The 32nd Travels

2008-01-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

I don't think time's spent measured in hours, minutes nor seconds. Less than one and a half hours, yet the time spent meant so much more.

How's it that time flies when you're having fun? Maybe the utter yearning for progress during these meetings are akin to a beating a horse, making it go faster. Not for long, u've realised everything's passed. Back in time? Only if u're a cast in Heroes! Well, for us normal beings, reminising the past brings us back to the times well spent.

I too enjoy being with EZOAC so very much! Yesterday was totally unexpected! The calendar turned our gorgeous and definitely worth laminating! And the notes/wellwishes are to be kept in the heart as well as in mind! YES!

Time's relative, not to any space continuum, but to what u've spent it on.
Still.. I hope for more.

2008-01-03T06:24:00.000-08:00

2007-12-16T06:38:00.000-08:00

How i wish we could all travel the world together!
-----
And back to singapore, waiting for NS's quite a pain, partly because sometimes i do not wish to think so much. Getting ordered around and doing things only our officers demand of us seems like quite a carefree life indeed! carefree not in the physical shackles we have bound ourselves to in Tekong, but carefree in thoughts at least, thoughts that run less wildly when all we have to do is listen to orders.
pragmatically speaking, those that hope NS life can soon be over should think again!

NS offers us free meals each day, and ensures that our diet's rather balanced! So no unhealthy munching on of tidbits and snacks like couch potatoes!
The daily rigour of training helps build strong bones and muscles! Who needs cheesdale
We get to make new friends and forge friendships! Only through torture and turmulous times can real relationships grow
we get PAID for all these!!!
AND keeping us in camp helps the habit of saving to kick in! I don't think 8 days of freedom is enough time to spend all the allowances we get. at least i wont

again... heck with those pragmatic plus points! Personally, NS is probably the only time when i can become more mature i guess. Taking a break from all that studying (12 years since primary education and counting!) may make us understand what our characters are more clearly. Hope that after I shed that green uniform i'm more ready to accept challenges ahead, and build up relationships more strong. I think right now abit of breathing space, and longing, is all i need to live on. Breathing space, in Tekong at least.

Acknowledgements to Shiu for the pic!

2007-11-28T08:14:00.001-08:00

My days have been kept busy! Like butterflies, the day spent with OAC a day ago was... utterly carefree. It was cool reminiscing what we all did at sentosa a year ago, and now we're back here to enjoy it all again, now with new found freedom too!

Still, busy playing 24/7 isn't my entire idea of a good post-a's lifestyle. It just ain't what i'll keep doing over and over again. If i'm kept busy, its also because i do hope for special things to come!

2007-11-18T02:22:00.001-08:00

Flashes of 10

They say things come at moments you least expect.. just like how I saw a black Mazda 3 while having only the sole intention of crossing the road. Oh well... it was sleek i should say.

And yes... moments we least expect, or moments we didnt take notice. They're worth remembering, and piecing together when our time on Earth is done, if only we could just meet five people in heaven.

If the lines above were incoherent, it's only because I can't think clearly, as of now!
So in the most simplified terms, about my experience:

The fact - I spent almost 30 minutes, armed with a digital camera trying to take a shot of lightning.

The outcome - To no avail

The interpretation - They say lightning comes in flashes of 10. TEN! It actually sounds alot when replaying the scenario of lightning flashing 10 times in your head. Yet again, we know for a fact that what we view isn't 10 flashes, but only a pathetic ONE. If these ten flashes were akin to ten different crossroads we ventured before with the same person, I guess that would mean we only viewed one. So you see... we forgot nine.

Numbers aside, it may mean that we have existed in this mood of peaceful oblivion, where things happening right around you, we don't notice, even if it jumps right in front of you multiple times.
Again, it may mean that what we remember about life may well be the significant things that happen, not the minor, not the insignificant, not the boring. Significance is again a dangerous word. I know I've regarded minor things in the past now as of major significance. The same may be applied to so many other activities we've involved in over the years. Putting things into one perspective, there may come a time when I would regret not having spent more time decked in my orange shirt, with people of the same fashion sense, same interests, and same spirit. As of now, i have reason to believe we all have reason to change out of these shirts, put on new ones, new ones which signify only of new bonds that have come. One day, when I do open up my wardrobe, I hope that the very trusty orange shirt would still be available for me to wear. And on the same day, I do hope everyone would do the same.

On the day I do manage to see ten flashes in a single lighthing, that would be that day I have truly cherished all... no regrets, no misses and mistakes. Probably that'd be the day of death. But its always better to have seen than never!

2007-11-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Where the road takes you.

Lets talk about fate. Once transient thoughts, it just had to persist in the mind this very instant. If determinism has its way, my future's already so well pre-ordained I no longer have to worry about it anymore. Working hard's part of the equation, since what you reap is what you sow. Minus the environmental factors that influence one's life (and the unforseen circumstances that's bound to crop up during exams), I can pretty much expect the outcomes, outcomes not just for my exams, but other things as well.

If the way we play out our lives were akin to roads that diverge, and converge, then there must have been too numerous the number of crossroads to count. After all... Its kind of interesting to think that IF we were to choose left not right, to choose a path unexplored not well-trodden, how drastically different environments we would find ourselves in. The scenery we see along the way, the people that share the same roads at that very instance in your life, everything would turn out just:

Different.

IF we were that able to choose, then goodbye to determinism! Yet no it ain't that way after all. I didn't take notice, and sides, everyone would most certainly be caught up in their own worlds at points in their life, oblivious to the others journeying past the same crossroads. In short, enviroment matters so much, and we don't actually take notice until events pop right in front of you. Thats how distracted we all are, thats regrets. Well! haha no time to comtemplate what deterministic outcomes there would be if we were to choose (wearing shoes or slippers) (sleeping or mugging) (thinking or not thinking).

If we just can't get our way in life, then enjoy the scenery while you're at it! Let our feet shuffle along, let our minds wonder (& wander), let our senses take in the sights and sounds. & meanwhile we can always hope!

2007-10-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Paper planes - In the hands of a child (in this case the children of the sea gypsy village), they were the tools that broke the ice! Versatile these game tools are, once they lift off from your hands, they can soar, cut through air, poke, glide, dive, into the water - soaked -, crushed, gone. Paper they are, planes they once were. I've launched my plane, now let me see where it flies.

Mrs Foo mentioned this. Said we should continue leading normal lives (ie read newspaper, exercise etc.) despite the once-in-a-lifetime experience coming right up. Well, my response to her would be that my life has always been what it is --- (almost) focussed.

2007-10-21T03:37:00.000-07:00

Hasn't it already been established during the course of human history that anger contorts your face and makes it red, sadness is :( and happyness is :) ?

Our inner feelings versu the representations of them.

Things just arent so simple. Certain feelings we just can't find appropriate representations for, much less describe them in words. Same as traditional chinese medicine, in contrast with western medicinal techniques. You know the symptoms, but do you really know the source? In a way, feelings are not much different from ailments. In a similar way, you may both know not how to go about expressing (in feelings) or treating them (as in ailments).

As it turns out, these are but natural dilemas in life. Let nature take its course, ailments develop into full blown diseases and take our lives away. What can we do? These are but what nature decrees (natural selection some may say). but NO! Technology has offered some investigation and inroads into realising its source. Our feelings no matter how much we mask still overflow into our daily actions. And no, there just arent clear representations for them.
Even if others can't comprehend, neither can its source. I mean, don't we often intend something yet do another? To quote Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland), -

`Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.
`I do,' Alice hastily replied; `at least--at least I mean what I say--that's the same thing, you know.'

- How not the same thing abit these two are! And how vastly different outcomes both would bring.

In the meantime, all I know is that there is this blackhole between our feelings and what we express. And the blackhole sucks!

Shucks...

2007-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Status Quo.

What initially started out as a bid to write the longest essay i've ever written on this soon dissolved into sentences of what I feel. Well.. its all about maintaining the status quo - the nonstop mugging, fixated attention on notes notes and... notes. Like everyone tells me, about the thin line between life and death, the thin line between the grades A's, B's to U's, the thin red line (random), much of everything revolves around the decisions we make. Whether its to strive the extra effort to gain (or haggle) for the half a mark, whether its controlling the urge to do the dangerous, we make decisions everyday... consciously, and subconsciously.

I love the status quo, for its where I can measure the pros and cons on both sides of the line. Yet, on the line I have this nagging feeling I'm lacking something, lacking the experience of what life outside the line actually means. Yunsong described it quite aptly! (and with writing it down I shall remember)... many a times we looked, but did not see; listened, but did not hear; touched, but did not feel. How much attention have we actually paid to the people, and things, around us. Theres so much in this world to explore, theres also so much within the realm of being human we cared not to explore.

Once again, when we stand on the lines of everyday decision, agonizing over the 'perfect' decision to take, unwittingly I may well let my heart take the very first step.

2007-10-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

OMG..

No donation to us, so no ambulance for you
http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/viewPost5826.aspx
STOMPer Lim is dismayed that the St John Ambulance Brigade that he belongs to did not practise what it pledged.
He said it turned down an organisation's request for an ambulance because it did not make any donation.In an email on 2 Oct, the STOMPer asked: "For the Service of Mankind or for $$$?""Recently my school was approached by an external organisation to conduct a public duty for a badminton event."On behalf of the organisation, my officers approached the relevant authorities to book the ambulance for the duty," the STOMPer said.
"The reply we got was the organiser did not make any donation to St John. Thus, they are not able to support the duty with an ambulance."
The STOMPer found this very disheartening."The motto of the order of St John is for the faith and for the service of mankind. We should be volunteering our service instead for the monetary returns in the form of donations.
"In my opinion, the donations shall only made out of goodwill and not for the service we have done for the public duty. The whole issue could be handled more professionally instead.

I'm not proud of this. The SJAB experience, so close to my heart, has taught me essential skills that I practise (and still honing, learning) even til today. Its painful to see the very spirit of SJAB smeared by an overwhelming need for resources for survival - money. 'Pro Fide - for the faith, Pro Utilitate Hominum - for the service of mankind' are phrases from the pledge taken every year on SJAB day, remain resounding in my mind as I typed this entry. Has the spirit of service been diminished over the years?

Why bother conducting annual first aid competitions in schools if people are doing it for the glory, not for the lessons.
Why bother sticking to rules, guidelines, financial constraints and forgo the basic principle.
Anyway principles are there to stick with, not alter as one deems fit.

Yea still... it is rather unreasonable and uncharitable to dismiss the organisation as a money making unit. Yes its definitely unreasonable! SJAB has taught me loads, and i believe that if i stick to the principles that we uphold in our pledge, this insignificant first aid knowledge I hold would make a great difference to the community. Without those SJAB days, those long days and nights spent mugging the First Aid manual, how am I now able to treat minor injuries sustained with confidence?

The principles STICK, so lets just boot out the improper practices

2007-09-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

Not a bad song over POTC3 clips!

Oh how music evokes emotions...

2007-09-22T03:01:00.000-07:00

To not let pieces of wonderful memories out of my mind...

The times after the last morning paper of Prelims on the 20th this month were fond and special!

And the night right after H3 paper was another I wouldn't mind replaying it in my mind & in future over and over again! So we did change our plans every so often, so we only managed to get to sentosa like 8plus? So we didnt get the full attendance I would have liked... but while the time may disappear so fast... the FUN didnt! The half-laughing conversations after a night of frisbee (and abit of volleyball with an elusive ball amidst the darkness), and the rites-of-passage thing in sentosa we did just as we were in Ophir, and all the coolest instances of walking, running, wowing, laughing, the common lagging, all served to top my day of smiles!

Haha time to look forward once more, and just be glad that these bits of my memory wouldn't go away so very soon! Well.. I can always hope for more!

2007-09-22T02:21:00.000-07:00

Bits and Pieces

Ideas come to me in fragments... when will they ever link up? Yet, there are just some thoughts, and hopes, still lingering in my mind. Almost all are bits and pieces of events that have shaped my past, some recent, some not so recent, but all equally significant. Thoughts and actions are peculiar things... they make up the person, and define the angle in which we look at him/her, yet vanish right after a brief stint on Earth, when the person dies. Some famous thinkers (I don't wish to call them "great" or "greater") have their thoughts and philosophies forever embedded in the minds of those still alive. Thats good for them! But more often than not people might always model their thoughts according to those thinkers they believe in. Its nothing wrong, but I believe that each of us have the very same mental capacity of conjuring up equally distinct philosophies of our own.

The way one lives, those bits and pieces of events, makes the ideas one conjures as unique as the guy on the left or the girl on the right. This would potentially destroy any notion of the common identity. No it does not. Going through the essentially the same mundane chores of living makes up the family identity. Having a special group that has had great experiences with each other, and where one feels really comfortable makes up the group identity (& thats EZOAC for me!). Zoom out further we begin to define our identity according to the soils we thread on, and thats national identity. & when we zoom out to the max, the human instinct of survival, pursuit of happiness, and avoidance of pain can simply defined as the human identity.

Bits and pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are unique in their own way, yet form this intricate picture when all put together.

2007-09-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Pangea is the name of the original super-continent which contained all the world's land mass before the continents started splitting apart 250 million years ago.

May 10, 2008... I'll mark this down on my calender.

2007-09-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Now wasn't this a trip something a long while ago...

Arguably the first time going overseas with friends just for pure fun! Wonder when another trip would happen again!

2007-09-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

They say you can almost tell a person's personality by the songs that stir their emotions. Maybe it does for photos too!

Person, people and the world. The latter seems fairly distinguishable from the others. So lets stop harping on what we want the world to be, but what we should be to the world. But then again... is there anything we should actually be?

Oh well... just love the world & the things in it i guess!

2007-09-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

just plain sick of seeing the NDP logo...

Cause it just reminds me of how mesmerizing the performances were!

Small (and insignificant) things to someone may well be big (and special) things to another.

So the moon may smile on me, & console another

& so people say... these are the little things in life.

These little things in life, aren't little things to me!

Mistakes aren't there to be forgotten, they're there to learn from

Happy times aren't there always, thats why they're special

The mundane chores of housework, homework spread themselves out throughout our lives

& they're just there, so we have more time to think...

Of these little things in life.

2007-09-05T06:14:00.001-07:00

Singaporeans never pause, do we?

A newspaper article mentioned this term: pause-ability. I think it was a fair comment on Singaporeans. Somehow every thing we do has to achieve clockwork efficiency; round-the-clock work, round-the-clock mugging etc... time never seems to be enough! Is it?

As bleak as this prospect may sound, when we actually do disappear from the face of this Earth one day, nothing will change. Nature will still take its course, & Singaporeans will still work with their usual clock-work efficiency.

Yet, detached as the world seems, it also means that we should not hold the world & its objects too tightly. Experiences that have gone, are gone, and while we can always reminiscence the past, living only in one's past doesnt help one bit.

Mugging gives me all the time in the world to think! Though not on any subject content... but haha juz crap. While I didnt study non-stop, I did what every Singaporean does... never stop (thinking).

2007-08-29T03:25:00.001-07:00

Fleeting moments..

Just like a rainbow.

Many things disappear before we learn to cherish them. Yet regrets are counterproductive when we want to remain optimistic about the future!

The black whale video that PengSing posted on his blog also shows how we always tend to fall prey to certain preconceived ideas (and misgivings) of people before actually learning that:

Everything wrong is ones judgement, and ones judgement only.

Well... at least hold your judgements til the end, if we don't want to be opinion-less people!

I am glad for the morning today!

2007-08-20T04:48:00.000-07:00

An exco of 5!

Seldom actually acknowledge them… but I really appreciate all the cheers, and work everyone did throughout my term!

Maybe I was wrong...

More like an exco of 23!

2007-08-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

Drafting this post on the same spot where I was studying for my end of year examinations in secondary 4, a flood of memories about the past resurfaced in my mind. It seems so interesting how nothing in my old neighborhood has changed since moving house two years ago.

The same few neighbors still lived beside my house.
The old tree that sheltered me when I was waiting for the bus in primary school still stood strong.
The uncle opposite my house whom never fails to reach home almost exactly at 4.30 still never changes his habit.
The roads, the neighborhood, and the feel… nothing has changed much.

While new things arouse our interests once in a while… nothing new ever lasts. The pride of wearing new accessories, fashion or technology fades as soon as they join the ranks of the old. Things remain eternal only if we treasure them not on the basis of new or old, funky or cool, but what they actually mean to us personally.

2007-08-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

Somehow when it comes to quantifying the achievements we all had in our CCAs, nothing can quite capture the EXPERIENCES behind them.

High sounding names which inflate what was actually achieved, simple events that actually meant much more... I think these are stuff our highly Intelligent School Portal can never capture.

OAC was such a pivotal chapter in my life. Though I was awarded the role of participant in many activities in J1, and now the term 'organizers/group leaders' in J2, these terms fail to reflect what OAC meant to me. No.. we werent just participants in camps. Surely we were much more active and involved than that! & no.. we werent just organisers for events that come and go. Surely we were groundbreakers constantly refining the traditions of the camps we had also experienced when we were young J1s!

For the sake of records, I guess these terms and names would just remain as they are... Yet, names are nothing without the EXPERIENCES that go behind them! Names, positions and terms never did make the event.

2007-08-09T22:47:00.001-07:00

I took a Deep Breath of fresh air, and took in the night's Sights and Sounds

Stunning pyrotechnics, breath-taking views, mesmerizing performances... I can't help but think how much effort's been put into this one night of glitz (plus the many months of rehearsals), and the enormous budget given to the crew. Would they have been put to better use?

Putting my ultra-positive comments about the performances and army display aside, it's quite heartwarming to see that so many people from all walks of life were roped into the preparations!

Walking along raffles city were volunteers selling clappers for community chest (*I think)

Along the streets were to commonfolk selling ice-cream and getting great business

While getting to my seats were ushers comprising of student volunteers, and not forgetting first aiders from SJAB!

Along the stands were members/volunteers from TOUCH community service getting viewers into the groove of the performances

Walking down the aisles were volunteers seeking small donations for charity

Along the red-tiled area in front of the floating platform were motorcross riders and local singers and performers strutting their stuff

On the platform were numerous cheery primary and secondary school pupils as well as PA, SOKA members putting up great performances

At the grandstand were the thinkers and planners of our city landscape and position in the world stage

And everywhere else that could stand people were the citizens of the nation, all gathered to witness a spectacular display of our nation's progress!

Well... maybe the budget's really been put to great use! I guess it beats spending millions on luxury living where only few people can enjoy. Being someone greater than yourself... i think NDP has indeed been a performance greater than ordinary performances! & I should learn from this too...

2007-08-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

Can't say i'm not proud of my juniors! Well.. while they would have a great future OAC term ahead of them come end of promos, my future kinda lies in the big hurdle in november! Plus, I hope that my not-so-secret objective of passing down the newly created frisbee tradition to 7E juniors would be achieved before my term in school expires!

I enjoy school, for its gentle breeze which makes finishing homework a nice activity to engage in when u really have nothing else to do!
I enjoy the school atmosphere, for the friends who have liven up the mood around the class benches!

& yup! life's good!

2007-08-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Theres this nice cheery tune to 歐得洋 songs! & its real nice to think of life in the tunes of some songs... a nice tune or melody...

& yes we all should just really move to the beat of life...

2007-08-03T05:24:00.000-07:00

While people may jump for joy thinking about the prospect of not having to get CS, not having to endure rambling lecturers, or feak timetables, it all seems rather uncomfortable thinking that I may never again get to enjoy the times of lectures, tutorials and many after school OAC & non-oac activities, discounting the rambling that went through for most of the lectures & tutorials that is.
Mrs Chin talked about the need for a proper ending to this chapter of our lives, and yes I do agree with her! But not in the manner of holding some weird graduation day which splits up the faculties. Really wish I can avoid the pang of nostalgia that accompanies the memorable things I did in the past; sjab, hainan, mongolia, hmun, khaolak and loads and loads of random OAC formal and informal activities etc... What I feel most appropriate is not the prospect of shaking my CT's hand, but the need to remember all the friends I have, and the memories we all shared. Yes... certainly that definitely includes the friends that I have made during my JC times, through random frisbee games at the central plaza and competitions, through just hanging out at the class benches and OAC bench, and through all the enjoyable sports I played, making friends that I actually sincerely hope we could have all spent more time together.

I have this undeveloped idea in my head about how I'm gonna really treasure the friendships I've made!!!!! BUT... with the daunting task of not sleeping during lectures, of clearing the piles of homework inch by inch, I'm afraid that this idea would remain a half-baked idea, just as it is...

FOr now, I don't think I'd ever be up in arms celebrating any prospect of leaving school. As men ultimately must get on with their lives, I would definitely hope for continual friendships, while pursuing my dreams in the future!

For now, I'll just spend the rest of the days really cherishing all the great times I had in school, and the people that made mugging all worthwhile

For now, there'd be no happiness about ending this JC chapter!

2007-07-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

Everything shows up in your writing... I think i'm confused.

2007-07-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

MAN vs WILD

Some practise I did in the morning sparked off this thinking about man and what wild really meant. Somehow I get this nagging feeling that while we can boast of huge skyscrapers roads mega cruisers, breakthrough technology and even stuff that can prolong our lives, nothing we did was ever in the best interests of the very place we live in. Not denying my role in this cycle of destruction, I think that when in time to come, if man really disappeared from the Earth (be it extinction or some migration to other planets), we'd have left her in such a mess than when we first arrived.
nature may heal itself, everything may be back to what it was before, but this does not mean that we should have pushed her to the limits. Freak weather's are starting, and I think its getting pretty evident now. Even the very roads we built before seem to be crumbling under the pressures of our own devices (the standstill traffic jams common in moscow city, the aging heat vents of manhatten).
Nothing can last long.. if we in the first place had no intention of keeping it that way. When in abundance, we become extravagent without thinking, and when limited, we begin to suffer from the actions we had done before. Everything may well be a cycle of cause and effect, and now effects are taking a toll on us.
Man, the first animal to have done so much creation and destruction. Its so convenient to forget that we aren't the only ones on this Earth. Maybe we shouldn't be too proud of our rationality. After all, rational human beings litter, torture animals, and now kill each other. How proud can we be...

2007-07-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

Comic Relief

\totally enjoy the Get Fuzzy series of comics! apart from Baby Blues & Peanuts!

2007-07-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Strength to Strength...

These days I began to see more of what my future had in stall for me. Apart from the daunting task of getting thru the A's unscathed, I found myself facing dilemas and troubles which have made me realise more. & nope i dun think they made me stumble one bit!.

Friends...
Relationships may just be the one thing hardest to explain. Putting them under scrutiny, i realised that you just can't explain why some makes you irritated, why others make you glad. While some may regard the friends they make as mere aqquaintances during a transition period from child to adulthood... nothing much to lose..., others may want such friendships to last forever.
For myself, I do really hope that friendships now would last! But theres this inherent fear that at this stage i'm not anymore conscious and appreciative of the friends around me than when I was in primary school! It's quite regrettable that i have so little memories of my primary school classmates, friends that have stayed with me for the six years! I fear that when I grow up, the consciousness of the working world becomes so overwhelming that I begin to forget... to forget the times with volleyball, tennis and frisbee during breaks, with the friends I can hang out with after school, and with the memories of the times at the OAC bench and the related memories that had gone before!

Money...
Nope hopefully I've not become more moneyminded! But i guess I've finally gotten used to the habit of saving, and watch my wealth grow! (though its not substantial, but I'm really glad to have saved quite a nice bit!) Accounting's quite important, and with my parents help I've quite gotten used to analysing my handphone bills, managing my piggy bank account as well as keep tabs on the bank statement I receive regularly! Guess thats lifeskills for me, before I can be granted full autonomy over my savings, and over my life. Theres just so much to learn about where your money should go, and how it can grow!
Somehow, I seem to have a negative impression of people who talk so much about the finest dining experience at fancy restaurents, AND criticise the economical food found in hawker centres, when they themselves really are not financially independent to sustain such exquisite dining experiences. Please please just keep the criticisms to yourself and respect the food that have nourished me for 18 years of my life! (haha i think this is a hypothetical person as of now!)

Career...
I really don't know what life after A's would have in store for me... & the plans that I have now all hinge on the single exam coming up in almost 100 days time! While I may be able to identify all the best universities that specialise in my field of interest, what I really want to know is whether I can thrive in a university environment thats best for me! & yes friendships are important! Really cannot accept the idea that being on foreign soil, I may just be the person the local students there would not welcome. Well.. i guess life may well be a cycle of hates and likes, and 因果循环.

Life...
may forever not be appealing to a person who think the worse of things! Bad days are days when you feel blue, and for me it means that i need more time with myself! But whats so nice about good days without bad ones!!!!!

For me, the 2 years of JC life was indeed fruitful! With the greatest experience with OAC, with great friends from sjab squadmates and oac batchmates, and with all the fun I had playing sports and games and meeting new people, JC life has indeed left me with little to regret...

& with so much I learnt and experienced, with the friends beside me, we definitely did grow from strength to strength...

2007-07-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Topsy turvy world it is...

Since when did siew mai gave us so much trouble! (apart from choking in which u shld really do the heimlich maneuver)

Since when did a cup of drink cause you to be labelled as one 'overcome by greed'?

& an entire slippery slope of weird punishments then come in...

I mean.. these are really illogical practices, & its jaw dropping to see them imposed! Throughout this entire week I kept thinking about the reasons behind all these punishments on top of trying to spread to as many people as possible about the absurdity of such actions! At the end of this week, I'm quite positive I've came up with three more than convincing reasons to argue against such unfair-ness!
1) No effort was put into understanding the context of the situation, relying solely on a testimony, which is undoubtably one-sided.
2) ~~One's hardwork in their CCA should NOT be wiped off just because of a relatively insignificant incident, which was NOT a direct result of the work done in the CCA~~
3) Slippery slope of hunger to greed to thiefs to disasterous crimes is a FALLACY, a real from of exaggeration and faulty reasoning
4) Going back on one's word isn't a very right thing to do, esp when you have a certain responsibility and image to hold
5) Principle of charity is conveniently ignored! Its this age when we should be focussing on the major upoming hurdle up ahead rather than get so emotionally distraught from the false accusations and exagerations!

Haha I think these reasons are not exhaustive but should suffice! Its quite the first time i'm applying what I learnt in KI! Realised that there's so much value in learning this subject!

Anyway, on a lighter note, I've been thinking of the people I should really treasure now that our sch days are going to be over!!!!! While I may have nearly forgotten most of my primary school mates, probably due to non contact over the years, it shouldn't happen to these bunch of friends and people from my JC & sec sch days!!!!!!
1H & 2H classmates have given me some direction in school, as well as cause for fun & laughter!
3H & 4H classmates are really hardworking people that still do not shy away from fun!
7E classmates for sticking together and making me enjoy much of my jc life!!! ( really!!!)
EZOAC!! for the greatest memories I would surely treasure! I've probably said the most about my batchmates and our escapades in my older posts, but these are just the tip of the iceberg of experiences we had!!!!
SJAB!! for so much so much everytime. Its great to be able to hang out & share freely about each other's experiences!!! Surely we do not shy away at getting laughed at, or laughin at others! Its this kind of bond which surely isnt breakable, & definiteli theres not issue of whos more popular and whos not here!!!
& so many others whom I've met in these sch days and whom I have gone thru a chapter of my life with!!!

In sum, even without a very nice environment around, I've been always able to fall back on the friends that have made this chapter of my life so much more meaningful, and so much more joyous!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!
even to people who don't like sharing siewmais!

2007-06-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

S.J.A.B

The hols left me quite alot of time to drift away from studies. & this brought me back to my secondary school years. Frankly, all that I can vividly remember were my SJAB days. The torturous camps, the daily comp team trainings, the funny stuff we did as a squad... I rmb them all, & in my heart.

Visited my juniors just yesterday, & sorta saw myself in them... though sadly we didnt get through zone comp.

Yep but I truly treasured the times with my AC team (Jiexun, Shenjia, Wenxuan & Irvin!!!)

Still rmb making Irvin be our walking FA manual (literally!)

Still rmb Wenxuan being that funny character within the team!

Still rmb Shenjia being abit slack, quiet but dedicated!

Still rmb Jiexun being the CPR guy!

haha those were times when we really had to train real hard for comp... the pumpings, the late nights, the mugging, the boot polishing, the starching, the pain. It was alot of hard work. Yet... funny how we dun have pictures to capture them all. Probably its this sjab mindset. Afterall.. the experiences are so deep that it just seems quite embedded in my heart.

The juniors now are pretty slack. No more pumpings, no more scoldings, lots of jokes. Doesnt this leave little to rmb? . At least the junior teams both got into Nat comp! & this time, I'm pretty sure the trainers are better prepared, & the teams definitely have a greater advantage in comp. Really looking forward to the time when we bring back double champs!!!!! (Four champion trophies if we can somehow scam the judges into allowing a nursing team from our sch!)

My squad really deserves the BEST squad of the century award! Bonded as we are, somehow after these 2 years we haven't really passed out as sjab officers. Jeremy & Wenxuan are still the dedicated trainers in SJAB, & really can see the effort put into grooming the jnrs, esp jeremy! Really love the times our squad could sit and talk abt anything under the sun. Every SJAB camp was a gathering time for us, & the memories just kinda return back whenever I visit the juniors along with my squadmates. Maybe we've outlived our stay, as all the juniors in our NCO days gradually pass out from SJAB... but we'd forever the the one & only 2005 batch of ZAI NCOS!!!

My greatest regret in sec sch was not gettin thru zone comp, & it still is today. But the short times my team trained, I loved it! Thanks Jiexun, Shengjia, Irvin & Wenxuan! Hahah this is kinda late, but better than never rite!

Wun be bogged down again by regrets, for I really love my JC days with OAC! I'm quite sure theres no regrets here! Just reliving those days...

2007-05-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E

Theres not much to it... but it means so much to us. Countless of days we get by without the correct mindset, without the optimism. Emo it is called... but should we let it govern our lives? Nope. Its ok to be emo.. but why be emo when you live's not gonna change. Give yourself five minutes a day to cry if the world makes you feel blue... but then move on with the world. It aint gonna stop for you.

Add up the numbers and you'd know too!

ATTITUDE = 100
HARDWORK = 98
EMO = 33

When everything's coming to an end... I really feel bad. Theres just so much to remember, & so much I don't wish to let go. Yep but in the end keep the attitude forget the emo!!!

Enjoy the warmth of the sun even though it scorches you
Enjoy the cool breeze even though it blows your notes away
Enjoy the refreshing rain even though it chills you
Enjoy the serenity of being alone even though it makes you lonely
Enjoy the power of knowledge even though acquiring it is hard
Enjoy your life even though expectations may fail you!

2007-05-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

After so long, so much, at the end of things, a smile to end my day!

& there's plenty to smile caus..

These ppl (& those not around in the pic too: pengsing, weixiang, brandon, chunkang)
made my day!!!

2007-05-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

When its time...

Ah.. haha sometimes when you hold on so tightly to something.. it seems pretty hard to let go.
Juz tryin not to think so much here..

2007-05-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

朋友们。。。

在没有练习华文的情况下我早已发现华文水平不断地退步。但今日却突然想用华语表达内心的一段话。
还剩半年的时间与好友相处。我心知岁月不等人，还得应付即将来临的会考，但心中还是放不下与朋友休闲的机会。天下不散之宴席。但我相信命运犹如一根看不见的线,一根扯不断的线。只要用心一拉，失散已久的好友还是会有重逢之一天。我每天早晨总会盼望那与ＯＡＣ聚集在一起‘鬼混’的时间。对我而言这短短的时间是多么的宝贵，多么的有意义。只希望能在这一刻，我们之间的友谊会不断地增进。
９。３３　也曾播放过这首歌。这首曲子我一直不断地重听，觉得歌词的意义非常深刻，贴心。　

分享伍思凯

时间已做了选择
什么人叫做朋友
偶而碰头心情却能一点就通
因为我们曾有过
理想类似的生活
太多感受绝非三言两语能形容
可能有时我们顾虑太多
太多决定需要我们去选择
担心会犯错
难免会受挫
幸好一路上有你陪我
与你分享的快乐胜过独自拥有
至今我仍深深感动
好友如同一扇窗
能让视野不同
与你分享的快乐胜过独自拥有
至今我仍深深感动
好友如同一扇门
让世界(变)开阔

2007-04-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

*Been saving this as a draft for a pretty long time, since dec 21! Maybe i just didnt feel right abt it..
-------
Faith

Haha... This is nothing religious.

Its just about a book... about a ship wreck... about an indian boy with a tiger... about his life... about The Life of Pi.

I liked reading no-brainer books! Cause all i need to do after I finish reading is just... 'Oh! So thats how it ends!'
Now, my tastes changed. Reading this novel on rainy days & nights made me ponder. The atmosphere was juz pretty reflective, which suited the plot of the story.

It sounds like a childrens book.. & i don't deny that i chose this due to its childish-sounding title. Reading on, it still seemed childish to me!

...... Until I read, read, read... & reflected

It brought up this idea of religious faith. I thought hard about the latter.
The closest word I could think of that harboured the meaning of Faith was trust. Its still quite subtlely different, but I shall still use it for convenience sake.
I was confused.& still am. I just didn't know what faith really meant. Things that popped right into my mind were
blind trust,
reasonable trust,
logical trust,
whole-hearted trust,
emotional trust,
Unwavering trust.

& I discovered my weakness. I fear. I deliberate. Weird.. but it was this little incident after PJ exchange that sparked off this chain of thoughts.

If I fear, i'm being blinded by it. If I deliberate, i'm being reasonable & logical. If I'm emotional, I can't trust, for I change my views at whim.

Wholehearted, unwavering. These are words that fall short of being pretty dogmatic. What does faith mean to me?

------

Yep so after so long, today (30 april), i finally thought back & realised. Faith to me meant whole-heartedness. Been through alot of ups and downs with my batchmates since the time i wrote the above paragraph. Its been a great journey for all of us, & a nice learning journey for me. After so long, I learnt more & more to trust, to put a wholehearted belief in whatever my batchmates feel should be the right path. I still feel i'm a real domineerin person, & persistent in my ideas in this sense.

This post's real self centred! haha next post wld be about MY BATCHMATES!!!!
For now, i'll put my faith into the people around me, into their opinions & ideas.

2007-03-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Bdae EZOAC!!!!!!

On this very day, the 28 members of Ezoac received their YL shirts...

On this very day, we 28 members of Ezoac shedded tears.. tears of jubilation, tears of joy, and tears of friendship

On this very day, us members of Ezoac stuck together, & forever remained together.

YLTC07's just ended. This seems like its gonna be a final time i would enjoy doing food cheers, wear caps & scarves & stuff. Its plain nostalgia for me.. going through YLTC again as an instructor. Seeing what we did through the trainees, i understood not how we suffered, but how we bonded. Ezoac came to be.. 5 days before today. We were different, we didnt know each other, but 5 days later, we were as close as ever, as bonded as ever, so close that we can even wear each others cloths.

Our term's gonna end. Though we still have 2 more main activities left, but I'm just afraid.. afraid that even these 2 activities wld pass fast. YLTC seemed such a long camp... yet i ended just as soon as it came. It ended with a blast! but left little time to treasure.

but yes! I enjoyed every min of yl, & had the time of my life in YLTC!

Ezoac, HAPPY BIRTHDAY once again!

We have more to look forward too!

*I'll write more bout YLTC07 once blocks ends. haha

2007-02-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

&... at the end of the day, I believe everything would be worth it. YES i do. It always does...

2007-02-26T05:25:00.000-08:00

I don't like gambles...

2007-02-03T02:30:00.000-08:00

True Colours

This doesn't seem much of a campaign to me. Rather, I felt it was a kind of plea - a plea to just be oneself.
Its nice that advertisements should just start going back to the natural.. to that which leaves nothing but feelings of humanity. Ok.. this seems high-sounding. But I feel this way.

Couldn't help but think of 2 things.. moch & prom. Haha the way moch choses to divide people into generalised personality types is just uncomfortable at times. We can laugh abt it (even I do), but maybe we just don't understand people to be able to classify them.
Prom. haha wow i would just wait for the time when I would fret over everything image, from my hairstyle, the clothes I wear to even my socks... Then would enter a ballroom full of 'like-minded' people, & soak in the atmosphere. For that night... I wouldn't be myself.

Those were random thoughts. Just keep faith to oneself, & others. Fitting the world can be tiresome sometimes.

And I see your true colours

Shining through

I see your true colours

That's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colours

True colours are beautiful,

Like a rainbow

True Colours

Leave nothing to change

2007-02-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

[We're so radically different]

The energy sapping school yr of 07 seems to be taking a toll on me. Maybe we've sorta forgotten our instincts: our instinct to rough it out, yet enjoy, our instinct to listen, yet have fun, our instinct to express, yet respect others. Oh ok... maybe its just mine.

Half the time I sorta wished we all weren't so radically different! All our thoughts, the way we express things, the way we view stuff, our sense of urgency, & even our priorities. At times these differences surface, and they become hard to reconcile.

Yet, most times this becomes a source of strength I guess. Capitalising on individual strengths, we're truly able to work things our fine! Even if this means the occasional flaring up of short 'tempers', missing out on the strict image we all should and want to portray. 船到桥头自然直. With all our unique talents, guess things can become special!

Tempers do flare la... there are disagreements, there are times we dun feel comfortable. So we DO still lack mutual understanding. Complaining is one thing, explaining is another. & I'm sure we'll understand if ones commitments shift. We all have our own problems, & maybe sharing them out would be the best thing to do! Not just for oneself, but for everyone. Only by sharing would we understand, & only by letting uncomfortable feelings known can we work to improve.

There are times when we stood by one another, clear of our goals, & worked hard & committed towards them. Theses aren't rare times... These are OUR times.

We may falter, we may wish we'd done better, we may fail to protect each other

BUT... our spirits must not waver!

After all... we'll never walk alone.

Although

We may be so

Radically Different

2007-01-21T03:11:00.000-08:00

Being Small

Haha must take this short reprive from the pressures of school!

I do love the ordinary. & sometimes it feels nice to just be part of something, just one of the footprints on this Earth.. nothing special.

I want to be committed! Not because I have a great responsibility.. but juz caus I want. But with responsibility, I seem to have lost the right to comment.. With responsibility, I cannot judge how ones time should be allocated.. With responsibility, people listen, but do they understand? Haha.. hope so!

So sometimes I hope to be small, so I can do what I believe in, not what I should be doing.

I felt...

Warmth as the foliage of the trees sheltered me from the rain during the last 2 trips to Ubin. Rainy days with Ezoac again! But fun, laughter & comfort nonetheless!

Hope as the breeze today brought with it a gentle message that there are better & more exciting days to come!

Happiness, for my great bunch of classmates! & juniors in 07s7e, who are really a vibrant lot!

Conquest, as a nice new checkpoint was discovered as us Getafix GIs (waikuan & I) stumbled up a small hill to search for the Rock Lion!

Joy, as I remembered the special days & nights before, && great days ahead!

Haha being small ain't exactly bad.

At least I can take a step back, enjoy the world & friends.

Life

The way I see it

2007-01-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

A Title In Name

Sometimes i can't understand, & sometimes i make the wrong decisions. In spite of all this, I did receive gratification.

Maybe stuff just can't be handled by 1 alone.

I need guidance, just as I need discipline. I need to lend a listening ear, just as I need commitment. I need understanding, just as I need support.

Maybe stuff just can't be handled by 1 alone. But, maybe I'm wrong.
By 1 batch?

Definitely!

Titles

are meaningless

2007-01-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

A Long long Time Ago

Haha... seeing the third class of 7E emerge in the year of 07 juz makes me proud! I looked at my juniors, and they seemed like a bunch of likable and studious bunch, && Active in sports and games too!
07S7E...
Isn't so much of a unevenly mixed class, in terms of guy to girl ratio, as well as in other forms of comparison
I'm just glad for them, more than i am for myself i guess... It did feel like I was transcended back in time, to the point where I first met my class. Since then, my class did make some inroads!!! But maybe we just waited too long before doing so... NOW.. I guess its time to make some changes...

2007-01-05T04:54:00.000-08:00

Extraordinary Days

I've got a smile on my face & I've got great friends around me.
I've got the sun in the sky & great scenery surrounds me.
I win while sometimes I lose. I've been battered but I'm never bruised

Its not a perfect life, but these are extraordinary days!

Its not hard... Juz smile & look forward.
2007's brought to me a much greater appreciation of the people around me, and the determination to keep optimistic! These are busy times, but its these times which spur you on to be focussed, disciplined and appreciative of great memories, great friendships, great days ahead.

2007 came... with this prospect of occupying the OAC bench! Its not the physical presence of ourselves on this bench we didnt dare sit a year ago, but it seemed more like this avenue for us batchmates to gather, to share, to mingle. haha the OAC bench also does more than that! Its our pride & joy, a place where we were first introduced to the HC OAC community, a place where we gathered for the most enjoyable of activities in school! This brown bench is NOTHING without the community that gathered, & i'm just glad we grow together in this batch!

My class's not bad! Maybe if i did bother to embrace them more. Alot of times I just want to escape from the stifling studious atmosphere.. to chat to laugh & to momentarily forget about studies. But its a crucial year.. & i'm just glad I have a class which is focussed!Its possibly the greatest asset the class has collectively, & I should be glad abt it!

2007 will be this excitingly busy year! Just OAC & studies.. haha. As seniors now, this short one year term in OAC has changed us, has enriched us. We can't be selfish people! So now lets just work hard to pass the baton to young ones who would share our joys, our goals & our experiences!

Looking back again... we did grow.

& now its time once again to look forward, & smile! :)

Remember

Those Extraordinary Days

2006-12-31T05:24:00.000-08:00

About 2006,

a year of deep experiences

I imagined it to be unEventful. It wasn't. With 2 years in Junior College, I thought that I couldn't do much. & I was wrong, thankfully. There was so much I did, but so little I could remember. Hai.. haha. I got through sleep-inducing lectures, tutorials that didnt seem to end, & nerve-wrecking tests & examinations, all with thoughts of playing frisbee during breaks, scooting off to the next OAC training, the next Ubin trip, the next bikehike, the next rockclimbing adventure, the next world... A world of my own.

It had Escapades. I attempted things I had not done before. I caught on this game of disc throwing from my CCA... frisbee. It's a great game!! Full of fun & easy to learn & master. I don't think i'm really good at frisbee though, seeing my own stamina & throwing/passing abilities. I have much to learn! & thankfully, I have 2007. Somethings are worth sacrificing sleep for. Like Night Biking. Great adventures guranteed everytime. & you're not fighting with the cars on the road, but fighting instead to keep your eyes wide open. Its essential that you cycle with great friends too!

It had Wonderful changes. Over the year, I realized everyone changed. With my batch, we've matured to become this tightly-knit OAC family. I'm not exhagerating, & hope no one thinks so too. Its great to see these people in school, along the corridors, outside of school, & especially during training sessions!!! My classmates changed, & I should change too. Sometimes, maybe acceptance is the start to enjoying your time, in any circumstance. I would change, but pity 2006 spared little time to effect this belief. With my family, despite the occasional disputes, I'm PROUD of them!!! Its hard to find a place to find comfort and warmth.

I had my Perceptions Altered. Anything with OAC is fun!! I had asked some of my batchmates earlier this year.. whether they'd joined OAC for the activities or the people. Their answer to me was... for the people. It was surprising, to me at least. I won't deny the fact that I was. BUT, perceptions do change, & it changed RAPIDLY. Every experience made me realized one important thing... that without these bunch of batchmates, no activity would be fun. It isn't so much of training 24/7, running every morning, or thrashing other school ODACs in all activities. It isn't as fulfilling to scale Ophir in record time, than to have the time of your life taking in the sights & sounds, && soaking in the wonderful feeling of just being with great people. It isn't as fulfilling to accomplish difficulty 6c & above rockwalls without sweat, than to attempt a wall while your batchmates cheer you on, in spite of your failure. It isn't as fulfilling to spend wednesdays sleeping or playing computer games, than to get all rugged & dirty with the ones you enjoy being with!

I had goals, now I have Dreams Abound. I wanted to try my hand at science research. I got my SRP project. I wanted to help the community. I got the chance to continue my service to Muscular Dystrophy Association of Singapore. I wanted a fun JC life. Now I have great buddies & batchmates!!

Through this year(2006), great & memorable events unfolded , & I'm GLAD ABOUT IT!!

a year of deep experiences

It was 2006

~~~So it was 2006, a year of Eventful Escapades, Wonderful changes, Perceptions Altered, Dreams Abound, & Glad About It!!! & so it was... A Year OF 2006~~~

2006-12-26T02:23:00.000-08:00

26 Dec

Its been raining non-stop for this entire day. But if I don't rmb wrongly, its this day that they're having the Tsunami Memorial in Thailand. Its a great place.. Khaolak.. except what happened on this day i guess.

I don't know much abt this day.. & its significance. I don't know what the people attending this memorial felt on this day.. nor am in a position to emphatise with them.

All I know is that, the beach where the waves crashed ashore is beautiful

Maybe it wasn't so 2 years ago.

26 Dec

I would rmb

2006-12-26T02:12:00.000-08:00

I feel OVERWHELMED!

Haha have to wait til its nearing the end of the hols to find out I havn't done loads of stuff. My OAC term's gonna get busier for the next half of the year! & I'm juz glad about it!! Haha doing stuff with my batchmates is juz really fulfilling! Fun aside, everyone can be very efficient when it gets down to doing stuff. Believe the capabilities of being MOTIVATIONAL & PROFESSIONAL instructors is just inside every one of them!

There are just stuff deep down I just wanna do... & I'll make time for them!!! If the chance comes! haha

I feel Overwhelmed

overwhelmed with excitement!

2006-12-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

Dreams

Haha felt I just HAD to put this up!
a Kiwi is a FLIGHTLESS bird native to New Zealand.

Dreams are there for a reason! So don't stop dreaming!

Work on them

While u're at it!

2006-12-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

Someone made me change my DP! Haha the new one looks better though! But this frozen breath skull has been with me since like sec1. Haha some things are just hard to let go!

2006-12-21T06:05:00.000-08:00

Playing in the Sun
Biking in the Rain

Our exchange programme with PJC ODAC was FUN! It wasnt easy for two groups of people who don't know each other to really bond well with each other... esp with this short a time of 2 days. & I still admit cliques are hard to break!
BUT, we at least managed to etch out a form of friendship! I guess we realli do hav to make the effort to make these friendships sustainable. Its a good eye-opener too.. this exchange!! They understand our training system, we know where we stand... Haha!! But all in all... I really think our OAC's UNIQUE!! If 'fun' could be weighed, it'd tip the balance off its scale!

the bike route was interesting, biking in the rain was of utmost fun, fixing the bike improved our repair skills... all in all... It was Great!

HC ODAC?

No.. its OAC

2006-12-19T06:43:00.000-08:00

RaIn
Funny how some things juz drift back into your head when it rains...

I thought of...
Ophir... when climbing down from the summit

Biking... during the PJ exchange programme (which was quite fun caus the wind was blowing against us & i realli couldn't see much in front!)

Biking again... during ITC. It was one of the most memorable rain experiences I had! Pulau Ubin terrain just gets better when it rains!

My younger days... when I loved staying in my parent's car in the rain! warm & nice

Mongolia... When we had to escape from the coming storm, pitch our tents & have dinner

Khao Lak OCIP... when we kept staring at the increasing water level as the roads slowly got flooded

The vast ocean...

Loads of wonderful nights

Indeed the pace of life does slow down when trickles of water fall from above. & so I thought..

Rain

& more Rain

2006-12-15T01:43:00.000-08:00

4H Class Gathering

No... there were no books nor homework on the dining table.

Sometimes, we are just misunderstood.

Haha.. 4H gathering was GREAT!! It was last minute, but I'm just really glad most of us found time to turn up! I won't dare say i'm close to every1 in the class. But more often than not, it was a simple class... not much class politics, not THAT many cliques, & most of all, loads of nice ppl!!!

Just observe what guys eat..

haha we're seriousli on an unhealthy diet! But no harm having this just for one time!

4H Gathering

Rocks

2006-12-13T05:03:00.000-08:00

For my previous post, the link to this deviantart is as follows.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/39669907/?qo=5&q=legoman&qh=boost%3Apopular+age_sigma%3A24h+age_scale%3A5

& This clip is really touching.

Sometimes... we just move too fast, & forget to look back.

This time... Don't forget.

Reflect.

2006-12-11T02:06:00.000-08:00

Life Before & After...

Before I say anything... This ACRYLIC PAINTING was done by Winston, from NJ AEP. Thanks man!!!

Been looking at this painting for quite awhile alr. & now I decided to talk abit about it!

Legomen accompanied me alot throughout my childhood days. They took on alot of different forms before: policemen; red-indians, knights, pirates, bandits, soldiers, doctors, firefighters or just plain citizens. Immersed in this little world of my own, I waged wars, conducted bank robberies, saved people & so on...

Now, they just lie inside a container in my storeroom, & keep smiling.
Sometimes, I just miss the carefree times before. Those were the times I had the weekends all to myself! Those were the times I couldn't care less about friends! & those were the times I were myself...

For now, I have ditched this fantasy world.

The past was fun to remember, but the future holds much more for me to look forward to!!

I'll just learn from Legoman this once.. & keep smiling!

Well, for now..

Goodbye Legoman!

2006-12-09T00:26:00.000-08:00

OPHIR MYSTICS

Running, dodging, swerving, braking, hopping, jumping, sliding, squatting, swimming, bending, walking, walking & WALKING... thats what we basically did the entire trip!!!
But during this...

We experienced alot more................................

Windy, sunny, rainy, humid, beauty, scenic, tedious, challenging, amusing, mystical, creery, carefree, challenging, amusing, mystical, creepy, carefree, motivated, accomplished, weary, refreshed, proud, motivated, magical, magical, MAGICAL

Day 1: Into the mystical forest

Our journey was by train, all the way from Johor to Segamat. Undeniably, EZOAC does know how to have our own share of fun!!! Even pissing the staff on the train off when we made a hell lot of noise was fun!

Well... there were signs that this was gonna be a mystical journey for us..

EZOAC getting intrigued by Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire movie shown on the TV. Pity we didn't have brooms to FLY to the top of Mt Ophir!! haha but walkin there proved to be much much more rewarding...

The initial clumb up Gunung ledang (Mt Ophir) was pretty strenous. Scaling the 600 stairs proved not to be a walk in a park!! haha but Pain IS Transient!!!

~4pm+++~
& Mou just can't stop gekking!

~5pm+++~
Reached base camp with really high spirits. They had this really nice stream just beside the campsite!

Dinner was realli nice!!! Our guide Yusof turned out to be a part time cook (possibly)... & his specialty is...... Rendang!!

But maybe we were all just too hungry... so we decided to catch the fishes in the stream using our plates!!! But to no avail.. caus these magical fishes actualli jump!

& Mou was so sad...

Day 2: Up, up & atop Ophir!

Found this nice stick insect in the morning

Now Yusof our great cook conjured up some Roti Prata, which tasted totalli delicious with Rendang!

~8.50am~
Dumping our bags & liberating our shoulders, we set off for the submit of Ophir.
This trek was everything EZOAC wanted: land & air activities!!!

We had:
Caving

Rockclimbing & Abseiling

'Laddering'

& between all that, the view was MAJESTIC

Atop Mt Ophir, we were amongst the clouds.

& EZOAC was carved in stone!!!

The view was a feast for the eyes... & i'm sure even Yusof's 8 megapixel camera can never capture the beauty we 12 EZOAC-ians saw that day.

As we descended, there was a storm!! which made the trek all the more exciting. Mother nature was our friend, as we relied alot on dangling roots and branches while making a slow descend. Not to mention the immense fun we had going down!!!
After nightfall, we played mafia under near total darkness! The atmosphere was there, my batchmates were there, laughter was there... it could never have gotten better!

Day 3:Homeward Bound

After 2 days of mud, sand, rain, sweat, fun, laughter, joy, we just had to leave this magical place. The last 2 hours of trekking was treasured... definitely!
EZOAC was still mightily enthusiastic still! Apparently nothing can stop us from having our own share of fun!
The train ride back was super noisy!! Thankfully no1 complained!!!

Ophir may have its share of stories about spirits and fairies, but none of these made this expedition mystical. It was my batchmates, our EZOAC spirit, & that drive within us that made all that difference!! Feeling clean, pampered and comfortable is heavenly, roughing it out in the outdoors is an Experience!!!

& EZOAC returns from Ophir with this:

A shirt which is really cool!

The 32nd travelled

From Ophir & back

2006-12-05T04:45:00.000-08:00

If anyone asked me whether there was a trip which left a lasting impression on me... I'd say its my Hainan OCIP in sec 3. Hainan wasn't as action-packed as my Khaolak experience, but i dare say it was one with most memories, and one which acquainted me to... volunteerism i guess (on a side note, i learnt Bridge there too!)
Return to the Dragon Gates.. we shall...

26 of us in total, 13 Nanyang girls and 13 CHS-ians.
I guess secondary 3 was a pretty young age to understand alot, & we really kinda took this trip as a more rugged holiday experience. However, time does change our perception. After this trip I've been observing, & i really guess we've all changed... changed for the better! & that does not mean we're bad ppl from the start k!!! juz oblivious.

Manual labour... For many of us, I'm sure this was the first time we got to do construction work. Carrying bricks, fetching buckets of water and cement wasn't so hard, and through this process we bonded pretty well! I went up and down the hill where we were suppose to build a water tank so many many times that even til today, I think i can roughly remember how the path up the hill was like!
Its such a small hill, yet it seemed to contain a mountain of memories! We toiled for many more days and hours to build the water tank than the hours i spent doing manual labour in khaolak. Both were fun still!

Unlike in khaolak, we had a much much more visible end product!! abeit it being pretty dull. The manual labour I did in khaolak had its own significant meaning though.. one which Jimmy kept stressing: that self sustaining cycle in which the villagers can live off their own hard work!!!

Teaching wasn't as momentful and memorable as in thailand. But alot of other activities we did remain pretty much etched in my memory still.

Guess it's been such a long time ago... & i've only talked about it after 3 years!! but at least after such a long period we still got together last year!

I guess all I want to say is that time should never build a wall amongst friends! As long as we make it a point to catch up with old times, friendships can last!!! well.. haha. For now, I'll be patient patient patient! & do hope my existing friendships can last forever! haha

2006-12-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

Wow... my first post! & its on an experience I realli realli wish NOT to forget. Maybe its realli time i shall maintain a blog!
Now for my Khao Lak Wonders!!!...
Its nothing realli... just a trip full of fun, laughter, beauty, memories, learning experiences & loads and loads of enjoyment!

First thing's first... Sawadeekrap!!!!!!
Our trip there was by budget carrier, Tiger airways. At least it was a new carrier! Pretty comfortable too!

FOOD!!!
I sorely missed the food!

Seriously.. the food there is cheap and heavenly!!!! Just give the macdonalds and KFCs a miss, turn a few corners here and there & u'd arrive in food heavan! We tried that on the last day &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; chanced upon: Egg & Banana Roti Prata!!! & the thai delicacy we've all been craving since day 1: Mango(Mamuang) with Glutinous Rice!!! All that wait for 5 days was worth it! I mean.. we are THAT happy to be in Thailand with good food that we even play with it!

WORK:
Haha after eating sooo much food! We really do need to burn off all those calories! What better way to do that than by carrying over 1000+ poonkees of sand & running NONSTOP for a few hours!!! Well... thats what all of us did!
Hey it was fun nonetheless!!!! At the end of the day... we were very very acquainted with sand, sand & more sand!!! Even our afternoon was spent lazing around on sand!!!

REST
After working for only 2 days, we piled up THIS much sand!!! haha just joking.
Lazing at the beach after work was pure enjoyment! Especially with that circular yellow disc which I brought along! We really had fun with it still!!
When you're at the beach.. dun u just get that magical feel??? I do! Amidst all this serenity at the beach.. its kinda hard to imagine that in december 2004, a tsunami did struck here.. & with such ferocity... Nature does has its unique way for us to enjoy... & suffer...

TEACHING
Believe me!!! We were GOOD teachers!!! haha. In khaolak I got a chance to teach both adults at the rotary village and children at the sea gypsy village!! Both were unique in their own ways. Went to teach the adults at rotary village for two afternoons. The first was pretty unsuccessful.. & mundane. The second, however, was more fun! We equipped ourselves with a packet of jelly, & at least we succeeded in teaching a lady 'jelly' in english!! I mean.. what can we realli achieve in an afternoon??? haha... but truthfully, I'm pretty sure she learnt much more than that! haha

Now... on to teaching kids. It's TOTALLY fun!! Initially we were quite distant from the primary 6s, which we taught, due in part to the language barrier. However, being the 6 strong-willed guys we are, we toiled on bravely to 'hand signal' our way through the thoughts of these little kids. It was tough but Pipo (jelly) saved our day! Realised theres just so much to teach with pipo!Like numbers, colours and fruits. The students were very supportive of us, and that truly made us feel at ease to carry out our largely impromptu lesson. Trying our best to recall suitable songs, games and dance, we could only muster a chicken dance and pictionary. Afternoon, we taught them a universal language of understanding: Music!
They took a REALLY long time just to get a feel of the beat though.
Going on a fieldtrip with the students to another village where they lived was a learning experience too! On road terrain that seemed starkly like Pulau Ubin's the kids had to make 2 pretty long trips there & back from school, and they aren't exactly complaining!
Maybe my only regret was not knowing my new found friend;s name. Just called him 'NAUGHTY BOY'. He was the most outspoken person in the class!!! Fun chap to be with!!
Mr NAUGHTY BOY!!! haha

Really... in the end, I think the students didn't learn anything from us. What came out of this 'exchange' was something very very selfish indeed... we learnt... the students didnt.hai.. haha maybe they just learnt that parting was another part of life thats all.

PEOPLE, & a dog
k i MUST talk about the dog first!!! but I shall leave people for the last!!! Always leave the BEST for last! haha
Her name is Fuji:

Fuji got herself injured possibly when scratching parasites off herself. & now she's pretty weak. Really cute puppy & hope she gets well soon!!!!!!

Now.. the best for last!
Without them... this trip wouldn't have been fun at all!
My HC mates have been great during the trip!!! haha!

Seriously, we can lame about pretty well! haha i miss the All-Knowing Lift!
Then.. theres just so few guys on this trip.. but when we do come together.. we really can have loads of fun!!!! Just regret not knowing every1 earlier on the trip. The last night in thailand was truly memorable! Imagine 5 guys swimming from 10-12 at night, using LEAVES as planes and boats, & squirting water at each other, then suddenly just brainlessly splashing water all around. The fun part comes when you have to SPRINT your way back to the room, & hoping no one see you! haha
haha other than that... I got to know a few more new friends!!!! It was fun knowing every1!!!!!
Maybe this trip was just a T junction in all our lives... NJ interactors, VJ interactors, 2 tkss interactors, ONE HC interactor, & 3 HC guys with different ccas! Our lives cross paths for just this 6 days, then we proceed on our own little journey to where our roads lead us.
haha!!! Hopefully someday, all these roads would wind back, & merge into a nice big expressway! haha

My Khaolak Travels

Fun abound!