Merciful

Much ought to be said about the mercy and grace of God but I think my A level grades sum it up quite nicely.

After 3 weeks of false alarms, I finally found myself in the school hall waiting for my slip. Experienced a variety of emotions when Ms K finally handed it to me after some rambling about my absence (late) from the hall earlier. In order of appearance:

1. Disbelief- That I had nothing below a B.

2. Joy- Hooray.

3. Gratefulness- To God for being so merciful and saving me time and again (O levels, Promos, A levels) despite me always being ungrateful and complacent, not learning from my mistakes. Felt like I was being given a 9871245245240891-th chance at life.

4. Guilt- Upon realisation that it was by God's grace alone that I, the undeserving fool made it through.

5. Helplessness- For I didn't really dare to confront those who didn't do that well. I guess I'm not that good at words when it comes to comforting people and I felt really helpless just standing there watching some of my friends crying. There was also an awkward situation involving an inquiry into someone's results which I literally ran away from because of an unexpected reaction.

6. Confusion- Beh!? I had seriously made preparations for the worst but the unexpected circumstances I now found myself in was overwhelming.

7. Disappointment- An issue of my pride, which I should not be bothered with having already been blessed with such a miracle. But still, I thought about what I could have achieved if I had bothered to study harder.

And so the A levels are really all over now and for the better or for the worst, there is nothing I can do about anything.

Watch Fixing..

was an epic failure. Getting a new watch.

Don't know why I'm making such a fuss about this. Maybe I'm just ticked off by the fact that it stopped working within the first week of training and that my attempts to merely change the battery (first step to fixing it) has resulted in a most definitely voided warranty, not due to my incompetence but because of its poor design and cheap price.

Pensive

Was actually going to write something substantial but time pulled a fast one on me. Need to pack my stuff and attempt to fix my watch (lifespan: one week) before I go back in later.

Like I always say, God help us all.

NS

time is flexible

Maybe I'll write some poetry in NS.

KKS

Chanced upon my secondary 1 and 2 form teacher, Mr. Khoo Khay Soon today. It was kind of a surreal experience because he looked the same and was wearing the same attire AND expression on his face that our class will always remember him for.

On a related note, I also chanced upon this, a blog set up by some cat high boy(s) in an effort to rally against the hair-snipping school authority. Must commend him/them for his/their vision of liberating the masses from sloped hair but sadly, no one is going to give a shit about it after awhile. Soon, they'll realise that things like that just ain't worth fighting for. (If you consider blog ranting as fighting) Even if they get to keep their hair long, they still have to wear the green shorts. And that's a -500 to street cred. A year later, they'll be in pre-u education, where people don't care about hair that much. Few more years and no hair at all. Poof! Story of my life.

Some choice quotes from Mr. anti-establishment (Fyi, GKY is the discipline dude):

-"I'm going to rebel against GKY

Signing off,
Justice Fringe-less"

And a few days later:

-"On the other hand i passed the RE hair check ! AHAHAHAHAHA"

So much for rebellion I guess.

let it be

i want to but my right eye is screwed up.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

argh frikkin eye.

Since I was Eight

I remember wanting to drive
(going down to work, thinking of this)
how awesome and exciting
(exit left ahead)
it would be.
(red light. tapping the dashboard)

Couldn't wait to grow older
(craning the neck. search for parking)
get my hands on that license
(still no parking)
wowee, I'll be free.
(parallel parking. need no thinking)

Now I can drive
(shut the engine)
and I am older
(lock the doors)
and I am free.
(some kids speed by)

On their shiny bikes.
(I've got a job)
Past the traffic
(in a cubicle doing finances)
going places.
(but suddenly i want to be a kid again)

No Winners This Time

TAKESHI'S CASTLE.



General Lee, the man's man leads the hordes of farmer militia to storm Count Takeshi's Castle. Watched this quite a bit while in Germany. Apparently it get's funnier as you grow older because I don't remember laughing as much when it aired over here a long time ago.

Cakewalk

Oscar Peterson joins the great gig in the sky?

Obertauern

Back in Oberursel after 5 day trip to Austria to ski at a place called Obertauern. Drive there takes about half a day, which meant that only 3 days were spent skiing. Seriously though, skiing is the most awesome thing in the world, other than snowboarding.

Couldn't be bothered to take much pictures since my hp camera doesn't do the scenery much justice.

Intruiging sculpture at a rest station on the way there

Landscape starts turning white

There

Alcoholic Tea, which is a specialty. Didn't taste the tea. Didn't finish it either.

Lousy pic

Less lousy pic, showing 1% of the entire area. Sprained my wrist on red slope near the top left.

Had a major wipeout on the last day of skiing around noon. Shouldn't have gone down one of the intermediate slopes so readily. Tumbled for about 10 seconds before landing off piste, with my head and leg hitting something hard along the way. The result? Stitches on my left knee and under my chin. Was pretty cool to see part of my knee bone for the first time.

My conclusion for this trip? God created snow for skiing. Can't wait to get back one day.

Frankfurters

Been in Germany for a few days, in a town called Oberursel. Been around the area abit, up some nearby mountain(snow there), the town, the mall and and completed Gears of War on my cousin's xbox 360. Yeap. That's about it. Going to Austria on Sunday for skiing and stuff.

Haven't had much frankfurters, but the schnitzels are good.

At Dubai airport for stopover. I bought one because everyone had one.

Menu at a Cafe. Feel linguistically challenged.

Just ducks. Remind me of Derric's rabbit for some reason.

You can get these everywhere.

Snow on the mountain and a geriatric.


Shop which sells coffee and electronics.


Authentic European town


Fan art.

My Foray into Noir Fiction. Part Four.

Previously.

A few morphine shots later and he was Timmy again. Or so it seemed. "Damn, Timmy. You really should carry more of these around. I used up all you had on you" I said, tossing the syringes behind me in a nonchalant manner which I thought would convey the idea that I was used to giving impromptu shots to schizophrenic nutjobs.

"Whatever, thanks anyway" he said. "So, I heard. You're opening again eh? Well, I've got something that should interest you. And I'm prepared to pay too."

He finished by slamming a two-dollar bill onto the table. I don't know how he did that, he just did. Timmy just had a way of doing things few others could pull off.

"Gee Tim, I'm not so sure. My gas to drive here cost more than that."

A little persuasion would be necessary, it seemed, if I was to get anything out of this. It was an art, like how an experienced angler knows when to move his bait. Avoid the small ones, go straight for the big.

"I know you don't drive," came the reply.

"Oh really."

"Yea."

"And so you were saying-"

But the damage was done. I knew that this moment would be an object of torment for the many sleepness nights to come. How the greatest defeats arrive from the smallest of mistakes, a kingdom for a horseshoe.

"Ok Matt, look here. I suspect my girl is at it again, and I need evidence. Pictures, videos, anything."

"Oh come on, let her go. She's been cheating on you since last year. I thought you'd be the first to know. Or maybe Jim or Carl or Andrew or whatever you become on other days of the week."

In my opinion, there are two things in life that make a man poor, fast women and slow horses. Timmy had both. His venture into horse betting had been a disaster and now Sally was running off with his dough.

"Hey I've got to help her! That man she's going our with, he's a con!"

"No, Sally's the con. Dammit Tim, the only reason she's still with you is because she gets to sleep with a different man every night. She's nothing but a thieving slut."

"Don't you call her that! If you can't help me, I'll find someone who can!"

"Fine by me. I do crime, not girlfriend spying."

He walked out. I sat there alone, sipping up the final drops of my Tall Mocha Frappucino®. The two-dollar bill was gone too. As Timmy disappeared around the corner, I leaned back in the chair and sighed. Damn. Should have ordered a Venti.

The entire series is sequence rather than plot driven. Sometimes an idea comes up and I decide to save it for a later part but for this one, I put all the ideas I had into it, though some were still left out due to context. Don't know if there'll be another one, since the purpose of this whole piece of junk was so that I could use that last line, which expresses the frustration of finishing a less than adequately sized drink.

A short one

Back from canoing chalet, which lasted five days. Went back to the motherland yesterday to see my grandparents, graduation night tonight, class chalet tomorrow, church camp after, then off to Frankfurt to eat frankfurters.

Fly on, time, fly you damned bird.

Old Acquaintances

Ripping off from Tan Weilie, whom I have not seen or spoken too for very long, "It is 'A'ccomplished".

Thanks Weilie, you have unknowingly offered me some amusement throughout these trying times with your ever cheesy but sincere 'A' nicknames on msn.

Imagining other Worlds

I Thought I Ought to Know

I have no idea what's going on,
And neither do they
when I do ask.
But I just thought
I outta know. What all
this means.

These cacophonies of light,
stuff me with
a blur of meaningless
wavelengths.
I can tell violet from red-

The bludgeoning of sound,
leaves me with
painless bruises,
but there nevertheless.
I know jingle from jangle-

But I just thought
I outta know. What all
this means.

And the people,
Oh it's the worse.
I merely listen
to the babble,
merely comprehend.
And emotions, all that
joy, sadness,
love and hate,
Jimmy shouted and
Mom baked me a cake.
I know them all, but
I just thought
I outta know, what all
this means.

My mind goes dizzy,
when I think of this world.
Dizzy from blankness.
All I'm knowing is
I don't really wake up
in the mornings no more.

My Imagining other Worlds (a levels +6 days) poem. Thought of it while trying to sleep without moving in a shared bed with Lim Chuan En. And I don't really know how I'm going to pull off monday at this rate.

lit, econs, econs

They call it stormy Monday,
but Tuesday's just as bad.
Wednesday's worse,

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me.

Just some quotes from a T-Bone Walker song

arghh

Not enough studying being done. Need to grit my teeth and pull up my socks.

Tomorrow.

This is for Yew

Grace.

A mere whisper of
her name, evokes,
countless intrinsic values
through the mind.

But more! Armed with
a smile, of a wideness
matched only by her generosity,
such joy to those with her!

And light in every way,
she is the lone midnight lamp
with its comforting glow,
and those magnificent fireworks
to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.

How could I, mere invertebrate,
ever compare? As I crawled
in her shadow. ARGH!
PAIN!- And a familiar smile
(upside-down frown) above,
stranger and fading to red. black.

But how? A heart of gold,
and yet so cold-

A panegyric of sorts. I'm only half serious but if you do decide to kill me too, I can only hope it will be a quick and painless one like Xiao Hei's

Health Issues

Made these with mella in mind. And my own weight is getting dangerously close to 70kg.

A levels

The exams have been rather fun and exciting.

God help us all.