Ultimatum - FM 08

It's been a long time since i've been addicted to anything, but i've been subconsciously lured into the despairing vices of an extremely addictive computer game - Football Manager 2008. I've spent at least 4 hours on that game every day!!! *punches myself in the face*

It's so addictive that i can't stop playing even when i tell myself that i HAVE to STOP. It keeps track of the total amount of time i've spent PLAYING the game: 1 DAY 11 HOURS 43MINS -.-"""" I SPENT AN ENTIRE DAY AND A HALF PLAYING A STUPID CPU GAME!!! LOL!

It's really been robbing me of my time and i've been unable to make a start any of my holiday goals. FM 08 just SUCKS the life outta you. It's been keeping me up to 4am and even 5am at one stage. I would wake up at 1pm and there goes half my day!

So, at 3am last night.. i made an ultimatum to DELETE the game. It'll be hard, but i'll find my way, i can GO THE DISTANCE! :)

I had my MHS Valedictory dinner on Monday night. It wasn't a night to remember, rather, it's a sentimental experience that i'll always keep dear to my heart. The principal, the school captains, and the year level coordinators made some speeches that somewhat summarised the whole year and it's hilarious highlights. I think the funniest part of the night was when Andy Van performed a rap on stage - Numb by Linkin Park. haha! He wasn't the best rapper to any extent, in fact, he was close to the margin of unbearable terrible. Despite that, every word (He never failed to put a loud emphasis on all the F-words) that came outta his mouth tickled the hearts of every student and teacher in that grand dining room at the Caulfield Racecourse.

It was good to see all my friends again. It's funny how you say "hi" and "bye" to most of them as though you'll see them again very soon, when in actual fact, you probably won't even think about them till the next reunion! Sometimes it's hard to start a conversation after a relatively long time of separation. Sometimes i feel really phony when i talk to these people, partly because i know they're phony too. Well, these are acquaintances - people who are good to know but there's always a very thick invisible line that puts a "lid" the level of social intimacy.

Yet, there are a close group of friends who i treasure dearly such as the people on my table: Jin and Anthony, and the other soccer dudes who weren't: Tommy, Daz, Banh, Harish, lil Joe, Phan, Jono, Tom Wang, Marcus, Jase, Andrew, etc. It's easy to talk to them because you know that they'll still care for you even if you're a dick head. lol! Look at Tommy! :P We know that we've always got each others backs. When i say "hi, it's good to see you", i actually mean it from the bottom of my heart. When i say my goodbyes, i KNOW that i WILL see them again really soon. Thanks guys, you make my days at MHS worth it! :)

Well, i'm going to delete FM 08 right after i finish this post and i hope my days will be used a whole lot more productively! SO... here's a brief outline of my day. Uncle Steven's family and Uncle Tham Fuan's family will be coming over for dinner tonight, so i thought i'll learn how to cook! :) I haven't decided what i'm going to cook YET, but hopefully i'll get down to doing it. I've acutally organised a Futsal session with a whole heap of people from Fungus, MHS, chink school and other friends, and i'm DYING for a kick. HOWEVER, DANI, my lil sis, is coming over tonight, so i'll stay home to have a chat with her. I'll be leaving the house in about an hour or so to meet up with Daz, Tommy and Justin at the school gym. We're gonna TANK IT UP! :)

Okay... i'm going it fulfill my ultimatum in 5....4.....3....2....1....FM 08 DELETED! BOOYAH! :)

Am i a leader?

Wow! I've been so lazy since i finished my VCE. I've been spending a whole lot of time organising and playing futsal, playing FM 08, watching soccer, going out etc. that i've totally neglected my precious blog!!! I'm so sorry, blog... please forgive me?

Sooo much has happened over the past week or so. Firstly, I FINALLY FINISHED MY VCE!!! Booyah!! Those last five minutes of the Chinese exam were golden, every second ticking away was a iota closer to freedom. A huge burden was lifted off my shoulders when i walked outta that exam hall... the feeling was blissful and relaxing. Needless to say, i celebrated the end of 13 years of tiresome toil with a delightful game of futsal! haha! I had dinner with the soccer dudes at The Booth and then headed down to Whitehorse Aquatic Centre for what was one of the best futsal sessions i've had in a LOOONG time. I just felt so free and relaxed on the court, i didn't have to think of anything else except enjoying the beautiful game.

We also had a final growth group gathering last Sunday. We headed down to some Trout Farm at some far out place immediately after church. I'm not too sure where it was, but it was close to Buxton. I remember that because of the delicious Buxton burgers we had for lunch. OH my goodness! They're the BEST burgers IN THE WORLD! The width of the scrumptious fillings sandwiched by two toasted-crispy pieces of bread is close to the distance between to the tip of your middle finger to the bottom of your palm! 100% UNHEALTHY GOODNESS!

Anyway, i've been wasting my time quite a bit and i felt EXTREMELY guilty this morning... so i decided to make up a few goals so that i actually do something PRODCUTIVE during the hols. So here's just a few of my aims:

ONE
Read 10 Christian books to increase my spiritual maturity. I'm on the way to being a leader at Fungus next year, and i really want to be able to lead with confidence and substance. I'm currently an eighth into my first book, so i'll have to speed up a whole lot if i wanna get through those 10 books. I spent 3 hours clearing up my room last week. I threw out a whole stack of papers/files that was LITERALLY 2 metres high, and i also got to pick out which 9 books i'm going to read:
1) Extravagant Worship - Darlene Zschech
2) Every Young Man, God's Man - Arterburn & Luck with Yorkey
3) That Reminds Me of A Story - Gayle D. Erwin
4) Ready With An Answer - John Ankerberg & John Weldon
5) The Seven Fatal Management Sins - John W. Collis
6) Wild At Heart - John Eldredge
7) Mosques and Miracles - Stuart Robinson
8) Evidence That Demands A Verdict - Josh McDowell
9)Answers To Tough Questions - Josh McDowell & John Stewart
10) To be decided :)

TWO
I've been neglecting this gift that God has given me and it's making me feel unbearably guilty, so i'll spend an hour or so everyday to compose a few more songs and poems through the holidays. I was reading through my compilation of songs and poems, and i realised that some of them are actually rather good. I know that i COULDN'T POSSIBLY have composed those songs on my own, and i very certainly DO NOT have the ability to write those poems. So i guess i should sign off my poems as "God", not "isaac". Oh, i've also decided to buy a nice leather book to compile all the songs and poems that i've composed. That'll take a long while.

THREE
I'm gonna design a new personal skin for my beloved blog using a program called HTML-Kit. I'm not too sure how to use it yet, but i'm sure that it's gonna take a LOONG time to do so.

FOUR
Learn a few new songs on the guitar.

I was going to add another one, but i'll just wait till i accomplish these goals before i undertake new ones.

As i've mentioned before, I'm most probably going to be a Fungus leader next year and i've been going to a few "potential leaders" meetings with Qynn every Sunday. There are five "potential leaders" - Adora, Sue Ann, Nicole, Peter and myself. We've been doing a few personality surveys to determine our various personality traits, our strengths and weaknesses, etc. so that we can be assigned to roles where we can serve most effectively AND ALSO to learn how to cooperate efficiently with other leaders.

According to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, i am a ESFJ (Extraversion, Sensing perception, Feeling, Judgment). It describes such a person as "warm-hearted, talkative, popular, conscientious, born cooperators, active committee members. need harmony and may be good at creating it. Always doing something nice for someone. Work best with encouragement and praise. Main interest is in things that directly and visibly affect people's lives."

I find that extremely interesting because i did a VERY SIMILAR aptitude test called the Myer-Briggs Personality Test just two years back and i was labelled an INTJ (Introversion, Intuitive perception, Thinking, Judgment) which is described as " Usually have original minds and great drive for their own ideas and purposes. In fields that appeal to them, they have a fine power to organise a job and carry it through with or without help. Skeptical, critical, independent, determined, sometimes stubborn. Must learn to yield less important points in order to win the most important".

I find the magnitude of the change rather intriguing.

Qynn took the "potential leaders" out for a bonding session yesterday. We had a nice meal at Mac Donald's before heading down to this entertainment centre down in Huntingdale where we played mini-golf and laser wars. haha! It was extremely fun! We competed in pairs and we decided that the loser of the mini-golf game would have to do 10 star jumps and 5 push-ups IN SYNC, just IN FRONT of the ticketing booth -.-"" I partnered up with Adora, Qynn with Sue Ann, and Pete with Nicole. It was my first time playing mini-golf. I thought it would be boring, but it turned out to be rather exciting and enjoyable! Unfortunately, Adora and i lost with a total of 54 in contrast to Sue Ann and Qynn's 52 and Nicole and Pete's 48 -.-"""" SOOOOO, we did the forfeit... it was sooo embarrassing!!! Everyone stared at us as though we were attention-grabbing lunatics! The video's on Sue Ann's camera, i think she's going to upload it on Facebook -.-"

After that we had a game of laser wars. That was fun too, and we ended the amazing day with a scrumptious meal at the Sofia's at Camberwell. What more can i say? The pasta and pizza were heavenly. Thanks for the wonderful day guys! I loved it!

The day wasn't over yet. Pete and i drove down to Darren's b'day party. Sadly, the blokes there looked terribly bored. Anyway, here's a lil tribute to my buddy:

Darren,

When i first met you,
You were irritating and scrawny.
Almost everything you did and said,
Was terribly raw and corny.

But i saw something in you,
That was rather special.
A heart of gold,
Not ordinary metal.
That's the best possession,
One could ever have.

As the years go by,
Time tries to steal it from you,
But i pray that you won't concede,
To the folly and crook of this world so bland,
That on His Word and his faithfulness,
You might so strongly stand.

A friend who cares,
isaac.

Tribute to Melbourne High

Mark Ngan played the Hercules theme song "Go The Distance" by Michael Bolton as the staff and principle walked down the herald isles of the prestigious Memorial Hall of Melbourne High School. Each note sent shockwaves of emotions through my feeble heart. I felt terribly susceptible and weak as the most touching and sentimental memories flashed through my mind and crippled my heart. It took a lot on my part to hold back the tears that converged around the corners of my eyes. I stood in awe, speechless, as i watched the staff take their seats. Then all of us, the Class of 2007 sang the school song "Honour The Work" with such GUSTO and PRIDE that split my heart in two. Every mate of mine in that homely hall shared my sentiments, we knew; i knew that this school wasn't just a place that i've been going to for the past four years, but it held a special place in my heart; it was a place i belonged to.

The final day of Year 12, the 25 of October 2007, is a day that i'll never forget. I never expected to be filled with such inexpressible emotions! I haven't seen my friends for a few days, but i'm already beginning to miss them dearly. I miss those close friends of mine although i know i'm going to see them again pretty soon, and many times after. And i miss those friends who aren't so close even more dearly because i know that i might not be seeing them for a wretchedly long time. It's sentimental.

I just visited Andrew's blog and i really liked the way he constructed his post (I've got 10 bucks saying that he'll get 50 for English! He's terrific at structuring essays and the like), so i've decided to summarise my entire time at Melbourne High School in the same way. It's a pity that i've got a poor memory, so please pardon my absent mindedness! x.x"

Year 9

I was the BIGGEST F.O.B back then. But i didn't feel too outta place because most of the people in MHS are Asian. But i can still remember orientation day when i sat next to Ken Ong (one of the nicest and most pleasantest guys you'll ever meet) and Nhat Tran (there's always an awkward moment whenever i'm with him) just by the heater. haha! Those were my very first friends in Melbourne, and in Melbourne High. It's a pity that we're not so close anymore.

The fantastic 6:

• Jack - my closest buddy back in Year 9, probably because we were probably the two most fobbish. I remember speaking to him in Mando in school and at camp, and no one else could understand us save for Tom Wang. haha! He used to tell me a lot about his gangster cousin and everything. haha! I remember playing GB a whole lot with him, and i even bought him a "golden hammer" just so that he'd watch Passion of the Christ with me!
  
  
• Tat - A friend i'll always remember. He was one of the tallest 14 year olds i'd ever met! He was about 178cm? haha! He's an abnormal lad! He's the wiz kid when it comes to all areas of technology. He's been a such a dependable friend; always looking out for me and all Thanks mate! I'll never forget ya! :)
  
  
• Philip Marquez - He was always talking about his gf Jiani and how some other friends such as Jonno La were trying to steal her from him. haha! It all seems kindda immature now.
  
  
• Paul Nyugen - One of the quietest guys you'll ever meet, yet he's got a whole lot going on in his mind. He was always encouraging me, and his rare smile is something that i'll never forget.
  
  
• Matt Ng - People were always making fun of his last name cuz you can't really pronounce it. And if you do, "Uhhing", it sounds as though you're having a hard time taking a dump. haha! I enjoyed talking to Matt about the Aboriginals back in his native Perth, about life and studies and all. He told me how they used to steal everything, including his water bottle. haha! He used to help me with maths and history, a really smart bloke

The six of us were really exclusive then, hanging out together before school, during lunch, sitting together in ALL our classes. The other friends i remember:

• Victor Yu - I always thought he was a bit of a fag, but he's got a good heart.
  
  
• Michael Tran - the RICH kid who lives on Toorak road. haha! He's infatuation with Hilary Duff all these years will be forever sealed into my memory. I remember his fancy jeans with "Hilary Duff" painted in white all over! haha! Also a bit of an effeminate person, it was good to finally find out in year 12 that he's not gay.
  
  
• Henry - Part of my welcoming crew, awesome artist, and a fellow CAD buddy! haha! I remember him telling me how Ms. Polletti smelt like an agitated skunk.
  
  
• Ken Ong - mentioned his niceness before
  
  
• Carl, Carlo, Carrie - The trouble-makers of the class
  
  
• Kev Fernandez - The hot shot of the school, SRC Vice-president, a mate whom i've been with from Year 9 to 11.
  
  
• Luke Gieseman - HUGE; both width and length. I think he was about 185cm in year 9! haha! He's a bit of a weirdo, quite slow in both his movement and in his speech. Ahh.. i don't wanna be critical! x.x"
  
  
• Sid - 99.95 candidate. First person to tell me that Uni Maths is a "piece of cake". We got into a heated stint during a ultimate frisbee game. Used to think he was a fag, but we're good now :) Those BM classes really patched it up!
  

Delicate Memories:

• Form room in P2; Form Teacher: Ms. Petrie. She made a joke that i'll never forget. We had to introduce ourselves (eg. what school was came from, our age, etc) I told the class that i had come from Singapore just the week before, and Ms. Petrie went: "Oh! Another one off the boat!" loL! The class cracked up, but i didn't have a clue what she was on about! -.-""""""""""
  
• Constantly speaking to Jack in Mando
• Playing Table-tennis 24/7 at camp! lol! What a FOB!
• Going into those claustrophobic caves which were DARK AS and FULL of mud. I have to throw my favourite pair of jeans away after that! Foolishly FOBBISH! haha!
• The toilets which had no doors, very little lighting and very cold water.
• Mr. Rush and his unique humour, and how he used to stroke his delicate bald head just a hard boiled egg.
• Doing that history assignment where we had to write letters adopting a specific persona of a family member in the 2nd world war. haha! Mr. Rush could recognise the buildings and people in the photos we used!
• Going to Tat's house in Wheelers Hill to work on a group project and eating his father's delicious fried noodles!
  
• Tagging Jack at House Aths!! Booyah! He made me regret it by filling my bag with salt. lol!

Year 10

I stuck to the Fantastic 6 rather exclusively back in Year 9, but I was forced to open up a little more when i was separated from all my close friends. This was the year when i started to make many more friends. I moved from Box Hill to Glen Waverley, and i started to make new friends on the train. Form teacher was Ms. Pilkington, and i was closest to Jase, Banh and Turk then. I also started to play soccer during lunch, that's where i met a WHOLE lot of other friends that shared my unrelentless passion for soccer.

Friends I remember:

• Jase - One of the best friends i'll ever have. We shared a lot of good times together, sharing our thoughts and secret encounters and everything. I reckon we know each other best. Although our morals and values are rather different, we're able to respect each our and co-exist pretty well. haha! He's been such a great and dependable friend to me. He's disliked by a lot of pple, but wth, i can't care less!
  
  
• Anthony - Another one of my best friends that i'll NEVER forget. This guy's a real super hero, constantly saving lives, helping the poor, initiating all the school events and all. He's always been there for me, always looking out for much, very much like what Tat used to do.
  
  
• Josh - A pretty effeminate buddy. I think the reason why i got to know him so much more was the fact that he was Christian, and that's a rather rare trait in our school. Obsessed with his cool hair, and he loves his pale white skin.
  
  
• Banhy - Another one of my friends that i'll NEVER forget.. the big friendly purple dinosaur! Unique sense of humour, strong principles and views. I remember him making a very nice card for me on my 16th birthday and getting half the year level to sign it. I still have it hung up in my room!
  
  
• Turk - One of the best soccer players i've ever and will ever meet! It's a privilege to know such a talented person who's just as committed to the denaturing of enzymes as to the tactical aspects of the beautiful game. We shared some close tales. He'll always be my Captain of Soccer.
  
  
• Tommy Wu - Captain of Cock (cockiness) and Tennis (lost in states this year!), yet he's been such a great friend to me, and i'll NEVER forget him. haha! He's got such a heated animosity towards Jase, and i acted like their mediator for most of the year.
  
  
• Trent Baker - We were really close back then, really really close... but we drifted apart after Micah came to the school.
  
  
• Marcus Wong - My fellow Singaporean, part of the Singapore trio. Silky soccer skills won my fancy at the first glance. He's been a really close mate on the soccer pitch, in school, and on the train home. A fervent Christian who i can relate to with a cool sense of humour!
  
  
• Harish - The other missing piece of the Singapore trio puzzle. He's one of my best friends, and i'll never forget his double-sided personality. The studious nerd in school and the hardest partier/clubber/pimp in Singapore. LOL!
  
  
• Duc - Avid porn magazine reader. Always poking fun at me.. always surprising me with his delicate tricks and close control. I remember the goal he pulled outta no where against Melbourne Grammar. haha!
  
  
• William Kong - My big friendly panda, always ticking me and touching me in inappropriate areas. A close buddy that i'll never forget.
  
  
• James Cheng - My Chinese school buddy, and a dear friend. Gym buddies forever!
  
  
• Andrew Chen - My Table-tennis Captain forever. This dude is the epitome of COMPLETENESS. He's good-looking, excellent at his studies, unparalleled in table-tennis. haha! It's a pleasure to know him.
  
  
• Michael Phan - The biggest drug dealer of ALL-TIME. Nortorious for selling overdue chocolates, mee-goreng and cocaine both to students and to teachers.
  

Delicate Memories:

• Playing guitar at camp while singing this song that i composed to almost everyone in my dorm. haha! It was SOOO embarrassing when i couldn't reach some of the notes. Kev still gives me crap because of that!
  
  
• Cramping up minutes before the final destination while riding up that last hill on the bike ride at Milgrove! haha! Anthony rolled my bike back for me while i frog-leaped all the way up the hill and back to camp. loL! That was hilarious!
  
  
• Winning the inter-form soccer tournament cuz our team was just too good: Turk, Jase, Zannon, Johnny, myself, can't remember the rest, sorry! lol! But i remember booting Tommy in the face before he chased Jason outta the gym in a fit of fury! LOL! Funniest thing ever!
  
  
• Inviting Blee and Meng to Clayton without a destination x.x"
  
  
• Sucking up to McComb sooo much, and getting busted for chewing gum in class. He said: "Isaac! All the respect i had for you has been washed down the drain because of that one stupid action!" LOL! tough luck! x.x"

Year 11

This was the year when all the soccer legends of the school were in the same classroom, but we never had a inter-form soccer comp -.-""" Turk, Laios, Kev, Lobo, Jase, Tommy, myself. lol! We would have won the comp hands down. I can't remember too much from this year except that i slogged my guts out in Business Management and got a 50 for it.

Friends i remember:

• Keegan - My BM buddy who's always smiling and twirling his curly hair.
  
  
• Sid - Another BM buddy who's always talking about doing Uni Maths and Uni Physics. Potential Dux of MHS. I wonder why he's doing ESL even when he speaks perfect English!
  
  
• Stevie Tran - We've got a lot in common despite the fact that he's a whole head taller than i am. Athletics, Yarra, Soccer, Futsal, North Sydney. haha! He's rich and obsessed over fashion, hated by Bisetto, but loved because of his unceasing PASSION for Yarra! I'll never forget you buddy!
  
  
• Ahh! i can't remember anything from Year 11!! x.X"

Delicate Memories:

• Taking Stevie T out for lunch for his birthday and making him pay for the meal! x.x""
• Making it THIRD in the state for Futsal
• Watching Melbourne Victory thrash Sydney FC 3-0 at the Telstra Dome with all the soccer dudes.
• The ENDLESS times of Futsal and soccer on our beloved hockey pitch
• Coming 77th in the X-Country and getting massively BAGGED.
• The time when Shef told me that God spoke to him in the vision concerning me.
• WINNING THE STATE FINALS with Matt, Tim and Chamith!!!! BOOYAH!
• The 2006 World Cup; the WORST World Cup outta the two that i've seen -.-"" BOOORRING!!
• Going to SYG with Jin, Phan, Anthony and Macca. We were the Futsal champs!! booyah! I'll never forget how cold it was up in Warrigal and how Jin and I scored the winners in the semi-finals and finals respectively :)

Year 12

This is meant to be the BIGGEST year outta all my time there, but i was rather weighed down with all the studying and all. I made quite a couple of new friends, went to the gym a whole lot, played soccer a little less. I was really sad this year because of the new soccer coach, Drossos. He put all the Year 11's in the senior team and kicked most of the year 12's out. Worst of all, he left me on the bench until the last game -.-"" Oh well.. i'm over it. Still, i'll always remember this year as the year that the all-time underdogs, GLEN WAVERLEY, won the Inter-trainline soccer comp with only one goal scored in REAL TIME. lol! We won three of our 4 games on penalties! haha! =X I can still picture the look on Tommy's face when we beat them in the finals!

Friends i remember:

• Andrew Chew - Going to NEAP Chemistry with him for the first semester. He's outgoing, "cool", sensitive, patient and easy to talk to.. one of the better friends i've got in school. We've got pretty similar perspectives on life, sports, relationships.. so i guess we clicked off from the moment we met.
  
  
• Andrew Huang!!! - The emo with the FULLY-SICK moehawk! lol! He thought i was a rowdy piece of FOB when i first met him, but we learnt to accept each other's differences, and now we're the best of friends! :D lol! Man, i'll always remember you for your pale skin, you're passion towards soccer and Matthew LeTissier, for your love towards THE WORLD GAME, and your stark resemblance to the author of "A Man For All Seasons" XD
  
  
• Nigel Lim - My fellow Singaporean. I lost contact with him after year 9, but we got thrust into the same English class this year, and what'd you know.. we're good friends again. We look out for each other when we've got "up-dogs" on your shirts, and we alert each other when Bono waves "Hello! Hello!"
  
  
• Michael Tran - Hilary Duff Lover... nuff said.
  
  
• Dazza Lobo - Got to know Daz sooo much more in Methods, we talked and mucked around half the time. I'll always remember his disgusting pineapple/strawberry bars that tasted like mauch. Spent a long time persuading him out of committing suicide because of low self-esteem *coughs* or lack thereof!
  
  
• Andrew Guasdimnos (aka. Gerrard/ Poland) - My favourite Liverpool supporter!!! lol! I don't even remember how we started talking, but we soon became bros. He's Gerrard and i'm Alonso :) I still remember the time when we were heading a soccer ball in T19 when Sarbs walked in x.x""" LOL! And when he almost dumped him in the bin before Ireson came to his rescue.
  
  
• Tom Xu - Lover of a Singaporean chick. Azn homie.
  
  
• Michael Duong - Crazy dude who won't hesitate chopping your legs off just to get to the ball.
  
  
• Jimmy Lu - This guy's a legend. He's got the best-looking pair of glasses ever! haha! Thanks for being such a great buddy, always helping me to resist decking Jason. A constant encouragement, a friend who's always there. :)
  
  
• Shervin (Cyclops!!) - lol! The kid with one eye. Buys damaged mobile phones and other accessories off ebay, fixing them and selling them back as "brand new". He's one of the funniest guys you'll ever meet.
  
  
• Jin Kann - The BIGGEST "UNFOB" alive in MHS! haha! I'll always remember his funny comments during chem tution. He's always so lost. I cracked up when he told me that he was doing Spesh.
  
  
• Jonno Yap - Smallest hands i've ever seen. His CONSTANT laughter never fails to bring a cheer to my day.
  
  
• Alexei!! - My Russian gangsta and accounting buddy. We started off the year determined to get a 50 for Accounting. Sadly, he succumbed to "groveling sensualities" and decided to give up quarter-way through the year. Will always remember the time when he got Macca hard by emptying a whole bottle of water down his pants! haha!
  
  
• Macca - Another one my Accounting buddies. Enjoyed every moment in class with you man, the high jump with pens, the pokemon on your mobile and all the chatter about Debbie. Cheers!

Delicate Memories:

• Running my final race for Melbourne High in the VSSSA State Finals and coming 3rd disappointingly.
• Coming around 70th again for X-Country
• Missing House Chorals and being EXTREMELY disappointed because he had the BEST song ever! VINCERO!!!
• Winning the inter-train line soccer comp!
• Hosting North Sydney and beating them in Futsal 3-2. It was tight until we destroyed them in the final game.
• Playing for NQA and scoring a goal on my debut!
• Beating Matthias in the 100m heats with a time of 11.37 seconds (my pb) =)
• The library jumpings: Bible-bashing Rudra, wrapping James to a chair, decking Chenna and creaming Shane.
• The time Antho, Jimmy and i drank tea at Bob's Kitchen for two hours! LOL!
• The inter-racial soccer comp that we had to promote international diversity week! haha! That was the most racist event ever!
• Getting kneed by Aaron Green in my ribs, gasping desperately for air and thinking that i was going to DIE.

Well, that's 4 years of my life that i'll always remember and cherish. Melbourne High has no doubt shaped me into the person that i am today; be it good or bad experience, i'm grateful and i'm eternally thankful for all my friends and teachers who made even the slightest contribution to my personal development. =)

The exams are nearing an end. At this stage, i'm performed rather terrible for most of my subjects and i'm sitting on the verge of complete chaos. VCE actually is harder than what everyone describes it to be. Chinese next Thursday will be my final exam, and i'm really looking forward it getting it over and done with. The last 3 weeks has been complete hell for me.. and i DEFINITELY will NOT miss it.

Well, here's to the times ahead! :) For those who've already finished, or are going to finish after the much dreaded Spesh paper tmr, I wish you the utmost enjoyment that you can experience, but don't forget the school and the friends that have been a vital part of your life for the last four years! :)

A Grateful Birthday.

Wow! It's been more than a month since i last blogged! I guess there's no better time to do so than on my birthday. There's 42mins left before my blessed birthday ends, so i'll have to keep this short. Although this wasn't the MOST EXCITING birthday, it's surely one that i'll never forget.

My VCE exams are starting next week and they'll drag on till the 22nd of November. I've been feeling rather depressed lately because i'm seriously not prepared for my exams. So i took the last 4 days off school just to study at home.. boring.. yea, i really didn't feel special on my birthday.. all that studying just totally killed my mood for celebration. I feel like a stoic.

However, a few pple made this day special for me and i would like to thank them. I don't think i've ever felt so GRATEFUL on any of my other 16 birthdays, so i guess i'm reaching a new hallmark: i'm actually TRULY grateful to God for all my family and friends. It really got me thinking about how i treat my friends, and how i'm going to treat them in the future. I usually think about what presents I'm going to get, what are people going to do for me, and how i'm going to be blessed on my birthday... and although there's nothing wrong with that, but i never seen to be content on my birthday until THIS ONE. I've learnt that satisfaction of my inner most being results directly from blessing others. Some food for thought perhaps.

Just wanna thank Anne, Jan and Adrienne (haha! Anne, you get to go before your sister this time!) for giving Jerusha and I the most pleasantest of surprises by rocking up at our house with a delicious cake. Although the cake was an ordinary one from Coles, it tasted special just because of the effort you girls put in. I'm truly grateful! :)

Mark - gave me another huge shock when he rocked up at my doorstep to personally deliver presents to Jerusha and I! Oh my goodness, i couldn't believe it. I thought it was some kindda prank! haha! Thanks buddy, your efforts are deeeeeply appreciated. He took a BUS down to our house and he was probably 2 hours late getting home! lol! That's crazy! Oh btw, Mark, I've always wanted a lava lamp. Thanks so much!

A big thank you to everyone who bothered to drop me an sms, or a message on facebook, or even called to send your blessings. Every year, one would aspire to mature a little more, to gain more experiences to life, and to appreciate the people and the things that we may take for granted. Time has opened my eyes a little wider this year.

A blessed birthday to you too my precious sister, Jerusha! You've been one of the greatest blessings in my life. You've thought me how to be a little more humble, a little more patient and caring just like you are. Without you, i'd be a grumpy spoilt brat. I thank God for you. May he bless you in such an immeasurable way that others may look upon you and wonder what a mighty God you serve! :)

18/10/2007: the day i learnt how to be truly grateful.

Sinking..

I feel like my relationship with my mum is sinking into an abyss of eternal hate. One of the things i dreaded most is starting to take it's form. I used to watch chinese serials, read books and witness real life situations where the child totally hates his/her parents, and i told myself that i would never be like them.

I've got a lot of work to do, so i'll just cut it short:

I served my mum a bowl of corn soup for dinner.
At the end of dinner...
Isaac: Here mum, have some of this soup (leftover salty duck soup) it's your favourite.

Mum: Nah, i've already drunk the corn soup. I'm full, you have it.

Isaac: Aww, you should've drank the salty duck soup first.

Mum (accusing): You should've served it to me instead of the corn soup.

Isaac (sarcastically): I'm sorry. I apologise.

Yep, she got dead pissed after that. We haven't spoken since then. My dad said that i was at fault because it takes two hands to clap. I told him that it's different in this case because a swipe was taken at my face and all i did was to stick my hand out to block it; thus the clap. If i didn't stick my hand out, i would've been slapped hard right across the face.

Sigh.. no wonder Jesus talks about offering your left cheek even after your enemy has slapped you across the right one. I should really try that sometime. It would work on someone who has morals, but in this day and age, the only morals existent are not to commit genocide or homocide.

Stupid Americans?

I popped by YouTube to take a short break from study and i found this: The funniest video i've ever seen in my life! Enjoy!

Catching up on old times...

"Everyday i will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever." - Psalm 145:2


Most people spend their time on Facebook now rather than on Myspace or Blogger, but i'm still adamant on the fact that blogging it way more personal and sentimental than short comments on Facebook or Myspace will ever be, and that makes blogging more meaningful and a thousand times more worth investing your time in.


The VCE exams are less than 9 weeks away and the pressure's starting to mount on exponentially on a daily basis. Sigh... i've been so pressured to study that every spare moment of the day has become a priceless commodity that i'm not willing to spend carelessly. I'm actually thinking whether i should call up an old friend in Singapore or a friend in Australia; whether i should blog or read A Man For All Seasons; whether i should spend time watching EPL highlights or sleeping so that i can wake up early to get more study done! -.-""" Sigh.. study constantly plagues my mind! I'm not kidding when i say that Lead-accumulator battery equations pop into my mind when i'm reading the bible, i'm reminded of chinese detailed study questions when i pray, i'm thinking of Sir Thomas More on the train to and from school! Ahhh!!! I don't want to be bathed in an environment of study and nothing else!


The soccer season's ended. I had high hopes when i scored on my debut, the first goal for NQA, but i never managed to find the back of the net again! :( Sigh.. i wanna play soccer on the weekends, but i can't anymore because i've gotta study! I wanna have a long dinner with Danica, but i can't until 10 or so weeks from now, because of the same reason. I wanna have a long chat with Joce, but i can't... i wanna go for a jog, i wanna go to the gym again, i wanna stay after school to play soccer till 4 or 5pm like we used to do in the past, BUT I CAN'T!!!!!!


That little verse at the top of my post. That's from my QT today. Reminds me of how i should praise God regardless of the circumstance; be it failure in VCE, rejection by friends, lack of time for leisure, whatever... that's good to remember.


My dad's coming back from America tonight, and i've never been half so delighted to see him again. It's been such a long time since i met him. I think it was 2 months ago when i was back in Singapore doing my fitness test. He was there with me. Then he left for America from there. I miss him.


It's been so different without him. I've never appreciated him enough. He gives me support when i need it most, his smile brightens my dampest days a little, and he's just always there. Most of all, he keeps my mum happy. I don't know how he can live with her. She's soooo mooody and grumpy when he's not around. As you know, from my last post, that i got into a huge argument with my mum last week. Well, something worse happened last night and i think it's gonna take a while for me to get outta this one. Basically, she thinks that i've been disrepectful to her. I don't wanna go into the details cuz it'll just be one-sided and will make her sound unreasonable (although i think she was last night), but to be fair, i won't. I'm in the wrong, as usual, she's always in the right. I'll have to learn to get used to that.

I did something really terrible recently but i don't wanna go into so much detail. Basically, i've been a careless dick-head. A group of 12 friends including myself have been planning to go down to a beach house at Lorne to celebrate after VCE. I was organising the accomodation and all and basically i encountered some problems with the bookings and each of us was faced with a $600 fee for accomodation instead of the expected $138. By then, we had already made our "non-refundable" deposits of $110, yeah. Thank God for my caring, loving and accomodating friends who were kind enough not to blame or hold me responsible for the mistake. Theoretically, i owe 9 of them $110 each. Sorry guys! :( Boy, i felt so terrible when i learnt about it.. kept bothering me throughout the week and i couldn't sleep. Ahhh... I still feel guilty. I'll make it up to them somehow.


I should really be studying instead of making this post, but i felt rather sentimental and i really long to keep my blog alive. So.. i've been taking some photos and videos around school, at home, and at various places which i'd love to share with you. The quality might not be excellent but i can guarantee a laugh or two! :) Enjoy!

The jersey that Daz bought for Nick

Some scenic views from the top of Melbourne High School! haha! Thanks to Alexei for taking me up there, it was a good experience mate! :)

That's Jimmy suffering in pain after being smacked in the nuts with my apple :P
A barren tree by the roadside. Sometimes the most beautiful things in life aren't covered up in hypocrisy and artificiality.
"Fresh Snot" - Glennie's local bakery!
Driving on the wrong side of the road? lol!

This was during our Methods class. Macca's balls of steel!

LOL! Andrew (aka Stevie. G or Poland) tried picking on me in Methods class.

Mr Tonkin, our Methods teacher, showing us the tricks of the trade! lol! Rock the Cradle, sir!

Val and her WEIRD laughter!

Jase's Confession

Isaac: What if....?
Jase: I'll bear the responsibility! LOL!

Looking down a cliff

"You stay out of my conversations with her in the future! If you dare say anything in the future, you better watch out!" - my mum, 5 minutes ago.

Good quote, eh? We just had another quarrel over dinner. She claims that i "slapped her in front of my grandmum". All i wanted to do was to speak up for my grandmum. Sigh.. i'm wrong and she's right. I'm sorry.

If i was standing on the edge of a mountain cliff right now, i'd have no qualms about hanging on foot off the edge just to let my weight decide on my fate.

It's a stupid thing to say, and i know i'm gonna regret it in the future. But there's just soo much stress coagulated in my head at the moment.

I learned that i needed to obtain a 99.8 ENTER score in order to get into the Physiotherapy course at Melbourne on the weekend. Sigh.. that really demoralised my confidence, but i was sorta motivated to hit the books.

10 weeks left to the first VCE exam, and i'm currently WAYYY under prepared. I've decided to turn into a MASSIVE NERD for the next 10 weeks, which involves sacrificing most of my weekends. Don't be surprised if i look dazed or depressed the next time i see you, cuz i am.

God spoke to me today through his Word:

"Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves." - Psalm 127:1-2

I take refuge in the fact that God has great plans for me. Since, i've committed my future into his hands, i will be happy with whatever ENTER i get or what course i am offered at the end of the year.

Truly, what's the use of studying when God's not with you?

Midyear Results!

I apologise to those people whom i've offended lately. I've been in the worst of moods in the past week because of my desperation to get back on track in terms of homework. Sigh.. I'm terribly far behind in all my subjects and the constant thought of the tedious catch-up hours of hardwork that i have to go through just ruins my optimism. Sorry people! x.x" I'm nearing the halfway mark of getting back on track! :)

I just got my VCE mid-year results back today. My sister asked me how i was feeling in the morning in anticipation of my mid-year results.
"I'm very nervous, but i'm not a tad worried," was my reply.

Heather Packett spoke about PRAISE in church yesterday, and she really inspired me. This king in the old testiment named Jehosephat praised God even when inevitable death was approaching as swarming numbers of his enemies about to attack his kingdom. He praised God during battle. He praised God after God delivered him from the hands of his oppressors! Heather mentioned that we have to praise God at ALL times. The one thing that really struck me was when she mentioned that PRAISE was "acknowledging the FACT that God is all-powerful and that our difficult circumstances are INSIGNIFICANT compared to Him."

How cool is that? I really needed to hear that message because i was being so bogged down with work that i hadn't been able to worship God with a clear mind and a wholehearted spirit. Yeah.. So i said a little prayer in the morning, "God, whatever result i get, let it be according to your will for my life is in your hands."

Ms. Crossley smiled at me and said, "you'll be pretty happy with how you fared."

I looked at my score sheet which had two A+ entries for Chemistry and Accounting.

Praise the Lord! :)

MHS Formal 07

My blog's quite dead. I don't think anyone reads it anymore following the fact that the last comment was made many weeks ago. Anyway, i must make a post about one of the most spectacular nights of my life - the MHS Formal 07. Just wanna thank Em for coming with me. You made that night special! :)

Marcus, Rebecca, Andy, Kawai, Jimmy, Alyssa and Em came to my place at 5.30 and we mucked around till the limo arrived at 6pm. I had some problems tying my tie because it was thicker than the one that i'm used to. Yea, so i brought my orange tie to school that morning to get some help from Tommy. It was rather embarrassing learning how to tie a proper full windsor. Thanks Tommy and Matthias! haha!

The limo was white in colour. I would've preferred a black one, but i don't think a company called "Angellic Limos" would have limos in any other colour besides white! What a wussy name! haha! Anyway, we all snuggled into the limo, which was smaller than i expected.. but it was a great experience! The interior was so darn posh, there was a professional set of wine glasses, the seats were comfortable, the ceiling was black with little bright lights that were meant to resemble stars (a pathetic effort, really) but on an optimistic note.. an hour of complete luxury! :)

We got to the Grand Hyatt at around 7pm, a little early. We mingled around for a while, took a WHOLE TONNE of photos before getting seated. The atmosphere was fantastic and the setting matched the theme perfectly! Moonlight Romance. Moonlight Romance it was.. i'm short of adjectives tonight, so i'll just say everything was splendid. The candles and rose petals on the tables, the dance floor, the stage, the ceiling that seemed as high as the pitch dark sky above, and the ICE UNICORNS! LOL! I didn't believe Em when she said that the two unicorn sculptures on both sides of the front stage were made totally from ice until i touched it for myself.

Em LOVED the food. I didn't find it too appealing to be honest. haha! She carried out a CLEAN SWEEP on EVERY plate while i struggled to swallow the lamb chop. haha! The appetizer was a Chicken Caesar Salad, followed by the Lamb Chop main course and capped off by an EXTREMELY SWEET white chocolate cake with a scoop of raspberry sherbet on the side. haha! The sourish sherbet sent shockwaves down my taste buds and almost gave me a heart attack!

Em and i walked around more, meeting my friends.. we took photos, TRIED to dance (which i failed miserably and could only resort to performing weird hand movements and jumping up and down with Alexei, James, Andy, Henry, Alan and some of the others in a soccer-style celebration circle), took some professional photos, took more photos.. yeah.. we took about 80+ photos that night! haha!

Something worth recalling was the last dance. They finally put on some slower songs. So i plucked up some courage to ask Em for a dance ( i could've done better). It was romantic. The details are for me to remember. I don't feel like disclosing them :) Let's just say it feels good to sway with the music and having someone rest her head on your shoulder.

I enjoyed the events after the formal more than the formal itself. We left at 11.50ish. A group of around 16 of us went down to Brunette's along Swanston Street but it was already closing when we got there. So we caught a tram down to Crown. I'll always remember walking with Em along the Southbank. The night air felt so cool and refreshing and the view along the bank was spectacular. We just chatted and walked, chatted and walked. I wanted that moment to last forever..

Thanks for the night Em, i hope you enjoyed it! :)