Story Time by LouBriTri-The Sea Witch

What's up LouBriTri readers!?

WE ARE BACK!!!!! And don't worry, nobody died and no one got pregnant. We're all safe and in tip-top condition. :)

Firstly, we've got big news! LouBriTri has come up with a new concept for this blog! (We know-finally!) We've been struggling for the longest time to to find a good and a solid concept for this blog, and now that we've got one, we can't wait to share it with you guys!

Although we'll have to tell you more about it later because we wouldn't want to get too off-track. You'll find out soon enough, we promise. But for now, we will be doing a mini story-time sesh, so may we suggest you grab a cup of tea/hot cocoa and be prepared to read a delightful story of a famous Disney fairytale, rewritten by yours truly.

We hope you thoroughly enjoy it, or at least, think it was a nice casual read.

Our story was inspired by Maleficent and Disney channel's latest original movie, Disney Descendants(Tri's recent obsession), which was directed by Mr Kenny Ortega, who was also the director for the High School Musical trilogy.

If you wanna give it a watch , here's the link:
http://megashare9.tv/movie/descendants-2015-hd-movie/

Enjoy!
xxLouBriTri :)
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"There is a reason to why everything happens."

Every character has a reason behind the person they've become. Each person is a story.

Now we all know, a good story doesn't start from one page. Have you realised that reading a summary of a book is not as interesting as the storybook itself? It doesn't give the same thrill or the suspense or even the mental images of reading the full length story.

Same goes for characters. All characters are made up of different layers, like pages in a book. What they appear to be, is like a summary: Sweet and simple.

But incomplete.

Of course, the function of a summary is to sum everything up in a shorter version. Sure, this may come in handy sometimes, but summaries tend to skim past the little details.

And you never know, how big of an impact a little detail may contribute to the whole story.

To understand what meets the eye, you have to delve beneath the surface, and further within...

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Once upon a time, I was beautiful.

I had light blonde hair, almost white, but not quite. It was long and trailed behind me wherever I went. I had a unique pair of purple eyes with pink flecks. It was the colour of an anemone bush at night, glittering from time to time, when streaks of moonlight washed across it. My lips were full and resembled a cushy sea bed, my figure always maintained a flawless hourglass. A powerful purple tail merged into my accentuated torso.

My charms were irresistible, and I was quite proud of them. In the world I lived in, beauty was essential. To the inhabitants of the land above, we were known as charmers, flirts and...sirens. Or in a more familiar term-mermaids.

A mermaid's duty was to charm. Our existence was not known by many, and we were an ancient species. The men above the surface thought us to be myths, but oh how they were wrong. Everything about us was as realistic as a four dimensional screen play. Our alluring faces, our flirtatious personality... And our dangerous ability.


The population of our kind had been decreasing for many years, and reproduction was a rarity. We had to keep our existence ongoing for as long as we could. And the only way for us to do that, was to capture mundanes and turn them into one of our own. To do that, we had to utilise our gift of song, to lure them to us. The transformation part was a process that could only be understood by The Healers. 

The Healers were a society of merfolk-there were at least twenty of them-who would perform all sorts of potion magic used to heal and transform. It was an honour to be part of the society, and my adopted parents were members of the society. It was a family tradition for the oldest child to take over their parents position when they retired from their jobs, and I was ecstatic about becoming a Healer myself one day.

Every year, The Mer Academy would arrange an excavation to the palace for their senior students, before they moved on to the next stage of their education. It was compulsory for all students to attend. During my trip to the palace, I had an accidental run-in. A run-in, I wished had never happened.

It all began in the infamous Coral Maze. The yammering of the guide about the history about the maze was boring me to sleep. My boredom didn't last long, as my attention had soon diverted to a faint swish of a tail behind me. Desperate for some real entertainment, I carefully sneaked away from the group and followed the motion of the water.

Soon, I had found myself face to face, with none other than the next mer in line for the throne. Before me, stood the young prince of Atlantis in all his glory. One glance at him, and I was smitten. It was obvious to why the king and queen-they were professional mundane hunters-had chosen to adopt this boy, as their son. He was absolutely beautiful.

He had gorgeous brown hair, a strong built and eyes that were as blue as the ocean. Those eyes... they had the ability to make you forget everything. There was something about them that made you trust him. They glimmered with a hint of mischievousness.

I was mesmerised; how could such an unworldly creature exist?

If I had thought I was beautiful before, I was wrong. The boy that I had come face to face with, was a different level of perfection altogether.

"Hello,"he waved cheekily, dimples appearing on his cheeks.

Could he be any more perfect? I wondered. A fool I was at the time; my mind conjured up too many fantasies...

I barely managed to squeak an audible 'hi', still not having gotten over my awe of this magnificent being. It took me three seconds to snap out of my daze. Where were my manners? I was a commoner, I couldn't treat him the way I would to someone of my class.

"Your highness,"I said quickly, bowing my head in respect, and also, to hide my embarrassment.

"Do call me Tritannous, or Triton, if you prefer. I'm comfortable with either, just please, I don't particularly like formalities. It is all, your majesty this, O Handsome One that. It gets so old,"he said, attempting to joke.

The way he spoke, was with utter grace. Every mer spoke Song, the national language. It was called Song because, when we spoke, it was almost melodic, like we were singing.

I laughed at his casual tone. How odd it was to be speaking to a mer of a lower class in that kind of tone. The Royals were supposed to be prim and proper, responsible and trustworthy to their kind. Or so I thought...

What was meant to be a small talk, bubbled into a long conversation, and I  missed out on the rest of the excavation, but instead, I gained a friend. We became good friends, Triton and I. We were joined at the hip. Our friendship was perfect. And each time I spent more time with him, I couldn't help but feel, like I wanted something more out of our friendship.

My wish was soon granted. The prince asked me to be his lover. In the mer kingdom, it was not prohibited to have a lover, just as long as we pursued a mer's true duties. Mermaids were flirts, but we had feelings too. We wanted to be loved not just for our appearance, but for who we were on the inside as well. The only rule was that we had to fall in love with one of our kind. 

In my heart, I knew that I loved him very much,  and I thought he felt the same about me. But I was about to be proven wrong. The future I had pictured for the both of us, was about to be shattered into pieces.

T'was was during one of our adventures, when he persuaded me to show him my family's collection of vials. I was hesitant-making potions were dangerous, one small accident could turn into a monster disaster in less than a minute.

"C'mon. Don't be a hermit crab. I'll be extra careful, I promise,"he had said, caressing my cheek while looking into my eyes with his persuasive blue ones.

Agreeing was the worst decision I'd ever made.
Once I had given him a tour of the factory, he insisted he look at the types of ingredients we used to make the concoctions. I couldn't blame him, princes were always curious and craved knowledge, but I should've known where to to draw the line.

He was very cautious at first, but an over-polished bottle had slipped out of his palms, and it had fallen into the big cauldron at the centre of the room. I tried catching the bottle, but to no luck, I myself fell...into the burning cauldron.

Speckles of purple glitter swirled around me, it was a sign that a change was coming. Red meant emotion, orange meant thought, yellow meant spirit, green meant body, blue meant illusion and purple meant change. I closed my eyes, and hoped for the best, but I knew accidents, were unaffordable in potion making. And if there an accident were ever to happen, things were never to be taken lightly.

It wasn't long before I felt a current swirl around me, enveloping me. It was very fast, and as soon as it came, it disappeared in a blink of an eye. But I had felt it. 

I opened my eyes slowly, my vision being blurred due to the tightness I was shutting them. When my eyes had adjusted to their surroundings, I looked up and found Triton staring at me with a horrified expression.

"Whats wrong?"I asked.

Just as the words had left my lips, I clasped my hand over my mouth. They came out as a croak. I cleared my throat, and tried again.

"Is everything alright?"I asked again.

My voice... It didn't change back.

I examined my hands, and out of horror, I shrieked.
They were a shade of a sickly lilac purple.

I ushered Triton to pass me a mirror, lying on a shelf, used as a shield to reflect any harm caused by potion magic. His hands shook as he handed me the mirror, I gasped when I saw my reflection.

I was no longer beautiful. My blonde hair was completely white, my lips were pressed into a thin line, and my figure had gone out of shape. Every inch of my body was purple and gone was my tail. In it's place were eight legs that resembled an octopus'. The only feature I had managed to keep were my eyes and they were pooling with water.

Everything happened in slow motion after that. I remember hearing voices approaching, I remember him dashing out of the room through the back entrance, I remember whispering his name.

Two figures entered the room-they were my parents. They looked at me in disgust and horror. It didn't take long for my father to assume I was a harmful creature, based off my looks; he grabbed a long wooden spoon that was used to stir concoctions and used it to shoo me out of the factory. My mother, on the other hand, cowered in the corner of the room watching the happening scene with fright in her eyes. The same violet-magenta eyes I had inherited.

I screamed at them, saying that I was their daughter, but they didn't believe me. Could I blame them? My voice had changed, there was no proof that I was who I claimed to be. My purple eyes may have been unique, but I wasn't the only mer who had them.

Alas, they had successfully gotten rid of me. I went to the city, in hopes of seeking help. But everywhere I went, people fled at the sight of me. Lost and desperate, I travelled to the palace to find Triton. Doubtfully, the palace guards let me through, keeping me chained up in case I tried to do anything funny.

But just as I was presented in front of him, he claimed that he did not know me, even though I swore, I saw recognition spark in his eyes. Him being my only option left, I kept insisting that he knew me, hoping that he would give in, but my thoughts were opposed. Instead, he had me banished from the mer-kingdom... For good.

At first, I was hurt, but my hurt turned into fury in mere seconds. I lunged at him, but was held back by the chains on my wrists. They glowed a bright copper gold, a sign that it was resisting my pull. The palace guards then roughly escorted me out of the palace and into the outskirts of the kingdom. Something in me changed that day-I became cold with a thirst of revenge. 

This is my story.

Once upon a time, I may have been beautiful. Once upon a time, I may have had a good heart. Once upon a time, I may have been loved. But that time is long gone and passed.

No longer am I beautiful, revenge holds my heart, and my life is forever deprived of any love or happy ending. This was where my story began, the story of how the Sea Witch came to be.

The very same sea witch you read in fairytales. The one who turned into a monster. The one who, like every other super villain, never deserved a happy ending. 

I am Ursula, The Sea Witch Of Atlantis.

Potato Train Trips : HIGH4 SHOWCASE IN MALAYSIA

Hi everyone!

It's Lou typing here. And today I have some great news to deliver! WOOHOO
Yours truly, *eherm* myself, have finally been able to snap out of this horrid act that I call procrastination and put my mind to starting this personal corner of the LouBriTri blog. After weeks of Tri's constant nagging and her display of enthusiasm towards the production of this concept, I had no way of escaping this certain fate.

So what will Lou's Potato Train Trip's be about?
Anything that comes to my mind, basically. They could be experiences, discussions, random thoughts or the occasional k-pop fangirl corner. As long as something grabs my interest, I will write it here! Hopefully you guys will be able to enjoy the stuff I post each week. And that's it for the Potato Train Trips' introduction.

Now let's move on to today's topic.

HIGH4 SHOWCASE IN MALAYSIA

How typical of me to start the first official post of Potato Train Trips with a Kpop related post.

The stage thingy

Anyway:
Not too long ago, on the 5th of September, I had the chance to attend the showcase by a Korean rookie Kpop group, HIGH4, held in Summit Shopping Mall. The group has been active since 2014, their first single being Not Spring, Love or Cherry Blossoms, which was a collaborated song with the famous actor and singer, IU. I must say this was quite a good thing because the involvement of a famous artist right from the start definitely managed to slightly make people aware of their existence. (SLIGHTLY. *cough* they aren't very well known even a year after, unfortunately)
But to get to the point, they aren't very well-known and so, there weren't that many people present at the showcase even though you didn't even have to pay for it. However, if you wished to have a vip (seated) place reserved for you, it would cost you RM40, which is very cheap compared to other showcases.
This explaining is getting boring, so let's move on to the actual story! WHEEEEEEE

Vip seating area

I had planned to go to the event with my friend just a week before it was to take place. Ahhh last minute decisions as usual, but everything turned out quite well. My friend and her dad drove to my house to pick me up so we could go to the venue together, which would be much easier compared to if we were to take our own transport there. Several minutes later, we had arrived at our destination.

I had never been to Summit before this and the friend that I went with hadn't been there for months so we were quite surprised when we saw the newly renovated interior of the place. The lower floors, to be honest, were rather sad and gloomy to look at. It was already dark as the ceilings were lined with dim, yellow lights but what made it darker were the walls that had been painted black. It made the whole place look older and more miserable than it had been before.  RENOVATION JOB YOU HAVE FAILED ME!!!

HIGH4 performing Day By Day

After collecting our tickets at the counter, we proceeded to another counter where they sold albums of the band. We had been told that if an album/single was purchased, you would have the chance to go for a signing after the showcase was over. My friend, who had already planned to get some albums, immediately got out her money and bought their first single (Not Spring, Love or Cherry Blossoms), their mini album (Hi High) and photobook.

I, on the other hand, hadn't planned to buy any singles or albums but once again, I made a last minute decision to get their third single (Baby Boy) because I decided, "Wouldn't wanna miss out on that".

Later, we decided to venture into a bookstore to see if my friend would find what she wanted to buy there. However, we soon exited the bookstore again as the book we sought for was not found.

Since we had arrived early, the next 2 hours -ish were spend sitting cross legged/stretched out on the floor while randomly talking nonsense as we were waiting for the staff to let us enter into the venue.

I wouldn't want to flood you guys with rambles of how each person looked or how everything was performed, but here's the gist of it:

Don't remember what they were doing here but yeah...

The four member group performed about 5 to 6 songs during the course of the showcase, and I must say, their live singing was very impressive, especially with all that strenuous dancing. No major accidents happened; no falls or anything. But one memorable moment was when the leader, Sunggu, accidentally flung is microphone to the floor as he was singing. The music continued playing in the background as he smiled with embarrassment and went down the stage to pick it up again. Well it was a good thing it didn't hit a human head! Might have caused some serious damage hahahah.

HIGH4 on stage with lucky fans

The amount of fan service given was CRAZY. (Perks of rookie groups?) Unlike other groups, the members would go down the stage and walk around the are where the audience was seated, probably giving all the fangirls sitting in the first few rows multiple heart attacks.

I can't express it in any other way than say that it was an amazing experience. Of course, it's always something memorable to see a bunch of people that you've been admiring on a screen for so long and finally being able to witness them in real life, skin and bones and all (not just pixelated images).

PLAYING CHARADESSSS

In the blink of an eye, all the performances were over and it was time for the photo session with HIGH4.

Gosh, can we rename that day "The Day of Last Minute Decisions" because once again, my friend and I rushed to buy tickets for the photo pass just before the photo session ended. And we hadn't even planned to be taking part in that! With shaking hands, we signed our names and wrote our phone numbers in the list, paid the money and got the stickers to be allowed in for a photo.

Having bought the pass later than everyone else, we were among the last people to get out photos with the four members, myself being the second last.

When my turn finally came, my hands were shaking and I walked across the stage to stand beside the members. I greeted the member who was standing the closest to me with a timid,"Hello" and received one back with a wide smile. Since I'm much shorter than him, I had to crane my neck up while talking to him. Then, let's just say that my hands were still shaking after walking down the stage.

with the hostess

Next was the album signing.

We were told to bring our albums up with us and let each member sign it. While they were signing, we could also pass them gifts or just say whatever you wanted to them (if they understand you or not... well that's another matter). At this point I was freaking out because I had no idea about what I should say so I was fidgeting nonstop. Without realizing it, it was already my turn.

The first member in line was the youngest of the four (or the maknae), Youngjun. The only thing I managed to squeak out was a weird "hello" and "thank you for coming", the latter of which he either did not hear or couldn't understand because in response, I got a confused stare.

Second in line, was the vocalist, Myunghan whose "I-can-act-cute" skills go through the roof. (BOY CAN HE DO AEGYO) 

I think he might have done a 'almost kiss' on the album.

Signed by the four members

Yup.

Let's just say he did.

Then, was the leader, Sunggu. My greetings came out terribly wrong and I sounded like a dying squirrel, but no matter. I scooted to the left to the final member after saying a dragged "thank youuuuuu".

Lastly, was the English speaking member, Alex. When I remember what I said to him, I really feel like smacking myself. What did I say, you might ask.

Me: "Hi, it's nice to meet you!"

Him: "Nice to meet you too!"

*facepalms*

*whispers* how much more formal can I get?

Smooth, girl. Real smooth.

All in all, it was an unforgettable set of events that replayed in my mind days after the actual event happened. There were quite a lot of things I regretted ie. saying the wrong things, what I should have said etc. but now that it's over, I can still think back and smile about it.

As I said earlier in this lengthy post, HIGH4 aren't very famous yet and after seeing them in the flesh, I can tell that they are very hardworking and kind people, and hopefully, they'll have a bright future in the industry.

하이포 화이팅!

Thank you everyone for reading and I'll see you in another Train Trip. 

BYE!!!

** more than half of these photos were taken by my friend, Weilo. Credits to her!

PROCRASTINATION

Hello my fellow LouBriTri readers!
 It's Bridget here and today I'll be going solo and writing a post without Lou and Tri. Sigh...They have their own solo posts too which were posted not so long ago so go check that out!

Well apparently my posts are almost always the last ones to be posted. It's always Lou (the hardworking one who always wants to get work done as quickly as possible with excellent results) and then Tri (the passionate one who loves and has the time to sit down and write) to have their posts posted up. And then there's me... AKA the person who for some unknown reason always doesn't have time or energy to do the things that are suppose to be done.

And that's what this post is going to be about... PROCRASTINATION. 

No no no I don't like to call it procrastination. I like to call it... 'taking an awfully long time to do other work so that I can achieve more excellent results' (which is the excuse I always give to explain why I don't have enough time to do other work that don't appeal to me as much as others)...

Hey, truthfully speaking here...

Okay, so I used to have a ton of tuition and my friends would always say that I'm trying to kill myself with my awfully packed schedule. I stay up late to finish work as I'm not allowed to do homework during tuition and I wake up very early, feeling like a Squidward with humungous eyebags. 

Even in my artworks. I can take up three full days to work on one peice of artwork. Seriously, for some ridiculous reason, I'll always make my artworks so complicated but the results are just as normal as anyone's artworks (Louisa is just born naturally talented). I would get high marks but not the marks an artwork that took three days to complete deserves... I know, I know it's quite conceited of me to say these stuff but forgive me... Please...

But now I'm currently trying to work on that. I guess I'm improving... 

The scenario after school is normally like: 

I exhaustedly pack my bags after a long day in class...

Friend: Man Bridget, you should totally rest. I mean all of us think that you are pushing yourself way too much. You should seriously take a break, or you gone' die of exhaustion.

Me: B-but I have training today, then I have English tuition then after that I gotta eat dinner and get ready for another tuition which lasts till 10. <gasp> Then I have to complete an artwork that will probably take me two days...

Friend: But it's due tomorrow... 

Me: Exactly! Oh god what am I doing with my life? (Starts hyperventilating then falls to the ground) 

Friend: Bridget are you ok? 

Me: (spasms) 

Friend: Oh God! She's gonna die! 

Me: blurb blaisuxgnzjxhd

(It's totally like that...NOT) 

Anyway, I have recently brought up the courage in me to cancel out one of my tuitions which took a lot of will-power as that teacer wasn't just any ordinary teacher but a teacher that has taught me since I was about eight. She's been teaching me for like 6 years! You can't believe the awkwardness of me telling her that I didn't need her tuition anymore.

Sigh. 

But......... Sport season kinda came (it's sports season all year every year here, it's cray) And my free time was taken up by trainings...(facepalms) Good Job Bridget. So long story short, my schedule was full again. And my friends were all like: Seriously?

And when I return home from the trainings, I feel very tired. And c'mon who wants to do homework when you feel like dying on the bed from muscle pains and drowsiness? Not me. But I have to anyway so I still had to stay up late to complete the work.... Sigh 

But there was always this small thought  in my head of my friends telling me that I deserve a rest and that will get to me saying: 

Oh I should probably go to sleep now, I mean it's already so late at night and I deserve a rest man. I'll just leave all the homework to be done the next morning. 

Good idea Bridget! 

Next morning: 

WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF?????

*cries

(Lou comes, shakes her head and lectures me) 

Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment when you feel that you DESERVE a REST, the WHOLE WORLD is going to end. Ok? You'll get sucked into this vortex of PROCRASTINATION where no work is done on time and lemme tell you, you ain't getting out of there in a looonggg time.

Lou and Tri, I hope you guys are reading this and that this explains my cranky mornings. 

But I know you LouBriTri readers worry about me(not) but I'm doing alright now. Trainings have ended and we did well in the competitions so yup.....

I'm probably gonna find another way to kill myself but let's save that for another story... 

That's it for Bri's solo post on PROCRASTINATION! I hope it was VERY educational(not). Make sure you check out Lou's and Tri's solo posts and I'll see you guys next time :)

Me in the morning when the alarm rings

THANK YOU FOR READING AND LOOK FORWARD TO MORE!

Under The Tri (Tree) Sessions: Chameleon

Chameleon

Under The Tri (Tree) Sessions 

Heyoooo LouBriTri readers!!!!! 

It's Tri here, and welcome to the first post of Under The Tri Sessions! 

Before we jump (like a kangaroo) into the topic for this post, I'd like to briefly explain what is this new addition to the LouBriTri blog. Basically, LouBriTri has come up with a brand new concept for this blog as we felt that we weren't very discipline while working on this blog, even though we promised to update regularly.

If you guys were unaware of how this blog came to be, it was actually because it was for an English project we had to do in school. We agreed that blogging was actually really enjoyable and a great past-time for us, but although we agreed on that, we never really got around much to posting other stuff, so here we are, with a fresh new idea for the blog.

At the beginning, , we thought about coming up with something like this, but we never really got around to do it, due to laziness, of course.

So after Lou's nagging, Bri's persistence, and my (Tri's) brilliant mind, we finally got planning. 

How is this new concept gonna work? It's simple. Each of us will have our own little posts that will be posted from time to time. What will be in the contents of these posts? Well, to make our lives easier, we decided to go freestyle. In these sessions, we will post things like How To stuff, stories from our daily life events, our own videos or pictures etc. We will also recommend videos or songs, rant and plenty of other awesome stuff.

It really isn't too complicated to understand and I hope you guys get the idea. 

For this first post particularly, I think I'll share a little bit of me. In case you are wondering, NO, I am NOT giving away any of my body parts. I may be kind, but not that charitable.

I've decided to share a little bit about my life before I met Lou and Bri. I hope it isn't a major yawn, but since this is my first separate post, I wanted to go on about a topic that would be more personal. 

Maybe you'll enjoy it, maybe not, but hopefully at the end of the day, it will be a decent enough intro to the new concept.

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Before I became close friends Lou and Bri, I wasn't the person I am now. (*sigh* when will I ever tone down the drama?)

I have recently turned 14 am I am currently in Year 8 (Form 2). Last year, was the year I entered secondary school. I transferred to an international school from a Chinese school, which made the transition very hard to get used to. Chinese schools have a reputation for being very disciplined. (Not saying that international schools are not disciplined, but Chinese schools are a whole different level of disciplinary action.)

In my old school, I was more or less forced to be quiet and keep a obedient attitude, and this made me quite shy as well as made me believe that I was restricted to do my own things, since, all I did was take orders. I sucked at socialising-I still do, though I must say, I think I've inproved-and making friends, which left me being very lonely. I was never bullied, I was just left out. I had a few friends, and they all spoke fluent Chinese, which made it hard to communicate with them at some times, as I came from an English speaking family. (English was my main language)

Random dramatic pic of a random girl staring into the sunset.  Photo credit goes to  Google.

I wasn't exactly smart, but since I was so behind in the language spoken at the school, it took me a longer time to complete assignments and such. I had to search up every single word if I had to write an essay or if I had to understand a text to do the comprehension. This actually benefitted my vocabulary later on, and I soon found myself getting placed second or third in class during my last few examinations.

I was quite happy with myself, but then secondary came along. I was lucky to have gotten into the school, and I was quite confident that I would ace in my studies, like how I did previously, but I soon realised that the syllabus of international school differed greatly from Chinese school. Everything was way more advanced, and I had a hard time adapting, not only in my studies, but in making friends too. I thought it would be much easier to make friends because everyone spoke English, but I was still the shy girl from Chinese school. Fortunately for me, I wasn't the only girl feeling like that. A couple of Chinese school transfers soon became my friends, and we made a pact. I don't think I will reveal their names, but they have their own blog, called 5 Seconds Of Something. I'll leave it to you to google them. For now I'll just call them Taylor and Swift. 

It wasn't until halfway through the school year that I met Lou, because I did not know she existed, as she kept herself pretty much invisible to the class. Why would she do that? I don't even know, because she is an amazing person whose artworks are meant to displayed to the public! Taylor introduced us, which got us realising that we all had quite a few things in common. We were all misfits. We were all super quiet and reserved. And...WE ALL HATED SPORTS! (And that's why we are all couch potatoes...)

Just kidding, don't follow our example...

The four of us became friends, but Taylor and Swift had a fall out with Lou later on. (Dun Dun DUNNNNN...) I won't go on about it, to keep things confidential.

On the bright side, it was because of the fall out that Lou and I became closer friends, and it was only the beginning of this year, when we included Bri into the group and formed LouBriTri.

Before, when I was in Chinese school, all I wanted was to be talkative. Odd request, right? But it was more than that. Being talkative was equivalent to instant popularity, as I saw it. And popularity meant fitting in. Based on what I observed by the sidelines, you had to be fun, outgoing, chatty and sociable, if you wanted to fit in. After meeting Lou and Bri, I got what I wanted.

I was talkative, I was finally fitting in. But now I didn't just want to fit in, I wanted to stand out. (Ah, I'm so ungrateful.) I guess it was just me, wanting what I didn't have. 

Wanting to do two completely different things would seem impossible. But it wasn't as impossible as it seemed. Let's look at an example. 

Chameleons blend in with their environment, but it's because of their unique camouflaging skills that they stand out amongst other animals.

I wanted to be like that. And I guess I finally learnt how to do it.

I may or may not be the only person who had to deal with this 'fitting in' problem, but what I've learnt from experience is that, if you want to fit in, then just go with the flow; but if you want to fit in and stand out, then you've got to be your own person and make your move.

Now that I come to think of it, I've always been the person I am now: Bubbly, talkative, a little sarcastic, a little sadistic, overly excited... My true personality was just suppressed by the thought that I was supposed to be quiet, shy, and unsociable.

I may not be the wisest person on the block-in fact, I don't think I'm wise at all, but THAT'S NOT THE POINT. My advice to all you misfits out there is: Take the first step or you'll forever be watching from the sidelines and wishing on stars. And I know One Republic will be counting stars, but trust me, you don't want to dreaming about the things that you can be, because if you really want to be somebody, then be it.

 *cue avengers music in the background*

If you wanna be out there, it's up to you to make that happen. You can't wait for an opportunity to come by, you have to seek opportunities and chase after them.

What I'm trying to say is... BE A CHAMELEON.

Maybe not this one

THIS ONE. Yeahhh

We'll all be Pascals together!

Nah... that doesn't sound right... but you know what I mean.

Below is the video of one of my favourite songs. The song is called Little Me, performed by Little Mix. This song means a lot to me, because it was the song that got me thinking about stepping out of my shell.
I remember crying when I first heard the song, because I could relate to it so much, and since I've heard it, it's become my favourite song, although I can never seem to sing the song like how Little Mix does. I guess their vocal ability is too incredible to replicate. That, or it's the fact that they have four people singing the song, and I'm just a lone ranger. I think it's the former. :/

Remember how I emphasised a lot on the lyrics in my music video review on Megan Nicole's Escape? Well, I believe that lyrics make a big impact on the song. I feel like I tend pay attention to the lyrics of a song more than I do to the tune. (Maybe that's why I can never be a k-pop fan) I may be bias, because I prefer writing lyrics than tune, but I guess everyone has their own personal opinions.

Here is the link to their lyric video, in case you're interested:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1QTdSW0UAc

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BOTH VIDEOS. ALL CREDIT GOES TO LITTLE MIX AND (C) 2013 SIMCO LIMITED UNDER EXCLUSIVE LICENSE TO SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT UK LIMITED.

Anywho, that about wraps up my first post of Under The Tri (Tree) Sessions, if you could relate to my post in any way, I'd be happy to hear that.

I'll be back soon! And if you haven't yet, go check out Lou's Potato Train Trips and Bri's 

xxTri :)

Geography Trip to Gua Kandu, Perak

When they said that we were visiting a cave, we weren't expecting to be climbing, crawling and clutching onto ropes, hanging on for dear life.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened.

Gua Kandu

HELLO AND GREETINGS, LOUBRITRI READERS!

It is us again, and we're back with another adventure story, this time, of our unforgettable experience at Gua Kandu, Gopeng, Perak.

This year, the geography department of our school decided: "What better way to make the students learn about limestones and caves than to visit one themselves?" So a trip was organised for all the Year 8 students that would be carried out on the 2nd of September. 

Originally, it was planned to be a day trip to Gua Tempurung, a cave located in Gopeng, Kampar District, Perak.  It is popular among spelunkers, or cave enthusiasts. Being more than 3 km long, it is one of the longest caves in Peninsula Malaysia! Part of it has been developed as a show cave with electric lighting and walkways, so we thought: "This is going to be SOOO chill because there are nice walkways for us to follow."

Gua Tempurung (image from Google)

But OH HO HO HO how wrong we were, because we didn't go to the nice, beautifully well-lit Gua Tempurung, but to the muddy, dust filled Gua Kandu. 

"Why the sudden change?" you might ask. 

Well, unfortunately Gua Tempurung had to be temporarily closed down for construction work so we had no choice but to switch locations. We were excited nonetheless and couldn't wait for the day to come. So to Gua Kandu we went!

Random scenery

On the 2nd of September, all the students of Year 8 arrived early to school as we had to board the bus early to reach our destination in time before they closed the entrance. (You can't enter after 11 a.m, we were told) We lined up according to our groups, ranging from groups 1 to 10. LouBriTri was in no luck that day as we were not placed in the same groups. Nonetheless, we had classmates and friends from our respective groups and still had an amazing time. Some of us even managed to make some new friends and get acquainted with new people, which was quite surprising as we lack greatly in the socialising department.

(Bridget fooling around)

The long 2 and a half hour bus journey to Perak was filled with laughter and entertainment. Whether it was prodding our friends while they were sleeping or sharing chips with the entire bus, it was full of fun :) There were televisions in some of the buses, so movies were played to keep us entertained. (Though, about 60% of the people were sleeping in the bus :D)

As the clock ticked 10.30, we had arrived at our destination. With that, we descended off the bus and got ready to enter the cave. Bags were arranged, bread was consumed, torches were taken out and a wild chatter brewed.

Taking one last sip of water, we headed on our journey to the cave. Little did we know, we would be extremely dehydrated during our climb and not have any liquids with us as we weren't allowed to carry our own water bottles in (-_-)

The cave itself?
All I can say is: be ready to step in mud, get cave dust everywhere and scratch yourself on rocks, because BOY THAT PLACE IS EXTREME. (unfortunately LouBriTri did not bring their cameras in to film the INTENSITY and the EXTREMENESS of the cave)
*cough* *cough* we, LouBriTri, are not really athletic people so *cough* *cough* It was indeed an INTENSE and EXTREME 4-HOUR experience for us. Yup... 

During our little adventure in the cave, we had to look down on the ground so we didn't slip, while looking on top of our heads so we wouldn't bang our skulls on low rocks. Mind you, it wasn't an easy task because we had only one torch in hand (per person) in a completely dark place, so a choice had to be made as to where the light should be shone (Bridget didn't even have a torch so you can imagine what she got herself into)

WORD OF ADVICE: If you ever visit, Gua Kandu: BEWARE OF MUD PUDDLES. Not only do they make your shoes a mess, but they can potentially make you slip and we don't want any concussions happening in there.

Some parts were this low (image from Google)

Doesn't look hard but man, it was (image from Google)

There were even some parts of the cave where we had to climb a few metres down or up with the help of ropes. To be honest, it was quite scary. Especially so when the rangers told you that you could break a few bones if you put your foot on the wrong rock which could cause you to fall and hit the cold, hard ground.(Talk about pressure.) The climbs definitely weren't easy but it made you feel a sense of accomplishment once you reached the ground because hey, you didn't break any bones. :D

Because there were so many people (240 over students, if we remember accurately) that had to climb through the cave, it took very long for everyone to finish, especially because each course had to be done one by one. In addition, we had to wait for the people at the back to finish before we could move on. At one point, groups 8, 9 and 10 had to wait at one spot for about 30 minutes because everyone else hadn't caught up yet and there were no rangers in sight to guide us where we had to go next.

At about  3 in the afternoon, we finally saw sunlight after having spent 4 hours in darkness. Ahhh the complete feeling of bliss.

I think at that point, half of us were half dead and feeling like zombies because: 1) Tiredness 2) Thirst 3) Hunger.

Ultimately, reaching the exit of the cave became our only goal and lunch became our prize.

Bri exploring the surroundings

The highway on the journey back

All in all, even though it was tiring and frustrating at times, it was an incredible experience  that we couldn't have had a chance to try if the school hadn't decided to bring us there. (Because let's be honest, no one would go climb a cave unless someone forced you to.)

We are sure none of us would forget this trip any time soon and the memories of having to climb up and down rocks will remain for a long time to come.

Amazing experience?
LOU:Yes! Apart from almost falling and slipping a few times, everything was great.
BRI: Of course!
TRI: Well... 'amazing' would be a understatement. Maybe amazingly frustrating or frustratingly amazing...?

Would I ever do it again? 

LOU: Sure, I mean why not? This time maybe with water prepared though. Definitely don't want to go through that feeling of dehydration again.
BRI: Definitely! I would like to try out another cave with more of a challenge.
TRI: Maybe in another life. Otherwise, I think my answer is a definite 'no'.

Conclusion: Bri and Tri are exact opposites.

As the sun descended down the skyline, we headed back to school. And soon enough, each and every one of us were back in our homes.

The next day of school was filled with buzzing about the trip and how each of us thought about it. And most importantly, how much our bodies ached after the strenuous exercise. Needless to say, we weren't very energetic that day. We're pretty sure three quarters of the our grade had become zombies. :/

Well it seems that is all for our little adventure in Gua Kandu, Perak. We hope you had a fun time reading this post and we'll be back soon! Farewell for now!

xxLouBriTri