Miss Michy

dear BRATs,

first off, i’m so sorry that i didn’t take down all (i.e. only some) of your e-mail addresses and phone numbers etc when i was stressing out over assignments T_T i did announce my blog url though, so if you’re a BRAT and you’ve ‘Aiyoh Ping Pong Pianged’ and played Johnny Whoops - HELLO!

thank you all for being such sweethearts and pestering me for my contact details. i truly appreciate that you guys want to keep in touch (as i do, too) and here’s a tip, people - remember the e-mail we got for the itinerary? all our e-mail addresses are there! so i’m quite happy heehee i have the complete list and all is not lost :D i’m quite blur with handphone numbers though, and you dears who have been messaging and messaging, do put your names in please! i only saved a few because i damn stress la the last few hours - tak sempat pester everyone.

you guys are super duper cekap. some of you have added me on facebook, the others on friendster, and i can’t wait to meet up for (hopefully) the 15th Anniversary BRAT’s celebration party! let’s meet up! i know i said i’m from the other end of the world (penang vs negeri sembilan) and some of you wanna visit (i bring you to jusco! and, uh, city park!) and i look forward to that, but kl is probably the most convenient. anyway. i’m on holiday after our utterly exhausting 4 days, and if i approve friend requests late etc, that’s the reason why.

will be blogging about the completely awesome BRATs experience when i get home at the end of this week, so look out for that! :) some of you wanted to link me etc - can can! but leave a comment here kay so i know where YOUR blogs are! i have so much to say in so little time! if i repeat myself it’s because i’m typing damn fast and i haven’t thought this through (SLEEP DEPRIVATION - holla if you hear me!). so here’s a shout out to everyone la kay! to everyone (haha!) - you guys are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. i have never ever ever been to a camp where i’ve clicked so instantaneously with almost everyone! perhaps it’s cause we’re united by a common love for the written word, for telling stories, for taking amazing photos, things like that.

i could name a random subject and you guys would engage me in a long discussion about it! i’m surprised i didn’t get a sore throat for yakking so much! the energy and enthusiasm you guys had were amazing. even when i was tired and half out of my mind from stress, i still felt…happy. happy and blessed to be there with you all. while the workshop itself was fun, it wouldn’t have been the same without you guys. not at all. i will say so much more in my complete BRATs blog posts, so bookmark me ah!

to the seniors/facilitators/journalists/other people in charge who may be blog hopping - you guys were great! it was an incredible foray into your world - a tantalising, if tiring, taste of journalism, and you all made it such fun to be there. even though we groaned when you pulled us away from our work as we needed every available minute, you’d have us hopping from side to side like energizer bunnies in minutes, or professing love to other random BRATs in all those quirky games, making us laugh and feel all pumped up all over again. your critiques, praises, encouragements and endless help and concern (’WHY YOU ALL SO STRESSED?! COME COME LET’S PLAY GAMES - FORM A CIRCLE!’) will always (or at least, for a very, very long while) be remembered.

i have to end this soon - travelling to another state tomorrow! - so i’ll end this with a few words to my group members of the Newsflash 10. you guys were a joy to work with. i miss you all already. and YOU ALL MAKE ME EMO BY MESSAGING AND SAYING YOU RINDU ME T_T we did an AMAZING job with our soundslide (remember, first batch of BRATs EVER to submit all 8 videos, YAY!), and had the laptop/handycam worked properly, i bet our video would have been stellar too! i will always remember our little sketch fondly - didn’t we have so much fun? we had them howling and crying in laughter with half an hour’s worth of last minute brainstorming!

there’s so many things i have to say about you guys. one by one la okay. in random order!

ming yuen my reporter, you’re such a sweetheart la. thanks for helping me with my keycard (guess what guess what i finally managed to open the door ON MY OWN! on the last day!) and speaking in mandarin and hokkien for me to the interviewees and orange juice in the morning and funny bus rides and always being a patient gentleman. thanks for coming back to look for me when i spend too much time at the second hand bookstore in chowrasta, warning me of approaching car on the very first day, and all those little gestures. i enjoyed our conversations etc - you always had something intelligent to say, and you’re such a good sport! it’s really too bad that you had to leave earlier than the rest. nevermind la keep in touch okay? good luck with form 6!

may khei my video editor/’can i help with anything and everything’! another darling! i really really liked you from the first day itself, and i’m so glad we clicked so well! thanks for always being responsible, foralways trying to help out whenever and wherever you can, and for always being so incredibly pleasant to be around with. you showed remarkable team spirit, and i will always remember how you got home, and instead of sleeping/relaxing like the rest of us with nothing left to do, got straight to work on the article and e-mailed it to me like i asked you to. you make my life as sub editor a little easier. and you’re also very nice and mature! every time also tell me i’m so nice damn shy la *blush*

i’m sorry if i startled you with the ‘Look of Intense Stressedness’ and statements like ‘i’m very nice la but if you piss me off i can be very mean’ and ‘you want me to be kind or unkind? kind means i’ll say the same thing as the unkind version, only in a nicer way. same story, different delivery’. not sure if i said that to you or someone else, but either you or someone else looked alarmed at some point so my apologies kay ^^ faster faster add me on friendster facebook wherever!

kel vin the editor! fellow radiohead fan :D your borat impersonation was SPOT on and i will always remember the ‘three times a day’ response. you were always incredibly proud of the group, high fiving everyone and cheering after a job well done, and our soundslide was THE bomb la. you take incredible pictures and it made our jobs easier. well done, i say!

julian the cool calm and collected! at first i thought you were quiet, but once you warmed up to me/us, you were an absolute firecracker! your aikido moves = super impressive. you were punctual almost every time, which i liked, and always sought out work to do for the team. and you were the first to message us to say you missed us all which got the emo train up and running boohoo. thanks for everything, and i hope your photo entry wins that nikon camera! :)

tammy le video editor! what would we have done without you eh? you made the soundslide absolutely perfect with your spot on timing. you patiently endured my directing you to insert this picture and that picture here there everywhere at this part at that precise second with nary a complaint. you always made an effort to interview people as you knew not many of us could speak mandarin and hokkien. although our nerves were on an edge with the malfunctioning video, you managed to piece together something nevertheless to present, and that kind of determination and level headedness is something i admire. good luck with your future multimedia projects with the star, alright? i hope it will be a great stepping stone for you!

kei! i liked that you were outspoken and loud, and i was actually pretty sorry that they spoofed the incident that happened on the first day. i love you BRATs and all, but that kind of situation is actually very uncomfortable la. i think you were just being you :) thanks for a job well done with your interviews, and i hope that when we, or i, next see you at any gathering/party etc, i’ll see you being your 100% cheerful energetic self!

joye! you who relentlessly feed everyone with your endless supply of snacks! you truly lived up to your name - it was always better and brighter somehow with you and your fits of laughter around. who knew that behind that giggly exterior was an experienced self defence student? thanks for always trying to help out whenever you could - i appreciate the effort and boundless enthusiasm. i hope to see more of you sometime soon, you warm bubbly little bundle of giggles you! :)

wei khang my videographer! i didn’t get to talk to you much, but thanks for carrying out your task decently. videoing isn’t a piece of cake, but you gamely took up the challenge. maybe i’ll speak to you more at the next gathering, alright? :)

mikha our artist! though there wasn’t any drawing, you handled the sound and song parts for our video so well. you always had ideas and contributions, and i appreciate that you always tried to help in everything the group had to do. ideas and passion - you’ve got them both, and i’m sure we’ll hear more of you in times to come.

last but certainly not least, miu khee our point five/senior/miuks! :D you were an awesome senior to have, always coming around with food and more food (though sometimes you and the chocolate teddy bears played hard to get, frustrating poor joye haha!) and trust me la, the more juniors that bombard you after a game with flour/sticky tape/etc, the more popular you are :D thanks for the help and advice and always looking out for us on assignments (i.e. making sure no one died on the street while photographing T_T)!  all you seniors were awesome!

this has gone on for a while now - i’d better stop here for the moment. i had a wonderful time with you guys, and thanks so much for pitching in and making our group work so much easier. i know i was serious quite a bit at the table, bordering on downright grave as the deadlines neared…and most of you were so nice that i felt bad for frowning at a blank page for five minutes.

i tried to be nice and patient as much as i could when things got stressful, and it was quite easy as you guys are such dears, and i don’t think i’ve offended anyone of you, since we were all incredibly happy and laughing and having fun most of the time, but if i frowned too sternly at any idea suggestion or input, or was a tad snappy every now and then, or was too frank or straightforward etc to the point of hurting your feelings, i sincerely apologise. but i think we’re perfectly okay with one another la heehee.

got so much more to say, but i seriously need sleep. over the past four days, i’ve only slept for a little over ten hours, and it’s getting to me now. will update more after my mini holiday, so take care and god bless!