Canoeing Contact Time

Today has been a horrid experience, but with the love of God I pulled through. I now am able to understand the power of prayer in my life, and I really thank Him for that.

As our Canoeing Contact Time was postponed due to choppy waters and bad weather, I had my make-up session today at the MOE Changi Coast Adventure Centre. Contrary to our previous session, the weather was perfectly normal today, which foretold that we would have an awesome time in the sea.

We did have a great time canoeing.

It all started in the morning at 7.15am, when all of us gathered in school, in anticipation of what was about to happen. Worried that the weather forecast of the day was not checked and verified, we were unsure whether we were able to get into the waters today, but one glance at the sea was enough to tell me that we were going to have fun.

A funny incident that happened today was that when we left for the Adventure Camp in Changi, Ms Wai was not on the bus! When we noticed her absence, it was too late - we had already entered the PIE and could not turn back. Thank God that Mr Nathan drove her here - she would not have the opportunity to kayak with us if otherwise.

The journey on the bus was interesting somehow. I sat next to Justin Chee, who accompanied me because I had no one next to me, and we started chatting. Soon enough, though, I began to annoy him (which usually happens when I randomly begin singing next to people) and his reaction was priceless!

Usually when I sing, Samuel would shake me and beg me to stop, Jonah and Emmanuel would ask me to shut up, and Wei Quan would react in a very annoyed manner. Justin, however, just gave me that look, and after a while he told me to stop. It was quite similar to what Jonah and Emmanuel would do, but his facial expression would remain etched to my memories of the year.

Finally! We reached the MOE Adventure Camp. We got into our kayaking gear (which was, for me, basically my PE uniform and a spectacle band to keep my spectacles in place) and assembled in front of our instructor, Sky. Putting on our Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) and grabbing onto our paddles, my partner, Bhalaji, and I went to get our kayak.

After quite a long briefing and a Water Confidence Test (which was really fun considering the fact that I never swam in the sea before) that involved us floating on the surface of the water with our PFDs, we finally got into our kayaks and prepared for launch. We were one of the first few, but had to wait quite a while before we proceeded onto the water.

Although it was decided that I sit in front, unfortunately I had to sit behind as I was wearing a bib (number 5 yay!) and Bhalaji took the front seat. We took quite a while to complete our rounds because we were quite slow, and we ended up not completing our last anti-clockwise round because of the limited time. However, I was gladdened by the fact that Bhalaji was really cooperative throughout the programme and showed concern for me.

During our capsize drill, Bhalaji and I were thrown off and probably was in a state of confusion, but miraculously we managed to flip the boat (with lots of teamwork :D) and got in before three minutes had passed. Thank God!

Teamwork, though (with my other classmates), was not really that superb, so I think that my classmates and I should work on building stronger bonds with each other and work together well as a team.

Things didn’t go as well from then on. After reaching back to school, Emmanuel, Kennard, Edwin, Dean, Justin and I went over to Tanglin CC for lunch, and after eating a delicious bowl of noodles, I suddenly felt uneasy. It didn’t really bother me much at first, at least until my face started to itch.

I continued to play basketball with them under the afternoon sun (which could have aggravated the reaction) and after a while, my whole body began to itch, especially my legs.

I was confused then - what should I do? Immediately informing my mother, I headed straight to school where I met Mr Anthony Tan, who calmed me down and prayed over me. Unbelievably, after saying a prayer for me (and at the last Amen), I vomited everything out (I’m sorry, uncle, for making you clean up).

All thanks to God, I managed to reach the clinic near my house in time and got an anti-allergy jab. Alleluia!

One last thing - when I was at my neighbourhood clinic, I met with my kindergarten friend, Chloe, her sister and domestic helper. When the receptionist at the clinic was closing the shutters, she didn’t notice Chloe’s sister leaning against the window and the shutters slammed her on the head! Thank God that it was bleeding though :(

Thanks to Jing for reminding me about my defunct blog! :)

Boredom kills the soul

There seemed to be something missing during this period of time. Is it the lack of things to do? Or is it the excess of the things we want to do? It seems a little ironic how we hoped to be able to have fun, enjoy and play whatever we desire after our exams, yet when that opportunity arrives, the repetition of these actions begin to bore us, similar to how I felt when I was studying. Not that I'm speaking of my dislike of studying (I prefer to gain knowledge and utilise it everyday; studying, as perceived by Singaporean students everywhere, seems more of a hassle), but sometimes it can be true.

Apologies if you thought that didn't make sense. I hope you'd understand what I meant though.

Personally, I would be able to answer both questions with a 'yes'. It seems to be that there is something lacking in my life right now, just because I've been doing what I wished I could do just before the examination period began.

Thankfully, I can 'find solace' (hurhur, it is not really a very depressing moment for me now) in my schoolmates and of course the Legion of Mary, who never fail to provide me with a very joyful experience in my daily life. Of course my family members do play a part in that joy-giving.

I wrote this post today not because I just felt like it, but because I needed a platform to share my experience to whoever can find this page, and of course there was really nothing I could do. I mean, what else can you do at home other than playing the game you played almost a hundred times over?

Boredom kills the soul.

The Life of a Singaporean Student

Daily Quotes
In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.
- John Churton Collins

With the hustle and bustle of education in Singapore, I find myself increasingly unable to update this blog, despite its recent revival from slumber.

Furthermore, with the arrival of the the first Summer Youth Olympic Games 2010 in Singapore, the common tests have been rescheduled as 'class tests' - although it appears to be of no weighting in the final examinations at the end of the year, the phrase is, apparently, incoherent to its meaning.

They are examinations. "Alas, it was true," said the medieval knight.

Though the road ahead may be challenging, at least we still have the medieval knight to be our confidante and consoler.

Sad to say, the medieval knight has yet to be able to resume his usual routine of spouting incomprehensible rubbish due to the stress the metal armour has on him. Forgive him, please.

The Beginning of an End

Daily Quotes
"Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open."
- Elmer G. Letterman

I began the day lethargic, with little energy to spare. It was about an hour to noon then, with loud clapping sounds welcoming my awakening. Alas, it is true - my mom clapped to wake me up.

It was a cloudy morning; the sun hidden behind the white puffy clouds shaped almost like the pillow that lay upon my bed. Birds flew in the sky freely, the dogs and the cats barked and meowed, while the flies and the pests did their, uh, thing. I felt like I was in an empty void - there was nothing I could do (other than my assignments and revision).

Switching on my laptop with a single touch, I suddenly chanced upon thefirstcrusade, a blog I used to own, a blog I wrote on every single day, now plain and dead (much like Tiffany's blog). Then, I thought, if I could continue what I loved - writing on a blog, to tell the world how I felt, the joys and the sadness of my life. An epiphany!

Now, I have adopted a persona of a medieval knight, ready to prance upon the enemy with a sword, a shield, and bulky armour that restricts my movements. Metal armour. Sigh.

Unfortunately, updates won't come frequently, especially during these crucial moments. As usual, I will try my best, so keep your eyes open!

Russell