Fortissimo

Synonyms are taking over our very lives. É fact tt u hv just rd this is a very bad sign.

But tonight I had proper fun for the first time in two eternities. We (Hans, Ben Chua, Elton, me) took a train to Paya Lebar and took 76 to VS (should have just gone to Bedok dammit). And on the bus I got a message.

u fag.ure on bus no 76.

I made quite a show of turning around, and lo and behold, there was Mok languishing in one corner. People don't really lose their poker faces.
So got off the bus at the same stop but he was as usual cryptic about his activities (then again Mokking really shouldn't be publicised too much) and we split ofter awhile. Turns out Mac's East Coast was further than I thought. The pits were C21. We were somewhere at E.

Oops.

After a more-than-half-an-hour walk we finally got to the bicycle rentals and got the lousiest mountain bikes at $4 for two hours (one hour for one promo) and it was a less than 5min ride before we got there.

Crap.

I was frankly surprised at how easily I gained my balance, considering I had not sat on a bicycle for about three years. It was great fun, riding to the end of ECP and back later, except for the fact that the bloody gears refused to shift properly at small increments. It's like I'll crank it to one side and my legs will be swinging uncontrollably, then I push to the other side and I'd be panting in 5min. Oh well I did the best I could. As we got back we cut through the trees and I immediately slammed my gears shift up to one (or low, whatever). The timing of the gears meshing was beautifully perfect, but I stopped about ten metres away from where I should have because it was dark, and I wasn't quite sure I could clear the large tree root right in front without landing on my back with sand in my head. And Ben was clutching his balls in pain because he had shifted too far up the seat, which I have found too small for my meaty backside from Day 1. Can't blame him though, his bike was totally screwed up. Back at the BBQ the President of the Student Council served us whiny asses food of all sorts... Satay, chicken wings, chicken chops, even steak, and stingray, hurhur (salivating). And after we finished it up they wanted more but there was none cooking or left on the grill so I have to do it myself, and since the VP of the Council said it takes about 20min I set my timer. For the rest of the evening the impatient and pertpetually hungry people crowded around the fire and alternated between jokes of precision timer, mommy, madame wong, and yan can cook wong can't cook. Insolent ingrates. I gave them bloody chicken wings (as in not-cooked-properly, not the expletive) as punishment.

So I called my dad and told him that Ben's dad is coming to pick him and give us a lift... at 11. Not that I wanted to stay longer, I mean of course I don't mind, we were in a lovely discussion of politics when we (Ben, Hans, me) had to leave. But then it was already about ten when I called, and I was cooking anyway, so it didn't seem like alot of time. My seniors made sparkler-rockets by the way. Failed miserably. They resorted to flinging sparklers into trees. It was burning so long up there I thought it would burn off the branch and bring it crashing down.

Anyway when I finally reached Bugis (that's the station they suggested, and how could we refuse) my dad said, 'Take a cab.'

Who the hell can get a taxi off the damn road at 11? Those mecenary arses only go for on calls and proper taxi queues, or else lim kopi and wait for the midnight charges to kick in. Finally I called a cab, and the auntie was one of those who wouldn't stop talking. But apparently someone tried to snatch my cab. He claimed he was the one who booked the cab. The auntied covered the screen and said, 'What's your HP number?' And when he couldn't answer she promptly booted him from the car and valiantly rushed to pick me up before the monstrous midnight increments kicked in. As she explained, just the total of my pick up fare, booking charge, and midnight increments would have been $10. 'That's why, ah, auntie very chin chai one, ah.' I was making my voice hoarser than it actually was to make her pick up the clue that I was tired out, but she just carried the conversation on all the way home. Oh well, it's the least I could do to repay her for preventing the midnight charges. The total fare came up to $19.55.

My father scolded me on the way up. He came down to pay the taxi fare because I had only $3 in my wallet. 'Next time if by ten o'clock no one is going home, you get your ass out of there you understand? I'm very disappointed in you.'

Wh- I... You... How can-

I just kept quiet. Hans put it correctly. I was to guai already. Too compliant with rules. It's just so, so sad when you think about it, and even sadder when I'm thinking about it. I guess I'll have to break away soon if they don't let off first. Still it won't mar the memory of this evening. Small thing lah, this.