Twilight

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Borrowed Time

At this time on Fridays, I would be at the PE studio and dancing around now. But the fact I'm blogging now means that I didn't go today. Though the urge to dance is strong, but I guess the need to ace Promos is overwhelming. Shit man. I only went to PE studio once this week, and that was during PE. -.- Well done, Wilfred, you haven't practise your double chest-pops, butt jerks, and isolations at all. I am defenitely going to die for this Sunday's recital practise. T.T

But my purpose of taking time off from mugging to blog is not to talk about dying for practise. I suddenly felt the urge to blog because Ms Ong Shir Nee, my Geog teacher, just sent an email to all Geog students to announce that the Geog paper has been pushed back to 3rd October, the last day of Promo.

My initial reaction was something like -.-'''. I know I bitched about how Econs and Geog were on the same day, but that means we will end our Promos on 29th September, Monday. I accepted that reality and was looking forward to annoy the hell out of the Physics ppl, since their paper ends on 2nd October, Thursday. I wanted to go and dance starightaway after Chem paper on Monday, then coming to school for the following days to annoy the Physics ppl. But in a sudden and ironic turn of events, I guess they will come and mock us when their paper ends on Thursday. NOOOO!!!!!!!!!! My beatiful plan is ruined! Damn you, Physics ppl!

But looking at the bright side, since I just started mugging Geog today, I guess the sudden 4 days extension would mean I will have much more time to prepare for Geog. After this realization set in, I was feeling kinda ecstatic, hence by Mathematical Induction. Wait, I mean I'm here to blog about it. Shit, been mugging too much Maths

Another thing is that I skipped school again today! Ok, actually I didn't intend to. But when I woke up this morning, I just feel that I should just continue mugging instead of going to school. Also, part of the reason is I know that many ppl said they were going to pon school today. I wonder how many ppl was left in the class today. This is the first time I skipped 2 days of school in the same week, and I'm not proud of it. I don't think my parents are going to like this when they read this. *waves hand* Hi Mum & Dad!

On the other hand, I spent the whole morning doing the past year Chem paper. I was surprised to find myself finishing it on time, even when I'm listening to the radio and eating my breakfast. I hope I can maintain this speed for Promos. And finally started Geog today! I think the extension is like borrowed time (you know, from the phrase "Living on borrowed time") for me to quickly chiong my Geog.

Tomorrow's Saturday. =) *big wide smile* But there's GP lesson in the morning. Ok, actually I don't really feel like going. But since Mr Shyam took the liberty to have a remedial tomorrow, I think I'll go. And Ie-Ching, Nik, Brian and me are going for Ann Tan's Hip Hop II Open Class tomorrow! Whoo! I hope she does lyrical again. *Cross fingers* And there's also Hip Hop III course, as usual (which I didn't practise at all). And Diana invited the gang over to her house tomorrow, after the Hip Hop III course, to attend her brother's brithday celebration.

Tomorrow seems like a long and fun day. It's like a gladiator's last meal before heading into the arena. But I know when the time comes, that gladiator will be able to hold his head up high as he stride to the center of the arena.

Come on, JIA YOU EVERYONE!

Wil,The Mugger

Sometimes I can't believe how fast time flies. Promos is just around the corner, with only 6 more days to go, and then a few more weeks of school, then it's the end of the JC1 year. I could still remember the orientation as though it was just yesterday. Yet, 9 months has passed since the start of the school year. 6 more days, and then it would be the moment of truth.

I finally finished revising Math today. The Math and Econs consultation over the past 2 days have been fruitful, to say the least. I really learnt alot through the Econs consultation, things like implicit questions and essay structure. Madam Tengara has really helped me alot, and I'm very grateful for that.

I will try to finish my Chem revision by tomorrow, latest. Just 2 more topics to go before I would start doing past year papers. I would considered that I have finished my resivion for Chem, Math and Econs, so anything I do for the 3 subjects are just supplements to what is already a covered base.

So I need to concentrate on Geog. Actually, I think I may not need to mug as hard as I thought I needed to for Geog. I thought that I didn't understand some of the newer topics, like Globalization and Hydrological Processes, but surprisingly, I could participate in the tutorials without much of a problem. But still, I want to start revising from square one. Wanna be ready for Geog consult on Monday.

I think I should have one more Econs consultation. Hmm..... Maybe one for Chem too...

Anyway, I've got nothing much to blog about today. Wait, fine, yes, I do have things to talk about, but I don't think now's the right time. After Promos, I shall blog about stuff ranging from dance to Magic The Gathering to the US "War on Terror" (quite a random mix of topics, eh?)

But for now, it would just be me mugging my life away. I think I'm already like some sort of a PRC. Between clases, if I'm not eating at the canteen, then I would be mugging in the library. Can't wait for the weekends coz my whole body is itching to dance. Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to practise chest pops and butt jerks for the Recital practice.....

Well, ending off, let me show you guys a video that many ppl have been urging me to watch. It's a chereography of Lyrical Hip Hop on Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love", on So You Think You Can Dance 4. Personally, I preferred the "No Air" choreo that I've shown a few days ago. But this choreo is still outstanding, nonetheless. So here goes:

Oh yeah, btw, the choreo is by Napoleon and Tabitha, both of whom also choreo-ed the "No Air" choreo. Their choreographies are some of the best I've ever seen! One thing to note is Napoleon said that Lyrical Hip Hop is like Hip Hop with a meaning, and each move is supposed to match the meaning of the lyrics. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed the video.

Till then, it's back to mugging.

The Road To Presidency

With the presidential elections set to take place on November 4th, all eyes are set on the US Presidential Campaign that's going on. The global media are eyeing the campaigns somewhat anxiously, as the presidental elections decides, to put it bluntly, whether assholes are stuffed into the White House.

Personally, I never really was interested in US preidential elections, until recently. With all the talk that's going on, it's hard not to be rolled into the conversations. This year's presidential elections presents interesting twists: it is the first election that we are close to getting a female US president; the first election where an African-American is representing the Democrats; the first where the topic of sexist is widely brought up. It will be interesting to follow and see the outcome. I hope we don't get another talking asshole who likes bombing any country with Muslims, as a president. (It's the reason why I don't want Sarah Palin to get the Vice President)

Anyway, I just watched this video which I found to be damn funny. It's a spoof featuring Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. But before you watch, take note of the following points to get the jokes:

• Hillary Clinton believed that she lost the representation of Democrats to Obama due to sexist reasons. So now she could only reluctantly support Obama.
• It is also the reason why she holds a grudge against Palin. Since Parlin is the running mate of John McCain, she would be the the Vice President if John wins the election. So theoretically, Sarah is closer to becoming an US President as compared to Clinton.
• Palin has questionable credentials: she lied about visiting Iraq
• Palin also lives near Russia, therefore she think it's easier for her to deal with them

So enjoy the video!

Heroes

It is kind of comforting that even in dark times, humanity shines through like an angel. Our world is not perfect, with copious amount of ppl commiting evil deeds at any given moment, be it stealing, robbing, murder, or corruption. Amazingly, even in our modern world where crime rates are ever-increasing, the simple notion of humanity is still present. Call me a pessimist, but I always believed that our world is getting "colder". But that changed after Geog Lecture today.

During the Physical geog lecture, Mr White showed us a tv show that he recorded about the San Francisco earthquake that took place a few years back. An earthquake took place that left neighbourhoods in rubble. The top layer of a double-decker bridge (yes, there is such a bridge in USA) collasped, crushing cars on the layer below. The whole city was literally in chaos. Yet, in these times, there are civilians risked their lives going through the rubbles to rescue survivors.

Ordinary ppl doing extraodinary things, that's what I call heroes. Heroes need not be ppl with superpowers; neither do they need to wear underwears on the outside and fly. Heroes are ppl who display acts of humanity, regardless of whether the time calls for it.

I think many ppl are fascinated by the idea of ordinary ppl doing extraordinary stuff, and that's the reason why many ppl are interested in the tv show, conveniently titled "Heroes". (Personally, I like to watch the show because of the plot) But many ppl are fascinated by the idea of the TV show -- ordinary ppl discovering they possess unnatural powers. In the show, it was explained that the powers are a result of evolution, and I think that the theory is quite plausible. But I digress.

The reason I like the show is because it shows some sense of humanity in it, with all the "save the world" stuff. I know it's cliched at times, but that doesn't stop me from watching it.

"Each to his own battle", I once mentioned. The winner of the battle is usually crowned as the "hero". Similarly, when we have overcomed the obstacle, and "won the battle", then we are can consider ouselves "heroes".

Promos is looming ahead, and every JC student is probably struggling to get their revision done, me included. Last week, I said I didn't really feel any stress. But now, it seems that the stress is building up in me. In 7 more days, Promos will officially start, and it will determine whether I get to keep my scholarship. But I know I'm not the only one that view Promos as super-important. Everyone is. So I'm not alone. And so are you.

Let us go. Together.

And be our own "heroes".

Cry Me A River

Ok, fine, I admit it -- I didn't go to school today because I didn't feel like going. I was feeling quite lucky that the Organic Chem test today wasn't counted, but that wasn't the reason why I skipped school. I did so because I wanted some extra rest and time, so that I could study. I'm consulting quite a few teachers in the next few days and I wanted to be prepared. I appreciate what the school is doing to prepare us for Promos, but I'm the type of person who likes to be alone so that I can focus on my revision.

Well, anyway, I was feeling rather bad for my schoolmates who took the Organic Chem test today. I saw the paper after my roommate came back from school, and I saw a few tricky questions in there. But the paper was ok overall.

I really like having a slow breakfast, while thinking through the routine for the day. I like listening to the radio in the morning while revising. But that wasn't why today is special. I had a long talk with my mum in the morning, telling her that I skipped school and talking about matters close to heart. Of course, any parent wouldn't like the idea of their children skipping classes, but she understands that I needed some personal time to study. It's great to have an understanding parent. Really.

But as soon I put down the phone, I felt a sudden longing for home. A feeling that I haven't really felt in a long time. I thought about how my parents worked hard to provide me with a good life. I did what I haven't done in a really, really long time--

I cried.

Anyway, I went to Coronation Plaza to get an MC, and coincidentally, I saw my favourite dance seniors: Terrance, Glenn, and Wilson, along with Kuan Yong, and someone else. It's been a long time since we last hanged out. I love talking with them, because they are sincere and honest most of the time. If only everyone's like that.

And the OSchool Recital practice yesterday was quite crazy. I once said Daniel teaches quite slow. Well, scrap that. He went on steroids yesterday. He taught us 6 eight beats in one hour. And it was like a totally different standard from his courses or open classes. It's like twice the standard of his normal class. So most of us were literally panting during the practise. Though it's quite hard, it was fun, fast and fresh. Have never seen ppl incorporated bboy floorwork into a hip hop routine.

And he asked us to go back and practise krumping moves. So I'm supposed to practise double chest-pops and butt jerks. Hmm....

Anyway, I found this damn touching video on Nik's blog. Thought that I should share it with you guys. It's Mia Michael's story about her father thourgh her choreography. Absolutely beautiful.

So I think that's all for today. 9 more days to go.

Ecstasy

Haven't posted in a few days, so I have tons to blog about now. Let's start with -

Promos Revision
As Promos getting nearer, I find myself mugging more and more. I can't help it. I just feel that I MUST give my best for the upcoming Promos if I want to be promoted to J2; to keep my scholarship; to be around with my friends; and most importantly, to continue my passion of dancing. As I spend more and more time on revision, it means lesser and lesser time for me to to the things I like. So that also means I didn't dance much within this week. Argh.

As for my revision, I think it's going ok but not as great as expected. I remembered saying I wanted to finish studying by the end of this week, but then I realized it's impossible, given the amount of topics to go through. I managed to finish going through all the Econs topics and making notes, so I just need to practise writing essays before consulting Madam Tengara this coming Wednesday.

And there's a Chem test on Monday, which is on Organic Chem. Frankly speaking, I haven't revised Organic Chem, because I am busy revising the earlier topics. But I must start revising Organic Chem by tomorrow if I don't wanna die on Monday. As for Math, I just need to finish revising 3 more topics to be done with it, and also consult Mrs Koh on Thursday. But the problem lies with Geog, because I haven't started anything at all. And there's only 11 more days left. And I am supposed to meet Miss Ong Shir Nee for consultation on Wednesday/ Thursday. Shit man.

Enough on my revision, cause I think I bore you guys enough. Moving on -

Soul Eater
After finish revising Econs yesterday, I thought that I should reward myself by doing something that I haven't done in a very long time -- watching anime. Watching anime was one of my favourite past time (before dancing came along =) ). Juinn Lin have lots of anime on his comp, so I went to his room (which is just beside mine) to watch the new anime series titled "Soul Eater". It's seriously one of the best anime I ever watched. I like the pace of the anime, which is very fast, unlike some of the established animes like Naruto and Bleach.

You see, many of the popular animes have started to slow down their pace to squeeze more money from its fans, and this totally pissed my off. I know that because of that, the fan base is slowly but surely being eroded away. I hope animes like Naruto and Bleach will lose all of its fan base and die of bankruptcy in the end, unless this make their anime go at a faster pace.I got so frustrated by the sheer slowness of the anime that I got disgusted and stopped watching the animes altogether. But Soul Eater is different, because its storyline moves at sucha fast pace.

I like the humor in the anime. The characters, and the concepts. And the story is so original and fresh. Its too long for me to say, so just check out the first episode to get a taste of what the anime is about:

Episode 1, Part 1

Episode 1, Part 2

Episode 1, Part 3

I swear to you that you won't regret clicking on the videos. It's super nice to watch. Anyway, let's move on the my favourite topic: Dance!

Ann Tan's (Lyrical) Hip Hop II Open Class

Before I went to OSchool, I spent my whole morning mugging Chem. Well anyway, this is my first time going for a Hip Hop II Open Class, and also the first time I was really taught by Ann Tan. (No, the time she took over Daniel's Open Class didn't count) And I didn't regret going for the class. Her class got surprisingly few ppl today (I only counted about 8 or 9 ppl.....hmm....).

When she took over Daniel's class the other time, her style was totally different than what she did today, although she has her trademark isolations in it. Totally she did lyrical! That was the last thing I expected. I was seriously damn, damn, damn happy when I found out she was going to do lyrical for the lesson today! This makes it the first time I'm learning a proper lyrical choreography.

She used the song "Almost" by Tamia. Her choreography proved to be rather difficult and fast, but I didn't find many problems with it, surprisingly. I liked her choreo alot! And she is damn good at teaching because she pays attention to every single detail. I wanted to kick myself for not attending her Open Classes before today.

After class, she talked to me outside the studio. She said that I was looking rather tensed during the class, to which I replied that it was my first time learning lyrical and going for her class. And she said something I totally didn't expect her to say (allow me a moment of ego) -- she said: "You did quite well just now". I was totally stunned by what she said, because it's not everyday I got commended. I think I blushed because she said my face was red. I feel damn ecstatic to be praised by an instructor that I learned from for the first time. She said that some of the regulars had problem doing the choreo. So I guess I didn't screw up that badly (though I personally think I did....)

She also said something that I found tp be damn true. During class, some ppl had problems remembering the choreo. Ann Tan said: "When you learn something, your body will naturally remembers it, and creates a rhythm for it. So you couldn't remember it because you hesitated." It's very true, IMO. At the started of the year, I always try hard to remember the choreo, but I couldn't remember them in the end. But I later realized that actually there's no need to memorize the move, but I should just let my body move naturally.

Halfway throughout the lesson, she was looking at me and said: "Eh, you stressed ah? You look damn scary, you know." I was totally like LOL. I guess it's my facial expression again. Alot ppl tell me that I look fierce when I dance. I think it's because I try to focus on the dance. I seriously need to learn how to control my facial expression when I dance. Dancing is not just about moving the body, but also showing the correct emotions through facial expressions. I learnt this the hard way.

Anyway, let's stop talking about her class and move on to -

Hip Hop III Course

Daniel totally used the Open Class choreo he thought a few weeks ago. Actually I was feeling quite sian diao because it means that I learnt nothing new this week.

Anyway, after class I asked Daniel whether I can join the OSchool Recital practise tomorrow. Honestly, I just wanted to learn more from Daniel through the Recital practise, not because I wanted to perform. I didn't get through the auditions, so I can't perform, period. But I really want to learn more from Daniel, so I plucked up the courage to ask him.

Honestly, I expected the answer to be a short and simple "NO". But I was quite sursprised that he allowed me to go! I was ecstatic again, for the second time in the day. Woo hoo! I can learn the Recital piece! He doesn't me to spread to the other OSchoolers, but I'm posting here anyway, since I guess only a few OSchoolers read my blog and all of them already knew anyway.

So tomorrow I am going to accompany Nik to the Recital practice. Cool! Damn excited! And that also means that I must finish revising Organic Chem tomorrow morning. The practise will be from 2-4pm. If I couldn't finish revising, I could still revise at night.

Phew, what a long post. I think I should end here for now. Ciao.