i cant think of a better way than spending the first day of 2007 with my SPG (student peer group).

thanks guys for the yummilicious dinner of ikea meatballs (complete with the sauce and jam!), the delicious spaghetti (it was definitely the cheddar cheese in the sauce) and the lick-smackingly good potato and egg salad. and of course, who could forget the home-made mudpie. speaking of which, the second batch that sat in my freezer overnight turned up pretty good today!

more than just physical nourishment (more like indulgence really, we should try to have CHEAPER meals next time), i thank God that we had a chance to share our feelings about last year and our thoughts for the new year. let us continue to treasure this bond we have among our group and keep each other in prayer as well as accountable to each other. i really hope to continue being the coordinator with Benny for this year even if im graduating.

press on my dear brothers and sisters and hold fast to the promise that our God will never leave us nor forsake us no matter what challenges this year will bring!

(:

p/s: someone left a half bottle of bacon bits behind! if no one claims, it'll be held hostage in my fridge. *grin

sometimes, i wish i had a ginormous and amazing talent.
not an eensy weensy hidden talent.
something that would make other proud to be associated with me,
something like being really smart, being able to play an instrument really well or even a leader whom everyone respects.
a talent that would help greatly in making money would be preferable.


i'm not trying to garner support or wallow in self-pity but thats just how the world functions.
at the end of the day, it all boils down to whether its something worth talking about or even mentioning.
it's about how that talent can be put to good use and in the open so everyone will recognize it.
definitely not hidden under the bush or a quiet and shy demeanor.


it makes me wish i had taken piano or art classes instead of ballet.
it makes me wish i were more charismatic and a people's person.
it makes me wish i had studied harder and scored really good grades and got into good schools.
it makes me wish i had mastered the chinese language more, or at least another language (dialects counted).
it makes me wish my parents were more of the pushy kind, rather than letting me develop and do what i enjoyed.


sigh.
God, why does the world have to keep pulling us down?
and sometimes they dont even know theyre doing it...

i feel like such a proud parent!
haha.
they were amazing. they did such a good job on the day itself.
everything went like clockwork. smooth and in time.
i couldnt have asked for more.
thank you my little actors for being ever so encouraging and just being yourselves.

most of all, thank you GOD for your provision, guidence, patience, strength and love.
there's absolutely no way we could have done an entire musical in four short days if it wasnt for your mercy and grace upon all of us.
thank you too for the people who turned up, both christians and non-christians.

i'm geared up for next year, though i'd probably already be working by then.
perhaps ive found somewhere i can really contribute to.
i suppose i really enjoy doing the "behind-the-scenes" sorta work.
hurhur.
and ive also heard word about a "musical YF camp" the year after.
that sounds exciting.
(:

p/s: thanks CORLISSA for the photo. haha. i stole it off her blog! who has got the musical photographs! send to meeeeeeeeeee!

i am one exhausted co-producer/director/commander/props-mover/singing-instructor/bao-ga-liao.

BUT
i thank God for

• the opportunity to be able to serve in church.
• my "little" actors who have been such an encouragement with their enthusiasm and crazy antics.
• Amanda who believed in me that i could handle this.
• Jun Wen and Jim who have been helping with the music.
• Bao Shun who has been meddling with the (lousy) sound system and lightings.
• the rest of the actors, though minor roles, they are no less important to the musical (and me!).
• everyone else who have been praying for us continually.

only two more days and it'll all be over.
and i bet i'll feel as proud as a parent for my "little" actors.

(:

i promise to post smthg about my hongkong trip and birthday as soon as i get my hands on the photographs.
and when i do find the time to actually sit down and type something.
this whole week is already filled to the brim with activities and i havent even done any christmas shopping!
*GASP!

sure we may be young, energetic, full of life and having holidays
BUT
there's a limit to how much we can do
and we definitely have no control over time.

i wish adults would stop seeing us as extra help thats ever ready and always avaliable.
they need to realise that we cant possibly agree to help as and when they want us and need us to be there.

its not that im not happy to be taking on this project,
but the demands from the adults have been unsupportive and unreasonable.

they want a us to put up a musical within the short time that we have and yet make so many unconstructive comments and criticisms.
like how we're only starting intensive rehearsals the week after.
she was appalled and said we should have started earlier.
and then later she said she didnt realise that many would be involved in the week long camp.
the camp was already known since the mid of this year, how could she not realise?

furthermore, they want us, the INTERMEDIATE classes, meaning those at least sec 1 and above, to be the leading actors.
and today she comments that the younger kids, meaning those in primary school, would probably not understand.
seriously, i would like her to write a musical that would appeal across the board, from primary 1 all the way to secondary 4.
why ask us to write the script then?
does she want my actors to play primary school children?

the adults also want my actors, the secondary kids, to sing with the primary school (and below) kids.
i dont blame my actors for feeling sian and embarrassed.
and they will be in their costumes.
how weird will that be for them?
it also means they have to run around.
all because the kids need help.
what about my actors?
we already havent got enough time to practice but the adults still insist that they join the kids for practice.

now i know what A and J are going through.
only today was it my turn to realise and face all this nonsense from the adults.
i just wish they actually looked at themselves and evaluate their actions.

im just hoping the musical will turn out ok.
i know my actors are putting in a lot of hard work despite being busy with other things.
unlike the kids, we do have to do a lot more than them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

on a much happier note,
im leaving for hongkong tomorrow!

really looking forward to the cooler weather.
singapore has been nothing but scorching hot with periodic showers that are of no use.

i also realised that this will be the first time im going to the airport with jun yuan and actually taking the plane with him.
hurhur.

thanks to singtel's auto-roaming,
i'll still be contactable by hp.
but only the important things please.
or just sms me!
(:

My EARLY birthday present!

Thanks bro.
(:

finally its my turn to say

THE EXAMS ARE OVER!
woohoo!
but of course, the results will soon follow but thats another episode for another time.
for now, i just want to focus on my so-called freedom and enjoy myself!

and enjoy myself i sure did yesterday at vivocity.
met up with my SPG (student peer group, not sarong party girl) for a "end-of-the-exams-celebration".
ok the celebration for mainly for amanda, benny and myself since jim already finished his exams last week (not fair!) and baoshun doesnt have exams. hurhur.

anyway, amanda and i gave in to our japanese food cravings and headed for sushi tei.
the food, despite being rather pricey, was rather good.
we ordered salmon maki, salmon in some mushroom cream sauce, salmon tofu (lots of salmon today huh), cha soba (my fav!), a dragon roll and teriyaki unagi.
the cha soba was the best, at least for me.
the texture of the noodle was just nice and it was, as it were, done al dente. the dipping sauce was also salty enough.

one problem i had with that place was the service.
initially our salmon tofu arrived and unfortunately, our first excited bite produced cringes on our faces.
it was cold, hard and definitely not tasty much less edible.
so we passed it back to the waitress asking her to check if the dish was supposed to be cold.
along the way, she showed it to another waitress who turned to our table and gave us a nasty look. she obviously thought we wouldnt notice it.
later when she arrived with the new plate, she simply plopped it down on the table with a pissed off expression and walked away.
i would have at least expected an apology and an explanation for the previous cold plate.
tsk tsk tsk.
i dont think i was expecting too much.
especially since sushi tei isnt exactly a cheap restaurant.

after dinner, we decided our sweet tooth(s) needed some attention and we proceeded to TCC as suggested by Benny.
well, given that vivocity is such a humongous place with a messy layout, we walked on and on and on and could not find TCC.
haha.
i wonder if there is TCC in the first place!
we finally gave up when we couldnt find TCC on the map and saw coffee bean.

coffee bean was hilarious.
to cut a long story short, firstly jim blew out the birthday candles on the cake intended for ME, put his foot over the three slices of cake, and amanda almost put the piece of cake that dropped on her toe onto the other cakes on the plate.
ok it doesnt sound all that funny here but it was hilarious.
absolutely hilarious.
thanks guys, it was an awesome birthday celebration!
(:

(sorry you guys have to contend with lousy photos again. no one brought a proper camera out that day!)

amanda and me at sushi tei

amanda and me yet again!

amanda says benny only looks good here because his face isnt facing the camera. haha. how nice.

i lurvveeee japanese food

jim blew out the candles on the tiramisu and blackberry cheese cake!

us again!

benny my fellow hougangian

jim and his "im-the-godfather" pose

ah bao and me

i hate the fact that my last paper happens to be an open-book exam and starts only at 5pm.
that's just absolutely horrible and such a pain in the butt.
it's like you dont feel like studying anymore but you know you still have to get down to doing something.
something that involves effort and time spent with books and papers and highlighters and post-its.
not really my idea of a wonderful weekend.
but i suppose the phrase "sian ku hou tian" holds true.
im just waiting to jump for joy and announce that
THE EXAMS ARE OVER!
and it also means im a day nearer to my hk trip!

but for now, i'll content myself with watching episodes of Top Chef.
courtesy of cause of mr chinny chin chin.
there's always "tomorrow" to have a date with my books.

little wishes deep down inside
she just wants to have it all
not to show the world her worth
to prove it to her worst nightmare...

Because i feel that ive already wasted enough paper throughout this semester...

(click on the photo to view it in a larger size)

SAVE THE PLANET!
(:

After days and weeks of endless (dying) optimistic waiting in anticipation, finally, we have booked our tickets.

HONGKONG HERE I COME!
(woohoo!)

but before the fun, sadly, always comes the pain.
exams exams exams.

doesnt help that i've been down with periodic flues and coughs and sorethroats and UTI and headaches and fevers and otherwhatelsehaveyou.

*bleah.
at least i can look forward to a mid-exam break of dinner at marche on thursday night!

and of course, having JY back (though he's really a distraction, hurhur) during this ghastly examination period is absolutely lovely.

phffttt.
its back to the books.
notes rather.
ok.
whatever.
hur.

and this is just one of the many reasons why i love you...

im finally done with all my presentations for this semester...although only a grand total of THREE it felt like i had a thousand...but i guess after the advertising strategies one was over...the rest were pretty much ok and a lot less intimidating...haha...i wonder why...i guess with siyoung and raj at the presentation we knew that we couldnt just bluff our way through and siyoung is known for her high standards and alertness at pointing out incorrect details...hurhur...but thankfully it turned out well despite all the drama we had throughout the preparation...and the other group who did on Charles&Keith as well turned out to be no competition at all...in fact...they shot themselves in their own feet...well i guess thats what you get for being mean to us...they were actually sniggering and whispering among themselves when we were presenting and when they were looking at our final product...the class also bombarded them with questions...which were valid mind you...and all ended well...haha...and at least we have pride in our own work...they stole their advertisement pictures from the very magazine we used to slot in our advertisement...all THREE pictures...tsk tsk tsk...im really hoping siyoung will realise it since we stuck post-its on those pages where they stole the pictures from...

today's final presentation went rather well too considering how last minute everything was...we actually only rehearsed once this morning...yup...i actually reached school at EIGHT am this morning...was insane...haha...i havent woken up so early since JC! but yeah it was alright...despite some last minute drama too...hurhur...surprisingly our dear indian lecturer...who came to sit in today...didnt ask too complicated questions...but as usual...i had to really tune my ears to try and understand what he was saying under his thick indian accent...come to think of it...i wonder if i was even answering his question...haha...

it's time to finish one more term paper and get started on the mugging...shucks...mugging is going really really slow for me...and i must say that its not due to the fact that JY is back...i just dont feel like getting started...and believe me...im no mugger...reallyyyyyyyyyy...i cant exactly sit my butt down for 10 hours straight and study...no way...i think my butt will cramp...haha...oh well...and im still trying to think of a suitable study place besides going all the way back to school and hunting for powerpoint plugs...tsktsktsk...alicia wants to go coffee bean/macs at east coast park...a bit far...but...i'll consider...haha...cause its a lot of fun around her...despite the annoying comments and nonsense and blabberings about spongbob...oh the horrors...hurhur...

and just to end on a much happier note (actually, anthg that has nothing to do with school or term papers or mugging or exams is a happy thing!) my neighbour gave birth on monday to a beautiful little baby girl! Charissa Wang...welcome to the world...haha...she's really cute and tiny (only 2.4kg!) with tons of jet black hair...so exciting...hurhur...but hearing her ordeal and pain throughout the labour period is seriously...very very very...scary...who ever said being a female was easy should be shot! *bleah.

Guess whos back?
(:

(with a 4kg box of mushrooms worth AUD$30 + USD$75 no less)

Advertising Strategies Presentation

061106
(pls forgive the very very blurred and lousy quality photos)

The Presenters:
Michele (and her killer heels)

Heather (and her funky red pointy toes)

Kim (and her broken masking-taped heels)

Mary (and her mondo heels)
And finally, ME! (and my cheap and relatively comfy VNC heels)

and me again! only because i was trying to pose. hur.

ok. fine. i know. enough of me. haha.

the group that made it possible:

thanks to each and everyone of you. we had a really tough time but i'm glad it's all over. i couldnt have asked for better group members to work with. let's keep in touch and do more NM modules together next semester!
(:





AND FINALLY,
this one's for you ally
Michele says it looks like a mutated child/offspring of spongebob and squidward!
HA.

For a project thats only worth a freakin 30%, i honestly think i care too much.
and im way past caring if you think im too pushy,
because im not the kind who relishes in half-past-six sort of work.

"But you dont look pissed or unhappy at all Kat..."

~leon

Although the semester isnt over yet, i think i can safely conclude that this has been the toughest and most trying so far.

Like i've told some people, i miss the days when i was doing mostly literature modules. This meant that it was just individual essays to hand up and not projects laden with lots of field work and presentations.
But not that i really mind project work. I find it's a lot more interesting than simply churning out essays and a hands-on experience is definitely a whole lot more fun.

However, what led me to this comparison is really the whole notion of "individual" versus "group".
No names here but let's just say quite a few have already managed to irk me. For those who know me well, i usually dont get angry or worked up over such things, especially when it comes to other people. But this time, i think they have succeeded in frustrating me.

Up until now i still havent got parts of a project due next tuesday. Its really annoying me because its not like i dont have other things to do. And the recipient involved promised to email it to me on tuesay. Then she apologised and said Friday. Then she said by 7pm Friday. So much for keeping to deadlines, and (more importantly) to your words. Im extremely frustrated because i cant consolidate the whole project because it is her parts which are missing.
BAH.

But on top of it all, i feel like there's something that i need to learn. JY reminded me that as much as others are praying for me, i need to pray for myself too. sometimes i feel like i refuse to seek God's help, only God knows why im so stupid to refuse divine help, and i trudge along like an old woman with a hunch. i need to start relying on Him entirely. And to cast all my cares on Him for He cares for me. Even a grumbling tired kathleen like me.

Of course there are those who have been listenning to me rant. Thanks. You all have made it that much more bearable.

And, on a much happier note, im finally going to order my birkies. Only one problem, which one? *grin

Gizeh Bronze

Madrid Rain of Flowers (orange)

Madrid Kimono (beige)

Madrid Kimono (black)

Why cant i just buy them all?

in all honestly, im quite fed up.
what's the point of emailing in my questions when replies are as hard to come by as a 100 dollar bill on the sidewalk.
and when emails are sent out, im not even part of the mailing list.
emails with important information might i add.
or when they come in when the deadline is already over.

so far, i feel like ive been self-taught and relying on friends from other classes.

sigh.
im already predicting a big fat C for this module.

After 10 weeks of school, i think i can safely conclude that every monday is "annoy-kathleen-day".
hurhur.
just ask alicia or michele.
they would completely agree with me.
*bleah.
but its all in good fun.
and it generates lots and lots of laughs to chase away the sleepy/grouchy monday blues.
so why not?
(: