Chapter 18

Yesterday was our first game versus CJC…. we literally flopped like nobody’s business… though we managed to maintain the lead throughout, the tense feeling cannot be eradicated (haha… gp..) guess it was our first match afterall… well… heaven was on our side or perhaps too pissed with our play he decided to flash some lightning onto Earth and Mr thunder came clapping in too…. the match was postponed after a few minutes into the 3rd quart… at half time we were leading by 7 goals… 16 to 9…

Today we all reported in school and left for KNC straight after… the journey there took us like 1 hour la… cause JAM!!!! by the time we reached there, we chiong to get ourselves warmed up…. it was drizzling already and the courts are super wet… i din slip and fall on my butt while jogging…. I DIN… aniwae… bigger raindrops started to fall and we were told to get indoor… a little commotion here and there and it was decided that the teams shall head to CCAB for our second half… INDOOR COURT!!! so there we went, warm up again and the 3rd quart started… We were all out to CHIONG and KILL… overall we did well=) 37 to 20 was the final score… we won…. i got my 100% shooting for my last quart…. WeEEeeEe!!!! so happi… haha… COMPOSURE… that sums it all… oh ya… and my poor poor thumb =( think it got wacked by the ball while trying to intercept it… now its like some fat purple-ish thingy that’s oh-so-painful!!! but watever la… it shall not hinder my path to champs!! haha….

We headed for lunch after that and it was like end of lessons already so we nid not go back school… *yiPpEeE* went to a nearby clinic to get my thumby checked… luckily nothing serious=) then mi and lun hopped onto a cab and chiong down to ccab again to watch the vball girls match against HCI… we din manage to watch them play though… sorry Shuang!! Hmmm.. they lost but they’ll come back up STRONGER!! go SHUANG!!!

We have more games coming up… Let’s go for it girls=) We can do it…. JIAYOU!!!

Chapter 17

It is no longer “We may not be strong but we’re not weak.” It is now “Others may be strong but we’re STRONGER…” I’m looking forward to the coming nationals… It is NOW or NEVER… The moment i step on court… I’m going to expect a WIN… Not because of complacency or confidence on the surface… but because i know I will be going all out… I want it… the team wants it… we’ve been working hard for it… the 68 trainings over a period of 5 and a half months, the 14 friendlies that witnessed our improvements, the 4 days 3 nights KL training trip, the 49 rounds around the netball court as early as 7 in the morning, the countless baselines that called it a day, the 2 sets of 8mins shooting everyday, the 10 rounds around the track, the 2.4km with timing, the 3 rounds own-time-own target, the 300.100.200.400m sprints and the list goes on… not forgetting the 6000 shots target in 1 week… in which i’ve fulfilled so far 3131 shots, 4336 attempts in 3 days and still counting… ‘COMPOSURE’… tt’s what i need to keep in mind… all the endurance, perserverance,and even frustrations… it draws down to just a lift, flip and easy finish as the ball runs through the net… From a team of 5 to what you can call a complete 12… It had never been an easy journey… Let’s do this together!! For the passion, for the team… Let’s go out there and bring back the trophy… It’s gonna be a tough battle… but we’re going to FIGHT for it…. create a miracle and basked in the light of glory!!! Go AJ!!!

Chapter 16

13th April 2007!!!! the most memorable and unforgettable BIRTHDAY!!! I’m 18 le!!! WOoOoOo!!! i can watch m-18 movies…. i can take up driving… i can queue for 4D and TOTO…. i can go clubbing… i can do so much things le la!!! haha…

Who cares whether it’s black friday or anything… haha.. it’s MY DAY!!! lolzxz… the number 13 and 4 can be quite freak…. first, today is 13/04/07…. then when i made my way to school, i tapped my ez-link and the little screen says $13.40… then during maths tutorial… ms tan wrote one of the ans on the board which is 13/4… haha… it just appeared so many times la… lolzxzx…

The highlight of this special day is…. *drumroll*… my bdae celebration!!! its so exciting and thrilling can… haha… this was what happened:

7.30pm
I was told to meet at ang mo kio mrt station and we’ll set off for dinner at swensens from there… wait!!! that was the plan i was told…. then i received a call from ant saying all will be late… when i walked around, i saw DESMOND!!! i smelled a rat oreadi… when he saw me he just ran off… i stood there laughing… haha… then waited awhile and there’s this secondary school girl in her pinafore walking towards me..
Girl: erm… its your birthday izzit? happy birthday!!! (handed me a white envelope that says 1)
Ting: (stunned; loss for words) haha… oh… haha… thanx…

I revealed the slip of paper inside the envelope, it says this:
Happy Birthday WOMAN!(coz that girl is a stranger) for your 18th birthday, we have organised a series of activities to test if you are really 18!! haha. this require lots of integrity. we will see if you really have it. we will be looking at you. don’t even try to dig your nose!! haha!!
Task 1: look for 2nd clue (hint: NTUC watermelon section)

obviously, as i was reading and making my way to the NTUC… I was smiling and giggling and laughing to myself… and i’m sure there’s weird stares around me la… just that i’m too embarrassed to look up and giggle… if not i’m sure i need more than 10 fingers to count the number of people looking at me… ahaha… its super FUNNY!!!

I still kept on laughing to myself… approached to watermelon section and managed to find the second clue:
Wow!! that’s fast!! now to the next clue, go to the flower shop near the counters and present the receipt to the cashier and you will get something…

There i went…. handed the shop owner the receipt and received a blue rose and clue 3 in return… like amazing race la… it was starting to get more exciting… haha… and this time round holding onto a BLUE ROSE, WALKING AIMLESSLY AND LAUGHING TO MYSELF… doesn’t that sounds crazy… haha… but its super thrilling!!! clue 3:
Is the flower nice? haha… you must keep the flower with you! you will need it later!! now go to the stairs beside DANO B1 STAIRS 9….

It took me quite some time to find the stairs… the place is like some foreign island to mi la…. some alien place i never explored before… but i managed to find it eventually… clue 4 comes together with a wrist belt kinda thing… brown colour… cool!!! clue 4:
Go to the handicapped toilet near NTUC. the clue is on where the baby sits.

I bulldozed my way through the crowd and landed outside the toilet…. received weird stares once again for opening the door of the HANDICAPPED toilet when the female washroom is like just beside… haha…. i quickly grabbed the clue and ran out… lolzxzx… oh yes… and laughing to myself again… haha… clue 5:
WELL DONE!! now to the next clue! where you can get free newspaper (amk station)

Back to amk station i went… search around the today’s newspaper stand for the next clue… yep… and i tried maintaining my image by looking around as if nothing’s happening and detached the envelope from the stand with my eyes and whole being facing the crowd, leaving my hands struggling behind to do the job… haha…clue 6:
HOHO! end of first part! now please proceed to Yishun Station to find the next clue. hint: at the center of the station! near the map!

I was so into the game, i simply tapped my ez-link card and hopped onto the train without any hesitation… haha… i arrived at yishun around 10 mins later… found the clue which says:
Congrats! Now, find a guy with a rose and he’ll pass you the next clue. enjoy!

I knew what they were up to la… that guy must be wx.. haha… i walked around searching but he wasn’t there… then i received an sms saying road block… i have to go to the toilet and get 3 folds of toilet paper… well, this road block was obviously to drag time since the guy, wx, was held up at his side (which started at bishan for him)… so there i went to the toilet and found NO TOILET PAPER inside… i was then asked to ask for tissue paper instead and it has to be from someone else… plucking up my courage a little and being a little more thick skin, i approach a few motherly figures whom i assumed would possess at least a packet of tissue… to my dismay, 3 out of 3 i approached failed me… then came the fourth aunty… she gave me a weird stare and was on her way of walking off already but she turned back and handed me a packet…. haha… that 10 to 15mins at the station was super duper EMBARRASSING LA!!! haha…. wait alittle longer and wx, the guy, finally turned up… haha… we both laughed like mad as though the whole station belongs to us… haha… and we agreed immediately on playing on since its so FUN la… haha…. clue 8:
Congrats!! you found your partner. now, proceed together to NTUC. task: buy a packet of ribena and finish it… the clue can be found there…

We grabbed a packet of ribena as told, found the clue, gulped down half a packet and handed the other half to him… clue 9:
go to this place (photofinish) and collect an item….

on our way there wx threw away the packet of ribena and the next moment i received an sms from them saying we have to keep the packet as proof… both of us stoned for a second and dashed back down to where the dustbin was…. haha…. and he picked the packet up from there… hahah…. super funny sight…. we made our way to the next venue, passed the shop assistant the receipt and we were told to cut two photos of two of us into heart-shape…. haha… with scissors provided…. we started laughing out loud and did as we were told… i couldn’t stop laughing la….. hahahahhahahahahahahhaha….. after we’re done, we were given clue 10:
Do you like your photo? Its time to go to Kiddy Palace. task: find a baby and take a family photo. hint: clue can be found there with your baby.

haha…. so there we went… found the baby, hid in one corner and snapped a photo… lolzxxzx…. clue 11:
successful family reunion. now go to the most popular shop. clue: under VCR of small tv, in front of penknives. take pic of a boy and girl baby shoes.

Then came our first obstacle… we weren’t allowed to go in as they are closing shop already.. haha… being the witty me, lolzZzx,we converse with the man who stopped us
Man: sorry.. we’re closed..
Wee: Oh… I left my water bottle inside just now
Man: wat colour
Wee: WHITE… we’ll make it quick
Man: okok… GoGo…
haha…. and we made our way in… found clue 12:
its time for shooting mania. proceed to a machine where you can score basket. task: get exactly 18 points and take a photo of the point. send it to ANT leow…

since Northpoint is my turf… i knew the place inside out… we hurried to timezone, paid for a 2 bucks papercard, put in 9 shots, 18 points… snapped a photo and sent!!!! after which, we received an sms saying we have to buy an icecream and SHARE it… then proceed to the neoprint machine and find our next clue…. so… there we went, Macs, got ourselves A vanilla cone, gobbled half of it down and he finished the other half… Obstacle 2… we mistook the neoprint machine as the ones in the neoprint shop… we took quite a while searching high and low but found nothing…. the shop assistant approached us asking what the hell we’re looking for… haha… cause we were like damn suspicious… haha…. we explained and received a call from mavis saying we’re at the wrong location…. lolzx.. we headed back to timezone, found the machine and got our clue 13:
a white bridge next to the race track in yishun park.

we sprinted, jogged, ran, walked ALL THE WAY there…. and managed to find the clue… and yes… we were sweating like nobody’s business… clue 14:
the clue is located at the only statue in yishun park. task: take a picture of you two holding hands at the statue.

WTH -  was our first reaction…. haha… but we just laughed and carried on… haha… found the statue and snapped a photo… like what we were told to do… We did it out of the fun of the game not anything else mind you…. clue 15:
go to the block before 613. the next clue is located at the highest point of the blk you can reach. find this no. 2572722….

We followed the instructions given, ran all the way there, took the lift, sweat and pant… ahahaha… climbed the stairs, and he climbed up a ladder and took the next clue with a white polo shirt attached to it… Clue 16:
Change into this shirt in the lift. now proceed to this place: FIGHT DENGUE (same block)

haha…. we were stunned la… i turned around while he got changed… not in the lift la…. after which we went into the lift and i knew they were somewhere near so i jumped out and look at the opposite block… 3 heads over there… haha… ant, des and mavis… haha… i saw them, they saw us… and obviously, they saw him changing… lolxzzx… so funny…

we continued the game…. got to the place(letterbox), found clue 17:
612+194+134-92 (=848 the kopitiam near my place)
find this place and acknowledge yourselves as Mr and Mrs Tan Wei Xian and she will give the next clue to “zu2chao3″ auntie…

we made our way there… haha… we din acknowledge, just walked pass and the aunty asked who is the birthday girl ah?? ahhaha…. “me!!me!!!” lolzxz… then she led us to a table with a piglet sitting on top and two cards 1 for mi and 1 for wx… we read whats written… i hafta put on the wrist belt for him and he out on the necklace for me… haha…. so paiseh la… then i spotted them hiding and they FINALLY came out…. we all laughed and gossiped like nobody’s business… lolzxzx. they sang us a bdae song and we were forced to complete that last task which we did… and feed each other the cake they bought… after which we digged in, chatted awhile, laughed more, and it was getting really late… so we made our way home…

It was really a happening day…. what a way to celebrate my birthday… lolzzxz… really appreciate the effort they put in in organising this… we all had alot of fun… me and wx playing the game… and them watching us embarrass ourselves… hahah… i bet they were laughing even louder then us when they were stalking us la…. i really enjoyed myself… THANX PEEPS!!! ANT, LUN, SHIHUI, DES, MAVIS, LIANG HAO, MARIAN, SHUANG, WX…. AND those strangers who were involved…. hahahah… THANK YOU!!!! the best part of this birthday is not the game or presents… it is the effort they put in to make this 18th bdae of mine so memorable, fun and unforgettable… love you guys loads… you’re the ones who cracked me up every single school days since last year…. you guys are the reasons for me going to school… i’ll never forget today and you all=) we’ll be FRIENDS FOREVER!!! Thanx for being part of my life=] you don’t know how thankful i am for having you people as my classmates, my friends…. the muggers gang!!!!

special thanx to those who remembered… even if it was just an sms… it meant alot to me=) thank you!!! thanx to the ‘zu2chao3′ aunty for that surprise ang bao… $6 la!!! thanx to my bros for the nike towel… thanx to mum and dad for the angbao!! and shan for the card!! netball team for the perfume… and everyone else la!!! haha

“The strongest oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It is the one that stands in the open where it compelled to struggle for its existence against the wind, rain and the scorching sun.”
~ZhenZhen~
(thanx coach!!)

Chapter 15

Dark, tanned, BLACK, whatever you call it… that’s what i’ve become after the training day camp yesterday… though it may be the norm, it’s worst after spending hours under the scorching sun… yestday was GOOD FRIDAY… and the netballers reported for training at 8am and went home around 6pm… crawled home in fact… morning started off with coach giving a brief talk… then it was warm up, countless sprints on e court, team ball drills and a friendly with extremes…. played 6 quarts out of the 7… GA…. achieved my 100% for 2 quarts and it started fluctuating… haha…. the sun is hot daoOOoOo…. super tiring… after the friendly we were like half dead already… all our faces blushing red and burnt for some even… lunch was next…. and i got my specially demanded ‘lala’…. WoOoOo… thanx ms tan…. haha…. after lunch it was match review which wasn’t quite successful coz everyone was dozing off already… so… we were given 20-30mins of POWERNAP!! didn’t really manage to fall asleep and being the gluttony me, went to the snacks machine with kit and got myself a packet of chips… we changed up again and got ready for part two of the camp… the endless sprints on the track was DEADLY… but all of us completed it… drills and more courtwork was next… before we even know… the camp is finally OVER!!!! SATISFACTION…. AJ netball is coming up stronger and more bonded… way to go girls… beware of us!!! we will be out to ’sa1′(kill)!!

After which, mum treated me and didi to a sumptous dinner… crab beehoon, salad prawn, sliced fish, mixed seafood…. i swear i didn’t gorged the food down like a hungry gh**t… and the uncle opposite my table didn’t laugh at me… lolzxz…. on our way home, we stopped to look at the kids having taekwondo lesson at the community center… omg!! there’s this cute little dude… only like 5 or 6 years old.. so small and cute… he ran for his warm up… then his white belt dropped and he didn’t realise… continue running and when he was back there he stopped in front of his belt, stoned for a second, then tilt his head to look at his own turbo (shirt) then he squat down and pick it up, realising it belongs to him… haha… so cute la… ok… after that we went home and i fell asleep the moment my head touched the pillow…. zZzZzZz….