decisions

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

decisions decisions decisions...
whether you like it or not, there are points in life where we have to make our own decisions. simply cause there are some decisions that others cannot make on our behalf. some can be trivial yet some can be even a matter of life and death. Sometimes we want to run away from making these "big" decisions because we are afraid of the consequences, or rather we don't even want to be in the position to make that choice.

sorry

sick sick sick

Argh. Been down with this cough/flu thingy for the past 4 days or so. Its like your whole throat and nasal paasage is being clogged up... the best part is that the medicine leaves my throat dryer than it already was. And no matter how much water I drink it doesnt relieve the dryness instead making me bloated. + a blocked nose + the drowsyness the cough syrup brings = torture

hope it clears soon. urgh

Is the A levels worth it?

Maybe some of you have heard me express my disregard for the Singapore tertiary education system. For those who havent here it goes...

Honestly I really find it disgusting that everbody (maybe not everybody, but a substantial amount) are getting multiple A's in their A levels. No offense to those who did well, congrats, but scoring distinctions nowadays has become the "norm". The value of obtaining an A has truly deppreciated - in the past if you scored an A its like wow and now everbody is getting it and if they dont its like the end of the world. Almost all my peers in jc did very well and its not as though they are in hwa chong or rj. If my peers are already getting 3 a's don't talk about those in the top - prob majority of their cohort did as well too or even better. And given we only have 3 local universities - nus ntu smu, plus a limited number for the intake of courses and a overwhelming no of A students, its tough competition. Then for those who scored like ABB, ABC, BBC or less they prob would not get into their choice course. How about those who did borderline? they would probably have to settle for private institutions or polys. Again no offense, but just being honest here, its really a sad situation. Of course, one can consider going overseas, but then again its not as though everybody could afford it.

And the latest news is that many who scored average results in their O levels were not able to get into their choice courses in polytechnics. Why? Because those who did well (well enough to go into jc) decided to pursue a diploma instead, thus the cut-off point for many courses subsequently dropped. Again, the reality is such that those who supposedly can make it to their choice course because of stiff competition are unable to.

I don't blame those who score well but its just that it is scary to see the benchmark go higher and higher every year. It this what the ministry wants? Competition is good, but where is the limit? I just cant imagine what it will be like in the near future. Fancy stressed school students all over Singapore - like it isnt already so.

Go to australia or some place la!

class gathering

Went for a primary school class gathering yesterday, and oh boy, was it one interesting night. Imagine meeting up with people whom you haven't seen or talked to in 7 years. All of us were linked by friendster so it was pretty easy to contact one another... this guy sunny posted a bulletin informing everyody about the class gathering and we were to meet at chinatown mrt at 5:45pm.

I had no idea where we were going or what to expect - somewhat the feeling you get when you go on your first date or some sort. And of all places in the world to my horror we went to partyworld ktv in chinatown! For those who know me well enough, chinatown would be the last place I would hang out at and I am definitely not into the "chi-na" scene. The ktv from the outside looked awfully dubious and the interior proved to be tacky and chi-na. Like some ah pei ktv lounge you would see in chinese dramas.

Oh well, the fact that I would even enter some place like that is just because it was a rare opportunity to catch up with old friends. The song choices were totally mixed up - from singing "one night in beijing" (hahaha) to jay chou, jolin, junjie fella, lee horn and to "my hump", "don't cha" , backstreet boys, westlife, boyzone, and of course, sunny's song choice - "one time" by enya. hahaha. No doubt the place was ching-chong and all but I must say it was a fun night with those guys. Only one thing though, most of my pri school friends are more of the chinese kind and it was pretty difficult to bridge the gap, like some of us were on channel 5 and the majority channel 8. Its pretty amazing to see how much we have changed over the years and some guy brought our pri sch class photo for reference - the difference was appalling man. As for the social part, it was a long time since I last exposed myself to the hokkien vulgarities flying all over plus f's here and there. Guess I am too used to the culture in church? Army will have a lot of it anyway.

We ended off the night at 11 plus after sitting in the ktv lounge for 4 hours or so. I have no idea how i managed to sit there for such a long time. Following which we all took the mrt down to the east side - except for some fella who lived in serangoon... Well, all in all, I must say that it was one memorable night class outing. But next time no more ktv!

uncertainties

Just found out yesterday that the cut-off point this intake for the course i wanted is 14.
And i barely made it by a point -13
Best part is the intake for the course is ONLY 60.
Gven the huge candidature and that temasek is the only poly offering apparel design and merchandising, what are the chances of me getting in? bleah

Oh well, if I don't get in I will be joining the army club (double bleah) and only after that then I can take a 3 year BA degree in fashion management and merchandising in raffles design institute (formerly known as laselle international).

meanwhile still waiting for tp to settle the DAE which will probably take a long long time... Faster!

Stained Glass Masquerade

is there anyone that fails
is there anyone that falls
am i the only one in church today feelin' so small

cause when i take a look around
everybody seems so strong
i'll know they'll soon discover
that i don't belong

so i tuck it all away, like everything's okay
if i make them all believe it, maybe i'll believe it too
so with a painted grin, i play the part again
so everyone will see me the way that i see them

Are we happy plastic people
under shiny plastic steeples
with walls around our weakness
and smiles to hide our pain
but if the invitation's open
to every heart that has been broken
maybe then we close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade

is there anyone who's been there
are there any hands to raise
am i the only one who's traded
in the altar for a stage

the performance is convincing
and we know every line by heart
only when no one is watching
can we really fall apart

but would it set me free
if i dared to let you see
the truth behind the person
that you imagine me to be

would your arms be open
or would you walk away
would the love of Jesus
be enough to make you stay

"I don't think it bothers the world that we sin. I think it bothers the world that we act like we don't. There are times that instead of being myself and exposing my weakness and hurt, I potray a character of the person that I know I should be. But when i expose myself as weak and frail at times, it frees the Body of Christ to restore me as it should and invites others to unmask as well."

get real?