This is me...

I GOT SELECTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
_______________________

-Scene One- (pg 18 to 22)

(Emily and Servant on stage)

(Servant spreads out the white table cloth)

Servant: Ma’am, like this huh?

Emily (shakes her head): Aiyo, so messy ah? Leave it…. I show you….

(Servant stops her actions, walks aside)

(Emily takes over Servant’s position)

(While spreading, Emily talks)

Emily: Ah Sim, you know what are we hosting tonight?

Servant: Ma’am, I not sure…. I just come here…..

Emily: I tell you, tonight we will host a big dinner for first master. Those big towkays and all the ang moh bosses will come tonight. Wait…. Ah Sim, do we have all the correct ingredients or not? You know, tonight we cannot make any mistakes, if not tomorrow on the newspapers I will be the laughing stock. And I will embarrass first master.

Servant; Ma’am, you don’t worry so much. Everything is ready now.

Emily (heaves a sigh of relief): Good. Tonight the whore Diana will be coming. I must show her who is boss!!!!

- Emily and Servant leave stage-

(Towkay 1 and Towkay 2 enter)

(Towkay 1 and Towkay 2 move around randomly)

(Emily walks in)

Emily (enthusiastically and politely): Good evening Mr Lim. Welcome to Emerald Hill. We are so honoured to have you here to try my cooking. Please, do tuck in. Oh yes, do remember to get yourself comfortable with a martini at the corner.

Towkay 1: Thank you for your hospitality. I already tried the starters, they taste incredibly scrumptious. I really enjoy all the Peranakan food that you prepared.

(Emily smiles, Towkay nods responsively)

(Emily leaves Towkay 1 alone and heads to Towkay 2)

Emily: Hello Mr Ong, what a pleasure to see you again. Oh, is Mrs Ong attending this birthday dinner for Richard tonight? I have not seen her yet.

Towkay 2: Oh, I am so apologetic about that. My spouse really cannot make it tonight as she is down with cold. She said she was sorry for not coming down to try your specialties.

Emily: Oh, I see. Do tell her to rest well. I really appreciate her kindness of putting a good word for my culinary skills. Do you mind if I ask my helpers to prepare an extra serving of food for Mrs Ong personally, so that you can take back home?

Towkay 2 (surprised): Yes, she is probably famished by the time I reach home. Thank you, Emily.

(Towkay 1 and Towkay 2 leaves)

(Bee Choo enters from right, Diana enters from left)

(Emily approaches Bee Choo)

Emily (warmly): Bee Choo, so glad that you came. You know I was working my head off, so busy, aiyo… Try all the food here, see whether my cooking skills maintained the standard.
Bee Choo: M, aiyo I tell you ah. Fed up, very fed up. My kids now, getting out of hand. The worst thing is my monstrous mother-in-law, seriously she is torturing me. I cannot breathe la.

(Emily shows a face of empathy)

Bee Choo: Wait, M. Look there. (points to the left) Isn’t that the slut that seduced your husband? What’s her name ah?

(Emily face sterns)

Emily: Ya, it’s Diana. Bee Choo, you help yourself with the food first, I go talk to her.

Bee Choo: Ok, be careful ah. Don’t let her bully you.

(Bee Choo pats Emily’s shoulder, then walks away to the side)

(Emily approaches Diana)

Diana: Emily! Long time no see. I love this house, to the extent that I want to move in with Kheong right now.

(Laughs sarcastically)

(Emily laughs nonchalantly together)

Diana: Just joking, please don’t take it to heart. How is it to live in the grand, posh, magnificent Emerald Hill by yourself…. (whisper) alone?

(Emily smiles indignantly)

Emily: Diana… why don’t you go and look for Kheong first, he is at the room next door.

(Diana smirks and leaves)

(Servant enters and brings out the cake on a trolley)

(Richard enters)

(Emily’s mood lightens)

Emily (loudly): Ladies and gentlemen, would you mind gathering around?

(A group of people crowds around Emily, Richard and Servant)

Emily: As you all know, today marks the 20^th birthday of my son, Richard.　Let us all wish him a happy birthday.

(vivacious)
Emily: 1..2…3…
(Richard stands in front of the cake and closes his eyes)
(Group of people mime the happy birthday song with joy)

Richard: I hope that…. mummy will not be so protective of me anymore. I hope…. that after today, I can make my own decisions….. and lead a more enjoyable life that I want in England…
(Group of people sing out the last line of the birthday song)

(Richard smiles and blows the candles)

-End of Scene one-

-Scene Two- (pg 52 to 24)

Stage Direction -

Emily lowers herself into her chair. Dim light on her.

Emily: *sigh* There was a magnificent lawn here with many flowers cared for by three gardeners. We also had tennis courts and fruit trees. It was so vibrant here last time, but now there are only tall flats blocking out the house. But even the house is dying… *sigh*…

Bin Seong: *comes in talking with Mei Choon*

Emily: Oh hello Bin-bin. You come fetch me again ah?

Bin Seong: Ya, porpor. We go eat supper and drive around?

Emily: *yawn* I think today I stay at home rest better lah… feeling tired eh. *sounds tired*

Mei Choon: But here so noisy how to rest ah?

Emily: No lah.. it sounds like voices and laughter pleasant to my ears… You don’t worry about me lah.. you two just go and enjoy, bye-bye. *sounds tired*

*Emily twirls head around for a while, suddenly “falls asleep” and slightly raises head*

Bin Seong: Porpor I want ice-cream *shakes Emily’s hand*

Emily: Okok, Porpor make for you ah. *Bin Seong leaves, Driver enters* Alamak Mat turn turn turn! Ok after this you go Amber Road fetch Tuan Besar home ah?

Mat: *Imitates driving and turn*

*Mat leaves and Emily is alone again*

*Emily sings song dreamily*

Emily: Richard is that you? Ah, Richard don’t fall down! Did you do well in school? Good boy ya, take Mother out drive around.

*After some time*

Emily: ok Richard I think stop lah.. Mother tired already, take me home ya. I want go home rest and sleep. Good boy ya, always take good care of Mother? You are my big strong son…

-End of Scene Two-

Topic: National Service should be made compulsory to girls as well
(Mrs Ng said I have a chance of getting selected and I have to till tomorrow to know the results...)

5^th August 2010 8.30pm

Sometimes, I didn’t realise that it requires so much courage just to open up your laptop and login Facebook….

Yes, I failed my Lit test. It is like “Joy to the world” for some people who hate me so badly. I don’t blame them for that; it’s my fault actually to stir up so much unpleasant events between us. To see Liu Du Kai Ying being beaten flat to the ground is always so fun. To see his smiling face that never died turn to a face of sombreness and pain… I don’t want to mention it anymore.

How do I feel? Sad, of course. I don’t know the reason why I screwed up so bad… maybe it’s my piano exam that made me so stressed up and distracted me? I don’t know. The whole thing happened so quick and bizarre.

I was so sick and woke up in the afternoon. Coincidentally, Xiang Jie called and broke the news to me. I did not react and broke into tears at that moment…
“Do you know how much you got upon 25?”
“Er…what?”
“12, you got 12. The whole class is laughing at you, Dory is making fun of you and he is so happy. He said finally you got to taste your own medicine.”
And I hung up. I went to see the doctor. Nothing much engulfed me- emptiness, most probably. Xiang Jie sounded so ironic when he called, the mockery I did not expect. To fail a test in Hwa Chong? I never expected that to happen. A D7? I just can’t believe what happened to me. I never wanted to return to school anymore, I can’t endure this stuff any longer. My MSG this term? 3 or 4? I did not expect anything like this to happen in my freaking life. I knew that phone call was real, it sounded so real. Not surreal, but really, SO REAL. How I hope that everything like this was a nightmare, and I could wake up the very next second. But…. nope, nothing happened. And yes, I have to accept the fact.
To my own astonishment, I can’t believe that I didn’t cry. I don’t know whether it was my physical condition that stopped my tears from falling. I don’t know anything. I hope that all this was a prank, because I didn’t know anything except from the words from Xiang Jie told me. And after putting together all the puzzle pieces, it made absolute sense. I should have been more prepared since 2 weeks ago, since you told me that I fared really bad for the test. You questioned of my grades, and told me to be mentally prepared. But I, just did not expect the results to turn out to be so bad. In these two weeks, I really thought you made a mistake. A mistake that would do me justice right after my paper was give out after bench-marking and you personally would tell me that you made a mistake. I hoped that your memory made a mistake, or it was your sarcasm that fooled me around. But after the entire roller-coaster ride I had to endure yesterday, I really didn’t know what to say. 12? I never expected that to happen. My lowest expectation was 14. Where did I gain the confidence? I really don’t know. Maybe it was innate in me. Maybe it was because I was still reminiscing in the “glory days” when I got 22/25 for the Lit test in TKAM last term which assured me of my command in English.

A lot of people think that I am someone that doesn’t crumble under pressure. Nope, they’re wrong. I am really fragile. If this happened like 1 week ago, I will definitely burst into tears in front of the whole class. But I think it’s not worth crying after the process of growing up I experienced. There are much more things in life that needs your attention. Like your family. My mum shows so much care in me and tells me it’s not shameful to fail. It’s only sad if you cannot stand up and collect yourself after failure. There is always something to learn behind every event, be it sad or happy. The most important thing in life is to consolidate these events in life and turn it into a fuel of energy that can drive you through all the obstacles, particularly when you are facing setbacks. Being funny for me is such a difficult challenge, I have to put up that nonchalant face that I don’t give a damn of what’s happening when in fact, I can’t be more concerned of the current situation. But after all, this is life. And it is my life. I can’t let it go out of control. So it’s very important when it all comes down to how I see it. Truthfully, I love myself and my life.

I really can’t believe in my English grades for the first two terms in ’10. 72, then comes a 74. Unbelievable. I had never attained such grades for class tests in Secondary One. The closest I ever got was a 69 and it was a B3. Nobody in 1A3 ever thought I had flair in English.

I really thought that you, Ms Loh are someone who recognises me of my thinking when it comes down to injecting your thoughts and freedom into the Literature platform. I really appreciate that so much. Sometimes, I nearly took your kindness for granted and forgot the fact that one must work hard to gain results.
So I thought it all through. Instead of reproaching myself and feeling that injustice has done to me, why not take a more objective perspective and look at the issue from another angle? Maybe this incident has taught me that I am not really as good as I believed and I need to strive harder in comprehending Literature in a deeper level?
So to those people who are so eager to see me in a pathetic state, I want to say that you guys can laugh with all your might, take this as a retaliation of what devious things I have done to you previously that may hurt you in one way or another.

I am not going to step up and clarify this issue and make it rest as bygones. I am going to focus on my main goal this semester- to ace my Grade 8 Piano Examination. I am pinning all my hopes on the last shot for Lit next week- Emily of Emerald Hill. Thank you, Ms Loh. Let the upcoming Lit paper be the best way for me to redeem myself as the most enthusiastic student in 2A3 during LA class by showing not only to you, but to me as well, that Liu Du Kai Ying is someone that does not crumble under pressure and make worth of my name. Thank you.

As the chairman, I have to something special to make the class more participative. Hahas. But now I need to talk about the content. So I did a powerpoint and there was a timer in each slider to time the panelists. So it turned out to be..... quite fine.

So our group did Emily of Emerald Hill and it didn't turn out to be as successful as we hoped for.....

So I missed curriculum lessons from 22/7 to 23/7 because I was involved in the Chinese Dengmi International Competition. I couldn't believe that n 24/7, a Saturday my group managed to enter the Grand Finals despite the tense competition. We managed to emerge 5th in International position and 2nd in Singapore. I received 100 bucks and 2 certificates. Yahoo.... This made feel useful at last. You can see my at HCI webpage. My face is there!!!!!!