Four papers down. That leaves just 'Food Marketing and Innovation' and 'Human Biology and Immunology' and it will be happy holidays till October comes around. Woohoo!

One of the things I like about exams is that I'll wake up early. Real early like 5 or 6 in the morning to mug. Which also means I can send my parents off to work! I enjoy doing that, saying 'bye' to them with a smile. It's the least I can do to start their (potentially awful) day at work right. (:

Now for some amusing things that made me laugh during this period:

Ta-dah! Evidence that I was catching my forty winks during Food Ingredient lecture! Haha. Messy handwriting for the first two blanks. The last blank is a joke. It's not even a proper word, let alone the correct answer. I think I heard 'will enhance' and wanted to write that down, though it ended up as 'will eheenyfyvsyv' instead. Gosh!

If I remember correctly, I drew that smiley face because I turned to look at Woon Ching after filling in the blanks. It was my way of saying,"Heh. I fell asleep."

And yes, 'flavour' is the correct answer. I only wrote that after we went through the notes before the exams to ensure we have everything filled up. Haha.

Oh, this one is from the lecture about vitamins for Food Chemistry. When Ms Marlene was going through the sources and mentioned 'lean pork', Fiza commented,"Racist lah!" Seeing this slide while mugging brings back the funny memories. (:

This one here is my exam table for the Food Microbiology paper. Seat number 49. I only noticed the drawing and the 'good luck' after the paper had ended. Anyway, I decided to scribble back a 'good luck' even though chances are, the same person won't be sitting there anymore. Still, good luck to seat number 49! It has the blessings of two strangers! :D

My dreams often symbolise my true feelings. I forget my dreams the moment I wake up. Which bugs me, because I turn to my dreams for answers at times. I can never tell how I really feel and I don't know why. For example, I can feel depressed and not know what I'm depressed about. Sounds ridiculous, but that's me.

Somehow, when I entered the campus, I don't feel at home at all. So much for the place where I spent four years at, huh? When I entered the General Office and greeted the staff, I couldn't recognize any one of them. I saw the principal for a brief moment when she walked into one of the rooms. I nearly snorted. I think my impression of the upper echelons of the school was that condescending. Haha. Makes me wonder how much has changed inside the school. I heard most of the good teachers had left. I also heard the school has an indoor stadium now. Not that I bothered to go see for myself. IMHO, the golden era of my alma mater had passed ever since I entered Secondary 2. Nuff said.

The whole trip felt like some business trip instead. After I got the certificate, Nabilah and I headed off to Causeway Point where we had breakfast at Long John Silver before heading to the library. Managed to get a bit of mugging done before we slacked (again).

I reached home in time for dinner with my father. I feel guilty for not spending more time with my parents (only seeing them for meals). So I sat down to watch Armageddon (1998 disaster/science fiction-action film) on Channel 5 with him. Missed some parts of it 'cos I reached home late. My father and I kept laughing at the funny antics of the motley crew. The ending was touching. Heroism and a father's love. Scientically inaccurate as it may be, the show's so nice. Makes me feel like watching the full thing again during my holidays. (:

My father likes to play the CDs of his favourite songs at times. I grew up listening to those songs, so naturally, his favourite songs became some of my favourite songs. Like Hotel California by The Eagles and Love, Me by Collin Raye. The soundtrack for Armageddon, I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmith is another of our favourites.

I finally got to watch UP. I rushed down to Causeway Point after Project 2 ended to meet Esther. It was her second time watching but she didn't mind 'cos she wanted to confirm the meaning behind some scenes.

Her take on this film was that UP represented an adult's lost childhood. I feel that UP has some of life's deepest emotions and lessons artfully disguised as a children's movie. To those who don't see it, UP will simply be an upbeat, typical cartoon film. To those who see it, UP is realistic and somewhat depressing.

Storyline can be read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_(2009_film)

When I was young, I love helium balloons. I would try to get one whenever I could, by hook or by crook. Yea, I was that crazy over helium balloons. It was only when I got older that I understood why I might have love them so much. Hmm ... There's something comforting about watching helium balloons float. Their motions are so carefree. Even when they're tied down, they seem like they're trying their best to escape. To be unrestrained and free to do whatever they want. They're like a symbol of freedom. I wonder if the usage of helium balloons in UP is related to this reasoning.

Mind you, I still love helium balloons now. Just don't get to have one anymore. Hahaha. (:

There was a short part at the start that depicted Carl and Ellie's relationship, starting from the first time they met. I don't cry while watching movies, not even when other people are. Yet watching Carl and Ellie's past tugged my heartstrings like crazy. I almost cried. Almost. (:

This is one of my favourite scenes. Carl and Ellie's relationship is the kind I wish for. Simple, true love that doesn't change with time. Just having each other's company and enjoying the simple things in life.

In the second part of the film, when Carl reads Ellie's My Adventure Book, he finally flips to the 'Stuff I Want to Do' section which he thought would be a blank, considering Ellie and he never made to Paradise Falls. Allow me to quote Esther 'cos she covered this in her blog.

What really impacted me the scene where Carl Frederick opened the book of adventure written by his wife and disvcovered that there was actually writings behind the section of Things I'm Going To Do. There were pictures of their marriage and everyday life until they were old. Carl then had this expression where he realised something. To me the most touching part was when he realised that his wife's wish wasn't to live by paradise falls but to spend her whole life with him. That was her dream adventure which she realized.

Yup, seriously touching. Ellie's wish changed from wanting to travel to Paradise Falls to simply becoming Carl's wife.

At the bottom, she left a message for Carl as well. She probably knew she was going to die already when she wrote it. In it, she thanked Carl for the great adventure they had and told him to continue embarking on new ones.

There's a deep lesson behind this simple line. The people in our lives are like the chapters of a storybook. When someone enters our life, a new chapter begins. When they leave, the chapter ends. However, the end of a chapter doesn't signal the end of the story, but a new beginning, a brand new adventure. This was what Ellie meant to say. No matter what, she was just one chapter in his life's story. That he should live his life to the fullest, even after she's gone.

"Good afternoon. My name is Russel. And I'm a wilderness explorer in tribe 54. Sweat Lodge 12."

Hahaha! I like Russel. He's so comical throughout the movie. It was something else he said that triggered sadness in me.

"It is the boring things I remember most."

Russel was telling Carl about his father, who was never around due to his busy schedule. When Russel was younger, his father and he would buy ice cream and sit on the roadside kerb, counting the colored cars that pass by.

It is similar to what I've been feeling of late. After I was born, I was placed in the care of a babysitter because my parents have to work. I grew up like that, left to my own devices. Ate by myself. Worked by myself. Played by myself. Not having any siblings contributed to the solitude. I didn't feel the loneliness much, actually. But the few times I did, I told myself to get real. You can cry all you want and your parents won't come to you. They just can't. You have to understand they need to work. It's not like they want to leave me alone either.

I know for a fact my parents still worry about me being lonely till this day, even when I'm 17. Hmm.. I don't hate the way I am now. When you grow up in the company of adults, you mature faster. But I think that's a good thing in its own way, though it leaves you somewhat ostracized from people your age.

Back to my babysitter. On some days, her husband would end work early and he would take us to some beach to play. So simple, so mundane. Yet it is times like this I miss the most now.

UP gave me a lot to think about. I wonder if there're any more lessons that I might have missed out. I hope to see more movies like this in future!

Life is always an adventure! (:

After a couple of meetings, today's the final day. The original schedule got amended a heck lot mainly due to H1N1. The number of event days got reduced, the EYCs were changed a few times, etc. Granted things weren't always organized and smooth-flowing, I think everyone managed to have fun along the way. I don't know what everyone else thinks. But I know I, for one, managed to meet lots of nice, interesting people and enjoyed myself greatly. Thanks for the great experience and fun times, you guys! (:

Today, we are in charge of getting people to sign pledges. We got assigned to work around the Esplanade so we had to walk there from The Arts House.

Saw this fish on the railing. Must have been there for some time. Is it me, or does it look fierce?

The preparatory work begins. Xuqin's decorating the chalkboard that we will be getting people to write their eco-friendly tips on!

This is the My Anti-Littering Pledge board. You get the idea. We gotta get people to sign on the little cards on the board.

At first we were hesitant to approach the public. I'm not keen on approaching fellow Singaporeans. Why? The moment they see you, they avoid looking at you. The moment you approach them, their body langauge clams up. Their eyes seem to say,"Wahlao eh, kena approached already" and their body faces away from you. Well, most are like that. I know there are still nice ones around. It was hard to get foreigners to sign too because of the language barrier.

The first group we approached was this other volunteer group (I guess). I think their cause is great. More often than not, we tend to overlook the fact that foreign workers contributed a lot to our nation and not recognize their achievements. So yea, this group is working to raise awareness on that issue, getting people to realise and all. They signed our boards too. And wrote a super entertaining suggestion at that.

But if you really think about it, being naked does have its eco-friendly benefits. Ok, maybe not stark naked, that's too much. ><

Joking around.

A jump-shot right in the middle of the walkway. Haha. :D

Aww.. This is sweet. (:

So engrossed in writing the message that I didn't realise Nabilah was taking a photo.

HAHAHA!!

Guan Jie's suggestion was one of the things we did to entertain ourselves (an entire afternoon collecting pledges can be boring). His suggestion was to write a new eco-friendly tip and show it to the public, a new one per minute. We were writing like crazy for that short while. Hahaha.

Someone was smoking near us at that time so Ashsiqqin wrote this message. OWNAGE. :D

Getting ready for the NDP performance..

Nabilah and Ashsiqqin's being cheeky!

We met a nice family too! They were sitting on the bench next to ours. The uncle was so nice. He's supportive of our cause, signed our boards, chit-chatted with us and all. He even got his family to sign the pledges. He helped us to take this group photo with his son. (:

Can you see the heart? Haha!

Time flies. It's the end of the day. Posing with our darling boards! :D

On the way back to The Arts House to put down the stuff before heading to the Padang.

Everyone else at the Padang was dressed in red. It was easy to spot us because we were a sea of lime green.

Ashsiqqin and Stella really make a good pair. You should have seen how animated they both were when they 'quarrel'. The rest of us were laughing while watching them. :D

The final debrief by the chairperson, Zhi Kai. There was also the results announcement for the Eco Youth Champions' (EYCs) amazing race, which took place last and this weekend.

We had to write down our learning experience and some suggestions for improvement.

Mmm shiok. (: We were reciting the pledge and singing the National Anthem. Haven't done that for ages. Had to do it everyday in secondary school. But after entering NYP, there was no need for it. Kinda miss it now. Hahaha.

The celebrations continued for a bit longer at the Padang, which included playing some catchy songs like 'Nobody'. Oh my God. As far as the DunkIt people are concerned, I could see some people singing and dancing to 'Nobody'! :D

Mr. Wilson (ECO founder) briefed the committee and the EYMs on how to conduct the littering index, which is a gauge of the littering intensity. Hmm.. The grass was covered with litter everywhere you look. I bet people think it's ok to leave their thrash behind because there will be contracted workers to clear it. What a lousy mentality.

That concludes the end of the event. Everyone went separate ways on the way home. Almost missed my station as I woke up only when the train stopped at the station. Haha. (: