the orange county

Boston

2009-12-28T06:09:00.002+08:00

by Augustana, courtesy of AZLyrics.com

In the light of the sun, is there anyone? Oh it has begun
Oh dear you look so lost, eyes are red and tears are shed,
This world you must've crossed you said

You don't know me, you don't even care, oh yeah,
She said
You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains

Oh yeah

Essential yet appealed, carry all your thoughts across
An open field,
When flowers gaze at you, they're not the only ones who cry
When they see you

You said

You don't know me, you don't even care, oh yeah,
She said
You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains... oh yeah,

She said I think I'll go to Boston...
I think I'll start a new life,
I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name,
I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather,
I think I'll get a lover and fly em out to Spain...
I think I'll go to Boston,
I think that I'm just tired
I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind...
I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset,
I hear it's nice in the Summer, some snow would be nice... oh yeah,

Boston... where no one knows my name... yeah
Where no one knows my name...
Where no one knows my name...
Yeah Boston...
Where no one knows my name.

Maybe I don't know you enough... Maybe.

Sometimes when we touch

2009-12-27T19:47:00.002+08:00

Lyrics courtesy of JustSomeLyrics

You ask me if I love you
And I choke on my reply
Id rather hurt you honestly
Than mislead you with a lie
And who am I to judge you
On what you say or do
I'm only just beginning
To see the real you

And sometimes when we touch
The honesty's too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I want to hold you till I die
Til' we both break down and cry
I want to hold you till the fear in me subsides

Romance and all its strategy
Leaves me battling with my pride
But through all the insecurity
Some tenderness survives
I'm just another writer
Still trapped within my truth
A hesitant prize fighter
Still trapped within my youth

And sometimes when we touch
The honesty's too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I want to hold you till I die
Till we both break down and cry
I want to hold you till the fear in me subsides

At times I'd like to break you
And drive you to your knees
At times I'd like to break through
And hold you endlessly
At times I understand you
And I know how hard you try
I watched while love commands you
And I've watched love pass you by
At times I think we're drifters
Still searching for a friend
A brother or a sister
But then the passion flares again

And sometimes when we touch
The honesty's too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I want to hold you till I die
Til' we both break down and cry
I want to hold you till the fear in me subsides

A beautiful mess...

2009-12-27T08:25:00.005+08:00

You've got the best of both worlds
You're the kind of girl who can take down a man,
And lift him back up again
You are strong but you're needy,
Humble but you're greedy
And based on your body language,
And shoddy cursive I've been reading
Your style is quite selective,
though your mind is rather reckless
Well I guess it just suggests
that this is just what happiness is

Hey, what a beautiful mess this is
It's like picking up trash in dresses

Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write
Kind of turn themselves into knives
And don't mind my nerve you could call it fiction
But I like being submerged in your contradictions dear
'Cause here we are, here we are

Although you were biased I love your advice
Your comebacks they're quick
And probably have to do with your insecurities
There's no shame in being crazy,
Depending on how you take these
Words I'm paraphrasing this relationship we're staging

And what a beautiful mess, yes it is
It's like picking up trash in dresses

Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you say
Kind of turn themselves into blades
And the kind and courteous is a life I've heard
But it's nice to say that we played in the dirt
Cause here, here we are, Here we are
Here we are

We're still here
What a beautiful mess, this is
It's like taking a guess when the only answer is "Yes"

Through, timeless words and priceless pictures We'll fly like birds not of this earth

And tides they turn and hearts disfigure
But that's no concern when we're wounded together

And we, tore our dresses and stained our shirts
But its nice today. Oh the wait was so worth it

One day, I hope I can say that...

2008-07-25T01:53:00.001+08:00

Things are looking pretty good at the moment

Can't stop smiling =)

Renaissance

2008-07-12T23:24:00.002+08:00

I am going to give myself some hope

The Finish Line

2008-07-05T04:35:00.001+08:00

The earth is warm next to my ear

Insects noise is all that I hear

A magic trick makes the world disappear

The skies are dark, they're dark but they're clear

A distant motorcade and suddenly there's joy

The snow and tickertape blurs all my senses numb

It's like the finish line where everything just ends

The crack of radios seems close enough to touch

Cold water, cleaning my wounds

A side parade, with a single balloon

I'm done with this, I'm counting to ten

Blue as seas, running to them

I feel like I am watching everything from space

And in a minute I hear my name and I wake

I think the finish line's a good place we could start

Take a deep breath, take in all that you could want

Closure

2008-07-05T03:25:00.003+08:00

Things didn't work out fine.

But at least in the end, nobody is hurt anymore. At least she isn't now. And all that matters is that she isn't.

To be honest, I am so glad this episode is over. It's something that has been lifted off my shoulders. And off my chest. I feel a lot lighter now.

Drew is right. Let time help me on this. Perhaps it would be a distant memory soon.

But she will always reserve a special place in my heart. Somewhere deep inside there.

Thank you for the closure, girl.

Collide

2008-07-04T14:36:00.001+08:00

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you
Yeah

I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find
You and I collide

I'm quiet you know
You make a first impression
I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find
You and I collide

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to ryhme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find
You and I collide

You finally find
You and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide

Triangle

2008-07-04T13:16:00.004+08:00

Melancholy, pensive, saturnine.

Probably a few words to describe my feelings now.

I am glad that I took the right step. The few folks all believed I had done the right thing and I really suppose so.

Now things are quite hazy, and seeing her sad makes me quite sad and hurt too.

I don't suppose I would need an answer right now. I think I would let nature takes its own course and if things work out well, then it's a bonus. If otherwise, I guess it's a lesson in life to really suck it up when it is needed.

Angie said: Stay Strong. I would be. And thanks for the words of encouragement that some have given me. I really really appreciate them a lot.

Dental Treatment

2008-04-05T19:12:00.002+08:00

Hello friends,

One of my good pals Desmond is offering very affordable dental treatment as part of his undergraduate studies for Dentistry. His treatment includes:

Restorative Dentistry (e.g fillings, crowns & bridges)
Periodontics (e.g. gum diseases)
Endodontics (root-canal treatment)
Removable Prosthodontics (e.g. partial & complete dentures)

The treatment will be carried out the supervision of reputable professors and dentists at NUH so you can be rest assured that you will be in good hands =)

To find out more about the treatments, kindly visit Desmond's website. Or you can contact him at desmondgoh98@hotmail.com. He is a nice person so don't be afraid to drop him an email =)

2008-03-10T01:25:00.001+08:00

Sometimes when we look back, we think that things could have been done better. But really ask yourself, under your circumstances, could someone else have done better than what you have already?

If you cannot answer that question, then perhaps you had already done your best.

2007

2008-01-01T16:47:00.000+08:00

When I think back
2007 was a great year
Got my highs and lows
Twists and turns
Year 1 Sem 2 was awesome, grades-wise
Did the crazy sort of things
I would never have thought of
Like, filming a homosexual film
For Creative Thinking class
And the social escort industry
For BGS class, totally insane
Liked a girl, she didn't like me (thank god/goddess of mercy)
Then summer came
Fearing boredom, I signed up
FTB '07 Organising Committee, Programmes
Planned and conducted the complusory camp
For all SMU Freshmen.
Some love it
Some hated it
Others went "errr ok lor"
Made friends, took many photos and fell in love with it.
Changed my life forever. So by twist of fate,
Now I'm FTB'08 chairperson =)
I will work hard, I promise.
So summer ended
Year 2 arrived
Modules went 10 x harder
Like eating tau huay
To eating tau kee
The profs drone and drone
Students listen and mourn
The demise of mickey mouse modules
Audit took 2 days to read, every week
Company law took 2 days as well
Finance another 2
AIS another 2
Sia la, how to find 8 days in a week?
Sacrifice finance lor, prof so slack
New prof for AIS, just humtum bola
Then still got training for Singapore Marathon
Everyday 24 hours also not enough
So how? Sleep less lor.
But end up sleeping in seminar. And in the library
Managed to tahan till the end
But I buang-ed my car
Against another car
3 weeks before exams
Morale dropped drastically
Dad was mad
But my pillar of support
So I tried to pick myself up
Then 4 days later
My laptop drank tea
Literally.
No more morale left.
No laptop for a week.
But great friends I had
Supported me as I picked myself up
Again.
And prepared for exams
Fin and Comp Law same day
Brains fried after both papers
Audit didn't answer 1 question
Thought I die liao
AIS,
I said "F**K"
When I flipped the first page
To the second.
Only to see
Things i didn't study
Somehow
Grades were very surprising
For the better I mean =)
Although studied a lot less than year 1
Now I know
What is work-play balance
Still got my cca
Got chosen for EXCO position
Financial Secretary I became
A bit like CFO, but more sai kang to do
They call me the money-man
Actually I do accounts
More than I handle money
Oh ya
Made a lot of new friends
From Li Ka Shing Library
And re-affirmed old ones
Now got a new self-christened club
L.A.C.
Libary Appreciation Club
I'm an honourary member
No, the club is not real
Just for permanent residents
Of the library
Now got my sights on a target
Hope I can score soon
Anyway, looking forward to 2008
Taking 4 mods
Pple say confirm will die
Want to see how badly I die
Looking forward
To new experiences
Because life
Is more than studying

Geng
01.01.08

Random

2007-11-26T21:04:00.001+08:00

We study hard now so that we can do well in our exams so that we can get a good GPA so that we can land a good job in a good company so that we can earn enough money so that we can provide for our parents or/and our families so that we can work harder again to provide for our kids so that we can work harder again so that we can save enough for our later life because we have already spent most on our kids so that we can enjoy life when we grow old so that when we die, we die without regrets.

Right?

So A comes along and says," What if we die young?"

Deep shit

2007-11-11T01:10:00.000+08:00

I got myself into some deep shit this time.

Why do I always get myself into deep shit?

Why do I always need my father to bail me out of trouble?

I just feel so damn miserable now

Crap week.

2007-11-06T23:36:00.000+08:00

First, I fall sick. Taking ages to recover.

Then, I missed the opportunity by half an hour.

Hai.

Spartans: Reloaded

2007-11-06T18:20:00.001+08:00

Enjoy it in the midst of projects, reports, mugging and exams

Updates

2007-10-13T21:08:00.000+08:00

Finally found some time to update after a busy first half of the semester.

It has been an amazing first half of the semester so far. RunAbout ended 1 month ago, but it was a great experience. Planning for an event in the midst of the term is really a test of work-life balance and a test of mental strength. The event went off without any hiccups and I can attest to the fact that it has been one of the most well-organised event in school.

Been running often these days, gearing up towards StanChart Marathon. Completing StanChart is a resolution for me this semester so I really want to achieve my aim.

For those who might not know, I am now the Finance Secretary for SMU RunTeam =) Quite busy doing the statement of accounts and claiming reimbursements but it has been fun so far. At least I get to practise what I learn in the classrooms. But being in the exco means that I have to set a example all the time by going for all training sessions and I can proudly say that I have done that. My biggest wish for RunTeam is to make the whole team bond together, something which I think we (the exco) have been doing well so far. So guys, let's keep it up.

I also took part in Le Basi 2007: The Rivalry. It is the unprecedented Inter-Faculty Soccer Competition and I represented Team Accountancy. It was incredible as we, the underdogs, swept past Team SIS and 2 Business Teams to clinch the title.

The finals was just yesterday and I could remember vividly how we played our hearts out. The match ended in a pulsating 1-1 draw but we won on penalties in the end!! To think that many people wrote us off from the beginning. It was simply surreal at the end of the match.

IPPT

2007-10-12T00:05:00.000+08:00

Woohoo got gold for IPPT.

$400 in the pocket =D

2007-09-07T23:56:00.000+08:00

Quote of the Day:

"Life is like a marathon. You walk the first 5 km, you're SCREWED for the rest"

2007-09-04T01:06:00.001+08:00

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

-Paulo Coelho

2007-09-04T00:15:00.000+08:00

i've lost in the battle...

2007-09-03T00:59:00.001+08:00

Sometimes, when the chance arrives, we hesitate and we miss the chance.

I think too much, so I always miss the chance.

But I'm not going to miss it today.

Watch this space.

Army Half Marathon

2007-08-26T21:35:00.000+08:00

Ran AHM this morning, with SMU RunTeam. All 21 km of it.

Quite happy that I managed to complete it under 2 hrs because I didn't really trained for it. Only did a few runs that were not longer than 6 km before attempting the half-marathon.

I was very close in giving up near Nicoll Highway, when the sun started to come out. But when I saw this signboard saying, " Tough times don't last, but tough men do", I smiled to myself and carried out. After all, had come too far to give up.

The feeling of crossing the finish line was exhilarating. Despite having cramps on my calf by then, it was quite surreal to finish with hundreds of other runners.

And I discovered one of the simple joys of life: Having a 100 plus drink at the end of a marathon.

So it is yet another milestone in 2007. More exciting events coming right up.

2007-08-15T23:32:00.000+08:00

Continuing from Monday night's entry...

Run 1 thus came. I thought operationally Run 1 went very well, with no major screw-ups. Camp atmosphere was quite dull but I thought that the many of the facilitators did very well. Some of them were "thrown into the deep end of the pool" but they really rised to the occasion. I saw a few potentials for next year's head SF.

Run 2 was one of the most happening runs. Facilitators were a lot stronger this time because many were repeats from run 1 but the freshies really made a difference. They were a lot more rah-rah but a lot more playful at the same time. Well, we need diverse characters at times to spice up things ain't it? Haha.

Run 3 was quite good too. But I was a bit disappointed in some of the facilitators because so much were expected of them but they failed to deliver. I thought some of us in programmes (including me) got a bit complacent in conducting the activities but it was inevitable given the mundane nature of the camp activities.

In my opinion Run 4 was the best run of all. The atmosphere of the camp was fantastic, largely thanks to many facilitators who managed to rah their groups. It was simply a breathtaking sight when many groups stayed back at leaking barrels to cheer on their fellow section mates. I was quite touched at that point in time.

I guess FTB has changed the lives of many. It has certainly changed mine because I think I'm beginning to look forward to FTB 2008 already.

Haha.

The finish line is a good place we could start

2007-08-13T23:33:00.001+08:00

Haven't updated in a long long time so I shall do it today.

Been quite a while since I have the luxury of time to pen down my thoughts and feelings over summer hols; I guess this holidays has been one of the most fulfilling ever in my life.

Getting involved in FTB 2007 was something that I had never really planned into my holidays. Kelvin told me one day that he couldn't be part of the programmes committee because of SIFE and he asked me of I would like to take over him. Maybe it was the fear of having nothing to do during the holidays, I said 'yes' without hesitation. I do not think I have regretted since.

Yes it has been a long journey to this ending point, from the very first training camp that I had attended. I was hesitant to join it because I only knew about the camp 4 days before it occurred. But I'm glad I didn't miss out on it. It was a great experience going through it because I wouldn't have learnt so much about team-building and facilitation without the training. And not missing the fact that I made friends there with so many senior facilitators, which proved important in the camps because it made things work a lot easier.

Initially, I feared that joining programmes team later than the rest would have rendered me an outcast. But I'm glad most of them are easy-going, plus I know many of them beforehand from classes and that most of the pple are from accountancy so I had an easy time integrating into the team.

And there it started a journey of endless hours in the SMUSA Lunch Talks room, planning, deliberatin, discussing, debating what activities to incorporate, how we should do it blah. One of the low points did happen around the planning time when many members were not around. Things didn't seem to move then and I think a few of us felt very despondent. I could remember the few hours I slept every night for 2 weeks, trying to come out with the ops manual. On hindsight, I thought that was a test of mental strength and I'm glad that I showed some. Much as I hate to say, but the Lunch Talks room really holds many memories for me, good or bad. It would be a place I will miss when school starts.

Mock camp came and went within a few days. It was one of the lowest points in the entire FTB experience, but it was also one of the highest. Our planning seemed very good on paper but when the activities started, there were so many uncertainties. I think some of us felt helpless on the first day of the camp. I did. But we proved our mettle by adapting to the varying circumstances on the second day. I guess we showed the facilitators that the organising committee is truly committed to the vision of FTB.

Then after 2 weeks of hiatus, planning for the actual runs started again. Every single detail was ironed out this time, thanks to everyone in programmes. I was quite guilty that I was not around to "tah" all the shit after mock camp (because I was enjoying myself in Melbourne =P). It was also at this moment it hit me that Stephen's training could actually apply to real life when he talked about attention to details. We were so lacking in details for mock camp that this time, we were quite ready for Run 1.

Oops getting tired so I shall talk about this another day. Part 2 is coming right up...

Sigh.

2007-07-07T01:47:00.001+08:00

Why didn't I seize the opportunity when it was right beside me....

Freedom Is the Right of All Sentient Beings

2007-07-02T21:25:00.001+08:00

If there is one movie to catch this year, it is definitely Transfomers.

Forget the critics' lament that the story lacks depth or that not many of the characters in the movie (including the Transformers) are developed properly. All these wouldn't matter when the priceless moment arrives: Seeing the transformers turn from good looking vehicles into even better lean mean fighting machines. Seriously, do the critics expect the producer to cramp the whole history of the Transformers into 2 hours or 3 at most?

So if you're going to catch the movie anytime soon, do read up on their background on wikipedia. Awesome source of information of the best cartoon of my generation. If you already know Transformers like the back of your hand, err perhaps the nex best thing to do is to update yourself on the new names and new vehicles the Transformers have taken on now. Bumble Bee is no longer the yellow beetle but a damn cool Chevrolet Camaro. Optimus Prime has more decals on it than before. And Megatron is no longer a handgun.

So make time to catch the best movie of the year so far. Just like the good old days.

2007-06-26T23:16:00.000+08:00

9 days later and here I am, back in Singapore, back into reality again.

Got to start on the camp again real soon (read tmr!). Urgh, feel damn lost even though I have only been gone for a week.

Saw this link on weizhong's nick so decided to take a look. Quite awesome so if you're a ex-tpjcian, a current one or an aspiring one, have a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOqhvOMYqFw

Aights, more updates here when I am fully recharged.

2007-06-22T08:39:00.000+08:00

We're in Beaufort now.

It's a damn small town which is mainly a pit stop for tour buses.

But they have T1 internet access here! Haha.

Ok we're going off to see the Grampians now. More updates soon.

From East Coast Park, to Eastern Australia

2007-06-18T01:38:00.000+08:00

Ok so I haven't been updating for a long time. Been busy la.

Now that Mock Camp is out of the way, here comes Australia.

Well so news about the Mock Camp first. First off, there were many praises about Mock Camp, how it was all well planned and how things were ran so smoothly. I personally think that programmes team did a great job for Mock Camp but 400 people is going to be way much tougher to handle compared to 80 participants. But I must really give ourselves a pat on our backs for being able to react to rainy weathers and buggy issues (roaches and ants) fast and in an efficient manner. It is just so amazing to see how the human mind works when forced into a corner. Solutions were delivered almost instantaneously.

But this is not the time to rest on our laurels yet. There are still many issues yet to be resolved and the team has to work hard to iron out the issues so that we can deliver a fantastic camp to all runs, and not just runs 2,3 or 4. A repeat of last year's run 1 would have been disastrous. The freshies which included me,were waiting most of the time for something to happen so the programmes team must be more efficient in the actual runs.

But let's put FTB aside for a moment as the boss has declared a one and a half week break for us. And I'm going to the Land of Oz. Melbourne to be exact.

Pretty excited about going to Melbourne as it is my first time there. Well, previous 2 trips to Australia were to Perth, which is not exactly the place to be. Some plans had to be changed as Andrew can only join desmond and I on the 23rd so the SC duo have to do some exploring on our own. Why so sad ah, drewie? Nvm that.

So most things have been settle, besides the tinkering accom which we hope can be resolved by tomorrow. Or rather later in the day.

I'll try to keep here updated about my Aussie trip when I return.

2007-06-08T00:09:00.000+08:00

Sometimes the chips are down

Sometimes you get swarmed

The burdens get heavier and heavier

The energy ain't there anymore

You feel very very tired

Sometimes you just feel like giving up

Just got to keep faith. Stick to your beliefs.

Got to perservere on.

After all, we have walked too far to give this up now.

Reservit lai liao

2007-05-14T22:56:00.000+08:00

Checked ns.sg today and found out that I have ICT at the end of the year.

That means:

1) No OCIP for me
2) No overseas trip for me. Although I think I will be quite broke after Melbourne.
3) This is the ~~best~~ and the most ~~awesome~~: I'll be celebrating my birthday in clementi camp.

Excellent Mindef. Thanks for ruining my plans.

2007-05-13T01:23:00.000+08:00

Haven't updated for quite some time so I think I shall do it tonight since I have the time. Finally.

So after exams, have been rather busy with the FTB stuff. For those who are not familiar with SMU acronyms, FTB stands for Freshmen Teambuilding Camp. It's the compulsory camp that all SMU freshmen have to go through. One thing that makes the camp stand out from any other camp, being it the schools at SMU or other varsities, is that it is a team-building camp. There are a lot of emphasis on plannning, time management, execution of plans etc. These are the components that relate very much to the real working world.

So I'm in the programmes committee and we're racking our brains and squeezing 'em dry to come up with activities that suits the camp. Last year's camp was purportedly one of the best around. But the current organising committee wants to better last year's. Many of us in the programmes comm are very excited about setting a new benchmark. Explains why I'm not at home most of the time; and why pple see me in school all day. And if you ever happen to walk past campus green and see pple doing weird stuff i.e. carrying other persons across rafia strings or building a weird structure, chances are that my team is trying our the activities that we have designed.

I like my team members in programmes. However, I feel that they lack a sense of urgency. It's less than a month to the mock camp and 2 months to Run 1 so the team really has to buck up. Maybe most of the members haven't been to the training camps so they have not much of an idea on teambuilding activities. Sadly to say, the activities that many have come up with are fun, but not suitable for the camp. But I have faith in the team. I'm sure we'll be prepared when the times come. Summer's going to be exciting!

On a heavier note, just read the news and realised that those soldiers who were injured and killed in the Taiwan plane accident are from 6 SIR. I don't know these pple, but having served in 6 SIR before and having been to the same taiwan military camp makes me feel somehow connected to them. My heart really goes out to the 2 who were killed in the accident. Maybe god has another plan for them. The 2 who were injured, I hope that they pull it through.

2007-04-14T00:43:00.000+08:00

Summer begins =]

The Last Stand

2007-04-12T23:21:00.000+08:00

One last paper

One last chance

2007-04-06T01:32:00.000+08:00

And the SMU student asks this question

"Is the library open on Good Friday? I need to study..."

HARDCORE MUGGERS.

BGS hurrah!

2007-03-28T02:28:00.000+08:00

It is not often that you get praised by a professor.

It is even not often you get praised by a professor for a presentation.

It is hardly impossible that you get praised by a professor twice for presentations.

But I think my BGS group did it for our final presentation.

Presenting with panache and finesse, coupled with solid information and critical analysis, I guess we really wow the crowd and the prof alike with our presentation skills.

I really think our BGS group is one of the best groups around SMU. You guys are great. Really.

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

Haven't posted for quite some time now.

Everyone's getting a bit short-tempered these days. I think the stress of meeting project deadlines and preparations for presentations are getting to most of us.

I'm glad that most of my projects are over now, save for the BGS presentation and written report. Not too worried about that.

Felt really down yesterday. Probably one of the hardest days I ever had. Thanks for listening to my nonsense pris. And esther as well.

Getting a bit too slack for my own good. I think the slackness is partly attributed to the competitive level in my class. Last sem, I had many competitive people in my class and that inspired me to work hard. Quite glad that last sem's study group is recalling its members and we're gonna start intensive mugging next week!

3 more weeks to go!

Buddies

2007-03-04T01:31:00.000+08:00

The CEDI guys came over to my house today for a CNY reunion dinner.

It was almost perfect, with almost everyone whom I invited attending. Felt really great to see them again. And although they did eat up almost the whole of my refrigerator, nothing can really replace the bonds that exist within us. 2 years together in 6 SIR gave us a common history. Hah.

We ate great food and played the game of life. Alcohol was indispensable.

Overall, it was a fantastic night and I hope the guys enjoyed as much as I did. Only downside was that I forgot to take photos. Damn.

Really looking forward to the next gathering!

2007-03-01T21:04:00.000+08:00

This week is one of the worst weeks in my life at smu.

Tiredness doesn't even begin to explain it when I'm sleeping a wonderful 3 hrs a night for the past.... err.... can't remember how many nights.

Rushing projects, meeting assignment deadlines. Trying to finish projects before deadline is due so that we can check and recheck and further improve on them. If not for the fact that I'm injured and can't go for training, I'll probably be halfway to heaven by now.

Don't you just love smu?

But anyway,

I said hi subtlely to her today across the seminar room and she smiled back at me!

Haha.

Wow...

2007-02-13T11:29:00.000+08:00

When your prof look at you and your mates in the face and says in front of the whole class:

" This is the team to beat. This is the presentation I have been waiting for.."

You feel like you're on American Idol.

Pi-pi-pi-pi-pi pi-pi-pi-pi Budoh!!!!

2007-02-01T01:27:00.000+08:00

What a befitting way to see off the Old Lady!!

Yes, I'm talking about the last match (probably) at the National Stadium today. The match was between Singapore and Thailand.

Of course, Singapore won. Otherwise, I would not have the mood to write something like this.

A very big thank you to the Singapore team for giving the fans the belief that we could recreate the scenes of the '70s. The atmosphere was simply electrifying. You could almost feel the waves of patriotism sweeping throughout the stadium. Of course, who would want to be left out of the fun? My group of friends and I cheered, shouted, screamed "referee kayu" and of course, formed part of the Kallang Wave. Those who spoke of its demise obviously have not been following the matches very closely.

The only thing that had left a sour taste in my mouth was the very childish behaviour by the Thai national team. If they had felt that they have been wronged by the referee, perhaps they could wait till the match was over before lodging a formal complaint. It was simply unprofessional to walk off the pitch in protest of a controversial decision. I always had high respect for the Thais but this incident really shook my perception of them.

So Singapore will go to Thailand for the second leg of the Finals. It will be amidst the incident and frosty diplomatic relationships between the two countries. It will be interesting to see how our players react to the crowd there.

But I have faith in our players. Always.

Industrial Practice or Unethical? You decide

2007-01-23T00:38:00.000+08:00

Hello all. I think I haven't been blogging for very long now. I know, being busy is no excuse. Haha. I was just plain lazy.

The sudden resurgence of the blog has come down to mainly 2 factors:

1. I suddenly have this amount of time because I over-estimated the time needed for an assignment.

2. I have a very small request. That you guys(and girls), who after reading this entry, help to answer some questions that I have in store for all.

Ok, so to the real purpose and the main issue today. Currently, I'm doing a module that is mostly about (un)ethical practices in the business world. The one industry that I would like to focus today is the travel industry.

Well, I think most people would have at least travelled once in their lifetimes, be it to London or Batam. Most of the times when we want to travel in a country where we do not know the local culture well, we turn to travel agencies for group tours. A trip down to Chinatown, where most of the travel agencies are located can easily get you (best) deals for tours. However, I think many of us have encountered the issue of the real cost not being reflected on the itinerary most of the time. Well, many a time these agencies have said that airport taxes, fuel surcharges, hotel seasonal charges not being reflected in the itinerary are standard industrial practices. Well, I have no qualms with these issues as I feel that the price stated on the itineraries are marketing strategies that are used to attract customers.

However, one thing that I cannot fathom is the non-mention, or at times, brief mention of the "optional" tours that are not included in the itineraries. Often, these tours are organised by the local tour guides and the tour agencies in our country have no control over what the local tour guides in the other countries do. There have been many cases in which tourists feel that they have been "compelled" and "pressured" into paying for these optional tours that add almost no value to the original tour, leaving a sour taste in their mouth. The tour guides apply duress by giving sloppy or sub-standard service to those who are reluctant to pay for the optional tours, thus pressuring other tourists to go for the optional tours. Of course, there were those where the tourists came off feeling satisfied but these are the minorities. The main issue here is that, is it ethical for the local tour guides to conduct such optional tours by coercing or applying duress to the tourists, themselves being able to earn more?

I personally had been in such a situation before. I personally feel that the behaviour of the local tour guides should be monitored by the Singaporean tour agencies because the behaviour of these tour guides can easily put people off and not many would dare to sign up tour packages with the tour agencies again.

Have any of you encounter such incidents? Are there other issues that you face with travel agencies? I would like to hear it from all. Thank you.

2006-12-06T12:24:00.000+08:00

Geng, you are a bloody underachiever. Why can't you just do better? Fck.

2006-11-28T16:01:00.000+08:00

Dear Santa,

This is the first time I'm wishing something from you.

And I hope you will deliver your present

But not on the 25th of December

Please do it earlier on the 5th.

Coz I need the A for my biz law

Thanks.谢谢。Terima Kasih. Naandri.

It's over

2006-11-14T20:26:00.000+08:00

LTB's finally over!!!

So damn glad that our final presentation went off without a hitch.

I'll miss members of Mosaic =)

2006-11-12T14:59:00.000+08:00

When was the last time you heard a devastating news like

"She's already attached."

Missing Out?

2006-11-06T22:23:00.000+08:00

Was supposed to be studying biz law.... Until I saw Jfeng's msn nick.

Realised that he is going to hold a birthday performance on his birthday.

Reading his birthday countdown blog made me remember all the happy days that I had spent with the cds gang. Life without them during sec sch days would have been boring to say the least....

And that made me realise that I haven't seen many of them for a very very long time. And it's not just them. I haven't really met up with many of my friends recently. I guess I kinda turn into a work/study-holic these days, missing out on a lot of fun. And all the studying has made me a bit distant from my family. Hardly get to see them as well cuz I return home late all the time.

Perhaps it's time to start showing some concern for the people around me... Can't really use smu as an excuse can I?

What a week....

2006-11-03T21:23:00.000+08:00

Ok I realised that my blog is not very up to date. Been very busy. Busy with projects (at least csp is over). Been busy with quizzes. Been busy with presentations.

Ok past few weeks went past in a flash. After my team's record-breaking triumph at the Amazing Race, then there was Asoc(Accounting Society) Day.

I was rather involved in Asoc Day. Being part of the marketing team was quite a good experience although I did not really expect the huge amount of work that we had to do. For days the team cut and paste countless amount of coloured paper and we spent an entire day hanging stuffs. In the end, the hard work paid off as many people were impressed with what we did. To the seniors of the Asoc Day Marketing Team, you all rocked coz I think you all showed me what dedication is all about.

But after Asoc Day, it was back to "hell" for me. Had to catch up my readings and work but I feel that the experience is something I will never exchange for anything else.

Finally had my Comms presentation today. It's something off my mind for now. FA quiz was kinda screwed but my grades for Biz Law mid-terms more than made up for it.

Anyway, a friend said this today," SMU is just like a spolit toilet bowl. No matter how many times you flush, there always seem to have some shit left to be settled."

How apt.

Simply Amazing

2006-10-22T16:40:00.000+08:00

You are doing your business law report with some of your business law classmates, some of whom you only got to know a few months back. Suddenly that email came.

It says, " Join the SMU Travel Club's Amazing Race. Stand to win 4 tickets to HongKong."

You and 3 of your friends were so sian about biz law that time, all just agreed to form a team to join the race. Well, life ain't about studying all the time.

Then the day came for the race. You did no preparation at all, because you didn't bother to. Just a game afterall Other teams printed maps and recced the routes. They sniggered at you for not preparing at all. Well, who cares.

But all the other teams cared that day. About us, that's it.

For out of the blue came 1 team which took the entire fraternity by storm.

My team.

For a record-breaking time of 1 hr and 15 mins, we ran more than 8 km and completed 9 stations.

Never mind that we went to the wrong station at the 2nd pit-stop. Never mind that there was always a team in front of us. Never mind that we lost our station card, and got penalise 15 mins for that. Never mind that we had to climb Fort Canning for the last stop. Never mind all that.

Just remember that we came in first.

We not only won 4 tickets to HongKong. We won friendship admist the hustle and bustle.

Incredible.

This post is dedicated to my great companions: Joel, Eugene Lim, Eugene Tan. We're finally going to HongKong. Just like what we said in Project Room 4.13 on that Monday afternoon.

Late Nights

2006-10-20T02:14:00.000+08:00

I think I haven't posted anything for some time.

But then again, when you are at SMU, you never have time to do anything else other then mug, projects and sleep. Oh yea, even sleep have to compromised at times like now...

Just had my dinner not too long ago. That's at 1 am fyi. Damn shagged out now and I am supposed to wake up in 4 hrs time for lesson. Great.

Oh well been burning some nights for Asoc Day. Hope our planning really turns out well. And the whole sub-comm can relax after that.

But the thought of a few more presentations coming up as well as quizzes and exams. Shudders.

Tired now so I'll be off.

Different

2006-09-25T09:22:00.000+08:00

So now I know why SMU students are different.

Everyone mugs but behaves like they do not mug at all.

So different.

Where's my P-Plate?

2006-09-22T12:48:00.000+08:00

Ok, by now many people would have known. But I'll just say once more:

I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!!!!!

Damn lucky to have a slack examiner. And lucky enough not to have gotten route 6 and 7. I had route 8 =]

Ok now, time to find my P-Plate. And time to pound the highway.

2006-09-10T21:54:00.000+08:00

A first in my life

A new challenge

A test of strength

42.195KM

The Singapore Marathon

It's confirmed.

IVP

2006-09-09T22:31:00.000+08:00

For those who think that I competed at the IVP, no.... I was there to help out. Run Team helps out Track and Field on many sporting events and vice versa. So Nicholas, Weiguang, John and I went o help out today.

Actually it was a great experience. I realised how difficult it is to be an official today, having helped out at the discus competition. No joke to pull the measuring tape a total of 125 times. And we did it under the scorching sun. So full respects to those Olympics and Games officials. Ain't easy to do boring and monotonous work.

But there was also some reprieve. Yes there were many girls. Eye-candies everywhere.Esp high jump. Haha. Kind of lifted my mood when I felt very sian at some moments.

Everyone was asking if I had earned CIP hours by helping out. I didn't help out because of CIP hours and I dun think we would get CIP hours anyway. I helped out because I just wanted to do something other than studying.

Speaking of studying, I realised that SMU students are super muggers. Most can stay in the library and study for 10 hrs straight. I think I better start learning from some of my friends.

Anyway, I'm almost grinning non-stop now haha. Because Everton just whacked Liverpool 3 - 0.

Incredible scoreline!

The Bash

2006-09-02T00:04:00.000+08:00

Yesterday's Freshmen Bash was not bad. It was held at MOS.

Met up Weixun and Huiwen for dinner. Hing Man joined us halfway through it and we got to MOS pretty early. Well, the pageant was pretty boring coz we couldn't hear what the contestants were trying to say half the time.

IMHO, there are definitely better looking girls in the school than those who participated in the pageant. There was one who was rather lian and her command of english was bad so god knows how she got in there. And she tried to act cute.

Kian Heng(RYAN SIAL!) was also a participant in the pageant. I felt that he did pretty well but these kind of pageant is a heng suay thing la.

The real partying only started around 10 plus. Too bad I had lessons this morning or I would have stayed on and partied the night away. Haha. I'm sure there will be more chances to have fun in the future.

2006-08-31T16:07:00.000+08:00

Ok here I am at the library. Omg. So many muggers in SMU. Everywhere is full, including the study rooms.

Oh well I'm here to mug too haha. Need to fully understand FA man. Things are beginning to get very challenging now. I need to speak up more in class too. Not enough at the moment.

Tired shit now man. Only slept 4 hrs last night trying to read up and understand FA and Biz Law. And coupled with the 10 km run I did at the gym yesterday. Strange. I seem to run more after army. Haha.

Tonight's the Freshmen Bash so I'll be meeting ERIK for dinner before we proceed to MOS for the Bash. Dad has my shirt so I'll drop by his office to change up before going meet the Erikians. Haha Erikians? Now I've created a new name for my FTB group lol.

Probably will party the whole night away.

Think I'm going to die tmr during Comms haha. Maybe the fatigue will give me the guts to talk?

2006-08-28T22:15:00.000+08:00

Ok so how was my past few days?

Urm not very well in fact. Didn't make it past knock-out round on Sat so nothing to cheer about. Sunday was spent studying together with Jinfu(AGAIN). *Need some girls to study with*

Went for floorball recreational games today. Too many people there so didn't had that many chances to play. Not feeling well too so I'll join the competitive training when I recover from the flu bug.

Had an argument with my father again. He succeeded in turning the whole family against him. So proud of himself ain't it.... Why does he want to behave in such a childish way. Doesn't he know what behaviour is expected of him at his age? Sometimes I wonder if young people like us can behave in a more mature way than some adults.

If today's post sounds sad and angry, it is a reflection of how I'm feeling now.

Sibeh dulan.

2006-08-26T00:51:00.000+08:00

Geng is damn tired now.

Past 3 days total sleep is <15 hrs.

Was preparing and doing hw on wed night till 1 am. Woke up at 6 to catch bus to sch coz I had morn lessons. Went to send off SP2 specs at Changi Airport yesterday and ended up talking and eating with Capt Yip till 11 plus. Reached home and realised I hadn't done my prep for comms. Read until ard 2. WOke up at 6 again this morn to catch bus to sch. Damn shagged.

After lessons, met up with Erik for Vivace. It was an event for the CCAs to attract students to join them. SO we went from booth to booth listening to the seniors introduce the CCAs although I wasn't really interested in many of them. Decided to join floorball since I have some interest in it. And credits to my nice neighbour, yiling who succeeded in psycho-ing me to join the SMU Run Team, I finally signed up with them! Also volunteered to be part of the Asoc Day OC so I guess I will be quite busy with sch activities.

After Vivace, we proceeded to some cafe at Selegie to celebrate weixun's birthday. Was shocked when everyone was given free soup! In the end we found out that the cafe is owned by winston's brother.

Then I rushed off to dinner with uni-y camp group at Breko. Was trying to use our voucher won during the camp. Always a great time spent with them coz we would always show off our chinese lingustics skills and talk loads of crap. Haha. And realised that Yi Xuan is a super lame girl today! Haha all the scholars I know are nutcases lol.

Tmr, or rather later(abt 5 hrs from now) I'm participating in SMU Professor's Cup with some of the 4D guys and 2 other tpjc fellows. Hopefully we can do well but ultimately it's the time spent together the most important.

All the best to my team!

A Small World

2006-08-23T23:31:00.000+08:00

Well today's the 2nd day into school and I think that the pace of the teaching in SMU is generally ok. Lots of discussion so far and my LTB group has already started on our community service project yesterday.

Had business law seminar today. Pretty boring except for some parts which we had some discussion about.

But there was an incredible event that occurred today.

I was at the bus stop waiting for bus today. Feeling bored, I decided to take out my SMU notebook and record what I needed to do. Suddenly this girl beside me asked if I were an SMU student and our conversation went like this

Me: Ya I'm first year student. You at SMU too?

Girl: Yeah! I'm 3rd year though. That means same age as you la... Where do you stay? Ballota?

Me: No... I stay at Mariam Way

Girl: Hey I live there too. House number ##

(For a moment I though very hard why the number sounded so familiar and I realised....)

Me: HUH? That means I'm your neighbour la!!

So the both of us took the bus ride all the way to school, talking about our families and laughing at the fact that it took us 12 years to acknowledge each other. I dunno whether is it fate or anything else but something did help me to "find" my neighbour whom I had never talked to despite living beside each other for 11 years.

I finally have a friend who stays near me. Haha.

Life is full of surprises.

School Starts

2006-08-21T14:19:00.000+08:00

Ok today's Monday and here I am shaking my legs at home when many of my friends are already in school having lessons....

No, I didn't pon school.

No lessons for me today, thanks to my timetable.

2006-08-19T22:08:00.000+08:00

Ok convocation was not bad. In fact, it was quite good.

Totally different from what I had expected. I think the rest think the same way too.

There were the usual speeches by the key personnels. Then there was this announcement of the smu scholars and I actually know so many personally. I actually enjoyed the performance by the various CCAs and the post convocation activities. Towards the end, there was this live band performance by Hey B.I.AM and the crowd rocked to the beat. I was really glad to have such fun with friends.

After NS, I always feel that you are not part of an organisation until there is an official ceremony. Convocation has somehow made me feel more of an SMU student now. Not to say that the previous camps had not made me feel like an SMU student, but attending a formal ceremony makes me feel that I had chosen the right university.

School is going to start on Tuesday for me. I'm pretty hyped-up to do well in university and enjoy life as well.

I think life's beginning to get pretty exciting.

2006-08-19T08:15:00.000+08:00

Had a great run this morning. Couldn't sleep well last night so the run has freshened me up. At least for now.

Feel a bit sian that I had to miss the floorball clinic. Sprained my shoulder during FTB and it has not recovered fully. I didn't really want to take the risk. I should visit the sinseh again to make sure it's going to be fully functionable soon.

Having some Convocation thing later. I had always thought convocation was for graduating students but SMU makes it a formal ceremony to welcome the freshies as well. Need to be dressed in formal attire but I just feel damn uncomfortable wearing it. But well, need to get used to such things soon so why not now?

Meeting a few of the ERIK(FTB OG) members later for lunch. For now, I need a good shower and a hot breadkfast. Will update on the convocation tonight.

Ciao!

2006-08-18T22:33:00.000+08:00

Met up with Conghan today. Glad to have some coffee and a chat with him before he flies to the States for studies.

Conghan was the OCPA in my company during NS but he's no slacker. Always did his work diligently and helped us, the men many times on many occasions. Offs, leaves, schedules.

Respect.

Chatting with Conghan really adds a different dimension to my thoughts and views because he sees certain things in a different way from me. I guess I had learnt quite a lot from him during our idle banters. Haha.

Can't remember exactly when we started chatting but those kopi breaks certainly helped. And the times when my deployment schedule was different from the rest of my platoon, I could always find someone to talk to in the company office. Intelligent chats. Haha.

So take care dude and try to stay away from weed? Lol.

2006-08-18T12:24:00.000+08:00

Woohoo had a great time with the Asoc group yesterday.

Yup, we had a bbq session at Clara's house, which is so damn far from my house la. Travelled almost half of S'pore before I got there.

But it was worth the travel to meet them. Haven't seen each other since Asoc so we had some good time chatting and catching up. The timetable issue was definitely on everyone's lips, most of us trying to see if we are classmates with each other. Found out that most of them are in block B, with the exception of me, zhenghan and joel.

So I started the fire because no one else knew how to start. Took 15 mins to start which was not bad, considering that I haven't started one in ages. Some asked if I was in scouts before, but unfortunately no. Haha. I guess fire-starting is a skill that runs in my family. My dad can start one in 10 mins and my late grandad can start one in even shorter time. Cavemen!

Food was good. In fact it was so much we had to play 密码游戏 to finish the rest of the food, especially the "short beehoon". Highest casualty rate was Teck Chew, Joel and Bena. Their eyeballs almost popped out when they kena the 2nd time. Damn funny.

Then the spoiler came. Some anal ah pek security guard came around and told us that we couldn't make anymore noise because it was past 10.30 and some residents complained. I was super pissed because he could have put it in a better way instead of sounding like we were vermin. We packed up and wanted to go somewhere else but ended up in a more secluded part of the condo. Played 7-up there and some "mao-mao" game but this time Teck Chew was more alert. Haha. Again the anal guard came and chased us away.

So we left the place and went to a basketball court in a hdb estate. Played the "mao-mao" game which I really sucked at. And then the truth or dare which was super hilarious. Nicole, Candice, Suming and John left around 12. The rest of us continued playing a guilty or not game. Secrets revealed but it was all fun and laughter.

Left the place around 1. Lucky to have Clara's boyfriend around to send me and Jialiang back.

So group 7, when are we having our next outing again? LOL.

2006-08-16T16:21:00.000+08:00

Realised that my last post was on Saturday... Was sick the last few days so had marbles in my head... I'm on the way to recovery after much persuasion by my mum to see a doctor. At least the medicine is working. For now.

Had lunch with Andrew today at Parkway Parade. We haven't met up for some time so it was great to have caught up with him. We talked about many things: studies, cars, airliners, smu, monash, part time jobs etc. It is always nice to have a chat with Andrew because our thoughts are rather similar. Perhaps that's the reason why we are s**k-c**k buddies haha.

Managed to get a long sleeved shirt from G2000 for convocation. There's a severe lack of formal attire in my wardrobe so I was pleased to have it. Well that's at least something off my mind for now.

But

I have yet to get a pair of pants... I thought that I could use the pair of pants that I had bought during my relief teaching stint but unfortunately, I've outgrown them. Sideways.

Damn I need to go get one soon. And a pair of shoes as well.

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

Some moments from FTB 2006...

And so it began.

trying to stand on the kayak

with our balls =]

plugging holes

the winning car of the vikings!

the super high toe tower. 6"5' in the end. Can you believe it?

Matt taking a ride on the dinoducky car... erm... plane!

The girls... Tanu missing here

Thanks for the wonderful times Erik!

Erik and My Sunny Island

2006-08-10T17:35:00.000+08:00

Oh my gawd I'm so damn tired la. Rushing from SMU's Freshmen Teambuilding Camp to the NDP celebrations(live) really sucked all the vitality from me. And apparently, 12 hours of sleep hasn't make me feel any better yet. And I'm still feeling ill. With a sprained shoulder as well.

Well, it was quite an experience for me as a participant at the Freshmen Teambuilding Camp(FTC). Certainly, the camp was a bit different from what I had expected despite the numerous advice dished out by some of the facilitators of other camps.

My group's name was Erik.

There was a lot of planning and thinking involved in most of the activities. Some activities were quite difficult and I must say my group did well for most of the activities. Good planning and excellent execution helped a lot. Really must thank guys like Matthew and Chris who did most of the planning and coordination. And the girls as well. They were really sporting! The first time I've ever seen so enthu girls. Haha.

Lodging was ok but bathing was absolutely CRAP. The toilet was flooded almost everyday. And I mean higher-than-ankle kind of flooding. Not exactly clean after bathing but well, this was a camp afterall.

Campfire was great IMO. Had a great time relaxing there, unlike the other times when we had to rushed from one game station to another. Every section had to put on a skit and I was one of those involved. Really happy to see people laugh when they saw the skit because it was the whole purpose anyway.

Had some great time introducing some lame games to my group as well. Lots of laughter when some realised the solutions to the games. Looking back, I feel that my group could have played more games because it is thru these games that make groups bond together. Maybe I should have taken the initative to start the games. Sigh.

But anyway, I had a great time at the camp all thanks to my group.

to Matthew, WeiXun, Winston, Hing Man(Ah Man!), Hui Wen(Ah Girl!), Jake, Eileen, Chris, Alex, Tanu, Sijie and of course our nice faci, Farhan

You all rocked big time!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I rushed off to NDP after the camp. Actually I left earlier than the rest. Kinda sad I didn't get a proper chance to say goodbye to them. Ya know, the 'something's missing' feeling. But we'll meet at convocation anyway.

I initally didn't want to go to NDP because I thought I would be tired after the camp. But thinking that it was the last time it would ever to held at the National Stadium, I decided to be part of that history.

As usual, the queue into the stadium was long and hot. Took like ages to get into the arena but once in there, you could feel the atmosphere. Everyone was dressed in red and were singing and cheering out loud. It was almost like the scenes of Koreans at the 2002 World Cup. Feeling like a patriot, I joined in the fun too, clapping and cheering with the rest of my fellow Singaporeans.

There were the usual events like the parachutes, the GOH, the march-past, the F-16s fly-past, performances by various organisations. I found most of the events boring, elements of the past but the fireworks more than made up for the rest of the parade. The fly-past by the Apache helicopters was also impressive, us being the first SEA country to have Apaches in our arsenal. When the national anthemn was being played, it was amazing to hear Singaporeans sing aloud with pride and dignity. I, of course, was one of those who sang out loud too.

So it was quite a memorable NDP for me, and a great bonding time for my family as well. And bcause it was the last time the NDP was going to be held at the national stadium, all the more memorable.

Singapore you rock!

Majulah Singapura!

*This entry is more than 24 hrs late because Geng was having a hard time thinking of what to write. There are, still some sand left in his brain after the FTC and it's affecting his cognitive abilities.

The Monster Game

2006-08-06T13:13:00.000+08:00

Some game that we played at the Uni-Y Camp. Haha. Those fun times man.

Thanks to the people who made this. It is truly something worth remembering.

2006-08-05T16:26:00.000+08:00

I think this korean mtv was made some time back but it is still worth watching.

Because Im A Girl

2006-08-05T09:51:00.000+08:00

Hey guys this is the design of the T-shirt I had asked you all to consider buying. It's for a charity cause and it's not my own initiative. I'm just helping a friend.

So please do give some consideration to the t-shirt. It's 10 bucks each. Can contact me if you're interested in it.

Lappie

2006-08-05T00:18:00.000+08:00

After 2 weeks of waiting, I've finally gotten my laptop. Cost a damn 2600 bucks.

Brand: Fujitsu
Model: T4210
Special Features: It's a tablet!!! No more paper and pen, just my laptop and myself.
Specifications: 1.83 Ghz, 1.0 GB RAM, Dvd Writer.

Well I think I really need some time to get used to the laptop man. The buttons are all over the place. Damn. And the tablet functions too. Oh well, one step at a time.

Met my Circle Experience FOC group today. Although only 6 pple turned out and 1 is leaving for NUS to study law. Found out that my group only has 4 girls and I know 2 already. That spells "SIAN" in caps man.

Oh well hope for the best. Haha

Astria Oh!

2006-08-03T21:11:00.000+08:00

Uni-Y Camp 2006 was great!

The people, the facis, community service work we did. Simply unforgettable.

It was also my first time to a nursing home. It was a very humbling experience for me as I have never interacted with older people, save for my grandparents who even so, passed away when I was relatively young.

Initially, I thought that looking after older people would have been a very boring thing. No doubt, the elderly were quite stone-faced when we talked to them. But after they have warmed up to us, we had a great time singing and interacting. Of course, I got myself a "grandmother" too.

And on top of that, Astria, my group, was simply awesome.

The team spirit, the camaraderie formed was simply amazing. Now looking back, I still can't understand how we managed to be so united. Especially the game where we had to sit on each other's legs. And to think that we had the biggest group with 17 people =] I am so damn lucky to be in that group.

So when are we going to visit the old folks again?

2006-07-29T19:15:00.000+08:00

Just came back from the Asoc Camp. Super tired now. I think it has something to do with the Absolut Raspberri. Haha.

Had great group members in grp 7. Even though we didn't win many things but ultimately, the friendships forged were more important. And I hoped that I had entertained everyone well with the little man thingy. Haha. (I think it's becoming more of a habit)

Ain't got pictures now so I'll post them when I get them. For now, I just want to sleep.

Correction

2006-07-26T23:09:00.000+08:00

You are walking on the street.

Suddenly you saw a friend who you were quite close when you were younger. You very much want to say hello, but somehow, something holds you back. You feign ignorance. Then, the two of you walk past each other like strangers who had never met before.

Have you had such an experience before?

I have. Or should I say I'm guilty of it.

I don't really know what's the reason. Maybe I was worried that I might have mistaken the wrong person. Or maybe I felt that since we had not seen each other for so long it's best not to disturb each other.

Somehow deep inside me I feel the reasons I just gave are all rubbish. I'm just giving excuses.

In the past, I was not a very sentimental person. So to me, friendships came and went according to the times and needs of my life, save for a few close secondary school friends I have.

But some time ago I started to realise the need to be more thoughtful. I think it was after my uncle's(mum's side) death. My uncle had made so many friends, there were some even from Malaysia and Thailand who came to his wake. He had always remembered his old friends and visited them in those countries when he went on holidays.

I realised that at some moment in my life I had friends who had helped me in one way or antoher. And the least I could do was to remember them and not shy away from them when I see them.

I can't say for certain that I'll say hello but I'll try. I need to rid myself of this stupid problem.

One day, I might find myself a more sociable person.

----------------------------------------------------------

On a lighter note, I'll be away for the ASOC Camp from tmr till Sat. yes, camps and more camps! Woohoo! And I'll be gone for another camp, Uni-Y from next Monday till Thursday. Most prob I'll not be blogging till next fri.

2006-07-26T11:18:00.000+08:00

Here are the pics from swooosh...

Our Facils! Clement & Adel

Clockwise from me: Jianwei, Ray, Lingkai, Zhongyi, SHijie, Pricila and Suat Wei

Me and Suat

The gals

Ray the man. The climb that gave us the edge.

On the DHL Balloon!!!

The Champs of the Amazing Race!!!

Some girls who ain't from my group but well...

Had a hard time learning frisbee

Floorball was fun

Pool games. Din win anything though =[

haha lame pics from me and zhongyi... Got an entire collection man!

Funny faces. Del looks drunk?

Tired but happy

2006-07-24T20:31:00.000+08:00

Celebrated my mum's birthday yesterday. Can't reveal her age but she says she's forever 25. Haha.

It was a simple affair, a dinner at East Coast Seafood Centre, together with my family and my mum's best friend's family.

After that, I rushed all the way down to Lido for a 'pre-camp meeting' with my asoc group members. Can't remember all their names but well, it was a good start. We managed to discuss about our group name and icon and things for the 'fashion parade'. I feel that cool things are about to happen. Haha.

Can't wait for the next camp to arrive.

Swooosh

2006-07-23T14:40:00.000+08:00

Returned from SMU Sports Camp yesterday but was too tired to write anything so I'll make up for it today.

For starters, the camp was great! Really.

They always say that the people maketh the fun and it is really true. My group members were a great bunch of people and they brought a lot of fun and laughter to the whole group.

Ray, Pricila, Suat, Jianwei, Lingkai, ZhongYi, Shijie. Facils Clement and Adel.

Back to the time when we were unfamiliar faces.

Back to the time when we ran our legs tired to get to the finishing point of the race. And we won!

Back to the time when we stood in awe of our group's girls who ran as fast as the guys.

Back to the time when we persevered and played on despite the cramps. And the mahjong game.

Back to the time when we kept playing HeeHaa and Zhongyi kept drinking!

Back to the time of diu diu diu and drinking goggles!

Back to the time when we took silly shots of 1 to 10 and even more.

Back to the time when we had to leave each other amidst the unwillingness.

You guys were simply fantastic.

2006-07-19T11:53:00.000+08:00

Found this vid on youtube.com. It's a spoof of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful".

Remember to stop my background music before playing!

Karaoke My Cubicle - James Blunt Parody

And I will be away for 3 days from tmr until Saturday. Participating in SMU Sports Camp.

Yeah!

BSG

2006-07-18T21:30:00.000+08:00

If you think that you're hearing the wrong music, you're right.

The track is from one of the best sci-fi series around: BattleStar Galactica.

Yes, I confess that I'm a fan of the series only after just 7 episodes. It's one "fracking" good show!

Story revolves around a Human space battleship, Galactica that survived the onslaught of an invasion from their adversaries: the artificially created Cylons, who rebelled against their creators on the day of the battleship's decommissioning. All of the human Colonial Defence's ships crumbled to the invasion because their "networked" systems were infiltrated by the Cylons and their agents. The Galactica survived because it was the oldest battleship and was not "networked", therefore the Cylons could not shut down the ship's system. The rest of the series depicts the humans' escape from the Cylons and their quest to find their 13th lost Colony, Earth.

It is a great series, especially for those who like StarTrek. The effects are also good. For e.g. sound cannot be heard in space so there are no spectacular laser shows like the Star Wars. Instead, the producers chose to use toned-down sounds for a more realistic show. The series also focuses a lot on relationships and emotions so it is not just for the geek alike. My mother kind of enjoys the series too. Haha.

2006-07-15T23:04:00.000+08:00

Zhi(my second bro!) had Tutors-Meet-the-Parents session today so I tagged along with my dad and him back to college to have a look. And to find some of my ex-tutors in jc to have a chat with them.

On the outside, the college looked like it hadn't changed much. But they had done much renovation to the LTs and the audi. Then there's this new Heritage Corridor where it displays many of the college's past achievement. I think it's part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations for the college.

Dad and bro went on to meet bro's tutors while I wandered off to find my tutors. Only Mr Lim, my econs tutor and Mr Chew, my f maths tutor were around. Exchanged greetings with Mr Lim but he had to go meet the parents. Found Mr Chew and ended up talking with him for almost an hour. Talked about almost everything, from my time in jc to his aspirations when he was younger. Somehow talking to Mr Chew made me feel that I had learnt something.

Meeting CEDI guys tmr. Haven't them for some time so I feel it'll be a great to see them again.

Oh ya before I go, Happy 2oth Birthday TPJC!

2006-07-13T21:40:00.000+08:00

I was looking through my pictures file trying to find some army photos but there seem to be a limited few. And only 1 of the outfields. Cedi, why ah?

Well, a glimpse into my ~~army~~ pre-civilian life...

In the bunk: Notice we have pink colour doors. And we do not look too happy.

Chris and Stan, brokeback style! Heehaa! Hey we're perfectly straight. Just too bored in bunk.

So reminiscent of the times we dined at Al-Azhar and Bt Timah Hawker Centre on nights out. Teh Halia always.

Those cold Taiwan days... The winter really froze my a** off at times.

2006-07-12T22:44:00.000+08:00

Today's a great day 'coz it's my youngest brother's birthday.

Happy Birthday Baby Brother!

He's 12 now but we always call him baby coz he's the youngest in the family... Haha. Hope he does well in his PSLE at the end of the year.

Ok my mum's angry with me now.... And she gave me 1 X big one.

Well, I guess it's my fault. Got a phone call from one of my friends just now. So the moment I picked up, I went ,"Hello! Hey ch** b**, so long never hear from you! Hey how are you....." in a friendly english manner, not the hokkien-toting way. Of course, there were several other words within the conversation.

But of all places my mother had to be, she was outside my room and heard my rants and colourful expressions. When I finished my conversation, I saw my mum and was like 'OMG'. She had this super look of disdain on her face. But it's hard to control whenever I speak to my old friends. It was part of the habit(in camp) and although I'm able to control it at home, it's hard not to say such things whenever I talk to them.

Old habits die hard la.

So i promised(I'll try) and told her that I will never say vulgarities in the house again.

2006-07-11T14:18:00.000+08:00

Haha today's a good day.

Woke up this morning and realised that today is the 21st birthday of 2 of my friends.

(In no order of merit)
First person is Cedric, one of my platoon mates who is ever-so-lame. Used to talk nonsense with him all the time in bunk. Always make fun of his Jolin Tsai. Haha. Happy 21st dude!

Second person is Cynthia. Cyn's my tpjc classmate whom I knew at tjc. Long story but anyway, she's in america now having some work and fun. Hope she enjoys her time there. Happy 21st gal!

Today's also a good day because it is the first day in almost a month that I woke up ealier than 10 am. Well the world cup made life very unhealthy so I think it is time to get me back into shape. That means more 5 km runs and more workouts. One coming up later in the evening. Yea!

Well, I didn't bother to talk about the world cup final on Monday because I didn't like Italy winning. From a neutral's point of view, France deserved to win because they created more chances instead of playing negative football. Another low key was Zizou's sending-off. A moment of madness from one of the best footballers the world has ever seen. I hope that he will be forgiven by the footballing fraternity for the man had contributed a lot to the sport. Without him, we would never got to witness the 2 goals scored against Brazil in 1998, nor the superb volley against Bayer in 2002, nor the solo effort against Deportivo. Merci Zidane.

In the end, the ball's round anyway so Italy won on penalties to take their 4th World Cup title.

P.S. To my many friends whom I said I would not eat pasta nor pizza should Italy win, I was only joking... Really.

Another Birthday

2006-07-08T14:46:00.000+08:00

Came back not long ago from chalet.

Celebrated yunkai's birthday yesterday at downtown east.

Most of 4D stayed overnight and we played some games to entertain ourselves.

It was great to spend some time with my secondary school classmates and we relived the good old days. Talking to them helped piece back some memories into my mind.

Those unforgettable days of Qiu-ge and his antics. And the crazy things some of us did. Of course, the guai lan ones as well. Haha.

Never slept much last night so super tired now.

Can't think of much to write. When I get back my mojo, I'll try to create something.

In the meantime, amuse yourselves with this humorous clip my brother had found on youtube.com. Credits to the producers.

Enjoy!

The Etiquette of Sushi Eating

Freedom of Speech

2006-07-06T18:34:00.000+08:00

Visited mrbrown a while ago.

Seems that his column in TODAY newspaper has been suspended because of some hoo-haa by the government over an entry some days back.

I feel sad for mr brown. I feel even sadder for Singaporeans.

So much have been debated on freeedom of speech and the widening of the OBs in recent times. Apparently nothing much has been changed with the suspension.

I am not blaming the journalists and editors at TODAY. Afterall, it's their rice bowl and they will not risk it over such a sensitive issue. I know from a friend that many are fed-up with all pro-government articles but the people-at-the-very-top force them to do so. So much for the 'non-partisan', 'unbiased' news reporting. (BD you were right!)

When LHL took over at the very top of the hierachy, I thought things were going to change. Friendlier than his father and seemingly able to connect with the citizens better than his predecessors, perhaps it was the sign of things to come. But this latest saga has spilled light on how the current administration is going to work: Low-handedness seems to be the favourite method.

I had discussed this issue with my parents. Typical of the administration they say. One thing they had pointed out. Even with this issue or others that may crop up in the future, not many would dare to vote the opposition into power in 2011 or 2012 because the current APs are not good enough.

As my brother pointed out, "The govt keep teling us to smile for the IMF. How to bloody smile when they are doing such low-handed things?"

You're Forgiven

2006-07-04T17:28:00.000+08:00

WARNING: PLEASE VIEW THE PICTURE WITH DISCRETION!

Chanced upon a picture on the internet and I thought some humour for a change might be good for the heart....

I think it has "YOU'RE FORGIVEN" written all over it.

LOL.

Btw, to all CEDI members there will be a gathering next Sunday, 16th July. Meeting venue is at City Hall MRT Control Station at 1pm. Hope to see you guys there!

England

2006-07-03T12:33:00.000+08:00

So the penalties jinx has hit England again.

Doomed to their fate when the match ended 0-0 after 120 minutes.

Watching how England play, I was sad, disappointed, disheartened.

A team with so many match winners could not even string passes properly.

The culprit: Mr Sven Goran Eriksson.

Genius who managed to transform a nation that played attractive football into a laborious, dull team.

At least we're not going to see him anymore.

Hopefully this signals the beginning of a new English team. One that can play quality football.

If not, the next World Cup would be like this again...

Deutsche Victory

2006-07-01T01:40:00.000+08:00

Klose scores the equaliser...

Courtesy of soccernet.com

4-2 on penalties and they knocked the Argentinians out of the World Cup.

I feel sad for Argentina. They are a country of footballing greats. They did not deserve to lose this match.

But neither did the Germans, who put in a very disciplined performance.

Fate had to be cruel to one of the teams.

And it was to be a German victory afterall.

the park

2006-06-30T22:46:00.000+08:00

I was doing my usual run in the evening.

Somehow today I did not take my usual path which would have led me past Loyang Point and a few other schools before coming back. Instead, I ran the perimeter of the Loyang Villas, which was physically much tougher because of a very long upslope. Well, I just felt like challenging myself.

True to my own words, the slope was the most demanding part of the run. I finished 3 rounds before I felt really tired but satisfied that I had completed about 5 km and 3 upslopes. Decided to do some static exercises so I proceeded to my estate's park or what we call, The Mariam Estate Park.

When I arrived there, but there wasn't a single soul around. I was later accompanied by a couple and their daughter.

Completed my exercises and I sat on one of the benches.

I then realised that the bench was one that I used to place my things on when I played football at the park in the past.

Many kids from my estate and its surrouding houses used to play football at the park.

Not just young kids. Older kids, teenagers, adolescents, army boys, girls and occasionally, uncles also joined in the fun.

Trees became goalposts, jogging paths became boundaries. It was our Wembley.

Those were very fun times during the weekend evenings. It was simply the place to make friends and it was at here that I got to know many of my neighbours and some became friends.

Then all of a sudden 2 years ago, the Mariam Estate Park "authorities" suddenly decided to ban football from that area, citing damage to the lamp posts and trees and erosion of soil, as well as rowdiness by the people there. They erected a "No Football" sign.

Well, we didn't give a damn about the ban and continued our games.

Heartless enough, the authorities started planting trees in the middle of the open grounds.

It sure worked better than the ban. There simply wasn't enough space to play our games. Every kick will hit a tree. Some knocked themselves into the trees while running. It was frustrating to play.

The following weekend, no one came back to play football. Not even me.

One day somebody found a piece of empty land near my estate and got some of us to play there. But somehow, the attendance got less and less and there aren't anyone playing there these days.
The magic of the park simply wasn't there.

Sometimes when I walk past the park, I just can't help but feel a sense of anguish at the authorities' decision.

Are a few lamp posts more important than kids having fun? Will the growing of new grass ever replace the camaraderie and friendship that could have been forged? Were the trees of more economic value than the children?

Perhaps the pathetic state of the park now is a representation of our next generation. Many children do not have the space or place to play games. They instead, are growing up with computer games and gizmos to fill their spare time.

In my opinion, only by roughing it out can these children build strong characters and traits needed to survive in the future.

My parents' time were, perhaps the best for character development. They had to deal with poverty and politics but they had the land, the space to grow. They were fitter and healthier than us now when they were young.

Somehow the younger kids in my estate are strangers to me now, unlike their elder brothers and sisters.

As I took a second look at the park, it felt no longer a park to me. Gone were the laughters, noise, shoutings and encouragements.

True, it is a very nice-looking and tidy park today.

But it is a soul-less park now.

Sunset

2006-06-28T20:53:00.000+08:00

I did something today most people would hardly do in civilian life.

I sat at the porch and just stared at the evening sky.

From the bright red glow of the sun to its setting, the sky slowly faded from blue to purple and to darkness.

It was beautiful and surreal.

For that 30 minutes of time I only felt calmness. No thoughts, no worries. Nothing.

Therapeutic huh? Lol.

5 secs

2006-06-27T01:00:00.000+08:00

Just ask the Aussies how much time does that mean to them...

They'll tell you that was how much time left to their world cup dream, till the the darn penalty.

I'm too mortified to go into any details now.

Lucky bastards the Italians.

What Thing 2 Dollars?

2006-06-26T01:24:00.000+08:00

That's the question that had been bombarded at me for the past 2 days. And the past 2 weekends as well.

Yup, work.

Been doing some redemption thing for Quakers(yes, the oatmeal company). The deal's about some purchase with purchase thing. The booth is located outside the ntuc at bedok central.

Work starts at 1 pm and ends at around 6+ pm.

Quite a tiring job, having to stand for about 5 hours and doing everything by myself. And there's no chair to sit!

Half the time at work I will be telling those aunties that nothing is going for $2. They have to purchase something before they can redeem the product for $2. Many give me the dirty look after I tell them that. Well, ~~greedy~~ pragmatic lot. Conversations go something like this:

Me: Hi auntie/mdm/sir/miss.

Customer: *Stares at me with a scowl* What thing 2 dollars? (In english, mandarin, teochew or hokkien)

Me: "Oh, Quaker is having a *blah blah*, you can redeem this for 2 dollars. However, you must first spend $10 on certain Quaker products."

Customer: *Points to the back* "So I spend $10 in NTUC, I can buy those for $2."

Me: "What I mean is, *REPEATS EVERYTHING I SAID IN THE OPENING SENTENCE*"

Customer: "ORH!!! Chay must spend $10! Some more on Quaker products. Aiya my family and I dun eat Quaker. Dun wan la..."

Most walk off without a single thanks.

Well, other half of the time at work is devoted to giving out the redemptions, collecting money, advertising and daydreaming.

There's one thing about many older people that I had observed. When they see the $2 deal signage, their eyes lit up and look the most enthusiastic. The moment I look at them, preparing to explain to them about the deal, they look away with nonchalance. Then they'll walk about 5 metres, turn around and look at the booth again. After staring for about 3 mins and scrutinising every single thing about me and the booth, they will finally approach me asking about the deal. Dunno what's the reason but it seems that every elderly person will do the same thing.

One incident was most memorable so far. There were 3 uncles who were very enthusiastic about the $2 thing. Perhaps it was more of greed than liking the food. Afterall, $2 for something that costs $6.70 normally. Without listening to me explain to them fully the whole deal(there were many terms and conditions), they went to buy certain Quaker products there were not part of the promotion. When I told them that what they bought were not redeemable, they started to scold me for not telling them the conditions and almost kicked up a fuss. Luckily a friend was there at the scene and offered to buy the products that were on promotion and let the uncles redeem the products.

That's one thing about many Singaporeans. Without me telling them that certain products were not on promotion, many would simply not read the conditions and end up blaming the world when they buy the wrong things. Something like this:

Me: "Hi!"

Customer: *Chucks me the receipt* "Nah. 2 dollars for that right? Here I got 2 dollars" *Chucks me 2 dollars*

Me: *Scans the receipt* "I'm sorry mdm. The products that you bought are not part of the promotion"

Customer: "WHAT!? Eh you never tell me ealier that I cannot buy these products. Make me waste all the money to buy these things that I dun eat. Wah lao. Why you never tell me earlier? Why not make this an exception?"

Me:"No Mdm I cannot do such things. And I told you just now about the conditions..."

Customer:"No you didn't! Cannot trust Quaker anymore!!" *Walks away in anger*

Sometimes I wonder why the customers buy the products. Do they really want to eat or do they just want the redemption?

On hindsight, this job has taught me quite a number of things as well. The most important would be the patience to deal with difficult customers. Cool-headedness would prevail in many customer-oriented problems. And I will definitely read conditions of any promotions after seeing too many of my countrymen fall into traps. Of course, the ability to stand for 5 hours counts as one too...

England's into the quarter-finals of the World Cup thanks to David Beckham's goal from a free-kick in the 60th minute. It was a very boring match. Hopefully Holland VS Portugal would be better.

Funny stuff

2006-06-23T23:59:00.000+08:00

Been rather bored today. Nothing much to watch on television so I watched Black Hawk Down. Again.

Visited mrbrown.com and he has some new entries again. For those who do not know about mr brown, he's a author of the website named after his pseudonym that discovers the dysfunctional side of Singapore. Nothing vulgar there; only loads of laughter.

His latest entry: http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2006/06/today_a_lifesav.html. Talks about how he changed his lifestyle after having children.

And not to forget, the podcasts that mrbrown and mr miyagi produce. Super funny and I bet my house that it would make you laugh.

The lastest one: http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2006/06/browncast_early.html.

The podcast takes a swipe at a MDA(Media Development Authority) regulation that requires local housholds to indicate to them if they DO NOT own a television set.

Duh!

Birthdays

2006-06-22T15:11:00.000+08:00

Ok I'm a bit late(wonder why i always have late entries...) but this is what happened over the weekend.

Des' Birthday...

Yup des' birthday fell on Saturday. After days of contemplation(including the night we spent till 4am at drew's house!) on where to dine, des finally settled on The Altivo Bar on the very top of Mount Faber.

D'Masculinity! Des' right behind the flower pot

I was quite charmed by the place. Nice ambience, great scenery overlooking the city and live music as well. Food was ok though. Nonetheless a nice place to bring your loved ones there.

We had to alter our plans after the dinner. Wanted to drink at The Glass Bar but it was packed. So off we went to Andy's house for our binging session.

Jinfu and Des. Before the drinks.

As the birthday tradition of 4D decreed, the birthday boy had to down his ale.(unless you bola kechil) And boy was Des filled to the brim as we kept giving him shot after shot of bailey's. And vodka. The result: A bad alcohol rash and an hour of non-stop puking. The boy can't hold his ale! Just kidding haha. But it was very sporting of des to drink with us even though he does not normally drink. Cheers to the man!

Stayed over at di's house and returned home the next day.

But but, the partying wasn't over yet...

Pang's Birthday

Pang's birthday was one day after des'. Pang(Gerald) is one of the first few people from arts fac whom I knew(I'm from science =]) from the j1 australian trip. Subsequently got to know more arts people when I played soccer with them.The rest was history. They are definitely a cool bunch of people.

Pang held the celebrations at a chalet. Reached there earlier than most people. Met up with many of the arts people that I had not seen in ages. Ate and caught up with many people. The usual stuff: uni course, future etc. Stayed overnight there in the end. At around 5 am, 7 of us went to play dota at a lan shop at downtown east.

There was a comical scene at the lan shop. When we got to the lan shop, we asked the owner what was the score between France and South Korea. The MAN answer:" 1-1. Henry scored for France." *Sniggers* Many of us tried to stifle our laughter. Nope, nothing unusual but he said "Henry" in the ENGLISH pronounciation. Wahahaha!

Went home at 7am and slept till 3pm.

Oh, and when I thought there were no more birthdays left...

Chng's Birthday

Chng, the other Gerald, invited me to his birthday as well. It was held at his house on the evening of Tuesday. Went with Weizhong before that to buy him a gift and we got him a sling bag. Chng's affair was much more simple and cosier 'cos he didn't invited too many people. Met up with the arts people again! And some other tpjc friends whom I had not seen since graduating. Watched Ecuador Vs Germany before leaving. Germany was awesome, giving Ecuador no chance at all in the game.

Oh btw, Germany, Ecuador, England, Sweden, Portugal, Mexico, Holland and Argentina have all qualified for the second round of the world. Hopefully Ghana and Australia will make it through tonight. Keep your eyes glued on the motionbox.

Au Revoir!

Futbol

2006-06-16T23:37:00.000+08:00

Been a very very tiring week..... watching football.

Sleeping at almost 3am daily seems to be taking a toll on me. Been feeling the blues today. And a slight hint of frustration, even though I do not know what I'm frustrated at. Just got the 'paik chek' feelin'.

Oh well working tomorrow afternoon at NTUC Bedok, doing some redemption thing. And received news today that I have to work alone after the company which I had been working for changed some regulations. That means drew is taking Sunday.

Haha just finished watching the Argentina VS Serbia & Montenegro match. It was truly a performance worthy of champions by the Argentines. 6 superb goals, against the Serbian defence which only conceded 1 during the qualifying stages. And I must say Lionel Messi is a player to watch out for in the future.

Final Score: Argentina 6 - 0 Serbia & Montenegro

Bad Day

2006-06-14T21:01:00.000+08:00

Daniel Powter

Where is the moment we need at the most

You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carryin' on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day

(Oh.. Holiday..)

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I'm not wrong

(yeah...)

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
You've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Updated @ 2315hrs
Spain beat Ukraine 4-0 in the World Cup Group H match. Spain dominated the match from the beginning and it came to no surprise when Xabi Alonso(Liverpool) scored the opening goal. Further goals from David Villa(2, Valencia) and Fernando Torres(Atletico Madrid) won the game for the Spaniards. In the end, the Ukrainians were taught a lesson how to play football.

Almost Love

2006-06-13T23:21:00.000+08:00

That's the name of the Korean romance/comedy movie of 2006.

Quite a cool movie I must say, especially for those who like Korean romance films.

Story is about two platonic childhood friends who, when they are attached to other people, realised that their simple friendship has evolved into a romance that they find hard to confess. There's a twist nearing the end of the movie involving the male character, Ji-Hwan. Want to know the ending? Go watch for yourself(or with your girlfriend) and find out the ending!

Hmm... I realised that I have contributed quite a number of entries these few days. Haha probably too free in my life now. Well, it's going to change soon once I enter university.

Received a mail from SMU today regarding ~~school fees~~ matriculation. Have to go down one of these days to settle some administrative issues.

Oh ya received a letter about the sports camp too. Hell yea I'm going to join it. Think it's gonna be fun and I also got Jinfu to join it. It'll be a good way to get to know some people whom I might be studying with in the future too.

Btw, Korea had beaten Togo 2-1 in the match that started at 9 pm. Yes!

Dae Han Min Gook!

Ole! Ole! Ole!

2006-06-12T23:44:00.000+08:00

Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden
(A Time to make Friends)

Courtesy Of fifaworldcup.yahoo.com

Yup so the moment in the football world that everyone is talking about now has arrived.
Once in every four years, we would get to catch glimpses of the best players in the world coming together to play in the most prestigious football tournament.

I have always liked the World Cup. Not because of betting! Personally I do not like to bet on football matches.

I like the world cup because it produces some of the most magical moments in football. Think Johann Cryuff's goals, Maradona's 'Hand of God',Michael Owen's spectacular goal against Argentina in '98, Senegal's shock win over France in '02, South Korea's dream run to the semis in the same year.

But it is not just the goals or the wizardries that make the world cup special. When the whole team celebrates a goal scored, the camarederie displayed is amazing. When opposing players involved in rough tackles help each other up and shake hands, I can't deny that I had not been touched. One would just have to go back to the last World Cup to remember something very touching that happened.

I believe it was the 3rd/4th placing playoff between South Korea and Turkey. The match was full of passion, the 2 countries having supporters who were very patriotic. The South Koreans played well but were beaten by an even better Turkey. At the very end of the match, something incredible happened. Instead of walking off as usual at the end of the match, the Turkish and Korean players joined hands and cheered, thanking the passionate fans for their support. I had never seen such a thing in football before. For that moment in time, all social, racial, cultural and political boundaries were cast aside. There was only friendship. Needless to say, it was a very heartwarming feeling.

Let there be only ties of friendship and none of enmity during this period.

Joga Bonito!

2006-06-09T12:09:00.000+08:00

"The gains in life come slowly and the losses come on suddenly. You work for years to get your life the way you want it and buy the big house and the time share on Antigua and one afternoon you’re run down by a garbage truck and lie in the intersection, dazed, bloodied, your leg unnaturally bent, and suddenly life becomes terribly challenging for six months."

How apt the description of life at times...