-; Just You and Me in The Garden ;-

Entries

Thursday, November 30, 2006: Drats.

Hey, I've forgotten who requested - or who I promised - to send photos taken during the Choir Barbecue. Please contact me? I only remember Charis and Rachel, and Cherissa - but I don't know hers. Shoot.

Please tell me ASAP. Thanks.

Sincerely, Penelope

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[2:03 PM]

Wednesday, November 29, 2006: Nothing to do...

And so, I'll just be replying tags.

[26 Nov 06, 21:38] rg: yup there is someone called pei chun and you'll be facing her next year, cuz she's an OAL. But she's really nice!
-> Yes, and you can play a pun on her full name too. I'll demonstrate here: boo to my second primary school!

[26 Nov 06, 22:44] ~Seraphine Chorister~: (in my heart, to Wan Ping) I know I will, but - one voice is not the vox populi. But I still will. Two-thirds of the blood may be new but we shouldn't agglutinate; it should be of one type. [following tag] A, B, AB or O, we are one now, a new type: CGSSC-. We must stand as one, never to agglutinate, never to fall apart, forever in sync and working well together.
-> These two were self-tags, but I feel the need to put them here. I saw something at Wan Ping's blog (and I'm not hallucinating) that made me want to write this, and I feel that I should keep it.

[27 Nov 06, 09:34] ALYNNA: HELLO PENELOPE! [following tag] SEE YOU .. SOON! (: [following tag] BYEBYE TC :D
-> Hello! Yes, you tagged me before the barbecue. It was fun right?

[27 Nov 06, 09:46] clara: yeah it was, what's there between the two of you anyway ?
-> She means, "yeah it was [me who tagged Lorraine about being mean to you], ...". I've replied her and am not intending to reply again here.

[27 Nov 06, 19:37] melissa: hello penelope! i really dont remember any meng hui fei or you being the soloist you know!
-> That was the original arrangement before Madam Yap decided against it. Were you an OPA (Outstanding Pupil Award) finalist then?

[27 Nov 06, 20:30] sak: eat in stages! porridge->instant noodles->normal noodles->rice->meat =D
-> Thanks for the tip Sak!

[27 Nov 06, 23:01] sak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH9gAQyK6vY old school rock and roll! but in FRENCH [following tag] couldnt understand most of it tho
-> I watched and also couldn't catch a lot! But thanks for pointing out the video to me!

[28 Nov 06, 16:07] melissa: yeah i was an OPA finalist, but i do remember singing meng hui fei! [following tag] as in, i know i sang it but i cant remember :/
-> Hmm, that's oxymoronic...

[28 Nov 06, 16:27] sak: well, nuts are last but you get it... [following tag] eep! my post disappeared! i said sausages are fine, its just chicken and red meats that are tough and should be attempted last
-> Thanks! But about the disappearing tag, fret not, I had a similar experience once, but on a Flooble Chatterbox. And I'm not advertising for anyone - neither Cbox nor Flooble. Just pick what floats your boat.

[28 Nov 06, 21:01] yingwai: hello there i just dropped by to say hi, by the way you've got great command of the english language! hahah anyway take care and ah, keep on singing! (:
-> Gee, thanks, Ying Wai! You used to blog, right? Do you still do it? Please drop by and leave a link if you do!

[29 Nov 06, 00:20] liyana! (:: HELLO! (: BBQ was fun!
-> Indeed it was, Liyana!

[29 Nov 06, 17:42] CALL <3: please link/ tag us, thankyou much ^^ [they gave their link in the following tag]
-> Sure will, old 6A-ian pals!

[29 Nov 06, 18:14] Chinyu: hey penny thanks for tagging us! replied you at call's blog alr (:
-> No problem Chinyu. Link coming up!

Random line: One phrase: bella premunt hostilia.

See you around.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[6:09 PM]

Tuesday, November 28, 2006: "Wings clipped; nowhere to fly ..."

That is a self-quote - in the doctor's room yesterday, that was how I felt and I drafted it into a message.

Before heading to the East Coast for the Choir Barbecue gathering, I had to head to the Spine Doctor's at the Health Promotion Board. According to the X-ray, the curvature's actually improved by three degrees. I'm still in a daze - I really can't believe it. Looks like prayers for the Higher Authority to fer auxilium have helped. However, it was because of this that I missed Section Bonding.

Then after that, down to the ECP (P standing for Park) it was - I joined the Choristers. However, it pretty much looks like the leaders' plans might have been scuppered by the rain (if they had planned for outdoor games, that is; I wouldn't know because I was only there at 4). Nothing much was happening; some were in the shelter while others - including the leaders - were walking around. Then after that the leaders decided they wanted to move the two plastic bags of water bombs to the beach and Elizabeth needed an assistant (Denyse and Yun Min were handling one pack). Guess what Rachel did? She went something like "Oh, my dear Elizabeth," and I don't remember the rest of her words (yes, I'm aging), but it was in such an amorous tone that I went "Lol?", quizzically as well as in disgust.

(I remember getting a call from Sharon - via Liz - about an invitation to her caroling group's musical around this time in the shelter, but I just cannot remember when in this sequence of events. All I remember was that Liz was looking at me weirdly and I was thinking, "No way that can be from my family; none of them know Elizabeth's number!")

I got the job (finally, a meaningful way to spend some seconds) and followed the leaders down to the beach and there we wrote things in the sand after they'd brought the water bombs to wherever they'd wanted them to be (halfway there, we stopped for a rest and the plastic bag handle that I was carrying snapped. Grr...). Then the leaders gathered everyone at the beach for a dog-and-bone game hosted by Rui Wen and Wan Ping (with a water bomb for the 'bone' of contention). In the end, we were bursting so many bombs that our hosts decided to just let us have a water bomb fight. I suppose I'm not really used to wet games (I was shocked at how wet I became), but it was enjoyable in a way. Then I went back to the shelter to get my things and change into my dry outfit, but in the end I ended up getting everyone mobilised (because I told Wan Ping about it and she got everyone around the area to help) to find my sock, which I ended up finding near the shelter. -_-"

So anyway I went to Mcdonald's to swap outfits, and found the whole place congested due to - what else - the whole load of Choristers waiting to change. I ended up being the last to change, but I did it as fast as I could, and walked back with the others who'd gone to McDonald's to change (they'd stayed behind to wait out the rain, or for some other reason). By this time, the leaders were busying themselves with the preparation of pit 26. Cherissa came at around this time and I requested that we have a shot taken together. Since she said she wasn't quite settled down yet, I let her do what she had to while Rachel, Charis, Jia Xuan and I had some fun taking turns to snap each other. Usually my hand isn't shaky, but I have no idea what happened then - the photos I took were blurry. Soon I got a Cherissa-and-I shot, and some of the juniors wanted to be taken too, so we had a few group photos as well. (Unfortunately for you I have a no-uploads policy; I'll be e-mailing the photos out soon to those whose email addresses I know.)

The leaders at pit 26 were cooking way before we who were working on pit 27 were, because of their headstart. Admittedly, I was just chit-chatting (I found out that Jia Xuan had also been a primary school chorister - we sang part of The Silver Train together), but I jumped at any chance to help - I willingly carried out Rui Wen's instructions to the best of my ability, but the only task I succeeded in doing was getting plates and cutlery. I really wanted to help, but it seems that I might have been 'extra' again because the place was pretty much overstaffed. Due to the "fleeting flames" over at the pit here - we had to light up at least four times - we ended up with a lot of uncooked food at the end and Liz decided to shift everything over to pit 26 when she and the other leaders saw it.

I just wish I could have stayed to clear up, though.

Here's the message I drafted, which pretty much sums up how I felt the whole day:

Wings clipped;
nowhere to fly, though my soul touches the sky.

I'll be there, Choir.
Regardless of how late, I'll be there.

An anagram of words?
Sword; as a warrior, to live by.

So therefore,
these words I'll keep: I'll be there.

I will be there, by my word;
I shall be there.

Really, I wish I could've stayed to clear up.

Impossible circumstances - prison bars.

Singing off here.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[8:18 PM]

Sunday, November 26, 2006: Free am I!

And I sing a wordless song that shall never, never, never, never have an end, for I feel free. Though there is no reason, I feel free.

It turns out that a certain Dream will not fly, contrary to the song.

I'm referring to the song entitled《梦会飞》, which, when literally translated into English, means "Dreams will Fly". It's beautiful. The Pei Chun Choir got to sing it once, at the 2004 Prize Presentation for the Primary 5 and 6 pupils. The Primary 6 choristers had to join in this last collaborative effort with their juniors (even if it hadn't been compulsory, I'd have wanted to). The accompanying actions (simple left-to-right swaying, if I'm not wrong) were beautiful too. At one point, towards the end of the song, the juniors would part (like the Red Sea) to allow us, the graduating seniors, to come to the front, where we would deliver the last lines (the main soloist taking the second last line herself, and the rest of the solo group joining in to lift the last line and make it warm).

On a side note, I remember then that many were resenting Madam Yap's choice of main soloist - me, the (in)famous Penelope, who had come from some lowly neighbourhood school (Kheng Cheng, if you must know) and was performing no worse than the rest. Still, I took it all back then, and it froze my heart; I will remember Pei Chun as a winter wonderland where the sun tried to shine through but could not warm the snows enough to melt them.

Anyway, I'll translate some of the lyrics to rhythmically fit the tune:

There's many a dream at your doorstep,
And it's your choice to decide your fate;
Dreams that burn bright shine proud in their light,
Overriding all reason to wait.

Dreams can fly, dreams can fly, 'cause there's love;
Dreams will soar, dreams will fly, 'cause of love...

Beautiful, isn't it?

A Midsummer Night's Dream is just as beautiful (if not nice in a silly way), but sadly, this Dream isn't even going to take off for us, the students studying SS/Literature.

By the way, Pei Chun really is my second primary school's name. I know there's a senior with a similar name in Cedar. PLEASE DON'T CONFLATE THE TWO. Thank you.

As expected, the Choristers noticed my wired-up teeth. Hopefully the braces don't interfere with eating by tomorrow.

Speaking of the Choir Barbecue Outing, I have to extend a word of thanks to Elizabeth and Denyse! Now I can find my way there without having to trouble anyone; I'll be there late.

Tag-replying time.

[24 Nov 06, 12:57] sak: just tell me when you're going, alright (that is, if you are going during the holidays) woohoo! get blue and grey rubbers! [following tag] oo! and i'm a lazy piggy so I just placed my order for the books online! I don't feel like lugging those heavy books from school to my block to all the way up here
-> I sure will; just wait till I get used to them - then it'll be all the colours on the school crest all at once and not just blue and grey (or silver, according to a certain alumna)!

[24 Nov 06, 13:44] # charis!: it would be funn:D[following tag] cat fight! MEOW~ [following tag] sak, ur name remind me of..no offence...but [following tag] jap sak-e [following tag] :D [following tag] and penelope i updated:D [following tag] i nid to start reading lit. GRRR (x [following tag] i havent done it. so darn dead :X [following tag] and tag! MORE! [following tag] :D :D:D:D
-> Having a hate tagger is fun to you?! Well then, so be it. Yeah, update when you want. I don't flood you, so please don't flood me. The statement that goes something like "滴水之恩，不忘涌泉相报" doesn't apply here, please!

(Following tag was a self-tag. After that...)

[24 Nov 06, 21:19] den;: hahah hello! xD yup i sure hope so! yes see you on mon! [following tag] oh you're taking ss/lit next year? is midsummer night's dream nice? lucky you! xDD
-> It is nice! And may the barbecue be a success!

[25 Nov 06, 00:07] rg: hep pens~ I heard that we won't be doing a midsummer's night dream :(only the mining thingy and to kill a mockingbird
-> What?!? No ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ (sound echoing off the walls)

[25 Nov 06, 01:07] sak: weehee my books came just now! i immediately went to do my chem hw! hahahaha..I'm so weird...
-> I don't find that weird.

[25 Nov 06, 12:42] # charis!: HELLO! just dropping by too :D keke.
-> Yes, hello! Feel free to drop by anytime!

[25 Nov 06, 12:51] # charis!: D-U-H. i am [going to the bbq] [following tag, after I asked if she could follow the leaders' directions] no i cld not [following tag] but i cldnt care less. [following tag] i have my own form of transport :D [following tag] ++ no one wna follow 'em. LOL
-> Oh my, poor leaders.

[25 Nov 06, 14:05] louisa: hey! (: haha i'm taking english, hcl, double math, chem, physics, e.lit, elec geog+ss [following tag] yeah i think that's all! (:
-> Oh, OK! Hope you love your combo... All the best!

[25 Nov 06, 14:35] louisa: ooh hahaa, my school doesn't give us a choice of lit as an elective, but i like lit enough to take it whole (: all the best to you too! (:
-> Thanks Louisa! Oh, you don't have SS/Lit at your school? Oh well :(

[25 Nov 06, 21:53] sak: -pokes- [following tag] TAGGGG!!! -grins-
-> Tagged! *nudges*

[26 Nov 06, 12:00] den;: oh no you're not doing midsummer's night dream anymore? [following tag] why? x( [following tag] what will you be doing then? i thought there had to be a shakespearean work?
-> I have no idea, Denyse. I only heard from Rachel (points to tagboard). It seems that they're choosing the syllabus (they being the teachers). Back to the theme of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry for us SS/Literature students, then. The play is nice, though silly in some respects. Aww gee, I would've wanted to do something by Shakespeare, be it bloody tragedy or lovey-dovey comedy.

And that concludes the tag replies.

Roll of thunder, hear my cry; bring back the play!
On and on, anon will come the day -
The day to enact the old-time trouble:
drama like potion, to boil and bubble.

I hope the relevant authorities' minds be changed anon. Amen.

Singing off.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[1:33 PM]

Thursday, November 23, 2006: New books.

Popster and I went to get them today.

Shernice greeted me upon my arrival in the foyer (she happened to be there) and she noticed my wired-up teeth. Oh well, they're bound to be noticed sometime. What will the Choristers say, I wonder? Hmm...

Anyway, back to the books. Apparently one of the books isn't needed for SS/Literature, but Sabrina (a fellow 2Puritian who's taking it too) didn't know which. Shoot - now there's one extra book on my hands, and I don't know which one it is! Great. So Popster and I got the full set of Literature textbooks, along with all the other books that we should get.

I returned home and chomped on my copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Something didn't go down right, and I have some bones to pick with the authors (Shakespeare as well as the person who put in the study notes).

Friends, readers, passers-by, lend me your eyes! I have come to expose the errors, not to praise the authors for making these mistakes! (Hahaha.)

Hail all, to Selene, Artemis and Aphrodite, never to cease!
Turn your backs to Luna, Diana and Venus as you please!
No doubt, they are identical,
But I, for I am critical,
See what is not;
For the benefit of you lot,
The latter names are by Romans bestowed,
While the former set, the original Greek-endowed.

DON'T CONFLATE THE NAMES WITH EACH OTHER LIKE SHAKESPEARE DID,
OR I SHALL SOON BECOME LIVID.

So that was Shakespeare's error; aside from that, he did a lot of research into the culture of the place, and I have to give him credit for that, no doubt.

Now, for the errors made by the writer of the study notes.

Towards the end, in the play within the play, there is a mention of the Fates. Here the writer of the notes names Lachesis as the Spinner, Clotho as the Measurer and Atropos as the one who cuts the thread after the weaving is finished.

The bone I have to pick with him is that he has confused Clotho's and Lachesis's roles! Clotho is the Spinner while Lachesis measures the life-thread. Furthermore, there is no weaving involved; there're already two women - one a lady, one not - and a goddess in Greek Mythology who take charge of weaving. The goddess is, of course, Athena; the woman is Arachne (she tried to hang herself after losing to Athena in a challenge; the latter let her live on as a spider), and the lady is my namesake; she was the Queen of Ithaca. (For your information, this blog can be considered my tapestry, thank you very much. I have no intention of undoing it - my namesake undid a tapestry of hers out of faithfulness to her King.)

OK, done. Hopefully typing all that out here will mean that I don't mention them in class and disrupt lessons (if we who are taking SS/Lit are even working on the Dream, that is).

Tag replies now.

[19 Nov 06, 23:36] Chinyu: hey hey hey its [scroll]physics + chem[/scroll ^^ [following tag] whoops broken tag. {with scrolling effect} physics+ chem! [following tag] 19 Nov 06, 23:37Chinyu: & haha hey yay you let me call you penny!!! {scrolling effect and upsize} WEEE =D
-> Oh really? Wow... OK, it's your choice after all. And - yes - you can call me by short name!

[20 Nov 06, 17:14] Chinyu: heyyy. you're posting in chinese! lols. [following tag, after I asked if she had a problem with it] haha thr's no prob laah of cos.
-> :) Good that you noticed...

[20 Nov 06, 22:52] hanle!: diao cy is close to flooding liao! xDDD {with scrolling effect} LINK ME!
-> Done.

[21 Nov 06, 18:00] weewee-: y mi linkk pink color de?? [following tag] walao...they dunoo how ta speak broken english issit?? [following tag] so OUTDATED [following tag] i'm not SAYING euu but...so toot
-> Welcome to my community, Cousin Lizzie. Welcome to my community.

[21 Nov 06, 18:11] hanle!: im {with scrolling effect} not pretty {and another scrolling effect to separate her points} not charming {no scroll} and my chinese sucks [following tag, after I told her that was what I felt about her] hahaha. my chinese results are like very sucky. guess how much?
-> I'm not guessing, Han Le. I'm not guessing. Mine could very well be in that range too...

[22 Nov 06, 14:32] sak: i got chem/bio too! what humanities are you taking? im taking pure hist with ss/geog =) [following tag] ooo sorry didnt read properly! haha.. guess most people are taking pure geog. i'm saying HELLO to HITLER!
-> Ugh, Hitler... (HATE YAMASHITA! GRR...)

[22 Nov 06, 18:21] sak: yup! i love love love my combo! from the start i was debating, lit or hist lit or hist? but everything sorted itself out and now im taking PURE HIST! <3333
-> Be prepared to be somewhere around 3S... Good for you since it's one of your initials. And it's also good that you love your combo. (switch languages) Travaillons dur et bien! (switch languages) All the best to us!

[22 Nov 06, 18:22] sak: woah you got you braces on already? woah.. did ou get them metal or rubber? if rubber, what colours?
-> All's currently in silver. Wait till I get used to them... then I'll be donning support for Cedar on my teeth.

[22 Nov 06, 19:43] # charis!: OH MY. this moving words thingy is nothing but a... {with scrolling effect} diesease [following tag] looks like i've caught it. LOL! (x [following tag] NO AUDITS! [following tag] (((((: [following tag] for now... SIGHS ): [following tag] {superscripted} up {normal }&& {subscripted} down [following tag] hahhaa, betcha dunoe ;D [following tag] i {br} know {br} you {br} duno {br} how {br} to {br} do {br} this {br} ahahahhaa {br} ((: [following tag] hahaha, i am evil:D [following tag] HOHO (x [following tag] {orange} YOUR BLOG SERIOUSLY NEEDS LOVELAYE ORANGEEEE! [following tag] hahaha, wonderful:D
-> Yes, thanks for that myriad display of abilities... but it destroyed quite a few of my tags too. Keep your flood down to no more than eight tags next time, OK?

[22 Nov 06, 21:03] Chinyu: heh the choir setpiece is out alr eh? hahaha. goodluck for your choir =D
-> You've seen it?! Nice. All the best to you too.

[22 Nov 06, 21:16] sak: penny! (can i call you that?) guess what? i got a hate tagger if you want entertainment! -grins- [following tag, with e-mail] huh? you got msn? i left my email! add meeee
-> OK... and I don't have any messenger, but I'll drop a mail soon.

[23 Nov 06, 11:51] # charis!: hello sak. though i dont know you. i wna a hate tagger!~:D [following tag] GIMME ONE! (: [following tag] my blog is dead. its needs Revival:D:D:D [following tag, directed to me] oh my. u are sooo [scroll]{upsize}SMART!!![scroll] [following tag] EEPS [following tag] BROKEN TAG! [following tag] never mind, i am tired. *grins sheepishli* [following tag]
-> You want a HATE TAGGER?! -_- Thanks for the compliment. And what's with being tired at... midday? Erm...

[23 Nov 06, 12:56] sak: of COURSE you can call me sak, penny! and charis! even tho i don't know you, why would you want a hate tagger? it's annoying but entertaining, nonetheless. [following tag] oh yeah, did you buy the french books already? where, when, and what do we buy?
-> Bingo, Charis, those were the thoughts I was trying to articulate here, but Sak's already done the job... And Sak, I think the books should be bought at the Centre, but I don't know when and what to get. Sorry...

[Following tag was a self-tag. After that...]

[23 Nov 06, 20:50] Chinyu: heh, we've seen the set piece alr aight. jiayou for ur choir=D
-> Yours too.

Well, that settles it all. Since it's already so late, I doubt I should be singing; I'm signing off instead.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[10:03 PM]

Wednesday, November 22, 2006: Happy Birthday Mr. Sagittarius!

And just grow up, will you?! I don't want to have to shout at you again. But then again, you're already quite grown up.

For Choir today, Miss Chye was conducting. She taught us something really interesting (I won't say what, again), to be frank. That was before getting us to brush up on our pieces. (switch languages) On aura l'Or avec des Honneurs, Choristes Cédariennes! Travaillons dur et bien!

(switch languages) After lunch, I went to the dentist's again for the actual brace fixation. Ugh, the chemicals tasted awful, really. I'm thankful it's all over; right now, I just feel - erm - all wired up? Hahaha. However, there's more pain to come... Grr, I can do this! Strength and grit! I know I have these within; the question is, how deep down within are they? Surface, strength and grit!

Random line: Mockingbirds beware. I've got a rifle.

Singing off.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[5:42 PM]

Tuesday, November 21, 2006: One childhood; cherish it.

It only comes once, along with all its fairytales, pretty princesses and dashing knights in shining armour, and elves and leprechauns and wizards/witches who try to wreck your plans and turn the tale into the roller-coaster read that it once was.

Who doesn't long to go back to their childhood days? For some, they might choose to revisit their youthful days. That's fine enough. Everyone longs to go back to happy points in time, don't they?

However, when the fairytale is dashed, there is no going back.

Allow me to digress a little bit...

Recently, Berenice updated with a serious post. Its theme word was "image". I think I might want to do something similar, but the theme word is different (though both start with "i").

What do you think of when you think of the word "idyll"? For me, they're such words and phrases as "innocence", "fairytales", "lollipops", "cuteness", "teddy bear" and such.

What would you associate with such things? Or rather, who would you associate with such things? You can name me as many people as you want, but I'm sure they're all children. (I'd be surprised if you can name me an adult whom you can associate with at least three of the above items.)

Red and yellow and
pink and green,
purple and orange and blue;
I can sing a rainbow,
sing a rainbow,
sing a rainbow tune.

Yes, the Rainbow Song. I'm pretty sure most kids like it, just as I did.

Once the children find out about the perverse connotations tied to the rainbow, however, I'm not sure what will happen.

I just found out that there is a flag, dyed in six colours, that stands for a not-so-glorious cause. Worse still, the colours on the flag are all bright and merry. I can just imagine a supporter of that cause handing out small portable versions of this flag on the streets.

I can imagine that there would be many children who would want a flag; their parents, knowing what the flag stands for, would drag their children away. The kids would be crying and screaming at their parents for a flag, but their parents would not tell them anything because they wouldn't want their children to know about such things lest they become involved.

I would have to agree with the parents in the above scenario.

In fact, I think the flag I mentioned above could be why the Peace flag has an inverted-rainbow colour scheme.

For me, however, reading about that flag shattered the holy impression I had of rainbows.

So, I'm shattered too, not just the good impression I had of rainbows. Once the idyllic glasses through which kids see the world are broken, there is no going back, and I need time to recover from this new shock.

That's all I have to say about children's idyll.

On another note, the people who support that cause had better get a better symbol, or so I think. (turns to supporters of the cause) Yes, you're ****-*******, and you're proud of that fact. Fine with me; why not just conceal it and live among us like normal people? That is, unless you want to make a spectacle about your support for the cause.

(turning back to readers in general) I'd rather they not shout it out using the rainbow. It wholly defiles the holy symbol that the rainbow was meant to be.

Signing off here.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[12:27 PM]

Monday, November 20, 2006: 我还以为是那样的。

结果，一切都是虚幻；我的记忆背叛了我。虽然如此，但是我还是信任我的五官。

我也信任一些东西、一些人。
这些人当中，有亲戚、朋友、合唱团员，还有他。

我相信，我信任。
我相信以上的这些人不会离我而去。

我相信。

我真正地相信。

(switch languages) Indeed, I do believe, and fervently. I trust them.

Now I'm off to link someone. Toodles.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[10:54 AM]

Sunday, November 19, 2006: 抱歉。（抱歉吗？I'm blogging in Chinese after all.）

I seem to be drifting around in nothing.

(switch languages) 我好讨厌这种感觉。真的，它令你觉得心里空空的，而我，虽然不喜欢，但是... ...

为什么？
我全部的情绪都消失得无影无踪；做东西时，只好行尸走肉般地敷衍。
我的头脑在，灵魂却不在。
能见到灵魂的时候，只限于与四德女子合唱团一起练歌的时间。

不行，一定要把它给装满，让我有事干，这才行。

虽然我是双人，但在别人眼中，他们对我的印象迥然不同。可是，依我看来，我并不是什么神秘人物。
我真的会给大家那种感觉吗？
我并没有沉迷于自己的星座。我真的想知道，因为我好像发觉到，我有可能给过这样的印象。

我真的那么神秘吗？
(switch languages) Really, I don't think so.

Tag replies now.

[18 Nov 06, 20:23] xc: wah.. something happened at my blog as i switch to new version.. some of my contacts and other post are deleted! urgh...
-> Ooh boy, that sounds bad... I gave you my link, so please re-link! (note to self) I guess I need to download a backup copy of my blog if I'm going to switch to BETA?

[19 Nov 06, 00:25] Chinyu: hey penny wht stream are you taking eh?
-> It's all here. And (frowning) since when did I give you permission to call me Penny? Haha, just kidding. (switches to a smile) Actually, all friends are welcome to do so after the first period of being together (I let Hee Ai use my short name after the transfer to Pei Chun, for example).

Singing off.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[3:29 PM]

Saturday, November 18, 2006: I know, I know...

Yeah, I know I neglected to mention Liyana's fainting and Miss Chye's return yesterday, but those are pretty much close to my heart, my innermost feelings (in spite of the fact that it's really pretty much not a secret).

I'm going to have tag replies here today - I don't have a lot to post otherwise.

[8 Nov 06, 22:17] heeai: hi penny! sry tt i dint come here to tag for a long time :p [following tag] u went for immersion programme! tts so cool! oh and u can blog in french!! *clapsclaps*
-> Yes, I did. But when you tagged, it wasn't over yet! And it still isn't over.

[10 Nov 06, 19:24] # charis!: TAHNKS PENELOPE! (: hahah!
-> No problem.

[11 Nov 06, 21:47] (Cassie gave me her e-mail address)
-> Thanks Cassie!

[11 Nov 06, 23:53] rg: eh and btw just so you know, my blog will be very angsty, most of the time that is
-> OK then... (preceding tag was deleted, because it hurt)

[12 Nov 06, 08:39] den;: hahah sorry that was a technical glitch. it's not so jarring anymore.
-> Yeah, and you've since changed your blogskin. Going through a rainy season, you sunny girl? Haha. You know the pun because I explained on your blog.

[12 Nov 06, 19:36] rg: er no I didn't get someone to translate for me, I used an online translator that will translate phrases so it doesn't sounds so weird or something like that :P
-> OK... But online translators aren't very accurate...

[The next two were self-tags. After that...]

[13 Nov 06, 23:35] # charis!: AHAHAHA! penelope! u must pass choir audis! [following tag] zzzzzzz i know you will passs....so ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ [following tag, after I asked what the 'z's meant] i mean zzz mean obvious **
-> I replied this in the following tag: "Oh, really, Charis?" and she came back with "YEPPIES[:". Thanks for your faith in me, Charis!

[15 Nov 06, 19:59] Chinyu: haha hey. erm i just finished goong. maybe watching again?
-> Suit yourself!

[15 Nov 06, 22:51] den;: hahah about the skin, is it that bad? :X [following tag]when i have the time i will find another blogskin xD [following tag] what made you shocked? :X
-> I've already told her why I was shocked (on her tagboard) and I have no intention of repeating it here.

[16 Nov 06, 09:56] jiaqi: hi penelope! (: take care! <3
-> You too!

[16 Nov 06, 14:52] jiaqi: hey! sry i noe my vocab not tt good!(: but wad's caesarian ? [following tag] oh yah! give me ur email can? i realised i dun hv it:D
-> Explained and given. "Caesarian" is in the dictionary, all the rest of you... Go check, please.

[16 Nov 06, 17:11] ME - tracy: ooh! i didn't know u had a blog! hellos anw. happy holidays
-> Are you Tracy of 2P 2006? Please tell me... Thanks.

[17 Nov 06, 18:02] jiaqi: i noe wad it means! tt the cedar results are out SLOW!
-> Bingo! Yay Jiaqi!

[17 Nov 06, 22:33] clara: congrats on the stream, lit is a lovely subj and you all get really good books next year. what are your other subjs ?
-> Chemistry, Biology and Pure Geography - the Literature is my SS/Elective.

[18 Nov 06, 12:10] # charis!: hahha, mangana! *clap* LOL. i tink i am becoming obsessed with the song O.Olll [following tag] hahaha, congrats on yerr stream! [: [following tag] and *OUCH* u pulled out your teeth. OH MY. poor you. ): [following tag] u brought an orange lizard for lucky charm? hahahaha , so cute! (x
-> I'm also going crazy over it - mangana! (clap) Thanks, but you must work hard too - in addition to being sensible about it - to get your stream of choice. It's OK, my mouth feels better now. And did you even see the orange lizard beanie? Anyway I doubt I'll be bringing it again until the next audition. My little lucky lizard :)

[18 Nov 06, 12:33] # charis!: OH PLEASEEEE BRINGGG! i wna see the beanie! hoho:D [following tag] do u have msn? i wna add yer!(:
-> You'll have to wait! In the meantime, perhaps e-mail me to get a picture (but don't upload it to your blog please)? And unfortunately, I don't have any kind of Messenger whatsoever. Sorry :(

Now for a bit more substance.

` To a certain 'fan' of mine `

To Mix-Tone,

If you've gone to school to get your results you will have known that I got a Double-Science stream with Biology in it. Don't call the teachers cruel; it was a change of heart on my part, and so I did get my stream of choice.

Please, stop dogging me or I will have to do something drastic, which I don't want to. I don't want to have to tell you again, nor to have to say anything to you or do anything with you or have anything to do with you.

I don't need grilling, I need peace. Life is already gruelling enough. Don't add to my troubles, please.

In advance, thank you.

Your Cedarian level-mate, Penelope

It's true. I don't need her to keep on doggedly following me. One of my Western Astrological Signs makes me enough of an enigma already.

I'm still trying to solve the riddle that is myself.

Singing off.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[12:34 PM]

Friday, November 17, 2006: "Can't help. I started out [in Choir in general] as an Alto."

And, to that, my SL responded, "You sound like an Alto." Really, now? Soprano range and Alto tone. Hmm, guess I need to modify things a bit.

Let's start in chronological order.

I went to school and the first thing I did was to check my stream. Nice; I got the stream of my FIRST choice! Lovely, lovely, lovely. I wonder who the Literature teacher will be. I'm hoping to get Mr. Sourberry; I want to get a taste of his teaching style.

For a start to the Choir practice session, we (the Cedar Choristers) sang in the school foyer today before discussing Choir Barbecue Outing details and... [Aboriginal piece] auditions. The auditioning started out as auditions (for the first [number of?] groups; I was in the second), but then the leaders decided on intensive one-on-one training for the rest. I'm not sure if I passed or not, but I certainly hope my orange lizard beanie toy brought me some luck (and I reckon it might have). For one-on-one training, I became Elizabeth's assistant because a certain Leo wasn't around (and I won't reveal the second reason because I don't want to be thought of as cocky).

After the one-on-one training, Stephanie asked what the word "tone" meant, and, in answer, Liz decided to compare mine and Annette's by asking us to sing the same part of the song. Shortly after, we said the two lines that were featured above. Hey, it's a fact that I started out as an Alto, and I love the fact that I currently have a Soprano range; I hate squashing my voice until it sounds masculine. That happened in my second primary school Choirgirl days, for a piece known as Domine Deus. It was one of our our Top 5 Choirs pieces. It took place at Victoria Concert Hall, and we LOST TO ROSYTH back then. Ugh... bitter VCH memory; the Gold award was clinched during the performance at the Nanyang Girls' auditorium.

Anyway, back to the present time and day. So then after practice ended at 1pm, I returned home and went out again shortly after for my second tooth extraction. The First Top-Right Premolar was the most stubborn of the four extracted premolars (though that was no fault of its own); it resolutely refused to budge after the dentist's fourth try. Then again, it has two distinct roots. I'd like to say a big thank-you to my two Right-Side Premolars for accompanying me through the audition, and a special word of thanks goes to my Second Bottom-Right Premolar for being obedient and coming out quickly.

At the moment, however, the sites of extraction hurt in spite of the anaesthetic; I reckon the gum space for my First Top-Right Premolar is hurting more. Self-prescription: a nap. Yes, you know what that means.

See you around; I'm going to sleep.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[4:24 PM]

Tuesday, November 14, 2006: Long-lived souls?

It's said that when you mention someone and that someone walks in the door / contacts you, that person will have a long life.

Really?

Then if that's the case, I know someone outside my family who will be long-lived.

It all started out quite innocently on Sunday. I was looking at the Cedar Yearbook 2006 (yes, the one entitled Growing from Strength to Strength). More specifically, I was looking at the Choir leaders' spread (Go figure out where it is).

And - just then - one of the leaders called me. Don't bother asking me what she called about, it's not relevant here. Not only is it not relevant, I'd also like to keep it under wraps (although it isn't really under wraps).

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (it means "absolutely stunningly fantastic", according to http:// www.epennypress.com/ Words_Starting_with_S/ sunburned_supercontinent/ supercalifragilisticexpialidocious_definition.html [remove the spaces and enter the URL into your browser if you want to visit it]). Liz's going to be long-lived (although I doubt she would ever believe such a thing).

Then again, how do all these things come about?

People have feared death since time immemorial, myself included (no forwarded morbid chain mails, please). Hence, you have longevity being pinned to staying up to guard your parents' age over the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve (as in the Chinese custom of 守岁), or the abovementioned phenomenon (known in Chinese as "说曹操，曹操就到"; the English equivalent is "speak of the devil", but I find that a lot worse).

Come to think of it, do we need to fear death?

Perhaps, not.

It's just a part of life. After all, once we are born, we have to age, we have to perish. Why, you ask?

Biologically, youthful life simply can't be sustained. I think this is due to the decline in production of growth hormone, or something like that. (I'm not putting any Net research here; the Net search is so massive that it's giving me a headache.) Since death is such a natural part of life, so universal that nothing can escape it, should we fear? No; it's normal.

However, the above doesn't mean I approve of people trying to hasten the natural process. In fact, the group I was referring to in the previous sentence doesn't even use any viruses or anything (though they might in future). They use primitive kitchen weaponry.

Apart from that, death isn't really welcomed because of people's sentiments for each other (be it family or romantic love, friendship, et cetera). Face it, we all have to go. When Atropos cuts the thread, when God signals the time's-up, it's time to leave.

And it's not time for me to leave just yet, although I should just leave my blog alone until I have more to post.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[8:20 PM]

Monday, November 13, 2006: To someone whom I really respect...

To you, whom I'd rather not name here,

I wonder what made you change your blogskin to something like that, which is completely unlike you, or rather, the you whom I know.

Orange would've been fine, but why that choice?

I'm not sure if I even understand anymore.

As I type this, the words sound foreign, even to me.

Pardon my language switch here, please.

Pourquoi toi, Présidente?
Tu peux me dire pourquoi?

Then again, is there even a reason?

Just yesterday, I was shocked, but this shock is even bigger. I know not what to say, except one word: the questioning word that is formed by my initials.

To me, it's just as much a mystery as I might have been at times.

Your junior, Penelope

P.S. Until we meet again, on Wednesday.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[1:19 PM]

Sunday, November 12, 2006: Just a random snippet or two...

Random stuff again. I know, I know. I hear many people groaning. I'll try not to be random the next time.

Just this past Thursday I took the train to the Lycée Français. It was only when I stepped out that I noticed it was covered in Cadbury squares scattered onto a purple background. At regular intervals, there would be the question "Wouldn't it be nice to ride in the Cadbury train?" and a smiley face next to it (with Cadbury squares for the eyes and a white smiling mouth).

Not that I'm against Cadbury or anything, but Cadbury train or not, it's a Silver Train which does its favourite sightseeing everyday (won't it get bored?), according to the piece by Mr. Job Tan. Yes, I'm referring to the choral Set Piece in the SYF Central Judging of Choirs 2004! It was a fun two-part piece. There's this part where he tries to create the effect of trains going all over Singapore and then meeting at a common destination, and I dare say that he's done it well. The sopranos would sing about the lines covered by the trains (by just mentioning the endpoints of two lines, and two interchanges), while we Altos would go "up and down, up and down, to and fro, to and fro..." The meeting point? Raffles Place... Chin Yu! Jaslyn! Mel Lim! Don't you people remember?

Since then, I've always seen MRT trains in Singapore as Silver Trains, and never anything else (although some of them have a black-red-white colour scheme now). So don't give me any Cadbury Train stuff. Besides, we're not allowed to eat or drink on public transport anyway.

On another note, the terrorists had better stay away from my beloved Silver Trains. We don't need their kind of extremism, we need peace.

Brace yourselves, people, for my new look!

No, I haven't gotten spectacle frames like Cherissa's yet. I'll be getting my teeth wired up in braces to straighten them up.

Four of my premolars have to go. Two were extracted yesterday; both were second premolars on my left side. It didn't hurt much because of the anaesthetic; the only real fear that I felt was during the extraction proper. It felt as if the dentist was trying to loosen all my teeth! Only the target teeth came out, though, roots and all; the rest was intact. Right now, it feels awkward when I run my teeth over the affected area. The good thing is, though, that the blood has clotted well enough, and physically, I am bleeding no more.

When's the second extraction session, I hear you ask?

It'll be after the audition for our Aboriginal piece.

The Lycée Français Immersion Programe was my choice, and is my gain-loss (I see it as a gain-loss because I see both gain and loss in it).
Not much to be ashamed of, is there?
If only that were truly true.
The audition is coming in less than a week.
I cannot, and mustn't, fail!
I won't be able to answer to anything otherwise.

Self-quote:
"I can wait for [the audition] to come.
I missed two practices, and I'm basically not good enough.
I need a one-on-one with the Conductor.
(switch languages) S'il vous plaît, tirer sur moi et laisser moi mourir. (switch languages) I'm just NOT up to it.
I may be an aspiring Daaé, but I'm not a Daaé just yet."

Another self-quote:
"... [Acing the audition is] not as easy as before. With everything else in place, I cannot. It's just like bars, prison bars."

With everything else in place, I am trapped. It's a fact. I have tried to do it all on my own, but it doesn't come out half as nicely as when in the group. Something is wrong; I need extra lessons with her, now.

Couldn't I just lie comatose and just forget the world, and not return to consciousness altogether?

I think I've explored something similar, though, but in French.

Besides, it's an ecapist mentality, yet I cannot help but want to fall into this mode of thought.

My Soul Crystal is regressing, again. Why? It'd just attained NominCryst status, and now it's slipping back into the Deuxième SuivantCryst state.

I used to sing for fun, to amuse myself. Yet now, I'm running away from the song that is to be tested; I sang part of If We Hold On Together today. Oh, how ironic.

For the love of singing, I have sung.
For the love of Choral Singing, I haven't yet done so today.
For the love of the Cedar Choir, I have to, and soon, very soon. Gold With Honours, Cedar Choristers.

Why does it feel like I'm part of the Final Generation?

When we (Chin Yu, Jaslyn, Mel Lim and I) sang at the SYF Central Judging of Choirs 2004, the Pei Chun Choir took home a Gold, and was among the Top 5 Primary School Choirs; at the SYF Central Judging of Choirs 2006, it had to make do with a Silver.

When they (the Cedar Choir seniors) sang at the SYF Central Judging of Choirs 2005, they brought home a glorious Gold With Honours, and were among the Top 5 Secondary School and JC Choirs; what will become of the SYF Central Judging of Choirs 2007?

I have a feeling that my time for glory is past. Or shall I push the boundaries?

Perhaps, the latter, then. I have passed another test worthy of a Cedarian before; completing the eight laps of Freestyle swimming set by my instructor when I got palpitations during the second lap.

I stayed the course; I am a Cedarian. I can't give up.

With strength and grit, we'll surmount. Add my name to that, please.

I can't give up, I mustn't give up, I WON'T give up.

I'm a Cedarian Chorister; hear me roar.

CEDAR CHORAL DEVOTION; KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[2:51 PM]

Friday, November 10, 2006: I'm blogging in English.

You heard me right, I'm blogging in English. No more French until next time.

So, I'm going to do the combination of posts first before an account on yesterday and today, and then anything else I have to add.

>> Countdown to the French Local Immersion Programme: 3 more days.
-> On November 2, 2Purity of 2006 went to the Yakult factory, and I got the Ace Light version - which has cute lightsaber-like straws - after a tour by the friendly Mr. Yap. On November 3, we had sectionals during Choir practice - just Sopranos and Altos, this time around.

>> Regardez (look)!
-> I mean, just watch the video; you'll understand why I was surprised. The coins are real enough.

>> Bien évidemment, je suis fâchée.
-> That means "It's very evident that I'm angry." I was wondering if my Immersion Partner would have to follow me around wherever I go. She'd be shut out of Choir practice then, just as I was in Sec 1. Then the next part was in response to something I'd seen on Rachel's blog, and it was just as angsty. But then, I considered all that wouldn't have happened had I not been born, and I came to the conclusion that I love my life. The rest was tag replies.

Now... yesterday and today!

Yesterday first; we had French first, then Hist-Geo, then Sports, and Math. I nearly forgot the fifth lesson - English.

French: It was mainly about tone in written French.

Hist-Geo: This was about French citizenship - how to obtain it, the rights accorded to citizens, and what is expected of them in return. If you want to know more, come to me and I'll show you my notes regarding this topic.

Sports: They did baseball this time. I'm glad I didn't participate, though; at least I wasn't the last one who held up the rest this time. (Nobody did that, anyway.)

Math: More on algebra. I actually got the in-class practice question WRONG - when I'm already supposed to know the subject matter. Sheesh.

English: We started on Cry Freedom after the students had their test papers corrected. Halfway through it, though, the teacher got so fed up that she made them start on the questions she meant to set as homework. Poor teacher. She's really nice and kindly.

Today now! Before lessons, I got a note from Geraldine. Aww... it was heartwarming! Really! I gave my Immersion Partner a notebook too. It was just as heartwarming to get her "thanks" - in French, of course.

I took the cam along today, so I got a tidy number of pictures.

As for lessons, there was French first (again), then English, Music, Hist-Geo and Chinese.

French: More on tone and viewpoints in written French. I think I took home the most from this lesson. (switch languages) Merci beaucoup, Madame!

(switch languages) English: More on Cry Freedom. I must thank the teacher for telling me where to get their version of the book. I'll start with that, though I might want to move on to the unabridged version later. (Theirs is simplified.)

Music: The students had to listen to a Requiem, and answer the questions on the worksheet given by the teacher. Then she got them to play a certain portion of it (called by its makeshift title, Libera Me [which is in Latin]) on their recorders. The score had lyrics, and I wanted to add it to my repertoire! However, the owner didn't lend it to me for as long as I'd wanted. Oh well, never mind.

Hist-Geo: It was on European citizenship this time. I don't have the complete notes for this section, though.

Chinese: The students learnt some vocabulary on food. I asked to snap the Joking Julien, but he declined flatly.

And now, some thoughts.

Is something wrong with the karyotype of my soul?
Is something wrong with the genotype of my soul?
Is something wrong with the phenotype of my soul?

Please, just tell me if you think so.

All of you have always been saying that you see certain things in me.
Why is it that I have not been able to see them, up until now?
I still cannot see at least one thing about myself that you claim to see in me.

Please, tell me the truth.

There's an audition coming up for the Aboriginal piece.
I can wait for it to come.
I missed two practices, and I'm basically not good enough. I need a one-on-one with the Conductor.
(switch languages) S'il vous plaît, tirer sur moi et laisser moi mourir. (switch languages) I'm just NOT up to it.
I may be an aspiring Daaé, but I'm not a Daaé just yet.

One of these days, I am just going to burn myself. Hopefully, the flame that I use won't be the flame of anger, but the flame of Choral love, or the flame of Celestial Devotion.

I want to sing like a Cherub, but I can't, just yet. I need more time; what part of this do you not understand?

I need time to break free of this. Anger is being channelled into me by an invisible force; I feel chained down. I need time to break free. Or maybe I need an evening nap. It shouldn't fail. After that, and only after that, I can just let love consume and sustain me.

Hopefully, it'll see me through the audition with flying colours.

I want flying colours. I want to ace the audition. And yet, it's not as easy as before. With everything else in place, I cannot. It's just like bars, prison bars.

Spiritus. Deep breath in, and out. It still doesn't help.

May Choral love and Celestial Devotion conquer all obstacles.

Can I? I can.
Can I? I can, and well, too.
Can I? I can, and it's very well evident.

Strange, it doesn't have the effect that it did the last time. I'm too angry.

Here's a toast - to the conquering of everything by Choral love and Celestial Devotion. *downs drink in one swig* Yes, I think I'll drink more, so much that I'm so full that I want to sleep. (By the way, the drink is water.)

See you around. I'm going to get myself drunk on water.

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[5:53 PM]

Wednesday, November 08, 2006: (changeant des langues)

If you guessed that that means "switch languages", you're right. Tell me that you're all happy, because I'm going to blog in English today! But this isn't going to be the combined post that I was promising; I'm going to blog about the Local Immersion Programme (thus far; there're two more days to go).

To start off, a tag reply:

[5 Nov 06, 21:33] den;: you're going for a french local immersion programme? sounds interesting x)
-> Indeed it is, Denyse. And it's fun too.

(turning back to readers in general) How was it fun, I hear you ask? Read on to find out!

First of all, meet my "correspondant" or partner, Caroline! Finally, a nice Caroline, unlike another one I know.

OK, I know, there's no picture. But I wouldn't have posted any photos anyway. Sorry. And I actually forgot to bring my camera for the past three days.

Now... to the lessons!

On Monday, there was Math, English (with Literature combined in), Sports (aka P.E. in a local context), Technology, and History-Geography (which should correspond to Social Studies/History and Character Education, combined).

Math: The lesson was on algebraic functions and such things as factorising. With two math-haters (or people who dislike math) next to each other, I'd have thought the material would be tough. But it wasn't. In the end, I was explaining the method to Caroline as best as I could.

English: The French students will be doing this book called Cry Freedom, about the Apartheid era in South Africa; on Monday, they handed in their research, and the teacher explained to them the background context of the story. Once more, it's an epic battle between Black and White people, a tale of the consequences of the then-European greed for power and control. I won't say whether it exists right now, but it did back then.

Sports: Everyone underwent a fitness test comprising 10 laps of freestyle (they have a pool) and 10 laps of running. I was the slowest. Still, I must say Merci Dieu that I made it. However, because I was slowest, we had about 5 minutes to have lunch. We ended up eating into the next lesson and having to leave behind half our lunches (I paid $4.30 for mine... grr).

Technology: While the French students designed webpages with the help of the French version of Dreamweaver, we local students surfed the net. Everything was allowed, except playing (but of course). The French keyboard is different from ours; you have to press SHIFT to get the numbers on the number keys - you get accented letters if you don't. I researched the Apartheid era during this time, as well as a bit more about Choir.

History-Geography: It was all in a French context. I'm not sure what it was about though.

On Tuesday there was Life and Earth Science (corresponding to Biology and, perhaps, Ecology combined?), Physics-Chemistry, Foreign Language, Hist-Geo and English (combined with Russian Revolution History this time; Caroline had a test to take, so I was diverted to another class).

Life and Earth Science: The lesson was Bio-oriented; it was on gamete formation. Does anyone who's reading have any idea how many different gene combinations you can get in gametes? 2 to the power of 23. That's around 8.3 million! And that's why it's very highly unlikely to get identical twins unless the zygote splits into two during division.

Physics-Chem: It was more Physics-oriented. Nothing much sank in, for some reason. I'm still figuring it out.

Foreign Language: Caroline and I had to split up here because she takes Spanish, which I don't understand. Instead, she told a friend who was going to a Chinese class to bring me to their class. Therefore, by right, I wasn't really studying a foreign language. The foreign stdents were made to introduce themsleves to us. Their accents were a bit strange, but we (the other Immersion students from the MOELC and I who were in their class) could understand - all but Rohan, who's Indian. One of the French pupils, called Julien, made fun of his own assigned Chinese name and called himself "pig face" (in English) when it was time for him to introduce himself to us. He's a real joker.

Hist-Geo: This time, the lesson was about the French national symbols - the tri-coloured flag, Marianne, their motto (meaning "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" when translated into English), and their national anthem, titled La Marseillaise. They don't sing their national anthem in the morning, though; it originated as a war cry during the French Revolution, and was meant to stir the men of the time to fight. Then the teacher threw the ball into the court of the local students and quizzed us about the national flag of Singapore and our national anthem, Majulah Singapura.

English: I was diverted to the "Advanced" class, which has English combined with History. I took home nothing but one thing, which I shall now share. If you didn't know already, do take all political stuff with a pinch of salt.

Today now. There was Foreign Language, French, Math and Art, and Early Dismissal. Haha, did I fool you there? Hope not.

Foreign Language: Just like yesterday, I went to the Chinese class. While the French (plus the American) students were taking their test, the teacher revealed that their attitudes were bad because some had been forced by their parents to take Chinese and that they didn't see it as a core subject. And Julien got a name change. The pinyin of his name is no longer zhu lian, but zhu li en. It's indeed better, I think.

French: We were given texts and asked to analyse the viewpoints of the writers (it wasn't that hard really, it was just a question of First or Third Person).

Math: More on algebraic functions. Again, I had to explain to my partner what she didn't understand. And there was something we both couldn't understand!

Art: They did printing, something that Cedarians have done. The teacher let the local students have two pages (or rather, one sheet) from a sketchbook. Guess what I drew? I'll bet it's not really consistent with the PhOTO story, but I drew Christine running after a "retarded-looking" Raoul (my fellow local student said this of him, not me; I meant for him to pause in his footsteps on hearing Christine), with the PhOTO himself looking angrily at them from a high balcony. (Does anyone know what I mean when I refer to PhOTO now? You ought to, or so I think.)

Early Dismissal: Normally, we're dismissed at 4.30, but this time we were dismissed at around midday.

There - my informal report's done! I was blogging while waiting for my food to digest. Now, it's time to train. See you around, people! (changeant des langues) Au revoir!

(changeant des langues) Other tag replies:

[6 Nov 06, 16:13] liyana! (:: HELLO PENELOPE! LINK ME! (: hee.
-> Sure!

[8 Nov 06, 17:51] me: Heya! Are you french?
-> Who're you? I don't tag as "me" on my own tagboard. Please leave a name and link! I won't reveal it until you tell me.

(changeant des langues) Et maintenant, c'est vraiment "au revoir".

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[1:56 PM]

Sunday, November 05, 2006: Bien évidemment, je suis fâchée.

Oui. Je suis fâchée. Désolée, tout le monde. J'espère que je ne serai plus fâchée demain, quand je vais au Lycée Français.

Demain, je vais y aller. L'année prochaine, ils iront à Cedar.
Vont-ils me suivre tout le temps?
Vont-ils me suivre quand j'irai aux Labos de Science ou aux Labos aux Ordinateurs ou au Studio de la Musique pour les leçons ou l'entraînement Chorale?
... quand j'irai pour l'entraînement Chorale? Mais, l'année prochaine est l'année du concours Choral de la FJS! ...
L'année dernière du concours Choral de la FJS pour les collèges et les lycées était en 2005, quand j'étais en Sec 1, et j'étais interdit d'aller dans la salle de l'entraînement Chorale.
Oh, non.

J'ai vu le journal en ligne de Rachel.
Oui, je voudrais bien écrire quelque chose comme ça ici.
Si je n'étais pas née...

Mais, je sais ce qui se passera actuellement...
-> Mes parents auront moins de problème entre moi et mon frère
-> Mes amis n'iront pas me connaître
-> Mon petit ami aura une autre chérie

J'aime bien ma vie.

(changeant des langues) Now to continue with tag replies.

[10 Sep 06, 18:48] Cassandra: not that I dint wanna visit u ppl..i had extra lessons on dat day...gomenasai~
-> Forgiven, Cassie. Perhaps drop by after the SYF Central Judging of Choirs?

[11 Sep 06, 18:35] yuting: HELLO!
-> You too! Do you blog? Please leave a link!

[11 Sep 06, 20:42] eva (with hyperlink): hellos!!! (((=
-> Yay, Eva Seah! You found me!

[12 Sep 06, 11:19] WEIYI =D: hahaha hello!(: mm the melwee is your cousin! hahaha yeahyeah erm go and ask her for her number luh! >< -> The next tag is the reply, but I'm just going to reply again: Really? Hey, not once did she acknowledge me. I asked another of my cousins to tag me but she hasn't! :(

[12 Sep 06, 19:33] ~Seraphine Chorister~: To Weiyi: Hey how'd you know I have a NYGH cousin called Melissa? (turns to Denyse) That's not the Melissa that you and Ruiwen posed with in that photo.
-> Yes, that was a reply to the above tag.

[17 Sep 06, 20:23] heeai: hi penny! haha im quitting german b4 EOYs so i wont be taking the oral. all the best for ur french!
-> Ugh! Lost contact! Sheesh. All the best to you though!

[22 Sep 06, 21:00] huiyi xD: jia you 4 ur EYEs!!!!!........... good luck!!!
-> Thanks!

[23 Sep 06, 11:50] jiaqi (with hyperlink): hi! (: didnt noe u hv a blog. haha. link me ks! xD
-> Done.

[29 Sep 06, 21:35] clara: hey there. i didn't know you blogged, will link you up soon. anyway, thanks for the encouragement & the vote of confidence. you take care too, i'm sure you'll do well for end years, [following tag] and enjoy yourself in choir and school. see you around(: [I asked her what a 'vote of confidence' is and she said, the following day...] like, lke, you know, believing in me & all that stuff
-> Thanks Clara. Thanks a lot.

[2 Oct 06, 21:46] melissa: yupp my mum and sis pointed out but i have yet to read it
-> She was referring to Nora's winning Pen Awards entry. (Melissa! Read it already?)

[3 Oct 06, 01:49] youying (with hyperlink): hey penelope! i found your blog somehow it's great to know someone cares about choir so much.. keep your passion for it burning okay? read 2 of ur entries bout choir btw in case youre wondering
-> Yeah, sure. I'll keep the flame of love burning!

[4 Oct 06, 15:51] yying: i think they're old entries. dont worry take ur time. i found ur blog thru google search cuz i was searchin for keywords 'cedar choir' n i started clickin on all e blogs with that. ahha. so free right
-> I'll bet you're working on O-levels, right? So, no more free time for such things, right? *hands Youying a four-leaf clover*

[8 Oct 06, 19:31] alynna: back again! hahah. i think the 3 levels have the same subj EOYs on the same day ! (:
[next tag] yup, no coincidence.. it was planned.. or how to say? hahah.. i think its meant to be like that.. [following tag] hmm i'm not sure if its sec 1-3, maybe its just sec 1 and 2 the same ! hahahs, well , at least 2 levels are the same =X hahah
-> No it isn't, Alynna... Scroll through to find out why!

[9 Oct 06, 18:59] melissa: yeah [following tag] oops, accidentally pressed enter. yeah endofyears are so OVER!
-> Hooray for the end of the EYEs!

[9 Oct 06, 19:00] # charis!: YAY! finally u linked me...so u know who to change blogskin...the colour is hurting my eyes ): [following tag] BOO BOOs.
-> Really? It hurts your eyes? I'll try to make one soon. First, though, I need a scanner...

[9 Oct 06, 20:20] zhiyi (with hyperlink): HELLO! first time tagging i think. heh (: link!
-> Done!

[9 Oct 06, 22:43] den;: hellohello! hahah you can enjoy exam-free life now! xD
-> How true, Denyse.

[10 Oct 06, 09:28] den;: yeah there're different exams occurring at the same time sometimes.
-> Really? Oh my. Sorry!

[10 Oct 06, 11:28] zhiyi: woohoo. yes blogger always go crazy when i want to post photos. sheesh
-> *nodding* Same here. Except for recently! (points to picture of Princess Serenity posted 4 posts ago)

[10 Oct 06, 14:32] Chinyu: heys penelope! hvnt been tagging you for quite some time eh. take care loads! [I went to her blog and commented on how she likes to swap blogskins and she said...] haha yes penelope, i love changing blogskins (:
-> Take care too, you... erm... blogskin-o-phile? That's not right... OK then, take care too, you blogskin lover!

[11 Oct 06, 10:39] den;: hahah i guess your exams are over too? xD enjoying freedom?
-> Yes, indeed.

[12 Oct 06, 21:12] den;: yeah i think my blogger's set at that time. don't know how to change it -.- [following tag, 3 days later] hello! thanks for the help. but i haven't tried it out yet. =x
-> Don't mention it. And you used it, didn't you? No more (unwittingly) pretending that you're living in the USA!

[15 Oct 06, 22:13] jiaqi: hi! haha i linked u long time ago(: yeps hope u see it! xD-> I did, in the end. Thanks!

[16 Oct 06, 18:33] lisa (with hyperlink): hmm. all the choir loving is a tad scary. X) i shan't be coming for choir anymore (i think) so best of luck in the future! =))
-> You too. And I'm a blatant Choir lover.

[18 Oct 06, 12:54] yying: yeah.. wish i didnt have the load of stuff i'm supposed to study weighin on my mind now. maybe we'll have a choir outing or sth if possible. i'll go ask the rest. haha
-> All the best! Yes, keep in touch!

[18 Oct 06, 15:22] Chek Seen (with hyperlink): Tagg [following tag] wah English A1
-> Yes, indeed.

[19 Oct 06, 23:43] heeai: hi penny! wah a1 for eng! haha jiayou!
-> You too!

[20 Oct 06, 12:28] ber (with hyperlink): boo. finally dropped by. posted a new post. go read? ^__^
-> I read it. You considered a teacher whom I might call Mr. Sourberry (NOT trying to match you and him here).

[21 Oct 06, 14:32] junipher: hello hello penelope! (: do you remember me HAHA (:
-> Yeah, I do!

[22 Oct 06, 00:35] Chinyu: heh, cos suddenly i like goong alot so i chnged my blogskin to goong. haha.
-> You "chnged" your blogskin. Haha.

[24 Oct 06, 14:10] # charis!: WAHH...i am so honoured...lol..special mention in yer blog *_* ahaha....but ur pitching quite good wad..
-> Hopefully it will not waver at all in future!

[24 Oct 06, 21:59] avery: hey i saw u at kpufu today!!! got see me??
-> She meant "koufu". And (turns back to Avery) I didn't see you. I must be blind.

[25 Oct 06, 22:01] ~Seraphine Chorister~: Why's a choir called a choir? Because it's trying to bring Angelic singing to Earth! Sorry if I sounded egoistic.
-> That's a joke I cracked.

[26 Oct 06, 16:43] # charis!: i don't understand you. [following tag] tag me and explain [: [following tag] btw..you can delete wan ping, she deleted her blog ]:
-> I already explained. And Wan Ping didn't delete, she shifted blog.

[26 Oct 06, 18:02] den;: hello! xD
-> Hello! ',:)

[27 Oct 06, 00:33] zhiyi: how come avery always see us and we never see her -_-''
-> *nodding* Is she invisible or something? Haha.

[27 Oct 06, 01:43] clara: hey, haven't tagged you in a while. you blog well. anyway, i hope you get your streaming options. enjoy your holiday and all the best in your remaining two years of cedar life(:
-> Thanks Clara! All the best to you too!

[27 Oct 06, 14:48] # charis!: ...well u haven't explained yet. [following tag] and tell me wanping new blog! [following tag, 2 days later] i don't understand you at all [following tag] your funnaye. in a weird way [following tag] i dont mind being crazzaye in a positive way [:
-> (nothing to say)

[29 Oct 06, 11:29] clara: hey, of course not, free hugs are for everyone
-> Yes, and they rock!

[29 Oct 06, 17:30] # charis!: haiya...you are super comlicated *sighs* [following tag] * complicated [following tag] i, a simple being don't understand you. [following tag] my greatest apologies.
-> Take heart, Charis, not everyone does.

[30 Oct 06, 15:05] Chinyu: hey thr~:D
-> Hey there ~ ~ ~ (sound echoing off the walls)

[31 Oct 06, 11:02] jiaqi: hey penelope! sry i cant help u with the hwrk ya.. i lost mine too. heehee [following tag] n dun worry, i wun forget u! 4 yrs of friendship! <3>
-> You too! Continue to charm the world, yes? All the best!

[31 Oct 06, 18:58] # charis!: Man...u are wayy complex mann.
-> I'm not a man. And I won't grow up to be one; I'll be a woman. Haha. Well, everyone's entitled to an opinion. If you think I'm complex, so be it.

[31 Oct 06, 20:05] Chinyu: haah my blogskin's bout a girl & a robot? hehe. have fun in the hols!
-> Have fun too, you blogskin lover.

[1 Nov 06, 17:32] den;: hello! i hope your throats feeling better now! [following tag] sorry i haven't been to your blog in a while. [following tag] hmm? who's the 3Z person? [following tag] anyhow, take care of your throat alright!
-> I shall! You don't have to apologise for something like that. And I already told you who the 3Z-ian HPN is. (turns to 3Z-ian HPN) Sorry about all that. But you might want to go to all the blogs of those who're pro-Free Hugs and say something in your own defence...

[2 Nov 06, 16:31] junipher (with hyperlink): HELLO (: haha yeah i am from pcps 6a
-> Remember "JESUS FREAKS!"? Haha.

[4 Nov 06, 18:11] eeyang (with hyperlink): penny penny penny link meeee
-> Soon.

[4 Nov 06, 22:09] steffi: heyyo just wanna say sorry! :biggrin: waah that french story is about choir is it?
-> Partially. The word "usine" means "factory", so the first half is about a trip to the Yakult Factory. And you're forgiven.

[5 Nov 06, 18:58] clara: after Os ! confim plus chop ! [following tag] clara: oh, & will hug you the next time i see you, mmkay(:
-> Holding you to that! Thanks in advance!

Whew... that's all. (changeant des langues) Enfin!

Je ne suis pas un échec. Je peux faire quelque chose sans faire des erreurs. Je peux.

Puis-je? Je peux.
Puis-je? Je peux bien.
Puis-je? Je peux, bien évidemment!

Après ça, je me sens mieux.

(en souriant) Au revoir, tout le monde!

~Seraphine Chorister~ sang in The Butterfly Garden
[7:50 PM]