fightingfate

The time has come..

2007-05-13T23:05:00.000+08:00

for me to close this blog.

I have been planning this for a long time.. no doubt about it.

3 years of blogging.. it's now time to move on.

Never will there been a sadder goodbye,
than to part with an old friend,

the memories came surging,
forever etched in time,

looking back to those I left behind,
fighting hard to keep the tears.

Not easy, not easy at all,
but I guess only time will decide the wrong.

Never will there be a sadder goodbye,
than this..

Desperate Houseviwes: Beautiful Girls

2007-05-07T23:42:00.001+08:00

"Dangerous men walk among us, and we can't always be sure of who they are or what secrets they hide. But once our worst suspicions are confirmed, we can take action. Once their agendas are revealed...we can take steps, to protect ourselves, and those we love. Yes, dangerous men can cause great harm. But sometimes the greatest danger they pose is to themselves."

...

2007-05-06T00:52:00.001+08:00

It has been with me for so long. I can only take so much. I can only do so much. And now I just cry.

But why am I not feeling any better?

Is it the anger? Is it the sadness? Is it the loneliness? Or is it the fear? I really don’t know. Sobbing in between sentences, I just don’t know where I’ll go from here.

I’ve never cried as hard since my grandfather passed away last year. Then, there was a valid reason for it, I knew what those tears meant. Now, this tears.. I could see no purpose in them.

This past couple of months has been hard for me. Harder it still would be for the next couple of months. This is where fear comes in. Certainty has never been something I’m fond of. In a split second, anything can change. Indeed it has, if not there would be no problem in the first place. My fear comes from the uncertainty of the whole situation; plan A gave way to plan B and now I’m at plan C. Should I plan for D.. it would only be wise..

The loneliness of it stems from the fear. It’s something that I hide well. I really hate lying to people. When a simple ‘How are you?’ I answered as ‘fine’, I really don’t mean it. ‘Fine’ has lost me months ago. But yet fine is the only word I want people to hear. It blinds them of the troubles I faced, troubles that I just can’t explain with words.

But I will try to keep my faith strong. God tests us in ways that are maneageble to us and I believe in that. Putting on a brave front to confront the unknowns and my fears are just the first few steps of it. Curling up in the corner has never done any good for me in the past so I guess it’s time to change.

The tears are gone now.. but they’ll be back soon.

Cycling into sunset..

2007-05-02T20:54:00.000+08:00

Went for the long overdue trip to the new road just outside my house. A long stretch of road, perfect for evening jogs and cycling. So today, I decided to take a trip with my sis.

so empty and serene..

sunset..

I love this photo the best.. must be the contrast..

Must Watch..

2007-05-01T23:14:00.000+08:00

3 movies to look out for this month, Spiderman3, Pirates of the Carribean and Shrek3. Coincidentally, all 3 movies are the 3rd installments. So much for the 'bad things happen in threes' hypothesis.

I'm really afraid what this week will end up to be...

One for One

2007-04-26T21:29:00.000+08:00

Mug mug mug.. that's the life for this 2 weeks. But that doesn't mean we can't take a break right?
Sat outside Spinelli's at 245, waiting for 3. Haha.. true blue Singaporean.. can't blame us for being patriotic..

***

Facing my 3rd language exam tomorrow.. for the people who helped me with memorising, recalling and correcting my flawed chinese, thanks..

Desperate Housewives: Children and Art

2007-04-24T00:21:00.000+08:00

"There are so many things we wish we could tell the young. We'd like to persuade them not to grow up so fast, but they won't listen. We want to tell them that beauty fades, but they refuse to believe it. We warn them that their actions will have consequences, but still they defy us. Sadly, the young can't begin to understand the world is a dangerous place. So it's up to us to do anything we can to protect them. Absolutely anything."

For the next two weeks..

2007-04-22T12:54:00.000+08:00

the role of the pen will be realised..
the sound of paper rustling will send shivers down the spine..
the table and chair will be the prison..
time will be the greatest enemy..

hell comes in a different form

Blame me..

2007-04-19T00:59:00.000+08:00

for feeling bored while mugging..

Mitosis

2007-04-18T12:18:00.002+08:00

Mitosis

Damn cool vid on mitosis.. for those who don't know what it is.. it's cell division.. Being a biology animator ain't that bad.. Haha.. shall continue mugging now..

Desperate Housewives: Bang

2007-04-16T23:00:00.000+08:00

"Lynette Scavo had a dream that night. It was one she'd had many times before. But this night, something changed. This was the last time Lynette would ever dream of me, and for her sake, I am grateful."

***

Wow! I'm stil catching my breath from the episode. I've never been more gripped before.

My view..

2007-04-14T22:29:00.000+08:00

Went to esplanade library today with Eug to watch a production from nuSTUDIOS. Very interesting and well-made considering that these undergrads are first time film-makers. They were sharing their production experiences and their pitfalls and all that. I have to give them the credit for their production - 'waiting' and 'pardon me'. Bumped into Brian too at the lib. One more year at La Salle, majoring in music.. and he was wondering what I was doing at esplanade library. Haha..

'The only permanent thing is change'

Then it was off to gift-shopping. Up and down we went from store to store but I got it in the end. Haha.. bumped into Huang while at Raffles City. A chemical engineer now.. cool cool.

'The only permanent thing is change'

Bumped into my secondary school friends on the bus ride home. Didn't exactly felt like mingling, so I just sat from a distance. Haha.. how unsociable. But at least I said hi.. and bye.

'The only permanent thing is change'

I've learnt alot this past week.. about troubles, about friendship, about giving and receiving, about the future, and some others. Sometimes I tell myself that I'm not ready for what is yet to come but at the same time I know that worrying is not the solution.

So ya, as usual, I'm not making sense. But then again, even life itself doesn't make any sense.

Sultan's Gig

2007-04-12T20:37:00.000+08:00

Officially my last day of school before reading week. Had the Sultan's gig this morning at UCC. They had the place really spruced up with buffet tables, potten plants and a red carpet. It was cool, seeing the police dogs and the metal detectors doing a bomb sweep. And boy were they particular about the whole set up. Some of us got reprimanded for walking on the red carpet.. can you imagine that?.. Haha.. but I didn't of course. And we weren't allowed to drag the instruments on the marble floor, all must be carried; they we damned particular.

And the mercedes started rolling in one after another..

But it was a good gig, no stress to play so well. Just for fun. Haha.. and some of us certainly failed in recognising some of our MPs. They we dressed so extravagantly and sport similar hairstyles, especially the ladies. Haha.. but other than that it bearable, the heat I mean. And when the Sultan walked side by side our president, it was like the ultimate. Imagine the photographers and the usherers and the security guards and some military high rank (3 crabs) crowding around them. Ha.. for goodness sake, give them some air..

So that marks the end of another semester, minus reading week and exam week.

Sweet goodbyes..

2007-04-11T00:08:00.000+08:00

Freshmen Seminar...

Chinese...

And..

2007-04-10T01:13:00.000+08:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

..I've been wondering what this is.. haha

And the time draws near..

2007-04-10T00:30:00.000+08:00

1 more week to reading week..
2 more weeks till me first paper..
3 more weeks till I'm done for this sem..

It doesn't take a knock in the head to realise that NUS students have turned to zombies. Sleepless nights are a norm, breakfastless mornings are nothing new and mugging till late at night have become the coolest. It happens gradually after the mid-term break - the transition to become a zombie.

Lamenting about due reports and projects and back-to-back tests are the talk of the town. Well, what's new?

But once in a while, when you take a break from all this 'meaningless' chores, you realise what you've been missing. For example today, I finished my lesson at 2 (dang.. I'm always falling asleep during chi tut) and I was contemplating whether to study or not. Being a studious boy that I am (and a test this wed), I chose to listen to the angelic voice inside my head and headed to science library. Yes, it was crowded as usual (I mean exam crowd usual). Bought dark chocolate to keep awake, found a quiet area in the library and I began my mugging. However, I didn't last that long.. because about 5, I decided that I miss the evening view (ya.. cos I've been going home at 8 nearly everyday for the past 2 weeks). So ya.. I headed for home, taking the long trip to JP before going home.

Many people don't know this but I like to observe people's antics and I got plenty today.. people chasing buses, a cute english-speaking boy and his english-speaking grandpa, smelly sec sch kids, plastic-bags heaving working mum and others too. Sometimes it's nice to get away from school and all it's competition. To look around expecting to feel the 'humanness' of it all.

So when work is tying you down, exams just around the corner, and you feel like tugging ur hair off.. remember to just take a small breather.. walk around, play some games, chat with friends, or just take a power nap.

Because there is certainly more to life than just being a student..

Desperate Housewives: Sweetheart I Have To Confess

2007-04-09T23:36:00.001+08:00

"There is a place in St. Timothy's church where sinners go to confess their sins and once they're done, they expect absolution. But the truth is, not all confessions are worthy of such forgiveness. Most who unveil hidden agendas deserve the condemnation they receive. Most who disclose vengeful motives merit the punishment that follows. Only the truly repentant have any right at all to expect a second chance which is why it's best to think twice before you confess especially if you don't know what it is you're confessing to."

2007-04-05T23:53:00.000+08:00

Was watching webcast.. found Prof Swami's lecture opening quite interesting..

Why scientists get less pay than the corporate world?

Postulate 1: Knowledge is Power
Postulate 2: Time is Money

By law of physics:
Work done = Power X Time
= Knowledge X Money

Money = Work done / Knowledge

as knowledge increases, money decreases..

Complaining Time!!

2007-04-04T19:13:00.000+08:00

Oh my.. just finished my LSM1102 test and it was absolutely nasty. Initially I was all in for the open-discussion, open-book, open-google and open-anything test but it turned out to be worst. Imagine the voices of people discussing, agreeing and disagreeing with each other. I can't concentrate at all will all the 'whispering'. Ha.. at the end of it, we split the questions up so that we could concentrate on a specific question. Seems like a great idea because we are all too used to taking examinations in a you-can-hear-a-pin-drop kind of environment so it's really hard to concentrate will all the talking. To top it all off, the questions were not only tricky but tedious. I drew so many Punnett squares.. haha..

Oh my.. I think I should summarise my points..

Open-everything test = Lots and lots of luck needed

Desperate Housewives: Nice She Ain't

2007-04-02T23:57:00.000+08:00

"Sabotage. Everyone is capable of it, but some go about it more ruthlessly than others. Like the ones who crave vengeance or the ones who hunger for love or the ones who are determined to burn bridges. And then there are those who simply want something. Something that belongs to someone else."

Songs of the Sea

2007-03-31T01:55:00.000+08:00

Replacing the Musical Fountain, Singapore retained its money-making schemes by charging entrance fees for this new attraction. But hey, I did enjoy the show. Definitely a must-watch.. Honestly, where does the 6 dollars go to? The gas for the pyrotechnics? The water? Or the cast? Haha.. just a typical singaporean complaining. So just ignore me and enjoy the show if there is nothing left to do on mainland.
Haha.. and I got a shock when I found out that one of the cast is my friend.

a 'bang' to end it all..

White moonlight

2007-03-29T22:16:00.000+08:00

moon

The moon was painted a blurry white,

I closed my eyes and wished inside,

that all the wrongs be turned to right,

so that I'll sleep in peace tonight.

Oh my..

2007-03-28T20:04:00.000+08:00

Just when I thought last week was hectic with the hours of research for the term paper.. This week, and it's only Monday, I have more work piling up..

Agenda this week:
~~LSM1101 lab report~~
LSM1101 test (fri)
~~Chinese tutorial~~
~~Chinese conversation exercise~~
Chinese oral presentation
~~Chinese short play practise~~
Freshmen sem ethics report
Freshmen sem ethics presentation
GEK1521 term paper summary

Guess it's time to sit down and start working..

Desperate Housewives: Like It Was

2007-03-26T23:37:00.001+08:00

"We all have our reasons for rewriting history. Sometimes we need to provide ourselves alibis. Sometimes we wanna hurt someone who has hurt us and then there are times we just wanna spare ourselves embarrassment. Of course, there are some who feel that to rewrite history is just another way to lie but what is history anyway but a set of lies agreed upon?"

Post-InTempo

2007-03-23T23:50:00.000+08:00

It seems as though I had been missing school for a week. This week, the post-InTempo week, has been like a slap back to reality for me. Only a month till reading week begins and workload are starting to come knocking on my door.

Today I had a one-on-one session with Dr Roland. It lasted 40 minutes. 40 minutes in his office. I initially was really afraid because earlier this week, Yat went for the session and it got me really nervous. But I was surprised to see how wrong I was. There he was, giving me a reality check, making me verbalise my dreams, making me realise there is more to school that just modules. But most of all, he made me realise what sort of person I wanted to become. He asked me, 'Do you want to be famous?'. If it comes, I'll accept it. If it doesn't, I won't chase it. That was my reply.
The talk was really an enriching one. And he was quite open in sharing his experiences too; because what we all need is for someone who has been to the top of the mountain to share us the view. His view maybe limited, but well, any view is better than no view. Haha.. for some reason I was really intrigued by the Galileo's thermometer he had on his desk.

Today's lecture was damn interesting. Prof Liu showed us a video about microgravity generated flight. It was a japanese documentary so we didn't understood a word.. but it was just as hilarious.
Let me try to explain..
They carried out an experiment, letting animals experience weightlessness. A cat, a lizard, a frog, fishes and birds. I don't whether it's educational but I certainly rate it a 10 for entertainment value. During the brief few seconds of weightlessness, all the animals seems lost; the fishes and birds swam in all directions, the frog was kicking its legs frantically in mid air, and the cat sprang out of the box, trying to grasp at the walls. It set the whole LT laughing like mad. It was damn damn damn funny..

Also caught a performance at LT13 after school today about south-east asian music. Seeing people from different races and backgrounds play the gamelan got me impressed. Mind you, the profs teaching the module are caucasians. Haha.. The music played tonight was from Thailand, West Java and Central Java. Distinct sounds from different instruments, coupled with dances made the whole performance a perfect end to the week.

Musical fountain - before closure

2007-03-20T23:51:00.000+08:00

For those unaware, the musical fountain at Sentosa will be closed from the 27th March onwards. The last performance is on the 26th.

So we caught today's show.. and I felt so lost amidst all the tourists.

these lights on the floor are so cool!

an editorial shot on the sentosa express..

an another..

InTempo07 - 3

2007-03-20T00:37:00.000+08:00

2 more sent in.. from Su..

Yus, Me, Su and Rai.. they change so much..

happy.. happy.. happy..

more to come..

InTempo07 Pictures - 2

2007-03-19T23:30:00.000+08:00

Yay! Next set of photos just travelled through the optic fibres.. courtesy of Edna through Yokes..

err.. I wanna say juniors.. but I realised I'm not that young anymore..

acting cool..

acting nice..

acting wild..

once again.. acting cool..

and again.. acting wild.. haha

and if flowers were to run out on Earth.. find Edna.. she'll turn anything into a flower..

more to come..

Desperate Housewives: A Weekend in the Country

2007-03-19T23:23:00.001+08:00

"We all carry something with us. Of course, it's nice if we travel with someone who can help lighten the load. But usually, it's easier to just drop what we've been carrying so we can get home that much sooner assuming, of course, there will be someone there to greet us when we arrive. Why do we clutch at this baggage, even when we're desperate to move on? Because we all know there's a chance we might let go too soon."

Young Mendel..

2007-03-19T21:34:00.000+08:00

Today we became young Mendel, counting plants.. tobacco, tomato, sporghum and corn..
And for the first time in my life, I saw an albino plant.. and all this while, I thought only animals have albino. Guessed I was wrong..

InTempo07 Pictures - 1

2007-03-19T21:17:00.000+08:00

1st set of photos just came in.. courtesy of Yoke Khee..

Yours truly, Arlin, Chang Yung, Edna, and Yoke Khee

Kenneth must have missed his eupho..

Loving my Artiste pass.. and no.. it doesn't say I wear red thong.. lol

My one year junior turned one year senior.. haha..

Yokes act cool.. shouldn't we be helping to load up the instruments?

Me and Erina.. with wide smiles after the concert..

More to come..

InTempo07

2007-03-18T23:38:00.000+08:00

Many thanks to these people...

Suhaila, Raihana and Yuslizah...
Yup, haven't seen rai and yus like ages.. even though they you all live around cck. Ha.. it was shocking to see you all.. And Su, thanks a heap for the card.. very colourful. And you really shocked me when you bring them to the concert, on Yus birthday some more. Haha.. looking forward to the musical fountain next week.. :p

Azri, Chandra, Cheah and Kelvin...
my army frens.. here for Da Capo and now InTempo.. Glad you guys could make it especially for Kel coming down all the way, with little rest from yesterdays NTU art stuff. Chan, for taking interest in Poema. It wasn't easy bro, but we scaled the alps. And looking forward to being 'neighbours' soon. Azri.. haha.. have fun at your attachment tomorrow.. Cheah, always the first to reply..haha.. said i blow well.. haha.. you mean 'play well'.. and sorry for pressuring u guys for the last minute ticket thing.

Engene and friend...
Yup, my army and gym buddy.. thanks for coming.. making you drive around NUS to get the tix. Haha.. Glad you made it with your 'I haven't decided who to ask' date..Hehe..

and to the band members...

Yokes, Edna, Chang Yung, Arlin.. Thank you guys for making Eupho section the most hardworking section.. and the always 'first to reach full attendance' section. Haha.. enjoyed sectionals.. though we always end late. Haha.. but I guessed it paid off in the concert.. all the running notes.. well played. And everybody in the section is a soloist today.. Woot! Thanks Edna for the flower.. and for teaching me how to fold the paper flower. And Yokes, I'm waiting for the pictures. Haha..

XuanZhi and Yanting.. woohoo.. Dreamgirls in our band.. together with the other girl (paiseh dunno the name). Haha.. eh, I waiting for your pics too.. Haha.. You all so cool during the concert.. Well done!

for those whom I may have forgotten, many sorries to you.. I have to clear this off my chest.. Actually there's more, but I shall end off here for now.

Desperate Housewives: It Takes Two

2007-03-12T23:51:00.000+08:00

"Have you met the perfect couple? The two soul mates whose love never dies? The two lovers whose relationship is never threatened. The husband and wife who trust each other completely. If you haven't met the perfect couple, let me introduce you. They stand atop a layer of butter cream frosting. The secret of their success? Well, for starters, they don't have to look at each other."

Euphonium Sectionals.. during rest

2007-03-07T23:25:00.000+08:00

Kinda bored during sectionals today.. so decided to take some pics during the 5 min rest..

Yea, my new best friend just arrived.. a mute.. for Poema..

Ok.. practise these bars.. 48-81, 137-142, 194-213, the whole of page 5, 269-279, and 362-end.. phew..

It's no fun approaching the 'storm' of Poema.. running notes all over with accelerando.. no fun for the fingers...

Desparate Housewives: Listen to the Rain on the Roof

2007-03-05T23:00:00.000+08:00

"Every storm brings with it hope that somehow by morning, everything will be made clean again. And even the most troubling stains will have disappeared. Like the doubts over his innocence or the consequence of his mistake. Like the scars of his betrayal or the memory of his kiss. So we wait for the storm to pass hoping for the best even though we know in our hearts some stains are so indelible, nothing can wash them away."

And so the first episode of season3 ends.. Kinda miss DH for awhile.. especially the end quotes.

The Pursuit of HappYness

2007-03-03T00:17:00.000+08:00

Concluded my week with 'The Pursuit of Happyness' in the comfort of my own bed. A brilliant performance put up by Will Smith as Chris Gardner. Inspired by a true story, Smith puts across all the right emotions. Not to mention his son acting alongside him. Accompanying score was perfect. It has been a while since a movie like this appeared in the big screen.

My eyes welled towards the end.. damn sad.. couldn't last a day in his shoes..

4/5 for the whole package.. 4.5/5 for nearly making me cry.

"Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period. "

2007-03-01T00:29:00.000+08:00

A kitten stuck on the roof of a covered walkway
Meow Meow Meow..
loud, frightened
Peering on the edge, wanting to jump
Meow Meow Meow..
helpless, alone
Mom was trying to find a way up
frantically searcing
Meow Meow Meow..
small, petite
But at last the mother was met
the meowing stopped

The Rise of a Planet

2007-02-21T15:21:00.000+08:00

Let Go

2007-02-17T21:45:00.000+08:00

let go by your dreams

2007-02-16T23:16:00.000+08:00

For Freshmen Seminar, one of the report we had to do was one concerning a science talk. So today, me and Yat skipped a lecture to attend a science talk. And I felt like an alien amidst the post grads, pofessors and God knows who inside the LT..

Cofactor recruitment and alteration of histone acetylation in gene regulation by thyroid hormone receptor during development

I have never felt more left out in a lecture before. For starters, most of the complicated jargons the prof used.. I can't even comprehend. And the confusing graphs and tables didn't help me a bit in understanding what the talk was about. In the midst, Yat wrote on my paper.. 'I dun understand what he's talking about'. Well, I felt the same way too. And to top it off, I managed to get a bit of sleep. How rude.. Haiz, churning 800 words of report worthy stuff ain't gonna be easy..

2007-02-15T16:17:00.000+08:00

When hurt heals..

do you forgive?

When you tried but failed..

do you just walk away?

When silence speaks volume..

will you listen?

Movie Movie

2007-02-14T22:57:00.000+08:00

Spent the night yesterday watching dreamgirls on DVD. Yeah, can't wait for the actual one that I had to succumb to a pirated version. Haha.. but the show is damn power. I would rate it a 4.5. Everything was perfect except the cinematics. Ya, the camera stuff and all that. Other than that, Jennifer Hudson was top notch, cringing while she was screaming and shouting. Made my hair stand on ends too. Apparently everybody there can sing.. I think they sang like more than 10 songs.. haha.. a must watch.

Today, I caught Epic Movie with Su. Though damn short, around 1 hour 10 minutes, the movie managed to pack in so much parodies. It's the kind of show a person could just laugh at because the jokes are so lame, the characters are the dumbest people on earth, and the plot just doesn't make sense. But yeah, the parodies made up for everything else the movie lacks. 1 for storyline, 5 for laugh factor. A lot of sexual humour though, cheap and effective.

Parodies include James Bond, Narnia, X Men, POTC, Harry Potter, Borat, Tokyo Drift, MTV Cribs, Punk'D, Snakes on a plane, Harry and Kumar goes to White Castle, Click, Da Vinci Code, Mission Impossible, Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Nacho Libre and Superman.

Oh yeah..

2007-02-12T17:40:00.000+08:00

I would like to start by heaving a giant sigh of relief..

Sigh...

I did my very own powerpoint today, with the help of Su of course. My very first powerpoint. Woot! Haha.. Should I say that I'm ready to 'sell' my book tomorrow to the audience during Freshman Sem? Haha.. luckily I got a easily digestable book that made my job easier.

However, the book report needs sewing to be done.. aas my stuff are in both my laptop and my main comp. Haha..

Maybe I should reward myself.. I should start by going home soon..

2007-02-11T23:47:00.000+08:00

Tree of Knowledge

Why am I here..

on a different page?

Equilibrium

2007-02-09T21:34:00.000+08:00

I know I've yet to reach equilibrium..

This week had been hectic, but in a different knind of way. Somehow this week, I've put work aside, settling 'issues'.

Being an odd week, I should be free to settle all the work that has been piling up since the sem started but instead, I got nothing done; my book presentation and report not even started, test not studied, reports not done and I don't even want to talk about revising.

I know I've yet to reach equilibrium..

Wednesdays and Thursdays are always non working days for me. After band, I'll just go home, check my mail and hit the sack. Thank goodness no morning lessons on Thursday and Friday.

This week I had the opportunity to discover a bit more about myself. By interacting with the people around, I learn more about them, and more about me.
I have people who just walked out of my life, but I also have people who trust me enough to confide.

Equilibrium

I know I've yet to reach equilibrium..

I sound like a broken record, reiterating the same thing over and over and over again. But I guess it's not for people to read, but more for myself. To remind myself where I'm heading.

But then again, it's life. Life and all its complain, its unfairness, its unpredictability and all.

Maybe I 'll never even reach equilibrium..

English dilemma..

2007-02-06T18:57:00.000+08:00

I was doing my book report when I came across a language dilemma..

I would appreciate it if someone could help me out..

Scenario:
I want to write.. Why shouldn't they?
But in reports, it is prohibited to write abbreviations.
So by right, my sentence should read.. Why should not they?

So weird..

And ya.. I've rephrased by sentence..

Hmm.. should't waste my mugging time in the library.

Back to work..

Art Exhibition

2007-02-05T20:29:00.000+08:00

Exhibition 1 - Electrophoresis of DNA

Exhibition 2 - Arrival of 'spring'

I sat

2007-02-04T19:02:00.000+08:00

A place to sit and ponder

Sat down on a bench..

seeing the leaves rustling..
hearing the birds sing.

Sat down on a bench..

heaved a sigh..
don't really know why.

Sat down on a bench..

hoping for miracles..
tears wetting my spectacles.

Sat down on a bench..

clasped my hands together..
wishing all these was over.

Sat down on a bench..

wiping wet tears..
that I've kept for years.

Sat down on a bench.. all alone.

2007-02-03T23:46:00.000+08:00

Just popped Nerina Pallot into my CD drive. Yat was 'pimping' to me weeks back about her. On the same league as Rachel Yamagata, Nerina sings her own kind of music, mostly acoustics. For those who don't know any of these artistes, just think of a subtler version of Natalie Imbruglia.

***

Let me sleep in peace today,
let me dream of the heavens above.
When the only shade I see is gray,
I want the shade called love.

So let me sleep well tonight,
let me sleep long.
Because I need the light,
to shed on all that is wrong.

Pass

2007-01-30T00:36:00.000+08:00

The world is a tough place to live in.. day in day out, only 24 hours. Yet some are paupers and some are multi millionaires, some lived to a hundred yet some barely saw sunlight.

Everyday when we wake up in the morning, just what is the first thought that rushes to the mind? Is it the dreadful feeling that threatens to drag your whole day? Or is it with a prayer to God, thanking Him for another day?

Sometimes I look at my life, both of my past and those yet to come and I asked myself, 'Just why am I here?' There are times when I wished I was not born, like now when faced with a out-of-this-world stress that I dissipate ocassionally on my blog. But again, there are times when I just feel like yelling, telling the whole world that I would never want my life any other way. It is a constant battle I am fighting.

When the questions people ask themselves are 'what should I wear today?' or 'is my pimple noticeable?', I can only pity them, for they do not know real questions. Questions that they will never be able to answer with confidence because for them, material world is their only known living space. Spiritual world exists only when troubles come knocking on the door.

I am typing all these down not because I am feeling weak, or feeble, or timid or insane but instead I am typing this because I left today feeling strong, and confident, and proud of who I am. Absolutely no one can tell me what I should or should not do. No one can push me around, because I will rise, like I have risen today.

Once I heard of a challenge..

" Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstances, in every place and in every time. Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me. Tell me is there any mantra?"

Indeed there is..

This too will pass.

Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent. They all come and pass away. Life just passes away.

There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks , all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away.

Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true face. It will change with the time. However, there is something in you, which will not change. It will remain unchanged. What is that unchangeable? It is nothing but your true self.

Tears

2007-01-28T23:40:00.000+08:00

All tears II - mental

Tears..
a silvery drop..
contained in it,
a spectrum of different emotions.

Tears..
the taste..
serves to remind,
that life is not always sweet.

Tears..
wet..
just like the rain brings life,
tears bring hope.

Beyonce Knowles: Listen

2007-01-28T18:26:00.000+08:00

If you have a moment, stop. Look at the lyrics, appreciate the lyrics. Everyone could relate this in one way or another.

***

Listen,
To the song here in my heart
A melody I've start
But can't complete

Listen,
To the sound from deep within
It's only beginning
To find release

Oh,
the time has come
for my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside and turned
Into your own
all cause you won't
Listen....

[Chorus]
Listen,
I am alone at a crossroads
I'm not at home, in my own home
And I tried and tried
To say whats on my mind
You should have known
Oh,
Now I'm done believing you
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what, you made of me
I followed the voice
you gave to me
But now I gotta find, my own..

You should have listened
There is someone here inside
Someone I'd thought had died
So long ago

Ohh I'm free now and my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside or worse
Into your own
All cause you won't
Listen...

[Chorus]

I don't know where I belong
But I'll be moving on
If you don't....
If you won't....

LISTEN!!!...
To the song here in my heart
A melody I've start
But I will complete

Oh,
Now I'm done believing you
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what, you made of me
I followed the voice, you think you gave to me
But now I gotta find, my own..
my ownn...

2007-01-27T23:00:00.000+08:00

Didn't actually think that I'll be wearing no.4 so soon.

Mobilisation today.. a dreadful one at that. Came at around 3+ but only got released at around 8+. But it's great to see everyone back.. well not exactly everyone. Got to talk about the Army all over again, see old faces of the men. Deja vu.. Haha.

As usual, we rushed to wait and it was a long wait indeed. Had to cancel my primary school gathering for this idiotic mobilisation. And they still got the nerve to ask the medics to be marshallers. But at the least the new RSM is nice.. well, maybe because we are reservists.

CO was there, S3 and S2 were there. RSM was there too. Haha..but thank goodness it's over now. As I would have said.. No more nonsense.

***

On the way home, met my sec sch fren. How shock he was when he saw me wearing my no.4. Chatted on the bus about the good ol days. I miss sec school days..

***

Tell me of past days.

Remind me of fond memories.

Return me back to those days.

So that they lasts eternities.

Stupid report

2007-01-26T12:25:00.000+08:00

Can't believe I actually ran to submit my lab report today..

For some reason or another, the clock is always one step ahead of me.. and when Murphy's Law kicks in, I'm destined for doom..

I had to submit the report by noon today..

1050..
left house
waited for the damn bus for 10 minutes.. argh..

1115..
inside the MRT
looking at the time (wishing time could slow down just for me)

1130..
waited for 95
OMG.. I'm so gonna be late..

1140..
I had to try the Med Lib.. bad idea.. all the comps were taken..
5 minute wasted.. dang!

1150..
bumped into David while on the way to Sci Lib..
rushed to CBLC..

1155..
sent my print job..
but someone had to print double sided and slow me down..

1200..
Ya.. I know I'm late..
left my stuff with David and made a dash for the lab..

1205..
OMG.. wrong lab.. not MD4.. that's LSM 1102
it's MD7.. LSM1101..

1207..
feeling sweaty and all.. I dumped the report together with the rest..
from the look of it, no one knows that I sent it late..

Please.. don't ever scare yourself like that again..

'Brick'

2007-01-23T23:30:00.000+08:00

While on the bus ride home from school with Su today, we were interrupted by a lady..

"I can't help it but to hear what you were talking about. It takes two to tango.. and it takes one to clap. Personally I don't agree and I only realised it only at the age of 64. I think it's best to hit it with a 'brick' of silence."

I hate to admit it but I have to agree with the stranger.

Hit it with a 'brick' silence..

What do you suppose I'm doing now?

Happy Birthday to Me

2007-01-21T23:34:00.000+08:00

19th.. 1st day of celebration..
So not fair because I was down with flu.. but nonetheless managed to go out with Su. Got some presents from her. Yea.. so nice.. though some gifts were hilarious.. and I simply adore the shirt and the cookies were delicious. So cool.. a tattoo on my shirt. Haha.. must be the coffee I drank.. wait a minute.. vanilla latte.. oh ya.. still coffee.

Thanks a tonne Su!

Hehe..

20th.. 2nd day of celebration..
Chalet again.. but this time at Pasir Ris.. more charred food. Haha.. it's great to see everyone again.. though no bowling this time, just food, food and more food. Wishes from my aunts and uncles and cousins too. 'Thank you' just wasn't enough to express my gratitude.

And I got a nice cake too.. Oreo-mitsu.. how 'creative'. Haha..

22 years old, 5 candles.. weird huh?

21st.. the 'day'..
I'm officially 22.. a year older than last year.
Chilled out with Eug and Yi Hua today.. got dinner and movie treat from them.. and we got to watch Pan's Labyrinth, a spanish film during the 1940s. It was weird as the story revolves more around the real world than the fantasy world which got me confused as to the genre of the movie. But hey, the movie was kind of interesting; no elaborate props were used, the repeated use of the theme was just stunning and the storyline was original. I can see why the movie got a rating of 4.5. And the ending nearly got me crying.. the mixed feeling was ooo.. so precious.
Haha.. then we hang out at Coffee Bean, got high on coffee and waste the night away.

To everyone who wished me, spoken or not, I truly appreciate it and treasure it.

Age is just a number.. of very little significance. It's how you feel about yourself that counts. That number only you yourself knows is the only age that matters because ultimately it's the soul that lives.. not the body.

Ugly Betty

2007-01-20T11:11:00.000+08:00

2007-01-18T00:34:00.000+08:00

I am desperately browsing through my playlist, hoping to find a song that will match the mood and feeling I'm experiencing now..

I didn't find any..

Just what am I feeling?

***

Fear I must face,
or forever be damned in this race.

4 stars

2007-01-15T20:23:00.000+08:00

Went to the other side or NUS, or rather the Bukit Timah Campus today after school. It looks like a resort, tucked along Bukit Timah Road with the lush greens of Botanical Garden nearby and the serenity of the entire place. No busses or students running around to get to lecture theatres here. A perfect place to study or just take in the fresh air and get away from the hustle and bustle of normal school though one cannot escape hints of it.

And there wasn't any posters pasted along the corridors or on the floor though there was a few inside the lift. Totally welcomed the clean look.

Ha.. while waiting for Su to finish her lesson, I spent time in the library, enjoying the peace and quiet of the place while attempting to do my tutorials. But eventually the zzz monster caught up to me.. Hehe..

Didn't managed to explore the entire vicinity though.. Ha.. sounds like I'm doing a Travel & Living documentary.. But really, BTC is such a nice place to be at..

Big Question

2007-01-14T23:11:00.000+08:00

Photo by ace-of-Finland

How will I know when I've reached the end?
Will there be signs telling me?

How can I go forward when you're pulling me back?
Or am I the one pulling you?

How can I wipe away your tears?
My hands are tied behind my back.

How can I trust you?
When at times I don't even trust myself.

I asked myself.. and I never got answers..

Thinking like a Scientist

2007-01-13T20:00:00.001+08:00

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

During the first freshmen sem lesson, Dr Roland introduces us to this quote by Sir Isaac Newton. When asked our opinion as to the meaning of the quote, some gave remarks that he was humble, he credited those who helped him and others. But generally we thought that Newton was a fine gentleman who contributed a lot to Science.

But we were definitely wrong.. so wrong it turned out to be.

You see.. back in his days, Robert Hooke accused Newton of 'stealing' his intellectual property pertaining laws of gravity. This got Newton fed up (who wouldn't be) apparently and it turned out Newton was witty too.

Well, where does the quote come in? What people don't know, is that Robert Hooke was a short man. 'Vertically challenged' as one might say. So yeah, Newton's remark was the ultimate sarcasm hurled at Hooke.

So lesson learnt today is never take a quote by face-value.. as seen above. Haha.. I think Freshman Seminar module is going to be fun.. 3 reports, 3 presentations..

2007-01-12T23:48:00.000+08:00

I really don't want to blog about it.

I just want to say that I'm tired of pretending that everything is okay.

2007-01-12T00:49:00.000+08:00

Today I was hurt by silence..

Section dinner

2007-01-10T00:49:00.000+08:00

Section dinner today at VivoCity. Planned to have one during the sem break but had to postponed it all the way until today. So we headed to Fig & Olive for dinner with Edna, Yokes and Chang Yung.

Actually we took pictures of the food but to save some people from salivating excessively (like myself), I shall put the least appetising of them all.

But while waitng, itchy fingers Edna decided she wanted to play with salt, or rather create a masterpiece..

Then we had cakes.. to celebrate Edna's belated birthday and my advance one.. hehe..
The chocolate banana cake is simply heavenly.. though it packs tonnes of calories..

Then we had fun at Daiso, trying on stuff, making a fool of ourselves.. and just have lots of rofl moments.

Then we chilled out at the deck of Vivo, enjoying the cool breeze and the quiet night. Enjoyed the view of Sentosa, watched the changing lights of the cable cars and the company of my sections.. Had a great night.. and by the time I reached home, it was already midnight. Ha.. well, got to go catch some sleep.. lecture at 8 tomorrow.. or rather later..

Same old brand new ME

2007-01-08T18:23:00.000+08:00

It feels good to be back again..

I miss the sound of the alarm clock.. and the 30 minutes snoozing allowance I give myself.

I miss how some people push and shove when entering the MRT train and how some people love to lean on the poles, how inconsiderate.

I miss the feeling of finding a class on the first day, which block to go to, which level, and when level 3 in one block is a level 5 of another, it totally messes me up.

I miss the Science library and how the queue for printing is always long when I need my stuff pronto.

I miss the canteen food; cheap and measly portion is what they specialised in.

I miss the shuttle bus ride during lunch hour; die-die must get on, uncle driving like bullet train and the ocassional bump on a friend.

I miss Yat's antics on how some student behave; coming late into lecture with a smirk, a whole row of candy-passing girls, people who just dresses bad, people gyrating their heads when they fall asleep during lecture and people like us who observe other people during lecture.

I miss how weird some lessons are; odd weeks for the first 4 weeks and every week after, tutorials immediately after lecture, labs that are 4 hours long and tutorials from 6 - 7pm.

I miss how workload exponentially increases week after week; waiting to bid for tutorials, term paper, projects, lab reports, presentations and exams.

I miss the super tired feeling upon returning from school, even though the day is short. Afternoon nap revitalises the body..

The best is yet to come.

The life..

2007-01-06T22:10:00.000+08:00

Guess today was the last time I had fun before sem starts and everybody is once again preoccupied with tutorials, projects and datelines.

Finalised modules this semester:
LSM1101 - Biochemistry of Biomolecules
LSM1102 - Molecular Genetics
SP1201 - Freshman Seminar (Thinking Like a Scientist)
GEK1521 - Physics in the Life Science
LAC1201 - Chinese 1

Nice guy graduate last

2007-01-05T23:25:00.000+08:00

If only life was this sweet..

Caught School for Scoundrels today with Su. The show was good, the storyline was simple to follow, good laughs but the best has got to be the twist. So unexpected it was till some of the audience gasped.. including me. And Sarah Silverman got me laughing.. she kinda reminds me of Fran Drescha.. or Janice. Haha..

Suddenly realise there's no poster for the movie.. didn't see any of them..

Well, another busy day tomorrow.. with interview and bidding.. just waiting for sem to start..

2007-01-05T00:15:00.000+08:00

Tiring day... long day in fact..

Badminton.. 2.5 hours.. sweat it out!..

Lundin at Botak Jones.. Fish and Chips.. gigantic portion.. share when you eat there..

Band prac.. feeling puky from the food.. still can't get the running notes..

Got the 2 mods.. big hooray.. 1 more to bid on..

Damn tired now.. gym tomorrow.. guess it's time to hit the sack..

STOP!

2007-01-04T09:32:00.000+08:00

I was happily browsing for Stephen King's books when I told myself..

What happened to Me that loves to find out about life?
What happened to Me that wakes up greeting the world with a smile?
What happened to Me that wakes up thanking God for another day?

Then I found a book..

The meaning of life.. not I do not know the meaning of life, but I just want to check if I'm on the right path. Guess I'm now way off from where my intended route is.

And so I was flipping the book, admiring the pictures of animals that perfectly complemented the words that followed..
I came to realised that many people do not know the meaning of life. Indeed there are more than one reason to life but not having one at all is like having an empty soul; it has nothing to feed on.

__
Why do we feel drawn together as a species, yet we steadily build up defensive barriers around our innermost feelings and beliefs so we can never be truly close to anyone?

We all have filters on, so we mostly see only what we want to see. When you finally open your eyes, you may be shocked at the obscured way you have been viewing the world to suit your own little plans. With those filters removed, you can take a closer look into yourself and ask objective questions about the universe and your place in it. In other words, investigate the meaning of life.

The only theme that resonates throughout the numerous popular life theories is love. Love, in all its fragile forms, is the one powerful, enduring force that brings real meaning to our everyday lives. It's well documented that a broken heart feels far more painful than squeezing lemon juice over a deep paper cut.
But the love I mean is the fire that burns inside us all, the inner warmth that prevents our soul from freezing in the winters of despair. It's the love of life itself. It's the voice that says "Celebrate life, be creative!" It brings with it the passion and understanding that some things in life are worth dying for, but there is so much more worth living for. This love of life leads us to help others simply because it feels great to contribute to those around us.

It always intrigue me how the answers are in us all the time but due to some reason or another, we refuse to acknowledge what our heart is telling us even though we know it is right. Maybe what we need is the occasional push to drive us forward, to keep reminding us as to why we live.

To remind us the meaning of life

Chalet..

2007-01-02T16:43:00.000+08:00

Just got back from chalet.. had an awesome time there with great food, great company and great games.. arcade, bowling (got my very first strike), air hockey. A nice way to start the new year.

The 'sacrifice'

Yummy!

Come and get it

Ain't she just adorable?

Nice stairwell

Tiada yang terlewat, semua masih ada harapan

2007-01-01T11:41:00.000+08:00

Found this wonderful article while reading BM. I guess positive thinking still has a place in the world..

Islam mahu umatnya bersikap positif dalam hidup. Oleh kerana itu umat Islam disuruh bersabar dan cekal ketika dilanda ujian.

Lebih daripada itu, mereka juga disuruh bersangka baik terhadap Allah swt dan menganggap ujian yang menimpa mempunyai banyak kebaikan untuk kehidupan mereka.

Dengan sikap positif seperti itu umat Islam mencapai kebaikan di dunia dan akhirat.

Dalam surah Az-Zumar ayat 10 Allah swt berfirman yang maksudnya: "Sesungguhnya Allah mengganjari mereka yang bersabar dengan ganjaran yang banyak yang tidak dapat dihitung."

Kita juga menyedari bahawa dunia adalah tempat ujian dan tribulasi dan syurga ialah tempat kesenagan yang abadi.

Justeru umat Islam bersedia untuk bersabar dengan segala ujian di dunia.

Pada masa yang sama, mereka akan berusaha dengan bersungguh-sungguh untuk mencapai matlamat yang diidamkan.

Dalam surah al-Baqarah ayat 155 Allah swt berfirman yang maksudnya:
"Sesungguhnya Kami oasti mengujimu dengan sedikit ketakutan, kelaparan, kekurangan harta, jiwa dan buah-buahan. Dan berikanlah berita gembira kepada mereka yang bersabar."

Walau bagaimanapun ujian yang menimpa, ia tidak akan berterusan selama-lamanya. Ia hanyalah merupakan satu proses pendidikan dan pembangunan diri yang diperlukan sebelum kejayaan dan kemenangan dicapai.

Inilah yang dijanjikan Allah swt dalam surah As-Syarh ayat 5 hingga 6 yang bermaksud:
"Sesungguhnya sesudah kesulitan itu ada kesenangan."

Hal ini diperkukuhkan lagi melalui sabda Rasulullah yang diriwayatkan Imam Tarmizi, yang bermaksud:
"Sesungguhnya kejayaan bersama-sama dengan kesabaran, kelapangan bersama-sama dengan kesusahan dan sesungguhnya kepayahan berserta dengan kesenangan. Tambahan daripada itu adalah ujian menggugurkan dosa."

Dalam sebuah hadis yang diriwayatkan Bekhari dan Muslim, Baginda bersabda (maksudnya):
"Tidak ada satu pun musibah yang menimpa seseorang Muslim, sama ada kepenatan, sakit yang kronik, kerisauan, kesedihan, sebarang kesakitan dan kemurungan, sehingga duri yang terkena badannya, melainkan ia akan menjadi kifarat baginya daripada dosa-dosa."

Hal itu bukanlah suatu yang pelik jika umat Islam berterima kasih serta bersyukur kepada Allah apabila sesuatu ujian menimpa mereka.

Berhubung dengan ini, Omar Al-Khattab pernah berkata: "Jika aku mendapat ujian duniawi aku bersyukur kerana terdapat padanya empat nikmat. Pertama, ujian itu tidak berkaitan dengan agama. Kedua, ia tidak begitu besar berbanding ujian agama. Ketiga, aku akan mendapat keredaannya dengan ujian itu dan keempat aku mengharapkan pahala daripadanya."

Inilah fikiran positif yang hebat lagi mengagumkan.

Ketika Islam disebarkan ke Kota Taif, sambutan mereka terhadap seruan Nabi amat dingin.

Hamba-hamba serta kanak-kanak dari kalangan Bani Thaqif melontari Baginda dengan batu sehingga berdarah kepala serta kaki Rasulullah.

Lalu Nabi bermunajat kepada Allah. Menikut Imam Muslim, ketika itu datang malaikat penjaga gunung meminta izin kepada Beginda untuk menimpakan gunung Taif ke atas mereka.

Hasrat malaikat gunung itu dilarang oleh Rasulullah.

Sebaliknya Baginda berkata: "Aku mengharapkan Allah dapat bangkitkan dari kalangan mereka satu generasi yang akan menyembah Allah dan tidak menyekutukan apa-apa pun dengannya."

Inilah sikap positif yang tidak ada tolok bandingannya.

Baginda mendapat kesempatan untuk membalas dendam ke atas Bani Thaqif, namun baginda bersabar dan tidak berputus asa.

Lebih daripada itu baginda berkeyakinan bahawa masa depan mereka cerah.

Tidak mustahil pada suatu hari nanti generasi muda dari kalangan mereka akan memeluk agama Islam.

Pernahkah anda menemui fikiran positif yang lebih hebat daripada itu?

Malah, dalam Islam kita perlu husnulzhon.

Menurut sains pula, fikiran positif akan meningkatkan kesihatan seseorang.

Satu kajian yang dilakukan olek Brigham and Women's Hospital dan Harvard Medical School mendapati bahawa mereka yang optimis mempunyai kehidupan yang lebih sihat lagi ceria.

Para saintis merumuskan hal ini didebabkan oleh sistem pertahanan badan yang menjadi semakin baik dirangsang oleh fikiran yang positif.

Namun majoriti pakar psikologi mengeluarkan teori bahawa sikap positif ini hanya mampu disemai bermula dari kecil, malah agak sukar dididik pada usia pertengahan apatah lagi menjelang senja.

Benar, pepatah Melayu juga ada yang menyatakan melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya.

Namun, menurut Islam tanggapan ini silap.

Saiyidina Umar dulunya merupakan seorang yang terkenal dengan kezaliman dan kekejamannya, namun masih boleh berubah semasa kehadiran Islam.

Dalam agama kita tiada istilah terlewat, semuanya masih ada harapan.

2006: Memories Kept In Me

2006-12-31T23:59:00.000+08:00

'The day before, the day itself and the day after.. does it matter?'

This is what I say to people who ask me about the coming year. To me New Year is just another day in the calender, no difference from today or tomorrow.

The year has been both good and bad for me.. seeing me through my best and worst moments. Things are just not the same anymore.

I lost..
I gained..

Maybe that's just how the world is supposed to go.

But deep within me, I hope for the best in everything. To know that things will get better, even though it takes years or a lifetime.. I want to know that things will get better.

Scrambling to remember the past,

as the next year approach fast.

Smiling to every fond memories,

frowning to better-forgotten histories.

Wishes abound, fireworks seen,

get ready as the countdown begins..

10..9..8..7..

6..5..4..

3..2..

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Clouds

2006-12-30T10:56:00.000+08:00

The pics were taken in Sentosa. It was truly a breathtaking sight as people stopped to awe at its beauty.

Could this be the lenticular clouds?

{"Have you not seen how God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you
see the rain come out of it..."} (Qur'an 24:43)

{"... And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky, and He strikes with it whomever He wills, and turns it from whomever He wills. The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight."} (Qur'an 24:43)

Band Camp

2006-12-29T19:29:00.000+08:00

~SPECIALTY~
POEMA ALPESTRE

-INGREDIENTS-
D-flat major
7 pages
7 movements
25 minute
Triplets
Quintets
Sextets
Chromatic scales

Peddle B-flat

Bon Appétit

2006-12-26T22:45:00.000+08:00

Caught Eragon earlier today because apparently the seats left for Night at the Museum are sucky ones. Was so long ago since I last saw something.. I think it was Monster House.

I had to say I was a bit disappointed with Eragon as I was expecting a more action packed show but it felt more like a B grade kind of movie. When Eug told me that the story was adapted from the book, I knew it would be another 'Harry Potter'. As it turns out, it was. Magic, evil rulers, mystical dragons.. ingredients for a draggy movie.

I was seriously expecting so much more from the movie.. the lines were bad, the special effects were okay, the coherence bad. At least Sienna Guillory managed to save the movie, the equivalent of Arwen in LOTR.

Haha.. and Eug pointed out the similarities..
LOTR: Aragon... Arwen
Eragon: Eragon... Arya
More people in the creative department please!

And the endning saw the demise of the King's sorceror (a shade), who got killed by the young rider.. when the sorceror was so powerful initially. They could at lest do a better fighting scene.

And the ending was the King revealing his dragon behind a drape.. so cliche..

okok.. I shouldn't waste my time reviewing this kind of movie..
I seriously don't recommend the movie.. there are better ones out there..

Then it was dinner with Su..
had a super fun time..
chocolates..
rain..
teasing..
back to JC days..

Have to have a good rest today.. results out tomorrow.. band camp tomorrow.. bidding tomorrow.. tough week

Imponderable

2006-12-25T09:37:00.000+08:00

Recently there have been an increase presence of 'Useless Information' books out there, be it in the library or the bookstore. Curious to its contents, I borrowed 2 of it; 'How does Aspirin find a headache?' and 'Do elephants jump?'.

I was thrown off by just how many people are into these sort of stuff. For starters, most of the questions are from readers themselves. This I got to see..

And so I flipped, reading the ones that caught my interest. I must admit that some of the questions I myself once asked but couldn't be bothered as I saw no one who was capable of answering.

I found myself laughing to the witty answers that they wrote..

See if you've been pondering over these Imponderables..

Why are carpenter's pencils square?
Why don't windshield wipers in buses work in tandem like car wipers?
Why do peanuts in the shell usually grow in pairs?
When do kids turn into goats?
What's the deal with the grades of architectural and art pencils? What do 'H', 'HB', 'F', 'B', and 'E' stand for?

Why do many blind people wear dark glasses?
Why do hardcover books have exposed, checkered cloth as part of their binding (on top and bottom)?
Will superglue stick to teflon?
Why are McDonald's straws wider in circumference than other restaurant or store-bought straws?

Why does the heart depicted in illustration look totally different from a real heart?
Why does Monopoly have such unusual playing tokens?
Why are newspaper so effective in cleaning windows?
Why is there no light in the freezer compartment?
Why do white styrofoam picnic coolers have blue specks in them?

My favourites:
Why do most staplers have a setting to bend staples outward?
Why does chewing gum get hard when you drink water while chewing?
If all time zones converge at the North and South poles, how do they tell time there?
Why does orange juice taste so awful after you've brushed your teeth?
Who was Casper the friendly ghost before he died?

Ubin Trip

2006-12-23T20:11:00.000+08:00

Now I can say that I've been to Ubin. Had a cycling tip at Ubin. Initially the plan was to visit Chek Jawa but we had to cancel it due to the fact that we have to register to enter with the guide and the registration is fully booked all the way till March. And the window for registration for the 2nd quarter of next year only begins in March. Nonetheless we moved to Plan B.. cycling. For 5 bucks, we got to rent the bike the whole day (for them whole day ends at 6pm). For one thing, the bike is way better that those pathetic ones at East Coast.

We had to be confronted by oncoming dense, grey and heavily clouds loaded with water. Soon after I took this photo, rain started pouring.. But thank goodness it lasted for 10 minutes before we have to cycle to the other parts in muddy and puddle waters.

Mamam beach view. I don't exactly think it qualifies as a beach because there's technically no sand leading to the waters. And the whole stretch is perhaps 100m long only. Beach or not? Doesn't matter.

And so we cycled along roads, horned by passing vans, rode upslopes (which nearly killed me), whizzed downslope (the best part.. makes your shirt dirty), hear the slushing sound when riding through mud, ate chips for lunch.. and had coconut before we rode back by bumboat.

Expecting major leg cramps tomorrow..

CFA Night

2006-12-22T23:35:00.000+08:00

So tonight was CFA night. Didn't know what we were going to do and there's only 4 of us representing band. But we know there were food; at least we got that correct. It turned out to be of a gathering where the different groups introduce themselves while promoting upcoming events and concerts.

And we got a shock when we have to play for a combine item with the dance group. Thank goodness PK helped to transpose the score. So in the end we have a trumpeter, a soprano saxophonist, a percussionist and a euphoniumist. And playing in unison made it less scary. Half an hour of sight-reading.. really commendable. Haha

And the food was great... especially the eclairs.

After the whole food galore was over, XiaoXuan intro me to the killer bunnies. Don't be fulled by the cute pictures.. these bunnies are anything but. Cool game.. not sold in Singapore by the way. With cool cabbages and water to buy, weapons to kill the opponents bunnies, viruses to avoid while accumulating carrot cards, the game had me laughing as I read the description of each cards. Haha.. and theres a cool 20-sided die (does that make it didecagonal die?) in the game too.

I think I'm getting high now.. too much fun..

Ubin trip tomorrow.. just hope I can get to Chek Jawa

What to take?

2006-12-21T23:21:00.000+08:00

Thought we could get away from nasty timetables for our first sem. But it turns out, we got one for the coming sem. And nasty it is as some modules had to be turned down due to clashes. Argh.. how fustrating!

Core modules:
LSM1101 Biochemistry of Biomolecules
LSM1102 Molecular Genetics

Die-die must take:
LSM1202 Human Anatomy

Rejected:
LAG1201 German 1 (need to run from arts to sci for lec in the morn.. no way jose)
PC1322 Understanding the Universe (clash with prac.. unexaminable some more.. wasted)
GEK1038 Scientific Methodology (not even available this sem)

Current considerations:
GEK1542 Forensic Science (HOT!.. sure high bids)
GEK2506 Drugs and Society (only lec.. on monday morn)
PC1326 Physics in Life Science (looks decent.. 4 quizzes)
SP1202 Communicating with the Academy (skills skills)

Well, I'll see what the rest is taking..

Rebirth

2006-12-20T23:54:00.000+08:00

Yeap, Roland is back.. in comic this time. But I'm not jumping for joy yet as the comic starts making its way into the comic store in the US in Feb next year so it'll take a while for it to get here.

I'm not exactly a fan of comic books except for The Archies so it'll be a new experience if I can lay my hands on one next year. Well it took me more than a year to finish reading all 7 volumes (and I say thank-ya), and I must say that the epic journey was worth travelling with inevitable deaths, macabrely detailed left to the imagination and page turners that griped me.

I just can't get enough of Stephen King's horror.. it helps exercise 'imagination'.

'Or one might take the tip of a pencil and magnify it. One reaches the point where a stunning realisation strikes home: The pencil-tip is not solid; it is composed of atoms which whirl and revolve like a trillion demon planets. What seems solid to us is actually only a loose net held together by gravity. Viewed at their actual size, the distances between these atoms might become leagues, gulfs, aeons. The atoms themselves are composed of nuclei and revolving protons and electrons. One may step down further to subatomic particles. And then to what? Tachyons? Nothing? Of course not. Everything in the universe denies nothing; to suggest and ending is the one absurdity.

If you fell outward to the limit of the universe, would you find a board fence and signs reading DEAD END? No. You might find something hard and rounded, as a chick must see the egg from the inside. And if you should peck through that shell (or find a door), what great and torrential light might shine through your opening at the end of space? Might you look through and discover our entire universe is but part of one atom on a blade of grass? Might you be forced to think that by burning a twig you incinerate an eternity of eternities? That existence rises not to one infinity but to an infinity of them?'

The sun is up..

2006-12-20T13:15:00.000+08:00

Warmth

Yeah the sun is up, the birds are chirping again and it's warm. Too bad the Gombak Stadium is closed for maintenance till further notice. Shouldn't they post this up somewhere to avoid disappointed patrons like us? They should.. and 'till further notice'? What's up with that?

Well at least I managed to get 'Back to Basics' from Yi Hua. Woot!
And PR is on today.. and JC Band Fest up tomorrow (I think still can get tix).
I think I'll finish Everything's Eventual today and continue with Train Man.

I could use some warmth

2006-12-20T01:09:00.000+08:00

2006-12-18T22:45:00.000+08:00

Lone-post

And the rain continued its pattering on the windows; sweet melodies exudes, rocking me to sleep.. to slumberland

It was pouring when we cooked our meals.
It was pouring when we ate together.
It was pouring when I played the keyboard.
It was pouring when we left for dinner.
It was pouring when I said goodbye to them all.

***

I've learnt to let go.. I've learnt to say goodbye.
I knew you'll be next.. so I won't question why.

View from the 23rd

2006-12-17T20:21:00.000+08:00

You can never go wrong with chocolates

Today was one of my uncle's tunang ceremony. Don't really know the english word for it. Ha.. Actually this is maybe my 2nd or 3rd tunang ceremony I participated in and today I finally knew the purpose of it.
Today was when they send lavish gifts to the girls side and ask for their hand for reservation for marriage in the near future. Haha.. sound so crude. I got to realise how delicate the procedure is; the preparation of the gifts, the speech presented to the girls side all carefully planned. Not to mention all the nice food I stuffed down my gut today.
And I simply love the smell of bunga rampai.

And a final view from the 23rd.

Wheels

2006-12-16T22:59:00.000+08:00

Around and around and around it goes..

Just riding it, not wanting to let go

Pretentious

Falling Stars

2006-12-16T10:45:00.000+08:00

Catch falling stars
make a wish upon them...

Of memories..
the past we cried
the days gone by
and forgotten paths
we left behind

Of struggle..
we wished we were older
we wanted our own
but now we're free
why is everything still wrong

Of pain..
hurt is common
pain inevitable
for this kind of feeling
is what makes us human

Of love..
hugs and kisses
cuddles aplenty
been waiting too long
to fill up that empty

to alleveiate all misery
even if for a brief moment.

2006-12-15T20:03:00.000+08:00

Of staircases

***

Finally ended my one week assignment with Kuehne+Nagel. This one week seems like forever as working hours was 8 hours long. Thank goodness Rus was there to accompany me or else I'll simply die from boredom and tireness. Yup, I mentioned tireness, a feeling I had never experienced for a long time, dating back to Army days. I was so tired that I slept at 11 yesterday; that was how tired I was.

Ha, but I guess the monetary reward was well worth it. I try not to think about my friends having fun outside, going on holidays or just resting at home while I work my ass off. I'll do anything to relief my parents from the burden while gaining work experience though it's so unrelated to what I intend to do in the near future.

The funny thing however was that the workers there assumed both Rus and I are waiting for our O level results. That's so hilarious. We look that young huh. Haha..

Now I can finally finish Stephen King's Everything's Eventual, visit Chek Jawa, catch a movie, and clear this sem stuff and prepare for the coming year.

2006-12-14T20:14:00.000+08:00

Looks like an early winter

Life as a warehouse assistant

2006-12-12T20:24:00.000+08:00

Warehouse prose..

Mountain of recycled paper

Light at the end of a cardboard tube

Loner

Peeking at plastic

Frames

2006-12-11T21:47:00.000+08:00

I saw scores of people walk by.
Never once stopped to ask, to question and ask why.
As long as I'm strong I will continue to try.
But when resistance is futile, that's when I say goodbye.

Christina Aguilera: Hurt

2006-12-10T00:40:00.000+08:00

Christina Aguilera: Hurt

Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face
You told me how proud you were but I walked away
If only I knew what I know today

I would hold you in my arms
I would take the pain away
Thank you for all you've done
Forgive all your mistakes
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To hear your voice again
Sometimes I want to call you but I know you won't be there

I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself by hurting you
Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit
Sometimes I just want to hide 'cause it's you I miss
You know it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this

Would you tell me I was wrong?
Would you help me understand?
Are you looking down upon me?
Are you proud of who I am?
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To have just one more chance
To look into your eyes and see you looking back

I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself
If I had just one more day, I would tell you how much that
I've missed you since you've been away

Oh, it's dangerous
It's so out of line to try to turn back time

I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself

By hurting you

The one

2006-12-08T23:17:00.000+08:00

Today was the season finale of Ghost Whisperer and the continuation of last week's Free Fall episode.

Well for those who didn't catch the the Free fall episode, Melinda got visited by the dead pilot of the plane that is still flying. With all the crew and passengers frozen dead, the plane was just waiting to crash. And it did, and soon enough Melinda was tasked to help the hundreds of people cross over..

So today Melinda had to face the wide brim hat guy. And when it seems that the guy was successful in coaxing the dead into staying, Melinda came out with a covincing speech. By the time she completed, there was this bright light that even Jim could see. I guess when the force is too great, it transcends dimensions. And at that, I felt a tear ran down my cheek, as the dead crossed over. Episode after episode I have been waiting to cry and finally got to.

Seeing Melinda breaking the news to Andrea that she is dead did it for me. Imagine telling your best friend that they're dead; the pain of letting go will sure be overwhelming. Sad, sad, sad...

The show had to end with the hat guy creeping behind Andrea, hanging the whole show till season 2.

I'll jus have to mark my calender for that day then.

2006-12-08T12:23:00.000+08:00

DCI Blast Oficcer Krupke

Good things ought to be shared..

400th and counting

2006-12-08T10:53:00.001+08:00

Didn't realise it was my 400th post. What a long way.. but today I'm not going to sulk on all my miseries as I had been complaining about at every 100th post.

Not today.. not today.

Was too shagged to blog yesterday... well not exactly shagged from the weariness but from the excitement. I stayed up till 3+ because I can't fall asleep. Couldn't remember when I last stayed up that late.

So yesterday Toms and I celebrated Kels birthday. We rounded Orchard Road like lost ants. Haha.. then we got our free Starbucks drink along with tens of other curious Singaporeans, queuing and wondering why Starbucks was having this freebie. And it seems we can order a tall for any drink they offer. Woot!

Then we settled for Seoul Garden for Kels treat. I mean he treated us.. don't get it wrong. I think after yesterday, I won't be eating Seoul Garden for another year. And the coffee chicken taste (blech!). Ha.. but aside from that the food never changed at all. And so we stuffed ourselves, like we were going on a hunger strike the following week.

Then at 1015 when we should be heading home, we ended up playing a round of DOTA. Haha.. I can't believed I played a game yesterday, though we quitted halfway. Well, broodmother had its day yesterday with her spiderlings. Haha.. quite enjoyed myself actually.

But I guess all good things have to end.. and soon we headed for home. I had to cancelled the run today or I'll be pooped out.

I think it's just me and the Sisters Of Eluria today.

And that concludes the 400th.. no nasty stuff to comment.. checked.

2006-12-06T22:30:00.000+08:00

Woohoo.. I survived today.. thought I'll really succumb to tireness but I proved to be stronger than I thought.

So woke up dreading to go for a run but since I promised Eug, I had to (I'm a man or promise after all). Haha.. but we only ran 6 rounds (outer ring mind you) instead of the usual 10 to save up energy for the shopping later. Haha.. but we still managed to do some time in the gym and left when we felt bored and of course shagged.

Then we made our way to HSA for blood donation. It was surprisingly more packed than I'd have expected. But nonetheless the service was still excellent because I got a super-friendly nurse who asked me tonnes of questions. I think I settled it in 6 minutes. I think la... hope to be faster next time.

Then it was after-exam shopping for presents at Bugis. Went to a Icon at Bugis Point and went to this shop called miniature handicrafts. And saw this gorgeous wooden box that has a baritone in it. I was like WOW! But it was priced at 50 bucks.. and guess what? Eug bought it for his friend.. Argh!!! and for 45 bucks some more.. Gonna get him for that man. Haha..

And we saw girls best friend on display at Bugis Junction.. ya.. you guessed it, DIAMONDS.. and 913 carat of it, totalling more than 1.5 million dollars worth of diamonds.

Here's the diamond tree... Should look even more expensive at night.

Then it was off for more shopping and I found the perfect after-exam gift for myself..

For those blind bats out there.. that's Gwen Stafani.. my ultimate favourite, even when No doubt is but no more. But I can always depend on Gwen and Tony Kanal to make beautiful music. Catchy and totally upbeat. I think I'll have to update my jukebox soon.

To think I was done for the day. WRONGO! Still more walking and shopping, this time for the bdae boy. Haha.. so hard to find a suitable gift. But still we managed to find one; and nicely packaged too. Haha.. won't he be surprised tomorrow.

Then me and Toms managed to catched an indoor Xmas concert by a pianist and a flautist at the esplanade. So refreshing. Though I don't celebrate Xmas, some of the songs just takes your mind of stress. Left me smiling and imagining of a white Xmas.

Somehow I sound so upbeat today. Haha.. I think I'm high right now.. having a hunger pang right now.

Well, time for project runway.. Ciao..

Over

2006-12-04T16:18:00.000+08:00

Phew..

It's finally over

Cheat sheet

2006-12-04T00:05:00.000+08:00

Only got 1 side of my cheat sheet done. With only hypothesis testing to write down, I hope I have sufficient space. Can't wait for tomorrow.. last one!

What a day...

2006-12-02T22:28:00.000+08:00

Today seemed like an eternity..

I arrived in school a bit later than usual.. around 10. Nonetheless, it wasn't as packed as I expected. Got a nice seat, with my cookies and nescafe handy in case the zzz monster attack.

But I managed to cover what I intended to, along with some hair pulling.

8 pm came.. and I realised I had to go home. Then realised that the shuttle bus is no longer running after 7. So I walked all the way to the engin side, with the moonlight as my only company. Ocassionally, cars and buses drove past, but I took no notice. I just drowned myself in the loneliness that I yearned for so long.

To walk the path alone, the silence, my music.

Then it was some shopping for tomorrows breakfast. Got some salad, tuna and ribena. I so need mum. Ha.. but all is good; not the first time I'm all alone in the house for days. Just add a few more chores to the list.

So agenda for tomorrow:
1. Settle breakfast
2. Wash clothes, hang clothes, fold clothes
3. Clean up the house
4. Settle lunch
5. Finish off stats
6. Settle dinner
7. Last clean up
8. Some tv
9. Sleep

Come Monday when I'm released from the exams, that's when fun begins..

1 more

2006-11-29T23:58:00.000+08:00

Can't recall when I last wrote that fast.
5 essay in 2 hours.. talk about time constraint.

2006-11-28T14:04:00.000+08:00

Can't believe I actually pulled it off. 4 hours of cramming yesterday all seem worthwhile.

Somehow I got the feeling that this SSA was predictable... every year they ask the same old questions over and over again..

But still, I couldn't remember all the facts..

Ha.. 2 more paper to go..