The tides of life ebb and flow...

HAHA..

2009-04-04T07:57:00.003+08:00

HEEHEE its almost 6 months since i last blogged! a new record!!!.. Isnt it so cool to have this hole in your life's history? Maybe i should just delete this post and let my 2 years of NS pass, then continue with my life again =).. After all.. NS is a vacation from real life, no?..

So in a nutshell, I enlisted into Zooloo coy at Terkongg, did all the fun army stuff like camping and shootin, then got posted to knee soon camp to train as a combt medic (which was damn fun. one of my best times. learning to inject someone with a needle as big as a yakult straw is no joke). After that, I got posted to tenargh medical centre, which I was seriously unhappy with cos although it was 8-5, it was still damn far from my house.. tampines to boon lay -_-. The super nice superiors at air force found someone at paya lebar to change with me! So now im at paya lebar's Aeromed Centre permanently, doing a clerkky job everyday =))..

And dEARY! Our first anniversary X).. one whole year! hee.. with NS, time seems to fly faster. Jiayou in ya exams dear!.. I'd be here beside ya, cheering ya on and praying always =o)).. dun sleep too much hor!.. (wonders if u will pretend not to read the last sentence) =PP!...

NS soon!

2008-09-10T00:50:00.002+08:00

Ehheh.. one more week to NS..

.. and for the first time wont be seeing dear for so long =(.. Hope she'll be okay and when I'm gone.. Dear I'd always be here, and when it's all over I'd still be holding ya tight through the months and years, loving ya like I always have.

We started not very long ago, believing the world revolved around us, and everything was gonna be okay.. and it always will :)!. Wait for me k?.. time will flyy. =) Everytime I come back we'd go and do lotsa stupid and weird stuffs again! Carparkkk =Pp :))..

bah. NS.

The Prerogative of Adults

2008-09-09T23:50:00.002+08:00

Ever notice that as we get older, people start to be more firm in their opinions and predictions? You start to hear old-man sentences like '*insert presidential candidate's name* lost because of *insert reason*'. Why do I have a bone to pick with such seemingly normal statements? Because these fools are often beyond their scope of expertise and very, very irritating. Some of these 'speakers' were not so long ago mere mommy's little boys and girls, bowing to their parent's every whim and fancy, and some still do. There is a fine line between filial piety and pure puppetry.

This is, of course, a necessary trait in the coded world of adults, but it also a sign of decay of mental capacity, a sign that these fools are beginning to close their mind against easy persuasion. These people are beginning to find their place in society, assume a profession and live out the rest of their lives in self-surety, and their ability to learn starts to plummet to 'adult' levels. This is unlike their anything-goes teenage years, where parental influence probably formed 70% of their world-wisdom (and not all parents are actually smart too. At most, smart enough to raise a child, but not smart enough to raise a smart child. Anyone can feed and bathe a dog. Oops am I very bad?).

The way to counter stupid people is to isolate them. A person placed in intellectual isolation has no one to bounce off ideas on, preventing stupidity from fomenting and affecting the people around them. In a liberal society, self-actualisation and fulfillment is placed in high regard. What if a person's 'self-actualisation' is to kill and steal? He would then be tried by law and go to prison. In the same way, a fundamentalist/extreme/stupid opinion is okay as long as it is kept to oneself. No one cares when you're intellectually retarded and keep to yourself, but an extroverted fool is an extremely irritating pest.

Whee! ^^..

ARCHITECTS ‘ARE SEXIEST’

2008-07-13T23:43:00.001+08:00

Architects have been voted the sexiest male professionals, in a survey of women’s ideal partners.

The survey, conducted by introduction agency Drawing Down the Moon, found that women favoured architects “due to the esteem associated with the profession”.

Architects are seen as being “balanced and rounded individuals who combine a creative approach with a caring, thoughtful disposition,” the survey found. It concluded: “Their ability to cope with pressure of work in a relaxed manner was also deemed to be a significant plus.”

Male architects beat stockbrokers, doctors, film directors and teachers to the top spot.
However, female members of the profession fared less well and did not feature in the top 10 of male preferences.

RIBA president David Rock commented that architects were probably unaware of their own animal magnetism: “Architects are probably the only group on the list whose self-image is lower than their public image,” he said, but added: “Mind you, you have to question the veracity of any list that includes drama teachers.”

RIBA Architecture Gallery director Alicia Pivaro, who is married to architect Paul Monaghan, said the thought male architects were highly attractive: “Being married to architecture’s Mr Sexy, I would have to agree.”

But she was surprised at the failure of women architects to appear on the list. “All the ones I know are very sexy,” she said.

Men instead voted PR executives the sexiest profession for females, followed by actresses and journalists.

Epiphany

2008-07-13T23:42:00.000+08:00

I used to be someone who would talk a lot, always have an opinion about something, and not be afraid to voice it as if it were law.

But now as I grow a little older towards the roaring 20’s (though it’s not very old at all), I find that there are always two sides to a coin, and that morality is in fact a very grey topic. Instead of trying to say my piece, I’ve taken to fading into the background, listening and observing. I’ve turned into a gatherer, always collecting ideas and others’ opinions, and rarely voicing out my own.

I’ve started to look with disdain at middle-aged men who think they’re ‘strong’ and ‘knowledgeable’ when they lead a conversation with their own intellect, and debate as if their life depended on that weak streak of self-delusion. True, the world is led by strong-willed men who believe in what they do, but I find foolishness in their glory. I look with disdain at all the well-groomed men with thickly-gelled hair and tight business shirts running around the Tanjong Pagar, at all the slick sales executives of suppliers who come into my office to give sales presentations. What a sad life, to do a job trying to sell someone else’s products. No wonder you squander time and money at pubs and “girls’ night out” sessions and shopping trips, trying to ‘let loose’ after work. Can’t you let loose during work and go home to a night of peace? Is your job so sad that you can’t?

I admire the creative class of people, whose lives are filled with items of their own design. I feel that a person is not made whole unless he has brought something of his own art into the world (notice I said ‘art’), and the creative class (graphic artists, fashion designers, sculptors, painters, product designers... and most of all, architects). I find art to be an imitation of God’s work itself, because art arises out of nothing; no precedents, no purpose. It exists only because it’s creator wants it to, not because other people need it. This is beauty epitomised, and only students of design have this ability to do this in their everyday working lives.

I admire people who lead balanced lives, who take care of all aspects. I also admire people who border on the insane, who are creative at heart and would suddenly do something crazy that would pleasantly scare and surprise you. For example, when my bosses ranted about how much they hated this Chinese artist, they printed the ugliest photo of him they could find and made it into a sling bag.

In this search for a perfect life, I always try to find a few truths that seem to hold true regardless. A 90 year-old dying man, a distant relative with an illustrious and well-led life, taught his son, ‘If all you have if something negative, don’t voice it out in public. If you want to criticise someone, do it face to face with that person. Only speak in public if you have good things to say.” What about my own ‘truths’? Let’s start with these familiar nuggets:

-Believe you can do anything... because mostly, you can. You just don’t know it yet.
-Don’t squander money and time on the transient.
-Lead a balanced life.
-Always be cautious.
-Be passionate about things that are worth your passion.

Architects are required to see things from all angles, to pre-empt and solve problems even before they occur, and this ‘job requirement’ has moulded me into someone who voraciously sucks in every idea and morsel of information that he chances upon, telling myself that someday I will ‘process’ it and form an opinion out of it, but so far that day hasn’t come.

Reading a book called ‘100 Inspiring Rafflesians’, I find the the people most likely to succeed in life are people with passion. In their school days, they would participate in activities and not be afraid to discuss issues beyond their age, such as politics and religion. They do not treasure slacking, and have the energy and drive to accomplish something noteworthy in life. They did something useful with their days of youth... Which leads me to note, if you enjoy yourself now, be prepared to suffer for it years later.

And so as to not make this whole article an oxymoron in itself, well. Well.

Anyway, if you knew you’d die in a week’s time, what would you be doing right now? If you're 20 years old, can you still smile and say 'it was a life well lived'?

Future Wright.

2008-05-21T22:54:00.002+08:00

NUS accepts me into Architecture, commencing in 2010.

Woww... my future looks all laid out. Funny how it was pretty much carved in stone more than 4 years ago, when I decided to take the plunge and fill in Diploma in Architecture - Singapore Polytechnic back at JAE.

John's gonna become an architect?

hmm.

Following The Crowd.

2008-05-17T12:17:00.000+08:00

1. Name someone who can always make you smile?
♥ Boo.

2. What were you doing at 10:00 this morning?
♥ Boo.

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
♥ Boo.

4. What did you do last night?
♥ Boo.

5. What color is your hair brush?
♥ Boo.

6. Have you text voted for an American Idol?
♥ Boo.

7. Hot tea or Iced tea?
♥ Boo.

8. What was the weather like today?
♥ Boo.

9. Where did your last hug take place?
♥ Boo.

10. What are you excited for?
♥ Boo.

12. Closest thing to you that is green?
♥ Boo.

14. Last person you spoke to?
♥ Boo.

15. Are you very Random
♥ Boo.

16. Do you want to get your hair cut?
♥ Boo.

17. Are you over the age of 25?
♥ Boo.

18. Do you talk a lot?
♥ Boo.

19. Does your screen name have an x in it?
♥ Boo.

20. Do you know anyone named Stephanie?
♥ Boo.

21. Do you make up your own words?
♥ Boo.

22. Are you ticklish?
♥ Boo.

23. Are your ears pierced?
♥ Boo.

24. Bar soap or body wash?
♥ Boo.

25. Are you a jealous person?
♥ Boo.

26. What brand of shampoo do you use?
♥ Boo.

27. Do you have curly hair?
♥ Yes.

28. Where did you go today?
♥ Boo.

29. What 1 item do you always pick up at the grocery store?
♥ Boo.

30. What do you say a lot?
♥ Boo.

31. Red or White Wine?
♥ Boo.

32. Do you think you are pretty?
♥ Boo.

33. What are you doing tonight?
♥ Boo.

34. Who was your last missed call?
♥ Boo.

35. What should you be doing right now?
♥ Boo.

36. Do you have a nickname?
♥ Boo.

37. Are you a heavy sleeper?
♥ Boo.

38. What are you listening to?
♥ Boo.

39. Is there anyone you like right now?
♥ Boo.

40. When was the last time you did the dishes?
♥ Boo.

41. Did you cry today?
♥ Boo.

42. How big is your bed?
♥ Boo.

43. Do you know someone with the same birthday as you?
♥ Boo.

44. How many pictures are hanging in the room you are in?
♥ Boo.

45. Does anyone like you?
♥ Boo.

46. Do you collect anything?
♥ Boo.

47. Last time you went on a date?
♥ Boo.

48. What is on your mouse pad?
♥ Boo.

49. Do you like coffee?
♥ Boo.

50. Do you know anyone in the military?
♥ Boo.

51. Number of pillows you sleep with?
♥ Boo.

52. Could you live without a computer?
♥ Boo.

53. What age were your parents when they got married?
♥ Boo.

54. Favorite flavor of ice cream?
♥ Boo.

55. Do u drive?
♥ Boo.

haha!

2008-05-10T03:51:00.000+08:00

Haha oh my.. I think this blog is dead! Let's hold a funeral =x..

hmm what to post what to post what to post.
Okay a quote!

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-Aristotle

I want my own private island!
Private Islands Online

=)

2008-04-25T09:30:00.001+08:00

Happy first anniversary DeAr!! =)
It's been one coOl month, innit?

=pP

Leaving.

2008-04-09T11:00:00.000+08:00

Once aGain, a song...

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go,
I'm sad but I ain't letting it show,
You're so beautiful, your eyes they seem to glow..
But dusk's arriving, it's almost sev'n,
Australia beckons, there beyond,
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry...

So kiss me and smile for me,
Tell me that you'll wait for me,
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again (eh actually i do..),
Oh babe, I hate to go.

There's so many times we've shared since then, (march 24th)
So many times I've held your hand,
Though those days were short, evr'y second's dear to me...
Every place I go, I'll think of you,
Every smile I smile, I'll smile for you,
When I come back, I'll be in your arms again...

So kiss me and smile for me,
Tell me that you'll wait for me,
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again,
Oh babe, I hate to go.

Now the time has come to say goodbye,
Four thousand miles, but please don't cry,
Close your eyes, I'll be on my way...
Dream about the days to come,
When I won't have to leave alone,
About the times when I won't have to say...

So kiss me and smile for me,
Tell me that you'll wait for me,
Hold me like you'll never let me go.

Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again,
Oh fung, I hate to go...

='(

Aire.

2008-04-04T13:23:00.000+08:00

Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air?

If I should die before I wake
It's 'cause you took my breath away
Losing you is like living in a world without no air, oh

I’m here alone, didn’t wanna leave
My heart won’t move, it’s incomplete
Is there an other way I can make you understand?

But how
Do you expect me, to live alone with just me?
‘Cause my world revolves around you
It’s so hard for me to breathe

Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air?
Can’t live, can’t breath with no air
That’s how I feel whenever you ain’t there
There’s no air, no air

Got me out here in the water so deep
Tell me how you gon’ be here without me?
If you ain’t here I just can’t breathe
There’s no air, no air
No air air, No air air

I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew
Right off the ground to float to you
There’s no gravity to hold me down, for real

But somehow I’m still alive inside
You took my breath but I survived
I don’t know how but I don’t even care

So how do you expect me to live alone with just me?
‘Cause my world revolves around you
It’s so hard for me to breathe

Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air?
Can’t live, can’t breathe with no air
That’s how I feel whenever ain’t there
There’s no air, no air

Got me here out in the water so deep
Tell me how you gon’ be here without me?
If you ain’t here I just can’t breathe
There’s no air, no air
No air air, No air air

Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air?
Can’t live, can’t breathe with no air
That’s how I feel whenever ain’t there
There’s no air, no air
Got me out here in the water so deep
Tell me how you gon’ be here without me?
If you ain’t here I just can’t breathe
There’s no air, no air
No air air, No air air

Got me here out in the water so deep

Tell me how you gon’ be here without me?

If you ain’t here I just can’t breathe

There’s no air, no air
No air air, No air air...

>.<

Mmm...

2008-04-03T05:21:00.000+08:00

Do memories help you or weigh you down?

Is it neccessary to revisit our past to be reminded of how far we've come and to learn to treasure what we have now?

How about all the hurt and pain that comes flooding back once you reopen the pages of history? Is it worth it?

Why not just hit 'Delete' and not give our memories any chance to take over our lives once again?

*shuts his eyes sadly and shuts the diary...

Corinthians

2008-04-03T02:36:00.000+08:00

Love is patient,
love is kind.

It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.

It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.

Well..
Hmm.

fUzzyyY!

2008-03-27T16:22:00.000+08:00

The night roads stretched far ahead, and he floored the gas, causing the car to lurch forward obediently.

At such an unearthly hour, other motorists were few and far between, and asphalt lay before like a yellow ocean beckoning him home.

His heart ached with insatiable longing, and all the mighty burdens of the day seemed to disappear with each second that passed until he could hold her in his arms once again.

He cranked up the radio; those cruel love songs streamed ceaselessly out, causing him to cringe with a little more sadness than just before...

"There we sat,
High above gentle waves,
Darkness all around,
and only her in my eyes..."

You mean the world to me, don't you know?

I love you. :)

BLOOD.

2008-03-17T14:56:00.000+08:00

Today I tried donating blood.
and HOLY CRAP it was painful.

Now I know why they need to send out alll those ads promoting blood donation so that more people will come. Its PAINFUL la.. They need to draw about 450ml of blood.. Which is like one Ice Mountain bottle of dark red liquid! Which you can see as it flows out of you in transparent plastic tubes!

They led me over to a reclined bed, and told me to stay still. The nurse saw my 'I am a first time donor' sticker on my shirt, and tried her best to smile at me.

The nurse went away for a while, and came back with this innocent-looking transparent white bag, and when her hand moved, I saw the needle! I didnt know they made needles that big! Whoalao it's almost like a pencil! Forget your BCG or Hep B or NS medical checkup or all that nonsense. This needle's at least 5 times that width! Because it's meant to draw out ur blood efficiently, and not merely inject stuff into you.. needs to have a good flOw...

I was shaking already. I tried to steady myself, and tensed up, when the nurse told me to relax. HOW TO RELAX SIA? ITS LIKE A METAL STRAW LEI. So I complied, my hand feeling totally weak.

I cringed as the unbearable pain shot through my arm when she pushed the needle in. then everything was numb, and the blood started flowing... its so cool. like dark red and all.. and it slowly fills up the white bag.. and you can see bubbles bouncing about as more blood from you fills the bag.. looked almost like wine..

At the end I felt faint.. my vision became 'grainy' and my hearing felt.. 'numbed'.. like only can hear 60% of the usual volume.. worse than when you've just been out of a hardcore rock concert.

Altogether I had 3 injections lor.. the first for blood test, second for anaesthisation, and the third for drawing the blood itself. The most painful is when they insert the thick needle into your flesh.. you can feel the metal piercing your human tissue.. it's like a very intense sharp pinch that twists your flesh left and right when it tunnels into your arm.

So after she took the needle out, they gave me a bandage. Mm. its a happy green colour with smiley faces on it. Well. Nice consolation. Oh the goodie bag also has a cap, sports water bottle, New Moon essence, tidbits, and mineral water.

Note:
Everything above is false!
Except for the goodie bag contents. That's true.
Blood donation is really painless.
Because they use a HUGE amount of anaesthetic.
I couldn't even feel it when the needle went in/came out.
Believe the advertisements!
Save a life! =)

2008-03-15T16:00:00.000+08:00

He sat at his study,
lit only by the dim yellow of the desk lamp.

Outside rang the crickets' unceasing song,
and the cool night that shrouded them all.

Scrolling through the tiny little words,
on that tiny little screen,
He stuttered as he drew a breath,
barely able to grasp the phone...

Angel, you know, at night, whenever you look up at the sky...
It's that very same night sky im gazing at, too...

Haha.

2008-03-14T05:09:00.000+08:00

Haha!
Itsy-bitsy green cake,
sitting on my lamp...
He looks like he's edible, but ac-tually he's not..
And Itsy-bitsy green cake,
still sitting on my lamp!

Hm I'm mad already. =)

2008-03-12T16:15:00.000+08:00

=((

RJC.

2008-03-12T16:00:00.000+08:00

"Ivy League Machine"

Competition.

2008-03-03T23:18:00.001+08:00

Lot.

2008-03-02T15:29:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, I look at other people's lives, and marvel at how different they are from mine.

Blogs are very vivid portraits of people, and you can tell a lot about a person from his/her blog. And once a person blogs, a little bit more of him/her becomes a public exhibit to the world. Yea.

ANYWAY.

And I compare my blog and their's, with all their grainy pictures of dark nightclubs, funny cool poses and other general cam-whoring.

And it strikes me at how, no matter how interesting I find their life is when compared to mine,

I'd never ever be like them.

Its not that I don't want to.

Its that I can't.

I can't do the things they do,

or say the words they say.

Ive got so much in my life to look after and tend to, things that are so different from what other people treasure.

Ive got a school to go to, loved ones to watch over, my future to protect, that doing anything not subservient to those ultimate goals seems so trivial and stupid.

Stupid, but tempting.

So I allow myself a few crazy stuff here and there,
and when I play I play kinda.. hard. Haa~.

But never as much as these people.
Never so much that it becomes a lifestyle.

So perhaps that's my lot in life,
that i'd always be the same, but different.
That i've been forced to grow up (so) fast that sometimes I want to be a child again.

And so I guess that's the title of today's post.
Actually most of this was written almost 6 months ago, but was only saved as a draft until now.

It was written when I met this girl from TP at a group survey, and checked out her blog, in which she talked on end about her happy-go-lucky life, clubbing practically everyday and hanging out with her many girlfriends every day. I felt a pull on my heart. Is it normal to live life like that? Must you do exactly the same things before others consider you to be cool? If you don't do that, will you automatically be seen as an average invisible nerd?

Recently also, I caught up with an ex-classmate of mine who went to SP's business IT course. Back in secondary school he was retained for one year in sec 3, and when i first met him we often fought alot, pushing each other over chairs and tables. But soon we became casual friends. He told me about his experiences here in poly.. Said he clubbed 6 times a week, was an ambassador for Nightlife.sg, had lotsa flings with many girls, and even has a police record for doing really stupid stuff while drunk. I compared what I had to what he had. We were like on two different planets. I wonder, does he envy what I have? In fact, do I envy what hE did?

And so I reflected on my own, reflected on where I've been, where I am, and where I am going. I wonder who I will still have beside me in 10 years' time. What will I say about myself at the next class reunion? Could it all boil down to what you want in life? You get what you wish for. It once again came to this zero-sum conclusion...

To each his own.

..
..
..
..

I think soon I will need to change myself. Self image. New clothes.
Change!

Paranormal.

2008-02-29T14:46:00.000+08:00

Not long ago I was rifling through some 200 year-old maps in a private library when I chanced upon this letter, from this ang moh lady who grew up in Singapore more than half a century ago, to the library's owner. All names changed! Amazing stuff!:

May 18, 1989

Dear Mr Lin Hong Joo,

Thank you very much indeed for sending me a copy of your book, Traditional Houses in Singapore. We are delighted to have it and I am so pleased that my [illegible]. My mother is the woman in white on p. 130 & 195, and my father is also just visible. My mother on p. 195 sits surrounded by furniture which I now have in my drawing room. On this page you can just see me in the [illegible] which took me to the excellent little school at the Tanglin Club grounds. We also had an Arrol Johnston car and I had a pony.

When showing me over Glencaird (name of her estate in Singapore) in 1985, Mrs Hudson told me that the house is haunted by the ghost of a woman in white, seen by many people over the years. I said in my day, I am sure there was no ghost. Mrs Hudson said one of her staff often heard a voice calling 'Jenny'. They had no previous knowledge that my name is Jenny!. When this Chinese woman brought in the [illegible], she copied this call and it sounded exactly like my mother calling me! I was ASTONISHED! Told them that if it were my mother's ghost, it must be a very happy ghost, as we were all so happy in Glencaird. I asked them to tell 'the voice' that I had come back, but that I was not able to stay.

Is it possible for me to buy two more copies of the book? I have also in a letter asked Mrs Lin about this. With many more thanks,

Yours Sincerely,
Jenny Benn

Tesla

2008-02-27T14:26:00.000+08:00

Inventor Tesla's 'sensational' statement in an article for a magazine, in 1908:

"As soon as completed, it will be possible for a business man in New York to dictate instructions, and have them instantly appear in type at his office in London or elsewhere. He will be able to call up, from his desk, and talk to any telephone subscriber on the globe, without any change whatever in the existing equipment. An inexpensive instrument, not bigger than a watch, will enable its bearer to hear anywhere, on sea or land, music or song, the speech of a political leader, the address of an eminent man of science, or the sermon of an eloquent clergyman, delivered in some other place, however distant. In the same manner any picture, character, drawing, or print can be transferred from one to another place. Millions of such instruments can be operated from but one plant of this kind. More important than all of this, however, will be the transmission of power, without wires, which will be shown on a scale large enough to carry conviction."

Ooh. Prophetic!

...

2008-02-27T14:25:00.000+08:00

These two years, I have been working extra hard, because something happened back in the first year that motivated me to push myself here in school.

So now I'm sitting on a very very good 3-year run here in academia, and a biological age 30 years older than my body wishes it to be. I don't disagree when anyone says, I'm in bad shape...

So now I must get it all back!

Now that school's over, I shall resolve to eXeRcIsE and eat healthy!!

Okay of course I'll still allow that occasional sinful indulgence....

Waha.

YOG

2008-02-23T02:00:00.000+08:00

All websites of each YOG 2010 candidate city!

Singapore!

Moscow

Bangkok

Athens

Debrecen, Poland

Everytime.

2008-02-15T15:50:00.000+08:00

It was 3a.m. when you woke me up
And we jumped in the car and drove as far as we could go
Just to get away
We talked about our lives
Until the sun came up
And now I'm thinking about
How I wish I could go back
Just for one more day
One more day with you

Everytime I see your face
Everytime you look my way
It's like it all falls into place
Everything feels right
Ever since you walked away
You left my life in disarray
All I want is one more day
It's all I need: one more day with you

When the car broke down
We just kept walkin along
Til we hit this town
There was nothing there at all
But that was all okay
We spent all our money on stupid things
But if I looked back now, I'd probably give it all away
Just for one more day
One more day with you

Everytime I see your face
Everytime you look my way
It's like it all falls into place
Everything feels right
But ever since you walked away
You left my life in disarray
All I want is one more day
It's all I need: one more day with you

Now I'm sittin here, like we used to do
I think about my life and how now there's nothing I won't do
Just for one more day
One more day with you

Everytime I see your face
Everytime you look my way
It's like it all falls into place
Everything feels right (Everything feels right)
Everytime I hear your name
Everytime I feel the same
It's like it all falls into place
Everything feels right

You walked away
Just one more day
It's all I need, just one more day with you...

Hahahahahahahah.

2008-01-15T11:54:00.000+08:00

http://sophisticated-boutique.blogspot.com

cLoNiNg issues aside, why is EVERY post-JC girl trying to run an online clothes shop?

2008-01-14T12:34:00.000+08:00

... Iaru-re looked at her with a forlorn gaze that feigned aloofness, when in fact he didn't want his unfettered feelings to show. Emotion makes a man weak. Her enchanting smile, her sparkling eyes, the spring in her step, the way the many wisps of obsidian hair fell clumsily over her face..

knowing that never in a thousand blue moons could he have her heart.

But his heart did not weep, knowing that at least they could remain friends,

...that this love need not be one that controls and binds, but one that sets free.

Iaru-re. Hm. What nice prose.

"The answer lies with a patient eye for recent history, and a quarantine upon empty English."

Archimad

2008-01-06T11:48:00.000+08:00

I think I know why many architects have happy families.

When I spend your whole day designing buildings, what many architects truly desire is to come home to a warm home and a love wife/girlfriend/bolster.

Okay maybe not that last one.

Ha.

ARSO

2007-12-30T06:59:00.000+08:00

Authority for the Re-alignment of Senile Opinion (ARSO)[Ah-Soh]

Department of the Police Force

Mission

"To pre-empt, suppress and eradicate extremism of opinion amongst adult individuals, male and female, over the age of 50. Aforementioned individuals express opinions that reflect the onset of senility due to old age, out-datedness in thinking, extreme propositions, overt conservatism, or antisocial religious fervour."

Vision

"To nurture and sustain a society which promotes healthy debate exclusive to fresh-minded, passionate, open-minded youth or young-at-heart, in order to advance Humanity's twin growth-engines of Arts and Sciences."

Examples of individuals or organisations to be 're-educated':

-Individuals or organisations who condemn films like The Da Vinci Code or The Golden Compass.
-Individuals who propose the banning of violent video games.
-People who practice any religion full time, without any personal connection to mainstream society.
-People who believe their own opinion is sovereign and should be enforced upon everyone else without question.
-Adult men who think they're always right about everything from matters of state or matters of business, based on obselete 'experience'.
-People who debate by mocking the other team's 'stupidity' of 'foolishness' by going 'ha ha ha', without any valid counter-argument given for such an outburst.

... got this from somewhere o_0

Encyclopeadia

2007-12-29T12:41:00.000+08:00

"Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge."

— J.Wales, Founder of Wikipedia

QDL

2007-11-05T06:10:00.000+08:00

Praise God!!!
After 19 AGONISING years of waiting, I CAN FINALLY DRIVE!

I remember myself as a little boy of 7 years, sitting in the driver's seat of my dad's Honda, pushing the gear shift around and turning the steering wheel left and right until it was locked tight. It seemed like forever until I could have the chance to drive the damn thing. BUT NOW I CAN FINALLY DRIVE!

Last Friday was my test. I was a nervous wreck, sitting in a corner seat of the waiting area at Admin Services and waiting for my test. But by the time it started, all my nervousness had already been 'worried away', and I practically drove like a robot. Praise God!

My tester was this middle aged guy with a really, really black face that resembled the Moon's surface. He had a loud voice and never smiled. The test was quite interesting la. There were preset test routes, but he went and screwed up the whole thing, resulting in a much shorter road test. I didnt even do E brake and U turn!

I ended up scoring 8 demerit points. I think he anyhow tick one la. I got 4 during parking for turning the wheel while the vehicle was stationary, and another 4 for failing to check blindspot. Walao. Anyhow one lor. I made sure I checked lor.

So that night, I got the chance to drive my dad's car! With him as front passenger, I drove from tampines to orchard. Damn fun la. LOL. the bigger Mazda is much, much more comfy than the small Toyota Vios i learned in. I felt like I was floating on water la.

I guess the best advice I can offer to testees is to always be calm, remember what you've learnt, and be respectful of the tester.

Most importantly, just like a job interview, you must give a good impression. Do you LOOK/dress like someone worthy of driving a machine capable of killing people? Or do you look like someone who will langgar the car the next day or try to drag race the next ah beng driver you see?

Looking back, the huge amount of money I spent for the organised school lessons (about 2k+) was kinda worth it, even though it cost almost twice as much as a private instructor. The advantage of school is that the test routes are drilled solid into you, and you get to use the circuit every lesson, so you know about any stupid surprise turns the tester may order you to do. The chances of passing the first time are much much higher.

It's really dumb how in places like Australia and USA, and even Malaysia, its so easy for any 18 year old to pass the test and own a mei, while in Singapore, the long road to a licence is only the beginning. Prohibitively high vehicle prices are the next hurdle... Goodness.

... Now to beg my dad for a car. 15 year old Honda sedan costs 14k lei...

WANNA... GO... FAST... FAST....

So what is my dream car?

This is:

Holden EFIJY
6 litre V8 engine

Imagine arriving at a hotel ballroom dance in THAT.

Muahaha

WHEELS ARE BETTER THAN LEGS!!

Newbie.

2007-10-07T13:33:00.000+08:00

Today I was taking the train to the Expo.

On it were two caucasian tourists heading to the airport.

And I must say.

I love tourists!

I wish I could start a tourism centre and tell tourists about Singapore. Or go on exchanges with people from other countries.

I'm so curious. My ears perk up, my eyes rivet onto them, whenever I see tourists!

If they're more well educated and widely travelled, would they be thinking, 'Hm, this iS a beautiful place. But it's so hot! Damn. And heh.. they may have all the creature comforts of the Western world, but deep beneath the thin pretty facade is a society which is without free speech, a society that still believes in the cane, a society which censors its movies, and suppresses public demonstrations. This mAy be a first-world environment, but it is also a Third World society. In other words, un-American.'

I think this is simply jealousy, that a tiny Asian country can rival the almighty Western civilisation, and magically convert everyone to English, no?

Or if they're Chinese mainlanders or from a less well-off country, would they be thinking, 'WOW! What a beautiful, organised place! And it's full of Chinese! I think China should really learn from here. Singapore is like a vision of China's bright future.'

In fact, this is true, as many Chinese students go overseas to study, then return to China to contribute to their motherland, which means that they take what they learnt from overseas and try to make China equal the country they experienced. (and then there are others who don't, which is the famous, much-reported Chinese brain drain.)

I know of a Malaysian who got a scholarship to study engineering in NUS. Growing up in a suburban area, nature was always close by, and once forced to live out of a high-rise apartment, and stressed by school's workload, he had a breakdown and discontinued his studies to return to Malaysia.

Interesting, huh? How we are used to HDB flats and high-rises, our 'meat', which is 'poison' to another, who has a breakdown simply by living in a flat.

I am soo curious about these things, because I am a tourist myself. When I travel to a foreign land, my eyes are wide open... Every little detail about daily life in a place so distant from home, thousands of miles away, they all interest me. It's the sheer beauty and awesome-ness in realising that humanity is united by countless similarities, while remaining unique to their place of dominion.

Man, I love travelling.

Moneh.

2007-10-01T14:35:00.000+08:00

Today I read about some shipping magnate who has hundreds of millions of dollars.

He said this:
"Wealth is only one way of measuring people. It is not the corret or best way of benchmarking people as there are many other things that should be considered."

In other words, money is not everything.

Well, easy for him to say. He has so much money he doesnt know what to do with it.

I believe that to be truly able to say 'money is not everything', you have to first be wealthy.

Poor people shouldn't turn up their noses and declare what they lack to simply be 'of no value', and that other intangible stuff like family and health and happiness supercede money. They may be, I'd say, but poor people have absolutely no authority to declare that.

The truth is, you must first be able to say 'been there, done that', before you can diss something.

Just like the way an ex-smoker can convince smokers to quit smoking better than some loud-mouthed health-nut blowhard,

Only people who aRe rich, or wEre rich, should be given the right to say, 'money is not everything.'

Because if those words come out of a poor person's mouth, it means nothing. Its rubbish. How is some loser who has never been rich, who doesnt know how to handle wealth and it's responsibilities, able to criticise money?

I'd never say that, because my own finances are still ridiculous. Until the day I become rich, and then I can be all high and mighty and say that MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING. Why? Because then i'd have proven that I have the ability to master the world's greatest evil/need. Only then can I say that i am complete.

So what's poor?

Poor is when you earn less than $10,000 a month.
When Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Starbucks are considered luxuries, and when a dinner at Jack's Place is only a monthly affair.

Average is when you pull in $10,000 to $50,000 a month.
When home is a condo, and the car's a decent-sized Mercedes, and your 3 children can all afford to go overseas to study without borrowing from a bank.

Rich is anything above.
When finances don't matter anymore, because the bank account grows so fast you can't keep track of the number of zeroes you have.

Please fully understand my words before trying to counsel me.

^_^

How.

2007-09-12T14:17:00.000+08:00

They say pens are mightier than swords.

So, how,
how does one tame the written word to do his bidding,
such that, with only the flourish of a pen, he can command, console, convince, defend, and inspire.

or, on the flipside, disarm, desecrate, destroy, intimidate, and offend?

^_^

Meaning.

2007-09-09T14:20:00.000+08:00

Have you ever reflected on your life, and wondered.
Wondered where you are going?
Wondered about how we Singaporean students are all mindless automatons, going through tests and exams, routines and motions, without any purpose in life but to work like shit until you die?
Where is the meaning, you say? I get a job, get a family, go to work everyday, go on a short holiday every once in a while, rinse and repeat.

Well, I am quite happy with my own answer.

3 years ago, with (kinda) stellar 'O' Level results, I decided to risk it all and apply to SP's Architecture course.
Why?
-because I hate exams.
-because I hate studying.
-because I hate Chinese.
-because I love to make and draw stuff.

I never once regret my decision, and aim to continue in this profession with a degree.

Why? What makes an architect special?
They go to work everyday, work like shit, and come home late and tired.

But architects can do something other professions cant - they can create on a scale much larger than any other. They create and influence society, and human life.

What is your life defined by? how is it unique?
Memories. Experiences. Acquaintances?

In today's urbanised world, unless you're in Africa or something, 90% of your life will play out in the creation of an architect.

The school whose walls you vandalised.
The buildings that whiz by the MRT train you're in.
The Starbucks and cinemas, where you often hang out with your friends.
The garden pavilion where you cuddled with your first girlfriend on a date.
The stadium where Rain held his concert in, where you and your girlfriends went mad screaming.
The dark nightclub you first clubbed in, desperately trying to look 'cool' in front of your chiongster friends.
The church in which you cried, and tried to hide it because your friend was standing beside you.
The office you had your first job interview in.
The hospital in which your first baby was born.
The spartan HDB flat you and your newlywed husband first moved into.
The department store your little baby boy got lost in.
The ...

Architects draw receptacles for human life, and a builder then carries out his orders.

In a city, buildings are where entire lives play out in, where memories and experiences belong.

So yes, that's the wonderful part. For me.
At the end of the day, after all that terrible hard work drawing plans after plans, It makes me happy to know..

Somewhere, in one of my creations,
a birth is celebrated,
a life goes through its motions,
and a death marks the passing of yet another fragile human soul,

Cheers! ^_^

Pearl Harbour

2007-08-02T18:55:00.000+08:00

On the 7th of December, 1941, the USA was brought to its knees by a surprise attack.

But it was no surprise. The Japanese were rampaging all over Asia. It was predictable, almost inevitable.

The Americans were caught with their pants down.

5 battleships, 1 minelayer, 3 destroyers.
188 aircraft.
4,000 servicemen.
Lost.

But at the end of that attack, Fleet Admiral Yamamoto said, 'we have just awoken a sleeping giant'.

How true.

As a result of that action, the USA's people united for war, and its weapons wreaked havoc on Japanese soil, decimating 64 of Japan's cities and culminating in history's only use of atomic bombs in warfare, killing almost 200,000 Japanese and ending the war.

When you compare the US retaliation to Japan's initial victories, Japanese losses pale in comparison to the US'.

Japan then came under US occupation, and it would be decades before they would recover and regain some measure of independence.

Now, 68 years later, times, names, scales and places have changed, but history is, of course, replaying itself.

Miss.

2007-07-09T04:43:00.000+08:00

Larh.

I miss my work attachment in Hong Kong.

Over there, we really lived it up.

Yes, we worked hard, and came home tired everyday.

But our holidays were genuine holidays, as no work could be taken out of the office.

We looked forward to every weekend, planning in advance all the fun we would have.

We explored old Hong Kong streets and saw all the weird stuff on sale there.

We shopped and shopped, creating (AND fulfilling) enormous shopping lists, spending almost $200 every weekend, all from our salary! And whenever we were tired, we would kick back in the nearest coffee house, sipping coffee and watching all the crazy Hong Kong youth go by.

We explored the area around our office during our flexible and long lunch breaks, sampling quite a lot of Hong Kong food, even finding a laksa stall selling Singapore laksa! (it wasnt that good though)

When Chinese New Year came around, we all went up to Shenzhen to meet our classmates and stay for 3 nights. While there, we trudged throuh pitch-dark streets, watching as locals fired off fireworks bought from street vendors, mesmerised as the shimmering streaks of light coursed into still night, exploding with a vengeful thunder. Never had we been so close to real fireworks. In Singapore, those lame people actually queue 4 hours at Marina Bay just to see some lame fireworks show. Here, you can BUY them for like two dollars a pop -_-.

We also laughed when some fools trying to launch fireworks from their balcony accidently set off a small explosion, right there on the balcony! We heard ambulance sirens a few minutes later.

When our classmates in Shenzhen came down, we spent a day in Hong Kong's Ocean Park. It was not peak period, so the rides had very short queues. It was my first time riding a somersaulting roller coaster! And we took this ride that lifted us up almost 30m into the air before dropping us at freefall! AND we got to see live jellyfish! oh man that was so much fun.

When we went up to Shenzhen another time, we all crashed in their posh company-rented condominiums, watching movies till 3am, playing pranks on each other and having midnight feasts of insanely cheap Chinese street BBQ snacks.

And then it was goodbye. I don't miss the work (haha), but I sure miss the fun we had in a foreign city.

On the flight back to Singapore, my lugugage EXCEEDED the 20kg weight limit by 12kg (!!), while i had to check in ANOTHER bag full of stuff because they said my hand carry lugguage was way too big to bring on board the plane -_-.

There is a time for everything, and work should be purely work, while play should be purely play.

In Singapore, and even in most modern societies today, there is no more leisure time. Everyone works. Bah.

Mightier the Pen

2007-07-08T16:12:00.000+08:00

Out of all the songs I have heard and sang, there is one that still sticks in my head, whose words (once) made me cry and my skin tingle, whenever I encounter it.

It is written in (kinda) outdated English, but contains some very powerful lyrics, unlike the pathetically trivial songs of today.

It's the school song of St. Andrew's, fung when I was a student in primary school, and for 3 months, in JC.

Lives are in the making here,
Hearts are in the waking here,
Mighty undertaking here,
Up and On!

We are arming for the fight,
Pressing on with all our might,
Pluming wings for higher flight,
Up and On!

(CHORUS)

Fair before us lies the way,
Time for work and time for play;
Fill the measure while we may,
Up and On!

Life and time will not delay,
Time is running fast away,
Life is now today, today,
Up and On!

(CHORUS)

Foes in plenty we shall meet,
Hearts courageous scorn defeat;
So we press with eager feet,
Up and On!

Ever onward to the fight,
Ever upward to the Light,
Ever true to GOD and RIGHT,
Up and On!

CHORUS
Up Boys! truest fame
Lies in high endeavour;
Play the game! Keep the flame
Burning brightly ever!

Truly, there is no other composition more capable of exhorting and uplifting a faltering student more than this song.

Look at the lyrics. They are written specifically for a student on the threshold of adulthood, exploring and searching for the meaning of life.
Amongst them lie these doctrines and truths, in order:

-Education awakens the mind and soul, and knowledge is the key to life.

-Life is a constant battle, and we need education to prepare us for it.

-Do not underestimate what you learn in school - it is the culmination of humanity's achievement up until our present day, being imparted to you.

-We've got our whole life ahead of us - use our time wisely; work and play, but do it all for an ultimate purpose.

-Never waste your time; it is impossible to regain.

-Do not be afraid of failure. Though others may mock you, keep your pace and press on towards your goal.

-Ultimately, be righteous and let God lead - He'll carry you through the battle of life.

-"Truest fame lies in high endeavour" - success will entail hard work, and people who would be famous in life take on challenges that no one else dared to.

-"Keep the flame burning brightly ever" - you are heir to a heritage passed on from generation to generation, and every alumni is responsible for receiving this 'flame', adding on to it with his lifetime's works, and then passing it on to future generations.

Run the race, keep the pace. Such is how you should lead your life.

...

2007-05-28T00:43:00.000+08:00

Distraction in perpetuality becomes lifestyle.

Why?

2007-05-07T07:24:00.000+08:00

Why do people want to live big, long lives?

So they can do something great, make an impact on society, have a large family and a big house?

Why can't they do it now instead?

That way, if anything happens to them now, their life won't be wasted.

In other words, don't procrastinate.

Grace.

2007-05-07T03:26:00.000+08:00

Out of her emanates the aura of a bygone time, this certain tenacity against the rejection of the past, and cynicism for corrupt world we inhabit. She carries herself with poise and grace that belies her size and age, and an extreme resistance to change, the responsibilities of a leader concealing the scared, innocent little girl who is searching for answers to life and love.

Architects must...

2007-04-30T04:58:00.000+08:00

Create like a God,
Command like a king,
Work like a slave.

... From my lecture notes.

Balik Kampung

2007-04-16T11:47:00.000+08:00

Back, safe, sound, and happy.

With almost 40kg of lugguage.

Wa.

Sheeeeet la.

Singapore is HOT la.

That's an understatement.

Can we tow our island to beside HK, please?

=/

Born a Singaporean, always a Singaporean.

2007-04-06T16:27:00.000+08:00

I've seen people spitting on floors within air-conditioned underground subway platforms, talking excessively loud in first class train carriages, clearing mucus from one's nose, and then flinging from finger to ground, and many, many more mortifying behaviours. (UPDATE: 2 more things i saw: a middle-aged man peeing on the road with his disgusting 'free willy', and people eating out of dustbins. I heard that some people plant the food there and eat it to gain the pity of passer-bys.)

The built environment in China may rival that of a developed country, with its flashy steel and glass, marble and granite. But the people are what matters, and nope, culture and refinement in mainland China is not just decades, but centuries behind the rest of the world. People who grow up in villages retain their behaviours even in cities, and it will be generations before 'social development' in China catches up with the West.

We Singaporeans, we are a distinguished bunch. We don't all realise it, but compared to a large chunk of Asia, we are far more privileged, and much more refined than many an Asian. Although many of us complain about 'oppresive' (rubbish) censorship and so-called 'stifling', we do not realise that this control has led to a prosperous, polished standard of life and discipline; habits and values which will go with us everywhere around the world, and keeps us ahead of those who are not yet taught at our level. It has earned the respect of the world, a privilege that we would not now enjoy had our government not been in charge for 40 straight years. 'Sold our soul for the world', you say? Well, if 'having a soul' means enduring a life of worry and crisis, then it is a surely erroneous definition.

No matter where we settle down in our later years, no matter which green pasture tempts us to pack up and leave, Home, with a capital 'H', will always be a little red dot, with its unmistakable streets of polish and politeness, with authority that actually has control over its charges. Freedom is found in self-expression, and not in the fostering of rebellious tendencies against all and any form of authority.

Camwh_re

2007-04-02T12:30:00.000+08:00

What do two interns in Hong Kong do on weekends?

RETAIL THERAPY!
Duh.

Twisted Obsession

2007-03-25T15:28:00.000+08:00

NO ONE TOUCHY MY BWEEL-DING!!!
NO ONE!!!

RAH.

Life, all of it.

2007-03-23T15:09:00.000+08:00

'How should you lead your life?'
- An exercise in nonsense by Me.

Firstly, know the answer to life's 3 big questions: where you are from, what you are supposed to do, and where are you going. And this is the most important. A life without purpose is pointless, and you're better off dead.

Secondly, find joy in the small things. It is hard to be satisfied, simply because satisfaction is perfection, and sustained perfection is unattainable. Be happy in the little things, the way things are, in every little luxury of life.

Thirdly, don't be distracted. TV is the worst distraction possible. So is the general habit of slacking. So is anything that cannot help you in any way. Distractions steal your time, and time is something which doesn't take very long to disappear.

Fourth, have a role model. Nearly every great figure had people they themselves looked up to, and respected. Be like that, never forgetting that person's achievements. Yet, stand on his or her shoulders, and carve out that niche in society which you can call yours, and which will be your lot until the day you die.

Fifth, have a role model, but stay true to yourself. Most of us begin work at the bottom of the career food chain. We take orders from our superiors, who assign us tasks. True, you must complete that task, and that is the basic requirement. But in every task, let your personality show. Remember, your value to society is your uniqueness. True, you must be conform to a set of rules. Move within those boundaries, seeking to push them further and further out. Alas, never break them, or you'll be confined to an even smaller box of rules.

Sixth, always be observant. Keep your eyes and ears wide open, and never stop learning, even when you're more experienced than those around you. do not despise a rookie, because there is always something you can learn from someone, no matter what both of your positions are.

Seventh, keep your actions wise, and be wary of the consequences. the past is a ghost that haunts everyone, a haunting that increases with every passing moment, as the sands of time trickle past that thin line called the present. Things that you do will someday return to affect you. If you have done wrong, those wrongs will one day hinder your flight.

Eight, trust, but don't trust wholeheartedly. Give yourself a fallback plan, and expect anyone and everyone to fail you. Do not put your faith in the material, whether breathing or inanimate. Everything around you will one day meet its end, and the only things which cannot betray you are things which you cannot see. (think about that.)

Ninth, be afraid of failure, but don't make it your worst enemy. Everyone who sets out to achieve their dream will encounter failure. Yes, be afraid of it, and let that fear be your motivation for doing well. Never be defeated by failure, but instead, let it be your friend, always pluming your wings for higher flight.

Lastly, break all of the above rules every now and then. No one likes boredom, which is why good girls sometimes fall for bad boys. It is human to want highs and lows in your life, and that respite has to be your own doing.

...

If you desire for life to be perfect, then convert every day into a routine that cannot go wrong. And don't marry. If you are someone who dislikes surprises, then sharing your life with another human being is that worst thing you can do to yourself. Seen how bachelors live? Their life is (mostly) perfect, a rehearsed clockwork of chores, work, and bodily functions, designed to reduce loss of time.

Trust me, I know one.

...

oh, and p.s.
PERSECUTE ALL EMO PEOPLE!!!
yes yes, emo's cool and all, but those who are emo (or claim to be) either are just weak and plain pathetic, or seek attention from others. Plese avoid them at all costs. Either that, or beat them down.

=)

...
Waha..

Enough idealism for today? =p

Like a racing rat.

2007-03-15T12:48:00.000+08:00

When it feels like playtime is gone for good, and you're on fast-forward to life's end.

Switchfoot - This Is Your Life

yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead
yesterday is a promise that you've broken
don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes
this is your life and today is all you've got now
yeah, and today is all you'll ever have
don't close your eyes
don't close your eyes

this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be
when the world was younger and you had everything to lose

yesterday is a kid in the corner
yesterday is dead and over

this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be
when the world was younger and you had everything to lose

don't close your eyes
don't close your eyes
don't close your eyes
don't close your eyes

this is your life are you who you want to be
this is your life are you who you want to be

this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, is it everything you dreamed it would be
when the world was younger and you had everything to lose

and you had everything to lose

Luckily, now I'm only having a sneak preview -_-

Wan with Hong Kong

2007-03-11T18:00:00.000+08:00

What architecture does to you.

Seat of Long Hours

2007-03-10T15:56:00.000+08:00

My desk. Woohoo. And one of the books of the company's library. And the Dell workstation I stare at everyday. And the weird 'unfinished look' interior decor of the office.

By the way, that's a damn comfortable leather chair =p

Truth?

2007-03-06T13:45:00.000+08:00

Superiority is about control, not abstinence.

Drug

2007-03-05T02:30:00.000+08:00

For some, it will be a hobby.
For some, it will be gluttony (haha).
For some, it will be people, the medicine of laughter that eases one's mind.
For others, it will be music, either in the sanctuary of home, or in the anonymous darkness of a club.
For yet others, it will be sex, fleeting pleasures of physical contact.

These things are temporary, all a drug to fill in that missing portion of the soul that is beyond the natural.

then again, if you do it often enough, this distraction won't be temporary at all, won't it?

When you get your serious first job, and realise that that's how you're probably gonna spend the rest of your life, all your world comes crashing down, and you are desperate to find an avenue to balance against the monotony of work. More often than not, you'd turn to those things named above.

At the end, just don't say...

Sorry, God, for not fulfilling my purpose. I was too busy trying to conquer the world for myself.

EVEN BETTER...

2007-02-27T15:22:00.000+08:00

On Sunday, I ate at a Chinese restaurant.

Today, on MONDAY, it was the company's 4TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION DINNER!!!

And we had INTERNATIONAL BUFFET at CONRAD HOTEL!!!

(bah, i look round in this pic)

Just what did we eat?

In small portions each, and amongst other foods:

BBQ Chicken Wings
BBQ Lamb Chops
BBQ Mini Hamburger
BBQ Prawns
BBQ Chicken Sausage

Roast Beef
Sirloin Steak
Salmon Pastry

Fried Rice
Fried Noodles

Chicken Curry
Thai Green Chicken Curry
Thai Pandan Chicken

Crackers

Assorted Sashimi (swordfish, salmon, etc.)
Fried Fish in Dill Sauce
Fried Fish Fillet
Steamed Garoupa

Mushrooms in sauce
Roast Potatoes
Oyster
Fried Mussels

Cold Prawns
Prawn Kebabs
Tempura Prawns

Cold Crayfish
Lobster in Tomato Sauce (these 2 were both served cut in half)

Suckling Pig
Roast Duck

Assorted Sushi (california maki, egg sushi, salmon belly, etc.)

Cauliflower Soup

Assorted Desserts (including walnut chocolate cake, tiramisu cake, chocolate mousse)
Chocolate Fondue: Grapes, Strawberries and Marshmallows

and...

White Wine and ice water =p

TOTAL COST OF HAPPINESS: FREAKING FREE.

and YES, WE ATE ALL THOSE THINGS MENTIONED!!

the buffet still got stuff like souffle, ice cream, fruits, bread, ham, etc etc etc. I was too damn full to eat! argh!

See, the best things in life are FREE!! =)))

Food for thought!

2007-02-26T11:57:00.000+08:00

What do two hungry boys eat on a Sunday afternoon?

Here's what.. =p

Before:

2 Plates of Rice, Roast Pork, Roast Duck, Leafy Green Veggies
2 Bowls of Carrot and Steamed Pork Soup
1 Damn Big Plate of Char Siew

Mustard
Plum Sauce
Chilli Oil (found at every hk restaurant)
Pepper
Chicken-rice-sauce thingy (haha)

Ice Milk Tea
Ice Lemon Tea

THE COST OF HAPPINESS: HKD 131 (SGD 26)

After:

Bah. This is still very common food. We should try something more exotic. Bah.

And this is a normal day's breakfast, at our hostel's restaurant...

Ivan's having...

Porridge
Glutinuous rice and chicken wrapped in lotus leaf
Chinese Tea
Angmoh Tea

I am having...

Buttered Toast
Scrambled eggs, steak, cucumber, tomatoes
Chinese Tea
Angmoh Tea
Apple Juice

Total Cost: HKD 25 (SGD 5)
Damn cheap right? haha.. We are hostel guests ma...

Haha! HK food rocks!

All the way from shenzhen!...

2007-02-18T22:09:00.000+08:00

8 days away from home, away from family, from the wonderful country i grew up in.

Now I know how they feel.

There is nothing like home.

Nothing like coming home to loved ones every night, to the tree-lined alleyways, crazy local people, and the equally crazy local food, all the while never worrying much about whether your wallet will mystically disappear on the way home.

These 9 weeks will be the longest time Ive been overseas, my first trip without a supervising adult, my 4th time in hong kong, and the first real job I have.
This is the cny break, the first time in my life that i missed the reunion dinner, and the first time i am not receiving hongbaos in this break. ba.

A lot of firsts, eh?

Yes, hong kong is a truly amazing place. Over here, you can never run out of nice places to eat, and excuses to part with your hard-earned money. BUT see...

Every morning, me n my classmate leave the hostel. We get our daily dose of carbon monoxide, from the busy main road beside, and all the zng-ed japanese cars that roar past. at the same time, we have to dodge enormous piles of doggie poo littered along our street, where dog owners love to walk their dogs on. damn dangerous la! the bigger the dog, the more the shit, and hk has VERY BIG DOGS. like a PONY kinda big. If I didnt weigh as much as an elephant, id probably jump on those giant dogs and shout YEEEEEE---HAAAAARR....

Okay, then we reach work, which is quite decently at the 29th floor of a downtown office building. oh man, 3/4 of the people smoke! they all do it at the pantry, which leaves a smoke-tinged 'aroma' in the entire office!

Right, end of day, we have to take the train and then walk. hk is full of street food vendors, narrow streets, and grossly overcrowded urban areas, which make for a terrible, terrible combination. wth la. we get to sample the refreshing aroma of raw pig intestines, rottng flowers (cny ma), smelly sewers, smokers of all ages, bad mainland Chinese breath, burps, farts, and the omnipresent dog shit and car exhaust.

Ive spent the chinese new year break in nearby shenzhen, a chinese city in which 4 of my classmates are working. They stay in pretty posh condos, much better than my crummy hk hostel room. at least I dont have to do the dishes/wash my own clothes =p. Must pay for laundry tho. bleh.

Wow. okay, a little history. Shenzhen is a relatively new city, a Special Economic Zone, set up by Deng Xiao Ping. Its one of the most prosperous cities in China, as it was set up specially to trade with hk. the good thing is, compared to hk, it has very wide streets, and is much, much less polluted. but aiyo, the people here are absolutely uncultured country bumpkins, compared to the worldy-wise hong-kongers.

No matter where I go, nothing can really replace Singapore. When you've stayed in one place all your life, you begin to take it for granted. Really, the only bad thing about singapore is the humid weather. The shops in singapore are wonderfully planned and organised into shopping centres, with a reasonable range of goods and cool stuff.

True, HK has a staggering amount of shops, but who the heck really wants to spend all their waking hours buying clothes? You can always spend a week here and buy all you need. Materialism and elitism, you say? well, try working in hk for a week, and you'll learn to appreciate how singaporeans at least HAVE A FRICKING LIFE. The people here work at least until 9+pm every day! The shops don't close on cny (most la)! No wonder so many of them smoke and turn to drugs. Walao, the city is already so polluted. Smoke summore, you probably wont live to see your children start schooling -_-

Really, I love, love, love Singapore. I haven't found a place more healthy, more enjoyable, where freedom does not mean anarchy. =p

Money or life? HK = money, Shenzhen = life. Singapore = both. :)

I once read somewhere that HK is the best place for shopping, Taiwan is the best place to work, and Singapore is the best place to live. I think it's true =)

Seeya Singapore!

2007-02-09T14:14:00.000+08:00

Haha...

Hong Kong
10th February - 15th April 2007
Work Attachment
John and Ivan

Woohoo~!

Insult and Friendship

2007-02-03T06:00:00.000+08:00

Insult

The most deprecating insult to an enemy is for you to become him. Achieve his dreams before he does, do his impossible. This effectively steals his soul, and his social identity. In a first world country, you cannot kill the body, but you can definitely attack the soul.

In addition, you can also prove his ideals and preachings wrong. The ability to possess and preach an opinion is a mark of mental maturity. If those opinions can be toppled, an enemy is nothing more than a child in need of your reprimand and correction.

So prove me wrong, if it is your interest =p

Friendship

Friendship is a good thing, it fulfills the social needs of the human soul. Friends can help you in times of need. To feign friendship or loyalty is wrong. Like all mortal things, you can trust friends, just not completely. They are just like you, human.

Place your dependance in a power higher than people or yourself (ever heard the saying: believe in yourself?), because a time of such need will inevitably arrive, when you are beyond natural help.

RK House - NO PORK!!!

2007-02-03T05:40:00.000+08:00

It is undeniable that the video is side-splittingly funny, and intended to entertain. Much like racist jokes that are so commonly told over lunch, in schools and offices, it is an exposure of the unseen sentiments in our society. Just like the Shetty controversy in the UK or Borat in the USA, these 'exposes' are both funny, yet serious. With their mass appeal, they create awareness of racism or segregation within society that no government campaign can achieve.

Which do you prefer, hypocrisy or openness? Where is that line between funny and insensitive drawn? The theme of that video was not to ridicule Muslim practices, but to highlight the poor pronunciation of the food assistant, like the antagonist mentioned.

True buddies are not afraid to point out each other's faults bluntly, whether jokingly or seriously, and yet still remain the best of friends after the correction.

Woo~, I talk alot, don't I?

Grace Quek: An Article

2007-01-20T13:18:00.000+08:00

As yet, reading this article, words absolutely elude me, and I can but highlight a paragraph!

The Annabel Chong Story

"Ostensibly, Grace Quek wanted to prove that women could be 'studs' like men and to have sex without suffering the consequences. What she really meant was that she wanted to exorcise her personal demons through a medium, which ends up devouring her instead. Her lesson seems to be that, due to social and biological impediments, women might not be in a position to have consequence-free sex. Men have a little more leeway than women do in this area. But even they cannot indulge excessively without nature eventually knocking on their door. Just ask Marquise de Sade, Pier Paolo Pasolini, thousands of gay men, Marco Vassi and John Holmes."

So much for empowered feminism?
So much for empowered feminism.
Saith the little girl who wanted to rebel against Singapore's stricture, and change the world.
Hmm.

Liars and deceivers, or just human?

2007-01-17T13:20:00.000+08:00

These 3 individuals have interested me recently. All are pastors of very large and powerful churches (rather, were). All suffered scandals, and all were once mercilessly attacked by US media and the public.

Jim Bakker

-Built a now defunct Christian-theme park called Heritage USA in the 1980s that was once the 3rd most visited theme park in USA, receiving 6 million visitors a year and competing with the likes of Disneyland. Bakker was soon to be indicted on federal charges of fraud, tax evasion, and racketeering, and served 5 years in prison.

Jimmy Swaggart

Pentecostal preacher and pioneer of televangelism who reached the height of his popularity in the 1980s. During the 1970s, Swaggart established a lucrative ministry under the Assemblies of God, which in the 1980s was estimated to make over $150 million per year.

When the scandal destroyed fellow minister Jim Bakker, Swaggart publicly denounced Bakker's scandal (not Bakker personally) as "a cancer on the body of Christ." Shortly afterward, Swaggart faced his own sex scandal when a private investigator, hired by a rival evangelist Marvin Gorman, documented a series of Swaggart's meetings with prostitutes.

Ted Haggard

-Pastor and founder of a megachurch (New Life Church), who recently was forced to resign after a male prostitute accused him of being a hypocrite, criticising homosexuality publicly, while maintaining a secret sexual relationship with him. Haggard was also alleged to have got himself high on methamphetamines during sex romps.

"I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life.... "

-----------------------

Whoa. All led large religious organisations, all organisations were flush with money, and all went down hard, with extremely damaging allegations. All had gained and lost the trust of a good many common folk.

All, would be really, really scary, if they had happened in Singapore.

Mighty Interesting....

2007-01-16T11:13:00.000+08:00

Today newspaper, January 12th 2007, Pg 38

JC vice-principal called poly a 'stupid decision'.

A freind was recently posted to a junior college (JC) in the north. But she decided to withdraw as she was ineligible for her preferred subject combination and the travelling took more than two hours each day.

When my friend said she was considering going to a polytechnic instead, the vice-principal, who handled her request, made several disparaging remarks about polytechnics. He allegedly called them a 'bad choice' and a 'stupid decision', adding that 'any fool can make it in poly'. He also likened students who forgo the first three months of JC to delinquents who 'don't study, don't listen in class and skip school'. This is biased and unjustified.

I thought the stereotype of a polytechnic education being inferior to a JC one was history, a view largely confined to the older generation who favour the more conventional route to university. I certainly did not think that an educator - and a JC vice-principal at that - would still hold such views. More polys are tying up with overseas universities to offer their students degrees in various disciplines, and it is becoming apparent that a poly education is no less inferior to a JC one.

My friend was understandably unhappy and told him that she would not stay on at the college even if she were posted there after the Joint Admission Exercise. His reply was galling: "We would not accept you, either."

Is such an attitude befitting a leader in education?

-----

This girl is a clever one. Her letter has maximum impact, not only offending the entire polytechnic student population, but also those who missed the 1st 3 months of JC1.

Oooooh. Hmm. what shall I say? Should good O level scorers devote 2 years of their lives to schools run by these people? Yet, this unlucky guy simply happens to be more outspoken with what I think still remains a widespread sentiment here in our happy little elite-loving island. It's precisely because of people like him that I chose my own poly education, and still am loving it after 2 years, even though I complain a lot =))

In a way, he is correct. Many 'academically unmotivated' students can make it in poly and get a neat little diploma. But at the end of the day, only those who work doubly hard can even think of pulling ahead of his/her peers.

Going by the letter's details, the JC in question is probably a middle-ranked one (the student goes to poly after not qualifying for her preferred subs).. it may be not immediately accessible by MRT.. and one with an obnoxious male vice principal (duh)... hmm.

Aw c'mon.. expose that little rat... =)

When Men Believe.

2007-01-08T02:45:00.000+08:00

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."

-Seneca, Roman philosopher

Religion is a very touchy subject. In our world today, thousands of people die in the name of gods, in wars fought every day.

Why are men willing to sacrifice their lives fighting? Being a noble cause, (some other causes include 'freedom' and 'democracy'), religion gives us the answers to three questions that we are most concerned about: Where did we come from, What is our purpose, and Where are we going.

No, I have not renounced my faith. Because I know without doubt that God exists and holds more sway over our lives than any other being (which is another topic altogether). What is not real, however, is religion created by men. Bible quote, anyone?

"They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men."
-Jesus, in Mark 7:7

The cause of conflict, within and outside religion, is because each group has fortified their position with baseless weapons of theology. Even within Christianity, there are countless disagreements between every church, and also partly the reason why there are so many denominations believing their brand of religion is the ultimate and perfect answer. It is precisely because of a thousand years of tradition and ritual that the demons of modern conflict come into existence.

In developed countries, all the more people are averse towards religion in general. There is an admitted proliferation of aethism, especially in countries like the United Kingdom, France, USA, and even Singapore. Because of wealth, citizens of these countries do not need to struggle day-to-day just for survival. They therefore have more time on their hands to think about the aforementioned three questions.

And when they do, more often than not, they come to a conclusion that there is no God. Yes, this world is a broken-down world, and to them, religion has bred fanatics that have created their own freakshows of faith, completely out-of-touch with technology and popular culture, and completely hostile towards the outside world. Which layman would want to be absorbed into such a cult?

(I say cult, meaning, any group of religious fanatics who are shut off from the outside world, hiding behind their walls of 'teachings of men' to repeatedly blast it as 'works of the devil'. These are the same people that wished to ban movies like the Da Vinci Code, thinking that such a trivial and superficial fantasy would do irreparable damage to their religion and its followers. Who has the real God? Such extremists, or the mature Christian that says, 'Bring it on. It gives me the perfect chance to explain the real truth about God.' Is the God of the universe so weak that His people, who devote their entire lives to His name, can be dislodged by a 2-hour motion picture? Shame on you.)

Truth is found in the Word, this Word shall set you free. But, conversion through an assault on one's thoughts and beliefs, is not freedom at all. Evangelism should be performed through acts of kindness, brotherhood, friendship and love, cliched as it may sound. It is through these acts that a non-believer (in the developed world) can recognise the existence of God, and not through an invasion of someone's belief system.

NEW YEAR 2007!!!

2007-01-04T03:18:00.000+08:00

Yay. A new year, yet another year of school. Some go to national service, others start another schooling year. Poor me has been occupied these 4 weeks with so much crap to do that I can't breathe. Muaha.

Something entirely random:

7 things that your room should not do without:

1. Aircon
2. Queen-sized bed (At least. King, Emperor, or Deity-sized beds are also good.)
3. Desktop computer
4. L-shaped desk (normal rectangular desks just don't have enough space.)
5. Nice big bookshelf with books of your interest
6. Radio (TV is bad. Its distracts you.)
7. Whiteboard (Quick way to plan your day.)

7 things I wished my room had:

1. Watercooler and fridge
2. Toilet (if you have one, don't smirk)
3. Fireplace (to throw stuff inside and entertain myself)
4. Theatre, with a 2m-wide projector screen
5. CCTV and motion detectors, handphone-controlled
6. Soundproof walls
7. Massage chair

Evomotion.

2006-11-26T14:27:00.000+08:00

That's my Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR Edition. My favourite car in the entire game of Need For Speed Carbon. Iloveitiloveitiloveit!

It's a good looking ride and all, but ultimately it's nothing more than a few lines of programming text, animated by a computer.

So I am pissed. Pissed because here I am, whining about how much I like this car, when a classmate of mine is actually punting around Singapore in a REAL, LIVE yellow Evo 8 with black stripes.

This is unjust.

Someday I'll get a ride just like it too, only better. I swear. I SWEAR.

Correction with Respect

2006-11-06T15:55:00.000+08:00

If a son does wrong in the eyes of a father, the father would almost surely take the necessary steps to correct and teach his son as he sees fit.

However, if a father does an obvious wrong, how does the son step up and correct the father? His role was never to discipline his father, yet now he must. So, how does he go about doing it, such that the father learns from the son, yet does not feel that his dignity and authority is not threatened as the result of accepting his son's correction?

Just thinking. Lol. Don't let your thoughts wander too far hor.

How does one exert authority over authority itself?

Chick Flick.

2006-10-30T08:12:00.000+08:00

Hmm.
Let's see.

Over the past few days, I've watched these movies:

-Hollow Man 2
-The Fast and The Furious
-Love Actually
-Bring It On - All Or Nothing
-Just Like Heaven
-What A Girl Wants

Courtesy of a classmate.
Notice of all these 6 movies, 4 are considered 'chick flicks'.

Now I realised, after skimming through internet reviews of each movie, that we can't judge a movie by reviews that others give. Personally, I found the reviews to be untrue, unemotional and cynical. It's like as if the reviewers were mindless robots who don't have emotions or sentiments whatsoever.

So. Moral of story is. Don't listen to reviews.

I think Just Like Heaven is my favourite of the bunch =).

So, do I lose my manhood now, for not watching Mission Impossible or Terminator kinda shows?

Yes? Ha. Societal conformist =p

Nuff' said.

Gaze...

2006-10-28T22:26:00.000+08:00

somedaysiamtigger... otherdaysiameeyore...

Forlorn eyes pierce hazy skies, windows to a soul none comprehend...

Treason.

2006-10-25T11:07:00.000+08:00

"I read my girl's diary every few days. I feel that it is a parental responsibility to protect our children, and prevent them from straying."

"The surveillance camera at home allows me to monitor my child. I can easily check on him to see what's going on at home."

"Going through my teenager's bag without his knowledge is perfectly okay. It is right to have a say in how they lead their lives. I once found a pack of cigarettes! Thank goodness I found out before it was too late!"

"The program I installed on my child's computer takes screenshots every 5 secs and stores it in a safe place. I can thus review my child's Internet activities and ensure that he's doing the right things."

I hate people like this.

Absolutely, completely dislike them.

Such 'well-intentioned' parents are insecure, unconfident of their parenting skills, and probably experiencing marital problems themselves, taking out their insecurities on the child.

They should have a law against such things. It should be classified as 'psychological abuse'.

But then, who am I to put them down, I'm not a parent yet, right?

SO?

No matter what, it is wrong to perform such acts of 'espionage' against a growing youth. Anyone above the age of 12 is capable of thinking for himself/herself. Although they may, and will stray, they also learn. It is better to learn from bitter experience, rather than from scolding, grounding, or harsh words. In fact, the more a parent does this, the more the child would be resentful and rebel with ever more creative ways to dodge 'parental oppression'.

(Almost) No one learns to ride a bicycle without first falling down. In the same way, no one gains worldy wisdom by staying away from the world.

There. Nice and simple. Haha.

These Are The Best Days.

2006-10-15T14:15:00.000+08:00

School days are the best days of our lives.
Really.

I mean. Think about it.
Never again in life will you have so many people of the same age, interests and common goals beside you for nearly the whole day. Invaluable friends with whom you can laugh, chat, joke, share secrets with, play sports, and more..

Never again would you feel so carefree, when the world is so big and fun, and without rules.

They say, and I agree, that tertiary education (poly, uni) are the best times of one's life. Why? Because the stringency of secondary school is over. No more uniforms, strict teachers and rules. One is free to do practically as he pleases. No more worrying about what to say to the teacher after skipping yeaterday's lecture to hang out with friends. Adulthood dawns, as our parents slowly let us go, giving us more and mroe control and decisions over our lives. Yet, we are not burdened with the responsibilities of adulthood. No bills to pay, no family to feed, no boss to please. The years of 18-25 are really the prime of one's life, a period of self searching, explosive energy, and a maturing mind.

Because the working world's different. Everyone has a seperate ambition, age, and backgrounds. You can't just share your opinions and secrets with aNyone. Who know's what they'll do with it?

I know of few or no adults who claim that working life is more fun than school life. All say that they miss school days, and wish they could relive it again. School is very structured and fast moving. No two years are similar to each other (unless u retain la, of cos). There's always that sense of adventure into the unknown, an eagerness to tackle what lies ahead. Yet, in the working world, it all seems like an endless rat race, year in year out. Before you know, ten years would fly by and you'd be an old man/woman, attending the occasional class reunion, where everyone starts comparing grades of their kids, and tell each other about how great their latest business venture is faring, and discuss investment strategies/insurance policies/market updates that ten years ago sounded incredibly mind-numbingly boring.

The spirit of school is lost forever.

So treasure them.
Every single precious moment, the laughter, the tears, the studies, the exams, even the fights, arguments and cold wars.
These are the memories that'll stay with you for life, locked in that special little corner of your heart.
So treasure them. Treasure them all.
Cause it'll soon be over.

i miss school =(

Why Are We Afraid Of Death?

2006-10-11T13:19:00.000+08:00

Because no mortal has lived through it to tell the living what's it all about, and hence no one understands death, and all give their own explanations and rationales about it.

Aaand those who do live to tell the tale, we think they're crazy =)

The Late-Teen Crisis

2006-10-11T10:35:00.000+08:00

Yeap.
This is the term coined for what I define as...

"A period of self-searching, contemplation and reflection about the past, present and future, experienced by every healthy, growing, schooling teenager, most probably between the ages of 17-20, and studying in a tertiary institute."

How does it play out in real life?

A JC student may question the meaning of it all, all the studies and exams, all the grades and pieces of paper that gets you ahead in this society 'driven by meritocracy'. He laments the lack of recognition for youths with a 'passionate heart', and complains about the rat race that we all are released into once we graduate. He gets no encouragement from university seniors who worsen his mood by saying that uni life is worse than JC life, and the pressures of peers, some of whom start taking up clubbing, smoking, drinking, as if it were habits expected of everyone his age.

Catchphrase: "Get all As. Great. Then what? Get a good job? then what? Retire on a private island? Then what? Die? Great life."

A poly student (and one who is studying architecture, I must add, as there is no other course I know which is more stressful), used to getting straight As and the respect and admiration of academically poorer students, suddenly starts reflecting on life. He contemplates his future, what he can do with a Diploma, which university should he work for, how his upbringing within religion teaches that "the pleasures of the world.. what use are they? Where moths and maggots destroy, but instead seek after the rewards of Heaven, which is eternal.."

Catchphrase: "What is the meaning of this all? Huh? What's the use of losing so much sleep and rest, over meaningless drawings that are not going to be of much use in the future, much less in Heaven? I'd rather leave it all behind, follow my calling and go to a poor country, and make a difference amongst the famished, disease-stricken youth, who cannot even imagine having a tiny portion of what I enjoy..."

ScrEenshott!

2006-10-05T20:50:00.000+08:00

".. and the little lone arrow glides over black night, scarred with colourful riot day and night, sucking the energy and life out of the mortal whose will it succumbs helplessly to."

Yep. That's a SCREENSHOT of Microstation, fresh off the screen of my computer. There's my very own building design, something that I drew from scratch, something purely from the creative powers of my mind. Every colour represents an architectural element, walls (red), windows (blue), columns (green).

Looks wonderfully colourful right? Now, imagine staring at it for 10 hours every day, and let's do a follow-up check on your sanity after that =))

aNYWAY...

You know, they should provide a huge incentive to motivate us to work harder. Our projects involve real local plots of land (this one's beside Sim Lim Square), and also all the latest codes and regulations of building construction (there's an insane amount of them).

Now, wouldn't it be great if, for every graduating batch of students, the school held a competition to select the best, and that ENTIRE particular project would be BUILT on the REAL ACTUAL SITE, with the SCHOOL'S FUNDS, with FULL CREDIT given to the STUDENT. Woo~!

NO MORE BAD GRADES!!! EVERYONE WORKS LIKE MAD!!!

This building in particular is an 8-storey serviced apartment development, and Rochor is prime land...

So... maybe it'll cost about $30 million for the land and $20 million for the building? =)

Googoo Gaagaa

2006-10-03T17:40:00.000+08:00

If I were certified legally insane, then I'd be one of the privileged few in the world who can really be themselves, and speak whatever comes to mind, all without being afraid of any negative response or persecution from others?

I won't have to be so reserved and self-check everything I do! Whoopee.

True? Hmm.

Growing Up = ?

2006-10-02T13:30:00.000+08:00

How do you know when someone is grown up?

Its when that person can be turned off/disgusted by an action, instead of just things.

In chinese, it's probably called 'dong3 shi4'.

You see, when we are just children who don't know better, we only can feel negative feelings towards objects or emotion.

Why do we hate caning? Because it is painful.
Why do we cover our noses in the toilet? Cos its smelly.
Why do we hate our greens? Cos they don't taste nice.
Why do we hate cockroaches? Cos they are big, black, and fast-moving, with poky exoskeletons.

Its simple. Innocent children learn about the world around them through their senses. But as they grow older, parents and friends start to teach them the 'ways of the world'.

Don't do this, don't do that.
Why?
Because its wrong.
Why?
Because I said so and I'm your mom.
Why?
Because my mom said so too.
Why?
Because it would hurt you.
Why? What if I'm careful?
Because God would strike you down with a lightning bolt and you'll become charcoal. Ha! That's why.

By age 7, they develop a conscience, a sense of right and wrong. And their tongues spit fire, condemning, denouncing and criticising everything that does not agree with this sense of right and wrong. The criticisms only get more intense and powerful once they become more fluent in language. KEEP SUCH PEOPLE STUPID, I SAY. A SERPENT WITHOUT A TONGUE CANNOT DAMAGE ANYONE. Haha.

The result is every one of us, based on our religion, family and friendships, grow up with unique sets of moral values. The most extreme cases live, pathetically, inside shells of inhibition, not being able to do the things they want to do, simply because 'it's wrong to do so.' Yet, in all their invisible, senseless and baseless barriers, they try to somehow find satisfaction and meaning, all while knowing that there can be none, and the cold hard fact is that they are being limited and weighed down by outdated teachings and 'traditional' values. They find out what they can do, do it, and derive pseudo-satisfaction from there, however pathetic, paltry and incomplete that amount is.

What kind of a life is that?

What happened to the childhood spirit of exploration?

Becoming worldly-wise is important. It is to know the ways of the world, how you should conduct your relationships, the workings of a human mind, etc. But, most important is to keep up with the times, and not to get left behind. Only then can you stay relevant and associated with modern society.

How can one become worldly wise if they are cooped up in a shelter that is built on the words and practices of men already long dead, men already no more than dust returned to Earth?

Do not let tradition hinder you. Have an open mind, and an open heart. Yes, guard your heart; it is the wellspring of life. But do not be so paranoid and condemning of the world around you that everything they do is wrong and damning in your eyes. Your eyes, your isolated, solitary pair of eyes.

Never condemn any action unless you understand the reasons behind that action. This 'understanding' can range from personal experience (the most effective - e.g. ex-drug offenders have the highest chance of changing the lives of current drug offenders because they share common ground, rather than some know-it-all who blabs about all he's read, dangers of drugs and all, and does not know a single thing about the actual, local reasons behind drug abuse), to even good friends with good characters who do the same deeds. The 'questionable actions' can refer to things like teenage smoking/drugs, alcohol, sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, and tons of any other weird, debatable stuff one can think up of.

Whoever this message may impact, may it sink in well.

What I am afraid of...

2006-09-27T15:10:00.000+08:00

-Losing favour with God...
-Losing the use of a healthy body: my vision, my hearing, hands, and my legs. Which would mean that I can't work and play like a normal person, and have to depend on loved ones, who cannot be there all the time.
-Losing my capability to work.
-Not doing the best I can in things that I should do well in.
-Having nowhere to go in the future, or lacking a goal in life.
-Not having a family to come home to every day, or at least knowing that somewhere, loved ones wait for me.
-Losing the ability to give loved ones what they expect and require of me...

What I am not afraid of...

-Losing my money - it can be earned back through sweat, tears and blood. True financial wealth cannot be grown through monthly savings (unless you're the creator of something revolutionary and royalties make you filthy rich..). One needs to take a risk with his money in order to get wealth, and not everyone can win. What is important is that he is not discouraged and 'remembers from where he has fallen', and works his way back up there. Hmm.
-Losing my acquaintances - acquaintances come and go, it's loved ones who stay through life.
-Failure - Learn from failures, and return ten times stronger, instead of being discouraged by them.

Why should S'pore not have free press?

2006-09-24T14:07:00.000+08:00

Because there is no such thing as a free, unbiased media body.

If newpapers were allowed to say anything they want, then their pages are as good as sold to the highest bidder!

Think about it.

Precious money would be spent 'buying' publicity. Money that could be better spent elsewhere.

The political party with the richest backers win.

Either way, everyone loses.

Is it better to have polarised media? Mainstream media reports on the dominant political party, while anyone who dissents can easily find the opposition's updates conveniently at their website, or through political blogs.

Hmm.

Lol.

Why Do Youths Like To Go Out?

2006-09-24T03:38:00.000+08:00

Simply because there is nothing better to do at home, and they're bored.

Which is why kids from richer families stay home more often.

Because they have the $$$ to surround themselves with little 'toys', like computer games, vcds, books, food, gym equipment. And they usually have the privacy of a room to do all this stuff without being disturbed by a sibling or parents.

Hmm.

Lol.

Hong Kong 2006

2006-09-21T08:40:00.000+08:00

How does one spend one week in Asia's most vibrant city?

Here's how. Muhaha. Just FYI, HK was a trip meant for studying architecture (hahaA), through a whole series of educational activities about anything and everything about HK's architecture. Our hosts were the City University of Hong Kong, who generously housed us in an extremely plush hostel, complete with 3 rooms for 6 people, a living room, dining area and a kitchen, together with all the expected amenities of a 4 star hotel. With regards to the program, of course, we took the liberty of cancelling one day's worth of activities to devote it completely to shopping and buying stuff.

Monday - Bubbling with enthusiasm!

-Flew in at 2pm.
-Rushed to hostel to put down our stuff.
-Had a welcome high tea at the uni archi studios.
-Short lecture about HK.
-Visited Langham Place and MongKok.
-Had dinner at a streetside claypot restaurant.
-Saw a brothel! It was funny because different nationalities of 'working girls' had different prices, with Russians hitting HK$530, HK ppl getting $400+ and Thais getting a paltry HK$180
-Retired to bed.

Changi Airport, just after takeoff.

Tuesday - There's still so much time...

-Took MTR and bus 970 to Cyberport.
-Toured Cyberport and its shopping arcade.
-Toured Bel Air showflat, and its flashy clubhouse. Heck. ONE apartment with a 2200 sq ft floor area cost a cool S$7 million! Its clubhouse is gilded with gold everywhere, and offers very 'basic' services like an Egyptian themed indoor pool, private jet services to anywhere in the world, a car club that rents out Ferraris and Bentleys, AND an authentic art collector's club. People commented that it felt like a dream after we exited.
-Bus to International Finance Centre complex, whose tower is currently the tallest in HK.
-Ate Mac's, saw coins exhibition at 55th floor (but were more interested in the views out of the windows).
-Walked by linkway to HSBC, and IM Pei's Bank of China building.
-Peak Tram to Peak.
-Caught the famed nightly 8pm skyscraper top laser show, but was thoroughly disappointed. Probably because we were viewing it from the wrong side, as it was meant to be viewed form Kowloon, not from behind the CBD area.
-Dinner at Jap restaurant at Peak Galleria, a shopping mall.
-Tram back down, heavy rain, took train back home.
-Reflection time with light snacks from Taste, a supermarket in a nearby shopping mall.

The mighty IFC rises above HK's Central district.

Me addressing my adoring crowd, with George Bush and Tony Blair flanking me. However, there was a pesky tourist that spoiled the dignity of the whole occasion (circled, on the tv).

Wednesday - Hai. Middle of the week sia. Time flies.

-Rainy walk to Gravity archi studio, lengthy briefing by Frank Yu, one of the most popular and respected architects working on projects in China today.
-Lunch at noodle restaurant.
-Train to City Uni.
-Joined their studio until 4pm. I must say, we are not much different in terms of programme, but they are so slack! aiyo... Poor us, working like horses during work.
-Saw the floor plans for 2 major residential developments, got shocked by their ridiculously complex GFA computations.
-Settled at hostel, on to Mongkok's Ladies' Market, and then Temple Street. Bought quite a lot of stuff from those famous night markets.
-Taste again. Yay.
-Major supper - sashimi, cup noodles, tang yuan, siew mai.
-Guys did stupid group photo shoots of themselves.

The 10 of us posing at an MTR station.

Thursday - Shopping day. Yipee.

-Hong Kong Housing Authority exhibition centre.
-Light bus back to Mongkok.
-Lunch with uni students at Taiwanese restaurant.
-Langham Place shopping, Ladies Market.
-Back to hostel to settle.
-Off to Central.
-Stupid Pottinger Street, a historic market area (its amazing how it has changed throughout the years, as we saw a photo of it in 1935 too!), was closed. We then had a very cheap dinner at yong tau foo-style restaurant.
-Passed through Lan Kwai Fung, HK's clubs and bars district. Many Singaporeans have compared it to Clarke Quay and said that their's is more lively and thriving. This is very true. However, my own visit there shows one obvious difference: it is full of ang mohs! And the HK uni students also cautioned us about drugs abused in the bars. Obviously, Western nightlife is not popular amongst Hongkongers. At least, in Singapore, locals still outnumber expats and foreigners.
-MTR to Tai Yuen Street, disappointed cos it was supposed to be a busy wet market with things not found in Singapore, but it had closed by then.
-Took tram to Central
-MTR back to Kowloon Tong, Taste a little while, and had a short little discussion session back at the hostel.

HK - City of neon signs, all trying to sell you something.

Friday - Final day feels so... surreal? 'Noooo.. don't want to go home...'

-Central Station, Infrastructure exhibition gallery.
-Star Ferry and Kowloon Canton Railway back to City Uni.
-Dim Sun lunch at City U, paid for by their archi dept. Got our cute little model chairs.
-Walked thru Kowloon park and saw many pink flamingos, Cartographic Survey of Historical Buildings exhibition.
-Shuttle bus to large residential development (with residential blocks reaching 80 storeys - Singapore's tallest is Duxton Plain, which only has what.. 50?), visited its clubhouse.
-Short shopping session at Causeway Bay, full of youth stuff! Wish we could have spent mroe time there.
-Dinner at Felix Restaurant atop famous Peninsula Hotel, which has its interior, furniture and cutlery fully designed by Phillipe Starck. took photos at street level later, then the KCR back to our hostel.
-The last supper (lol) party we had. Reminisced about many funny things (esp about accidents where clumsy classmate walk into stationery objects like transparent glass windows or streetside metal poles... *ouch*).. then we slept.

On the Star Ferry, all happy and excited.

Saturday - Sad. Really sad. ='(

-Morning shopping at Mongkok and Langham Place. Shops were barely open.. 11am.
-Walked around Festival Walk (nearby shopping mall), lunch at Garden Cafe (hostel's eatery).
-Bus to airport, lunch at Popye's fast food, shopping at Disney souvenir shop.
-Boarded flight home to Singapore...
-Arrived in Singapore at 8pm to the welcoming arms of our families...

What did I buy?

-Watch from ICH
-2 LED Torches
-Wristband
-Cowboy hat
-DC-3 model aircraft
-Reebok shoes
-Laosmiddle sling bag
-20 small keychains
-Pants from Esprit
-2 caps
-2 belts
-2 pendants
-2 leather keychains
-Lao Po Bing, pastries
-Group photo from Madame Tussuad's Wax Musuem

In addition to really cool 'famous chair' models given by a HK lecturer. I got the BARCELONA CHAIR! Woo~

Amen To This.

2006-09-19T06:55:00.000+08:00

The Straits Times, Monday, September 18 2006.
Home, H8
Viewpoint: Activists shooting themselves in the foot.

"Civil society groups distract attention from critical issues."
By Andy Ho, Senior Writer

(Interesting statements are highlighted by me in italics...)

Anti-globalisation activists are hurting their own cause.

By boycotting the discussions civil society organisations (CSOs) were scheduled to have with international Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank officials, they have directed world media attention away from a closer examination of what should have been the important issues.

These include the World Bank's controversial anti-corruption plan that could lead to cutbacks in lending to the poorest countries, thus hurting the poorest, and the push to restructure voting rights within the IMF to more accurately reflect a country's economic importance.

And there are many more important issues: how globalisation will impact on the environment; how rising income inequalities can best be dealth with; how poorest countries can learn to ride the growth wave and not be left behind.

Many CSOs were indeed founded with the noble aims of tackling variations of these issues. They set out to ameliorate the adverse effects globalisation does have on some communities. Oxfam, for instance, is a respected non-governmental organisation which has done excellent work in many famine-stricken countries. Alas, it chose yesterday to cancel its forum, out of solidarity with other CSOs.

Over the past few days, many CSOs which signed up to come to Singapore ostensibly to discuss development-related issues have chosen instead to focus on what is surely a matter outside their raison d'etre: Singapore's touch stance on protests, and restrictions on the entry of a small number of activists.

As if permission to enter any and all countries were an inalienable right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

A total of 164 CDOs chose to boycott the meetings altogether. Perhaps getting away from the conference table is more satisfying for those whose game is disruption.

Who knows, perhaps certain activists even remember with fondness those halcyon days, such as Seattle 1999, when violent protests brought the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting to a standstill, and Prague 2000, when demonstrations caused the IMF and World Bank to end their meetings prematurely.

Just last year, protesters disrupted the WTO meeting in Hong Kong. Indeed some of those veterans had reportedly threatened "vigorous action" in Singapore. It makes you wonder: How genuine were they when they said they wanted to "engage" the IMF and the World Bank.

Some CSOs no doubt joined the boycott merely in a show of solidarity, not because of a strong sense of grievance.

This means, however, though they spent a whole year preparing their research papers to table at the scheduled meetings, they have caused their own efforts to come to naught.

Of course, some involved in the boycott are not even accredited for the meetings, showing perhaps a desire to stir the pot. Why else would boycott organisers reject Singapore's offer to admit 22 of the 27 delegates originally blacklisted after the World Bank decided to vouch for them?

Accredited CSOs which sincerely made the trip here to engage the IMF and World Bank in dialogue must do some self-examination to see if they are playing into the hands of doctrinaire anti-globalists, thereby letting their own constituents down by neglecting to do what they came here for in the first place.

Indeed, they can have no cause for complaint if they came for genuine dialogue and not to grandstand. Singapore has gone out of its way to facilitate.

Part of the convention centre has been set aside for CSOs to work. The CSO centre is fully equipped with telecommunication facilities, photocopiers, conference rooms and breakout rooms for small group discussions.

It is in a convenient location, not tucked away in some remote spot. Indeed, some activists even say it's the best they have come across at such multilateral conferences so far.

Bona fide CSOs should play ball according to Singapore's rules - criticise Singapore's actions if they must, but do so at the site at the Suntec City convention centre designated for peaceful demonstrations.

Unless they is something about trashing property and breaking bones that makes a protest more meaningful in some manner that escapes the rest of us who are not as eager and ready to, at the drop of a hat, pour into the streets with pitchforks and knives.

Some CSOs have cited the "draconian security measures" the Government has put in place as a reason why they held their International People's Forum on nearby Batam.

It would be mind-boggling if they sincerely cannot grasp the fact that we have genuine security concerns.

In 2001, Singapore foiled plots the terrorist organisation Jemaah Islamiah (JI) had hatched to attack Western targets such as embassies and hotels. Linked to Al-Qaeda, JI has carried out several deadly bombings in neaighbouring Indonesia.

It should not take much for our guests to understand why the Government is trying to minimise the opportunities for JI and other terrorist groups to exploit the situation.

It is not for fun that Singapore has deployed a security force of 10,000 to protect the 16,000 delegates.

One suicide bomber who succeeds will not just kill the innocent but also blow to smithereens our reputation as a safe and secure place - the very reason Singapore offered to host the meetings in the first place.

In a seperate article, "Time magazine article says Singapore UN ambassador is Washington's favourite to succeed Kofi Annan, although this is refuted by she herself."

And in yet another anti-government article on Singabloodypore,

"For Singapore's main champion of democracy, let Chee Soon Juan be unmolested (the regime is now in a daze after they gave in on the banned activist case and dared not arrest him yesterday). Cracking down on peaceful protests is embarassing for Singapore so the regime should put Singapore's interests first and change its position."
...

"All this, in the full glare of the international limelight, with every major news outlet keenly following everything going on in the light of the World Bank/IMF meeting?

Well done, Singapore.

Yawning Bread is right, it really and truly is embarrasing to be a Singaporean."

My God. If not for our laws, such lunatics would ply our streets unchecked. Do you want that?

Yes, these activists may have been founded on noble causes of helping the poor, but who will take them seriously if they have absolutely no respect for authority and the laws of a country? Who listens to hooligans, even if that hooligan is saying something meaningful? These protestors act with wanton regard for infrastructure and systems. With some groups acting like nothing more than terrorists hell-bent on disrupting and destroying proper, structured talks, their barring of entry into this country is perfectly deserved.

Is their sole language of communication that of noise and disruption? Is that their definition of a 'peaceful protest?' Some groups, after disrupting the WTO talks in Hong Kong, promised 'vigorous action' in Singapore. So, is their intention of 'peaceful demonstration' merely a Trojan horse for protests in which the sole goal is to bring down the IMF and WB? Do they not realise that they have to respect the laws of a country, and not apply the same formula of protests for every single host country of the Meetings?

Why do they chose to cancel the forums even after being allowed in? Are they trying to show the Singapore Government that they are superior and will not be led by the nose by the Government's laws? If yes, then I am afraid the poor of the world don't have very humble people vouching for them, activists more interests in 'saving the face' of their NGO rather then doing everything they can to benefit the causes of poverty and famine.

Okay, I am just hitting out in the dark here: Maybe these activists are disillusioned by authority (as usual blah blah blah), having come from a country in which the citizen's voice is ignored, and a mountain of red tape surrounds any proceeding.

Maybe they strongly believe that the only way to make their voices heard is to cause chaos and disruption, which is, in summary, no different than the doctrine of the most radical, extreme Mid-East terrorists who believe that evangelism is best performed through 'ethnic cleansing' (read: Nazi genocide) by way of the sword, and not by way of diplomacy and words.

In fact, this also proves their culminative stupidity: the pen is mightier than the sword. A sword can physically destroy, but the victim's willpower remain strong. A word, however, carefully chosen, can decimate a person's soul. That in itself is the most valuable resource of any country, any country at all. Tampering with the psychology of a human can drive him to desperation, incite suicidal tendencies, destroy an ego, make a person feel outcasted and worthless. So why swear by a weapon as weak as a sword? That only proves one is too stupid and ignorant to learn anything at all about diplomacy and negotiation, instead acting on his/her own very limited physical prowess, which, in this context, mean huge, ugly, banners written in primary school english, noisy protests, disruptive crowds and should it be so extreme, urban rioting.

Maybe.

And maybe thats why they don't have any place in a country like Singapore, too. A good thing is often shunned and criticised at its onset, and Singapore is like this. People criticise all they want, complain and whine all they want, but at the end of the tunnel, it is us, and our government's systems, who would earn the respect, admiration, and yes, duplication, from its former critics.

The liberal democracy demanded by activists is not democracy. It is anarchy.

Proponent of Good Aesthetics : Me

2006-09-18T15:15:00.000+08:00

Back from Hongkong!
My 3rd time there, but tHe most fun and amazing overseas trip I ever had.
Shopped alot too. muhaha.
But what was most eye-opening is going to HK with a knowledge of architecture. Only then can one understand the difficulties, systems and everyday lifestyles of its people and what they have to face. It was totally different from my last HK trip in 2004, after O lvls and before I came to SP.

Things I love about HongKong, in relation to Singapore:

-THE SHOPPING! OMG OMG OMG!. It's almost reason enough to justify the 4 hour flight over there. lol. k. i sound like some overexcited teenage girl gushing about clothes. BUT REALLY LA. SINGAPORE SUCKS COMPARED TO HK FOR SHOPPING. The streets near to CBD (Causeway Bay) transform into a mecca for all things young and retail, with tightly packed shopping malls stuffed full of tempting shops or all sorts of cool apparel, clothes and accessories. Of course, most cater more to girls than guys, but the variety is still amazing. Prices are terribly high at some places, though. Other than Bugis or Heeren-style malls, night markets (Mong Kok) and glitzy, branded goods malls (HK Island's malls) represent the other two extreme ends of the retail therapy that almost seems to be a religion amongst the youth over there, who are obviously better dressed than the couldn't-care-less people in Singapore.

-Commuter Connectivity. Okay. time to get more architectural here. HK's skyscrapers often have malls for the first few floors, but unlike Singapore, practically every mall is connected to each other via walkways. HK's commuters can travel from home to work without their feet ever touching the actual ground level. This is a tempting vision of the future of cities: where the street level is not the ground level, and cities expand upwards, towering into the air. Imagine having a busy main street 80 storeys in the air! Not only does this increase human traffic to the malls, it also allows pedestrians to be kept safe from cars, pollution and the scary HK weather. (While I was there, Typhoon warning was at level 1 (pouring rain and terrible visibility, and an minor earthquake of 3.5 on the Richter scale also struck.)

-Public Transport. Although slightly expensive, public transport is fantastically efficient. MTR trains run under the city, providing quick access to every major part of hk. Public buses are regular, quick and far reaching. Trams provide extremely cheap, quick commutes through the CBD area. No real complains about public transport, except that it is often terribly crowded and require many transfers, meaning you cant have a good sleep on the way to school! (unless you live in the far-flung new towns)

-Spectacular Architecture. HK's skyscrapers are famous around the world. The recently completed International Financial Centre is HK's tallest, soon to be superceded by the International Commerce Centre. IM Pei's Bank of China tower and Norman Foster's HSBC building are instantly recognised landmarks in one of the densest cityscapes in the world. But other than spectacular office towers, 26 of the 50 world's tallest residential buildings all call HK their home. Their tallest RESIDENTIAL tower is 80 storeys high! In addition, its older, dilapidated Kowloon areas also provide a fascinating insight into one of the most densest and vibrant metropolises in the world.

Things I dislike about HongKong, in relation to Singapore:

-Urban Chaos. Hong Kong is a chaotic city. period. Brothels share the streets with herbal medicine shops. Older buildings look as if they were cobbled together in a day. A vagrant sleeps face down on the floor of a busy walkway, under the shadow of multi-million dollar towers of commerce, while MTR passengers push past you if you walk a little slower than them, as if you were a weaker rat in the race. Yes, HK is definitely a city worth studying and enjoying, but I would definitely not want to shorten my life a little more by living in such a mess of pollution, and this is how one learns to appreciate what Singapore has done for itself, in keeping pollution low and its streets clean and green. Yes, it may appear boring to Western tourists, many of whom love to oogle at the urban decay of Asian cities and feel superior about their own ultra-developed home country, but keep my home city clean, green and boring, not unsafe and messy, I say!

-Bad social graces. yeap. People chiong for MTR seats, push past you if you are walking a little slower, hustle and shove, spit everywhere, all the bad manners that remind me of an underdeveloped mainland Chinese city rather than the glitzy Asian capital of commerce. Get up from your seat and some woman rushes at it within the next split second. At least in Singapore, they WALK to their seats, and OFFER IT TO OLDER FOLKS. and dont SPIT THAT MUCH (heck, I saw spittle on the COVER of a DUSTBIN. obviously the person has poor aim and missed -_-).

-Pace of life. Relentless! People walk as if they were robots, mindless drones in a city driven by profits and business, everything is fast-paced, impatient and quick. yes, it is a great place of business, but if you are looking for some peace and quiet, don't go there.

-Cost of living. Everything is slightly more expensive than Singapore. A graduate fresh from university can only afford the monthly rental of a 500 sq ft flat, about the size of half the living room of the 5-room HDB flat I call home. Mac's and KFC cost about S$1 more than Singapore. Claypot rice from a seedy, streetside eatery that is neighbour to a brothel cost S$5. Clothing and apparels are most often about 10-20% more expensive than Singapore. A subway single trip ticket for 4 stations cost me about S$1.50. Overall, in 5 days of daily commute on the MTR and Bus with their equivalent of EZ Link, I spent S$40!

-Lack of nature. HK is a city of business, and it shows. The CBD is completely devoid of trees. Like Hyde Park of London or Central Park in New York, greenery is concentrated within small pockets in the middle of the city. However, these parks are very interesting and individually unique. For example, the public park in Kowloon has a beautifully landscaped pond full of pink flamingos, and the park on HK Island near the CBD neighbours the botanical gardens, the zoo and has an aviary. Also, city planning is set to inject much more greenery into HK, with huge, lengthy promenades full of trees all planned and under construction. Also, HK residents with a love of nature often take short hikes to the outlying nature reserves, like one of the university students I met over there, who goes hiking every weekend.

Cities I wanna visit next, in order of preference:

-Rome (Italy)
-Paris (France)
-London (England)
-New York (USA)
-Tokyo (Japan)
-Berlin (Germany)
-Reykjavik (Iceland)
-Dubai (UAE)
-Jerusalem (Israel)
-Seoul (South Korea)
-Barcelona (Spain)
-Madrid (Spain)
-Moscow (Russia)
-Prague (Czech Republic, 2nd visit)
-Vienna (Austria, 2nd visit)
-Cairo (Egypt)
-Vancouver (Canada)
-Pyongyang (North Korea)
-Shanghai (China)
-Lagos (Nigeria)

Major cities I have ever set foot in:

Malaysia:
Johor
Kuala Lumpur
Malacca

Thailand:
Chiang Mai

Australia:
Sydney
Brisbane

China:
Shenzhen
Beijing
Tianjin
Macau
Hong Kong

Taiwan:
Taipei

Europe:
Vienna
Amsterdam
Prague
Lucerne

Of these, the trips to Australia, Taiwan and Macau happened when I was still a little kiddo. So I don't remember much about them at all. Yeap. =)

Sigh. Haven't been to the US, or much of Europe, Russia or Japan. Wish I could...

Blithering Blind Fools.

2006-09-09T16:10:00.000+08:00

What's the issue?

Capital Punishment - the death penalty.

"Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the State as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offenses. The word "capital" is derived from the Latin "capitalis," which means "concerning the head"; therefore, to be subjected to capital punishment means to figuratively lose one's head." - from Wikipedia. Hmm.

The punishment of death is the ultimate consequence for a crime, often reserved for the most serious of offences. Until recently, all societies have used it as the primary method for punishing serious crimes and preventing dissent, especially political dissent.

But lately, there has been much protest against the death penalty, with many calling it inhumane. Much of Europe and Latin America have abolished it, bowing to political pressure and mounting 'humanist' movements throughout the world.

I think that's rubbish.

Singapore has the highest number of executions per capita than any other country in the world, according to Amnesty International. Everyone remembers the Nguyen fiasco, and he was still put to death despite the pathetic pleas of the Australian leadership and people.

No, seriously, what the hell is wrong with the Australians. First Nguyen, and now the Bali Nine, four of whom recently appealed against 20-year jail terms and instead got death sentences handed down to them by Indonesia's Supreme Court. Once again, like a newspaper columnist said, Australians are treating drug traffickers as if they were matyrs or national heroes. So what if these people are young or caring to their friends or whatnot. They flouted the sovereign laws of a country whose laws the entire world knows full well about, and had a fair sentence handed down to them, just like any other person guilty of the same crime.

Singapore is infamous for draconian drug laws, and is one of the few First World nations that has not abolished the death penalty. Personally, I believe that that is a sacred cow that should never change. It is a known fact that the most effective way to achieve a social goal is through force and scare tactics, and Singapore has largely killed off its social diseases that 40 years ago plagued our streets. How? Through fines, campaigns, and yes, the death penalty. If not for it, drug abuse would still be taken lightly, and it would be no less common that the smoking of tobacco.

How else should we deal with the drug trade? Endless counselling sessions? Yes, that may save a few people who might go on to better lives, but in life, there is always the variable factor, the 'fish that got away'. There will always be repeat offenders, hardened abusers with which there exists absolutely no way to change their ways.

This is where the death penalty comes in to fill the gap. With such a law, there is absolutely no room for variables. Abuse drugs, get hanged, simple as that. One is in full control of his life, and any adult deserving of adulthood would recognise the consequences of any action.

I'd probably have much, much more to say about this issue, and can word my thoughts in much more powerful sentences, but that's all for now.

Here are some links that show the ultimate decay of society: people who embrace 'Liberalism' without foresight, common sense and basic intelligence that would differentiate a human being with a hollering monkey. Such are the moral serpents who campaign against tough drug laws. What, this is the 21st century and we've gotta embrace love etc etc blah blah? Change your outdated mindset? Through my gritted teeth, I say, go find your brain before arguing. It was probably flushed down the toilet a long, long time ago.

NAP - Network Against Prohibition

Article - Aussie police sells out Bali Nine?

Petition Against Death Penalty in Singapore

Singabloodypore
- probably one of the most popular anti-establishment blogs about Singapore (they claim its also about South-East Asia, but thats hardly true, going by their posts). To me, it is yet another socially disruptive, pretentious 'Freedom Blog'.

What is especially unnerving is that some of its 14 severely critical authors don't even live here (newspaper article said its main blogger lives in Scotland, some user profiles state their location as far away as Manchester. wth.), talking the talk but not walking the walk. It recently focuses on the IMF/World Bank meetings, another flashpoint I am immensely opinionated about. Can these anarchist ang mohs just shut up about their fantastic 'liberal' lifestyles (read: used to public demonstrations) and state systems (read: Western-Styled Democracy, which mainland Chinese officials unanimously despise as 'decadent'). This is the Occident. Native to this region are the Malays, and Chinese & Indians had their ancestors come from nearby countries very, very long ago. I gladly view Westerners with welcome, but not trouble-making empty vessels. So there.

Exceedingly stupid bipedals living in a beautiful first world country, who lack the sense and maturity to undergo the transformation from youth to adulthood, instead staying trapped in the glass cage of adolescence, with its very temporary rebellious tendencies. REBEL AGAINST ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING, I SAY! BE AN ACTIVIST! YES! GO SUICIDE BOMB SOMETHING!

The Ultimate Victory?

2006-09-08T23:31:00.000+08:00

Should you wish to fight a war, only when:

-your enemy's army is slaughtered
-its corpses and generals paraded in front of his people
-his palace turned to rubble
-his family executed
-his body flogged and his clothes torn
-his entire kingdom inundated with blasphemous, hate-inciting propaganda against him, yet
-planted with many spies loyal to you,

only then is your victory complete.

Such measures would leave your enemy devastated, dishonoured, depressed, trapped, weak in strength and willpower, and ultimately unable to be a future threat to you.

Hmm.

A Kindred Soul

2006-09-06T03:35:00.000+08:00

When someone dies, most of the world doesnt give much of a hoot.

If lets say, President Bush checked on out, there would be weeks of mourning, but to everyone but the closest of family, Bush would just be a president, a leader figure, the most powerful man in the world, someone people would miss (maybe not all. heh.), but not cry over.

But then there are people like Steve Irwin.

Someone who did not fear the world and its rat races, who did not yield to pressure, who loved God's creations (or Mother Nature's whatever you believe) with all his heart, soul and mind. Someone whose feet was always firmly planted on solid rock, firm in his ways and lifestyle, his safari clothes making him an icon, despite having no place in the pages of Vogue or the boutiques of Paris.

Childhood passes fast, and soon we are aspiring towards the dream job, most likely the chairman of some huge company or some international superstar. But Irwin, he took his lifelong passion, turned it into his occupation, and instead of keeping it behind the confines of a reptile farm, took it to the world, made a living out of it, instead of keeping it as a side hobby.

Everyone remembers their childhood years, growing up learning about dangerous animals like tigers and lions and snakes.. and in the same breath, crocodiles are mentioned. Pictures of their sharp teeth and montrously large mouths scare us all. And suddenly, here came this hero in brown, who climbed onto their back as if they were kiddy ponies, taming the very objects of our childish fears, entertained us all with his charisma, even in the very face of death.

Even after those kids grew up into aspiring teenagers, Steve still left an impression, dearly loved by everyone, even if they sometimes made fun of his undying love for animals.. many a time he held up a poisonous, vicious reptile right in the camera's lens, cooing about 'what a beauty she was', as if Poisonous Deadly Reptile were a stuffed plushie from Mini Toons. His antics made him an instant superstar, even if most of the adult world forgot about him.

To a world so caught up in the standards of society and its material fashions, Steve proved that you could be cool just doing that thing you do best; few hated him, and even in his material wealth after the success of his show, his first love never waived, and the same reptiles that accompanied him when he was poor were his same companions in his riches. He found in his wife a soulmate who shared his love, supported this wonderful man, bore him children that would hopefully one day carry on the legacy of their father.

Steve showed the world that their fears are mere illusions, waiting to be overcome by the right solution. People like him don't deserve to die, and his death only serves as yet another (probably unheeded) wakeup call to how nothing in this world lasts, how our heroes are as mortal as us, about how easy it is to waste your life away doing something you totally feel no passion for.

Millions of tears fall for you, Steve, and some are mine. Hope to see you one day...

Brush of Air

2006-08-25T23:22:00.000+08:00

Haha. Been working on Yamato. This is how it looks like while drying after a new coat of red was painted and finished on its hull.

But what's mOre special is the thing that did that =)

Check out my airbrush - a very common, very dependable 2 year old Badger 155 Anthem. This model's pretty new. Airbrushes here in Singapore cost a bomb (shipping ma) - but they last for practically decades if will taken care of.

Airbrushes are used extensively in art, especially those realistically shaded drawings or 'flame' artworks so often seen on motorbikes and cars. An airbrush can easily provide stunning gradients and colours when handled by the right hands. Even the cosmetics industry uses them for nail painting and spraying of their 'special chemicals' onto the skin during beauty treatments. BuT, its used in scale modelling to well.. paint the model! It can handle many stages, from priming to painting to weathering to finishing. But of course everyone has their own methods. Sometimes its easier and less messy to paint from a spray can than an airbrush.

Why? Cos an airbrush requires a huge amount of maintenance. The hole at its tip is less than 1mm wide, through which a needle regulates the flow of sprayed paint. Once paint dries here, the whole brush gets clogged, and this could be disastrous. Hence, every painting session must be followed by careful cleaning.

This a pic of the airbrush disassembled..

And a pic (out of focus. sian..) of the delicate nozzle. That grid is a 1cm sq grid.

And here I am holding it. LOL.

Hmm. I have a hobby dominated by bored middle-aged-married men. AHHHAhahahaha.
I'm mad.

Every little boy's dream.

2006-08-24T12:46:00.000+08:00

After about 6 months of cold storage, my models have finally been broken out.
Spent today finishing a tiny model plane that was given to me as a gift. Here are some pictures =)

Yes, yes, I know what u're thinking. Don't that plane seem to be suspended in midair like magic? Well, it is =). The model is the French jet Rafale from german model company Revell. Its secret is 3 strings (seen in 3rd picture), an inbuilt magnet and a huge repelling magnet in its base =) This was given to me as a gift.

Incidentally, this is also only the second plane I've built seriously, with paint and all. I've made many more when I was younger, but all were paint-less and dull. With this, I experimented with a few new modelling techniques and processes.. esp with simulating weathering and mastering the many tiny decals. The plane's only 9cm long! and all those colourful words n symbols are individual decals that had to be applied!

Aand I made a huge mistake on this one. But of course, every mistake is a lesson learnt. As you can see, the cockpit canopy is painted white. Its supposed to be transparent, but i ruined it after trying to clean off paint with a thinner-like chemical. It ended up dissolving the plastic and clouding the whole cockpit a sickly white. So I had to add paint on to attempt to save the situation.

But the experience gained here prepares me for greater things: I have three other unbuilt planes at home... One of which is under construction... the Sukhoi S-37 Berkut.

And here is the unpainted plastic body compared with a 20cm ruler.

My 2nd other plane is of roughly the same size, the SV-51R from the Macross Zero anime series.. BUT

My ultimate plane is this!:

This huge F-16's (the same 20cm ruler is shown) from Tamiya, is the wet dream of many plane modellers, and cost me a huge bomb. So I'm not gonna touch it until I know what im doing. Don't want it to look like a friggin mangled mess of grey plastic.

But oTher than planes, I have another behemoth lying mothballed in a box, that same plastic ruler beside it!!:

Yes, a 1/350 Yamato from Tamiya.. Been under construction since I was sec 4 (2004), and also cost me a bomb. My second serious battleship (I made 2 ships before.. including Tirpitz and Scharnhorst.. both dull, messy and unpainted.. still have em =)) to be made, other than a cheapo, averagely-painted 1/350 Missouri thats now gathering dust on my shelf.. I have another 1/400 scale model not made, and its called the Titanic =)

BUT OTHER than ships and planes, I still have these models: Nissan 350Z Xanavi Nismo, M110 artillery gun, german Tiger and King Tigers, M26 recovery vehicle from Tamiya, JGDSF all-terrain car from Tamiya, a Kiowa helicopter, and a small Jap WWII seaplane.

Too much plastic, too little time -_-

Co-Laterality.

2006-08-19T15:47:00.000+08:00

Yo.

LOL.

Im bored.

Holidays are coming.

Ahhahah.

Im having ice cream.

Vanilla, Chocolate, Tiramisu, Rum & Raisin, all courtesy of Haagen Dazs.

Pleasure costs $24, sugar diabetes comes free =)

Reminds me of a time in Austria back in sec school years where we were all served an awful-tasting bowl of salad and I saved the day (erm... right.) by recommending we all pour sugar on it and eat it - masks the extreme bitterness. It worked wonderfully.

AnYwAy.

Just watched Collateral on DVD. Wonderfully artful show about an average LA cabbie who is forced to drive a hired hitman to 5 locations to kill 5 people, all in one night. Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx sure have awesome chemistry.

But the movie also has some interesting themes. Spoilers ahead. Also, if you're bored by long texts and don't feel like generating the mental capacities to digest what's below, then shoo.

But then again. Yooooouu knooow yooouuu wannnaaa. =)

Foxx plays a cabbie with big dreams and no action - he's been bumbling around in his cab for 12 years, and he intends to someday own a limousine company. He's got the plan all hammered out, except he has never acted on it. What's significant is this is how most people are these days - lives flash by, those youthful dreams that provided strength and motivation sidelined to the most unvisited depths of one's mind. People would rather stay within the comfort zone of routine, why take that risk? Let life go by, work like rats and don't aspire to be too much. Zuo ren yao shui bian yi dian.

Cruise is a cold, calculating hitman with the personal motto of 'adapt and improvise'. Unlike Foxx's character, he lives life on the edge, keeping on his toes. Like all stereotypical bad guys, Cruise had a broken family and is a man who totally believes in his personal ideals, which in turn drives his complete disregard for the human lives he takes. To him, the world is full of robots living life in perpetual trance, and he is the one guy who stands out, kind of like the world revolving around him.

Questions of morality and ethics swirl around one's mind when watching this movie... what justifies Cruise's character when he goes around knocking people off like soulless animals? The layman would say things like 'think of that guy's family' or 'he was such a nice person, what a pity' or 'he could have achieved so much'.

And then you start self-examining. Here I am everyday, forcing myself out of bed at 6 when everything else in my body tells me not to, taking the same train everyday with thousands of people I don't recognise, going through the motions at school. Oh, what would be of me, if not for these academic goals controlling my life?

In a final gun showdown in a train, Foxx's character shot Cruise, and when Cruise realised it, he just calmly gathered himself and sat himself down on a seat.

He repeats his first complaint to Foxx about LA: "I read about this guy who gets on the train here, and dies. Six hours he's riding the subway before anybody notices his corpse doing laps around L.A., people on and off sitting next to him. Nobody notices."

And then he dies as the train pulls away, his corpse looking like any other sleeping train commuter.

Where'd he go when he died? Is there a place for people who do things that everyone else considers wrong, but they themselves consider right? Can a universally harmonious society ever accommodate 'misfits' like these? Our modern morals are the result of centuries of religion, tradition, and technological evolution. What is considered socially acceptable changes with time. Technology accelerates this change. The world would not be globalised if not for metal ships, nuclear weapons, satellites, etc.

40 years ago, an Asian girl who regularly goes clubbing is trash, barely better than a prostitute. Now its perfectly okay and normal, even expected! It's called "Having a life." Heard about it?

50 years ago in the States, it was almost impossible for a black man to hold a high office, or even share a bus seat with a white man. Now a black woman is the Secretary of State.

70 years ago here, it was normal to get married at 13. Now, most wait till 'after studies'. Late 20's.

500 years ago in Europe, you could get humiliated and chained up in public for being lazy. Now, slacking is almost a national youth pastime.

Not long before that era, literature was completely contained within the walls of the church, and people's religious lives were dictated by the parish. Back then, if the king converted to a new religion, the whole population was expected to follow or be executed.

Soon, the printing press expedited the dissemination of ideals and opinions. People started gaining knowledge. With knowledge comes responsibility, like a *certain superhero's uncle* said. Nowadays, we have a choice of how to pursue our own religion, and we seem perfectly comfortable in that, in our separate versions of morality.

'Havoc' girl shares the same church pew with someone who conducts herself in the most moral way possible, and they both get along happily, both nonchalantly proclaiming their love for the same God, both singing the same worship lyrics, going through the same motions. When the pastor preaches against 'immorality' and 'sin', does that 'havoc' girl feel condemned? Does she have her own moral principles to immediately cancel out the indirect condemnations of the pastor on her behaviour, and assure herself that what she's doing is acceptable, or forgivable, hence justified?

Such morals may go like these:
-Having sex is a basic human function, therefore, I should follow my basic instincts and sleep with whichever guy I fancy (courtesy of Izzy).
-All my friends spend their nights out at the clubs, so I should go to. Who are my parents to stop me? My life and body are mine to lead, and I shall do with them as I please.
-I wanna 'live life to the rawksome maximum', 'get out and shake my booty', 'hang loose in da club', 'get grindin on a saturday night', 'show off my hot bod while it still oozes sex and conducts lust in others'.

Now, a (stereotypical) atheist with such friends would probably not bat an eyelid. After all, the side effect of a first-world society is that its youth are comfortable, hence disillusioned-ly stupid, deluded by a love of absolute, anarchic freedom to do as they please. Go ahead, It's Your Life (Bon Jovi?) after all. Do as you please, you're gonna shoulder the consequences anyway. Drink? It's your liver yea. Smoke? It's your lungs anyway. Cheat on a partner? Hey, it's cool. Just don't get found out.

But what if such an amorous lifestyle affects you? What if you love that person and want to marry him/her? Are you still willing to shut one eye to practices which you know are wrong, but am already too late to correct, all because you were selfishly, foolishly apathetic in your youth? What if such actions affect you, your health, your money, your family? Only then would you take action?

A person under the moral umbrella of religion is a different story. He or she would probably have to keep 'immoral' practices under wraps, or at least shared amongst a close circle of friends that share the same principles and most likely, age, too. Why? Simply because many religions, stemming from centuries-old tradition and a long- standing set of behavioural rules, frown on the same set of morals that secular society and popular culture have embraced. Religion provides a psychologically (yes - it's psychological for most people - except for some. go figure.) comforting, universal shield against all evil, but it also gags and severely restricts its followers. Freedom-loving rebels, youth especially, despise this, and that's why many backslide, or else maintain a disgruntled commitment to religion, all because religion must be passed down from generation to generation.

The modern world coos delightfully at multi-dimensional characters. No longer is the ideal, faultless, one-dimensional Superman universally admired by young girls. Instead, they prefer men with a dark side, or a dark history, 'ordinary men who were forced to grapple with being a superhero'. Such characters, like Batman and Spiderman, now capture the hearts and mind of audiences. Apparently such people are 'strong' and 'sexy'.

Likewise, a handsome 'bad boy' with parallel religious commitments would probably be a very desirable one-off date (yes - a one-off date), and it would be 'cool' to know such people. (like, say, a teenage dude who clubs and gets drunk, and dresses in metal studs and black leather, but still attends church every Sunday with his clueless family) What. Is he the epitome of fun and family combined together? What's wrong with dressing in black leather and metal studs, right? It's just clothing. Yes. To them, 'getting with the hip crowd' or 'chilling at a club', all while holding a good job, are perfectly justified. The 2 phrases would probably be widely used in advertisements by clubs, but sound staid and as awkward as Lee Kuan Yew singing a punk rock song when used here in an argumentative against them, don't they?

So, what is the solution to the ideal, happy life? Well, I can safely say I know the answer, the solution. However, the answer is an absolute, total sum. How one arrives at that sum, depends on the lifestyle choices that one makes.

The answer's Balance. Balance in Life, Balance in Everything. Simple? Capisce? How you interpret and implement that is completely your choice.

Aforementioned forced conversions are also why we have many religions which don't belong to the locality. What's Islam doing in Asia, for example? (this is a random example - I'm trying to be unbiased here.) Malays weren't Muslim all throughout history. They were converted from Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism (lesser known: mostly referring to the belief that everything on Earth has a soul and spirit) in the early 15th century, influenced by Arab, Chinese and Indian Muslim seafarers during the Islamic Golden Age. And even now, leaving Islam is still extremely condemnable. You lose your name and your friends, and would most probably be threatened to be disowned. In 50 years, would that still hold?

Are you sure that the gaining of knowledge is always positive and desirable? Is it better to have knowledge and be a burdened and tinted soul along with it, or have blissful ignorance and live in pure personal utopia, much like the scenarios of the Matrix movies?

"The richest places are not the cities, Hollywood, or the oil fields of the Middle East. The wealthiest places on Earth are its graveyards! Buried under them are thousands of great dreams. The fastest car, the cure to cancer, the best cuisines, the rockets to outer space, all lie trapped below 6 feet of earth"

- Paraphrased from Rev. Kong Hee

A Warning Not Heeded.

2006-08-08T23:54:00.000+08:00

I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.

-the Biggest Boss Himself, on the nation of Israel.
Genesis 12:2-3

Even if you don't believe it, I'll bet you are more than a little spooked =)

Do I have the right to complain?

2006-08-07T13:04:00.000+08:00

This is terrible.

During the last submission I swore to kill anyone who teases me about the slack-ness of poly.

And it still holds.

Every night, we work and work, as long as there is electricity, night and day do not exist.

Our teachers say, if we even have time to sleep, we are not working hard enough.

They recommended, we work 36 hours a day, 10 days a week.

And what if we are tired? Well, sleep for two minutes, said a lecturer.

You can see the shock in their faces when you tell them that you actually had time to play a computer game.

We archi students do everything.

Model on 3D software like Industrial Design.

Churn out Photoshop posters like Graphic Art.

Draft on software like engineers, and duh, architects.

Study history like them history students.

Write thousands of words of theory and arguments, as if taking General Paper.

Forced to present our project, filmed with a videocam, like Mass Comm.

Calculate dimensions and stress point, drainage, platform levels, sewer discharge, like civil engineers.

Experiment with materials, get acquainted with how to put them materials together, whats can and cant work, whats strong and weak, as if we were scientists.

Observe how people live, and how society works, and prove it in our designs, like a sociologist.

And many more.

SP's archi peeps are being treated as university students.

Is that a good thing?

Surely it would contribute towards the poly's good image.

University archi students are famed for not needing significant sleep whatsoever, camping over in school with pillows and mattresses, sluggin through the night with their computers.

My teachers experienced that, except back then computers weren't used for drafting.

Are they trying to subject us to such abuse too?

The only pride we have is when the NUS students came over and marvelled at our work, saying we learnt more things in 3 years of study then they did.

And for that we may get some temporary respect, to be comparable to university students.

Every few months someone drops out of the course.

Recently one girl fainted before a presentation, fell down a flight of stairs and had to be sent to hospital.

She has since withdrawn, too.

Is that normal? Fair to her? To come here for more than a year, waste her life away doing something she totally cannot manage, but still courageously hanging on to that glimmer of hope, only to have her body sound the final alarm before she succumbs to this course's annals of rejects?

What has 1.5 years in SP taught me?

Well, for one, it nurtured my interest in architecture, something I am thankful for.

But it really tested me. Tested us all.

It forced me to get acquainted with my body's physical limits. When to sleep, how long can you stare at a computer screen without going blind and having digital images imprinted on your eyeballs everywhere you look, how much clicking can you do before your fingers rot. And whether you can still walk in a straight line after not sleeping for a week.

Of course, there's always a God to help me through, eh?

But so many, many others complain about breakdown and not being able to make it.

They started school with the aim of being the best architect in the world.

Now they are happy with passing.

Before submission day, people cry, people hallucinate, everyone has black bags below their tired eyes. In trains, they fall asleep on stranger's shoulders, they get moody and irritable.

Why, because some did not sleep for up to three days straight.

There's work to be done, and only 24 hours a day to do it.

It takes a toll on our bodies, definitely.

Perhaps we'd all die young, because of this torture.

Reminds me about US Navy SEAL training, where more than 3/4 of applicants drop out due to sheer stress.

This is exactly the same.

This course is designed to weed out the best of the best. The others just fade away into obscurity.

The ones with the top grades are those who lack social life whatsoever, recluses who don't have no social skills. Heh. I'd try not to be like that. No false hopes though.

I don't lie when I say that this course really grabs mortals by the neck and forces them to become deities.

My own hat off to any graduate of SP Archi.

Is this how they want students to be?

Some kind of school this is.

But of course, courageous little me is hanging on, showing everyone that I can make the cut, doing what I can to also pull up anyone who falls.

Because it's a war, folks.

A war without much reward at the end. Like Vietnam.

Just like those troops, we're gonna wheel each other's wheelchair into the airport arrival hall, grateful to be home. Except there won't be any large crowds with CONGRATULATIONS HERO banners. Just like the troops who got spat upon at the airports by the war-hating public, who returned to to care and love of their family, and nothing more.

But we're all fighting, aren't we not?

We're all victors, we. Every submission is a ridiculously difficult test, and we're given chopsticks for weapons. Yet we still somehow find that strength to pull through.

Oh, just you wait, you smart asses at the top.

Until one day someone dies from excessive stress directly linked to SP's Archi course.

And the parents sue the school for a few million dollars.

Then the war is won, would it?

Whatever.

And don't you dare complain about the A levels. I'd swing a reinforced concrete pillar at you.

If I still have the strength after losing the very most basic primal need of sleep, that is.

Command of Language.

2006-08-03T08:45:00.000+08:00

Well, how do you judge a person's skill at language? Take English for example.
English arguably has two basic elements, grammar and vocabulary.

A person new to English would write something like this:
"It was a hot day. The sun was out."

Nothing wrong, isn't it? Except it won't get you anywhere in the world of language.
Perfect grammar. That is the first, and most important step.
But perfect grammar's not enough.

Here's Level 2:
"It was a sweltering day, and the afternoon sun shone bright in the sky."

This time, more advanced vocabulary is added into the picture. Now we have a better sentence, which communicates the idea of a 'hot day' much more clearer.
Where does it go from here?

Level 3:
"The day baked under a sweltering sun, radiant with its bright afternoon rays."

Here there is effort to group and combine adjectives and nouns where they are not usually used, but still keeping their usage applicable and accurate. (thats the best way I can explain it)

And this is the highest level, Level 4:
"Noontime baked under sweltering sun at levels near unbearable."

Here, there is a complete elimination of unneccessary words, such as 'a' in 'a sweltering sun'. The structure of the whole sentence is changed, the split created by the comma completely removed. Each word now holds meaning and information that give the sentence its power. For example, instead of saying 'day' and 'afternoon' seperately within the same sentence, a simple 'noontime' is used, and this alone communicates all that is needed to know about the time of day, in order to form a picture in the reader's mind.

Infused within a simple sentence are all the conventions of English, maximum use of simple vocabulary, integration of unusual yet accurate grammar & vocabulary, yet completely broken rules of conventional sentence structure. The author is toying with grammar itself, while still being linguistically accepted. And that is the highest level of evolution the command of a language can reach, and the level at which poets can string words together.

Few authors of entire novels have the experience, time and knowledge to completely rearrange conventional text, and make it even more readable, interesting and polished, even when writing in such altered sentence structures.

Now, a sentence from an actual short story, which has wonderful use of grammar in it:

"Framton Nuttel endeavoured to say the correct something which should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come."

In this case, a stranger, this guy called Nuttel wants to meet the aunt, who is upstairs and coming down soon, while her sacarstic 15 year old neice is already sitting opposite him.

Wonderful sentence. Here you find a long but satisfying, well-linked and yet contrasting grammar and actions. And what is the only word that can be considered 'chim'? Endeavour. That's all!

A lesser author, a pathetic wannabe with thesaurus in hand, would write something like this in an essay (in this case, of course written by me):
"Beads of pearlescent sweat glistened on his bushy brow as he carefully contemplated words to say. He greatly wanted to duly impress the young adolescent girl before him, yet he did not wish to draw any unpleasant comparisons between her and her aunt, that might result in severe misintepretation and spoil their already awkward relationship."

Rubbish.

Yes, the above sentence can be considered good, concise English, but see, it uses very basic structures, merely using adjectives to mask their rudimentary grammar and achieve required depth of meaning, which any fool can do. I can rewrite it as this:

He sweat as he thought about what to say. He wanted to talk kindly to the young girl in front of him, but was afraid of saying anything that might be hurtful to her or her aunt.

Structure goes something like, Peter felt bored while doing homework. Noun followed by an adjective and a verb.
Second sentence, Peter wanted to play, but he had homework to do.
Simple synthesis and conjunction of conflicting actions.
Nothing special.

Whereas in the original story excerpt, the author has managed to completely rearrange the structure, see:

"Framton Nuttel endeavoured to say the correct something which should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come."

"Peter wanted to do something that would ease his boredom while not making him feel guilty about not doing his homework."

In a simple sentence with standard vocabulary, the author manages to communicate action, contrast and emotion accurately, rather than what someone with poor command of grammar can do, even at his best efforts.

I see people like that all the time in school, especially in polytechnic, where you have people who think they can speak good English, just because many other persons more adept at Chinese only can manage broken English. They, with all their big mind-boggling dictionary-check-inducing tirade of adjectives, don't know nuts about what it really means to fully command this wonderful language.

Keep this in mind. Outstanding English is not about how chim your words can get, but how much you understand its grammar. A dictionary can be on hand anytime you wish, but knowledge of structure can only be individually developed and honed by practice. Thats what makes it so special.

Note: I do not have any experience in proper linguistic studies, and the above are purely personal observations, communicated with words already familiar to me, that I best felt illustrated my points. They may not be the correct technical terms. They don't try to be. They just have something to say and want to say it.

Approval? Me?

2006-07-31T02:48:00.000+08:00

We all look for appraisal, don't we? What use is working for all we have, striving to get to that next milestone, if not to tell someone else and gain their approval? It is not true that we can do something for ourselves and ourselves only. Isn't it true that everything in life is done for the pleasing of someone else?

Ghost.

2006-07-28T11:30:00.000+08:00

I look at a picture.

heartfelt in conception,

abstract in composition.

one aspiring two..

black tears a stain,

on a plateau of dreams,

detached,

immobile an obstacle,

pierced with cruel light,

what was an attraction lacked waiver,

now in frozen chamber,

sealed for eternity.

and a short life to live.

A Day In The Life.

2006-07-19T12:13:00.000+08:00

Wake up. Microstation (120 mins). Brush teeth, cup of cold milk (3 mins). Microstation (240 mins). Rest on bed (15 mins). Microstation (240 mins). Dinner (30 mins). Microstation (300 min). Sleep (240 mins). Rinse, repeat.

FYI, Microstation, like AutoCAD, is a computer drawing program used to churn out my architectural drawings.

Anyone still wanna be a draughtsman? =))

Truth.

2006-07-17T02:34:00.000+08:00

Every facet of reasoning, every aura of confidence, pride, and self-assuredness, will be destroyed the moment one experiences Jesus Christ... It's like, imagine a large battleship. No matter how strong it's made, all it needs is that big bomb to come and rip it apart, and all that pride and dignity and 'look at me I'm a big strong battleship'-ness will be cut down in one instant, to a quivering mass of pride humbled. And even fishing boats stand stronger than that destroyed battleship.

The only reason why battleships are still proud, tall and able to do damage is because they have not met that big enough bomb yet.

Are you that battleship?

Hatred. Its a powerful thing.

2006-07-12T12:40:00.000+08:00

...and my fury will burn against you like hellfire, your skin will drip from your flesh, your bones will turn to dust, because you crossed the lines i drew, and as long as I live, my every breath will curse you with unceasing hatred, soul seared with the inferno of spurned passion.

You dared, because you could. But I would crawl through a field of needles, hail and storm, sirens and metal; no insurance engaged will harbour safely your soul against me inevitable. I'd come to you, to your door, redemption cluctched firmly in my cold palm, and when you're lying shattered on the floor before me, naked in weakness and bare of that steely facade, eyes pleading for mercy and compassion alien to me, its barrel would align itself dead between your eyes, and it will lodge fifteen dear bullets deep into the recesses of your corrupted mind, your name neatly etched on each. You probably caught a glimspse of it, did you?

And I'll admire and photograph your limp body, your head in full bloom, just for old time's sake, because you never looked more beautiful in the time I've known you. And I'll smile. Oh yes I'd smile happily. One chapter ends, and yet another begins.

Because I could, too.

Hmm. Interesting excerpt.

SPR

2006-07-11T15:33:00.000+08:00

The most insulting thing you can do to a movie based on an actual war is to pass judgement over it.

Faculties of Architecture

2006-07-01T22:30:00.000+08:00

The human faculties that an architect absolutely cannot do without:

Hands - The most important. Needed to sketch his ideas, then translate them to working drawings. What used to be pencil, pen and paper is now keyboard, mouse and screen.

Vision - Both in terms of thinking and eyesight. Eyes to perceive a space, to interpret already built works, and the thought to imagine and conceive new spaces, as well as materials.

Touch - To experience texture, as this is the most immediate and physical realisation of a built work. To compare raw concrete and smooth marble, to know the different levels of tactility between materials.

Memory - To remember mistakes, to remember what others did wrong, what can be improved. Life can't move forward if one does not possess knowledge of the past.

The Peripheral Senses - useful but not crucial to the realisation of buildings.

Smell - Hardly used in the enjoyment of a built space. Maybe the oxygen of greenery can be enjoyed. But most often, greenery is appreciated for its visually pleasing qualities and ability to 'soften' a building. And other times, if you can smell a building, it'll most probably be toxic.

Hearing - Perhaps to hear how noise penetrates a building, how a concert hall absorbs unwanted echoes, etc...

Taste - No one's going to lick a building.

Warning: whiney cliched words ahead.

Hai. How time flies. Just a year back, I was a freshman in a school completely different from what I have been used to. No more uniforms, hardly the same rules. The choice so far has been without regret. Instead of only studying the achievements of others, I've learnt to produce works of my own, because that's what design is all about. There's no way around this fact: once you have something which is a direct product of you, you automatically become attached to it, work hard on it, and would rise to defend it, just like the way a mother would protect her child in an inferno.

True, these years only yield a diploma, and I wish so much it were a degree. The journey's far from over, as my interest and passion for the true realisation of habitats for humanity grows. I'd chase down this dream, no matter how far away from me it may run. The only things concrete about my life so far are plans for the future, and surely some religious folks would have something to say about this sentence.

I'd fly away, to somewhere I've never been, plant a seed and let the roots grow. The world's a big place, but it's becoming smaller every day. What's the use of staying on an island? There's already enough people here to take care of it. Build for the world, I say, from the rich to the poor, build for them, put a roof over their heads, give them the framework on which they can splash the colour of life across. Don't be shoddy in deed, no matter what. A line in a drawing is as thin as a sheet paper, mechanically useless, two dimensional, almost purely decorative. But once you take the time to accompany it with another line, it becomes a wall, one that can shield from rain, hail, snow, sunlight, or bullets. And when that wall is joined with another, and another, and another, it becomes a room, one that can hold a family for decades.

So build for the world. Use what God gave you. Create.

An SP Archi graduate dedicated to classmates on national radio, "Build on, my friends."

And that's what life means to me.

Discourse on Smoking - Post 1

2006-06-24T04:26:00.000+08:00

Let's do something interesting.

While browsing amongst the wonderful books of Kinokuniya, I came across this book which had American ads from the 40's and 50's. For each era they picked the most effective ad, and these are the ones for cigarettes that i used my handphone to snap. Lousy pics, i know. But at least they're legible. Here we can see why people smoked, and the concerns of that era (waay before lung cancer was a major concern) X_x .

The first is an ad by L&M. We see the most major concern: Tar. Tar is visible as a brownish substance trapped in the filters of a cigarette, and people knew that this stuff was going into their lungs. So what does L&M do? An excerpt reads: "Our new technology puts electromagnetically charged filters in each cigarette, adding to the number of fibres in the smoke's way." Yep. Trap more smoke, get more customers. Also, the star of TV serial Gunsmoke is seen endorsing the brand, which was a very conventional marketing method. Glamourise smoking, get more customers.

The second is a winning ad from Marlboro. We can see an entirely unorthodox marketing technique: CUTE BABIES! Awww... the text, kept short and simple, reads "Before you scold me, mom, maybe you'd better light up a Marlboro!" This ad won because of its ingenious (although perhaps a bit underhanded) use of an innocent infant to bring smoking all the way down to the most basic, family level: people smoke for relaxation, and not for glamour. This ad appeals to the masses, no doubt. But here we see another property: It targets women. Mothers! Marlboro probably saw the potential of getting the other half of the American population to pick up smoking. No more was smoking a 'manly', 'masculine' activity: the ladies could light up too!

This is the winning ad from the 40s, by Camel. Still existing today in exactly the same box artwork, its price has also survived through the generations. Back then it marketed its quality: "Costlier Tobaccos". Now Camel is still one of the most expensive brands, although it has mostly lost its widespread appeal (in Singapore at least), known as the 'uncle's brand'.

But that's not what's important about this ad. The text reads "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette!" and this information was based on a survey! What could be safer than smoking the same brand that your physician smoked? Yep, Camel had an extremely effective strategy, even with the minimal artwork. Who cares about movie stars? We're all concerned about our health.

At the bottom right is a sort of 'test' to determine which brand one should prefer. Once again we see a decent, house-wifey woman pictured. And a very young one at that. A transparent "T" appears over her mouth, and this is the Taste Test. Apparently, Camel asked its customers to discern a cigarette's Taste, and see whether it made the Throat uncomfortable. Of course, the last sentence goes "You'll know that Camel is the brand for you."

Erkay. In summary, people in booming postwar America smoked because of (in order of priority):

1. Relaxation

2. Glamour

3. Taste of tobacco

And they were concerned about:

1. Tar getting into their system

2. How smooth a cigarette is when smoke is drawn through the filter

3. The 'roughness' of a cigarette on their throats (whether the smoke was stinging)

From Dust You Were Borne, And To Dust You Will Return.

2006-06-20T16:45:00.000+08:00

Today while reading Today (hee.), I came across another one of those "I-just-realised-how-fragile-and-uncertain-life-is" kinda article. This time it was by a middle aged guy whose daughter's friend died in a motorcycle accident.

Well.

This blog entry's unusually long, and its intentions are crystal clear at the end. Should it ultimately fail, then someday I'll write it again, better and clearer. Should it offend you due to references to certain practices by certain parties, I offer my sincerest apologies. Should I misrepresent or if my facts are wrong, I am open to correction.

When we're young, everyone's invincible. Parents always there for us, friends always behind us. We can do crazy things, get into trouble, and run away with it. Young's the time to try new things, they say. Go crazy. Live life to the fullest, sans obligation, responsibility and consequence. Young's the time when we are the most accepting of people around us, regardless of their habits and beliefs.

Teach the child in the way he should go, and when he is older, he shall not stray.

But everything we do has an impact on the future. Parents, especially Asian ones, believe strongly in education. Go to a good school, get a good job, life is a bed of roses. Is that really true?

Say someone leads the ideal life - born to a middle class family, goes to RJC, on to NUS, then on to Masters at Harvard via a government scholarship... what if somewhere along the way... One snowy winter day in the USA, sleet ice on a road drives a car off a mountain road leading to a ski resort. The bodies of 4 were found, all in their late 20's. One of them was a Singaporean scholar.

How will that scholar be remembered? By what he's done in his years, of course. In his funeral, everyone will come forward with glowing praise. Oh. what a filial son he was. Oh, I remember how he used to help me tirelessly in my homework. Oh, what a great student and sportsman he was. Oh, what a waste. What a waste.

Must life be led such that we cannot be productive before our education is complete? Life begins at 0 years old and has a limit. On our tombstones, those years will be represented with a simple '-', e.g., Tan Wa Wa, 1970 - 2030. What will we do during that dash?

We often live our lives with no consideration for its end. Yes, we may give it some thought, but life still goes on. Yet, cancer patients see it differently. The day they are given mere months to live, life takes on a new meaning. No more 9 to 5 jobs, or schedules and appointments to make. In fact, this cycle of continuous work is broken and they become seperate from the rat race...

A CEO in the USA. Personal net worth, uncountable millions. Chairman of one of the most successful accounting companies to date. Listed on Forbes Fortune 500. A man at the top of his game, with a loving wife and even children to boot. A dream come true, many will say.

But a man with cancer. Terminal. The day he was given three months to live was the day his life changed. No more work weeks with 'golf breaks' just to ease his soul and convince him that he was not another robot in a large souless city. What did one of America's richest men do?

He reconciled with his past. With people. With family. "As a leader I have always encouraged my employees to spend time with their family and have positive relationships, but I myself have neglected this." He realised that people were the only ones worth giving time to, and spent as much time as he could with his children, with his beloved wife. He visited personally all those whom he had something to say to, to all his old classmates and friends. He apologised to all he hurt, and realised that time may stop the bleeding from a broken heart, but only words would have a chance at healing the wound. And he wrote a book about it. Not to make money, but to send his message out to the world. Would that not be a book worth reading?

What then might be the goal of life? I shall try to define it here. Its goal would be to affect other people, in a positive way. Because whatever religion or belief you have, no matter what you think or believe about the afterlife, nothing you own on earth's going to go with you once the sands of time run out. No, even if you had people offer a paper Mercedes up to you, do you, according to all human emotions of desire, want to be stuck with a Mercedes (and a paper one, at that) from 19XX A.D.? Would Heaven have a Heavenly Mercedes-Benz that makes nice new cars for its rich residents, cars that the poor-but-kind-hearted can't afford, just like the Earth one? Who's gonna work there? Heavenly Engineers too?

Things on earth are here to help you along the way. The only thing you started with are your mind and body, and those are the only things you'll leave here with.

With your mind you can create, because humans were made with the ability to be creators. And creating does not always mean making a new tool or machine. Creating can mean creating happiness for someone else, helping someone along the way. Your body can help. Hands that produce and work, hands that comfort and heal.

Because if there is indeed a Heaven, the people you affected will all be there with you. Not your possessions. Once you pass 20, it is inevitable that the people around you will start going without a trace. Should you wait till then to be awoken to the hard facts of mortality?

"Built or unbuilt, no matter what building I design, it shall be conceived so that if I were to die the next day, any one single building can represent a lifetime's effort to return, and add to this world what it gave to me." -Me. Again.

Occupation for the Control Freak

2006-06-15T17:24:00.000+08:00

Hmm. Isn't it interesting to know that when architects, nestled in their cushy air-conditioned studios, draw two simple lines on paper, many others have to:

1. Prepare groundwork for the site.
2. Order the cement.
3. Mix the cement with water and sand.
4. Check if the cement is suitable for construction.
5. Chop down and cut wood planks to mould the cement.
6. Pour the cement into the nicely arranged wooden mould.
7. Let the cement cure to form a concrete wall.
8. Throw away all that wood (it can't be reused).
9. Paint the concrete wall.
10. Prepare it for inspection by the architect, and authorities.

All because an architect nonchalantly penned two lines...
Whee.