If I were a fruit, I would be...

If I were a fruit, I would be...depressed. Okay, I know we're supposed to fill in the name of the fruit, but I'll get to that later. Fruits can't talk, they can't walk, they can't do ANYTHING except be eaten, and you've got to admit, awating your doom while sitting on a shelf in a dirty supermarket is kinda depressing.

Back to the point, if I was a fruit, I would be a cherry. Cherries are my favourite fruit and I like their deep red colour. Sitting in a box despite being in a dirty supermarket isn't as depressing. And not all supermarkets are dirty. The other choice would be the green apple. I like it's sour taste, so I can imagine I'll probably be extra mean and walk (that means only if fruits walk when we're not around, like the toys in Toy Story) with a swagger.

It wouldn't be very exciting being a fruit...or would it? So when we get eaten by a person, and chomped to bits, where to our eyes go? The first, second, third, fourth or the millionth piece? Hmm...that would be interesting to know about...

Good Manners can open doors that the best education cannot...

Hmm, what does " Good manners can open doors that the best education cannot," mean? If you think of this literally, it actually means that good manners turn the doorknob and education can't. What's the point of being education if you can't open doors while manners can? That's pointless, even I can turn doorknobs and I'm neither education nor manners!

But come to think about it, I don't think Clarence Thomas meant it literally. In that case, he must have meant it metaphorically. I apologise, for 'metaphorically' is not a proper word and does not exist in the dictionary, at least not the ones I checked.

However, 'metaphorically' comes from the word 'metaphorical' which means a word or phrase that is not concerned with real objects or physical events, but with ideas or events of a non-physical kind. Basically in an abstract form.

So, what I think it means is that no matter how smart one is, he or she must still have good manners to have more opportunities in life. However, I disagree with this explanation (even though it's my own).

Having good manners must be taught and if it is taught, then it must be a form of education, is it not? That is as good as saying Education and Manners are related in some kind, and they're about the same except one can open doors but the other can't.

So in a way, this is like a "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" question which is impossible to actually solve, because there is no exact answer. I'm sure you can see why, if one says the chicken came first, I can argue that the chicken came from an egg, but if one says the egg came first, I can say some chicken must have hatched the egg.

I do not think there is a definite answer, but I suspect that my answer is correct in some form.

I may have talked too much and I hope you weren't bored by my lecturing, but I think I can bring 'metaphorically' to the professionals to publish in Longman , unless it is what Mrs Tay calls a 'coin' and is a new word which has not been published in a dictionary yet.

My new playlist

Guys, check out my new playlist! I've got almost all of MJ's hits except some when he was still with the Jackson 5. I've got Thriller, Remember The Time, Billie Jean, Bad, Beat It, The Way You Make me feel, Dirty Diana (Neanthrathal), P.Y.T and Smooth Criminal.

I've also got No Boundaries by Adam and Kris (in seperate songs), the runner up and winner of American Idol respectively. I've also got Poker Face by Lady Gaga (the Fame) and Please Mr Postman by The Carpenters. I bet Sofia will laugh her head off after listening to that one. Please don't listen to Please Mr Postman, it is dear for my own amusement.

I hope you enjoy all those songs as much as I do, especially the MJ ones and the Adam and Kris ones!

Michael Jackson

This is a repost regarding the King. I totally misjudged him when I was "young and foolish". Now that I've actually listened to all of his hit songs, I know what they meant.

When you hear, "but, the kid is not my son" (Billie Jean) or " The fire's in their eyes, and their words are really clear, so beat it" (Beat It", what will be your first reaction? A grin, a smile? A nodding of head to the beat or maybe you would dance?

For me, the first reaction is to (don't laugh) start singing. Either I'll move my feet in a pathetic attempt to imitate MJ's moonwalk, or I'll mouth the words (yes, I try remember).

Michael Jackson's life had three eras, the childhood, the inspirational years and the not-so-inspirational years. Everytime I take those annoying facebook tests, they always put me under the childhood years. Well, I find that time a very disturbing time for Michael, as he was put through a rough childhood and a belt-wielding father, Joe.

I admire Michael Jackson's music, see his dancing and grin, and read his history and feel pity for him. I'm sure you've all admired the superstar and his legend.

To me, he was a prodigy. To me, he was an inspiration, someone I look up to. But from me, and on behalf of all my friends, I hope he rests in peace.

R.I.P, Michael Joseph Jackson, from 5I.

NE show

The NE show was very boring. The most intresting part of the show was probably the long queue to the toilet. Rika, my close friend who was supposed to be my partner, was absent on MC. Luckily Sofia (another close friend) offered to partner me. The first part of the show was the Red Lions jumping down and the activities. Then, we saw the "terrorist attack" which was so fake. Then I went to the toilet for almost 20 minutes before finally going back. At last, my mother came over and I gathered my things and headed over to Nan Hua's side. I stayed with them for the rest of the show before it started to rain. That's when I realised something : I had left my poncho on my seat at HPPS's side! My mom made me don her poncho as she opened her umbrella and controlled her class. In the end, we headed to Nan Hua Primary and after all the children from my mum's class had gone, we took a cab back home.

Ancient Civilisation

This is on the English topic we're doing, Ancient Greece. In Ancient Greece, the women can't do ANYTHING. If I lived there, I would be extremely unhappy as I have no assets and I would have to be married early so I can depend on my husband (that is so disgusting, what was wrong with the Greeks?).

The men could do whatever they want whereas the women couldn't, they treated the women as good-for-nothings, only useful for bearing offspring, sewing, cooking and doing all the household chores when the men led a terrific life.

I think it serves the men right that they have to act as women in plays. They were the ones who weren't reasonable, so I wonder why the Greeks didn't call those boys (who played women) names. They deserve it.

The women in those times could not ask questions, and neither could they talk too much. That isn't fair at all and I think I wouldn't be able to survive in those times, for I am extremely talkative (but now I'm in the middle of Yan Yan and Sonia, and I can't talk to ANYONE at all...).

I don't know what grudge men held against women in those times, but all I can say is that I'm glad people like Amelia Earhart, Margaret Thatcher and Florence Nightingale appeared, because if not, I'll be sitting at home doing household chores.

Class Librarian

It tickles me to think that Mrs Tay chose me and Rika to be the class librarians only because we were in the same group...and then she moves me next to Christian!

Mrs Tay says that she is going to make us take back our books. To all my friends: THE BOOK NUMBER IS NOT ON THE SPINE OF THE BOOK! I don't understand: It's on the inside!

Leave the checking to us, please, and don't complicate things. I am always the book number checker whereas Rika records everything.

It's nice to be class librarian. It's not boring and you have the privilege of borrowing and returning books first so you can choose which ones you want.

I love books and I like reading but I must be on my bed, lying down. I have perfect eyesight even though I am ALWAYS doing something to spoil it. If I'm not lying down to read, I'm using the computer for 2 hours straight without stopping... :D

Death of MJ: R.I.P, Michael

I am not a very big fan of MJ, so I was exaggerating a lot in the Music post when I said that it was a great deal. I was shell shocked that MJ died. I was shell shocked Jamie and Glenn Ong broke up (they're so loving, I mean come on). I was even more shocked when I found out Jackson married Elvis's daughter. (I mean, they're two music greats, it's funny they're related.)

Then I realised that changes happens. Cardiac Arrest was how Jackson died. Cardiac arrest. I thought it was the overload of pills or his seven nose jobs. Never expected the King Of Pop to have a heart attack.

Well, what is done is done, so I can't do anything. MJ often covered his children's faces in public. He had a lot of lawsuits filed against him, like child molestation.

But so what? What do you remember Michael Jackson for, friends?

His music? His complicated life? Do you know him at all? His many wives?

For me, it's the most obvious thing- his dancing. His mesmerising moonwalk and great dancing stunned me when I watched his music video for the first time when I was 6 or 7.

He was very graceful and carried himself so well that I was in awe.

But the many newspaper reports tell me something. I read one which said: I remember when Michael Jackson was new in showbiz, dancing and everybody liked him for his music, dance, and his HANDSOMENESS. The reporter implied he wasn't handsome anymore and that he was weird. And he said something which made realisation dawn on me: MJ, you died 30 years ago.

I don't agree on the weird part, but his last sentence made me wonder. Is that true? I respect Jackson a lot, but I have to agree. Not because Jacko was weird, but because there were so many secrets which he hid and did not own up to. I cannot deny the fact that I am annoyed by that, but I can still say with a clear conscience that I respect him. And I do.

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson. Rest in peace.

American Idol

Okay, let's come clean. I have been constantly asked by Sofia, Who is your favourite American Idol or Idol runner-up? I know Sofia's favourite is Adam Lambert (*sigh*) but I thought about it and I think that my favourite this year would probably be (drumroll, please) ...Adam!!! Okay, so I backed Sofia on that one, but there are several things about favourites from past years where our thoughts differ...

Flashback: A conversation between myself and Sofia on Season 7 favourite:

N: Who's your favourite from Season 7?
S: David Cook, of course.
N: I hate David Cook. I like Archuleta. Cook is more handsome lah, but Archuleta's voice is very dynamic. I like it.
S: Well I don't, I think DC is better.
N: Whatever, I don't think you'll ever wake up anyway.

I was recalling this incident that occured at the start of the year and I was wondering why and how Sofia could "fall in love" with the different guys from each season. Then I came to a simple conclusion: Sofia watched EVERY single episode of American Idol whereas I only watched the results.

Wait a minute. I don't think I've heard Kris sing before. Yeah, I didn't, only Adam, which explains my frantic choice.

The thing about American Idol is that it is unpredictable. I thought Adam would win. Kris did. Last year I thought Archuleta would win. Cook did. Biasness? I'm a jinx (possible...)? No. Only because it's unpredictable and that every vote counts. Cook beat Archie by a landslide of 12 million votes. Wow.

Now that's what I call showbiz.

Music

I love music! I have many favourite singers and bands, like Jesse McCartney, We The Kings, Taylor Swift, Flo Rida, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, ABBA, Anne Murray (okay, that is seriously old fashioned but her songs are nice...) and my all-time favourite, Second-hand Serenade. (Kudos to Sofia!)

I am very crazy about Taylor Swift songs, my favourite is Teardrops On My Guitar, followed by Love Story. I like Cook better than Archuleta when it comes to looks, vice verca in terms of the voice.

As for the "old-timers": ABBA, Anne Murray, Elvis and Jackson, I like their voice but I don't like Jackson himself. I like Murray and ABBA as their voices are very good but in terms of clarity, Murray tops the chart.

You must be wondering (ok, maybe not) which genre of music I like. My favourite is pop (which is why it was such a great deal when MJ died as he was crowned "King Of Pop"), vintage rock, R&B, and ballads.

I have to add things to my list of songs as it isn't a lot. I usually take Sofia's songs via Bluetooth as she has a lot of songs. My dad doesn't dig all of my favourite music, so I have no choice but to take from Sof. (Sof doesn't mind, does she???)

My house

I did not know what to post so I decided to post about my house. My house is a penthouse with three levels. That isn't actually my house, I have another one which I go to on weekends. I stay at that home as both my parents work so my cousins and my sister stay there so our grandparents can look after us.

There are 11 people who live in that house: My grandfather, my grandmother, my uncle, my aunt, my dad, my mum, my older cousin, my younger cousin, me, my sister, my maid. It may seem cramped but it is alright even though with the arrival of my sister, it is very noisy. My sis is three, by the way.

My maid's room is on the first floor, which is located near the computer and the two printers. On the second floor, there is a room on the far left. My mother, father and sister sleep there. Next to it is the living room and the balcony. On the far right is the room which myself, my elder cousin and my grandparents sleep in.

On the third floor is the kitchen, my uncle, aunt and younger cousin's room, the laundry room, storeroom and dining table.

There are three beds in MY room. My cousin's bed is the coldest, situated near the door. But my cousin is pretty cool, he does not care and never complains. My grandparent's bed is next to my cousin's. It is nearest to the bathroom.

And on the hottest corner in the room which is behind the aircon, next to the wall, near to the light, next to my cabinet and grandparent's clothes is somebody's bed.

That somebody doesn't say its hot and doesn't complain. That somebody is so good. Okay, okay, that somebody is me!!

Nicholas Again

This is a wonderful book about a boy named Nicholas and his friends, Alec, Cuthbert, Matthew, Geoffrey and many others who form a so-called 'gang'. They have different adventures and my favourite is the one on The Boy Scouts.

It is about all of them wanting to buy a present for their teacher and they bought a small figure of two Boy Scouts which cost two thousand francs, who Geoffrey paid for as his father is super rich. They flip coins to see who gets to keep it until the next day when they give it to their teacher. They are extremely unhappy when Matthew wins as he is the clumsiest.

When he is playing with it the next day under his table, his teacher confiscates it and doesn't look at all happy, saying Matthew must stay back after school.
The gang want to return their money, but outside the shop, Matthew slips and breaks the boy scouts. The twist is so funny for each and every story and that what makes these kind of books awesome.

Night At The Museum 2

I was aching with laughter after watching Night At The Museum 2. It was awesome and it was definitely laugh out loud material.

Night At The Museum two is about (spoiler ahead, those who want to watch, don't read on) Larry Daley(Ben Stiller, Night At The Museum) living a successful life but when he goes back to the museum, he realises they are all going to move to storage underneath the National Mall.

He travels there after they're gone as he gets a notification from Jedediah (Owen Wilson, Marley and me) that Dexter the monkey stole that thing that makes them come to life.
So he goes there, meets the Pharaoh who is that other guy's brother (I apologise. I don't know his name!!!)

He wants to bring his workers back to life but he needs the password for the thing that makes them come to life (Sofia, help me out here).

So, he captures Jedediah, and refuses to let him go and gives Larry an hour to find him. He gets the password which is pi from the Albert Einstien bobbleheads (They are my favourite, they're so cute). Instead, he quarrels with the pharaoh. A fight breaks out and Larry wins. Oh, I forgot Amelia Earhart, who falls in love with Larry and sends him home (by plane, how cool is that?).

All in all, it was a wonderful experience watching Night At The Museum 2. I watched Number 1 but I don't reckon number 2 is as good as number 1. :D

My favourite place

I have three favourite places. I would list them from the bottom up.

3) Home sweet home. This should be ranked 'one', but I'm not exactly a very family person, and I know that if I could live in the place ranked 'one', I'll be on Cloud Nine! I chose home as that is where all the love comes from, and you feel accepted and comfortable. One of the best reasons is that I can boss my younger cousin around, just by siding with the adults! Also, I am always playing with Sofia as a lot of people from HPPS live in my condo.

2) The basketball court. This is definitely one of my favourite places. I often play basketball by myself, or if I'm lucky, with my cousins. I like to take small children by suprise; I always throw the ball to them and then catch it before they do. Then I shoot. This technique always makes them clap, whether the ball goes into the net or not. Basketball is my favourite sport, (yes, suprisingly not soccer) I like it because I'm good at it. My long legs and long torso (is that the right word?) allow me to shoot with ease.

1) Okay. You should have guessed anyway. My all-time favourite place is Old Trafford, as it is the 'home' of my the best club in the world- Manchester United Football Club! I went there when I was four. I still have some merchandise which I gave my little sister, as it obviously doesn't fit me anymore. There is something that still fits me, though. A snow cap, you know those that keep your head warm. It has a Man U crest sewn on. It used to be my father's, but he said he'll give it to me and let me grow into it. Although, as I mentioned earlier, I like playing basketball more than soccer, I like watching soccer more than BB.

To clarify things, my favourite football club is MUFC, and my favourite player Wayne Rooney. However, my favourite basketball teams are the Los Angeles Lakers and The Cleaveland Cavaliers, as I like these players - Kobe Bean Bryant and LeBron Raymone James.

Oh! Look at the time - I've got to play basketball!

Courtesy

I feel courtesy is important. A familliar scene would be that parents are scolding their children for lets say, shoving their sibling. Then the parent would tell the child, "If he shoved you, would you like it?" This is a question which gets me thinking: Yes, would you?

When in the toilet, especially for the boys, and you don't 'aim' properly, the urine is all over the floor. The person who goes into that cubicle or uses the urinal wouldn't like it. Would you? If you reserve seats for yourself with tissue in crowded hawker centre and everyone else can't get a seat, they wouldn't like it. Would you?

I heard this funny incident on Gold 90 f.m. that if someone in a crowded place reserves seats with tissue, take the tissue, put it in your pocket, and have your meal there. When the person comes back, explain the situation and tell him/her that they are in the wrong. And as a finishing touch, take a tissue out of the packet and wipe your mouth, saying, "Thanks for the tissue, by the way."

My dear friends, this is a post that is similar to the one about family, because I am very serious about courtesy. Our world has a lack of it, and we need to buck up, especially Singaporeans with their uncouth habits.

Just remember, a simple act of courtesy can change the person you are helping's mood for the day.

As a signing off, I would like to remind you of the phrase we often use: Laughing is contagious. If we start courtesy, it can spread.

Courtesy is contagious, my friends, believe me. It is.

Creativity

It is a very subjective matter to ask whether it is inborn or not. My mother is an art teacher but my art isn't good at all. I feel it can be nurtured, the 'art' of creativity. Creativity can range from a 3 year old drawing a face (or a 'smelly tofu' as my sis calls it cause my dad told her to) to a professional artist painting a picture of a dragonfly.

It is possible to be nurtured with enthusiasm and encouragement, as long as the right attitude is present.

That was the problem......I didn't know.

When I read the post I felt really nervous. I couldn't imagine Mrs Tay reading that. It sounded so serious, and Mrs Tay is quite nice, so it doesn't comprehend in my mind that well.

I feel it isn't going to happen. I will never love an object more than my family. It will be cruel, even a bit sadistic to lose your family members for an inanimate object. This is a cruel world. The world does not have a lot of kindness and happiness. There is terrorism, kidnapping, murder. The only people whom will always support you is your family.

Everytime I walk past an old folk's home, or see an old lady crossing the street alone, I feel as if an arrow has just stabbed my heart. Does the old lady's family really have no time to watch her? It may be her fault, yes, but the family could at least follow her. Not dump her with a careless helper.

We should treasure what we have for now. We will never live forever, and it is very comforting to know that those who read this post are not poor or anything. We must treasure our life and the people next to us well before we lose them. I know this topic is on family but I mean everybody, from family to friends.

There is a story about a boy whom had a bad temper. His father gave him some nails and a hammer and told him to nail a nail in the fence whenever he cursed or sweared at someone. Gradually, the nails grew smaller and smaller and soon, he was able to tell his father he did not curse or swear at all on that day. His father told him to take out a nail. He found it was hard to, but finally, after many days, he was able to tell his father there were no more nails on the fence.

His father led him to the fence, now scarred with holes. He told his son, "My dear son, look at the fence. No matter how hard you try, you cannot remove the hole you have left on the fence. Imagine the fence is someone's heart. Think about how many people you have hurt emotionally. Treasure your friends and the people around you well and stop leaving holes."

To my dear friends: I am sorry if I have ever left a hole.

What I have been dreaming about...

I love to dream about ambitions! Recently I've been put next to a boy and so life is 'hard'. Still, that doesn't stop my imagination RUNNING wild!

I have always dreamt to be a famous author, because I think, although the actual dream was about being a part time author and lawyer, I can't be one. That is why I lose to Rika in debating. All the time. I think I'm only better than her in art...


Coming back to the subject, I like to wish. Like wishing I'm not sitting next to someone of the opposite gender, for example. Or wishing that my friends would stop shoving me everytime I score a basket with the netball. It's a form of happiness, but sometimes I'm not too sure. I think they're exaggerating.

Our math teacher gives us math speed tests occasionally, and on the last speed test, I scored 10 points for my ex-group. I hope I can do that now I am in Group 4, so that I can earn the points for them so they'll remain at the top.

I sometimes have this crazy wish that I was a footballer for Manchester United and that I am good. Sir Alex will appreciate me even though I am a girl who is 10+ (11 on 7th). I will train and work as a goalkeeper with the back four, like Vidic, Brown, Ferdinand and Neville. My favourite player, Wayne Rooney, is cool and reliable so I can train with him! Yeah!

I love dreaming. It's so cool just entering this imaginary world, a fantasy of my own desire, a perfect empire. Then, someone shouts in my ear for me to stop daydreaming.

*Sigh...* I absolutely hate pulling out of my dream.

Stress

It's quite okay, I mean some students are better yet some are worse under stress. For example, A and B are twins. They are put under the exact same amount of pressure. But A can cope and B can't. What does this show? If that happens, it's not the authorities' fault right?

It also isn't very smart of teachers to give their students LOADS of stress, but when it is still considered just, some students like to complain and I hate that. It's so annoying.

So could those complain kings and queens out there PLEASE stop?

Manchester United

Today I'm going to tell you guys about my favourite football club, MANCHESTER UNITED!! Manchester United is a very old club compared to Chelsea, a club WAY younger than United. They have won 17 premier league titles and a LOT of silverware, so you can imagine. Sir Alex Ferguson, who has taken United to 'glory' many times, and United, after putting up a great fight are 5 points ahead of title rivals Liverpool, and 13 points ahead of Arsenal.

1998's issue should not appear again, when United, who were 12 points ahead of Arsenal, had so many injuries that they 'led' Arsenal to the title. This was major grief to United. This year, there were also many injuies, but they are a very big club and can cope with such things now that they have matured. I hope United will strive this season. They may even have a chance to win four titles! Edwin Van Der Sar only needs one more game to beat the European world record of 14 clean sheets. (If he wins, he'll have 15)

United is a strong club and they WILL survive. All the fans of the big four, inclusing Aston Villa, watch out.

P5 Camp

I loved P5 Camp! Actually, I was worried before going as I knew I would miss my parents and little sis, and I must confess I am very happy it is over. Our trainer said that a lot of bad things happened at camp, like when we were conquering the wall, he told us not to conquer it alone, your friends should be by your side when you climb it, as people ran and jumped, and they couldn't catch hold of the edge and fell on their heads as a result.

The activities were super fun but we couldn't do the rock wall as it rained, and according to my trainer, "hecan't control the weather." I liked the CRC. I didn't get to try the tyres which were hanging at different places, but I tried the cargo net and the one with the gigantic truck tyres where we crawled through. Shaun (our trainer) scared us a bit with his 'Be safe. A lot of things happened at camp before.', but it was cool all the same.

Campfire night was amazing! We combined with Group 6, and we did the one on idols. I was the host, and the Sarimbun monkeys were so funny. Even though I already seen it once (during rehearsal), I still laughed when they presented it the second time.

I felt worried everytime they said 'shower'. I don't know why. In actual fact, I love water, and showering makes no difference, but I just felt so nervous everytime they talked about lunch, or dinner, or sleep, or bathing. It was just retarded.

I didn't like all of our group members, but they were okay. When we were doing the song session, I liked it a lot. I like just settling down, and having fun with my friends and trainers! I didn't see our teacher's a lot, but I walked past the cabin. Theirs looked comfortable... >: (

On the last day, our task was very easy. We had to find lost and found items. We had to form groups of five and set off by the destination the teacher assigned. Mine? The girl's toilet. We found a lot of underwear and we had to put in in old trash bags. I mean, that sucks!! I was skeptical when Mac, the camp chief said that due to the recession the gift shop closed. I think he didn't let us go because there was no more time.

Overall, camp was fun and interesting. I took away a lot from camp, but I left my fear of heights there. I loved abseiling, and if anybody was going for an adventure camp like that, I'm in!

Hobbies

Hi everybody! So, recently I've been told to write about my hobbies. Well, they are reading, playing soccer, playing pool and I hope that one day I'll write driving when I get my license!

I'm more active and that's why I will cover 1 and 2 first. Reading and soccer are worlds apart. My favourite book (Thanks to my friend's reminder) is the Graveyard Book. Neil Gaiman is a wonderful author and I have read two of his books, Interworld and the Graveyard Book. Much as it seems, The Graveyard Book is not scary. The end is a bit of a tearjerker and I like Silas, whom although not stated, is a vampire (I think). Interworld is about a boy named Joey Harker who walks straight out of his own world and into another dimension. Read Interworld to find Joey's link between the characters in the other dimension.

Soccer is an amazing game, it is a bit pointless, twenty men chase one ball and one of them kicks it in between two poles and run around while taking off their shirt at the same time. But I love the game. It is just so interesting and the pressure just makes it more appealing. I support Man U despite constant weighing downs by some people who say I'm a Chelsea fan...

To be very very honest, I've never played a full game of pool before. I just watch it on TV and I like the way it is played.

I LOVE cars. I like the Lexus and the Chevrolet. The black for both colours is cool, and the yellow for the Chevrolet Corvette is amazingly fun-looking, even though I hate yellow. I want to get my driving license as soon as possible so I can get a car!

That's all for my hobbies. Please excuse any typing errors, I've been typing this without looking at the keyboard.

Signing off,

Nic. (Nicole, 5I)