How often do you get to celebrate the achievements of the past batch in the morning & the achievements of the current batch in the afternoon? We did. ACJC did.
It was nice to see the 35ths, 2AA2, 2SB5 & 2SC9 back in college and also up on stage to collect awards for their academic achievements. It sounded silly but I clapped that hard from LT1 to cheer them on. As much as all the trouble & mess which they have created, this will always be a batch that I will miss. Perhaps it was because they are my first batch? Perhaps it was because that I had so much fun with them in and outside of the classroom? Perhaps it was because I was not that busy then and had the time & opportunity to get to know them better as people. Perhaps... perhaps...
Then when my current students went on stage to collect their awards for their Promotional Examinations, I cheered hard as well (together with the rest of LT1). It was nice to have a batch with a majority of teachability and humble spirits. These are what made a long day at work seem somewhat worthwhile...
Then come 12nn, the auditorium underwent a stage of transformation and we were preparing for the release of the GCE A-Level Results. It was heartwarming to see the seniors back in school, waiting anxiously to collect their results.. and heart-wrenching to see them wait to see what happens next. It was even more heart-wrenching to see Mrs C shed her tears for her senior batch, telling them that whatever the results may be, they have passed through the portals of this college and left as better people & friends to each other.
At that moment, it was as though I was transported back in time to my collect of the results: It was a day of rushing down from work, sitting excited in the auditorium and waiting (hopefully) for my name to be called out from the podium, so I could have a moment of glory... but also wondering what if I was left on the 'bench'... how will I react? By God's grace, the latter did not happen, but the next thing on my mind was what to say to friends who were on the 'bench'?
X-years later, I am back in the same auditorium, 'receiving' results for umpteen times more, but now, from different corners of the auditorium. The auditorium still looks the same, the layout is still the same.. just that the crowd that passes through the place will change every year.
Some people say that the day we receive our results is the day to the rest of our lives, but for some, it is the day to the end of our lives. I choose to stick with the first part of the statement because I have seen how disappointments at the A-Level did not bring one down, but opened a different door that brought the individual to great heights & better places.
So to all the students out there, whether you are already in university and thinking if you have chose the right course, or if you are still thinking of what to apply (while in NS), or if you are not even sure of where your grades will bring you, or if you are not even sure if you can pass your A-Level, you are not what your grades say of you. Your A-Level grade is a stepping stone, but it does not determine your path ahead. There are many who have gone before you & did not allow their A-Level grades to limit their progress in life.
If you are feeling like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, you need to know that you are not alone in this walk. You are blessed with friends, teachers & family who will support you through this difficult time. And more importantly, you are well taken care of by our heavenly Father, who has promised you that "(He) knows the plans He have for you.. plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Look back and be encouraged, by your friends, your teachers, your family.. and by God.
Saturday, March 02, 2013
Thursday, August 27, 2009
And So... This Is It!!
I promised to announce it, but I never once promise, WHERE I will announce it on. I promised to tell everyone when I have settled everything with myself, but I never promised WHEN exactly I will do it. But then this is Singapore, and given how much globalisation has taken over the world, it won't be surprisingly to know that many ppl have already found out one way or another.
Every time I thought I was prepared to announce it to the whole world, I always never did. So why today?? Some may ask. As I sat there in Dr. Tan's office, answering the million-dollar question, there was just a moment of release, a moment of reality hitting home and I know that I can no longer hide behind my rock.
I left my job as an engineer some 2 months ago. I left behind a dream of mine, a position that I fought so hard for to try to get to. A dream I fought hard to try to realise, but only to hit solid walls at every turn, literally almost. And so with much courage, tears, struggle, I left my engineering life behind.
I moved on. I moved on to a place I fought so hard to run away from. I moved on to a place that I wanted to hide as long as possible from. But I left myself a backdoor time frame of 5 years, which unfortunately got reduced to 2 years. Trust me, every time I think about that, I will kick myself for it. SO I went into teaching. Yes, believe it or not, I'm at NIE now.
You may ask why?? Why teaching of ALL professions?? I can only say that, after standing around aimlessly for 2 years, I'm tired of wasting time. I'm tired of feeling so uncontented and useless everyday. You can say that I don't have patience, which may be true to certain extent, but yet I can tell you that I just don't want to be stagnant.
And it doesn't help that I have a very simple ambition (as I have realised) - I just want to work with children, kids, teenagers etc. The sense of happiness in just seeing that innocent smile plastered on their faces, it's sufficient to get me through the day. Even if it's just some neighbouring kids of mine that I bumped into in the lift.
Call me simplistic or unambitious, but guess the past 2 years really eroded away much of my courage and ambitions, so now, I chase after things that hold a meaning rather than the beautiful passing wind. *See no connection?? Nevermind, as long as I can understand!!*
My engineering memories are all packed in a box and left in the corner of my cupboard, and I guess, that's where they will all stay. The past 2 years have been difficult, not physically but rather more emotionally and mentally (and yes, love it or hate it, women are creatures of emotions). It was a walk in a dark tunnel, with no light at the end of it. And who is to say that teaching won't be the same, if not worse?? I won't know yet, but though it is currently a walk in a dark tunnel as well, yet, the ground below me feels firm and I know the direction that I am heading in.
And so.. this is it!! The end of a long journey that I struggled and fought for, and the start of a new journey, which is almost a path of no return. I can see it as a path that will be difficult, scary, filled with loads of heartbreaks but yet, equally filled with smiles and joys and returns that may go a long way in time.
So this is it!! People, I've moved on and I'm going to look forward instead and say it out loud, so Bring It On!!
Every time I thought I was prepared to announce it to the whole world, I always never did. So why today?? Some may ask. As I sat there in Dr. Tan's office, answering the million-dollar question, there was just a moment of release, a moment of reality hitting home and I know that I can no longer hide behind my rock.
I left my job as an engineer some 2 months ago. I left behind a dream of mine, a position that I fought so hard for to try to get to. A dream I fought hard to try to realise, but only to hit solid walls at every turn, literally almost. And so with much courage, tears, struggle, I left my engineering life behind.
I moved on. I moved on to a place I fought so hard to run away from. I moved on to a place that I wanted to hide as long as possible from. But I left myself a backdoor time frame of 5 years, which unfortunately got reduced to 2 years. Trust me, every time I think about that, I will kick myself for it. SO I went into teaching. Yes, believe it or not, I'm at NIE now.
You may ask why?? Why teaching of ALL professions?? I can only say that, after standing around aimlessly for 2 years, I'm tired of wasting time. I'm tired of feeling so uncontented and useless everyday. You can say that I don't have patience, which may be true to certain extent, but yet I can tell you that I just don't want to be stagnant.
And it doesn't help that I have a very simple ambition (as I have realised) - I just want to work with children, kids, teenagers etc. The sense of happiness in just seeing that innocent smile plastered on their faces, it's sufficient to get me through the day. Even if it's just some neighbouring kids of mine that I bumped into in the lift.
Call me simplistic or unambitious, but guess the past 2 years really eroded away much of my courage and ambitions, so now, I chase after things that hold a meaning rather than the beautiful passing wind. *See no connection?? Nevermind, as long as I can understand!!*
My engineering memories are all packed in a box and left in the corner of my cupboard, and I guess, that's where they will all stay. The past 2 years have been difficult, not physically but rather more emotionally and mentally (and yes, love it or hate it, women are creatures of emotions). It was a walk in a dark tunnel, with no light at the end of it. And who is to say that teaching won't be the same, if not worse?? I won't know yet, but though it is currently a walk in a dark tunnel as well, yet, the ground below me feels firm and I know the direction that I am heading in.
And so.. this is it!! The end of a long journey that I struggled and fought for, and the start of a new journey, which is almost a path of no return. I can see it as a path that will be difficult, scary, filled with loads of heartbreaks but yet, equally filled with smiles and joys and returns that may go a long way in time.
So this is it!! People, I've moved on and I'm going to look forward instead and say it out loud, so Bring It On!!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
when mr lim walked past..
when mr lim walked past, HC, mich & me were having peanut pancakes at pearlyn's table. the moment i heard and saw him, HC and me ducked behind the cubicle partition wall and kept the pancake in its box. this immediate action left mich wondering what was happening and our secretary just could not stop laughing.
boy, just imagine the impact it had, when mr lim walked past..
boy, just imagine the impact it had, when mr lim walked past..
Saturday, May 17, 2008
china-szechuan earthquake 2008
who would have thought that something this terrible will happen.. i mean, china had her fair share of misfortune since the start of the year, with sandstorms to cold drifts to riots in tibets, to unsuccessful pre-olympics activities.. and right after myanmar got hit by a cyclone, szechuan got hit by an earthquake and i was totally clueless of it, till i got home late on monday evening..
at that instant, i was just lost for words.. i mean, it was a place, which i have visited twice in a period of 6 months and now, the whole place is in ruins.. it's just pretty shocking and unbelievable.. i was just lost for words..
this is perhaps the one and only shot i've got of wenchuan county during my trip in november, whereby everything was still in place.. with its buildings and even a well and safe dam.. but now some of the buildings are gone and there are hayline cracks in the dam wall..
i finally understood what sean meant, when he said that it wrenched your heart to see the buildings, that you were once familiar with, go down in ruins.. and to see the lives of the ppl living in the affected areas seriously changed..
even as the rescuers race against time to search for survivors and occassionally, with stories of hope and love surfacing up in the news, the question that remains after everything is.. what's next? what about those left behind?
it really wrenches me to see the photos on the newspapers and on online news pages.. but somehow i don't exactly feel the same way towards myanmar, though it needs equal, if not more help and attention.. maybe it's because i've never been to myanmar?? maybe it's because i do not know anyone there?? maybe it's just not a place where my heart is directed to??
with each natural disaster striking many countries, the number of closet dreams i have grow as well.. but like pearlyn said, i will most probably give all those ard me a heart attack, if i do truly embark on anyone of them.. but if i really do embark on one, there will be so much planning required and so much to prepare for..
the only thing that we can do now, is to pray for both nations.. there are so much uncertainty and so much pain, that perhaps, time can't even heal any of it.. but we can only pray that the Lord works in this time and He is the only one that can give hope and peace to all affected.. perhaps it's easy for me to say this now, coz it's not affecting me directly.. but when all else fails, God is still the one constant and He is the only one that can save..
at that instant, i was just lost for words.. i mean, it was a place, which i have visited twice in a period of 6 months and now, the whole place is in ruins.. it's just pretty shocking and unbelievable.. i was just lost for words..
this is perhaps the one and only shot i've got of wenchuan county during my trip in november, whereby everything was still in place.. with its buildings and even a well and safe dam.. but now some of the buildings are gone and there are hayline cracks in the dam wall..
i finally understood what sean meant, when he said that it wrenched your heart to see the buildings, that you were once familiar with, go down in ruins.. and to see the lives of the ppl living in the affected areas seriously changed..
even as the rescuers race against time to search for survivors and occassionally, with stories of hope and love surfacing up in the news, the question that remains after everything is.. what's next? what about those left behind?
it really wrenches me to see the photos on the newspapers and on online news pages.. but somehow i don't exactly feel the same way towards myanmar, though it needs equal, if not more help and attention.. maybe it's because i've never been to myanmar?? maybe it's because i do not know anyone there?? maybe it's just not a place where my heart is directed to??
with each natural disaster striking many countries, the number of closet dreams i have grow as well.. but like pearlyn said, i will most probably give all those ard me a heart attack, if i do truly embark on anyone of them.. but if i really do embark on one, there will be so much planning required and so much to prepare for..
the only thing that we can do now, is to pray for both nations.. there are so much uncertainty and so much pain, that perhaps, time can't even heal any of it.. but we can only pray that the Lord works in this time and He is the only one that can give hope and peace to all affected.. perhaps it's easy for me to say this now, coz it's not affecting me directly.. but when all else fails, God is still the one constant and He is the only one that can save..
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
the bucket list..
not been watching much movies, although i watched horton hears a who and the leap years, but it was the bucket list, which i really wanted to watch.. what's more? throw in 2 top-notch actors playing counterparts to each other, although they are 100% straight.. but it's just so nice.. and man, it makes you realised that with money, you can do all things too.. and man, seeing all those places they went to, in order to fulfill the 'bucket list', it made me wanna go travel even more..
anyway, the bucket list actually talks about the last years of a person.. and this statement narrated by morgan freeman stayed with me.. quoting almost correctly.. of all the ppl in the world, 95% of them do not wish to know when they will leave this earth, while 5% wish to know.. i belonged to the 5%, however after knowing how much time i've got left in this world, i finally understood why ppl do not want to know.. it just caught me right there..
and then, this will lead on to the rest of my post.. and i never meant for the picture to be this happy, coz when i was thinking about how to phrase this post.. it was never exactly meant to be happy..
when i saw morgan freeman writing on the yellow notepad paper, it reminded me at once, of those papers that we used to pass ard in class in our senior year, whereby you write one good sentence about the person, who's name is on the paper..
honestly, how will each of our lives match up at the end of the day.. do we look back and mark more ticks on our bucket list as we proceed on in life? or to realise that there are minimal or no ticks on the list.. and what do we invest in as well?? trying to earn more out of the financial market or to invest in tangible things, without any monetary tag placed on them?
lately been hearing and seeing things, which i honestly wished that i can be oblivious to and pretend that they do not exist.. if everything is cyclical, is this time really my turn.. it has come to a point, whereby escapism is honestly no longer the way out, coz what is really happening is that i want to cheat time..
if you are thinking that i've gone sick, in every aspect of the word, i haven't.. see, you all can't get rid of me yet!! hahahaha!! but rather just thinking of the 'what-ifs'.. so what do i want my 'bucket list' to be? a list full of long-term investments.. tiring and i may not even live to see their returns.. a long list with many places to travel to.. a long list of food to eat and try!!
at the end of the day, i want my 'bucket list' to be filled with many ticks and zero undone items.. at the end of the day, i want to be as happy as the picture above, whereby i can look in to the bucket and see it completely empty, coz i have completed all that i wanted to do.. and it will be a list worth living it out for..
Thursday, February 14, 2008
what makes up a food critique..
so what makes up a food critique?? some established name of a food critic.. some nice restaurant/ cafe.. and a list of criteria for the place to be rated against.. and the criteria which i am listing below is actually taken from hungrygowhere.com..
honestly, if i could and i can, i am really interested in being a free-lancing part-time food critic.. even if i have to do it for free, coz let's put it this way, just like all my friends said, i live to eat and not eat to live..
so the one and most necessary thing that has to be critiqued upon is the quality and quantity of the food.. having read minimal serious food reviews, i would like to write it my own style.. if possible, i would mention about the possible ingredients that were used.. the smells that were brought out.. the tastes that were left after consumption.. and in times like these, i really do wish that i know how to cook and the smells of each additive..
the next criteria is ambience.. and look who's kidding who!! without the perfect ambience, it can make or break a situation.. be it a business gathering or a romantic first date.. alfresco/ waterfront dining will definitely help to create the perfect setting required for a first date.. people-watching or noisy/vibrant atmospheres can be given a miss.. but if there is ever a need to rate a starbucks cafe, people-watching will definitely be a must for me..
value.. a huge factor esp when trying to decide if you will want to return to the eating place again.. is the food/ ambience worth the money you have invested in?? there will be moments whereby one's experience is totally not worth the price paid, either due to the variety of food served or perhaps, the environment and surroundings which the whole outing was done under..
lastly, it's all about service.. and this is the only criteria, whereby human-touch is all important.. terrible service will leave patrons a bad impression and there goes another unhappy customer.. excellent service brings about a good impression and may even be the saving grace for a restaurant as well!! and nowadays, when everything speaks about personal touch, this is the only aspect of the whole eating experience, whereby personal touch can be injected into.. this is esp. so for sunny singapore, for the govt is promoting the 'Going the Extra Mile' campaign..
i sound like a professional but am actually far from it.. ppl who do food critiques, have their woes of this lifestyle as well.. but then again, the grass is perpetually greener on the other side.. when you can't have it, that's when something is most desirable.. but when you actually have it, it may beg to differ.. similarly, the same principle is applied to food.. =)
honestly, if i could and i can, i am really interested in being a free-lancing part-time food critic.. even if i have to do it for free, coz let's put it this way, just like all my friends said, i live to eat and not eat to live..
so the one and most necessary thing that has to be critiqued upon is the quality and quantity of the food.. having read minimal serious food reviews, i would like to write it my own style.. if possible, i would mention about the possible ingredients that were used.. the smells that were brought out.. the tastes that were left after consumption.. and in times like these, i really do wish that i know how to cook and the smells of each additive..
the next criteria is ambience.. and look who's kidding who!! without the perfect ambience, it can make or break a situation.. be it a business gathering or a romantic first date.. alfresco/ waterfront dining will definitely help to create the perfect setting required for a first date.. people-watching or noisy/vibrant atmospheres can be given a miss.. but if there is ever a need to rate a starbucks cafe, people-watching will definitely be a must for me..
value.. a huge factor esp when trying to decide if you will want to return to the eating place again.. is the food/ ambience worth the money you have invested in?? there will be moments whereby one's experience is totally not worth the price paid, either due to the variety of food served or perhaps, the environment and surroundings which the whole outing was done under..
lastly, it's all about service.. and this is the only criteria, whereby human-touch is all important.. terrible service will leave patrons a bad impression and there goes another unhappy customer.. excellent service brings about a good impression and may even be the saving grace for a restaurant as well!! and nowadays, when everything speaks about personal touch, this is the only aspect of the whole eating experience, whereby personal touch can be injected into.. this is esp. so for sunny singapore, for the govt is promoting the 'Going the Extra Mile' campaign..
i sound like a professional but am actually far from it.. ppl who do food critiques, have their woes of this lifestyle as well.. but then again, the grass is perpetually greener on the other side.. when you can't have it, that's when something is most desirable.. but when you actually have it, it may beg to differ.. similarly, the same principle is applied to food.. =)
Sunday, January 06, 2008
yet another year..
and it's yet another year.. when it seemed not too long ago that the year 2007 had just started.. so a quick recall of the year gone past..
sometime back, i was prancing around in lab trying to finish up my fyp in january, taking care of my fish tank.. then it suddenly zoomed to march, towards the poster presentation/ marketing project/ HR pull-hair sessions.. exams suddenly came in april, in the midst of planning for my graduation trip to china.. and lo and behold, i was standing on the great wall of china in may.. followed by a hat-throwing session in july.. attended the 1st wedding of folks from my jc bunch of friends.. returned to china in nov, just to lose stuff on the trip =(.. and finally, hitting the end of 2007..
hmm.. feeling a little weird on how to conclude 2007, coz to me, life just goes on.. year after year, day after day.. i didn't cross into 2008 the way i wanted it to be, but it was just quiet and boring.. which may be needed for the upcoming busy weekend, which concluded yesterday evening.. but anyway, i still need my conclusion for 2007..
i learnt that i'm hyperactive and required to be on a continual move at all times.. at least during my waking hours and this may or may not be a good thing.. i learnt that i'm really bad with my technical knowledge and i don't bother questioning 'why', unless i'm really stuck.. i learnt that perhaps i value my friends more than the things that truly mattered to me.. and one sentence that perhaps sums me up, i am more of the world than storing up treasures that last..
2007 was definitely not a contented year.. for both a worldly scale, as well as a godly scale.. i saw many things that i wanted to have, wanted to achieve but the year ended with little achievements and with many things still sitting in the pits.. and most of the time, i just spent it eating and making merry..
so how will this affect me in the new year? will i just continue on with my present lifestyle and let myself just move along with the flow of events? or will i take courage and jump out of the box and do something about the whole situation? but before i can even jump out, there is something that i need to right, which is something that i told myself year after year that i'll right.. but i never did..
and after reading all that i've written, it seemed like i'm quite a goner with no future.. but this little thing that lurking in the background called 'HOPE', really gave me a mini-boost for the new year.. that no matter how bad situations can get, no matter how badly murphy tries to get one down.. there is still hope and that things will pick up.. it's a test of how much FAITH one has as well.. to last it through or to throw in the towel.. GRACE is there to give continual chances and i should just stop exploiting this grace but do something.. and start doing something.. and not to let what i've learnt over the weekend to be put to waste as well..
so life goes on.. it definitely looks like an endless tunnel to me now.. but i'm gonna put this down into words here and say, i will and gonna try to make things work.. and investing in the right things.. easy to say, difficult to achieve but i must make something out of year 2008..
so no fixed resolutions but i just want to accomplish as much as possible in this year.. period.. =)
sometime back, i was prancing around in lab trying to finish up my fyp in january, taking care of my fish tank.. then it suddenly zoomed to march, towards the poster presentation/ marketing project/ HR pull-hair sessions.. exams suddenly came in april, in the midst of planning for my graduation trip to china.. and lo and behold, i was standing on the great wall of china in may.. followed by a hat-throwing session in july.. attended the 1st wedding of folks from my jc bunch of friends.. returned to china in nov, just to lose stuff on the trip =(.. and finally, hitting the end of 2007..
hmm.. feeling a little weird on how to conclude 2007, coz to me, life just goes on.. year after year, day after day.. i didn't cross into 2008 the way i wanted it to be, but it was just quiet and boring.. which may be needed for the upcoming busy weekend, which concluded yesterday evening.. but anyway, i still need my conclusion for 2007..
i learnt that i'm hyperactive and required to be on a continual move at all times.. at least during my waking hours and this may or may not be a good thing.. i learnt that i'm really bad with my technical knowledge and i don't bother questioning 'why', unless i'm really stuck.. i learnt that perhaps i value my friends more than the things that truly mattered to me.. and one sentence that perhaps sums me up, i am more of the world than storing up treasures that last..
2007 was definitely not a contented year.. for both a worldly scale, as well as a godly scale.. i saw many things that i wanted to have, wanted to achieve but the year ended with little achievements and with many things still sitting in the pits.. and most of the time, i just spent it eating and making merry..
so how will this affect me in the new year? will i just continue on with my present lifestyle and let myself just move along with the flow of events? or will i take courage and jump out of the box and do something about the whole situation? but before i can even jump out, there is something that i need to right, which is something that i told myself year after year that i'll right.. but i never did..
and after reading all that i've written, it seemed like i'm quite a goner with no future.. but this little thing that lurking in the background called 'HOPE', really gave me a mini-boost for the new year.. that no matter how bad situations can get, no matter how badly murphy tries to get one down.. there is still hope and that things will pick up.. it's a test of how much FAITH one has as well.. to last it through or to throw in the towel.. GRACE is there to give continual chances and i should just stop exploiting this grace but do something.. and start doing something.. and not to let what i've learnt over the weekend to be put to waste as well..
so life goes on.. it definitely looks like an endless tunnel to me now.. but i'm gonna put this down into words here and say, i will and gonna try to make things work.. and investing in the right things.. easy to say, difficult to achieve but i must make something out of year 2008..
so no fixed resolutions but i just want to accomplish as much as possible in this year.. period.. =)
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
a case of lost memories..
i'm tired of explaining.. of having to complain my guts out and whining to the whole world, like there's no end.. man, i'm seriously wondering how old i actually am.. perhaps i should just sit in the foyer, in front of the television and watch kids central from 8.30am to 6pm instead.. terrible kid here..
well, i got pickpocketed on the shopping street in chengdu.. stupid move and lousy behaviour but it happened.. i reacted.. i cried, i bawled.. i was in a state of helplessness.. i didn't know what to do, for i lost my memories.. it was more than just lost memory cards for me.. it was my memories of ppl and places i love.. yes, unfortunately, i love and loved.. perhaps i've some emotions left in me afterall.. but anyway, photos of my new and old trips, with everything in there..
i would have just stood there crying, if mum didn't come and pull me up.. i just felt lost and murphy's law was just a continual repetition within my head.. everyone was trying to cheer me up, telling me that it could have been worse.. it seriously could have been.. so i should honestly count my blessings instead.. and seriously, photos are physical evidences of memories but then again, memories are what we all hold dear, within us and in our heads, captured with a different camera len, of greater field of vision..
yet at the same time, i felt so much love poured into the situation.. well, the adults would definitely launch into a mini-lecture, yet there were some words, which didn't make the situation better, but it made me feel doted as well.. perhaps i'm truly still a kid, who seriously has never grown up..
a case of lost memories, but it was filled with many blessings and love as well..
well, i got pickpocketed on the shopping street in chengdu.. stupid move and lousy behaviour but it happened.. i reacted.. i cried, i bawled.. i was in a state of helplessness.. i didn't know what to do, for i lost my memories.. it was more than just lost memory cards for me.. it was my memories of ppl and places i love.. yes, unfortunately, i love and loved.. perhaps i've some emotions left in me afterall.. but anyway, photos of my new and old trips, with everything in there..
i would have just stood there crying, if mum didn't come and pull me up.. i just felt lost and murphy's law was just a continual repetition within my head.. everyone was trying to cheer me up, telling me that it could have been worse.. it seriously could have been.. so i should honestly count my blessings instead.. and seriously, photos are physical evidences of memories but then again, memories are what we all hold dear, within us and in our heads, captured with a different camera len, of greater field of vision..
yet at the same time, i felt so much love poured into the situation.. well, the adults would definitely launch into a mini-lecture, yet there were some words, which didn't make the situation better, but it made me feel doted as well.. perhaps i'm truly still a kid, who seriously has never grown up..
a case of lost memories, but it was filled with many blessings and love as well..
Sunday, November 04, 2007
departures..
eventful few weeks.. october is already over and november is here.. green day's song is long not applicable anymore!! till next september comes actually..
anyway, there has been pretty much departure of late.. keve went back to muenchen to study and hasn't been heard of since then.. tayo left for work in dubai!!! boohoo!!! if you wanna know why i miss him, go read my commencement post.. but guess what?? tayo called us all in church this afternoon!!! oh my gosh, we all truly miss him man!!
and another departure was for denise.. hmm, she has left for the dark (or light) side.. well, go figure.. and will miss all the eating sessions, though singapore is that small.. and not to mention that she's my mahjong teacher!! though i have 2 part-time teachers as well.. so here's one photo which we coaxed her into taking.. the guys insisted that they were camera-shy folks..
but anyway, we'll miss you!! and we have started the 'superseded' club on facebook for our own entertainment.. well, call it exclusive coz it's by invitation only!! =P
anyway, there has been pretty much departure of late.. keve went back to muenchen to study and hasn't been heard of since then.. tayo left for work in dubai!!! boohoo!!! if you wanna know why i miss him, go read my commencement post.. but guess what?? tayo called us all in church this afternoon!!! oh my gosh, we all truly miss him man!!
and another departure was for denise.. hmm, she has left for the dark (or light) side.. well, go figure.. and will miss all the eating sessions, though singapore is that small.. and not to mention that she's my mahjong teacher!! though i have 2 part-time teachers as well.. so here's one photo which we coaxed her into taking.. the guys insisted that they were camera-shy folks..
but anyway, we'll miss you!! and we have started the 'superseded' club on facebook for our own entertainment.. well, call it exclusive coz it's by invitation only!! =P
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
if music was ever used to express phases of life, it fitted perfectly into mine..
just that it has been my msn nick for almost a week, so decided to just pen it into words on my blog.. but anyway, boon says that i'm living my life on facebook, which is not a good thing!! it's addiction..
so, music and me.. songs and me.. different times, different settings, but once in a while, the same song goes in circles and come back to me, or other new songs may pop up and surprise me.. but just that there are few songs which stood out at me during these times.. pardon me for liking the really old songs and seriously, if you read the sing lyrics, they would have absolutely no connection with what i was going through, but shoot me man, i just found that song and it just got stuck with me..
i remembered back in secondary school, i was obsessed with this japanese instrumental group known as SENS, which has really beautiful soothing music, blending piano with nature.. but it puts one to sleep.. i even went to the stage of getting hold of the music scores.. but then everything stopped there, when i moved on to junior college..
nothing exactly stayed during the years in acjc, except all the insane mass dance songs that we danced to.. flip fantasia, cantaloop etc.. and drops of jupiter became my seniors' nite theme..
subsequently, no songs or music groups actually drove me nuts over.. but there are just a few songs that stayed on, although the lyrics make absolutely no sense in terms of anything to me.. but it's just the situation the songs were 'found' and how much they have journeyed with me..
chayanne - yo te amo was one of the many songs in the taiwanese version of meteor garden 2 and it was played while the actors and actresses traveled through the beauty of barcelona.. and little did i know that 6 months after, i actually visited europe but not to barcelona.. this songs made its impression during the 3-hour train ride from freiburg to konstanz.. and we actually went through schwarzwald.. through the valleys and mountains.. it just made the song looked so perfect..
k-maro - femme like you was a really weird find.. it was 'found' coz my mp3 player so happened to be out of batt at that particular instant, so i ended up plugging into live radio on einslive.de.. and viola!! there was this song being played for that particular moment.. a totally irrelevant song, with pretty explicit expressions.. and what more, it's french, which i have absolutely no understanding of.. but this song sat me through the hours in my room during exchange.. when i had to do stupid reports etc.. and more so, it sat me through the train ride from hamburg to muenchen.. when i was waiting for the train at 5am in the cold, and through the ride of waking up occassionally to catch the white landscape passing beside me..
lifehouse - blind was a steal from keve's notebook.. once again, it had no relevant to anything but rather it sat me through the return train ride from muenchen to hamburg.. keeping me awake while having to umsteig 3 times through the night.. you must be wondering, why i did not just take the nachtzug.. but once in a while, when i do visit the song lyrics again, it just kind of remind me of my love-hate relationship with a place, location..
anyway, there are definitely stray songs that somehow made an impression somewhere.. pussycat dolls - don't cha or buttons.. madonna's cover of abba's hit.. xavier naidoo - dieser weg, which subsequently went on to become the german team's world cup theme song.. and there were plenty of others.. and how the world did i end up hearing these songs?? thanks to radek for blasting his radio in our not-so-big house..
it seemed that much of the music which i have heard of, came during my time on exchange.. but then again, blame me for not having a radio in my room.. it's true.. it 'blew' up in sec. 4 and after that, i no longer have a radio..
perhaps through this, it's possible to read me, know my thoughts etc.. but music kind of walked us through life.. well, of course there are nonsense music around too.. but sometimes they may serve as therapy, theme songs to life moments etc.. so admit it, music is part of our lives..
and so i declare this in public!! =) and admit it, bruce springsteen - secret garden is an evergreen..
so, music and me.. songs and me.. different times, different settings, but once in a while, the same song goes in circles and come back to me, or other new songs may pop up and surprise me.. but just that there are few songs which stood out at me during these times.. pardon me for liking the really old songs and seriously, if you read the sing lyrics, they would have absolutely no connection with what i was going through, but shoot me man, i just found that song and it just got stuck with me..
i remembered back in secondary school, i was obsessed with this japanese instrumental group known as SENS, which has really beautiful soothing music, blending piano with nature.. but it puts one to sleep.. i even went to the stage of getting hold of the music scores.. but then everything stopped there, when i moved on to junior college..
nothing exactly stayed during the years in acjc, except all the insane mass dance songs that we danced to.. flip fantasia, cantaloop etc.. and drops of jupiter became my seniors' nite theme..
subsequently, no songs or music groups actually drove me nuts over.. but there are just a few songs that stayed on, although the lyrics make absolutely no sense in terms of anything to me.. but it's just the situation the songs were 'found' and how much they have journeyed with me..
chayanne - yo te amo was one of the many songs in the taiwanese version of meteor garden 2 and it was played while the actors and actresses traveled through the beauty of barcelona.. and little did i know that 6 months after, i actually visited europe but not to barcelona.. this songs made its impression during the 3-hour train ride from freiburg to konstanz.. and we actually went through schwarzwald.. through the valleys and mountains.. it just made the song looked so perfect..
k-maro - femme like you was a really weird find.. it was 'found' coz my mp3 player so happened to be out of batt at that particular instant, so i ended up plugging into live radio on einslive.de.. and viola!! there was this song being played for that particular moment.. a totally irrelevant song, with pretty explicit expressions.. and what more, it's french, which i have absolutely no understanding of.. but this song sat me through the hours in my room during exchange.. when i had to do stupid reports etc.. and more so, it sat me through the train ride from hamburg to muenchen.. when i was waiting for the train at 5am in the cold, and through the ride of waking up occassionally to catch the white landscape passing beside me..
lifehouse - blind was a steal from keve's notebook.. once again, it had no relevant to anything but rather it sat me through the return train ride from muenchen to hamburg.. keeping me awake while having to umsteig 3 times through the night.. you must be wondering, why i did not just take the nachtzug.. but once in a while, when i do visit the song lyrics again, it just kind of remind me of my love-hate relationship with a place, location..
anyway, there are definitely stray songs that somehow made an impression somewhere.. pussycat dolls - don't cha or buttons.. madonna's cover of abba's hit.. xavier naidoo - dieser weg, which subsequently went on to become the german team's world cup theme song.. and there were plenty of others.. and how the world did i end up hearing these songs?? thanks to radek for blasting his radio in our not-so-big house..
it seemed that much of the music which i have heard of, came during my time on exchange.. but then again, blame me for not having a radio in my room.. it's true.. it 'blew' up in sec. 4 and after that, i no longer have a radio..
perhaps through this, it's possible to read me, know my thoughts etc.. but music kind of walked us through life.. well, of course there are nonsense music around too.. but sometimes they may serve as therapy, theme songs to life moments etc.. so admit it, music is part of our lives..
and so i declare this in public!! =) and admit it, bruce springsteen - secret garden is an evergreen..
Sunday, October 07, 2007
many wonderful moments & a woe..
it was a great and lazy saturday.. well, at least for me.. considering the hour which i woke up at and the blowing up of all other plans into pieces.. it was truly lazy and.. LAZY!! BUT i was there.. i made it to denise's place for potluck!!! =)
this photo was taken during the project bbq session at east coast park some time in july.. there's sharon, michelle, denise, fanny & boquan.. jeffrey was in the other photo taken at raffles marina, but i left that photo on my desktop at work.. so anyway, here makes up the lunch party at work!! coz we have only that much chinese folks around..
anyway, our potluck session at denise's place finally materialised this weekend!!! michelle & keith cooked us bolognese spaghetti.. denise made awesome curry chicken.. boquan & xiulan got us sambal sting-ray & fried chicken wings.. fanny deep-fried smiley potatoes & chicken nuggets.. jeffrey cooked up a storm of pineapple rice.. and me?? mum made mango pudding on my behalf.. coz it's a well-known fact that if i do attempt to cook, either the kitchen will end up in flames or everyone will need to consume charcoal pills to put a stop to diarrhoea...
and what's better?? we got to play mahjong.. and my aim for today, was to learn how to play mahjong.. well, i'll learn about how to win the game (with more money) another time.. my teacher was none other than denise.. while jeffrey & keith served as part-time teachers.. =) one commenting note was how jeffrey somehow never won a single round.. which got him into the state of playing-mahjong-while-trying-to-cut-and-cook-pineapple-rice.. let's all give a hand to the expert here.. psst.. i can see jeffrey armed with a parang and gonna come after me for writing all that down.. but anyway, it's mahjong.. it's all about luck and.. luck.. but hey, everything was done in the name of fun!! =)
we had too much food but we told ourselves that we would not resort to having to play some silly game to clear up the food.. however, we did have the silly idea of using them as rewards for anyone who won any round.. erm.. and then mahjong would become the hardest game around to play.. coz somehow nobody would like to win the game anymore.. hahaha..
thanks for all the fun everyone!! i really love my colleagues.. =)
but to mention a woe, it will be as follows.. a non-work relevant email was received one afternoon, which ended with a moral stating that in any situation, do not neglect any changes, for one never knows when that change may affect himself and others ard as well.. and as such, we were just discussing that PAN 89 should be reissued, with corrected consumptions.. otherwise, many will be greatly affected..
on a side-note: keve is back!!! my gummibears & ritter sport chocolates came home as well!! well, that should not be the main point.. but just glad to see keve after a period of almost 2 years?? yeah, so welcome back.. but that stupid friend will be gone on the coming friday again.. so go back and study hard!! =)
this photo was taken during the project bbq session at east coast park some time in july.. there's sharon, michelle, denise, fanny & boquan.. jeffrey was in the other photo taken at raffles marina, but i left that photo on my desktop at work.. so anyway, here makes up the lunch party at work!! coz we have only that much chinese folks around..
anyway, our potluck session at denise's place finally materialised this weekend!!! michelle & keith cooked us bolognese spaghetti.. denise made awesome curry chicken.. boquan & xiulan got us sambal sting-ray & fried chicken wings.. fanny deep-fried smiley potatoes & chicken nuggets.. jeffrey cooked up a storm of pineapple rice.. and me?? mum made mango pudding on my behalf.. coz it's a well-known fact that if i do attempt to cook, either the kitchen will end up in flames or everyone will need to consume charcoal pills to put a stop to diarrhoea...
and what's better?? we got to play mahjong.. and my aim for today, was to learn how to play mahjong.. well, i'll learn about how to win the game (with more money) another time.. my teacher was none other than denise.. while jeffrey & keith served as part-time teachers.. =) one commenting note was how jeffrey somehow never won a single round.. which got him into the state of playing-mahjong-while-trying-to-cut-and-cook-pineapple-rice.. let's all give a hand to the expert here.. psst.. i can see jeffrey armed with a parang and gonna come after me for writing all that down.. but anyway, it's mahjong.. it's all about luck and.. luck.. but hey, everything was done in the name of fun!! =)
we had too much food but we told ourselves that we would not resort to having to play some silly game to clear up the food.. however, we did have the silly idea of using them as rewards for anyone who won any round.. erm.. and then mahjong would become the hardest game around to play.. coz somehow nobody would like to win the game anymore.. hahaha..
thanks for all the fun everyone!! i really love my colleagues.. =)
but to mention a woe, it will be as follows.. a non-work relevant email was received one afternoon, which ended with a moral stating that in any situation, do not neglect any changes, for one never knows when that change may affect himself and others ard as well.. and as such, we were just discussing that PAN 89 should be reissued, with corrected consumptions.. otherwise, many will be greatly affected..
on a side-note: keve is back!!! my gummibears & ritter sport chocolates came home as well!! well, that should not be the main point.. but just glad to see keve after a period of almost 2 years?? yeah, so welcome back.. but that stupid friend will be gone on the coming friday again.. so go back and study hard!! =)
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