The devil made me do it

After the mandatory CIP activity, I joined the 11 other Scholar's Cup participants in Bing Huan's house for a mass study session. The other 11 are:
- Bing Huan + Yue Zhi (+ me)
- Judy + Ying Xian + Yixian
- Ruijie + Vina + Peiyu
- Berlinda + Meng Shuen + Mei Hui

Scope of Subjects: Fine Arts, Economics, Astronomy, Math, Literature and History

The Econs team was great. Summarized 1.5 years of Econs work in about 2 hours coherently and they also managed to make it seem so commonsensical and interesting. Although most economics students would love to refute this statement.

After that we forced ourselves to do a trial debate session. Despite Ruijie's good tips and advice and clear instructions, it seems that he can't change the inevitable in a matter of minutes.

Instead of heading back home to prepare the notes for the common good of the teams, I hopped on the bus and subway to Orchard with Meng Shuen, hoping to cash in on the Borders membership card which Jun Jie was carrying, who we would later join. Along the way, I learned that he is a Clinton supporter (the 2nd one I found, after Wenjian, who's not that ardent in supporting her) and he does eat his vegs (while consuming a McChicken). (Grr! But on 2nd thoughts, my unconventional dietary habits are pretty much on the brink of insanity, and anyone who wants to challenge that is pretty much deserving of a place in a hospital for the rest of his/her life.)


Met Jun Jie at Borders. Turns out I can't find the stuff I need, and instead have to serve as his 2nd pair of hands. (I already have issues holding stuff for girls, much less a guy..) A short trip to Kino for those guys to buy more books. Made my way home after that unfruitful trip to Orchard. Still reading Scholar's Cup material as of now, though the chances of anything registering in my brain is probably a mere 1/1000th of the odds of throwing a 7 on a single die.




To tie in with Scholar's Cup prep, I shall dedicate this song to the other 11 DHS participants.

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse




I know it's cliched, but 皆さん、頑張ります！6+ more hours!

North Korea as a role model for the rest of the world

Don't be too quick to dismiss the Hermit Kingdom as a hindrance to global development. Here are some interesting facts.

In terms of per capita carbon emissions, 1990 saw each head producing 12.4 metric tons. By 2004, the figure has dropped to 3.36. That's a 73% decrease!

The DMZ around North and South Korea is now one of the most well-preserved pieces of temperate land in the world.



They ain't so bad after all.

Le haha

Cindy Wang and I have the funniest conversation together, ever. She has really outdone herself.

cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
anywy
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
i hate you
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
)"
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
*):
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
you actually put berlinda's name down with xueling and txy instead of mine on your blog!
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
AFTER ALL THE IMMERSIONS WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
AFTER ALL THE THINGS WE HAVE DONE TOGETHER E.G. WALK INTO VERSACE IN CHINA
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
YOU PUT HER NAME INSTEAD OF MINE!!!
#un Chet voted out 5-2 http://thecriticalbits.blogspot.com/ finally updated says:
erm, sorry, your voice doesn't sound very funny
#un Chet voted out 5-2 http://thecriticalbits.blogspot.com/ finally updated says:
hahahahahahaha
#un Chet voted out 5-2 http://thecriticalbits.blogspot.com/ finally updated says:
emo girl
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
you hurt me...
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
WAILS
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
le sigh
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
looks like i;ll never be as good as berlinda
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
maybe i should just jump off the mrt platform on monday or smthg
#un Chet voted out 5-2 http://thecriticalbits.blogspot.com/ finally updated says:
, don't be sad
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
HUR
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
you superficial thing
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
i bet you put berlinda's name instead of mine cuz you think she chio and she has long legs!
#un Chet voted out 5-2 http://thecriticalbits.blogspot.com/ finally updated says:
z
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
i shall go eat my chicken chop now and feed myself lipids
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
after all
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
I WILL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS BERLINDA
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
SO WHY TRY
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
><
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
byebye
#un Chet voted out 5-2 http://thecriticalbits.blogspot.com/ finally updated says:
don't go...
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
LOL
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
i really want to eat dinner
cindy is gonna start screaming "YATTA!". {FOOD AND MORE} says:
hahaha



Cheers!

The Birthday celebrations continue

(Writing for March 11)

Question: You can't have too much of a good thing, can you?

Thesis: I disagree to a large extent.


Though the day was supposed to be good, I woke up on Tuesday feeling down coz I had to rush to Dunman to help wash and pack up those equipment. So yeah, wash, wash and wash. Colin remarked that he didn't like washing the mess tin which Kek used to whip up his half-mashed fried potato. LOL, I would have been quite willing to wash it, coz I enjoyed every cubic millimeter of it.

Then it was time for Math lecture. I actually like P and C, which is obviously way better than stuff like Vectors and Complex Numbers. I really don't like Math that deals with the abstract, which happens to fit with my personality type.

The gang (minus Ruijie, who's enjoying himself in Hong Kong, pfft, and Peiyu, who had to finish her Econs essay, and Vina and Wynne of Year 5 some place else) decided to cancel that reservation at Settlers' Cafe and opted to celebrated the birthdays of the threesome (Vina, Wynne and I) at Vivo instead.

Binghuan, the only other guy in the group ("imba (sex) ratio", as declared by the schemer) told me that he originally wanted to join ODAC. Oh great, now you tell me. But really I have to thank him for joining TKD instead; my social life is much more interesting now.

For lunch, we dined at Terra on the 2nd floor. I was treated to the meal, minus the drink. Unsurprisingly, I chose the baked potato. (The theme of my birthday this year is really revolving around this tuberous veg.) At this point of time, I was presented my presents, magnetic earrings. Awww.

After that it was a rush to enter the cinema to watch There Will Be Blood. Critically acclaimed, but I wasn't that impressed by the plot. I'm glad that stupid religious fanatic Eli was killed; apparently religion has hardly astounded me. Final rating: 5.8/10

After a trip to Page One, I boarded the train to City Hall with Wynne. She was telling me about this Dunman senior in some university who discovered a new species of......



moss! Wow, what a great time he's gonna spend examining it for the rest of his life. We both agreed that it would be much more interesting if he had discovered a new species of moth instead.

Walked to Seah St to collect my $50 medical claim, that I zipped over to Bugis to get on the train home. Gosh, I must be a real lucky guy to celebrate his birthday with friends for 3 days in a row. Somehow it is resembling CNY or Christmas, no?

In the evening, I received a message from Yu Ting saying that the damned CSC talk on Friday was cancelled. Hallelujah! Chatted with Xue Ling about it excitedly over MSN. Now if only the same would happen for future talks.

You're on the other side of the world.... or maybe just a few feet away

So birthday boy arrives at school late for the Kota Tinggi trek. Packs group stuff and leaves on bus, yada yada, waits 1.5 hours at Tuas, yada yada, Kek reveals his paper "passport" worth a grand total of $15, yada yada, arrives at Kota Tinggi, where it was pouring.

We began the climb at 1.30pm. There were many instances when I really felt that I was wasting my time, but you gotta do what you gotta do, and I had to turn to unglam language for my solace.

Reached the campsite, like 2 mins behind Kek and 5 mins ahead of Shue Ling, and 10 mins ahead of the rest of group 3. Once again, I was bombarded by Shermaine and Peixin for ditching the rest of the group. But we came to a consensus that Kek was the schemer/mastermind and I got of scot-free. (ha!)

Together with Colin, Yanwen, Wen Jian, Arthur, Bao Xue and Jia Ying (the onl girl), we started building makeshift toilets for both genders, ie digging holes using shovels. The toilets for the guys were just plain holes, and its theme was natural scenery. For the girls' toilets, we decorated each site with delicately laid stones, with designs like the universal female sign and the heart shape. And due to the nature of this task, toilet jokes were abound. (Geez, I did not have such a good laugh in days!)

So I joined my team in preparation for the Creative Cooking Competition. Everything seemed botched up, coz the spaghetti did not taste the way it was supposed to be, and some guys were arguing with Peixin over the method for cooking the veggies. Sensing the need to save them, I brought out my stash of food for the trip and whipped out the 50% cocoa (which also contains rum!) chocolate bar and the marshmallows. With Shue Ling's contribution to the marshmallows, a few of us (Shermaine, Peixin, Shueling and Gao Miao or Jiahui, one of them) started on the dessert. We melted the chocolate and marshmallows and pour the diced apples into the mess tin containing the melted chocolate.

Final product: OMG! Heavenly!!!!

The other team members have also finished their respective dishes.

Potato salad with canned tuna: Woots!
Fried potato: Oh gosh, love
Spaghetti and sausages: I thought we were so screwed. Great comeback!!
Soup: Nice~~
Kankong: Eh, didn't dare touch it.


And unsurprisingly, we won the competition, and were awarded with 2 crappy cans of cocktail syrup.

Next up, performance time. I was forced to sing, and everyone wanted something by Wilber Pan. Never the crowd pleaser, I chose to sing Other Side of the World by KT Tunstall (the most played song on my playlist). If you're interested, here's the link.





The performance soon evovled into a singing PK competition. Feeling threatened by other talented participants, Peixin stepped up her game by singing a second time to silence her competition and critics. Indeed, her beauty and abilities are unmatched. HAHAHA.校花 indeed.

Lights out at 11pm, but sentry duty at 3am. Did for an hour while listening to the Year 5s gossiping about the Year 6s. Shan't reveal the content here. Rained at 4am, so everyone went back to their tents and slept.

Breakfast time, and the group had to finish the remaining food supplies to avoid bringing them down. Peixin did not express much interest in filling her golden stomach, so Shermaine, Nigel and Kek had to shove a slice of bread into her golden mouth.HAHAHAHAHA at the brawl. The sad Peixin consumed that piece of bread as if she were a mother cat which had lost her appetite after one of her kittens died. She declared that she wanted to fight for her human rights - the right to choose what to eat. Maybe I could have been lawyer.

Just before we began the trek down, it started raining ever so GOD DAMN heavily. I was feeling so BLEAH. It would totally apt to have Xue Ling or Txy or Berlinda there to shout, "This is so screwed!". That would have made my day.

On the way down, one of the instructors told me I had a leech on my leg. Surprisingly, I didn't lose my composure, and he sprayed repellant on that leg to rid the damn bug. More was to ensue, as Shermaine later found out that there was a leech on HER NECK. This inadvertedly led to her and Peixin (next to her) to scream at the top of their voices. Geez, I dunno whether I should be sympathizing with or laughing at them. They were saved with Kek's oil, which he he trouble applying on Shermaine's neck coz she just couldn't cooperate.

Arrived safely back down, nice lunch, play at the waterfall and slide. Great stuff, especially the well-designed slide. Unfortunately Ms Lee lost her glasses and everyone had to spend time finding it, but to no avail.

Right before boarding the bus, the instructors showed up with a birthday cake to celebrate the birthdays of 2 guys; the other being Shun Jie. I have never quite acquired to art of cutting cake, and it's been 7 years since I got any birthday cake, so I had to serve some disproportionate slices to everyone. But whatever, nice cake.

Best was not to be. At the Woodlands Checkpoint, our dear friend Kek was detained because he looked like that schemer terrorist Mas Selamat, with that curly hair of his was holding on to that suspicious looking piece of paper. Moral of the story: Renew your passport many days before you plan on going overseas.

Arrived in school, packed up, waited for my father to bring me home. Not so over yet, coz I had to go to the doctor to deal with that irritating growth on my eye. He told me that it was a sty (a circumscribed abscess caused by bacterial infection of the glands on the edge of the eyelid; hordeolum.) that needed to be treated with ointment. If my situation did not improve, then I may have to go under the knife. OUCH!

In conclusion (NB: good GP students don't end with this cliched phrase), that was one heck of a birthday.

U.R.A. Failure?

Briefly, what I learnt at that USP Workshop today about the URA.

What they have done right: Void decks for most HDB apartment blocks. Void decks are a great
i) way to ventilate
ii) place to hold social activities like weddings and wakes
iii) place for elders to hang out.


What's not so right:

i) random structures that are of no use, like the viewing gallery in the park in Toa Payoh
ii) not developing Ann Siang Hill as a tourist spot
iii) tearing down the old National Library, the most awesome brick marvel in the world


Verdict: Try harder URA.

When 12000 is actually a small number

Yeah, 12000 is the measly score I got for my carotenoid test, which places me in the high risk group. 30000 to 49000 is considered moderate, while the pass rate is 50000 and more. Yiwei comforted me by saying he also got a low score, and that there were at least 3 other people who got a score of under 10000. Seems like my 0.000000000000000001% veggie diet owns those guys.

And it seems I've been doing pull-ups the wrong way all this while. Or maybe the PE teachers can't agree on a standard procedure.