Ex-4A Knights BBQ Gathering...

It was such a disappointment that only a few friends stayed till the very end, way past midnight. The expected attendance was 20 but only about 15 turned up. Out of these few, 11 proved to be loyal and supportive friends. They are mark, chien wen, wei jie, yong kang, ye wei, alvin, qing zhong, michelle, siew ping, regina and myself. There was a obvious distinct separation between my ex classmates.

The event was organised by yk; a bbq cum gathering at West coast park bbq pit 3. At first, I was considering whether I should go as I had tuition commitment on Friday. Nonetheless, hearing that the gathering was meant for ex-sec class mates and it has been some time since I saw and hear from them, I postponed my tuition class to the following week.

For me, it was a day of excitement in the very beginning but disappointment towards the end. Is this the kind of friendship we get after knowing each other for more than 4/5 years, some even more than that. It was really through this event that true friendship came to light.

Given the chance and time to meet again, only the loyal few will be invited. To the organiser, it was truly a waste of time and money. From the effort spent to plan the event, effort to contact everyone, effort to buy food, effort to book the place to effort spent to make then event a fulfilling one.

Dun worry about those who were absent, treasure the true friendship that we built upon….

Roti Prata @ Jalan Kayu

I was expecting something delicious, something mouthwatering, something gratifying....

We, Zw and yk went all the way from our homes in the west to somewhere that is stranger to us; North-eastern part to be precise. It was about 9.20pm when yk msg me and ask me whether I wanted to go out for supper or take a tour since he was renting a car. Then, he came to fetch me at ard 9.50pm before we went over to link up with zw who had his own, modified Honda city sedan.

The route we took was BKE, SLE and TPE. Parking space there is really limited as we found ourselves parking the cars in the private properties nearby.

Then, we walked to the nearby shop to have our 'starter' - Beancurd jelly. Not bad, very fresh. Shortly after, we went to a shop as advertised. I ordered 2 plain prata, yk ordered 1, zw ordered one cheese prata. Ordering was done at the counter together with the payment. It didn't took much time before our order came in. Food there was below expectation - the prata was not crispy at all but the curry compensated for it.

Soon, the rain came pouring in as we sat there chatting past midnight. The rain ceased after some time and we went to another shop to satisfy our curiousity and appetite. I ordered the similiar things, yk one cheese one plain, zw one mushroom. Over here, the curry is inferior but the prata tastes slightly better and the food has more value. Zw also ordered one milo dinosaur which is basically a cup of milo saturated with lots of milo powder.

We left the place about 1.15am. This time I took the wheel and choose not to use the expressway. There were lots of red lights along the way and it was apparent that zw was getting frustrated. At one point when we hit the expressway, zw suddenly blasted his way through me. I followed suit but with a slower acceleration as the car I am driving has a low pick-up speed compared to zw's car which he has spent thousands over dollars modifying it. The speed we were travelling at was hovering between 80km/h to 110km/h.

By the time I reached home, it was already close to 2am. Feeling full of vigour and energetic perhaps because I was 'racing' my way home....wondering when will be my next time...

Scholarship Application...

It has been quite a while since I wrote essays. The latest one I drafted was for scholarship application. This is the question that is requested from us:-

"What are some of the values and beliefs you hold strongly to? Please provide examples of how you have demonstrated these in your actions.

You should use the essay to discuss your attributes and experiences that may not be evident through your academic, CCA and school records. Your essay should not exceed 500 words."

It took me almost a month to come up with this essay - from gathering info, brainstorming, researching and all the way to peer editing, drafting etc....And this is my final product:-

Values and beliefs govern and shape one’s behaviour and character. Whenever we encounter an obstacle in life, we can fall back on our set of values and beliefs to guide us through. Thus, a firm set of values and beliefs is essential to help us differentiate what is right and what is wrong. Apart from that, I feel that a person should possess good values and beliefs in order to be successful since decisions are made based on one’s set of beliefs and values.

One of the values and beliefs that I strongly hold to is responsibility. Responsibility means being accountable for your actions, words and the outcome of an event or process. For instance, as a leader in the Army, I am responsible to ensure that high training standards are adhered to as the defence and security of the nation lie in our hands. Hence, I trained my men hard and enforced standards on them. In addition, I am responsible for their safety and well-being. Therefore, a responsible person will be able to resist the temptation to take the easy way out and ensures that objectives and standards are met.

Another value and belief that I strongly believe in is respect. We should not discriminate or ostracise anybody. It is especially crucial for Singaporeans to respect and understand one another in a vulnerable multi-racial society where differences abound. Having mutual respect is tantamount to being sensitive to the needs of others by respecting and considering the thoughts and ideas of others. For example, during the course of completing the Project work in Junior College, my team members had differing views on various issues. What I did as a team leader was to give everyone a chance to voice their thoughts as every single contribution and effort counts. Thus, respecting and acknowledging each other’s worth encourage communications and foster relationship between different people.

Honesty is another value and belief that I strongly regard. By being honest, you earn the reputation and trust from people around you. As a class treasurer, I was responsible for managing the class fund. As a habit, I always record down the transactions that I make, from collecting funds to buying of notes. This ensured transparency and discouraged dishonesty. The trust gained can be evident after some time when my friends perceive me as a honest individual. Hence, honesty earns you reputation from people that you are trustworthy, reliable and responsible.

Hence, it is evident that values and beliefs play a significant role as it provides the moral bearing or direction in every aspect of life. It also portrays the kind of personality and character you have. I feel that responsibility, respect and honesty are essential minimums that everyone should possess in order to be successful.

About Myself

I am a student waiting for matriculation in August 2007. I have been offered a place in Faculty of Science, NUS. I chose to study science because I have a burning passion for it. I will be doing a major in chemistry which is my favourite and strongest subject. My interest for science can be evident from my participation in various events like the Singapore Chemistry Olympiad, the Singapore Physics Olympiad, Science Focus organised by NUS, my college’s Science fair and many others. Through these events, I gained invaluable exposure, experiences, insight and knowledge.

In the course of my studies in NUS, I hope to discover where my passion lies in the field of science and graduate with at least a ‘Second upper class’ honours in science. I would also like to be involved in various Student Exchange Programmes organised by NUS to enrich my learning experiences and cultural knowledge.

In the near future, I see myself in a position where I command and work closely with my team members to achieve certain tasks and goals together. I would also like to pursue a post graduate Masters degree in Science to further broaden my knowledge and horizon in a globalised economy.

I completed National Service on 7 Nov 2006, passing out from Armour Training Institute as an Armoured Infantry Section Leader. Under my care were a section of men and an Armoured vehicle which needed constant maintenance. More often than not, I worked for long hours, deprived of sleep with my body full of stench caused by my perspiration. However, I had a positive experience leading my men by being a role model and caring for them. Besides, I contributed to my unit, 40 SAR, achieving an unprecedented high score for ATEC. Going through the tough training under harsh and stressful conditions in National Service had made me stronger physically, emotionally and mentally.

I am able to multi-task and adapt myself quickly to the environment that I am in, usually under stressful conditions. Therefore, I am able to meet tight datelines to produce work punctually. However, the quality and standard of my work is not undermined. In addition, I am a meticulous person who is adept at observing and analyzing.

I tend to expect my friends or colleagues to perform at the same speed and level of efficiency that I always apply to the work I handle. However, I learnt to appreciate that people are different, and they will have their own styles and preferences. Hence, I accommodated to their style of work and try not to impose my preferences on them.

Some of the values that I strongly believe in are respect, responsibility, loyalty, honesty, humility and compassion. In my opinion, I feel that these values have a profound impact on all aspects of our life as it affects our behaviour, character, personality and the way we do things.

My hobbies include swimming, cycling, playing badminton, playing the guitar, surfing the Internet and troubleshooting computer hardware problems. In my leisure time, I took up a Life skills development online course which revolves around the subject of creativity, describing the types of creative thinkers, how to be creative, among other things. In addition, I am contemplating to learn another language during my free time.

No doubt I have encountered setbacks in my life. In the midst of failure, I pick myself up, persevere and learn from my mistakes. In this way, I will be able to achieve success in whatever things I do by overcoming the challenges ahead with a positive attitude.