English Fanatic

Can I get hired for glamourising 7-UP?

2009-10-27T11:08:00.000+08:00

All shots are from my stock.

Without premission from 7-UP, or my lecturer, I gave the 'new' 7-up 'All-natural flavours' bottle a new look ('cos 3 months back the new one wasn't released in Singapore yet. I nearly seized up waiting for it so I could finish my project). I then gave the logo a pair of specs made from lemon to pretend it's really the new one... But then, as many times as I went through the website (http://www.7up.com/) only at the eleventh hour did I realised I was taking 'All-natural' literally. Naively, I had already created this:

Literally all-natural, as if it were generated from a forest and the sugar and carbonate gas were from the plants. Well, whatever. stupid as it sounded, I still like my print ad. This one was supposed to cater to both young (interactive 'cos there's a hidden bottle and kids can try to spot it) and old (hence the antiquated paints to remind the long-time consumers that it's the same taste, only healthier)... Lecturer reprimanded me for the diluted audience I was aiming at. Duh... I then did and re-did, churning up more crap. And by inspiration of a friend with a sexy backdrop I copied in 1st poster (hehex!) I got myself an A. Banzai!

Secret Window got nothing to do with windows

2009-10-24T11:21:00.000+08:00

Pics from all over the WWW.

TRailer: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/secretwindow/cms/
People: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, John Turturro
Written by: Stephen King
Directed by: David Koepp

Okay, this one dates back 2004 and the DVD is long out liao. I just made the poster because of BOREDOM! as usual. And 'cos this time Johnny rocked the show with an all-too similar scene near the end where his split personality comes out to play, somewhat seeming to inspire the crazed Cap. Jack Sparrow stuck in Davy Jones' Locker scene in POTC: World's End. It's always exciting to see him fight with himself. The show wasn't so recognised, though Stephen King wrote and helped direct and the cast was exceptional. Contrary to what the trailers suggest, nothing supernatural is present: like, gore and blood lots, inexplicable fear nil.

No sensual part of him here, 'cos he falls out with his wife and his alter ego plots to have her and her lover killed. It's some sort of psychological trauma he goes through. But what I like about the whole movie is he doesn't get caught. Kudos to King!

I had a crush, turns out he's too gay for me

2009-10-24T01:10:00.003+08:00

This might be the biggest heartache of my life!

I know of a Malay friend who had a major crush on this to-die-for Chinese boy Xuan Chong back in Sec. 2, and he was gonna' graduate of course but she secretly continued her distant admiration and kept crying knowing they'll NEVER get together for religious reasons and that he was going into the wide world without ever knowing how she felt for him. It was like forbidden love, and I guess I can now relate to that.

My heart cries and breaks ever-so-often for him but I'm caught in a personal dilemma: what do I do next? I'm afraid to confront him of his problem for fear that it would distance us yet I don't want him to continue in his ways and conform to society where all my classmates say it's ok and accept him for who he is. I am greatly disturbed, or is it me who has to change my POV? I want to change him, or do I have to swallow this and change myself? Stupid doldrums!

I don't even dare to tell him I like him! My heart burns for him like a match burning silent, but when I'm near him, I don't know what to say to him or HOW to talk to him: I mean like, girl stuff or boy luffs? Movies or gaming? Cats or iPhone apps? Johnny Depp or Megan Fox, you know? Taylor Swift or DragonForce?...

Man, this is so intense I need to let it out or I'll kill this boy for breaking my heart. 4 months back, when I first saw him, I thought 'Love @ 1st sight.' I mean, green neon specs accentuating his piercing, round eyes; tall, dark and handsome (he's Indian) and he is Christian. Claims to be. After knowing him a day, I wanted to make him mine. Like marry him and enjoy his lips and so on so forth... yes, my imagination went that far and every night I thought of him before bedtime, and he was skinny (1 trait I never considered) and my dreams carried me that far. But just dreams. Dreams!

He was new to the course and had a long way to go to catch up, so I took advantage of that and helped him lots, like wake him up every morning and remind him of projects due. He wasn't always in school, skipping classes for a part-time job and leaving me wondering if he would show up this morning or other. His family was poor but have a proper house now. If I had gone to his Facebook from the beginning I would have saved myself the heart pain. I feel so wretched and cheated and disappointed that I can't shake this feeling off!!

1 month knowing him. By that time I've grown to feel lousy that I can't help him with schoolwork 'cos he's constantly away from school. I put my well-wishes and thoughts into actions. So I plan to meet him at Yishun MRT near his place to pass him a compact camera for Design module. He's late. 1/2 an hour.Or maybe I'm in a secluded corner. He's dressed up, apparently going to see his best boy friend later. I teach him how to utilise the compact and uploader wire then go on my way. He suggests I take the bus to Woodlands, which is nearer. Not true. That trip was really long...

The past weeks I hung ard this other egoistic, openly-unpatriotic authoritarian Lewis who made jokes abt orgasms and politics and our classmates, eg 'Your handwriting is so neat. You're gay!' or 'You're jeans is white. You're gay!' and I followed in kind, not knowing the implications. I playfully interjected my own words to fit the circumstance of the moment and announced it loudly to Ajmal, 'You wear white socks to support MJ. You're gay!' and kept it up unknowingly. So, at the MRT I complained that he was late, so like a girl and 'So gay!', I laughed. Moving to the bus stop, he gave a contemplative look and said 'Why do you ask if I'm gay?'
'Because you have Adam Lambert on your desktop,' I naively replied.
'Oh,' he wasn't smiling, 'Have you asked me if I'm gay before?'
Still thinking he was fooling I said lamely, 'Yeah I have. 3hrice over the weeks.'
'And what did I say to that?' he said in a soothing, abnormally high voice.
'You said no to the first and ignored the other 2.'
'Ok. That's good,' he said plainly.
I raised an eyebrow playfully, 'So... you're saying that it's partially true?'
He gave me a silent honest look.
I pretended to gasp, 'So it IS entirely true!'
He didn't say anything so I concluded it as a silly trick he was trying to have with me and wrapped up the scenario with a stupid sheepish, 'You're gay,' whilst nudge-punching his shoulder. I couldn't believe I just touched a gay guy. He was too quiet for my liking suddenly. I looked at him for any possible reaction to deny all I said, confirming his twisted sexuality too blatantly and all. He stayed well composed a little too well. I stopped grinning like an idiot. 'It's not real right? You're bluffing right?' I asked in vain hope. For once i couldn't stop the obvious pleading in my voice. I couldn't control myself.
Then he said, 'What do you think?'
I took courage and sheepishly poked him below the collar bone and went, 'Liar,' hoping I was right.
'No. It's true.' He said, 'I can prove it to you: go see my Facebook. It's very obvious.'
I didn't know what to think, but by then I believe I was still in a state of semi-belief, that he was still acting along all gay, so I kept playing. 'So, how'd you become gay?' I feel stupid I said that to encourage him.
'Well, I just was, all along. Since the day I was born.' Then it sank in. But not fully. It just was. My exterior was completely myself, the normal smiling one that was patient, not the foolish nervous grin. He said I was the first he'd confessed to in Poly, which didn't mean anything except further confirming his like for the same sex.

But my bus came. The moment I turned my back to him the tears came. I hoped he didn't see as I waved good bye to him and sat pouting, trying to keep the tears in. I simply wanted to let it out then and there for I couldn;t stand my stomach churning like a wash machine, my head dizzy and sick with the words he said going round and round and round and upside-down. I was hoping to look into the words to see if the truth was there. But no matter how I placed it, how many words I misheard at the noisy bus stop or how much logic I put into a boy being a childish boy just as they ought to be, I wound up at the same answer: No, it wasn't my imagination and unreal as it seemed as I sat in the bobbing bus and everyone oblivious to my reddening face as if I weren't there, it was entirely true. As I said so myself. I had helped him confess his sin.

I felt sick and deeply immoral for having fallen for a indecent guy. A boy I liked who had feelings for other boys. My love seemed to have been flung out the window like trash. My innocence run over by a bulldozer of a close friend. My heart crushed by an indirect break-up. I wasn't even in a relationship and i was defeated emotionally, utterly destroyed and now my tears are the only thing left I can give him. I don't know what else to do.

But... Were those blank stares he gave me intentionally having me on or were they really a sad soul calling out?, a dark secret he didn't like and didn't want to hide?

What happens when Alice meets Burton??!

2009-09-28T20:50:00.001+08:00

Trailer: disney.com/wonderland

People: Mia Wasikowska (Alice), Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Anne Hathaway (White Queen), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen/Queen of Hearts), Michael Sheen (White Rabbit), Alan Rickman (Caterpillar)

Tim Burton's directed it... comments spawned on YouTube said this was a sooner or later issue; he would do it 'cos he's as wierd as Johnny. Anyways, after watching the trailer, I'm getting some major Ughs and sighs going through my head... But out of boredom, and love for Johnny, I made this ugly poster to match the trailer as much as I could. I dunno' why Tim decided to add in a White Queen to the story (unless Lewis Carroll had her written in the story already), or why he's using a new-comer for Alice, or why I get the shivers seeing Johnny in thick make-up and laughing so forcedly, or why Michael Sheen who was in a recent vampire movie is voicing a white rabbit, or why Professor Snape actor Alan Rickman is a caterpillar... *jaw-dropped, blank stare.

It's in March 2010, so I won't see you at the theatres hopefully.

Inglourious Basterds definitely M18

2009-09-25T01:19:00.001+08:00

This guy's Zachary Quinto from Heroes and this guy's Eli Roth, a director. Guess who was in the movie? Pics from EffinNerd.com and HinaMagazine.com respectively.

Trailer: http://inglouriousbasterds-movie.com/

I got so excited for nothing when Eli played Donnie Donowitz, the Bear Jew who kills Nazis by bashing their heads with a baseball bat. I mean, it was so Sylar!

Ok, unlike the trailers, which suggest a sense of humour in the movie, the movie is nowhere close, except a couple of punchlines that seemed childish on the intimidating Nazis' part. Any attempted form of humour quickly changes into sardony and creates a stronger suspense that could last a whole 15 mins for each scene. Suspense spans 2 hrs 15 mins, action (blood and gore) for 15 mins, humour for 30 secs in total. Yes, it's a long 2 1/2 hrs raw war movie set almost suspiciously on the backdrop of hit Comedy series 'Allo 'Allo.

Don't be surprised someone's gonna' be yawning throughout; how irritating!

Everyone, not just the kamikaze gang of American Jews, are basterds. All are equally ruthless in theirs dealings with the Nazis, as vice versa. No one can be trusted, not even their own feelings. The all-too-realistic setting couldn't make one squirm any more.

SS elite Hans Landa is particularly the bane of the whole plot to assasinate Hitler and 3 other major players of the 3rd Reich, who are going to attend a premiere of Nation's Pride, a war hero's escapades, and the Basterds are to blow it down. The Jewish cinema-owner Shosanna too plans to burn down her cinema with all 350 Germans inside to exact revenge for her family's death. The suspense along the way are potential problems (quick-witted, stubborn Nazi officers and Gestapo) that could ruin an otherwise perfect plan to stop the world war.

Spoilers stop here... The show is in 3 languages, and its gore is just about on par with Sweeney Todd's, though not as devastating as Letters from Iwo Jima. It might be a bore, but I rate it the Most Dangerous Dialogue, esp. since director Tarantino specialises in gunware mostly. never a better movie.

Aliens In the Attic is not for people

2009-09-24T00:14:00.000+08:00

Pic from AceShowBiz.com

Trailer on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGrrqFx3i-0

The aliens suck!... ok that about sums the movie up...

The one or two saving graces are the popcorn was nice (VivoCity's Golden Village's poppers aren't too sweet) and the show had good actors in it, namely Ashley Tisdale (playing Bethany Pearson) and Robert Hoffman (Bethany's play-boy-friend).

Ashley didn't have many close-ups in HSM or her current long-running series The Suite Life with Zack and Cody, so with the camera on her flawless, tanned skin, she was right for the tasteless, clueless character Bethany who thought her younger bro was messing her relationship. Anyways, she and Robert saved the show from crashing into the ditch like a dead-weight with their exceptional acting. And Robert was cute grinning like a stupid fool when he was under mind control.

Robert, I researched, was on Step Up franchises and can dance, hence all those back-breaking stunts in Aliens. Maybe my mood was horrible (possibly because my galfren asked me out all the way to Vivo, made me waste $20 altogether, $10 for a ticket cuase it was Raya, and she couldn't find a better date or an excuse than the rest of the week being her work scheduled; ok, I'll stop bitching) but I rate this movie a FAILURE! argh!

John Dillinger doesn't know true love

2009-09-19T22:59:00.000+08:00

Hehehe (pervertic smile)... Johnny Depp (drool)... Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWof6CovHxI

It's his recent movie that I got to watch with a guy friend from sec school for the first time with the whole row to ourselves 'cos the cashier lady thought we were a couple, but he's Malay and he has a crush on my galfren already. =P I created this poster in hope of beating the original ones and to practise my photoshop skills... I've got mixed reactions from unprofessional ppl yet who dun really care about Johnny and movies and design. But about the movie, THE GUNFIGHTS ROCK!! (I was for the plot until I realised it was all guns blazing at every scene, even at the intro.) If you didn't catch it, I suggest getting the DVD the moment it pops, get all ur best pals and turn up the stereo when ur mum's not home. The sound of every bullet ricocheting off trees and buildings will place you in the street with a semi-automatic in ur hands, fighting ur way out of the bank with the FBI on their way to kick ass.

Johnny played the part well: it's like not-very-subtle tips on how to treat a girl right when he goes all out to try to make Billie's life (his girlfren) good despite his notorious career. Her concerns are real; not even I would have wanted a BF with an unstable job and life on the line everyday. His assurance? 'I can be at any bank anytime. They've gotta' be at every bank, everytime,' and at that, she's reliefed. Even supportive. I would have screamed! She didn't seriously discourage it and instead fell in love with life in the dangerous lane.

Okay, I hate the ending. I know, it's supposed to happen like this 'cos John Dillinger died shot through the cheek outside the Biograph theatre after a movie with Anna (and friend) by some old FBI agent. Melvin Purvis, head of newly founded FBI and leading the hunt against Public Enemy #1 Dillinger didn't even get to take him down after all those years of chasing and near-misses. His only meeting and brief exchange of words with Dillinger was in a cell when Dillinger's gang was caught for arms possession in a hotel. I felt Purvis was really proud to size him up like that, and that final note of triumph that he would be taken out to be executed was really cold. I would have marveled at the man who dared so many escapes and robberies and still be loved by the public. I would have asked him how he did it and not get so haughty with him, but maybe Purvis was absolutely unimpressed by him and having to hunt them down is not so desireable a job afterall.

There was that one short film on Youtube (staged and scripted) that Dillinger may not have been shot but was still in hiding with some friend and when recovered, he went out to rob a bank announcing he was Dillinger, ppl didn't care. It alleged he lived till 1952/4 and not died in 1934 at the Biograph. Man, I rather prefered that ending... but many commenters think he wanted to go just as he went. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stgFJ_3ieC4

There's really a recession!!

2009-09-14T14:36:00.000+08:00

It's the holidays and I can't get a job! That was when I first realised what the recession is. Even the classified recruit section in the papers seems to hate just about every local in the country 'cos the only thing I'm qualified for is a cleaner's job, and I almost got convinced to call the people up!

Well, furthermore rice has gone up, my bro can't watch a movie without noise issuing from my mum's room anymore and we can't suppport a cat... A CAT!

Ironically, my dad still can afford a new laptop just so he can program the new AutoCAD 2010 (I tried to use it and it seems to have the same configuration as a Java software: in alien language). We still can shop thrice in a week... What is the world coming to, Kylie? I have no idea... the END?!

That smells...

2009-09-03T16:04:00.013+08:00

I pondered what would happen if I were to be deprived of something important, like eyesight and was toying with the idea of going blind for a week. Inspired by the writer who trapped himself in an airport to write a week's experiences on baggage handling to immigration issues, I thought of doing something just like that for future writing references, like that blind lady in Red Dragon who turns out to be a saviour of the cannibalistic man, redeeming him from his flesh-eating spree, or Denise in Foxtrot who apparently attends a non-specialised school. I wondered how it must be like to stay in the dark for years. Painful and dreadful, I'm sure. But how were simple chores like hanging the laundry done? or typing? or reading your favourite books like LOTR (where do they sell Brailled books)? or sleeping? If I tried, I probably wouldn't even last a day. Here's a reason why it won't last: Recently, I planned to fast along with the Muslims for a week or till the end of Ramadan (Islamic fasting for God) as my own personal, nothing-to-do goal, and that failed horribly, at which time I couldn't get my mind off food for even an hour. My crave for chocolates intensified and my mom kept feeding me, so I gave up after a day. I guess it all boils down to discipline, and with no idea how 4 yrs in Uniform Group did anything to help.

I further worked out, though, that if I lacked sight, the next thing to be heightened to make up for it would be smell, and that stank just as well. We're right into the 7th month of the Chinese Lunar Calender and 'tis the season for incense and hell $$ sales, 'cos the Buddhists, Taoists and Chinese folk religion believers would expect the hell gates to be opened , thereby releasing all ancestors and dead relatives into the world of the living. So to feed the lost ghosts or in respect of their elders, people pay tribute to them by BURNING!!!!! hell $$ and incense. Incense is an everyday, 3 times a day ritual though. Gets me so pissed that I wanna' slosh water all over the incense or call the fire brigade every time the smell wafts into my room. So imagine what would happen if you were blind and stayed in a tiny island called Singapore and it's so small you can smell the next person?... you'd smell strange things all the time.

My younger sis picked up a jet-black kitty cat a month ago (what a coogie-woogie widdle poody pie! mew!) and I somehow concluded that it's stray, but haven't spayed it yet. She's too cute! but I think we couldn't keep it forever in the cage ('cos our mom doesn't let her tread the house *roll eyes) and my sis' attn would be drawn somewhere else soon. Before that happened, we got the opportunity to smell a teenage cat that hadn't been washed for a month after we found her. She was all shit and urine and stank of fish I was ready to abandon her anytime. My sis loaded up an aluminium tray with Cat San and she used it regularly, and every time she stepped inside, she tried to flush with her paws and that would get the stench drifting up over her and into your face like Wham! and you're soon staggering and cursing your luck when the black cat crossed your path. That was the horror of the black cat; I guess if I'm blind I would know where to find my cat... And then my sis discovered Shampoo! She smells like lemons now, although it doesn't change anything 'cos she still won't come when called.

One other major disadvantage with being blind and having good noses is that you have a lil' sister who shares your birthday. She likes to discover new things and utilise them to get around chores. When she found the washing machine, she never hand-washed her underwear anymore. (No, seriously, it's safer to wash them separately; you don't wash grey socks with your white blouse right?) Anyways, she found bleach for clothes and used it to wash the common toilet. It stinks like a swimming pool's chlorine, in which case, I think it IS chlorine. I only opened the door when the bleach fumes came at me and I gagged and retreated, shielding myself with a towel. Admittedly, the smell wasn't as dangerous as this one chemical testing of Ammonia-mixed-with-some-other-chemical's pungency back in Sec 3 Chem lab. I shook the test tube and breathed deep and thought I was gonna' have a seizure 'cos my lungs and oesophagus were tightening, like a recurring asthma attack. I couldn't breathe properly and kept coughing for a couple of hours, eyes tearing.

I dunno' why... but Indians apparently have their own incense to burn too. I don't' know what religion it is, but I'm guessing it has to be a rival of the Taoist faith. It doesn't burn hell $$, but has more gods than the Taoists do and their incense smell is 4 times more acerbic, even perfume-y but nonetheless lethal. Sometimes it's so intense it looks like a fog assails us. Maybe they harbour some sort of healing properties hence keeping these people free from skin, brain, lung cancer. Or maybe the smoke does kill the bacteria and germs in the house, hence working better than Dettol and the people live longer to keep burning and polluting and to see the Messiah come than we do. Or maybe they are NOT blind (establishing that blind people smell very well).

What was amazing was the spontaneity when all these smells arose to overpower this sanctuary of mine in a matter of seconds one time days ago. If you're blind and it's the middle of the Ghost festival at 7 pm, California and Indonesia are burning up and there are no rains for a week, you're staying 24 floors up in the middle of the haze, your cat's in the litter box and you're on your way to the toilet your sis just cleaned, I tell you, you don't want to stay in a tiny apartment anymore.

Blogging Competition 2010--Snapshots of Singapore

2009-07-07T20:06:00.019+08:00

1) The flyer in back quietly resonates a typical Singapore landscape, however, the foreground offers a peaceful scene of a variety of people having relaxing recreational activities under the dying sun on Marina Barrage's Green Roof; a family having an unsuccessful attempt but enjoying a hand at kite-flying.

2) Under the romantic sapphire-tinged sky, a couple bravely ventures through a fountain for a wedding photo shoot. Here at the Marina Barrage, it is not just for water sports athletes but also for families, friends and lovers too!

3) The HDB flat's surreal reflection in the surface water channel behind these block of flats in Choa Chu Kang seem to stand out better after I inverted the picture to make the flats look less dull; but don't stare too long, you might get nauseous.

4) A clash between development and nature, this scene is symbolic of a 1st-world country, a prosperous city. Taken in Singapore Polytechnic's eco-garden; the building appears as a giant mirror, with regularity in design unlike the greens.

5) Singapore is a sunrise city; one benefit for getting caught in the morning rush hours is having the sun on your face. Also a great climate for cloud apreciation. Shot at Jurong MRT.

6) Singapore's taller HDB buildings and skyscrapers now come with a romantic sunset view that make these high-rise buildings expensive to stay in but worth it. Coating the land gold for as far as the eye can see, this was shot on the 24th floor in Yew Tee. Look closer and you might see some roof antennas.

7) The night life, or my idea of relaxation in the evening, is to soak in the colours even in the heartlands. It is pleasing eye-candy, really. Shooting the main road from a gazebo in Choa Chu Kang, the bright lights make it a good place to play badminton.

8) The many opportunities in expounding on architectural designs to modernise the city as much as possible can train the designers' artistic skills, or just beautify the city. This scene was shot at Dover MRT. To the left, featuring Chemicals and Life Sciences block of Singapore Polytechnic.

9) Playgrounds are so abundant now kids shouldn't have time for computers! There are even more workout areas around the neighbourhood... Shot from 24th floor in Choa Chu Kang.

Kris is NOT coming to Singapore!

2009-07-07T14:23:00.004+08:00

It's not real!! Pls be informed that this is just an assignment, not REAL!... But who wouldn't like that?

I wasn't all that into Kris despite his cool persona and smile and poses (had to go through some pictures)... heck, I didn't even know he won American Idol! Until after I put his face into the poster, I can't help but go ga-ga. Man, he's HOT! I mean, of course, 'cos I make him look good...

I used Photoshop CS3. And yes, small Allen is pointing at the $120 ticket price.

RockMaster @ Marina Barrage 09

2009-07-03T11:29:00.006+08:00

I created this short clip out of the pictures I took during the event that was pumping the Marina Barrage, beside the Kallang River, Singapore. It ran from 19-21 June.

Initially a project for the Videographers from SP's Rock Climbers, I ended up with my own dSLR camera and used that to shoot instead. I'm sure the vid is amatuerish compared to what they rigged together... Pls pls! comment...

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHyQOFBrpdI
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=1160397526834

Thailand after the Tsunami: Ping!!

2009-06-30T12:18:00.007+08:00

Thailand: a brief outtake on 4 days spent there. The sights are unusually ugly girls; smells like the recovery after the tsunami: new buildings, numerous memorials, same beaches though showing obvious remains of massive erosion.
1) Language is important when travelling to foreign countries, especially when they don't speak your language... sign language is obscure, so is Chinese although some websites claim the Thais are opening up and can speak it. English-speakers are as rare as rare steak, and the native tongue is as abundant as oxygen.

My dad could speak rather fluently and I admire him for that; he saved our family's butt as frequently as we breathed. Everywhere we turned, every step we took was assailed by someone selling his goods. Eating, accomodation, car rental, PING... PING(expensive)! You need to learn to count in Thai too, when haggling; it's a little similar to counting in Teo Chew dialect, only it sounds more Malay. Another word you need to know: Mai(4) ow(2)? meaning don't want. And you say it like a qns.
2) Accommodation is best if you're not in Patong Beach; go somewhere at the southern tip of Phuket for vacation. You get the best seats in the Equator for sunsets and boat rides into the waters to admire the sea stacks and diving and snorkelling trips. Resorts are not all that cheap there though, unless you plan to pitch tents. I'm unsure of foster homes/villages but guys can easily hook up some girl and go back to her place, if she's even old enough to have her own place.
3) Transportation is an eye-opener: tuk-tuks are open-air vans tt don't have meters. Name your destination and let the verbal war begin. The buses are dangerously overcrowded before and after school, with students hanging on railings on the exterior in awkward, precarious positions. Avoid driving so close to these if you rent a car or motorcycle. Cars and bikes are available immediately outside Phuket airport grounds. You might be able to spot some motorcycle taxis as well--they wear green or yellow vests-- which you can just hail down, name a place and a price...
4) People like to exploit the tourism industry and drive the tourists mad haggling, pushing services and stuffing laminated brochures or menus into you face, putting their palms flat together 'Sawardikarp' fashion. Only they're not greeting you, they're begging you.

It was usu the Nepalese/Burmese/Myanmarists tending the pasar malam stalls and souvenir shops; they're so charming and dig your conscience tt you can't help stopping for a chat... and ending up buying something from them. A lot of them were truly after a job for their livlihood and after inquiring if my dad was a Malaysian, went on to ask about job opportunities there. My heart went out to them, but tt was all. I continued bargaining for those scented candles.

Beaches ain't yours for the taking either; pay up for the beach chairs or else... we'll keep pestering you and your family and make this fun time real painful...
5) Reminds me of activities on the beaches: thai massages, diving, snorkelling, (get this!) paragliding, jet skiing, the works. but of course... pay 1st then talk! it's the same as trying to hook up a gay-guy there; they flit from pub to pub (even those owned by the best hotels) and shake their booty with their hands raised shoulder-high, wearing shorts and at times skirts. Of course you need specs to see them better otherwise they appear to the short-sighted eye like fashionable gals out to storm shops. That's all. Sure I don't approve but the effiminate guy? They're usu fun to hang ard.

Lunch Hour by Chong Wei Ci

2009-06-01T21:34:00.006+08:00

Two elderly men sit in a little Singaporean coffee shop.
The usual busy afternoon; the cheap plastic clock on the wall says twelve o’clock.

To the office workers--middle-aged adults with smart clothes and dull expressions, eating in little cliques and solitary seats—it meant a little interval before returning to their desks for the other half of the day’s work. To the hawkers--burly Indian men with curly black beards or haggard, bone-thin Chinese women, shouting orders in raucous voices and sweating over great woks of greasy food –it meant the daily business primetime--lunch hour.

To the old men, however, it was just the right time to have a pleasant, engaging chat with one’s friends.

The two made an interesting contrast. One was a bald, bespectacled old man with a gold chain peeping out at his collar, glinting under the sun as brightly as his round hairless head. The other was thin and lanky, with a sophisticated man-of-the-world look. He was dressed immaculately and elegantly: his white shirt was ironed to creaseless perfection, between buttons and down to the cuffs fastened so carefully around his bony wrists. Even his face was creased in the proper places. He had thick black eyebrows over lazy eyes and a dry slit of a mouth. The greying hair beginning to thin out was combed slickly across his head. On the large knuckled hands languidly balancing a cigarette gleamed a heavy gold ring, set with an immense green stone. His other hand rested idly on his crossed legs, upon a polished shoe tip. A third old man shuffled up to the table as if time had no meaning for him. This one was short and thin, with a crew cut of white hair, dressed in a very baggy, badly stained old T-shirt, and even baggier trousers which slopped over his worn sneaker toes. He had a wrinkled, weather beaten face, with small hooded eyes, a blunt nose with a very round tip, faded eyebrows, and a crooked mouth. Amiably he stopped at the table and put down two cups of hot teh-sweetened tea with milk-each with its tin spoon and each dutifully emitting a thin wisp of steam.

The two men looked up briefly and began to grub about in their pockets. That is, the stout one did : his elegant friend ‘searched’. Accordingly he produced a shiny leather wallet, and like a conjurer, pulled out a bouquet of bills. Genteelly selecting one, he handed it graciously to the tea-bringer.

The bald one promptly abandoned his wallet and expressed his gratitude to the other.

Retrieving his spectacles, he beamed brightly, rubbed them vigorously to express his sincerity, and after taking possession of one of the cups, plunged back into the conversation.

The tea-bringer eyed the bill rather vacuously. He didn’t seem to know what to do with it, and looked considerably relieved when his fingers took over. They put the bill away, nimbly produced the right amount of grubby coins, and held them out with a practical air.

The bespectacled gentleman noticed him and paused to point him out. His friend, deeply engrossed in what he had been saying, gave an impatient snort. Without a glance, he held out his hand for the change with a long-suffering air.

The little man’s agile, gnarled fingers put the pile of dingy coins into the other’s open palm. He smiled at them with absent pleasure and went totally unnoticed. Then leaving the two to their conversation, he shuffled away with the same sleepwalker’s gait.

The back of the baggy T-shirt bore a logo, proving itself the uniform of the workers at this particular coffee shop.

Wiping his grimy hands on the much stained towel thrown over one shoulder, the shabby old coffee shop worker plodded placidly back to his grubbing among dirty cups and spilt tea.

The two respectable old gents returned to their talk, and the warm afternoon sun gleamed brightly on their gold-rimmed spectacles, and rings.

Singapore in brief--and F1 @ night

2009-05-26T09:40:00.002+08:00

Taken from http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/singapore_819/destination_guide.html
Why go?
Why not go! The Singapore Grand Prix is Formula One racing’s only night race, staged on an exciting 5.067-kilometre (3.148-mile) street track in the heart of this colourful and cosmopolitan city.

The race is floodlit, and the bright lights of the city’s financial centre in the background give the race a unique atmosphere. [The next event race is from 25-27 September 09 @ night.]

“It’s a very physical circuit - more than I expected, actually," says 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton. "You need to put a lot of work into the car to get a good lap - I’d say it requires double the energy of Monaco over a single lap. One lap around here is like two laps of Monaco!"

"The visibility is great and you don't really feel you are driving at night with all the lights on the track,” adds Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

The track makes use of two bridges across the harbour, the famous Padang Park and its permanent pits complex is built alongside the ‘Singapore Flyer’, the city state’s answer to the London Eye Ferris wheel.

Did you know? At just 684 square kilometres (264 square miles), Singapore is the smallest country in South East Asia.

Transport
Singapore’s Changi Airport, 20 kilometres east of the city, is an extremely impressive facility. Its 160 shops and 80 restaurants make it a delight for passengers, who can fly to virtually anywhere in the world. There are 185 destinations from Changi, in 58 countries.

The quickest way from the airport into the city is via the Modern Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail system. Trains leave every 12 minutes and the journey time into City Hall Station is just 27 minutes.

With the MRT at your disposal, as well as endless bus services and taxis, you don’t need to hire a car in Singapore. And when you can’t get any further by public transport, go by foot.
Book a Package

Useful tipsSingapore is a clean city; in fact it’s so spotless that you can’t buy chewing gum, just in case the temptation to litter the streets is too great. While in Singapore, you’d do well to respect each of the Republic’s five ideals, as depicted on their national flag: democracy, peace, equality, justice and progress.
Book Tickets
You can keep up to speed with all the action throughout the weekend by hiring a Kangaroo TV handset at the circuit, which offers access to several channels of live video, audio and data content.

Where to go?
If you’re a fan of Far Eastern metropolitan life, you’ll love Singapore. There are two renowned shopping/entertainment malls, the Marina Square and Sentosa Island. When you’ve had enough of shopping or watching movies, you can head to the Como Shambhala Spa, where some of the oldest methods of spiritual and physical growth are practised.

Eating out is also a delight, with food to suit every palette. For the most eclectic mix of restaurants, head to the Dempsey Road enclave; it used to be known for its antique teak furniture, but the majority of those shops now serve food and drink. The Wine Company (Block 14-3 Dempsey Road) specialise in wine and pizzas, Samy’s Restaurant (25 Dempsey Road) is famed for its fish-head curry, while the Dempsey Hut (130E Minden Road) offers an outdoor bar in which to enjoy the balmy tropical weather.

Where to stay?
F1’s high flyers will no doubt try to get a room at the exclusive Raffles Hotel on Beach Road. It was recently voted at number 40 in the list of the world’s best hotels and, consequently, staying there does not come cheaply.

All of the other big hotel chains can be found in the city, based around Orchard Road, which is Singapore’s equivalent to Fifth Avenue. If, however, you’re on a budget - and all rooms at Grand Prix time are inevitably likely to be at a premium - try a youth hostel. They’ll be clean and (relatively) cheap.
Book a Hotel

Extended stay
Singapore consists of 63 islands, including mainland Singapore, so why not head to one of these for some sun and sand? More than 23 percent of the land consists of rainforest and nature reserves, giving the intrepid explorer a chance to see South East Asia at its best.
Book a Package

Enthusiasts only
Cast your minds back to 1973, to the last motor race staged in Singapore. Back then, the Singapore Grand Prix was run on public roads for Formula Libre cars, but was axed after deaths in successive years.

You could also make the short trip to Kuala Lumpur and check out the Sepang International Circuit, home to the Malaysian Grand Prix.

What's with the 'Chers?

2009-05-25T21:23:00.002+08:00

Lecturers who walk out on kids are idiots desperate 4 attn. I totally agree with the article Long-Live Skiving.
I mean, in light of what on earth happened earlier today, this is what Rajan should be thinking about: “Where are those lovely students? Not here? My teaching must be really awful, I’d better do something about it.” It's about the welfare of his students and how to improve himself. If he'd learned to stop sulking at life each damn day of his life, I think the world would be a better place for us as well as himself. For all you know, if he weren't Indian, he might not be coming to school with those black clouds above him everyday.

he doesn't have the passion to teach... he doesn't like us... what more does he wish? A simultaneous outburst of laughter at every joke from a roomful of pretentious students who still don't know how to apply Marketing studies to their ambitions?

Sure. everyone made some contribution to the noise @ some pt in time; sure the room was so cold we couldn't help but sleep in our jackets; sure the lecture was dry(always was); sure the lecturer was unmotivated till the pt. tt he cracked; sure he threatened to walk out on teenagers if we got a tad bit 2 noisy. Know what I see? He claims to be unrespected by kids; I claim he can't handle the kids. Professional ppl of the earth know you can't use fear to make ppl do what you want.

Also, what makes him think tt talking in class among the minority is a form of disrespect? They could be discussing impt things tt concern & might change the future... The silent majority, on the other hand, pay rapt attn and you can therefore not hear them. Duh!

I think he's loveless. Always wanting attention, whether gd or bad but never getting it, so he resorts to subtle expletives to get the message across. Once again, it doesn't work 'cos we don't function on the unnecessary: you gotta' find another way ard 2 us. If you need love, just spend some time with us.

Tt's why I came to this course, looking for love and I found something good in ppl for once. My class has all the ppl you need to make plain porridge taste sweet, and I feel I can fit in as easily as black at night. They have kinky and cranky idiosyncrasies but tt's what makes them special, right? Right. Special with their own right.

I guess the 1st yrs still have a long way to go, like how to make the teachers feel better by teaching us.
[I finally figured Media and Com. is what everyone is capable of, you can make ppl look gd or crappy by putting it on internet!]

Women as explained by...

2009-05-24T17:08:00.004+08:00

Radiologists:

Staticist:

Military Tactician:

Mathematician:

Biochemical Engineer:

I remember this from way back, about 10 years ago when this was circulating via emails. My dad was so tickled by this he printed it out and I'm still keeping it. Thought I could maybe share the love again...

Why don't we have something for "Men" instead?

Artist's Biography--Tim Sale

2009-05-22T12:23:00.011+08:00

Name: Tim Sale, May 1st 1956-

Occupation: Artist, Letterer, Colourist for comics

Born in Ithaca, New York, but grew up in Seattle, Washington.

He finished University at Washington, went to New York and studied at John Buscema Workshop and School of Visual Arts. Dropped out and worked a variety of odd jobs from Taco Time to a grocery store clerk.

While keeping his hand lazily in the art world by partnering with his sister, Maggie, in GREY ARCHER PRESS, he didn't return to comics until inking Phil Foglio on MYTH ADVENTURES in 1983. Tim was hired to pencil, ink and letter THIEVES' WORLD. He hooked up with agent Mike Friedrich and STAR-REACH. He began his mainstream comics career after meeting Matt Wagner, Diana Schutz, and Barbara Randall at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Ms. Randall introduced Tim to writer Jeph Loeb [HEROES tv series], and the rest has been downhill ever since.

Tim currently lives with his two dogs, Hotspur and Shelby, in southern California. He is a life-long soccer fan.

Influences:
~1930s to 1950s American illustrators, eg. Kadir Nelson [NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE], Jim Steranko [INDIANA JONES]
~European artists of BDs (bande dessinée), or drawn strip. It uses very high level of craft in the art and printing with lesser writing, which influenced Tim to use a generous amount of ink in his art.

Interesting stuff:
~He’s colour blind and works only with black and white, using just a brush, pen marker, ink and charcoal for gray tones [anything B/W is purely Tim Sale, untouched by colourists]
~He created 3 new fonts—Tim Sale Regular, Tim Sale lower case and Tim Sale Brush [no illustrations because I’d need to buy the CD].
~Convention exhibitions mean convention sketches he offers for a fee. To be done only on vellum paper 'cos it's thick or the ink seeps through [should you ever go to New York].

Outstanding works:
~HEROES, artworks for precognitive painter Isaac Mendez and his comic book of Hiro Nakamura, 9th Wonders!
~Graphic books on Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Hulk, X-Men, Daredevil, Grendel, Catwoman, HEROES [40 reproductions of Tim’s art in 1st Volume]
~Collaborations with Writers Allen Grant and Jeph Loeb.

[Sale, Tim. “Tim Sale Page of the Day.” 13 February 2009. Online Posting, forum. Message Board on http://www.timsale1.com/.]

Style:
~Bourgeois story-telling through his detailed art of the American scene.
~Simple relations to everyday life, reality. See examples of Gordon illustrations, character in Batman: Dark Victory.
~Escapist fantasies shown through the drama of his art, but focuses on the civilian side of everyday issues/conflicts, gritty and realistic. Mirrors comics of the 60s, brought back for the quest for heroes during the Vietnam War.
~”Sale’s work has a haunting quality,” commented Bill Jankiewicz on Batman: Long Halloween.
--In the example of Tales of the Batman, Tim uses the bat’s long, pointy ears and eerie, flowing cape to suggest the hero’s mystery, his deep-seated anger and his brooding. [Not shown here]

Reflections on a Stranger

I chose this artist to be the topic of my Design Journal as I believed he was an upright and respectable man worthy of some recognition, as far as I got the impression from his artwork in his well drawn-up comics. I decided on him also because he is alive [as compared to the options of the dead offered us by the textbook], and furthermore I was greatly intrigued by his intrinsic graphic arts in the Batman comics I enjoy so much.

What impresses me most is his artistic flair. I can only talk mainly about his art because that’s when I first came to know about him... I love Tim’s art because of his excellent use of splash pages and big panels, showing his reasonable confidence in his consistency and visual story-telling.

Looking at the first sample page with Gordon in it, we can see the apt use of different angles and the negatives as well as the use of four square panels followed by an extraordinarily big one to emphasise Gordon’s outburst. However, the angle has changed to become a domineering perspective of the intruder, signifying a potential tragedy yet to ensue, also still leaving the identity of the person unknown, forcing you to turn the page quickly and making this page a quick read because of the lack of dialogue.

There’s a lot more to tell about the one page, but the main thing of his style that continues to draw his audience is when he gets into details, like the junk strewn all over the backyard in the first panel and the coats beside the stairway in the third. The world he creates in his comics is somehow able to let us relate to it as the world of our own: the pins on the notice board, the magnets on the fridge, the photo frame on the desk... Though the people in the house end up dead, the scene detailed out for us makes me realise these were people seemingly had a life like us. The ugly picture hanging on the door even speaks to us and we know we have something in common, and then our heart suddenly goes out to the characters.

A lot of his works and stories brainstormed have been good, clean fun so far, and it tells us a lot about him too: good, clean, fun guy! When I chanced on his website and discovered he was alive, and the website was a personal treasure trove of Tim’s, I was thrilled despite knowing his book prices make a jaw drop and he dislikes Batman and even more so Robin. Imagine the euphoria when I got to Contact page: you can email him questions yourself! Whoopee! Though he has yet to reply my email; understandable that he’s busy because he hasn’t been in the forum page for weeks.

I read through the forum http://www.timsale1.com/forum and enjoyed the insightful analyses and the poking fun at Tim. It seems everyone there is a writer of some sort or just Tim’s fans; they have plays of implicit suggestion that he stalks Kristen Bell, a friend. Well, Tim could only give in, “I go away for the weekend and all hell breaks loose.” The fact alone that he has such wonderful friends makes him a great guy I would like to meet someday. And maybe get a sketch or two.

Back to his finesse of art, one other thing I like about his unique skill is the smooth transition into a romantic scene despite the constant chaos of the world raging in Gotham, or New York or any place for that matter. Analysing the second sequence of Gordon in Batman: Dark Victory on page 5, we see Gordon’s gun disappear and Barbara, Gordon’s wife takes over the scene. Initially on the verge of divorce, they are united again in this scene. Tim brings out the sensual quality of a woman very well, especially with so much praise for his recent Catwoman: When in Rome. Though ironically he doesn’t have a girlfriend as yet... Still leaves me in the dark as to why he isn’t attached.

[Sale, Tim. “Tim Sale Page of the Day.” 13 February 2009. Online Posting, forum. Message Board on http://www.timsale1.com/. Comic World News. 13 May 2009.]

Controversial that Barbara can still remain calm after that terrible surprise, but she breaks the awkward silence and that allows us to make a slow progress on this page whilst building up the mood once more, up to the final panel. The format is again four squares and a large one, but the many dialogue balloons cause a slower read and lets us enjoy the lurve.

It is once again Tim’s dexterity that pulls out the panel to a long shot when they kiss, allowing your eyes to rest somewhere, as well as to reflect on the moment. More prominent is Tim installing his Seattle Rainiers cap into the rack, perhaps one of his subtle signs to copyright. Smart one!
[With some reference to Jared Michalski’s analysis, senior member of Tim Sale’s Message Board.]

[Sale, Tim & Loeb, Jeph. “Sequence from Daredevil: Yellow.” N.D. 13 May 2009]

This is an example of the final wash tone page, inked to the full in B/W and complete with gray toning, a striking characteristic of Tim’s art. Illustration is of Matt, blind man turned Daredevil, in action.

Hui Qin's insights on Esther 6+online Bible Browser

2009-05-21T15:46:00.004+08:00

Esther 6 is
~A potential tragedy that nearly befell Mordecai, it was an amazing turn of events that God planned, when Haman found himself becoming Mor’s page instead.
God made the way, for the defeat of Haman's plot and the deliverance of the Jews.
At least personally, it seems to be speaking yet another episode of drama..

We all understand that in the book of Esther, there’s no mention of God in this book.
Thus, let’s aim to tease out God’s relevance in midst of all the twist of events and drama.
Im suggesting group discussions! :D

As we read once thru,
Thinking about, what people like the king, Haman, n Mordecai, may be feeling, they’re not lifeless characters..
· The providence of God recommends Mordecai to the king's favour in the night (v. 1-3).
· Haman, who came to incense/provoke/enrage the king against him, is employed as an instrument of the king's favour to him (v. 4-11).
· From this, his friends read him his doom, which is executed in the next chapter (v. 12-14).

Discussion
I. The providence of God recommends Mordecai to the king's favour in the night (v. 1-3).
In these verses, we are looking at points of God’s providence:

Briefly talk abt what do you infer about these guys’ feelings and thoughts? God’s role in all that happened? and the lessons we can draw from this.

Est 6:1 On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.

~Perhaps the charms of Esther's conversation the day before gave occasion to his heart to reproach him for neglecting her, and banishing her from his presence, though she was the wife of his bosom, for above thirty days; and that might keep him waking. An offended conscience can find a time to speak when it will be heard.

God put it into his heart to call for it, rather than for music or songs. Had it been king David's case, he would have found some other entertainment for his thoughts; when he could not sleep he would have remembered God and meditated upon him (Ps. 64:6),

Est 6:2 And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.

Est 6:3 And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

~Good works.
1) Humility, modesty, and self-denial, though in God's account of great price, yet commonly hinder men's preferment in the world. But, though the aspiring rise fast, the humble stand fast. Honour makes proud men giddy, but upholds the humble in spirit, Prov. 29:23.
2) The greatest merits and the best services are often overlooked and go unrewarded among men.
3) Those that faithfully serve God need not fear being thus ill paid.

In God’s will, honouring Mor would help to ripen the great affair of the Jewish deliverance for the effort that Esther was to make towards it the next day.

II. Haman, who came to incense/provoke/enrage the king against him, is employed as an instrument of the king's favour to him (v. 4-11).

Est 6:4 And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

~The king is so impatient to have Mordecai honoured that he sends to know who is in the court that is fit to be employed in it. Haman is so impatient to get Mordecai hanged that he comes early to court, to be ready at the king's levee.

Est 6:5 And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.

Est 6:6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?

~What do we consider as rewards and gifts? Note, It is a good property in kings, and superiors, to delight in bestowing rewards and not to delight in punishing. Parents and masters should take a pleasure in commending and encouraging that which is good in those under their charge.

Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

~Deceitfulness of our own hearts can appear as the good conceit we have of ourselves and our own performances. Such as our merits and pride of life. We should therefore constantly watch and pray against it.
Recalling our interactions with people, whom do we develop much admiration and adoration for? Who do we consider to deserve great praise? Ourselves?

Est 6:7 And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,

Est 6:8 Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:

Est 6:9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

~Thus, it shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honour.
Good subjects as to the King, are like good Christians as to the Lord.
We ought bow the knees, because every good Christian will honour those whom the King of kings delights to honour.

Est 6:10 Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.

Est 6:11 Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

~It is hard to say which of the two put a greater force upon himself, proud Haman in putting this honour upon Mordecai, or humble Mordecai in accepting it: the king would have it so, and both must submit.
Upon this account it was agreeable to Mordecai as it was an indication of the king's favour, and gave hope that Esther would prevail for the reversing of the edict against the Jews.
Didn’t it bring clear the point that in all “viciousness” of man/adversities, God prevails?

III. From this, his friends read him his doom, which is executed in the next chapter (v. 12-14).

Est 6:12 And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.

~How little Mordecai was puffed up with his advancement. he came again to the king's gate; he returned to his place and the duty of it immediately, and minded his business as closely as he had done before.
Honour is well bestowed on those that are not made proud and idle by it, and will not think themselves above their business.
But that will break a proud man's heart which would not break a humble man's sleep.

Est 6:13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

~Miserable comforters were they all; they did not advise him to repent, and ask Mordecai's pardon for his bad design against him, but foretold his destiny as fatal and unavoidable. "They are a holy seed, a praying seed, in covenant with God, and a seed that the Lord hath all along blessed, and therefore let not their enemies expect to triumph over them."

It has been observed of great court-favourites that when once they have been frowned upon they have fallen utterly, as fast as they rose; it is true of the church's enemies that when God begins with them he will make an end. As for God, his work is perfect. “The moment heaven is against you, you are dead.“

Est 6:14 And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.

And the story continues on from here..
That Haman appeared before Queen Esther and the King,
She plainly tells the king that Haman is the man who designed her ruin and the ruin of all her friends. King’s wrath drove him to kill Haman’s life and
The gallow eventually became the tool for killing Haman--that which he has intended for Mordecai.

Final Words
There is humour in the irony of the evil intentions of Haman backfired on himself, it is one of the ways God works: very mysteriously.
And when we face extreme trials in our lives, like for instance in this case, the annihilation of the Jewish race, it is a saving grace to know that God is still in control and will always be.

(from Chee Keong)
In this chapter, it is as if TIMING is screaming out of the page. Such strategic timings of events happening often only present in movies. Are we puppets in all this drama? As believers, are we comforted with God’s timing? Or are we pointing our fists against God, without peace, rebellious against God’s control?

Study of Esther 6--Haman Forced to honour Mordecai

2009-05-20T15:12:00.003+08:00

Esther 6 [New King James Version]

The King Plans to Honor Mordecai

1 During that night the king could not sleep so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2 It was found written what Mordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 The king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace in order to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had prepared for him. 5 The king’s servants said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” 7 Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor, 8 let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown has been placed; 9 and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’”

Haman Must Honor Mordecai

10 Then the king said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said.” 11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried home, mourning, with his head covered. 13 Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.”
14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hastily brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

~A potential tragedy that nearly befell Mordecai, it was an amazing turn of events that God planned when Haman found himself becoming Mor’s page instead. Humour in the irony when the evil intentions of Haman backfired on himself, it is one of the ways God works: very mysteriously.

~It is also saving grace to know that when we face extreme trials in our lives, in this case, it is the annihilation of the Jewish race, God is still in control and will always be.

Many reasons why Mor shouldn’t have taken the offer to honour him:
1) The King intends to kill all Jews, and Mor knew very well he was not safe either. 4:13. He ought to be angry towards this man for his folly.
2) Ten years before, he taught Esther not to mention her race to anyone. Now, he not only revealed he was Jewish to everyone, he got the entire race into trouble. Understandable that he probably couldn’t hide the secret of loving God anymore and just wanted to proclaim his beliefs. But by accepting the honour bestowed on him, he is not showing humility anymore. Not so becoming of a Christian.
3) He shows himself as a vindictive man: he hates Haman and wants to humiliate him.

Many reasons why Mor should take it:
1) All these years working as an official for a stupid king, he deserves some recognition.
2) He deserves to humiliate Haman.
3) He wants to feel good for once in his life and he should.
4) Maybe it was a reprieve for him from all the grief that they would die sooner than later. Let him enjoy temporary joy through all the irrationality of this. Sort of escapism.

How I see Haman when he confided in his friends and wife:
Trusting and still holds some family values close to his heart. Down in life after that embarrassing day parading his enemy and wanted to share it with someone [ironically this is something we can learn, to share troubles with whomever we hold dear]. Problem is I see his friends’ comments as lackadaisical and not the least bothered, while Hui Qin sees concern. I say that’s what you get for bad company who are fair weather friends and uninterested in your welfare, especially since Haman made himself a national disgrace. Not worth someone to suck up to anymore. Hui Qin says they were trying to deter him from killing Mor 'cos Mor was a Jew and heaven was on his side. But real friends wouldn't read you your doom, rather they would correct you, make sure you apologise for the wrong...

www.biblebrowser.com/esther/6-1.html says: [This source is biased towards Mor]
1-3 Had it been king David's case, he would have found some other entertainment for his thoughts; when he could not sleep he would have remembered God and meditated upon him (Ps. 64:6),

The acquisition of wealth and honour is usually a perfect lottery, in which those that venture least commonly carry off the best prize. In God’s will, honouring Mor would help to ripen the great affair of the Jewish deliverance for the effort that Esther was to make towards it the next day.

6-9 Haman is brought in immediately, proud of the honour done him in being admitted into the king's bed-chamber, as it should seem, before he was up; for let the king give the word to hang Mor, and he will be easy in his mind.

13 Miserable comforters were they all; they did not advise him to repent, and ask Mordecai's pardon for his bad design against him, but foretold his destiny as fatal and unavoidable. “The moment heaven is against you, you are dead.”
[Last verse acts as a cliff-hanger as Haman is “hastily” whisked off to the feast, to certain doom.]

Are Ye Blind? II

2009-05-15T08:53:00.004+08:00

[Extract from chain E-mail]
There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

有一位瞎女很討厭自己因為眼睛瞎了。她也討厭每個人，唯一不討厭的是她的男朋友，因為他都常守在她身旁。於是她對她的男朋友說：「如果能讓我看到這個世界，我愿意嫁給你！」

One day,
someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages
came off, she was able to see everything, including her
boyfriend.

有一天，有人捐了一對眼精給她。當紗布解開時，她能夠看到一切，包括她的男朋友。
He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The
girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The
sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected
that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life
led her to refuse to marry him.

男朋友問她：「現在你可以看到這世界，你愿意嫁給我嗎？」那女孩看了男朋友是個瞎子，他那對蓋上眼皮的眼睛嚇到了她，這是她無法想像。她想：要我嫁給他而一生對他這個樣子，我無法接受。

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her
saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before
they were yours, they were mine.'

於是，她的男朋友很傷心的離開她，幾天後寫了字條給她：「親愛的，請你好好照顧你的眼睛，因為它不是屬於你的之前，它是屬於我的。」

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who
was always by their side in the most painful situations.

這也是人的腦會如何做當情況有所變動。只有少許人會記得他或她之前的生活及誰會在身旁當他或她處在困境的時候

Life Is a
Gift

生命是一份禮物

Too beautiful not to share.......
我祈禱這訊息能夠繼續傳至全人類...............

New school, cool people, big Fat issue

2009-04-24T23:47:00.003+08:00

To add irony to the situation, be sure to listen to Alanis Morisette's Ironic first 'cos that's what the world is all about: where love makes the world go round, while hate exists to have love. Yeah, life's idiosyncrasies.

I enrolled into Singapore poly, unaware that i could go to a better course in Media and Com. @ Ngee Ann simply by appealing. The good thing of being a poly student anyhow, is that the government treats you like an adult already though still in tertiary school and you supposedly get more say or something; the downside is we have to pay adult fare for transport. Our students have tackled this issue and brought it to Facebook, Channel News Asia... still there's no change. One of our modules cover Finding a Voice, speaking out for what we believe is right, implementing our knowledge of writing letters to good use, even towards the government, though I was skeptical about anything going to work, like such major issues where the govt. will stand rigid about.

Aside from politics, I think adults, esp the working class, should grow down. After flag day last Thurs, a rather bleary day in Orchard Rd, I had one of those Mockingbird moments where innocence was killed and I cried for 2 days. It might have been our positions at some secluded traffic junction or the way we approached but having picked up 10/20 cents from businessmen and women was suddenly an embarrassment for me to be a Singaporean. Dozens of other people might have contributed more to other collectors stationed all over, but I guess i had unlucky aura. 9 out of 10 would bother to fish out their purse; some gave excuses; majority gave the Eye... This was where Isyanah's negative analysis came in handy: So many of them just say they don't have small change, like can act so proud and still don't wanna' give notes. Others even ignore you, like you're scum. Just hate this.

A lady actually rifled thru her purse and I saw 5 and 2-dollar notes, hoping she would consider them. Then she slowly went on to her coin case, poured out a handful of coins and spread them out on her palm, paused a second and picked out a 10 cent coin and put it in my tin. Stupidly, I gave her a sticker and thanked her profusely like a beggar receiving a meal. We couldn't comment at the amount, but looking back, maybe I shouldn't have encouraged her into thinking she just saved the world from poverty.

Most people claimed they had already donated to some collector and proudly pointed to the sticker of honour on their chest; once more I showed my appreciation, but remembering the emaciated amt. in my tin and recalling this, I feel I should have glared and asked 'Was it sincere?'

I was so disappointed for once in my life, it felt worse than failing Chinese and I cried at my failure. No one has evr been able to do that as much as businessmen making me feel bad about my country. I had walked from Paragon to Dhoby Gaut and back countless times, going home to realise I couldn't put my heels on the floor 'cos it hurt and wondering to God what I did wrong.

A friend in class managed to eke out a living off children, who got notes from their parents to give to the Kor Kor, where he collected a total of $60... The girls might as well have not gone out, hitting a reasonable $24 to a devastating $4. I had a sorry $9 for sacrificing sleep, skipping breakfast and standing for 6hours waiting for symphathy. This brings me to the point where ppl prefer having the run for their $$, willing to pay for entertainment or products the charities have for self-benefits. It's not a donation any more, it's a concert they want.

Where si the Faith?

2009-04-02T09:44:00.004+08:00

This is a story about a dog that was born on Christmas Eve in 2002. He was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which needed to be amputated. He, of course, could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him. He was rejected and scorned. His first owner also did not think that he could survive. Therefore, he was thinking of putting him to sleep.

At this time, his present owner Jude Stringfellow came into his life and wanted to take care of him. She was determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself. She thought, all we need is a little faith..<

Therefore she named him 'Faith.' In the beginning, she put Faith on a surf board to let him feel the movements of the water. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and to reward him for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dogs at home helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly, after only 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward. After further training in the snow, he can now walk like a human being. <

Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he just attracts all the people around him. He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared in various newspapers and TV shows. There is even one book entitled 'With a little faith' being published about him. He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.

His present owner Jude Stringfellow has given up her teaching job and plans to take him around the world to preach, 'that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul.'

In life there are always undesirable things. Perhaps a person who feels things are not going as well as they could will feel better if they change their point of view and see things from another perspective.

Perhaps this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone. Perhaps everyone can appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day that follows.Life is the continual demonstration of the power of thinking positive and having faith.

Believe in yourself. Never lose faith.

~Clara Fong

Are Ye blind?

2009-03-29T01:14:00.003+08:00

Count your Blessings
~by Peter Seah

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'

The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.' What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.'

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your
present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and eradicate the fear.

Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.'

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.
And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

Have a Blessed Day!

You think you know!?

2009-03-21T18:06:00.004+08:00

Did you know http://www.biblebeliever.com/ has Bible study materials and books that date back as far as 1917? (Arthur W. Pink's time, old but still relevant)

Did you know it's a SIN to curse?

~"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." (Mat. 12:36-37)

Essays like these would elaborate on some words in our everyday life, eg. Oh my goodness. And it gets worse, if not more hilarious. Dang is one of them. Darn! you say...

Did you know the world questions morality?

~Abortions and homosexuality are tackled here at this website. And what of the TV, the influence to be sexually-driven, the atheist, the untouchable media enemy, the greatest invention of the century? This is one essay that hit it home...

The Stranger

"A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. Fran, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play 'big brother' and develop the art of teasing. My parents were complementary instructors-- Mom taught me to love the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it.

But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spell-bound for hours each evening.

If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life like that I: would often laugh or cry as I watched.

He was Iike a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. My brother and I were deeply impressed by John Wayne in particular.

The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn' t seem to mind-but sometimes Mom would quietly get up-- while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places-- go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.

You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house-- not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted.

My dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in his home - not even for cooking. But the stranger felt 1ike we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often.

He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (probably too much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes sugestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger,

As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave.

More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family on Morningside Drive. He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parents' den today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name? We always just called him TV."

-Told by Keith Currie

Here's poverty for you: Review for Slumdog Millionaire (and the Lido cinema at Orchard)

2009-03-16T21:14:00.004+08:00

Expensive, expensive, expensive!! Got out of the house and had to pay 80 cents for a two-bus stops trip to Yew Tee MRT, then made a fortune for the government taking the train for over a dollar down to Orchard and got lost in the tiny station looking for Vanessa who asked us out for a movie. ‘I wanna’ check out Borders later also. It’s the bookshop across from the cinema only and I’m interested about the books they have there.’

‘And what sort of books do they have there?’ I asked with a snigger.

‘Oh, only the ones on business and teaching you how to make lots and lots of money… Yeah, I know it’s boring for you but they have other books as well.’

‘Other books like…’ I said, already sounding bored at her undying passion and interminable quest to make lots and lots of money.

‘They have books like literature and novels and fiction stuff,’ she said.

‘Ooh!’ my interest got piqued at that, images of Tolkien and James Herriot’s books flitting through my mind. I was soon drooling greedily before I checked myself and quickly told her I would go, and then found myself dragging a half-exhausted sister after school along.

Anyways, by the time I paid for her and my EZ link card top-ups (and it never is that easy to pay despite the ironic name) we were almost out of cash and would have to resort to begging from Vanessa. When we found her, or rather she found us, we got to the entrance and to our dismay, the movie we had planned to watch was NC16. I remembered in the newspapers the ratings was stated so due to course language, although throughout the show I distinctly heard only two mentions of the f-word and maybe during some scuffles and fight scenes they said it in Indian, but it was largely unnoticeable. This meant my sis couldn’t go in.

We discussed and some suggestions included lying our way through ‘cos the counter lady rarely checked; ‘But what if they did?’ was a dilemma.

‘We could pretend! Act innocent and say we didn’t know,’ I quipped.

But it was just as well we didn’t try lying ‘cos when we decided to watch different movies so we could share them afterwards, the counter lady promptly asked each of us to produce our Identification Pass. Nat settled for the inferior, senseless Pink Panther II, and almost a little too disturbingly quick; Vanessa went for He’s Just Not That Into You featuring a lot of celebrities like Justin Long. She said it was all about sex and practically cheating on each other so it was not for either of us. Similarly, Nat’s choice was not for Van or me. I discussed Slumdog with Van and she said it sounded like the scene set in the slums didn’t sound appealing to her (then again it’s not supposed to appeal to anyone, that’s why it’s called the slums) and the violence was not for Nat anyway. So there, our watching three different movies were justified for the other two not watching it. Some outing!

The major problems were from the cinema itself, an entirely uncomfortable experience going to this expensive Theatre and being able to afford only the tickets, and free tap water. The seats were uncomfortable, the air-conditioner blew a hurricane although there were only a few cinema-goers inside, and my neck ached throughout from the moment I sat down and tried to snuggle down to no avail. I so wished I could rip off the top of the seat in front of me but there was someone so I stuck my head out to the centre aisle. I may be one who is a frog in the well, but though I could tolerate the music, I couldn’t stand the bad local advertisements we were seemingly forced to sit through and I already felt like making an empty trip outside to find my sis because her show hadn’t started. The idea beat anything else at that moment…

In the beginning, there was violence, easily getting everyone’s attention and letting us a rude inside look into the lives of the Indians. I was admittedly not ready for any intellectually challenging, memory-intensive or mind-boggling dialogue in the starting, after all that mindless ads, and I was relieved, albeit not emotionally ready for the string of manipulative, violent acts to follow.

The uncomfortable seats were mentioned ‘cos they invariably added to my nausea when came this scene after the brothers Jamal, Salim and friend Latika were picked off the rubbish dumps and lovingly put up in an orphans’ home. The man who brought them in, in truth, used them as beggars to earn their keep and serve him and gave the children the idea that if they could sing, they would have more privileges. I naively believed him too, almost sure that he would turn them into stars and quietly cheered on Jamal to sing his best. Au contraire, what got me sobbing was witnessing another prodigy child who had such a potential become blind in a flash. His eyes were put out, and Salim, who was the man’s right-hand boy, turned to the bushes and immediately threw up the contents in his stomach. Jamal was next so I found myself praying to God to get the boys out of there, that Salim at least wouldn’t do his brother in and do the right thing. I cursed the injustice and kept wiping my tears away... The rest is for you to find out.

The movie, from the story of the book titled Q&A, was approved of by the author, Vikas Swarup. He had written the book in only two months six years ago and was shot to fame so suddenly his book prices went from S$5 to S$17. His book, though I haven’t yet read, is claimed to be full of poverty and like the movie, makes a neutral stand on that but highlights the problems like child prostitution that is sparked by poverty. The 2 ½ hour movie revolves around the love Jamal has for Latika and the lengths he goes to get her. A violence-heavy movie, not for those who watch Korean soaps, or are under 16.

Review for James Herriot’s Omnibus Volume 1: All Creatures Great and Small

2009-03-11T22:35:00.002+08:00

The title itself is taken from the second line of the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil Alexander Francis,

‘All things bright an beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.’

later inspiring the rest of the following volumes.

The book is an intricate autobiography by James the most-loved veterinary the world throughout, as printed in the back cover of the book and ironically I had never heard of him. But how lucky I felt I was to chance upon the book roosting at the back of the shelves in the dark corner of my school library. Admittedly, I was hiding from teachers and prefects and trying to escape the Friday assembly in the hall, pretending to be nonchalant of anything happening so I remained inconspicuous to the Librarian. I lay in the shadows browsing through books to pass the time before my CCA, and it was there that we met.

Casually flipping it open, I was disappointed that it was a discouragingly small font for so many pages of words (350 I believe) and doubted I would have time to finish it; until I skimmed through the first chapter and began grinning stupidly. A brief story on the time James had to attend a calving for this big stern man early in the morning, he had to strip down in the cold and get his hand into this cow’s vulva to aid in easing the calf through the tight opening. I was initially stunned by the extravagant use of technical words concerning veterinary practice when he provided the names of a cow’s anatomy with such fluency, but I realized it just showed how well he did his job. I had a dictionary to stand by after that but the stories were too exciting for any pauses to spoil.

In this story, what got me giggling uncontrollably was when the author introduced the farmer who was not the least pleased with everything James did to his cow, saying how this other veterinary whom he knew so well could have done the job in a flash. The other helpers would stand around and spectator and nod in silent approval. James, pitifully lying on the freezing floor with an arm going numb had to grit his teeth and put up with incessant abuse from the man. A pathetic scene but wittingly set with great story-telling, there is some element of humour you would not feel guilty to laugh at.

His practice mainly takes place in and around Darrowby in the countryside, though occasionally taking it to the city area. He therefore has a knack for geographical descriptions of the fell moors and vast plains whenever he gets to some vantage point overlooking the town during his rounds in a worn car. James admittedly does stop once in a while to immerse in the rustic atmosphere, at the same time taking his readers along with him. It is at this point that I am given a visual treat of the farms in Darrowby through James’ vivid descriptions and am somehow drawn into his world of pure tranquility and quiet.

James does have to get around with a patient boss who quickly forgets himself when the occasion calls for it; also coupled with his boss’ lassiere faire little brother who adds spice to their otherwise mundane lives, they can be a rather interesting bunch of bachelors. A warning though, that some stories with a hint of apprehension and tear-jerking moments may eventually turn into quite a full-blown waterfall for those more sentimental readers.

It is definitely a book to pick up and snuggle down with. James Herriot ‘provokes a chuckle, or a lump in the throat, at every chapter’, showcasing his unending verve for stories and the animal world. Do have a go at this book, because there’s no reason not to. I’m unsure where you can pick up this book but it is likely to be hiding in the recesses of any antique bookstore because it doesn’t seem to be in print anymore. However the omnibuses can still be purchased at Amazon.com, keyword Creatures Great and Small.

Answers to previous

2009-03-11T22:33:00.001+08:00

1) A fish on a plate; a person sitting near on a three-legged stool; a kitty getting some of the fishy.

2) Time

Poetic Riddles Galore III

2009-03-10T21:23:00.002+08:00

1) No-legs lay on one-leg,
Two-legs sat near on three-legs,
Four-legs got some.
~Tolkien

2) This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to steel;
Slays kings, ruins towns,
And beats high mountains down.
~Tolkien

*All poetic riddles were taken from the best-selling children's book The Hobbit.

True Files: Customer service dampening spirits

2009-03-02T11:08:00.001+08:00

Everyone’s complaining about everything nowadays: food too cold, services too slow, bad attitudes from waiters is becoming hot with high-class restaurants… especially when the customer has to dig into his pockets for morsels of food in a room with little lighting. Most of them believe they have the prerogative to ‘inform’, or better still provide ‘feedback’, to the people who aren’t doing a satisfactory job or seemingly incompetent at their job. Professionalism at the most basic of manners in waiting on a person is highly anticipated, as is the quality of the food served and the time taken to serve it. People want the run for their money, and the customer is always right resounds ever so distinctly since they pay to be right.

I have had experiences myself though, when I thought the waitresses at one particular 3-star restaurant in a neighbouring country deserved to be slapped. I know this is part of their job, to stand around within earshot to receive their diners if they wished to have a refill of Chinese tea or rice, and to provide it at the swiftest of speed. But I also do know that hovering at an arm’s length from the table of their loyal customers trying to eat in peace is certain to freak anyone out and drive them crazy immediately when they’re just into their starter. One would appreciate the fullest attention given by any individual person anytime when you need it, most likely while you are conversing with him, but having four crowd so tightly around a family table, always alert for the slightest request (not even talking to you or each other but constantly staring at your plate) is intimidating and disturbing. The silence is deafening that nanosecond you bite into the crab claw.

That was just for the main course. The last straw came when my Dad ordered dessert (yam and pumpkin kueh that was gray all over but at least didn’t turn out to be cardboard), then the waitresses got busy and wiped everything off the table before you could utter, ‘I haven’t finished eating…’ I was the last one left with still some rice in my bowl. I reached to the last scraps of vegetables in the middle of the table to find a vast emptiness deviously grinning at me, which was when a lump subconsciously arose in my throat and I suddenly felt immensely sad that I was left out of our dinner. The head waitress (the one who instructs the other waitresses to position themselves around us) was immediately aware of my situation as she whisked off another plate of crumbs but knew it was too late though I shot her an unintended pleading look. The food came, so I choked back tears and swallowed something angrily for the next 10 minutes, a harrowingly long time.

So this is just a preliminary example on how to get back at your fussy customers, make them have a bad time while making it their fault, for the next time you feel you wish to take it out back to the vain group of people who inflicted you with the pain of being the blue-collared hoi-polloi. We are still human, whether rich or poor, in servitude or being served, we ought not to supersede our boundaries. Just as the saying goes: Humble yourselves, or be humbled.

This true event was of an impatient, indignant man who gave himself the supercilious role, lording over the entire staff and kitchen crew at a well-known local restaurant (anonymous to protect identity). At the table with presumably his girlfriend, he placed his orders but was not contented with some imperfection that accompanied his food when it was served. He demanded that it be replaced and a new order be set out again, which was hastily done to the disapproval of the waiter and kitchen crew. A second plate emerged steaming hot beneath his nose in a snap, but he must have tasted it and was rather disgusted, whereupon the waiter was flagged down and the food was sent back to the depths of the stuffy kitchen and offended crew.

This time, it sent a little shiver of resentment down the staff’s backs and the manager somehow was a little ruffled at this incident. They had met some difficult people in their line of duty and were well trained to deal with mishaps when the occasion called for it. The manager even sacrificed his life to fight fire with unworthy hoodlums, to aid his staff in bringing about a sincere apology or a strict word or two to the stubborn asses that were never happy in life. But this man sitting in their comfy cushioned back rests demanding food replacements for the pettiest of reasons was becoming an outrageous ridicule. He must never have tried Italian cuisine his entire life and therefore knew nothing about how they ought to taste…

The manager brought a new plate out and, gritting his teeth, set it down in front of the creep who appeared nonchalant about the whole matter, like it was the right thing anyone should ever do. Yet, likewise, he abhorred the third meal as before and pretended to seem a little piqued now, as if someone had insulted his palate. That done it. The manager marched right to the kitchen to start a fresh plate, but a plate with a twist. No doubt the rest of the restaurant staff was filled with hatred and the wrath of hell, and it was a lone man who had done the deed, ruining everyone’s otherwise perfect workday. It seemed customer service had finally matched wits with the worst of such problem cases in its history in Singapore, and there was nothing anyone could do but comply because the ‘customer was right’ that there was something wrong with the food. Only no one had a clue what was the big idea.

The manager, with a small smile as none had seen yet playing on his lips, worked feverishly at the sauce, a twinkle in his eyes suggesting mischief. He must have known what was amiss in the recipe then. His face glazed over, long fringe tumbling about his forehead, he was bent double over his work piece like a master magician bent on retrieving a rabbit out of a top hat. The ferocity of his concentration apt on creating that final change in the recipe which had a chance of eventually fulfilling the feisty customer, but the rapt silence and confidence he worked with was a new side of him the staff barely noticed; everyone was fuming at a single inanimate idiot.

Out of the blue, the manager broke into a leer, then a grin that went from ear to ear and he began chuckling so hard to himself that he had to steady himself against the counter. Entire body trembling incredibly, he turned to face the gathering staff with a wild look that contorted his features and his ears turning beet-red. But it only lasted a moment though it surprised everyone to think their amiable, intelligent, lax manager had finally lost it. He suggested the only reasonable thing he could come up with. ‘Everyone, take a spit in the sauce.’

He trudged the plate personally over to the man and stood sentry with an awry smile, awaiting the final judgment. The man exclaimed regally, ‘Delicious!’

Answer to Poetic Riddles III

2009-03-01T00:41:00.002+08:00

!) Time

2) Egg

3) Shadows

Tolkien fans head down to Tolkien Society by means of a click: www.tolkiensociety.org. The new article you might wanna' check out would be News of the Hobbit movie... I don't think it's going well but I solemnly pray to God del Toro doesn't ruin it!!! The turn of the century movie event should never have been handed down willy-nilly to a hoi-polloi director who's done immense monster fight sequences but gets by with bad dialogue in the Hell Boy franchise! For Tolkien it is so much more... read about it at this site.

Poetic Riddles III

2009-02-18T12:21:00.002+08:00

1) It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life kills laughter.
~Tolkien

2) A box without hinges, key or lid.
Yet golden treasure inside is hid.
~Tolkien

3) Bound for eternity, we do but concede.
Black as the night in the brightest light.
As like in real shapes and attached to our feet,
It cannot but follow us everwhere it might.
~Kylie

A couple of GREAT christian jokes!!

2009-02-14T21:21:00.002+08:00

Jesus was a woman:
He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of guys who just didn't get it.

He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was no food.

Even after He died, He had to get up because there was work to do.

This is just an example of looking at God. I laughed my head off at some of the best jokes I ever came across! LOL too at
http://www.jokesclean.com/ChristianJokes/HolyOneLiners.php...

Also, more about a brief perspective of the Bible through any kids' eyes on this same website... http://www.jokesclean.com/ChristianJokes/index.php

Book of Solomon:

One of David's sons was called Solomon. He had, like, 300 wives and 500 porcupines. They told us in Sunday School that he was a really wise man, but that doesn't sound too wise to me.

Aftermath of stupidity II

2009-02-09T18:14:00.003+08:00

I had trouble sleeping the night of the accident, getting up to watch the telly, read a chapter, drink some milk then lie awake till 1 am before finally crashing. It was warm, and this thrilling ringing kept resounding in my head I hoped it was another dream. But it was the phone haranguing through the silence and cutting straight into my dream that I was rudely jerked awoken. Instinctively and automatically as though I were programmed my whole life to answer phones in the dead of night, I received the person and asked in an important tone with words that were surprisingly not slurred, 'Hello? Who is this?'

Not expecting a real person, I drew my full attention and mind to her words in case my body decided to shut down and curl up on the floor. There was the notion to yell at her if she noticed the time. She was speaking rapidly when she asked for mum and said she was a nurse at TTS hospital, I followed as best as I could, in my half-conscience hoping she would slow down. She gave a great number of details so I had to write at an agonizing pace the room no. and what floor and what not. I informed my parents then tried for more sleep, but curiosity dug at me to see how bashed up my brother was.

We were off at 4. The hospital was so white and nauseating. I told my sis if a critical patient was wheeled around in a hospital bed she would go faster because she'll be seeing lights on the ceiling and get scared to death. Nat kept laughing like an incurable mad woman. At the ICU, the initial reservation I had that would be daunting in any hospital was the smell: anticeptics and medicines and cleaning detergents from the nearby toilets. But that was not so, 'cos the beep beeping sounds and kerchunk of a blood pumping machine and the drips made him seem very vulnerable.

Joe was rigged with wires, like a cyborg being fixed or a precog taking its nutrients. He was a dastardly sight, being wrapped in a white blanket, white stockings, patient's gown with the open back and a neck brace. I hadn't really seen anything 'cos I was too tired 2 get shocked at 4 am, after a nightmare too. Mum was dramatic as usual: had a look at Joe and started crying like a Korean drama mama. She peeked under the blankie and took in the blood soaked bandages and cried harder. I think he didn't suffer much damage, 'cos only the cheeks were bloated and he was breathing okay through a tube they said went into his windpipe. His pulse was strong which was great until mum began nagging him; the pulse number dropped alot.

I worried the whole day. Went to school for the Open House, really hated it 'cos the Cadets were making it look a pathetic sight and I remembered Sheena and I did a dilly of a job of which i'm still proud of, then we headed straight back to the hospital. Joe looked swollen, and that is so much i can recall...

We paid him another visit in the evening, listening to the specialist doctor rant on about fractured here, broken there and how he'll fix it. I felt so bad I suggested we left the teeth out and attempt to reconstruct the shattered jaw first; it was safer that way and he should gain control of the mouth before starting to chew with his teeth. The stupid young bloke waved a hand in my face, but I knew he was tired too.

There were so many ppl in the ICU lots waiting to die, majority were old, and outside were nurses who were supposed to monitor them thru soundproof doors. They were all engaged in their activities, somehow ignoring the half-live ppl who kept looking out not knowing why they're there, and all alone. I pitied them in their forced isolation, prayed for them though glad i was not 2 be inside.

I slept thru 12 hrs and missed Church. We went to TTS again; my parents had gone in the morning and mum had grown emotional. I was light-hearted about this visit, willing to accept whatever God's punishment was to be dealt on the pathetic moron before me, though i warned Him I would have it against Him for disallowing His child a second chance. Then again, I also vowed to have Joe changed if he lived thru this. Looking back, I resent that 'cos he's truly a scoffer and it would take me a millenium to convert him.

The aftermath of stupidity I

2009-01-30T17:34:00.006+08:00

How my brother looks like after a couple of motorbike accidents... His motorcycle is said to possess some evil spirit that is after his life, my mum reports. Creepy! Similar to a parallel to LOTR, Frodo can't get away from the evil ring despite knowing he would end up like Gollum, Joe also seems drawn to the bike like it is 'his precious'. So far he has suffered several falls, one that nearly took his life recently. And he's only 19 and has had the bike 4 just five mths.

A sports bike that makes him a chick magnet, 2nd hand chassis and powerful engine, it weighed about 300 kilos which caused his first fall down a steep carpark ramp and the wing mirror expired. An elephant would be more stable.

The other problem was a more pathetic sight as my brother couldn't tell the connections of the brake wires to the accelerator wires on which clutch. When I went to the void deck to pass him a pliers on request, he was atop the bike jerking it back and forth as if the machine would transform into a horse and gallop off at top speed. The gas was sloshing inside. He was trying to tighten the brake but could not find the adjuster until after much sloshing. Confidently, he turned the tightening screw attached to the clutch this way and that. He tried the clutch once more and the wire gave. That was the end of one brake. I felt so much pity 4 him but told him to get rid of it like my parents kept at. His stubbornness meant he called out his friend's dad's tow truck company to have it brought for servicing.

A few more near misses here and there, and the 1st major one saw him rolling off the tarmac when he collided with a stationery car that had rushed out across the white line to the next lane. It was a traffic congestion so there were multiple witnesses and no one ran over his bike while he tried to get off the grass. This particular man specialising in insurance claims was really helpful, calling the ambulance and all and getting Joe's no. Joe escaped with couple of abrasions to the limbs and abdomen. Lucky him.

Despite warnings, threats, and the fact that he's not supposed to ride or else 3rd party claims are obsolete, he went to find his friends at Serangoon, having rotted a mth at home and smoked 10 a day. Mum still blames his 'biker friends' for his hospitalisation. I insist Joe is just spastic: he wore black that night, black helmet inclusive. Turning into a lane at a small junction, a Suzuki Swift, I'm unclear if from the rear or the opposite traffic, clobbered his bike and Pei Xun, the pillion driver. He blacked out, aptly dressed for the occasion, while his gal milled around with a broken arm. He cannot remember anything later 'cos his head bled out a bit, so I'll say as witnessed. I'm picturing him going as high as Superman did, then coming down hard on the left side of the visor, then on his neck and right arm and legs, another somersault then a glimpse of heaven...

to be cont'd

Answers to previous

2009-01-28T19:21:00.000+08:00

1) Sun and daisy

2) Darkness

3) Birds

4) Shoe

Poetic Riddles galore!

2009-01-19T20:24:00.003+08:00

1) An eye in a blue face
Saw an eye in the green face
‘That eye is like to this eye,’
Said the first eye,
‘But in a low place
Not in a high place.’
~Tolkien

2) It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life kills laughter.
~Tolkien

3) One in hand
Is two in a bush.
Three's rather a crowd
Four it's the specie of thrush.
~Kylie

4) Constantly yawning or laughing,
No one thinks me the least disturbing.
Equipped with a tongue, I say not a word;
Only to squeak or squelch, am I heard.

Seeming the same despite my extremes:
Coming in dull or of bright sheen.
Bind me tight with lace or string
Or I will tear away unseen...
~Kylie

The people of the world unite!! on Aljunied MRT

2009-01-14T16:57:00.003+08:00

My sincere thanks to the unidentified people who helped my friend Umairah when she fainted on the MRT train at Aljunied MRT station yesterday @ 6 pm. Unbelievably the first to offer her help was a Caucasion lady who asked if the train should be stopped and Umairah be brought out to the platform. She even requested some men in the same carriage to help bring her out to the bench when we reached the next station.

That was a mistake 'cos we were trained in First Aid, that guys should not touch ladies or there will be trouble. But given her weight and a tedious workout trying to just make her limp torso sit up, I had to concede and bring all her belongings out for her.

Umairah was constantly down with fainting spells whenever she got the least bit excited or distressed. Seeing so many people fuss over her I couldn't help but suspect she might have enjoyed the attention, also injecting some drama into our ordinary lives... That we have her to thank. As she lay almost so peacefully on the floor, I was hoping to join her as I had the flu and was not in the mood to entertain her.

Thanks also to the beautiful nurse who volunteered her jacket and bag to keep Umairah's legs elevated. The station officers also aided in calming my nerves and calling up her mum to keep her informed of where they were and where the paramedics were taking her. I had to keep going 'No cause for alarm... she's an expert at this and she is definitely alright.' My confidence in this is established in the numerous times my friends and Umairah inclusive have had terrible medical and psychological conditions. They were on and off so many times you just tire of it.

Answer to previous

2009-01-14T16:56:00.000+08:00

1) Banana

2) Mountain

3) Teeth

Poetic Riddles

2008-12-29T19:10:00.003+08:00

1) I hide in my shell and am shy of people.
When I am forced to reveal myself, I am but pale and edible.
However you must take me quick or I will show my true colours;
From a sickening yellow to brown in no more than an hour.

What am I? (Kylie)

2) What has roots as yet nobody sees?
Is taller than trees,
Up, up it goes
And yet never grows? (Tolkien)

3) Thirty white horses on a red hill.
First they champ,
Then they stamp,
Then they stand still.

What are they? (Tolkien)

True Files: Ade Murders

2008-12-06T19:02:00.003+08:00

• The Ade family was discovered burning in their home on 23rd March 1897.
• Justice Simpson first saw the fire 1.5 km away while he was out for a drink at the creek.
• He threw meat out of the smokehouse to try and save them, at the same time calling for the Ades to help.
• When no one came, he thought the worst of it.
• The Sheriffs investigated after the fire and immediately determined murder.
• 10-yr old Moisa was the youngest of 3 children. She was decapitated.
• . She was not as badly burned as the others and it was speculated that she escaped while the family was being killed, and was then caught, murdered, and her body thrown into the already burning house.
• Her hand was gone from the wrist onwards, and her head had suffered a vicious blow.
• If a random robbery had been the motive then the culprits were not rewarded as an oyster can containing a large amount of money was found later, where the bedroom closet once stood.
• The most likely suspect was Ed Anderson who was previously charged by Mr Ade for stealing their hogs in the smokehouse.
• Ed quickly turned himself into the sheriff with a willingness to be investigated and a plausible story as to his whereabouts at the time of the murders.
• Ed was not convicted.
• It was not an issue of money. It could be revenge, according to Justice Simpson.
• The meat from the smokehouse was salvaged but was nowhere to be found.

Who on earth is the murderer?
~I can only make a stupid guess and it's gotta' be Justice Simpson. Because the family was not burgled, having had all their $$, Simpson was the one who took all the meat. I know it's far-fetched, but this happened 110 years ago! Food like hog meat was more valuable and expensive than education 'cos it was a luxury...

Answers to previous post

2008-11-30T14:38:00.002+08:00

1) The murderer is the husband.

2) The murder weapon is the knife.

3) It happened at 12.30 am

4) Murder took place at the parking garage.

5) The husband suspected their relationship. I actually do too...

~Murder Mystery~

2008-11-24T19:25:00.000+08:00

Something to work the brain juices...

• When he was discovered dead, Mr Thompson had a bullet wound in his calf and a knife wound in his back.
• The elevator man went off duty @ 12.30am.
• Mrs Scott’s husband had been jealous of the friendship.
• Mrs Scott had been a good friend of Mr Thompson and had often visited his apartment.
• Mrs Scott’s husband did not appear in the lobby @ 12.30am, the end of his normal working hours. She had to return home alone and he would arrive later.
• Only one bullet had been fired from Mr Barton’s gun.
• There were bloodstains in the elevator.
• Bloodstains corresponding to Mr Thompson’s blood were found in the basement parking garage.
• Mrs Scott had been waiting in the lobby for her husband to get off work.
• Mrs Scott did not see Mr Thompson leave thru’ the lobby while she was waiting.
• Mr Thompson had been dead for an hour when his body was found, according to the medical examiner.
• Mr Thompson’s body was found in the park.
• A knife found in the parking garage wiped clean of fingerprints.
• At 12.45 am, Mrs Scott could not find her husband or the family car in the basement parking lot of the apartment building where they worked.
• The elevator man said Mr Thompson did not seem too badly hurt.
• The bullet taken from Mr Thompson’s calf matched the gun owned by Mr Barton.
• The elevator operator reported to the police that he had seen Mr Thompson @ 12.15am.
• Bloodstains, corresponding to the blood type of Mr Thompson, were found on the carpet outside Mr Barton’s apartment.
• Mr Thompson’s body was found @ 1.20am.
• Mr Thompson had virtually wiped out Mr Barton’s business by stealing his customers.
• Police were unable to locate Mr Barton after the murder.

Credits: SNP Panpac ‘Step Ahead 2’ English TB (2002); Heather Jones + Robyn Mann

Qns:
1) Who is the murderer?

2) What was the murder weapon?

3) When did the murder take place?

4) Where did the murder take place?

5) Why did the murder take place?

2008-11-23T08:12:00.004+08:00

I wanna' ask God 'Where is the Love?'

My brother johan got admitted a second time in 2 weeks for motorcycle accidents. And this time he's really done it. He has a crushed lower left jaw and a little bleeding to the head. There were lots of wires and tubes running into his mouth and arm. Mum was crying a lot and dad was totally pretending to be unconcerned.

The surgery to the jaw was successful, but there's still the common risk of infections and if that happens, doctor says he has to cut open from the same wound and remove all the metal wirings and plates inside. That was what got me going mad, and I realised why I never liked doctors; Readers' Digest said infections happened 'cos of unsterilised hospital equipment.

Recently my friend's dad died from a motor crash, well, he struggled for a few days first... But after the 'successful' operation to his head to cease internal bleeding the infection came up and he died. Sheesh!

I don't really like my black sheep bro but that doesn't mean he deserves to die! I mentally prepared a testimonial for his funeral just to be safe. We'll keep praying and crying though...

Ans: Poetic Riddles II

2008-11-21T11:41:00.003+08:00

Answers to previous entry:

1) Time

2) Button ('when my colour is red' refers to the button to launch missiles)

3) Mind

4) Salad Dressing

Credits to Tanya Boutros, http://allpoetry.com/list/14153.

~Murder Mystery~

2008-11-21T11:36:00.003+08:00

Poetic Riddles II

2008-11-19T19:45:00.005+08:00

Courtesy of www.allpoetry.com.

1) Sometimes I can be on your hands
I’m often kept track of with sand
To save me, you must act with haste
Otherwise, I will go to waste
~Tanya Boutros

2) I help keep left and right together
I'm always done up in bad weather
More often than not, I tend to get lost
But am easily replaced at low cost
Although I've been known to have holes in my head
I can be deadly when my color is red
~Tanya Boutros

3) Sometimes I can be most unclean
Other times I’m easily crossed
Although I have never been seen
At times I do tend to get lost

Some people change me on a whim
Some give a piece of me away
Sometimes I can be a bit dim
Mainly at the end of the day
~Tanya Boutros

4) On top is where I like to be
Yet some prefer me on the side
Though sometimes you may see through me
I’ve always got something to hide

Sometimes I hail from Paris, France
At other times I’m Moscovite
If you want to fit in your pants
You’re better off keeping me light
~Same lady

Ans out some time this week

What's Cancer like?

2008-11-19T17:54:00.005+08:00

I've had my fair share of suffering indefinitely my last 16 yrs from pneumonia, which mostly developed from my sinus. Just a whiff of incense or fresh grass and my nose starts acting up. Emerge into the sun from shade and a sneezing spree is on for the rest of the day, or if I'm lucky, only 1/2 an hr. The vulnerable immune system God gave me means I may get under the weather after getting the flu. Sore eyes, coughs, fever; unrelated illnesses were headaches and gastrics. Each time I abhor this body I'm trapped in more and more, and I still have to pray like mad God sees me thru' the night. The good thing though: I relate better 2 God now. What I still can't get out of my head is that He actually let Uncle Thomas undergo painful treatments preventing cancer in his lung, which was spreading in that direction. He struggled to fight it for 1 1/2 yr, though the doctors gave him 3-6 mths, and he steadily deteriorated. We constantly poured out prayers from the bottoms of our hearts though I felt the ever pervading qns 'Why is God doing this to the pastor?' run thru' my head... He was frail as he was, but although I never really saw him in the last stages, I'm sure he would have been thin as a pin, pale as paper along with his wife and 4 kids. I totally didn't get God's drift 4 doing this injustice! I gave them a small box of hand-made chocs with almonds and raisins, which I feared would leave them with stomach pains, and thought I could make another batch the following week again. I 4got until 3 weeks later, when I realised it may make no difference anymore. Uncle Thomas' brother, our Church's pastor Paul, announced he passed away b4 midnight, 8 Nov 08 in hospital. I received a bookmark from the family thru' Paul who thanked me for the 'yummy baking'. I couldn't help but blame myself that I was a bunch of cookies 2 late. That same Sunday morning, pastor Paul's dad was admitted for a weak heart. Must have been the bad news that broke it. On the bookmark was printed Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

I cry and I still cry...

Answers to previous Riddles

2008-11-12T10:23:00.003+08:00

1) The letter E. I thought about 'God' but He has no end and no beginning...

2) Pin

3) Wind

4) Fish

5) Spider

Poetic Riddles

2008-11-08T19:22:00.004+08:00

1) The beginning of eternity,
The end of time and space,
The beginning of the end,
And the end of every place.
~The Guess Book (c. 1820)

2) There is one that has a head without an eye,
And there’s one that has an eye without a head,
You may find the answer if you try,
And when all is said,
Half the answer lies upon a thread.
~Christina Rosetti

3) The deep sea suckled me, the waves sounded over me.
Rollers were my coverlet as I rested on my bed.
I have no feet and frequently open my mouth
To the Flood. Sooner or later some man will
Consume me, who cares nothing for my shell.
With the point of his knife, he will pierce me through
Ripping the skin away from my side,
And straight away eat me uncooked as I am…
~K. Crossley-Holland

4) Voiceless it cries,
Wingless flutters,
Toothless bites,
Mouthless mutters.
~J.R.R Tolkien

5) Alive without breath,
As cold as death,
Never thirsty, ever drinking,
All in mail, never clinking.
~J.R.R Tolkien

6) First think of a person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies,
Next tell me, what’s always the last to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end,
And finally give me the sound often heard,
During the search of a hard to find word.
Now string them together and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?
~JK. Rowling

Answers out tml... HAHAHA!!

So much 4 studying...

2008-10-31T16:05:00.004+08:00

4 yrs have been spent studying... and studying... Come on! We analysed the Ten-year series booklets 4 almost every subject, did piles upon piles of different schools' prelim papers, consulted our teachers, had group studies and put our hearts and souls into all the exams. We went thru' fire and swam 7 seas, endured 2 sets of prelims... all in preparation of the almighty, ultimate O level exams on high. Sadly, no one ever correctly predicted any particular topics or trends that would come out. Apparently all the papers turned out easy with a hard twist: I think the setters tried to make their papers unique in a sardonic way. Eg. the Maths papers had whole qns that fitted 3 topics, not counting the bearing qns with area 1/2(axb)sinC and trigo... The Elect. History paper's essay qns were almost entirely related and deceivingly easy so the more I did, the more I thought I was crapping up somewhere... I totally lost the inspiration to study already, esp after Vanessa skipped this yr's O levels, and was crying so hard from her mum's pressurising. She was very confident of acing them next yr. 'cos she just did not have the stress 2 do the exams now and was actually more interested in finding a job. I think i'm subconciously getting affected as well 'cos my handwriting got worse and I can't finish all my papers... Luckily individual papers can be retaken as private candidates next June. Fingers crossed and praying!!

flobot:handlebars with lyrics

2008-10-10T21:54:00.001+08:00

This song is good in the sense that it's a reminder: US has become such an extreme superpower if the power is misused anytime it could create another unsuspecting war. With great power comes great responsibility rings ever more true here. It also gives light to the possible recurance of a Cold War 'cos of the numerous missiles and advanced technology aiding it. Another sensitive issue is also the Holocaust mentioned--i think the band shouldn't have added it in 'cos the comments gave way 2 further misunderstanding when this creep tried 2 get fresh with a Jew who felt uneasy about the last stanza of the song. Other than that, e song appeals 'cos of simple instruments since the lyrics are already so heavy. Lyrics:

I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars

Look at me, look at me
hands in the air like it's good to be
ALIVE
and I'm a famous rapper
even when the paths're all crookedy
I can show you how to do-si-do
I can show you how to scratch a record
I can take apart the remote control
And I can almost put it back together
I can tie a knot in a cherry stem
I can tell you about Leif Ericson
I know all the words to "De Colores"
And "I'm Proud to be an American"
Me and my friend saw a platypus
Me and my friend made a comic book
And guess how long it took
I can do anything that I want cuz, look:

I can keep rhythm with no metronome
No metronome
No metronome

And I can see your face on the telephone
On the telephone
On the telephone

Look at me
Look at me
Just called to say that it's good to be
ALIVE
In such a small world
I'm all curled up with a book to read
I can make money open up a thrift store
I can make a living off a magazine
I can design an engine
Sixty four miles to a gallon of gasoline
I can make new antibiotics
I can make computers survive aquatic conditions
I know how to run a business
I can make you wanna buy a product
Movers shakers and producers
Me and my friends understand the future
I see the strings that control the systems
I can do anything with no assistance
Cuz I can lead a nation with a microphone
With a microphone
With a microphone
And I can split the atoms of a molecule
Of a molecule
Of a molecule

Look at me
Look at me
Driving and I won't stop
And it feels so good to be
Alive and on top
My reach is global
My tower secure
My cause is noble
My power is pure
I can hand out a million vaccinations
Or let'em all die from exasperation
Have'em all healed from their lacerations
Have'em all killed by assassination
I can make anybody go to prison
Just because I don't like'em and
I can do anything with no permission
I have it all under my command
Because I can guide a missile by satellite
By satellite
By satellite
And I can hit a target through a telescope
Through a telescope
Through a telescope
And I can end the planet in a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust

I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars

~A Death Sentence~

2008-10-01T15:33:00.005+08:00

Why does getting sick mean something near pneumonia symptoms--the flu, headaches, coughs, and more exclusively 4 me swollen eyes? It always starts with a typical harmless sinus attack, then exacerbates with stress 4 the exams, sneezing @ 30 times/hr, ending up with a thoroughly blocked nose. During the most cognitive subject, Add. Maths test, I sat there on my sweaty butt for 2.5 hrs and left traces of germs all over the desk and exam scripts. I could only imagine the invigilators' disgust when I let loose a spray of saliva and mucus onto my right hand and pen, some of it quickly dripping and seeping into my answer papers. Amazing thing was i finished all qns 20 mins under, and thought i'd never make it out alive, with bacteria already wreacking havoc on my brain and this tormenting hard throbbing near the nape of the neck under the skull: I think it meant either energy oversurge or bacterial infection. I had an incredible time trying to force myself 2 sleep that night with signs of a fever brewing and stumbling about the house doing stupid stuff like spread the lurve @ all 4 corners... I went 2 the extent of promising God I would read the Bible every day if I lived 2 see tml, when I always got sick, 'cos I feel most vulnerable then. I slept in fits and awoke 2 the radio playing a funeral song on 98.7 FM @ 6.30 am I felt i was in nightmare zone, and promptly went 2 relieve myself in the lower torso and head sections as my nostrils and throat were clogged with phlegm. Head spinning, I denied the consumption of Panadol Cold b4 crashing again as I swore not 2 take any drugs 4 the rest of my life. I realised when i stuffed myself once with a dozen tablets, it took the same time 4 my body 2 naturally overcome the germs. Futhermore, after recovering, drugs wear off and the flu bug prevails again; when healing naturally it took about 3 mths b4 I got under the weather. Coda: don't take drugs or see a doctor unless you're unbelieving.

!!Hot day Turns 2 Hotter night!!

2008-09-18T19:18:00.003+08:00

It's hot, Hot, HOT!
The sky looks as if it had been burned and the horizon of the setting sun is tainted with yellow, orange and a smudge of red. The last coupla' days saw tremendous rainfall, I couldn't doubt snow would be imminent... in @ least 50 yrs. Well, the unpredictable weather made me get flu and I feel like a sand paper just ran on my upper lip.

Anyhows I got back all my exam papers but feel not a tinge of pain or guilt 4 not working harder, since our 'chers confirmed we would all go thru' hell again in 2 weeks. That's a challenge, has been 4 the last 10 yrs: trying 2 be good @ all subjects and constantly letting the pressure get 2 us just 'cos of competition.

I guess I'll never get Philip K. Dick's story out of my head, that repeating week for 3 astronauts stuck in a space-time continuum when the space shuttle exploded on re-entry, and they attend to their fren's funeral more than 10 times. Then they decide 2 commit suicide i think. Can't remember the outcome, but it rings almost true in almost many of our lives, don't it? That depressive bore in our lives that we can't seem 2 eradicate, totally helpless though we yearn a change of routine or someone 2 get us out of this endless maze we abhor. Or @ least when we cannot seem 2 change ourselves, we destroy ourselves 2 end the cycle we are so caught up in.

I suggest a prayer 2 God 2 remind us of that ultimate purpose we ought 2 fulfil is 2 do His will; never 2 see this life as a wasteland, making full use of our life not in the way we deem right, rather by His law as we should abide by Him. Quoted from 1st 3 qns. of the Westminister Catechism...

Q. What is the chief end of man? (Ultimate purpose)
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Q. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?
A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

Q. What do the scriptures principally teach?
A. The scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

=Most Eventful Day of School Life=

2008-09-16T20:15:00.008+08:00

Umairah fainted right in front of me this morning @ Assembly. Luckily she collapsed onto a huge fluffy bag, but with a loud boof. I could have helped her but a coupla' frens were already swarmiing all over her, i thot she'd rather have air... They made a dilly of a job trying to 'air-lift' her into a wheel chair they brought into the parade square. She was heavy and despite the situation, it evoked a few giggles...

I didn't noe she was left @ the General Office when I went 2 the Sick Bay 2 find her and saw Yu Xuan instead. I also hadn't noticed she came 2 school, she must have hyperventilated again. Another sad thing is Vanessa's contemplating Private Candidate 4 the O' Levels. @ the start of the yr, her parents wanted her 2 transfer 2 St. Margeret's, which was a tougher school. and 'cos also they were on the verge of divorce. It has now been confirmed. The papers signed. So if not the private candidate and the thot of spending more time @ home with ppl who causes her pain, she's going thru' a bad patch, so I've got 2 help her as best as can. She told me @ recess.

After that, Later going up 2 the classrooms with Sheena, we chanced on this grp of ppl circling round and watching something in the corridor. Most were Sec. 5s so I knew it was a fight and subconsciously thought of Shun Yu and Joseph, like @ the start of this yr. But it was Shawn's tall fren (I dunno' his name), he was Chinese and I thot he was wrestling 4 fun with another fren or even Shawn. Until he began yammering @ the other guy's face then i found this was not entertainment.

He had hooked this Malay boy's head and was smashing his face when this 2 other Malay boys who were tustling with Tallie punched him in the face and stomach savagely. Fists flew in a blur and there were loud smacks. One Malay guy jumped on his back and tried 2 drag Tallie off with only his small frame. He continued 2 nonchalantly beat up the Malay boy he 1st grappled with in spite of the other retaliation.

Then within seconds, Mr Foo, this 1.9m handsome Physics teacher shouted @ Tallie 2 let Go!!! (We just continued 2 watch on as the 4 boys hugged each other and danced around with flying fists to the mouth and stomach) When the 2 Malay boys gave up and broke off, they were about 2 leap up again but Mr Foo stepped in and took 5s and more fists 2 separate Tallie from the Malay, prying him out of his hands and kicking Tallie back. He stood between them and shouted @ Tallie 2 stay away 'cos they were advancing on each other again I thot they would start Round 2.

But @ that, the show was over so we left Mr Foo 2 lecture Tallie and Malay kid while I went 2 Sheena's class, passing the 2 Malay guys who helped out, and surprisingly they were discussing their fight quite good-naturedly. I leant over the parapet and talked about it also with Sheena when Mr Siah, our DM on the 3rd flr, pointed a thick cane right @ us and gestured 4 us 2 get 2 class already. We silently complied, 'cos it's deep respect 4 him and his ratan. It was lucky Mr Foo didn't get them in2 shit by sending the boys 2 DM and Mr Siah was @ least not on our floor and couldn't see anything directly above him, 1 floor above. I asked Sheena if she heard what Tallie's excuse was for starting the fight when Mr Foo demanded it... said the Malay boy pushed him 1st!

Enlightenment! No D-Days...

2008-09-14T16:11:00.009+08:00

My Sunday school teacher informed us a couple of weeks ago, there were some scientists who wanted 2 re-enact the beginning of the world with 2 protons. Ppl protested that such a trial could very well create an energy surge so massive that it wiped us off the face of the earth... And it was then that Uncle Lye Sum's sons began 2 worry the experiment could mean Doomsday, end of the world!! I also put in a previous entry on the 2012 imminent cosmic disaster the Mayans predicted would kill us all... Nat Geo magazine also had an article last month that astronomers proved a star or meteorite was gonna' smash into our planet's solar system. There was a whole stream of stars streaking across the velvet space, but a stationery glowing star that grew larger after some months meant it was headed 4 us... It was depressive info. but Uncle Lye Sum reminded us when WW1 began, ppl thought it the end of the earth. Then came WW2, but it passed without total annihilation. Cold War was horrifying with a predictable enemy [if you're democratic, u hate the Russians; and Communists saw US as the baddies] however that came and went as well. You have Korean War, Cuban War, Vietnam War, Iraq War but we're not dead. The idea is that Jesus would come @ the time which is most unpredictable, when we least expect it, He cometh 'as a thief in the night'. And it is only His 2nd Coming that will spell the ultimate end of the world, so @ this point I got so enlightened I can't believe in anymore predicted 'end-of-the-world' events. Our teacher told us these were 2 make us consider our level of faith, esp when we have such a hard time living in these Last Days.

The Hobbit Trailer

2008-09-12T14:57:00.001+08:00

I just read the Hobbit and searched the Hobbit on Youtube, can't believe it's gonna' be released in 2010!!!! ARGHGHGH!!!!! I can't wait!!! I've been reading the same JRR Tolkien books, still working on LOTR Fellowship, and I can't wait 2 see Viggo in action again...

My sister's probably gonna' look 4ward 2-what's his name-Legolas character?... urm... urm... urm... Orlando Bloomer! ooh.
I even got a date with my dad, got him 2 promise 2 take us 2 the movie the moment it released in Singapore.... eeekk! Can't wait! Can't wait!

Elijah Punk´d WHOLE VERSION!

2008-09-07T15:46:00.001+08:00

A lesson on smoking... and how cute Elijah is!

Sweeney Todd - The Worst Pies in London - Full Song

2008-09-06T17:24:00.001+08:00

MRS. LOVETT:
A customer!

Wait! What's your rush? What's your hurry?
You gave me such a -- Fright, I thought you was a ghost!
Half a minute, can'tcher sit! Sit you down, sit!
All I meant is that I haven't seen a customer for weeks!

Did you come here for a pie, sir?
Do forgive me if me head's a little vague--
(Ugh! What is that?) But you think we had the plague! From the way that people, keep avoiding--
(No you don't!) Heaven knows I try, sir! But there's no one comes in even to inhale!
Right you are, sir, would you like a drop of ale?

Mind you, I can't hardly blame them
These are probably the worst pies in London!
I know why nobody cares to take them,
I should know, I make them,
But good? No!
The worst pies in London,
Even that's polite!
The worst pies in London,
If you doubt it, take a bite!

Is that just disgusting?
You have to concede it!
It's nothing but crusting!
Here, drink this, you'll need it!
The worst pies in London...

And no wonder with the price of meat
What it is -- when you get it
Never -- Thought I'd live to see the day
Men'd think it was a treat
Findin' poor -- animals
Wot are dyin' in the street!

Mrs. Mooney has a pie shop!
Does her business but I notice something weird.
Lately all her neighbors' cats have disappeared!
Have to hand it to her --
Wot I calls, "enterprise"!
Poppin' pussies into pies!
Wouldn't do in my shop!
Just the thought of it's enough to make you sick!
And I'm tellin' you, them pussycats is quick...!

No denying times is hard, sir
Even harder than the worst pies in London!
Only lard and nothing more --
Is that just revolting,
All greasy and gritty?
It looks like it's molting,
And tastes like...
Well, pity

A woman alone,
With limited wind,
And the worst pies in London!

Ah, sir, times is hard,
Times is hard...!

Teacher-Inspired Poem by urs truly

2008-08-30T15:20:00.001+08:00

Perhaps it was a moment of passion, perhaps it was fear,
Perhaps your whole life you were vying for this career.
Perhaps the students will be rowdy and bad
Perhaps they’ll make me depressed and sad…

Perhaps when the new class will hate me when they find I’m a mess
Especially when I dunno’ how they’ll learn while I teach less.
Perhaps keeping an open mind should help me get the hang of it all;
Perhaps I’ll bring a dictionary 4 a good 1st impression, or is it off the wall?

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps!

Simple advice: Don’t need a bag of tricks, don’t curry-favour individuals.
We’ll build rapport if you just talk to us like you would adult equals.

Thank you 4 so many years u spent making a difference to so many students.
Thank u 4 the unique pedagogues employed, aiding those from 3riple sciences to delinquents.
Thank u 4 the dedication, 4 making teaching your personal passion.
Thank u 4 the patience, 4 being exemplary, above the norm 4 education.
Thank u 4 being there when we seeked in u a mentor or companion.
Thank u 4 your understanding ‘cos we can’t always live up 2 expectations.
Thank u 4 these qualities, which won’t be completed without a standing ovation!

HAPPY TEACHERS’ DAY!!!

i would walk 500 miles

2008-08-29T19:51:00.001+08:00

Many teachers do just that without our ever knowing... their passion 2 keep up teaching is extremely commendable, 'cos I'll never ever know how they tolerate crazy monkeys who talk loudly or sleep thru' their classes... 'cos I do that and my teachers always turn a blind eye 2 that inconsideration... HEHE!!!

A Teacher's Day Inspiration by urs truly

2008-08-28T19:22:00.005+08:00

[Eng. 'cher's mix]~This was not the 1st time Kevin had walked into a down-trodden class. A quick glance about the room displayed small piles of paper balls, scrunched up into tight wads, swept into the 4 corners of the room. On top of that, the tables were arranged in irregular files and a couple of chairs were overturned. As his gaze swept across the floor, his sharp eyes picked up shreds of sweet wrappers and coloured paper left over from the previous Art lesson.

An untidy class and unruly kids. The bane of every school. Every school’s nightmare. This was his form class now and he was determined to make a difference, beginning with classroom cleanliness. Kevin squared his shoulders and prepared to fight fire with a class that did not have a reputation for tolerating rules, much less abiding them.

[My mix]~Kevin waited. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes…
The students came in an higgledy-piggledy manner, their attitude rather lackadaisical and the overall atmosphere was despondent.

'Why are you all late?’ Kevin asked politely, with a hint of sternness as he shot the oblivious students a look out of the corner of his eye. There was no response. You could hear a pin drop. Kevin gave an inaudible sigh.
‘Students, could you please pick up the litter? It’s very important we maintain a conducive environment for studying in, else we won’t get anywhere to acing our O’ Levels…’ he mumbled on, though trying to sound friendly.

Reluctantly, a handful of them got down to it, at the same time making slandering remarks against him. Others who were more openly defiant shoved chairs out of the and banged whatever they had in hand onto their desks. Kevin glared at such poignant, hoity-toity attitude and was unable to help gritting his teeth. He turned to write his name on the board, cursing his luck at having the usual cohort of barbarians under his care.

Out of the blue, he felt a sudden shower of paper balls pelting his back. Immediately whipping round, everyone stopped their giggling and snorting. They stared at him with morbid fascination, though expecting the imminent onslaught of an uproar. Breathing heavily and like a cat on hot bricks, Kevin furiously snatched up the litter onto his table. He was fuming!

A pause…
He carefully removed his glasses, and with a war cry, a paper ball fight commenced!

!Doomsday 2012!

2008-08-25T09:52:00.003+08:00

http://www.space.com/readerfavorites/
Just an imminent cosmic activity in the future, not new but disturbing...

Time to tell your frens you love them!! Give your teachers a slap while you can and rob that cash register you've been so wanting to! Most of all, pray you won't be lost to the black earth (or @ least that the Mayans were wrong).

Graphic Motorcycle accident....wear your helmet!

2008-08-16T11:55:00.001+08:00

Message to all bikers out there!!! Esp. to my bro Joe, and his mad friends who play on the rd with their sports bikes... Hope he doesn't turn up in 2 bits... Praying 4 u though!

2008-08-12T19:44:00.008+08:00

I'm no strict believer, that it makes me a stark conformist to God's law. Trust me, I've thought of unconventional ways to kill myself, which is apparently blatant disobedience. I mean, you look at this world with their 'if sex is a wonderful thing, why do they teach you abstinence?' and 'what is extremism when Allah supports you?' rhetorics that barge their way into your life, your so-called principles and totally eradicates innocence. Even countless others' self-esteem is affected because of prototype belief of gender expectations, when you look in the mirror, the only thing that pops into your head is 'I'm FAT!' and what not. Ok, the main thing is, my bro Johan has been French-kissing his galfren via long sessions of oral sex, most of the time when we, the family, aren't @ home. He actually admitted to it when he came home early in the evening with no. 20th + galfren, mom wasn't around and he shut my room door and left me 4 about an hr. I stepped out 4 the toilet and the living rm was in darkness, both were on the sofa. I was shocked out of my wits, but saved them the embarrassement by heading to the nearer loo, not passing them. I quickly tot of what i was gonna' say 2 the gal 2 get her out of Joe's pants. She would be easier to talk 2. She was my age and as taken in as I was 2 Joe's witty facade and charms the past 15 yrs. I could understand this gullibility, but I began 2 abhor her presence after she appeared 2 days later on Joe's bed. Seems they made their place right after we went out to Church @ 9am that Sunday morn. I came home 1st @ 2.30pm to find a pair of slippers out front. I tinkled my keys and then Joe opened the door, red-eyed. I hollered 'Are you trying to do this on purpose or 4 your own sake?' I was anguished that this young gal, who only knew him a week, had been taken into his snares so easily without a fight. Sex sells, so that's just what they put into movies, soap operas and MTV, 2 pls the American audience. Yet, though wrong it is, it slowly seeps into young minds, kills innocence like a mockingbird, putting morality in a tight spot. Right and wrong intermingle to form confusion, so if you can't beat them, join them... It's 'cos of shit like this, demeaning all your old-fashioned parents ever taught you, that so many imploding introverts resort to killing frenzies. So tell me, what's not to hate?

school National DAy Parade

2008-08-08T23:30:00.006+08:00

Today was a blast from the past... of Singapore's fine 43 yrs of history and National Day songs that got everyone nostalgic and crazy all over again, apparently not for being patriotic, I believe. We screamed, hollered, jumped and swayed to the music early in the morn @ 10. That was usu. not the best time to dance, but we were as high as ecstacy-pushers @ the discotheque. The atmosphere was just revving up and all Kranjians delved into tuneless singing, rocking to the hypnotic beat, even when the Kranji Idols singers had already stopped. The PA crew, under Mr Kong's orders, handed the show over to the raving mad crowd! Insanity seemed to have washed over them as this grp of Sec. 5 boys leaped up on the podium and cheered on!

~Bad start to 7th Mpnth~

2008-08-02T22:38:00.007+08:00

[Works best only when reading entry @ night] This could very well be the best and worst time of the yr, when every1 goes down 2 a green patch of grass and burns it clean, leaving stray hell $$ lingering all over, as if hoping the ghosts themselves would try to pick them up or help themselves to it. After the first night, smoke stings your ol factory senses from your waking moment till you reach your office. You're panting as if you couldn't breathe and shivering as if you nearly didn't make it out of the war zone. That's almost the gravity of this event, like believing ghosts stalk you, on the bus or in the toilet. To me, it's an excuse for joss stix and incense paper shops to make $$, waste some paper, pollute our dissipating ozone layer, hasten the doom of man... and what not. Our Literature lesson on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Festival was spent in MORBID silence and seclusion, indulging in nauseating horror stories that spurned laughs and butterflies in our stomachs. Most of the stories, no, all had suspense and a twisted or totally different ending to them. Eg: Japanese deem the no. 13 aN UNLUCKY NO., so the 13th floor of buildings were usu. uninhibited. This young Japanese boy came home from tuition quite late, about 10pm, and he had to wait at the lift lobby for his mom to go down and collect him, for she forbade him to go up the elevator shaft on his own, what with the harrowing superstition of that 13th floor. It was even later when the lift door opened and she appeared. Her son whined @ her 4 being late, but let the matter drop 4 she kept her peace. They ascended in silence. But out of the blue, the lift stopped and its doors opened on the 13th floor. It was relatively pitch black, and there was no 1 there. The door closed and they went up to their level. The door opened again and the boy stepped out, shaken. Realising his mum hadn't followed him, he turned and whined @ her again, as if it weren't already late @ all, yet she stalled him. All this time she had been quiet. She looked up and said sotto voce, 'Do I look like your mother?'

Check out this site http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm417058.html and maybe there's another chance of you getting spooked...

{Skaters' Academy Forum}

2008-07-31T22:01:00.003+08:00

For all skating freaks out there...

...And more specifically, Singaporean skating freaks, check out the forum. Run by a pro skater of 18 yrs himself, featuring somewhere in the video clip as well...http://skatersacademy.top-talk.net/forum.htm. I mean, even if you're not Singaporean or reside in Singapore, you can still post discussions or qns. here.

2much, 2little

2008-07-23T19:03:00.008+08:00

'It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knive' (Alanis' Ironic)--it's having too much yet too little...
We still have so much time and yet i find we do nothing much together as a family, except watch tv and listen to mum nag her pride off. Johan got his 1st ever motorbike already last Fri., then on Saturday, he experienced his 1st ever accident. It was not on the road, but on a carpark ramp. He was getting out of a carpark basement when the toll gate malfunctioned and he stalled 10 cars behind him. After a lot of unsuccessful beeping and violence to the machine, the security guards got Joe to wait a second time down @ the bottom of the entrance ramp while they went to zap his card. For a 2nd time he turned around to the opposite lane going down, but it was just as a car came in.
With the steep incline of the slope, and a 400 kilo bike between your legs, you would fall over if not bang into the wall and attain scratches on the bodywork. He fell over onto the middle of the tight ramp but the car stopped 4 him, fortunately, or I would have half a bro left in a coffin...

Pics taken in S'pore's HortPark @ Alexander Rd.

Lord Of The Rings Bloopers

2008-07-18T23:31:00.001+08:00

You could sorta' relate this to yesterday when the Lit. class was making fun of everyone, even Carrot who accidently bumped her head on her bottle laughing her head off... Wei Sheng ran sniggering up and down the length of the room, stomping around and in turn leaving all of us in fits we couldn't control. And I went all red in the face. Thing is: we all had fun and thats what always counts in classroom learning... Anyone who's gone thru' bouts of lectures back to back(no fun @ all) would agree fervently...

I feel particularly great 'cos I got thru' another Phy. and SS test today, ate during class and got so sick from studying(literally) that I spread my germs relentlessly without gving a ****. And yeh tml is the weekend... =)

How Lord of The Rings Should Have Ended

2008-07-17T18:45:00.001+08:00

Clear cut, straight to the point yet still the animators can retain the innocent voice of Frodo and the curtness of Gandalf... which kinda' sux actually.

The really saded thing with the real ending is that it seemed to have left out the strong bond that the 4 Hobbits achieved so painstakingly thru'out the trilogy. It was as if this impt. friendship was overlooked... and it ended too peacefully (very wierd after witnessing 3 gross wars fought).

Anyhow, my day today was exeptionally a comic relief... We ended the day with a Lit. period spent playing Charades, which the whole grp had 2 act out... Only my grp was quiet like graveyard while all around us everyone exploded with laughter @ GY's antics or some lude acting by Averil... Ms Ang, the Lit. trainee teacher, taught her maiden lesson on tragicomedy of Shakespeare's plays, pays off...

Moonlight Shadow by Aselin Debison

2008-07-15T18:05:00.001+08:00

A cool celtic beat and mesmerising voice... somehow disturbing lyrics but I'm high after completing my MT listening compre quite easily today. Listen to the violin swing away... and get carried away!

The last that ever she saw him,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
He passed on worried and warning,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Lost in a riddle that Saturday night,
Far away on the other side.
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight
And she couldn't find how to push through.

The trees that whisper in the evening,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Sing a song of sorrow and grieving,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
All she saw was a silhouette of a gun,
Far away on the other side.
He was shot six times by a man on the run
And she couldn't find how to push through.

I stay, I pray
See you in heaven far away.
I stay, I pray
See you in heaven one day.

Four a.m. in the morning,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
I watched your vision forming,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Stars roll slowly in a silvery night,
Far away on the other side.
Will you come to terms with me this night,
And she couldn't find how to push through.

I stay, I pray
See you in heaven far away.
I stay, I pray
See you in heaven one day.

The last that ever she saw him,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
He passed on worried and warning,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Caught in the middle of a hundred and five.
The night was heavy and the air was alive,
But she couldn't find how to push through.

Gang fight!

2008-07-10T22:22:00.009+08:00

Mr Siah got GY out of class today to get him to witness for a gang fight he saw outside school. i don't believe there were parangs and knives and such, but there must have been a tussle, a fist fight.

It mmight have been 1 of the NA classes. I walked with them back from a youth evangelic centre once in Woodlands, with my best mate Sheena. Then Aaron suddenly pulled up the issue of half his class' relation to the black society Sa Lak Gao(369), or some other no., in Choa Chu Kang(and my bro. said he was nearly recruited when one member walked up to him and asked 'You what tang/gang?' Joe exhaled smoke and said 'Peh Tang/clean party')... Most of the nice guys like Aaron, whom i knew from NP, and some girls were in it as well, 4 about 1/2 to 1 year.

Last yr, they got embroiled in some sort of fight also, got found by Mr Siah, the discipline master, picked out and sent 2 detention centre for 3 mths during the June hols. Not fun, they admitted.

Mr Siah and his generous behind, in another note, had Yi Jun's side-parting fringe snipped off on the spot in the Parade Square today. We hadn't thought this 2-chance man would be so merciless. When we got back to class, YJ held up a mirror from dunno' where, and hollered it looked like bangs, while everyone tried to convince him it was no big. The wierd thing is @ the end of a tiring day, i became a mad chatter box, talking like machine gun fire to Carrot. But I don't think I'm gonna lose it anytime soon, God help me.

Middle Pic. courtesy of Miss Priss and her new HP.

Fall Out Boy--Goin' Down Swinging

2008-07-10T21:58:00.001+08:00

Just got bored studying 4 a History test tml... heard this on the radio and remembered how frustrated i was when i thought the ppl were singing in an alien language. The song was uber upbeat, rocking it thru'out. And the lyrics, like Tamil...

Am I more than you bargained for yet
I've been dying to tell you anything you want to hear
Cause that's just who I am this week
Lie in the grass, next to the mausoleum
I'm just a notch in your bedpost
But you're just a line in a song
(A notch in your bedpost, but you're just a line in a song)

Drop a heart, break a name
We're always sleeping in, and sleeping for the wrong team

[Chorus]
We're going down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, we're going down swinging
I'll be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it
[x2]

Is this more than you bargained for yet
Oh don't mind me I'm watching you two from the closet
Wishing to be the friction in your jeans
Isn't it messed up how I'm just dying to be him
I'm just a notch in your bedpost
But you're just a line in a song
(Notch in your bedpost, but you're just a line in a song)

Drop a heart, break a name
We're always sleeping in, and sleeping for the wrong team

[Chorus]x3

We're going down, down in an earlier round (Take aim at myself)
And Sugar, we're going down swinging (Take back what you said)
I'll be your number one with a bullet (Take aim at myself)
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it

We're going down, down (down, down)
Down, down (down, down)
We're going down, down (down, down)
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it

[Repeat previous stanza]

[Note: 1. The correct lyrics really say "GOD complex". It was confirmed by the band members
2. CD cover says "wishing to be the friction in HIS jeans" when in the song it's
clearly said "wishing to be the friction in YOUR jeans"]

JOHN DENVER + PLÁCIDO DOMINGO - PERHAPS LOVE

2008-07-10T20:07:00.001+08:00

Lovely... Is that what it feels like to be in love? I 1st heard this song in Japanese hit movie 'Turn Left Turn Right' and Takeshi was real smashing!

do Sing this to your mum, dad or teacher on 'Cher's Day... it can move mountains... I hope and pray I'll lose my overtly introvertedness and start to converse more freely with my pessimisstic friends...

Perhaps love is like a resting place
A shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort
It is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble
When you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home

Perhaps love is like a window
Perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer
It wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself
And don't know what to do
The memory of love will see you through

Oh, Love to some is like a cloud
To some as strong as steel
For some a way of living
For some a way to feel
And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some say love is everything
And some say they don't know

Perhaps love is like an ocean
Full of conflict, full of change
Like a fire when it's cold outside
Thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some say love is everything
Some say they don't know

Perhaps love is like an ocean
Full of conflict, full of change
Like a fire when it's cold outside
Or thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

Five For Fighting - 100 Years

2008-07-07T16:40:00.001+08:00

Happy Youth Day! To sum up the song: Life's 2 short. Everyone's wishing for that fleeting moment, so why not treasure it NOW while YOU can?

I'm 15 for a moment
Caught in between 10 and 20
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are
I'm 22 for a moment
She feels better than ever
And we're on fire
Making our way back from Mars
15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live
I'm 33 for a moment
Still the man, but you see I'm a they
A kid on the way
A family on my mind
I'm 45 for a moment
The sea is high
And I'm heading into a crisis
Chasing the years of my life
15 there's still time for you
Time to buy, Time to lose yourself
Within a morning star
15 I'm all right with you
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live
Half time goes by
Suddenly you're wise
Another blink of an eye
67 is gone
The sun is getting high
We're moving on...
I'm 99 for a moment
Dying for just another moment
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are
15 there's still time for you
22 I feel her too
33 you're on your way
Every day's a new day...
15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to choose
Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

Hannah's prayer

2008-07-06T15:45:00.003+08:00

“The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
And she who has many children has become feeble.

The Lord kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and lifts up.
He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.”

This is Hannah's prayer, found in the book of 1 Samuel 2. It sums up how i really felt about the omnipotence of God, and I especially like the poetic ring it has to it. It's a reminder of our frailty, to be humbled, as always.

This is the 1st in a long time that I enjoyed the sermon by Pastor Paul, 'cos the hymns we sang also really paired well with it.

Alanis Morissette - Thank U (Live 2002)

2008-07-05T22:14:00.001+08:00

{How 'bout listening?}

How 'bout getting off these antibiotics,
How 'bout stopping eating when I'm filled up
How 'bout them transparent dangling carrots
How 'bout that ever elusive kudo
[Chorus]
Thank U India,
thank U terror,
thank U disillusionment
thank U frailty,
thank U consequence,
thank U, thank U silence

How 'bout me not blaming you for everything
How 'bout me enjoying the moment for once
How 'bout how good it feels to finally forgive you
How 'bout grieving it all one at a time
[Chorus]

The moment I let go of it was
The moment I got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it was
The moment I touched down

How 'bout no longer being masochistic
How 'bout remembering your divinity
How 'bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out
How 'bout not equating death with stopping
[Chorus]

Midge Ure - Breathe

2008-07-03T22:13:00.001+08:00

Dedicated to our school's 2 favourite hyperventilators= Umairah and Yu Xuan.

Yep, Umai did it again today. As usual she was sitting beside me and quiet, like the norm when they both get stressed b4 going into spasms. YX probably has family probs, which i only assume, making an 'ass' of 'u' and 'me'; Umai has $$, health probs.

She was clearly distraught after a dressing down from Ms Rashidah, her most respected teacher whom i came to respect also after hearing her praised to high heavens countlessly.

It was in a moment's, or 2's, big mistake when Umai's dropping of a subject landed her in the ambulance due for NUH... AGAIN!!! It can get frustrating sometimes.

rockstar by nickleback

2008-07-03T21:36:00.001+08:00

I can't get over this song with its quirky lil' lyrics, and because I'm up for only sophistication, pretend the minute foul words sound good if you scream along.

I'm through with standin' in line
to clubs I'll never get in
It's like the bottom of the ninth
and I'm never gonna win
this life hasn't turned out
quite the way I want it to be
(Tell me what you want)

I want a brand new house
on an episode of Cribs
And a bathroom I can play baseball in
And a king size tub big enough
for ten plus me
--(Yea, So what you need)--

I need a credit card that's got no limit
And a big black jet with a bedroom in it
Gonna join the mile high club
At thirty-seven thousand feet
--(Been there done that)--

I want a new tour bus full of old guitars
My own star on Hollywood Boulevard
Somewhere between Cher and
James Dean is fine for me
(So how you gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair and change my name [Chorus]

Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar
Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar

I wanna be great like Elvis without the tassels
Hire eight body guards that love to beat up assholes
Sign a couple autographs
So I can eat my meals for free
--(I'll have the quesadilla, ha-ha,)--

I'm gonna dress my ass
with the latest fashion
Get a front door key to the Playboy mansion
[Rockstar lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]
Gonna date a centerfold that loves to
blow my money for me
(So how you gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this life
For fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair
And change my name

[Chorus]
'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars and
Live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
in the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's
Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny
With her bleach blonde hair

¬And we'll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary of
today's who's who
They'll get you anything
with that evil smile
Everybody's got a
drug dealer on speed dial, well
Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar

I'm gonna sing those songs
That offend the censors
Gonna pop my pills
from a Pez dispenser
Get washed-up singers writing all my songs
Lip-sync 'em every night so I don't get 'em wrong [Chorus}

Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar
Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar

My Fatuous Fathoming

2008-07-03T21:32:00.005+08:00

This pic actually blew my mind... 'cos this guy's respponsible for a whole lot of damage done to our new Lit. blog. Man, it's duller than my layout, blacker than jet black, and fonts awry. So small...Anyhow, just really pleased with my unnaturally quiet day today, and so much on my own there, 'cos the noisiest, most pessimistic, sarcastic, supercilious, oblivious kid in class who happens to plop down on the empty seat next to mine everyday and will for a long time, didn't show 4 2 days.

My life suddenly has meaning again! The rainbow shone brilliantly after the rain, thunderstorms from New Orleans hurtle towards Africa and earthquakes from Japan experience a continental shift to the Bermuda Triangle. The birds chirp, mockingbirds sing, dogs bark and cats mrow. Cool eh? Like I'm a year younger already.

Do check out our school's only Literature class blog, www.wheretheprettypeopleare.blogspot.com courtesy of our 'cher Ms Lee, a prudent, patient Peranakan peep.

Alanis Morissette - Ironic

2008-07-03T21:20:00.001+08:00

This song rox or I won't bother...

Lyrics:

An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
Isn't it ironic... don't you think?

Chorus:
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Mr. play it safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
Well isn't this nice...
And isn't it ironic... dont you think?

Repeat chorus

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everythings okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face

A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic... don't you think?
A little too ironic... and yeah I really do think...

Repeat chorus

Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out

2008-07-01T16:03:00.006+08:00

Back to school... and getting sick occasionally. I was down with gastric & allergies, 4 the 1st time. There were rashes spreading thru-out my whole body, starting with the eyes, mouth, elbow joints then wrists. My face became numb and the most tender areas prickled... Argh! im recuperating only now and slept 4 a good 12 hrs in the morn... hehehe!

Last Thur. was stange: during PE lesson(i 4got all about it), i had to sit with Yu Xuan and practise Chinese Oral with meself while she drifted around in her own lala land. Out of the blue, Umairah, sitting in the canteen doing her hmwk during class PE also, was quickly wheeled off to the sick bay.

With the cacophony, Yu Xuan, head still on the table, began breathing heavily. Her back was heaving. Watching Umai bustled off, I waited awhile b4 inquiring 4 Yu Xuan's health. She was either abnormally quiet or good @ pretending (ouch im itching!) so i shut up until lesson was almost over.

(Man im itching!) I thought i ought to alleviate her hyperventilation a lil', so i went to her other side to access her free arm better. I told her i was gonna' massage her hand to help her relax... but her hand was stuck fast to the table. It was then i felt i shud have just gone up 2 the library in the 1st place, 2 save my own awkwardness with someone i couldn't talk to.

(I think its acting up again) i never realised she hated me that much! I massaged her arm in an uncomfortable position then Guan Yeow ran over with Jie Ting an the lot... he immediately went for her after i vry calmly informed him she was breathing wierd.

I acquired the wheelchair and realised i'd ran right into a groupful of Malays, hogging the chair. They were rather dismayed as i acknowledged them and nudged my way thru', wondering how much more if a grp of Chinese suddenly turned up as well. Much more actually, when i received an unprecedented shower of shrieks and shouts from the idiot who drowned my hp 2 yrs ago.

I cud vry well throw her right then and there and still not hurt YX 'cos she was real stiff. Feeling unwanted, i told her the sickbay was crowded, Guan Yeow chimed in 'Umairah!' & he was equally as excited, and i stalked off after perceiving her almighty, indignant stare. (my scalp itchy) i had a notion to spit @ her, though she was feeling the guilt of irresponsibility, but this was unwarranted. IT'S NOT AN EXCUSE, BI-ARCH!

You Are Loved

2008-06-25T20:30:00.001+08:00

The wolves in the video are so cute!!!! Kawaidasne!!

About near-death exp...

2008-06-23T18:22:00.006+08:00

I had to spend today @ home, wasting the 1st day of school for term 3. I didn't think i would have made it thru' anyway. I was down with a blocked nose for 3 gruelling days wondering whether i would live to see Singapore snow...

Everytime i'm down with pneumonia, i get a red nose, red eyes and cough and woke up with a headache this morning. @ least i can still breathe properly, though it wud mean return to school tml... and i haven't yet finished all the hmwk. Sigh! Die!

in 2 weeks, all i did was math. and struggling with Physiscs. Sigh! Bored down with head cold and tempted to finish a really good book (autobiography of James Herriot, the vet with an undying funny bone) b4 going back 2 school.

Research shows ppl who suffered depression or near-death experiences cannot differentiate dreams from reality. I had a crazy dream of distorted, ugly ghosts who lived with my paternal mum's extended family all their lives. When we went to visit her, they decided to move with us back home So when we got to the bungalow in M'sia, they rode in behind in thier car.

I got petrified and inquired of dad what was going on while we unpacked. He smiled reassuringly and said not to worry, we were in good hands. When I woke up bawling @ the top of my voice (the whole block might have heard me), I dared not turn away from the wall 'cos i feared 1 of the discoloured, awful faces of the ghosts would appear and try to comfort me back to sleep.

I hugged my blanket and it took me an hour to get back to sleep. It was THE most harrowing night in my life.

Croc attacks drunk fat man

2008-06-14T21:07:00.001+08:00

Freaky... really. Like the time a parcel bomb was sent to a mailing office in Thailand, a couple of police men were messing with it, and the media was swarming all over the place. They didn't even conceal it or got the experts in. Then this dumb guy tries to act hero, keeps fiddling with it, everyone (all the camermen) gets out of there, before he opened it all the way. There was blood splattered all over the place... @ least the situation became secured...

Tioman P.III

2008-05-30T18:45:00.008+08:00

I can't help but begin to see my life in Singapore as nothing but the short, happy life of Kylie. I feel there is this ultimate other place I can still go to, and it could be something like P. Tioman, or maybe a place even more serene and tranquil. The sun, sand and beach simply draws you in and you just... wanna' stay that way forever.

This sorta' feeling can be comparable to the time you knock off from work, you are already pissed with some higher-up, and all you wanna' do is take a nice, warm, 2hr soak in the bathtub, enjoying a panoramic view of forests; or even curling up in a cosy chair to immerse in a fantastic, humourous book about life in the countryside.

Ooh, I withhold this long-bearing dread of facing day by day with lifeless inactivity, constant competitiveness among my peers and being forced to put up with soap operas of others' life which are no better off. Even the tv shows on Astro @ Tioman have more variety though the programmes are repetitive.

A step out of the chalet and you can either sit on the flat, wooden rail and take in a comfortable mix of warm colours, settle on the raised platform and feed freshwater fish, walk a stone's throw to the beach instead of take a shower, shoot the setting sun on the hot white sands... or even get whipped by gales sweeping up sand grains in a thunderstorm. Watch out for falling coconuts!

Tiomans P.II

2008-05-26T16:54:00.007+08:00

The wildlife at Tioman Island was a horde of teeming wild animals. They had quite an uncountable number of cats, mynahs, swallows, yellow birds, seagulls, sea hawks, chickens, monkeys, big black squirrels, monitor lizards, tropical fish and freshwater fish(the type we could steam and consume, but were feeding them instead)...

The cooler one was an eagle, the same one we saw the year b4. It was injured then, now it was alive and flapping, but the owner apperently didn't wanna' part with it. It looked as if it were wearing a white pair of pants, its wing span about 1.5 m, and its claws... mama mia!

A dead turtle floated about in the water about 10 m out. I couldn't tell it was strapped and anchored in its place until i saw metal wiring bound around it in the pic.

There were also a vast collection of dead, bloated and dried, well-preserved puffer fishes big and small. It was grotesque. I was a little shocked and distraught by what I saw, until i noticed the price tag stuck on one fish 30 cm wide: RM 100. Maybe that would be enough to prevent demands for the poor fishes for a while...

Potter Puppet Pals

2008-05-24T17:35:00.007+08:00

This is definitely not something new, though. You see Harry Potty all over the internet, but this one is special... It's catchy...

!!YAHOOO!! P. I

2008-05-23T12:40:00.008+08:00

Lemme Hear me SCREAM!!! YAARRGGHH!! AAAARRRHHH!!!RRRAAARRHH!

That's right... Prolonged absenced from the blog means many things: 1st, I never got near the computer 'cos I was studying an exam I am gonna' fail; 2nd, I was doing a lot of pondering and emo-ing; 3rd, I still went for the trip of my life!! NO! It's not sex... you dirty freak.

Tioman Island at East Malaysia is what paradise is all about. Nature-lovers and smokers go there to unwind. Majority who sojourn there are ang mohs, or caucasian, and so many smoke I wanted to squish it up their nostrils...

Johan also did all the sickening smoking he wanted and faced no opposition from anyone. We watched all the great movies we wanted anyway, whenever we were not down at the beach and white sands getting sunburnt. Nat and Joe childishly defaced the beach when they dug 2 deep holes in the soft sand and tried to build forts, that the salt water conquered.

This bimbo-ish grp of gals who kept trying to take fun photos of themselves jumping on the beach, approached Joe to take a photo 4 them. Dumb, horny move 'cos Nat and I were right in front of them and Joe was walking a distance away, and he had this creepy smile on.

The green, thousand feet high backdrop was a breath-taker. It seemed impenetrable, virgin forest... virgin 'cos I hadn't yet tried to go in. All we did for trekking was walk to Genting Village. It's not that there wasn't anything great there, they had monkeys and hawks and turtles, but I also wanted to head to the Rock Falls, and my parents didn't allow me to go solo, and they had no more energy... So sux... so I flew into one of my frenzied mood swings and stomped off in another direction.

~It's My Life~

2008-05-13T22:12:00.005+08:00

I simply keep delving into inert imaginations and recall to memory the exact details of the resort we went to last year for vacation. I cannot help but feel I'm gonna' have fun while there instead of here, mugging for an upcoming exam I hate! Despite the usual tenacity to worry for nothing, and having nothing to do, when whiling away the hours if the weather turned awry, or waiting in long queues, the Kafkaesque nightmares that are holiday inevitables...

I immerse myself into self-retained pleasure with thoughts of adrenaline pumping events and the contrasting quiet, meditating peace of nature. I wanna' escape this horrendous study-because-learning-is-a-life-long-journey, bored-to-waste, Rule Brittania propositions to Singapore life.

just a simple get-lost-and-found-again enigma would put me right into the dreamscape of author Steven Millhauser's stories of similar escapism. I wouldn't mind being one of his protagonists...

"The course of true love..." NOTHING e'r runs smooth

2008-05-13T09:52:00.010+08:00

Still holding onto that frail glimpse of hope that I didn't fail my Literature exam... I used to fantasize that if we were to act out the play "Midsummer Night's Dream", I wanted to be Hermia and fawn over Jun Guang as Lysander, who was the only real guy in class.

And I think I'm gonna' freak out sooner or later if I can't go for that trip to Pulau Tioman, Malaysia, that I've been waiting in silent, absurd anticipation since the papers started. The only shitty problem is my mum has to have the bookings and all accomodated to her own timing, 'cos she has to work and earn $$ 4 the sake of the family and her kids.

RRR!! I have intensive Mother Tongue revision the whole 2 weeeks b4 a stupid Chinese O' Level paper on 26 May, monday. The trip lies within the 2nd week, next week. Guess i'll have to put up with a hell of 4 more days' worth of a language I don't like and don't totally dislike. I'm screaming inside right now... Sigh*

Photos courtesy of Lions @ www.Flickr.com

Happy boxing day?... HAPPY?!

2008-05-12T23:59:00.003+08:00

-->Say it to your mother's face!

This was the day we got back our 1st 4 exam scripts, all accompanied with exclaims of disbelief and protests in dismay. Majority attained an average of a failing mark for at least one subject, which was unprecedented. The answers were marked either very strictly, or in accordance to O' Level standards.

English was better, cos' @ least I got an overall pass instead of the ugly single digit for paper 2! E-maths was 2 marks to an A1; failed SS, as usual; scraped thru' for Physics... Jie Ting, the girl who drowned my handphone 2 years ago hyperventilated and was sent 2 hospital. Students in our school are like a daily dosage to the hospitals, and the ambulances happily come on a regular basis.

Happy Mothers' Day?... HAPPY?!

2008-05-06T20:23:00.007+08:00

Oops! You did it again!

Or else she had had a couple of bad hair days and is on the verge of erupting. Well, the only way to eradicate these major flops is to make up with

the perfect Mothers' Day gift!

Make an order for a vase or basket of soap flowers before

Friday, 9 May 08,

for a delivery on the day itself. Prepare early arrangements and please leave your address, contacts and such to avoid disappointment.

Limited to Singaporeans only, for the time being, 'cos I still gotta' study for me exams... DUH!

Our lovely, generous productions manager, Mdm Hamidah, Umairah's mother, has decided to confine the minimum length and width of the bouquets to 20 cm. She also requires a minimum 2 red dollar notes for each vase, all in the name of charity. But the donations are always totally up to you...

Singing in the SUN

2008-05-05T21:22:00.001+08:00

Childishness is The way of life...

Just For Laughs - Death

2008-05-02T18:58:00.001+08:00

Considered one of the sickest jokes ever played by the Gags crew...

Grow Old With You

2008-05-02T17:44:00.001+08:00

This is the MOST romantic song i ever came across when i watched the Wedding Singer at 10 years old. It pulled my heart-strings 'cos of the quirky lyrics, extremely creative and personal...

Rockstar (lip synching)- Nickelback

2008-05-02T17:29:00.001+08:00

The ppl lip synched it but it's cool! Got stuck on this song during my hectic exam... the song played in my head continuously for 2 hrs straight, and my head was subconciously bobbing to the beat.

<:Exam Week:>

2008-04-30T18:48:00.004+08:00

Tml is Labour Day... and everyone is inwardly rejoicing. Thank goodness for the break, 'cos we were all about to run amok with the intense revision after 4 weeks. Even the teachers were getting sloppy, yawning and pacing throughout the length of the exams... And I still feel doomed to fail my SS exam though I felt it was well written (and my confidence was generally short-lived).

Anyhow, pls feel free to leave an enquiry on the soap flowers I'm selling for charity. They're as lovely as turqoise carnations in bouquets!Do check out this other online charity www.rentyoursoul.com that's like selling your soul to a devil, only he gives you and your chosen charity $$! Sounds like a right bloke...

...Same olD...

2008-04-29T17:16:00.006+08:00

Yu Xuan Hyperventilated again after the 1st Eng paper. She sat stock still and passive, but everyone didn't dare make a move as the teachers were still in the midst of collecting the scripts.
On a lighter note, Umairah has made a comeback and finished yesterday and today's paper without any problem. The touching thing was Ms Wong informed me, when she escorted me to the toilet during the exam, that my Literature teacher Ms Audrey Lee was taking orders for the soap flowers (Pic.) already.

My tuition teacher Mr Aven Choo had already ordered one for $40. Principal Mdm Lee, a couple of Parent Support Group (PSG) members and school teachers were interested in the flowers and got quite a few. It's Umairah's Mum who's got the great skills to carve the soap bars, everyone has found a new means of donating for something nice in exchange. Anyone who likes it, pls feel free to inquire. They come in various vases and colours too!