Taufiq Zainal

I fell asleep in the airplane. So there’s no part two, like how I said there would be on my previous post. I am very sorry to those who were expecting the post this morning.

The flight was excellent, to a certain degree. The crew were very attentive to the smallest details, which made the flight comfortable. But sometimes they get a little bit too obsessive. They somehow gave me the impression that they were Singapore Girl rejects.

I have another public apology to make. Rachel Chia. I am so sorry for making you wait for me at Kovan Station at 11AM. No one confirmed the meeting with me so I didn’t go.

The good news is that we did meet up a few hours later at Plaza Singapura to watch Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging at the cinema. It was probably one of the better movies I’ve seen this year. Put it simply, it’s like an English take on Mean Girls.

There were many “laugh out loud” and “omg, fuck, this guy’s smoking hot” moments throughout the movie. So if you’re looking to burn some time and cash while having fun with your girl mates, watch Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

The countdown to 2009 starts in just a little over 30 minutes. Stay tuned as I look back 2008 with some of the best music hits (well, to me at least) this year!

4:30PM: Currently packing my luggage. After this, gonna sort out the details of my flight/arrival and get ready to head to the airport!

4:43PM: If you’d like to see what my previous live blog was like, click the link! Comments are open for this live blog, and I’ll try to reply to every one of them :)

5:00PM: God it’s hot today. 40 degrees!!! I think I’m gonna shower one last time before I leave.

5:15PM: Almost done packing. Talking to Chong Aik on MSN, planning for a Lunch meet-up tomorrow.

5:27PM: Finally! I’m done packing. Lunch meet-up is at 11AM tomorrow, Kovan Station. Be there, or be lame… ok, that statement in itself was lame.

5:31PM: Sister and I are planning to do one last video before we leave :)

5:33PM: I’m so bored right now, like seriously. I’m playing with my wardrobe door. wtf?

5:47PM: Sister and I singing Use Somebody for our last video.

6:04PM: Just finished recording Use Somebody with my sister. Expect it on YouTube soon! Going to go shower now.

7:17PM: Out from the shower. I decided to wear my green T-shirt I bought at Harbour Town the other day.

7:51PM: I’m leaving home soon. Just realised that I have to check in at 8:30PM. I guess this is it then. See you Perth!

The Live Blog contines throughout the flight. It publishes at 5AM on Wednesday, 31st December 2008.

I have exactly, three more days to do whatever I can in Perth, before I fly off to Singapore. My sister has been hogging my computer, so I don’t exactly get a lot of time to upload photos, write blogs and do the things I want to.

I’m almost done with The Mutineers post I’ve been working on, and I’m just getting started on the 2009 music countdown post for this blog. I have tons of photos to share with you, but I think that will have to wait for a little while longer. I’m also planning a live-blog (as usual) during the lead up to my flight.

I do like to plan for the future (as you would have already figured by now), and I have lots to do in the coming three short days. That aside, I’m optimistic with what’s about to come.

You can love one deeply and dearly but one day you realise there is one thing that he does that really irritates you. It goes from bad to worse and love can turn into hate without you realising it. It does sound like a cliché, but it really is a thin line between love and hate.

Loving someone is often initiated by feelings of lust. And lust can turn into feelings of jealousy when you realise your partner evokes those lustrous feelings not only with you. Jealousy and envy can turn a beautiful love story into a war scene, and has, through history, been many times the reason for bitter break ups and passionate fights. But it doesn’t always have to end that way. Sometimes you can get to your senses and realise that what you have is precious and worth fighting for, not against.

On Wednesday, I received a letter from the school saying that I may have not meet graduating requirements. Obviously my parents went crazy on me when they read the letter. Like every typical Asian parent, my mum started crying and started lecturing me that I wasn’t the type that would end up in TAFE (technical education institution).

My mum called the school the following day and booked in an appointment with Mr Di Fillipo. I was nervous for the meeting because over the course of this year, he has constantly reminded the cohort that the school may not be able to offer a place for students the following year, if they fail.

As soon as I saw him coming down the stairs with his arm stretched out, prepared to greet my mother, my heart started racing. He showed us the way to his office. My mum passed him my report and he looked through it. The first thing he did was congratulate me on my Literature, Media and Art results. I was surprised at that move, because from my perception of him from other students, I thought he’d be the fierce, result oriented type teacher.

He then asked me about what I’d like to be when I leave school. I told him that I wanted to become a pilot, but that would probably be out of the question now, due to my poor maths and science results. He then quickly retaliated saying that I should never give up on my dreams and that the school would do it’s best to support me. A smile started to grow on my face.

He brought in Ms May and Mr Thorne to assist us in developing a new subject course combination. The plan was to ensure that the new combination would help make the highest possible TEE score for my ability. We considered every subject available. About half and hour later, we came to a conclusion. I have new subject courses for 2009!

• Discrete Mathematics
• 3A/B English
• Art and Design
• 3A/B Media Production and Analysis
• Human Biology
• Art

No more Literature, no more Physics, no more Applicable Mathematics.

Those subjects I listed on an earlier post, no longer apply. Mr Di Fillipo, Ms May and Mr Thorne were a great help to my mum and I. They gave me loads of advice and guidance. Fortunately after this experience, I am now equipt with the right “tools” needed for success next year. I can’t wait for my last year of high school in 2009!