I have no FREAKING idea that it`s going to be MONDAY tomorrow which basically means SCHOOLDAY for me and I have not started on my report! Oh my heavens! To top my series of unfortunate events, my Microsoft Office 2007 trial version had to EXPIRE now for no reason. Thanks so much for my recent spate of "good luck" man. I`m so screwed. Furthermore, I realised I have been lagging behind my readings. OH MAN, I seriously need to sit down and plan on some effective time management.

NO MORE CHASING AFTER TAIWANESE DRAMAS for the time being.
Hot Shot
Fated to Love You

Anyways, I want to blog about today- a "date" out with 2 MACHO guys! HAHAHA. It`ll be up tomorrow.

Stay tuned~

36 hours ago, I cried myself to sleep.

28.5 hours ago, I woke up to puffy and swollen eyes. Used a frozen spoon to relieve my puffed up eyes, but to no avail. Heck la, just went to work like this.

27 hours ago, I arrived at Four Seasons Hotel. My colleague saw me and her first comment was "OMG! You just woke up is it? You looked so dead." I told her about the unhappy incident and she offered me her consolences.

"Good morning, how are you, Huimin?"

"She`s currently going through a rough patch, guys!" so said the colleague who said I looked dead.

The other colleagues came to greet me and asked me how I was feeling and I replied "Not good" to everyone of them. Sulked. The sulking didn`t last for long because this bunch of people are so fun to be with. They kept my spirits up during work. :)

17 hours ago, I knocked off from work. Was walking alone to the train station. I reached into my handbag for my ez-link card. I felt the emptiness of my handbag and got reminded of my dreadful loss. You know how bad it can be when you`re alone. You start to think haywire and get all emotional. It`s even worse for a person who has a great sense of attachment for things. I reached Bedok and got a call from Papa.

"Min. You want to come to Aunt`s place for dinner? Everyone is here."

Usually this kind of question which involves Aunt is not a question. I`m obliged to go because of her. You`ll know what I mean later. She`s the MAN.

So I told Papa that I`ll reach in half an hour`s time. I started to imagine what will happen when I reach. I know what will happen and I.... yes, I did. On the bus. Goodness gracious. And I did so for the next fifteen minutes when I was walking to her place. It was dark and there weren`t enough lighting so no one could see my tears. My tears were like a running tap. Once it`s turned on, I simply feel engulfed by a tsunami.

16 hours ago, I reached Aunt`s place. I dried my tears and composed myself. Saw my sister first and I think she knew what happened to me before I came. It must be the red nose and the swollen eyes again. I then went over to my aunt`s table where both my parents were sitting. Ever since I reached home that day after the trip to the police station, I haven`t spoken to anyone in the house because all they know is to scold, scold, scold. So I see no point in talking. Cold war.

I sat down and Mummy started stuffing me with food. I said nothing and simply kept shaking my head. Papa then started to imitate my actions and said in a joking tone, "See? All she does is shake her head." He definitely looked sparstic ok. LOL. SEE?! It`s only NOW then they tried to humour me. Did it take them so long to realise my heartbreak? Aunt came and started to give me a pep talk and Papa left the scene. It was a talk between 3 women. I cried again. It was uncontrollable sobs this time because I wanted to tell Aunt my grievances so much! I started to talk but I couldn`t because I was shivering with sobs. I was like, "They.... they.... they...." HAHAHA. What I wanted to say was "they don`t understand how I feel." So I calmed myself down and she told me stories about her past. She got her first paycheck of 700 plus and lost it on that fateful day. Everybody blamed her for being stupid and careless but she picked herself up. She said "C`mon, who doesn`t make mistakes? Money can be earned back anyways." She`s partially right when she said who doesn`t make mistakes. However, I`m not upset by the money I`ve lost. It`s the memories. Everything in the wallet contained some sort of memories in every stage of my life. For instance, my kindergarten photo. Anyways back to my story. I managed to squeeze out what I wanted to say amidst all the sobbings and my mum started to make complaints of "WHERE GOTS?!" She tried to redeem herself by saying "That wasn`t scoldings" and I rebutted, "Have you any idea how loud you were and the constant reprimands you made?" Then I turned to my aunt, "They think I`m not as heartbroken! Both of them are the same!" Aunt tried to calm the agitated me down. She`s so soothing, so understanding. She said, "You know your parents la. How can they be husband and wife if they are not of the same kind?"After the pep talk session, all`s well again I suppose. I thanked her before I left. A very sincere word of thanks came out from my mouth and I gave her a pat on the back and managed a smile.

My aunt is the superwoman. She`s so independent. She`s been through ALOT in her life, seriously. By the way, she`s the one who`s financing my studies now. My father holds her in high esteem. She`s the most respected family member in the family because well, she` the eldest sibling of the second generation and most importantly, she has done alot for my family. Ironically, she`s not a Lim. I shan`t elaborate more on this but she`s just one wonder woman. I`m indebted to her.

36 hours later after I cried myself to sleep, I`ve woken up to a fresh new start. Like what every deserving friend of mine has claimed, it`s time to move on. Life doesn`t just revolve around a wallet.

PS: In response to Talia`s tag on the tagboard, I`ve lost 2 mobile phones, 2 student ez-link cards (now, 3), 1 ATM card (now, 2), 1 wallet (now, 2), 2 library cards (now, 3), a Casio Exilim (which I just bought and lost in on the first occasion I used it). I`m definitely not proud of this "history log" but well, I guess I just have to keep getting bitten and learn my lesson. That way, I`ll remember to be careful for life.

You have no idea how upset I am feeling right now.

I told myself to calm down the second I realised it was missing. I did what I told myself to and traced back my steps. Nothing along the way. I then went back to the MRT station and was already on the verge of tears. I made a report with the TransitLink staff. After that, all kinds of emotions started to engulf me as I gradually realised the gravity of the matter. I recalled the contents of my wallet. My wallet contained everything- it is akin to my life. I had all sorts of cards- my IC, ATM card, Student Card (which I only got it today after much anticipation), lots of namecards and miscellaneous cards, the most important of all, the precious ONE AND ONLY photos of my family, friends, my kindergarten photo and the ONE passport photo that I think looks best in my 19 years of life. GONE. All gone. My heart ached so much I can`t describe it in words. I treasure my wallet more than anything else. In fact, my phone and Vaio comes second to my wallet you know. Simply because my wallet has EVERYTHING that defines me. The contents are priceless, especially my photos. I mean it when I say it contains everything about me, from the past movie tickets that I have, to all those really old-fashioned neoprints taken ages ago. GONE. ALL GONE NOW. Good lord, what is to become of me now?

I love my mum. I really do. But she really fails in one aspect. She`s way too critical. All I need is just some silence and not constant reprimands from her. I need understanding. She thinks I`m not at all upset at my loss? She thinks I`m not as heartbroken? Why does she only know how to chide me instead of saying words of comfort? Even my twelve year old brother (who`s rather rebellious these days, probably due to the growing phase of his life) told my mum to keep quiet and let me have some peace. I mean, seriously, nobody wanted it to happen, and least of all, me. Don`t ask me how it happened. If I`d known, my wallet wouldn`t have gone missing in the first place. Now that it has happened, pls do not pursue the reason behind it but to start thinking of all the after-effects. Pls take into consideration my agony, my despair, my grief, my misery. MY WALLET IS MY LIFE!!! I`m already so mentally anguished and there she is, only focused on putting the blame on me. That is probably why I never had heart-to-heart talks with her at all. She`s too critical. In contrast, my papa is a better parent in this kind of things. At least he won`t pursue who is to be blamed.

I figured that I will only get scolded the minute I call home so I had to handle all the administrative matters myself. Called the bank to report loss of my debit card. Called 999. Told me to go down to the police post to make a formal report. Called Huiqi. I finally released all my pent up emotions. I know she didn`t know how to react but I was thankful for her "jokes". Bused to the police station. I told myself that crying cannot change the way things are and I should stop tearing on the public bus while attracting unwanted attention. I tried to control so thankfully, only a few drops rolled down my cheeks. Stepped into the police station. Goodness. That was my first time. Alone somemore. I told myself I must not embarrass myself in front of the police officers so I tried to compose myself. I did but when he asked me about the contents, my particulars and the important documents that I lost, I cannot control myself anymore but to cry uncontrollably. I couldn`t emphasize how much my wallet means to me. Everything that`s inside are like gems to me. Yes I realised I was making a spectacle of myself but the kind officer understood and he gave me a minute to calm down. That was the first police report I ever made. A day to remember.

After I stepped out of the police station, I received a call from my brother.

"MIN! Where are you now? I thought I saw a person who looks like you stepping out of the police station."

"Where are you?!"

"On the bus. Was it you?"

".............ya."

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"I lost my wallet."

"CHEY. Wallet nia." *hangs up.

What kind of brother is this? In any case, everything that I predicted would happen when I get home came true la. Scold, criticise, reproach. Anything but concern. More tears. My heart aches so much. Today was supposedly a happy day because I FINALLY got my student card with a very photogenic photo on it. Furthermore, my group scored full marks for our mini presentation in class. It definitely calls for a celebration. But now, I don`t even think I have the mood to go to work tomorrow. And to make it worse, I have no identification card on me. I`m in no man`s land. I`m desperately in need for some happy pills, seriously.

To sum it all up, I firmly believe in karma. I`ve never taken ownership over someone else`s belongings before and this particular thief/pickpocket should be condemned and face his/her retribution in future. What goes around comes around. Karma.

I can only use my life philosophy to console myself now: Life goes on.

I think there was some confusion over some illegible words on my post two entries back.
I guess it was the problem with the HTML codings and I have fixed it since.
So this was what I meant- Seet`s recent blog posts are darn hilarious.

PINKY AND THE BRAIN FRENZY!
(read on to find out what that idiotic "BRAIN" blogged about)

Yes I so admit that I was a nerd when I was young. A TRUE GEEK, so to speak.
I didn`t know about Pinky and the Brain until today. I pretty much had a deprived childhood you know.



And she hyper-linked this youtube video and told me to sing it to her the next time we see each other.
I swear I LMAO-ED when I played the video. Got scolded by my mum for my hideous laughter. PIANG.



Theme to STEVEN SPIELBERG (HIM?! THE RENOWNED DIRECTOR?! OH MAN, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!) PRESENTS PINKY AND THE BRAIN (Episode P1)
Music by Richard Stone. Lyrics by Tom Ruegger.

They're Pinky and The Brain
Yes, Pinky and The Brain
One is a genius
The other's insane.
They're laboratory mice
Their genes have been spliced
They're dinky
They're Pinky and The Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain
Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain
Brain.

Before each night is done
Their plan will be unfurled
By the dawning of the sun
They'll take over the world.

They're Pinky and The Brain
Yes, Pinky and The Brain
Their twilight campaign
Is easy to explain.
To prove their mousey worth

They'll overthrow the Earth
They're dinky
They're Pinky and The Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain
Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain
Narf!

YES YES, WE ARE GOING TO CONQUER EARTH, BRAIN!

原谅我 - 萧敬腾

This song is stuck in my head. The lyrics are so meaningful. Most suitable for those self-sacrificial people. Don`t be surprised that there are actually many of such people around. Quite a pitiful lot but well, they`ll be branded as noble! I hope I don`t become one of them. Haha. When it comes to matters of the heart, I`m more 被动 than 主动 la. HAHA, though I belong to the modern women of the new millennium, I`m still much of a conservationist at heart. xD

So these photos are the "evidence" to show that I have been "harrassed" everyday.
I have no need for alarm clocks. Just the message ringtone from my phone is enough to blast my ears off and wake me up cruelly from my wonderful dreams.


MORNING CALL MORNING CALL!
Wait a minute. Is the weather from Melbourne similar to that of Singapore? LOL.
But he`s kinda right because the weather was indeed very nice today.


ANOTHER MORNING CALL!!!
WAIT A MIN. I just realised the messages are sent at the same timings on both days! WAH SO ACCURATE WOR. LOL. Ok random.


Haha, I get pressurized by my friends to get a mate.


Tell me "DON`T BE LATE" at 0650?! Thorry, I begin lessons at 10am leh!
But I appreciate the morning calls la. Makes me wake up earlier to prepare.
You all know how long I can take to while my time just stoning around. HAHAHA.


Yes yes get a boyf soon. I KNOW LA. Everything just 随缘 ok. HAHA. But well, I have 2 eye candies in class already so ya. HAHAHA.

Good morning! Mmm, the morning air smells nice! Had a nice steaming hot bath. Man, it feels like sauna. LOL. Okok, I`m up this early because I slept through the night yesterday. Heh heh. I`m exhausted being a "tour guide" for 2 consecutive days ok. Shan`t elaborate more on that. And William is so gonna lash at me for missing his overseas call- again! He called while I was bathing on Monday night. Rang again yesterday while I was snoozing. *bows head and apologizes*

Anyways, I promised I`ll reward Thorry for being exceptionally honey sweet to me these days by dedicating a post to her. Really. Ever since we started school separately, she has been very sweeeet by smsing me to wake up, ask me how school went, and occasionally ring me up to chat and etc. Goodness, makes me feel like I neglected her somehow. *guilty* She`s afraid that I will forget her you see. Some of her messages are like, "I miss you alot. I really really do." Wah, I never realised the power of my attraction. HAHAHA. NO LA. I mean, I really do miss the times we spent together, the clan, the cranky moments that we had. I really do- I cross my heart. BUT, EH, SEE THOR HUI QI, you should know that I`m very 念旧 de ok! C`mon, so be rest assured! Already told you that we are like aliens who do crazy stuff together. How am I going to attack homosapiens and conquer Earth without your help? HAHAHA.

So, don`t worry la, idiot. I`ll never forget MISS BOUGAINVILLEA!!! HAHAHAHAHA!


And, MISS DUNNO-WHAT-FLOWER-SPECIES-THIS-IS!



<3 my BFF.

PS: Seet`s blog is so darn hilarious. Clannies, it`s a MUST for you all to read it! You`re guaranteed to LYAO.

I suppose time can be squeezed out for a short post like this.

As you all know, I have intentions of chopping my locks off.
Pixie haircuts like these.



Agyness Deyn is my LOVE. A great Londoner.




Natalie Portman.

But I`m having second thoughts now because I realised I have NATURAL CURLS and I won`t possibly look like those abovementioned.

So I`ll probably look something like this.


Which is not as flattering leh.

(8:07 PM) [ BENJAMIN ]™ Me:	shaved your head yet?
(8:07 PM) [ BENJAMIN ]™ Me:	lol
(8:07 PM) She`s the LADY:	eh i really want to cut short
(8:07 PM) [ BENJAMIN ]™ Me:	for what ?
(8:07 PM) She`s the LADY:	like really short
(8:08 PM) [ BENJAMIN ]™ Me:	NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo
(8:08 PM) She`s the LADY:	whats ur honest opinion?
(8:08 PM) [ BENJAMIN ]™ Me:	i like you better with long hair.

That comes from a MCP`s point of view. Trustable comment, it should be.

In any case, I realised that it all depends on your face shape and features.
Like for some people, they can certainly rock those short hairstyles!


Rihanna.


Audrey Tautou.


Posh.

And some people are just more suitable for long luscious locks.


Gisele Bundchen.


Angelina Jolie.


Lin Chiling.

Looks like I`m going to be stuck with long hair for the moment.

I woke up to a bloooody painful pair of feet. The blisters were killing me. I couldn`t even walk properly without staggering. Crap. Had to squeeze my strained feet into flats for work. My goodness. I guess I`ll have to rest my feet for some time before walking on heels again. Got to go and buy heel cushions as recommended by my manager.

She`s such a fashionista! She told me to chop my locks off and go for a pixie cut. Oh goodness gracious, a pixie cut?! I am actually quite convinced by her argument. I`ve had hair that are above shoulder length for almost 17 years of my entire life. I always thought that long hair are suitable for tall people like me as they help to elongate my frame. However, a pixie cut is as edgy and can help emphasize my sharp chin and big eyes, as said by her. Hmms. I`m really considering chopping my locks off. That was what she said when I bun-ed my hair up. Oh yes, I do great buns on my hair alrights. My buns are really pretty. I remember alot of people always asked me how I did my bun, including Iris and my manager. Got technique de ok! HAHA.

Anyways, after I let my hair down, there was those soft gentle waves created from the bun. My manager then said, "WAH, you look very feminine in these curls. You can also try perming your hair instead of rebonding it since you already have natural curls." Thanks ar, I was about to go for the pixie cut and now I`m stuck between it and ceramic perming. HAIS. So many choices for my tresses. Or I can go cut botak. Let all those new hair grow out and have a brand new Huimin. How`s that? Actually she`s kinda true in saying that I should try edgier hairstyles while I`m still young. Shouldn`t get stuck with long hair all the time, and worse, for almost all my life. Huimin= long/short hair?! Dunno la, better do some research first. Heh heh.

爱美不要命。



Blisters that are so ever painful. I don`t normally tear because of heels you know. In fact, I have never. Today, every step that I took was like living hell for me. It was SO unbearable that my tears started flowing, not because of sadness or whatever but indescribable pain. It`s a miracle I made it home because I feel like I`m going to be crippled anytime in those killer heels. Guys won`t understand how we women feel when we are in heels. They would think, "Man, it`s just a pair of heels. What`s so painful about them?" You try walking in one and tell me how you feel after a day in it ya? My blisters are so terrible they ached so much while I was bathing. It was that super stinging feeling you get when you have open wounds.

Yes yes I do complain about heels but I still wear them despite risking my life in them. I know I`m courting my own doom and I brought it all on myself. Yes yes I deserrve it. However, I`m known to be stubborn you see. I have a temper of a cow though I`m technically a snake. Translate that to chinese and you will get 牛脾气， 就是倔的意思 la.

I told myself that since I have already chosen to wear heels, I must make it home by all means. P-E-R-S-E-V-E-R-E!!! Halfway through while walking home, Mama called to ask where I was and told me to settle my own dinner. I was already panting because I could not stand the pain anymore and whined to her. Her daughter is in distress you know! Told her to come fetch me please. I was apparently joking la. Made my way home in pathetic painful steps. When I stepped out of the lift, I was sooo touched. Know why? Cos Mama was standing there with a pair of my flip flops in her hands. She`s SOOOO SWEEEET she`s making me collapse of diabetes. I immediately jumped and slipped my tortured feet in them.
Feeeeeels soooooo shiiiiiiiiok.

Anyways work was fine. Pretty slack. Something happened after work though. Was stopped by S.t.e.v.e.n L.i.m (Yes, that infamous guy). Don`t want to go into details but while he was talking to me, he was literally spitting into my eyes. I mean ya, he did it unintentionally probably because he has too much saliva to spare but still. I kept blinking and he stopped to ask, "Miss, what`s wrong with your eyes?" I wanted to tell him in the face that he`s polluting my face for goodness` sake! Argh, I entertained him for about 10 mins before running off. Kind Huimin eh? LOL.

There`s still work tomorrow. Zzz. Nights!

PS: I haven`t started reading up on my lecture notes!!! And the entire chapter in the textbook! My goodness, that shall be scheduled for tomorrow night, I suppose. I believe time can be "squeezed" out somehow. Strive on, Huimin! You`re already doing very well!

I suppose "TGIF" will not be applicable to me in future because as of tomorrow, I`ll be working on every Saturday in either Hilton Singapore or the Four Seasons Hotel.

Have been quite busy running around Singapore for the past 2 days. Firstly, I had to go and pay my school fees at Kaplan in the morning. Hais, it feels so ______ (pls fill in a suitable word for me, thank you) to be in debt at the age of 19. Anyways, after which, I had to go down for an interview session with my recruitment agent at OUB Centre yesterday. May I ask what is the highest storey you have ever been to a building in Singapore? Some may say Swissotel lor, that`s 72 storeys for you! Well, I haven`t been to Swissotel so for me, 55 storeys at OUB Centre was the highest I`ve climbed in Singapore, unless you want me to include the world`s highest observer wheel- The Singapore Flyer which I had the honour to go on for a ride (even before it took a change for the direction).


According to this picture, OUB Centre is the second tallest skyscraper.


So I was heading for the 55th storey.


And this is the view from the 55th storey. Which made me realise that Singapore is really small.

Anyways, after the interview with my recruitment agent, I had to go down to my potential employer located at Tiong Bahru (Valley Point, specifically) because I was scheduled for another interview with them. Initially I was told by my agent that they require me to work from Mondays to Fridays after my schooling hours from 2pm-6pm, as well as on Saturdays from 10am-7pm. I told her that I`m not confident to work everyday but she reassured me that the number of working days can be negotiable. Furthermore, my potential employer expressed GREAT interest in me to the point that they are willing to accomodate my schooling schedule. I can`t possibly refuse such good terms, and needless to say, attractive pay as well.

It was the first formal job interview I have ever been to. Apparently it went successfully and I got the job. *gives a proud smile* LOL! Thanks to Lady Luck, I`ve got a very friendly and engaging interviewer for myself. We began our conversation with the company`s history and moved on to, surprisingly, her personal life. She`s formerly from Kaplan too- graduated from the ACCA programme and is currently pursuing a Master`s in Accountancy while caring for her baby at the same time! What a wonder woman! Then we went on to talk about the real life working society about qualifications and experiences. After much chatting, we discussed about the serious stuff. I expressed my thoughts and she complied to them. Therefore, I only need to work on Wednesdays and Fridays during the weekdays after school at the company`s main office (Valley Point) and on Saturdays at either Hilton or the Four Seasons where the company will hold exhibitions for potential customers.

I can`t really reveal the company`s name because I`m supposed to be sworn to secrecy. Commercial secret you know? LOL. All I can say is that the company deals with the selling of properties overseas, mainly in Australia. To the best of my knowledge, the company is growing rapidly. The main office is pretty- well furnished with scarlet red arm chairs which give a really elegant feeling.

So, I`m scheduled to report to work at Hilton Singapore early in the morning at 9am. My saturdays will not be spent meaninglessly anymore. Might as well fully utilise my weekend since I have no commitment for boyf. HAHA! I may even meet my Prince Charming in one of the hotels too! Ooo, romantic eh? HAHA!

Hilton for this week...


And it may be the Four Seasons Hotel next week. Who knows?


Being the road retard that I am, I have to diligently check up the exact places where the hotels are located and I`m glad that they are just opposite the Thai Embassy. Good good.



Had to go over to OUB Centre again this afternoon to collect my timesheet.
Ling followed me cos I promised her we will go shopping after that.
Sisters may think alike and dress alike as well.


Black MNG basics, denims, black patent flats.


I love her sandals leh.


On our last Bugis shopping trip. Okok, I know my sandals aren`t as pretty as hers.


Oh yes. I`m required to be in formal office attire for the many Saturdays to come in the hotels. Must look presentable ma.
Yes I have 3 pencil skirts but I haven`t any pants.
Went to search for them in the classic G2000.
Goodness, I tried on 3 pairs of slim cutting and their lengths do not fit me! =(
I had to settle for a relax boot cut in the end.




And as promised, I brought her to shop around Raffles Place, Chinatown and Bugis.
She bought a pair of wedges and I came home victorious with 2 pairs of heels.



Speaking of shoes, I remember mentioning that I do not wear heels anymore and started buying flats to wear. However, I have to take back my words now simply because I think that women is sexiest when she`s in heels.

I asked my sister this, "When do you think a woman feels sexiest?"
"When she just got out of bed," she replied.
I retorted, "But won`t she have messy hair and look like a lionness?"
"That`s only for you, doesn`t necessarily apply to everyone."

WAH THANKS LOR. LOL.

I remember my friend mentioning this to me before:
Heels to women is like soccer to men.
Totally agree. Thank God I`ve rekindled my love for heels.
Call me sadistic, but I really love the feeling of towering over people. HAHAHA.
In fact, I`m not that tall also what.
Look at Mindy and Diona. Diona is 182 lor.


Open toe heeled pumps.


That`s my classic office footwear la- pointed black heels.
Notice the hard-as-metal heels? LOVE IT!


Oh my. Pretty, aren`t they? Love the heels!
Yes, there goes Miss Tallie.
I haven`t heard my mum scolding me for buying heels despite my height for a loooong time.
Had a chance to hear her nag tonight. Feels so good. HAHAHA.
"Won`t your feet hurt wearing such high heels?!" she asked.
"I`m born to walk in high heels," I replied. Heh heh.
Really. I love wearing heels. It makes me feel extraordinary, although the blisters can get really painful you know.
That`s the price to pay for being vain, I guess.

Before I end, I want to share another of my mum`s WEIRD superstitions among many others. From young, we are taught that whenever we buy shoes (except slippers), we have to say a magical charm before wearing them. It goes like this: You bite the front of each shoe and say "I bite you you don`t bite me" in Hokkien. I`ve done this for years, for school shoes even. It never seem to work because I still get blisters, but well, it has already became a habit over the years. HAHA. Yes, another eccentric teaching from Dear Mum.

Alrights, time to sleep. Long day ahead tomorrow. Ciao~

Stressed.

Here to catch on the "alma mater" hype!



I still feel attached to my primary school. That`s probably because I still have siblings studying in Temasek and thus, able to receive current updates on the school. Having graduated from Temasek for 7 years (OMG, 7 years!!!), the school has changed so drastically the same way that I had. My fondest memories are those that are spent in the old school building standing along New Upper Changi Road. After we moved to the new school premises in 2001 (where I was fortunate enough to spend the last year of my primary school education in a brand new environment), the old building was not demolished but housed many more schools to come which included Opera Estate Primary, Pasir Ris Secondary, and most recently, Tampines Secondary. I would love to go back in my uniform the same way I did yesterday, but I reckon I would not be able to fit in them. I do keep a set of uniform from every school that I graudated in you know. Yes yes, a bizarre form of behaviour again I know.

Hmms, spent a lil more than a third of my life in Temasek. P1/2 was the period of time when I was obsessed with spectacles. Yes, of ALL things, SPECTACLES! I genuinely thought that it was cool to don on a pair of glasses so I deliberately upped the levels of my myopia by reading storybooks while lying down and watching TV from a distance lesser than the recommended 35cm. I remember I was extremely delighted when I got my first pair of spectacles and I wore them to school to show them off to Diona. HAHA. She was already spectacled by then. Can anyone imagine that my first pair of spectacles were gold-rimmed? That was the fashion back then la ok. LOL.

I also remember we were made to bring homemade sandwiches to school during P2. I only remembered in the morning, so needed to rush to make some decent sandwiches. Guess what I eventually came up with? Two slices of bread spread with chilli and tomato sauce put together. HEH HEH. I already showed some "flair" in my fine culinary skills back then huh? The worst thing was, we had to actually finish off our own sandwiches. I swear that was the worst sandwiches I`ve every eaten.

Come P3/4, I was closer to Yusi and Germaine (none of which I have kept in contact with). Nothing much interesting happened though except that I was a regular in Germaine`s house and the fact that Yusi moved allll the way to Woodlands before P5.

Oh yes. Ever wondered why I`m car-phobic? It`s not literally car-phobic. It`s just that I get this GREAT sense of insecurity in other people`s cars except my dad`s. I`ve never revealed the actual reason to anyone before though. I guess it`s time to unravel the mystery. Actually, I witnessed how my friend get run over by a car in the school carpark while we were having PE. It happened in the old school building when I was p3/4. Christine, the unfortunate soul, was thrown onto the top of the car and thrown back onto the hard concrete ground when the car screeched to a halt. I bore witness to the accident. Can you imagine how traumatic it was for a 9/10 year old kid? Don`t worry, she survived though but that incident did leave some sort of an influence on me so that explains my phobia. Amina`s like me in this area. She`s even worse in the sense that she can only be driven by blood relatives. Not even friends. Blood relatives only. HAHAHA. So she can kind of strike a sympathetic chord with me on this issue.

YES YES I remember another incident in the exact same carpark! I did tell some of my friends about this extremely clumsy and funny "accident" before. It happened during PE as well. I was running after a rolling ball. Kept my eyes fixed on the ball and nothing else. And then, the next moment I know, the ball fell into a drain and yes, I ran right into it as well. GO AHEAD AND LAUGH AT MY STUPIDITY. 真的是连人带球地摔进去lor。The drain was quite deep you know- it was half my height. I was then brought to the medic room. At that age, I hadn`t seen as much blood before. I was lucky to not have suffered a permanent scar on my thigh. Phew.

P5/6 arrived and I got to know Eunice better since we were in the same clique with Susanna and Wileen. That was the year where I had my first real crush. HAHAHA. Oh man, I can`t believe I`m actually blushing now. LOL. Anyways yes, I liked him because he`s such a talented athlete. Well versed not in studies but basketball and track. I remember cutting out his photograph on the school magazine and framed it into a tiny locket and wore it round my neck. OK LA, I KNOW THIS IS VERY STUPID OK. Grr. Oh man, I can feel my cheeks on fire. HAHAHA.

But of course, he was in love with the school belle back then. Famed sportsman paired with the school belle. What a nice match. They didn`t get together though, probably because we were still very much innocent and naive about the complexities of human relationships. I just love admiring him play basketball. He looked... well, kinda magical. BUT that was then.

What was also notable in P5/6 was the friendship shared with the three musketeers- Wai Kwong, Chin Wee and Hin Fan. I remember our favourite past time was to shoot pearls from our bubbletea straws at each other at the playground just next to the school. That was the time when bubbletea was in sizzling hot demand. There was also one occasion where I played block catching together with Eunice and Hin Fan after school. We collaborated to play a prank on Hin Fan and hid at some ulu place. It was so shiok to see him looking for us frantically. And then when the bus came, we dashed for the bus stop and left him without even telling him that we have gone home. I really wonder how much time he took to realise that we were gone. HAHAHA.

I remember I was at least A HEAD taller than Hin Fan back in P6. He now towers at at least 20cm over me. Amazing how fast guys grow huh. The school health medical team once commented on my growth by writing this on my medical report: "Hui Ming is currently growing at a velocity of 1.44cm/year." After she wrote that, I no longer grow anymore. Stopped shooting vertically in mid sec 2.

PSLE came and went. PSLE is nothing la, seriously. In fact I was pretty disappointed with my grades. Anyways, here comes TK- another milestone of my life.



I think TK is the best school I`ve ever been in. Serious. The school environment, the teachers, the people... are truly amazing. I remember saying that I put TK as my second choice purely because I find the name "Tanjong Katong" very appealing. I managed to squeeze my way into this school because the cut off point was 232 but I scored a 231. I`m lucky I was given a chance to enter this "elite" school because most of the students were from Tao Nan and TKPS which is obviously affiliated to TKSS. I really wonder why TPS is not affiliated with Temasek Sec.



Diligentia, Ingenium and Dexteritas.
To put it in simpler terms, they simply mean "Diligence, Ingenuity and Dexterity"
and that old man in the middle is Leonardo Da Vinci.
The school motto is as weird as the girls` uniform. The sleeves on the girls` blouses were as long as my arms and we had to fold them up to three fingers above our elbows. It was something new to me and I`m proud to say that only TKSS has such practices in the entire of Singapore.



Centre of Excellence.



One very special feature of TKSS is the Rotunda. It houses the music room. A pretty cool structure, isn`t it?



When we applied for autonomous status in 2003, the entire school was disappointed that we were not approved. We strived on and eventually got it in 2005. The school erupted in joy and we were granted a school holiday for that.

Sec 1/2. Sec 1F/2F. Cliqued with Talia, Sally, Chalit and Bryan (the Siamese twins) and Halim. I remember the Siamese twins came up with the "Sperm Drink" which is actually 100 plus isotonic drink only. Talia and Chalit seemed like the most compatible couple ever. Ditto Sally and Halim. It was a regret that Talia did not end up with Chalit though the other pair did. I remember I loved to tease Bryan. HAHA. Don`t mistake me for a bully ok. I`m SO NOT. But in any case, I did make Bryan cry when I hid his pencil case. HAHAHAHAHA. Oh wells, we were both in secondary one. How mature do you expect us to be?

I have my athletic body much thanks to the exercise regime. Strenuous netball trainings for at least twice a week. All the running and ball drills did help to tone my arms and legs. See what I`ve become now without a strict exercise regime? I so miss having PE.

TK is famous for its outdoor military band, known affectionately as TK BAND. If I`m not wrong, it`s known notoriously for clinching the "Best Display Band" at the SYF Judging for 10 consecutive years until this year where the record was broken by Deyi Sec, our arch rival. TK Band is every Tksian`s pride, I suppose. Will catch the band in action every 2 years during the SYF Central Judging Competition held at the National Stadium. Whenever the Drum Major performs his stunt with the sacred mace, every TKsian will hold his or her breath. It`s THAT exciting ok. Kudos to TK Band!

Other than the TK Band, I admire the NCC Landers too. Ok I know this is an open secret but still. I tell you, NCC Landers are so suave in their uniforms while performing their precision drills ok! And needless to say, they`ve always been awarded GOLD for "Best Unit" competition and what-nots la. Honourable indeed.

Come Sec 3&4, I was blessed with very very good teachers. I was privileged to have HODs teaching me for....let`s see....4 subjects! WOW. Mrs Shirley Koh, my English teacher, even personally mailed us our Prelim exam scripts with very useful comments to our homes when we were having our study breaks nearing the O`s. Such is the dedication by some of the teachers which touched me deeply.




The roads seem all too familiar.

Have not stepped along Tanjong Katong Road since I graduated. I feel like eating Katong Laksa all of a sudden. And I haven`t visited Parkway Parade in ages! ZOMG. What have I been doing other than moping my life away?

I just realised that I`m affiliated to the letter "T" in all the schools that I`ve attended.
Temasek Primary School.
Tanjong Katong Secondary School.
Tampines Junior College.
HAHAHA. Ok random. Alrights, end of entry on "Alma Mater". A rather abrupt ending I know. LOL.

Off I go to start another academic milestone of my life!

PS: Oh yes. TK is on wikipedia too. LOL.

BACK TO SCHOOL

(Pls play this song as you read thru this post)

Which school, you may ask? Remember this paragraph of words which I blogged previously?

Session Start: Wednesday, 6 August, 2008

• She`s the LADY
• - [DL] @pple my calendar is very colourful

(11:54 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	ok
(11:54 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	so where?
(11:54 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	tpjc?
(11:55 PM) She`s the LADY:	BINGO!
(11:55 PM) She`s the LADY:	LOVE YOU!
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	hahahaa
(11:55 PM) She`s the LADY:	back there in uniform!
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	ok
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	all set
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	hahah
(11:55 PM) She`s the LADY:	NICE ONE
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	haha
(11:55 PM) She`s the LADY:	very meaningful right
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	see see
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	i knew wad u were thinking
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	haha
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	pro ma?
(11:55 PM) She`s the LADY:	YES VERY PRO
(11:55 PM) She`s the LADY:	HAHAHAHA
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	lol
(11:55 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	haha
(11:56 PM) She`s the LADY:	really leh.
(11:56 PM) She`s the LADY:	so touched.
(11:56 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	ok
(11:56 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	no prob
(11:56 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	go there do wad?
(11:56 PM) She`s the LADY:	er.
(11:56 PM) She`s the LADY:	haha
(11:56 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	i wan go back the cafe!
(11:56 PM) She`s the LADY:	we go take pics at every corner of the sch
(11:56 PM) She`s the LADY:	EVERY CORNER
(11:56 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	eat their hot dog
(11:56 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	take pictures
(11:56 PM) She`s the LADY:	the track la
(11:56 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	haha
(11:56 PM) She`s the LADY:	the library
(11:56 PM) She`s the LADY:	WHEREVER LA
(11:56 PM) - [DL] @pple my:	lol

I wanted to say a proper goodbye before I start school,
so we`re both BACK at our alma mater!

Fully clothed in proper uniform and arrived at school close to 4pm.
The J2s just finished their H2 Econs prelims.
Told Dessie earlier that HQ and I will be arriving.
Called him upon stepping into the school grounds.
The first thing he said was, "OMG. I think you two are really crazy."
HAHAHA.

HQ, Dessie and ME!

HQ and Dessie.
Desmond says he must take photo with HQ while sitting down
cos if he take with her while standing up, I won`t be able to capture HQ.
Height differences you know? HAHAHA.

I still regard him as the class chairman lor.
Prem Desmond Gopinathan- Class Chairman of o6s28.

He said HQ grew skinnier.
And me, fatter. I know it myself.
Shuddup. LOL.

Truth to be told, it`s good to see him gaining some weight,
instead of floating around aimlessly like a "hantu".

Went to find Amina then. Found her in the ladies! What an apt place!

I`m sorry my hands were shaky.

I`m always happy around these 2 fabulous girls!

3 girls.
3 different facial expressions.
Individuality eh?

After much camming in the toilets, we proceeded to the library for some air-con.
Man, it`s real humid wearing the uniforms again ok!



The place where I used to mug everyday after school till the library closes.


TALK TALK TALK?! MUG! PRELIMS NOW LEH.

These books were my best friends back in those days.

Got kinda hungry and decided to head down to the cafe for some snacks.
Past the heritage museum and I went for a go at the "spinning blocks".




It`s called the Good News Cafe.

A.K.A TPJCians Study Cafe.

Ice Lemon Teas were our favourite back in those days.
Couldn`t get past a day without it.
Special discounted prices on the hotdog bun on Tuesdays.
Sadly, I had to pay for it on the regular pricing today- $2 for one.

The scenery from our tables.
The field stands on artificial grass now.
No more "muddy shoes" as quoted from HQ.

Full. Continued on our sightseeing tour.

TPJC Amphitheatre.

Shouts "This used to be my school!!!"

"I WAS STUCK HERE FOR TWO WHOLE YEARS!!!"

I had to run up and down cos she can`t posibly THROW my Ixus down.
Breathless.

Yes, that`s TPE for you.

They`ve upgraded all the obiang TV screens to Plasmas.
Why do all the good things have to be done after our graduation???

I love the vending machines as much as I love... UNAGI!
Refer to the photo below.

My favourite stall among all the canteen stalls.
OISHII nehs!
Unagi, unagi, unagi.

We used to sit at these places during our breaks.

HQ couldn`t get rid of her bougainvillea addiction and went to prey on some other plant species.
SO CUTE!

She`s the spokeswoman for Adidas.
I told her beforehand that she has to be dressed exactly the same way back in those times.
The bag, the shoes, the green socks even!

Let me reveal a lil secret of mine- I used to adore TPJC guys who wear Adidas sneakers.
They look so CUTE in them. OMG.

And, I`m the spokeswoman for Nike.
That`s my Nike Futsal tote bag.
Visao Perfeita.

Candid.

That`s a very 淑女 pose! A commendable effort!

Obviously candid too.

Look! There`s an aeroplane!

There! Aeroplane!

And I decided I wanted to take photos on the track.








I`m glad I had a chance (2 times, actually) to climb the rock wall.
Didn`t reach the top but was halfway there.

And then we walked to the assembly plaza.
Saw the podium and dashed for it.
There was nobody in sight and I started to be dramatic.



This photo is merged by two separate shots.
HQ`s idea. HAHA.

TPJC, it says.

And I just had to pose at the highly dangerous, steep and infamous staircase.


OOO. This wasn`t here last year. Nice Fengshui there.



Pls open your eyes BIG BIG and look carefully at this photo.

Ya, every student in university.
What a noble vision.
HQ has done it, congrats to her.

Whereas I`m angry at the fact that the school did not add a "LOCAL" after the word "university".



I was pointing at the ODACians since we were both ex-ODACians.

SO CUTE!

This place brings back many "happy" memories for me.
Never fail to crowd around this place when I arrived late for school every morning
after tapping my EZ card into the school`s system for tardiness.
I remember one student was only allowed to be late thrice in a term (3 months),
otherwise, you`ll be in for corrective work order.
For a particular term in 2008, I was late for 11 times.
My civics tutor told me I had to perform CWO for 3 occasions.
I told him to might as well make it 4.
HAHA. I`m sorry- tardiness is my worst habit.

It`s a wonder the security guard let me in with my brown hair.

I SO MISS THE CLASSROOMS!
Wanted to go in but they were locked.
Such efficient housekeeping.

My favourite hangout during the mugging times.

Yes, toilets again.


One last look at the field.

At the TURNSTILES.
One last wave and I`m off.



Stupid turnstiles which only permit exit and not allowed entry.
LET ME IN!!!



HQ had much fun with the turnstiles too.

Technically speaking, we WERE considered "trespassers". HAHA.



That`s it.


GOODBYE TPJC!


BAD BAD. Blouse tucked out. Tsk tsk tsk.

Trust me, HQ and I almost suffered from heatstrokes in our uniforms.
It was THAT warm.

Waited with her for her bus before I walked to the 28 bus stop.
That`s it.
Goodbye to TPJC forever.

I didn`t use my adult EZ link cos it would be very weird to tap that while in school uniform.
So I used cash to pay.
It`s been AGES since I last paid 55cents for a bus trip.
It feels so good to enjoy student discounted fares.

And some reminiscences for now.

Photos taken on the last day of school in 2006.



Photos taken on the last day of school in 2007.

Class photos in 2007.



Learning Journey on Pulau Tekong.

Service learning at some part of Tampines.
A carnival.

One of the gems I found in TPJC.
Had so much fun in ODAC with her.

This is the crazy amount of logistics I have to single-handledly carry to school during the J1 LTC.
A quarter mistress ain`t that easy to be ok.


We belong to the dramatic species.
I remember I bought her a cake for her birthday in J1.
I was happily running towards her and saying, "What`s a birthday without a cake?"
Only to have received her comment, "I`m fasting, dear."
GOODNESS GRACIOUS. HAHAHA. SO MALU.
Oh wells.

I took this chart from tpjc.net.
Seems like Falcon is doing very well without us.
It never went past the top three positions back in our year. HAHAHA.


That`s me running for Falcon.
What a nice shot.

Falcon`s leader- Rebecca Fong.
Look, her hair was even sprayed with orange dye!

That`s my beloved civics tutor in red.
GO MR LIM!

I love GP lessons because of Mrs Wee.
She`s sooo ever motherly.

And today will mark the day where my uniform will go down in history.

Goodbye, college pin!

Goodbye, Visao Perfeita.

And a final goodbye to
Tampines Junior College.

Proud are we to be a part of Tampines Junior College
Together we'll press on to higher ground
Together we'll scale the utmost heights
We will strive, we will seek
Never will we yield
Guided by this our motto 'Aim and Achieve'
To bring success in all our learning

Proud are we to be a part of Tampines Junior College
Our years here we'll persevere
Our learning forever treasure
So when we leave your hallowed portals
We will go with courage
Ready are we to face life's challenges
To bring thee glory alma mater

(I`ve never sang the school song in full before. In fact, I only know the first stanza. LOL.)

PS: Anyways, TPJC is on wikipedia. I find that very amusing.
PPS: Thank you so much for your company, Thorry.
I`m touched you came on this "crazy" journey with me.
I`m consoled that you understand my purpose behind this trip
because like what you`ve said,
"at least we will have these memories when we look back in life."

HQ+HM= expect the unexpected.
We are definitely anything but ordinary.