Together

Today was both a good and bad day for me. (By today, I mean Saturday)

After spending the whole afternoon watching the lastest season of Desperate Housewives, I decided to take a short nap before eating dinner and head for recital practice. Ideally, that was what was supposed to happen. Ideally.

What really did happen was this--

I received an sms from Nik around 7pm. "Fuck, 7pm is when the practice starts!" was my first thought. I quickly changed my clothes and stormed out of the boarding school. This was when my first stroke of bad luck came: when I was on the overhead bridge, I saw 171 passed by the bus stop. 171 is the only direct bus to OSchool from my place. Crap. All that running was for nothing.

I had to wait for a bloody 20 minutes before another 171 came. When I was waiting for the bloody bus, I took out my PSP -- only to find it out of battery. I forgot to charge it! So no music for me! Have you ever heard the phrase "Without music, life's a mistake"?

When the 171 pulled in, I already noticed that the bus was going rather slow, but I didn't really care because I was already late by half an hour. My suspicion was confirmed when the bus started moving again -- the bus goes from 0km/h to 10km/h in like 10 seconds! I immediately regretted boarding the bus at all.

To make things worse, there was a bloody jam leading into Orchad Road. It made me envy how fast snails can go, really. Not to mention, there are 2 bimbos on the bus chatting away loudly, which fucking irritate the hell out of me. What's with my luck with girls? Do I always have to get bimbos? Why not decent girls for a change?

I ended up being 1 hour and 30 minutes late for the practice. Bloody hell. But my mood started to change from bad to good at right about this point.

When I got into the hall, Daniel immediately caught me with a joke:

--------------------------------------
Me: I'm really sorry guys! The bloody bus was damn slow! Hope I didn't miss much....
Daniel: Oh, Wilfred! We changed the whole formation. And about the lifting, I changed it so that you're getting lifted by the legs. *proceed to give his evil grin*

Sidenote: I realized Daniel is starting to show his evil grin more often.
------------------------------------

Despite the serious nature of cleaning up, today's recital practice was quite light-hearted. Everyone is mingling and joking around, which is definitely good. I can now sense a change in everyone's attitude -- it seems that everyone is now very confident of our item, which boosts our morales even higher!

I mentioned that the instructors don't teach how to control facial expression yesterday. By a stroke of good luck, Daniel taught us the importance and how to control facial expression. But not without some jokes here and there:

------------------------------------
Daniel: You guys must know how to use facial expression to express your emotions. Anne, give me a sad look.
Anne: *changes her facial expression*
Daniel: No, no, that's a stone face.
------------------------------------
Daniel: Helena, give me a sad look!
Helena: *gives a facial expression*
Daniel: That's not sad. How bout angry?
Helena: Err....
Daniel: That's not angry too. Looks like you dunno how to control your facial expression.
Helena: *looks genuinely sad*
Daniel: Ah yes, perfect! That's the kind of sad face I want!
-----------------------------------

After our practice ended, most of our recital group went to eat at the nearby Kopitiam foodcourt.
It was the first time that our recital group actually hung out together! It was quite a cool experience actually. Everyone is trying to get to know each other better. Of course, there were jokes being made in the process too.

-----------------------------------
Justin: Wah, Wilfred from HCJC leh. Elitist lah! Next time become prime minister!
Serene: Huh? Wilfred wanna be PM?
Colin: What? Wilfred wanna be PM?
Nik: Huh? Wilfred wants to be a PM?
Me: =.='''
----------------------------------

Oh yeah, and apparently, Serene thought I was gay. Like what the hell? She meant it jokingly. But her perceptions change when another even greater "gay" came along....

----------------------------------
Justin: Last4 One is in town! I actually took photos with one of the Korean guys. His muscle damn big lah! And he's quite handsome too.
Everyone: *turns around and gave Justin weird looks*
----------------------------------

But we all knew he wasn't gay. But it was quite funny.

At first, Daniel wanted to come and join us for the late dinner. The first thought that popped into my mind was "Don't let Daniel order the food!" I remembered the time when my dancemates and Daniel went for dinner at the Taiwanese restaurant and ordered so much food that even 8 person can't finish.

All in all, today's recital practice is the greatest. I really am starting to like my recital mates alot more. The only sad part was the recital is coming in 9 days! I wish we had known eachother earlier. I wish it wouldn't end. The fun is just geting started. Before you know it, it's all going to end. Sigh.

I am left with 11 more days before I go back to Malaysia, but I still have lots to do! Need to start packing; do SAT practices; do something for the seniors; hang out with the seniors and my dancemates; attend open classes....... etc.

If only we could all be together forevermore..........

Facade

For the first time in weeks, I actually feel emotional. And I don't know why. Maybe it's because I just finished watching Desperate Housewives. Maybe it's because Vincent is writing his new emo song beside me. Argh. I just don't know.

You know, most of the time, I got this naggy feeling that I'm not really in touch with my emotions. Like sometimes I have to force myself to smile or laugh. I haven't really felt joyous or sad or anything at all for the past days. It's like I'm mechanical or something.

Sometimes, when I go down to the dining hall for mealtime, I have to see this particular group of female seniors that I really dislike. Actually, I don't hate all of them, but just a few particular. It's like they're fucking bimbos or something. I find 2 specific girls fucking shallow in their perception of ppl, because they only judge ppl by their appearance. "Oohh, look at that hot guy!" or "She looks great!", then they will somehow flirt their way to get to know them. They act like they're the hottest girls around, but in reality, they look nothing near that standard.

But the most disturbing part is how they failed to consider the fact that these "friends" they made are just putting up an act. A facade. Ah, that word comes up often doesn't it?

"Facade"

You see, everyone puts it up. It gets tiring sometimes. Sometimes, I just wanna be who I am -- me. The thing about facade it that it will wear off sooner or later, exposing a person's true colours. The colours can either be gracefully bright or dangerously dark.

When you are able to be who you really are, then you know you have found trustworthy friends. Friends who know who you are and understand you completely. I am glad to have found these true friends. Sometimes, I just got to remember that it's not worth the effort and energy to bitch about the ppl I don't like, instead I should focus on my true friends.

Thank you guys for being there. =)

--------------------------------------------------------------

I think the other reason I feel emo is because I feel that I am very lousy in dancing. Ryan's class yesterday made me realize that I have a long way to go. Today, I went to the PE studio to practice his choreo, and no matter how much I've practiced, I feel like it still doesn't look good. Perhaps because I wasn't focusing during the class? Maybe I didn't pay enough attention to the details? Or how bout this -- Maybe I'm just not good enough?

Sometimes, I wish I have an instructor that can teach me everything about dance. Not only technically stuff like how to control facial expressions, how to isolate this, how to do that. I am talking about EVERYTHING about dance, like what dance is about, what hip hop is about, how to display emotions properly.

Sigh. I think some of you guys might not even understand what I'm talking about.

I may be better than some ppl, but there's still tons of ppl ahead of me. It's going to be a long and steep uphill journey from here.

There's recital practice tomorrow. It's the last practice before the full dress rehearsal on Sunday. Guys, let's do this! I am considering going for Ann Tan's open class tomorrow too. These may be the last few times I'm able to learn from her. I think I may ask some of the instructors for advice too tomorrow so that I'll know how to improve myself.

Holiday In Review

I can't believe how fast time flows by. It seems November is approaching the end and yet I still have quite a few things that's undone. I think it's about time I review the holiday checklist that I've created during the start of the holidays--

Things to do/look forward to during the holidays:

1. Class outing @ East Coast Park Forget it. This is DEFINITELY NOT going to happen.
   
2. OG outing!!!
   
3. Complete holiday assignments >.< Halfway there =)
   
4. Study for SAT Still am
   
5. Dance, dance, dance! Definitely still going on
   
6. Exercise more Believe it or not, I did
   
7. Mix music Ongoing
   
8. Choreo something with someone Ok, with the amount of time left, I don't think it's possible
   
9. Hanging out with friends Absolutely! =D
   
10. Do something crazy (like jumping off a building getting drunk, overnight but not sleeping etc.) Not yet, but soon
    
11. Do something for the seniors Doing it
    
12. Play games I still do
    
13. OSchool Recital (Can't wait) Damn excited for it! It's looking great
    
14. Last but not least -- Go home I miss Malaysian food!
    

Though it may look like I have a lot of things going on, in reality, there's not much. Everyday, I'll be studying a little for SAT ("constant revision" was what Yew Wei always said), then I'll be either watching TV series, playing games, going to the gym, going out or dancing. It's fun at first, but it gets kinda dull when the routine repeats itself everyday. Even dancers will get sick of the same choreography.

SAT is not as easy as I thought it was. I think I need to really do more practice for it.

I'm actually quite proud of how much I've progressed through my holiday assignments. I've finished Math Tutorial 13, Halogenoalkanes tutorial, and Chem Holiday Package. I'm quite surprised by my own determination. Usually, I don't finish my holiday assignments (Err, Mum, now you know). This is actually the first time I'm trying to complete them.

I also started working out at the gym too. Amazing, eh? With the amount of food I'm gorging down, I think I ought to keep my body in shape. So don't be surprise if you see this short guy lifting weights in the gym. Haha

-----------------------------------------------------------

I met up with my OG mates yesterday! I really, really, really missed them! The 8 of us (Regina, Charlene, Pei Wen, Teck Yuke, Jun Xin, Zhi Yang, Li Jie and me) met at City Hall and went to Thai Express @ Esplanade to have dinner. After that, we went to the rooftop to chat and hang around. Not surprisingly, we spent alot of time cam whoring too. It was fun to catch up on each other's lives and just chat about our lives. I hope we can meet up again sometime soon!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Ryan's lyrical class today was super-duper hard! I managed to persuade all of my dancemates, save for Freddie, to attend Ryan's class. They are quite unfortunate in a way, because today's choreo is probably the hardest out of all of his classes I've attended. Almost the whole class, even the regulars, have trouble catching up with Ryan's choreo away. And there was unusually large amount of ppl attending Ryan's class today. The lack of space, combined with Ryan's extremely difficult choreo, made me looked like a total dumbass in class today. I hope I don't look like a total moron on video.

Actually, I think I haven't been practicing dance enough. Ryan's class today made me realized that I need to buck up alot for dance. Guess I am heading to the studio tomorrow.

It's Coming

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates! Instead of being too free till I've have nothing to update, I've actually got some things going on right now so I didn't really have the time to update.

First thing's first:



I heard from the instructors that the tickets are selling very fast! The other day, Nik got about 20 tickets for his classmates and I am starting to panic if the tickets will eventually be sold out before I could buy them. I am collating the orders and cash so that I can buy in bulk this coming Thursday or Saturday. If the tickets sold out on the day I plan to buy, I'll go jump off a building or something.

The recital is looking great right now. The past Sunday's recital practice was definitely the dopest! It was 5 straight hours of dance! (instead of the usual 2 hours) Daniel kinda realized that we missed 3 practice sessions so he made up for it.

Daniel changed the storyline for our item, which was unfortunate, because our lead female actress decided to withdraw out of personal reasons. Yay!Rina also backed out, which was quite fortunateunfortunate. So we're down to 20. I really liked the previous storyline actually, but I guess the new one is not bad at all. Daniel also helped us to clean our steps and formations patiently.

Other than the fact that Rina backed out of the item (if she had done it sooner, all those things wouldn't have happened. Ironic), we had lots of fun bonding and clicking with each other. It seems that everyone is comfortable with each other, so everyone lets their hair down, even Daniel. Daniel became chatty and shared with us some of his dancing experience.

Finally, it seems that our recital item is solid! OSchool, watch out this coming vetting! We are better and stronger than ever before! Even though the practice was the best in recent times, I hope we will continue to improve and be the best!

---------------------------------------------------------

Had dinner with Nik after the practice. Had an interesting discussion with him about facades and human personalities.

Actually, sometimes I feel like I'm putting up a facade. Especially when I'm in school. It's like I have this feeling that I must act "socially acceptable" and I cannot really speak my mind sometimes. It's quite frustrating actually. I sometimes feel the same way with some of the J1 dancers too. In school, most of the time, the ppl I really let my hair down are some of the ppl in my class, and the dancers (especially the senior dancers, not surprisingly).

I wonder why do I even need a facade. I think I would be much happier if I can just be, you know, me.

So I've decided that from now on, I'll just be who I am -- myself. I don't care if a person don't like my comment. That person can just shove it up his ass if he wants to. I'll keep my cool and be me. =)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I didn't follow some of my classmates to send Yew Wei off to Australia at the airport. I think I have said my farewells to him the other time. So instead, I had a hearty dinner at the Aston's outlet near my hostel, with Vincent. He was gracious to sponsor the meal because thought he might die from eating hostel food.

Spending time with seniors is important because this might be the last few times I'll be seeing them before they just head to their next path in life, be it university, NS, or working.

"So little time, so much to do"

Nostalgic

It's been so long since I've had this much fun on a Saturday.

Since the end of Hip Hop 3 course, my dance clique haven't met together on Saturdays. Plus, I've stopped going for Saturday's open classes too, since I've decided to pursue lyrical hip hop by attending Ryan's open class on Thursdays. So imagine my delight when I saw Ie-Ching and Brian again today (though it's not that I don't miss Nik, just that I've seen him very often).

So, Nik, Ie-Ching and me went for Daniel's hip hop I open class, like we used too. Quite nostalgic. Heh. xD But unfortunately, Brian could not join us because he injured his back recently, so he could only watched on as we danced. I feel quite bad for him, actually. (If you're reading this, Brian, I hope you'll get well soon!)

Daniel's choreo was quite fun today. We learnt the harlem shake, monastery (though we have already learnt this before), and C-walk! Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake! And I like the C-walk variations that he taught, like the side step and the Charlie Charleston. On the whole, his choreo today wasn't hard to catch, but it was energy-draining as usual, with all the large movements and everything. I'll post the vid once he (does) uploads it.

Actually, me and Ie-Ching wanted to go for Ann Tan's open class straightaway after Daniel's, but Brian and Nik didn't want to, so I guess maybe next time. It's been very long since I went for her lessons, and she was the one who first introduced me to lyrical hip hop. Ie-Ching told me an unfortunate news about Ann. I wish I could post it here, but I feel that I should respect her privacy. But the bottom line is, I am really, really, really, really, going to miss Ann Tan's lessons even more. I think I must go for at least a few more of her lessons before I go back to Malaysia, because I am never be able to see her again after that. T.T

Anyway, after the lesson, the 4 of us went to Studio Wu at SMU to check out the place (though actually I've been there before). And guess who I saw? I saw Sheila again! It was a pleasant surprise! Haven't seen her since the Street Jazz sabbaticals. She's a really dope and caring instructor, something like Ann Tan. Haha.

We checked the courses and stuff like that. But looking at the price, I was tempted to ask them: "Do you guys have financial aid?". Their courses costs twice as much as the course in OSchool but I heard the quality is better. I sometimes think that their act of capitalism might have hindered the people who really wants to learn dance. Like me.

After that, the four of us went to Bugis and eat, eat, and eat! It's like we walked and talked, then we eat and talk. Then the cycle repeats itself. We bought bubble tea, then went to eat at Noodle House. Then we walked around and ate desserts at Ministry of Food. Ministry of Food is DAMN NICE! But the price is DAMN EX also! Haiz. It seems that everything good is expensive.

But the most important things were the things that were said. We took the time to catch up on each other's lives. Something interesting was brought up. Ie-Ching asked whether we would want to join competitions next year, like Danceworks! Frankly speaking, I have thought of it, but I wonder whether we have enough expereince to hold our own feet. But I don't mind participating, but it's up to the rest of the clique. And I think it's going to set up some very awkward situations, because MAD is going to particpate too. Hmm...

Today just made me realized how much I love my dancemates. It's so unusual because we don't see each other often, but we do care for each other alot like how Ie-Ching always helped me out. I hope I can spend more time with them before I'm going back to Malaysia.

It seems that I have alot of stuff to do before going back to Malaysia, what's with taking SAT, recital training, hanging out with friends and dance pracs. As always, time is never enough.

Just Gettin' Started

Sec 4 Malaysian Scholars Pic during 2007 Grad Night @ Ritz Calrton

Why is it that by the time we get to know our friends the best and just started having fun, then it would be time to leave? I bet countless ppl have thought of that before. Only till the end of something, be it school, performance, or a journey, then we look back at the times fondly, remembering the highlights and forgetting the bad moments. Perhaps we look back with a tinge of regret, wondering what we could have done differently, before we shelve the memories away.

Memories.

One of my classmates, Yew Wei, is leaving for Australia next Monday, because he seems to like the Australian life better. Actually, I kind of regretted that I didn't get to know him better, though I know he's somewhat an introvert.

My class had a farewell dinner for Yew Wei at Junction 8's Cafe Cartel on Tuesday night. The food was wonderful (well, so is the price tag, btw) but I think that our class sort of broke into our usual cliques and just ignored the fact that it was supposed to be Yew Wei's farewell dinner. After dinner, we went to the open area on the rooftop and sat down in a circle. and we played games and chit-chatted till like there's no tomorrow. Yeah right. If only that's true. Again, we had our own conversations before taking a few pics and leave.

I was feeling kinda bad for Yew Wei because it seems like the farewell is not sincere enough. Where's the sincerity, guys? Seriously. Actually, I was hoping that our class could do something special before Yew Wei leaves. If not special, then at least something fun that can bond the class, like going cycling at East Coast Park or smth.

What happened to our class? I wonder. At the start of the year, we were so bonded. But now, it seems that our class has a serious gender segregation and numerous cliques. What happened to the time we celebrated Valerie's birthday? I remember standing in the Central Plaza, flipping the card, and feeling proud of my class for pulling something so special for our fellow classmate. I also remember at the start of the year, when my whole class would just put our difference aside, and just sit down in a circle and chat.

My class is not totally dessimated. In fact, my class is probably of the better classes out of the J1 cohort. Other classes doesn't have a Christmas BBQ party (which I will be missing, unfortunately, because I'll be back in Malaysia), neither do they have their own "haunted trail"s, or Sentosa outings. My class also had the most attendance for our fac event!

First class outing/BBQ @ Yew Wei's house

Ice Skating @ Fuji Ice Palace

Class Outing @ Sentosa with Mr ShyamAthena Faculty Event: Envy of the 7 Seas

08S6E is good, but it can be great. I'll say it plainly. I think we can be MUCH MORE better than we are now if ppl in my class actually care about each other. I hate it when one calls the other "Jock-head" behind the back, then another one says "bimbo" discreetly. Everyone have their own weakness, so I hope we just tolerate it and get along with each other better. Is that too much to ask?

I have all these thoughts in my head for quite some time, and I think it's about time I voice them. I don't wanna look back after I've graduated and say "Oh, my class? It's ok. ". I want to be able to say "My class? They are FABULOUS! I really miss my classmates!". So that's why I've decided that maybe I should lend a hand in organizing stuff (be it outings or birthday celebrations) if the person-in-charge is unable, or incapable.
Let's make a difference, 08S6E!

-------------------------------------------------------

As for Yew Wei, I hope you'll enjoy yourself over at Australia. (Though I know you probably won't be reading this). Remember to come back and visit us next year when you have the chance!

"See you later" doesn't mean goodbye.

-------------------------------------------------------

On the other hand, the A-Levels are over for most of the seniors. They are probably hanging out and drinking boozehaving fun. I'm looking forward to hanging out with some of my favourite seniors (you know who you are =) ) sometime soon, hopefully before I am going back to Malaysia. I really am going to miss them.

Oh yeah, I'm also looking forward to spend quality time with my dancemates this Saturday. It's been a long time since we last hanged out together! Everybody is busy with his/her own life, what's with college, exams, and recital practices. Too bad Diana will be missing it though.

Believe it or not, my OG is having an OG BBQ next Wednesday! I'm really excited about it! Imagine thinking ur OG (orientation group, for the non-HC readers) is dead and dispersed, then suddenly there's going to be an OG BBQ! It'll be at Pei Wen's (my OG leader) new home! Yay! My OG has been very bonded from the start, so I guess it's not much surprise that my OG is not dead like most OGs are. If only my class have the same spirit as my OG....

Which these activities to look forward to, it seems that the party has just gettin' started!

Can I Have This Dance

Holidays have been a peaceful affair, to say the least. It's a break from the ever-fast-paced school life, and finally it feels as though there's time to stop racing, sit down, and take a breather. Other than doing holiday assignments, preparing for SATs, and dancing, there's nothing much to update on. Hence the lack of updates.

Apparently, Daniel didn't mention an extra practice in the end, so that means I could go for Ryan's Lyrical Hip Hop class after all. This time, I was joined by Hui Hua and Pao Pao. I got to say that Pao Pao did quite well for a first-timer. This time, Ryan used the same song he used 2 weeks ago, but he changed some steps and added on more steps. Some parts were quite hard to catch though. Take a look at the video. Thank goodness I did not ridicule myself again on the video. xD

By the way, Ryan asked Darren, Zaihar, and Fredy to join him in a four-man-filming, but halfway through, Ryan forgot his steps. The he filmed again. And he forgot AGAIN. Another filming. He screwed up AGAIN. On the fourth filming, he also forgotten the steps AGAIN, then he just gave up and did Jazz techniques. (You can spot it from the opening scene if you look closely enough). That's Ryan for you. Haha.

------------------------------------------------------------

Finally found the time and company to watch High School Musical 3 last night. Almost everyone I know have watched it, and being a fanboy of sorts myself (yes, I've watched HSM1&2 a few times), I know I must watch it. Before watching it, I've had some very mixed reviews of the movie, ranging from "terrible-on-screen-hanky-panky-yucky-dewey" (usually guys gave this comment) to "just ok lah" to "Wonderful! I've watched it 3 times already!" (not surprisingly, those who told me that are usually girls). So I was very confused in terms of what to expect of the movie.

Yesterday, Vincent and Bing Sheng (2 of my seniors) accompanied me to watch the movie. In my opinion, I would give it about 3-3.5 stars out of 5. It's not exactly a flop (though there are a few random scenes from the movie), but it's not as great as High School Musical 1.

I liked the elaborate sets and fanciful costumes, and (not surprisingly) the dance steps. I like the number "A Night To Remember" particularly because I like the dance steps. I saw how they incorporated hip hop into waltz, which is quite original. Being trained in drama for 4 years (I was in English Drama in High School. Surprising, eh?), I came to appreciate the costumes and sets. So it wasn't any wonder that I enjoyed the show.

Although the storyline can get kinda cheesy at times, but I like the emotions displayed in the movie. Some guys might find it too gay/feminine, but I don't really mind these, as long as its not TOO feminine. (Ok, I realized you guys might not understand what it means. Nvm.) That's the reason I don't shy away from lyrical hip hop, like some guys do.

The other reason I find HSM3 to be okay because it coincidentally raises some issues that I've been thinking for quite some time.

What is my future going to be?

Which university?

Overseas or local?

What to study?

Am I moving too fast?

Perhaps too slow?

These questions have been on my mind ever since the end of JC1. Just one more year of JC life before everyone moves on to their separate paths (some ppl have already done so, like Yew Wei who is going to migrate over to Australia in less than 10 days). It made me realized that there's not much time left I can spend with my friends, so I must try my best to make the most out of it. I don't want to look back my JC life with tinges of regret, filled with what-ifs and what-could-be-done-differently.

The whole context of a possible future also brings up a few more questions--

Next year, will/should I join MAD?

Should I sign up for popping or focus more on hip hop?

Will my class be a united one over next year?

If I go overseas, how will my family, freinds and dancemates react? How much will I miss them?

After the J2s leave, especially the Malaysian Scholars and the dancing gang @ PE studio, what is school life going to be like?

Life is full of questions, apparently more so than the answers it offers. One could only foresee so much, yet there is much more to be foretold. The beauty of life.

I am ending off by dedicating the following song to my J2 seniors:

"Can I Have This Dance"

Take my hand, take a breath

Pull me close and take one step

Keep your eyes locked on mine,

And let the music be your guide.

Won't you promise me (now won't you promise me, that you'll never forget)

We'll keep dancing (to keep dancing) wherever we go next

(chorus)

It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you

It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do

And with every step together, we just keep on getting better

So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)

Can I have this dance

Behind The Scenes

Yesterday's recital practice was possibly the best in recent times. Daniel added some formations and also revamped the storyline. I think the storyline now is damn bad-ass (I wish I can tell you guys, but that would be spoiling the surprise for you guys).

I really like the formation now. Apparently, acting as a corpse for a few weeks really pays off, so now I have at least some limelight. Heh. :P

Anyway, Daniel was damn funny throughout the whole day. He was one of the resident instructors for Singapore Poly's SDZ, whom just had their concert on Saturday night (the other instructor being Ryan. Man, I wish HCJC has at least one of these instructors). Quite a few of the SDZers attend classes in OSchool, so Daniel goes around doing this:

----------------
Daniel: Eh, I heard you guys had a great concert last night.
Anne/Valerie: *pauses to think* Eh, stop praising yourself lah!
----------------

Also, as Nik puts it, there have been a reversal of roles. After practice, Rina approached Daniel and told him that she doesn't want to be lifted because she injured her back last week. And this in turn led the following event to happen--

----------------------

Rina: Sorry ah, Daniel.

Daniel: It's ok, I'll find another guinea pigperson to replace your role. *looks around* I have just the person.

Daniel: *walks over* Wilfred, I want you to be lifted *gave evil grin*

Me: *jaw dropped* Do I have a choice?

----------------------

Yes, I'm not going to lift anyone, but BE LIFTED as part of the act. And here I was laughing at the possibility that Diana will be lifted. The irony. I knew one day my jokes and comments are going to come back and bite my ass, and this was one of the days. But I asked Daniel and he said I can keep my other formations, so I'm very happy for that.

So after the practice was over, some of the ppl involved in the acting and lifting were asked to stay behind to practice in the small studio. Apparently, the lifting also involves dropping (that means after being lifted, the lifters will let go and I will be dropped), which is unfortunate. Unfortunate for me, that is.

----------------------
Daniel: Okay, you guys lift him then let him drop.
Me: *shut my eyes tightly*
Daniel: Take it easy. He's still a virgin. Doing it for the very first time. *proceed to give his evil laugh*
Lifters: *joins in the evil laugh* Haha
Me: What the......
---------------------

I was under the impression Daniel was a caring and sweet person, and I also under the impression that Nik was secretly grinning and laughing throughout the whole lifting practice. -.-'''
Hey, at least I get to keep my formations.

Due to the addition of storyline, there was supposed to be a gunshot sound (okay, I'll try not to give too much away). So after the lifting practice, some ppl needed to rehearse the acting parts as well. The rehearsal was damn funny to watch, with Daniel making jokes and all. This also happened--

---------------------
Daniel: ...........So you just count 4 counts then there's this gunshot sound. Time the shooting correctly.
Kelvin: Ok.
Daniel: *plays music*
Kelvin: 1,2,3,4.... *shooting movement* Eh, why no sound?
Speaker: *after a few seconds* BANG!
--------------------

We were all laughing like hell from that one. I still smile to myself whenever I thought of that scene (Hey, but I'm not crazy).

Anyway, after the extra practice was over, some of us stayed back to chit chat with Daniel. I think I finally sense some progress in unity. It's like, finally, the ppl in the recital are starting to click and bond with each other. It was a heartwarming experience. And Daniel found out the reason why we were so NOT united for the past few weeks. I'm keeping mum about it, because I forgive her, and the ppl who should know, do know. I really hope that yesterday's progress is the start of a strong and united recital group.

Since vetting is on this Sunday, there will be an extra practice session. Probably this Thursday night. I'm looking forward to it~~ But on second thoughts, that would mean I cannot go for Ryan's Lyrical class!!! NOOOOOOOO!!! Sigh.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed a sort of behind-the-scenes look on the recital. Tickets should be out pretty soon. I promise you that it's going to be THE dance concert to watch!

7th Boat; 13th Wave

Before I move on, here's the video when Fredy replaced Ryan's Lyrical Hip Hop Class the past Thursday:


Yes, I screwed up during the last filming. You guys can take your sweet time and laugh at it. In case you are still lost, I was wearing blue on that day.

Anyway, I think Athena's Fac Outing was a success! Ok, technically, it's NOT an outing (c'mon, an activity IN school is NOT an OUTING). But it was quite fun nonetheless. The games were quite lame, but I recognize the fact that the Fac Com put alot of effort into coming up with them. What I like the most was the setting. The person who came up with the idea to turn the inner plaza into a pseudo-shipdeck must be a genius.

It was a steamboat in school, and the best part was that almost my whole class went for the outing! We were the class with most attendance, and I really take pride in that. The food was just okay I guess. There wasn't really enough for everybody though. And I think we didn't let the food to cook properly, so someone must be shitting in the toilet right now. When we finished half the food, we started ordering pizzas for our class.

We ordered 6 extra large pizzas! In the end, everyone was damn full!

One of the highlight was "Si Quan's dedication" to Ningxin. I wish I was able to see Si Quan's reaction, because the announcement wasn't made by him at all! Personally, I think maybe the scandal is getting out of hand. Wait, does it count as a scandal if one of them really like the other? Nvm.

After the event ended, our class went for our own "Haunted Trail" in High School! We wanted to tell ghost stories, like 6N did, but we thought that a walk into the reputably haunted High School would be much more fun. In the end, it wasn't as scary as I thought it might be (cause we were in a big group), but there were some creepy moments though.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Today was a great day for me. My neck finally returned back to normal, so I can dance normally again! Went to PE studio to dance alone today. There was nobody there; just me and my music. You know, sometimes I like to be alone in the PE studio, because I can try out wacky stuff without anyone seeing. For some reason, I can't dance naturally when too many ppl are watching. Unless the ppl are the ppl I know, then it's different. Lol. I think you may not even know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I went to watch Strictly Dance Zone (Singapore Poly's Dance CCA) performance, entitled "Waves 13: Sole Searching". I think it was quite well done. I really like the locking/whacking fusion item. That was totally fresh AND dope! And the house item too! But I like the lyrical hip hop/modern dance fusion -- Cry by Rihanna -- the best! That one was the dopest (Is there such a word?)! Ryan's choreography always leave me dumbfounded.

Oh yeah, it was held at Singapore Polytechnic Convention Hall, the same place where OSchool Recital will be held. The hall is humungous la! It's bigger and better than my school's auditorium! And my school's auditorium is already one of the biggest I've seen. Heh, can't wait for the recital!

Recital practice tomorrow. I really hope our item will work out nicely, now with Daniel back. Anyway, gotta go.

Dusk/Dawn

I just hit pass my 100th post! So this is my 101th post! Wow. It's the start of another set of memories. Looking back, I think alot have happened in these few months. I took a brief look through my older posts and I realized although it's only been a few months, but I have forgotten quite a few things already (like Change concert, Suntec Dance etc).

Anyway...........

Obama is the 44th President of United States!

I woke up early yesterday just to watch the live telecast of the voting on Channel Newsasia. Obama was leading the whole way, though there is a period of time where McCain almost overtook Obama. Made me quite worried. However, with the secure of Ohio, Obama was put out of range for McCain and was almost secured as the new president, as no Republican ever became a president without the help of Ohio. It was a landslide victory for Obama, in fact.

But I was feeling quite sympathetic towards McCain when he gave his conceding speech. He became humble and urged Americans to give the newly elected President their support. It's too bad Obama's grandmother passed away just one day before what would be the day that America reworte history. Obama's victory symbolises how far America has come from a nation that despised blacks to a nation where racism is dispelled. The first black president. Now, that's what I call revolutionary. Obama's ascension is a new dawn in America's politics, and he is just the man America needs now.

---------------------------------

I am starting to accept the fact that JC1 is over. No more laming with the seniors in PE studio next year, things like that. Suddenly, I am the senior. This is quite a sudden change of events, but I guess I just gotta move on. The end of JC1 is the start of JC2. What follows the dusk is dawn. It's natural.

The holidays are blissful, to say the least. I like just doing stuff based on my own schedule. I actually started doing some holiday assignments because I couldn't help feeling guilty for slacking around too much. But I didn't dance at all for these few days T.T. Coz I sprained my neck during the vetting on Sunday, so I couldn't really move my neck, which is painful. Thankfully, today was much better. I got to go for Ryan's Freddie's Lyrical Hip Hop class today.

Hui Hua couldn't come today, so I went by myself. Apparently, Ryan was helping the Strictly Dance Zone (Singapore Poly's dance CCA) to clean up today, so he couldn't make it for the class.So Freddie took over. He used the song "Black & Blue" by Little Eddie.


Freddie's choreo was quite dope! It was harder than Ryan's choreo from last week, but not as hard as Ryan's choreo to "Told You So". But still dope.

Anyway, my roommate showed me the old photos from the high school years. I remembered saying that JC1 year beats the High school years hands down,but I think I need to rephrase that. After looking at the photos, all the old memories just came flooding back into my mind, and I realized how much I missed some of the moments. The photos just served to remind me again how far I've come.

I gotta go. Till then -- may you enjoy your holidays!

End Of The Journey

Today was officially the end of PW. The oral presentation went quite well for our group, at least in my-oh-so-humble-opinion. Okay, I'm just crapping. But I really think my group gave our best for the presentation, under stressed conditions. I think I will miss PW. No, really. Though it was really hard work, sometimes waking up really early (10 am is early for me) to meet up with the group members, and staying till last evening (around 7pm); but I still love my PW group.

At the start of the year, it's hard to imagine that one of my favorite movies would become the topic for PW. The "Journey of the Freedom Writers". Now, the WR is out, the fieldwork is done, and the OP is over.

I think our group's combination was perfect: William, Valerie, Jun Kang, and me. Me and William will just be making jokes (sometimes quite sick jokes), and Valerie and Jun Kang will just be uh.............. together. Haha. And all of us are perfectionists in one aspect or another, and I think taht's what makes our group tick. There was a running joke between us that each of us has a "pet peeve": for me, each word in the headings and sub-headings must be in caps; while for Valerie, there must be a space between each paragraph; things like that. It was quite funny, actually. Sometimes, when we were going through our Written Report, one of us would just say "Wait" and grab the mouse and start correcting the "pet peeves". Heh.

I know some groups don't enjoy the same experience. I know I'm fortunate, and I'm grateful for it. The meetings; the jokes; the scandal (yes, there's a scandal in my group. Not hard to figure out); going to give tuition to kids; conducting out trial with the youths. Sweet and bitter memories, I shall hold them dearly. I guess Ie-Ching was right in saying that PW is fun.

The end of Oral Presentation also marks the end of the JC1 school year. You know, last week I said that even though it's the end of JC1 year, but it doesn't feel like it? I guess the message finally sunk in to our minds. No more lessons and there's no need to come to school. I guess that's why I suddenly feel like it's end of the year.

Somehow, I feel reluctant to move on to JC2. Save for a few annoyance (you know, I don't understand why that ppl could not just back off with his insults, maybe he thinks he's superior or smth), I really like my class the way it is now. It may not be the most bonded class, but it's already quite bonded if you just take a look around the school. But I like to just drift around and mix with various cliques and ppl, and basically just have fun.

If I have to choose a year to relive, I will definitely choose this year. There were so many things going on this year that I felt as though I have lived for a few years. And it totally beats 4 years of high school life. Now I know why they say JC1 is a honeymoon year. Next year, things are going to be even more hectic and it already is, and I'm not really looking forward to it.

I was kind of looking forward to the class outing tomorrow, but unfortunately, the organizer, who's already very lame, became even lamer (literally) when she sprained her ankle. And I guess it's one of the reasons why the class outing was postponed. Anwyay, it's been a while since I last went to East Coast, so I really wanted to go. Guess I'll just have to wait for the next one.

And the rest of the week seems kind of packed. Have a Singapore Poly's dance concert to attend, Recital training, Ryan's Lyrical Class (which Hui Hua decided to go again), self dance-prac, and Fac Event.

And today is the voting day for America! By this time tomorrow, the new president shall be announced and it will determine the fate of America, and possibly the world. Vote for Obama! (if you can, haha)

So, I guess the my JC1 journey ends here. It's not perfect, but it's enjoyable, at least. Now marks the start of an even longer road -- the JC 2. Let's see how it turns out.

Vet Your Vote

Okay, for the first half of the title, I'm posting this again --

Ticket price: $15 each

Limited seats available

I heard that last year's recital tickets were sold out fast, so quickly get your tickets if you want to watch. Or you can tell me so I'll book a ticket for you. Tickets will be out next week. Trust me, this is THE annual dance concert that you won't want to miss. Just take a look at last year's recital on Youtube to see the standard.

----------------

Today's vetting was damn exciting. All the items, save for the instructor's item, were supposed to perform in front of the whole recital people. Quite a nervous experience if you ask me. For your information, vetting is like a dry run to get a feel of what each item is about so that the organizers can arrange the performing sequence.

Looking at the items, I think the dopest gotta be the popping item! Ben's choreo and formation is nothing short of amazing! And they were quite synchronized. Their item was totally unpredictable. I won't say much, lest I spoil the surprise, but the ending where they were vibrating like mad was totally crazy! The whole studio was trembling, siao!

And some people are involved in a few items, like Joey. She's involved in LA/Lyrical Hip Hop (it's a combined item) and Popping. Envy, envy. She's quite good, I think. Respect.

As for Daniel's item, the item I'm involved in, let's just say our whole group didn't exhibit our full potential. It seems that Daniel's absence for the past 2 weeks has wrought some damage to our item, since the formation is not done and ppl are skipping training. And there's this person who irritates the hell out of me and the others by acting as though she's the best dancer in the world, when she's not. Uniting in hate. Oh, the irony.

Daniel's return today brought about a wave relief over us and hopefully we will be a bonded group. I think our 2nd run today was much better than the 1st. I'm looking forward to the next training.

Oh yeah, Ryan (the principal of OSchool) announced that they will be printing 200 limited edition T-shirts for the recital ppl. Whoo! I really hope that the "white T-shirt with the word recital on it" was just Ryan's joke. Heh.

-------------

And for the 2nd part of the title, I want to talk about the US presidential elections. With less than 36 hours to go, the race is tightening, with Obama leading with just 5 points (last night's statistics). I really hope Obama will win.

McPalin's (John McCain and Sarah Palin) campaign tactics just disgusts me. According to the holes on their face (where they really should be on their asses), they urge "real Americans" to support them as Obama is just a "terrorist in disguise", so that they can foster a America without prejudice. This is probably the biggest paradox history have ever seen. And I seriously detests how McPalin are turning racist. Fuck them.

I recently read up on news regarding the US presidential election and I've found some very interesting stuff. In a Newsweek article, John McCain was described to be "passionate, intuitive and spur-of-the-moment person" while Obama is "calm, soothing and careful". Though McCain is said to have more experience when dealing with international affairs, but it seems to me that Obama is more popular with leaders of the other nations, evident from his tour around the world a few months back.

One will not doubt that with an ongoing financial crisis in America, a useless war waging in Iraq (brought about by another no-brain asshole, nonetheless), global climate change, rising of China and other Asian countries, depreciating dollars, and much more, this is definitely going to be one of the toughest times America is facing since the World Wars I and II. And these are the matters that the next president is going to deal with urgently. There seems to be little room for mistakes, even as the next president is going through the transition period.

You there, voting for McPalin there, aren't you? You may want to vet your vote so as to not vote for the ex-air force general and the vet (pun intended). In an interview, the reporter asked Sarah Palin to rank the important matters in terms of urgency and need, but Sarah just answered a simple "I don't know". How the hell does she want to run a country if she doesn't even consider and rank the problems America is facing? I think it's better to not pair an idiot with another idiot in the White House.

America, all I ask of you is to vet your vote.

P.S Go to http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/gov-palin-cold-open/773761
to watch the real Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live. It's super funny.