my world

it's a wrap!

2012-01-26T19:02:00.002+08:00

no prizes this time, but im nonetheless very glad i topped this edition of the IOC Young Reporters Program, at Innsbruck 2012, albeit unofficially.

i went there with fire in the belly for several reasons, and im glad i proved to myself i can be good. i proved i wasnt there to make up numbers or continents, i wasnt there as a token Singapore rep, and i wasnt 'second choice'.

i cant put my finger on why, but Innsbruck 2012 was much more thoroughly enjoyable than Singapore 2010. not cos of what i now know, but the process. im really really grateful for all the kind words from Lucia (Montanarella), Roddie (McVake), Nick (Didlick) and Anthony (Edgar). they mean so much. more than ive expressed.

and Tracey (Holmes) for that post-curling late-night sms that came out of the blue: "thiam peng ur a star well done today u will go far."

i think my performance can be attributed to a couple of stories, mainly WADA, the Japanese kids, curling (and my indefatigable grit to master it in one day) and the last-minute Olympian. will put them up here shortly.

only pity was most of what i had prepared editorially prior to the Games weren't used.

Singapore vs Others

2012-01-20T20:33:00.000+08:00

more than just hearing outsiders' opinions as a host, here at the winter YOG i got to know more about what they think of singapore without the pressure of being patronising.

i was talking to nick (usa) and luke (aus) about the american presidential race and luke asked me if something political recently happened in singapore, cos he's been reading my politically charged fb posts. when told about the watershed elections, he asked if singapore's become less conservative, and that struck me.

he had stated an assumption and hence given me a new perception - right or left, the sitting government, especially the longer they do, will become the conservatives. the opposition will always evolve into the radical or the liberal.

on another occasion, talked to the two african girls diacounda (sen) and ellina (zim). since they're distinct from singapore and innsbruck, plus the fact they're from a place very different, i wanted to know how their experiences have been.

the language factor. most singaporeans speak english, making the city a suitable host for an international event. austrians dont, although i pointed out europeans dont really give a damn about english anyway. but note, this comment came from diacounda, a native french speaker. she knows a little english because english is universal.
the people factor. singapore is hardcore in haolian to the world, and the moment we won hosting rights to YOG i knew we'd nail it. them both complimented how there were volunteers everywhere in singapore, who were helpful. here, which i can verify with my own experience, volunteers are scarce and i hate to say this but oddly angmohs may be a nice bunch but those running these Games are not. i suspect there's a lot to do with innsbruck having hosted two senior Olympics so this is no big deal really.
the food factor. cos they're african and im asian and i can empathise. angmoh food is really not for us. singapore's dining hall had several sections catering to different taste buds. here it's just angmoh food that pei lei and ji ye (chn) also disapprove of. rice is a halfhearted attempt with nothing to go with it, while the same breakfast of breads, cheese, eggs and bacon every day is hardly appetising.

on another occasion, the monkey brothers ben (isr) and arnel (uru) mentioned singapore's death sentence for drug possession. so we assessed the three countries.

arnel is shocked by singapore's system. uruguay, for being such a scary place, has no capital punishment. but then he argues uruguayans probably rather die than go to their prisons.

the death sentence exists in israel but, almost paling in comparison, is only meted out to nazi criminals. ben is of the view that allowing tobacco freely yet hanging people for possessing grams of powder is simply hypocrisy.

when IOC reporter alan and i were casually talking, i asked what he thought of singapore. and he was frank.

"really boring. the people are wonderful, but the place is very boring. there are so many malls. there's nothing other than shopping."

mind you, the fella's canadian, and that place cant claim to be any exciting.

he talked about a nice young volunteer whom he worked with, who told him about the social ladder in singapore.

"he has so much pressure to do well in school. his parents run a food stall, have barely any day off in a year, and their biggest dream is that he doesn't take over the stall. why?" he wondered, unable to comprehend anything other than that selling food is a legitimate, good and honest job.

and finally.

ben: why does singapore have a conscript army like us?

me: because we're in the same situation.

ben (turning serious): no you're not. indonesia? malaysia? tell me, do your neigbours want to kill you?

me: ...

ben: can you go to malaysia anytime you want?

me: yes.

ben: your government just wants you to panic.

2012-01-18T15:26:00.011+08:00

And I wish I was a camera sometimes,
So I could take your picture with my mind.
Put it in a frame for you to see,
How beautiful you really are to me.

This is our time

2012-01-12T22:49:00.002+08:00

the story of the day since arriving in Innsbruck has been my lack of resistance to the ice cold. one moment it's not enough clothes, next moment it's not the right clothes, and another was a 30-second nought-to-headache incident.

i wonder how im gonna backpack in this weather, not helped by my increasing load as we're given more and more things everyday.

but if there's one thing that's good so far in this climate, it's the size of the Young Reporters group. everyone seems to be connecting better with fewer faces to talk to.

it's Day 2 and the dinner was nice, with a couple of interesting trivia dropping out:

YOG visitors aren't aware of the YOG political fallout locally that played a part in the eventual election results.
Ben and Arnel aren't gay. but are willing to be if Iuliia joins them in the shower.
Yogger might just be the next big thing in technology. with many nuances.
Ben categorically states there are no ghosts in this world, hence Singaporean Chinese should stop offering food during the Seventh Month.
Nick is smaller than Ben and Arnel.
there is no snooker in Canada, just pool.
Ukraine is a mysterious place.
Kimiya is writing a thesis on women.
Kimiya has an unglam video somewhere online.
the seemingly immature boy is still immature 18 months on, this time even Anthony stepping in to give a cheeky retort.
opinions of the other YRs are interesting, to say the least.

Godthink

2012-01-07T14:02:00.000+08:00

a study at the University of Chicago put subjects through three basic questions:

What are your beliefs regarding this specific issue?
What do you think other people believe regarding this issue?
What do you think God believes regarding this issue?

The most interesting part of the study involved functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the neural activity of subjects as they reasoned through their answers to the three questions above. The scans showed that separate regions of the brain were activated when subjects answered question 1 (what I believe) in comparison to question 2 (what other people believe).

However – and this is the interesting part – question 3 (what God believes) activated the same part of the brain that was activated when answering question 1, suggesting that we draw on our own personal beliefs when thinking about what God might believe.

the above study seems to suggest that people tend to colour what they think God's morality is according to their own beliefs.

2012-01-05T22:45:00.002+08:00

"Aerodynamics are for people who can't build (good) engines."
Enzo Ferrari

疯神无双疯秘笈

2012-01-04T12:21:00.000+08:00

礼金

结婚嘉宴的时候为了祝贺
宾客们都会准备礼金
來祝福新人
礼金的多少则跟交情有关

包三百的
可能是你的兄弟兼死党
包一百八的
可能是你的好朋友

那包三十还帶全家來的呢
赶快报警抓他

Christmas play ball

2011-12-23T22:38:00.003+08:00

preseason plus the tiny matter of lockout are done, and in two days' time the 2011-12 season of NBA finally begins.

truth be told, i haven't followed NBA for a few years now. my last clear memory of a champion was Celtics in 2008. and maybe my following dropped as my dreaded Lakers dominated the next two finals.

well oh well. ive NBA TV on cable, and im at ESPN now, and suddenly NBA's returned to my life. the upcoming season, probably as exciting as any, now seems more exciting to me.

a quick preview of the season by teams:

the contenders:

Dallas Mavericks

you can never write off the champs, but in this case, you almost can. they were old last season, and they're older now. the departure of Tyson Chandler will hurt them, since superstar Dirk Nowitzki will have to take on big-man duties. still, with a roster of Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, the evergreen Jason Kidd and new boys Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, the Mavs are star-studded.

Miami Heat

everyone knows the Big Three. and this could be their year. LeBron James and Chris Bosh have settled in, and together with former champ Dwyane Wade, Miami are their own enemies.

LA Lakers

some writers list teams by their rankings, but for me the biggest franchise must come next -- for the wrong reasons. all is not well in Hollywood. Odom is gone, so Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol will be a weaker force. what does that leave you? a one-man show expected of Kobe Bryant (again). they still have Metta World Peace, but the player formerly known as Ron Artest or Mr Troublemaker is nowhere near his best.

LA Clippers
no wait, all is well in Hollywood. the other half, that is. All-Star point guard Chris Paul couldn't sign for Lakers, and in a twisted outcome did for Clippers. fading clutch cager Chauncey Billups was released by his former employers, and suddenly the Clippers are a force to be reckoned with. that's due to the small reason they also have DeAndre Jordan, former All-Star Caron Butler and monster slam-dunk rookie Blake Griffin.

Chicago Bulls

will it be Chicago's year, or OKC's? i like the Bulls more, so let's talk about them first. boasting the MVP is no small deal, and Derrick Rose is only 23, who knows what he's capable of becoming. and Chicago were so good last season because they had an exceptional supporting cast. Team USA's Carlos Boozer remains the second big name, but Frenchman Joakim Noah is fast becoming his equal. Luol Deng seems to be peaking, and new acquisition Richard Hamilton should be a significant albeit old component.

Oklahoma City Thunder

the name's not illustrious nor synonymous with NBA success, but OKC are one of the biggest teams around today and you better believe it. at just 23, franchise superstar Kevin Durant is already twice the league's scoring champ. he is ably supported by Russell Westbrook, one of NBA's best point guards. they of course also possess the colossal Serge Ibaka and no-longer-overweight Kendrick Perkins.

New York Knicks

Manhattan's got a new skyscraper. Chandler is strangely traded here, freeing up Amare Stoudamire's burden, and suddenly the Knickerbockers have a real shot at the last-four. with Carmelo Anthony settled, and former All-Star Baron Davis, star rookie Iman Shumpert in the squad, NBA's glam underachiever may be in for good times.

Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs

the two aging teams remain in the running, especially with a shortened calendar... but only just.

the Big Four of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo haven't looked the same since they took the title in 2008. KG is on an irreversible decline, and with 'The Truth' and Allen, are at least 34 years young. in my opinion, this is their last shot.

to be honest, Spurs look worse. multi-hyphenate Tim Duncan is long past his prime, Tony Parker will be praying his post-Eva Longoria form returns to the pre- kind, while Manu Ginobili probably has just that bit of gas left. still, their 61 wins last term aren't a fluke. if they work out how to use the squad optimally, they're in with a shout.

the pretenders:

Atlanta Hawks

this unassuming team can only improve, but they're still a visible distance from touching the contenders. with five-time All-Star Joe Johnson calling the shots, a lot will be expected of the talented duo of Al Horford and Josh Smith. then there is Tracy McGrady. the former superstar is the bit-part guy now, but game-winning ability/mentality is permanent.

Memphis Grizzlies

from perennial no-hopers to dangerous banana skins within a year, can the Grizzlies keep this up? Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol again will star as one of the most effective frontcourt in the league, and for better or worse, franchise headliner Rudy Gay is back.

Indiana Pacers

with the coaching position sorted out, Indiana will believe things are on the up. most importantly, Danny Granger's scoring burden is eased by David West's arrival, a player even bigger than the current franchise star. but interim coaches sometimes enjoy much luck; a first full season for Frank Vogel can expose a lot more flaws.

Minnesota Timberwolves

this will be an exciting year for the T-Wolves. rebounding king Kevin Love is joined by an impressive new lineup of Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams and JJ Barea, therefore i reckon Minnesota are the ones who will dislodge one of last year's playoff teams. but the biggest difference lies in not a player, but Rick Adelman, the successful former Kings coach who just took over.

Golden State Warriors
the dark horse among the rest, if GS can toughen up their defence, their game should be more all-rounded. former no.1 pick Kwame Brown is the notable reinforcement to rebound leader David Lee and a talented backcourt of Stephen Curry-Monta Ellis.

Orlando Magic

the very reason i held off writing this piece is this team... or rather, Dwight Howard. he is a distraction simply because he is such a massive player. i am assuming 'Superman' will be here on Christmas tipoff, and the Magic have an outside chance. lose him, and they're finished. the other notable players will be Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson and the new Glen Davis, while JJ Redick as always is the sniper on the bench.

the no-hopers:

Milwaukee Bucks

Andrew Bogut hasnt become the superstar many thought he would, but he's still good and the Bucks rely heavily on the league's no.1 blocker. the team can defend, but they cant score, so hopefully the addition of the volatile former champ Stephen Jackson helps.

Denver Nuggets
im gonna plunge for Denver to fail this season, even though they performed admirably after Melo left them. Danilo Gallinari and Nene have done well, and a very old Andre Miller can still contribute, but players like Kenyon Martin are only returning in March. the Nuggets simply have too little star power.

Detroit Pistons

this is a messed-up franchise in transition. since their glory years of 2004, 2005, Detroit have declined badly. alumnus of that vintage Tayshaun Prince is their key small forward now. the rest of the starters are all extremely talented, but need to perform night in night out to fire the Pistons forward. the great new hope is Brandon Knight, who was a college phenom. there's Ben Wallace on the bench too, but he's quite a joke these days.

New Jersey Nets

with only Deron Williams, albeit an All-Star go-to man, the Nets will find the going tough.

Washington Wizards

as the franchise lost its headliners, its fortunes have tumbled. today, only John Wall remains. tipped as a future All-Star, the sophomore will carry a lot on his shoulders. the Wizards now look like the Clippers last year, a team depending on one young dude.

Sacramento Kings

they dont look like getting out of their regal slumber anytime soon. in DeMarcus Cousins they have a leading center, while Marcus Thornton can rack up a scary amount of baskets, but that's about it.

Toronto Raptors

with Jose Calderon expected to pull the strings, the man to watch is former no.1 pick Andrea Bargnani. the Italian will be stronger this time round in the power forward position and some have already called him the new Dirk. on the bench Toronto have one of the best sixth-man around, Leandro Barbosa.

Philadelphia 76ers

a pathetic opening last season offset by a credible showing as the year wore on, the roster has largely stayed the same. Elton Brand continues to lead the names, while the coach must decide between two good shooting guards in Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner.

Phoenix Suns

if you're a romantic, two-time MVP Steve Nash and NBA great Grant Hill are your men. but they're 37 and 39 respectively and Phoenix dont have younger guys better than them... 'nuff said.

Utah Jazz

this is a team in transition, and it's nowhere more obvious than having a coach who isnt called Jerry Sloan. there is also no D-Will and Andrei Kirilenko in town anymore. the leadership in this fractured team now lies in Al Jefferson and Devin Harris, who has to fill Williams' big shoes.

Houston Rockets

the small problem at Houston is they tried to trade their top two players Kevin Martin and Luis Scola away but failed. so two unwanted/unhappy stars reported for training and are now gonna start for the franchise. the larger-than-life Yao Ming has also retired, without a visible replacement.

Portland Trail Blazers

it's never easy to lose your franchise star, to say the least. Brandon Roy has retired at just 27, and now all the weight of the city is on LeMarcus Aldridge's shoulders. Portland do have good players, and they'll all need to stand up and be counted this transitional season. look out for NBA's top sixth-man Jamal Crawford off the bench.

Cleveland Cavaliers

the Cavs went from being a top Eastern Conference team to 63 losses last term. and whether they wanna admit it, it's because of LeBron. Antawn Jamison's the big name now, but he cant go it alone. the rebuilding no doubt starts with star rookie Kyrie Irving, yet he's no LeBron.

New Orleans Hornets

expect 'The Big Easy' to no longer be a playoff team. they've lost not just CP3, but fellow All-Star West. to be frank, this season the only player i would watch them for is college star Eric Gordon.

Charlotte Bobcats

they have one highly rated rookie in Kemba Walker. and that's it. end of story. the exciting part is, if owner Michael Jordan wanted Walker so badly, we are in for something special.

Things to know at 25(ish)

2011-12-19T17:52:00.000+08:00

source: Relevant magazine

When you’re 25-ish, you’re old enough to know what kind of music you love, regardless of what your last boyfriend or roommate always used to play. You know how to walk in heels, how to tie a necktie, how to give a good toast at a wedding and how to make something for dinner. You don’t have to think much about skin care, home ownership or your retirement plan. Your life can look a lot of different ways when you’re 25: single, dating, engaged, married. You are working in dream jobs, pay-the-bills jobs and downright horrible jobs. You are young enough to believe that anything is possible, and you are old enough to make that belief a reality.

You Have Time to Find a Job You Love

Now is the time to figure out what kind of work you love to do. What are you good at? What makes you feel alive? What do you dream about? You can go back to school now, switch directions entirely. You can work for almost nothing, or live in another country or volunteer long hours for something that moves you. There will be a time when finances and schedules make this a little trickier, so do it now. Try it, apply for it, get up and do it.

When I was 25, I was in my third job in as many years. I was frustrated at the end of the third year because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do next. I didn’t feel like I’d found my place yet. I met with my boss, who was in his 50s. I told him how anxious I was about finding the one perfect job for me, and quick. He asked me how old I was, and when I told him I was 25, he told me I couldn’t complain to him about finding the right job until I was 32. In his opinion, it takes about 10 years after college to find the right fit, and anyone who finds it earlier than that is just plain lucky. So use every bit of your 10 years: try things, take classes, start over.

Get Out of Debt and Stay Out of Debt

Part of being a healthy, mature adult is learning to live within your means all the time, even if that means going without things you think you need, or doing work you don’t love for a while to be responsible financially. The ability to adjust your spending according to your income is a skill that will serve you your whole life.

There will be times when you have more money than you need. In those seasons, save like crazy, and then let yourself buy fancy shampoo or an iPad or whatever it is you really get a kick out of. When the money’s not rolling in, buy your shampoo from the grocery store and eat eggs instead of steak—a much cheaper way to get protein. If you can get the hang of living within your means all the time, never going into debt, you’ll be ahead of the game when life surprises you with bad financial news.

I know a lot of people who have bright, passionate dreams but who can’t give their lives to those dreams because of the debt they carry. Don’t miss out on a great adventure because you’ve been careless about debt.

Don’t Rush Dating and Marriage

Now is also the time to get serious about relationships. And “serious” might mean walking away from a dating relationship that’s good but not great. Some of the most life-shaping decisions you’ll make during this time will be about walking away from good-enough, in search of can’t-live-without. One of the only truly devastating mistakes you can make in this season is staying with the wrong person even though you know he or she is the wrong person. It’s not fair to that person, and it’s not fair to you.

“Who are you dating?” “Do you think he’s the one?” “Have you looked at rings?” We confer a lot of status and respect on people who are getting married—we consider them as more adult and more responsible. But there’s nothing inherently more responsible or more admirable about being married.

I’m thankful to be celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary this summer, but at the same time, I have a fair amount of friends whose marriages are ending—friends whose weddings we danced at, whose wedding cake we ate, whose rings we oohed-and-aahed over but that have been taken off fingers a long time ago.

Some people view marriage as the next step to happiness or grown-up life or some kind of legitimacy, and in their mad desire to be married, they overlook significant issues in the relationship.

Ask your friends, family members and mentors what they think of the person you’re dating and your relationship. Go through premarital counseling before you are engaged, because, really, engagement is largely about wedding planning, and it’s tough to see the flaws in a relationship clearly when you’re wearing a diamond and you have a deposit on an event space.

I’m kind of a broken record on this: “He seems great—what’s the rush?” and, “Yes, I like her—give it a year.” And, “Time is on your side.”

Really, it is.

Give Your Best to Friends and Family

While twentysomethings can sometimes spend a little too much energy on dating and marriage, they probably spend too little energy on friendships and family. That girl you just met and now text 76 times a day may not be a part of your life in 10 years, but the guys you lived with in college, if you keep investing in them, will be friends for a lifetime. Loyalty is no small thing, especially in a season during which so many other things are shifting.

Family is a tricky thing in your 20s—to learn how to be an adult out on your own but to also maintain a healthy relationship with your parents—but those relationships are really, really worth investing in. I have a new vantage point on this now that I’m a parent, and I give my own parents a break.

Find a Rhythm for Spiritual Disciplines

Going out into “the real world” after high school or college affects more than just your professional life. Where once you had free time, a flexible schedule and built-in community, now you have one hour for lunch, 10 days max to “skip” work and co-workers who are all over the place in age, stage of life and religion.

One of the best routines I adopted in my 20s was a monthly solitude day. I found I lived better if once a month I took the time to read, rest and write, to ask myself about the choices I’d made in the past month and to look ahead. Some of the most important decisions I made in that season of life became clear as a result of that monthly commitment.

Volunteer

Give of your time and energy to make the world better in a way that doesn’t benefit you directly.

It’s easy to get caught up in your own big life and big plan in your 20s—you’re building a career, building an identity, building for a future. Find some place in your life where you’re building for a purpose that’s bigger than your own life or plan.

Feed Yourself and the People You Love

If you can master these things, you’re off to a really great start: eggs, soup, a fantastic sandwich or burger, and some killer cookies. A few hints: The secret to great eggs is really low heat, and almost every soup starts the same way: onion, garlic, carrot, celery, stock.

People used to know how to make this list and more, but for all sorts of reasons, sometime in the last 60 or so years, convenience became more important than cooking and people began resorting to fake food, fast food and frozen food. I literally had to call my mom from my first apartment because I didn’t know if you baked a potato for five minutes or two hours.

The act of feeding oneself is a skill every person can benefit from, and some of the most sacred moments in life happen when we gather around the table. The time we spend around the table, sharing meals and sharing stories, is significant, transforming time.

Learn to cook. Invite new and old friends to dinner. Practice hospitality and generosity. No one cares if they have to sit on lawn furniture, bring their own forks or drink out of a mug from 1982. What people want is to be heard and fed and nourished, physically and otherwise—to stop for just a little bit and have someone look them in the eye and listen to their stories and dreams. Make time for the table, and you’ll find it to be more than worth it every time.

Don’t Get Stuck

This is the thing: When you hit 28 or 30, everything begins to divide. You can see very clearly two kinds of people.

On one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find themselves and their dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults.

Then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely. They mean to develop intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party. But they don’t do those things, so they live in an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than when they graduated.

Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season to be wild and a season for settledness, and this is neither.

This season is about becoming.

Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal.

Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? What parts of my childhood am I leaving behind, and what parts am I choosing to keep? Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?"

Now is your time. Walk closely with people you love, and with people who believe life is a grand adventure. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned.

Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path.

疯神无双疯秘笈

2011-12-17T15:17:00.000+08:00

瓶中信

把信放到玻璃瓶里丟到海中

这就叫瓶中信

那如果把鸟放在笼子里面

就叫笼中鸟

如果把食物放在盘子里面

就叫盘中餐

把钉子放在眼睛里面

就叫眼中钉

那如果把人放在舞台中间

那就叫台中人

final whistle

2011-12-14T19:28:00.002+08:00

okay again another much-delayed post.

it's not something to be proud of and probably not something i should be blogging about, but 2010-11 was my most awry Inter School-Inter Hall season in four years. it wasn't just form, but a combination of factors like FYP and my ailing body.

ISG, which has been my priority the last three years, took a backseat this final year. i dont know why, maybe it's precisely due to my prolonged commitment that im now tired. i only played three sports this year, after three trainings in total. pathetic i know, considering last year when i captained soccer we had numerous trainings and friendlies.

soccer, touch, volleyball

soccer, the one im most proud of in WKWSCI and the only sport i played four years, was negligible this time. we played our hearts out in 2007, we went on our fairytale run in 2008, we had a superb squad in 2009, but 2010 the format became 7-a-side and the pitch was halved. i stepped down and there was no leadership. the new captain got into an emergency situation, and none of the seniors wanted to play.

at the eventual tournament, it was a team of all freshies plus clement cher and a 50%-fit me. almost everything was a disaster, only redeemed by promising players who have joined the school - gordon, paddy, amin, michael.

after years of drifting in and out of our strong sport, i finally geared up to play touch, since my exposure to contact rugby has helped me appreciate this form more. sadly we didnt have the services of some of our best players, and only me yanyi jocelyn yini know the game. and we met a very strong HSS in the prelims, bleh.

vball was a joke. ive been a key part of the team for years, but after the organisers merged the sport into co-ed, plus the absence/departure of other guys, i became a fringe player due to some talented freshie girls. thoroughly not enjoyable haha.

floorball, badminton

couldn't make it for badminton as i had the much more crucial IH softball to play. floorball, one of the most emotional sports over the years, i dont even remember anything.

when you're a graduating senior in hall, IH just feels a lot different. other than trying to make your mark or get your hands on that long service award, juniors seem to look to you as the guiding light, the calm in the storm. so somehow, suddenly, IH became a big deal for me.

softball, rugby

i had a bad feeling about softball all along. this was the weakest team ive played alongside. barely any heavy batters, and probably only five or so able fielders. and it showed. although we managed a memorable victory over traditional powerhouse Hall 15, we could not beat noisy neighbours Hall 5 -- in two attempts.

the one i cared about the most and put in the most effort ended with a whimper. after hardcore training and arduous planning, our hopes high, the tournament saw IVPs participating and we simply crashed and burnt. we were supposed to qualify 2nd, but ended last. it didnt help that key players kelvin, desmond and melvin were injured, while IVP zen made a pledge to sit out.

volleyball, soccer

soccer is one thing, since there were enough good juniors, but i had trained passionately for vball, and for the first year in hall i stood a reasonable chance of turning out for our vball team.

then tragedy struck, in the form of gout again. not stepping out into the court for my hall vball is one of my big regrets in college life surely.

thus, an awkward nostalgia. it sucks that 2010-11 was such a bad season, plus i was graduating, yet it feels that was normal proceedings since i wasnt fully in it.

slut lock

2011-12-13T15:37:00.002+08:00

Woman asks:

If I sleep with 3 men, everyone calls me a slut.
But when a man sleeps with 8 girls, everyone calls him a real man.
How come?

Confucius replies:

It's very simple. When one lock can be opened by 3 different keys, it's a bad lock.
But when one key can open 8 different locks, we call it a master key.

indulge

2011-12-12T07:31:00.001+08:00

one year in the planning, and at last it happened.

although for very unfortunate reasons one of the five couldn't come, the day was just non-stop laughter, relaxing, and htht.

a list of how me, yewhan, jonathan and yong seng tried our best to recoup the high cover charge:

hot pool

cold pool

sauna

steam bath

shower

couch bed + tv

*repeat the above

blow-dry hair

clean ears

brush teeth

shave

multiple drinks

cream puffs

bananas

kaya toast

gingko nut barley

multiple bowls of sze chuan veg pork rib soup

2 x tom yum kway teow

2 x penang prawn mee

3 x curry chicken mee

3 x ginseng herbal chicken

5 x fish 'n' chips

it is important to note the epic lengths to organise this. one year, to match five people's schedules, how about that. the birth of the idea, according to records, had taken place on new year's day.

疯神无双疯秘笈

2011-12-10T14:13:00.003+08:00

大头照

顾名思义

大头照就是只拍大头的照片
是一种身份证护照用的照片

结婚要拍的是婚纱照
艺人常拍宣传照
在金钟奖颁奖典礼拍的

是金钟照

拿鮮奶拍的照片

就是鮮奶照

Praised by the Wise

2011-12-05T13:56:00.001+08:00

"The way of Buddhism is Middle Way between all extremes. This is no weak compromise, but a sweet reasonableness which avoids fanaticism and laziness with equal care, and marches onward without that haste which brings its own reaction, but without ceasing.

For 2,500 years it has satisfied the spiritual needs of nearly one third of mankind. It appeals to those in search of truth because it has no dogmas, satisfies the reason and the heart alike, insists on self-reliance coupled with tolerance for other points of view, embraces science, religion, philosophy, psychology, mysticism, ethics and art, and points to man alone as the creator of his present life and sole designer of his destiny."

Christmas Humphreys, eminent British prosecutor and judge

疯神无双疯秘笈

2011-11-27T15:01:00.001+08:00

庐山真面目

典故出自苏东坡的題西林壁詩:

不识庐山真面目

只缘身在此山中

所以当时如果苏东坡人在黃山
那很可能就会变成:
不识黃山真面目

如果他在泰山
很有可能就会变成泰山真面目

那如果他人在富士山
那么苏东坡很有可能是
日本人

2011-11-24T21:26:00.000+08:00

"虽然我们错过了但我真心希望你也能找到你的幸福.

谢谢你喜欢我.

wait for my wedding invite!"

like a boss #applause

2011-11-22T15:59:00.000+08:00

A man went to a shop to buy parrots. He asked about the first one, and the owner said it costs $50 and speaks Italian. He asked about the second, which costs $500, and why.

The owner replied, "Well this one speaks Italian, Cantonese, Russian and Navajo!"

The man then asked about a third. "Oh this costs $5,000!" exclaimed the owner.

"Why? What does it speak?" asked the stunned man.

"Actually I don't know, but the other parrots call it the chairman."

那些年那个女孩

2011-11-17T19:04:00.004+08:00

where do i start. 那些年 was neither the best shot nor written (as a film), but it was surely my most cathartic film in a while.

audiences and critics across the region had raved about how the content's so close to heart - a story of our younger days, and that girl who meant everything.

i was a little fearful, i admit, given the past ive had. indeed, i cant put it in any other way but concede that the content's closest to my heart.

they were right. it's like watching a film about your own life.

-spoiler alert-

expect no happy ending. some call it bittersweet, but im not too sure. after all, 那些年 is giddens' biographical work, and it stayed true to how reality pans out, not just in his story, but most of ours as well.

maybe that's what makes it work. no Hollywood fairytale here. just the hard-hitting fact that the one might not be the one, and circumstances are often out of our control.

not sure who wrote the screenplay, but i guess 那些年 works better as the novel it originally is, for now. the film doesn exactly follow the arc of a typical film, especially its chronological telling and the lack of a tense climax.

but yes, it's been said many times, this is life. giddens tells his story as it is, from high school to college and beyond. it's in fact just a sequence of incidents through the characters' lives, monkeying in class or dreaming about the future.

the initial setup already captured me. boy and girl sit side by side in class, things happen and sparks fly. of course it gives me goosebumps to talk about it now, but i look back fondly, because it did happen to me.

(plus the trailer and all also seemed to hint at lost love, which drew me more)

but like all good films and stories, there is much more than an "initial setup". eventually 那些年 struck many more chords.

the story of 柯景腾 and 沈佳宜 is, well, bittersweet. they liked each other, but due to mishaps along the way, although they shared beautiful moments, they never materialised as a couple.

for example, he never properly declared his love for her, despite his pursuit. she never reciprocated the right signals. and they never got over their many points of friction.

in other words, it's a case of raw, unpolished love.

the sky lantern scene devastated me. he refused her answer, afraid a rejection would end his desire to continue liking her forever. it was immature and fatal. she, for her part, decided to hold back her true feelings. mistakes on both sides started the ominous path to their eventual split.

the right thing to do would be to take a leap of faith, but in real life we seldom do right.

the sky lantern, an authentic Taiwanese icon for wish-making, told it best. on 柯景腾's side was his confession, on 沈佳宜's side was her "yes" answer. none saw each other's wish.

but furthering this, their story is also about a lifelong affection and care for each other. they continued a bond years down the road, because, well, truth is, you dont fall out of love with someone. she remained that very important girl to him, and in his words, she'll always represent his 青春, always be 那个他追的女孩. and in a positive take, 他说她一定要幸福, 因为她是他很重要的一段回忆, 而他打算保留好这段回忆.

anyway. regarding the opening scene, i admit i was semi-fooled they were getting married, but i also flirted with the possibility he was marrying someone else, not 沈佳宜.

oh well.

and call me a bitch but i got excited at giddens' homage to jay chou. first was the public announcement in school, using 三年二班's opening. then years later, 双节棍, which was released in 2001 and according to the film's timeline is a contemporary, was used as soundtrack.

the standout performer, without a doubt, is 陈妍希. i was hands-down enthralled by her cry scene upon receiving her pre-college grades. she fully deserves her 金马奖 nomination for this performance.

so there you go. gonna end off with my favourite dialogue in the film, which also in those few words rise above what we may assume and magnify the tender calm of the story.

柯景腾: 你相信有平行时空吗? 也许在另一个平行时空里我们是在一起的.

沈佳宜: 真羡慕他们呢谢谢你喜欢我.

my last word: i think in looking backward, 那些年 is an attempt to help us look forward. you learn the lessons of life, and love better. you right your regrets. not least as a tribute to 那个女孩, who helped shape who you are today.

疯神无双疯秘笈

2011-11-15T13:36:00.002+08:00

小明

小明是个笑话或谜语中
最红的虚拟人物

通常他会有一个好朋友叫小华
有个女友叫小美
有个哥哥叫大明
有个舅舅叫志明
志明的老婆是春娇
春娇有个情夫叫老王
老王养的蟑螂叫小強
老王养的小狗叫小黑
而小明的全名听说是王小明
不排除小明其实是老王的儿子

所以不论小明是谁
反正小明就是沒有脚
因为小明在一次的车祸当中
失去了他的双腿
小明太可怜了

Frazier wins top billing at last

2011-11-13T22:52:00.000+08:00

source: Reuters

Joe Frazier had to wait until death to win rightful appreciation after a boxing career spent in the shadow of the magnificent Muhammad Ali, boxing historian Bert Sugar said.

“He never got his due,” Sugar told on Tuesday when asked about the former world heavyweight champion, who fought three epic bouts with Ali in the 1970s.

“This is the day for Joe Frazier, who has always been the second slot to Muhammad Ali, even when he won. Today is the day when he stands up as his own and he’s Joe Frazier, period, paragraph, and he can stand up to anybody on his own.”

Boxing promoter Bob Arum said the three bouts between the fighters stood as a hallmark in sport.

“He gave the world what had to be one of the most thrilling trilogies in any sport. There was nothing like it in this country and in the world for the attention those fights received.”

Ali returned after a three-year exile imposed after he refused induction for the Vietnam War due to his Muslim beliefs to face Frazier and the build-up was intense.

“I think the first, certainly was the biggest event I ever covered. It seemed like the world stopped in anticipation of it,” HBO fight commentator Larry Merchant said.

“It was building up for several years, two heavyweight champions. Ali in exile.

“And then to have the fight and the drama exceed the highest expectations, was a once-in-a-half-century, thrilling event.”

Merchant did not think Frazier was slighted by his association with Ali, but rather enhanced.

“Regardless of the fact that Ali was such a towering figure in his time, a worldwide figure, he brought out the best in Joe Frazier,” said Merchant.

“Indeed Frazier was admired and respected widely and had the heavyweight stage to himself during Ali’s exile… in boxing, nobody didn’t love Joe Frazier and what he represented in his honesty, dedication and toughness as a champion.

“It was one extraordinary man against an ordinary Joe in terms of personalities and how they reached out to the world.”

Better Fighter

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Dave Anderson of the New York Times wrote that he considered Frazier a better fighter.

“I’ve always believed that, each at his best, Joe Frazier… was the better fighter,” Anderson wrote in his column.

Ali won their Madison Square Garden rematch by decision, setting up the Thrilla in Manila rubber bout in 1975. Ali won that rough bout, but Anderson said Frazier inflicted more punishment.

“The Thrilla in Manila in 1975 was awarded to Ali when Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, wouldn’t let him answer the bell for the 15th round because he couldn’t see the right hands coming out of his closed left eye,” recalled Anderson.

“But Frazier soon talked freely in the interview area. When an exhausted Ali finally arrived, he described their epic in brutality as ‘next to death.’

“That evening, at a party in an old Filipino palace, Ali, his ribs battered, walked stiffly and sat stiffly, painfully offering a finger or two instead of shaking hands. At his hotel, Frazier sang and danced. Seeing them both, if you didn’t know what had happened in the fight you had to think Frazier was the winner.”

Said Sugar: “Had he stood up off his stool and gone to the centre of the ring, Ali would have collapsed. Ali has no legs, they have to almost drag him to the corner after the last round. He would have lost. That’s one of the ironies.”

Some diminish Frazier in historical terms because his career ebbed after his three epic fights against Ali.

“It is no surprise that after that night of greatness, he was never the same,” Wally Matthews wrote for espn.com about Frazier’s ferocious victory in their first fight.

“But to knock Frazier for being unable to match the greatest athletic performance ever seen at the Garden is like criticising Michelangelo for being unable to sculpt another David.”

2011-11-09T21:48:00.000+08:00

"Never explain -- your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway."

疯神无双疯秘笈

2011-11-03T14:31:00.000+08:00

大肠镜

是一种检测人体大肠健康狀況的仪器
但是要注意是大肠镜
不是大长今

大长今是韩国历史上
第一位女医生

根据韩国人表示
韩国的医术是世界第一

针灸也是韩国发明的

手術也是韩国发明的

世界第一位女医生
也是出自韩国

搞不好大肠镜跟大肠面线
都是大长今发明的

韩国人真是太了不起了

我们給韩国掌声鼓励...

Singaporean Men Cannot Make It One Lah

2011-10-31T17:28:00.000+08:00

by Tan Sze Yao

Singaporean girls like to use the phrase "cannot make it" to describe Singaporean men. They wrinkle their noses and act all surprised when you suggest, ever so gently, that perhaps Singaporean Male X might be a suitable mate. "Huh?? Cannot make it lah, he." A few years later they marry Singaporean Male Y, who looks and sounds exactly the same as Singaporean Male X.

Why are Singaporean men all so ostensibly "cannot make it"? I do not know the answer to this question, for I am reasonable. However, I do have suggestions for the men. To become a "can make it" Singaporean male (without having to resort to plastic surgery), one must achieve a certain level of competence at the activities I shall be listing out below. Ours is a small, closed society; the traits that mark one out for worthwhile reproduction are easily and quickly discernible, if one pays proper attention.

1. Must be good at computers and computer games

Strangely, being good at computer games appears to be more impressive to the average Singaporean female. If you are good at computers only, you are taken advantage of for most part. If you are good at computer games, however, you are a badass potential protector.

Compare

You: OK, upgraded to Windows 7 already.

Girl: Thanks so much! (thinks: the software did everything.)

You: You're welcome.

Girl: Can help me install antivirus?

with

You: ALL RIGHT 25 KILLSTREAK!

Girl: Huh?

You: Nothing. I just kicked your boyfriend's ass.

Girl: Orh. (stands over shoulder and watches very fast paced game and thinks: aiyah why my boyfriend so lousy.) Can help me install Windows?

You: Sorry not interested, I am aiming for 35 killstreak

Girl: (subconsciously registers lack of punctuation as sexy) Oh. Kill kill kill... so manly.

As a general rule, the hierarchy is such: first-person shooter, versus fighter, real-time strategy, turn-based strategy and then everything else. MMORPGs occupy a value system of their own, but in general their gentle learning curve reduce street cred. Angry Birds and Bejewelled FTW for now though.

2. Must be good at pool

There is nothing else to do in Singapore. Get good at it, you will be spending a lot of time in these places. Don't just chalk your stick - chalk some victories while you're at it. Ah-lians will be watching.

Must-learns: jump-shot, English, doubles.

3. Must be good at one team sport

So that you will look good next to the other doddering dodos. Football obviously occupies top spot, but basketball and water polo work too. Volleyball is for girls.

Girls find it easier to come down to support team sports, because they can rationalize their conduct diffusely: "I'm here for the TEAM." Let them have this. You know what they're thinking when you're... scoring.

4. Must be good at one individual sport

While girls find it harder to support these because you are alone and therefore very bo sei for them to come all the way down, the simple fact that you are involved in some sport somewhere is already very "can make it". Walk around with your lacrosse bag slung over your shoulder or your tennis shoes carelessly dangling from your backpack. When they ask about your sport, just make vague references and knowingly use terms of art.

Girl: Where are you going?

You: Oh, practice.

Girl: What practice?

You: Kallang... today we're doing slice serves.

Girl: *tingle down spine* Ohhh.

Few other people will be able to challenge your authority, since these are individual, recherche pursuits. Exploit the opportunity.

To avoid: ping-pong, badminton (everyone thinks they can play these)

5. Must be musical

GUITAR for individual, DRUMS in a band. Girls are quite dumb one and they like to see action jackson. You bang bang the drum, they happy. You stand around and pluck a few strings, nobody knows what you're doing. Of course, if you are going to do the serenading thing, it will be guitar without question.

Tip: When serenading, pretend to be practising (when you actually practice sui sui at home already). Always choose a current song, so people will bite. If you play More Than Words for the 238645823648243234th time, people confirm lose interest one. And don't look at anybody when singing, otherwise they will feel that you are "invading" them. Don't "invade" anybody. Just let them listen to your ostensibly unassuming music. Confirm plus guarantee plus chop will have results.

6. Must be able to do math

A guy who cannot do maths is like a eunuch. He is not a man. In Singapore especially, even our girls are damn good at maths. So you better be super damn good, so you can explain to her how to divide her parts.

One better: PHYSICS. For some reason, applied stuff is harder for girls. So take physics and ace it. Then later on, toss in puns about how you two have such great chemistry, you want to explore the geography of her biography in a physical way. "Your body is a wonderland," you will coo. "Do you want to read my literature or should we just start making history?" Just don't show her your mother tongue.

7. Must have good sense of direction

A guy who has no sense of direction is a girl. The end.

8. Must drive and must be good driver

DRIVE. And for fuck's sake, practise that parallel parking thing. Girls always tell themselves that they are not lousier drivers, just more careful/cautious/whatever. But despite that ALL OF THEM STILL CANNOT FREAKING PARALLEL PARK. Become tok gong at this, heighten the gender difference, enhance the sexual tension. Ooh yeah baby.

By the way, European marques please. The Singaporean lady does not want to be seen rolling in a Hyundai.

9. Must be laconic and listen to her drivel

Ya. It helps. Srsly.

Singaporean girls think they are really interesting, and maybe they are. Who knows? We aren't really listening. But you don't really have to - just nod every 10 seconds. And then say, "Really ah." I just did this today. It is fricking awesome. You can abidicate responsbility for having a brain.

The bottom line is that by keeping silent, you allow her to project her preferred self-image onto you. She is interesting, so therefore you must be interesting, since you are absorbing her everything. How cool is that? I love lady logic.

10. Must know DIY

"I hammered her and her friend last night, we had a good screw. Talk about nailing two in one night! Of course I bolted the next day, but I will always be ready when their pipes need further unclogging."

Euphemisms aside, you must know DIY because other penises will try to undermine you with their own DIY knowledge. Especially contractors who overcharge. If you are fleeced in any DIY-related matter, you are not a man.

This is also perhaps the origin of the phrase "cannot make it" - a man who "can make it" can make... things. With hands and tools. He probably also knows how to instruct the girl on how to rectify a swollen ball-cock.

11. Must speak dialect

My biggest regret, I cannot speak dialect. In lup sup KTVs and Warrant Officer messes, I am the lowest of the low. With contractors, I am a freaking pony with "Kan Me" on my forehead. Why is dialect so important for the Singaporean male? Primarily, it establishes street cred. Denizens from below must look up to you before any female will find you worth apprising. Importantly, also, dialect is crass; crassness establishes contrast, and in contrast we find admiration.

12. Must not be below PES B

Or at least finish normal BMT like everyone else. Nobody really knows whether OCS or SISPEC is tougher, so you can elide that easily.

If you had a buay gan army life, try not to talk about it at all. Girls know one. They all have "a friend" who was a commando-officer-parakeet. They will compare you like they compare their Prada bag with the other girl's Miu Miu. Don't become an object!

If you were a star in the army, also don't talk too much about it. Girls just want to know that you were good, and that you were not a jellyfish. The rest is still for you to prove - funny, rich, smart etc. Prove it.

13. Must have "ambition" and "passion"

Most Singaporean girls have a vague notion that their man should be "successful" or aim for success of some sort. For themselves, they have less concrete ambitions. Use this to your advantage. However, only hint (not talk) about your plans. For instance:

Girl: So, what's next for you?

You: I've had several offers... well, we'll just see where it goes. I have a pretty clear idea of what I want though.

Girl: What's that?

You: Haha, it will bore you. Let's not talk about me. Do you like baby blue or pink?

Once they know you have "plans", they will stick with you, regardless of what those "plans" are. Make sure you always have "an idea" of what you are going to do. When in doubt, obfuscate and pass off a successful person's life as your own.

14. Must say nearly every other girl is "cannot make it"

This is by far the MOST IMPORTANT ITEM on the list. Singaporean girls like a guy who has "standards". Secretly, the standard for every girl is HERSELF. This is not a cardinal scale, there is no relativity. Instead, on this mystery scale there is THE GIRL IN QUESTION, and then EVERY OTHER FEMALE ON EARTH. She will make cursory concessions for Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox (the latter usually grudgingly), of course, but DO NOT BE FOOLED. She just wants you to think that SHE is the prettiest and THAT IS IT!!!

If, however, you are unable to lie barefacedly, you might want to go with a less extreme approach. You must say that girls SHE LIKES AS PEOPLE are pretty. NEVER SAY THAT PRETTY GIRLS ARE PRETTY! Girls are unable to divorce looks from personality. It would be unwise to do so, therefore, in their presence. A good sample discussion would run as follows:

Girl: Do you think Girl X (ugly but liked) is pretty?

You: Yes, she has a certain je ne sais quoi that I find charming.

Girl: (pleased) Really ah? I think so too! Not like that Girl Y (pretty but disliked).

You: Oh, Girl Y. Cannot make it lah. Act cute buay cute.

Girl: (ready to give you blowjob liao) I ALSO SAY!

Have you ever noticed that girls thought pretty by other girls are really not pretty at all? And hot, sexy girls are almost always labelled "sluts", as if that were a bad thing? Important hint: Do not address the girl on these points. She does not want to confront her inner evolutionary demons.

Well, that's the list. A tall order? Yes, but a worthwhile endeavour, if we are not to lose all our women to the cast of The Last Airbender. We can make it one.

2011-10-29T16:51:00.002+08:00

"I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised God doesn't work that way. So I stole one and prayed for forgiveness."

疯神无双疯秘笈

2011-10-28T15:37:00.001+08:00

比大小

是一种最简单分出胜负的
扑克牌玩法

但除了扑克牌以外
还有其它东西可以比

例如男生就可以比肌...

肉的大小

女生就可以比兄...

弟姐妹有几个

可以说是

最快分出胜负的一种比法

FHM 100 Sexiest Women Party 2011

2011-10-27T13:23:00.000+08:00

i covered this event courtesy of xinmsn, and talked to Kim Lee, George Young, Stephanie Carrington, Sarah Tan, Rebecca Tan, Adele Wong and Lynn Tan.

Kim Lee is the best person to have a hangover with!

FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2011!

forgive the hyperlinks, i dont know where the embed functions went.

疯神无双疯秘笈

2011-10-25T10:20:00.003+08:00

姜

姜是一种辛香料

早採的薑是嫩姜

晚採的姜是老姜

如果姜切成了丝

就成了姜丝

如果把姜分的很平均
就成了姜均

如果把姜切成四块
那就成了姜姜姜姜

Praised by the Wise

2011-10-24T13:16:00.000+08:00

"Satipathana is in line with our Western scientific attitude of mind in that it is unprejudiced, objective and analytical. It relies on personal, direct experience, and not on anyone else's ideas or opinions. It therefore explores all premature judgments, all arguments, discussions and such waste of time as we in the West are inclined to be fond of. In fact, it gets you out of the rut and bondage of yourself, your prejudices, your cliches, your blindness and your self-opinionatedness, to set you free to see and prove a real world."

Dr E Graham Howe, British physician

The Da Vinci Shroud

2011-10-22T15:59:00.009+08:00

since the Middle Ages, millions of Catholics have venerated the Shroud of Turin, believed to be the burial cloth that accompanied Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. its fame and holy stature come from it being a rare, physical memento of his human form, and it is the single most controversial piece of artefact in the history of man.

In 1898 a photographer discovered a more visible face of Jesus in the negative of his photos taken of the Shroud, throwing the holy cloth into further fame.

the Vatican has chosen to not comment on the Shroud's authenticity, but considers it an item of the Church and allows followers to idolise it.

after questions arose about it in the 20th century, the Vatican granted permission for a small piece of the cloth to be cut for carbon-dating. results from three independent, authoritative labs announced in 1988 ascertained it belonged to 1260-1390. from then the Shroud has been declared a fake, although there are still many believers.

some questions that were raised about it included that if it was Jesus' burial cloth wrapped around him, geometrically the impressions left on it should be warped, and not a nice-looking portrait. recent discoveries also compared the intricately-weaved cloth to other textiles found from the same period of time that are much simpler. this strengthened the argument that it was created much later than Jesus' death. scientists have also reproduced the Shroud with more than one feasible technique, including painting, photography and Maillard reaction.

but it was a masterpiece, nonetheless. the Shroud has fooled the whole world for generations, and i suspect will intrigue us for many more. forensic experts have verified how detailed and accurate the physical trauma shows on the man in the cloth, including around the eyes, the multiple wounds on the back, and of course the famous nail in the hand. scientists also claim only the work of a genius can fool them for so long. until 1978, an American study still called the production of the Shroud "a mystery".

who in medieval times was capable of pulling off a scam so perfect it has set scientists on a wild goose chase up till today?

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) is widely regarded as the most superior polymath in mankind's history. he was a puzzle of both an artist and a scientist, an architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, botanist and writer.

but he was also remembered for being a heretic, for distancing himself from the Church's doctrines, which the Renaissance Man felt was antiquated and restrictive. at the same time, Da Vinci was considered centuries ahead of his own time, a modern man who shaped much of modern discourse. combining the two, it is no wonder many conspiracy theorists believe the genius, sometimes considered a master forger, created the Shroud of Turin and has fooled the world for hundreds of years.

these theorists say Da Vinci's quest was to mock religion. by creating an idol that would be fervently and unquestionably worshipped by millions, he would have achieved debunking and exposing religion as mass superstition.

Lynn Picknett, a Shroud researcher, said: "The faker of the shroud had to be a heretic, someone with no fear of faking Jesus’ holy redemptive blood. He had to have a grasp of anatomy and he had to have at his fingertips a technology which would completely fool everyone until the 20th century."

if he's still alive, he would be most proud of his achievements. the Shroud has a lasting legacy. before it, images of Jesus came in all forms - clean shaven, short haired. but the Shroud provided the most definitive face of Christ, and left its mark as the prototype to follow.

don't the timelines not match? although Da Vinci lived approximately a century later, some believe in his great fraud he would have ensured he acquired a considerably old cloth.

as the Shroud is seemingly a negative, one recent theory by Professor Nicholas Allen is that it was created through photography. far-fetched, you say? not really, considering the camera obscura, the modern-day camera's ancestor, was available in Da Vinci's time. further strengthening the theory is the Florentian's well-known obsession with optics.

so we're there. the forger had to have a grasp of physics, art and human anatomy. not forgetting a rigorous contempt of religion. Da Vinci was the perfect man.

if not Jesus, who is the face then? recent analysis by scholars have gone even further. we now all know Da Vinci made the world wonder (stupidly) at the immense beauty of Mona Lisa, when it is in fact his self-portrait. in his effort to make a joke out of Christianity, Da Vinci used his face again for the Shroud, as found by Dr Lillian Schwartz, the woman who made the Mona Lisa discovery. computer analysis showed that the face is an exact replica of his own features.

with that, he became God.

UPDATE
in recent years, more evidence leaning towards the argument that the Shroud is genuine has been found. one is that the 1988 test was flawed, since the corner that was cut could have been contaminated as the Shroud has gone through so much over the years. another is the discovery of Jesus' nearly-invisible death certificate on the cloth, a contemporary Jewish practice.

疯神无双疯秘笈

2011-10-20T14:07:00.002+08:00

尿壺

用來尿尿的壺就叫尿壺

又称夜壺

用來泡茶的壺就叫茶壺

用來泡咖啡的壺就叫咖啡壺

相公还喊自摸

那是诈胡

过年红包钱被妈妈收走

那是不舒服

Bill Gates' 11 Rules

2011-10-14T17:27:00.001+08:00

one-time richest man in the world Bill Gates purportedly made a speech that outlined 11 rules you wont learn in school.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rainforest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

relative pricing

2011-10-09T18:23:00.000+08:00

Once, at a party, George Bernard Shaw asked a beautiful woman to go to bed with him for £1000.

The woman hesitated for a while but finally agreed.

He then asked if she would go to bed with him for £10. She exclaimed, "Do you take me for a whore?"

He replied, "M'am, we both know what you are. We're just establishing the price."

Doctrines and Shit

2011-10-06T18:12:00.001+08:00

Taoism: Shit happens.

Confucianism: Confucius says, "Shit happens."

Buddhism: If shit happens, it isn't really shit.

Zen Buddhism: Shit is, and is not.

Hinduism: This shit has happened before.

Islam: If shit happens, it is the will of Allah.

Catholicism: If shit happens, you deserve it.

Protestantism: Let shit happen to someone else.

Presbyterian: This shit was bound to happen.

Episcopalian: It's not so bad if shit happens, as long as you serve the right wine with it.

Methodist: It's not so bad if shit happens, as long as you serve grape juice with it.

Lutheran: If shit happens, don't talk about it.

Fundamentalism: If shit happens, you will go to hell, unless you are born again. (Amen!)

Judaism: Why does this shit always happen to us?

Calvinism: Shit happens because you don't work.
Christian Science: When shit happens, don't call a doctor - pray!

Seventh Day Adventism: No shit shall happen on Saturday.

Jehovah's Witnesses: Shit has been prophesied and is imminent; only the righteous shall survive its happening.
Moonies: Only really happy shit happens.
Creationism: God made all shit.

Secular Humanism: Shit evolves.

Unitarianism: Come let us reason together about this shit.

Utopianism: This shit does not stink.

Darwinism: This shit was once food.

Capitalism: That's MY shit.

Communism: It's everybody's shit.

Feminism: Men are shit.

Chauvinism: We may be shit, but you can't live without us...

Commercialism: Let's package this shit.

Impressionism: From a distance, shit looks like a garden.

Existentialism: Shit doesn't happen; shit IS.

Existentialism #2: What is shit, anyway?

Stoicism: This shit is good for me.

Hedonism: There is nothing like a good shit happening!

Mormonism: God sent us this shit.

Mormonism #2: This shit is going to happen again.

Practical: Deal with shit one day at a time.

Agnostic: Shit might have happened; then again, maybe not.

Agnostic #2: What is this shit?

Atheism: What shit?

Atheism #2: I can't believe this shit!
Satanism: SNEPPAH TIHS.

Nihilism: No shit.

Praised by the Wise

2011-10-05T18:38:00.002+08:00

"Whoever attentively reads a small number of the countless speeches of Buddha is soon aware of harmony in them, a quietude of soul, a smiling transcendence, a totally unshakeable firmness, but also invariable kindness, endless patience.

The intellectual content of Buddha's teaching is only half his work, the other half is his life, his life as lived, as labour accomplished and action carried out. A spiritual self training of the highest order was accomplished and is taught here, a training about which unthinking people who talk about 'quietism' and 'Hindu dreaminess' and the like in connection with Buddha have no conception; they deny him the cardinal Western virtue of activity. Instead Buddha accomplished a training for himself and his pupils, exercised a discipline, set up a goal, and produced results before which even the genuine heroes of European action can only feel awe."

Herman Hesse, German writer and Nobel laureate

a food entry oh gosh

2011-10-03T21:35:00.013+08:00

this is not a food blog and im not a food blogger. but i feel i need to do justice to a place i just patronised.

it was my mum's birthday dinner and i suggested Prince Coffee House, or 太子咖啡座, an old-school fusion joint i saw on tv that somehow decided to freeze itself in the 70s, when it first opened at Shaw Towers.

yes. neatly arranged tables with cushion chairs from the 70s. red-white checkered placemats. a full set of cutlery regardless of what you're eating, probably for convenience' sake. an antique cash register.

from the 70s.

pardon me, cos you see, the place isnt just retro. or, it isnt retro for the sake of retro. it really is the 70s (forgivable too if labelled 80s). the props and the atmosphere bring you back to your parents' younger days, when they were having all the fun.

the place is also adorned full, due to their Shaw connection, with pictures of the owners in their younger days serving superstars of yesteryear 林青霞, 秦汉, 刘文正 and 林凤娇.

Prince Coffee House was featured as a 老字号 on a food program. dont mess with them when it comes to that title. yes we've all heard of stalls that date back half a century. but this place kept everything a carbon copy of Day One. the founders still personally serve customers, albeit a little more wrinkled. the man of the house insists on preparing daily their signature stewed oxtail. the menu and the presentation remain exactly the same.

when my brother sat down, he developed a hunch - this turned out to be his old haunt at Coronation Plaza when he was schooling at NJC (writer's note: many of you will remember it if you hung around Bukit Timah much some years back. Prince is now tucked away amidst the shisha outlets at Arab Street, much nearer to their old iconic location). he immediately struck up a conversation with the extremely pleasant boss, recalling how when he and his mates celebrated birthdays there, the towkay-neo would get them to pick 4-d numbers.

but my point is, this is nothing. the tv show featured generations of families who grew up and grew old eating here.

by this point, i was already consumed by the history and magic of the place.

the moment we sat down, the boss, a man well past 70, quietly and gently went around placing brochure-like cardboard menus (old-school!) in front of each of us. this was the longtime owner, serving brats like me and my sis. i was truly humbled.

with the ice broken the mood livened up, helped by the fact my mum likes to talk to new people. strangely, even as the owners were being so hospitable, my gut tells me "no, im sure they're nice to everyone."

dinner hadn't started and im already won over. good game.

but it's only just beginning, trust me. somehow guessing we're damn hungry (it was 830pm) and cos we'd only just ordered, the boss served complimentary garlic bread.

now where did that come from. this isnt some upmarket restaurant, it's a coffeehouse, for goodness' sake.

and this kicked off my parents' falling in love with the place. more than just the decor, this appetiser and all the food that followed are, according to them (and the helpful tv hosts), a kickback to the origins of "Western food" in Singapore - meat drenched in some oriental sauce, paired with lightly boiled greens, for example.

we noticed it's branded a Hainanese-Western fusion coffeehouse. huh? my mum duly explained the Hainanese interacted a lot with the British during colonial times. so maybe, what we know today as "Western food" may have Hainanese influences, just like Hainanese food could be westernised.

i ordered the highly-rated beef horfun and stewed oxtail. the latter is superb, period. the former, ordinary as it looked, had horfun so perfectly cooked prominent food blog ieatishootipost called it "gem of a find" and "finally managed to find what i was looking for". and the beef, oh man. how something so inconspicuous on the plate is such a star confounds me. hear this: apparently they fly in US beef for their horfun.

still, i should mention the beef horfun stood out probably for flipping expectations - it looked that dull. but put beside the best, like the one in Geylang, it probably has to concede.

my sis had tried the chicken cutlet at CP, so we got that too. this easily walloped the Hainanese pork chop in my opinion. mad succulent and flavorful, while the chops are typically drenched in ketchup, not the kind i like considering ive tried many good Hainanese pork chops.

the kailan was fine, but their 铁板豆腐 is the messiest 铁板豆腐 ive seen. in a completely positive way. it's got tofu, egg, prawns, fish slices, different kinds of mushroom, onion, celery, carrot, capsicum, black fungus, coriander... (i only remember these). it was like a pot of potluck.

thoroughly satisfying.

oh have i mentioned cos my brother finished his barley so quick, the nice owner replaced his glass with iced water, again quietly.

and, wait for it. we were done and dusted, when he popped up again with complimentary ice cream for each of us! not just was it super (it's coconut i think), according to my folks it's also similar to old times at coffeehouses!

that's it, free desserts done, pay up and leave.

wrong.

as if in a contest to outdo himself, the boss had prepared at the door a bag of yam cake, another signature, for us.

i wanna conclude this post, but im trying to gather myself, why am i writing it? i realised i might not be objective enough. but i also conclude im writing a tribute piece after a great dining experience, an experience the sum of all that happened at Prince, be it the food or being treated like, yes, family.

Prince Coffee House, the epitome... no, the crowning glory of early-Singapore Western fare.

p.s. readers are warned that some prices are steep. stewed oxtail for example is $20 and pork chop is $12. our bill came up to $90 for 5pax.

p.p.s then again our $80 meal last week was crap.
p.p.p.s. we got home to realise via the receipt they didnt charge us for our six big portions of rice.

Michael Moore vs Marilyn Manson

2011-09-29T18:37:00.000+08:00

Filmmaker Michael Moore talks to shock rocker Marilyn Manson regarding the Columbine shooting, after groups and activists accused his music of motivating violence.

Manson: "When I was a kid growing up, music was the escape. That's the only thing that had no judgments. You know, you put on a record, and it's not going to yell at you for dressing the way you do. It's going to make you feel better about it.

I definitely can see why they would pick me. Because I think it's easy to throw my face on the TV, because in the end, I'm a poster boy for fear. Because I represent what everyone is afraid of, because I say and do whatever I want.

The two by-products of that whole tragedy were, violence in entertainment, and gun control. And how perfect that those were the two things that we were going to talk about with the upcoming election. Then we forgot about Monica Lewinsky and we forgot the President was shooting bombs overseas, yet I'm a bad guy because I sing some rock-and-roll songs, and who's a bigger influence, the President or Marilyn Manson? I'd like to think me, but I'm going to go with the President."

Moore: "Do you know that on the day of the Columbine massacre, the US dropped more bombs on Kosovo than any other day?"

Manson: "I do know that, and I think that's really ironic, that nobody said 'maybe the President had an influence on this violent behavior'. Because that's not the way the media wants to take it and spin it, and turn it into fear. You're watching television, you're watching the news, you're being pumped full of fear, there are floods, there's AIDS, there's murder, cut to commercial, buy the Acura, buy the Colgate, if you have bad breath they're not going to talk to you, if you have pimples, the girl's not going to fuck you. It's a campaign of fear and consumption. The whole idea to keep everyone afraid, and they'll consume."

Moore: "If you were to talk directly to the [shooters], what would you say to them?"

Manson: "I wouldn't say a single word to them. I would listen to what they have to say, and that's what no one did."

As seen in 2002's Bowling for Columbine.

Lies About the Human Body You Learned in Kindergarten

2011-09-23T16:04:00.000+08:00

source: Cracked.com

You Only Have Five Senses

Sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing. Them there's your five senses. Since kindergarten, you've probably been told that anyone who thinks she has a sixth sense is either a television psychic or M. Night Shyamalan. This original classification is widely attributed to Aristotle, so if you try to argue that there are more than five, you're basically arguing with the guy who invented being smart.

The Truth

Scientists still aren't quite sure of exactly how many senses you have, or what even constitutes a sense, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one who believes you have five. Depending on how they count them, they usually wind up with something like 14 to 20. The five you learned about in school were just the five most evident senses, aka the boring ones you could have figured out for your own damn self. The rest are far more interesting.

The Harvard School of Medicine lists six extra ones that are pretty hard to argue against. Close your eyes, then touch your nose with your index finger. How did you know which one was your index finger without looking at it? How did you know where your nose was? Did you smell your finger to your nose? Did your sense of touch somehow tell you what the air molecules you encounter along the way to your nose feel like? Nah, that's proprioception, your body's awareness of where it is in relation to itself.

Maybe the most interesting one they left out is your sense of timing, which might seem like it's only a sense in the way that fashion is a sense. But leading neurologists like David Eagleman think it's the most important of all the senses, since it's the thread that ties the rest of them together. An apple is just a series of different sensations without your sense of time telling you they're all happening at the same moment. Still not convinced? Try staring at a white wall in a totally silent room. Your sense of time tells you how much of your life has been wasted because you didn't take us at our word.

It's also worth noting that this sense your kindergarten teacher failed to mention can operate like a freaking superpower. For instance, if you're walking in the woods and a bear growls in the bushes behind you and to your left, the bear's growl hits your left ear a millionth of a second before it hits your right. Your sense of time is able to pick up on that infinitesimal difference and allows you to perfectly triangulate the bear's location behind you.

If you were only relying on your sense of hearing, you would only know that the bear is somewhere on the left side of your body. Your ears don't swivel around like a dog's, so you would have to turn and use your eyes to pinpoint the bear. A blur of brown and black fur would be the last sight you ever saw.

The Tongue Map

One of the first things many of us learned in science class was that the tongue is organized like a factory floor plan, with each region assigned responsibility for its own highly specialized tasks:

If you spent your childhood shotgunning Pixy Stix like the rest of us, you may have noticed that you could taste sugar even when it was bypassing the tip of your tongue at 70 mph. You were left to conclude that your teachers were liars or that there was something hideously wrong with you, depending on whether you were raised Catholic.

The Truth

Your teachers were probably just being fed the same line of bullshit that's been passed from biology class to biology class for decades, and it's totally false. As with the myth that spinach is rich in iron, this one started with a mistranslation of a century-old German study (maybe stop relying on those, science). In 1901, German scientist D.P. Hanig conducted a taste test and found that some volunteers experienced certain flavors more intensely in certain regions of the tongue. Forty years later, a Harvard academic appropriately named Dr. Boring mistranslated the results of the German survey, mistaking a vague tendency among a bunch of Germans (who were probably taste-testing four different varieties of sauerkraut) for the precision workflow chart you see in the tongue map.

Researchers have known for years that all areas in the tongue are about equally good at detecting different flavors. It's not an evenly distributed democracy of taste buds, but every tongue has different patterns of strength and weakness. Your tongue map is like your mouth's fingerprint, if the pattern on your fingerprint determines whether or not you like Brussels sprouts. Each of our "tongue maps" will detect different tastes, sometimes from the same meal. Also, far from being relegated to specific locations on the tongue, your taste buds go all the way down your throat into your digestive system. When you've eaten some bad food, the ones in your stomach warn your gag reflex that if it doesn't evacuate the building, the shit's about to hit the fan (and everything else within three square blocks).

The taste map has hung around 30 years after it was officially debunked even though it's less interesting than the reality because teachers need cool-looking color-coded maps to fill out science books, and fat-cat wineglass makers like to pretend you need a golf bag's worth of specialized wineglasses to direct different types of wine to the best possible place on the tongue.

2011-09-21T19:44:00.000+08:00

"Nothing defines humans better than their willingness to do irrational things in the pursuit of phenomenally unlikely payoffs. This is the principle behind lotteries, dating, and religion."

Scott Adams, renowned satirist

2011-09-19T18:33:00.001+08:00

"I wondered what it would be like to be your girlfriend."

life is like a dishwasher

2011-09-16T14:49:00.003+08:00

Wei Ling: I think life is like a dishwasher.

Me: Explain.

Wei Ling: Lol. Dont know. A feeling.

Me: You have an explanation within you. Why would you not want to say it?

Wei Ling: No lah just something I felt when I was working in stewarding. When I faced the dishwasher everyday.

Me: Let me take a stab in the dark. Crap kept being thrown at Life, but Life churns out something better at the end of it.

Wei Ling: Wah.

(9 minutes later)

Wei Ling: I think life is like a dishwasher because sometimes the dishes get stuck. But we still have to move on.

Me: But you have to repair it, no matter what.

Wei Ling: Ya lah. Move on lor.

Praised by the Wise

2011-09-15T22:40:00.000+08:00

"I have never been religious but if I were i'd be a Buddhist. Over the years I have come to know the Sherpas and I see that their religion has made them kindly, gentle, content and cheerful. Buddhism seems to have a wonderful ability to do that to people."

Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest

2011-09-07T21:05:00.000+08:00

"You'll never be for sale."

Steve Jobs is no more

2011-09-04T19:06:00.012+08:00

Jobs to John Sculley, former President of Pepsi who moved to Apple, then later ousted Jobs:

Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water to children, or do you want a chance to change the world?

later, an anonymous software developer to Jobs, after Apple dropped Computers from their corporate name to become Apple Inc:

Steve, do you want to sell colored plastic all your life or do you want to change the world?

alcohol and metaphor

2011-08-28T22:55:00.003+08:00

In a 2009 interview, Plain Dealer music critic John Soeder asked Don Henley this about his Hotel California lyrics:

You sing: "So I called up the captain / 'Please bring me my wine' / He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since 1969.'" I realize I'm probably not the first to bring this to your attention, but wine isn't a spirit. Wine is fermented; spirits are distilled. Do you regret that lyric?

Henley responded:

Thanks for the tutorial and, no, you're not the first to bring this to my attention—and you're not the first to completely misinterpret the lyric and miss the metaphor. Believe me, I've consumed enough alcoholic beverages in my time to know how they are made and what the proper nomenclature is. But that line in the song has little or nothing to do with alcoholic beverages. It's a sociopolitical statement. My only regret would be having to explain it in detail to you, which would defeat the purpose of using literary devices in songwriting and lower the discussion to some silly and irrelevant argument about chemical processes.

2011-08-25T19:45:00.001+08:00

from the song Le Kua Simi, by mr brown:

You must wait long long time because patience is a virgin.

i like motion pictures

2011-08-23T16:34:00.007+08:00

"The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug."

The Hurt Locker "is not about explosions, but about hoping that none will happen. That sense of hope is crucial. When we merely want to see stuff blown up real good in a movie, that means the movie contains no one we give a damn about," said acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert.

director Kathryn Bigelow did what the great Alfred Hitchcock taught in his 1972's Frenzy. she sets up a deadly explosion at the opening of the movie, and keeps us fearing another. it's about imagination, what Ebert said about "The imagination of the audience is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of any director of suspense. We see what will happen when a bomb explodes. Then we spend the movie fearing it will happen again."

Ebert further added, "Bigelow uses no phony suspense-generating mechanisms in this film. It is about personalities in terrible danger. The suspense is real, and it is earned." Hitchcock had said that when there’s a bomb under a table, and it explodes, that’s action. When we know the bomb is there, and the people at the table play cards, and it doesn’t explode, that’s suspense. The Hurt Locker perfected that.

the story is so spellbinding because of the characters, as soldiers and as men, their job, and its risks. Sgt James' job is "all the more remarkable because in certain scenes, it seems fairly certain that the bomb maker is standing in full view — on a balcony or in a window overlooking the street, and is as curious about his bomb as James is. Two professionals, working against each other."

there are no elaborate speeches in the film. it's not cluttered with dramatic but useless facts. it's probably one of the shortest scripts. but when it's over, we are pretty clear of what just hit us, and overwhelmed by what a blockbuster might not be able to achieve.

reasons for addiction:

1. bombs need to be defused

2. nobody does it better than Sgt James and he knows it

3. he needs the adrenaline to make him forget about his life outside service

he keeps a box of souvenirs from his missions. a box full of things that "almost killed me".

the subplot of the DVD-peddling Iraqi boy nicknamed Beckham reiterates that this is no ordinary war-bashing film. Sgt James is no superhero. he's just a bomb expert. as he attempts to make sense of the boy and an espionage plan, like many of us make sense of war, he fails. there is none. "outside his narrow assignment, he's useless."

The Hurt Locker received no assistance from the US Army to shoot a film about their own. Transformers, on the other hand, was taxpayer-bankrolled and had the backing of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.

the screenwriter, Mark Boal, said, "I literally had a conversation with a guy who was telling me how realistically that movie is in its depiction of the military. I said to this senior military guy, 'What part of fighting aliens is realistic?' He replied, with a straight face, 'If we were going to fight aliens that's how we would do it'."

Ebert participated sarcastically, "Yes, that's how the Army would fight aliens, by playing a supporting role to a college kid, his girlfriend, his best buddy and his parents, who turn up in Egypt and save the day. And depending on the Egyptian military not noticing U.S. Army fighting with robots who are ripping apart the Great Pyramid."

combustion

2011-08-21T19:27:00.000+08:00

you: me and him, no spark.

me: then we got spark?

you: i think we got fireworks.

2011-08-18T08:52:00.004+08:00

A news story should be like mini skirt on a pretty woman - long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting.

Fabian Ng Yong Kiat, former Editor-in-Chief of Nanyang Chronicle, IOC Young Reporter, former intern at Reuters and Bloomberg, and one of my CS buddies. LOL.

2011-08-17T16:43:00.000+08:00

i love your free spiriting, yet it is this very free spiriting i live in fear with all the time.

i am holding back so much. so much im not telling you. i wish i can but im too afraid.

scared you'd back off. scared you'd find this relationship grating, strenuous. scared you'd 'classify' me, discriminate me. scared you'd get scared.

so much is at stake for me.

i tried so hard to convince you into that leap of faith, that im the better person for you. i dont want you to think you 'ended one to get into another of the same'.

i pray for wisdom and strength to understand you better. and i pray for you to let me.

they say, we love someone for who they are, not despite of.

i dont know if you will think im trying to change you, or if you will understand i just wish for the best for us.

my moment

2011-08-15T20:17:00.004+08:00

jeanette got me thinking about my contributions to our FYP. i told her i did nothing much compared to cheryl and weili, whom i thought did way more than me and her. i remember at certain times of the year i felt they were really doing a lot for us.

then recently, long after FYP, we had a thank-you dinner with hedwig. to my silent comfort, she revealed that one major factor that clinched our A was that last slide in our presentation (presentation ultimately decides markers' grades).

that slide, my groupmates might not remember, came from my gut.

the slide per se takes an introspective step away from the content of the project and reveals our personal takeaways on the subject after working on it for a year. it was very much, i reckon, a twist away from the usual stuff thrown at assessors.

but in my opinion, a student journalism project at the end of the day should always be about what the student journalists learnt. it's personal, and shows how the topic affected us.

that slide of course didnt decide our A grade, but i think it was my moment. i am pleased and satisfied.

we f*cking did it!

a love revolution

2011-08-08T20:28:00.001+08:00

me: HAHA my sis went past me and said 'you talking to V ah'

you: HAHAHA so cute

me: i think she thinks we're planning a revolution

you: we are

froud

2011-08-01T13:42:00.000+08:00

it's such a pity

like, you know, it's been so many years

i remember when i became school president, my parents never said a single thing

over the years whenever i slogged for something, they never knew what's it for

so i wished yesterday they saw something

that although their (once wayward) son (almost but) wasnt the valedictorian,

he made a difference

evident in the reception i received

but yea guess what, afterwards my mum said no lah everyone got the same loud reception

-.-

haha

im sure yours was different right

somemore they seated in the middle of the best seats

aiya i give up

i would be so proud to see that moment u had there

game changers

2011-07-28T13:59:00.001+08:00

they changed the game.

three close friends made important remarks over the last 12 months which opened my eyes (and heart) to a lot of things, chief of it all being you.

X said, "your kind of girl isnt that unconventional or diverse actually, contrary to what you often say. A had it, B had it, and now the more i study H the more i see it. they all have a certain air to them. look, when A changed, your heart changed too."

doesn matter whether i agree with X or not. fact is, that reinforced 'you'.

Y said, "to be honest i had a lot of reservations about you and B. i remember the spark in your eyes during the times with A, when she said yes... but that spark wasnt there with B."

i have, admittedly, found that spark again, with you.

and Z said, "you know you always tell me about the girls in your life and after so many years, what you think is the perfect girl for you. well, you might not admit it now, but this one, sounds to me closest to your idea of perfection."

whoever said NTU's boring ought to [insert disgusting activity no one wants to perform]

2011-07-19T22:27:00.006+08:00

or you could read this.

to mark my departure from this place after four long/short years, and as a companion piece to the craziest and most random things ive done here, ive compiled a to-do list for current and future students.

not just when you're bored.

i never thought i could be exhaustive. but now that im graduated, i reckon i should be comprehensive enough. from four years of college, four years of living on campus.

ADM's iconic greens

trudge up, you wont regret it. have a picnic or a laugh, or something. dont worry if you're not from ADM, the authentic ones are in the basement too busy with projects.

get muddy at SRC

play (whatever) in the rain and mud at SRC. because it's fun, nostalgic, and simply cos SRC is infamous for mud.

attend a concert
celebrity campus concerts are a big part of university life, and you wont get another chance because, well, for the word "campus". even if you're not too familiar or interested in the music, go for the atmosphere. if not, try one of the many dance concerts, or those ExxonMobil-NTU lunchtime concerts.

come on, dont you get it, just get immersed in something!

run 378
if this university naturally has something nowhere else has, it's the tough terrain. make the most of it, stay fit at the same time. everyone runs in NTU anyway.

furthermore, run routes here are christened after bus routes. do the 378, a full loop of NTU.

ah fang, ah lian, extension
for some, these terms are alien; for others, they're habits. they're the three most popular supper places for NTU students, especially hallers (however, i should apologise to friends in the northern halls, i always suspected you guys cook cup noodles or drink water cooler when you get the pangs at night). why they have such quirky names? well, go find out yourself.

furthermore, NTU isnt that bad with the huge JP so near, now furnished with a 24-hour FairPrice Xtra. Safra Jurong surprisingly has K Box, Sakura buffet, Jack's Place and Ishi Mura Express. if you've a car, there's the Sheng Siong food centre along Jalan Bahar and Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak at Boon Lay Place.

take a shuttle bus for fun
Bus C would be wiser, since it travels the longest route. take in the sights, read something, or observe the people onboard.

Yunnan Garden

not the most glamorous of gardens, this place makes up for its reputation by being the icon of NTU. take a walk, preferably when the sun's not blazing. surely the aesthetic landscape deserves some attention.

visit the Nantah Arch

this legendary landmark is a nostalgic reminder of not just NTU's beginnings, but Nantah's pride as the quintessential Chinese anti-hero. there are two gates, by the way - the replica in Yunnan Garden and the original standing at Street 93.

run for your life from ghosts

now, whether there are really hantus in this world isnt for me to call. but then there's Fright Night. college seniors routinely plot to enhance your college experience by scaring your wits out, set in the most bland of school architecture. so when you graduate, you remember not just mugging and dragging, but screaming and fleeing.

three letters: FOC
ive been to nine (to date) myself, and i say you haven't been to university if you've never experienced it. i'll spare you the details, but let's just say, after the power-packed few days, campers usually find day-to-day college life wanting.

Chinese Heritage Centre

dont let its looks fool you. the oldest building in NTU (and probably most off-putting) holds a museum and an exhibition on NTU's history.

watch a film at ADM library

you can do it elsewhere, but here you got the university's coolest library, a wide selection of films, a big tv, and even a mini theatre for screenings.

throw people or be thrown into Nanyang Lake

or if you're looking for something milder, try fishing (the lake is used by Anglers' Club for freshwater catch like catfish and rohu) or feed the creatures in the lake.

perform at Nanyang Playhouse

take theatre modules. perform. release yourself.

date at Sakae

cos (1) it's the relatively most decent "restaurant" in NTU and (2) you need to get hitched in college or die.

President's Lodge

one of NTU's highest points is hidden away by design, unless you live in the blocks next to it. home to the university president, the retro houses are quite an attraction in themselves. stroll or run up at night for a view of Jurong's industrial machinery. do note though, this place is out-of-bounds to all, and campus security make regular checks. listen for the scooter!

go to North Spine

for some "up close and personal", live, uninhibited access to the university's proud assets, called "Engineers". so proud, a 'T' in the university's acronym is in homage to them.

the-place-previously-known-as-The-Sun

stroll there late at night for ben&jerry's, alcohol or whatever the surprisingly teeming store can offer.

walk the bridge at Research Techno Plaza

walk this bridge alone at night.

visit the TCM clinic

according to my sources, in terms of their dispensary, they have some of the highest-quality medicinal herbs in Singapore. available for normal consultation are also some of the best physicians in the land (think it this way, you have professor-level practitioners assessing you at a bargain price; it's like having Bertil help you plant something). what's more, how interesting to see a doc with five TCM students making you feel like a guinea pig.

anyhow whack an address (like N4-b3c-14 or TR165A) and proceed to locate it
yay half a day burnt!

sunbathe
weird, but the angmohs do it. try SRC, that's a common one. japs have been spotted there too okay.

party on WKWSCI's iconic rooftop

pardon me for the bias, i just had to insert this in.

photos: Tan Thiam Peng, CIC, Internet

the Europe gamble paid off

2011-07-17T21:46:00.004+08:00

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

Château de Vidy, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland

Dear Thiam Peng,

The first IOC Young Reporters Program in Singapore was acclaimed by many to be an overwhelming success. It was you, the Young Reporters, who made it so.

Following discussion within the IOC on how to approach the 2nd IOC Young Reporters Program, which will be held in Innsbruck, Austria, from 13-22 January 2012, we have decided that we will invest back into a select few of the Singapore Young Reporters. By doing so we will use the opportunity of Innsbruck YOG to further expand your reporting skills in a real, competitive, event environment.

It is my pleasure to advise you that you are one of the select few who has been chosen to join the 2nd IOC Young Reporters Program for 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games, Innsbruck 2012.

Depending on your chosen specialisation, you will be placed under the responsibility of a mentor, working closely with and reporting to that mentor.

With the smaller team there will be the ability for you to spend one-on-one time with your mentor.

Yours sincerely,

Anthony Edgar

Head of Media Operations

IOC Young Reporters Program

What would Jesus do?

2011-07-15T18:19:00.006+08:00

Life isn't always easy
It isn't always fun
When you lose direction
Your world can come undone
When you're in need of guidiance
And help is overdue
You might ask yourself this question
What Would Jesus Do?

If you were at a party
And the host ran out of wine
He'd make some more with magic
And bring on back good times
But in this situation
You couldn't see it through
He's the son of God
And he shits all over you

You can't do what Jesus can do
You're the King of Nothing, and he's the King of Jews
He knows every magic trick, you only know a few
Don't even bother asking
What Would Jesus Do?

Can you heal a leper?
Or feed the crowd with fish and bread?
Can you walk on water?
Did you rise from the dead?
And did you give your life up
To save humans from bad luck?
Were you born on virgin birth,
Or did your parents... have sex?

You can't do what Jesus can do
He had twelve apostles and no one follows you
When facing a dilemma
Let logic guide you through
What kind of dickhead wonders
What Would Jesus Do?

When Jesus was betrayed
And wrapped up all his trust
He used His laser vision
And turned Judas into dust
When Lois Lane was dying
Jesus held her in His arms
He flew backwards round the world
To keep her save from harm
When Jesus tours the country
In His Rock 'n' Roll band Kiss
A thousands cheer his music
Even tough it's hit the miss

You can't do what Jesus can do
(Jesus shits all over you)
There are three of Him, and there's only one of you
(And Jesus can fly)
He can cure a blind man, you can't cure the flu
He's a zombie wizard who also knows kung-fu

So next time you're in trouble
Thinking What Would Jesus do
Try not to forget
He's a million, billion, trillion times
Better than you

God gave Rock 'n' Roll to you,
Gave Rock 'n' Roll to you,
Gave Rock 'n' Roll to everyone,
God gave Rock 'n' Roll to you,
Gave Rock 'n' Roll to you,
Put it in the soul of everyone.

2011-07-13T09:35:00.002+08:00

能够爱你就已经没什么委屈了

如有何委屈也是我的爱带给你的

the law and subjectivity

2011-07-11T17:58:00.002+08:00

does a murder become acceptable when the perpetrator has been abused physically and psychologically by the victim?

say, a stepson who has suffered for years.

even if it's premeditated, even if it's violent, even if psychiatrists conclude he's mentally sound.

i had a dream of an exact such scenario and it finally dawned on me that emotions are a very powerful driving force. rage and violence may not be considered human values, but they're nevertheless very natural and instinctive to humans. i got to be in those shoes, albeit in a dream, and the general public would cry "irrational". but it wasnt irrational from my perspective. and why should it be rational in the first place? society may be passing judgment on me from a neutral, rational standpoint, but they arent in my shoes and haven't been abused for years.

what are the parameters?

Tiny Mistakes That Led To Huge Catastrophes - The Fatal Four Microns in the Hubble Telescope

2011-07-09T11:42:00.001+08:00

Source: Cracked.com

A lot of you are probably reading this at work and despite that, a lot of you are probably also drunk. That's because most of us have jobs where, if you maybe screw up here and there, it's not the end of the world.

Or at least that's what we'd like to think. It turns out some of the biggest, costliest disasters have resulted from some random employee making a single tiny mistake. Such as...

The Hubble Telescope was initially conceived and budgeted for in the '70s and planned for launch in 1983. Various mishaps, not the least of which being the Challenger disaster, delayed the project for years. When it launched in 1990, scientists expected the Hubble to take its place among NASA's "great observatories," placing it in the company of, among others, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.

The Hubble was expected to deliver some pretty kick-ass images thanks to its ability to capture those images with little to no back light (as you'd get with an earthbound telescope). Sounds like a huge task, but the Hubble was equipped with one of the most powerful mirrors ever built.

A team of the best engineers in the world gathered to build that mirror, working 12-hour days for five straight years, grinding the mirror with equipment that would make sure it was perfect to within a millionth of an inch.

Whoops...
A guy named Lou Montagnino was in charge of testing the thing, using equipment so sensitive they had to do it in the middle of the night--(the vibration of a car driving three miles away would throw it off).

Unknown to Lou, a microscopic chip of paint flecked off a measuring rod that was supposed to make sure the mirror was the right shape. It started giving back false readings as a result, and the mirror wound up being off by four microns.

That was their mistake. Four microns. Twenty-five times smaller than the width of a human fucking hair. Smaller than a mosquito's flaccid penis.

Really, What's the Worst That Could Happen?
When the first images were returned from the Hubble, the quality was drastically less than what NASA expected, and nowhere close to powerful enough for what NASA needed it to do.

Of course the real problem was that by the time they discovered the flaw, the damned thing was already out in space. So say goodbye to a few billion more dollars, which is what it cost for a series of Space Shuttle missions to fix the thing's mirror (the repairs got so costly that there was debate as to whether it wouldn't be better to just build a new one). We're surprised they didn't just strap Lou Montagnino to a rocket and send him up there with some really fine grit sandpaper in his hand.

Praised by the Wise

2011-07-07T15:11:00.000+08:00

"I found in Buddhist philosophy a way of thought that enthralled me by its calm and radical analysis of desire, its rejection of all the self-dramatising intensities by which I lived, and its promise of a possible strong and unsentimental sincerity."

Andrew Harvey, British author and Fellow of Oxford's All Souls College

crazy/random college times

2011-07-06T18:33:00.003+08:00

im quite safe. other than maybe montfort days and some of whitley days, i dont do inappropriate things. then college came and the doctrine "live now or never" stuck.

for the record, the following weren't acts of bravado. they're merely spontaneous fun that fell into place.

dress down day
my four-year tradition of dressing really down for exams. it started as harmless fun, when i wore slippers, specs, fbt shorts and army singlet to my first core exam. everyone split their sides hahaha. that's a big deal if you're a Wee Kim Wee student, where every day is a fashion contest. dressing down stuck and it became my modus operandi.

phantom haunts

a leftover mask from drama class, and exam stress. what do you get? the birth of the hall 4 phantom, haunting all in sight. HAHA.
study room!
johnson-jianli's room!

license to crash
kenyee had a scooter in hall which he didnt use. so why not? so i took a special express riding course. under him LOL. there were big plans - the scooter could be my mode of transport around NTU. but first night i took it out i crashed. far away at sze's hall 11 some more. that fateful night kenyee, yaolong and deryck came to my rescue and we went all around jurong in the wee hours looking for a private doctor (the fact that im unlicensed was tricky). as i skidded my foot was caught under the bike. bloodied nails and all.

nanyang lake

a notorious hall ritual, most prevalent in hall 4 due to proximity. although EVERYONE in my hall has been ponded, how many of you others can say you've been in the waters of that murky lake where soaked clothes are advised to be disposed?

exam calls
it was final year and i thought if i should do anything, this was it. so i whipped out my phone, switched it on, and called yixuan. and yixuan was in the same exam hall as me. i enjoyed her panic mode.

the ADM afternoon

spending one whole afternoon on the greens of ADM, without a care in the world. except her. everyone has gone up ADM at night, that's not cool - this is cool.

come on, let your colours burst

setting off homemade rocket fireworks on the hall rooftop because boring sparklers are Singaporeans' only form of pyrotechnic entertainment.

President's Lodge

going up to the President's Lodge at night. it's one of the highest points in the sprawling campus. cool 80s-looking bungalows, spooky, and romantic. not to mention the excitement of campus security coming up to chase you away on their routine patrols.

music to my ears

attending free lunchtime concerts alone. despite the droves of ah tiongs, the stuff belted out at these events are really quite good. things like these always remind me deep down inside im arts at heart.

rendezpool
we once climbed into NIE's swimming pool for a dip when it's closed. yes we also got caught for it. didnt notice the cctv pointing at us hahaha. the security guards made a hooha, made us write some confession reports, and i had a quarrel with one of them.

shuttle's cocks
my campus squabbles do not end there. i once quarreled with one of them tiong shuttle bus drivers whom we all know have lousy attitudes and lousy driving. dont get me started on the peeves.

hockey footie
trespassing of NIE also doesn end there haha. NIE's hockey pitch is best not for hockey, but soccer. it's awesome, and illegal.

bold moves
ive chatted up a Japanese girl and a Korean girl in hall, and a Thai-Chinese girl in wkwsci. HAHA.

please, you all. college is not college if you did nothing. studies and grades are just part of the experience. a really small part.

what love stories are made of

2011-07-04T08:06:00.001+08:00

against all odds, or at least my preconceived value system, we are a love story. :)

in the Japanese film Be With You, one of my favourites, Takumi chanced upon his late wife Mio's diary that changed everything. earlier, he narrates his version of their story, from high school to her death, a one-sided love which to his bewilderment eventually won her. that diary reveals her vantage point, that she's loved him from the beginning too, in a poignant and moving moment.

it's difficult when you realise all you've assumed is actually a myth. but it's different when that reveals a wondrous connection called love. it's comforting.

on our last night together in hall, the end of a fantasy, before we face the realities of our relationship, she told me. after so long, she told me before all this between us, before i actually entered her life, she had once dreamed of me. just once, long ago, when we both had our own partners.

we kissed.

no one knew what it meant. definitely not her. and it stayed a secret.

i feel extremely guilty and sorry, probably like Takumi, as i had always insisted she never could remember nor notice me before this. i truly thought i meant nothing to her. but because of our circumstances, she couldn't say.

even more amazing to me, we had watched Be With You together just a few days before. :)

like i said, "maybe you always knew, it's gonna be us."

folks, we have a love story. and love stories have happy endings.

to be continued...

will this summer be as comforting as the last?

2011-06-14T15:16:00.023+08:00

the last was quite something. went out of my comfort zone and did things i had always wanted to. like catch up with old friends. and of course immersing in the prospects of my final year.

this time is, well, significantly different. it's a much more surreal summer, me having graduated, without the stability of school to progress towards.

plans are good. at least they're socially appropriate. but i like free time and how fluid they are. my supposed "grad trip" to europe or US capitulated, yet im not too bothered. i feel upbeat, especially with how in its place a still-uncertain love story is playing out.

so yes a lot of time post-exams has been spent with her. which i wholly am in favour of.

checked

trying to cook again is therapeutic, although also taxing and chaotic. hmm, how paradoxical. grocery shopping though, is becoming addictive.

immediately after exams ended my dramatic streak took over and i auditioned for an okto role for fun. really simple stuff, but i enjoyed performing again. unfortunately my friend's production house eventually had enough actors. next time, hopefully!

japanese buffet at yuzuya.

met the hall clique after months, to celebrate the May babies' birthdays. especially nice to see lingling, johnson and angeline after so long!

jarrod and hsien organised a farewell bbq in hall. a really nice touch. though most of my closer friends are gone, this bbq gave our hall life a good closure.

dropped by WKWSCI seniors' camp. "dropped by", not participate. since i was in hall. sat in for their HC/FN briefings. boy, every batch is getting more and more kilat. the attention and professionalism they accord to FOC these days is as top-notch as any industry conference or campaign.

made time for a bookswop event at Orchard Central. gave them 17 old books in exchange for 16 really cool books i cant wait to read!

packed my room after, yes, six years. cos i haven't been living at home for that long. and to be frank, im in the process of creating a proper living space for myself first time in my life, since im not sure how long i'd be staying here. my hall room has always been super, it's time to transfer that home.

finally caught up again with 'the six' (the subset of the hall clique) after a semester of FYPs for some of us. back at chomp chomp, our old haunt. hokkien mee, wings, oyster egg, stingray, la-la, sotong, sugar cane ftw!

a spontaneous date at Bird Park! "the world's largest" hahaha. it's been so many years since seeing especially those penguins. but more importantly i loved the time spent with her. :) ugly pigeons, tea shake, amigo, mynahs, bongo, dumbhead owls and ducks, man on horse, lory nectar, colourful iguana and fruit juice we forgot to buy!

johor twice and malacca once. hahaha. so 联邦.

what's next

boost my long-inadequate itunes, after my mac's demise two years ago.

watch all the films and read all the books i haven't.

settle that headache of a Reuters sports journalism internship.

---

anyhow, im going to taiwan! finally, after toying with the idea since army days. very last-minute but okay lah. guess this is my grad trip after all (although my dad offered to pay for me to go US, as minder to my little sis going for a year-long exchange).

right side of wrong

2011-06-09T14:29:00.000+08:00

what a sad song.

A friend of a friend needs a favor

No questions asked, there's not much more to say

Me and the wife, we need the money

We've got four kids all hungry, one on the way

Slip these sweat socks in your shirt and pray they think your packin'

Be sure to keep your head down, don't look 'em in the eye

And don't get fancy, Ricky, we ain't Jimmy Cagney

Look at me, let's do the job and let's get home tonight

I got a half tank of gas and if we run all the lights

We'll slip across the border on the wrong side of right

And just like Butch and Sundance we'll ride until the dawn

Sipping whiskey, singing cowboy songs

On the right side of wrong

We picked a helluva of a night, from the shore I see the skyline

In a couple of hours from now Rick, we're gonna get out of this life

We'll stop for smokes, I brought a six pack, we'll stop at lookers on the way back

Hell, we'll laugh this off, keep your fingers crossed that all goes well tonight

We'll make the grade, they'll know our names, I need a friend to drive here

Wear my necklace of St. Christopher and talk to him while I go inside

I'll take that suitcase, get the cash and we'll be gone before you know

Wait until we tell the girls we're moving down to the Gulf of Mexico...

A friend of a friend needed a favor

Life was just what happened while we were busy making plans

We never saw nothing, there was a run-in

.9 millimeter steel was coming for the windshield of that Oldsmobile

As the cop said, "Show your hands!"

2011-06-04T17:43:00.001+08:00

five months versus five years

"my epic ktm love story"

2011-06-03T04:46:00.001+08:00

"you overwhelm me. especially today.

i really love today.

it's crazy lovely."

i guess that says it. it's really enough.

the plan: you have your difficulties, i know, so since i cant be your anything in singapore, i decided we could be husband-and-wife in malaysia. so since we're going on a rail trip northwards, i would propose to you in tanjong pagar railway station (which technically still belongs to malaysia and thus malaysian land), and we could be married for the day. to highlight the quirkiness and fable of it all, who cares about silver rings, i prepared silver tie bands for our fingers. and i designed and printed a 'certificate of marriage' for us to formalise our love and union "in malaysia" haha.

epic, isnt it? :)

if you would like the fine print, here you go: i started researching and designing the 'certificate of marriage' after my exams ended, oftentimes right in front of you. because for the last week we've been together almost 24/7, i couldn't settle anything, until when you went out on tuesday night, i ran off to prepare the stuff. i got up very early on wednesday to print the 'certificate of marriage' before my medical appointment, but there were problems, and later in the day i walked around novena looking for a printer, finally finding one at goldhill centre. they refused to use my paper though, i had to buy a full stack from them (!).

*well because of the eventual rush to catch our train, proposing in the station didnt materialise, so the new location was on the train itself. we had many witnesses, our fellow passengers. :)

i loved that you had the courage. for so many things, in so many ways.

i loved how you drove over to save me when i was caught in the rain going home.

i loved that you said yes.

i loved how you laughed freely today.

i loved how your hands always reciprocated when i reached out.

i loved how you held my arm sometimes. makes me feel you really submit yourself to me.

i loved how you were truly concerned my walk home would be too long.

i loved how you tried to really be my wife for the day.

i loved how i could feel, faintly, that you do like me.

staple

2011-06-01T10:06:00.002+08:00

her: do you have penknife or scissors?

me: yes! anything else?

her: you!

chatter

2011-05-31T15:04:00.001+08:00

her: let's go running.

me: really?

her: no.

2011-05-28T23:04:00.001+08:00

"i'll still like you without your long hair."

becoming Fergie: my pick to beat Barca

2011-05-26T18:01:00.085+08:00

a lot of talk going around on which 18 players Fergie should pick for Barcelona, out of his 22 league champions. some are shoo-ins, while some will be disappointed. this is my best team to face Barca.

van der Sar

Fabio Ferdinand Vidic Evra

Anderson Giggs Park

Valencia

Rooney

Hernandez

it has to be 4-4-1-1, United's best formation this season, and which was especially effective against top opposition like Chelsea and Arsenal.
most significant change will be to drop the languid Carrick because his central partnership with Giggs is too lightweight against Barca's engine room. Anderson, Valencia and big-game man Park to provide the muscle and legs, allowing Giggs to focus on a creative role.
Rooney has to be at his roaming best to help disrupt Barca's possession and support Hernandez. if he gives Busquets enough trouble, United has a chance.
the more disciplined Fabio to get the nod ahead of brother Rafael. but i won't be surprised if O'Shea is preferred over the twins.

12. Kuszack

13. Evans

14. Scholes

15. Carrick

16. Nani

17. Berbatov

18. Owen

would play Nani, for his style, which is more effective against continental opponents, but the first eleven simply has no space for him on this night. would also play Scholes, for his ability, but the concern is he might be exploited by top-level opponents.
most significantly, Owen is in as an impact player. ive a strong hunch he'll make it count. Berbatov's tendency for genius has to be called upon earlier if the forwards aren't effective.
Evans ahead of the other defenders because he can come in as centre- or leftback.

left out: Rafael, Smalling, O'Shea, Fletcher, Gibson

*Kuszack makes the team automatically as goalkeeper cover, although he did not win a league medal

nineteen

2011-05-24T14:16:00.000+08:00

a window of destiny

2011-05-22T03:23:00.001+08:00

today is special.

i had asked her just the night before to go out with me, half expecting a failure. despite the spontaneity (rather), she said yes.

to be safe i had to reserve tickets, but i knew it was gonna be tricky. i am, after all, not number one. yet, although she hinted at the genuine possibility we might have to call it off, she promised.

at the end of the night though, what really took me was that to my utter surprise and comfort, when i looked up to her window she was there. hmm. as i was leaving, i checked again to somewhat prove myself wrong, but she was still there. i was happy, but now confused. my gut knows there's significance in that. she bothered, and even waited.

after we separated, she told me the night ended too early, we're too characterised by our long nights together. that, was honest and sweet. you've gained the courage to say it.

and not everyone goes for midnight movies. :)

she could have done a lot of things, reacted in a lot of ways. but all she did was tell me it set her heart racing. :)

i can see how you're more comfortable with me these days. and i treasure you making time for me.

就算只是陪着你看着你也就幸福了.

多希望能够一直这样看着你睡觉比你迟睡比你早起每次离开你都在窗口说再见

'再见', 一定会. :)

such a sweet, endearing relationship. 特别温馨.

i came home feeling a fuller person.

2011-05-19T16:14:00.000+08:00

"to be honest i feel safe when im with you."

shelter

2011-05-17T21:47:00.010+08:00

"you'll be the first i call if it rains."

how i wish, i will be the first you turn to in every moment of adversity, trial, despair, woe, disappointment, worry, fear, and uncertainty.

sayang

2011-05-15T15:54:00.001+08:00

"im peranakan lah. im a little nyonya."

"then if we get married what does that make me?"

"sayang!"

2011-05-13T14:32:00.010+08:00

"he asked if you like me and i denied. im sorry but i just told him nothing's going on. omg."

"i guess there's some truth in that.

i think, i haven't managed to put a certain courage in you.

so you really dont have to feel sorry or omg about anything.

i suspect it's time for me to reflect and rethink my life again."

"i still feel quite sorry for denying."

"i dont get you."

"for denying us."

2011-05-09T22:14:00.001+08:00

在众人面前需要隐瞒伪装

左右事实因为真相不一定是清白的旁观者不一定能够接受

用心良苦就是为了保护你

自己委屈一点没关系 :)

不知道原来是会心酸的.

"i dont really..."

2011-05-08T10:08:00.002+08:00

you dont really youtube, you dont really facebook. you dont really run, you dont really take bus. you dont really sleep, you dont really eat. you dont really talk, yet u dont really disappear from sight either.

so awkwardly perfect.

Exposed, like a Pandora's box

2011-05-06T15:26:00.000+08:00

Today's the enigmatic Cooling-off Day of what's seemed like a marathon, and I think it's time I consolidate my thoughts.

PAP knows by the end of tomorrow night, they'll form the next government, seats still warm and paychecks still fat. But this GE, or for god knows how long it's been brewing, has exposed PAP for its disconnect with the electorate. For the longest time it skirted issues and repeated the same rhetoric it's sold for half a century. I'm not the seasoned political watcher here but i suspect whatever's the result on Saturday, it's already a watershed. PAP has unprecedentedly been slapped with hard truths and unbelievably apologised. They realised it wasn't the issues or their answers to them that irked Singaporeans. At the core of it is a disconnect fuelled by what seems arrogance, elitism and failure to empathise with the ground.

Spiralling costs of living, influx of foreigners, housing woes, population replenishment... heck even YOG, 50-years-once floods and a certain MSK. Are these truly the problems? Or are they more intimately linked to a citizenry's disillusionment with a government that doesn't seem to care yet isn't accountable? I suspect all the pro-Opposition sentiments online aren't exclusive or a minority, although I might be very wrong. I think this way because much of the sentiments isn't youth-centric or whatnots. They seem reflective, extrapolative. A signal of, like I said, a disconnect that cuts across society.

Education and access to information have become PAP's bane. They no longer can lord over subjects unable to think for themselves. They no longer are the best of the best. They no longer (not a matter of if, but when) have the luxury of history and transformation, a country indebted to them who toiled side-by-side. A generation comes, and a generation goes. They no longer control information the way they prefer.

PAP has doggedly built up education here in its drive for economic prosperity. Yet it understood that intellectuals have always been history's 'troublemakers'. And thus a policy of keeping its educated apathetic. My question is, how long will they stay apathetic?

'Watershed' as described by some, in terms of elected Opposition MPs, might be misleading. Yawning Bread's "morning after" of 86:1 and ST's Chua Mui Hoong's fearsome spectre of 87:0 are well within sight. Low Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong have no track record whatsoever in GRCs, while this is probably the Opposition's first concerted foray into GRC ground, it's almost like an experiment.

However, I suspect PAP's greatest fear isn't 87:0 or 86:1 that doesn't reflect ground sentiments or the national average. They have enjoyed sustained success for so long and yet still so jealously guard power. They fight hard for seats and continue to seek a strong mandate. Hell, the whole point of upping instant Opposition representation in Parliament to nine is in itself a proud assertion of confidence.

The PAP of today is not the PAP past. That is an accepted truth. The calibre different, the heart might not be the same, the motives suspect. The circumstances have also changed. We're not a slum-infested, poor, uneducated, racially-tense country anymore. The siege mentality is fast losing its effect. You're pounding away with knuckledusters but Singaporeans have been equipped -- by you, no less -- with bulletproof vests and SAR21s.

I think, as long as PAP maintains its stranglehold on politics, Singapore will be fine. They have capable people who are smart enough about self-renewal. Therefore PAP's greatest fear should be an elected Opposition tearing them apart for their inadequacies and shortcomings. If the Opposition gains considerable ground in Parliament, the current PAP, many of them battle noobs, will have to debate and defend agenda they might have previously taken for granted. In Singaporeans' eyes, they will have to live up to the long shadows cast by the Old Guard. The legacy turns back to bite them. If PAP gets hurt more, a vicious cycle ensues. This, is not just detrimental to PAP, but to Singapore as a whole.

Singapore's unique form of democracy indeed favours the ruling party. Because it is democracy that may hurt them most.

After a hotly-contested election period, two scenarios are possible. All depends on the real sentiments on the ground. Discontentment or satisfaction/fear? That will decide the polls. We know the hardliners exist on both ends of the spectrum. The crucial mass of votes however will come from the swing voters.

One, all of social media and typical election fervour is wrong. The dizzying activism was an illusion. 86:1, with Yaw Shin Leong edging Desmond Choo for the one and only Opposition elected seat (although it could very well be a sweep, if word that Choo has gained much progress is true). The 'majority appeal' of PAP means no GRC falls, while the quieter sectors of Potong Pasir go white, as Lina Chiam fails to retain her husband's loyalty.

Two, as opposed to general belief, the quiet middle ground is sympathetic to Opposition, and PAP suffers its worst defeat since independence. My prediction: 16 elected seats to Opposition.

5, Aljunied
5, Bishan-Toa Payoh
4, Holland-Bukit Timah
1, Hougang
1, Potong Pasir

The national average was 66.6% for PAP in 2006. In other words, for every two votes for PAP, another one goes to the Opposition. That's quite spectacular in Singapore terms.

I'll take the plunge and say it'll fall to 60% this time, keeping in mind though it doesn't guarantee anything. Strong Opposition sentiment in some places of, say, 55% should be offset by the numerous PAP GRC strongholds.

Rest of my predictions:
TIGHT
East Coast
Mountbatten, Lim Biow Chuan vs Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss
Pioneer, Cedric Foo vs Steve Chia
EASY
Ang Mo Kio
Jurong
Sembawang
Pasir Ris-Punggol
Moulmein-Kallang
Tampines
Marine Parade
Nee Soon
Chua Chu Kang
West Coast
Joo Chiat
Bukit Panjang
Hong Kah North
Punggol East
Sengkang West
Radin Mas
Whampoa
Yuhua

Remember, in perspective, how many times do you get to vote in a lifetime? And considering the many walkovers the country has seen, limiting some 40-somethings to have never voted before? Considering how issues change with age, how many votes do you have as a young adult, as a middle aged, and as a senior citizen?

Don't be apathetic. Don't be a wimp. Make it count.

Vote wisely. I am not telling you how to vote. As long as you've given it thought, your vote should be respected. This is democracy. But keep in mind your vote is sacred. It should not just reflect municipal issues, but have national interests at heart. We are not, after all, Aljunied or Tampines, Chinese or Malay.

We are Singaporeans.

Biennale 2011: Nedko Solakov

2011-04-30T12:23:00.001+08:00

after a little look around National Museum and much more of Kallang Airport (minus East Block) this Biennale, my recommendation is please check out Nedko Solakov-Liao Jiekai's site-specific artwork at the latter's famous control tower.

yes, my favourite so far is located at the most shining locations of them all. it is the very spiral stairs that lie beneath the tower. to be honest, i was blown away. by its intelligence, its simplicity, how powerful it proves to be, and the story behind it.

the acclaimed Bulgarian artist was commissioned by Singapore to do up something for the Biennale. one tiny problem: Solakov is aviophobic. that means he has a fear of flying and cant possibly come create a site-specific project. i dont know if it's mocking or ironic but somehow it ties in nicely that his work's at an airport.

it became an impetus for what transpired. he in turn invited SIngapore to send an artist to Sofia to understudy his style and bring back his ideas. artist and filmmaker Jiekai did just that, chronicled in a documentary screening at the very site now. he returned and created a Solakov piece with his own local twist.

Solakov is famous for the words he scribbles everywhere in his site-specific works, which are combinations of important messages he wants to bring across and ingenious observations. he had told Jiekai, let's not bring anything into the site, just enter the tower and start scribbling what you find and think up, let the site speak for itself.

and we have art.

you'll find scribbles implying portraits; portraits that dont exist but that you must imagine. you'll find scribbles noting the dust, the hand and footprints. you'll find scribbles that give a twist to the most minute of details, like a crack in the wall or peeling paint. scribbles note the abandoned pail, the exit sign, the fire extinguisher, the door handle, the light switch. one window faces the Marina Bay skyline, and there are scribbles; another faces the demolished National Stadium, and there are scribbles. Jiekai even pokes fun at Solakov, scribbling below the tv that the documentary's the latter's way of stealing back some limelight. the site's so detailed that organisers apologise in a sign that cleaners had accidentally removed hair and feather that were part of the artwork.

truly, the lines between reality and art have been blurred.

i fail but the event synopsis explains much better: "The 'work of art' in this instance is the actual training, the knowledge and experience of the artist’s touch – the mental and physical ways Solakov inhabits, and works with, space."

2011-04-27T22:55:00.000+08:00

我走之后, 你会想念我吗?

when you start asking how much you mean to her, if she'll miss you, how much she cares about you... you probably love yourself more than you love her.

im trying very hard to stop loving myself.

i'd never understood how love is sacrifice. i'd believed that love is fair. or we try to. it goes both ways. there's reciprocation.

here lies the laughable irony that both of us had thought i'd be gone in a while, i wont take it seriously... yet now i have reasons to suspect, you are of special importance to my soul.

sacrifice.

it's much easier said, than how painful it is to do.

the 10 worst players to win the champions league

2011-04-25T21:33:00.084+08:00

Repurposed from: bleacher report

There are some truly great players and managers that have never won the biggest prize in football.

"My biggest wish is to win the Champions League in this shirt," Gianluigi Buffon said.

Javier Zanetti, before beating Bayern Munich last year, expressed his desire to reach the sport's pinnacle.

"The Champions League is more important than the Scudetto," he said.

"You are not great until you have won the Champions League," Arsene Wenger said.

In contrast, there are some players who hoard medals at home that their talents barely deserve. Life is full of winners and losers—life isn’t fair either—so it’s to be expected that some lesser lights somehow find their way into the top drawer of European football.

Here, giving hope to Sunday footballers across the land, are the 10 worst players to win a Champions League final. To qualify, a player must have started the match and ended with a winner medal since the Champions League era began with Marseilles' 1993 win against Milan, and be inestimably shit.

10. Dida, Milan, 2003 and 2007
Dida is an extremely shoddy goalkeeper and the only player on this list to have started and won the Champions League final twice.

Dida joined Milan in 1999, and began life behind Christian Abbiati and Sebastiano Rossi in the pecking order. He leaped into the starting lineup in 2000, just in time for AC Milan's trip to Elland Road to face a young, injury-ravaged and out-of-form Leeds United side. Of course, Dida threw the ball into his own net, and Leeds won 1-0.

He’s got quite a reputation. He’s basically the Serie A version of David James.

His first Champions League win actually came courtesy of some quality saves in a penalty shootout against Juventus—three to be exact. His second was the '07 final, where he gained some level of revenge over Liverpool with a 2-1 win which he had very little to do with. However, it’s no coincidence that he soon lost his place first to Zelijko Kalac, then to Christian Abbiati, before turning free agent.

9. Christian Karembeu, Real Madrid, 1998 and 2000
Karembeu has the honour of being the only player to make this list who has won both the Champions League final and the World Cup final as a member of the first XI. However, his second title, in '00, came as an unused substitute.

The lad’s obviously got pedigree, so what on earth is he doing on this list? Just ask fans of Middlesborough. In his one season there, he played abysmally for five months, merely okay for the next four, and then packed his backs and went for a working holiday with Olympiakos.

They really should have bought Karembeu when he was actually somewhat good, instead of a few years afterwards.

Notably, Karembeu is also the only Champions League winner ever to play for Kettering FC. Strange? Yes, very. He also has a famously hot wife.

8. Ivan Campo, Real Madrid, 2000
Ivan Campo is one of two Champions League winners to play for Bolton Wanderers. One was Real Madrid's most inspiring and influential captains of all time, Spain's one-time top goalscorer and possibly the most respected player ever to some out of the country. The other was this idiot.

Sadly, I cannot lay my hands on the footage of Ivan Campo's last stand at Real Madrid. In short, he’d started having panic attacks on the pitch, and suddenly and randomly played opposing strikers in on his own goal.

Real grew tired and shipped him off to Bolton on loan until the end of the season, where he confirmed his insanity by deciding that he liked living in Bolton more than Madrid and opted to stay for six more years. As well as his stupid hair, he’ll always be remembered for this goal:

7. Ludovic Giuly, Barcelona, 2006
Every now and then, a player hits a streak of freak form that is as inexplicable as it is short lived. Leon Osman does it once every couple of seasons. Emile Heskey did it for Liverpool once upon a time.

The same happened to Ludovic Giuly, only he was fortunate enough to be playing in the Champions League knockout phase when it did. He almost single-handedly carved teams apart, scoring himself and laying on goals for Morientes as Monaco tore past Real Madrid and Chelsea en route to the final against Jose Mourinho’s Porto.

Few eyebrows were raised when he was snapped up by Barcelona.

It is surprising, because Ludovic Giuly is, in fact, a painfully average winger. After all, he’s only managed 17 caps and scored three goals for France (against the Faroe Islands, New Zealand and Cyprus). He’s now back at PSG, lost somewhere in the French league, where he belongs.

6. Paul Lambert, Borussia Dortmund, 1997
Here’s your first British Champions League winner. A couple of years before Beckham, Giggs, et al brought home the trophy from the Nou Camp, Paul Lambert had remarkably won the Champions League less than a year after playing for Motherwell. That he marked Zidane off the field in the final is even more remarkable.

Before we get carried away though, we should remember who we’re talking about here—a really, really average, boring-to-watch defensive midfielder with merely average qualities.

He was no more than a cog in a Dortmund machine that was fortunate to reach the final, and capitalised well on a Juventus side that choked on their big day.

Lambert himself spent only one season at Dortmund before returning to play for Celtic, guaranteeing him some silverware with the minimum of effort. He’s won trophies with Celtic, Dortmund, and St. Mirren, played against Brazil at the World Cup, and captained Celtic to the UEFA Cup final. How the f**k did he manage that?

5. Oleguer, Barcelona, 2006
Catalan militant Oleguer Presas was one of just three Spanish players (all Catalan) to start the final against Arsenal. With over 125 appearances for Barca under his belt, what’s he doing on this list? History has a habit of smudging reality, so let's remind ourselves of the actual events of that evening:

Oleguer loses his man, and Sol Campbell heads Arsenal into the lead.
Oleguer is taken off in the 71st minute, to be replaced by Juliano Belletti.
Ten minutes later Barca are 2-1 up and Belletti has scored.

So, had Oleguer not been taken off, it’s probably realistic to say that Barcelona may not have won the match, and he would have escaped this list.

Oleguer is also a raving lunatic, having said that. In the unlikely event of him receiving a Spain call-up, he would reject it as he is Catalan.

An economics graduate, he drives a van to training and is in trouble with the police for his involvement in a riot in 2003. He also has written newspaper articles criticising the Spanish government for their treatment of a convicted ETA terrorist.

4. Jesper Blomgqvist, Manchester United, 1999
Jesper Blomqvist is better than Pele.

Unfortunately, there are only three Champions League winners he isn’t worse than.

Lars (Jesper is a middle name, but way cooler) was a promising youngster with IFK Gothenburg before spending a year each with Milan (where he was rubbish) and Parma, where he was a bit better. For some reason, United snapped him up. £4.4m was a lot of money to pay at the time for Ryan Giggs' backup, and he rarely started a game, picking up an FA Cup medal as an unused substitute.

However, his luck came on the famous trip to the Nou Camp, as suspensions to Paul Scholes and Roy Keane meant that a midfield of Blomqvist, Butt, Beckham and Giggs was the only real option available to Fergie. He didn’t much fancy Jonathan Greening against Stefan Effenberg.

Blomqvist was anonymous for most of the game, and in circumstances eerily similar to those of Oleguer, was replaced by Teddy Sheringham towards the end of the game. Thereafter serious injury restricted him to just 37 games in nine years, and he retired in 2008 after a short spell with Enkoping—whoever they are.

3. Milan Baros, Liverpool, 2005
The whole point of being a striker is to score goals. If you’re playing up front, that is the minimum expectation—from time to time, pop the ball into the back of the net. Has any European-level striker been as bad at that as Milan Baros?

I mean, he didn’t look bad when he was at Banik Ostrava, and the elite took note. Of course, it’s usually Liverpool who sign the duds, and so it proved when they snapped up Baros. A few goals in his first few games had people excited, but he quickly became very frustrating very quickly, and it seemed he was on his way out of Anfield.

In the main, he was extremely good at running forwards whilst looking at his own feet. Then came one of those inexplicable runs of form, just in time for Euro 2004.

Rafa kept him, and as such he got his chance in the '05 Final, Liverpool’s famous comeback. He lasted 85 minutes, and his replacement, Cisse, scored in the shootout. Since his time at Liverpool, he has flattered to deceive at Aston Villa, Lyon and Galatasaray, always falling out of favour and being criticised for not scoring enough.

But he’s had his year, in 04-05, and nothing can take that away from his bumbling boots. A friend of mine summed up Baros by once expressing surprise at something he’d done. He had turned someone inside out or made a staggering goal-line clearance.

“Did I really just see Milan Baros look up?” he asked.

2. Finidi George, Ajax, 1995
If you’re an Ipswich fan, you’re probably already in tears having read his name. I’m sorry. Really, really sorry.

He went from winning the Champions League with a stunning Ajax side filled with talent that would return to the biggest game in European football the very next season -- represented on no less than eight occasions by old boys in subsequent finals -- to being considered one of the worst signings ever made by Ipswich Town. I mean, it’s not like he was just a hanger-on in that Ajax team...

George's arrival, on inflated wages and with ego in tow, rocked the boat which had propelled Ipswich to the UEFA cup and a win against Inter Milan. They were a cohesive, hard working unit which was expertly balanced and reliant on every player pulling their weight. Their reward was that famous night at Portman Road.

George was a square peg in a round hole, and it pretty much capped off a slow slide into obscurity, from Ajax, to Betis, to Mallorca, to Ipswich, back to Mallorca, and into oblivion…

However, has a descent from Champions League winner into obscurity ever been quite as quick and painful as that of…

 1. Djimi Traore, Liverpool, 2005
“Don’t blame it on the Hamman, don’t blame it on the Biscan, don’t blame it on the Finnan, blame it on Traore. He just can’t, he just can’t, he just can’t control his feet.”

Djimi Traore, my goodness. Without him on the team, it’s highly likely that Liverpool would have had it all to do once again. Of course you could argue that they would never have been in that situation to begin with, but that’s not too kind on Traore, who can’t help being totally out of his depth.

He didn’t ask to be distantly the worst player on the pitch. He just tried really hard and got his moment. Then again, he did give away the free kick from which Milan took the lead in the first minute.

Of course, Traore has had other moments. The one that springs immediately to mind was this one against Burnley in the FA Cup, which denied fans of Bournemouth a trip to Anfield. Lord knows what he was trying to do, but we really should keep him away from those Zinedine Zidane videos in future.

After his Champions League final appearance, which came about only because Riise was playing in midfield and Josemi was completely shit, his decline was alarming. He moved to Charlton, where he only ever got 11 games, and Portsmouth, where he was even more anonymous, showing up 13 times in 2 years in between loan spells at Rennes and Birmingham. He’s now playing for Monaco, who aren’t very good these days.

But the story of Djimi should be a positive one. The message is that any player, no matter what their ability or heritage, can reach the very top of the game, if only briefly, through no more than hard work and a lucky break. So keep at it, and you could one day follow in the footsteps of Djimi Traore.

reasons why we're not broadcast students

2011-04-21T21:50:00.001+08:00

first, we didnt know how to switch on the camera.

then, we didnt know how to white-balance it.

we didnt know the switches to take audio from the external mic.

then, we didnt know how to fix the camera onto the tripod.

after we took our first shot, we realised we didnt do white balance.

when we asked for a mic test for the soundman, the soundman did the test himself.

then, moving from one location to another, we forgot to take our tripod.

then, we didnt know how to usb the memory cards to our mac.

we didnt do shotlist so our clips were in a mess.

even with a soundman, our audio was boomy.

then, we didnt know how to use fcp.

finally, we transferred an audio clip to our video file without exporting it as an audio extension.

damn this 421: Online Journ rubbish. im glad it's ending. what an end to my beautiful CS journey.

2011-04-15T23:07:00.000+08:00

i was washing my hair in the shower and the new shampoo smelled like an ex lover. and i started crying as i continued to scrub my hair.

对阿公的思念

2011-03-16T03:27:00.016+08:00

"阿公住得不开心就留下来吧今晚就在这里睡阿平会一直坐在这里看着你陪你"

every once in a while, we need to cry. it's like knee jerk. and it's like morphine.

my 阿公 loved me the most out of his 15 grandchildren i think because i was a brat. just like him. 固执的你没学会去爱每个人但却百分百地疼我. i miss how he and 阿嬷 loved me unconditionally. i miss how anyone loved me unconditionally.

i hope if you and 阿嬷 are still around, you'd be proud of me.

Post- South Africa

2011-02-27T12:17:00.000+08:00

to be honest, i kinda liked my speech. i thought it had good rhetoric and impact. until i arrived at the conference and everyone's sounded so professional. but i realised there was nothing i could do about it, so i got up there and delivered it.

it was okay i guess. not very helpful (i think) as input for the conference's final statement, but as a consolation, i think i really shone during the audience dialogue and, later, the Youth Caucus, where the 12 young reporters, ambassadors and athletes shared our YOG experience. i was kinda worried about my abilities to think on my feet, but lucky there's always Alan 'Barbados' Harris there to cover any dead air haha.

really appreciate the people who've come up to me and said i did well and was one of the youths who really stood out. the biggest accolade, no doubt, was from Essar Gabriel, an IOC bigwig who was the director of YOG. he said to me pointblank: "You're a thinker. I can see that."

wow.

among the young ambassadors and athletes i worked with, i met some really interesting people:

Devon. this guy blew me away, period. i dont know how to quantify him but if there's a young reporter in his league, it would be Alan. yes, Alan already being such a monster, has an equal. this local kid would be the Alan of the ambassadors. well Alan has his shortcomings; i couldnt find Devon's. he's extremely charismatic, has the ability to make people like him, and has an analytical mind of many levels. as with most people at YOG, he's from a sports background - he's a hockey coach.

Florian. this good-looking Austrian gave one of the best presentations out of ours. if not the best, then the most confident. he presented off-script and yet was on cue throughout. evident that he prepared and rehearsed hard. and he's extremely funny, not just during the presentation. got a humour as dry as asahi. and he's a handball player.

Felipe. this guy's a Brazilian shooter whose last name is, well, Wu. yes, Chinese. his grandparents (i think) were from somewhere Chinese. didnt talk much to him, but he won a silver at YOG.

Joseph. i remember watching this Kiwi boxer at YOG. he's a giant lah. all muscles. was really quiet in the beginning when rest of us mixed, but became the noisiest guy at the end haha.

Danka. this attractive Slovakian ambassador, i later found out, is one of the top female shooters in the world. she competed in Beijing 2008 and was the favourite for the gold, but loss of form dropped her out of the podium. a quick google also surprised me: apparently Danka stirred some controversy during YOG when she was misquoted as criticising Singapore's facilities. wow i didnt know that.

Samantha. "the girl with the lovely eyes" (they're big and when you look in you're just lost) is a South African equestrienne who won a medal at the YOG (unfortunately she was fourth in another event). even cooler: during the conference, when they gave out the latest copy of a sports magazine, on page 5 was a full-page photo of her in action. even cooler: i was looking for her on fb and instead found a fucking fanpage.

i like motion pictures

2011-02-25T12:08:00.001+08:00

Remember, remember the fifth of November,

The gunpowder treason and plot,

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

Evey: Who are you?

V: Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask.

Evey: Well I can see that.

V: Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine - the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, thereby those important events of the past usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, a celebration of a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. Last night I sought to end that silence. Last night I destroyed the Old Bailey, to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot.

V: A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. A symbol, in and of itself is powerless, but with enough people behind it, blowing up a building can change the world.

V: People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

Inspector Finch: Why are you doing this? [referring to Evey's intention to finish off what V started, to blow up Parliament]

Evey: Because he was right.

Inspector Finch: About what?

Evey: That the world needs more than just a building right now. It needs hope. [referencing Guy Fawkes' plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5 Nov, 1605]

50 things

2011-01-15T15:38:00.002+08:00

everything seems so true. yet im destined to only chance upon it in my final year of university.

By Ben Jones, originally from www.mitadmissions.org, 2006

As you begin your college experience, I thought I'd leave you with the things that, in retrospect, I think are important as you navigate the next four years. I hope that some of them are helpful.

Your friends will change a lot over the next four years. Let them.
Call someone you love back home a few times a week, even if just for a few minutes.
In college more than ever before, songs will attach themselves to memories. Every month or two, make a mix cd, mp3 folder, whatever - just make sure you keep copies of these songs. Ten years out, they'll be as effective as a journal in taking you back to your favorite moments.
Take naps in the middle of the afternoon with reckless abandon.
Adjust your schedule around when you are most productive and creative. If you're nocturnal and do your best work late at night, embrace that. It may be the only time in your life when you can.
If you write your best papers the night before they are due, don't let people tell you that you "should be more organized" or that you "should plan better." Different things work for different people. Personally, I worked best under pressure - so I always procrastinated... and always kicked ass (which annoyed my friends to no end). ;-) Use the freedom that comes with not having grades first semester to experiment and see what works best for you.
At least a few times in your college career, do something fun and irresponsible when you should be studying. The night before my freshman year psych final, my roommate somehow scored front row seats to the Indigo Girls at a venue 2 hours away. I didn't do so well on the final, but I haven't thought about psych since 1993. I've thought about the experience of going to that show (with the guy who is now my son's godfather) at least once a month ever since.
Become friends with your favorite professors. Recognize that they can learn from you too - in fact, that's part of the reason they chose to be professors.
Carve out an hour every single day to be alone. (Sleeping doesn't count.)
Go on dates. Don't feel like every date has to turn into a relationship.
Don't date someone your roommate has been in a relationship with.
When your friends' parents visit, include them. You'll get free food, etc., and you'll help them to feel like they're cool, hangin' with the hip college kids.
In the first month of college, send a hand-written letter to someone who made college possible for you and describe your adventures thus far. It will mean a lot to him/her now, and it will mean a lot to you in ten years when he/she shows it to you.
Embrace the differences between you and your classmates. Always be asking yourself, "what can I learn from this person?" More of your education will come from this than from any classroom.
All-nighters are entirely overrated.
For those of you who have come to college in a long-distance relationship with someone from high school: despite what many will tell you, it can work. The key is to not let your relationship interfere with your college experience. If you don't want to date anyone else, that's totally fine! What's not fine, however, is missing out on a lot of defining experiences because you're on the phone with your boyfriend/girlfriend for three hours every day.
Working things out between friends is best done in person, not over email. (IM does not count as "in person.") Often someone's facial expressions will tell you more than his/her words.
Take risks.
Don't be afraid of (or excited by) the co-ed bathrooms. The thrill is over in about 2 seconds.
Wednesday is the middle of the week; therefore on Wednesday night the week is more than half over. You should celebrate accordingly. (It makes Thursday and Friday a lot more fun.)
Welcome failure into your lives. It's how we grow. What matters is not that you failed, but that you recovered.
Take some classes that have nothing to do with your major(s), purely for the fun of it.
It's important to think about the future, but it's more important to be present in the now. You won't get the most out of college if you think of it as a stepping stone.
When you're living on a college campus with 400 things going on every second of every day, watching TV is pretty much a waste of your time and a waste of your parents' money. If you're going to watch, watch with friends so at least you can call it a "valuable social experience."
Don't be afraid to fall in love. When it happens, don't take it for granted. Celebrate it, but don't let it define your college experience.
Much of the time you once had for pleasure reading is going to disappear. Keep a list of the books you would have read had you had the time, so that you can start reading them when you graduate.
Things that seem like the end of the world really do become funny with a little time and distance. Knowing this, forget the embarrassment and skip to the good part.
Every once in awhile, there will come an especially powerful moment when you can actually feel that an experience has changed who you are. Embrace these, even if they are painful.
No matter what your political or religious beliefs, be open-minded. You're going to be challenged over the next four years in ways you can't imagine, across all fronts. You can't learn if you're closed off.
If you need to get a job, find something that you actually enjoy. Just because it's work doesn't mean it has to suck.
Don't always lead. It's good to follow sometimes.
Take a lot of pictures. One of my major regrets in life is that I didn't take more pictures in college. My excuse was the cost of film and processing. Digital cameras are cheap and you have plenty of hard drive space, so you have no excuse.
Your health and safety are more important than anything.
Ask for help. Often.
Half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at any given moment. Way more than half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at some point in the next four years. Get used to it.
In ten years very few of you will look as good as you do right now, so secretly revel in how hot you are before it's too late.
In the long run, where you go to college doesn't matter as much as what you do with the opportunities you're given there. The MIT name on your resume won't mean much if that's the only thing on your resume. As a student here, you will have access to a variety of unique opportunities that no one else will ever have - don't waste them.
On the flip side, don't try to do everything. Balance = well-being.
Make perspective a priority. If you're too close to something to have good perspective, rely on your friends to help you.
Eat badly sometimes. It's the last time in your life when you can do this without feeling guilty about it.
Make a complete ass of yourself at least once, preferably more. It builds character.
Wash your sheets more than once a year. Trust me on this one.
If you are in a relationship and none of your friends want to hang out with you and your significant other, pay attention. They usually know better than you do.
Don't be afraid of the weird pizza topping combinations that your new friend from across the country loves. Some of the truly awful ones actually taste pretty good. Expand your horizons.
Explore the campus thoroughly. Don't get caught.
Life is too short to stick with a course of study that you're no longer excited about. Switch, even if it complicates things.
Tattoos are permanent. Be very certain.
Don't make fun of prefrosh. That was you like 2 hours ago.
Enjoy every second of the next four years. It is impossible to describe how quickly they pass.
This is the only time in your lives when your only real responsibility is to learn. Try to remember how lucky you are every day.

Be yourself. Create. Inspire, and be inspired. Grow. Laugh. Learn. Love.

Welcome to some of the best years of your lives.

check

2011-01-13T22:58:00.002+08:00

i never thought i would play another game of darts, let alone write a post about it. but here i am.

derwin took over the captaincy of the hall darts team, and to be honest, three years of darts is quite tiring, so i had planned to just be a mentor of sorts in this revamp (most of the men's team has graduated). i enjoy helping the new members and refining the game for yixuan, sharon and lizhen, and started coming faithfully for trainings.

as fate would have it, we eventually had about four ready male players, so i decided to be the fifth and last in the IH squad. although it was more hands-off for me this year and i would let the others play if possible, it turned out to be my most fulfilling IH darts season over the four years.

we actually started the competition with a 2-0 run, beating halls 11 and 7. yixuan's on really hot form and finally we have guys who can win.

Hall 3

2-1

i was away the morning for a volleyball match, a bit of tennis training, and coached the wkwsci futsal girls. when i came back i was thrown into a match with powerhouse hall 3. but somehow there was a nice calm about it. either im old or i dont really care. i just wanted to see where my level is after all these years.

fact is, not bad at all. despite feeling lethargic in recent trainings, matchday seems to be my buddy. i checked in with my first dart and started running down with an average of 45-60 points.

he then checked in with his first dart and although i looked the stronger to check out, i rued the missed opportunity as he finished. it was level and i worried a little. i didnt want a lead to become a defeat.

but psychologically i was on top. the lad seems inexperienced, fearful and quiet. i was talking and i think he was a tad affected. although i checked in really late this rubber set i kept my cool and finished him off.

although i thought qisheng's board was fiercer as his opponent systematically undid him, apparently our umpire was quite in awe of my board. he kept going "wah" and "woh" and had a shell-shocked face throughout. for good reason, i suppose. except for some forgettable periods, my opponent and i generally served up awesome darts play. my most glorious moment of the match was when i was miles away from my opponent, who was checking out, and i cut it considerably to a 50-point gap from him. all three present knew what it takes, but probably only one believed. and i hit a bull's eye.

Hall 8

1-2

my worst performance this season and one that reminded me of my standard two years ago. the opponent's not good, but beat me comfortably. he almost took all three sets if not for his surprising inability (although it looked intentional) to check out in the last and my sally win.

of course, it didnt help we had a poor umpire who's obviously not familiar with the game and cant count. but my opponent was truly 'the icing on the cake'. im a fan of mental games, my teammates know it, but he really screwed me up. he would exclaim his 'check' in his thick condescending Indo accent, and whenever i missed what i wanted, he would go "No!". what the fuck, seriously.

this match also provided my most ridiculous moment. i was trying for probably 10 rounds to hit a 1-double, but was nowhere close. so i ludicrously went two steps further from the board for my throw, and it amazingly landed right outside my desired spot.

Hall 9

2-1

if that was my worst performance this season, this was my most irrepressible performance all these years.

probably the best or second-best player from 9, the legendary recreation hall. yet i was in control through the match. standards were so high check-outs always happened when both of us were trying to. in all three sets, there was a first-dart check-in (i delivered the first, he the next two).

in one of the best single performances, within nine darts i was on 101. i couldn't exactly believe myself. most times, people haven't even checked in after nine darts. i then checked out smoothly.

like a dampener, i was checking out first in the second set and ready to wrap things up, but he did it before me.

will i throw this great opportunity away? although i was feeling calm knowing i had nothing to lose, disaster struck and i couldn't check in. but, as if some deity came to my help, the poor fella couldn't check out and i watched with sympathy as his darts kept landing outside his desired spots. i caught up soon enough and the moment that really told me i'd win was when i stopped at the exact double he wanted. i felt it surging through my veins. "i will hit it before you and stick it in your face". it didnt happen soon but luck was always on my side.

against a truly outstanding opponent, a match i finally felt i was one of IH's top darts players.

---

before our final round against hall 5, we stood a chance of the quarter finals. if we beat them, we would sneak under their noses for the final spot. unfortunately, our neighbours are really strong in darts this year and whipped us 5-0.

derwin, qisheng, shaoming, zhixiong, yixuan, sharon and lizhen. i am fucking proud of you all.

i would like to think the overall performance is the result of my nurturing over the years. but im not sure. whatever's the case, let's wish many more good years for hall 4 darts.

Goeie oggend, Singapour!!

2010-12-08T23:08:00.002+08:00

televised sports is insane here. one of the speakers at the conference (i think was the south african minister) said they screen more fta sports here than many other countries. it's true, i tell you. sports is mega in south africa. in the four days i spent there, i caught Man Utd-Valencia, Chelsea-Everton, Liverpool-Aston Villa, Springboks-Barbarians, a couple of La Liga, Bundesliga, Top 14, Aviva Premiership matches, and even the local Telkom Cup final (Kaizer Chiefs-Orlando Pirates).

angmohs really do 3-hour dinners. no shit. twice i experienced it, and i tell you we strolled through starters, mains, desserts, coffee. with a lot of chatting in-between. dont get me wrong, im not complaining. it's great. they really know how to enjoy life sia.

oh and i love how they'd go "bon appetit" before eating.

one of the most memorable convos i heard:
Alan Harris: Odane Skeen's from Kingston, Jamaica.
Essar Gabriel: Ah... It's crazy down there. That's where they shot Bob Marley.
Alan: Yea.
Essar: No one shoots Bob Marley.
Alan: No one.

and i had the best cream pasta ever in a real italian restaurant there. it was soooo good and so much i couldnt finish it, at just S$14. man, it's serious stuff since it made this blog post.

the night of the gala dinner was wild. we were randomly placed around tables, and me and adam happened to sit with these two local college girls - francesca, a white of italian descent, and fuzzy, an indian who's quite different from the indians in singapore. hours later it was like we'd known each other for really long! joseph parker joined us, so did their friend robin/robyn, and they took us out. fuz drove and we squeezed six into the mini car. no joke considering joseph's a 113kg kiwi boxer. we sped through the pouring rain and beat red lights and at one point joseph was throwing our glass bottles out of the window. crazy shit. the night was spoilt though as the place we wanted to go to was closed. we ended up at a bar.

i wasnt supposed to drink. not when my foot's already swollen. but what's fun without alcohol right. so i committed self-murder by finally relenting and took white wine (straight from the bottle, no joke). then a Springbok, a local shooter. then a John Deere, a local Graveyard-esque cocktail.

oh yea and drinking in public is apparently a crime here in South Africa. cops will pull up and arrest you on the spot. if you don't slip some cash into their pockets.

anyway, the plan was to go to the place the next night, but turned out i was really tired and had stuff to do. i heard the bunch, together with other Young Reporters, Ambassadors and Athletes went to a club, but on hindsight, im glad i gave it a miss. next morning adam told me they got into some misunderstanding. come on, this is South Africa, people carry weapons. they ended up paying more than S$600.

okay that's it for my SA trip. totally no time for checking out the city. didnt braid/dreadlock my hair too.

Goeie oggend, Singapour!

2010-12-05T12:48:00.002+08:00

i might be taking too much of SIA. i was sick of the food cos they gave me the same meal i had i think just recently.

Rooibos tea: a traditional South African tea.

they had this and English tea on the flight. i had to choose the latter cos... yes. no wonder i couldn't understand the stewardess.

what's worse on a trip than losing your baggage the first thing you arrive? i had a connecting flight in 90 minutes, but after everyone cleared their baggage i was left with nothing. yes just me. thank god for the extremely lovely airport guy who made many calls and ran everywhere (im limping, you see) to locate my bag.

my first 100rand went to useless ends. i rushed, on a hurting foot, to the transfer. got delayed by so many things as im in unfamiliar territories. so 'helpful' guides are good, right? i was swarmed by a (uniformed) syndicate who directed me to my flight. it's not that difficult really, if i wasnt panicky. so yea when we reached he asked for a fee, and i only had 100rand notes on me. what's worse was i already sensed something wrong and when i ran into the conference's volunteers i tried to get their help (they sensed something too), but the swindler brushed them away.

adam and i made the crazy decision to walk around, and ended up in an apparently blacks-only neighbourhood. they were all staring and it was scary shit. the doctor also advised against streetside food, but the first thing i did here was do just that. wth. too cool lah, cant resist.

we also saw a tranny, and giggled to ourselves. but South Africans dont giggle. when s/he walked by, all the guys started wolf-whistling to the extent it became almost a carnival.

South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world. no joke.

everywhere you see young drug peddlers. teens knock angrily on your cabs for money to finance their drug addiction.

there are countless dubious minibuses that want to ferry you somewhere, and they tout blatantly. it seems though that's a preferred transport for the locals. i guess the public transport system here must really suck.

when night falls, you only see street corner gangs and streetwalkers. just stay in the hotel lah.

a bunch of kids (aged 14, 15 max) chased another, who was holding up a wallet like a prized haul. seconds later, knives came out and they started slashing him. whatthefuck.

when one pays peanuts, one gets monkeys

2010-11-25T22:03:00.001+08:00

Warning: Possibly Inflammatory Content

"...when one pays peanuts, one gets monkeys. This has been used as justification to increase the ministers’ pay. What they fail to realize is that the same adage applies to all ranks – even the unskilled worker. Pay them peanuts and you get monkeys. (Or are we being classified monkeys already – I wonder?). So, instead of finding ways to help increase the wages of these unskilled Singaporean workers, so that the Singaporean worker can make a serious decision to take up these jobs, they instead choose to allow employers to use peanuts to attract the unskilled workers from abroad.

The ill-treatment cases aside: I think we have too many foreign monkeys in our land already. It is time for this government to make these jobs more attractive, in terms of better wages, so that we do not have to depend on monkeys – especially those from abroad."

gemami, The Online Citizen

2010-11-20T22:21:00.000+08:00

Girlfriend: I walked in and the doctor said...

Boyfriend: How old are you?

Girlfriend: ...'how old are you?' EHHH HOW YOU KNOW?!

so sweet. how i miss being in love.

talk to me

2010-11-16T16:04:00.001+08:00

empirical proof we're in a (highly) digital age:

there were 10 ppl in the mrt carriage,

5 of them listening to music from players and phones, with at least 3 ipods visible,

1 using netbook,

1 watching mp4,

1 viewing photos,

1 on the phone.

and i noted down all these on my phone. lol.

one day, the human touch would be gone.

signs

2010-11-10T13:58:00.001+08:00

i still believe that night i fell ultra sick - yes ultra is the only apt word - with no apparent reason at aloha changi was because it's haunted. but that's for another day.

anyway i experienced the whole nightmare again a few days back. it reminded me how hellish it is and what it means by you'd rather be dead than alive. of course, for a while i thought my room's haunted. i went to bed okay, but got more and more bloated until i could no longer fall asleep. i was basically lying flat there motionless the whole night until, i remember, 656am.

鬼压床 you know?

i developed fever, headache, nausea, diarrhea, and became dizzy when i got up. i threw up everything i had inside me over the next two hours.

best part? i was alone. in every sense of the word.

roomie jianli's at home. hall's near-empty of people from my batch. i don't have a girlfriend anymore. as i trudged to NTU's medical centre later under the blazing sun in cold sweat, pausing for breathers along the way, coupled with momentary blackouts, the big questions came.

are these signs my time in hall is up? at my weakest, there seemed no one i could turn to.

then things went on the up.

i started bumping into people and they were concerned. news also spread. people all over the hall started sending their regards and helping in any way they could. lingqin and jacq especially. they came once with painkillers, then again when i was asleep to soothe me with fever pads. somehow, uncannily, it sure seemed a bigger deal i fall sick now than when i was a freshie, when i had so many friends around.

on another note, i realised i started my hall 4 life in sickness too: anaemia during my own FOC. and i remember the care showered on me by the seniors then. maybe this is the end, and the end is marked by sickness too. more comfortingly i guess, it was marked by the love of ohmers.

anyway it was stomach flu damn it.

Chris Tse's rap-poem, I'm sorry I'm a Christian

2010-11-03T16:47:00.002+08:00

grabbed this off terence's Irreligious blog. it was so freaking good i had goosebumps throughout.

thought-provoking repentence and truth, or blatant insult and blasphemy?

you decide. im going for the former.

I am a Christian. I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for the way that I come across

So fair and faith friendly and full of myself

Judging your spiritual health by the words that you say

And the way that you dress, and the things that you do

Or maybe just judging you.

I’m sorry for the way that I live my life

So confident of my own beliefs that

I would never even think to think about thinking about yours

I’m sorry for the wars.

Ivory clad Crusaders mounting steeds and drawing swords

With such a spirit that if The Spirit spoke they wouldn’t hear

But you see the sword of The Spirit was not a sword but the Word

And the Word was with God and the Word was God

And they preached this as they marched on the Holy Land

Singing and praying and killing and slaying

And purging and healing and raping and stealing

It’s ironic that they lined their pockets in the name of God

Just like the priests who line their pockets in the name of God

Just like the people that you can’t stand, because they always raise their hand

And spread their faith and hate and judgment in the name of God

I’m sorry that I take God’s name in vain

Or rather I’m sorry that I stain the name of God

Defending my selfish actions as selfless actions pertaining to the will of God

I’m sorry for being intolerant

For trying to talk down to you

For trying to talk over you

For not letting you talk

I’m sorry for not walking the walk

For being a hypocritical critical Christian

Criticising your pagan lifestyle while my lifestyle styles itself

Just like the televangelist’s hair

All slick and sly and slippery

As the silver syllables slide their way into your ear

But see that’s my greatest fear

That the steps I take won’t match the words I speak

So that when I speak all you hear of me

is a weak hypocritical critical Christian

Doing one thing, but saying another

Loving my friend, but hating my brother

It’s a show.

I’m sorry I get drunk on Saturdays

and go to church on Sundays to pray

for my friends who get drunk on Saturdays

And on that note,

I’m sorry for making the church about the pews and the cross

And the walls and the steeple

Because see the building is not the church

The church is the people

I’m sorry that I hate you because you are gay

I’m sorry I condemn you to hell because you are gay

Instead of loving I jump to hatred

Mouth open and tongue preaching

Eyes open but not seeing that you are the same as me

Just a fucking human being

I’m sorry that I only hang out with Christian friends

And we do nice Christian things

Like pot luck dinners and board game nights

While in the night a man beats his girlfriend again

Another homeless man died again

Is this the way that my own crowd has been?

But here I am with the same friends again

But see what I always forget is that Jesus didn’t come

to hang out with the priests and the lords.

No, He hung out with cripples and beggars and whores

Love.

I’m sorry for history

For native tribes wiped out in the name of the church

Lodges burning, stomachs churning and yearning for justice

And mothers screaming and pleading

Pleading for the young ones

As they are dragged away to church schools

Where they were abused

I’m sorry for the way that I refused

To learn your culture

Instead I just came to spread the Gospel

And the plague

I’m sorry that I stand at the front doors of abortion clinics

Screaming at 15-year-old girls as they enter

Instead of waiting at the back door to hug them as they leave

I’m sorry for taking my wars and my faith to your lands

When historically it was on your lands that my faith was born

And in the face of the storm, I realise that

If God is Love and Love is God

Then why are we shooting instead of sharing?

Why are we launching instead of learning?

Why are we warring instead of walking together?

Why are we taking instead of talking together?

Why are we bombing instead of breaking bread together as brothers?

You see I think that God looks down and He’s sad

And from His right hand throne above

Jesus asks where is the Love?

And if it takes will.i.am and Justin Timberlake

Asking that same question for us

To start asking that same question

Then where the fuck are we headed?

So I will take this stage to be my chapel

And this mic my confession booth

And in the presence of God, the few, the proud,

and the blessed I confess, that

I am a Christian. I’m sorry.

Legend.

2010-10-30T15:09:00.028+08:00

that's a word i use often on seniors. my seniors. often, but sparingly. because i attach the highest value to the label.

in the space of five weeks, ive been called a CS legend and a Hall 4 legend. as much as i cannot express it, i am deeply honoured.

ive made an impact, but ive also made enemies. sometimes, i really regret these pieces of my university life. then along came the author Adrian Tan, who said during WKWSCI's 2008 convocation:

be hated. every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated. often, one is hated because one is trying to do right by one's own convictions. it is far too easy to gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average.

very wise. that surely exorcised some demons.

a panicky melissa before robin's surprise

2010-10-27T15:07:00.003+08:00

thiam peng says: (3:01:58 AM)

got emcee or not haha

baddabbing says: (3:02:08 AM)

lol dun have leh

thiam peng says: (3:02:17 AM)

cham

then u emcee meh

baddabbing says: (3:02:21 AM)

i got no programme line up hahaha

thiam peng says: (3:02:36 AM)

haha how can no programme!

bday partyyy

baddabbing says: (3:02:50 AM)

hahaha cuz the timing so flexible

also i figured got not much time

yall come at 6 plus

he comes at 7 plus

settle down all eat

8 plus can show video

then cut cake alr

then take photo

then bye bye

thiam peng says: (3:03:45 AM)

means he'll hav to go ard entertain everyone

he become e busy one

lol i need to copy this convo down

baddabbing says: (3:04:12 AM)

OIIIIIII bish.

hahahhaa

if not do what

must have game meh

also dunno what game to play

thiam peng says: (3:04:32 AM)

haha no lah

but at least hav rough idea

like speech

baddabbing says: (3:05:23 AM)

AIYA then just make him make speech

then video

then cut cake

eh wrong

is video

then speech

then i surely kena sabo-ed

then cake

then photo

then bye bye

pls, oh mighty teh ping, tell me if i missed anything else out

self-respect

2010-10-23T18:13:00.000+08:00

A journalism lecturer on reporting in Singapore, the challenges working with the state, and the meaning of it all:

"In the 9 years I've worked here, the civil service has been solid. They do not leak anything.

"But it is through our little attacks on the system that we gain some self-respect."

my world

it's a wrap!

Singapore vs Others

This is our time

Godthink

疯神无双 疯秘笈

Christmas play ball

Things to know at 25(ish)

疯神无双 疯秘笈

final whistle

slut lock

indulge

疯神无双 疯秘笈

Praised by the Wise

疯神无双 疯秘笈

like a boss #applause

那些年 那个女孩

疯神无双 疯秘笈

Frazier wins top billing at last

疯神无双 疯秘笈

Singaporean Men Cannot Make It One Lah

疯神无双 疯秘笈

FHM 100 Sexiest Women Party 2011

疯神无双 疯秘笈

Praised by the Wise

The Da Vinci Shroud

疯神无双 疯秘笈

Bill Gates' 11 Rules

relative pricing

Doctrines and Shit

Praised by the Wise

a food entry oh gosh

Michael Moore vs Marilyn Manson

Lies About the Human Body You Learned in Kindergarten

life is like a dishwasher

Praised by the Wise

Steve Jobs is no more

alcohol and metaphor

i like motion pictures

combustion

my moment

a love revolution

froud

game changers

whoever said NTU's boring ought to [insert disgusting activity no one wants to perform]

the Europe gamble paid off

What would Jesus do?

the law and subjectivity

Tiny Mistakes That Led To Huge Catastrophes - The Fatal Four Microns in the Hubble Telescope

Praised by the Wise

crazy/random college times

what love stories are made of

will this summer be as comforting as the last?

right side of wrong

"my epic ktm love story"

staple

chatter

becoming Fergie: my pick to beat Barca

nineteen

a window of destiny

shelter

sayang

"i dont really..."

Exposed, like a Pandora's box

Biennale 2011: Nedko Solakov

the 10 worst players to win the champions league

reasons why we're not broadcast students

对阿公的思念

Post- South Africa

i like motion pictures

50 things

check

Goeie oggend, Singapour!!

Goeie oggend, Singapour!

when one pays peanuts, one gets monkeys

talk to me

signs

Chris Tse's rap-poem, I'm sorry I'm a Christian

Legend.

a panicky melissa before robin's surprise

疯神无双疯秘笈

疯神无双疯秘笈

疯神无双疯秘笈

疯神无双疯秘笈

那些年那个女孩

疯神无双疯秘笈

疯神无双疯秘笈

疯神无双疯秘笈

疯神无双疯秘笈

疯神无双疯秘笈