Watched Avatar today, in 3D! Yes, it has been a long time since i said i wanna watch, so i finally did.. The cinema is still so packed despite it being out for quite some time... Anyways, smth really stupid happened in the cinema juz now... I was like walking to my seat "K7", so i saw this grp of friends sitting at the row i am supposed to go to... Then there's this guy sitting on the row K with the number 7 on the top left... As usual, u would think that they sat there on purpose as they wanted a better view or smth, so i went to confront that dude... When i told them that i bought that certain ticket with that certain letter and number with it, they produced an identical ticket showing the identical letter and identical number... THAT, is weird.... For a moment i thought they had printed an extra ticket and that i will once again be forbidden to watch that movie that i wanted to watch for so long... Further investigation with the nice crew of Cathay (the pretty gal giving out 3D glasses at the door) revealed that that poor dude's ticket was for tml!!! Poor thing la, same cinema, same seat, but juz diff day...

Avatar was good, worth that 10 bucks, and i loved one scene.. The one after the humans trashed that humongous tree the blue dudes are living in... Waking up to find yourself in a place where ashes fell like snow... And the 3D effect made it look even better...
And juz to prove that i hav watched one of the most anticipated movies of the year, i quote the most interesting phrase (and lame, as the gal sitting beside me commented), I see you...
P.S: I dun know that gal.... =P

Route march has juz got a new meaning... At least to me it has... Walking alone frm marine parade all the way to home was not a short walk, not too long either, but it certainly felt like the good old days, with Baby as the field pack, my own back as the rifle... It was no doubt lighter than how it was during the days of green, but it felt juz like it, except i was alone... That fact itself made the whole walk all the more worth the trip...

I know i am aching everywhere now, but i still insist that i was right in attempting the crazy... It gave me time to think, to say the least... To think back on things that happened in the past, and treasure the moments... I know, i must be crazy... But that's me...

噢買尬　噢買尬　這是一定要的啊　
喝到掛　唱到啞　笑到流淚　哭到趴
噢買尬　噢買尬　真的太久不見啦　
我隨時OK 就等你電話

I need a personality makeover... Guess i am juz too tired of being a Mr Nice Guy sometimes... I mean, i nv really wanted to be the bad guy.. They always end up twirling a circle and exploding in every single power ranger episode i watched since young.. So ya, no way am i going to be the bad guy.. Or shld i?

I am actually a very bad tempered person.. Not many ppl know that.. The only ppl i think that rmb are the teachers in sunday skl when i still attended it.. And even they think that i changed.. No, i dun think i changed.. I still get pissed easily, its juz a matter of showing it or not.. My mask is pretty inelastic, i can still smile despite all the nonsense happening to me. I can joke abt things that ppl say abt me, things that make me so angry.. And i guess the only thing that keeps me alive, keeps the bottle from overflowing, keeping the mask from cracking is coz i've grown into it.. This mask fits so well now that i juz dun feel like taking it off ever again.. Let me be batman forever, and bruce wayne be no more.. Let the real me be slowly absorbed into this new character, absorbed till its nothingness..

As you can see, its a very personal thing, the previous 2 paragraphs all started with "i".. But there are many other factors to consider, many other characters in the game, other actors and actresses on the stage.. All these useless rants are therefore void, the show must go on, and i will continue being "myself"... Question is, who am i?

Darn, wat's happening to me... It's 1 week before tests, and the drive, the motivation, the urge to study is nt here.... Its a crisis... I miss the "me" one month ago, who panicked over tutorials, and will start flipping notes if i dun understand one tiny concept... Now i'm only thinking of excuses of nt studying... And yes, my brain is wonderful when it comes to excuses...

Really can't wait for Dec to come and go... All the things that are abt to happen, like christmas, outings, catching up with old time friends.. All the things nt done yet, like writing christmas cards (seriously dun feel like doing it alr), and many more... Christmas mood is in the air ladies and gentlemen, so enjoy it while you can... Sigh, i dun even understand why i can't get excited over anything these days....

Maybe my vision has become blurred, i needa refocus....

Had a weird "dream" this morning.. I "dreamt" that my hp alarm went off... Its those kind of irritating alarm, the car alarm sound that has an ascending volume... So that alarm rang... I tried to turn it off, but the phone wun unlock itself... I tried again, and again, and again.. But the phone stayed locked, preventing me from turning off the alarm.. And the volume was increasing the whole time, so i guess it was uber loud alr.. I kinda gave up unlocking the phone, so i pulled off the charger, opened the back of the phone, and killed the phone by taking the battery out... That instant that i did that, i realised that i wasn't dreaming... It was real....

Kids are so interesting... That is wat i think after spending 3 nights watching them sleep comfortably while i fight the Z monster.... Conclusion? Kids think that the older they get, the less sleep they shld get... The younger kids will willingly obey simple commands like "go to bed and sleep"... But as they age, they tend to think that they shld get less sleep.. Not that they need less sleep.. They will want to sleep later than the younger ones, even thou they are dead tired, juz so that they can prove that they are old enough... Interestingly, that was my observation of kids... I know it was random, but i couldnt resist putting up such stuff here...

Slept for less than enough for that few days camp, and i guess its a job well done... Now its time to catch up with wateva sleep that i hav missed out(if 7 hours are needed a day, than i need 17 hours more), as well as the tutorials and assignments that hav started piling up... And tests are in 11 days time... Yay...

Is your bucket full? I guess that's the most impt question that i learnt to ask myself.. I realised that for certain occasions, i hav been serving with all my heart and all my strength and with all my soul... But its all my efforts, and none of that came from the source of spiritual energy, our Father in Heaven... And as the spiritual "battery" slowly gets depleted, i found myself asking why... Why am i still here? Still stuck in this neverending viscous cycle of life... And the fact is that i am already flat, a dead man walking....

I thank God for the chance to get to GLS, to know that its impt to hav a full bucket, and knowing how to fill the bucket as well.. It was so different to wake up with a "full bucket", to go around knowing that your battery is fully charged and you're so geared up to go.... It was such that, not even saturday classes were daunting enough...

Now for question 2, what is your bucket filled with? =)

i think i'm going crazy... last night i dreamt of myself in one of the classes that i hav.. and i didnt do my hw... and the rest goes on abt me being punished for nt doing tutorials, me having to stay back and finish it etc, before i finally hear my alarm and wake up.. my first thought when i woke up? i thanked God its a dream... i know, that sound so unlike me.. that sounded more like a mugger's dream... but i am dreaming it!!! i guess i am really transforming...

my mum is the cutest la... let me tell u wat she did... do u know the words "eau de toilette" on every single perfume bottle? yes, go and check this fact before carrying on reading this... ok, welcome back! as u know, those are some foreign language, most prob french, but its definitely nt one that i understand.. and i am too lazy to check the actual meaning of it.. fast forward to some afternoon when i got home frm skl.. my mum came into my room and told me that my air freshener smells very strong, and that she wants to know wat it was.. she said she used it on the toilet to freshen it up, coz there is a word "toilette" on it, thus the assumption... and the rest you can guess... not too much was wasted thou, juz a few sprays la, but who knew mothers think that way? =)

Watched an episode of flash forward last night.. Such an interesting episode it was... The whole plot was nicely set, and i was so captivated by it.. Imagine u know the future. What would you do? Some accepted their fate, and will do nth and juz wait for the future to unfold. Some grief over what will happen, and try to run away from it. And there are those few that actually fight it, thinking for a moment that they can change the future... Which type of person are u?

I need a com.. The itouch has limitations, severe enough to impede my education, entertainment, and lifestyle as a whole... But dun get me wrong, i am still using the touch now, its the only form of technology that allows me access to the www now...

Dang, i need a life...

Random post.....
Current position: Macdonalds Tampines
Reason for blogging: Juz felt like it, since my com is down and i can't do it frm home.. So might as well...

Today is like my first time buying tissue frm a disabled by the street.. I wasn't out of tissue or anything, juz felt like buying.. Can anyone explain this strange phenomenon? Anyway, i bought it frm this nice lady that smiled ever so sweetly when i went to her for tissue.. She added some small balloon shaped like a green apple (which i can't show coz i can't take pictures and load them up). But anyway, i juz thought that it was so sweet that she took the extra effort to make something to giv along with the tissue.. Trust me, i dun usually do that.. I always thought that as long as they still hav a pair of hands, they shld work and not sell tissue, so i wun buy frm them... Today was an exception... I wonder why.... But its a good deed, right? =)

Hmm... Love the smell on my hand... The smell after cutting a soft, juicy and sweet australian mango.... How lovely....

I kinda respect poly students today.. Or at least, i understand their plight when they say that they ended up with a terrible grp of ppl to work with, or that they cannnot work with their grp etc.... Had a lil taste of an un-cooperative grp, and i guess i gotta do a lil more work to cover everybody's asses.... So ya, i can finally relate.....

The past is a horrible ghost... Once in a while, it likes to come back to haunt you... Through mediums that you would least expect... And for me, it juz feels like my past has crept up slowly, catching up, engulfing, taking over, absorbing and eating me... So much so, i can't do anything but to go with the flow... The flow of negative emotions.... The 'what if's, the 'maybe's, the 'i should have's and the 'i shouldnt have's.... Yes, i know its the past, and i shld throw down these burdens and continue on with life... But sometimes they grow legs, and follow you... They grow chains, and cling on you... Dragging you down, making you look back, making you stop and wonder how did the past connect with you... The past is a phantom...

Listening to music frm jay chou's movie... Love piano pieces... At least those that are playing... They display so much emotion... To the untrained ear, it is juz music.... But i deem it more... Its an outright burst of emotions... With brilliant flashes of joy, to the darkness of sorrow... Music and life, how similar can they get?

Watched "Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs" yesterday, in 3D! Hahaz, seems like forever since i last saw a movie.. So ya, went with yiyin and ruijia to watch food being thrown all over the place.. Loved it la, maybe other than the fact that the food looked so wonderful, it kinda looked disgusting... You know, too much of a gd thing can be quite bad, even disastrous....


My fav scene, that spaghetti tornado thingy... =P

Define happiness.. I juz dun seem to be able to keep my spirits up recently, and dun ask why.. If i knew, then i would hav already done smth abt it... And i feel fake... I can still joke arnd, still laugh, still smile.. But that smile is juz too surface level, doesn't come from within....

And as if life is nt sad enough, skl's nt helping... Piling hw on top of us juz after the test is nt going to motivate me to study any more than i did previously, but somehow i guess there's no choice? Moving on with econs, ending maths in a months time, starting stats in a months time, trying to understand new business strategies, still trying to understand accounting....

And guess wat? I think i'm gonna call iBen as Guru from now onwards.... Apparently someone accused me of copyright, and i think so too.. Too many ppl using the letter "i" in front of their stuff... And reason why i chose Guru? No idea, juz got hooked onto the word recently... Well, the thought is still processing, at least until i find a way to change the name without having to click that "restore original settings" button...

i am blogging... from skl!! yes, new gadgets calls for new experiences, and blogging in skl is one of it... anyway, interesting point of skl today.. i didnt get negative marks in econs! i actually got 3 out of 25, 3 more marks than i expected to get.. sad news? i only got 3 marks... its nt like i got 20 marks, and got 17 deducted... i got no points deducted, so its a total of 3 that will be shown in my report card.. negative marks are nt shown in the report, so if a guy gets -10 coz he scored 10 but got 20 marks deducted, the report card will only show the 10.. so i got 3... and i am nt happy... at least, nt as happy as i expected...

Yes, my dear friends.... Let me sing u a song.... Happy days are here again! Hahaz, as quoted from Syed, 2009. Tests are finally over! Still hav to chiong assignments thou, but still, its a thing worth celebrating...

Tested and tried, iBen the iTouch is ready for life! Muahahahaz, look out hot spots, here comes iBen!

I guess it really has been a while since i last sat for any tests or exams... No, those army underslung commander tests, army driving tests and STO tests dun count, although those were hard as well... No, today is econs test... Its more mentally challenging, and time was nt of the essence.. Its of coz over, and i was quite glad its over... Nt bcoz i did well, trust me, i didnt even hav time to think, once the pen was on the paper, its scribble all the way till the end... No, i guess i'm relieved that 1/4 of the stress is off my chest, and i can focus on the 3/4 left...

I'm gonna get myself an iTouch tml... Like finally.... Dunno whether its the right decision thou, my parents are so against it, and they want me to spend money wisely, like on a laptop rather than the iTouch.... Argument? I dun find it comfortable plugging my earphones into the laptop and carrying it arnd in the MRT on my way to skl (unless its a Mac, which i could hav used up ALL my money to buy)... So there u hav it. Unless some Godly power or a series of unfortunate events stop me from buying it, it'll be in my hands by this time tml... =)

I'm eroding.... Physically... Mentally... Sometimes i wish i dun hav to think so hard, so much.... Would rather be ignorant, or be foolish... When i start to trouble yourself over "simple" things, simplicity itself seems to evaporate, leaving the rubble of negativity that, for some unknown reason, was wat i expected to see... That debris was the cause, yet instead of moving away from it, i dwell in it, making it an inseparable part of me... I make myself the container, bottling up wateva i need to, not showing it much, unless a lil of it overflows.... Now, it juz overflows.....

Why? Why must such tragedy and sadness befall me? Shit la, i am NEVER EVER going to that pathetic barber again.... Who in the right mind would pay $10 to get ridiculed for a whole month (considering the fact that hair grows fast enough to recover in a month..) This is a total fiasco.....

Had monday blues... For several reasons, which will be listed down later... Totally need Yahweh to be in my life more than evermore... =)

Reason number one:
I realised that I will be spending more time with Baby this week, more than ever... Monday: Practice for 1st October CHC event, Tuesday: Practice for Sze Min's wedding, Wednesday: Practice for Prayer Meeting, Thursday: CHC event, Friday: Prayer Meeting, Saturday: Wedding + Worship Practice, Sunday: Worship.... That effectively made my longest streak of playing with Baby, a record of 9 days, including the previous weeks practice and worship.... Not that i dun like Baby, dun get me wrong, i still love her very much, but its juz tiring ya? Nt doing it, juz thinking abt it makes it tiring alr...

Reason number two:
Had a miny econs quiz in lecture today.... Was a test out of 10... I didnt get the highest marks, nor was i the lowest... But i hav to say that the result was quite shocking.... Got -30 marks.... Yes, that negative sign is supposed to be there, no typo.... -30/10 is nt exactly a reasonable grade i want to recieve for my first ever econs test in my entire life, so u get the picture.... DEMORALISING.....

Reason number three:
Just becoz its monday... Actually there are only 2 reasons, but isn't that more than enough to spoil the day, and the week along with it?

I love "Who's Line Is It Anyway?".. Its absolutely therapeutic... Lets me laugh the day's headaches away... I recommend at least 5 youtube clips a day, another 5 if u are having a really bad day.. Laughter is not the best medicine, but it's still quite effective for curing certain negative emotions...

Watched Gamer yesterday... Nice movie, definitely worth the money i paid... The movie was more or less portraying reality a few years into the future, when technology is not juz an iTouch, but a room which walls are made of iTouch... And that sin is basically a form of entertainment... It is a lil disturbing, knowing that although its juz a movie, society is actually heading that exact same direction... Anyway, go watch it... The ending's horrible, everything is rushed out, not well done, shld hav taken the time to progress the ending in detail... But still, a nice movie....

Went to City Harvest Church for the first time in 21 years... Humongous.. Even has some waterfall thingy outside... But ok la, didn't feel intimidated by the size or anything... Baby was singing so loud that they keep telling me to lower the volume.. For those who dunno wat Baby is, too bad.... Baby sang wonderfully that night... =P

Still hooked to the song from Sunday sitting, juz listening.... One Last Cry... Feels that i can relate to the song.... Still I sit, all alone, wishing all my feeling was gone.... I guess I'm down to my last cry....

Sigh, its friday, but my week has not ended yet... To put it frankly, it feels like its juz begun... The piles of work is staggering, and i am in no condition to touch any of them... And there is tutorial tml.... Yes, tml is a saturday.... That's why i am whining and complaining abt it... Saturdays are days where u try to catch up with sleep, and wateva tutorial and assignment work that u needa scribble thru.... Now? Lecture on friday, tutorial on saturday... Dun even hav any time to do that bloody tutorial... Juz planning on doing impromptu stuff again, like wake up tml morning and do... But of coz, rational ppl like me will know that its pointless, and i would be wasting time, and paper.... Darn, better get back to my books alr....

Bought my first ever pair of berms today (actually, is first 3)... Didn't know that the rule of less material costs more applies to berms, thought they only belong to female wear, like their tops costing less than a bigini (quoted frm our dear ms sg)... But anyway, went to bugis today and did some shopping... And the ppl over there really underestimated me(or over estimated, depending on how u look at things)... Yes, some guy even gave me a size 32 to try.... Aren't i obviously 36 and above? But hey, its a compliment right? So i try nt to complain abt it la....

Anyway, i bought one pair at BMG, or BGM, or wateva combi of the 3 letters, that cost $47... After which, i went to bugis street, and bought 2 pairs at a cost of $25... According to my econs lecturer, i actually bought inferior goods, so i was wondering whether its a gd decision or nt... But i realised that there are many other factors affecting the decision, so wateva is above this sentence was juz nonsense.... Ok, i'm crapping...

Skl's tough, and getting tougher still... I'm trying to catch up, but that was last week... So now i'm still trying to catch up, with a longer distance now... And nxt monday being a public holiday is supposed to help la... Hopefully i can get as much info into my rusty brain as possible... Seriously need some oiling alr... Not the body mind u, otherwise i can't wear that size 36 berms, oil the brain, let it work faster already...

Sigh.... So sad.... Sad sad news...... The korean babe is nt in the same tutorial grp as me.... =P
Which, fortunately, is also good news... Her tutorial grp starts lesson at 5, compared to mine which is an hour earlier...

But that's not the point... Today, an amazing thing happened! It was so rare ok! Serious! Ok, are u ready for it???? I think u can guess the answer alr la, i always exclaim when i do it... I STUDIED!!!!! Wow rite? I think so too! I wrote like 3 essays today la!! Such a rare phenomenon!!

Ok la, truth is that the break between my morning lecture and the tutorial is 5 and a half hours long... And it was a seriously long 5 hour wait la... After lunch, i kinda juz sat down and did my work lo.... I had 5 hours to try the qns anyway.... IBM (which stands for introduction to business and management) was a major killer of brain cells.... Apparently this subject is nt limited to the 5kg notes that he dished out for us... Its a topic so wide, only the newspapers and news on the internet can suffice the basic information that we require to even start writing essays that gets ticks instead of crosses....

But the most impt point, i survived the day.......

Sigh, a year older... Wat a sad fact... Ok, 21 is still nt a very big number, so i guess life will still continue as usual.... Its comforting (and of coz fun) to know that there are so many ppl out there that still rmb my bday, even though i tend to forget it sometimes... Thnx to all that celebrated pre birthday with me, and as well as the post birthday celebrations too (a lil ambitious, but i know there are loads of ppl that LOVE me, and want to celebrate my bday, rite? =P)..

Started this first day of the 21st year of my life by dropping my phone... Its nt an expensive one, can take quite a beating, so its no big deal.. Except that my phone started throwing tantrums, like auto restarting, auto turning off, etc... U know, the typical spoilt phone.... But ya, at least it has vented its anger alr, so its back to normal...

Maths lecture was enjoyable today, to say the least... The lecturer is some local indian guy, but reminds me so much of my dear sec skl maths teacher, mr johnny joseph!! He's quite the humourous guy la, keeps telling us nt to be afraid, giving stupid comments, and making the entire 3 hours a little less boring...

Had a chance to test out the new WATER PROOF NIKE BAG... Dunno wat its actually called, but ya, it works... My homework is still dry, which means i still hav to do them.... Darn.....

Had the best UNPLANNED orientation today! Well, its either unplanned, or the plans were really cock up... Spent the day under the sun, talking to ppl i seen b4, but nt talked to, to ppl i hav no idea who they were in the first place, and of coz to familiar faces... Its interesting how ppl get tgt in a grp... Group identity is impt, and i guess the identity of my grp is "slack"? It was more or less a one for all, all for one thing... When certain games come up, ppl disappear to the toilets, or juz hung arnd looking like they were kicked out of the game.. There was even one game that almost all of us (except a small grp, which eventually won) juz kicked ourselves out, knowing that there will be no benefit staying in the game anyway...

I saw the PTI that appears in my, and many of my BMT mates, nightmares... Yes, the purely evil PTI who refers to himself as Jackson... I'll forever rememeber that name... The torture he put us through, the malicious laughter he has, the aura of trickery, i didnt know wat to say when i saw him... Thank goodness he wasn't my OGL, otherwise i guess i will be doing 30min lunges again...

And guess wat? This was the first time such a large grp appeared for orientation! Yes, all the DE students of '09 are so enthu la... There was a game where they provided a rope for all of us to hang on to... After realising the numbers that were swarming in, and was still swarming in, they had to provide 2 more ropes (and one more after a while, which makes it 3) for us so that everyone has a lil rope to cling on to.... So i guess, after the extra 3 ropes, that they were only expecting half, or even less, of the number of ppl to appear? Shld hav made their day, grant them their wish... 270 ppl in a small compound wasn't exactly ideal, but its the best they can provide, i guess...

Oh ya, we played the squirrel and tree game, the exact one we played in Shanghai... And the OGL didnt know how to give the instructions, and i kena the arrow... Seems like dejavu, we played the squirrel and tree game, and also captains ball (although i hav to admit, i liked the version we played)... Super sunburnt/tired/sleepy/aching/(and wateva u can think of, juz fill in the blank) now... But i guess its all a matter of perspective? Ya....

Was going home via MRT juz now, with the wonderful creation of portable music stuck high up into my ears.. Listening to Christian songs on a Sunday night... Got lost in the wonderful aura the music is giving out, wondering how its possible for them to pour out so much power into their song.. So lost, i started singing... Only started, mind you.... I didnt exactly sing like a Singapore Idol, but it was bad enough... And i chose the word "hallelujah" of all the words... Kinda caught midway thru the word, with only the "ha-" escaping my mouth... So paiseh lo! But at the same time, so ironic... Juz this afternoon, we were playing and singing that we are not ashamed of God's name... Not ashamed, not ashamed, repeated it over and over again... But those were empty words with nice music to accompany it, i felt... I can't even sing hallelujah without feeling concious of the fact that hundreds of pairs of eyes may juz pierce me thru... Wat is the true meaning of being a true worshipper? Truth is as much as we percieve it is, and only by believing and knowing it can we be set free...

Went to Challenger today to get a new mouse! Hahaz, wireless some more! Now my new mouse has a wheel on top instead of at the bottom, optic lazer to replace the once unsensitive wheel, and a workable left click button! Yes yes, its juz a mouse.. But being the procrastinator, it took me like a few months b4 i finally got a new mouse... Didnt know shopping for a mouse was so difficult... According to the ppl who went with me to get electronics (juz one in particular), the mouse is so hard to choose.. Muz hav the correct size to suit your palm and length of fingers. Muz choose between wired, wireless, or retractable wires. And the colour must be right. Not juz colour, the shade of that colour, the design muz be correct (no heart shapes or floral designs), etc.... Guess shopping isn't really my forte? =)

Crash course

Yesterday was the day when i crashed 2 lectures in NUS, heard 2 diff cheena lecturers drone on abt their stuff, and doodle on my notebook... Not that its nt interesting, it was... Maybe i wasnt too used to studying after so long? Or it could juz be them...

Anyway, i thought psycho was such an interesting topic.. At least the lecture on trauma was... The lecturer was somewhat hilarious, other than the part that she didnt meant it to be funny... She said tons of interesting stuff, like how learning abt trauma is traumatic.. At this point, i seriously believed her, coz this lecture abt trauma was definitely a traumatic exp.. Not that she meant it that way of coz... Also, she talks like she had tons of exp with the topic, which was supposed to be expected... But she sounds positively traumatic, like she is really suffering frm the disorders she was talking abt... U know, being easily irritable, thinking back abt past events that shook her life, etc la....

Mr MuTong wasnt much better... He's also cheena, also says jokes without realising, except his was boring.. His slides no pictures one.. And he loves dark places, or he juz wants to save electricity and Gaia... Anyway, that CAM lecture was so much on stats that the only thing i ever absorbed was MuTong... Yes, juz this 2 words....

Conclusion? Cheena teachers like to go out of point.... Like REALLY out.... Once they start on a certain topic that they like (for e.g., traumatic events like an accident in NUS, or the syllabus of TCM in china), they start pouring out grandfather/mother stories and get totally off track... Now that's really traumatic... =)

Was reading through and editing the YEP reflection of all the members in the team.. Its surprising how diff our mindsets are when we wrote our individual reflections.. What mattered to us, what was the main lesson learnt, etc... So enlightening to see the diff views (all 16 of them) of our lives spent well in a foreign land, how some prefer to talk abt wooden boards as matteresses, while others preferred the toilet issue... What everyone nv fail to leave out, is of coz the major crisis, with the capital C, that we faced during the short stay.. Guess problems and situations can either make or break the team, and ours made it for the better.. Such a powerful reminder of how we managed to break through, nt juz the sceptic views of the ppl watching us work, but also our own shell of expectations.. We didnt expect much, but we were given more than wat we asked for, and that's wat really mattered.. =)

Went to makan at Seoul Yummy today... Realised that it has nth related to Seoul Garden, which was quite a relief... Had korean food for dinner, which includes a fantastically weird tasting roasted barley tea, bimbimbab (think i spelt that correctly), and an assortment of side dishes and nibbles that were pleasant tasting.. Topped the whole thing off with a frozen yougart dessert, loved that... And of coz, the company was wonderful.. Who said 4 guys can't go out and chill tgt? =P

Nostalgic feeling
Obsession of the com
Never ending sian-sation
Sanity deficit
Everlasting boredom
Nodding off
Silent scream
Elegant exit

=)

Sigh, the Fan Choy in the coffeeshops are shrinking... They used to be a juz nice serving for breakfast, the one with the aluminium foil and paper cover.... Now all that is left is plastic ones... I miss the old types.. Still remember how i enjoyed them in the army, eating the plate of lightly peppered glutinous rice, served with sweet slices of steamed meat, a sunny side up egg, topped off with some dark soya sauce to enhance the taste (Or u can call it Fan Choy plus egg)... Now i dun think i can get the same type of breakfast in camp alr... Lucky i ORD liao sia....

Had a recent craving for M&Ms.... Read it in some book, abt someone being addicted to chocolates.. The nxt thing i know, M&Ms flooded into my brains, and i have eaten like one pack of peanut M&Ms a week.. Peanut M&Ms coz they are bigger and crunchier... =P

Ok, i know this post is random, but i practically need smth to fill my life with more colours, hence the M&Ms... =)

I realised that i am very critical... maybe a lil too much sometimes... Like when i talk abt the liverpool vs singapore match juz a lil while ago... Sitting in front of the tv, all i can say is that our SG players were bold and brave, to get onto the pitch knowing they are going to get a thrashing, even thou they fought damn well... Or when i said that Lionel Lewis is gonna throw face when he gets subbed on, juz bcoz he is up against one of the top strikers in the world... I even thought that the liverpool players (the unknown ones) were trying to make an impression by playing with such wayang and garang-ness against the home team...

Not being a liverpool fan, i hav nth to say to them... But to the home team, well done! They held off a team so strong (i think they only went a lil mad at the last 10min, when alonso came on board), and it was nt like the usual 11-0-0 formation that we used when we are up against strong teams... They attacked, defended, and occasionally did fantastic tackles on the players frm across the globe.. Some had poor clearances, some pathetic passes, but hey, they played good...

And whoever talked abt nt walking alone has to seriously get the act together... Torres looked so lonely on the pitch... And how did i know that? The cameraman (or woman) was seriously in love with/infatuated by/obsessed with/addicted to him...

Memoirs of a Virgin... =P

Ok, b4 u get the wrong idea, i did NOT lose my virginity.. This is juz a day where 5 ppl (yiqi, shuqi, gabe, calvin, and the one typing this out) went out on their virgin experiences to diff places... And yes, i guess i dun get arnd too much, coz there are too many places i didnt go to, but lets get to the story..

We met at Vivo early in the morning (11am is considered early, coz ppl were late)... Watched calvin eat his brunch, found out that there were 2 ppl wearing black, 2 wearing white, and another in green (gray would hav been perfect, but still...) And we set off on our trip on cal's car..

Virgin Experience 1:

First stop was How Par Villa, and we went thru HELL of a time, literally.. It was my first time there, so talks abt dragon heads between sq and cal didnt amaze me at all, and all i know is that its gone, thats the most amazing fact abt it so far... Saw weird statues, esp the animal with human heads, or human with animal body.. Either way, its juz damn weird, they can attach a head to literally anything... And a few life lessons learnt, an ugly duckling will grow up to be an ugly goose, and that mermaids aren't pretty at all...

Went thru 10 levels of hell (the rest of the 8 are under renovation), and then we were out.. Couldnt say i loved hell, coz that would make God angry, but it did show why the chinese culture turns out to be the way it was...

Btw, we found a really interesting roundabout at How Par Villa, which sparked off interests abt roundabouts, but that's another story...

Went to a few places to view cars.. Or to put it correctly, turned into the carparks and out, coz of some lame reason that i forgot. We arrived at IKEA to consume the ever lovely Swedish meatballs... After filling the stomach, its time to move on...

Virgin Experience 2:

Not really the first time, but ya, we went to Fort Canning to stroll, and the weather was pleasantly warm.. Nt too hot and humid mind u, juz nice... That is if u dun plan to walk one big round on Fort Canning to see the (closed off) reservoir and the ROM ("which was so near we are on it, can touch it, etc.." claims cal)... But it was my first time seeing the grave, or wateva it is, at the park, with millions of pigeons there... Well, that's all for the Fort Canning, coz yq was complaining that only old ppl enjoy these things...

This was the 2nd experience with roundabouts, with gabe, cal, and me still interested with it.. But at the expense of Yq, she was allergic to them (or smth like that...)

Virgin Experience 3:

Stopped by at a random carpark in SGH to decide where to head nxt.. Spent tons of time deciding where to go (even till the point we discussed wat to do on friday), and finally decided on going to whampoa gardens for some fruits..

Then here comes the 3rd roundabout, where only gabe was still interested in making a full round.. Sadly, he's nt the driver and can't call the shots, so the roundabout was nt completed here...

Virgin Experience 4:

Went to grab a slice of honeydew each, and an extra, a piece of jelly for me (coz cal insisted the jelly is nice.. dun get me wrong, it was nice, juz that i tasted better ones... =P). While at it, we decided to go Swee Lee, juz to entertain me and go there see guitars... Gabe wasn't particularly interested, and i know why... Due to certain reasons, this reason cannot be published.. But yes, we moved on... Decided on Mt Vernon, coz rumour has it that the tombstones are gone... The cemetery has been changed to a park...

Went PASS Mt Vernon... The rumours were only half true, ends up the park was nth but grass and a path nt covered by it (the grass).. Maybe that's the definition of a park? But since there's nth much to see, we went on to SA village...

Virgin Experience 5:

My first time seeing SA Village up close, but we only passed it... Had our Saint in the car telling us the story of the village, and the story of a guy with a love for his village, or smth like that... Only rmb "Ups & Ons" abt the place, althou the S after the Up and On are my own doing...

Virgin Experience 6:

Went to the Salvation Army!! Ok, it was my first time, so i had no clue wat to do there either... Heard that many ppl do their shopping there during new year and christmas, and that gals spend their money there... Anyway, they were closing, and we got chased out, so we kinda went? Ya.... And this is the place where gabe promised me a computer mouse with a wheel on top and none below.. And with a working left click button, coz mine juz went bonkers...

Virgin Experience 7:

Our last stop, we went to a dead end, did a 3 point turn, and started cam whoring... In the car... That was b4 cal dropped us off at our respective locations and life became BORING again...

Oh ya, did u see the eclipse today? Apparently i did, the clouds eclipsed the sun, causing the land to be quite dark this morning... Who says only the moon can cover the sun?

Hahaz, had a request to take noise off my blog.. Totally agreed, unless the song plays from start to end, its juz noise... Anyway, Santa gave out early presents this year, and the pocky is finished! Yay! Gd job ppl, hope you enjoyed wateva lil things that we can bring back frm Shanghai! =)

Back! Can't imagine how much i miss SG! Esp the chicken rice, the hokkien mee, etc... Life in Shanghai was wonderful, apparently Chinese in china are very hospitable, so i dun think i lost any weight at all, maybe even gained.. But after touchdown, after waking up from a deep slumber, i am beginning to miss Shanghai, already...

I miss:
The "木板" matteress that i slept on for the past 2 weeks
The 豆浆油条 breakfast in the morning
The other breakfast menu items (蛋饼，麻球，锅贴，etc...)
My handmade 胶子.. =)
Walking down 德平路 to 罗山会馆
Jason's early morning "singing in the bathroom"
The lemon green tea and minute maid orange that everyone always drink
The early morning sun at 4-5am
The chinese accent and 上海话(which i classify under gibberish)
The 网吧, and the chinese CS and dota inside (火在洞里面!)
Having beer on the table almost every meal.. (other than breakfast)
The exotic dishes that we had. e.g. turtle, pigeon...
The children that we taught during the 3 day camp
The children that taught us during the 3 day camp
The YEP team

Yes, it has indeed been a memorable, life changing exp... I hoped we had made an impact as big as how the Shanghai YMCA described, being history makers, making a breakthrough in a foreign land... I can go on forever abt how the trip was, abt the tiny lil details that are so memorable, we can sit back and laugh at it over and over again... But i think the main point is that through this 14 day in china, we had seen God work in us, be it when we are serving the children, the YEP, our ourselves, we really experienced the fact that we can do all things thru He who strengthens us... And that, is the most impt lesson learnt..=)

Less than 9hrs to take off... Less than 9 hrs to commencement of Agape Hope '09... Huat ah! =)

R.I.P MJ, that seems to be the topic of the day... And a few more days to go... Wasn't a big MJ fan, barely listened to his songs, so can't say much other than he's one rich guy...

Watched Transformers 2 today, and many thanks to gabe for the warning... The show is nearly 2.5 hrs long, and i was holding my pee in till the very end... Thought that it was quite interesting, heroes always has to fall, and then come back to save the day.. Esp movies like narnia and transformer 2, the hero died and rose again... Reminds u of a certain hero ya? =p

Hahaz, 12 days of freedom finally over... Can't rmb wat i did for the last 3 days.. Juz went by in a blur.. But fact is, the 12 days were worth it.. So fun, relaxing, and basically bo che-eng hu (hokkien for no government..) So sad when this has to end... But no matter, will be flying off in 4 days time... And i haven even packed yet!!!!!!!

On the 9th day of freedom I gave this to myself....
9 sets of clothes (to wash...)
8th 升高 key
7 Kopiko Sweets
6 升高 key
5 Disney movies
4 brain-dead singers
3 hours of sleep
2 plates of fried rice
& a reason to post it on my blog

Woo... Time flies... One Love Conference came, and One Love Conference went, leaving a trail of destruction (or rather, creation) in its path... Nt saying anything bad abt One Love of coz, juz that i hav spent so many hours on One Love, and nth else, i kinda hav alot of work leftover thats not done... Alot of housework.... Clothes to wash, floors to vaccum and mop, toilet bowls to scrub, the usuals la... That explains the 9 sets of clothes.. Can't believe how the 3 days flew by and left me with all those chores.... =P

Oh ya, we didnt win the One Love got talent... Sian 1/2... Hoped that we could hav at least pulled a 3rd out of all the effort... Well, i'm lying.. Didnt even think that we could be compared to them... I mean, it was kinda screwed up, no talent at all sia... Of coz other than the talented one that hit the 8th 升高 key on that day... Worth the try, but definitely not winner quality stuff....

On the 7th day of freedom I gave this to myself....
7 Kopiko Sweets
6 升高 key
5 Disney movies
4 brain-dead singers
3 hours of sleep
2 plates of fried rice
& a reason to post it on my blog

Darn.... One Love is tiring la... Hav to wake up so early today despite so late get home and slp last nite... Thank God enz bought some "caffine" to wake me up... Wouldn't be able to sustain without it...

Had class outing today, had to say that it was forever since i last saw them.. Brings back memories... Darn funny ones... =)

On the 6th day of freedom I gave this to myself....
6 升高 key
5 Disney movies
4 brain-dead singers
3 hours of sleep
2 plates of fried rice
& a reason to post it on my blog

Hahaz, yes yes... Made it through One Love Got Talent... Somehow... Many thanks to Shuqi, she was the one that did the 6 升高... I merely assisted, and kinda played horribly... Oh ya, and i stepped on her toe... =P Anyway, ALL FOR YEP!

And yes, the 5 Disney movies was yesterday... Or 2 days ago, depending on how u look at the time now... Tried to watch as many movies as possible to see which one suits the theme of responsibility.. Ended up being confused... I mean, 5 movies? I almost didnt slp la....

Ok, hav to stop here... Otherwise i wun be able to wake up for One Love tml....

On the 4th day of freedom I gave this to myself....
4 brain-dead singers
3 hours of sleep
2 plates of fried rice
& a reason to post it on my blog

Hahaz, went to yile's hse today to brain storm abt the one love got talent that we are gonna take part in... Juz for fun and laughter of coz, but got money of coz better la.. Problem is, our brain storm was so strong, it short circuited everyone's brains... So we kinda didnt really think of much, and considering the amt of time left b4 the auditions, we shld hav thought of alot more la... But despite attacks frm the Z monster, we managed to fight it off using sheer willpower, and had a few ideas thrown into the hat... Decided to pull out wateva things that we threw into the hat out the nxt day, and hopefully it becomes a rabbit, dove, or a bunch of plastic flowers? But still got hw lo, and i am basically stuck with that... I need some inspiration!!

On the 3rd day of freedom I gave this to myself....
3 hours of sleep
2 plates of fried rice
& a reason to post it on my blog

*yawn* Damn tired... But it feels so gd... No one to actually yell, threaten, or force me to sleep early coz the price of electricity is rising and i hav to turn off the com... Life's good, damn good...

On the 2nd day of freedom I gave this to myself....
2 plates of fried rice
& a reason to post it on my blog

Hahaz, yes... its the beginning of the 2nd day of freedom... and why the fried rice? From a reliable source (that's YiYin), fried rice shld nt be kept in the fridge for more than a day, otherwise it will go bad... As my mum prepared 2 plates of fried rice b4 she flew off to Isreal, i guess i kinda prevented it frm going bad any furthur... Yes, i know its alr 1am, almost 2, in the morning, but i still hav to settle that 2 plates of rice... And wat better way than to convert them into storage energy inside me.... Darn, am i living a gd life or wat?

God is good, all the time.. And all the time, God is good. Thou we rarely agree that He is good all the time due to our own setbacks, i still want to thank Him for His goodness.. He is so good, trying to use words to describe His goodness would be an insult... =)

Ah.. The 100th post... Seems like i dun blog much, took forever to hit 3 digits... Anyway, since its the 100th, i shld talk abt smth interesting...

I got accepted into SIM.. Hahaz, the letter came damn late la, like 1 month after every one else got their letter of acceptance.. Maybe its diff course, i dunno, but at least it came... But here comes another problem, i am nt the least bit thrilled abt the fact that i hav waited so anxiously, all for that few pieces of paper.. The only reaction when i got it was to put it aside and finish eating lunch first... Main issue? I dunno whether i shld accept the course and start studying, or work and study part time... I dun mind accepting the course, but i think it will pack my schedule so much till i wun hav time to work.. Or i can start work, and delay furthuring my education... Sigh, life's full of decisions, and they are nv easy... Stay tuned for more according to this issue then.. I guess...

Went to the airport to send shuqi off last night
Classified under weird and random ppl by jinghui
Helped to promote environmental awareness by taking these pics..

I guess i'm really bored?

2 nights of getting high... 2 totally diff methods... But the result is still the same?




Had YEP chalet at ubin... Was a fun chalet, learnt loads of things that are applicable in nt juz on YEPs, but in everyday life... Way of getting high? Carlsberg... Didnt take any photos frm this trip, but it was so enjoyable... Totally dun mind going over to stay for another few days, the hospitality was awesome (that includes the morning coffee.. )

2nd night, evening rather, went to minds cafe to celebrate zhiyan's bday.. problem faced? the body is willing but the mind is weak... maybe due to lack of shut eye during ubin chalet, so i ended up a lil crazy... Shot off the famous phrase of "DRIED PEANUTS", only the ppl present will understand the joke... Played a game called repeat peke, and i totally died at it... brain already dead, so the body juz followed along...

ok, i'm talking nonsense... need sleep.. =)

Lolz, i realised that i haven been spending quality time with my phone... Found loads of random stuff inside (most prob taken by liyun).. These are a few of the random stuff... =) Now i know why jinghui says that she likes a post with loads of photos... Anyway, been having some first aid lessons with cx and yd over the past few days... Lesson was boring, so i guess we kinda played a fool? And ya, we found some similarities and took photos...

Hahaz, spot the similarities... =) And spend more quality time with your phone, u nv know what u hav missed out...

I guess Christians juz can't live without church.... Juz one weekend without church life, juz one saturday not practicing in the worship team, juz a sunday not spent tgt with churchmates in church, and i get my timing all messed up... I actually thought i was getting close to friday, when monday juz started...

Realised that i hav been missing out... Missed out or not, missed or not is another issue... Missing out on certain stuff that i would definitely enjoy, but hav no such luxury of time or money to even start dreaming abt enjoying... Reality is cruel, a person can't hav more than 24 hours...

Well, at least the weekend wasn't wasted.. Learnt much that i can add to my "how to" section.. Biggest take away? I learnt to hold my tongue.. Not that i havent been holding it long enough recently, but to know when exactly to let it loose.. Guess there is still much more to learn from the last 2 days... =)

Lesson learnt today: Sometimes the sound of a gunshot can hurt more than the bullet itself.

I've only realised how much i changed through the years after i did that DISC personality test.. The first test i ever took gave me the result of a high D... The second test revealed a drop in the D and an increase in the I.. The third test brought me from a DI, to an almost all rounder, with DI being only 1 or 2 points above S and C... And the most recent test concluded that i am a SC... For the ppl that are confused with the letters, D stands for Dominance, I for Influence, S for Steadiness, and C for Conscientiousness... Thinking back, all those tests were accurate, so i guess my personality almost did a 180 degrees turn? From someone with high D, to a person that has a high SC, i guess change has slowly, but definitely creeped into my life... It came more as a pleasant surprise i would say, when i realise that i am not the usual high D person i used to be, and that i am a person who is considered more mild and gentle? Anyway, i guess this change wun be the end, and that more will come!

Went K this afternoon with Xiao Wan, Kai Qi and Yong Jie... Sang for 6 hours... =) And judging from the number of ppl, i think u shld understand how tired we all are after that K session... We di our own high stuff, got a lil crazy, sang song after song after song... It was fun, but i think i quite traumatised by the exp.. I mean, i was like constantly thinking, "Wat's the nxt song?" We practically ran out of songs to sing la! Hahaz, nxt time muz really jio more ppl to sing le.. =)

Can you hear the sound of faith?

That's the question i feel really made me think recently.. A song from an old album, ends with that very sentence.. But i think the song is not really trying to tell me to hear the sound of faith, but rather, be the sound of faith... How do i radiate faith? How can faith resonate thru me, outwards to the ppl arnd me? Althou the model answer is to be the perfect example, to live a Christ like life, i think there is more to it... Something more, something deeper than juz on the surface... But what?

Another ditch in the road,
You keep moving.
Another stop sign,
You keep moving on.
And the years go by so fast,
Wonder how I ever made it through.

Love this song, juz depicts how strong life is.

WARNING: ONE LOVE VIRUS IS SPREADING AMONGST COMPUTERS! IT WILL INSTANTLY TURN YOUR FACEBOOK PROFILE INTO THE PICTURE ABOVE! EXTREMELY CONTAGIOUS! HAVE YOU GOT YOURS TODAY? =)

Gazing into the night sky of 11:27pm
Saw 2 shades of ominous red
The deeper shade of maroon belonging to the night sky
The lighter belonging to the thunder clouds
I shuddered as the cold wind passed me by
Pushing me back, slapping me with droplets of water
I can hear the trees singing a song of the storm
Accompanied by the wind chime
It sounds soothing till the point its eerie
Like an invitation for the rain
And it did not take long to respond
Showers came down like a waterfall
Seems like the sky has been holding back for far too long
And I just wonder, as I look at this piece of glorious art
Who can ever match this perfect melody.

Juz felt in awe at how amazing is our God and His creation..

It is done!! Hahaz, it is finally done! Many thanks to Yiqi for helping me out with this..=)

BEFORE


AFTER

Still not complete yet thou, got some more stuff to add to it.. But hey, at least the design is up! Stay tuned for more updates! =)

First meet up with my One Love Team yesterday evening... So glad to find out that all of us are actually quite crazy one.. Had dinner at 18 chefs and talked abt anything under the sun.. Kinda talked so much that we forgot to do wat we are supposed to do, to organise activities.. It was definitely fun to be arnd my group la, so thank God for them! Oh ya, i tried my first Green Tea Frappucino yesterday... Got the urge to try it after some random quiz on facebook says that i am that drink... Turns out it was nt as disgusting as Chengyi described, i was able to down the whole Venti sized cup.. And the One Love name cards are out! Finally, this feels so cool la! Like being an offical member of some high level club lo... Hope that this name card thingy will actually work out and bring more ppl to come to know abt One Love!

Sigh, the interview at SIM was damn boring la... Didnt even know who was interviewing who.. To those who dunno, i was requested to go to SIM for some interview coz of the course i may be taking soon.. So i went there and get interviewed.. Or at least i tried to get interviewed.. Its so damn boring can.. The 2 ppl who are supposed to interview me asked random questions, and even asked me to describe myself.. I mean, wat am i supposed to say? I am Asian, Chinese, 1.75m tall, 90kg? Anyway, kinda talked my way thru the whole interview.. I was using my much honed crapping skill throughout, and the 2 listened as thou i was giving a lecture... Then thats it.. I only survived for 15min b4 being kicked out of the room, or i think i kicked myself out... Cant stand the fact that ppl who wants to know more abt u can do nth but stare at you and say nth.. And they told me they will be my lecturers if i get in... Thats like the worst news i recieved this month....

I was going to post loads of interesting photos up here. I was planning to type all abt how wonderful was Good News Singapore. Until i took that long walk all the way from Kallang Mac back home. I rmb the post i had some time back. The one that said that i was feeling disturbed. Irritated. I felt the same during that 30 minute walk home juz now. More disturbed, more irritated, even a little pissed. But at least i know wat is making me feel that way. At least i know now. And i am going to stop here, b4 anyone starts commenting abt me posting emo stuff, althou i dun see a reason why...

Somehow this few weeks hav been wonderful for me... I hav no idea why it happened this way, its all God's grace that i am still surviving on my own pocket money even up till now... I kinda surprised myself when i said this after cell on saturday.. I said "What if God has a reason for not providing me with a job thus far?"... Sets me thinking, am i supposed to be doing smth else?

Within this 2 weeks, i hav been going around, meeting friends, old and new alike, and talking to them.. I hav been busy playing, exercising, and even facebooking... And yes, i felt that even thou there were worries abt money issues, budget plans, i hav been busier than i had ever been these few weeks! Not juz busier, also maybe more fulfilling? More satisfying? Like life has a worth, a meaning to it?

Juz gonna carry on with the carefree lifestyle.. I believe there is smth greater out there for me to do.. Maybe going to China?? Only God knows...=)

I feel damn disturbed and irritated
Problem is that i cant quite put my finger to it
Thats wat makes it so disturbing and irritating
And the cycle repeats...

When the mask removed
When the facade is washed away
When the reflection is someone else
What will you do?

Owww...... Gym was fun, but the after effect is crazy... I mean, i was still able to move normally yesterday... But when i woke up this morning, my arms are rendered useless... Its so much harder to roll out of bed when the arms dun respond... Its hard to put on my specs, its hard to lift a cup of water to my mouth, its even hard to brush my teeth! Darn, i think i may hav overestimated myself...

Watched Paul Blart: Mall Cop today... Hurray for the heavyweight champions of the world! Hahaz, it was refreshing to see an out of the ordinary hero coming out to save the day. By that i refer to an ordinary hero as someone who flaunts 6 to 8 packs for abs, has some super powers like shooting lazer or spider webs, and is basically running around town in spandex. This out of the ordinary hero has one full pack, upsize, instead of the usual 6 to 8's. He has evolved and mutated into such a form that no super powers were needed, and traveling is done on an ever trustworthy 2 wheeled machine (dunno wats it called). Anyway, this hero has been kicked around, bossed over, and looked upon as a failure. Why? Most ppl dun think that he can do much, considering his weight problems and health status. However, when tough times called for tough ppl, the underestimated Paul Blart did wat he was made to do, to uphold justice.

This movie reminded me of how each person is made for a certain moment, to fulfill a certain task. I used to think that i belong to the "Others" column (refer to picture above), used and thrown away. Initially, Paul Blart reminded me of ME. How life was starting to get a little routine, how ppl are starting to take me for granted. How i think that its pointless for me to continue doing wat i was doing, and it wun make a diff if i stop. But this movie, putting the hilarious jokes aside, reminded me of wat i heard frm so long ago. That each of us has been made for a purpose, given our current status, our current skills, and even our current fitness, so that we are able to carry out a certain task, be it big or small. Point is, you are made for a purpose! So carry on doing wat u are doing, even thou ppl dun appreciate it, knowing that at some point of time, u hav made an impact in someone's life.

Just to quote from the Daily Bread from some time ago:

In August 2007, a major bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 people. In the weeks that followed, it was difficult for me not to think about that tragedy whenever crossing a bridge over a body of water.
Some time later, I was watching an episode of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel. Host Mike Rowe was talking to an industrial painter whose work he was trying to duplicate. “There’s really no glory in what you do,” he said. “No,” the painter agreed, “but it’s a job that needs to be done.”
You see, that man paints the inside of the Mackinac Bridge towers in Northern Michigan. His unnoticed job is done to ensure that the steel of the magnificent suspended structure won’t rust from the inside out, compromising the integrity of the bridge. Most of the 12,000 people who cross the Straits of Mackinac each day aren’t even aware that they are depending on workers like this painter to faithfully do their jobs well.
God also sees our faithfulness in the things we do. Though we may think our deeds—big and small—sometimes go un-noticed, they are being observed by the One who matters most. Whatever our task today, let’s “do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17). — Cindy Hess Kasper

Watched Confessions of a Shopaholic yesterday. Was amazed by the "Girl in the Green Scarf". Somehow this movie made shopping as scary as drug abuse. But being the impulse buyer myself, i can relate. Somehow it made some sense to me when the lead, Becky Bloomwood, said that when you shop, it made the world a better place, a happier place. Totally agreed. I mean, how long hav i wished that the bass guitar standing at the window shop is mine. Carassed it so many times, longed for it, but it nv came. Not until i change my focus to another new target standing at the shop window.

But this movie was somewhat a reminder abt the materialism that is occuring in the world we live in now. How wat we wear, wat we drive, and even wat we eat defines us to our very bones. How often hav we admired and envied the rich and famous walking past us with their fragrance of high end leather, perfume, and possibly a hint of freshness you can only get with Prada. While you are wearing something that looks fashionable, but deep inside u know that its juz another product frm the 2nd hand shop, rejected goods, or simply brandless piece of trash. And the cheap perfum or deodourant doesnt help to lighten that fact. Well, i am one of the ppl that falls under the 2nd category. Going around to look for cheap deals. Buying things at a discount. Sewing back torn stuff and telling myself its still worth wearing or using.

Does wat we put on ourselves really count for so much? Or is it the inner self that is worth so much more? I mean, you can put a tick on a t-shirt, and the price doubles. Put three stripes on a pair of shoes, and that value is thrice of wat it was before. But how do you put that logo on you? Do you, like many, use cash to buy the label and put it over yourself, not realising that all these things are only skin deep, and its only for hiding the cheapness of wat is really underneath.

Get rid of the mindset that worth is only measured skin deep. Go deeper.

Finally back on familiar soil! Darn, the air here is so good i hate myself... Apparently i didnt get a day without a cough or a sneeze, so its quite irritating... Anyway, was in Seremban for 4D3N in a hotel called Royale Bintang... No comments abt the hotel other than the fact that its the place that i hav been hanging out in most of the time... Other than the Parksons and A&W nearby... Yes, i said A&W, and of coz i had the taste of long time favs... Trust me, this trip was worth every single bit of it....

Woohoo! This must be the first time in my life i bought 2 pairs of shoes in one day, within the same hour! Hahaz, sense of accomplishment sia, finally bought shoes althou i hav been planning to get a new pair since last year... Ok la, quite ironic in the fact that a pair is black with white design, and the other is white with black design.. Kinda like Ying and Yang shoes? Anyway, new shoes! Yay!

Watched 2 emo movies over 2 days, felt like forever since i did that... Departures was a nice movie, loved it... Some jap film that won some award of some sort? No idea, but i would agree with whoever thought that it was the best foreign film... Always liked those sort of movies where it incoporates humour into some sort of documentory thingy, has some emo parts, but ends off happily ever after... Well, i learnt smth abt japanese culture in some ways, and its a movie nt to be missed, trust me...

Watched marley and me today, and ya... I wanted to watch it since last year la, so i kinda fulfilled some dream today? It was as gd as i expected it to be, so there was like no disappointment... Although i kinda already read thru the whole book b4, it still felt as if i was watching it anew... The film makes the words come to life, and althou nt every single word of the book was captured and translated into motion and sound, the point was still made... Darn, i think i hav been watching too many emo films le, maybe i might end up being super emo... Need to watch dragonball to counter to effects? =p

Watch this.. It may sound cool, but the deep meaning behind it is smth else....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

An Ocean of Ink

"Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies
of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scroll
contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky."
-words of the hymn “The Love of God”


Today's Daily Bread really was interesting... Maybe its coz of sunday's sermon being related to this topic, but once again, i juz cant help it but be in awe of how great is our God.. The more we try to understand and learn how or what God's love is, the more we will come to realise that how much it is beyond what we can comprehend...

Well, as the last line of today's Daily Bread says: "God's love cannot be explained - it can only be experienced".

Sigh, life's bleak... Its the same routine everyday... And i hav yet to find a proper job, yet to find out wat i really hope to study... Too many things to do, but kinda lost interest in them, or hav no interest to begin with... Darn, my life's messed up...

Happy bday Sam! Ok, so wat if its nt the 14th yet? i too lazy wait for another hour to post this ok? Anyway, hope u enjoyed the day, i know i did... Its so long since i played jubeat la! Hahaz, kiddin... Pics speak a thousand words, and there are no word limits here, so can la....

Anyway, pics are up on facebook as usual.. And a few vids for entertainments sake... =)