I was late to meet Isaac and some of my other friends today at E!hub. Actually, I was out the whole day today with friends from my old clique in Sec 1 & 2 to celebrate Isaac's birthday in advance at his house in Jln Kayu.

We caught "Avatar". It's a movie with stunning graphic effects, and it's probably a must-see if you're a fantasy lover. Basically, the storyline's pretty exaggerated but it does progress at least.

We went to White Sands for lunch and then met Yi Ren and Hui Jie there. After reaching Isaac's house, we just chilled around in his open-air attic over a game of Monopoly (the board game itself is an antique which Isaac's mother bought when she was still a secondary school student). I ended up winning the game in the end because my opponents kept stopping by at either one of the 3 railway stations which I owned. Hahah.

After playing, we walked around the rows of houses and took a lot of pictures at the fitness corner near the playground. -_- We also went down to the small drain next to a forest below the playground, and the place looked really nice thanks to the weather this afternoon. :)

For dinner, we had a nasi lemak buffet. We drank a lot of Coke, too. Hui Yen mentioned that Coke shortens your lifespan by 20 years. Whoa, isn't that a little too hard to believe? But it's obvious that I'm not supposed to drink so much Coke.

I walked Serene to the bus stop with Hui Yen, Yi Ren, Hui Jie and Jasper as she wanted to get home earlier after dinner. We started to get all high again after seeing her off, so we stopped halfway through at Jln Kayu flyover and started shouting (it's a way to relieve stress, I guess) to the expressway below. We even waved from above at the vehicles which drove by. A bunch of Bangladeshi workers who were sitting at the back of a van actually noticed us and even waved back. LOL.

Isaac started the cake-cutting not long after we got back. Before that, Hui Yen, Yi Ren, Hui Jie, Jasper and I were at the attic, singing for comic relief. :P We even wanted to record our singing to post some retarded videos on Facebook, but Hui Jie's camera just had to run out of battery. Did I mention that Yi Ren thought the lyrics from "Party in the USA" went "Welcome to the land of fame and sex"? It was hilarious... and he kept repeating it. We started changing the lyrics of the song after that.

After a pretty long talk with Isaac's mom (she talked about her plans for Isaac when they emigrate to Vancouver at the end of next year), I walked to the bus stop with the rest and boarded the bus home. The view from flyovers at night is so amazing. :)

I had a nice day. I'm really looking forward to Christmas Eve!

I left home at around 3.30pm today and boarded the bus to school in my PE shirt and long pants just to collect my IC. I've put off the collecting long enough, anyway.

I don't really like it when cars speed on rainy days. I mean, I was just standing by the traffic light at the road junction outside my school waiting for the green man to start blinking, when a taxi suddenly zoomed past me, causing a puddle of water it ran through to splash on my pants. Alright, so I admit that this was partly my fault because I was standing so near the puddle. However, it's not like I did see it coming. :S

Collecting the IC was a breeze for me this time (of course it has to be). It was already around 4pm then, so I just went straight to Downtown East to meet up with some of my friends. It took us forever to find the barbecue pit, though all we had to do was just walk straight from where we originally met. -_-

The first half of the barbecue was spent under rainy conditions, which totally sucked. I chatted with some of my friends and Raudhah, and I got to read her friend's notebook. Her friend pens down every dream she can remember in the notebook, so the stories were really absurd but very hilarious; I had a good laugh. Not long after, Keith arrived with all the utensils. I followed him along with Jun Jie and Winifred to help Jun Hao and Kim Li carry some of the charcoal, firestarters and foodstuff to the pits, and with that the barbecue commenced...

We had such a hard time starting the fire, though the process was really funny. It got dark out pretty quickly and everyone started going hyper and stuff. We kinda blasted loads of Lady GaGa songs over cold beehoon, green tea and satay on crabsticks. LOL. After that, we took a night walk around the park and some of my friends started freaking out and talking about ghosts even when it wasn't all that dark.


Actually, we went for the a walk to find a bicycle kiosk that was still open, but we didn't manage to get to one in the end. We played Blow Wind Blow after returning to the pits and I had to do a forfeit which was pretty simple (I just couldn't do it in front of people whom I'm not familiar with, though). Mr Alvin Tan showed up with his son, too, and we took group shots and all.


When we were walking to the bus stop after everything came to an end, Jun Jie realised that he lost his phone strap. Apparently, it's a "KHR!" phone strap he bought from Bangkok. Anyway, we retraced our steps and I looked for it with Yi Ren but to no avail. In the end, his brother found it in the plastic bag he was carrying when he got home. How puzzling.

Although only less than half of the class came, it was a rather successful outing.

Tuition resumed today. I started on Differentiation, and I guess the fundamentals of the topic are rather easy to pick up. My tuition teacher also shared his experiences when he went on a free-and-easy trip to Tokyo and Hokkaido halfway through the session, and I was kinda surprised to know that a subway station in Tokyo can get as high as 8 storeys. Whoa. The subway stations in Tokyo are always so busy with commuters travelling here and there and such, but the trains always reach the stations on schedule (some 3000 trains arrive at Tokyo Station per day). It's pretty amazing how something so complicated can be managed so systematically.

During guitar class, we started on a new song - "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day. It's a really good song to play on the guitar, but I kinda know that I'll most probably screw it up when I play it next week because I just can't bring myself to even touch my guitar. It's also very out-of-tune and I think some of its strings are on the verge of snapping. I'll really have to take better care of my guitar though I use it infrequently. :S

I'm going to attend the class BBQ tomorrow at Pasir Ris Park. There's relatively few people going, though. Perhaps it's just that the supposedly "not going" ones have been too lazy to give Jun Hao a message to state that they're actually going...

I wonder why humans just can't seek for their own improvement instead. It's always he, she, they, them, but not "I". It's really easy to give a judgment from a one-sided point of view that's backed up by baseless assumptions, but it hurts to be the one receiving the judgment, of course. It's funny how there's two perspectives to it, actually.

But, it's not like I'm not guilty of it. It doesn't mean that you aren't, either.

I met Rashid, Christon & Li Ting at Tampines MRT station today and then we boarded the train all the way to Jurong East Interchange and then to Bukit Batok. Initially, I thought I'd be last to reach since my house is furthest from Tampines as compared to the rest's, but Rashid was the latest (as usual). -_-

West Mall was packed with fans anticipating the arrival of their idols. It was already crowded there at 2pm when the event was scheduled to start around 3.30pm. There was a frantic gust of screaming and shouting when the idols finally stepped out on stage. Actually, I have no idea why I decided to tag along. I don't really watch Singapore Idol, anyway... though I'm aware of the contestants, of course.


Anyway, Faizal (Li Ting's obsession) made an appearance during the roadshow and when he went backstage, everyone (including us) crowded around him. She wanted his autograph and a picture taken with him, but she remained stagnant at the back with a notebook and her pen. I took the notebook and pen from her in the end, and stretched my bony arms out to Faizal and to my surprise, he noticed it and signed the notebook. That's one of the perks of having long arms. :P

However, when Li Ting was just about to take a picture with Faizal, a manager called Faizal to get in the room backstage. Li Ting kinda pleaded the manager to let her have one picture with him before he left, but Faizal simply obliged to the manager's request and uttered a quick "bye" before disappearing into the room. Hahah. How unfortunate... though she still has the autograph, I guess. :S

We went up to the second floor but we couldn't get a very good view. We went back down again, and pretty much squeezed through the enormous crowd to the right corner where the backstage is. My camera was kinda spammed with random pictures of the idols, including a close-up shot of Farhan taken by Li Ting (not by me in case you think I'm a stalker or something).


After the whole event came to a stop, we went to get some bubble tea and stopped at McDonald's for some fries and stuff. We chatted for a pretty long time with some funny conversations.


Perhaps today wasn't really a wasted day...

I'm so tired! I just reached home at around 11.40pm... it's unbelievable. I had a good time catching up with my friends, though.

Basically, I went for the candlelight service at my church. However, today (count "today" as December 19) was "missing" day for me. I left the house at 4.30pm thinking that I would reach Expo on time (by 5.30pm), but when I got to the bus stop, I just missed the bus to the interchange, so I had to wait for another 5 minutes for the next bus. When I reached the interchange and walked to the MRT station, I just missed the train headed towards Tanah Merah Interchange, so I had to board the train which was leaving in 6 minutes. -_- When I reached Tanah Merah Interchange, I just missed the train headed towards Expo, so I had to wait another 6 minutes for the next train. LOL. At last, I was 10 minutes late for service even though I left my house 1 hour earlier.

Today's service was cool. Peace can only reign when there is forgiveness - how true. :) Anyway, everyone was already in the mood for Christmas! All the girls wore dresses and well... I appeared in "smart casual" with my jeans and sneakers which I don't usually wear unless I'm overseas. That's kinda like a breakthrough, considering the fact that I'm always wearing just a tee, pants and sandals.

The candlelight service itself was very inspiring. Matter of fact, I received Christ during last year's candlelight service in the church. That pretty much makes it my first year anniversary, though I got "saved" on December 24.


After service, we got on to our gift exchange in celebration for Christmas. :D We pasted stickers with numbers on our gifts and then compiled them. After that we'd draw lots for our number. I got "13", and it labelled Natalia's gift. Apparently, she prepared a pretty cute notebook with a cartoon design and a really nice keychain. :) My gift was picked up by Hui Yen - it's a packet of the tiramisu chocolates I bought from Hokkaido. It sounds rather cheap, but it's hard to find. Hahah.


The cell group and Daryl (someone new) went for dinner at Changi Airport Terminal 3 after that. Ailin bought this very weird red wine mee sua which tasted rather yucky. Hahah! It was a good food experience, I guess.


FYI, I went to the bus stop at Terminal 3 when everyone was going home, and I just missed bus no. 53, so I had to wait for another 15 minutes or so for the next bus.

I had a fun night. I'm going to meet Rashid, Christon and Li Ting tomorrow to attend the Singapore Idol roadshow at West Mall. Hopefully it wouldn't be a wasted trip...

I'm back from Japan... Time flew like nobody's business. Hahah.

I experienced a lot while I was over there. For starters, when I arrived at Narita Airport, my glasses suddenly broke, even though I kept it in its box the whole while. When we reached the hotel, my dad and I tried our best to get the very tiny screw to join the glasses back, but to no avail. However, when we went to have our dinner at Narita Aeon Shopping Mall on the first night, I went to some glasses store and the shopkeeper fixed my glasses temporarily without any charge. It still did break again after a few days, but I couldn't believe that they didn't charge me any money. LMAO. Apparently, in Japan, service-providing is FOC. Get your stuff fixed in Japan next time. ;)

I did mention I had my dinner (takoyaki and a plate of Japanese fried noodles which I didn't like) at the mall's food court on the first night. I almost wanted to leave my trays on the table for someone else to clear, but then I noticed that everyone has to clear their trays after eating. I think that it'd be great if such a method is introduced in Singapore, though the cleaners will obviously lose their jobs. -_- Nevertheless, it's good to be initiated. I mean, not only will you be environmentally-friendly, you'll also be considerate of others who walk in later to have their meals. LOL. I sound so "wise", but the truth is I don't practice what I preach.

Also, I really have to comment about the toilets there. They're awesome. LOL. I especially liked the bidet function on their toilet. Just hit the button and your ahem gets washed squeaky clean. There isn't even a need for toilet paper already.

I can seriously go pokkai if I eat out in Japan. Even in Sapporo, a bowl of miso ramen noodles cost up to $32, and they are usually eaten at small stalls in alleys that seat up to about 15 people only. Thank goodness for the tour that I was able to enjoy good food without feeling the pinch of expensive prices. -_-

I think that I splurged a lot while I was in Japan. I couldn't believe that my parents paid $500 to rent 4 snowmobiles to drive up Mt. Niseko, but I guess it was worthwhile. Oh well, I still think Singapore's great. But for now...


I don't know when, but I'll definitely visit again. Hahah.

Today is my last day in Hokkaido. I'm flying back to Tokyo International Airport tonight. Sigh.

I don't really pay much attention to the hotels I stay at and their facilities, so it took me some time to realise that there indeed is a PC booth in the hotel that I'm currently at. I guess it's a blessing that I can use the computer before I leave this place...

Currently, I'm at Sapporo. The past few days that I spent in Hokkaido have been amazing, basically. The place is really postcard-perfect. The weather is obviously cold, but the winds are weak. It's just snowy. The temperature dipped all the way to -5 degrees Celsius when I was at Odori Park last night, but it wasn't that chilly.

The food that Hokkaido sells are native to its own region. You can't even find them elsewhere in Japan. As a result, I'm buying a lot of stuff home. HAHAH. The place is famous for its chocolate that come in flavours such as melon, corn and cheese, and also for their milk, melons, potatoes, beef and of course, seafood (the crab, especially). A lot of sweets there are also melon-flavoured. The yubari melon is really famous here so all their melon products usually cost a bomb. The ice cream there is good too, but I can't really say much about the seafood except for the scallops.

When I get back in Singapore, I'll try my best to make a huge entry will all the photos and such. I guess I won't need to blog about what happened day by day, since I brought along a journal to Japan. :P

Hopefully, I'll make the most out of this final day in Hokkaido. I'm leaving for Niji Seafood Market soon. I reckon there won't be much to buy, but I'm stopping by the Sapporo JR Station Shopping Arcade too.

p.s. I'll reply all of the comments once I get home. Sorry!

I'm at Hokkaido right now. I'm going back to Tokyo in a day. Sigh. :(

So far, I've been having a great time in Japan. It has been snowing here non-stop for the past 2 days. :)

Right now, I will be leaving for Otaru on a 2-hour long coach ride. -_- I hope it will be good...

Japanese keyboards are so irritating. Argh.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HUI YEN!!!

I'm currently in the departure hall at Changi Airport's Terminal 1. I'm lucky that I'm able to blog from the computers provided here, although I'm kinda doing it in public (there's users beside me). -_- Anyway, I'll be leaving this place at 7.50am. Hopefully, I'll have a fruitful trip. :)

I have about 10 minutes left before I'll have to log off this computer. LOL. How pathetic. I'll try my best to update this journal when I reach Japan (hopefully).

I think I'm already beginning to miss home...

I met my cell group at Clarke Quay MRT station this evening. I informed everyone to meet earlier except for Hui Yen because I wanted to prepare her birthday card with them. Everything turned out pretty smoothly, and even though I myself turned up late for the meeting, we managed to finish up the card over dinner at Central's Yoshinoya. When Hui Yen arrived, we were already in the restaurant making the card, so some of us went to find her and hold her back for a while. :P Natalia taught me and Christon how to fold paper hearts. :O

After dinner, we went to The Riverwalk to attend iWorship. :D It was great! Bro. Poh shared a really good session with us, and he preached about renewing our passion for worship. During the session, we actually handed the birthday card to Hui Yen and the presentation was a total failure. Well, at least she got the card! Hahah. After the session, Natalia offered us some chocolate mochi and melon chocolate she bought from Japan. I especially liked the chocolate mochi. Perhaps I should buy them when I get to Tokyo.

I rushed back home after that and boarded the train straight to Punggol from Clarke Quay with Hui Yen; we waited pretty long for the bus and actually, we stopped at the wrong side of the MRT station at first, so we had to jaywalk to reach the bus interchange. :X

In 5 hours, I'll be at Changi Airport. I'll try my best to take full advantage of the wireless internet access there, so I'll most probably be able to make a post or two. I can't wait to see you guys when I'm back in Singapore! :)

I'm leaving Singapore tomorrow, but I just feel good about it instead of excited. I don't know why, but somehow, my day was ruined. I probably woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning.

It would be great if people were actually more polite, even if they're not grateful. It sucks when they make it seem as if they're forced to be grateful for my help or effort, when they have no reason and right to do that in the first place. I never really measured the importance of sincerity until now.

I'm not sure if I can make it home by 10.30pm tonight...