saya dak tahu melayu
Wednesday, December 24, 2014 | 6:40 PM
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| Taman Tanjung Emas (the town's park) located at the estuary of Muar River. |
Yours truly was on a Malaysia trip to visit my mother’s side family and while I’m relieved to be back in Singapore, I miss the slow-paced life that I had in Malaysia. That said, in the post-high school life, everyday has been a soul-searching, self-reflecting and society-studying day. In the past, after a trip back from Malaysia, my blog post will revolve around my Granny, about old age, about family values, reminiscence of my childhood etc. But with less on my hands back in Singapore and in Malaysia, I have a tiny bit more space in this minute brain of mine to think about other things which I have never addressed before, and got around to facing head on with some feelings and thoughts which I have put at the back of my mind every time I go back to Malaysia.
I realized that I have been quite lucky throughout my life. (Geez what a cliché line out of nowhere LOL) In all the community that I grow up and live in, I was always part of the “majority species” (i.e. Chinese). Even in kindergarten, I was in a Buddhist school (with a vegetarian menu mind you, not that I’m complaining though, I had a happy childhood heehee), and it is a requirement for all the kids to learn Chinese. So my only non-Chinese friend was this guy call Vivek who understands bits and pieces of Chinese (I think he picked up Tamil in primary school though and doesn’t really speak Chinese now).
Prejudice and discrimination is nothing new. I’ve studied it in GP lessons, discussed it with my friends, witness it in documentaries before. But to experience it and to recognize it for what it is, from the point of view of one who is at the “discriminated end”, is a first for me. And I slowly begin to see for myself how real and important the fight against discrimination is. At the same time, how superficial I had been when I volunteered in and claimed to support these movements against discrimination without truly understanding the depths of it all.
Discrimination is action that denies social participation or human rights to categories of people based on prejudice. Prejudice is prejudgment, or forming an opinion before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case. Case may refer to ... Wait what am I doing ... ?
My parents grew up in a city call Muar, which is the second largest city in the state of Johor, Malaysia. It’s near Malacca and is about a four-hour drive from Singapore. Growing up in Muar, I’ve taken my surroundings for granted and have not really realized it until my dad pointed it out a few weeks ago that Chinese is actually the majority in Muar, which is one of the few places where Chinese is the majority rather than the Malays. One would think that realizing this would put me more at ease and that I can safely remain in my comfort zone but it turns out that it actually made me more sensitive to the racial issues.
Reverse discrimination is discrimination against members of a dominant or majority group or in favor of members of a minority or historically disadvantaged group. - Wikipedia
While writing this post, I have a dozen browser and tabs opened for me to check my facts and definition (Okay I admit that half of the tabs were Youtube, Twitter and Instagram cause I got distracted (which is the criminal for making my blog posts incoherent at times). … And no I have no Instagram account but I bookmarked my friends’ account pages to stalk them because I am a
Being acutely aware of the discriminated feeling has brought me unfamiliar fear which really caught me by surprise. Before I was the victim (P.S. though I said victim, no one really physically inflicted pain or harm me, I only went through a self-inflicted mental turmoil), I thought that people who are discriminated feared the ridicule, the ostracizing, ... the feeling of being left out, of never being accepted. But only when the tables were turned, did I realize that it is much more than that.
There is this constant fear that you are neither protected nor safe and will never be because the law (or to put it more accurately, the system/culture) is not equally in your favor as another group of people. The fear, that they can mistreat you and still get away with it but there’s nothing you can do about it. You wont, don’t, and can’t say anything about it, but in your head you can’t help but scream in the highest octave you can reach, “that it’s not fair”. Funniest thing is, you’ll feel that everyone can hear you. Everyone “knows”, everyone “sees” it. Some tries to do something about it, they share your grievance but not your story, they protested in your stand but without proper justification, you knew that even if there is a so-called increase in awareness of the situation, the only ones who truly understand the severity of it all, were the ones who have been through it “down there” with you.
“Down there”, there is this constant need to watch yourself, because you cannot afford to step on “their” toes. This consistent self-minding (gosh, for the lack of a better word that my limited brain capacity can currently come up with), prevents you from breathing freely, stops you from enjoying each moment to the fullest, as you check your surroundings and yourself each time. You don’t talk too loud, for fear of getting on their nerves; you don’t talk too soft, for fear of offending them and looking like you’re talking behind their back. You’re not sure where to place your eyes, to look at them and face the judgmental look of disapproval and disdain? Probably not but looking straight and ignoring them might provoke them. Looking up might cause you to look too arrogant. Looking down might make you look weak and easier to be bullied. ... And closing your eyes just doesn’t make sense. To be at ease without having to worry about anything at any moment becomes a privilege that’s too good to be true. How tragic.
I may have exaggerated what I have felt (actually I didn’t) but le readers have to forgive me for I am quite an emotional one (and forgive yours truly for the abusing of the quotation marks i.e. “”). Anyways, time for a short break from the serious topic (which I will go back to) and switch to some stories I imported from Malaysia (about what I was doing there la duh). I felt like I was going through a “housewife training” during my stay in Malaysia. Hmmm… I wonder if I can put that into my resume… “(Self-Proclaimed) Professional Housewife”. Well, I finally learnt how to make my Granny’s special chili, a lesson I’ve been putting off for six years. I love that chili cause it literally goes with anything, from meat to veggies to kueh (and I would even eat it with plain rice only wtf) and most importantly, it is a necessary ingredient (IMO) to make mouth-watering sambal chili.
Been taking care of my four-year-old nephew and helping him reach little milestones. For one, I taught him how to eat by himself at the dining table. He was really spoilt by his parents and my granny (only-child syndrome), and they let him get away with eating meals in front of the TV, getting spoon-feed. But yours truly is having none of that as I firmly believe that all habits, especially eating habits, start young. It won’t benefit him (and those around him) if he turns out to be awkward or lack manners at the dining table after getting used to TV time during eating time. And so… somehow, I managed to get him to eat by himself at the dining table at meal times.
Okays it was no miracle. It took lots of coaxing, compliments and stories to lure him there and to get him to remain seated at the dining table. To a child, you must be really careful with what you say. Saying things like, “Oh you don’t want to come here eat? We going to give all the good food to Kor kor (scapegoat) liao.” Most of the time, they will react with more retaliation and annoyance. And sometimes express resentment towards the ‘scapegoat’ receiving the nice food in his place, by pinching or screaming at the person not to eat the food. The child will have to be led to the dining table positively and sometimes it’s easier when everyone “help out”, i.e. set up a setting as this:
How to get your toddler to eat at the dining table
Act 1 Scene 1
Characters: Toddler - Boy, Toddler’s mum, Toddler’s cousin (ideally slightly older)
Mum: /full of affection/ Boyyyy, time to eat!
Cousin: /in exaggerated disbelief/ HUH?! He so young… Know how to eat by himself meh?!
Boyboy: /eager to prove himself/ YA! I EAT (by) MYSELF!
Mum: /proudly/ See? I told you he’s grown up already.
Cousin: /in exaggerated awe/ Wow ... You’re so smart! So guai already!
How to get your toddler to eat at the dining table
Act 2 Scene 1
Characters: Toddler - Boy, Toddler’s cousin (ideally slightly older)
Cousin: Boy, come here eat. Your mummy said that you don’t know how to eat by yourself but I told her that you’re very smart and surely know how to eat by yourself.
Boyboy: /eager to be praised/ YA! I EAT (by) MYSELF!
Pardon yours truly for all the broken English I use for conversation but that’s about how it went. Of course, every kid is different (according to my granny who raised me and my brother, she did not face this problem. … I guess we were like pigs and am obsessed with eating LOL) and with kids there is no 100% success formula but this worked on my four-year-old cousin. And to keep him at the dining table, we have to constantly keep him occupied. Once he’s neglected or out of the conversation, his attention goes out of the window and he’ll leave the dining table to play with his toys or something. Anyways, for his little milestones, I taught him how to scrap his plate clean of the last few bits of food (yes somehow this has to be taught), also taught him how to brush teeth (the bottom row of his teeth was black leh wtf I’m not even exaggerating), and taught him how to spit out his sputum (痰: tan2) (okay actually it was more like vomit out his sputum cause his cough sounded like he was chocked up with sputum).
I told him that we’re going to try something interesting and then I stick my finger down my throat (similar to bulimic behavior). He followed (as monkey see, monkey do) and a while later, vomited his month-worth collection of sputum (apparently it didn’t go away despite his antibiotics). Apparently it’s not a very fun thing to do and he never wanted to try that again. So if he’s sick again, we’ll have to find other means to having him spit it out. But I guessed his breathing became much easier so despite the ordeal he had to go through, he still likes to stick with me.
By the end of the week that I spent with him, he got really attached to me (my brother was really impatient with him so I guess I was preferred though my temper is worse). There was this one time he even accidentally called me “marmee” and then right after he said it, he realized his mistake and gave such a sheepish and embarrassed look that one can’t help but laugh. LOL. Confession: I’m really proud to receive his acknowledgement and approval. Hahaha.
My time in Malaysia was not only spent with my baby cousin but also my aunts and granny. And women have to do what women have to do! i.e.
... You know what? I'll leave it for another day because this post is too long already and I'm kinda having a writer's block. Sigh. Yours truly is feeling real bad and apologetic about the quality of this post. :( Anyways this photo was taken in my granny's Malaysia home, which has much amazing white-washed walls and flooring to camwhore against (though good lighting is lacking).
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Picture perfect ,
Saturday, December 6, 2014 | 12:13 PM
Is that yours truly? Yeah I couldn’t quite believe it myself that I can also take tumblr-worthy photos like this. Ultimate credit goes to the photographer Wern Toh. Hahahah I realize I’ve been mentioning Wern quite often in my last few blog posts but it can’t be helped, I’ve been pestering and hovering around her these past few days quite a bit, so much so that I think she has become my only friend. LOL.
Anyways, this photo (and the ones that will follow in this post) was taken when I went out with her to town on 02122014 for some retail therapy. ... Okay I was kidding about the “therapy” part, it was just shopping actually. LOL. It’s quite funny how every time Shirley wants to buy something, I will just go, “Eh didn’t you have that already?” and she will be like “Nooooo I don’t haveeee”. And half the time I was just trying to stop her from stimulating the economy. LOL. ... I was only partially successful if you’re wondering.
Met her in the morning and we went to the legendary Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple in Bugis. Of all the Chinese temples in Singapore, this particular temple is well known for its divination activities which are believed to be very accurate. And thus, yours truly went there with the objective to seek answers and clarity about the road ahead. I wouldn’t talk about my findings because I believe it would jinx my blessings if I were to spread it around but I’m reassured about the direction that I should be heading now, and I guess I’m getting ready to turn my humble dreams into a reality.
Anyways, since I’m on the topic of Chinese temples, it reminded me of my CID in year 4. CID is a course in RV to prepare students for A Levels H1 Project Work in Year 5 (i.e. JC1), this is one of the perks of being an IP school (Integrated-Program, whereby students are spared of O Levels and pursue the JC path right after secondary school education). Anyways, my CID course in year was called NMA (National Monuments Ambassador) which is about the preservation of National Monuments in Singapore. My year-long project was entitled “A Street of Many Worlds”, revolving around the monuments in Telok Ayer Street.
It’s not a random picture out of nowhere okay! Hahaha. Slotting in this picture to give le readers’ eyes a break from the many words and since I was on the topic of research and project, I think it’s a good chance to showcase the pretty libraries we have in Singapore (this particular one is Orchard Library) and the abundant amount of resources that we are blessed to have which is easily within reach.
Truth be told, I’ve never heard of Telok Ayer Street until this CID and after all of the research I’ve done on it, I’m entirely convinced by myself what a beautiful place it is. The many culture blends together like a perfect Apple-Beet Root-Carrot mix. I can still recall that upon coming out of the MRT station, we are greeted with the sight of a beautiful Church with Hokkien roots. Walking down the street, there is a Mosque in between modern shop-houses. Further down, there is a vibrant Chinese temple right beside an elaborated-looking Indian Temple. It’s really all the cultures of Singapore along ONE SINGLE street. Yes the number of site recces we have done, have imprinted the layout of that place in my brain clear as crystal.
Anyways, I’ve sidetracked to talk about my previous project because it was from that project that I learnt more about the meaning of Chinese Temples, which I will now share with le readers. Oh man, you blessed people. Hahaha. For most Chinese Temples, there is a main entrance and a side entrance. The main entrance is called the 龙门 (direct translation: Dragon Door) and the side entrance is called the 虎门 (direct translation: Tiger Door).
One enters the temple through the龙门 because the evil spirits that follow you to the temple will not be able to pass the dragon, a holy animal. The spirits will wait for you at the龙门 while you carry out your activities in the temple and when you leave through the虎门, they are still waiting at the 龙门.That’s how one is cleanse upon visiting the temple according to beliefs of devotees. It is also common for Chinese to have vibrant colours, mainly red, yellow and green.
Red symbolizes happiness, yellow is highly respected for Buddhist because it symbolizes freedom of soul and green is well-liked by Taoists because it is the colour of the earth. Just some simple and interesting facts because I don’t want to make my blog posts too informative and there are areas where I definitely stands to be corrected. Anyways, speaking of the CID NMA, Shirley was in the same course too! But she was in a different group so we didn’t know each other well then. Funny (and lovely) how fate brought us together. Hahaha
Anyways, I can’t really remember where we went after going to the temple but we were wandering around Bugis Street where the shops slowly begin to open one by one. Yeah we were so early that many of the shops were closed when we arrived. LOL. We went around buying clothes and accessories (okay maybe not “we” cause she was the one who’s mostly making the purchasing LOL) She had her nails done too, at $53. It sound quite expensive but personally I think it's quite worth it (given that you are willing to spend in the first place) because the design that she did was so pretty!! Perks of being a girl heehee.
I had my eyebrows trimmed (my brows were so thick they can be compared to Crayon Shin Chan, who is by far my favourite cartoon character with his perverted but cute and hilarious antics) at this mall not far from the temple (I was trying to find the building name using google map – street view but I was getting lost along the roads. LOL definitely a new low already ... At home also can get lost). Considering that they didn’t have any brand name, they were quite professional and it was damn cheap at only 5 bucks.
They looked dubious at first, actually all the shops there look dubious according to Shirley hahah, but it turns out to be quite value-for-money (VFM). According to BusinessDictionary, VFM is based not only on the minimum purchase price (economy) but also on the maximum efficiency and effectiveness of the purchase. Man, these terms reminds me of H2 Economics which I’ve really enjoyed studying. Anyways, despite claiming that this place looks dubious, there was a particular shop there where Shirley has brought many of her watches from which is TOTALLY VFM. And for those who know Shirley, her watch collection is like damn nice la!
After “Dubious (on the outside) Mall”, we went to Orchard in search of pretty places, one of which is Orchard Library cause yours truly wanted to borrow books. Yes I really need to do something about my terrible English. Le Readers are unaware of how many times I got stuck while blogging recently because I lost touch with the English language upon the end of all A Levels paper and am now having a hard time trying to phrase what I wanna say (many a times, I cheated and use thesaurus and google translate when I only remember how to say it in Chinese). And I still manage to churn out such a long post! Hahaha
Going down to IKEA later and I’m having trouble thinking about what I should wear. Not sure why I’m taking it so seriously when it’s only IKEA and I’m just going with my family. LOL. Prom is over but the vainness has remained. Well actually it has always been there. Hahahaha. But definitely no heels for me because my dad’s big stride makes it hard for me to keep up even in sport shoes.
A girl’s obsessions with shoes should not be undermined. A matching pair of shoes not only completes the appearance but it is also where the entire mood of the outfit is built upon. My sneakers make me feel more lively and loud. When I wear sneakers, I tend to bounce more when I walk. My heels make me feel more lady-like and sexier, my arse sways more subconsciously when I sashay in my heels. My slippers make me feel more casual and laid-back, and I’d be more careless with my steps. I never used to understand why does a woman need so many shoes when one only has two feet but now I realize that a girl’s obsessions with shoes should not be undermined.
Anyways, if le readers had looked closely at the photos taken, le readers would’ve realized that I changed shoes midway. LOL. I really adore the heels (and I’ll wear them any chance that I can get) but there were truly “killer heels”. #PunIntended My heels for prom were about 5cm higher in comparison but it was painless in comparison. (FYI my heels for prom was about 15cm. LOL check out the difference of my height without those heels and with those heels ... I became taller than Amy when I’m actually shorter than her. LOL) Anyways, platform heels wins hands down for comfort (as though there's such thing as "comfort" when one wear heels) but personally I prefer stilettos cause I think it's much sexier in comparison.
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Cinderella Overnight ,
Friday, December 5, 2014 | 2:34 AM
So this is how Cinderella feels like, as she hurries away from a ball that she’s reluctant to leave. Everyone heard of Cinderella’s story, but they will never understand the panic, dread, and dismay she felt as she tries to make it on time before all the magic disappears. Anyways, yours truly writing at home now (not at any prom after-party or gathering due to strict orders from dad to get my sexy arse home) and because I’m still too high to sleep and waiting for my goddamn hair to dry (I think I spammed too much hair spray LOL). Hopefully I will be done within an hour.
When I was preparing for prom, I’ve expected the most of my cost to be on my dress or clutch or shoes. In the end, those didn’t match up to the amount I spent on make-up and hair preparation. LOL. Speaking of preparation, I owe my night to Wern Toh for not only being my make-up advisor, but also my clutch and shoes provider. LOL. Words failed me as I think about how she especially came down to Studio M Hotel to help me , Gladys and Jiahui with our make-up (despite it being out of her way and her having no obligation to). I wish I’m as great a friend to her as she is to me. :’)
I’m far from being a professional and I’m not fashionable, unlike Wern Toh sadly (if my outfits are nice, it just so happen that I manage to hit the bulls-eye and my prayers to the god of fashion has been answered). But I’m really glad that Jiahui and Gladys allowed me to do their hair for them. (Now that I think about it, they might be having a hard time now untying their hair thanks to my spamming of the hair spray to make the hairstyle last through the night)
And tonight, I learnt that a miracle did not happen to Cinderella, the “princess magic” had already been a part of her before her fairy godmother lent a hand. Remember her upbringing as a rich child before her stepmother took over her life? Elegance and beauty were already part of roots before she became a princess overnight. One does not simply strut painlessly in glass heels without prior practice, one does not simply manage to maintain an elegant posture through the evening and into the night without subconsciously having the habit to (and constant personal reminder of course).
Thus, truthfully speaking, the preparation for prom started way before this year. For the past 18 years, we were slowly taught the importance of poise and posture, of proper etiquette in eating during formal events and social interactions. “Fairy Godmother” decided that at 18, we are ready. And with a little of her assistance, we gained entry into the world of glitter and glamour. We were given the permission to celebrate what we have achieved thus far and the becoming of true ladies and real gentlemen. And that, was what I witnessed tonight – beauties and hunks of the river at the valley. ... okay not funny.
Speaking of humor (or rather, my lack of one), I was really impressed by the emcee of our prom tonight. The jokes he cracked felt really personal, as though he knew our batch, and was part of us. Thinking back, I can hardly remember any awkward moment throughout the course of his emceeing. A mistake was swiftly covered up by a joke, and a joke was immediately followed by amused laughter/cooing/cheering. I’ve been to my fair share of formal events – competition, wedding dinners etc., informal events, and though I admit that I’m not someone who have “seen the world” or have enough experience to speak, but the emcee tonight has left me with more than just a crush but also awe and admiration.
At events like this, nothing is more important than the emcee as he/she is the one controlling the atmosphere of the event, driving the crowd, like a conductor of an orchestra, like a Gru to the minions. LOL. An emcee with a unique personality and stage presence has the power to change the atmosphere of the night and boy, that was what he did. I felt that he was being himself ... If he wasn’t, then it’s even more amazing to be able to create a persona like this and portray it from the start to the end.
My first (and only) significant emcee experience was earlier this June during RVMUN and ... how should I begin to describe it? Hmmm ... The difficulties? Crowd control, appropriate tone, no awkward jokes (one cannot simply crack jokes that only RVians know and neglect the rest of the guests from other schools) or pauses … all these are nerve-wrecking especially if one lacks confidence and experience, two of the endless requirements (I would love to list more but my brain suddenly decided to abandon me, I blame the lack of good food which I paid $85 for).
So honestly speaking, it’s hard to be “intimate” with a crowd you met for the first time. Saying things that receive response not just from one corner of the room, but reach out to the rest of the people present as well. What can you say, to make not just one table in front of you entertained, but to the rest of the tens other tables? So for being one of the many reasons that I have a good laugh tonight, for being a source of inspiration to my pursue to being a public speaker, for making my heart skip a beat with this charismatic personality, I pen down my deepest gratitude to this emcee of tonight. /salute/ He received less recognition than he deserved.
Reminds one of how we take many little things for granted yeah?
... Funny how a blog post about prom turned into something like this. Hahah. I would love to continue but all princesses need their beauty sleep. There's a limit to the magic of concealer and BB cream. LOL.
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Today my life begins ,
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 | 11:34 PM
Finally got down to Adventure Cove with 6F’14 on 26 Nov since the desire to go last year. Was kind of disappointed by the rides which are mostly too short and it’s over before I truly feel the thrill of it. Tried snorkeling for the first time and for someone who doesn’t know how to swim (yes yours truly is a pure land animal), I didn’t realize how nerve-wrecking it can be until I realize I can’t seem to master the art of breathing through one’s mouth underwater.
I kept breathing through my nose subconsciously and every breath through the nose invited a gush of salty seawater which freaked me out. Can’t remember if I was splashing around (yeah being a hazard to the fishes) but in the end, I called for help and have someone pull me out. I’m aware that I won’t sink and drown thanks to the life vest but I guess I was worried that I might chock on the water and have some sort of breathing difficulties or something. LOL.
I think the best ride is called the Riptide Rocket (if I don’t remember wrongly), which was our first ride that day. Quoting from the RW Sentosa website, “Have a blast at Riptide Rocket, Southeast Asia’s first hydro-magnetic coaster. Like an intense rollercoaster on water, it combines all the powerful climbs, plunging drops, terrifying twists and tight turns to set your adrenaline pumping.” I really enjoyed the “plunging drops” of the ride which didn’t disappoint my thrill buds (adapted from taste buds) but the twists and turns weren’t as exciting as they describe it to be. The twist and turns did cause mine and Shirley’s float to flip upside down though... (and which I was secretly greatly entertained by. LOL) Out of 10, I will give this ride a 9 (P.S. I took other rides into consideration and gave this ride a slightly higher grade than it deserve)
Took the Dueling Racer next with Divya. “Ready. Set. Slide! Grab a racer mat and take your friend on a dueling high-speed competitive plunge to the finish line. Clock the fastest time down this steep Dueling Racer and claim victory with the biggest thrill ever.” Don’t be cheated by the description. LOL. It’s a really normal slide except that you get to experience it “head-first”. In terms of speed, it’s quite average and it’s also dependent on one’s weight. Heavier = faster = more fun ... PHYSICS. Anyways, saw the poster advertising the ride and the perfection of the photo is just another scam.
The happiness from the ride may not be fake but you definitely cannot open your mouth and laugh until like this without chocking on water upon arriving at the bottom of the slide. Guess who stupidly screamed for fun and opened her mouth, swallowing a mouthful of water? LOL. The water that’s splashing up in the poster is probably just the models kicking their legs, making artificial splashes and flashing smiles of happiness from the thought of the pay that they will receive afterwards rather than portraying joy from riding the slide. Okay maybe they are not as stupid as yours truly and managed to smile so brightly without chocking on water after going down the slide at HIGH-SPEED. 4 out of 10 for the slide with a deceiving name.
Also went on the Whirlpool Washout, partnering Janice. “Get ready for a whirl of excitement as you power through revolutions, twists, turns and dips before spilling out into an open cool splash pool.” While we were waiting to get on the ride (it was quite a long wait time btw. THANK GOD for Janice who made the wait totally bearable and even enjoyable.), the ride looked quite eggciting with the spiral design and stuff and I was praying for a mind-blowing ride (i.e. USS’s Mummy Ride). But bewildered was I when we almost got stuck in the Whirlpool going round and round rather than going down. LOL. When I was promised “power through revolutions, twists, turns and dips”, I really expected a whirlpool with vigorous suctions (… this is probably a misuse of English LOL) and NOT a leisure spin that ended all too quickly. 6 out of 10 for the ride that tried to trap me and Janice.
Also went on the Spiral Washout (which is similar to the Whirlpool Washout) with Janice again. “Get funneled into an oscillating tube ride that will leave you and your friends reeling through a twisting, turning water flume. Hold on tight as you soar at incredible speed before spilling out into a splash pool.” By now, you should’ve realized that these advertisements are just exaggerations and with all the emphasize on mathematics and science and honesty (we law by law one okay!) in Singapore, one would’ve expected more from these descriptions. I mean when I see “incredible speed”, my body is preparing me for at least 83km/h (speed of a motorbike ... I googled), not 9km/h (approximately my NAPFA 2.4km run speed). ... I think I exaggerated ... Well I guess we’re even now. Hahahah. Anyways, 6.5 out of 10 for Spiral Washout because it didn’t try to trap me and Janice. Hahaha.
There was also the Adventure River which I don’t really count as a ride but more of a means to travel around the theme park but anyways, here’s the short intro: “Grab a tube and take a leisurely ride down Adventure River, floating through 14 stunning habitats including a lush jungle garden, a mysterious grotto and an underwater tunnel with a sea of marine life swimming above and around you.” It’s really quite fun but I wished it had been more “flow-ish” like the Lazy River at Jurong West Swimming Complex.
To move around in the Adventure River, one have to manually manoeuvre oneself along the river but for the Lazy River at Jurong West Swimming Complex, you can just sit in the tube and the current will push you along. That said, I guess the Adventure River is without a current cause at some point one can stop at some course of the river and look at the marine life as promised by the advertisement. LOL. An 8 out of 10 for this feature of Adventure Cove. (I refuse to consider it as a ride)
I guess I’ve basically talked about all the rides that I’ve tried, though I’ve missed out on the Big Bucket Treehouse, which is like a big water playground for kids. We wanted to try the Splashworks which Shirley had recommended but sadly all rides were close in the afternoon due to bad weather. Apparently there’s a dive pool there but I guess even if I dared to dive, I might not survive the dive due to my lack of swimming abilities. (Like how I tried the snorkelling but had to give up midway. LOL burden teh)
I also left out the locker hassle which wasted about an hour of our time inside the theme park. But despite the lousy locker quality, locker rental is a must if one wants to enjoy their time fully. So all in all, 33.5 out of 50! Not bad, B leh! Higher than my average grade. LOL. Anyways, in case the organization sues me for copyrights issue for quoting and flamming their advertisement, I’ve kopped the description from the RW Sentosa website and all other personal opinions listed are biased and subjected to individual’s judgement. LOL.
Anyways, I didn’t intend to write so much about the theme park itself initially but somehow the blog post turned out to be a review of Adventure Cove. LOL. Well, one event that I cannot turn into a review is the Potluck with 4J’12 on 25 Nov at the function room of Amy’s condominium. For those who are unaware, basically a Potluck is whereby each guest brings their own food and then everyone shares the food that they brought, turning it into a “homemade” buffet.
I’m used to barbeques having too much food to finish but the massive amount of food that was leftover from the Potluck surprised me. LOL. I didn’t eat a lot due to a lack of appetite till now I couldn’t explain (maybe I was too excited and too high for food intake) but it was a pity because now that I think back, there’s so much that I can eat!!! /Exasperated sigh/ But one cannot help but be high when one play card games with the 4J of 2012 ... Especially mind games. Hahahah.
Playing mind games with a bunch of schemers (yours truly proudly include herself under this label) is over-whelming entertaining to the point where I nearly have an identity crisis at every turn (i.e. games like Saboteur and Resistance, whereby players have an identity that is “for me to know and for you to find out”) And I didn’t realize how much I miss hugging my girls on a whim. (In comparison, my Junior College friends are less touchy) And every moment flashed by so quickly, faster than the Riptide Rocket in Adventure Cove, that I’m currently having a hard time recollecting and penning down the memories.
What I can do remember though, (surprisingly, because it happened even earlier before) was Amy’s 18-years-old birthday surprise that took place on 22 Oct. LOL. It was memorable because this kind of surprise was my first time. /inappropriate bashful smile/ Anyways, we (me, Kelloy and Puipui) asked Amy to meet at JEM for a birthday lunch. Wanting to GL her, we led her to the Xin Wang Hong Kong Café (it’s GL cause she’s sensitive about her Hong Kong roots which we always GL her about, gosh I can hear her insisting that she’s a pure Singaporean already. LOL)
After which, we confessed that there’s a REAL birthday surprise which require trust between her and us and her approval. Well of course she agreed or else there will be nothing for me to blog about (LOL) and we BLINDFOLDED her in PUBLIC and led her to ... Porn’s at Star Vista (it’s a Thai restaurant owned by Pornsak). Now that I think about it, it’s quite a mean feat to blindfold her and led her onto the train and stuff. LOL. To mislead her on where we’re going, we recorded a series of messages and basically blasted it into her ears so that she cannot hear where we’re heading.
I would love to say that it had been a perfectly successful surprise but she can tell that we’re heading towards Star Vista despite our efforts. LOL. Singapore’s too small to play a game like this, especially with the A Levels around the corner at that time. But nonetheless, (self-proclaimed) full marks for the effort and fun and the savory and affordable food which had made the studying period that followed less taxing. LOL the word 'study' feels so foreign now that all the exam stress are over.
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