Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Recapping 2008

Start of the year
I remember how I started the year, outside some bar and it was raining, real bad. It was so horrible it actually made me believe that it's gonna be a bad year.

Work
I remember that I went job hunting with friends and it was real hard. Job hunting for me is always hard. My friends finally found a decent place and I went for an interview too, but time wasn't real good, but it is as good as things would go. I got the job, but I had to turn it down. It was because I had to work for my mother, selling her product. I really hated it, but a son gotta do what a son's gotta do.
I remember
hanging out at the working place for hours and no real customer really came. I remember setting stalls at Kenyalang Park during Chinese New Year, Saberkas, BDC and 12th mile.
I remember delivering them all around the place, to good customers, missing customers and not-so-good customers.
I remember
newpaper adds, interview with reporters, touching all sorts of cars, learning a thing or two about car thingy.

Education
I remember struggling about my future, on where should I go, which route should I take. I had my mind fixed, then forcefully changed, when I accepted, I had to change again.
I remember wanting to go Swinburne and did went to the open day in March. I went there with my mother because my father couldn't make it. Got a little information, but honestly it didn't help much. I wanted to study in Swinburne as soon as possible, which is, in back then was the March intake. I wanted to go there because I couldn't stand secondary school system, may it be rules (too much crap) or study (too many subjects, can't focus). I really had my mind fixed on studying in Swinburne. However, my heart was shattered when my parents wanted me to study form 6. The news was broken to me just 3 days before form 6 started. I was in shock.
I remember
applying to move schools, from SMK Pending to St Thomas and later applying to change from Science side to Art side. One morning, my father barged into my room when I was sleeping and woke me up. He said that the application would take half a year to go through, which means I would only go to Art side in 2009 regardless if my application to St Thomas goes through, half a year of form 6 wasted on waiting was his reason. So he took me to the open day in Swinburne during July. I actually enrolled for it, honestly I had my heart set on studying in form 6 because there are other benefits if I continued life in secondary school. Believe it or not but all the applications actually went through, did you know how slim the chances are for St Thomas to accept transfer students? And yet I got it! I couldn't let my parents know because they let me study in Swinburne just because they are concerned about the application taking and wasting too much time.
I remember wearing school uniform and heading off to school but ended up either in a friend's house or at Sungai Apong Market.
I remember sleeping in the car at the Sungai Apong carpark for a couple of hours, then going to the coffee shop for breakfast and spending a few hours there before heading home. Yes, I hid from my parents the fact that my transfer application to St Thomas was approved. My father was a stubborn man and so was I. He wanted me to continue to go to school, though I've already registered in Swinburne. I couldn't hang out in school anymore because the teacher was chasing for fees, I'm not doing homeworks and I have to report in at St Thomas by a certain date. I just had to do the things that I had to do, there was no excuse, just had to do it. I paid my price to study in Swinburne, I paid the price to do something I really want.
I remember orientation day in bother the secondary school and Swinburne. Secondary school, boring~ Swinburne, to my surprise, isn't. Guess that's the huge different.
I remember the 1st schooling day in Swinburne, the 1st class, my friends who helped me to class that I coincidentally met at Cilipeppers.
I remember
sitting there trying to act or be real cool or rather cold.
I remember make jokes of the library room system which uses animal names.
I remember
reading mangas in the open lab.
I remember spending time in the new library.
I remember
the hard time trying to adapt.
I remember
trying my 1st at going to the facilities such as open lab, library, cafeteria, common lounge and MPH.
I remember not sleeping the whole night completing and assignment.
I remember doing assignments like crazy.

Friends
I remember how I made new friends. A group of students who became a special group of friends by having a group chat through msn and are in the same class for a certain subject. The group was later known as GIFC, Great Innovative Family Club.
I remember inner conflicts as well as outside threats. I regret every bad thing that had happen, I regret even more if I had something to do with it happening.
I remember keeping my secondary school friends and hanging out or at least keep in contact with them. MacDonald, basketball, msn, meeting.
I remember the primary 6 reunion party. Had buffet dinner where there were a lot of leftovers. On the spot taking up the role as MC, making phone calls to those who didn't went to the reunion party. Singing crap and people actually seemed to enjoy it.

Church

I remember starting the year full of hope for the student group, being proud and all after sweeping most the the 'best of the best' awards in church. Had other titles such as 'best cleaning care group' during the church cleaning competition.
I remember planning for things, for the student care group. We had many booms and looking back, we weren't that creative but how did we came up with all those programs. Student camp, mini-sport, Christmas dinner. Those were huge roles and responsibilities for me, I can't handle it, but I had so much help.
I remember taking the leap of faith and increasing my church-building pledge. I was touched and so I did act. I'm so blessed now because I just seem to have enough money when it is time and still have money to feed myself full all the time.
I remember having huge target for the care group and church, I so believed that. I had the vision, I hold unto the value, I believed, I had faith, but I lacked the maturity to get it done. All I did was write numbers, but never actually executed anything, I used the word executed and not done, for a reason.
I remember learning tonnes of lessons, valuable and practical. From all the teachings, from all the teachers and from all the books. I hope they are a part of me now and that I shall live them out.
I remember bringing them out for sports and for recreation, but I never get what I wanted, I lacked something.
I remember going to church. Doesn't matter if I almost fainted, was sick , very busy or opposed by my family. This is how much the church and God meant to me, this is my commitment.


Life
I remember backsliding time after time, but manage to climb back again and again. That just shows how great God is.
I remember when I had chicken pox. I felt really horrible, I couldn't stand it, all the pain, all the sore, all the itch, I felt like I was gonna die. But by the grace of God, He helped me lived through it.
I remember having hurts, but I don't remember what they are. These hurts caused me great pain back then, but God lead me again. I was able to forgive and forget.
I remember giving out, sacrificing. Going all out despite my difficulties, tried my very best, but never get back what I wanted.
I remember things happen so I can learn, there is always something to learn and a lesson to be learnt, things happen for a reason.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Semester 1

I intended to post this for quite some time now, but due to certain reasons and circumstances (which include bad connection ), it had to be delayed. But delay no more as it is posted here and now.

There are 5 subjects in total, and grateful to say that I don't need to resit or retake any of them. I got 2 distinctions and 2 credits, I also progressed in my English. Seeing my friends having good results, I'm really happy for them, but in the same time a little disappointed in mine, haha. Well, it's not good, but not bad either. I am very grateful by the very least.

So I met a few friends, got use to the place. Semester 1 has proved to be quite pleasant and I had many 1st over here. It's a great experience and learning journey.

However, what I feel awkward is, I keep on making jokes even when others are not up to it and I don't do good at written exams. My assignments are near perfect, only my written exams, that explains my final results. Haven't gotten my ( I don't know what paper it is, nor what is it for ) result slip, they just had to put it from 2pm - 4pm but they are there during office hours.