I'm gonna be 18 !!

OMG !! I'm almost 18 now .. my heart is going gedebak .. gedabook ... haha .. seriously .. 1 whole year of my life has just dissapeared like that !! 1 year in poly is also almost over ... man !!

This year has been a fanstastic year for me ... I have changed alot .. not just externally .. but also from my inside .. the shut up me has started to become .. well .. more sociable .. at least .. haha ...

Met so many new friends ... cherish our friendship .. and haha .. i finally managed to take a bus !! cool right ? But .. yea so many changes .. that i never dared to venture into .. but i did it .. thanx to help of my friends ... thx peeps !!

Today was sorta funny day .. had my friends over at my house .. played a stupid treasure hunt game until everybody complaining ... lol sorry la ... but at least u guys weren't spoil sports ..

Anyways .. thx to everyone for making my 17th year of living a memorable one !! .. u guys should know who u are la .. so i dun really want to mention it ...

Okok .. now its time for me to countdown to my birthday !!!

I'll cya guys later when I'm 18 !!

Mr. Goh Tjoei Kok

Hmm .. i found something interesting on the internet a few days ago. It's about my great grandfather ... Haha .. I didn't know that he was such a great person and he really achieved so muchin his life time ...

This is what I found out about him .. well .. his biography .. if u wanna call it that ...


MR GOH TJOEI KOK (1905-1994)

The late Mr Goh Tjoei Kok, founding Chairman of the Tat Lee Bank Group was well respected in the various communities and will always be remembered by his contemporaries and friends as a man who exhibited the characteristic pioneering spirit of Singapore's first generation of successful entrepreneurs. When Mr Goh passed away at the age of 89 on October 25 1994, the Tat Lee Bank Group's assets were valued at about $11 billion; a great accomplishment given his humble beginning.

The Birth of a Great Entrepreneur
Born on August 13 1905 in Fujian, China, Mr Goh was the youngest in the family of three girls and three boys. In 1920, at the age of 15, he sailed forth from China to Jakarta and joined the textile merchandising trade. Two years later, he returned to China with his brother, as the textile business was unfavourable. In 1925, he left for Borneo to help out in his relative's business. Together with his wife and nine children, they lived through a difficult period in Indonesia from 1928 to 1937.

Mr Goh ventured into the rubber trade in 1937. It proved promising, but the initial success was set back temporarily by the Japanese Occupation. After the war, he went back to rubber trading, foreseeing that there would be great potential in that field. In 1945, he set up the company - Tat Hoa, which means "achieving prosperity". The company dealt in rubber milling and export of the end products. Through his hard work and determination, he made a great fortune from the business.

Further Developments
In 1947, Mr Goh together with his family migrated to Singapore. At that time, it was probably a very difficult decision to make as it meant leaving behind a flourishing rubber business in Indonesia and severing ties built over some 20 years. Though the main reason for the move was his children's education, there were economic reasons as well. He was quoted saying, "I felt then that Singapore, fresh out of the war, would be a hive of activity. That business opportunities would be abundant. I wanted to be part of that growth..."

It took him seven years before establishing his footing in Singapore. In 1954, he started a trading firm called Tat Lee, which means "achievement for the benefit of the society", dealing with import and export of goods.

Tat Lee Company formed the basis of Mr Goh's fortune for expansion into other businesses in Singapore and Malaysia. In the 60s, he ventured into the iron and steel industry believing that Singapore's burgeoning industrialisation would require tremendous amount of such products. In 1961, he forked out an initial paid-up capital of $9.6 million to own 40% of National Iron and Steel Mills Ltd. The company, a joint venture between the Singapore Government and a group of local investors, became the backbone of Singapore's growing industrial programme. He was the Vice-Chairman of National Iron and Steel Mills Ltd from 1961 to 1986.

A true entrepreneur, Mr Goh was always on the look out for opportunities. In November 1973, he set up Tat Lee Bank with a paid-up capital of $36 million. The founding of the Bank was the most significant milestone in his career and also the fulfilment of his long cherished dream of going into the banking industry. The Bank was the first Singapore registered bank to be launched when the government started promoting Singapore as an international financial centre in the 70s.

The Bank was officially opened by the then Minister for Finance, Mr Hon Sui Sen, in February 1975. In a rare interview with the Straits Times in 1982, Mr Goh was quoted saying, "The founding of Tat Lee Bank so long after the granting of the last local bank license, is a significant event in Singapore banking history." Under the dedicated leadership of Mr Goh, Tat Lee Bank expanded rapidly. Tat Lee Finance Ltd, Pan Malayan Holdings Ltd and Tat Lee Securities Ltd were just some of the local companies under his chairmanship. He was also the Chairman/Director of a string of local and Malaysian public companies.

His Contributions to the Community
The more successful Mr Goh became, the greater his contributions to the society, particularly to the Chinese community. He was a generous man who had not only contributed money but also his energies to community work. He was very involved in the Hokkien Huay Kuan's activities and served as the Vice-Chairman from 1964 to 1994. He was also the Council Member of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1960 to 1965.

An ardent supporter of education, he served many years as the Chairman of the management committees of both Chung Cheng High School and Nanyang Junior College. His philanthropic stance for education led him to be elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Council of the Nanyang University from 1969 to 1980. Prior to this period, he witnessed the birth of the Nanyang University and contributed generously and participated vigorously in the fund raising for the privately funded University to promote tertiary education for the Chinese educated community.

In 1967, Mr Goh was appointed the Justice of Peace and in 1972, he was awarded the Public Service Star. In 1973, the International Federation of Photography presented him with the Honorary Excellence award. For his contribution to education, he received the Service to Education Award in 1990.

So ... haha .. yea ... so even though you start small .. eventually with patience, perseverance and determination .. youcan succeed in life too .. so everyone .. dun ever give up hope in life .. instead cherish it and pursue your dreams ..

( taken from the NTU website of scolarships )

Winston Out !!

Of Bus Virgins

Yeeks !!I haven't updated my poor old blog for ack .. 1 month .. what happened to me ? I used to blog regularly ... [sigh] ... its probably because of school and BAOC ... well ... the past month as gone off quite well .. and really fun indeed !! Really made loads of new friends in baoc .. haha ...

OK .. so a new semester has started .. I dun think I will have anytime to blog whatever happened the past month .. haha .. so yeah .. whatever happened the past month will go unrecorded in history .. hooray !! Nobody will ever know abt ... -.- .. nvm i shan't say !!

Let's get back to today's event ... hmm .. I woke up at 10 am .. for the first time ever in my sadded teenage life. I usually wake up at 12 or 2 pm ... wth ... anyways .. i was up early so I went to take a dip .. I only planned to swim for 30 mins .. and maybe half the time .. lazing in the pool .. instead .. I swam continously for 2 hours ... -.- ... intervals included .. lol .. the sun was really baking hot .. and i forgot sunscreen today .. so .. got a slight burn ... oh well ..

Wei Png called once I returned home .. apparently .. he had been waiting for me for over an hour at KAP .. ( King Albert's Park ) ... haha .. yeah we were going over to MACs there for a study session ... so yeap i rushed off to meet him ... KAP was kinda crowded today .. loads of people .. but I managed to study .. and do my tutorials ... but actually .. i feel that i spent a wonderful saturday doing my homework .. didn't sound right lei .. = .. should have gone and watched movie or smthn .. bleah .. but at leats i got rid of all my work .. I'll have a wonderful sunday tomorrow !!

We stayed on until abt 7 plus when we decided to leave .. I think we saw many ppl come and go too many times liao ... so .. yeah we were about to hail a cab when i got a bright idea .. let's take the bus since my house was not far away ... somewhere near NYGHS ... so .. yeap .. my first bus ride ever !!! LOL .. i was nervous and excited at the same time ... lol .. and wei png took pics too !! see below !! Yeah .. i plopped down 55 cents and soon we were home !!

We went to my house and then we walked all the way to coronation plaza ... all the shops close .. so we just went to NTUC .. got soem stupid stuff .. paid 30 bucks .. and left -.- ... my poor wallet .. low cash pressure liao ... haha ...

Okay .. so we returned hoem again .. yeap .. had dinner and watched re-runs of friends .. kinda boring actually but I had my best friend over .. so he's never boring for me !! Haha ...

The day turned out well .. but spending 6/7 hours in KAP was really too much .... haha .. i think we're going to make this a regular event .. it seems to eb the only way i can finish all my tutorials ... effective ...

Anyways .. great day .. but awfully tired .. so i'll cya guys later ..

My first Joyride on a bus !!

Ohayo Gozaimasu !!

Went to school today for a debriefing by some of the teachers in charge .. haha .. it was kinda hilarious .. this lecturer Henry made his presentation more colourful and enjoyable ... anyways ... not much done in school .. had lunch another briefing and then I raced off for Tennis ...

The weather was terribly hot today ... I started the game with pale skin and now its burnt ... -.- ... i suggested island club to sell sun tan lotion .. everyone broke into laughter .. haha .... whatever ...

I reached home and grandma was there .. so I went out with her and my cuz's wilson and wilshia for dinner at the marriot .. shangri-la and hyatt was booked ... haha .. anyways .. not bad la the dinner ... only managed 4 plates today and also ice-cream ... not really hungry ... but like i said the buffett was good !!

Now .. I'm home ... kinda sian .. nthn to do ... hmm .. probably go play some game ... yeah ... haha .. okok .. laterz !!

Candid Shots

Angeline, Wenru & Stacy

The Pretty Girls of Team Scotland

Me and Dixon .. err ... acting childish

Poor Jeremiah ... Stacy & Aiqi bullying him ...

I'll be back .. wait .. I'm back ... -.-

What teh bloody hell !! I haven't updated for like how long man ? ... -.- seriously too lazy .. I can always find tiem to blog when I am having my exams and absolutely no time to blog when I'm having my holis ... no logic .. *conks brain* .... anyways .. this past month has been a blast ... hell yeah ... went to shanghai .. bloody fun and picked up a new word .. bloody ... kewl yeah .. well some of the girls were irritated of course .. heh heh .. anyways .. moving on to today's events !!

Went back to school today .. the wind almost swept me of my feet .. very very windy .. dunno why but also sunny .. lol .. whatever ... to cut it short .. I'm suppose to prepare for my school's orientation and I was doing the mascots for Team Scotland .. with ma friends .. and yeah .. I just had to go to shanghai and before I knew it .. i had to wear a skirt .. ( kilt .. =p ) .. it was too hilarious today anyways ... I was like wearing my shorts only and had this sarong thingie tied around me ... -.- .. of all the humiliation .. anyways ... it was funny when i finally managed to look at myself ( i didn;t have a mirror when i was being dolled up ) .. in a good sort of a way .. haha ...

I think I even suggested for a bagpipe to go with it .. diao .. add more embarassment only .. haha .. Jeremiah was doing the prince .. at least he could cover himself properly .. and save his dignity .. me on teh other hand ... life sux ... Michelle was doingthe milkmaid .... she was very pretty lor .. can admit .. haha .. but it was kinda funny to see her in that costume ... picture the milkmaid from the dutch milk bottle ... and sharon was the "gong ju" princess .. but well she wasn't here today ... dratz ...

Later on, we helped out with the ID tags .. had to make 160 .. kao .. but we managed to finish by 5 pm .. so that went well .. and then later Ernest dropped a bombshell .. Extraordinary Scotland was the only team who had mascots .... !!!!!!!!!! lol !!! that meant that only 4 ppl in the entire orientation team would be mascots and I was one of those poor bloody sods !! ... haha ... well like i said .. life sux ...

Anyways ... got everything done and I went home a happy man ... managed to slack a bit at home and played some games on my com ... !!

Oh yeah ! Star Wars EP 3 is coming soon man !! I can't wait .. my unc' got me some free tickets so .. that's cool but I want to get the premiere tickets ... sadded ... hmm .. wait .. maybe i can find it in e-bay ... hmm .. *thinks* ... i'll go check tomorrow ... haha ..

Ok bah .. time for me to go .. i really need a good nights sleep .. eyebags making me look and feel old .. lol .. ok ok ! Ciaoz !!

Extraordinary Scotland ( Mascot Team )

Me and Jeremiah !! Trying to be funny !!

Things you wanted to know about me ...

I AM

= an ambitious 17 yr-old who strives to be a
person of great character and genuity ... whatever
crap ...

I WANT

= to have loads of fun ... or better yet
someone to teach me how to have fun cause i
dunno how to have fun and that sux !!

I HAVE

= too much to think and don't really LIVE in
the real world ... well .. maybe partially ..

I WISH

= I could make this world a better place to
live in. I've travelled so much and I've seen so
much but could only do so little .....

I HOPE

= that people can live peacefuly side by
side .. regardless of race, language, religion or hair
colour ...

I HATE

= people who are too obsessed with
material wealth and not giving a damn about the
world around them ... and that bloody idiot who
spilled sprite on my new bag -.-

I MISS

= my classmates ... simply said ...

I FEAR

= death ... serious .. who doesn't .. and
heights ... dotz

I HEAR

= the winds calling out for me ... as if trying
to convey a message to me .. hmm ..

I SEARCH

= for the purpose of life ...

I WONDER

= whether I can live till a hundred .. nvm

I REGRET

= not putting in 1000% in life .. instead i
put in -239% .. that means negative ...

I LOVE

= my life .. sorta

I ALWAYS

= have lunch

I AM NOT

= RICH .. for god's sake ..

I KNOW

= how to play the piano o.O ?

I DANCE

= like a turtle .. well .. turtle don't really
dance .. they practically hide in their shells .. wish I
had one .. hmmm

I WRITE

= stories that document my life and short
novels

I WIN

= 4D before ...

I LOSE

= at mahjong .. all the time .. wait i dun even
play that -.-

I NEED

= someone of my calibre .. someone who
can understand me ... someone who appreciates
life instead of despising it ...

I SHOULDN'T

= have lied ...

I SHOULD

= try to be more sociable and learn how
to take a bus for my own sake ... bus-vrigin here

I WILL

= promise to err ... ok not promise .. TRY .. to
sleep before 12 everyday .. it's 7 am and I'm still
awake .. well .. I was on a plane the whole
morning ... duh ..

-=YES OR NO=-

You keep a diary

= OFFLINE is passe .. ONLINE is in

You have a secret journal

= if i told you it wouldn't
be secret right ... idiot

You set your watch a few minutes ahead

= nope ..
actually 30 seconds ahead ..

You bite your fingernails

= sorta .. *blush*

You believe in love

= hmm .. toughie .. I haven't
experienced that bfore .. I'm still single ..

You believe in urself

= 1000% Y-E-S

WHAT IS...

The last image/thought you go to sleep

= STAR WARS

Your sleeping time

= Dunno ... 1 am bah .. that was when

I was in shanghai .. dunno abt singapore

DO YOU...

Take a shower everyday

=Yes ... twice

Have a(any) crush(es)

= Unfortunately .. yes .. can't tell though

... she'll be shell-shocked ..

Think you know you've been in love

= HAR ?

Want to get married

= Yeap ... er .. no .. err yes ..

Have any tattoos/where

= Nope ...

Think you're a princess or prince

= No ...

Get along with your parents

= On a scale of 1-10 .. 12 ...

Like thunderstorms

= YEAH !! I love to sleep im during a thunderstorm

.. how soothing !!

At the Shangs

Phew .... it was really an exhausing day that ended with a bang ...

Since i didn't have much to do .. my parents pulled me all the way to Ang Mo Kio to sellect some tiles for our new house ... it was really boring at first but as i got to choose my own tile for my room .. it was bloody interesting ... now my bathroom will be grey and white ... haha ... and to top it off ... make it special and mix and match the tiles too .... haven't choose my room tiles yet .. but I'm going to get a room and a loft .. so 2 storeys just for me !! yay

So .. i have a room .. and since my ceiling is high .. i pleaded to get am extra storey so that i would have more space ... they agreed so thats how i got my loft ...

We spent a longtime there ... from noon to abt 5 pm .. and even after that we went to survey other houses .. my parents were so funny quarelling over what stones we should use ... weird .. haha ...

After that ... we picked up Derek and had buffet at Shangri-la ... i tell u the new coffe house .. looks WOW ... they changed the name to err .. the line .. yeah and it just looks fantastic to me ... the buffet was also damn good .. ya of course .. the price was also a bit steep .. i think abt $60 + liddat .. and soeul garden is only 1/6 of that .... huh ..

I loved the pasta .. they had all sorts of pasta ... spinach .. tomato .. egg .. and even squid ... yeah i wanted to try that but it was black in colour so i took the spinach ... which .. ironically also looked weird ... however ... it turned out to be tasteh !!! ...

Dessert was wow .. they had this fountain and instead of water .. chocolate was coming out of it .... Stacy would give anything just to try this ... u took a marshmallow stick and then dip it in the fountain .. i tell u .. when it sinks into ur mouth .. u just want to eat more .... hahaha .. all in all .. one of the best meals i have ever head ..... and dun forget always go in when u are bloody hungry ... i managed to wiped 6 plates clean ... hee hee ... can't tell right .... yea i eat alot one ....

Anywas ... bloody full today .... but i can tell you later tonight i ill be raiding the fridge aagain .. haha .. watch out fridge !!!

BURP !!

Winnieboard Top 20

Winnieboard Top 25 Songs

[January - March 2005]

** in random order **

1. Come Undone - Robbie Williams
2. Vindicated - Dashboard Confidential
3. World Of Our Own - Westlife
4. 1985 - Bowling For Soup
5. You're My Number One - S Club 7
6. You Make Me Wanna - Blue
7. Time Stands Still - All-American Rejects
8. Heaven is a Halfpipe - OPM
9. That Girl - Lindsay Lohan
10. Our Lips Are Sealed - Hilary Duff
11. 99 Red Balloons - Goldfinger
12. Girl All The Bad Guys Want - Bowling For Soup
13. Olympic Dream - Maksim
14. Sun Hits The Sky - Supergrass
15. Holiday - Greenday
16. Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
17. Party For Two - Shania Twain
18. Take Me To Your Heart - MLTR
19. Qi Li Xiang - Jay Chou
20. He Wasn't - Avril Lavigne
21. Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid 20
22. My Prerogrative - Britney Spears
23. Stand Up Next To Me - Popstars
24. Summertime - Aaron Carter
25. Uptown Girl - Westlife

A Thousand Hits

Hey .. It's been a a while since I blogged .. so sorry abt that .. been preparing for the exams .. so .. u noe what I mean ... I just had my micro today ... not too bad I should say .. I had expected the paper to be inhumanely hard .. but it was just hard .... dotz ... haha ... whatever ... the paper is over .. and I dun care ... as long as I can a B for econs ... I'm happy ...

Still have CIP and Bstats left on thurs and friday ... seriously worried for my bstats .. cause i know shit abt it ... bleah .. better start my revising asap ..

Anyways ... 1,000 visitors have visited my blog since I put up that counter of mine somewhere last year ... I really wanna thx all of u guys for reading my entries .. or at least just come and take a quick peek .. haha .. been doing my best to maintain this blog .. but I admit its kinda hard.

My second blog is also doing pretty well .. 50+ visitors in less than 5 days ... haha .. thx fr reading =)

Today, took Kelly to the vet .. had to take a jab and some other stuff ... she was very quiet ... haha .. cat must have gotten her tongue ... well .. yeah bat Kelly .. she's really a neat dog .. but like any other puppy .. she likes to bark alot .. We've been training her .. and its getting better .. at least she doesn't bark at 2 am anymore haha ....

She also a li'l stubborn .. so I have to show her whose boss or when she grows up .. it can be a huge problem ... =)

So .. life is still as boring as ever ... and the exams aren't helping much ... feel like in the pits .. but hey .. just 2 more papers to go .. and after that .. guilt-free holidays ... ( lets not get to the results yet k ... lol )

Oh yeah ... there was a fashion show at Taka yesterday .. so sad I didn't come ... heard it was loads of fun ... I think Jon Jonsson was there .. ( dunno if i spell correctly ) ... the manhunt winner guy ... i think .. o.O ... anyway .. all the girls went crazy over him .. sigh .. girls ... XD ...

Well ... been playing LOTR the whole day .. kinda obsessed with it actually ... haha ... better start studying now ... wait .. I wanna write another story first ... yeah !! That's what I'm gonna do now .. THEN .. study .. =P ... lazy la ...

Ok ok !! Keep it up my fellow classmates !! We're doing pretty fine ! Jia You !

Laterz ~

Doodle-mania

Harlow people !! I've been so lazy lately lol .. tomorrow exams somemore !! Die la ... haha .. anyways ... I just created a new blog ... It's actually just a hobby of mine .. I liek to write stories .. so I decided to create a story and maybe every 2 days add in a new chapter ... I already have a chapter in there ... it will be the beginning of a very long story .. lol ...

I had already planned the story a long time ago .. abt 2 months liao and had all the info stored in my note pad and had decided to write it on microsoft word .. budden decided hey .... I have a blog mah .. so I welcome my new sub-blog ... haha ...

If you guys are bored or anything .. do come down and read some of my stuff .. I know I'm an amateur so .. dun be so tough on my stories lei ... and if u want .. u can comment on my stories and err ... give me some ideas for what I should add in for the next chapter .. haha ...

Anyways .. here is the link ... now .. go and read !!

http://doodle-mania.blogspot.com

Haha ... oh yeah ... just like I said .. my english is a li'l rusty at the moment .. so give it time .. hopefully my vocabs will start to kick in asap and then I can start writing stories that can get interesting ... lol ...

Anyways .. for all my classmates ... good luck for tomorrow's exam !!! 1 more week !!

Oh yeah .. I found a photo of my family and I on Mt. Buller somewhere on the outskirts of Melbourne ...

It's really a cool place lor ... the slopes are not bad too ... haha ... and the weather .. well yeah maybe its a little TOO cold .. but its awesome !!

My Family