Long Days
Classes begin on the 8th still, but I'm finding myself very busy already. There's CORS, of course, NUS kids' online bidding of modules. But major stuff keeping me hustling involve the choir and the hall.
Final day of Hall Orientation yesterday, and after a grand set of messy muddy wet games at the soccer field in the morning (which was abruptly cut by a sudden downpour btw) came the graduation of freshmen. I was wet and with mud all over and flour in my face, and rushed to attend the graduation ceremony of the freshmen. After shaking hands with the last of the scores and scores of freshmen, I rushed to Yusof Ishak House for the NUS Choir comm's meeting.
Walau.. little did I know that the meeting would drag on for about 6 hours! We started late, and we had an incredibly thorough discussion about well, choir stuff. It was okay with me actually, since the discussion involved essential material, so it's good to have tackled the issues soonest. There was a part though, where I felt that I was too.. I don't know.. kind? Kind and soft-hearted? I don't know, I guess sometimes that makes you look a bit of a wuss and a loser. I don't know how to put it, but yeah, something like that I guess. I should learn to be more detached and professional and unapologetic if need be. :D Hehe no big deal really.. it's just perhaps a matter of being more professional in matters where things have to be done and understanding that it really is different strokes for different folks.
After the meeting most of the comm went to Munchie Monkey for dinner. Words of wisdom: don't try Munchie's Lasagna Bolognese. I'm sorry, but it's one of the worst ever. It looks and tastes good on the outside, but inside the cheese isn't too melted, and it appears to be cheese powder or partially-melted cheese.. but it looks like egg and tastes bleh. BUT, to its credit, Munchie serves terrific Calamari and oh-so-heavenly Chocolate Brownie!
The Chocolate Brownie with vanilla ice cream on top Li Yi, Weiwei and I were feasting on. Li Yi was way too excited for it to arrive, and when it did, she seemed to be in a trancelike state after the first bite. "Orgasmic" I offered, using Karen's word. And from then on WW, Li Yi and I went on to converse about greener stuff. Haha it was terribly good fun! Yeah it was wholesome still. I think. Iris was a bit too quiet about it though. Hehe. I went back to hall right after to catch what was left of the Freshmen and Alumni barbecue. :)
Today, from 9:30am to about 4pm the choir was at University Cultural Centre to rehearse for tomorrow's Freshmen Inaugaration Ceremony. Tiring yes, but quite fun. We'll be singing four songs, both morning and afternoon sessions tomorrow. One Chinese song too! Hehe cool. And oh, I'm rehearsing and memorizing the Singaporean National Anthem! Haha I think I have it stuck in my head now.
Then I went to church at Holy Cross with Nestor and Ferron, then window-shopping in Clementi The Place to Be with Nez. Got some stuff from Karen too afterwards, and borrowed Nez's Marks & Spencer black polo shirt for tomorrow. Must be careful with it! Thanks again Nestor!
Now it's time to sleep. I hope it's gonna be restful, as I'm still thinking about something that's been bothering me all day. Something that I'm not gonna mention here. I'll handle it of course, so no worries.
Good night.
I'm lovin' Kent Ridge Hall
I got my Kent Ridge senior badge, complete with my name on it, today. Haha it's funny how I'm suddenly having an upsurge of hall spirit when earlier this month I had strongly considered leaving the hall by next year. But nope, being a D-block senior and thus helping out with freshmen orientation for several days now made me realize once again that Kent Ridge is just a terrific family hall with fantastically talented and friendly people.
K6, the culture powerhouse of KR, performed last night. The six culture groups include the Rockers, the KR Choir, the KR A cappella, Inspire, KRX, and KR Dancers performed. Whoa, it was mindblowing. Every single on of them kicked ass! Of course I'm biased towards KR Choir since I sang in it and we had a rush-rush practice before the performance, but walau, the Rockers Aca Inspire KRX Dancers delivered smokin' hot acts!
Afterwards we had Choir and Aca auditions. So I was there, entertaining the freshmen who were queuing up for their turn, and later on, the Choir and Aca guys allowed me to go listen to the auditions! Hehe, first time I actually got to hear other people audition. And woohoo, some people are amazing when they unleash their voices.
And pool games yesterday morning were great! Roca, the attached orientation group to D block, won the pool Captain's ball! Haha and I played in one of the rounds. Roca is a really nice OG, I like. I'm glad I've come to meet a lot of freshmen this year, who all seem like terribly good fun, and I'm happy that we seniors are getting more bonded with all these activities as well.
I was asking Yishu my neighbor about his sudden change of plan. He's now intending to stay all four (or three) years as an undergrad in KR, and not only two years. I asked him why, and he told me with a grin that the new KR girls are worth staying for! And ahhh yes, I absolutely agree that's a perfectly reasonable statement. :D Did I mention we just had pool games yesterday?
All right, morning's here. Time to get my laundry and prepare for one last round of intensive orientation games and the freshmen's graduation. Then it's NUS Choir meeting in the afternoon, and a big freshmen & alumni barbecue tonight! Yey.
I got my Kent Ridge senior badge, complete with my name on it, today. Haha it's funny how I'm suddenly having an upsurge of hall spirit when earlier this month I had strongly considered leaving the hall by next year. But nope, being a D-block senior and thus helping out with freshmen orientation for several days now made me realize once again that Kent Ridge is just a terrific family hall with fantastically talented and friendly people.
K6, the culture powerhouse of KR, performed last night. The six culture groups include the Rockers, the KR Choir, the KR A cappella, Inspire, KRX, and KR Dancers performed. Whoa, it was mindblowing. Every single on of them kicked ass! Of course I'm biased towards KR Choir since I sang in it and we had a rush-rush practice before the performance, but walau, the Rockers Aca Inspire KRX Dancers delivered smokin' hot acts!
Afterwards we had Choir and Aca auditions. So I was there, entertaining the freshmen who were queuing up for their turn, and later on, the Choir and Aca guys allowed me to go listen to the auditions! Hehe, first time I actually got to hear other people audition. And woohoo, some people are amazing when they unleash their voices.
And pool games yesterday morning were great! Roca, the attached orientation group to D block, won the pool Captain's ball! Haha and I played in one of the rounds. Roca is a really nice OG, I like. I'm glad I've come to meet a lot of freshmen this year, who all seem like terribly good fun, and I'm happy that we seniors are getting more bonded with all these activities as well.
I was asking Yishu my neighbor about his sudden change of plan. He's now intending to stay all four (or three) years as an undergrad in KR, and not only two years. I asked him why, and he told me with a grin that the new KR girls are worth staying for! And ahhh yes, I absolutely agree that's a perfectly reasonable statement. :D Did I mention we just had pool games yesterday?
All right, morning's here. Time to get my laundry and prepare for one last round of intensive orientation games and the freshmen's graduation. Then it's NUS Choir meeting in the afternoon, and a big freshmen & alumni barbecue tonight! Yey.
Joseph Was Here
Joseph Was Here
Yep I'm here for a while and this won't take long. Theoretically.
Let me just please say that I am truly bloody exhausted. But surprisingly, I'm not complaining.
So I've been acting like a counselor to the KR freshmen for the past days, playing their games and eating meals with them and chitchatting with them so they'd get into the KR spirit, been through an exciting afternoon promoting the Ridge to hundreds from Bizad and School of Design in the Matric fair (fun fellow Ridgemates too), went back to hall to resume orientation stuff again, carried by my lonesome my huge boxes of personal possessions from Jeunesse's place (thanks again Jeunesse and Gelo!), went back to hall for supper with freshmen and then had a formal meeting with fellow seniors (as part of orientation again), and now I realize I have to have yet to iron out my modules and bid for them carefully.
Coming up: A whole-day shift tomorrow at the Matric fair promoting our NUS Choir this time (=P), followed by choir practice where I have to figure out a Chinese song among others, and more orientation! Then it's KR Choir performance on the 29th, NUS Choir intermission at the Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony on August 1st (morning and afternoon), then Flag Day (Beg-In-The-Streets-For-Money Day) on August 2nd, then Rag Day on the 6th, where I might sing with the Choir and cheer with the Hall. And NUS Choir welcome tea on the 4th, then auditions 8-13, which I both may attend.
Yep, I'm not really complaining. It's quite fun really, the tiring kind. But it's fun and I'm making a lot of new friends and testing my stamina and endurance and persistence and resolve. And yeah, my PR skills too.
And aha! This new marketing head from the Ridge told me that I looked like some Singaporean celebrity. Haha, will Google his name first before I declare the statement a compliment, if at all.
Long days ahead! Yowza!
P.S.
Oh yeah, I forgot to thank everyone who commented about the new layout. I'm so thoroughly pleased and thankful you liked it. :D As you can see, it's still not done and I haven't changed the contents of the clickables here and there but then I'm busy so there. :D
Important message here too: please feel free to comment on the layout. I know there are problems with browsers (Firefox shows the fonts of the posts progressively smaller, while Internet Explorer/Avant Browser shows the latest post bigger than the rest [I didn't mean it, but it could ba artsy that way!]). Please tell me if you have any suggestions as to the color scheme, speed of loading the page, contents etc. This blog layout is gonna be a work in progress for a long while. :)
Yep I'm here for a while and this won't take long. Theoretically.
Let me just please say that I am truly bloody exhausted. But surprisingly, I'm not complaining.
So I've been acting like a counselor to the KR freshmen for the past days, playing their games and eating meals with them and chitchatting with them so they'd get into the KR spirit, been through an exciting afternoon promoting the Ridge to hundreds from Bizad and School of Design in the Matric fair (fun fellow Ridgemates too), went back to hall to resume orientation stuff again, carried by my lonesome my huge boxes of personal possessions from Jeunesse's place (thanks again Jeunesse and Gelo!), went back to hall for supper with freshmen and then had a formal meeting with fellow seniors (as part of orientation again), and now I realize I have to have yet to iron out my modules and bid for them carefully.
Coming up: A whole-day shift tomorrow at the Matric fair promoting our NUS Choir this time (=P), followed by choir practice where I have to figure out a Chinese song among others, and more orientation! Then it's KR Choir performance on the 29th, NUS Choir intermission at the Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony on August 1st (morning and afternoon), then Flag Day (Beg-In-The-Streets-For-Money Day) on August 2nd, then Rag Day on the 6th, where I might sing with the Choir and cheer with the Hall. And NUS Choir welcome tea on the 4th, then auditions 8-13, which I both may attend.
Yep, I'm not really complaining. It's quite fun really, the tiring kind. But it's fun and I'm making a lot of new friends and testing my stamina and endurance and persistence and resolve. And yeah, my PR skills too.
And aha! This new marketing head from the Ridge told me that I looked like some Singaporean celebrity. Haha, will Google his name first before I declare the statement a compliment, if at all.
Long days ahead! Yowza!
P.S.
Oh yeah, I forgot to thank everyone who commented about the new layout. I'm so thoroughly pleased and thankful you liked it. :D As you can see, it's still not done and I haven't changed the contents of the clickables here and there but then I'm busy so there. :D
Important message here too: please feel free to comment on the layout. I know there are problems with browsers (Firefox shows the fonts of the posts progressively smaller, while Internet Explorer/Avant Browser shows the latest post bigger than the rest [I didn't mean it, but it could ba artsy that way!]). Please tell me if you have any suggestions as to the color scheme, speed of loading the page, contents etc. This blog layout is gonna be a work in progress for a long while. :)
Uniquely Singapore
Uniquely Singapore
Ever saw those lovely lovely Singapore tourism ads on CNN? They're terrific. Weiwei my roommate for the Czech trip commented, as one of the ads showed on CNN (no other channel was in English at that time in the morning) that they're too plastic and fake. But the ads were lovely, really. You'd think that Singapore's a magical place what with the pretty ladies and the night sky and stars and magic dust-like stuff or something. Too lovely to be true apparently?
But yeah, the ads were a bit of a stretch, starting with the ladies that didn't even look too Singaporean to be true, but then so are all other tourism ads.
What I can say, though, is that Singapore is a nice place. The fresh air, the lush trees in the metropolis, the feeling of security as you walk the streets even with your bling blings and techno gear ready for the taking, and yes, truly functional traffic-stopping pedestrian lanes where one could cross unharmed even if he were blind and vehicles were originally traveling at 200 kph. You can jaywalk, too, but just note that on the pedestrian lane the pedestrian is supreme, while the vehicles lord it over on highways.
Yep I'm back in Singapore, and I think I'm okay with it.
I still maintain that I'm back so soon, though. One month only in the Philippines: a week spent visiting friends and relatives in Manila, Los Baños, Bulacan, and three weeks at home in Davao and in Kidapawan.
I'm too old for this, as I've been here in SG for two years already, but no, could I possibly be a teeny bit homesick? Hehe. Will call home soon.
I arrived at 4pm with Korinna, unpacked the few stuff I brought, then went for choir practice 630-930pm. Then I brought my big bag and one hamper from Arthur's place. Tomorrow more stuff from Arthur then Karen.
KR is different with a new set of freshmen. Stranger because most of my buddy-buddy friends have already gone to PGP or elsewhere. But I'm glad I still have a good number of good buddies here in the block and in the hall. Ivy's still gonna be here (arriving next week), and surprise, some new bridging kids are here in KR as well. Must hunt them down. :D What am I talking about? Haha the Pinoy group is just around.. mostly in PGP now, others in a few other halls or their own house. And haha yeah, I have a good chunk of international and Singaporean friends too. And choirmates of course! But.. yeah.
Hehe somebody should seriously tell me to stop when my rambling gets a bit too much.
Good night!
Ever saw those lovely lovely Singapore tourism ads on CNN? They're terrific. Weiwei my roommate for the Czech trip commented, as one of the ads showed on CNN (no other channel was in English at that time in the morning) that they're too plastic and fake. But the ads were lovely, really. You'd think that Singapore's a magical place what with the pretty ladies and the night sky and stars and magic dust-like stuff or something. Too lovely to be true apparently?
But yeah, the ads were a bit of a stretch, starting with the ladies that didn't even look too Singaporean to be true, but then so are all other tourism ads.
What I can say, though, is that Singapore is a nice place. The fresh air, the lush trees in the metropolis, the feeling of security as you walk the streets even with your bling blings and techno gear ready for the taking, and yes, truly functional traffic-stopping pedestrian lanes where one could cross unharmed even if he were blind and vehicles were originally traveling at 200 kph. You can jaywalk, too, but just note that on the pedestrian lane the pedestrian is supreme, while the vehicles lord it over on highways.
Yep I'm back in Singapore, and I think I'm okay with it.
I still maintain that I'm back so soon, though. One month only in the Philippines: a week spent visiting friends and relatives in Manila, Los Baños, Bulacan, and three weeks at home in Davao and in Kidapawan.
I'm too old for this, as I've been here in SG for two years already, but no, could I possibly be a teeny bit homesick? Hehe. Will call home soon.
I arrived at 4pm with Korinna, unpacked the few stuff I brought, then went for choir practice 630-930pm. Then I brought my big bag and one hamper from Arthur's place. Tomorrow more stuff from Arthur then Karen.
KR is different with a new set of freshmen. Stranger because most of my buddy-buddy friends have already gone to PGP or elsewhere. But I'm glad I still have a good number of good buddies here in the block and in the hall. Ivy's still gonna be here (arriving next week), and surprise, some new bridging kids are here in KR as well. Must hunt them down. :D What am I talking about? Haha the Pinoy group is just around.. mostly in PGP now, others in a few other halls or their own house. And haha yeah, I have a good chunk of international and Singaporean friends too. And choirmates of course! But.. yeah.
Hehe somebody should seriously tell me to stop when my rambling gets a bit too much.
Good night!
Whew!
Whew.
Woohoooo. There it is. The new moonstruck86 layout. Finally. God I am tired. Eyebags here and a few zits there, but tada! The new layout is (roughly) done.
It's not done yet, as I haven't really changed the content of the clickables and all, just the external stuff. And yes the color combination and the fonts and some browser issues need a bit of fine-tuning. I wanted a major revamp of the layout but what do you know, the format resembles the previous one very closely! Talk about the limits of one's.. HTML knowledge! And okay, creativity too. XD
But it looks good! Of course I'm biased, but it's a decent piece of eye candy right? Yeah I remember thinking as I looked at the Snoopy layout.. what was I thinking?! It was too childish? Hehe and now I'm on to Calvin and Hobbes! Haha. The edgier, funkier stuff will come in a few years. What can I do? I'm a good kid. 0=) (Or so I like to think.)
I hope Bill Patterson of C&H doesn't sue me or anything though. =P
Okay, time to do the important stuff now that the template is done. CORS is back again! Ahh.. every undergraduate's favorite nightmare.=) I'm rushing to pack up my stuff around now, as I'll be off to Manila to meet my sister and my cousin on Saturday, then we'll be visiting relatives in Bulacan and Olongapo, before I fly to Singapore on the 25th.
Ciao!
Woohoooo. There it is. The new moonstruck86 layout. Finally. God I am tired. Eyebags here and a few zits there, but tada! The new layout is (roughly) done.
It's not done yet, as I haven't really changed the content of the clickables and all, just the external stuff. And yes the color combination and the fonts and some browser issues need a bit of fine-tuning. I wanted a major revamp of the layout but what do you know, the format resembles the previous one very closely! Talk about the limits of one's.. HTML knowledge! And okay, creativity too. XD
But it looks good! Of course I'm biased, but it's a decent piece of eye candy right? Yeah I remember thinking as I looked at the Snoopy layout.. what was I thinking?! It was too childish? Hehe and now I'm on to Calvin and Hobbes! Haha. The edgier, funkier stuff will come in a few years. What can I do? I'm a good kid. 0=) (Or so I like to think.)
I hope Bill Patterson of C&H doesn't sue me or anything though. =P
Okay, time to do the important stuff now that the template is done. CORS is back again! Ahh.. every undergraduate's favorite nightmare.=) I'm rushing to pack up my stuff around now, as I'll be off to Manila to meet my sister and my cousin on Saturday, then we'll be visiting relatives in Bulacan and Olongapo, before I fly to Singapore on the 25th.
Ciao!
Picture perfect
Picture perfect
"Photogenic" is one of the terms that fascinate me. If you are photogenic, does that make you handsome or pretty, one whose face is just so appealing it's picture-perfect?
Or does it mean that precisely because you look good in photos, you only look good in photos, and that you're not as "picture-perfect" in person?
There are also some photos that you know you shouldn't screw up. They're the photos at your graduation, with your significant other at the climax of your wedding, the one that has your favorite movie/rock star's arm on your shoulder, the one that captures you making your star pose in your only scene in your theatrical production. That kind of stuff.
I wanted to post some cool choir photos of our Czech trip here. Yeah I have some using the camera I borrowed, but the ones I just saw posted in the forum are different. They're group photos taken by the CFA officer while we were performing, after the announcement of results, that kind of thing. We took the photos using only President KK's camera, since he told us he'll just share them with the rest of us.
Things I learned:
1. Some people look ugly when they sing. I remember reading somewhere that John Mayer looks awful when he sings in concert. Some people look good and popstar-like when they sing, and some people look hideous. I belong to the last group.
2. The don't-ever-screw-up-you-only-get-one-shot photos I was telling you about? Ugh. I screwed them up for the most part. It gets annoying too, when in this really souvenir-type group photo, everyone else's face was visible, and ONLY ONE person's face gets partially covered by some guy in front. It's not the entire face, of course, but we weren't singing, so it promised to be a fairly decent shot, until half of my face was covered.
3. I get amused to find that in the group shot after the announcement of winners, the lone Filipino in the bunch got to hold the Singapore flag. Hehe. But I wasn't photogenic there haha. Heck, the choir won gold, and was Category winner and that's what matters.
OK, lots of events have happened again the past few days, and somehow I don't think I'll rush back and blog everything. Haha good to keep stuff to myself too.
For the curious, I'll ba back in Singapore on the 25th. Time to start shopping for good stuff as they're always cheaper here. :)
"Photogenic" is one of the terms that fascinate me. If you are photogenic, does that make you handsome or pretty, one whose face is just so appealing it's picture-perfect?
Or does it mean that precisely because you look good in photos, you only look good in photos, and that you're not as "picture-perfect" in person?
There are also some photos that you know you shouldn't screw up. They're the photos at your graduation, with your significant other at the climax of your wedding, the one that has your favorite movie/rock star's arm on your shoulder, the one that captures you making your star pose in your only scene in your theatrical production. That kind of stuff.
I wanted to post some cool choir photos of our Czech trip here. Yeah I have some using the camera I borrowed, but the ones I just saw posted in the forum are different. They're group photos taken by the CFA officer while we were performing, after the announcement of results, that kind of thing. We took the photos using only President KK's camera, since he told us he'll just share them with the rest of us.
Things I learned:
1. Some people look ugly when they sing. I remember reading somewhere that John Mayer looks awful when he sings in concert. Some people look good and popstar-like when they sing, and some people look hideous. I belong to the last group.
2. The don't-ever-screw-up-you-only-get-one-shot photos I was telling you about? Ugh. I screwed them up for the most part. It gets annoying too, when in this really souvenir-type group photo, everyone else's face was visible, and ONLY ONE person's face gets partially covered by some guy in front. It's not the entire face, of course, but we weren't singing, so it promised to be a fairly decent shot, until half of my face was covered.
3. I get amused to find that in the group shot after the announcement of winners, the lone Filipino in the bunch got to hold the Singapore flag. Hehe. But I wasn't photogenic there haha. Heck, the choir won gold, and was Category winner and that's what matters.
OK, lots of events have happened again the past few days, and somehow I don't think I'll rush back and blog everything. Haha good to keep stuff to myself too.
For the curious, I'll ba back in Singapore on the 25th. Time to start shopping for good stuff as they're always cheaper here. :)
The July 10 Entry
The July 10 Post
I was here. Haha and I'm still enjoying Davao. Hmm. It's strange being in the house without my sister though. Hmm.. how can I go on shopping now without my fashion consultant?! Hehe. Not really. But mallhopping and window-shopping?! Or maybe it's just strange that the fridge in our house is nearly empty, and the oven and the washing machine unused. Haha and I get to watch all the shows I want on TV! No competition for the most part. Hehe now you can tell by the appliances I mentioned what my sister likes to do when she's in the house. :D
Now I wasn't supposed to say those things. I really just wanted to say that I passed by my blog for a few minutes. Hmmm.. could it be? Haha no it can't possibly be happening. Oh alright, the whole family misses you Kai! (at dinamay pa buong pamilya) Haha.
Okay, I better get out of this net cafe now and plan my stuff. Ugh oh yeah, I have to reply to some KR Choir stuff. Busy busy. (Right.)
Lotsa stuff happened past few days. Meet-up with friends and high school teachers and Pisay Foundation Day and all. Will tell you about it.. maybe when I'm not chasing Internet cafe time.
Oh yeah, there MAY BE a new blog template up in the not-so-near future. Let's see if I can put it together. Hopefully I don't get lazy.
I was here. Haha and I'm still enjoying Davao. Hmm. It's strange being in the house without my sister though. Hmm.. how can I go on shopping now without my fashion consultant?! Hehe. Not really. But mallhopping and window-shopping?! Or maybe it's just strange that the fridge in our house is nearly empty, and the oven and the washing machine unused. Haha and I get to watch all the shows I want on TV! No competition for the most part. Hehe now you can tell by the appliances I mentioned what my sister likes to do when she's in the house. :D
Now I wasn't supposed to say those things. I really just wanted to say that I passed by my blog for a few minutes. Hmmm.. could it be? Haha no it can't possibly be happening. Oh alright, the whole family misses you Kai! (at dinamay pa buong pamilya) Haha.
Okay, I better get out of this net cafe now and plan my stuff. Ugh oh yeah, I have to reply to some KR Choir stuff. Busy busy. (Right.)
Lotsa stuff happened past few days. Meet-up with friends and high school teachers and Pisay Foundation Day and all. Will tell you about it.. maybe when I'm not chasing Internet cafe time.
Oh yeah, there MAY BE a new blog template up in the not-so-near future. Let's see if I can put it together. Hopefully I don't get lazy.
Happiness
Happiness
You know the thing about happiness. It's different for everyone, and it comes in various shapes and sizes. I shall not go deal with philosophical questions as (Kris Aquino-style) "Happy ka na ba?" or (Michelle Branch-style) "Are you happy now?" because well, I don't really know. Kerwin seems profoundly happy (and it's unfair a bit), but that's beside the point. What I really learned this summer is that a good deal of happiness can be derived from one loooong vacation. :D
I remember Karen saying, in response to my (then) plans of travelling around Manila and Los Banos, that I've been on one long vacation this summer, what with the Czech trip and all. And come to think of it, it's been one long and happy ride indeed.
What was not a long and happy ride (it was only long) was the trip from Singapore to Manila on June 26th. Still refusing to spend my remaining money (my DBS savings account had an alarming double-digit figure then, which had earlier even sunk to single-digit when I arrived from Czech) on a taxi early in the morning to catch the 7am Tiger Airways flight, I decided to travel by bus and MRT to Changi Airport at 9:30ish and spend the night at the airport. (Again, thanks loads to Arthur for letting me bunk for free at his place for more than a week.) I didn't regret doing it, but I so wish I was able to sleep for at least 3 hours and didn't have an annoying stiff neck from sleeping on the hard plastic chairs.
Tiger Airways is very good if you have budget constraints. If you're a tourist, however, DON'T GO FOR IT. There's no in-flight entertainment, no food (unless you want to buy cup noodles for $3 or a small burger for $5), no monitors on the plane, the flight attendants aren't too friendly, and you land in Clark in Pampanga. Landing in Clark in Pampanga isn't necessarily a bad thing since one saves by skipping NAIA's terminal fee, and if you're headed to Megamall or Pasay and you don't want to take a cab from NAIA, then Clark is it for you, since Philtranco buses will lead you there. There and nowhere else, though. So if you live in Bulacan, which is along the way to Metro Manila, you have to take a cab from Clark or go to Megamall and take another bus (or cab) to Bulacan.
Megamall was perfect, since Jay told me that I can get an easy bus across the mall's main entrance to Los Banos, where he and my sister study. Another bus ride, then I found what Ferron was describing. Haha my apprehensions about not seeing the big sign were unwarranted, as only a blind person will miss the building marked Olivares Plaza.
I waited at Jollibee for Jay, and was pleasantly surprised by the security guard's hospitality. He didn't need to open my big bags for security purposes, and just used the garret, and correctly guessed that I was bringing clothes. Friendly security guards. Haha one indicator that I was really back in Philippines already. (They don't even have security guards in SG, so there.)
Jay arrived and then we took a jeep to enter UPLB. Moments later I'd see my sister, and a whole lotta high school friends in LB.
Long story, and I've just been yakking about stuff before the actual meet-ups. Haha, I've run out of money to continue typing this here, so I'll blog again in the near, or not-so-near future.
It's good to be home. :D
You know the thing about happiness. It's different for everyone, and it comes in various shapes and sizes. I shall not go deal with philosophical questions as (Kris Aquino-style) "Happy ka na ba?" or (Michelle Branch-style) "Are you happy now?" because well, I don't really know. Kerwin seems profoundly happy (and it's unfair a bit), but that's beside the point. What I really learned this summer is that a good deal of happiness can be derived from one loooong vacation. :D
I remember Karen saying, in response to my (then) plans of travelling around Manila and Los Banos, that I've been on one long vacation this summer, what with the Czech trip and all. And come to think of it, it's been one long and happy ride indeed.
What was not a long and happy ride (it was only long) was the trip from Singapore to Manila on June 26th. Still refusing to spend my remaining money (my DBS savings account had an alarming double-digit figure then, which had earlier even sunk to single-digit when I arrived from Czech) on a taxi early in the morning to catch the 7am Tiger Airways flight, I decided to travel by bus and MRT to Changi Airport at 9:30ish and spend the night at the airport. (Again, thanks loads to Arthur for letting me bunk for free at his place for more than a week.) I didn't regret doing it, but I so wish I was able to sleep for at least 3 hours and didn't have an annoying stiff neck from sleeping on the hard plastic chairs.
Tiger Airways is very good if you have budget constraints. If you're a tourist, however, DON'T GO FOR IT. There's no in-flight entertainment, no food (unless you want to buy cup noodles for $3 or a small burger for $5), no monitors on the plane, the flight attendants aren't too friendly, and you land in Clark in Pampanga. Landing in Clark in Pampanga isn't necessarily a bad thing since one saves by skipping NAIA's terminal fee, and if you're headed to Megamall or Pasay and you don't want to take a cab from NAIA, then Clark is it for you, since Philtranco buses will lead you there. There and nowhere else, though. So if you live in Bulacan, which is along the way to Metro Manila, you have to take a cab from Clark or go to Megamall and take another bus (or cab) to Bulacan.
Megamall was perfect, since Jay told me that I can get an easy bus across the mall's main entrance to Los Banos, where he and my sister study. Another bus ride, then I found what Ferron was describing. Haha my apprehensions about not seeing the big sign were unwarranted, as only a blind person will miss the building marked Olivares Plaza.
I waited at Jollibee for Jay, and was pleasantly surprised by the security guard's hospitality. He didn't need to open my big bags for security purposes, and just used the garret, and correctly guessed that I was bringing clothes. Friendly security guards. Haha one indicator that I was really back in Philippines already. (They don't even have security guards in SG, so there.)
Jay arrived and then we took a jeep to enter UPLB. Moments later I'd see my sister, and a whole lotta high school friends in LB.
Long story, and I've just been yakking about stuff before the actual meet-ups. Haha, I've run out of money to continue typing this here, so I'll blog again in the near, or not-so-near future.
It's good to be home. :D
Homebound
Homebound
This morning NUS kickstarted (more like ushered in) the year-long Centennial celebrations with a bang. It was not a BANG (you know what I mean), but it was pleasant, nonetheless. The spanking new University building is the coolest thing, though. I wished they worked out the programme better, though. My fellas and I from the NUS Choir were there to sing, with the oldies' NUSS choir, the NUS Centennial song entitled NUS Forever.
Sigh. I could comment a whole lot on the thing, but let's just say that the oldies' were very late, and for a while, since there were only three NUSS folks around (others yet to arrive) when we left the holding room, we thought that only the NUS Choir would sing. The rest of the NUSSers finally arrived in the nick of time, but the conductor was yet to arrive. Wei wei, our student conductor, agreed to fill in, and all seemed okay. And then Ms Chan, the conductor surprised us all by popping out of nowhere while we were already onstage. Wei Wei had thought better than to pop onstage when we were already lined up. It made sense, for the choir as a whole, and it showed his gentlemanly self, but unfortunately for us, he wasn't able to sing.
Anyway, it was the most exciting performance ever. Let's leave it at that. NUS Choir will sing at the Freshman Inauguration Ceremony, and we'll do good. :D
The food was terrific. Ah, glorious even. I shook the hand of Dr William Tan, the paraplegic who ran amazing marathons in ten countries in seven continents or something. Haha, but he's a really nice guy, and he's on the Guinness Book of World Records. He signed my Centennial hardbound book freebie too. He recognized me from the choir maybe from my white shirt and black coat, and he smilingly said the singing was "tremendous!" I could tell he liked the performance by the sincerity of his greeting, but hmm.. I'm glad he did. I told the story to our funky tenor Huai Zhi, and he burst out laughing. He later pointed out that "tremendous" can mean, tremendously good or tremendously bad. Hah. And oh yeah, I was about to tell Dr Tan that he strongly reminded me of Christopher Reeve: wheelchair, specs, pleasant Clark Kent face and for a Guiness title holder marathon man, he ought to be made of Superman steel. I thought against it, as well, we know what happened to Christopher Reeve.
Anyway, long story now.
My point really, based on the title. I'll be home soon. Mama says I'll have to travel light, and you know I never ever did that. It takes me weeks to pack my stuff (overpack more like it), but I feel that travelling light will be an even bigger burden. Anyway, I'm off to the airport after dinner tonight, sleep over to catch the 7AM Tiger Airways flight to Clark, in Pampanga. Then I'll be off to Manila, then I'll take the bus to Los Banos, Laguna to check with my sister and bunk with Jay.
Haha I'm excited, but I'm feeling more of lethargy right now. I loathe packing. I'll see you again in a month's time, Singapore. Hello Philippines. Haha hello Garci too. Finally I'll figure out the presidential scandal. Ciao!
This morning NUS kickstarted (more like ushered in) the year-long Centennial celebrations with a bang. It was not a BANG (you know what I mean), but it was pleasant, nonetheless. The spanking new University building is the coolest thing, though. I wished they worked out the programme better, though. My fellas and I from the NUS Choir were there to sing, with the oldies' NUSS choir, the NUS Centennial song entitled NUS Forever.
Sigh. I could comment a whole lot on the thing, but let's just say that the oldies' were very late, and for a while, since there were only three NUSS folks around (others yet to arrive) when we left the holding room, we thought that only the NUS Choir would sing. The rest of the NUSSers finally arrived in the nick of time, but the conductor was yet to arrive. Wei wei, our student conductor, agreed to fill in, and all seemed okay. And then Ms Chan, the conductor surprised us all by popping out of nowhere while we were already onstage. Wei Wei had thought better than to pop onstage when we were already lined up. It made sense, for the choir as a whole, and it showed his gentlemanly self, but unfortunately for us, he wasn't able to sing.
Anyway, it was the most exciting performance ever. Let's leave it at that. NUS Choir will sing at the Freshman Inauguration Ceremony, and we'll do good. :D
The food was terrific. Ah, glorious even. I shook the hand of Dr William Tan, the paraplegic who ran amazing marathons in ten countries in seven continents or something. Haha, but he's a really nice guy, and he's on the Guinness Book of World Records. He signed my Centennial hardbound book freebie too. He recognized me from the choir maybe from my white shirt and black coat, and he smilingly said the singing was "tremendous!" I could tell he liked the performance by the sincerity of his greeting, but hmm.. I'm glad he did. I told the story to our funky tenor Huai Zhi, and he burst out laughing. He later pointed out that "tremendous" can mean, tremendously good or tremendously bad. Hah. And oh yeah, I was about to tell Dr Tan that he strongly reminded me of Christopher Reeve: wheelchair, specs, pleasant Clark Kent face and for a Guiness title holder marathon man, he ought to be made of Superman steel. I thought against it, as well, we know what happened to Christopher Reeve.
Anyway, long story now.
My point really, based on the title. I'll be home soon. Mama says I'll have to travel light, and you know I never ever did that. It takes me weeks to pack my stuff (overpack more like it), but I feel that travelling light will be an even bigger burden. Anyway, I'm off to the airport after dinner tonight, sleep over to catch the 7AM Tiger Airways flight to Clark, in Pampanga. Then I'll be off to Manila, then I'll take the bus to Los Banos, Laguna to check with my sister and bunk with Jay.
Haha I'm excited, but I'm feeling more of lethargy right now. I loathe packing. I'll see you again in a month's time, Singapore. Hello Philippines. Haha hello Garci too. Finally I'll figure out the presidential scandal. Ciao!
Still here
Still here
Just because I haven't updated for a long while (at least in my terms) doesn't mean that I've been incapacitated, fallen sick or dead, or forgotten this blog. Hehe, I'm perfectly okay.
I haven't been doing as much work as Mike who's an Econs research assistant working on a hardcore math-intensive proof that has caused him major headaches, or Arthur who does programming at I2R during the day and works on KE Orientation Publicity at night, or Ferron who's fully-booked with his work at a posh restaurant in Suntec, or Karen who's doing labwork on weekdays and Kingfisher (I think) on weekends on top of her tuition/camp guide rackets, or Nestor, the King of Rackets (hehe) who, aside from his duh, rackets, has just wrapped up work on the KE yearbook. Reginald is busy with some internship at some business firm in Tanjong Pagar, and Steph is working for a bank, but apparently she doesn't like it there anymore. Hehe.
And here I am, jobless little me, who just came from vacation in Czech, and now that the choir competition's done (Gold baby!), I'm left to well, be free!
Jobless people will always be broke (unless they had money to begin with), and I think broke-ness is my only enemy right now. Idleness? Nah, I'm not idle. I'm not bored yet, even. Ahh.. somehow I always find myself something to do. Something to read. Or watch. Or listen to. Or learn. Or surf about.
And we began practice for the Centennial song already (ugh long story.. bottom line: I can't quite say here in this blog lest the NUSS people read this haha), and I've wrapped up my Ridge article, and I've helped Arthur with his Photoshop work already.
I've done everything but update this blog substantially. Haha, the most logical and sensible thing to do I haven't even done yet.. and that is to post photos and describe the details of the Czech trip. And how I've been persuaded to like Korean movies (a lot), how Nestor and I enjoy Arthur's anime called Chobits, how I found the coolest funkiest book Design Basics Index, how I found Da Vinci Code to be indeed an entertaining work of fiction, yet one that boldly asks for trouble, that kind of stuff.
Ahh.. so little time, so much to do. And I'm supposed to be jobless! I'll be home very soon, and I'll be jobless once again. But I'll be home very soon!
How's that for gibberish at 5:48AM. Good morning!
Just because I haven't updated for a long while (at least in my terms) doesn't mean that I've been incapacitated, fallen sick or dead, or forgotten this blog. Hehe, I'm perfectly okay.
I haven't been doing as much work as Mike who's an Econs research assistant working on a hardcore math-intensive proof that has caused him major headaches, or Arthur who does programming at I2R during the day and works on KE Orientation Publicity at night, or Ferron who's fully-booked with his work at a posh restaurant in Suntec, or Karen who's doing labwork on weekdays and Kingfisher (I think) on weekends on top of her tuition/camp guide rackets, or Nestor, the King of Rackets (hehe) who, aside from his duh, rackets, has just wrapped up work on the KE yearbook. Reginald is busy with some internship at some business firm in Tanjong Pagar, and Steph is working for a bank, but apparently she doesn't like it there anymore. Hehe.
And here I am, jobless little me, who just came from vacation in Czech, and now that the choir competition's done (Gold baby!), I'm left to well, be free!
Jobless people will always be broke (unless they had money to begin with), and I think broke-ness is my only enemy right now. Idleness? Nah, I'm not idle. I'm not bored yet, even. Ahh.. somehow I always find myself something to do. Something to read. Or watch. Or listen to. Or learn. Or surf about.
And we began practice for the Centennial song already (ugh long story.. bottom line: I can't quite say here in this blog lest the NUSS people read this haha), and I've wrapped up my Ridge article, and I've helped Arthur with his Photoshop work already.
I've done everything but update this blog substantially. Haha, the most logical and sensible thing to do I haven't even done yet.. and that is to post photos and describe the details of the Czech trip. And how I've been persuaded to like Korean movies (a lot), how Nestor and I enjoy Arthur's anime called Chobits, how I found the coolest funkiest book Design Basics Index, how I found Da Vinci Code to be indeed an entertaining work of fiction, yet one that boldly asks for trouble, that kind of stuff.
Ahh.. so little time, so much to do. And I'm supposed to be jobless! I'll be home very soon, and I'll be jobless once again. But I'll be home very soon!
How's that for gibberish at 5:48AM. Good morning!
Back
Back
In Singapore, that is. I never figured out why my plane from Amsterdam landed Singapore 2:45PM, 4 hours ahead of my predicted arrival, but never mind. Ugh blame those time zones. :D
So here I am, bunking in Arthur's room at KE7, H204. God bless the good guy, really, for letting about 8 or so people store boxes and bags and suitcases in his single room, and now admitting a homeless kid i.e. me. And for free too! Hehe don't worry Arthur I'll help you *with what little I know* with your Photoshop work.
Ahh.. I'm still high over the entire Czech-Europe-Category Winner thing, but I'm glad to be back. The long flight back, and on my own too, gave me a good stiff neck and screwed up my sleeping pattern, and watching Million Dollar Baby on the plane made me suddenly intensely fearful of death, but being back in a place where most everything's familiar and where people speak English is always a good thing.
I could blabber on about the details of the trip, but that would be the longest blog entry in moonstruck86 history. So maybe I'll just post photos.. if lethargy doesn't get to me.
And then comes the perpetual question after something eventful occurs: Now what? Well, I've been thinking hard the past few days and I haven't sorted it out yet. I could go sing with the choir for the NUS Centennial celebrations on the 25th, go home to the Philippines the day after, and may just pop by Manila and Quezon City to visit friends, and check out UPLB in Laguna to visit little sister and Jasper. Then again, staying here for an extra week or so could cost quite a bit, excluding the expensive stay within Manila and Laguna, AND I don't think I'll make it for Mama's birthday on the 29th. Then again, my folks recommend I go visit my fresh-in-college sister also, and Mama says she doesn't mind if I don't make it in time for her birthday. Hmm. And my single-digit bank account balance doesn't help too. Yes, it's single digit now. Hehe. I still have some cash though, and there's always the VISA.
I'm jobless and free now, but not exactly. I've been thinking about my article for the Ridge's July issue, and I'd have to email Asraf the new editor very soon. Think Jose think!
And oh yeah, thanks again to those who congratulated us choristers. :D I told you I'm still high.
And on a final note, let me greet someone very special a happy happy birthday! He's the namesake of that little Peanuts kid who's on my "Fave Links" button. He's my big brother Schroeder, and he would've been 21 today if he hadn't gone on to the Great Beyond when he was three. :) Needless to say, I miss that old chap. Haha could've made my growing up years a wee bit simpler! See you sometime.
All right, off to shower! It's a hot day in Singapore (as usual), but for once, after a week of freezing cold in Czech, I actually like it!
Music of the Moment: Toploader's Dancing in the Moonlight
Currently feeling like working.
In Singapore, that is. I never figured out why my plane from Amsterdam landed Singapore 2:45PM, 4 hours ahead of my predicted arrival, but never mind. Ugh blame those time zones. :D
So here I am, bunking in Arthur's room at KE7, H204. God bless the good guy, really, for letting about 8 or so people store boxes and bags and suitcases in his single room, and now admitting a homeless kid i.e. me. And for free too! Hehe don't worry Arthur I'll help you *with what little I know* with your Photoshop work.
Ahh.. I'm still high over the entire Czech-Europe-Category Winner thing, but I'm glad to be back. The long flight back, and on my own too, gave me a good stiff neck and screwed up my sleeping pattern, and watching Million Dollar Baby on the plane made me suddenly intensely fearful of death, but being back in a place where most everything's familiar and where people speak English is always a good thing.
I could blabber on about the details of the trip, but that would be the longest blog entry in moonstruck86 history. So maybe I'll just post photos.. if lethargy doesn't get to me.
And then comes the perpetual question after something eventful occurs: Now what? Well, I've been thinking hard the past few days and I haven't sorted it out yet. I could go sing with the choir for the NUS Centennial celebrations on the 25th, go home to the Philippines the day after, and may just pop by Manila and Quezon City to visit friends, and check out UPLB in Laguna to visit little sister and Jasper. Then again, staying here for an extra week or so could cost quite a bit, excluding the expensive stay within Manila and Laguna, AND I don't think I'll make it for Mama's birthday on the 29th. Then again, my folks recommend I go visit my fresh-in-college sister also, and Mama says she doesn't mind if I don't make it in time for her birthday. Hmm. And my single-digit bank account balance doesn't help too. Yes, it's single digit now. Hehe. I still have some cash though, and there's always the VISA.
I'm jobless and free now, but not exactly. I've been thinking about my article for the Ridge's July issue, and I'd have to email Asraf the new editor very soon. Think Jose think!
And oh yeah, thanks again to those who congratulated us choristers. :D I told you I'm still high.
And on a final note, let me greet someone very special a happy happy birthday! He's the namesake of that little Peanuts kid who's on my "Fave Links" button. He's my big brother Schroeder, and he would've been 21 today if he hadn't gone on to the Great Beyond when he was three. :) Needless to say, I miss that old chap. Haha could've made my growing up years a wee bit simpler! See you sometime.
All right, off to shower! It's a hot day in Singapore (as usual), but for once, after a week of freezing cold in Czech, I actually like it!
Music of the Moment: Toploader's Dancing in the Moonlight
Currently feeling like working.
