fudge

heading somewhere?

2009-04-23T16:56:00.011+08:00

Ever embarked on a journey to nowhere? Probably not right? It just seems illogical to begin in the first place. On the contrary, that's how most of us journey through life - not knowing our destination.

Well, a fitting question for us it now seems, is, what is the destination? When would we have "arrived" at the destination of our lives? Is it when we finally earn our first degree? When we exchange our marital vows? When we have kids? When we become partners in the firm we invested our lives in? Or is it when we see our children grow up or when we have grandchildren? Or is the destination of life the grave?

To me, it's not the destination that matters, wherever that may be. But rather, it is the journey. Our journey with Christ in life matters more than the things we bought or the things we earned. It's more meaningful than these. Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." It is only in our journey with Christ that we will experience life to the full.

Still, we may often ask where are we going? Where am I going to study, work, live and who shall I marry? Sometimes I wished that God would speak to me from the burning bush and tell me where to go and what to do.

Well, my personal conclusion is that God will not tell us His plans for the remainder of our lives. Take Moses for an example. God spoke to him like a friend. Yet, God didn't reveal to Moses all that He would do through him. Rather, God led Moses step by step through the journey.

If God ever revealed His plans for the remainder of our lives, would we still relish and live in the present? Will we still enjoy this journey with Him or would we just wait for the "destination" of our lives to arrive?

More importantly, would we learn to trust in God's guidiance without the uncertainty in life? There are many factors beyond our control, but God is in full control of everything. God says in Jeremiah 29:11 - 13, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Hence, I can continue in this journey not knowing where to study, work, live and whom I shall marry because I can trust in God who will lead me step by step, who knows the best plans for my life. The plans I have may not even be close to second best, but God's plan is the best.

What then makes God's plan the best? In this world, we often like to compare with others. We compare who has better grades, more money, bigger job titles or the most number of prestigious titles. Well, God made us all differently and all unique. The best plan is to do what God has made us able to do and to be content with that. If God has given me the ability to govern, then let me govern in a way that honours God. If God has given me the ability to make music, then let me make music for His pleasure, for His honour. When we do what God has given us the ability to do and honour Him with what we do, it's the best plan for us. Let's not lose our joy over comparing what others have materially to what we have and lose the joy we were intended to have. Remember that our journey with Christ is more meaningful than the things we bought or the things we have earned.

And after a long discourse, I finally return to this journey in life that we started talking about. It's a journey with God, A meaningful one. One that is in God's control, in whom we want to put our trust, for He has the best plans for our lives.

我需要有你在我生命中

2009-01-18T20:30:00.001+08:00

今天，我在教堂里唱了这首很有意义的歌。歌词都跟圣经很相符，令我十分感动。就在这跟大家分享这首歌。这是在优酷最好听的版本了… 哈哈….

吉隆坡之旅

2008-12-27T20:30:00.041+08:00

咳… 自从考试过后，我依然还是没更新我的博客… 也感到十分惭愧的… 哈哈。

考试后的两个星期，我就忙着计划和准备团契的露营，所以也好像忙到消失得无影无踪似的… 哈哈…

然后呢，上星期我刚和Zong Yi 和 Zhi Peng 到了吉隆坡（Kuala Lumpur）旅游。

这是 Zong Yi 和我在新加坡机场拍的.. 现在从新加坡搭飞机到吉隆坡只需新币41元！哈哈… 而且，搭飞机只花一个小时; 比搭巴士的七个小时和地铁的十个小时快多了！

在吉隆坡找方向… 哈哈

Petaling Street! 我们就在这里买了很多衣服和鞋子… 在这里买东西要讨价还价，因为价钱会高达两倍，所以买东西要把价钱杀到大概一半…

在 Petaling Street 里的 Hotel Chinatown Inn 的房间。虽然这间旅馆不是最实惠的，但是能在网上预约的旅馆当中它算是最便宜的啦…

在旅行的第一天午餐的鸡饭店。

这该是在 Pavilion 购物中心的圣诞树前拍的吧… 哈哈… 去了太多购物中心，也忘了去了那些购物中心了… 哇哈哈哈…

听说卖这些蛋糕的店是马来西亚的前首相所开的店… 蛋糕都蛮出名的呀…

在 Pavilion 也有这间出名的巧克力专卖店… 卖的巧克力实在好贵哦！我连一颗也买不起！娃哈哈哈…

这该是 KLCC 吧… 哈哈… KLCC 购物中心是在 Petronas Towers 的最低的几层楼。

在 KLCC 里面的 Louis Vuitton 拍的… 我蛮喜欢拍出来的效果... =)

马来西亚著名的世界最高的大厦：Petronas Towers

在 KLCC 也找到在新加坡绝种的两间店：A&W 和Rotiboy。我们都挺兴奋能在这里找到这两间店！哈哈...

旅行的第二天，我们就搭公共巴士从吉隆坡到 Kuala Selangor 那里去看萤火虫公园。

我们总总等了40 分钟... 闷都闷死了.. 哈哈

这就是我们搭的巴士... 有些巴士是有冷气的... 但是我们侥幸等到的这辆居然是这不舒服的巴士！

在车上自拍... 哈哈

在车上一路拍的照片。

萤火虫公园的风景挺漂亮的... 可惜我拍不了公园里的萤火虫，因为公园的管理人员禁止拍萤火虫的照...

萤火虫公园外的一间小村庄...

在萤火虫公园里拍的一些照片...

我们在公园里住的度假村。

旅行的第三天，我们回到了吉隆坡附近的 Sunway Lagoon 游乐场玩一整天。

这里的游戏都不会很刺激... 不符合我的需求... 哈哈... 但是我两位朋友都挺恐惧的呀... 哈哈...

过后，我们就搭了地铁回国去了，将此结束了我们三天三夜的旅游... 这次的度假实在是太好玩了... 可算是奖赏我上学期努力的付出...

在此，我想祝各位朋友圣诞蒙恩！希望大家能了解圣诞节真正的意义，并且感谢上帝在两千年前所赐给我们的最好的礼物。
Right Click!

Additional thoughts on 满足

2008-09-21T15:27:00.002+08:00

Just some post blog entry thoughts on 满足. In marketing, we learn that people consume to meet needs. More than just physiological needs. People consume to meet deeper emotional needs as well. People also consume to create an identity. According to the self-completion theory, people consume to attain more of their ideal self. To attain a sporty self-image, one may buy a sports car or sporting apparel. However, God can satisfy our deepest needs. He gives us the greatest identity we can ever have, to be His children.

满足

2008-09-17T00:53:00.009+08:00

上个星期，炜翔和我刚吃完午餐时，他突然跟我说：“我还不满足…”。那我就很自然地回答了他: “那你还想买什么？” 这就让我想到一个道理：“当我们不满足，我们时常会想我们能买什么来满足我们的需求。”

媒体也不断地强调这个道理。电视播放的广告时常呼吁我们买莫莫产品来满足我们的需求。以下的广告就是一个很好的例子。

在这折广告里，可口可乐的讯息是：“要爽就由自己来买可口可乐喝”。因为我们时常看到这类的广告，我们的“要满足就得消费”的观念是理所当然的。

在我当兵的期间，我有一位非常要好的朋友。他就有这个观念：“如果花这一点钱就能够带给我快乐，那花这一点钱是值得的。” 在他的影响下，我们和一群好友就时常花钱唱K 歌、看电影、到网吧打魔兽等等。我不是说这些活动不好，而是我当时过于花钱来寻找快乐和满足感是不必要的。因为呢，当我们玩了一整晚，一路回家时，当我们都各走各路时，我就感觉到快乐消失得无影无踪。而我又很快地感到空虚。消费所带来的快乐实在是太短占了…

但是，我已体验到我怎么能够免费地满足我的空虚。

你想不想知道怎么免费地满足你心中的空虚呢？你可能正在想：“怎么能是免费的呢？世上没免费的午餐啊！”

但是，我们越需要的东西往往是越便宜的。例如水。人没有水活不过3或4 天。虽然人需要水来维持生命，但是，水依然还是挺便宜的。那氧气呢？人没有氧气活不过大概6 分钟。但是，我们从空气呼吸的氧气依然是免费的。

在圣经里，上帝呼吁我们：“ 你们一切乾渴的都当就近水来；没有银钱的也可以来。你们都来，买了吃；不用银钱，不用价值，也来买酒和奶。你们为何花钱买那不足为食物的？用劳碌得来的买那不使人饱足的呢？你们要留意听我的话就能吃那美物，得享肥甘，心中喜乐。”

这所谓的美物是啥？

这美物是耶稣。耶稣也在圣经说：“我就是生命的粮。到我这里来的，必定不饿；信我的，永远不渴。”

产品、服务、好成绩、成就、朋友、男或女朋友和性交都不能够满足人心中的空虚。只有耶稣能够。

如果你有感觉过心中的空虚，不如把心传向耶稣呢？你在你的心中可以对耶稣说你所感觉到的空虚或烦恼… 耶稣是全能的，他听得到你在心中对他所说的话。你可以求耶稣满足你心中的空虚，让他的爱充满你的心。

试试看吧。耶稣是真神。耶稣爱以及关心你。在心中跟他说话吧。让他满足你。

Second Chance

2008-09-06T19:45:00.002+08:00

最近真的挺忙的... 周一有个会计测验，周四要交商业营销论文... 明天一阵天还会参加我表哥的婚礼... 我还是赶紧练习会计吧，就不多说了。 =）

上星期在教堂里唱了一首很有意义的歌… 我就在这跟大家分享吧。

只有上帝了解你的心能忍受多少

2008-08-23T15:11:00.006+08:00

唉… 总算又熬过了多一周！周三是上周最忙的一天。现在感觉还好.. 今天和明天还有些时间松一口气，休息一点… 我在优酷碰巧地找到了一首非常有意义的歌。这首歌是 Michael Tait 的 All You Got。我特别喜欢那句：“God only knows how much your heart can bear.” 。只有上帝了解你的心能忍受多少…

我听了这首歌好多次啊！我估计有一百次了吧！哈哈…. 以下是这首歌的歌词。 =）

I heard you say that no one seems to care about you
It's in your eyes, you think that life's unfair to you
Just give it all you got, my friend
Just give it all you got, it's not the end

CHORUS
Cause you oughta know
There's a reason for these changin' seasons
God only knows how much your heart can bear
So don't you let go
Everybody's has their up and down times
Everybody needs to know how much they're loved
My friend
So hold on. it's not the end

As I remember everything you touched
Would turn to gold
You held the secrets
To make your grandest dreams unfold
You were the very best of us all
But the sun that rises stil falls

BRIDGE
It's just a love song
Cause everybody needs a friend
I'll be right here for you
Just a simple prayer
It's from the bottom of my heart
That He'll never let you go

国庆日

2008-08-15T00:00:00.008+08:00

现在只开学两个星期，我就已经感觉到稍微劳累了。因为呢，我每天上下学的路程总共要花上四个小时…每周还有四天要上午八点半的课！口害… 最近也忙着帮团体招新生。周四还在计算机课堂上演讲了。下周三还要在会计班上演讲… 哈哈… 我的课程需要做很多演讲(presentation)哦！

但是，我还是要感谢上帝所给我的鼓励！虽然我经常喜欢哀诉，我感谢上帝经常给我鼓励，给我力量坚持下去。今天，我在圣经读到：“我的肉体和我的心肠衰残；但神是我心里的力量，又是我的福分，直到永远。” 我相信，神一定会给我力量完成我所需的总总挑战！

上周六是国庆日。我和两位好友带了一群香港和大路的交流生到滨海岸看国庆典礼的战斗机表演和晚上的烟火。我还特地带了数码相机和三脚架来拍夜景呢！就在这跟大家分享我拍的一些照片吧！

香港和中国朋友

战斗机表演

亚洲最大的摩天轮 – Singapore Flyer!

国庆典礼的浮动平台

国庆过后到了老巴纱（Lau Par Sat）吃夜宵

十一年 | eleven years

2008-08-08T00:09:00.008+08:00

十一年前的今天，我干了一件改变我这一生的事… 我还记得，我那时只有十一岁。当时，我跟很多小孩子一样，每天上午上小学去，下午回家做功课、看电视等。每周四还跟同学们一起学游泳，我最喜欢的运动。

从小，妈妈每逢周日都会带我两个姐姐和我去教堂。从教堂，我学到许多圣经里的故事，例如耶稣医治病人、耶稣喂饱四千人、耶稣使死人复活等。当时，我一直以来都在理智上同意耶稣是唯一的真神，但我还没亲自经验和神同在一起的喜悦。

在我十一岁那年，我有一个欲望，那就是和神有一个亲密的关系。那时，有好几晚，当我躺在床上，睡着之前，我就会想我有多么要与神建立一个亲密的关系。在想的当儿，我心中感觉到一种喜悦，而我就在心里说，“我真的要认识耶稣”。

每年，在国庆的前期，新加坡都会举行一个布道会，称为Festival Of Praise。在我十一岁那年，我也参加了这个布道会。因为我有想亲密地认识神的欲望，我就在1997年8月8日接受耶稣基督作我各人的救主和生命的主。我干的这件事因此改变了我这一生。

自从我接受了耶稣以后，我的性格在上帝的领导下慢慢的改善了。我谦卑地承认，我是有许许多多的缺点，但是这些短处使我依靠上帝，让他改善我的性格，从中荣耀上帝。

我的缺点之一是傲慢。我时常把自己看得很了不起，把自己看得比别人强。但是，上帝一次又一次的用他的圣经提醒我，要存心谦卑，看别人比自己强。虽然我不能够说我已变得完全谦卑，但是，我知道上帝在慢慢地改善我的性格。

除了改善我的性格，神在我的生命中是非常的真实的。例如，有些忙碌的时候，我因追求好成绩而忽略了与神的关系。因为只顾着读书，而不想与神交谈或读圣经。这些时候，我把自己的学业方在中心，用我在学业上的成就来寻求满足感。但是，我总觉得好成绩不能够完全满足我。神在圣经说，神会使我心满意足，而在我的经验里，学业上的成就绝对不能使我心满意足，只有上帝能够满足我。

其实，不是我十一年前所干的事改变了我这一生。我所干的事只不过是个开始罢了。改变我这一生的是耶稣基督！我很感谢神在我生命中，经常启示我、改善我的性格、还使我心满意足！上帝在我的生命中的确是非常真实。我很感谢神让我认识了他，并且让我经验了我十一年前所寻找的与神亲密的关系。

祷告 | I Pray

F.O.C

2008-07-28T14:43:00.019+08:00

我近两星期没更新博客因为我参与了两个欢迎大学新生的露营。这些露营的英语名称是Freshmen Orientation Camp; 短称为FOC。前个星期的是南洋商业学校的露营。也没什么好说的啦… 就是新生们玩了好多游戏来彼此认识。以下是露营的一些照片。

新生都趴在地上！哈哈..

在圣淘沙的海边玩游戏

南洋商业学校的露营过后，我参加了一个在南大的基督教团体的露营。这个露营，除了玩游戏，还有些讲座和小组讨论，让我们更了解圣经和如何让周围的人看见我们的好行为，便将荣耀归给上帝。我从中学了许多属灵的真理，也觉得上帝启示了我，要我在下学年里倚靠他。因为下学年开始修读第二主修，工作量增加了许多。此外，我还有很多上午八点半的课，但第一阶段的宿舍申请失败了，从家到大学的路程还需要两个小时！而且，我经常需要熬夜，赶作业或案例分析时，起码要凌晨两三点才睡。所以，虽然我对下学年有些担忧，但，我相信，上帝要我倚靠他，在来临的学年更接近他，下学年就会更好！

箴言 3:5-6
你要专心仰赖耶和华，不可倚靠自己的聪明，在你一切所行的事上都要认定他，他必指引你的路。

以下是露营时，做风筝时拍的一些照片。

摄影术

2008-07-13T19:02:00.018+08:00

我这几个月没什么认真地去拍照。但是，我一路上还拍了一些照片。以下是我近两三个月所拍的比较好看的照片。=）

东海岸公园的海滩

东海岸公园的一棵干枯的树

平安的代价？

刚起床的样子！哈哈！

一座公寓

我在用筷子吃西餐！

走出黑暗

我最喜欢吃的小吃!!

这些照片都没什么主题，都只是一些比较好看的啦…哈哈！;)

耶稣的爱

2008-07-10T17:17:00.010+08:00

我们在以上的优酷视频看得到耶稣受鞭打、嘲笑、刺穿，最后，死在十字架上。这一切显明了神对我们的爱。因为耶稣何等的爱我们，所以，他来到了世上，为我们的罪而死。

我已亲自接受了耶稣，并且经验过神对我的爱。但是，我周围有许多朋友却还没接受并且经验神的爱。有些朋友没想过神是否存在。又有些朋友相信无神论，也有别的朋友相信他们可以用自己的力量克服困难而不想接受耶稣。

因为我跟这些朋友的感情都很亲密，我很希望他们也能够经验神无条件的爱。上个月，在一个周日晚上，我拿起了吉他，开始弹《一件礼物》。这首歌苗苏着耶稣所给的爱和永生。这一件礼物在心门外等候；虽然礼物已经给了你，但你还是需要接受这件礼物才能享受这件礼物所带来的喜悦。

当我在弹这首歌的当儿，心里想：“神那么爱我的朋友们，为什么他们不接受神的爱呢？” 在我继续弹吉他的当儿，我开始感觉到神对他们的爱。神是何等的爱他们，但因为他们拒绝了上帝的爱，上帝感到非常悲伤。一瞬间，我的心充满了这爱和悲伤混合的感觉。因为这个感觉那么强烈，我的心容纳不住，所以，我就开始痛哭了一场。然后，我就跪在地上，想为我的朋友们祈祷，愿他们能够体验神的爱并且接受耶稣。但是，这个感觉实在太强烈，我无法控制情绪地继续哭了。

我很希望我能够把这首歌唱给我的朋友们听，告诉它们，“礼物虽然好，如果你不要，你怎么能够得到？”

以下的歌是题献给世上所有的人，因为神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子，耶稣赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不至灭亡，反得永生。

有兴趣的朋友可到 www.God2100.com 阅读更多详情。认识我的朋友也可以发电邮给我，我会很乐意地回答你的问题！

双主修 | Double Major

2008-07-02T21:05:00.008+08:00

哇！我很高兴我能够修读第二主修！我很感谢上帝，因为，在第二主修注册期间，我在国外，也没有带电笔记簿，所以不能上网。

因为我知道双主修注册的期间可能会在我在国外的期间，所以，我早已请求我的同学通知我注册的期限。当他知道注册的期限时，他就发了短信给我。因为他害怕我没收到短信，他还打电话给我… 但是，他总是打不通… 因为他也没别的办法来联络我，他就在msn留了离线消息，告诉我注册期限在六月二十四日。

虽然我没收到同学的短信，但在六月二十三日, 我刚好上msn。所以，我在网上看到了我的同学的消息，才能够按时注册我的第二主修。前天，我收到大学发的电邮，电邮公布我能够修读市场营销为我的第二主修！

我很感谢我的朋友的帮助，也特别感谢上帝，因为他让我看到msn的离线消息，按时地注册双主修。如果神没照顾我，我很有可能没看到朋友的消息，也很可能错过注册的机会。

这让我想起了一首歌：《我要向高山举目》。当我需要帮助的时候，我可以向上帝求助，因为我知道他会照顾我的所需。

“我要向山举目；我的帮助从何而来？
我的帮助从造天地的耶和华而来。
他必不叫你的脚摇动；保护你的必不打盹!
保护以色列的，也不打盹也不睡觉。
保护你的是耶和华；耶和华在你右边荫庇你。
白日，太阳必不伤你；夜间，月亮必不害你。
耶和华要保护你，免受一切的灾害；他要保护你的性命。
你出你入，耶和华要保护你，从今时直到永远。”
诗篇121

这首歌，姜洋，贺赞和甘伟都很喜欢！哈哈。。我把土豆的视频上载在以下了。=）

以下是新加坡的版本！

上帝的确很好！以下是《God is so Good》的一首歌。从这个事件里，我看得出上帝的确对我很好，对我很重要的事，他也为我着想，为我安排，安排我在注册期限前上msn看到重要的消息。感谢耶稣！

福娃

2008-06-28T01:58:00.008+08:00

福娃好可爱哦！以下是福娃动画片的主题曲。

我昨晚刚到新加坡...今天，我就在家休息了一整天，也把我朋友送给我的福娃球体拼图拼好。我好喜欢这记念品哦！以下是我拼好的成果！

很漂亮吧？！=）

我也看了一个网站，里面回答了很多问题。例如：灾难发生时，神在那里？，神真的存在吗？和天下万物生于无？

有兴趣的朋友可到 www.xinshengming.com 找寻一些关于生命的答案。

愿神把他的爱显明给你！

叶富达启

crush calender

2008-05-09T22:14:00.003+08:00

Click Here

I tried this, it works!

Shifting out of hall

2008-05-08T23:53:00.010+08:00

11 months ago or so, my room mate helped me shift 2 items to our room in NTU hall 8.

Yesterday, as I packed my stuff after spending 2 semesters in hall, I end up with the same 2 items plus an army duffel bag of stuff plus another 5 bags of barang barang!

Both my wardrobes in hall and at home are full. I have like so much notes and what-nots. As of now, I have a storage crisis and have yet to start throwing other old stuff and clothes... lolx...

After reading Jia He's blog, I'm just glad that my room is just 1 flight of stairs above the carpark and carrying stuff to the vehicle wasn't such a chore! heh...

Shokudo

2008-05-03T21:16:00.018+08:00

Shokudo, otherwise known as the Japanese Marche, constantly has long queues outside its restaurant at Raffles City every time I pass by its premise. Yesterday, the Nanyang Arts Fest committee went there for a treat by Yong Xi and Rene after singing for an afternoon at K box.

@ K Box

The restaurant basically uses the same market concept as Marche. Customers are given a card each upon entry, purchase food from market like stalls using the card and pay for the credited amount in the card before leaving the restaurant. Precisely the same concept as Marche.

There are the expected Japanese food: Katsu, Sushi, etc.

Katsu Something... Ordered by someone.. heh...

Sushi

However, there are a surprising number of western dishes.

Burger. Alvin ordered from this stall...

Pizza. I shared this with my table people. Super thin crust. Nothing fantastic though.

Ice cream

Salad.

Rosti. I was having Rosti.. Quite good. Plain Rosti for $4.80. Another $4 for sausage or bacon. I thought Jia He was just taking a photo of my food! haha... Didn't know I was in the pic... heh.. And hence the strange expression... lolx

Pasta

Ice cream waffle

Creep!

And even Ice Kachang! How original...

Man.... None of the above dishes are of Japanese origin! How unoriginal can they get?! The dinning concept imitates that of Marche and there's even so much western food when you expect Japanese cuisine! How authentic....

Well, some credit must be given to the restaurant since the food is moderately tasty and its prices are reasonable.

However, while there's a hype over this Japanese Marche, I also heard rumours that their staff have been seen openly adding msg into their food. I'm not sure if they added a generous amount of it but my friend totally abhors msg...

Overall, I think it's not worth the hype it's getting. I give it 3 out of 10 for originality because of the imitated dinning concept and the wide variety of non-Japanese food. Food wise, I think it's not bad, 6.5 out of 10, but definitely not worth the long queue.

Pictures compliments of Jia He.. Heh.. With him around, I never need to bring my camera out! Thanks!

Ironman Awake

2008-05-01T23:36:00.009+08:00

Initially Wei Siang and I planned to watch Awake together with Zack and Ying Hui. The film did seem mildly scary but sounded interesting and starred Jessica Alba - the reason for our choice.

Sadly, the movie was taken off the screens of a pathetic 6 cinemas after a short 2 weeks and is no longer available. Hence, we watched Ironman instead, the next movie on our to-watch list.

Well, I must say that Ironman was better than I expected. Somehow, I expected it to be somewhat like Transformers: nice action and machines but somewhat unsatisfying plot. However, I admit that I rather enjoyed the show!

The chief reason why I like the movie is because Ironman sought justice in a very corporate ethical issue that I found very real. This is pretty different from other superheroes that fight other evil villains, mutants, weirdos and what-nots.

In addition to that, I thought that Pepper Potts displayed a very real continuance commitment to her job as executive assistant to Ironman. To quote, she said something along the lines of "I won't quit; finding a job is difficult", or something to that effect.

Ultimately, Ironman is still a fictitious comic superhero and has abilities that are seemingly unscientific considering he engineered his gold and titanium armour. Perhaps the movie does not divulge much about the logic behind his survival and his armour, or that my understanding of science and technology is too ancient, dating back to Planck and Albert Einstein, where I left off at Junior College.

Overall, it's a great movie to watch for the action, the real potential corporate issues and to capture your imagination.

Post Exams

2008-04-30T12:43:00.004+08:00

Phew.... This sem has been really hectic... It's probably because of the many presentations for Organisational Behaviour that caused me to be lagging in so many tutorials... To top it off, immediately after the last week of lessons, the final exams commenced...

Anyway, I just thank God that it's all over... And I thank God for carrying me through this whole period...

I first wrote this on my softboard in hall 7 weeks ago after the mid term accounting test that was rather tough... And at that point, I was rather stressed and tired.. Man... Thank God He carried me through since then.. Thank God for the strength... heh..

Anyway, during the exam period, as usual, I tuned in to the radio all day and nite and morning while I was studying... lol... And from all the current songs I heard, here are my 2 fave songs! 4 Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake and Don't Stop the Music by Rihanna!

Epictetus

2008-02-03T23:07:00.000+08:00

"We are disturbed not by events, but by the views which we take of them."
- Epictetus

This statement was quoted by my classmate in his conclusion for his presentation on stress during our Organisational Behaviour Seminar. Taking the statement as a secular philosophical one, I felt that it bore so much truth in it.

Often, it is not events or persons or our environment per se that causes us stress or to be distraught, but our perception of these events and of our past that produces these effects.

This leads me to reflect on recent events and my perspectives of things.

My room mate, who is my confidant for 5 years, currently takes the relatively few modules and has few commitments, spends every available moment studying and is waning in his enthusiasm towards our event committee.

Well, I could be unaffected by his lack of social life or his unsatiable drive for academic success or his apparent indifference towards our event committee.

However, I was disturbed by my perspective of things. He was zealous in his search for sponsors for our event last semester and I had expectations on him that he will be equally fervent this semester in regards to our event commitments. However, this semester, his choice to study non-stop resulted in my unmet expectations and further led to much anger and frustration with the situation.

I guess I also chose to let his non-stop studying stress me out due to my lack, in comparision, of effort in my studies.

Seriously, I think that it's not so much the person or the events that is our stressor, but rather, our perception of things.

I say...

2008-01-28T00:31:00.000+08:00

These days have just been really hectic and I have lost the joy of blogging recently... At the same time, I feel I've lost touch of my zeal to take quality photos, so I have nothing much to upload here.

Well, I do have a few photos to show, though. Here's one of the super long queue for goodie bags during my event, the Nanyang Arts Festival 2008. I'm so proud that there's a queue for the goodie bags that my team and I have worked so hard to put together! lol~!

Here's the picture of the happy event committee!

Yeap, that was from the event opening ceremony. That same week, I had inter-hall swim meet on Sunday. It was a tough fight for the male events and I'm glad that the team qualified for the finals for all the male relays. For the mixed medley, the team came in 2nd! (Obviously I wasn't part of the medley team... lol)

Here's a photo of the Hall 8 swim team!

In the week ensuing the swim meet, I had 2 presentations and cca meetings like practically every night.. so yea... I'm kinda tired out.

Anyway, I do thank God for the weekend! I managed to finish my econs tutorial on Friday night, went for tuition on Saturday and catched American Gangster late Saturday night! Haha... It felt like a really well deserved break... lol~! And I slacked at home on Sunday after church, so I feel rather re-charged and ready to take on the world!

It takes people to make cultures come alive~!

2007-11-14T17:07:00.000+08:00

On Monday, I went to meet a CFO of a Chinese ice cream manufacturer and the distributor to discuss the possibility of them sponsoring my event. As it seems, the distributor graduated from NTU in 1970 while the CFO of the manufacturing company is my senior who graduated in 1996.

What I learnt from my rendezvous with them was that, "if you wanna do business with Chinese companies, you betta speak Mandarin". It's not that they can't speak English, but they are proud and rather speak Mandarin, I guess.

The distributor also affectionately mentioned this "hua yi guan" or　华裔馆 that I figure is what we refer to as the Heritage Centre. He mentioned about this "kuai" on the roof of the building that says "Nantah" or 南大 meaning Nanyang University. These "kuai" as he called it, were from the Fujian province where my father came from.

Curious, and tired after my IT exam, I spontaneously decided to take a break and go for a short trip to the Heritage Centre.

It's tough to see from the picture, but I could see that the green tiles says 南大, referring to Nanyang University.

Even though I have been to Taiwan and seen such Chinese architecture, I never paid so much attention to such details. Walking into the building made me feel like I have walked back 100 years, with the whole interior resembling that of Chinese mansions in drama serials.

Knowing the long history of the building, it is inevitable that it carries with it many stories of ghostly encounters. As I walked in the desolate building alone, tingles began to run down my spine. I must say that a surreal paper marche statue at an unexpected corner in the pictorial gallery did quite freak me out!

Next, I went to the "Chinese more or less", an exhibition on overseas Chinese identity. I must say that the interior was very well designed with projected documentaries and ancient documents and even something that resembles an ancestral plague. However, the exhibition hall was no better than the previous. With its use of mirrors and black & white pictures of people from the past, it was yet another freaky experience.

On the whole, the entire experience of visiting the Heritage Centre made me proud to be a Chinese and proud being in "Nantah" more than ever. I guess it really takes people to tell you stories to make cultures come alive.

mugging......

2007-11-10T00:48:00.000+08:00

Haix... It's the season for mugging.. I've got the momentum going so much that I dun even feel like leaving hall after studying all week. Seems like the weekend requires a change in agenda... Tuition, Church, Family... I had to drag myself across Singapore back home...

Here's my favourite emo song to match my emo now... haha..

After the exams, I think I should have enough interesting stuff and photos to post here.. haha...

happy Mugging season to all miserable uni pple. Misery loves company. Come to NTU.

Cheers,
Fuda

finally

2007-11-02T20:10:00.000+08:00

Oh well.. Finally got my driving license.. lol~ On Tuesday, when I was told I passed, I was so happy I was beaming from eye to eye... haha... Especially when I only had one lesson before the re-test. haha... Thank God. =) I can't wait to rent a car.. But also dunno wad to do with the car... haha...

Anyway, everyone's mugging non-stop for the exams now.. Gotta mug too to remain competitive man~ That's the kiasu spirit.. haha..

I like this song... Kinda sums up wad I think and feel now. ;)

10% Luck
20% Skill
15% Concentrated power of will
5% Pleasure
50% Pain
________________________________
100% Reason to remember the name
________________________________

Definitely, it's important not to neglect other aspects of life.. And I don't believe in luck and I don't fully agree with the percentages in the song.. But it's definitely mugging season. ;)

Maybe I'll suggest the following percentage composition:

10% Intelligence
20% Pain
15% Concentrated power of will
5% Pleasure
50% Hard work
_____________________
100% Reliance on God
_____________________

"He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:29-31

No updates? Here's why....

2007-09-30T18:18:00.000+08:00

Hmmmmz... not really interesting to blog about is it? ha... that's why... I've been pretty busy too.. (CCAs, outings, tuition lessons, projects, presentations, etc, etc...) so that's another reason... lol..

Anyway, I really like this song on radio too... kinda expresses how I feel for now... I guess... wahaha.. ;) Except that all my best friends seem to be moving on... lol...

Lost in Wonder

2007-08-17T00:57:00.000+08:00

Lost in Wonder... I love this song... It just helps put my focus on Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, in whom I am restored... And His love for me just seems to flow through this song. Indeed, there is no greater love than this, that a man would lay down His life for a friend.

I will swim the current. I will scale new heights.

2007-08-09T21:52:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Singapore!

"We're 42 and we are proud to let the world to know it!" said the channel 5 narrator. I definitely think that was rightly said especially with our world's largest floating platform and new world record of 42 flying kites at the same time.

I loved it when Kit Chan sang "there's no place I'd rather be"... No matter where I've been, there's no other place I'd rather be...

I also love the finale, when the artistes sang "will you"... wow... I thought it was really apt... With the platform surrounded with water, the artistes sang "will you swim the current". And with the platform in the heart of the city, the lyrics went, "will you scale new heights"... It made me feel like rising up to the challenges of the future...

Will you swim the current
Will you scale new heights
Will you make it happen
Will you let your dreams take flight?

And will you make a difference
Will you seize the day
Will you live each moment
Will you dare to find new ways?

Making the difference and challenging the future takes a whole lot of resolve, creativity, shrewdness, good foresight, intelligence, risk management and the list goes on. For now, I'm proud of how far we've come, Singapore! Happy 42nd National Day! ;)

yada yada

2007-08-01T01:08:00.000+08:00

Due to a lack of inspiration and motivation to blog recently, I shall share the following to save my blog from crying out to me for attention. ;)

Many people think I'm wadever but really, I'm anything
One thing I do well is nothing
One talent I wish I had is that thing
When I picture myself 10 years from now, I see something

It's just meant to be lame... dun think otherwise. It was part of a sharing we were supposed to do during some orientation camp... obiviously these answers were rejected and I had to share something personal & sensitive. lol...

Photos from Thailand

2007-07-11T03:25:00.000+08:00

Here are the finest photos that I took in Thailand! Well, not many to showcase, but here are the note-worthy ones.. lol.. ;)

from the budget airplane

Quiet time on the Rock!

"As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God. "
Psalm 42:1

Freed by Christ!

Thai boy playing with crab

some potted plant

some Thai flower (forgot its name)

The remnants of the 1st rose ever given to me

That's all for the photos... I'm determined to take awe-inspiring photos... Soon, soon, I hope... ;)

want something??

2007-07-02T00:57:00.000+08:00

When I was in Thailand, I asked most of the students I met this one question, "What is the one the you want most in life..?" I offered them a number of possibilities, "Is it, money? Love? Good grades? Fame? Or family?" Their answer is pretty interesting... Most of them want love or family, quite contrary to what I believe most young Singaporeans would choose.

Well, from there, I shared with them the source of matchless love.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

I believe this beautiful verse speaks for itself. Which of your friends would die for you? So great is God's love for us. You want love? Seek no further; Jesus is waiting at the door of your heart.

God Loves You!

Pra Jaw Ruk Kun

back home

2007-07-01T01:07:00.000+08:00

I miss Thailand and my team! haha... I miss my fellow french fry brother too... haha... anyway, I don't feel like updating much about my trip... (I'll tell those that i meet in person.. haha...) other than the fact that I love the food and that I visited a super loc-kok beach and went to an internet cafe during shopping time coz the stuff at Robinson's was expensive... lol.... so, hint, hint..... dun expect any souvenirs from me... haha.. ;)

The unClassifieds - 30/05/07

2007-05-30T01:25:00.000+08:00

Nothing much to blog about these days. Have been preparing for my Thailand trip. Please pray for protection and safety because there has just been some bombings in Hat Yai where I'm supposed to go to.

Click here to read the Channel News Asia report.

Little Thailand in Singapore

Update: Definitely not going to Hat Yai anymore... Still trying to change plans last minute. Anyway, do pray for South Thailand. =)

emo-attached

2007-05-19T21:49:00.000+08:00

My last day was friday. Ms Quek and I were so emo since thurs nite when we were chatting online. Guess it's because of the emotional attachment we have to our students.

We both wanted to take photos with our students on friday, but on friday, we both had difficulty saying goodbye and that it was our last day of work. However, difficult as it was, we had to bring things to proper closure and say goodbye. I took a number of pictures, which I shall not upload so as to save my students the trauma of seeing their faces on my blog.

I thoroughly enjoyed my term with the school; loved the students, found a new band of friends and treasured working with the teachers.

However, I guess it's time to move on... Time for a shift in focus as well as a time for reflection and relaxation... Will definitely meet up with my students and my new clique =)

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10

fun science

2007-05-17T22:25:00.000+08:00

We were given the opportunity to organise 2 events: 1 science station for the P6 visit and a Math and Science Day for the sec 3s... I really enjoyed myself and learnt many things school never taught me.... haha...

For the P6 school visit, we taught them to verify claims by advertisers...

Rich in vitamin C? Think again....
Test with DCPIP

Demonstration with explanation

Happy faces!

We also taught them how to suspend potato in salt water: upthrust = weight (of course never explain until so chem lah~!)
The Math & Science day for the sec 3s was the climax of this temporary job! I thoroughly enjoyed organising the event with 7 other teachers.

We challenged them to think how to reduce/increase friction and air resistance through our flying fox competition..

Explanation
We quizzed them on the periodic table...

Cool huh~! Rarely do you get such enthusiasm

Actually, they're enthu coz they want more water bombs.... (answer correctly? reward with water bomb)

Water bomb saga

unstoppable
They had to to special tasks as well...

We taught them to make a fountain of coke and challenged them to make the fountain as high as possible.

Instructions

Preparation

Execution: Siam ahHHHHHHH~!!!!

The winning team!! Well deserved treat indeed!

The Organisers~! We'll miss the school... =(

sailing on m'day

2007-05-15T00:00:00.000+08:00

Went sailing last Sunday to celebrate mothers' day... It was rather relaxing and perhaps a tad too sleep-inducing as well. During the hands-on, I was taught how to steer the yacht according to wind direction towards the destination. I quickly got incredibly bored steering the yacht coz there was barely any wind and the vessel moved intolerably slowly... Thankfully for me, the captain took over... haha... Here are some pics...

The service provided by my sister's friend's company was really affordable. They even organise longer sailing trips to fish at a kelong and to Pulau Ubin for a meal. Interested people can look for me for the contact. =)

Mighty to Save!

2007-05-08T23:12:00.000+08:00

Thank God that he is mighty to save.
Mighty to empower me.. I muz really acknowledge that I cannot rely on my carnal strength.. I need God's strength.
When I become proud and think that I can perform well on my own strength, I usually do worse...
Pride stinks.

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14 (New International Version)

Update

2007-05-05T14:17:00.000+08:00

1. I want to chat
These days, most of the time I speak, it's to explain physics, math or chem. It's almost like I speak mathe instead of english... I need some heart warming conversations... lol~!

2. Busy
I've been really busy the last 2 weeks.. On most weekdays, it's work, driving lesson and then tuition, only allowing me to reach home past 11... And work has been rather hectic... I feel like a magnet for arrows...

3. enjoy work
Although I'm pretty overloaded, I really enjoy what I'm doing; so, despite my fatigue, I'm happy.. =)

4. Weekend!
Phew... It's finally Sat and I can take a breather... Need to settle some things for my mission trip that I have delayed settling way too long.

5. Other things to do
I'm leading BS, my cell is on duty to arrange chairs for service and I'm one of the 4 putting up a small item to thank mothers, all of which falls on tomorrow.....

oh well.. This is basically how my past weeks were like....

6. future matters
My last official workday at my current work place should be 18th May... 2 weeks more? yupz.. May go back in June before I leave for Thailand though.. ;)

cool freedom

2007-04-28T07:30:00.000+08:00

Love is essential

2007-04-25T21:50:00.000+08:00

In my last essay, I did not include love as one of the ideal qualities that teachers of not so ideal students should have. It is not because love is not important. On the contrary, it is ideal for teachers of all sorts of students. The love a teacher has for students is different from erōs – physical and sexual love between a man and a woman; it is agápé – altruistic love for students without any implications.

The love that a teacher has for students compels the teacher to go the extra distance for the student. A Loving teacher would go spend the effort to correct a student when he or she uses vulgarities, cheats or lie. Such disciplinary action is done out of love, for the better good of the student, to shape the values and character of the student. Without such a quality, the student will not be disciplined and will continue in his err; only imparted with content knowledge from the teacher. Hence, love is important for teachers to cultivate the right behaviour in students.

The love that a teacher has for students motivates the teacher to spend more time helping students with their academic subjects. Time is a good measure of love, not money. Money does not buy love or time. When a person loves another, the person spends more time with the other party. Likewise, teachers who love their students would be most willing to help students who are weaker in their studies. The teacher may even force stubborn students to stay in school for extra lessons, remedial or free tuition. The time that a teacher gives to the students is the expression of the teacher’s love; without which, the student is highly likely to continue struggling academically.

In essence, love is a profound quality that has much to be expounded upon. In teachers, it is manifested in tangible ways when the teacher disciplines the rowdy, notorious and vulgar students and when the teacher spends additional time tutoring the students. Love is the quality that drives teachers to inspire and touch lives of students.

the new fudge fone

2007-04-22T22:55:00.000+08:00

I'm so glad I've finally gotten a new phone after 3 years! The old phone was my companion for the A levels - I used it to listen to 98.70 and 98.00fm while I studied; it also accompanied me through my army daze - numerous exercises and through the rain, shine, day and night, forest, camp and the city. However, the old phone is really ancient and it's time for a new mp3 phone to take its place!

Although the new fudge fone is great and I am so glad I got it, the process was a horrible experience. Because the staff at M1 customer service headquarters told me incorrect information, I almost left Paragon in the rain and empty handed. Thankfully, I realised that what the staff said was illogical and I went back to check with another staff. The situation is worse with other M1 branches - their information is grossly incoherent - one staff tells you one thing while another tells you something completely contradictory. Are M1 policies that vague or are their customer service officers unsure of the company's policies? I believe its both. It was a very unpleasant experience signing a new contract with M1. I'm not interested in spoiling my mood further by describing all the incoherent information I received from the Tampines Mall branch, Century Square branch and the headquarters at Paragon. I rather focus on the fact that I'm happy with a new fone that has a camera and most importantly, a radio and mp3 function!

Cheers,
fudge =P

Ideal qualities for teachers of not so ideal students

2007-04-20T20:21:00.000+08:00

Patience, compassion, understanding and humour – these are the most frequently cited as the qualities of an ideal teacher in my students’ English essays. However, in the real world of less-than-ideal students, these noble qualities may prove to be speculative. One student contended that an ideal teacher must be patient enough to tolerate the misbehaviour of the mischievous student. That would not be of any benefit to the character and moral development of the student would it? In a classroom of rowdy, notorious and vulgar students, I suggest the ideal qualities a teacher must posses are totalitarianism, creativity and charisma.

"Scccold you ah!"
Totalitarianism is the first must-have ideal quality for teachers to handle erroneous students. Such students today would refuse to complete their assignments, daydream during lessons and sprout vulgarities at the tiniest of all issues. In order to coerce these recalcitrant students to do their homework, a teacher should ideally be a tyrant and compel them into complete submission. This way, students would prepare their assignments, listen to or at the very least, try to pay attention during lessons and would be too terrified to sprout any nonsense. Without such a quality, the students would have the audacity to not do as told, miss parts of the required content knowledge and lack in moral character. Thus, it is essential that teachers are totalitarians to enforce the right values and attitudes in rebellious adolescents.

Secondly, teachers should have creativity to capture the attention of less-than-ideal students. Being harsh and tyrant on students is very strenuous; nobody really enjoys terrorising students into obedience all the time. In order to enhance their learning, a teacher should ideally be creative, to invent new methods of teaching, allowing students to have greater participation and to take a proactive approach to learning in a fun and interactive manner. This would be able to captivate the interest of students ever so fond of straying to wonderland. Without being creative, a teacher would have to terrorise them into paying attention or else these students would start chatting, daydreaming, even shouting across the classroom and maybe bellowing obscenities in the presence of the teacher. Hence, a teacher should ideally be creative in presenting bromidic lessons in new fashion to captivate the interest of the students and catalyse their learning.

Finally, teachers of not-so-ideal students should have charisma. Charisma is a real useful trait especially when less-than-ideal students are unmotivated and even reluctant to work for their academic results or future to say the least. A charismatic teacher would be able to inspire students to work hard and turn their aspirations into reality. In addition to igniting the fire and passion for learning in students, charismatic teachers help to touch hearts and mould the character of students by the nurturing role they play: correcting their misbehaviour and being a role model for students to follow. As a result, the student would become diligent in their work and nurtured into responsible adults. Without inspiring teachers, students may remain in their state of under motivation: day dreaming all day, sleeping in class or students may deteriorate in their moral standards: lying, touching members of the same sex or becoming hooligans and liabilities to the state. As such, it is desirable for teachers of non-ideal, under motivated, recalcitrant students to have charisma, to inspire them to be the best they can be.

Irrevocably, to handle the incorrigible students, teachers should be totalitarians, to induce fear and apprehension in them to do their assignments as told and to curtail misbehaviour of the students. Taking a two-pronged approach, teachers should also be creative in presenting their lessons to enhance the learning of the students and at the same time, be charismatic to inspire and shape the hearts and minds of the students.

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fudge needs some rest...

Who Am I?

2007-04-15T16:34:00.000+08:00

What is my purpose?
What am I doing here?
Am I living up to my potential?

These are all questions that we would ask at some point in our lives. All of us seek to form an identity for ourselves, something we know ourselves by. The above questions are commonly known as identity questions and secularist answers can be classified into 3 broad groups. Some people define themselves by what they do, others by what they have and yet some by what others say about them.

People who identify themselves by what they do would like to associate themselves to their job, their ability or their grades. One may introduce himself as Mr James, the accountant. He may also pride himself in being a musician or even a straight ‘A’s smarty pants. As a result, his identity is tied to what he prides himself in doing; the more lucrative the industry is, the more successful he deems himself to be.

People who define themselves by what they have would identify themselves as one with a copious amount of wealth or possess certain assets. One such person may vaunt about his latest Nokia 5300, his brand new luxury Jaguar or his freehold condominium near town. Such a person’s identity is dependant on what he owns and the more he has, the more successful he perceives himself to be.

People who define themselves by what people say about them would describe themselves as popular and seeks for approval and favour from others. One such person would relish being the president of the Students’ Council and may label himself as one who gets all the attention, affection and envy of others. Consequently, his behaviour may change with different groups of friends in order to gain their favour, finds that what people say about him may change and find it extremely difficult to maintain the pseudo images that he portrays.

However, something tells us that we are meant for more. There must be something more than just what we see. How can life merely be about our blood-sucking job, our evanescent possessions or our fleeting popularity?

Thankfully, for us, the bible tells us that what we see is NOT all we get; it tells us that we can be children of God. As children of God, we enjoy 3 basic privileges: God’s grace, blessings from God and God’s favour.

As a child of God, we are recipients of God’s grace. All man has sinned; Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
As a result, we are separated from God. No amount of effort on our part can reunite us with God because of our sin: not good works, our career, our wealth or popularity. To reconcile man to God, Jesus came to be the atonement for our sins. 1 Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” Because of His love for us, Jesus died to pay for the penalty of our sins, that we may be forgiven – this is God’s grace to man.

As a child of God, we enjoy His blessings. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” As the child of God, we enjoy every blessing from God.

Finally, as a child of God, He is pleased with us. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us, “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” As a child of God, we have favour and protection from God!

We may sometimes identify ourselves by what we do, what we have or what people think of us. We may occasionally get lost in the chase for paper qualifications, material possessions or popularity, all of which are transient and temporal. What you see is NOT all you get. Do you want to be a child of God? There is no need to prove yourself by what you do, what you own or by what others say about you. As a child of God, we enjoy the grace and forgiveness from God, the blessings from God and the favour of God. Who are you?

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Verse 1:
Who am I
That the Lord of all the Earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I
That the bright and morning star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Pre-chorus:
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who you are

Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapour in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord You catch me when I'm falling
And you told me who I am
I am Yours

Verse 2:
Who am I
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again
Who am I
That the voice that calms the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

Acknowledgements:
Content has been taken from Pastor Steven's sermon this morning as well as
the booklet: What you see is NOT all you get.
The song in the video is: "Who am I" by Casting Crowns.
If you would like to know more, visit www.meant4more.com

teaching

2007-04-11T19:49:00.000+08:00

I have stopped trying to convince myself that I don't want to teach. The fact remains that there's a undeniable passion in my heart to teach. However, teaching wouldn't be my first career. Maybe, someday 10 years later, I'll be teaching math and POA. =)

Fellow relief teachers @ XYZ Secondary School

hair days

2007-04-10T17:56:00.000+08:00

Now : Then
White fudge : Chocolate fudge

I was told by some students to shave and wear that pair of ugly specs because it looks good. However, I must be out of my mind to get that recruit hair cut. Those my age would most certainly agree with me that shaving no. 1 is a definite no-no. And the frameless specs are here to stay too. =P But, I'll be cutting my hair pretty short coz its cooling and convenient... lol..

words we Need to Hear

2007-04-07T00:48:00.000+08:00

keep moving forward

2007-04-01T18:46:00.000+08:00

Somehow, despite my busy schedule, I managed to squeeze time to catch 3 movies in the last 10 days. First, I watched a lousy cartoon, TMNT, then it was the hilarious Mr. Bean and finally, Meet the Robinsons. Of the 3, my favourite has to be Meet the Robinsons. It was humourous, cute and really meaningful. There were 2 values underscored in the movie that I agree strongly with. The first is the celebration of failure and the second is letting go of the past and to keep moving forward.

As said in the film, failure teaches us more than success does. As such, the Robinsons family celebrated the failure of Lewis and hoped that he learnt from the failure. I believe that is very positive advice for life! Since we all make mistakes, and we learn more from our mistakes, we should not feel disappointed over every failure and stumble and quit as a result. Instead, our perspective should be to celebrate the failure, learn from it and keep moving on!

Also, there may be events in our past that we have no control over that we must simply let go and keep moving forward. As depicted in the cartoon, Lewis was abandoned by his biological mother and he had no control over the situation. Instead of letting the hurt and pain fester and boil within him, he chose to let go and keep moving forward! As a result, he moved on to becoming a highly successful inventor and business owner with a positively affirming attitude!

There may be many failures and challenges that we may stumble upon in life, there may be many weaknesses that we see in ourselves and there may be past events that we have no control over. Instead of letting hurt, shame or regret fester and boil in our hearts, let's let go and keep moving on! =)

My Fave Scene from the movie repeated over & over

people portraits

2007-03-25T16:12:00.000+08:00

hmmm... I have submitted my photos for the competition, but I have since taken an interest in people photography. Here are some of my proud works!

Janice
Thaddeus
Siyuan
Enoch
self portrait
Me mum!
As for the first 3 pics taken at simpang bedok, they are all digitally enhanced... So they cannot qualify for most competitions... I like the last picture of my mama... Looks serene and I like the natural lighting..

school days

2007-03-23T22:54:00.000+08:00

School days are so fun and carefree, if you are a student that is. Life back then was so fun, with the company of many friends and few worries. School days for me now bear a very different meaning as a teacher. Sometimes, it feels like I am connecting well with the students, influencing them to work hard and to tone down on their rebelliousness. On other times, I wonder why I bother with uninterested students or why I bother forcing them to come for free tuition. Teachers make very nice colleagues. I will not compare them with my previous work place, but I must say that given normal human tendencies for strive, competition and politics, the school has a very pleasant working environment. Generally, I am happy with this temp job despite its ups and downs, when I feel I’m winning ground with the students and when I feel they frustrate me. =)

PS: yeah... I know... there isn't any structure in my paragraph... lol... but there isn't enough content to expand the para and I'm too lazy... And u'll probably prefer reading the gist.. =P lol....

PSS: I have only been in this school for 1 week... and I will not announce the name of the school I'm at, so dun ask.. =P

Singapore Biathlon

2007-03-17T22:25:00.000+08:00

I took part in the Biathlon today, albeit without my training partner because he's down with flu. The swim start was horrible.. Akin to numerous penguins plunging into the ocean as depicted in Happy Feet.

image taken from thecia.com.au/reviews/h/happy-feet.shtml

It was really chaotic... I was swimming into the person in front of me and the people behind me were touching my feet with every stroke! Not to mention that there were people to my left and right as well.. If I slowed down to create more swimming space, I would be over taken my swimmers on my left and right. The situation was nauseating, we had barely enough space to swim and at the same time were battling the incoming waves. Technically, we could be called a swarm of swimmers... lol...

Things did get better later along the racecourse, when the swimmers were all more spaced out. However, the turning point was pretty sharp, causing a number of swimmers to go off course.

The end of the leg was only slightly better than the start. The waves pushed us towards the demarcating buoys and we had to swim at an angle against the current in order to progress in a straight path towards the swim exit.. The image below is taken by my sister who came to support me, which I am so thankful for.

End of the swim leg

The running leg of the race was fine, just that my running isn't that good and a number of people overtook me during this leg.. Hmmm... I could have done better.. lol... And I even made a friend! We were both wearing our division singlet and since we were from the same division and running around the same pace, we started chatting... lol..

Overall, its a great experience swimming and running. As for the atmosphere, I feel I prefer the SAFRA Half Marathon - livelier.. ;)

Finisher's Medallion

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

2007-03-17T21:19:00.000+08:00

I am really proud to have artistic friends that I've known from secondary school. Seen below is my sec 2 classmate with our art teacher. She sold 4 of her costly designer ceramic tiles that very night! I must say that the graduates seem pretty well equipped for the working world; at their exhibition booth, they had their portfolio and name cards for potential employers and buyers.

I am most interested in the Visual Communication Arts which has graphics design and photography elements in it.. Maybe I'll read up more on digital photography and graphics design or take up their part time course on Adobe Photoshop if time permits; just for interest sake.

In toto, the trip down to NAFA was a fruitful one, giving moral support to my secondary school friend and appreciating the graphic designs and photos.

No Stopping NOW!!

2007-03-15T23:20:00.000+08:00

Lol~! There's no stopping now man! Too bad my training buddy is down with flu! Haiz... Hope he can make it or something!

Obey

2007-03-15T00:50:00.000+08:00

When it comes to plans or our actions, we may think that doing what God wants us to is simply too difficult or even illogical. I feel that the verse that encourages me to obey God most is Proverbs 14:12.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
Proverbs 14:12

God knows best; not me. What I deem as logical may not be right and may even be harmful! Since my judgement will be wrong, and since God knows what's truly best for us, our best response should be to obey. Proverbs 3 : 5-6 tells us how to live and God's promise to those who live trusting in the Lord.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3: 5-6

May we learn to hear God's voice and obey His directions. =)

half cup

2007-03-13T23:03:00.000+08:00

Is the cup above half empty or half full?

Most of us already know that half empty is a pessimistic view while half full is the optimistic one. But is there another view? Another dimension to the situation?

Will the cup get more empty/more full or less empty/less full?

How can I make the cup full?

What would Jesus do that I should emulate?

Juz one example for us to think about how we think and what we think of situations. Which perspective can help us improve the situation? Which is mere passive observation?

P.S Juz blogging this for fun... lol~! Btw, the jar of coke costs $14!!! I wasn't the one who ordered it though... lol...

Rejected Pics?

2007-03-12T23:53:00.000+08:00

Here are some pics I will be choosing from to submit for the CANON - THE NEW PAPER Young Photographer Award. Though my photos may not fantastic, I definitely enjoyed putting the effort to capture these images.

Puzzled Old men?

A game for 2...

Exciting chess match...!

Notice the glance the spectator takes at the chess player??

Cheerful old man

Old man relaxing under a tree...

This image is not bad too... "Ponderances" - lol~!
From these images, I have to choose one to submit as my picture of "people". Tell me which one u like best! ;)

The next 2 are what I should be submitting for my "action" and "scenery" photos respectively.

Remember the army days? Tau pok and all the physical wrestling? lol~! Miss those days....

Made in Singapore hills and lake.. =P

wanted to swim... but....

2007-02-27T20:08:00.000+08:00

This is the route I planned to swim 3 times today: a straight path from the shore nearer to Rasa Sentosa to the bridge where I stood as I captured this image. One lap is approximately 420m, according to one lifeguard.

However, while swiming towards the bridge on my first lap, my fingers touched the sea bed. "Huh???"

The depth indicator shows that the sea level is at least 2m!
I didn't even study geography at O level, but I dare reckon that this silly islet is the cause of my woes.

As the waves diffract around this islet, the longshore currents deposit sand when the diffracted currents meet. As a result, a sand bar is formed at the North of the islet. As such, a depth that should have been at least 2m during this low tide became:

And yes, I actually took the risk and brought my camera to the sand bar by swimming back stroke there.

Quite a distance from the beach.

Me and my silly antics
I should have suspected this earlier when saw a caucasian yelling and waving his arms from the waters. I might have swum out to rescue him or simply informed the lifeguard on duty, if he wasn't standing, that is... =P

If the sand bar isn't bad enough, there's still plenty of sea weed to deter me from swimming...

Instead, the training session turned out to be a sight seeing tour around Sentosa... haha..

Alex & fudge

Nice rite? Photoshoped by me.

Elvis Pig

Half hatched

Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

No duff: not photoshoped... haha..
Thereafter, it was tea time at Jia Xiang, famous for its Kolo Mee.

There's abalone in the soup! Cost: S$5.90 exclusive of beverage
Yupz... That's what became of what was supposed to be training for biathlon: sight-seeing and tea break... haha..

my undeserved holiday

2007-02-25T23:54:00.000+08:00

I have not been working for a month - well rested and a social liability. A 3 day 2 night cruise holiday at this juncture is most definitely one that I neither deserve nor am entitled to. Still, I really thank God for my aunty for bringing me on the cruise together with my cousins.

The cruise had a really attractive interior and had different themes for the restaurants, bars and pubs. Let me show you some of its splendour...

The view of Sentosa before the Cruise sets off

The main lobby of the cruise

The grand stair way at the main lobby

The western restaurant

The posh library - perfect for a quiet read in a relaxing environment

Let us show you our cabin: 6017

The beds. My first impression was that it looked rather cramp, like some workers' dormitory; but in fact, the cabin is pretty cosy. =)

The cabin tv.

The view while dinning at the Mediterranean Terrance.

That's me on the sun deck @ night

My 2 cousins

lights

The sun deck @ night

Me dancing in the moonlight @ 1 am - that's why there's no one else in the picture ;)

Whlie the interior was perfect for relaxing, combined with the view of the open sea and sea breeze/strong air-con, there weren't much activities for those like us seeking fun and excitement. However, we did find some activities to enjoy ourselves during the stay onboard the luxury liner.

A cloudy sunrise

View from within the basketball court

My cousin on this treadwall - the wall moves down as you climb

I volunteered to try making dragon beard candy during the demonstration.. haha

See: broken beard - cannot use... Lousy first attempt

My cousin got pulled up to learn leaf folding from the master....

My cousin's masterpiece on the left and mine on the right: hers is much better! haha...

The figurines from Monopoly Starwars version that we borrowed to play

The Star Cruise Band on board is pretty much to my liking

Yeah... That's me, groving to the music... haha

I like this shot of our refection in the mirror at the staircase when the chambermaid happened to walk down

There were so many meals on board the cruise. There was one incident that we were walking around wondering what to do when we walked past the Mediterranean Restaurant and found out it was serving high tea. As a result, we went in for another sumptuous treat not long after a heavy lunch. haha...

High tea with a great view

Apple yogurt mosse for dessert

The last dinner

Oysters - I didn't eat them... dunno how to appreciate.. looks yucky to me... haha

Dessert!

Supper after the BBQ dinner!!

As you can clearly see, there is an abundance of food. Passengers can literally be waiting for one meal after another.. There's early risers, breakfast, lunch, high tea, dinner and supper available at different restaurants for us to choose from! muahaha... Sinful gluttony.... Love'it... haha...

Here are the last images as the cruise arrives at the Singapore immigration

The cruise entering the harbour

Berthing at the Singapore Cruise Center after completing a 180 degree rotation

fantastic music

2007-02-17T19:21:00.000+08:00

Obviously idle on the eve of Chinese New Year, I stumbled upon a youtube vid that Rachel linked to on her blog. It's the "heavenly-est" sounding "ho-ho-ho"s I have heard this year.

From there, I found other delightful melodies. The Irish flute + tin whistle & guitar is superb.. Love it...

This tin whistle & sofa song is cool man.. I like wad the guy did with the sofa...

prodigal expenditure

2007-02-17T13:30:00.000+08:00

My credo for 2006 until recently has been, "If spending this little amount of money can bring happiness, then this little amount of money is well spent." The past year was indeed filled with many fun moments with my buddies playing DoTA and singing K-box. Though receiving army allowance and a good income from tuition, most of it all was squandered away in this ritual for pseudo happiness.

Thankfully, God allowed life's experiences to alter this noxious perspective. First of all, I read Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki and realised that I had better manage my finances wisely. Secondly, this short period of waiting/unemployment has forced me to do away with the usual luxuries and keep the expenditure low. Thirdly, the 6-day perfume sales job that paid me a basic pay + commission made me feel that money is hard earned. Under these circumstances that God has allowed me to go through, I have become more prudent in my expenditure and less willing to splurge on the usual fancies.

Well, a change in spending pattern does affect relationships to some extent, at least the activities that we engage in. I'm not sure how else things will change, but it bags another question, "Have I changed???" I would say, "No." Reason being that I am still the same person that I am, just that I have decided not to spend so much money. I am resolved to manage what God has provided me with wisely.

The unClassified Utterances - 14 Jan 2007

2007-02-15T02:14:00.000+08:00

Oh well, I wanted to revamp the blogskin layout so that the header will be over the side bar as well... But it is alot of work to to that! haha.... I tried to do it in a slip-short way but it turned out worse and I got lazy so there's no change except for the song in the side bar... hee...

Your grace is enough by Chris Tomlin - reminds me that God is all I need and my life now is really pretty care free... haha... Isn't that great? ha.. Juz leave our worrying to God.. Wooo..

I juz had to add this... ha... sooo cute...

Oh and, today was my last day at the perfume sales job.. Sales was good since it was V'dae.. Got offered to sell the same brand at expo in March.. But I'm still waiting for the relief teaching job.. Think I'm quite close.. Can smell'it.. =)

people you should NOT listen to

2007-02-14T09:59:00.000+08:00

When it comes to buying things, there are just some people you should not listen to. The person trying to sell you perfume at some pinkish threshold of some departmental store is one of them, and that's me. I mean, when you promote a product, it's in your best interest that as many people buy your product. However, this may not be in the customer's best interest when she only has 100 dollars left for the month or has already exceeded her budget for the month and so on.. I think a financial planner of sorts does more good... ha..

Anyway, just remember that its always in the interest of the sales person to up sell you, to make you spend more, to spend at your maximum ability. So, you would have to discern for yourself and decide if you can afford it and if you actually need that extra bottle of perfume.. ;)

Cheers,
Fuda

The unClassified Utterances - 10 Jan 2007

2007-02-10T21:38:00.000+08:00

"The scent is too mild..."
"Too sweet!"
"xiang fei zao..!" - smells like soap.

Woah... this perfume is hard to sell man. Even if the customer is interested, the price turns them off. So what am I doing selling fragrances?

Well, it’s just a short stint, exploring something different for 6 days. More importantly, I took the adhoc job is because I'm waiting for a relief teaching job in some sec sch. I missed the boat - most schools already hired relief. I'm praying that God opens doors that no man can close. There seems to be possible openings, but I'll have to wait.

Meanwhile, I’ll be standing around, on the pinkish threshold of a cosmetics store for a few more days, offering people free smells, pushing for a sale...... ;)

riddle?

2007-02-05T19:45:00.000+08:00

I am where yesterday follows today and tomorrow is in between.

Who am I?

soccer

2007-02-01T01:50:00.000+08:00

You can easily recognise a fake soccer fanatic when you see one; no matter how they disguise as one. That's me. =) The only reason why I am uncomfortable with probably the most popular sport in the World is that I suck at it. =P
Oh well...

Thankfully for me, I have my cell group to spur me to enjoy the sport. Last Sunday, Siyuan organised the cell to have a match at The Cage together with some adults. He even came up with publicity for the event!

Cool photoshop skills man~!

The All Saints' players.

Well, last night, Siyuan got us organised again for a nights out at the National Stadium to witness Singapore vs Thailand at the ASEAN Football Championship.

Juz some cool shots b4 entering the Stadium

Some enthused fan prancing around wearing a red wig

And Singapore SCORES in the penalty kick~!Sg 2 - Thai 1

Surpporters literally rejoicing

It was interesting seeing Singaporeans surpporting our football team. There was drumming, rhythmic whistling/air-honking and fans jeering, "Butok!" and "ref'ree kayu". Rowdy it was, but all in the good name of fun and I had a good time cheering together with the fanatics... hahha..

:: Thanks alot Siyuan for all your effort! =) ::

the flexi plan - draft 1

2007-01-26T18:01:00.000+08:00

I've done some math. Assuming I retire at the age of 60, and I graduate with my honours in accountancy at age 24, I have a good long 36 years to work. 36 years. So my question now is, "Why hurry to find another 9 to 6 bondage now?"

With a mere 'A' level certificate, I can command a pay up to S$1500 gross, depending on the employer. This would mean some security: a fixed pay check every month. However, this also means inflexibility. I would have to be in office from 9 to 6 for 5 days a week. Not to mention that most employees have no freedom to give overtime a miss when work is behind schedule.

Thus, I'm considering other alternatives. I just dowan to be bonded to an office and subjected to a volatile working environment. The last 3 months has been a horrible and painful experience. I dowan to re-live the pain. It's about thinking out of the box, about finding the time for more meaningful pursuits without a drop in income. One such avenue is tuition. To bring in the same amount of income, I would only need to clock 12 hours of tuition per week at standard charges of 30 to 35 dollars per hour. This is as compared to a minimum of 40 hours per week in the office to bring in the same income. Anyone has tuition assignments to recommend? =)

This image, taken from howardsviews.com, portrays credit cards as the economic slavery in America

The above is taken from www.wilsonsalmanac.com. I'm sure we've all felt this way before; we feel compelled to go to work although it may not be pleasant.

wikipedia.org defines wage slavery as follows:
"Wage slavery is a socialist term used to refer to a condition in which a person is legally (de jure) voluntarily employed but practically (de facto) a slave. It is used to express disapproval of a condition where a person feels compelled to work in return for payment of a wage. In colloquial terms, this may refer to people that make a cult of work (the extreme case is death from overwork, known also as karoshi), or those who require one to work to be socially acceptable. In terms used by critics of capitalism, wage slavery is the condition where a person must sell his or her labor power, submitting to the authority of an employer merely to subsist."

In conclusion, I currently have no interest in feeling compelled to work in return for a fixed wage. Business and investments are out of my reach now; but I'm looking for alternatives that offer me similar freedom and flexibility. =)

P.S: If my views seem unorthodox, I recommend that you read books like "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and "Cashflow Quadrant" by Robert Kiyosaki. While it does not mention strong metaphors like wage slavery, it does encourage readers to generate income by other means other than solely from employment - trading time for money.

the next step

2007-01-24T04:24:00.000+08:00

Well, my strongest inclination would be to call MJC and my alma meta, East Spring Sec and send out my resume. High chance that either one would take me in, or I could call other schools.

My first thought was to send out my resume and look for an even higher paying job as accounts assistant. This time, I would look for a big firm, which would likely be very organised.

However, I think I shall take a break. To pause and seek God and ask wad he wants me to do with my time now. There's also another possibility: going for missions. And during preparations, I can still train for the upcoming Singapore Biathlon and earn some money through tuition and learn driving as well. This would give me so much more freedom over my time and as well as some joy in serving God. But of course, I'm open to other possibilities.

last day of work tomorrow

2007-01-24T02:50:00.000+08:00

"Actually your help isn't really needed. Your last day of work can be today or tomorrow", I was told over the phone earlier today. Well, it would be easy to rationalise that I was expecting the end of my tenure with my current company. I was hired to do some simple accounts while the accountant was on her long break; so now that she's coming back, there's not going to be much for me to do. Not to mention that I do have qualms working with this company; but I wanted to hang on, to see how I can learn to handle whatever the environment throws at me. The management decision did somehow take me by surprise.

Over the past 3 months, I was dedicated to whatever responsibilities I had to fulfil, and made effort to have a clear overall picture of our transactions. While I was expecting to leave, I guess the short notice really took a hit on me. Until the minute I received the call, I never regarded the job as a short stint, or a casual passing-by which would end in a day's time. Somehow I feel cheated of my feelings.

However, being dedicated to the job did help me gain more from the experience, so I guess that will be my reward. I learned much from the place: about people and relating with them, about how emotional people are with money and an on-the-job experience on the purchasing and billing processes. I also experienced the feeling of having alot of people asking me for money, staff and creditors alike - indeed depressing.

One other factor that adds to my emotional turmoil is having to say goodbye so suddenly to the friends I have made. They are not mere lunch companions but friends. They may have flaws, but I have ugly ones too. The point is that we accept each other for who we are.

Alex: The funny Malaysian who is so fun to crap and joke with. Not to mention that we can converse comfortably in both mandarin and english. He knows canto too... He has a gentle personality and a positive outlook. Less critical than I am. ;)

Leo: The Chinese PR... I always converse in mandarin with him; and it always seems enjoyable. A really comfortable person to be around with.

Angeline: A really cheerful and bubbly girl.. While she may be a tad too noisy sometimes, I feel she has a good heart. No evil intentions, honest and sincere. Very nice to talk too also.. We always chat on MSN too...

Agnes: A really competent manager in my opinion. Competent people always intrigue me.

Doris: The really funny, warm and nice secretary. Comfortable to chat with also.

Xiulan: Doris' best friend. Warm and friendly, has a very gentle demeanour that endears others to her.

And presenting, the buddies:

1. Warren a.k.a the artsy farty: The really creative graphics designer. The first person I spoke to as a friend. Another gentle hearted person but does not fail to voice his disagreements in a civilised manner. Gives me cool camera tips too!

2. Apple: A really sweet and thoughtful person. Always thinks of how others feel. She cries easily and I hope no one bullies her... Has great initiative too... Caring...

3. Trianti: Really cool Indonesian with a great dress sense. One heck of a brave girl to come here to live and work.. Christian too... I hope we'll meet in paradise... =)

4. Leon: Nice and thoughtful, able to control his temper too... Its not easy being in his shoes, and I admire him for that.

I may or may not meet some of them again, and some of them may or may not be in the company for long. I hope to keep in contact. At least the memories are for me to keep; memories are not about digital pixels, memories are the good times remembered in the brain and treasured in the heart.

The unClassified Utterances - 15 Jan 2007

2007-01-15T21:26:00.000+08:00

Its another cheap thrill for me, I guess: stopping ever so frequently to appreciate my environment and capturing it with my canon powershot. Here, I hope to share this exitement with you; presenting to you, the best pictures captured today, along the way home, again. (P.S I dun take photos when I'm in a hurry to work. And inspirations just don't seem to come during lunch... hahha..)

I was suprised to see this trio at Tampines MRT - they usually bask along Orchard.

Look at the large crowd that has gathered around them!

That is in stark contrast to the few around this old uncle. I'm sure the Mexican look-alike trio didn't intend to compete with him, but they were literally next to each other, sound systems competing indisputably.

The trio played their own rendition of "yue liang dai biao wo de xin" or the moon represents my heart, famously performed by Teresa Tng. I thought it sounded great and I love that classic! Wonder who I will sing it to... hmmmm...

Look how fast Singaporeans walk man~! Its even worse in the morning when the entire "Tampines Working Persons Brigade" march in step towards the West-bound train. And when the train is projected to come in 2 minutes, they instinctively march at double quick time, just to shave 2 minutes off their travelling time.

Physical Discipline keeps the mind sharp.

Daunting task - the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

The Medallion - the prize we press onward for.

Need help?

I like the texture of this image. More help?

Maybe its time for a pause/break/whatever.

~THE END~

bling bang

2007-01-14T18:17:00.000+08:00

In most of the world, diamonds are also known as bling bling. However, in Africa, its bling 'BANG!' and you're dead. Every time a new resource is discovered in Africa, Africans die. The Blood Diamond is set in the backdrop of civil chaos in Sierra Leone in the 1990s, a period when the Revolutionary United Front (R.U.F) fought fiercely against the government. These rebels force innocent villagers to harvest diamonds which they exchange for weapons and recruit young boys as child soldiers for their battle against the government.

Watching the depiction of the training of child soldiers was heart-aching. The boys were trained to fire at mannequins, taught to earn respect by taking lives and emblodened by witnessing one of their fellow child soldiers shooting at a defenceless African man. The effectiveness of such devious training was demonstrated when Dia, points a pistol at his own father, Soloman who was on the quest to recover a huge diamond he found in the fields while being forced to harvest diamonds for the R.U.F.

What was stood out as I watched the movie was how Danny Archer, a mercenary, was not exactly sure of his intentions as each of the three characters used each other for their own interests. Maddy Bowen is a humanistic journalist who was interested in digging out names of persons who are indirectly funding the civil war in Sierra Leone and she knows that Danny Archer can give her such information. Danny Archer is a mercenary smuggling weapons for rebels in exchange for diamonds and he wants Soloman Vandy to recover the mammoth pink diamond for him. Soloman Vandy wants his family with him and asks Danny Archer to locate his family in exchange for the recovery of the buried pink diamond. Danny uses Maddy Bowen to help Soloman meet his family so that Soloman will recover the diamond for him. I feel that while Danny Archer acted on his interests of profiting from the recovery of the diamond, he had a humane heart as well. This is not only demonstrated from his giving of the stone to Soloman and indirectly to Maddy , but in his aid to Soloman in finding his son in the rebel camp, though one may argue that this was only done so that Soloman will recover the pink diamond for him. The manner in which this was brought out was fascinating, how Danny Archer's intentions are not exactly clear, perhaps even to himself and that while he was just in it for money, he may have a benevolent side.

Also, his experience may have caused him to work for his own monetary interests. While he was in the 32 battalion fighting in Mongolia, he thought he was fighting the communists, but he realises that there were other interests of their superiors that they were fighting for. As such, he left the force and worked for his own interests.

Overall, The Blood Diamond is a great movie to watch. It brings out the chaos of the civil war, the inhumanity of the innocent blood shed and the interests of the 3 characters and how they manipulated each other. It also increases the awareness of such blood diamonds in sale together with other diamonds marketed in our peaceful world as well as the state of chaos that we do not experience.

Check out the trailer:

By the way, Jennifer Connelly is hot!

a bad day

2007-01-04T21:30:00.000+08:00

Haiz... I miss those days when I would go back to bunk every nite and gripe about what a horrible day I had! I still remember Guan Zheng complaining about his superior "transmitting" blue light to him... haha.. Apparently, she has some weird beliefs and she hanged this crystal ball above her table to diffract more light energy to her. When he approached her regarding official matters, she digressed and rattled about how he needed blue light and started "transmitting" her blue light to him! Maybe he just lacks blue light because he was in green army uniform... haha...

My bunk mates back in army - Guan Zheng and Jeremiah

Anyway, now that I don't have a bunk or Guan Zheng in my bunk, my horrible day can be summarised as follows:

1. I have a colleague who makes comments that are dripping with acid sarcasm. And I don't agree with his perception of events, of what my MD said during the morning's meeting. But of course, his opinions and the politics at his level are none of my business; provided his snipe comments are not aimed at me.

2. Silly non-existent invoice. Haiz... Needed official documents for customs declaration... Never found the invoice I needed. *almost faints*

3. Weeping culture. I have no idea why this is even happening: 2 ladies shedding tears in 2 work days! Something is not right man... And its the festive season!

4. Humility or humiliation??? My mother was still praying over family dinner that I will be more humble... blah blah blah... You see, a number of my colleagues frequently tease me for my youth. Initially, even until lunch today, I thought that I should just be humble; there's much for me to learn anyway. However, I am beginning to feel that putting me down bolsters up their ego.

Conclusion: Based on the evidence presented, I shall re-position myself away from the hotspots. Away from sarcastic, insincere and emotionally harmful people. If need be, after persevering longer, away from the entire volcanic region. Away from this company and back to job hunting as a last resort.

P.S. I have yet to climax the horribleness of the day because some issues are sensitive and cannot be published.

The 1st post of 2007

2007-01-01T23:07:00.000+08:00

Ha.. Not much hype actually about the first post of 2007.. Nope, I'm not going to share about my philosophical resolutions for the year ahead; I am going to share with you one of my favorite pastimes, photography. I am no professional at the art yet, but in a year or so, I would be somewhere.. ha..

A.D 2007

I'm fascinated by the elaborate castle these children have constructed

East Coast: the family place? (used to be more happening than "family" rite?)

Cosmic explosion behind the trees? haha..

I would like to share this quote with you for this new year:

"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obsures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself." - Susanna Wesly

Context: The above is an extract from Susanna Wesly's letter to John Wesly, in reply to his question: What is sin?

May we be in tune with the Holy Spirit this year and live as God wills and desires us to.

Cheerio,
Fuda

Beware!

2006-12-31T11:09:00.000+08:00

Extremely funny with some truth in it as well... Of course some exaggeration is employed to make it funny, so dun get offended here... haha..

On-the-way Home Photos

2006-12-23T19:18:00.000+08:00

On my way home, I took notice of rustic stuffs to photograph... Basically I found 2 in our bustling city without going to the usual popular sites.

Looks like a desserted RM 310 Cleaners room, rite? Guess what? Its from Orchard mrt.. Its fine actually... Only this part looks dirty and all..

Just before I went up to my apartment, my sister's/my bike caught my eye... My sister won this bicycle 13yrs ago but I have been using it for quite a while now, when I do cycle... For most of the time, it just sits on in my void deck like most other bicycles.

It has alot of dust and cob webs around it now... Though I remember cycling to An Ee's house not too long ago..

See! Someone tampered with my wire/lock/chain or whatever you call it! It's so obvious... The wire used to be straight, now it is twisted and lacerated.

Me n "My" Bike

My Blessed Day

2006-12-23T18:46:00.000+08:00

Haha.. I know I made the cup sound really dispised, but the story was interesting rite? haha.. okok.. Here's a more accurate picture of the said cup:

Designer Cup!

I was happy to receive Christmas presents from my colleagues - people I have only known for 2 months... Soo many... Noticing the giving culture at this place, I also prepared presents for some of them. That was why as I mentioned, I was in a mad rush to get presents and wrap them... Though it was a rush because everyone seemed to be grabbing presents off the shelves in town, I did put some heart and thought into my presents, ok...? =) haha.. And I stayed up late to wrap them up nicely.. hee..

This is my favourite present! I love it.. Thanks Apple!!!! Good thing I took a photo of it before I took out the Beckham shirt to see if it fits... And it does.. =)

A love Voodoo doll given to me by Warren... Comes with a designer gift wrap too! He even superimposed my picture from my friendster profile on the note..

Khriztopher, Trianti, Fuda, Warren & Apple (anti-clockwise from the top-left)

The Legendary Cup

2006-12-23T18:12:00.000+08:00

Not too long ago, on the twenty third day of the 12th month of A.D2006, a party was held in Y2: Space to celebrate the birth of Christ. The party included a gift exchange segment where a legendary cup will find its owner...

It was the present that was said to be able to bring tears to someone's eyes.. Many were praying not to get it. Wrapped solvenly in possibly recycled wrapping paper, it was a stigmatized present.

Participants would draw lots to determine the present they are to receive. The one who picks this magical bundle would be bestowed with the legendary cup.

The bundle brings the cup to its chosen owner. Alas! The cup has found the chosen one. F D Ye picked up the magical bundle and is "rewarded" with the legendary cup!

The End

Disclaimer: The gift is actually hand made and not-cheap, I was told.. haha... So, while it was belittled, it is quite an interesting piece afterall. =)

Artsy fotos

2006-12-22T01:49:00.000+08:00

I just wanna showcase some nice "artsy" fotos that I have just captured. Hope you all find them insightful and interesting.. =)

Yesterday nite: met GZ at Marina Square

Nice lightings... =)

Suprised when way side trees outside Tampines Regional Library lit up at 7p.m. Never thought my neighbourhood would have a Christmas light up..

Just now (technically last nite since its already pass 2a.m.): Uncle Daniel's House for Christmas Carolling

A rather interesting foto taken by Angel... Emotes a sense of history behind the place and person...

Nice foto taken by Angel... Got Shuai Ge - handsome dudes! haha..

I photographed the pretty gals and Uncle Daniel.. hee..

Bonding

Parallel Lines?

Home is a place of Love

Laughter

Threat

Fears of growing old...

Merry Christmas everyone!

Remember that Christmas is more than just giving presents... I've been guilty being in a mad rush to purchase presents for my colleagues, but Christmas is about God's greatest gift to us, each and everyone. We were the reason that Christ gave his life, that we may have the gift of salvation and enjoy God's presence for eternalty. So, let's not get too carried away by the momentum of the world and remember the reason of the season... =)

Merry Christmas and God bless,
Fuda =)

The Miss Right?

2006-12-19T00:58:00.000+08:00

Our journey hasn't yet begun. I may have spoken to you, shared a bit of ourselves our background and what we enjoy doing. Still, there are equal chances that I have yet to meet you. These days, I have the urge to find out who you are; but apprehensive at the same time. I fear that the someone I think you are nags at me...
Imagine:
[I'm eating my favourite Bah Chor Mee]
"Your sister invited me to join this course... I was thinking that we should go... Did she ask you?"
[I nod to appease her]
"Then are you going?"
[I point to my head to imply that I'm considering]
"Why? Still considering? Let's go lah....... blah blah blah blah blah....."

Or some one who is so absolutely possessive and domineering and touchy and lovey-dovey until I cannot breathe!
Imagine again:
[We're shopping at my favourite Far East Shopping Centre, holding hands, joking and giggling]
"Are you going for the 17 dollar hair cut?"
"No.."
"Why?"
[We pass a saloon and she drags me back to its glass window and reads out the price list to me]
"See? Cut + wash: 25 dollars plus plus!! Why won't you go for the 17 dollar hair cut?"
"no...", I reply acting cute.
"huh? Go for the 17 dollar hair cut!!!"
Then she tickles me all over and ... blah blah blah... It's too grotesque even for me to think of a vivid description.

Still, I hope that you are out there... Maybe I won't mind you nagging, after 10 years or so... Maybe I may like being lovey-dovey, after 10 weeks or so... Anticipation mixed with apprehension - yet I long to meet you.

Disclaimer: This was written with linguistic intentions. Don't start nagging at me about having to pray for the right one, then feel whether she's the right one ok? I got listen one hor!! I usually reach the same conclusions earlier without being emotional about things... Don't have to repeat so many times...

A super duper close friend

2006-12-19T00:01:00.000+08:00

Our journey begins together when we first meet and we start sharing a bit about ourselves, our background and what we enjoy doing. If we find each other interesting enough among other factors, we spend more time together doing common things. If in school, we lunch together, study together and sit for boring lectures together. If in army, we train together, book-out together and play DoTA together. Whatever it is, we have fun and spend time together.

By now, we form what is commonly known as a "clique". Basically, we just stick with each other throughout most activities and even spend time together during our free time. For members of the opposite sex, they probably even call each other when they are home, just before they sleep. We think of each other as the best of best friends.

Then, thinking that we are the best of best friends, I would take interest in the friend's personal life, sharing mine and probing into his. Sometimes, these friends measure up. It's not about how good you are. By now, I have accepted you, knowing some of your strengths and weaknesses. It's about you sharing a deeper part of yourself with me. By sharing your inner thoughts and even your vulnerabilities, I know that you truly trust me and have me as a part of your life. This is when you become my Super Duper Close Friend.

Well, sometimes people fail. This happens when the friend avoids my personal questions and does not share his inner thoughts. Usually, this friend also does not know enough about me or does not care to know about me. As such, our journey may abruptly come to an end through some seemingly small, petty and insignificant issue. The truth is that there are underlying issues that keep us apart. We have had some great times together; but it seems that it has ended.

Dreamz

2006-12-17T01:36:00.000+08:00

What's your dream?
Self made millionaire? Accountant? Camera man? Director?
Doctor? Engineer? Santa Claus?! Teacher? James Bond?!

Well, that were some of the answers I received from the youth during the Christmas party we just concluded hours ago. The theme of the party was dreamz and participants were encouraged to dress up as they would in their dream occupation.

I joined the youth because they requested that I help them host the event, together with my buddy..

Hahah.. she didn't like this foto... but I think its so funny.. ha..

Ok. serious photo..

On the job... ;)

Boring me dressed up as an accountant in office wear... Plus a blazer...

Deqi and our little James Bond striking a pose

WeiLun wearing my blazer

Ian and I...
Smart boy... should be 4 yrs old...

With Gabriel's snake that he got from the gift exchange

Deqi n I

Accountant, construction worker, fashion designer and teacher?

Concluding group foto!

Well, I enjoyed myself... Hopefully the participants enjoyed the interactive nature of the event... And I need to pray about where to serve... I'm hoping one of the people ministries... See where God leads... =)

The unClassified Utterances - 13 Dec 2006

2006-12-13T21:14:00.000+08:00

I need a human touch!!

haha... Well, I knock off from work today feeling like I need to have more interaction with other people.. I have a balance of task and people orientation, so I need to interact with people other than just facing a lab top or bills and claims all day! haha... Other than during lunch hours, conversation is just pretty much about transactions; period. haha... At least I don't have creditors calling me to press for payment and threatening legal action... hahaha.....

Anyways, I hope this weekend is going to be 'happening'... haha.. No, Fuda does not club. Here's my list of what will be interesting to do this weekend:
1. Singing K-box over nite!
2. Moooovie
i) Fu Zi (stars Arron Kwok as a chronic gambler who forces his wife into prostitution and his son into stealing)
ii) Deck the Halls (comedy! I like...)
iii) The Holiday (Interesting story, it seems... however, got ang moh values - they share beds easily.. haha)
iv) Deja Vu
3. Going down to Velocity at Novena Square..
4. Any other activity - what's important to me is the people; not the things we do. :)

Well, that's all... Have fun everyone! =)

Cheers,
fudgie... :P

The Rule of the Thumb

2006-12-11T23:48:00.000+08:00

"Always reply Fuda's SMSes"

haha... I've been rather busy these days... Working hours are 9 to 6; travelling takes me 1 hr plus... so, I'm feeling that I don't have enough time to do all I want: meeting up with friends, reading (1. Bible, 2. Principles of Marketing, 3. Cashflow Quadrant), playing guitar and jogging... As such, there's no time to blog about life when there's too much to blog about and too little time to journal it all. Anyway, I just want to vent my frustration here. haha... I sms only a handful of people. So if I sms you, you jolly well reply... If not...... you will suffer my wrath... muahahahahaha.... haha.. Nothing irritates me more than having my closest friends take forever to reply me. argh! ahem... you know who you are... haha...

The unClassified Utterances - 4 Dec 2006

2006-12-04T21:31:00.000+08:00

Aiyo... I am not going to complain about my job todae... haha.. If not I will soon find that there is no interest in my blog... haha...

Well, saw this cute pic on Deqi's blog.. so I ripped it out and plastered it here on my own blog...

Stay happie always, everyone! =)

haha... Seeing the 10.oo smiley faces makes me smile... hee..

Cheers,
Fuda!

The General Theory of What People Need

2006-11-30T00:11:00.000+08:00

These past 3 weeks have been really interesting interacting with people much older than myself. It makes me wonder why they make certain comments or have a certain mentality... Like for example, my accountant sighed and said "zuo ren hen nan" - its tough being human. Perhaps she has a very traditional Chinese mindset where she surrenders to fate, but that's just so not me. I love challenging situations and having an internal locus of control rather than being tossed around in the winds of life. However, this may just show my lack of life experience and naivety; perhaps I am still young and ambitious.

I met up with one of my sister's ex-colleague today when 2 of her friends dropped by to pass her 'The Cash Flow Quadrant' by David Kiyosaki. They joined-in on our conversation and it was interesting learning from their experiences. Part of our conversation touched on why we should move away from employment and towards entrepreneurship; how both employment and self-employment trades time for money. In other words, for the employed (like myself,) and self employed, "no time on work = no $$$". In addition, there is also the factor of globalisation making it difficult for locals to remain employed. One way globalisation increases recession of locals is the supply of eager foreign talents willing to work for a much lower pay. Why so? Because of the exchange rate: S$900 is much more than a Chinese graduate can earn back home if they are able to get a job. So, immigrants from countries like China are willing to work much harder for a much lower pay, increasing competition with locals who expect high salaries. Also, being employed usually means doing repetitive work; 10 years of experience is no different from 1 year of experience. Would we want to do mundane, repetitive work with little sense of achievement? Is it for a pay check every month to pamper the children with toys, books and other spoils?

We further talked about how "qian goon qian" - money makes money through business, investments, equity, shares, etc. So, life's quite unfair - those that have money can make even more money faster. Having an early start is also important: that's partly how Adam Khoo and Bill Gates made their first million at a young age. So don't we all want to seize the moment while we can to achieve financial freedom as early as possible by starting businesses and making investments?

So much talk about making $$$ isn't it? Is the objective of life 'as long as you make a lot of money'? Let's ask ourselves the following questions:
'What is our purpose of earning so much money?'
Beyond comfortable living, extra $$$ does not make much difference.
'What is the purpose of striving for an early retirement, of achieving financial freedom young?'
'What are you going to do when you retire? What is the purpose of what you plan to do?'
'What is the purpose of our life?'
The one who inherits our wealth may be wise, or may be a fool who will destroy what we bulit using our entire lifespan.
'Is there any meaning to storing wealth where we cannot enjoy in death?'

Well, as for me, it's a firm 'NO', the objective of my life is not 'as long as I make ALOOOOOOTTTT of $$$$$' or be so filthy rich I use bank notes as toilet paper. While making money remains in my "to do list", it is by no means the sole purpose. The goal of my life is to be more Christ-like. As people grow older, they become either more Christ-like or more evil, or secretly evil or unscrupulous. I believe it is important to remember that there is much more to life than the material things that we see and that the flesh craves for. Money can buy a lot of things, but not everything. Money cannot buy true love, care and concern. These intangible things can only be found in people. Most importantly, the human soul craves for unfailing love - unattainable from the hearts of any mortal man. In Christ alone can our deepest needs be met.

Substitution

2006-11-26T16:47:00.000+08:00

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Casino Royale 007... To me, Solange and James Bond were an epitome of sophistication, elitism and egoism... haha... That's exactly what I like about it... Their conversations were intellectual; a tad too elaborated to be spontaneous though. I loved the dialogue Bond had with his boss when he broke into her house and the one when bond first met Solange - the beautiful, and intellectual federal accountant with a sharp tongue; yet, she has a soft side and was black-mailed into betraying James Bond.

I guess I loved it because it resonates what I secretly covet. Being intelligent, sophisticated, and arrogant... Lucrative, isn't it? However, being a Christian, these aren't values and lifestyles I should hold on to... Instead of self-pride, I should be filled with humility and dependence on Christ. Humility isn't discrediting oneself of one's strengths, but acknowledging one's weaknesses. On reflection, there are plenty of ungodly thoughts and habits that should be avoided; these can be done, as I see it, by a process called substitution. For example, to stop being selfish, one must be generous. To learn not to discriminate and hate, one must love. To cease being self-centred, I must be Christ-centred - to die to myself and live for Christ! Basically, I just feel that I need a spiritual revamp... Take that ungodly thing away and replace it with this godly thing. Pride tells me I can do it by my own strength. The bible tells me I need to submit myself to God's transforming power.

If we have our focus set on earthly things, we would desire earthly things and miss out on God's call on our lives. But if we set our minds on living life eternal with God, then we would desire to store treasures in heaven rather than on earth... I like this verse (Matthew 6:21) projected on Tangs.

Moovie review...

short tots on Casino Royale & Happy Feet

Casino Royale:
1. Casino Royale is long and slightly draggy and has an abrupt ending..
2. Cool start.. Guys would be impressed at the chase scene at the start.. Woo! The way they overcame obstacles is super cool.
3. No cool toys this time, but has cool cars
4. Feisty accountant (Solange).. I Like... haha..
5. Complex plot. Love'It!

Happy Feet:
1. Silly plot! Accept who you are... You can make a difference even though you are deemed "weaker" or ostracised... blah, blah, blah.... And why would we stop trawling around the Antarctica?! We still need fish!
2. Not very cute... Mumble was cute when he was young... Only for a short while.
3. Too much human personality in the silly penguins
4. Not funny.. Few lame jokes though
5. Mumble is essentially a weakling... I dun like...
(Gals, we're all entitled to our opinions... so dun start yelling at me... haha...)

Christmas tree seeing

Ha... Call me boh liao, but I actually walked down the entire stretch of Orchard just now just to look at Christmas trees and take some photos.. If you dun wanna stay home but dun want to spend $$$$, you can always learn from me... haha.. get to hang around with friends but dun spend money.... haha

Probably the most conventional Christmas tree this year... Outside Paragon.

Conventional and aesthetic. Inside Nee Ann City.

Christmas stacks of coloured boxes. Outside PS.

The most expensive tree... The crystals alone were reported in My Paper (I actually read the chinese papers!) to be worth S$250,000..Even though its unique and expensive, I still feel it lacks colour and vibrancy... heee.. Its outside The Heeren.

My fave tree! Its in The Cathy. Though conventional in most other aspects, its coloured funky pink! I'm fine with it cos its not like I'm wearing it or anything.. I think its a bridge between convention and youthful exuberance - wild and adventurous...

Uncategorise-able random murmurings

How was my birthday week, I hear you ask? Well, its not as terrific as I would have liked it to be. So, that means that it was a disappointment... This means that I am so not going to discuss it. =P bleah..

Anyways, my colleagues were super sweet... They were the most pleasant surprise... On my birthday, I had only known them for a mere 9 working days, but they actually bothered to celebrate it... Its heart warming that I've only known them for 2 weeks, but we seem to gel quite well.. Went to Sentosa with them on Sat... Fun sia..

What's been on my mind is about perceived reality. With selective attention, selective distortion and selective retention, witnesses to the same event may have varied accounts. I think it get more complex when biasness towards or against other individuals are factored in... Aiya... I'll try to keep things short... Basically, I feel that in interpersonal relations, its super complex because of perceived reality, since what one perceives as reality would affect how one reacts to another person... For example, someone can look at all my screw ups and all my short comings and conclude that I am a lousy person.. On the other hand, someone else may see just all my strong points and conclude that I am an extremely confident, secure and charismatic person... Its also scary hearing my mother's account of how I progressed from an aggregate of 207 at PSLE to AAA at 'A' levels - because her account is different from mine.... Not entirely wrong, but just how even mother and son account of an event can vary is scary.. Just imagine 2 enemies... Juz some food for thought.

Cheers and God bless always,
fudge Yeh!

Freedom from Regimentation

2006-11-21T22:46:00.000+08:00

Now that I am no longer subjected to regimentation, I celebrated my 2-week-old liberty by going for a hair dye! haha... Well, its supposed to be darker... Hair colouration dun always turn out as intended...

It scares me how much I resemble my dad when he was my age... haha.. Anyway, let's talk about my interesting company...

Work, work...

Let's start from the good stuff...
1. The accountant
She's a nice catholic... So far, I've seen her console 2 people upset by my work place... Zai in her own right as well... She does teach me quite a bit and I've started using MYOB...
2. Fun lunch company
As temp staff, I dun dirty my hands in company politics... I'm a neutral creep... haha.. I'm a friend to all.. so the people that usually ask me out for lunch have been rather fun to be around..

Now the bad... hurrhurrhurrr....
1. So many people want to quit! the reason? my guess is below:
2. The company is a morachy!
haha.. Yes! the "big boss" is the father, the director is the mother and one of the managers is the daughter who, in my opinion, has rather bad E.Q.... Its not that she has bad intentions, its just the way she carries her message across...
3. Quarrels?
yup.. within 6 days I've withnessed 2 ladies shed tears... maybe partly because of the "royal family", but also because of friction between staff...
4. Mystery...
Maybe those intending to leave have their own qualms that they do not openly share... And the little I hear is insufficient to make what I perceive close to reality, which may be better or worse; though I may not be affected by whatever the reality is...

Well, I am still staying. Because, its tough enough finding a job as an accounts assistant with a useless 'A' level certificate, let alone get a good paying one... Also, the accountant is very nurturing and when she leaves for her well deserved holiday, it'll still be a good learning experience that will look good in whatever application essay i may complete in the future.

Arts...

2006-11-12T17:43:00.000+08:00

Its not a recent obsession with the arts but its fascinating.. I'm no guru but here are some interesting stuff or stuffs that may enchant you too! =)

I live in Singapura!

Haha... This video is taken from Mr Brown's show; Hossan Leong sings about Singapore's history and how its "not perfect living but at least its interesting". Well, I think it's all arguable whether or not Singapore's interesting, but at least we are trying to be an arts hub and a "fun city". On a side note, I must admit that I am strongly in favour of our Singaporean lifestyle, the fast paced society and the rigorous education system; while there seem to be others who criticise the pressure of our education system and the hectic working lifestyle. This really makes me curious as to how life is on "greener pastures" - wherever it is. As such, I'm planning to go for some exchange while studying in NTU; to experience how life is like in a slower paced society, where shops close by 5p.m. and road sweepers have a take-home salary of $2k.

Anyway, back to the song, it can be viewed below, I hope you all enjoy it and there are lyrics too. I think we should be able to relate to most of the names and events mentioned... After all, the lyrics are about us...

For the more analytical, I have copied the lyrics of the song below for you to ponder over.. =P

We Live In Singapura

Sang Nila, Utama
Saw a lion, alamak
Name the village Singapura, then run very far

Years later, ang mor came
Stamford Raffles was his name
Posed for statues very nice, we kenna colonize

Singapura very strong
Big guns all, pointing wrong
Japanese, came on bikes, invade us from our backside

War is over, ang mor back
Singaporeans no respect
Commies come, make a fuss, Singapore independance!

CHORUS
I live in Singapura
It's not perfect living
But at least it's interesting
I live in Singapura
Though it's kind of crazy
We win other country

David Marshall, Lim Yew Hock
National Anthem starts to rock
Yusof Ishak the big man, guess who's PM?

Malaysia say, come join me
Two of us be same country
Then not happy, Then make PM cry

PM Lee lead country
Build jurong and HDB
Made the country clean and green, opposition cannot win

JB Jeya no more funds,
Chee Soon Juan won't eat his buns
Lim How Doong, what a goon, don't talk cock in parliament

CHORUS
I live in Singapura
It's not perfect living
But at least it's interesting
I live in Singapura
Though its kind of crazy
We win other country

The song is a spoof of Billy Joel's "We didn't start the fire". I fell in love with this song when my GP tutor introduced it to my class... It's about conflicts in world history and how, as the chorus goes, "we didn't start the fire; it was always burning since the world's been turning". I've uploaded a video of this song too... The video has pictures of all the mentioned people and events, pretty cool; though I still have no clue who some of them are..

Step Up

I just watched "Step Up" today!!! Its great! The moves are good, though Bollywood can dance better. What impressed me is the subtle contrast drawn between Tylor and his buddies, how they all are clueless about life and have no dreams while Tylor subsequently discovers one. Also, Nora's final year dance showcase was an interesting fusion of different dance styles and art forms... I know nothing much about dance or art, so just preview the showcase... Its the best quality available on youtube.com; so if you like it, go buy the original DVD and lend me, ok? haha...

Some thoughts from watching the show(don't read if you haven't watched the movie! If you have, proceed and tag your views!):

- Tylor walked out on his buddies, Nora and his "dream" once too many... Perhaps he's not too sure yet, but people don't always get so many second chances from life...

- Nora started in the show as a classically trained dancer and her dance moves were rigid. Then came along untrained Tylor and he brought in all the breadth to her final showcase... My opinion: I dowanna be rigid and by the the book... I wanna be versatile and interesting and incorporate different elements to make solutions interesting.

- One of Tylor's buddies died - Skinny Carter. I think that if you wanna be bad, you've still gotta be street smart. People successful in illegal trade is zai one loh!

That's all.. Just some random thoughts from the movie.. ha..

Cheers,
Fuda

Day 4: End of Unemployment

2006-11-10T13:11:00.000+08:00

'Our official working hours is from 9:ooa.m. to 6:00p.m., I'll see you on Monday. Do you have any other questions?'
'What is the dress code? Formal or smart casual?'
'You can wear this... Or you can wear t-shirt... Just as long as you wear something...'
With that, the interview room roared with laughter and I finally ended my 2 week long job search and 4 day long unemployment. When drawing money after the interview, I felt so much more confident and secure. I remember looking at clothes at Topman last Monday and I felt like I have no buying power although I just received my pay cheque for last month from Stalford Tuition Center. Everyday without a job was like an additional liability, spending money without assurance of a next pay cheque. I started feeling slightly depressed from the first day of my unemployment.. haha..

'Hullo, I saw your advertisement on the Classified jobs and I would like to apply for the position of accounts assistant..'
'We only want females. Thank you. Bye!'
That happened twice! On other occasions,
'No, we dun have that position but we have sales...'
'NO.'
Some other time,
'Do you want to be our store supervisor?'
'NO.'
From Recruit Express, a job agency, after an interview.
'Hi Fuda! There's a vacancy at Tampines to do admin in AIA's claims department.. Will you be interested? There will be no interview.. They'll accept you from your resume.'
'Admin in claims department.. I'll consider, but I'll try to find a job that gives me the experience that I want first.. Thanks Melissa..'
I must say this job search has been an enriching experience, and I never fail to impress my interviewers. ha.. Of course man.. haha.. (Egoistic me.. haha)

On my second interview with one of the directors of DW Biomagnetic Group,
'I spoke to my boss, because you only have 'A' Levels, we can't really give you an accounts job and you said you don't want any other admin job. But because I gave you really good remarks, my boss said you can join us and be a trainer, and at the career talk later, you can consider other options...'
'Oh, trainer sounds interesting... I may consider...'
'Yah, because of your appearance, you were polite and confident, you know, you can be a trainer.. But of course, you have to start doing some sales first; you must have the health knowledge first... So you can answer when your trainee ask....'
Anyway, I seriously doubt the benefits of such dubious products and I declined although it was alluring indeed.

Yesterday, I went to a modelling agency at Park Mall. No, I wasn't applying as a model; I applied to be their accounts assistant, to do some basic book keeping. Amazingly, I did the interview in mandarin! It felt like Chinese oral. ha... Anyway, they weren't looking for accounts assistants, but she seemed impressed and said she would check if they need an accounts assistant, which they were looking for a few months back but didn't get one and there was no further news till now. She seemed keen on employing me for 8 months to do their book keeping. However, she hasn't replied and I have already agreed to the 2 months temp job, to stand in for their accountant, to do simple invoices and "daily tasks" as she called it... Besides, I have 1 week to understudy the accountant - it'll be a good learning experience. I'm both exhilarated and stressed at the same time, since I will be the only finance person in the company during her absence... After the 2 months, they may decide if they need the extra help and keep me, or I will go relieve teaching!

Cheers,
Fuda

Oh, and pst, the office is in some really old and disgusting private residence along Stevens road... So hard to find sia... And so far.. But at least its near Orchard.. haha..

D-Day ORD - A photo journal

2006-11-06T22:03:00.000+08:00

Enough said about this day; I am too sentimental... Let the pictures speak the volumes of words.. =P

Back in BMT.... March 2005? yea.. Rec Eu Fai and Rec Fuda.. haha

My sister's birthday 2005... Think I was promoted le.. No idea why i look likedat.. haha..

My sister's birthday this year! Just a few days back.. See: I have painful swollen cheeks! no smiles.. =( haha...

Some time back in bunk.. So fun! Will miss the nites we spent... Even just chatting and complaining about our day..

My habitat.

Vacated.

Today, together with the new specs.

Awhile later.. On popular demand.. ha

Aiyo.. this one must be make smaller.. My swollen cheeks so ulgy.. ha.. better already though..
Oh, and I have to add, 'Rightful citizen. I've earned it!!! Hoaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!' Heard that?! Gals, heard that? haha.. But there's still reservist! You see? I call this the burden of male citizenship, of the tradition of male protection.. Dates back to blibical times even.... haiz.

Service status: NSmen!!

Random Snaps!

Went to the Esplande today... So here are some of the choice offerings...

Art? Not really sure.. But it says: Temasek, so its worth the space here! ;)

The looming figure looks like a horrifying apparition, rite?

But in this view, it offers a whole new dimension - the child is reaching out to the parent. (Pst, its on the right ah..)

Daddy, daddy!

Emotes this unspoken bond between parent and child... No?

Agape Love (My perception)

Long arms I've got!

Economic hub, striving arts community and garden city?

Art: taking a different perspective.

Duh?! Are we worried for Singaporeans or silly tourist from lilliput?! Yeah, yeah.. I hear u saying that we're trying to waive liability.. blah, blah..

Diary of Pain

2006-11-03T18:55:00.000+08:00

In a sheltered environment, we don't get to experience much pain. However, yesterday, I ambitiously removed all 4 wisdom teeth! Best of all, I experienced the procedure under local anaesthesia; i.e. the operation site is numbed but I am fully conscious. Although my eyes were all covered, I could hear all the drilling, the cracking of some of my teeth that refuse to be removed and I could still feel some pain during the operation. In addition, I could hear the dental surgeon say that he couldn't find one of the roots of my right upper third molar. He slit my gum open, used a fibre optic instrument and still could not find it. Still sounding composed; he pushed the panic button and called for a second dentist to examine the condition, but there unfortunately were none other in the department. I was so afraid and all I could do was to commit the situation to God. Thankfully, he found the root and called off the request for another dentist to examine the situation. Phew...

After the successful operation, I could barely speak because the local anaesthetic numbed my cheeks, tongue, lips and chin. Thankfully, the dental surgeon did not hit the nerve close to my wisdom tooth which could cause the prolonged numbness and the numbness due to the anaesthetic subsided subsequently.

Self potrait of pain

My 4 third molars

After taking the pain killers, I felt much better and went to sleep, to avoid feeling any pain. However, within 6 hours, the pain was so intolerable I had to wake up. Having a job interview the next morning, I wanted to reserve the next dose of pain killers for the morning, just before the interview. Hence, I just bit on gauze to absorb blood, iced my cheeks in an attempt to reduce swelling and bore with the pain. Of course, as with all moments of vulnerability, I had to call to God.. Human nature lah.. And thankfully, the ice numbed the pain and I went back to sleep after that. Now, the pain is much less, as well as the bleeding. However, my cheeks are super swollen. And that's how I looked for my first job interview.. hahaha..

How I look normally versus the swollen state of my cheeks.. ha..
Thank God that there are no post surgery complications and complications during the surgery were overcome. Thank God that I could speak close to normally during my interview and was not in pain, I would have been too distracted otherwise. Everything that happens is permitted by God, and I believe this has been a character shaping experience.

To God be the Glory,
Fuda! =P

Archive of Pain

My uncle passed away somewhere around these 3 blocks. Walking pass these blocks to get to the army market has been a painful experience for some time. I thank God that He has given me peace and healed me from the pain of the loss.. Being able to capture this photo last Saturday stands testiment to my healed heart. =)

happily unemployed, unhappily seeking employment

2006-11-01T23:17:00.000+08:00

Haiz... Care freely being unemployed (not considering giving tuition) is so relaxing... so much so that I wish I dun have to go through all the trouble looking for a job... haha.. I'm very picky... I want a job that pays well, I only want an accounts/finance related job near the central or east and I want a job that I can gain insight about working as an accountant or working in the finance sector... Troublesome rite? I think finding this job is also very troublesome... haha.. I'm like looking through the classifieds, checking out lobangs offered by friends and searching online job agencies.. Seeking employment is such a chore... haha..

Nonetheless, on a side note, my search is a purposeful search; otherwise I wouldn't have come up with my job criteria ritez?

A meeting of minds

"I have a business opportunity for you... Want to meet up for dinner soon?" That was You Quan's sms to me a few days back. Since I was supposed to be seeking employment, we subsequently agreed to meet on Wednesday @ 1900hrs at blk 201 Mac's, somewhere near our houses.

Interestingly, he just joined an MLM which is selling the health product 'Pai Du Mei Ren Wan' which you may have heard of, since the Chinese drama series 'Zhen Qing' promoted the product. I found the name familiar too.. You Quan did not attempt to cajole me into joining him at his company because I related to him the bad experienceS I had with MLMs. So, our conversation revolved around MLMs, why there is a negative image of MLMs and building trust with prospective clients or partners. We chatted for 3 hours! Well, we also discussed about temporary jobs before lessons commence, about University plans and about employability.

The climax of the conversation lies with our eventual discussion about Science and more specifically about Physics, since we both have a strong interest in Physics. You Quan mentioned about an efficient new method to harness power from a "free vacuum", which sounded familiar to me.
'Is it about the matter and anti-matter thing?', I probed
'No... Its using em waves to harness energy..'
'Oh, it uses a dipole to harness the em wave in a "free vacuum" to produce power, is it?'
'Yah, yah..!'
'There's a lot about it on the internet.. I'm quite well read too.. *grins!*'
Not interesting? Well, the final act of our conversation was about how I believe the sciences will support intelligent design - the need for a Creator. Eventually, I shared my faith with him.. How Christ died to buy our pardon and the key purposes achieved through His death. You Quan, being the usual intellectual, asked a good question, 'Why do you believe in Jesus? As in, is it because other people believe so you believe or what?' Wow. That was a loaded question that I believe I should ask myself and reaffirm, 'Why Jesus?'

I guess that from time to time, we need to reaffirm our allegiance to Christ, to be sure of our salvation which is paid for through His death on the cross.
Philippians 2:12-13 says:
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

Well of course, I answered that every individual would have their experiences and factors that led them to believing faith, but theologically, as Christians, we believe Jesus is God and because through him we receive eternal life, saved from eternal death by the act of Christ on the cross. Still, I found his question to be a simple one, yet immensely profound. 'Why Jesus? Why do YOU believe in Him.'

Cheers & God bless,
Fuda =)

Find Rest My Soul

2006-10-30T21:15:00.001+08:00

Here's a really meaningful song that I love.. Still, by hillsongs.. Reminds me to come to God... =) The song has been around for some time, but it still speaks to me..

Hide me now,
Under Your wings
Cover me,
With in Your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You, a bove the storm
Father, You are King o ver the flood
I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ a lone
Know His power
In quietness and trust

Lyrics have been taken from www.ultimate-guitar.com. Peeps interested in guitar can visit this site, it has guitar chords, fingerings and lyrics for all kinds of songs.

Mama Birthday

2006-10-29T13:57:00.002+08:00

Yet another birthday celebration and my Da Jie's birthday is in another 5 days time.. For my mama's birthday, we wanted a celebration at Equinox, but we were unable to make a last minute reservation.. haha.. So, we ended up dining at some German restaurant; I didn't even like the food.. German meat just tastes so partially cooked, the experience felt almost barbaric, akin to tearing the meat on my plate. However, the ambience was pleasant and fairytale-like.

At the restaurant

Mom & me =)

My bean stalk to Heaven? It should be beyond the glass ceiling.. Home is heaven..

After the meal that wasn't really to my liking, we went of to the bakerzin for some sweet savouries. The no smoking sign printed in a glass block fascinated me, cause of the internal reflections and stuff..

Internal reflections
We wanted to go to the Equinox bar to catch the panoramic view of the city after having dessert, but entry costs $22 with complimentary house drink so its totally not worth it since we were only there for sight seeing, not clubbing... I'm really tempted to make a restaurant reservation 1 year in advance.. ha..

Guess what? On the way back home, we stopped by some stall that sells footwear from 90 cents.. Curious, I browsed through what they had to offer and this uncle waved a pair of slippers at my face, saying, 'Cuse me... Cuse me..' I spun around and he asked, 'What price ah?' Oh com'on! Did I look like the sales person, or was my attire too casual, or did I look like I was doing shelving?! Anyway, I took no offence, but still... ha.. Funny moments ya...

Cheers,
fudge

Full Circle

2006-10-27T00:59:00.000+08:00

Now that my ORD is next, next Monday, I really feel my NS has come full circle. Sentimental as I am, I felt quite sad that I have to part with what used to take up 5 days of my week, but I really can't wait to leave - conflicting feelings isn't it? I went down memory lane today and visited my camp's heritage room, where my first sai kang still hangs proud - the 2005 National Day Parade moblie column display. My bunk also had an ORD steamboat dinner tonite. As we sat there eating around the round table, we felt like family. We reminisced about the past, our first day shifting in to the bunk and cleaning the mess. I felt almost like crying. However, we were like one family that is falling apart. Guan Zheng has started clearing his leave, Tian Ping and I will be civilians in 11 days, while Jeremiah won't be for another 9 years or so.

Whoa... good steamboat dinner! haha...

Ohana...

Haha.. this is funny.. act fierce, formal shot.haha...

Self shot.

ORD LOH~! 1 for Signal Specialist Bunk 1!!!

Kok's b'dae

Whoas... There are just so many birthdays in October! For Kok's birthday, we went to Vivo City on the 24th and spent nearly the entire day at Earle Swensens . Not that we wanted to take advantage of the salad buffet, but because we ate earlier, left the diner and accompanied the ladies there later for their lunch.. Rather pai seh lah... Queue twice under the pseudonym 'Wilson' - supposed to be Widyson but the manager heard Wilson.. haha..

@ Big Mega Store

Vivo nite shot

Me, 'Wilson', Kok, Andy, Linette, Yvonne.

SAF-Fantasy

2006-10-19T20:21:00.000+08:00

This is a cute and funny animation done by a friend of a friend. As the name suggests, it has something to do with the army.. I shan't reveal too much, the rest is for you to find out!

SAF-FANTASY

Thank you Miss Haze

Thanks to Miss Haze, my sore throat has worsened and I can barely speak. Wonder how I am going to teach tomorrow if I don't recover.

@ Orchard 2dae

No haze is going to keep me indoors to bore away reading books and surfing forums all day. Today, Andy and I went down to Orchard to find something, something hush-hush, confidential and secret.. haha..

sure looks hazey doesn't it?

Took this while resting our legs at Lido.. haha

In Wheelock Place

While walking back to the MRT station from Wheelock Place, this team of 4 RJC students stopped us on our tracks. The boy who spoke to us was rather polite, so Andy and I obliged to answer their question; besides, the quartet blocked our entire path! Well, I was embarrassed that I didn't know what 'Romancing Singapore' is, but let's just say that I don't fall within the target audience of the campaign. (rationalisation... haha) I seriously wonder why the RJCian said that we look like the "correct" age.

Anyway, we accomplished our mission and bought the hush-hush item that we were seeking for and I was entertained for another day..

Random Thoughts

Duang-ing is becoming better now, compared to last week or a few weeks back. That's because most of my JC friends have started clearing their off and leave and we can all chill together, rather than me confining myself most of the time or hanging around in camp, only to find out that I am more miserable than at home. I have rested for 6 weeks and I have another 2 weeks, during which I would try to find a job somewhere, somehow, as an accounts assistant and get my pink ic on 6th November. Until school starts, I should be working, giving tuition part time and learning driving.

I can't wait to start school. That's a really strange desire, especially if its from me. You see, from young, I hated school and didn't want to go to school. In JC, as with most councillors and union members, I skipped lectures like nobody's business. However, I've suffered almost 2 years while waiting to study and I have to wait another 7 months! As with human nature, when we wait, we just wish we could fast forward.. Besides, there's so much I want to do in Uni and I just wish I could start right away.. Also I'm planning to room with Chee Yuen in hall, so that should be quite fun. And I want to decorate my room! haha.. I'd have to work with limited space though, but it's gonna be fun!! haha...

Cheers,
Fuda

Forum people....

2006-10-17T00:32:00.000+08:00

Honestly, forum people in general really have no life? Anyone of you reading my blog active on forums? They debate about really trivial issues.. One guy has this blog about bad habits of Singporeans. I suppose most of the clips where recorded by him.. All around Yishun. No doubts about where he stays. Its all about silly things like this old man cutting through the HDB block on his motorbike n such.. Is there a problem at all?

Not to mention a certain Sgcockroach... gosh! he has nothing better to do... he was asking a whole lot of questions on NS... even started a tread asking if he should wear contact lenses in army. Guess wad? This Si Gin Nah confessed that he has a few more years to NS?! Argh!! He is a huge waste of so many people's time giving him advice in vain.. gosh!

I do like a few treads though. One is on whether females should serve NS and another on millitary adverts, whether they are a waste of money. Thought these were interesting topics for discussion. What's interesting about the forums is that you won't really know the age or educational background of the source, he may just be a lunatic or a genius, a wise sage or some sec 2 kid with nothing better to do.. haha.. However, I haven't really seen anything really impressive. I mean, its mainly common sense, that's all I've found. Alot of the treads are meaningless chatter.. discussion for the sake of dicussion, its no end in itself. There are threads on, 'What's your fave radio station' without deeper discussion into what makes for a good station, why issit that they prefer the station and what is the purpose of listening to radio stations.

So much for pointing fingers and all. I have no life too!!! Save me!!! Quick! haha... Its boredom that drove me to reading those silly forums and talking with people that have no life! haha.. and I guess you all know why there has been a sudden exponential increase in my blog entries... and lengthy wordy ones especially.. haha.. SAVE ME!!! haha...

Cheers,
fudge! =)

Happy 21st Birthday Chee Yuen!

Here's a tribute to one of my best friends. Silly jokes.. Playing funny DoTA maps.. Night's Outs.. Singing K box over nitez.. Wallace & Gromit.. Moonlight in Tokyo.. Improvised BBQ @ NTUC Resort... Swimmin in Sentosa, 'there're animals in the water!'.. 'It's snorkelling time'...
'So how?' & 'Anything' - that's how we had lotsa fun tog.. =P

Want one? Go to http://geocities.com/testiflash

Miss Haze

2006-10-15T21:42:00.000+08:00

I'm sorry for anyone called haze. These days, she's the most hated, second only to Indo.. *ahem.. ness ya... Miss haze didn't really bother me... though her index hit unhealthy levels of 150... until yest.. sore throat... headache! arghhhh!! couldn't even teach properly.. No thanks to Miss haze.

Good Movies

Though I have watched 2 lousy movies, there are some good ones out there.. depends on personal preference though. Last Sat, i just remembered, I watched John Tucker Must Die.. ha.. that was funny... Worth the watch.. And one thing to learn? Its easier to shift Jiang mountain than to change someone's personality.. haha

Good movies to come? I'm thinking of The Guardian.. Seems like a nice, cool lifeguard movie... damn zai... The Departed seems good too... good plot.. but the Infernal Affairs is said to be better still

Not liking horror movies, The Silk is a definite no no... There was one trailer that that was shown on GV that I thought, 'that's one boring movie that I will never watch...' Can't remember which one it is... must be even worse than World Trade Centre.

Stay Alive _ _ _ World Trade Centre

2006-10-12T19:07:00.000+08:00

It must be the "I've-got-nothing-better-to-do" bug that is causing me to turn to any form of entertainment available. Last night at Jurong Point, the suggestion to watch a movie sounded like a well-deserved treat for the week of boredom, 2 hours later, it was the disaster of the week.
"Let's watch Stay Alive leh..." Zhong Yuan began curiously.
"Later they play DoTA and they will find themselves dying the same way they did in the game... haha" Chee Yuen added jokingly.
"So how? We watch Stay Alive?"
"Anything."

With that, we sealed our fate for the next 2 hours. The movie is a horror flick, a mild one, but sufficiently distasteful to me - someone committed to watching comedies. The ghost wasn't exactly surreal or the kind of our worst nightmares. However, the film did manage to get Chee Yuen and myself sloughing into our seats and peeping through our finger slits on many occasions. It came to the extent that the aunty sitting beside me commented, "even guys are scared." Embarrassing as it was, I didn't really care. Besides, she probably can't see me in the dark, and will probably never see me again and remember watching Stay Alive with 2 silhouettes cowering in the cinema.

I guess it was scary because the suspense was well built-up. The sound effects and the turn of events cause the viewer to cringe in fear that the certain character will die. What makes the film appealing is that reality is intertwined with the virtual; even if the game is paused, reality becomes the virtual. Hardcore horror flick lovers would find this mild, while PG lovers like me don't appreciate seeing the film through my finger slits.

Interestingly, the bug didn't stop at one disastrous movie. It had me watching a movie I wanted to fast forward through the next day.
"You shouldn't watch Stay Alive.." I recounted to Zong Yi "I didn't really want to watch it, but my friend wanted to, so I accompanied him..."
"Then you want to watch World Trade Centre or not? The Departed is not bad also..."
"Yah! I want to watch The Departed!"
"It's the English version of the Chinese show XYZ..." (I can't remember the title of the Chinese drama series... haha)
"Never mind lah.. We watch World Trade Centre loh.."

Once again, I subjected myself to 2 hours-or-so of misery. I don't really know how long the movie lasted. It must have been eons. The movie started off on a normal working day and Sergeant John woke up at 03:59, bathed, changed and drove to work. He conducted roll call as per normal and blah, blah, blah... You get the picture. The plane crashed into the first tower within minutes of the show. For most of the remaining time, you'll see Sarge John talking to one of his police officers, both crushed under the rubble, trying to stay alive.

On a number of occasions, when I wanted to fast forward the movie, I looked over at Zong Yi to see how he was enjoying the film. Nope, he showed no sign of boredom. When one of the police officers crushed under the debris took out his revolver to shorten his suffering, I looked over to Zong Yi and asked rhetorically, "can we watch a comedy?" Apparently, I have a low tolerance for anything that is not cheerful, optimistic or hilarious. Whatever it is, the 2 movies were a torture. Perhaps there are some who would enjoy watching a bunch of gamers running away from a ghost that exists in virtual and physical dimensions; perhaps there are some who would enjoy watching 2 cops talk under tons of concrete slabs. Perhaps there are some who enjoy watching both shows, where people try to Stay Alive. I just fall into neither group.

Fudge on watching television

2006-10-10T10:46:00.000+08:00

I haven't quite been fond of watching television for a couple of years now. However, in this time of doldrums, I randomly turn that poison box on to find some quality shows. I did find one. Nope, not during prime time TV as they call it, I found The Oprah Winfrey Show, in the late morning when practically everyone would be at work, school or still in dreamland.

The charm of Oprah can't possibly be articulated in words. It's just an indescribable charisma. At the golden age of 50 (at the time of this episode. Now she's 52), I do believe her life experience and her relationship with God does play a major role in nurturing this ineffable trait. As we mature, I believe we either become more Christ-like or more evil, or even worse, sneakily evil or unscrupulous.

In the episode broadcast today, she entertained a number of personal questions from the audience. In response to a young lady saying that she respects Oprah and wants to become just like her, Oprah said that she should be herself, and that Oprah can only be a beacon, because she believes that God has a dream for everyone, and we should live that dream! How true, and I enjoyed the wit and humour in which she carried the message across.

Not surprisingly, that young lady was filled with gratitude and declared that she will name her daughter Oprah. Interestingly, Oprah revealed the origin of her name! In the bible:

Ruth 1:3-5 (New International Version)

Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Notice a difference? Oprah Winfrey and Orpah, the Moabite. Interestingly, her name was insisted by her aunt, who misspelled Orpah.

I guess there are some good shows worth watching, especially Oprah. To me, it's mostly about life, about people who fought adversities and triumphed over hardships. It's also entertainment, humour and wit. Most importantly, I am really impressed by her advice to the young lady. To me, it means: you may want to be someone else, but God has a specific dream for you - will you live that dream?

Jeremiah 29:11-12

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."

1 Corinthians 11:1

"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."

Bible references have been taken from bibleGateway.com

Holiday ORD!

2006-09-29T10:06:00.000+08:00

Yes! I have just returned from a relaxing holiday at Pulau Redang, off the east coast of Malaysia. The journey took us a whooping 10 hours! You would probably have rightly guessed that the ulu island is somewhere close to Thailand, but safe from the political unrest.

For our journey up North, we had the whole bus to ourselves! And typical of any group of army guys, we were up to some mischief!

And not to mention, the Super VIP bus was super comfortable.. We took Konsortium Bus Ekpres in case you're wondering.. haha..

After a long 10-hour, over-night bus ride and some searching, we finally found our resort's jetty, with a less-than-prominent-sign that says: Redang Reef Jetty. Can you spot the sign in the photo below?

The boat ride to Pulau Redang offered a panoramic view of the crytal clear sea and the islets scattered off the coast. Here is a selection of the photos we took on the boat:

The following 4 days and 3 nights at the Island were fun filled and exciting. The feature of our days were the 5 snorkelling trips where we were brought by boat to different snorkelling sites. In the waters around Redang Island, we have seen mushroom corals, clown fishes code-named "Nemo" thanks to Walt Disney, turtles, sting rays, sharks, eels, sea cucumbers, baracudas and plenty of colourful fishes under the guidance of a dive master. Sorry, but I have no underwater images to upload.. haha..

However, I do have some photos of creatures around my resort:

Anyway, we also visited the famous Mo Mo Cha Inn, where the chinese movie, Xia Ri Mo Mo Cha was filmed. During our trip, there was also an Indian film crew doing some recording. None of us know really if its Bollywood.. Anyone recognise the female lead? haha...

We did also find some time to do a little.. ROCK CLIMBING! haha..

Well, not quite actually.. We were just posing.. haha.. ;P

And we celebrated Leon's birthday too.. The resort was kind enough to help us arrange for a cake to be brought to the Island.

I was really surprised to meet Taffy in Redang! Considering we never met each other for the past year or so in Singapore, what are the chances of meeting each other on a distant Island?! haha..

On the morning before we checked-out, I managed to pull myself out of bed to catch a glimse of the proverbial sunrise. Herein a choice slection of my snapshots.

For the coach ride back home, the Konsortium Bus Ekpres combined Taffy's and my coach reservations and we took the Super Snoozer Bus! My coach bookings were for the cheaper Super VIP bus, but thanks to Taffy, we went back together by the airplane-style luxury bus which has a built-in personal entertainment system. There was so much leg space, I could not reach the leg rest! And the leg rest can even be adjusted so that I could reach it! Marvelous! (for those who do not remember, I am 6 feet tall - no hobbit at all)

Overall, the trip was fantastic! And it came at an affordable price! I spent a total of S$260, mainly because of gluttony, eating just before tea break, going for late night supper and buying excessive snacks along the way to Redang and back. For the transport and accommodations which includes 3 main meals and 1 tea break per day, for 4 days and 3 nights, I spent only S$208!! So, if you're planning an ORD trip, take my recommendation: destination Redang Reef Resort.

Visit the following sites!

www.redang.org

www.redangreefresort.com.my

Cheers,
Fudge

Gr8 Shotz

2006-09-23T01:04:00.000+08:00

You won't believe that the following image was captured in Sg!

Any guesses where this is? Muhahahas..

Army Half Marathon

I just recieved the photos from my ORD run: The Army Half Marathon. What kept me running during the seemingly unending marathon is:
1. Percieveing it as my ORD run! Its my last 21km run b4 D-Day ORD!! haha.. I ran for as long as I could... Only making excuses to stop at isotonic points... haha..
2. Seeing much more senior runners tread relentlessly around my pace.. haha.. and not to mention the rare few ladies that pass me.. and all the males that juz keep running... and the good water point people that went beyond their call of duty to cheer us on... they all gave me strength at one point or another.
Here's a look at the photos:

b4 the run

Silver Medallion!

We all have 1 too.. =P