A boy can dream, can’t he?

Clear, light, ethereal. – Designed by Tokujin Yoshioka for Kartell

Mars is French for March (continuing with my infatuation with the French language). Anyway, the March break has been quite a busy period for me. That being said, I am thoroughly happy that my block tests were over before the start of the holidays, so I do not have the pressure of studying intensely hard during this period. (My sympathies to those who have tests after this period). Various things happened throughout the course of this holidays (which at this point in time, isn’t exactly over):

01. COUNCIL Leadership Training Camp. I’ll be honest here, I only went for two days of this camp (it was a four day affair). Why you might ask, well I blame it on my emotional state prior to the camp, along with the fact that I was going to miss the school’s academic programme had I stayed on for the last two days (well actually the emotional thingy is interlinked with this). Just 2 days before the camp, I was about to break down because I felt the inability to study – every day was filled with tests, and yet I was reading my notes just the day before, albeit unsuccessfully. Back to the part about the camp. I do not deny my apprehension before attending the camp, in fact I contemplated/debated with myself on whether I should attend the camp. I compromised. Two days. Oh I lost my shoe bag. This camp was one of pushing limits, all of us were tired prior to it, given the week of tests we had. None of us wanted to be made to do push-ups every hour. None of us wanted to be made to sweep beans (14 1.5l worth) off the floor of a lecture theatre with our bare hands. Twice. Then mop up the whole place. A lot of the camp was physically, mentally and emotionally stressful. But I do not regret attending the two days. In that span of time, I got to know some of my fellow councilors better – we are after all, in one Council, the 33rd SAJC Student Council! This was something that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve had I skipped the camp in its entirety. And yes, this is a little bullshitting here, but there are lessons to be learnt from the activities. I disagree that EVERY activity was meaningful, in fact, some of it felt just downright pointless and humiliating (I believe I left before the worst), but I acknowledge that at least, there was a certain intention to every activity, each one was planned with a lesson to be learnt. I’ll leave my LTC experiences at this.

02. ACADEMIC Programmes – What’s a holiday in JC without lessons eh? Well I’m just thankful (as mentioned in the 1st paragraph) that this did not occupy the whole of my holidays, unlike an unfortunate church friend of mine. It was really useful though, I’m somewhat glad I missed the physical, mental and emotional burdens of the camp for these two days of lectures. I doubt I would have been able to catch up on the barrage of information dished out during these lectures. Just about everything was a new topic being taught. I hope my fellow councilors would be able to catch up too.

03. LEARNING about the various divisions in 10A04, and SAJC (Okay, I’m slow), was quite disheartening. Its so early on in the year, and already, people are holding on to their preconceived notions of others, how some may seem bratty or bitchy to others. That being said, I do not deny that I have been guilty of doing the same, but I’m trying to let it go. So should everyone else. She may have grapes and tails, but she can be nice. I think.

04. ICE skating with the church people (Kenneth, Elliot, Joel, Phyllis, Iman, Agnes, Nicole, Anthea), you guys (and girls) are simply awesome. And to Joel, if you’re reading this, congrats on learning how to ice skate! Oh and there was this sorta cute (emphasis on the ‘sorta’) German child who tagged along with us, hope you had fun on your holiday. And stop kicking people with your skates, they can injure others.

05. NOSTALGIC moments with my past. That came out weird. Thursday night was simply great. I got to meet up with one of my closest friends in Secondary School (hey Shashank), my favourite English teacher Mdm Norhani, and two other awesome people (Benedict and Farina). It was great to see everyone (figurative usage here) and to know that they are doing fine. Gossiped a little, had a simple but sincere meal, ate great ice-cream, and window-shopped! Okay the last part was kinda wasted, I would have preferred to actually get something, but well, nothing really tickled my fancy. Except this:

Sand Suede Shoes – Zara

I’m simply infatuated with them now. Perhaps I should get them, just that they are a little pricey at SGD 169. Or maybe the variation in a dark leather (that’ll be easier to keep clean).

Anyway, the holidays has been really kind to me, this one at least, and I am truly thankful for the rest time that I managed to get. I do however hope that I’ll cope better with the upcoming new term.

  
Warm wood floors, check. Period hardware, check. Sleek modern furniture for contrast, check. Though maybe minus that baby blue cushion on the couch.

In case you do not know, I am obsessed with architecture and interior design.

The second month of 2010 has been to say the least, tiring. It was a time of great change (for me especially), a time of stagnancy. A time of new friendships forged, a time of crumbling relationships. A time of fun, a time of stress and anxiety. Thank you, February.

01. ORIENTATION 2010, Mosaic. February marks the middle, and the end of Orientation at SAJC. It was truly a wonderful time, all thanks to the simply awesome people of OG8. From Weiren’s crazy enthusiasm for everything, to the seemingly berserk mass dance routines that had everyone’s feet on hot rocks. Thank you everyone, who made my start at SAJC undeniably absurd and fun.

02. NEW class. New people (duh). 10A04 wasn’t quite what I expected it to be, but its nonetheless a bunch of friendly people. Enough said.

03. THE start of lectures. Once again, this is a virgin experience. (Gosh, it seems that JC life is a complete culture shock) I was introduced to what seemed a relatively relaxed time-table of lectures (with the exception of the long days, though they are chock full of breaks), or so I thought, until we met the lecturers. Seeing them signaled one thing – it was now time to start being serious in my studies (or so the theory goes). I’ll try.

04. COUNCIL everything. Council Nominations, Council Interviews, Council Camp, and now, Council Campaigning (just a week before my MSAs, shit). Basically, apart from the Council Camp, everything went (and is going) smoothly here. Council Camp was a torture camp, and more. I’ll just leave it at that, lest I be barred from joining it.

05. REAL shit starts – Lectures + Tutorials. Not to mention a time-table that’s pretty messed up in just about every way (lack of breaks, ridiculously long breaks, two Literature tutorials in the same day etc.) Its time to work hard, MSAs are next week. Odd that tutorials only come a week before our tests. God help me, God help us.


Goodbye February, Hello March.

I find myself slipping away from God. Its difficult, each moment of life, and I know that I should trust in God. I do. But yet I find myself doubting (at times) the very existence of my faith – that perhaps my faith was all a fib. Its been something I’ve battled with for a couple of years. In the end, I always acknowledged and accepted God, but I hate this constant battle with the forces of evil.

Please pray for me. [Christ] help me. He can, and will. Amen.

It is in Him that I find strength to face the world.

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”

Psalm 73:25-26

I’ve survived. Except I now ache inside out. Thank you, God.

Woah. Tomorrow’s a new month.
Tomorrow will be a long day.
Tomorrow will be tiring.
Tomorrow, I’ll need to rush with
Literature homework.
God help me.
God help Chile.

I’ve been hunting high and low for a new pair of shoes… and finally, I think I’ve found a few that have captured me.

Puma’s Urban Mobility Collection, Fall/Winter 2010 (Click on image above to view more). Crazy shoes, and I don’t expect them to be cheap, since a bag from this range costs at least SG$300. 

Evisu by Common Projects (Click on image above to view more). I’ve always had this deep love for their shoes. Its just so simple and non-fussy. The downside is, its outrageously pricey. A shoe by Common Projects costs around US$400. Thankfully, this collaboration seems to be about half of that. Still expensive none the less, but I’m sure that’ll make me really consider… 

Fred Perry Chukka Boots. This is the only one that I’ve seen in person, or at least, something comparable. The one I’ve seen seems to be leather, not canvas, and costs SG$200. Do-able, but still pricey. And it doesn’t give me the same ‘orgasmic’ feeling as compared to the other shoes. Or perhaps I was never the biggest of Fred Perry fans (especially now that it’s a wee bit whored out)


I guess I’ll just have to wait.

Bless the French language, it makes every thing seem so chic and sexy. ‘The Lectures’ became Les Conférences. Putting such superficiality aside, today was the first days of lectures at SAJC. It was also the day where our OGs were officially dissolved and replaced with our Civic Groups.

Entering a new school is full of new encounters. Just when I was starting to get acquainted with the people in my OG, I am tossed back into the sea of unfamiliarity – new and foreign faces, along with a barrage of seemingly unknown names I must face. Okay, I’m beginning to sound a wee bit like Yoda. Whatever. The only glimmer of hope is that 2 girls, Charmaine and Shermin, along with Joel Lim, are in the same Civic Group as me.

Anyone who knows me should very well know I am terrible with names. So far, all I remember, apart from the 3 familiar faces noted above, are Akim, Nat (I can’t even remember his full name, sorry), Alicia and a girl with a Chinese name. That’s barely a fifth of the group.

Today was also the first days of lectures (as stated above). Yes I am finally getting back to the main topic discussed in the first topic. I must say, lessons/lectures in JC are vastly different from those in SHSS/Secondary Schools.

First up, General Paper. Okay, it was an interesting subject, or at least, that’s my first impressions of it from Conférences Une. Sure, the lecturer was going really quickly, and it was a mad rush to take note of what she was saying. But the topic was interesting – The Evolution of Marriage Throughout the Ages. It would seem that men in the past could divorce their wives on frivolous conditions – being barren, and even being too talkative. Talk about women’s rights. And apparently there’s such a thing as ‘trial-marriages’. Totally an eye-opener.

Then there was Literature. Just a discretionary note, this will be a bitchy paragraph. Where do I begin? Apparently, to the head of the Literature department, being early for class is only a ‘glimmer of good’ in us students. She expected us to shuffle to different rows in 7 seconds. Its simply ab absurdo. I must also add that she does look rather man-ish. From her hair to her dressing (what dressing?)… Is she trying to compensate for something? Oh and that booming and commanding voice of hers. S.C.A.R.Y! The whole one hour was spent loudly declaring to us the EXPECTATIONS AND RULES of Literature class. Thankfully, there’s a redeeming trait to her – she speaks well. I mean, really well. She articulates and enunciates every word, well almost every word, crisply and clearly. The last consonants are there! (such a rare find in Singaporeans).

The last two lectures were H2 Mathematics, and H1 Physics. I must say that H2 Mathematics borders the incomprehensible – especially the notes. What the hell is ‘Permutations’? And I am supposed to remember A-Mathematics stuff? Good heavens. All of that has been lost to the deep abyss of my mind. Time to revise. And Physics, it seems manageable so far. That’s a good sign. I hope.

This will be the year to work really hard.

Its been two days since Orientation came to a close, and frankly, I’m getting that warm fuzzy feeling about it. Even if I thought there was room for improvement in the planning. Even if I felt that some of the activities were just there to brainwash us to become SAJC-ians. Whatever. It was fun, and I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. From every nit-bitty detail – the different Kingdoms, the mildly suggestive songs and cheers used and even the awesome OGLs.

DAY ONE – WEDNESDAY
How does one feel when one is dragged kicking and screaming from a vegetative state (yes, holidays do eventually become boring) into a world of uncertainty? I remember it started rather awkwardly, the only respite being a chatty girl in my OG – Ashley, who also happens to be Donovan’s church friend. Team bonding games, school tours, awkward conversations; I guess those three statements sufficiently sum up the first day of school at SAJC.

THE FOLLOWING DAYS
In case you are wondering, yes I am far too lazy to continue typing a little paragraph for each day. Every day starts with an early morning – 5.30 am to be precise. God, it was terrible getting used to such a brutal hour, especially after the erratic sleep cycles I’ve developed over the holidays. Meeting up with Ashley, Benedict and Donovan over the past few days did make the new environment a little less foreign. And the totally awesome OGL Joel, along with the (on a large part) friendly OG mates, did also help me settle into this new school. It was team-building games every day, mass dances every day (hints, Shake It and Rockin’ Robin), crazy queues at the Cafeteria. So much crazy in just a span of 5 days. Oh and lest not forget the school hymns and songs… some are awfully tacky, while others are so slow they are actually moving (oddly enough though).

Well I guess this is a new chapter in my life. Just gotta deal with it. Oh and P.S. I want to join Student Council at SAJC…