love can...

i''m back!

back from my short trip, and it was most fulfilling, one bcos i got to experience a new lifestyle alone, and another hand i got to learn new things and see new things as i move along.

my trip started in macau, after which i headed to hongkong via the sea, then i traveled to shenzhen and took a flight to shanghai and met up with my uncle. the route was abit awkward cos it wasnt perfectly planned beforehand, but it turned out great!

Macau

the bus started at 7pm on 14th dec, it tooked me almost 12 hours before i reach ZhuHai, the city right next to macau, i could even see the ppl over at macau jogging in the park...its that near.

one funny thing i saw at the customs, is the departure and arrival card, the back of the card reads:

didnt do many things in macau though, frankly i dun really like the place...cos ppl are smoking everywhere, even indoors, and my nose got 24/7 supply of polluted air, talk about second-hand smoking. i went to find my god-mother as soon as i arrive, and turn out she was with her performing crew and touring china, macau was one of their stop, so first day didnt do anything but sit at her clan huiguan and listen to traditional music and take in polluted air.

i actually wanted to leave macau the very next day, but my mother's classmate persuaded me to stay cos my godmother's crew will be performing at The Venetian the next day, its one of the best casino and entertainment arena in macau and i had to take a look. so the next morning i went shopping around the city,

that night i visited the Venetian, and was awed, not only by the shops and casinos there, but the ballroom they performed at. and bcos i was with my godmother, i got to be part of the banquet hehe...there was also a lucky draw, every table will have 7 winners, prizes include mp4s and handphones, and my number for no.7, and it won be a....IRON!! lol...ppl who know me well, will know i iron my shirt every day, so its the perfect christmas gift to me from macau..haha my god mother won a handphone though...grrr lol

some of the shops in the "fake venis" inside the Venetian...the sky looked beautiful, but its already 7pm! cos its fake la..lol

the casino...im not supose to be gng in, but i managed to sneak in after getting caught once! haha

my lucky number and my lucky iron! lol

i left macau early next morning and headed for hongkong. macau didnt really leave a deep impression in me, in fact the dinner and the lucky draw was more significant..haha basically i dun visit macau unless u are there to gamble, thats my conclusion.

gonna go for training now, will blog abt my hongkong trip soon when im free again, see you guys soon!

ArnoldSYC

my trip starts today!

3:51 pm
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im going on my individual trip today!! the bus to macau leaves at 7pm later, i'll arrive at my first destination tmr it...it's gng to be a 10hours ride!!

highly anticipating...i'm gng to go on a shopping spree! not bringing many clothes, gonna shop and wear straight away! hehe

i dunno if i'll get internet access in this 7 days away, so bye bye blog, i'll come back soon!

ArnoldSYC

First Discovery in China

6:01 pm
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I CANT ACCESS MY BLOG!!

LOL...u must be wondering if my brain is working properly, bcos if i cant access my blog, why am i blogging right now??

the fact is, i cannot access my blog, but i can access www.blogger.com. which means i can write blogs, but i cant view them...haha so kindly pardon me.

my china trip started over here:

i arrived at around noon, and my first stop is to settle down at my father's office first and have lunch. these few days actually quite sianz, nth much to do except settle down. had my first training with my coach on saturday, next training is tmr! really excited and im really disappointed to see how much my skills deproved from last yr...proved that SAJC TT training is totally USELESS...haha sorry teammates, but its true right?

probably the best thing that happened past 3 days was the late night ktv-ing on saturday, it was peak hour but it was the only day most of my relative are free, so we drove and arrived at KangKangLiuDing, one of the best ktv operator in xiamen...

this is their main entrance, and the thing that awed me was...theres about 3 other ktvs operating across the road, all looked equally zai, but my father said this one was recently renovated, so we entered. and o yea, KTVs in xiamen is out-of-bounds to kids belows the age of 18!! that means i actually entered illegally..haha

not difficult to imagine why are KTVs only for 18 and above, this place is so diff from singapore! i think its totally diff level from singapore. in singapore, ktv is considered a recreation ba...but over here i suspose its a luxury...just look at the main hall, looks like some hotel. the KTV is actually 3 storyes tall, my room happened to be at the 3rd floor, and this is wat i saw as i walked out of the lift:

looks like some hotel more than a ktv right?? below is the stairway to the 2nd floor...

and finally i entered my room. and its totally different from what we see in singapore. i've went to ktv in china before, so im not really awed, but its still luxurious entertainment for me. the room consist of 3 parts. the stage. the sofas. and the bar. this is what i saw as i entered the room:

its the TV, the mini stage and the seats. below is the view while standing on the stage:

its really the best place to sing, a mini tv in front of u, and ur listeners get to sit in the sofa or chill at the bar. below is the view from the sofa seats:

really had an enjoyable time that night, the songs were very new and i got the chance to test out my voice for the first time since i learnt a new singing technique.

but whats my point of posting up the pictures?

one is for u to be able to see my journey

another reason is so that my friends who hasnt been to china can have a feel of life in china. so many ppl in singapore think we are living a better lifestyle than the ppl in china, and i want to prove those ppl wrong! look at how advance the entertainment business in xiamen, one of the smallest city in china, has advanced beyond singapore! many uncles and aunties think china only has villages with farms and cows...lol...they are super uber wrong! u might think yea these places are only for the rich...but wait a sec! students very often visit KTVs too, illegally of cos...bocs they below 18 ma... haha

this is what im trying to say, i really like the lifestyle my relatives are living in china, china has already won singapore in many places, we as singaporeans should remain ignorant about it. hopefully i can post pictures about other aspects of life in china later, so do check it out.

i've come to the end of this post, i really cannot access my blog, other ppl's blog too...so sorry peeps, but i'll try to blog whenever im free yea? and i can read my tagboard so u guys can continue tagging on it. im getting really to go on my solo trip, so many things highly anticipated, hope u guys are having fun in singapore and enjoying ur holidays too.

till i blog again!

ArnoldSYC

再见以前先说再见

1:12 am
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my plane will take off in about 6.5 hours time, gonna catch a shuteye soon if not i would risk oversleeping later.

really pek chek about the stupid budget airlines, just bcos i wanna save that hundred bucks, dun have this dun have that, now im even told that i have to physically walk up the plane...omg just hope i will land at xiamen asap. 4hour15minutes

im gng back, going back to where i started, and i'll find myself there, the original self, the yuchuan i wanna be, just wait.

i want this trip to be different from the past 10 trips, just like SL Intensive 2007, i wanna make this trip the most rewarding. i love to travel alone and go on a so-called adventure and explore the world myself, and this time im gng to do just that.

i'll be carrying my backpack and visiting cities i've nvr been, and explore places i have nvr ventured too, its gng to be exciting and highly anticipated! i'll be on the move and stop by anywhere i came along when i need a rest. of cos i'll be taking photos and staying connected thru the internet.

and i'll continue to blog about trip, whenever i have access to the net and there's things to blog about, so do check it out yay!

objective for this year-end retreat: explore, train, study and retrieve.

so goodbye singapore, and goodbye all my beloved friends, even though its only gng to be a short seperation, let's say this final goodbye before we meet again...

ArnoldSYC

i need more time...

2:38 am
0 comments

ok intensive is over alright, and everyone is either blogging loads about it or writing tons of messages in the SL forums. i didnt really go blog hoping but i did read any blogs i came across which was about this camp. Guess everyone who blogged felt this camp was a great success and they learnt alot from it, some ppl even said this camp we planned was the "best ever" camp they've been thru, truly im very delighted to hear that my juniors are grateful to our efforts, and reassure us that we're not too old yet. Since so many ppl are writing regarding the camp my blog cannot remind stagnant, but i'll not blog about the normal things which so many ppl have repeated over and over again, plz read my junior's blogs if u wanna know the details of the camp, i'll just briefly recount it, for good memories.

but firstly i wanna thank some ppl, alot of ppl. thanks graduation gift for me, even though it is one year late, but its the thought that count. i was so surprise to know that u guys actually prepared a grad gift for us excos, and u all actually sew it up urself! it really gave me alot of motivation and great start to the camp for me!

its actually a soft toy in the shape of Y, with "exco2006 yuchuan secretary" glued on it, sew together using two pieces of cloth and stuff with cotton, im really touched...even though i had unhappiness about being a SL at the end of sec 4, this gift washed away all my unhappiness and left me with brilliant memories of those good old days.

and i wanna thank all who have written warm fuzzies to me, i've kept all of them in my wallet and u bet i'll not throw it away. it really propel me to fight on during my low points and i'll cherish them.

before i start about the camp, i've got this insecurity in me since we broke camp. here i wanna make things right first, i apologize for any unhappiness felt by anyone i know since my absence from home and during the camp. i tend to be careless with my speech, perfectionist when doing things and it gets worse when im super uber tired and weared out, so i do not want any misunderstanding, plz clarify with me if u feel offended, i do not mean anything evil in the things i do, so pardon me for my mistake thus far.

ok SL intensive 2007...it all started here...

camp opt room

in-door dance cheorographing

mass dance party at parade sq!

reflection sharing time

Day 2

Basha building in the morning

Night in the Basha and fariz doing sentry duty with me

Day 3

highlight of the camp: night trek 11KM (nicole and ruimin acting cute, if u can identify them...haha)

dancing somewhere at sengkang

Day 4

final test: electric fence (they are suspose to transport everyone out of the boundary surrounded by ruffia string)

above are just events which i took pictures of, there many other activities that took place. everyone cried during the camp, except me and few others helping me out with logistic, and up till today i still dunno what did the rest of my camp comm did to make them cry out loud in the music room. all i know is junjin play our emo camp songs and said some emo speeches, and all of a sudden it struck to everyone in the room how much they love SLB, how much they cherish their friends, and how they did not do their job as a SL in the past, and everyone started crying. "BELIEVE" is the word. i havent really understood the whole story so i cant comment about it. but this event made me realize how emotional kids nowadays are getting, and how little they think on their own. if its just about how to take charge of their life, how has life unfolded for them and how much they love SLB, they shouldve done some soulsearching themselve alone, so i think there's something more.

whatever the case might be, im just glade that the juniors are finally enlightened and feel bonded as one SLB. from the start till the end of the camp, i seen the side of SLB which i havent seen for ages, those enthusiasm, those bond, those trust. my memories of the SLB was already fading b4 the start of the camp, and now it has suddenly became so clear in front of me, how was i like when i was a member of SLB, a proud member.

like i said during the debrief. im amazing and delighted to see how we the seniors, ppl like hongyou jasper nelson desmond junjin and me, how we could still work together after not seeing each other for so long, its really amazing. it suddenly struck me how long i've been MIA in SLB, since i entered JC, i've totally lost touch with the SLs in xinmin, even when i was secretary for the board, i practically didnt do anything to propel the board higher, i might even weaken it further. ms kuck said this during her speech, "a secretary is a person who take cares of everything gng on in the board, when theres any qns, the first person to ask is the secretary, the secretary is also someone not hesitant to give support to any troubled soul", even though the speech was for auldrey the current secretary, i made me think back about myself, i did not accomplish any of the responsibility of a secretary, i was not THE SECRETARY, but just someone who worn the exco badge and walked around the school doing nothing.

but what can i do? my juniors said they learnt alot during the camp, but this camp is also a learning journey for me. back in my era, i did not had the chance to lead any major events which involved the whole board, this intensive was the first time i was so involved, ironic huh? i dun have the experience like hongyou. neither do i have those CCA experiences in the UG like jasper. i do not have the eloquent speaking ability of junjin. neither do i have the cool and calm of nelson. all the more i dun have the flexibility of aishah my president. nor the perseverence of desmond. so what do i have that i can contribution? im just another extra senior with nothing special and can do nth but talk alot of crap. SLAB?? lol so what if i join, i dun even know what we are gng to do, and what my juniors wanna learn from me? this camp showed me how naive i was, i thought i was a leader, but i cant even made a simple decision without consulting others, im terribly outshined by my comrades. i mean seriously, what diff does it make whether im in the camp comm or not? what diff does it make if im in SLAB at all? anyone can do what i did, i have nth that can be used as an asset to the SLB, its time to face reality yuchuan. my presence is really so insignificant that everyone dun even bother to answer to my qns, like what happened during sing-a-long, and my point is always ignored during discussion, and no one is willing to give me the responsibility even when i step up to take it. i really dunno whose problem is it, but the attitude of ppl around me really make me feel this way. reality also gave me more assurance. since the sec4s get the luxury to consider about joining SLAB, why should i accept everything ppl ask of me? i know i said b4 i'll do whatever i can as long as xinmin needs my help, but i will have to gauge myself this time, how much i can help in SLAB, b4 i find something which can be an asset to SLB or SLAB, i am not gng to join SLAB, im not gng to let myself look like a fool.

i hope didnt offend anyone down here, bcos this is MY blog right? so i just write m impromptu random thoughts in, some of them might not be logical actually, but deep down i really feel i was not good enough for the SLB, neither im good enough for SLAB. its time for me to find myself again, find my strengths and my purpose. like what ms tee always tell me, i need to be more careful and not underestimate challenges, at the same time i need to enrich myself with more knowledge if not i'll become an empty vessel. im not gng to become an empty vessel, thus i need to start improve myself. this crappy year in sajc really made me a worse person, i no longer know who am i anymore, so this return to xinmin did help to find me back. but there's still some missing pieces i need to locate, but rest assure im on my way and making progresses.

i looked thru some old photos of my SL days in our msn groups, and those pictures really brought back so many good memories, and set me thinking of how i was then, and what i am now. see how much i've changed in just 1 or 2 yrs, just by looking, its not that hard to spot me right? lol

SL Investiture '06

SL Trainee Workshop '06

as i look at how i've changed, how i use to laugh and smile, how the juniors used to look, how the seniors used to behave. and i look at myself now, and this sense of regret fill me, why have i lost myself in whole yr when i could find myself back so easily.

maybe cos its so early now and my mind is not working fine, i wrote lots of crap in this post, plz pardon me. but i know its time for me to start again, from where i took off, i dunno what exactly took away somethings which i had, but now im getting them all back, just wait.

SLB, its forever My SLB, Our SLB

ArnoldSYC