Finally managed to catch New Moon this morning with Shili :D A bit of a disappointment cos I thought it'd be way more exciting & everything. The general consensus after the movie was it's ok to miss the middle; you just need to watch the beginning & end. Just before going into the theatre, we met Chan, Roopali & Chan's brother. It was quite an amusing coincidence as I was with Shili & her brother too! & we were all watching the movie, same theatre, same timing.

Anyhow, band grad night is tomorrow! I've been trying to pack for camp which is also tomorrow, starting at 9am. If I had been smarter, I would have started earlier since it appears that I might not have enough clothes.. In any case, I don't envy my sister. Her A's just ended today, she's not coming back 'til late, & hasn't started packing yet.

Random Ramblings

Wow it's December & I'm really tired even though it's barely afternoon. Yeah I think I get even busier during the holidays.. Anyway. Caught An Education two days ago with S. Even though it seems so unknown and everything, it was pretty nice. Very French in some ways. Makes me wna learn French, which I hope I can. Actually, I think the movie was quite good cos it really brought out the idea of education.

Had violin lessons & band ytd. Who knew that Spring by Vivaldi could be so difficult ._. Honestly, it sounds so simple & easy but trust me. It's not. I'm amazed that I managed to last from 3 to 930 (with a 630 to 8pm break). Alumni band is not as scary as I thought it would be.. Maybe because none of the trumpet seniors came back so it was like just, S, Su & me. I'm slowly catching up with main band (The Saints' Hallelujah, like Spring, is deceptively hard). I've discovered that my fingers are a bit retarded, unfortunately.

I think I'll go to the library later. I have a tendency to do so on my one-free-day-per-week. When I have not agreed to go out with anyone or have anything else on other than the morning/night.. Yeah I end up making a date with the library to borrow more serious books that I want to read, but would not be willing to buy.

Directions & Maps

I spent the afternoon in a sort-of retreat with the girls in my batch at this park at Mount Rosie. It was sort of just off Chancery Lane & I was rather surprised because I'd never known it was there.. Anyway. I think I must have received about 20 mosquito bites. That aside, I had a good time (:

That didn't continue to be the case however, after I left. As usual, I had to leave first & find my way out. Part I wasn't that difficult. From Mount Rosie, I managed to find my way out to Chancery Lane. Glad that I was somewhere familiar, I happily trundled off without thinking. It was only after walking for awhile that I suddenly realised that I was walking towards ACS(B) Junior. Wrong direction. Felt like tearing my hair out in frustration. Also, my slippers weren't quite up to par. So I ended up walking barefoot all the way out of Chancery Lane.

Drama practice on Saturday was quite fun + funny. Having Gladys around was a refreshing change from the usual faces & I think she needs to switch off her conscience during drama haha.
She was having some difficulty getting into character - businesswoman, can't be bothered with her daughter disturbing her & so ends up being mean. (Reminds me of Coraline)

Gladys: I know where I need to be but I don't know how to get there!
Kris: It's ok. I have a map (:

I am so disappointed in myself. When I saw that letter on my bed, I didn't even want to open it. I felt like just tossing it into the bin.. But I didn't. It's just so terrible. I just can't help seeing results as so important, even now. It's just me I guess. Now I really know. I am the culprit. Me. I'm the one who pushes myself the hardest to achieve, & I get the most disappointed in myself when I don't. Humanities Challenge all over again.

This is what crushing disappointment feels like. It cancels out everything else that happened that day, good or bad. And you just feel like curling up in bed & not doing anything. You don't feel like talking & you can't stop thinking about why you managed to disappoint yourself. Times like these, you wish you didn't exist.

Up for Grabs

I just packed off my Sec One stuff & I couldn't resist looking through them to see.. I found out some pretty interesting & funny things. In one Integrated Humanities (IH) worksheet, I think we were supposed to reflect on some educational inter-group competition played within our class, involving macaroni. There was one section where we were supposed to write down our observations & I wrote : "Due to Bethany's screaming, thus she lost some of her macaroni which disadvantaged her team." I couldn't help laughing when I saw that. Aside from the bad sentence structure, that seems to completely encapsulate Bethany in Sec One. It's classic. Let me explain. Bethany screaming (in Sec One) was a common thing to hear and it's just so typical of her to scream because she thought that it might disadvantage the opposing teams when it came to sports.

So anyway, since I'm packing.. I've decided to find new owners for my school stuff. So does anyone want? (:
1. A well-annotated & highlighted text of A Midsummers' Night Dream
2. To Kill A Mockingbird (the plain black version)
3. Mining for Meaning
4. Pure Chemistry Insights textbook (with a lot of notes)
5. Pure Chemistry Tys (topic by topic)
6. Pure Chemistry Tys (paper by paper)
7. Pure Chemistry Guidebook
8. Sec 3&4 Social Studies textbooks
9. Many Social Studies notes including linking for Structured Essays
10. Higher Chinese textbooks + workbooks for Sec 4 & Sec 3 (almost untouched condition)
11. Higher Chinese assessment books (I think) & guidebooks (near perfect condition)
12. English assessment books for Vocabulary (I think) & Comprehension (almost perfect condition)
13. English Tys
14. Emath + Amath assessment books (half done kind)
15. Emath + Amath topic by topic Tyses (almost perfect condition)
16. New Syllabus Amath Workbook (Shinglee)
17. Pure Physics Tys (Topic by topic)
18. Pure Physics guidebooks & assessment books (some topics may be out of syllabus but most are still in)

I may have more to add later on.. Please tell me if you want any of the 18 items above (:

[edit]
Cancelled = no longer available

Frustrations of Book-finding

I am so perplexed. I have been trying to find the story "Theatre des Marionettes" by Maggie Tan because the extract was in my Lit unseen textbook & it seemed so intriguing.. Here's what I have found out so far though. It was a short story written by an 18-year-old Singaporean, & won a UK writing competition. The story was published in Silverfish New Writing 5 by Silverfish books in 2005, but the book doesn't seem to exist in the libraries of Singapore. How can this be? :/

On the plus side, I learnt how to play pool today, together with Ellie. As usual, as with something new, I got hooked onto it cos I wanted to improve on my non-existent pool skills.

The Innocence of Attention-Seeking

Anyone wna go for laser quest at $8? Tell me, asap :)

There is an amateur "casual" violin concert happening at my house 271109, where I have been eagerly volunteered by my mother to be the pianist to accompany the young performers. As such, I have been invariably made to suffer. First, to transpose the accompanying score to "Jingle Bells" to another key, then having to practise it on a regular basis to be up to my mother's exacting standards. Admittedly though, watching my young little brother practice for his part in the concert has been amusing. There's no one more dramatic than him, really. All of five years but he has enough drama-mama-ness in him to fit into someone decades older than him. Of course, he loves the attention too.

Isobel came over to my house today to bake Lemon Tarts (receipe courtesy of SMSS Cookbook, contributed by Sindhya) which turned out quite well. They don't look very appetising, but they taste not too bad. A little too sweet though, but all in all, quite nice for something which she & I put our estimation skills + creativity to good use when baking. My brother was very eager for her to see him perform for her, while practicing. He added many dramatic movements for her benefit & enjoyed her attention. My little brother, the performer.