Conjuror

SISF!!

2006-10-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

I just attended the Singapore International Salsa Festival 2006 last weekend.
One word sums it all : AWESOME! :))

The SISF is organised by my salsa instructors, June & Jackson, from JJ SalsaRengue. I was unable to attend the workshops so I only went for the 3 nights. Every nite, there would be performances and then social dancing. I missed the first nite of perfomances since I had to go attend my little nephew's 3-yr-old bday party.. He's too adorable for me to miss his party :p

Anyway, I was just recovering from a sprained ankle.. only took off my bandage on Thu & I was off for 3 days of dancing. Thanks goodness it was only a slight sprain & I took care to go see the sinseh before that. Can't imagine having to miss such a great event!

The performances were fantastic. Various local salsa schools performed and there were many overseas teams too. Personally, I liked the performance put up by Salsaeros Indonesia the best. their costumes were beautiful and they managed to incorporate their traditional indonesian dance, salsa & rueda into their performance. It was a refreshing change from the traditional salsa performances. The other performance that I really liked was the team from my alma mater, JJ. Though their costumes were standard and their presentation traditional, they wowed the audience with their techniques and synchronisation of the entire team.

Of coz.. the international instructors put up brilliant performances too. I especially like the one done by Eddie the Salsa Freak and Brandon. Though it was a short performance, I was amazed at the skills and techniques.. Eddie is a world-renowned performer.. so nothing much needs to be said about her. But for Brandon, a cute guy who is only 21 years old, his techniques were fantastic. He hopped, flipped, turned and do everything that I never thought is possible.

I managed to dance with a few foreigners on Fri. On Sat, I danced with the big guys such as Milton (Cobo Brothers), Brandon, Gino, and a few others. However, I was not on top form and din really enjoy the dances. I was also trying to get a turn to dance with Super Mario but he was running away & screaming "can't a guy get a rest?" :p Guess the poor guy was really tired after an entire day of teaching at the workshops and endless requests from the ladies... LOL.. guys really can't be too popular..

Sun was the most fun of all 3 nites for me. First, I took part in the attempt to break Guinness World Record for the biggest Rueda.. & we succeeded!! It was nothing short of a miracle.. Initially, we had only 140 odd couples, short of 30 couples to break the Miami record of 173. However, with much efforts and encouragement, we managed to do it & with 10 calls instead of 3! A sense of exuberance swept through all the participants and we were all proud to be able to form part of this world record.

Besides the rueda record, I had the most fun on Sun as I was in good form and was able to dance to my utmost. I thought I had no chance to dance with Super Mario or Brandon anymore.. since all the gals were flocking to queue up to ask them. I needed to go off earlier as I was unable to get leave for Mon since my boss was already on leave. I saw the 2 of them dancing with 2 gals and the people were surrounding them in a circle to watch them. I walked in too & stood to admire their performance. Just then, Brandon came over and placed his hands on my shoulders... I was shocked.. and he led me out to the dance floor & we starting dancing.. An extremely playful guy who has an absolutely charming smile... & of coz.. superb dance techniques & great lead. Half way through the dance, both of them swopped partners & I fulfilled my wish of dancing with all the top dancers!! Super Mario's lead was fantastic... it was definitely an enjoyable experience dancing with him. Just when he started doing his tricks of entrapping both of my hands & yet askg for one, Brandon came to my rescue... It was such an excellent experience being able to dance with both tip-top dancers in a single song... If ever there is such a thing as a limit to happiness, mine would have shot right to the top & off the cap! It was such a sudden gesture on Brandon's part to pull me in to dance that I din even think about the entire crowd who were watching us... *phew... luckily not.. if not, I might have cold feet :p

Subsequently, I danced with Gino again.. this time round, I managed to get him to smile.. guess I must be tramatising him with my terrible dancing on Sat :p It was again, a superbly satisfying dance...
I even managed to dance with a salsa instructor from KL. He was this huge guy who was amazingly light on his feet... & coz of his sheer size, he literally swept me off my feet... a great dancer but a pity that I never got his name... :(

All in all, I managed to dance with all the best dancers on Sun... Thoroughly enjoyed myself so much that I almost din wanna go home even tho it was 12+. Even after I reached home, I was too pumped up with adrenalin & couldn't sleep till 4am! I also couldn't resist sending out an email to my instructors & one of the organisers, Webster, to thank them for organising SISF & gave me such a fantastic opportunity to dance with world renowned dancers...
Thought I would really die at work on Mon.. but surprisingly, even though I had to do OT till abt 8+, I was still in good shape..

Hmmm... the power of salsa :pp

Somethg to share....

2006-10-17T01:38:00.000-07:00

One of my gal friends, Jo, wrote the following...
I like the way she juxtaposes night & day. It also shows a deep sense of loneliness, a little desperation and the want for companionship. Though it is done through a narrator mode, it would seems that the description is a reflection of the narrator's own predicament.

My gal fren very talented hor??? :))

黑夜

当黑夜笼罩着大地时
当人们都在睧睧欲睡
唯有我在感受这世界

我仿佛听见黑夜在说

没有人会理睬我, 我是孤独的
没有人会注视我, 我是寂寞的
没有人会了解我, 我是可怜的

我和白天不曾见面
时间把我们分隔

为了让白天灿烂,
我牺牲了色彩

为了让白天休息,
我在黑暗活跃

有谁来拯救我...

2006-09-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

Below is a nice story that my fren sent me and it's rather true to a certain extent...
But read on and see my views to how this whole thing shld be...

Enjoy the Coffee
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups made of Porcelain, Plastic, Glass, Crystal, some ordinary looking, some expensive, some exquisite. He told them to help themselves to hot coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in their hands, the professor said:
"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap looking ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and worse, you were eyeing each other's cups. Now if life is coffee , then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain. Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. Some times, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."
So folks, don't let the cups drive you..., enjoy the coffee instead.

At times, it's the whole package.. Drinkg coffee can be seen as an experience rather than just the commodity itself... other than the aroma and taste of the coffee, the container can also put you in a good mood and hence, enhance the experience..Similarly life can be interpreted in the same way...Life should be the experience of drinking coffee & while the coffee itself is the essence, there's no reason why we cannot enjoy the "by-products" of having a nice cup... (of coz... subject to a certain amount of reasonableness... since some ppl might enjoy the process of obtaining the cup while others might be obsessed with it

Soulmates

2006-08-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

I always wonder... are there really such things as soulmates in the world?
I believe that no one is indispensable... there're many people out there who might fit the bill of a particular "type" of soulmate... it is just whether you can meet the person (s) in your lifetime or not.

I never really thought abt relationships where both parties are from different races, countries, etc. To me, it's almost a given that my other half has to be a Chinese.. Though I do not seem to have any expectations, but perhaps due to the influence of the frens around me, I guess I've come to accept that my other half has to be fairly educated too... at least a diploma for I believe that communication is every important.

Recently, realisation hit me. Though there are many educated people around (especially in Singapore), there are more of others who are not of the same "level". Does it mean that they might not be able to communicate with me (or others who are tertiary educated)? I certainly do not believe so... I've frens who are in relationships with people of different nationalities/races/wide age gaps/etc but most of them are of similar education background/level. But what happens to those who are not?

I really do admire the courage of those who can take the plunge and accept their partners who are so different from them (especially if there were ppl who do not 'think' that their relationship will work). You might enjoy the company of a person tremendously.. but when it is to go deeper, such factors cannot be ignored. When I was presented with a chance to get to know someone better, I chickened out. As frens, anything is fine. But as future partners, I do find it hard to accept someone from a different background (be it education, cultural, living style, etc), different nationality and a significant age gap. Sometimes, certain things are best left alone.. Not everyone can be frens...

Sounds cryptic?? :pp

R&R : Religions & Relationships

2006-08-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

I always wonder... I've seen quite some people who converted their religions due to their partners. Do they really do so willingly? Did they realise the merits of the other religion? Or was it simply coz they do not have any strong views of religions?
I once knew a guy... who used the excuse of "coz u're not a Christian, u cannot be my girl fren". Then, he should not have got close to e gal in the first place! It's true that certain religions do not accept other religions since they teach that theirs are the only true ones. However, at times, some ppl are merely using it as an excuse.. Why can't we ever take the chance to learn the other person's religion? You do not need to embrace it.. but simply to recognise the fact that the other person has his/her own belief and respect that..

I found an excerpt that expressed my views abt religions...

From a Buddhist mailing list:
Quotation from an interview with Thich Nhat Hanh:

I would like to tell you a story. Thirty five years ago I had a student who fell in love with a young man who was Catholic, and the family of that young man required that the young lady abandon the practice of Buddhism in order to be baptized as a Catholic. That was the basic condition for the marriage, and she suffered very much. Her family was also opposed to that. She cried and cried, and one day she came to me.

I said that Buddhism is not there to make you unhappy. Buddhism is not an obstacle, so I think in the name of the Buddha I can tell you that you can become a Catholic and marry him, but I would like to make a recommendation. You have received The Five Mindfulness Trainings; you should continue to look on them as the guidelines of your life. You don't have to be called a Buddhist; you only have to be a true Buddhist within yourself. Live accordingly and practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings, and that would make me happy enough. She was so joyful that she was allowed to marry the person she loved.

But she did not sleep during that night, and the next morning she came very early, and she said, "Thay, a tradition that is so embracing, so tolerant, so open, if I abandon it and turn my back to it, I am not a person of value. A tradition that is so strict, that has no tolerance, that is not able to understand, how could I formally identify myself with it?" So she just refused to get married to that person. I thought that I would help her get married to that young man, but I caused the opposite to happen. Today, thirty five years later, she is here somewhere in this Sangha.

When I was in Korea a few years ago, I participated in the first dialogue between Buddhists and Christians, and I said that many young people have suffered due to being caught in that kind of situation. So I proposed that we should be able to allow Buddhists and Christians to marry each other, with the condition that the young man would learn and also practice the tradition of the young woman, and the young woman would also learn and practice the tradition of the young man. Instead of having one root, you have two roots. Why not?

If you love mangoes, you are free to continue to eat mangoes, but no one forbids you to eat pineapples or oranges. Your favorite fruit is the mango, yes, but you don't betray your mango when you eat pineapple. I think it's too narrow-minded, even stupid, to enjoy only mango, when there are so many different fruits around in the world. Spiritual traditions are like spiritual fruits, and you have the right to enjoy them. It is possible to enjoy two traditions, to take the best of two traditions and live with that. If you like to eat Italian food, you can still enjoy French and Chinese cooking. You cannot say, "I have to be faithful to my Italian cooking", that's too funny.

Dating around the world

2006-01-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

My gal fren sent this to me...
And I thought it gave me such a good laugh that I should share it around.

Ok, so there's a lot of stereotypes here, but still funny.....Dating...

WHITE WOMEN:
First date: You get to kiss her goodnight.
Second date: You get to grope all over and make out a bit.
Third date: You get to have sex but only in the missionary position.

IRISH WOMEN:
First Date: You both get blind drunk and have sex.
Second Date: You both get blind drunk and have sex.
20th Anniversary: You both get blind drunk and have sex.

ITALIAN WOMEN:
First Date: You take her to a play and an expensive restaurant.
Second Date: You meet her parents and her Mom makes spaghetti & meatballs.
Third Date: You have sex, she wants to marry you & insists on a 3-carat ring.
5th Anniversary: You already have 5 kids together & hate the thought of having sex.
6th Anniversary: You find yourself a Mistress.

JEWISH WOMEN:
First Date: You get terrific head.
Second Date: You get even more great head.
Third Date: You tell her you'll marry her and never get head again.

CHINESE WOMEN:
First date: You get to buy her an expensive dinner but nothing happens.
Second date: You buy her an even more expensive dinner. Nothing happens again.
Third date: You don't even get to the third date and you've already realized nothing is ever going to happen.

INDIAN WOMEN:
First date: Meet her parents.
Second date: Set the date of the wedding.
Third date: Wedding night.

BLACK WOMEN:
First Date: You get to buy her a real expensive dinner.
Second Date: You get to buy her and her girlfriends a real expensive dinner.
Third Date: You get to pay her rent.
Tenth Date: She's pregnant by someone other than you.

MEXICAN WOMEN:
First Date: You buy her an expensive dinner, get drunk on Tequila, and have sex in the back of her car.
Second Date: She's pregnant.
Third Date: She moves in. One week later, her mother, father, his girlfriend, her two sisters, her brother, all of their kids, her grandma, her father's girlfriend's mother, her two cousins, her sister's Boyfriend and his three kids move in and you live on rice and beans for the rest of your life in your home that used to be nice, but now looks like a home along the Tijuana strip.

ARAB WOMEN:
First Date: Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Friends and entire arab community finds out.
Second Date: You are shot dead.
No third date.

Guys, listen up!

2005-12-14T22:31:00.000-08:00

For those who knows me, you will know that one of my hobbies is Salsa. Yes, I enjoy the movement of my body to that Afro-cuban-latino music. I try to be regular too.. at least once a week at the salsa pub to dance.

Imagine this:
Just when you're having a great evening dancing & having fun, a guy you dun really know came up to you to invite you for a dance. Sounds like the typical romance story of "both of you have a good time & you fell for each other"???
Pls dun be fooled... It does happen... but not often enough.
Well.. some scenarios:
1) The guy is cute & is such a fantastic dancer (well... a bit rare loh..)
2) The guy is not so cute but still a fantastic dancer (that's pretty fine.. at least you get to enjoy the dance)
3) The guy is a fantastic dancer but his attitude sucks (ok...that can lead to 2 outcomes: 1 being that you still enjoy the dance but you tend to look elsewhere instead of his face whom you'd love to punch, 2 being he thinks he's simply great & you're not up to his level & you regret ever setting eyes on him)
4) The guy is an ok dancer (that's perfectly fine.. other positive attributes are bonuses)
5) The guy is a beginner & is a lousy dancer (no prob! everyone's new once! I used to have 2 left-feet too)
6) The guy has been dancing for quite sometime but is still a lousy dancer (sigh.. not everyone has the aptitude.. I took a long time too.. so endure a bit. some are just slow starters..)
7) The guy has been dancing for quite sometime, is a lousy dancer & has an attitude problem (do I need to say anymore???)
8) The guy can be bad/excellent dancer but it doesn't matter.. coz his hands are busier.. groping elsewhere (harlow.. not all gals who dance are that casual!!!!)

Honestly, I do not deny that it's definitely more enjoyable to dance with a guy who has fantastic rhythm sense, excellent lead, etc. However, it's also ok to dance with guys who are not too good.. as long as they've an excellent attitude. I'm not that fantastic a dancer too.. we all make mistakes, then just laugh it off loh. But good or bad dancers alike, it becomes a torture to dance with once they have that stuck up attitude. And of coz.. for those "octopus", gals will have to take extreme measures of stepping on their feet with their heels or jerking up the knee. Of coz this is rather extreme.. the usual thing I do is to apply pressure on the guy's shoulders & to keep my arm locked when he tries to pull me close (so that there is a gap in between).

I met 2 irritating dancers yesterday.. one of them is a Japanese guy on holiday here. A bit old but still rather suave-looking. He invited me to dance & asked if I'm local.. coz I looked like a Jap. (sigh.. wat kinda pick-up line is that???) He's one of those octopuses & kept inviting me to dance.. I had to reject & even went to hide! :p
The other irritating guy.. he's guilty of scenario 7. I've danced with him a couple of times & though he's really quite bad, I thought I must still give him bonus points for mustering up the courage to invite people to dance. Hence, I always agree. This time round, I asked him how long he's been salsa-ing, which school he's from & the level he's at. He shocked me with his answer... he has actually taken lessons till intermediate level & this also means that he would have been dancing about a year or so.. however, he's worse than some beginners!! He tried to turn me a lot of times at the wrong timing and thks goodness there's not much lead from him (otherwise you will see a litter of bones around the area where we dance). So I just gently commented that you have to lead at the correct timing so that there's enough time to turn.

He looked at me & said," Well, you also have to look at the flow of the dance.. so that it's smooth & graceful." My jaw dropped. The remainder of the dance was spent in silence. It wasn't even criticism.. merely pointing out that there's somethg he could have done better.. but this guy, he actually thought that he knew better with that superior tone of his. That's it.. that's the last time I'm dancing with him. He actually have no idea he's doing it all wrong & when someone commented, he went ahead of his stick-in-the-mud attitude!

Sigh.. guys... pls do yourselves a favour. I'm not saying that only guys are at fault. At times, the gals can be a terror to dance with too.. but do remember that because you're the ones leading, we will feel the pain when you "twist" our arms.. It is also possible for us to sprain our legs, fall, etc. And, PLS LISTEN when others try to keep constructive comments!! Especially when it's our arms that you're handling!! You can definitely choose to shrug off the comments you get, sift through & take out the ones which you think are worth improving on.. But pls do not have that awfully stuck-up tone or face when you hear comments! (well.. unless they're from those super complain non-stop bitches, then they totally deserve it :p).

Going Ga Ga!!

2005-12-14T22:19:00.000-08:00

I declare that I'm now mesmerised with a married man. Yes, I know it's pretty shocking.. but I'm not the only one.. There're hundreds or thousands out there who are just like me.. & we're all captivated by Park Shin Yang. Sigh.. the power of a drama serial.. it can project an ordinary looking guy into stardom. His role in Lovers in Paris has effectively swept me off my feet. I went a little crazier & googled a bit on him & learnt that he's happily married to a pretty lady 12-13 years his junior & they've a daughter. And of coz... the website has more of his pictures lah..

I must defend myself that I've never exactly gone crazy over any idol since my teenage years. I'm a superbly passive fan.. enjoy the song/movie/serial, think how cute/charming/charismatic the actor is and that's about it. The last actor I was "in love" with was Jang Dong Gun for his role in All About Eve. Again, another charismatic actor. I guess the kind of actors I like are more of the mature, not too good at expressing feelings but extremely charming type. Tony Leung is another of my favourite actor.

Back to Park Shin Yang, for those who have yet to watch Lovers in Paris, it's going to show soon on TV. But guess wat??? It's showing at that ungodly hour of 7pm!! Harlow??? Who's home to watch it except those ah mahs & ah pehs?? Can't u guys schedule it at 9pm?? A time when people who would appreciate such shows watch the tv?? So no more catching the suave Park Shin Yang for me loh.. *pout*

Glued!

2005-12-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

Recently, "thanks" to my mum, I've been returning home earlier than normal & even not going out with my frens after work. For those who know me, you will know that this is rather unusual.. that I'll even choose not to meet up with frens just to go home??? Unheard of!

Well, it's coz my mum started off with renting some VCDs and subsequently borrowing some from her colleagues. The first set she rented was a HK drama serial 我的野蛮奶奶 (My Unreasonable Mother-In-Law). It was extremely hilarious.. how an unreasonable mother-in-law who was born as a princess tried to "curb" her rash & direct daughter-in-law. Add in a husband who's a mummy's boy and you've a successful comedy in the making. All the conflicts of how the mother-in-law tried to torture the daughter-in-law and how cowardy the son is. A rather relaxing and fun comedy that soon became serious as the son turns out to be a chivalrous hero who goes round robbing the rich to save the poor in secret. Still not too bad overall.. could be improved if the relationship between the son & daughter-in-law is played out in more details.

The second set of VCSDs she borrowed from her colleague is a Korean drama serial. I've not finished watching it yet.. 巴黎恋人 (Paris Lovers). Sounds sleazy?? Actually it's a romantic love story of how 2 men (an uncle & his nephew) concurrently fell in love with a compassionate, blur & comical gal. The uncle is a rich & successful heir to an automotive family business, who's love life is extremely lacking till he met this girl. The nephew (age difference with the uncle is only a few years) happens to be an extremely good-looking guy who is rather playful but caring. Add in the fact that these 2 men are very closely-knitted, a domineering father, an arranged marriage and the drama of the uncle turning out to be the nephew's brother, this serial got me hooked! I've not finished watching it yet the plot thickens.. Intending to do so over this weekend.. soo exciting!!

By the way, those good-looking Korean guys like Jang Dong Gun, Won Bin, Bae Jung Gun, etc. that you see on screen are rare & few in real life. The average Korean guy has small eyes, thin lips & is definitely not too suave looking. In the initial part of the show, I was wondering why on earth did they choose such an uncle-looking guy to add as the lead (well.. though he's indeed playing the role of an uncle, the lead actress is a sweet pretty thing.. so..erm..must be matching a bit lah...). But as the show progress, his looks does grow on me.. Especially the scene where he was playing ice hockey & he removed his glasses... Woah!! I'm falling in love with the character too! In comparison, the nephew who can make all gals swoon at his feet, pales in comparison as the show proceeds. Well, this kinda testifies the acting skills of these men since the average-looking guy can start to look good after awhile! :p The actress also starred in another serial.. in that serial I watched, she is beautiful & has a dignified look.. however, in this show, she appears to be the girl-next-door & is rather hilarious...

I do enjoy watching Japanese drama serials too.. However, recently I've started to turn more towards Korean ones. Koreans are by nature more subtle in expressing their feelings & there's much lesser of smooching on screen. There could also be long periods of silence where the characters in the show undergo some emotional trauma (more of undercurrents). The Japanese serials are more "modern" & depict more of love-hate relationships. Some people might find the silence & subtlety of the Korean shows unbearable, but I'm beginning to like it as it really tests the skills of the actors and presents another style of acting.

I'm praying that my mum does stop borrowing such drama serials for awhile.. It's quite killer to be watching it till rather late in the nite & I've to work next morning! Yes yes.. I know, shld be more disciplined.. but the episodes always cut off at the most exciting moment that you can't help but insert one more into the VCD player to watch!

Double standards???

2005-12-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

It's been eons since I last blogged... during this period, I've been busy with the preparation of the games for a fun fair, work, books, fun, etc.. all except the time to blog.
Simply put, I was just plain lazy:p The thought of switching on my home PC after having stared at it at work for more than 8 hrs simply put me off. I was also too busy out playing on weekends :p
I've been spending much time reading the blogs of others & they were so interesting! That of an extremely witty doctor, Dr Bl Og, that of a civil servant, etc. Alas! Most of these blogs have been "closed" down. Was thinking of closing mine too.. since I'm such a lazy person despite the support of all my frens.. but then again, sigh.. decided just to hang on for awhile more..blog as & when I feel like it loh..

Anyway, on the extremely "hot" issue of Nguyen Tuong Van, the drug smuggler, I've some views too.. Being a Buddhist, I do not advocate killing or the taking away of life from any being. However, I'm also not totally against capital punishment.. especially when the person being executed will bring more harm to others if not so. However, this is not the first convict that Singapore is executing. Why should this case be any different from others? Simply coz he's an Australian? Simply coz it's Singapore & not other countries? There're many other countries which carry capital punishment & not much juicy news evolved from those... Does it also mean that certain "lives" are more valuable? I fully support the fact that as Singaporeans, we should not deviate from our normal practice & succumb to political pressure. Once a precedence is set, we can no longer stand firm on future cases.

If we can execute our own people if they commit such a crime, why should we practise double standards & spare others just coz they're of a different nationality?

Australia's PM John Howard said this:
'It is beyond belief that any Australian could be so stupid as to carry drugs into any country in Asia. We have told Australians - young Australians - again and again, do not take drugs out of this country, do not take them into Asian countries because you cannot expect any mercy. Now, we will keep pushing that message, but people have to understand that if they defy that and they get caught with drugs, they cannot expect the government to bail them out.

What kind of message is the Aussie PM putting across??? Is he telling the Australians that you shld not carry drugs to Asia but it's ok to do it in Australia or Europe since there's no capital punishment?? With such an attitude, can he expect the people to stop taking or trafficking drugs??

The matters on Nguyen's twin brother was also kept a secret as the judge handling the issue deems his case as being sensitive & might have an impact on his brother's case. For this, his punishment was delayed & even lessened. Does this make sense?? As long as a crime is committed, no matter who you might be, a prince, a king or whoever, you should not be given any special treatment: The reason being that your criminal act has void you of all your status.. you're simply just like any other criminal.. & both cases are separate issues.. how could they be lumped together?
I do not understand why a minute of silence should be observed for a criminal.. has he made any huge contribution to society? Is he of outstanding character or of some commendable traits? Just coz he's a criminal who was caught in another country & given capital punishment? Why should some of the Australians call us barbaric & boycott our products? We've always held firm to our decision especially in matters such as criminal punishment.. They've never done so till we decided to carry out our normal procedures & execute an Australian. Should we command more respect just coz we succumb to pressure & decided not to execute Nguyen? It makes no sense for me. Would we then not be seen as a weak nation with no principles? No ethics? Double standards? If we've to pay for executing a criminal of heinous crimes, so be it.

Pls note that it's not that I'm advocating political insensitivities here & neither am I against all Australians. I'm just giving my comments based on the issue. The issue here is no longer "Singapore carries out capital punishment & is capital punishment right?". The issue has become "Singapore is executing an Australian."

How Rich Am I?

2005-09-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered:
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have acreek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing?? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.
So have U ever thought of what U really have instead of what U don't??
Stop complaining about the things you dun have..

In the modern day, with all the advancement in technology and innovation, we have a lot more than before.
We're richer physically, but poorer spiritually & emotionally..

Stupid Stupid!!

2005-09-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

Many a time, we made mistakes not coz we are ignorant. We made mistakes when we actually know that they're mistakes!
"I know I shouldn't smoke.. it's bad for health.. but I'm addicted."
"I know I shouldn't be racist.. but I dun care. I just dun like this race.."
"I know he's a jerk.. but I still choose to be with him.. coz I like him."

Sounds familiar?
We seem to be in such situations every now & then. And pretty often, when we see our frens in such situation, we'll tell them, "I told you so".
That's a superbly "qian bian" statement (for the benefit of those who do not understand Chinese, this means a statement that will cause u some physical pain or that you'll have to endure a glare from your fren minimally).
It's really really easy for all of us to say things.. we all know wat we have to do.. the issue is, can we actually do it?

I made a really stupid mistake yesterday.. I actually allowed myself to be placed in a position where my beliefs & values are once again compromised. However, I feel that I could not help it at that point of time. It was a time when my judgement was clouded.. Or rather, I knew the consequences of such an action. However, I chose to allow it to happen. I felt totally "bashed up" after that. I knew that it's a mistake long long ago.. but once & again, I allowed such a thing to happen. I really ought to be shot. But no more.. I have to solve this problem by uprooting the "cause" totally. Once a mistake, twice carelessness, thrice stupidity. It's time I take better care of myself & not allowed myself to be in a compromising position. I pray that I have the strength & sense to carry this whole thing through..

Guys nowadays... sighz...

2005-08-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Okok.. this is not about all guys.. it's basically just 1 guy fren of mine.
Gals, have u ever wonder why the guys nowadays are so petty? Yes... I wonder if being metrosexual or SNAG (Sensitive New Age Guys) have anything to do with their sensitivity level.. Does it work both ways i.e. they're more sensitive to your needs but at the same time, you've to be more sensitive to theirs??

Well... the above para was just a general comment abt most guys nowadays.. but back to my story abt me & my guy fren..
I'm currently taking pop piano lessons with a fren. We're into our 3rd level (where there're 4 other frens in the 1st 2 levels but they subsequently dropped out leaving us as the survivors). One day, the piano teacher gave me a call asking if it was alright to change our weekly lessons from Wed to Fri since she's doing some re-shuffling among her classes. Much as I do not like lessons on Fridays (well, that's the time when my frens jio me out for coffee, let our hair down, etc.), I was agreeable as this condition will last only abt 2 mths plus. And knowing how busy our teacher is with her lessons, I agreed to help her inform my fren. I sms him, & he replied "ok". So our lessons were "officially" changed to every Fri. As this narrator here is getting a little senile, she actually forgot that on the following Fri, she had brought tickets to watch a performance. Hence, no choice.. msg teacher, asked if can postpone or change lesson's timing. Then, at the same time, msg-ing my fren to inform him abt the situation. I was rather tired that day.. coz plenty of work to clear & just stepped out of the office abt 9+pm.

Surprised that there was no reply from my fren, abt a couple of hrs later, when I went online & met my fren, I asked him if he received my msg. He went something like "Are we both taking piano lessons together?" "Er... yes..." "Then I'd appreciate it if you discuss with me first before talking to the teacher."
I was mad to see this statement appearing in my MSN msg-box. Hence I reiterated "I was merely checking with the teacher if there's another arrangement" (of coz since knowing her busy schedule) "& if you're unhappy, u shld have replied to my msg. And I'd appreciate it if you can actually let me know if u're unhappy abt the arrangement." Being deat beat, I did the most sensible thing next. I logged off & went to bed. But my hp sounded. My fren just msg me asking if the change to Fri was my idea. I told him it was that of the teacher & that I logged off merely coz I was tired. Next morning, having no choice but to settle the lesson issue, I had to msg my fren again. I told him that if he was unhappy with the arrangement, kindly let me know & lesson will go on on Fri & I'll just miss a class. He replied "If I have to change my personal appt to attend piano on Fri, I'd not complain. Tell me if I'm unreasonable for asking you to discuss with me first before talking to the teacher. If yes, I'd not argue." "No, I wld not say u're unreasonable. But I do not understand what is the issue here. I merely checked with the teacher if there's another time & if u're unhappy, shld hv let me known." And I ended the exchange as I refused to argue over sms-es. It's both stupid & counterproductive.

On Sat, I received a msg from my fren, informing me he was in KL & would appreciate if I can ask the teacher to switch the lesson back to every Wed or Sat instead. I was pissed... & told him to inform teacher himself. He replied that it was more convenient since I was in S'pore & he further requested to postpone lessons for a mth since he's going to US & Europe end Aug. I told him to negotiate with the teacher himself. I was hopping mad.. This guy here had agreed to the change in lesson timing without thinking further. He flared up at me thinking that I was the one who went ahead to change the lesson without asking him. And what's more, he refused to admit his mistake when I told him the "truth" (yeah.. the truth he wasn't "listening" to right from the start..it's the teacher's request to change the timing!!). And he has the guts to ask me to inform the teacher after "gunning me down" a couple of times. Told him sms-g me from KL is more ex.. calling will be cheaper. Refused to listen. Refused to call the teacher too since he thinks overseas calls are ex. Well.. if u decide to be cheapo, solve your own prob.

Well.. I know there's no point getting angry with such a guy.. It might be just an oversight on his part. But there're certain principles of mine here that he violated: 1) I hate to be maligned. 2) I hate to be scolded for no rhyme or reason. 3) And if you've violated the first 2 principles, you jolly well apologise & being a soft-hearted person, I might just relent. You can simply tell me u made a mistake in assuming that I was the one who made the change. Fair enough.. I'll just over-look the whole matter. I do not like to argue but neither will I back away from a situation where I am not at fault.

Pride's important to everyone.. not only to a guy. But if you let your stupid pride stand in front of you & it blinded your vision such that you made the wrong judgement if then, even refuse to admit your own fault, then accept the consequences & dun whine. When I knew he misunderstood me, I explained. But this fren just refused to accept or "listen". How can anyone pour any more water into a vessel when it's full (so full of himself or of wrong conceptions)?? Sigh.. I can only say good luck to this fren who wishes to change back the lesson timing.. coz I'm totally against weekends (not to spite him but I generally have quite a few appts on weekends). So guess he'd hv to readjust his schedule around the lessons these few weeks!

Are my internal organs intact???

2005-08-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

I know I've not been blogging for a long time. Other than being rather busy with work, I was also suffering from a rather bad cough. I've never had such a bad cough.. can you imagine coughing for close to 2 mths & not recovering?? I've seen my GP twice (& he charged me $60 on 1 particular visit for some very strong antibotics) & even an expensive Chinese physician once. End results: everyday take medication, sleep, wake up, 'expectorate' (in case anyone does not know what this mean, it's actually vomitting out the spit), go to work, cough, work, cough, go home, cough...
I coughed till my colleagues shun me!! Ever tried coughing till so badly that you feel as if you're coughing out all your internal organs?? I even cough till I vomit..

Yes.. yes.. I know the entire description is rather gross.. I was rather disgusted with myself.. especially when I'm on the train! Sigh.. still hacking away a little.. but not as bad as initially.. only at times an outburst of coughing.. Thanks to a kind colleague of mine who's also a doctor, when I mentioned my problem to him, he gave me some medication & did not even charge me for it! Well.. that's a benefit if you work with a doctor :p :p

Clams for pets??

2005-08-04T23:17:00.000-07:00

Last Fri, after a taxing week & quite some OT, went with a friend to M Hotel for their buffet. Thanks to this fren of mine that has joined some gourmet club, I always get to enjoy good food at a cheap rate. It was a steamboat buffet.. & there was a wide assortment.

The service was excellent & they even provided each customer with a whole fresh crayfish! There were also many pastries/desserts to choose from. Even lohan guo drink & honey sea coconut. However, this is not another food issue though the food was good too..

I was seated next to my fren & there was a huge steamboat pot in between us. I was happily eating when I saw that my fren had this 'incredulous' look on his face.
"What happened??"
"I saw the clam move.."
"Are you sure it wasn't coz the plate's wet & it was the water that moved the clam?"
"No.. I saw it open up & stick out it's tongue to lick the piece of fish!"
"Really?? I wanna see!"
So what we did next was to put a slice of beef next to the clam. It slowly opened up & stuck it's 'tongue' out to lick the beef. When I knocked on the shell with my chopsticks, it retreated a little, then continued to 'savour' the beef.. Gosh.. I was so amazed!! My fren then took the clams & threw all of them into the pot when I was done with my "examination" & taking pics of it.
He took them out & was happily eating them.. offered some to me but I rejected. Well.. I'm no vegetarian.. but I try not to eat food that is still moving & I can see that! Some warped logic I know.. I'm still killing animals by eating them.. but still...

Anyway, conclusion of the whole episode: the seafood at M Hotel is really fresh!!

To barter your love???

2005-08-04T22:49:00.000-07:00

Well...Not much creativity on my end again.. :p
This is an article that I find extremely true... & most of us are victims of this many a times...
Hopefully after reading this article, you're able to realise the pitfalls & prevent yourself from falling into an undesirable situation again!
______________________________________

You usually do what you're told or asked to, even when you really don't want to do it. You keep your grudges inside, but because you feel mistreated, you grumble, complain and have frequent bursts of anger. You feel suppressed, but just can't seem to say "no".

Does that sound like you?

If you're consistently suppressing your desires to accommodate other people's needs, even it makes you really unhappy, perhaps you need a shift in self-perspective. You probably feel that if you don't give in to others' requests or demands, that people will not love or accept you anymore. You believe that their "love" for you is based solely on the pre-requisite that you comply with their every wish.

People trapped in such relationships can't seem to refuse the requests of family members or friends. And their family members and friends have become so used to seeing them in the submissive role that they often think that's what makes them happy, so they leave them to it. These people also get feelings of self-worth from being the "victim", the "martyr", or the one who has to sacrifice his own needs to accommodate the desires of the people he loves. This is a false line of reasoning that he has allowed himself to believe.

But your family members and friends will just as easily love you even if you can't give in to their desires. Love does not require that you suppress your true self and happiness. Love does not need you to be dishonest about your real feelings.
True freedom is found in giving out of love and not out of fear. When we give out of fear of rejection, we are not really giving but bartering whatever we are giving in exchange for others' acceptance.
No one can respond to what others ask of them all the time. And you are just as worthy of love even when you can't accommodate the needs of others.

Is it time you allowed others to be responsible for their own reality? And for you to be responsible for your own happiness?

Ikukan

2005-08-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

Well.. this is going to be another "food, oh glorious food" session. Well.. pls do not attempt to advise me that too many of such sessions are detrimental to my health & waistline. I promise I'll bash anyone up for telling me that ! :p

Anyway, the "flavour" of the month is Ikukan!
This is not a place that I'd have ventured to on my own.. coz the prices are really not too cheap.
However, it was a "thank-you" dinner for a CEO of some hospital.. so no choice.. must be more "attas" (high-class?). Ikukan's setting is rather nice & simple, mostly making use of white furniture & comfortable seats.

They offer 3 set menus and ala carte dishes. The set menus cost $36, $50 & $62 each. Deciding that it's not often that I get to pay so much for a meal, I chose the $50 set. It was an excellent choice. I was able to select 1 dish each from 4 different groups: appetizer, mid-dish, main course & dessert. For appetizer, I chose the seasonal variety: consisting of a sample portion of tamago, squid, duck, seaweed, fishcake, wintermelon & salmon. The appetizer was really nice.. I enjoyed the squid a lot as it was grilled & tasted extremely fresh & sweet.

For mid-dish, I decided to go for something different instead of the sashimi that's so typical of Jap restaurants. I chose a dish consisting of sweet potato & mozarella cheese. It was heavens... Imagine sweet potato wrapped in cheese & fried with a batter till it's crispy.. Then add a nice sauce to go with it.. Every bite consists of sweet & saltish, creamy taste.. I really enjoyed the food though it was a "cheaper" choice compared to sashimi! But looking at my colleagues' sashimi, it came in a round globe(bowl) of ice.. & there were thick generous slices of raw fish & some other seafood. Heavens too!

For main course, I normally take sukiyaki..this time round, hearing that the place is famous for their charcoal grilled items, I chose the grilled beef & it was excellent. Served with a side salad that was made up of various greens & a nice vineger, the beef was succulent & grilled on the outside but soft & tender on the inside..

For dessert, I chose the "sweets of the day" - a raspberry cheese yoghurt ice-cream. With every bite, you taste the berry & the cheesy yoghurt taste.. Being a dessert person (I always get scolded by my frens for looking at the dessert menu even before deciding on the main!), I find this a fantastic combination.

A costly price to pay.. but for the exquisite & fantastic food, it was worth every cent! :))))))

Roasted pig

2005-07-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

I'm in my office right now... sweating like a pig.. feeling rather giddy-headed.
And I once again experience the love-hate view to modern technology and what it has brought us...
The air-conditioner in my office has broken down. However, life still has to go on.. it has only made me painfully aware that air-con, once a luxurious item, has become a basic item to most Singaporeans. I love the comfort it brings... yet I hate the sense of feeling so helpless without it. Most of my colleagues & I can't even function normally without the air-con!!!

I just raided the fridge & conjured up several cans of Coke Light.. My colleagues & staff were superbly appreciative of this gesture! This goes to show how the little simple pleasures of life can mean so much in such a situation..

Well... I hear a "most melodious" voice.. ".. I set you all free!" It's my director! The saviour to our distress! Okok.. can go home slightly earlier than usual..
My staff just popped in & asked, " Can we go home earlier?"
I'm very happy that even though my director has 'issued the decree', my staff still bothered to step in & asked. Well, it's the form of respect & courtesy that should exist among people :)

I can hear the sounds of packing up & footsteps leading away from my cubicle... Okok.. I think I need to run off soon too.. Sigh.. so much work undone.. better clear as much as possible & go off!

Birthdays

2005-06-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

It's a rather amazing thing...
To me, my birthday is just another day in the 365 days.. this started to happen after my 21st birthday.. Brithdays no longer hold that much importance to me any longer.
However, to me, it's more of an "excuse" for frens to gather. Hence, I've never held a birthday party in my entire life.. I'd rather go out with different groups of frens & have dinners with them.. this is much more meaningful & intimate.

Today's the day I turn 1 year older again. Sigh.. I've officially lived a quarter of a century.. (Yes yes.. I know.. pls dun bash me up.. I know I'm still the youngest among all my branch's colleagues & not that old among many frens.. but being a woman, give me some freedom to lament lah.. Anyway, this will only come once in my life time.. since I'll only turn a quarter of a century once! :pp)
As I've just returned from a fren's ROM, I'm great that this day is a special day to others too! :)

I'm much thankful for the thoughts & efforts that my frens have put into for getting my gifts.. The most touching is that one of my frens who's working in the States actually took the trouble to buy me a gift & get his gf to bring it back for me! & of coz, not forgetting my beautiful JC frens who specially got me a mani/pedi voucher from this particular shop that they know I had always wanted to try but had no chance to.. My colleague who actually took the trouble to give me an early bday treat at a posh restaurant when he knew that he's not in town on the actual day.. my most precious Sec school gal frens for giving me a new pc of equipment & teaching me wat's epilating.. a fren who knew I love to read & gave me a rather interesting book... & many others who remembered & wished me happy bday & those who hv bought me gifts but hv not had a chance to pass to me yet..

Thks so much for all your thoughtfulness... Many have asked what I wanted... to me, the most beautiful gift is your frenship & the efforts u take to choosing a gift.. It really doesn't matter wat I want.. (as we grow older & become self-sufficient, the cost of gifts is not that important as compared with when we're still poor students...rather, I treasure more the time & efforts esp since we're all so busy nowadays..) Coz I'd treasure watever u get for me! Surprises are always nice... :)

Thks again... dear frens! :))

JC cheer

2005-06-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

I was just having dinner with my JC frens one day.. we were happily chatting about our school days when someone started the topic of school cheers...
Well, we did some rather crazy things...(well... it must have been craziness coz who in the right mind would say this kinda cheer?? :pp) hmm... no offence meant to anyone though..

English version:
We've got the red
We've got the white
We've got the stripes
We've got the lion standing on our side!

Chinese version:
我们有红
我们有白
我们有线
我们有狮子站这边

Well.. as u all can judge, the English version is still passable.. but the Chinese one makes no sense! It was a literal translation!! Talk abt creativity.. sigh.. Anyway, we were describing our school logo.. well.. u all can guess by now which JC I'm from...

Viruses & weddings

2005-06-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

I learn something today... both viruses & weddings can just be as infectious!

Had not been blogging for quite sometime.... other than being busy, also coz I was sick..
It's been awhile (or hardly ever) that I'm actually sick for a long period.
First, I had a 1-day MC. I had such great difficulty breathing & each time I breathed, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I thought to myself: Oh my gosh! It couldn't be that I'm only in my 20s & I'm going to die of a clogged artery?? Sigh.. in the end, my GP advised me that it was most prob I had a pulled chest muscle. So after a day of sedation with some anarex, I went back to office to work. However, I was barely in office for abt 2 hrs, then I started feeling cold.. I felt as if my fingers were freezing & dropping off! So no choice... tried to clear as much work as possible & back to my GP.
I started to think if there's a possibility that I find my GP so young, charming & irresistible that I'm subconsiously finding an excuse to go back & see him!
Anyway, had a fever close to 39 degrees! So another 2 days' of MC. A few days later, I started coughing & sneezing.. my gosh.. it's like I was perpetually sick that 2 weeks!

Anyway, today I attended a wedding. It was an ROM session & it was held at Chjimes Hall. The place was beautiful.. but then, the thing that left the deepest impression on my mind is the fact that when the bridegroom said his vows, he paused halfway & as everyone was waiting in anticipation (we thought he had forgotten his lines as he was too nervous), we realised that he was actually controlling himself from crying out! He was so choked with his emotions that he could hardly continue with the rest of his vows.. it was such a touching scene... & of coz, the ladies present were rather weepy too...
Well.. I guess attending these types of functions really make ppl want to get married too! Especially when you see how loving is the couple... sigh.. the notion of getting married can be infectious too! :p

Enthusiasm

2005-05-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Over last weekend, I did something crazy...
At my age when I'm no longer that "young" & "energetic", I did a 28-hr shift of manning a booth to sell things & promote a particular event. It's part of a project I was helping out with. Working such hrs was no strange thing to me in my uni days.. however, it's been a couple of years since then & working has zapped much of my energy.

Despite the long hrs, I found it rather enjoyable. I re-learnt & experienced something that I've long forgotten... Be it doing voluntary work or Buddhist work, the most important thing is the process & we derive joy from doing it. I've long forgotten the main objective behind such work so much so that I often grumble when I meet with setbacks. Surprisingly, the people who taught me such a profound philosophy were actually my juniors! Though we were all tired after 1 night, they were still very jovial & were teasing each other & running around a little (true, we're a bit old to still play like that.. but who cares?? it's the fun that matters! :))
Well, I guess this is most impt.. in whatever we're doing, the process is a very impt part.. quite often we focus on the end results & being a pragmatic person, this is my way of doing things. However, this means that we've totally forgotten abt the whole process & it's often through the process that we learn the most & gain the experience. My juniors were having a good time themselves while they were helping others.. we can all achieve this! It doesn't necessary mean that a particular event is successful coz we've sold x items, raised $y. It could also be a time that we gather & learn & work together. The experience gained & the comaraderie shared are invaluable.

Revel in the moment, enjoy it...

Perceptions & truth

2005-05-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

What do we mean by the truth?
Pretty often, what we believe in are merely our perceptions. Conflicts arise due to the different perceptions towards one matter.
Take for instance.. I might feel that someone is lying to me.. However, that person in question is hurt or feels indignant if he finds out that I think in this way.. He might think that I doubt his character & integrity.
But how do we define the word "lie"? It could simply means that actions do not match his words. I'll leave it up to the individual to decide whether the word has different implications when it's done with the intention or without/subconsciously.

Sigh... Recently, I got into this situation involving the definition of lies, integrity & honesty.
A big messy lot..
Then one fren came along & asked me this qn: Do u really need the company of this particular fren?
At that point of time, I felt as if I were Newton & an apple has just dropped on me! Eureka! I got it!
I've many frens.. each is different & unique. No one can substitute another. However, it's only a matter of my choice as in whom I want to be frens with & remain so. No man is an island.. but again, no 1 will die w/o the company of a specific person. I've chosen to make my stand & I guess it's up to that particular fren to accept it or walk out. Well... I guess this sounds rather curt.. but in reality, when ppl are frens, it's coz they enjoy each other's company & there's a particular bonding. However, at times when there is a strain, the relationship can only heal & strengthen or simply not withstand the test & break. It also depends how badly I want to remain as frens or rather how much efforts I wish to put in. I value friendship but if 1 party feels that he's short-changed, then it's time to re-evaluate on whether u wish to continue on...

Well.. life's always abt choices... We made the choice & we'll have to accept the consequences whether we like it or not... Regret? We might from time to time but do not wallow in it.. move on...

Action

2005-05-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.
Leave no room for regrets.

Love & Compassion

2005-05-25T00:32:00.000-07:00

Love and Compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them, humanity cannot survive.

Hearing & Believing

2005-05-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

Do not believe anything simply because you heard it. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

Male or Female??

2005-05-21T03:19:00.000-07:00

I must clarify first... I'm no feminist...
But this is really too good not to share!!

A French teacher was explaining to her class that in French, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. "House"for instance, is feminine - "la maison." "Pencil," however, is masculine "le crayon."A student asked, "What gender is "computer'?"

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether"computer" should be a masculine or feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for their recommendation.

The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the feminine gender ("la computer"), because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic
2. The language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.
(No chuckling guys ... this gets better!!!)

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ("le computer"), because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time THEY are the problem
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

Fly away!

2005-05-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

Life's truly amazing... Pretty often, one action can lead to a whole domino effect. I'm truly happy that wat started off as a self-gratifying action has led to people whom I do not know at all to read abt me & my life. Well.. It's definitely good to know that it has a certain positive impact on others. Friends whom I seldom meet now come to me & said "wow... u've been keeping busy huh.." It's definitely a great feeling.. :o)

Life's been so busy that I think I've been sick coz I do not have enough rest!
In a recent trip to Kota Tinggi, I experienced the wonders of nature.. The feeling of the waterfall coming down on me was simply fantastic! & of coz... most importantly, it's actually the company of a few gd frens on this trip that made it so enjoyable. & of coz, all our needs were taken care of by this fren of mine who scored brownie points with all the ladies in the group! He not only went shopping earlier to get all the food, he also ensured that there were plenty of snacks, equipment to heat up the food, lamp, etc. Very very well-prepared. We were so pampered!

During the night, we went on a firefly cruise. Initially, the cruise simply sailed past the bushes where the fireflies were. We saw lights blinking on & off. The whole ferry went into turmoil each time a lone firefly flew past. Finally, thanks to the request by a couple on the ferry, the boatman brought us very near to the home of the fireflies. To my ecstasy, I managed to catch one in my hands. To see the small living thing moving around with the light pulsating, it was as if I held a small miracle in my hands. I decided to let it go.. coz it was where it belonged. Several of my friends were attempting to catch some. I became culprit to kidnapping one of the miracles by offering my friends my candy box to contain it...(and of coz stuffing all my frens with the candies that were not emptied out) I regretted my action almost instaneously. It was cruelty to remove the firefly from its species & familiar surroundings. Though its lifespan is short, it could have led a happier life in sychronisation with its family. Call me over-sentimental or watever, but I really felt that we were killing it faster by removing it from its habitat. Though we did eventually release it, the faint light that it emitted somehow told me that it was struggling to live. Well, humans always take whatever they wish from Mother Nature. One day, we shall all pay for this atrocity.

Lost something & found something?

2005-05-12T02:01:00.000-07:00

I'm glad that someone likes the previous entry I put in (courtesy of a fren who emailed that to me). I find it extremely useful yet hard to practise. Many a times, we hold on to somethings coz we think we can't let go.. We know that it might be more painful holding on to it.. but while it lasted, it may be beautiful & we cannot just bring ourselves to let go. It can be that special someone whom you like but you know that it'll not work out, someone close to you who's dying & you refuse to let the person go, the project that you've been handling all the while but someone else just took over... It takes much determination to give up certain things.. these things might be harmful to us or to others, yet we simply cannot let go.

For the relationship, both parties might be better off if we choose to let go & simply remain as frens. Of coz, there're times when you definitely have to try it out or you'll regret it.

As to letting go of a love one, pretty often, though the person is in much pain, we simply cannot bear to let go & persist in finding a miracle cure. It's true that miracles might happen.. but at times, the love one simply needs "permission" from you to move on...By hanging on, you're prolonging his pain. This point of view is explained very well in the book "Tuesday with Morris". It not only touches on how to deal with dying, but also on how to live & on the various religious perspectives. Consider reading "The Alchemist" & "Veronika Chooses to Die". These are some great books! They bring across great philosophies in an easy to read story.

As work, it's often hard to let go when something is your brainchild all along. However, if we're less selfish, the handling over of our project to another party might result in better & more innovative ideas. We're often too stuck in our own way of thinking coz we were the 'parent' of the baby. It can also signify that it's a good idea, hence it's being continued by another person. It's also time for us to move on & maybe handle a new challenge.

You may say that I'm a rather morbid person for the thought of my love ones leaving me have often crossed my mind. I always choose to believe that no matter what happens, death cannot take away the memories we have of the person nor the moments we've shared. The person has simply moved on ahead of us. Hence, we can be sad.. in fact, it's natural & healthy to be sad when we lose someone or something. But in a reasonable time, we should move on... & allow ourselves to heal..

Lost something?

2005-05-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

One day an old man boarded a bus. As he was going up the steps, one of his shoes slipped off. The door closed and the bus moved off so he was unable to retrieve it. The old man calmly took off his other shoe and threw it out of the window.

A young man on the bus saw what happened, and could not help going up to the old man and asking, "I noticed what you did, sir. Why did you throw out your other shoe?"

The old man promptly replied, "So that whoever finds them will be able to use them."

The old man in the story understood a fundamental philosophy for life -
Do not hold on to something simply for the sake of possessing it or because you do not wish others to have it.

We lose things all the time. The loss may seem to us grievous and unjust initially, but loss only happens so that positive changes can occur in our lives. We should not always assume that losing something is bad, because if things do not shift, we'll never become better people or experience better things. That's not to say of course that we only lose "bad" things; it simply means that in order for us to mature emotionally and spiritually and for us to contribute to the world, the interchange between loss and gain is necessary.

Like the old man in the story, we have to learn to let go. The world had decided that it was time for the old man to lose his shoe. Maybe this happened to add momentum to a series of events leading to a better pair of shoes for the old man. Maybe the world decided that someone else needed the shoes more.

Whatever the reason, we can't avoid losing things. The old man understood this. One of his shoes had gone out of his reach. The remaining shoe would not have been much help to him, but it would be a cherished gift to a homeless person desperately in need of protection from the ground.

Hoarding possessions does nothing to make us or the world better. We all have to decide constantly if some things or people have run their course in our lives or would be better off with others. Then, we have to muster the courage to give them away...

Tap your feet to the rhythm!

2005-05-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

I went to catch Lord of the Dance yesterday. It was a highly-entertaining performance. I was utterly amazed at how a whole group of dancers were able to tap their feet in synchronisation to the rythym of the music! It was also rather bewildering the speed that the human feet could move at! It was a classical story of how the hero, Lord of the Dance, stood up to justice & defeated the bad guy, the Dark Lord, & at the same time, hold off the enticement of the "Temptress" & won the love of the fair lady. Interwoven between the dancing was the solo singing of "Erin the Goddess of Love" & the performance of 2 violinists.

Never mind the fact of how 2 persons can fight by circling each other & tapping their feet furiously while posing some "menacing gestures". Never mind how the Lord of the Dance & the Dark Lord fight by pushing each other around like 2 small schoolboys. If you simply immerse yourself in the performance without engaging the logical mind, the performance was highly enjoyable & at the end of it all, there was some audience who stood in ovation.

Oh.. yes.. before I forgot, I must thank the company that I had for this performance. As my fren once mentioned, quite often, it's not the activity that matters.. it's the company.. & I must say that this particular fren of mine was pretty entertaining as well with his "attempts" at trying to emulate the movements of the dancers & his humour :)

Figures

2005-05-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Grown-ups love figures…

‘When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?" Instead, they demand: "How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?" Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.’

~The Little Prince~

Anonymous?!!!

2005-05-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

Hihi dear frens.. I really love it when u guys add in your comments to my blog. It really feels like an interaction. However, 1 favour to ask tho... can you kindly leave your name behind instead of "anonymous"??? At least I know who's leaving the comments mah! Even if not your full name, maybe some initials so I can at least identify you??
For Mr/Ms Dear Anonymous, pls add in your name lah!

Thks so much! & do keep all your comments coming in! :)

4-Letter Words

2005-05-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Last Mon to Wed, my head was filled with 4-letter words... everyone I see, I was trying to see these words on them!

Dun be mistaken... I merely attended an MBTI course - Myer-Briggs Type Indicator.
It was an extremely fun-filled learning experience these 3 days & I learnt to see why certain people behave in a certain manner & why I reacted in certain ways myself!
The instructress, Angeline Yam, was fantastic.. She can jump into any role at the snap of your fingers & at the start of the course, I almost thought that she was a bit hysterical! :p But she proved to be extremely learned in this area.. as she mentioned, she lived, walked, breathed MBTI! And she's extremely 'fixed' in her idea that people are "born" into the 16-type indicators. You might acquire & develop the other types.. however, you cannot change your type since the day you're born! Well.. I'll leave this to the individual to mull over & think more abt it..

I still cannot figure out what exactly am I at the end of the course... my test results shown that I'm an ENTJ - Extravert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging but the description that seems to fit me would be that of an ESTJ - Extravert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging.
Basically all these simply in summary means that:
1) Extravert - I draw energy from talking to people. I love to interact.
2a) Sensing - Figures, facts & details are impt to me. I'm practical & support all my reasoning with these. I'm a here-&-now person.
2b) iNtuitive - Look at possibilities & the big picture. Conceptual, abstract, follows hunches & trusts inspiration. Look more at the future.
3) Thinking - Analytical, solve problems with logc. Reasonable. Use cause-&-effect reasoning. Objective but can appear as "tough-minded" as often directed at issues rather than persons.
4) Judging - Scheduled, systematic, like to make short & long-term plans.
Angeline's idea is that I'm an ENTJ who has a highly acquired "S"!

So it's up to you all to judge for yourself if I were an ENTJ (field marshall) or ESTJ(executive)! Btw, I must emphasize that despite being a "J", I can be just as spontaneous & fun! Coz a "J" can make the decision to just go along with changes & be just as flexible! :p

Move your feet & open your ears!

2005-05-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

2 weekends ago, I attended a workshop conducted by Super Mario & Susana Montero. These 2 instructors are from UK & they were simply fantastic! Though the course was extremely tiring (since it spanned over the entire Sat & Sun), it was truly an experience to see 2 of the top salsa instructors in action. Mario has plenty of moves while Susana's styling was extremely cool...her movements were so fluid & beautiful! They were great instructors... hmm.. let's see if this particular student can remember what they taught though! :p

After the workshop on Sat, I went to watch Sound of Music. It was fantastic! Some of the songs they sang were so catching that you cannot help but sing along. The actress in the role of Maria has an extremely good voice & those few small little kids jumping around were so adorable.. Never know that this story was true... until a fren who was watching the musical with me mentioned so. Hmm... that really changes the whole perspective towards this musical! You can't help but admire the courage of our hero & heroine in it!

The technique to deal with teasing..

2005-05-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

I've not been blogging for quite some time since I was busy.. so some catching up here on my hectic 2 weeks!
2 Fridays ago, I had a dinner with my frens as 1 of my frens is leaving to work in Shanghai in a couple of days. Well... I dunno why on earth this particular fren of mine loves to tease me abt 1 of my close guy frens & I. There were indeed some rumours going on in our university days as we were often together but the rumours died down after awhile.
Though I'm not that affected by his teasing, it does get a bit irritating since this guy keeps going on at it everytime we meet!

So I devised a plan to get him to stop teasing me.. each time he starts, I'd say "how can you do that?? You should know the person I like most is you & it hurts to be pushed away like that!" :p :p
It works like a charm... as this fren of mine is rather shy.. of coz... if it comes to dealing with thick-skinned guys or guys that are quite sporting, this technique might not work...

Hectic week!!!

2005-04-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a really hectic week for me.. I've hardly got the time to rest!
Hence, apologies on not putting up anything new last few days..
I was rather surprised.. but a couple of frens told me that they've been supporting my blog! :))
Cool... so in order not to disappoint u guys, I'll try to put in more entries.
Really thanks to you guys.. I've to admit mine isn't that fantastic stuff.. but then again, it's never meant to dazzle people.. it was started off with the objective to share & for me to babble my tots as I'd like.. :p

Ok.. stay tuned for the updates on my extremely hectic week (and one more hectic week in the making..)! But for now, I need my "beauty sleep"!!

Wanna take a flight with a first-class crew?

2005-04-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

I had a great night yesterday.
I caught Boeing Boeing & it's well-worth the price of the most expensive ticket that I paid for.
From the start of the play till the end, I had been laughing non-stop... so much so that I think I missed out some parts of the play!

From the start, Emma Yong appeared in her JAL uniform... thanking all the sponsors & imploring the audience to switch off their hps.. She did this in fluent Japanese & with rather animated expressions.. That was a good start as it started the audience on a laughing spree.

Then came in Bernard (Lim Yu-Beng) with his SIA gf... whom Chermaine Ang played a convincing role of an Ah Lian :p
The Filipino maid, Rosa, did an equally convincing job with her sumo wrestler size.
Then in came Brendon Fernadez as Robert.. the first look at him seems to make me think that he's simply a supporting role.. a guy just playing the role of a nerd.

Enter Ms Cathay Pacific, Pam Oei & Ms JAL, Emma Yong & the picture's complete.
My frens & I watched with great interest how the plot unfolded with Bernard moving around the 3 women smoothly in the initial stage & how things started to move at a bewildering pace when the 3 women's flight schedules overlap. From a nerd, Robert transformed into a Casanova & ended up with Ms JAL.

Never mind how casually the 2 guys or the gals were treating their relationships.. throw out the ethics & morals & this show's pretty cool... Or you can simply take it that the guys/gals need some form of "inspiration" to know who's the love of their lives... Well... each to his/her own!

Summary: fantastic night out with a couple of good frens at a good play :)))

What do you do in the dark??

2005-04-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

Hmm... One of my favourite hobbies is conducted in the dark..

I love to watch movies & the recent announcement about the increase in cinema tickets really irritate me as it'd to most avid movie-goers. What the cinemas are doing is simply to drive people more to watching vcds & dvds!!

To me, I belong to the old-fashion group that still prefer to go sit in the dark, carrying some drinks & snacks (all-time favourite: nachos!!! but of coz most sinful too...) & sit through that 1-3 hrs in full concentration. Somehow watching a vcd or dvd at home simply kills the joy of such an activity. True... you can just be in your pyjamas & dun even need to step out of the house! But to me, watching movies is meant to be a shared experience.. though there is not much interaction during the show, but having the presence of a friend is good. It also allows you to have a common topic for conversation. What's most important too is that I'll really sit through that whole show to complete it! (hence effectively prevents me from straying off to do some other stuff)

I've not caught a movie for quite some time.. Just watched Sahara today. 1 of my gal frens who watched it told me.. dun go watch.. it's just a couple of thin plots that are interwoven. However, 1 of my guy frens is a "treasure hunt movie" fanatic so asked me to go along. I went & enjoyed myself for 2 hrs. Indeed, if you do apply some rationality to the show, it's rather silly:
- how can 2 people survive in the desert w/o water for quite some time?
- how can they manage to change a crashed airplane into some sort of "surfing" equipment? (& how did those tools miraculously appear??)
- since the water source is polluted, shouldn't more people be affected? etc.. & the list goes on...

But throwing aside all rationality, it's a rather nice thriller.. & rather funny at times.
To me, not all movies require you to bring that genius brain of yours into a cinema.. it could simply be just some imagination that we need!

Friends

2005-04-17T23:56:00.000-07:00

Though I'm not born with a sliver spoon, "looks comparable to a fairy, possess the figure of a devil" or has the brains of a genius, I'm rather fortunate in my own ways. My looks are rather average (a bit short lah... but being Asian, it's not too bad :p), figure is a bit round but not to the extent of fat (or so I hope :p) & as for intelligence, though I'm not in the top 5% of the world, I'd like to think that I'm rather witty.

My point is: I'm truly blessed in life.
And 1 of the main reasons is that I've many good frens around me.
Some of these frens have followed me through my most awkward years of growing up while some are those whom though I seldom keep in touch with, we're still rather close & our concern for each other has not diminished.
My frens are there for me whenever I need a listening ear or a scolding to knock some sense into me.

However, due to the nature of their jobs or studies, quite a no. of my frens have gone overseas.
I've just learnt that another fren of mine has decided to venture overseas as the job offers better prospects. Though rather sad that another of my fren is not going to be around, I understand that it's a a choice he has made for the better of his future & I truly wish him all the best.

Sigh.. life still goes on but I really do dread the fact that 1 other good fren might have to move overseas. It's sad that as we progress, more & more people are moving out of their own countries to work in other places. Pretty often, they've to give up quite a no. of things. The only saving grace is that technology has made it easier for all of us to keep in touch. Still, it only serves to lessen the impact but not to remove it.

Guess it's a change all of us have to learn to adjust to whether we like it or not....

Letting go... (Part 2)

2005-04-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today, I met 1 of my gal frens.. she's extremely troubled over her relationship. She & her boyfriend often quarrel & she knows that she should just end the relationship but somehow could not bear to do so.

I've been through the same situation recently. Fell for a guy.. he told me he liked me too... but cited religion as the reason that we could not be together "officially".
I knew that I shld not even "go near" him.. I should at most just remain as friends with him. However, things went out of control... & I fell in deeper & deeper. Same situation as my friend.. knew that I had to let go but couldn't bear to do it. But in the end I did. My "defense mechanism" kicked in & prevented me from spiraling further down...

It definitely takes time for me to fully "recover" & snap out of it.. This guy friend of mine even mentioned he think he had "ruined" my life.. I beg to differ... It's a matter of choice..
Do I choose to let go or continue hanging on to this whole affair even though I know it's not meant to be?
It's simply a choice & a change in mindset. I chose to let go...
We've not reached the stage of love & commitment yet. Though it was painful, at least the "pain" was minimized.
I became a happier person & hopefully, gained a friend in return.

If my gal fren happened to read this, I would like to tell her that it's not an easy decision to make. It's never easy when we're in the relationship & our objectivity fails us. It's never easy when we think of how nice the other party is & we can almost overlook the "not so nice" parts of the relationship. It's never easy when the other party fails to let go & you've to be the one to do it. It's never easy when you think that as long as you compromise a bit, the whole relationship might work!

However, you know that it will not.. You're simply delaying the inevitable.
You do not wish to hate the other person... & trust me.. it's easier if you end it earlier.. If you continue dragging it on, both parties will end up getting deeply hurt.
I hate to comment on others' relationships especially when it involves passing judgement & "breaking up" couples. However, in this instance, I care more for the well-being of this gal fren of mine & I've seen how unhappy she has become. Time to let go then...

However, whatever decision she chose to make, I'd stand by her & give her my utmost support.. coz I know how difficult it is to be logical & do the right thing.. it's always easier to remain status quo & not make any decision.. You simply hope that with time, something good might come out of the relationship. If you really think that it'll, then do try on for a period.
But deep down inside, if you know it will not, just let go...
Definitely easier said than done... it'll take a lot of will power but it's something that you must do..

Ultimately, we all need to learn how to let go...

Letting go.. (Part 1)

2005-04-17T03:58:00.000-07:00

Quite a no. of things happened to me in the past few mths.
2 of the major "events" would be a change of job & falling in & out of "love".
I changed my job after barely 3 mths coz of a sadistic manager that I could not stand working with. She was unhappy with me no matter what I did.. Acting like a superwoman & covering the job of 2-3 officers despite being new did not seem enough. Since I could not handle the "insatiable" demands of this woman (I had also come to realise that she preferred male officers), I quitted w/o a job & "lobo" for 2-3 mths before finding my current job.

A totally horrible experience but made me realise what are the important things in my life..
1) that working 12-15 hrs a day is not somethg I would want to do long term
2) that there shld be a balance between work & life
3) that there are plenty of unreasonable people in the world who think that others always owe them something
4) that customer service is not my cup of tea & that I would rather do somethg more meaningful instead of trying to satisfy these "crazy demands" of a bunch of unreasonable customers.

I may not know what I wanted as a career but I learnt that there're certain things I don't want to do.. hence, this experience helped to shape my career path to a certain extent - a blessing in disguise...
I got a new job which is both mentally & emotionally challenging. It is a job that I've to go through dozens layers of bureacracy & might not make any difference in the end. But in the very least, it does at times...& that is what that counts. I've to learnt to be objective in handling the different cases & not let my emotions get in the way. Tough tough.. but nevertheless, it's about letting go of your feelings & focusing on the problem on hand. I'm still learning... How to deal with the saddest stories that others encounter & yet not be affected... well.. I guess I need to learn that when I've done my best, I should let go of the case & try my best for the next one.. The end results are not up to me.. the most important thing is that I've been there & done that...

Two Wolves

2005-04-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 'wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, selfishness, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Food Oh Glorious Food! (Part 2)

2005-04-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

The fantastic Spanish restaurant that I mentioned in KL is La Bodega & the address is 31 Tengkat Tong Shin, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The lady boss is a friendly Caucasian who can give you some rather good recommendations on the wines. The staff there offer quite good service & there're some really interesting photos decorating the walls of the restaurant.

Another good place to recommend is this unexpected small "eatery" tucked in the heart of Orchard selling rather good ramen at a very affordable price. But as I'm currently trying to coerce a treat out of a fren who's crazy abt ramen (on the promise that I'd bring him there), I'd rather not mention the place just yet... :) The soup base is excellent & the food is prepared on the spot..

Food Oh Glorious Food!

2005-04-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

In recent weeks, it's been a rather "stuffing" experience... by that I mean stuffing myself with food! Well.. this may really seem like a page taken out of a gourmet magazine... but still good stuff should be shared!

1) A Spanish restaurant in KL...
Set in a small lane that looks like some mini Chinatown, this restaurant serves great tapas & paella! The food was really good... their tapas were better than those set in S'pore & extremely nice ambience. Their choices of wines were impressive too... for a group of 6 & quite a bit of alcohol floating around, we paid only abt RM400.. Good deal, rite??

2) The Marmalade Pantry
Set in a posh shopping centre, this place serves great food such as desserts, sandwiches & pasta. I tried their presto chicken sandwich & it's really thumbs-up! The crab & pinenuts pasta that my colleague tried was just as good.. The 3 of us shared a chocolate pudding with vanilla bean ice-cream.. not too bad.. we wanted to try more of the other desserts but were really too full!

3) Al Dente at Esplanade
I went to this restaurant last Sat with a couple of my colleagues.. it's truly an enjoyable experience to sit at the top of the restaurant doing alfresco dining.. sipping some red wine while tucking into the excellent food such as their fantastic cheese pizza & creme brulee..

4) SilkRoad Noodles
Hopped over yesterday with my gal fren.. situated in millenia walk, it's a franchise of the famous Silk Road Restaurant at Amara Hotel but at a much cheaper price! For $9++, you get to enjoy a main course, drink & dessert. The noodles were fantastic! We gals tried the Sichuan Beef Noodles & the Pork Rib Noodles..succulent meat & fantastic broth! The must-try drink would be the Eight Treasures Tea! Very fragant & nice! Their desserts were ok but not too fantastic though.

5) Candy Empire
We decided to hop over to Candy Empire before the dinner at Silk Road. I almost went crazy over there... their selection of chocolates, chips & biscuits were extremely impressive! Saw some really nice biscuits that my fren bought from Australia.. Arnott's Kahlua biscuits!! Of coz I ended up splurging quite a bit there.. & thanks goodness the food I bought was meant to share with my colleagues.. phew!

6) Old Airport Road
Just came back from lunch there with my colleagues on a specially arranged trip. 4 gals shared some fish soup, kueh chap, fried oyster & desserts... Do try the dessert stall in front of table 225! Their red tea jelly with logan & evaporated milk on ice is fantastic..

Well so much for my gorging experience.. sigh.. need to put in more exercise to sweat off the calories!! Anyone keen on blading or gym this weekend???

Horoscope

2005-04-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

Below is a piece of self-gratifying description of what a Gemini woman is like...
Well... though not everything is entirely true, I do find it rather accurate to a certain extent..
It's up to you guys to judge for yourselves how true you think this piece is reflective of me!
I especially like the first part on "a good-looking woman with brains"!! :p

GEMINI WOMAN

A good looking woman with brains, a very interesting person.
She moves fast and cannot sit still or stand still for long.
She is able to do many things at the same time and do it fast.

If you date her, you will feel like you're dating many women at the same time. You can not tie her down with the word "Love" because though she cares about love, it is not a major factor of her life. You have to be able to adjust yourself to get along with her many different characters.

She is a dreamer and has many dreams. She eager to learn something new all the time. Even though she is the 2-in-1 mixed character type, she is quite lucky in love. You have to put all your efforts to win her affection. Even when she likes you and wonders about your wits, she will also see and inspect your bad side at the same time, because it is in her nature.

She able to keep all kinds of mixed emotions without annoying you or letting you know at all. She can cheer you up by acting like a free little bird. Her conversation will not bore you. She is able to talk to you in any subjects. She can make you feel like you are the luckiest man alive. She can make you feel like she needs all your care, but once she needs to stand alone, she can stand alone firmly and comfortably.

She can be your best buddy and talk to you about anything. She can join all your activities with the same energy that you have. She is a quick-witted person and learns new things very fast. She can see your projects and she can give you good advice. If she thinks you are not sure that you want her for yourself, she will only act like your best friend...a cool woman.

She can easily make a guy fall in love with her. Her multiple changes and many moods is a "Charm" for many men. She can be laughing for 2 minutes and turn suddenly quiet. She wants to find only 1 true love and she wants to meet her dream guy. She expects a lot and nearly too much. She is constantly waiting for her knight shinning armor even she is with a steady boy friend. She can fall in love or be fond of someone else while she is with you. If you break up with her, she will forget you quite fast, because change is in her nature. The Gemini woman breaks more hearts than women in other Zodiac signs. Because she is a dreamer and is always waiting for her knight in shining armor, her love life can be complex or in a mess.

She hates to write a long letter, so if you write her a letter and expect a prompt reply, forget it. Because she has multiple personalities and multiple idealogies, she hates to put them down as it's written proof. Because she knows
what she believes today can be different tomorrow.

She could communicate in more than 1 language , a real gifted linguist. If she wants to tell you any bad comment, she won't say it straight away, but she will talk to you about many other things and incidentally come to that subject without offending you. Normally she will not lie.

She will work hard and once in a while, take a long rest. She can get bored and tired with her own surroundings more than at work. She never feels content with her present work, money, or reputation and she will strive to have more. Don't ask her what is her ultimate contentment for she will not have an answer.

Once you get to know her, she will be a supportive person and always be beside you. She has a beautiful dream and she loves to have someone walk side by side with her, together and equally.

Why on earth did I create a blog???

2005-04-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well... to be honest, it beats me...
I'm not exactly a savvy person... be it in technology, fashion, whatever.
The first time I heard about a blog is that 1 of my gal friends had actually started a blog!
& I was left wondering why would anyone wish to publish their diary on the web (where the whole world can access!!)
(& I've to admit that since I do not hold a rather high opinion of this fren of mine, I did not really care... I always thought that she's a bimbo.. but again, not exactly coz she doesn't have the quality to be one! :pp)

However, things were about to change.. I came across some rather interesting blogs & realize that it's simply a venue for people to share their thoughts/emotions/creativity, etc... It doesn't have to be personal...
In the past few months, many things have happened to me.. & I have this penchant for writing (& hopefully the flair too) so why not just post some things that I do like & would not mind sharing with everyone?
Well... let's hop on to this ride together (at least hang on for a short while till I get the hang of it) & I do hope you find whatever I've posted enjoyable! (in the very least, try not to form the opinion that I should join my bimbotic fren...)

My Philosophy in Life...

2005-04-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out
in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow,
than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.

~Attributed to Jack London (1876-1916)~