greetings from pulai springs, malaysia!
yeap, its currently 1.45am and i'm still awake and nowhere near sleeping.
been in malaysia for the past 3 days, ever since wednesday!
oikos camp has been rather fun, and it as even nicer for me because i was going back to pulai springs after so many years!
it felt good to be back, and nothing changed at all!
except for the fact that a really nice hotel has been built and i'm staying in it now.
other than that everything's the same.
the pools, the gym, the sauna, the library, the playroom, the pub, the restaurants, the billiards room, the sports centre, the changing room, everything!
about the camp..
its my first ever oikos camp!
after being in KKMC for my whole life, and after 17 years, i finally went for an oikos camp.
i'm so proud of myself. (:
anyways, its been really slack though.
other than the theme talks and group discussions, everything's basically almost free-and-easy.
i likeeee. (:
but at times it can be a tad boring, since nothing in pulai springs is new to me.
i had fun hanging out with faith and the other girls.
it would've been more fun if the guys had come, but they're all busy serving in the army now!
haha.
learnt about the book of Ruth throughout the camp!
i learnt stuff that i never knew about that book.
many interesting stuff.
made new friends too!
with cute little babies and kids.
speaking of the cute little babies, my church is like having a major baby boom i tell you.
its like everywhere i turn, i'll see a cute little baby.
and there's so many of them!
i'm going crazy already by just playing with them.
they're so irresistable too! so adorable.
kyahh. x)
well, tonight's the last night i'll be spending here, before heading back to the stress and worries of life in a JC. ):
i'm just happy that i was blessed with the opportunity to let my hair loose and have a break.

the days before oikos in school was fun!
monday's lessons were super slack, and i only went for training at 6pm.
by then training had ended (lol) and we could leave.
but being the hardworking girl that i am, i went to do some PT with mel tay.
i also had my Global Classroom Experience (GCE) interview too!
had to have it earlier due to oikos.
mrkok took me for the interview and HE'S SO UBER CUTE!
had a lovely time being interviewed and chatting..
and i found out that he's a Christian!
haha, super cute part of our conversation was like:

me: (tells mrkok about mission trips)
mrkok: oh you know, that's something that i'm thinking of doing once i stop teaching.
me: what?
mrkok: mission work.
me: oh! yeah, its very... fulfilling.
mrkok: praise the Lord, praise the Lord!
me: uhh. (awkwardly) haha.. Amen!

haha so cute right.
it was such a pleasant surprise to hear him say praise the Lord.
well at least the interview went well.
i have a feeling i can go to yangshuo. (:

tuesday's lessons were slightly more hectic..
met up with sab after lessons in the evening at centre point.
stupid girl wanted to buy a new swimming costume to parade around in during oikos.
haha so i accompanied her and ended up buying one for myself too. LOL
my parents met us for dinner shortly after, and then my mum and i went on a rampage, spending $200+ on girl-stuff.
whoo, i'm still happy from our buys.
went home and packed for oikos.

so here i am back at where i started.
i'm getting awfully tired so i guess i'll go now.

i miss you.

alrights, now that the holidays are here, its time to update again!
actually i was just being lazy.
haha ahwell.

anyway, from where i left off, rockmaster was a fun experience!
it was scary at first, though.
because i didn't know what to expect!
after registering and changing into the competition shirt, we went into isolation..
i was the 32nd person to climb so i had about 2 hours plus to prepare.
there was a playstation console in the isolation zone so rai, becky and i played some WWE.
good way to destress, i must say.
after that we slept for awhile and then got up to do some warm-ups and get ready.
slowly one by one my teammates left to climb, and soon it was my turn!
ahahah, scary shit.
but ohwell i said a little prayer and faced the wall bravely.
although i didn't get far i think i climbed relatively well..
considering that it was my first competition.
except for the 2nd route though.
the stupid route judge made me waste my time by not informing me about the starting tiles and about the route too.
so.. i didn't exactly get past the first few tiles.
and the commentator said my full name! i wanted to hide in a corner.
i think i could've climbed better at the last route but i think i wasted my energy on the first two routes.. pity.
before i knew it my torture was over and i was done!
went to eat lunch at KFC, then took some group pictures and proceeded to do some major cam-whoring!
jolyn, mel tay, becky, rai and i had an uber fun time.
especially when becky joined us. she was soooo super funny like omg! haha.
took hundred over shots, amazing huh.
lol watched the intermediate guys climb after that then i went home.

went to support the team for teengames on veesak day!
sab came along. (:
it was kinda funny because there was hardly any competition from other people.
for the girls, the only 'competition' they faced was from 1 group of 3 RJC ODAC girls.
so bascially they kinda owned them and took home all the prizes.
the guys had more, but they still won everything.
looked fun, though.
i hope i conquer my fear of heights soon.
sab and i went to SICC after that to swim!
did a few laps and helped sab clean up her strokes.
had dinner and dropped sab home.

the rest of the school week was uneventful..
training on wednesday was kinda slack.
but i bouldered quite a bit so i was happy.
yesterday's training was crazy, though.
chris took us for PT and basically tried to murder us.
did countless rounds of jogging 1oom and sprinting 1oom around the track; pumping, jumping jacks, crunches, leg raises, dips etc. in between; sprinting full round after round; and pull-ups.
it was mad. only had like, 3 water breaks? which lasted no more than 3mins each.
everyone was cursing away lol.
and now, my arms and legs are aching.
i had to go to vivo after training to have dinner with my parents, boon and puay too!
i was sooo tired.

woke up at 6am today to go to sentosa with my dad!
we were meeting this group of conservationists (i think) called the Naked Hermitcrabs.
haha so cute right, the name.
yeah so anyway this group brought my dad and i for a trek along the shores of sentosa.
if you're thinking in terms of siloso beach etc, you're wrong.
the beach we trekked along was untamed and untouched.
saw many forms of marine life!
corals (live ones at that!), sponges, shrimps, crabs, sea cucumbers, a flat worm, fishes and what not.
even saw a small heron and a collared kingfisher!
it was so amazing, to be basking in God's creations.
i was just filled with wonderment.
there was this crab that we saw, it was relatively big.
and its big pincer was shapped like a spoon! so cute.
this adaptation allowed it to scoop up the sand in search of food, and the other smaller pincer is like a pair of chopsticks for finer dining.
hahaha so cute la.
i love learning about the adaptations of animals.
it was quite wonderful too, how passionate the group was.
no matter how many times they've walked the route, they never seem to be bored of the creatures they come across and talk so animatedly about each one.
i really respect them, man.
one day, i hope to be doing that about land animals!
preferably in the African plains. :D

holidays are here!
but its not much of a holiday, since we've got 2 weeks of lessons and have to study like hell for our up-coming mid years.
i can't wait for next week, though.
oikos! yeah! :D
but first i have to endure through monday and tuesday.
and i'm so not looking forward to monday's training because chris is going to lead PT again, but this time it'll be worse than yesterday's.
like WTH. ):
anyway after that i suppose it'll be fine for me.
i just hope that mryong will be able to shift my interview for the GCE to either monday or tuesday.
if not i won't be able to catch the coach to johor with faith and the rest.
then i'll be going with lyndon and pearlyn and baby jed in the evening.
which means missing out on half a day of fun! boo.
oh, and i don't wanna go for camp aspire. ):

ahwell, its sunday tomorrow!
which means CHURCH!
yayy. (:

I'm Yours

ROCKMASTER TOMORROW!
SCREAMSSSSSSSSSSS.

had my napfa 5 stations yesterday!
and OHMYGOODNESS ME i'm so happy with my results!
or at least most of them, ahahah. (:
so here they are!

2.4km run: A (13.55mins)
sit-ups: A (50)
inclined pull-ups: A (41)
sit-and-reach: A (56cm)
shuttle run: A (10.8s)
standing broad jump: A (194cm)
total score: 30/30
xDD

argh my shuttle run was so disappointing..
was hoping to beat my personal best of 10.2s, but nooooo it just had to be conducted in the hall.
so the floor was slippery and i didn't run fast.
i really have to give praise to God for my standing broad jump..
because my maximum distance is 185cm when i practice.
and i needed a 189cm to get an A.
my first jump was like total shit - 170cm.
i was being to scared.
but then i prayed a little prayer to God and when i landed on my second try, it was 194cm!
i was sooooo thankful to God.
instant answered prayer! whoo.
(:

argh PW sucks to the max!
I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT!

and i want to go for Cedar Connect tomorrow so badly! ):

phew. the long weekend was a well-needed break.
had some time to think things over and rest,
and thankfully i've made up my mind about some decisions.
looking back, however brief, i think that i'm such an immature person.
especially when it comes to those issues.
and it really sucks, because you want so hard to change but you find that you can't.
but ahwell, what's done is done.
i can't change anything, the facts of life are as such.
i've accepted it and its time for me to move on. (:

alright! last week totally ROCKED.
because it was a reeeally short school week, consisting of only 3 school days!
then thursday was labour day, and friday a break for the musical, and saturday was SRJC's very own musical!
i need more of these long weekend breaks, man.
they help maintain my sanity.

anyway, my parents left for bangkok last wednesday for 4 days, leaving me home alone (with my maids and grandmother)!
so it was like haven for me. :D
went for dinner with some of the rocmoc people after training on wednesday at hougang mall,
and dear ol' TAN SWEELENG came over to say hello!
LIKE OHMYGAWD I MISSED HER SO MUCH!
seeing her just brought back all those lovely fond memories of the good old blue/grey-clad days in Cedar.
spent some time, albeit short, trying very hard to catch up with each other's lives!
ahhh leng, no matter how long i still won't have had enough!
i miss you too much lah.
when it was time to go (the mall security guard escorted us all out), i bid farewell to the rest.
leng accompanied me to the mrt station, and we said our goodbyes.
i was sooooo reluctant to leave!
because that little 'reunion' was so hard to come by, and others would probably be even harder, with our ever-so-hectic JC lives.
but that brief meet up with leng really meant so much to me.
it was so good to see an old friend again, after so long. <3

labour day!
i woke up at 3pm.
broke my old record of waking up at 1pm!
ahaha i'm so proud of myself. :D
had nothing planned for that day so i kinda bummed around the house and finished up my final draft for PI.
then i bummed around the house even more and wasted the day away.
felt good, man!
okay, so i admit i could've done something more conductive like catching up with my school work.
but heck, it was labour day!
my brain deserved the rest. hahah.

friday!
went to school at the normal school time to submit my stupid PI..
can you imagine, waking up at 6am just to go all the way to school to submit a bloody PI?!
and everyone else in SR was still tucked comfortably in bed.
ah heck. the things we do for our beloved (cough) PW teacher.
reached school really early! (somehow the roads seemed emptier, and so did the bus)
went to boulder while waiting for my teacher to set up base in the concourse.
it was lovely, the gym was empty, save for a dying dragonfly, and it was so peaceful!
finally a time where i could boulder with no one around.
stupid ahtoot came to bug me after awhile and we spent dunno-how-long waiting for the mad crowd of people to thin out before finally managing to hand in our PIs.
went to kovan macs with ahtoot for breakfast and sat with lynn and grace.
but they left soon after and ahtoot and i had fun chatting.
my mood was spoilt because of some disturbances half-way, though.
but never mind i soon forgot about it.
went back to school to try and study but ended up only doing two GP compre questions..
then i left to meet mel tay and mel koh at yishun.
yes, we were going climbing at yishun safra! like finally. after so long!
we kinda digressed but started climbing at around 2 plus.
and the best part, we had the gym ALL TO OURSELVES!
it was way cool because we could make as much noise as we wanted!
so we proceeded to run around the upper level and played add-on.
i also completed 2 rounds from left to right.
felt really good, with no stress from others.
the 3 of us had loads of fun and i reeeeally enjoyed myself tremendously.
met up with sab and chris at PP's tau huey shop before going for dinner at the coffee shop nearby.
and i finally met sab's bobo twin.
he's funny. and its so cute because he and jerome were best friends in secondary school!
how cute.
anyway, sab and chris came back to my place after that and we had fun catching up with one another!
sab stayed over for the night and chris went home.
puay, sue may, adriel and alvin stayed over with boon for the night too, and it was so funny.

saturday!
i was sab's barbie doll in the morning.
but thanks to her i went for the musical looking rather good!
i'm sure she had a ball of a time playing with my mum's make-up on my face. haha.
and i still can't get over the fact that my mum has cooler clothes than me. ):
anyway, met up with lynn, ahtoot and half of the guys in my class before the musical..
initial plan was to have brunch!
but i was kinda late so we just went straight to RP.
okay so we reached there..met up with people..socialised.. and settled down in the auditorium.
well the musical isn't that great, the storyline's really cliche.
heck, even i can come up with a better script.
but ohwell, i applaud SR for its effort.
overall the outing was enjoyable.
the SYF dance rocks though!
i really love it.
and that j2 dancer! whoo, totally HAWT. :P
went to plaza sing with the rocmoc people after the musical, supposedly to watch iron man but there were no more tickets..
so we ended up eating at the food court and wandering around aimlessly.
which got really boring after awhile.
after awhile everyone split up and mel koh, rai and i continued to wander around.
we left at 9plus and i met boon to go pick my parents up from the airport.
had supper there and went home.

well, its back to the normal school week now.
sad.
had biology SPA today too.
hope i did well. :/
oh, and i ran my 2.4km run today!
at 630 in the morning lol.
running early in the morning does wonders!
i completed the run in 13min 55s!
like racheltan does NOT run 2.4km that fast!
its been years since i ran that timing.
i think the last time i clocked 13mins plus was when i was in sec1!
haha yeah, and so i improved from 15min 20s to 13min 55s within 3 months.
cool, huh.
i really have God to thank!
i alone would not have been able to do such a feat.
i will shout Your fame! (: