Happy National Day.

Happy 42nd Birthday Singapore!

You are a miracle.
So proud to call myself a Singaporean.


Many things happened recently. Be it internationally, regionally, locally or even within my own life. Thought through quite alot of stuff and was wondering what I am looking for in life. Sometimes it is just so confusing with so many things going on around you.

At this point in time, my main concern is to ultimately get a good honours.
With that it could lead to me fulfilling my dreams in the far future.

There are so many things I want to do, some of them seems so out of reach. But nonetheless, not impossible. Also, so many things that I keep telling myself that I will buy when I get my first official paycheck after graduation. So many that I probably need 5k per month to buy all within the first month. Haha.

Lets see what I want to accomplish/get:
Before graduation
Complete Standard Chartered Half Marathon 2007 at a timing better than my previous AHM.
Represent NUS in some DB competition.
Maintain if not improve my CAP.
Complete my first ever full Marathon by 2008.
Grab an internship at one of the banks in Singapore especially the central bank.
Graduated with a 2nd Class Upper.
Write the honours thesis. - to see if I am cut out for research work.
Pick up roller blading. - At least I want to know how to brake.
Go back to swimming.
Cherish my friends more.
Pick up diving. - I so want to see marine life up close.

After graduation
Going on my first Europe Trip.
Secure a good job.
Buy a DSLR camera. - Fulfil my wish to capture the beautiful images of the world.
Carry on leading a healthy lifestyle.
Buy a car.
Get a Ph.D. - It all depends on my results and whether I have any interest in research at that point in time.
Work in an International Organisation.
Teach at my Alma Mata. - Only if my title is Dr.
Keep contact with my friends. - Something which I am damn lousy at.
Marry the love of my life.

Guess this is enough of what I want to do/ achieve for 1 day.

I think its always good to review what you want in life once in awhile to keep you going on without losing focus.

Would You be there?

Would You Be There

If I were blue, would you be there for me,
And whisper in my ears that's ok.
Would you stand by me, let me hold you tight,
And say you love me one more time.

If I feel good, would you slow dance with me,
And touch my lips with tender loving care,
Would you die for me, would you run with me,
And never look back..

Would you be there to love, to be with me?
Would you swear that your love is always true?
Would you say that you'll always be the one,to take my breath away?
Would you be there to love, to be with me?
Would you swear that your love is always true?
Would you say that you'll always be the one,to take my breath away?
Would you be there..

If I am away, would you still think of me,
And wished that you could hold me now.
Would you die for me, would you run with me,
All the way ...

Would you be there to love, to be with me?
Would you swear that your love is always true?
Would you say that you'll always be the one,
to take my breath away?

Would you be there to save my soul tonight,
Would you swear that your love is always true,
Would you say that you always be there,
To kiss my pain away,

Would you be there to love, to be with me?
Would you swear that your love is always true?
Would you say that you'll always be the one,
to take my breath away?

Would you be there to save my soul tonight,
Would you swear that your love is always true,
Would you say that you always be there,
To kiss my pain away,

Would you be there ..... for me ...

____________________________________

I know I will.

Last Module.

My 6th module for the sem has yet to be decided. I am not acting tough, but the combined MCs for 6 mods are 20, because the English Mod that I am required to take is of 0 MC.

Should be taking a Science GEM, so that it can be S/Ued if the going gets too tough after all, I will be battling 6 Mods, teaching tuition, joining DB training and not forgetting getting a little bit of life.

Think I should be taking this:
GEK1527 - Genes & Society

Distancing.

Maybe this is the best option.

As what people always say, "Absence makes the heart fonder." Who knows, we might even find an extra dose of oxygen to rekindle the flickering flame.

Might take this time to explore myself thoroughly and deeply, haven't really had time for myself.

We're still us.

Gearing up for Ippt.

Yikes. I thought the long distance training recently might have helped me with my 2.4 timing. There was some help alright, but not sufficient. Feels like I have neglected the speed component totally in my recent training. As I was striding, I could feel the calfs aching and aching, that was during the morning and I thought it was because I wasnt warmed up enough. I tried running again in the evening. This time with an additional warm up round prior to my run. The result, a faster timing, but an equally sore calf.

Oh well, its time for some fart lek training to increase my speed.

Somehow it feels more shag to finish 2.4km then to finish 14km.

Think I finally got the technique for SBJ. Just needs more practice and doing some tuck jumps, lunges should do the trick.

Chin up isn't a problem at this point in time, except that I experienced a very smooth bar at YCK Stadium which is pretty frictionless with sweaty palms. Haha.

Alright my new aim in life is to evolve into a fitness freak! Haha. - Not manhunt style, but rather live strong, enjoy sports.

Sat.

Met the Popular guys for lunch at high-tea time slot. Yang treated us to Pizza hut for being a great help to him.

Actually we didn't do alot, just doing our job. Thanks for the meal though. =)

Tried doing some SBJ just now, and was horrified with the distance, I wondered if I even broke 200, lol. But after doing some surfing, I remembered the technique of jumping le, so I shall try again tomorrow. Should be doing a trial 2.4 run tmr, to see how my long distance running recently has benefitted my 2.4.

Got reply from the Capt of NUS DB le, will join their training on 14th Aug.

Think I am most likely going to go for the Standard Chartered Half Marathon. Looking for run buddies.

Anyway, got 4 out of the 5 mods that I wanted to take. So I am quite happy. =)

Bad Patch.

Can I like runaway to somewhere where there is just me, myself and I?

Can I just hide at a corner and weep myself dry?

Can I drown myself in my Absolut 100 or Chivas?

CCA

Alright, I've made up my mind.

Ever since the matric fair 1 year ago, I had been interested in joining NUS Dragon Boat team.
If I don't do this during my junior sem, I doubt I'll be able to do in as I progress higher up.

I've contacted the Captain and is looking forward to join the training.

Last Day

Today is the end of my 2 month working stint at Popular' warehouse. Been working for Harris (One of popular's newer departments) for most of the 2 months. This is my longest ever temporary position and frankly speaking, quite a memorable one.


It started with 4 of us, pasting price labels on books. It wasn't the best of jobs, too monotonous and too simple in my opinion. I desired to learn something out of this vacation job, but during the first week, my wish just wasn't fulfilled.


Entering the new week, we were attached to another group of temps whom we're supposed to take over when they are going for their enlistment. Much more to learn and much more to do. That made me happier. 2 more additions came our way and now we have this team of 6. As the previous group ended their term, another another addition joined our growing team.


This team was fabulous, although we hardly know each other very well, efficiency was at its best, even the supervisors and manager were impressed at how efficient and precise we are.


Information flowed in bit by bit, we've learnt more skills of the warehouse. Such as the operation of a Auto-picker/Order picker, Electric stacker, Pallet jack, etc. We learnt much of the processes within the warehouse and learnt how to pick stock, do stock taking, stock transfer.


It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out our newly aquired knowledge, so when we learnt all that we could possibly learn, it starts to get boring and draggy again. Day by day, we are always doing the same stuff. Alot of double work being done, alot of wastage on scotchtape, plastic wrapper.


Before roadshow.

Picking the books for the roadshow, peeling off the old price tags, stock take, tag the new price tags, pack them into cartons, fit them into a pallet of ASRS standard. Shrink wrap the cartons on the pallet.


Few days prior to roadshow.

Take the pallets out from ASRS, removed some cartons and fill the remaining pallets to a higher height to save space and trips of the trailer.


After roadshow.

Pack up, send to warehouse, repack into ASRS standard, store in ASRS. Take out from ASRS, scan titles, pack and send back to ASRS, repeat for 60 over pallets. Found error, take out pallet from ASRS, sort out the errors, return it to ASRS.

Haha. Towards the end, it got really unbearable. Its so tedious that I dread going to work.

But one thing, I really did learn quite abit there and my colleagues there are awesome.

Screwed up.

Not that I want to whine, but I am pretty pissed.

But I cannot place any bids on my modules! Not even my core modules.

I don't know whats wrong, emailing cors doesn't help because all I get is the automated reply that says thank you for your enquiry, we will get back to you ASAP.. Blah blah.

Now my allocated mods seem to have disappeared as well.

Runs runs runs.

Anyone interested in running the Standard Chartered Marathon? Its on 2nd December.
I am not talking abt running the full 42km, but doing the half marathon.

The link:
http://www.singaporemarathon.com/en/

Btw, I've signed up for the 12km competitive Sheares Bridge Run. If anyone wants to join me, the registration is still open until abt 6th Aug if i remember correctly.

Back.

Back from Taiwan! Arrived last night at about 11pm.

Never expected myself to say this, but Singapore is way cooler that Taiwan at this period. The temperature was between 35 to 39 degrees.

Went back to work and gave tuition today. Wouldn't mind some extra rest, but hey more money won't do me any harm either.

Quite shocked to hear about what happened to Siti. Condolences to her family. Although we didn't have much interactions between us, you've helped me quite abit back then.

Thank you Siti.
May you rest in peace.

Life is so fragile.

What a day.

What more can you ask for when a whole day of pictures taken on foreign soil on your camera is GONE, after your memory card crashes?

Blah.

On the brighter side, we got an extra day to go back and take more pics. =)

Away..

Dear all,
I will be in Taiwan from 1300hrs - 19th July to 2300hrs - 24th July 07. And my phone should not have autoroam, but I will probably be bringing my laptop, so might still be online, anything just contact me via email.

PS. Harris Bookfair is now opened at Suntec Convention Hall 401.

There are quite a couple of steals around, do take walk around there to check out some of the books.

However, I do find it lacking in the Non- Fiction department. (Quantity there, but quality not really there.)

So long.

Runs

12km Sheares Bridge Run anyone? Its on 26th Aug.

Not going to attempt AHM - too little training done.

Days that left and those to come.

Rather hectic week I had, I'd say.

Busy with work, runs, weights training, tuitions and finalizing the details of my trip. Its really not easy trying to keep up with the tempo of my training after work each day. Even when sometimes the workload at the warehouse is not very physically strenous, just being at work saps every ounce of energy I have, leaving me drained after work. By midweek, I already feel the strain on every single muscle that was worked.

Running up steep slopes nearing the end of my running route has always been challenging, but without fail whenever I feel like stopping, I will start humming the OCS song's chorus, "We come from OCS, we are the very best. Leading with dignity and pride. Wherever we go, people always know. Our spirit is forever more." And more often than not, I overcome the slope feeling like I just started my run. But the constant pushing has indeed benefitted me heaps.

My tutee has definitely opened up slightly more on the second lesson as compared to the first one we had. Though I do have a hard time keeping his attention. But seeing that he can do what he could not do on the first lesson made me at ease.

Remaining schedule.

OT tomorrow, training on Sat, tuition on Sun.

Work on Monday.
OT at Suntec on both Tues and Wed.
Flying off on Thursday morning.

There will be a bookfair at Suntec from the 19th until about 22nd July by Harris Book Company. The books aren't dirt cheap, but there appears to be some discount as compared to their normal retail price. Do check it out if you are interested. Many many titles of many many categories.

I will be flying off to Taipei on 19th July at 1300hrs. And will be back on the 24th 2300hrs.

Does anyone have any special request on what they want me to get for them?

NOTICE: Missing Person

Dear Viewers,

Below is the link of the details of a missing girl, Felicia Teo Wei Ling, 19.

http://poww.livejournal.com/97634.html

If you've seen her around or sth, pls contact the numbers listed on the link.

Thanks.


PS. The girl is of no relation to me, perhaps just friend of a friend of a friend.

Tuition.

Started giving a Pri 4 boy tuition at Khatib area.

Not a bad first day at work I'd say. But the boy, could be the "ex" of Na's current tutee. Haha. So coincidental right?

But anyway it was fun giving tuition. At least I think I like teaching/ passing on knowledge to people that needs help. And thanks to Jack who prompted me to go Popular to browse through the assessment books so that I could revise on the topics. =)

Looking forward to the next session.

Met Na after that and we went shopping at Borders followed by having some coffee and a Spike - D at Big O. The spike - D was not too bad but the coffee could definitely be better.

Went running just now, its always nice to run at night, especially since the weather has been pretty disgusting recently. This might sound funny, but... I just realised I can do over-grasped chin ups today. Haha. Ever since enlisting, my chin ups has been done the under-grasp way, today I finally tried the "orthodox" way and I managed an 8. I would say this is the results of hitting the gym dilligently, and I am definitely going to keep it up.

Work tomorrow. Sian.

Currently experiencing Pre-Monday Blues...

seven seven seven

Today is a very special day. A day that can only occur once every century - 070707.

I attended Rachel's wedding lunch at Riverview Hotel in the afternoon.
Rachel was Na's Accounts Manager back at Legend, but as of now she has resigned and is happily married! She changed alot since the last time I saw her, definitely slimmer and perhaps prettier? But most women do look prettier than usual on their wedding day.

The food and service there weren't that fantastic in my opinion. Perhaps its due to the special day, the standards dropped? Or high demand for fresh ingredients that led to a hike in price and Hotels, restaurants alike hiking prices to make a windfall from these newlyweds? I don't know, I don't normally have a "golden mouth", but this time I am quite disappointed at the quality when the cost isn't cheap at all.

But nonetheless, I wish you all the best in your marriage, Rachel and Mandrick. Have a blissful one. =)

After that, we got a lift from Legend's director, Randy to Cityhall. From there, we made our way to the NDP rehearsal since Na managed to get tickets from her friend, Yan. The place is quite nice, apart from being smaller than Kallang. And instead of the Kallang wave, we were doing the Marina wave! Since this year is commemorating NS40, there was a vast display of the different services on the stage. Truly spectacular I'd say. Even though today's Parade wasn't on the actual day, most of the effects were already quite facinating, especially the fireworks. I was awed by today's fireworks, I cannot imagine how WOWderful the one on the actual day would be.

Really wish to be able to attend a NDP on National day itself. I would really enjoy the atmosphere, sitting by Singaporeans of different background, celebrating our Nation's Birthday. Singing, laughing, cheering. Wow.

And as usual, listening to National day songs always make me tear.

Happy Day. Thanks dear. Love you. =)

Havent blogged in awhile

Lets talk about last week, on Monday night, Fern and Joyce had planned a surprise belated birthday celebration for Na, and of course I tagged along for the added suprise.



We had dinner at Fish and Co in Wheelock.



Some of the pics

Puffer Fish Family

Me, Na, Joyce & Fern(L - R)

Nothing much for the week apart for Thursday night's stay over at Ed's. Luke was driving us around in his black knight for dinner and supper before heading over to Ed's place for some PS3 and sending Zhongwei off at the airport after having Bk's breakfast. Haven't had such a stay over in ages and I was really tired. I was thinking if this is a sign of aging.

Saturday was East side day. We went to Changi Airport for a walk, followed by going to Kallang wanting to see fireworks. But we lingered around Geylang for quite sometime after 10pm which was supposed to be the time for the fireworks to be launched as according to what I recall.

Disappointed, we left the vicinity and as we arrived on the platform of Kallang MRT Station, we saw the fireworks!! So, it made our day still.

Sunday, was a laze at home day. Both of us busy with our own stuff, went for a 5k run in the evening. Decided to try doing some chinups to see if my gym sessions were effective. I was quite impressed with myself for still being able to do 9 chin ups after 5km. Not considering army days, but since ORD, I couldnt even muster a 10 consistently when I was still fresh, let alone after completing a 5km run. Slowly I am regaining my fitness. Just that, my 2.4 is still pretty slow. It seems I might have to do some interval training.

Anyway, a question to the gang.
Should I focus on muscle toning or muscle building? Aka, Cardio or Strength training?

Any preferred regimes? Currently I have been whacking Strength training. Does cardio training with weights get rids of the excess flabs while toning the muscle or is running to burn fats the only way?

Email

Courtesy of Ed and Jack,

My NUS email is now:

xiekaiwei@nus.edu.sg

Wanted it to be something like xie.xie@... but I think its lame haha.

Week End

Met Zhongwei and Kaiquan on Friday, had dinner at the Bubble tea place at Jubillee.

Was at AMK hub with Na yesterday.

They experienced a power failure for about half the building.

So as we were walking around NTUC, we heard this over the PA system, "We are currently having a power failure, ........ sorry for the convenience caused." I couldnt stop laughing for a while. Haha.

After that, we headed to Northpoint's Starbucks, shared a Venti Azuki Frap. Not too bad, except the caffeine level was too low.

Prior to that, Na came over to my house where we cooked Yong Tauhu again, haha, and watched Meet the Robinsons. Its a pretty nice show. =)

Sunday.
Went beaching with Na, the weather wasn't that great la, it rained when we arrived but the sun came back when we are leaving. =/ But I had a jolly good time squashing Na's head while sleeping on the bus on return journey! Hehe

Personality time.

Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:
You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education
Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:
You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

How do you view success:
You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.

What are you most afraid of:
You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

Got from buddy:
http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

PS. Jack and I seem to have rather similar personalities.

Happy birthday...

Happy Birthday mouse!

Its the eve of Na's birthday, and I went to collect the sunflower I ordered the day before.

Was actually planning to go to Kallang stadium, but the weather wasn't that fantastic, so we gave it a miss. Instead, we proceeded to watch Ocean's 13.

I didn't watch 11 nor 12, but 13 is pretty damn cool. The way they planned for the heist is simply brilliant. And the mouse is googoogaga over Brad Pitt.

After that we went for a shop around before heading to Spageddies for dinner. Reservation is good, because they reserved a very big seat for us. Ha, so the 2 of us were like occupying a table for 4 to 6. I had the Lobster and Chicken combo while Na had the grilled chicken pasta. The lobster was pretty fresh and its cooked just nice.

After dinner, we went to Funan so that I could get a wireless lan card for my desktop. And after that we made our way on foot to the Esplanade. Went to Hagen Daz for fondue. Its a big serving and its pretty expensive. Maybe because we were sitting directly under the aircon, it made the chocolate harden quite fast and it wasn't that satisfying. However, it is still nice to dip ice cream into hot melted chocolate! Yummy.

Really do hope that we will be spending many many more birthdays together. Love you dear.

Pursuit of Happiness.

Ripping this off Buddy's blog:

I just saw Ronald's nick:

How do you know when you're happy and not trying to be happy?

Indeed.

This has really sparked me thinking. Can I really be happy? What do I want in order to be happy.

A good job? A family of my own? A car? A comfortable house? A lot of money? Having a paycheck of $10k/mth?

What about scoring an A for a test? or even having a delicious ice cream? Such small events do give me a sense of happiness and fufilment momentarily, but do they add up to a greater happiness?

Na's views is that she cares more about the little happiness as she is unsure of the future.

I understand her point of view, but what I am curious about is whether anyone can be truly happy?

The pace in Singapore is pretty fast and there isnt much time for someone to take a breather. Wake up, wash up, take breakfast, work, home, dinner, wash up, sleep. - This vicious cycle goes on and on in a capitalist system. Everyone is a slave of this system, although each individual is different, but we are all mere pawns in this game of chess and can be easily replaced. With the falling birth rates, the increase in cost of living disproportionately higher than the rise in wages, the fall in rate of dependency per adult, it just gets tougher.

Many would have to work till they are in their late 60s.

Can they be happy? Will I be happy?

Will you be happy?

My Comp Arrived.

Seriously, I think a 20 inch monitor is a tad bit too big.

Good for watching movie and perhaps gaming, but otherwise, its not that friendly.

Reminiscence.

Was looking through my old documents in the comp.

And I found those reflections, appraisals and peer rankings back from cadet days.

Certainly brought back some memories of the good old days.

Gym

I've gain at least 6kg since 23rd Jan 2005. Sadly, its not muscle mass.

I am pretty determined to get back to at least how I was shaped like back then.

YCK Gym, I'll be visiting you more often.

Hmm...

A few points to discuss/inform.

Firstly, my new desktop coming in on Sat! Dell is pretty efficient, I only placed my order on Sat and they said they could deliver tomorrow. =/

Secondly, I've decided, its either make or break. I shall start going to the gym again. I wonder how many years ago was my last entry into a gym. So every tues and thurs after work I'll be going YCK Gym, if anyone wants to join me, feel free. By make or break, I mean either I make it out alive or I break my bones in the gym.

Next, regarding the Taiwan trip.
It is confirmed that we will be flying on the 19th of July which is a thursday. It will either be a 5 or 6 days trip, depending on whether we are going to Taroko Gorge/Windows of China. The 5day itinerary is out. If you want, just get from me.

I will most probably start booking lastest by early next week. So, if anyone (with another friend/girlfriend/spouse) is interested to join, just inform me and we can talk about it.

Lastly, working in a warehouse can actually be quite interesting although it might be physically demanding at some point.

And a little update on the weekend that just went by. Went to the IT Fair on sat, and its still very darn crowded. Bought my desktop there. Had a very filling dinner with Na and her mum. And went jogging at about 9pm. Its definitely much quieter at the time, and without the scorching sun, I could run further and faster than I normally do when I run near dusk.
Carried on with my lesson plan writing, this time on Performing Hand Reflexology. 1 more trainer's guide and ppt presentation to go. Of course theres another set for Post Natal Massage.

Sunday was cooking day. Although its a simple fare, its always enjoyable to cook together. Went for dinner with Na's family and I met her Da Jie's Xiao Qiang. Haha. He definitely has a better figure as compared to Mr A. And mummy is back from Malacca, with loads of food and a couple to Polo-Ts for me.

Psych VS Soci

Buddy:
Psychology is mainly the study of human cognitive behaviour while Sociology is the study of various social structures and how these structures affect our daily life and experiences? Psych mainly focus on individuals while Soci deals with individuals, microstructures such as families, macrostructures such as cities or even social systems. - Just my interpretation of Psych, because I don't really know what Psych deals with.

Anyway, To the Gang.

Can you all make it on Tues, Thurs or Fri next week? 5th,7th & 8th respectively.

Because Frank can only make it on these days, and due to some research, most of us are not feeling very rich, in fact we are very poor. So, any suggestions for a dining place thats has good food and is economical?

Updates.

Today is Vesak day. The best thing about it is that, I dont have to work. Haha

So here is a little update.

My supposed 2 week stint at Popular has been extended to early August. So I wont be jobless for this period of time. Working condition is alright and my fellow temp colleagues are very easy to get along with. Lunch bus is indeed surprising, because you do get to go to different locations everyday. With to and fro shuttle bus at Ang Mo Kio Mrt Station, what more can I ask for?

I came across some books that are kinda lame and they seem to be mocking other more popular titles.

For example, there is this series called, Barry Trotters. Obviously a parody of Harry Potter.

Another one is the following:

Lame huh?

Gang meeting later. Its always nice and delightful to meet the Gang. I think its just the camaraderie we share. Always looking forward to it. And I do realise I haven't organised one yet. So I shall do it soon. How about tomorrow? Blah. Cranky me.

Taiwan trip - some of you might already know that I am planning a Taipei trip at the end of July and I've received responses from interested parties. Frankly speaking, I wasn't expecting such a warm response la. But for the time being, I will be planning the itinerary for the trip.

What is confirmed is that, we will be flying Jetstar. Choice of hotels should be a 3 star hotel within the Ximen Ding vicinity or with a Metro station within walking distance. Which zooms in to mainly KDM, Wonstar, Paradise, Rainbow. (Only KDM and Wonstar provides breakfast.)
Won't be switching hotels in between because it is a all Taipei trip.

Based on initial planning, the estimated date of departure is between 16th July to 25th July and the expected length of stay is most probably 5D4N.

This is a free and easy trip. Transportation from airport to hotel and hotel to airport will be via shuttle buses, such as Freego Bus.

Daily transportation will be by bus, MRT and Taxis.

Based on this arrangement, the estimated cost for a Paradise hotel room (assuming 2 person to 1 room.) + 2-way air tickets inclusive of taxes (rounded off) is about SGD600 per person.

This trip was initially planned for just Na and I, so interested parties please at least come with a friend/spouse/sibling. (Try to make it a neat arrangement such that you don't have to share room with my other friends because interested parties are from my different circle of friends.)

Photos.

My all time Favourite Group!

The all time Favourite of the All time Favourite - Hebe!

Attack of the Stuffed Toys!

The Newest Member of the family - Noisy(Left)

Trees of the favourite hang out.

Results.

I'm elated with my overall results. Definitely made the right choice to switch course.

Happiness aside, I am rather disappointed with my Nation-Building results. Expected to at least maintain my previous sem's grades, but it dropped by 1 grade instead. Last sem, I got 2 B- for the class tests and got a final score of B+. This sem, I got B+ and A- for my 2 class tests, and I ended up with a B for my final.

Econs is definitely the main cause of joy, while Sociology was a pleasant surprise.

I'm just delighted.

I'm sick.

Poor Referees

Referees, are poor people who get criticized, blamed and threatened when a team loses a match. It has been on the rise it seems, managers, players, fans, legends, wonderkids, heroes, flops, Toms, Dicks and Harrys.

Are referees today so lousy? Are they not human? If you think the referee is biased or crap, f_ing get 22 referees running on the pitch to keep a close eye on every single player.

Lose it with sportsmanship even if the ref made a mistake, it can't be helped, if you think you can do his job better, then quit whining and resign as a manager or player. Sign up as a ref. See if you get any threat letters.

Irritating.

PS. No one in my family is referee.
This post is not targetted at any teams, managers, players. It is just a summary of how I feel that referees are being treated too harshly and under respected.

First Day.

Well well, first day at work.

I don't remember mentioning this, but I am working at Popular's Warehouse as a warehouse asst. And I stuck about 1000 price labels on 1000 books by hand. (I'm not exaggerating.) Now, I can proclaim I am the human price tagger!

This job is pretty stress free, zero learning value, but I do get to see some good books that are going to be put on sale at a discount price of $6. Some of these books are still for sale at its original price at Kino, Times, MPH and even some of the Popular retail outlets, so they are fairly new. Although I can't buy the books at the warehouse, I might know when and where they are going to be on sale, so if you all want any books, (that aren't too new) I might be able to tell you all when and where its going to be displayed.

They hired 4 temps, of which 3 are undergrads. Haha. Not exactly a type of job that requires undergrads in my humble opinion. One of them is Na's friend. This just amazes me, I tend to be fated to meet Na's friends who take the same modules as me or temp together with me. Haha The supervisors are nice and such, but I didn't really like the guy-who-wears-shirt-and-pants-and-never-broke-a-drop-of-sweat-guy. Whatever/whoever he is, (Either manager or something.) he's too damn proud and arrogant. He is just an AP.

Although the pay isn't very high, $5.50/hr, they have a company bus that sends us to and fro to AMK Mrt Station. They even have a bus to drive us out during lunch. What amazes me more is that, the lunch destination is different everyday in the week! And its never fixed, so you are in for a surprise everyday!

Well, it can be monotonous and get pretty boring and sweaty but well at least I'm not rotting at home.

Job!

Finally got a job after a couple of disappointing weeks.

Its funny how when nobody calls you, no one will. And when a company calls, many will follow suit. Bah. Murphy is definitely working overtime.

Yeah, starting work tomorrow. No more nuaing at home.
But I wouldn't mind playing GE abit more, lol.

Granado Espada

I've downloaded Granado Espada Pre Open Beta.
Seemed quite interesting from all the reviews and descriptions.
Not quite used to the gameplay but the graphics wasn't all that shabby at all.
A screenshot of my characters in the game. My graphics card is a Geforce4 MX420 64mb.

Fighter, Wizard, Scout

Sanity

I am not happy.

I am not in the best of moods.

I feel awful.

I feel lousy.

I feel useless.

......

I actually have no clear picture of how I am feeling now, but it seems to be a fusion of all the few feelings mentioned above. It has been awhile since I have been having such mood swings. I guess I'm perfectly normal to be feeling this way... Okay, maybe not.

Something is wrong somewhere. But I can't pin point the exact source of discomfort, it seems as if its present everywhere. EVERYTHING seems out of place. I feel as though I am being consumed by the raging fire of darkness.

I watch slowly, as the fiery fire engulfing everything in sight, yet I am powerless to stop it. I stood there rooted, defenceless against the heat of this fire, watching it charge towards me. As it draws nearer, the weaker I grew....

Before I know it, the fire has reached me. The intense heat is penetrating into my flesh as if sharpened spears piercing through me. The pain, is unbearable, but not fatal. For no one knows if I'll withstand or crumble. But one thing is certain, I've lost it.

My Sanity.

Work work work

"Work work...." exclaims the Peon when you click on him.

How I wish I can be the one to say "work work.." or even answering my boss, "yes m'lord" instead. I am utterly bored stiff being cooped up at home. I don't mind $5/hr, I don't mind being a temp warehouse assistant or even standing for long hours.

I just want to spend this freaking 2.5months left meaningfully and usefully, rather than gaming the shit out of my soul or even running out my half woreout ankles.

Exam results are going to be released soon, and I am eagerly anticipating it. For better or for worse, I'll only find out on the 26th. For me, its always better to know, than to be ignorant about it.

To Mouse:
Please think fast! Your Birthday is reaching in less than a month. I need to prepare!!!

Lobster Kai

Yes, its this time again.

Mr Xie Kaiwei is hereby declared a lobster yet again.

We had been planning to go to the beach for quite sometime already, but due to certain unforeseen circumstances, we've already postponed it quite a couple of times. And now, we have finally made it to the beach again.

We started off by taking a stroll on the beach, and we ventured onto a "platform" where many people were fishing. There the waves were extremely high, and Na was extremely facinated. She loved the waves especially when they keep coming up onto the platform. The tides were so high that many of the paths leading to the breakwater are submered.

I simply love the sun, the sea and the breeze. One major reason why I love the sun is that, I can get a tan, despite knowing that I will more likely become a lobster rather than a golden brown dude. But still, sun is good. Had a great afternoon cycling, looking at people and just enjoying each other's company.


But this happiness and bliss was not as lasting as I hoped it would be, it started to look gloomy and the breeze from the sea blew at the faster velocity and at a lower temperature. So we rode quickly and we for coffee at coffee bean again. Heh.

Had been pondering abt what to eat, but in the end we decided to head to Bedok to explore uncharted territories. And we found the mouse craved fried oyster! Haha, after a filling dinner, we headed home. =)

Happy Day.

AI & lesson plans

Writing training programmes, lesson plans and admin instructions back in those days are actually quite helpful.

At least it has helped me with my current tasks on hand.

Meeting with the Gang.

Finally meeting with the gang after quite sometime.

Had dinner over at Sakae and I had my usual fare - Unatama Don. I have no idea why, but I just simply adore eels. Not those electric ones that shock you, but those served on a platter.

Had a good time talking cock, chit chatting at Sakae, sitting by the benches at Lido enjoying Hot Fudge Sundae.

Watched Summer Palace, and frankly speaking, it pretty much got me lost in translation. I'd give 0.5/5 for it.

My darling is sick, take care dear. Sleep tight.
Things are not going very well for you in school, but bear in mind that I'm here. I'll be there being the tree that stands tall, sheltering you from rain, shine or hail. Loves.

West Ham

Well, West Ham is staying in the Premiership.

I'm pretty happy with that, although I am a Man Utd fan, I always have a soft spot for West Ham. I simply love to see Di Canio play back then.

Btw, was rewriting my grandma's phonebook for her. And to my horror, my standard of chinese has deteriorated beyond my expectations. I can't even write some simple words. Only 1 word to describe myself - Horrible.

Need to start reading chinese newspapers already.

On the brighter side, my English is picking up.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers!

Went down to town pretty aimlessly. Was roaming around without an objective in mind, therefore I visited like 4 of the different toilets in Wisma and Taka just to wash my hands.

After the mad roam, I suddenly thought of going Kino to read some books. So off to Kino I went, had so many books I wanted to buy. But since I am currently jobless, I decided that if I needed to buy a book, I'd to choose the best out of the various good books I shortlisted.

In the end, I picked the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I'd read the teens version of the book and I liked it quite alot, so I shall read the grown up one now. After finishing Freakonomics that is.

While I was shopping for books, there was this lady(first impression)that came up to me to ask me for help looking for some book. She seemed really friendly and nice, so I helped. And after which we conversed for awhile and she asked if I were a student since I look like one. (For once, someone thought I didnt look THAT old.) And in the end, I found out that she is a Vietnamese and was an ex-yr 4 student in Computing. Now awaiting her commencement. Well, what a coincidence.

Didn't talk much, and I left for home. On the way I did see many huge bags of LV, Chanel all around town.

Dinner was a buy back feast. We have been doing this for quite sometime already. We will just go downstairs, ta pao different food from different stalls and just dig in. Its quite nice, I mean you don't have to smell smoke, don't have to wait for people, don't have to get chased out of restaurants because today is a PEAK DAY, etc.

Job applying that yields no return can be very demoralising. Luckily, I can busy myself with my books, after completing the project tasked upon me from my Aunt.

Junkie in the making

I've been a computer junkie lately. I've been applying to countless number of jobs seeking temp staff for admin/hr/acct assistants, but to no avail. Although the job requirement doesnt state gender as a prerequisite, I think females have a much higher chance in landing those jobs. Oh well, the search continues.

Been receiving a lot of calls from unknown numbers, always hoping for someone from some job agency/company calling me for an interview or something. But no, all the calls I received are for surveys, investments and loans.

I was so bored I'd completed 3 seasons of football manager with Juventus and got them promoted back to Serie A and currently playing in the Champions' League.

Time to switch target, and forget about desk bound jobs at the moment.

I have been spending much of my not-being-a-junkie-time exercising, time to get back in shape.(Although I was never shapely.) Been running around the same route for quite sometime now, but it just seem to get more foreign. People dont give way to joggers anymore, I have to stop countless number of times per run just to get past them. Cant they see I am charging towards them like a bull?

All they do is happily chit their chat, talk on the phone, stare at me as I charge towards them. (And I dont mean those who don't have situational awareness, I am talking about those who see/ have seen/ or are staring at me.) How I wish I were mean enough, to ram into them with my sweat soaked singlet, sharing my persiration with all of them. That'll teach them to give way to joggers.

Bah, I am bored.

So is Tuesday still on?

Donuts

Wtf, blogger is screwed up lor.

But anyway, this is my re-post.

Brought my mum to the doctor in the morning, and I am glad that all the pain and ailments are just symptoms of stress and lack or rest rather then something cancerous.

Took Sunny to the carwash in preparation of parting with her since my contract for temporary ownership is expiring.

Went to queue for donuts at the donut factory! And I saw buddy, or rather he saw me, again.
I've been wondering, how come its always him who sees me first? Am I that blur? Haha. It was thoughtful of Jack to offer to queue for me so that I could go relieve myself or grab a bite or he could help me buy a drink etc. Thanks buddy. But I think SAF trained us well, in terms of standing. Haha. But it did occur to me that, a field chair could come in handy the next time I join in the activity that Singaporeans love most - queue.

Well, for those who are unaware of the layout of the place, I'll do a rough sketch of it below.





The queue is basically split into 3 sections, namely Q1, Q2, Q3.
W1 and 2 are the walkways for other patrons in Raffles City.

I joined the queue at the end of Q2 which is just outside Crumpler, and it took me almost 2 hours to reach the start of Q2. And I finally got my 18 donuts after a bit more than 2.5hrs.

Do be prepared to wait for an additional 30mins just to get the donuts of your choice.
Na seems delighted to receive them. Haha. Thats all it matters.

They come in boxes of 6 and 12.
You can buy them individually as well.
Do note that 1 person can only buy a maximum of 24.

So, is it worthwhile?

My verdict:
It will have to depend on the individual. Personally I am no donut lover, but the donuts are indeed pretty yummy. Not the conventional donuts, which are a tad too plain looking and slightly too hard.

The "Kou Gan" is definitely there and some are just adorable. Not someone with sweet tooth? They have salty ones as well.

A must try if you ADORE donuts. Else, you can give it a miss.

P.S.
Bring a chair/ person. If you must be alone, for whatever reason, bring a good book.

And, perhaps giving it as a gift could buy you into the good books of that person. It might even win you the heart of the girl you love.

Look out for queue cutters (Be it act blur or simply too blur), because since the queue is split up, some people might not see that there is a queue behind.

Missed.

Today was a good boy day.

I drove my mum to IMM, and it has really been quite a while since we'd gone out together. Bought groceries, tidbits and etc. Didn't do much there actually, just roamed around before coming home.

Had a pretty exciting wait at Na's voiddeck just now.

While I was waiting for Na to come back from work, this Indian uncle in a drunken stupor came up to me and struck an engaging conversation with me. It got to a point that I got sick and tired of him talking in circles, because the alcohol in him seemed to have taken full control over him. So I took a chance to bid farewell and took a walk to the kopitiam to take a leak.

At this time, Na came back and we missed each other and I carried on waiting. Haha.

But now I am back and its abt time I went to bed. Nights.

Its over!

Finally, the last of my papers.

That marks the end of my 2nd semester in NUS.

I've been pretty much alone during this sem, but it seems that the myth that you don't need a friend in Uni is quite true.

Although I survived it, it wasn't without difficulty.


But as of now, let me take a break and indulge in this moment of serenity.

One more.

Finally, its down to this day.
The eve of the end of my exams.

Stats here I come.

Bah, Man Utd lost, but I kind of expected it anyway.

But, please win at Man City. Hopefully the loss at San Siro made you hunger for the Premiership trophy and more focused on it.

Arsenal, you still have a chance at fourth if you beat Chelsea at Emirates.

Liverpool through to Athens on shootout.

Although I'm a hardcore Man U fan, after the emergence of Chelsea with their Billionaire boss, and their arrogant manager, Jose Mourinho, I'd became less critical of Liverpool and Arsenal even though they are still bitter rivals of Man Utd.

Was watching the shootout of the match on dailymotion and I must say, Reina is simply fantastic. Liverpool is a very good team and their penalty taking is superb. I've always feared Man Utd having to face Liverpool in a shoot out.

But perhaps it is partly due to playing the game at Anfield that made it easier for Pool to win the shootout. It might be a different result if it were at Stamford bridge, but still, credit to Pool.

Hoping for a Man Utd - Liverpool showdown.

Drive

My Aunt and granny went to Turkey yesterday. And I strongly believe that I saw Maj Ben Looi at the airport with his wife. I think they are going to Istanbul as well. Since I saw them checking in along the same row as my aunt.

Since my aunt isn't in town, she left her car to me. And I brought my mum, uncle, aunt in law on a trip to NUS. Haha.

The primary aim of the trip was to familiarize myself on how to drive to campus. And showing them the campus was secondary. But it was a fruitful trip since everyone was happy and I finally know how to drive to school, after getting lost in my previous attempt.

Extremely tired, but I can't get to sleep. I'm having insomia! =/

Might as well use this time to do some revision for my upcoming Econs and Stats papers.

2 more.

I've outdone myself today.

I wrote 17 pages for my Nation-Building exam.

(Hopefully content is positively correlated to grades.)

Now my wrist hurts, haha.


Sadly, my 2nd Philo essay wasnt as well done as my first one. But I'm quite alright with the final paper, hopefully my interpretation of things are good. =)

810?

Guess everyone is in 810 after all.

Abit of mixed feelings being posted there.

I'm sure you guys know what I mean.


Currently reading: Defending the Lion City.
(What a coincidence.)

Place or Nation?

If I choose to become a member of a nation because it gives me a good job and lifestyle, I am really interested in that nation only as a place, and it makes sense if one day I leave it for another place which can offer me superior conditions and opportunities.

It is when I stick around when a place cannot guarantee me a good life, or I am concerned about the welfare of others in that place, and try to improve things even at a risk to my own good life (say, I join the political opposition), that I can say I am of the nation, and not just the place.

(Lim, Linda. 2006. "Singapore:Place or Nation?" The Straits Times, June 19th)

Linda Lim is a Professor of strategy at the Stephen M.Ross School of Business and director of the Centre for South-east Asian studies, University of Michigan.

Library

NUS Central library is increasingly becoming less conducive for revision to take place.

1 down

Yeap, it has finally come to this day.

The start of the exams. As usual I could not sleep last night. I dont know if it is because I am to nervous or is it due to my bio clock being screwed up because over the past week I've been sleeping past 2am.

But all that is over because I've finished my soci paper. Its not very difficult if well studied and read. But Murphy is not on my side again as those topics which I paid more attention to didnt come out as questions. But luckily, last minute reading while commuting to school was pretty helpful.

Generally I'm quite pleased.

4 more to go.

Personality time

Kaiwei took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "Has a powerful drive towards sensuousness...." Click here to read the rest of the results.

The Phantom of the Opera

Today was a nice day out!

Pretty enjoyable, although if it were after my exams I would have enjoyed it several times more. But still, its a nice day out!

Met Na at Yishun and made our way to the Esplanade, since we were early, we had a little snack along the way at the Mini Coffeeshop at the Citylink Mall. After that, we went for a little walk inside the Esplanade Mall before entering the theatre.

Just looking at the theatre from the door was quite exciting for both of us, since we've never been to such a setting before. The horseshoe shaped theatre is a great sight and experience for me. The seats arent all that comfy, I would gladly say a GV seat is much better as compared to a seat in the theatre.

Us in the theatre

The musical started pretty on time and without much introduction. Here I must pay tribute to Zhongwei for telling me part of the storyline back during last sem. Therefore I managed to catch most of what the play was about. Although I do not consider myself a very artistic person nor am I someone who really appreciates the fine arts and musicals, this experience was simply sensational.

The singing, dancing, music, acting were gorgeous beyond words. A beautiful concoction and it has seriously helped developed my interest in musicals.

Our favourite scene was the part at the lake where the Phantom and Christine are on a boat.

During the interval, we went to the foyer to buy some souvenirs, I got a program guide while Na got a brooch.

Tickets, brooch, brochure, program guide.

After the end of the show, we left and got someone to help us take a picture at the poster outside the theatre. (I think I look abit cock.)

Poster outside the theatre

So after the whole thing we went to buy Na's pants and meet her Miss B to get her textbook. Following that, we decided to check the donut shop out and to our horror, the queue was about twice as long as the last time we came. =/ We gave it a miss yet again, and went for dinner at Sakae and we had sushi, temaki, chawamushi etc plus the paper steamboat thing which was quite a hit. The soup was clear and light - very appetizing.

Left for Marina Square after that. We didnt do much there besides roaming around and Na getting herself a pretty chain from Diva. After that, we shared a creme brulee espresso chiller at Gloria Jeans. A pretty good recommendation by Na! =)

Went home after that.

Guilty guilty guilty!
Haha, exams on monday and I didnt study today. =/ Nevermind, I'm good and I can overcome the odds. *flex

Phantom.

I'm pretty excited about tomorrow.

I'm going to watch The Phantom of the Opera with Na!

This will be the first time I go into the Esplanade Theatre and my first time watching a musical as well.

Excitement is hard to contain.

But excitements aside, exams are just round the corner. I just have this feeling I'm not well prepared enough. =/

Reunion.

Had a mini la kopi/ supper session with some of the guys from Charlie - Ben, Tingneng, Weihao, Shanni, John.

Its nice to have a reunion like that once in awhile especially since it has been more than a year since I met most of them.
We even had a talk on WoW, its making me want to start Wowing all over again. =/

Drinks were free, courtesy of the uncle at S11.

Sometimes, I really have this feeling that, life is damn tough in Singapore. But nonetheless, everybody is too absorbed in this capitalist system and finding it difficult to get out of it. Especially once you get married and bought your own flat, you are constantly bugged down by bill paying, pay off your house. This makes the majority of Singaporeans asset rich and cash poor, and many have barely enough left to save for their retirement. Who knows, our next retirement age witll be 75.

Extractions from my philo text with regards to old age.

It started with Socrates asking Cephalus about what is life like to be old.

Cephalus then recalls from his meetings with his other aged friends that how they long for the pleasure of youth and reminisce about sex, drinking and feasting like everyone else.

He then added the following.

A poet named Sophocles was asked, "How's your sex life - can you still make love to a woman?"

His reply," Be quiet, I'm glad to be done with all that. I'm like a slave who has escaped from a crazy brutal master."

Then followed by this.

Old age certainly seems to bring tranquility and freedom, when the fierce passions relax their grip on us, then, we escape the clutches not just of one crazy master but a whole gang of them.
All these complaints are due to one cause - not old age, but a man's character. If a man is calm and happy, he wont mind the weight of old age on his shoulders. If he isn't, both age and youth alike will be unbearable.

Monday night.

Na was nice to drop by over to accompany me during her elongated lunch break. She brought her lunch to share with me as well. =)

We met up as planned in the evening for tomatoing, dinner and paper shopping! Went to the Red Tomatoes shop to exchange something and we went to the Sumo House - Cheapest japanese food in Singapore.

I had a Chicken Teriyaki Bento while Na had a Salmon Teriyaki Bento. But the standard of the food is just simply okay? I cannot find a good word to describe it, but for its price, you cannot complain. They even had free flow of green tea that smell like green tea but taste like plain water. What more can you ask for? But of course, the Jap food back in Techno Edge and The Deck are so much better.

Next we made our way to PS, so that she could visit her favourite shop there - Made with love. Its the paper shop that sells alot of paper and accessories for people to make cards and scrapbooks. And guess who we say there?

Its Joanne Peh. We didnt know its her until I noticed a few people staring over in my direction. Then I realised, the person that I "rubbed shoulders" with is Joanne Peh. She is really darn tall and attractive by my standards.

After that we went Carrefour before heading home. After I alighted from the train, I saw Ben Huang from Charlie and realised that he has an ICT this June at PLC for a 84mm refresher course. And he is going to go RT because he is lazy to train for his IPPT. Haha.

And most importantly, revision is bad. Not going according to plan.

Reading week.

I love the reading week for the fact that I get to read my stuff all over again.

Thats because I love reading.

And through reading, I get to see interesting quotes and learn new words that I can deposit in my Vocab bank.


Something I saw from my Sociology Text (Sociology: Your Compass for a New World):

Globalization is a schoolboy in Bombay, India, listening to Bob Marley on his MP3 player as he rushes to slip into his Levis, wolf down a bowl of Kellogg's Basmati Flakes, and say goodbye to his parents in Hindi because he's late for his English language school.
(Brym and Lie, 2007)

Any sweat?

I've always been curious why I perspire much more than normal people.

Now that I've just finished a good run, I suddenly remembered my ever present concern over my excessive perspiration.

So I wiked it. And this is what I've found:

However, anxiety can
exacerbate the situation for many sufferers. A common complaint of patients is
that they get nervous because they sweat, then sweat more because they are
nervous.

Hyperhidrosis can either be generalized or localized to specific parts
of the body. Hands, feet, axillae, and the
groin area are among the most active regions of perspiration due to the
relatively high concentration of sweat glands; however, any part of the body may
be affected. Primary hyperhidrosis is found to start during adolescence or even
before, and interestingly, seems to be inherited as an autosomal
dominant genetic trait.

(Retrieved on 14/04/07 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthermia)

Exactly what I am going through. Especially the nervous part.

And the sad thing is, there is no cure for it, just treatment, and often the side effect of treatment is anhidrosis.

Given my rare talent of emitting so much heat when I work out, If I suffer the lack of sweat, I'll probably suffer from hyperthermia. So I guess I have to live with sweating.

Any sweat?

Alot alot of sweat.

At this point in time, I am still radiating heat. Haha.

Our New Love

I'm a bitch.

I'm in a bitchy mood today, probably because I am feeling sticky due to the excessive pespiration due to nothing in particular.

So I shall bitch about a couple of stuff.

Firstly, school stuff.
An Email from my Philosophy Lecturer, Associate Prof John Holbo:

Dear PH1101EGEM1004 students,

This is a bit late, I realize, but it has come to my attention that a number of students have not submitted their blog posts with their second papers.
..........
......
Turning it in is easy. Just print out in a clear enough format to be readable by your tutor. Cut&paste off the blogs.
.......
And do it today. (Yesterday, if possible.) We have to submit this stuff soon.

Its a pretty simple instruction that was iterated like more than 10 times? Lectures, module blogs, tutorials.

Why cant NUS undergrads follow such simple instructions?

I think my Prof is being too nice.


Next thing is regarding my economics make up lecture.
There is this guy seated behind me, which happens to be from my tutorial group as well. He whines and whines and whines and whines and whines that today's lecture was a waste of time throughout the lecture. And he just keeps talking/'xianing' to the girl beside him.

Maybe you are damn smart. But if you want to whine and flirt, please leave the lecture theatre. No one begged you to stay for the lecture. And what more, you are fucking disgusting looking and I think my test results were double of yours.


Secondly, I've been observing this for a long time, when people board the bus, 4 of 10 pounce on to their seats like predators to prey, creating such an impact onto the seat that could virtually knock out a human if they were to use such force on them.

Sooner or later, these seats are going to break, its not built to resist that kind of impact.

Third, events on the train.
When I was enroute to school this afternoon, there was this family of 2 school going kids together their father. Its probably after school and they are going home, what I could not stand is that, the kids are playing with each other, pushing each other, knocking into every other person, running around the carriage.

I'm fine with it that the father did not stop or reprimanded them, but he played with them.


As my train arrived at Jurong East Interchange while going home, we walked towards the train on the middle track. Theres an old man walking in front of me, so I could not walk fast. But there is this constant pushing coming from the back. And when I turned back , I realised the culprit that kept pushing me was a man in his early 30s, dressed up in business shirt and wearing a tie. He was rushing and rushing to catch that seat that was calling out to him.


Hello??!! What's wrong with people these days.

Maybe its just me.

A quickie.

Just a quick blog before I head for school for a make up Economics lecture.

I'm impressed with what our PM is doing, by donating his next 5 years pay increment to charity. As what Qy said, as a leader it is very good for him to lead by example.

But we Singaporeans, being not exactly the nicest people in the world probably have other opinions. Some might say, its just a ploy(the whole pay increment thing + the donation) created to display his benevolence; while some might expect other ministers to follow suit.

But on the whole, I am glad that we have a capable government then and now. I hope our government will always be as capable if not better.

And to let monetary rewards be the main driving force for people to stand up and lead Singapore, is not the best way to do things. Because these people would just leave IF Singapore ever suffers a declining economy.

But we still need to compensate these willing parties their opportunity costs of not being a leader in our government. As long as the wage level moves together with the economy, I do not see a problem. But a growing Gini coefficient is not a good thing though.

In my point of view of the politics in Singapore, our ruling party has accumulated alot of surpluses in terms of political legitimacy since independence. But over the recent years, policies implemented have not been well taken by the masses. In my opinion, it is crucial for them to rethink some policies that will be popular with the masses. Perhaps being more sensitive towards timing of policies implementation. Because I am sure, the GST hike and Top Civil Servant pay rise have dealt a sever blow towards their political legitimacy and popularity.

Off to school. Damn, it looks dark and stormy.

Taiwan's plug

Taiwan's Plug

UEFA Champions League

UEFA European Champions League

4/4/07
As Roma 2 - Manchester United 1

10/4/07
Manchester United 7 - As Roma 1

Aggregate: Man Utd 8 - As Roma 3


My red devils are simply too hot to handle.

With both, Chelsea and Manchester United through to the semis, and Liverpool most likely through unless they get a freak 4-0 lost at Anfield. It has been awhile since 3 English Clubs made it to the semis.

Dreams?

Quoting Qiyang: "i pointed out to ben the mercedes slk n BMW 6 series parking in the carpark.."

I know its lame, but it sounds as if he was addressing the mercedes as ben. (Mercedes Benz)
ie, Ben the mercedes, Bob the builder? Haha

Another quote:
"dun noe if my thinking is right..to all, pls feel free to comment...cos need someone to correct me jus in case my thinking is wrong n i din realise it."

Since you've requested, I'll give you my 2 cents worth.

To Qiyang:

It is good of you to aim high, just like I always tell people to aim for the unreachable.
Because, if your aim fails you, you most likely wont be too far off from the mark. And if you ever reach the unreachable, you've accomplished quite a feat. (I've heard numerous variations of this from alot of different people.)

To me, life has simple meaning. Live yours to the fullest, because you only live once. If you don't fight for what you desire, life for you is just being a single nut or a bolt in this huge capitalist machinery.

To appreciate your self worth is very important. If you don't even believe in yourself, you will never be able to convince people to believe in you. To benchmark your personal worth with income is very logical in comtemporary society. Even the Singapore government realises the need to use monetary rewards to entice capable people to lead the country. Thus this illustrates a very strong and positive correlation between capability and income.

In my opinion, dreams are vital as you progress on in life. While some people claims that dreams make you despair, because you won't ever meet them if you set too high a target.

I choose to believe that, if I don't make it, so be it. Life goes on. I won't keep dragging my feet for 5 years. Look on the bright side, at least you've tried your best, what more, its a dream. The dreams you have at night are most often unrealistic as well.

I think having dreams/setting aims is alot like navigation exercises. They give you a guide line to follow, similar to us plotting our way to the target destination. If the vegetation is too thick to proceed? Make a detour and try to get to the same check point. Lost your way? Back track and find a prominent feature and proceed on from there. If it still does not work out, we can always skip to the next check point or try until ENDEX.

I have many different dreams at the various points of my life.

At this point in time,
I want to get a Ph.D in Economics.
I hope to work in the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/ World Bank and do my best in reducing the rising income disparity and increasing poverty in the world.
I dream about being a Nobel Laureate in Economics.
Being awarded an Honour from the Order of the British Empire (OBE). KBE/GBE in particular if I ever get a chance to serve in Britain.

Dreams like that may sound so distant, and they can probably happen only at a probability of 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000001%

But nevertheless, I dare to dream. Do you?

Just some numbers.

"We don't want people to join us because of the pay. But neither do we want people not join us because of the pay." - Minister-In-Charge of the Civil Service Teo Chee Hean.


It takes about 44 years for my parents collectively to earn what a minister earn in a year.
It takes about 88 years for my mother/dad to earn what a minister earn in a year.

It takes my parents collectively 88 years to earn what the Prime minister earns in a year.
It takes my mother/dad 176 years to earn what the Prime minister earns in a year.

I wonder how many years I have to work upon graduation if I benchmark my annual income with that of the top personnels serving in the Public Service?

Packing

I've got a splitting headache, I've no idea why I have such frequent headaches recently.

Thus, I've decided to pack my stuff instead of trying to make my head feel worse by cramming shitload of info into it.

One thing that still amazes me up till now is that, no matter how many 3 bins of junk I throw away/give away every few months, I still do not see my stuff decreasing when I don't buy anything.

But I did find 1 personal antique!
Brace yourself people......
.....
....
...
..
.

Presenting to you, my 1 and only ever console game.

The gameboy!!!!!

Still remember I was that cool kid in block with the Gameboy! Looking at it brings back nostalgic memories.
Haha... I think I'll just keep it so that I can show my kids what I play with when I was a little boy.

Fun fun fun...

I woke up feeling the sun's ray shining warmly on me.
With such a sunny weather it simply brightens up my day.

Happily I had my breakfast and got ready to meet Na to go to the beach!

As usual, we met at YCK mrt to take 76 all the way to East Coast Park. She lost her shades on the bus. But luckily it wasnt very expensive, but its alright, we can always buy another pair for her.

Had lunch at the "usual place" before we made our way to the beach. It was still bright and sunny while we were lunching. Upon our arrival, the sky became gloomy and gradually it started raining. So did my mood.

But at least we managed to take a pic of our footprints!

Big foot + Small foot = Happy Feet?

After that, we had a large Mochachino at Mc Cafe while I tried reading my Reason & Persuasion text while Na tried to do some cross stitching.

The sun never came back.



We made our way to the Cheesecake Cafe at 685 Siglap Road at about 5pm.

Just 1 word.
Mesmerising.

Part of the deco in the Cafe.

The ambience is very nice. Very romantic as well.
I dont usually enjoy cheese cakes alot, but the cheese cakes there are heavenly. We had a Peach Jelly Cheese cake and a Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake.

Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake.

After that, we made our way to Parkway Parade.
It has really been awhile since I've been there. If I remember correctly, the last time I've been there was when I was between 10 to 12? My uncle used to bring me there to play when I stayed over at his house at Pasir Ris then.

It has changed alot, very modern and it appears to have almost everything you need. Nice place to hang out in, think we've yet to finish exploring the place.

Ulcer behind my upper lip is disgustingly pain.
Something funny happened, I was eating a sour orange, so sour, that I swallowed the seed by mistake instead of the orange.

I foresee an orange tree growing out of my tummy!

Blame here blame there blame everywhere.

Fan trouble in European Champions League matches.

Italian politicians blames English.
- Blames Man Utd board for telling fans to avoid hot spots in Rome. (That apparently sparked off tensions. ) Seriously, I don't quite see a very OBVIOUS link.
- Englishmen drink too much. They get violent when they are drunk. (Who doesnt?)

English blames police.
-Italian police said to be too violent with dealing with English fans and still continued to club the fan even as he laid on the floor unconscious.

__________________________________________

For heaven's sake, this is a football match. A SPORT.

We are not in a fucking boxing game. Nor are we in Parliament.

Where the hell is sportmanship?

I've got the solutions to this problem.


1)
Impose laws to make all football matches played under close doors.
-Good mah, clubs cannot earn revenue from ticketing, then they wont be so rich, then reduce the disadvantages bet. top clubs and the bottem clubs.

2)
Since football violence usually occurs bet. English and Italian teams, ban both country's clubs from UEFA Champions League.
-Simple right?

3)
Make fans apply for License to go to stadiums,
They must be
- checked for mental problems,
- aggression/ violent behaviour
- have a demerit point system (once you commit an offence, you get demerit points and when all your points are deducted, you are banned from matches for 3 years, before can apply again.)
- prohibit fans from drinking, if you are a fan, don't drink.

4)
Ban alcohol.

Altruism?

Saw this link from Ed's blog.

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/04/05/be-mindful-of-the-affective-gap/

What Catherine Lim has written is exactly the feeling that I've been wanting to express.
I couldn't have said it better myself.

But there's one striking point that I have resigned to:
We Singaporeans are bred to be pragmatic, success-driven, and we desire material well-being in this meritocracy.

The higher up you are on this ladder of merit, the more you expect to get out of it.

What I see is that, altruism is hardly alive in contemporary Singapore.

Lets face it, we aint living in a utopia. Everyone here is pretty much pragmatic and individualistic.

Deadlines....

With the end of my Nation-building CA2, it marks the end of all my tests and deadlines to meet.

What lies ahead is the Exams and the R&R after it.

As of now, I've been exceptionally happy with my results so far in my term tests and papers. If this keeps up right to the exams, I'll be a very happy man. And it will mean I am 1 step closer to both my short and long term goals.


But the better I do now, the more pressure I have on myself in the final exams.

Recollections

All of a sudden, while I was on my way to school.

I just had this feeling.

I miss my Charlie Plt 9 boys.


Guokai
Kim Guo
Stephen
Kum Siong
Rizuan
Khaliff
Rashidi

Joshua
Naz
Mizan
Hairul
Sara
Jeffery
Panny

Thoman
Ghan
Kang wei
Kenneth
James
Fazli
Iman
Arjuna
Wen Guang

Zee Keong
Asri
William
Nicholas
Kelvin
Kenny
Chandru
Jeremy
Firdaus

Coercion? Or Threat?

Online Feedback Exercise.


Point Number 4.

Graduate students, Dentistry, Law and Medicine undergraduate students who do not participate in the feedback exercise will only be able to access their results via the internet five days after the release of the examination results.


Although it doesn't affect me, it doesn't seem very nice.

Slope.

Finally had the chance to see the evening sun.

Went for a run.

Just 1 comment, the slope outside St. Nicholas is pretty darn steep.

While forcing myself to overcome it, I cant help but recall, the slope outside Delta Wing.
S.Sgt Philip, LTA Tiger and Sam will make sure those who didnt get Gold, do their slope runs every morning. Haha.

And I've finished my Philosophy Paper! Boo Yeah

Looking back.

Its Pondering Time again, this time with the occasional munching of chips.

I've been looking back at my own past.

On the 29th Oct 1985, I was born. My name was given to me by my Aunt.
Kaiwei - Victorious and Impressive thats what it means.

Being the only child with both parents working, I was always under the care of my Maternal grandparents. Although I didnt take their surname, they still showered me with tons of tender loving care. Being the only grandson for 15 years was kind of a luxury!

I started my kindergarten at the local PAP kindergarten. I was topping my class until I was about Primary 4. After that I slowly went on a decline! Haha. I was also a Model student back in Hong Dao Primary, claiming 2 Model student of the year awards!

Took my PSLE and gotten an aggregate of 241, got into Ang Mo Kio Secondary School.
Wasnt a very sociable person I must say, was afraid of talking to girls up till about Sec 3. (And I've been in a mix school for like 8 years by then. If you dont count kindergarten.) Didnt play sports, cant kick a soccer ball or bounce a basketball for nuts sake. The only thing I was good at was badminton, sadly I've still retained my standard at it. (Its not good, I didnt improve.) I was all along an average student then, being consistently in the 29th-40th position in class.

The climax came during the 1st semester in Sec 2. I was last in class. Never had I occupied that position, I was so down and deflated. Somehow I managed to push myself beyond that, by the end of the year I was 21st in class. I still got to the "worst" sec 3 express class.

I didnt do quite well in Secondary 3 - 4 as well. I had a consistent B3 to A1 grades for most of my subjects, apart from A-maths which is usually an F. I gave up on it, I was absent for it during the O's. Gotten a prelim results of 20, I went to YJ for my 1st 3 months of JC life. Met this bunch of wonderful people that is from my orientation group, Aeneas. And of course not forgetting my wonderful Na! Life in YJ was full of adventure and excitment! I didnt attend school more than 1 month, most of the time I skipped school with 3 other people. Haha. Played pool, played pool and played more pool. =/ That year, my grandfather died from cancer.

After getting back the O's result, I headed to SRJC to carry on the rest of my JC life. Life there was okay, I've got this bunch of wonderful classmates and friends. Somehow by some weird stroke of luck, I became the President of IT Club, although I only joined the Club because my friend pulled me in. Wasnt that good in man management then, but I would still say I didnt do quite badly. Still had the same problem with Maths C, never passed it throughout J1. I promoted to J2 with grades like D,E,F.

Had changes made to our teachers. From 2 HODs, we were given 2 Subject heads. I didnt like Alex Lum, but Kwek was not too bad. Mr Kwek showed alot of patience in teaching the few of us that were CMI in maths. And with the introduction of Statistics, I've managed to pull off an AO pass in the Mid Year Exams. At prelims I've gotten an E for Maths and finally in the A's, I've gotten a B for it. So it was the end of JC.

Ended up in army as a chao recruit. Spent my first 4 months in Foxtrot Coy, Plt4. Didnt really keep in contact with friends I've made then. Was pretty excited that I managed to pass my IPPT at the end of it. Because I didnt pass it since P4. Haha.

Time to go beyond a recruit, I managed to make my way to OCS, a place which changed my life tremendously. A place where camaraderie was at its best. A place where guys, really bond together. Learnt alot from each other and from our instructors. At this place "The Gang" was forged. A really wonderful phase of my life.

Commissioned, went to 6SIR. Had a totally different perspective of life then. I finally saw people of different walks of life. I had to earn their respect and fast. Because my upper studys were gone in 24hours and my PS, Liao is only a week older than me in the Plt. I've changed some lives, and the feeling is great. Although this feeling didnt last long, it still made me a better man. Committed an error and life falls apart. "The Gang" further strengthened. ORDed.

Got a temp job at John Little. Had my first ever working experience. So happy that I can put that in my Resume. Learnt to handle tough customers and see the ugly side of many Singaporean shoppers.

GOT ADDICTED TO World Of Warcraft! Which is not a good thing.

Entered NUS, kind of loss there on the first day, but luckily I saw Zhongwei. Ever since, I've stuck to him like bees to honey for my first semester. My class was a wonderful lot. Friendly and nice. Became 21, time to grow up and worry about my future. Because I worry, I decided to change to Arts (Econs). I believe this is a great change, and it better be...

So now, its time for me to go do some revision for my coming test....

Signing off.

Kai.

Fancy a good argument?

Once again I've stolen something from Ed's blog.

Best of all I love the straightforward and frank type of people
who fall into the third category and engage people in meaningful
conversations. I never shy away from a good argument and I love to
observe the viewpoints of others, accepting and finding flaws in my own and
learning in the process. Many people have opinions and its only when you express
them can you make a change and difference to what we do, who we are and
ultimately where we are going.

Vexillum (http://www.edkieu.com/blog/) (Retrieved on 31/03/07)

Personally I wouldnt want to go into an argument with Edgar, good or bad. Why?

Because you cannot win! Save your efforts. Haha.

Finally.......

I've finally completed my 2nd Philosophy paper. Sending in a draft tmr.
After many days of pondering and thinking, I hope I've made sense of my paper. But after reading for so many times, I do not seem to find it VERY Philosophical.

But I am suppose to apply Mill's fundamental principle to real life events. Hmm, I'm confused.

If I've confused myself, lets hope my tutor will enlighten me soon enough.


And now.

Time to enjoy a good night rest.

Home networking.

I've just set up my home network.

And I'm loving it.

DBS IB Secure.

If any of you reading my blog happen to have a DBS Internet Banking Acct, and have the DBS IB Secure device, please take extreme care of it.

Mine dropped on the floor from table height and the result? - The LCD cracked.

There is a replacement charge of $20/- exclusive of GST.

But look on the bright side, the customer service officer was friendly and polite. And thats the first time I've encountered a male cust. service officer.

But oh well.

And I found and terminated the mosquito that was sucking my blood. But not before getting myself another 7 more bites..

What Irony.

"Ding Donggg..." my doorbell rang.

I opened the door and saw a man from the National Environment Agency.

He claimed he was here to check for possible breeding spots for mosquitoes and asked if I had any problems with mosquitoes at home. And told me of a Dengue case in my neighbourhood.

So I brought him around and he was quite pleased with the result.

Just as I was leading him out of the house, I felt an itch at my thigh and now that I'm touching/scratching my thigh, I realised it was a mosquito bite. =/

Smurfs are COMMUNISTS!

Smurfs. the cute blue creatures that sing cute songs are actually commies!

Check it out:
http://www.iamlost.com/features/smurfs/commies.shtml

Power Naps.

And the winner is MIDDAY SNOOZE!

Corporate culture has it wrong:
When you snooze, you win!

A daytime doze is a stress buster and heart protector. Just 30 minutes midday, three times a week, is all you need. Middle-aged working men who did just that cut their risk of a fatal heart attack and other heart problems by a whopping 37 percent.

Although the study focused on working men, women would probably benefit as well. Naps are a great stress reducer. You've heard how stress can damage your health, but how it causes heart disease remains unclear. Blame the stress hormones that course through

Roll over to enlarge your veins when you are under pressure. Researchers think these hormones may damage organs, glands, and blood vessels. Or bad influence could be at fault, because stress can drive you to unhealthy behaviors like smoking, overeating, and skipping your workout. What is clear about stress: Pressure-cooker jobs increase your chances of accumulating risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. So for sweet dreams and a more relaxed (and happier) you, do as the Spaniards do -- take a siesta! Can't nap on the job? Catch some midday ZZZs on the weekend. Just be sure to set an alarm clock -- sleep too long and you'll have trouble sticking to your regular bedtime.


Sleeping is good.
But how to get yourself to sleep?

4 steps taken off the RealAge.com website


1.
Get on a schedule. Your body clock runs best when you’re on a regular sleep schedule, like a baby. Aim to get up at the same time every day -- whether you have a full day of work or a full day of cartoons. On the weekends, try to rise within one hour of the time you get up during the week.
2.
Change your temperature. The ideal setting for sleep is a cool, dark room. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try removing a layer of clothing (like socks) or lowering the thermostat.
3.
At night, eat foods that contain melatonin -- a substance that helps regulate the body clock. That means oats, sweet corn, or rice. Or try a complex carbohydrate that has serotonin, like vegetables or whole-grain pasta. You can also go with the classic remedy: skim milk. Of course, you know to avoid stimulants like caffeine and exercise near bedtime. And try to avoid eating within 3 hours of going to bed.
4.
Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex. It is best to take work materials, computers, and televisions out of the sleeping environment.

Now why sleep is good?

PS. All data posted for this post has been taken wholesale from www.realage.com

L.E.O

To Lead.
To Excel.
To Overcome.

Something that has been drilled deeply inside me.

Regardless of what I've lost, I know I cannot regain lost land.

I'll have to lead my way out of this wilderness.
Excel in my studies, and hopefully through this excellence path a wonderful route to retirement.
I know I can overcome this.

When theres a will theres a way.
When theres no way, bash your way out.

Although it seems weird to pep talk myself, I know with all the people behind me, I can even move Everest.

Colours to my life.

http://www.paulgoldinresearch.com/cg/

You are tending to pursue your objectives with concentrated intensity and it would seem that whatever obstacles may come into your path, you will stick to your guns and will not allow yourself to be deflected from your purpose. You are striving to achieve recognition and what is more - you deserve it.

You are feeling very vulnerable at this time. Nothing seems to be going in the right direction - business wise, private-life wise, everything. You need some emotional security and an environment which could possibly provide fewer problems, but the way you are feeling you can't be bothered even to make the effort.

Being emotionally inhibited you have no alternative at this time but to be a 'watcher' rather than a 'doer'. At this time you feel as if you are being forced to compromise and stand back. But this is not the true you. Deep down there is that warm 'open' you which is awaiting the moment to burst forth - maybe like the chrysalis which will soon become the butterfly.

You are frustrated and stressed. You appreciate the finer things in life but at all times you appear to stay aloof, critical of everything and everyone about you. You will not be carried away by your emotions and you refuse to trust anyone or any situation unless genuineness and integrity can be absolutely vouched for. Therefore, you keep a strict and watchful control on your feelings as you must know exactly where you stand at all times. You demand complete sincerity as a protection against your own tendency to be too trusting.

You really would like to be completely uninhibited - to let your hair down - but you are held back by your sense of logic and rationalilty, since you realise that by simple stupidity you could lose everything - whatever that may be.

Pain

I am closing my eyes, sitting on the bed.
As I slowly let my mind wander, I start to ponder.
What is it I want, what are all these for?
Why do I feel this way, why do I weep to sleep?
Why the undue stress for my desire to ace?

While my mind slips into this wilderness,
I embrace this feeling with the aches on my body.
Shuddering in pain, my mind ceased to think,
Instead it questions my very existence.

No one knows what pain it brings,
Besides the convoy of pain himself.
He who brings pain, feels the pain.
Nothing I say can turn back time,
All I seek is a phoenix's cry.
To give back life to this body of mine.

I've thought I've outgrown it,
I've thought I've casted it aside.
But it still bugs me, day and night.
Clearly I have failed the task,
The mission to bring me back my life.

Book.

This just occurred to me.
I am going to compile all those Papers that I've written and those that are going to be written and make them into a book!

I actually wanted to say something about what I feel towards the wage raise of top civil servants. But I'm pretty afraid I'll step on the wrong side of the OB marker. So it will just remain in my mind.