Christmas is a season for forgiving.. and it's also a season for GIVING. If there's something I'm still trying to learn, it is the art of giving. Yes. What I meant is buying gifts for your friends, family, or simply your loved ones. I can proudly say I have taken a step forward this year, eradicating the nonchalant side of me, racking my brains for gifts. At least to my loved ones, like my mum on Mother's Day and my Dad on his birthday. Though I didn't really bought anything for my sisters yet.. but we celebrated together, sometimes with cakes we bought ourselves. Yes yes, those who knows me well should know that I'm not very good at buying gifts.(And if ur reading this applie, I know I still owe u ur bday gift!) For me, I'll rather splurge on treating my friends to a good sumptuous meal! That's just me ok.. haha.. to me.. food is like the best option. At least you get to gather together and enjoy a splendid moment together. Though it's only for the moment. But good things are known not to last right? If not, what are memories for?
But still, of course, I'll still try to follow the traditional way now. And I'm learning. Please be patient my friends. :)
As for now, MERRY CHRISMTAS TO ONE AND ALL!!!
And to my beloved friends, thanks for always being there!
P.S. To hengmui and trio, I shall bring u all to Hark Music Cafe one day, bet you will love it. My treat! =D
Monday, December 25, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
A shooting star I saw last week during outfield exercise inspired this "lazy sketch". It was probably the first ever time I witnessed a shooting star! And it dropped just probably 20 metres away from me! It was a white glow of blinding light.. so fast yet so gorgeous. The wonders of nature..
And I made a wish..
I wish..
I wish..
And I couldn't reveal my wish.
Only the shooting star knows it. Wahahaha. :)
Saturday, December 16, 2006
I have known her for nearly 3 months. I have met her for 8 times till now, be it just a short meeting or a date out. But I'm still counting my feelings for her. I prefer to move up the ladder one step at a time.
Stranger --> Aquaintance --> Friend --> ?
We're now on stage 3.
This sounds like some "puppy-love" crap. *Laughing my head off*
Anyway I have never been in a r/s before. So don't you laugh!
Ok whatever. I need a crash course on infatuations, on BGR.
On another note, I still enjoy being single. I don't want my right of ogling to be taken away! HAHAHA!
Stranger --> Aquaintance --> Friend --> ?
We're now on stage 3.
This sounds like some "puppy-love" crap. *Laughing my head off*
Anyway I have never been in a r/s before. So don't you laugh!
Ok whatever. I need a crash course on infatuations, on BGR.
On another note, I still enjoy being single. I don't want my right of ogling to be taken away! HAHAHA!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Yesterday Once More
These few recent book outs, I realise I am descending into the pit of loneliness. It's like I was wandering on the streets alone. Wandering aimlessly. It's not that I don't have friends to turn to. It's that I don't have friends who are readily there to turn to. It's like after enlisting in NS, you find that social life has become quite a struggle.
The struggle to keep relationships alive, the struggle to keep friendships intact.
Do you realise how hard it is? And that's why I say entering NS is a challenge. It serves as a challenge not internally, but externally as well. It eats into your precious time such that you have little time to enrich your social life. But still, I gotta be thankful for this challenge. If not for that, I won't be able to understand and cherish the importance of my friends. Distance, indeed, makes the heart grow fonder.
I drove back to my old childhood residence yesterday at Jurong East late at night. And I just can't believe things have changed so much there. All the renovations have eradicated the traces of my childhood hangouts. But the memories are etched on my mind forever. The smell still vivid. Travelling back there is almost like re-living your past. Your wonderful, beautiful childhood past. A kind of past which I am really really proud of. It is so fulfilling. Without my childhood, I won't possibly have met my best friend of 18+ years. Without my childhood, I won't possibly know how it is like to be young again.
As a child, I was crazy, adventurous, daring, unrealistic. Heights don't scare me. Excitment always kept me going. I had wonderful moments. Wonderful experiences. You know, the one thing about being a child is you don't realise what danger is, hence there is no fear. You are so utterly confident of yourself that you dare to do stunts that may be dangerous. But you did not think of the word "danger". It has never occurred your mind. What you wanted was excitement, accomplishment. And satisfaction is what a child always wanted!
Sometimes, too much knowledge of the outside world kills creativity. That explains why not many people would venture into entrepreneurship. Not many people dare to risk walking on untreaded paths.
Since this year is coming to an end, I have come up with my resolution for next year, subjective to changes though.
"Go back to my roots."
Yes, I am going to live like a child again. Let me be crazy, adventurous, daring, unrealistic once more.
These few recent book outs, I realise I am descending into the pit of loneliness. It's like I was wandering on the streets alone. Wandering aimlessly. It's not that I don't have friends to turn to. It's that I don't have friends who are readily there to turn to. It's like after enlisting in NS, you find that social life has become quite a struggle.
The struggle to keep relationships alive, the struggle to keep friendships intact.
Do you realise how hard it is? And that's why I say entering NS is a challenge. It serves as a challenge not internally, but externally as well. It eats into your precious time such that you have little time to enrich your social life. But still, I gotta be thankful for this challenge. If not for that, I won't be able to understand and cherish the importance of my friends. Distance, indeed, makes the heart grow fonder.
I drove back to my old childhood residence yesterday at Jurong East late at night. And I just can't believe things have changed so much there. All the renovations have eradicated the traces of my childhood hangouts. But the memories are etched on my mind forever. The smell still vivid. Travelling back there is almost like re-living your past. Your wonderful, beautiful childhood past. A kind of past which I am really really proud of. It is so fulfilling. Without my childhood, I won't possibly have met my best friend of 18+ years. Without my childhood, I won't possibly know how it is like to be young again.
As a child, I was crazy, adventurous, daring, unrealistic. Heights don't scare me. Excitment always kept me going. I had wonderful moments. Wonderful experiences. You know, the one thing about being a child is you don't realise what danger is, hence there is no fear. You are so utterly confident of yourself that you dare to do stunts that may be dangerous. But you did not think of the word "danger". It has never occurred your mind. What you wanted was excitement, accomplishment. And satisfaction is what a child always wanted!
Sometimes, too much knowledge of the outside world kills creativity. That explains why not many people would venture into entrepreneurship. Not many people dare to risk walking on untreaded paths.
Since this year is coming to an end, I have come up with my resolution for next year, subjective to changes though.
"Go back to my roots."
Yes, I am going to live like a child again. Let me be crazy, adventurous, daring, unrealistic once more.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Detachment
Hello. I'm back. Again. For don't know how many countless times, I am back from camp. Each week, I haven't written in detail all the loads of training I went through. Each week, I haven't described how much soil I have stepped on, how much mud had stained my uniform, how much perspiration I have shed. And it's all because it has been such a routine that it has drilled into me. So much so I have started to become numb. I am proud to say that since the day I enlisted in NS, I have NEVER once reported sick. I have NEVER once opted for a medical status. Yes of course, I have fallen ill sometimes, with flu and all that. But there is one word I always abide to. And that is ENDURANCE. And my principle is easy.
Do your best, live your best. Prove it to no one, but yourself.
Since this year is coming to an end soon, I guess I have some sorta fulfilled my resolution for the year, which is "To become a better man". Army changes lives. It has changed mine so far. I may not have been successful enough as to go as far as to be a sergeant or an officer. But as I said, I only want to prove to myself, that I can improve. And I guess I did. I have endured hardship so far and am ready for more to come. I have seen results in my physical fitness. I have made friends whom I call brothers.
This week, I have seen new specialists coming into our unit. And there were familiar faces. They were my long lost BMT mates! Man, I really miss them so much! Looking at them brought along a fresh spring of memories. Memories so vivid I can hardly unsubscribe to. Memories so vivid that just thinking of them can make a fresh spring of tears well up in my eyes. It is almost impossible to imagine that merely 9 weeks of getting together can forge a strong bond that could never be broken. Though they are now 3rd sergeants, I feel obliged to still treat them as my very close BMT pals. If you ask I feel inferior in any bit, yes, I admit I did. But if there is something I have learnt so far from my lessons, it is, do not compare.
At least, I am trying my very best to fulfil my own endeavours.
It is really good to see them man. Alright, we have a long weekend due to our leave on Friday. I must really make full use of my time man.
Hello. I'm back. Again. For don't know how many countless times, I am back from camp. Each week, I haven't written in detail all the loads of training I went through. Each week, I haven't described how much soil I have stepped on, how much mud had stained my uniform, how much perspiration I have shed. And it's all because it has been such a routine that it has drilled into me. So much so I have started to become numb. I am proud to say that since the day I enlisted in NS, I have NEVER once reported sick. I have NEVER once opted for a medical status. Yes of course, I have fallen ill sometimes, with flu and all that. But there is one word I always abide to. And that is ENDURANCE. And my principle is easy.
Do your best, live your best. Prove it to no one, but yourself.
Since this year is coming to an end soon, I guess I have some sorta fulfilled my resolution for the year, which is "To become a better man". Army changes lives. It has changed mine so far. I may not have been successful enough as to go as far as to be a sergeant or an officer. But as I said, I only want to prove to myself, that I can improve. And I guess I did. I have endured hardship so far and am ready for more to come. I have seen results in my physical fitness. I have made friends whom I call brothers.
This week, I have seen new specialists coming into our unit. And there were familiar faces. They were my long lost BMT mates! Man, I really miss them so much! Looking at them brought along a fresh spring of memories. Memories so vivid I can hardly unsubscribe to. Memories so vivid that just thinking of them can make a fresh spring of tears well up in my eyes. It is almost impossible to imagine that merely 9 weeks of getting together can forge a strong bond that could never be broken. Though they are now 3rd sergeants, I feel obliged to still treat them as my very close BMT pals. If you ask I feel inferior in any bit, yes, I admit I did. But if there is something I have learnt so far from my lessons, it is, do not compare.
At least, I am trying my very best to fulfil my own endeavours.
It is really good to see them man. Alright, we have a long weekend due to our leave on Friday. I must really make full use of my time man.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear - Reflections on the movie "Happy Feet"
Before I begin, I want to say that I watched two animations in a row today. Open Season and Happy Feet respectively. Open Season is just another just-for-laugh mediocre animation and I slept like half of the movie's duration. Happy Feet, on the other hand, was not a happy film as the movie title itself literally described. It was sad, tragic and depressing. Somehow, I was awake throughout the entire movie. It's like having insomnia when you are under depression. Sadness prevents you from sleeping.
Happy Feet, on a commercialized level, is another cutesy animation with penguins all around and a wonderful entertaining plot. On a deeper level, it is actually a masked satire of the society. Mumble represents the lot of idiosyncratic personnels in the society where their talents are not recognized and instead deemed as abnormality. It is a big cry out and a slash across the face of the apathetic society, though in a subtle manner. And if you notice, the movie is actually like a modern "Ugly Duckling" tale. The protagonist yearns for acceptance. Even a classic children fable like "Ugly Duckling" holds a deep meaning. Happy Feet is actually reminiscent of the movie Artificial Intelligence - one of my all time favourite movie. Near the end of the movie, Mumble the Happy Feet actually ventured on a nearly impossible quest to prove his right. Just like David the boy robot in Artificial Intelligence. Both yearns for acceptance. For rejuvenation. For revival. For a life.
The Carpenters had a song entitled "Close To You". The start of the song actually begins with "Why do birds suddenly appear?" It is a rather provocative question. You always hear birds chirp early in the morning announcing the arrival of broad daylights. And they go to hide at night. Although in Tekong I have heard the loud chirpings of birds late at night and midnight. It's no longer a dog-eat-dog world. The world has probably evolved into a bird-shoot-bird world. If only humans possess the bird's eye view, they would have seen what has the world really become to. How massacres and unintended warfares are destroying the land just like global warming melting the icebergs, destroying the penguins' habitat.
In Happy Feet, humans are actually described as "penguins with no wings and feathers but four weird limps and an ugly faces". And it so happened that most of the penguins did not even believe the existence of aliens - in this case humans, until the very end when they saw for themselves. It is like they are living in their own utopia, and they thought they were probably the only species on Earth alongside other arctic creatures. What a mockery!
The thing is, humans are very much like birds. We are like birds without feathers, and we yearn to fly before we even learn how to crawl. Greed is one of the 7 unescapable sins that humans possess. And unfortunately, Greed is probably the main mastermind that causes Grief.
In music, we have heard Westlife's "Flying Without Wings", the classic hit "On the Wings of Love" as well as the recent Singapore Idol Hady Mirza's "You Give Me Wings". Oh yes, we need wings to fly. And we need to fly high high high, maybe SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW, WAY UP HIGH...
And one more thing. Penguins are black and white in colour. Extraordinary-ordinary colours.
One last thing, Bird Flu is on high alert.
So, free the birds.
Before I begin, I want to say that I watched two animations in a row today. Open Season and Happy Feet respectively. Open Season is just another just-for-laugh mediocre animation and I slept like half of the movie's duration. Happy Feet, on the other hand, was not a happy film as the movie title itself literally described. It was sad, tragic and depressing. Somehow, I was awake throughout the entire movie. It's like having insomnia when you are under depression. Sadness prevents you from sleeping.
Happy Feet, on a commercialized level, is another cutesy animation with penguins all around and a wonderful entertaining plot. On a deeper level, it is actually a masked satire of the society. Mumble represents the lot of idiosyncratic personnels in the society where their talents are not recognized and instead deemed as abnormality. It is a big cry out and a slash across the face of the apathetic society, though in a subtle manner. And if you notice, the movie is actually like a modern "Ugly Duckling" tale. The protagonist yearns for acceptance. Even a classic children fable like "Ugly Duckling" holds a deep meaning. Happy Feet is actually reminiscent of the movie Artificial Intelligence - one of my all time favourite movie. Near the end of the movie, Mumble the Happy Feet actually ventured on a nearly impossible quest to prove his right. Just like David the boy robot in Artificial Intelligence. Both yearns for acceptance. For rejuvenation. For revival. For a life.
The Carpenters had a song entitled "Close To You". The start of the song actually begins with "Why do birds suddenly appear?" It is a rather provocative question. You always hear birds chirp early in the morning announcing the arrival of broad daylights. And they go to hide at night. Although in Tekong I have heard the loud chirpings of birds late at night and midnight. It's no longer a dog-eat-dog world. The world has probably evolved into a bird-shoot-bird world. If only humans possess the bird's eye view, they would have seen what has the world really become to. How massacres and unintended warfares are destroying the land just like global warming melting the icebergs, destroying the penguins' habitat.
In Happy Feet, humans are actually described as "penguins with no wings and feathers but four weird limps and an ugly faces". And it so happened that most of the penguins did not even believe the existence of aliens - in this case humans, until the very end when they saw for themselves. It is like they are living in their own utopia, and they thought they were probably the only species on Earth alongside other arctic creatures. What a mockery!
The thing is, humans are very much like birds. We are like birds without feathers, and we yearn to fly before we even learn how to crawl. Greed is one of the 7 unescapable sins that humans possess. And unfortunately, Greed is probably the main mastermind that causes Grief.
In music, we have heard Westlife's "Flying Without Wings", the classic hit "On the Wings of Love" as well as the recent Singapore Idol Hady Mirza's "You Give Me Wings". Oh yes, we need wings to fly. And we need to fly high high high, maybe SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW, WAY UP HIGH...
And one more thing. Penguins are black and white in colour. Extraordinary-ordinary colours.
One last thing, Bird Flu is on high alert.
So, free the birds.
I had my first lesson at Play By Ear music school today!!! In case you have no idea of what I am talking about, I'm learning pop and jazz piano improvisations now. Yea, I thought it is high time I put my piano skills onto higher level. I am totally impressed by my instructor, an Indonesian-Eurasian mix who is simply so well versed with his piano skills. For my very first piece, I chose "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". It was simply amazing the way he described music playing. Improvisation is like adding colours to an otherwise dull outline. All along I have wanted badly to learn the real techniques of improvisation since classical lessons are just read-from-the-score-playing. If you only play classical, you are a player. If you know how to improvise pop or other contemporary form of music and weave it into your own variations using your creativity, you are then considered a true blue musician. How true can that be man! Yeah, hopefully I can master all the skills at the shortest possible time!
Anyway, after that, decided to call Joel, my BMT friend to catch up for a while.. And the first thing I saw him, I exclaimed, "You have got hair!!!" Haha. Seriously, I have never seen him with that much hair before. Natural curls some more. Sounds like Goldilocks. Wahaha. Had a little chat at Taka's Ice Coffee Bean before I wandered once again aimlessly on the streets of Orchard.
After that, I took a train back to the west. Then I decided to meet my sisters and my elder sister's boyfriend. We headed down to town together. And my sis' boyfriend drove us down there. In my car. -_-|| We were roaming around Suntec City at first cos my sis needed to work there for a while. Then after that, they actually asked me to drive them to Orchard! Oh goodness. First of all, I have never had enough night driving practices. Secondly, town was just heavily conjested with traffic. Luckily my car respects its owner which is me. Hahaha.
A snapshot of us in the middle of somewhere, somehow.
It has been a long time since I entered NS that I have went shopping with my sisters. Though I prefer to hang out with my friends most of the time, I have got to admit my sisters are noisily entertaining. Haha. And it's just amazing to see how they have grown.
Okok, gotta go for now. Good night to you bloggie. I'll be back soon!
Anyway, after that, decided to call Joel, my BMT friend to catch up for a while.. And the first thing I saw him, I exclaimed, "You have got hair!!!" Haha. Seriously, I have never seen him with that much hair before. Natural curls some more. Sounds like Goldilocks. Wahaha. Had a little chat at Taka's Ice Coffee Bean before I wandered once again aimlessly on the streets of Orchard.
After that, I took a train back to the west. Then I decided to meet my sisters and my elder sister's boyfriend. We headed down to town together. And my sis' boyfriend drove us down there. In my car. -_-|| We were roaming around Suntec City at first cos my sis needed to work there for a while. Then after that, they actually asked me to drive them to Orchard! Oh goodness. First of all, I have never had enough night driving practices. Secondly, town was just heavily conjested with traffic. Luckily my car respects its owner which is me. Hahaha.
A snapshot of us in the middle of somewhere, somehow.
It has been a long time since I entered NS that I have went shopping with my sisters. Though I prefer to hang out with my friends most of the time, I have got to admit my sisters are noisily entertaining. Haha. And it's just amazing to see how they have grown.
Okok, gotta go for now. Good night to you bloggie. I'll be back soon!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Rhetorical Thoughts
Have you ever wondered why do babies cry when they first get born into this world? Is it a sign of objection that they are being put in a torturous world that they hate but are forced to descend here?
When you rub your eyes to get a clearer view, your eyes get more red the more you rub them. Is it because the clearer you get to view this world, the more your vision is stained with the gory reality of the harshness in this world?
When it rains, is heaven tearing? Is it trying to wash away the blood stains on Mother Earth? If so, it is a neverending task. For rain seems to be a frequent occurrence. On another note, when it snows, is heaven trying to bleach the world into a pure state then?
Why does the rainbow come after the rain? What if it comes before the rain? So, does beauty always come after pain?
The early bird catches the worm. So the early worm gets caught?!
Have you ever wondered why do babies cry when they first get born into this world? Is it a sign of objection that they are being put in a torturous world that they hate but are forced to descend here?
When you rub your eyes to get a clearer view, your eyes get more red the more you rub them. Is it because the clearer you get to view this world, the more your vision is stained with the gory reality of the harshness in this world?
When it rains, is heaven tearing? Is it trying to wash away the blood stains on Mother Earth? If so, it is a neverending task. For rain seems to be a frequent occurrence. On another note, when it snows, is heaven trying to bleach the world into a pure state then?
Why does the rainbow come after the rain? What if it comes before the rain? So, does beauty always come after pain?
The early bird catches the worm. So the early worm gets caught?!
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