Guavas

I was cutting guavas for my sunday school at 11 something, close to 12 am. It sure isn't easy. First, you have to peel the skin off the guavas, next you have to deseed it and lastly you have to slice it thinly. It was difficult to slice thinly, mainly because I was afraid of slicing my fingers off. Next, was the lemon juice. I love the smell of lemon, the zesty smell is refreshing. Lastly, I had to mix the sliced guavas with lemon juice with my hands and then place it in the fridge to marinate (to soak in the juice). I've never cut guavas before, only apples and oranges usually, as my mum has recently been using this receipe to do the guavas. It tastes really good and looks easy to prepare but it actually isn't.

Poem

A friend sent me an e-mail for some competition in poetry titled,"Spring." I don't think I am qualified or what I think are poems are even considered poems but I'll give it a try.(without submitting of course.)

Spring

A pastel coloured palette
of various types of flowers.
The wind blows,
singing its cheerful melody
as the flowers nodding,
sway in harmony.

Behold, it delights.
It pleases.
It's the subject of photography.
Children run,
smiles intertwined with budding flowers,
as their backs are warmed by the yellow rays
of the spring's sun.

It's my favourite season,
although it's summer all year round here.
It remains as part of a refreshing thought,
a visualisation that I've not yet experienced.

Birds twitter and chatter incessantly,
calling out a random tune,
to welcome spring.
Spring as the great Creator has made.

Stamps

Went with my mum to shop today. Bought stamps. Yay! :) I especially like the dutch lady one. It reminds me of the wooden doll I used to play with when I was younger. The one that you open and open to reveal exact replicas in a crescendo of sizes. From the biggest to the smallest. A decrescendo rather. The weather is extremely humid today but when I stepped inside the shopping mall, it was freezing cold! ... in fact it felt like winter, the air-conditioner must have been at full blast. Also, there weren't many people as it's a week day so maybe the lack of people is part of the reason why it was so cold.

Back to Environmental Conservation...

Sunset

Finally. I've managed to upload this. I love sunsets. This is one I captured quite a long time ago. The soft muted colours orange, red and blue in a blend is really beautiful. God's art. :D

Camp

I went and I'm back from camp in just a day. Our teacher just came back from a newly classified H1N1 country (Japan) so she had to be self-quarantined for 7 days. Since there were no teachers, we could not stay over. The news was quite sudden and unexpected. I think not only the campers were disappointed but also those who planned the camp. Thank God that we were still able to carry out 1 day of camp. Personally, I felt the camp was extremely well-organised and packed to the brim with activities. My mum took one look at the planned itinery and remarked that the camp required lots of energy. :D Oh well, day 1, the only day, was already packed enough, partly also because they had to push some of the major activities forward like 'Amazing Race.'

The games we played: (let me try and recall... there were so many!)

- whacko
- To be or 'knot' to be
- Forming words with our bodies
- Shoe game ( We were supposed to throw all our shoes in a pile in the middle of the room and
find for our shoes in the fastest possible time)
- 2 truths and 1 lie ( more for getting to know about everyone...Lynn's idea)
- musical chairs ( this was really amusing as even though the music was playing, everyone was moving as if it were a funeral.)
- pass the polo sweet
-pass the parcel
- Amazing Race: our team didn't manage to complete all the stations, so I can only recount 6.

1. Filling up two cups with salt water with just straws at a distance. So we had to run here and there. In the end, everyone resorted to desperate measures... drinking the salt water! Urghh (it was so salty!)

2. Drinking a big bottle of water in the fastest possible time. ( Actually, I quite enjoyed this station as I could quench my thirst after all the salt and running. )

3. Cracking raw eggs with our chins. ( I did this and my chin still feels a little sore. It was definitely a first for me. I cracked 5 eggs. Real messy. :) )

4. Melting a block of ice with our bare hands.

5. Naming all the countries you can think of from A-Z.

6. Whoops, can't remember...

Anyway, the game was made all the more exciting by the balloons we were given at each station. Sausage shaped and colourful they were. We were supposed to protect our balloons from any team who threatened to burst our balloons. This caused quite a few contentions and everyone ended up striking deals like, "You don't burst our balloons, we won't burst yours." :D As you can see, it was rather desperate. :)

I feel that even though the camp was only held for a day, it was enough to get to know the sec 1s better and for everyone to bond. Yup, it was good and fun.

Peace chapel

During the message on Sunday, I learnt more about how one should honour one's parents. Actually, I felt that the message was directed towards the younger people as it was supposed to be a message for the elderly. The speaker talked about how more and more children neglected their parents and sent them to nursing homes. In a recent survey, 33% of the young said that they would not look after their parents. I feel that that's quite shocking. In SS, we learnt about the tribunal for the maintenance of parents where they can take legal action against their children by bringing the case to court if their children are not giving them financial aid. Apparently, there is a revision to this law as many aged parents do not wish to report it to the court so now, a third party is allowed to help them. The sad thing is that, now, even a law has to be made to ensure that children take care of their parents. Shouldn't that be the natural responsibility of the children and not one enforced by the law?

Oh, yes, today I witnessed something on the mrt which was horrendously unhygenic. I saw a person using his standard ticket card to pick the dirt from his nails, previously pressed against his nose. After that, he proceeded to dig his nose. I was HORRIFIED. It makes me think twice about whether I would use a standard ticket next time. Who knows what it has been used for?
Urghh!!!

There's cca camp tommorrow. I'm excited but yet a little apprehensive as I 'm not sure what's the programme lined up like. Oh well, I'll know tommorrow. I hope there are no pranks or what not. Although I highly suspect there will be. Nevermind, it'll still be a great time to bond with the rest of the cca.

Gathering

It was nice meeting up with the extended family today at the chalet. The view was excellent there. Sea view. The sky was rather gloomy and the wind was lovely. Anyway, I saw lightning that flashed horizontally across the sky. That was cool as I usually see it flash vertically, in a zig-zag formation.

I smell of smoke now. Barbecuing is actually quite a new experience for me. It requires lots of patience and experience in knowing how long it takes to cook like seafood and the like. Had a good time chatting and laughing. It's the first time I saw my cousins during the year and not just during Chinese New Year. Yup, gatherings should be held at least once during the year. It doesn't feel so distant that way as I hardly seem to know my cousins at all, hardly talk to them in fact.

CCA camp is coming up this Tuesday. I wonder what J has in store for the camp? Well, as long as it bonds the CCA better, that will be the best.

Right, better knock off now.