Memories...
Sunday, September 30, 2007
SOME QUICK THOUGHTS AND A BIG THANK U TO 27TH MC =)
Thank You Dinner 2007 was really sweet. And special to me in a way. Haha, coz for the 1st time in 4 years and 4 Thank You Dinners, I didnt have to sit at VIP table or entertain any guests. Could just turn up late, and sit with the House ICs and make lotsa noise hoho~ =p
Seriously, even though I was making lotsa noise when watching the video clip, I seriously felt like crying when I saw the pictures of Arts Camp 2007, coz it just dawned on me again that things wud prob never be the same again, in the sense that I wud never ever in my life be able to attend Arts Camp as an undergrad again. But then again, I have cherished every moment and gave my heart totally for each of the 4 Arts Camps, so I dun look back with regrets. =)
The same goes for Rag and O Week when I saw the video..again, no more FOP forever.
I guess looking at the video reminded everyone there at the dinner, be it freshmen from 28th or seniors from 22nd, that at the end of the dae, the Club really tries its best to reach out to many fellow students, and tries its best to touch the lives of many people, which the 27th did as well. =)
I said during the dinner that I ve always been the biggest critic and yet biggest supporter of the 27th. In my haste, I forgot to add as well that I m really proud of what Reuben has done, and I can really feel that his term as President has really changed him so much for the better (besides the dropping of hair that is heh) in terms of his personality and his character. haha.
And for Bit and Jackson as well, who re-ran for another term and provided much guidance and experience for their new com. Sorry ah, tan chuan bit, after another term in office, you still have no charisma haha. But nmind lah, leadership come in many forms like what you mention remember? Cannot be Jose Mourinho can also be Avram Grant rite hahahaha!
I want to add that I m really proud of Xinyu as well (shud also have said this during the dinner la damn!). In many ways I could relate to how she's feeling, being the only MC member who re-ran from 25th to 26th. The feeling of initial loneliness and displacement can really drive one to silent tears in the night, but as I told her previously, (and which was what Ridz told me 3 years ago) its just part of the process. =) And I m absolutely positive that she will grow so much more confident and stronger (in fact, i think she oredi has), hone her leadership skills, and step down with the 28th with no regrets. So Xinyu, if ya reading this now, jiayou k!! n_n
So all in all, I just wanna add another private thanks here to the 27th, who brought another year of Arts Club and FASS memories for me personally, and for the many of their friends, affiliates, and fellow undergrads. =) Even though they werent a perfect com, but hey, whichever MC was really perfect anywayz?
And I sincerely hope that they ll stay and help and advise the 28th, in the same way which many of the 26th have come back for the 27th even after stepping down. n_n
On another note, I have hibernated from Thurs night till Sat night, and I m extremely proud to announce that I have officially completed my 1st level4000 & 5,000 word essay! Yayz!!
17 000 more words to go!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
A SPECIAL DAE n_n
In less than 24 hours time, it ll be Thank-You-Dinner 2007 le, haha, where the 27th mc ll step down.
At the same time, it ll also mark the 1 year anniversary for 26th since stepping down haha. The top picture is 26th mc when stepping up during Thank-u-Dinner 2005, and the 2nd pic is us stepping down last yr in 2006. Notice a few things that just dun change: (1) Little India's blackness (2) Rabbit's idiotic act-cute look heh (3) Gandhi's height (where's gandhi in the 1st pic? heh heh) (4) Lace and Xiaohongzi's big heads
And to Jackson, Shifty and Little India who are currently overseas n couldnt receive my sms earlier:
"Halo Rayner, Bobs, Meiyi, Ruby, JJ, Xiaohongzi, lacy, bit, eileen, guan guan, shifty, xiao indu, jackson, laokayzi, gandhi :) its been a year since we stepped down as 26th mc le. Just wanna thank u guys once again for all e memories and hard work in the past. Hope each and every one of u are doing well in your lives. Miss u all. :p "
Anyone who ask me what my greatest honour and pride in life is..and I ll always tell them that it is the chance to be able to work with 2 wonderful batches of 26th Coms haha..one in college, and one in university.
On another note, it is also a special dae becoz for the 1st time in my NUS life todae, meaning for the 1st time in 4 years, i have managed to keep up with my readings for the 1st half of the semester haha. Long may it continue!!
Monday, September 24, 2007
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
- Albert Einstein
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CHEERS TO 8 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP
Finally the packed but fruitful weekend is over.
It was wonderful to see the 26th OAC instructors again haha. And Sun night's attendance was the biggest for a long time, with 16 out of the 22 of us attending. =) Most of the rest were overseas. We had lotsa good food and lotsa beer at Brewerks at Clarke Quay, and did tons of catching up and reminiscing bout old times.
All the girls are working now, while most of the guys like me, are in their final Honours year. So it was really good to learn more about the working environment from them haha. Time flies man. Even Aili has been riding for 1 year plus liao, woa, seriously fast man.
And to top the wonderful weekend off, United walloped Chelski. =p I think they made a really huge mistake in dismissing Mourinho, but frankly, I wont be surprised if they appoint another top class manager soon. I just cant see Avram Grant charting Chelski's future or staying with them for the long term.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
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EXCITING WEEKEND
I must say this is indeed an exciting weekend for me, a good short break after the 1st half of school, and before i start hibernating for all my essays.
Fri night I went for the KR Ministerial Forum with quite a number of my PS Honours class mates. Was glad to noe people like Kelvin, Serene, Angela much better =) On the whole though, we were relatively disappointed with the quality of questions posed to Prime Minister Lee. As what Serene said: "If one wants good answers, then one has to ask good questions". I tried to queue up to ask a question as well, but the queue was just too long, and it didnt help that we were outside the auditorium in another room watching via tele-conferencing.
After the KR Forum, I went to YIH for this innovative bash to meet LingHui, Steve, Neng jin and Qingru. It was absolutely wonderful to catch up with our batch of Club Presidents and I was disappointed not to see Danny Tan haha. We had a few drinks, just like old times, and I was really inspired by Steve, the former Bizad President. He graduated this year, and he was telling me that for his last yr in Honours, he started with a cap score of 3.90 at the end of yr 3, and managed to whack a perfect cap of 5.00 and 4.80 to finally pull his cap into 4.2 for 2nd Upper Hons. Woa ho, way to go dude.
Serene was also telling me earlier on that there were some PS students last yr who started from 3.80 or 8 plus and managed to hit 4.00 at the end. Looking at my current cap of 3.88 now, I am damn determined to achieve my target as well. Hearing these encouraging stories really did give me greater confidence.
Anyway, on Sat night, which was just now, I attended the NUS Dance Ensemble production The Next Wave with the 2006 Raggers to support Jennifer, Stacey, Denise and IK. Haha, must say the production was really artistic, abstract at times, but overall a real great performance. =)
Tom morning I ll be attending another major dialogue event at the Grassroots Club, where Prime Minister Lee, Mr Lim Boon Heng, Mr Lim Swee Say, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Dr Ng Eng Hen, and Mr Gan Kim Yong ll be speaking on the CPF issues. As you can see, it is a super heavyweight line-up and I am expecting a massive crowd, esp with the CPF topic being a current hot issue.
In the afternoon, I ll be up for the old football match at Chinese High with my old mates, after a 2 week absence.
And at night, there ll be the 26th OAC dinner, organized by Chermaine this time. Yayz! n_n
And of coz, in the late night, how can i fail to mention the titanic clash i have been waiting for the entire week, United VS Chelski, with the added spice now of a Mourinho-less Chelski.
Yup, really a packed weekend ahead. But i m really looking foward to it..A well-deserved break before chionging my essays for the mid-term period.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
LOB IT UP BABY
Yest night I had the honour and privilege (together with the Bukit Panjang YEC members) to have dinner at the House of Lobsters at Republic Poly with my Bukit Panjang MP Dr Teo Ho Pin, as well as other grassroot leaders.
Besides the fact that the food absolutely rocks, esp the lobsters (heh heh), it was really a great delight to be able to know Dr Teo on a personal level much better. Dr Teo was really sincere and even gave out his own personal namecard to every single one of us, telling us to email him directly for any concerns or enquiries. And from the numerous conversations that developed over dinner, it was evident to me that he was really passionate in helping the less fortunate in Bukit Panjang, as well as striving to build a strong community spirit in Bukit Panjang. And I respect him highly for that.
I also asked a lot of questions such as why and how he stepped into politics in the past, how does he prepare for his parliamentary speeches (Dr Teo was due to speak in Parliament today on the en bloc sale legislation), and how was life in general as a politician.
From next Mondae outwards, I would also be helping out Dr Teo during the weekly Meet-the-People Sessions. Really looking foward to it. =)
Republic Poly by the way, has really new and wonderful sports and all-round facilities! I was really impressed. At the same time, looking at all the various sports cca groups training reminded me so much of jc life. And all those fond memories.. n_n
Managed to rush back to sch in time to witness the finale of AGM. Hmmm, time really flies. I can vividly still remember talking to Steve Tyler at Agm reception last year haha. It was quite touching to see that the 27th really enjoyed themselves while looking back at the photos of themselves for the whole year... I rem the 26th had the photo slideshow as well last year, and how sad it felt to see memories of an entire year just flash past like that. Haha, i m sure there ll be another video/ photos presentation during Thank-u-Dinner, and lotsa tears ll flow again.
I had actually intended to write a tribute post to the 27th MC, but i think i ll leave that till Thank You Dinner =p After all, technically there's still 1 more project to go heh. But for the moment, just really glad to see them step down happily.
Oh, and i realize i miss JAckson a lot leh. Basket. He and his nonsense. Hahaha!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
TURN IT ON BABY..
Chonghan told me during O Week 2007 that house ics are like taps.
No matter how down or sad we may be deep down inside ourselves, when its time for action, we need to straightaway jump up and rara the houses or entire camp. Sometimes we put on a false front of laughter, craziness or a big grin, not becoz we are insincere, but becoz our job is to always brighten up the people around us. And to be professional and for the sake of our freshmen and councilors, we have to do that. =)
Maybe that explains why there's always a special bond among us, and how we can talk heaven and earth, even after fop haha. And i cant explain it, but i m always very happy when I m with either Chongz, Bobsie, Camy, Michelle, Xiao Indu or Julie.
And Michelle was really sweet todae haha! Thanks for the high-class chocolate and note! n_n
And to my old fren and brother Chongz, what can i say man. Hey~~~ Hey Baby~~ Oooh~ Ah~ Do you noe ohhhh...~~~~~
Monday, September 17, 2007
HAPPY DAE
Todae is a happy dae for me.
Coz I..
Had a good sleep...
Received news that my internship application is still alive....
Finally settled my hp bills (bah!)...
Finally zapped all my testimonials, which marks the end of all my cover letter, resume, academic transcript preparations (which means technically I can start applying for jobs now liao, 8 months before I graduate yay)..
Kept up with readings...
Felt smart in class (haha!)..
Had another nice nap when I reached home..
And feeling energetic now for another round of preparations for tom's seminar class.
So yesh, all in all, a H-A-P-P-Y dae! n_n
HELL MONTH (S) AHEAD
Now that elections has ended, my Focus is now switched back to my Honours year studies, and my, it most certainly wasnt funny when i was doing up my schedule.
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SCHEDULE FOR HELL MONTHS
1) Mon 17 Sep RS/ SSA
2) Tues 18 Sep RS/ SSA
3) Wed 19 Sep RS/ SSA
4) Thu 20 Sep RS/ SSA
5) Fri 21 Sep RS/ SSA
6) Sat 22 Sep Mid-Term Break, RS
7) Sun 23 Sep RS
8) Mon 24 Sep RS
9) Tues 25 Sep RS
10) Wed 26 Sep RS
11) Thu 27 Sep RS
12) Fri 28 Sep RS/ SOW
13) Sat 29 Sep SOW
14) Sun 30 Sep SOW
15) Mon 1 Oct End of Mid-Term Break, SOW
16) Tues 2 Oct SOW
17) Wed 3 Oct SOW
18) Thu 4 Oct SOW
19) Fri 5 Oct SOW
20) Sat 6 Oct SOW
21) Sun 7 Oct SOW
22) Mon 8 Oct SOW
23) Tues 9 Oct PS4216 SOW Presentation*, SSA
24) Wed 10 Oct EUFP, SSA, SOW
25) Thu 11 Oct EUFP, SSA
26) Fri 12 Oct EUFP, SSA
27) Sat 13 Oct EUFP, SSA
28) Sun 14 Oct EUFP, SSA, RS
29) Mon 15 Oct PS4206 RS Presentation*, SOW
30) Tues 16 Oct PS4216 SOW Essay*, SSA
31) Wed 17 Oct SSA
32) Thu 18 Oct SSA, EUFP
33) Fri 19 Oct PS4218 EUFP Presentation*, SSA1201 Essay*
34) Sat 20 Oct RS ESSAY
35) Sun 21 Oct RS ESSAY
36) Mon 22 Oct PS4206 RS Essay*
37) Tue 23 Oct ASS
38) Wed 24 Oct ASS
39) Thu 25 Oct ASS
40) Fri 26 Oct ASS
41) Sat 27 Oct ASS
42) Sun 28 Oct ASS
43) Mon 29 Oct ASS
44) Tues 30 Oct ASS
45) Wed 31 Oct ASS
46) Thu 1 Nov PS4204 ASS Discussant* EUFP
47) Fri 2 Nov EUFP
48) Sat 3 Nov EUFP
49) Sun 4 Nov EUFP
50) Mon 5 Nov EUFP
51) Tues 6 Nov EUFP
52) Wed 7 Nov EUFP
53) Thu 8 Nov EUFP
54) Fri 9 Nov PS4204 ASS Essay*, PS4218 EUFP Essay*
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I have 22, 000 words ahead of me. Better get grooving.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
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REVISITING OLD ROOTS
This is a picture of the 33th Hwa Chong OAC instructors, setting up the OAC booth to sell balloons, a tradition that was passed down more than 10 year ago.
haha, I went for Hwa Chong MAF yest night. Was apprehensive about going back initially coz it seems like in recent years its more or less the same thing. However, what really made me change my mind was the chance to have supper with some of my 26th OAC friends, as well as the chance to see my grand juniors at the annual Wu3 Ling2 Da4 Hui4.
Anyway when we went back, we were like the oldest batch back there man ahah! But we sure are damn proud of it! Heh, I was forced once again to address everyone, and I made the pertinent point to all the juniors to keep in touch with their respective batches, and I think the 26th has really led by example, 7 years on after graduating. In fact, we are meeting again next weekend for dinner yayz! Err, but as Chermaine correctly pointed out, I guess the thought never occurred to us in the past that we ll all actually come back as the oldest seniors heh heh.
I guess it was really sweet to see Hwa Chong OAC doing well even after so many years. At the end of the dae, no matter how old we grow or how far we go, friendships and families like these remind you of your roots and where you came from. Remind you of the values of which you once espoused as a leader in that organization.
And most importantly, remind you that even if given a choice, you would never have traded all these memories and friendships for anything else in this world. =)
Saturday, September 15, 2007
"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart."
- Helen Keller
END OF A LONG WEEK
The past week has most certainly been a long one for me. Mon and Tues were used for recuperating from rop exertions last weekend, as well as for many consultation sessions with the 28th. Also went for my 2nd meeting with the Bukit Panjang YEC on Tues.
Wed was just hell man. Project discussion for whole afternoon, plus tons of preparations and readings for group presentation on thurs. Didnt sleep for the entire night.
Thurs began with the presentation in the morning. So glad that it's over. =) Chaired the Internals and glad that finally the whole elections process is over as well. I like the 28th MC and hope that they really give their best for the term ahead. n_n
The other dae, an Honours friend of mine was telling me, that he envied me in a way and he wished that he had been more involved with NUS co-curricular activities during his uni life, esp during his year 1 to year 3 daes. The only active event he felt he went thru was his SEP to France, but even thru that experience he felt it just didnt complete and colour his university life. He sorta regretted becoz now that he's in his honours year as well, there wasnt pretty much anything he could do to join any of the societies/ clubs/ union and turn back the clock.
Maybe that explains why at the end of internals, I felt really happy and heartwarmed for both the 26th, 27th and 28th. =)
26th, who were and are still there for the club even after stepping down 1 year ago.
27th, for going thru a tough journey and finally stepping down soon to earn a well-deserved rest.
28th, for daring to take up the challenge of leading the club and daring to make a difference in the lives of others.
My journey is almost complete. And my job is almost done. When Ridhwan graduated 1 year ago, I promised him to help take care of the club. The time ll come very soon when i wont be around but new 'guardians' will arise to take over. Thats the way life is. =)
Sometimes guardians dun say very nice things but at the end of the dae, they want the best for the club n for the people in charge.
Going to have a good sleep tonight. I really need the rest man. Came back from xiaohongzi's 21st bdae party just now. haha how time flies..happy birthdae once again da tou! n_n Now that older liao must be more sensible k heh heh.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
COOLNESS
I am now sitting in front of the whole Honours class, in the middle of my group presentation.
And blogging.
Haha!
Q & A coming soon. Getting ready my armour suit.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
LONG SLEEPLESS NIGHT AHEAD...
Big and tough presentation for tom.
Sigh. Its nights like these when I wish I was oredi working and not an Honours student anymore. And guess what, its only the beginning of more sleepless nights.
Phew...
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
"When you teach a man how to fly a kite, look into his eyes. If they are really sincere, don't be surprised if he flies an Airbus A380 one day."
- The Hock
Monday, September 10, 2007
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REFLECTIONS ON MY 4TH ROP..
The picture on the left is ROP Camp 2006, where the 27th MC-elects then were attempting the legendary ice-cream stick game. Sitting in the middle were Lion King and Ruby who were leading the com in solving the puzzle.
I took this picture as an evaluator last year, and 1 year on, I am back again. Haha, how time flies.
In 2004, I went for my 1st ROP, clueless really, on what to expect. What i was really impressed with was that i realized how much Arts Club meant to a lot of seniors back then. And how I remembered the excitement that flowed through me when I presented plans to the ROP Com and the evaluators. And the immense sense of pride and confidence I gained, together with a tingling sensation, when the evaluators told me to "consider running for something much higher" and everybody else goes "aye aye" in the background. Unknown to many, I never forget about that moment in my life.
In 2005, I went for my 2nd ROP, full of clues this time, on what to expect. And I oredi knew that i was going for Presidency. However, I had a tough time esp coz I was re-running alone, and there were times when I felt i should take a step back to let the 26th freshies shine. It was also extremely uncomfortable for me coz my 25th MC peers were evaluating me, when all of them had been my friends.
However, I had to thank 3 people though. The 1st 2 were Rudy and Ridhwan who never stopped believing in me throughout ROP. The 3rd person was Steven, who told me on the 1st night of ROP 2005 at Pulau Ubin that he thought my performance on the 1st dae was bad, and that maybe I should consider not running for President, and told me to admit that I am not good enough to be one. I went back to my tent, shed a few tears alone in the silent night as I slept beside my 26th MC members, and came out of the tent determined to prove him wrong. All in all, ROP 2005 was really tough for me due to the expectations involved and the raw-ness of the new com, but I remembered how proud I was to complete it together with the 26th, and got to know each and every single 1 of them much better.
In 2006, I went for my 3rd ROP, as Chief Evaluator this time. It was a really different experience, being behind the scenes this time, silently watching and observing the 27th MC-elects. Was also really glad that lao jiao seniors all the way from 22nd to 25th could come down as evaluators. Organizing ROP 2006 was a wonderful experience for the 26th MC who was about to step down as well, treasuring the last few times we have together. On a personal level, I remember how glad I was that 27th ropers such as Ruby, Lion King, Bit and Jeremy Irons dared to step up on many occasions to lead, and how interesting characters such as Michael Jackson, Steve Tyler and David James brightened up the camp. haha. And yes, I still remember how David James charmed a little boy, 2 doggies, and an aunty along the way.
In 2007, I went for my 4th ROP, this time as a normal evaluator and for the 1st time, freed of mc responsibilities. Good in the sense that there were definitely lesser things on my mind so I could really concentrate more solely on the evaluation aspect. And I do feel that with experience, one does become a better evaluator.
But in any case, I was really proud of the 28th MC-elects. One must understand that every ROP occurs in different circumstances and different settings, and this year, it is indeed a very young and raw MC. However, as I have said many times in the past, one should judge a com when it steps down, not when it steps up. The 28th will have a long way to go but I m actually feeling quite positive that if they are really able to work closely as a team, and retain n exude their sincerity n open-mindedness, I think that this com will actually surprise a lot of people and silence a lot of critics. 22nd and 23rd MC were freshmen coms with even freshmen as Presidents and Vice-Presidents, but that didnt stop them from achieving great things.
What they ll need now is a lot of guidance and advice, esp from the outgoing com. After that, there ll be no telling how far they can fly.
Friday, September 07, 2007
"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails."
- John Maxwell
Finding it really tough to grasp my level4 mod Asian States and Societies, esp the theoretical part. Haha, guess i m really not a very Political Theory person..will do my best though.
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I saw something sweet todae at the Arts Canteen.
Saw Prof Straughan queuing up for food with her kid, and she was like nuzzling her son's face. Haha, she certainly strikes me as a really lovely mum. =)
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
NEW BLOGSKIN UP.
Hahaha, after much toying around, I finally got my new skin up. Gone are the days when one has to squint hard to make out my words, esp Mac users.
My words need to be typed smaller now though, and the size of the pictures also cant be too big. But hey, I really liked the new skin ahahha. Shades of the old black background and of coz, the Ghost Rider. I searched high and low for a nice bike-theme skin and this was more or less the best that i found.
Those of you who are free tom evening do drop by to LT14 at 630 pm for the Dialogue Session with the new MC members. Thanks =)
Ok, back to mugging.
Testing
Meow Meow Meow
Testing 1 2 3
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
TIME TO CHANGE NEW BLOGSKIN?
Recently quite a no of my friends have changed skins, amongst them Jeremy irons and xiaohongzi. I can see the benefits inherited. Definitely makes for fresher reading.
In fact, i m prob 1 of the very few people that have retained the same blog for 3 4 years liao.
Haha, so expect to see changes soon.
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Been eating a lot of nice food recently.
Rochor chicken rice n tou huay with soozie on Sat.
Balestier ba kut teh with bit, lace, meiyi, lao ye, peiyong n kelvin just now. Hmm, i feel my mum cooks nicer ba kut teh though ahahha!
Also been training very hard recently to shed the pounds and it feels great to be able to keep to a regular fitness regime. =)
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Whatever last vestige of pity I have for you is gone.
I m disgusted. Revolted. Aghast.
PLEASE HELP.
Halo dear friends, here's a fowarded msg from 1 of my friend. Please help k..wont take much of yr time thanks!
-----------------------
URGENT!! Need to be done by 020907 12noon Here is wat u need to do...
1) Pls send "Reg
2) Go to the Email u registered thru sms and validate the account (the
mail might be in your junkmail).
3) Enter password and edit ur profile and submit.
4) Thats all!!!! Big thanks!!!
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Saturday, September 01, 2007
SAOFENG DAY!!
Feeling really excited becoz Camy and I had just sorted out details for Saofeng Day 2007!! For any Spartans or Saofengians reading this right now, rem that its Monday 10th Sept, 7 pm, @ The Fragrance Gardens!!
Look! Camy is so excited on the left as well AHAHAHAHA!
Anyway its really coolness just now, coz both us discovered that we are both Librans and that our bdaes are just side by side!! Her bdae is 16th Oct and mine is 17th..how cool is that man? hahahah!
Erm, anyway to Camy, this is the chioest picture i can find of u heh heh. And u are like 80% covered up? =p
