Christmas!

It's 1159pm now! Still Christmas. Just in time.

It's christmas and it is cold outside. Beijing is beautiful.

Photos

I'm done with the photos. I think I have almost all the photos. Added captions too. Whew! Tiring. I didn't know we took so many photos together. Just as well. I developed this love for photos recently, especially with people I don't get to meet frequently. It is memories that I want to capture. It is a pity we can't take photos in camp. I would very much love to do that. Now I can only imagine the scenes in camp. It's quite sad. Yes, someone said I have become very enthusiastic about taking photos, a few days back. I have! Now you know why.

23Dec2006-01Jan2007
Beijing!
I'll be back....
And more photos!

20th

I have been growing up for 20 years and I'm still at it. It's a natural process. Haha. Quotation from sentosa. I don't know why people feel so excited and happy about birthdays. Apart from the presents, I think birthdays are just a gentle reminder about who we are and how much time have been wasted. 20 years doesn't give my any extra freedom to do anything, like entering casinos. It just reminded me that NS is over and adulthood is starting. One thing surprising was how fast I made my birthday wish. I didn't expect to be asked to make a wish when we cut the cake. Only 1 thing came to my mind when I had to do it. And why am I not surprised by what it was?

Yes, and I was saying that I couldn't sleep on the 2nd night. I was thinking about alot of things. Of course many things are private. I was listening and listening during the gathering. Well, not on purpose, I just happened to be nearby. I heard some people discussing about relationships. On a sidenote, personally I like to keep my relationships private, especially when my friends know her. Love is magical. And as magicians do not talk about their magic, neither do I. It is something only 2 people should know about. But that's just me. Ok. Yes, they were talking. And I was really happy for them. They are really nice people and they deserve to have a other half. It is just that our class do not have really romantic people. Then in the night, I thought about myself.

Sijori Sentosa

First of all, I am almost a perfectionist. That is why, nothing is a complete success. Most of the time, events tend to twist and turn a planned straight road. Just like the rain did to this gathering. That was the most disappointing part. HOWEVER, I think that this is one of the best gatherings ever. It is not really on where we go, but who we are with that really matters. Rain or no rain, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I didn't waste my efforts planning this.



Jianwei, Angelia, Gabriel and I met early to shop for food and dvds. It feels so different now that we are able to drive for gatherings, instead of always having to meet at MRT control stations. Feels so grown-up.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the room. It was BIG. Much better than what we used to have. And there was this jacuzzi which I soaked in twice. It was kind of noisy, irritating in fact. I can't remember when the Great Singapore Rain started, but it was so nice and cosy that I simply refused to leave the room. The 1st day was basically waiting for each other and chatting.
In the night, the laughter began. Shaun , Jianwei and I tried the Casino Royale style poker. It's quite crazy because we didn't set a betting limit. And since there were only 3 of us playing, it was EXCITING, and funny when you see faces of exasperation, desperation and madness. It was raining when the 3 of us went to pick them up. Actually, it was supposed to be Shaun and I. That's because I lost to Jianwei in poker. After that Jianwei decided to go to his car too, so I lost those money for thing! It's quite dumb.
I was made a fool twice on the way to the car. This is the funny part. I was trying very very hard not to get wet by staying under the shelter. When I realised that I had reached the end of the shelter, I stopped to wait for Jianwei to use the umbrella to shield me from behind. Problem was, he didn't think the same way and I was stranded in the rain for VERY long as we were both confused. I couldn't move forward as it was raining, I couldn't move backward because he was in the way, and meanwhile, rainwater dripped down on me from the edge of the roof. DOT DOT DOT.. Next was when we had to go to Shaun's car from a nearby shelter. I dedcided to make a run for it when Shaun got into his car. I left the safety of the shelter and ran for the car. Shaun was in the car, so all I had to do was run, open the door and jump in. I ran. I tried the door, but it was locked. the rain was merciless. Shaun was even more so. He tried to unlock it but gave up and instead, UNLOCKED FOR JIANWEI WHO HAS AN UMBRELLA. And where was I? I was stranded in the rain AGAIN, banging on the locked door frantically while Shaun unlocked the door for Mr. Umbrella. SO I was drenched and COLD.
Question: What happens when a guy sleeps in between to gayish guys.
Ans: He gets raped. Shaun learnt it the hard way.

Day 2 was supposed to be beach day. We went to the beach according to plan. In the rain. But only the guys played in the rain. That is what tough people do. Haha. Play in the rain. So do kids who do not give a damn to their health. The thing which baffled me was why would anyone want to eat Ice-Cream in a drenched state just a few feet from the rain. Ok, so the guys played Volleyball in the rain half-naked. No pictures for this yet. The rain was horrible. We couldn't do anything other than stay indoors. I badly wanted to watch the musical fountain. And I wanted to go to the Underwater World too, but it was too expensive. The highlight of this gathering was that present exchange ceremony. It was very cute. The only thing was that 2 guys didn't officially receive their gifts in front of everybody. I'm really sorry. Felt very bad about it.



I received a jacket(excellent fit) and a sweet letter with photos with it. Thanks EeLing! I will wear it in Beijing and in Law Fac next yr! But I don't know what to do with the bag. Haha! I gave a nice cute wall clock to ShaoRong, to let him countdown to ORD.



We had a mini birthday celebration for the Dec babies too. 4 of us. EeLing, Kalyn, BoonWee and I. No pranks, no blanket party, no water treatment. Just peaceful happy blowing of candles and eating of cakes.



I couldn't sleep that night. It was only after talking to GuanHao and watching the class sleep quietly from one corner that I decided to lie on the floor in my new jacket, but my legs were exposed to the air-con and I was almost freezing. I thought of many things instead *post my thoughts later* and also trying to figure out where that faint snoring was coming from. And then I thought of the time when I was sleeping on my bed in camp. Oh! Sleeping on the floor here beats sleeping on a bed in camp. And I fell asleep after that. It was really heart-warming to see all of them sleep together once again, 2 years after graduation. No love lost. No friendship lost. As father-figure GuanHao said, it is important to maintain this relationship. Yes, I know you are reading this. Thanks so much for coming. See you again next year.

Surprise-O-surprise. The 3rd day was sunny. But since I have already decided to leave 1 day earlier, I didn't sleep much the previous night. That beautiful sun dispelled my thoughts of an early morning check-out. We made our way to the beach, thanks to persuasion by EeLing.

Yes, we played soccer. It is always so nice to play with girls. The tempo is slower, the game funnier and less rough. In short, it was relaxing. The sun should be out 1 day earlier. It would be more fun when everyone was here and full of energy. BUT we still had fun, all 9 of us.





I had alot of fun. However, I still felt a little disappointed. We should have stayed 1 more day. It's not everytime that we have such gatherings.





Thanks for the memories 12/03.. May we have an even more memorable one soon. See you again next year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

*Photos are in the "photos" link. Not all are uploaded yet. Photo captions to be inserted later as well*

Nightmare!

OMG! I had a nightmare last night. I was made to go through SISPEC training all over again. And it was SUDDENLY. No mental or physical preparation whatsoever. It really freaked me out. Haha! There were weird instances that I had to stay behind in the cookhouse to clear the dishes and stuff. This is crazy.

This is the first time in my life when I need not fret over how fast time flies. I don't even care if the clock is ticking. Pros and cons. The feeling is just great, but the time wastage is no good.

Boots

What is "ma la huo guo" in english?





Had this as a prelude to the sentosa sijori gathering. This is a reminder of how difficult it is going to get, to organise a gethering as the years go by. Once the guys enter university, I guess we will all lose interest in trying to organise a gathering. It is too much trouble really.



That caught my eye as I returned home from the "ma la" dinner. As I was taking off my shoes, I saw it sitting quietly by the corner, staring at me. That was my favourite pair of boots. Look at the condition now. I was super sad that it had to end up this way. That was my combat boots, i.e I wore it for training in the muddy jungles of Tekong. Training after training, eventually, it started to wear and tear. Finally, it crumbled as it was soaked with muddy water. I remember I was walking in muddy water for half a day. After that, it was "uncleanable". I couldn't bear to throw it away. After all, it accompanied me through the toughest of days. And so, all it does now is to sit there, day after day, reminding me of the times that we braved through together.