right about now, firestarter

Anyone remember that song, Firestarter, by the Prodigy?

"I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter. You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter"

Maybe those dumbass morons in Indonesia have been blasting that song a little too often. They're burning up their forests and what not to clear the land. Unwittingly, they're destroying the environment and the eco-system, not to mention the daily lifelihood of millions living in the neighbouring countries. Bastards.

The pollution from the fires is wrecking havoc everywhere! Planes are grounded due to poor visibility. Those with respiratory problems are having their lives placed at risk. Outdoor activities have to be limited and there's no such thing as going out to breath in the fresh air or to smell the roses! I can't go for my runs! I run to keep fit. How am I supposed to do that now with the haze level in Singapore hovering at unhealthy levels? Just taking a walk outside causes irritation to my eyes. And you know what happens if I don't keep my fitness up? My metabolic rate will go down, and a lowered metabolic rate means you will grow fat! I wanna put on weight but I don't wanna grow fat! I'm supposed to put on weight while staying trim and toned. Now that age is catching up, my metabolic rate is bound to slow down and this haze is NOT HELPING!



Is this my fate?? To go from skinny chicken legs to fatty bom bom? Noooooo......

iChat DoTA

Greetings y'all! Man its really hazy out today in Singapore! The PSI index hit 150 today. That's in the unhealthy range. Someone stop the bloody indonesians who are slashing and burning up the jungles!!! Anyhow, after the customary "after church service dinner and fellowship" session today, I came straight home. In the comfort of my air conditioned room, away from the heat, humidity and the haze. And what better way to maintain quality time with my fellow cell group members than with iChat? Of course, this is currently limited to me, Alan and Melanie coz you'd need a camera/mic equipped mac to enjoy the full features of iChat.

And thus, our maiden attempt at a 3-way video conference via iChat commenced at about 22:45 E.S.T and it was a success! It was hilarious too and I must say, iChat is the best video conference program I have ever used. (well? what are you all waiting for? go get a mac already!) Here's a little screen capture of what it looks like.



As I was musing on the screen shot and marveling at how the reflections at the bottom of the participants' faces were nicely rendered, it occurred to me that our expressions and poses were strangely familiar. Then it struck me! Back when I was in melbourne and living with the Hanafi's, many a time I'd watch the boys play Dota. Dota is a spinoff game from the warcraft franchise and Wilfred, Josh and Brian are nuts about it! The most interesting part though, was when they'd select their heros. You'd get to choose from a wide variety of heros, each with their own special powers and appearance. I was always intrigued at which hero they'd choose and why. Anyhow, here's what I noticed.

Alan's upward stance and firm jaw-line, coupled with his neutral smile gives him similar features with the hero known as the stone giant.


My goggle eyed-toothpaste representative smile gives me the creepy and eccentric look thats not very different from the hero called the skeleton king.


And finally my favourite would be the lovely couple of JK and Mel. By sheer coincidence (and my total amusment), the way they are positioned and how much of their shoulders and bodies fill up the lower horizon mimick the look of the 2 headed Orge Magi Hero. Or is it heros?


Right, and it is with these amazing observations that I shall have to bid you farewell for it is wayyyyy late and I have to get up to go wakeboarding tomorrow! Later~

ruminations of sentience

Right. So i'm 26 years of age, going on 27 come December. That'll make me just about 3 years shy of being in existence for 3 decades. Yeowza, sounds like some kind of relic! Well, not really. But still, one can't help but wonder, what is life about? I've been around for over a quarter of a century and I still haven't figured it out.

Sometimes I hear a gleeful exclamation that life's GREAT! Most of the time I hear murmurs that life sucks. Do these people even know what they're talking about? Or is it just a careless expression of their current situation of state coz more often than not, these same people have been known to use both phrases. So which is it?

When I look back at what I've been through so far, my life seems to be fine. Actually its been pretty good. I've always had a roof over my head, a comfortable bed to sleep on and meals to keep me growing ( Yes I'm still growing ). I've got wonderful parents who nag at me but also provide generously. I always have my needs met and a fair amount of my wants granted. But despite all this, I sometimes still sit back and wonder, is this all there is to life? It seems like I'm not really full on and jumping for joy at being able to take a breath every few seconds.

People who've lived through wars. Those that have suffered from disasters and calamities. Those who survived accidents. Now these are some people who would clobber me on the head and admonish me for not being thankful for everything that I have now. And the fact that I'm blogging about it now kinda means that I know that I should appreciate it. And I do. I really do. But why is it I don't feel a giant blast of euphoria whenever I wake up in the mornings? I'm sure someone who's been hiding for his dear life would when he wakes up to find out that the war is over. Please God, don't misunderstand, I'm not asking for something horrible to happen to my life. I'm just wondering if its absolutely neccesary to go through a rough patch to truely appreciate the good times? I wanna just live in the good times and be happy! NOW! :) <--- (what a fake smile, you'd look psychotic if your face were in that exact shape )

Is ignorance truely bliss? Would I be in absolute rapture if I were living up in a mountain, not knowing about the happenings and the technologies of this world? I wouldn't want something if I didn't know it existed right? And if I don't want anything, I'd be totally satisfied instead of constantly thinking when I can earn enough to buy that sports car or get a hold of the latest Mac with the most gorgeous screen. I wouldn't even worry about earning money for anything! I'd just live everyday as it comes. Gathering food when I feel hungry. Sleeping when I'm tired. Probably invent my own games to pass the time. Sounds pretty boring huh but if it were true, I wouldn't know better anyway since I don't know that snowboarding or playstation exists.

So why does this dilemma exist? Whats the confusion about? How can I write so much nonsense over nothing? I'm not sad. But I'm not happy either. I'm just. Normal. Can I even say that? I'm normal. Sounds weird. Say it out loud to yourself slowly. I'm NORMAL. "Normal" is an adjective that implies conformity with established norms or standards. So I'm conforming? What exactly is that standard that I am comparing myself to be conforming?

Ok its time for bed. Goodnight.

Voice of an Angel

Whenever I am weary, You pick me up and never let me go

You give, me strength

For when I’m lost and lonely, you walk with me and show me the way

You’ll be, my friend


Angel voice, I long to have you near

Your precious words are all I wanna hear

And let nothing, come between us

Coz nothing in this world can ever compare

hoax obliteration

I am vexed. I was alerted to a website depicting my own demise. dnew356.blogspot.com showcases a comic that deceives audiences into believing that I was devoured by a shark. Such subterfuge will not be tolerated! When I find out who these insurgents are, I will personally send Amber, my harbinger of death, to annihilate and destroy. Just you wait dnew356! Muahahahahahahahaha

Animal Planet

I was having supper with a friend recently when a giant beetle fell off the branches above us and landed on our table with a huge thud. It struggled for a little while before flipping itself off its back and then proceeded to crawl towards me. At this moment my friend started freaking out whereas I calmly scooped up the beetle with my hand and threw it into the nearby grass patch. My friend was properly horrified and shrieked at me, "How could you do that? GROSS!"

Why was it gross? The beetle was a creature of nature. One of God's creations. It wasn't intending to harm me or anything. It just happened to drop into the wrong place. I'm one who is generally at peace with nature. I love animals, and animals love me. In fact, after going through my blog, I've come to realise that I'm constantly in contact with nature and her animals in my adventures. Some have even been photographically documented.



So I say this to all you people out there. Love nature and other living creatures around you and life will be a more exciting place to hang out!

Extreme sport?

I'm going wakeboarding on the 8th of October and I was asking my cell group if they'd wanna come along and wow! What a response I got! Turns out there's gonna be 20 people going so we'll need about 4 boats. Some of them have never tried before and asked me all sorts of questions. Is it fun? Does it hurt? Can you die? etc etc.

Well, wakeboarding is an extreme sport I guess. And as with every other extreme sport, there are risks involved, coupled with the possibility of pain. However! You shouldn't let that get in the way of the immense amount of fun you will have! Wakeboarding is extremely fun and extremely addictive. It gives you a good workout too. For beginners, I daresay that you will feel no pain at all when you fall. The boat's moving to slow for you to hurt yourself when you're starting out in the sport. The only pain you'll feel will probably come from the aches the day after. What you'll get is great fun under the sun, wind rushing by as the boat glides on the water and great fellowship with those on the boat with you.

So be prepared for the fun time you're all gonna have and ride safe!

ahoy matey's!

Aloha! Guess what I did today? It was a pretty X-games day coz I went wakeboarding all afternoon and then roller blading in the evening till past 11! Ahhhh the vigor of youth. (Wat?!)

But what I wanna talk about here is not about my day. Rather, its about a serious thought that I had. See, while I was wakeboarding with Sharon and her cell group member Susanna, it was revealed that Susanna actually owns a house in Sebana! Ohhhh the wonderful memories of Sebana. The peaceful, serene environment. The calm and smooth waters. Wakeboarding Mecca I call it. Its great for the occasional getaway retreat. What a great place to have a cell group meeting!

Soon after we ended the wakeboarding session, we were talking about organising another one in 2 weeks and apparently, heaps of cell group members were very keen to come. I asked my own cell group and the response was good too. In fact, we'd probably have to book 4 boats to accommodate everyone at the current count. Christians love wakeboarding! Well the Christians in my zone at least.

So, we've covered 2 things so far. Susanna's house in Sebana. Cell group members wanna wakeboard. Following me so far? Coz here comes my brilliant idea. Why don't we buy our own wakeboard boat? Our very own ZONE BOAT. Sweeeeet. We could organise cell group meetings in Sebana where the boat could be docked (docking in Singapore would cost too much) and have whole weekends of wakeboarding in clear flat water!

Now, Yalan's zone comprises of 7 cell groups. Each cell averages 15 members. That gives us 105 individuals. Seeing how we pay cell group fund every month, we could set up a zone boat fund. So, a proper wakeboard boat like a mastercraft X series would cost around $80K. Divide that amount by a period of 12 months and 105 individuals, the monthly contribution to the Zone Boat fund would work out to be around $63.50 per member! Roughly the price of one wakeboard session. Brilliant! Hur hur hur. I wonder if the relevant individuals are reading this entry?

Fugu?

Konichiwa!

Did I ever mention that I'm an ardent fan of Japanese food? I love everything Japanese that's edible. Sushi, Sashimi, hand rolls, tariyaki, wasabi, tempura, ramen (EXCEPT THOSE FROM AJISEN!!!!) etc etc. You catch my drift. So it wasn't much surprise that Nicole and I ended up at raku over at greenwood for Japanese before she left. As usual, the food there was good. Fresh and delectable.

One thing that stood out that night though, was the Fugu. Now Fugu is Japanese for pufferfish or blowfish and it is a Japanese delicacy.


Most of you will know that this species of fish is poisonous and can be lethal if mishandled. It is the only dish that the emperor of Japan is banned from consuming and only select chefs with proper training and certification can prepare it. Well, I spied "Fugu" in the menu and immediately I was on the case! Wow! Another fear factor moment! A brush with death maybe? Anyone recall my food adventure involving the sea urchin? Sweeeet.

So I ordered and it took a while for it to come and when it finally did, I was perplexed. You see, in my mind I was expecting a soft, fleshy white dish a-la-sashimi. However what was served were thin brown strips of meat. It looked almost like jerky. Nicole was stumped as well but she prayed for safety anyway. So what happened next? We ate it of course. And this was the weird part, almost immediately an intense pain shot up my throat and up into my head! Everything was turning white and I started foaming and seizing!! I WAS DYING!!!! And then Nicole's voice totally pierced through my imagination and brought me back to reality. "It tastes weird huh? Like meat..." I was chewing on it too and you know what? It did taste like meat. In fact it tasted exactly like Bak Kwa! Bak Kwa is roasted slices of marinated pork, usually eaten as a snack.


How disappointing! They could've cut up a slice of bak kwa into strips and served it to me saying it was fugu and I wouldn't even have known! How come its brown and meaty anyway? How did the fish get that way? Nicole reckons its dried or preserved and all they did was heat it up and serve it with Japanese mayo. Sheesh, what a letdown. I guess I gotta go to Japan if I wanna try the real thing. So my fugu experience wasn't much of a "living-on-the-edge" one but at least I enjoyed dinner. I wonder if there are other places that serve fugu? And the REAL thing. Not some preserved jerky bak kwa wannabe.....

Brain stimulant

Has it come down to this? I have run out of ideas on what to write about. My regular posts filled with sarcastic humor have turned into bland and lame entries. I don't even know what kind of comics to make anymore! Where has all the nonsensilism gone?? The very essence of this blog has been lost.

Wanting to add a new post, yet not knowing what to write about the other day, I decided to look through my archives to see what I've been blogging about in the past. What I read were fun thoughts and ideas. Some mischevious, some sarcastic, some creative even. Well there were a few angry posts but we'll let those slide. So I sit here wondering, whats become of that spark that used to ignite the creativity and the words? How come I've not been able to create interesting articles for people to read?

I think I'll attribute it to my current state in life. Nothing's happening for me right now. I'm not having much fun, I'm not having great experiences and I have nothing to think about nor talk about. There's nothing to arouse my curiosity or to stimulate my mind. There's nothing that is provoking thoughts and ideas that I can repackage into a blog entry. My toe nail that died while snowboarding finally dropped off today. Thats all I can think of right now.

I'm not upset or uncomfortable or anything, but I'm not very happening either. Bugger. Well at least some of my shows have returned. Prison break and House are downloading as we speak and I hear that Lost and Grey's anatomy are starting soon. Save meeeeee

what REALLY happened on Buller

as before, click for a bigger view

Joyce's Birthday BBQ

Click on it for the bigger version. Its easier to read that way. Duh.

riding habits

Greetings y'all!

Having returned to Singapore for almost 2 weeks now, I am still having the occasional withdrawal symptoms from Melbourne and Snowboarding. SO! What better way to get my mind off things than to go wakeboarding? Yup, I totally dig being strapped to a board and moving around sideways at speed.

As fate would have it, Melissa and her friends decided to go and they extended an invitation to yours truely. Everything started off pretty well. The weather was good, the company was awesome and the water was acceptable (for a Saturday) but when it was time for me to hit the water, imagine the horror when I realised my riding was all stuffed up! I literally was, HITTING the water! Almost every jump I launched ended in disaster! I was crashing and crashing, but the funny thing was, I was crashing in a weird way. Not the normal "jump gone wrong" crashes I was used to. Rather, I found my body rotating a little in mid air and I would land in a weird position and SPLASH.

Being back on the boat after my run, I pondered for a bit and then I realised where my troubles lay. I've developed bad habits from snowboarding! It dawned upon me that when I was launching jumps on my snowboard, I'd look down towards the snow to spot my landing, my board would sometimes be rotating in the air and my hands are usually flailing around to keep my balance in check. Now, you try doing that while wakeboarding and what do you get? A crash. Why? Simple, coz you gotta keep your hands on the rope handle! DUH.



So I guess I gotta work on correcting those bad habits on my next session. I wonder when will that be? Anyone wanna go?

Ajisen Ramen Poison

I've been up all night. Diarrhea, Vomiting, Fever and cold sweats. Its miserable and I feel like crap now. My body feels like it got hit by a truck. I can barely move my limbs around. Never, NEVER eat at Ajisen Ramen. Its a pathetic and sorry excuse for Japanese food. The service was bad and the food tastes like crap. And to top it off, it makes you sick. The first time I had it, I got sick. Last night after eating the worst Ramen I've ever had, I spied the "Ajisen Ramen" logo at the bottom of the reciept and it all made sense. The restaurant at the Takashimaya food court was part of the Ajisen Ramen chain. And surprise surprise the poison struck again. Bastards. I'm calling the health ministry straight after this post.

Coming to a TV screen near you.....

Hahaha! Its complete! My snowboarding documentary is done! After 4 full days (and nights) of going through the footage and pieceing the segments together, I can safely say that I have managed to capture the true essence of my snowboarding adventures! This has got to be the most fun I've had making a video yet! Sweeeeeet!

For all the wonderful people involved in it, you'll be getting a copy in your mail soon! Hahahahahaha. In case I forget, you can place an order here. Laterrrrrr.

on the fly

This explains why I love snowboarding. Here's Brian, Wilfred and Grace catching air too! Sweeeeet!

Beyond now

Hola!

Phew time for a break. A break from browsing through the papers, scoping out potential jobs. At the corner of my eye, almost out of view I spy my snowboard lying idly next to my guitar. Is that a layer of dust collecting already? Or maybe its just the plastic cover its in. Oh I do miss Melbourne so. My friends, the snow and the cool climate.

I'm not meant to be stuck at a desk, looking at the computer screen. I was built to be launched out into the great outdoors, conquer the unknown, freeze in the snow, you know? So in the midst of the job hunt, I asked my mom what she'd think if I decided to be a snowboarding instructor. She said, "Sure, if thats what you want." How cool is that?? I'm starting to think that my mom may be a misplaced citizen like me.

But alas, the results of my search wasn't promising. The average cost for an instructor's course lingered around the ₤6000 mark. YES! Six Thousand Pounds! Thats like almost 20 grand in singapore dollars. Of course it includes a season pass good for mountains in Canada (read: WHISTLER BLACKCOOMB), food and lodging for 11 weeks and of course, training and certification exam fees. ₤6000.....Groan.

I guess its kinda like taking a course in uni. I cannot justify asking my parents to pay for it though, they've already provided me with so much, more than I could ask for. I came to a conclusion that maybe I'll work for a couple of years, get sick of the corporate world and by then I would've saved enough to embark on this.....let's call it a sabbatical. Sweeeet.

But then I started thinking and then I realised, what if......what if I was in a stable relationship, or worse, what if I was married? I wouldn't be able to just take off and go. The course itself is 3 months, and if I wanna make use of that certification, I'd be teaching kids how to snowboard in snowfields all over the world. Such is the dilemma of a soon to be 27 year old. Is it now or never?

A life of eternal winters wondering snow fields round the globe, or a life in Singapore with a stable job and maybe my soulmate?

farewell my love

My run here in Australia has ended. I cannot believe how fast 1 month and 3 days can go by so quickly. The time has come where I have to reluctantly pack my bags and drag myself to the airport.

I had a great time though and I'm thankful that I was able to delay my return by 2 weeks. That extra time gave me the opportunity to enjoy some of the best experiences of the holiday. Epic snowboarding trips. New friends made and great relationships established. Great times over food and at beautiful places. The only drawback is that its making my return to Singapore a little harder.

Well, to sum things up, here's what I'm thankful for:

1) First and foremost, I gotta thank God for blessing me with such a great holiday and the chance to have it.

2) The SNOW! That's the main reason why I came back to begin with! OH and the great chance to ride my custom X. I managed to visit all three mountains as planned and each trip was made amazing by the company of people I was with. My riding has improved and I've got heaps of great photos and videos to seal in the memories.

3) The boys at no.20 Lansell Road. Wilfred, Josh and Brian. You guys have been a great bunch to hang out with and I'm glad to have been able to get to know you all better! Thanks for letting me crash there most of my trip and for being so gracious with my needs. I had heaps of fun with you all up in the mountains and in melbourne.

4) Eunice over at Malvern. My other dwelling place. Thanks for letting me stay at your apartment and invading your "warehouse". You've been so sweet and I just wanna thank you for letting me stay for that week or so. I'm glad to see your leather journals and diaries and photoalbums picking up. They're beautiful! everyone should have one. More on that in a later post....

5) Great friends I've made along the way. I'm glad I got the chance to hang out with my uni / engineering friends and then make new friends in the process! By alphabetical order: Alan, a fellow snowboarding fanatic, I hope your butt recovers soon so that you can get some spring boarding done man! Bee, you're a blast to hang out with and I enjoyed getting to know you better this time round. I pray that things will go smooth for you and that you'll be smiling all the time! Randy, you're still as goofy as ever and a great buddy to chill out with. At least we hit falls creek together so the promise to ride together this winter was kept. Ru O, you're a barrel of laughs man. It was fun snowboarding with ya and thanks for the jokes in the long car rides. And last but not least, YEN! We finally meet after passing by each other at various events and probably even in the campus centre. 3 years in Monash and I only get to know you when I'm back here for a holiday. Better late than never I guess. Thanks for being such a sweetie. I really enjoyed hanging out with you and getting to know you better. I hope someday we'll get that hot chocolate under the stars.

6) My amazing church friends. Here's a big shout out to this amazing bunch of people who made my non-snowboarding days in melbourne amazing! Thanks for the dinners and that final farewell at HRC! I had a great time fellowshipping with you all! Buzz me for the pictures ok? I have heaps and heaps. See you all in Singspore soon!

Oh there's so much more to be thankful for but it seems I have to start packing my bags now if I wanna get on that plane back to Singapore. hmmmmmm.......

THANKS FOR THE GREAT HOLIDAY!

blue moon

Anyone looked up into the night sky and saw the blue moon today? I didn't. What I did see was this blue tram ticket and it was in my pocket. Yeap! For the first time in my existance in Australia, I have taken the tram. One of Melbourne's most basic form of public transport, I found myself getting into one after finding myself all alone in the house and needing to get to the city.

Wilfred's reaction kinda summed it up. "How did you go to the city today? HUH? YOU WHAT?" I must confess that the tram ride was quite pleasant, though the tram hardly moved at the speed of light. It was more like taking a slow relaxed stroll. No rush, no stress. It was quite a good way to take in the urban sights and admire the odd architectural gem. It was also a great chance to put my iPod nano to use. I do miss the times when I enjoy my tunes through earphones as I watch faces come and go on public transport.

It also gave me a chance to spend some time with myself. Sitting there I could ponder upon what I wanted to do with my life. What jobs I'd like to try out. What kind of girl I want to date. How I'm gonna draw closer to God. How I should land that heelside 3 when I launch off a jump.... you know? the important things in life. But seriously, I didn't expect to enjoy taking the tram and I'm thinking that maybe I should take the bus or train now and then just for the kick of it. I reckon it would be a good experience too, being on the bus with no specific destination in mind. Just to be along for the ride and see where it leads you. I'd enjoy that. Someone told me thats what sagittariuses do. They wonder around and enjoy life. Sounds good to me.



Till my next post, take deep breaths and enjoy what life serves up!

New friends I got to (s)know.

Greetings friends and passers-by!

Looking at the little window on my watch with the date dial reminds me that I have a week left in Australia. Yes, my snowboarding adventures are drawing to a close. With only 2 more day trips left in the plan, I can safely say that its been a blast. I've also met my goal to visit the 3 main ski resorts in Victoria. Yes! I've conquered Hotham, Fallscreek and Buller all in one season.

The new snowboard is phenomenal. I can ride faster, pop higher and carve harder. Its like riding a magic carpet! Furthermore, being a white board, you can barely see any scratches or marks when dumbass skiers run over your board at the chairlift line. It still looks brand new. Sweeeet.

The weather has been pretty good to me. God has blessed me with pretty good snow for some decent fun. This season's riding has definately stepped up a notch. Amen to that! But the most important point to be raving about has gotta be the great company I've had on this trip and the big bunch of friends I've made through the snow! Thanks for all the smashing fun and awesome memories.

As you can tell from the few photos I've placed around this post, I was with great company and it was a blast. Till my next snow season!