The Dreaded Next Chapter Pt. 2

I’ve told you everything you need to know about my internship. And you already know about some of the post-internship decisions I had to make. So this post is more about the things that are going to happen – whether I like it or not – before the current chapter closes and the next one begins.

Picking up from where I left off, I started tearing when I read the date on my enlistment letter because I was feeling a mix of fear and sadness. I was afraid of the unknown. And I was also upset that I had just two months before everything changed for two whole years. I revealed the news to some friends and I also told my Dad about it. However, it was the chat I had with my older brother that night that gave me a renewed confidence that I will be just fine. My brother basically answered any question I had, based on his experience. He told me to break up the two years into smaller portions and that made me realise that for now, all I need to worry about is the first two weeks of confinement because after that, at least I should be able to head home every weekend – unless there’s a twist.

I’ve been trying to prepare myself mentally and physically but it hasn’t exactly been easy. I feel conflicted between spending the two months working out as opposed to lazing around while I can. So far, I would like to think I’ve been doing an alright job at balancing both. And I hope that keeping that up or doing better will make me feel more confident and comfortable in the days leading up to my enlistment.

I’ve always known that it’s not going to be easy and that’s why I’ve been dreading it. I mean I’ve never been the fittest and it’s going to be tough keeping my emotions in check. But I do look forward to seeing myself change for the better throughout the next two years. I just hope that I don’t lose what my friends call, a ‘killer’ smile in the process.

“I’m stronger than you think and tougher than I know.”

The next thing that is going to happen whether I like it or not is graduation. And before the graduation ceremony was the graduation show – DTVM Awards – which literally happened two days ago. It’s a tradition for every class to put up a performance at the DTVM Awards. In Year 1, my class put on a skit. In Year 2, we hosted a game. And now, in Year 3, we filmed a music video parody. Although, I was initially against the idea of filming a music video because of the amount of time and energy we would have to invest into it, I’m glad we ended up pulling through. Because looking back, it wasn’t just a music video that we created, it was memories too. I can’t wait for us to look back at both the music video and blooper reel in years to come and cry and laugh in equal measure.

“If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”

– Jim Valvano

It was during the process of filming the music video that I started to wonder how anything else that is to come can possibly top the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had over the past three years. I’ve laughed, I’ve thought and I’ve cried over the past three years enough to feel complete. And I definitely feel like DTVM is something special that I will always have with me.

The cast of the music video in our #Kidzania outfits. (Missing Shantel, Sam and Eunice)

#ThugLife selfie.

#Flannel selfie.

#BusinessFormal selfie.

I was expecting to cry during the video montage of the past three years, at the DTVM Awards but it was taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture that got me emotional.

“And yes, I know we all love each other but the fact is the glue that holds high school friendships together is high school. Being around each other everyday, seeing each other in the halls, whenever something is up we don’t have to do any work to talk to our friends about it; they’re right there. As soon as it takes effort, we get lazy and then we forget and then we just move on. I don’t want to fade away.”

– Tina Cohen Chang (Glee)

The recycled quote above sums up my sentiments perfectly. Over the three years, we have all found our immediate circle of friends. And I’m sure we’ll all do a great job at keeping in touch with the people within that immediate circle. What saddens me is the thought that we won’t make the same effort to keep in touch with the people outside that circle who we still consider our friends.

I know we went six months without seeing each other everyday during our internships. And that little gathering we had in the middle for Christmas felt special, for that reason. And now every time we see each other, it doesn’t really feel like anything has changed other than time having passed by and us knowing that graduation is approaching. All I’m hoping for is that we try to keep the bond that we now share even if we get busy and even if it isn’t as convenient as it once used to be and even if we have new friends to fill that void.

I want to walk down a real red carpet with these people.

The #ILoveYouMore Team.

The #WeAreTheMob Team.

With Shaf, Chels and Jamie. (I hope the official photos turned out better.)

I want to be there in the future, to hear about the new TV show they’re developing or about the cover story of their magazine or about a event I can attend to show my support. I know it will take some time for all of us to get there given that we will have to spend three to four years in University or three to four years climbing up that hierarchy in this industry but I know we’ll get there.

I still have some time before my enlistment and I’m sure I’m bound to feel nervous the closer I get to it. There are a couple of tiny things I wish to accomplish before I enlist. I will try my best to use my time productively while still allocating time for lazing around and doing nothing. It’s going to be just fine. I’ll be just fine.

“The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety.”

– Deepak Chopra

Until next time,

PEACE OUT.

 

Checkpoint

I’ve been on holiday for three weeks and I’m left with three more. As something like a checkpoint, I decided to return to write another blog post, right before March ends and also right before I head off for a camp. Can you believe that a quarter of 2015 is nearly over?

The past couple of weeks have been really packed with activities and I don’t know how to feel about that. Part of me feels happy that I have things going on but the other part of me just wants to laze at home, binge-watching TV shows and movies.

The first week of the holidays was pretty dull. I had two compulsory workshops, three days straight. I didn’t really enjoy the workshops but I’m glad they’re over. I’m not saying that the workshop didn’t help me but I think that the main take-away from the workshop for me, was to practice and so the rest of it felt a little redundant. On the first day of the workshop, when the instructor was waiting for everyone to settle down, I felt so out of place because everybody around me was sitting with their friends and there I was sitting alone. But a few minutes later, Viena walked in and I felt ‘saved’. It was nice and comforting having a familiar face around.

Really wouldn’t have survived without Viena.

Later that week, I also met up with Shaf, Jamie and Chels for some dessert at Coldstone Creamery and some window shopping around town too. It was nice reflecting on the past school year and speculating what’s to come.

It had been so long since I last had Coldstone! I also needed a reward for getting through the rough semester.

Do you like my hat?

The place where this picture was taken has great lighting, doesn’t it?

Do you like our caps?

The second week I had to go down to school one day to attend to some CASS Club matters. I had to collate all the paper work that I had done as the secretary and hand it up. It wasn’t too much work since I already had everything neatly organised on my laptop. The club president, Raf, helped me print everything and so I didn’t have that much work left to do.

Raf said that I look good here. Hmmm…

I initially thought Raf was taking the selfie with her phone but I soon realised she was using my phone.

Two days later, I attended the taping of the Asia’s Got Talent semi-finals. Before the taping, I met up with Chels for lunch. The plan was to use Google maps to locate a Pastamania near Suntec City (near Temasek Boulevard, to be exact) but in the end we couldn’t find it. So, we settled for The Manhattan Fish Market. During the taping, we unfortunately couldn’t take any pictures. The talents were entertaining and the judges were great too. It was a fun experience and definitely a step-up from the other game show tapings that I had attended.

The next day, I met up with Sydi and Azfar in town cause they had some shopping to do. I actually found a denim shirt that fit me perfectly at H&M (and it was on sale too!). But I realised that it didn’t go with any of the bottoms that I owned so… I had to pass on it.

I was twirling in this capey-hoodie-coat thingy.

Oh, here’s a rare picture where they aren’t making silly faces.

And finally on Friday, it was the DTVM Awards which is the graduation show for my course, Creative Writing for TV & New Media (DTVM). The previous week when I met up with the girls, I was asking them for opinions on my outfit options. I really didn’t want to buy anything new for the event so it was just a lot of mixing and matching what i already owned. After dozens of combinations, I sent them two options and they all agreed on one outfit so I didn’t worry too much about what I was going to wear after that.

Here’s the chosen outfit… I love this picture!

The event went well as far as I’m concerned. The performance my class put up – which was actually just a simple game of charades – went smoothly. I will admit that because there were so many things going on around me and in my head, I was a little stressed out from thinking too much. But by the end of the night, it was just sad that the night marked the end of the seniors’ journey in DTVM. I’m so glad I actually got to know the seniors. They are friendly and talented and supportive. I was not exaggerating when I tweeted that I believe they have bigger and better things coming their way. And of course, the night also reminded me that I only have a year left with my classmates and so I do want to make the most of it.

DTVM Year 2 01 ❤

My busy week didn’t end there though. I met up with An, Shaf and Jamie on Saturday to bake scones! It was an interesting experience to say the least. We also watched Birdman which was not my cup of tea, at all. When Jamie described the premise in her movie review, I was really interested in watching the movie. But although the movie was shot by talented cameramen in a very creative way, I didn’t really appreciate the creativity. I just wanted to watch a ‘normal’ movie, if that makes sense?

They look good, don’t they?

As you can see, while they were busy working, I was busy taking pictures.

Jamie hard at work.

A very ‘artistic’ shot taken by Jamie.

The third week has been another busy week. I had some freshmen orientation camp stuff to attend to on Monday and Wednesday. I expected a lot of chaos but it turned out pretty fun which is also how I think the actual camp would turn out. It’s all about who you surround yourself with, I believe.

I got to dress up in this outfit for the filming of a teaser for the camp. I love this picture!

On Thursday, I met up with the girls again but this time, to cook. We had done this ‘cooking’ thing before so I was pretty confident it will turn out good. I don’t even know the name of what we made but what I do know is that it tasted good. I preferred what we made the previous time though. Anyway, we caught a bit of the new cycle of Asia’s Next Top Model on TV while we were eating. We all agreed it was missing something. The show was pretty dull. Later, we watched a bit of Dance Moms before switching off the TV to just talk. Let me just say that, yes, I was surprised that we watched parts of two reality shows in one day. Who would have thought, right? Now, if only we could marathon entire episodes of some other reality shows I watched but I know, I know, I won’t get my hopes up. (I can already picture Chels rolling her eyes as she reads this) In the late evening, we left Jamie’s place and headed home.

Believe it or not, this was just the first part of our meals.

On Friday, I headed to school to meet Azfar and Sydi. We like to make use of school facilities such as the board games and game consoles at the library and the bowling alley when no one else does. It was honestly so much fun playing Cluedo. We played a couple of rounds and with the exception of the first round (which I won because Azfar revealed something after he lost), we all made the wrong accusation and died in the other rounds. It was also pretty cool dancing terribly to songs on Dance Central. The best part is that I didn’t have to worry about them recording my terrible dancing too. After that we headed to the bowling alley and I did not suck that badly this time. Sydi still won though. We wrapped up the night with dinner at Burger Up, dessert at McDonald’s and a couple of games at Timezone. It was a great day overall. I still feel like playing Cluedo now.

We played Fifa for a while. I tried really hard to get a red card when it was my turn and I did.

I can’t wait to play this game again.

Another rare picture of them not making silly faces!

Three weeks have gone by and I’m left with another three. The first remaining week of my holidays will be burnt by the Freshmen Orientation Camp that I’m involved in. Like I mentioned at the start of this post, it starts tomorrow and I will actually be heading out tomorrow morning. I’m hoping that I will be able to worry less and have fun more. I’ll give an update when I get back, hopefully!

Until then,

PEACE OUT.

Obligatory Post About 2014

“Remind me of the good and all the bad (I know, I know)
Remind me of everything that we had (I know, I know)
Right now it’s so clear
This year has been the best and the worst year
I hear it’s all uphill from here
This year has been the best and the worst year
I hear it’s all uphill from here”

– Cooper (This Year)

Happy New Year to everyone reading this. The lyrics above describe my sentiments pretty well. A few months ago, I was asking Shaf if “I hear it’s all uphill from here” meant that things are going to get better or if things are going to get tougher. And she told me that she believes it’s both. That makes sense, doesn’t it? I strongly urge you to listen to this song and reflect on 2014.

 

Anyway, before speculating about 2015, I should look back and say that 2014 has been a great year. There were the ups and downs like any other year. But what I think was different about this year is that I understood my thoughts, feelings and emotions a lot better and I also got a better grasp of what kind of person I am. Now, I’m not saying I have everything figured out. What I’m saying is that it’s the clearest things have been over the past couple of years and so I’m definitely glad for that.

Some highlights of 2014 are… the trip to Japan. I never thought I would be getting on a plane anytime soon. I attended two camps, back-to-back and I am not a huge fan of camps. Three cousins got married. Me and my brother have been crossing paths and talking more. Mum watching some of my reality shows with me. I still managed to keep in contact and hang out with the three friends that matter from secondary school. (And I hope to continue doing that for years to come.)  I finally got to dress up as “A” from Pretty Little Liars. Shaf and I continued making Youtube videos for all of us to look back at in a few years time. The DTVM Hacker. *breathes*

Meeting Chelsea’s children, Rainee and Eden. Seeing Shantel perform at SDZ Waves 19. We had a successful class chalet. Taking plenty of selfies with Jamie (in one day) and surviving the LEAP camp with her. Jesleen’s red hair and her unique actions and sayings. D&D-ing with the Kavengers and KX. Shopping with Dalene. Completing assignments ASAP with Alicia. Having more than just one other person that watches Survivor, The Amazing Race, Big Brother and Top Model around me. Attending the Asia TV Forum with Hus where I got to meet a Power Ranger. Blogging #LetterByLetter with the fellow bloggers in my class. And of course disturbing everyone around me. The train rides home after a long day. The many hugs. And lastly the many meals together.

Throughout the past 365 days, I am proud of myself for keeping my cool in stressful and frustrating situations (most of the time). With the memory of a few cliche motivational quotes and sayings, a couple of breakdowns and plenty of solo sob sessions, I managed to get through the year. And of course, I must also give credit to the great people I have around me – to vent to, seek advice from and for a laugh. So, I guess, I really want to keep that up in 2015.

I am also proud of myself for coming out of my shell. For those who think that I have always been that ‘outgoing’ well obviously you weren’t around a few years ago. My overthinking and worry wart tendencies, tend to hold me back sometimes. And I definitely want to break out of my shell more or at least continue doing what I am doing if you think that I am already out of my shell.

There are obviously some things I am not too proud of. They generally involve irrational feelings and emotions and a lack of focus on the right things. These are the things that I think I could work on for 2015.

I really want to spend more time with family instead of sitting in my room all the time. And one solution to that is basically finding TV shows that I don’t mind watching on the television so that I spend more time in the living room.

I also need to focus on the right stuff when it comes to school. In other words, no distractions. All I need is to continue having good people around me and the motivation to power through all the assignments.

I’m sure there are more things that I need to work on but that’s about all I can think of at this hour. Here’s to a whole new crazy, exciting and beautiful year ahead.

Until next time,

PEACE OUT.

Always Changing

I recently turned 18 but I don’t exactly feel any different. However, I can’t say the same for the things around me. Things have been changing lately. And I would like to think that they are changing for the better. 

Before I start, I just want to thank the friends that put in time, energy and money into celebrating my birthday. All I wanted was a simple dinner and I got that along with a couple of surprises here and there. So, it’s definitely been great.

Next, let me talk about the things around me changing. This might be the first time in a long time that a ‘change’ is turning out to be a good thing. And this is probably because it’s going back to the way it used to be. Not all the way there yet but baby steps, right? I’m not going to get my hopes up though because that has always proven to turn out bad. I know that just like how things are changing for the better that they could just as quickly do the opposite. With that being said, there are also some ‘not-so-good’ changes. It feels like I’m growing distant from someone I once felt a lot closer to. But hey, I swear I’m not complaining or trying to be sappy. It’s all still good. I have just noticed some changes which helped me prove my point… To myself. 

In a completely different topic, there has been a little something brewing with me. And the big question is, “Does it all mean anything at all?” Being me, I have been asking around for opinions only to end up strengthening my inner conflict. I’m telling myself not to make much of it because a couple of months from now, I’m probably going to look back and feel like a complete fool. That’s also why I don’t want to write too much about that as the people around me already know what I am talking about and that’s enough for me. I’m just mentioning it in this post anyway because it always helps to get what I’m feeling out there in words (even if it is cryptic). However, just to sum things up, let me just say that I’ve made an effort and in fact maybe too much of an effort. The ball (if there is even one to begin with), is no longer in my court. What am I referring to? You can continue guessing.

Actually, thinking about it, it isn’t exactly a completely different topic from what was in the previous paragraph. Why? Because this is one of the first few times this inner conflict feels real and that’s definitely a change from the usual superficial ones. 

So much has changed over the past year. Who knows what is still to come? 

PEACE OUT. 

 

(Ouch!) Did Those Slaps Hurt?

I’ve been meaning to blog for the longest time but two things have been stopping me. Firstly, I had and still have a lot of things to do. I hate to admit it, but procrastination is becoming a friend and I really want to kill that bitch. Secondly, every time I think about writing a blog post, I think about how I’m going to phrase everything I have to say and then… It just puts me off. There’s so much going on in my head. So, let me try to get it out there the best way I know how.

I would really love to blog a whole post about Japan. I initially had plans to describe everything I saw, all the places I visited and really go in-depth. But like I said I just don’t have the time so I’m gonna have to sum it all up in these couple of paragraphs.

Japan was awesome for many reasons. Of course there’s the obvious reason that it was a trip that I got to go on with my friends and we got to bond. Like all events, it also brought on an opportunity for me to make new friends and I sure as hell did. There were also quite a number of interesting events that occurred to the best of us. From oversleeping and causing panic to tearful phobias to the classic lost item feat. The lost item feat was something that happened to me on the last day as well, when I ‘lost’ my passport. I emptied my backpack but it wasn’t there. I walked out to check my luggage already thinking about how I’m going to find it when I had to squeeze my luggage shut. But luckily, Shafna ran out and said that she found my passport in my bag. Yes, I know what you’re thinking but I really did empty my bag. How could I have missed it right? I was just relieved that my passport had been found.

Anyway, there was this amazing home stay with the Sumiyoshi family. They went out of their way for me and my home stay partner, Colin. On the last night of the home stay, we played with fire crackers which reminded me of Deepavali. It was something my cousins and I would play with but now that everyone is older, it’s just not the same anymore. My point is that it reminded me of the good times. Funny how I had to go all the way to Japan to be reminded of those times. At least I got to recreate them and I’m really appreciative of everything the family has done for me and Colin. So, that’s a wrap on Japan. For pictures, you can check the Instagram side bar below.

Now, I should move on to the things that have been bothering me. As you can tell from the title of this post, I’ve been receiving many slaps to the face lately. Not literally. Well, maybe one literal one. I believe I’ve gotten over that one. It was from a good friend of mine and I’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t EVER do it again. But I never expected the metaphorical slaps to the face to be the ones that hurt the most. And on top of that, they are all from the same person.

I’ve come to realise that I suck at giving advice cause of my lack in experience and that I just “don’t know what to say”. “You’re there to listen, she’s there to advice,” is what I’ve been told. Isn’t it true, though? Which is why, I’m just going to listen and not say much from now on. That’s all I seem to be good for anyway. Other than for updates and information on assignments and homework, what else do I bring to table?

Hint: It starts with a ‘no’ and ends with ‘thing’.

All that… From one person and damn, it hurts. I’m not saying that everything mentioned above was what was said. Just the quoted parts and rest was my own inference. I guess that’s the problem that comes with wearing your heart on your sleeve. You get too attached to people that never wanted you attached to them in the first place. And being there for someone that doesn’t want you to be there for them is one of the most hurtful things you can experience, in my opinion.

I honestly feel better to have gotten everything out there. Here’s to hoping for a better tomorrow,

PEACE OUT.

Remember That Thought… ?

It’s been two weeks since I lasted posted a Daily Life post. So, here we go.

It’s only the third week of the second school year but I already feel the stress taking a toll on me physically. It’s like I just can’t seem to get enough sleep. Even the shorter school days tire me out. And trust me, it’s not going to be too long before I start feeling the emotional stress too. Obviously, most of this stress is coming from school. If you were to represent the amount of free time I have each day on a graph, it would be a line that is constantly going down. That’s because all the assignments are piling up and I’ve also got other school-related commitments and responsibilities to take care of. Now, maybe I haven’t been making the most of my time. I’m not too sure. But I’m trying my best… By making to-do lists and mentally planning the day or week in my head.

Some examples of school-related commitments would be, debate club and astronomer’s because I wanted co-curricular activities to make my portfolio look better. I chose these two CCAs out of everything, only because I had friends in them to ease me in. I also felt a little peer pressure from them. I’m not too sure if I’ll be staying in both the CCAs. I think I will.

If you asked for a quick recap of the past two weeks, I had my first official interview during a in-class activity with a toddler, signed up for a couple of CCAs(as I mentioned above),  visited a grandparent that I haven’t been on the best terms with(it went well this time), attended a day-camp(and was thankful it rained so there were no high elements), have lunch with my family(after a really long time) and all the usual stuff like catch up on my favourite reality shows and sitcoms.

Now, everything beyond this point, is the inspiration for the title of this post. It’s pretty self-explanatory when you read it. It’s not a sob-story nor am I throwing myself a pity party. I just needed to reflect and get it out of my system. And what better way to than to thoughtfully construct a blog post.

Today, I got reminded of something that I used to believe strongly last year. It was just this theory that by the end of the three years at this school, I would only be left with two classmates that consider me a friend because the others would have had enough of me and left. Enough of my jokes, bosh and everything else. So, I strongly believed that and I also knew who those two people would be and I still do. I remember blogging about it too. However, this belief or thought had been absent for the past couple of months. Until today of course… It has officially resurfaced. And I blame myself, honestly. It was just a joke I played that turned into something serious and now here I am, overthinking. If the victim is reading this, I apologise once again. I guess I just feel guilty and so that’s why it’s bothering me.

So while I’m at it, why not also mention that I feel like the number of people I can go to when I have something good to share has been decreasing. I really don’t mean to diss anyone by saying so but that’s just what I think. Now, we all know that there are three kinds of people in your life. The people that you like to work with, the people that you love to hang out with and lastly the people that you can confide in. Some people are in more categories than one and some to their own joy, are in none at all. So, I guess by saying this, the category I’m referring to is the ‘confide’ category. Because sometimes when you’ve got some good news, you know that not everyone is going to be happy for you. But as far as I’m concerned, the people that I trust to be happy for me are the people that I can confide in. So, it’s a huge blow when that’s not the case or when there aren’t many people in that category to begin with.

Oh well, that’s actually all I have to say.

Until next time,

PEACE OUT.

Making The Most of It

The first week of the second school year is coming to a close and I’m here to reflect on the week’s events. Trust me when I say that I’ve made the most of the week. Sure, I still did spend the weekend at home catching up on TV shows but I spent the weekdays having fun with my friends in and out of school. That should balance it out, right?

Monday

School started at 8am. Unlike most people, I was pretty excited to see my classmates and friends again. It was a journalism class and it made me feel a little stupid. I wasn’t aware of most of the world or local issues that were discussed. My excuse would be, I’m an entertainment news kinda guy. I dream of working as a news reporter or journalist for E!. Regardless, I know I need to read up. Not just for my grades but also for my own general knowledge. Now, the journalism class wasn’t the only lesson that day. We had a one hour break before the second lesson which was on ‘Research & Interview Techniques’. Since we’ll be travelling out of school for most of our lessons under this module, I think it’ll be enjoyable. The lecturer mentioned that she had worked at MTV before and that is so cool. Who wouldn’t want to interview celebrities and work around music, right?!? The day ended almost perfectly but there was a little hiccup. It’s really not worth mentioning though.

Tuesday

Today, we had another 8am lesson but it’s the only day we end early in the school week. I was prepared to reach home early in the afternoon and rest since I didn’t have any plans after school. But a couple of friends decided to have lunch together and I tagged along. I was on a diet but that day was the only exception! Or maybe one of two days. This day was fun because of the lunch at The Manhattan Fish Market. It was not the usual crowd and so it was nice to be in a assorted group of classmates too. We just walked around for a bit but we couldn’t find a proper place to just sit down and chill. So, some of us ended up returning to school for after-school classes while the rest, including myself, returned home. This day ended with a hiccup too and it was similar to the one of the previous day. But I got over it after a sort of therapy session with one of my closest friends from secondary school via text about something else that was bothering me. And he has no idea how much he helped by just giving me a platform to go unfiltered. So, if you’re reading this, thanks!

Wednesday

My class started at 1pm but the rest of the class had their lesson at 8am. So we used the time in-between to gather and play a game of FURT at the school’s main library. I believe I’ve mentioned this game before but if you have no idea what it is, then just google it. It was absolutely fun and I didn’t regret waking up earlier just to meet them. We wrapped the game up around 11.45am to get in line to buy Starbucks. Wednesdays are one-for-one at Starbucks at my school. This was the first time that we didn’t have a lesson when the promotion starts at 12pm. So yes, we or at least I made the most of it. I tried the Caramel Ribbon Crunch which was really sweet, just the way I like it. I do plan on getting Starbucks almost every Wednesday. Hopefully my classmates are up for it too! After that, we just sat around waiting for the people who start their class at 1pm to leave(a.k.a me and one other person). I should mention that the group had shrunk from when we left the library. Some people left for home and others had other things they had to do. So, when I left, the group was already really small.

The lesson was pretty interesting because I put what was being taught into a reality TV context. After the lesson though I had to attend a briefing. And after the briefing, one of my friends had to go see one of the lecturers. So, I tagged along with another friend. We spoke to not one but two lecturers and it was really cool and nice how the lecturers took the time to talk to us casually. A huge contrast from secondary school where it’s all about the lessons, homework or tests. The train ride back home with the two of them was also one of the best ones in a long time. Wednesday was a really great day. I got to spend different parts of the day with different people. #LovedIt

Thursday

Yet another day where class starts in the afternoon. This time, at 2pm. I still met my classmates early at around 11.30am. This time lesser people showed up and most of them were late. But we still did have fun, once again with a game of FURT. We left to have lunch at around 12.50pm. This was another occasion where I coincidentally forgot about my diet. Later, we attend the class on psychology which I thought was interesting. So, time passed quickly and class ended. I was supposed to stay back with a friend but decided to pass. I felt really bad but I felt worse when I heard about what I missed out on by not staying back. #Sigh. Oh well, the train ride back home was still fun. Crowded but fun. 

Friday

Class started at 10 am and it was a SEVEN-HOUR class. Yup! I mean we have had a seven-hour class the previous semester but that one involved us going out of class and filming videos and then returning to edit them for about half the duration of the class. This one however involved more of in-class work because it was scriptwriting. I’m not complaining though, it’s challenging and fun at the same time. I just hate having to think on the spot and so I feel like a burden to my scriptwriting partner when I can’t come up with something creative. Oh well. After the previous day, I was determined to stay back with the friend today. My scriptwriting partner and the ‘friend’ are the same person by the way. However, I was supposed to meet some friends for a sleepover later that night. So, I once again passed, feeling even guiltier this time. She did say it was cool so I hope we’re cool!

The sleepover was an interesting and funny experience. We’ve had a sleepover before but that was different because it was filled with role-playing games. This time, we spent the night karaoke-ing on KaraokeParty.com and we all took turns chatting with strangers on Omegle. The Omegle experience was HILARIOUS. I can’t even explain why. It’s one of those,”You should have been there” moments. We also played drinking games which ended pretty quickly. I’m not exactly sure if I got tipsy. However, I was described as, “A more annoying version” of myself, when I’m drunk. Oh well, we left at around 6am in the morning. I came home, took a shower and went straight to sleep. This sleepover has left me wanting to have my friends over at my place. Something that I’m not used to doing. I should look into it though!

The Weekend

Like I mentioned at the start of this post, I spent my weekend at home catching up on all my TV shows. So, that’s pretty much it for this section.

As you can tell, I’ve been trying to focus on the positives instead of the petty things lately. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any petty issues though. So, let’s just hope that I can keep my composure over the next few weeks so I can focus on the right things. Until next time,

PEACE OUT.

#LetterByLetter: M

#LetterByLetter is something that me and my classmates who blog are doing during the holidays. We will go down the alphabet, one for each post and write what each letter means to us. It can be something symbolic or just a word that starts with that letter. The objective is to be active on our blogs and also to see who can finish all the letters first. This is the 13th post in the series. HALFWAY POINT. But the holidays are already close to ending. #Damn.

‘M’ is for MIKA. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love Mika for various reasons. His style, his story, his songs and the list goes on and on. He is relatable and inspiring. I only became a fan early last year and that’s because I started understanding his songs. Back in secondary school, I came across some of his songs but I didn’t make much of them. However, now it’s different. So, I’m going to dedicate this post to some of my most favourite Mika song lyrics and quotes.

Let’s start with my favourite Mika song, Emily. I listened to this on repeat the day I discovered it. Why don’t you give it a listen too?

“Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?”

– Mika (Emily)

Not trying to be pretentious by quoting something French. I did have to use google to translate what it meant. It translated to, “Why do you waste your life?” which really made me think about it. Why do I overthink and worry so much?  I’ve introduced this song only to a handful of people because this song is something special to me. So far, both my cousins and a friend have told me that they love the song too. So, now I thought why not introduce it to everyone reading my blog too?

The next song is another one of my favourites! It’s a song that tells you everything will be okay and to just CELEBRATE!

“Once I get up I feel better.
Then I pull myself together.
I remember those two letters.
It will be OK.”

– Mika (Celebrate)

Once again, I love this song because of the meaning behind it. Especially since I worry so much, I love any song that tells me it’ll all be okay. It doesn’t hurt that Mika looks amazing in the video too. *wink*

The next set of lyrics might be hard to understand or relate to. I loved the song and then I realised that it was in reference to your conscience. At least, that’s what I think. Because sometimes your conscience weighs you down.

“There’s a one foot boy eleven stone. 
He’s sitting on my shoulder .
I’m too scared to look away, 
He comes here almost everyday. 
And everyday I push him off and tell him boy we’re over.”

– Mika (One Foot Boy)

Up next, it’s lyrics about changing your perspective on life. We all think we have it bad, but there’s almost always someone who has it worse. So, keep that in mind the next time you complain that your life is hard.

“So I was sitting there in the bar and this guy comes up to me and he said “My life stinks” and I saw his gold credit card and I saw the way he was looking at people across the room and I looked at his face and you know, what a good looking face, and I just said, “Dude, your perspective on life sucks”.

– Mika (Blame it on the Girls)

I’ve only got two more quotes so hang in there! Here’s something simple that I think should be on a T-shirt or a cup.

“Don’t let the stars get you down.
Don’t let the waves let you drown.”

– Mika (Billy Brown)

Lastly, I’ve got a quote from one interview Mika did. I actually wrote down three quotes and I’ve already posted two of them as quotes in the past. You can find them if you look through the quotes category. So, I’ll post the last one. I can relate to this because I’m a writer and sometimes we get stuck. This reminds me that it’s normal.

“It was like, there we go, I’m writing and I don’t know how it’s happening and that’s the secret. Because most of the time, you write when you’re trying to make something happen but when it’s really good you don’t know how the fuck it’s happening.”

– Mika

These are just some Mika quotes I can relate to. There are definitely plenty more but I just wrote those that came to my mind. I was also getting lazy halfway through. With that, I hope this post has made you a fan of Mika. If not, I’m still glad you read the post anyway. Until next time,

PEACE OUT.

#LetterByLetter: L

From Left to Right

Top Row: Me,Wyman, Jason, Deswanto, Rozana & Benjamin.

Bottom Row: Jamie, Lauren, Viena, LeJing, YuXue, Htet & Tiffany.

#LetterByLetter is something that me and my classmates who blog are doing during the holidays. We will go down the alphabet, one for each post and write what each letter means to us. It can be something symbolic or just a word that starts with that letter. The objective is to be active on our blogs and also to see who can finish all the letters first. This is the twelfth post in the series.

For this letter, I’ll be talking about my experience during the LEAP camp. It was definitely an interesting journey which helped us become better leaders. I came up with tons of reality TV references throughout the camp. Just ask Jamie. Here’s my summary of each day.

Day 1: CHECKING IN & CHALLENGES. I must say it wasn’t the best day. I was nervous as always. And carrying a sleeping bag, day pack and luggage bag only made me feel more tense. The only thing that comforted me was knowing that I had three people I already knew quite well in my camp team. And I was just planning on sticking with them throughout the duration of the camp. On the bus, it felt like we were on Top Model. You know, the finalists making their way to the Top Model house and settling into their rooms. Just that in this situation it was a campsite and we settled into our tents.

Now let me mention the activities. We had the general team-bonding activities. Started off with team name and ground rules. Our team name was, OMEGA. Then we had this, ‘arrange the cards on the floor while blindfolded’ activity which my team lost. After that was a three-way Tug of War. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to play one of these. But the odds were just not in my team’s favour. The other teams had big guys while mine had average-sized guys just like me. However, the purpose of the challenge was to show that we needed commitment and that it wasn’t about the strength or strategy. We came in second in that challenge, somehow. The third activity was some desert survival role-playing game which we lost in as well. Oh well, isn’t that a rough first day?

Day 2: RANKINGS & KAYAKING. One of the first few activities for the day was us ranking the top and bottom three leaders on our respective teams. Now, you can’t possibly tell me that’s such a reality TV thing that producers would do to create drama, right? It was really hard because none of us wanted to hurt each others’ feelings. But it was only for us to help each other by being honest. So, when we revealed our choices, there were some tears. Oh well, we were given a chance to bond after by cwriting notes for everyone in our team and sticking it onto each of our individual posters(which just had our name on it). We were only given some time for this, so we could only write about two to three notes. We were asked to write the rest during our free time.

The next interesting activity was kayaking. I was excited and nervous. I can’t swim and I didn’t trust the life jacket too much. You know that activity they do where they ask you to hold hands and form a circle. And then the circle will slowly move down into the water and raise both feet so that we float? Yeah… That one! I was prepared to be asked to do that. And we were. The last time this happened, I only dared to raise one foot. This time though, I managed to raise both and float and yes, it might be a small thing but I was really proud of myself . After that we got into our kayaks and practiced for the challenge.

The challenge was tough. You had the informers who would have to study a image and give information, the messengers who would receive and pass on the information and the architects who would receive the information from the messengers and draw the figure accordingly. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, the messengers were those in the kayaks and the other two would be on two different sides of the lake. Yup. I was lucky to be informer and not a messenger because I wouldn’t have been able to decipher what the informers were trying to tell me. Regardless, this was the FIRST challenge that my team won! YAY! It really helped boost our confidence. Anyway, it was just like a Survivor challenge too! I loved it.

Day 3: TREKKING & CAMPFIRE. I was excited for trekking as soon as I saw it on the camp schedule. Now, I’ve never been trekking but it seemed like a fun team-bonding activity. I pictured my team singing, laughing and talking as we made our way through the jungle or forest or whatever you call it. And I was half correct. We managed to stay enthusiastic by singing and cheering whenever possible but the trek was more tiring than I expected. From climbing over large tree logs to looking out for leeches and thorns, it was exhausting. We even got into the cold and muddy water which was thigh deep at times. Regardless, I’m not even complaining about it being tiring because it totally reminded me of Survivor. However, I will complain that it was really warm, that when we ended the trek, I poured my leftover water over my head. I tried getting my teammates to join me but they didn’t. Oh well.

For the campfire, each team had to come up with a performance because the entertainment was up to the campers and not the facilitators. So, representatives from each team planned the campfire activities together. As for my team, we rehearsed our performance which was a mash-up of a couple of songs that represented our journey throughout the camp. I was pretty excited! When it was time for the campfire I just let loose and had fun. Shouting out randomly, cheering and even jumping and skipping around closer to the end. After the campfire, it was free and easy but everyone decided to spend the time with their respective teams which was totally understandable. This led to one of the most emotional heart-to-heart sessions ever. Everyone opened up and so did I. I kept my tears in but I couldn’t hold them in closer to the end. So, I started to tear but I don’t think anyone noticed. It really made me respect everyone around me because we all had our own issues. And everyone was brave enough to open up.

Day 4: FINAL REFLECTION & HOME SWEET HOME. We had yet another emotional heart-to-heart session. And of course there were tears. This time, I tried to keep the morale up and was all positive with what I had to say. Don’t get me wrong, I was still very sincere and honest with what I said. After that it was lunch and we got our phones back. So, everyone started taking photos. Okay not everyone, but I and a few other team mates started taking selfies with everyone on the team. On the bus ride home, it was another karaoke session just without the screen and lyrics but rather just the lyrics based off our memory. And when we finally returned to school, we were all glad it’s over.

I’m so glad I didn’t pull out of the camp. I hate camps. So, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy myself. But I sure did. Mostly because of the team. Omega was always the first when it comes to eating, showering and sleeping. I knew I could trust them when it was time to open up and they were also ready to have compete during challenges. Other times, we would just talk and laugh and have fun. I’m so glad I met these people. I can’t see myself in any of the other two teams. Yes, our team might have been the smallest. And yes, we might have started off  on the wrong foot. But we managed to bring out the best versions of ourselves and each other closer to the end of the camp and I’ll forever be thankful for this experience. Thanks Omega!

I know it’s been a long post. So until next time,

PEACE OUT.

#Mixology: “Whether we like it…

“Whether we like it or not, we all compete with each other. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Sometimes we push each other to do better. But usually the biggest victory is when we don’t compete at all.”

– Bruce (Mixology)

Yet another quote from the same character from the same show. Love how he gets to say those wise words at the end of the episodes. I was skeptical about Mixology at first but now I’m officially a fan. Anyway, I just felt that this was something to think about. Being able to be happy for others and thinking win-win may not be the easiest nor the most popular option but it should be.