in our own little way. the sky darkened, mr pymm sat down, the piece began. and beautifully, God held the rain, releasing the light spread of droplets as if to test our faith, but we are true believers all the way. and finally, as we concluded the scene of romeo and juliet's death, the rain started drizzling down, almost as if on cue: "the sun for sorrow will not show his head".

2. kai finishes her swordfighting movement piece that includes wild slashes at saiful, biting his finger and a spiral staircase swordfight sequence. she enters the interview room with her black corset top, her [somewhat] flamenco skirt and a rose in her hair, looking the part of a killer beauty with her two swords. mr pymm sits her down, she puts the the swords on the table and he reaches out, pulls them away from her and smiles.

3. the lights dim and the sailing soundscape for my piece begins. harbour bell on perfect cue. andre assumes the role of a captain perfectly. then out of the blue, tanying and muthu start going "scrub the deck, scrub the deck, scrub the deck". lovely, especially since muthu is right next to mr pymm and he turns to look at him; the only time he flinches or moves in my entire piece. during the interview, he asks, "considering the historical context of your piece, how much are your sounds historically accurate to the actual time period?" oh bother.

nominees for song of the A levels: true believers by bouncing souls; o come o come Emmanuel
catchphrase of the A levels: hoohoo shit.
game of the A levels: cricket

[exeunt TSD]