In Singapore 2

Today is 31st December, and this is my..5th day at HCIBS (Hwa Chong Inst. Boarding School). I am adapting well, and I am quite confident of getting around by MRT and bus already. I actually visited a church yesterday night..departed on my own..thankfully there were strangers who gave me directions (though my uncle warned me not to be too trusting!) I’ll be going to see my uncle’s family this afternoon, alone again.

There are about 10 of our seniors (direct scholars now in JC2) staying at HCIBS. They took the initiative to get to know us two nights ago, and we have been spending some time together–eating, playing badminton etc. They gave us some very important info (READ: How to break hostel rules) and shared their experience with us. There are many flow through scholars (people who came in sec 1 or sec 3) here also, but according to the seniors, they have become very Singaporeanised so it’s harder for them to understand the difficulties we might face. But most of the boarders are from PRC(China).

The seniors told us that the first 3 months here will be enjoyable, but once the S’pore O-level results are out in March and students are shifted to other schools, things will start to gear up. Then there is also the NAPFA thing…(don’t know if the acronym is correct…singaporeans use so many short forms!!). It’s a physical test that everyone is required to pass before they can play other games in PE class. Apparently it is taken very seriously. Don’t know if that’s good or bad news for me.

My computer time is up again….so that’s all. I can’t post my entries here..I always get “URL cannot be retrieved”, so I’ll be relying on Wei Liang to do it for me. Thank you again Wei Liang.

So..Happy New Year everyone! Live 2006 purposefully and all the best.

p/s: found out that some people here actually deferred their JPA scholarships after getting it…so they’ll finish their A-levels here first…now I think that’s quite a wise thing to do. But then again, there’s the bond and I have to decide what course to take if I apply. But I’ll definitely think about it.

In Singapore

I’m typing this in the computer room of my hostel…just back from a swim..it’s the first time i’m swimming in an Olympic-sized pool! And guess what, I got my blog password WRONG again!!. Can’t believe it. So have to do it in gmail again.

I have stayed at Hwa Chong boarding school for two nights…and thankfully, I am not as lost as I was when I arrived. (I hate being in new places–hate getting lost.) I also know how to get around by MRT and bus roughly, it’s not that easy to get lost, I think. = D I am reminded of the first day in Keat Hwa,I was soo scared, really. But I have grown, and I can take care of myself better now than 5 years ago. I must thank St. John for this! If I hadn’t gone through some strict training, I suspect I might be crying over here. And by the way, Hwa Chong is a really nice place to stay in, by my standards.

My roommates and I are getting along quite well..we seem to be on the same wavelength, so I expect we’ll be able to live together peacefully. =D Emile is a very bubbly and curious girl, loves to sing, and can swim twice as fast as I can (Of course, I’m as slow as a tortoise.) Yingxu, on the other hand, really likes to draw Japanese anime. Both are from Selangor.

For the past two days I have been busy shopping for household items with dad, but he went back yesterday. I didn’t anticipate all this! I actually asked dad to “go home” after bringing me to the hostel..but when Yingxu arrived with SO many things I realised how many more things I need here. Emile and Yingxu have made their corner of the room somewhat like home, but mine is still quite empty and lifeless. I don’t know if I want to put up a lot of things–imagine packing up at the end of the year when I have to clear everything. Okay, so I’m quite lazy to do this kind of stuff.

The first night here I missed home a lot. It’s not the kind of sadness that brings tears, but my heart felt a few kilograms heavier than usual. Nevertheless, the feeling went away after finding things to do. So, I’m doing fine.

I’ll be going to National Junior College opposite the road..it’s a 10-minute walk to school. ( I’m just STAYING at Hwa Chong, not STUDYING there, people! ) There are only 9 new scholars going to NJC from my hostel..most of them are flow-through scholars (been here for quite some time). Will get to meet them when I go for briefing this afternoon.

It’s kind of noisy here…most of the people (kids??) are sec school students playing computer games..so I can’t really concentrate..writing very carelessly again. I’ll write more when I go to school on 3rd Jan. Have explored the building with Emile, looks like a shopping mall inside. Heh.

I haven’t really told many people about my blog..but here’s my address:

Jasmine Yow
Hall B-3R/06D
Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School
673 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 269735

and email jasmine.yow (at) gmail.com if you want my handphone number.

Oh yes, I must remind myself to smile more here! Heheh. That’s the advice some of my friends gave me. Wei Yee called me 3 days ago and told me my voice still sounds like a little girl. Asked me to appreciate everything I have here and smile everyday. =)

p/s: thanks wei liang for helping me post this.

updates

I’m still a blur sotong as I’m writing this, although I have successfully remembered my password.

2 nights ago I was up the whole night doing deco in church with the Lim Kok Wing students. That’s why I’m almost dead. I think this is the 4th time I’ve stayed up all through the night.(First time on the bus back from SJAM national competition, 2nd time in maths camp playing chor tai ti, and third time prepraring for debate) I had fun, and I discovered how particular these architecture & graphic/design students are with their work! I admire them, really (though I don’t see why decoration is THAT important.) It’s also the first time I went mamaking at 3 a.m. Crazy. Yesterday night we had the Christmas production..it was a 40-minute drama about a guy interviewing 4 different Gods (money, fame, power, and beauty)..before deciding that all of them are not what he wants. The actors were good,and I thought the multimedia team and sound & lighting crew were especially great. Don’t get to see this stuff often. However it was more entartaining rather than meaningful.

Oh well, in response to Nooi Hoay’s comment for my last post, I have to agree that sometimes new people are easier to connect with. (Familiarity breeds contempt??) I think that’s partly because we can be ourselves, besides being interested and excited about meeting new friends. But most of the time these people just remain as acquaintances, I guess. Relationships that grow with time are the most precious ones.

Anyway, before I leave KL, I just want to say a big thank you to ECF for letting me join your family. Every year I come down, you people welcome me with open arms, and see to my every need. I love being among you guys!

I’m going to Singapore on 26th morning…accepted the ASEAN scholarship. Going to stay at Hwa Chung Boarding School. It seems so fast–I don’t know if I’m ready to start going to school and WEAR SCHOOL UNIFORMS all over again. Oh, and just in case some people wonder why I decided to go, or why I’m not keen on JPA–I don’t want the 10-year bond that comes with JPA. In fact, I’m not even sure what I want to study. I guess another 2 years doing A-levels will give me more time to decide. And actually….I heard there are loads of opportunities for me to learn dance in Singapore. That’s something I really love.

It may not be the most secure or wisest choice, especially if I want to do medicine. I don’t know what’s in store for me there. I don’t even have a purpose, don’t even know what I want out of it. But I have peace in my heart about studying there. So I will go. And I know God will lead.