Ching Ming Jie

It's ching ming jie again!!
My whole family woke up at 4.30am despite sleeping at about 2am. We hurry gussied up and was done by 4.50am and immediately drove to my grandma's house to collect the necessary items. Later, we drove to Mandai Columbarium to visit my ah gong and did the step by step procedures. We came with the mentality that it would not be so crowded since ching ming jie is tentatively on April the 5th, but we were so wrong. It was packed and there were hardly any parking lots!!!

Anyway, we offered our prayers and burnt the stuff for my ah gong to use. =D During that period of time, i observed that people were burning yacht, LCD TV, credit card, cars and yada yada. This simply mean that as technology improved, there'll be more variety for ching ming jie. Maybe, there'll soon be wii and Xbox though i'm not sure if they'll know how to use it. However, fret not as there'll always be a manual attached to it and of course it will come in many languages. =D

Later, we ate breakfast at NTU hall 2 as usual and fill our tummy with hot tea/coffee and kaya toast. The breakfast there is really cheap!! Set A and B is selling at $1.50 and it consists of 3 kaya bread toast, 2 soft-boiled eggs and a coffee or tea, or 5 kaya bread toast and a coffee or tea!!! =D
After that, we went to visit my brother's hostel room and there was a cat there which followed us all the way to my brother's room. Only then did my brother said that his roomie even had a cushion laid on the floor for the cat to sleep on at night. However, according to my brother, it landed on my brother's bed, causing him to get shocked and was being woken up a few times. I'm worried for him as he does not get enough rest plus he has a sensitive nose that sneeze when in contact with too much dust or furs!!!

Right, later we drove to a temple located at Hougang to visit my Great grandparents. Did the same procedures and looked for my great grandparents tablet amidst the pool of tablets that laid there in a staircase form. We found it nonetheless and my big brother suggested that someone should invent a technology such that when you write down your loved ones names, the specific tablet will light up!!! Don't you think that would be cool!!! =D

Anyway, that's about it and i really should be sleeping now!!! Just awhile more!!! =x

Did you know?
-Ching Ming Jie means Clear and Bright festival or Tomb sweeping day in English.
-Every leap year, Qing Ming is on April 4.
-Qingming is a statutory public holiday in mainland China starting from year 2008.
-Qingming festival holiday has a lot of significance in Chinese Tea culture as these teas are prized for having much lighter and subtler aromas than those picked after the festival.
-You can offer your prayers online at http://www.xinzheng.gov.cn/web/bz.jsp (try it)

According to http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20080805-80764.html , it says that "There are now several websites in China and Taiwan dedicated to ancestor worship on the Internet, as well as thousands of online memorial halls. These prayer websites offer users the convenience of paying your respects from the comfort of one's home, with many featuring a special form they can fill in to send good wishes, messages and even presents to heaven (or hell)." I guess in time to come, ching ming jie will all be virtual due to the lack of land space but of course nothing beats waking up early in the morning and physically burn paper moneys etc. It is more sincere in a way as effort is put into it.

Alright, i've just finish gobbling up my green bean with sago dessert which means it's time for my beauty sleep. Mind you, i'm not a pig!!! I just had 2 hours of sleep last night!! hehe..

Night fellow citizens and be a good boy/girl and follow your parents during ching ming jie!!!

Reduce your carbon footprint

Yes, earth hour!!! Have you heard about it? Earth Hour was first celebrated two years ago in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people and thousands of businesses turned out their lights, allowing the message about climate change to shine brightly.In March 2008, Earth Hour went global. More than 400 cities, thousands of businesses and over 50 million people around the world turned off their lights for one hour to demonstrate their commitment to slowing the effects of climate change.

On March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm tens of millions of people in hundreds of cities around the world will come together once again to make a bold statement about their concern about climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. Earth Hour symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in the fight against climate change.

Were you part of it?As for me, i can proudly say that i was part of it!! =) The moment the clock strike 8.30pm, i switched off all the lights in my house. Well, except the TV or it'll be pitch dark!! I ate my dinner in the dark while watching The Fast And the Furious on channel 5!! Cool but my eyes hurt a little after that. =/ Anyway, it was a great movie. Do be home at 7pm this Saturday to catch 2Fast 2Furious on channel 5, and do wave to Vin Diesel!! =x Anyway, while watching the movie in pitch dark, i didn't know what i was eating and i do hope that no fly nor insect flew onto my plate because if it did, I'm pretty sure i ate it (yucks!!)

Looking through my little window, I can say that Singapore is a tad darker during that particularly hour. =) Okay, I feel like a spokesperson for earth hour!! =x

Oh did i mention, my wonderful boyfriend told me that he switched off his car's headlights to celebrate the joyous occasion. haha.. I doubt he did that!! He's lying to me!!! =x

Shopping with my dar dar!!!

The day started out fine as i waited for my dar dar's lecture to end. But luckily, during this period of time, there was a bazaar going on at NUS so i decided to shop instead of reading my sun zi bing fa!! There were lots of nice stuff and clothes!! But in the end, i only bought an orange dress which i'm not sure if i'll have the chance to wear it!! Just loved it!! hehe.. It cost about $19 though. =x

Right, after which we drove down to Jurong point to shop!!! On our way there, we were lost but my dear showed neither signs of panic nor confusion. This i truly admire as i'll always panic if i'm lost, especially in Jurong. In the end, we toured around Jurong and made a conclusion that the traffic light system there was terrible!! There was practically a traffic light every 100m and whenever we reach the traffic light, most of the time it turned red!!! Anyway, we finally see gleams of the railway line and followed it, arriving to our destination!!

oh the hilarious thing was that the radio station 98.7 DJ was promoting Jurong point and dar went "Yes, i know about it but where the hell is Jurong Point!!!" hehe..

So, we ate mac and started our shopping spree. We did enjoyed ourselves though we quarreled for a period of time. =( I bought a Nike sport shoe from Jurong Point which i will upload the picture later!! After that, dear drove me to Marina Square to get some nylon refill for my house's grass cutter!! Apparently, the DIY store at my house ran out of it and my grass was long enough to poke Happy's butt that she decided to poo all over the floor instead!! Oh and once again, dar dar was lost but he never did complain and i'm grateful for his effort!! Thank you dear!!! =D

Later, we drove to East point as we were still arguing but after we talked about it and dar dar gave me a hearty hug cos i was sobbing, and everything was fine again. Plus, he gave me a surprise by insisting on going to east point as there was a pet shop there. Well, i love dogs and i guess he submitted to the fact and decided that it might cheer me up and it did!! My dear just knows me so well!! =D At East point, we bought some stuff from Watson's and my rabbit food from the pet's station!! After that, we played ghost squad together and oohooo it was really fun!! We make a great team together!! =D

That's about it i guess, feeling kind of sleepy right now!! Anyway, thanks dear for everything that you've done today!!! I love you!! =D I hope you'll get well soon and i'm sorry for making you shop the whole day despite your tiredness, causing you to fall ill!! =( Get well soon k!!

Nice?? It cost me $111 .2o after a 20% discount!! It's light and i need it because i need to lose weight!!! Bye bye fat thighs and tummy!! =x

hey, i look kind of natural in this picture, taken in NUS toilet while i was trying it on because i felt weird going out like that since the toilet was often crowded!! =/

Nice?? it cost $19 bucks!!

Shaver for my pits!! =x It cost me $14.95 and i hope it will be a satisfactory product!!

Iron straightener for my *boom* hair!! it cost me $42.90!! Pretty cheap i guess but something was missing inside so i have to go back to exchange it soon!! =(

Straightening cream!! I hope it works wonders and give my hair a silky, straight and shiny look!! =x Am i too demanding??

Tree top walk with my family!!

Never imagine this could happen since it's always quite difficult to wake everyone up early in the morning!!!

Nonetheless, we did and ate donuts for breakfast!! =D Then my brother drove to Rifle range road and it took another 10 minutes or so to drive to our destination. From there, we started our journey towards the tree top!! The air was fresh and the weather was great; not scorchingly hot!! =)

It was pretty much like a jungle walk just that there was a distinct path due to frequent human trekking on it, causing the grass to shoo aside. So we climbed over humps, walked down scary slopes and finally reached our destination. After which, we had to walk all the way down again!! By then, everyone was perspiring like a pig!! hehe..

I'll upload some pictures!!

The walk just began!!

What is my brother pointing at??

Monkey spotted!!

The tree that seem kind of scary to me!!

We're enjoying the walk so far!! =D

hehe.. My dad started running when i said i will give him $100 dollars if he still could!!! Isn't my daddy just cute!!! =)

Evidence!!

We made it to the tree top!!

I spotted a man who decided that the air was so refreshing that he must lie down to fully enjoy it!! But of course he got up immediately if people wants to walk past!!

A rare looking wormy fell onto my brother's pants!! =x

The overall road map!!

My sexy butt!! =x

The aftermath; shoes with flappy soles!!

A clear view of our shoes!!

Sinful indulgence after our morning exercise!! =x

Sleepy and tired after the walk!!

macdonald's!!! =D

The day i got abandoned by the streets of loneliness

Today, i went shopping for TY's present at parkway for about an hour and was suppose to eat lunch there. But dar wanted to eat aston's or chai fan at pasir ris instead. So he picked me up at parkway and we decided to eat at aston's!!! I totally miss the herb spice fish!!! =D totally heavenly yummy!! Dear ate grilled chicken and he gobbled up the food like there's no tomorrow as he had not eaten breakfast; considering that our lunch was at 2 plus. We chatted the whole day about everything and anything.. =D and thanks for the treat dar dar!!!

I wished the instances above had happened but i'm afraid it's very much the reverse.

He picked me up at parkway and i gave him a rather sleepish, heck care and whatever attitude cause i was angry that he didn't accompany me to shop, though i was the one who decided that he should stay in school to do his work as that would be more productive. But, i truly wanted him to accompany me too. Who wants to be lonely?? Plus, the last few days, he had been busy with his game design, projects, games, school and friends that i hardly had a long conversation with him on the phone and on msn. Most of the time he sleeps late and does not msg me goodnight which we always do. We hardly talk on msn and he doesn't msg me anymore though i said "message me if you miss me".

i was frustrated and angry (maybe i was pmsing) for the past 2 days or so. Whenever we meet, he'll get pissed off looking at my ugly attitude. Today, i had probably gone over his limit. So, the event went by as he picked me up from parkway, we talked a lil about lunch which i asked him to decide in a very heck care tone. We gave each other cold shoulders and despite me lying on his lap, he drove me back to my house. I was confused and asked him to drive to somewhere so we could eat. I insisted that we eat lunch tgt since he said he was hungry. After much argument, he drove me to my house's hawker centre and asked me to leave. I hesitated for a moment and left because he stopped at the bus lane. Fine, i slapped the door and started walking, walking, walking to god knows where under the hot scorching sun with a sweater on. I was frustrated, boiling and pissed off. How can a guy just dump me on the streets like that!!!

But after much mind talking to myself, i realised that it was my fault. I always irritate him despite the fact that he was feeling tired and hungry due to late night sleeps and project work in the morning.

I'm sorry dear, and i hope you'll forgive me soon but i still think we should still take a break. Maybe a one week break from each other to cool things down.

I'm sorry.............

A new blog, a new life!!

Yes, a new life!! I've finally crossed the long bridge that had hindered my goal upon the paper chase. I've done what many people would never dare to do, took a risk by gambling my life and money. If you're a stranger reading this, let me explain to you. In year 2007, i did terribly for my A levels which i had much expected. But it is rather weird as i felt that i had studied a great deal for the big exam. Well, i studied with my friends at mac though and maybe that was the reason behind the lousy grades. I can now safely say that i'm the kind of person whom will be most productive when i'm alone. So, when i saw my lousy result slip, i just blanked out and cried. A myriad of reasons encompass my emotions.

For one, I came from a Normal Academic background during my secondary school days but i fought hard and i wanted to get into an express class during my transition from secondary 2 to 3. However, i did not fulfill the criteria, but, i did not resign to my fate of being defined as a hopeless bunch of students who only knew how to create trouble.( a stereotype people imprinted on students in NA and NT). I fought hard and finally achieved excellent grades for my O level exam which opened new doors of opportunity, a new route with better and nicer concrete walkway. Of course i went for the better path and landed in TJC. I loved the school and the people i mixed around with but i realized that i was not the same as them. Not only in terms of age but in terms of the level of intelligence and capability. Moreover, i do not possess a strong grasp of language and thus, it was to my disadvantage as i am studying an arts course (which i do not have a choice). Thus, i was struggling with people who came from elite schools. I felt that i could not blend in at first and teachers look down on me. (maybe due to my inferiority complex) That had caused me to lose my fighting spirit as i felt i could not compete with them as i'll always be cushioning them to better grades.

After receiving my A levels certificate, i decided to resign to my fate and was enrolled into SIM. However, i reconsidered and i'm not contented just being in SIM. I'm not saying that i condemn the school but everyone aim to climb a step higher if they could right? Thus, at the same time i decided to enroll as a private student and retook my A levels in 2008.

So, i became a full time mugger and hired a few tutors to get the ball rolling. I'm glad i did get tutors or i'll probably lose interest in my studies as i've studied it before!! Indeed, there were times i got exhausted and worn out and sick of people telling me to study whenever they see me relaxing!!! But i overcome all forms of stormy waters with the help of my unique float; my wonderful boyfriend that i had met in the early months of last year.

He gave me the strength to continue, encourage me when i was down, fedex over bubbletea and food to my door step when i told him that i decided to study till the wee hours, sent me to serangoon every week for my econs tuition, pop by once in awhile to surprise me, take me out to the beach to relax and simply stayed by my side to accompany me when i was stress. He tolerated my temper, my sudden mood swings, my unreasonable arguments and my selfish attitude. After all these months, he taught me a lot of life values which i cherished but often forgot to act it out. One of them was to "never take someone for granted" which i've always do. I vent my anger and frustration on him, did not consider that he needed to study as well, always wanted him to be by my side when i needed him but i always seem to disappear whenever he needed me. Nonetheless, i am really grateful that he still loves me so deep despite all the unhappy events which he should not be going through.

Xelrr, i just want to say a big THANK YOU to you!! You must have been an angel sent by god to protect me and give me strength to move on. I love you!!! Always have and always will even though we argue and i tend to be unreasonable most of the time.

Finally, time flew by and it was time for me to take my first A level paper!! I was scared, i was nervous but my dar probably knew how i felt and made an effort to wake up at 6am to pick me up from home and send me to TPJC!! Not only for the first paper but for every other paper and he sent me back home too. Sometimes, he gets so exhausted that he skipped school for sleep and i felt sad but am grateful for the things he did. I've never really told him how i felt, never really thank him for all that he had done other than treating him to dinner etc. maybe i'll write it down here and hopefully he'll read it and i know he will.

Dar,
I know that ever since you met me, you life had changed quite drastically. Of course there were times of joy, times where we lovey dovey and electrify each other (tingling feeling) but most of the times were stormy and bleak. You had to go through the high barriers set by my family and friends which you had never experienced before since i'm your first and only gf. Moreover, your results dropped drastically as you selflessly devoted your time for me. i really appreciate it and am feeling ashamed at how i treated you all these while. I'm really sorry for everything and i seek your utmost forgiveness. Once again, thank you baby, I REALLY LOVE YOU....

Anyway, time flies again to the stage where the A level's results was to be released!! I was hell scared that i even dreamt about taking exams and receiving results for 3 consecutive days!!! Even before looking at the results, i broke down and cried. But thankfully my dear was there for me again!!! =D He made me felt better by laughing at me!!! (ROAR) So i finally got the courage to log on to the seab website. I decided to view my results bit by bit as i was not confident of passing my lit and GP. =( So firstly, i saw a FAT E for my GP (sigh), then i saw a Donkey D for my math (sigh again), then finally i saw a C for my literature!! (hurray), moving on a B for my Geo (hurray again) and an A for my econs (woopeeee)... I was so happy that i screamed and teared again, hugged my dear and dance around like a lil kid who had just received a huge lollipop!! hehe..

So that's that, my risk was worth it but everyone said that i had wasted money on SIM. But if i failed, they would've said "luckily she enrolled into SIM so she doesn't have to waste one year". Presenting to you a weird species called "humans"...

Hurray again!!!!! Life has just changed for me, for the better i hope!! I definitely don't want to be cushioning people again so i'm not going to try business (i have lil chance to get in anyway) and opt for Economics as my first choice!! Wish me luck peeps!!!

hihihihi!! Testing out my new blog!!! =D