Hello World. I'm Here!

Tomorrow is the math common test but I'm in such a splendid mood I had to write it down somewhere lest I never be able to capture this uttermost feeling of peace and senseless bliss. A few hours ago, I was fretting. I looked at my math notes and the only thing that came to my mind was 'goodbye world of math. I loved thee once.' So like most people in a similar situation, I practised. After which I went online for awhile to whine about the test to a very good friend of mine who, of course, felt no pity whatsoever since this friend has no intention of turning up at the test at all. Then I was flipping through a bunch of backgrounds and this beautiful one popped out at me. It's called 'pixies' and I fell in love with it. You can just stare at it and with the music in the background it was the most wonderful feeling on earth. Or maybe I was just yearning a break. Seriously though, imagine this : Coldplay music, starring at a screen that depicted swaying long grass and pixies prancing like fireflies performing a midnight wardance and the cool breeze coming through the window. Beautiful. And I loved the breeze. Then it occurred to me that I had cooped myself up with math for far too long. So out I went to the park...or at least I almost reached that. Breeze stronger now innit? So I just stood there outside my gate like a freak of nature, closed my eyes, face skyward and enjoyed it. Freedom. Then I figured I ought to stop the drama less the neighbours think i'm getting suicidal (I was standing in the middle of the street between my gate and the park) so I opened my eyes. You should have seen. Clear night sky and there were actually stars. Small lil' shining balls of fire blinking right back at me. Breathtaking. Maybe I'm in one of those love the world moods but cliche as it sounds, at that very point in time, I felt one with the earth. And not earth = the planet, but earth = the god given soil and all its wonders. Then wonder of wonders I was thrown up higher in wonderful bliss when my parents car came up the street and they dropped by home to pass me a delicious, scrumptious oreo frappe lest I die of math overdose. So here I am writing about my lovely evening, sipping that very frappe and completely ignoring my math notes. There's loads more I would like to type of course like how when I came back and sat down infront of the computer and starred at 'pixies' again these three lines came into my head :

'As the grass sways
and the pixies prance
All I want to do is dance'

And how it was so befitting to have a dance being carographed in my head at that very moment becaue I was listening to 'Rhapsody in Blue' but alas if I were to stay here and type my life away I might not be able to pass that dreaded math test nor get the A I plan to get for the mid-years so terra! And bless thee people who've mastered the art of tranquility.

Commendation Day

It's funny how we always seem to be running no matter how much we want to stop. The promos end and next thing I know it, its full blast council and to top it all off...a sickening acknowledgement of a minor crush (the latter being the last of my priorities but nonetheless I get over my crushes in a week most of the time so we'll leave THAT out of this.) Anyway, I surprised myself this year. Seriously, I did. I wasn't expecting to get an award for anything and it so happened that I'm 2nd in Lit. Surprise surprise there. haha. Also, I was given the Singa Award which is some kind of award that acknowledges you being courteous and an all out ms nice. The funny part about this, is I completely forgot that I was nominated so that came as a shocker too.

Anyway, Commendation Day was on Thursday and it was extremely interesting. See, when I got ready at the edge of the stage to recieve the 2nd in lit award, the AVA fellas thought it would be appropriate to play "My Heart Will Go On". Now I KNOW that I rarely recieve awards and all that. I mean it HAS been the dry season for the past 5 years but they DID NOT have to rub it in like that. Okay, so it wasn't quite THEM, seeing they know nuts about my history, but obviously, SOMEBODY up there decided to continue making my life a comedy. Bah. However, I must say, I'm extremely appreciative of both those awards. Twas extremely thrilling to be awarded 2nd in Lit especially as I loooooove literature but I've never really done considerably well in it before.

A little later during Commendation Day, I had to make a speech. They call it "The Vote of Thanks". When I prepared this speech, it was short, informal and basically, rather me. After approximately a dozen teachers editing it, it came out quite different, rather professional, extremely formal and well...not what quite I expected but the message was still there so hey, who am I to protest to a touch of professionalism. Anyway, there I was backstage, nervous as ever, rehersing my speech. I was convinced, of course, that like every other time I walk on stage, the nervous feeling will fly away once I see the crowd. That didn't happen this time round though. I STILL felt nervous...which is really weird but I had to continue and I did. It went pretty well and I managed to stay calm until I returned to the sanctuary of the backstage where I jumped up and down and gave Mr Yew a spastic grin. He just replied with a "at least your hands weren't shaking" which was quite true so I didn't whine.

To end off Commendation Day in true Vanessa fashion, as I was giving Mrs Kok a basket of flowers as an acknowledgement for her dedication to the college (she's a real mum to the students, in my opinion and I respect her.), I successfully stained my blouse with the soil. Whoop. Oh and guess what! I had to go back on stage for the college anthem so I insisted that Amos stand in front of me on the right side so that it wouldn't be all that obvious. I was however, completely blocked away from view as a few of my big oaf friends decided to stand in front of me and cover my centre and left side too. Brilliance I tell you. So for the rest of the day, I had to die in the heat of my favourite blue sweater which I wore just to cover up that dreaded spot.

Council and It's Wonders
Council is a heck of a lot of fun right now because it's throwing challenge after challenge right at me. First, there's the JC 1 Bash which the council decided to go ahead with because from the survey on Aspire, 70% plus of the students were up for it. Unfortunately, when brought to the real students (as opposed to the cyber students) of SRJC, from the hands-up request, about 200 plus were sure they wanted to go. Naturally, none of them wanted to pay for it despite the reduction in price from $15 to $8 (stingy pokers!) and on the day that we were supposed to collect money, 17 students in the entire school paid up (I love them). Yes, 17, you saw right. Disgusting ain't it? Makes you want to pull your hair out I tell you...though after a bit of thought you realise the pain isn't worth all that. Nonetheless, the council will not give up hope. As long as there is one SRJCian who wants to go, we will have that Bash. So now, we're trying to get more people to go and from what I've heard, the number of people who WANT to go has been increasing although they HAVEN'T paid. We shall see though...we're setting up booths on Tuesday and Friday and are anticipating rushing crowds...alright fine so we aren't anticipating rushing crowds but we do think that more people will pay up. It's going to be loads of fun actually but as in all other parties the more people, the more fun. Anyway, as a publicity stunt I DID talk to the history students yesterday during one of the breaks in our 10 hour history supplementary (aye 10 hours...crazy no? The documentaries were good though.). I told them that I knew that they FORGOT to bring the money the day before and thus kind as we are, the council is extending the deadline for money collection and will allow them to pay up on Tuesday and Friday as we KNOW that they're DYING to go for this Bash. You know what those cartoons did? They laughed. Bah. Nah but seriously...I think I might've just got across to them. It's a school event specially for the JC 1's anyway. How unfun can it possibly get? Drag your own friends along and it'll be a blast. Now if only the whole cohort read this. I have no clue how to get them to come really. I actually went from table to table in the morning on Thursday advertising the bash and trying to get people to come. Sigh...oh heck. I'm just going to jump into it and deal with what we've got. No point getting all soppy and worried about a lack of response. Terra! Tis back to history for me.

Festival of Lights

Yesterday was oh so fun. We(meaning my classmates...most of us) went to Ish's house to celebrate deepavali in the evening. Loads of chatter, scrumptious food, and Fast and Furious. All in all, a lovely evening. Putting that aside, I must mention that I had yet another encounter with an old lady yesterday. Like I said, there is no escape. You see, I was sitting at the bus stop of Bedok Interchange waiting for mun, rusy and ain. I was in a punjabi outfit with my sunglasses on and the way our sitting...well all in all I thought I looked pretty don't talk to me don't come near me. THAT, of course, wouldn't stop an old lady from being drawn to my side like a moth to a flame. So on the evening of Deepavali, I sat, listening to an old lady tell me how she's been waiting for this irresponsible friend for the past hour. I really felt like telling her to just go home and forget about waiting for the friend seeing she wasn't even answering her phone but after awhile of listening, I realised she quite liked the excuse to whine and complain so I kept my mouth shut and smiled and nodded instead. Alright I have to get back to that dreaded I and R so I'll blog another day. Chiao!

Old Ladies and the Magnet

I have come to the conclusion that I attract old ladies. Seriously. Thinking back through the year, 3 out of 5 times of my time on the bus going to school, an old lady is bound to sit next to me to have a chat. It's quite interesting really. They tell me about their grandchildren, about how horrible the school system is...mind you, THEY tell ME (THE STUDENT) how horrible the school system is. Then of course they'll ask me what subjects I take, what CCA i'm in etc etc...then sometimes they start talking about the wonders of the market (I get lost here). Nonetheless they are good company. But the worst of it all is when you have an exam in an hour and decide that today, no matter how sweet the old lady who sits next to me is, I'm not going to give her my full attention throughout the bus ride. This, I tell you, does not work. Will power is of no use when it comes to these wise, well-practised women. They sit next to you and if you don't give them full attention, they lean over your shoulder and go "what are you doing?". You'll probably say something like "History. Test today." Would you believe it? They don't care. They don't care that you have a test in an hours time that you're likely to fail. They start telling you about the wonders of history and how it's relevant to life. Very enriching, I'll admit that but I have a test in an hour! So I sat down and thought back about these various times when DIFFERENT wise women plonked themselves down next to me for a morning gab...and it hit me. I was being victimized. There were dozens of students on the bus but I was the chosen one. I could sit on the left side of the bus instead of the right and still, the same thing happens. It was as if they had a club or organisation...the out-to-talk-vanessa's-ears-off-and-give-her-a-lesson-on-patience club. Proposterous! Anyhow, I've been escaping such encounters quite successfully by being the brat I am and taking mummy's bus to school almost everyday...I quite miss all the gabbing now come to think of it...it being the post-promos period and all. The bus...it's an interesting place. If you were to look carefully, to observe intently, you'll gain a great amount of inspiration. To that, I can testify.

Palette
Palette was fun fun fun! At least the part where the tennis lads and ladies patiently taught us hopeless, air-whacking councillors how to play tennis was fun. Fides, Gayne, Xing Yi and Mossy were in my group and this extremely patient guy, Gerald ( I think it's spelt like that) taught us how to play. He was really pro and all. Taught us how to hold the racket...3 different styles I think. Really patient chap. What with us jumping around like a bunch of lunatics and either hitting the air or the ball...well in cases where we hit the ball it went high high high up and above heads so that didn't work either. But all in all it was fun and I'd really like to give tennis a go when I have the time. The rest of Palette, in my opinion, really isn't worth the chatter.

I Love My Life

I woke up at 6am this morning because I couldn't get myself off morning assembly duty. I was the announcer see and honestly I normally don't mind duty even on mornings that I don't need to go to school. The thing is, today was special. Today, I had to wake up at exactly 6am...no 5 min more sorta thing cause daddy had work. And guess what? There were NO ANNOUNCEMENTS! Not one single BLOODY ANNOUNCEMENT. Which basically means I went to school to say the pledge, wish a bunch of people good luck for their H2 exams and wish everyone else a great day ahead. Whopee! Now wasn't that fun? Bah. I'm not complaining. It's my duty and blah blah bloody blah blah. But a girl has a right to whine so don't fuss. Bah.

Anyway, on the brighter side of life, Aunty Jess is coming down to Singapore. She's one of the coolest 80 year olds I know. Yay! AND I found a box of brownie mix in the cupboard that ISN'T expired so I'm going to be very happy this week. Or at least my tummy's gonna be happy. Aha! Wheeee! I'm video-ez deprived I tell you. I had plans to rent half the shop before my mum dropped the bomb and reminded me that I have this thing called the 'Malay A Levels'. Gah. I was even halfway through making a 'will-be-rented' list. Sob! Ah well. Tis Life.

Now on the council end of the world, things are getting interesting. We have the OGL camp coming up, orientation and lots more. Oh palette first...which I'm really looking forward to because I get to learn how to play tennis. I know! Awesome ain't it. Me with a bat in my hand. Muahaha :) Oh yesterday, I watched the modern version of Shakespeare's 'much ado about nothing' on hallmark. Twas fun! A little slow moving at the beginning but I actually felt like a lit student and all because...you know...I could pick out the common themes of a Shakespearen comedy and blah blah blah. I was thrilled to bits and in love with Bridget's character. I'm going to read the play before the holidays are up! Alrighties, I'm off. Tata! *Diva Wave*

Dedicated to the People I Adore (My sincere apologies to whoever I've missed out)

Valwee:
My darling sister whom I absolutely adore. Let it be known that I am insulted beyond belief everytime someone comes up to me to pity me because you're not around. It's as if they think I can't function normally without you around. Bah. Anyway, I miss your annoying chirpyness in the morning. Don't miss your nagging. Miss you being my vocal diary though ;) Love ya blindly! Muackz!

Pav:
My crazy Pav! My pillar of sanity...most of the time! (Next to Val of course) Haha. Hello love. To all who bother, Pav here is the one who got me started on this little dedication thingy. She's awesome. Sees right through me and that's really scary. My fellow Drama Queen and the next Ms Broadway. Miss you pav! Muackz!

Sarah:
Sophisticated, intelligent and absolutely fun to jump right back into childhood with. I love my Sarah! It is truly an honour to have her smile into your camera so be greatful if she ever considers you worthy of such an honour. Love strolling around the neighbourhood with her, gabbing about life. Muackz dahling!

Shangz:
Out of whack. Another one of my Drama Queens and a natural comedian. Shangz has run off to tpjc and is currently demanding my attention on msn. aha! I miss her being my lit class partner. That was soooooooo fun. Seriously. We'd sing along with Ms Gammar and act out characters and debate and everything, pav included from the next row. haha. Oh and she's got this crazy handwriting which I've successfully gotten used to reading. I deserve an award for that Shangz. Love ya! Muackz!

Mun:
Mun baby! The wonderful thing about this friendship is I've only known her for less then a year and I feel like we've been buds for a lifetime. Mun's so much fun and she's always always there to talk to and she's super sweet cause despite the fact that I tease her for sending mushy 'we can do it' and 'friends forever' messages, I really appreciate them. Heck. I wish I could frame them up on my bedroom wall. Haha. Love ya babe. Muackz!

Rusy:
Rusy!!!!!! She's this determined young lady who's just really enthusiastic about life. A whole lot of fun to chatter with especially when she starts talking about ...and nevermind :P Ahahaha. Wheeee! And Rusy's really pulled or rather pushed me through the promos. Thanks babe.

OK...the little notes are gonna get shorter cause I'm getting tired of writing :)

Ain:
Ain's boney cheeks have injured and bruised mine countless times in her lil cheek hug thing. Ouch. Ouch.Ouch :P hahaha. Nah I'm kidding. Ain's all lovable and stuff. She's crazy and out-going and she's my personal malay vocabulary corrector too! How cool is that? Haha. She's another admirably determined person. Seriously. And she's always there to give you one of her comforting boney lil hugs when you feel like your just gonna drop dead and die.

Ish:
Meow! What can I say. Ish is fun. And she loves corrupting me. Aha! ;P Ish is one heck of a character. Don't mess with her. She might claw your eyes out. Haha. I adore this girl. She's a real good pal. I mean she stopped me from jumping into the fish pond so hey! Another very much appreciated pillar of support. Be good, you naughty lady ;) Muackz!

Wessy:
Ah my childhood pal. I've literally known you since what...I was born...that's a pretty long time eh? Haha. Wes is cool. He's a magician! Whoopee! We used to build sandcastles in the playground and stuff and then when we grew out of that Sarah, you and me would go on those long I-hate-the-o-levels walks. That...I miss. Ha. Oh gosh this is all sooo mushy! Eeeek. He's my buddy and although we don't meet up and gab as much as we used to...we'll always be buds k. Hugz.

Avinash:
This moron is a special case. He is NOT adored. But I feel obliged to leave a lil something in here seeing his coolness('slackness') and annoying sense of humour, kept me sane throughout the promos and quite literally in a topsy-turvy sorta way, helped me pull through. The promos were hell. But all that talk about mice, dustbins and short purple shorts...muahaha. Ha! Ah we shall not elaborate no? But you're a great pal. No Sabotage. Savvy? You unshaven fool. Lord Mee Siam's head shall be a very sorry one as it rolls down a hill if there IS sabotage. *Pats head* and don't become anorexic alright :P

Okay. That's not all actually. There's more people. Like Gloria and Florence and Bhavna and Kamini and ahhhhhhh soooooo many but you people know I love you and when I see you face to face I'll reconfirm that for you cause honestly all this typing can get you feeling rather lethargic. Haha. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Alrightos, I'm out. Chiao!

This Lovely Little Life We Live.

Oh. My. Gosh. It's only been two days into the this wonderful study-free, nag-free, week and I just had to ruin it by remembering that the malay A levels are coming up. NOOOOOOO! It's evil I tell you. And now I'm NOT ALLOWED to borrow any movies from video ez until that dreaded exam is done. Gah. I'm going to study my ass off for malay so that I will never have to sit through a malay lesson again. (I don't understand what's going on half the time.) I must say though, malay lessons this year have been quite amusing. We have this adorable cikgu you see. She's always threatening to 'bite our cheeks' (in malay) when we speak in english and she does this relatively scary barring of teeth accompanied with a claw-like hand gesture. That would have traumatised me for life when I was in primary 4 but you know what? She managed to traumatise me anyway, sweet as she is. Not with the 'gigit your pipi' thing though. You see a few weeks back I was lining up at one of the canteen stalls with rusy, mun, ain and ish and she comes along. So like the well brought up, decent people we are, we greeted her. Then she puts on what you might call a 'geram' (i'm not sure how to explain that...basically it's that feeling when you just want to squeeze something so hard cause it's over-baringly cute or annoying) face, walks up to me, PINCHES my cheek, and says 'I want to cium pipi kau' (I want to kiss your cheek) and then she walks off with this amused, satisfied smile on her face. This, mind you, happened in the middle of the canteen with the lunch time crowd surrounding us so naturally I got sent a few 'what-the-hell-was-a-teacher-pinching-your-cheek-for' looks and no, no sympathy from my dearest girlfriends, who were in hysterics and attempting to pinch my cheeks too. It was disturbing and quite frankly I would not have minded evaporating right there and then. The human body however, doesn't permit such actions. Pity. It would have saved me on manny accounts. Cheers to a week of 'malaynising' my spectrum of vocabulary. Whoop.