Hear me, hear me..

2010-04-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever.I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you..."

-Captain Frederick Wenworth

I cried.

I closed the book and used it to fan my eyes at the thought of having school the next day. Yeah cause everyone wants to start off the term with swollen eyes. Mum thought I was crying because I had school the next day. haha
Actually, I am quite keen on the prospect of school recommencing. This holiday made me think of home more than is necessary. I need a distraction! Schoooool.
But school comes with a price: the promised workload, stress and many sleepless nights.

He will take me by the hand. He will guide me and lead me eash step of the way. That I know and take comfort in.

The judges used their one and only save on Big Mike. whaaaa??

:)

2010-03-11T05:10:00.000-08:00

I hope this makes your day.

It made mine.

Sherlock Holmes Movie Review

2010-02-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

PG-14 and 9 months – cult, satanic worship references.

To bid around the bush, ‘Sherlock Holmes’ was good but not as good as expected. Overall, the plot was alright; some parts were confusing, some were predictable. However, it was entertaining watching how the characters Sherlock, Dr. Watson and Irene interacted with each other. Holmes is your typical hero figure – very smart, funny la a bit, handsome?, has a sidekick and cannot die wan. He is spontaneous in his thinking/actions (makes you go “whoa”). He has his faults too, but like the title suggests, without sherlock Holmes, there is no 'Sherlock Holmes'. Dr. Watson, the cute sidekick with the geniune english accent is a likable character. He is a good friend throughout, even when Holmes was insensitive and a terrible friend. In the trailer, it seems as if there is an obscene scene involving irene (when she takes off her robe), but believe me, it's clean. So watch the movie with ease knowing that you won't have to close your eyes or forward the scene (especially with parents around). On a slightly negative note, the viewer is encouraged to watch with subtitles to catch what Holmes is saying because he speaks really fast and his voice is low.

The movie shows clearly the evil nature (greed, cruelty etc) in humankind, and how fear rules our lives; we have nothing to fear but ourselves.

I give it 4 over 7 stars.

Abigail Ng

Criticselfdeclared.Co

The Lord of The Rings still stands as the best movie made in movie history. Followed by
Avatar. Truth is independant of opinion.

"You should not be here. Go back."

2010-02-04T03:03:00.001-08:00

It has been a very long time since I last posted something.

And it has been 9 days since I landed in Australia. We have more or less already resettled and have made the "neccessary adjustments". All is good :)

First day back in school was slightly weird. Not seeing all those faces for so long, not writing, calculating, visiting those toilets, putting on my hat! (oh do i despise that hat) in 2 months.. It was nice however, when people aknowledged my return with a "Oh, Abby's back" or "How was Malaysia?". Everyone likes to be remembered and aknowledged from time to time.

OH. My phone is doing very well at the moment and is safely locked up in a tower. Thank you to those who reminded me not to leave it behind at the airport. I was extra alert - maybe overly alert - checking my bag every 5 minutes. I self-controlled myself, resisting the temptation of reading while waiting for the flight. because we all know what happened the last time i was too absorbed in a book. Nokia 5300, how art thou?

Swimming carnival is tmr. I am still contemplating on whether to go or not. There are really good hot chips sold there apparently. but i ask myself, "is that a worthwhile reason to go, Abigail, is it?" i could be bludging indoors, at home, coz really swimming carnival is also one bludge of a day.. but outdoors. i like home though. Heart is where the home is :)

4/2/10

"Out there, beyond that fence, every living thing that crawls, flies or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubes"

No Subject

2009-06-30T00:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Transformers 2 was good, although slightly complicating. Might go watch it the second time
Tuesday: Queensland Transport - could not sit for my learners test because of some ridiculous reason.
Then a pleasant picnic by the river for Charmaine's advanced birthday.
Fixed the problem and back to Queensland Transport. Sat for the test, did good and now I am a proud owner of a leaner's license!

All I have to do now is complete 100 hours of supervised driving to officially be able to drive. haha my poor parents!

I shall be pro in no time :)

Hi

2009-06-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I have abandoned this blog, I know. I can explain but I wont.
I'm on holidays!! yay For three weeks!!!

I've been planning and making a list of "Things to do during the holidays" which include finishing Breaking Dawn (dont even know where im up to anymore), earning some money then getting a black/white dress, shopping for birthday gifts, parties..
Why are there so many june/july babies??
Oh and also getting a head start in Chem and maths. I aspire to do well this term. Although i say that for every term, I mean it this time! :)
Cant wait for the stress to end.

But it never ends :(
When darkness turns to light,
it ends tonight, it ends tonight. haha How i wish.

In the mean time, I'll enjoy my holidays as much as I can before I go hard out when school commences.
Hmm. Holidays will be fun.

I'll miss school though

The Man That Can't Be Moved.

2009-02-27T04:10:00.000-08:00

Here's a song worth listening to. One of the best songs I've ever heard.

Going back to the corner where I first saw you,
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag I'm not gonna move,
Got some words on cardboard got your picture in my hand,
Saying if you see this girl can you tell her where I am,
Some try to hand me money they don't understand,
I'm not...broke I'm just a broken hearted man,
I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do,
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you...

Cos if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me,
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be,
Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet,
And you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street.

So I'm not moving...
I'm not moving.

Policeman says son you can't stay here,
I said there's someone I'm waiting for if it's a day, a month, a year,
Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows,
If she changes her mind this is the first place she will go.

People talk about the guy
Who's waiting on a girl...
Oohoohwoo
There are no holes in his shoes
But a big hole in his world...
Hmmmm

and maybe I'll get famous as the man who can't be moved,
And maybe you won't mean to but you'll see me on the news,
And you'll come running to the corner...
Cos you'll know it's just for you

I'm the man who can't be moved
I'm the man who can't be moved...

(I took away the repeated parts)

By, The Script

This song reminds me of Jacob Black. Jacob’s constant sense of emotional hurt and feelings of abandonment presents the perfect analogy to what this guy in the song is going through. He loves Bella; waits for her, hoping she would somehow forget Edward and come running to him.

Bella Swan is the most annoying person I have had the privilege of not meeting (Yes I know she is not real anyway). She causes Jacob so much pain but he, after being ditched, still loves her and has hope, exactly like this man who can’t be moved.

A few months ago, I was all “Ahhhh Edward Cullen, my one and only! I’m like your NOFFL (Number One Fan For Life)!!” But now, I am on Team Jacob as well. Sympathizing is only one of the many reasons. For a start, Jacob Black is reality.. Edward Cullen is fantasy. Think about it. Is there anyone quite as perfect as Edward Cullen?

I haven’t tried it, but I think this song is the kind which you can listen to while trying to sleep. It should help relieve insomnia. You can test my theory if you like.

Have a great day!

The Meano No. Fives are Back!

2009-02-24T03:29:00.000-08:00

Stuff You Did Not Know About The Meano No. Fives :
(you are welcomed to take notes)

Stuff 1. Did you know that Rachel's personal power animal is the Red-tailed Boa Constrictor and
Abigail's personal power animal is the Hairy-nosed Wombat?

Stuff 2. Did you know that Rachel Ooi stands for 01010010 01100001 01100011 01101000 01100101 01101100 00100000 01001111 01101111 01101001 in ASCII binary and for Abigail Ng, it is 01000001 01100010 01101001 01100111 01100001 01101001 01101100 00100000 01001110 01100111?

Stuff 3. Did you know that Abigail Ng's favourite Marty Sampson songs are 'Better Than Life'
(2003) and 'Everyday' (1999) and Rachel Ooi's favourites are 'Jesus I Long' (1999) and 'Forever' (2000)? They both like Marty Sampson's 'Saviour King' (2007) and Joel Houston's 'Breakfree' (2007).

Stuff 4. Did you ever realise that Abigail's surname has no vowels in it and Rachel's surname
has no consonants in it?

Stuff 5. Did you know that both Abigail and Rachel love being in the spotlight? But one does not
love it as much as the other. Guess who?

Stuff 6. Did you know that eventhough Rachel and Abigail can be your worst nightmare (ie. they are freaky), but deep deep deep deep down inside they are actually two of the nicest people on Earth.

Stuff 7. Did you know that in year 2007, Rachel and Abigail had a huge obsession over Elephant Sweets? They would share their sweets with each other all the time.

Like little school mates in a school yard,
Abigail shared her elephant sweets,
while Rachel shared her jam tarts.
From Happy Mart.

Stuff 8. Did you know that Rachel absolutely loves Abigail's Sailor Moon pillow and Abigail absolutely loves world peace? (inside joke)

Stuff 9. Did you know that when they were little, Abigail and Rachel's most-liked TV shows were Barney, Power Rangers (Abigail only watched Rangers in Space while Rachel watched the normal one), Ninja Turtles, Teletubbies, Little Lulu, Popeye, Tom and Jerry, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory and Sonic The Hedgehog?

Stuff 10. Did you know that Abigail and Rachel took 5 hours 23 minutes and 17 seconds to
complete this post?

Congratulations! You have now learned 10 new stuff about The Meano No. Fives. Hopefully this post has been very informative and has helped you in one way or another.

Yours truly,
Abigail Ng and Rachel Ooi

Gday

2009-02-19T01:50:00.000-08:00

I just realised something I should have realised a long time ago.

The city of Townsville rings a bell? If your brain takes this in and makes an immediate link to the Powerpuff Girls, then it is functioning well. Unlike mine.

Townsville is also a, well, town in Queensland that people talk about all the time. It's either too boring, too quiet or too flooded. I can't believe I never (until now) recognised the similarities between the names Townsville and Townsville. I am quite disappointed with myself.

So anyway, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are Australian? Who knew?
Actually there are a few Townsvilles around the world, but that just kills all the fun =(

Are you ready for this??

2009-02-11T02:19:00.000-08:00

Hello Earth

I lost my phone !!!!!!!!!! or rather i left it behind in KLIA.

Yes, the red one with Edward Cullen as my display photo. The one you see me carrying with pride because I love my phone, no matter how old it is.

I admit that it is all my fault for being too absorbed in reading Breaking Dawn and when everyone started boarding the plane, I got up as well and focused all my attention on the 101 bags that had to be carried in. My phone on my lap slipped off and I'm guessing it was lying on the seat for quite some time until...

I am sad.
:(

My Day at Thailand

2008-12-30T07:32:00.001-08:00

This is quite a late post. I forgive myself for procrastinating. :)

So it was a one-day trip. My dad drove my mom, her friend and I to the border of Malaysia, parked our car, changed currencies and took a taxi to Hatyai, Thailand. Oh before that, I had to get out of bed at 4.30 a.m! Just thought I'd mention that. It was a challenging task to gather enough self-control to not just continue lazing in bed or sleeping in. Yea so I got up. I guess I was kinda sorta a little excited. Upon reaching the Thai border/custom, four of us climbed out of the car and joined many many sweaty impatient Malaysians and a minority of Thais in line, passports and one ringgit in hand. It was a long wait and it was blazing hot!

After the whole border-of-Thailand episode, we climbed back into the same taxi and continued our taxi journey to the city of Hatyai. After 45 minutes, we finally reached the city. We had lunch and walked to a market. I can't remember exactly what we did and where we went after that, but I do know that we had to ride on mini truck-like vehicles, equivalent to our taxis called "tut-tuts". It is such a cute name for a truck; it makes it sound fat.

Me on a fat truck. I'm sorry truck. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. But I'm pretty sure I hurt you anyway. Cause I sat on you!

We traveled the city, moved with the agility of street monkeys from street to street with both speed and money in our pockets. We conquered the shopping malls; explored the market places...

The sun going down was a sign for us to head back home. And so we headed back home.

It was a long day. There were some rather awkward moments on my part when people would talk to me in Thai and I would reply in English - sometimes I tried Mandarin or any other language I know - and we would end up staring at each other speechless.

But it was a good experience all in all.

A fact

2008-12-16T23:19:00.000-08:00

I have been back in Penang for nearly 3 weeks now. It has been great thus far.
A quick summary of what I have been up to :

Shopping - sales up to 70% discounts have made it all the better.
Catching up with friends; remembering the good old times when we would get into cat fights, hitting each other with headless barbie dolls.
Sleeping - a lot, but going to bed at very late hours. It's not healthy I keep telling myself, but what do I do? Sleep late.
Entertaining myself by reading New Moon + watching Korean dramas and Lost Season 4.
Church activities - camp, sleepover..
Going online.
Discovering I have a look alike.
Queensbay/ Gurney Plaza.
Enjoying food I haven't tasted for a year.

It just struck me that around the same time last year, my family and I were in Brisbane unpacking and trying to settle down in that, at the time, foreign place. It was a hard and difficult time for all of us and it was God who helped us through that stormy phase. The fact of the matter is time flies. It has already been a year. And soon, due to the fact that time flies, I would be back in Brisbane, in that constricted space surrounded by four walls called my home. But I won't complain; I miss home.

I still have Christmas and Chinese New Year to look forward to before I head for home. Speaking of which, Christmas is in 8 days!!!!

The Worst Firday of My Life

2008-11-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

It was another one of those Fridays, or so I thought. Woke up, got ready for school, ate breakfast and then realised my dog, Elvis was missing. We had to go search for him. I walked down the whole of our street but found no Elvis. My mom went looking for him with Joel using the car and they found him! Something white and fluffy is not that hard to find. Joel saw him peeing in a bush, mom stopped the car and the search was over.

Later in school, during my Biology test, I didn't notice that there was a wasp which landed somewhere very near me until the teacher came over to shoo it off. He did shoo it off, ohhhh but it got worst - the thing landed on the sleeve of my shirt. I shut my eyes and stayed as still as possible, just like I learned when I was 6. I could feel everyone's eyes on me right then. The teacher grabbed a pen and scooped the wasp away from me. Very concerned friends turned around and asked me - using sign language - whether I got bitten. Nice people :)

In the evening, we had to go to a friend's place for dinner. We got locked out. It's a long story but to cut it short, we didn't take the keys out with us and accidentally locked the door. After dinner, we called the lock smith. The door was opened. I rushed in, embracing every single piece of furniture I could see. I thought I would never see the inside of my house again.

And that, was the worst Fridayof my life. EVER.

BOOK OF THE YEAR

2008-11-07T01:55:00.000-08:00

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is definitely THE book of the year, captivating the hearts of so many readers around the world.

It is written in Bella Swan's perspective and revolves around the storyline of when an ordinary human girl meets a handsome vampire. It has almost every possible element a story book could have, all in one. The romance, the action, the suspense..

Pretty much every girl in the universe is in love with Edward Cullen. He's mysterious, strong, swift, "absurdly handsome"- according to Bella, and intelligent.

My favourite few lines from the book :

"You really shouldn't do that to people," I criticized. "It's hardly fair."
"Do what?"
"Dazzle them like that - she's probably hyperventilating in the kitchen right now."
He seemed confused.
"Oh, come on," I said dubiously. "You have to know the effect you have on people."
He tilted his head to one side, and his eyes were curious. "I dazzle people?"
"You haven't noticed? Do you think everybody gets their way so easily?"
He ignored my questions. "Do I dazzle you?"
"Frequently" I admitted.

The characters in the two pictures are playing the lead roles as Isabella Swan and EDWARD CULLEN. The movie should be in theatres in December.

This heart-warming novel is one that is worth reading.
I give it 6 stars!

My Soccer Hero - KAKA

2008-10-24T02:15:00.000-07:00

This certain Brazilian midfielder puts all those "sexiest men alive" to shame. No seriously. All the Brad Pitts and George Clooneys of the world are no match for this 6 feet 1 inch pretty boy. Personal opinion.

You're probably thinking "Kaka? What a weird name". I have to admit I asked myself and a few others that very question when I first found out such a person existed (It's all thanks to Megan). To clarify things, his real name is Ricardo, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite in full.
You have to agree that Ricardo is a nice name, in an Italian/Brazilian sort of way.

Kaka :

Pure talent :

He's the main reason why I find soccer matches so entertaining. Kaka is such a talented player and that's not all. He presents himself well both in and out of the field. Apparently, he's a devout Christian and a very nice person. If you notice, he never spits during a match! That takes a lot of self-control because I've heard spitting is so very tempting a habit.
Everytime he scores a goal, he points up to heaven, glorifying God. He's really an inspiration. Kaka is definitely someone worth watching on television. This year, Time Magazine listed him as one of the most influential people in the world; the only soccer player on the list.

Kaka and his 'I belong to Jesus' shirt :

Like Kaka, I belong to Jesus. Do you?

World Cup isn't for another two years, but that's okay. I will just have to wait ! When the time comes, I'll stand proud, waving the Brazilian flag, singing the Brazilian national anthem and painting my face green, yellow and blue. But for now, go AC Milan !

There you go, you've just learnt of yet another one of my many interests.
You might also come to the conclusion that I love soccer for all the wrong reasons. Hahah :)

Of Random Drives and Jacaranda trees

2008-10-21T01:08:00.000-07:00

A random drive through Carrindale. Well, not so random maybe since we had to find a way out of there anyway. Joel had some project to do with his friend who lives there, hence, the not-so-random-after-all visit to the suburb of Carrindale.

I had a good time admiring the beautiful and extremely expensive-looking buildings that some people call their HOMES.

Carrindale, a pretty suburb with even prettier houses.

I like how those jacaranda trees (the ones with the purple flowers) line up along both sides of the road. It gives you a sort of calm soothing feeling as you drive pass them. Beautiful things.

I here by declare the jacaranda flower as the national flower of Australia.
I'm thinking it already is, but just in case it isn't.

Holiday Gettaway

2008-10-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

When my dad was back for that brief period of time, we went on a one-night holiday to Rainbow Beach. It's always great to explore new places, visiting beautiful sites; wonders which really reflect the greatness of their creator! We had fun of course. We got to see dolphins, HUGE pelicans and a massive sand dune. We even experienced the thrill of getting lost in the woods while trying to find the beach. But all was a happy ending since we found the beach after a 15-minute? search.

The Beach :

My very ambitious sister, Aberlyn trying to surf.

Them both. Up to their usual mischief.

Tin Can Bay :

Cutey Wwolphins

That is one huge scary bird!

Even pelicans don't like my mom. Jokes :)

The Sand Dune :
They say Aberlyn's tiny. I think so too!

Our little holiday gettaway ended in no time because of the fact that time flies when you're having fun. Next target : Melbourne/ Sydney. I would choose Melbourne of course since RACHEL OOI is there! Unfortunately, it is way too far.
I need some time to think about this. And more time to convince my parents...

My Best Friends of SGGS

2008-10-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

Madelene Khaw and Tan Ni Wen.

I never could ask for better friends during that short yet long time we've known each other. We have always been there for one another. Encouragement helped build up our friendship.
We cry, laugh, joke, tease, walk, talk and scream together. We share our deepest thoughts and feelings with one another as well as talk about anything and everything under the sun, even if they doesn't make sense. We tell each other secrets and all those kinds of stupid little things that don't matter, but are important at the same time. We're upfront with one another. We point out each others' faults and flaws and we expect a change.
That is the kind of friendship we have. A friendship grounded on love and trust.

Ah yes. I remember those times we would annoy Cikgu Nurbaya with our chatter, laughter and the giggles during her moral class. We enjoyed writing and drawing silly things on scraps of paper and laughing afterwards until we went all teary-eyed at our collage of scribbles and hand-drawn pictures, something I'd like to call art. No wonder that poor teacher left the school.

Another memorable event - our night of 'Disturbia' was fun as much as it was scary. But when it came to the most exciting and nail-bitting (I don't know about you, but I bite my clean nails when I'm scared) moment in the film, the part where Shia Labeouf goes into his neighbour's house in the quest of finding his mom, the DVD decided to bail on us. So until now, we haven't seen the ending of 'Disturbia'. Nevertheless, we had so much fun screaming. Although half of the time, I covered my eyes with a pillow, watching it with Ni Wen and Madelene while holding hands, shouting every 1 minute or so, was definitely worth it.

Pictures of you, pictures of me, hanging on my wall, for the world to see...

How well do I know them?

Tan Ni Wen :
- loud
- when she doesn't talk, something is wrong
- carefree lots of the time
- very hard to please
- very very expressive
- not afraid to speak her mind
- prefects are not exactly her favourite people
- loves MPH and romance novels
- loves photography, sticky notes and sweets
- likes to draw a heart shape right after she writes her name
- the neatest person I know, with the exception of Madelene
- T-shirts, shorts and flip flops are enough to make her look good

and a million other things.

Madelene Khaw :
- extremely quiet and shy around people she's not close to
- creative
- hardworking yet lazy :)
- the piano is her good friend
- gifted in art and sewing
- owns a pair of highly peelable hands
- has the nicest writing
- has an endless supply of good pens
- very generous
- LOVES butterflies but is scared of real ones
- the neatest person I know, with the exception of Ni Wen
- very very very forgiving

and a million other things.

Hope what I wrote here doesn't embarrass you two. But it is all these little things and habits which make you, you. And without you, you lovely lot of two... what would I do?

He's Back

2008-09-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Oh yes he is.

September 27 :

Aberlyn and Joel presented to him the sweetest powerpoint. He then brought out 'the merchandise' from his huge as luggage.. DVDs, clothes, mooncakes?, medicine etc.

Midday:
The Asianness in us decided to go for some Asian food - YAM CHA, which is basically tim sum. It was authentic Hong Kong food. We quite liked it.

A happy family. Can I hear an 'awww' ?

Well, my dad's been bringing us shopping, taking us wherever we want and of course indulging us with good food (after 3 months.. he'd better :p). So you see why we're always so excited when he comes over. But he's going back, because he has to, not because he wants to.

Not to worry, he'll be back here very soon! Which means more 'merchandise' - I just love the word.

Miley Ng

2008-09-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

What would I do without Miley? I would probably go insane is what.

Growing up with dogs my whole life, I'm just not used to not having a dog around. Which was why we decided to get a dog. We drove all the way to Towoomba, about two hours away from our place to take a look at the "Finnigan Farm Pups". There were three puppies for sale and we picked from among the lot a certain pup with a black patch on one eye. There was something about her that caught my attention. I took a single glance at Miley and immediately knew I found what I was looking for. It was love at first sight.

Miley, the Finnigan Farm Puppy:

We bought her, put her in a box and took her home along with her pink bed and some toys.
There was an intense debate of what name to give our new puppy. Aberlyn insisted on calling her Miley, simply because she's a fan of Miley Cyrus. Somehow, everyone agreed to that. Maybe because we were all ready to give up anyway.

Miley grew to be an intelligent little dog. She learnt tricks in no time.
She loves playing fetch.
She has a favourite toy, as adourable as that sounds.
She hates water and hates the warm blasts of air coming out of hairdryers even more.
She dreams at night. I know because she makes funny noises while sleeping. I'm guessing it's sleep-talking, in whatever language she speaks.

Miley taking a bath. She's so tiny, the sink is her bathtub.

A few days ago, Miley went for desexing. A needle, two stitches and she took it like a man.
She has to wear this orange cone-shaped thing around her neck to prevent her from licking her wounds. With that thing around her neck, all she can lick are her two hind legs.

So here's to Miley, the best dog an owner could ever wish for.

Our Story.

2008-09-13T06:01:00.000-07:00

Just to reinforce what Rachel Ooi wrote briefly in her blog, I will tell the story of how Rachel and I became such close friends in greater detail.

Our story starts here.

In the beginning, God created a girl in her mother’s womb. When she was born, her parents named her Rachel. She was destined for great, great things. Even when she was a young girl, she liked to help out in any way she could, always the first to put up her hand and volunteer. She was everyone’s sweetheart.

4 years after Rachel was born, a little infant opened her eyes to see the world for the very first time. Abigail was her name, as was given to her by her parents who thought that name was the best choice for their firstborn. Hmmmm
Abigail tried her hardest to treat everyone nice.
She was a good girl. = )

...Fast forward...

Year 2006 -
It was time for Abigail to attend her first ISCA service. She was a bit scared but excited. The form ones entered Palm Springs for their welcome lunch hosted by the leaders of ISCA. Rachel was amongst them leaders. Abigail and her friend, Emma didn’t know anyone there. They didn’t want to talk to anyone else but to each other. Rachel, who noticed that came up to them and tried to be all friendly and nice. But she soon gave up because they weren’t being co-operative, giving only one-word responses like “yes” or “no” or “ok”.
Yes. Rachel and Abigail started off rough.

Abigail was then put in Rachel’s cg, Roti Batu. Every time they met in cg, they would only engage in small talk, like “how was your week?” or “why didn’t you come to cg last week?” They did talk and laugh together, go on cg trips together, but still there was no….. spark! Hahh

(Ok, I’m tired of writing in third-person.)

One fine Sunday morning, sometime in the month of August maybe…
Mere coincidence. Both our families decided to go out for some family bonding time/breakfast. My side of the story: Aberlyn wanted to go to McDonalds. We all agreed because we needed a break from the usual Arati Villas. So McDonalds it was. As we entered McDonalds, we saw familiar faces smiling at us. We said hi to Rachel’s family and talked to them for a bit. Then, it was this sudden decision that changed our lives as we'd known it. Our parents decided to sit together in one table. So Rachel, Carin, Aberlyn and I had to sit somewhere else. For some reason, Joel wasn't there. Rachel and I started talking so much. Both of us just had this “I have a million things to tell her” sort of feeling in us. A sudden outburst. There was not even a single moment of silence. It was intense! Carin and Aberlyn made some interesting contributions to our discussions as well. We laughed. And we laughed hard.

My parents enjoyed the company of Rachel’s parents. The same the other way round. So we often went out for dinner together. Rasa Sayang, Evergreen, Tanjong Bunga Seafood, Passions of Kerela… And of course, after dinner, we would have our photos-in-the-toilet time.

The following year was great. Eventually, I became good friends with Rachel Yeoh ! The sleepovers, shopping trips, photo sessions, Girl Power, the fav list.. BFFS for life!
Good times:

Rasa Sayang

PCC toilet

Mural

Cass' sweet 16

Kit Siong

But sadly, I had to leave to Brisbane, Australia. Rachel cried me a river. Oh yeah! A few months after, it was her turn to leave to Australia, but to Melbourne instead. Now we both are, like she said, so near, yet so far.

Our story doesn’t just end here.
I believe it will continue on and on.
Till death do we part.

Bananas, sticks, beijing, olympics, bread and honey, superspy.

English Assignments: designed to scare the skirts off little kids.

2008-09-10T03:27:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be one of the most nerve-wrecking days of my life. I can tell. I will never be this nervous about something, ever.
Tomorrow, at about 11, my hour of doom, I will have to perform a speech from the play Romeo and Juliet. In Front Of My Class. I know, to some, the idea of performing in front of a crowd is nothing to get all scared about. But not to me, especially when we're expected to perform it full on dramatically with all the sighs and hand-on-the-forehead moves. And the worse part- we have to wear costumes!

All those who performed on Monday and Tuesday were so nervous. Most of them were shaking. My friend, Jess turned red when she performed. I laughed at her. But she offered me some sour cream and onion chips today, so I guess she's not mad. Jess was very good at her speech though. My other friend, Rachel who performed the same speech as mine did hers really really well.
The Pressure!!!

I chose probably one of the corniest speeches you can find in the whole script. I don't know why, but I chose it anyway. So, poor me. I have to get up there tomorrow, wearing a white dress, acting all head over heels and saying these lines:

O Romeo Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father, and refuse thy name
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague
What's Montague?
It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face
nor any other part belonging to a man
O, be some other other name
What's in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd
Retain that dear perfection
which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name
And for thy name, which is no part of thee
Take all myself

And that's not all. After the speech, I have to give another 600-word speech, my rationale.
I know, I am terribly excited too!
I have to explain in my rationale why I chose to wear what I wore and how I attempted to convey the love theme etc etc..

I can't ruin the whole thing tomorrow. I worked way too hard to just ruin it. Or at least I thought I worked hard. So there was the process of learning my lines. Then, writing my rationale, which drove me insane by the way. I had to then find a white dress, pretty shoes, stress out, memorise my rationale, write dot points on a palm card and stress out some more. So yeah, I worked hard all right.

I'm nervous but I'll get over it. Soon. It brings me joy to know that I still have 2 more years of these kinds of assignments.
God, help me!