An Extraordinary Interview ...

An Extraordinary Interview
~ ~ Interview with God ~ ~

I dreamed I had an interview with God.

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked

“If you have the time” I said.

God smiled
“My time is eternity”
“What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?...”

God answered...
“That they get bored with childhood.
They rush to grow up and then long to be children again.”
“That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.”
“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither
the present nor the future.”
“That they live as if they will never die, and die as if they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while
And then I asked...
“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”

God replied with a smile
“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is let themselves be loved.”
“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”
“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.”
“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and it takes many years to heal them.”
“To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.”
“To learn that there are persons who love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.”
“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.”
“To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others. But that they must forgive themselves.”
“And to learn that I am here always.”

- - - - -
This is not the first time I am reading this. You too, perhaps.
Nevertheless, this "interview" is ever so moving, to me.
The words used are so "light", yet the implications they carry are so "strong".
Lovely. Pretty timely.

If we are given a chance to interview God, what will we ask Him?
He is here always. Go on, just ask.
However, we must be calm enough to hear, to listen, to follow ...

~ ~ ~

Monday Blues?

Flying away. There's always something left behind.

Morning has broken.
What an explanation.
I only see mist, hear nothing.
No quarrels. No arguments.. .. Just an “ill” feeling.
Oh, and no “making amendments”.

Afternoon come and gone.
It must be, I am not too sure. Never mind.
Am I dead wrong?
Not wrong, not in terms of intention.
I proceeded with the best of intention, I know of.
Hurting, causing discomfortable are the last things in my mind.
No, not even a trace of such can be found. Not even now.

I have to accept that my approaches were wrong, then.

When the night falls.
Not much difference at all.
What surprised me was the years of knowing, going through thick-&-thin has such weak foundation.

I’d tried.
But the attempts were best viewed as “oblivious” of the situation.
I’d tried. Why am I trying so hard?
Instinct tells me I may be still trying.
Friends are always friends to me.
What more when brotherhood was nearly forged?

A blank left in me. Void.
Glad it’s just in me. You carry on, please.

或许这是一堂课 : 缘起缘灭嘛。

我也比较深的体会到
若对一个人有不顺心的感觉，他所说的一切、做的种种只是会徒增反感。
若对一个人只有真心的关怀，不管他如何的误解、甚至伤害，我们仍然懂得包容。
难道“弥补”二字，在现实生活当中只是一种虚幻？

Random Recollection Series 2005/Part 12

(1) A Monday night, I returned just to realize my internet connection was down. I think I stared at the monitor for quite a moment, contemplating what would be the best next course of action. At that moment, I was brought to realize I can be so IT-reliant (albeit, I say I'm quite an IT-idiot). It's a fact that I know nothing much about computer. I only use it for simple things. Simple things like connecting with pals, listening to music, browsing the net for leisure and knowledge, and work.. Ha.. simple things are important to me, then. :)
Anyway, the problem was fixed in about 15 min.

(2) On Wednesday, I actually covered a mileage of more than 150km. This is about 3 times above the average mileage per day (suggested here). To get a feel of how far 150km is.. erm.. okay, that's about three-quarter of the entire length of coastline in Singapore.

(3) Unbelievably, my degrees are still escalating (not much, though). Haiz.. I am referring to my condition of myopia and astigmatism.

(4) I was talking to one of my *little pals on the phone. In the midst of the conversation, I noticed my handphone pouch was empty. While still talking over the phone, I began to search for my handphone at the same time in my room. I didn't see it anywhere. Then, I was confused and panicked a little. I just came home not too long ago, could I left it elsewhere outside?
Another thought raced through my mind : I thought I had to end the conversation on the phone to concentrate my effort in the search. Erm.. Only to realize "the phone" I used to converse then = "my handphone". Kaoz! I can be that blur.

(5) Took a little trip along Orchard Road. Mm.. I feel that the festive lightings this year are rather disappointing. Did I miss any nice ones?

(6) I recalled some weeks ago, when I entered a classroom, the white board was sprinkled with many words. I asked one of the *little pals to prepare the board. One particular big bold word right at the end of the right corner was spared in the cleansing. It caught the attention of quite many, and apparently no one in the class know the meaning of that word and was starting to ask each other. That word is "Aphrodisiac".
有影无??!! Oh yes, I was a little surprised when I learnt that there were at least two English debaters in the class.

(7) It is certainly very heart-warming to be given a book : "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and a VCD - Korean Movie : "A Moment to Remember" for reason as simple as s3p thinks they are really nice and really want to share with his friends. Sincerity is priceless.

Movie Offers ...

Isn't it nice to note that OCBC Credit Cards offer 10% discount to tickets at Cathay Cineplexes and HSBC Credit Cards offer $1 off per ticket at Golden Village Cineplexes. Wow! This is certainly the season for catching some good movies at a cinema!

Okay, I'd watched
- Harry Potter and the Globet of Fire, and
- Just Like Heaven.
Mm.. What's next? Hehe..

Just Like Heaven :
Although the review for it wasn't that fantastic, I find the story simple and nice. The kind of "romantism" demonstrated isn't the usually kind we always see, and yet it is so moving. Ha.. It's a kind of show that will leave a sweet after-taste. Here will tell you more.
By the way, thanks to s3p for the effort in securing the tickets and the company.

Harry Potter and the Globet of Fire :
I think
- the smartness of Hermione is downplayed,
- Triwizard Tournament could be more grand,
- Lord Voldemort could be more devilish, ...
Nevertheless it's pretty enjoyable. See here for yourself.

As-a-matter-of-factly, I am not that much of a cinema-goer. Although I fully understand the vast difference in watching a show in the cinema and watching it at home, yet I hardly initiate any plan of an outing with friends to watch a movie in cinema. Each and every time, I was asked to join in, by friends. Haha.. I am so weird.

I think there is only one kind of gathering I ever initiate. Mm.. It is the kind that involves food. Yup, and only occasionally. :P

My (Injured) Canon A80

My camera was on a "trip", passing from one hand to another. Aiya.. That means I lent it to my friends, one after another.

This evening, when it was finally returned to me, I was glad as I have some planned "missions" for it. But to my little little dismay, it was injured.

Just take a look at it.

Can you see the injury? Haha.. The angle is biased and the injury becomes not that obvious. Don't blame yourself if you couldn't detect it. :P
Now, let's take a look at another picture of it, taken from another "cruel" angle.

See! I can't even open up the cover to access the CF Card. Someone had dropped it hard enough such that the metal ring becomes bended and acts as a natural stopper for the cover. A faint crack line is also observed on the body frame around the base of that metal ring. Mm..

Who has dropped it? They all claimed that they didn't notice any such impact. Okay, their puzzled looks were convincing enough. I wasn't out to hunt down the culprit and/or to demand whatever, anyway. I don't have the heart to, as they are my friends. Knowing that I am such a careless person, it might be the situation that even before I passed the camera to them, the camera was already injured.

I would be lying to myself, if I say I don't feel a thing for the camera.
- It was recommended by a pal.
- Another pal bought it for me, together with his, for a "group discount".
- I took the trouble to get a decent charger for the batteries.
- It took me quite a while to get used to it and finally I somewhat did.
- It accompanied me to many journeys and capture parts of my memories, etc.

But, I really can't bring myself to blame anyone. Firstly, anyone who did it, didn't do it on purpose. Everyone can be careless. Right? Secondly, simply because they are my friends and I know them too well and have always trusted them. Material stuff.. bah!...

Come to think about it, when it comes to such material stuff, I tend to let go quite easily. Ha.. The butt-dent was another incident, wasn't it? Oh, I now recall another incident. My new car was literally dragged for about 10km, with its handbrake applied. I was not the driver, but I was in the car too. Haha.. I even finds it funny when we (the driver and me) tried to play detective to identify
- the reason for the lack of power of the car throughout the journey (got extra drag mah), and
- the source of the almost pungent smell, due to the burnt brake-pad, I supposed.

All these instances allow me to explore myself, in a way. Yes, I can't bluff through my teeth, I admit that I do feel for my "materialistic lost", but only momentarily and I hope I'm reassuring enough that I don't blame anyone. I know what matters to me more/most.

All the best everyone!
Special thanks to all readers, reading till this far. :)

I'm Geared..

A little surprised that the picture of my shoe can be grabbed from the net.

I'm geared. And this time is for real, I hope.
It is a small matter actually.

This evening, I went for a jog and I covered 5.6km. Wow! I ought to give myself a pat on the shoulder. Firstly, for making the effort to go jogging (finally), and secondly, for covering that unimaginable distance. I have to admit, when come to physical fitness training, my discipline (the lack of it) is unmatchable.

Heh.. now my legs don't feel as if they belong to me.

A Morning @ Changi Airport

It was barely 6 am but the airport is already buzzing with life. Not surprisingly actually.. heh... I am talking about an internationally well-acclaimed airport here. I don't expect less. I was there just watching / observing while waiting for the arrival of some friends from overseas. Noticeably, the temperature is cooler and people appeared to be less hurried (implies more friendly). I quite like it.

I have always enjoyed seeing a good mix of people from everywhere around the globe. Many were speaking in languages I could hardly comprehend. I am not eavesdropping. They were nearby and were talking pretty excitedly. Perhaps, that's why I like airport (in general). I am never bored during transit, waiting for my departure or waiting for someone's arrival.

Just to add on a little :

@ Departure Hall :
准配去他国度假的人，脸上写的是开心。话也似乎比较多一些。
来本国度了假的异国同胞，表情稍微沉静一点。是玩累了吧，我想。
来送机的朋友，应该都是真心来给予祝福的。我也看了有好多依依不舍、
情人¹之间的拥抱、泪别的画面。

@ Arrival Hall :
回国的朋友，脸上写的是快乐也微带倦意。但疲惫中也露出了丝丝满足。
来本国度假的异国同胞，脸上写的是期待亦含一种渴望。我也希望新加坡不会让他们失望。
来接机的亲朋好友，看到了所等的人，那一种喜悦我不必阐述吧？哈哈。。

Okay, I was only a little early and only saw/felt that much. My friends had arrived (only at 7:30am, ha.. I saw them physically) and I got to "re-focus" on my next role. :)

- - - -
¹ 情人乃有情之人。此情亦可指朋友之间的友谊、母子之间的关爱、兄弟之间的手足情深、情侣之间的累世情缘、等等。

A Lesson for Me ...

Someone reminded me . . .

问题之所以让你看见、让你察觉，不是你的高明、你的智慧，而是你的责任、你的义务。

在引导方面，尽量多给予正面的鼓励；正面的鼓励不是宠坏他、不是称赞他，而是多鼓励他，减少批评与指责。
例 如：你面对着一位长年吸烟的人，吸烟的人难道比别 人还不知道自己吸烟的害处吗？而今你要他戒烟，一直在他面前说不可以，要他马上改正，这个人是绝对戒不了烟瘾的。如果换个方式，你勉励他戒严的同时，介绍 他嚼口香糖或吃糖果，是不是比较容易引导别人改进呢？所以正面的鼓励是很重要的，不要只在别人的不好、缺点处一再批评，这不叫做领导、引导别人。这叫做虐 待别人。

用你最真实的一面去面对这不同的人就好，不必要在自己的脸上涂粉，或者换上不同的衣服来装饰自己。过度的装饰，总是丧失了本质；而经过美容的言语，往往扭曲了愿意。

- - - - -
I just feel like writing it down to remind myself. It's indeed a humbling life-long learning journey for me.

Kent Ridge Park Revisited..

I learnt that the park I mentioned a few days ago is known as Kent Ridge Park. I actually returned to it tonight with a pal. I would say the view there at night is just as wonderful. The calmness felt during night time at such altitude¹ was quite an experience altogether.

In the calmness of the night, we were standing at the peak of the park, feeling the touch of the fresher breeze, looking at the sea of glittering lights of the city far below. That was plain cool!

It was only on our way down from the park, I recalled an event happened so many years back in 1992. This was the very park I came as a freshman together with so many freshies during one of the orientation programme by Sheares Hall!! We had some kind of night programmes and we were supposed to reach the peak before sunrise. Yes, we were supposed to rush there to witness sunrise as a little treat for us.

It was (is) such an interesting feeling that those fond memories flooded my mind in torrents. How could I miss this fact last Saturday? Heh.. Of course, the park is rather big and I was at a different section last Saturday.

Believe me, the park is a great place to see sunrise. I'm sure I will be back there again, one morning, early enough to see the sunrise. :)

- - - - -
¹ Kent Ridge Park must be located at a reasonable height. Right?

Random Recollection Series 2005/Part 11

(1) I need to be "reminded" that I have got an external DVD burner. Erps .. Or rather, J has just returned it to me. I could have easily forgotten that I bought it once upon a time. Haha.. That's how sotong I can be. I think I can only remember when I really need it. Oh dear, come to think about it, that means I don't really need it? Never mind, at least someone has made good use of it (at least once). Mm... Of course, I wouldn't mind to lend whoever that needs it. :)

(2) My second Yahoo Auction sale successfully closed on 14/11/05. Ha.. Just about 3 days apart from my first sale. Not bad. The idea of conquering one more IT-barrier is pretty exciting, I feel.

(3) There are software(s) to handle MSN, ICQ, ++ together. Somehow, I still prefer to operate ICQ and MSN separately. I don't quite like the changeable-nick part of MSN. Is it due to my inflexibility? Ha.. I admit it can be quite fun, but I simply can't follow well which nick belongs to who. Okay, the limitation is mine. I actually quite like the oh-ooh tone of ICQ (which will be missing if I were to use that software). Oh, and the fact that I can leave a message in ICQ even while the recipient is in offline status, is kind of cool.

（4） We were in a classroom having a gathering-of-sort. We took quite a lot of pictures using digital camera. One *little pal was looking at the pictures taken of me, zoomed in... and exclaimed, "You are so humorous and... blah blah blah (*ahem.. shy to mention everything here lah) and I don't understand why you are still single." Some other *little pals who were just beside were nodding in agreement. Erps.. Is that supposed to be a compliment? Haha.. Coming of age, I find it a little difficult to accept such compliment graciously nowadays. I accepted it anyway. :P

(5) I "performed" again. Ha.. Just a simple tune I hummed along to quite a crowd. Kena sabo lah. Hey, but this time round, offers rolled in. Haha.. Not that kind of commercial offers that will transform me to become a super star la.
Just friends coming up offering
. - kind compliments,
. - opportunities to sing duet with them,
. - invitations to go KTV with them.
Erm.. But I don't quite like my singing that much leh. I prefer listening to the younger ones who were much more lively and entertaining. Nevertheless, I thanked them for their offers and I really did it from the bottom of my heart. It's their sincerity that I can feel and this is the key factor to make the world a more gracious place to live in, I supposed.

(6) Try reading a week's newspaper at a go. Ha.. My schedule has been that kind of pack lately and I don't even have enough time to read the newspaper. After posting this, I shall happily bury myself with the newspaperS. :)

Learning Journey : Bukit Chandu - - -

Reflections at Bukit Chandu : I wonder if this is new to you. It was new to me unit today (a Saturday morning). This is a WWII interpretative centre commemorating the gallantry and sacrifice of men of the 1st and 2nd Batalion Malay Regiment who defended the western sector of Singapore in February 1942. The end of the battle there, more or less marked the beginning of the Japanese Occupation.. argg..

I'm not so much into history. But the little bit of Singapore history captured there is rather well presented, I must say. Okay, rather standard museum like stuff. But.. ha.. technology allows some fanciful display. There is a canopy walk near by. It is quite a decent long stretch of stable walk path constructed tall and high, and we were literally walking almost on the canopy. What a feeling! That stretch of walk path leads to a park. Mm.. the serenity there is unlike other park I have seen. Cool.

A simple lunch with some *little pals after which, was quite interesting too. Oh.. since no one in particular was rushing for time, I drove them around for some sight-seeing. Haha.. judging from their expression/reaction, bet they will return to those sites again. One commented, "You are so different. You drive *little pals around and have meals together." . . .
Mm.. different meh? Don't know lah.

Since they were mostly staying around the north, I sent them back. The last one even wanted to invite me up for a cup of drink. Erm.. I don't mind actually, but I was rushing for another appointment. I got to turn down the kind invitation. Next time... next time... :)

It is supposed to be a learning journey. I should be learning more about the making of Singapore. Okay, I did. It's certainly more interesting that I've learnt to understand my *little pals better. It was a rather tiring day, no doubt. But I think it's lovely and pretty memorable.

Silly me, should have brought my Canon A80 along. Heh..

无情中的有情

I see that the queue is so long. The people in the queue are waiting for hope. These people I'm talking about are the *little pals and most of them are with their parents. They are queuing up to appeal to the authority to reverse the "verdict" passed.

The repeats don't want to waste one more year. Nobody wants to, anyway. They promise heaven and earth that they will work very very hard if given a chance to be advanced. They come up with many reasons why they had missed a bit and implore the authority to give them a second chance.

The superannuated felt even more lost. Some even blame the college for being so heartless. So heartless to just kick them out, despite the loyalty demonstrated throughout their 2 year stay with her.

The passing mark is indeed artificially drawn. If it was drawn at 50, those getting 48 and 49 will feel the pinch ; if it was drawn at 45, those getting 43 and 44 will feel just as miserable. Other country may even set their passing mark at 60. Mm.. So what do we mean by we had missed a bit?
We asked for a second chance. Mm.. not that I am siding with the authority, we are already given plenty. I am afraid the scores for our CAs are indicators enough for us to work hard or else.
In general, with a weak foundation in year 1, what can we expect to get (finally) at the actual A Level Examination. Besides, everyone agrees that there are plenty overlap of material between the year 1 syllabus and 0 Level material, while year 2 material is going to be rather different.

The feeling of those being superannuated is definitely no good. Still, I don't think it's fine to say we are being kicked out. We are here, chosen this path to achieve a goal-of-sort. This is already a second year we are at year 1 level, for a 2 year course. Yet the results.... mm.. Isn't it an indication that this path is not suitable for us? If for some more humane reasons, we are being advanced to the second year based on such far below border-line results, what makes us feel we will eventually make it good enough at A Level Exam? Will we be eventually wasting 3 years instead? Wouldn't it be better to release you earlier to allow you to explore more suitable alternatives?

Okay, some statistics : this year, the year 2 levels have 108 *little pals not getting a single A Level pass in their Preliminary Examination. What kind of result will they be getting in the A Level Exam? Most of these 108 *little pals are the ones who were advanced to year 2 or had gotten borderline pass during their year 1 end-of-year exam. This stresses the importance of a strong foundation.

Hence,
... Is allowing a *little pal who is supposed to be superannuated, to be advanced, being more cruel in reality, but just seemingly more compassionate on the surface?
... Is letting a *little pal who has failed, to repeat, is much like giving another (certainly not the second) chance to re-live their lifes?

Examination indeed can be so harsh. The axing can be so 无情. Yet, we can't deny it's for the good of the *little pals concerned, to a certain degree. Can I say this is 有情 ?

I also hope everyone can be promoted.
I am reminded by stark reality : some people need more time.

The Day When the "Verdict" is Passed...

The judgment was done on 31/10/05 but the "verdict" is only passed today. What a silly long wait?!

I can sense the tensed atmosphere and I don't think I am good at handling that. When the "verdict" was passed, many were much relieved but there was just one who was shocked to much disbelief. MJ's "verdict" is to repeat. He doesn't take it well. He broke down. The class (certainly not just me) took sometime to calm him down. Will he be fine to go back by himself? I chose not to gamble on this. I decided to send him home, asking some of his closest pals to follow along. Mm.. only feeling a little comfortable when I saw him entering his house.

After MJ had alighted, we detoured to a nearby reservoir. I admit it was a little impulsive on my side. My heart was feeling a little heavy and I needed a breather and they don't mind a little unofficial "excursion" anyway. It turned out that they liked it there too. "This place is so unlike Singapore," one commented. "Aiyah, my girlfriend is not with me now leh," another added. We didn't stay long but the simple detour was fine.

I am a little glad, the class can come together to support each other in such time of need. Yes, the entire class stayed throughout until everyone was more or less "stablized".

- - - -
One year ago, during such "verdict-passing" day, the following stunning conversation was recorded :

Colleague L : Mrs T, your daughter needs to repeat JC1.
Mrs T : Don't tell me this. I am a scholar and her father is a scholar too. This can't be.
Colleague L : Mm.. there are taxi-driver father, hawker stall owner mother producing scholars too.
Mrs T : I want to see the principal to appeal.
Colleague L : You can, of course, but I can't possibly support the case.
Mrs T : During the first 3 month of JC1, the college has practically nothing to teach. What programme do you all have to ensure that my daughter will be doing better by asking her to repeat? Why not just let her be advanced to the second her and not to waste her time?
. . . . . .
In the end, the daughter really repeat JC1 in 2005.
Today, when the result is released, I learnt that she couldn't be promoted again. In other words, she will be superannuated. What would be her mother's reaction? Will the girl be able to cope?

- - - -
This year, today, I recorded the following which stunned me (quite a bit) :

(1)
Student ZY was asked to drop one subject because he was promoted but wasn't doing well enough. I spoke to Mrs Y (ZY's mother)
Mrs Y : Can he appeal to keep all the 4 A Level subjects?
Me : Mrs Y, I don't think it is advisable. He is not coping well, based on his results.
Mrs Y : My son is clever. I don't think it is going to help him if the college were to ask him to drop one subject. The problem is in his attitude. If he wants to do it, he can even cope with 5 A Level subjects. So why not just let him continue to keep his 4 A Level subjects.
Me : Mm.. you can try appealing to our principal. But I must say his case is not strong enough.
ZY is indeed very smart, I observed. He is just too lazy to do his work consistently. So much so that I believe what Mrs Y had said about ZY's capability, but I don't quite get her logic in her argument. Anyway, can the college give in to such request?

(2)
I was already talking to Mrs Y (ZY's mother) before ZY joined us.
Mrs Y : His result is good enough to go to other JC, he said he wanted to stay in this JC because of Math, because of you.
Me : Mmm...
*cold sweat* *jaw dropped* *shy*
I was speechless.. ZY passed all his other subjects except Math. Haiz.. what have I done?
Shortly after, ZY joined us...
Mrs Y : You. What happened? Allowing you to come to this JC was already such a difficult decision on our part. And now your results plunged so much. You belonged to the upper band while you were in your secondary school. Here, I don't think you belong to the lower band by your L1R5, but your results...
Alright, next year, I think he will still me in my class. I shall make it my responsibility to ensure that he is going to ace the subject eventually.

(3)
KH : Will it be of advantage if I were to report to MOE. I got relative working there. I got 2 friends ... It's obvious my form teacher.. prejudice with me that's why I retain.
I got to really talk to him to "correct" his views.. mm.. not easy.

- - - -

When emotion runs high, thoughts emerge and words fly.
When we are calm enough later and remember to look back, will we still harbour the same perspective?

A Parent's Dream, A Child is to Live...

A parent's dream, a child is to live.
I am not arguing for or against this idea. I am merely trying to write about what I see.

A mother and a son were here in Singapore in early October. The mother used about a month to find her son a study centre to study English and at the same time, get him to get used to here. The one-month "orientation" includes basic culinary skills and house-hold chores maintenance. The intention is to put him in main-stream secondary school once her boy's standard of English is of acceptable competence. The mother has left since early November, leaving this boy to live with his mother's friend, which is an elderly man staying alone by himself at first.

This boy is only about 15 years old and this is the first time he has left his parents for so long and for so far. How is he feeling? Lonely? Apparently he is coping well. I asked him, "Why come all the way here to study?" He replied as-a-matter-of-factly, "My parents want me to brush up my English here. In my own country, there's no environment to practice.¹" Erm... the fact remains that I never see him practicing the language here.

Her mother will only be coming back to Singapore again in mid December and I understand that this boy's younger brother may join him in studying in Singapore too. The good thing will be this boy will be less lonely as he has a younger brother to accompany him. The seemingly not-too-pleasant thing may be two young kids will be left in a foreign country, far away from their parents. I think the mother is also making plan to come and work here too, in the near future to come.

I wonder...
Is the standard of English in Singapore so attractive?
Do we really have a better environment for the learning of English?
Perhaps, yes.
But are these "yes-es" strong enough for parents overseas to make decision as such?

To the child, he finds not much difference whether to study in his own country or studying here, he told me. But of course, he misses his brothers and parents and relatives. Since, it is his parents' decision that he should brush up his standard of English here, he thinks this must be the best plan for him.

Not really known to (or understood by) the child, his parents have bigger plans. The parents want their kids to study and to go through NS here. After which, his Singapore passport can be of good use for migration or applying for PR purpose for his entire family in another foreign land. Erm..

I am not doubting or questioning the child's parents' decision. I have nothing against their bigger plans. I understand why they wish to migrate or at least try to apply for PR status elsewhere. That kind of reasons are beyond many to comprehend² and I shall not elaborate here.

My heart is more with the child (and later his younger brother too). I am pretty amazed how he has accepted his parents' decision so easily. A parent's dream, a child is to live? Haha..
Since this event has come to my notice, I can only try (on my part) to make the stay of the child here a more meaningful and a more not-so-lonely one.

- - - -
¹ Of course these are not his exact words. I have done the translation to English.
² No offence please. Take it as my limitation in expressing.

Random Recollection Series 2005/Part 10

(1) I started off using Mobil petrol. But when I switched to SPC petrol (for a practical reason), there was an initial noticeable improvement in fuel consumption for my car. But not long after, the fuel consumption when back to normal state. Recently, I made a switch back to use Mobil petrol. Again, I experienced an improvement in fuel consumption. Was it my imagination? Erm.. I just went for a full-tank-pump just now and it only further confirmed my "imagination".
My hypothesis : SPC + Mobil petrol mixture gives better mileage. Haha.. I shall observe further. If there's any interesting finding, I may write on this matter again.

(2) I have noted quite many bloggers, particularly the newer/younger ones, lamenting that their blogs have low readership. Interesting.
I am literally enjoying the low readership here. Haha.. Am I that different?
Frankly, I don't really mind anyone reading it (or leaving any comments, for that matter), since I think this is quite a public area. But I also heard that we can possibly make it less public by setting password to access our site, although I have zero idea how this could be done. Haha..
I like the idea of writing for myself. Since it's for myself, I wouldn't mind people who know me well to read it. I am thinking, if people I don't know start "pouring in", will I change the way I write, as in writing for the readers? Haha.. I still prefer the present state more. :)

(3) Rather impressed with the way J writes. Expectedly, his response to an article was published in Today today (11/11/05).

(4) I learnt that CK Contradiction is not just a brand/name of a perfume, but also the way how one of my *little pal (by the name CK) who often contradicts himself. :P

(5) For those who are a little new to Yahoo Auction, allow me to briefly describe a feature within. That is the rating feature. Every account holder starts with 0 rating. Upon a closure of a sale, we are allowed to rate our buyer and our buyer can rate us as well. A positive rating earns 1 point, a negative rating earns us -1 point. A neutral rating will be given 0 point. In a way, the points do reflect the credibility of the account holder. I'd just earn a point from the recent transaction. His comment was "responsible, mr nice guy." Shy sia :p

(6) I showed my brother the series of photos that I had taken. One fine day (just about 2 weeks ago) he approached me and suggested the "unthinkable". He said in his most casual tone, "Hey, how about we splash our bonus to buy a solid SLR camera."
Erm.. this is "unthinkable" (to me at least). I recall some months ago, he had thrown away a poorly-maintained SLR camera, without a second glance. He brought that camera in a moldy bag to me and asked, "Hey, do you think any of your friends want this? If not, I am going to throw it away." Heh.. Plus recently, he just got married (ROM-ed). Shouldn't he be thinking of saving up? I think his hands are pretty tight also.
Haha.. that's how 潇洒 my brother is.

- - - -

Cham lah.. having quite a bad diarrhea.. mm.. hope I'm okay enough for today's lunch appointment.

My First Auction Deal ...

I had an iPod nano.

It was in my hand at around 1710h yesterday. Quite a gem indeed, it looks.
Somehow, I decided not to keep it.
Too good for me? Ha.. rather, I don't think I need it.

The next decision was to auction it away. Okay, I mentioned this yesterday.
I submitted a deal on Yahoo Auction at 2010h, yesterday.
The first interested bidder acted at 2231h, yesterday.
The second interested bidder bid at my requested price and closed the deal at 0314h, today!
In just slightly more than 7 hours, the deal was made. I met up with the buyer today and ... erm.. what a smooth transaction! My wallet was immediately $350 fatter. I am simply amazed at the rate at which everything is going.

I must mention about the cool buyer I'd met today. By voice, he sounded young. We arranged to meet up but he later postponed to a later time. Over the phone, he apologized for doing so as he was determined to pay me in hard cash, but only to realize he had not enough cash to do so as he had left his ATM card with his girlfriend. I was thinking he must be quite a cool guy to leave his ATM card with the girlfriend. Ha..

All this happened well before I met him.

At the appointed time, I saw a man walking towards me. Erm.. I must say I have the first feeling "he cannot be the one I am meeting." But he was. He is certainly younger than me and he keeps a not-too-neatly-trim goatee. He was wearing a singlet exposing his left arm with a big green real tattoo. His left ear has not just one, but two shiny broad silver ear rings. He carried his wallet, his handphone and a pack of cigaratte in his hands. Mm.. a rather typical Ah-Beng image.

He sounded gentle over the phone. What a mismatch with this more "rougher" image. I learnt that in order to meet me on time, he had to take a cab to his girlfriend's place to get the ATM card, rushed to another place to withdraw the money, then rushed to our arranged meeting place. Wa.. when I learnt that, I said, "You needn't rush. We can always arrange another date or time." He said in a tone filled with much 江湖正义 , "No lah, since I had already agreed to meet you, it's no good to change that." Haha.. towards the end of the brief meet up, he even wanted to offer me a stick of his cigaratte. Erps.. I declined politely and playfully asked, "Your girlfriend don't mind you smoke?" He only grinned, much like wanting to ignore my question. I wasn't there to corner him and I openly acknowledged the difficulty to quit once hooked. He was nodding with agreement. Haha..

All conversations with this gentle ah-beng look alike were done in English! It was a pleasant first virtual auction experience. :)

My iPod Nano

Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is the iPod Nano (4GB : 1000 songs).
I got it as a gift for re-contracting my broadband service with Singnet.
I just redeemed it this evening, and hence this is now my iPod nano.

Wait a minute, I don't really need one. Mm..
The first thought was to give it away.
Wa... but who will accept such a gift, especially if they were to know the price of the item?

This item is currently selling at $438.
But this promotion package comes without the "Apple iPod nano Dock", unlike those being sold at the Apple Store. I understand the dock is current priced at $54.
Mm.. on second thought (was it greed), I decided to put it up on the Yahoo Auction site for sales.
The starting bidding price I set was $300.
Within 30 mins, a guy (possibly a gal) left me a question (without actually bidding it) to call him (possibly her), if I'm willing to close the deal at $310. Mm.. that's pretty agressive.
Is this item really such an hot item? Haha.. it is just my an iPod nano.

Random Recollection Series 2005/Part 9

(1) My nose is funny. I can't smell the perfume I am using just after a while. *Little pals and friends alike sometimes come to me, telling me how refreshing I smell, while I can't smell a thing. Heh.. I remember quite clearly when I first gave a thought of applying perfume (lightly). I was waiting for a friend (HF) as I was required to fetch him somewhere. When he entered the car, I noted a refreshing sense immediately. It felt quite good. Perhaps then, my car was pretty stale. Haha.. I noted he said that he was using CK be. From then on, I picked up the habit of applying a little perfume (with CK be being my starter). Though I can't smell it myself after a while, I don't mind letting people around me feels ... erm.. good. I have always like like something light and refreshing. Again, I must note it's rather subjective when taste is concerned. :)

(2) Bumper crop of long weekends next year. Such article appears in our local newspaper every year. We certainly know how to plan ahead. However, believe me, our superiors usually act faster than us. Haha.. but come to think about it, due to the nature of my work, such "game" doesn't apply to me leh.

(This article was published on 06/11/05 in Sunday Times)

(3) I realized many people may take a slightly different persona when online. Ha.. I just like to mention a particular case I experienced first hand. A *little pal seems to be always so shy and he claimed so, as well. He will never approach anyone to clarify his doubts. If he needs to come to me or my fellow colleagues to clarify some concepts, he would definitely drag a few more of his classmates along. But when online, erm... he would go on and on, and at times, the things he talks about can be *ahem.. a bit "rated", and I don't even find comfort in writing it out here. Haha..

(4) I was actually crazy enough to compile all the lyrics of the songs in the latest Jay's album - November's Chopin, neatly condensed in two pages. Okay, to further compound the craziness, I have done the like for his past 5 albums, and those were done in a single-page format. :P
I would not say I am a ardent fan of Jay, but some of his numbers are indeed impressive. For almost all (if not all) of his songs, lyrics are so important, if not I wouldn't be able to figure out what he is singing. Ha.. I shared this most recent compilation with quite many pals too. :)

Have I Changed?

Lately, quite many people come to me and tell me...

(1) You appear so different, nowadays.
(2) Are you stressed?
(3) You sound different.
(4) You appear more serious, lately.

- - - -

I thought I am fine. I thought I am not that affected.
Perhaps, I am "letting out" by other means. Mm..
Probably, I am still in the process of getting used to it. Mm..
Presumably, I am coping okay. Mm..

Surely, life goes on. Let's look ahead and maintain the optimism of life.

Deep within, I don't think I have changed.

10-Course Chinese Dinner of ...

On what kind of occasion will we attend a full 10-course Chinese dinner with friends and relatives around? Ha.. not a wedding this time. It's a 大寿 of the mother of one of my closest pals and I was invited along. Actually I can't tell the technical difference between a wedding dinner or this dinner I had attended.

(a) There was table arrangement. Alltogether about 15 tables, Okay! Just that the ones ushering us in are the grand-children or great-grand-children of the 寿星.
(b) The first dish was not the usual cool-plate. The content? Steaming hot 寿桃(莲蓉包 lah).
(c) There was also a MC. The MC being her grand-daughter, an undergrad.
(d) There were welcoming party and the farewell party. Oh, I am referring to the people standing at the entrance to welcome the guest and standing at the exit to see the guests off. They were made up by her sons and daughters-in-law.
(e) Alright, there wasn't a yam-seng team. Haha.. but we had enough merry noise around. They actually arranged to have a karaoke system set up within.

I can see that the 寿星 felt so happy as she was wearing a contented smile throughout the event.

Can we remember when we make our parents happy and contented? Haha.. In the (near) future to come, we may be parents ourselves. Perhaps then... perhaps then... we can truly appreciate what parental love is all about.

Random Recollection Series 2005/Part 8

(1) My modem has just been changed. I am just glad that I'm able to change some firewall settings of the modem myself, to allow more sensible traffic flow at some sites. Wa.. the TornadoTCP and TornadoUDP stuffs. Sounds pro right? Haha.. I played cheat one lah. Before the technician came by, I took a bit a time to print out the settings. So, I'm still the old IT-idiot me. Haiz..
Of course, still many thanks to Xiao Di for the initial introduction to the TCP and UDP. Thanks! :)

(2) I have just tried Yahoo Auctions. This is the first time I am accessing it and this is the first time I am trying to sell something online. I realized I have mixed feelings. I feel particularly good as it seems like a little IT break-through for me. The idea of even going to that site was unperceivable in the past. Heh..
At the same time, I feel not-so-comfortable. I'm pretty aware that, back in my mind, I am only trying to get rid of things I don't need, I don't want. Where's the spirit of “己所不欲、勿施于人”? Mm.. Okay, my only selling point will be I have decided to provide free delivery to anywhere locally. See, how eager I am to get rid of the things. Heh..

(3) I had a chance to talk to Mr Y. He just flew in from TW and will be setting off the next day to M'sia. The following day, he would have to set off to another country. He has many things in his calendar and his goals are crystal clear. Mr Y is always that encouraging and inspirational. Every encounter with him is somewhat a learning experience for me.
However, a little part of our conversation left me red-faced. Mm..
Mr Y : Nanzi 啊，你上一回带来的年轻朋友还好吗？
Me : Oh, 他还好。他只是表示有一点忙。
Mr Y : 他还在当兵吧？
Me : 是的。大概还有多八、九个月的时间吧。
Mr Y : 你好会带哦。他都那么乖。
Me : 没有啦。他本来的素质就很好。不是因为我啦。
Mr Y : 下一回你再看到他的话，请你帮我问候他好吗？
Me : 好啊。一定会。
- - -
This extracted bit of conversation might not make sense to all most readers. However, I wonder if anyone near me realized my face turned "lobster red".
I'm still feeling rather embarrassed. I mean I've not been a good example and frankly, I really don't know how to lead someone. Mm.. I shouldn't be despair, though. I can only strive to better myself, I think.

(4) I am really scared of politics. I heard almost first-hand how country X sent out their spies at the right time. These spies while in another country, settled down rather quickly. They even condemn talk bad about their own country, to let people lost guard of their real intent. People believe them because the bad things they talked about were well-published.
When I say "settled down", it could be just landing in a simple job like road-sweeper. They could be everywhere, just beside us. They work in teams and are pressurized to report periodically, or else!
Mm.. (The vagueness in the content is intended.)
Oh, people around me are also beginning to suspect me now. Why? ...
I claimed that I'm a Singaporean but has never reported for Reservist. Aiyah, I don't think I'm smart enough to be a spy lah. Haha..

Highways in M'sia

Highways in M'sia.
Mind you, there are long stretches of road without lamp-posts at all. That is when we can experience moon-lit roads. Think about "moon-less" nights.. haha.. okay.. how about rainy "moon-less" nights??
However, I think I enjoy driving along these moon-lit stretches alone at late, deep nights, where cars are indeed so few.

Yes, with no lamp-post, with no head-light from other cars except mine, with just the only moon and a few stars, it can be rather dark. What's so exciting about it then? Haha.. I just like the way I am "greeted" by the neatly arranged reflectors along these supposedly dark stretches of road, on both sides.

These reflectors reflect the head-lights of the car. But only those about 100 to 200 metres in front of us will be the "active" ones, due to the way the head-lights are dipped down. Hence, there are always two reasonably long trails of reflectors reflecting lights just in front of us, leading us ahead. When the roads are meandrous, the bright trails of reflectors will follow in style as we travel along. I find this being the most lovely and even welcoming part of the journey.

I am just back from such a journey only a few hours ago.
I admit, the thought of "what if my car were to break down there and then" did went through my mind, before the journey. Ha.. the meandrous trails of reflectors must be mesmerizing enough for me to "forget" the concern.

Lift Buttons

When we walked into a multi-storey complex and we need to access a higher level. What do we first thing of? Mm.. Where’s the lift? Right!
A typical arrangement of (some of) the lift buttons may be :

By our training, I believe we know exactly what these buttons stand for.
However, just today, I wonder what gets into me, I begin to find such arrangement a little strange.

Let's look at the sequence :

. . . , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1 , -1 , -2 , . . . .

Do you know what’s amiss???

Ha.. yes! The zero is missing.
The sequence should be :

. . . , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1 , 0 , -1 , -2 , . . . .

Therefore, shouldn’t all lift buttons be :

Button zero shall refer to ground floor. :)
Mathematically, it makes better sense. But again, the process of un-learning (the existing system) and re-learning (this suggested system) is almost unthinkable.

I was talking about this silly idea to a friend. You know what? He said Germany is using my this suggested system. Wow! Am I supposed to feel clever? :P

Random Recollection Series 2005/Part 7

Just the other day...

(1) A lady friend came to me and was telling me she went shopping... erm... she added that she'd noticed an apparel at a particularly shop... she continued to describe that piece of apparel, the location of the shop. Nothing new so far, right? *Ahem, she finally added,"That jacket will surely look very nice on you." Wa.. I was in her mind even while she was shopping?! :P

(2) I survived the entire day with only a plate of cut-fruits and a few pieces of biscuits. Ha.. no worries. I wasn't torturing myself. In fact, I was feeling a little light(er) and erm.. good! It was a long day. I was out before the sun-rise and only returned around mid-night. Observably, the pals I was with appeared more tired than me. Ha.. I was driving and they were sleeping. Mm.. perhaps, occasional light meals may be nice. :)

(3) I realized East Coast Park can be rather pleasant at night. Perhaps, it was a breezy night without much crowd. Perhaps, it was just the company.
As I was returning (walking back to my car), a few scenes caught my attention :
- A teenager was trying to show off his riding skill on his bike to his girl friend nearby. He was somewhat trying to perform a little stunt, but he fell. Erps.
- I was walking past a pond. There was a light drizzle and the tiny raindrops began to hit on the surface of the pond. With a little light-play by the few lamp-posts nearby, the equally tiny splashes caused by those tiny raindrops became glitters on the pond surface. I think that was pretty lovely.

(4) Looking back, I only really started blogging this year July, although an account with Blogger/Blogspot was created sometime back in November last year. However, back then I just didn't really do anything. I laughed at my own entries and they never survived more than 2 days (I deleted them almost the next day). Now, I even make an effort to write a little everyday, whenever possible. Of course, some writings were too atrocious and they were cast away for good.
This is such a "public" area and I wouldn't know who's reading? Haha.. but is that important? Maybe it's a good place to practise what we call "responsible writing". Nevertheless, it's also quite a good training ground to brush up my writings.
Thanks for the various feedback (by some kind readers) on the errors I had made (in writing) so far. :)