A couple of days ago, I had a reunion dinner with my maternal relatives. Marking the eve of the noisy and long awaited Chinese New Year, it sure was an awesome day for me.
Not wasting any time, I shall share the juicy details about the food that we savoured.
First up, as usual, was the "Yu Sheng" It mainly comprises of thinly grated carrots, melon peel, radish, pickled ginger, dried orange peel, crispy crackers and salmon. The list goes on and on... There is a belief which is passed on that the higher you toss it (this is the only time I get to play with food) , the more fortune and luck that you will have in the New Year. Not being a professional at tossing food ( I'm better at throwing(: ), I simply 'lifted' the "Yu Sheng" as high as I could. Other relatives who were rather experienced managed to fling the 'Yu Sheng" to an unbelievable height, and we all ended up in fits of laughter after pieces of carrots and crackers flew everywhere.
( Yum Yum! I can hear your stomach growl! =D )
Next up were the dishes that my Grandmother had cooked. They were rather common, those that were eaten everyday such as Curry Chicken, Roasted pork, Abacus Rings (Hakka Dish) and some fishballs that were so succulent that the juice would ooze out of it after a tiny bite! Imagine my joy in having a simple yet traditional reunion dinner with my loved ones, and sharing every precious moment with everyone.
Now's the time when I introduce you to something that you have not tried before, I bet. Presenting...
Yes, you pronounced it right. It's something like Hoe - garden. Basically, it's some kind of Belgian beer which contains high levels of malt. So far, I am unsuccessful in translating the words on the bottle which are alien to me. I will certainly take this a step further and try my best to decipher the meaning of those words!
( Cheeeers! )
It was a rather weird experience for me as I had never tasted beer before. ( That's the truth! ) Particularly due to that fact that it was white beer, there was a tinge of bitterness upon sipping the beer slowly like an amateur. However, I am not sure whether beers such as Tiger Beer or Heineken have the same bitter taste in it. When I grow up, I shall acquire the taste of beer, I vow.
I was especially delirious as it was only once in a year that all my relatives would gather round the dinner table and enjoy a time of dining and catching up with each other. After all, blood is thicker than water!
For the last course of the dinner, we had mango sago. Seizing this opportunity to show off her culinary skills, my mother specially scouted for this unique recipe. After some modifications, my mother finally came up with the creamy dessert. The right creamy texture and spongy transparent sago pearls simply rolled down my throat. Yum! Yum!
After a family photo, we bade our guests goodbye. To summarize the day, it was an exciting day where I could get together with my relatives, know them better and even more about their personalities which were really unique and mysterious at times. Money won't make the world go round, love does. That's why we bond so well as a family! After all, which would you prefer, a family to love or money?
As the word 'hectic' suggests, today was a day brimming with activities and I found myself running from place to place like a lunatic.
As today was a day off from school, I decided to give myself some well deserved rest after two long days of visiting many relatives and friends on both Monday and Tuesday. Waking up at around 7:30am, I forced my tired and taxed body to get up and to start the day refreshed. I then did some homework and revision for the coming tests. 9:35am soon came and I heard my phone alarm. After briefly glancing at the screen, I suddenly remembered that my parents had instructed me to buy the printer which was on offer ( Usual price $200, now selling at $88 ).
Miraculously, I managed to reach Best Denki ( Century Square ) at around 9:45am. As it opened at 10am, many people already outside the entrance of the electronics store, getting ready to grab all the good deals which were heavily discounted. Fortunately for me (As there were only 8 printers), I had manged to rush in and grab a printer. Upon paying, I was heavily relieved as I desperately needed a printer for school work and the only printer that I had malfunctioned.
( A picture that I had taken while waiting for Best to open )
( A picture of the printer box )
At around 1.15pm, I went to meet Pandiyan, Melvin, Alvin, Daniel Kong and Xun Yi at the bus stop opposite Tampines Stadium. I was pleased as I did not have to wait for any of them and they arrived on the dot. We decided to take bus number 3 to Downtown East E! Hub for the class outing. After 15 bus stops (Yes, I counted) , we finally reached the destination. Upon reaching the entrance, Harri and Bharath unexpectedly popped up out of nowhere! Imagine how surprised we were to meet our fellow classmates at the entrance.
( Presenting... E! Hub )
Enough of the pictures, let me tell you more about the class outing... The entrance of the bowling alley was really spectacular, with a flurry of glowing lights that blinked in rhythm. I was really amazed by the effort of the owner who must have spent quite a lot of money for the lights. This certainly was one of the factors why the alley was so packed with people of young and old. After all, who would patronize a dull and run down shop?
( The glowing lights )
Now to the bowling part! This was certainly the most exhilarating event of the day, as it felt so good to be with the class and have fun together. Around 25 classmates came, so there were at least 6 in a lane, totalling 24 in 4 lanes. For the first game, my hand was rather shaky and I could not bowl well. As a result, I only managed 6 or 7 points, with a miss occasionally. The other members in my group were Tristen, Pandiyan, Alvin, Lie Wen and Ms Shyamira. Lie Wen, the sliver lining in my team, scored the most points in the first game. Perhaps it was mostly due to the fact that he was quite experienced and had participated in bowling courses.
Of course, there was bound to be a group of jaded people who would be stuck on to their favourite trading card game and even forget about bowling! In this case, the group was Zhi Rui, Yek Teng and last but not least, Bryan. They could be heard chatting loudly about the different cards that they possessed and even had a game or two in between their turns to bowl. After all, as there was so much time, why not utilize it wisely?
( A picture of the bowling lanes - 2A occupied the last 4 lanes )
( A picture of myself in action! )
Let us enjoy a short clip of our very own Pandiyan, showing off his bowling skills!... 
( The scoreboard, from top - Pandiyan, Alvin, Jason, Tristen, Lie Wen and Ms Shyamira )
However in the second game, I had managed to improve on my technique and it certainly paid off - My score amounted to 83! My stomach then started growling for some food. When I strolled to the 'bistro', there were many snacks which were meticulously arranged in order of size, such as 'keropok' and sandwiches but the instant noodles grabbed my attention miraculously. Giving in to my stomachs' cry for food, I ordered a cup of Tom Yam flavoured noodles.
The service was superb and efficient. In no time, I was slurping and wolfing down the succulent noodle strands and sipping the piping hot soup in delight. Never had I felt so much pleasure in eating instant noodles! Soon, others began to feel the hunger as it had spread like a disease to almost everyone. The table which we ate our snacks on began to be swarmed with people, with each carrying either a sandwich or a cup of instant noodles.
( The results - 2nd game. See my amazing score of 83!! )
After all the 4 teams had completed 2 games, the prizes were given out. Our team clinched the prize for 2nd best team and the bowler with the highest score went to Joejyn! He was certainly dead - serious when bowling, especially with his wrist glove and skilfull moves. A class photo was then taken to remember this once - in - a - lifetime event which had certainly bonded our class in an active way which, in this case, was a sport - bowling. Following that, I took the bus to Pasir Ris Mrt Station with the company of Francis, Matthew and Xun Yi, then taking the train to our respective destinations.
Something to pick up from today's events. Unity is strength, and if a team works together, they are are bound to achieve their goals and reach even greater heights. As some people aptly put it, "With teamwork, the sky's only the start, the limit is determined by your own effort and determination.
( 2A 09' ! - We were all tired but jubilant! )
As suggested by the smiley face, today was rather enjoyable. Being the last schooling day before the beginning of the Chinese New Year (CNY), we were having sort of an early day off. I could not wait to witness the CNY celebrations in school and it had caused me to be rather tired and sleepy today as I had not slept well the previous night.
After going through the normalties in the morning of a schooling day, I found myself in school rather early, reaching the classroom at around 6:40am. At around 7:10am, the class headed to the parade square for morning assembly. I could tell it was going to be a busy day as almost all the announcements concerned the performers during the concert later on. We had Geography and math lessons (math turned out to be 'free' periods) and following that was a half an hour recess. Feeling rather full, I decided to stay in class and help to do the final touch up to the class decoration which was rather exquisite and unique, thanks to the class decoration team and all those who had helped. (:
In no time, we were due to reach the school hall by 10:20 for the CNY celebrations. Moving down the hall, I was amazed at the secondary one classes, because their decorations were simply awe - inspiring and superb. Perhaps they had been taught a lot about decoration in primary schools, I thought.
In the school hall, I could certainly feel the spirit of celebrating the once - in - a - year festivity. After taking a long time to settle down, the celebrations finally commenced. First up was the Good Progress Awards, which was basically an award that was meant for those who had made the most improvement in the academic arena. Not being left out, Jerry and Daniel Kong of our class 2A were recipients of it.
( The noisy and jubilant atmosphere )
( Ng Ming Chen Jerry Of 2A! )
Next was the Eagles award, commending those who had done well in their respective Co Cirricular Activites (CCA). If I do remember correctly, all of the recipients were students in the Upper Secondary.
Some performances I would like to highlight were those by the Chinese Orchestra, Three Buskateers and the CLDDS.
The Chinese Orchestra did not disappoint with their joyous tunes, and many of us were captivated by their awesome skills of playing all those gigantic instruments, even I did not know the names of some. It certainly took a lot of practice and hard work for them, as I could see the determination and concentration on the looks of the Chinese Orchestra members as they played the various instruments.
Having won the recent Science Buskers competition, Joejyn, Jia Peng and Bok Woon gave a short demonstration on three simple but fun experiments. All the experiments were rather cool and the whole hall was truly mesmerized by the magic of science and the complex explanations of the results. Their experiments explained the rather normal but unique properties of everyday materials such as plastic, flour and dry ice.
( Presenting... The Three Buskateers!! )
( Jia Peng in action! )
( A rather blur photo of Mr Chia giving his verdict on the apple juice )
The best performance, in my opinion, was by the CLDDS. They performed a skit on two pairs of parents who had different views and opinions on bringing their children up - One pair believed in sparing the rod and taking the soft and gentle approach, whereas the other pair made strict rules and were very stern, making their child well behaved and polite. Two boys played women and their dressing, manners and speech really portrayed their respective characters very convincingly. Thumbs up to the brave and daring actors!
( One of the two women in the play )
( I certainly admire the actor's skills ) - The other woman
At the end of the concert, all the invited guests and performers sang a Chinese song together. It was especially touching as almost everyone was singing together with them, and the atmosphere created was really emotionally touching. That was one of the best concerts I had ever witnessed and it will never be erased from my memory, not forgetting a day which I really felt the Victorian Spirit bonding everyone as one school and family.
Let the Victorian Spirit soar like never before, reach greater heights and break boundaries.
Today certainly was exciting and so to speak, cool! Well can you guess what happened today? If you guessed that I had received some kind of award, it's close enough!
This very day was the start of a new shooting competition, and it sure started of with a 'BANG!' It was the Home Team NS Monthly Shoot. What is it? Well, this monthly shoot is sort of a competition which all schools in Singapore are eligible to participate in. Not being left out, the Victoria School Air Rifle Club sent almost all its members to compete in it! Being one of those who had registered online for the Monthly Shoot, I started training hard on the previous Thursday and Friday. After all the hard work put into training, it was time for me to give myself a gruelling test of my skills and accuracy.
After an hour's car ride, William (my team-mate) and I finally reached the destination at 3.50pm which was the colossal Home Team NS Clubhouse. Sporting various facilities such as a Golf, Archery and Shooting range, we were thoroughly amazed at its unique design and well furnished interior.
As our detailing (event time) was around 4.30pm, we had decided to make our way to the range. Following the helpful signs, William and I reached the range which was on the second floor without much hassle. As we entered the air conditioned range, other Victoria School Shooters (whose detailing was 2 hours earlier) were gathered together after a tiring 60 pellet shoot. Following the registration and wearing of suits, William and I proceeded to collect our 5killograme rifles from the armoury and went to our lanes, 24 and 28, respectively.
First up was the preparation time which was roughly ten minutes. Only dry firing was allowed as it was against the rules to discharge gas from the rifle. At that time, adrenaline was rushing in my blood and I could almost hear my heart thumping furiously. I uttered a short prayer and hoped that all would go well. Next, the Jury announced the start of the competition. We would be given 1hour 45minutes to shoot 60shots on 60targets, which meant one shot on each target. As we were given 4 'practice' targets, sighting (adjustment of rifle sighting) was also allowed.
Trying desperately to calm myself down, I took my time shooting and preparing as I knew that the time given would certainly be enough for the 60shots. As I shot my first few competition shots, they were rather inconsistent and scored only 5 or 6 points. After making some changes to my position, I managed an average of 8 or 9 points and quite a few bull's eye. At that moment, I seemed to hear my coach's voice echo in my brain and I guess it might have been caused by self pressure to perform well.
After what seemed like eternity, I finally completed the 60shots in an hour! Briefly congratulating myself on completing my first competition, I strolled back to the VS 'meeting point'. There, I was bombarded with questions on my average score by my seniors. By then, my entire left leg was so sore that it took so much strength for me just to move my foot! - It must have been caused by the strain on my leg during the shoot.
6:30pm arrived and before I knew it, my parents had arrived at the range, ready to fetch me home. Bidding farewell to my fellow team-mates, I then left the Clubhouse with my parents, for another long ride back home in Tampines.
Being consistent is the key to success. It applies to every aspect of our lives, whether in our CCA (Co - Curricular Activities) such as Shooting, Track and Field or in Academics. We must always strive to be consistent and although no one is perfect, I am sure that making a constant effort will prove to be vital and helpful. As the saying goes 'When there's a Will, there's a Way!' I am sure that we will succeed in whatever we do as long as we work hard and play hard!
Let's enjoy some pictures shall we?
( The Home Team NS symbol ) - with William in the picture 
( A brief shot of the range )
( The Victorians - most of them had their detailing at 2:30pm )
( Jackets and other equipment brought to Home Team NS Clubhouse)
Today was a rather weird day, one which left both good and bad feelings... Although it was a regular Thursday, I did not expect it to turn out like that.
It was quite a tiring day for me, as I had stayed up late the previous night to study for the upcoming Chinese Test. On a positive note, I had managed to pay attention in class well without being disturbed by other noisy classmates, and I was rather pleased with the results of the Biology Test I had taken earlier in the week. Let's take a positive view of things! However, the most exciting was CCA that commenced straight after school.
As today was officially the first training session of the year, my shooting skills were rather rusty and I needed time to get used to the routine of shooting the Air Rifle. With much help from the Coach and my caring seniors, I managed to regain my sharpshooting skills and that made my day! Regarding it as a challenge, I took it up with courage and a strong will, and I am pleased to have accomplished it. However, the other secondary 2 students had made quite a stir in the range and it definitely wasn't good, as it had required Mr Chia to 'break' it up by storming into the range and giving them a dressing - down...
Following the stressful training, we had PT (physical training) which our secondary 4 seniors decided on what to 'torture' us juniors with. Those who weren't the sporty type began whining and begging the seniors to let them do push ups, which were less straining and aching compared to a two round run around the gigantic school, but to no avail. At least the 'kind hearted' seniors decided to make us climb the stairs continuously to the seventh level for two rounds and a run around the secondary four classrooms. We were dismissed after that and many of us who were drained thoroughly gave a sigh of relief and scrambled home quickly, hoping to get a refreshing bath and well deserved rest.
Moral of the day: Always do the right things. I have had many experiences where I did something wrong and was punished harshly by my seniors. After all, who wouldn't want to be a great and 'power- drunk' senior?
Please enjoy the pictures below, goodbye!(:
(Calten shooting the Air Rifle)
(Shaun - Air PIstol)
(Me in the Jacket. It's rather stiff to prevent movement of arms when shooting)
Hi all!
Well , today was a normal Sunday, which meant the start of a new week. Looking forward to the new schooling week and work, I started the day off cheerfully (as I had woken up at 8am, which was early compared to the past few Sundays, especially during the holidays, when I would only be up an hour later) with the usual breakfast meal and washing up. Next, I started my 'work schedule' by reading my favourite English book, "50 Wittiest Tales of Birbal". Birbal was an Indian minister of the Mughal Empire (ruled by Emperor Akbar), whom was commended and well known for his wisdom in solving cases ranging from everyday - quarrels to murders.
(here is how the book looks like)
Following that, I commenced with studying my "Math 1" for the upcoming quiz and test. Surprisingly, I found the subject more engaging and interesting compared to the previous year when I found it rather mundane and boring. Perhaps some factors would be the topics involved or the TfU projects. At around 10am, I left home for my haircut. On my way there, there were many housewives with trolleys full of bags, I guess they might have just came back from the market after purchasing groceries.
As there already was an elderly man who had reached the barber shop before me, I had no choice but to wait patiently for my turn. However, it turned out to be a good opportunity to browse through a copy of "The Straits Times" which was on a seat. Finally, it was my turn and I instructed the Malay barber the hair style which I had chosen. Holding the electric cutter with skill and precision, he cut my thick and rough hair with confidence. In no time, my unkempt hair became neat and tidy! (:
(a picture after the haircut!)
All was rather normal in the afternoon, until the evening when I went to my Grandmother's house for dinner. As my Aunt had just come back from India for missionary work, we decided to have a steamboat dinner especially for her! Tucking into my sumptuous
meal of rice, Fishballs, Beef and other mouth watering food, it suddenly struck me and I realized how fortunate I was to have enough food to eat and a caring and loving family that always supported me. Following that, I proceeded to have a chat with my older cousins. It was something that I enjoyed because we would chat freely, and they would share valuable school experiences as they were wiser and more experienced. Next, there was my favourite - ice cream! Not being a fan of Durian, I only ate the Vanilla flavoured one. Seated down in my comfortable armchair, I would just rest my stressed - out mind and relax, just forgetting the fast paced life in school.
(Steamboat dinner!)
At around 8pm, my family left for home and after bidding goodbye to my relatives; we strolled home leisurely which was a mere five minutes walk away.
To recapitulate, it is nice and relaxing to have a family dinner after a week of intensive stress and hard work. Nothing beats having a hearty meal with one's relatives and chatting with them. To me, winding down on the couch feels far better than wasting precious time playing computer games.
That's all for now, see you all later!
Hi all, just done up my blog, have added some cool stuff on the <<<<<<<
Have fun!
( Yum Yum! I can hear your stomach growl! =D )
Yes, you pronounced it right. It's something like Hoe - garden. Basically, it's some kind of Belgian beer which contains high levels of malt. So far, I am unsuccessful in translating the words on the bottle which are alien to me. I will certainly take this a step further and try my best to decipher the meaning of those words!
( Cheeeers! )
