Sunday, February 25, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
In life, whatever you do, you will definitely have a role to play. What is your role? Once you have identified your role in a particular organisation or situation, things will definitely be much better for you because you will then know what you have to do and what you should do. Not having a well defined role can cause you to burn out easily because you will then be doing stuff which you should not be doing...
Also, in whatever situation you are placed in without have a choice, you have to accept it and learn to work things out from there. One should not dwell into the bad side of things and indulge in self-pity because one cannot achieve anything out of it. It will only make you feel more depressed and this leads to health problems. There might be certain things which you will have to do which is not part of your job scope, e.g. regimental duty. Treat them as little spects of dust which you will have to do because your job and being a soldier comes together as a package.
In this world, there will be many losses. Losses in terms of a loved one, a relationship, material things and many other stuff. Whenever you lose something, you will have to fill up that void immediately and not leave it there and let it grow. Making yourself busy with work will not help because at the end of the day, once you are free, these sad thoughts will flow back again and it will be in a larger magnitude. Instead of ruminating about it, why not find a solution to it or even try to close this chapter?
Through the many phases of life, you will meet many people. Friendships are forged between some of them. Some might be transition friends and some might even be your very close friends. In the working society, people come, people go. When a friend leaves, it does not mean that your friendship ends there unless you regard the person as a transition friend (friendship made out of convenience...). If you really do treasure the friendship, keep in contact with them instead of mulling over the "loss" because the person is still living and breathing. Don't fear but trust.
This is what I have learnt today. How inspiring.... =)
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
I was told that i shouted and mumbled in my sleep last night... This is so freaky... For the past few nights, I was unable to sleep/sleep well at all... I'm suffering from insomnia and its kind of getting on my nerves because I seriously need to sleep... The lack of sleep is killing me... argh... Hopefully things will be better for me as each day pass..
CNY is coming! yippee!
Sunday, February 11, 2007



Sunday, February 04, 2007
Last night, I dreamt that I was in my grandma's home... It was new year's eve and I was like feeling all sad that no one turned up for reunion dinner since my grandmother had passed away. My brother and I were at the kitchen preparing for something and it was all weird. I told my mum about the dream and she said that we have to pay respect to my grandmother on the eve. Which explains what my brother and I were doing in the kitchen in my dream. Anyway, this I'll be going to my uncle's house on the first day of chinese new year. Shall see how different this year would be...
Nat and ao ao will be ording this week... Haiz... sad that they are leaving (lesser company you see...) but am definitely happy for them! At last, they are released from their service... haha... Oh well... I guess once dre and mi mi leaves, life at work will be more and more boring (although will still be others it will be different)... Haiz... haiz... haiz... They say that my time will come... but how long will it take for my time to come?! (looks at ORD countdown timer at sidebar...) Haiz... I need to relax... I seriously do...
I've gained 1 kg... yippee!
I want to ORD...
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
For the past 2 weekends, I've been trying out new recipes with my oven! I think I'm addicted to baking -_-" But it is really fun, spending time baking cakes and cookies for frens and family to eat! Its like some big charity event (so my mother said........ haha... Anyway, I tried baking pound cake and cheese cake last week. This week, i tried oreo cheesecake and chocolate chocolate chip muffins while my mum made pineapple tarts.They all came out okay. Not too bad i would say =)) Yea yea! Here are some of the photos of the things I've baked.
The muffin looks disgusting (due to my untrained hands..... =x) But its still taste alright. The light brownish colour on the top is due to the sugar I've sprinkled on the top to create a crispy top. It looks uneven because I didn't know how much would be enough... haha... I'm not very good at agarism... So yea... And Andre, it doesn't taste like peanut cake! haha...
So its almost one year since my Grandma had left us. Time has indeed passed by so quickly that it seems only weeks since it happened. Tomorrow will be some ceremony at a temple to commemorate my grandma's first death anniversary. Hopefully all will go well. Yea, although I'm a Christian, I'll still take part in the ceremony as a sign of respect for my grandmother. Its the least I can do to make up for the wrongs I've done in the past. It kinda dawn on me that this coming Chinese New Year would be so different. In the past, my family would go down to my grandmother's place for reunion dinner on new year's eve. We would just be there at Serangoon gardens, eating a sumptous dinner prepared by my grandmother. Although the whole family wasn't around, it is still great to be there because I kinda grew up there. When I was very very young, my family would go down to her place immediately and we will help with the spring cleaning (although I wasn't of much help... haha...). Then before we left, we will help place sweets and new year goodies on the large brown table beside the television. On the first day of new year, we would go back to my grandma's place in the late morning. All my aunts and uncles would be there, trying to remember whether they had given us red packets. Then they will start playing blackjack and mah jong in the afternoon while I will be in the bedroom with my other cousins, talking and stuff. That's the typical Chinese New Year for me... How will it be like for me this year? Will there even be reunion dinner with my father's side? Where will we be going on the first day of chinese new year?
I just feel really stupid. Its only when something is gone forever, that I start missing it so much. I so want to go back to my grandmother's place again. But I heard that my uncles would be selling away her place. Everything is just so different. Lately, I've been thinking about my grandmother quite alot and I don't know why... haha... Oh well... I will just have to move on won't I? I'm just glad that I am blessed with good memories which I can keep. But can I go back and relive these memories again?
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
I miss having to sit in lecture theatres with my friends, listening to lectures and trying to understand what the lecturers are saying.
I miss tutorials, where 7 of us will sit together and listen to our tutors teach.
I miss having to do homework.
I miss having to study for tests and exams.
I miss singing in both Meridian and Montfort Choir.
I miss performing in front of an audience in a choir.
I miss the times where we had to prepare for SYF.
I miss the times we had to prepare for concerts and performances.
I miss the times where I did crazy things with my frens after choir practices in Sec sch.
I miss my freedom to do what I want.
I hate this fear that is lingering within me.
I hate this feeling of nothingness within me.
I'm thankful for having people who loves me, friends, family
I'm thankful to be blessed with so many wonderful things in my life
I want my life back.
I must be patient but 11 months seems too long...
Father, give me the strength to carry on! Bless my frens, my family and I... Bless us all... Amen.
- where is God in this situation?
- where is the reality of Christ?
- where is the wisdom that I lack?
- where is the strength that I need?
- where is the answer that I seek?
The real answer may seem shockingly simple and untrue: it’s all within you. Once you are connected to God’s unbounding resources, all good things are within your reach.
From www.lighthouse.org.sg
Friday, January 05, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Just came back from my cousin's house. I stayed over at their place yesterday and boy were we crazy or what. We slept at 2+ am yesterday night because we were playing board games. At first we were playing this game called "Game of the Year" which (till now) we don't understand how the game works. We took turns to read the instructions for the game and gave up in the end because there was a much more fun game called "Mad Magazine". My cousin had been describing the game to us so excitedly a few years back and finally we get to play it together! woohoo!! Its definitely a very very crazy game. We laughed so hard and made so much noise that we woke our aunt... -.- Yea yea! definitely had a lot of fun with them around!
I met andre yesterday afternoon too! He was teaching me how to roller blade. I managed to roll all over the place and still remain intact (with no arms detached or any thing like that) thanks to andre. Its definitely very very fun to be blading all over the place!!! Oh well... Hopefully one day I can get the hang of those wheely things... hopefully... muahaha....
As for today, I've finally ran after a long break from exercising. My cousins and I went to Choa Chu Kang Stadium for a jog since they had not run for a very very long time too! Whoa... It felt great to run again. A release of negative energy! woohoo!! After that, we went to play badminton with me losing all the way... yea... I so love my family! Its always interesting to see/hear my aunts gossip with my mum, giving each other the latest updates of family business and stuff... haha... Its just so so funny! =) How thankful I am to be blessed with great friends and family!
"Let december come let december come let december come..."
Monday, January 01, 2007
Time has past extremely quickly... Its 2007 already but I feel like its just any other ordinary day in 2006. No diff... Sigh... Oh well... Hopefully 2007 will end soon too! I want to be a civilian!!
Class gathering on 30 dec was quite okay. The number of people who turned up is more than half the class ( 16 people!). But then again, it doesn't feel class gathering-ly because everyone stayed in their own cliques as usual. The girls definitely change alot ever since they entered army. As for the guys, we just look desperate for the day to come. I'm quite sad that not everyone from my clique turned up though. Was really looking forward to see them because it has really been quite some time since we last met. But its okay. I guess there will be more chances for us to meet up in 2007!
On New year's eve, I went to catch a move with sandren. Night at the Museum is so so so funny!!! Oh my gosh! Its really a very nice show! woohoO!! We managed to see the fireworks behind the blocking trees and the tall memorial thingy. Nice fire works but the view was spoilt by the tall trees... Oh well... better than nothing.
As for today, I met up with Ting Yi and Joel. We walked around Vivocity today and we found lots of restaurants! The food there is quite expensive though. We were talking about how our taste changed as we grew up. While we were in school, fast food restaurants like Macs and KFC are like treats to us and are like places we hang out. Now that we have all graduated from JC and are doing our individual stuff, we tend to frequent expensive restaurants and stuff. Even our taste on clothes change. The way we spend money is as if money grow on trees. Wahahaha... I guess its time for us to control a little.
Hmmm... I guess I'm quite relieved that 2006 has past. Many many things happened in 2006 which has changed me emotionally and spiritually. I had to deal with a change in environment and culture after entering the army, I had to recover from my grieving of my grandmother's death, I had to deal with people who are older and of higher authority than me, I had to train myself physically to pass IPPT so that I won't have to go for recourse. Wow... Its like a roller coaster ride for me man... Somehow I feel so different (In the bad sense)... I've became more timid... Sigh... My counselling sessions definitely help but I will just have to pluck up the courage to do what I'm supposed to do because the mental block is in me and the only person who can removed that mental block is me. So I guess I'll have to work on that this year...
2006 is definitely not all bad for me... I managed to get good results for my A levels, I got into Log Branch, the place where I truly enjoyed myself in my stay in Tekong, I performed for MJChoir's concert in the alumni item, made good friends in camp, open up myself into one crazy guy with a screw loose, I passed my IPPT which means that I need not recourse, went to KOREA (SO EXCITING!!!), outings with cousins and friends, and long breaks which served as rest points for me to recover from the mental torture in camp. I've overcomed one of my mental blocks (which i still need to build on to fully recover from it), and yea, all these wonderful things that happened to me just serves as a reminder for me. That having Faith in God is really important. Throughout the year, I've been praying very hard for most of these things and God granted me with what I asked for. I'm very touched and grateful for all that I am blessed with. Faith, indeed, can move mountains!
Since this is the first day of the new year, I pray that God will bless each and every one of you out there with a wonderful new year! Put your past behind you and start anew... woohoo!!!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Anyway, I had my first ever Guard duty in the forbidden island. Its a tiring and boring experience. Shan't give the details. Sigh...
Lets see... My programme for this week will be...
Tuesday: Zoo zoo Zoo with the 3 musketeers!
Wednesday: Work.... =(
Thursday: Ops Clerk Duty
Friday: Blading with Sandren aude
Saturday: Class gathering!!!! =)))
Sunday: Countdown with cousins?
Next Monday: Lunch with S208?
Next Tuesday: Cry you a river that leads to your ocean because work starts on wednesday...
Somehow, I am having this recruit like feeling of fear in me. I don't know why... Its really irritating and I'm becoming more and more petty about thing. Sigh... Somehow, the Korea trip has made me realise how much I've been forcing myself to accept the fact that I still have 11 more months to go. 9 days away from camp made me realise how happy life can be if I don't have to be tied down with rules and regulations, the fear of being charged for any little thing you do, the fact that adults can actually be childish, unreasonable and irritating with their incessant use of expletives (be it in dialect or English). Maybe that is the working world for me? I don't know. I just can't wait for school to start, can't wait for 7 Dec 07 to come. It seems so far away from where I'm at now. I will just have to treat this 2 years as a learning experience won't I? I've become more and more stupid each day though (I just can't process what people are saying these days. Can't even solve a simple Maths problem. haiz... What's wrong with me!!!!).
Oh well... Life still goes on with or without work. Will just have to live with it won't I? Sigh...
I want to study!!!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Anyway, I feel so relieved when I touched down at both airports because the flight experience was extremely scary. My trip from Singapore to Korea was one filled with continuous turbulance (6 hours...) which causes the whole plane to shake here and there quite often. The plane was quite small too, so it didn't help for someone who had not sat on an aeroplane for 10 years and has suddenly developed a fear for flying... My trip from Korea back to Singapore is quite alright until when the plane is about to land. It seems that the pilot does not know how to descend gradually because about a few minutes before landing, we actually felt the plane drop a few feet (everyone began to panic and all...) and it seems like we were not going to land at all........ And when the plane landed, there was quite a bump... haiz... scarrrrry...
My trip in Korea is actually quite fun, come to think of it. The tour guide is a Korean who speaks with a Chinese accent. We have a very hardworking tour guide assistant/photographer who is quite acquainted to our family. And we have a very nice and friendly Singaporean tour leader. Yea yea! On the very first day, upon arrival, we went to visit some tunnel dug by the North Koreans (they wanted to invade South Korea see...) and we went to the border between North and South Korea. The tour guide gave a very lengthy history about the separation and stuff (things learnt in Social Studies and History..) which I didn't really listen because I fell asleep... hehe... After that, we made our way to the spa resort where we experienced the lifestyle of Koreans. We stayed in a condominium whereby the apartment has a kitchen, living room and a bed room. And like all Koreans, we slept on the floor!! woots!
This is the Kitchen
This is the Dining Table
Living room
The 4 of us in our room
We went walking around and had spa and the day ended quite quickly like that.
Day 2 is skiing day!! We made our way to the ski resort and borrowed skiing gear from the shop there. Skiing is extremely fun!! (Although I didn't really ski much...) But yea, we spent the whole day at the ski resort. And we ate ice cream outside when the temperature is -2.5 degrees. How crazy is that... muahaha...
Okay... I'm actually quite lazy now, still recovering from being so so so tired... I've uploaded all the photos online!! You can start viewing the 1000 over photos taken at this link
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r46/jere87elm/Korea%20Trip/
Please press previous if you want to view the photos in chronological order... haha... Shall update more on my trip tomorrow or something... yea!!!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Anyway, I've only finished packing my stuff this morning and I don't even know if I had brought enough clothes to help me survive for the next 5 days (apparently today is day 1 of my holiday and I'm at Singapore!! So korea-ny here!). And my bag is filled with winter clothings.... Those clothes really take up a lot of space man! Oh well... Don't know how I'm going to survive at Korea but I shall see how things go. So exciting!!
Mr Yong, Ernest and I went to China Town for ma la huo guo (numb spicy steamboat... haha) on Friday. The soup is really very very shiok! Very nice and very spicy! I can't really take it though. was sweating throughout the whole numb spicy experience. Phewy... But its nice and it helps to clear our bowels too! haha... Had diarrhea the very next day because of the spiciness of the soup... woots!
Okay... I shall end here and prepare to fly off to koooooorea!
Monday, December 04, 2006
As for the songs performed by the SYC ensemble singers, conducted by Jennifer Tham, I guess its too abstract for me (the first two songs as least). More abstract than the ones i used to perform or listen. So I was trying to figure out what the sound was like and all (makes me a little drowsy too... haha) But I love the song Laudate Dominum by Urmas Sisask. Its a latin song with a Japanese tune! Very very interesting piece of music! Overall, the choir's performance is fantastic! Love the sound, the tone, the interpretations. Very beautiful.
Lastly, the part by the Ateneo Chamber Singers, conducted by Jonathan Velasco. As the main religion in Philipines is Catholicism, the songs sang by them were mainly hymns in dialects of the filipino language. The first 2 songs are like those sang by SYC, quite abstract. But still, it is really amazing. I guess they have lots of power pact singers as their singers can really project very well! I guess the songs sang by them have the best interpretations given their abilities and all! Its like you can be really touched by the song and actually feel what the composer is trying to tell you. LOVE THE ENDINGS MAN!! THE GREAT CRESCENDOS TO THE END! WOOTS! Nice ending chords! Loved the song I Believe in particular because it is very very well done! Their soloist for You Raise Me Up was great too! woots woots!!!
In summary, the concert is worth every single cent I have paid for! Wouldn't have missed it even if the ticket is very expensive! Ahhhh... My life is now complete! =))))))
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Anyway, Chase, choon, jan, Mr Yong and I tried to be ambassadors of Mandrain by playing the speak Chinese game. It isn't easy for all of us except Mr Yong because we were so used to speaking English with each other that sometimes we just speak in English out of excitement. Wahahaha... But it is definitely fun (and mentally tiring =X)
I am extremely excited now because I will be attending a concert by 3 choirs tomorrow at the Esplanade!! Three. A concert by SYC, Gaia Philharmonic Choir and Ateneo Chamber Singers conducted by Jennifer Tham, Ko Matsushita and Jonathan Velasco respectively. These 3 conductors are world renown conductors and I'm waiting to hear the compositions of Ko Matsushita being sung tomorrow. His compositions are very very interesting and he is the composer for next year's SYF set piece for secondary schools. One of Meridian's choice piece is composed by him too! Woots! So yea, I am very excited (Especially to be able to see him in person since I've seen Jonathan Velasco and Jennifer Tham before... hehe).
Alright, less than a week to Korea Trip!!! Can't wait Can't wait Can't wait!!
By the way, note to cab snatchers...
GOD WILL PUNISH YOU!!! Don't think that the people standing in front of you are transparent because we are not! KARMA I TELL YOU!!! Retribution!