sun set at 8:42 PM

somehow it's easier to post on someone else's blog pretending to be someone you're not :D

supposed to wake up this morning at 6.30 to go swimming with my dad..but my mom sneaked into my room yesterday to steal my alarm clock O.O so i only managed to wake up at 7.30..and by the time we actually got to the pool it was 8 plus and it was crowded TT (okay actually it wasn't that crowded. but i prefer an empty pool. which is what we would have gotten IF SOMEONE HADN'T STOLEN MY ALARM CLOCK grrr.). en plus, in my haste to get there early, i forgot to eat breakfast..and just 10 laps later i was dizzy and even grumpier.

parents have gotten back to their habit of lecturing me about relationships..but i guess i should be thankful that they still trust me enough to let me make my own decisions. it does get slightly annoying when i can't talk on the phone freely though. oh well.

looking forward to group study on monday :D i think it might be my first ever official group study.. hoping to make it a regular session if monday turns out to be rather productive.

sun set at 8:54 AM

200th post! whoopee :) surprisingly, i haven't been getting quality sleep recently. i just can't stop thinking about all kinds of crap at night..plus there's this mosquito camping in my room (OFF WITH ITS HEAD)

c'est vraiment injuste
quand on veut
offrir
beaucoup plus
qu'on ne sera capable
d'obtenir.
ça fait mal.
un million de fois
pire
qu'un cauchemars.

I've gotta start on my revision/mugging schedule. So far i've done NOTHING. nothing nothing nothing. i swear i'm gonna start on econs today.

sun set at 6:06 PM

i can't believe how fast time flies. before you know it christmas is gonna be here, then school starts. but nevermind i've had a really wonderful holiday so far :D went skating with bryan today (except that i was the only one doing the skating. not that it qualifies as skating really)..and i don't think i've made any improvements at all since the first time i skated x__x but it was fun anyway. probably not for him x) thank you for your patience bryan! :)

dad's birthday today! happy 42nd birthday dad! still young! x)

sun set at 9:09 AM

YOG friendship camp is over DD:

lots of crying yesterday(not mentioning names though, in order to spare some peoples' egos :D) ..i was almost reduced to tears myself (i probably would have cried if i stuck around till midnight instead of having my parents come and whisk me away at 10.30 pm-ish). but cheer up yea, don't think of it as you having gained and lost a friendship. i'm sure you guys will all keep in touch as long as you make an effort!

i'm so glad that i volunteered for this camp. it's been rather stressful at times and i have been severely lacking in sleep, but i've met some really really awesome people whom i wouldn't have otherwise. vin, tessa, melis, mandy, elisa, bora, chama, shafiqa, arb, habib, tj, andrew, diagne, bryan- love you guys <33

gonna upload photos on facebook now!

sun set at 8:22 AM

1st day of YOG friendship camp yesterday! and i'm exhaaauuuusted.

my group is pretty fun though, even though i can't yet remember everyone's names.
there's élisa from Comoros, whom i'm pretty much permanently attached to cuz she speaks only french(and comorian). good thing is that she's really friendly. she even gave me a present from her country though yesterday was the first time i met her XD
there's mandy who's really outgoing and is really funny
there's TJ, andrew, tessa and shafiqah who are from the singapore contingent so i don't really have to worry about them
there's bora and arb from albania, bora's fun but arb speaks only albanian so the only person he can understand is bora x__x
there's djagne from senegal who's a really sweet guy but the poor thing lost his baggage on one of his flights here and had a bad headache yesterday and we had to send him back to the hostel to rest :/ he's my buddy too cuz he speaks only french.
there's algerian dude habib (from unknown country. must find out.) who is FREAKISHLY TALL. he's like a 5 metres tall gentleman. we played captains ball for a while yesterday, and it was practically impossible for my group to score as long as he's the defender (i was the captain for a while, and he could sorta pat my head effortlessly even though i'm standing on a chair)
theres algerian girl chama who's really sweet but speaks minimal english and french.
there's melis (at least that's what i think her name is) who doesn't really talk much..but she's getting along fine with the group so no worries.

and then there are two other memorable guys whose names i remember who aren't in my group:
Cheekes from trinidad who's a really cheeky (maybe thus the name) rugby player and has this silly but contagious grin glued to his face all the time. he was trying to communicate with this morrocan girl who could only speak french, so i lent him my dictionary for the duration of the camp (heard from an organizer that he promised to treasure it like a bible haha.). as sweet as he is, it was really hard communicating with him, cuz he speaks nothing but 'spanglish' (sometimes i really can't tell if he's speaking english or spanish when he rambles on xD)

Ismaïl from mali who does taekwondo and is really really nice (i don't know why liqing insists that all the african people intimidate her. they're all really friendly). the two of us sat at one staircase and talked for an hour yesterday while the world festival thingum was in full swing. DJ koflow was there playing REALLY REALLY EARDRUM-BURSTINGLY LOUD MUSIC that gave élisa a toothache+headache so we were just sitting aside away from the action. then élisa and xin ying (fellow volunteer) went off and left ismaïl and i alone there ):
(i feel kind of guilty that he stayed with me and didn't join his friends on the dancefloor. at one point of time he asked me if i wanted to go dance, and i refused, saying that i can't stand the loud music. which is true, but now i think i should have said yes cuz it's unfair to deprive him of an experience that he probably can't get in his home country )
and talking with him for an hour IN FRENCH wiped out all remaining brain cells i had XD i realised from yesterday that i'm perfectly comfortable with speaking french already, i don't find myself having to formulate sentences in my head before saying them. but i still have problem understanding non-french french speakers like ismaïl, cuz they have different accents. and i admit, i only understood 2/3 of everything that he said yesterday X: whenever he asked a question i had to of course make sure i understood what he was asking before i answered, but i don't think he'd like having to repeat everything he says so i just pretended to understand some parts x)
oh and another thing. i find it REALLY HARD to remember the faces of africans. as we were talking yesterday i made myself stare at ismaïl's face and try to memorize his features, cuz it'll be really bad if we saw each other after yesterday and he can recognize me but i can't him. but i've forgotten what he looks like already TT i hope he wears the same shirt today haha. i guess they face the same problem trying to remember asian faces, we probably all look alike to them.

OH and our group was on channel 5 news yesterday! well élisa was at least. the reporters didn't stick around long enough though, they only played footages of the athletes sitting around ): the world festival and opening ceremony were so spectacular but it wasn't on the news :/

1 day over, 4 to go! i'm super drained (reached home close to midnight yesterday, then couldn't get much sleep this morning cuz i was having cramps TT), but i don't regret my decision at all. it's really cool to meet people from really exotic countries with totally different cultural backgrounds. i mean, i didn't even know madagascar was a country before this XD

jiayou fellow volunteers! :D

sun set at 10:45 AM

back from cruise!
penang was terrible. (noise pollution + nothing but traffic + getting lost + terribly hot weather)
phuket was awesome. (very friendly locals + non-stop shopping + nice food)
will post pictures on facebook soon :D

DELF B2 tomorrow, good luck to all!





Dear Santa,

I have been a really really good girl this year. I ate all my veggies, I got straight As, I didn't do anything stupid. So if you're not too busy this Xmas, please drop by my place for a while and help yourself to the chocolate chip cookies i'll be baking for you (i do suppose that Santas have insurances?). Just in case you are feeling generous, here is my wishlist for this christmas:

1) fun-filled yog friendship camp
2) good score for DELF B2
3) get my ideal combi
4) get my ideal french teacher for H2 next year
5) miraculous improvement in inline skating skills
6) trip to maldives
7) nice skin (4 days of reckless eating on cruise = terrible skin)

I know you'd be busy, so i don't ask for much.

Oh and ignore Jiahe if she calls you, she can't differentiate between 'Santa' and 'Satan' (ask Charlene for confirmation)

sun set at 11:53 AM

du xuan has valiantly (or perhaps recklessly) volunteered herself as a Camp Motivator for the YOG friendship camp *gasps* (apart from hoping to be a volunteer for language services sector for the actual YOG itself)
i bet you're thinking 'WHAT? you're not even the rah-rah type!', which is in a way one of the reasons i volunteered myself. i mean i'm pretty confident that i'll be able to step up to the role whatever it entails, so no worries there. but i guess the main purpose was to push myself to develop areas in which i'm not yet competent.
PLUS IT SOUNDS SO FUN doesn't it :D if i get selected, i'll be in charge of a group of 14 foreign youth athletes for the entire duration of the 5 day camp in december, being their motivator cum facilitator cum interpretor (one of the criteria for the athletes coming for the camp is that they have to speak either french or english). GOSH *squirms in excitement* i really hope i get selected.
plus plus plus after the yog language services briefing on saturday, i'm really looking forward to being a volunteer.. the organizing committee (which surprisingly is made up of mostly foreigners) was so inspirational and their enthusiasm is contagious.

can't waaaaiiittt :D

sun set at 1:28 PM

friday the 13th, and last day of school! woohoo :D

time to plan out my hols.

14th-15th nov- NCO camp
16th nov- mug for french
17th- h2 french entry test
18th- get testimonials, meeting with mrs hoo
19th- FAM :D
20th-29th nov- slack + mug french 2 hours per day, mug econs 1 hour per day
23rd- go out with joanna
29thnov-3th dec- STAR CRUISE :D
4th dec- french DELF B2 exam
4th-8th dec slack + mug french 1 hour per day, mug econs 1 hour per day
8th-12th dec YOG friendship camp
12th dec- 13th jan- SLACK. mug french 1 hour per day, mug econs 1 hour per day.


tada :D

thank you my dear sec 1 juniors for the gigantic card thingy :) even though you guys nicely pasted all sorts of unglam cut-out photos of me, i appreciate it :)

sun set at 3:13 PM

CHINESE OS ARE OVEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR :DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

paper 1.
i looked at the 情境question and i was SOOOOO HAPPPYY when i saw it. i couldn't stop smiling to myself throughout the 应用文part. but then after it's over i don't feel like i did as well as i could have x_x

paper 2.
I KEPT DOUBTING MY ANSWERS AND ENDED UP CHANGING SOME THAT WERE CORRECT TO ONES THAT WEREN'T.
argh. and i made my mom do the 综合填空and it turns out that i'll either get 14/20 or 16/20. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
damn if i don't get A1 i'm so gonna... cry and do nothing about it.

sun set at 10:38 AM

dad wants to go to taiwan.
i want to go to the maldives.
mom wants to stay at home.

so we all settled for a 3 day singapore-penang-phuket cruise on superstar virgo @.@ which is no where near a trip to the maldives, but at least we have a nice room :D

meanwhile i've decided that it's too late to mug for Os now...so i shall just sleep super early today and hopefully i'll stay awake for the whole of tomorrow x_x jiayou everyone! (:

sun set at 8:49 PM

the momentary good mood that followed results distribution has been overpowered by the following:

1)BLOODY RASHES AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHH. apparently now i'm ALLERGIC TO ANTIBIOTICS. co-amoxiclav tablets at least. which is weird cuz i thought i'd been eating them this whole time. but anyway dad made me stop eating them for my inflammation (even though the instructions clearly stated to finish the whole course..i guess allergies took priority), which has resulted in:

2)BLOODY COUGH/SORE THROAT AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH. post-chalet gum swelling/inflammation has gone down, only to be taken over by one of those irritating kind of coughs that make you want to stick your hand down your throat and scratch it.

3)dilemma over whether to go for YOG friendship camp thingum. i feel almost obligated to go since i've decided to sign up as a volunteer translator for YOG itself..but jiayun and jeson will both be overseas (the former probably wouldn't go even if she were to be available, the latter will be riding camels in egypt sunbathing his already tanned self). and i had intended to find a part time job for the whole month of december. but i kind of want to go to meet new people and stuff D:

4)TERRIBLE HAIRCUT. i think i aptly summarized my new image today by describing myself as a 'secondary one from the '80s. '


and now the self-motivated and improvement-seeking du xuan shall boldly attempt to make herself feel better about each of the above!


1)rash- at least it's not anywhere visible, just on my toes and thighs. nor are they oozing pus. i'm sure they'll go away in a day or two. it'd better, or i'll consider amputation (the bad thing is that they're on my left foot toes and right thigh, so if i were to consider amputation i'd end up with no proper legs at all D: )

2)cough/sore throat- at least it doesn't hurt that much, just itches. plus, me drinking a thousand galleons of water each day = healthier looking skin

3)YOG friendship camp dilemma- at least i finally got a reply from the YOG guy! they had apparently lost my email once. so at least i should be able to volunteer at YOG itself.

4)terrible haircut- i've almost learnt to get use to it, and i don't think it's that attention-grabbing for people who don't know me. plus by the time i start JC, it'll be in a perfect length again, saving me the need for another risk-taking haircut before then. and it's not that bad, just a bit short.

yay :D

sun set at 11:17 AM

i really feel like whining now.

i thought staying up all night will be fun..but somehow sleeping 'under the stars' as romantic as it may sound made me feel pathetically homeless. i really should rethink spending the night during future chalets/outings if there aren't enough beds for everyone.
anyway after an entirely sleepless night at our class chalet, i have this HUGE GROSS LUMP in my mouth and i can't even close my mouth. this is what happens when someone who's used to sleeping at 9.30 pm can't get any sleep after a very tiring day. went to see a doctor just now to get mc and antibiotics and stuff, and now i really want to sleep but it hurts so much i can't.

okay end of complaints.

dad's coming back from business trip in 9 hours time :D mom and i told him we'll wait for him at home but we're actually gonna go to fetch him at the airport. except that we aren't really 'fetching' him, cuz mom refuses to drive there at night so we're gonna take mrt there and taxi back x__x

sun set at 11:43 AM

someone from my block committed suicide yesterday DD: apparently the entire process was visible from outside our window.. i'm thankful i wasn't there to witness everything;my mom claims it's like a scene from CSI. gosh.

sun set at 8:35 PM

at the request of weenona wee wee taymoola, i shall blog.
mais je n'ai rien à dire!

somethings to do if you're bored:
1)www.jamlegend.com :D
2) learn to yodel (like i'm trying to)
3)burp the alphabets backwards (NOT like i'm trying to)
4) curl your eyelashes! but careful not to yank your eyelids (like i did)

:DD

sun set at 3:16 PM

Guide On How To Tackle The Vicious Showering Facilities Of Toa Payoh Swimming Pool

1. Call up your agent/your parents to find out if you're covered under a really really good insurance.
2. Check if your skin is ready to deal with the drastic torture that's about to come. How? Simple test, just press down any part of your forearm and see if it leaves an indent. If it does, you're probably not ready, and you might wanna check your birth certificate to see if you're actually a fish that has been left out in the open for too long
3. Waterproof your bags.
4. Carefully approach any random cubicle, don't bother selecting your favourite, believe me.
5. Push the shower button. If the water shoots out at 200 km per hour, proceed to step 6. If it trickles out, proceed to step 11
6. Close the cubicle door first, even if it means that you're gonna get the only pieces of clothing you brought wet, because otherwise the water will be shooting out the cubicle door 20 metres and possibly endangering the life of other pool users.
7. Do a simple test to see if you have a threshold for pain that's enough to keep you alive for the next 20 minutes: stick a thousand needles in your stomache and if you don't feel a single thing, you can just ignore the rest of this guide. if it's moderately intolerable and you're too lazy to put your swimming costume back on to change cubicles, proceed to step 8. if you start swearing out loud and praying that you'd die quickly, change cubicles until you find one where the water doesn't shoot out like crazy, ie where the water trickles out.
8. Are you short? If so, good luck to you. If you're at least 160cm and do not have ridiculously short hands, proceed with this guide.
9. Take out that metal glove that you've been bringing around in your bag (i mean WHO in the world will choose not to bring that one with you all the time right?) and put it on your left hand (if you're a rightie. and vice versa)
10. Cup the nozzle with your gloved hand, not too tightly and you'll be fine. Feel free to swear out loud to relieve your frustration when you feel like the whole nozzle is going to explode on you.

11. Well aren't you the luckiest person alive? Except that the cubicles with water-trickling showerheads are just as frustrating, cuz you can stand under one for ages and you still feel like you're completely dry. So you might want to consider jumping into the pool again.
12. For tasks that require the use of both hands eg. rinsing your swimming gear to get rid of the potentially damaging chlorine, adopt a rather unglam but absolutely necessary position of propping your leg up and pushing the shower button with it, because otherwise you'll spend hours stopping again and again to push it with your hands every 3 seconds. Check that the cubicle door is closed, because you do not want to be caught in this position.

Was eating out with parents yesterday when some opposition party leader came over and tried to sell their newspaper thingamajig publications, claiming that we would DEFINITELY want to buy it for 2 dollars if we want to know how pap has been bullying and cheating us. Seriously, if opposition parties want to pull votes, shouldn't they show their faces once in a while when elections aren't just around the corner?