Sunday. Sigh...

Feel tired and a bit sick...No fever though.

Finally. The day we've all been waiting to end.

We (we being the Protem committee) left our classrooms after the Reading Period. We met in the Student Lounge where final preparations for the celebrations later. I would be found furiously tearing up the Bingo cards. (No, not tearing them up as in destroying them.) By 9.30 am I moved everything needed for Bingo up to Hall 2. Tables and chairs flew into position in the Hall. By 10 am we were ready to begin.

The Lower Secondary students were the first to play the games. They were more spontaneous and forthcoming. I enjoyed playing with them. Being the host, when I saw this response, naturally I felt happier and I was determined to make it a good game.

When it was time for the switch of activities, we worried that the Upper Secondary students would make the game horrible. They didn't - in fact, none even came. For the first few minutes, anyway. Some did come later - to play badminton in the hall. Other than those, there were people who came to play, but the response was not as good as with the Lower Secondary. At 12.30 pm, we cleaned up the hall as the other students cleaned up their classrooms. Debrief was at Hall 1. Originally what followed the celebrations was supposed to be the voting of the future President and Vice-President of the 11th Student Council, but that was pushed back to Tuesday as Mrs. Lim knew all of us were tired.

After that, Kegan and I searched the whole school for a missing walkie-talkie. We gave up and I headed home at around 3 pm.

At 6.10 pm, I reached West Coast Park. Michelle and Clarence had organised this class outing cum camp. Only a few were staying overnight at the park. I wasn't one of them. Dinner was pizza. For the night, we climbed the pyramid to the halfway net and sat there while we shared stories, be it ghost stories or jokes. The pyramid was the noisiest spot of that night. I went home at 9.30 pm with 4 other guys, but separated with them just outside the park.

I wish for more outings, be it class or Councillor or ELDDS...

The whole afternoon today was devoted to preparations for tomorrow's Teachers' Day Celebrations. At the end of the day, the prizes have been wrapped, and half of the Bingo cards have been cut.

It's such a busy day that I don't know where to begin. All I can remember is that I had ELDDS.

Got back more Common Test papers, such that Chemistry is the only subject left whose paper we have not gotten back. I got 20 upon 20 for Elective Geography. One word - unbelievable.

After school I stayed back to wrap prizes for Bingo winners on Friday. A mousepad and a ballpoint pen would form a prize, and Aquafresh toothpaste and toothbrush for another. This is my first go at gift-wrapping, and I won't say it's the best. At the end of the day I wrapped 12 mousepads, with 7 more mousepads and all 8 Aquafresh combos to be wrapped. I'll continue on Thursday maybe.

Received back some of the Common Test papers (namely English and Physics). Not bad.

Sunday. Oh well.

The clock struck 12.00.00 am.

A new day has begun. And we are still making the Teachers' Day gift. From midnight onwards, people began to yawn and take short naps. I slept from 2.30 am to 3.30 am. Most of them went to bed at 5 something.

When morning came, so did breakfast. Ms Ang bought roti prata for all of us. After that, most people went off for their activities for the morning - CIP, CCA, helpers for Sports and Fitness Day (which happened to fall on this very day). Only Kegan, Fiona and I were left to move all the things in Room 1-4 back to the Student Lounge. There, we made a few more windmills before Kegan slept for 2 hours and Fiona, after wrapping prizes for the concert items, went to sleep too. I only felt a little bit tired, but not so tired as to fall asleep right there. I was also a little pissed off that we didn't manage to follow the programme for the morning. We were supposed to finalise the order of events for the Preliminary Rounds for Teachers' Day concert items, but in the end we did it at only 11 something. During their sleep, Xin Jie and later Edwin came along.

The Preliminary Rounds came afterwards. There were a total of 20 performances for the day, each not supposed to exceed 6 minutes. However, it was a little messy. Kegan was the emcee for the day, Edwin was the stage manager, Wei Loong and I were considered assistant stage managers. There were not many major problems, except for the part when the bands from 3/10 and 5/2-4/6 combined had to set up their equipments and adjust the sound and all. This took an extremely long time. Other than that, some teams wanted to shuffle their order, some to the front and some to the back. The whole event ended at 4.30 pm. With that, the Protem camp also came to an end. I guess the rest were so tired they decided to push the debrief to next time. Dismissed, we went home.

But that's not all. The moment I reached the bus stop on the way home, a thunderstorm suddenly brewed. Time was around 4.40 pm. It was the strongest and most ferocious I had seen. Heavy rain fell, lightning could even be seen sometimes, and big winds blew the rain into the shelters. I even thought a tornado was coming our way. In all this mayhem, I missed my bus and had to wait for the next one. When I reached home, the rain had subsided a bit, but the lightning continued.

Strangely, I wished there could be another round of heavy rain with wind, but with no thunder and lightning. But one thing's for sure: I wish there could be more camps. It's not only fun; it fosters greater friendship between the participants. Not to mention it's tiring, but who cares? I don't.

PS: It was around 8 pm tonight that I felt really tired and sleepy. Before that I thought it was a Friday in school, and I had a good sleep the previous night. I slept at 8.10 pm.

It's the last day of the Common Test! Today's paper is Chemistry, and it's not exactly easy...but neither is it difficult.

Being the last day of the Common Test, we (being the Protem Committee) decided to camp overnight for Teacher's Day preparations. Later we realized that 3/7 was also staying overnight, but theirs is a class camp.

Anyway, we first congregated in the Student Lounge. We planned on using and sleeping in the Reading Room (which is in Campus 2) for the night, but Ms Wassan later told us that the school attendant wanted us to stay in Campus 1 instead of Campus 2. The rooms in Campus 2 will have their alarms turned on, all except the Reading Room. So while we are moving our things to Campus 1, we might move secretly to the Reading Room.

We moved our things to Room 1-4 in Campus 1. It is on the first floor, just next to the Parade Square and the Canteen. The things brought over included our bags and belongings, some equipment needed for the making of the Teachers' Day gift, cushions from the Student Lounge and a sepak tekraw ball (for what reason I do not know).

The evening (i.e. 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm) was spent by the boys playing basketball (except me - I'm a failure in basketball). Some were off buying materials for the Teachers' Day gift. We bathed afterwards and got ready for dinner - food from Pizza Hut and KFC.

We began the making of the Teachers' Day gift at 8 pm. From then on, we chatted and cut and folded and everything. We were working non-stop - we had to make 90 something windmills (the gift). We worked into the night, where at 10.30 pm we turned on the TV to watch The Amazing Race. Reichen & Chip won, and David & Jeff got beaten by Kelly & Jon. What a bummer for David & Jeff.

We continued to make the gifts. Nobody were sleeping yet. TV on, radio on, computer on.

The clock struck 11.59.59 pm.

To be continued...

Geography Elective paper is on today. Hey, I found the paper quite easy! I just threw whatever I've learned into the paper.

Today's exam is A Maths. Not too difficult for me...

Today's test was Chinese test. The first three sections didn't seem difficult to me - they weren't suppose to be difficult for any Higher Chinese pupil. I didn't complete the paper, though. A paper that should be allocated at least an hour and a half instead of one hour.

Okay, so today's Social Studies paper isn't that difficult (one question, 13 marks), but it was a bit tricky. "'Singapore's security can be safeguarded by diplomacy only.' Do you agree? Explain your answer." Well, the answer is of course not, since that was what the textbook taught us.

We also got back our Biology paper. That was fast, man. I got 42 upon 50.

I should have done the homework yesterday! Now I can't finish my homework...Darn!

Study for the whole day. Chemistry, Geography Elective, A Maths, Social Studies and Chinese. I still have tomorrow to study.

Day 2 of Common Test II: Maths wasn't too difficult. I was surprised I finished the Biology paper in 30 minutes.

Day 1 of Common Test 2: The English paper wasn't too difficult, and the Physics paper wasn't difficult too, except for the last section. Anyway, gotta study now, tomorrow's Maths and Biology...

There is ELDDS this afternoon.

ELDDS?! This afternoon?! On the eve of the Common Test?!

Oh well.

Anyway, it was about this drama competition. The theme is "Fire Safety? Be Involved!" Lame title, but the 1st prize is a trophy and $1000. And since not more than 10 people can be involved in the skit, each actor stand to get at least $100! Provided we win, of course. Today it was just the title and a bit of ideas for the storyline.

Well...

Well...it's pretty good today. But I wish I can play badminton...

Can anybody save me? I can't finish my homework! Please, we need a break!

Today is National Day, Singapore's birthday. This year she celebrates her 38th birthday.

Skip all the little things in the day for the highlight of National Day - National Day Parade. This year, the atmosphere makes me want to be there - everybody beating their wooden sticks together, doing the Kallang Wave and the Singapore chant. "One people, one nation, one Singapore, HEY!" Okay, whatever. The show was excellent too. How I wish I am one of those performers. I wanna perform for Singapore...

But all things have to come to an end. I was almost reluctant for the NDP to end. I want it to continue till day break...

I saw red this morning.

Not that I'm angry or anything. It's just the National Day Eve.

The moment I boarded the bus to school, I saw red. Yep, many people, even adults, were wearing red.

When I reached school, more than half of the students were wearing red. I saw even more red.

Other than seeing red, I was also reciting the Recollections with Veronica. The Recollections is a poem about the history of Singapore and how we had pulled through the hard times. It is recited in schools all over Singapore every year on National Day Eve, to remind students that the life they are living now were not earned easily.

After the Recollections and some singing, there was the Prize Presentation Ceremony for Long Service Awards (for graduating students in CCAs) and some miscellaneous awards. After that, we moved around the Parade Square to settle around it to watch a performance by the Dance Society. They were performing a dance depicting how NEWater came about (a lame theme, but nevertheless pleasurable to watch).

After the dance, we were dispersed around the school. The Lower Secondary students went to Hall 2 for the concert. The Secondary 4s went to the soccer field to watch the final of the soccer tournament organized by the school. Half of the Secondary 3s proceeded to Hall 1 to watch the finals (doubles) of the badminton tournament, organized by the school's Badminton Club. The rest remained in the Parade Square to view the final for the netball tournament.

Peiyu and Yan Chen were in the finals for the Women's Doubles for the badminton tournament, and our 3/1 netball team were also playing in the netball finals. So some of us were split between these two games, running to and fro occasionally. The two badminton girls won (beat Sec 5 girls, mind!), and the netball team got third.

At 9.50 am, the Upper Secondary students proceeded to Hall 1 for the sing-along session and the Prize-Presentation Ceremony. The Councillors and the CCA leaders were called onto stage to lead the sing-along session, but eventually everybody from 3/1 came onto the stage to join in the fun. In one of the songs, we even got the students standing and waving to the music! Following that was Prize-Presentation, and it was dismissal time.

Not yet for most, though. There was a Celebration Feast for members of the Uniformed Groups and the Performing Arts CCAs. I went to Canteen 2 for the Performing Arts Groups feast. A simple buffet was the feast. The ELDDS even got together (we were together in the first place) to sing "Glory, glory, ELDDS!". We were the first CCA group to do that in the Canteen. The Dance Society followed, but who began all this? The ELDDS!

And after that, I played badminton with fellow 3/1rians in the Hall. Went home at noon.

Protem meeting this afternoon. It ended at about 3.10 pm, so for the rest of the time we were hanging out in the Student Lounge, joking, laughing, singing, throwing balls around, laughing, drawing, chatting and laughing. And I learned how to bark like Wee Cheng! (Not that Wee Cheng is a dog.)

It's a miracle - our class won the Semi Final debate against 3/7! We will be entering the Finals!

Another miracle - 3/4 beat 3/3 in the other Semi Final debate!

I'm stressed out by the debate. I keep thinking about how difficult the debate is going to be, and that we have not done much for our debate. Then when I'm stressed out, I tend to want to relax, and when I relax, I start to forget things. Ahhhhhhh!

Another boring school day. But there were quite a number of laughs.

Happy Friendship Day to all!

In the morning, me and the class debate team discussed about our debate case for the Semi Finals of the Inter-Class Debate Championship next Wednesday. The motion was "This House would ban prisoners publishing accounts of their crimes", and we are the Opposition. Unfortunately, we had landed on the wrong side of the motion; it was very difficult to debate against the motion. We decided to do whatever we can.

The afternoon for me was reserved for the Student Council Monthly Meeting. It wasn't exactly a smooth one, considering the fact that it was the first time the 11th SC Protem was chairing the meeting, but at least we've tried, and we had gotten an experience. Hopefully the next one would be better.

Nothing much on today.