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'Kini tiba masanya... berhari-raya...'
(Now the time has come... for Hari Raya....)
Hari Raya! Selamat Hari Raya
Aidilfitri!
The celebration comes first and
foremost to celebrate the end of the fasting month! What
better way to celebrate it than to have a good feast all
around! Yay~~
Today I woke up around 7.40am.
Slept for only around 1hr. Still, had to wake up early to
go for prayers.
After prayers, I got home, rested
for a while and went off to Science Centre for the finals
of Burnout 3 competition.
It pains me as well as irritates me
to write about the competition. I practically gave the
first place away. Apparent the other finalist didn't
really know how to play one of the game mode, Road Rage.
But after watching me play, they learnt the strategy fast
and was able to use it for the actual competition. My
mistake for revealing my strategy. What a waste. Ended up
being 2nd runner up instead of champion. ARGH!!! Pissed me
off just thinking about it. My only consolation is that I
learnt to compete better now. That lesson will remain
strong in my mind.
After the competition, immediately
rushed down to my grandmother's place. Too late though.
Almost everyone had left the place by then. Oh, I forgot
to explain. Every year during the first day of Hari Raya,
all the families will gather at my grandmother's place as
a form of reunion. It's the family's way of celebrating
Hari Raya. The gathering gets bigger and bigger each year.
But I missed this year's. =(
Went home with mixed feelings. Took
a nap and by the time I woke up, the rest of my family was
gone. They had gone to visit my relatives in Malaysia. I
was left with my younger sister and brother. Just the 3 of
us, in our home.
- signed, sealed and delivered by
deAn on 17th November, 0410hrs >
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X-Box
Competition: Went for the preliminary round of the
Burnout 3 competition today. Burnout 3 is a racing game
that's available on the PC, PS2 and X-Box platform. It's
pretty fun, and pretty addictive as well. The competition
is held at Science Centre (of all places). Almost couldn't
make it for the competition. The registration opened at
12noon, and I woke up at 12noon! Made a call to the Brian,
the competition coordinator, and he informed me that the
race will start at 3pm. Hence I made a quick change and
rushed down.
Upon reaching the venue, I learnt
that there were only 10 competitors. The event itself
didn't seem like much of a competition to me. Oh, the
competition was held in conjunction with a major event
called
Planet Games. This event, organized by Science Centre,
showcases exhibitions that tell of the history, culture
and future of interactive entertainment. There were plenty
of gaming machines around, from the old consoles like
'Atari' to the new ones like 'X-Box'. There was even a
room full of very old arcade games. You can't play the
arcade games for free though, have to either purchase or
win tokens for that. But the other games, you can play
them for free.
Anyway, I emerged as the 2nd
highest qualifier for the game and was in for the finals
tomorrow. Of all days, tomorrow. When it's Hari Raya. Haiz...
Headed home and continued to help
my mom with the preparations for Hari Raya. Later on,
during midnite, whilst taking a break, the best news
reached me :
Need For Speed Underground 2 (NFSU 2) is ready. I
immediately installed it and gave it a go.
NFSU 2 Review:
The game is great! There are more cars, tracks and good
tunes to listen to while playing. The gameplay is changed
as well. There's the career mode in which you cruise
around a virtual world in your car. You have to venture
out to the races that you want to compete in. Besides
drag, drift, circuit race and sprint, you can also take
part in Underground races and Street X races as well. In
addition, there are more ways to tune and customize your
car, from the types of body parts to the settings of your
car's equipment. You can even make your car 'dance' with
the hydraulics function. Way cool! Surprisingly this game
was launched earlier here than in US. If you have the need
for speed, get underground.
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Screenshot of
a race |
Different
looks for your car |
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Screenshot of
another race |
After a few rounds of the game, I
continued to help my mom. Before I knew it, it was already
6am in the morning! Immediately hit my bed for a quick
sleep.
- signed, sealed and delivered by
deAn on 17th November, 0345hrs >
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Shopping:
Went for some retail therapy earlier today. Didn't really
have time to look around though, so just bought myself a
pair of black jeans. Quite loose-fitting. Makes me worried
that my jeans will slip unexpectedly. =P Anyway managed to
get Gail's birthday present. In my haste I didn't manage
to wrap it up.
Celebration:
Was late (as usual) to meet up with friends from Entes. We
were going to celebrate Gail's birthday at China Jump. My
first time eating dinner there. The place seemed pretty
dark, whilst the ambience seemingly acceptable for
gatherings and celebrations (definitely not for dates). As
my eyes wandered thru the menu, I saw a wide variety of
food, from fried stuffs to seafood to pasta and burgers.
There's even ostrich meat! While deciding what to order,
quite a number of us saw this huge pile of fried stuffs
over at the next table. One of us asked the waiter what
that dish was. 'Fisherman Platter', he replied.
That definitely helped me to make
my decision. I ordered the 'Fisherman Platter', along with
Larry, Kervin and Diana. After all, I was famished!
Fasting the whole day can really whip up an appetite.
Besides, the dish is pretty affordable for it's size.
Damage: $19.95.
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China Jump... |
Fisherman
Platter! |
While we await the arrival of our
food, Gail opened up the present bought by her fellow
Entes. It was a huge pencil case and an equally big sized
sling bag. In addition, she also had a huge greeting card.
My apologies for not having any picture of those things
mentioned.
After dinner, came the birthday
cake. The staff at China Jump brought the cake in and we
sang the birthday song, much to the surprise of Gail. The
staff even helped us to cut the cake and put it in dishes
for everyone to have a piece. That's good service for you.
After dinner we had time to kill
before the movie started. We were going to watch the movie
'Saw' which was at 11:45pm. So we took some photos at
Chijmes. Quite a number of pictures turned out bad though.
But it was fun, playing around with poses for the camera.
Once that was done, off we were to the cinema. The plan :
to walk from Chijmes to Lido. Yes. Walk. As we walked,
managed to take some pics.
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Getting ready
for group photo.. |
Entes+++,
Smile! |
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Diana & me |
Amy &
me |
However, I think we overestimated
the time. Results : we were almost late for movie! Still,
we made it just in the nick of time.
'Saw' Review:
If you've seen the movie 'Seven' starring Morgan Freeman
and Brad Pitt, then you'll find that 'Saw'
is almost similar. It's a dark and gruesome thriller that
will keep you 'entertained' from start till the end. The
story unfolds itself in a good time and in interesting
ways. Expect some scary and horrific scenes as well. Oh,
'Saw' is the story of how 2 guys ended up as victims of a
psychopath killer whose aim was to show how 'sick' society
and people have become. The twist : the killer doesn't
kill his victims, they sort of kill themselves. In the
show, the 2 guys began with not remembering how they ended
up chained in the same room and then went on to unraveling
a set of mysteries together. The ending is a great twist
that will be delightful to many movie-watchers. However,
you must have the stomach for gory, graphic and disturbing
scenes. Else you might be too shock to appreciate the
show. All in all, this show is worth watching.
Aftermath: After the show, it was
home sweet home. 1 day more to Hari Raya!! Yay!!
- signed, sealed and delivered by
deAn on 15th November, 0630hrs >
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Artist: ROBBIE WILLIAMS
Album: Life Thru a Lens
Title: Angels
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I sit and wait
Does an angel contemplate my fate
And do they know
The places where we go
When we're grey and old
''Cause I have been told
That salvation lets their wings unfold
So when I'm lying in my bed
Thoughts running through my head
And I feel that love is dead
I'm loving angels instead
CHORUS:
And through it all she offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether I'm right or wrong
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
I know that life won't break me
When I come to call she won't forsake me
I'm loving angels instead
When I'm feeling weak
And my pain walks down a one way street
I look above
And I know I'll always be blessed with love
And as the feeling grows
She breathes flesh to my bones
And when love is dead
I'm loving angels instead
- signed, sealed and delivered by
deAn on 13th November, 0315hrs >
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0030hrs:
Started chatting with Huihui on the phone. We talked about
lots of stuffs. Really good chat. Chat for closed to two
hours. Wow... longest so far. Haha.. time really flies
when you're doing something enjoyable.
Day With Dean:
Today I went shopping! Was shopping for clothes for Hari
Raya. Brought my younger brother along. We spent quite
some time browsing through shops after shops after shops.
Mostly it was my brother was trying out things. Nothing
much caught my eye. However, in the end, bought 3 shirts
and 2 pairs of jeans. Damage : $200. And I'm still not
done yet. There's tomorrow and Friday and Saturday left.
Hahaha... Oh, and I finished reading the Star Wars novel
that I borrowed. All in 2 days. Was amazed myself. Anyway,
going to the library tomorrow. Hoping the one at Orchard
is open, even though it's a public holiday.
Talentime
Results: Around 0120hrs on 11th November, my phone
beeped. The following sms reached me," Hi Dean, parry
here, IC of talentime. I'm sorry to inform u that u didn't
make to the semifinal. Thanks for your participation. But
hope u join us as audience."
Ok, so I'm out of the competition.
Well, it was fun while it lasted. =D
- signed, sealed and delivered by
deAn on 11th November, 0400hrs >
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First, an interesting set of jokes.
Thoughts of
Confucius (When he was confused!)
A bus station is where a bus stops.
A train station is where a train stops.
On my desk, I have a work station....
what more can I say........???
Practice makes perfect.....
But nobody's perfect......
so why practise
If it's true that we are here to help others,
then what exactly are the others here for?
Since light travels faster than sound,
people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Behind every successful man, there
is a woman
And behind every unsuccessful man, there are two.
Every man should marry.
After all, happiness is not the only thing in life.
The wise never marry.
and when they marry they become otherwise.
Success is a relative term.
It brings so many relatives.
"Your future depends on your
dreams"
So go to sleep.
"Hard work never killed anybody"
But why take the risk?
"Work fascinates me"
I can look at it for hours.
The more you learn, the more you
know,
The more you know, the more you forget
The more you forget, the less you know
So....why learn?
Next, some stuffs about horoscope.
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SAGITTARIUS MATE |
You do much
better when it comes to friendships then you do in
love relationships. Here's a look at how you do
match up to other signs.
SAGITTARIUS & ARIES:
This is not a bad match while it lasts.
Fun-loving, adventuresome, certainly compatible.
Both you and the Ram like to do your own thing,
therefore you often part on friendly terms as you
go off in your own directions.
SAGITTARIUS & TAURUS:
The Bull leads too structured a life for you to
conform to. This is not a likely match. Taureans
see you as a wanderer with no apparent direction.
SAGITTARIUS & GEMINI:
You are polar opposites giving this connection
plenty of chemistry, however outside activities
tend to take you both in different directions. You
both like to take chances and depend too much on
luck.
SAGITTARIUS & CANCER:
You are a traveler and the Crab is a homebody that
automatically puts you on a different wave length.
This combination makes a much better friendship.
You could never live within the other's life-style
and remain happy.
SAGITTARIUS & LEO:
This is probably one of your best match ups. You
bring out the best in one another. You both have a
very carefree approach to life and love.
SAGITTARIUS & VIRGO:
Virgo's do not handle your lifestyle well. You can
not put up with the Virgoan's meticulous, detailed
way of doing everything.
SAGITTARIUS & LIBRA:
This is probably one of your best connections. You
get the freedom you desire and both of you
absolutely hate confrontation, therefore problems
are just put on the shelf.
SAGITTARIUS & SCORPIO:
The Scorpion cannot live with your freedom loving
wandering spirit. When the jealousy sets in you'll
be off to greener pastures.
SAGITTARIUS & SAGITTARIUS:
You will shake well with one another. This
combination is somewhat unpredictable. It's not
always a lasting union due to a lack of being in
the same place at the same
time, but truly a
hot affair.
SAGITTARIUS & CAPRICORN:
You are impulsive, risk-taking and always looking
for adventure that frightens the cautious Goat.
This is really not a suitable union, You are far
too different to ever exist together.
SAGITTARIUS & AQUARIUS:
You both love adventure, travel and the great
outdoors. You can have a lasting relationship,
especially if it is a long distance romance.
SAGITTARIUS & PISCES:
This is a passionate attraction, but unfortunately
neither one of you can supply the other with the
emotional factor required to make this coalition
work.
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Oh, I'm Sagittarius, in case you
didn't know by now. =P
- signed and delivered by deAn on
9th November, 2110hrs
Day With Dean:
For the first time I reached school before 130pm for
lesson. I was feeling excited and looking forward to my
talentime audition later on at around 415pm. As I made my
way to class the music and lyrics of the song still runs
in my head.
During our break I met up with
Huihui to pass her the money for the Amazing Race that
we're taking part in. She told me that she was feeling a
bit worried after checking out the competition. It seems
the other teams were pretty strong, and they are training
hard for the event. Who won't? After all, the prize is
pretty attractive. I tried to ease her fears, suggesting
that we can start training as well. She didn't seemed
convince though. Before we can discuss further, break was
over, and I rushed over to LT4.06 to get my disc tested.
The disc worked, and I went back for my lecture.
Musings About
Music: Lecture ended earlier than normal, so I
headed to LT4.06. As I sat there, friends came in, wishing
me 'good luck' and awaited for my turn. And then it hit
me.
I was feeling fine for one moment
when all of a sudden I found myself shivering. That caught
me off guard and as I tried to relax myself I shivered
even more. Hey... what's happening here? I told Huihui
(she was there early as well) that I'm feeling cold and
she tried to get me to relax but still the shivering
remained. Damien told me it's nervousness. Yes, that was
it. At the eleventh hour, nervousness attacked me by
surprise.
The announcement came for my turn.
I came up, took my the mic, and began singing. I found
myself feeling choked instead. I can hear myself sing, and
within me I was screaming to myself,' This is not right
here. Relax Dean! Sing properly!!'
The words came out, flat and out of
tuned. I can't even put the proper expression in the words
and the proper actions in expression. Halfway through I
was wishing that the earth opened up and swallowed me
whole. My performance was, in a word, a disaster. I felt
rotten and embarrassed. Rotten about my own nervousness.
Embarrassed that I had probably wasted my friends' time.
After singing, I just felt bad
about the whole thing. Words couldn't comfort me. Nor can
I find any way to feel good about it all. I'm so sorry for
the bad performance.
As I dragged myself home, I got
into thinking about the whole episode, and managed to
learn few things. Firstly, I feel
fortunate to have good friends who spared their time to
lend their support. I am grateful and thankful to each and
everyone of you. Secondly, somehow my confidence
has been shaken. Something has caused this and I intend to
find out what. I'm not that easily shaken hence the
nervous attack disturbed me. Thirdly, what happened had
happened and there is no way I can change it. There is no
point in feeling bad about it for long too. It's true my
performance was bad. However I know now what went wrong
and can ensure that I do better next time. As a famous
person once said,' I have tried my best. I have no
regrets. I had no professional training.'
Hence I won't stop singing.
- signed, sealed and delivered by
deAn on 11th November, 0300hrs >
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Day With Dean:
I'm supposed to go for lesson today in the afternoon. The
lesson starts at 1pm. 'Supposed to' as I woke up at 1.30pm
instead. Haha... ended up missing the lesson entirely.
Went down to Orchard library to find something worthy to
read. Having watched the Star Wars trailer made me decide
to grab a Star Wars novel. Having done just that, I
settled myself in Coffee Bean and began reading. This was
my way to kill time whilst waiting for Sean and the rest
to arrive. We will be going for KTV session around 6pm,
partly in preparation for my Talentime audition tomorrow.
Sean arrived around 5pm and I met
up with him and his Hong Kong sis, Gladys, outside
McDonald's in Takashimaya. Surprisingly Weiyang was there,
but he told me he won't be joining us for the KTV. He's
hanging out with us before meeting his friend later on at
Plaza Singapura. We then lingered in the area, awaiting
Sherry's arrival.
It was in the midst of some
conversation that Weiyang suddenly said excitedly,' Hey
that's Hebe! And Selena! Look look!'
We all turned and looked and right
there, passing us, was Hebe and Selena, from the popular
group S.H.E. My first impression was that they looked
rather short. Now I'm not very tall myself, but they
definitely appeared shorter than me. Another thing was
that they didn't exude any star factor that made them
stand out from the crowd. They really blend in and looked
like a pair of 19-something gals out for some retail
therapy. That's what all artistes are after all. People
like you and me.
After they passed us we were
involved excitedly in conversations regarding them. Sherry
joined us by then and she felt bad about missing out on
seeing the artistes. Just as we were about to make our way
to Party World for our KTV session, who else but Selena
and Hebe passed by us, again! Wow... talk about double
luck. I almost went up to them to take a photo together
but stopped short as my guts disappeared on me. Haiz...
what a wasted opportunity.
Soon after we settled in for the
KTV session, the S.H.E episode left our minds. This was
because we were engrossed in the singing, joking around,
practicing and enjoying ourselves. There was plenty of
tips on performing and singing given by Sean's brother,
Marcus. He's currently taking lessons from his relatives
who are in the music industry, and had seen plenty to be
able to share with us his experience. His knowledge was
indeed helpful.
After KTV, it dinner followed by
home sweet home.
To Be or Not
To Be: All of us have a unique personality that
distinguish us from the rest. Be it in the choice of
clothes we wear, the way we speak, the style we adopt at
expressing ourselves : they all vary from person to
person. Inclusively is our character.
Our character develops through our
experiences, the education we receive and the social
environment that we interact with. Yet at the same time we
have a choice as to how we want our character to be. In
other words we can control we who we want to be, and how
we want to behave. Social etiquettes lesson, grooming
lessons and image consultants are amongst the proofs
available to show that we choose to be who we are.
At the most basic level is a simple
choice : to be good or to be bad. Yet this simple choice
is, at times, not easily decided upon. I know that too
well now. The scenario where I have to decide whether to
be good or bad comes up so often that I can even
anticipate before it even materializes. Why does this
decision comes up often?
I took time to ponder upon the
question, and realized that the decision comes to me so
often mainly because I've never really been taught to be
good. I had to learn for myself what being good is about.
And I am still learning. So forgive me if I was bad to
you. Mostly, I never intended any harm or malice.
- signed, sealed and delivered by
deAn on 9th November, 2045hrs >
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