You can never have enough time.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Time is of the essence
Welcoming the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 15300ST to my horology collection.
You can never have enough time.
You can never have enough time.
The Exodus
Phooooo Weeeee! I haven't blogged in ages! Time sure flies and now, one by one my fellow course mates are being posted out! Joe's gone to Beijing while Michelle is on the plane to LAX as I type this. Well I guess its just them and Bob for now since Kenrick, Reuben and I are still stuck here in good o'l Singapore. Not for too long I hope.
Good luck you guys who are out there now though I hear that our friends in China won't be able to read this coz of the ban on blogger by the government there. Whats up with that??
Oh and Bob has gone to Japan for a holiday. Again. He barely got married and already he's on his second honeymoon. I waved goodbye to him at F54 today while I was on duty doing the departure south wing. Yes, while I was on DUTY.
Which reminds me, ever wondered how you're on duty and then BAM! something happens with a passenger which requires the immediate attention of the DM. That really erks me. When we're out on our rounds, the ground staff always act like we're flies bothering them and then suddenly the walkie goes off "DM XXXX can you please go to gate XXX. The staff there needs your help" and when we get there its always, "eh boss, sorry ah, I don't know how to handle this"
But thats not what I wanna talk about, rather, its how we react to those extraordinary situations. I gotta be honest, whenever I'm in the shower, my mind is always buzzing on overload and conjuring up scenarios that can happen at work. And I ALWAYS have an amazing retort or sentence to say to a passenger for whatever reason they give at all. Be it at the check-in counter, at the departure gates or on board the plane! You name it and I'll settle it. But then when it comes down to it, when the passenger is glaring at you and demanding the 9 planets (or is it 8 now? I'm not sure anymore) those amazing pre-molded answers go flying out the window and is promptly minced up by the nearest rolls-royce trent engine on a boeing. Instead, what comes out of my mouth is an unflattering, "Oh....uh....I see. Sorry". Well sometimes at least.
Thats not right. The passengers should be afraid of ME! They should be at my mercy since I determine if they are to get on the plane or not. In those few hours that they fly on the airline, their lives belong to me! Muahahahaha.
Right. Well it doesn't always happen that way. Most of the time I'm stumped coz I cannot fathom what the passenger wants anyway. Either that or I just cannot decipher what they are saying. Sigh, its the nature of the job I reckon. We get better at this with each passing day. Righto, time for bed mates! Hope y'all are having a great time! Later~
Good luck you guys who are out there now though I hear that our friends in China won't be able to read this coz of the ban on blogger by the government there. Whats up with that??
Oh and Bob has gone to Japan for a holiday. Again. He barely got married and already he's on his second honeymoon. I waved goodbye to him at F54 today while I was on duty doing the departure south wing. Yes, while I was on DUTY.
Which reminds me, ever wondered how you're on duty and then BAM! something happens with a passenger which requires the immediate attention of the DM. That really erks me. When we're out on our rounds, the ground staff always act like we're flies bothering them and then suddenly the walkie goes off "DM XXXX can you please go to gate XXX. The staff there needs your help" and when we get there its always, "eh boss, sorry ah, I don't know how to handle this"
But thats not what I wanna talk about, rather, its how we react to those extraordinary situations. I gotta be honest, whenever I'm in the shower, my mind is always buzzing on overload and conjuring up scenarios that can happen at work. And I ALWAYS have an amazing retort or sentence to say to a passenger for whatever reason they give at all. Be it at the check-in counter, at the departure gates or on board the plane! You name it and I'll settle it. But then when it comes down to it, when the passenger is glaring at you and demanding the 9 planets (or is it 8 now? I'm not sure anymore) those amazing pre-molded answers go flying out the window and is promptly minced up by the nearest rolls-royce trent engine on a boeing. Instead, what comes out of my mouth is an unflattering, "Oh....uh....I see. Sorry". Well sometimes at least.
Thats not right. The passengers should be afraid of ME! They should be at my mercy since I determine if they are to get on the plane or not. In those few hours that they fly on the airline, their lives belong to me! Muahahahaha.
Right. Well it doesn't always happen that way. Most of the time I'm stumped coz I cannot fathom what the passenger wants anyway. Either that or I just cannot decipher what they are saying. Sigh, its the nature of the job I reckon. We get better at this with each passing day. Righto, time for bed mates! Hope y'all are having a great time! Later~
Monday, September 03, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
A Gazillion years later...
And I finally post a new blog entry. Ok this blog thing is getting tiresome. But here goes anyway!
What have I been up to? Training, training and more training. Work has been really cool. Its been slightly more than 7 months of training and as my training phase draws closer to its end, I am getting ready to be posted overseas. Where I'm going...I don't know, but I have a pretty good idea where I want to go. For that I'm leaving it entirely to God. Let's see where this adventure called life takes me. Sweeeet.
I'm a totally changed person wardrobe wise. I've never seen so many shirts in my wardrobe before. Its always been board shorts and T shirts for me. But look into my wardrobe now and you see shirts! 1 for eveyday of the month even. And *gasp* pants and TIES! Yes, I look different now. But only during office hours. The climate in singapore doesn't allow you to stay in that get-up for long.
Other than that, nothing much has changed. Oh but I have picked up a new hobby! Watch collecting! After wearing my trusty and loyal Tag Heuer for 15 years, I have ventured into the upper echelon of horological artistry. I never knew watches could be so fascinating and a marvel of mechanical mastery. As "revolution" magazine would put it, watches are machines with a heartbeat. I could not agree more. Early this year I added a Master World Geographic from Jaeger LeCoultre to my inventory. Its a beautiful piece that tells me the time for 24 time zones at a glance. Pretty handy for my job.
Now, me being me, I decided to get another one a month ago. This time its a simple modern classic from A.Lange & Sohne. The epitomy of Saxon horology. Its a breath taking holding the Lange 1 in your hand. Everyone needs a good watch.
Time waits for no man. Till my next post....
What have I been up to? Training, training and more training. Work has been really cool. Its been slightly more than 7 months of training and as my training phase draws closer to its end, I am getting ready to be posted overseas. Where I'm going...I don't know, but I have a pretty good idea where I want to go. For that I'm leaving it entirely to God. Let's see where this adventure called life takes me. Sweeeet.
I'm a totally changed person wardrobe wise. I've never seen so many shirts in my wardrobe before. Its always been board shorts and T shirts for me. But look into my wardrobe now and you see shirts! 1 for eveyday of the month even. And *gasp* pants and TIES! Yes, I look different now. But only during office hours. The climate in singapore doesn't allow you to stay in that get-up for long.
Other than that, nothing much has changed. Oh but I have picked up a new hobby! Watch collecting! After wearing my trusty and loyal Tag Heuer for 15 years, I have ventured into the upper echelon of horological artistry. I never knew watches could be so fascinating and a marvel of mechanical mastery. As "revolution" magazine would put it, watches are machines with a heartbeat. I could not agree more. Early this year I added a Master World Geographic from Jaeger LeCoultre to my inventory. Its a beautiful piece that tells me the time for 24 time zones at a glance. Pretty handy for my job.
Now, me being me, I decided to get another one a month ago. This time its a simple modern classic from A.Lange & Sohne. The epitomy of Saxon horology. Its a breath taking holding the Lange 1 in your hand. Everyone needs a good watch.
Time waits for no man. Till my next post....
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
clear mind of the swim
WooOOOooo! Nothing like a good swim to clear the mind and loosen the joints. The swimming complements my running, and the running complements the swimming. In the midst of this regime, I can throw in some biking and tada! Almost like a triathlete except that I don't run and bike in the gay looking tight suits.
But one thing came to mind. I realised after my recent trip to Melbourne to visit my absolutely hot and yummilicious girlfriend, that the gels and creams and toiletries that we use in Singapore is always a yucky texture. Toothepaste for example always comes out nice and gelly and firm in the cooler climate of Australia, the way it should be. Whereas in Singapore, we get a gross not liquid but not really gel texture. Shampoo too, stays in the palm of your hands when you squeeze it out of the bottle instead of dripping and tricking down your hands. We're not experiencing our toiletries the way we should I tell ya! How annoying!
And I can't help but make a mention about everyone's "favourite" OS again. Windows is the bomb I say. Literally. It always blows up in your face when you need it most. My mom came around with her VAIO in the evening and asked me to have a look at it coz she recently did an update and the laptop wasn't working properly like before. So I powered it up and after windows boots up a huge warning window appears and screamed something like, "Warning! The vendor has made an illegal change of the system .dll to section of main memory that has not been authorised for .dll segment constrains. Contact vendor for proper allocation blah blah blah...." you get the drift. Why does microsoft always have to launch warning windows and screens to intimidate people in a language that no one understands?? I'm pretty sure its in English but after reading it countless times I still have no clue what it wants me to do. I dunno if its the sentence structure or the grammar or whatever, it just doesn't make any sense! If everyone in the world spoke like that, there would be total anarchy. Stupid system.
Anyhow, I rattled along for too long now. So I'm gonna give it a break and return for more next time. Later~
But one thing came to mind. I realised after my recent trip to Melbourne to visit my absolutely hot and yummilicious girlfriend, that the gels and creams and toiletries that we use in Singapore is always a yucky texture. Toothepaste for example always comes out nice and gelly and firm in the cooler climate of Australia, the way it should be. Whereas in Singapore, we get a gross not liquid but not really gel texture. Shampoo too, stays in the palm of your hands when you squeeze it out of the bottle instead of dripping and tricking down your hands. We're not experiencing our toiletries the way we should I tell ya! How annoying!
And I can't help but make a mention about everyone's "favourite" OS again. Windows is the bomb I say. Literally. It always blows up in your face when you need it most. My mom came around with her VAIO in the evening and asked me to have a look at it coz she recently did an update and the laptop wasn't working properly like before. So I powered it up and after windows boots up a huge warning window appears and screamed something like, "Warning! The vendor has made an illegal change of the system .dll to section of main memory that has not been authorised for .dll segment constrains. Contact vendor for proper allocation blah blah blah...." you get the drift. Why does microsoft always have to launch warning windows and screens to intimidate people in a language that no one understands?? I'm pretty sure its in English but after reading it countless times I still have no clue what it wants me to do. I dunno if its the sentence structure or the grammar or whatever, it just doesn't make any sense! If everyone in the world spoke like that, there would be total anarchy. Stupid system.
Anyhow, I rattled along for too long now. So I'm gonna give it a break and return for more next time. Later~
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
The VascoEra
A good friend of mine is in the media industry down in Melbourne and this is his latest production. Awesome stuff. If only he'll give me a role in one of his videos....
www.youtube.com/thevascoera2
www.youtube.com/thevascoera2
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Rain therapy
Its pouring again. U2's electrical storm is playing in the background, how apt. I've always loved the rain. Especially when I'm indoors at night. The sound of the raindrops pelting the windows is really therapeutic. Now with my new room, its even better coz a portion of the ceiling actually forms the roof so I can hear the rain hitting the roof. Pitter patter.
Its nice because I feel so protected. Dry and comfortable even when the sky is pouring and the trees are losing their leaves from the angry winds. At the same time, I feel like there's some kind of purification ritual going on. The rain pouring down, clearing our skies of the haze, washing away the dirt and the grime, cleaning the impurities of the world. And you know what? The world becomes more beautiful, even for only that short moment. The air is fresh and everything is clear.
I loved jumping in puddles as a kid, dancing and playing in the rain. I wonder why I don't do that anymore? Maybe coz people will look at me weird and think that its bizarre for a grown up guy to be enjoying himself drenched in the rain. Sometimes when I'm doing stuff like running, wakeboarding or anything in the open, I secretly enjoy it when its rains. Sure I love the sun but the rain is fine with me.
Ok, enough rattling on. I'm gonna slide under the covers and enjoy the rain's lullaby while it lasts. G'night!
Its nice because I feel so protected. Dry and comfortable even when the sky is pouring and the trees are losing their leaves from the angry winds. At the same time, I feel like there's some kind of purification ritual going on. The rain pouring down, clearing our skies of the haze, washing away the dirt and the grime, cleaning the impurities of the world. And you know what? The world becomes more beautiful, even for only that short moment. The air is fresh and everything is clear.
I loved jumping in puddles as a kid, dancing and playing in the rain. I wonder why I don't do that anymore? Maybe coz people will look at me weird and think that its bizarre for a grown up guy to be enjoying himself drenched in the rain. Sometimes when I'm doing stuff like running, wakeboarding or anything in the open, I secretly enjoy it when its rains. Sure I love the sun but the rain is fine with me.
Ok, enough rattling on. I'm gonna slide under the covers and enjoy the rain's lullaby while it lasts. G'night!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
I have a blog?!
Oh! Goodness me! I have a blog right here! I totally forgot about it! No posts since the beginning of the year and even the chatterbox thingamajik has died. (Ok let me resurrect it)
Though in the short 3 months that I have been missing, heaps of things have changed in my life. Its been pretty amazing and I am a blessed and happy fella. You know how things just go by in life that are mundane? Well I love these mundane things coz I feel so alive doing it! My job is simply swell. I actually look forward to going to work and I enjoy the company that I'm in. The fact that I have pretty good hours for now don't hurt too. Though it won't be like that anymore once I get posted overseas. But you know what? I'm actually looking forward to it. The challenges I will be facing and how I'll laugh at them as I overcome! And how often do you get the opportunity to live and work in different countries in your life? Sweeet.
God's been good to me. He's blessed me and met so much of my needs. Great job, great house, a totally new wardrobe, swanky gear for work, new phone, new watch blah blah blah the list goes on. But on top of it all, he's given me a totally awesome relationship. She's a big part of the reason why i'm so pleased with life right now. Every guy needs a hottie who's talented and loving and has a sweet melodious voice that is pleasant to the soul. I'm glad I found one before I die.
Righto, looks like this entry has gotta do for now. So, how does this thing work again? Where do I click to publish it. What in the world is new blogger / old blogger? later~
Though in the short 3 months that I have been missing, heaps of things have changed in my life. Its been pretty amazing and I am a blessed and happy fella. You know how things just go by in life that are mundane? Well I love these mundane things coz I feel so alive doing it! My job is simply swell. I actually look forward to going to work and I enjoy the company that I'm in. The fact that I have pretty good hours for now don't hurt too. Though it won't be like that anymore once I get posted overseas. But you know what? I'm actually looking forward to it. The challenges I will be facing and how I'll laugh at them as I overcome! And how often do you get the opportunity to live and work in different countries in your life? Sweeet.
God's been good to me. He's blessed me and met so much of my needs. Great job, great house, a totally new wardrobe, swanky gear for work, new phone, new watch blah blah blah the list goes on. But on top of it all, he's given me a totally awesome relationship. She's a big part of the reason why i'm so pleased with life right now. Every guy needs a hottie who's talented and loving and has a sweet melodious voice that is pleasant to the soul. I'm glad I found one before I die.
Righto, looks like this entry has gotta do for now. So, how does this thing work again? Where do I click to publish it. What in the world is new blogger / old blogger? later~
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Farewell 2006, Hello 2007!
Wowee!
Its been ages since I last blogged and heaps of stuff have happened since! In fact there's so much to say I don't even know where to start! So I guess I'll just ramble on for now. This entry is more of a reflection for me I reckon....
2006 didn't start off too hot. It was plagued with uncertainty, failed relationships and a lot of confusion. I didn't know if I wanted to remain in Melbourne after my graduation or return to Singapore to look for a job. It was a pretty tough decision for me back then, and I gotta admit that I made it without a clear mind. Return to Singapore I did and I gotta say, it was tough at first. I was so unsettled most of the time and I didn't have peace within me. I thought maybe I made the wrong choice but now I know it was God starting his work with me.
Tried looking for a job for a while but nothing came through. As July approached, I became less and less motivated with the job hunt coz I had plans to return to Melb to snowboard! What an awesome time it was! Up till now I still wonder what possesed my mom to approve my extravagant holiday. Perhaps it was God at work again. I had a great time and I established some good friendships during the Melbourne stint. Got to know some of my melbourne friends in greater depth and the friendships that blossomed from there was well worth it.
But! A flaw in having such a great time in Melbourne was returning to reality when it all ends. Returning to Singapore, I might've sunk into depression when I was under more pressure to find a job. Well, maybe not depression. I wasn't depressed, I was just....numb. Fortunately, I had my amazing cell group to get me through this low point. Before I left for my snowboarding trip, I already knew I was in the midst of very special people. W133 is really an amazing cell group, full of amazing, talented and loving people. And while I'm having a great time with the cell group, I'm growing closer to God as well! Smashing!
So anyhow, by God's grace and floated by my cell group's encouragement, I finally landed a job. Right, which means I'm officially out of retirement. hur hur hur. So life is looking pretty good now. Of course in the midst of all this, my parents bought a new place and I have a bigger, more spacious room now. Better living space for me! Sweet!
Now, back to the point where life is full of unexpected moments. My negative sentiments towards relationships have also been turned upside down! And in the most unexpected circumstance as well. However, all is good and amazingly smashing now. An absolute delight is what I'll say about it. Brilliant!
So, 2006 was pretty much an off year for me. It was like a year long break to fix whatever was wrong with me, and now I'm all set to get back into it. I may have started 2006 in the pits but I'm ending it with a bang, and I have God to thank for it. Happy new year to you all!
Its been ages since I last blogged and heaps of stuff have happened since! In fact there's so much to say I don't even know where to start! So I guess I'll just ramble on for now. This entry is more of a reflection for me I reckon....
2006 didn't start off too hot. It was plagued with uncertainty, failed relationships and a lot of confusion. I didn't know if I wanted to remain in Melbourne after my graduation or return to Singapore to look for a job. It was a pretty tough decision for me back then, and I gotta admit that I made it without a clear mind. Return to Singapore I did and I gotta say, it was tough at first. I was so unsettled most of the time and I didn't have peace within me. I thought maybe I made the wrong choice but now I know it was God starting his work with me.
Tried looking for a job for a while but nothing came through. As July approached, I became less and less motivated with the job hunt coz I had plans to return to Melb to snowboard! What an awesome time it was! Up till now I still wonder what possesed my mom to approve my extravagant holiday. Perhaps it was God at work again. I had a great time and I established some good friendships during the Melbourne stint. Got to know some of my melbourne friends in greater depth and the friendships that blossomed from there was well worth it.
But! A flaw in having such a great time in Melbourne was returning to reality when it all ends. Returning to Singapore, I might've sunk into depression when I was under more pressure to find a job. Well, maybe not depression. I wasn't depressed, I was just....numb. Fortunately, I had my amazing cell group to get me through this low point. Before I left for my snowboarding trip, I already knew I was in the midst of very special people. W133 is really an amazing cell group, full of amazing, talented and loving people. And while I'm having a great time with the cell group, I'm growing closer to God as well! Smashing!
So anyhow, by God's grace and floated by my cell group's encouragement, I finally landed a job. Right, which means I'm officially out of retirement. hur hur hur. So life is looking pretty good now. Of course in the midst of all this, my parents bought a new place and I have a bigger, more spacious room now. Better living space for me! Sweet!
Now, back to the point where life is full of unexpected moments. My negative sentiments towards relationships have also been turned upside down! And in the most unexpected circumstance as well. However, all is good and amazingly smashing now. An absolute delight is what I'll say about it. Brilliant!
So, 2006 was pretty much an off year for me. It was like a year long break to fix whatever was wrong with me, and now I'm all set to get back into it. I may have started 2006 in the pits but I'm ending it with a bang, and I have God to thank for it. Happy new year to you all!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Wheels for FFF
About 2 weeks ago, my cell group had some combined cell group meeting. I think 7 cell groups were involved and following the cell group meeting, we had a scavenger hunt that they named wheels for F cubed. Basically, the FFF stood for Friends, Fun and Food. The gist of it was pretty much this; teams driving around the city area looking for the solutions to the given clues. Not all of us got to stick to our own cell group members though. Adrian and I were teamed up with Irenaus and Chris from a different CG. We got along swell and managed to complete all the tasks. Here's a brief look at what went down.....
As you can deduce, my team emerged victorious and we won the prize of a $100 marche voucher. It was pretty fun and we made new friends. The only food we encountered during the scavenger hunt was a gross tasting myanmar century egg dish, but I guess the $100 marche voucher more than made up for it. Friends, Fun, Food. Swell.
As you can deduce, my team emerged victorious and we won the prize of a $100 marche voucher. It was pretty fun and we made new friends. The only food we encountered during the scavenger hunt was a gross tasting myanmar century egg dish, but I guess the $100 marche voucher more than made up for it. Friends, Fun, Food. Swell.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Back to fantasy land!
Greeting's y'all!
Wow its been a while hasn't it? I almost forgot I had a blog back here. Apologies to the friends who've been complaining about the lack of entries of late. I've been pretty busy you see. Condo launches here. Property researches there. Heaps of stuff to settle leaving me with very little free time. And when I do get some free time on my hands, I go meet my friends. My fantasy friends.
Righto, before you start calling me loony or a schizo who imagines fantasy friends, let me explain. The 12th installment of the final fantasy series from square-enix was recently released and I have a copy! I've always been a fan of final fantasy and I've been playing the RPGs (role playing game) since they first appeared on the 16 bit super nintendo systems!
As usual, the game is filled with mystical creatures, over the top costumes and a wide spectrum of accessories and weapons. All very fantastically fantasy-ish. And of course, you're out to save the world. again.
The anticipation I felt while I was loading the DVD into my PS2 was immediately washed away the moment the opening theme started flowing out of my speakers. A wave of nostalgia swept through my room and i was transported back to the various times when i was playing final fantasy all day and all night long. In fact, I felt like I was being reunited with long lost friends. It feels like I'm actually running around in the final fantasy worlds with the heroes and battling monsters and villians. It feels like I'm on this great adventure with them, solving great mysteries and unlocking the secrets of the world. And ultimately, it feels like I'm saving the world with them.
I guess I get transported into another world where I can be a hero. Just running around on a great adventure and killing monsters. Free from the mundane and routine world that I know. Free from my worries and troubles. Free in my fantasy land. Its a pretty good feeling and you can even call it my happy place. Oh my, what am I doing here? I should be in front of the TV with my PS2! laterrrr.....
Monday, October 16, 2006
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......
"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......
Saturday, October 07, 2006
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~
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~
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
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.
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.
Monday, October 02, 2006
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
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
Sunday, October 01, 2006
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
Thursday, September 28, 2006
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!
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!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
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!
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!
Sunday, September 24, 2006
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?
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?
Friday, September 22, 2006
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.....
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.....
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