010109

i lost my toenail completely 5min into 2009 while on a night cycling expedition. pretty frustrated with myself. whenever i let my alertness down, i seem to incur some wrath of nature or sth. things like this normally dun happen when i'm on 'very cautious' mode.. like i dun get into accidents when i'm driving, even if it's my first time driving after so long. but wth is this, made me lose the chance to play squash the next day, lose the chance to go chinatown catch firecrackers on sat.. lucky the night cycling itself was fun. besides that stupid incident that has been leaving me swearing, it was pretty much fun.

rest of 1st jan 09 was spent at nathan hong guozhen's hse. great steamboat, great mahjong, great company, great tamil radio station. watched yc learn mahjong the hard way, and then we left for dinner at somewhere near lionel's place. dessert was some durians, rather expensive but definitely delicious. it was the best of the recent string of 1603 guys' outings for sure. 1603 brotherhood is really unique lo, thanks guys for coming, it really was enjoyable. photos are on facebook, i'm lazy and also technologically inadequate to link facebook photos to here. lol!

so what do i wish for in 2009?

i duno? better luck in my seemingly hopeless pursuit of tan junior? more improvement in my engin course? keep up with my close friends? stay injury-free as much as possible? more soccer with team wyf and also the 1603 guys? list seems to go on and on...

that's all for now then. everything above is a recap of how 1st jan passed. anyway might as well grab the opportunity now to thank my dear bunkmates, fun ruey, ting liang and prat for coming down to spend the day with me today when i'm so immobile, really appreciate it.

== as lifted frm my own blog ==

this is to u guys: haha yeah cant wait for cny too. days of blackjack are back again soon! i know ying heng starting sch tomorrow, lOL! i still got 1 more wk. hehe :D regardless when we start though, cny is probably jus 2-3 wks away, hehe! we'll meet up soon i guess! still stinging from my pangseh too.. and oh yes, i need to make specs else my mum wun let me play soccer again. lol!

my 1st

HELLO cousins!

okay, this is probably my first time blogging here. nothing much actually.

just wanted to say Happy new year though it's kind of belated.
ya, now let's look forward to Chinese new year, i love it.

just wanted to keep this blog going, knowing most of you should be more busy than me, so i shall do the job!

see you guys soon! =)

with lots of love,
jinying!

New Year, New Skool, New Enviroment!

Hey...although this is like a bit late but happy new year to all cousins ... i celebrated new year with my maternal side cousins and stayed at ochrid country club...it was tiring after tat as i stay overnight for the First Time! not realli overnight but i slept for only 1 hour ...we played till the morning ...the younger ones like me went to play wii and the older ones like my sis went to play a game called 23...which is consist of dunno how many number of players ..trying to use the numbes of the cards to make it a total of 23 using plus minus divide times but no repeating of usage of cards....kkay now on to the new skool,it was on friday when skool started for me which normal ppl will have monday blue but i had friday blue...early in the morning had to wake up...

when reached the skool ,went to the parade square and it was like so messy there and walked for 5 minutes around it b4 i saw some of my fwens and assembled...we went to class and the new teacher,mdm gee came in and started chating ...it was a rather fun day though:D



cousins pls start blogging and stop letting this blog die!!!

Coming back home for a week

Hi Guys, been ages since i last posted anything here. I kinda miss all the gatherings that we have in the family especially the bbqs. I will be back home for a week, this coming sunday till next sunday. My gf and her family will be coming as well..and they will be staying for a week as well. So its kinda like meet the parents session when they are here becos i will arrange my parents to meet up with hers when they're here. Hope that everything will turn out fine..cya guys real soon...take care...

welivewoodlands.blogspot.com v2.55

eh.. i added labels to some posts out of boredom already, let's include some tagging for future posts k? haha i was trying to find previous midautumn festival posts but cldn find them.. probably not on this blog. i remembered last time we also got take pictures de lor.. >.<

kk time to mug for a few hours before sch beckons! adios!

中秋节2008

yet another year has passed.. how time flies one questions, and it's 中秋again. the moon is very round tonight.. and bright too,月到中秋分外明*/me sways around stroking some imaginary beard*. once again, we had our family gathering at ah gong's hse.

real glad that everybody went today. jinying made a very impressive observation right from the start lor. "long time no see le."

dinner was like so sumptous too. every family brought food so we had bbq stingray, dua tau, bbq chicken wings, and the satays ah gong bought as well. i was eating non stop lor!

it's very exciting to have so many cousins come together and chit chat over dinner, tv and mooncakes lor.. and tea. all the wonderful inside-joke phrases like "叫二姨跟三姨吃到完" and "corn是谁买的？" are so funny lar!

ended mooncake eating with mahjong with xj, yh and yz after the adults called it a day.. haha quite impressive lo.. i think i kia zeng for the longest lor.. like jus 3 rounds? haha!! win small most of the time only lar.. not as pro as those other 3 goons.. teeheehee.

too bad no pictures. LOL! jin hui, u missed out big time!

Random

a story that touches... a story to share... =)

What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fund raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

If the story touches you, then spread the story around... This is the story of the mentally or pysically disabled. This is the story of how much a simple understanding and love for our disabled friends can mean to them and their families. This is why I cannot stop volunteering. =)

Feli's Birthday dinner

yoyo~!! juz a few pics we took during Feli's 16th (finally) birthday dinner gathering~!! =) hmmmz... no pics during the yoshinoya meal, i arrived kinda late... =x

alright~!!! now bring on the pics from the chalet~!! (although i didn't notice any1 using the camera... -.-") if there aren't any, den i'm gonna post the lame pics of ying hong's Eeyores... lolz~!! =)

Cuzzsens

Some latest pictures taken today when i took kuan en out for an evening of bbq and fireworks.

DARK MOCHA FRAPPOCINO


Whoever drank it will have to take a pixxcher with the gang. Happy birthday btw felicia!


Kuan en with new friends

Kids BBQing


Kuan en being the BOY around. haha!




One more of the Dark Mocha Frappocino. LOL!

right, u guys got more pixxchers must upload too k? :D

Yo cousins~!!! my best friend, or rather, my god-sis, who's in LA juz went to Las Vegas, and she took a few shots which i think is really really beautiful~!! =) thought i wanna share it wif u guys... so here they are... ;)



















<<<< yupz~!! that's my god-sis~!! =D




<<< sunrise... juz how cool is this~!! =)
















ok lahz... hope u'll like the photos too~!! ;) see ya'll next weekend at the chalet~!! =)

Ahhh....

Ohhhhhhhh wellllllll..... its the end of the sch hols tmr for the kids still in sch... (ouch~!~* :P) and for the rest of us, its juz another day back to work... =)

yh seems to be having a play on the 5th July... and for me and my bro, we have sth going on on the 19th of july... so the onli choice we have...? 12~13th July~!!! so who's available?? please drop ur name into the box located somewhere around here... o.O

lets try to hit sentosa and play some..... suggestions any1...? lolz~!! -.-"
(volleyball, untanning, sandcastle are some ideas to consider bahz... any others...? =))

5bx...

finally... after months of lazying around and juz dreaming and dreaming and dreaming.... i've finally woken up early today and begun my 5BX~!!!

okzokz... juz to be fair to myself, i've only done 1BX... a ?km run at the town garden near my home... =x lolz... =P
still... its no joke as i haven't touched my running gear since like forever... =( good news for me though, i realised my body parts can take the punishment... but seems like its only my lungs that are outta shape... guess i need to go swimming already~!! =D
ok lahz~!! overall, it was an exhilatating experience~!! but there's more to come as i've not hit the shape where i can 'enjoy the thrill of a run' as i used to say in army... =) train~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

target: to wake up at 6am (as much as possible) and go train~!! 30mins jog at the park (if i can survive) + 30 mins work out (to keep the other body parts in shape) to reach IPPT gold standard once again by end July. Who's wif me?? ;)

btw, i'm also looking into swimming sessions after work too~!! so whoever's free, lemme know~!! =D (planned timings, 8pm onwards)

last note: Khor Ying Heng...i seem to rem 'some1' saying sth about planning a sentosa outing for the cousins... will that 'some1' start letting us know wad has he planned...? =P Haha~!!! cant wait to meet up lehz~!! hurry up cousin~!! ;)

haha. thanks man.
the technical errors were uncountable can. but really, u shud have watched sat's. smooth run, best show out of all we ever had.

p.s. tingchih smsed u cox i told him my cousins shuai de nehz. haha. i noe she loves me. she tells me everyday. whahaha

Xun Yi Meng

Let me just do a quick run-through of the three plays. First I'd just like to say that I'm really proud that Felicia, you're the project director of this huge performance. It would've been a real logistical nightmare, being in charge of so many things. At the same time the number of people who are involved in this is... mind blowing. So that must've been really tough!

I thought the props were really good, and the acting was too. There was just a little bit of overacting but I think the sript required it. What else... I want really sit down and critic the whole thing properly but now my brain cells are quite fried. Haha... Eh. Hmm...

The one that you wrote - the second play - was undoubtedly the best out of the three. I was wondering if there were reasons for bias. More specifically I was trying my bloody best to analyse all three and figure out why one play worked better than the other.

I guess the reason is because the 2nd play has greater focus than the other two. In the first one, it lacked context because I was quite lost as to why it looked modern and then switched to the evil couple who were in China-in-ancient-times-clothes. The third had a good idea, but we weren't able to pick out which character to relate to because of the fact that there was just too much going on.

Okay I think I keep getting distracted while typing this post so I'll just whack what I remember.

I like the 2nd one cos it has a tight dialogue, punchy lines and very pacey. The sense of humour connected to me as well. I hardly laugh at stuff so this one really manage to make me laugh out loud after it's relentless efforts by the script to do so. The acting was really good... I related to the character a lot. I thought the Fantastic 4 was a fantastic creation. There are so loveable and they really include almost every part of a human being. I liked their little cheer. All of them have very strong characteristics and their uniqueness played to their advantage. What was going well for the script was also the fact that the main character was pulled into focus and her dilemmas were shown explicitly in the play - good move in exposing the character's innermost feelings to the audience and getting them to relate to her. I thought all the small scenes were really necessary in building the climax and pushing the story along to that peak.

I thought the ending was unexpected... probably because I didn't expect the girl to even consider death. That was a great move, dishing something the audience to probably widden their perspecitive. Also I thought the scene in Death was very tastefully done. I was really impressed with the technical choices made to portray the scene - a spotlight on the stage left and with the other characters that made up the girl's life in the centre - rotating and taking their places center stage when they told her how they felt. It was also great to see the girl regret her decision. And the final choice of having to show what the dieties were saying on the screen rather than having them record their voices and being played out was absolutely fantastic too. It gave the entire space a feeling of silence and demands for the audience to take a part of a play with them by reading the play's message. That was really effective.

Anyway, your friend Ling Zhi sms me to ask what I thought of the play and I said something like,

" the second one was the best cos of the tight pacing, punchy dialogue, loveable characters. was impressed buy the acting and props. sound n lights were well uysed but also had mistakes here and htere. last story very unique, idea of disease containment was brilliant, but the ending wasn't satisfying! e context wasnt clear for the first one."

" e last show ending wasnt satisfying cos I couldnt see really how e main character changed thru e chaos that led to her decision. the attention was all over e place - the boy, the rich woman... i cant see why i shld relate to the girl. e 2nd play, we see the girl's thoughts her struggles and dilemmas she faced which i thought was important. and personal preference i liked the humour"

Anyway she just wants to say she loves u. HAHA. ;)

hey all. your dear cousin here.



in beijing now. safe and sound so no worries. take care too. :)

the new meanie on the block

i passed my driving practical yesterday le.. next time i can drive for cousins' outing. LOL!

cousin's outing

yoyo my dear cousins~!! the hols are coming and we'll all get fat and lazy and bored... well, anywayz, May i suggest we catch Ironman first... can every1 please post ur free time so we can find a date to accomodate every1?? =) den for June, den we go sentosa bahz... :p

kkay.. i shall listen to xh. haha. hey!! START ORDERING TICKETS MAN! must come and support! you can oso visit the official blog at http://www.xun-yimeng.blogspot.com/

posters are in serials...

poster 1 after which poster 2 goes up...
and tada! poster 3!
and this, is our e-flyer! pocket calendars and postcards are available too! will give uall if i get them:P

so, cousins order nownownow! tell me tmr!!!!!!! or im gg to call and force it on you:)) order thru me straighaway! wahahaha

Virgin Entry

Hey! I just wanted to update for fun! Haha...

Actually I've never updated before so this is the first time! Yay. *celebrates

Hmm, my exams start this coming Tuesday and ends next Tuesday. I've already grabbed an A for playwriting (future playwrite, actor, director, producer). Hope I'll get more As for the exams. After that will be an incredible, disgustingly long 3 month break. All I'll be doing is teaching tuition and maybe I'll do some temp jobs on the side.

So. I propose an outing.

Sentosa. Late May.

What say you.

jkyh