Fishy Business

Many friends have come to me recently and said this, "Darren, don't worry buddy, cheer up, there are millions of fish out there."

And I believed them. But events of late are starting to make me wonder if my friends have been lying to me. I've been pondering deeply about whether I should take what they say with a pinch of salt, and maybe some lemons....

Case 1 - Location: Frankston - Date: 10th November 2005


It was an outing that was long overdue. Chester and Howard were always talking about it but we never really got down to doing it. Until that night. Me, Sharon, Louis, Amanda, Howard and Chester set off to the Frankston peninsula in the wee hours of the morning. The wind was strong and the water was choppy. Hoping to catch some fish off the jetty, all we really fished out of the sea were sea lice. Sea lice are the grossest critters ever. Of course at that time we didn't know they were sea lice and we all thought that the bugs were aliens invading our bait.

Case 2 - Location: Grampians - Date: 19th November 2005


Unfazed by the unsucessful fishing outing at frankston, Me, Chester and Amanda decided to tag along with Sharon, Anna, Louis and Brian when they decided to go to the Grampians for a camping trip. The Grampians is also home to a few lakes and reservoirs and fishing is a popular past time there. We didn't want to go camping with them but we were really hoping to catch some fish and to cook it over the camp fire at the campsite for dinner. Didn't happen. What did happen was that we were surrounded by a gazillion flies by the lake the whole time, My poor car was almost destroyed by mother nature and Amanda proved to be an ace wormer. But still no fish.

Case 3 - Location: Emarald Lakes - Date: 9th December 2005


In a last ditch attempt to catch some fish before leaving melbourne, Chester and I decided to travel to the region of the Emarald Lakes. Chester had heard good stories about trout fishing there and we roped in Sharon and Joshua to come along for the expedition. The drive there was fun and the weather was awesome. We traveled to different water catchment areas in the Emarald region but non of the locations yielded any fish. Nothing was biting at our hooks. There were some breath taking views though, and they were shared with good company.

Conclusion. Millions of fish out there? There are none. I wonder what these people have been talking about? Bizarre.

Bright morning sunshine

Hee hee I've beeen awake since 7am! I hope my angel eyes come today. I hope Sharon's driving test goes well.

Would I want it any other way?

Its been pouring the whole day today. The rain trickling down the glass windows helps me think.

Its been a pretty miserable time for me lately. Things going wrong in my love life. My car being stuck in the garage. Feeling lonely at home with no means of getting around. More and more friends leaving Melbourne, lesser things to do. Bad sleeping habits, bad eating habits. The list goes on.....

But as I sit here listening to the rain pelting my roof, as I watch the water droplets slowly make their way down the glass window, I can't help but think, surely my life isn't all that bad. There are millions of people out there who wouldn't mind exchanging lives with me I reckon. People who live in fear of losing their lives. Those who have to worry about finding their next meal. Those who have to endure the cold as they find a decent spot to sleep along the streets.

I have a comfy bed, under a solid roof. Food everywhere. good family and friends, nice car to drive. I should be rejoicing that I have a nice house to be lonely in and a car to get frustrated over. Our minds work funny man. I really should perk up and count my blessings.

Righto, back to my steamy cup of earl grey.

Disastrously Amazing

Hey Y'all!

I'm back home safe and sound from wakeboarding today and MAN! was it an adventure. First off, my virgin wakeboarding expedition in Australia was an absolute disaster! Everything that could go wrong went wrong. We set off late and didn't hit the waters till about 4 plus. The weather seemed nice though so that was cool....NOT. Storm clouds were rolling in from a distance. The wind started to get really crazy and the water become very choppy. Almost like being out at sea. Not good for wakeboarding.

Steve. This guy was supposed to teach Davina and Sharon how to wakeboard. He teaches them by throwing them out in the water and expects them to miraculously stand up on their own. Bollocks man. Fortunately I remembered how frankie and the guys at pro-air from back home taught newbies so I gave them some instructions and I think they did pretty well on their first time out. Especially with the bad conditions and all. Kudos to you 2 babes!

Now, my turn arrives and I get into the stormy waters. I tell ya, I have never experienced worse conditions while wakeboarding! The water was churning and tossing me around! Getting up on the board actually took effort. Steve. Remember him? Bollocks guy? He drives the boat like a madman and with the choppy, turbulent water, i'm crashing most of the time. I didn't even get to ride out to try for a jump! I also realised that he didn't release the rope enough for the speeds he was driving, so I tell him that. Well the champion throws out some rope and then proceeds to drive the boat over it. You know what happens when an in-board motor boat drives over some wakeboarding rope? The rope get tangled in the propellor under the boat and is usually a major pain in the ass to remove, rendering the boat useless out in the water.

The next hour or so was spent drifing around in the lake and trying to find a solution to get us back to shore. I spent most of it swimming around and trying to push the boat away from the rocks so that the hull doesn't get damaged. Steve. Remember him? Bollocks guy who thinks he knows how to drive a wakeboard boat? He's there pushing the boat off the rocks for a while as well. There we were next to each other in the water, bracing ourselves against the boat (well at least I was) and for some weird reason, as we were stepping on the rocks near the banks and pushing the boat, he kept screaming loudly as if he was in a lot of pain. We were stepping on the same rocks, doing the same things. What are you screaming about you poof? He sounded like there were pirahnas biting his balls off or something. Anyhow, cutting the long story short, this continued until we drifted close enough to the boat launching area (with the help of the girls peddaling frantically from the boat). There, they managed to haul the boat back up and remedied the tangled propellor.

Oh! but not before Adeline decided that she wanted to take a plunge into the water so that she could pee pee. It was hilarious coz after that, she realised that the current was pulling her away and she had no strength to swim back to the boat. So the two of us swam off in the other direction towards the bank and climbed back to shore. It felt like we survived a shipwreck when we were scrambling up the rocky embankment followed by a grassy cliff. I even took a tumble down back into the water. Fortunately, we got out of it safe and sound.

Phew. Thank you God for keeping us safe.

So that was my wakeboarding experience today. I think I'll go back to Singapore and get a proper ride. But, despite it all, I actually had a great time today! It was an adventure! I felt so alive and a fire within me was re-ignited. I can sit back with a cool drink and laugh about this one for a while. To those who were there with me, what a memorable experience it was eh? More than just an adventure, I think the company of great friends who'll have a blast laughing about our disastrously hilarious wakeboard outing makes everything worthwhile.

Steve. Remember him? Bollocks guy who thinks he knows how to drive a wakeboard boat and had pirahnas chomping at his nuts? Well, he redeemed himself coz he didn't charge us anything for today so it was pretty much a free boat ride, while it lasted.

I had a dream

Yesterday afternoon, I went for a run. It was a short run, and yet I was exhausted after. Guess it shows how unfit I've become. Anyhow, after getting back from the run I showered and pondered for a while if I should get ready to leave the house to meet Sharon and Davina. We were gonna watch the new Harry Potter movie you see. I looked at my watch and decided that I had time for a quick nap. So I plonked into my bed and promptly drifted off to lalaland.

Then it started. the bizarre dream. It was so weird. I was in a dark place. And yet, despite the darkness, I could see a girl dressed in bright yellow. She was standing a few meters away from me. I cannot really remember who that girl was, but i think she was someone I knew. She reached out her arm and something fell to the ground from her hands. After a while, I could make out a black snake on the ground, slithering towards me slowly. I remember getting freaked out, by both the eerie girl in yellow and the black snake. Could things get any worse? Yes. The snake finally reached within a few feet from my shoes when suddenly, it started twitching uncontrollably. The twitching was horrible. It looked like it was possessed or something. It looked like something was trying to burst out of it. And then 8 legs appeared. 8 hairy, spikey, clawy legs popped out from its sides. The snake was no longer a snake. It was some deformed spidery monstrosity. At this point I reacted and thrust out my right foot to stomp on the snake/spider creature with all my might. I promptly kicked myself awake and out of bed.

What was that all about? I have been pondering the events in the dream. I have been deep in thought and trying to analyse every possible detail to decipher what it could all mean. Thus:-

a) Its a dream to warn about the impending doom generated by the madness of science and the tampering of genes and DNA at the cellular levels, thus creating mutants and monsters that may spell the extinction of the human race. apparently, these mad scientists wear yellow.

b) Aliens in their yellow motherships will be dropping alien bugs down into earth. These killers will look like snakes at first when they are travelling, but upon contact with humans, will transform into the attack mode that resembles a giant spider.

c) A girl wearing yellow will drop a snake in front of me in a very dark place, however I will be mistaken as the snake is actually her pet spider and seeing that I hate spiders, I will stomp on it, pissing her off.

d) A yellow car will jam brake in front of me, one of its tires will fall out and roll towards me before exploding into 8 different pieces.

*hic*

Wakeboarding!

Wakeboarding is a relatively new boardsport, it was created from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques. Before we called it wakeboarding, it was first called skurfing. As in water skiing, the rider is towed behind a boat, or a cable skiing setup, but typically at slower speeds (18 - 24mph).

Instead of using skis, the rider wears a single board with stationary non-release bindings for each foot, standing sideways as on a snowboard or skateboard. The boards, which can float, are typically 130 - 147cm long and up to 45cm wide (shorter and wider than a snowboard) as well as being convex (tips 15 - 25cm) rather than concave as a snowboard.

Please let the weather be good tomorrow when we go wakeboarding. I've never wakeboarded in Australia before. Let tomorrow's experience be a good one.

Wednesday morning strip

Home is where the heart is?

Its been a while since I've been back to Singapore. Now that I'm done with my degree, I can head on home. Going back to Singapore is usually exciting and something I look forward to. This time round, its a little bit different though. I feel like I'm gonna return feeling lost and empty.

Life's gonna be different now. Sure, my family, friends and the great food will still be around, but its just not the same anymore. No more dates with Eunice and waking up to her messages on my phone. No more late night suppers and driving to CCK before kissing her goodnight. (no more driving to CCK!!! wooo hoooo!!!!)

What about my friends? I feel so detached though. Everyone's just in their own worlds. Jialing's ocuppied with work and wedding preperations. It still upsets me that I'm going to miss her wedding. She's been a great friend since I have no idea when. I can always depend on her for companionship and honesty, even if it pisses me off sometimes. I'm glad she's marrying Adrian, he's a top bloke. Then there's Geri, always around with words of support and encouragement. Always an attentive listener when I need someone to talk to. But she's a big girl now, chasing her dreams and careers. Sure miss the good old times of Mahjong, playstation, long drives and east coast beef soup.

Melissa's still a great friend even though she's an ex. Hi EX! She's still a bubble head though, and heaps of fun. I hear you've been losing a lot of weight. Don't need to work so hard man. Justin, You've been through a tough year too man. And yet you can still remain your usual cheerful and supportive self. You've always been a great guy to hang around and do fun stuff with. I hope the working world hasn't changed you too much. Not forgetting Zhenni. Though you always look like you're gonna kill me, I know that under it all you're a sweet and dependable friend. I hope all goes well with your job and Christopher.

Shane, are you there buddy? Though we always briefly appear in each other's life in recent years, I know you're a brudder for life man. You still crack me up with your wit and facial expressions. We gotta catch up in Singapore. JOHN! you've disappeared once again. You're a great buddy, but at the same time you're always up to something. Hope all's well with you. And finally Ashley. I don't meet up wih you as much as I'd like to. but somehow I know that you'll always be around when I need you. Come over to use my powermac whenever you need man. Just remember to give me royalties when your productions make it big.

My singapore gang rocks. Its sad that I've been on a totally different continent during these exciting tansitions and moments in life. I feel like I've missed out on a big part and even though I'm heading back soon, I don't know if I'll be able to catch up.

One thing though, I've made peace with my situation. I know it'll work out. Eunice and I will still be friends coz 11 years of friendship shouldn't just disappear like this. Things are different now, but it'll be fine.

I know there are heaps more friends that I didn't mention, and I haven't forgotten you guys. Believe me when I say that each and every one of you is treasured. You all have contributed to my life and my progress one way or another. I'm just typing this as it comes.

love you all.

Spring cleaning

The problem with digital cameras, you become trigger happy. So many pictures to delete. You can't just burn them like the good o'l low-tech times.

So many gifts/memorabilia to stash away. You know, things you can't really throw, but don't really want around anymore.

So much unfinished business to settle.

So much belongings to return.

The problem is, how do you get rid of the memories thats stored in your brain? Sure there are good ones. But the good ones actually make you sad and bring on the bad ones.

How to reset, and go back to a time when everything was fine and dandy? To a time where you can prevent a mistake from happening. How?

Lonely nights with insomnia and an active mind are the worst.

Raindrops

I'm sitting here at my computer again. At 4:09am. This insomnia thing is really starting to become a nuisance. But then again, there are so many nuisances in my life right now.

There's thunder booming outside. And the occasional lightning flash. One thing I love when I am up at night, is rain. It soothes me and gives me a nice fuzzy feeling inside. I feel safe from the world as I watch the rain run down the glass on my windows. The sound of the rain drops pelting the roof has a nice droney hummm to it that seems to penetrate deep into my soul, as if telling me that the rain has come to wash my troubles away. Its bizarre and I don't know how to explain it in words.

I think rain has a certain divine quality to it. Sure, we've been taught in school that rain is the result of evaporated water from the surface of the earth condensing when it reaches a high altitude, forming clouds before falling back down to earth as water droplets, but I say that it's showers of blessings from the man with the plan.

I'm gonna go through the storm and come out fresh and renewed. Free from the leeches of the world. Sure, you pathetic parasites can come and take important things from me. But I'll crush you like the cockroaches that you are, and discover new and better treasures in store for me.

Letter to Life

Dear Life,

Hi, its me, Darren. I just thought that I'd drop you a note. Just to see how you are. Are you well? You know, sometimes I can't really figure out why you're so difficult to get along with. I mean, there are times when you're awesome, but then you can take a nose dive straight into the pits.

I feel that something's missing with you. Something's amiss. Are you progressing and moving on ahead? It sure feels like you're getting stagnant and there's no aim or direction in where you're heading. Thats tough man. Aren't you supposed to have big dreams and ambitions?

Why do things happen to you that make everything around stand still? Your university graduation is coming up, and so is your 26th birthday. But you don't seem excited at all. In fact, you don't really seem to care or think of it as another milestone in your existance. Sure, you thought that someone special would be there to share those moments with you, but face it, there is no special person anymore. May I remind you that the person actually made other plans, and wasn't gonna be present at your birthday or graduation in the first place? Its not worth the pain. Anyway, thats history. You really need to get a move on.

What about God? You and God should be walking next to each other. Walking down a path together, chatting. You can tell God your problems, and I'm sure he'll help you out. The hurdles along the path will be no problem with God by your side. I know that, and life, you should know that too.

Anyway, I hope you get better soon. Don't let the pain and misery get to you. You should just free the anger within you coz there's no point to it. Rather, I think you should embrace everything else thats good, coz there is still a lot of great things around you. So perk up and stay strong ok? You'll get through this, you always do. Its never easy, but its not impossible either. Look forward in anticipation to greater things to come! Take care buddy.

Love
Darren

SOS (Snowboard Or Ski)

Anybody wants to go to the snows in Jan? Snowboarding or skiing? Japan? Canada? America? Anywhere! I need to get out and ride. Please.

Immobilized

I am stuck at home. I can't go anywhere. And you know why? because some dumbass out there couldn't get a simple thing done correctly. See I was trying to install a set of "angel eyes" into my car. It was gonna be an "after exam special technical engineering project". so there I was. all excited and dismantling the left headlight unit. I'll leave out the technicalities but bottom line is, it was a lot of work. when it was finally time to install the light rings, i realised that they didn't fit. so i took some pictures, sent off an email asking for an explanation. The guy replied and said, " oh, those rings are the wrong size, did we send you these?" WTF?!? OF COURSE YOU SENT ME THESE, YOU MAKE THEM! I ORDERED FROM YOUR FREAKING WEBSITE!!!

anyhow, they said they'll send the right rings out to me as soon as possible but its coming from the states so i dunno how long it'll take to get here. and in the mean time, i'm not gonna go through the trouble of reinstalling my headlight fixture, just to take them out again when the correct rings come. Thus, I'm immobilized.

What the hell is wrong with these people anyway? Can't you just get a simple thing done right? whats with the stupidity? Man, its almost as STUPID AND MORONIC AS INVITING SOME GUY TO COME OVER AND STAY ALONE WITH YOU IN YOUR FREAKING APARTMENT AND THINKING THAT YOUR BOYFRIEND WILL BE OK WITH IT!!! WHAT THE FUCK MAN? DON'T YOU EVEN THINK OF THE IMPLICATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR BRAINLESS ACTIONS?! SUCH AUDACITY AND DISRESPECT.

Man, I really need to go for a drive.

FINISH

THATS IT MAN. THATS THE LAST STRAW. I'VE HAD ENOUGH AND I CANNOT BE BOTHERED ANYMORE. I'M BAILING.

Fishing, waterfalls, camping and bear

every end is a new beginning

Wow, time flies. I cannot believe that I have completed the gargantuan task of achieving an engineering degree. I remember thinking at the beginning that I still have a long way to go before I step into the realm of adulthood. I thought that it would be a while before I had to handle the responsibilites of a real adult. That time is now.

So where did the time go? It whizzed past in a flash. Its like some cosmic space time continuum that flows into an infinite entity that has no return. At the blink of an eye, I have reached the point where suddenly, the path isn't clear nor fixed. Whats next on the cards? Where are the instructions? Sure, I have some ideas of where I could head towards, but I'm not holding a definite map. Man, this is driving my mind nuts.

I was settled into my beanbag just the other day, a cold beer in my left hand, Buble playing through the living room stereo. I was reflecting in the dark about the journey that just concluded. Its really been a roller coaster ride down here in Melbourne. My first year of uni in Monash was an absolute disaster. I remember the insomnia and the frustration. Breaking out in cold sweat and panicing that I may have made another bad decision to study engineering here. So many times I pondered if I should switch courses. Friends telling me that I was nuts and I just needed to relax a little.

Seriously. God sent me a bunch of friends that really helped me through my entire uni course. Suddenly the lonliness and uncertainty was taken away from me and I actually felt that things would turn out fine. To my buddies studying ECSE in Monash, you guys rock and a big thanks to you all. Not only did we make it through the course together, but we went through some pretty awesome times.

God. I know for sure that I am slowly getting closer to God after coming to Australia. In fact, I think I'm closer to God than I've ever been. He works in the most amazing ways. Ways that you can never comprehend till you see the end of it. Though better late than never, I've managed to immerse myself in an awesome church and an amazing cell group filled with dynamic and inspirational people. These guys have really made a huge impact in my life and I wanna thank all of you for being the great bunch that you are.

So where do I go from here? I don't know. Life is full of questions with no answer booklet. Day after day I ask God and I know that I'll find my footing in due time. Its tough growing up. Time to step up unto the next adventure. Time to get a move on.

where's the popcorn?

So remember I mentioned something about my final CGM and how I would post pictures and an entry after my exams? Well it seems like I won't need to do it anymore since people like Eunice, Sharon, Louis, Anna and Amanda have all posted pretty detailed and picture filled entries about the event.

But do you want to know what REALLY went down that day? Check it out.....

Final Cell Group meeting, Final exam, finally.

What great timing.

Here I am tying up loose ends for my exam preperations, and I am running a fever! My nose has become watery, my eyes are hot and my body feels like a car radiator. Sigh, studying for this one and only paper is gonna be slow. Fortunately I've done most of my preperation already. But I also had other things to do. I had to prepare for the final cell group meeting. I was given emcee duties, along with band duty, tribute DVD and a bit of game preperaation. Never would I have imgined that I'd be so involved in a cell group. but it was an awesome experience. It was great working with you guys and I think we pulled it off pretty well considering that most of us were in the midst of exams and all.

But I think its taken a toll on my health. i need AIR-CONDITIONING!!!

Can you guys pray for my exam and that God will get me through this?

More pictures and details of the final CGM in the next post after exams. What a blast it was!

In the mean time, here's a cool exam picture I found at Randy's site.It kinda translates how I feel right now....

ciao~

Bee safe

Hey y’all!
I killed a bee today. Took me a while but I got rid of the bug eventually. It must’ve flown in when Eunice came by for dinner. A lot of patience was required along with lightning quick reflexes. I must’ve been standing under the kitchen light for about 7 minutes and 33 seconds before I got the perfect opportunity to swipe at the bee with all my might and my latest issue of wake-boarder magazine. It flies around pretty quickly these bees. And they love buzzing right by your ears to irritate you. Therefore, I have decided that instead of having to go through what I’ve been through.... I shall provide some insight on how to handle a rogue bee that has invaded your home to terrorize you.

1) Keep a black bear as a pet: Black bears are one of the bees’ natural predators and enemies. Not only do the bears destroy the bees’ nest to gain access to honey, they eat bees in the process as well! Great to nuzzle and snuggle into after a stressful day of work too.





2) Grow a giant carnivorous plant in the house: Various species of plants are carnivorous and they usually prey on small insects and other creepy crawlies though there have been accounts of unfortunate deaths for clumsy birds and tiny mammals. For best results, grow the genetically mutated, extreme giant kind that will eat bees like we eat peanuts.

3) Dress as a Giant flower pot head: This will allow you to fool the bee into thinking that you are its natural source of food, hence coming into a close enough proximity for you to smack it without too much hassle.












So, with summer approaching, its time to be prepared coz the bugs will be out in full force. Good luck and God bless.

Exam!

Oooooh. The 8th day of the month of November in the year 2005 is approaching! Which means that my one and only exam is around the corner! The last exam ever. The last official university examination. I've had a lot of time to prepare for it and I have been working at it, but the sense of urgency that glues everything to your brain just isn't there. And now that I'm starting to freak out, I am slowly starting to focus! So its cool, I'll get it done. Though it does suck to see friends around me starting to pop champagne and start the parties. Oh well......soon.