Had You Any Doubt?, or I Can Do Better

If I haven't mentioned before, my roommate Swapnil is A Genius (notice Capitalized letters). He's like in this Mathematics Challenge club in school, and usually everyday after school he comes back later than Ryan and I because he goes to study in the Library. Even NOW, after exams, NOW, as in at this moment, he's surfing the web for some chemical equations. 

So a week ago, he was doing some previous year Mathematics Olympiad crap and me and Kai Shin were bored, so we went to take a look. He showed us this question:

That's question number 4.

He said, "Oh, if you can solve this, I will say you are very smart".

Huh. I'll show him.

So I solved it using my amazing ratio skills! (Those if you in 2 Amanah will remember)

Assuming 1:2:3 = 180, means that 1= 180/1+2+3,= 180/6 =30

That means, since

Pythagorus theorem is  a^2+b^2=c^2

Simple enough, the answer is obviously B, cos 1 + 3=4

I wish I could have taken a picture of Swapnil's face after that. Seriously.

So I took a video instead.

Apparently there's some geometrical solution to it, but Swapnil said my way is much easier to understand.

Using my awesome skills of ratio (and guesswork) I proceeded to solve a few more questions for him.

Ah, who's awesome?

To Whom It May Concern, or Thnks fr th Mmrs

This post is dedicated to the Form 4 students in SM All Saints who have honoured me by calling me
Friend.

You all know my name. Nigel Chee. I am a kid from a broken family. Hard to tell? Happy was I because of you all. Solace granted from the any storm. Sometimes the source of the storm, but always calming itself. Never a moment of pure boredome to be find in all your companies. And to me, the akward boy, has been blessed to recieve compassion and 'kindness', but sparks also of character that has shaped me into the monster I am today. But oh! what a joy, what a pleasure it has been to know your names and feel your pains, and now I can with all honesty say
I Need You.

In no particular order,
Nigel Chin-don't stop being there
Aaron Mah- from the start
Abigail-for always/sometimes/never doubting me
Yap- who is here with me
Chong-brother in arms
JR- partner in crime
Elf- person to bitch to
Far- ditto
Beat- I miss u, mum.
Denise- ur shoulder was always there
JHo- sing my nights away
Jamie- always ready with a hug
Jon Cheh- I did that on purpose
Michelle- I never did not enjoy ur company
Hannah-... Oh.
Maya- irony
Lisa- I still care
Jane- that smile
Elaine- floorsh
Domi-that's my phone
Ray- from young. Remember Langdon?
Victor- partner in other ways. Crazy hats.
Gabby- that's your name

Don't get pissed if ur name isn't here. It isn't a list to single people out. I just want to let u all know I miss you guys. Forgive me for unintended harm.
Forgive me if I cry or hug you when I return. I just feel very weary. I need what I had. I really treasure you. All. As proof, here I am at 2.16 in the morning writing this to you people. U all better do well in ur exams.

I'll c u wen I get back.
Sorry for being a wimp.

Ahm Seek, or So Sick

I'm sick.

Yes, this was my peak temperature, I think. After school today (which was a disaster. I'm going to express for sure, unless God helps me) I took a panadol from Ryan (Kai Shin) and went to sleep. When I woke up, didn't feel any better, so packed up some stuff and went to the matron. The matron was closed.

So I went to Dover clinic, which is opposite the school. I dragged my body all the way there (and met APF on the way) to find that it was closed for dinner, and only reopened at 7. 

SO then I went back to school and sat at the benches overlooking the 400m track and read until 7. THEN I dragged my sorry carcass back to the clinic to take my number (7). More than half the people before me came to the doctor to take some anti-flu jab, and here was I, an actual SICK person. Paranoid Singaporeans. I should threaten to sneeze or breath all over them.

The good Doc gave me some medicine to take, so I went back to the BH(Boarding House), took my medicine, and then the next few hours were a big blur to me. I recall Swapnil and the thing that lives in our room ( ZeWei) arguing loudly and Ryan asking them to keep it down, the thing coming over and asking if I wanted some strepsils, Swapnil taking my computer for submission (cause I was in a daze), and me falling asleep, and waking up, and falling asleep.

I felt better when I woke up, but I took my temperature and it still hasn't gone away. I feel really really weak.

I need to go take my 4 different type of pills now.

I really hope I don't have swine flu. I'm sneezing a lot.

Oh God, help me stay in IP.

What I Recall, or Since U Been Gone

Only when I saw her did I remember everything again.

It was like;

Not Deja Vu, but something different.

What we did back then was different.

And then we were here.

Never would we expect it!

We were there eating burgers.

And I couldn't help but remember everyone else back home.

I'm sure they forgot us already.

I guess it's natural,

Because when we go back it's as if nothing happened,

But when we return to Hell they let go of us.

It can't be helped.

*shrug I think it's because I want to be wanted.

So in return

I don't blame anyone!

NO! Just myself.

Haha. I sound so morbid.

This poem is about me and Yap. I went out with her today to go, erm, out. It was a mixed bag when I saw her again. Of course it was good to see her again. She was my friend since like, uh, 2006. But the thing is, it made me remember everything. 

This is Yap. The other person in the picture is me.

Everything. Like the time I tripped her, and the time she borrowed my book and never returned it ( she still hasn't). And the time me and Aaron had a laugh at her confusion between 'forgot' and 'forget'.

So, with my link memory ( the ability to memorise facts by linking facts to other facts or occurrences) I of course remembered about the rest of my All Saints life back home. I won't go in to details, but it brings back more memories than most people would have, because I have served the school in many but not countless ways, and even if people don't think so, I know what I have done (and not done etc. homework).

It was nice catching up with her. She has grown, and I have not. Her fashion sense is still the same (not intended as an insult... maybe). She still asks the same stupid questions, and she still annoys the hell out of anyone. But that's what makes us all love her (although we don't tell her that to her face).

I can't wait to go home. Abigail better have her birthday party. She had better. Grr. Monkeys.

On a completely different note, I'm going to serve as a waiter/server for the High Table Dinner the boarding school is having. I need a white long sleeve shirt (just bought with Yap today) and a jacket or a blazer. I need a blazer-like garment! 

*Yawn. Tomorrow's Thursday. I need to tell someone something. Ho-hum. How vague.

What If I Said It's Not Over?, or It's Not Over

In ACS(I), they don't give back the exam papers one by one. What they do is go through all the papers in regular classes, then on a certain day they will give all the results back in one shot. So this Friday we're going to sit in class and receive a packet containing every single paper, with all our marks. 

It's different, isn't it? I don't really like it this way, either.

In class, all we do now is go through all the exam questions. I just try to stay awake as much as I can now. But I don't want to pay attention to the paper review, because it will seriously dampen my mood if I find my mistakes. So I don't pay attention. Even though they say it's so we can check against our mistakes when we receive our papers back. I'll probably check with smarter people.

Anyway, after the exams, our Hallmaster (who shall not be named again) let us play with our computers from morning all the way to 12 midnight. So far, we've been sitting in our common lounge and playing till our heads burst, and we play as many games as you can think of, and everyone has been sharing his games with one another, so now my collection of games has also expanded. Hehe.

Recently also went out and saw something which I bought.

Haha, guess how much?

I got it for S$29.90! What a bargain! And it blasts the pants off my pants! Woah! I was quite happy with my purchase. I bought it for my room back home in Kota Kinabalu, so I hope I have enough space to carry it back.

I actually have alot of things to carry back.

Eh, well. Come Friday, I will know my fate. For now, though, I shall sleep, eat and play myself into oblivion.

Redondo, or Say Ok

Redondo is this cracker/wafer stick thing that comes in this circular tin. It comes in four different flavours: Chocolate, Hazelnut, Vanilla and Cappuccino. So far I've tasted all, and to me the best is the Hazelnut one. To qoute The Simpsons (and I use this qoute loosely), "It's like having a lap dance in your mouth."

Now, what am I getting at here? 

I'm not really sure. Usually I have some sort of point to make.

But no, this time I just want to say that Redondo tastes really, really good, and I'm bringing some back when I return to KK. 

I just returned from talking to my hallmaster (whom name shall not be revealed just in case someone searches her name and finds my blog). Whenever anyone is called to her room, everyone in the vicinity usually hushes up or gives the expected 'OOO'. It's not exactly an unpleasant experience, but we dread it, because usually we're not called because we won the lottery or something. No. Never. I think.

Anyway, she called me because she heard that I wanted to 'pindah hall'. Apparently there's no more spaces left, and, to reassure me, she showed me the list of the halls. She was right. There aren't any places left in any of the halls except for the dormitory*, and it's not really much of a choice. And she then told us about not going home. I still don't get that. Why can't we go back if it's a long weekend? Just because we buy tickets doesn't mean we want to waste money like that. I'm just lucky she didn't mention anything about the internet, which she won't let us subscribe to.

To her benefit, she DID give me some layer cake from Indo (she's like that).

Anyway, I'm not sure how to proceed now. I told her that I need to move because I need my laptop to write. She said it's fine, but in IB there's no time to pursue 'activities' such as this. I don't know. I actually do see some sense, but I want to write. But there's no space. Can't I get anyone to switch rooms with me?!?! 

(Probably not).

*The dormitory is different as in instead of 2-6 a room, this time it's  14 people in a room, with an assistant halltutor staying in the same room as you. The aircon is always on, but in return is less privacy, less room, more noise... Not really a desired choice.

The Chamber of Secrets, or Heregoesnothin

The hall is quite large. It is around the size of my old school hall, but this time it's filled with tables and chairs. Each table has a label with numbers depicting the index numbers of different students. The labels have different numbers on them, so it means that students do not sit at the same tables for all exams: For example, students not taking biology will not be in the examination hall, so to fill up the empty spaces... U get the drift.

There are around 500 students crammed in the hall. The invigilators (the year 3 teachers), around 20 of them, roam the hall in search for students who disobey the solemn rules of the hall. Awaiting for the paper to start is the worst part. We sit there and watch the clock projected on the screen to tick to the starting time of the exam, and as we wait we look around. Everyone else is praying, tapping their feet, scratching their heads, and suddenly, the head invigilator says 'you may begin', and the flurry of papers rustling can be heard as everyone scrambles to start, and finish.

The invigilators are strict. If you forget to tie your papers together (here we use a piece of string to knot our examination papers together), or tie it loosely, they make you stand up. And I can tell you, you standing up with a few hundred other people watching may be a good thing, but not in this circumstance. The teacher speaks to u in soft, dangerous tones, but everyone nearby can still hear. They are strict, and even when they collect your papers there are usually no smiles on their faces. It's not that they are cold, it's probably because of the seriousness of the moment.

Once we are allowed to leave the exam hall, there is no relief; no, not yet. Friday the 15th is the day. Oh yes.

During the exam, we scribble as fast as we can, because the exams here are a race against time, not just a test of the mind. Back home, English papers were finished in half the time allocated. Here, I finish with barely 5 minutes to spare. So to work fast is to work efficiently, and time management is key here, and is more important than back home.

So as we struggle to prepare for this exam, we keep as silent as possible, unwilling to let our prison guards find reason to make us stay forever in the hall.

Heregoesnothin.

It Hasn't Even Begun, or I So Hate Consequences

I realised that ever since I came to Singapore, most of my emotions have been neutralised, and now it becomes evident that I don't feel almost anything anymore. Even when I smile, it fades after a while. Even if I'm nervous, or upset, it walks away from me. Even when the pressure closes in on me, I shrug it off and wear something else.

That's why the looming exams are a sure threat, but I'm not one to feel threatened. Because, well, I can't. Singapore has made me cold, and I'm pretty sure there's nothing much I can care for properly without forgetting, get distracted from or continue to obsess over. (EXCEPT POKEMON!!!) (But even that get boring. After a while.)

No, but that's not what this post is about. It's about this H1N1 virus, or what is commonly referred to as Swine Flu. Now, I'm not in anyway saying it isn't a serious matter. It is. If this freakish khinzir thing spreads to Singapore, or even Malaysia, that means that MOE (Ministry of Education) WON'T LET ME COME HOME. So it's no joke. 

What I'm saying is that this country is so obsessed with safety (maybe not the country, but the ruling class) (and those snobs in all the Ministries) that now for this 'danger' period, I have to take my temperature 4 times a day (I take it a few more times for fun) and record it down on two separate pieces of paper. I remember back in Sabah, when we heard about SARS, we were still running around and playing and getting ourselves dirty. Now, it's not because we were kids or something. It's because we're not paranoid. And quarantines can sometimes be really unpleasing things. I recall again the SARS period where my grandmother went to China and when she came back to KL, the wouldn't let her go near anyone, and so she had to celebrate my cousin's birthday standing outside the house.

But the 'kiasu' nature of this freakish place is evident. I went to the bookstore the other day (20% off storewide!!!) and I saw this loud and abrasive pregnant lady wearing a face mask. She was shouting at her husband (we all had no idea what she was saying). Now, being Malaysian, I of course looked at her with disdain, and so were the other customers, but in their hearts I bet they were saying, "Why didn't we think of that? Let's stock up on cup noodles so we don't ever have to leave our house."

There hasn't been a single case in Singapore! It has only been REPORTED to have reached Thailand! The death toll hasn't even reached a thousand! Just go back to playing in the mud, staying up late and not drinking water so you can all work yourselves to death earning wages to get a better paying job which might not even come in the first place!!!

I have exams tomorrow...

A Book, or Just So You Know

This is the cover of my first book.

I might not seem it, but I'm quite happy/proud of it.

It's about a turtle called Habibi, who finds paradise. I wrote this book for Shangri-La Oman, around 2 1/2 years back. I might have told some people, so for those of you who didn't believe me then, with all humility I shall now say HAHA.

Well, I have no dedications in the book (I wish I could have), but here they are anyway:

>Yeoh Siew Hoon, godma, dogma and also co-writer

>T. T. and T. T., two of the bubbliest sisters I know

> My mum (I have to write this or else I'll get a mouthful) Thank you for the food.

> Fujitsu for making the first laptop I ever had and used to type this story out

> Abigail for doubting me but kinda believing in the end

Plush toys to be for sale too! Isn't Habibi cute?!?!?!