~JcZw

Well, it has been an eventful past week... haven't been able to update cos blogspot was having a spot of trouble. By the way it might interest readers that the person that called himself or herself "Cui Shan" is also the person called "Alphonse of St. John"... whoever it may be. Don't forget that internet names can be stated any-old-how. This person's or persons' IP address is 166.121.36.8. Readers might like to ban him/her before he/she spams you through the links on my blog. This person is presently banned from my blog until in some way he/she apologizes to the friends of mine he/she has insulted.

Scold me if you like. But insult my friends and you'd better watch out. I will do something to you for insulting us. And almost certainly Wei Lun would be there to help me do it.

Its been about a week, slightly more since JAE ended. There's still a lingering sense of loss I guess.

Dawn. As bright and sunny as her name, cheerful and sensitive to everyone and anyone... Recollect how she connected so well with the kids during SLV... haha... Sometimes we could just talk and talk abt so many things.

Derek. Steady and dependable, a classic St. John member. How we would spill our guts about various St. John related issues to each other... Zone comp... Dunman High's dominance... Camps... how both of us found physics a pain in the neck.

Prap. Crazy, hyper, the Activation Energy of our class spirit. Always managing to brighten up the atmosphere... The very physical embodiment of the VJ spirit with her own.

Lionel. Prospective opera singer? Haha... with his melodious voice and his every ready laptop. With his calm never-flustered attitude. Reminded me so much of Oon Yong from Kong Hwa... haha

Boy I miss them a lot. I hope you all are doing okay? Man, I wish it was still pre-JAE... now everyone has started studying, less going out etcetc. Sometimes its a pain to see others worried and unhappy... but when they are happy, when they have lifted spirits.... its so encouraging, and its really a beautiful thing to see your friends happy, laughing, released temporarily from the leaden burdens of the world (Bio notes and atomic bonding notes are an example of leaden burdens. They make the bag darn heavy. Mine's gonna tear already! But I was more referring to the mental ones).

Yes, if there was an opportunity to meet up with them again I would jump at the chance. Like, really jump.

But it also taught me to appreciate other friends. Now I appreciate the rest of the class more than I ever have. Treasure all the time we'd have together. Treasure also the time in VJ. For two years would be over faster then it can be imagined... then it would be off to NS.

And also to appreciate new friends. Chrystle (issit spelt like that? sorry!) from NYGH and Charmaine from RGS came in with the second intake. Hope they haven't been too intimidated with our OSSIS spirit so far. I'd admit that we take a bit of getting used to... But we are not all crazy, we are also ver ver very nice people =) Hope to get to know them better. Today already did a spot of interaction after school. One day every one of us must meet up... all 28 of us.

Oh yar. Music fest ticketing is over. I managed to get my 4 tickets... Was wondering who to give it to. I think most people know who I'm going to give two of them to... But the last one... there are so many people asking me for it.... I don't know... who who? I was thinking of Person A, because I think that person deserves it, because I think it would go to where it would do the most good. But Person A replied: No, go and give it to others if they want. I think that was so great of him. But I don't know. Anyone has any advice to offer?

One more thing. Tuesday night. A day that shall live in infamy. Because for the first time I nearly seriously injured a person. In what could have been revenge that person nearly killed me. Really. I was 1 cm from being paralysed. I think.

I must explain that the fencing blade, in this case the four-sided electric foil, is made of burnished steel. A wire runs through the inside of the weapon for the scoring of electrical hits. The blade of course is tough and designed to take hits. But metal fatigue also occurs from the constant bending and flicking. The expensive Fencing International Escrime (FIE) blades are tougher and suited to this. The cheap China blades such as the one I was using is not so.

Halfway through an energetic 5-point bout with a lady from Z-fencing I felt the blade go "click-clack" following a violent flick. I dismissed this as part of the construction, and following technique, disengaged under her guard and lunged. A powerful parry that nearly ripped the foil from my hand took it off target

*snap* or rather *piang*.

The tape covered tip broke off cleanly. Not only did the metal snap but the internal wire severed as well, leaving the sword well beyond repair. But that was not the worst part, oh no.

For when the blade breaks it leaves a jagged end. And this was aimed at her thigh which was covered only with a layer of track pants. I think I poked her quite hard cos she did cry out. But it didn't penetrate, didn't stick. Thank God! But that was a good lot of money down the drain.

The riposte was not long in coming. With my opponent leading 4-3 (I was using my father's sword, now converted to fit my hand), she chased me down the piste with outreached hand while I was sweating behind my mask trying to anticipate her final attack. In the end, like the novice I was i ducked, curled my body into as small a target as possible and extended my arm.

An acceptable and legal, if not risky move, for if she stopped she would have all the time in the world to take my blade and administer the coup de grace. She didn't. My weapon hit. But her foil inverted and came down.

It struck the bare back of my neck, unprotected totally. No armour, no cloth no nothing. The force glanced the blow an inch or less from the pressure point and burned its way down the side of my neck. Never in my life had I had such a near miss in my life. I was lucky to get away with a simple abrasion. I could have been paralysed if it had struck a little lower. I would have been killed if it was higher. But as my father put it "both of us knew the risks" I agree with him.

Oh yar. I won 5-4. The first time I won in dunno how long. Darn.

So ended a relatively eventful week. Theres a lot more to write abt, especially about today's study session... but I'll leave that for another time, in case I start making people bored.

Wore my AH uniform for one last day today. Tml converting to the VJ one already. Hehz.

OSSIS n SJ rulez totally!