Quick post, quick post, gotta sleep in a few minutes, still haven't showered.

Today I got all my school work done by 3.30. Feel very accomplished. :) :) But then I got distracted by msn and chatting with pplz and catching up with David Shim -whom I haven't seen in roughly 10 years but recently got into contact with on fb- so I lagged on the other work I was planning to do today. Also, today my dad's classmate from ACS who's a fantastic musician, is staying with us. After lunch, he and two other musicians from church came over and jammed for hours. I eventually joined them, thus eliminating any possiblity of completing the other tasks I had set before me today.

We breaked for dinner, then went back to jamming. In fact, we just ended half an hour ago... 11+pm. Which is why I gotta rush this. But it was fantastic fun! :D

To make up for such a short post, here's a funny smth I koped from De Qi's blog. Thanks DQ, hehe. ^^

'Learn Chinese in 5 Minutes' directions:
read these out loud

(English Phrase) I think you need a facelift

(Chinese Phrase) Chin Tu Fat


(English Phrase) Are you hiding a fugitive?

(Chinese Phrase) Hu Yu Hai Ding?


(English Phrase) See me A.S.A.P.

(Chinese Phrase) Kum Hia Nao


(English Phrase) Stupid Man

(Chinese Phrase) Dum Gai


(English Phrase) Small Horse

(Chinese Phrase) Tai Ni Po Ni


(English Phrase) Did you go to the beach?

(Chinese Phrase) Wai Yu So Tan?


(English Phrase) I bumped into a coffee table

(Chinese Phrase) Ai Bang Mai Ni


(English Phrase) It's very dark in here

(Chinese Phrase) Wai So Dim


(English Phrase) This is a tow away zone

(Chinese Phrase) No Pah King


(English Phrase) You are not very bright

(Chinese Phrase) Yu So Dum


(English Phrase) I got this for free

(Chinese Phrase) Ai No Pei


(English Phrase) I am not guilty!

(Chinese Phrase) Wai Hang Mi?


(English Phrase) Please stay a while longer

(Chinese Phrase) Wai Go Nao?


(English Phrase) They have arrived

(Chinese Phrase) Hai Dei Kum.


(English Phrase) Stay out of sight

(Chinese Phrase) Lei Lo


(English Phrase) He's cleaning his automobile

(Chinese Phrase) Wa Sing Ka.


(English Phrase) Your body odor is offensive

(Chinese Phrase) Yu Stin Ki


(English Phrase) I thought you were on a diet?

(Chinese Phrase) Wai Yu Mun Ching?

If you didn't get it, you won't get it. If you did, hopefully you had as good a laugh as I did. ^^ ~Night!

Okay, so here's what happened. You see that first "Edit: " line in my last post? Well yeah, I made it to 3 a.m., and that's when my mom- who HAD been asleep- woke up for some reason and realized I was still up. She was SOOO mad... she switched off the internet and chased me (rather scarily) to bed. PLUS, while I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth, she confiscated my laptop and hid it. Hence, my lack of blog updates the last few days, and the absence of my presence on MSN. =P

On the first day that the comp was gone, it felt like... Whoa, something's seriously missing. Felt like I hadn't used a computer for a week or more, because during the holidays I'd gotten used to going online a few times a day. I think I must've gone through some kinda computer-withdrawal. Symptoms like randomly "hearing" the MSN alert sound... feeling as if not using the computer those "multiple times in a day" was like not having all 3 meals... going about my day with a constant blog-style commentary chattering on in my head... yeah.

But I guess it was sorta a good thing that "temptation was removed from my path", because school started on Wednesday, and it has NOT been a relaxed, chill-out-ish first (half) week of school. For some reason, my classes feel loaded. Like, period after period, bam, bam, bam. Like, some classes aren't hard, per se, but I'm trying to discipline myself to not let my mind wander so much, and that extra amount of focus can be tiring. But I'm enjoying the challenge of it, and with all the work I have to do (outside-school stuff too), actually having more to do makes me manage my time better. These are my classes for this semester:

• AP Calculus
• AP World History
• Mandarin 4
• American Literature
• Physics
• Drama (auditions/play coming up!!)
• Judeo-Christian History & Literature 2
• Anatomy

The AP classes (Advanced Placement- they give you college credit) are... whew. Like on the first day of AP Calc, we got and hour and a half of homework. But in the two classes we've had, Mr Jeremy's done a good job so far. I won't report everything in every class, cuz that would just waste your time reading here. Generally commenting on these first 3 school days, I would say... it feels good to be getting back into gear. Now let's just see how this first school weekend goes- if I can hold true to my resolution to be not slack off and leave work until too late.

Dad's been helping out around school. Apparently today he taught the jazz band some stuff. He sat in on our drama class as well. Don't know what else he's been doing around school, but it's a good start. His reputation of "Ariel's cool dad" is spreading. HAhahaha.

Um... I'll have a lot to post here if I choose to start talking more specifically about school. But with me being sleepy right now, it'd become rambling, so I shall refrain. :D Oh, we've been preparing for the next youth Sunday, the 24th. Yesterday we had band practice. It was fun with Rissa and Nathan and Peace. Peace is really quite good on the drums. =) Very flexible with his rhythms and tempos.

I guess I'll end here... I'm sorta grasping for things to say already. I know there's a lot more I wanna talk about but my brain's gone on strike for tonight. :D And I think I should get to sleep soon otherwise I'll kenna my comp confiscated again. I just got it back like, 2 hours ago. ^^^

Edit: I just realized that this is the last night of the summer that I can stay up late!! O_O Ok, gonna stay up laaaaaaaaaaaaate now. Hmph. ^^
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I am so amped for the drama now. :D

"Amped", as Tim- my British classmate- would say. Hahahahaha.

I want the part of Jo. (Um... not the "Jo", who's my friend, whom I've mentioned in posts before.) Right now I think there are some people who could play that part better than I, and from a director's point of view, I'd say give the role to them. SO. I am going to start work now, and make sure I become the best Jo the ICS stage can have. Well, even though I don't naturally look the part, what with Jo being an American character, but I can't help that much. And that's what costumes and makeup are for. :)

That means, reading or re-reading the books (Little Women/Good Wives). Watching the film. Picking up an American accent and making it sound natural. I suppose... that means no Singlish even in blogs? Hm... maybe it doesn't have to do that far. But well, whatever it takes. I WANT THAT ROLE.
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Right. =) Today was open house. Sorry, I didn't take pictures... mom had the camera with her. It wasn't very much anyway. Just seeing friends, then going to the auditorium for awhile (which I missed, because we student council people spent that time in the front foyer pointing the way for the late-comers. Then off to homeroom classes to get our schedules, after which we visit our various classes and pick up our course syllabuses, chat with the teachers, etc...

My schedule is the messiest and most uncertain that I've ever had it. Out of 8 blocks (modules), I only know 4 for sure. There are soo many variables. I feel like it's one of those grid puzzles with the pieces sliding around, and you have to push then here and there to get everything in the right place.

Going further back through my day~ this morning I went to Liz Ketcham's house, and Rose went over too. We did beading for awhile, talked a lot, and then went to Central for lunch and to buy school supplies. We had Au Bon Pain for lunch. "This (sandwich) is too good to be mere mortal food..." "I think they eat stuff like this on Mount Olympus."

I got an SAT review book... man, I feel privileged to not have to take O and A levels. Just the SATs. Dumb as they are. = =

Not much else to report on today. Wow... not using Singlish and shortcuts sure makes a post feel a lot longer...

Oh, here's a picture and the dance video from out youth sunday 3 weeks ago. Another one coming up the week after next.

From left to right: Rose (the one I went out with today), Shaina, Liz (her too), me, Karrell (who has since gone to the US for university.


Here, vid! :)
(Hey you Sg peeps, I still wanna see YOUR dance vid!!)

POIEMA.

Miss you.

The more I try and get involved back with my life here, the more I miss and long for the ppl there.

That's not good.

I must... live everyday, knowing that each is special. I must cherish my friends and relationships and responsibilities wherever I am.

But it's just hard.

Anyway, today our family all wore red tops and white pants to church, for ytd's Sg National Day. =) Yes, we make it quite known that we are Singaporeans, and PROUD OF IT. Ahahaha. I guess we're all a little more patriotic (esp me, haha) , now that we're not living there any more. Like, "you don't know what you have, till it's gone", and "absence makes the heart grow fonder". That sorta thing.

At home dad was all like, "Take picture, take picture." But then he had some difficulty figuring out the timer on his cam, so we ended up with dunno how many candid shots of us half- , or not-at-all-posing for the picture, because the shutter would go off at the wrong time and dunno wad. Finally got 2 good ones, haha. Jana's proudly holding the Sg flag she colored in Sunday school- because of the Olympics, all the kids got to color their own country's flag. (As mom said, "It would have been a lot easier for us in primary school if they just printed out flags for us to color, like that. Not make us draw all the starsss and the moon by ourselves..." Rmb those days? Haha.)



Ah, and now I've finally gotten all the pics I want from dad's camera, so I'll be able to post pics from the beach trip, and put up the Give Us Clean Hands video from youth sunday. =)
Short post tonight, it's late, and tmr's an early day.

Daphne, Jia En, Lydia, Jocylyn.... :D *piang eh* ^^