I Don't Wanna Be (Anything Else, Only A Better Me)

My biggest enemy is procrastination.

And it is colluding with my poor time management skills to prevent me from doing what I want to do.

The POM project is taking up most of my time. My group member just came down a with a case of chicken pox. Go figure. Another's also been sick for the past 2 days.

And damn, I have to lower my ego. Cos I need help for my Accounts. I need to ask for help. I'm particularly weak on the 'Depreciation', etc topics. I have no idea what 'amortization' concept is all about.(Cos I was sick and didn't come for the lecture)

Man United game on tonight. So, I'll stay up, do the project and catch a power nap in between. Already slept in the afternoon so I'm okay with burning the proverbial candle at both ends.

I'll go for my 1 hour lecture tomorrow, continue my POM project with my groupmates and then go home to sleep.

I wish I could just sit down and worry about nothing else (neither tutorials nor projects) but the treatment that I plan to submit to Dramatec. I wanna do it before I lose a couple of great ideas bouncing around in my head.

Hmm, I guess I'm content with my life. It is sufficient. I placate myself by saying it could be worse. But I also know it could be better.

Growing up, certain peers in my environment impressed upon me that I wouldn't amount to much.

But I think I've defied certain odds to get to where I am. If I listened to my detractors, I probably wouldn't have gotten very far.

So, when people tell me to ease up or tell me something won't happen or something can't be done, a part of me disagrees. I know, being smart is knowing when to back away but taking risks requires a certain degree of foolishness.

If the risk pays off, you'll look bloody brilliant. If it doesn't, then you'll look daft. Well, I figure, if I'm gonna look daft anyway, I might as well go down fighting and give it a decent shot.

And for the whole day, for some reason, my browser hasn't been able to access Movieforumz. I can't get my weekly dose of Heroes. Bollocks.

Random thought. Just for fun people, I'm not (that) delusional. But, suppose, if life had to be anything on TV, what would it be?

I think the more interesting answer would be Heroes or something like that. But, I think I would like my life to be something from the show 'One Tree Hill'. Teen dynamics with a touch of realism and a dash of maturity and a sprinkle of vulnerability. (For those who watch, I obviously like the 'Brucas' saga and I see a fair bit of 'Mouth' in me as well)

Well then again, my choice could be so because I was listening to Gavin Degraw's (he sang the show's theme song) 'Follow Through' when I came up with the random thought. So, maybe it wasn't that random.

It's Not Gonna Start With 'Once Upon A Time...'

I missed a couple of lectures this week, very bad. I have to buck up for real. Being late despite having enough sleep is just plain stupid.

Anyways, I received a bit of news on Friday. Dramatec already has plans to re-stage a previous play for the next main production but they would like to encourage ideas from members, I guess for us to feel involved so they're inviting open scripts from members.

Now, if I end up not doing this I'm stupid. Not after going on at great lengths about wanting to go to Dramatec to have more chances to learn and better myself.

So, I have two weeks to come up with a script that is an 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours long. Never have I done anything that long in my life. The longest script I've been involved in only stretched to 20 minutes, and that was only a working draft. But it doesn't matter if my script doesn't get picked. At least I'll be able to work on it and improve cos they'll also be talking about scriptwriting in general. That was kind of the whole point of me going to Dramatec.

I do have reservations about my storyline. I mean, yeah, I think it's decent enough. But I am unsure whether the story is a bit out there, whether the context is applicable and not just fly over the audiences' head and leave them scratching their heads.

So, I was working on the flow of the story the whole morning. Basically, I worked on how the story flows and what happens. I'm in the midst of noting down what happens in each scene. Just a line or two. This will also help me know how many scenes there are. So, I haven't actually even begun to write the dialogue. Well, it's best to know how the story's gonna go first so I don't get stuck halfway. I already happy that I managed to come with with a storyline that flows and at least makes sense.

Other than that, spent the morning watching 'Goodfellas'. Another gangster movie. Also managed to watch 'Cashback' online recently.A decent indie flick.

There was supposed to be a PACESetters workshop on Friday and that would have clashed with Dramatec but thankfully, I received an email saying that it's been postponed to a future, yet to be known, date. Which means, I can just go for Dramatec.

Ahh, later on the in the afternoon I was trawling through the Net. TRYING to do research for a project. I swear I hate research part of a project the most. I did it all the way till about 1030 and all I got was...frustrated.

To compound matters, Man Utd lost in a tired, passionless display against a gritty and disciplined Bolton side. There was passion but not the right kind, channeled correctly. A kick up the pants was needed from the gaffer but it wasn't enough. Now we trail Arsenal by 3 points, giving those behind us to catch up as well.

Bummer.

Tomorrow, I shall continue with tutorials (I seem to do my tutorials slowly) plus more revision. Probably my Principles of Management. Don't even get me started on Business Accounting 2. I need major help in that. I got lucky with Accounting 1 to just escape with a C+. I doubt I'll get away with it this time round, especially if I continue the way I've been. And of course, I'll finish up the scene synopsis tomorrow as well. No going out? Except in the afternoon for an hour cos I need to but other that, yeah, by not I get to save a bit of money at least.

Off to dream.

End scene.

The Lone Stooge

Okay, okay, why I am such a fuck-up today.

Firstly, I came to school and brought the wrong book to tutorial. You see, the book I had brought had the same back cover colour (orange) as the one that I was supposed to bring so I put the wrong one in my bag and happily brought it too school.

So, I had to sit through tutorial without my notes.

Next,I felt a sharp pain in my chest area as I was walking to class. Turned out, it was a clothes-pin stuck on the inside of my sweater. It was pressing and poking into my body. Thank God no one really saw it, I hope.

Today was also the day that I got my results for course streaming. I had set up my laptop and all, logged in and went to check but my course didn't appear on screen despite repeated attempts. So I had to go pack up my laptop which I had just only set up, go look for a lecturer and asked her to check for me.

So I got into Business. Corporate Communications here I come.

Just as I got back to the library and set up laptop again, a mate messaged to say he was ready to meet for lunch so I had to pack up...AGAIN and meet him.

After lunch, we went to slack at the nearby reservoir for a good 2 hours.

Talk about an absolute waste of time.

Definitely not the life of a model Temasek Polytechnic student.

After that near the library, after getting back from the long walk with great humidity I was tired, blur, my knee was hurting cos I just accidentally banged it against a railing and at my most 'fucked-uped' for the day, someone I know called out to me and I was looking at her friends who were all looking at me, expecting a response for a good 3 or 4 seconds before she had to call out to me again. This time, i responded, thankfully. But I must have looked liked an absolute nimrod and a weird bugger the first time round.

I am so socially inept today. Should have just stayed in bed.

Right,I'm off now. Will be late for Socio tutorial otherwise.

What's Really On Your Mind?

Hopefully I'll keep it going.

Today, I declined heading to lunch because I had a great urge to go and tie up what I just learned in an Accounts lecture. So, I headed straight for the library alone and stuck to my guns, I tried to finish up some tutorial questions left undone and tried the latest tutorial exercise.

Later, I even went to ask the teacher to clarify the parts I didn't understand. I hardly do that. Usually, I'll ask for a quick explanation from my friends or just leave it and not ask at all.

So, this is new. I hope it lasts. Quite a timely change in attitude given that the mid-sems are only about 3 weeks away.

Saw a place online with casting calls for student films and indie films but unfortunately they're mostly looking for Chinese actors. Unfortunate, but I'll keep a look out on that site.

I have T.I.'s latest album in my hard disk. Close friends would know that he's been a favourite of mine for quite a while now.

There's been a lot of hype about this one titled ,"T.I. vs T.I.P.". He was also rated by an MTV braintrust as the 2nd hottest rapper in the game at the moment, behind Lil' Wayne and I won't argue. He's got the perfect blend of swagger and hard hitting lyrics. He's been guesting on a couple of hot tracks as well, like JT's My Love, DJ Khaled's "We Taking Over" & Nicole Scherzinger's "Whatever U Like"

He's currently under house arrest, upcoming trial for illegal possession of arms. Not a good role model, I know. But the music is way good. Good hip hop is good hip hop, the rest don't really matter to me. I listen to him almost every other day.

I have a couple of abstract thoughts.

Look at our lives. How 'Wisteria Lane' is it? (Wisteria Lane is where the story of 'Desperate Housewives is set. I don't watch it but I know enough)

Everything seems so fine, so happy. All smiles.

Have you ever wondered? I think we don't wonder for everybody cos we simply aren't able to be that selfless. We all have to think about ourselves in our daily lives, we have to take care of ourselves before we can take care of others, right?

So, since we don't literally wonder about everybody, I ask you to look at those around you. Whether it be someone you care deeply about or someone you interact with often for him/her to be a significant part of your daily life, just sometimes, pause and think, 'Are they masking themselves?'

Everybody masks their true emotions but some more than others.

Beneath that lovely smile that they show to the world, are they hurting?

I think too many times, we have taken that proverbial smile to be the truth and not stopped to take a closer and harder look to actually see that underneath it all lies a hidden range of emotions afraid to be let out so as not to display that person's weakness.

My point is simple, next time, take a closer look at that someone that you care about or someone that you interact with enough to reach a certain personal enough level, see if they are hiding hurt inside. Show sincere concern but not too much of course, it'll be too weird.

Just enough concern.

They may be thinking that no one cares and they have to carry a burden on the inside but maybe your show of concern may show them that they're not really alone and they might just have someone to go to if they want. They know that someone cares enough about them to bother to find out what they're really feeling.

Try that. It just might make them feel less alone. Even just by a bit, that's better than nothing and they'll appreciate that.

Scene, Song & Dance

I guess I should update.

Lets see, chose Business for my course selection. So I did change my mind from my initial choice of Marketing.

A part of me says I should have specialized and deviated away from Business, having already had a Higher Nitec certificate from ITE. The other part says that I should just stick to something I know I can excel in and am interested in and add the fact that Corporate Communications & Tourism are option blocks for me to pursue under the Business diploma.

Certain aspects of Marketing do interest me. Brand Management,for example. But the fact that it's all mostly project based, is both a turn-on and a turn-off.

So I'll know by Thursday 10am, which direction I'll be heading in for the next two years.

School was pretty routine. POM project has started. Doing a wedding agency that specializes in honeymoon travel as well. Idea isn't too shabby. Heard worse before.

Last Thursday, I experienced my first real 5 hour break. I always had something in the way, like Deepavali and a MIC performance at Simei to take the feel away. This week, spent 2 hours with mates and hanging out at the canteen and 3 hours, using the Internet and re-watching one of my favourite movies on my laptop, Fight Club. Edward Norton is a great method actor.And he is rather underrated,I feel. I knew the laptop was gonna come in handy.

=)

So Friday was the day.It started at 7am, waking up for school. I only went for Micro and not Stats.I would go but that would mean that I would have to leave from TP to get SP where Wahida's show was and I didn't wanna bring books and stuff.

So, I was back home, changed and cabbed down to Dover from Sengkang.

The show was pretty good. I liked the issues that they addressed. Very relevant.

I mean, unfortunately, the Malay community has been tainted by the actions of a growing minority and these actions and activities are the focal point of this play.

What made it so fun was that it was brought across in a very light-hearted manner.

Wahida of course, was her usual effervescent self and I am hoping she will be given a meatier role next time cos she can do much more. So, in that sense, her role did not do her justice. I loved the character of the doctor. Found it amusing. I also liked how they portrayed a loose deviant girl as...a stray cat. The girl was made up and acted like a cat Cos you know, stray cats loiter everywhere, can be found outside of homes late at night and in this sense, rather...promiscuous. Just like deviant girls.

It would have been better if I had seen it during the evening show but couldn't.

Wanted to meet Wahida before I left but she couldn't get out of a debriefing. She messaged me and she wasn't happy with her performance. I told her I thought she did fine and any cock ups she made weren't noticeable. Besides, I'm sure she took the opportunity to brush up and put in a better one for the evening show. She is, as ever, the perfectionist.

I cabbed, again, back down to TP, where I met Zie, an ex-classmate. We were there to watch Roswell Girl perform.Also, one of my sec school friends, Elfy would be performing alongside her.

This show was their big annual one, involved all forms of the Malay Arts Group, comprising of dramia, dance and(Malay)choir.

There were technical glitches but I of course, attach no blame to the actors. I've never been in a production of that magnitude. The bigger the scale, the more the stress.It was on a pretty large scale so it must have been extremely stressful.The show itself was wonderful.It was very entertaining.

Of course, if I were to look at it from the conceptual point of view, the ending was weak and didn't carry the wonderful story that had developed through to the end. I felt that the problem was that they tried to fit in too many things (which did entertain lots) into the script and left no room for a solid ending.Roswell Girl herself was satisfied generally but also disappointed with certain aspects of the show.

I've only been in the (co-) producers' chair once and that one went pretty all right. But empathizing with them as drama people, actors, they did their job and did it well. That's all you can hope to do. Sometimes, other things are out of your control so you just do your job and aim to do well.

Of course, the cast are blameless. They were pretty talented. Roswell Girl did get to show her acting range. I honestly felt really sad during one of her monologues.I swear I did.I almost shed a tear.

She's great, as always.

I saw Elfy in a new light. Just like how I hope people see me in a new light. That I'm not that bumbling, painfully shy kid from secondary school who was afraid to say what he thought but rather, I am a still bumbling, outgoing kid who is open to new experiences and new people.

He's a very expressive and believable actor.

There were also very talented others in that show. I quite liked the two girls who played sisters.,Red & White. Intense stuff. I think White's in Dramatec as well so I'll get to meet her I guess.

He follows method acting.Like many student actors. Just like I aspire to. Just like my idols, Edward Norton,Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino and a bit of Johnny Depp.

So, you may be asking why is Khairul going for Malay shows when he has never been culturally adept? 2 in 1 day too. Hasn't he always been about the English language?

Well, the English language side is the side that I've most presented. People just assume that I have a poor command of my mother tongue, only on a necessary basic level. So people just assume. But the truth is, while I don't have the highest level of comprehension, I do know more than I let on.

What I took away from the whole thing was new ideas and inspiration that made me think of new things that I can use for my writing.

I even had a small idea for a play but I'll put that on hold till I finish writing my book.

I only got home at 4am on Saturday morning. LITERALLY did not have a bite, other than 2 POLO mints and a can of Red Bull.

I had to use my pay to go and foot the bill to reconnect the cable and the Internet connection. I'll be only getting it back when my mom pays me back along with my allowance on the 28th. Now I must wait.

Hmmph.

I was unsure whether I wanted to go out today. Given that I had only 5 hours of sleep. And spent loads of money cabbing down( I had to call for a cab during peak hour from Dover to Tampines)

But I'm so bored. Guess it's for my own good.

Damn, I forgot, a Hayden Panettiere "Claire Bennett" lookalike was gonna be down at The Heeren.I possibly could have went, the closest I would be to the real thing, since she didn't come down to Singapore during the Heroes world tour.

I must find ways to entertain myself tonight.

Urgh, I guess I could study.

Oh, I saw a site where they had casting calls but as usual, they were looking for Chinese people to fill the roles.

I also saw filmmaking/acting/scriptwriting workshops. But they cost $$$$. I wish I had a long-term part-time job.

Claire Bennett From Odessa, Texas

Tomorrow is my streaming selection. Marketing is still edging it over Business. Things might change overnight, we'll see. Going to school early to make sure I can get into the system and put in my choice. It's on a first come first serve basis. People will be rushing into system and it will be clogged up. Just want to make sure I can get in.

'Heroes' debuts on local free-to-air TV on Channel 5 today. It was so nice to see the 1st episode again.

I admit, when Hayden first appeared on screen again, I couldn't help but break into a little smile. It was kind of nice to see her character confused about her powers and at the same time knowing how she's going to grow into this tough, determined character who is in control of her powers.

"A girl with a sad little smile" - Peter Petrelli.

Cute little smile. =)

Oh, that reminds me. Episode 8 of Season to will be available tomorrow. Must watch. Things have just gotten crazy.

Previously, she was with Stephen Colletti of Laguna Beach fame. Now, she's been linked with co-star Milo Ventimiglia, who plays Peter Petrelli on the show, though the pair maintain that they're just friends. Don't they all do that?

I thought she looked better with Stephen.

She was recently in Japan trying to save the dolphins from being slaughtered by Japanese fishermen. Made the news too. She was in tears. Especially when she was talking about this baby dolphin that ended up getting killed. Grrr, Japanese fishermen made her cry.

Lol. I'm having a laugh here. Clearly, I've overdosed on TV shows and movies. The side effects include having a strange fixation on Hayden Panettiere. Now, it's strange cos while she is without a doubt cute as a button, I don't like, have a crush on her or anything. If I could actually meet her, it would be a different story.

Even if I did meet her,I'd want to act as a cool dude than a geeked-out fan.

I don't think I have a crush on her. Cos I'm still very much focused on real life girls. That's why I use the words 'strange fixation' rather than 'crush'. Trust me, I'm definitely focused on real-life girls and not a weird small-screen crush.

Lol.

Yeah, I admit, the whole purpose of this post was Hayden.

I may not have a crush on her but they're ain't no denying she way fly.

I was bored but I wanted to post something. So, there, a post that is totally a waste fo time for people who aren't interested in Heroes/Hayden to read.

How Depressing

Spent Saturday buried in tutorials. I also have to prepare for a Bus Stats test which constitutes 5% of my overall grade. I ain't loving it, i'm loathing it. Anyone who knows me close enough will know that numbers aren't my thing.

Consoled myself during breaks by putting Veoh videos onto my hard disk. Managed quite a few. Also managed to get T.I.'s latest album.

So I've got more content to entertain myself with if I need to, whenever I'm bored.

Still no closer to choosing between Business and Marketing.

I got an email about a PACE workshop. It's on the 23rd, a Friday. It clashes with drama. See, this was the kind of problem I was anticipating.

*Sigh*

Already missed last Friday's. Going to miss this Friday's cos of my friends' performances and now, next Friday.

*Sigh*

At least last Friday was way decent. Simplistic arrangements for an hour or two was enough to be the setting for a good time to reminisce It was very nice, very lovely. I wanna say it would be nice to do it again but knowing our differing hectic schedules, it will be difficult.

It's the three-week mark. I told myself that I would consolidate all that I've had to learn every three weeks. Easier said than done apparently.

I wish I could sit down and just focus but no, I always have something else to do or somewhere I have to be. I need better time management.

*Sigh*

Now, back to my tutorials.

Outlook for tomorrow, more tutorials.

I so feel like pulling my hair out.

Weapon Of Choice

I actually didn't want to blog this out cos it may seem to boring to be a topic and I didn't really want to talk about it till I made my choice but it's turning out to be a very hard decision. Who knows, typing it all out may help.

On Tuesday, at 10am, I have to go and choose my specialization diploma. It's between Business (BUS), Logistics & Operations Management (LOM) and Marketing (MKT). At first, it was a straight fight between BUS and MKT but recently, I've was part of a brainwashing attempt by my tutor about LOM. Yeah, I heard pretty good things about LOM.

Business is a popular choice cos a lot of students don't know what to choose yet and they are unsure what to specialize in so they take the general choice.I have pretty much the same logic. Going into Business would be pretty much doing the same thing I've been doing for the past 3 years, ITE included.Job prospects are good pretty easy to find but there will be a lot of competition, not just from my diploma; which has the biggest intake of the 3 diplomas but also from other polys. A Bus diploma is a pretty common one.

MKT is, erm, I guess of a much more creative vein. I'll have to learn to not only speak well but to speak convincingly. Creativity is also needed. As for job prospects, will be a little tricky. Things will be mundane when I start out cos I'll probably have to do all the routine jobs first. Things will get hectic and exciting after a while cos I imagine to be all conceptualization and projects and deadlines and stuff like that.

LOM...I think in terms of academics is one that I'm least interested in, meaning I don't think I'll like studying it's specialized stuff as compared to MKT or BUS' general-ish modules. Okay, I don't know whether I'm being too pessimistic or I'm just being honest.Maybe the modules do suck or maybe I can cope with them anyway.

Job future in LOM, sounds the best out of the 3, or maybe that's cos it the most recent one I heard. But apparently, this industry is on the rise, going to be backed by the government and largely less by economic ups and downs as compared to the other 2 diplomas. Cos logistics is always gonna be needed. BUS and MKT, a lot more prone to the effects of recession.

It shouldn't matter right? Cos I'm aiming to do Political Science as a degree right? But the thing is, I've still got NS to do after poly and I'm not sure I'll be doing a degree straight away cos of the money and I'll have to work for a year or two to get experience and a bit of that cash money,for sure.

So, might as well be an industry I can see myself working in. But I have to be interested in studying in it in the first place. Cos if I don't like it, I might not do well.

Academic INTEREST
1. Business
2. Marketing
3. Logistics

Employment INTEREST
1. Marketing
2.Business
3.Logistics

Employment PROSPECT
1. Logistics
2. Marketing
3. Business

So there, I've tried to rank it. For the 3rd one, at least that's what I think my chances are getting a job with that particular diploma.

So,if I were to average it out, Marketing edges it ahead of Business.

So, I'm back to where I started. =|

Now it begs the question. Do I want to take the risk with Marketing? Or do I wanna play it safe with Business, something I've been doing for the past 3 years? Yeah, I've taken Marketing before as a module in ITE and did well too but this is a whole different ball game cos it'll be more in depth, as it should be since it's diploma level stuff.

At least I hope I've gotten Logistics out of the way. I've come to the conclusion that it's great but it isn't me. It may have good prospects but again, it just isn't me. I just don't see myself firstly, studying, and then working in the logistics industry as great as it's gonna be in the future.

I hope I don't change my mind over Logistics.

I'll keep mulling over Business and Marketing.

A whole post talking about 3 diplomas? Now, after doing it, I don't see why not cos after all, I'll be doing this thing for the next 2 years. The least I can do is try to seriously weigh up my options.

It wouldn't be so difficult if I was in Media Studies, it would be the Journalism line for me no doubt but that's a really old story. I didn't get in so that's the end of that.

Lets hope I have a clearer picture by Tuesday morning.

Load Doubled

It was a fun weekend. Drama, first gig in a while, friends and more friends. Man Utd also drew 2-2 with Arsenal. I predicted that scoreline. But given the game, it was a fair result that didn't really hurt either team.

But last night was fun, it was a small affair of house visiting but it was quite fun, though we were all very soaked from the rain and very tired in the end.

Woke up sick on Monday, today, again! Been sick for the past 2 Mondays.

Now this will sound incredibly fickle but I have growing doubts about myself in PACE. I'm caught in two minds.

Now I might have 2 CCA's if I carry on with Dramatec. I'm not sure I can do both and hold up my already less-than-comfortable situation that I have with my studies. Also, I do have MIC and there might be nothing on now, but when I'm involved, it's pretty deep so I may have even less time.

That's one side.

The other side of the coin is that, I've already, I've already managed to get this far. To just go out with a whimper now would be a waste. Staying in would have long-term benefits for me.

Also, I don't want to label myself a quitter. Someone who quits. Yet again though, sometimes it's smarter to quit stuff you know you can't handle and just deal with the stuff that's already on your plate.

Erm, just maybe, and there might be someone who might be some kind of motivation for me to stay on. Perhaps. But only just perhaps, eh? And no, it isn't Roswell Girl, for those of you who may be thinking so.

=)

We'll see how this goes over the next few weeks.

I got all the songs in Britney's new album. It's good. Definitely a good album. Good hits for the club and dance tunes. Please note that I'm separating the artiste and the individual. I think she's actually got something decent out and it would have been a great comeback effort if she wasn't always mired in so much controversy.

Out N About

Missed Friday's Micro lecture. But apparently I was told that I didn't miss much. I did miss some stuff but they hadn't moved on to a new topic like I thought they would.

So after the last lecture and Friday prayers, met a mate and had lunch at the nearby mall. I still had loads of time to kill before Dramatec so he suggested we head back and slack with the rest of the guys.

So I did and time passed faster than I thought.

Right, so this is where it gets interesting.

I headed over back to school, unaware of how things were gonna be like at my first day of Dramatec.

I had a friend bring me in so at least I didn't go in there on my own.

Everyone was pretty nice and friendly. It was rather chaotic in there. Everyone was making jokes or just being slack and messing around.

It may me that I was kind of looking forward to this but there was something comforting about the atmosphere, even though I was new. In some way, I was reminded of how Mic was. I could see the fun.

So they made us sit down and they had some instructions for the year 2's who were going to have a show in about 2 weeks.

Their piece is very abstract. Not straightforward stuff.

So after that the year 1's (us) went to another studio room for our training. This is where it got really fun for me.

We we told to start walking around the room. At first I though it was the
freeze frame' game like we do in Mic but it wasn't. I'm not gonna explain what it was cos it's too long and you wouldn't get it unless I was standing in front of you or you were there yourself to see it. It was abstract stuff again. It was about making us feel aware of all the body parts that we use while acting on stage.

After that we were told to think of a character and continue that exercise.

Next we were to write down characteristics of our character.

Then we were told to act out a short scene with it and then later, answer questions from the rest while in character. I guess the questions meant that we had to add depth, history to our character so that we might have to be answerable for our character's actions. We had to justify why we acted that way and why did we do things the way our character did.

Haha, actually I had always dreamed how fun it would be to act like a mafioso.

A mafia man.

Just like someone from one of my favourite movies, "The Godfather". Don Michael Corleone, played by a young Al Pacino. Of course, I didn't rip it off wholesale, I just used it to inspire me for my own dialogue.

I even got away with swearing. Lol. I know it's bad but I'm a mafia mob boss, am I not?

Way cool. An acting fantasy fulfilled in the first session.

=)

Made friends easy. Could say I already have two more, other than the one I already had from PACE who was also in drama.

Looking forward to the next session on Friday.

The thing about Dramatec is they are run by the seniors, the students. With a teacher-advisor.

And here we were at Mic, making much fuss about the fact that Mic's T-Day show was run and made by students.

Right, right. I was feeling feverish so I took pills. Ended up waking up way too late for PACE. Which made me feel like shit cos I REALLY didn't want to miss PACE and let them have a negative impression of me. Still feeling funny inside so I went over to the doctor's.

Later, I went to D'XO with Wahida and Amir (a Mic freshie, a nice bloke) to go see our Mic mates who had a gig.

Of course, I do listen to modern rock, bands like Avenged Sevenfold and The Used. But I'm not a local music aficionado. If my friends weren't playing at D'XO I probably wouldn't be there.

People who don't fancy live rock can say that it's dumb cos the music's too loud, you don't hear the lyrics and what the vocalist is singing. Doesn't help if the band is screamo-ish. But there is a way to appreciate live rock music. And it really helped that D'XO had a professional sound system which made hearing the music easier.

Miasma (my friends' band)kicked ass. They were my CCA-mates from Mic. The bassist and the vocalist. I met another one of them before too. Think he played lead guitar, not sure. Liked their first song a cover of No Doubt. "Spiderwebs" I think, was the title.

The band before them, played my favorite song from Avenged Sevenfold. It's one of the songs where you don't understand the lyrics cos the vocalist would be screaming. But the guitar and drums are totally killer.

Headed over to Shaw Towers to check in on Farah and got a free try at the Toffee Nut Iced Blended." Nice.

Went home, got my hard disk, when to a mate's house and loaded loads of movies plus a few TV series from his comp. Will spend lots of time watching. Especially for when I have to stay back in school. A lot of stuff but it only took about 11GB of space. Still 100GB left which caused my mate to lament that he's thinking about getting a hard disk with more space.

Met more mates, went for dinner with them, headed back home just in time for Man Utd v Arsenal which ended in a fair 2-2 draw. Fun match.

Fun day. Fun 2 days.

And tomorrow, I'm out of the house early to go house-visiting with Mic people. Hopefully another fun day.

Before I go to sleep, will go ahead and finish watching American Gangster,which I got from my mate, which cruelly froze on me the last time I was nicely watching it online.

=)

Jolly Good Show, Chaps!

This week has been fine.

Wednesday, I was over at the dad's, helping him write a speech for his project thingy.

Today was nice.

After the early morning tutorial. I had time to have lunch at Macs at Tampines Mall. My original purpose of going there was to redeem my Golden Village members card but I couldn't print out the page from the school computer. I decided to go get lunch anyway.

Later on, headed over to ITE Simei to go and see the juniors perform for the MoneySense skit.

I know that Mic Studio isn't much in the eyes of some people and they may ask why I'm kicking up such a big fuss. I guess only people in the performing arts line will understand the satisfaction felt after a performance, whether it be singing, acting, dancing or anything else.

Others might also say that even when compared to others, Mic Studio may still not much. Yeah,we've a few good shows here and there but nothing on the national 'arts scene' yet. Like we don't do a variety of shows and put ourselves about everywhere.

Yeah, we are a small club with limited resources. We don't have the resources to do as many shows as we want. That's why, with the number of shows we do, we try to put in as much quality as possible. Okay, that last sentence sounded like a food advert.

And today was no different. In front of some MP dude and a student audience, the cast gave a good show. We managed to elicit laughs from the audience. We got 'em for sure.Other than shoddy stage lighting control (which was out of our control),we gave a solid show.

I was told that the MP was some guy with the rank of 'Rear Admiral'.

Haha. That always cracks me up. 'REAR'...Admiral. Obscene, I know.

After that, it was time for my favourite part of doing an external performance (one not at Bishan) or doing a prestigious (college/ITE level) performance. The tea reception. The catered food.

Just because they have someone important over, they will always have food after the performance. Sometimes, just cos we performed, we get invited to join in the food as well. The College Central principal and directors like to do that for MIC Studio. Apparently, some of them are fans of us and like the fact that we always do stuff that brings good vibes for ITE Bishan or College Central.

I ain't complaining. Good and free food. The spread this time at ITE Simei was pretty great,one of the best I've seen.

Unfortunately, I could only stick around to wolf down a couple of mini-sandwiches and chocolate pastry, which was great. Didn't get to try the food though.

Before I left, Mdm thanked me for coming to support Mic and I told her that honestly I felt that I just came and did nothing. Yeah, I get it, she was thanking me that I bother to come back so many times but actually I feel like I'm doing nothing. Which is true of course because it isn't my place to be doing anything cos I'm not involved.

It's just that I guess I miss being in the thick of it all. The stress, the fun, the running around, the butterflies in the stomach and the relief etc.

Like I said earlier, I know MIC doesn't do too much. Maybe one day I'll write something, for something big, a play or a screenplay, etc. And then, I'll acknowledge that it was MIC that gave me my start, meaning, I did something big, with their help.

Which moves me on nicely to my next point.

That I've got my first Dramatec meeting tomorrow evening. Wonder how it'll go. The whole purpose is so I can gain more exposure for myself and learn more things. Maybe if MIC survives, I can use it for their benefit. Mostly for mine, as I look for more knowledge in the performing arts field. I mean, even with my story that I'm writing. This could help. A good skit depends on a good story.

So I hope that joining Dramatec will benefit me. It's not about having it as a CCA. It's more than just that.

Today in Sociology, we had to choose from 5 movies, "Save The Last Dance", "Yamakasi", "Radio", "Finding Forrester" & "Billy Elliot". Unluckily, my group got alloted the most (in my opinion) boring of all the choices. I've watched all 5 movies before so at least I know what they're all about.

WOuld have preferred to get Yamakasi of course. It's on my favourite movies list.

Too bad.

I saw "The Producers" on cable again today. I think it's really a zany and wacky musical show. The actors must really have had fun being able to act all crazy and funny and get paid for it.

Will Farrell has a supporting role but he is a complete scene-stealer as the bumbling Nazi soldier in hiding. I think it's better than his best movie, "Anchorman" simply cos he manages to do so well when he isn't a lead character in this movie.

So tomorrow, I plan to go down to go and redeem my free wireless optical mouse and send in my warranty for my HDD. Before I leave school, I might be bringing my laptop to get it configured to be able to access the school's wireless system. After getting the mouse, I'll probably come back to school, use the laptop and wait out the time till it's time for Dramatec.

Another busy day tomorrow.