Tuesdays with Morrie: We talk about the fear of aging

Weren't you ever afraid to grow old, i asked?

"Mitch, I embrace aging."

Embrace it?

"It's very simple. As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you'd always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, it's also the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it."

Yes, I said, but if aging were so valuable, why do people always say, "Oh, if I were young again." You never hear people say, "I wish I were sixty-five."

He smiled. "You know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Lives that haven't found meaning. Because if you've found meaning in your life, you don't want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more. You can't wait until sixty-five."

听歌

我好喜欢听歌。

有时听多了，就把它当作显示，不再只是我逃避到的另一个世界。

分不清，不知道了。

笑笑就过了吧。

sometimes...

我好看不起自己。

如果不能讓你懂得 不能讓你快樂 那麼我放了

有愛又有什麼用處
又不是這樣就不孤獨
還是那麼輸
留下來有什麼幫助
又不是這樣就不 孤獨
我們曾 那麼 幸福

Love love love made us blind

because... that belonged to me.

Talk of the town

"I don't care what the elections is about. I will just strike my vote and make it a void vote. "

That was my attitude, just 2 weeks ago when I heard the news of the government being dissolved and that polling day would be in May. All I could be glad is that, wow, I have another public holiday!

But, this year's elections seem to be set for something much bigger scale than what I remember of the last one...somehow. It is definitely more exciting than I thought and created many 'wows' for me. For one, I think it was a walkover on my side in the last round since I have never seen the trucks with loud hailers in my district.

Many contested seats:
Wow, in the first place, I never knew that there were so many parties in Singapore with passionate people who cares for their country and try to want to make a difference. I admit, I lived in ignorance for the past over 20 years with regards to our political scene because I have been brought up so comfortably in a stable environment. This time, I start to see different things and different facts, as well as different opinions. I think this is a good sign, that I see Singaporeans fighting for the best of their country.

The 'Singaporean' spirit:
While it seems like many people constantly want to leave this country because of this and that, it feels to me that this elections has pulled Singaporeans back together and make them 'one' again to think for their own future. Credits to the many different parties contesting the seats this time, and people are thus forced to see and think rather than to be led on blindly. So it's another 'wow', we all have a common topic now to discuss. Wherever you are in Singapore, you can't miss the fact that elections are coming. And through this elections, you get to observe different people's behaviours and understand the society you live in better. What people say, and how they say things, really reflect a lot on how they are and the culture of the country.

Print media vs new media:
Well, print media, as everyone feels so, is definitely prone to skewed reporting and downscaling of certain news to push forth certain ideologies. On the other hand, new media is expected to liberate the 'minority voice' and let everyone be heard rather than only the prominent voices. Print media is still doing its job now, trying to be objective but seems to be slightly skewed in light of elections. But take a look at new media.. wow, impressive activity level. Oppressed voices are now all speaking up, news which were downscaled in print media are dug up and spreading like fire across the net. Amongst these, netizens voices - words, both beautiful and ugly, superficial and with depth, cheering and boo-ingl they are all appearing from everywhere! You can't miss comments on GE once you log onto Facebook.

Statistics:
These numbers are all just an illusion, a play of numbers, to create some sense out of some records of certain items. Statistics can be interpreted from different angles (guess most students who have used statistics to prove hypotheses before would know!) and can be presented in different lights to translate to created facts.. how true they are and how much we should believe would be totally up to us!

'Opposition':
Actually I don't understand why minority parties are called 'opposition' as this term, by itself, has a demeaning connotation..but it seems like now it is cool to label yourself as 'opposition' and to support 'opposition'. I feel that by using such a term, it stirs up more subjective feelings that objective judgments, and we can see quite clearly that the various parties tactics mainly are to attack your heart (emotions) or your mind (logic). In a way, to be objective, I think words with emotional attachments should be used cautiously.

Ignorance is bliss?:
As mentioned, this was the attitude I embraced. But this time, with so many parties contesting, suddenly you realise that your one vote might actually make a difference. Many people have been criticised for blindly being led on under one ruling party for a long time. Like me, I might have just blindly opted for stability in my area since I had no major concerns? But now, with many parties contesting and I am seeing many good calibres in the various parties, perhaps talent has been diversified and we should vote the best into the government. While I think it is wrong to be led on blindly, at the same time, I think it is definitely also wrong to believe and 'oppose' blindly. Ignorance is no longer bliss as you think about your future. I think we really have to exercise our judgment. You may not trust the mainstream media at all... but at the same time you should filter for yourself what you see on new media and not blindly believe what you see.

Simplification of ideas:
This is a must-have for leaders to put across their ideologies and plans they have for the country so that we can understand. However, we should not be led on to think that really, everything is that simple. I think we should learn to identify the complexity of issues and to weigh and relate them in terms of micro and macro level, from the individual level to national level to regional level and also in the context of the world. So, while issues might be singled out to pick on, we should remember that all these happened in the context of the larger society and you have to consider other factors which come along with it. There is no free lunch in this world, nothing can come only as the best without other effects which might not have been as desirable.

Moving on:
While many people harp on the past and lament about 'damage' done, we cannot go back and un-do anything (the already rising living costs/housing costs). Why not look ahead into the future and see what can be done about it (eg. slowing down the rate of rising housing costs)? There is no point in blaming and scolding because it gets you nowhere.. At this point while we appoint leaders, it is important to see what they can offer in the future and how they can make the future a better one for everyone. It is clear that every party has their own talents and capabilities, we should thus choose our leaders with care to move towards an all-rounded government.

A heart for Singapore can be felt from the bottom of our hearts...no matter whether you are a civilian or leader. Choose wisely!

華樂

收拾wardrobe，發現自己捨不得丟掉NYCO和NUSCO的華樂T-shirt。再次回想華樂過程，再次發現如果不是華樂，或許我的生命現在只是一片空。

小學華樂：我第一次近距離接觸音樂。
南中華樂：我最好的girlfriends就是這裡找到的。
國初華樂：我JC唯一一個朋友也是華樂的。哈哈。
精英華樂：我體驗了“外面的複雜”。
國大華樂：我認識了那個他，那個我第一個男友，有可能陪我走到最後的他。

華樂阿，曾想過要遠離你，看來還真難！

即将结婚的女孩感觉就是不一样

9.0 earthquake

While I'm typing this post now, people are waiting desperately for aid, for food, for their loved ones... It feels so weird that these are our fellow people in suffering, but yet they are so far that we cannot empathize with them fully. Through the screens, we watch the devastated scene replay again and again. I admire the Japanese for their calmness, yes I have to agree with the news, it really puts Japan in a different light and casts loads of thoughts on the cultures of different societies.

Magnitude 9.0.. it took this to shake my mind. With the previous Indonesia and Sichuan earthquake, I felt pretty..I guess you can call it nonchalant. But seeing this earthquake, it suddenly struck me how unpredictable life can be, what a good life I have been leading and makes me feel thankful. At the same time, I learnt to feel more for life, to empathize with those who lost loved ones, with those who are now fighting for their lives.

I also pray for the best for Japan. Gambette!

Cruising couple @ HFC

Met this really sweet British couple at Harbourfront Starbucks today. They were on this short stopover in Singapore, part of their cruise itinerary which they have embarked since January and is due to only finish end of March. Traveling at leisure around the world, seeing a little of everything hand in hand, I guess they are living life. Having worked for so long, raised children and then grandchildren, "this is what you need at retirement" as the lady told us.

How will my life be in future? Well, should I head into the "family" life (as opposite from what I had expected of my life previously), then I hope when we are grey-haired (hopefully still have hair by then), we can also take time off to ourselves and just experience life hand in hand all over again. :)

Remembering Edward Yang

You can be today's present, and tomorrow's history. It's that fast, the way society is evolving. While the society moves ahead fast, history is now being documented in films, with many "art" films reflecting and depicting lives in the 80s/90s/00s. An artist (re)creates what he/she sees and is exposed to in society, adding in values of their own to engage audience to think and reflect as well.

Day 1

Today marks day 1 of my new contract. Yes, time flies and I’ve completed the previous one. Learnt a lot, about the industry, about the job, about people, about myself.

In society, there are people who just head into a company, perhaps for a high-paying job, and slog their lives off without finding meaning in their jobs. At the same time, there are also people who find so much meaning in what they do, that they just live on their passion. Striking a balance is never easy. Being in my twenties and still new to the job market, I have been advised to try several jobs before settling down, instead of jumping straight into one company and proclaiming my life-long loyalty to that company. My neighbour and I have agreed several times that yes, we should explore while we are young and probably by around the age of 30, start thinking of what we really want as a career and stop hopping around already. But somehow, both of us decided to stay on.

Signing on another year, I have seen so many raised eyebrows from my friends.

“Why? It doesn’t pay you well.”
“Go for a government job instead, don’t be stupid.”

Of course, there were some encouraging ones who told me to go for what I like, but few.

So what do I like? Just barely less than one year ago, I stood empty and blank-headed after graduation, not knowing where to head to. I’m lucky, I found this job online, sent in my application and woo-hoo, I got it. Bringing worries of not being able to tahan a 9-6 office job, I stepped into office last July and told myself I have to endure this contract no matter what. It's only 8 months anyway, not short but not long either. I met nice people, had some really unique experiences, and wow, I realized I like this job. So, while people try out jobs to find that they do not like the job, I have to say I tried out this job and found how much I liked it, inspiring me to stay on here. Perhaps working in this field, you can never get rich. But the intangibles I get from this job cannot be compensated by money as well.



And so, moving on, I’ve decided to leave my part-time job. Similarly, that was a job which met with raised eyebrows from friends and family, but you can never deny the amount of experience I’ve gained, the life lessons learnt during the 3 ½ years here. No regrets about any time wasted, nor the relatively not so high pay I receive there in exchange.

When it’s time to move, get going! Now, I get to spend more time with my loved ones and to protect myself against dark eye rings!! Still finding my balance in life, I have to admit I pretty much love my life as it is now. Of course, this is not a time to get complacent about my life and stop moving forth. Coming year, I’ll see if I’m really up to my job as well, or whether it’s time to move on next year. At the same time, I better stop being lazy and open my eyes to see even more of this world!

JB!

心血来潮，两人决定”出国“到JB了！搭乘SBS巴士出国,一路在一直再次重复说出国竟然比去乌节路还快。走走，看到ibun的朋友，也唱了超爽的ktv (cheap n good, 两人只需37RM包括四杯水和一盘食物！)

偶尔放个假，跟你出远门走走真好！

Forum theatre

Let’s wiki on: Forum theatre

Augusto Boal developed and practised an orthodox methodology for forum theatre based on the interaction between his actors and his so-called "spect-actors". The spect-actor attempts to overturn the oppression using some method unused by the actors, whilst the actors portraying the oppressors improvise to attempt to bring the production to its original, scripted ending. If the audience believes that the spect-actor's actions are too unrealistic to be utilized in reality, they may call out "magic!", and the spect-actor must modify their actions accordingly. If this spect-actor fails in overthrowing the oppression, the actor resumes their character, and continues the production until another spect-actor calls out "stop! or freeze!" and attempts a different method.

If and when the oppression has been overthrown by the spect-actors, the production changes again the spect-actors now have the opportunity to replace the oppressors, and find new ways of challenging the oppressed character. In this way a more realistic depiction of the oppression can be made by the audience, who are often victims of the oppression. The whole process is designed to come to a conclusion through the consideration of opposing arguments, rather than where an argument is one-sided and pushed from the actors with no chance of reply or counter-argument.

So yes, I’ve just caught a forum theatre meant for secondary schools. Similar to my recent discovery that people actually dare to sing in front of a huge audience (during the singalong), students now have no qualms about voicing out their opinions and standing in front of the audience on the stage to act. Gone are the days when learning was one way (that was what it seemed to me in my whole education life till university where there were slightly more attempts to make you speak up). Of course, the forum theatre was a subtle way to make them think about societal issues and they might not even realise that this was meant for learning and evoking thoughts? Not boring readings compiled by English teachers now… they watch forum theatre to learn. Learning through the arts… I can only say kids now are so much luckier because I don’t remember having such a luxury.

iBunny (one piece as of Feb 11)

According to Mr Gareth, iBun wants me to blog about him.

So yes, talking about iBun.. he had a bath recently and was clean(er), but that was a matter of several months ago so he’s kinda almost back to usual. iBun has had many adventures recently – flying across rooms, banging against tables, cameras crashing on him but all in all, he still enjoys himself pretty much most of the time going out with me and my friends and the guy who loves him most (Mr Teng). Actually iBun has requested for another bath but Mr Teng refuses it, saying he should only bathe once every three years in case he falls apart (so sweet that he cares isn’t it…).

In any case, while iBun is still in one piece, he loves to make people smile. So, please smile at him when you see him!

大家唱

The Singalong session was an eye-opener for me. The biggest thing which struck me at first was how the facilitator of the singalong session could not sing in tune properly! A little horrified by that considering it was a performance, I soon realized that this may encourage people to sing. I guess if the facilitator could sing really nicely, none of the audience would actually dare to raise their hands to ask for the microphone and sing.

The next thing which struck me is how this group of older generation actually knew all the songs, regardless whether it was in Mandarin or Cantonese or Hokkien, or whether it came from the 1930s or 1960s or 1990s (that is one whole generation of songs!). Also, thinking that Singaporeans are unlikely to offer to sing and the facilitator probably have to force people to sing, I was surprised to see that people raised their hands for the microphones to sing in front of a few hundred people. These people didn’t bother whether they could or could not sing – not like me who will probably be very paisei and not sing in front of everyone knowing that I can’t sing. Well, of course it may be like what someone told me.. “these people have already lived past half a century, still paisei what?”

Audience sang, and as I watched them, I can’t help but feel their memories connected to the various songs. It’s not about the songs and the lyrics presented in front of them, it was about what it brought to their minds. Perhaps their mothers used to listen to the songs on radio in the past, perhaps they used to hear these songs in old Singapore, perhaps these were the songs during their courtship days. Looking around, I can’t help but be fascinated by the thought that there are probably hundreds of long-“packed away” memories surfacing by the bay that night. Even as someone who did not have memories connected to these songs, it was very heart-warming to ‘feel’ the feelings of other people ‘floating by’.

And so, I realized that arts is not all about the ‘high-end’ arts which the masses do not understand. Gone are the days when I was strongly only in favour of artistic works for the minority.. well, I still strongly support the creation of new forms of art with very high artistic values, but I realized that just a simple presentation of old songs can also be such a heartwarming form of art which connected the audience together so well. Even the 7 years old girl took and microphone and sang 我问天!

How to Appreciate All Kinds of Music

We can wiki on everything!
http://www.wikihow.com/Appreciate-All-Kinds-of-Music

1
Appreciating and liking are two completely different things. Listen to all sorts of music, even if some of it might not be your absolute favorite. You don't have to like the music, just listen to it and try to understand it. Listen to a little bit of everything, from Bach to Billie Holiday to Less Than Jake to Liquid Tension Experiment to Michael Buble to Slayer.

2
Most songs are written for a reason. There is usually a message being sent. If you don't understand it upon first listening to a song, look up the lyrics. This is hard to do in classical music, as there are not necessarily any lyrics. For that, you have to try a little harder when you listen.

3
Don't criticize the first time you listen. Just sit back and let it wash over you. If you start complaining or griping, you have no hope of appreciating it.

4
Do your best to expose yourself to new kinds of music. Go out and buy a random used CD or listen to a different radio station each day. Go on sites like allmusic.com, pandora.com, myspace, or purevolume.com to find new bands.

5
Research underground music or listen to garage rock/pirate radio stations. These types of music are usually unique and tend to expose you to different.ideas and styles. Research music like ska, two-tone, and experimental. All of those less popular genres will help you to better your understanding of different music.

6
Don't limit yourself to "Pop" music. Go for some opera, classical, jazz, electronic, reggae, and heavy metal, too. Also, look up music from different countries.

I guess these apply to most art forms.. never limit yourself to one genre. Points 1 and 3 stand out in particular. Similarly, experimental art should actually be encouraged too. Just like Science, experimenting might just lead to inventions afterall; while horrors may be created, beautiful art might just be discovered as well.

眼泪

眼泪是一种释放吧。

想笑就笑，想哭就哭。
该笑就笑，该哭就哭。

大家喜欢笑，大家不喜欢哭。但这不代表哭是错的，这不代表哭是不应该的，哭也不代表你是怪物。但是，要坦然的面对眼泪还蛮难的。在这社会里，我们已习惯hold back our tears，搞得连要哭都难。

眼泪不代表你是脆弱的，因为哭过了就会看到更坚强的你。
所以，不要在困住无辜的眼泪了！想哭，就release your tears吧。

插在口袋中 是没有人来握住的手

Just go with it.

Love is not stationary, just go with it.

Many a times, we find ourselves buried in infatuation, only to realise after a while that the person whom we really want to be with is just beside us and is the one who understands us rather than purely seeing the 'me' made up of lies. Can't agree more with the tagline: sometimes you need a girl, to get the girl. Sometimes, what we thought is love, will bring out the real love.

Entertaining after a day of work, this movie is quite worth watching if you need a break!

牵手

因为爱着你的爱
因为梦着你的梦
所以悲伤着你的悲伤
幸福着你的幸福

因为路过你的路
因为苦过你的苦
所以快乐着你的快乐
追逐着你的追逐

因为誓言不敢听
因为承诺不敢信
所以放心着你的沉默
去说服明天的命运

没有风雨躲得过
没有坎坷不必走
所以安心地牵你的手
不去想该不该回头
　
也许牵了手的手
前生不一定好走
也许有了伴的路
今生还要更忙碌
　
所以牵了手的手
来生还要一起走
所以有了伴的路
没有岁月可回头

Sister who is 12 years older

I just realized having a sister who is 12 years older is so different from having one close to your age.
When she worries about school and friends, you're just a baby.
When she is having o levels and a levels, you're merely fretting over why you are not growing up faster.
When she stays out in hostel, you stay home to watch tv with ah ma.
When she gets married, you worry about making friends in sec school.
When she becomes a mother, you only worry about being a girlfriend.
When she starts to work part time to take care of family, you start to wonder how to go through a full time job to earn money n build a family.
Then, she was a stranger. Before you knew it, she's out of your life. Several memorable moments, but not much memories actually.
Good thing will be lucky she's still a siao char Bo now - so at this age, I start to learn to have a sister as a friend.

冷落

我的双手无法再颤抖
能握住什麽
谁能施舍我
我的呼吸变得很脆弱
能快乐多久
我想天晓得
不公平不敢说不幸幅的人那麽的多
我有的自私也许太多
原谅我只有你能够帮我

请你还我自由 别带我走
眼前的路虽然坎坷我不怕走
我承认 我忐忑被你冷落

请让我可以给他温柔 被爱拥有
哪怕坠落我的心也不怕承受
再一次去拥抱痛的理由
讨厌被自己冷落

我的瞳孔睁开了没有
为什么彩虹
只有一种颜色
我的心跳偶尔不想动
喧闹在穿梭
我被我忽略着
很孤单不敢说
得不到爱的人那麽的多
我有的骄纵不算太多
接受我只有你彻底懂我

请你还我自由 别带我走
眼前的路虽然坎坷我不怕走
我承认 我忐忑被你冷落

请让我可以给他温柔 被爱拥有
哪怕坠落我的心也不怕承受
再一次去拥抱痛的理由
讨厌看自己

翻阅着抽屉 翻阅着过去
翻阅着爱与恨的差距
失去我不算可惜
但是我却想更珍惜你

不要拿走我的自由 别带我走
眼前的路虽然坎坷 我不怕走
我承认 我忐忑被你冷落

我想我可以给他温柔 被爱拥有
哪怕坠落我的心也不怕承受
再一次去拥抱痛的理由
讨厌被自己冷落 冷落我

This is a happy end, come and give me your hand, I'll take you far away.

The boy who cried wolf

There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!"

The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.

"Don't cry 'wolf', shepherd boy," said the villagers, "when there's no wolf!" They went grumbling back down the hill.

Later, the boy sang out again, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!" To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf away.

When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, "Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'wolf' when there is NO wolf!"

But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.

Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, "Wolf! Wolf!"

But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn't come.

Nobody believes a liar...even when he is telling the truth.

新的一年！

任性。

不勇敢。

無理取鬧。

喜歡傷害人。

Insecurities。

等等等。

我不喜歡的自己，讓她像2010年而遠離我，讓亮麗的煙花帶來一個新的自己。

2011年，

勇敢的embrace life，

勇敢的面對life，

勇敢的love life.

In the face of happiness, we must not lose courage.

我要勇敢的面對我的幸福與愛。

家人的愛。

愛人的愛。

朋友的愛。

還有，iBun的愛。

我要幸福，

我不要再趕走幸福，

我不讓幸福離開我。

你或許猜不透我要的是甚麼。

或許，我自己有時都搞不清楚。

但，我非常清楚的是，我要定你，而沒有你，我的世界是很有可能會停止轉動的。

2011年，我要愛你更多，我要愛‘我們’更多。

2011年，給我機會為你改變。

不管我們會遇到怎樣的艱難：我換工作，你畢業等，只要我們牽著手，勇敢的向前走，就會走進我們期待的未來。