old man ist tot.

i am back

2008-02-14T16:33:00.004+08:00

after reading all these posts. i realised how depressed i have been. hidden all those bad entries that reminded me of the past. maybe i should delete this blog soon. but no worries now, the sun is shining brightly and life is good. la dolche vita. thats becuz cooking pasta gives me lots of joy. well no lah. i guess i should create a new blog soon. and this blog would be banished to the annuls of history.

bday pictures

2007-03-07T01:09:00.001+08:00

i'll be posting pictures during my bday bbq! look out that space for updates!

wouldnt it be lovely?

2007-03-01T21:51:00.000+08:00

someone's head is resting on my knees

warm and tender of you to me

who takes good care of me

wouldnt it be loverly?

pictures from shanghai trip

2007-02-21T17:25:00.000+08:00

and as i said, let the pictures do the talkings!

daffodals

banquet in five star hotel

apples with 'blissful' imprint. unique!

celebration of CNY eve by the populance

nice italian food

christmas is so outdated!

my cousin and his family

me with the orential looking steamboat!

my face froze as the mini firework exploded

the boy emperor and his minimalistic dragon throne

mum in kungfu position

ferris whell look alike structure

oriental pearl tower

fudan university, one of the top university in china and world

office boy at my da sao's office

clothes bought in shanghai

pictures taken during my grandma's birthday. i know thats weeks ago but must as well upload those old pics to my computer.

me and my cousin

my first pay cheque!

my lovely cousins cum tuition kids

birthday cake

epiphany

2007-02-20T00:02:00.000+08:00

living in the ivory tower for 18 years, it is difficult to acknowledge the truth when you are accustomed to be sheltered and protected. and like the solitaire cards in solitaire's mystery, to listen the truth is a rude awakening. in the story, the cards decided to murder the creator for his existance exposes them to the truth that they are nonexistant. and in the real world, the previously unknown truth opens out many frightening thoughts and ideas. truth is like the opening of the pandora's box which can be neither retracted nor denied. and truth can really hurts.

i really reckon that my 18 yrs of existance is a waste.

but on the flipside of the coin, truth is very powerful. it is like a huge gong that awake unaware humans from their slumber and it realigns them to the correct path. the awful truth might not be awful afterall. cuz the bible says "the Truth sets you free".

of destiny. in solitaire mystery, there's a recurring theme in the book where destiny dictates that generations of people experience the same tragic fate. and this is same in the real world. where the same tragegy is passed down from father to son to grandson to their decendents. but can we change our fate? or our fate is preordained? but like the protagonist in solitaire mystery, the tradegy that haunted them for hundred of years finally stopped at his generation. so despite ppl saying that one's destiny cant be changed, i hope that people can prevent the same tragegy that happened for many generations to be pass down.

greetings from shanghai 1

2007-02-18T00:02:00.000+08:00

hey guys. for those who dont know that i will be away in CNY at shanghai, i've arrived safely and im blogging in front of my laptop in the hotel room.

anyway i had the most fabulous lightshow in the world. as according to traditions, ppl in the past left off firecrackers and created a huge din in the eve of chinese new yr to ward off the monster nian [or 'year' in english] which wuld appear every yr this time.

and in shanghai where its permitted for people to let off fireworks and firecrackers, u can imagine what a spectacle wuld be like during festive periods like chinese new year.

so instead of standing at esplanade just to wait for the new yr firework show, i had the most fantastic firework show presented outside my window. and every min and every second, there will be ppl letting off fireworks and firecrackers. so u can imagine how the din wuld be like with the combined population of 10million in shanghai. plus the myriad of fireworks which lit up the whole sky.

and i even had a firework exploded outside my window. and that wuld i say, is the truly most moving moments in my life. and after im back to singpaore, i'll show u how close i can get to witness fireworks.

no words can aptly describe what i feel. or all u guys who are accustomed seeing fireworks on the television and not to let off one personally, go buy a air ticket to china and u'll know what i mean.

signing off.

im leaving on a jetplane

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

HAPPY CHINENSE NEW YEAR TO YOU GUYS!

INSTEAD OF GOING TO RELATIVES' HSES, IM OFF TO SHANGHAI TO CELEBRATE A DIFFERENT CNY!

AND AS THE CHINESE SAYS, IM GOING TO 避年

OR RATHER TO AVIOD CNY VISITATIONS AND STUFF

SO YEAH AU REVOIR GUYS AND HAVE FUN AND DO TAKE CARE K!

SIGNING OFF

DAN THE SAINT.

happy valentines' day

2007-02-14T17:37:00.000+08:00

'old friends are gold, new friends are silver'

and in the light of valentines day, i wuld like to call out to all dateless people [which includes me] not to be sad as today is also a special day to be with ur friends. so let us call today 'happy friendship day'! but to me, while we singles are spending time with their friends or drowning in their sorrows, i think we should extent this day to our long lost friends.

indeed, people come and go in my life. old friends are slowly forgetten as new friends fill in the gaps gradually. friends that once matter to us went their seperate paths as we fall out with each other. but no matter what, each and everyone impacted my life some way, no matter how small and insignificant it is.

and therefore, to all my friends whom i lost contact, i really hope to rekindle our friendship. and i wuld like to mend the bridge with people whom i offended last time. would we bury the hatchet and put away all our past? and the reason why im doing so is becuz i do not want to live a life of regrets. afterall, how many opportunities for us to tell people we care abt that 'i cherish you'. and despite my cold and stotic exterior, im a person who's sensitive and emotionally fragile.

and yeah, to all my current friends.. i just wanted to tell you guys that i cherish you people lots and i nvr want to lose any of you! ((:

so yah, to all people who are who were part of my life.. happy friendship day!

an entry

2007-02-13T23:47:00.000+08:00

hey guys. it has been quite a while that i blogged. anyway im going to dedicate this entry to you. ppl say that im a 'complex mind full of complicated thoughts'. but even a person with the ability to make complex analysis, i culdnt fathom whats in ur mind. much can be revealed about someone's thoughts and intentions by his or her words and actions, but i can decipher nothing if u choose to be reticent. reveal nothing? im tired of reading ur thoughts. cant u be more upfront to me? or maybe its as u said, 'im thinking too much'. im really afraid of losing. but the problem is i only started to feel the pinch when im about to lose it. we are on the verge of falling apart. it saddens me that i cant do anything.

do u even read my blog?

anyway on the happier note, i watched the mtv of 'the sweet escape' by gwen stefani on the tv today! i think its absolutely coolness! i think she look really hot and cute in the mtv!!! im gonna look for that song and post it on my music player.

and to all my friends who are in the army, happy valentines day to you! even thou u guys cant be going out with girls you secretly fancied for a long time, u still can celebrate with ur army friends.. so lets call this day 'happy friendship day'! and to my mj pal, thank you for taking your time off just to talk to me on the phone. i really appreciate it (:

when the saints go marching in

2007-02-10T10:58:00.000+08:00

mural at the outside of SAJC's library

when the saints go marching in!

2007-02-08T12:26:00.000+08:00

This is what I do when I'm extremely bored at home. Presenting "When the Saints go marching in".

Oh, when the saints go marching in
Oh, when the saints go marching in
Lord, how I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in

I want to be one of them with a little halo on my head going in through the pearly gates! (:

himbotic entry! dont read if u are bored by excessive details and mindless rantings!

2007-02-07T22:43:00.000+08:00

*fuming fuming* im hopping mad cuz words and words of the entry I wrote yesterday was gone within a sec after pressing some button by accident.

anyway i've haven been blogging for quite some while and im finally back after the hiatus. well i had a busy month as i started my first job as an office boy working at my uncle's office! but anyway after working for a month, im quite glad that my tenure was over. well on 2 feb which was the day i left the office, it wasnt a parting filled with sadness. and having had worked for a month, i guess none of my colleagues would really miss my departure. except only that they might miss me as an odd job worker who helped around with monotonous, boring tasks.

in fact, im quite glad to quit my job as im out of the 9 to 5 working cycle. life was like a routine to me. imagine i had to drag my unwilling body off from bed and trudging dragged my tired legs to the office in the morning. while i was in the office, what im told to do is to upload pictures and information to the database. one day was quite bad enuff but try multiplying it by 19 times, and you will understand the sheer agony [well, agony in boredom] that i've to go through everyday. and what i absolutely abhor hate detest about working life is that i have to squeeze myself with all other commuters in the morning train that is as packed as a can of sardines. why must there be a huge surge of people in public transport everyday during rush hours?

you know what is a normal day for me in the office?
• 9am or later [but mostly later]: report to the workplace, dillydallied for an hour while checking updates on friendster and my friend’s blog.
• 10am: really started doing work. but I wld always be interrupted by occasional msn messaging, calls, and smses by my friends. not really concentrating working uh!
• 12pm: lunch! im always punctual for lunch.
• 2pm or earlier: back to work. and this depends whether I got take ‘extended lunch breaks’.
• after 2pm: browse friendster or read the book. well, I can slack openly cuz most of my co-mates are away for lunch.
• around 3 to 4pm: oh no! the empress dowager is back! *rushes back to work. and this is the time where I really concentrate on my work for the day
• 5.30pm: work’s almost over! immediately stops my work, tidy up my desk, pack my stuff, get changed into something more casual, and begins to countdown for the end of the day.
• 6pm: thank God its 6pm! and you know what it means??? WORK IS OVER! without further a due, I grabbed by bag, dashed out from the office, pressed the lift button frantically, anticipate for the lift to arrive at 36th floor, rushed into the lift, ran to the shuttle bus, waiting impatiently for the bus to be filled up with passengers and began its short journey to the mrt station, ran to the platform and to the train, be with close proximity with anonymous Joes and Janes on the train, alight from the train and ran in top speed to catch the shuttle bus in time, boarded the shuttle bus and im on my way to somewhere I wuld call as ‘Home Sweet Home”. yippie~

but nevertheless im really thankful towards my uncle for allowing me to work in my office! indeed, even thou my job is really boring and monotonous [how exciting can it be for an office boy?], I really learnt many invaluable lessons that one culdnt learn in school. well, no wonder people wuld say that the youths of our days lack a sense of drive and purpose in them as they are too sheltered by their parents. just throw them into an unfamiliar environment, like an office, and they will emerge as responsible, socially apt individuals. well one of the most valuable lessons I learnt in office is tolerance! with her 市侩嘴脸, I think she’s really there to make my life in the office miserable and unbearable. even thou I disliked her, but she’s a person that I really respect. I learnt that in life, there wuld bound to people who are always above you. yes, they are called ‘figures of authorities’. well, with my feisty and adamant attitude, I dun think I wuld go anywhere far. but I reckon that ms empress dowager is so many times better than those mean, fierce officers in the army. therefore I really need to quell down my attitude. but meanwhile I wuld continue to be disobedient and pray for good officers in the army~ God, tolong tolong ah! *keep my fingers crossed.

and well, unbeknownst to me, my uncle actually thinks highly of me. he is like full of praises of me when he called my mum on the phone. well, he thinks that im intelligent, a critical thinker, and a good worker who can do things fast and efficient. hmmmm, well I thot im a himbo who’s dumb and shallow, and a bummer who wuld slack around whenever theres an opportunity. but I can vouch for one thing and it is that despite of my laziness, I will manage to complete my tasks on time and within the deadline!

so yah, now freedom is granted to me and im glad to have more time for myself. well im going to be enlisted soon and I heard that there’s no such thing called privacy and individuality in the army. well, wat privacy can you get when you will be around with a group of people even up to the bedtime. and if everyone’s individualistic, there wuld be no such thing called ‘strict discipline’ and ‘blind conformity’ in the army. one for all, all for one…. and here booms the loudspeaker blasting army propaganda. so meanwhile, I really ought to take some time off to be alone cuz afterall, you will never be alone in the army. and oso, I shld really meet up all my frens, be it my close frens or frens that I haven’t been contacting for a while, cuz I wuld be away from civilization verrry soon~~~

and yeah, to sidetrack, my friend bought me to SAJC few days ago! cant believe it right? but I aint joking~~ really!! well.. we actually have to detour all the way to saint andrew primary school to get in to the compound due the the tight security. and you know what, a woman who supposedly be some sch cleaner saw me walking in the gate and she remarked that ‘outsiders shouldn’t be allowed in the school premises’. well I dun even know that she was making that remark to me! and I heck care her and we walked into the compound. and as we were on our long journey to SAJC, I can sense that many eyes were on me as I walked past students of pri and sec school in saint andrew village. well tis can be exlained by the fact that im exceeding conspicuous and noticeable as I was the only student in the whole village who dyed his hair and was not dressed in school uniform. and when we were in SAJC, we have to make dodges on several noticeable people who are the figures of authorities cuz I do not want to be sued by the school for ‘trespassing the school premises’ and to be brought to the police. anyway I passed by their school library and the wall mural is realllllllllly cute~~ its decorated with many many stick figures with halos on their hands. and you know what? the opening of the book slot was depicted as a wooden box in the mural, and four little saints are carrying it! the little saints are tooooo cute for words, but too bad I cant take a picture of it as I wuld be in suspicion! and you know what, as I walked past a grp of students who were studying at the benches, the saints were agape as I smiled at them meekly! I think the boy saint and the girl saint are simply too hot for words!!! well, after touring the school compound, the trip is finally ended as we exited from the side gate.. well im really happy as I have my dreams fulfilled by stepping into my dream school.

and on a last note, to all people who are bored to death by my long and boring rantings, here’s a picture to feast ur eyes!!!! hahahahaha!!

don't i look like a swimsuit model?

p.s: i know i look fat in the pic but plz dont poke fun of my body~~~ oh man i wuld really turn aneroxic if you do.
p.s.s: dont puke in front of the computer cuz im miles away to be a swimsuit model. and if you do, dont tell me cuz i have a fragile ego. hahaha.

Time

2007-02-01T14:52:00.000+08:00

To all my readers, take your time to read this extract and do some critical thinking.

A young child sits building sandcastles in a sandbox. It constantly builds something new, something which it treasures for only a moment before it knocks it all down again. In the same way Time has been given a planet to play with. This is where the history of the world is written, this is where the events are engraved - and smoothed all over. This is where life bubbles like in a witch's cauldron. One day we'll be modelled here, too - from the same brittle material as our ancestors. The wind of Time blows through us, carries us and is us - then drops us again. We are conjured up and tricked away. There is always something lying and brewing in anticipation of taking our place. Because we're not standing on solid ground, we're not even standing on sand - we are sand.

You cannot hide from Time. You can hide from kings and emperors, and possibly from God, but you can't hide from Time. Time follows our every move, because everything around us is immersed in this transient element.

Time doesn't pass, and Time doesn't tick. We are the ones who pass, and our watches tick. Time eats its way through history as silently and relentlessly as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It topples great civilisations, gnaws at ancient monuments, and wolfs down generation after generation. That's why we speak of the "ravages of time." Time chews and chomps - and we are the ones between its jaws.

For the fleeting moment, we are part of a furious swarm. We run around on earth as thought it was the most obvious thing of all. You saw how the ants craled and crept up at the Acropolis! But everything will disappear. It will disappear and be replaced with new multitudes, because people are always standing in line. Shapes and masks come and go, and new ideas are always popping up. Themes are never repeated, and a composition never shows up twice... There is nothing as complicated and precious as a person, but we are treated like a trash.

We skip around on earth like characters in a fairy tale. We nod and smile at each other as if to say, "Hi there, we're living at the same time! We're in the same reality - or the same fairy tale..." Isn't that incredible? We live on a planet in this universe, but we we'll be swept out of orbit again. Abracadabra - and we're gone!

If we had lived in another century, we would have shared our lives with different people. Today we can easily nod and smile and say hello to thousands of our contemporaries: "Hi, there! How strange we should be living at exactly the same time." Or perhaps I bump into someone and open a door and shout: "Hi, soul!"

We're alive, you know, but we live this only once. We open our arms and declare that we exists, but then we are swept aside and thrust into the depths of history. Because we are disposable. We are part of an eternal masquerade where the masks come and go. But we deserve more. You can I deserve to have our names engraved into something eternal, something that won't be washed away in the great sandbox............

Exerpt of The Solitaire Mystery

my comments:

and ode to all the philosophers and great thinkers of this world throughout the course of history, for ideas and thoughts wont be washed away by the ravages of time. as plato mentioned about the 'world of ideas', thoughts are eternal because idea by our predecessors are handed down generations to generations through the transmission of knowledge and it is kept immortal that way.

and another ode to all notable people in the passage of time who managed to have their names carved on the eternal slab of marble called 'History'. despite all people and things pass away, those great men of history are still remembered generations later for of all the remarkable things they've did. for famous people like Napoleon, Williams Shakespeare, and Otto von Bismarck are made immortale in the minds of many due to their notable deeds and works as our contempories continued to sing the epics of past heros. and, unlike the rest, are spared from the ravages of time.

the solitaire mysetery by jostein gaarder is such a great read but its such a pity that the due is up and its time for me to return that book.

philosophy questions answered

2007-01-29T10:46:00.000+08:00

remb my last entry where i raised some questions? i shall attempt to answer them today.

Who am I?
hmm thats a simple question. am i not dan when dan's my name? dan's my name therefore i am dan. but what is my identity? i can say that im [according the order of importance] firstly son of God, secondly a singaporean, thirdly an overseas chinese of hokkien and teochew descend, and lastly an ex merdianer. but no matter what, i see myself as an individual living in the world of a population of 8 billion people.

Why am I here?
thats a tricky question. since i dont suscribe to the evolution theory and im a christian personally, i guess that theres a reason to my existance in this world. well as the bible and the church always say, God has a plan for me in life. maybe im going to be a history maker where my existance or prescense is notable enough to be noted in the annals of history. or maybe my existance is going to impact the lives of people around me, and they might be living without me. or maybe its up to me to find out why am i here as according to existentialist philosophy, humans define the value or meaning of both their existence and the world around them in their own subjectivity, and wander between choice, freedom, and existential angst.

Where am I going?
thats a difficult answer since i dont really have a purpose in life. a purpose is like a target in the shooting range, and without purpose there wuldnt be any target. what is purpose? is it given divinely or shld i search it myself? what would the future brings for me? in the short term, i would see myself serving the nation. and in the middle term, i would see myself pursuing a degree in a university. but what about the long termn? as keynes had quippped 'in the very long run, we will all be dead,' nobody can truly know what the future be like. but no matter what it is, que sera sera. the future is not for us to know.

life itself has no instrisicate meaning and its up to us to define whats the Meaning of Life.

existential crisis

2007-01-24T22:44:00.000+08:00

who am i?
why am i here?
where am i going?

and throughout the ages, philosphers asked those qns and attempted to solve it. and as such different ppl have different intepretations towards Meaning of Life. some believes that there is a divine purpose in life and the supreme being has authority over everything. while others have secular definitions over a life which they called fulfilling. like money, love, authority.

but nihilists and atheists reckon that life itself does not have an inherent meaning. we are just aimless animaless wandering in the vast empty lands. whatever good or evil that happen in the world is just a random occurance. the divine eye doesnt look over the humanity and give protection to those in need. cuz there is no divine eye. the good, bad, and the ugly were just useless terms when there is no such thing called the moral standards. therefore when life is so meaningless, people are entitled to do anything they like.

God is dead. Nietzche the nihilist philospher exclaimed. and Nietzche went mad in the end.

why believe in life when life is so meaningless. and ever since i left church, it seems that all the meaning of life were taken away from me. it seems that life has come to an end to me. i have nothing to struggle of. i am living in comfort. im not in a dire need. i dont have a perfect childhood but my parents love me a lot. im not rich and wealthy but my family is well to do. i dont have any rare talents but ppl acknowledge my abilities.

but what i need most is a purpose in life. something thats worth living. something thats worth sacrifising for. something thats gonna pull me out of my comfort bubble im living in.

i know there will be lots of ppl who are gonna rebuke me for being a lucky brat who is wasting his time wondering whats The Meaning of Life. but the most saddening ppl in this world are those who do not have a purpose.

the saints come marching in

2007-01-22T17:03:00.000+08:00

oh what shld i say. days have whizzed by as i realised that i've been working for that company for 2 weeks. anyway, i was on a mission [or errand if u want to call it] to bank in cheques for the company. and when sharon, who's the assistant accountant in the office, handed me the cheques, i gasped in horror as i looked at the number of digits stated on the cheque.

a whopping $54,129.60 in singapore dollar! and that piece of paper can worth me years and years of salary [currently] shld i lost it.

and its issued by citibank somemore.

okay okay but as expected, i managed to hand over the cheque to some large corporate bank without losing it. or else i wont even be blogging here.

anyway, guys.. i think SAJC uniform is so cool and hot, as in visually attractive. not like my mj uniform which is so uncool and hot, which i mean heaty and stuff. well, what can u expect for my uniform. its fire proof somemore. i want to be a SAINT!!!

and anyway, i collected my bursary yesterday. previously wasnt open to me, i found myself eligible for that scheme 2 yrs ago when both my parents have retired due to old age. so techinically speaking, my family is not having any income and henceforce im eligible for the scheme. which is puzzling cuz neither did i score spectacularly well for my prelims nor my family belongs to the lower income grp. well, they say that the government is very rigid in enforcing their policies to the extent that as long the recipients fit in the narrow definitions as stated in the regulations, the government will approve one's application without doing furthur background check. so, ppl like me have become a 'misallocation of resource' whereas more deserving ppl are deprived of the aid which are originally intended for those grp of ppl. and thats why mr chen, my cgt, told me that he will reject my application instantly when i apply for 'meridians' scholarship' when by right, im eligible for it as according to the 'narrow definitions' as stated in the regulations

but nevertheless im very appreciative towards the government in motivating and rewarding students who do well in sch. and i realised that there's a recurring trend as i advance the academic ladder. in my pri sch days, i wuld be getting 'good progress award', and in my sec sch days, i wuld be getting 'edusave scholarship award', and in jc, i wuld be getting 'edusave bursary'. having had benefitted from the edusave scheme in my schooling years, this is truly the last time im getting whatsoever grants from the govt. unless i ace my a lvls and therefore eligible for scholarship schemes offered by universities.

btw, i gotta thank wee gek for taking his time off to accompany me to the ceremony, even thou its just a stone's throw away from ur hse. and i gotta thank your patience to bear with the ceremony which lasted for 15 mins. haha and lastly, for ur relantance despite you are not keen to eat at pepperlunch.

oh yah, being the only guy who dyed his hair among all the recipients, i feel that eyes were fixed on me as im receiving the award. and from the stares, i can sense that from the eyes of the audiences, it is as if God forbids me to get the award cuz i look like a paikia. and there's a guy who stared at my eyes longer than the usual time as he was wondering why im wearing colour contacts lenses. haha, so much for spoiling the reputation of my school huh? i was like so embarassed that i went to his hse to change into civilian clothes after the award.

i was never a meridianer

2007-01-21T00:10:00.000+08:00

sorry guys. i am a mj traitor cuz i was never from there. in fact, i am a saint. once a saint, always a saint. SAINT!!! the tie is fucking hot and the girls look so hot in their uni. so do the boys. btw guys, dunch ask me how did i manage to turn into a saint. haha.

the faux wannabe saint. look, im a mj sa boy.

the saint with a spastic expression. how intelligent huh?

being a saint is not abt playing harp in fluffcandy clouds. sometimes, saints can get emo too.

the almighty saint. with poise and dignity. ready to reign above all.

don't you think i deserve a halo?

yours truly, dan the saint.

confess

2007-01-15T17:59:00.000+08:00

i've got confession to make! i admit that i am not very hardworking today. as my supervisors were away for meetings or were busy with stuff, i sat on my chair doing nothing productive but waiting money to roll in. *rebukes myself* any self motivated honest and upright individual would take the initiative to find work.

bored. cant wait work to be over.

bye.

this is an entry written by the Kaiser.

2007-01-14T22:07:00.000+08:00

first and foremost,

congratulations to me for surviving the week without puking my lunch out. but i dont know how things will be for the new week as he is to resume his boring routine of doing super duper uber lowly skilled tasks in office, fighting for more elbow space in the train, having had to bear with the curry/durian smell armpits of passengers in uber crowded trains, and trying to skive during working hrs like surfing wikipedia and watching youtube..... u get the flow ah?

i need to discipline myself and i need to love my job.

and secondly, i've finally went to the gym after like not going there for a week. had a workout [i've always been thinking that i don discipline myself enuff] and my muscles are aching. thats a gd sign.

and lastly, i'm depressed. yes, i know that it is a trival matter. but im just depressed. D-E-P-R-E-S-S-E-D. mood swing. M-O-O-D S-W-I-N-G. my mum always says that 我身在福中不知福，and i 没事找事发愁.

but is my request like super duper unreasonable???? its not as if im demand ppl to go all the way to hokkaido to buy their cholocales and its not as if i demand ppl to go some deep mountains in switzerland to get their natural spring water. what i need is something that the whole humanity needs, and being deserve of. its being codified in the universal declaration of human rights and written in the bible. its something that is glorified and personified by artists and song writers alike since the invention of culture. it is a four letter word and it is not too difficult to guess what it is.

_ _ _ _

it has two vowels. [but no prize for guessing it correctly]

they say that dont expect, and things will come to my way.

they say 世间令人烦恼的事太多了，也是以平常心看待，你会比较好一点。

what has become of me, why am i speaking like a ___ lorn fool.

how many seasons do i have to wait? till the flowers wither and bloom again? till a young sapling grows into a big and mature tree? till the oceans rise and fall? till everything in the world has come to past? till the yrs go when i choke into my tears finally theres nothing left?

all beauty will eventually perish. but why do i even afraid of losing it when i dont even get it.

两个平地线几时有交叉的时刻？

random post.

2007-01-11T23:25:00.000+08:00

sian. sian. sian. totally sian.

for the past few weeks i've been chatting with ppl who are going to be enlisted on january. and as time goes, ppl subsequently bade me, and all the things arnd them, farewell before they are going to undergo this two year thing called 'national slavery'. im quite sadden as my friends, one by one, are leaving civilian world and will be on the pathway to transform from 'boy to man'. how wuld army life wuld be like. my prospect for army isnt quite positive as im expecting myself to do pull ups and military drills 24/7, while having my most basic rights stripped away from me. but my friend who is enlisted on dec told me that army life isnt as bad as i think, but it will definitely not be easy. i guess i should accept army life, and all its trials, with an open heart and 苦中作乐. going army is like entering into uncharted territories. and henceforth it brings uncertanities. it will going to be a major adjustment process, like how i enter into a new phase of life everytime.

i hate changes. but the world is always in a flux and nothing is constant.

btw i gotta wish all those who are enlisting soon all the best, and hoping that they can survive the rigorous trainings of army.

miserable

2007-01-10T23:12:00.000+08:00

i puked again and i felt so miserable.

i think im having food poisoning.

its another day off for me from work again.

sigh.

sick

2007-01-09T21:50:00.000+08:00

i was so miserable yesterday cuz i puked my lunch out after reaching home from work. and the culprit is the BEEF PEPPER NOODLES! and you know what? the beef pepper noodles costed me $12, and it is like, gone to the toilet bowl?

what a waste of money.

but anyway, my stomach felt queasy for the whole afternoon yesterday, all thanks to the beef pepper noodles. and the symptoms worsened subsequently as i went home from work. in fact, i was so nauseous that the smell and the sight of food replused me. so im sorry victor for not being able to go have dinner with me.

oh well im still mourning over my noodes lah. if let say, i managed to digest the noodles and absorb nutrients from it, then the money is well spent.

but if i puke everything out, its like throwing money into the toilet bowl.

anyway i spent the whole night yesterday and whole day today to recuperate from my illness. even thou my appetite havent really recovered, but at least i dont feel nauseous anymore. well.. a curry puff, a small bowl of cereal, a small bowl of porridge, and some sour stuff is what i ate from yesterday evening till currently.

oh yahh, i went to scott's hse today cuz he said that he has a new pond installed in his house. and his pond is full of fishes lah. and two veryyy small and cute tortoises.

btw, wee gek has went to thailand sia. i want to go overseas too but everyone is so busy with their lives. anyway in the light of the recent bangkok boming, i hope that wee gek will have a safe trip, and not be kena bombed. = =

choy~~~!

oh well, im going back to work tml and work is getting more and more boring. sian.

camwhoring @ posterscope [with the courtesy of apple computer]

2007-01-07T23:04:00.000+08:00

this shall be a short entry. enjoy guys! ((:

pop art

grey eyes

turning my head away

btw guys, i gotta announce that i've stopped going to church. even thou i still believe in God, dont ask me why i dont go church anymore.

[content removed]

God: 0 Satan: 1

officeboy @ workplace

2007-01-04T10:22:00.000+08:00

hey everyone! *waves~~ and the narrator speaks. this is dan's first day at work. and nobody is looking, so he sneaks to the comp using msn and blogger. when he's not suppose to be lazing around in the workplace.

dan speaks. the workplace is so cool! my office is situated at the 36th storey and there is a fantastic view out there!

dan glances at the view outside the window. there you can see blocks and blocks of building in close proximity. the shophouses were so miniscule that it is made from paper cards! and the taller buildings doesnt look that imposing and huge from my view. the cars are so tiny that it looks like ants crawing on paved roads which is as thick as a pencil. from my view, that is.

dan is hungry and bored. apparently, he wasnt assigned to any job. so he has the liberty to blog and chat on msn openly.

dan exclaims. i didnt know that i can actually earn money by sitting on the chair wasting company's resources.

or so he thought. maybe life will be hell for me soon the company allocates him his job.

dan loves the apple computer he's using. you know what? there's actually a camera pinhole on top of the screen. perfectly catered for his camwhoring needs, dan enjoys playing around with the camera. and the outlook is so cool. the design is sleek and minimalist. but he's not very aware of the functions of this comp

oh well~ enough of my babblings. dan mumbled.

i guess i shall post some pictures as i reach home later.

au revoir. dan waves his hands.

ahh so cute~~~

2007-01-03T15:38:00.000+08:00

the narrator speaks. its so weird that most of the ppl arnd me are returning to sch but im bumming around. and the joy i had few days ago was soon gone as i realised that im paying adult fee for my bus fare! oh no, im no longer a student. dan exclaimed.

and dan says. what am i gonna do?

then dan starts to crack his brains

he cries. didnt you know that im going to work tml? ahh, soon im no longer a student but an office boy!

dan is quite excited with the prospect of working but he doesnt seem to like the regular 9 to 5 working hours.

what about my beauty sleep? the spoilt brat speaks.

then dan looks at his flabby tummy and sighs. oh, i really ought to hit the gym everyday.

you reap what you sow and 没有付出就没有成果. those timeless words of wisdom. yeah i know, i know it in my heart. stop nagging at me. dan complains at his mother's incessant naggings.

he looked at the calendar and he said. time really flies and within a bat of the eye, even the jan batch is abt to be enlisted to the army.

then he looked at the clock and mumbled to himself. oh well, its abt time for me to ask wg to go to the gym with me.

if you find this style of writing familiar.

something cute.

of gossips and of substantial rumours

2007-01-02T12:10:00.000+08:00

i read the most ridiculous entry ever just now and i culdnt help scrutinising what the it wrote in 'its' [i culdnt find other gender neutral words] entry. it vehemently claimed that it is a victim of gossiping and urges its readers to 'grow up' and not to indulge in such malicious, unkind pasttime. but what even more ironic is that it indirectly admits that there are some basis of truth in the gossip.

sorry, but stop complaining when you brought yourself to it. boohoo. pricked by the snide remarks of others? too bad. according to sociologists, gossiping is a healthy form of social activity where participants get in touch with the most recent activities in the community. likewise, contrary to the destructive effect of gossiping as other ppl claims, it can actually enforce social order as gossiping keeps people's toes in line. that is, people practise self restrain and not to outrageous behavior so as to prevent themselves from being the victim of gossiping. In all, gossiping is a normal activity and an activity that many love to indulge in.

personally I was a 'victim' of gossiping. Let me give u an anecdote. There was a time where I wore flip flops to my econs paper and the examiner wasnt very pleased with it. teachers can surely gossip and soon, the whole econs department got hold of the news that i wore flip flops during my econs paper. am i not pissed that teachers talked behind my back. c'mon, i thought that adults wont indulge in such 'immature talk'? but the target is not a fellow teacher but a student who is supposedly younger and less experienced than them. but who can i to blame? i can only blame myself for wearing flip flops to the examination room and it serves as a painful reminder to me not to stray away from the rules.

nobody is perfect and everyone gossips. that is the fact of life. nobody liked being the target of gossip. but when you break any social rules or commit something that is not socially acceptable, you will kena gossip. i bet that many ppl has talked behind my back, regardless they are of malicious lies or scandalous but truthful information. likewise i know many ppl has talked abt good things and bad things behind my back too.

how do u prevent myself from being the vitim of gossip? that's simple. either u commit ur sinful deeds covertly or u dont commit those deeds at all. and those who openly air their dirty linen in the public? be prepared to receive the full blast of remarks what other ppl said abt you.

serves you right.

the truth is awful and it is even more awful when it is thrown at ur face. there is no way for u to stop ppl from wagging their tongues. it is like stopping the gravitional pull of the moon on tides. stop complaining and do some self reflection on urself, especially when those remarks consist some truth abt you. im definitely not holier than thou and im as much as a sinner as u. but what seperates me from u, and hence the gossipings, is that i dont get into such situations. honestly, i dont pity ur plight.

food for thought, huh?

This Soviet war poster conveys the message: "Don't chatter! Gossiping borders on treason" (1941).

all hail to freedom of speech!

countdown @ esplanade on the bay

2007-01-01T17:27:00.000+08:00

actually i wanted to blog about the new year celebration at esplanade. but the pics took goddamn long to upload and to add salt to my wound, the internet connection was off repeatedly. was so pissed off that i wuld have died from high blood pressure. chill chill. so yah, being the lazy me, i shall repeat the magic phrase again - let the pics do the talking.

happy happy new year

2007-01-01T02:24:00.000+08:00

happy new yr everyone!

just back from the countdown event at esplanade!

i gotta say that e whole town area is packed with ppl celebrating for the event.

this shall be a short entry though cuz im turning in soon.

btw i realised that e transport company is still charging me student price despite the fact that im no longer a student. this surely has made my day. but i guess my joy is going to be shortlived as the new sch term is ushering in soon.

ahhh.

bonn nuite!

new yr's eve

2006-12-31T17:57:00.000+08:00

2006 is coming to an end.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

听！众天使在高唱

2006-12-30T20:07:00.000+08:00

today is just another day and im blogging just another entry.

decided to removed the song 'hark the herald angels sing' cuz christmas is so yesterday. used to like that song a lot cuz its so grand and majestic - simply reflects the spirit of carroling. but upon listening it repeatedly, im kinda sick of it. and you know what, my mum actually reckons that it is some communist revolutionary song. like huh???

i actually msged my sister in the middle of night asking her to tell her bf not to come over my place for my daily routine gym training cuz my whole body was aching over. all thanks to 8 hrs of shopping, my muscles were so in pain that i can hardly sleep. serves me right for shopping too much huh?

woke up feeling much better today. went out with a friend who has just discharged from army for new yr break. he is one of the unlucky ones who got enlisted on december. i always thot that the army is a place full of sadistic officers and recruits who shoot themselves. however according to him, yes, indeed army life is regimented and tough, but his words are without of any complains and rantings. instead he assured me that as long im alert and enthusiastic, the army officers have no reason to be hard on me. i daresay despite me being a jc kid, im really a muddlehead [see, the perception that jc ppl are smart is wrong lor]. but it really pays to be alert as we cant afford to make mistakes during wartime. a slip sinks a ship, as the slogan of a WWII propaganda poster goes. as he narrates his life in army full of eager, i told myself that hey perhaps i shouldnt see army life in such a negative light.

army life. a rite of passage. from boy to man.

SHOPPING SHOP SPREE!

2006-12-29T21:26:00.000+08:00

hey guys~ you know what? im back from my POST CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SHOP SPREE~~~ actually wee gek and me intented to go shop at isetan, but i forgot to bring my isetan vouchers. so in the end, we went vivocity to shop instead. i shall elaborate much, so let the pictures do the talking.

sweater from GAP: $65

nice buckle belt from Pull and Bear: $19.90

vintage looking shirt from baleno: $11.50

nice looking pair of jeans from topshop: ~~$65~~ $56.10 -> all thanks to the kind hearted aunty who lent me her card so that i can get a discount off.

"blink blink" shirt from fleshimp: $35

hershey's and liquor chocolates bought from carrefour: $10.50

ben's and jerry's icecream: $4.50

long john silver meal: $4

IN TOTAL: $206.50

wee~ i was like so guilty for spending so much. and my mum wasnt pleased when she learnt that i've splurged all her money plus my own on christmas shopping. but im not a spendthrift k and i can be very thrifty normally. i onli spend money when there's a need for me to. and even more importantly, i hardly ask money from my mum. unless other people who ask for more money on top of their pocket funds to indulge in their whatever things. but well, i promise that i will be a goood goood kid who know the value of money k? and i shallnt spend a single cent for the next fews days.

oh yah.. i really gotta thank wee gek for being a patient friend. i repeat, a patient friend. he was tagging along me while i roamed the whole vivocity for my clothes. and he has to bear with my indecisiveness as i am deciding which piece of clothes can reap me the maximum benefits in terms of value and in terms of design. oh well, even thou wee gek moaned and grumbled a little, i gotta thank him for being a patient friend, nevertheless. wee gek was so shagged and worn out that he fell asleep on the train.

im happy shopper!

tata! ((:

i love post christmas shopping!

rainy days 的遐想

2006-12-28T12:33:00.000+08:00

下雨天，留客天，留我不留？

rain, rain, go away. come again in other day. where is the sunshine so that we can come out and play.

raindrops are sliding down the window panes. the rain never seems to stop as the monsoon storm arrives at singapore in full force.

雨点像豆子般从天堂降落下来，滋润一切生命。

可是大自然的威力有时是很可怕的。大自然具有滋润与毁坏的能力。

in places like malaysia and indonesia, many lives were lost and properties are damanged due to the seasonal rain. it was reported that rainfall in malaysia is the heaviest for the century. but as the saying goes, toss the hay while the weather is dry, such human castrophoes can be averted by simply building more drainage canels, especially in rural areas.

下雨天，留客，天留我不留

im singin' in the rain.. im singin' in the rain.. what a glorious feeling.. im happy again~

我喜欢雨点滑过我脸颊的感觉。我喜欢在雨中高声歌唱。但是现在的人为了他们的种种种种而本破劳累，为了学业，为了事业，为了家人。。。谁还有时间放慢脚步聆听自己的心声，做自己最想做的事。难道等到要上黄泉之路才赫然回首，其实我这一生一直为生活忙碌，却忘了放纵自己。

i like the sound of raindrops hitting on the ground. pitter patter pitter patter.. it is like a orchestra where the sounds of raindrops are combined to form a melody. tranquail and leisurely. i dont mind spending the whole afternoon looking outside the window and listen to the sound of raindrops. but i suppose this is a luxury to most of the people.

******************************************

btw i really ought to thank my mum for contributing money to 'mOii cUtE cUtE tAkAsHi sHopPinG fUnd' wor~ and i really really really appreciate it! =D

==[hApPiE bOxiNg bOx dAe woRzZz]==

2006-12-26T20:20:00.000+08:00

yOz pEePz~ toDaE iS bOxiNg dAe wOr. sO hApPy.. hEex~ eUu kNow hOw bOxiNg dAe cOme aBt? LeGeNds hAvE iT tHaT iT iS tHe dAe wHen pEopLe cLeArEd tHeiR bOxEs aFteR oPeniNg tHeir cHriStmAs pReSenT wOr, hEncE cOmE aBt tHe nAmE 'bOxiNg dAy'.. sO aS eUU LuCkY pEopLe aRe bZ riPpiNg tHe cHriStmAs pReSeNt aNd sEe tHe sUrPriSeS iN iT, i cAn onLy bZ laMenT wHaT a bOriNg bOxiNg dAy i hAd. sObbX woR~ ><

fOr mOre iNfo oN thE oriGinS oF bOxiNg dAe, yOu caN fiNd iT hEre aT wiKipEdiA~ ^o^

iSnT tHaT sO kAwAii~ iM sUcH a tWiTzZZz aNd i luRveee to tYpe LykisH thYiSs!!! yAy~

so disgusting. cant ppl just grow up. i wonder if they have learnt anything in school.

oh yah, im gonna an entry on the origins of christmas and its tradition. as i did some readings on wikipedia, i found that christmas actually orginates from a pagan festival, named 'yule day'. according to history, the catholic church incorporated elements of christianity to a roman pagan festival, which falls exactly on 25 dec, to please the newly converts, and here this is how christmas come abt. therefore, traditionals like christmas tree and kissing under the mistletoe arent exactly christian inventions. however, after the protestant reformation, some christians attempted to ban christmas as it is seen as pagan. but i find nothing wrong with christmas as it is a day for ppl to spend time with their loved ones, and to commorate the birth of Jesus. for more info to those who are interested, you can refer to the wikipedia article here.

oh yah, as i was idily surfting the wikipedia website, i came across an article on christmas truce which occured during WW1. despite the hostilities and horrors of war, people from the british and german camp put aside their emmity and their nationalistic zeal to destroy the enemies to commemorate the special day. during that day, soldiers from both sides mingled and fraternised with each other, exchanging christmas greetings and gifts. peace was observed during christmas as the artilleries cease their fire. i think this event has indeed exemplified the spirit of christmas who two parties who should be stabbing the enemy actually became friends for the special day. as jesus said 'love even your enemies', i hope that while ppl are having fun for christmas, they should remember this special event and pray for world peace.

for people who are interested in christmas truce, u can click here.

oKaY LaRz~~ dUncH wAnT tUu bLoGg LiAoXxx~ wiLL bE sHoPpiNg sOoN aNd tHoSe wHo tHiNks tHaT mY wOrDs aRe sHoo kAwAiiX, eUU cAn dOnAtE mOnEy tO mOiiX 'cUtE cUtE tAkAsHi sHopPinG fUnD' wOrx~ rMb tO dOnAtE aLot aLot nOr! toLoNg toLoNg wORz~ ^_^ bUhByE~~~

*pukes*

feliz navidad

2006-12-25T23:59:00.000+08:00

even thou now its almost 3, but i dont care! this blog entry shall always be at 25 dec. you know why? cuz i was so shagged when i reached home yesterday night and i immediately fell asleep after my head was on the pillow. after having 5 hours of sleep, i woke up at a early time of 2.30am. this is like so early in the morning and which, it sorta coincidide with the bedtime of some night owls [as in human night owls].

one of them even bade me good night as he is heading off to bed.

okay i shall have a short entry before heading to bed.

first and foremost, i had a miserable christmas. while everybody was like ripping open their christmas presents and frantically searching for goodies in their socks hung beside the bed [ewww who thot of this idea of putting goodies in socks], i had a totally uncool christmas. the whole day was spent bowling and the attempt, even thou failed, to play table tennis.

urrrrgh. im so miserable lahhh.

but its alright cuz im looking forward to my post christmas shopping.. which im gonna shoppe shoppe shoppe like no tomorrow~

and ya, eunice's blog entry suddenly crossed my mind while i was pondering over my late bedtime. according to her blog entry, she reported the benefits of sleeping early to the body, as it reports the optimal time for the body to perform certain reparing actions. haha tis is almost the same to why mum nagged at me to sleep early over the years!

Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.

having had sleep for 5 hours or so, i should be having 'detoxification of lungs'. and its so true cuz i have phlegm in my throat! so tis shows that my body is clearing toxins out of my blog.

and before im going to resume my beauty sleep at 3.16 in the morning of boxing day.. im going to wish everyone a belated....

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

tata wanna sleep liao. oyasuminasai. btw where is the darn paycheque from MOE!

Feliz navidad, prospero año y felicidad

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart

silent night, holy night

2006-12-24T23:14:00.000+08:00

silent night.. holy night... 圣诞节的脚步即将来临，想必大多数的人不是跟家人或爱人度过这个平安夜，就是到教堂唱圣诞颂歌。可是，身为基督教徒的我，圣诞对我的意义深远。圣诞不仅与爱人欢聚的时光，它也是圣子耶稣诞生之日--简称“圣诞”

是非教徒的读者，你们不一定相信耶稣的诞生，甚至不相信耶稣的存在。我也知道12月25日并非耶稣诞生之日，是教会融合了异教的习俗[pagan practices]以悦服新教徒[new converts]的权宜之计。根据历史学家，真正耶稣的诞生日应该在9月吧。无人如何，我认为耶稣两千多年前的诞生是值得歌颂的。因为，耶稣为了世人而自愿地把自己钉在十字架。

大家问我圣诞除夕之夜你到底在做什么，而我说没什么啦，就是在歇息歇息吧，什么都没有做。刚才路过了我家附近的天主教堂，他们正在举行圣诞的弥撒[mass, and its pronounced as "mars" and not "mess"]。应为答应家人要早点回家吃木头蛋糕[log cake]，所以没逗留久。

其实我理想的平安夜是与心爱的人一起到乌节路走走，看圣诞璀璨的灯饰。可是还是个单身汉的我觉得一个人远离街道的喧哗，独享夜里的寂静并非不好，至少我能安享地度过这个平安夜。

二十分钟内就是圣诞，所以我在此恭祝大家圣诞快乐！

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! [平安夜，圣善夜]
Alles schläft, einsam wacht [万暗中，光华射]

exerpt of silent night in german.

hark! the herald angels sing, glory to the new born king!

2006-12-24T12:46:00.000+08:00

hey readers! went for the christmas service in city harvest church which is located in expo. i shallnt elaborate much so i shall let the pictures do the taking!

what a huge congregation they have!

their wide telescreen

the light in the darkness

Kerzenlichtnacht (candlelight night)

the congregation

carolling in unison

not paying attention during service

pastor kong in the mega telescreen

the uber large stage and the christmas decorations

and oh ya.. being raised in a chinese speaking family, i yet to experience the culture and tradition of christmas even thou i read it many times on books and seen it many times on the tv. carolled for the first time and watched the famous nativity play with own eyes, i think that is really an eye opener... and i finally enjoyed a true blue christmas!

thou shalt shoppe for christmas

2006-12-22T12:05:00.000+08:00

And Jesus says: shop till you drop!

weee im so overjoyed cuz im going to do my christmas shopping soon! and no its not during the christmas seasons where the departmental stores are packed with ppl doing last minute christmas shopping.. im gonna do it after christmas! whye? cuz the retailers wuld be clearing their stocks for the new yr.. and they are gonna offer discounts as never before!

i LOVE discounts!

i LOVE deals!

weeeeeeeeee~

and the person who is doing xmas shopping with me, we are gonna have so much fun shopping~ yes! shoppe shoppe shoppe! but u will be having a greater opportunity to shop when u are in thailand nxt yr!

batam trip - in details.

2006-12-22T00:07:00.000+08:00

actually wanted to blog abt the batam trip yesterday. but im such a sloth and i cant be bothered to type something on the keyboard. now im like freaking bored, and having ample time at my hands.. perhaps its time for me to get in retrospective and recall what i've been up too for that few days...

basically, that overseas trip wasnt even considered as being an overseas trip. cuz normally we wuld like travel to exotic places for holidays and batam is like... 1 hr of ferry trip from singapore? and the trip sorta fall below my expectations cuz it wasnt as comfortable as i thot off.. oh well im too used being pampered at home. but in terms of intangible terms like the precious time spent with loved ones, its priceless. some wuld say that an truly enjoyable holiday wuld be lazing on a deck chair on a luxurious cruise. and some wuld claim that a holiday well spent is to go visit those cultural attractions which are of great heritage value. but i say a true good holiday is spending time with ur family and ur loved ones.

and this is how my trip goes. on the first day, we stayed in a supposedly luxurious hotel, and yes, its supposedly luxurious. this is becuz, to our dismay, the infrastructure of the hotel is left to ruins despite its grandiloquent facade. in chinese it wuld be "金玉其外，败絮其中”.. there shld be a pool bar as described but even leaves was being accumulated on the pool.. perhaps the hotel ppl do not have the management abilities to run the hotel. but nevertheless, we had fun that day with nigel and me camwhoring, sing our hearts out for karaoke in the louge and embarassing ourselves in front of the korean tourists, and spending quality time with each other.. and meanwhile, i get to meet my two little cousins whom, together with my relatives, stayed in indonesia.

on the second day, we left the beach resort for the hotel nearer to the town center. my uncle who stayed in batam told me that the infrasture in indonesia wasnt as well developed as singapore. and indeed, what my uncle said is so true as we have to take many twists and turns just to get from point A to point B.. and i had the ride of my life as the vehicle jerked terribly as it travelled along the porthole-ridden road. the journey was really an eye opener. was saddened and appalled when i saw a man, with both of his legs amputed, was crawling along the bz strech of road begging for money. and his little son, i presume, was sitted on the curb of the road., forlone and lost. the father who was begging money from the motorists, passed the coins to the boy and the boy chewed on it to test that it is not a counterfeit. and for another instance, i saw a boy who is in his teens was selling souveniers to the motorists along the road. den my uncle started a lecture on my little cousins, warning them that they will end up like that boy if they dont study hard in school.

i gotta say that im really well blessed enuff to have the opportunity to pursue an education where million of kids in the world, like that boy selling souveniers on the road,are being denied from it. education is like a key - it allows you to have the knowledge to understand the world and the knowledge to be in demand in the economy. likewise, education opens more opportunities to you and you are not being condemned doing meager jobs. but those poor kids deprived of education would find themselves trapped in the neverending cycle of poverty. and there stems out many of the social problems we see in our society......

not to sidetrack, we arrived to the next hotel in the city. my sis was sick and was unable to accompany us.. so me and my fren accompanied my parents to visit my relatives in batam. on the first trip, we visited my san jiu's [third uncle] resisdence. my sanjiu lives in a terrace house and i even took a picture of his beautiful lotus. after that, we went to my xiaojiu's house where my cousins stay there too. they lived in a shophouse with three storeys, and my little cousins even claimed that there is a bird nest on the roof of the building. that's living large yeah? as compared to my small measly condo apartment, they have so much albow space! and space to stretch their limbs too! but my fren made a poignant statement which i cant help agreeing to it. in terms of living conditions, i wuld really prefer my home in singapore than theirs in batam. not becuz i stay in a condo, but at least i have running water and constant electricity which the indonesian municipal authorities arent able to provide sufficiently. my mum always complained that i had a pampered life. maybe i shld have my own version of "Simple Life" where im sent off to stay in batam for a month to experience the rural, countrylike lifestyle that the city dwellers can onli see it on the tv.

on our way there, we saw many slums which the natives lived in there. but yet, few pockets of well built houses juxtaposed the shantytowns. obviously, those houses are owned by the more affluent and well off chinese. and while i was walking on the street, i felt a surge of fear not becuz im in some foreign lands, but simply becuz im a chinese. i learnt in history that the chinese are loathed [and still loathed today] in both malaysia and indonesia. being called the jews of the east, the natives have reasons to hate us as most chinese dominate the modern economy, leaving the natives to the traditional, less profitable agriculture sector. and this explains why those governments have imposed discrimatory laws on the chinese. and in the asian financial crisis, indonesia was badly hit by deflation, and riots and mobs broke out in most cities. the mobs turned nasty as ppl began perpetuate violence against the chinese, claiming that these chinese were the blood suckers of the country. it is a chilly reminder of germany where nazi propaganda blamed the jews for the great depression.

enuff of my history stuff. anyway while i was walking into my xiaojiu's shophouse, i saw rows of shabby, crudely built shacks where the indonesians lived in. and right in the entrance of the shophouse, i saw a man making ketupats [spelling?] outside his shack. and it struck me that illegal tenacy is a persistent problem in indonesia and many ppl still did not have a basic shelter. and what happens if it rains? will those houses leak? and speaking of the rain, it really rained as we are on our way back to the hotel. a heavy one, i wuld say. as we were travelling, the road was so waterlogged that big slashes were created as the vehicle ran over the puddles. and this commence the begining of the monsoon season, where singapore rained heavily for the next few days.

in a nutshell, from what i learnt in school... being endowed with resources like oil and many raw materials, indonesia is indeed a resource rich country. being the largest muslim country and one of the most populous cuontry in the world, indonesia have an abundant labour force to drive a big economy. likewise, with many natural attractions which singapore can only envy of, indonesia has the potential to be a popular tourist destination. in all, indonesia is a country full of potential. however, being ridden with abject poverty and rampant violence, the reason is simple - the country lacks effective governance. as the confucian text had mentioned, if the government is less corrupt and take care of the needs of the people.. problems even like terrorism can be solved. why? forget abt religious extreminism and america. 穷途末路, and ppl wuld commit drastic acts only in times of desperation. and tis explains why relgious extreminism werent that serious in affluent and stable countries like malaysia and the gulf states.

btw i wuld like to dedicate the last paragraph to my little cousins - david and jannes. i hope that u will still remember me and nigel as ur kors, cuz u two have made a deep impression in our hearts. for the three days, we have so much fun and i really appreciate both of you making my trip an enjoyable one! david is a boy with a small stature but a big heart, and a big mouth! chatterbox is not apt enuff to describe him, as he talks nonstop, as in nonstop literally. and in constrast, jannes is much quiet and subdue as compared to his big brother, but he is a nice and gentle boy. so, when sch reopens in singapore and both of u are back to sch [btw my cousins have their education in singapore], do drop by my place to swim in the pool and play my comp. its just a stone's throw away from ur school. cuz ur big kor here dotes u a lot! and david, dont be disheartened or upset whenever ur father nags at you abt ur education. i think that u can do well ur PSLE cuz u have a quick mind and an intelligent brain. but, as ur father said, do cherish ur chance in singapore as ur dad works very hard just to give u a decent education. ur biaoge/tangge [argh i hate chinese formalities] will be there to give u free tuition and give u all the encouragement.

oh well, this entry took me two days and im finally done with it. its time for me to sleep... thats all folks!

<3

path crossed, lives changed. a trip that is both an eye opener and an experience that transformed my world view.

p.s: to my cousins, pls drop me a tag on my tagboard [points to the right] if u see this entry!

batam trip photos!

2006-12-19T23:22:00.000+08:00

im quite lazy to blog so i shall let the pictures to do the talking. for the rest of the photos, it can be found here. btw my cousins are shoooo lovely [and talkative too]! *lots of hugs!! ((:

p.s: btw nigel dont bother the hassle of asking e pics from me. u can always get them there.

nobody is alone

2006-12-19T00:18:00.000+08:00

wanted to upload the batam holiday pics today but the server is freaking slow. onli 1/3 of the photos are uploaded, i think.

feeling rather moodswing-ish at the moment. was triggered by watching desperate housewives. the theme of the episode is abt loneliness. and a chord struck me when the narrator mentioned that everyone is to be lonely at some point of time. perhaps for all the recent happenings, im feeling emotionally void and empty.

i read it somewhere that loneliness is the essense of being alone. all people are born alone, travel through life as seperate souls, and die alone. but i read it somewhere that loneliness is just the lack of making connections to people. whatever it is, i guess that i should stop pondering and have an early rest.

good night.

a series of tests

2006-12-18T00:46:00.000+08:00

You Are 87% Thankful

You're an incredibly thankful person, and everyone around you feels very appreciated.You inspire people to be more optimistic, forgiving, and grateful.

How Thankful Are You?

You Are 54% Vain

You're a little vain, but more than anything you have a healthy amount of confidence.Thinking the world of yourself is great. Just don't think less of those who aren't as pretty as you!

How Vain Are You?

You Are 59% Grown Up, 41% Kid

You've grown up a good bit, but you still have a way to go before you're emotionally mature.You have the skills to control your emotions, you just have to use them.

How Emotionally Mature Are You?

meine name ist:

Fritz Xavier

What's Your German Name?

next time call me fritz xavier

Your Attitude is Better than 65% of the Population

You have a good attitude. While a realist, you do see the positive side of most things. People love to be around you.

How's Your Attitude?

Your Deadly Sins

Gluttony: 60%

Sloth: 60%

Pride: 40%

Envy: 20%

Greed: 20%

Lust: 20%

Wrath: 20%

Chance You'll Go to Hell: 34%

You'll die from food poisoning - and then the natives will feast on your fatty limbs.

How Sinful Are You?

my gawd im such a glutton!

You Are 4% Sociopath

You're empathetic, loyal, and introspective.In other words, there's no way you're a sociopath... but you can spot one pretty easily!

Are You A Sociopath?

You Are Somewhat Machiavellian

You're not going to mow over everyone to get ahead...But you're also powerful enough to make things happen for yourself.You understand how the world works, even when it's an ugly place.You just don't get ugly yourself - unless you have to!

How Machiavellian Are You?

-characterized by subtle or unscrupulous cunning, deception, expediency, or dishonesty: He resorted to Machiavellian tactics in order to get ahead.

You Should Learn French

C'est magnifique! You appreciate the finer things in life... wine, art, cheese, love affairs.You are definitely a Parisian at heart. You just need your tongue to catch up...

What Language Should You Learn?

People Envy Your Compassion

You have a kind heart and an unusual empathy for all living creatures. You tend to absorb others' happiness and pain.People envy your compassion, and more importantly, the connections it helps you build. And compassionate as you are, you feel for them.

What Do People Envy About You?

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to good manners and elegance.
In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved.
You'd like to your lover to think you are optimistic and happy.
You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.
Your ideal relationship is comforting. You crave a relationship where you always feel warmth and love.
Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.
You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.
In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart? ---> very true!

Your EQ is 127

50 or less: Thanks for answering honestly. Now get yourself a shrink, quick!51-70: When it comes to understanding human emotions, you'd have better luck understanding Chinese.71-90: You've got more emotional intelligence than the average frat boy. Barely.91-110: You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that.111-130: You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt.131-150: You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others. Only the biggest losers get under your skin.150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.

What's" Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)?

back

2006-12-17T23:40:00.000+08:00

replies to tags:
eunice- the prices in ding tai feng is quite expensive.. a meal for 3 will cost about $60. a bowl of beef noodle costs abt $10 and 6 dumplings cost abt $6. but its nice and its definitely worth the price.
wee gek- nope there isnt one in hougang mall. but i know theres one in tamp mall. but my sis told me that the paragon branch is the best cuz its the original shop.

lo! im back from batam! the trip was tiring but nevertheless fun. gonna blog other day cuz i wanna enjoy using my computer in peace due to the fact that i was deprived of any source of internet connection for the pasat few days.

muddle muddle head

2006-12-14T19:50:00.000+08:00

oppz i really got to say that im such a muddlehead. had the shock in my life when my sis told me that actually we are going to BATAM island, and not BINTAM island. and to make things worse, i told everyone that im going to the latter for my holidays.

whats the difference man? but my sis said that the differences are huge. besides the fact that they are both seperate islands, the standard of living on both islands are quite different too! =X

oh man.. its no mistake when my mum says that im very blur...

well but at least i know the both islands are a part of the greater riau islands k. so much for my geography.

lala.

old man~

a short entry.

2006-12-13T22:27:00.000+08:00

i think my blog url is lame. its neither english nor german. perhaps i shall change it to 'old man is dead'. that sounds better.

i shall have a short entry today.

me, my sis, and my dad went for a short trip to lucky plaza this afternoon to remit money to my maid. well she was there even b4 i was born and she has been working for my family for many years. with the upcoming festive season of christmas, i think its nice to give her some gift as a token of appreciation. as after all, christmas is abt the season of giving.

oh well. after that we ate at ding tai feng. which is a famous chinese restaurant. the food is great. it is better than asian kitchen. following that i went home and then went to my fren's hse who lives in the same compound.

btw i think i really gotta hit the gym one day cuz im fat! im not joking! i have a tummy!!!! =X

old man is dead.

2006-12-11T23:29:00.000+08:00

hey hello everyone! *grins~ welcome to my new blog.. as my blog address suggests, this is my nth time having a new blog. oh well, god knows how many blogs do i have. i got to say that im not an avid blogger, but once in the blue moon.. i wuld have this blogging frenzy and i'll start creating a blog and update it faithfully. but as time goes by, my post become less frequent as i gradually get tired of it. and finally im so sick of my blog that i decided to delete it. and once in the blue moon (again)... the blogging frenzy begins.

and the cycle repeats itself.

duhz = =

oh well there are like many events in the pipeline and its being waited to be updated on my blog... like my prom pics yada yada. but i'll have a short entry today.

basically, im overjoyed that i've completed the obnixiously ardous task of handling e [insert title] project by the [insert name].. im not suppose to reveal anything abt it and its censored. keeping u guys in the dark yeah? but too bad i cannot say anything lah.. so i shall refer it as 'undisclosed subject matter', or USM for short. and yeah, good news for me. im being paid for hte job and its quite generous.. cuz i have.... connections! hmmm its good to know the right ppl. but yeah be envy of me but im not suppose to reveal anything!!

one's down and lots coming up....

another matter to blog about!

im going overseas soon for my holidays. oh well the destination is nothing fascinating... its bintam island lah. and its not even considered 'overseas' lor cuz its just a 1hr ride on the ferry. but technically speaking.. its 'overseas' cuz it is 'over the sea'....... lame = = oh well i hope that this trip is gonna be fun cuz i'll be staying in some seaside resort... the sun, sand, and the sea.. and hot babes? haha =X

now im blogging something seroius. well recently im reading a book titled 'sophie's world'.. and its about philosophy. everyone wuld have their jaws dropped [and their eyes too] or something cuz the idea of 'philosophy' is straight away associated with chimness and more chimness.. just like the supposedly wise sounding but incomprehensible chinese wisdom that the westerners perceived of. hmmm dont u worry cuz 'sophie's world' is like a philosophy 101, or a beginer's guide to philosophy.. and the author attempts to explain the philosophy concepts in simple, everyman's language.. so its like making philosophy accessible to everyone. and its quite amazing that the author even manage to squeeze 3000yrs of wisdom and western civilisation into a book.

hmmm yahh scott came to my hse today to upload his prom photos.. and for ur info, scott is my schmate who lives in the same compound as me.. since he lives near me,we always take the same bus together.. but its kinda puzzling that it takes 2 yrs for him to get into my hse, despite the fact that he lives in the same compound and he takes the same bus as me almost everyday.. and in contrast i have another fren whom stayed near me and i know for many yrs, came to my hse [and vice versa] every now and then... hmmm well.........

okay i shall end my entry here. auf wiedesehen. and i cant pronounce the german words for nuts. bummer.