The end of a chapter of my life...

Just 2 more days and the year ends! So near and yet so far! I know I sound like I'm desperate for this year to end but hey, there's a new year just around the corner. New Year, new beginnings. But of course I'll miss 2006, too. This year taught me a lot, as I've said in so many previous posts.

Well it's a Friday and boy, what a fine Friday it has been. I managed to get a few errands done and the day's been good so far. It's been raining cats and dogs for the past few days but today, I don't remember seeing dark clouds. Oh my, I think I spoke too soon. The sky's turning grey right now. "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..."

Okay, why don't I say some last words for the year? I doubt I'll be typing another post before the year ends so here goes: 2006, thank you for teaching me all that I've learnt during this unsatisfying yet resourceful time. The skills I've mustered are no doubt useful and will last a lifetime. Thank you for the experiences I've had this year, be it good or bad, because I dare say I've learned a lot from them. The thing about those rare experiences is that they gave me clues as to what I'm going to experience in the coming years ahead. I can feel a new beginning waiting for me as I step over the threshold into 2007. I know it so surely because my intuition tells me so and the signs have also been in line with my perception. What a mystifying year it has been. Sacred knowledge, powerful insights, brand new perceptions have been abound for me this year. I wish you could take me deeper into this mystical world, but I know that time will unfold itself when it is due. Everyone has their own path to follow, and mine's becoming clearer everyday. I know that there is meaning in existence, and that there is no such thing as coincidence. I can't wait to learn more, to experience more, to practice more. I hope the new year will bring me new opportunities to do just that. So it's the end of 2006, then. The end of a good year, a necessary year for me. And it will be written in the book of history, a beautiful painting to be hung on the walls of the historical museum. A slice of life that will have a huge effect on the rest of my life.

Let me close this chapter happy and fulfilled...

Oh, the good life...

So that was Christmas. Wow. Look at the time: 12:54a.m. on a Tuesday morning, the 26th of December, Boxing Day. See how shocking a day lasts? A blink, a snap, and it's gone...

Maybe you're wondering why I'm online at this time, since I don't usually use the computer at this hour. I just came back from a visiting of my grandmother's place, like what we do every Christmas. And then I found out that my handphone charger is faulty. Where else can I charge my phone than to use the computer via a USB cable? And that's how I ended up being online typing this now.

As I was saying, Christmas has just zoomed past almost an hour ago. It's gone - gone for this year. We'll have to wait till next year for Christmas to come again. And that's how our days will pass, too. Each day of our life has the same 24 hours just like every other day. What we do during that 24 hours makes all the difference between a meaningless day and a fulfilling one. One by one the days vanish into history, and on those days which seem to be meaningless to us, we submit a blank page into the great, big book of history. On the other hand, on those days which seem to be filled with happiness, love, and satisfaction, we paint a glorious picture on canvas to be displayed in the galleries of the historical museum. Just imagine. 24 hours to submit a blank page or paint a masterpiece. Time is not on our side, my friends...

Life continues. It goes on as usual. It's Boxing Day today. Have you opened your presents? I'd already opened mine before the clock struck 12 - just like every Christmas. Nothing can complement the joy of giving better than the joy of receiving. It works both ways. Just like love. You know what they say, "Love is a two way street." Everything in the world works both ways. Each has its opposites. Good and bad. Male and female. Yin and Yang. One cannot exist without the other. They complement each other, no matter how good or bad it may seem. An endless cycle. The wheel of fortune, of life. No beginning and no end. The Buddhists believe in reincarnation. Their goal is to achieve nirvana, enlightenment. And the way to achieve that is to break away from this cycle of life. Only then do they enter into eternal bliss. Of course it's not as easy as it sounds; that's where karma comes in. "What goes around, comes around", how true. The boomerang effect. Do good, and good comes back to you. The same goes for doing bad. Karma is the cycle of life. The reincarnation of life. What you do in this life will determine where you end up in the next life. You might end up in a better position than before, or a worse one. Don't think you can take advantage of the actions you do in this life, as you'll be dead by then and you won't feel a thing when your next life begins. What we suffer now are our shortcomings from our previous lives. Our burdens in this life are caused by our shortcomings which have been carried over from our previous lives. We all have a destiny to fulfill. To mend as much damage as possible, and to do as much good as we can to be that much closer to eternal bliss. Where all suffering vanishes, and all peace remains...

Interesting concept to believe in, huh? I'm always fascinated by the different perspectives on life and death of the various religions and even non-religious people. It's good that we're still searching for something. Something greater to believe in. And I believe we can only see the other side when it is our turn to see it. Until then, live the good life...

I'm a slice of the Christmas pie this year - don't eat me!

Hellooo Christmas! It's only 4 days more but I want to welcome it early. Boy, this must be the busiest Christmas I've ever experienced so far. That's why I feel as if there is no preparation for it - just Christmas, voila! In the last few years I've always remembered counting down the days to Christmas but this year, I don't seem to have the time for that. Rehearsals and performances galore! Planning and organising as though I'm still in school! What a great way to kick off the celebrations...

But there's one thing for sure: I get to be a part of Christmas this time. A real slice of the action for me. It's what I call proactively creating Christmas, not just passively receiving it - like what I did in the years before. Involvement's the word here. And it's a pretty interesting experience. Starting from tomorrow, a performance in church. The next day, a performance in school (my secondary school, to be exact). And on Sunday, a performance for the Christmas midnight mass. Am I involved or what?

Well I'm glad that Christmas is here again. It's only once a year and that's why it's so special. Hey, reminds me of that Disney song: "It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

Hope for the future...

Toos-dee, huh? "We're toos-dee people", that was how Morrie pronounced "Tuesday" in the movie, Tuesdays With Morrie. I had a Chemistry teacher - in fact just last year - who pronounced "Wednesday" as "weinsday". How interesting the way people pronounce words...

So yes, it is a toos-dee. I had my Maths paper yesterday and it was... well, not bad, I guess. Today, toos-dee, is my rest day. But it's more like a studying day because I have papers tomorrow and the day after. Well, it'll soon be over, this term tests week.

Okay, so enough about school life. Updates! Updates on my personal life! My social life! My lurrve life! Yeah, right, you think I'll say anything about that one? Anyway, nothing much is going on. ("Then why the hell did you type, Oliver?") I type because I want to type just for the fun of it - just for today, at least.

You know what? I really can't wait for this year to end. Not because it's totally bad or anything, but I don't know whether you'd believe me if I said that I'm presently in a transition period. I've fallen into a crack, so to speak. (And I can guarantee that I'm right, too. Don't ask me how.) I believe everyone will go through this particular period in their lives - it may not happen just once, I dare say. It's as if you're caught between an old cycle and a new cycle. You can't go on to the new one just yet; you'll have to wait in a "waiting room", before it is your turn to begin anew. That's exactly how I feel this year. In the meantime, what you can do in this "waiting room" is to enjoy the scenery, reflect on your life so far, turn to the spiritual side of life, the idealistic, the metaphysical side of life.

And that's why I've said that this year is not all that bad, because I've learnt many new things - insights and ideas. I've gained a whole lot more wisdom. It wouldn't be possible if I didn't experience this particular year, 2006. For that, I am grateful. As I've said in one of my last posts, every year that we experience is necessary for us. We might think a certain year is of no use, because we could do without it or even because it brought us huge pain and sorrow, but I believe that if you take a deeper look, you'll realise that there was something to learn from it. It was necessary...

After having said all these, you should know why I'm eagerly waiting for the new year to begin. I can't wait to start my new cycle. I can't wait to begin anew. I can't wait to see what's in store for me when the new year begins.

You might not believe what I've just said - it's perfectly fine. You should believe in what you want to believe. But what's important is that you have something to believe in. And then you'll have hope...

The sweet life, indeed...

And so here I am in school, typing this entry on a Friday afternoon, just before the term tests next week. Man, what a week. It was great in a way, really. Oh yes, I didn't tell you about my recent leap of faith? Alright, it wasn't as though it was some great feat but guess what? I joined a church choir! ("Big deal...") It may not be anything exciting to you but personally, especially in recent times, I've always had this thought bugging me, "Hey Oliver, go join a choir..." And so I thought about it and wondered which choir should I join? My school's or my church? But then I decided that church would be best because I already have a drama CCA in school and I've always pictured myself singing in church.

A calling? Perhaps it was more out of guilt, I should say. You see, I don't mean to boast or anything, but I do know that I can at least sing. And since God has given me this gift, I felt bad that I didn't do anything about it - besides singing as a hobby. I felt I should do something more, to give back something to him. And so I think I've made the right choice, joining a choir at last.

I doubt I said this before but just a couple of months back, one of my younger cousins told me something like, "Oliver, why aren't you making use of your talents? You better make good use of what God has given you if not He'll think you don't like your gifts and He might just take them back." At that second I thought, "My God... what powerful words..." I was pretty sure her parents were the ones who told her that but that's not the point. The lesson I've learnt is that everyone, not just me but everyone, must make good use of the gifts they have - and believe me, everyone has a gift, alright, they just have to find it. Even if you don't believe in God, I'm sure you do know that you are good at something - it can be anything at all. I believe God gave each one of us gifts and the important thing is to use them for the good of the world. Make good use of them! If you don't, you wouldn't feel you were special because you know what? Each and every one of us is special. You want to feel special? Use those powers, my friend. Use them, and use them well...

I believe you can find that something you were born to do. And I can say that once you've found it, you would know straight away that this is what you were meant to do in this world. There's a rainbow of opportunities out there, people. A treasure chest to own. A myriad of experiences to experience. And then you would taste the sweetness of life. Oh, la dolce vita!

Let it be, let it be...

Long time no type, huh? Well, yeah, it's always the same feeling of not knowing what to type sometimes. And then you have the mood swings, too. "Nah, I don't feel like typing anything..." But at least I made the effort to type today! So here's an update on my life so far...

It's about a week to the term tests. (What an introduction.) The past 6 weeks of my second semester were... urgh. It's pretty hard to describe them but as you know, I've had my ups and downs. There's one thing for sure, though. I'm not satisfied. I'm in no way fulfilled. You know why? I'm not studying what I've always wanted to study, that's the main reason. It's not that I'm doing nothing about it, it's because I can't do anything about it - at least for now. From what I've read, I've got to wait until the end of the semester, before I can do something - and the chances are slim, mind you. I'm being very vague here, if you don't mind. What happens if that something doesn't work out, ho ho, I guess I'm left with 2 options: Stop my present course and serve my NS first, or continue with this gruelling course for another 2 years. If you were me, what would you do? I'm starting to lean towards the first option, to tell you the truth...

It's a new month. And being in this present situation I can't wait for new starts. Especially the new year coming. December brings with it the Christmas season and the new year. Good thing I only have 2 more weeks of school before the holidays begin. Call me idealistic but I'm waiting for some kind of drastic change when the new year begins. A change in the energies of the universe, so to speak. A shift in direction for the winds of change. Oh, you don't know what I've been through this year. I've learnt many new insights, new ideas, new perceptions. It's refreshing on one hand, but it makes me feel more alone because not many share the same view as I see it. But I believe this will change soon enough. Nothing stays the same, of course. Nothing is static in the world. Our happiness and sorrow will not last forever, too. That's why we must cherish what we have and experience. If we don't, our lives will be meaningless. We will live lives that are hollow, floating around like meaningless entities. A body without a soul. We see things for what they are, never realising how much more they mean. Everything happens for a reason. There is no such thing as coincidence. Every person or experience we meet or face has a reason behind it; we just have to search for it. Call it fate, call it destiny, but I believe if you truly look within, you will find the answer. Let it be, let it be. Let time unfold itself. Let things come and go. But never drift along. Always stay in tuned to your surroundings. Experience your experiences fully. If you do that, you will have meaning. You will understand why you experienced what you experienced. Live the life you've always dreamed of. Do what you love to do. Because you never know when death might strike. Would you want to die happily and fulfillingly, or sad and unsatisfied? Love, love with all your heart. Even if it pains you. Because if we don't love, we might as well not live. Never be afraid to love and never be afraid to love again. Accept your past and begin anew. As Euripides has said, "Our lives... are but a little while, so let them run as sweetly as you can. And give no thought to grief from day to day, for time is not concerned to keep our hopes, but hurries on it's business, and is gone."

We must live to love, and love to live...

Ron Kaufman!

I was very lucky to have checked my school's e-mail account yesterday. There was this e-mail saying that Ron Kaufman, world renowned service guru, was coming to my school today to give a talk on one of his courses. And here I am now, typing this post after listening to his talk just minutes ago.

Let me tell you something: I knew this man was funny but never have I thought that he was bloody hilarious! He not only interacts well with the audience, walking up and down the steps as he talked and giving us lots of interactivity, Ron proved to us that service is just as important as knowing the technical aspects of your job. I couldn't agree more. After hearing what he has to say, I now realised that service is like the icing on the cake in any industry you work in. Furthermore, Singapore today not only focuses on the service industry, but almost every business you see out there is considered service based. Ron also showed us that fields like Engineering are becoming more and more service-oriented. And if you develop what he calls, "The Service DNA", any employer would want to hire a person who has this edge over others.

He was here to promote a very special 2-day course exclusively for Temasek Polytechnic students. And the best thing was, we only had to pay $20.50 for it. That's not all! We get Ron's "Life Me Up" book for free, too. I signed up for the course, of course. At the end of it, we'll get a certificate which states that we've gone through the course and it can be presented with your other qualifications when you go for a job interview next time. $20.50 for a service course by Ron Kaufman, certificate and all - who wouldn't want to go for it? Well, good thing I changed my mind. I wasn't keen on joining at first...

So lift me up, Ron!

Granny's 70th birthday! (Part 2)

I couldn't seem to upload the rest of the photos in my last post. I guess the computer knows when it can't take the load. This is a continuation, then, of my grandmother's 70th birthday...

And there you have it, my grandmother herself, sitting beside Vanessa and me. Here are the somewhat older cousins taking the picture with her, with Valerie (on my right) joining the club. And blimey, if you look up, you can a see a mirror reflecting the light coming from a camera. But see what else it reflects... look at the huge crowd in front of us! It's as if we're some famous celebrities and they are the paparazzi, haha!

So here's the whole family in action. The casual family portrait in all occasions as usual. Yup, that's the buffet table and we're all squeezing together, not knowing which direction to look. I'm sure not everyone's face is present in this photo (where's mine?) but I guess we all had the chance to be in some other photo...


Here I am with some of my other aunts. Aunty Denise with her child and Aunty Karen. Genevieve joins us at the table while we all dig into our food. Ohh la la!


Well, here's my parents and I with my grandmother. Just imagine how many times she has to pose with all her family members. A star for a day, as they say. But she's always been a star to us, in fact...

Granny's 70th birthday! (Part 1)

It's been a week since my grandmother celebrated her 70th birthday last Sunday. It was held at the former St. Joseph's Institution (SJI) which is now an art museum. One of my aunts managed to book the whole Dome cafe just to cater for our big family. It was a high-tea buffet, in fact. Here are some pictures my now-famous cousin, Vanessa, took with her digital camera. The only thing is, they're still quite dark even though we used flash taking them. My dad did take a few with his camera but I haven't asked for them yet. I'll add any extra photos to this post when I have them...

And there you have it. The woman whose name you've seen so many times in my shout box, Vanessa Chan and me. Let me tell you something about her. I'm sure you know the term "camwhoring"? Yeah, people nowadays - especially girls - love doing that with their handphone and digital cameras. I keep asking her why she loves it and she just says, "It's fun!" If you ask me, I have nothing to say, really. I just find it ridiculous taking and taking the same pose countless times until you get it 'perfect'. I mean you might eventually get the shot you like but imagine the time spent taking it!

Here are some of my other cousins who were at the party. Genevieve on the left was pretty shy on that day. She's my second cousin, you see, but we're pretty close nonetheless. Gerard beside me is now in the army. He was going to fly off to Taiwan in a few days time - he should be there now, of course.


My younger cousins here were putting up a dance for my grandmother. Everyone had a good time watching them dance to the song, "What A Feeling" from the movie, Flashdance. Joshua, as I've told you about in the last post, was the thorn among the roses but he was pretty daring, I must say. His older sister Natalie (the tallest of the four) was the one who choreographed the dance. Bravo to that, Nat! Victoria, as I've described again in the last post, is on the left and my youngest cousin, Beverly, who looks like she's having a ball, is on the right.

The good ol' family tales...

Since I had nothing better to type, I decided to upload some new photos from my phone and paste them onto my blog. You see this ridiculous woman on the left (oh, she's so going to kill me...), that is my infamous cousin whose name I'm sure you've seen a couple of times on my blog. Vanessa Chan, everybody. Alright, I won't be so bad. She's fine, really. But look at her face in the photo, can you tell that she's trying so hard not to laugh? Yeah, she just can't pretend that my jokes are not funny, hahah! It was taken about a week ago in our school's library. We just met up during our lunch break because she needed her daily boost of laughter from me. (Yeah, right...)

On to the next photo of another cousin of mine. Victoria Chan, the youngest sister of the woman who's still trying to hold back her laugh above (Come on, let it go, Vanessa!). Victoria here is Primary 2 this year (or is it Primary 3?). I guess the reason why she's showing her teeth in the photo is because her front tooth just dropped out recently, and now she's showing off her new set of teeth. What a beautiful smile, Vicky!

Aha! This naughty little fellar in the photo is the only male cousin I have in the paternal side of my family. Just look at him sticking out his tongue! This boy's name is Joshua Sayson. He's about the same age as Victoria - either a year older or younger. I'm sure this was taken at his house because I remember the electric fireplace behind him. Joshua caused a scene at his school earlier on, having stuck his hand between the railings under his desk and when it couldn't come out, the civil defence unit had to come to his rescue. Good thing the incident wasn't spread to my secondary school at that time, or else I'd hear someone asking me, "Are you related to a boy named Joshua Sayson?"

That's about all the photos I have to show you. Not much, of course. I'm no photo addict. Hope you've enjoyed the stories I had to share. Goodbye!

Loving and loathing...

Whoa! Heck of a morning I had. I'm typing this in school now, by the way. Remember I talked about my 5-hour break? Yeah, this is it. Planning to watch a movie here in the library if there are DVD players available. Just now I checked, all the players were in used.

Anyway, I haven't been able to blog about anything other than my life these few days. Quite a rare thing but I guess I'll go with the flow. Sometimes I just can't think of a topic but my life. And that's why if you look at my recent posts, they're all very bland - full of words and no pictures. Kind of like my life? Haha, yeah, you could say that...

But just as there are boring days, active days are here to come soon. I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that my weekends in November will be fully booked. Alright, I won't exagerate but yeah, they all have something for me to attend - starting from this weekend, yup. So let's hope all goes well, of course.

Life in school has been below average, sad to say. In terms of subjects, there are some which I hate and some which I do love. I know I've said at the start of the new semester that I was looking forward to learning those subjects but right now I don't have any passion whatsoever for some of them. I feel myself being forced to learn them - because I have no choice. I have to literally force my attention on them at times. However I still have some flicker of hope in my mind that everything will fall into place when the time comes. God only knows when...

So what's left of me now? I try to fully enjoy the subjects I love while banging my head against all the subjects I loathe. Extreme? You bet...

An early yearly reflection...

Phew! This past week's been a busy one. I'm glad it's a Saturday today and I'll entitle myself to a good rest. Last Monday and Tuesday were long days as usual - because of my timetable, of course. But then Wednesday was All Saints' Day and so I had to go for mass in the evening. That made my Wednesday long as well. Thursdays in actual fact are long days with a huge break in the afternoon. But last Thursday my 5-hour long break was filled up with a National Education (NE) forum. I'm not really complaining because at least it wasn't some kind of lesson or anything. And Fridays are always long for me - with a huge break in the afternoon as well. They were the longest of all the weekdays because my drama CCA finished by 9p.m.. But if you come to think of it, my workweek's not that bad, really. There are huge breaks on long days and I even have a subject called Arts Appreciation - if you enjoy that, of course.

Enough about school. Now it's on to the outlook of this new month: November. I have a feeling it's going to be a busy month as well. I also have a hunch that my weekends will all be filled up - starting from next weekend, I think. So get ready for that, Oliver. But I do presume that this month will be quite fruitful. Lots of experience to be gained. No matter, it'll all be fine. The year itself is going to end in another month. Sooner or later it's goodbye 2006 and hello 2007. Imagine how fast time flies. But to tell you the truth, I can't wait for 2007. This year for me was a very introspective year. Full of delving into the mysteries of life and of self-improvement. Mind you, this year was the year where I've read the most number of books - in all my life so far. It was in fact a very unfulfilling year, if I may say. It's as if I was always hungering for something, searching for something deeper and more meaningful than the outer appeareances of life. I always knew in my heart that something deep down existed, and I just wanted to experience it. I guess I was on my search for the 3 things I need in this life: Eternal true happiness, perpetual inner peace, and everlasting true love. Hard to find? I doubt so...

But even though I said that 2006 was a very hollow year for me, it doesn't mean it was unnecessary. I'm starting to believe that all the years we go through are necessary for us. They always teach us something - it could be anything, really. And 2006 for me taught me many things, in fact. I learned how to search deep into my resources, for one thing. And I've gained a few skills on my own, too. The possibilities are limitless, as they say. Although I still doubt that sometimes, I know in my heart that there is always a way...

What a great start to a new semester...

Hey, hey, hey! You know what? It's kind of rare for me to say this but I had quite a splendid time at school last Monday and today, Wednesday. Tuesday was a public holiday: Hari Raya Puasa, the end of the fasting month for Muslims. Why was it splendid? Here goes my rambles...

On Monday, the first day of the new semester, I was quite surprised to find my bus trips pretty empty. But that was because I left early, I guess. So moving on, my first lesson was a lab lesson. And my lecturer is one funny woman! She seems pretty friendly, too - sending us an e-mail to ask us to verify our addresses. You could see the healthy teacher-student relationship in her words...

Our next lesson was a Networking Fundamentals lecture. Firstly, I'm glad to say that the lecturer is a nice one as well - soft-spoken but I could see that she was a potentially good lecturer. Secondly, the subject itself looks quite interesting. Honestly, I thought I would never come across a subject I'd like in my course. It's about all those connections to a Local Area Network (LAN) and stuff. You get a "break it down" version of it, something I always thought I'd never learn.

Then it was a subject I wasn't looking forward to: Object-oriented Programming. Translation: Java. Let me give you a tip: Whenever you see the word "programming", you should know that it has something to do with Java or whatever programming softwares available. But guess what? Our lecturer is one hell of a joker! My God, he could joke with every sentence that comes out of his mouth. What a blessing for such a dry subject...

Our last lesson for the day was Web Applications and once again, our jolly ol' lecturer lifted our spirits. Wow, this guy has been known for his huge sense of humour and when I saw that he was teaching us this semester, I thought, "How good are things going to get?"

And the good things didn't stop there. Today, Wednesday, was another sweet, sweet day. Our first lesson was something which is not part of the course's subjects, but part of the school's requirements. Heard of problem solving skills? Yup, it's a new way of learning compared to the traditional way of absorbing information. You see, learning through problem solving is a more proactive approach instead of the passive approach in the traditional "I speak, you listen" teaching method. It gets the students involved in sharing their ideas to solve problems. The lesson is pretty interesting, too. We got to play ice-breakers and it was also very introspective - a strong attribute in me.

Then it was a Maths tutorial and yes, I'll admit that I wasn't looking forward to this one because firstly, I hate Maths and secondly, I'm lousy at it, too. The peculiar thing was that our last Maths lecturer became our tutorial lecturer for this semester - and nobody knew it in the first place. I sort of regretted it because I was looking forward to a new lecturer with a new way of teaching for a change.

But wait! Then came the compensation. We had a Maths lecture straight after our tutorial and thank God, a great lecturer! Soft-spoken again, but I could tell he was a patient and excellent Maths lecturer. I was so happy, I tell you. Maths is one killer for me, really...

Next came what we call APEL, which stands for Applied Principles For Effective Living. Pastoral care, if it sounds easier for you. The good thing is we only need to attend it on alternate weeks. Saved us a lot of time, really.

Finally, for my last lesson today, was my Cross-disciplinary Subject (CDS): Arts Appreciation. This was the best of the best, the creme de la creme of lessons this semester, I dare say. We had a blast and I enjoyed every bit of it. Our teacher, who was called Cleo (yeah, I know, what a fitting name), was not only fun but approachable as well. A great Arts teacher, really. For the first term, we're focusing on drama and this is a great supplement to my on-going drama CCA. I was thinking of opening myself up fully so that I could give my all in acting and I think I'm on my way.

What a great start to a new semester! Thank the heavens, haha! Ah, la dolce vita!

The holidays come to a close...

And so the holidays end today. A Sunday in late October. I start school tomorrow and it's back to the grindstone again. On Thursday I printed out my timetable from the school's portal and since everyone's timetable is not exactly similar - because of different Cross-disciplinary Subjects (CDS), for one thing - mine's kind of lousy exactly because of my CDS! If you look at my schedule for Thursdays, the common lessons with my class end at 1p.m.. But because of my CDS lecture at 6p.m., I end my day at 7p.m.!

Well, it's a case of pros and cons again. Every timetable has something good as well as something bad in it. Remember that Nike commercial a few years back? "Always look on the bright side of life..."? Yeah, I guess that's what we must do. And mind you, I also counted down the number of weeks to the Christmas holidays (which is only a week long) and the end of our first-year studies. We've got 8 weeks of school before we sing, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas", and another 7 weeks before we say goodbye to a full school year. And of course not forgetting the term tests and semestral exams that are included in the package. Pros and cons, remember?

So we welcome in the new semester from tomorrow onwards. The last semester felt long at times but also short at our happy moments. Well, there are 2 sides to every story, and always remember to look on the bright side of life...

Deepak Chopra.

Bet you youngsters have never heard of this guy before. And to those youths who have heard of him or even read his books, I respect you a lot. Deepak Chopra, everybody. One of the most popular motivational speakers whose specialty is in spiritual healing. Not that he can just touch you and cure you of your Flu but this guy merges spirituality with Science.

Deepak Chopra is a doctor and the unique thing about him is that he believes strongly in the spiritual side of things instead of just following the scientific perspective like what most doctors do. You can see from his books that he always tries to prove spiritual beliefs with Science - something which people usually perceive as impossible. But somehow, this guy seems to know what he's talking about...

For those who don't believe in faith or religion - Atheists, if I'm not wrong - I urge you to read his books if you want to 'see' spirituality from a scientific point of view. Some people are what we call, "men of science", and the only way for them to be spiritual is for someone to prove to them that spirituality and Science are one. Deepak Chopra's books are somewhat hard to understand at first, but as you read on I'm sure you'll get the gist of what he's saying.

I've personally read 2 books of his - plus one which I actually gave up reading. I've completed "Soulmate" and "Teens Ask Deepak: All The Right Questions" but after reading the first few chapters in "The Book Of Secrets", I realised it was too dry and complicated for me to fully understand, and so reluctantly I gave up on it. Nevertheless, I still found out what I always wondered about Deepak Chopra, "This guy sounds interesting. I wonder how does he teach motivation." In fact, when I first chanced upon him in the newspapers, somehow just reading his name struck some interest in me. Now you know the power of a name...

Well, to sum up this post on Deepak Chopra, I must admit I'm a strong believer in alternative healing. Even in medicine, I dislike the western way of treating a person with drugs and chemicals. I always believed in the natural way, like herbs and tonic drinks. That's why Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of my favourite ways to heal...

Magus Luna...

The drama performance last night was a good debut for all those first-years who performed. I thought they gave the audience quite an impact and I really must say that they're extremely talented. Although I was supposed to perform, it's good enough sitting in the audience and enjoying every bit of the show...

There were 2 groups consisting of first-years who acted out their plays. The first group's story was about a young Muslim girl living in the Middle East who wanted to earn some money for her mother to go on a pilgrimage (most likely to Mecca). She joined a fashion company, one which was run by a famous designer with his own models and runway show. The story focused on how religion can sometimes clash with the modern world; we usually tread the line between our traditions and values, and how people think in the 21st century. And so the protagonist had to choose which side was more important to her and in the end, the moral of the story was, "Beauty comes from inside." Excellent piece of work - great storylines and a beautiful ending. Not to mention there was lots of humour involved.

The second first-year group did a play called The 3 Wishes. As the name suggests, it was a love story which involved 3 wishes, and the moral or theme of the story was, "Be careful what you wish for." The play took place in the olden days, most likely in the 19th century where Kings and Queens still ruled over the lands. A Prince had fallen for a young maiden, but his mother, the Queen, does not approve of their relationship. As time went by, another young lad had fallen for the girl and the story ends with the young lady dying. A sad ending but it was worthwhile watching. Once again, I applaud all the girls who worked so hard for it (yes, it was a "girls rule" group) and thank them for putting in their effort for the show.

And so the whole performance was a wonderful experience. It was a night of talent, showmanship, and drama. It was a magical night, as magical as the title itself: Magus Luna...

Only 1 week of freedom left!

(Today's a Friday, right? Oh yeah, it is.) Hello, everyone! I just came back from the Doctor's in the morning. Actually it was the Dermatologist's, to be exact. If you didn't know, just last year I caught Eczema and although it's subdued now, it strikes like the darkness at any time. For those of you who have never suffered from Eczema, consider yourselves damn fortunate. It's one of those diseases you don't ever want to have because it's so troublesome and itchy - not to mention depressing, too. And for those of you who are suffering from Eczema, I can sympathize with you. Don't worry, you're not alone.

On a much lighter note, I'm shocked today's already a Friday. I have just another week of holidays before the new semester begins. And like I always ask myself, what can I do to make this last week the most fulfilling of the holidays? But I don't want to think about that too much for now. By the way, tomorrow's the drama performance which I was supposed to be in. In the end I had to withdraw from it because I had to settle some more important issues. Nevertheless, I'm still going to see it tomorrow in school. I'm sure it'll be a blast...

Life in the meantime is pretty smooth for now. You never know when the bumps will appear again. I sure hope it'll be smooth sailing for a long time to come...

"Alone Again (Naturally)"

This song struck a chord with me. Somehow both the lyrics and the melody was so hard to resist. Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)" is one of the best songs to listen to on a lazy afternoon because it makes you want to sing along and sympathize with the lyrics itself. When I searched for the lyrics on the net I came to a site which said, "What a sad song. Although we don't recommend it, it is the perfect song to listen to before jumping off a cliff or waiting for the train to reach the end of the track that you're sitting on." Don't get me wrong, I'm not feeling depressed or anything. I just love the way it is composed...

Alone Again (Naturally)

Written & Performed by: Gilbert O'Sullivan

In a little while from now,
if I'm not feeling any less sour,
I promised myself, to treat myself,
and visit a nearby tower.
And climbing to the top,
would throw myself off.
In an effort to, make clear to whoever,
what it's like when you're shattered.
Left standing in the lurch,
at a church with people saying,
"My God, that's tough, she stood him up.
No point in us remaining."
I may as well go home,
as I did on my own.
Alone again, naturally.

To think that only yesterday,
I was cheerful, bright and gay.
Looking forward to, and who wouldn't do,
the role I was about to play.
But as if to knock me down,
reality came around.
And without so much as a mere touch,
cut me into little pieces.
Leaving me to doubt, all about God in His mercy.
Oh, if He really does exist,
Why did He desert me?
And in my hour of need,
I truly am, indeed,
alone again, naturally.

It seems to me that there are more hearts
broken in the world that can't be mended,
left unattended.
What do we do?
What do we do?

Now looking back over the years,
and whatever else that appears,
I remember I cried when my father died,
never wishing to hide the tears.
At sixty-five years old,
my mother, God rest her soul,
couldn't understand why the only man
she had ever loved had been taken.
Leaving her to start, with a heart so badly broken.
Despite encouragement from me,
no words were ever spoken.
And when she passed away,
I cried and cried all day.
Alone again, naturally.
Alone again, naturally.

It's amazing how much heartache we have in the world today. There is little or even no peace around. Our lives today seem so complicated than before. We need to simplify them. Clear the weeds. Discard the old. What do we do? What do we do?

A quiet retreat...

It's a pretty good Sunday today - although I had to start it way early - the earliest day of the holidays so far. I had to wake up at 6 this morning to meet my friend at a bus interchange at about 7. We were going far today; we had to meet one of the Brothers from our secondary school at St. Joseph's Institution (which was around town and the meeting time was at 8) and from there, he would drive us all the way to the West of Singapore (phew!), to a place called St. Joseph's Home. The purpose was to visit an ageing Brother living there and also attend mass together with all the old folks present.

As you know, just being around old folks, especially those who are disabled or "thrown" into the home by their families, is such a rare experience. If you look deeper, I'm positive you can find a lot of hidden meanings when you see all those wrinkled faces smiling at you. Personally I've only been to an old folks home twice, if I remember correctly, and being there can really teach you a lot. You get to see yourself when you're older, grey-haired and slow-moving, perhaps living in an old folks home, too? Will you have a family that will take care of you or "throw" you away into such a place? Or will you not be able to find your soulmate that you become a bachelor or bachelorette all your life? Scary questions, they may seem, but we all have to face the facts of life. I guess the only way to have what you want is to take action. Remember, 1 life, live it...

It's amazing how peaceful it can be in an old folks home. As you know, old folks don't usually have the strength to speak loudly or even talk for long periods of time. And so you see them sitting together at a table, just keeping silent, and looking at one another. It's always the eyes that speak and the ears would listen even more intently. Pretty much the opposite in daily life, huh? Young people like ourselves always depend on our mouths and we almost never listen first before speaking. But if you come to think of it, not everything has to be said; the eyes can say it all. It's just like what the Brother Director who came along with us said, "Sometimes silence is the language of love." How true...

After that serene experience, we headed to Orchard Road where the Brother Director changed his mobile phone plan. He needed to change it because the older plan didn't suit him. Funny man, really. Pretty witty, too. We then headed to lunch at an Indian foodstall which was obviously very popular since there were large crowds and newspaper articles of it framed on the walls. We had the famous prata, I ordered my favourite murtabak, and our other Brother ordered his ice-cream prata, which was the last to arrive almost after we finished our meals. The four of us had a pretty good time together, especially for me, because I felt honoured to go out with the Brother Director himself. I must thank my friend also, who invited me along. We ended our trip in the afternoon, when our kind Brother drove us back home...

It's amazing how you have so much time when you start your day early. You'll feel your day seems longer and you can do a lot more things compared to when you start your day late. Well, if only I have the will to wake up this early every morning...

The danger of blogging...

This post shall be one of the most serious of all. The reason why I'm writing this is because just a moment ago, I visited my friend's blog. The only thing was, it wasn't a blog anymore. There was just an essay called "An Explanation" against a white background and nothing else.

I read this essay and realised the severity of blogging itself. All along, even before I started to create my own blog, I knew blogging was fun but also very dangerous. That's why I hesitated to write any more posts during that period when I first created a blog as part of an English lesson in secondary school and then making my comeback to blogger.com after more than a year. Let me explain to you why blogging can be such a dangerous thing...

Firstly, I find blogging a little silly because if you call your blog your online diary, isn't a diary supposed to be kept private? Why would you want the whole world to know about your life - especially your private life? But then again this isn't fully true. Some people create blogs not to talk about their lives but to talk about the things they like, etc. That's somewhat like me, too.

Secondly, blogging is about posting your opinions of anything under the sun - from people to things. Yes, I know it's a free world, and you are allowed to speak your mind. But when you start to post negative opinions of people and things, and especially if it's a controversial matter, the probability of you having more problems is very high. You'll start to be rebutted in your opinion, and if it's a really serious matter, you might just be in the hands of the law. This recently happened in Singapore, when two young men were being discriminative to Muslims here. If I still remember correctly, they posted their negative opinions of them and even bad jokes about them on their blogs. The two men were brought to the law and charged from there...

The same applies when you happen to post negative opinions of your friends and even family - sometimes even unintentionally. Although it's within your circle and not the law, you can imagine what's going to happen when the people you talk bad about find out about your blog and what you've said about them. Isn't this going to cause more problems and misunderstandings in your relationships with them? If you look back in the past, when blogs didn't exist, and people kept their negative opinions to themselves, there was a hell lot more peace between people, that's for sure.

My point is not that you cannot blog, but blog carefully. Especially when it comes to controversial issues and your relationships with people. Think twice before you type it out, and put yourself in the other person's shoes. Is he or she going to like what I'm going to say about him or her? Will it spoil our relationship? Will this get me into trouble with the law? Make sure you know that what you're typing is not only legal, but in a tone of healthy debate or courtious disagreement. Who wants to get angry, huh? In human nature we all want to feel pleased about ourselves as well as the things around us. So try to create as much peace as possible in the world...

This happened to my friend, who unintentionally did something on his blog that hurt another person. Even if he didn't mean to do that - he confessed that it was unintentional - you can imagine the seriousness of this in terms of his wounded relationship with the person he accidentally offended. Now that he knew what had happened, he wrote a letter explaning his view on the matter, apologized, and said that blogging was over for him. No more. This is the danger of blogging - or should I say, the danger of our own minds in what we put into our blogs. In most cases, we are our own worst enemy...

Elmo!

Aww, don't we just love Elmo... This fury little monster has been in our hearts for a very long time now...

Since the early days of Sesame Street, Elmo has made such an impact on viewers that everyone who knows him just wants to believe that he could be a real life monster. If only monsters could be this cute, huh? Elmo has been one of Sesame Street's biggest stars and he still is today. He has appeared not just on Sesame Street, but in other kinds of media as well. He's what we call a "media darling" and fans of his never stop growing...

I can fondly remember my younger days when I used to watch Sesame Street on Saturday mornings. At that age I didn't mind waking up early to catch my favourite cartoons on television, and Sesame Street was one of them. Of course by then I was a big fan of Elmo - and I still am today. That's why I've always wanted to create a post on Elmo and well, here it is!

I've collected some great videos of Elmo which I enjoyed watching on youtube.com. I especially like it when some guest star appears on Sesame Street and Elmo's the one who joins them. Even the celebrities who are invited love being with him! I think the whole world has caught the Elmo fever...

Elmo & Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro appears on Sesame Street and tells Elmo what kind of job he does. The last part of the video is real funny. That's when Robert De Niro becomes Elmo - for real!

Elmo & The Backstreet Boys

Elmo sings "One Small Voice" with The Backstreet Boys and then the whole Sesame Street gang sings along. It's pretty cool when The Backstreet Boys harmonize their voices together. It's been a long time since I heard them sing, really...

Elmo & Destiny's Child

Destiny's Child joins Elmo, Grover, and Zoey to sing "A New Way To Walk" on Sesame Street. Again, pretty good voices you hear there. Destiny's Child shouldn't have broken up, if you ask me...

Elmo & Norah Jones

Norah Jones sings "Don't Know Why" in line with the letter of the day, "Y". She really has that sultry tone for a Jazz singer like her. Something you wouldn't even think you would hear on Sesame Street...

Elmo & Andrea Bocelli

I never even knew my favourite tenor appeared on Sesame Street. Andrea Bocelli sings "Con Te Partiro", or "Time To Say Goodbye" as the English version, with Elmo as a lullaby. They changed the original lyrics, of course, to suit the program but nevertheless, it still sounded good...

Elmo on Rove Live

This is one cool video! You won't believe how funny it is! Elmo appears on an Australian show called Rove Live and my God, this is one splendid performance for the fury little monster. A real treat for us!

Kevin Clash as Elmo on Rove Live

A little spoiler for those who didn't want to know the man behind Elmo. Kevin Clash reveals himself as the puppeteer for the famous monster and my oh my, what a gift! This man must've been earning loads by now...

"October Sun"

October Sun

Lyrics by: Oliver Sayson

One day I walked along.
One day in the October sun.
The leaves were brown and they kept falling down.
The chill air all around.

I sat down in the park,
and thought to myself,
how the seasons changed again.
And everytime I saw you,
I knew life wasn't so bad.

(Chorus)
In the October sun,
I could dance all around.
The trees sway in the wind,
and the rustle of the leaves within.

In the October sun,
life was full of fun.
The sight of you makes me glad.
And I knew that life wasn't so bad.

I walked into town,
and all the buskers said, "Hello!"
I saw their smiles on their faces,
always putting up a good show.

Even in the bar,
Jimmy knew how I was feeling.
He said, "Man, you need her..."
But in my heart I knew something:
That your love for me is real!

(Chorus)

How do you find it? I wanted to start the new month with a song dedicated to it. The title just came to me out of the blue. Somehow I just felt like writing a song about October - I guess it's because October's a nice word for a song and it's also Autumn, a season I find very alluring. The colour of autumn in the trees is so unique; you only get to see leaves turn reddish brown in colour once a year. I find Autumn to be a very fresh, very demure season - very sexy in its own way. Not to mention I was born in Autumn, too.

So the title "October Sun" felt fitting to me. Although there is not much sun in Autumn (only grey skies), I still felt "sun" went well with "October". And yes, if you've also realised, inspiration came to me from The Mamas & The Papas's "California Dreaming", Tony Bennett's "The Shadow Of Your Smile", and a little bit of Billy Joel's "Piano Man" at the end. Well, I hope "October Sun" makes your month worthwhile...

The Godfather.

A couple of weeks ago I'd finally found out all about The Godfather trilogy. I'd always wondered what or who was this "Godfather" people kept talking about. Now I know why this trilogy is worth knowing...

The Godfather is about a powerful Italian-american family living in America during the mid 20th century. This family, called the Corleone family, is one of 5 powerful families who ruled the underworld at that time. Heard of the mafia? Well, The Godfather is in itself a mafia story.

How are they so powerful, you may ask? At that period in America, there were many underworld events happening which many never really knew about. Things like "blackmarket" businesses and illegal dealings were carried out by shady characters, always avoiding the public eye. Whenever a case leaked out in the newspapers, there will surely be cover-ups and eventually the matter will be silently forced into the background. So how do these powerful familes always manage to slip out of the hands of the law? Contacts. Poweful contacts. They gained power by networking with other prominent faces in society like lawyers, politicians, and the likes. The term "Godfather", in the movie, refers to the head of the family and the head of this "business" he is running.

In part 1 of The Godfather trilogy, Marlon Brando plays "The Godfather" as Vito Corleone. That was the first time I'd seen Marlon Brando act and I must say, he has a unique voice - very soft and subtle - which fits the theme song perfectly, "Parla Piu Piano", meaning "speak softly" in Italian. He personifies the role very nicely - the head of the powerful Corleone family in America's underworld at that time. Being the leader of his "business", people came to him asking for favours the legal authorities wouldn't carry out. And if granted, the deal came with a huge price, of course. Should someone break the deal, even in matters disconcerning money, the inevitable will happen: They will be killed.

The heads of powerful familes of that era usually put a strong emphasis on family. This doesn't just mean bringing up the children well, but having as many children as possible. The reason? Should one member die, there will always be "heirs to the throne". And since this kind of "business" is mainly carried out by men, males are always preferred over females. You might think it is pretty disadvantageous for a female child to be brought up in this kind of family, but seeing the type of work it is carrying out, I personally don't think a woman will feel safe either.

In part 2 of The Godfather trilogy, Al Pacino takes over the reigns of his father (Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando) who passed away at the end of part 1. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) becomes the new "Godfather" and continues running his "business" in the underworld. Since there are 5 powerful familes running it, their hunger for power couldn't be more obvious. Being the head of a powerful family is no easy task. You not only have to conduct illegal dealings and make contacts with the elite in society, you have to watch your back, too. Both 1-man shoot-outs and 10-men shoot-outs are evident as you watch the movie. And they always happen when you least expect them to. That's the turn on for The Godfather.

Part 2 of The Godfather also depicts the story of Vito Corleone (the first "Godfather") on how he came to America in the early 20th century and from there, set up his business in the Olive oil industry. All 3 movies also show many scenes of Sicily, the hometown of "The Godfather" himself. Part 2 also tells of how Michael Corleone goes under trial and eventually escape unharmed. Not forgetting his wife, kate, who already feels by now that she wants to leave him because of the work he engages in and regrets their marriage in the first place. She aborted the last baby they had and that made Michael even more furious...

In part 3 of The Godfather trilogy, Al Pacino still takes on the role of "Godfather", but is also in search of a suitable candidate to take his place. Part 3 was filmed in 1990 and therefore I must say that the movie is modern enough for the new generation of viewers to enjoy. The cast also includes Andy Garcia who plays Vincent Mancini, Michael's nephew, whose role gave the icing on the cake for the movie, and the beautful Sofia Coppola, who playes Michael's daughter, Mary Corleone. Together they created a love story that was forbidden by Michael himself.

Part 3 portrays Michael as a more mature elite in society, in terms of his new belief in non-violence. However there still seems to be a big cover-up in his dealings, having donated a large sum of money to The Vatican. He picks his nephew, Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), to be his right-hand man and eventually, made him the new "Godfather". The only price to pay for being in the highest and yet most dangerous position is to give up his relationship with Michael's daughter, Mary Corleone. And so the story comes to a close in the end. I shall not disclose what happened in the last few moments of the film; it would be worthwhile to see all 3 parts of The Godfather yourself.

And just like any other significant movie that was made in the past, The Godfather will remain in our hearts for a long time to come...

My tribute to The Beach Boys...

Just a few days ago I decided to download some songs. While I was thinking of the songs I like, The Beach Boys' "California Dreaming" came to mind. And so I searched for it and voila, I did manage to download it. The only thing was, I came across even more songs from The Beach Boys. And guess what? Their songs are way cool...

Ladies and gentlemen, may I take this opportunity to honour one of America's legendary singing groups. They have gained popularity during the era of The Beatles and their songs have been used countless times in the movies. Whenever their songs are featured in films, we usually hear them and start to like them. But once the movie ends, we forget all about them. And that is why I wanted to research their repertoire and show you all the famous tunes that have been understated...

When I first heard The Beach Boys, it was "I Get Around" that caught my ear. Then I heard "Kokomo" and "California Dreaming". Recently there was a Cadbury commercial on television and they used "Wouldn't It Be Nice" as its theme tune. The main thing I noticed about the music of The Beach Boys is that yes, they mostly sing 1960s style melodies which talk about one thing in common: Surfing. Well, as their name suggests, I'm sure both their songs and their name go hand in hand. Besides that, almost each of their songs have a nice bob-bob-baby tune to it. You know, that famous style of back-up singing when you hear them repeating almost each line of the song and always using words like "Ooh" and "Ahh". It's pretty cool to me, honestly. The music of The Beach Boys have their own distinct sound that whenever they are played, almost anyone would know that The Beach Boys sang it. Their chords are fantastic - simple and yet invigorating. I usually feel goosepimples when I hear songs like "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "California Dreaming". Of course I don't have to mention that their melodies are as melodious as they can be, if you appreciate the music of the 1960s. I always have a liking for nostalgic melodies, if you know by now...

And so I would like to feature some of their more popular songs here on my blog. I'm sure that the moment you listen to them, you'll say something like, "Hey, this is the song from that movie!" Or maybe you might have heard them on the radio and never really got to know the title. Nevertheless, I hope you appreciate their music and once again, I offer my salutation to The Beach Boys...

The Beach Boys - California Dreaming

This is the song that gives me goosepimples until today. I dare say it is an evergreen song to most people. I also learnt that this song was originally sung by The Mamas & The Papas. Listen to the melody and the chord structures. What amazing back-up voices they have...

The Beach Boys - Fun, Fun, Fun

This is one of my all time favouries. The very first time I actually acknowledged it, I knew I'd heard it before but never got hold of it. I love the last line of every stanza when they turn it into a beautiful chord and that gives the song it's unique melody.

The Beach Boys - California Girls

"California Girls" talks about all the beautiful girls in the different parts of America but it seems that only California Girls appeal to them. Well, give them a kiss for me!

The Beach Boys - Surfer Girl

This is their very first ballad and mind you, it's one heck of a song. The way it is composed, in 3/4 time, totally fits what I call, "sea songs". Even the way they sang it - long phrases of falsetto invloved - gives the song its distinct sound. You can actually imagine sitting on a white-sand beach, watching the waves of the clear-blue waters and your little surfer girl riding them...

The Beach Boys - I Get Around

I first heard "I Get Around" in Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie. Remember the part when they went to a carnival and you could hear, "Round, round, get around, I get around... Yeah..." That was it, alright. What a great song to start your day...

The Beach Boys - Kokomo

"Kokomo" is one song that has great lyrics and a fitting melody. Just listen to how they rhyme all the places together and how the music really tells you that you're going on a trip to a getaway island with a loved one. An excellent song for a holiday...

The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice

I always find that this song would be a great song to end a splendid day with your friends and family. The lyrics tell it all - you get that nice, warm feeling as though it's Christmas, you know. How I wish we could actually end our days like that everyday...

"When you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Yeah, great, just what I need...

Don't bother about the photo on the left, it has nothing to do with this post. I just wanted to post it on my blog since it was in the computer. It's about me trying to balance some stacks of rings on my head. Did it out of extreme boredom, of course.

Today was a pretty average day. Alright, it was above average, I'd say. I did go out today; did some shopping, in fact. Right now it's just waiting for that job offer to confirm that I'm hired. I've only left about 4 weeks of holidays, and school will surely start before I know it. The past 4 weeks of holidays happened so quickly...

Now what do I say? I'm really running out of words. Let's talk about tomorrow, shall we? I don't have plans for tomorrow right now, but I plan to do something tomorrow. Maybe do something I don't usually do. Get out of my routine, huh? Do something different. And now's the big question: But what? In order for me to do something different, I have to step outside the house, right? Okay, now where do I go? Should I go far? Even if I do go far, where's my destination? Ah well, looks like I'll have to decide tomorrow, then. My mind's kind of stuck up now...

A cousin's support is something you don't get to cherish everyday...

Well today, I started my day early, which was very surprising after such a long time of sleeping till noon. The reason? Yup, it's a valid one: I had a job interview to attend. A good enough reason for waking up at the break of dawn. (Alright, I won't exagerate...)

The good thing was, my cousin was going to come along with me, too. And as you know, company is a powerful thing. You get combined courage, something you wouldn't have if you were alone and interviewing for a job, at the very least. So her company was cherished, of course. And mind you, she applied for the job, too. Now we're just hoping that we would get called up.

After our interviews, we decided to head to town. Watched a movie, in fact. John Tucker Must Die, heard of it? In the first place, I didn't even have any interest in the film, to tell you the truth. It was one of those "chick flicks", like what I call them. You wouldn't be surprised that my cousin loved this kind of movies. And so she urged me to watch it and as every gentlemen will sometimes do, I gave in to her. Ladies first, like they always say. In the end, yes, I did enjoy the movie (I payed $7 for it, mind you, and good thing it was just $7!), but I still couldn't understand why girls our age have a liking for typical movies like these.

The 2 pictures you see above are of our little outing. The one right at the top is of my cousin and me in the train during the ride to town. I was forced to take this photo, didn't actually want to create a scene in the train. But then after much persuasion and also because there was only one man sitting opposite us, I decided to "let my hair down" and loosen up, like what they say. I'm usually a very 'tight' person when I'm in public. The second photo just above was a candit snapshot, taken by none other than my cousin, of course - and while I was talking on the phone! Just the opportunity to catch me off guard - bravo, my dear cousin!

All in all, today was a day worth remembering - and it should be the same for every other day. But life's downs can sometimes be too painful to have us wanting to remember them. And so I guess we throw them away, just like how we empty our recycle bins in the computer. But what many people don't realise is that our bad memories still remain in the back of our heads, just like how deleted files remain in our hard disk, even though they can't be seen on the surface. We can never totally forget the bad memories, I guess. We just have to let them be, and know that memories, good and bad, depict our life as a whole. Let the memories live on...

Self-reflections...

I just found a job offer in the newspapers yesterday. Said that a bookstore at the airport needs a retail assistant. I asked my cousin if she wanted to come along and interview for the job with me and surprisingly, she agreed. Thought she would rather slack at home, haha! But of course she's not that lazy, I know...

Anyway, today's quite a fine Sunday for me. It's a breezy afternoon now; sometimes it's kind of tempting for me to go out. But then I ask myself, "Go out and do what?" Exercize? I would like to cycle, but the thing is my bicycle's tyre has got a hole in it. We haven't planned to fix it as there isn't a bicycle shop nearby. I don't want to go to the library again as I just went there yesterday evening and I've already borrowed a book to read. If I go there again I'll be tempted to borrow even more books and my pile of books will just keep increasing. What else is there left to do? To tell you the truth, I can actually do many things but it always seems as though something is the way. Either I don't have the resources or I have some bad thoughts that are discouraging me to do the things I want to do. So what's the solution, huh? Think of ways to overcome all those difficulties? How I wish it was that simple. Almost every solution is usually easier said than done. But I do believe that if I really want to do something, I'll go all out to do it. But the question is, what do I want to do?

Don't mind me if I seem to be talking in circles. Sometimes writing (or typing) helps me clarify my mind. If I can't think it out loud, I might as well pour it down. What are my desires? What do I want to achieve? Those questions are really difficult to answer sometimes. But each one of us has a burning desire for at least something in life. You just have to find that flame in you. What do you want most of all? What do you see in your future? I guess I already know what I want in life, but as I said, something's preventing me from achieving it. Maybe it's still too early for my age to have those things. So what do I work on now? Things I can control? Alright. Like what? Do I even have anything I can control? Come to think of it, I don't even know what I can control. I guess my resources are fine. But there are obstacles in my way. They sure seem like mountains, really. At my age I don't think I exert any control over them. Only people like my parents have control over them. But they don't seem to be helping me. So I'm back to square 1. I'm all alone - in a certain sense, of course - and stuck in a rut. I need a miracle...

Some survey, this is...

This friend of mine asked me to do this "survey" for some reason. At first I didn't see any point in doing it. But since I didn't know what to write about, I thought I'd might as well do it out of extreme boredom...

1. Full Name: Oliver Sayson (short and sweet)

2. Full Name Spelt Backwards: Nosyas Revilo (my God, I never knew it would sound so good...)

3. Were You Named After Someone?: Nah.

4. Meaning Of Name: "Oliver" was adapted from the Olive tree, and since the tree stands for peace, I guess "Oliver" is something for "man of peace".

5. Nickname: Oli, that's what my family calls me.

6. Screen Name: oliversayson

7. D.O.B: 19th September 1988

8. Hospital You Were Born In: Thomson Medical Hospital

9. Nationality: Singaporean

10. Current Location: The hall, where my computer is.

11. Star Sign: Virgo

12. Religion: Roman Catholic

13. Height: 163cm (pretty short, I know)

14. Weight: 54kg (I used to be 49kg, then for some reason I puffed up - blimey!)

15. Shoe Size: Around 11, I guess? But all shoes have different cuttings, so it varies...

16. Hair Colour: Black, but sometimes under white light it turns a little brown.

17. Eye Colour: Dark Brown, I dare say.

18. Who Do You Look Like?: In what sense? Genetically or generally?

19. Innie Or Outtie?: You mean introvert or extrovert? More introverted, I should say.

20. Lefty Or Righty?: Laft-handed or Right-handed, you mean? Right-handed.

21. Gay, Straight, Bisexual, Or Others?: Straight

22. Best Friends: No particular "best" friend at the moment. However this question is like asking a teacher, "Who's your favourite student?"

23. Best Friends You Trust Most: I wouldn't even state them here, right? I mean, would I want to tell the whole world who I trust?

24. Favourite Pals: It's just like Question 22.

25. Best Friend Of The Opposite Sex: Again, just like Question 22, just in a different gender, that's all...

26. Best Buddies: My God, don't you realise you're asking the same question over and over again?

27. Boyfriend Or Girlfriend: What? You sound as though you're asking me whether I want a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

28. Crush: You think I'm telling you?

29. Parents: Here's my friend's reply to this question: "I don't understand the question." Here's my reply: "Me too."

30. Worst Enemy: None, I guess? Or should I say, "Myself"?

31. Favourite Online Guy: Are you kidding?

32. Favourite Online Girl: Would I want to tell you?

33. Cutest Friend Of The Opposite Sex: I'm not saying anything...

34. Craziest Friend: Define "Crazy".

35. Friend You Go To For Advice: None in particular. I guess I'm my own mentor...

36. Loudest Friend: I wouldn't want to embarass any friend here.

37. Person You Cry With: I cry with myself, honestly...

38. Any Sisters?: Nah.

39. Any Brothers?: Nah.

40. Any Pets?: Used to rare fish, but now my family doesn't.

41. Any Diseases?: Is Eczema considered a disease? To me, it is.

42. Pager?: Where are we? In the 18th century? Haha, but I must say I love the old days...

43. Personal Phone Line: You could've said, "Mobile phone number?" But I'm not telling mine here, of course.

44. Cell Phone: The model, you mean? Currently I'm using the Motorola L7.

45. Lava Lamp: What? You want me to describe it? I don't have one, no...

46. Pool Or Hot Tub?: Both are kind of enticing...

47. A car?: Presently, no. In the future, yes.

48. Your Personality: I can't possibly describe my personality here, can I? Don't ask me for one-word answers because they're just on the surface...

49. Driving: A license, you mean? Not yet, but soon...

50. Car You Want: I was thinking of owning an Audi someday...

51. Room: Room?

52. What's Missing?: In my life? Lots of things actually...

53. School: I studied in St. Stephen's School, then St. Patrick's School, and presently Temasek Polytechnic.

54. Bed: A super-single one.

55. Relationship With Parents: To be honest, not good...

56. Believe In Yourself?: Of course!

57. Believe In Love At First Sight?: Yeah, a staunch one...

58. Good listener?: Don't want to boast, but I guess I'm quite fine in that area...

59. Get Along Well With Parents?: Here's my friend's answer: "Do you have short-term memory loss? Question 55!" And I'll add a word I promised myself I'd never use: "Duh!" Oops! Looks like I broke my promise...

60. Save e-mail Convos?: e-mail conversations? Unless they're worth keeping, of course.

61. Pray?: Yeah, yeah...

62. Believe In Reincarnation: At last a worthy question! Well, I myself have been contemplating this. And I know in my religion we don't believe in reincarnation. But I can't help thinking of all those stories where I hear of Dalai Lamas reincarnating into new borns. I guess every religion has its take on that subject, huh? For me, I'll just say I'm sitting on the fence for now. Perhaps time will tell...

63. Make Fun Of People?: I strongly object to that.

64. Like To Talk On The Phone?: Depends on who I'm talking to.

65. Want To Get Married?: Yes for now. You never know what may happen...

66. Like To Drive?: I guess I would when I have my car one day...

67. Motion Sickness?: Sea sickness - I feel that sometimes when the boat becomes very rocky...

68. Eat The Stem Of Broccoli?: Yeah, I guess so...

69. Eat Chicken With Fork?: My friend said, "... and spoon, as far as possible." "Way to go, man."

70. Dream In Colour?: Yeah, I think so...

71. Type With Your Fingers On Home Role?: What the hell is a "home role"?

72. Sleep With Stuffed Animals?: Not at my age, no...

73. Next To You?: No one at the moment. If you were wondering where did all my friend's comments come from, I copied and pasted this 'survey' from his blog, that's why I knew his answers.

74. On The Walls Of Your Room: What's on my walls? Not much, really, just a few motivational portraits.

75. On Your Mousepad: I don't use a mousepad at the moment.

76. Your Dream Car: Didn't I just answer the same question a few minutes ago?

77. Dream Honeymoon Spot: Reminds me of The Beach Boys's "Kokomo". Yeah, I'd love to go there if there was such a place...

78. Dream Husband Or Wife: Impossible to describe here.

79. Bedtime: It varies...

80. Under Your Bed: What's under my bed? I sleep on a platform with just a single matress, so there's no "under"...

81. Single Most Important Question: There is no single most important question to me, but I can say one of the most important questions to ask yourself is, "Are you living the life you always wanted?"

82. Bad Time Of The Day: It varies. Again.

83. Your Worst Fear: Myself. Kind of scary, really...

84. The Weather: Right now? Slightly cooler compared to the day time - but still humid.

85. Time: 10:33p.m.

86. Date: 22nd September 2006

87. Best Trick Did On Someone: No serious tricks so far - phew!

88. Theme Song: There's no particular theme song I like. But right now it's Queen's "We Are The Champions".

89. Hardest Thing About Growing Up: Lots of things actually...

90. Funniest Experience: And then there are also lots of funny times, thank God for that...

91. Scariest Experience: Can't remember any particular one. But there are a lot of those, too.

92. Silliest Thing You Have Ever Said: I guess it happens almost everyday, but I don't take note of it...

93. Most Desperate And Funniest Thing You Have Done To Get The Opposite Sex: I must admit, I can't remember any, really. I guess I was smooth enough, you could say? Not to boast, of course.

94. Scariest Thing While You Are With Your Friends: I can't think of any...

95. Worst Feeling: I've had my share of bad feelings; can't tell which is the worst...

96. Best Feeling In The World: I have 3 main feelings that I would want to have one day, and they are happy, peaceful, and loved.

97. Do You Think Your Age Is Suitable For You To Have A Relationship And Why?: About time, haha! Well I guess I'm matured enough to experience love in that sense. I'm sure we all, at some point in time, would have a yearning for that kind of love and what more can I say? Go find your true love!

98. How Do You Feel When Someone Likes You But You Don't Like The Person?: Yeah, tough question, this one. Well, if I really decide that I don't like the person, then I would find a way to apologize to her and at the same time thank her for liking me and encourage her by honestly saying that I believe she would find the one for her someday...

99. Do You Think Someone Likes You Now?: Hard to say, actually. But I doubt so. I'm no women-magnet, really. However if there's someone out there who knows that I'm wrong, do make the first move. I'm sorry for not noticing you and I hope you're not too intimidated when you see me outside (I usually have a serious face).

100. Now it's my turn to ask you a question! Why did you ask me all these questions in the first place?

The Nokia N93 commercial.

The Nokia N93 commercial

This commercial for the Nokia N93 mobile phone caught my eye on television. Mainly because one of my favourite actors is 'starring' in it. Gary Oldman, everybody. I didn't even notice it was him in the first place. It was until the last moment when I realised, this guy looks familiar, and that's when he recited the famous monologue from Shakespeare's As You Like It: "All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely play it..."

Unpredictability is the essence of a meaningful life...

It's an ol' Saturday today. Boy, I woke up pretty late this morning - er, afternoon, I mean. 1:30. Yes, yes, I know, it's damn late but what do you know? Yesterday I had an unpredictable day - which was really good, in fact. Let me recount what happened...

It was a rainy afternoon, a boy named Oliver was going off to school for his CCA. The rain poured, lightning, unfortunately, did not strike (not enough drama). Oliver decided whether to have his lunch around his place or in school. He chose the latter. So off to school he went, catching 3 buses and finally reaching his destination. The rain did not stop then.

The school was flooded itself. Patches and puddles of water could be seen in the corridors. Oliver was deciding which canteen to have his lunch. He made up his mind with the Design school canteen. But when he reached the place, it was full of people! Long Queues were formed at each stall and he said to himself, "Fine. I'm going some place else. I wonder if my ol' Engineering canteen is open. I'd be more comfortable there." And so he walked the distance again, skipping over the huge puddles that covered the walkway. When he finally got to his beloved canteen, it was closed! Damn, he thought, looks like I've got to go to the only one left open - Mensa canteen. And so once again he walked the long, winding path, down the stairs, and another 100 metres before he arrived at the 2-storey canteen. Fortunately, it wasn't as crowded as the Design school canteen. Feeling even hungrier than when he first arrived in school, Oliver laid his eyes on an Indian stall that made him remember of a time when he saw someone eating the famous nun. He decided to order his food from there, but he chose mutton curry with rice as he was dead hungry.

After lunch, Oliver had to go for his drama rehearsal. Today was also the day the 2 finalists from Singapore Idol were coming to his school as one of them graduated from it. It was all noisy and rowdy as fans were coming to see them. When drama was about to finish, Oliver received a call from one of his cousins saying that her sister was back from Australia and was going back the next day. So she asked if he wanted to come over. Oliver said that he didn't mind. The plans weren't finished yet. They were also going off to a birthday party of another cousin of theirs - which is also Oliver's distant cousin - right after dinner. And so they asked him to follow and he was a little embarassed, of course, since he didn't know the people there too well. But as time followed he managed to have fun and he got along with the people pretty fine. He met other distant cousins as well - which was someththing you don't get to do everyday - and he was thankful for that. By the time he arrived home, it was almost midnight. Oliver felt he had a good day, however unpredictable it was. But unpredictability gave life meaning, and that was what matters...

The Five People You Meet In Heaven.

I've just finished reading The Five People You Meet In Heaven, written by the same author who wrote Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom. Mitch talks about death once again, or should I say "afterlife"? This fable is one that changes your perception of heaven - you know, that "paradise", we always call it. Here's a quote from the book:

"People think of heaven as a paradise garden, a place where they can float on clouds and laze in rivers and mountains. But scenery without solace is meaningless."

How true. And therefore what this story tells us about heaven is this:

"... and that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on earth."

When I come to think of it now, I do feel that heaven should be somewhat like that. You need to have understanding before you can have peace. And that's what happens to you when you go to heaven: To understand your life on earth, what you were there for and what you did during that time, before you experience eternal happiness. And I'll disclose the fact that the ending of the story was exactly like this. The protagonist found out what his life on earth was all about and finally, had that inner peace and joy he always wanted.

The five people the main character met in heaven represents 5 important lessons that we should all learn. Some of these lessons are repeated in Tuesdays With Morrie while some we are still oblivious to. Let me share with you the important quotes I have marked out...

The first person Eddie, the protagonist, meets in heaven is the blue man. I won't explain why he was blue but this person tells Eddie what heaven is all about and that our lives are all interconnected.

"The is the greatest gift God can give you: To understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace that you have been searching for."


"Fairness does not govern life and death. If it did, no good person would ever die young."


"The human spirit knows, deep down, that all lives intersect. That death doesn't just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed."


"Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know."


"No life is a waste. The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone."

The second person Eddie meets in heaven is his old time captain during the war. The captain teaches him about sacrifices.

"Sacrifice. You made one. I made one. We all make them. But you were angry over yours. You kept thinking about what you lost."


"You didn't get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to. Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices. A mother works so her son can go to school. A daughter moves home to take care of her sick father."


"Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else."

The third person Eddie meets in heaven is an old lady named Ruby. She teaches him about forgiveness and how we should forgive one another instead of keeping the pain inside.

"Better to be loyal to one another."


"Silence was his escape, but silence is rarely a refuge."


"Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside."


"We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves."

The fourth person Eddie meets in heaven is his wife, Marguerite. She tells her husband about lost love, and how powerful it can be.

"Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it."


"Life has to end. Love doesn't."

The fifth person Eddie meets in heaven is a young girl called Tala. She tells of a very important lesson that sometimes when you think that the things you do or the job you have is meaningless, it probably isn't to others. Sometimes when you do things just for the sake of doing them, you actually play a very important role in the lives of others.

"I was sad because I didn't do anything with my life. I was nothing. I accomplished nothing. I was lost. I felt like I wasn't supposed to be there," Eddie said.

"Supposed to be there," Tala said.

"Where? At Ruby Pier?"

She nodded.

"Fixing rides? That was my existence?" He blew a deep breath. "Why?"

She tilted her head, as if it were obvious.

"Children," she said. "You keep them safe. You make good for me."

"Is where you were supposed to be," she said, and then she touched his shirt patch with a small laugh and added two words, "Eddie Main-ten-ance."

Love Matters.

I just came across an email which talked about God and it had this line in it: Keep using My name in vain, and I'll make rush hour longer. Blimey! It's one of funniest quotes I've ever read. And the last line was: Don't make me come down there. Haha! Bloody funny...

Anyway, my purpose of writing this post today is because I chanced upon a little book yesterday at the library called Love Matters, written by David Bell. It's a book with a sentence on each left page and a little sketch of a stick-man on each right page. The words are about love, of course, and it talks about "a little wisdom and laughter about matters of the heart". It's one of those handy, easy-to-digest books which you can read in about 5 minutes. I decided to borrow it and well, spill the contents on my blog, haha! Hey, I feel bad, of course...

We all see things differently when it comes to love.

Maybe you're single,

and sometimes feel love has passed you by.

Or you've just come out of a relationship.

You've probably been in love before,

or at least it seemed that way at the time.

Maybe you've had some unusual relationships,

or just kept to yourself.

At times we can all feel inadequate,

a bit awkward,

or just unsure.

Have you lost faith in love?

Or had a bad experience,

and are not quite ready to love again?

Maybe you've decided to be alone,

instead of waiting by the phone.

We all have a story of woe,

and someone we'd like to blame.

Life doesn't always seem fair!

Are you feeling a bit tired?

Perhaps you need a little rest.

After all, what's the hurry?

Stop for a moment and think.

Where are you headed?

Dare to ask some big questions.

Look around.

Don't be suspicious.

Look at what you've been through,

and learn from the past,

but don't carry it around.

Remember all the lovely times

that made you who you are.

You've probably caused some heartache too, you know.

Or you have been careless with words.

Or you've looked for love in the wrong places.

But don't be too hard on yourself.

We all learn from each other.

To overcome obstacles

keep an open mind.

Accept your mistakes.

Trust yourself.

We are all beautiful,

even if we don't believe it sometimes.

Follow your heart.

Express yourself.

Life is full of magic!

And tender moments.

Be open to new beginnings,

and fresh ideas.

Trust is important.

Keep giving of yourself, no matter what.

We all need affection,

and a sense of connection.

Be true to yourself.

Allow yourself some joy.

Delight in others.

Let go when you need to.

The heart is resilient,

if not always predictable.

With love in your heart,

everything is perfect.

Simply perfect!

The most important thing about matters of the heart...

is that love matters.