So... What's the significance of chinese New Year? Just a gathering? or just to recieve hongbaos... I am using the computer in my cousin's house right now, feeling exhilarated after winning $24 from playing cards. Luckily, I got out of the game after thirty rounds, knowing that lady luck would not be so loyal to me... My sis was unfortunately, due to her avarice, continued playing and lost money... Ha Ha.. now I am being pulled by my uncle to play chua dai de... Really dun feel like but HAVE NOCHOICE... sigh...

Wishing everyone who reads my blog happy chinese New Year!

THis entry should be written on monday night but i was too tired to do anything after coming back home at 1030pm. I visited RJC after my practical lesson... I was supposed to meet up with Jack but unfortunately, I ended classes later so I asked him to go ahead without me. Ha, he was so engrossed talking to Doctor Chan that he did not pick up my phone calls, nor read my 9 messages... I was actually quite embarrassed to go into the teachers ' common room all by myself and loitered along the corridors. After "garnering" sufficient courage, I went to talk to my CT, Mr Paul Khoo... Usual questions asked by teachers: How's life in Medicine? R U coping well? so and so forth. His workload has increased, having to teach 4 classes instead of three classes as he is now considered as an experienced teacher. On top of his GP classes, he has to juggle his church work and band cca. RJ band will be going to Ireland this coming March holidays...Queer as it may be, he would prefer to spend the week holiday in singapore with his family rather than having a free trip to Ireland... Nonetheless, I believe he is coping well... I was telling Mr Khoo how the education system here fails to develop thinking skills, though it does a good job in providing us with knowledge... The process of understanding is there but not the process of logical reasoning or derivation... Eg. When given the solutions to a new set of problems, we can understand easily but when u ask us to doit by ourself, we are unable to do so... Only after being shown the solution, we can then use the same solution on problems of similar nature. Mr Khoo responded aptly that we are not given sufficient time to derive formulas (fr a to z) or explore alternative methodologies.This ruthless education does not wait for students to learn and find stuff on their own, thus promoting a spoon-feedish culture...
Enough of this... We are innocent victims of this merciless education system but if it serves the nation well, so be it...

Went on to talk to Mrs CHeong and Mr Chan. Same questions... Particularly regretful was that I did not get to talk to Dr Chan. haha... Still can remember how much I dislike him once for a short period of time... TO think that I miss his form of teaching... Very insightful... But I heard from many teachers that they may not stay on with rj after this year as rj will be going independent... WHy, I asked them. Won't an independent school offer a higher salary... Salary put aside, it's the uncertainty of their job... Quite sad that MrYap is no longer with rjc...

Today, I sent SY off, together along with QY and SY's mum... It wasn't a tearful farewell as this wasn't SY's first time going to London. (not like the previous one was )I actually like sending others off of which reasons I am not even sure of myself. I did not send sam off yesterday night, thinking that my presence would be redundant since I am not really too close to her... But I really think it's quite cool to go abroad alone, lugging your heavy luggage up the flight of stairs, taking aeroplanes alone. The whole concept of travelling alone is very enticing .And I really feel that for someone to live abroad for a period of time, one actually grows up faster... Let's take SY as an example, she is able to wash her own clothes (though it may not be clean), cook her own food (though food may be "edible"). The whole process of growing up is accelerated. I still feel very immature!

Sy's mum was encouraging us to backpack to London this coming hol or the next hol as it's really an experience not to be missed in a lifetime. We can bunk in the hostel at St G for free (haha) and that would cut down the cost by a lot... Qy and me were quite keen but we weren't really sure whether our timetables would permit. Furthermore, I have to ensure that I will pass my upcoming exams... I really hope that such a trip will materialise as it would be really fun to go with ppl whom I knoe. But in the meantime, have to study hard and try to source for more money!!!

Today, I sent SY off, together along with QY and SY's mum... It wasn't a tearful farewell as this wasn't SY's first time going to London. (not like the previous one was )I actually like sending others off of which reasons I am not even sure of myself. I did not send sam off yesterday night, thinking that my presence would be redundant since I am not really too close to her... But I really think it's quite cool to go abroad alone, lugging your heavy luggage up the flight of stairs, taking aeroplanes alone. The whole concept of travelling alone is very enticing .And I really feel that for someone to live abroad for a period of time, one actually grows up faster... Let's take SY as an example, she is able to wash her own clothes (though it may not be clean), cook her own food (though food may be "edible"). The whole process of growing up is accelerated. I still feel very immature!

This week has been an extremely busy week because of two major events: My new year eve's class party and my cousin's wedding...
New year eve's party was great! New Year Eve started with me meeting up with QY to buy stuff for the party, after which, together with JL, went to QY's house to prepare food... I had great fun washing squids, removing the squids' eyes, deboning and marinating the chicken breast, boiling maize, cooking fried rice... I was already quite bushed when I reached Sy's house at 530pm. BBQ started at 630 and we ate and chatted till about 11pm... Did a lot of catching up with friends who came back from overseas and heard a lot of interesting stories about the culture and people there... We went back to the house and watched the countdown... Watched "Kill BIll" and found the scences quite hilarious to the point of being ridiculous (esp how the blood gushed out like a fountain from the victims' wound.)

Now at the point of writing, I have just returned from my cousin's wedding dinner. It was a fantastic wedding dinner, complete with delectable food, beautiful music , romantic ambience and exquistie decorations... i witnessed the first military wedding and it was really grand... I shall try to narrate: When the wedding dinner was about to start, lights dimmed and under the light of flickering candles, soft music wafted out and surrounded the whole ballroom... MC made an introductory speech and then as the light brightened up, a group of 12 lieutanants wearing their crisp, well-starched parade uniforms marched in. They took their positions, 2 lietanants standing opposite each other. The head shouted a string of commands of which I can faintly make out the words (Sword bearers, blah blah blah) , after which all sword bearers raised up their swords and made an arc/ cross.... From here the fun began... The couple walking down the red carpet had to complete a task in order to cross an arch... Those tasks included kissing the bride Noisily, my cousin having to express her love to her husband, the cousin in law having to carry his wife to the stage, etc, causing much laughter and joy to the audience...

It's true that when you have a group of army guys together, u can expect it to be rowdy, to the point of riotous. They shouted YAM SENG at the top of their voices and their loudness were really sufficient to cause momentary deafness. But this unity and camaderiare they possessed were really infectious, pushing the mood of the wedding dinner to its zenieth.

As we ate our dinner, we watched a video clip of what had happenened in the day when the bridegroom went to fetch his bride... Wow, the customs that one had to follow were very lei ceh... Too many to list them down here but I have now a better understanding of the reasons for following certain traditions...