The Simplicities of Life

2010-04-19T22:41:00.001+08:00

independence day scene.. doesn't it look like the scene where the aliens come and then the people go up to the roof and shouted "take me!!!!"

truth: dark thunderclouds were gathering and it created this scene out of the movies...

1, 2, 5

2010-03-25T00:10:00.002+08:00

couldn't sleep last night and was just sitting on the floor and staring at the tv screen and quietly asking why God, what are you trying to tell me?

I prayed for an answer and I prayed for God to give me rest to do well today, which eventually came at 3am (i think)

woke up at 6am and this was what God spoke to me. Galatians 2:5.

We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you. (NIV)

to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. (NKJV)

and for the rest of the day, the numbers 1, 2, 5 kept appearing even when i was making my calls, during my appointments today..

1Tim 2:5
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (NIV)

1Cor 2:5
so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. (NIV)

1Thess 2:5
You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. (NIV)

1Peter 2:5
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (NIV)

1John 2:5-6
But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (NIV)

These verses spoke to me, to what God wants me to listen to him. God is witness to all I am doing, regardless of how well I can put on a mask to cover up, and I have to obey him in faith coming from God's power and through Jesus Christ who has came before to show us the way, all I have to do is just to follow and do things that are pleasing to God and to fulfill God's will according to his pleasure.

Heavenly Father, thank you for opening my ears and heart to just nudge me through your constant reminders of 1,2,5 today and to continue to grow to love you more and more and to fear you more and more.

Amen

T4210

2010-03-25T00:05:00.002+08:00

my T4210 has served me faithfully for the past 4 years, all through my university days and my 2 years (almost) as a financial consultant.

Even though I have replaced the casing, the keyboard, the fan, the battery, the fan and battery are giving up on me already. =(

it still runs on battery power, all ports/speakers etc are working but the fan is super hot and noisy and the battery doesn't last me more than 10 minutes before it goes *pfft*

anyway, thank you so much for providing me hours of churning out paper after paper, watching videos online, facebook-ing, photoshopping, gaming, anime and manga watching and closing cases together with me. ^^

now you shall rest pretty at home propped on top of a namecard case and keeping cool. you shall be my desktop!

i still miss you though, especially today when doing the closing. it still feels odd not having a familiar companion beside you that I have been using for so long.

I still wonder if I should spend some more money to just repair you so that you can continue to journey with me for a year or two more.

thank you my dear tablet PC!

1st post of 2010!

2010-01-01T21:00:00.002+08:00

first post of 2010 and i would like to introduce you to my $99 camera!

bought it from best denki cuz went to imm for brunch, and decided to walk around. saw the advertisement on the wall, and decided to head over and ask and try my luck to see if it was for real or not.

it was the last set there!! wee!! instead of $399 for a camera, its only $99!

given that its a 2007 model, its still 12megapixels with a lot of functions also, so its not bad a deal. since my dear and i still don't have our own camera when we go out, so why not? hahaha..

presenting to you, the pentax a40!

My New Toy!

2009-11-28T21:48:00.002+08:00

had a better result this month for sales wise, and with the SCM coming up soon, I decided to get something that could accompany me on my runs and this is what I got!

nice thing isn't it?

2GB space only though but the sound is pretty sweet~
convenient enough for me to just use it whilst i'm jogging. ^_^ yay!

stressed

2009-09-24T13:56:00.002+08:00

stressed right now due to the end of year looming and the sales target is still there. will keep on working towards that goal, day by day, week by week, month by month. its only 99 more days to the end of the year so chiong ah!!

been having a lot of ups and downs for the past 2 months ever since returning full time to the career of financial planning. knowing how much this line can impact other people's lives as always been my drive ever since losing my father 3 years ago. I still miss you dad, and I hope that your blessings are upon me as I progress on this career path.

as roland shared, this career isn't a career that you enter to try, because it is the career that tests you eventually.

There have been so many changes in my life and it has been quite a whirl to me. so many things to learn, to improve and work on, to become a professional financial planner as well as to become a better person.

Things to work on:
writing down my thoughts, good or bad
better diction
better disposition
better presentations

With these in mind to keep on working upon, it is my goal to become successful, not just in my personal life but as well as eventually become a leader and pillar of the organization. It isn't an easy path and there will be some battles which will be lost along the way. However, it isn't over until the war is over, so jia you!

would appreciate honest feedback from anyone so that I can continue to improve and become a better person for myself, for friends and family and most importantly, for God.

hope everyone who reads this post is still well. take care and God Bless.

ps: i really miss you...

Music to your ears, anyone?

2009-09-16T17:02:00.001+08:00

take a watch and this demonstrates the power of the human mind and "music"

work life

2009-08-01T17:55:00.003+08:00

heys everyone, it has been a long time since i've updated here.
went to china and settled what i needed to settle there, went to london/paris for a grad trip (thanks sis! will pay you back soon)

also became a vomit machine for a month when i couldn't stomach food in and eventually found out that it was a stomach inflammation. on the good side, i'm much better now! but I still have to take care in what I have to eat, and i'm really enjoying my time back together with the organization and running for my goals.

update, i'm now fully into my job as a financial consultant!

Thank God for the blessing that You have showered upon me to help me clear my sprint and receive the extra bonus.

Bonus will go to further donations to charity, treating my mommy and sister and got a bear bear for dear. ^^

things have been really hectic these days so please call me to find me!

ps: I forgot to go for my commencement. lol.. besides, i don't want to wear pink!!

Day 3, Beijing

2009-05-14T21:23:00.002+08:00

Woke up at 6+ am today to another bright and sunny day, went for breakfast and we started on our tour today at 8am.

toured the forbidden palace, tian an men square, si he wu and ended the tours for the day.

will update photos because I finally got to buy a SD card which we forgot to bring along. and today being a work day, the places were comparatively empty. could you imagine them when packed?

China Day 2, Beijing

2009-05-13T23:39:00.000+08:00

Left for the airport at 6am, woke up at 5am for the ride to the airport. Had McDonalds for breakfast to the amusement of finding out that their sausage McMuffins were made with pork patties. Reached the airport at 6.30am and was greeted with a rather empty Shanghai airport. Checking the E-tickets again, I realized that my mom had read the time wrongly. Instead of a 0855 flight, we had assumed it was a 0800 flight and we lost one hour of extra sleep time. As it was still early, the shops were still closed and there was nothing to do except to sit around and chat to pass the time. During check-in, there was a group of people presumably from the countryside who cut queues as well as a lady squatting down to apply her makeup. The check-in process was done rather quickly with minimal hassle. On the good side, I managed to find free wireless internet access! Hurray! Managed to check my emails and send out a few more as well. To someone: don’t be sad, I’ll be back soon! Flight was delayed as there was someone who did not board the plane in time and I think we missed the slot allocated initially for the flight and had to re-queue for the next available slot to take off. The flight was delayed for an hour and we departed Shanghai for Beijing at around 10am. Arrived at Beijing at around 12pm, cleared through customs in a breeze! No temperature checks at all so it was really fast. Went to see the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, saw the exterior of the 7 Star hotel which Bill Gates booked for 1 billion yuan for Olympics. Definitely cool! Nothing much in the stadium though, and the place had people smoking on the seats. So much for preserving the stadium. Went to the hotel after that to rest up, went for a super quick dinner and watched an acrobatic show at the Tian Qiao Zha Ji Yuan and returned to the hotel to rest.

shanghai day 1

2009-05-13T07:36:00.001+08:00

Left Singapore for Shanghai and the flight was from 10am and touched down at Shanghai Pudong Airport at 3.05pm. The Airbus 330 was cramped in the economy section and I couldn’t get any sleep at all. The in-flight entertainment system was useless as they provided earphones but they were not connected to the movie showing on the central screens. So I couldn’t see the film clearly nor could I hear anything at all because the earphones provided were useless. To add on to that, there was a fat guy snoring so loudly that people in the row in front of me turned back to see who was snoring, and there was a baby who kept on crying as the pressure system must have made it very painful for the baby. When we landed, the passenger across the aisle switched on his hand-phone the moment we touched down and all his messages started coming in and with his phone on full volume it just kept on ringing and ringing and ringing. As a whole, I wish that I was not flying the same airline back but I don’t have a choice there. I will at least enjoy the time that I am going to spend here in China. Clearing the customs and health checks were still alright with no signs of temperature taking going on though. All the officials were wearing masks and people with coughs were made to wear masks. Cleared through immigration and met the other two people who would join us on our tour. The driver was late, so we made small talk whilst waiting for the driver to arrive. Reached the hotel Jin Li Hua at around 4.30pm so we arranged to meet each other again at 5pm for dinner and do a bit of exploring around the neighborhood. The temperature was around 20 degrees Celsius and with the wind blowing the temperature dipped even more. Had Bi Fong Tang for dinner as it started drizzling and it was the only place we could see in sight that appeared to have decent food. After dinner, we went out walking and found the night markets selling food, pirated DVDs and clothes. The emporium was a total letdown and we couldn’t find anything that was worth buying. We returned to the hotel at 7.30pm with nothing to do other than shower and try to settle down into bed whilst having the sound of drilling accompanying us to sleep. It is now 8.30pm and the construction drilling is still going on. Will be heading up to Beijing tomorrow on an 8am flight and I’m hoping that there will be breakfast served on board the short two hour flight. Going to try to sleep now and would be waking up at 5am tomorrow. Thus ends the first night in Shanghai.

Graduation

2009-05-10T14:00:00.003+08:00

papers have been over for a few days now, and i'm packing my room, going through all the things that i've touched and went through for the past three years. made a lot of friends, lost someone dear to me, perservered through, met the one for me, started on working life, getting a right attitude, keeping going on, created a lot of fantastic music with great people, gave a lot to the band and received even more back. Found the Lord in my path again when I was lost. The list just goes on and on..

somehow, the feeling that this phase of my student life is over started when I finished the papers for economics. the final paper towards my major was over just like that. all the effort put it, and the rest is up to Him. the feeling of student life being over is something that you yearn for once again, that you want to turn back time and start all over again, where you have no worries about what you were going to do tomorrow because its already planned for you. all you have to do is to focus on your grades and be there to do your best for your academic pursuits.

at the end of the paper, whilst everyone was rushing off to prepare for their next paper, i just sat there at my desk, and had this surreal feeling that everyone's rush around me held different meanings. I was just this spectator in this large arena where everyone showed their skills and abilities and everyone else was watching each other as well. seeing the flow of people whilst you just sat there within and without the arena of the examination hall, just feels like you are in another dimension.

at the end of the last paper of my academic life, seeing people around me wearing winter gear to "fight" the cold of the exam halls brought a laugh to me. I was just weary and tired of all the pursuits already and in a way, I'm glad its over and yet, I miss that I would not have the same experiences again. Life in NUS has been full of all emotions. A large rollercoaster ride that I enjoyed and would not have changed for anything. If anything, I would make more mistakes and made even more funny things happen.

even though i made the first ever mistake of my life of not bringing my wallet out on the morning of the last paper, the rush home and back to school through the traffic jams brought a lot of thoughts to my mind. even though it was the last paper, i still had to give it my best. I still have to give it my all. to push through to reach with the minimal time lost. Even though there were a few other people who were late or later than me, they strolled in and did not have the urgency to actually complete the paper. perhaps that was their way of remaining calm and collected to handle the paper, but to me, it felt like they didn't care about the paper.

student life is over now, and time to proceed on with working life.

going to shanghai and beijing to settle things there next week, and will be back after that to concentrate fully on my work. Jiayou!

My Redeemer Lives

2009-04-12T10:21:00.002+08:00

It is Easter and OUR Redeemer Lives.
Praise the Lord, for in Him, we CAN do all things

To NUSWS Exco 2009/2010

2009-03-31T13:04:00.001+08:00

congratulations!!

Words

2009-03-18T12:20:00.001+08:00

Do what you love and love what you do

update update~~

2009-03-13T22:23:00.001+08:00

its time for a quick update.
work/sch/projects!!

quite busy and hectic...

extracted my wisdom tooth (have i lost wisdom??) and couldn't talk for an entire week. -_-

was super glad to regain my speech abilities!!

concert is in just a week's time. hope it'll turn out to be FANTASTIC!!!

oh.. I'm glad they opened ONE more show for Distant Worlds!! i got my tix! yay!

Besana

2009-03-05T14:23:00.001+08:00

got this from huishan's blog (after doing blog surfing for the first time in months) and fond memories are still there.

wonder how the festival this year would be like...

making myself a promise: 2011, I'll be there. Not for the music only, but more for our host families..

4As

2009-01-13T21:43:00.001+08:00

Aware
Accept
Alter
Achieve

personal responsibilities

2009-01-12T18:47:00.001+08:00

note to self, be more conscious of personal responsibilities towards work and academic pursuits.

Ponyo

2009-01-06T17:56:00.002+08:00

ponyo~ cute show, best company. thanks~~ ^_^

how to turn on the subtitles:
click the up-arrow on the bottom right of the player and make sure the cc logo is checked.

2009

2009-01-05T16:55:00.002+08:00

okie.. this post is a couple of days late, but heck. here it is.

things in 2008 happened really fast. time flew right past all of us. we had our concerts, we had fun, we had joy. and we just sent maestro tan off for his further studies.

this is a year to remember actually.

found someone. found something. haha..

back to work now!

24th

2008-12-24T14:10:00.001+08:00

its the 25th and... [edit]
my bad here..

hankst eard orf verythingeay

2 years..

2008-12-09T21:53:00.000+08:00

time flies.. its already 2 years.

and i still miss you

Standard Chartered Marathon 2008

2008-12-07T23:00:00.001+08:00

I finished the 10km run!!
i still think i'm crazy to have queued up in the rain to sign up, i'm crazy enough to have trained for it, i'm crazy enough to have went for the run even though i was still sniffly, and i'm crazy enough to have completed it!!

i'm going for the 42.195km next year. who's up?

Da Capo 2008

2008-10-20T00:32:00.002+08:00

its been over 24 hours since the concert, and yet, i'm still feeling the music that we created, not played because it all came from our hearts.

"you don't have to think too much about playing it right, because you just know when you do, and the audience knows it too" - Maestro Leonard Tan

Just hearing that, and playing during the concert, it really didn't matter how many squeaks, wrong notes, whatever that we played during the concert, because we played it right, and the audience knows it too, because we played from our hearts, we played as one band, one ensemble, one heart. that was the key that unlocked the music that flowed from our soul, from our very core being, where every note just came from deep within and linked all 115 people on stage to be as one.

"the music is in between the notes"
the silence was truly golden, even after the last note of Its a Small World, there was this silence that I only wished that it would just continue on and never will end, because I knew once the applause started, it would signal the end of the most emotional night of my life thus far. The last note was held as long as I could, I didn't know that I could hold a note for that long, until that last night where I just kept on going and going and going, not wanting that last note to stop ringing throughout the hall, where the moment could just freeze. Alas, time will still flow, but "the memories will always stay in all our hearts"

It has been a really really wonderful 5 semesters. I thought of leaving the band so many times, but still, I kept on coming back for the music, the friendships that I had forged over the 5 semesters.

Our first concert together:
Da Capo 2006, the first concert with Mr Tan.

Kirkpatrick Fanfare
Fantasia (On Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair)
Sea Songs
Hymn to the infinite Sky
Saxophone ensemble
Danse Diabolique
Miss Saigon
Bayou Breakdown

It was a challenge for us, and we grew that one little step towards who we have all grown into today. We started with Do Re Mi, the first three notes of the C Major scale which rooted us together. We learnt so much about listening, feeling, understanding, interacting with each and every one in the ensemble. Whether we saw each other, it was not important at all. Whether we felt each other's heartbeat, that really made the difference.

InTempo 2007

Merry Wives of Winsor
Immer Kleiner, "Always Smaller"
Sound of Music
Soaring Over the Ridges - the Impression of the North Alps
Silver Screen
Poema Alpestre

Ian's solo, scaling the Japanese Alps, scaling the European Alps (which we got to see during our trip to Besana), how can we ever forget the times, the grit and the growth that we had? No matter how busy or tired we were, just coming for band practice would refresh us, because we knew that the music would heal and comfort. Ruixiang said that he enjoyed every practice, even though he came down all the way from Punggol. That really made a difference in my own attitude towards practice.

Besana in Brianza, Italy
Standing ovations, the food, gelato, the tours, the people. It was really a logistical nightmare because we never expected 50 people to want to go, and having the entire ex-co work together, knowing the Zijun didn't go for his career just to plan the trip, really made a difference. The last minute sponsorship from Hong Leong really lit up my day then, knowing that with that bit of money, at least one more people would be able to join in the experience. We went there, and we came back as one. "One band, one sound" - Drumline (The Movie) I really felt that we accomplished that there.

Da Capo 2007

Nitro
No Shadow of Turning
"Elisabeth" The Musical
Slavonic March in B Flat Minor, Op. 31 "Marche Slave"
Classical Suite
Second Suite in F
Auf Einem Persischen Markt (In a Persian Market)
Star Wars Trilogy

A really tough challenge, where our technical capabilities were pushed to the max. It was a night to remember, where we soared to outer space. Little did we know that it would only be the beginning of the painting of the canvass for our next major work, Planet Earth, where we returned to our mother, Earth.

InTempo 2008

Crescent and Stars
English Folk Song Suite
Finlandia
Cartoon
Symphony No. 3 Planet Earth

Planet Earth, Hymn to Gaia.. feeling of the accomplishment of playing the piece with so many people on stage. Having the strong support of our alumni, our friends who made their way down to UCC (which isn't very convenient) made the night a totally different night. We played our hearts, our souls, feeling empty after the concert, because we all wondered, "What's next?"

I still remember talking with Mr Tan after the concert, where I thanked him for giving us the chance to play Planet Earth, and that we would play it again one day in a place where it will do justice to the Piece that Johan De Meij had written.

Da Capo 2008

King Cotton March
GR Selections
Children's March
Pictures at an Exhibition
Percussion Ensemble
October
Indiana Jones Selections
Sleepers, Awake!
Extreme Makeover

In more ways than one, this really was a make over for the band, and for ourselves, as we look back on the past 2 and a half years, where we shared so much joys, laughter, tears, frustration, learning, growth, encouragement, support and most important of all, love for music. We will continue to grow as musicians, even though it would be the last time for some people for some time that we will be able to perform together. No matter what, the memories will always remain in our hearts, and no one can take that away. What we have learnt, makes us who we are and that is one thing that cannot be changed.

During the medley that we played for Mr Tan, we truly played with our hearts, because there were so many of us that didn't even open our eyes, for they were blurred with the tears of sadness and joy that we felt for Mr Tan, who is our teacher, our music director, our conductor and also our friend. Playing the pieces as we transitioned from one to the other, the memories just flooded back. From Poema, where we scaled the mountain, to Hymn to the Infinite Sky where we soared like birds, to Star Wars, where we went space age, to Planet Earth where we honoured Gaia, to Merry Widow, of the standing ovation. Each and every piece holds a special place in my heart. These pieces will never remain in my muscle memory because they just wouldn't be the same if it was so, and I never will let them be just muscle memory playing because they hold a place in my heart and playing from my heart, I know, I believe that it is what music is truly about. I have never cried during a concert throughout my performing life of 10 years until now, and I have to say that I really really enjoyed the music making with all the people of NUSWS, past and present. The memories will stay with us forever, linking this little part of our lives with each and every one of us till the day we return to the Lord.

Thank you Lord, for bringing all of us together.
Thank you Lord, for giving us the music that speaks all the words that are unspoken but yet understood
Thank you Lord, for blessing us with the wonderful weather on that night
Thank you Lord, for blessing each and everyone with the health that let us play our hearts out
Thank you Lord, for blessing everyone and their friends with safety to the concert and back home
Thank you Lord, for blessing Maestro Leonard Tan with the knowledge and wisdom that he so willingly shared with all of us

Thank you NUSWS, for the memories, friendships, and support that we have all gone through. No amount of words can really describe in full what we have walked through together and become, though all I can say is Thank You.

where shall we go on from here

2008-08-12T23:19:00.002+08:00

its a new semester and the final year... for some, its the final semester. so where do we go from here, lets all keep in touch and remain friends alright?

it feels like it has only been a year, and yet, we have been through a lot. some bonds were forged, some were weakened, though very much cherished.

so many things have happened in these few years of my university life and i wouldn't have changed anything, for they are what have made me today.

these two months of lifebuilding courses, thank you boss, thank you szerk, thank you everyone, for showing me the love, concern and guidance to get my life right.

there are many challenges that await me and i look forward to enjoying the challenges.

where shall i walk from here?
where shall we walk from here?

In You I trust and give my heart.

Lord, open the eyes of my heart.

I pray....

life so far..

2008-07-22T11:15:00.002+08:00

it has been a fun holidays where i've learnt a lot, and at the same time, i've been getting a better feel of what financial planning is about from day to day. =) for that, i really have to thank God for that i know that i'm blessed with the opportunity

the things i've gotten from the organization would be:
Anchoring myself in the word of God
Focusing
Overcoming my own fears

my birthday has come and gone and one year older, one year wiser. there have been so many things happening this school holidays, along with work and colleagues. finally behaved myself towards Him and went to church. I believed in Him, now I have to accept him into my heart and my life.

thank you Lord for your blessings and I pray, look over friends, family, family and friends of friends, and also for the people around the world who are in pain and have yet to see or hear you. May they find You and in You, find their salvation and eternal life

Some words of wisdom

2008-06-14T22:07:00.003+08:00

haven't been updating much partly because I have no time and partly because I have nothing very important to share or for me to rant these days. =x

anyway, some chinese words of wisdom. If you can understand it, just write what you think it means in the cbox at the side!

长长长长长长长
行行行行行行行

if you really dont get it.. here's something to help you out..

Lizard Woman

2008-05-19T22:48:00.002+08:00

just got back from a dinner at the Bar & Billard Room and met a most astonishing lady whom I will refer to as the Lizard Woman. She was accompanied by this young man named Chris Chua, whom I overheard as he entered before us and another young lady who's name I did not manage to catch. However, this Lizard Woman's name is Grace, that much we know from her exchanged words. LW was seated beside us, thus we saw the entire story unfold.

Lets start with the way they went for the food at the buffet. They went for the sashimi first, followed by the oysters. They heaped oysters on their plates and sashimi in abundant amounts and went for the beef broth soup. After they finished their oysters and sashimi, they went for the alaskan crab and mud crab, though in much smaller amounts. All of a sudden, they made some noise, and got the floor manager to them and said there was a LIZARD on the table.

Now, we all know that the Bar & Billard Room is at the Raffles Hotel. It has an open dining concept, and there are gardens surrounding the place. Some nature might decide to be daring and venture into the place, which I seriously doubt, and if there was a lizard, I would want to see it for myself! However, LW and company didn't shout or scream when they saw this mysterious lizard and could calmly ask for the floor manager who had to attempt to explain the incident until he eventually offered to escalate the case to the manager which appeased LW. Even though the floor manager wasn't totally up to par with service standards as he went "huh?" a few times during the conversation and cut LW's words, you had to appreciate his calmness in the midst of such behaviour. Eventually, LW was appeased enough and the floor manager went to call his superior to inform of such an incident.

Miraculously, LW still had the appetite to walk and got bread and butter whilst the manager of the Bar & Billard Room came to the place to talk and find out what happened. Wow! (sense sarcasm here, in case you haven't gotten it) I mean, if you were really traumatised by this incident enough to report it, how would you even have the appetite to continue eating?

As the manager and LW talked, I only managed to catch bits and pieces of the conversation, and it eventually left talk about the lizard (whom I have no idea where it went to as I didn't see it at all) and became talk about the floor manager!

After awhile, they all left to go to the manager's office, and that was the end of the scene at the Bar & Billard room, with minimal disruption to the rest of the diners. The floor manager went around later and asked if everything was alright with the surrounding diners, ourselves included.

Now, we got to thinking. If you were really there for a buffet, with the full course around, you would normally go for starters, then the main course, and finally, the dessert, which would be expected if you went for a place like the Bar & Billard Room. Yet, LW and company went for sashimi and oysters (which weren't very fresh for the matter. Tasted weird to us.) and the other expensive stuff. There was no sight of the lizard at all, so where was the lizard? It is a 5-star hotel dining area, so what are the probabilities of lizards dropping onto tables?

Going by the usual service standards, I would presume that LW would get her dinner free along with some other compensation. But this whole scenario is so fishy!! LW had a diamond ring on, which bling-ed even in the lighting of the Bar & Billard room. was made up of smaller diamonds in a row set on a diamond band, so maybe it reflected a lot of light? I don't know. So what if you are wearing and using branded stuff and you do such ridiculous behaviour? My mom joked later during dinner that we should say that there's a tiger under our table and we would get our dinner free. -grin-

So friends, please, keep a lookout for LW and maybe one day you'll get lucky and spot her too!

Blue Train

2008-05-09T21:19:00.001+08:00

did a random search on naxos for blues music and i came across this album.
all i can say is i never knew recorder ensembles can sound so nice. *faints*
i love it!!!

Quiz

2008-05-08T16:10:00.002+08:00

okie... time to do a quiz since i've been sleeping for the past few days.

[[Quiz 1]]`
A. List 7 habits/ quirks/ facts about yourself
1) standing at 1.68m/1.69m (i never got a consistent marking), a little bit short of 1.70m

2) love to read!

3) can be super emotional

4) still watches cartoons for ego boosts

5) loves music other than those that will give me headaches

6) quite careless over things

7) doesn't know why he's majoring in economics

B. Tag 7 people to do the same
check your blogs for whom i've tagged

`[[Quiz 2]]`
01. How do you feel now?
sleepy, groggy and yet refreshed from the 4 continuous days of sleep

02. If you can fulfil one wish , what would it be?
to love and be loved

03. Who are you thankful to?
my family and friends, and Him

04. Important wishes for now?
graduate and find a great job and for my family to have less worries

05. If you can turn something in the past back , what would it be?
to have him back in my life and spend more time with him

06.What are your main priorities now?
graduate, keeping good relationships and making new ones. becoming financially independent and be able to support my family

07.What makes you happy?
(1)Being loved and cared for
(2)Seeing my loved ones safe and happy
(3)Spending time with that special someone

08.What do you wanna change in you?
to have more patience and love

09. What song can represent your feelings now..?
Affirmation by Savage Garden

10.What type of person you hate most?
no one in particular actually. i believe that there's a lesson to be learnt that He would want me to learn from

11. Are there anything you wish to confess now?
want to find out, ask me in person

12. What is your definition of a dream house?
A place for me to unwind with family

13. Who will you go to when you are feeling low one day?
i pray and i go to somewhere i can be alone and have some peace to think things through

14.What you hope to achieve?
be able to bring happiness to friends and family

15. What age do you wish to marry?
hmm.. say 30? since i'm 23 soon

16.What do you regret most in your life?
failed relationships and not spending enough time with people i love

17.Who made you angry for the passed few days?
the bugger who passed me this ridiculous throat infection

18. If you have a chance to confess to the person you like without giving ur name what will you confess..?
er.. kind of pointless i think to confess and yet not let the person know? defeats the purpose of confessing

19.How would you break-up with your girlfriend/boyfriend?
face to face where possible

20.What are the qualities do you look for in that special someone?
caring heart and personality

Instruction: Remove 1 question from above, and add in your personal question. Make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 7 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged. Whoever has the tag will have blessings from all...

qn to be added: what is the one thing that will always make you smile?

Finals

2008-04-29T09:36:00.004+08:00

finals are over!

EC3333 - I FORGOT THE FORMULAS AND I HAD TO DERIVE THEM!! SIGH
FNA1002X - I HATE IT. enough said
EC3332 - *kaboom* -mutters- stupid paper made me write so much in such little time
LAJ2202 - sigh. forgot katakana cuz i got nervous. then again, there was a person i heard that forgot the katakana, even though it was in his/her name. of note, someone was missing from the LT's exam.. hrm
GE1101E/GEK1001 - threw lots of clouds at the paper. just hoping to get a b+ now
EC3102 - ended up not going cuz someone passed a throat infection to me and i'm still running a fever since sunday. life sux.. have to retake EC3102 next semester.

its over!! and since its over it means training with Prudential and my reservist coming up real soon! ahhhh!~!~!

bfffzztt

2008-04-09T14:10:00.001+08:00

burned out.
uh-oh..
projects, essays, revision.
help!!!

tired

2008-04-07T11:25:00.000+08:00

would you just please get the point that i'm making?
would you just please bother to come for meetings?
would you just please put in your effort too?

i hate this.

just wish that this nagging pain in my back will just go away

For Khaiyuen

2008-04-02T14:17:00.002+08:00

Khaiyuen,

The point that we would all like to make to you is that we would like for you to improve as a musician and also as a person, so as for you to achieve your fullest potential without having anyone having to slap you in the face or anything at all. We may not be that much older than you, or truth being told, age shouldn't have any bearing on this at all. Do keep in mind that everyone goes through different experiences in life, and those experiences will be pertinent to different people at different stages of their life. When we speak up our mind, we share what we have gone through, we do hope that there can be something to be learnt from what we say. That is why, don't be so fixated on what you think is correct, but rather just listen to what others have to say first, and consider if what they say is correct. In the meantime, go around, ask, listen, seek further opinions on the matter, and if what everyone says is correct rather than what you think you were correct initially, then obviously, there is something not quite right with what you initially thought of, and you should do something to change that right? Rather than be so fixated on your own ideas and continue to make people have to continually talk to you.

On the point about NUSWS, we are ONE big family, but we are still made up of smaller sections. Just like a large family, with different family cells. Each family group functions on its own, but they all come together as one family, extended or not, to work towards a common goal. For me, what really matters more is what we as musicians can learn throughout our journey, rather than competitions to prove our worth against others. Would you rather be able to receive standing ovations time and time again for your performances or would you rather get a gold award that would mean that you have received a certain standard of performance playing? Each would give satisfaction in their own way, but the difference is that different people would gain different amounts of utility and eventually satisfaction from the consumption of the different goods.

About learning the instrument, it is good that you choose to change to another new instrument and it is a good job that you have managed to play the cor anglais in just those short few months. However, the point that we would like to make is that whilst playing other instruments for fun is ok, it would be better to focus on one instrument and be really good at that one instrument. Continually changing from one instrument to another wouldn't really do your embouchure any good if you intend to be a master of one instrument. Ever seen Sir James Galway play other instruments? I don't think so right? Because he is a master in the flute, and he dedicates his time to really practice and improve on that one instrument. That is what we would like to see you do also, to really decide on one instrument and to get really good at that instrument rather than continually trying to pick up some new instrument and continually trying to get better at all instruments. Be a master of one, not a jack of all trades. We really don't want to see you forever trying to get into some section. Find something that you really want to do, which you have for the cor anglais and oboe. So do your best there, and don't keep on trying to pick up and trying to master other instruments. It will really not do your embouchure any good by continually moving around. Some playing around is fine, because buzzing does help clarinet players relax our embouchures, but we don't go around trying to master the brass instruments. As Ian stated and also for my own case, going to another instrument changes our embouchures instead of helping it, and we have to spend more time in regaining the correct ones required, which isn't efficient.

All we want is for you to stop blaming yourself, and stop grovelling. We do mean well, and we want to see you succeed, and we all want to see NUSWS succeed. That should be the goal, where we can grow as musicians, as better people, and as our sanctuary from studies/work. That is what NUSWS is about, to me at least, and I hope that it can be the same for the majority, and everone where possible.

Xianwei

Planet Earth

2008-03-16T09:04:00.002+08:00

I'm glad that I stayed on to play for the concert even though I met with a lot of objection from my family. The concert was simply fantastic to me as a player, and even though there were some hiccups, hey, if there were none, it wouldn't be considered as a live performance. We aren't robots, we are human and humans are not infallible.

For the first half, Crescent and Stars was really memorable (THANK YOU JIIN JOO!) and brought back the old school feel of the 1960's. Nice march tempo and plenty of spirit! yay NUSWS! and of course to Ian, for stepping up to the conductor's stand to take the piece.

English Folk Song Suite had lots of spirit too! and plenty of vigor. Thanks Martin for being an entertaining conductor (quoted from my friend) and everyone for playing the march with your hearts out.

Cartoons really became larger than life. Great solo from lizi and the percussion section for showcasing all the fantastic effects. Crystal, all my friends said that your drums were the best! Great feeling and great tempo. Simply the heart of the piece. ^^

After a really quick intermission, the 2nd half was the eagerly anticipated PLANET EARTH! I really felt that we did a really good job of premiering the piece! Kudos to the flutes, the clarinets, the saxophones, the bassoons, the trumpets, the trombones, the euphoniums, the tubas, the string bass, the cellos, the harp, and the piano sections! The audience was simply blown away by the transition of viewing our Earth through music from outer space and back again. ^^ We even got standing ovations! How cool is that? Even Mr Tan and some members of NUSWS teared during the performance of Planet Earth, showing how powerful this piece and this performance is and means to us.

I didn't tear even though I was deeply moved until all my hairs stood up (literally and metaphorically) and also, when we finished the piece, seeing jinxun giving that HUGE smile just made me smile back. haha.. it was a sense of immense satisfaction, knowing that we brought the audience to another plane of existance for the 50 minutes of the piece, and showed them how music can bring out the essence of one's soul.

I didn't bring my camera this time round as I didn't really feel like taking photos. I just wanted to savour every moment I can via my eyes and ears, because they would really stay with me for the rest of my life. And it did and it will always be. And even right now, recollecting last night's memory is bringing the tears that were delayed for so long to my eyes.

Special thanks to the Clarinet section of Ian, Zijun, Francis, Huikoon on 1sts; Xiu Yu, Cheng Huat, Ruixiang, Khee Nguen, Zi-xian on 2nds; Jinxun, Huili, Sharon, Jasmine, Kee Jun, Yuhang on 3rds; Cedric on the alto clarinet, Song Wee on the bass clarinet, Teng Wen for bravely stepping up to the contra alto (which he can play on one chair and not two like the rest of the section!) and Joel on the contra-bass (and for the vibrating effects given to me) for making the entire concert and all the rehearsals super memorable and fun for the past sem.

Now that it is over, I wonder what's going to be left for the rest of the semester. I'm feeling an emptiness now that the concert is over...

For now, the last thank yous must be credited to the following people:
Mr Leng, for your guidance in playing in hwachong really laid down a solid foundation to handle pieces like Planet Earth

and how can we forget,

Mr Leonard Tan, for giving us the opportunity to premiere Planet Earth, for teaching us so much, for showing us so much, for giving us so much without any qualms nor expecting anything in return. For his great heart and spirit, guidance and words that led this 102 strong band to where it is today in only 2 short years. For planning this fantastic repertoire, for being there for us not just musically, but also mentally, despite all his own troubles, which he never brought to us and solving all our problems and more. For without you, and the rest of NUSWS, I will have never felt such a deep regret and a sense of longing when the day comes that I will eventually have to leave. But for now, all I want to say is, Thank You. You really made my day and I hope that we made yours too.

15th March 2008 - InTempo 2008, featuring the premire of Johan De Meij's 3rd Symphony, Planet Earth in Singapore. What a night to remember, what a night to keep in one's heart for the rest of your life.

死んだ

2008-03-11T22:53:00.001+08:00

死んでの時、心は痛い。
でも、したかがない。
自分の心も、友達の心も。。

涙。。

決めた

2008-03-11T09:15:00.005+08:00

コンサートが終わったの時、クレリネットを吹かない。時間がないだから、残念。もし時間があたら、もっと感慨する、続けるが欲しい。
しかし俺は今時間がない、それに疲れた。いつも寝たい、元気じゃない。

友達は外国で留学する時の写真はとてもきれいね。俺は頭が悪いだと思う、留学がでかない。

学生の時間は早くて、短くてだと思うだね。

誰が俺のクレリネットが欲しい？

眠い。。。。疲れちゃた。。。一人では寂しい。。。。

Uberest Rarest FREE DAY!

2008-03-11T09:01:00.002+08:00

ok! finally after 3 semesters of NO free days, I FINALLY get a feel of how a free day feels like again. Then again, I'm supposed to be studying for 2 midterms tomorrow, so what am I doing online? Because I've been awake for half an hour, and nothing seems to be going into my silly brain even though I've been reading for the past 20 minutes (hey, I had to brush my teeth, wash my face and have breakfast right?) so I went to visit a few blogs, made a few comments and since its so EARLY (I don't know what is considered late anymore considering I slept at like 3am) no one is really online to chat to.

Enough of senseless rantings. I should get down to my studies.

the feeling of emptiness... will you fill it for me?

i'm so sorry....

2008-03-06T23:20:00.002+08:00

i'm so sorry.. i didn't mean what i said in that tone.
i didn't mean to offend you.

i'm really sorry...

ごめんなさい

Geography Field Trip

2008-02-27T13:42:00.001+08:00

went on a "field trip" for our project for GE1101E and we went around to the various embassies on our target list for some information.

Turns out that overall, asking about embassies is a very sensitive topic as warned by Dr Pow, and we had a large mixture of reactions to our presence there and attempting to find out more information.

From the friendly to the not so friendly, it was an eyeopener experience nonetheless.

Looking forward to seeing how we can get the project done in time!

on a sidenote, teh tarik ice cream at island creamery is SHIOK! thx yokes!!
and jos and neha for the company yesterday.

super tired out.. still want to snooze some more, but my books are all staring at me and nagging away. *studies*

Doraemon

2008-02-18T10:50:00.001+08:00

care to draw?

apologies..

2008-02-17T19:59:00.001+08:00

to yoke khee and jocelyn for pang seh-ing the meeting on thurs (for lecture) and friday (after 4pm) cuz i didn't feel well enough to drag this sorry behind to school.

even though it was made up (sort of) online, it still isn't the same as meeting up. we really need to get the project going! i'll make it up by working extra hard on the research! and doing up more notes for the 2nd half of the term.

erps! mid-sem break is almost upon us! eeeks!

STRIKE

2008-02-01T18:52:00.000+08:00

received a sms this afternoon right at the end of lecture.
sender: MINDEF
topic: Call-Up

checked online.

I'll be ITI-ing on the 1st week of June. Please, do not call me out. Appreciate it. ^^

Xiaostar's blog

2008-01-30T21:51:00.000+08:00

popped by xiaostar's blog and saw this, and well, i'll post up some things here that i found there.

[Je M'appelle Hélène] - Hélène Rollès (French)
as compared to...

[依恋] by Joi 蔡淳佳

and..

[Built To Last] - Melee (English)
against

[不需理由] - Darren 陈世维

now, don't they sound very familiar? haha.. try playing both at the same time. the music is EXACTLY the same. there are many more songs around that use the same music, just with alterations in the lyrics. just that the post triggered the memory and me to go and find the songs...

SEP

2008-01-30T11:34:00.000+08:00

didn't make it for the next sem cuz its too late for one thing, and the economics department has a "standard" of CAP 3.5 to even qualify. i mean, its stated CAP 3.0 on the NUS site, so why the heck do you have CAP 3.5 for the department and isn't stated like -anywhere- that i look? sigh..

anyway, pull CAP again for this sem and next and i might have a chance to go in my final sem.

someone kill me please or i'll end up killing myself studying.

thinking of dropping band to clear time to study and mug like a madman. shld i? sigh

Concert

2008-01-28T11:12:00.000+08:00

InTempo 2008 is coming up again.
15th March, 2008
5pm, UCC (as usual)
Part of the A+E NUS Arts Festival (NAF)

Repertoire:
Cartoons
English Folk Song Suite (Mvt 1)
Finlandia
Premiere of Planet Earth, Symphony No. 3 by Johan De Meij

Celebrating the 40th Birthday of NUSWS

Tickets available either from Gatecrash, or via SAM or me!
$12 + $1 (gatecrash fee)

新学期！

2008-01-25T19:48:00.000+08:00

新学期でしょう！
今学期、私はもう一回六moduleを勉強します。六moduleは大変です、でも全部は私はとても好きなmoduleですから、大丈夫と思います。

私のSEPのapplicationはだめです。経済departmentはsupportしません。＝（
来週の水曜日、私はSEP facilitatorで会います。SEPへ行きたい！

今、私は日本語三を勉強しますから、blog post はもっと日本語を書けって、練習します。

でも、私の日本語はまだまだ上手から、たくさんmistakeがあります。みんな、すみません。

よろしくお願いします

我不配

2008-01-06T23:23:00.000+08:00

2008

2008-01-04T20:06:00.000+08:00

2007 is over and 2008 is here. so many things have happened in 2007, and I'm grateful for everything that has happened over the past year.
Being able to serve in the ex-co of nusws has been a great learning experience. playing for both concerts was a really nice feeling, even though i wanted to quit halfway through the year, and didn't really want to go to italy for fear on a drain on financial resources (which it was actually so i'm not intending to go for any trips that are not saved for by myself) elections wise wasn't that nice as things didn't go as i expected and i made quite an odd decision really.
its 2008 now and i dont know if i'm going to continue to play for planet earth even though i've practiced for it. supposed to submit the signup form for the concert the week after. really hesistant to spend that bit less time with family in exchange for the band. time wise, its not a problem, but sometimes, that tug to spend time for family is there rather than to spend time out with friends, even though they are really fantastic company like zijun, xinhui, khee nguen, ian, huili, ruixiang, teng wen, jin xun, song wee, joel, kee jun, tze ting, yoke khee, fairoz, edna, xiuyu, huikoon, cheng huat, wan ting, jasmine, sharon, fairoz, zheguang, cedric (both of you), and everyone else and of course, mr leonard tan for being so nice all the time and trying so hard to bring us all to the next level of music.
school wise, 2007 has been a year of ups and downs. i broke down in yr1sem2 and flunked my studies. y2sem1 was ok given 6 modules and i really enjoyed learning all my subjects even if i didn't do that well for some. great friends around, like ben, stephanie, cheryl, vengky.. even though i drifted away from some, i became closer with some others. makes me feel odd sometimes to see people that i was really close with in yr1sem1 drift so far away. missing the seniors that have graduated like charlene and i'm so going to miss qin yan the upcoming semester. i always looked forward to japanese classes even though we were next to each other in class to meet up for that lunch session and we could just talk nonsense. haha..
family wise, my family has stabilised over the past year. i still miss you, dad. things are a lot better now and will continue to do so. as they say, time heals all wounds? i'll find more time to go and visit now that its one module less (i hope) for this semester.
relationships wise, all in due time. Its in your hands my Lord. I'm sure you have it all mapped out for me and I'll follow you, with your words in my heart.

resolutions for the year, firstly, to lose some more weight. haha.. make more friends and strive for better grades. hopefully SEP goes through and I'll get to go around the world sightseeing. Looking around for tuition jobs still, and with luck it can be found. pay off my laptop loan by this year and get a new laptop next year along with a SLR. my clarinet wise.. i might sell off or just give it to jinxun or ruixiang should i stop playing. who knows?

everyone else, happy new year!!

to someone who's blog i read

2007-12-19T17:08:00.000+08:00

the path of life is filled with ups and downs.
when you do like someone, do tell the person.
friends are always around to support you, so do have faith and trust in them.

taiwan

2007-12-19T17:00:00.000+08:00

kind of a late entry considering that its the last night of my stay here in taiwan, though it has been pretty good actually.

other than one member of my family refusing to walk too much as she has leg problems, the rest of the trip was actually pretty ok. not a lot of photos actually, all uploaded to facebook. the rest i'll upload once i take them out from the camera.

tech stuff isn't any cheaper here, though shoes are pretty cheap and good. bought myself 4 pairs of shoes! 2 pairs of MLB shoes, 1 pair of von dutch shoes and the last pair is an unknown pair of made in taiwan shoes. total cost: 2388 (von dutch), 2400 for the 2 pairs of MLB shoes, and the best buy: NT390 for the unknown brand. lol!

food wise, depends on where we went to eat. the roadside eateries are cheap and good though. haha...

places went: hualian, nantou, taizhong, taipei.
total time spent in taiwan: 11.5 days
total cost, hotel inclusive: SGD3000
experience: priceless

note to self: where can i go for a quick holiday next june..... can't wait. haha

links to the photos on facebook:
Day 1/2, Part 1
Day 1/2, Part 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5, Part 1
Day 5, Part 2
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11

quotes

2007-12-08T01:27:00.001+08:00

"live to give"

2007-12-01T18:54:00.000+08:00

i'm supposed to be studying... but...... i made this up!
S is for super
T is for tiring
U is for unending
D is for dying
Y is for yearnings to be free!

the question that haunts me

2007-12-01T12:51:00.000+08:00

ok.. i couldn't do this question in the exam and it has been haunting me for the past 2 days. so i'm posting it here in the hope that it will stop haunting me. question has been paraphrased.

Take a Robinson Crusoe economy. He has to decide on how much to produce and how much to demand. his production function is x = sqrt(l) and he has only one unit of time, 1. his leisure is denoted as n, and his work is denoted as l. his utility function is u(x,n) = ln(17x) + ln(n).

solve for the competitive equilibrium.

ok.. its out and i shall hope that it stops haunting me.

update on damages done by tenant

2007-11-27T18:25:00.000+08:00

latest damage report by a Mr Kim Tae Hyeung aka Andy. Skinny guy aged about 50, divorced with shaggy hair and wears glasses.

public utility bills owed: $867

i mean.. wth?! you damage the house due to neglect and you even owe public utility bills and still have the nerve to ask to rent the house again?! just go somewhere where i won't see you until i want to find you and get the money you owe back. idiot.

in the middle of my exams and i have to get such idiotic news. urgh.

exams

2007-11-27T13:03:00.000+08:00

ok.. 2/6 are over, 2 more tmr and what am i doing here? just sian of studying already.
someone pls fastforward time till my holidays so that i can be free?

ok. just plain complaining here. -shuts up-

Famine in Niger

2007-11-18T16:18:00.001+08:00

This is from yoke's blog and the clip just makes me feel nauseated as an economics major. How can such things be happening in this world that we live in? How can we substantiate the food that we are eating even, when such things are happening? We aren't talking about ten or twenty years ago, this is just -two-, i must emphasize, -two-, years ago.

So much for welfare economics, so much for public finance, so much for developmental economics, so much for economic theory, when they can't even -see- such atrocities happening. Its in the news, it may be just one side of the story, there's UN presence there, there's obvious monitoring from IMF and World Bank, there's international aid presence there, so why the heck are they ignoring the basic principle that people should sell off excess only after their basic needs are met?

isn't the right to food and drink for survival part of the basic rights of all human kinds as stated in the Genova convention? so is all that just plain talk and all fluff?

anyway, the video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw9OARpp-KI
just watch and form your own opinion.

mine: disgusted

おしりかじりむし

2007-11-15T13:09:00.000+08:00

concert

2007-11-13T17:32:00.001+08:00

Da Capo 2007 is now over and this post is late by a good 3 weeks. >.< it was a really good concert and a night to remember and i have to thank the ex-co and the rest of the section and everyone in nusws who worked together to make the concert a success. even though the response from the audience is a mixed one, i guess what really matters is that we gave our all in the concert. truth be told, i think the rehearsal playings were a lot better than on concert day itself. the addition of people into the hall really warps our sound a lot. sigh.. didn't help that the recordings are so screwy!

anyway, had a good time after the concert with the section at crystal jade and at haagen daz. i still think that i bumped into something that night though i have no idea what. jinxun, if you read this, i apologize for making you giddy with that drive up the carpark. i'll drive a lot slower the next time. promise.

thanks for making the section a fun place khee nguen.
zijun, ian, lai yee, ruixiang, francis, thanks for taking time out of your schedules to play still. clarinets have the most alumni kaes! we are united past, present and future!
jinxun, sharon, jasmine, joel, cedric, thanks for playing as seniors!
song wee, hwee lee, cheng huat, thanks for playing as guest players.
xiuyu, huikoon, wan ting, kenny, thanks for being enthu yr 1s!
hope i didn't miss out anyone in the section.

most importantly, thank you jolie and lionel for being the emcees for the night even though you couldn't play in the concert, it is really appreciated. =)

everyone that has exams, jia you! for those working, may your jobs provide you with more satisfaction. for chenghuat, look forward to your day of ORD!

photos:

preparing for the concert

yr1 ladies

the year 1's + jinxun. yr1 as alumni counted too? haha

just the year 1's. chenghuat considered as one too!

our dear alumni. thanks!

well, xiuyu and huikoon, what more can i say? they are attached to each other!

all the alumni. =)

khee nguen and me

the skinny ones of the section

khee nguen and francis

zijun and me. the person that put the clarinet in my life ^^

natalie and me. we look alike?!

marketing '06 and marketing '07. lets take a better looking photo together next time

kee cai and me. grade 8 flute distinction! grats!

zoe tay and me! thanks zoe for arranging the rooms and other logistic matters. i'm not that scary la.. dont worry. =p

xx and yb. i think i'm quite extra in between them, but oh well.

well, this is just for fun. lol!

huikoon, dont play with ur food la! haha

section photo outside haagen daz. anyone has a better photo tt doesn't have keejun blocked, pls send me!

belated bday greetings!

2007-11-13T17:28:00.000+08:00

ok, i know this is not appropriate considering that i forgot about their birthdays in the first place, so, i'm sorry!
just not appropriate to forget, even with the crush of datelines of projects, essays yada yada. lets not go there.

so....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

happy (belated) birthday to zijun (cloud) and huijuan!
this post is one day late as their birthdays were yesterday.
so sorry! wish you both the best in the upcoming year kaes?

cleaning up

2007-11-09T13:01:00.001+08:00

it really sucks big time when your tenant runs away, without paying the rent, and leaving a hell of a mess behind.

1) aircon was spoilt
2) blinds were taken down w/o telling us
3) the refrigerator STINKS of kimchi (they are korean)
4) ALL the spotlights blew up. (some of them shattered in my face when i was changing them)
5) white walls turned YELLOW
6) the washing machine is spoilt
7) the PLUG of the cooking hood is COATED with OIL
8) the stove was so clogged we had to scrub it to clean it out
9) the shower heater was short circuited
10) a BED was stolen
11) ALL the remotes were spoilt

it was so bad that the boss of the cleaning agent we hired told us he will return us $100 to stop cleaning. horrible.

i'll post that horrible tenant's name later..

rants and raves

2007-11-07T19:47:00.000+08:00

what's wrong with drivers these days?! or just today.
decided to take clementi road to hit the highway home. before clementi mrt, first up, a harrier posing as a lexus decided to swerve right into the middle lane when i was trying to filter in. i SIGNALLED and he didn't. and i had to swerve away. 20m away, a toyota wish had his front poking out from the left lane. that's so FREAKIN DANGEROUS can?

so never mind... filtering into PIE from clementi, someone (not going to mention make or even the license plate) CUT IN FRONT OF ME ACROSS DOUBLE WHITE LINES. naturally, it was really close so i horned him and guess what? he gave me the finger.

seriously, not my day.

got home and looking forward to relax, and i finally cooled off from the drive home. i turned into a blind corner into the carpark, and ta-da, a lady and her daughter were walking straight smack in the middle of the road. being nice, i highlighted her, and no response, so i horned to inform her that i was going through. her reply: the finger. URGH

just not my day to drive... should have just been late this morning and took the train. sigh

final presentation for TR2201

2007-11-06T08:42:00.000+08:00

erps! execution in progress!

relaxing before the final presentation

loh mei mei.. wahaha

TR2201 - Crossroads Corporate Video

2007-11-05T14:40:00.001+08:00

Our corporate video for module TR2201, Entrepreneurial Marketing for Technopreneurship Minor. Too bad, I'm not in it as I'm 不上镜！=P

Comments anyone?

pets

2007-11-05T14:31:00.001+08:00

seeing your blog post, i still remember your pet jumping up and down and trying to get something out of me. still remember the fleas, still remember you laughing and scolding your pet(s) as though you were scolding someone.

God bless

mid terms

2007-10-26T14:35:00.000+08:00

got them all back...
pleasantly (not) pleased with myself (ie: i feel dumb and stupid)
mis-read instructions and answered out of point for my philo essay, though i still passed, i dont know how
missed vowel sounds for my japanese resulting in major loss in marks
misinterpreted and copied the critical values wrongly for metrics
drew graphs wrongly for micro

i need sleep. hate these careless mistakes.

da capo is tmr.. time flies~ hope it goes well and i'll at least have something to look forward to cheering myself up over the weekend.

something good to end the entry i guess: grade A for my EC2373 paper! my FIRST and ONLY A that i've received so far in NUS. >.< though the final grade is still murky right now...

2007-10-23T11:32:00.001+08:00

so nice right?? *swoons*
Photo: Elizabeth Carmel (source: http://www.hasselblad.com)

DSLR

2007-10-23T11:29:00.001+08:00

would anyone ever sponsor me this DSLR pls? haha

Durian!

2007-10-23T10:51:00.000+08:00

the below mentioned scenario is true and is to be believed at all costs to any readers. this is a classic example on how your senses will influence your mind, even when you are asleep.

*mom is sleeping soundly*
me: holds a durian puff to my mom's nose
*mom snores lightly and definitely smells the durian puff*
me to sis: eh.. sis, mom is asleep liao, don't think the smell of the durian will wake her up.
*mom wakes up*
mom: eh.. cut a piece from the durian crepe and share leh!
*me and sis burst out into laughter*
me and sis: mom definitely smelt the durian

mindef

2007-10-23T09:47:00.000+08:00

eerps.. just when i was hoping they have forgotten about me, they gave me an email and my ns unit. bleagh..

anyone can tell me what 742SIR is about?

time to go running more often!!

buang

2007-10-17T23:30:00.000+08:00

buang-ed my core.
time to begin mugging for finals! 60% to salvage!!
hopefully japanese would be decent too. sigh

contact lenses + cousin's bday

2007-10-15T15:31:00.000+08:00

finally got around to getting my contacts and i have the bad luck of losing my right one when it dropped out. i'm typing this entry with only my left eye.

on the other hand, my baby cousin's 3 yr old bday party was amusing la. haha..
he made me carry him out, bought a police toy set, then made me carry him back. after i bought the toy for him, he hugged me so tightly leh... haha.. i know i got suckered, though for such a cute little baby, how can you feel bad for long right? hahah

2007-10-14T20:09:00.001+08:00

"everyone should have something to smile about all the time, like the thought of a hot shower, chocolate cake with lots of frosting, playing with russell, upcoming xmas, having a great family. basically i guess it's always about counting your lucky stars (everyone has at least 1). if not, life isn't really worth living. right?" - from stephanie fong

i like this.. a cuppa hot chocolate or quad shot of coffee does that to me (its either the sugar or caffeine rush. take your pick. it just puts a grin on my face ya?)
or meeting someone that i really miss a lot..

how about you?

facebook

2007-10-14T20:05:00.000+08:00

is addictive.
find me there! haha...

omg

2007-10-14T19:39:00.000+08:00

urgh.. gotten really fat these days after getting into the bad habit of munching on something whenever i'm stressed.
going to go running more often...

final cost

2007-10-09T11:46:00.001+08:00

$530..
not so bad la.. at least i can eat a bit more this month. lol
all my savings for that special occasion is all gone though. =(
now... lets see what Da Capo 2007 holds. (italicized! as per instructions from zijun)[ps.. amended further cuz i am always blur when i blog. quite like my sensei who calls me blur blur desu. hai.. watashi wa itsu blur blur desu. >.<]

is dead..

2007-10-02T12:00:00.001+08:00

*waves goodbye to ~~$600~~*
make that $630. i feel like shit.
obviously kena hammer and i cant do a thing.
no appetite

祸不单行

2007-10-01T21:45:00.000+08:00

今天真的不是个好日子。
首先，测验没想像的那么难，结果没有把定义背下来，造成了一半的分数化为乌有。=（
其次，在路上，一不留神不小心撞上了别人的车。虽然不是很严重，但是，还是错在于我身上。4年级的学长，对不起！！
最后，去收租金时，不但被玩弄了又一番，不但没收到租金，车子的后望镜给人家撞了一下。

真的是祸不单行。。

loss

2007-09-30T18:09:00.000+08:00

everyone goes through this phase at some point in their life.
we dont want it but it is just a part and parcel of life.

regaining is sometimes possible, sometimes it will never be.

some are replacable, some are never.

where are you now?

CNLWE Concert

2007-09-30T10:58:00.000+08:00

went for the concert last night and was slightly disappointed in the first half by the tuning mistakes and the rather lacklustre of the music. eventually found out that it was colin's first time conducting and the hall also just had the air conditioning turned on right before the concert, so its rather acceptable that there were such mistakes. the temperature can sure wreak havoc on the tuning of the instruments.

had a nice surprise at the end, when colin proposed to kexin. hehe... kudos to him for having the bravery and its nice to see a sweet couple getting together in holy matrimony. kexin blushed like crazy during the encore piece! haha.. hope that she will join us for intempo next year.

Pastor Francis turned the night around i have to say. next time, have him as the emcee!!

on the sidenote... makes me appreciate mr leonard tan, ian lum, and mr darence leng a lot more.
thank you all for creating a space to enjoy music...

練習です

2007-09-19T15:34:00.001+08:00

今私わレクチェにeconometricsを聞きます。
どうしって私はbloggingですか？

なにもない。

死にたいですよ。
寝たいですよ。
食べたいですよ。
わかりません。

はいはい。。。

家家有本难念的经

2007-09-19T15:31:00.000+08:00

你，我，他
很多时候就是说不出口。
难道是我错了吗？

想念。
思念。
观念。
那一方面？

mid sem break

2007-09-17T13:30:00.000+08:00

is just around the corner so its time to get down and lock down things studies wise.

35 more days to O levels. stop freaking out would you? you are freaking me out too!

blogger type

2007-09-17T13:12:00.003+08:00

intriguing

complexities

lecture

posting at 0430

2007-09-11T04:30:00.000+08:00

why am i posting at this really insane time of the day, i dont have any answers for you.

it has been a really long time since i've blogged using longer sentences instead of singular or short phrases as means to remind myself of things that have happened in my life and things that i should remember in my heart and mind. somehow, i feel that what i'm about to write does not come close to what i really want to say, because no matter how much i write about things, somehow, the point isn't quite there to me.

有些时候，以华文来表达自己的心声会比较容易一些些，但有时也无法把心声完全地表达出来，还有很多事情就是无法以文笔来说出来。很多事情过了，也算了。有些事情你是会遗憾终身，但也有些事情会让你一想起它就会无法停止嘴角往上移动。虽然应该做的，我们都知道应该做些什么，但是往往也就是无法完成，造成遗憾。

doesn't make much sense there doesn't it? talking with myself there and not quite making a point. there have been many losses in life, and many more to come, yet at the same time, you gain something and you will continue to gain throughout your life. treasure what you have in front of you, even though you know you will lose it one day. Perhaps really soon, perhaps in the far away future, treasure it when you have it and give it all the love that you can.

i've lost people whom made a difference in my life, the few people whom i have around me, yet i've gain a few more in return. i am not what you think i am, i am quite the opposite i believe. i look at myself in the mirror and i wonder, who is this person looking back at me. i listen to the wind blowing and i ask the wind, what might it be that you wish to tell me? i remember, i forgive, i forget, i let go, i hold on selfishly.

so, what am i and what am i to do? all i can do is to offer what i can in return in hopes of acceptance. i am not good at all with words, except that my heart yearns to comfort those around me. i hope to play a song of hope to reach out and touch your heart and soul. i wish to let you hear the song of the winds gently blowing past your ears, whispering softly to you.

remember, love and cherish. what you have now and what you have lost. they are all within your memories and your heart, they will never disappear unless you wish them to be so.

(do not stand at my grave and weep)

2007-09-09T10:23:00.000+08:00

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRnBtvjuYRg < embedding is disabled, so here's a link instead

Home

2007-09-08T22:07:00.001+08:00

is where the heart is.

Quarrels.

Love.

Heartaches.

Frustrations

ORD

2007-09-08T12:13:00.000+08:00

congratulations to Chee Yan on his ORD!

on a sidenote, i must remember to eat a little more a little earlier before i go drinking the next time. puking ur guts out doesn't feel very nice ok?

i feel bad towards the taxi uncle.. unfortunately i was feeling so horrible that i didn't take down his license plate number or name to thank him again.

on the good side, i got to catch up on sleep. 10 hours of blissful sleep. >.<

tts all the time i can spare.

work.

LOL

2007-08-30T09:16:00.001+08:00

bangun. to xianwei: you`re really efficient and scary.

安静

2007-08-25T20:46:00.000+08:00

只剩下钢琴陪我谈了一天
睡着的大提琴安静的旧旧的

我想你已表现的非常明白
我懂我也知道你没有舍不得

你说你也会难过我不相信
牵着你陪着我也只是曾经
希望他是真的比我还要爱你
我才会逼自己离开

你要我说多难堪我根本不想分开
为什么还要我用微笑来带过
我没有这种天份包容你也接受他
不用担心的太多我会一直好好过
你已经远远离开我也会慢慢走开
为什么我连分开都迁就着你
我真的没有天份安静的没这么快
我会学着放弃你是因为我太爱你

华语

2007-08-22T19:07:00.000+08:00

最近觉得以华语把思路写下来比以前容易的多，也很想以华语把心声说出来。
但是，还是有许多事情无法形容，所以也只好把那段时光摸掉，尽量把它锁在脑海中，让它成为一段一段美好的记忆。虽然光阴似箭，但是我不曾后悔过。每一段光阴都把我槊成今日的我，也让我一直有着能够反省的回忆。
不知不觉中，已经快一年了。这些日子所走的路不能说的上是一路顺风，但是，同时也过的很充实，让我学到了很多事情。希望能把这些学成的事物留给后代，让他们的生活过得充实，美满一些。

POEMS Stock Challenge

2007-08-22T19:04:00.001+08:00

very interesting...

anyone interested?

http://shares.poems.com.sg

apologies..

2007-08-21T22:11:00.000+08:00

sorry.
a mistake that i can only follow through to myself.
stuck in the middle.

开学的第一天

2007-08-13T14:28:00.000+08:00

开学了。
有些事情，不知道是否是好，是坏，但是知道了，也无法把时间的手把往后转，也只好一直走下去，找到自己想要找到的答案。
有些时候，不知道是否做了正确的选择。但是，选择了就不能后悔，要接受再走下去到下一个终点。

祖您永远幸福快乐

时间

2007-08-03T15:31:00.000+08:00

光阴似箭。时间过得很快，一年已经飞过去了。有时还不能相信时间过得如此匆忙。
过去的一年过的很充实，因为有了与我一起走过这段路的人。
虽然有起，也有落，但是在步行的每一个小脚步都有你们一起陪着走，在我的心海里留下一个个小小的脚印。这，我很满足，很高兴有你们一起陪着到这个停歇点。

过了。

谢谢你们一起陪着我，很感谢你们。

再见了

why

2007-07-28T15:53:00.000+08:00

do things have to turn out this way?
can we really choose our own fate or let Him decide?
Compromise or stick truly to His words.

sheesh. *bonks self on head*

rhetorics.
His word.

debrief

2007-07-25T22:07:00.001+08:00

went well!
cake and jelly cheese were finished with good feedback for the jelly cheese. ^^
made the time spent towards making it worthwhile la..

some questions raised. still no answers

how i spent my day

2007-07-24T16:02:00.000+08:00

visited malaysia to buy cakes at half price!
visit to the dentist to clean my pearlies and received a clean bill of health
going out for dinner with mr leng later
come home and make jelly cheese!

getting old

2007-07-23T00:57:00.000+08:00

older.
i wonder what the future holds.

The Simplicities of Life

1, 2, 5

T4210

1st post of 2010!

My New Toy!

*stressed*

Music to your ears, anyone?

work life

Day 3, Beijing

China Day 2, Beijing

shanghai day 1

Graduation

My Redeemer Lives

To NUSWS Exco 2009/2010

Words

update update~~

Besana

4As

personal responsibilities

Ponyo

2009

24th

2 years..

Standard Chartered Marathon 2008

Da Capo 2008

where shall we go on from here

life so far..

Some words of wisdom

Lizard Woman

Blue Train

Quiz

Finals

*bfffzztt*

tired

For Khaiyuen

Planet Earth

死んだ

決めた

Uberest Rarest FREE DAY!

i'm so sorry....

Geography Field Trip

Doraemon

apologies..

*STRIKE*

Xiaostar's blog

SEP

Concert

新学期！

我不配

2008

to someone who's blog i read

taiwan

quotes

the question that haunts me

update on damages done by tenant

exams

Famine in Niger

おしりかじりむし

concert

belated bday greetings!

cleaning up

rants and raves

final presentation for TR2201

TR2201 - Crossroads Corporate Video

pets

mid terms

DSLR

Durian!

mindef

buang

contact lenses + cousin's bday

facebook

omg

final cost

is dead..

祸不单行

loss

CNLWE Concert

練習です

家家有本难念的经

stressed

bfffzztt

STRIKE