Surprises from a routine schedule

Christmas isn't christmas till it happens in your heart

2007-12-25T01:43:00.000+08:00

It's really annoying as you take a walk outside your house and suddenly thought of a pretty fantastic blog entry that you must write down in your blog, only to come back and sit down infront of your com with your mind all blank!! Grr...this must stop.

Well now, if it isn't christmas time now; well if you find the blog title familiar u can check out the dec2006 entries...I'm somehow emotionally attached to that song.

It's surprising how ridiculously time flies, especially for the year of 2007. Other years seems so much longer, this one just ZOOOmmmm....man it's bye bye '07 hello '08!! and the Olympics!! Yeah right like I'm ever a fan of it.

Probablly because I'm just wanting the days to go by quickly, as that would spell the nearing of my ord. But life isn't THAT bad now...to think I could enjoy a extra long holiday after coming home from thailand on the 18th of dec, all the way to 2jan 08. Hurray.

Sitting here in a cosy room, thinking of something to write, I'm suddenly reminded of what sister Yi-Tinn, or yi tinn jie, said to me while I was still being discipled under her wings. "Where ever you go, be it school or country or anything else, just remember that God put you there for a reason." I was quite puzzled by her words when I first heard them but quickly understood it's meaning and truth after awhile later.

The reason why I ended up in TJ rather then RJ or VJ which was what I wanted to became much more appreciated then before; same goes for why I am in Guards and not ocs or sispec.

If I'd gone to RJ/VJ, I'd never had known friends such as Josh, Nicole, Amanda, Amorn, Victor, Ais, Bballer Chia and my funky class with some funky teachers. heh heh not to mention dawn and amanda+ais' drama ppl. Never would I have experienced such a powerful crush...like literally "crushed"..on a girl who's smile lights up orchard road (seen the lightings yet? they're beautiful aren't they?), although I've already promise myself to give it up for the sake of retaining my sainity and for my own good.

Also, never would I have been this close to God if it weren't for the TJ student venture, where I feel God has place me to lead; it being a stepping stone towards something greater. Well, I hoped I did things well, I did tried, even though my eyes were close for a the 1st year or so...

As for Guards? Well I have a confession to make..while I was in bmt I did prayed and asked God that if I were to be accepted into ocs (officer cadet school), I would wanna be a Guards officer. Yes, I can sense the immense horrors on your face, especially on your face Josh..if u ever start reading my blog again. Oh and another deep dark hidden secret? I prayed that I'll sign on if I get into ocs and manage to commission as an officer. Yes, I hadn't known better, luckily I told myself to only consider after being in a unit, which brought me out from the dark side. Well, with regards to the former point, my prayers where answered in some sort of way; currently for the last exercise I held appointment as vehicle commander for one lightstrike. So yeah praise the Lord he answered my prayers...just that in a different way.

So why? Why not ocs why not sispec? I realise, as a normal insignifican't soldier, that you are the lowest amongst all, which is the same as what Jesus was....a baby in a manger plus a servent to his discipiles, neat huh? A humbling experience no doubt but you learn much...like how to treat others now that you've experienced first hand how's it like to be at the bottom, pray that it'll help in my future endeavours...wait i'm sure it will.

Freak all this army talks all but a chase after the wind...gets really stale and I'm bored. But then again what else could I talk about? Sadly the ass-eh-eff's my life now..at least for 2 years.

So tune in to the next episode of Days of My life, this is

JT signing off

From something to nothing

2007-11-27T19:11:00.000+08:00

Wow this blog has been through the ice age man , last entry was in 18 august. Ah crap. Looks like it's been disused for a long time, oh well time to rev up things again...3 weeks later sadly.

Here I am now, standing infront of the airport "free internet" service computer, waiting for the time to come when i've to board the plane bound for bangkok; it's not that bad actually, i intend to enjoy the SQ flight before being inserted into the jungle.

Well u've guessed it, I'll be spending my next 22days in the thai jungles feeding mozzies and all. Yup, the Guardsmen are going there to train.

Don't bother with the title though, it's kinda random.

well with only 2.30 mins left on the comp i intend to say to all my love ones..josh, nicole, wh and whoever frequents this blog (+dawn +bro etc) that i love u all and promise to come back alive.

Goodnight and take care all,
Love JT

It's sharing time

2007-08-18T12:43:00.000+08:00

Some personal verses that helped kept me through the past 7 weeks of my Guards course

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." philippians 2:14-15

Apparently when I first came in every single one of these people I met in there were unceaseingly complaining. I just kept quiet like a good boy. ^^v

Well i think there was only one...can't really rmb the rest.

Oh well Goodnight

The tag, the beret and the collar pin

2007-08-11T01:57:00.000+08:00

indeed, they all carry with them the symbol of the elite status of a guardsman, and from hence forth I'll be wearing them, with pride embedded on each one of these accessories. Or as I was told by the Chief of Guards officer when he slapped the tag on me and presented the beret.

Weeee...hurray for company best

Before enlistment I thought nothing was impossible, that I could achieve multitudes and miles and easily plus surely pave my way towards becoming an officer just like my old man. Well, all's changed after enlistment. You encounter limitations..your own limits..limits which determines how much pressure you can take and how much energy you can expand in carrying out the activities/trainings/missions for the day.

Back in bmt I realised these fast and quickly collapse once it became harder and harder to push on, or rather the mental capacity was not there. My most detested sentence was when others start shouting "mind over body...mind over body." Jealousy?? maybe. Maybe that's the reason why I was rejected from command school *shrugs*

However, back here in guards, my performance was rather surprising..to me at least. Even at the peak of fatigue i could still achieve my personal best records; 10.20min for 2.4km run, 8.49min for soc, 17 chin-ups, completing 2km coastal swim without inflating my lifejacket, 10km endurance run in 51.45min...requirment's 1 hour, do lots of other crazy stuffs and still live to tell about it.

Your performance is govern by your limitations, courage and determination is when you exceed these limits.

Many a times during the hundreds of jumping-jacks, flutter-kicks, push-ups and many other crazy stuffs we do like SOCs...I kept telling myself that I'm reaching my limits very soon, that probably anymore of those I'd just collapse and die right there and then...but I never did. I never gave up...Thank God.
My mind grew stronger...tougher...I was impressed by the determination I had in completing the tasks ahead. Never experienced that before, or at the least in bmt.

In the words of my co, "a Guardsman never gives up, a Guardsman never leaves a fellow man behind, a Guardsman is always ready for anything that happens...come 1 min everything on and take up ur stretcher...we're going for a walk." And off we go for a never ending fast march around the vicinity of the camp, even though it was after the guards challenge, in full battle order mind you. [tweaked some things here and there to protect my blog]

Well..my only prayer now is that I'd never grow complacent and continue to strive to be even better at all the things I do. Even to be better then my PC....well that's what he wants me to do, so i'll literally be company's best..better than the commanders =P well well that's gonna take alot of work.

It really reminds me of my old school's motto, "the best is yet to be". It's not like what people like amorn or caryn would say, "oh, so that means your not the best la". Well, in a way as there are still others out there who are better then you without a doubt. But I see it as...being better even though you're the best. Looking in the context of my situation..it means though now I'm better then my fellow peers, I now strive to be better then the commanders, overtake them. It's like upgrading the league you're playing in; once you top the south zone tournament you upgrade to interschool tournament where you compete for the national title, and if you're that zai the national sports council will decide to take you under their wings and you train in the national team to compete with other countries.
All in all it's a forward movement...you continue to be better and better like a runner does, continuously working to break his limitations.
Likewise as a soldier, we activate limitbreaks and start slashing enemies into pulps....ok that was lame.

The line that ends off every victory speech or just any other speech back in acsi, "to God be the glory, the best is yet to be..."

Goodnight

The Guards Creed

2007-07-29T22:06:00.000+08:00

We, are Guardsman warriors
Resolute in loyalty
Steadfast in Commitment
We fight for our Country
Our Home
And our Family
Land Warriors from Air and Sea
Unfailing in Toughness
Valiant in our Actions
We destroy all foes who challenge our mission
We are Elite Warriors
With daring initiative
We rule the day
And we rule the night
Always Ready,
Ready to Strike!

The old SAF 7 core values have became obsolete; a thing of the past, and is now replaced by this patriotic but awefully garang guards creed. If you've no idea what I'm talking about it just basically means I'll be shouting those lines up there before any H2O parade, and meals. Weird huh? welcome to Singapore.

5 weeks passes by like a feather afloat in the wind, slowly but surely moving somewhere...somewhere I hope. Intensity is their immense forte whilst turn out's their favourite pass time. Nevertheless, what can't kill you just makes you stronger...and crazier by the seconds. Life still goes on despite all of those stuff going on anyway. Maybe one day I'll just learn to appreciate my civilian days.

I can't write much about guards and what I do...I love my blog and I do intend to keep it.

One and a half more weeks till I pass out as a full fledge guardsman, donning the coverted "sandbag" on my head (the khaki beret) and the Guards tab on my left arm. Looks kinda cool I might say.

Looking forward to better days ahead...may God be my guiding light.

Goodnight

Rain Drops

2007-06-20T00:22:00.000+08:00

Pitter-patter spitter-spatter
Rain drops Rain drops they fall from the sky
Washes away the dullness of the air
Splatter-splatter splash splash
I hear people scramble for desperate cover
Dodgeing the droplets like an action figure
Shh...tap tap...pause....
I see them through the curtain of water
Standing
Unsheltered
Soaked....but not drenched (there's meaning behind this word)
Cold....but not shivering
Warmed by an immediate embrace,
their hearts beckon for one another.
The leaves rustle and rocks crackle
Sealed
with a kiss
was that instant
romance

Isn't the rain rather wonderful? It produces many different feelings on various different occasions. For some it's dreadful as it means the choice of activities are now restricted to indoors; whilst for some it spells catergory 1 weather which means THERE'S NO SENSELESS TRAINING!! WOHOO!!! Umm..sorry my bad, I promise I will not to go into anymore army talks in this entry. ^^v

However, one thing I feel still remains constant; that slightly mystical and unpredictable nature of rain is what contributes to it's acclaimed romantic characteristic.
Yes, don't you think a stroll in the rain with someone special side by side is rather romantic? With or without an umbrella. A kiss or two under light showers would have painted the perfect picture for Michael Angelo's skilled hands to work on.

Cliche isn't it?

Here's a story inspired by real life experiences, fiction or not I'll leave it to the readers to guess.

"What?! Emerald? that's ridiculous! I mean...do u really think I like some girl who is like 4 years older then me? I mean..of all people man You believe in that kinda gossip? Oh man....."

That was just a snipet....no time to write the story now....esp when i'm gonna train for a khaki beret

And so the countdown begins

2007-06-10T16:37:00.000+08:00

Indeed, 2 months have pass very quickly, though as usual when you're going through the pain it does seems like forever.

In exactly 3 days, I'd be saying goodbye to that ever-green island. Yes...POP!!! Weeee!!
Only to await with nerve-wrecking anxiousness the fate that lies before us. Storeman, driver, clerk are unfortunately something we'll just dream about. The options on the various vocations are endless but ironically it's not for us to choose. Sigh.

I wish to set Armee aside for awhile and dwell on other things, like poetry or songs, gossips and idle chatter (well i know gossiping's wrong but it's kinda fun to listen to). I'd like to do a little bit of drawing or sculpturing but never really set my mind on them.
Well anything but armee that's for sure, need a break man...

Haven't been talking to any of my girl friends lately, I mean right now I've entered the stage where when 2 guys start a conversation the topic is horrificly obvious. I'll let you guess what that is. Ladies on the other hand...have more interesting thing to talk about, unless u talk to a woman who signed on in the army.

My idle chatter right here's getting seemingly boring, guess I've really nothing of much interest to talk about as my mind's a blank. No purpose no objective no personality....man Julian you better buck up in your writing.

This is soon-to-be private JT signing off
Goodnight

As I down a bar of chocolate...I write these words

2007-05-30T22:06:00.000+08:00

Well, no kidding man..I'm 'happily' munching on a choco bar right now, Hershey's dark chocolate to be exact. Weird for me to say this but I can't help it, I'm out of ideas for titles.

BMT's coming to a close, with exactly 6 nights left on that island. Seems quite fast as you think back on the days but feels like hours when you're going through the pain.

Man what a life...

With only the longest route march ever and graduation left, life there has toned down quite a bit, with a little more admin time than usual though the big guys there are fond of wasteing those precious minutes. Probably it's because I settle my stuff slowly..drats..bad habit can't get dumped easily. Oh well...

Sigh...for some reason I always feel depressed. People say I think too much, but if I don't think about anything my brains will degenerate. Ok sorry bad joke.

Maybe I haven't trusted the Lord enough.

Currently that particular thing bothering/troubling me the most is whether I as the first son could follow the footsteps of my dad and to be made an officer; a respectable and capable leader. The other thing is whether I could survive the tough training.

If only I could just have faith the size of a mustard seed or even smaller.
If only I could trust my future into His hands
If only I could believe that He has a plan for me, plan to prosper and not to harm.
If only I could accept that I must die to myself and live according to His will.

Sometimes we want something so much we forgot to see the big picture He has install for us.

Pray for me brothers and sisters,
Goodnight

Tekong in a glimpse

2007-04-29T23:29:00.000+08:00

(contents may get a little too personal, please bear with it)

Praise God, it really feels good to be back in civilisation, something mundane and familiar which people take for granted. I'm not bad-mouthing the island though, it's just a matter of getting use to it.
Finally, I see cars that are not green, a city's night life (in lay man term, i finally see 'life' after 10.30pm), computer, AIR-CON and girls that can't do pull-ups.

What a life on that island.

Honestly, for the first few days time seems to pass by really slowly, to the point it was unbelievable. I remember myself recalling how on earth the days counting down to enlistment seem to have rocketed so fast whilst the days stuck there felt like weeks.

Wait a minute...I was there only for 2 weeks. Ooops.
Oh well that 2 weeks seems like forever. Even I don't take a holiday that long.

The 2 weeks were nothing compared to the impending gloom awaiting when I book in. "Honeymoon period" they say about the first 2 weeks. The threats that usually accompanied those pep talks combined with the foretaste of the Physical Training sessions made me really reluctant to book back in. Just as what the Pl Sgt Robin said, "Suck thumb and just do it."

Nice guy, though when he changes personality like Dr Jackel and Mr Hayde it gets quite scary. But someone I can respect and can have fun with at appropriate times.
Another would be 2lt Mahat, whom I give a lot of respect. Though strict and firm he has the humility and understanding to apologise to the platoon even though the ones at fault was us. Wow. Pride means nothing to him...as in self pride.

I always thought being in an all-boys school for a rough 10 years would warrent me to be able to sail through the all boys environment of NS smoothly. But I though wrong man....
At least during my time in acs there were still interactions between the opposite sex through teachers or friends and relatives and maybe the occasional wow-she's-so-pretty on the streets. However, in tekong the only thing you get is the cookhouse aunties and muscle babes who can do more pull-ups then you.

Ouch.....so demoralising...
Maybe that's the reason why so many guys smuggle in Fhms and stuff into the island.

Apparently women have a strange surpressing effect on men. Not surpressing testosterone that's for sure...it's a zoo with occupants developing raging hormones whenever a cute/sexy/pretty lady walks by. Forgive my blantness xD

In the absence of women however, men starts to show their ugly side, with colorful languages usually accompanying their sentances. That's the most obvious one though, still trying to figure out the rest. Ahh pooi...regimental lifestyle, what more can I expect.

Enough about Tekong....getting boring.

Sunday was greeted with a funeral back in church, quite unexpectedly though as I was disconnected from civilisation for 2 weeks. Our favourite uncle Fred had just passed away, at age 85. Though we weren't even close, there's this thing about funerals that just seem so very sad, the really cloudy atmosphere that brings tears to one's eyes, even though you hardly knew the deceased. The faces of grief and such made it almost impossible to keep the tears within the sockets. The 'loss' of a beacon which light shines brightly and sense of humour radiate through the bones was quite a shock, but a comfort to know we'll meet again someday.

My nose went sore as my eyes flooded with tears as the procession continued on. Maybe I'm just one of a kind, too emotional, much more than any others. I turned and saw Joan, whose eyes are small and moist... maybe we're 2 of a kind.

Book out never seem long enough, in just a flash I'm going back in, leaving on a jet boat.
Goodnight

Another late night entry

2007-04-06T01:50:00.000+08:00

Man I gotta stop doing this, blogging into the night at some forsaken hour of 2am in the morning, that's about 3 hours more of sleep till the sergent bangs at the door with their personalised morning call for morning PT. Oh well I reckon it will all change in 7 days time. (p.s 7 days to friday the 13th).

I guess I'm kinda known to post ridiculously long post which only people with extreme patience would read, so I guess I shall try to keep this short. Note the word 'try', it's an overused word that bears very little impact in a conversation as compared to phrases like 'just do it' or 'definitly'.

Well you know, it's kinda horrible to finally get back and sit down behind your cranky laptop and log on to blogger and lo and behold you find out that you've nothing intelligent or witty to write. Man that sucks. Life would very much be easier if I indulge in idle chatter and self-indulgence (nostalgia of JC life), but that would make this blog very much like every other blog. I strive to be different....omg that was so self-indulgence.

Anyway, just to fill any nosey parker some latest information of my life. I've just applied for uni and would most probably be gearing and pursueing an engineering degree. Right choice wrong choice I can't say much. Besides being the resident ghost in the SV ministry life has been quite a bump; it's a duel meaning by the way. One thing's because I've been bumming around jobless for...hmm..since after the A's, and the other's..well...life itself.

Not very much a bumpy ride though life's been quite smooth sailing except for the extreme bordom that creates nutcases. More like a mere bump that you feel when you bang into something only to realise that you're falling asleep while walking. I wonder how that happens.

I make no sense now...
Goodnight

11 days and counting

2007-04-02T01:19:00.000+08:00

Dear diary...wait err i mean...blog,

The days have pass by ever so quickly; in a blink it seems almost yesterday that I was terribly worried and terrified for the A lvl paper the next day. In a flash the A lvls were over (though it seems forever when I was working towards it), grad night just whoosh pass, bmt had their 1st intake (kudos to josh and jojo), dad went for a major operation, A lvl results and uni application and now here, sitting behind the laptop writing a weird mail to my blog...crazy fella.

Guess I really didn't get down to even touch, let alone read, my whole stack of books awaiting me on my desk, was one of my goals before I entered army. Those stack of books are apparently Christian books people gave to me and some are really nice on topics on 'rite of passage to manhood' and 'listening to the voice of God'. Well, hope I'll be able to finish them whilst serving NS, I hope.

Have you ever had this experience where you see/hear/feel one thing and somehow it brings back memories and thoughts about another thing else that you have linked that one thing to? For example, when u think of chicken soup, you think of ur mom back home in singapore. Get the jist? There's a word for it but i can't seem to get it out from my head.

So it was when I went for acjc band concert at the esplanade that sunday evening. Just to sidetrack a little, the concert was quite good, not bad actually (had to say this cos bro's playing for acjc xD...just kidding) hadn't had a rather nice concert in a while. The finale was a combine acjc, acsi and acsIB(known as acsi wind ensemble) playing a well-known piece Phantom of the Opera; how ironic as the broadway musical is ongoing simultaneously next door O.o
The overture was quite well played in my opinion though my bro was complaining there were lots of mistakes and out of tune..blah blah blah. Sounded good and solid anyway...with almost 300 people on stage covering upeach other's mistake of course it sounded good.

"Oh you thought about your saxophone!" some might say. Well not really though I really miss playing and fiddling with my saxophone, trying to play seranading tunes abeilt utter failure. Nice try but not even close. I played the saxophone btw for those who discover new things about me everyday *stares at nicole*.

Band had been a great part of my life during my acsi days, which I will love and cherish and treasure and honour till death do us ap...oops sorry out of point, and reminiscence of those days back in secondary school were brought back and relived through the concert; the bunch of dynamic classmates, the bitter rivalry with RI, the great lost in rugby to st andrews, the many 'tao pok' and birthday sabos only seen in an all boys school and not to forget the crazy number of donation drives that drives my relatives up the wall.

Yup the uniquely acsi experience. But all those are irrelevant now, what struck me then and there was the recollection of the school's vision, one that I have placed in my heart ever since I've left the school as one of the greatest goals for my life.

"Every Acsian a Scholar, an Officer and a Gentleman"
The more I think the worse I felt, the worse I felt the greater the pain, the greater the pain the more confuse I get, the more confuse I get the more I think.

Told you weird cycles start with me.

Words cannot describe the confusion I feel, looking back the past 2 years have I really acheived all these? Have I acheived as a scholar? with grades of AABB C6 for gp i can only dream of a scholarship. Looking ahead 2 years I really wonder whether I've got what it takes to be an officer? A gentleman? That's not for me to answer.

But I guess all I can do now is just sit back and see what God has install for me, to guide me in path of righteousness. Scholar Officer Gentleman?? We'll see.....

Goodnight

My last 19 days

2007-03-26T01:07:00.000+08:00

Woah, haven't been in here for a long time. Guess I owe everyone an apology for being stangnant for quite a long time.

"Désolé ! J'ai été un mauvais garçon et ne répéterai pas mes erreurs encore!" (French with bad grammar)

Well for now you can be kept occupied during the weekend trying to figure what I, Julian el magnífico, had just said. Pardon me if my English grammar prove a little shakey or absurd because in fact I haven't been writing much lately. May have even forgotten my name.

"Was it J to the U or J-L, or maybe P..no no no...ermm...wait balek balek"

On the note of languages, I really kinda like spanish. No not spanish fly you nincompoop but the spanish language itself. Though it lacks the gentleness and fluidity of the French language it's beauty is derived from the way the language portrays a warm and communal feeling. The French language is usually associated with gentleness, femmine, romance, kissing (hmmm..) whereas Spanish is a little more masculine, community, friendship and fellowship. Some says it's the language to praise God.
Well I don't know..maybe too much opera. Or probably down with love.

I have finally reached the stage where all guys my peers will just sit down and let the reality of you-are-about-to-enter-armee-very-soon dawn upon them. Good thing or a bad thing I don't know, I have less then 19 days to figure that out.
"Am I prepared?" some may ask me. Well honestly I'm mentally ready and prepared to go in, have been waiting for it since the 1st intake went in, but reality has it that I'm not physically prepared (about 6 months of pure unhealthy living with kosong exercise and eat-sleep-poop routine) and in turn I am mentally unprepared. I don't know, weird cycles start with me.

Number of pull ups I can do...4. Great dip since the last IPPT test. Ooops, did I just used an armee slang? I guess I did...yay I'm ready. ("=.=)

So now for the million dollar question: What am I to do during this last 19 days as a free man..wait i mean..civilian? Well there's a million options: meet up with friends, go on a vacation, cycle by the beach, scuba diving, wakeboarding, shop till I drop like..literally, finally complete my uni application (wait a minute, this is in my list of 'must dos') or finally come clean with Ms A.Tan and tell her I like her and hope you don't mind and wish her happiness etc etc. the list goes on.

But I guess the most important thing right now is to really get right with God, upright and personal. It's been too long that I've been straying away from Him, too long has my hunger for his words been absent. It's been said absence makes the heart fonder, but on the other hand absence of hardship and trials makes a heart less reliant or dependant on God. It feels as if self is trying to push God off the throne of my life and become the ruler of my life, which is not supose to be the case of a God fearing christian. It's as if we're degenerating back into mere infants.

So my resolution.....get right with God asap
Goodnight

2007-02-12T02:01:00.000+08:00

My Ideals

I'd love to dream,
of bluer skies and a better tomorrow.
I'd like to soar,
on wings of freedom and life passion.
I'd love to taste,
the sweetness of love and beatiful dreams.
I'd like to...
I'd love to...

Another out-of-the-mill day

2007-02-05T00:24:00.000+08:00

Well not exactly, on the 3rd of Feb Saturday we attended the solemnisation of Kuan Mei and Sam's marriage back in Frankel Bethesda (my church fyi). Sigh..Man! really wanna bitch slap myself for not at the least took a photo or two..two words...glamorous. Anyway, it didn't came much of surprise though I would say it's pretty different from the majority of wedding ceremonys I attended in my lifetime; the groom's an RSAF pilot. Ahh...expect the unexpected.

Of course I was too lazy to expect anything so I just went with an open mind =P

Ok bad jokes have its limits in here so i'll just share a glimpse of that glamour briefly.

In contrast with the usual wedding suit, the groom was donned with the military No.1 uniform without the hat and a sword at his side. The bride was dressed in the usual white angelic wedding gown. 8 guards-of-honor wearing full parade uniform paved the way for the bride's enterance into the sanctuary.

Words are kinda hard to discribe the scene so I kinda googled a photograph almost similar to the event to help you grapse the big picture:

Of course this is not them!!!

Well you can forget everything I've said above for all I care, the main purpose of this entry anyway is to share the poem I wrote on their wedding card as part of my gift to them; along with two tall glasses which read slave and slave-driver..AHEM....I meant bride and groom on each of the cups respectively =)

Wedding Bells

Hear,
the church bells ringing from afar.
See,
the crowd gathering as glorious witnesses.
Smell,
the airs of celebration.
Taste,
the sweetness of God's eternal blessing.
Feel,
the passionate love of the couple in Holy Matrimony.
This is the wedding bell's ring.

Au revior, Goodnight

End of Operation Revamp Phase 1

2007-02-04T01:57:00.000+08:00

Well as the title suggest.

The Welcome song

Welcome, welcome all of you,
Glad you are with us.
Shake hands, good to be with you
As we welcome to you

Indeed hello and welcome to to the new graceful deception. Just a little song the guys in church likes to sing...can't really remember the whole thing but all's the same, warm welcome once again.

Anyway, still in the midst of construction, a couple of color adjustments here and there and details to fill up. Apologise for the previous cobwebs and inconvinience.

Goodnight

A tribute to Joshua

2007-01-11T02:46:00.000+08:00

Poems are never my forte, and neither my prose are as comparable to the literate pros. But this tribute I have to write, before buddy vanishes out of sight; into the dense unknown I might add, on a ferry through the straits of time, bound for a place of memories named...tekong. It is cold dark and green tonight. So without a choice I have to do what I do best. I..... just whack...

To Joshua:

Thanks Joshua for each and every morning
your company and prayer was very much my thanksgiving (well the others included too)
Thanks Joshua for each provocating jokes
they are still stucked in my head
Thanks Joshua for having the same name as a book of the old testament
it helped me to 'be strong and courages' as I lead tj sv
Thanks Joshua for always being so serious
it forces me to lay aside my childish nature
Thanks Joshua for being so crappy
it means I can be crappy too (yay!)
Thanks Joshua for introducing me to bleach
see lah now I'm hooked on it T_T
Thanks Joshua for your idle chatter and self indulgence
it inspired me to write a blog; furthermore, in the middle of prelims..thanks ah...
Thanks Joshua for the sophisticated english language writing prowess you've displayed on your blog
it also inspires me to do the same...albeit an utter failed attempt
Thanks Josh for being such a words-fail-to-describe friend
for the many cares and support you've showed me through the year, especially the most recent incident (yea that one involving my family)
Thanks Joshua for praying for me
I'm praying for you too =)

Thank you josh for also spuring me on through the A level year..to study..though your method may not be the most friendly but at least its logical =P But not forgetting about the traces of encouragement and all still left on the tagboard.

Below is actually a poem (well I hope it looks like one) that I compose for friends of mine leaving singapore for overseas. Well though its only tekong its still overseas right? Apology if it sounds a little weird or inappropriate or just doesn't fit the occasion...its still needs some amandments/improving

Goodbye

Troubles and joy lies ahead
Who knows what the future would hold
Day by day with toils and pain
We go through life as it’s a game
Deadlines, meetings and expectations
All to be dealt with one by one
But blessed are those who hope in the Lord
Whose strength are restored and wings spread
Trusting in his perfect plan
Plans to prosper and not to harm
But blessed of the blessed are the likes of you
Who have people to care and comfort you
Even when the going gets tough
And life may seem a little too rough
Always remember a dear old friend
Not eighty but eighteen years old
Back here in your sweet home town
Not selfish to wish you were back
But praying you are safe and sound
So write in often to tell your story
Of how God has course this Journey
And the tales of life’s great adventures
Which I know is full of wonders
Thus never forget this faithful friend
And always remember
That this farewell is not the end

Goodnight

A tribute to '06

2007-01-03T16:55:00.000+08:00

The year 2006

The year 06 I salute you
You brought countless ups and downs
The year 06 I despise you
You hurt me with many pains and despair
The year 06 I'm defeated by you
You showed me the meaning of unrequited love
The year 06 I hate you
For making me struggle in the academic quicksand
But year 06 I'm impress by you
The trials that came my way made me stronger
The year 06 I feel glad because of you
For I have forged eternal friendships 'during you'
The year 06 I adore you
You showed me friends who care and support
The year 06 I'm surprised by you
You also showed me teachers who care
The year 06 I love you
For you have molded me to become a better man,
a gentleman perhaps and still growing strong

2006 oh 2006, I will miss you dearly. You've brought abundent trials and tribulations, love and joy, peace and happiness, tears and smiles.

Sadly as I enter 2007 (which i already have), the same experience I had in 06 would hardly be experienced again; enjoying the sunrise at the steps of the sports complex..and the company that always accompany that experience, drinking to our hearts content after each physical education class, meeting up each week opposite school for fellowship, being a part of the secret society that meet up every morning (rofl .. only josh understands) etc. Not to mention the many thought provoking arguments I had with many ppl eg. amorn priya josh aiysha etc.

I would also miss the cares and concerns from those particular friends that really spured me on to charge towards the A's with the confidence to win. All in all I will miss my TJ experience...though I had to admit I didn't like TJ in the beginning =P but that'll be in another post.

True 2006 was not any 'hakuna matata', anxiety and worries usually clogged my mind during those days seeing others excel and yourself going from bad to worse to worst in class. It was mostly about academic concerns but of course life wouldn't be complete without the 'other' concerns like friendships, infactuations, difficult people and pride. Not to forget finding time for quiet time.

I usually end off my post with a Goodnight but since it isn't night yet...oh well...

Goodevening

During Christmas there's parties...and caroling!

2006-12-24T19:24:00.000+08:00

Caroling is a time to bond and a time to share the joy of christmas; this year is no exception. Caroling just keeps getting better and better each year. Forgive me for the short entry as I'd be having christmas eve bbq in about 5 minutes time; and it maybe a little factual too. I'll try to post up some of the songs in another entry so we all can sing along together. haha.

We practised hard during 2 rehersals, praying and trusting God that it would be sufficient to pull through the entire programme. Thank God we did and could pass off as IL DIVO plus the ladies. Thanks to the wonderful coordinator the songs chosen were relatively simpler than the ones we used to sing in pass carolings and we managed to pick them up rather well. (thanks cherlyn and joan)

1st stop was the Han brother's house all the way in 6th avenue. To those who don't know the family of that house runs the all famous and award winning "'palm beach restaurant", so...naturally we had dinner there =D And I sure pity those who weren't there...the food was fantastic. Just to get ur salivary glands worked up, for dinner we had smoked salmons on crackers, baked cheese potato, roasted goose, braised succulent turkey with stuffings (these were my fav), carrot cakes (the english ones..not 'char dao kway') and giant escargots just to name a few. Well apparently I was lucky and chanced upon an escargot the size of a ping pong ball or even larger.

Next stop was desmond's place in telok kurau. For those who don't know desmond's a staff for campus crusade for christ and ministers to the Arts faculty in NUS and I'm one of his many prayer warriors...and of course he's the same church as me! =)
Yup...we were to carol and bring joy to desmond's non-christian parents and uncle roland gave a short message after that. Apparently desmond's dad had been hospitalised not long ago as he's suffering from lung problem and was really overjoyed to see so many young kids visiting him to spend christmas with him.

Next up was really funny...we were invited to carol at some old folks event right outside the Republic Theater in Marine Parade under a big tapoline. It does remind one of those stages set during the 7 month ghost festival, but nevertheless we sang out hearts out and was thankful not only because the MP (minister of parliment) was there but we weren't scorned by the emcee as he's rather objective to us singing there even though we were invited, some internal problems here and there but hey! we sang in chinese!!...ok that was rather random.

The last house was the Chen sister's house..yup...joan and jocelyn chen's place as some of you would know them. We sang and reached out to the household as their parents and grandparents were non-christians. The most significant event that I brought back as memory is the black-out halfway when we were singing. Call it a spiritual attack as claimed by jocelyn, or then it might be a short circuit due to the rain...but nevertheless by the grace and perfectness of God we continued to sing even in the darkness...we just use our handphone lights to allow us to read the song sheet =D

That about concludes caroling...good food good friends and fruitful event in singing to both christians and non-christians alike. May God bless you all =)

Goodnight

All I want for christmas...

2006-12-19T01:57:00.000+08:00

IS WORLD PEACE!! lol...no, I'm serious... World peace! Isn't that what every Miss Universe wannabe wish and hope for? This really reminds me of the movie "Miss congeniality" starring sandra bullock. World peace is, however, all but an illusion. Since time immemorial wars are already happening, what makes you think it'll just stop? Apparently its human nature to get into conflicts but sadly not human nature to possess self-control, which I guess could explain why so many wars happened.

On that note of world peace I would like to dedicate one minute of silence to our dear friend Amorn Seetoh, who's time is up and had went one step ahead of us and moved on to greener pastures (well the jungle's greener i guess?). Dear friend, we'll always remember your gusto and fervour in the back of our memories if it's still there. Do not worry about us we can take care of ourselves and we'll join you soon when our time comes.

During one session of web surfing and digging for some good music, I chanced upon one fantastic website, www.donghaeng.net. It's a korean web page but there's an option to set it in english. I recommend you do check it out, they have a couple of amazing flash cartoons which made me cry =') It's also in my links under "KiroMainPage", yup do check it out.

Before the A levels I've been telling myself to make a list of things I wanna get after my A's but didn't really get to it...so why not I'll just write them down as my christmas wish list! =) So here it goes...

All I want for christmas (no not my 2 front teeth; i already have them):

A new state of the art computer that I can REALLY game with
Classic moutain bike (not the cheap sort that is)
Cannon EOS digital SLR camera
Selmar Paris Series III Silver Saxophone
An omni-series snooker cue and a set of pool cues
An awesome game console (still deciding..maybe ps3=P)
A book cupboard so my room would look neater
A new pair of shades (mine broke >.< )
Mom and dad to know and follow my saviour
Mom to have sufficient strength to run the house and dad to have an easier time at work
Shaun and Sherman to do well really in their new campus/school
All my friends to stay funky and jolly and still remain my friend after all the nonsense that happened =)
A nice big hug from that special someone *grin*
Pray that this special someone will always be happy and peaceful
A hug from everybody else =)

I hope Santa reads this blog...heh heh heh.

Goodnight

Santa Santa what's Christmas?

2006-12-15T03:49:00.000+08:00

Christmas' round the corner, duh, even a 5 year old kid knows that, guess I was kinda redundant. But anyway carry on...

As usual, orchard road is brightly lit to herald this festive season, at the same time saying to us, "hey there mister, we put up the lights for you, now come and do the shopping alright baby?"

Oh my I just grossed myself out.

Yep, its the season for giving, at least that's what the retailers want us to think. Orchard road's totally crowded with shopperholics doing their last minute christmas shopping. Come to think of it I've yet to do mine too..drats..oh well pity me. But really what is christmas all about? Ignore the title it's just there to mislead you. haha. As a kid I always thought it was the presents and gifts I never fail to get from my parents and relatives, the exciting christmas tree which strangely has little lights all around its leaves and not forgetting the colourful lights in orchard road (i liked them when i was a little kid ok...don't laugh!!). However, ever since I knew my saviour personally, the 'real' christmas seems so much more, or a far cry, from just the festive season itself with all its packages and promises of presents and beauty. Yea, it is a season to celebrate but not because santa claus' coming to town but because of the birth of a child in a manger, and was to be called Emmanuel, God with us.

Here's a lovely song, I'll try to encode it on my blog when I finally figure that out=)

Christmas Isn't Christmas" - Music by Jimmy & Carol Owens - Lyrics by Carol Owens
Christmas isn't Christmas till it happens in your heart
Somewhere deep inside you is where Christmas really starts
So give your heart to Jesus, you'll discover when you do
That it's Christmas, really Christmas for you

Jesus brings warmth like a winter fire
A light like a candle's glow
He's waiting now to come inside
As He did so long ago

Jesus brings gifts of truth and life
And makes them bloom and grow
So welcome Him with a song of joy
And when He comes you'll know

That Christmas really Christmas
Christmas really Christmas
Christmas really Christmas for you

Yep, the joy of christmas only comes alive after giving your heart to Jesus. And before you know it, its really christmas for you =)

Just on the same note, I'll be going caroling on the 22th dec to pre-believers place and, wow me, singing to old folks. Hope my horrible voice don't cause a heart attack. Brothers and sisters pray for me!!!

Goodnight

My Perfect Cadence

2006-12-07T06:15:00.000+08:00

Alas, I managed to squeeze in a brand new entry during the wee hours of the night, or should I say morning since it’s about 5am right now. Well, it pays to create the perfect entry when the inspiration has not dried up, yet. If you're still clueless on what I'm talking about, well, you'll find out soon enough.

One quiet moment
People come and people go,
it’s not the same if you have everything foretold.
We've times of friendship and shares of lovers,
but what will we do when all is over?
Some turn to memories,
others to diaries,
to relive the moments of love and trust.
A moment,
a moment is all it takes to fall in love.
Just like the courtship of two beautiful doves
But a moment like this, some people wait a lifetime.
Like one quiet moment in a manger a child was born.

Prom night, or the more politically correct term, graduation night. The last event ever during my course as a TJcian that we take part as a cohort. As we gather around for the final round of greetings and and farewells, our hearts carry a mix feeling of burden and joy. Joy as this concludes the JC phase in our lives, which I’m sure all of us wouldn’t even dream of going through it again. Burdened as farewells ain’t the best things in the world.

Is this really goodbye? Well I didn’t really thought about that till Josh brought it up. Will our friendship last? When will I see you again? Shall we dance? ? You look ravishing tonight. Well, these were the few words that flashed my mind. For most people, it’s the farewell and all that seems depressing, however for me it seems like a whole different story. Man julian you scum stop thinking and going crazy alright, she doesn’t know and doesn’t care, you’re only hurting yourself over nothing. Seems like I leaked out my secrets. No hurry, you’ll figure it out sooner or later.

Hold your horses julian, don’t even think of spewing anything depressing. It’s against your blogging morals.

Looking towards the brighter side of prom, everything was really wonderful. Everyone was looking F.A.B.ulous especially, need I say, the ladies. Dressing in gowns that accentuate their womanly charms, the sight was a feast for the eyes (if you’re feeling a little creeped out…well that’s not suppose to happen). The guys too were no exception, with funky hairdos and dashing suits, they were dressed to impress. Even amorn dressed up in a blazer, surprise surprise! For me I just dressed normally, a suit a tie and a little rose in my suit pocket, stunning=) Amorn and I were like the roses among the thorns, seriously stylo milo (man I’m getting carried away). Right, enough about me.
Amanda’s self sewn jap outfit which name slips my mind was awesome while nicole’s amazing hairdo was, well, amazing; it took much effort in creating that hairstyle I assume. Aiysha’s butterfly tattoo was unique and Evelyn looks like another person. Did I mention yi fang looks like dragon girl in the return of the condor hero??
The food was good too, have you ever had that much caviar the size of your eraser? Well I just did. How about crème brûlée with its tantalising egg custard and crisp caramel? No? Once again I just had.
All in all perfect cadence (the title for the prom, thanks Rebecca and team) was indeed perfect, or is it so?

But amidst the laughter, the endless flashbangs of trigger happy snapshots and constant posing for the perfect picture, my eyes just wouldn’t obey my will but kept glancing towards the next table. There she is, the angel of my eyes, so near yet it all seems so far. I feel totally defeated with just the thought (more like imagination) about her, her smile, her eyes and her beautiful hair, they are just fascinating. Her outfit wasn’t elaborate like most girls’ and neither was she donned with layers of makeup to enhance her charm, because she already is without them. Simple yet elegant; aloof yet captivating. Maybe its beauty in the eyes of the beholder, maybe not. This really reminds me of return of the condor heros.

Well, I manage to googled the word ‘cadence’ and got quite an interesting find.

ca·dence
1. Balanced, rhythmic flow, as of poetry or oratory.
2. The measure or beat of movement, as in dancing or marching.
3. a. A falling inflection of the voice, as at the end of a sentence.
b. General inflection or modulation of the voice.
4. Music. A progression of chords moving to a harmonic close, point of rest, or sense of resolution.

Well, obviously the intended meaning of the title would be point 4 as the event would mark the perfect closing after 2 years as a tjcian, splendid title I might add. However, I identify more to point 3. Yea I’m falling alright, not in love, nor into depression =P but rather into the bottomless pit of ‘I should have…’ and ‘it could have been…’. Well, if it isn’t that pain I’d be bitch slapping myself over and over again.

“You man of little guts, why didn’t you approach her? You should be called a whimp!”
“I tried, but the opportunity hadn’t arise” I replied
“You could at least said hi,” I shouted back at myself.
“But she’s surrounded with her friends!”
“Fool! Are you scared mister?”
“No sir, just a little shy and nervous, I tried asking her to the dance, but they cancelled it in the end. I dream of placing that rose in my suit pocket on her hair, but all was wishful thinking; I really thought I could be her gentleman, but somehow God forbids it so and I have to obey.”

Man I love dramatisation, that could pass of as a 1st class soliloquy. Yep, they cancelled the dance and my plan was thwarted. I could have done a thousand other different things instead but I shan’t go into that. Too bad my camera’s battery gave up on me just when the evening just started, could have asked for a photo shoot as a starter…Never mind. A pity she left right after the event ended, it wasn’t that bad until josh’s words reminded me that we may never EVER see each other again. *sob sob* “Won’t you even spare a last goodbye?!?” *gnashes in pain and roll all around like a drama mama*. So much for a perfect cadence.

Well, the later part of the night was much more cheerful, though I might add I don’t club, neither does tim and josh. ‘Clark Quay is so romantic, a pity…’ Apparently that’s how the guys felt, or maybe it’s just me. Anyway, we managed to find the club where the post prom party was supposedly held, ‘Attica’ was the name, if my memory hasn’t failed me. After bidding ‘see you later’ to wei han, moses and craig, we the trio made our way to liang court to where we belong, McDonalds!! so as claimed by timothy. We chatted the night away, at the same time having our very own post prom supper. The place was empty (well at first) but as the night deepens more people came in, and then our people (tjcians) came in, after partying at the nightclub; Macs should really pay us for this, just kidding. Met a couple of vjc friends there too, kinda surprising as their prom night was held at Ritz Carlton, a long walk to where we are.

It’s really interesting seeing how my friends behave at such an hour. 3 am came and moses and wei han were out. Apparently they had dancing and a glass of liquer, and they’re different people already, well not exactly, wei han’s still normal but moses’…drunk? Nah not that bad, more like tipsy, none of us understood what he was saying and his behaviour was like ermm…interesting?

“She loves me…she loves me not…she loves me…” well I’ve no use for my rose anymore anyway, might as well give it to josh to play. Our night concluded with a taxi ride home, bushed, tired and exhausted we are.

Yawwwn, goodnight.

Random quotes from random people

2006-11-15T21:38:00.000+08:00

Sorry nicole I didn't meant to plagerise your copyrighted ideology. Please don't sue me!!!!

Well, after reading our friend Joshua's entry I guess it also came to me to question the existance of my blog. Are they really for my thoughts? but that'll characterise this blog into a blog merely utilised for idle chatter and self-indulgence, I would be better off writing in a diary or journal instead. So? for the noble idea of intellectual discussion and rationalisation of today's society? Man you're talking to someone who hardly reads the news paper.

So, what's my stand? I guess my blog should be for the pleasure of everyone, for the writer me and the readers too. *smiles* Well, if you're happy then I'm happy too...it brings great joy bringing joy to others. Think I should do some voulnteering social work during the holidays. So here you go, some wacky quotes I dug up.

"My toughest fight was with my first wife" - Muhammad Ali

"My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher." - Socrates

"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book." - Ronald Reagan

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." - Napoleon Bonaparte

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

"Lack of money is the root of all evil." - George Bernard Shaw

"Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth." - Chuck Norris

"Don't be so humble - you are not that great." -Golda Meir

"I can write better than anybody who can write faster, and I can write faster than anybody who can write better." - A. J. Liebling

"Happiness is good health and a bad memory." - Ingrid Bergman

"The difference between pornography and erotica is lighting." - Gloria Leonard

"Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work." - Robert Orben

This section is just hilarious!!
"Attention to health is life's greatest hindrance." - Plato (427-347 B.C.)

"Plato was a bore." - Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

"Nietzsche was stupid and abnormal." - Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

"I'm not going to get into the ring with Tolstoy." - Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

"Hemingway was a jerk." - Harold Robbins

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain

"Copy from one, it's plagiarism; copy from two, it's research." - Wilson Mizner

"Well done is better than well said." - Benjamin Franklin

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Sir Winston Churchill

"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" - Will Rogers

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt." - Mark Twain (omg...*kowtow*)

"Love is friendship set on fire." - Jeremy Taylor

"God gave men both a penis and a brain, but unfortunately not enough blood supply to run both at the same time." - Robin Williams, commenting on the Clinton/Lewinsky affair

"I worship the quicksand he walks in." - Art Buchwald

"Interesting - I use a Mac to help me design the next Cray." - Seymoure Cray (1925-1996), father of supercomputers, when he was told that Apple Inc. had recently bought a Cray supercomputer to help them design the next Mac.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." - Wernher Von Braun

"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a philosopher." - Ambrose Bierce

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." - Mahatma Gandhi

"In any contest between power and patience, bet on patience." - W.B. Prescott

"There are two ways of constructing a software design; one way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult." - C. A. R. Hoare

"From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it." - Groucho Marx

"The nice thing about being a celebrity is that if you bore people they think it's their fault." - Henry Kissinger

That's a rather giagantic list of quotes, I hope it didn't bore you even though I really know it is not my fault. Goodnight

Interesting Characters of TJC

2006-11-01T07:09:00.000+08:00

Actually wanted the title to read interesting characters in my life but I guessed it was kinda too much for one entry, even with this current title I find it quite overwhelming to detail everyone down cos everyone's unique and interesting in their own ways. So please excuse me if I miss out a name or two, its not easy being me..ok.. *walks off in a bimbotic strut*

Oh ya before anything else happen, just to let everyone know that I'd be enlisted aka doomsday on the 13th of April, friday (Oh bummer...just my luck, if you still don't know, go figure). So yea bring along those pom poms and a cheerleading team to pasir ris interchange at 8am to send me off to my funeral (touch your head). Thanks guys you all are the best.

In no order of merit or favor, even though some attain more favor than others , I present to you the participants:

Amanda: Oh yes, 1st one to come to mind, partly because we just finished chatting when I wrote this. My fellow xiao mei-in-christ..Yea while I'm the da jie, kinda tired playing female roles..Well the determination to write this entry came from her, to prove that blog isn't 'self-indulgence' nor 'idle chatter'. See..i'm dedicating this entry to all the interesting characters of TJC *grin*
Joshua Chow: The legendary Aizen taicho, this man is a man of mystery, of wits and of great intelligence. Legends has it that his intellect rivals that of the demi-god Zhong Shan the unstoppable. It takes skills to unencrypt the complexity of his mind. But beneath the coolio hairstyle and funky glasses is an avid soccer fan who can crap with you like there's no tomorrow. Favorite line: " tio owned"
Amelia Chia: TJ's very own basketball captain, and one of the nicest friend I have. Something unique about her is her very intriguing voice. Last year, her high pitched squeals of joy never fail to wake me up during morning meeting and her bubbly, jovial character warm the hearts of people around her. Well this year she's been having soar throats lately, in the morning we're now greeted with a manly 'hello'.
Amelia Tan: No, not the sister of the basketball captain even though some nutcase would mistaken that fact. One thing unique about her is her smile; well her smile isn't really a 1000 megawatt smile but a smile that makes all other smiles shortcircuit. One word, captivating. I still remember the times we used to exchange glances as we pass by each other, you'd get one of the friendliest smile you'd ever get that is both comforting yet enegetic. Her speech too, lingers an aussie accent.
Aisyha: Ah yes...the secrets vault where everyone's deepest darkest secrets lie within. Really don't know why but apparently everyone tells our dear Aisyha their secret love life, crushes and all. So if you wanna find out who your secret admirer is just simply buy her coffee and wait for her to slip her tongue.
Nicole: No guys, I know you were hoping it was Nicole kidman but no, this Nicole here is my poking /zapping your waist buddy or "our moms are just great cooks" club founder. Anyway this dumpling here is a great friend and a very unique individual; she possesses the gift of encouragement, one of the gift bestowed upon by the holy spirit which is usually often neglected or overlooked but impacts mightily. It prevented me from entering depression that is.
Alvin: Oh boy, I have utter mixed feelings for this guy. Sometimes, he's quite a joy to talk to as he can crap and crap and crap and talk about games and stuff which are VERY enjoyable. But other times I just feel like strangling him because he's so blunt and hits it where it hurts. Oh bummer. Still praying for you.
Dawn(not the basketball capt guy): Don't let her disabilities fool you dudes, this girl pacts a punch! Besides ranking amongst the tops in my friendly people list, she's one of the truest friend one would ever have. I can even sense her sincerity through msn. A real joy to talk to, she's just so humble and easy going, we could talk just about anything under the sun. Watch out for her sense of humor, its uniquely dawn.
Amorn: Ah yes, why would I forget about amorn? TJ's resident zoo keeper with his funky giraffe backpack (I swear those spots made me thought it was a cow). An avid fan of animes and nude drawings, amorn never fails to surprise you by doing some things out of the ordinary, like sleeping under a tree in the marquee or coming to school with multicoloured dyed hair with one patch of colour everywhere. Sometimes one wonder if he had lost his mind but his fervent arguments proved otherwise.
Benjamin: Benji!! or like I'd call him, ben ben!! haha..benjamin's your typical not so average china man, not because he's an ultra conservative person but his chinese is like the best; you'd consider it twice then if u see him in his casual clothes, punk hairstyle, jeans, shirt over T-shirt double and choker. Woah man he could pass off as a breakdancer dude. Man check out his cool moves. Whazzzuuuupppp!!!
Victor aka crocofly: My fellow gaming kakee, the one that have dragged me into the bottomless pit of gaming. Man game addiction stinks. Nevertheless, he's one heck of a character. The impression I get of him is, fearless. He knows no weakness nor Achilles heel, the brave soul who scales mountains and shoot you down on battlefield 1942. Yet he's a man of mystery and secrets.
Timothy Tan: Ironically, one of the longest friend I ever had though I might add not one of the closest. This chap and I had been in the same school for a whooping 12 years. Musically gifted is insufficient to describe him. The most happy-go-lucky character I've ever met and he just takes things as it comes. No wonder he's such a hit among the female admirers. Thanks to his small built, he's one of the most agile guy in TJC.
Joseph Tay: Well you all have guessed it, my cousin aka Darth jojo or simply mojo jojo. The living legend who possess the courage to challenge the physics teachers to believe that F=P/A. Genius. He and I had a history that dates way back, back to the time where the two of us utterly enjoyed and never grew tired of the game 'bomberman 3', to present date where we share the same school. Cousins forever.
Priya: Don't be fooled by her gorgeously big eyes or her long naturally curled locks of hair, she's a mexican red chilli pepper in disguise. Insult her and you'll never hear the end of it, her determination to trample you flat onto the floor till you have zero dignity left is so great it's inhuman. Nevertheless, she's a princess, a loud one I might add; if she doesn't get her way, you're in trouble...big time, if she does gets her way, you'd be in trouble anyway. That's priya twari for you.
Gabriel Choong: This guy's really interesting. Science Council's primers vice-pres and 'the king', however, he always fail to mention and sets us wondering, "king to where?" One thing about gabriel is that he possesses an accent that is literally out of this world, a combination of australian american english and singlish, the result..is potent. All in all gabriel gives to all an impression of sophistication.. Nooooo...it must be the accent.
Miss Tiew: I hear sniggerings, and I take it we all agree man, that miss tiew is like The Interesting character of tjc. Never before have I seen someone who could change her mood in a blink of an eye (from dead serious to goofy like) and also have this very 'jaw dropping' sense of humor. And who'd ever forget TOGA(temasek outrageous group activities). Remember we played 'catching'? Turned out to be more like fishing afterwards.

Of course, there are many more interesting characters in tj whom i'd like to share about but due to the lack of time, brain power, space and not to mention boredom factor, my quest thus ends here.

And the winner of tonight's Most interesting character of TJC is.....*drum roll*
ME because blogging is nothing more than "idle chatter" and "self indulgence"
Goodnight

Scary Halloween

2006-10-31T23:45:00.000+08:00

Today's halloween, a time where ghost and ghouls of the deep, dark west roam the land, knocking at your doorstep.

knock knock...

Knock Knock....

KNOCK KNOCK.....

The grey timber face of the wooden door opened slowly, bit by bit, inch by inch.
The interior of the house was cold and dark, had you not been used to this countryside it would seem all the more LIFELESS.
The air that came out from behind the door was stale and rancid, reminding you of the old chest which you opened in grandpa's attic. Even more so, upon careful sniffing, you detect a whimper of distinctly familiar pungent smells, not of sweaty meatloaft coming out a boy's locker room, but of dead, decaying flesh squirming with the common undertaker beetles. The weathered facade of the house was dimly lit with candles in a pumpkin; never before did the jack-o-lantern appear so devilish and eerie. The queer smiles and insidious eyes of the pumkin head looked intently at you, as if they were to follow your every movement and every step, and before you know it the but you didn't know...

The lifeless door opened wide, you tried to look, but you can't, your eyes won't let you, they remained shut. Who knows what evil lies right before you, that would turn your puny heart to stone even with one glimpse; your brain is smart, or has it malfunction due to the intense fear you are feeling? Try hard you did but your eyes disobeyed you.
Finally, with all strength exhausted, the left eye, the weaker of the two, gave way and you managed to take a peek into the unknown horror presented to you on a silver platter. And horror it is that you get.

Right there, in front of you, between the tiny frame of the door, or should I say, "hell's gate", emerged a ghastly figure enshrouded in shadows and bathed in darkness. Slowly, without hesitation, the god-knows-what figure advances towards you, towards the steps before you, towards the antique porch. If only that was the only thing happening right now, but it is not...
Footsteps, you hear with your already sensitised ears, clear foreshadowing footsteps. Not one, not two and not even three. "No it can't be..." you recognised that the footsteps were not possible to be made by shoes, "but by what?" you pondered. As though a mother calls her children, so does this figure beckons her minions. The breaking of stepped branches became more distinct as the footsteps grew louder. The great fog embraces your surroundings and all you see are dark, shadowy beings approaching you, 'if' they're even beings to begin with.
The scene heralds a nostalgic flashback of 'Underworld', the blood the violence the gore, they all kept running through your head, your mind, your brain. Even the beautiful Selene is unable to save you.
You feel helpless, you feel trapped, you feel hopeless...

As the haunting creature approaches the tarnished stairs leading to where you are, you tried to run but you are rooted with fear and trembling with fright, the diminutive light from the full moon allowed a snippet of the obscured figure.
From the corner of your eye, you noticed in the hands of the creature carrys a bag of....of......of........

"Who wants some candy!?!" squealed Mrs puffytart in delightful joy.

The vocab was used to enhance the literary content of the story. Do pm me if there's any flawed usage. And I say pm, please don't flood my tag board.

Happy halloween, the A levels much scarier by the way.
Goodnight

A time to ponder, a time to remember

2006-10-17T23:05:00.000+08:00

How time flies, it seems like only yesterday that we were cheeky little year ones annoying our poor OGLs to death. Now we sit right here in the auditorium, being entertained by the little ones after us (boy is mariam such a great MC, was laughing my butts off even before she opened her mouth). Lo and behold without noticing Graduation Day has arrived. If only time were a mosquito, so I can stop that pest from draining the life force out of me with a whip of the hands. However, bad jokes has its limits in here so lets move on.

Ah yes, the highlight of the day...my first ever trip to the land of superstar wannabes called kbox.
Yes, i know...according to my morals I shouldn't just whip and whine and wham bam here comes out a thrashy article on my blog ranting about what I do and what I did and that Paris Hilton's nose looks oh so fake...whoops I just didn't say that. But anyway this article has been like drafted for so long and seriously, i've to let it go.
Moving on...

Well, the experience wasn't too bad, neither was it a fantastic one. Partly due to the fact that...oh god its all in chinese!! I thought I could handle them..well provided if it were the everyday chinese we see in our textbooks when we were little kids..but I thought wrong. *tears rolling out of eyes T_T* It's those chim chinese words you see on hong kong drama serials only singaporeans in particular won't understand...or maybe its just me only. Luckily ben was there to help me.

So here we are, Allen Johanan and I ( the three musketeers) sitting like couch potatoes seeing hao siang blasting his delicated vocal cords off and little benji bouncing up and down as he sings to the tune of...forever love?? (oh great I can't control myself, i have to type this in...."LOL") Alvin...haha...usually overpowered by benji or hao siang, he has a good voice though without a doubt. As for sam, eh...I guess his voice was kinda low for the songs the guys chose. Man, what's up with the male singers of present day? The songs are getting higher and higher(pitchwise) nowadays, if jay chou wasn't enough here comes lee hom..singing so high as though his testicles were about to drop off, no balls for a lack of a better word. If this carries on, low and behold in the near future we'll see the return of the castratos.

Yea...but anyway I have GREAT news for all the girls in 19/05, WE GUYS CAN SING!!! Surprise!! no seriously...the guys are lady charmers...they'd take a benjo and deliver their sweet lullabys from the park bench near your house, till you're smitten and captivated by their love songs and dash out your main door just to be captured by the potent serenade. oh great I'm in a poetic mood today.

All in all it was really fun, benji kept egging me on to sing, I on the other hand didn't wanna embaress myself with my broken chinese, even though half of my egoistic being wanted to show off my vocal prowess(muahhaha) minus the awkwardly pronounced words (Booooo me). Thanks to benji singing behind me was I able to pull it off (Yay me!!) rather well (now's the egoistic me).

That kinda concludes my day, till then I am Julianto Magnifico signing off from the life and times of julian tay,
Good night.

Postage to Heaven

2006-10-08T11:28:00.000+08:00

Dear God,

2nd November lurks around the corner, signaling the arrival of the inevitable A levels. To say that I am fully confident is a lie. Lord, I feel scared, scared that I would not do well for the As. I feel frightened at the possibility of failure, which seems very realistic for now. I feel disappointed at myself for not putting in sufficient effort during the course of this 2 years.

I'm scared...I'm scared.. Lord...

Then again, Lord, you gave me your word through Paul in the words of Philippians. "Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead.." Indeed, Father, help me to cast aside all that have passed and instead stay focus onto my goals straight ahead, which is the A levels at the moment. "Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. prov 3:25"

Lord, thank you for giving me friends who encouraged me during the trough of a sine function of my life. I now know that friends aren't only fellow acquaintances but a safety net which you can trust when you fall as you climb the ladder. They say "behind every successful man is a loving woman", but I say "before you're married, at the back of every successful man is an arsenal of caring friends".

But of course Lord, the bestest best friend one could ever ask for is you, Lord Jesus. You're my comforter when I am down, You are my strength when I am weak, You are my provider when everything seems to be depleted. Lord you said "Cast all your anxiety on you because you care for me" (1 peter 5:7 paraphrases).
Heavenly Father, that is exactly what I will do.

Lord, grant me peace of mind and a calm heart...for you care for me....

yours faithfully,

JT

2006-10-02T01:05:00.000+08:00

Friends are angels in disguised sent by God. I am glad to have friends like Nicole.
During my times of ups and downs (more downs actually), a word of encouragement is all she sent, and I'm glad to have her as my friend. So here's the poem I must share, to all my other friends right out there.

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must but don't you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems oh so far.
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit."

To all out there, take care and Goodnight.

God - my comfort and my refuge

2006-10-02T00:46:00.000+08:00

During this time of anxiety and high stress level, snippets of God's wisdom becomes all the more comforting and reassuring.

Do Not Worry

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
-Matthew 6 : 25-34

God is Good, all the time, Goodnight

Julian the adventurer (cont'd)

2006-09-27T19:04:00.000+08:00

So, have I gone totally insane? Spending almost 2 month's savings on something seemingly ridiculous like paintballs? Only to return from it all battered and bruised. And of course 100 bucks poorer? Spending hours (2 hours actually) on some mindless activity that reaps no useful results?

Well, apparently to those I showed my battle scars to, are those who shared those sentiments. "Wah you crazy sia," says one. "Aiyo...Its so dangerous!" grunted Amelia in her manly voice. =P
To all who saw my scars and heard my tale, their initial reaction was somewhat a mixture of surprise and disbelieve...like stunned for 2.5 seconds.
Which brings me to conclude that, no, I'm neither mad nor insane to fork out those big bucks...just to carry the little gadget and fire away at live targets. The feeling you get seeing those faces, is priceless. Still remembered vividly Benjamin's jaw dropping expression, and how Joshua's eyes widen as I told him bout the bruises. An egocentric would love that, but I'm just enjoying it.

As cliche as it may sound, those expressions herald a sense of achievement, that you've managed to accomplish something not many would have the chance or dare to do so. It's just like scaling mount everest or bungee jumping, not everyone accomplished those feats. Well it's true that when those little balls hit you it hurts like hell, but hey, this kinda opportunities don't come once too very often. So I say seize that opportunity before it slips away.

So what made me take on such an endeavour? Peer pressure? yea maybe a little but I dare say its partly due to my likeing for adventure. I'm never contented with living the "normal" life; play, study, grow up, work, make money, get car get condo get honey...have baby and live happily ever after. Nah, not my style. Since young I've always stived to be different from others. Well for once I get totally upset when Mom bought me and my bro clothes of the same design when we were little.
Maybe a good expression would be radical, and one form of expression is through being adventurerous. Well all guys have to be as soon as they enter army in my opinion, unless of course you're contented with being a storeman.

Wouldn't it be nice to roam the open plains on a horse back, seeing the field of wild flowers and herbs blooming in the summer sunshine. Or taking a dive into the depths of the blue unknown, exploring the creatures of the deep blue sea. Wouldn't it be nice to fall at terminal velocity, out from a plane at the edge of the atmosphere. Or paddle down a ferocious white water rapid, together with a team of buddies. Wouldn't it be nice to skii down the snow covered peak, or tackle the waves with a trustee surfboard.Wouldn't it be nice to go backpacking, or water skiing. Bungee jumping or flying a plane. Wouldn't it be nice?

I may not be some hardcore adventurer like Steve Irwin, whom I would like to dedicate a moment's silence to remember him as an awesome inspiration both towards wild life conservation and also to us, for showing us that life is so much more exciting if we allow for it to be. Thank you Steve for your enthusiasm and infectious zest for life , you'd be remebered by all who love you on this blog.
"My life is so full of adventure, that it is hard to pinpoint which is the most exciting part in life" -Steve Irwin

While I may not be a die hard adventure lover, I do have a list of to dos in the future:

Bungee Jumping
Scuba Diving off Tioman Island
White water rafting
Skiing - before going apline skiing
Catching waves on a surfboard
Water skiing
Dirt road motor racing
Sky diving
Backpacking/travel the world
Handling anything that got to do with projectiles like guns or archery professionally...etc etc.

Life is great...keep living...and forgive those who do you wrong, just on the side note. Almost fell out with a great friend due to folly today. Till then...goodnight

Blessed Assuarance

2006-09-27T00:37:00.000+08:00

Read Psalms 31:9-24

After the terrorist bombing in Bali in 2002, one man reacted by giving up traveling. Three years later, he finally took his family for a holiday in Bali, together with 50 tourists from Newcastle, Australia. The trip ended in tragedy when his family was caught in a suicide bombing at a café on Jimbaran Beach.
From New York to Indonesia, warnings and threats of terrorist attacks continue. Terrorism derives its sting by exporting fear. No one feels safe.
In Psalm 31, David was in the grip of surrounding threats that terrorized both his reputation and his life. He wrote, “Fear is on every side,” and said, “They scheme to take away my life” (v.13).
When everything seemed bleakest, David cried in despair, “I trust in You, O Lord” (v.14). He began to find peace when he acknowledged, “My times are in Your hand” (v.15).
In our world, perfect safety is not possible. But David’s God is our God. Though our earthly security may be threatened, we can never lose God’s eternal, unfailing love.
To those who trust in the Lord, David wrote these hopefilled words: “[The Lord] shall strengthen your heart” (v.24). When we place our times in His hand, we can exchange the fear of terror for peace and praise. —Albert Lee

Though of the day: Putting your faith in the living God takes the fear out of living.

Indeed, our lives are in the palm of his hands. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." matt 6:33-34

Julian the adventurer

2006-09-26T00:14:00.000+08:00

Ouch! Eeek! Ooh! Ow! Ahh! pain!! PAIN!!! paintballs.

Well, could say the highlight of my monday afternoon was a trip to Orchid Country Club. Not so much about the golf and the courses there but something seemingly unlikely in any other ordinary country club. For those who haven't guessed the obvious, its paintball.

"Barrel plugs out, safety off...*Siren*." "Go go go!!" yellow leader shouted.
Hurriedly, number 3 dashed towards the tower outpost as number 2 went for the wooden bridge. "Secure the frontline number 1 and take down the targets" was the order given to team leader James Lieow. "Under heavy enemy fire! Requesting backups!" shouted no.2, sniper Amorn Seetoh, from the bridge. No.3 heavy gunner Julian Tay sprang out from the outpost tower, took aim, and fired slavo after slavo of high velocity impact rounds towards the two attackers, forcing them to take cover. "One target down!" radioed no.1 from behind the white safety barricade, now truning his focus to the other target and with precision of a veteran, took down the other target with one shot. "I'm hit! Medic!" grunted no.2 as he made his way to the hospital. Continuing the routine, no.3 took aim and managed to shoot down one of the attacker. "They are retreating...careful no.3, enemy outpost sighted." radioed in no.1. No.3 turned, only to find the dark barrel pointing at his direction, seconds from releaseing its deadly rounds. Without hesiating, no.3 ducked, only to find the slugs whizzing past from above and some hitting the safety walls of the wooden tower. With only the head slightly out, no.3 trys to fend off his attacker by fireing back. No.2 returned from the hospital and regain control of the bridge. "2nd attacker down...retrieve the ammo case, on the double before they revive and return" rang no.2. With haste, no.1 dropped his gun and grabbed the ammo case but before he could make 10 feet he was shot in the back by the outpost. With quick draw speed, no.3 shot down the outpost while no.2 focused on the attacker at the frontline. Unknowingly, a shot, fired by the returning 2nd attacker, manage to hit the mask of no.3, rendering him unsuitable for further combat. No.2 fired his rounds towards the fireing attacker, forcing him to take cover behind the barricades, giving no.1 the opportunity to run for the ammo case and brought it to safety.
*Siren* "barrel plugs in, safety on...yellow team wins this round"

Of course, the above recount of the scenario was highly exagerated, but that was roughly what happened this afternoon. Rounds and rounds of high velocity gelatin coated paintballs whizzing all over the place, fired by USP. tatical like sub-machine guns powered by a portable high pressured CO2 tank. With a range of about 60m and and effective range of 40m, this baby packs a punch...I mean literally. These little goblets may seem harmless and all, but when it hits and explodes on bare skin, it's (and really..seriously) p.a.i.n.f.u.l PAINFUL. Thinking back was really a fool to wear short sleeves and shorts. Sustained 5 bruises on my left shoulder and torso (dunno why the left..really), 1 at the back of the neck together with 1 at the back of the head (rather not talk about that..quite stupid actually). Not to forget one more on the butt, thanks to our friend James. And many more on the arms.
Well at least not as bad as our dear friend Amorn, who sustained a shot on his breast, which really made it look like an extra nipple...Oops...

However, there's something much more painful then the bruises...the cost. It was 81 bucks from each person, making a grand total of $490 for all 6 of us. But all in all we had fun, and this kind of thing is really once in a blue moon kinda thing, for me that is. Rather interesting experience..running around like mad kids shooting bullets at each other...shouting "eat this sucker", nah kidding.

I also shamelessly remembered how after my many failed attempts to retrieve the ammo case, and brutally targetted by Amorn, my teammate placed his gun down and dashed for the case. Me, returning from the hospital without a gun as it was dropped further up ahead, quickly sprang and took my teammate's gun on the floor and used it to cover him, forcing the opponents to take cover.

P.S to be continued...

Take a Stroll

2006-09-24T23:12:00.000+08:00

If I were a catholic (note "if"), I'd be kneeling on my knees right now at this moment in the tiny oak-framed confession box, telling the dark shadows of a priest behind the veil "Father I have sinned, I overslept and missed church service, I need forgiveness." Priest face = -__-"
Man, really shouldn't have played too much the previous night, reached home at about 1am. But oh well, whole family woke up late too; not like my parents attend church or anything though it would be a very pleasant thought.

Thank God for His limitless grace. Amen

After a hearty lunch I just decided to go out on my own. Well for one it is to let my bros study as I'd be indulging in games if I were to stay at home, and two, would like to get me chem tys. So destination, bras basah. Purpose, shop for a ten year series...What a fools errand, the half day's worth of search came to naught as somehow none of the shops sell my desired tys. Can't say frustration didn't set in. Don't you just hate it when you find out you've just wasted a couple of hours of your life doing something seemingly useless like searching or waiting. "Might as well visit the national library" I thought to myself, as the newly constructed building was just next door. The only thing that caught my eye during my time there in the massive building was a small little, rather remote, arts exhibition at the foyer of the 3rd floor, a ceramic art display to be exact. Was rather surprised to see my neighbor’s, Iskandar Jalil, artworks on display. Not surprised that his pottery's in this exhibition but rather surprised with my destiny to chance upon this exhibition. Each artist, or potter in this case, have their own style of artistry which is distinctly unique to each of them. For the case of Iskandar his style revolves around some blue malaysian clay, which name escapes me, moulded into very peculiar shapes of urns and something which reminds one of a horse and children? A very malay touch to each of his unglazed pieces covered in oxides...with some shaped like small sampans and some depicting kampong life. "As with pottery, life goes about in circles" was Iskandar's description of his work. Another display was by a Japanese artist, whose artworks are very interesting. It looks rather simple, yet the pieces are enshrouded with mystery and elegance. Starting off with a rather huge cup, a row of about 10 to 15 cups were laid across the stage in progressively smaller size, the last cup being smaller than a green bean. I find that these elites have one thing in common, that they are able to appreciate the beauty that lies within life itself, and is able to express them in a visual form. Some artwork talks about emotions, some about simplicity while there are some about childhood. There is also one artist who dedicated his work to Mother Nature.

Many a times we're just caught up with so many chores and duties to do that we sometimes forgot about how great life is. Amidst the hustle and bustle of our typical Singaporean life and the ever pressurising lifestyle of a student or a working adult, we hardly had the time, or rather we forgot, to take time off to appreciate the things and even the people around us. So I say, take a stroll. Put your worries aside and take a stroll, watching the flowers as you go. Creation is magnificent and beautiful. The chirping of birds are like music to the ears, the smell of grass after a shower makes you thankful to be alive, the falling leaves of the raintree is just so wonderful and a hug from a loved one is a gift from God. Don't hesitate to say I love you to your mom, stand up and give her a hug. Had society not been so conservative, I think I'd be saying 'I love you' to almost everyone *grin*.

So that's what I did, I took a stroll...

Tired?

2006-09-23T00:57:00.000+08:00

Before anything happens, check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWmLAui6OOw

Alas, the prelims have concluded. The mad struggle of practice papers and seemingly ceaseless revisions have paused, only to be continued later as the dreaded A's draw closer. Strangely, my mind is not at rest, my heart is still not calmed. Why does anxiousness still overwhelm me? Why is there war within my heart? Or is it just tiredness taking its toll on me and grauchiness filling the cavities in my heart? (i know its biologically wrong) The prelims are over but there is no joy...no peace...and no contentment. I busied myself with activities (going out and stuff..except gaming*sob* com spoilt), I derive pleasure but reap no joy and only adds on to the tiredness I have. From it I gain nothing and like what Solomen would say, "Meaningless".

So I said to myself, "Stop...take a deep breath, breathe in...and out.." Take a moment to appreciate the world around you, and make it a point link everything back to its creator, the God of heaven and earth. Give thanks for the beautiful sunrise he has created every morning over the horizon of the campus facing the sports com yonder. The birds, or rather magpies, for thier lively songs of praise as they hop along the running track. Not to forget the magnificient greens surrounding you which is oh so apparent in a tjcian's vocabulary.

Though your tired and weary, God says come and I will give you rest.

I want to rest,
I'm so tired I can't write well I'll just have to say Goodnight

The Finale

2006-09-21T22:46:00.000+08:00

This is the final lap, the crowd is going wild as the last 15 minutes silently crawl towards the end of time, or rather, towards the time limit each student is given for the race. Scrambling of pens, pencils, erasers and (calculator?) echoed through the wooden framed hall, coupled with the eager snigger of the faster students, waiting impatiently for the end signal to be given.
"Pens down!" the shrill cry of the big guy standing infront of the shivering students.
Alas, i thought to myself, "Biology...i have conqured it all" as I took my case and walked smugly down the "corridor" of tables and chairs. Alas it is over, alas freedom has come.

In a flash the world became an uncomfortable black, with flashes of green red yellow and blue all over the place. My head felt hard and my feet, cold.
With grogy eyes and aching limbs, reality suddenly daunt upon me.
"Great, what a dream" and hurridly mug for the A's

Goodnight.

A new day dawns

2006-09-20T12:12:00.000+08:00

Alas, a new day has arrive, not literally but it symbolises the dawn of a new era. Finally, after much consideration, I decided to create a blog. Yay me!! Seems like I'd be spending some time brightening up these place a little. This place looks horridly plain. Then again who'd be coming in here anyway.

Surprises from a routine schedule, indeed it is. surpised that I myself would start a blog, at some forsaken time of 3am...in the middle of a major exam. What are the odds of these =p
Just some thoughts about what this place should be(notice the word should)
1. a sanctuary for my reflections to rest
2. a haven for my ideas to wonder
3. a peaceland for my soul to give thanks to his master

Not to worry this ain't some blog ranting about my life and listing everything that I do from day 1 to eternity...trust me its a pain to write it down.
Well it seems like this blog isn't so personalised yet, not writing the way I should be. But oh well I would do so in due time...after I fix this plain boring place.

So much to write about but so little time, so see you again sometime and i'd like to say. Goodnight.