Saturday, April 26, 2008
three years of politics...
three years of stressful and demanding projects...
three years of painful planning of activities...
three years of arguments..
but aside the pain that we had to endure... we survived and we pulled through.. and was blessed with so many other beautiful things as we endured our way through..
three years of beautiful and long lasting friendships
three years of fun and laughter..
three years of hugs and being there for one another...
three years of mugging together late into the night..
most of all.. three years of unforgettable memories..
thank you to all who've made my life in ntu such a blessed and cherished one.. =)
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
Monday, September 18, 2006
yes there are cock ups here and there.. but lets not get affected by the little nitty gritty things that might affect the vision and goals that you have set for yourself. there are many things to do. many goals to achieve. many ups and definitely many downs.
but looking at all these. what is the purpose? why did you get into the things you have gotten into? why are all these cock ups happening? why why why?
there is definitely a purpose in all the things that you do. and this could be a calling. to be strong and stay firm to what you believe in, and make you into a better person. learn from the mistakes made. and improve on it. all these cock ups are here to make you stronger to make you tougher in every sense of the word. politics was never sth that you wanted to get involved in. but think about it. it could be a stepping stone for you to achieve sth greater. it is to help you get tougher to face the real world. the world that is dark and nasty. not the fairy tale that you have lived in for the past 20 years of your life. that is a fantasy and a blessing.
things you do may benefit some and setback some. but whatever it is, it is for the greater good. people may support you and some may not. but be strong and keep your conscience clear. know what you are doing. and forecast its implications. weigh the costs and benefits. and do it. decisions made. mistakes made. consequences arise. live with it. dont be a coward. face up to it.
many things to achieve.
studies is that you need to excel in. you have failed your parents not too long ago. but this is your only chance to prove them wrong and prove to the whole family that you can live up to their expectations or be even better. you have got what it takes. pick yourself up and go. dont be 'idiotically' lazy. it is just an excuse. mind over matter that's what you have learnt. if you keep telling yourself that you are tired you will be tired and you WILL be a LOSER. so buck up, will you?
your position in this committee is to assist the committee to soar to greater heights. there have been many cock ups. and there will be many more to come. stay strong and even out these differences. you need to and you have to. you need to keep firm to the vision and what has been laid down by many past presidents. to come up with something new and refreshing is your goal. and to unite this jcrc as one. even out the cliques. unite them as one. that is YOUR job.
times may be difficult and tiring for you now. but it is just a phase. it will pass. you need to stay strong. keep firm. constantly pray for the people around you to be strong as well. push yourself beyond your limits. you will never know what you will achieve.
you can do it. i know you can. you DEFINITELY can.
attacking the problems with enthusiasm.
The Best is Yet to Be.
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
Thursday, September 14, 2006
just came back from AC.. after interviewing or rather having a chit chat session with my grand junior class. man.. they are one great bunch of people. and seeing them so cheerful and carefree brings back many memories..
seeing my grand juniors.. has rejuvenated me in many ways in a short period of time. the spirit and drive i saw in them were the same as mine when i was in AC and this spirit was in me when i left AC. and it has helped me to achieve beyond what i thought i could achieve. over [maybe] the course of the past 6 months.. this spirit has died down.. this drive slowly pushed from a gear 5 engine to a gear 3. many things have happened. and yes i am extremely tired.
i was super excited and nervous to see my grand juniors.. nervous was maybe.. due to the fact that i have been distancing myself from the ac community for such a long time.. distancing to avoid sth that hurt me so bad in the past. and i guess in a way i was afraid that i would not be able to clique with my juniors.. maybe not be myself.. or maybe.. was afraid to know the fact that maybe the natalie in AC may not be the same natalie as you see now.
why was i excited..? well.. though i have distanced myself away from ac for so long.. i dearly miss it. deep down inside.. i wished i had been more involved and to stay i touch with the school community. i miss the friends.. the culture.. the spirit.
walking into the gates of school.. i felt a gush of nostalgia. i remember how it was like to walk about feeling proud of the uniform i wore. to look forward to a new day in school with friends close to my heart that never failed to put a smile on my face.
walking into the classroom with my juniors noisy rattlings.. it brought back even more memories. i remembered joses and jianwei's funny comments and laughter that would fill the classroom. i remembered how the classroom would be usually filled with sweet smelling deodorant smell from the girls.. and yes.. mr. lynn's presence. wat would aa1 be without mr. lynn.
i walked in.. and actually treated them as if they were my classmates. and the surprising thing was my juniors were open and friendly about it. it just felt as if we immediately connected. and it felt as if they had known me before and that we have known each other for a really long time. their spontaneous response was encouraging and motivating. something i miss ALOT.. throughout my interview with them.. there was no sense of discomfort. no nervousness involved at all. it was as if it was a casual chit chat session getting their response to certain issues.
this visit to AC has energized me and restored me in a way. now i see where my passion to achieve and the drive to go beyond what is expected of me comes from. it is the culture that i have went through in AC. everything was team effort. we were confident and open to new friends. we were all driven to achieve. passionate about what we committed ourselves to do. and indeed 'our hearts, our hopes, our aims are [indeed] one'. this is the AC culture.
i am definitely feeling better and more motivated as well. remembering all these has helped me think back and see the person i was before. the happy and ambitious natalie. who was care-free and driven at the same time. i am charged and yes definitely feeling much better.
The Best is Yet to Be.
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
Friday, September 01, 2006
finally starting to have time to breathe and write again. well well.. many things happened throughout this past month that i have not posted.. you name it.. politics.. workload. blah blah. the list goes on.
was busy with my JCRC elections.just ended recently. haha. now i have been elected as the incoming president for my hall. it is one role that i do not take it lightly. leading the next comm is seriously going to test me on my perseverance, determination, maturity and ability to handle things under stress.. suddenly after being elected.. seems to me that everything i do is being monitored. being watched. suddenly i have become a "public figure" overnight. not that i mind. but it can get a little tiring. but i guess i can count on the support of my many good friends in hall. and also my best friends outside of hall.. thanks vin for talking to me. thanks to nathanel as well.. shivali.. and many others. thanks to andy.. christopher.. sally.. zinc.. for always being there to support me throughout this period. was glad that i had you guys to confide in.
will be super busy from now onwards.. haha. but it is a learning process.. will definitely strive to do my best. and i pray that i will become a better person out of this. =)
gonna post up photos.. haha.. fun times we had at hall dnd bash.. hehe. and fun time window shopping with ade and chris. =)
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
Friday, July 28, 2006
me and brother joses! =)
the girls and the guy..
gonna miss you girl..
me and june!
my ac diet partner aimee and i..
the girls i can't live without. besties for life. =)
me and alibaba!
me and lichen!
smile!!!!
haha.. my entertaining sisters during tennis
finally a good shot!
me and da jie!
i see you guys are drawing the line..
me and the ever cheerful shivs!
looks like shivs super serious about shopping for her hostel room!
nat being the handy man
relaxing after walking for such a long time
camping and shopping!
the sisterhood!
me and shivs
having fun at JP
melf- geog club president, lich-chairperson, me-err.. councillor! and vin-geog rep
me and melf!
AC peepz @ Melf's party!
bestie vinitha! =)
me and lichen!! looking good girl! =)
Happy Birthday Melf! =)
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
met up with my ac classmates for halim's farewell party. =) was great to see all of you. miss you guys loads. haha. all those fun times we shared in the north lodges. memories that i will never forget. =) miss my darling baba sisters. haiz. great talking to you guys. haha. today's shopping session was seriously too fast and too furious. we need to go out one day and take it slow k? haha. and enjoy the art of shopping. you guys never fail to brighten up my day with your cheerful smiles. thanks loads. =)
and yes to my brother joses.. haha. great to have that serious talk with you man.. haha. great to find someone that has the same frequency as me with regards to certain issues. =) and yes thanks for flattering me about my drive and all. and more so making me feel so sooo happy by complimenting my dress sense. haha. first time sial. but seriously thanks. the talk was seriously reassuring and comforting. =) next time run at ntu must tell me lah. then go keep fit together. whahha.
haiz. i must say friends to me are super important. they are seriously my source of strength and pillar of support. i think i have said this many times. and i mean it from the bottom of my heart. and i am so blessed and thankful that the high almighty person up there has blessed me with so many good friends to support me. and meeting great people. really.. for friends i would do anything within my capacity to help them out. u dunno how grateful i am to have you guys.. the baba sisterhood.. da jie.. shiv.. laona zinc christine chris and ade.. and many many others....... its impossible to name all of you.. but thanks so much for always being there when i needed a listening ear and when i was at my darkest moments. thanks.
no words can fully measure and express how grateful i am to have you guys in my life. but really thanks. you guys rock on! =)
right now using mummys comp to write this entry. will upload the photos asap! hehe. alright.. super sleepy already.. signing off.
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
its been such an eventful day. met up with yong kuan and mark.. well mark for a short while. good to see him though.. =) hehe. and yes i have been conveniently forgotten! haha.. had a good chat with yong kuan. =) good to meet up and talk about things.. =)
really IPhO has changed me quite a bit. it has made me a better person in many ways and it was my form of training ground for the presidency term.
has a surprise call from ed! haha. man.. am really happy to hear from you. seriously.. =) havent heard from you in the longest time. haha. how long has it been? a month? haha. but yeah. call me if ya feel like talking and stuff k? can meet up for meals too lah considering how near your camp is to my campus even though it takes 3 freaking buses to come over to my hall. but it was worth it right? haha.. good company and bundung! haha. ;)
been doing alot of reflecting and thinking. about what has just passed. the future. my goals. my vision for the JCRC. have been pretty occupied with my thoughts.
it has been pretty complicated for me. many things have happened. and i am slightly troubled. but everything under control. IPhO wonders it has done to a confused girl who wasnt sure of the direction she was headed to. suddenly a revelation. now being the changed person that i am, i will put my foot down and not let things screw up. i need my life back in order. to stand strong as a person so as to lead my fellow members and residents. thinking through i realise that being a president means to be the role model for the hall. i need to get things right and prioritize things now.
will be reflecting alot from now to the sch term. getting things in order. need to prioritize. yup. thanks ed for talking things through with me this evening. it was a relieve. really. thank you. =)
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
Sunday, July 23, 2006
last few photos before we leave guys..
the senior girls at club momo on sp night.
me and my darling ac junior fiona
raymond!! i cant see your face!! and yc nice smile!! =)
me and my fellow hall 12 brothers!
kelvin and teng cheok! hehe. thanks for the support and enthusiasm
endor! the champion team!
we're number one once again!!!
oh dear.. all zonked out..
one last pic before we leave the club guys..
oh wake up sleeping beauties..
sleeping princes.. tsk tsk.. all zonked out in the club. haha..
SP night here we come!!!
having supper...
say cheese!!!
ooohhh la la... hehe.
me and weilong!!!
seniors at glutton sq..
story telling sessions..
wishing the guys best of luck as they prepare for their 'tekan' session for SP night.
aiyoh.. look at that mischievious look on kelvin's face.. haha.. guess he is all ready for the tekan session!
oh.. dont look so sad.. it wont be that bad k?
listening attentively to the prep talk
psyching up our guys..
me buddies from garnet!! =)
all ready for our food trail!!!
buddies unite!
another mischievious look on kelvin's face.. tsk tsk..
me and my buddy weiming!
me and my photo buddy!
proud to be from ENDOR!
hap pa ki ah... ohhhhhh....
tsk tsk... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............
adui.. looking barbaric..
trying to beautify edelina..
raymond and his fantastic team of make up artists and hair dressers.
kaijie looking busy..
kenji enjoying his breakfast!
all busy early in the morning..
ohh come on guys.. im sure there is enough to go around!! friendly ahh..
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
me and evelyn
me and edelina
endor!!! pizza fest
me and my da chang jing couple
seniors photo!
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
one last photo with my darling LLOs before i set off
a nepal observer and me!
yong kuan and me!
me and the youngest swiss leader!
his first successful attempt to using a pair of chop sticks.
me and chun keat
me and melissa
picture with the teachers!hehe..
sisterhood photo! where is nat?
me and ivan! =)
table picture!
me and kevin.. looking handsome there eh bro? =)
one of the best photos ive taken.. a picture of liping walking down the lonely street.
me and da jie.. haha..
looking good everyone!! and feeling stressed as i stand next to the beautiful lin li
me and cyclope look alike shu quan. haha..
taking a pic with the absolute champion.. though he doesnt look too happy does he.. whaha..
the indonesian delegate liping and myself.. man feeling like a super huge light bulb. haha.
Last few pics with ruijie everyone!!!
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
okie ivan seems more awake now.. whaha..
bring it on! the raffles, ac and hwa chong battle!
wake up ivan!! its your bday!! haha.
celebrating ivan's birthday and ruijie's farewell..
entertaining ourselves at JP
seems like that have had a long night. zzzzz.........
the gossip buddies at nus high!
me and liping! nus high sch
classic nat's pose.. =)
looking pretty.. =)
me and da jie.. lazing around and enjoying the cool breeze by the beach
watching the sunset. how romantic isn't it.
dinner at sentosa
aa1 rocks on!!! me and my 'daughter' jayne.. =)
me and my buddies.. =)
me and my long lost secondary school council mate and buddy emily!! gotta keep in touch k girl! =) [oh dear.. look at the plates.. explains the size. whahah]
resting in the toilet.. haha.
jas mark and me!
oh so merry.. cheers everyone!
the LLO team
me and my OP partner in crime. ;)
this is super scandalous whats boss doing with ruijie?!
the girls...
me and da jie!
the guys..
me and ivan! haha..
looking beautiful together.. shi hui me and liping.. whahah. ;)
me and becky ( dinner with nobel laureates)
ruijie and weeming working hard at OP's hospitality desk. or is it...? hhaa.
watching soccer in room 329 at orchard parade.. kenny cheering his ac team. haha.
playing around at kampong glam with our indonesian delegates. our fav childhood 'toy'
the bus ics with one of the nigerian delegates. one that i talked to for almost 2 hours in the wee hours in the morning with ruijie whilst waiting for her room.
shivali gleaming.. haha..
having our own little fun at the discussion.. =) kevin, ivan with their cheeky looks.
me and me boss mark!
the LLO team (Opening Ceremony)
me and shi hui getting ready to sleep.. one last photo before we call it a day!! =)
me and my sisters.. and yes that includes my da jie nat!! hehe.
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~
but now.. as i look back at the photos. im flushed with happy memories. through the IPHO and NBS camps.. i have forged and made many fantastic friends. it's through these difficult and somewhat tiring and stressful period that you see who your true friends really are.. these are the people that never fail to look out for me and to support me in whatever decisions that i have made. i was skeptical about making good and long lasting friends through the ipho event.
on the contrary... i have made really good friends that i really do not want to lose. people that i will treasure and remember for many years to come. These include
IPHO
my darling LLOs [ivan, nat, shiv, liping, shi hui, 'kenny kenny', kevin] you guys have been great.. always cheering me up during my darkest period and making my ipho experience a super memorable one. i will definitely not forget the jokes we shared in the hotel rooms. watching the soccer finals (though i slept super early that night, it was comforting to know that we were mingling around and having fun. i seriously tried to stay awake man.. haha.. ) you guys never fail to make me smile =) i salute to you guys.
also special thanks to ruijie. thanks for being my pillar of support throughout the ipho period. when i was away you helped to managed things back in the hotel and stuff. really, without you i think i would have turned like 10years older or sth. always comforting to to hear you say " everything is okie here. no worries." thanks so so much.
to the main comm.. thanks for giving me this opportunity to have the honour to work with all of you. it was great to know you guys. though we didnt see or mingle around together much through the ipho period due to our different commitment. it was great to know you guys and honoured to have been able to work with you guys.
NBS
to my NBS seniors.. a big THANK YOU for your support and presence throughout our camp. you guys are great! you guys have never failed to cheer us up regardless how tired we were! playing games with us. sharing jokes. i mean i really salute you guys to sustain your passion for this group you guys will definitely be my role model.
to my darling GARNET people.. though we didnt spend much time together throughout our school term i believe that there is still sth special that all of us share and cannot forget. and that it the spirit that we fought for and the friendship that we have made through our own freshie camp. i hope that this camp has helped us to recollect the memories that we have shared together and treasure them and meet up more k! garnet rocks and will always rock! =) best OG of 2005.
to my darling ENDOR juniors. you guys are our pride and joy. thanks for being so garang and enthu from the start of the camp. this made our job so so so much easier. you guys have helped us seniors to remember again wat we have shared. at least you guys have helped me to remember that. and i thank you for it. thanks to kenji for always crapping with me.. to hong jing for buying me that milo and making my time at the club super fun! to edelina for being my photo buddy! haha.. have loads of photos. will pass to you guys soon. make sure you guys keep us seniors informed if you have any outings k! endor--> best OG 2006!
okie. here are some photos to share with you guys.. hehe.. these are just a few of my favourites. hehe.. and to introduce to you the people that made my 3 weeks so memorable!
sUnsHiNe sMileZ ~nat~