Post-camp Thoughts

I think the CAC FOC was pretty awesome. Considering all the efforts the seniors put up, it's a wonderful one. Also because of the numerous sponsors, CAC is able to tighten down the budget to doing wonders with peanut camp fees.

I was hoping that the pictures would be uploaded soon but it seems nowhere in sight for Valous, my group yet. The video will be uploaded to the blog soon as mentioned in that CAC blog.

I should have brought mobile charger so I can take more personal photos with friends on my end here.

Day 0
It was a tiring day for everyone. There were too many things squeezed into it and everyone had to run from stations to stations all the time until about 3 am.

There is group cheers, flags that have to be settled down shortly after introduction and icebreakers. I realised I didn't bring my contact lenses case and I got to share with Alvin Teo. Thanks.

Day 1
We learned mass dance and more running to go for the programme of Tour de NTU. Pool games was eventually cancelled due to extensive wet weather that prolonged throughout the day. Honestly, I was kind of disappointed actually as it was also another main component of the camp. During that night, it was also planned for fright night. The seniors tried to tell us "scary" stories before that and I could already anticipate that to happen. It really isn't scary to me at all... I have to pair up with Nian Ya, a year 2 senior as there weren't enough female freshies in my group to pair up for. Another disappointment. Haha.

Day 2
It's amazing race day. We had to go from places to places to complete tasks. It wasn't that hard to start with just that due to the unpolished skills we have in mass dance, we had to leave NTU last. Ying Ying and others was kind of amazed when I drew a lion on the kite in a brief sketch. She seems interested to get me running for the JCRC for hall 9. But we had fun throughout. Everyone utilised their expertise in completing tasks and had fun times at the Maxwell centre sharing food and stuff. We did many stupid things like showing public our mass dance and getting them to do "thousand Buddha hands" with us. Our last stop is at Sentosa to prepare for next day's activities.

Day 3
We had to wake up early for the beach games for the entire day. It was fun really and Joyce was kind of overjoyed when I told her that. She's the overall-in-charge of that beach games. Here I did more even sun-tanning and my friends thought that the sun tan was over drastic when they saw the sunburn tan lines on my back. I didn't acquire that from this camp okay? By this day, we're already very comfortable with each others' company. Realised that in general, Valous isn't that rar-rar kind of people but nevertheless fun-loving. At night, we went back to NTU to start the secret pal programme. Everyone was blindfolded and be given time to interact with their SP with conversations and sense of touch. The initiation night was really dirty. I was told by my friends in NUS that they didn't play that far. I was prompted to answer questions that are downright horny in front of my SP and have to do close and intimate actions mimicking kissing in front of numerous seniors whom I don't exactly know who either. I got my hair nourished in raw eggs, flour, shampoo and many other things you can think of.

My SP and I nearly chilled to death by the time the initiation night ended. Got a garbage bag to shield us from chills of the morning wind sweeping past our body like blades. My SP's nice. She shared that bag with me voluntarily. After that, we didn't talk much. My mind's entering a whole new realm of fatigue. Something that I've almost long forgotten to what seems alike to the experience in BMT, only this time is through the compounded sleep deprivation.

Day 4
Played some more games with the OG in the early part of the day. From here, I have a conclusion that Valous has many sadistic people. We get energised mostly for "touchy" games like "MRT", and my group has its own version of it that even the organisers are scared to play with us especially with our hard-core "Team Rocket" people. It's an internal joke that we shared. This is also a night for SP date. We're supposed to dress well for the night. The cool part of this is that we get to go to Pariss International Restaurant for dinner date. Oh gosh, all the cents of $45 I paid for the camp fees is definitely worthwhile. Haha. Although the dreaded part is that after grooming well for it, the guys have to go through series of torment and humiliation before we can get our SP out for the dates. By that time, not many guys look good with dishevelled hair and attire.

For me, I was asked to do many push ups that I really lost count of and to hug a guy like a bear. In front of many girls, I'm asked to strip and tease, then I got to sing out loud like 10 metres away outside the room to get everyone's attention on me. I also had to run around the place twice also. Next I was asked to say many silly lines as my nickname is Aladdin and I got to fly the magic carpet as requested. It all ended after swallowing down Wasabi bread. I felt disappointed as my SP really didn't seem to bother to dress well at all. (I'll upload the picture next time. No scanners available now.)

Dinner time was fun with the games. My SP didn't like to eat meat and I had to adjust the portion accordingly so that I can get the right amount for the 2 of us. The conversations that went on between us were kind of out of context. I presume for occasions like that, it's always best to have light-hearted talk. Instead, we're discussing IQ questions. More brain cells died.

After the sumptious dinner, we went to DXO to club. I'm glad to return to my OG. I have nothing much to talk to her already and it's getting awkward to just be there looking dumbfounded. Ha. I find that I really don't dance that much as I did back then. Perhaps because halfway through, my OG girls left the place. They're not exactly the clubbing types which in a way is good. Ha.

Slept quite late that day. The guys had guys talk that night. I'm surprised that the girls didn't have that. They said that they needed beauty sleep more. Ha.

Day 5
It's the finale day. We all knew it had to end somehow and day 5 is the final day that we have with each other in Castovia. I kind of miss the time that we shared and the seniors have put up a really good video recollecting the short time we spent with each other. I'll remember it for the days to go by in NTU. More updates to follow next when I get more photos.

The Bangkok Gang

It was supposed to be quite a nice event I think but I ruined the significance by being late, again. It was first time ever I sensed that immense anger in CP when I told them I'll be late. Alighted the bus and took a cab from where I alighted. Awkward silence and forced smiles were stretched out their faces. I expected worse situation like hurling comments and things like that. Guilty...

Nevertheless, things got better and we went to play Frisbee, roller blading and some mini-picnic. I just wanted this to be a outing to sort of celebrate for CP in proper. Thought that the ad-hoc 21st celebration @ Bangkok Airport was too haphazard. Ha.

It looks like she enjoyed it. There's a new pooh bear to her collections of it. I think she already has a lot of them though.

I was blamed because there was excessive food that we brought. I intended for that to be more of a picnic session. Who knows we actually skated and played Frisbee more? Ha.

The weather was really scorching hot. Good that it didn't rain like the previous days. Sun tanning was to its maximum effect that I got sunburned. Ouch.

 The guy at the skating outlet was very friendly but a bit too friendly. I was quite stunned when he commented on my looks. I had nothing more to say regarding that than to thank him for his compliment though. Lol. Cheryl says I shouldn't be too nice as I'll be giving the wrong signals. Ha. Is there a fault for being just plain polite?

Cheryl says that she's someone complicated and she doesn't like to talk about things. From what I see, it's not exactly so. It just takes the right key to unlock her heart to share about her personal life. CP said that she really hopes that the Bangkok gang can stay on as long as it can be. I hope so too and hope that whatever happened in life, we try to stay true to ourselves and not be 'plastic' to the ones who matter to us.

Just For Thoughts

Saw a new episode of 'Just for Laughs'. They had one with the fitting room curtain loosely 'fitted' and unaware female victims had thought that they had accidentally tugged that down. For the first few seconds, the women had their eyes covered but only to peek out of curiosity at the man in the fitting room with varied expressions. The man was trying out a bikini when the curtain was tugged down. Some stare with wide eyes while others are scanning at him with lusty intentions. I wonder what fetish those women have. Haha.

I was thinking the way Buddhist monk Ming Yi handles the charity organisation has just totally crushed the remain of what little faith we have left in charity organisations. Even in charity organisations, embezzling money can be that prevalent. First with Mr Durai and next is him, someone who is known to go all out to perform stunts to raise funds for patients. Just one blow is sufficient to destroy all the good reputations he has earned so far. His deeds can all doubtfully be questioned by the public of any other intentions for his personal agenda. Who knows?

Wilson and Zach had talked about the air bubble in the spiritual heart. We try and work so hard to fill our lives with meaning. We meet more friends, study hard, work hard, dress up to our best. Everything we do, we strive for the better. Yet in a corner of our heart, we always feel something is missing. That missing air bubble can be different for everyone. For some, it may be religion, some is to carry out the acts of humanitarian through voluntarism and charity, but for others, it may not be so. I guess, I know what's mine. But somehow, I'm not actively trying to fill it up. Maybe I'm still waiting for the right time, but... when is it so?

Friends

After a long time of not hearing anything from D, I've decided to seek help to contact D. It was after a casual chat with Jialing that I realised she not only didn't talk to me but also to Tracy, Jialing and Keefer. The good thing is that Tracy managed to get her in the end. Hope that everything's all right.

I realise sometimes I do need a friend to just stay by the side. Even without doing anything, it's spiritually fulfilling. Haven't had the simplest of such joy since a long time back. Thanks WY. =)

Aaron asked me if I felt offended by the fact that the camp was organised by HOPE church and yet the non-Christians were kept in the dark. My answer is no. I felt it is fine as long no preaching is carried out under the pretext of friendship. Trust is a vulnerable thing. Once broken, it's hard to mend it back. I trust that it's not that intention they're befriending me for.

Didn't know Elson used to be that high profile as a model. Ha, he didn't flaunt it to me just that I happened to ask about his part-time job besides studying. He looks like a down-to-earth kind of person. I guess that's why he quitted modelling because of several complicated issues he had faced in the past.

Mum asked me be considerate to my roommate in hall. I hadn't really thought of such things as an issue. always thought that everything will just be the same. Living with another person could be a different thing. Oh well, I'll be more considerate, JY.

Anyone interested to work at a one day event for NLB for a heritage event on 2 August? The task would be to take photographs and to upload photographs to an online portal as well as other ad-hoc jobs on site. As simple as that. $60 for that event. Also comes with a free T-shirt. Going for the rehearsal the day before will add another $30. Limited vacancy. More details will be given at a future date.

Stir of Emotions

Seems like lots of people are upset about not able to get enrolled for the NBS camp. I'm not sure for me whether it's a right choice to give computer engineering camp a miss. The suspense of waiting for the CAC camp is killing me figuratively. The registration deadline has again been extended due to the downtime earlier on. To add on to the 'excitement' I'm feeling right now, my friends who will be going to NUS have been enthusiastically uploading their photos of FOC to let the whole world know about the happening events they're going through. Argh. It's okay, I'll have my fun later on.

The expenses for outings are getting to burn my fingers. I need to find more income. I don't want to take anything from Dad for things that I'm enjoying myself. It's just doesn't seem right. Other than tuition, are there other possible options I can explore.

I realise I'm just not cut out for games. Can't even play reasonably well in a game of pool. I know practice makes perfect but I think I know my strengths well enough and that playing games don't fall in that category.

Dispute Call

Oh gosh, I'm feeling so mad I can emotionally 'explode'. In June, I have actually charged $2000 laptop bought at PC Fair to the UOB NOW card for the reason that I would be able to earn smart$ points. But hey, there's only 500 participating merchant outlets so that's not considered. Thus, I called UOB to kindly ask if they can credit that transaction to my visa mini instead whereby I would be able to earn the uni$ instead.

But guess what? No, it's not possible. After sometime whereby this agent Jessica got my situation right but still not able to help me in anyway, I requested for a manager to the line. As usual, I can't get hold of a manager, and hence a manager callback was requested within 2 hours. Within 15 minutes or so, someone called back reiterating what the agent told me just a moment ago. I was so pissed off. Come on, I can provide any details they need and they have the information that such charge was credited using the card. I don't need any posting of charges back to the card and I don't see why they can't just adjust the uni$ points! Ultimately, the conclusion that I imply is that, "No I can't help you with that. Maybe better luck next time". Oh gosh, if in that case I would rather use ATM if I can. Thanks UOB for that.

So pissed right now, I should have gone on and on to dispute accordingly with their terms and conditions.

Little Rants

Quarrelled with mum again. She scolded me for something I did not do. Just felt very pant up inside to tolerate and to listen to matters that she wrongly accused me for, thus I rebuked back with my reasoning. She cried, saying that I'm not as obedient as how I used to be now I'm an adult. =.= Seriously, if I'm not in the wrong, there's really no need for me to say sorry. But I guess, when girls/women cry, the guys are always in the wrong. Guys are always stereotyped to be stronger both emotionally and physically in almost anyway. It sucks to be a guy sometimes.

Things are going to be different in university. Coping with new environment, new learning methods, new friends. Will I still be able to cope if a relationship is at hand? I don't wish to jeopardise the future of any party yet I don't want to lose an opportunity if it comes along. After talking to CP, I realised what a failure I am in choosing a girlfriend. I didn't know what I wanted in the past. Now, will I still make the same mistake that I had in the past? I guess only time will tell.

Bangkok Trip

Back from the trip~! I think I'm already missing the things in Bangkok. The people there are mostly very friendly and the things are uber cool and cheap! I think I bought many things from there.

That's me with the things I bought from the shopping frenzy. Quite a great deal. 1 jacket, 6 T-shirts, 4 singlets, 1 long sleeve shirt, 1 sling bag, 1 bottle of honey, a few souvenirs, 2 chokers, 4 short pants, 1 pair of jeans and many more.

Another thought that struck me was that even though I had known Cheryl just for the trip, everything went pretty well as though I've known her for quite some time. Probably she's just very sociable.

Kind of happy that E turned up to send me off. Not something essential but she did it anyway. Just kind of dumb when she bluffed me she wasn't going to do that.

It's my first time taking a flight, hence I was on the edge when the plane's about to take off. Same for landing. I just silently prayed for everything to be fine. Ha.

I thought that the terminal would be more impressive but okay... What more can I ask for something that cheap. Just perhaps the name of the terminal can be changed to something that sounds nicer. =x

What's really cheap down there are the wholesales market. There's just too many apparels to choose from. It takes true effort to source for something nice that I seek to purchase.

The climb onto Wat Arun was quite memorable too. The steps seem to be designed in a steep angle as if it was purposely constructed for some purpose. Should have bought some souvenirs there, it's relatively cheaper than those you can buy elsewhere!

I really want to have a better camera. Mine really sucks. No image stabilizer or face recognition feature. Without tripod or flash, photos will be blur for sure. Sigh.

I think the trip is kind of long for 4 days long worth of shopping. Everyone was really exhausted to the maximum. I think we spent more time in the airport doing stupid poses for camwhoring than to do much effective sightseeing.

I was told about the impression I give to others for my image. Thought of it as a compliment in a different sense. But what the hell, I'm still going to be who I am. No change to that.

The full batch of photos can be found on facebook.

At the same time, I reflected something. Thought that I was really fortunate to be born in Singapore. I have the necessities like getting a proper meal provided to me without me having to worry for it. That's not exactly the case for them. I see many kids at least 10 years younger performing or begging on streets with their father or mother. Imagining life's going to be the same for them many years down the road. It's a phenomenon that's naturally occurring to poorer countries and as for us, we can only count our blessings.

Yesterday, a friend told me something about his past. I was quite shocked. Didn't expect that to come from him. He had a troubled past and it's not something glorious that you would mention to a friend you know no longer than 2 months. But from what he has to say, I would say that he has figured out what the right path is and only something good awaits him. I'm happy for him to be enlightened after all that he's gone through. I hope everything goes well for him.

I wanted to tell E about my opinion on relationship but couldn't find a right time to. I figured out it's not just about the feelings that occurred momentarily. What else can we fall back on if the interest fades? It's also about whether we can be ready to tolerate each other's character. Would it matter if I tell her... Or since it's not something that will change the outcome, I should just rest the case?