Doped!!

At Radioshack, a local electronics store, we were asking about phone services.....

Dae(a korean Radioshack staff): Is your phone unlocked? Let me see it..

Jon passes his Nokia 5310 to Dae, and Dae examines it in awe...

Dae(Shouts to another radioshack staff: Hey dude! Come take a look at this phone man! This is sick!!!

Dae to Jon: Hey dude, this phone is DOPED man...

DOPE: Slang for cool, outta this world, amazing, blow ur mind kinda stuff....as we interprete it to be....

Hello Seattle!!

After a tiring and seemingly neverending flight, we finally arrived in Seattle. It was cold, gloomy and wet, with some snowflakes falling from the sky to make us enthralled for a moment of time before facing the cold harsh reality once more. Spent most of the day setting ourselves up at the apartments of those who are ready, and looking around the university district, finding out what's there to do, what's there to buy, what's there to go to. In the afternoon we went to TARGET, a departmental store in the US to buy household and kitchen items for those who didn't bring their pillows and blankets, pots and pans up. Everytime we enter a building, we are thankful for the warmth that embraces us, for the weather and long journey has taken a toll on our body, and it is only a matter of time before our body finally drains the adrenaline out from the excitement of being in a totally different realm in the world. In a place where the sun rises at 8 am and sets at 5 pm, friendly people bring happiness and joy to the sad and gloomy atmosphere that surrounds the place. Locals never fail to attempt to strike conversations with the horde of Singaporeans that exudes a distinct foreign taste, tramping through their grounds. Tomorrow is Orientation day and admin day to settle some admins stuff. 3 more days to getting my own apartment, to finally settling down. Stay tune for the photos!!

Good bye Singapore!~

And So It Is~

So, im finally left with 24 hours in the tiny little red dot. Many people say I will have loads of fun. Fun here, fun there, fun everywhere. But today one person told me it would be an experience of a lifetime, one that is life changing, one that will lead to character building, and one that I will remember for a long time to come. And I will remember that, and take it with me to Seattle. For all the fun I could have, it is definitely not entirely what I am looking forward to during my exchange there. I would definitely be looking forward to new challenges, to points where I'll be tested beyong my limits in physical, psychological, social and academic terms. I would definitely be looking to "see the world", one that is much larger than what we see in our myopic eyes. And so it is, the time has finally come where a new beginning will unfold, and I will be taken onto a path where only God knows its turns and outcomes. And so it is, I'm leaving on a jetplane, and I'll see everyone again in 7 months!!

"You will receive, and receive abundantly...."

"You stand tall physically, but stand tall for God too....."

Merry Christmas!~

Christmas Eve turned out to be a traffically uneventful day, but in the end, alls well and we might have even done some good in the wrong. Spent lunch loading myself with sashimi and sushi at Hannabi with the More Supper Less Badminton gang, who are planning to send me off on Thursday morning in the Wee hours of the night after their overnight mahjong session. What a lovable bunch. After lunch we almost adjourned to T3, but wisely chose to go LAN gaming instead, something I've not done in ages and may not do for quite a while. After that, rushed off home to go for another Christmas Eve dinner celebration at a parent's friend's house. Its been a busy christmas, and tomorrow's gonna be another busy day with my relatives coming over for lunch and meeting sarah for tea plus Christmas dinner with my small group. I guess this is probably how one would be busily spending christmas when he/she will be leaving right after it. Anyway, Merry Christmas to everyone!

Do you know the true meaning of Christmas?

O Holy Night~

Hairdresser~

Maybe its just me, or maybe its the word "xiu". Hell I don't even know what the word means, but I think it means to trim. I assume that trimming in hairdressing terms is to make neat the hair presented to the hairdresser, without a drastic change in length of the hair. And to "cut short" would mean to cut by an amount such that the length of hair that is short. Apparently when I went to the hairdresser today, she took off more hair from what I have left on my head. So maybe if "xiu" is cut short, trim would be "xiu xiu"...haha!!! It seems that she takes pleasure in cutting my hair. It seems that guys must all leave the hairdresser with short hair, if not they weren't there for a haircut. Before me, there were two guys who cut slope and had their sideburns trimmed. Perhaps she was experiencing a post hair cutting rampage syndrome. It probably seemed even wierder to her that she didn't have to use the shaver like machine on me, only using scissors, clips and comb. I have to say that my hair now has a rather Asian taste to it, something that I would prefer not to have. Like trying to look cool but not cool at all. Its kinda hard to communicate with the hairdresser what one wants, especially when there maybe cultural differences. Like before she cut my hair, she asked me " U wanna Spike?" Almost everytime I go to the hairdresser, I get that question. Maybe I should reply "Eh Auntie, what you see is what I go out with." When I find a hairdresser that can understands me, I'll definitely stick with him/her.

Nostalgia~

Somehow I think I am going to miss home despite my self proclaiming ability to be quick to adapt to new environments. I couldn't think of any other reason of this 1 week spell of home confinement that God gave to me. He knows that I would be going out alot more if I am up and running, and would not be spending quality time at home with my family, my room, my bed, my furniture, my floor, my table, my..........I'm just probably being too analytical with my current situation. Arh whatever. With theoretically 6 but practically 3 more days to go, I am 80% packed my bags and ready to go. But I have to admit that because of my stomach condition, it is quite unfortunate that I in the dying moments of the hours I have left in Singapore am unable to savour her exquisite cuisine like the OH LUA, CHAI TAU KWAY, HOKKIEN MEE etc. Furthermore, i haven't really met all the friends that I want to meet before I leave. It will only be my regret that I will not be able to meet up with them. Moreover, there's still IPPT to clear b4 I leave, and MINDEF has left me with no other date other than 26 Dec 1700hrs to clear it. Oh man, this is so damm last minute, it can't be any more last minute. In 6 days, I'll be halfway across the world, freezing my ass off, finding my bearings.

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can and the Wisdom to know the difference.

Agonizing Pain~

It was 4am Thursday morning, when a queasy feeling in my stomach forced me outta my sleep and outta my bed. After a quick unload in the toilet, I tried to go back to sleep, but I started to get chills and my muscles started to have spasms. Then almost instantly, the fever set in. When morning came, my dad brought me to the doc, and she told me I have some serious food poisoning. And I almost wanted to self medicate. She gave me some jab immediately which purpose I know not of. At that point of time, anything the doc gives me sounds pretty good. So i spent the rest of the day in bed, using up 1 roll of toilet paper for the 10 times i've visited the toilet, and had to cancel 2 meet ups I had on thursday. It was the same case for friday, just less the fever and the improved appetite. Today, I think I went less than 10 times, but more than 5. haha! But woke up feeling much better today, albeit the stomach cramps that persevered throughout. Nonetheless, I was able to finish my meals today and had the craving to indulge in a bowl of campbell's cream of chicken soup ( I noe i shouldn't). Something that i'm quite pissed...I lost 4 kg in 3 days. Girls, this is the best weight loss program ever, if you wanna lose weight. No pain, no LOSS. It took me a helluva effort to load myself to 70kg, only to lose all the hardwork in 3 days. Destruction is always easier than construction. Give me another 2 more days, and I think I will be up and running again. Even if I'm not, I will have to, as I realised I'm only 12 days away from the exciting journey which I haven't even started packing for. Crap crap crap (hahaha!!) So for all the crapping in the world, I've prob done more in 3 days than the entire year. And its not something you would wanna do. Trust me.

Guitar-less~

With 2 weeks left to go before I leave Singapore for the longest time of my life, which to me is a taste of life outside the lion city, I finally started preparing my packing list, something which I've perpetually procrastinated for over a week. I know that there are many things i'll have to bring over. But after today, what I have thought is "many" is seriously understated. When I look through the list again and again, trying to think whether I've left out any item, I can't help to notice helplessly that "Hamon's Takamine Acoustic Guitar" is not an item included in the list. I've made a decision about a week ago not to bring my acoustic guitar to the US, after making some enquiries to STA and Northwest Airlines and also looking around for a hard case for my acoustic guitar. I'll probably not want to lugg too many things around especially when I'm travelling. I'll probably be able to get my hands on a guitar when I'm there. I'll probably become super rusty (and my guitar strings too) when I get back from the States 6 months later. I'll probably forget how to play a guitar altogether...... I'm going to spend the rest of my time in Singapore catching up with friends and family, and its time I start spending time with my Takamine and my Line 6 duo (electric guitar and pedal), cos they too are my friends who are there to entertain me when I'm bored and sing music to my ears when I am stressed.(Please don't think I'm mad when i start personifying my guitars..haha!!) I'm gonna miss them, and I'm definitely gonna miss playing on them.

Thermal Fatigue~

Thermal fatigue is defined as the premature fracture of a material or substance due to cyclic stresses caused by temperature changes.

The weather recently has been cyclical with repeated periods of rain and sunshine. In this weather, people will inevitably fall sick, and I have unfortunately fallen victim to this vicious weather.

The Week~

Besides the settling of GIP stuff like collecting of my US visa which looks way cool, probably due to the fact that I had this phobia of the embassy rejecting my application, I had Cheers Doubles tournament every night, coupled with supper after each match, which we seriously thought that there is more weight gained from the supper than weight loss from the matches. Well, this year managed to get to the Quarter finals, at which we lost to Rocky and Aman, who went on to clinch the Men's doubles title. Competitive badminton has always been something I look forward to. The sense of satisfaction that one gains from it whether you come out victorious or beaten doesn't really matter. Its the "shiokness" that gives you the kick.

Yesterday, was supposed to meet my sports camp Programmer group Ah Choos for an afternoon drinking session at Brewerkz then eat XO Fishhead beeehoon at Holland. In the end, we ended up drinkin coffee and eating toast at Ya Kun and eating dinner at this sushi place which was not too bad. Caught The Heartbeak Kid after that too! It was a very gd laugh, albeit it being an R21 film and those under 21 won't be able to catch it. I seriously or rather comically for that matter, recommend this movie to all who are mature in the eyes of the law. Be prepared for some crude adult humour and if u don't wanna go into the movie and muttering "HUH??", I suggest u read up on some "positions". ehem.
Ended the day eating cloud number 9 from ben n jerry's, something so outrightly sinful. You just have to see the picture to understand why.

Today, I volunteered for a community service project called Operation Homeworks coordinated by the Habitat for Humanity organization. We cleaned houses of old folks in Chinatown. And trust me, it was extreme cleaning man. I have never seen anything like that in my life before, and can't imagine people staying in such dilapidated conditions. At times you cringe at the sight of bedbugs crawling all over the place, or the ultra thick layer of dust that has collected over eons on a surface, or the strong smell of urea that fills the air in the house but you know that you have to do something to help these pple, and to do so we would have to control our disgust or fear of these stuff. It was truly a humbling experience and an eye opener for me.

Just came back from the RJBT farewell 07 and I would have to say that the captains did a very good job in organizing a very meaningful farewell for the seniors. The videos and the sights of camaraderie within the current team which Sarah and I noticed and us being J6 this year certainly brought back good memories of the past made us miss those days that were truly the days of our JC lives. Tomorrow, it would be filling in in bass guitar for Upper Room service at 730 am, followed by Ushering for main service at 1030 am, and then rounding up the day with a bbq at Rachel's place for Joel's and my farewell from the Shineforth band.

A Rainy Day~

Its pouring like its not gonna stop pouring outside. Has been raining since noon, and my guess is that its going to rain the day off. What does it mean when URA rejects appeals for parking fines? It means that they could smell the rat from a mile away. That sucks, so ok, I'll have to pay my $30 parking fine for the 5 minutes that I left my car at Serangoon gardens. Maybe I should have just left the car for the entire day, and i might have felt better after that. What does it mean when your mum gets facebook? It means that she's tracking your every move, checking out all your friends, looking at which girl you're talking to and who you are poking all day(pun NOT intended). It means, you can't do anything on facebook that your mom doesn't know abt. Not that I'm doing anything worthy of being guilty conscious, but its just kinda scary now that you noe ur privacy space has just shrunk to the size of a pea. What does it mean when its raining and you're stuck at home with nothing to do? It means more of these...enjoy:)

"Without Music, Life would be a mistake"

- Friedrich Nietzsche

Another Fulfiling Day~

The first thing I did when I woke up was to on my computer. And luckily, it was the right thing to do. The leasing agent of the apartment in Seattle replied us with certain official documents to sign. We had to send these documents and payment for initial deposit by express mail. So since I was going to the US embassy today to collect my passport with the approved visa(always tot it might not be approved), I called Jonathan, my roommate to go settle it today. Thus, went to bank to get bankdraft for the deposit, then went to meet Jonathan and Juanita, another girl going for GIP to eat lunch, then went to US embassy to get my passport, then went to post office to send the thing via speedpost. It costs us 37 dollars worth of stamps to send the damm thing to the US can u believe tt?? OMG. After that, went home to take a rest before heading down to SBA to play Cheers Doubles Open 2007. Finished the day with a nice plate of Beef Sheng Mian.

MAHJONG~

I always feel that mahjong can be played without the involvment of money exchanging hands with equal amount of fun and enthusiasm put into the game. I think I have been proven right today despite the fact that some people might choose to believe that the element of money adds in a little bit more "thrill" into the game, and some even believe that money is the whole point of playing mahjong. If you have read the LIFE section of The Sunday Times today, you will understand my conviction. It is perhaps that those who have tasted that extra bit of thrill by playing mahjong with money have been desensitized such that they can't play mahjong without money. Are we living in such a money oriented society that it has to permeate every aspect of our lives? Can't we have a little bit of good clean fun? (money quite dirty lah..pass through many hands). Nevertheless, I think mahjong can be quite a gd activity amongst friends that requires certain amount of intellect and stimulation of the mind. So.....anyone out there play mahjong without money....pls jio me!!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow~

Tuesday~

I didn't know I had so many things in hall till I shifted out today. What seemed like an easy peazy move out turned to be a great upper body workout. In the end, I felt compelled to throw away some unecessary stuff that I kept since like last sem, all the extra papers, magazines, postcards that I used to decorate my board with when I was in hall 2. But nevertheless, I'm finally outta hall 5!! In the afternoon, Lester Lyanna and I went to visit the subordinate courts. Kinda odd thing to do on a Tuesday afternoon, but it was quite an experience. You could tell each time when we walked into a court room, people were giving us the "who the hell are they" kinda glares. Most interestingly, we managed to see SDP Chief Dr Chee Soon Juan in court defending against charges of holding a public rally without a permit. Its kinda intimidating being at the sub courts, cos you bring yourself so close to justice, anything you do at that point of time could implicate you in one way or another. All I could say is that I was pretty conscious of my actions. Went to Waraku for dinner after that, and chilled out at that place for about 2 hours, before adjourning to this place called Riccioli which sells its cakes at 50% off after 9. Oh man you got to try this place..Sells exquisite cakes at very reasonable prices....after 9!! haha. Enjoy!

Life As It is~

What a fulfilling 3 days it has been after the exams. On friday, I went to Vivocity with the Aero peeps to have lunch, after which Lester made me walk a whooping 3 km in the sun from Clark Quay mrt to Automobile Association Singapore along River Valley Road to apply for the International Driving Permit so that I can drive in the US and he in Ireland! Later at night, went to catch "My name is Justine", a disturbing and thought provoking polish film about Prostitution in Europe. On Saturday, went East Coast park to rollerblade with Lester and Lyanna. Enjoyed the sun, the seabreeze, the coconut, and the company. We went to in indulge in some Katong Laksa, Otah,rojak and some hong kong cafe dessert for lunch. Went to Suntec with Lester after that, to get Toyogo box for shifting out of hall, and we chanced upon this gigantic LCD tv that costs S$100k. Would u spend one hundred thousand dollars on a tv?! Worship pract followed after at 4 o'clock and the Saturday rounded off with Bryan's 21st birthday party. Played electric guitar for Shineforth Service on Sunday for the last time before I head off to Seattle, had a chill out lunch with Glenn which took abt 3 hours cos of the aimless walking arnd Orchard Road...something I rarely do. Today, I went to the bank to purchase a cashier's order and a bank draft in the morning, then went to RI for RJ's badminton trg, which totally shacked me out, then went to Junction 8 to get a webcam for Seattle.

Tired but fulfilling.

The Last Supper~

Aiya......no bread no wine...only Nissin chicken flavoured instant noodles! Tonight is the last night I will be having supper in hall 5, the last night I'll be enduring the noise of morning PIE traffic, the last night I'll be spending in NTU (for a long time) and the last night before the end of times...end of exams that is!! It has been a torrid semester. Academic tribulations, activity abstinence and emotional solitude. No doubt it was one helluva objective driven 3 month rollercoaster ride, and a different perspective and experience of life on the other side(of school that is.haha!!) Whatever. There are times that you are eagerly looking forward to, only to be shell shocked and stupefied when it arrives, like "Yeah Woohoo Alright!!!....Now wat??" Overrated, overhyped, overwhelmed. I'm beginning to have a pretaste of that now, although there's a list of want to do's and MUST do's that I've planned for after exams. haha....

Well...at the turn of the eye, I'm moving outta hall. A good friendship forged between my roomie and I, one that I would cherish. One that is of "jiang yi qi", one that is hard to come by. It isn't a coincidence that he's going for GIP too, so that we won't be lonely of each other. On hindsight, despite the fact that people may condemn hall 5 to the abyss of the Hall pits, I will describe it as the beauty within. A place where u can find solace, a place where you can be focused, a place of good meditation, and a place of reflection. Well people might have differing opinions on the place, but then again, if you don't try, you will never know:).

Did you know that the Singapore government repealed Section 377 of the Penal Code in October? For the benefit of those who don't know what that section is and may mistake it for Section 377a with all the debates about gay issues of late, now we are able to perform fellatio and cunnilingus without breaking the law..(haha!!!) And just food for thought, why isn't there an equivalent section in the Penal code for lesbians? Why the "discrimination against men?? Just thinking.....

Hey Doc!~

D: "So son, tell me what ya have."
H: "Oh man, Had a rough week, I was sick with fluids, mom, emotions, aerospace dynamics. Now I'm rid of them and now I'm still sick of Maths 4 and Circuits, I need some kinda prescription doc."
D: "Mmm I see I see, let me do some examinations. Pulse rate normal, reflexes kinda slow, physical health not too bad...Are you getting FAT?"
H: "Errr....."
D:" You better start exercising dude....besides your degrading physical attributes, your social health is almost non existent."
H:" Errr...."
D: "Ok let me see what I can do for you. I'll give you Chill pills, take these after meals 3 times a day yeah? Oh yeah and I'll also give you mixtures of music and exercise. Take these once a day."
H: "Ok thanks doc!"
D: "One more thing, I'll give you an MC(fineprint - maths4 & circuits) for the next 3 days. After that, I'm sure you'll regain your health!"
H:" Ok cool doc, thanks for the help! I'm feeling better already!"

People~

"People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centred.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Be successful anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It never was between you and them anyway."

-Mother Theresa

TGIF~

Thank god its friday, thank god its fluids finally finished, and thank god its freedom finally coming. Woke up today knowing that because I am going to have an exam in the afternoon later, I'll have to do some studying. So I studied the morning away, chatting online and surfing the net occasionally in between, to relieve myself of the boredom of studying. I've come to think that studying is a word that shouldn't be used in our pursuit of knowledge, because it carries that negative connotation that is attached to it. I'll relate studying to a depressive state, to something that I wouldn't want to do, to something that sucks your energy and time, such that it will deprive you of doing the things that may be more fulfiling in life and its journey. NVM.

So, I had to control whatever was inside me from venting out today, when Lester pulled out one of his late antics (I sorta don't like to be late) when I was going to pick him up to go to school for our Fluid Mechanics paper, and I think I'm getting quite proficient in it. But thank god, we still managed to get to school with enough time to settle down and do some last minute studying. I thank god for the paper, and also for the Nasi Lemak we had at Adam Road Hawker centre for dinner after the exam.

Was subbing in for Esmond on Acoustic guitar today at the Prayer and Praise service. Initially when he asked me whether I could help him out cos of his last minute business trip to Bangkok, I was kinda hesitant due to exams but in the end still agreed cos of my nice(some pple will seriously disagree with tt) nature. Nevertheless, it was a good break from studying on a Friday night, although I still flipped through Aerospace Dynamics notes during the sermon and I ask God for forgiveness for that. I was touched by the song Sing of Your great love by hillsongs that we played during worship today. It sounded impeccable and the lyrics are just so beautiful. Such a powerful and moving song, it moved my heart. It moved me so much I've made a video (not again!) to share it with everyone out there, just bear with the zao sia and the miscues. So cheers! Thank God its friday:)

Keeping you on your toes~

In Dreams~

In 10 days, I will be amongst the clouds. Flying freely where the wind takes me.

Drive~

Oh man, I'm losing my drive to study, especially when I know that I'm THIS close to freedom-ness...Although I'm physically at my desk, my mind has already wandered halfway across the globe. Its called a mental physical lag. To make things worse, I'm already planning my holiday schedule, while I'm doing past year papers and revising tutorials. I so need to focus. Actually I am, just that I'm focusing on the wrong thing at the wrong time! Water Fudge, its just 2 more weeks. Guys, hang in there, so that we can hang out after that.

I drove into a petrol kiosk yesterday, and realised that the price of petrol has gone up insanely. Great. My mom's 0.6 litres car now pumps 50 dollars worth of petrol. Unbelievable. It's time we stop driving and start cycling to school and to work. But wait, not until those thieving bicycle punks gets a death sentence for stealing bikes.

TTs~

I'm so sorry, but I'm not gonna talk about the Audi TT, cos I'm not that into sleek and expensive cars. I'm a hybrid kinda guy. Been trying to promote the Toyota Prius to my parents, since my dad's camry is hitting its 3rd year and I thought we might as well do our part for the environment, at the same time saving some dollars and cents. Anyway, what I am going to talk about are Toilet Tvs. Not really common, but I've seen one today at Orchard Hotel. A nice flat screen hung on the toilet wall above the urinals in the male washroom, broadcasting what was showing on channel 5 at that moment. Ok, so....I don't think i'll be standing at the urinal to take a half an hour piss, cos if I do that, I'll probably lose all the water in my body. Point: What's the point of putting a television in the toilet showing TV programs? Even if I were to take a crap at the urinal (urinal's aren't meant for crapping), I wouldn't even last an advert. Ok, if one wants to put a tv in the toilet to impress upon buzzing tourists, maybe it could be put to better use in terms of marketing or promotional usage, rather than letting someone find a reason why he paid so much for the hotel room there.

Reason and Passion~

"Reason alone can never be a motive to any action of the will....it can never oppose passion in the direction of the will....Reason is, and ought to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them"

-Hume

Just can't get Enough of~

Finally~

The semester's FINALLY coming to a close, and exams are just around the corner, like...really just around..... A medley of papers in one and a half weeks, and by the 23rd of November, I'll be FINALLY flying on cloud number 9. I really can't wait to go to the US, especially when you FINALLY see the light at the end of the tunnel, and discover that the Singapore Education is sooo screwed up. That i'll leave to another post to ramble about. FINALLY, I've settled my subject matching for exchange today with Prof Ng, who gave me a hell of a rollercoaster ride, literally making me go up and down N3 to consult Prof Liu Yong on matching a Aerospace Materials who FINALLY gave me the green light on the subject match. I'll be going to settle accomodation with John, my new found GIP friend and apartment mate to be in Seattle tomorrow at GIP office, and on Friday, head down to STA with another bunch of new found friends to make the deposit for the airtickets. I can almost smell Seattle from here man... Almost, but not quite. This sem has been, in itself, a rollercoaster ride with more downs than ups I would say. But it has been a hell of a ride. You know how some pple get that exhilirating feeling from rollercoaster rides? Unfortunately I don't get that same feeling from riding roller coasters, especially this one. But I get that exhilarating feeling when I'm done with it, that sense of satisfaction of completing something although you don't find the process enjoyable but know that its good for you. 3 more weeks of sharp turns, twists, drops and adrenaline highs, one can feel that he can FINALLY fly and live life as it should be.

3 more weeks of hell, to 6 months of good life...FINALLY....or so it seems....

Built to Last~

I've been listening to the song so many times in these few days, that I've actually wondered what it means to built to last. How many things in this world are actually built to last? Civilizations rise and fall, mountains get weathered down, machines degenerate, people come and go, relationships get broken down etc etc etc. There is nothing on this earth that is built to last. I think the fundamental meaning of the phrase does not impy that there is something that is indestructible or immortal, rather there is a way to make entities last, by changing and adapting to its current nature, it will be able to last. For example, in the context of a relationship, the only way to last is to change to suit and fulfil the requirements of the relationship, because the relationship isn't a static one, but a dyamic and vibrant entity. However, if one chooses to remain in an intertial state and not to move rectilinearly with the entities around him, then nothing around him will be built to last. In essence, there is only 1 thing is this world that is built to last, and it is independent of all variables: God's love, it endures forever and stretches from the east to the west, one scarred hand to the other.

What a Beautiful Song~

The Toilet Story~

This is a story that cannot be left untold. It is a story about a guy and his bathing journey. Yes, the bathing journey in essence implies that it takes a long time, as most journeys are. It begins with me coming back from training sweaty all over and wanting to take a quick shower before doing my laundry, which includes the wet shorts and underwear i'm wearing As i walked into my room which is strategically located next to the toilet, I noticed another guy with his standard bathing equipment walk into the toilet. There are 3 bathing cubicles in the toilet, and out of the 3, I would say only 1 is fully functional with respect to water pressure and presence of a nozzle. Hence, the decision to wait was made. The time is 2250....2255...2300...2305. I didn't know guys who went through army take so long to bath. 2310.....TMD. Cannot take it already. So into the toilet I went to endure my 5 minutes of an unsatisfying shower. In the midst of it, I heard a phone ring, then I heard the sound of gushing water stop. Then I heard a "Hullo...." and following that the sound of gushing water coming on. WHO THE HELL BRINGS HIS HANDPHONE TO THE FREAKING SHOWER!?! Unless he's going to take a 30 minute shower that is. Being an eco friendly citizen of the earth I came out of the toilet at 2315. 2320, he finally finished whatever he was doing in there.

I know girls do take 30 min showers, but guys?? I could spend the extra 20 minutes eating a meal and the exra 100 litres of water to hydrate myself for 12.5 days.

Once in a while~

It seems quite a while that I have not written a post, but its probably the lack of time that I have at hand. How ironic. A lack of time leads to a long time. I can feel the pressure building up. The tests and reports and CA assignment pressures. Luckily my body is able to withstand these high pressures, due to the high maximum stress it can take, which means u've got to have higher pressures to break me. The weather ahead is a stormy one, but I think I am aerodynamic enough to cut through the strong turbulent winds which flows exceed that of Reynold's number such that I won't get blown away. If not, I'll probably can transform into a sweet potato so that i'll be safe buried into the ground. If my calculations are correct, the storm will last for approximately 3 weeks before we reach the eye. Based on the diameter of the eye, calamity will maintain for two weeks before we experience the storm again. Then it will be another 3 weeks before it finally subsides, and finally those in hiding will be able to come out and bask in the glorious sunshine that has gone missing for a time now. Sorry for the technicality as I'm in the midst of preparing for a technical report and its oral presentation. Godspeed for the storm ahead.

A Long Day~

End to end stuff today man. Day started at 4am, waking up early not to watch champions league, but to send my parents to the airport for their mission trip to china. Then, I took the PIE from Changi Airport all the way to NTU for the first time cruising at a comfortable speed of about 110 kilometres per hour to conquer the wooping 40km across the island in half an hour. And due to my morning escapades, I went to school feeling stonish. Moreover, my stupid brand new contact lenses for the month tore when i tried putting on this morning...crap. Today Lee Kuan Yew came to speak at NTU in the Ministerial Forum which I've volunteered to become a student usher. Had the chance to open the door for him, in between which my door buddy and I stood for 3 solid hours, something I haven't done for a pretty long time. It was again sad to see the apathy of the Singaporeans with the QnA session dominated by foreigners, and whose English standards impressed upon MM Lee, who made a point earlier about Singaporeans having an advantage by knowing English in the 21st centur, only to be surprised that most of the foreigners who stood up to ask quetions could all commune relatively well in English and who all learnt their English in their homeland. Nevertheless, still inspired by someone who has the capacity to learn and to improve even when he is in his 80s.

Quotes~

"Good times do not last because we are not yet in heaven."

"Do not live in the successes of the past, but persevere and repeat history."

-Rev Malcolm Tan

How apt:)

Amazing Grace~

Soft Side~

It is amazing how facebook, a utility tool invented by some Harvard graduate has evolved into a fad, from connecting students within Harvard University to connecting over 40 million people around the world. In my recent endeavour to be studious and attempt to catch up with my work which I've failed in certain aspects, I've explored further the realms of facebook, of those that I've been trying to escape from, leaving behing a long trail of notifications and requests waiting for my responses. Succumbed to them I have, and in my small little facebook adventure I've come to realised how technology has helped to liven up our monotonous and poor lives by creating small little things that paint smiles on people's faces. Gone are the days when you need to physically buy a flower to cheer a friend up, or even send a birthday card on the person's birthday. We can now "give a gift" to that person or write on the person's wall on facebook. These small little tools have eradicated the "hardware" and given us the "software" to communicate to our friends our emotions through a cheaper, less time consuming, more hassle free way. Bravissimo. You never know one day we could get married online, or even have a dinner party online through an online portal. Farfectched, but in my own humble opinion, the further you reach for, the further you will achieve.

Anyway, I've stumbled upon 2 amazing utility software that I would like to share. The first one's Registry Mechanic. It helps fix your screwed up registry such that your com will operate faster and stop lagging. The 2nd's SpeedUpMy Pc. Self Explanatary. These 2 gems made my com feel like a million bucks. So if you comm has a load of junk that acts like a chute behind a runing man, these two utilities are the gatorade.

Matlab = MADlab.

Recess is ending, time to upgrade the software and start up the hardware for another gruelling term, at the end of which would bring a deep satisfaction and an exciting anticipation:)

The Purpose of Reading~

That which is the end of their (author's) wisdom is but the beginning of ours.
- Marcel Proust

Disarray~

I've faced my demons
Wrestling these angels to the ground
And all that I could find
Was a thin line between
All the saints and villains
it was crossed in my own mind

Someday I'm gonna find it
Wish I knew what I was looking for
Inside the disarray
I woke up this morning
Don’t know where I’m going
But it’s alright
I wouldn't have it any other way

I’m struggling between the facts and fiction
I’m alone But I'm alive
Everyone around me is trying to make a statement
Then there's me
I’m just trying to survive

If this was any other day
I'd pretend to know where I stand
I just don’t know

Getting in Touch~

I realised that the recess week is for people to get in touch with whatever they've lost touch with during the busy and hectic schedule of the academic term. Be it getting back in touch with work, friends, family; emotional, social, physical, musical and spiritual life. For me, i've probably lost a bit of touch with everything, and am really making use of this term break to reconnect those ends that gotten loose over the term.

Managed to hit the books after a well deserved 3 day break, from which I've derived satisfaction in doing things not usual, as can be seen from the previous posts and the studio family picture, plus the playing for band in church on Sunday and having dinner at grandma's on Sunday. After which, went to NLB for a Tech comm discussion, which was quite disastrous due to the lack of proper facilities there. At night, I went for Sports camp programmers chalet! It brought back many good memories and it was heartening to see the enthusiasm in the freshie programmers, and in retrospect thinking whether our batch of programmers possessed an equal amount of enthusiasm. Nevertheless, I foresee a good programmers committee about to rise up.

The activities for the week will include mugging sessions, research and project sessions, chalet sessions, meeting up with friends sessions, fitness sessions(yes i still need to keep fit), watching rugby and soccer sessions etc etc. Fun filled but well filled to the brim. Recess week = Break?? U bet not:)

Family Potrait~

Not Norm~

What an invigorating,refreshing and happy Friday from5 all the stressful tests, tutorials and proposals. I decided to take the day off and give myself a good break after what seemed to be a full blown 1st term with infinite workload. All started well after lectures, when I went to see Prof Ng regarding subject matching for GIP. He was pretty happy with what i've matched except for aerodynamics which he said I have to see Professor Schluter to get approval for that. Amazingly, even though I only managed to do a 30% match on the course syllabus for the compressible flow module, Prof Schluter had no problems with UW's course syllabus and gave me the approval 30 seconds after I walked into his office. What a great man. Submitted my "Consent form" for GIP afterward which together with the approved subject matching aptly marked the end of Stage 2 of the GIP process.

Went to eat our long procrastinated (like 1 year) lunch with Charlene after that, and had a great chat with her. After I went back to Hall, I watched the movie "Just follow Law". Its so lame and funny man, every singaporean ought to watch it. If you want the film just drop me an email or something.

After dropping off my mom at my dad's camp where she went for a badminton session with him after she came to pick me up, went to NUS to pick Sarah up to have dinner with her and her sister with her 3 kids. Became babysitter for about 2 hours, making sure the kids didn't get lost in borders, carrying 18 months old Daniel(he looks like wayne rooney) from Takashimaya to Centrepoint on my left arm(it ached real badafter tt) and watching the dinner table turn into a war zone while appreciating my food.

After that, we met up with Sarah's exchange friend Pavla from Czech Republic for the movie "The Rogue Assassin". What a rogue movie it was.....haha....After that, drove to Kent Ridge park for a midnight walk and in the process spotting 2 cars we suspected that had couples making out inside.

Sorry for the lack of thought in language, cos its like almost 2 and i don't wanna think that much. It was a busy but fufilling day. So not routine and mundane. Only if everday could be like this. Well, reality always kicks in and I figured i got to hit the books again tomorrow. What a wonderful friday it has been:)

Purpose~

I've been so convicted that everything happens for a purpose in life. Especially so this semester, where a series of unfortunate events have actually turned out to be blessings in disguise. Starting with the Hall allocation fiasco, when I thought I know why I was thrown here without rhyme or reason, only to suddenly realise that there is a bigger picture to be seen. Not only is it for me to concentrate on my studies and learn to live away from distractions and friends, it is for me to prepare for my exchange programme overseas. Out of all the Aero people who've gotten GIP, I'm the sole ranger to trek on the terrain of the University of Washington. I was caught so off guard by the result initially, only to realise later that God has a plan for me. To illustrate the point that I did not even think of going UW, I have done research for UMich and GIT but never even visited the home page for UW.

Moreover, a pleasant surprise came to me yesterday as I found out that the pianist playing with me in the makeshift band today for the Praise and Prayer Service is curently studying in UW. I have never seen this guy at all, cos he's been in UW for probably a few years already, and he's subbing in to play keyboard only for today. Wait there's more, the acoustic guitarist Dan who's playing alongside me today as well in the makeshift band is goin to Seattle in January to do community college. Like...What the Holy Cow..... unexplainable, unfathomable, but real. I just can't explain what just happened this week, but I know who can:) There's a plan that's crafted out for me, and I'm happy that I'm looked and watched after for.

Just wanna thank David for all the prayers!! Thanks for being there when it really matters:)

What a poster~

The Right Track~

Last Sunday, I made a decision to put my chrisitian life back to track, by making the effort to pay attention during the sermon and not allow my mind to drift elsewhere by taking notes on my pda. Pastor Malcolm preached about God not letting us down, about the 2nd coming of God, and how we should prepare for his return. Having a sanctified heart, having no unconfessed sins in our hearts were a few of the points that he mentioned. But a burning question rose in my mind. Am I living my life such that I am prepared for his God's arrival if he comes tomororw? Am I living without regrets such that I will not regret if I were to leave earth tomorrow? What does it mean to live life without regrets?

If you were to ask me that question last year, I would say to live life without regrets would be to try everything out there, to see the world, to pack your time with activities such that you live your days efficiently. However, I would tell you now that to live life without regrets is to make the right decisions that will change your life.

In my recent struggle with life's issues (aren't we all struggling with issues in life), I've always wondered whether I've made the right decisions. Honestly, sometimes I do things without putting much thought into it. Heart over mind eh?? And sometimes I do things by putting too much thought into it. Nevertheless, I pray that God gives me the wisdom to make the correct decisions, and to reveal to me his plans for me.

I am going to put my life on the right track.

Cool Videos~

this baby is so cute~!!






The Ronaldinho of basketball

Intense~

University of Michigan. I'm probably 1 step closer to going for exchange. Not entirely excited as I know realistically there's still a long way to go before I know whether I can go. There is subject matching to do, there is still the results of GIP that has yet to be released which might change my exchange destination if I even get to go, and there's the pending acceptance from UMich itself. So, there's alot of work to be done.

Saturday doesn't sound like a day to go to school, but I went to school for a 3 hour Maths 4 lecture. If you think Maths 4 sounds easy, wait till you hear fourier transformation and complex number integration.

Apollo Banana Leaf Restaurant. Today we had a mini aerospace lunch outing there with Subbiah, the guy from Gerogia Institute of Technology who came here for a semester of exchange in humble NTU. Amazing. I thought the exchange will mostly be one way, but apparently we are known to people in the USA, who more often than not do not know where Singapore is, not to mention that they don't even know we exist. It was an intense lunch of fish and mutton curries and popeye's spinach.

I'm gonna hibernate at home for 6 weekends for 1 reason and 1 only. The Rubgy World Cup 2007. Tonight, All Blacks will be playing the Italians at 1930. I bet it will be a mouth watering game. Somehow I seem to enjoy rubgy more than soccer, perhaps because of the passion and honour that is injected into game which makes it more exciting to watch. I'm probably more of a blood, sweat, tears and glory kinda person than a money, fame, money, money kind of person. Haha!! (No offence)

Durian Juice~

I've figured out a revolutionary way to make durian juice which will allow you to enjoy both the succulent meat of the durian and sip on its juice. NO more tedious squeezing of the durian meat which will probably yield you 0.0001ml of juice. Just eat the durian, drink loads of water, wait for 10 mins, bring a cup to the toilet and viola!!!

4th University~

They should set it up like real fast. I don't wanna spend the last years of my education eating lunch along the road or staying in Hall 17.

The Result of a Very Happy Childhood~

Over the Limit~

You know its over the limit when you decide to spend $318 in 2 hours on a 320GB hard drive and an altec lansing 2.1 speakers system that you just couldn't take your ears off. You know its over the limit when you have to go out without completing your tutorials for the next week. You know its over the limit when u down so many shots you don't know how many you've downed. You know its over the limit when you tried to control your puke from coming out but to no avail. You know its over the limit when you start talking nonsense even though you know are talking nonsense.You know its over the limit when you can't concentrate on sermon. You know its over the limit when you fall asleep in cell group. You know its over the limit when you are writing this blog, waiting to go for a birthday party when you haven't finished your tutorials and study for a quiz next week.

You know its over the limit when you don't do anything about an attraction so strong you can't avoid.

MAN!!!!

Another burnt weekend ahead with respect to time not being spent on tutorials. After recovering from the horrible GIP interview, I've got another exciting weekend with fun filled activities, which starts with IT Fair tomorrow, followed by shopping, followed by dinner with Glenn Jan Pin Mel. Strike Friday. I'm going for a PAP talk on Saturday!!! The invite came, and i Respondez Sil Vous plait to it. Talk's from 12-2, so my programmer friends are gonna kill me, cos i'll be rushing down for sports ball pre activities after tt. It will most probably be the last sports club event for me. After 1 year of associating myself with the club with no regrets, i have decided to call it quits. Call it priorities, call it excuses, I have my reasons. Strike Saturday. Sunday - feels wierd now going to church without having to play for service after my week in week out involvment in worship. After service, finally going back for cell after a long break since WUG. After that, going for a birthday party!!! Strike Sunday.

Turkey for christmas anyone?

Evolution~

Wow!!
WOooo..
Wheeee!!
Whey!!
Waaattt!!
Wahh..
Wah Lau!!!
Wah kau....
Wah lan!!
Water Fug....
Water Jug...
Vuudka Jug!!!
Vuudd ah u doooing reeeeeding this nonsensical post???

A Video Paints a Million Words~

Testing out blogger's new toy!!

Memories~

Thank God Its Friday~

Fridays are splendid, not only because I finish my lessons at 1030 in the morning, but i can spend the rest of the day doing my tutorials. No I have not yet become a hardcore mugger, softcore only lah. Focus is the new kid in the block. Determination is its best friend. Together, they kicked slack out with style. It has been a great start to the semester, and I've found the motivation that I lost after my As, which drove me to make use of every minute, and save every possible one everyday, such that I can expand the very little amount of time that we already have to do the many things we have to do. Many things is defined as work,tutorials, badminton and church, contrary to the definition of many things last sem, which was work, tutorials, committees, badminton, church, hall.

Ok enough of babbling. Anywayz, I'm 1 step closer to going GIP!! Got shortlisted for the interview on Tuesday which I'll try to prepare during the weekend. Praying and crossing my fingers real hard!!

Productive Day~

0615 - Wake up, breakfast
0730 - Reach School, short nap
0800 - wake up from nap, do fluid mechanics tutorial
0900 - go for 5 km run
0940 - washup
1000 - 2nd breakfast
1030 - 1st lecture of the day
1130 - Lunchtime!
1200 - Study
1330 - Lectures / Tutorials
1630 - Study again!!
1800 - Go home
1900 - Dinner
1940 - Go to church for worship practice
2200 - Finish worship practice
2230 - R & R
2345 - Sleep
0600 - Rise and Shine!!!

Troy~

The new dog in da house. Appeared when I disappeared to Thailand. Mess with it, and it'll give u a trojan horse.(joking only, pls don't hack my blog)

Everything Nice~

1. Pineapple tarts
2. Earplugs
3. Closed Windows For me when it rained

2 days, 3 good things. Thanks to his warmth and friendliness, I'm settling rather well in Hall 5, the ulu-est or one of the more ulu-est halls in school. My room will now be called the cosy corner, cos I'm gonna make it into one. School's been gear 5 at the moment, with my brain trying to catch up at gear 3. But with nice aero mates who helped me print notes and are so willing to teach me stuff and all, the learning process will be so much easier.

Finally applied for GIP and INSTEP. Cross my fingers and hope for the best!! Will be praying real hard from now on...not as if i haven't been! haha...

Meals Of An Athelete~


Breakfast:


Lunch:

Dinner:

I felt like a professional sportsman for that 1 week. That's how special the 24th Universiade is:)

I'm Back!!

Well, due to the sucky wireless connection at the atheletes village in Thammasat University, which i am utterly greatful of regardless, I wasn't able to update the blog as much as i would love to when I was there. However I'll prob be doing a little post mortem on the trip so keep look out for the updates! Anywayz, its back to reality....I have a freaking 0830 hrs lesson later, and before that, Booking into my bunk at Hall 5.....

24th Universiade~

Australia austria belgium thailand malaysia singapore russia suisse deutchland france china ghana south africa japan korea brazil liberia slovenia new zealand estonia south africa cyprus mexico chinese taipei mongolia latvia macau egypt germany bulgaria turkey canada iran afghanistan uganda sweden israel hong kong england serbia slovakia senegal ecuador spain el salvador fiji greece guinea france sri lanka lebanon macedonia georgia vietnam cuba italy portugal angola pakistan romania kazakstan oman morroco ukraine india indonesia armenia albania argentina algeria bahamas bahrain bangladesh azerjaban bolivia bosnia boswana cambodia cameroon czeh republic costa rica congo dominican republic denmark philipines gabon uae kuwait laos luxemburg madagascar montenegro nepal netherlands norway nigeria palestine oman panama paraguay peru qatar puerto rico romania rwanda comoros saudi arabia cook islands san marino sudan syria congo colombia burundi brunei benin namibia bermuda virgin islands zimbabwe yemen zambia kenya......

Those were the countries that i managed to take notice of, still missing like another 30 or so. World uni games has so far been an experience in a lifetime. The grandiosity of the event has far surpassed what i was expecting. There are about 10,000 atheletes here from all over the world, including some world class ones which from badminton we already have Chen Hong and Boonsak Ponsana. Today the badminton team will be competing in the team even, the first a round robin match between us Canada, Macau and China which only 1 team will proceed on to the next round. That basically gives you a view of what our chances are. Nevertheless, I am proud to be representing my country, spilling sweat (and blood) on its National Day, even though we are far away from its celebrations and atmosphere.

Happy 42nd National Day to all you folks out there!

Questions~

A tribute to the greatest guitar player on earth, Tommy Emmanuel.

The Dawn of A New Beginning~

I'm rarely at home on a Sunday afternoon, cos i'll usually be having cell group at Melvin's house, or hanging out with the peeps in town, catching a movie, or playing tennis. And when I'm home, Mmm...let's see, there seems to be alot of things to do, like take out those boxes that i stashed away 3 months ago, the things inside screaming out to be unpacked, but this time to the unfamiliarity of Hall 5. I realised that this time round, there are certain things that I do not require, like the toilet bowl brush and harpic cleaner. On the bright side, I don't have to spend time washing the toilet bowl, but I'd be more than willing to. On the other hand, i will need to have the "going to toilet" basket to put my chemicals and bathing accessories.

After that, I packed my bags cos I'm leaving on a Tiger Jet plane TG404 on Tuesday 7th August 2007, 1225 hrs.(*Hints*). Cos Monday will be such a long day, with fun filled activities in store from attending lectures to moving into hall to meeting my soulmate for the next semester for the first time to going down to Waterwatch Society to collect a revised invoice to Programmer store packing and finally the last GM for SU14.

Amongst all the packing and all, I noticed my rusted rollerblades with wheels that are cracking which i have so abandoned and left to rot in a corner and being very sympathetic with the sorry state it has been in for a rather long time, i got my hands dirty and gave it a new lease of life. Anyone for rollerblading in the near future?

Now, writing a pretty long blog entry considering that the past few blog entries have been of short lately and of no personal content whatsoever. So, I'm very sad to say that I'll be leaving programmer committee, not totally, cos my heart still lie with people in the comm. To my brudders, persevere without me, for you guys will be the heart of the programmer committee. You guys will bring new meaning and character to the comm even without me, for you guys have the ability and demeanor to do so. Make me proud:)

Finally, my fingers are itching for the strings of the guitar which I will not be able to touch for another week. So i will take my leave, and when i immerse in the melody of the music, I will think about the dawn of the new beginning, of how different it would be, and how exciting this journey will unfold before me, whether it will be a trial or tribulation, i trust that he has everything planned out and is in control, for I will only emerge stronger and more mature from this new found state of independence and to a certain extent isolation that I've been thrown into.

WunderKid from Down Under~

Cable Ski!!~

I'm going Batam to cable Ski finally!! Woo hoo!! After waiting so long, I've finally got the opportunity to go, on the last week of school holidays. Hope i can ride some waves man!!

The Aftermath~

I was so proud my body withstood a week of viral and bacterial rampage, without having to fall out of Sports Camp(and being the 1st programmer to do so, haha), but having to suffer the consequences of enduring sickness for so long now. Sports camp is finally over, and yes it brought back many memories when i was a freshie. The only difference is that the programmers do not enjoy the camp the way the freshies do. We enjoy each others presence in the midst of suffering and toil. We enjoy the fruits of our labour. We enjoy the willingness of others to come forward to help despite our tiredness. In the completion of the camp, some may feel lost, some may look forward to to SU15, while others will feel confused. I feel that life has to move on, and in doing so, am preparing for the next wave to come, the WUG wave. One that will not hit me as hard as the SU14 wave i presume.

Supposedly, this week is a week of rest and preparation, but it seems unlikely to be one. Activities and meet ups have already stated to fill the moderately packed week, and soon, it will be one that is so recognisable on my schedule.

Sports Camp~

See you in 7 days folks:)

The Tippers~

In my last few days of work, i suddenly managed to get alot of tips. Although the amount pales in comparison with some of my fellow colleagues, it is still is a substantial amount, which can sometimes double my wages for that day. Sometimes you just wish to get "ang mo" customers, because of their higher propensity to tip than their asian counterparts. And sometimes, one would even guess whether one customer would tip before he/she even places an order. I'm so guilty of that. Nevertheless, incidents that happened today have taught me a very simple, a very widely taught lesson that we should never judge a book by its cover, because i received a tip from the least expected customer that i predicted would tip.

They were two indian guys (not that i have anything against the indians, and i'm not racist by the way), who had unkempt hair and dressed like they were going to one of those small restaurants in Little India. The way they were looking through the menu was as if they couldn't afford some of the items in there. In the end, they ordered a small salad and an appetizer. For two guys, that was the first for me. Their total bill was $17 plus, and they left behind $2 of tips for me. That's like more than 10% of tips. Although in absolute terms, it was not really much, but it touched my heart, and made me feel ashamed of myself for judging someone before they actually proved themselves to me. It was an interesting and reflective 2nd last day of work for me. I hope tomorrow would be one to remember.

Of Plans & Preparation~

Planning and preparing for something can only get you this far. Yeah like this far. Planning for a war is useless if u don't have soldiers who knows how to execute your plan. What we can do, we have done. It all depends on the external forces on tt day. If they don't screw us up, we won't be screwed. We have sowed 1 year of hard work, let's see the harvests reap.

Trans or not?!~

On the train home from work today, I think i sat opposite a transvestite. One who looks too much like a lady, yet has suspicious characteristics that resembles that of a man. I was guilty of checking her out from head to toe, to come up with a short list to determine whether she is a trans. Hence, the list to determine that she is trans.......

1. Strokes hair unnaturally and without the flair of a lady
2. Leg veins popping out too much.
3. Abit the tall leh...around my height.
4. Her toenails look like mine.
5. Wear a nice dress with a watch that doesn't seem to match.(not a usual characteristic of a girl)
6.She looks too big compared to the girl next to her. Her arms are seriously big, not big like fat but big like...a guy. Body frame of a guy....

Although she really looked quite stunning, but luckily i looked twice and thrice and i didn't fall for those plastic surgery....

S06C Class of 2003

(or half of it)~

A Random Post~

The next 4 weeks will be a roller coaster ride, one with up and downs and many changes in direction. I'll be quitting my job at brewerkz microbrewery, in pursuit of full concentration, or rather fuller concentration towards Sports Camp. In my short 6 week stint working as a waiter, I've really learnt to humble myself to serve other people, not to mention balancing trays on my shoulders and plates on my arms, memorizing the vast menu that brewerkz has, and exposing myself to various beers and alcoholic drinks. Looking back, this has definitely been a rewarding experience, no matter how demeaning it might seem to some.

Sports camp is starting in less than 2 weeks. After one whole year of preparation and hard work and in the process having fun and sometimes being a bit of a letdown, I hope that the camp will be a success. After which, I'll be washing my hands off from Sports Club, a decision that has been made very much early before sports camp starts, a decision that stirred mixed feelings from different people, a decision that is firm and irrevocable. Perhaps I'm just a person who comes and goes in people's lives. In the activities i get involved in, i can't just find one and settle down in it, maybe because of my hunger to try everything at the same time, hence the inablity to commit to any fully.

School is starting in 3 weeks. So is World University Games. Despite wanting to settle into the academic term as quickly as i can, I yearn for that extra competitve feeling i can't get in a local tournament. (I think i made my previous point here). In primary and secondary school, missing two weeks of school is like "yeah man!! Missing school!! Woohoo!" In university, missing two weeks of school is "Oh shit..I'm screwed". That's what my head is telling me. My heart is telling me "Arh F*** it. Just go for WUG."follow your heart, not your head has always been my personal mantra. So started training seriously, and gonna get back into shape soon. Gonna try to woop some asses.

SU14 Senior Camp~

It was fun, but tiring. Bonds were strengthened and forged. I am already feeling the heartache by the thought of SU14 ending and the disbanding of the programmer committee.

Excuse me Sir??

Would you like your pint of beer

1. In a glass?
2. On your shirt?
3. On the seat?
4. Or on the floor?

I felt like a million assholes after i spilled a whole pint of darkside lager on this customer today, who was quite stunned by the whole fiasco, but was quite gracious about it with me not receiving a whole load of vulgarities from him. OH MY GOODNESS...... I would be like WTF!@#! if someone spilled something on me in a restaurant. I bet he was traumatized, cos i was. Definitely a first for me, and most probably for him as well. A few of my colleagues came to console me, but still,i felt soooo sorry, the feeling could not have been expressed in words, but only in action and of which I would require the assistance of my manager, who gave the guy a free brewerkz shirt to change into, gave the whole table of 8 first round of drinks and food free of charge, plus a 50 dollar voucher for the next visit.

Had a bad day? Tell me about it.

I want to......

but i can't...

I need to...

but i won't.....

Great Day @ Work~

Why issit a great day at work?

1. I worked 11 hours on a Saturday.
2. I was a server for the entire 11 hours.
3. I broke a plate at work
4. I didn't work with a particular supervisor.
5. I ate at the restaurant for the first time for my break and got to eat 2 free desserts.
6. I worked the night shift with 4 wonderful ladies who helped me out alot. Really alot.
7. I was approached by 2 beautiful ladies in their early 30's who told me I was the image they were looking for for their boutique store and asked me if i was interested in retail and sales. It made my day.
8. I got 40 dollars worth of tips. Woohoo! Monetary incentive for physical losses.

Sleeping well tonight. Definitely :)

Motivation~

Working under different people can bear different outcomes. You can either create a motivated worker, one who would slog it out for you, one who will even die for you, and one who enjoys his work. Or you can create a worker who feels like quitting on the spot, who hopes each second will pass faster than it feels like its passing. With the right management and leadership, u either create a fighter or a sulker. In my recent work experience, I've managed to see how working under different supervisors can create a different experience for me. Although it really sucks to work under a sucky supervisor, i've learned in a way how to become a better leader, by being a servant, literally. As always said, to lead is to serve. Truly so.

I need to find the motivation to start training for World University Games.

"Management is nothing more than motivating other people."
- Lee Iacocca

The Road to Recovery~

How do u think it will feel like if you were a lady, and its ladies night at a club, and u get denied ur 5 free drinks for ladies just because u don't fit the "bill". The bill being under 25 years of age and u are prob 26 but u look like an auntie. Nabe....(Nabe, is a term referring to all varieties of Japanese steamboat dishes, also known as one pot dishes). i would feel outrageously insulted. How superficial can one get to deny a woman of her privelages that she should get for the fact that she's a lady?? Excusez moi, I'm no bisexual or alien from venus. Even though i look like an auntie, i could be an ah boi killer. So u think an auntie doesn't have the moves to kill? Think Milf.

Feeling much better since last week from the sickness that battered me, although i still have this niggling cough problem and flu like thingy that's causing my migrane and block nose. I felt like a wounded man who kena gang bang by a whole load of viruses. But nevertheless, recovering. Slow and painful, but which process isn't? Still, need to recover fast to resume training... something i desperately wanna get back to.

Pls No.......

"If the fever persists till Saturday we'll have to send you down to the hospital to do some tests for dengue........."

Just heard that both of Sarah's brothers are in hospital now and are down with dengue...

Praying and crossing my fingers real hard.

Feeling Sore~

In my recent pursuit of waiting tables, serving food and giving the best service i can to customers, which some of my friends claim that its a "waste of talent", and which i beg to differ strongly, i felt that i have neglected my health, my intellectual hunger and my friends. Hence, I've fallen ill, I dunno what's the latest current affairs and i've not been catching up with friends, something that one would do during the holidays. It feels sick to get sick having haven't gotten sick for a long time. Although i dislike reading, to many people's surprise, i force myself to because i know its good for me. And i don't like procrastinating the planning of my jc class gathering in July, something that i am really looking forward to, but just do not have the energy to plan after work. Moreover, yesterday's "never give face" fiasco at work, the outright rejection of Hall 5's officer to my appeals to transfer back to Hall 2, and the prospect of having to take my first MC at work tomorrow, and wanting to play good host to a taiwanese friend whois in Singapore but unable to just make things even worse. It's either I'm having a terrible week, or God has a plan for me. (Hear all the sighs from the atheists). Nevertheless, everything happens for a purpose, we just have to understand why it does, and what we can learn from it, such that when we walk away, we will become stronger, and not weaker.


"I can do everything through him who gives me strength"
Philippians 4:13