Part 2: 16 Jul, the stupid car lucky draw

Woke up feeling terrible. The effects of the alcohol from the previous night was still clearly present. It was totally indescribable, something I've never felt before. The extra 3 letters for the Straits Times puzzle were released and my Mum and I still couldn't figure out the answer although I clearly knew that the location was East Coast Park. Karen was online though and she told me the answer to the puzzle: where ronald eyes a perfect game. Shit, I kinda forgot.

Well, it took a lot of convincing from my Mum but I decided to go down all the way to East Coast Park to take part in the lucky draw. After all, the lure of having a one-in-ten thousand one-in-hundred thousand chance of winning a brand new Mazda 6 was too good to miss. Haha. The trip itself was a killer. The journey by train all the way to Eunos (was it?) took the better part of an hour. And the bus ride on 13 was hell itself. The traffic was literally crawling. The speed of the bus was probably 10 km/h, walking may even have been faster. I ran the final 2 bus stops though and I managed to get to the place just on time. The heat blanketed the crowds and it was totally asphyxiating. Standing for three quarters of an hour in that place was the worst feeling I've ever had. The sweat just dripping and my shirt soaked. Ugh. I'd hope never to relive that incident again.

Got home for tennis with Rebekah. It was totally lousy as the courts were fully booked and I ended up playing with people I didn't know. Rebekah simply refused to play. Playing on my new nPro was fabulous. The feel was great and the power was just alright. Okay, maybe it was a bit too high. But I really liked the topspin forehands I was producing. Haha. I love tennis.

Wait for part 3 yeah?

Post 1: 15 Jul, Jimmy's farewell

Jimmy's farewell was the best that I had ever had. Better than the chicken rice lunch that we had when Sin Yee left, better than the curry rice lunch when Malcolm left. Being on leave the past week made me miss Jimmy's farewell lunch, but that was fine. Judy said that the place that they had gone to (Sakura) was lousy. Well, good that I saved some money going there. 15 July seems so long ago that I can't really remember what we had for lunch. OH! PIZZA from Pizzahut. It was ex though, $7 per person for 2 large and 1 small slice. We played card games after that. Police and Murderer, Heart Attack, etc. It's fun doing fun things with colleagues. Helps pass the time really quickly.

Following that, it was back to work for a short moment. Being on leave for 1 week really caused the work to pile up even though Karen and Derrick were doing their utmost to help clear everything. The worst: the weekly report wasn't done and I had to rush it out in 7 hours (??).

Okay, next was PAFF Life Activity. Captain's Ball, can you believe it? Well, I sucked with it. I think I suck at any ball games that involved using the hand directly. Probably why I suck at ball-tossing in Tennis. Anyway, PCD won Info Dept at the game. We had a soccer game after that. A "friendly" 5-a-side match. Seriously, I don't know what's wrong with me. The desire to win is simply too strong. Anyway, our team (Jerry, Terrence, Lokesh, Alan and me) won the other semi - Info department team (including Jimmy and Horace).

We split up then, Jimmy, Jerry and I went to Cold Storage to get beef and lamb. Then we headed to Jimmy's place. Tastefully designed is the word. He even had a fingerprint lock! There was a reason to it though, the stuff he keeps at home (old posters and old toys) are worth hell lot of money. Great investment sense! The food was great. Pasta was a little too much but the steak (rare for me) was nicely done. We drank a lot of alcohol though. I think I had 3 glasses of red wine, 1 glass of Port and 4 glasses of Amarula, this creamy milky drink that's heavenly (I lost count how many of that I had). Well, I was pretty tipsy after all those and I knocked down a wine glass and broke it. Sorry Jimmy! We played Blackjack through the night till about 12 and I managed to win back most of what I had lost. I think I lost over $14 at one point. Haha. I really suck at gambling, it's not my cup of tea.

Going home was a chore. I couldn't really walk straight anymore and Judy, Lokesh, Johnson and I took a cab to City Hall. They wanted to club but I knew I couldn't anymore as I was almost at the point of "beyond gone". Lokesh sponsored my taxi fare home as he had won like quite a lot playing Blackjack. Horace was the biggest loser of the night. Luckily, it wasn't me. Haha. Plopped onto the bed after spending a few moments deliberating on the Straits Times 160th Anniversary puzzle. Couldn't solve it and I went to sleep.

End of Part 1. Wonder how many parts there will be.

nPro

I know it's a day too late to report, but I've finally gotten my new racket! The Wilson nPro!!

The lime green of the racket had an unmistakable aura that led many to buy it. I know (hope) my judgement wasn't clouded by it's looks and I hope that I'll be able to effectively use the racket to improve my game. Haha. Gotta grow some muscles probably to manage the weight of the racket. The frame's a full 300g. Adding in the weight of the strings, the grip, the shock absorber and whatever else, it's probably pretty heavy.

Still biding my time, waiting for Serine. I don't know what to make of it. 1 year from now really seems like a long time to wait. Anything could also happen within this period to change things between us.

20th Birthday

This year's like the lousiest birthday I've ever had. I'm even embarassed talking about it. Ugh.

Cassandra's like drifting so far from me. I kinda don't know her anymore. When I needed help, I can't really count on her anymore.

The only good thing that came about this birthday was probably the good chats I had with Huawei regarding our relationship problems. Wait. I'm not in a relationship. So, technically, I don't have any problems.

My parents are weird. They think I'm with every girl I go out with. First it was Cassandra, then Yahui. I wonder who it will be next time. Shu'en? Maybe. Crap. They'd never know who it'll be. Neither would I.

I've come to a realisation this year. In the early hours of my birthday, I was chatting with Serine when she said that she really treasured out friendship. Though disappointed, I kinda realised that this could actually be something that I should be thankful of. It could help in these ways:

a. I get to reaffirm that she's the one I want to be with, especially after I enter university and meet lots of other people

b. I don't rush into a relationship that I might break in maybe a couple of months

c. I get to know her better as a close friend (I think)

Things might turn out well in the end after all.

I think I'm finally winning over this insecure part of myself within me. The part that's constantly giving me fears. The trick's to "feel the fear and do it anyway". Know it everyone, I used to be a coward, just covered up really well. But not anymore. I know I can walk out of this shell and do whatever I used to fear. World, say hello to the new and improved me. Hah! I deserve some award for that.

I'm 20 years old. Shit.

Tuition!

Today's tuition with Theodore was lots better than on Monday. Theodore was more attentive, he was taking more initiative, he was using his brain more and asking for help less. That's supposed to be the way it is ain't it? I mean, I can't really go around and re-teach him a topic that he had learnt in school? What's worse, I shouldn't even be repeating what I've gone through with him yesterday, the week before, the term before, etc. That's the thing that really puts me off when I teach Theodore.

Let's hope he goes from strength to strength from now on.

On the way home, I decided to drop by the tuition centre at the Community Club to enquire if they needed any teachers. I was contemplating really hard whether to go in because the receptionist seemed really busy and I was just quite timid. Haha. But then, I just remembered my nick - Feel the fear and do it anyway - and I decided to give it a shot. There is always a 10% chance for what I want to be available or something. So, I did go in and checked out if they needed teachers. Surprisingly, they did! What a nice surprise. Though it's not confirmed yet (they'll let me know again a few days later), they do need teachers, and I've the feeling that they'll want to employ me, I hope.

Just got word from Rebekah that her mum wants her to change Math tutors. So she asked if I gave Math tuition. Another pleasant surprise. Let's hope this assignment materialises as well. I wouldn't mind teaching more students! Haha. But let's hope she's the kind who is interested in the subject. Or rather, let's hope I can build up her interest in the subject. Let's hope yea?

I've decided that if I need to feel angry/ disappointed/ sad, I shouldn't. Why? Cuz, even if I'm angry/ disappointed/ sad or whatever, I'm the one feeling these emotions, I'm the one suffering the negative impacts of these emotions. Whether I'm angry or happy, doesn't really make a difference to the person I'm feeling angry about. Besides, it makes me less desirable when I'm angry. Haha. Cool logic. I gotta apply this in my life from now on.

Cool. Everything's fine. 3 days 0 hrs 24 minutes to the BIG 20.

Japanese Classes

I realised I had forgotten to blog about my classes last week. Last Thursday was pretty cool. I managed to go for my first Life Activity, a 3-a-side soccer game. Haha. It's been a long time since I've had a soccer game, and longer even for a 3-a-side soccer game. It's fun really. My skills have not deteriorated much, but my stamina and fitness levels have plummetted. The only thing that has developed is my tactical awareness.

Rushed off for Jap classes right after and I was just slightly late thanks to Lokesh giving me a lift to Queenstown MRT station. I was late, dirty and hungry. Ugh. The test came back and I got 80 marks!! Wow!! I really didn't expect getting something in the 80s region and I'm really thankful. Though there were classmates getting mid-90s, I'm still rather satisfied I didn't do badly. Haha. I was really really hungry during the lesson and my sensei gave me a Subway cookie to munch during the break. That's like really so nice of her! I'm so glad that I'm blessed with such a nice teacher. Haha. Nothing really exciting happened during Jap, well maybe just the cookie gift.

Quite a boring post? Yea.

I've decided to return to a state of inactivity. For my part, I've done almost all I can to maybe try to advance the status between her and I. But it just seems that it's not working, not the slightest bit. I can understand, really, if she's not free on any other day. But, not being free enough for my birthday, well that's basically the last straw. I can't take any more of this. Sometimes, enough really is enough.

The last train refused to wait any longer.

So I guess, I'll just ask more of my friends out to dinner on Saturday, just maybe a little odd to say, "hey, it's my birthday, I'd like all of you guys to celebrate with me". But, they are my friends right? Maybe it could work that way, or maybe, a mini party would suffice. We'll just see how it goes.

4 days, 0 hours, 20 minutes to the BIG 20.

Mixed feelings

Haven't blogged in quite a while. Let me think about what has happened in the past week.

Work's been pretty shitty recently. I'm getting quite sick and tired of handling public requests and printing emails. Seriously, the break I've been planning has gotta take place. The only thing is that I kind my stuff to do to fill those days. Reading would be good. I could read the whole day and not feel bored. But, it's my birthday! I want to spend it with friends! I guess I'll just see how it goes. There are plenty of things to do too.

Speaking about reading, I've finished The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. It's a fabulous book. I'd really love reading it again, but it's so thick! The stuff inside are really useful though. I've been enlightened on many of the habits that I should be adopting to be successful and I will follow through on them and inculcate them into my life. The next book that I had started is Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (think it's this spelling). This book's even more spectacular. I really don't know how to describe what it has taught me. It's just like seeing the truth, seeing something that I never thought was possible. And to any of you reading this post, please go get the book (borrow, buy, steal, whatever) and study it like a manual.

Saturday's quite a wasted day. I had tuition in the morning and NDP rehearsals in the afternoon and evening. Although I did manage to sneak in a couple of hours of Football Manager, I still felt that it was completely and utterly wasted. Traffic was horrendous. I don't recall the last time I spent that long getting stuck in traffic. The next time I'm going to the padang, I'm taking a train. It wasn't that bad though. Managed to meet up with Huawei and Yahui for some prata after the whole thing ended and getting stuck in traffic all over again. It's been a long time since we've sat down to talk or to do anything. Haha. Kinda missed having the two of them being around.

Just caught the Wimbledon men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick (who else? predicted those two from the start..). 2 words, no contest. Federer was just outclassing. Not to say Roddick wasn't good, he was great, fantastic, putting in a lot of shots and being aggresive. It's just that the stuff Fed came up with was mind-blowing. Passing shot after passing shot. If I were Roddick out there, I'd had felt utterly helpless, trapped with no where to run, to hide. The outcome was obvious, a straight sets victory for who else. Just read the match report. The statistics for both players were awesome.

Check some of this out:

a. (Federer) By the time he next plays on grass in the summer of 2006, it will be four years and 37 matches since he last lost on the surface. Of his last 101 sets played on grass (including Sunday's Wimbledon final), he has lost only eight. Just to clarify the full steamroller value of that statistic: on average about one opponent in 16 gets to win a whole set before - of course - losing the match.

b. Certainly the bookmakers had no doubt as to the result. They had Roddick at 9-2 for the title, with Federer at 1-8 - that is, stake eight bucks to get just one extra back.

c. (Roddick) The facts back up the Wimbledon seeding committee. Before today he had won 34 out of his last 36 matches on grass. Using your skill and judgment, see if you can work out which player delivered those two defeats.

Okay, enough about tennis. On to more pressing issues about the coming weekend. Wanted to ask Serine out next weekend. But she was rather adament that she wasn't free at all. Ugh. What a disappointment. If this was a few weeks back, I would have been ready to give up all over again. But now, failures aren't crushing. Winners come back from failures. Losers are defeated by them. I'M A WINNER! So I say, bring it on, I'm definitely going to see her next weekend. Now to think of how. Haha. Very positive eh?