Y Wednesday, December 2, 2009
My dad came here to fish while we went shopping
Same river seen from my hotel window.
The tiny dot between the two main trees is actually a crocodile!
That was one scary ride!! - In a natural waterfowl swamp
The entire area is about three times as large as Singapore!
My family of 4 in a 'sampan' with the boatman only
...There was no one in sight as far as our eyes can see - and I'm a 6/6 - scary!!
Magical... As we approach the bushes we saw loads of wild buffalos
It is an everyday life for the villagers to take their buffalos home
Home-made Fishing mechanism near Thale Noi, Thailand
It looks rather innocent dont you think? A minute after the picture was taken it even tried to attack us - What did we do? Easy. Drive off !
Ulu Temau - Home of my dad's new found friend, Raja Adam
We fed these deers with buah lansat - the trees were only 2 feet away from the fence - so...just pluck and feed!
Like I said before, the long break I took made me see a lot of things. In some way, I think this trip has changed me. I fed a deer (that is not my hand though) for the first time in my life - well I fed a deer after some screaming and loads of giggling, but I still did it - it was ticklish and rather um...wet. I was able to touch cows - real cows, goats, lambs and a lot of other animals including ducks - live ones. These are rthings that I never would have done before. This trip really opened my eyes to a lot of things. I am able to better appreciate what I have and I am no longer so afraid of animals.
I can swim and all but going out to sea in that little wooden boat really took a lot of guts. To make things worse, we got stuck the some water plants and after about 20 minutes of struggling, the boatman took us back to the jetty and the person in charge told us to try again. I wanted to literally jump out of the boat. We made it the second time. We went bird watching, saw a lot of water plants and even a herd of water buffalos. It was a pity we weren't able to go near the buffalos though as they were wild ones making it risky. And as if I wasn't scared enough, while turning back, out boat very nearly capsized. Once we got on land, my legs were shaking so badly I could barely stand and had to hold on to the people who were with me for support. It was truly a memorable experience.
I also went into one of the local villages and saw the fishing mechanism. It was huge. The villagers there actually built it themselves. How cool is that! And after bringing in what they had caught for the they head off to a nearby market to sell the catch immediately.
Also, I fell ill on the trip and had to stay in the hotel for a while. It was horrid. I had an extremely bad headache, I couldn't eat or drink anything and I just kept throwing out. I felt really terrible. I was also sad as I missed a day of adventures. I promise i'll make it up somehow!!! Thank god I didn't catch the H1N1 though... we were pretty much exposed to the risks...
'Reflect upon your present blessings - of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.' - Charles Dickens
5:39 PM
My darlings... I think they're beautiful
I got a little adventurous and we went to look for caves...
Found a tiny little one
The trees growing on the hills were a marvellous sight!!
In the cave...
It's not everyday that you get to stand on an actual train track and not get killed
The mist surrounding the mountains were simple majestic
I had one of the most adventurous holidays of my life! I learnt loads of new stuff and got to things for the fisrt time. It is definitely a trip worth remembering.
The weather was insane everywhere. I got caught for a while in floods - I got to stand on the train track as train services were disrupted due to the weather!
Unlike my other holidays, I did not really spend much time shopping - pretty much a first for me i guess. Instead, I went sight seeing, climing up hills, looking for caves, walking through nature reserves and things like that. Still, I had so much fun.
'Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.' - Cicero
4:55 PM
Y Thursday, November 26, 2009
12:46 AM
12:08 AM
Y Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Time is definitely tighter and things are tougher. Everyone is falling ill - including myself. Really, this is the very last lap to make and effort and make the change. Yes... I want that change. A change for the better.
I'm going mad. Ther is so much to accomplish and so little time. I wish I am able to forgo sleep as well as all things mundane. This way, more time can be dedicated to what needs to be done. Unfortunately, I'm human too and somethings just have to be done...
People, take care of yourselves well. I know a number of you are using this last chance to make the change. All the best!
'They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.' - Andy Warhol
6:21 PM
Y Friday, September 25, 2009
We had our graduation ceremony today, which also means I have made my speech. For those who missed it, here it is:
Good afternoon Mr. Simen, Mrs. Goh, teachers, parents and fellow Hendersonians.
(I’m Angel from 5N2). I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to stand up here today, on behalf of my class, to express our gratitude to all who have touched our lives.
First of all, let me thank all our parents and teachers for dedicating your precious time and effort to teach us all these years. We truly appreciate the motivation and inspiration you have given us, enabling us to improve in many different aspects of life, therefore, allowing us to be more successful young men and women.
Apart from our parents, our teachers are the ones who have watched us grow and mature. Thus, they have played a part in helping us blossom to what we are today, not simply academically, but socially and psychologically as well. We have indeed become more sensible young adults. For all these, and much more, we sincerely thank you.
Wherever we go, we will not forget the passionate teachings and undying love rendered to us selflessly by our beloved parents and teachers. The 4 Hs of Henderson – Honour, Hard work, Helpfulness and Healthfulness will be values that we will continue to abide by even after we have left. We believe that these values will be important foundations on our road to success in life.
To my fellow schoolmates, the times we spent together will be some of the best moments in our lives. We may have had quarrels and fights, and sometimes, we annoy each other really badly, but in the end, it’s all okay. We learn, we grow and we create memories. Being able to be here to meet and learn to love one another is truly a blessing to us. With this, I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
Once again, thank you for everything. We love you!
The speech may not be very long, but I suppose it does sort of convey what I want to say.
Waching all the videos and listening to what you people had to so say earlier this afternoon really made me think back on what we have done the past few years. I know that we've had really huge arguments and all, but I have also realised that you were all always there for me when I needed support. This was evident even today, just before I made my speech. A lot of you knew that I would be nervous and you actually came up to me and told me to calm down and stuff. I really do appreciate it.
Also, seeing how everyone can identify each other just through descriptions made me realise that we somwhow do understand one another. We know when who will cry or laugh. We do really care about one another.
Like I said earlier today, we love each other no matter what!
By the way, just as we were getting off stage this afternoon, I tripped and very nearly fell. I managed to grab someone, a guy, just in time and thus, I did not fall. I really can't remember who you are but you've really saved me from a great deal of embarrassment. Thank you. Please do let me know who you are.
'Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.' - Eleanor Roosevelt
6:19 PM
Y Saturday, September 12, 2009
At the head of the Merlion
I'd like to call this the glowing room
Went to sentosa yesterday with Leon, Louis, Jonah, KanXuan and Krister. It was really fun. We tried quite a number of attractions and had a blast!
I was being teased a lot because they said I looked like a thirteen-year-old. To make matters worse, I was given a flower shaped balloon and I really looked like a kid. But, I gave the balloon to a young girl I saw and That is the last I saw the balloon. The games were rather fun, but the skyride with KanXuan was terrifying. I am rather afraid of heights, so throughout the ride I was already frightened. To irritate me, he started shaking the chair and I really nearly cried.
Then we proceeded to ride the Luge and I knew they would try to bump into me, thus I decided to stay at the back. However, I soon overtook then and KanXuan and Krister totally had me cornered. It was embarrassing. I was kind of stuck for a while. The three of us were in a rather funny situation as we were all stuck for a while.
I shall not elaborate much on the outing as I suppose it would be rather boring. So I'll end of here.
'During periods of relaxation after concentrated intellectual activity, the intuitive mind seems to take over and can produce the sudden clarifying insights which give so much joy and delight.' - Fritjof Capra
3:10 PM
Y Thursday, September 3, 2009
Went to study with Pam and Ky this morning. We'll be having our preliminary examinations tomorrow and it'll be best to get some studying done. After going through some work for like half an hour, we then started chatting about loads of different stuff and kind of got carried away a little. We then decided to study and so, took out the vocabulary lists given to us during lessons and started with those. I shan't go into details. After a while we started to get distracted again. As a result, our study session was only - sadly - 50% successful.
I'm also proud to say that I'm no longer afraid. I can now even put a cat to sleep in my arms.. HAHA... I'm really glad.
Also, Pam can surprisingly fit into KY's primary one uniform. We all had a great laugh. Other than it being too short, everything else fitted perfectly. We took a few photos as well, and I will upload them when I have the time...
'In between goals is a thing called life that has to be lived and enjoyed.' - Sid Caesar
4:53 PM
Y Wednesday, September 2, 2009
*sorry about the finger. Apparently, the photographer was holding too many cameras ;) 
LengChye and Stanley!
LengChye, Cynthia and Stanley
RongShun, Stanley, Leon and me!
LengChye and MeWe celebrated teacher's day on Monday. The performance was generally okay. Personally, what I enjoyed most would be chatting photos as well as chatting with my friends. It's something that we'll not be able to do in the future. There is irony in how I get really frustrated and annoyed with all these people at times and yet when I think about how we'll all be going our own ways, I get really sad.
On Monday, before our biology practicals, we had a break of almost an hour. We took pictures and met a couple of ex-classmates and simple sat around to chat. We made fun of one another and had heaps of fun.
This is probably one of the last celebrations we'll have in the school. Our next event would be our graduation day ceremony. OMG! I have to represent my class to make a speech... I do hope I'll do fine. People, do remember to send me the pictures by Friday afternoon.
Also, Sodrin and I are currently planning a chalet of some sort for both our classes. If all goes well it would probably be held in late November or early December. Anyone with suggestions, please do let me know.
Study hard people!!
'When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.' - Henri Nouwen
4:57 PM
