#np: So in Love - Stevie Hoang

To be totally honest, the first week of school was nothing compared to the first week of NPP. It just felt so weird being in a new class with people I have never met before. But at least I got to meet up with threesome and FMSDPA several times, so that was great~

On Tuesday, threesome met up at Sakae Sushi for dinner there and we all had a great chat:)

Sooooo pretty~

Oishisou~

Missed them loads...because of our conflicting timetables, we're not able to meet up in the mornings for breakfast anymore :(

Iced Yuzu!

Pei Shan and I ordered the same dish~

Yummy~

Because of the seating arrangement, half os us sat at one table while the other half sat at the table behind us.

I'm too short...so I had to stan

This was taken on Friday. Apparently there was this freshmen dance party at the Convention Centre.  It was fun....I guess

It's essentially clubbing without booze~

#np: Marilyn Monroe - Nicki Minaj

Went for the FMS Freshmen Bonding Camp on Wednesday and got back on Friday afternoon. To be honest, the camp just didn't work out for me. I was literally MISERABLE during the 3D2N camp, and no, i'm not exaggerating. I found myself becoming this emo, anti-social kid and I was soooooooo uncomfortable. Initially, I expected the FMS Freshmen to be really hyped up and bursting with exuberance. But no, everyone was super quiet and this made it really difficult for me to interact with them. I remember this 'conversation' I had with this girl who was in the same group as me (BTW, We were split into 3 main tribes; Bayer-Yellow, Hercules-Red, La Caille-Blue. my subtribe was Volans) 

Me: Hey, it's kinda cold in here right (We were in this theaterette place called the Music Box) ?

Girl seated on my left: Yah.

Me: Erm...so do you wanna talk about something? Like, I could tell you something about me and you could tell me something about you? So, we can, like, get to know each other better?

Girl: Errr...I don't want.

Me: ......*Facepalm*

HELLO!!!??? What on Earth are you doing here then?! Just go home,man! If you're gonna be seating in a corner doing nothing but collecting dust, then just go home, like, seriously....

So that was pretty much how the camp was like for me. Initially,  I didn't want to be affected by everyone else's anti-social attitudes, but less than half a day was all it took before my DPA mates realised that I was not acting like myself. One of them came up to me and asked if I was feeling unwell because I looked like I was suffering from depression over some failed relationship or something. I was genuinely shocked, because I had no idea that I was turning into one of them! Maybe it's got to do with my horoscope and all, but I'm usually really energetic and 'jumpy'-that's a given fact, you can ask any of my friends to confirm that- but I found myself feeling really upset and I couldn't form any words because it seemed like no one would listen to them.

But at least there was the hot night(or was it hop night? I don't know~) On the second night, we went to the atrium and got to go wild. Disco lights and lasers were on, loud clubbing music was blasting through the mics and everyone was jumping crazily. This was the ONLY opportunity i got to have fun with my DPA mates. We got together and went crazy dancing and cheering. OMG, It was just soooooooooooo much fun! By the time the last song finished playing, I was drenched from head to toe and my friends were like "You're back to your old self, man!"  

So maybe I don't hate the camp COMPLETELY, but most of it was really depressing for me. That, I cannot sugarcoat, it simply was.  After the camp, I met up with the DPA peeps for lunch and we had loads of fun like we normally do during class, chatting and coming up with individual cheers for one another.  It's kinda sad knowing that the fun lessons we had during the DPA NPP will be all over but at least we got to make loads of fun memories. I'm confident that as long as our whatsapp group stays strong, we will still be as bonded as we are, and I'll do my best in coming up with group activities we can do during our holidays and free time! 

This was on the night before camp. I loved this cracker snack I found at NTUC. It was sooooo yummy! Haha! And I decided to rewatch some of my fav animes because camp would deprive me of that!!!! XD

Apparently, camp was on the 10th and Mum's birthday was on the 9th. Sadly, Mum got ill the day before so we didn't celebrate her birthday. Dad got her these lovely roses though~

Dad placed the pot right next to the piano~

This is Andrea. I ended up chatting with her  the most because she was the most outgoing person in the group. She's in MCM too, which was good to know :)

A better view of the roses with the family piano. My house's too tiny for a grand piano~

Some of the DPA peeps popped by Nurul's room to sing her a birthday song and present her with our 100% handmade  b'day present! Happy Birthday Nurul :)

Volans~ Our subtribe was actually the smallest and it didn't help knowing that we got really really REALLY quiet members...

Apparently, we had this dance showdown event which was fun but lasted only a short while...

Vanessa and I shared the same room at the loft and coincidentally, we were from Volans too. It was nice knowing that but we didn't exactly talk a lot. BTW, the headband is an indication that we were from the BAYER tribe. I think I only wore it for an hour before tossing it away.

This was taken in the room, while we were waiting for the other girls to finish showering and start a htht.

SLs performing....

The girls in #03-04. Don't get me wrong, they're all really sweet and fun people. Cross my heart, I'm ain't lying.

Bayer...

Last night, my family and I went to this Korean restaurant because Mum and I were craving for Korean Stew. Dad got this set meal, and though it took 15min, it looked really good and according to Dad, it tasted pretty good too. In the pic,  Dad's pointing at the 'rice jar' that's actually covered with Barley grains. 

School's starting tomorrow but I haven't got any class till Tuesday  I think I'll just spend the day cleaning and room. Looking forward to having lunch and dinner with Threesome on Tuesday and Lunch with the FMS DPA buddies on Thursday. I really miss them all :(

#np: One way or another - One Direction

I'm thinking of giving it a go at an anime review. And it just so happens that I've just finished watching what I personally feel is, a wonderful anime! Guess I'll start with some details of the anime...

Title: 君と僕 - You and Me

Original airing dates:  4 Oct - 27 December 2011(Season 1) . 3 April - 26 June 2012(Season 2)

Anime Studio: J.C Staff (also produced: Shakugan no Shana,  Toradora, Toaru Majutsu no Index etc~)

Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life, Romance( Just a little bit, this isn't essentially a romance anime)

Origin: Kimi To Boku Manga by Kiichi Hotta

Storyline/ Plot:

Kimi To Boku is a light-hearted, slice of life comedy anime which first started out as a manga series in 2004(and is still ongoing). It includes 2 seasons, each of which have 13 episodes. Kimi To Boku introduces 4 childhood friends; Twins Yuta and Yuki Asaba, Kaname Tsukahara and Shun Matsuoka, as well as the half-Jap, half-German transfer student, Chizuru Tachibana.  The anime focuses on their lives from the beginning of their second year in Homare High School till the midst of their final year there.  Each character is unique and appealing. The twins, Yuki and Yuta, may seem similar but as you continue to watch the show, you'll find the subtle difference in their personalities until  it becomes clears that even though they look similar, they are completely different people. The twins are  usually the ones making me chuckle because of their deadpan humour and creative use of words. I have a really close friend who loves anime and I remember saying this phrase when recommending Kimi to Boku to her, 'The twins are cool in a boring way'. As odd as it may sound, my friend completely agreed with me when she watched the first episode.  Kaname, to me, seemed just like Kyouya from OHSHC but it turns out, he's way funnier and appealing(to me, as least~) He is usually being teased by the Asaba twins for a particular reason which I find hilarious and even though he always seems pissed off and annoyed, he's actually a very kind and sweet character :) Then, there's Shun, the 'girly' one among the gang. He's like Benvolio, very mild and peace-loving. He's usually the one breaking up a conflict between Kaname and the Twins and was initially thought to have been a girl( He used to have long hair then). Shun is an indispensable character, he ties the group together and he doesn't get mad! Gosh, there should be real-life Shuns in this world... Chizuru Tachibana's a fun-loving and loud character. He always seems so hyped up and is always looking for something fun to do. Being a part of the gang, he also brings the group together by coming up with ideas for the group to do.

SPOILER: ( In one episode, he brought the group together by having a sleepover at Kaname's after dinner. The group got to chat about their childhood and have fun. This was one of my favourite episodes)

Art:

The art in Kimi To Boku is not super amazing like the ones you see in those action-packed mecha animes. The colours are pastel and mellow, quite fitting for an anime of it's genre. The characters also look alright. TIP: ok, this isn't really a tip, but if you're having difficulty telling the twins apart, basically there's two ways. Yuki is always wearing his hello jacket over his uniform and Yuta is always wearing his uniform without a tie and with his top tucked out. In addition, Yuki and Yuta's have slightly different hairstyles. Yuki's bangs are down and Yuta's bangs are divided in the centre (As if you couldn't figure it out yourself~) The interesting thing about this anime is the use of cats to depict the characters. Sometimes, short scenes of cats are used to portray what the characters are doing/seeing/thinking.  It's a pretty cute concept :)  The reason for the pastel-themed art also comes from the fact that there isn't a need for awesome striking colours in the first place. This is a slice of life anime, where there are no fixed plots and lots of action, the mellow, soothing art sort of makes it easier for you to come to terms that the pace of this anime is slow and that there's no rush.

Music/OST:

I really really loved the soundtrack for this anime! There are guitar instrumentals that are soooooo melodious and relaxing. The opening and ending of the first season seems to fit perfectly with the story. Honestly, I didn't feel that the OP and Ending for the second season fit just as well but as i kept watching, they grew onto me :) If I could, I would have bought the soundtrack for this anime long ago...

Overall:

A wonderful anime, this really tugs my heartstrings because it's so touching. Yes, the storys are simple but they carry an element in them that makes you want more. If you actually take the time to rewatch the episodes, you may even find more than just one 'moral'. It's like an underlying meaning that you gotta think a little further to uncover. And the amazing thing is that all the morals are inter-related and combine to make the episode unforgettable. In general, the rating :4/5. 

Bad points:

There are only 13 episodes per season! Why couldn't they make more episodes! Maybe it's due to the fact that the manga didn't have a lot of content when the anime was being produced. Either way, I DEMAND MORE EPISODES!!!! 

The use of cats may have been more appropriate if they weren't overused. Maybe just a little less than 4 scenes per episode would have been fine, but I've seen more than that in some episodes. Maybe the mangaka has some cat fetish....

Masaki Sato... Not sure why but this girl got on my nerve a few times. She's like this tsundere character whose life resolves around Shun. I know she's an important character in this show, but even so.... she always seems to be throwing a fit against Chizuru and always cuddling next to Shun.... so....so....TSUNDERE!!!!!

So how's this for a go at an anime review?

#np: Portrait In Blue - Kimi To Boku 2 OST

Got up bright and early on Wednesday to get ready for a day out with Threesome at Sentosa.  The weather was just right that day, a little cloudy and a little windy, perfect for a day at the beach without worrying about turning into a lobster :) 

We met up at the MRT station before crossing the walkway to Sentosa. Along the way, we had the most random yet fun chats ever-at least to me it felt that way. But I kind of regret not bringing along my water bottle that day. I went searching high and low for something to drink but when I came to a vending machine selling canned beverages, the prices overwhelmed me more than my thirst...  But the outing was great! Everyone had loads of fun and I really enjoyed myself! 

We decided to have lunch at Astons first. Bought a glass of grape soda and it was soooooo refreshing! Oh, and plus a plate of spaghetti! With a little help from our Accountant gonna-be, PeiShan, the bill was settled in a blink of an eye! We had a good chat there too! Gossiping about the weirdest of topics and making ridiculous jokes! We were assigning roles to each and every one of us. "Shaina will be in-charge of any future group tee design!" "PeiShan will account for all our bills!" "JunHui will help us hack the net for any wifi access!" Stuff like that~

Then it was time to head to the Beach. We were stuck between Palawan and Siloso Beach and somehow we ended up at Palawan Beach~

Getting ready to catch some waves!

I'm sorry, Pei Shan and Lav, I'm just not very good at taking Jump shots with my phone :/

This jump shot wasn't well-taken either.... -_- I must really suck at taking these shots~

Agnes and Shaina made this little mermaid! It's cute....I guess?

How can you skip this important 'ritual' when you go to the Beach? XD Today's victim: Jonathan! 

The Sun was starting to set over the horizon but the sky was still a little cloudy and grey....

That stick.... Rigel did it...

Alas! Freedom!

Group shot!! Taken on the tram when we headed out to the beach! Credits to Agnes for this pic~

I look so shagged out!!! Hahaha then again I was! Not sure why but I felt a little tired after arriving at the beach...

Normally, you'd do this when the Sun is actually UP...not when it's going DOWN... XD

Overall, it was really fun and I enjoyed myself a lot even though I didn't swim in the sea. I just didn't want to have to deal with the after swimming feeling. You know, when your hair becomes icky and sticky, your face feels a little tingly and your whole body feels a little gross because there's sand hidden somewhere. Just laying on the sand and watching the view was good enough for me, the view was really nice and it was fun seeing my friends trip or fall in the sea. XD 

It's a little sad knowing that once the semester starts, it may be difficult for Threesome to meet as a whole group again as often and we usually do. But even so...no matter what... even if it's difficult.... I'm sure we will find a way to make it all happen!