Monday, November 28, 2005

Alhpa Retreat

I'm blogging from school right now. We just had 4 tiring periods of singing and we're gonna get dismissed soon. Banh's beside me and he wants to say that Phan's gay. Anyway, Phan's here as well, and he admits that he's gay. Banh's humming the song "When you say nothing at all".

I haven't been blogging lately because i was on a one-day camp on Friday. It was supposed to be an Alpha Retreat, but most of them didn't turn up. So 13 of us: Quentin, Gabriel, Jerusha, Sarah, Grace, Nick, Chris, Shaun, Franny, Jasmine, Reuben, Alvin and i (Banh and Phan were there in spirit ofcourse) went on a 45 minute drive to Wonga Park up in the mountain ranges.

We had a few sessions on the Holy Spirit, played soccer, chatted, played soccer again, went spider-hunting, mosquito-bashing and had a barbeque. Yea, think that's funny? Chris, Grace, Sarah, Shaun, Gabriel and I started a game of Risk at 10:30pm which lasted for 4 hours!!!!! haha! It was about 2:50am the next day by the time we got to bed. As i rested my head on the pillow, two gigantic spiders crept outta nowhere! They were literally about 8cm by 4cm large! One was black and the other orange, and from that observation, i gathered that they were poisionous -.-""" I told the rest of the dudes about the spiders, and everyone started screaming their guts out! lol! It was hilarious! I quickly jumped off the top bunk and scrambled to safety.

After 10 minutes of turmoil, we managed to eradicate the spider threat - Nick smashed the orange one against the wall with Chris' shoe, and i smacked the black one with Chris' other shoe. haha! It was funny how Quentin freaked out when he saw the spiders!

Anyway, the camp was terrific. Sigh... i'll be back in Singapore in two days, but i don't wanna leave so soon! What an irony...

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Relentless Anger

Today's events reminded me of the old days when i used to be unimaginably immature, full of pointless hate and anger at people. Whatever i did was right in my eyes, and whatever displeased me was either eradicated or neglected. I had trapped myself in this world of immature isolation which caused me to do stupid things that i'm still quite embarrassed about. I know it's all part of growing up, but will this immature sinful nature within us be annihilated completely, or will it just be diluted with the strong bonds to professionalism and to social norms.

I regret going to school today. Half the class wagged anyway. We spent the first period playing cards, the next two watching this hilarious show called "Anchorman". Then Joash, Jase and i spent the entire fourth period walking around the school trying to find our German class. haha! The fifth period was spent practicing for Speech Night, and we were dismissed at the start of the 6th period -.-""""

I guess the climax of the day was when Jase gave into his raging temper, almost gave Tommy the bashing of his life, and booted the ball at Banh. No, it's not funny. I actually got pretty pissed at the way Jase behaved. Here's what happened. Jase failed to "flick" the ball up into his grasp at Flinders this morning, so Tommy and Co. had to bag him about it all the way to school. At lunch, Jase wanted to play Soccer on the Oval, but Tommy and Co. prefered the Tennis courts. I wasn't there at the start of the argument, but when i got down there, Jase had the ball in his hands and was about to leave for the oval with Leo, Phan and Calvin. So i calmed Jase down, and told him that we should discuss this in a proper fashion, as men.

However, Tommy started criticising Jase (couldn't hear what he said) till he blew his top off and charged at Tommy. Whoa... trust me, he was PISSED AS! I had to hold him back, and i was surprised that no one came to my aid. Yea, i had to keep at it, talking some sense into him, for a few minutes before he could cool down. Sigh... i don't know why he had to react like that. It's exactly how some immature dude would react. I mean, i know he's smart, and he's better than that.

That wasn't it though. Halfway through our Soccer game on the Tennis courts, Jase made a powerful volley through an open goal. Well, the thing was, Banh was sitting on a ledge just behind the goals and he thought that Jase was trying to get him with the ball. So he made some sarcastic remark. Jase ignored him at first, but apparently Banh told him to "shoot the ball at me!" And that's what Jase did. He pick the ball up and booted it straight at Banh from a point blank range. Whoa... that was all i could take, i wasn't gonna protect him. Banh ran up to Jase and almost beat the living daylights outta him, but he was better than that. It was wise of him to step down.

I don't know what was going through Jase's mind, but i do know that he can't carry on like this. All i can do is to set a good example, pray and hope that he humbles himself to learn to be better than violence.

We're going to have four periods of sining through recess tomorrow, and i seriously don't wanna spend a second in school tmr, but my mum doesn't want me to wag -.-"""" Argh.. i guess it's kindda wrong to wag, and to dishonour my mum's opinion. So yea, i'm just gonna sit through hell anyway. My dad just left for Sydney yesterday, and i won't see him for two months. The next time i'll see him will be back in Singapore. God, please be with him =)

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Summer Flies

The days are starting to get warmer and Melbourne is being swarmed by a relentless plague of flies. Seriously, there are flies everywhere! They fly aimlessly around bumping into glass windows, landing on people's noses and on toilet bowl seats. Argh! I hate flies!!!! They seem to be tagging on to me all the time!

We played Baseball for P.E today, and there they were... the dreaded flies. They buzzed around my lips and nostrils, and i almost blew my head off whenever they came near my eyes and ears. haha! It was my first time playing Baseball. I didn't know the rules, but i was the third batsman up. I took a swing at Trent's first throw, which ended up with a "Strike One!" call by the umpire(Mr.Pritchard).

Oh, but i nailed it the second time, my first strike with a baseball bat. I ran quickly to the first base and continued for the second one. I was about 2 metres from the 2nd base when Gary started to charge in from the right and Anthony came in from the left! lol! So i made a desperate attempt to slide for the base. I was successful, but my arm (biceps) got caught on Gary's shin in the process -.-"" Whoa! The pain was excruciating! It hurts even now... sigh... i got decked by Gary -.-"

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

November's Chopin

I'm listening to Jay Chow's new album "November's Chopin" right now, and ive gotta say that it's awesome! I don't know why, but i used to think that he's gay. Well, not anymore! Remember how i was feeling really down last week because of my poor Science grade? Let's just say that things took a turn for the better today =)

I got two Maths papers and my Geography back today, and i did better than i had expected. I scored an A+ for my second Math paper, and only 87% for the first one -.-""" See, i carelessly transfered my answer from the Question sheet to the Answer sheet incorrectly!!!! That cost me four valuable marks that i totally deserve!! Sigh... i'm just gonna say that i had a double A+ for my Maths papers. haha!

The average for Geography was around 58 out of 80, and i thought that i flunked it. But i got 75/80!!!! Woohoo!!! I grinning from mouth to mouth when i realised how well i had done. I think i topped the whole year level in Geography. haha! After the lesson, Mr. McComb, my Geography teacher, spoke to me about the Unit 3,4 courses in Geography and persuaded me to take it up. Well, i've never had the knack for Geography, but i've gotta admit that i enjoyed this year's course work. I thank God for my fantastic results!

Harish, Allen, Jamie, Darren, Arpit and i went to Hungry Jacks after school today, and we had a pretty nice chat about random stuff - teachers, random jerks, SRCs, Soccer, Gaybos and Scabs. haha! I've been hooked on to a fad recently - Daytona. I'm just crazy about it. Marcus and i went to RMIT yesterday for a game, and i really loved it though i came last (",)

I'll be leaving for Singapore on the 1st of December. That's in exactly 9 days, and it feel really short. I've made so many good friends this year, and i'm starting to feel a little nostalgic right now. lol! I want to be able to do something with the dudes before i leave. Hmm... i won't be seeing Blee, Peter, James and Yvonne in ages.

Hey, if you guys are reading this. I just wanna thank you all for being such GREAT friends, from my most sincere part!

Saturday, November 19, 2005

5 - 3 Victory!

I spent the whole day out yesterday. School ended at about 11am, and i played soccer with Tommy, Jase, Marcus, Duc, Jin, Phan and Banh for while. Then Jase and i went to this small soccer shop called "The World Game" on Swan Street to check out the new Socceroo tops. However, the cashier told us that the tops were all sold out state-wide. haha! Jase wanted it really badly, so we made a trip to MSD in the city. Fortunately, there were two left. So Jase bought one for $134!!!! lol! I really wanted one, but the price made my eyes roll.

Australia's going crazy about Soccer ever since we won that thrilling game on Wednesday night. Jase was wearing an old Socceroo jersey in the city, and these random people just came up to him and went "Go Socceroos!" or "Hey man, all stoked for the Socceroos?" haha! It was hilarious. I also overheard plenty of conversations on the train about the Socceroos. I think it's becoming the hottest topic around. I guess this will be a great boost for the game.

Jase wanted to go back to his little hole early, so i met up with the rest of the dudes at RMIT. We played pool for about 2-3 hours, and i got persuaded into going on one of the Daytona machines. haha! It was really good actually. It's been a really long time since i've raced virtually.

After that, Lil Joe and i went to Jin's house to prepare for the much-awaited indoor soccer game that night. We had a nice pizza lunch, and played a little cricket before leaving for Greensborough.

The match started at 7.45pm, and it was extremely tough. The opposition didn't have enough players, and so they recruited 3 Super League players from another team to help them out -.-""" lol! Louis, one of our main defenders, was out for the whole season due to several semi-severe injuries, and i was called into replace him =) haha!

The entire match was extremely intense, with quite a lot of shoving at the back and exchange of abuses. But sheer class, good ball control and pin-point passing dominated the match which ended 5-3 in our favour! Yippee! We managed to pull through despite all the odds. I was pretty cut at the end because the two strikers that i was marking refused a handshake -.-" But other than that, it was a game to remember!

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Australia VS Uruguay

Hey peeps! Guess most of you already know, but i've been feeling really down due to my poor results. But God has taught me a lot from this experience:
- Not to be proud
- Trust in the Lord
- Small upsets shouldn't hinder my walk along God's path for me

I didn't have classes today. The entire Year 10 have to go for a Transition Program that basically introduces you to the various Year 11 subjects that you have chosen. I had two free periods for the first part of the day, and played Soccer with Harish, Jin, Banh, Tommy, Jack, Jamie and some other soccer dudes. I managed to get two awesome diving headers on target, but i dirtied my white shirt during the process -.-"

Anyway, i went for the Chemistry transition program for the third and fourth periods. We conducted some experiments with Ammonia, Magnesium, Copper II Sulfate, Hydrochloride, Sodium Hydroxide and several other chemicals. I found it extremely interesting. I felt as though i've been given a brand new chance to shine, and i'm definately not gonna let it slip this time!

Jase, Turk, Harish, Marcus and i were going to watch the much awaited Australia vs Uruguay World Cup Qualifier match tonight initially, but it was called off because Harish had some other commitments -.-" while Marcus and i were afraid of a terrorist attack. I mean, the terrorists have been saying that the next bombing target was Melbourne, and i reckon tonight's the best time to strike. If all the soccer fanatics at Federation Square were bombed/killed, it would mean a big blow to Australian Soccer!

Jase was pretty pissed about it, but i told him that he'll owe me his life if there was an actual bombing at Federation Square tonight. haha!

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Sad Marks -.-"

Hey peeps! I'm feeling downcast right now because of my extremely poor exam results. I got four out of the eight exams that i sat for yesterday, and i was devastated to see:
English - A
German - D, C+
CAD - B
Science - B

I must say that the Science absolutely killed me. I studied my guts out for it, only to get this poor mark. It pisses me off so badly because my mistakes were of sheer carelessness. See, i was short of an A+ by 10 marks, i left out an easy 4 mark question on the last page because i didn't see it. Then, i read a 2 mark question wrongly although my answer was correct. Sigh... i dont' even want to think about it right now. I don't know what i'm gonna do, my mum got really pissed when i told her about my Science mark. I've never ever had anything lower than an A+ for a Science Exam. Argh... i've totally stuffed this one up.

This is probably the worst examination period i've had, and i'll just treat it with a pinch of salt =) Joanne slept over at my house last night, and we left for FGA at 8am this morning. OUr group project was to bless any ministry, and we decided to make some sandwiches for the women's ministry; who were having a meeting this morning.

It all turned out pretty well. Gabriel and Nick came late, but Jerusha and Joanne managed to pack about 60 sandwiches in less than an hour. I was planning to have a game of Soccer with Harish, Phan, Marcus, Nick, Jerusha, Shaun, Gabriel and myself, but almost everyone pulled out. So yea, Harish, Marcus and i had a kick at Wavereley park all by ourselves. It was really fun actually. I was quite amazed at the quality of our passing and all. I mean, our skills were almost on par with each other although we played in different roles, and we are all Singaporeans!!! haha!

The exams are over.. i'm not gonna brood over it. One slip up in one year won't take down the rest of my life. I'm gonna run this race with all my heart. I'll run it for God!

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Fungus Rocked....again!

Just had a kick with my sister, and i realised that i've lost most of my soccer skills -.-" I haven't been playing soccer for 3 weeks!!!! AHH!!!! I'm gonna go nuts soon if i don't have a proper game of Soccer! haha!

I'm currently learning how to play the song "When You Say Nothing At All" by Ronan Keating on the guitar. So i've uploaded it on the blog, hope you like it! Tag!!!!

I woke up at 6am today just to catch the Australia VS Uruguay World Cup Qualifier match which ended in a 1-0 victory for the South Americans. Sigh... the whole of Australia was watching with a small glimmer of hope, that was shut out by a 30th minute header -.-" Argh... they MUST win the next game. I really want Australia to qualify for next year's World Cup.

Fungus was terrific today. Bryan led us in an awesome time of worship; one of the best i've had. Chris spoke about Faith, and what it was. I can't really remember his definition, but it meant to have faith in God in all of our choices. This really struck me because i've never seen Faith in that way.

I've always thought that Faith was a belief that something impossible can be made possible through the power of Christ. But it is more than that. Faith is putting God in control of ALL our choices and decisions, knowing that he loves us and that it'll turn out for the good.

Oh yea, this is the scripture verse for today =)

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us."
- 1 John 3:16 NIV

Friday, November 11, 2005

Last Day of Work Experience!

Yep, today was the last day of work experience for me. I must say that i'm really happy to get that over and done with. Although it really was rewarding, i had to endure tireless hours of standing and walking around in the various wards and departments. haha! I just came back from work today feeling $30 richer! That's $6 bucks a day, which is really nothing at all. I got paid $50 dollars doing Community Service at Arpad Hostel for 18 hours! I reckon i should have had a better pay. But i guess the free lunches kindda levelled it off =)

I was at the Ambleside ward today, under the wonderful supervision of two young and beautiful nurses - Nicole and Megan. We did the same check ups as before - normal Observations and routine checks, changing of bedsheets, and medication. Yea, it was pretty straightforward, and it got a little boring when both Nicole and Megan had nothing to do! lol! They were slacking off!

Anyway, i spoke to this British patient for quite a bit, and we had a rather interesting conversation about his exploits as head of the British army back in 1941 in Eygpt! haha! i also tried to speak to this "confused" patient that suffers from Alzheimer's (is that how it's spelt?) Disease, and he refused to put on his oxygen mask the whole time!

We had kish (I know it's spelt with a "Q", but i just can't remember!!!!) for lunch, which was semi-terrific. After that, i went to the Emergency Deparment and was under this wonderful nurse by the name of Katrina. She was really friendly and nice. She even taught me how to operate a manual Blood Pressure machine, and she let me conduct several tests on patients - Pulse-taking, temperature, oxygen level and heart rate. I had a great time there.

After that, we headed of to meet Jackie for the last time. She gave Prashant and i the Evaluation forms and our salary =) haha! Prashant was about to burst because i had a much better comment from Jackie.

Alright, i've gotta go for Fungus really soon. BTW, i totally enjoyed my stay there, and i would strongly recommend that place for any of you looking for a Work Experience placing. You won't regret it! It least i didn't! =)

Thursday, November 10, 2005

3rd/4th Day of Work

I was a too tired to blog yesterday, but i must tell you guys about what i did. I started off yesterday at the new Cardiac Ward called Chesterfield and i was supervised by two lovely nurses - Lynn and Kelie. I watched as Kelie was dressing this patient's chest wound. He had a infection in his Sternum not long after his surgery, and had to be hospitalised. His wound was about an inch deep, from the bottom of his neck right down through his chest. Yea, it was a little offputting, but i managed to get a hold on my nerves. Well, that was an experience.

Lynn's such a funny person. She's the type that's a little overweight, just a little talkative and a whole lot funny. You need people like that in the workplace. It just... brings life to a dull setting! Anyway, she brought me around, and taught me about her trade willingly. The jokes that she cracked were hilarious.

After a splendid lunch, i headed off to the Day Unit. Before i go there, i would love to mention the terrific lunches provided free of charge at the hospital. On Monday there was Roast Beef, on Tuesday: Fried Chicken and Rice, on Wednesday: Thai Curry Chicken and Rice, and Thursday(today) i had Turkey!

It was pretty boring at the Day Unit. I was doing some paper work; a lot actually. This wonderful nurse named Andrea had a nice chat with me. She shared her experience with me, and told me about her children, and what kind of education she went through. It was really rewarding. I continued to make beds and wash pillows till 3pm.

Today was a little more interesting, and a lot more tiring! haha! I was at Stamford Ward for the first shift, under the care of an awesome, and well-experienced, nurse named Lynn. Through the past 3 days, i reckon i got to know Lynn the most. We talked about everything from school, to her family, to patients and the different types of drugs used. She was really experience. She knew exactly what she was doing and all.

But i made a real fool of myself when i tripped over a dangling IV cord after she asked me to grab some gloves for her -.-""" lol! I was terrified as i saw the IV being yanked out of an old male patient's wrist! Whoa... i cannot explain how horrified i was, but i kept apologising profusely to the man. He had been on a drip for 3 hours, but i carelessly pulled the IV out 10 minutes to go -.-" So he has to sit through the 3 hours againt tomorrow. He was really nice about it though, i spoke with him quite a bit actually. I'm really amazed at how nice people can be. I got to know 3 patients actually - Ken, and two other patients whose names escape me at the moment.

The interesting bit came after lunch at the Pathology Dorevitch department where my blood was taken and put through test several tests. An Irish lady took quite a few millilitres of blood from my arm, but it didn't hurt as much as i thought it would have. I got to look at all the red and different kinds of white blood cells in my blood through a microscope. Yea, that was a wonderful experience. This British dude named Carl briefed me through a whole lot of extremely expensive machines, which was kindda boring. Furthermore, i felt dead tired at that point as i had been standing for about 3 hours at the Stamford Ward.

Anyway, it got more interesting when he showed me how to conduct a test for blood type. He told me about the A,B, AB and O blood types, and how they worked, including the positive or negative charge on the blood, as well as, the different anti-agents that a blood can have. It was all really confusing and i only got half the stuff he mentioned. In the end, i my blood resulted in an O positive, and had anti-A and anti-B agents in it. haha! I don't really know what the anti-agents do, but i sure am happy with the results! =)

I went to the Glen after work to buy a card for Jackie, the Work Exerperience Coordinator. Sigh... time flies by really quickly when you're enjoying yourself. I'll definately miss all these different people that have impacted relatively greatly on my life =) Thanks guys!

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Day 2 of Work Experience

My second day at work was as great as the first, in fact, i got through it with a little more ease than i did yesterday. I was telling Prashant at work that time seems to drag on during work, and it seems to fly pass during school.

I spent 3 hours at the Supply department helping this 19 year old dude named Simon. He's such a humble and cool person, and everyone seems to like him. I had a taste of the top departments yesterday, and i was put in the lowest one today- Supply. Simon taught me how to sort out all the paper work, as hundred of boxes were delivered by the truckload at different times in the morning. There was no end to the work, boxes just kept flooding in. His job was to sort them out and deliver them to their respective departments.

It was really interesting because Heather, a nurse in the Theatre department, told me that she was gonna order something yesterday, and i saw it in the Supply room today. haha! It was then that i realised that all the different departments are dependent on each other to run a hospital, and that the Supply department was extremely important although it does require much expertise.

After that, i was sent to the Cardiology department. I watched a professional named Jenny, conduct a Echocardiography using a highly-advanced machine. She briefed me through the whole process as though i was a professional too, but i was pissing myself trying to keep up with all the sophisticed terminology and all. She was like "The bleeding valves may be caused by the pappilar muscles just behind the heart..." haha! But i actually understood most of it =)

Then another professional came to speak to me about the different kinds of testing used in Cardiology - Electricardiography (ECG) , Amulatory Monistoring, Exercise ECG Stress Testing, Echocardiography, Pacemaker implant, Cardiac Catheterisation, Electrophysiology Studies (EPS). haha! I only know what half of those procedures are. He brought me into their Radiology lab and showed me how Cardiac Catheterisation is carried out and all. I was extremely thrilled when he mentioned inserting this long tube into this *Thiemseine* vein in the leg and pulling it all the way behind the neck, down the throat and into the heart. lol!

I've been learning so much...but i don't know if i wanna go into Medicine. Everything sounds so interesting and fun, even the Supply job.

Monday, November 07, 2005

First Day at KPH

I was amazed at the tremendously high levels of organisation and management existent at Knox Private Hospital on the first day of work experience there. I must say that i had a great time there. I met so many skilled professionals in various departments of the health industry, and i've learnt so much stuff that i've never ever heard of in my entire life!

Prashant and i entered the Administration department at 9.30am, and met up with this fantastic lady named Jackie, our Work Experience Co-ordinator. She handed us a few legal forms that we had to fill in, and a full roster for the week. haha! I was so amazed when i saw that she had placed me in so many departments! In fact, i was to help out in two different departments a day - there was Surgical/Medical, Operational Theatres, Supply, Cardiology, Day Unit, Cardiac Ward, Dorevitch Pathology and Emergency.

My first departmental area was the Surgical/Medical ward named Ferndale. I was referred to three nurses; Bree, Nikki, and Jackie. haha! I had a semi-great time there. Bree's pregnant, and i helped her out most of the time. However, there was nothing much to do there, and all i could do was to observe what they were doing, and all the paperwork they had to fill out. I guess the most exciting bit was when Bree injected an IV into an old man's arm. lol! I was seriously freaking out. I never knew that i was afraid of blood or anything along those lines. But when i saw the old man whinging in pain when the needle was stuck into his arm, with blood streaming down. I felt sick in my stomach, and i really could have fainted right there and then. It was really funny because Nikki told me moments later that the previous Work Experience student fainted after witnessing the gory mess. Thank God that it didn't happen to me! =) And don't bag me!

I was also surprised that an awesome lunch was provided for all staff! haha! If i ever became a nurse at Knox Private Hospital, that would be the reason. Guess what i had? Roast Beef with Mass Potatoes!!!! lol! Prashant had sandwiches because he's supposed to be abstaining from beef. But he didn't refrain from sneaking a few pieces of my lunch down his throat!

After lunch, Jackie brought me to the Operating Theatre department. I was under two fabulous nurses; Emma and Heather. These wonderful nurses really made my day. There were renovations going on in that department for six new operating threatres, and there weren't many operations going on today because of that. Thus, these two fantastic nurses could stop their jobs and give me personal tours around the place!

Heather's in charge of sterilisation, and she showed me all the instruments and equipment needed for different operations. I even saw the pieces used for hip replacements. haha! The surgical sissors, stitches and huge-as surgical knives looked really intimidating. She took me to this room where they wash all the equipment, and where they sterilise them. The equipment was kept in seal, sterile boxes made of a special material and they would be dated, stamped and check for germs. Whoa... i was amazed at the efficiency of this department. Everything was kept in its place, the instruments were all kept sparkling clean and there was not a single speck of germ to be found! Heather was also really thrilled at all my questions, and so i just rampaged her with them.

Emma then took my for a tour around the surgical theatres and showed me the actual equipment used in a surgical theatre, and what has to be done before the patient is operated on. She told me about all the different anaethetics that one could take, about the surgeons' preferences for stitches. haha! I was surprised at the large variety of stitches one could choose from! She also told me about her past surgical experiences.

All in all, i did have some trouble understanding all the different medical terms that they were throwing at me. But i managed to understand most of it though, because my mum used to work in a hospital too, and she used to talk about her work at home. So yea, i had a great and engaging day. I've learnt so much about surgery, and all the tedious medical procedures that have to be carried out. Hmm... it's really broadened my view on the world, and made me appreciate nurses a little more.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Psychedelic Rally

I just came back from a picnic at a park somewhere hidden in the Dandenong Ranges. I feel like a lazy dog right now, cuz i stayed up late last night watching Liverpool triumph over Aston Villa 2-0!!!! Boo Yah!!!

The exams are all over, and this weekend has been fantastic! I had a party at Chinese school yesterday, and then i met up with Jin, Phan and Victor. I had invited them for the Youth Rally at 7pm that night but they decided to meet up with me 7 hours earlier! haha! Anyway, we made our way down to Box Hill for dance practice. Then we left for Crossway to get ready for the Youth Rally.

I just wanna thank Jin, Phan and Victor for being so patient. haha! They had to wait outside while i practiced for the dance, and they even helped to set up the chairs before the Rally. Thanks guys!

I had shitting myself minutes before the Rally started. Seriously... i almost pissed in my pants! We had only been practicing for two weeks, but never on a real stage. Furthermore, this stage had 2 levels, and we had to jump up and down to get into our various dance positions. But yea, i just had to trust God.

There were tons of teenagers that flocked into the hall, filling ALL the seats. I was glad that Harish, Marcus and Josh could come along too. I had rejected my invite Harish for the last two rallies, but he came last night after much persuasion!!!! Anthony pulled out at the last minute though. Josh brought a friend along, and Marcus brought along a whole group of people. Thanks for the support guys!

Some old ladies kicked off the session with line dancing. LOL! It was funny-as! I knew that the first thing up was line-dancing, but i didn't know that old women were gonna perform. Anyway, we were up next; the six of us - Ruth, Serene, Pete, Gabriel, Shaun and I. We were dressed in different colours. I was in Orange, Shuan was in Blue, Pete was in Yellow, Gabriel was in Red, Ruth was in Purple and Serene was in Green. We also had fancy designs painted on our faces.

My heat was beating at 200 miles per second during the first two minutes or so, but the crowd got behind us with their loud and incessant cheering. That made me calm down. Well, i did my worm across the stage successful, but i hurt myself in the process. haha! You don't wanna know where i hurt myself. Anyway, i had to bear with the pain till the end of the dance.

The rest of the rally was cool. Chris got his hair shaved by Quinton after losing to him by 400++ dollars in the donation contest. Some random girl won the i-pod mini and my song was released! haha! It was awesome-as! Tons of people came up to my after the rally and complimented me on the dance and the wonderful song. But i've gotta thank Bryan and Stanley for modifying it, and most of all, God; who made it perfect! The CDs were sold out by the time my friends left! haha!

Hmm... it's all over now. The Beat-Bouncers and all. I don't think i'll be seeing P.J, Mike, Serene and Ruth very much from now on. haha! It's weak-talk, i know... but i've been seeing them almost everyday for 2 weeks for dance practices, and this sudden stop brings back sweet memories. Fortunately Serene took some footage of our last practice session on Saturday. She's gonna compile it all into a CD. I reckon it'll bring tears to my eyes =..(
I hope this group won't die off, although i think it might.

Yesterday's rally and dance was a psychedelic dream come true... but what happens when the dream's over?

Friday, November 04, 2005

Exams Over!

I had a full day today, and i feel like a dead log right now. I reckon i could fall asleep while typing up this post. But i just had to announce that THE EXAMS ARE OVER!!!! BOO YAH! The day that i've been waiting for. All the stress and pressure for this year are finally over!

Many things happened today, and one was that i got my phone confiscated by Miss Kapon -.-" I was sitting for my Science exam, and Gabriel (who wagged school) called me up halfway through it. It was like O.0! haha! All my friends just turned and looked at my as i tried to hide me shame. Fortunately, the Co-Ordinator knew me pretty well and he returned it to me without a fuss. Oh...but he was pretty surprised, in fact, astonished to see me there. I was pretty hurt when he asked me "why?". There goes my rep. =(

After school, Jase, Banh, Turk, Harish, Marcus and i had lunch in the city, walked around and played some lan (I ended up paying $3 for an hour!!!!). Then i left for FGA in Box Hill. When i got there, Pastor Chris was telling me about the new single album that just came out. Germaine designed these fully-sick CD prints and CD case covers. It looks totally mad right now. I'm really pumped for it's release tomorrow! Stanley let me listen to the final version of the song, but i didn't like it as much as the rest did. They found it "awesome" and "unbelieveable", but i reckon it could have been better. But i still love it though, and i just wanna thank the people involved: Joanne, Adora, Avil, Stanley, Bryan, Chris, Germaine and Man Wai. I'll put it up some time soon =)

After that, we had dance practice from 8pm to 11pm -.-""" I just got back from that =) Anyway, i had a great time there with Shaun, Gabriel, P.J , Serene, Ruth and Pete. We finally got through the whole dance with minimum flaws, and we even had some time at the end to muck around. Serene took some awesome video clips with some random actions and some bloopers. haha! It's hilarious. She's gonna make a DVD on it. I can't wait!

God is Good!

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Careless Pit

Pfft... i'm pretty cut with myself right now for making some stupid mistakes in my BM and Maths exams today. I reckon i did really badly for BM, and just all right for Maths. Sigh... i studied so hard for them both, and this is what i get in return. This is compelling me to deduce that hard work and study doesn't pay off. Or even if it does, the effect it minute. But no, i know that i've done my best, and whatever result i end up with will be according to the Lord's will =)

I've got Geography and CAD exams tomorrow, but i don't really know what to study for Geography. I'm just reading through the pages in the text book, but there all case studies of different countries. Sigh... i'm not gonna memorise all the economic and social problems, the solutions and causes of all the different countries. lol! I reckon i'll flunk Geo tomorrow. As for my CAD, i've always hated Art, and i haven't studied for it at all. haha! It'll put my "hypothesising" to the test.

After all that whining, i'm pretty happy actually because Liverpool beat Anderlecht 3-0 today! Yippee! Morientes, Cisse and Garcia got on the score sheet. It's really thrilling to know that none of these players were in the Liverpool squad last year. Hmm... anyway, Chelsea lost to Real Betis 1-0!!!!!!!!!! haha!

It's boiling hot right now and i don't know how i'm gonna go to sleep tonight. I woke up at 1am because of the heat and i only got back to sleep at 2am -.-" I felt so lethargic in school today. It wasn't funny....i found myself falling asleep midway through the exams and i couldn't understand what i was reading -.-" Anway, come for the Fungus Youth Rally this Sat! And tag!!!!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Hot As

It's really too hot to blog right now. I feel like i'm in an oven! Argh... we should install an air-conditioner some time soon. How quick time flies... Summer's approaching really soon. haha! I'm listening to Wake Me Up When September Ends by Greenday right now. What a coincidence!

I've finally come to a point where all the pressure can finally be released. I'm supposed to be on the verge of exploding under the tremendous pressure i'm under right now. The Math and Business Management exams are tomorrow. I spent 6 hours straight preparing for it, and i feel pretty comfident. Hmm... maybe exams aren't too bad after all. I know i'll be delighted the moment that last paper's collected =)

I went for dance practice in the morning. Gabriel, Shaun, Ruth, Serene and P.J were there. We got most of the dance done, but there's still a small part that i'm not too confident with. Just a few more days and it'll all be over...

It's 10.25pm right now, but it's just too hot to go to sleep!!!!!

Monday, October 31, 2005

Pressurised Gold

Four days to go... four more days to freedom. I spent the whole day studying for Business Management today, and i just found out that someone leaked out the exam questions for that paper -.-" Sigh... there's just so much cheating going on in the world today. As the saying goes "There is no fairness in the real world." Why are people so afraid of losing out? And even if they were afraid, why don't they resort to some "legal" means to ease their terror instead of cheating the rest of the world of their integrity?

There's just so much to do, and so little time. I did hardly any work on the weekend because of Fungus, Chinese school and Dance practices. My mum got quite pissed with me yesterday because i was pushing myself too hard, and i was kindda neglecting my studies for dancing. Argh... i can't get my priorities right!!!!! My exams are extremely important to me, but i have to practice my dance moves for this coming Saturday's Fungus Youth Rally. Sigh... i guess i have to perservere through the pressure.

"He knows the way that i take, when he has tested me, i will come forth as gold."
- Job 23:10 NIV

That verse was on my scripture card this morning. I didn't understand what it really meant at first...but now i do. There've been so many things, so many incidents going on, and i gather that God's been trying to tell me to push on through all the hardship. Seriously... the people i speak to try to encourage me, emails that tell me of happiness in life, and the scripture verses i read.

Anyway, i've been trying to get as many people as possible to come for the Youth Rally. It's gonna be awesome! I'm gonna be dancing, and my song's gonna be released with an album. haha! I can't wait for it. Stanley and Bryan have been modifying it so much that i don't even know how it sounds right now.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Cheese Cakes and All...All but a dream..

Cheese Cakes, Coke, milk, lemonade, crispy-creams, chicken-curry, SOCCER, lanning, chattting and all... all but a mere dream that looks near... but it's really far in actual fact. Argh... i've got 5 more exams to go - Maths, Science, Business Management, CAD and Geography. Sigh... these are all important subjects, save for CAD :P

I'm so busy this weekend. I really want to get down to studying, but i've gotta go for breakdancing practice in about 10 minutes. ArGH!!!!!! I'm screaming my head off. Sigh... can you remember the last time you felt so pressured that you wanted to fly off to another country, shave your head, and drink some milk? I feel that way right now.

I'm in no mood to do anything except to study. I don't even feel like studying. I feel as though there's something EXTREMELY important that i have to attend to, but i'm too tired to "attend" to it, and i can't attend to it at the present moment. lol! Jase and Banh would call me a "whinger". But yea, i'm just so exhausted that i'm starting to talk about crap.

Anyway, there's gonna be a Youth Rally on the 5th of November (this coming Saturday). It's gonna be GREAT fun, and i'm gonna be break dancing. I've gone through tireless practices to prepare for this... so yea, please come if you can.

I'm off to burst some balloons.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Phoney Tunes

Whoa! It's been a week since i last posted, it feels like a month's passed by. I hope i haven't lost any viewers. So much has happened in the last few days, and you'll be pretty surprised to read about these two "major" happenings.

I've been extremely stressed up about the exams in the past few days, haven't been able to get a good nights rest. Well, they're half over. Or should i say, i've got 5 outta 8 more papers to sit for next week! I even wagged school on Tuesday to study for my Maths and English exams yesterday. I spent about 10 hours trying to memorise quotes from the Catcher in the Rye and all the Maths formulas.

Anyway, i sat for the Maths Paper 1 yesterday morning, and everyone was really nervous and anxious. Needless to say, i was feeling the same way. I had studied so much for this, but i couldn't get this small shadow of a doubt outta my math-formula-filled mind. Anyway, one of my best friends, Jason, asked if he could sit next to me; to cheat, obviously. But i told him that i don't cheat during exams. So yea, he said "Fuck you!" Well, i was taken aback. Seriously, i didn't expect such an aggressive response from such a good friend. He's really strong headed and he doesn't like to study, and i don't mind helping him out in class tests and all, but it just won't do him any good if i just feed him the answers. He'll only get the flak in Year 12. So yea, i stood strong on my belief, and obviously, he got pissed... dead pissed.

I was pretty hurt by it, i've gotta say. And he kept making really mean remarks right in front of my face. Then i began to wonder if he was a True friend. I don't know anymore, maybe he's just half of that. He wasn't as aggressive as he was yesterday, but i can tell that he's still holding a grudge. It's not that i didn't want to help him. I don't mind losing a friend, if that's what it takes for him to change. I really hope he sees that.

The second "major" incident that happened was today's Science paper that totally pissed me off. It was pretty tough, i have to say, but i reckon i would have gotten a marginal A+. However, 20 minutes after all the Year 10s were released, some people came up to me and told me that the Science Paper that we just sat for was almost exactly the same as the one in 2002, save for a few questions! O.O" I couldn't believe my eyes when Eugene pulled out the answer sheet! Seriously. But the thing is, about half the Year 10s somehow knew about this "loop hole", and memorised all the answers to the paper. Some of them even keyed in the MCQ answers in their graphic calculators and all. Sigh... it's really hard for them not to get above 95%. And if the papers get standardised... i'll be screwed. I studied my guts out for it, and the people that took the easy route get the better grades -.-"I was dejected.

Nothing in this world is fair. But i was thrilled, yet angry at the same time when this annoucement sounded, " Attention all Year 10 students! There has been a security breech in the Science Examination, and there will be a re-examination next Friday, on the 4th of November." haha! Thank God! I'm delighted that we get a fair test this time, but i'm extremely disappointed with the teachers for their utterly stupid laziness for using exactly the same copy of the 2002 paper. The exams were supposed to be over next thursday, but it's now extended to Friday -.-"

Sigh... i really want the Science faculty to apologise. Maybe, "The Science Faculty would like to apologise for our stupid and idiotic decision to use the 2002 Science paper for this year's examination due to our incompetence. Please forgive us for our utter laziness."

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Too Serious?

I had a splendid day today. School whizzed past in the blink of an eye. It was supposed to be "muck-up" day today, and the Year 12s did lotsa immature stuff. Really, i found it really puzzling why Year 12s, the most senior in the entire high school, would choose to embarrass themselves in acts of pure immaturity, only to end up losing all their respect! Triggering $5000-per-call fire alarms, "egging" random people, firing water guns and blockading the front entrance.Hmm... i don't know if i'll be doing the same things in two years...

The dude and i had a great time of Futsal today, as usual. Mr.Ganella, our Soccer coach, rocked up today. We got into 4 teams, and played in a mini-tournament. Peter, Michael Duong, Pramok, Eric and i formed a team. We didn't have much quality, but we managed to stick together as a team to win the first game 3-1, and beat the second team 5-0. I scored three goals! haha!

Then came the finals against Turk, Duc, Darren, Welson and Paul -.-" An All-Star team. Anyway, we managed to pull away with a fluke goal when Pramok took a shot from the kick-off which deflected off Darryn into the top corner. Then Darryn got his revenge when his shot was deflected by Pramok into our top corner -.-"""" After that, the game was held in a balance until Turk made this spectacular dummy that got my completely fooled, and slotted the ball calmly into the bottom corner -.-" We were 2-1 down. At that point in time, i really thought that there was no hope, but i managed to get our noses level with through a corner-kick that deflected off the keeper. IN the end, we lost 1-0 on penalties. Turk converted his, and mine was saved -.-"

I've gotta rush off now! Cya peeps! Keep tagging!

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

True Friends

I don't know... and i don't know when i'll ever know who my true friends are. Some of my friends are just "friends", many are "good friends", few are "best mates", but who are my "true friends?" I don't have the answer to that now, it's just a thought that was just lingering in my mind. Maybe, you're asking yourself the same question. I'll comment on it once i gain more experience =)

My first day of my 15th year was a pretty good day, besides the ever increasing workload being weighed upon me. Tommy's starting to bag me a little more lately. I don't know why he's doing so, cuz i haven't done anything to aggrevate him. Some of his remarks are just plain-insulting and some are just immature. But i guess, we've gotta except friends for who they are. I'm trying my best not to retaliate in hope that he'll grow outta that phase. Well, Jase couldn't cope with it, and he started bagging Tommy back, and there's so much rivalry between them now. Sigh...

I just had a sushi-dinner, and i'm about to type up my English Essay on Flowers for Algernon. Hey, i just wanna thank all of you for tagging! There've been SOOO many tags in the past two days. It's a comforting realisation that so many people actually remembered my birthday, and made some effort to wish me a happy one. Thanks peeps!

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

A Day of Smiles

Every smile i had today was a smile worth having.

I'm smiling even now! Just wanna thank you guys for making my birthday such a memorable day! Seriously... i'll never forget this day, there weren't any celebrations or extravagant banners, but there sure was tons of smiles and laughter. Thank you all!

Kevin, the black dude in my class, made a goal for the class this morning. It was to sing me a birthday song once every lesson. haha! This has happened before, and some of the tighter teachers even reprimanded the boys and told them to stop, but i was hoping they'd give me a little more respect. Surprisingly, Miss Petrie, Miss Poletti, and Miss Pilkington sang along, and all three of them asked me the same question: "How old are ya now?" haha! And most of them were surprised to know that i was only 15 -.-""" Miss Petrie even made a comment that she was old enough to be my mum! =)

Anyway, i felt extremely happy whenever they sang the birthday song, to the extent of embarrassment. But it felt really good to be greeted with tons of "Happy Birthday, Isaac!" from so many people along the corridors. haha! I think 3/4 of the Year 10s know that it's my birthday today. I thank God for all my friends, really... they've made my day.

After lunch, Banh and Tommy presented me with this sick-as present: A Liverpool Scarf!!!! Yeehaa!!! That's what i was planning to get! haha! Only my dearest friends would know how to get me such a present, thanks Banh and all the rest who chipped in! Thanks a lot! =)

If only this day could repeat itself over and over and over again. But as the cliche goes, all happiness must come to an end, and i think i'll have to get back to work soon. But i feel more light-hearted and at eased. Hmm... here's the scripture for today:

"The Lord is good and his love endures forever, His faithfulness continues through all generations."
- Psalm 100:5 NIV

I thank the Lord for all my friends, for making me who i am, and for giving me such joy!

Oh, i almost forgot. The gang on the later train had a "mini-party" too. Thanks!

Monday, October 17, 2005

Smile! It's My Birthday Tommorrow.

It's my Birthday tomorrow! So leave a tag to wish me Happy Birthday. And remember the 18th of October is my birthday! Break your leg tomorrow, or do something drastic so that you can remember it! haha!

When i was born, all i wanted was to see a smile. Now, i really want to be a pro guitarist, a good student and to grow closer to God. About 50 years from now, i think i'll be craving for a smile again. The exams are in two weeks, and i can hardly afford the time to smile. There's just so much work to finish off being going into a full-on study mode.

I really need a haircut soon, but there's no time! I envy my friends back in Singapore. Their exams were long over. I can't wait for my exams to be over. I was handing out the Fungus Rally cards today in school, and i got a whole lot of flak from my friends, especiallly Jase. He says that the location's too far from his house, and he refuses to sleep over at my place -.-" Sigh... i'm not one to be all temperamental and all, but i'm becoming like one. I've been sacrificing my time even though my exams are soon approaching to learn how to break dance and all; for the sole purpose of "incensing" my friends to come for the Rally. Well, it means a lot to me that my friends turn up.

Many people have asked me what i wanted for my birthday, and i said to all of them,

"All I want is a Smile." =)

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Shagged Weekend

Hey, the hit counter's going up consistently, but no one's tagging! Please add a little tag whenever you drop by. I feel sad whenever i don't see new tags. Anway, i expected this weekend to be an extremely tiring one, and it sure proved to be so. My eyelids are weighing down on my right now, and i feel like sleeping....but i can't..yet.

Yesterday was a fine day starting off with Chinese school. Crystal and i delivered this awesome oral presentation which sent the class bursting off in laughter. Blee and Simon did an hilarious impromptu job too! haha! The teacher was really impressed with us...that got my rather happy.

Well, that was followed by Jasmine's and Sarah's birthday party at Ruffy Lake Park. There were tons of people there, both young and old. I didn't know half the people there. Oh yea, before going there, i made a last minute, yet successful, attempt to get 4 cute little soft toys and a card for each of them for a bargain of $14!! haha! Don't ask me where i bought the presents. Anyway, there was this huge playground with lots of obstacles and all, but we had a challenging game of soccer on a sloped high instead.

I got home at 4.30pm, and started working on my Business Management assignment and finished it off at 12am, before catching the Liverpool VS Blackburn match. haha! Djibril Cisse finally shined for Liverpool, scoring the winning goal of a thrilling match which ended 1-0! I'm delighted, but fatigue's crawling into my bones and up my spine. Sigh... i spent about 7 hours yesterday on that stupid BM assignment, and another 4 hours completing it today.

There are four of us in a group - Tommy, Steven Tran, Harish and myself. I volunteered to compile all our work together and prepare the final copy for submission tomorrow. When Jase heard that Tommy was in my group, he made a $20 bet with me that we won't get an A+ for it -.-" haha! Jase, get ready to lose your $20! I wouldn't spend 11hours for anything less than an A+!

Steven Tran did an awesome job, and Harish did a semi-sloppy job -.-" I had to redo more than half of his work for him -.-" I did two awesome advertisement flyers and a membership card sample. His work looks so much better than mine now -.-" Argh... i'd crack if he got a higher mark than me. Anyway, Tommy's still working on his assignment. Sigh... he's been giving me heaps of trouble, and i'm really getting frustrated. I hope he'll get a good job done by tonight.

The exams are coming up in two weeks, and i'm already feeling the pressure mounting on. I slept at 2am last night...and i'm feeling the effects of it now. Sigh... I'm supposed to be doing this break dancing thing for the Youth Rally coming up on the 5th of November. I'm really pumped up for it, and i've already invited tons of friends...but i've got no time to go for the break-dancing practices. Argh...

God, please help me.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Owen rocks da house again!

Owen shoots, and he scores!!!! With that amazing win against Poland, English will finish at the top of their groupm ensuring them a place in next year's thrilling World Cup Competition. Yippee! Owen never fails to impress, he's scored 5 goals in the last 5 games. What a sensation. It really made my day when i read the amazing news this morning.

Anyway, today's scripture is:

"Be devoted to one another... Honour one another above yourselves."
- Romans 12:10 NIV

Do you find it hard to regard others higher than yourself? Well, i do sometimes... or maybe... most of the times. But i'll strive hard to remain humble, and to put others ahead of me. Then again, i was just reminded of some suckers that practice "self-sacrifice" in order to gain the attention of "cool" people. Nah, that's different. I'm talking about sacrificial love here...

My body feels stoned from Futsal. I didn't come away with all three wins today, Turk stole one from me -.-""" haha! He was all smiles as he left the futsal arena, proclaiming, "haha! I beat isaac today!" Well done Turk, you deserved it. See? It doesn't matter who you've got on your team, all it takes is a good captain to manage it.

I hate losing stuff. Have you ever had one of those feelings when you think you've forgotten to bring something along, and you can't be stuffed thinking about what you think you've forgotten only to realise a few hours later that you've actually forgotten something really important. haha! That happened to me today. Jase was kind enough to get me a Pro Evo CD today, and i can't seem to find it now. Sigh... i hope it's in my locker.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Jog-A-Break

The hit counter's finally hit 2000! Whoa.. this is great. Thank you all for coming here frequently! Anyway, today's inspirational scripture verse is:

"'I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'"
- John 8:12 NIV

Yea, take a moment to dwell on that. Are you looking for the light? A solution to all your problems? Well, Jesus is the way!

I just got back from a jog with Joyce. Jerusha couldn't come as she had Soccer training, and Tim just got back from some Tennis thingo. Well, i was quite reluctant to go jogging, but i decided to give my eyes a break. haha! And i'll never regret that!

I managed to clear up this minor-made-major misunderstanding with Joyce, and then we jogged to this awesome place in a park just behind her house. I knew that a park existed there, but i'd never had the time to go exploring. I kindda imagined that it was be like a dump, a hole. And i was shocked when Joyce told me that she'd seen cows grazing around there pretty often.

Anyway, we went up this raised wooden platform which had a spectacular sight over a vast area of Glen Waverley. It was an awesome sight! We could even see the rain falling in the distance.

Taking breaks isn't such a bad idea after all. Anyway, i've got tons of work to catch up on right now. Sigh... the exams are coming up in two weeks. Whoa, i can't wait till they're all over!

Monday, October 10, 2005

Birthday Bash

I'm feeling dead tired now. We just came back from a long, and simply fantastic, dinner at FoodStar. Oh... the food there's sensational. But that's not the point. The point was, or is that it's my mum's birthday today! Happy Birthday mum! I love ya!

If you think about it. Parents are actually a blessing, a precious gift from God. You can't decide who you want as a parent, and they can't choose who they want for a child. However, there's just this unexplainable loving relationship that few can comprehend. Still, i can remember getting into tons of quarrels and disputes with my parents, thinking that they're always unfair and all. But when i start to think back now, i was simply immature.

I had my birthday party yesterday. There were quite a few people at my house. haha! It was so packed that i was getting a little worried. Thanks to all that made the party as fantastic as it was! We talked, ate and all... Quinton, Gabriel, Shaun, Jerusha, Nick, Alvin and i had our dinner out on the cold pergola. Anyway, i think the highlight was when Joyce and Vicky suggested watching Jerusha's and my childhood videos -.-" And i was utterly embarrassed. haha! I picked my nose, rubbed the contents on the wall, scratched my head with the same finger, and then gave it a wet suck -.-" All on tape...argh... i've gotta burn it someday. haha! Childhood Innocence. I love that.

Later on in the night, i unwrapped all my presents. Hey, thank you- Shaun, Tim, Joyce, Nick, Vivian, Aviel, Danica, Grace, Reuben - for the wonderful presents! I got a Christian novel called "Bad Ground", some table-tennis bats x.x, a beautiful photo frame, an AWESOME bookmark with the "footprints" story on it, and a bundle of cards. Best of all, i got a really nice looking stand thingo with 60 scripture cards. So, i'll include a short and inspirational passage of scripture in every post =) Hopefully i'll memorise some of them.

It really made my day when everyone sang the birthday song. It's been a really long time since so many people celebrated my birthday with me =) Thank you!

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Spiteful Traps...

Why do i keep falling? It's plain wrong! I can see them as clear as day, but these spiteful traps always get the better of me. I'm quite confused now. I strive to be honest, to be perfect and all...at least...that was in the past. But what have i become? I don't know anymore... right now... the bad doesn't seem as bad as it used to be. Or rather... jokes aren't JUST jokes anymore... things are starting to get serious. The world around me is moving on, and i feel like i'm trapped in this tender bubble of innocence... the trouble only comes when it pops.

I know you're angry... i'm sorry.

I went to Chinese school this morning and had a pretty good time there. Managed to catch up with Blee a little. I haven't been talking to her much lately because of school work. Sigh... in this world, you'll only get a handful of genuine friends; she's one of them.

After school Jerusha and i met up with Nick, Shuan, Joyce and BIG Tim (I'm gonna call Tim that from now on cuz i've sorta realised that he's my age xP). I was pretty lost then. No one tells me anything these days...haha! that really sounds like a cliche. But i had absolutely no clue why we were meeting up with them for, so i just brought them to the food court at The Glen for lunch. Sadly, Shaun, Nick and i ended up having oriental meals -.-" I would have brought them to Bob's Kitchen if i knew that they wanted Chinese food!

Anyway, Nick had to buy a present for Quint, Shuan had to get something for grace, and Joyce and Tim were shopping for something. As for me, i went home at 3pm and spent the next 4 hours or so working on my Geography assignment -.-""

I was really happy when i saw lyd, joce and dawn post. haha! Glad you gals haven't forgotten me! I wonder how much longer i would be able to keep in touch with my Singaporean friends for... time to move on? Yea, i think so...

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Random Thoughts

I'm feeling moodless right now...haha! Probably because i'm too tired to think. We had Futsal for sport just then, and this time Duc, Turk, Paul, Eric and Michael were on my team. And we emerged with three straight wins: 4-0, 2-1 and 3-1. Apparently, this was Turk's and Duc's first time winning all three games, and they seemed exceedingly happy as they boarded the train at Spencer Street. It's good to know that your friends are happy.

Well, the reason for the title of my post is based on my own personal theory that everyone has a tonne of thoughts passing in and out of their brain rapidly, and sometimes, the random thoughts push your cranium into overload. However, if i vent them all out on my blog, perhaps they'd get out of my brain.

Hmm... this is gonna be totally random, but i'm thinking of Soccer matches during lunch. They sure make my day. They give a brief spark of hope and joy through a tough and tiring day of school. A hope that i would score a wonder goal. I don't know why, but i've been missing a bundle of good chances to knock in awesome goals in the past two days. Sigh... I perform spectacularly in the build-up only to scuff the chance away due to a slight lack of concentration on the finish!

Anyway, the debate of knowledge is also on my mind. We are currently studying this marvellous English text "Flowers for Algernon". It's about how this mentally impaired dude named Charlie Gordon goes through a neuro surgery and gets extremely smart over time. However, he starts to feel more negative emotions as he gets smarter and smarter. Personally, i have this huge desire to gain more and more knowledge. I mean, reaslistically, everyone has that. But... is that really good for us? The saying "Ignorance is Bliss" is really wise. Would you rather live in bliss, and be ignorant? Or would you rather have all the knowledge in the world and yet live in remorse? Answer in a tag!

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Repeated Misses

Hey peeps! The hitcounter's finally hit 1900! haha! I just wanna thank you all for dropping by to read about my "awesome" and "interestingly-soccerish" life. Hey, please continue to leave a tag! I know tons of you read my blog, but can't be stuffed tagging... but PLEASE DO!

Anyway, nothing much happened today. But i very much hate the fact that the work load's increasing. THe exams are coming up real soon; in about 3 and a half weeks, but i'm not confident about them AT ALL! Seriously, i can barely remember the stuff that i learnt last term; that is, if i had actually learnt anything. I feel that it's about time to plop myself down on a chair and bury my head in some textbooks for a few hours. Sigh... Exam Pressure... what a platitude.

Hey, answer this question through a tag:
There's a good friend of yours that often likes to slacks off. One dreadful day, he remembers that his Science experiment's due the next day, and he/she asks you to send him your assignment so that he can use it as a "reference".
Would you let him have your assignment?

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Birthdays

Birthdays. Some might think of it as another day to celebrate without a real concrete reason to do so. Others just ignore it; thinking that it's a thing of the past - immature. Still some others regard it as a day of creation; the day that God decided to create you; the day you first experience life.

As my Birthday's coming up in two weeks, my sister suggested having a birthday party just two days ago. I don't know why, but i was really annoyed. Puzzles me when i think of it now, but i was really disturbed. I don't know if it was my mood, or if it was the suggestion.

I'm not one for throwing parties. In this world, there are Party Givers and Part Goers. Well, i'm more of the latter. It's been ages since i ever threw a birthday party. Really. I think the last time i had one was back in 2001. Anyway, since Jerusha's so keen to have a party, i thought i'll just have a joint party this Saturday. But apparently, almost everyone's busy this weekend, including me. haha! It's what you get for going to Melbourne High -.-" So i'm thinking of having it on the following Saturday, 15th of Oct. We'll see how it goes...

I don't know what's come over me the past few days, but i've been really tempermental. Sigh... i used to be really calm and all, but what's come over me?! Argh...i'm thinking about really REALLY dumb things. Some stupid Philosophies of Life for example. lol! Think i'm going nuts. I've been getting into quarrels with my sis, my mum and my dad. Sigh... It's deteriorated to such an extent that i feel uncomfortable talking to my sis!

I prayed to God just then, and He calmed me down a lot.
I need a heart of love, altruistic love... not hatred.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Dead Legs

I feel as tired as Hitler's shaved legs. I've been actively exercising non-stop for the past few days. It was a 3km jog by myself four days ago, then a futsal tournament and a 3km jog with my sister two days ago. Then i spent 3 whole hours under the scorching sun playing soccer with the Fungus dudes. What a day!

I've gotta get ready for school really soon, my science experiment isn't fully complete yet. The holidays have passed by in such a jiffy. Seriously, this may sound like a cliche, and it's becoming more and more like a known phenomenon. Sigh... when will i ever cherish the value of time?

Jerusha, Nick, Gabriel, Danica, Avil, Shuan, Reuben, Quinton, Sonja and i went to the Jumpstart concert in the city. The quality of the skits, items and poetry was top-class, but it was a pity that the coordination and professionalism was non-existent. They experienced long and frequent periods of techinical difficulties between items. haha! Nick was rambling on about how efficient it would have been if he were the one in charge of the technical stuff. The event went from 6.30pm till 10.30pm -.-"

Oh yea, just a reminder... my birthday's on the 18th of October! So yea, don't forget!!!

Friday, September 30, 2005

12 Hours of Sleep

Slept for 3 hours at Tommy's house yesterday - from 12.30am to 3.30am. That's considered as luxury compared to Tommy's 10 mins, Jin's 30 minutes and Victor's 20mins. I just spoke to Tommy and Jin today, and we're having a sleep-a-ton sort of thing. haha!

Tommy slept for 18 hours in all
Jin slept for 19
Victor's probably still sleeping. haha!

I slept from 3pm to 7pm yesterday, and 11pm till 7am this morning - that makes 12 hours in all! haha!

I'm really glad that all the dudes enjoyed the Futsal Competition yesterday. Of all the events that i've organised, there are always people who would pull out at the last minute and cause lotsa unwanted problems. But the dudes awesome... i was shocked when almost everyone turned up right on time. haha!

My objective for today is to finish the last 100 pages of my book. So, chill out!

Rememer: Sleeping's good for ya!

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Fantastic Futsal

Hey peeps! How're you guys going? Please leave a tag before you leave.

Victor, Jin and i stayed over at Tommy's house last night, and i just wanna thank him for being so hospitable. His mum was so kind as to cook fried Char Kuay Teow for dinner and bacon and eggs for us in the morning! haha!

Jin was going skitz about backyard cricket. It was my first time palying, and Jin hit a full 6 on my first bowl. The tennis ball flew high into the sky and landed on the neighbour's roof. haha! That was hilarious. Tommy said that his neighbour's a really temperamental person who gets angry really easily. But we managed to retrieve the ball after some smooth talking.

I slept for about 4 hours, and i woke up at 3.30am to find the rest watching "My Sassy Girl". haha! According to Jin, the dudes watched porn on some fashion channel while i was asleep. They even took photos of me sleeping -.-"""" Anyway, we were all dead tired by the time the Liverpool VS Chelsea game started. It was really entertaining depite the stalemate. Sigh... Liverpool really should have won!!! I'm extremely pissed....

The dudes met up at Flinders at 10am, and Turk was the last one there (as usual). Then we went down to the Pitts Building for the Futsal Tournament. I'd done some detailed planning and oragnising before today and i wanted everything to go well. And indeed, everything went smoothly for the first hour or so. We booked the court for 2 hours. That cost us $110! lol! We had to pay $8 each as there were 14 of us (excluding banh, jonno, jerusha and Adem).

Despite the good start, everyone started to get tired and the atmophere turned sour. But all in all, i think everyone enjoyed it. Our team: Marcus, Denholm, Jack, Victor and I won all our round robin games easily, but we "lost" in the finals in a penalty shootout as there was "not enough time" -.-"

Anyway, i'm dead tired now...gtg soon.... i'm feeling dizzy...and everythings....shakey....

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Liverpool VS Chelsea

I've just embarked on a short term goal: To finish a book called "Gifted Hands" by the end of this week. haha! I've read a hundred pages in the past two days, and i've only got another hundred more to go. But yea, it's an amazingly inspirational book, and i would like to recommend it to you all. It's an autobiography of a black dude called Ben Carson, and how he broke through the thick barrier of racism in the US to become, argueably, the World's best Neurosurgeon. Seriously, read it!

I'm gonna be extremely busy for the next three days. Blee and James have invited tons of people (>20) for a movie at Glen Waverley to celebrate their birthday. haha! They were born on the exact same day! Anyway, Tommy's one of the 20 people were invited, and i'll be going to his house straight after the movie.

I think Jamie, Jin, Darren and some other dudes are staying over too. Why? Cuz it's Liverpool VS Chelsea tomorrow morning! Yea, we're gonna wake up real early to catch it. Aww... i really hope Liverpool wins, although it's against all the odds. But i'll pray!

After that, i've actually organised a mini Futsal tournament at 11am tomorrow. So yea, i hope we'll have a great time there. There'll be three relatively equal teams battling it out seriously. haha! I can't wait to hear Tommy's whining when his team loses! :P

On Friday, Denholm's organising some Indoor Soccer at some far out place. Somewhere near Frankston. lol! Anyway, i composed another poem. Enjoy!

My Help

Oft i fall,
Into snares of sin.
Sweet temptations drag me,
Back to where i've been.

Sin and lust,
My will deny.
But may may hands and feet,
To the Lord glorify.

My feet are weary,
My lips and dry.
I stumble in pools of sin,
Unable to keep up the lonely vie.

But when i fall,
I know You're always there.
Deliver me O God,
For i know You care.

God
& Isaac
28/9/05

Monday, September 26, 2005

Day of Rest

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Today's been a pretty boring day. But there has to be a few days of study set apart during the holidays. I can't believe how quick time flies... i've got another 6 days before school reopens, and a month or so from now will be my End of Year Examination. Sigh.. i don't feel prepared for it at all.

I spent about an hour or so on MSN this morning... and i wondered if there were anyone that spends most of their time on MSN. I mean... in my opinion, it's almost a complete waste of time. I don't see a need to spend time talking (on MSN) to people you see everyday. I use it to keep in touch with my old friends in Singapore, and to remind my friends about stuff, but i don't spend more than 30 minutes "socialising". haha! I know i sound anti-social... but... aren't there better ways to be social?

I was thinking about the meaning of life yet again, and i wondered why people live. I mean, what purpose do you live for? Yea, let me pose that question to ya, "What do you live for?"
What do you aim to accomplish? To get a good education, obtain an awesome job that you're dying for...and to marry the girl/man of your dreams? What comes next? Have children, buy a house beside the seashore after you retire. And then? What comes next???

I composed a poem along those lines in the morning...have a good read, and a nice day!

Hope

Many live in an endless persuit,
Chasing relentlessly for unclear goals.
Yet i feel pity,
For such hopeless souls.

Spending their lives,
In rush and hurry.
Wanting more and more,
Yet are still hungry.

But patience and humility,
Calm the restless brawl.
While Love and Faith,
Bring Hope to all.

Life's not a circus,
It has a purpose.
To love and serve Him,
The One who gave us Hope.

God
& Isaac
26/9/05

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Trip to Philip Island

Read the top before viewing the pictures below!

Most of ya must be thinking that i've abandoned this blog. But i'm far from doing that! I was camping at Philip Island for a cell group retreat, and i just got back. I had a great time there! Jerusha didn't come as she had to represent the state in Futsal up in Sydney.

I expected the trip to be really boring because the only "teens" around "close to" my age were Danica(13) and Rachel (12). I got to know them a little bit more, and that change my entire impression on them. haha! I used to think that they were all materialistic and all, but now...nah.. just a little.

This 4 year old girl, Elisha, used to hate me bitterly because i did something really nasty once. She's got an amazing memory...she remembers that incident from the start of last year! But it's so nasty that i won't even mention it. haha! I was playing with her throughout the camp, keeping her company and all. And she treats me as a "big bro" now. lol! I'm good around kids :)

Alright, should stop blabbering now. Here are some of the pictures i took. Enjoy!




That's the cell group Posted by Picasa



Nobbies! Posted by Picasa



That's a random photo of Tim's Birthday Party! Posted by Picasa




That's Elisha! Posted by Picasa



My dad and i at Philip Island Posted by Picasa



Alright, here's a treat - Mating Seagulls! Posted by Picasa



The beach at Philip Island Posted by Picasa



That's me at Nobbies! Posted by Picasa



Isn't it Awesome? Posted by Picasa



Don't you just love the waves? Posted by Picasa



That's me at Nobbies! Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Respect

Respect. It's meaning has been crudely changed in today's modern society. It relates itself to proud and arrogance. Something that people fear yet long for, is highly respected. Do you want respect? Well, i sure do. At least a little! -.-" I don't believe how i was treated today.

Before i start, i just wanna thank Joyce for organising the mini-party we had at her place. There were about 15 of us there - Wan He, James, Joy, Emma, Linda, Blee, Eugene, Jerusha, Mel, Yvonne, John, Joyce, Jung, Peter and i. We watched a few spastic movies, played Mahjong (some asian game) and had wraps for lunch. Yummy!

The guys came over to my place, and we played table-tennis for a bit. We were actually planning a Birthday surprise for Jung, James and Blee who had the same birthdates! haha! Anyway, Blee was a little late, and i came up with some sneaky ploy to get Jung and James away from the house. Well, all went well and they were surprised. haha! Not THAT surprised...but more of shock. Anyway, the cake was yum! Chocolate Fudge and Stawberry...

What really pissed me off then... was when i walked into Jerusha's room and found Eugene and Mel doing something that they weren't supposed to be doing on my sister's bed -.-" I was gonna ask them out for cake, and i did, but they said that they didn't want any. And then i insisted, and so they agreed. I'm very pissed right now...my sis told me after they left that she chased them out before and warned them not to do it again. Mel and Eugene even THOUGHT about using MY BED instead! -.-" I don't believe the level of immaturity i'm faced with. Sigh...

Just when i was beginning to think that they were half decent...

Well, i should't brood over it. Why should i respect those that have abosolutely no respect for me? It's Tim's Birthday tommorrow, and i wanna take this opportunity to say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIMMY! haha! I'm gonna crash his party tommorrow! =)

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Grudges

I don't know if my dad's still angry with me today. I've already settled the issue with my mum. But i was shocked when my dad left for work without saying goodbye. Later on in the afternoon, i received a really long email from him counselling me about last night. My dad has done this many times before, and i think it's a good practice. Usually, i would just read it, learn from it and let it go. But this time, i replied him with another long email. And i just received another reply from him.

When he came back just then, i spoke to him as though everything was resolved. But he showed some dissaproval toward me. He wasn't talking much, and his tone was on the low side. Sigh...i think he's still holding a grudge against me. I really don't want my dad to be angry with me. I put myself in his shoes, and i can see a heart of bitterness. I don't know, guess i would feel the same way. Forgive me Lord.

I was determined to get some work done today... spent 3 hours in all finishing all 5 exercises of maths. haha! I'm pretty happy with that. I've gotta buck up and kick outta the complete relaxation mode i'm in at the moment. I've got a Science experiment, a BM assignment and an English book report to work on. Anyway, i'll be spending the next few days with my friends. So yea, i'll take a short break for now =)

Why do i contridict myself so much?

Remember me telling you that Fungus was gonna use one of my songs in the album that they're ognna publish in October? Yea, i brought the lyrics to Fungus yesterday and Stanley (The AWESOME guitarist) made some changes to the tune. He made it inch-perfect! Seriously... it sounded so much better, so much livelier than before. I feel like putting it on my blog, but it's not fully done yet. haha! Make sure you peeps buy the album when it comes out!

Monday, September 19, 2005

Troubled Joke

What was meant to be a joke turned out to be a flaming matchstick that ignited a burning rage of fury.

Argh... i don't believe it. Do you really think that i'm out to get ya? You know me well enough. Do i look like the kindda person that would have the intention to hurt you? Sigh... i look at my friends talking about their parents and i think that it would never happen to me. But now, i freak out at reality. How true can this "phenomenon" be? I don't like calling it a "phenomenon" because it's serious.

You should know how much i love you. I thank God everyday for you. I know what you've done for me and all you've given me. I know of all the sacrifices you've made just to provide me with many opportunities. Sigh... how could i ever repay you? And what do i do... i make you angry. Argh.. what's wrong with me.

My mum just shouted at me," You may not think so, but you're getting conceited!" Sigh... am i really getting conceited? In my mind, humility is one of my top priorities, but could i have been too busy, to concerned with other stuff that it's just slipped outta control? She's railing her guts now... i know her temper... she takes a while to cool down. But why was i so obstinate?

Her ranting forms deep cuts in my heart. Our argument was nothing huge, nothing of much importance at all - parents buying clothes for us, and using too much water when washing the dishes. But it's just been blown up so much. MISCOMMUNICATION - That's what's going through my head at the moment and i listen to what she's telling my dad. I'm dying to go out there and correct what she's saying, but she'll only think that i'm being conceited and obstinate.

I had a great time with Quentin and the gang today, but i'm not in the mood to go into much detail. There were about 16. We slept over at Quentin's to watch the Liverpool VS Man Utd match last night, which ended in a 0-0 draw. Today, we played soccer for about 3 hours, hung out at Hungry Jacks for 2 hours and then Reuben had some trouble with his mum as well. Somehow, we ended up going to my house and then payed Tim and Joyce a visit as they lived really close by. I had a GREAT day. Thanks Quentin and gang!

*Attention*
For all the soccer dudes from MHS, i've booked a futsal court. They're charging $55/hour. I booked it for next Thursday. I haven't told them how long we'll be playing though. So give me a ring to tell me if you're going. (IMPORTANT! Call me!) And i'll tell you the exact time and location =) Oh yea, don't forget to tell the others about it. Please do! We need at least 12-14 people!

Isaac