Friends

     Hey all, I know its been a long time since I last blogged, but as you all know, I had my PMR exams to deal with (not that I was studying or anything).

     Today's post will be about my friends. Not all of them, just the ones I hang out with at school.

     Lets start with Arthur 'Terrapin' Tan, the weird and whacky one in our group. Being a master at origami, no paper is safe from Arthur! Seriously, he can fold anything from a gargoyle to a three-headed dragon to a 'Trycerafrog' (its a frog with three horns that makes it look like a Tryceratops). Quiet in nature (until he met us, that is!) Arthur is funny in his own way, his jokes usually needing good English, and wide general knowledge, to understand. His name Terrapin comes from the tortoise-like look that he gives us from time to time. All in all, a great guy. 

     Then we have Amandeep 'Topdog' Singh, the coolest nerd in our group. He's usually up to date with all his homework, and all the teachers like him. But don't be fooled, there are two horns hidden somewhere on his head! A natural stand up comedian with a great sense of humor. One can never be bored around him. Great music taste too. I was always a music listener, but he got me hooked. When it comes to my music exposure, I owe it all to him. Not only music. He got me hooked on ventriloquists and stand up comedians too. Gotta love him.  

     Now lets go to Aidan 'Underdog' Yeoh. He is the most, no wait, the second most annoying person (the Chongs beat him here) I have ever known. Enthusiastic in nature, Aidan has been a real asset to our group. He is the type of person who would make a decision and stand on it no matter what anyone else thinks. His words have a way of making people think. He's also an aspiring musician. 

     I have been saving the best for last. This is none other than Julian 'Chotta Don' Sebastian. He's the main humor generator of our group. You may have had the worst day in your life, but a few minutes with Jules and you'll be on the floor laughing. Trust me, I know. If there ever was a Humor Central, the host would most definitely be Julian. But beneath this comedian front is a loyal and caring person, with only the best in mind for his friends. He truly is one of a kind. 

     Now, to the person who gave me the idea for this blog post, and has been the inspiration for a lot of my previous posts: Sonia!  It is said that everyone needs a shove once in a while to get them moving. My shove came in the form of this person. By far, Sonia is my favourite chat buddy, and my youtube 'reference book'. Sensible at best, she's exactly what the world needs t0 combat my craziness. She's a fun lover with an amazing personality. She is one in a billion. 

Operation S.T.E.A.L.

It was on the 21st of August 2009 (Friday). The attendance was 11 out of 39 students. Arthur had asked me to bring my guitar, so I brought it to school (its not like we were going to study anyway). So Arthur and I played a few songs and sang to it. The others in the class joined along, and we were a bit too loud.

We were so loud, we woke the Goblin of Saint Paul's. Her very presence instilled fear in the bravest of hearts, and she could make the strongest men grovel at her feet in terror. It was this very being that arrived at our classroom. Those singing stopped abruptly, and those who were doing other things stood rooted in fear. She licked her sharp goblin teeth, scanning the class. Her little piggy eyes darted to my guitar, then to me. There seemed to be a hellish light in her eyes, as she stared at me. I stared right back. It was a stare-off that seemed to last an eternity. I gripped my guitar, knuckles turning white with effort. The power behind the eyes of the Goblin was enormous. I put up a good fight, I stared at her with such intensity that she started sweating under the strain, but it was no good. She had had too much practise, she was too powerful. I averted my eyes and slumped on my chair, all the energy leaving me.

The Goblin smiled and wiped her sweat away. She then pointed a hooked claw at me and screeched "Hand the guitar over to me! I am confiscating it!"

The class was silent as I walked up to the Goblin and handed my guitar over to her. Cackling like the goblin she was, she left. I dropped into my seat, and exhaled slowly.

"That was a custom made jumbo guitar, probably worth more than 500 bucks," said Arthur.
I raised my hand, silencing him "I need to think."

A minute or so later, I looked at Arthur and grinned. Arthur, knowing me well enough said
"You're not going to let her get away with this are you?"
"Nope. I can't out muscle her, I'm just going to have to out smart her."
"You do realize that the rest of the team is absent right?"
"We'll manage."
Arthur grinned "Whats the plan?"


I needed a third agent, so I recruited Nicholas. We all sat around a table, and I told them the plan:

Operation S.T.E.A.L.
Steal
The
Eequipment
And
Leave

Agents:
Codename Watchman (Arthur)
Codename Infiltrator (Nick)
Codename Shadow (Azriel)

The Mission:
Retrieve stolen good from the Goblin's Den  

Time:
After school, 1225 hours.

Sequence:
Watchman takes up position, checking for Goblin. If Goblin is present, Watchman makes his move, and lures her away. Infiltrator then moves in, locates the prize, scan the surrounding for traps and obstacles, then moves out and reports to Shadow using hand signals. Shadow then slips in and out of the Den with prize.



The bell rings at 12.25 p.m. The agents are in position. The goblin is not there, so Watchman pretends he is on the pay phone, keeping an eye out for the Goblin. Infiltrator enteres the office, then out again. Through hand signals I gather that the prize is in the Goblin's office, but Aru is a potential threat to the mission. Nodding swiftly, I walk up to Watchman and swiftly whisper my plan.

Both me and Watchman move into the office. Watchman engages a teacher in conversation just outside Aru's office door, so as to block Aru's visual (his door has a 'window' on it). I dip into the Goblin's Den, grab my guitar, and then stroll out casually, so as not to look suspicious.

Operation S.T.E.A.L. was a success!

Happy Birthday Anne

Today's post is special. Today's post goes out all the way to a person who has had a great deal of influence in my life, someone to whom I have (and still!) looked up too, a teacher, a mentor, a friend: Tan Szet Anne.

Out of the eight years I should have known you, I have known you only three, and you have been a blessing to me. And, like someone-i-forgot-his-name said, "A teacher never knows where her influence stops," others have been blessed by you through me. Your life has always been an inspiration when ever I am in need of one. Ever, during a time of prayer, when there is no pressure, and you have all the time in the world, take the time to thank God for all the people he has placed around you, to help you grow, learn from, and love? Guess whose name stood out in my mind? Yours.

In every one's life there are a few special people (family not included) that mold and shape and mold a life, and these few special people will always be remembered. I have had the opportunity and the privilege to to meed one such person in my life: you. You are a mighty leader, a good listener (goodness knows that is true... I still don't know how you hear of news that fast...) a wise counselor, a good friend. I thank God for placing you in my life, and meeting you has been one of the turning points in my life, and it has changed me for the better. Thank you Anne, for being all that you have been to me.

In the mire that is life
There are a those who glow like light
Shaping, molding, touching one,
Blessing one like me, a ton!
-Az-

PS: Happy Birthday Anne

Crazy Hat Day!!

I know, I have not been a very faithful blogger. Anyway, this post is about my school life. Think you know me that well? Read this blog, and see for yourself.


Let us start with the 'Crazy Hat Day!'


I can't remember exactly what day it was, but Arthur and I were feeling really bored. The teacher was droning on and on about something and I'd bet you anything the entire class was not paying attention to her. As usual, Arthur was folding a piece of paper while I was writing a short story on a piece of paper (somehow our friendship, our very lives seem to revolve around pieces of paper).

Then at one point, I looked up and stared at Arthur. He was wrestling with a piece of paper, trying to fold a corner in or something. It looked like an overturned saucer with one flat side.
"Hey Arthie, what is that?" I asked.
"I have no idea. I'm just folding whatever i can find, see what comes out of it."
"Well, if its any help, it does look sort of like an armadillo shell cap, like the one from Dukes of Hazzard," I injected.
"A what?! Hey cool!" with that he jammed it on my head. The both of us burst out laughing.

Then an idea hit me like a pile of bricks. As Arthur reached to pull the hat off, i knocked his hand away, and winked at him. He looked at me, then at the cap, then at me again. Then his eyes widened in realization, and he grinned.
An entire silent conversation seemed to pass between us:
"You're gonna wear that hat around??!!"
"Yup."
"All day??!!"
"Yup"
"In front of the teachers?!"
"Yup"
"You're insane!!"
"Yup"

Then, in actual words:
"Are you serious?"
"Dead serious," I reply with a smile.
"You do know that everyone is gonna laugh at you, right?" he said.
"They might, but hey, whats life without a few laughs here and there right? Besides, wear a crazy hat long enough, and it'll catch on. Just you wait and see. By the end of today, I won't be the only one wearing a ridiculous paper hat!" I said

So then Arthur made a weird hat for himself and wore it. Julian, looking at the both of us, made a hat of his own, and wore it.

At first people laughed at us, telling us we look like complete fools (to which our typical response was "Hey, we never said we weren't!"). Then they tried to knock out hats off our heads. Then they started snatching our hats, trying them on, then putting it back on our heads. Then, one by one, students started making hats of their own and wearing it. At last, when our History teacher came in, she was greeted by a sea of white paper hats.

The class was so taken up with the hats, that when the teacher ordered the entire class to remove their hats, the hats came back on minutes later. Every time the teacher made us remove it, the hats somehow resurfaced (if you think Arthur and I had anything to do with it... you guessed right!), to the extent that the teacher could do nothing but teach a class full of students embarrassing themselves (on purpose) by wearing dumb paper hats!

When the bell rang, signaling the end of school, Arthur and I walked out of the class in silence. I caught his eye, and the both of us grinned like a pair of jackals.

S.P.I vs Garden International School

Okay, so you all probably want to know what happened at the Fencing tournament on Saturday. Well, bad news, SPI lost (got second place). Good news, the best Fencer was from SPI, and our fledgling fencer actually beat one of their trained fencers! But I was humbled and taught an important lesson too.

So, in the morning (6 a.m.!!) I get a call on my phone. The SPI fencers are eating breakfast in some shop. Marcus and Wei Loong call and want me to come. I tried refusing a couple of times, but they were persistent. Believe it or not, they were willing to drive all the way from SPI right up to Rasah Kemayan to pick me up from my house, just because I am one of SPI's best fencers! How does one refuse in such a situation? So they all came to my house in one van, at 6a.m. in the morning.

Our trip there was uneventful. We arrived there, and split into groups, 3 from SPI and 3 from GI (Garden International). Then we sparred. The game went that the first contestant to score 3 points wins (or the one who scores most points by the time limit). I said a quick prayer, depending on God to see me through the matches with minimal injury.

I was first in line to spar for my group. My first opponent was a girl. I was weary at first, thinking she was good, but, as soon as she made her move, it was evident who was the better fencer (and it was not her!). So I decided to bully her a little. I was really mean. Every time she took a stab at me, I easily parried, and then ether stab back at her arms and legs (so as to prolong the match, and not end it), or whack her with the flat of my blade. One time, she tried a feint, but I saw it coming. I blocked both her feinted stab and her actual stab, and drove the point of my rapier into her mask, knocking her backwards. I finished her off 3-0.

I got big headed. Sirajudding was next after me, and, when he too had a flawless victory (6-0), it added to my overconfidence. Wei Loong The Great (he had only gone for one fencing lesson, yet he was fighting like us seasoned fencers. Hats off to Wei Loong) won his match, taking two hits, placing us at 9-2. Me and Sirajuddin breezed through the next two matches, taking a hit each, leaving us with 15-4. I thought we were invincible. I thought we had this game wrapped up, and at 15-4, victory seemed to be ours. I knowingly pushed God aside, saying I can handle this on my own. And the worst thing was, that I was aware I was pushing God away.

Our luck ran out. We got hammered 16-18. A crushing blow. I was next, and I thought I could handle myself. I was sadly mistaken. Sirajudding after me fared no better. I went in after that, trying to recover, but we took it bad, 24-27.

We were crushed. Having victory snatched from our hands was painful. And, when we saw our next opponents, we had no hope. They were big, huge, collage level students!!

Sirajuddin was up first. He could not score a single point. I went in after him and fared no better. At 0-6, (SPI 0), Wei Loong was devastated. But he fenced like a pro, and managed to score a point.

I knew that something was not right here. We could handle these guys, yet we were loosing. I sat down in the far end of the room, thought for a while, and prayed. I apologized, and asked forgiveness for not putting Him first. I then asked God to take over from here on. I asked Him to let me bring glory to His name in this competition. Then I resumed the game, feeling like the true champion I was.

Sirajuddin was after Wei Loong, but he was not able to score anything. The points stood at 1-12 (SPI 1). Then I went in. God gave me the wisdom to test my other opponent, and not leap straight into battle, as was my style. I found out that he was fast, but his moves were predictable. I knocked his blade to one side, only to have it swing back and knock mine away. I repeated the same move, only this time, when his blade swung back, I disengaged it (so that his counter-parry wont work), and stabbed at the exposed part of his shoulder. I scored a point. My confidence blossomed. I pressed on the attack, slashing, stabbing, feinting, lunging etc. Each time I attacked I scored a point. But time ran out. Still, the scoreboard now read 10-13 (SPI 10).

"$#!t man, 10 points!" shouted Sirajuddin, a stunned grin on his face.
"9" I corrected him.

Wei Loong and Sirajuddin fenced with renewed vigor, scoring a point each. Then Wei Loong and I swapped places, so that he would go before me, and I would play the last match. Wei Loong did not score a single point leaving the points at 12-24. Then it was my turn, and I would be facing off the best, the team captain.

He was weary of me. He had seen the way I had handled his friend. We met in the centre, and, in the blink of an eye, stabbed at me. I parried his blow with equal speed, then took at stab at him, but he had already taken two steps back. I took a step forward, and did a full out lunge. He parried it, and lunged, but I, with lightning quick reflexes, recovered from the lunge, and knocked his blade downwards. Then I extended my arm in a semi-stab. His blade raised a welt in my thigh, and I drove the point of my blade into his mask, making him stagger backwards.

I was running out of tricks. I needed a new one fast. My opponent knew all those common moves, and was prepared for it. So I pulled one very very very (very!) dangerous stunt. I stood my ground and waited for him to attack. That means I am allowing him to plan his attack, and advance. It means that I will be relying on speed alone, to react to him. He advanced, testing me with slight jabs. The he lunged. I parried the blow, and stabbed at him, but he was to far. He tried to parry my stab, but I disengaged him, and when he tried to parry again, I counter disengaged him, took a step forward, and did a full out lunge. He was not prepared for that. I nailed him.

Man, my next move really caught him off guard. As soon as the coach said fence, I covered the distance between us in a matter of seconds, and the next instant, was on his side of the line. He was so shocked at my sudden aggressive attack, that he did not know what to do. I stabbed him, he blocked. I stabbed again, he blocked. I stabbed for the third time, only this time, I dropped my blade in a small circular arc under his blade, so that his parry missed, exposing his shoulder. I drove my blade into his shoulder, earning me another point.

We fenced what must have been the greatest fencing match of my life so far. Lunging, parrying, stabbing etc. By the time we were done, the scoreboard read 20-27. recovering 8 points was no small feat. SPI lost, but on an individual scale, I owned the game! I was crowned best fencer.

I dominated the rest of the matches. Enough said.

But this post is to glorify God. Believe it or not, this really did happen, exactly the way I told it. No exaggerations, nothing. I just witnessed a miracle. No way I could have held out so long on my own against those fencers, who, by the way, have been fencing longer than I have.

This was a humbling experience. I was beaten by those of lesser experience than me when I left out God, but I beat more experienced fencers, when I let God take over. All glory to Him.

Arthie Arthie

It was Wednesday I think, when Arthur, Julian and I had to stay back to finish our Living Skills (K.H.) wood work (I couldn't finish mine on time because I attended drama practise). As Julian and I were doing our work, we suddenly herd a yeowl, followed by a curse. Looking up from my work, I saw Arthur jumping about clutching his thumb tightly. Julian shook his head and resumed his work, while I laughed.

After a few moments, I heard another curse.

Arthur: How do you all get the nails to obey you??!! My nails are bent on making my life miserable!

Me: Its called skill Arthie, not something you are familiar with.

Arthur: I am carpenter-illy challenged!

Julian: That you are!


A few minutes later I heard the fall of a hammer followed by a prolonged groan.

Arthur (holding up a bent nail): How do you get the nails to go straight into the wood?!?! How do you keep your nails from bending, when you hammer it?! Hey, maybe I'm the Last Nail Bender!!

Julian dropped his hammer and burst out laughing.

A little while later

Me: Hey Arthie, do me a favor and get the Shellac oil from the K.H. store.

Arthur: Okay.

Arthur came back holding a big container and several brushes.

Arthur: Since I brought you the Shellac, I get to use it first.

Julian and I: Okay

So Arthur poured the liquid into a bowl, dipped a brush into it, and started coating what supposed to be his wood work. It took me a while, but then I noticed something was wrong. Instead of the brown Shellac oil, the bowl was filled with a clear white liquid.

Me: Arthie where did you get that liquid?

Arthur: In the store room, why?

Me: Because that's not Shellac.

Arthur:What?!

Me: That's not Shellac

Julian looked at the liquid, then at Arthur, and burst out laughing.

Julian: Looks like Turpentine.

Arthur: What is that?

Me: I don't know what that is, but I sure as hell know it's not Shellac

Arthur looked mortified. Then he let out a long, anguished wail.

Arthur: Curse you Two-pen-tein!!!!!

Me: Its Ter-penh-tine

Arthur: No, its Two-pen-tein. It has a 'U' in it.

Julian examined Arthur's woodwork, and laughed a whole lot more louder. Arthur had coated half his woodwork in Turpentine. I then went back to the K.H. room and get some proper Shellac oil, and started...er... Shellac-ing my woodwork. Julian did likewise.

Arhtur: Oh bugger the whole thing!! I have an idea!

With that, Arthur emptied half the Shellac bottle into a small container, and then dipped his woodwork into it.

We went to class laughing like a trio of drunkards!

There and Back Again

Ever heard about the book The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolken? As I was flipping through Christopher Paolini's Eldest, I got bored of the rookie's writing, and found myself drifting to the skilled stories of the great J.R.R. Tolken. My mind zeroed in on one book in particular, The Hobbit.

I don't know why, but I regard The Hobbit as a masterpiece, like The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, The Wizard of Oz etc. From the first page, I could 'feel' Bilbo Baggins. I understood exactly how he felt, why he made the decisions he made etc. I felt his terror as he faced the Trolls, I felt his confidence as he hacked at the Spiders, I was biting my fingernails as he traded riddles with gollum (I even memorised all the riddles), etc.

Tolken somehow made Bilbo grow and mature in the book. And I don't just read it, I feel it. I see his way of thinking change as he is exposed to the outside world (Middle Earth). Lets face it, very few authors have the ability to make their fictional characters grow in their stories. Christopher Paolini certainly does not have this ability; Eragon the Dragon Rider still acts and thinks like he used too when he was a farm boy! The authors that have the ability include Tolkien and D.J. McHale. McHale demonstrated his skill in the Pendragon series. I won't say I'm a fan, but I have read books 1-8, and will read book 9 and 10 at any given time. The story is awesome. The entire idea is new, and the pregression of the whole story is just....wow. To write about fate and destiny, and the lives of a ka-zillion people in 10 separate worlds, and weaving them together, is not easy. In fact its downright hard. Hats off to McHale here.

Back to The Hobbit. Though I am a bit disappointed about the fact that Bilbo did not become a mighty warrior or a knight, and play an important role in winning the Battle of the Five Armys, I am content with the way the story ended. Bilbo went home, back to the Shire, the one place he wanted to be throughout his adventure. The one place where he will never again be troubled by Goblins, Trolls or Dragons. The one place where he could finish his book on his adventure: There and Back Again, A Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins. Besides, he did become an excellent swordsman (Bilbo's sword Sting was actually a dagger), and Bilbo came back with enough riches to keep himself comfortable for the rest of his life.

Truly a beautiful book.