year, really. and a very significant one, as it marks the end of yet another wonderful chapter in my life, that of the entire secondary school experience -
. all of which have really been such great experiences. and from now on, is eternalised under the
column in the sidebar of this blog.
and with that, the new year marks the start of a new beginning. which for one, i am somewhat apprehensive about, but at the same time, anxiously looking forward to. ahwell, as they say,
.
to all who have made 2007 a year to remember, be it for the right or wrong reasons. afterall, past failures and mistakes pave the way for new successes. or so i'd like to believe. =D so to my
with whom i crossed paths this year, thank you for just being part of my life in 2007.
and at the same time, i'd also like to extend my apologies to anyone whom i've unintentionally (or otherwise =/) offended with my words or actions, and i really hope that we can be on good terms all over again.
-
they're still on our radar
and for real
posing with matching S&K tees bought by yours truly
with the Běijīng huānyíng nĭ mascots
(by Yiyang of course)
the traditional group shot in front of the Taka Christmas tree
just um, random xP
final shot - see/hear/speak/hear/see no evil =D
and that concludes our year-end christmas-cum-newyear gathering-cum-present exchange-cum-dinner for 2007.
well, just wanna say a big thank you to the four of them -
Mathan,
Dean,
Yao Guang and
Yiyang - for
four absolutely wonderful years of great friendship. and here's to the many more to come! (:
oh, and guess what we saw on our way back...
wardrobe malfunction at Ted Baker! ooops. xP HAHAalright, nights!
and hey, it's
New Year's Eve already.
- Saturday, December 29, 2007
OG!
haha. it's the OG craze right now. xP
everyone's busy asking around to find ppl in their OG. and of course, sharing creative and interesting OG names like
toast,
tsunami,
tsarbucks,
tuvwxyz,
ttyl, and many more simply awesome names. i kid you not. to steal a quote from
Alaric,
"mad already!".
and for the record, i'm in
BB09 -
tantantan. not any less glam a name, huh. =D
anyway, i guess i'm pretty much looking forward to T'sparanza 2008. let's hope it'll be great.
oh, and i received a pleasant surprise today - a greeting card from
Royce and
Tee Yong (and the rest of
GC'07) which arrived in my mailbox. and it certainly made my day. thanks, you guys! (:
-
mistakes
in front of PS Starbucks
- Shawn, Gregory, Bryan, meyeps, was out again yesterday (it's already saturday!) at Plaza Singapura after Board Farewell, with the trio. it was really nice to just talk about anything and everything with them, from school matters like OGs (haha), to TAR, ANTM, Survivor and even planning our own Survivor alliances, over drinks at Starbucks. =D after which we walked all the way to Orchard MRT Station, while talking about more stuff, and parted ways for home.
anyway, Board Farewell went along fine, and i had fun, especially during the Walk of Appreciation (riiight), and the supposed War Games. and of course, thank you to the organising committee. (:
also had a great day out on thursday with my primary school classmates. it's just really wonderful to meet up and catch up with them after so long. (: and to know that everyone's doing fine, with school and their relationships. haha. oh, and before which, i was back in school to facilitate a session for the Pupil Leaders Camp.
Group 5it was quite meaningful, and in addition, i was assigned to a good group. which made it all so much better.
OH. and i still can't believe i actually declined the opportunity to watch the
Sharapova-
Chakvetadze exhibition match at the Indoor Stadium on the 30th! but well, what to do, since i already have an appointment that's of greater importance on that day. =D
and just so you know, i am in
BB09 for
T'sparanza 2008. let's hope it'll be a great OG. (:
but, in the midst of it all, and especially so yesterday, i've been made to realise the sheer power of words of hatred and resentment. that an impassioned remark can really cut you deep. and that sometimes, sorry is just not enough.
all will be well again, i hope.
nights. and pardon the lack of organisation in this entry.
- Thursday, December 27, 2007
newsflash:
Yahoo! - Pakistan's Bhutto assassinated at rally
CNN - Benazir Bhutto assassinated
CNA - Benazir Bhutto assassinated in Pakistan
The Straits Times - Bhutto assassinated in Pakistan
- Wednesday, December 26, 2007
they're on our radar
haha
'twas a great day out with my bestest pals! (:
in the Taka washroom =D
- Yao Guang, Mathan, Dean and yours trulyoh, and haha. bumped into Reynard and the 4B gang, Ian Yap, Jon Ng and Zenn Chua, and Cikgu Saripah and family. an interesting day much.
and now my legs are aching from all that walk. -.-" haha
alright, nights!
- Tuesday, December 25, 2007
love is a sweet torment
Habiburrahman El Shirazy's Ayat-Ayat Cinta is truly a beautiful, and impactful read. it is not just a romantic novel; well, actually, it is that, and a lot more.
to quote from the film's official website here,
Ayat-Ayat Cinta is a beautifully portrayed Islamic love story – a tale of a virtuous Muslim protagonist who overcomes all obstacles of life maintaining pure ideals.
indeed. Ayat-Ayat Cinta is a novel about love, sacrifice, morals, principles, culture, and ultimately, about faith. this novel explores the essence of love, and the truest of true love. one of which is the love between two individuals, which we are all too familiar with. and the other, the greater love for God and His Messenger, which is essentially the basis of the Islamic nature of the novel.
personally though, despite the well-developed plot, and the wide Islamic knowledge neatly woven in it, one main issue that i have is regarding the author's portrayal of the protagonist, Fahri, which is tad too idealistic. while i can't absolutely deny the possibility of the existence of such a man in this time and age, it is just not real enough. but for what it's worth, Fahri is certainly the epitome of alim, and it is seriously no wonder that four women had fallen in love with him.
that being said, Habiburrahman El Shirazy's Ayat-Ayat Cinta is definitely a highly-recommended read. (:
and now, i just want to get my hands on the VCD! but i doubt it'll be released anytime soon. so well, it's just another wait like Cinta: The Movie.
the film
oh, and
here's
HM The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2007. i just adore her spoken English! =D
-
seasons greetings!
just dropping by to wish all you out there a very
Merry Christmas! (:
and well,
here's one by diva superstar
Mariah Carey. =D had initially wanted to post
Her Majesty The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2007, but it'll only be available from 1500 GMT on Christmas Day. which is essentially 11pm Singapore time. -.-"
alright, have a great day all! (:
- Friday, December 21, 2007
of sports apparels, back-to-school prep,
record-setting, and air hockey showdown
woohoo. 'twas one helluva day out with
Alaric,
Louis and
GKarl! =D
well, we started off from Orchard slightly after 10am. without
Miss Tardy as usual, who was in his element and didn't fail to live up to his reputation. xP
everyone has an inner childtired after browsing around Ngee Ann City, Lucky Plaza and Paragon, we settled to rest at a kids' corner in Paragon, while we entertained ourselves with that single piece of toy there. haha, as they say, everyone has an inner child. and we sure do! (:
OH. and of course, we waited for the arrival of
GKarl as well, who came an hour and a half after our scheduled meeting time. and when we heard that he actually cabbed (since he was all whining about the Comfort cab fare hike on his blog
here), he promptly clarified that it was a Mercedes cab. -.-" true to his boycotting efforts afterall. tsk.
we went shopping! (:
alaric got 3 dryfit polo tees and a Prince bag,
louis got a pair of Kappa sneaks and a Converse pencil case,
and karl got a New Balance dryfit polo tee and a Converse bagso we walked around some more, before lunching at BK and after which, scooting off to Queensway Shopping Centre, where tennis-crazy
Alaric was all for looking for
Prince merchandise. i guess you could say that it was a pretty fruitful trip, because at the end of it, as can be seen in the shot above beside the Christmas tree, they got themselves some good buys. xP haha
and for the record, i felt gooood coz i managed to exercise self-restraint and didn't get anything at all. (: i am such a thrifty guy. wheee.
then it was back to Cathay Cineleisure to play at the arcade. which was pure fun and exciting.
after rounds and rounds of ice hockey, the Sadikin-Alaric pairing proved to be the best (duh!), with three consecutive wins against the Louis-GKarl pair. woohooo... and of course, those games on the console, where we tried our hardest to have a Hi-Score entry for every one of them.
look out for
RI'07 in these photos!
spot the difference (version 1)
spot the difference (version 2)
photo memory
word hunt
geo (HAHA)
guinness book of records
and well, that was pretty much it. =D oh, and i do have a video of Louis and GKarl playing that dancing game, but i am tres lazy to put it up lah.
us! (:
so it was a really fun day out - great company, great lively discussions (HAHA), and great antics. =D
OH, and quote of the day:
"i go kayaking because i want to have a tan!"
and now we know the real reason why Alaric Ng Mao Xuan took up 1-star and 2-star kayaking courses. HAHA
- Wednesday, December 19, 2007
happy (part two)
sadikin is happy because:
one. he has finally gotten the battery cover for his phone which had been non-existent for months. (: and mind you, a trip all the way to the Panasonic Building in Jalan Kilang Barat (somewhere near Alexandra Road) is not anything to look forward to. -.-"
two. he has gotten boxes from Ikea to store away his stuff for
Phase II of
Operation: Room Clean-up. he feels very hardworking and organised. (:
and most importantly,
three. tomorrow is
Hari Raya Haji (10 Zulhijjah 1428H). so he would like to wish all
Muslims a blessed
Hari Raya Haji 1428H.
_
anyway, just a few headlines:
one. Jamie Lynn Spears Is Pregnant (Access Hollywood)
-.-"three. Scandaleisha
four. Survivor Hoax
five. and finally, presenting
TIME's Person of the Year 2007 (and nope, it's not "You" again, sadly):
Vladimir Putin
At significant cost to the principles that free nations prize,
he's brought Russia roaring back to the table of world power
(Read the story)
- Tuesday, December 18, 2007
happy
sadikin is happy because he has just completed
Phase I of
Operation: Room Clean-up, which took around a gruelling 7 hours to complete, from 2pm till 9pm (but with short breaks here and there lah) (:
and sadikin is also happy because he is almost done re-organising his music files on the PC, making sure they all are tagged with the Artist, Album Title, Year, Track No., Genre, and course, Track Title. (:
but sadikin is not happy because Todd Herzog is sole Survivor: China. ): he's sucha scheming fella, but since that's the nature of the game, he does deserve it lah, right.sole Survivor: China
and finally, sadikin wishes everyone good night!
- Monday, December 17, 2007
a night of pleasant surprises (:
Star Awards 2007
Best Actress
Yvonne Lim
MetamorphosisStar Awards 2007
Best Actor
Zheng Ge Ping
Like Father, Like Daughter
well, what can i say? finally, these two gifted actors are given due recognition for their talent and are deservingly awarded with the prized accolades of the night. (:
congratulations to Yvonne Lim and Zheng Ge Ping!
Asian Idol 2007
Hady Mirza
Singaporeas for this - need i say more? yep, congratulations and well done to our very own Singapore Idol and newly-crowned Asian Idol
Hady Mirza!
AND, as fellow Singaporeans, can't we all just be a tad more supportive of Hady's win? o.O though understandably so, it was, "in what judges and fans are calling a stunning upset", as written on The Straits Times website. and that, i completely agree with btw.
AND just so everyone makes more informed and intelligent comments about the voting system and how it works, please read
this.
haha, alright. peace yo!
- Sunday, December 16, 2007
the car
the silver Nissan Latio Premium
my bro the driverheyho. so the family's finally got a car, which was delivered yesterday night. and bro's proved to be a proficient driver thus far, so that's good. (:
also sent
Shawn off at Terminal 2 for his trip to Fukuoka, Japan late last night, with
Bryan and
Ned.
okay, i really don't know what else to write about...
OH, as
Yiyang (who's back in China right now) had just reminded me on MSN,
ComfortDelGro overhauls taxi fare structure. haha, yep. the fare adjustments for Comfort cabs come into effect tmr, so uh, be prepared! xP
and the week ahead seems pretty fun, with some planned outings here and there, starting off with another round of
Springbloom Open tmr morning. =D haha, let's hope for good weather yeah.
out! (:
- Saturday, December 15, 2007
for you, a thousand times over
Khaled Hosseini's
The Kite Runner is simply a beautiful read. i was initially tempted to complete it in one seating two nights ago, but i figured i needed my sleep. and now, i am just waiting to get my hands on the
film, somehow.
the book
the filmanyway, since i've found back my love for reading (yes, only in such dire times of boredom), i shall move on to a non-fiction book, which may be a tad heavy for me, but we'll see. after which, i shall start on
Habiburrahman El Shirazy's critically-acclaimed
Ayat-Ayat Cinta. and the
film as well, after that. again, if i manage to get it, somehow.
the book the film and of course,
Britney's
Piece of Me video has premiered on
Britney.com. (and on MTV.com as well, but "Copyrights restrict us from playing this video outside the US" -.-")
the video
well, it certainly is way better than
Gimme More, and not surprisingly so, since the total production cost of
Piece of Me is US$500,000, compared to
Gimme More's US$25,000. such budget bias. anyway, the video does justice to the
lyrics, fortunately, and i especially liked the scene when she exposes the undercover paparazzo in the Ladies and scribbles something ("sucker"?) on his forehead with a lipstick. =D haha. oh, and the scene when she dances with her body doubles in a purplish dress bears uncanny similarities to
Hayden Panettiere in
Bring It On: All or Nothing, when she led the other cheerleaders in the Pirates' introduction cheer:
just a pure coincidence? o.O
haha, okay, out!
- Friday, December 14, 2007
you want a piece of me?
haha. yeps, the video's gonna be out soon. apparently,
Britney.com reports it as one that is "gonna go down in history as Absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G". well, i guess we'll just have to wait and see.
and just to share the CoverGirl shots of the final three in America's Next Top Model: Cycle 9.
Saleisha, winner
Chantal, runner-up
Jenah, thirdalright, out!
- Wednesday, December 12, 2007
w00t
haha. just thought i'd shared this interesting piece of news -
Merriam-Webster's word of '07: 'w00t'. it's actually on the Featured section of the main Yahoo! webpage, so i think many of you would have read it anyway.
l33t speak indeed. =D
and just a few articles about the on-going WGA strike -
Without writers, TV loads up on reality, reruns,
Studios count cost of writers strike. and of course, the running tally on the income loss of WGA members, updated by the second on the
AMPTP website. haha
finally, just so that i am not accused of being oh-so ignorant about more serious world issues -
U.N.'s Ban urges 2009 deadline for climate deal.
damn, this feels like a news blog already. -.-"
oh, and well, life's been fine and dandy, if you need to know. (:
perhaps, just
terribly boring at times, as i have lamented to many. hence, this entry.
nights!
- Monday, December 10, 2007
the springbloom open
haha
alas, today was yet another typical rainy day in the monsoon season. which means that i'd rather be cooped up at home (however sad that may sound) to enjoy the cool breeze and just lazily waste the day away. and just so you know, i am pretty much well aware that i am a lazy bum. so just save your breath and don't bother making any comments
. (:
anyway, before the relatively heavy downpour happened, i managed to get quite a workout in the late morning. well, you see, i was invited to play in the inaugural
Springbloom Open. (and that's a tennis Open, mind you, not a golf one. i'm not
that old, alright. =D)
oh, the Open featured top seeds and really skilled players like
Alaric Ng,
Bryan Chia and
Delwyn. and then you have, um,
me and
the GKarl. haha. we're both just beginners okay, and i'd like to believe that we're not that bad. xP haha
okay, to cut the story short (and i really mean
short), we played tennis at Bryan's this morning until the rain poured around noon. (:
and since i know that words are not entirely enough to capture the moments, here are some photos that we (minus Delwyn who left early) took:
a simple group shot
the players (:
(it is just me or does GKarl look like a total sl_t
trying to seduce someone or sth xP)
Alaric and Bryan totally doing their thing
haha. okay, that's all.
oh, and since you know that i'm a tv junkie and all that, i just wanna proclaim to the whole world that i am rooting for Ronald & Christina in The Amazing Race 12. they're just such nice and likeable people, and plus, they're Asian, somehow.
way to go, them, arriving 1st in the latest Pit Stop
though they may have conflicts at times, at least they don't hate each other "with a passion". nownow, which team did we hear that from? o.O
haha. whokay, out!
- Saturday, December 08, 2007
the golden compass
only part 1 of the trilogy
haha. since GKarl was so dramatically disappointed by the rather simple ending to
The Golden Compass, i just had to add that extra detail there. xP
anyway, caught the movie at The Cathay with Bryan, Louis and GKarl this afternoon. and basically just walked around there and Plaza Singapura, before settling on playing pool at Paradiz. or rather, the shopping mall right beside it. which is the same place i went with the 01 batchmates last Thursday. haha
okay, i am so lazy to go into the details, and very sleepy too, so pictures shall suffice:
bryan
yes, he's kinda abnormal, sometimes (:
the GKarl xP
louis in his pool debut!
yours truly
just to get into that Christmas mood...
chef's blend noodles and bubble tea,
on the MRT steps =D haha
and a final shot! (:alright, goodnight!
oh, and fortunately, i have
Gilmore Girls Season 7 to catch up on while we wait for the
WGA strike to end.
- Friday, December 07, 2007
the end of it all
just a few hours ago saw the announcement of the appointment of the 01 Raffles Scout Group Council and Committee Members for 2008, on Siloso Beach, Sentosa.
while my name wasn't read out (and understandably so), it was a very surreal feeling, really, to realise that my fellow batchmates were taking over as the Group Council of 2008 - effectively the main organisational body of the Group, which also grants them that elusive power of having the Secondary 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s at their mercy, of course.
and with that comes the bittersweet realisation that i have already reached the end of my 4 years of scouting with 01.
indeed, it's been a great 4 years with 01 Raffles Scout Group. (:
and to the 8 batchmates who have been appointed into the Group Council of 2008 -
Benjamin Hong,
Haliim,
Wei Jie,
Jun Jie,
Yanzhi,
Yue Zheng,
Norris and
Sarun - my heartiest congratulations and best wishes. As Eugene Ho puts it, may you guys surpass the high standards set by your predecessors!
i don't know what i've been told,
but 01 makes me lose control
- Sunday, December 02, 2007
deal or no deal
well, life has been pretty fine and dandy. though at times, just so terribly boring. but of course, i'd rather be bored than busy anytime. =D
have been out with the family these past two days, on an intensive car-hunt. haha. actually, we've been car-hunting since my brother got his license last August, and we were just trying to narrow down our choices over the weekend. yes, it can take a lot of research and browsing to find the right car, and more importantly, one at the right price.
oh, and quite a number of the sales executives/consultants/whatever they call themselves actually thought that i was gonna be the driver. -.-" haha. well, it must be either the smart casual attire with that i-am-ready-for-the-world kind of impression or simply, that i look old. but of course, i would like to think that it's the former. (: uhhuh
anyway, i've come to realise two rather noteworthy things from this whole car-hunt experience:
one. a car is definitely a luxury, what with the car loan and monthly installments, road tax, rising petrol prices, servicing, and the list just goes on. public transport is certainly more fuss-free and straightforward. and much cheaper. (: but of course, there's the pros of a private transport.
two. driving is not exactly a piece of cake. having to look at the back (and all other directions for that matter) for incoming traffic, and the whole issue of care for the vehicle and wanting if possible, zero scratches for that thing that'll effectively set you back by tens of thousands. o.O haha
alright, that's all about the weekend.
and moving on. this week will see the return of the Bryan and Gregory, along with their RIGE friends from Japan on Monday (tmr!), and
01 Group Celebrations, which is also my last, since i won't be joining the Group Council next year. and thus, yet another chapter of my life comes to a close. cliche, but really, how times flies.
well, anyhow, have a great week ahead! (: