Christmas at Bintan

Woke up very early on 24th Dec. We were leaving for Bintan in the morning. The sea was quite calm and so the ferry ride was smooth. We would be staying in one of the villas at Bintan Lagoon Resort. My father, aunties and uncle were going golfing and since we couldn't check in yet, the rest of us went to the poolside. This was the first time in so many months that I last stepped into a pool. It was a good day, perfect for sun-bathing. We played in the pools for a while and swam.
Soon, it was time to check in. I was really tired and took a nap in the afternoon. My cousins and brothers played board games and decorated the whole place for the Christmas party at night. At 4+, the golfers returned. After dinner, it was time to celebrate. All of us took part in the games that my auntie prepared. Time passes slowly. The last game was what got everybody going, the grand prize being a PSP. It was supposed to be like a lucky draw. In the end, much to everyone's disappointment, the PSP set went back to my auntie who originally sponsored it. We also exchanged presents.
At last, we lit up the candle-formed Christmas tree and sang. It was well over 1+am, before we went to sleep.
The next day, after breakfast, we sang along Christmas songs. After lunch, we proceeded to the beach then to the leisure centre. I played beach volley with the adults, excluding my mother. We were picking up the ball more than actual playing. Now I got bruises on my hands. I played billiard with my cousins and brothers. The adults were playing table-tennis. In the evening, we went out of the resort to have dinner and massage. We arrived back to the villa a few hours later.
Went to poolside again after a late breakfast. It was a cloudy day so I did not manage to tan much. The golfers went golfing again. Not too long, it was time to check out. My cousins, brothers and auntie and I went to the billiard room to play snooker and billiard. Our ferry left at 4+pm, although it was rainy, the waters was not that choppy.
Have a Merry Christmas

Hokkaido winter wonderland

snowman and me

These shots are given to me, courtesy of my uncle.

Have a very merry christmas!

Do not use them without permission...

Christmas nostalgia

It's that time of the year to look back at the time pass by.
The year 2007 has been bittersweet, more sweet than bitter, of course. I can say that I've a great year in school, given that this is my last year in secondary school. I can almost say that I missed school already, which is something coming from me. I treasured those days very much.
However, this year also proves to be a trying year. It's the O levels for me. I "suffered" a lot. I felt depressed, hopeless over this. I even cried just before going for exams.
But all these had past. Memories, be them good or bad were history. Sure, I missed my class, friends, teachers and even my school but I won't want to turn back time. Christmas nostalgia, indeed.
On a further note, I've always wanted to celebrate Christmas at a bigger scale. For example, going to Christmas parties or just window shopping at Orchard Road, not that I like the crowds. I guessed this will probably happen when I'm older. There's plenty of time for that.
This year, I won't be in Singapore celebrating Christmas. I will be away in Bintan with my family and relatives. I'm not exactly thrill about this. For one, Bintan is quite the boring place. Furthermore, there is nothing much to do there.
This year, I made a silver Christmas wreath tied with red ribbons. It was the least I could do. I also took time to wrap presents for my cousins. Wrapping presents is what I like and enjoy.
God Jul to all!e
snowflakes in the air~
Y

Photos from Hokkaido,Tokyo

28th Nov--steamboat lunch

27th Nov--mum and me with dinner

28th day--tatami

28th Nov--me feeding the swans

28th Nov--wooden kitchenware

28th Nov--dad with the 2-sided bowl

28th Nov--mum and me

28th Nov--mum and me with the owl telephone box

28th Nov--mum and me at fox farm, see those snowflakes

28th Nov--fox at the fox farm

28th Nov--me in yukata

29th Nov--the biggest spider crab, look at the price

29th Nov--steamboat lunch

29th Nov--me out in the snow

29th Nov--lake flowing...

29th Nov--"icefall"

29th Nov--"icefall", once again

29th Nov--music boxes at Otaru's music box factory

29th Nov--cousins, brothers and me posing with "ice-creams"

29th Nov--my family during BBQ dinner

29th Nov--Sapporo TV tower

30th Nov--bare trees in field

30th Nov--lake at Ainu Village

30th Nov--bear doing the "gong xi"

30th Nov--another active volcano

30th Nov--Mt Showa, sprouting smoke

1st Dec--"horse mountain"

1st Dec--"horse mountain", taken at different angle

1st Dec--"horse mountain", once again

1st Dec--sea urchin...eaten raw

1st Dec--fresh seafood from the morning market

1st Dec--fresh spider crabs and hairy crabs from morning market

1st Dec--me posing with car at the airport

2nd Dec-- me with globe at background at DisneySea

2nd Dec--cousins, brothers, auntie and me with "fox" at DisneySea

2nd Dec--me with house at DisneySea

2nd Dec--sunset at DisneySea

3rd Dec--Trees outside Shinagawa Prince Hotel

3rd Dec--hues of Autumn colours at Tokyo

I've been wanting to put up these photos for a long time. It's been about a week since my return and I miss Hokaiddo everyday.

Some of these photos are so real that they look fake. I tried to arrange them according to the time taken but it was a difficult task to do. As a result, some of the photos were jumbled up. Furthermore, there was just too many photos for me to put them online. So these were some of the "best" ones.

Regardless, enjoy the picture-perfect Hokaiddo!

Hokkaido, Tokyo, Japan trip 2007

26th Nov:

Stayed at home all day to do last minute packing. After dinner, We left for Changi Airport Terminal 1 in a maxi cab. The flight to Tokyo was about 6 hours long. There were small TV screens on the ANA plane but I didn't watch any movies.

27th Nov:

Reached the airport in the morning. Boarded the bus to Hanade Airport to take the flight to Hokkaido. Upon arrival, we went to have a seafood lunch. It was really delicious. There were miso soup, hairy crab and other types of seafood. We then went to sample some chocolates. The melon chocolates with almonds were really good, though I didn't buy them.

We travelled for 4 hours, the road became icy, snowflakes started falling. The farm houses and the background with its mountains and bare trees looks picture-perfect. It gives a rustic feeling and was totally different from Singapore.

We reached Tokachigawa Daiichi Hotel in the evening. Before dinner, I tried out the 'onsen' or known as hot spring, the water is rich in minerals absorbed from vegetation. This is the only place in Japan that has it. It was an experience to remember. There were different kinds of shampoo, body gel, facial wash in there. After the hot spring, refreshed yourself with the hair-dryers, moisturiser and lotion available. I tried out both the indoor and outdoor pools. The outdoor pool was better. It was cold and hot at the same time.

We put on the 'yukata' and enjoyed seafood dinner. When my cousins and I went up to our room. Our 'tatami' were already done. We will be sleeping on the floor. Quite the experience.

28th Nov:

After buffet breakfast, we took a photo stop at a lake. We fed the swans and ducks too. We stop-by at the Oketo Wood Craft Centre next. There are handmade woodcraft made by artists in Oketo town. Most of them are kitchenware and made of oak, pine and birch. We then went to the Winery shop where the adults can get to sample white wine and plum wine. I did drink a little. We also saw the making of wine. The wine chocolates were nice.

We had lunch at a small shop. The bowl had 2 sides. 1 contains soba, the other contains rice with tempura. After that, the fox farm was next. The foxes were really furry and cute. We continued the journey to Sounkyo, a hot spring resort located at the foot of Mt. Daisetsu, or big snow mountain. It was coldest that day. There was strong wind and snowfall. We went to the hot spring before dinner. I too went to the indoor and outdoor pools. The outdoor pool was different from the 1st one. This time, snowflakes were falling on our heads while our bodies were immersed in the hot pool.
My brothers and cousins built a snowman outside the hotel. They also had snowball fight with my uncles. It was really fun though I did not join in. It was a wish come true for all.

29th Nov:

I woke up at 5+ to go the the hot spring again. The buffet breakfast consisted mostly of traditional Japanese fare so I did not eat much. We visited the Sounkyo Gorge. The 2 waterfalls there had became icefalls. The snow was so thick. It was so cold there even gloves and boots could not withstand it. The scenery was as usual, picturesque.

We travelled to the charming town of Otaru. It was a lovely place, some called it romantic. I found it a little like Venice, with its canal, old shop-houses that sell glassware and music box. I bought many small souvenirs and took many pictures. The chocolates and milk ice-cream were also famous there. Some of us tried out the 6-flavour ice-cream in a cone. The steamboat lunch was great. One of my uncles ordered a spider crab to share. Its taste was different from other crabs.

We then proceeded to Sapporo. We went to a underground shopping mall where I bought a skirt. We took pictures with the Sapporo TV tower, which looks like a mini Eiffel tower. There were Christmas lights on the trees and decorations. We went to a discount shop and bought all the White Lover chocolates. The White Lover brand was famous in Hokkaido and it was only sold in Hokkaido. I bought 2 boxes to distribute to my friends next year.

After the BBQ dinner which was great because of the Kobe beef. Its taste was different from other meat and it was really tender. It was supposed to be cheaper here than other places. We checked in at Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo. It was the nicest and grandest hotel throughout our trip. Our room was the biggest.

30th Nov:

After buffet breakfast, which was one of the best, we proceeded to Ainu Village. After the performance by some Ainu people, we went to feed the bears and Ainu dogs. Next stop was Mt Showa, an active volcano. It was sprouting smoke. We then journey to see the bears at the bear ranch. The bears will wave if you fed them apples. We stopped by Lake Toya before going to Hakodate. Our hotel was Daiwa Royal Hotel and there was hot spring inside too. As usual, it was hot spring before dinner.

1st Dec:

Went to the hot spring 1 last time and at the same time, bath. We then went to the Hakodate morning market. The whole place are people selling fresh seafood. There's live squids, sea urchins, abalones, king crabs, etc. My auntie bought a sea urchin to try. I didn't dare to eat it, but they said it was quite nice.I did try out the cooked abalone though. Some other people from our tour fished for squids in a tank and ate them live.

We then took the flight to Tokyo. Tokyo was not as cold as Hokkaido. We visited the Asakusa Kannon Temple, followed by a walk through Nakamise Shopping Street. There were lots of people.We ate our 1st Chinese meal in so many days. We checked in at Loisir Hotel.

2nd Dec:

We all parted here. Everyone in this tour had decided to stay on and extend their stay in Japan. Since we wanted to arrive early at Disneyland, we woke up very early in the morning to eat breakfast before going to there via subway. Our tour guide had very kindly helped us take our luggage to our hotel. The ride was long and tiring. It was stuffy and full of people. We had to change 3 times of train before reaching Disneyland. We wanted to go DisneySea though. The quenes were so long. Time past so fast, I only played 2 games while my cousins played 4. We stayed on to the road show and left before the fireworks as we were scared of the crowds leaving after the show. We saw the fireworks display at the JR station. It was beautiful, colourful and special. We checked in at Shinagawa Prince Hotel.

3rd:

Woke up late. Cousins, brothers, uncles and aunties wanted to go to Shinjuku, a fashion place. I didn't want to go because we need to take the subway again. I went to the many shopping centres around Prince hotel instead with my parents and grandparents. We then waited for the others to return. We left for Narita Airport at 1+. The journey took about 2 hours. We checked in our luggage and went in to do last minute shopping. The plane left for Changi Airport. It touchdown at 12.10am, Tuesday morning. I did not sleep till 3am. Home sweet home.

Summary:

I did not have any regrets joining this tour. The tour guide is funny and a good entertainer. There's free gifts. Everything is new to us, the scenery is prefect. I love Hokkaido for its chocolates, seafood, ice-cream, hot springs and most importantly, snow. It was everybody's greatest wish to see snow falling. Our wish had came true. My cousins made snow angels and snowman and had snow ball fight. Here, they are more generous in helping, whole chocolates as samples and free drinks. The people are really friendly too. They will wave to us when we leave. We also learnt more about Japan and its people. Hokkaido is a picture-perfect place even in the winter, where all the trees are bare.

Ramblings

What bad luck...to think that there's something wrong with my computer at this point of time...
I'm leaving on Monday for Japan. Why did the computer choose this time to "breakdown"? Actually, the hard drive was sent for upgrading, but it still meant that I can't go online. Sigh...
It's been about 3 days since I last used the computer. What do I do during this time? Just laze around and sleep. I haven't even started on intense training for my maplestory character yet. I've said before, after my Os, I'm going to train my character. More than 1 week had past and I didn't do anything.
Let's get to more important stuff...
I will be leaving for Japan with my family and relatives on 26th Nov. I think I will be back before 5th Dec. Hope to have lots of fun and take plenty of photos which I will post them online. Wish there will be snow too!
Of course, let me get back the hard drive by tonight...It's better to use that than my father's laptop.

Prom nite

Wednesday:
I met 2 friends at Causeway Point. We were going to look for shoes, then me and my friend were going for manicure. It was quite an experience for me. I did the french manicure with nail art on my thumbs. It was too much to pay if I did nail art on every finger. The outcome was a little strange, my brother said it looked "Gothic". My base was a shimmering light blue with black tip. I liked my thumbs best. We were sitting there for more than an hour waiting for our nails to dry. The next time I'll do this will probably be my next prom. It is just too expensive.
Thursday:
Our big day! A group of us met at my friend's house 1st. Some of them wanted to style their hair and put on make-up. I only put on eye-shadow, mascara, and lip-gloss. I wore a blue dress with diamond necklace and bracelet as accessories. We took photos before we went. Everybody looked really good. At 6pm, a friend's father came to take us to the hotel. We reached there quite early, though many people were already there.
One of my friends got nominated for prom queen. We were saying we'll vote for her if there's voting. Dinner was supposed to start at 7pm, but in the end we only got into the ballroom at 8pm. Some girls dressed elegantly while some guys from other classes dressed in a "hip-hop style". Our table was all the way to the back.
I took a look at the menu, and was surprised to note that there were prawns and fish among the dishes. I didn't expect that. There were some games going on while we dined, but we didn't participate. The dishes were alright, I supposed. I ate quite little.
My friend got 3rd place for prom queen. At 10.30pm, the prom had came to an end. Many people went around taking pictures throughout the night. I took quite a few myself.
Some friends wanted to go K-box but I was going home by 12+. In the end, the guys and us walked all the way from Holiday Inn Park View to Cineleisure Orchard. The girls were complaining about their feet. I had a few blisters too and they really hurt. The price for K-box was too high, and so we didn't went in. Furthermore, there were no movie screenings at that time. Even if we watched, the timing will be too long. After much delay, we didn't do anything at all. The guys went for their movie with a few girls while the 5 of us went home by taxi.
I reached home at 12.30 and had to call my father down. That was the reason I had to go home "early".
I could not sleep though. Regardless of some unexpected circumstances, the evening went quite smoothly. I had a great time.
Happy holidays~

Biology MCQ

Woohoo! Final paper down!
It's the end of O lvls! Yay!
Wow! Time sure flies. I still remembered at the beginning of the year, our teachers were always reminding us about the Os, about how we must study hard because the Os determine our future...Now, our teachers told us how glad they were for us, if the papers were alright of course.
Well, I can't say if I'm really happy now that the Os are over. There are greater things to worry about...sign...
Sure, there will be no more mugging, but now my parents are bugging me about finding a job. I'm not saying I will not find a job, it's just that at least let me have some time to enjoy my newfound freedom before I go back to my cage again. Truth be told, I would rather be a student than to work. Whatever...when the time comes, I'll do something about it.
Now that the Os is over, I really should have fun with what is left of my secondary school life, which is soon going to be history. I'm already considered an ex-student of my secondary school.
Memories, be they pleasant or unpleasant, will all be in the past. What matter most, is now.
So, I will have fun hanging out with my friends and really enjoy the upcoming prom.
Back to Biology MCQ. Most of the questions were alright. There were about 5 questions that I'm not too sure. Thank goodness I changed some answers in the end, because I think those were the correct ones.
Everything has come to an end...

Saturday

I had a great time shopping at Vivo city last Saturday. I was the one who spent the most money. I bought a pair of boots and a bag from U.R.S, a dress from Series and a winter coat from Winter Time.
The dress and bag are for the prom. My feet were killing me after a while as I was wearing heels. So, my prom stuff were already all settled, except my hair and manicure.
The boots and coat are for the trip to Hokkaido, Japan at the end of this month. I'm looking forward to this trip. It is going to be extremely cold, or so I heard. Almost everthing is prepared already. Ths trip cost lots of money...My coat alone costed $129, my boots $89.90.
I will take lots of photos there and maybe post them online.
But coming up is Biology MCQ!
All the other classes were already done with their Os. All that's left is us...
Let's have a grand finale!

Shopping with friends

On Wednesday, I went out to Orchard area with some friends to shop for prom stuff. We went to Far East 1st. As we were window shopping, we saw another group of girls from our class. Coincidentally, another group of girls were also shopping at Far East. It must be a good day out.
We went to so many stores, yet none of the dresses caught our eyes. I just found them not suitable for prom. Though our prom dress code is smart casual, which is supposed to be easier to find suitable clothes, it is more difficult than I thought.
We went to Wisma Atria afterwards. We were getting really tired and stopped for a rest at Ngee Ann City. My stomach hurts from all that walking and my feet were killing me.
We continued our journey to The Heeren. Since 2 friends were going home already, we decided to take Neoprint. I did not know that it cost $10 to take Neoprint nowadays. That's how long since I stepped into a Neoprint shop. It was so stressed to take Neoprints. There was a time limit to every shot. Again, we saw a group of guys from our school shopping. Everyone must have been worrying about prom?
The 4 of us then went to eat dinner. We were complaining about how we went to so many stores and yet did not even buy a thing. I reached home at 9pm. I had a great time hanging out with my friends.
I guess I will be going to Series to buy my dress. I hope the design that I want, is still in season.
Till next time

Combined science MCQ

Today's MCQ was still ok, I supposed. Some of them were tricky though. I do hope that I understood the questions and gave the answers according to what they require. I had some questions in the chemistry component that I got wrong. I hoped that's all.
Right, so now all's left is Biology MCQ. Though O levels is not officially over, the written papers were all done. The "highly anticipated" O levels has come and gone. The O levels that made me cry is finally ending. I can't describe this feeling...
On to bigger and happier stuff. One more week to prom night. Tomorrow, I'll be going shopping with some friends. I only need a dress now, the shoes and accessories are already settled. Then next week, I will be cutting my hair and doing manicure. Really looking forward to this. Can't wait to see how everyone looks.
A load off my heart...

Biology, social studies

What the...The biology was so tough today. I did the essays first, they were still alright. Then when I turned back to the front page, I was stunned. All the questions were so difficult! A lot that required in-depth thinking and writing short essays. It is totally different from what I expected.
To say I underestimated it, was an understatement. We did not even went through those type of questions in class. I'm going to die. Goodbye to A2...This was the not the "grand" finale I expected. Why do they torture us so? To set the biology together with the social studies paper was already going to the extreme, yet they still did this to us...
Why aren't we given some leeway? I'm not counting my biology in my L1R4 afterall. I always thought that my biology is not that bad, but it seems I was wrong from the start. I really felt like crying during the paper. I felt so helpless.
Who would have thought that biology would be my downfall? It was the last thing on my mind. So now, I'm left with 5 subjects to count for my L1R4.
Combined humanities should be alright, I hoped. When I did the SEQ, I was so happy that the theme I focused on came out. Hooray! I studied 3 themes, but then decided to focus on just one dued to the time constraint. Thank goodness, it came out.
SBQ was a little difficult. I did not know how to do the last 2 questions.
I worked so hard for it, only to have it go to naught.
Seeking solace in the virtual world...

Physics

I was really flustered over the physics paper today. That's before the paper, but when doing the paper, I had no emotions at all. It was kinda alright. I remembered the formulas and notes quite well. There was this question about refraction that I did not know how to do. The other questions were ok.
Actually, physics is easy. Just apply the formulas correctly and you should do well. For me, well, it was a chore. No matter how I study, I can't get them in my head. Anyway, it's over! I guessed I won't take up physics or related subjects in the future.
I made a real stupid mistake though. I wrote that people should wear lead shields and helmets when handling radioactive materials. The answer should have been thick lead shields are used to cover radioactive materials. Ahhh...
Never mind then.
4 more papers to go. Hooray!

Chinese

Nothing much to say about Chinese. I found it more difficult than the 1st exam. Sigh...the compo was about maid and owner stuff and the letter writing was about going to take part in an activity or something. They were...alright, I supposed. I really had no comments.
Paper 2 1st part was confusing, all the words seem the same to me. Compre was still alright, except I had a lot of words that I could not write. I can't imagine what my compo would be like if I had no dictionary. Most probably it will be full of blanks.
However, with any luck, this will be the last time I'm going to study it. No more Chinese in poly!
On a good note, we went out to celebrate my mum's birthday. We went to Orchard Road, Royal Plaza on Scotts and have high tea. The place totally changed. It has been a long time since I stepped into that place. When I was younger, once every year, I will have high tea there with my parents. Those were the good times. I ate quite little, the food wasn't that good. Though, the cakes were nice.
5 more papers to go...Wow, fast

English, Maths

Hooray! Another 2 subjects down!
The composition questions were quite tough. Nothing much to choose from. In the end, I chose question 4 : "Write about some of the things in your country you value most and would miss greatly, if you had to live in another country". I wrote some crap stuff about system of fairness, low crime rate and food. I barely passed the minimum 350 words. Sigh...I'm not good in my compos.
The situational writing was alright but I wrote it in report form instead of formal letter. But I've been thinking, who in the world would write to the Principal in a formal letter? Whatever...Hope I won't fail.
Comprehension was tough, in a sense that I could not find the answers for some questions. I guessed I won't do too badly. Summary was ok.
Maths paper 1 was in the afternoon. I was feeling rather lethargic and can't really concentrate at 1st. My mind wasn't working too well. Overall, the paper was a little difficult. I had already gotten some questions wrong.
Today's paper 2 was, I'm so happy to say, EASY. Three cheers for me! I can do most of the questions, except 3-4 parts that I'm not sure. I was grinning after the exam. Hooray again!
Chinese papers tomorrow.
A few more papers to go, and it's goodbye forever!

Geography

The paper yesterday was a little tad difficult. I could not really see the valley in the map. I did the agriculture and environment questions.
The agriculture question was ok. The 1st part was comparing the rice yields in 3 Asian countries. The 2nd part was to write reasons for the increase or decrease in rice yields. The 3rd part was to describe briefly hydroponics and aeroponics and why they are important to Singapore.
The environment question was a little hard. Describe what may happen when the glaciers melt in the Himalayas in the present time and in 2050. The 2nd part was to describe the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources. 8 marks for a question like this? It baffled me for a second. Is there so much things to write about? I made a mistake here by saying the fish is a infinite resource, while water and waves are finite. It should be the opposite.
The 3rd part was how has affluence throughout the world put pressure on scarce resources. How successful has attempts been to manage these resources. 12 marks here. I did not really study this part, so I did not have much points to write. I talked about FSC and overfishing bans. Quite relevant, I hoped.
I must get A1 for combined humanities. Though geography was a little hard, I think I have a very good chance of getting an A1. But I'm not going to think about it too much, I'm scared of another episode like the Chinese.
4 down, 18 days to go.
Once it've started, it's full steam ahead.

A maths paper 2 & Chemistry

The A maths paper was alright, I think. Hopefully, I can get 30+ marks or passed. Hooray! No more A maths forever! I'm feeling a little light-hearted already.
The Chemistry paper was quite difficult in section A. A lot of thinking questions and asking for details. As I only started revising on that day, there were many things that I don't really know. On a good note, section B was easy! I chose questions 8 and 9. They were the easiest. 4 marks just to identify proton, neutron, and wrote down the numbers. Wow! I think I will get almost full marks for section B. I must get at least an A2 for combined science. Another subject that I hated, down.
Today is geography paper. I have high expectations for it. Geography has always been my forte. Don't let me down today. After today, it's goodbye to you.
3 days down, 19 days to go.

A maths paper 1

Hmm...I don't know how to describe the paper. I found it ok, but that's probably due to my indifference about it. Naturally, the paper was full of ticks, questions that I don't know. I reckon I can at least get 30+ marks or if really lucky, pass my 1st ever A maths paper.
I guessed I was already satisfied. No use chasing after something that is out of my reach. There were some questions, hopefully 1, that I used the correct formula but did wrongly. Careless, isn't it?
Paper 2 is today and after that, it's goodbye forever to A maths! Yay!
I really hope that today's paper will be ok too. Let me do at least half of the questions in the paper.

O lvls starts!

This is it! The "big" day!
Nearly 10 years of studies, just for this exam. All those hard work will be put to good use from today onwards.
I may not show my anxiety and nervousness, but deep down, I'm really scared. I truly feel like crying. Today's paper is the bane of my existence. Although I may say that I have already give up on A maths, the truth is, I can never really let it go. I'll only do selective questions. But what if those selected questions can't be done too? What if I handed up an almost empty answer booklet?
This is the last lap and I'm still hating all these subjects. 2 days is all I need to be free of A maths. Then, I swear that I will never ever pick up A maths again. This will be the last time I ever heard from it.
I've had enough! I've dedicated too much entries for my hatred for A maths. It's getting out of hand.
Please let me do at least half of the questions in the paper. If I pass my A maths, I'll be more than happy.
All the best to those taking the Os!
All will come to an end, too soon.

Practical exams

Tuesday's Biology practical was quite alright. There were questions on germination, drawings, fruit reproduction. We were given a snow pea and asked to cut it in half. I cut it longitudinally, and so got the drawing of its seed wrong.
I already lost 4 marks on that and another 2 marks on a "thinking" question. How can we trapped the energy released by the seed? How am I supposed to know? Our teacher admitted that it was a difficult question. The others should be ok, I hope.
The Physics part of today's practical was easy. I finished it in the last 30 minutes, dued to the time I spent on Chemistry. This year's question had something to do with refraction and we already did an experiment similar to this in the past.
The Chemistry part was difficult, not really a killer but I won't do well. I misread the instructions at 1st. I had to redo it 3 times. The next part we were supposed to test for any gas that was evolved. I tested for CO2, O2, H2 and NH3, but none worked. I only knew it from my friend that there was CO2 in the end.
After that, we needed to heat some of the unknown with aqueous cobalt(II) sulphate or something, to get a solid. I got a dark brown solid. After some tests to find out the cation, I concluded that the unknown was Zinc Carbonate. It seemed that this answer was correct. Almost everybody had the same answer.
I truly hoped that today is the last day I will ever start the bunsen burner again. It gives me the jitters just to start it. I nearly got an heart-attack today. I tried it for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd time before it finally worked.
A maths paper 1 on Monday.
2.30pm starts

Graduation Day!

Today had been an unforgettable and wonderful day. It was my graduation day!
The day started off by receiving our class photos in class. At 8.30, we made our way down to the hall. The principal made a speech and sang the graduation song he wrote. Then one by one, we went up to the stage to receive our "certificate". I liked to describe it as a modified certificate.
After that, a video was screened. All the parting words and pictures were so touching.
Now for the fun part, we had to walked down the aisle to the parade square, with all our juniors cheering and clapping for us. It was a little embarrassing but a good experience. For 3 years, we had cheered and clapped for the graduating classes. Today, it was our turn to be cheered at!
We got our year book otherwise known as the green book. There were photos and speeches of the graduating classes and teachers. We were given the CD too.
Soon everybody was busily writing autographs for one another. We even asked those classmates whom we are not that close to write. I guessed this is the only time where everybody "gathered" up their courage and asked each other to sign autographs and take photos. Some of us girls took photos with the guys. A pity that some guys were nowhere to be found.
We stayed back in school for at least 2 hours just to take photos and write autographs.
Finally, another chapter has come to a close. There is still a long way for us. This is not the end yet. I may post some of the photos here.
O lvls is next week!
Prom nite is on 15th November!
PS: We are going to take more photos on prom nite!

End of study leave

1 week study leave had past. I did many E maths papers and memorise Social Studies. Tomorrow is Biology practical. I've to admit, I'm a little apprehensive about it. Though, Combined Science practical should be more difficult than Biology. I read up some notes already, going to read up more today.
On the 17th is our Graduation Day! I've recently bought a camera, which I am going to bring that day. I guess I'll cry or get teary-eyed.
On the 18th, back to practical exam. I hope everything will be alright. Just let me start the bunsen burner successfully for these 2 practicals. This will be the last time...Please...

Starting next week, O lvls starts.

Timetable for next week:

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Mon~A maths paper 1

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Tues~A maths paper 2

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Wed~Chemistry

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Thurs~Geography

Till next time

Study leave--day 3

Yesterday, I went out with my class guys to watch a movie. Well, it was kind of awkward...haha. This was my 1st time going out with guys, anyway, it was a good thing that there was a girl friend there too.
I don't really talk to the guys in my class, except for a couple of them. I met up with my friend at Yishun MRT station before heading towards Orchard area. Oh well, I didn't know how to take the train there. I seldom go out on my own, you see. Almost everywhere I go, my father drive me there.
Since we were 1st to reach, we went to walk around before meeting the other guys. That was the most awkward part. I knew what they were thinking.
We met up with the others at Cathay. Balls of Fury was quite an ok movie, I supposed. Comedy.
After that, one of the guys said he wanted to look for a music store, so we walked around looking for it. But, in the end, couldn't find it. My feet were hurting because I was wearing shoes that I seldom wore.
I was the 1st one to go home. The day was quite enjoyable once I got past the weird part. Quite an experience for me...
16th Oct is Biology practical.

The last day

Today was officially the last day of school for us. Next week, we will be having our study break, then it will be our practical exams. Everything will fall into place quickly, before we know it, the O levels will be over.
I was glad I was offered a second chance two years ago. If not for that phonecall, my life will be different, I supposed. I was also glad that I chose this class. It was the best class ever! Sure, we may not be that united, but we're close. These two years had not gone to waste...
Today was sort of bittersweet for us, I'll miss my classmates, friends and school! I will miss everything about the school. The extra stuffy classroom, which we shall not have a chance to step into it again, my seat, maybe not the hall. The hall is really hot and even with the fans on, there is no wind at all.
I guess we can meet up after O levels, but it will be different, somehow.
Graduation Day will be on 17th October. I hope I can get a camera by then. I will be asking my friends to write autographs...
Until next time
17 days to O levels

Prelims results--updated

Alright, here are my results for the prelims. Not too good though.

English:

compo--18/30

situational writing--14/30

compre--27.5/50

overall--58.8/100 (C5)

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A.Maths:

Paper 1--27/80

Paper 2--27/80

overall--33.75/100 (F9)

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Biology:

MCQ--31/40

Paper 2--59.5/80

Practical--27/40

overall--73.43/100 (A2)

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Combined Humanities:

Geography--33/50

Social Studies--37/50

overall--70/100 (A2)

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Chinese:

paper 1--40.5/70

paper 2--45/70

paper 3--55.5/60

overall--70.5/100 (A2)

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Combined Science:

Physics--70.5/100

Chemistry--61/100

overall--65.75/100 (B3)

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E.Maths:

Paper 1--47/80

Paper 2--65/100

overall--61.8/100 (B4)

***

My English really needs to be improved. I can't have this kind of marks for my O lvls. If I maintained my other subjects like Biology and Chinese, I'm sure I will get my target of 14 points. Another subject that must be improved is E Maths. I must get an A for it, since my A maths is really disastrous. L1R4 is 15 points.

Prelims--brief 4

Today is the last day of prelims. Yay! But the combined science MCQ was difficult. I finished it barely in time. I spent too much time on the 20 physics questions. I forgot some formulas and so I guessed the answers. "Sighs"
Some of the questions were just testing on details, but this was what caused us marks. We just assumed that we will be able to handle such easy questions that we don't study for it. I already had 5-6 mistakes or answers that I was not sure of.
The chemistry part was manageable. 2-3 questions that I was not sure of. I don't know about the other questions though...
On Thursday, the Biology MCQ was ok. Actually it can be considered easy. I can't even believe it, I was so careless! One question asked about where is the bronchus, of course I know where it is, but I put trachea as the answer. That was so stupid! Then there was another question on whether penicillium is a bacteria or fungi. I just blindly assumed that it is a bacteria.
My carelessness is getting me nowhere. Those questions that I was not sure of, I got them correct, I think, but those easy questions, I can't deal with. What sort of logic is that?
Anyway, this is only the prelims. What matter most is my O levels which is coming in about 5 weeks time. Got to start revising again.
Tomorrow, I have the day off. But on Monday, it will be back to school, mock exams, revisions and collecting the prelims papers! I wanted to get them back but I'm afraid of the scores.

Prelims--brief 3

Today's Biology paper was not bad. Well, I had a slight advantage over the others since I got to know the questions for the essays 1st. But it was because I asked, too bad for those who didn't. Still, that doesn't meant anything, because in the end you have to memorise in order to pass.
The short-answers questions were quite alright. My Biology teacher made it sound so bad that day... There were just some questions that required more in-depth thinking. B3 should not be a problem, I hope. However, whatever marks I get here don't matter, ultimately, it is the O levels results people see.
Last Thursday's combined science practical exam was a little tad difficult. Not in the doing sense, but it required thinking skills. I couldn't get the nitrate from one solution and I even did it twice. The only problem was that I didn't smell it.
Tomorrow is Biology practical exam. I'll just be reading through some notes like food tests and drawings.
Wish me luck, I need it

Tremors in S'pore

Yesterday evening, 12th September, tremors hit Singapore. We, at Yishun, were having dinner when the tremors hit. I was the one who felt it first, but I thought it was my brother pushing against my chair. Then my father asked us if we could feel the building swaying. The water in the basin was unstable. My neighbours also felt the tremors.
This morning, I found out that an earthquake hit Sumatra, Indonesia. Apparently, many areas of Singapore like the business district and Ang Mo Kio also felt the tremors.
About 7.55 am today, tremors were again felt. I checked the water but it seemed quiet. Then the ornament bird on a stick in my flowerpot started swaying. I knew that it was the tremors again. My father called shortly after, followed by my mother. She felt the tremors too, in her office. I was more nervous today as I was alone at home.
Latest news, another earthquake hit Indonesia this morning.

Prelims--brief 2

2 more days down. On Monday, we had Geography and Maths paper 1. The geography was quite alright, except I wrote a col instead of ridge, oh well...
The Maths paper was a little difficult. I don't know if I will fail or not. Perhaps not but I won't do well. There were just too many questions that baffled me. Furthermore, no calculators were allowed.
On Tuesday, we had Maths paper 2 and Physics paper. The 1st few questions in the Maths paper were difficult. I spent so much time on them. But the subsequent questions were ok.
The Physics paper was fine. There were just some sub-questions that I don't know. I made one stupid mistake though. I thought 1.7m is 1700cm. Ahhh... That was so careless of me.
Today, I don't have to go to school. Only those taking Literature paper must go. I got to wake up late and managed to post an entry here. My classmates's paper are ending anyway. The exam end at 9.30.
Tomorrow, I'll be having Chemistry and Physics practical paper. Since my class is on the 3rd shift, we can go to school late. But I don't know how we can do 2 practicals at the same time...
The arrangement is weird.
All the best!

Photos with teachers

Teachers' day 2007