mind your language/past-perfect tense
it sucks to be ill especially when there's like THE clubbing event going on and 3 exams coming up the next week. oh well. here i am, back from dead, after 16 panadols and packets after packets of muscus stained tissues. my life has been so unbelievably placid. i didn't ventured beyond the sanctuaries of uni and college for the past week, and no further than the college cafeteria for the past 48 hours.
Apart from the fact that i was sick, the past week wasn't good at all, struggled to keep up with readings and tutes, turned up for a debate union meeting that only had a grand turnout of 2, had a really mediocre political science news presentation, hell it wasn't even mediocre it was downright disasterous. fuck it man. if that's how i'm gonna speak in front of a crowd, i'm gonna have a tough time trying to make it to the team for WUDC.
I dunno how others feel, but i certainly have some sort of problem communicating with caucasians. firstly, their accent is undiscernable to me at times, and i simply do not know how to hold a conversation with them. i mean when conversing in a given context of a discussion on a particular topic that's fine, in fact i do feel i do pretty ok during tutorial discussions. but it's the small talk, informal conversation kinda thing that i'm clueless about. What is there to talk about? Even when i started a conversation, chances are i have no idea what their reply means. Here's an example: I was sitting on the bench outside the quadrangle smoking, and the cleaning lady Jenny was cleaning up the leaves nearby.
Me: Gd' morning Jenny.
Jenny: Gd' Morning.
Jenny: You know the bus doesn't come here.
Me: (Snooked)??? Pardon me?
Jenny: You know that the bus don't come here do you.
Me: What?
Jenny (comes over): I said that the bus don't come here
Me: Erm..yes i know that
Jenny (smiling): Then why're u sitting there waiting for the bus
Me: (Wry smile).....
Is it the sense of humor that i lack? Why do i not face such problems when talking to azns then? What is it that fundamentally divides us? I am so clueless. Do the Indians and PRCs in Singapore have problems communicating with locals? Dun seem like it. And Americans, Brits, Africans have no problems communicating with Aussies. Maybe it's just me. oh well.
************************
In my delirious state after downing 2 panadols last night, i somehow started thinking about my secondary school days. Boy was it nostalgic. Bashing Ma Chongyou and locking him inside the class cabinet (the more disturbing part being the fact that he actually enjoys the attention albeit in a mascochistic way), exchanging gaming tips over recess, having an ad hoc symposium on masturbation over an entire free period in class, exchanging free porno gallery websites, hanging out in Junction 8 and getting into the occassional verbal skirmish with a kwai lan RI boy, challenge each other to swallow a disgusting cocktail made of various desserts leftovers and muscus, eating Teppanyaki or eat-all-you-can buffet at the now defunct Milanos over lunch, checking out girls from the neighbouring secondary schools (although sadly i never had the balls to make a move to any of them), spending every last cent in my wallet on Star Wars cards, hoping i would finally get Darth Vader, me crying like a fucking wuss when we lost a debate to Chinese High, becoming deliriously happy when we made the break courtesy of a calculation error, being ecstatic when we defeated IJ TP and then avenging the Chinese High defeat in the semis, feeling downright miserable only to lose to RGS in the grand final.......and so much more.
Life was so uncomplicated. Life then just revolved around getting good grades for the exams and enjoying whatever fun there was. No one worried what the future would hold, no one bothered. Not having to carry the burden of disappointments, nor the stigma of underachievement. Where have all these people whom i shared a collective experience with gone to? Do i really need to be deliriously sick to be reminded of them? How i wish we could be in the same class again, getting detention together for misbehaving during chinese lesson and then enjoy watching the afternoon inter-sec football match while serving our detention and such. What's keeping us from wanting to contact each other again? Perhaps those that i fondly remember, were in fact the young boys we all once were, not the embittered young adults we are now. The classmates of Catholic High no longer exists, only the alumni from the class of 99. Everything changes, except memories. they're our only link to our past and it is this link that sustains us, gives us a sense of individuality, a concrete proof that we've existed.
I miss you guys, wherever u are: Kevin, Alywin, Huaiyang, Gabriel Leong, Gabriel Toh, Junjie, Guoxiong, Jianlin, Chee Kim, James Tan, Alex Hu, Niankai, Swee Kang, Dunyi, Ma Chongyou, Jonathan, Jiahong, Eustace, Gary, Isaac, Alex Toh, Lionel, Harvard, Darryl, Soon Kit, Wei Thye, Kaiyuan, Casmir, Ben, Ms Teo and my Khalwat Kawans: Trevor, Xander and Sow Chen.
Apart from the fact that i was sick, the past week wasn't good at all, struggled to keep up with readings and tutes, turned up for a debate union meeting that only had a grand turnout of 2, had a really mediocre political science news presentation, hell it wasn't even mediocre it was downright disasterous. fuck it man. if that's how i'm gonna speak in front of a crowd, i'm gonna have a tough time trying to make it to the team for WUDC.
I dunno how others feel, but i certainly have some sort of problem communicating with caucasians. firstly, their accent is undiscernable to me at times, and i simply do not know how to hold a conversation with them. i mean when conversing in a given context of a discussion on a particular topic that's fine, in fact i do feel i do pretty ok during tutorial discussions. but it's the small talk, informal conversation kinda thing that i'm clueless about. What is there to talk about? Even when i started a conversation, chances are i have no idea what their reply means. Here's an example: I was sitting on the bench outside the quadrangle smoking, and the cleaning lady Jenny was cleaning up the leaves nearby.
Me: Gd' morning Jenny.
Jenny: Gd' Morning.
Jenny: You know the bus doesn't come here.
Me: (Snooked)??? Pardon me?
Jenny: You know that the bus don't come here do you.
Me: What?
Jenny (comes over): I said that the bus don't come here
Me: Erm..yes i know that
Jenny (smiling): Then why're u sitting there waiting for the bus
Me: (Wry smile).....
Is it the sense of humor that i lack? Why do i not face such problems when talking to azns then? What is it that fundamentally divides us? I am so clueless. Do the Indians and PRCs in Singapore have problems communicating with locals? Dun seem like it. And Americans, Brits, Africans have no problems communicating with Aussies. Maybe it's just me. oh well.
************************
In my delirious state after downing 2 panadols last night, i somehow started thinking about my secondary school days. Boy was it nostalgic. Bashing Ma Chongyou and locking him inside the class cabinet (the more disturbing part being the fact that he actually enjoys the attention albeit in a mascochistic way), exchanging gaming tips over recess, having an ad hoc symposium on masturbation over an entire free period in class, exchanging free porno gallery websites, hanging out in Junction 8 and getting into the occassional verbal skirmish with a kwai lan RI boy, challenge each other to swallow a disgusting cocktail made of various desserts leftovers and muscus, eating Teppanyaki or eat-all-you-can buffet at the now defunct Milanos over lunch, checking out girls from the neighbouring secondary schools (although sadly i never had the balls to make a move to any of them), spending every last cent in my wallet on Star Wars cards, hoping i would finally get Darth Vader, me crying like a fucking wuss when we lost a debate to Chinese High, becoming deliriously happy when we made the break courtesy of a calculation error, being ecstatic when we defeated IJ TP and then avenging the Chinese High defeat in the semis, feeling downright miserable only to lose to RGS in the grand final.......and so much more.
Life was so uncomplicated. Life then just revolved around getting good grades for the exams and enjoying whatever fun there was. No one worried what the future would hold, no one bothered. Not having to carry the burden of disappointments, nor the stigma of underachievement. Where have all these people whom i shared a collective experience with gone to? Do i really need to be deliriously sick to be reminded of them? How i wish we could be in the same class again, getting detention together for misbehaving during chinese lesson and then enjoy watching the afternoon inter-sec football match while serving our detention and such. What's keeping us from wanting to contact each other again? Perhaps those that i fondly remember, were in fact the young boys we all once were, not the embittered young adults we are now. The classmates of Catholic High no longer exists, only the alumni from the class of 99. Everything changes, except memories. they're our only link to our past and it is this link that sustains us, gives us a sense of individuality, a concrete proof that we've existed.
I miss you guys, wherever u are: Kevin, Alywin, Huaiyang, Gabriel Leong, Gabriel Toh, Junjie, Guoxiong, Jianlin, Chee Kim, James Tan, Alex Hu, Niankai, Swee Kang, Dunyi, Ma Chongyou, Jonathan, Jiahong, Eustace, Gary, Isaac, Alex Toh, Lionel, Harvard, Darryl, Soon Kit, Wei Thye, Kaiyuan, Casmir, Ben, Ms Teo and my Khalwat Kawans: Trevor, Xander and Sow Chen.
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