Space Attack

Everything happens for a good reason. We have someone up there to plan and see His plan work the way he wants. It's not for us to speculate when is the blue planet going to blow up and sweep every single thing off her face. We just need to do what we can to save ourselves, instead of coming up with reports that we're going to be invaded by the extra-terrestrial.

It would be such a pity if it doesn't happen though. The ETs might just make Earth a better place and be the solution we need to all the 'unsolvable' problems.



2, 1...

Peace.Joy.Love

a wake up call to tell me to keep things in check.

I'm really thankful for what God has done in my life, the people He puts around me to help me out in a way or another.

Merry Christmas.

#370

1 more week to Christmas Day.

Joy to the world!

a new dome.

it's gonna be a new journey ahead for the next 14 months.

i'm not in the position to decide where to go, but i can definitely choose to make to best out of it or not. since i have to do it, why not do it well?

short term, mid term and long term goals, i better get them jotted down and keep them in my mind. now and then, i got to review them to make sure that they are still valid. what's in store for me isn't a flat tarmac road. i can start to count with my fingers the number of weekends i have.

sometimes, it is the little moments that count and make the difference.

one hell of a trip. i'm glad that i'm back.

it's always endearing to meet friends you haven't met in quite a while.

we gotta know that God is awesome, the way He plans our life.
we never know what's planned for us, always expect the unexpected.

that's life. it's planned. enjoy.

From the day the battery went flat

From the day the battery went flat

Risk.

'The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you."' Genesis 12:1

'Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.' Psalm 37:5

I'm starting to sway from my original decision again.

1 day closed-terrain navigation
10km run in <65min
32km march in eight hours with crossing of water obstacle and equipment tests
100m live range

all for one Combat Skills Badge on my uniform.
time to get the sleep and rest I deserve.

motivation to start moving.
inertia to keep going.

God gave me a purpose in life. How about you?

attributes of a leader.

what makes a good leader/commander?

I'm confused. but I'm glad that I fought for what should be right.
I think it's worth it.

God.

信。痛。乱。

the pencil and eraser story.

Pencil: I'm sorry
Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.
Pencil: I'm sorry cos you get hurt bcos of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.
Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. :)


I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way... they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on). Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.


"All my life, I've been the pencil.. And it pains me to see the eraser that is my parents getting smaller and smaller each day. For I know that one day, all that I'm left with would be eraser shavings and memories of what I used to have..."

patience.

answers.

everyone needs an answer to almost everything in life. sometimes you get it after thinking it through, sometimes you'll need help from above, sometimes you don't even get one.

i'm thinking of applying to the uk universities again, after a long period of lost-interest. but does it really matter if my degree (just the degree) is from LSE/Oxford? what if it's just NUS? how much will it affect me? how much will my degree be worth? where will i stand? does it make me a cut above the rest?

the overseas experience seems kinda attractive to me. but what difference will it make?
what if i don't get in? do i deserve to be funded? if i take up a scholarship, is the 6-year bond worth it?

i doubt i can get answers to all my questions about going UK to pursue my degree. i'm still going to apply for it, i still have 8 months to go till the 2012 cycle. lots of time to think through. lots of research to be done.

From homeblues

found my tone in this. it's time to settle down once you have something that sounds as good as this.

Been going out for shoots for the past 3 weekends. Rather productive and happy with the results so far. I have to show some quality before my I can convince my dad that I deserve the upgrade next year. here's some.





and i'm loving my new orange amp. i'll post some pics of it soon.

i revived my les paul today after giving it 3 months of rest. time to rock n'roll! (:

(:

saturday was a night to remember. it'll go a very long way.

feels good to be at home alone on a Wednesday afternoon. perfect time to do some self-reflection, a bit of planning and maybe daydream about the future for a while. a short break from the monotony of NS life as my Foundation Term comes to an end in 2 more days. 8 weeks might be a long time for some of you, but it's definitely way too short for me. through this 4 months or so of NS so far, i have come to know myself more. i hate people that complain and whine and delay time. i tend to judge people really fast, first by looks then by the way the speak. but i guess it's normal when you do not have enough time to learn about one another's character. i'm not afraid to voice out that something is wrong and express my thoughts (good/bad) about someone.

2 years. i'm just gonna do my best and get the hell out of it. $3,500 upon ORD for study fund? GE is just round the corner, i'm not surprised at all.

a bluesy tune for the afternoon: Darling You Know I Love You by B.B. King

i don't know how to put it, but it's been a happy week. one more week in bslc, and gotta mental prep myself for 13 weeks of hell.

i'm treasuring my weekends much much more now as feb draws near. it's hard not to think about it. just gotta stay positive for now.

4th sept coming up and a short block leave. may the weeks to come be great as well! (:

I don't wanna miss a thing - Aerosmith

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
Far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Well, every moment spent with you
Is a moment I treasure

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing

Lying close to you
Feeling your heart beating
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together
And I just wanna stay with you
In this moment forever, forever and ever

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing

I don't wanna miss one smile
I don't wanna miss one kiss
Well, I just wanna be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just wanna hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
'Cause I'd still miss you, babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing

Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep, yeah
I don't wanna miss a thing

old song, but good lyrics. probably it's what part of me wants to say. here's an interesting cover by one of the wonders you'll find on youtube.

i'm starting to find the connection with God again. it's been a great week in search of Him (: sometimes it's good to take time and check back, make sure everything's in place before moving off. drifting away doesn't feel good at all. i think i'll get to serve in church again, which means more time with my guitar and more chords to play around with. hope all will be well.

anyway, this dude called yiruma is awesome. his pieces are so soothing. here's one for you to enjoy (:

Singapore's 45th.

a small piece of land one degree north of the equator, one flowing with milk and honey.

Singapore has been 'awesome' so far, i'm only 19 so there's still lots for me to learn about this tiny red dot being placed on the map, and i call it home.

the thought going overseas to study and stay there for good has always been lodged somewhere in my mind. sometimes this idea gets revived and i'll start thinking of how nice it would be if all were to come true, there's a heck load of choices out there. when i leave, i'll be leaving behind those that'll miss me, my loved ones and all. i guess i'll be missing my enemies as well. there's so much within this small land mass that i couldn't bear to leave behind for too long. no matter how much you say you hate Singapore, you don't love the country, i'm sure there's this part of you that'll be telling you that you still have some feelings for the nation and there are good memories too.

i'm very thankful that i've been given enough opportunities in life, and the very fact that i'm in Singapore. i'm afraid to walk on the streets in a city just 5hours by coach up north, the hectic lifestyle about 7 hours by flight to a city in east asia, or maybe the too laid-back environment on the other side of the globe. as the saying goes, 'the grass is always greener on the other side', what's outside always seem more appealing than what we have here. i do complain about the weather when it gets too hot, or when it rains too much, about the people, about the crowd, about foreigners looking for gold flooding into the country, and sometimes about everything and anything you can think of. to think of it, that's what i'll call uniquely singapore. no where else on this round thing in the milky way you can find a place like SIN-GA-PORE.

well, i might end up furthering my studies overseas, working overseas in the future or settling down overseas when i retire, but there's one place i will still call home. it's Singapore. the memories i have of the people will always stay with me, and that includes you (whoever you are that is reading this right now), the places and the Singapore experience (i don't care how you're gonna define this) i have. cliché as it may sound, i love Singapore.

happy 45th!

on a random note, i think that Kiss is awesome. the rock and roll tone of the 80s, not too noisy but definitely catchy.

Power of Prayer

managed to find time to attend the prayer meeting today. the last one i attended was months ago.

something pastor tang shared today struck me rather deep down. i've been in the church since june 2007, attending the saturday service most of the time. indeed, the numbers have not changed much. once in a while, we do get new people who would join us. and it's really once in a long while. having them to stay for months or years would be a total blessing and definitely by God's grace. as a member of the church, it would only make sense that i help spread the word and fill up the empty spaces by bringing new friends to church. have i been doing that? hardly.

i've been thanking God for the church. and never for His grace to fill up the empty spaces.

there's one thing i always hang on to: believe in the power of prayer.
'I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!' -Psalm 116:1-2
He's always there to give me an answer or some form of guidance when i'm in need. through these few recent years, things have been smooth sailing in general. power of prayer? i believe there's some help from up there that made all these possible and i asked for it.

i have faith in prayer, in God, in the bible. but, in a way, i still don't totally believe what i'm reading and listening to every saturday. do you still consider that my faith is strong? religion is some form of refuge for me when i need to hide from reality. it gives me time to think and reflect, then carry on with life. this time changed for the better of course.

i'll still pray for what's to come for me, for strength, for you, for my family and anything i need to pray for. not all roads are straight and flat, there's always bound to be potholes and uneven ground. life's full of ups and downs, it all boils down to how we deal with it, and make the best out of the situation we're in. cherish what we enjoy now, for we never know what will happen tomorrow.

myles kennedy with slash, awesome set.
i'm gonna miss the singapore leg of slash's asian tour.

it's been another week in the specialist school.

a tough week, being mentally and emotionally tested. totally disgusted at how ugly humans can get, daggers flying all over the place. i gotta watch my back for the 6 weeks to come. some people just do not understand how to read body language even when the signal is clear for them to 'back off and leave me alone'.

i wouldn't be surprised at all if a fight breaks out due to the few selfish 'commanders-to-be' that do things only for their own interest. want to be a commander? learn to make friends first. you'll probably never learn.

i'm spending my Saturday resting at home, need some time to mentally prep myself to the week to come. and recover from all the shit that's bugging me. it's been a bad>good week. hope you'll understand.

Life: Why Is SpongeBob The Most Ideal Friend?

Life: Why Is SpongeBob The Most Ideal Friend?: "Patrick: He still loves me even if I'm stupid. He ignores my weakness. Squidwerd: I always drive him away and yet he's still there for me..."

sometimes, i tend to take a lot of time lying on the bed thinking about my future, and what's gonna come my way. Ffailure always seems to be out of the question, i don't really allow myself to fail.
Y
so far, i'm unsure about what's ahead, the far far ahead. everything changes so fast. what i've planned that seems to be feasible given the current context might not work. being able to adapt quickly will be a skill i must acquire in order to survive.

i've given 2 years of my life to the nation, i'm sure of my life for this period of time. i'll work hard for what i want and make things work for me. in 2 years, i hope to sort things out and find back my old self.

you might be wondering how i blog on a weekday afternoon. let me try this out, i'm posting via my phone! 1 more hour and i should be done for today.

i'm really thankful for who i am and who i'm going to be. also for you.

give me 7 years, i'll show you what i can achieve.

going to the far west. see you soon (:

i'm a fighter.

fighting my own mistakes, fighting myself.

i'm fighting just to become a better person.

time to sleep, tomorrow will be a new day.

"Come and listen to my counsel. I'll share my heart with you and make you wise. "

proverbs 1:23

a slow slow thursday. and i've found good stuff on youtube from pinkpop 2010

thursday morning.

It’s not always rainbows and butterflies
It’s compromise that moves us along
My heart is full and my door’s always open
You can come anytime you want

-She will be loved by Maroon 5

there's a disaster in me. time for some reflection.

awesome start to my block leave with 'harbour lights' and 'red devil' (:

we'll probably not forget the latter, 75.5% of pure goodness that's abit (understatement?) on the stronger side of things.

one whole week to go!

my dear les paul is still giving me shoulder aches even after 2 years. but i still love it for the tone (:

another milestone

my bmt life will come to an end in one week's time. i felt that i had enjoyed my 8 weeks so far, all the pt, outfield and buddies i've made. not forgetting the jokes and day-to-day screw-ups by the usual few people. the commanders have became our friends, as we got to know each other better through facing the floor and the admin time talks. it's a bitter-sweet feeling knowing that all these will come to an end soon, we will be going separate ways.

i've just reached another checkpoint in life upon completion of this particular phase, more challenges will come ahead in the years to come. this bmt experience was definitely an awesome one for me, for i've grown to be really more resilient and much more of a fighter.

1 more week with the company with pride-PEGASUS!

post #327.

great night of food and drinks. wattle toffee was sweet, redbull+greygoose=some potent concoction.

2 more weeks, things are getting easier by the day (:

i miss the good old times. do you?

From national day@sajc 789

From national day@sajc 789

From ocip

last night's PAW and sharing at student camp was good.

i've been a camper for 3 years, helper for another 3. nonetheless, the experience was still one that's refreshing, and kinda brings me closer to God. hope he'll guide me in making one huge major decision which would change the direction of my future for good.

3 more weeks! AWESOME!!!

Song of Songs 8:6-7
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.

7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

love conquers all obstacles.

'any training that doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. '

by Pegasus CSM Johan

back again for the vesak day break! thank God for public holidays (:

offer from SMU for Business and Economics DDP, but i'll be on my way to NUS.

SMU is just a balloon, NTU is too technical, NUS is THE school to be in.

this will be temporary, or rather a backup plan that i must have and can fall back on with much confidence. applying to Cambridge, Oxford, LSE and Kings by October, hope i'll get a place in one of the four!

i'll have a good weekend before field camp on monday.

爱？

爱不是一种感觉，而是一种意志的行动。

finally, the long awaited first bookout. don't worry, i'm still alive and kicking after 17days on the island, the training is still manageable so far.

the army is the place where i observe and learn about human behavior and character. there are those that screw themselves up and bring the others down with them, those that are always lost and cannot follow instructions, and those that are just socially awkward. some that don't think before they shoot, some think too much and others don't understand.

it's always good to be optimistic and think ahead. 7 weeks to POP. it will be come fast.

in lesser than 12 hours, i'll roll into army.

all is good, all will be good.

i'll be back in a few days (:

你是汹涌的海浪 我是疲惫的沙滩

暖暖的斜阳 吊在我们的肩膀

你用醉人的眼波 拴住恋爱的绳索

那么痴迷 那么绮丽

你轻轻柔柔的细述着槟城下的雨

淋湿你的长发几十年来抹也抹不去

啊 我会慢慢的想起

几十年都不会忘记

轻轻的为你唱首歌 几十年的歌

靠在你的背后 紧紧握着你的右手

慢慢的教你写首诗 要你记着我的事

当你孤孤单单的时候我要继续为你唱出这首歌.

I'm loving this song. I guess the movie should be good as well.

i'll be away on the island resort on wednesday, gonna miss you alot.

天天想你

当我伫立在窗前

你愈走愈远

我的每一次心跳

你是否听见

当我徘徊在深夜

你在我心田

你的每一句誓言

回荡在耳边

隐隐约约闪动的双眼

藏着你的羞怯

加深我的思念

两颗心的交界你一定会看见

只要你愿意走向前

天天想你天天问自己

到什么时候才能告诉你

天天想你天天守住一颗心

把我最好的爱留给你

so...now i'm back from my last trip before rolling into army. and forced to be back a day earlier.

need to spend my time wisely for the next few days, there isnt much time for me to waste. get everything in my head sorted out so i can have a clear mind in army.

9 weeks is going to pass by very quickly. 5 days to go.

something i posted before quite a while back.

From Song of Songs 8:6-7
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.

7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

i'm gonna get another pair of AMQ Puma when i visit tokyo from 21st to 23rd.

perfect coupling of comfort and design. (:

i've been in rather high spirits recently, some of you might know about it already.

(:

im too happy to say anything now.

sold my guitar today for $900. now im left with one les paul and one strat. happy enough.

anyway, i think im in love with Alexander McQueen.

http://alexandermcqueen.puma.com/

not that im gay, i know he's gay, but his designs are really really really beautiful, especially the shoes. got myself a pair of Puma sneakers designed by him, quite a bit of damage on my wallet but its okay. i felt good doing so. now im not sure if Puma is gonna release anymore shoes/apparel by McQueen after this season. fyi, McQueen is dead.

2 weeks to army. a few days and i'll be out of town for one last time before i roll in.

on a sidenote, im really enjoying my time now doing things i like/love.

okay just a short one. nothing much has been going on recently, 15days before i roll into army. will be going on another trip, the last one on Sunday morning.

so sunday morning, depart singapore.

late wednesday depart hk for tokyo.

return to singapore on friday.

a short trip i would say, getting rather sick and tired of travelling all over the place.

but Singapore has been kinda hot of late, escaping the heat might be one of the reasons.

hope all will turn out well.

saturday

seems gloomy today.

church, then hosting some friends at my place. the same old people.

night of good food and alcohol again.

update

just got back yesterday evening from the Cameron-KL trip. second time in Cameron, second time in 3 weeks in KL. cameron hasnt changed much, except for the Starbucks@Tanah Rata that popped up about a year ago, according to the guide. but then, there's only caucasians drinking coffee and tea(special stuff) there. the BOH estate was a much better place.

nothing much except for lotsa photos of BOH tea plantation, and flowers and butterflies(my greatest fear).

here are some of the pics. trying picasa's slideshow for the first time. i couldnt upload too many photos, im already running out of space on my picasa web album.

have a look at this link. its kinda interesting.

http://www.salary.sg/2010/graduate-employment-survey-2009-published-2010/

i'll be away from tomorrow morning till thursday evening. KL and Cameron Highlands this time.

if you want anything just drop me a text. i'll help you get if i can find. but please, no strawberries.

Gear Update

most of what i used to have in my set-up are now gone. so here's a little update.

Washburn N1 (sold to Jon)

Crybaby Classic (sold)

1987 MIJ Boss Ce-2 Chorus (sold)

Metal Muff (sold)

Boss Ds-1 (sold)

2005 Gibson SG Standard in Cherry(sold)

2008 Fender Blues Jr. (Sold)

1996 Gibson Les Paul Standard in Honeyburst

2007 Fender John Mayer Signature Strat in 3-tone Sunburst (in-church)

2007 Epiphone Les Paul Ultra in Faded Cherry (upgrading)

1970s Yamaha G-225 Classical (going to restore this vintage thing soon)

Xotic AC-booster

Randolf Mod Boss Ds-1 (selling soon)

Roland Cube 30x

downsizing my rig for army. just want to keep it simple and sound good.

guitar-overdrive-amp. sweet!

Good Comfort Food.

alright, i'll try putting up a recipe here. it worked well for me, its my own recipe actually. i came up with this since i can't find the right taste with the other recipes all over the internet.

so here it goes...

Lamb Stew with Root Veg (serves 3-4)

Leg of lamb (bone-in) 600grams

1 large carrot

1 large red onion

2 large potatoes or about 10 new potatoes

3 tomatoes, chopped up. or tomato puree will do as well.

5 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 bay leaves

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

a good amount of oregano(dried) and basil(dried)

1 can of Swanson broth. can be chicken or pork

1 small bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. those small bottles you can find in supermarkets, about 180+ ml

1 casserole or a deep pot.

Preparation

1. Chop up the red onion and the leaves of the rosemary coarsely. You can mix them together.

2. Peel the potatoes. Cut one of them in large chunks, the other in smaller cubes.

If new potatoes are used, just wash them clean and leave the skin on.

3. Peel the carrot, and cut into chunks. should give you around 6-7 pieces.

4. For the meat, remove the sinew and excess fats by trimming with a small and sharp knife. Try not to remove too much meat.

5. Add salt and coarse black pepper to the meat, together with some oregano and basil.

7. Then a dash of sesame oil to the meat. lightly powder the meat with some corn/potato starch.

Cooking

1. Heat up some cooking oil in the deep pot.

2. Brown the meat on both sides, remove and put aside.

3. There should still be some oil in the pot. Add a bit more if needed. To the oil, add the garlic, onion and rosemary.

4. Fry the onion till soft and slightly brown.

5. Add half of the bottle of wine to it. It should be smelling very good.

6. Add in the tomato, potato and the carrot. Stir them in,

7. Put the meat back into the pot, making sure that it is covered with the liquid.

8. Add in the broth, and the remaining red wine. And the bay leaf.

9. Bring it to a boil for about 5min, then let it simmer for 3 to 4 hours on low heat.

10. Continue to stir at intervals to prevent sticking. It will get very starchy and may get burnt at the bottom.

11. To know if the meat is soft and cooked through, use a fork and gently push the meat apart. If it can just fall off, then its done!

12. Serve with toasted bread or rice.

For the drink, i have something for you as well. its very refreshing, and good for a nice slow evening. i dont have a name for this concoction yet. since its my first shot, i shall put it as #1 at the moment.

#1

Grey Goose Vodka, Orange flavoured. This is expensive, you can use other vodkas as well.

1 passionfruit, good sized.

1 large green lime

Snapple Apple

Sprite or 7up to give it the carbonated kick.

lots of ice

for the passionfruit, you might want it seedless. so what you do is

1. cut open the fruit.

2. use a spoon and dig out everything.

3. push all the contents of the fruit through a sieve. make sure you have a bowl or container underneath it.

4. and there you have it, the fresh passionfruit taste without the seeds.

prepare a glass, so you can see how much of each will go in.

1. the juice of half a lime.

2. 1 tablespoonful of the passionfruit, seedless or not.

3. add vodka equal to the amount of the juice and passionfruit combined.

4. add an equal part of snapple.

5. top up with the carbonated sprite and ice.

6. Enjoy!

hope you'll like this recipe. since i have a lot of time now i can keep trying out new stuff. and most likely if i invite you over for dinner, and im cooking, it'll be these stuff unless i have something new.

what's good, what's not.

this is totally awesome. M frames with hybrid lens. Lance Armstrong Signature(discontinued limited edition) and Metallic Red from Oakley Custom.

From miscellaneous

this is not good at all. and it is giving me a lot of trouble disengaging from the pedal which is dangerous. new cleats soon.

From miscellaneous

last few hours here in a*star. it will mark the end of another chapter.

thanks to all those in the group for the fun and guidance in my 11weeks here in IBN, i really enjoyed it and appreciate your company. this goes out to Suhaila, Daisy, Kelvin, Shah, Yar Oo, Dr. Wu Hong and Rensheng (and dr edwin for the show?). and also people like joshua, shiane, mengwee and eugene. im almost a hundred percent sure and certain that i'll not do research in the future, its not my kind of career choice. see you guys soon when i bring back goodies from overseas.

one month more to army. train, travel and enjoy life.

世上真的有神吗？

好几年前，当我还在圣公会念中学的时候，这几个问题一直不断的在我脑里浮现。

世上有神吗？神是谁？真神又是什么？

由于在一个基督教的学校读了整整四年，多少也会受到一点影响。也是在这四年里我认识了这位牺牲了自己的儿子为我们人类赎罪的主。或许你会认为，信了主过后什么都不用做，只需要天天祷告，周末到教会参加崇拜就是一个好的基督徒。这样做神就会在你身旁，万事都十分顺利。可惜的是，你错了。而且错得很严重。

什么是正确的基督徒行为呢？神并没有在圣经里说只要你有以上的行为，你要什么就能得到什么。不是说你天天祷告，求神给与你很好的成绩，好成绩就会从天而降。如果这样简单的话，每个人就去信主，成绩也都一流。可是，圣经里却有说到，神已经为你的生活设下了一个很美好的计划。有时候当你在生活中碰到一些难题时，或者一切对你不利时，别气馁。因为这只不过是一个考验。这个考验的过程可能很久，可能几天，又可能只是几分钟。如果因为碰到一点小错则就对神失去信心， 我只能感叹地说身为一个基督徒的你失败了。如果连考试那一点小小的考验就能让你从神的手中逃脱，把你对神的信心给完全摧毁，你对神的信心根本是零。你能一直活在一个你自认为自己是一个虔诚基督徒的心态中，但是当你碰到考验时，就能看见你一直以来对神的认识到底有多少，你又到底多爱神。好的基督徒行为就是不管任何风风雨雨，天塌下来了也难不倒你，因为你对神的信心十足，神也会时时刻刻地守护你。那如果你觉得你什么都做了，但是神针怎么没有在我生命中把我所要的都给我，难道神不爱你吗？圣经里也提到，神的爱是公平的。所一那个疑问已经不成立了。

下在问一问你自己，你去教会崇拜是真的为了要听神的话语，要多了解，多认识神吗？还是因为教会有朋友，有好听的音乐，讲道德牧师很有趣? 这个问题我不用知道答案，我们每个人心里有数。即使你有这样不得体的行为，当你在生活中碰到困难的时候，身还是在你身边陪着你。有时作为人，我们感受不到，被周围的一切遮挡住了。这时就开始怪神在你最低潮的时候不在你的身边。但是你有真正的去寻祂吗？

要当一个基督徒并不简单，更不要说一个好的基督徒。要把一段敢情好好的培养出来是需要很多时间和耐心，而不是两三年就能够得到的。可是如果你在半途就放弃了这一段美好的感情，你不觉得可惜吗？

希望你能好好地想一想，为着身边关心你的人想一想。神从来不放弃过他的孩子。

My place in SMU will depend on you, MR POSTMAN. Please deliver my package and don't lose it. Thanks alot!

From miscellaneous

spent my weekend in KL for food and abit of photography. KL is still in a mess, a bigger one actually compared to my experience a few years back.

Park Royal hotel is good, superb in fact and cheap for a 5star hotel. the service was 5 star and so was their breakfast buffet. didnt bring back much other than 151 photos and 72 donuts from Krispy Kreme. only if they had a branch in Singapore.

From Mission KL

From Mission KL

From Mission KL

From Mission KL

and these are all mine!!! 16 of them to be exact, all from Singapore.

From Mission KL

From Mission KL

From Mission KL

From Mission KL

From Mission KL

the foodcourt near the hotel that totally resembles the one at ION. Only that this is cheaper.

From Mission KL

Traffic problems.

From Mission KL

And piracy…

From Mission KL

This always has a queue no matter where it is located.

From Mission KL

And the journey back to Singapore, rained on the way.

From Mission KL

i might visit kl again, not that i like the place but its interesting and rather cheap. hygiene needs to be improved, traffic condition and the infrastructure needs maintenance.

i've been thinking about the uni courses lately, since the application to all 3 schools have opened already. im pretty much sure about what i want to take, but really got stuck at the NUS's application form. they just have too many choices, and im not really interested in any. but really tempted to put science/engin as one of the top few options, i know thats a bad move. research is a shit hole.

in the next 10 years, let me see....
2 years for army
the next 4 for uni, 6 years gone. hopefully i'll graduate with a really good honours degree.
2 years to build up my career, and pursue a MBA at the same time. maybe part-time for this.
now i'll be 27 years old. should already have a pretty girl of a good character, get married, have a couple of kids, a nice house, a warm home.
by the time im 29, i'll probably have a stable career, MBA, and all i'll need for a good life.
make my first couple of million dollars by 35.

the simple man mentality wont go wrong. but there's so many little details, i can be rather picky when it comes to my future. plan your life well, but never stop making changes to it. learn from the past to make the future better.

meanwhile, enjoy a beautiful tune by sungha.

#300

post #300!

much has been going on for the past few days. results, prayer meeting, bike delivery, dinner+drinking with OCIPeeps at my place, OCBC 40km, SMU open house.

1. Results.
im rather disappointed with the gp grade, but other than that all else is worth celebrating. i was still worried about my Math and Chemistry grade, thought that something will go wrong. thankfully it still came out good!

2. Prayer Meeting
it wasnt as boring as before already, and numbers are increasing. i would want to play for the band at prayer meeting, but dont have the time to practice. maybe after NS, which will start in around 2months. yongsheng is in already, im the last man standing in Must. should start to recruit more guys.

3. OCIPeeps gathering
its been quite a while since we last met, only a week actually. there's Tom this time round, which is rare stuff. the damage this time is quite a bit, 3bottles of wine, half a bottle of sake and a bit of greygoose. close to $200 of alcohol in just 4 hours. awesome stuff, pics up on facebook soon. email me if you have anything from that night, i'll post them as well. i wonder when will be the next gathering. someone organize something please.

4.OCBC 40km
got up at 4am in the morning, barely slept cos the OCIPeeps left rather late the night before. was still able to maintain a fast enough speed to finish under my targeted time. i gotta check whats my actual timing though. been half dead for most of the day, especially after lunch with olivia at tonkichi. its still good, serving is big enough and just makes us sleepy after lunch.

5.SMU open house.
umm nothing much, really. got the material i wanted, didnt even attend the talk. my queries are clarified already. submitting my application pretty soon, hope my As get me somewhere i want to.

3 weeks left in ibn, i cant wait to get out of this dirty place. i wouldnt want to step back in to do any work.

results will be out on friday, hopefully i'll do well enough to get into my desired uni and desired course. meanwhile, i didnt have much to do in lab. and helped to defrost the 2 freezers since im so free. and the product? my snowman-which will join the 3 others in their frosty wonderland in the -80degC freezer.


i have about 3 weeks left in astar, hopefully i get to see how the story will end. it just reached its climax now.

have a good day!

think 168km is easy? its not.

my actual cycling time is 6h 16min for the full 168km distance. and total time to complete from start to finish is around 8h. i took a one full hour break at yishun stadium, that was after 100km of cycling at 11am. and 7 other compulsory rest points which i topped up my bottle.

i want to thank Giant Bicycles for making such a wonderful OCR road bike, shimano for the gear and shoes, NTU for this wonderful event, olivia and peter(who was late again) and dutt. and of course GNC for the energy drink mix and the energy gel that tasted terrible.

one down, another one to go. OCBC Cycle Singapore 40km Challenge on 7th March 2010.
Flag Off at 6am, start/finish is at the F1 it building. expect road closures.

as the weekend draws near, so does the 168km bike rally (:
im still happily doing carbo starving before the carbo loading on saturday. its a way to trick your muscles to perform better during endurance events.

so here's the checkpoints(there's a slight change)!
1. Big Splash at ECP (start)
2. Labrador Park
3. Tuas
4. NTU
5. Kranji Dam
6. Woodlands
7. Yishun Stadium
8. Serangoon Stadium
9. Changi Beach Carpark
10. Big Splash at ECP (finish)

flag-off: 7am
expected cycling duration: 7 hours
estimated time of arrival at Big Splash (in dry weather): 3.30pm

its been a week since ah gong left us. i know that i cant handle my emotions when such things happen, especially when it comes so fast. im not prepared for it at all. since last sunday, its been harder for me to go to sleep at night without thinking of my grandpa. 7months from diagnosis, now he's gone. who can i talk to about my pain? who is willing to really listen to me? i've never lost someone so dear to me before. although its Chinese New Year already, no one in my family would be in the mood to celebrate it.

thanks all who have been offering your prayers, who were there when i needed you. i really appreciate it. i need to pick myself up from all these, learn to take care of my grandma and my family and the people around me. being able to wake up in the morning and live till the end of each day is a victory. thank God for that. love the people around you, for they love you too.

meanwhile, happy chinese new year. have a blessed and prosperous year ahead.

Better Man-Robbie Williams
Send someone to love me
I need to rest in arms
Keep me safe from harm
In pouring rain

Give me endless summer
Lord I fear the cold
Feel I'm getting old
Before my time

As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I'm doing all I can
To be a better man

Go easy on my conscience
'Cause it's not my fault
I know I've been taught
To take the blame

Rest assured my angels
Will catch my tears
Walk me out of here
I'm in pain

As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I'm doing all I can
To be a better man

Once you've found that lover
You're homeward bound
Love is all around
Love is all around

I know some have fallen
On stony ground
But Love is all around

Send someone to love me
I need to rest in arms
Keep me safe from harm
In pouring rain

Give me endless summer
Lord I fear the cold
Feel I'm getting old
Before my time

As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I'm doin' all I can
To be a better man

as im typing this entry, all i can say is that things are not going well. my grandpa watched me grow up and took care of me throughout the whole my 19 years. though he didnt talk much, i knew he is really concerned about how im doing.

just last weekend, things took a turn for the worst. i need to brace myself for the worst to come. the doctor's prediction yesterday wasnt good at all, in fact its very terrible. chinese new year may be different this year for my family, relatives and i. less than 2 weeks to go? thats really a short time.

i dont know what should i do, or rather what can i do now. i'll put all my faith in prayer, and visit him as much as i can. seeing someone you love so much, and loves you as much as you love him surrender to death and fading away every second is painful. it hurts real deep. the 168km challenge will be for him.

as you read this post, i hope you can join me in prayer. help me to pray for him, i'll really appreciate it. i want to celebrate chinese new year this year with him.

finally time for another post.

lab life is still interesting so far, but looking at how the whole company works and the high staff turnover rate, its not such a nice place to work for life. im quite disgusted by how they run the company and they'll do anything to get the so called 'results'. shiane's gone, next will be joshua.

i love my new red M's with black iridium lens. that'll protect my eyes during the day cycling sessions, it has a Protection Factor of 3. if i wear that for night cycling(which i dont do) i'll be as good as blind. you need factor 1 or 0 to see properly at night.

for tomorrow, cycling training at 7am till probably around 11. then lunch at aston's and grandparents' place after that. the week ahead will be work plus prayer meeting on friday. on a side note, im quite confused with how the church categorize the youthzone. the oldest peeps in youthzone are 30+, and youngest are 19. busy week ahead i think.

and just for a laugh before a new week starts on the day after tomorrow, here's rowan atkinson.

time for another post!

im still coping well at a-star at the moment, though my workload has already increased by so many times since i started out last monday. loads of fun still to come, too bad joshua will be leaving so soon. shiane had her fair share of the fun at the level 6 lab since she's been there for like since last august.

well, i also had quite a special birthday celebration this year for my 19th, which was yesterday. the celebration this year is exceptionally long, idk why but its spread over one whole week, with different people. but so far, its been with....

SHELDON AND HIS GF at raffles city's din tai fung for dinner. a devil from das erzgebirge haus.

MY MENTOR, DR WU HONG, JOSHUA, SHIANE, SHAH at fusionopolis for lunch. one block of organic 70% dark chocolate from my mentor(suhaila).

MUSTcell at Spicy Lady for dinner at Liang Seah St. i dont really fancy steamboat outings but this is for the company and its a special occasion.

FAMILY. my sis got me a thumbdrive and 2 cakes from canele. dad got me the shimano 105 pedals and angbao. mum's treating me to pine court lunch on sunday. i got myself a new pair of white sidi t-2 shoes. now i have that and the blue shimanos, gonna try them out soon with the new pedals (: 168km should be easier this time round.

and today, i came home really really really surprised and very very very happy to find a new pair of road cycling shades! its the Limited Edition Oakley Lance Armstrong M Frame with hybrid lens which is not available in Singapore! idk where my sis got it but i love it very much (:

im having a good time now and the celebrations are not yet over. glad that its still alcohol-free up till now.

one word that i love: abstinence.

abstinence (from alcohol) is bliss. i can survive without alcohol, i feel good without it. but its okay to give in once in a long long while. its been 21 days since i last had an alcoholic drink.

attachment at a-star is good, i've survived my first week doing nothing much. work will come soon, and i'll be sent to attend animal-handling course. YRN on friday, dont even know what its for. hope it wont be boring. shiane's leaving in 2 weeks, joshua in 3. hope new students will come in so the lab wont be boring.

off for now, next post will be a few days later. have a good weekend.

finally found time to post.

today's the 3rd day of my attachment at a*star's institute of bioengineering and nanotechnology or ibn which is inside NANOS at Biopolis. its been fun so far, except for the super dry and boring 3 hour safety briefing on monday. my lab is probably the youngest lab in the whole of ibn, which is good! they're all fun people, and almost everyone knows my sister cos she worked there before, and in the same lab. my mentor's doing her phd project, so she has no time to attend to me for this week. my job will be reading paper after paper on iol and hydrogel, which are very bio. they deal with the eye, what else can i expect.

since i have nothing much to do other than reading and measuring contact angle, i have to find some fun around the lab. visit xiaxue's blog and stomp for a good laugh, train my mind by playing board games with shiane, and disturb the people who are free. 3 months will be a good long time to learn alot on bio and lab stuff, which is still greek to me. i must visit coffee culture one day, looks expensive. and lunch at holland v, holland drive, gm since they are all nearby, there's a free shuttle bus from nanos.

hope i'll continue to love my stay at ibn, and start on my project soon.

i've figured out.

a*star will be a fun place to work, but travelling there alone sucks my ez-link card dry.
i'll need to bring my own lunch if i want to be there for 3 months.
i need to save money like crazy.
because im only given $30+loads & heaps of exp per day.
i need to pay for my own travel expenses if the hk trip works out.
i need to pay for my own outings.
i need to sell off part of my guitar rig,
i only need a strat and les paul to be around. so the wah, distortion, chorus, power supply, pedalboard and the epiphone will all be leaving soon.
i need to train and gym for the 168km and ocbc 40km.
i need to run to build stamina.
i need to abstain from any form of OH. it kills my stamina
i need to get more sleep, so i wont fall sick again.
i need to think through before i do things.
i must think smart and work smart.
i need to find my way around.
i need to speak my mind.
i need you.
i need to find time for myself.
i need to walk around and take nice photos.
i need to calm myself down.
i need to stay happy and remain optimistic about what lies ahead.

IM IN A MESS, i think.

i've finally recovered fully from fever and headache from the past 2 days of 2010.
feeling good today, started the morning playing my gibson. still love the tone from it, but i really need a tube amp soon. by the way, i guess few of you have seen a naked les paul before, i mean a 'naked' guitar. i ripped out all the electronics from the epiphone les paul recently, and intend to put the new parts into it soon. need to sell the pedalboard and some pedals too.

i think that the epiphone still looks quite wicked even after more than 2 years since i bought it. needs an upgrade though, that should be done months ago.

From Gibson

From Gibson

From Gibson

From Gibson

i might be selling this guitar after upgrading it, so those who are interested in getting into electric guitar watch this space. and prepare about $900 (:

i'll be going for 168km bike rally.

thats all for the first post of 2010. have a good year ahead.