Weekly, Edition 1

2503 /
Math was horrid, as usual. Though i must say i've really improved through the months of increased practice and confidence build-up during tuition.. At least for this time it wasn't cuz i didn't know how to do the sums but more on the lack of time :) Improvement from last year's promos where the 3 hour paper was the longest 3 hours of my life whilst idling cuz i really had no clue of how to do the sums ha how tragic. Had dinner with JZ at Subway and he was being the greedy turtle gobbling up his footlong with all veggies hahaha.

2603 /
Geog was okay I guess. Was rather pleased with myself for remembering the Hydro theme learnt last year without much revision.. Have to work on my timing though. Studied with Weilee Gideon & Ryan after which and it was serious ROFL worthy seeing the way Gideon memorizes his notes!! Went on for dessert and smoked salmon salad at Lenas with my Mom and Sis!

2703 /
Econs was fulfilling in the sense that i could really decipher the question and write a substantial amount of content. Just hoping that the lack of time wouldn't pull my efforts down the drain this time (crossing fingers). And after the econs paper it was a joyous moment:

L I B E R A T I O N
(for a little while, at the least)

Hebrews 11:1 / Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Had a good day out with Rachel, Valerie, Weilee, Daryl and Gideon today :) Celebrated out post-CTs (pre-post-CTs for Val's case) and had a hearty meal and conversation at Marche at 313!

Early dinner at Marche and it was so satisfying haha think even the most casual sip of the mushroom soup was such a delight both because the mushroom soup was superb (like duh we're talking about MARCHE right) and that liberation felt so sweet!!

Walked down to the basement for Froyo and dessert and sat there for like, 2 hours. Talked and reflected about religion, about God and about Christianity and i remember how Gideon and Val were so passionate i could really the heat burning within them. It was amazing talking to Val Gideon Rachel and Daryl, with them giving their views, thoughts and insights on the faith :) Really moved by some of the things they said. I recall how they were so convinced and certain that all i needed was a little push to know God and love God, that i was so close to the faith already... And i guess I'm somewhat a Deist for now? I don't know. I'd love to find out but there're constraints plus i ought to respect my family's traditions of religion, isn't it? Till i'm of age? But it was a truly reflective and though provoking session with them and I'm very thankful for the talk :) 

2803 /
Had a day out with the boyfriend today (hahahaha ok i think i shall stick with "J"), and it was really sweet and nice hahaha shan't go into details. Had lunch at Sushi Tei before heading toward Cineleisure to catch G.I.Joe: Retaliation together! Walked around Somerset for abit before heading to the arcade at Dhoby hahahaha that boy is crazy, seriously. Stayed there for waaaay too long and my ears were ringing but it was kinda fun, nevertheless. Went ahead to KLP since I had to meet 6C12 for class dinner and it was so funny when they all came to the yoghurt place where we were and requested to take a class photo with J, HAHAHA.

Class dinner at Nihon Mura was really nice too, and i was really surprised at the food there, so good *_* Talked, laughed and shared stories haha it was a really nice night with the girls :) Went to yoguru again after that for a froyo / chitchat session before Janice and I headed home first..

2903 /
Happy Good Friday!!
John 3:17 / "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

Had a really good day (well, from the afternoon onwards at least). Had dimsum with family and satisfied my dimsum cravings once and for all whoopie! Went on to Orchard to shop and i bought 2 dresses and some accessories from F21! Dinner at Aston's Prime and that concluded my lovely day hahaha. :)

3003 /
Busy day today! Lazy to type much so yeah it was basically Choir in the morning and we did the choreo for Les Miz ohyea. After that was finding my white court shoes to no avail, and then studying at Tamp Bux! Went home and finally watched Breaking Dawn Pt II and it was not bad. Counted angbaos as well and I conclude that my relatives and friends are feeling rather generous this year hah.

3103/
March is coming to an end omg. Okay so today's Easter Sunday and I was stuck at home sorting out stuff for the Bennu Bounty Month and choir stuff, in which both tasks gave me quite a headache ugh. Went on for Econs tuition thereafter. Came home to the Campus Superstar finals which imo is rather unprofessional cuz they totally and blatantly showed bias in the scores given lol was quite agitated in a way. But oh well, that's life i guess.

Okay the end, i'm so lazy to continue. Cya soon and be safe! x

10 Hoe Chiang Road

I'm really not good with goodbyes. :(

The training towers of AKLTG at Hoechiang is gonna move to Alexandra and i just can't bear to go. It's truly been another home to me, with all the amazing people've met from all walks of life, the lessons i've learnt, the people who've moved me and people and experiences that've changed me. Here's a walk down memory lane, a tribute to the amazing place that has house so many of my memorable public camps as I grew from a mere participant to an assistant coach and now a coach.

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IAG SENIOR, 19-22 MARCH 2009

 

I must admit, i learnt and changed much actually not by going through the camp as a participant. Dejun and Yuyuan were the PD/APD for that round and i recall how Dejun sobbed so badly next to Leroy in one of the training sessions.. To be really honest, i can only remember snippets of my experiences as a participant, but it was what brought me into the akltg family in the first place, so i'm thankful, nevertheless.

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IAG JUNIOR 1, 21-25 NOVEMBER 2009

 

 

Joining the coaching family back in June 2009 was probably one of the best decisions i had made in my life, and one i'd never regret. IAG Junior 1 Nov '09 was my first camp that i had coached, and it's probably one of the best and most memorable. I recall how Kenneth and Julian was the PD and APD for that camp, and how impressed all the trainers were with the coaches in that round (it was apparently so commendable that we each received a cert as a coach hahaha). Coached alongside Terry and he'd been such a good mentor and friend to me and up till now we're still keeping in touch and i'm thankful for that! Glad i changed his negative perspective on working alongside an assistant coach too :) This camp will always be one that i hold close to my heart.

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 IAG JUNIOR MARCH 2010

 

 

Second camp, and i remember how crazy and hyped it was.. The energy level was really really realy high, i swear. Was quite amazing how the coaching team could still be quite close even though most of us didn't know each other from the start. :) With the ever so pokerfaced Tjhai as my co-coach, i learnt alot too, especially with my wacko group (Inspirebobs) hahaha :)

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VISITING IAG SENIOR MARCH 2011

Hadn't coached after the March 2010 season (can't remember why but it was probably because of my parents disallowing it) and i finally went back so that i could visit Kiara when she was a participant there :) Missed that place so much and i set my mind to do well for Y4 and negotiate a deal with my parents for them to allow me to coach for the end of year season..

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IAG JUNIOR 1, 21-25 NOV 2011

Well, I did  manage to convince my parents to let me coach, and i'm so glad for it. This camp really marked the peak of bondedness for a coaching team i've seen thus far and it really, truly felt like family. So much joy, fun, energy, urgency, care and love in this camp :) Brought my DSLR along for 3 of the days so i was kind of the photographer for the camp as well I guess!

 

Taking this camp was a huge stretch and experience for me; was given a group of 13 recourse participants and was paired with Julian whom was the music man for the camp.. He was absolutely sweet and trusting though, taking care of me and allowing me to freely handle the group. I learnt so much from this camp.. And i still recall how people were telling me that Julian was pushing for my promotion to OJT in the next round :') So darned grateful for this lot, it made me feel at home and at ease like i've never before.

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IAG JUNIOR 2, DEC 2011

Amazingly, i was allowed a subsequent camp in the same season!!! #hyperventilates

Rossana and Julian were the PD/APD and i remember that this was my OJT camp.. Super taxing but it all paid off in the end, really. So glad to have grown closer to Clarence, Kiara, Benkoh and everyone else in the process too :) Oh and p.s. I passed my OJT ;)

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IAG SENIOR 1, 24-27 NOV 2012 

First senior camp and i swear i was actually really really really nervous and nervewrecked over it... But alright it was really fun, i admit. Especially with no fear of the kids not understanding stuff + the supah fun amazing race :) Was supposed to have Wenkai as a co-coach but he fell ill after the first day and yeah i was left with a group of seven to take care of by myself. I guess it was good as well, seeing that i could build direct rapport with them and really get to know each and every one of them better! This coaching team was really crazy too, love them to bits and i was so especially thankful for Pearlyn, Lay, Azura and Russ (who came to visit on a few occasions), they gave me so much support advice and care :) Had some really stressful moments with handling TR3 and doing my best to help out with admin on the last day when both admins weren't around, but it deemed to be an extreme stretch for myself and it truly made me go out of my comfort zone with my limits and all. Was super fulfilled though and i saw my kids grow which made me immensely happy :) Moreover they still keep in contact with me and update me about their lives so yep :)

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IAG JUNIOR 2, 28 NOV - 2 DEC 2013

 

Took up the challenge and did a consecutive camp after my Senior 1 :) Above are my absolutely qtpie kids from IAG Junior 2 :) It was a reaaaaaally tough camp for me.. Though Senior 1 was taxing in the sense that i had lots of parental stress / responsibilities, Junior 2 drained my energy in a way no other camp has ever. So okay, at the start i had Sheena as a co-coach and it was a relief to me but then after an hour they figured Alicia (oh my twin sis btw) needed her more to handle the youngest group in camp (mine was second youngest) so uh huh, goodbye co-coach and hello myself yet again.

Alright so this group was really tough for me to handle for the fact that they were mostly really young and didn't understand the major segments (and trust me, it's extremely vexing). But it would be this precise fact that it was so tough that it was extremely fulfilling and enriching. It stretched my patience thin, but yet it strengthened it too.

This round's coaching team was great in it's own way too! First day's energy may've been quite low and all but (skipping the details on the not-so-nice stuff and the meeting called on the first day) i really learnt alot from this team as well. Special mention to Vanessa for being really understanding, Pearlyn for the listening ear and encouragement during her visits, Clarence for always being there (be it in coaching or life) with advice and comfort, and Russell for making the effort to come down, the comforting hugs and also for the (literal) shoulder to cry on :')

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At the end of the day there's another day dawning; 

So super grateful that i have this family that has made me grow and stretch so much as an individual. Joining the coaching family has been and will always be a choice that i'd never regret; it had shaped so much of the values of sensitivity, care, service and initiative and it has made me the individual i am today to a large extent :) Through coaching, i really found my true passion in helping people unleash their potential (yeah, cheesy, i know) and made me narrow my long term career into becoming a teacher at Northlight :)

 

I ain't good with goodbyes, and moving out of hoechiang is actually quite a big blow for me cuz loads of my memories were there.. but i'm hopeful and excited for the new training centre, and at least the people who made these years so enjoyable would be moving together as a family as well :) Really hope i can coach in June, i'd be the pioneer batch of coaches to coach in the new facility!

 

It's getting real late so i'll end my tribute here. 10 Hoe Chiang Road, thanks for all the memories. May this family continue to strengthen, bond and grow through the many years to come :) x