Casa De Shao

Category: General

  • I’m back again

    Alright, I’m gonna attempt typing this all in one shot, so that I don’t go off-course by accident.

    BTW, future Shao, I had an early day off today, so don’t punch me for typing this at 2pm. Typing blog posts at 2pm on a school day? Tch.

    Chances are that if you’re reading this, you probably know what I got a B for Chinese. Although I punctuated it on Twitter with two exclamation marks, (“B FOR CHINESE!!”) I was quite disappointed. I thought I could’ve gotten an A. But oh well, it was a pretty good grade for some subject which I didn’t really give much of a damn about. I just hope that I can choose my own university application, rather than letting my grades decide what I can or can’t take. Sitting in the hall while the seniors got their results was immensely sobering. I’ll revise later.

    Good news is that I’m gonna get an electric guitar within the next week. I’ve been saying this for the past 2 weeks though. My indecision’s being compounded by the alarmingly huge price tags and such. I’ve got my eyes set on the Yamaha Pacifica 112V though, and I really wish to be shreddin’ before the blocks. It would be nice to have a band, but who the hell drums anyway.

    Also, Health and Fitness has 2 brand new members. They’re adorable, in the obedient way. I never really expected anyone to join, really. Come on, we’re talking about Health and Fitness. Ah, and I can finally touch my toes while standing straight. They feel cold, like short little fingers.

    Watched Dramafeste last Thursday. In my humble and not-publicly-broadcasted opinion, it was rather flat. The year before, our year, it was diverse: Athena had a comedy, Apollo had a drama rivalling the most clichéd of Channel 8’s (sorry), Artemis had a mindmashing-thriller and Ares had a dramedystery (wait for it… a drama, a comedy and mystery HOOOLY SHIII). Okay, maybe it wasn’t that diverse, but at least each was distinct and had their own mood. This year’s was simple. A Comedic Duo (The Indian Police, The Barista and the Helper, The NSK, The Police) + South Asian (The Indian Police, the Helper) Only Artemis’s was close enough to being as different as possible, but it still fell flat, somehow.

    Sigh.

    I usually worry about things I’m not supposed to worry about. About how important I’m supposed to be in the eyes of others; about how much money I can save for the next week (which I never really end up saving). But right now I’m just frustrated at how I seem to be the one following after everyone else, how I’m the one always making the “wrong” decisions. But then it’s normal for this to happen; it’s just me overstating my importance. Right? I really need to work on my self-expression. Expression of statements. How I express myself. Yes, that’s right. If I worry any more it’s gonna make things worse, so I better keep stuff to myself.

    When something goes wrong, look to the skies for help. The clouds are rather pretty these days. Except when it’s raining.

    It’s freezing when it rains.

  • 46 minutes

    I ran for 46 minutes in one go today! Coincedentally, that’s the name of a HIMYM episode!

    -To come: Lump of text detailing how my idea of an ideal Athenian Dramafeste play should go, experiences of running for long time and russian wrestlers-

  • resolutions

    With a new year comes new everythings, ranging from an increment in age to different expectations to more people known

    Starting from tomorrow onwards, I resolve to become a better person: not just in spirit, but physically as well because fat dudes are undesirable. A few weeks ago we did this exercise where we had to list 30 things we want to accomplish. The bottom list is made up of much of that.

    GOALS FOR 2012:

    1. Run for 30/45 mins every day (or 2/3 days if this is really too much)
      The PE teacher told me to do this to lose the pounds or something, but I actually record my weight in kilograms! GASP! OH BOY DON’T YOU AGREE THAT BEING SKINNIER MAKES YOU AWESOME?
    2. Stop swearing!
      Because frankly swearing like a sailor never did anyone any good. HEARD THAT, SPECIFIC FEMALE READER?
    3. Treat everyone better.
      VAGUE. But brilliant.
    4. Finish homework before starting up the laptop
      I’m slipping away and this should help me get back into shape.
    5. Learn to whistle awesomely!
      Especially with 2 fingers! Water drops can entertain for only so long.
    6. Get phone fixed soon!
      Okay, this is part of the laundry list that I fixed up for myself, it’ll be there.
    7. Get an electric guitar because it is awesome.
      There is no reason why this shouldn’t be on anyone’s list, really.
    8. Resist peer pressure.
      I’m a weak person and I will be stronger so that I can defeat the magical phrase: “come join me”.
    9. Investigate meaning in life.
      I’m a teenager, forgive me.
    10. Stop being so damn paranoid.
      Not everyone’s out to do you in, you tard.
    11.  Change someone’s life for the better
      A bit of a stretch!
    12. Make someone’s day, everyday.
      Suck-up time.
    13. Use the other party’s name when saying “hi”, “bye” or in general conversation
      Research has shown that people are much happier when
    14. That one thing I told myself to stop doing
      YEAH YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS STOP IT YOU COWARD
    15. Just be awesome.
      Easy.
    Quite possibly the best song ever:

    Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand

    So if you’re lonely
    You know I’m here waiting for you
    I’m just a crosshair
    I’m just a shot away from you
    And if you leave here
    You leave me broken, shattered, I lie
    I’m just a crosshair
    I’m just a shot, then we can die

    I know I won’t be leaving here with you

    I say don’t you know
    You say you don’t know
    I say… take me out!

    I say you don’t show
    Don’t move, time is slow
    I say… take me out!

    I say you don’t know
    You say you don’t know
    I say… take me out!

    If I move this could die
    If eyes move this could die
    I want you…to take me out!

    I know I won’t be leaving here (with you)
    I know I won’t be leaving here
    I know I won’t be leaving here (with you)
    I know I won’t be leaving here with you

    I say don’t you know?
    You say you don’t know
    I say take me out

    If I wane, this can die
    If I wane, this can die
    I want you to take me out

    If I move, this could die
    If eyes move, this could die
    Come on, take me out

    I know I won’t be leaving here
    I know I won’t be leaving here
    I know I won’t be leaving here
    I know I won’t be leaving here with you

  • confidence

    There are many events that I’ve written posts about. Some are trivial, some are less trivial. This is very important.

    In early 2011, I was the weak little person which didn’t dare to talk to girls and was just slobberin’ around.

    Then 2012 came (but the blog post didn’t).

    In the past few days, I dug up my How I Met Your Mother Seasons 1-5 torrent and watched them, season by season (still at S3E7). By watching the antics of fictional people, many laughs were to be had. But what Barney (the womanizer not the dinosaur) taught me stuck. Not womanizing but that, well, everyone likes someone who’s confident.

    So there’s this new girl in our class. And I welcomed her.

    I can hear you thinking (heh) “WOAH WOAH WOAH THAT’S IT?”

    Well, I’ve never been very outgoing to strangers but something told me that I absolutely had to do this.

    And I did, and I’m proud of myself. Very.

    And that, future me, was the best first day of school ever.

    you know what this is rather lame never mind

  • milestones: the day I got drunk [16/12/11]

    The world rocks slightly, quite the contrary to … like when you lie in bed after a day of fun in the sea.

    Thoughts fight to prioritise themselves (although this is rather normal for me) and your subconscious opens its floodgates upon the rest of the brain and you start smiling for no apparent reason.

    You feel slightly happy, glad because there’s nothing to give a damn about any more. The beer can’s empty though. That’s a damn worth giving. You want happy, no beer no happy.

    They badger you to start walking because we’re checking out of the chalet now. Getting up is a little tricky. Staggering left, staggering right, your footing is never sure. Damn still not given; noone’ll get hurt.

    When eating? Still woozy. Not sure if it’s because I didn’t sleep or if it’s because I’m drunk.

    Home? Still woozy. Thank God I live in the East. Tell mum “GUESS WHO’S DRUNK! :D”, take much needed cold shower.

    Slam on bed. 7 hour nap, ho.

    [I’ve gotta stop writing and alt-tabbing, dampens motivation like crazy]

  • Day 2-3 – [4th-5th Dec]

    Day 2

    12:30 PM (4th Dec, Sunday) – [Without a purpose – On the coach]

    Heading to Bama?!

    It’s a 2hr ride then a 3hr trip up the oazdjkasld mountains, really hope I don’t crap or piss my pants.

    Argh bumpyyy. [Messily scrawled words, the bus isn’t the best place to write stuff]

    —

    11:15 PM [Room 0211, Bama Holiday Villa]

    Here’s what we did today: Woke at 5:40AM, waited on bus from 6-6:30. Got breakfast: Croissant + Apple + Egg + Mineral Water [we were rushing so the hotel prepared this for us]

    Headed to airport which was a totally unexpected thang. [No itinerary for the kids, folks]

    Took plane to Nanning, arrived at 11AM.

    Ate at a family restaurant, took a 5hr trip. Luckily, I slept through the most of it so I didn’t need to take a crap.

    We went to this totally massive cave round the mountains, some 百 _ _ [百灵洞 I think] Tour guide argued with cave guide. Was so cold, could see my own breath!

    HIGH EXPECTATIONS ASIAN FATHER APPROVES

    Went out of the mountains, and round the city to a restaurant. Food was meh, drank a lot of rice wine though. Tasted weird but strong as hell. Wanted to see how long I’d take to get drunk. (I didn’t haha).

    We’re waking at 7AM tomorrow (buffet :D), they said there’s more time to rest (?). I’m dead beat now.

    Missing the Internet and the guys.

    And 6 more days of this. Meeting old people? I’d rather go to a farm (or CIP).

    Toilets aren’t too bad though, and travelling gives you time to rest and recollect…

    Signing off, 11:37 PM

    –

    Day 3

    6:45 PM [Scarf Get! – Same hotel] #np Under my Thumb – Scott Pilgrim Original Movie Soundtrack

    We’re at the same hotel. Heard tomorrow’s ride is 10 hours long. Yikes.

    Miss the Internet blargh. Should’ve brought laptop. Damn.

    Today morning we went down to the lakeside to have a river tour. It was pretty damn freezing so I wore 3 layers.

    Then we went over to the government-owned version. There were a few really cute gals in the area. Our guide was pretty cute too, but our tour leader was kind of a dick and kept interrupting her.

    We rowed through huge-ass caves which is something you definitely don’t see every day. There was a majesty in the rocks that enthralls and enraptures and big words. The way you could just pass through these areas with relative ease is something that really wows.

    They kept trying to match rock formations to various animals and gods. Pish.

    We had an hour long lunch at this deserted restaurant. Yup. -> It became bloody hot.

    Then we had an hour-long trip to the 水晶洞 which was a pretty huge cave with strangely shaped rock formations they claimed were crystal formations.

    Well, they probably were but didn’t look like it. [The colours were from lights]

    awwww so cute <3

    Was joking throughout the entire tour with the twins.

    Went out and bought a hairpin and 2 slingshots. Seems [sic] like shitty gifts though. Will buy better ones tomorrow.

    Spent another 2 damn hours heading back, had dinner at the same place we had it yesterday. Was rather shit though.

    Having been in Beijing a year ago, I’d say that the two places are pretty fuckin’ [COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY EXPLETIVE MUCH] similar. But surprisingly, this place [Bama] has better toilets and the people are awesome. Bama has way too many caves though.

    The bus-rides seem like some off-road derby; the driver keeps attempting to overtake other cars in the 2-lane roads which are badly maintained and stuff. Soya bean milk is still unsweetened, and breakfast still sucks as much.

    Well, during the trip I was wondering about tradition… When we grow up, will our traditional foods die along with the older generation? We’re too busy studying [LOL] to learn what ingredients go with what, and we’d most likely turn to the Internet for recipes. Death of tradition… Weirdly, I feel bad about it.

    10:05 PM

    We’re going to Guilin tomorrow. It’s probably gonna be cold as hell, 6-7 degrees Celsius. The stuff there’s gonna be better than Bama’s. Yeaah.

  • Day 1 – 3/12/11

    As promised. A lot of redacted stuff. Comments in square brackets!

    —

    5:30 PM – [On to Guangzhou! – Sitting next to parents on the plane]

    We’re in a queue. Not just any queue, an airplane queue. [It was drizzling and we had to wait 40 mins]

    Which is rather queer.

    China Southern airlines. Painfully small aircraft, A319 or A320.

    —

    5:50 PM – [We have liftoff! – Still on the plane]

    I just leaned back into the dumb kid’s seat

    but he’s a kid so it’s okay <– LOL [turns out it was a she]

    —

    8:15 PM – [<REDACTED> – PLANE] #np Spike in a Rail – Bastion

    Well, I’ve napped for a bit.

    Not gonna nap any more. Mmm-mm-mm.

    ~

    <REDACTED CHUNK>

    Hey, who said guys and girls can’t be best friends?

    —

    9:05 PM – [Plane arrived] #np Cousins – Vampire Weekend

    We’re arriving, the city is all golden and sparkly, like a Christmas monument. Will write more later 😀

    —

    12:40 AM – 4th Dec – [Rosedale Guangzhou Hotel, Room ???] #np EMA 2011 – MTVChina, Channel 44

    So we’ve reached the Rosedale. Posh hotel, about 3-4 * perhaps? [4-5 you idiot]

    Sleeping with <REDACTED>. Seperate Separate beds of course.

    I tried to shave, but cut myself thrice on the lip 🙁 Lucky I applied some shaving cream hehe. And I kind of <REDACTED> blood :C

    We tried out some wanton mee which tasted the same

    But how are we gonna survive 7 days of mountains, lakes and bad toilets?

    I’m already feeling weird, <REDACTED>. I am so so so lucky <REDACTED>. I really really am. 🙂

    1:08 AM (gotta wake at 0540 tmr so nights)

  • dusty keyboards

    I’ve just returned from China and it was bloody cold. Like wayyy too bloody cold.

    We went to Guangzhou (3 hours 40 mins) and then took a flight to Nanning (1 hour 40 mins) then had a tour to Bama then Yangshou (10 hours travel time) then Guilin (which sucks) then took a flight back to Guangzhou (1 hour) then took a plane back to Singapore (too lazy to count).

    It was some (very) loose form of meditation I guess. Every single day, I slept at 12 and woke at 6-7. Which was fine with me because early to bed early to rise makes one healthy wealthy (uh) and wise!

    Except for the last few days at some rural village. The hotel (which markets itself as a resort) was pretty good except for the fact that it had no heater and that the temperature was below 10 degrees.

    I didn’t bring my laptop, so I was pulled off the Internet for 11 days, and got to interact with my cousins! (Why are my cousins so good-looking. Why is every girl I know so good-looking asdjfahsd) We 游山玩水’d so it meant I got to look at faraway things which means my eyes will be even more powerful.

    Why does every single girl in the universe have bangs?

    –

    And I watched 《那些年，我们一起追的女孩》 today, with my bro, because the tickets were only $6 and additionally he said the movie had references to masturbation so of course I had to watch it. But it was really good. And the ending made me tear up a bit but because I’m a guy I can’t do that. And the female lead was pretty cute.

    I’ll post what I wrote in my diary while I was in China soon.

    ~

    The seniors had their prom! We’ll be seniors next year. Oh dear.

    Sometimes I regret not taking up any leadership positions. Pfft.

  • the last wave

    Every time an event/meeting/hang-out/gathering ends, we all find ourselves saying good-byes and thank yous.

    But I think I’m the only poor sod who ever waves as I climb the escalator, as the train pulls away from the station, as the bus trundles off. It’s always the same; I look through the glass and the other party never waves back. Maybe it’s awkward to stare, maybe it’s embarassing.

    Yesterday (well two nights ago) was really fun. I was leaving the station and the 4S2 guys were all waving like madmen, like they were drowning except that they were on land and they didn’t need help with anything, just waving. It was silly, of course. But it was nice. I felt proud that I was in 4S2, when hours before I’d rather stay at home.

    Yet another one of those little things in life I guess.

    –

    Also. I got this in my email. It’s a question on my tumblr.

    Not only do I like your blog (haha I found it) but I also am OBSESSED with you secretly. Ok here we go.. I got this idea from a Tumblr spam I got once lol.. I think you like me too and you were always too shy to admit it :3 go to crushmatches(dõt)com (wtf it wont let me link regular) and make an account there. Then look up the profile ‘gottagetme19’ (me obviously) I left body pictures.. if you can guess who I am hit me up and we’ll hang soon. You need a C C but its free

    Whoever wrote this, you are a cunt. Jeez. The unbolded words signify when I stopped believing what this was about.

    WHY DID I EVEN BELIEVE THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

    GOD.

    So November ends with heart-breaks, great events and tons of gatherings. Much more eventful than I thought! Looking forward to later!

  • see², year five epilogue: inaction

    See² was a highlight of my high school years; it holds a lot of memories (desk-moving, towel-flipping and human foosball included) and it’s where I got most my CIP hours from.

    Although the CIP hour thing is pretty much irrelevant this year, it still holds a place close to my heart as that event which only I and a few select others may have the fortune to discover and enjoy, much like that brandless candy you find on shelves that no one buys but tastes like heaven. People have left (I still insist that it’s a damn shame 🙁 ) while others have joined and familiar faces are all around. Everyone’s friendly and chummy and Ray Yan’s seriously too cool.

    And I’m thankful for being put into Logistics. While I’m pretty shit at listening to presentations about concepts, I love running around to settle orders. Perfect for me. And I got to work with fantastic people. Like Edmund, Vanessa, Derrick and Clarice. And I have to thank Clarice for letting me “practice” how to speak to the opposite sex. It’s easier than I thought. So thanks. Childish! It’s nice to have female friends because they aren’t complete assholes like guys are.

    But I’m departing with a hint of sorrow. We might be having a hiatus of 5-10 years, and we might tackle see² when we’re in uni. As ridiculous as it may sound, it’s a good way for us to achieve recognition. But will everyone be willing to take up this commitment after all this time? I can’t be sure myself.

    I can’t really ramble on about see² so I’ll ramble about this. I tried to say hi today. To give me a, you know, sense of closure… After all, she’s changed me so much into the person I am now. To not know her personally would be ungrateful, right?

    But… I couldn’t do it. She had too many friends and although I caught her eye once or twice, I didn’t have the courage to raise my arm to even wave. I was so nervous that I was fighting the urge to puke. I walked past her thrice, the last one after 15 minutes of contemplation.

    And I gave up.

    I was glum for my lack of balls. But I’m letting fate run it’s course this time: if I’m fated to know her personally, then the moment will present itself. I’m not going to do anything. Yes, I probably still like her, but I’m not smitten any more. I’ll let go and see where this takes me.

    I suddenly feel free, free to go completely gaga over another person, free to talk to any girl I want without having my balls shrinking, free to talk to anyone who wants to talk.

    And once again, another chapter ends: two major parts of my life are probably over. I should look for better things in life now. Like Skyrim. Or Saints Row 3. Or MW3.

    GAME OVER