::shengie::
gender
male
age
21
dob
7-11, it's a store and more :p
horoscope
scorpio, tough one eh?
hometown
teck whye, singapore
location
johns hopkins, baltimore, maryland
occupation
student
yes yes
good music, good food, sea breeze, happy times with family and friends, cool weather,
no no
backstabbers, dogs that bark for nothing, regulars, hypocrites, misbehaving children, humid weather
sports i play
badminton, swim, gym, cycling, kayaking
listens to
jay chou, david tao, chinese and english pop, chinese orchestral, rock, r&b, world, inspirational, classical artistes
msn
wujassng@hotmail.com
icq 44783954
aim
aidanwu84
::Quote::
"You know, you only have half a heart, so even if you do something whole-heartedly, it's still half-hearted."
Me to Alex one day on 151
::calendar::
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11.08.06 HCJC Booth
19.08.06 JHU BBQ
04.09.06 Back to JHU
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::navigator::
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::credits::
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30.12.03
Yay! I just razed another 43 acres of my enemy's lands! Haha, it's Utopia lah, for those into online gaming.
Tomorrow I am meeting some friends from primary school for dinner. Too bad I can't stay for the countdown 'cos I have freaking duty on New Year's Day. And I have to miss the chalet for the Hwa Chong Alumni CO.....*sigh*
I am on duty on Chinese New Year's eve from 8pm to 8am of the first day of CNY. That's the 3rd best slot liao...since my 2 seniors had the first two choices...haha will have to eat a rushed reunion dinner and take the 1.5 hour bus journey to remote Paya Lebar Air Base where probably only a few pathetic souls will be awaiting the Year of the Monkey...too bad my unit has no Indians or Malays who can help us cover CNY duties...
Just now went to the Air Force School gym. Today is really suay. First some of us were told off for not bringing towels to the gym, then later even worse. The RSM of the Air Force School caught us for wearing black socks instead of the white PT kind...man like who would care to change socks after work for just an hour's work out? But at least he was quite nice, didn't punish us or anything. And following the RSM was a warrant (presumably) who caught me yesterday for not tucking in my shirt (it was after a 2.4 run). Haha, quite funny lah. They can't do much to us 'cos we're not under them.
Good night, blog. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve!
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AidanWu was here on 9:40 pm
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Haha just found out that my angel was actually from the same primary school as I was! Dunno whether she told me before, I must have forgotten if she did. Anyway it was quite a pleasant (re)surprise~ haha good thing I didn't remove the link to her blog when she announced last week that she was going to stop blogging afterjust 2 entries...now she's back with a vengeance, and like all new bloggers (the people), exploring new skins and tweaking with the html and stuff...but then all I really look forward to is the blog entry. Alvin got a new skin too, pretty cartoonish and cute! Though it doesn't fit the connotation of the blog title...heh
Today, the car will be delivered to the car dealer.
In my last trip in it on the way to camp, I heard over the radio that Anita Mui had unfortunately succumbed to cervical cancer just a few hours ago. Although she's a little too old for me to be a real fan of her songs (though she sings not bad), I could feel the loss in her fans, as well as those who appreciate her singing. Imagine if Jay Chou dies now (touch wood). Condolences to the family of the late Anita Mui.
It's almost 2004! It's time to reflect on 2003 and set new resolutions for the new year, or so many people will say. Well, to be frank, I've never been one who systematically sets out my resolutions for the year ahead and dutifully ticks them off one by one as the months fly by. Maybe I have no resolutions, and I am wasting my life away. Haha I don't think so. Maybe it's because I find that with such a dynamic environment both within and without myself, it's impossible to predict what will happen in the coming year, whether my present circumstances will change, and whether I really want the things in my resolutions, if I wrote them. Things that I want, I won't know until the crux, and things that I don't really want, those trivial or general stuff that can be quite quite ambiguous (e.g. world peace -__- and the downfall of terrorists even bigger --________--) there's no point in listing them, 'cos they tend to be either unattainable or simply become irrelevant as the year progresses.
However, on the personal level, one still has some hopes for the new year, be it in terms of an improvement in interpersonal relationships or how one lives a more fulfilling life; these are general as well, but in recognising it as a 'hope' one also realises that there is a certain ambiguity in it and accepts that this ambiguity is inherent and there's a corresponding chance that it may or may not occur, in the way you want it or not. Anything is possible. Hence, I feel that it's best to adhere to Socrate's philosophy of "Know thyself", for one to live a fulfilling year ahead; not to expect too much, but still striving to be the best that you can be; know your limitations, and make the best out of your conditions no matter how dire they may seem. This guiding philosophy can probably be the nearest to a resolution that would be of relevance to myself!
For interest sake, did anyone ever realise how similar the Matrix is to a story about the history of philosophy? "Know thyself" figured as the Latin "Temet Nosce" on the sign above the door to the kitchen of the Oracle. The Oracle at the temple of Apollo at Delphi provided enigmatic prophecies that could be deciphered no more effectively by the best linguists than the extent to which the subject of the prophecy 'knows' himself. Similarly, though on a much shallower level, a resolution is of no use, it's just a bunch of words, unless you know yourself inside out. It's not just about being realistic, it's about being. It's the art of living.
Haha, on a lighter note, I came across this screwed up blog yesterday - http://xiaxue.blogspot.com
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AidanWu was here on 10:46 am
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 Honor: You are an honorable person who is firm with his/her beliefs and treats others as you are treated. People would consider you humble at times and very respectful, and someone to definitely respect back.
Which Characteristic From the Samurai Code Matches You Best? (You may find out your best trait) brought to you by Quizilla
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AidanWu was here on 10:33 am
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29.12.03
In the middle of the day...sian sian sian!!
Yesterday went to Bukit Timah Plaza for dinner with Watson. Actually should have been at West Coast Park but Richie was on duty last minute, and the weather was weird anyway. So there. Anyway I grossly overestimated the amount of time I needed to reach the Plaza and ended up half an hour early! Sian. But luckily, the first escalator I took down, I met my CO junior Yanhao. Talked quite a bit with him, about army and co and studies etc. Quite surprised to see him there actually, and it was kinda fated; if I arrived punctually then I would not have met him.
Then after that I realised I ended up five minutes late for my appointment. Haha, a piece of advice: never go to Bukit Timah Plaza for dinner. There're only like 2 restaurants there and an NTUC foodcourt, and various small stalls. One of the restaurants, Wishbone, was so empty that I seriously suspected that it was closed, and Pizzahut wasn't much better. But perhaps it was because it was still early. Or so I thought.
So we went in. And the waiters were really lousy. But the company was good! We ate for almost two hours until we were so full. And he was so kind as to treat me for it too~ Haha, which reminds me; I've to read his latest blog entry!! It's really a rarity ^___^ Anyway this is one cool dude who's gonna study actuarial science. I know nuts about it though, it has got something to do with risk analysis, and anyone who does that can expect quite a decent, well-paying job as a professional. Hope he gets into LSE or City University in the UK...this is one dude who knows he doesn't wanna study in the US..haha lucky huh? I remember I was severely confused for quite a while throughout the earlier part of this year and last year as to whether the UK or the US would be better for me. Well, dreams-wise, I've always wanted to explore the vast (ok, maybe not so vast) and rich heritage of the European continent, and there's no better place than to start off from London! Zhewei is enjoying himself tremendously; he's already visited France and Spain if I'm not wrong! Haha, but now that I will be giving up my place at Imperial, I'll have to console myself that visiting California in the summer and DC during the thanksgiving holidays ain't such a bad idea after all! In fact, if you look at the right column, one of my wishes is to visit the city of San Francisco. That's why my parents honeymooned 20 years ago! Still remember how my mum related to me about an incident where a group of Singaporeans decided to venture out after dinner for a walk, and they almost got mugged by a bunch of negroes with guns. And how they visited this place where a murder case occurred just hours ago. Haha, it really takes a tough soul to survive in the American cities. A family friend advised, "In New York, even if you are not tough by nature, you'd better act tough the moment you step foot on the tarmac, esle you'll easily be the next unlucky soul getting mugged!" Woah, some timely advice indeed. Wonder how it's like at Baltimore. What with Qiyue saying the majority of the population is black, the culture shock is probably going to be as large as the depth of insecurity I'm gonna experience in my first days there.
Well, of course, if one talks about culture differences, neither the UK nor the US is easier to get used to. But in terms of the academic culture, the UK is very much similar to Singapore. And since a sizeable portion of time will be spent in an academic setting, it's definitely easier to settle into the UK than the US.
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AidanWu was here on 2:23 pm
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28.12.03
Yo..weird weather nowadays. Suddenly so hot then suddenly so cloudy as if it's gonna rain.
Anyway, my heart goes out to the Iranians who have been unfortunate enough to experience their worst earthquake in recent years, at least in terms of the sheer number of casualties. Read the Straits Times and they said 20,000 have died, and up to 40,000 could be dead by the time the final death toll is announced. And 30,000 are injured. All these out of a total population of 80,000 in Bam. And the worst thing is that they have to bury the bodies within a day, because of religious customs. I can't think of a worse way to die than not to have a decent burial place and ceremony, other than dying without anyone knowing at all.
Which brings to mind how the Chinese can have such elaborate funerals that last up to 7 days. The discrepancy of culture.
Just gave tuition this morning. Quite okay, but it's kind of weird teaching lower secondary science; there's hardly anything to teach, and some more one must be careful not to 'overload' the child with too many facts that are beyond her level. Aiyah, and I don't really like the way MOE compartmentalises what is to be taught into different parts, though there isn't a more systematic way of ensuring that everything in the syllabus is covered in the end. I still find it lame that much of the science taught are mere facts, with the explanations deemed to be of too high a level to be taught from the beginning. Where do you get the foundations then? It's because it's hard that the student should get as much exposure to it as possible since a young age, so that she can slowly realise its implications and significance when she gains experience and more knowledge on the subject. One should not overload, but neither should one 'underload'. Learn the facts and accept it for now, the explanation is taught in Sec 4, or A levels, or university, or at the graduate level, is what they seem to be telling the students, who then become exam-smart like myself and ace the exams.
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AidanWu was here on 3:37 pm
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27.12.03
 You are naturally born with a gift, whether it be poetry, writing or song. You love beauty and creativity, and usually are highly intelligent. Others view you as mysterious and dreamy, yet also bold since you hold firm in your beliefs.
What Type of Soul Do You Have ? brought to you by Quizilla
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AidanWu was here on 6:56 am
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Screwed up regulars. Always trying to screw us in one way or another. Sometimes I feel that sarcasm ain't enough for their lowly words.
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AidanWu was here on 1:39 am
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26.12.03
 free enneagram test
 discover what candy you are @ quiz me
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AidanWu was here on 5:59 pm
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Wah, it costs 50 bucks to change my 11B just because it was defaced! That's daylight robbery, plus the fact that I had to alternate between two buildings, one to pay the 50 and the other to carry out the paperwork for replacing the card, did not make things better. And worse still, I have to make another trip down on the 6th of next month to collect the card! &*^*%*^T(&
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AidanWu was here on 5:54 pm
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Hey~ it's duty day. Actually supposed to be on duty tomorrow (sat), but my senior had to change with me, and it fits my schedule anyway. 'Cos I am starting tuition on Sunday morning, wouldn't be in too good a shape if I were to be on duty on Sat..then today can wake up late too.
If there's one type of personality I can say I really despise, across all of humanity, it would have to be the defeatist. It's generalistic, I know, different people have different situations to cope with, and different causal factors that contributed to them being in that state in the first place. But, I simple see no reason why one should be defeatist when you're placed in a situation that makes you feel like being defeatist. Where's the survival instinct of your ancestors that enabled them to overcome Darwinian odds and brought you to life today? Is there no tinge of pride at wanting to preserve a bit of the human dignity anymore? Screw it
Just kinda frustrated this morning.
Yesterday was nothing to be overly happy about, though I appreciated how A and I persevered in the light of the worst class gathering ever attended in terms of sheer number. Okay, enough of irony. Actually it was quite understandable, given that the attempt to organise it only started two days before yesterday, so I was prepared for an eventuality like yesterday. As usual, there were the usual cases of pang seh last minute, and really last minute.
So we watched Scary Movie 3, the most cheapskate, slapstick movie I've ever paid to watch. But it did tickle my funny bone many times. But then again, it's the kind of movie I would only watch if there was a free DVD lying around, and even so, only if I have nothing better to do, and plus if someone bothers to hand it to me in the first place. The trailer for Ju-On 2 was quite promising though.
Since there were only 2 of us, A decided to save some money and we feasted at MAC. Haha, then met Jason and Mark. Talked for quite a while before going home. A was so disappointed that Jason has picked up the habit of smoking. I good-naturedly asked if Jason had visited the Body Worlds exhibition, and he good-naturedly replied yes. -__- Nice or not? Yes. The black lungs nice or not? No reply. Haha.
Apparently, GF is thinking of a Ubin outing this Sunday. Darn, I wonder if they could change it to next week instead, 'cos I already have an appointment with some old classmates. And we're thinking of cycling at West Coast Park.
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AidanWu was here on 12:57 pm
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24.12.03
We're all wearing CV to work today! And it's a half day too. Yesterday's christmas lunch was okay lah, the usual buffet stuff plus ham and salad and a log cake. The log cake was quite cheapskate, it was totally unlike a solid log, or a solid log cake for that matter. It was soft and spongy, and totally bleah. Haha, the gift exchange was quite funny, most people got chocolates, and everyone was sharing them until we got sick of them. I got a magazine rack, quite practical though I dunno how I am supposed to bring it home.
Yesterday went to run after work; we were let off half an hour earlier. Went to the Air Force School but it seemed like the whole air force was running there as well. So after waiting a while, then we started. But then halfway I got a tummyache, so I ran straight to the toilet. Too much chocolates! :D
My cousin did not get the school she wanted..was posted to Bukit Panjang Govt High. But I thinh she'll appeal to NYGH. The cut off point is 263 this year. RGS's is 265, the highest. TCHS's is 258, and they're even increasing the intake to 500! Hope she gets her dream school.
Merry Christmas blog!!
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AidanWu was here on 9:51 am
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23.12.03
Today is the eve of Christmas Eve! We're having some sort of christmas lunch later..wonder how it'll be like.
Anyway Sunday duty was quite okay after all, although I got pretty bored at some time...(see previous post :D) Anyway I was watching Seven Sisters on Channel U while I was doing those silly tests, and that makes quite a concise and precise review of the show.
Many people are hooked on blogging nowadays!! Esp now that the holidays are here and it can get quite boring when it's raining the whole day..first it was SQ, then I found out that wenyang and a few juniors have established theirs too..then AW and then my dear junior angel, just last night! Haha..darn. The secret of 'nice' blog layouts is blown now that everyone knows about blogskins.com. Haha, joking lah. Well, it's a good thing! Now whenever I am bored out in cyberspace, I can just read their blogs and catch up with them, in an invisible sort of way. Just hope that the blogging frequency won't decline once the NUS term starts in Jan...
Yesterday was on duty off. Went to CMPB in the afternoon to get my 11B fixed, but apparently they only gave me a form to fill up, which has to be signed by my AO, which means I probably have to go down another day!!! And another once the card is fixed!! Argh!!! I hate red tape!!
Then went to Borders with my family, 'cos my brother has some gift card to use up. And after slightly over an hour, we got nothing. And adjourned to the Popular at Orchard MRT, where I got the latest S.E.N.S. album "Heart". Played it twice when I reached home. Not so recognisable 'cos the songs were recently composed in 2002, but nice all the same.
Oh, the car will be sold next week, so it's back to buses and more buses to and fro work. I only worry for my brother, who's making the transition to JC soon, and with the added burden of getting used to reaching home super late, even later now that there's no car.
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AidanWu was here on 9:15 am
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21.12.03
 Which HP Kid Are You?
 Earth
The Force of Nature Quiz brought to you by Quizilla
 You have a goodbye kiss- much passion and longing, but never lasting.
What kind of kiss are you? brought to you by Quizilla
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AidanWu was here on 7:43 pm
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Yo...on duty now. So sian. Yesterday reached home 11 plus after the concert, then this morning 7am gotta wake up liao. Luckily still got car else it would have been earlier...like 6:30am.
Yesterday was tiring man! Morning had to wake up early and work. 12 noon rush home after dropping my brother at hwa chong first. Then went down to VCH, and they were so behind schedule that I was one of the first to reach when they were supposed to have all reached and on stage already! Only one lorry transporting the instruments was there, with its miserable crew of 4. Haha, so had to help them shift the timpanis and double basses up lor. The rehearsal was very bad, everything obeyed Mu]phy's Law (like that typo), the scores had to fly away while we were playing because of the aircon, and some of us got quite demoralised 'cos we felt that we were cheating the audience's money. And it was freaking rush cos they were one and a half hours behind schedule to start off with. The concert was due to start at 7:30pm. We finished the rehearsal at 6:50pm. Dang!!! All the organisers should have attended the Hwa Chong concert last year..man that was still the best, at least in terms of organisation.
Anyway, we had a rushed dinner, which wasn't so bad. Then the concert started. And it was much better, to say the least. At least its mediocrity was not reflective of the total lack of music during the rehearsal.
Received the candidate packet from JHU. At least the letter confirmed that I was accepted into the BME department. Hmm now the problem of deferment comes..gotta check if i have to pay the 600 matriculation fee this year or next year...
*Growl* Lunch is not here yet!!!
Next Sunday I will be resuming my tuition. This one is a new lobang, a sec 2 Nanyang girl who happens to be in CO as well...will be teaching science.
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AidanWu was here on 12:43 pm
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20.12.03
Sleepy!!! *Yawn*
Wah lao..yesterday's practice ended at 10 plus. Damn tired and demoralised, but luckily got senior to cheer me up. Haha, went to the gym with a few guys yesterday too.
Today is basically quite slack, was playing some kids' games on peoplecauses.com/games.html, then there was this regular who went round collecting donations, and my section mate and I were like quite broke, so we decided to sneak off to the toilet for ten minutes or so...haha. Damn bad but heck lah.
The NUS science people got back their results yesterday, and quite happy for many of them who did well, considering it's the first semester only.
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AidanWu was here on 10:33 am
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18.12.03
Yo blog.
Phew at last I ain't feeling as exhausted as I did last night. Yesterday was just *dang*! Went to work feeling quite groggy 'cos I was on duty on monday night so tuesday was quite sleepy, and didn't sleep well on tue night, then wed drove to work, then took half day to attend another co practice at chn high. And the practice started at 2 plus and ended at 10pm! This morning had to drag myself out of bed...and even had to forego driving to work 'cos I was not sure if I was awake enough to drive safely....quite wasted cos the car's gonna be scrapped soon and my father doesn't have the money to get another car.
Haha, anyway went to work, as usual cleared my stuff, can't say much, played some games, checked mail. Then some dolt came and told us that we could not go for lunch as usual 'cos some lame colonel decided to pop by for a visit. And he was scheduled to arrive at 11:30am, the time we would normally siam happily to the cookhouse. -__-
So we all LL, pretend to do work when he was here, pretending to see the point of why our unit was established in the first place and perhaps thinking of reasons to justify its continued existence to his BG when he writes a report on the adhoc visit.
Then suay suay I kena stay back to man the unit. But this one it's okay lar, cos we all take turns. So resumed playing Insaniquarium. Haha I finally got sick of it today, so it's back to Utopia for now. But then utopia is like an hourly thing, you can't play it continuously the whole day so quite sian also. Then decided to tidy up my PDF library. Haha!! I've been subscribing to the online versions of the Nature science magazines, and since it's only a free account, not all articles can be readily accessed at the click of the mouse (although that's what the Internet is supposed to promote - freer flow of information, to those who can affor it), and the monthly email alerts bring ur attention to certain articles which are available free to non-subscribers like me..so got free one just dl lor. Then still felt sian so visited the jhu site to look-see. Realised for the nth time that their academic calendar is quite slack! Sep4 to Dec20, then jan got some intersession thingy which i don't understand, then jan26 to may 20 is the spring season, then it's 3 months holiday. Aiyah, sound so suaku, it's the same for almost every uni.
Tmr is a rush-day again. After work gotta go run / gym, depending on the weather. Then after that must rush for a rehearsal at chn high. Sometimes, seriously speaking, the only thing that keeps me going for the practice is the Hwa Chong spirit, other than the responsibility of carrying out ur commitment to the fullest. Anyway, hahaha co prac is such a happy affair most of the time. Much of the discipline in me during a full orchestral practice is gone. I talk with my senior the moment our part is over, while others are still playing! lol..but that's because there's so much to catch up on. And again I am touched by how some things just don't change; I talk to them the exact same way as I would have last time...the rapport is still there.
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AidanWu was here on 9:37 pm
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16.12.03
Yoyo, I realise that I am blogging very consistently on Tuesdays..haha. Was on duty last night, the server was kinda screwed, keep getting disconnected from webpages.
This morning, went home and got news that I had been accepted into Johns Hopkins, slept for a while, then went for lunch with my family and aunties at Pizza Hut. We ate the Christmas pizza...the one with three different dressings on one pizza..it was too sweet and not very appealing to me...(tasted exactly like teriyaki sauce, which I don't really like). And we ate until we were so full!!
After that went for CO practice again. Argh, 4 more days to the concert and I am still not used to the gaohu that I borrowed. And some songs I never even played with the orchestra yet..heh this will be an interesting concert. Wah then today whole day so good weather, then it had to rain just before I went home!!! Despite the shelter to the carpark, my bro and I ended up half drenched..
Sunday was the Hsinghai concert..was quite okay I guess. The food was good, drank a lot of canned orange juice, which was really not bad, had orange pulp inside some more. Darn, forgot to note the brand name. Got the autograph of the guest lady soprano..spent quite a bit of time catching up with seniors, peers and juniors. There has been much talk about the newly formed Hwa Chong Alumni CO, and of course with such a long history there's bound to be a substantial amount of politics involved. Politics at all levels of the organisation, from the organisers to the administration. I'm only thankful that the friends I've worked with all these 7 years have been reasonable and relatively level-headed people who don't hold grudges against work-related disagreements. Which is why we are still so close to each other despite not meeting for almost a year. We met last Friday at the Hwa Chong CO Concert held at the HC Auditorium, and the rapport of last year was totally not lost, evident from the slap-stick lame jokes that only we could understand and what more, tolerate. :D
The concert was, to say the least, quite a disappointment for me. At least I can proudly say that last year's concert, organised solely by the 11 of us, was a much more resounding success, in terms of music, logistics, ticket sales and promotion. That day one of them was telling me, "We were still the peak at that time right?" Haha, I wouldn't be so bhb to say that out loud..but it's true to a certain extent.
Sigh. No, not a sigh of sadness or anything, just a bit sleepy. Haha..I'm almost reliving my days in CO these few weeks, and I can still identify strongly with the strong bonds formed within an orchestra and how satisfying it is to present a piece of music successfully to an appreciative audience. Guess I'll never stop performing ad-hoc for as long as I live. It has become my way of life, way of getting away from office politics and the mundane nature of my current vocation.
Of course, I've found other ways to rid myself of boredom. Got some maths notes from an ex-classmate (-------this classmate wishes to be acknowledged, so here goes: Shi Qian, double MOE and USP scholar-------) the other day..reading a bit of it to pass time and of course to keep up with using my brain for purposes other then to play games and prevent my bosses from seeing me play games.
Hmm, the tone of this current post definitely does not fit my actual emotions for the day. To say the least, I was euphoric when I entered JHU, but then I was also too tired to dwell on it for long before telling my father about it and then plonking into bed. I still remember what a close friend told me before about our dreams. As long as you want something badly enough, you'll get it. Of course, the unspoken commitment, 'blood and sweat' and sheer determination all play their roles. But at turning points in my life, I've realised that the soul is more powerful than one thinks it is; well for one, you can't 'think' a soul, maybe that's why. It's just there. The human instinct to survive. That's what I meant. You either want something badly enough and you get it, or you don't and you don't get it. Of course, I am not discounting the role of luck. But it really makes a difference when the faith is there as well. During major exams in the past, I always felt a flu or cough coming on...and with sheer will and positive thinking "I will be healthy until after the exams", I always live through healthily and then fall ill right after the exams. Hmm, all the tonics and brews probably helped too (actually it's mainly essence of chicken :P) And this time it worked again; after all one cannot be sure of getting a place in a prestigious university, despite all the encouragement from friends and family. I don't know, some things you just know whether you're gonna get it or not. It was the same for my medicine interview and A*STAR scholarship. Somehow, by considering some invisible odds, I usually get the confidence of getting something (usually something I really wanted). And sometimes, I know I don't really want something that much, and hence by some intangible forces at work, I won't acheive it. Like my erhu grade examinations and perhaps all my IPPT and previous NAPFA tests, I probably didn't really try hard enough as I should have.
Argh, I am getting confused by myself. Well at least something still remains clear - the presence of the human spirit. I experienced an epiphany while watching the Matrix Revolutions, the scene where the people in Zion were getting ready their bulky and seemingly incapable machinery against the Sentinels at the dock which was the first to fall to the machine-world. The awe of the spectre aside, the spirit the producers created in that scene of "Do it or die!" shook the very foundations of human will that I was brought up upon. "You're a boy, you should not be scared of cockroaches" "You're a man, you should be able to tahan the training in NS" are recurrent reminders since young that we should be tough in order to survive. But are we as tough as those people in Zion? Is it possible to believe in the human race sooo much that you fight to save your fields of corn from swarms of locusts that grossly outnumber your bullets? I believe it is possible.
It's like Singaporeans who ask "When Singapore is attacked, will any Singaporean men remain to defend our country, or will all head for the next flight to New York or London?" After watching that scene, I suddenly felt that it was very possible for the former to occur, and that renewed faith made me feel even more proud of myself as a Singaporean.
*Zonked out* I am gonna play Insaniquarium. Google it to find out what it is.
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AidanWu was here on 8:27 pm
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9.12.03
Hey, it's duty again..one reason why I like Tuesday duties is because I get to miss Muster Parade, which is essentially a perfect example of the lame, inconsequential and useless regimentation in the SAF which permeates even in a non-combat (and hence perceivably slack) unit like mine. I have always seen it as a tool for self-gratification on the part of the RSM or whichever officer felt like gracing the occasion on a particular Tuesday.
But again, I would rather have a Thursday duty any time. 'Cos it's like Tuesday duty..wednesday off, then thursday and friday and saturday still have to work; it doesn't make me feel very motivated. The best are Thursdays cos Friday will be off and if you happen to have long weekend on Sat, that gives you a really loong weekend. And the best combo is still to be on duty the next Monday, so which gives almost 4 days of not working!!
Last week was quite uneventful. But this week's different. I watched a concert last night by Toa Payoh West CC CO, the one I was in before I quit in mid-2002 due to A-levels. I was not disappointed, though I did expect more, having rather high expectations for the orchestra which I knew was set up for ambitions higher than those achieved in this inaugural concert. Still, the fact that the inaugural concert went flawless, given that most of the members had just completed their O and A levels, leaving them with scarcely a fortnight of practice, the performance was professional and gives me ample hope for future achievements in the local music scene.
For one, I was impressed by the performance of Kai Xiang. His sound has definitely matured over the past year.
[A peso for your thoughts :P]
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AidanWu was here on 6:24 pm
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2.12.03
Yoyo. I am on duty now...today has been quite a busy day. Early in the morning I went to attend the A*STAR Graduate Academy's Inaugural Scholars' Symposium at Biopolis. It was held at the level 4 Theaterette of Matrix, the central block which houses the Bioinformatics Institute., Exploit Technologies, the commercial arm of A*STAR and the Science and Engineering Research Council.
It was already quite crowded when I arrived, and at first I was kind of overwhelmed by the number of people there was, until I realised that a large number of them were actually from the junior colleges and secondary schools. Saw people in Chinese High, VJC, TJC uniform. Those from other schools probably wore casual clothes. Well, the dress code is something I have to pick up through events like this. The invitation read "Smart Casual", and it was only this morning when I was changing when my mum (and my brother verified) that it actually meant "semi-formal", i.e., a long-sleeved shirt and dark pants, at the least. Woah, okay I thought, as I put on a sky blue short sleeved shirt and a pair of beige pants. Two rules broken. Haha, but I hecked cared as usual. At least I wore black shoes! :) And looking around the attendees of the symposium, at least among the scholars, it was apparent that a lot of people had some homework to do over dress codes. Of course, the older scholars were all very prim and proper, and later I realised that it was only because they were due to give stage presentations of their research work. -__- By and large, the rest of the audience underdressed for the occasion.
Anyway, the Guest of Honour was Professor Jerry Shay from University of Texas, and he is a professor for cell biology and he specialises in cancer and aging biology. Specifically telomere biology. His explanation of how the action telomerase is responsible for the development of cancer was very lucid, not to forget how he links the possibilities of telomerase in tissue engineering.
[A peso for your thoughts :P]
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AidanWu was here on 7:33 pm
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1.12.03
It's December! It's almost been one year since the A levels had ended...even this year's is already over. Time really flies..it's been almost one year since I enlisted...and that feels really damn good!! It's like almost 40% of my NS is over!!!!! WOOHOO!!! ^___^ 18.8 months to ORD...
Haha. The last time I remembered being so ecstatic was 26th June 2003, cos that was the 6-month anniversary of my enlistment. Can't wait for 26th December 2003.
Anyway last week was quite a fabulous week. Okay, not fabulous. But at least it wasn't as boring and mundane as some weeks can get.
I did duty on 22 Nov. But that obviously was not the highlight of the day. My cousin did well, and she's applying to Nanyang Girls'. And the best thing is that the 2nd highest scorer for the PSLE came from Bukit Panjang Primary School, which is my cousin's school and my alma mater and my father's and aunts' and uncle's alma mater as well! Haha..not bad right. Funny that none of the top ten students came from RGPS though. And this year's scores were lower in general..not very encouraging for the youngsters who haven't really understood the effects of moderation by the ministry yet. They would probably think that their batch is less 'clever' than the previous batches, which really isn't the case. The bell curve will always apply somehow.
Anyway, 22 Nov was also the first day I drove the family car. My mum took me for a practice drive all over the estate. So we went almost to Sungei Gadot Road before turning back into Yew Tee, over to my grandma's place before heading home. Not too bad lah, could get used to the car pretty easily. Then later I also drove to my aunt's place. But then we were running late, so my mum drove me to camp, since I wasn't exactly used to speeding yet. Heh.
Then Sunday went for Hsinghai practice after lunch. After that went to Kinokuniya with my family. Spent over 300 bucks in vouchers there, courtesy of my brother. Haha..bought lots of books lah. Like Thermodynamics, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, the Selfish Gene, Medical Dictionary, Lee Kuan Yew Memoir, Astronomy. Wah...will take forever to read them.
Monday was damn boring cos it was the eve of a holiday and the day after a weekend when no one feels like working.
Tuesday went for Hsinghai practice again. No choice lah, it's a responsibility I gladly undertook and carried out. So in a way it was my choice. Had lunch at MAC with two juniors.
Thursday went out with an army friend. Friday was on duty.
Saturday went home and slept. Then in the afternoon visited my grandpa at the columbarium in Lim Chu Kang. We reached the place exactly at 1pm, when it closed. Hahaha. So I was forced to practise my parking on a discrete parking lot outside the premises. Then we went for a long spin all over the Lim Chu Kang area. Went to see the National Shooting Centre, went to the Lim Chu Kang Coast guard at the end of Singapore. Went pass the old Lim Chu Kang HDB estate now used by the SAF for training for "warfare in built-up areas". Explored the old Neo Tiew Roads..a never-ending labyrinth of small roads that used to serve the major agricultural sector of Singapore yesteryear. The BBC Far Eastern Relaying station was in the middle of that vast empty land as well! I was getting a bit tired of driving (more than an hour liao) so we headed home. Then in the evening we went to my aunt's place in Bukit Panjang to watch the Matrix Revolutions DVD..haha. It's not bad lah, though not the best. Apparently, humans made peace with the machines, though I am not too sure what that entails. Did the machine-world let Zion co-exist with itself? Or did the humans simply accept to remain in the matrix? Like some reviews said, the movie seemed to shift its focus to the enmity between Neo and Agent Smith towards the 2nd and 3rd installments. Which doesn't make much sense cos to me, Smith is merely a virus that has to be eradicated, but not in the fashion that the moviemakers had filmed it. I thought the focus should have been the war between Zion and the machine-world, which to their credit, was still quite a major part of the show.
Sunday went for Hsinghai practice again. The choir was quite sucky actually. A lot of them faking there. No sound. Then they still complained that the accompanying orchestra was too loud. Haha like real. Even the conductor had to subtly hint with the slightest bit of sarcasm that they were too soft for their apparent strength. Went home in anticipation of the Hakka yong tau fu that my mum was dishing up. And on the bus I actually met my the other aunt! I didn't know my mum invited her over for dinner as well...and apparently she was also at the Bugis area where I was too! Talk abt coincidences.
I decided to help out at the Alumni CO concert on 20th Dec as well. Cos my junior personally appealed to me to help out. Anyway it's a good avenue to meet long-lost seniors and not-so-long-lost juniors and contemporaries.
[A peso for your thoughts :P]
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AidanWu was here on 10:09 am
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::Note::
You can click on the 'Stop' button on your browser to turn off the background music accompanying this blog.
::taggy::
::current faves::
Jay Chou - Nocturne, Fa Ru Xue, Qi Li Xiang
Guang Liang - Shao Nian
Liang Jing Ru - Yong Qi
Gigi Leung - Dan Xiao Gui
Lin Jun Jie - Yi Qian Nian Yi Hou
Stephanie Sun - Ting Jian, Wo De Ai, Tong Lei
Li Sheng Jie - Yuan Zou Gao Fei
Liu Zhong Yi - Ji Ju Xie
Yanni - Almost a Whisper
::boredom killers::
latest craze:
Adventure Quest
previous crazes:
Fortress Game
Telescope Game
Meganic Wars
Text Twist
YetiSports Flamingo Drive - high score 3755
trustables:
Throw paper into the dustbin - high score 5025
Miniclip
Mofunzone
Addicting Games
Utopia
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