snapshot no.1408

Shifting!

2010-07-01T12:25:00.002+08:00

i'm temporarily suspending writing on this blog.

will be updating from My Aussie Blog from now on.

well, this blog will still be kept for one reason or another.

nonetheless, look for me at the other blog.

adios! :)

toy story 3

2010-06-24T13:23:00.006+08:00

here's a little teaser; an excerpt from the movie:

[Buzz Lightyear noticing Sarge and his soldiers carrying parachutes preparing to jump off the window.]

Buzz: Hey Sarge, what are you doing?

Sarge: War's over, we're moving on.

Buzz: You're going AWOL?!

not to mention Totoro appearing as a cameo and the funniest parts of the movie where Buzz resets and starts speaking and acting in spanish. hilarious!

toy story 3 - highly rated; highly recommended. =D

the Q-word

2010-05-10T22:23:00.004+08:00

probably one of the best birthday presents ever.

and the photos which you took that day will be sealed and locked up forever.

thank you for the memories.

at the crossroads once again

2010-04-26T21:30:00.005+08:00

i pass by that road junction a lot.

and i can still remember that very day,

you were walking away from me.

crying; tears in your eyes.

you know, you sure looked like hell when you cry.

thinking back,

it's that exact same look that broke my heart into pieces.

it's that exact same look that taught me what pain really felt like.

it's that exact same look that makes me want to embrace you tight,

never letting go and gently whisper in your ear,

"hush, i'm here; and everything's gonna be okay."

i realised along the way that you always look so beautiful when you smile.

but i've never told you, and you probably wouldn't ever know,

that even more so, you look exceptionally beautiful when you cry.

the evolution starts here

2010-04-14T21:44:00.016+08:00

and here are the 4 apartment choices (in no particular order):

Melbourne Student House - 2 Bedroom Apartment

the lift lobby

a tiny kitchen and an ordinary room

RMIT Village Old Melbourne - 2 Bedroom Studio Apartment (most likely choice!)

revamped from the old melbourne hotel

a heated pool

the 2 bedroom studio (what we applied for)

and this is how 1 room will look like in the 2 bedroom apartment (not available unfortunately, if not this would be our ideal choice)

YMCA College Square @ Swanston - 2 Bedroom Apartment

don't really like this place although it's within closest proximity to the university

Unilodge College House - 2 Bedroom Apartment

not too bad actually, but quite far away from the university

stereotypical asian guy in ugly suit not included

Locations of the 4

a bit small, click to enlarge. unimelb is that circular structure on the brown area. the 4 pins from left to right, top to bottom: melbourne student house, rmit village, ymca college square, unilodge college house

well, RMIT Village is quite a beauty, with the facilities and all. would really prefer the 2 bedroom apartment instead though, and it'll be perfect. shall wait for the outcome of the application for the 2 bedroom studio. probably stay for a sem first and at the same time look for a 2 bedroom apartment. :)

3rd April, A Different Year

2010-04-03T01:48:00.003+08:00

Ray Singh:

If I had but an hour of love, if that be all that is given me, an hour of love upon this earth,

Susie Salmon:

I would give my love to thee.

- quote from 'The Lovely Bones'

and just for today, only for today,

let me be free.

postera crescam laude

2010-03-14T20:34:00.010+08:00

snippets of the weekend.

friday evening:
mad rush from home to vivo with zixuan and alvin.
birthday dinner for junwei at white dog cafe.
me, zixuan, alvin, marc & peiting, junwei, kyrin & sam.
the superstition on shoes as birthday gifts.

friday night:
off to paulaner brauhaus @ millenia walk.
minus kyrin & sam, add yifang.
a packed paulaner's, switched to durty nelly's irish pub @ marina square.

friday late night:
yifang - haig road, zixuan - serangoon north, peiting - sengkang
and finally alvin - some void deck @ sengkang. time check: 2am plus.
add junwei. opinions and advices and his own decision.
home. time check: 4am plus.
bathed and slept. time check: 5am.

saturday morning:
awoke. time check: 7am.
first sign of transformation into a walking zombie.
8am - in the queue @ ica; re-scanning of passport photo and collection of passport.
9:20am - collection of passport.
10am plus - beach road. no more army greens and boots. double yayy!! =)
11am plus - en route to IT fair @ suntec.
macbook pro! (note to self: diligently learn and get used to mac)
second sign of transformation into a walking zombie, with a stuffed nose.

the rest of saturday:
walking zombie with a stuffed nose transformation complete.
5pm - collection of car from the workshop.
8pm - walking zombie collapses into a napping zombie for a couple of hours.
10pm - re-transformation: human, with a stuffed nose.

it doesn't really affect me, or anything. but at times it still does.
and at the back of the mind, these images still resurface.
when you're at your most fatigued state of mind, they come to you through your dreams.
and you're just a tad bit worried about the implications,
but sometimes you're glad it makes you feel like you're still alive.

为什么你带我走过最难忘的旅行
然后留下最痛的纪念品

54 work days / 88 absolute days
to the day of my liberation, from this godforsaken obligatory conscription.
give me a break. how long more can you keep me?
i'm getting really sick and tired and very impatient, for that matter, with your differences with us with regards to work.
seriously, give me a break. you don't lose much either.
and i have much more better and important things to do and look forward to.

andy. 14th march 2010.

on the eve

2010-02-13T23:00:00.004+08:00

woo! logged in on my phone from wireless@metropolitan hotel, kaohsiung. i've got a HUGE hotel room with a big bathroom, kitchen facilities, fully carpeted dining and comfy sofa areas, 3 queen/king-sized beds and 100-odd tv channels. not to mention having 4 pillows on my bed, my style.

it's 45 minutes to the first day of cny; there's going to be fireworks going off later at the stroke of midnight just outside the hotel.

well, happy cny to all back home! :)

one fine day too late

2010-02-08T22:23:00.004+08:00

Your love forever
Close your eyes, let me paint your picture
Even if my heart becomes deserted through the changing seasons
This much would do me good

One day, I would no longer be able to feel you here
It’ll be okay if I sleep on my side, hugging the pain inside

...but in my heart, my body, you still shine

I wish forever
Close your eyes, let me paint your picture
Even if the world should abandon me
This would help me get through it all

I found you as I searched my memories, and it’s okay
Because you gave me the strength I need to get over the things I lost
That’s what you gave to me

when everything is temporary, rest your head;
i'm permanent.

the underlying meaning of shapes

2010-02-05T18:30:00.004+08:00

it feels like i've gone through a tedious circle,
just to get back to square one.

i was almost ready.
and if all these are a little more than i should,
i have my reasons.
please forgive me, and my weakness.

you're all that i am.

as noah wrote to allie

2010-01-17T21:12:00.002+08:00

"My Dearest Allie, I couldn't sleep last night because I know that it's over between us. I'm not bitter anymore, because I know that what we had was real. And if in some distant place in the future we see each other in our new lives, I'll smile at you with joy and remember how we spent the summer beneath the trees, learning from each other and growing in love. The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that's what you've given me. That's what I hope to give to you forever. I love you. I'll be seeing you. Noah."

oh darling i wish you were here

2010-01-12T22:51:00.013+08:00

heard this song on the radio when i was out of office for despatch today. well, it's quite a typical owl city song (similar to fireflies in a sense), but it was the lyrics which caught my attention.

went back to office and told clarence about it and he played it on his ipod touch. didn't listen to it carefully again as the office was as usual bustling with activity.

but now that i've got time to sit down and listen to it, i love how good the lyrics are. it's sweet really. and very meaningful too, if it's true what it's really written for. for his late girlfriend, that is.

love it! =)

twenty ten

2010-01-01T02:45:00.005+08:00

so the new year's here. 2010. and it seemed like only yesterday when we were counting down to 2009.

thinking back, 2009 had gone by in a flash, too fast too furious. sounds cliche but it does feel that way to me. and a significant yet unpredictable (like every other year) 2010 looms ahead.

but am definitely looking forward to post 11th june 2010. that's when everything starts.

and cheers to zixuan, junwei, marcus & alvin. for reaching our decade of friendship. =)

jennifer's new year wish to me just now was poignant in a sense. because it isn't exactly something which i would hope for, but i thanked her nonetheless.

the time traveler's wife by audrey niffenegger

2009-12-22T22:11:00.002+08:00

"It's hard being left behind. I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if he's okay. It's hard to be the one who stays.

I keep myself busy. Time goes faster that way.

I go to sleep alone, and wake up alone. I take walks. I work until I'm tired. I watch the wind play with the trash that's been under the snow all winter. Everything seems simple until you think about it. Why is love intensified by absence?

Long ago, men went to sea, and women waited for them, standing on the edge of the water, scanning the horizon for the tiny ship. Now I wait for Henry. He vanishes unwillingly, without warning. I wait for him. Each moment that I wait feels like a year, an eternity. Each moment is slow and transparent as glass. Through each moment I can see infinite moments lined up, waiting. Why has he gone where I cannot follow?"

- Clare Abshire

"After my mom died she ate my father up completely. She would have hated it. Every minute of his life since then has been marked by her absence, every action has lacked dimension because she is not there to measure against. And when I was young I didn't understand, but now, I know, how absence can be present, like a damaged nerve, like a dark bird. If I had to live on without you I know I could not do it. But I hope, I have this vision of you walking unencumbered, with your shining hair in the sun. I have not seen this with my eyes, but only with my imagination, that makes pictures, that always wanted to paint you, shining; but I hope that this vision will be true, anyway."

- Henry DeTamble

"Do you ever miss him?
Every day. Every minute.
Every minute, she says.
Yes, it's that way, isn't it?"

"I breathe slowly and deeply. I make my eyes still under eyelids, I make my mind still, and soon, Sleep, seeing a perfect reproduction of himself, comes to be united with his facsimile."

studio ghibili - spirited away

2009-12-07T22:45:00.007+08:00

joe hisaishi's one summer's day is simply so enchanting, mesmerising, serene, heartfelt, awe-inspiring (the list goes on..) and very overwhelming to me. it brings about so much emotions and feelings to it that you'd just stop, sit, close your eyes and immerse yourself in it. it's amazing really, how beautiful a picture it paints.

and it really touches me so. not the warm fuzzy christmassy kind of touching, but more of a nostalgic feel.

i love a good show with an equally wonderful soundtrack that complements it.

somewhere in the serenity of mitaka.

*edit
i realised that there's a feeling very evident in one summer's day. a very strong feeling of lost. like how chihiro/sen felt when she was separated from her parents in the show, but to a much greater degree. then again maybe it's just me.

rude awakening

2009-12-03T18:32:00.006+08:00

an incident at work today..

chief clerk: liew, ni de asshole send le ma?
liew: huh?
chief clerk: asshole!
liew: orhhh..airshow ah?

that left the rest of us at our desks chuckling to ourselves.

well, that was about some airshow attendance that my colleague liew was supposed to submit. and yea, my chief clerk couldn't pronounce the word properly which made it sound like 'asshole'.

some lighthearted humour to brighten up the mundane office life. =)

alwyn and i have been reading this very interesting book which we got from derrick. never knew he would read such stuff. oh, never judge a book by its cover they say.

and it's good that we both found things which we like from the book. some sort of reprieve perhaps? the irony of it all.

mio dolce amor.

there

2009-11-28T14:42:00.006+08:00

when i made this final decision, i was at a loss to telling the people around me about it. i reckoned that i'd have a lot of explaining to do with regards to the rationale behind, and the sudden switch of plans. perhaps it isn't easy to convince people, there could be doubts here and there, especially when i had been so adamant in my previous decision. surprisingly, it was all not too hard. everyone willingly lent a listening ear, occasionally giving their opinions, not to the point of advices though because it's a known fact that ultimately the decision has still got to lie with me.

but thanks for not judging me, and for believing in me. all i can say is that i've been very clear-headed when i decided on this. it's a sudden realisation thing which i cannot explain. but giving it serious thought and consideration and after talking to people, i've thus decided on my future plans. being honest with myself, it's not a rash decision. and i don't want to take the easy way out anymore; hating how laidback and indecisive i had been. my only regret is that this did not come earlier. while it may be too late in a sense, it's never too late in another. i know what i want now, and what i'm heading for. and nothing's going to stop me working hard to achieve that goal.

this goes out to everybody whom i've talked to and who have been with me throughout this difficult period of time. i appreciate it a lot. =)

in the end, you're the only one left.

thank you, for making me grow up, and letting me find myself.

sidetrack, i think adam lambert's a fantastic singer, one of my favourite american idol contestants together with carrie underwood and david cook. love his version of mad world. it's even more hypnotic than gary jules' i feel. and his if i can't have you is just mindblowing. never mind that he's gay, he's an amazing singer with amazing vocals. who's kris allen?!

sixth

2009-11-12T15:42:00.005+08:00

just had the sweetest and the most beautiful dream last night.

so much so that when the alarm went off, i could not ascertain reality, for a moment.

which thereafter struck, really hard.

here or there

2009-03-28T23:14:00.003+08:00

i was actually quite surprised when ntu sociology department called me up earlier this week to schedule for an interview. well, i didn't think that i would stand a chance but i just applied anyway.

took a day off on friday to go for the interview. it was a written test cum interview and i assumed that it would be an open-ended essay for the written test. turned out to be a comprehension passage with two questions that i had to answer. the article was mainly about social influence in our daily lives. it was quite okay. i misheard the instructions, thought that the time allocation for the test was 15 minutes when it was actually 50 minutes. oops.

the interview went fairly well too, impression-wise. but it remains to be seen, i wouldn't speak too soon yet. it is an option for me i guess, next to pursuing my comms degree in melbourne.

speaking of interviews, i read somewhere (i forgot where) about this true account of an interview which i found to be very interesting.

it went like this...

interviewer: have a seat. before we start, i would like to tell you about 2 important traits of an employee that our company emphasizes a lot on. the first of which is cleaniness, may i ask if you had clean your shoes on the floor mat outside my office before you walked in?

interviewee (eager to impress): yes yes, i sure did.

interviewer: well okay, if that's the case i'll go on to the next trait, which is honesty. and i'd just like to tell you that i do not have a floor mat outside my office.

needless to say, the interviewee did not get the job.

some food for thought.

in loving memory

2009-03-28T22:43:00.002+08:00

it's been exactly one month,
and his legacy lives on forever.

i'll never forget the times that i had spent with him,
the memories are now etched deep within.

i want to write a proper entry when i have the time to do so.

because i'm ever so proud,
proud of him and to be his eldest grandson.

like slow spinning redemption

2008-12-20T20:35:00.005+08:00

"da xiang, da xiang

ni de bi zi zen me na me chang

ma ma shuo bi zi chang

cai hui piao liang"

elephant so happy! haha.

and so i'm officially (yet not exactly official) installed as:

Leave Clerk, S1 Branch, 6SIR. i would say that i did earn my place and i'm deserving of my appointment. hard work paid off in the end and well, christmas came early! :)

now that's nice.

time flies...but please fly faster!

2008-12-13T22:22:00.009+08:00

hola!

this entry is long overdue. so much so that i keyed in the wrong username when i was logging in. the last entry was about my POP, and now louis and andre have also POP-ed. haha.

it's about 3 months since the last post...
tomorrow will be 6 months since i enlisted...
and 18 months exactly from today is my ORD, which in actual fact spells out as F-R-E-E-D-O-M.
a quarter of my NS life gone, 3 more to go.

much has happened i suppose. from BMT to 48SAR to posting out of 48SAR to 6SIR to whatever lies ahead, which i really wish for status quo. from vel's 21st to our 1yr4mths to my slimming down and getting fat again. randomness. but yeah, that's the picture. perhaps many things can really happen in 3 months' time, good or bad.

quote of the day: "it doesn't pay to be healthy in the army".
seriously, it's a warped system, from the perspective of the majority.

i like how listening to songs on my ipod nowadays can make me feel totally relaxed. and how i appreciate people and the real world better after being cooped up in camp for the whole week. a simple day out with vel today makes me feel happy, and buying a birthday cake and present for my mom makes me feel good as well.

the future in 2010 seems exciting. besides my ORD, there's the circle line, the upcoming megamall just opposite my house and my further study plans to look forward to. just to name a few.

CAN'T WAIT for 2010!

pop! goes my heart

2008-09-14T21:27:00.007+08:00

4 days after pop!

and private ng here is enjoying these 11 days of my block leave being a temporary civilian. i guess it's probably the best 11 days out of the 730.

bmt has taught me some things. how to appreciate people and life better. what a wonderful world it is, indeed. and i finally understood what it meant when they say that the friendship forged during bmt will be the most memorable. because everyone starts out on this 2-year journey equal and goes through the same shit together. when we all get posted to our units, it's gonna be different altogether.

jaguar coy 3/08 platoon 4 section 2, glad that we've come through as one all the way. :)

all things military have been a mere experience, anything else is an added bonus, a value that we've gained.

i'm returning to tekong again tomorrow! haha. no longer as a recruit though but as a private and on top of that, going back as a civilian. darryn, andre and i are accompanying our fatty friend louis to his enlistment. for darryn and i, the feeling's great going there with a lighter heart.

oh yea, louis texted me after the match last night (to my singtel line): "LIVERPOOL! LIVERPOOL!"
and i didn't check my phone till this morning. so when i did, i replied him: "TEKONG! TEKONG!"
haha. i think i quite cekark. but well, nobody messes with my manutd. haha.

on a side note, while searching for new games for my ds, i stumbled upon the news that GTA is going to be on ds. woohoo! can't wait but it seems like the game will only be out next february. GTA: Chinatown Wars, it will be. i guess GTA is probably my favourite kind of game that is not football-related.

did i mention i love the comfort of my room? i can never emphasize enough.

last but never the least on the 14th of this month,
HAPPY 1 YEAR & 1 MONTH to my dearest! :)

like a frog in the well, like a turtle in its shell

2008-08-31T13:55:00.003+08:00

haha. i think my title describes how i felt stepping into town yesterday. it's like quite a few things have changed, the landscape and all. i guess it's much more evident to an NSF. oh well.

watched hana yori dango with vel. popcorn, nachos and the freezing airconditioning which aggravated our need for the washroom. haha. the show was really good. loved the beautiful ending. :)

then to the comex fair with darryn, ruinee, andre and huiqi as well. to say that it's crowded is an understatement.

booking in early today, cos of the 24km route march tmr. can dieee!

10 full days and 8 working days to POP!

and the story lives on...

2008-08-23T20:32:00.003+08:00

i wouldn't say cliche things like fated, magical, special, indescribable and all the other words that sound equally cliche.

on my part, i'm just grateful.

it has been a year. and the wings of time have brought me to where i am today, sitting down right here at my desk and reflecting on the past year, and on how a particular person has changed me.

i didn't know the feeling of having someone to walk beside me through the ups and downs, i didn't know how it was like to care for someone before i cared for myself, and i didn't know how i would allow someone to affect me so much.

till she came along...

a year plus a week ago, on the 5th floor somewhere in campus, our story started. and through all the moments along the way, i know that i wouldn't want it to end.

it took time, it took effort. there were times when we could see each other every day, and there were times when we could only see each other once a week. through the good and the bad, i think i've learned a lot. i've become a changed and better person, because of her.

and right now, the aspiring writer in me, be it for a career or just for a passion, really hates being confined in a regimental military lifestyle. because i'm not able to keep up with the happenings around and constantly update myself. but sometimes it doesn't really matter. because she's here with me, and she's my motivation for this to go on.

it's a year on, but we've only just begun...

1408

2008-08-16T14:21:00.002+08:00

boooook out!!

i'm out and back in mainland singapore and the feeling is great! tekong seriously feels like alcatraz, even after so long. haha.

anyway, i was supposed to book out last night but our OC wasn't too happy about the standard of our area cleaning and that's why we booked out this morning instead. oh well..

24 more days to POP! that's 3 weeks and 3 more days.

in vel's house now typing this entry. she's beside me reading harry potter. haha. and we're going for our 1 year anniversary dinner later. yayy! =)

singapore's table tennis team is guaranteed at least a silver medal. not bad, second olympic medal for the country. oh, and BPL season starts tonight. won't be able to watch every single manutd match now so i guess i'll just be checking the scores on the news or something.

seems like it's gonna rain soon.. nice weather!

the air is fresher on the outside

2008-08-02T23:01:00.004+08:00

it's been a while...

7 weeks have gone by since i enlisted and there's still 6 more to go. just returned from field camp yesterday, completely shagged out. home is still and always the best place to be. trust me.

37 more days to POP! according to my countdown tracker on facebook. haha.

vel's starting school on monday, so are zixuan and the rest.

i wanna go study too!!

the countdown

2008-06-09T21:04:00.014+08:00

the value of time...
it's invaluable really.

i'm enlisting into national service this saturday, 14th of june. catorce de junio, that's 14th of june in spanish. and in actual fact it has taken me quite awhile to finally come to terms with certain things. not the impending daily tough training, but rather the loss of freedom and more significantly the loss of time which i can do and accomplish so much more. yes, coming from someone who hasn't even enlisted i can't wait to complete my jail term, i mean my national service, so that i can go and further my studies. but i'll just take it as a new phase in my life. i'm not taking NS positively, but i do not have to take it too negatively either. to me, just serve and f*** off. S.A.F, so they say.

i'll miss everybody. vel, my friends and my family. so this last week is meant for catching up i guess. had a pool cum supper session 2 days ago and i personally feel that my pool skills have improved! could beat marc now when i was the one getting thrashed last time. played him twice and i won both! haha. junwei's girlfriend joined us as well so it was nice that they could all meet me before i enlist. marc suggested going to send me off but i didn't want. haha.

and tomorrow it will be lunch with my classmates. and come to think of it it's a good thing that i'm enlisting early too. if given a choice i wouldn't want to be in darryn or even worse andre's position. early enlist, early ORD. haha. as i said, time is precious. and by the time i graduate from BMT louis would have just enlisted. wahaha. chao recruit!

a happy 10th months in advance to senorita velda khoo! haha =)
enlisting exactly on the 14th, unfortunately.

thursday the 12th would be family day. dinner for 3 occasions, keziah's 1st month + father's day + my enlisting into army.

and yes, i got a nintendo ds lite for myself as well. enamel navy, i thought it was cobalt blue initially but it's alright, nice as well. and it's fun! all the mario games, especially mario kart which i was so addicted to, then there's nintendogs that vel mentioned in her blog. my dog is a labrador retriver puppy which i named pigguu. don't ask me why i don't know either. haha. and alot more games which i downloaded. heheh. and i'm learning spanish on my ds too! which explains the few spanish words i wrote above. vel's learning french and i think spanish is much easier. haha.

el tres de abril es mi cumpleanos.
translates to 'the third of april is my birthday'.

ok, everybody should remember that now, no excuses.

euro 2008 has started and the matches tonight should be the most exciting yet. romania vs france, netherlands vs italy. the group of death they call it because 3 of europe's big soccer nations are in the same group. but i can't watch every match although i have the channel. arghh, agonising. "sergeant, my house got euro channel. we book out together then come my house watch lah!"

that could only be possible if my sergeant is zixuan. haha.

so yea, that sums it all up. enjoying the time i have left as a civilian. wish me luck in my national service, pray that i get into a good coy and thereafter a slack vocation. okok? thank you very much.

signing out and booking in,
andy.

die meister, die besten, les meilleurs equipes, the champions.

2008-05-22T22:35:00.004+08:00

Manchester United

Champions of Europe 07/08

the red devils do the double!

pardon the proud fan, for the third consecutive man united post. :)

we are the champions!

2008-05-13T00:18:00.005+08:00

CHAMPIONES, CHAMPIONES, OLE OLE OLE!!

and now... to MOSCOW!

end of april, first of may

2008-04-30T22:22:00.007+08:00

first and foremost, manchester united are through to the uefa champions league final in moscow on the 21st of may!

paul scholes scoring the only goal of the match and in both ties to give the red devils a 1-0 aggregate win. it remains to be seen tonight who will be their opponent in the final, chelsea or liverpool.

personally it makes not much of a difference to me as long as united wins it in the end. :)

celebrations after the final whistle! look at henry's face...
doesn't he look like jar jar binks? hahaha.

i'm addicted to the trick series after vel lent me trick 2. it's about a physics professor and a magician trying to solve supernatural mysteries which in actual fact, aren't supernatural. really very good show with funny characters. now i want to watch trick 1 & 3. YOU! haha.

anyway, it's the end of april already. so fast. and then comes the first of may. haha. on a random note i like the song 'first of may' by the beegees. it's nice in a soothing way.

and the weather these few days (or rather climate actually) is HOT!!

unBEARable for the BEAR.

people, lifestyle, culture, society

2008-04-23T23:11:00.006+08:00

time now is 11:17pm. 12:17am tokyo time. :)

i've posted a final entry over at shinjukupore. well, do check it out. i guess i still do miss the trip, haha. but as i said, the blog serves as a nostalgic journal of our time spent in tokyo. in a good way, that is.

been observing the japanese people while i was there. and i've reaffirmed that aspects relating to people and society as a whole really do intrigue me alot. i would unknowingly make a mental note on human behaviour and other related stuff that i see, then i would want to know what attributes to these differences as compared to the local society here in singapore. i believe i've found what i really want to study in future (besides media of course) after my national service. and i do want to work towards that. hopefully 2 years worth of plain following instructions a.k.a. a dog's life will not change my mind too much.

which by the way, the fate of yours truly is sealed on the 14th of june.

sitting here now and in the distance the planes all flying in to land at good ol' changi airport. air traffic seemingly heavy. waiting for my barcelona man united match to start. and for vel to return from her supper.

a random read about dumbo on wikipedia. and i do empathise with dumbo for being ridiculed all the time by other people about his big ears. and ultimately being suppressed by all the negative vibes surrounding him. but alas! he surprised everybody with his flight capability. and i believe that the more significant thing to him is not earning the respect of others, but rather rediscovering what he's worth and the path to happiness regardless of what people say. well, if i were dumbo that is.

and yes, big ears do bring happiness in disneyland, at least to vel and i. i'm using this picture of us as my handphone's display. we're dumbeebos! love it, haha =)

perhaps somewhere else in many different parts of the world,
dumbos are waiting to take flight too.

i'm a big kid now!

2008-04-05T22:03:00.014+08:00

well, the big 21 has come, and gone. and i have to say i've had the most wonderful dinner ever with dear vel. =)

i'll let the pictures do the talking...

indulgz bistro! really nice ambience with good food.

chicken chicken! super good!

vel's pasta.

the oh-so-heavenly earl grey panna cotta.

mmmm...

she's happy. =)

don't drink & drive.

and the presents...

thank you my dear velda khoo.

i love you! =)

new look!

2008-04-02T01:15:00.004+08:00

sometimes, simplicity works.

and that is probably why i've decided to change to a plain yet simple blogskin.

looking back, my blogging style has inevitably changed throughout the years as well. so it might just be a good idea to introduce a new look to my blog now.

flying off to tokyo in less than a week. and we've created a blog named shinjukupore, inspired by vel's ozzieland blog. haha. hopefully we'll keep it updated while we're there.

looking forward!

Under Construction

2008-04-01T23:00:00.001+08:00

blog is undergoing a revamp.

2008-03-29T11:36:00.002+08:00

unavoidable laws in life.

1. Law of Mechanical Repair:
After your hands become coated with grease your nose will begin to itch or you'll have to pee.

2. Law of the Workshop:
Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

3. Law of probability:
The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

4. Law of the Telephone:
When you dial a wrong number, you'll never get a busy signal.

5. Law of the Alibi:
If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

6. Variation Law:
If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now. (works every time).

7. Bath Theorem:
When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

8. Law of Close Encounters:
The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

9. Law of the Result:
When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

10. Law of Biomechanics:
The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

11. Theater Rule:
At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.

12. Law of Coffee:
As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

13. Murphy's Law of Lockers:
If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

14. Law of Dirty Rugs/Carpets:
The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich of landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness, color and cost of the carpet/rug.

15. Law of Location:
No matter where you go, there you are.

16. Law of Logical Argument:
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

17. Brown's Law:
If the shoe fits, it's ugly.

18. Oliver's Law:
A closed mouth gathers no feet.

19. Wilson's Law:
As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

last but not least,
my very own law...

20. The Counter-Murphy's Law:
Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. But it will all be alright in the end.

2008-03-12T01:25:00.001+08:00

an analogy of life.

just a follow-up on my previous post.

i think sometimes life is like playing a football game in england. u strive and fight hard for every single minute but there's always a bad or incompetent referee judging you. more often than not, it's decisions against you that are always unfair. and at the final whistle, you don't get what you deserve and somebody else who didn't work as hard will get what they don't deserve. that's the way it is.

and that's where the panel of judges come in, to judge the referee. unfortunately it didn't work for football in england. let's just hope it works in life now.

life, it's constantly unfair isn't it? but it should at least be fair once in a while. it's what keeps the human race going.

once in a while, a hard-working derby county team should beat a lacklustre manchester united side. occasionally, that is. but hopefully it's not this weekend. =)

2008-03-09T23:00:00.002+08:00

post-march 7th.

i agree with fergie's comments about the standard of refereeing in the premier league nowadays. it's just disgraceful, and very very disappointing. not only because man united lost, but every red devil fan would know that mark clattenburg and rob styles are clearly against manchester united. and now it's martin atkinson. i mean, even generally speaking, it's just not fair to top teams like arsenal and chelsea as well. what is fair play when the person in charge of the game, is not fair?

that aside, internship has ended. had a nice and bittersweet last day. really grateful for all the replies to my farewell email, and for all the encouraging words and thanks and farewell talks. i've had a really valuable and memorable experience. but now it's holiday time for me!

so many things that i wanna do...

will keep this space updated, i hope!

haha.

2008-02-23T15:08:00.000+08:00

the reason why.

it's all the little things that make you beautiful to me...

=)

2008-01-26T23:29:00.000+08:00

a day with yoshi. =)

YOSHI:

Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in the Mario series of video games by Nintendo. Yoshi's debut was in Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Yoshi later became a protagonist of his own series with several platform and puzzle games, including Yoshi's Cookie. Yoshi plays an integral role in many of the games, aiding Mario in his quest to defeat Bowser. Allowing Mario to ride piggyback, Yoshi often swallows enemies, regurgitating or excreting them encased in eggs. Yoshi has also appeared in many of the spin-off Mario games, including the Mario Kart and Mario Party series as well as the various Mario sports titles.

source: wikipedia

well...i found him today! haha. was quite excited, i knew i just had to catch him for vel.
we took pictures with him after he was caught...

and of ourselves too! =)

haha. yoshi says RAHH!

2008-01-21T22:50:00.000+08:00

the nocturnal working life.

the sunrise beyond the singapore flyer,
the planes that land with the sunset.

a day off from work for my medical checkup. and a chance to see the beauty of nature and man-made combined that i don't normally get to see.

to top it off, a nice dinner at the airport with vel. =)
and on a sidenote i'm beginning to like terminal 3, when it's peaceful that is.

things are looking up. i'm looking forward! haha.

2008-01-13T00:29:00.000+08:00

paling in comparison.

personalities of the typical. what a disgrace.

the local society has evolved to such a point that it has become i-found-something-not-belonging-to-me-ok-i-shall-keep-it-for-myself and don't-give-me-more-trouble-i've-done-all-that-i-could-bye.

it's sad really, to say the least.

been around, seen better.

'nuff said.

2007-12-30T12:55:00.000+08:00

2007 year-in-review.

the big 2. 20 years of living on this planet. i guess much have changed; my thinking, my mentality towards things and a whole load more. every year at this point in time you would feel that you have learned and experienced alot in the year. this year's no different. it's an inevitable process of growing up i guess.

the US trip at the beginning of the year seems so long ago. and came the start of tep, the ups and downs of it all. somehow, they all seem blurry now but will always remain in my memory nevertheless. looking back, you would realise that there are little little bittersweet moments that made tep memorable. through it all, you become who you are today. i kinda like the feeling, of how experiencing things good or bad, can make you learn more about people and yourself, and of course shape your life. tep was the last semester with ms0501. a class which i've grown to love, a class where i made great friends, a class which i've become attached to. no pun intended. this, is the class which i never thought i could fit in at the very first day of my poly life.

ipp came. the very first time i'm experiencing a working environment. and i'm glad to say that i've accustomed myself fairly well. the people at espn played a big part. my fellow PAs; lynette, sheila, shirin, lisa, steven...AP/DAs tim, elaine, lin wei...and not forgetting the producers who never fail to give me opportunities and suggestions to improve myself, jeff, aaron, khenghow and nick. it was tough initially, but i'm all good now. and i'll see out the remaining 10 weeks or so in hope that at the end of it all, i have indeed contributed to the company. Sportscenter, now! haha.

velda pigguu khoo is the most amazing thing that happened to me this year. it's unexplainable how we started isn't it? but i'm grateful that everything turned out well. it's beautiful really, in a way. how much she affects me. the laughter and the tears. the only child in me, or should i say..the sometimes conceited me due to being an only child has learned to open his heart to someone else. in the past, i have always put myself in front, before thinking for others. but now i know, there's someone else's well-being i'll always consider before thinking for myself. and i know there will always be situations or people (thick-headed ones, for example) who come in between us from time to time. but i always believe that somehow we'll get through it together, and things will always be fine in the end. looking forward to post 7th march! thank you, for being you. =)

and to my family, thanks to my parents who are always there and supportive of me in whatever i do. my grandparents, wish that they will be healthy in the new year. to my adorable little cousin dorcas, a new sibling is arriving in the new year! be a good girl and take good care of the baby k? haha.

2007 has been well, rather meaningful in a sense. everything has come and gone in a flash. it's coming to an end, but only just the beginning for 2008. it'll be a good year to come. personally speaking, my 21st year. and it could only get better...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL, AND HAVE A BLESSED YEAR AHEAD!

2007-11-23T00:06:00.001+08:00

the aftermath of england vs croatia...

by yours truly.

let's face it. it's painful watching england play under steve mcclaren. and i'm not saying this just because he failed to take england to euro 2008. right from the start when sven-goran eriksson was given the boot and the football association replaced him with steve mcclaren, that was it. i did not have even a little faith for mcclaren. because even the blind could tell how incompetent he is, judging from what he achieved previously at middlesbrough, basically NOTHING. so why replace eriksson with someone even worse off?

an analysis of the match last night:

it took 14 mins for the whole world to see that england's 4-5-1 formation isn't working. the whole world but dear mr mcclaren. 2-0 down in just 14 mins in front of your home crowd is terribly dreadful. but mcclaren stubbornly stuck with the formation all the way till halftime when england were booed off the pitch.

mcclaren's just not bold enough to make changes before the half. but never mind about that, let's give him the benefit of the doubt, at least he made substitutions when the 2nd half started and changed back into a 4-4-2 formation to stage a comeback. fortunately, england did get 2 goals back and the score was tied at 2-2, enough to see england through to qualify. and what did mcclaren do? he revert back into his 4-5-1 or don't know what stupid defensive formation to 'play safe'. like hello? it doesn't make any sense does it? it's not like it's in the 90th minute already, it was in the freaking 75th minute! the formation's already not working, and you still want to employ it? besides, why do you defend a draw? in the past eriksson plays defensive to defend a lead. fine, although it's boring football but well at least you're leading. mcclaren defends a draw! in front of 88,000 of your home crowd! this 'playing safe' tactic is useless. shouldn't you go for a win instead? i always felt that the best form of defence is attack. if you don't wanna attack, be prepared to be attacked then. and that was exactly what croatia did. they scored another goal to put england out.

england lost. they fail to qualify for euro 2008. mcclaren refuses to resign and finally the FA sacked him. thank goodness.

well done mcclaren. england playing under you is just about as entertaining as watching a squirrel nibble on nuts. and thanks, for causing england's downfall. though i'm not too much of an england fan, at least not your england anyway. but still it's agonising to watch them play.

thanks mcclaren, for contributing to much of my fullframe graphics on ur incompetence on sportscenter asia. you've made me a very busy person at work today.

and for once, the whole of england was unanimous in mcclaren's sacking.

he totally deserves it. the only thing is that it came too late.

2007-11-18T04:26:00.000+08:00

wahhhh.

it's been almost a month since i last blogged. this blog's getting really rusty.

alright, i'll go think about what to write for my next entry. haha. =)

2007-10-24T00:18:00.000+08:00

a day full of soccer news.

because i have statcounter on my blog, i can see the daily traffic of the people viewing my blog through the ip addresses. but only the ip address, that is. so i don't really know for sure who's viewing my blog. however, if you're viewing my blog especially from your company, the ip address will tell me where it is from because it comes with your company name as well. like for example, discovery communications inc, reeds business information asia and ac nielsen research (singapore) pte ltd.

hmm...who's been viewing my blog, i wonder. hahaha.

office hours read blog, very free ah rose?! =D

that aside, it's a day full of soccer news on sportscenter asia. because there's champions league tonight! been paying a little more attention to all the team news and information building up to dynamo kiev vs manchester united, like nemanja vidic being restored back to the starting lineup and paul scholes ruled out of the match cos of a late knee injury. looking forward to the match! =)

2007-10-17T00:03:00.000+08:00

15th of october.

marc's 20th birthday @ zixuan's house

from left to right,

top row: kim, yifang, wenling, kyrin

bottom row: ian, jiakai, zixuan, marc, me, alvin, sam

junwei's not in the picture cos he wasn't there yet. haha.

second day of work has been pretty much alright. slowly getting the hang of things. and it's quite exciting to hear updates from everybody else. looking forward to the weekend, really. =)

till next time.

2007-10-14T23:33:00.000+08:00

off to first day of work tmr.

i'm uncertain abt things. hopefully i'll be working 7am-2pm instead of 330pm-1030pm.

it'll all be good tmr.

i hope. =)

2007-10-06T13:23:00.000+08:00

samsung ultra edition.

the ultra edition 12.1

the ultra edition 10.9

i am in a dilemma. but i think i'll get the 12.1 in the end. hehh =)

vel's probably gonna get the 10.9. copper gold, garnet red, neutral white, sapphire blue. in order of preference. haha. after her initial plan of getting the sony ericsson s500i fell through.

and no, we're not getting couple phones. 12.1 and 10.9 are different models. haha. =)

2007-10-03T21:07:00.000+08:00

all's well that ends well.

the end of TEP seems like a blur now. i guess events that happened, pleasant or unpleasant, all flew by in a flash. and somehow, i know we'll all look back someday and miss the times we had at TEP and as a class. it's all good in the end, which marks a positive start to IPP as well.

and of course, to my 4 dumb friends, i'm glad you are all alright. but i'm still disappointed that we are not able to go KL. bahh. oh well.

third day into my 2 weeks break. and i have to say i'm enjoying it to the max. not so much of having-loads-of-fun enjoying, but rather just taking time off for myself. no obligations to wake up early and stuff like that. facebook has been rather addictive. vampire, zombie and werewolf fights. and not forgetting Lilo, my adorable pet polar bear. hahaha. managing newcastle united (because i got tired of always being manutd's manager) on championship manager as well. suddenly i'm so much busier in front of the com now than i was previously when i still had school, ironically.

and on to some random stuff...

- i like late night champions league matches. =)

- i think my pool skills are improving. i think.

- i haven't gone singing in a long time.

- i wanna go to SPCA.

- i'm looking forward to tomorrow's 'tour of the places'! hahaha.

'nuff said.

2007-09-23T13:23:00.000+08:00

awaiting...

1. IPP Posting
level of concern: 100%

2. Manchester United vs Chelsea
level of concern: 80%

3. NS Registration
level of concern: 20%

4. 2 Weeks Break
level of concern: 70%

5. A male Maltese puppy to come running to me
level of concern: 10%

6. Justice to Prevail
level of concern: 99%

2007-09-16T23:31:00.000+08:00

the self-proclaimed food connoisseur.

well, since i have been reviewing all the beef dishes that i had eaten over the past week for my article, i thought i would do something different here on my blog.

my recommendation: BREEKS' BBQ Half Chicken in Honeyberry Sauce! i simply love the honeyberry sauce. it's as heavenly as raffles hotel's champagne truffle mooncake. woo! and chicken tasted so good especially after eating beef for 3 consecutive days.

vel had the baked seafood pasta mornay, without sotong. because i ate up all the sotongs. hehh!

the 14th was a special day. =))

2007-09-14T02:01:00.000+08:00

rubss-a-dub-dub.

my mom woke me up from my beauty sleep this morning with a phonecall from her office.

Mom:
Did you feel any tremors at home?

Me:
huhhhhh...?

Mom:
If got any strong tremors you go downstairs k?

Me:
mm...huhhhhh...?

i swear i can sleep through an earthquake. hahaha.

been clearing leave these 2 days. probably next week as well. and i've finally finished my last of 5 beef dishes. phew! thanks to all who have been there with me throughout this tough period of time, literally. haha.

going into the last 2 weeks of TEP. i guess i'll miss some aspects of it like my beloved project room 2 plus my roommates and at the same time, glad that some things will be gone. early mornings for example, and other things. looking forward to the 2 weeks break!

i don't usually judge people by their appearances. if someone is not exactly pleasant looking, i'll just take it that they're not blessed with good looks. but if it so happens that their character is ugly as well, that's it. he or she is nothing more than a FUGLY person to me.

the prowess that lies in me, is yet to come.

"Follow the notes upon a journey
At first sight marks one's destiny
Once the voyage comes to an end
Return lies within hasty keys"

i re-watched 不能說的秘密 on vcd. nicenice. haha.

today's the 14th. =)

2007-09-10T21:20:00.000+08:00

bahh bahh beef.

i have to eat 5 different beef dishes for my lifestyle food article.
namely chinese, korean, malay, french/western and australian.
beef beef beef all the way starting from tomorrow until thursday.

AHH!
i swear i'm gonna abstain from beef after thursday, at least for a period of time.

rugby's quite fun to watch, but soccer still rocks my world! =)

and i realise my articles for catch! issues 13 & 14 are about the things i love; food, travelling and soccer.

不能说的秘密 OST is nice. very soothing music.

this is a random post. really random. haha.

2007-09-03T15:28:00.000+08:00

fatty turns into a frog.

one fine morning in our little cosy room...

a frog jumped onto my fat friend louis' head and gobbled him up.

and we officially have a new member in the room!

2007-09-01T15:11:00.000+08:00

weekend updates.

steamboat buffet at marina south last night with vel, darryn, andre and yanting. it's been a long time since i last ate there. and i could have eaten more if not for my abdominal pains. ahh wasted. haha.

went over to west coast park after that. somehow i like the feeling of having two cars out on the roads, don't know why. can vroom vroom together. wahaha.

reached home at 3:30am. slept at 4 plus. feeling totally shagged out. so today's a day for sleeping, resting and relaxing. decided to give the singing session at teoheng a miss.

manchester united vs sunderland tonight! former manutd captain roy keane returns to old trafford as manager of sunderland. this should be nice to watch. plus manutd alumni dwight yorke, andy cole, liam miller and kieran richardson all sunderland players now. so sunderland's the old manutd? haha.

shall slack the whole day today. but tmr i'll have to write my article already. bahh.

to end off, here's a very gay picture of louis and i that i kinda like.

we seriously look gay. hahaha.

2007-08-30T21:43:00.000+08:00

the night is short.

i wish nights could be longer.
nowadays whenever i get to bed, the next moment it's already time to wake up for school.
well, that's how it feels to me anyway.
i need sleep, long long hours of sleep to rejuvenate.

i get random weird dreams whenever i'm tired and i take a nap. it happens all the time. weird situations or encounters that are somehow unrelated to my life. or even people whom i haven't met in a long long time, out of nowhere.

the good thing about my dreams is that i always dream about someone close to me. i guess that's comforting. it revolves around that person, more often than not, and all the other weird stuff happening are just the warped plot of my dreams.

vel said that it sounds scary and wonders if my dreams are telling me anything. nope, i don't think so. haha.

dreams aside, i should start to watch my diet. suddenly eating is becoming overeating and it hurts. could be a case of indigestion. but anyway, shall see how it goes.

looking forward to the weekend! =)

2007-08-28T22:17:00.000+08:00

change of blogskin. =)

finally found a nice blogskin that i like, after so long of searching. i realise i'm very fussy when it comes to such things, being too much a perfectionist. even the blog entries must go on the left according to my preference instead of the right where it was originally, which vel helped me modify. hehh thanks! =)

school has been fine. gonna start researching and writing my next two articles on food and travelling soon. been practically doing nothing since i completed my sports articles for catch! issue 13 except watching the rest working hard on their layouts. and taking naps every now and then and of course the occasional visits to the toilet for a shitting session cos i-eat-too-much-and-i'm-quite-full-of-shit.

manutd finally won their first game of the season with a 1-0 win over tottenham. woohoo! nani with a fantastic goal. it was a close game i guess, but i'm just happy that they won. and it only goes to show how significant ronaldo and rooney are. awaiting their return to the team soon!

on a sidenote, i hope that my grandparents will be healthy. and dorcas is getting more and more adorable, acting shy at times and yet so happy and excited to see andy korkor today. haha.

and on a final note, this new blogskin is titled the only you in the world. =)

2007-08-22T11:40:00.000+08:00

update.

update, update, update.

updated!

don't say i didn't update. =)

2007-08-16T02:07:00.000+08:00

1408.

somehow, i like driving with one hand. it's thrilling!

and of course, it's not just about the thrills. =)

2007-08-11T03:06:00.000+08:00

the late night hungry monster.

there's a new pool place at kovan, just above the bowling alley. spent a couple of hours just shooting balls into holes with zixuan, junwei and alvin. haha.

on a random note:

- ikea's ice-cream makes me happy!

- alvin wants to argue with queensway shopkeepers instead of bargaining with them.
"eh ch**bye why your shoe sell so expensive?!" hahaha.

- i simply can't stop singing. wahaha.

and...

i'm hungryyyy laa. at like 3am in the morning?! bahh. it's time to have breakfast! HAHA.

okayy... so what now? =)

2007-08-05T11:54:00.000+08:00

不能说的秘密

loonnggg day yesterday.

ktv at teoheng.
kenny rogers dinner at east coast.
getting lost on the way to great world city, ended up going to vivo. HAHA.
ben & jerry's at vivo.
and watched 不能说的秘密!

and finally back home.

somehow i kinda find jay's scripting of the whole story intriguing. the show was abit slow-moving at the start, but i liked how every little detail builds up to the twist, the 不能说的秘密. even though it may seem similar to a certain show that i've watched before, it's not too bad in the end. inspiring to piano/keyboard learners. haha.

manchester united vs chelsea community shield match tonight! woohoo! epl season is back! excited excited. can't wait to see hargreaves, nani, anderson and tevez in action. and of course rooney and cristiano ronaldo! haha go manutd!

with every ending comes a new beginning, i guess.
shall be looking forward to tomorrow!

and ultimately, i just wanna say thank you.

2007-08-01T20:14:00.000+08:00

positivity.

one whole day of multi-cam studio production. and i have to say we did a good job, well done to my crew.

switching over from broadcast to publishing team next week. kinda looking forward to it!

too much stuff going through my mind right now. i'm worn out.

what if one day your loved one has to leave this world,
and there is nothing you can do about it?

i know i haven't been a good boy,
but please be alright.

2007-07-29T03:43:00.000+08:00

a good singing session. =)

i think i'm taking singing too seriously.

HAHA.

and thanks to zixuan's mom for footing the bill!

2007-07-27T23:03:00.000+08:00

just blurry images.

i can only vaguely remember the dream i had last night. it wasn't exactly very pleasant. if i recall correctly, i was being chased (not by kingkong or dinosaurs though), or rather i was in a rush for something, which i really cannot remember what it is now. but it was seriously quite a panicky rush, so much so that i awoke from my sleep at freaking 5am. bahhh.

just blurry images.

maybe it's partly due to the mad rushes on the roads nowadays.
or maybe i'm being haunted by something in my past. hmm.

that's why i've always been interested to read up on dream intepretations, but the thing is i can't seem to remember or recall my dreams, so can't intepret much anyway.

just blurry images.

oh, my parents went to watch harry potter just now.
somehow, i find that very cute. :)

2007-07-22T22:55:00.000+08:00

DANGER! KEEP OUT!

2007-07-21T01:51:00.000+08:00

nothing less than a strike.

new bowling personal best: 211

with 5 strikes and all spares for the rest of the frames.

yayy.

i'm happy,
with the game.

2007-07-11T22:08:00.000+08:00

dear ms0501...

2007-07-04T22:00:00.000+08:00

you gain some, you lose some.

been really down on my luck the past two days, regarding some issues.

i think if i were to walk out onto the streets, banana skins will appear out of nowhere and cause me to slip and fall.

and when i get up, i'll probably bang into a lamppost or something.

let's just hope things take a turn for the better huh. i'm thinking positive. =)

and i'm still constantly praying that i won't be receiving that second damned 'love letter'.

2007-07-01T23:36:00.000+08:00

some ppl very boliao. haha.

«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
hahaha
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
u are an ass
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
a pig
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
a shitty pig
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
a shitty porky pig
«-a n d y-» says:
LOL
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
trotters
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
porky trotters
«-a n d y-» says:
simi is shitty porky pig
«-a n d y-» says:
hahahah
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
pokie trotters
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
trotters pig haha
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
i give up
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® says:
HAHa

2007-06-28T22:06:00.000+08:00

twenty-two.

Happy 22nd Wedding Anniversary to my lovely parents!! =))

2007-06-24T15:01:00.000+08:00

saturday good fun. =)

- 'bao bao' cha twice in a day. supposedly a serving of about 20 pearls is equivalent to a plate of chicken rice. that explains why zixuan, junwei or marc commented that i'm becoming like a giant pearl. i forgot who, but i think is zixuan. haha.

- 6 hours of singing at katong ktv! with good western food. teo heng's our newfound good friend. wahaha. =)

- kyrin's rendition of sarah mclachlan's angel had the whole room spontaneously turn silent, mesmerised by her voice.

- so did yifang's high notes in 被爱的女人。woo!
and of course not to forget the piggy 全家幅 t-shirt. wahahaha. monokuroo boo! =D

- pastamania for dinner. second time in a week. fattening!

- bowling at marine bowl! second visit to east coast park in a week as well. bowling with zixuan is always stressful. won first game 129-124, lost second game 127-128.

nice and relaxed sunday afternoon.
how i wish the weekend could last longer.

2007-06-21T23:55:00.000+08:00

bahhhh.

i want to sing,
i want to sleep.
i want to sing,
i want to sleep.

i shall sing in my sleep! =D

2007-06-17T23:06:00.000+08:00

a blessing in disguise.

in all honesty,
somehow it feels like i've been given a new lease of life...

somehow.

though some things may still linger,
but i suppose in the end it's not such a bad thing afterall.

well, at least there's an ending point to everything.

and yea, i'm genuinely being positive. =)

i miss being my crazy self.

2007-06-08T22:56:00.000+08:00

lost in my world of music.

i love the feeling when amidst the hundreds and thousands of songs, you find one that you can totally relate to. the lyrics, the melody, everything.

and the song will keep on playing and playing.

时间与时机，常常会合伙来作弄人。

2007-06-01T01:44:00.000+08:00

meaningful line from shrek 3 (from what i can remember).

it doesn't matter who you are, even if you're an ogre; as long as you be yourself, or fight for the things you want.

and the only person who can stand in your way,
is yourself.

2007-05-27T21:04:00.000+08:00

woots. =))

2007-05-21T23:05:00.000+08:00

die.

this is not good.

2007-05-16T23:54:00.000+08:00

vrooooooom.

days are so tiring that i can't wait for my car to arrive.

wahahaha.

2007-05-12T03:09:00.000+08:00

the greatest battle lies within.

wanted to talk about the multicam production session we had today. but since velda blogged about it already, i shall copy and paste down what she wrote. haha.

"thought school was rather fulfilling today. multicam production is seriously fun, and im glad we finally got a chance to try it out in studio a today. when we finally go to studio m to try studio directing out, ill be sure to love it. haha! being floor manager was cool, especially when you have a great team of people working with you. andy as SD, joy as AD, andre as VT editor, yanting as vision mixer, siyu and edmund as cameramen, amy as presenter, and louis as guest. haha. tanoshii tanoshii!"

where SD = Studio Director, AD = Associate Director and VT = Video Tape.

haha it was fun, a good experience. =)

went to meet junwei and yifang after school. watched 28 weeks later. it was just okay, would have preferred shrek 3 but it wasn't out yet. haha.

bowling at kovan after that. zixuan and marc joined us. and how come bowling & supper seem to be a weekly routine nowadays. haha.

my cough is getting worse. i'm still waiting to recover fully before i can go sing. yifang just said i'm mad because i still ate chicken and curry. and if i still anyhow eat i can forget about recovering and forget about going singing. haha oops.

kk i shall abstain.

i'm tired. can finally rest and recuperate during the weekend.

i hope.

2007-05-11T00:26:00.000+08:00

even superheroes need a break.

watched spiderman 3 with andre, velda, darryn, azmi, yanting and siyu. not too bad. some funny moments cracked velda up, which i don't know what. haha. i like the ending scene though, with a quote that says something like through the battles that rage within us, it is our choices that make us who we are, and we're all entitled to make the right choice. realised how similar it is to the battles that rage in my head, and how i can really relate to it at this point of time.

it's interesting to hear what others think of you. and from the conversation we had at macs i guess i'm regaining bits and pieces of my direction, slowly getting back on track. i really dislike straying helplessly and getting lost, not knowing what to do. but then again, how often has this happened already? it happened, i got over it. it happened again, and i got over it again. over and over and over again. everytime i lose control, i can't seem to comprehend why i can let my emotions be so easily manipulated by you, even though you may not know it. or maybe i do understand. just that it's too little to say yes, yet too much to say no. half bucket shit.

all this while, there isn't a moment of stability.
and when everything gets poignant, i think i really do need a rest.

away from you.

2007-05-10T11:51:00.000+08:00

in loving memory.

R.I.P.

"Amos"

My Dear Goldfish

2nd-4th Week of TEP

you're missed by ms0501...

2007-05-10T00:10:00.001+08:00

«*^[f]âñg²^*»® stretched says:
i got filling de wat
«*^[f]âñg²^*»® stretched says:
i got cha shao haha

this line is classic. just had to post it up. wahaha. =D

2007-05-10T00:03:00.001+08:00

一波未平，一波又起。

2007-05-07T21:23:00.000+08:00

the battles that rage in my head.

congratulations to manchester united, the newly-crowned EPL champions!
next up, the FA Cup final!

weary of not knowing what's right and what's not.
neither yes nor no.

ironically, i'm doing a show titled answers.

2007-04-29T16:18:00.000+08:00

saturday night talks at kovan 茶餐厅.

they asked me why because they don't understand.
i understand but i couldn't answer them.

they say it is, i say it isn't.
well, at least not exactly.

their words made sense,
but things aren't as simple as they seem.

awaiting the end of the rocky rollercoaster ride.

2007-04-23T20:45:00.001+08:00

amos & amanda. =)

EDIT:
(a nicer picture taken from simin's blog)

2007-04-21T12:00:00.000+08:00

TEP = Tired & Exhausted People??

and we've survived the first week of tep, quoting ms soo.

it ain't that bad, pretty fun at times in fact with all the silly things we do when we're bored. but i realise i'll be tired almost throughout the whole day when i wake up at 630am everyday, regardless of how early i sleep the night before. i can't believe that i can even sleep at 10pm plus, sometimes wondering to myself if it's really me. but before i find the answer i'm already in lala land. haa!

anyway, went to settle the goldfish stuff yesterday with louis at serangoon north. we're officially the fish-keepers from now on. haha. we bought a complete fish tank set: the tank, filter cum pump, some white pebbles and anti-chlorine. and we chose two goldfish, a white coloured male and a orange coloured female, soon to be named. haha. was interesting looking out for the males and females in a tank full of little goldfish, and i wanted two to be of different colours so that it's easier to differentiate. on top of that, we bought one fighting fish each. wahaha. can't wait to set up everything in the pantry on monday! =)

walked home from serangoon north, yes i walked all the way. and serangoon north isn't exactly very near my house. didn't want to wait for bus 70 cos it'll take super long and it'll be super packed. reached home and marc called to ask if i wanna meet him and junwei for dinner. so out i went again. ate at carl's junior at PS and after dinner went to kovan for bowling. i broke my own record! woohoo. now it stands at 159. before that it was 141. was quite on a roll last night, played a total of 4 games and besides the 159 game i had another one exactly 141. too bad, if not i would have broken my record twice in a night. haha.

cha can ting after that. french toast, mango ice and drinks. was super shagged already by that time. and when they started talking about their army stuff again i completely switched off. cos when junwei talks, there's no stopping him, that motor-mouth. haha. left at around 3am. walked home, again! a shorter walk this time though, kovan to serangoon central. was so tired i didn't even bother plugging in the music on my walk home. but i started singing 林宇中's 旋律 to myself though. haha. crazy person singing in the middle of the night, luckily there wasn't anybody around.

oya, the duration of the lift going from the ground floor to the top floor (my house) or vice-versa is equivalent to singing the chorus of 旋律. wahahaha. yea, i've tried.

tired tired. class bbq tonight at andre's. hopefully somehow i'll still be in time to watch manutd at 12am. manutd matches are what i look forward to every weekend, especially after a tiring tep week. =)

i'm confused. losing my way again?

2007-04-17T21:04:00.000+08:00

randomness.

the good

happy birthday to you! i'll always remember that your birthday is exactly 2 weeks after mine. haha.

junwei is finally back after a month in taiwan. =)

an unexpected phonecall made my heart flutter.

my current tep group consists of andre, velda and yanting! the cameron highlands gang by ms soo's pure coincidental random pick. =)

the bad

tep is quite busy and tiring for a start. hopefully it'll be better once we get the hang of it.

my body clock is still in holiday mode.

the ugly

don't make me lose all my respect for you, every time you're at it. especially when i'm/we're not in the wrong 99% of the time. i realise i can become rebellious too. rebelling to prevail justice. don't force it. peace.

2007-04-11T23:11:00.000+08:00

and the scoreline says it all...

mind you, this was the champions league quarter-final. haha.
marc and i practically went crazy when the first 3 goals were scored. in like what, 20mins? subsequently, we just watched in awe as the goals kept coming. =)

hail the scorers of the night! Michael Carrick (2), Alan Smith, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo (2) and Patrice Evra.

my choice for the Man of the Match, Michael Carrick. scored 2 magnificent goals from long range and created the wonder pass which led to Alan Smith's goal. simply breathtaking!

and what a special moment for him, Alan Smith.

highlight of all the goals...

GO MANCHESTER UNITED!!

2007-04-10T21:48:00.000+08:00

林宇中的‘淋雨中’专辑，超好听！

2007-04-10T00:39:00.000+08:00

last week of holidays.

suddenly it seems like the last week's gonna be fulfilling. which is a good ending to the semester break and a good start to the new semester. =)

champions league quarter-final 2nd leg matches. hopefully manutd doesn't flop again. come on manutd, put the last two matches behind and show 'em what you've got!

helping out in orientation filming on wednesday and thursday. hopefully it'll be fun! although i'm not ogl-ing this year (cos i was in US when they had ogl recruitment, ah!), but i shall go visit darryn and his hospitality & resort management freshies. hiak hiak!

and probably dinner on thursday. as velda puts it...

velda___ 自分の足の方向:
haha andre also very on thurs go eat dinner
velda___ 自分の足の方向:
everyone like v long never meet tt kind of feeling

yeap, looking forward! =)

2007-04-08T04:26:00.000+08:00

夜晚的 Random Thoughts

明白了一些事情，
也终于解脱了难题。

只要不再被打扰就行了。

目前的我，
又开始慢慢地找回了自信。=)

Alvin说得对，
我应该多多跟他请教与学习。

在转角之后遇见的他和她，
是路人，还是朋友？

2007-04-04T15:20:00.000+08:00

some laughter to brighten up your day! =D

such adorable innocence. =))

2007-04-03T20:11:00.000+08:00

the third of april.

many thanks to those who wished me happy birthday in one way or another. =)
i'm two decades old now. haha.

i had a nice peaceful birthday i guess.

and thanks to zixuan for going kbox with me. though it's not really a good singing day. especially when klunch gives u super dry microwaved food and only one cup of drink. how to sing!! khappy is better if you're serious about singing, trust me. haha.

i have an oreo birthday cake this year! wahaha.

on a side note, i made a new friend today! =)

2007-03-31T18:33:00.002+08:00

我不想我不想不想长大!

2007-03-28T02:58:00.000+08:00

深夜里站在窗前
闭上眼，听着窗外所传来的声音

夜，虽然是平静的
但也充满了人们的思想与心声的杂音
风，它偶尔轻轻地吹着
我喜欢这样的感觉

无意间天上一颗流星划过
许愿，是迟疑了一下
因为在那一刻，自己也搞不清到底想要什么
可能愿望也不一样了。

一杯在桌上的咖啡
一种在寻找写歌灵感的心情

夜晚的奥妙，夜晚的美
复杂の心。

流星，真的代表着会有奇迹的出现吗？

2007-03-27T18:41:00.000+08:00

quoting from simin's blog (when i managed to access it),

"and i can't access my blog, due to singnet, which also means all other blogs with dashes(-) in front or at the back of their blog. (ie. -ttakemyhand.blogspot.com)"

ahhhhh so i see now.

i think singnet's dumb.

p.s. velda! no wonder singnet users can't access our blogs. simin has a dash in front, mine has one at the back, and you...you in front and behind also have. hahaha tsktsk.

2007-03-23T02:13:00.000+08:00

since velda blogs in japanese in almost all of her entries, i shall follow suit and attempt to blog in...

teochew!!

wahahaha. here goes...

kim jit xi sar guek zee zup sar hor leow. jin meh holiday chun sar gai loi bai nia. ji zhun hok zoi nang dor gua kok. junwei dor taiwan, andre dor dong kok, velda dor aw jiu. wa ma xior ai cuk kok. yin wee ah, dor mui kok tng lai du wu dai ji huak seh. dak pai ah neh kuan. dor gua kok hor, miang huang lor. tng lai xin ga por ba lu oi tao tia xim tia.

xi da, wa mai wee di diang boey hua hee leow. yi ai zor si mi gai tai yi ke zor, wa mai guan gak huan lor ah neh zoi.

ba lu toi leow 花样少年少女, ok nia la. ma jit toi 转角遇到爱! hahaha!

jin meh wa gai seh jit ai gao leow! haha. hee mor kin nee gai seh jit oi hua hua hee hee. jin gai hua hee. yin wee zup cek huay gao zup gao huay gai seh jit lor xi ah neh, bor si mi tek piak. sor yi zee zup huay seh jit hee mor wa oi jin gai hua hee.

ok, bor mek kia xia leow. hua boey pai la. wahaha.

cheers! =)

2007-03-20T01:42:00.000+08:00

aftermath of exam results part 2

i'm happy that i've managed to achieve what i had set out to achieve at the beginning of the semester. to be more focused on my studies, especially since it's the last academic semester. and of course to up my gpa to at least a 3.

at that point and time of emotional instability, somehow i learned to prioritise what's most important to me.

you might not know it, but i do want to attribute this to you. you played a part. =)

although there were times along the way where i went off-track, i'm glad that i didn't stray too far away. such things happen, i guess. distractions. at the end of it all, i don't like the way my emotions are constantly affected and being manipulated by certain things or certain people. so perhaps nonchalance is not a bad thing afterall.

and i learned. i realised that i'll always learn something new throughout each and every semester. something non-academic. something beneficial which can help me become a better person. i don't really know how all these come to me, they just do. i suppose it's through experiences that you get to see a bigger picture of things. and i've learned to look at things from a different perspective, to understand everything that's happening to me or around me.

if one were to just sit down and observe silently, he would realise that life is actually very simple. it is us humans who make it complicated.

i like travelling. because only then will you get to experience the many different lifestyles of people around the world. and my conclusion is that we singaporeans do not have a 'healthy' lifestyle. we're too stressed up and hungry for success that we fail to see the importance of simple happiness. and being contented with what we have. and of course, travelling broadens your horizons. more specifically, your mentality horizon. because there is only so much, or rather so little you can see in tiny singapore. i'm not fascinated by alot of things other people might find so otherwise. when singapore is currently in the process of building a ferris wheel, i'll say that it's lame. probably because i've seen many more ferris wheels before. or simply because it's just lame taking an elevated ride to reach closer to the hot sun. in any way, ferris wheels are definitely more exciting elsewhere besides singapore. and i'm not sure if my way of thinking (that s'pore is really very 'small' in many aspects) is a good or a bad thing. but i just want to emphasize that the world out there is much much bigger, and in my opinion it is not wise to let yourself or your thinking be restricted like the frog in the well.

back to the topic on simple happiness, and that is why at times when i seem laid-back, i just don't want too many things to be stirring around me. all i wish for is a simple, stable and secure life.

i don't particularly hold myself in overly-high esteem, neither am i conceited or big-headed (though literally i am). but i feel that it's all about self-respect. i told close friends that i'm not gonna allow myself to be hurt so easily again. so essentially i'm learning to build the defenses around my heart.

at times when i feel weary, all i have to do is to take a break. after which i'll get back up on my feet and continue the battle. simply because i know i'm strong enough to take things in my stride and overcome all challenges.

nobody can make me feel inferior without my consent. not even you.