Goodbye 2005

Reflect on the year that has passed and if you yourself smiling more than frowning, it has been a good year.
I hope 2005 was good to all you guys. :)

Here's to 2006 being even better and more fulfilling for everyone!
Cheers!
God bless!
^-^

Meaningful words

Heh... quotes to end the year?

Books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a progeny of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them. -John Milton, Areopagitica Sec. 6

We do not inherit the earth from out parents. We borrow it from our children. -Native American proverb

I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. -Isaac Newton

'Tis now a lip, or eye, we beauty call,
But the joint force and full result of all. -Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. -Proverbs xv, 1

When a giftedteam dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort --it is ready to climb. -Pat Riley

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together. -John Ruskin, The Two Paths Lecture ii

He who boasts of his descent, praises the deeds of another. (Qui genus jactat suum, Aliena laudat.) -Seneca, Hercules Furens

I have Immortal longings in me. -William Shakespeare, Anthony and Cleopatra Act v, sc. 2

There are two things to aim at in life: first to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. -Logan Pearsall Smith

You cannot define talent. All you can do is build the greenhouse and see if it grows. -Willian P. Steven

What I have learned is but a handful of earth, what is left unlearned is the Earth itself. -Tamil proverb

Win without boasting. Lose without excuse. -Albert Payson Terhune

A good book is the best of friends, the same to-day and forever. -Martin Farquhar Tupper, Proverbial Philosophy "Of Reading"

Be careful about reading health books. You might die of a misprint. -Mark Twain

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would rather have talked. -Mark Twain

Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exist without a cause. -Voltaire, A Philosophical Dictionary

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. -Edith Wharton

The thing always happen that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen. -Frank Lloyd Wright

^-^

Lover's Tears

What chance has made yours is not really yours. (Non est tuum, fortuna quod fecit tuum.) -Lucilius (Seneca, Epistulae ad Lucilium Epis. viii, sec. 10)
Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed: because a person's true life is not made up of the things he owns. -Luke 12:15
Every day is a fresh opportunity to continue the quest toward out mission. -Harold McAlindon
Beauty is the purgation of superfluities. -Michelangelo, (Emerson, Conduct of Life "Beauty")
Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle. -Michelangelo
As good almost kill a man as kill a good book; who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were, in the eye. -John Milton, Areopagitica Sec. 6

Big THANK YOU to my J-Kor for finding the lyrics :D

Lover’s Tears ala Qing Ren De Yan Lei

Weishenma yao dui ni diao yanlei,
Ni nandao bu mingbai weiliao ai,
Zhiyou na youqing ren, yanlei zui zhengwei,
Yikeke yanlei dou shi ai, dou shi ai,

Weishenma dui ni diao yanlei,
Ni nandao bu mingbai weiliao ai,
Yao bushi you qinglang, gen wo yao fenkai,
Wo yanlei buhui diaoxialai, diaoxialai.

Hao chun zai lai, chun hua zheng kai,
Ni zenma shede shuo zaihui!
Wo zai shengui, wangchuan chiushui,
Ni buyao wangliao wo qing shenshen ru hai,

Weishenma yao dui ni diao yenlei,
Ni nandao bu mingbai weiliao ai,
Yao bushi you qingren, gen wo yao fenkai,
Wo yenlei buhui diaoxialai, diaoxialai.


This year ends and a new one shall begin.
Soon.
Very soon.

^-^

Short list of 2005

I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be. -Abraham Lincoln (Gross, Lincoln's Own Stories)
At first laying down, as a fact fundamental,
New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common. -John Locke, Essay on Human Understanding
That nothing with God can be accidental. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Golden Legend Pt. vi
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, A Psalm of Life St. 9
The thing we long for, that we are
For one transcendent moment. -James Russel Lowell, Longing

Heh… good morning to you and New Year’s Eve… it is time to start saying goodbye to 2005 and welcome 2006…

But first!
Here is what really happened today…
Made a total of 5 sessions in front of the computer. *New Record!

Wanted to study my O.T. but I fell asleep while reading the notes… not that surprising eh? Will have to continue plowing through the notes tomorrow… not much time before the test… might as well do the assignment at the same time… kill two birds with one stone~

Went to Whampoh CC.
Synergy on my ass… for those who understand what I mean… got our work cut out for us in the coming year… officially take over next Friday.
God give us strength!
Please!

Looking back on 2005… just some of the things off the top of my head…
Grew closer to God. ^.^ (Praying that it does not stop there, much more I wish to learn about Him.)
Brother got married.
Did a charity project.
Started sparring.
Started wearing contacts.
Drank my first cup of coffee.
Learnt how to drive a powerboat.
Movie Orgies.
Gotten sick more times than in my entire life.
Crashed and burned (physically, emotionally and maybe even mentally)
Hit an all time high of being home late and sleeping late. O.olll
Ran into many people whom I have not seen in at least 2 years.
Injuries galore.
Took part in a huge number of taekwondo events. From competitions to a Korean demonstration… (Not bad for my first 16 months with the sport eh?)
Joined an environmental group.
Made a truck load of new friends.
Pumped up my training schedule.
Learned plenty.

Erm… that’s about all I can remember at the moment… given the time I am writing at, I think I should be forgiven and maybe be scolded for still being awake at this hour… taking into account the places I will be going to and the stuff I will be doing in a few hours… time to put my head on my pillow…
Hahaha…

Shalom~
^-^

Blue Moon

We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about. -Charles Kingsley
He who knows much about others may be learned, but he who understands himself is more intelligent. He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still -Lao-Tsu. Tao Teh King
Nothing under the sun is accidental. -Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Emilia Galotti Act vi, sc. 3

Here’s the song that was in my head throughout Monday and Tuesday.

Frank Sinatra - Blue Moon Lyrics

Blue Moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue Moon
You know just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for
And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the Moon it turned to gold
Blue Moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked the Moon had turned to gold
Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

Familiar?
It was sung by the mice in the movie Babe. Total riot. XD

Ever since I came back from the Budak Pantai concert… I’ve been humming/singing (the same bars) of “Lover’s Tears”… been trying to look for the lyrics to the song… budden… hai… all in vain at the moment…

I’ve also been looking for the Do As Infinity final album. I think its called ‘Do the A side’ if I’m not wrong… I heard some parts of the album on the television during the commercial … hehe… not bad lah… it was quite a long time ago anyway… I’m still hoping for the price to go down, either that or I will have to make a trip down to China Town… oooooo road trip~

Oh! Yesterday, on my way back from work, I passed the video shop… lo and behold – Howl’s Moving Castle is finally out on the market! -_-lll
WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG???
It’s been almost a year already! Other titles do not take that long to reach the stands! Shesh~

Have yet to do my shopping for CNY.
Make time!

Notes, Assignment, Test, Revision, possible shopping, piano begging to be banged, Whampoh class to attend. Planning for tomorrow to be done.
Much to do over all that.
The day is in God’s hands.
Amen.
^-^

Carol of Bells

When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, an hundred. -Thomas Jefferson, Writings Vol. xvi
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,"--that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. -John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn"
Security is mostly a superstitiion. It does not exist in nature . . . life is either a daring adventure or nothing. -Helen Keller

Just a few add ons…

I finally found the score for Carol of Bells… spending my in-between times at my beloved piano… banging the hack out of it and trying to play the tune… yah… I know it’s a tad late for the song, but better late than never right? At least I will be able to play the song for next year’s Christmas :D

This year has driven by me.
I know its not the same sensation to see the end of the year for everyone… the things which I have been up to this year kinda prevented me from feeling the passing of time… I can’t remember how many times I posted an entry which started out with “time is flying” or something along those lines…
My school term being different from other institutions would be one of the causes for why I don’t feel the December month spirit… mind space taken up by other things… dates have no significance and they are just numbers. Take a look at the black diary on my table and you will see words all over the pages pertaining to places I have to be and the occupations I have on different days.
Fast paced year indeed. Oh yes, indeed.
New Year resolutions?
I have not made any since I was in primary school. X.x
I might try my hand at making a few for 2006 though… see how ba…

Tata for now~
^-^

Good times and *ahem*

Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads, or you shall learn nothing. -Thomas Henry Huxley
There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse; as I have found in travelling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position and be bruised in a new place. -Washington Irving, Tales of a Traveller "To the Reader"
Who longest wait of all surely wins. -Helen Hunt Jackson

Recap:
Saturday – Watched the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Fantastic movie!
To hell with the critics.
Nuff said.

Sunday – went for Christmas service with Mummy and Daddy.
Sermon that morning was good. Better put those words to heart and practice.
Catherine picked me up around 12.30pm and we went for a joy ride.
She could not find her way around my area, since this was her first time breathing the air here, so I had to give her directions. When we were nearing the Kovan area, she got a call from Kelvin… (she forgot about him)… so! U-turn and to Boon Keng we went. Picked up Kelvin and U-turn in the Seng Kang direction. Met the Sean and Farah at Compass Point before making our way to Mr. Chow’s house for the Christmas gathering. :)
Mrs. Chow is a brilliant cook! The spread this year beats last year’s by a mile!
Hakim, Nat, Eric and Chi Foong came late, but we had fun all the same. Watched DVDs, talked, talked, took photos, talked, ate and drank… heehee… went home around 5-6pm odd and slacked my evening away in front of the TV/Computer.
I’d rate this year’s Christmas and Christmas Eve as being a hack of a lot better than last years. :D

Monday – 2nd and final day of the SPEX 2005 competition.
Nat, Hakim, Daph, Athur, Alan, Kelvin, Gen, Foong all came down… we were not short handed this time round. Thank God!
Work from morning till night. Literally. I think I kind of lost my mind in the process.
This time, I handled the bout calling, timing, score keeping and even did M.C.ing… a lot of laughs at my boo-boos… haha…
Went home more than half dead and badly in need of a hug.
Hit the sack at midnight and slept all the way till the alarm went off on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday – fell asleep on the bus toward school.
OT was more interesting than usual. Sunny peppered the lecture with small talk and gave us some critique about blogging to think about. The critique being something which my Dad has been going on about, for ages ever since he found out that I have been tying entries to my blogsite…
The oxymoron and public verses public question of what one puts up on the Internet. For possible subliming motives of: trying to illicit actions or responses from others, who might possibility have been reading the information with or without the prior knowledge of the one who has been penning down his/her thoughts.
Oh well… better limit what I write more… or should I not bother at all? Hmmm… such are certain decisions… for is not life full of it anyway?
-pulls self back from the digression-
Back to Tuesday… had to have lunch in school because had to set up club booth for the RMIT orientation day… made a beeline for home at 5pm. Fell asleep on the bus again… -.-lll
To celebrate Alfred’s birthday, Chi Foong and I treated him to dinner at the Pizza Hut in Compass Point. Spent the rest of the evening walking around the place, buying stuff here and there. Made it home before 10pm. :)
Hope you had fun Alf!
Blacked out at 2am.

Now I am here typing… and trying to make my head get out of its being lost stage… my language skill totally out the window… Alf had a good time laughing with and at me when I was talking recounting to him about certain things… yes yes… for your entertainment on your birthday… XD

Today was a flurry of wind.
The weather was not bad though some irritating thing happened to my bag… which I shall explain later…
To market, to market… to buy - lunch and groceries for dinner with TKM.
Finally called the Starhub customer service center about my weird inability to message 3 particular individuals… now every thing is better.. I can message them now! Woohoo~
I had wanted to stay at home to rest and train at Kovan instead to heading to two places… but I ended up heading to S.I.M. to handle the I.V.P. thing… it literally ate up all my time which was meant for training -.-lll … I spent it running from the training ground to the library to the office, to and fro. I find that handling administrative matters is draining my enthusiasm for my sport… sian man~
Thankfully, training at the CC was a breath of fresh air…thanks to God for holding back the rain… coz it was raining at Clementi when we left for Kovan. The sick thing was that I happen to place my bag on the bottom step, which had a whole army of ants… -insert vulgarity of choice- … and I only found out about the ants when the class ended. X.xlll
Now my red bag is being washed and going to get hung out to dry… Dad says it will take about 3 days to dry… oh well…the trade off between rain and ants… was it worth it?
I learnt some lessons today… some which I hope to take with me for as long as possible… some thing also harked painful memories… -insert another vulgarity of choice- … learn from mistakes and become a better being… with God’s help I shall!

If one were to start dreading going to one’s church… that is definitely the time for thinking or questioning what is going on and try and find out what is wrong.
I am seriously not excited about going for service this coming week.
At the same time, I am rather angry with some of the things, which have been going on in relation to church…
So with that said and done, I guess I had better start taking stock of what the hack is making me feel this way before I feel the desire to take it out bodily on the individuals involved.
It is a sad circumstance that this type of thing should happen… and worser more the place.

The timetable for the UOL exams is out. The portal stated that it might not be set in concrete yet, but all the same… I have to cut something(s) out of my routine and force myself to study. Studying is my job. As to what thing(s) I will minus, I have to decide soon, or else my psyche will suffer more … must work for my grades!
Not just for the money sucking papers but the mocks as well… don wanna have a repeat of last year…
Eyes drooping… head spinning… tomorrow got lecture and work… den Friday is a totally new ball game…
The joy of the Lord is my strength!
^-^

Christmas isn't Christmas

A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health,
and quiet breathing. -John Keats, Endymion Bk. i, I

Greetings to one and all!
Hope your week has been good to you. :)
As I said previously, I had no idea when I was going to post again… haha… here I am in front of my computer, whacking the keyboard and listening to Carol of Bells… haha… the weather is just right… more to the chilly side and I am still in a lack of sleep state… hahaha…

My mum went to the candle light service at Wesley Methodist last night and brought home the service booklet with her… I was looking through it and found a particular song, which I have not sung in ages… used to sing it in P.L. Primary during the last few days of each school year… heh…

Christmas Isn’t Christmas

Christmas isn’t Christmas
Till it happens in your heart
Somewhere deep inside your heart
Is where Christmas really starts
So give your heart to Jesus
You’ll discover when you do
That it’s Christmas, really Christmas for you.

Jesus brings warmth like winter fire,
A light like a candle’s glow.
He’s waiting now to come inside
As He did so long ago.
Jesus brings gifts of truth and life
And makes them bloom and grow
So welcome Him with a song of joy.
And when He comes you’ll know
That Christmas isn’t Christmas
Till it happens in your heart
Somewhere deep inside you
Is where Christmas really starts
So give your heart to Jesus
You’ll discover when you do
That it’s Christmas, really Christmas,
Christmas really Christmas,
Christmas really Christmas for you.

Woke up on Friday morning to go to the newly renovated market with TKM.
Ate at a particular store which I have not patronized in ages… more than 5 years I think… heh… den bought some other food with TKM before walking home.
Went for Celebrate Christmas in Singapore along Orchard road in the evening.
We were rather over-staffed for the occasion.
I volunteered to do security work and ended up bai-sui-ing at Tong Building… haha… I had thought that my shift was going to end at 8pm but it actually ended at 8.30pm.
I had to rush from Orchard to Whampoh CC afterward to meet Mr. Chow and Chi Foong. Had to handle the I.V.P. related stuff and other admin related stuff… just don’t shoot the messenger… that one very important… haha… made some new friends at the class and picked up some admin tactics… Don Quixote am I. Now how do I get out of that phase?
We did not totally settle the admin things… I’m just a lowly go-between… haha… so I guess we have to do everything on Monday when we meet up again…
I was freaking hungry… hehe… good thing we sat at the coffee shop to talk… haha … ate and talked till rather late… way pass the time I told my parents I would be home actually -.-lll
Didn’t want to take the MRT home coz it was too late… and I didn’t want to walk all the way home… tired lah… so do what? Take cab lor~ :p
Shared the cab home with Yong Wei, ran all the way home from the drop off point to find the enter the house without a single person awake… ala the night before Christmas kind of atmosphere… ended up sleeping at 2.30am odd… had to charge the phone at the same time… oh well…

Woke up this morning with way too many things in my head and at a far too early time… sian… wake up liao den want to go back to sleep also can not… x.xlll
So here I am… trying to plan the rest of my day… hahaha… it’s all in God’s hands! Woohooo~!

Jia: “eh... yeah.. i will try.. i hope to meet up soon for mahjong~!”
Yeah! I’m looking forward to that reunion too! ^.^

Parv-mama!
I just realized! We didn’t take photos during the movie orgy! Argh~!!!!
How?!?!? @.@
We must have another get together to make up for the lack of photos!
Buah ahahahaha…

Prayer for all my friends this Christmas:
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving Heavenly Father,
Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.
In Thy Name We Pray,
Amen

Cheers everyone and have a wonderful Christmas!
-huge hugs-
^-^

Wedding movies

Always listen to experts. They're tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it. -Robert Heinlen
Anger is momentary madness. (Ira furor brevis est.) -Horace, Epistles Bk. i, epis, ii
Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them. -David Hume, Essays "Of Tragedy"
No truth appears to me more evident than that beasts are endowed with thought and reason as well as men. -David Hume
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. -Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, quoted in Molly Bawn

Tuesday’s OT class was depressing for me… I kept wanting to fall asleep… but I was not alone in that predicament. Theresa and Wan Qiu were also having a tough time keeping their eyes open… but thankfully we all brightened up and had more energy after the break. Have to start preparations for the next test and essay… oh gosh…
POA was another sad case… though not wholly unexpected, I almost k.o.ed during the lecture… resulting in a near super no-face situation of me falling off the chair… argh…
Esther’s mum gave me a lift to Serangoon MRT station and from there I went to Kovan to meet mummy and sign up for a proper hand phone line… hehe… I am now a Starhub customer…
My mantra has always been:
Starhub sucks, Starhub prepaid sucks even more.
Heh… I was a starhub green card user in the past… so I guess now I have upgraded…
-hysterical laughter-

Wednesday early afternoon, TKM and I went to The Ice Cream Gallery at Valley Point. I ate an oreo cheese cake and a scoop of irish cream… *yum-yum*… just thinking about that combination makes my mouth water… haha… TKM had a scoop of soursup in a cone… heehee…
Had to rush home in order to make it to SIM in time to pass Desmond his birthday present. I hope he likes it.
Sudden cramps and painful calves marred training at SIM. It did not help that the CC cancelled the training session due to the rain… but the guys and I still hung around the main building because Alan and I had to do some I.V.P. related stuff involving Mr. Chow. Heh… its nice that Alan got to meet my society guys… albeit not the whole PLKCCAUS gang… oh well~

Today got up and did some packing of my bag before heading to Boon Keng to meet Parveen.
Movie orgy!
Heh… this time round… the unconscious theme was: Happy endings/Weddings.
The 40 Year old Virgin
Howl’s Moving Castle
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Those were the movies we watched and in that order. Parveen rented the first and last title, Howl’s Moving Castle belongs to me.
Watching the 40 year old virgin was somewhat like watching porn. Basically the whole film was about a man’s work colleges trying to get him laid and the place which sex has in relationships. There were breasts flashing everywhere and sexual innuendoes flying all over the place… vulgarities were not left out either.
The greek wedding movie was rather cute and gave me that warm fuzzy feeling. I like the lead actress’s patience with her family… I think if I were in her shoes, I would have eloped and be done with it… or maybe exploded at the family…
Howl’s Moving Castle was a sad let down. I saw it in at the cinemas with YongJet, Gordon and Jenny when it first came out… so thankfully I know the basic story line… I had to explain some scenes to Parveen and Shireen because half the time, the subtitles were missing… grrrr… but I still love the sound track and listening to Takuya’s dreamy voice… hehe… must continue my search for the OST… haha…

Since Christmas season is upon us, I shall share with you my favorite Christmas hymn.
O Holy Night
Words: Placide Clappeau, 1847; trans­lat­ed from French to Eng­lish by John S. Dwight (1812-1893). Clap­peau, a wine mer­chant and may­or of Roque­maure, France, wrote po­ems for his own en­joy­ment.
Music: Adolphe C. Adam (1803-1856) This is said to have been the first mu­sic ev­er broad­cast over a ra­dio.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

I was introduced to this song because its on Josh Groban’s first CD. I wonder if we will get to sing it this year… heh… would really love to sing it with the congregation… regardless of which service and which church I attend this year… I kind of already decided to go to PLMC with my parents… I want to spend this year’s Christmas with my daddy and mummy… I don get to go to church with them that often any more anyway…
My other pet favorite Christmas song, as mentioned before, is Carol Of Bells… just listening to it puts me in the Yule tide mood. :D

Jia: "i am still trying to pack.. ~_~"
Alamak... jia you ba!

I know not when my next post shall be so I might as well say it now…
Merry Christmas to everyone!
May you be surrounded by and feel lots of love, joy and peace. :)
Lots of HUGS!
^-^

BP and SPEX

We must either find a way or make one. -Hannibal
He that does evil that good may come, pays a toll to the devil to let him into heaven. -Hare and Charles
True philosophers who are burning with love for truth and learning never see themselves . . . as wise man, brim- full of knowledge . . . For most of them would admit that even the very greatest number of things of which we know is only equal to the very smallest fraction of things of which we are ignorant. Nor are these philosophers so addicted to any kind of tradition or doctrine that they suffer themselves to become their slaves, and thus lose their liberty. -William Harvey

Quick update:
Went on a headless chicken run on Saturday.
From work to church, for the fun fair, to home and out again to the Esplanade.
Watched Budak Pantai’s “Sheep, Angels. And the Mexican Guy at the Bar”
Fantastic singing and great entertainment.
From far, two of the singers reminded me of Ivan and Jason.
Haha… very funny show… I might buy the CDs (if I have the money). Would like to go to their next performance. Worth watching :D
Got home very late… had wet hair at midnight…

Woke up on Sunday with the definition of a bed-head.
The Spex tournament was held at Geylang West CC.
Kan chiong spider me reached Kallang at 7.45am, and the competition started at 9am -.-lll
I got here early but there were competitors who were earlier than I. Hahaha…
Waited at the nearest McDonalds for the rest of the gang to turn up.
The rest of the gang being: Kelvin, Genevieve, Chong Yun, Chi Foong and Jabba.
Made it to the CC and started my day as being an Official.
My ‘job scope’ ranged from being time keeper, score keeper to being in-charge of the master copy of the competitor bout list… heh… stressful but sorta fun at the same time.
Saw almost ALL the bouts.
Made new friends along the way.
Learnt the going-ons of the sparring system and picked up some cool sparring tactics.
-evil laughter-
At the end of the day, which was around 8.45pm, my eyes were super tired from wearing contacts for more than 12 hours. My body was also rather zionked.
Went for dinner at McD with Daniel and Elmo before heading for home.

Today’s class was spent in a state of blur… I kept thinking about the stuff, which happened the day before. The matches were really interesting. Had to constantly remind myself to concentrate on the lesson at hand... gosh… need to train my abnegation skills…
The training session today was very fulfilling.
My knees did not give me problem :) which meant that I could execute all the kicks and do my patterns with ease. Shiok xia~
Can’t wait for Wednesday to come so I can try out my new tactic on … erm…. Whoever I am sparring against… haha~
I already tried a bit of the ‘move’ on Arthur today… oh how he suffered…
-hysterical laughter-

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DESMOND!!!!

Okai… time to go pack my things and prepare for tomorrow… 7 hours worth of classes… gosh… the joy of the Lord is my strength!
Much more coming my way from tomorrow till the end of the year… hehe… can’t wait!

Cheers everyone!
^-^

Lazy Friday

Some books leave us free and some books make us free. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, Society and Solitude "Books"
Prevention is better than cure. -Erasmus
Chance fights ever on the side of the prudent. -Euripides, Pirithous
Great actions speak great minds. -John Fletcher, The Prophetess Act ii, sc. 3
But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. -Benjamin Franklin, Writings Vol. x "Letter to Jean Baptiste Le Roy"
We may be personally defeated, but our principles never. -William Lloyd Garrison

Fridays are my personal Sabbaths.
For that one day in the whole entire week, I have nothing on my schedule that is already taken up my school, training, work or church related activities.
Just for that one day, I can choose what I want to do, which at the present period is – relax. To do things on my own clock and not bother about other commitments for the day or what might happen if I take too long to do something.
Which is why I spent the whole today at home.
I run around so much during the week that I miss staying at home and being near my family. I also miss the boring-ness of staying in one place for an entire day. Heh… yarsh, I know boring, I guess I am on some levels… I can’t be crazy all the time can I?
If I were too crazy all the time, I would be confused too much and probably become even more boring because of being too predictable… hmmm… does that make sense? Personally, I don like to fix what is not broken, so that kinda leads to my being boring I guess. I’m just wondering whether being predictable is a good or bad thing. Oh well… stop with the digression and get back to the points at hand…
Today, just by staying at home, I accomplished many things, which I have not had the time to do.
Finished the HK proposal, got Desmond’s present done, played piano, packed my cupboard, washed my black gi, wrote the symbolism of the church decorations and got it sent, planned my schedule for the new year, rearranged my books … all in all, I am very satisfied with my day. The only hole in it would be that I did nothing related to my studies… oppz… but not to worry, the day is not over yet and I still intend to do something ‘schoolie’ later… after I watch my television programs that is…
-hysterical laughter-
The wonderful thing about today is that my knees did not hurt… not at all… Praise God!
Felt good being able to walk around the house without wincing in pain with every other step I take… shiok xia~

Parveen!
Wanna hang out next Friday?
Got CCIS in the evening but I will be free in the morning and early afternoon.
So you wanna movie orgy?
Or just chill and have lunch?
Much yakking and planning to do babeh~
Let me know ya?

I’ve had a long week and most of it I spent in clouds of angst because of the irritating things which have been going on in my life.
Really think I need a holiday.
Really need a holiday.
-starts pulling out hair-
Writing all that poetry on impulse helped quite a bit… such a weight was lifted every time I put my pen to paper and let it fly…
Oh how I love language. ;)
One of God’s many gifts to me.

Tuesday’s school was not bad, I even survived the edge of anger in the evening. Heh…
Wednesday’s training I could not enjoy, toopid knees and the pain. Mike came down to the CC to hang out for a while. I had to take class during the target kicking because of the preparations for Spex and the brown ones needed supervision for their patterns. Grading is coming very soon.
Thursday’s class was spent in pain. I have a feeling my joints are very sensitive to changes in temperature… they hurt like crazy during the lecture. They were measuring the coldness of the room in spikes of pain. Was happy to go home and apply some cream to relieve the pain. The direct result of applying the cream was that I spend the evening at work with one less thing to bother about. Heh… felt good. :)

Back to running around like a headless chicken tomorrow.
Damn! I hate emotional black mail.
Can’t stand it when that person uses it on me… argh!
Need a good training session to get it out of my system… grrrr…
Can’t wait for Sunday… got to be out the whole day, but I will be doing stuff which I enjoy. :D
DOWN WITH EMOTIONAL BLACK MAIL!!!!

Yang Mui ah~
How was the bash?
Who won the competition?
What time did you get home?

Sheena!
How’s the settling into your new home?
No problems I hope… we meet up soon ya?
I vote for mahjong party! XD

UOL study guides and television shows are waiting for me… oh yah! Arts central is showing Hellsing again… haha… the gore-ish, gruesome and somewhat disturbing anime… vampires, politics, guns and body parts all over the place… Wondering how many episodes I will catch this time round… heh…

Shalom!
^-^

Poetry : Hurts so good

To face each day
For more than it is
Past the joints of pain
Save me from myself
Stop the crying
Would that be even be possible?

Real
Tell me more
It was not so in times before
Understand not
Feelth not
Spoken like a true fake.

Love you I did
For that time anyway
Love you still I do
Just changed.
Sorry it was you.
Now and always it shall be
Another.

Injuries galore

Belief consist in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief, in denying them. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, Representative Men "Montaigne"
For everything you have missed, you have gained something else; and for everything you gain, you lose something. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hitch your wagon to a star. Let us not fag in paltry works which serve our pot and bag alone. Let us not lie and steal. No god will help. We shall find all their teams going the other way: every god will leave us. Work rather for those interests which the divinities honor and promote, --justice, love, freedom, knowledge, utility. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, Society and Solitude "Civilization"

My memory is going from bad to worse.
I don seem to be able to remember a lot of things these days. From the names of people to the stuff I have been trying to get into my head for the test, then again, that goes without saying coz the knowledge is usually the first thing to go…
-goes hysterical-
talk about ‘going’ my computer just lost all of my emotiocons… shesh… I spend so much time getting the cute things from conversations all over the place and without warning, they all go ‘bye bye’… argh~
Now have to start all over again -.-lll

Things happen for a reason.
All in due time I will know the cause for it all… Just have to be ultra patient.
God please give me strength!

Ying ying landed up in hospital on Wednesday morning due to a hole in her lungs.
I am very happy that God has healed her.
Went to visit her on Saturday and Sunday.

There is a competition coming up next year in Hong Kong, i.e. Gold Cup tournament. The club is writing in to the school for sponsorship and all the way through writing the proposal… I was wondering what our chances are in going in the first place... oh well… Let God’s will be done. Must trust Him to know what is right.
We’re also going to take part in the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic Games. I really want to get a medal out of these events man… or at least go out with a bang (minus the injuries).
Have to train!
Must improve!
Argh… I want to do all the training, but my body is dragging me down… my left knee has been hurting since last Tuesday and today my right knee decided to join in with the pain giving T.T … Sian diao lor… I decided not to train today and give my knees a rest. Hopefully they will be better by this Wednesday.
There might be sparring on that day and it’s also a double-whacko day… so I want to be able to enjoy myself for that entire time span.
First things first though… must be able to walk around and not be bothered by the pain in my knees… sigh~

Yesterday, during training at the CC, Genevieve fell and hit her tailbone.
Alfred fell and injured both his wrists.
Its painful for me to watch my friends getting injured… can’t stand it… I feel helpless… Praying that they get better soon…

I’ve got plenty of scheduling/planning to do for 2006.
Must pray for direction and guidance…

Off I go…
Cheers~
^-^

Poetry : Connections

Beyond the realm of reality
Plunging into the depths of light.
The further you go, the darker it becomes
Light, light and more the brighter.
Embrace the sky
Could anything be seen?
Feel using your heart
Drip, drop, flip, flop
Thwack, thwack, twack.

Binding the truth.
Stabbed by blood.
Lies never felt so good.

Dream that plague
Disposed by the mind.
Suicide, pesticide, genocide, cannibalism
Murder, Death, Kill.
Long go the days of our Fathers.

Nodding off again,
The cliff looms ever nearer.
How could words ever be enough.
Missing the ghosts once more.
Never ending is…

The Fluxations of Aeon

The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man things of comfort. -Confucius
Change is inevitable in a progressive country. Change is constant. -Benjamin Disraeli, Speech October 20
Beware the fury of a patient man. -John Dryden, Absalom and Achitophel Pt. I
Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits. -Thomas A. Edison
What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight --it's the size of the fight in the dog. -Dwight Eisenhower
Without music, life is a journey through a desert. -Pat Conroy

Today was ultra fun!
I did these things in this order:
TKD!
Movie!
TKD!
:D

Alfred, Chi Foong, Chong Yun, Genevieve, Kelvin, Sean and I went to NTC this morning to help out with the weighing in for the up and coming Spex tournament.
I was partnered with Chong Yun to check the grading cards and forms that the participants were supposed to fill up. So many people taking part ah… we write until, at one point, our hands felt like they were going to fall off… haha
I learnt plenty of new things and made new friends along the way… so exciting… and there is more to come man! Woohooo~
Spex here we come!
We worked all the way till 1.50pm when we (Alf, CF, CY and I) had to rush off the Plaza Singapura to watch: AEON FLUX

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
It is one of the few action films that do not insult the intelligence of its audience.
Kudos to the Mr. Chung. :)
The story line is plausible, the characters fallible, special effects awesome and action sequences … well… lets just say that I cringed more than one time. Then again, I am a very pacifistic person… neck breaking creeps me out…
The character designs are way beyond cool… I wonder why futuristic clothes are always designed around the same way… hmm… but Aeon’s clothes are very nice! I prefer the cloths in the movie to those in the cartoon.
The symbolism at the end was exquisite~
-sigh of satisfaction-
Should I write more about it? Hmmm… good question… considering that the movie just opened on Thursday I don think I will ba… den you guys can enjoy it (relatively) spoiler free. Heh… X)
Would I buy the VCD/DVD when it comes out? YES!!!!
Would I watch it again? Probably… and stay off the grass… *smirk*

I must say that it was a close shave for us being able to watch the movie coz we reached P.S. at 2.15pm odd and only managed to get the tickets, which were selling out really fast, at 2.35. When the movie was scheduled to start at 2.30pm. We went in at about 2.50pm odd and thank God! The movie did not start until we were well sitted and prepared for the ride :)
Thank You God!

After the credits rolled, we made our way to Yamaha, where Alfred happied himself with the guitars and I played a song for Chong Yun to hear. Then to Blue Max we went… and I splurged a hack of a lot of money at one shot… but I am kinda satisfied with my bargin… heh… the lao ban was pretty nice as well :)
Literally ran for the MRT and all the way to the CC for training. We were late by about 15 –20 minutes -.-lll but after all the stuff we did in the morning, I guess we earned our being late excuse… hehe ~
Training was good save for the fact that I did not do proper stretching and as a result, my reverse kick went out the window… gah… hurt myself in the process as well… one of the kids also accidentally kicked in me in the back during the target session… painful lor… some more is my lower back that kanna… argh~
But over all ok lah… my students are improving with their patterns and thus I am having an easier time… as for myself… I am continuing my pursuit of Koryo Poomsae!
-evil grinz-
Yop Chagi!
Dui Chagi!
-maniacal laughter-

okie… time to continue with my stuff before knocking out for the week ahead… Pa Heh Ah!

Living life for real,
Cheers,
^-^

Promotion?

You are successful the moment you start moving toward a worthwhile good. -Charles Carlson
A good book is the purest essence of a human soul. -Thomas Carlyle, Speech 1840
The world's a scene of changes, and to be Constant, in Nature were inconstancy. -Abraham Cowley, Inconstancy
Between the mouth and the morsel many things may happen. (Inter os atque offam multa intervenire posse.) -Cato the Censor, "On the Improper Election Aediles" (Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae Bk. xiii, ch. 18, sec. 1)
Abscence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great. (L'abscence est a l'amour ce qu'est au feu le vent; it eteint le petit, il allume le grand.) -Comte De Bussy-Rabutin, Histoire Amoureuse des Gaules "Maximes d'Amours"
One joy dispels a hundred cares. -Confucius

I have finally finished writing my first OT assignment!
THANK GOD!
It was a hard and tough fight, but its done and now… I have to start on my second assignment T.T
Got to print it out for handing in.
Must study for the Micro and Macro tests next week… and got another OT test coming up soon…
The joy of the Lord is my strength!

Let see what happened since Monday…

Tuesday – made it through the OT test. Have to put in more effort for the next one man… I initially tot I was going to do the question on Braverman… but good thing I changed my mind… it would have been the end of me… I did the question on SM instead…
-hits head against the wall-
Survived the POA lecture and managed to make it home in one piece and make it out of the house again to cell group.

Wednesday – SIM TKD 2nd AGM.
The old committee stepped down. I was Secretary of the club.
The new committee takes over. I am now the Vice-president.
Alan is the new president and he takes over from Jill.
Eric treasurer, Kelvin team manager and Cat has my previous job.
Lots of things coming up in the new year and so many things to learn… wow…
Qing duo duo zhi jiao guys~
We can do it one!
Woohooo~
-waves pompoms all over the place-
We had sparring right after the meeting.
I went up against Cat again.
She is happy to get her balls back.
I’ve got a lot to learn man… have to spar more…
Only got to do partial training at Kovan coz I had to do administration.
All is good, can’t wait for training tomorrow. :D

Thursday – went for Macro lecture.
Poor Hui Yi not well… Hope your feeling better now dearie.
Ran into Long Jie and Yang Mui at the bus stop.
Been a long time since I got to take the bus home with Long Jie.
Made it home and out again within 30 minutes… hurried dinners are not my exactly on the top of my list of favorite things to do. I prefer to sit and enjoy my food, even though I eat very fast… hahah… yes, I am a bundle of ironies… :p

Friday – Went to get my hair trimmed with TKM.
Kept falling asleep in the buses on the way to the place. -.-lll
Need more sleep man~
Spent some time hanging out with Long Jie, Shi Min, Edwin and Adam at Tampiness Mall before heading for home.
Bought two tubs of Ben and Jerry’s… Mmmmgoood~
-huge sigh of satisfaction-

Today – was supposed to go to work but Boss messaged me to tell me don have to go down today… heh so I got the opportunity to stay at home to:
Watch TV, rest, tinkle with the computer and most importantly, do my OT assignment.
Ladida~
Later going out :) and I’m wearing a skirt… hahahhaa…

Looking forward to tomorrow~

Oh yeah, I am the president of Alan’s fan club.
-loud psychotic laughter-

It amazes me how easy it is to get an entry down when its so hard to write about Taylorism and Fordism… writing about those subjects is like going through a lousy training session… argh~

There are so many things I would love to pen my thoughts about down. But when I do have the time, I forget what I want to write. If not I think about them so much until I don think want to air my feelings about them… haha… think I have to re-evaluate the way I think… haha… have to stop thinking too much? Hahaha~

Cheerios for now,
^-^