Not Too Long

I haven't blogged for a month already. Time sure flies and a lot of things has happened. The first thing is the death of Steve Jobs earlier this month on October 5. I found out about this when I was reading my Tweeter threads while heading out to see the doctor because I was quite under the weather that day. I was shocked. I love to see Steve Jobs on stage introducing a new product but the real reason I watch Apple's conventions was to watch him give his presentation. He's one of my many heroes. My dream of seeing him or even watch him do Apple's presentation live is now a memory.

Second, Steve Jobs autobiography is out as of now. I saw 2 copies at Vivocity PageOne earlier. I was so tempted to buy but I'll buy it online because it's cheaper and I have Midas Touch by Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump to finish.

Lastly, for now, iPhone 4S will be out in Singapore this Friday. I don't know if I want to get it by the end of the year. I might consider the iPad 2. Lots to buy but no cash to spend. I think I'm better off buying precious metals.

Fulfilment

I felt a sense of fulfillment today. Twice. The first was when I felt like I've helped a friend to gain something special. The second was when my BFF said I inspired her because I was such a morning person and it takes a lot of discipline to be one.

You and I

Lady GaGa's -You and I- song is currently playing on repeat on my iPod, iPhone, iTunes, YouTube and in my head today :)

I can actually say that there's some good stuff that happened to me since the my last entry. Well, actually there's always something good that happened in between entries right? Silly me. Anyway, I got myself a new Philips 24inch LED monitor for my dual monitor setup.













It's not a difficult to setup at all. I just needed to buy an adapter for my MacBook to connect to the DVI cable from the monitor. Any TomDickHarry could do it. As for Windows laptop, you can connect straight right to your laptop without any adapters. It's definitely bigger compared to my 15inch MacBook Pro screen. The new monitor is good for watching videos and for multitasking. More workspace and more fun!

A few years ago, a friend of mine brought me to a shop that sells US military products(no guns FYI) like bag packs and few other military standard equipments. They are not cheap but I believe that they are at least long lasting and durable. I did not buy anything the first time around. The second time, I bought another friend of mine to the shop and he spotted a zip lock bag that cost $5 per piece. It was definitely expensive. Both of us bought a piece each. Why I bought it was because it felt like it was very good quality and "Tested and approved by the Navy Experimental Division Unit" as stated on the bag itself. I do cannot recall what I used it for then but I remember using it to put my books inside to keep it from getting wet and damaged(wear and tear) when I put it in my bag. It worked wonderfully! I loved it! But I lost it twice. I bought it again when I lost it the first time around. I did not buy again as I was not reading as often as I did. Since recently which I started reading again, I went back to where the shop was and found out that it had been relocated. I don't remember where it was but I could show you how to get there.














About 2 months back, somewhere along my conversation with Ray at work one day lead to the zip lock bag that I was looking for. He told me Say Qi knew where the current shop location was. I was thrilled! When I asked Say Qi, he told me that it's relocated at Little India but he couldn't remember where it is actually.

Yesterday, Say Qi and I went to Little India to search for the shop. It was not difficult to find the shop actually. It was just on opposite the road where we exited from the train station. If I had went alone before yesterday, I would not expect the shop to be there. It's not at Little India itself, it's on the same side as Sim Lim Square. I was very happy when I found the shop with Say Qi. They still sell the zip lock bag! But it comes in different sizes but it is sold in a few pieces. The one that I wanted came in 3 pieces for $12. It's cheaper per piece even though I have to buy 3. Say Qi and I bought 1 set each. Now my books are protected.

I've booked my tickets for the Broadway Musical WICKED! Yeah! I'm excited as I type this part of the entry :)

I have started running again ever since Hari Raya. I just went for a run earlier tonight and it was good. I was not going fast or going for the distance but more into enjoying the run. It probably lasted for about 30mins but I felt good. When I could not run when I got the shin splint a few months ago, it was a bitter pill to swallow but I hope this time it won't occur again. Some said that the cause of that injury was due to my shoes. Well, I got myself a new running shoe and I hope it will do me more good than harm.

I was down with a minor flu this week and I'm getting better. Earlier, when I was just browsing the channels on the TV, I saw 2 Panadol's advertisement-FluMax and SinusMax. I suppose Panadol knows that there's a lot of sick people out there and they're advertising their products at the right time. Good marketing strategy Panadol!

It's getting late. I'm off to bed now. Goodnight!

The aftermath

Yesterday's entry was really a memory bank cracker. Typing the whole experience really made me remember the times. There was so much emotion as I was typing. So much that I had to stem most of it so that I would not drag the story too long. I would not mind typing it all out but time was not on my side. I could continue like now but I already had a goal in mind to end the entry before I head to bed. I slept close to 3am.

The same morning, I had to go to work and I usually wake up at 5.30am and leave home by 6.15am when I work the morning shift. I did not wake up to my alarm at 5am and subsequent 5 minutes till 5.30am but I somehow manage to wake up by 5.30am. I was still disorientated with that few hours of sleep. I had about 40 more minutes of sleep when I boarded the bus to Seah Im and even that additional 40 minutes was insufficient. But somehow rather after I had breakfast at Seah Im, I felt much better. So I thought. I could possibly be sleeping anywhere at work if I did not find some company to talk to or something to occupy myself with. Fortunately, I stayed awake all the way at work, for real.

I suppose the real effect from this morning lack of sleep is taking it's toll on me now. My eyes are getting very heavy and I am losing my focus on this entry. I just had a glass of coke with ice. Bad idea. I'll go have some warm water now before I go to bed.

I just re-read my 2k word count entry and I'm quite proud of myself really. I believe I missed some events and event missed out some words which made some of the sentences sound incomplete. But I realised that what I typed were actually the highlight of my experience in the first SYF. Wow..

Anyway, I told some of the guys at work about my 2k word count blog entry and they'd say that might go check it out. If you guys do read and read this post too, thanks for reading my blog. I really appreciate it. I will update more in the future. Goodnight!

2k word count

2k word count by the end of tonight.

This would probably be the longest yet until I decide to go for 3k or more. Let's begin..

Today is the 2nd day of work since I came back from reservist yesterday. I am beginning to pick up the momentum which is probably a good thing right? I was doing tower duty today with Brandon at zone 7. The sun was bright with it's rays nicely diffused by the clouds, giving it a nice warm feel and the breeze was blowing nicely that it would put a baby to sleep peacefully. Such weather is perfect to be lazing at the beach and it is quite often nowadays which makes working quite a challenge if you understand why.

The open water lifesaving competition is happening on the 24th and 25th of this month and I am competing in the board race. 1 event only and it is going to be my 1st time competing in this competition. I believe I am quite competent on the board but anything can happen on the race day itself. I was told that the heats would be on the 24th and the finals would be on the 25th. Competition will be tough. There would probably be those who competed last year and did not went up the podium and will try their luck again this year. As for me, I will try my best to reach the finals. Going up the podium would be a bonus and it is probably going to be tough but not impossible. Miracles can happen right?

Today is Teacher's Day! Happy Teacher's Day to all the teachers! I just sent out SMSes to 3 of my teachers. They're Mrs Crothers, Mrs Ruth Tham and Cikgu Asnida. These 3 teachers have helped me to be a better person. Each have taught me many invaluable lessons. I never really caught what they taught me back then, but when I look back, it became so clear. Let me just tell you what each teacher has given me.

I was in the normal academic class in Commonwealth Secondary School and Mrs Crothers was my class mentor when I was in secondary 1. She's married to Mr Crothers who holds a position in the local entertainment industry. You would hear his voice on the radio and television advertisement often. I met him very few times and I do recognize his voice then over the radio and television but not now. Maybe I can guess but I am not able to predict it correctly. She taught my class English language and boy, she was very strict. She was probably the firstborn child and definitely a choleric. I definitely got a a number of scolding from her when I did not finish my homework. Even though she was strict, she was a very fun teacher. Her real influence was in her real passion - Drama.

She graduated with a degree in drama and something. I cannot recall the whole degree but drama was in there, somewhere. Her drama plays are very abstract. Nothing like the average Joe plays. She would play with heights, use different colors and uses lines that I could remember till now. I consider myself very fortunate as my batch of secondary 1 classes have drama as a lesson and have Mrs Crothers as our drama teacher. That means she was teaching us in 2 different lessons. Drama was not a CCA, Core Curriculum Activity yet then. It was still an ECA, Extra Curriculum Activity. Drama lessons were very fun! We learned the basic drama warm ups and some short skit to probably learn some acting skills. We were given a tasked to do our own play and show it to Mrs Crothers before the end of the year to be graded. Along the way during the lesson, Mrs Crothers would help us to improve our scripts and even our plays. My group play was about The Adam's family. Was it a coincidence? I don't know but I was the Frankenstein. It was probably the best role for me and I really had so much fun during that class. How many people can say that they had drama as a lesson and not a CCA?

I joined drama as an ECA. My CCA was international chess. Chess sessions were boring but it was quite relaxed. When I first joined the chess club, they had a coach and they were competing in competitions and I was not into that. I just want to lay low and it happened. The coach disappeared. I am not sure till now if he quit or was fired which left club aimless. After his unknown departure, the teacher in-charge inform us that the club will be disbanded. All of us were shocked! My 1st year was ending and we have to leave and find a new CCA? It would not be easy for most of the secondary 2 and 3 people. They would lose out on the CCA points as they would not be able to get a 75% attendance per year which some of them would depend on. In the end, the club would still run but will not recruit anymore.

The best part of drama started when I was in secondary 2. There was some activity in the drama club but I did not attend much. I always find excuses not to attend and it was an ECA so there was not much importance.Like any other day, I was in class and doing my work as per normal. Then came a girl who went into the classroom and asked for me. I think she asked for Emmanuel too, whom was classmate of mine. We followed her as she told us to. I only knew she was my senior then and that is all. She brought us to the dance room. Outside the dance room, there were some seniors doing some stuff. I cannot recall but I know there was a big scrim. Inside the room, I saw Siva and Marc who were my classmates too, rehearsing with the other cast. All I remembered from that day was the comment by one of the senior that I was very tall and I was now a member of the drama club SYF team. That's when life in secondary school became very fun.

The title of our first SYF play was called - The Swing. We had little props but these props were probably our signature props as we used them in our future plays and the coming SYFs. They were black cubes and there were six of them. Each were similar with only one side without a panel thus it can be used as a box too. I think they lasted for 7 to 8 years or more till it gave out and broke. We used big sets instead. For the first SYF, we used a large scrim which was a very big white piece of cloth to divide the stage into 2, front and back. We used blowers, like those you would see when janitors wet the floor and use it to dry the floor, and angled them at forty five degrees up to make the confetti create a cool effect. We even use flood lights to make silhouettes on the scrim from stage back and there was the swing. The swing was an ordinary swing but one of the rope was adjusted so that it would slip when one of the cast was suppose to pull it down and fall on the floor as cued.

Practice sessions were intense! Mrs Crothers would barked at the cast for the play to be right and the backstage crew to be on cue for the sound and lighting. She was much stricter than she was in class and I was beginning to be afraid of her. She took notes during every rehearsals. She pointed out mistakes. She left no stones unturned to make the play a success. By the time we were near the competition, a lot has changed since the first script was written. There were some changes to the cast and new additions to the backstage crew. I was in the backstage crew ever since I got involved. We rehearsed more often at the school hall after school as the competition came closer. Thankfully, our school hall was air conditioned. I believed not many school halls were air conditioned at that time as far as I knew.

The SYF was held at The Chinese High School theater. We went there a few times to get familiarized with the surrounding and do all the sound and lighting check and get them right. We did a couple of full runs and we discovered that the stage was different in size. We took some measurements on the first visit and we went back to adjust our stage so as it would be similar to that at The Chinese High. A lot needed to be changed but most of it are where the cast would be at on stage due to lightings. By this time, everyone knew their role. Backstage crew would guide the cast out from the backstage and the cast would help the backstage crew to move and clear the stage as quickly as possible when our play ended for the next school to play. This was even rehearsed. Everything was rehearsed.

During break or before rehearsals would start, we would gather in our own groups and have a good laugh and enjoy each others company. There was one senior, his name was Chee Kaur and he was from NCC, whom a lot of juniors like myself like to be with because he tells a lot of jokes! Remember my classmates Siva, Marc and Emmanuel whom I mentioned earlier? They were from NCC too. NCC were their CCA and drama were an ECA for them. The seniors were also the pioneers of the drama club. They joined and created the club first when Mrs Crothers started it. What I was really proud was that even though we had our own small cliques, we all cared for one another. It was something that I really liked about the drama club.

We had the privileged to be able to stay overnight in school before the performance day. We had rehearsals till like 9pm. As soon as the last rehearsal was over, we packed all the stuff to be ready for tomorrow. I don't remember what happened that night but all I knew was that it was fun. We had some games and we had dinner together before we all rested for the night. I think Mrs Crothers went home. There was Miss Lena Ng who was a music teacher in our school. She also helped out with the backstage and the play. Miss Ng was joined us later stage during the rehearsal periods and she was with us till the end. We left school the following day when the school was gathering for the assembly. We were on our way to create history.

It was our first SYF. We were new in this competition and we did not know what to expect. Being new in this would make us the underdogs. After we unloaded our stuff from the bus and placed it at the storage area, most of us fell silent. I believe most of us were nervous. I went around to help one of the seniors check if all the items have been unloaded and accounted for. As we were cued to be the next play, Mrs Crothers gathered everyone to form a circle and hold hands. As we held the hands of the ones beside us, Mrs Crothers began prayers for us. It became a ritual for us. Before every plays, Mrs Crothers would make us stand in a circle holding hands and she will pray for us. As far as I knew, she hasn't stop doing that. After that, we made history.

We won that year the Gold award and The Play Of The Year award. The next 3 SYFs, we continued to win the gold before we got a silver. We had other productions that were not for the SYF but I sure hell had a lot of fun.

I've done it! I've done a 2k word count entry! I'm waking up later at 5 am but I'm satisfied! Goodnight!

where will it lead?

I'm back to work today. Wasn't the best feeling ever. I wish my "holidays" would just continue forever but it never will if I never change directions. I even thought about changing to another job. But I figure the other job will not be any different. I'd still wake up and go to work. I really need to find my momentum back. It'll be the fall of me if I don't get it back soon.

Books Books Books!

I've waited for so long for these to come! 2 weeks to be exact haha. Cos I ordered them online. I've been reading this series since the first book came out about 2 years back but I stopped reading them close to a year? These are some of the fiction books I read and they're a great read. Can't wait to read them all!


















Book 10. Tales Of Heresy

These are the drinks my mum and aunt wants me to buy for Hari Raya. They're drinks I've avoided for the past few months. Why I was avoiding? I just wanted to.














Today's break fast was a feast! There was like really a lot of food! It's the same every year during this time but I never get bored of them. Can't complain when I grew up with the same cook(mum and aunt) for the past 24 years of my life! They cook delicious foods! Really blessed to have them in my life.















Comes new books, comes new bookmarks! Well, actually they're not new. I just dug out those Pokemon and Wrestling from my antique cards collection. The camera one was a tag from my crumpler camera bag(too nice to throw away). Yes, the white one is an immigration card. I used it to mark a page on one book as I could not find anything to use a bookmark then(I haven't finished reading the book FYI).















These are some books that I've yet to complete(I did not include the new book that I just started to read). This totals to 9 books. They have bookmarks in them too, not including form the pictures above. I've not added those which I haven't read yet, which is way more than this. It looks like I have a lot of reading to do this September :)














Lots of pictures this time around. I can do this again some time. Hope you like the pictures :) Happy Holidays!

Her name was May

What I thought was nightmare turned into a dream. In that dream, I was being followed by a ghost that was going to kill me. It would stalk me everywhere I go but never killed me when it had the chance. However, it killed my friends one at a time. I don't remember who was killed but I was very sad when she kills them. She'd kill them like how a vampire would, suck their blood by the throat.

She looks like the witch from the game Left 4 Dead. Short frizzy hair, slightly pale skin, red eyes, skinny, about 1.6 in height,very long and sharp fingers that could pierce you body like satay sticks through satays and she wears a whitish grey dress that ends just above her knee.

In this dream, I was going to meet my friends over at a nearby field to play soccer. All my friends were there waiting for me at that point of time. As I was reaching the soccer field, I remembered that I forgot something but I don't remember what. When I was walking home, I realised that it was turning dark and I remembered about the ghost. She comes out when it's turning dark.

Knowing that, I ran home as fast as possible to get something which I forgot what it was. Then I remembered going down the stairs as fast as possible. I was staying on the fifth floor in the dream, same as in reality. As I got to the third floor, I can sense that she was somewhere at a higher floor watching me. Just as I reach the second floor she came down down landing on her feet effortlessly like how a ghost would, undefined by science. When I saw her, I double my speed but did not run. As I was walking away from the stairs on the ground floor, I suddenly stopped. I knew she was looking at me and she was at the ground level as well.

I turned around and asked her,"Why are you following me?!".

She just kept silent. I realized at that point she did not look like what I had described her to be. She had smooth black hair till her shoulders, her fingers and her eyes were normal like any human being although she still wears the same dress.

I walked up to her having a mixed emotion of anger and sadness when I realised that her looked different when I got nearer. Her skin tone looked like any human and she's looking down, like she was sad. Her eyes weren't glowing red but humanly.

I was then reminded that this "person" is going to kill me one way or another and this might be the time as she's probably going to do it by letting herself look pitiful and I will approach liked I care. Like stealing a candy from a kid.

Then I told myself that if I were to be killed by her someday, why not just now so it'll just end. She pierced me with her long and sharp fingers as I got closer. Her hair turned frizzy and her glowing red eyes came back and looked me right in the eyes! I was definitely going to die soon and it'll be all over.

Instead, nothing happened.

This happens before I woke up to sahur(to eat before the start of fast). I was walking with her and talking(This is when I realised that she was quite cute). She said she wanted a burger. I was thinking to myself why burgers and I asked her why since she sucked people's blood? She told me she suddenly got some cravings for it. We got the burger but I don't remember where it was from but I know it was a Ramly burger.

Then I woke up.

The dream was still in my head for the last few seconds and the last few thing I remember was that we a very nice conversation and had a good walk together. She told that she could kill me anytime but she didn't knew why she didn't. The last thing that happened was that she told me that her name was May.

Some people say that there's a story behind every dream. Like a message. What was the story behind my dream? I have a few thoughts but I think I'll keep it to myself for now :)

Apple

Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple as of today. Apple fans around the globe and probably those astronauts in space would probably heard of the news as well. I have a lot of respect for him. He's one person whom I look at when I need some inspiration. He's someone who dared to be different and who has made the difference. He has left a dent in the universe like he said he would.

I have a couple of Apple's products - 15" MacBook Pro, iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPod video, iPod nano and an iPod shuffle. They're great products. They do what they were made to do and I'm happy but not contented. I believe most Apple product users find some flaws in the product like you can't transfer songs from iPhone to iPhone/other handphones, you need an app to open a certain folder, no radio and what have they. I sometimes find it a hassle too. But people still buy them and they're able to have more money than the United States of America! What's the reason behind all these facts?

I am an Apple fan myself. I won't deny it. Those who know me knows it. Those who don't, now you know :) I have a few reasons why people buy Apple's product even know they know the flaws of it. I'll give 3 personal reasons why. First, Apple products just looks beautiful. The silver and the curves Most people would buy it just it because of that, even if the price could get you much better products, which is usually the case. Second, the App Store. Apple's App Store has almost any app for you. Weather, sports, fashion, news, technology, games of most(if not all) genres and many more! I think it's one of the best innovation Apple has contributed and most probably the best product to all Apple users. iPhones and iTouch would just be a phone and an interactive mp3 player. Lastly, it fits everyone's fashion and style. Most luxury bags are for women(correct me if I'm wrong) and normal men wouldn't buy such bags for themselves unless they have other reasons for buying it. But an Apple product is for everyone - men, women and even children. Their target market is for everyone. I believe the word "Apple" is said many more times than "Louis Vuitton" and this is where I believe Apple gets their profits.

I love watching Steve Jobs giving his presentations. He's such a great performer. It's like watching Broadway without the musical. He goes on stage and everyone listens to him. His acts are rehearsed to perfection. Cues come in at the right timing. He save his blunders with some simple humor and everyone(almost) forgives him. He's just unbelievable to watch.

I'd still buy Apple products. I'd still love Steve Jobs and hell yes I'll buy the next iPhone even though you can't transfer songs from your iPhone to another iPhone or another mobile device. Apple is part of my life now. Thank you Steve for what you have given to the individuals. Your vision for us to be empowered has come true.

“The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work,” - Steve Jobs

Chill out time

I was working till 9.30pm or midnight that night. Can't remember which night exactly but I remembered what Ranger 15 Anthony said over the air as he knocked off from his duty to one of his colleague,"I'm having a can of beer by the beach. You wanna join me?". It might just be an everyday conversation you hear but what Anthony said hit me hard. When was the last time I wind down after work and forget everything? I don't remember.

I've been working so hard and sometimes I feel so hard up at the end of the day that I forgot that the remaining time after work is my own personal time. Sometimes, I waste so much of that precious personal time thinking about work. By the end of the day, I feel like I have so little time for myself.

Well, things are changing for the better now. I'm not thinking about work as much as I was. Picking up on my almost zero social life. Going to events that interest me. Picked up a new hobby. Reading more often. Enjoy life as it is and have a good rest when it's time to rest.

That ends it. I need to chill out. I need some dose of chocolate!

WOAH!

I was informed that I had not been blogging since June. Well, I never bothered to continue actually. I thought it didn't matter.

So here I am on a Tuesday afternoon working on this entry. I'm on reservist now till 29th August for the Presidential Election. I only know who Tony Tan and that's all I know of him. Why am I home now? Let me break it down for you what's the program for my reservist for the next few days till I'm officially out of reservist.

24 Aug - Draw equipment
25 Aug - Briefing deployment
26 Aug - Off
27 Aug - Deployed for PE
28 Aug - Return equipment
29 Aug - Off
30 Aug - Hari Raya Aidilfitri

This reservist is really a break for me from work at Sentosa. A fresh air for me.

It's the 24th day of fasting today and next week is Hari Raya Aidilfitri. What I had gone through this fasting month is a totally new experience so far. Training for Open Water Lifesaving Competition on the past 2 Sunday mornings were probably the hardest days of this month's fasting. Doing endurance training without food and water at the end of training is no joke. You could taste how sweet the water when you're having your shower after training. I was fortunate to have both my Sunday's off when I attended the training or I would definitely suffer at work, compromising the safety of the guests and myself. I suppose I won't be going for training this coming Sunday :)

I went to the Geylang Ramadhan bazaar about a week back to see the place alone for the first time. Why alone? I've always been to the bazaar with my mum or my aunts and uncles past years as I didn't have any intention of going there myself yet. If I go with them, it's usually to buy clothing or kuehs for Hari Raya. This time, alone, was to see the whole bazaar at my own pace and to familiarize the place. But I went at the wrong timing, around 2pm. It was very hot and very humid and I was fasting. Passing by the stalls that was selling cold drinks like bandung, air kathira, sugar cane, blueberry and what have they did not help my fast. I was dehydrating quickly. I somehow manage to see most of the bazaar in about an hour. I survived an hour of hot and humidity! It was definitely a good experience for me. The lack of crowd was actually why I could see most of the bazaar at that short period of time. When night comes, I think I'll take almost 2 to 3 hours instead. The crowd at night is probably 3 to 4 times more people during the day! Both time of the day have their own life. For me, I'd still love the overcrowded night where I can consume delicious food and chilled beverages without temptations :D

I saw this on YouTube and I couldn't stop laughing! It's damn funny! The guy who did the voice over for this is just brilliant! His other videos are in Malay and it's hilarious as hell too! FYI : Dada = chest

Now let's talk about Sentosa. It's a great place to work without much doubt. A lot of greenery, beautiful views and great people. And when great people leave, work isn't so great anymore. All the beach retail girls I knew have all left. I guess it was something I didn't expect to happen but it did. But hey, at least I know that they've made my days working at Sentosa a more vibrant one while they were still around. That doesn't mean life at work has gone dull. It has actually given me the opportunity to spend more time with my colleagues, old and new! This is probably the best time to make more new friends again.

WICKED the musical will be in town! Awesome! I've been waiting for this since.. early this year? Why you'd ask? Well, I heard somewhere about the song "For Good" from the musical is a very meaningful song. Once I heard the song from YouTube, I was hooked! It is a very meaningful song indeed. I love this part of the song" Who can say if I have been changed for the better. Because I knew you, I have been changed for good." I know I have been changed for good thanks to some people and these are the people I really treasure the most.

Okay I have to stop now. I can't squeeze anything much out of my brain now and I have to buy new bulbs for the kitchen and toilet lights. Enjoy the 2 links that I've added! Ciao~!

Appreciation

I just got home earlier and I was hungry. I called home a few times but no one answered so I figured there was no food at home. But when I got home, I found some fish and some rice. I was like "oh man". Right after that thought, flow of memories of how my mum would just eat what's left and not say anything about the amount of food that was left.

I ate what's left and had a large cup of Milo. And now a second cup. Life's simple pleasures.

So close yet so far..

21km in 6 days time.

I discovered that the injury on my shins are called shin splints. Go Google, Wiki or dictionary.com to find out more about it. I'm to sad to type about it. To know your enemy is a start. Defeating it is another story.

Revived!

Okay I have not been updating a lot like how I would on the previous post. I'm really sorry. I just couldn't have anything to give to you guys. Life has been good. Anyway, this post is about me getting excited again! I got my race kits for my Sundown half marathon today! That's one reason. The other and most important one is.. I bought compression tights! Okay, it's just compression tights. Nothing special right? We'll, I tried it on when I got home. When I had fit myself into it, I realised that the pain on my shins had actually reduced. It's definitely science. I tried hopping and walk in a manner where the muscles on my shin would hurt but it didn't. There was a little but barely. I was thrilled! Now I'm ready to run the kilometers again!














That's my bib number and the running singlet that they gave me :)




















This is the miracle that made the pain on my shins almost completely disappear :D















And this is the bag that came along with the singlet and bib. Quite cool isn't it?

I'm going for a morning run tomorrow before I start work so wish me well alright. Goodnight and take care!

Motivation

I need motivation. Most of the time, seriously. Like what Zig Ziglar said "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." I absolutely agree with him today.

Today was dekiting for those called up for the General Elections deployment. Nothing major about the dekiting day itself. Yesterday, I was deployed at Block 53 Teban Gardens for the GE. It was one of the many polling stations that was set up for the GE throughout the island. There were 5 of us deployed. We were to take over from the previous shift when we arrived at the location. I figured that it would be a long and very boring day like most deployments where we have to stand or patrol around to keep law and order. Surprisingly, my former Malay teacher, Madam Asnida, from Commonwealth Secondary School was one of the presiding officer where I was deployed. I can't remember the last time I spoke to her in person. She's a very passionate at what she's doing from what I know. She's from the media background before she started teaching. She does media productions with her husband and joins competition for the school. It was great meeting her that day. I did chat with some other presiding officers as well which helped to hasten the time I was there. Not a long and boring day after all.

We Run Our Own Races

Today was just one of those days that my run was sluggish. I really did not want to run but I had promised myself that I will not run less than 5km unless it's IPPT 2.4km. So I fought through the pain and completed the 5km. I did walk at some part of the run as the pain from my shin were really killing me. Nonetheless, I completed at least 5km. Now, as I'm typing this, my shin hurts even without me moving my leg. I don't want to see the doctor but I might need to if this pain persist for a few more days. I guess I got to stop running for this moment but I don't want to! I'm participating in the 21km category of the Sundown marathon event. It's like 2 weekends away and I'm injured now. I'm very sad really. I'm beginning to love running longer distance now. I think if I didn't signed up for the event, I wouldn't be running today.

Unexpected

What I got to learn today was really unexpected. I never thought those words would come out of his mouth. Right at this moment, I realised that everyone in my life has taught me something. If I could say 1 thing positive about what I learn from the people I mix with, I have a no reason to be sad.

When Billy said life was an adventure earlier during the day, jokingly or seriously, it struck a chord in me. Every turn is a new adventure. Everyone new you meet is an adventure. Every new things you feel is an adventure. Don't you think so? Even the unexpected is an adventure!

I bought last Saturday's Straits Times and I haven't read it.

Goodnight!

I try to .. is not enough

I realised that when I do something, I give a "try" effort and not my "best" effort. Enough to complete the work but never actually make it much better. I'm not leaving a dent.

One of my hero, Steve Jobs, is a perfect example. Why is he my hero? Cos I love his passion for innovation and his burning desire to create tools to unleash human potential. I believe not many people know about this. What do you see when you see a Mac, an iPod, an iPhone or an iPad? Do you see just another cool looking gadget or a tool to change the world with? Why do some people call other people shallow? My opinion would be that person did not take enough time to gt to know the other person.

Steve Jobs was worth millions when he was 25 but he didn't care. Why is that so? Have you ever wondered why? Why did he wear a Brioni suit just to go to a bank back then? Did you know about that fact at all? You can find the answers in the book -The presentation secrets of Steve Jobs. It's an awesome book, if you read it and applied it's principles. I believe that most people would take a company and label it the moment they see it without giving much thought about how that company became successful. Or even why was the company created at first.

There's going to be an appreciation ceremony for Beach Operations and Rangers this Thursday morning. I'm still clueless about how I come about doing the Moving Forward video for my department, Beach Operations. Hmm.. Right now, I don't only have the Moving Forward video for Beach OPs, I have the Rangers and another which involves the 2 department working in collaboration. A total of 3 videos! I'm quite excited really. I believed that I did a great job on the 3 videos. It was definitely not a "try" effort but my almost "best" effort.

Tired

I realised that I become very sleepy when I type an entry on my blog. I guess it can be used when I can't sleep right? Great idea!

Motivation

I asked myself what is my motivation in life? What drives me? The great people in this world has motivation. What drives me?

You ask, why motivation and now? Something in me stirred when I read, " The Presentation Secrets of Steve Job". I have alot of respect for Steve Jobs and I really admired him for what he has done. He sees art. There's so many things I could talk about him but for today, I just want to highlight why he created Apple.

He wanted to unleash the human potential with computers. Back in the 80s when PCs were around, most of it was used to do work. There were no PCs created to create art and that's why he built Apple, to create art. Apple products are a work of art. There are always other competitors who performs better than Apple products by hardware. But what's in it, the OS, and the beautiful exterior that makes it an item to lust for.

I started asking myself lately what's my motivation to live, to work, to perform a certain task? I haven't found my answers yet but I will someday.

The Flash!

It's interesting to know that when people say that life flashes by in an instant right before you die is actually true. But Barney puts it more specific, things that are important to you will flash by and I agree to that. When I had my first major asthma attack back in 2004 or 05, alot of things were running in my head. I saw my family. There was so many things that I wanted to do. So many things I haven't accomplished. I was only 16.

Late Saturday, I sensed my asthma was coming back and thankfully this time I had my inhaler with me. It's too risky not to bring it around. I realised that after a few puffs from the inhaler, I wasn't really recovering. It had lessen the severity but it never gave out. On Saturday, I went to Alexander Hospital to get myself checked. I should have seen this coming. I was asked why I came and I told them I had asthma. A few minutes later, they brought me to the back and gave me some medication by a face mask and some oral medication. I hate it when I don't expect it. I think I was at the hospital for about an hour and a half. I think. At least I got 2 days MC which isn't so bad really. Got another inhaler and some medications.

Sure enough being sick sucks. A friend told me that she was sick of being sick so she just did stuff and ate like she was fine. I tried it out and true enough, it wasn't so bad really. I just have to watch out for my cough and phlegm. Monday was awesome! I'd love to add it but my eyes can't handle it now. Turning in now. Goodnight!

Move On

After watching the movie Miracles, alot of things came to mind. Almost every area in my life came to me and ask me what's next? I knew what this movie was all about. I've Wikied it, Googled it and even YouTubed it. What's there to know more about the movie. It's about watching the whole movie and get connected with it. It's the process that engages us.

I've actually taken 3 more puffs from my inhaler before I started typing this out. Asthma or shortness of breath? I feel both. It's a terrible feeling. It's probably caused by a significant amount of fizzy drinks I had for the past 2 weeks. Lack of rest or sleep and exercise. Why am I consuming such unhealthy consumables and not giving myself enough of what the body really needs? I think I've found the answer.

I've been giving myself to others more. I wouldn't say it's a bad thing but I just did not know how to strike a balance. I'm in a bad shape right now. Worse I've ever been not accounting to my health at this moment. I'm learning more about myself, more of how I react to new replies. Things changed. So must I. I believe most of us who's away from Singapore for some time will make new friends to whichever country they go to for whatever the reason. These people changed to adapt so that they can survive in a foreign land. For those left behind, we have to move forward and progress.

I missed talking to my BFF. We used to go and have lunch together during her lunch time when I'm on off duty. I really enjoyed the times we spent together as she has taught me so much about alot of stuff. She's really an amazing woman. Her other half is so fortunate to have her. He's a great guy too and I learned loads of stuff from him too! I really owe alot to them. I think it's time for me to catch up with them very soon and I'm looking forward to meeting them very soon!

Ending my day again with hot Milo and dreaming my dream.

masking

Have you ever thought what the other person feels when he/she sends you a happy message? Was the message sent with an expression of happiness or was it just something he/she had to send just to make the chat looks happy to the other party?

Sometimes I wonder myself. Was all this for real or was I faking it?

where? over here?

What makes people popular? Is it just by looks alone or is there more than meets the eye?

Sometimes I wonder what these popular people do in their spare time? They probably have people contacting them 24/7 with whatever technology there is in the world. Technology has made communication so much easier and simpler.

This is a very random post and who cares right?

It Knows Know Boundaries

When I hung up the phone last night, I realized that what I just did was an idea someone had. The idea of talking to someone by using a tool to help us communicate with one another seamlessly. Most of us take for granted the easy accessibility of the internet and the electricity. I could understand how it feels not to be connected to the internet and not have electricity at the same time.

I use to often stay at my late dad's village in Batu Pahat, Johor when I was in primary school. Every long holidays he would pick the whole family up from Singapore back to Johor and back when school is about to reopens. During that time, we do get a blackout due to some technical fault and the whole village would be in darkness and everyone would be using candles.

Okay, maybe I wasn't so affected by the blackout but I use to watch the TV often then and at times I missed out some shows and cartoons. Living in blackout is not easy but we worked it out especially when night comes. We can't see much and we tend to stay close to one another for safety. I was definitely afraid of the dark then, but not too much now, only if I don't think too much about what's there in the dark. Anything that uses electricity was kind of useless. But when the blackout was over, life had a new life. I was back watching TV, lying down with the fan blowing cool wind at me. Lights filled up the house and everything was back to normal. Life was simple at the village for me then. Then came the internet.

There wasn't internet back at Johor then and even now. But back at Singapore, when I first got internet, it was so addictive. There was a cap for the amount of data I could use. I think it was less than 1GB. I can't remember the exact amount but anyway, I always exceed the data and my aunt had to pay more for the excess usage. The computer and the internet was shared between me and my elder brother. I think this was when I was back in primary 3 or 4? Wow. That's like 12 years back.

How simple ideas like the electricity and the internet changed the world. It has crossed oceans and continents to change lives of human beings for better or worse. I Skyped last night and it ended my day so much better than I had expected.

Losing Minds

I sometimes wonder if I'm okay. I realized that I tend to be more positive in the morning than I am at night. This occurs most of the time when I'm alone most of the time. Sometimes it even happens when I'm with a group of friends.

Much has happened these past few days. My most recent event would be the diving theory I took last Wednesday. It was a 3hour theory lesson. It was like back to class for me. Our instructor, Grace, did a good job in teaching us the theory. She was really friendly and made it easy to understand for those who were there.

Last Tuesday was Charmaine's birthday. I believe she was so happy by the end of the day. It was her first time cutting her own cake according to her. I can't remember how that felt but I bet she was so happy. She said she got dunked in the sea, which was not surprising to me. Anyone can get dunked for whatever reason. Knowing enough of her childhood, I really believe she felt like the happiest girl in the world at the moment. I gave her chocolates and a card.

Last Thursday was awesome! I had dinner with Carolyn and Jessamine at Popeye's and the delicious durian dessert which they introduced to me. I really enjoy their company alot. They are such nice friends. It's located at Ang Mo Kio where the two stores are just across one another and that made it much more convenient. It was definitely a good catch up for me and Jess who has quit Sentosa. Carolyn is still working in Sentosa so I still chat with her when she's in the island. I realized that I've actually known them for about slightly more than a year. How time flies. We bought some stuff from NTUC after the dessert and found a place to sit to continue our very interesting conversations. That night ended well for me. We'll definitely meet up again but not so soon as the both of them have exams and their own stuff to do. Good stuff.

It ends here. For now. I got to shower and have breakfast before I head out to work. More to come!

i ponder

It's been 3 days since she flew off. The first day was the toughest for me. The sudden halt of the frequent SMS really made me lose myself. I couldn't focus at all. All I could do that day was to distract myself by doing something without thinking much. I couldn't get the hang of not receiving and replying her SMS so many times daily since she came back from China. It was one of the worst days in my life.

DREAM HOME

I want a crib like Akon's!

His crib is sick! I almost got a heart attack when I saw this video half way though on my iPhone when I was in the bus. His master bedroom is just awesome! I love his shower room man. You could fit in like 10 people inside! There's even a place for a pole dance. Nice! Let your imaginations run wild! He even has a tiger on his backyard, it's in a glass cage. He even has a remote that controls almost every electronics and devices at home. I love his Phelps Lounge. I'm already in love with his home :)

The cars that he showed in the video are exactly the ones that I really dream to own someday. I especially love his white Lamborghini Murcielago. It's so beautiful. Especially the red interiors. It's so hot and sexy!

I'm just posting the parts which I like about the video that's all. A renewed vision :)

I am a happier man today :D

End of Jan

January 2011 has ended. Today is February 2011.

As a start, I am really grateful to be alive and kicking. We should always be grateful, when we're both sad and happy. Being consciously aware of what I'm thinking and doing is really something I'm beginning to experience more and I intend to use it to help others grow.

The Sentosa Boardwalk has finally opened. It's a 500m stretch of causeway for people to walk into Sentosa. It's nice to walk on the outside in the evening. Lights from Vivocity and Resorts World makes the Sentosa Boardwalk a nice place just to hangout.

On the opening day, a group of Sentosa staff and some dancers from schools performed a flash mob. I was one of the Sentosa staff. I wasn't into it at first during the first rehearsal. But in the midst of the first rehearsal, I knew I was hooked. I think it's the adrenaline and energy that sucked me in and made me want to perform. We had 3 rehearsals on different days and it was fun for me. For the actual day itself, I was very hyped about it. I knew I want to quickly do it. And when the time came, we danced. It was an unbelievable feeling. I was so high. By the time it ended, I was quite upset. I did screw up some moves but that wasn't the problem. It ended too fast. All we did was danced and it ended in a blink of an eye. It was a very fun and exhilarating for me! All good things must come to an end. But the memory remains.

My red refurbished iPod nano has arrived! It came in this box and even had a USB cable, an Apple earphones and a dock adapter. I just love the color :D

I was having this conversation with Gabriel the other day and we talked about our future. What lies ahead and we shared what we want to have in the future. What struck me the most was how old I was going to be next year. I'll be 25. Age is just a number. It's scary to think about it logically really. A close cousin of mine is getting married this Sunday. He's a year older than me. That makes him 25 this year. The thought of being 25 next year hit me like a brick wall flying at me. It wasn't a good sign, or was it?

January 2011 has ended. Today is February 2011.

What will February bring? Let's pray for the best.

People Are Awesome!

The book "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie is just awesome! It's probably one of the best books I've read and enjoyed alot. It's a book which I truly wish that all schools have and be taught to the students. The world would definitely be a better place if the techniques were followed.

When I first saw the title of this book, I was taken aback by the title but I've heard somewhere that this was a book that could change anyone's life for the better if you just follow the simple rules.

That person was right. I was never good with people or wasn't very sociable. I hated ice breakers. I had a very difficult time talking to people whom I just met and I can't seem to get any attention. I thought I was very shy. I could never be interesting. But when I started reading and applied what was written inside, my life started to change.

How did I change? In a lot of area. Most obvious to me would be how I interact with people. I felt like I could connect with people easier. I'm more confident but still shy. There's so many area in my life have improved after I read and reread the book. Like someone famous said, you'll always find something new when you reread a book. We're only receptive to what we are looking for.

I typed out this blog as I'm reading the book again. I won't be typing what's there in the book. It's content is just too much for me to type it out here but I can assure that it's worth to read if you're finding ways to improve your life and relationship with others.

Just some thoughts. Serious or not :)

Heartwarming.

Today have been a great day. Just had my Myojo curry chicken cup noodles and Pokka jasmine green tea. Life's simple pleasure. Anyway, TODAY IS PAYDAY! YEAH! :D

Back to business...

There was dance practice for the opening of the boardwalk earlier at 6pm. It was really fun! When I was chosen to do this dance by Shiqin a week ago, I was like oh man. But I figured I'm definitely not the only one feeling that way. Being half optimistic, I just went. By the end of that practice, I find it fun! I had a great workout and it was something totally new to me. I never danced like that before so it was not easy for me. The moves were cool but to execute them is not easy. Sure I had a great time, but by the end of that, my hamstring hurts! Thankfully it's just my hamstring. I bet some had soreness all over the body. Today's practice was the whole thing from the top. It was so fun to do all that. I really enjoyed it and now both my legs hurt a little. I think it's because I didn't stretched enough. 3 more days to the actual day. Excited!

Earlier in the afternoon, I went to meet up with Kat who works at NIKE at West Coast Plaza. I remembered my best friend's little sister, Liyinn, wanted socks from NIKE about 2 months back. We were then just walking around in a KL shopping center, and she said she was looking for socks as stuff in Malaysia is definitely cheaper. But to my knowledge, such shopping centre which we went to doesn't have much variety and I was right. They had NIKE socks but the ones she wanted was not sold there. Back in Singapore. I saw the socks Liyinn wanted at West Coast Plaza. Since Kat works there, I'll get 30% off under Kat's account. Called Liyinn a few days back and she said she wanted 6 pairs and so I got them for her. As for me, I wanted socks too but there wasn't any size for me. There were 2 Air Force 1's that I fancied but there wasn't any size for me too. Simply put, there was nothing for me to buy at that moment.

25/01/2011. I remembered that I did not wake up a happy person that day. At least it wasn't as bad as the night before. The day didn't start well for me either and then came an e-mail from a good friend of mine, Cindy, which had a title "100 ways to motivate yourself". It was hard to absorb such material so I just skimmed through the e-mail on my iPhone while I was in the bus to work and I found this phrase "Anything that worries you should be acted upon. Not just thought about" on one of the 100 ways. I recalled doing stuff when I was not in the good mood. It's my way of blowing up steam. When I was at work, I was assigned to be on tower but I was pulled put to cover ground. It rained and it never stopped. Nicole texted me and told me it rained as she was in hut 7. She called it the Nicole effect. I forgotten that she had told me that before. When Nicole works at hut 7, it'll rain. If it's not a heavy downpour, a small drizzle is still counted. It still poured when Nicole's at hut 7.

What I did at work was admin and toilet checks. Moving around actually helped me to loosen up and made me feel better. The run during my break actually helped me to loosened up even more and thus the day at work had made me happier. Texts coming from Nicole and Has made the day even better. I did told Nicole the night before that I didn't want to go for the dinner on 25/01/2011. That thought was made when I was in the worst situation so I had to decide by what is right. I did went to have dinner with Nicole and Has at TOS in the end after work. That was the plan Has planned a few days back. It was a wonderful dinner. I can't remember the time I had 2 beautiful women eating with me. I don't think I ever had. Hmm.. The plan to have ice-cream after dinner never came about as the 3 of us was definitely enjoying each others company after dinner. We were there for close to 2 hours. I realized it after we were about to leave. We then headed to Vivocity to help Nicole choose a pair of earphones to replace her worn out purple Koss earphones where music only comes out from one the headphones according to her description. So we all went to Challenger and helped Nicole picked a new pair for her. A purple Sony earphones. Nicole's favourite color is purple and not green. Right after she threw her old Koss earphones, all of us head home. The day ended in a total 360 degree change from morning to night. I felt like I was back to normal. Or so I thought. Tired and sleepy sounds more real. I was definitely happier.

I think I've never typed this much before. Maybe I have but I can't recall:/

My body is aching and I'm sleepy. Going off now.

Thanks Nicole for reminding me,"the longest anyone should ever sulk for is 15 minutes cos any longer than that. life's passing by". Sometimes I hate you for being right. Only for that instance.

Good night!

This is the view I saw at Palawan Beach at 6.30pm. It's just magnificent.

Evading isn't the solution

I never seem to tell my personal troubles to anyone. Why should I? Everyone has their own problems and I do not wish to add more of them on their list.

Looking back, I seem to tell people my problems only to with theirs. Thus making it easier for them to understand what I went through and what I did to overcome it. I'm just never good at telling people my personal problems seriously.

What's my song? I still can't figure it out.

I guess this is where e law of e game hits me. I'm not sure if I broke any laws but I could see consequences of not following it. e situation I'm at now is not complicated by logic, but by emotions. I believe when emotions come in, it makes a living hell in your mind if you don't realize the problem. I'm not even sure if what I'm doing is right? No one should get hurt. Maybe being e simple me might be e best choice. Just "hi" and "bye". Why complicate it and you end up hurting yourself and people around you. Just follow e rules and all will be fine.

I really hope no one gets hurt, inside.

Troubling thoughts

Here I am at palawan office typing this entry. I feel like I'm stuck in between. I can't seem to decide. It seems that I can start and hold on to it. But I can't seem to find the finisher. I feel so afraid. My confidence doesn't seems to be at where I start when it comes to finishing. It seems so fun just to toy with it. To show and tell but never to embrace. I hope I'm not hurting anyone.