Men and women

Men rule by day. Women rule by night.
Men perform deeds in public. Women undo them in private.
Men make history. Women make legend. Legend lasts longer.
Men conquer bodies. Women conquer hearts. Hearts feel longer.
Men think. Women dream. Dreams create the future.
Men fight. Women bring light.
Men make laws. Women make ways.
Men build. Women make the building live.

Source: Starbook

From 3D to 2D

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Yes, we can

Obama got elected as President (:

Check out his election speech, it's fantastic.

Part 1


Part 2


Transcript of the speech (Click)

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

Why do we buy it?

Extremely good script on love (:

fencing

wow, saw this amazing photo at http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/womens_olympic_fencing.html

a simple book

haha this chanced upon me out of the blue and I've decided to start little book where I think I'll paste photos of groups of people who have played a significant role in my JC life. There's always a chance that I may get lazy and decide not to print photos out, so my backup is to allow these friends to leave a quote behind, a quote that may ideally be reflective of them, so that years down the road when I look back at the book, these little words can serve to remind me of each and every unique and precious individual who has left an imprint on this eventful yet short-lived journey. =)

1.

Dear friends, good luck for econs tomorrow! Since the school demands As from us, let's be good students and supply it (: Let's also try to monopolzie the paper ad use the supernormal grades to spur us on for prelims! haha and finally, don't let the high barriers of entry to the dean's list daunt you k, jiayou!

haha sent this early today at around lunch time because Bedok library is simply too cold and I needed to do something to warm my fingers up.

The Smartest Response
Sure, and thx for providing this public good called encouragement ;) you will see the marginal external benefit appear soon.
haha wow Royce that's a really good example of a public good

The Sweetest Response
Limited resources, unlimited wants, hopefully there will be no trade happening. Moving out our productivity capacity to get better! Take care Nic you defy the law of supply with unlimited love and care.
thanks Jiaying that's so nice of you!

The Funniest Response
May you have the macro picture in your head tomorrow and trade your mugging for good grades! You may be a senile industry but don't worry there will be measures taken to protect those like you :D
haha Wan Joo is just -.-" but it's still quite funny haha

and thanks to everyone else for your heartwarming responses =D

If you have time for only one article tonight, read the Budget 2008.
http://www.singaporebudget.gov.sg/speech_p2/p2.html
It's really quite informative. I bet you can definitely use it in tomorrow's exam ;)

reminder

haha damz, Nigel reminded me of how much there is left to study for. sigh. But nvm I have faith in my own abilities (:

Handing over to the 28ths in the morning was fun! haha basically gave them an insight to welfare's jobscope and it really reminds me how fast time has past. We wanted to handover certain important guiding philosophies that may help provide some direction in the coming year ahead, and after wrecking our brains, we came up with three!

1. Stop playing with toys -> Be realistic
haha there's a whole story behind this point. Too lazy to write it out. Ask me if you want to know xD

2. Always extend yourself out of the boundaries -> Self-explanatory
It's along the lines of my favourite quote mentioned in the previous post =)

3. Heartship in hardship -> Amidst difficulties, care.
In short, try to stay in tune with your houseD/house councillors' feelings and show care and concern for them, especially during their stress periods aka functions/cca peaks. A little care can go a long way to making a person feel much better.

haha I really like the 3rd one, especially since its arrival was marked by spontaneity.

Today was pretty good. Somehow my studying methods have been altered on a microscale subconsciously and I only noticed its increased efficiency when working on COMPLEX NUMBERS (haha which isn't really very complex). mmm looks like there are ways to studying smart after all, one of which is to read up more: out-of-syllabus material, while not entirely relevant, helps in improving understanding of our fundamentals and hence directly improves our grasp and utility of the various concepts. =)

SIGH.
I need to take some time off mugging soon and not use it to play PES/DOTA or watch videos or read anime.

I need to think.

Tragedy of the Commons
It occurs when free access and unrestricted demand for a finite resource ultimately structurally dooms the resource through over-exploitation. This occurs because the benefits of exploitation accrue to individuals or groups, each of whom is motivated to maximize use of the resource to the point in which they become reliant on it, while the costs of the exploitation are distributed among all those to whom the resource is available (which may be a wider class of individuals than that which is exploiting it). This, in turn, causes demand for the resource to increase, which causes the problem to snowball to the point in which the resource is exhausted.

boredom

Increasingly, these empty moments are being saturated with productivity, communication, and the digital distractions offered by an ever-expanding array of slick mobile devices. A few years ago, cellphone maker Motorola even began using the word "microboredom" to describe the ever-smaller slices of free time from which new mobile technology offers an escape.

We are most human when we feel dull. Lolling around in a state of restlessness is one of life's greatest luxuries -- one not available to creatures that spend all their time pursuing mere survival. To be bored is to stop reacting to the external world, and to explore the internal one.

There is a strong argument that boredom -- so often parodied as a glassy-eyed drooling state of nothingness -- is an essential human emotion that underlies art, literature, philosophy, science, and even love.

Paradoxically, as cures for boredom have proliferated, people do not seem to feel less bored; they simply flee it with more energy, flitting from one activity to the next. Ralley has noticed a kind of placid look among his students over the past few years, a "laptop culture" that he finds perplexing. They have more channels to be social; there are always things to do. And yet people seem oddly numb. They are not quite bored, but not really interested either.

The Joy of Boredom

there are too many distractions at home. i think i shall go school and mug tomorrow. the advent of technology has introduced a plethora of slick gadgets that saturates our lives, filling our empty moments with infinite distractions and creating endless possibilities for our minds to be engaged in.

we have become so conditioned to being busy that we have lost ourselves in the whirlwind of activities. we have deserted the time we used to spend in our inner sanctuaries to reflect and explore for external opportunities to expend our energy. but without these little pockets of time to immerse ourselves in thoughts and ideas, we subconsciously become more restless. we gradually lose our personal identity to the various subcultures of our society, subconsciously conforming to the popular trends.

and so, step back from the flurry of activities and start delving into boredom! haha just don't start now. finish your mugathorn before you start learning how to be bored and permeate every second of your 'microboredom' with facts, figures and techniques! haha i better start practising what i preach. ><

lit.

the little boy: explained

"why is it easier to talk to some people more than others?" the little boy asked the little girl one day.
the girl paused to think about the question, before answering,
"i think it's because these people listen with their ears, while others listen with their mouths."

hahaha i think teenagers these days have been so saturated with ideals of romance and notions of love that they tend to filter everything they observe through these rose-tinted prism of theirs. simple stories of friendship, understanding, creativity among other values have been misconstrued to be a signal of one's craving for love and attention. such a severe misunderstanding indeed!

to be honest, 'the little boy' stories are embedded with different meanings, constructed to convey certain values, and fashioned in varying contexts. as such, while one may be inclined to associate all of them with 'love', a term which many people assume they understand very well, it is simply too sweeping a generalisation to make.

i am a complex person, and a complicated person needs a labyrinthine medium to express his sophisticated thoughts =D haha and since it's too time-consuming to write poems all the time, what better way is there than to illustrate these musings in a story? haha ya so it's that simple really =)

mmm but i must admit, love is an interesting topic, especially when discussed among people who have had no prior experience! just thinking of the random theories and comical dialogues i've had with friends makes me feel like laughing out loud xD yes yes bachelor scouties have the funniest ideas and the things they do to in the name of love are equally intriguing and amusing. sometimes no balls, sometime too bold, in the end ggxxed. haha oh well.

and my bro has some weird theory that guys who do not get attached by jc are gays. oh man, won't that make the population of Singapore full of gays? =S

let's take lit. because life is tough.

Romantic love can spring from infatuation and sexual attraction alone, but the deepest love between partners depends on shared emotional resonance over features of life they both consider most significant. The irony of this loving relationship--commonly identified as friendship--is that the two persons often find their common value while searching for value itself; they discover themselves in a meeting of minds engaged in the same quest.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20011101-000002.html

what to do for valentine's? haha i am torn between not doing anything to doing a lot of things. sigh, what ambivalent feelings.

raj wants to mass spam something like last year. hmmm maybe should think of something this year too. but oh well...

ihc cybergaming! haha oh man there is a pressure to defend the dota title. rold and gang whole day say bb can win, but a lot depends on the draws too - for all we know, we could be playing the mr/bw j2 teams for first round? that would be certainly challenging, seeing how they are purportedly the strongest teams for the competition, with generally experienced players.

but certainly, a high amount of unpredictability and uncertainty is intrinsic in the game, and all it takes is a few mistakes to unravel the tapestry of the team, spiralling into a quagmire that will eventually lead to the team's demise. haha but then again, luck is preparation meeting fortune, so i just hope my team is well-prepared.

and we're meeting the grassroots on monday! haha i'm actually quite excited at meeting them =) this year's structure for grassroots is more formalized and improved, and i really hope bb's grassroots will take off well. and welfare comm rawks! so glad there are so many sign-ups for welfare =D thinking about the many projects under welfare already got me feeling excited for them! haha

mmm cny goodies are nice. esp pineapple tarts =)

SYMPOSIUM...

the little boy had to write lines as punishment.

concentrating hard, he almost did not see the note that was slid under the door.

he went over and picked it up.

drawn on the note was a sad smiley face.

the little boy smiled.

two lines and a curve had just made his day.

WAS GREAT! hahaha it was very enriching and insightful, and really allowed us to get a better grasp of the student councils from jcs like nyjc, njc, pjc, vjc and hcjc, as well as gain greater perspective. most importantly, we learnt a lot of good practices by other councils that can really help our council become more efficient, disciplined and united =D

LIKE fining people late for meetings $4 with additional 10 cents for every minute late. imba? cheo will totally become bankrupt.

the size of other councils really begs the question whether our council is too large. mmm but that would be something to discuss another day.

oh we saw the mass dances of other councils too! very nice and entertaining. hahaha it was truly the highlight of the day, watching the performances. but of course, it couldn't be compared to the ideas and perspectives gained today. =D

all in all, students' council symposium rawked! hahaha and here are some of the designs created for scs =)

art

Those who give it their time and love are offered the chance to live more expansive, more enjoyable and deeper lives. They can learn to care intimately about music, painting and books that have lasted for centuries or millennia. They can reach around the globe for the music, the images and the stories they want to make their own. At its best, art dissolves time; only through art can we catch a glimpse of what life was like in ancient Greece or medieval Spain or pre-modern Japan.

http://www.nationalpost.com/story-printer.html?id=eeb745c4-6ed2-4cda-952f-4fa432894cbd

today was packed. from the moment i woke up till i left house for hike, i had to hardcore through symposium design xD and there was housed meeting AND I MISSED OG OUTING AGAIN! sadness. and haven't finished designing the bookmarks yet. haha oh well.

hike was ok i guess.

ok im tired.

6 billion people

At this moment, there are 6,470,818,671 people in the world. Some are running scared. Some are coming home. Some tell lies to make it through the day. Others are just now facing the truth. Some are evil men, that war with good. And some are good, struggling with evil. 6 billion people in the world. 6 billion souls. And sometimes, all you need is one.
Peyton Sawyer

There are six billion people on this planet
But I'll only ever fall in love with two
One is a black and white photo of Grace Kelly
And the other you might like to know is you

There are six billion people on this planet
And you'd think in all this time I'd find some more
I've looked in both the city and the country
But you're the only one that my heart's beating for

hahaha so coincidental to find stuff of almost the same context, one manifesting in a speech whereas the other is described in a song.

CHRISTMAS!

FINALLY LAUNCHED THE BB BLOG! CHECK IT OUT AT
http://bucklebuckley.blogspot.com! =)

hahaha firstly i got corrected by mandy when i used 'xmas', which is WRONG, because you're crossing out CHRIST. so stop using XMAS! use CHRISTMAS!

haha and i read this interesting christmas poem on kangqi's blog, so i decide to kope it. thanks kq! =)

SANTA'S SECRET WISH
On Christmas Eve,
a young boy with light in his eyes,
Looked deep into Santa's, to Santa's surprise,
And said as he nestled on Santa's broad knee,
"I want your secret, tell it to me."

He leaned up & whispered in Santa's good ear,
"How do you do it, year after year?"
"I want to know how, as you travel about,
Giving gifts here & there, you never run out.

How is it, dear Santa, that in your pack of toys,
You have plenty for all of the world's girls & boys?
Stays so full, never empties as you make your way
From rooftop to rooftop, to homes large & small,

From nation to nation, reaching them all?
And Santa smiled kindly & said to the boy,
"Don't ask me hard questions.
Don't you want a toy?"

But the child shook his head, and Santa could see
That he needed the answer. "Now listen to me,"
He told the small boy with the light in his eyes,
"My secret will make you sadder & wise.

"The truth is that my sack is magic. Inside
It holds millions of toys for my Christmas Eve ride.
But although I do visit each girl & each boy
I don't always leave them a gaily wrapped toy.

Some homes are hungry, some homes are sad.
Some homes are desperate, some homes are bad.
Some homes are broken, & children there grieve.
Those homes I visit, but what should I leave?

"My sleigh is filled with the happiest stuff,
But for homes where despair lives,
toys aren't enough.
So I tiptoe in, kiss each girl & boy,
And pray with them that they'll be given the joy

Of the spirit of Christmas, the spirit that lives
In the heart of the dear child who gets not,
but gives.
If only God hears me & answers my prayer,
When I visit next year, what I will find there

Are homes filled with peace,
and with giving, and love
And boys and girls gifted with light from above.
It's a very had task, my smart little brother,
To give toys to some,
and to give prayers to others.

But the prayers are the best gifts,
the best gifts indeed,
For God has a way of meeting each need.
"That's part of the answer.
The rest, my dear youth,
Is that my sack is magic, And that is the truth.

In my sack I carry on Christmas Eve day
More love than a Santa could e'er give away.
The sack never empties of love, or of joys
'Cause inside it are prayers, and hopes.
Not just toys.

The more that I give, the fuller it seems,
Because giving is my way of fulfilling dreams.
"And do you know something?
You've got a sack, too.
It's as magic as mine, and it's inside of you.

It never gets empty, it's full from the start.
It's the centre of lights, and of love. It's your heart.
And if on this Christmas you want to help me,
Don't be so concerned with your gifts
'neath your tree.

Open that sack, call your heart, & share
Your joy, your friendship, your wealth, your care."
The light in the small boy's eyes was glowing.
"Thanks for the secret. I've got to be going."

"Wait, little boy," said Santa "don't go.
Will you share? Will you help?
Will you use what you know?"
And just for a moment the small boy stood still,
Touched his heart with his small hand & whispered,

"I will."

nice =) the wonders of love never fail to amaze.

haha then joseph randomly sent me some physics facts/proof regarding christmas and santa on msn. lol so i shall spam it here too -

The physics behind Santa's existence.Santa's Workload
There are two billion children in the world, but since Santa doesn't appear to handle the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and Buddhist children, that reduces his workload to 15% of the total, or 300 million. At an average rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 85.7 million homes. Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to different time zones and the rotation of the Earth, assuming he travels from east to west. This works out to 767.9 visits per second. So for each household with good children, Santa has about 1/1,000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the presents, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, into the sleigh and move on to the next house.

The Time-Distance Factor
Assuming that these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed about the Earth, we're talking about .78 miles per household, a total trip of 75.5 million miles.

Calculation of Estimated Speed
This means Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, or 3,000 times the speed of sound.

Santa's Payload
Assuming each child gets nothing more than a medium-size Lego set (about 2 pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting Santa who is invariably described as "heavy". On land, reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds, and even granting that flying reindeer can pull 10 times the normal amount, Santa is going to need 214,200 reindeer to pull his sleigh. This increases the payload to 353,430 tons, or four times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth.

CONCLUSION
A craft of 353,000 tons, traveling at 650 miles per second, creates enormous air resistance. This will heat up Mr. Claus and his sleigh like a spacecraft re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.

If there is a Santa, he's toast.

hahaha it's sort of crazy - the calculations.

anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS! haha and i finished season 1 of heroes. wheeeeeeeeee season 2 looks quite exciting =D

life is like a cookie.

hahaha ok first, BORO BEATS ARSENAL 2-1! wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! so now the title race is blown open! hahaha nice.

thanks everyone who tried to cheer me up haha you guys have succeeded! =)
i think it was just my lack of sleep coupled with my prevailing flu and cough that made me so sad. hehe but it's better now!

anyway, life is certainly interesting! we often find many insightful analogies to relate back to our daily lives, using these signs around us to convey positive and encouraging messages. why are we able to find them in such abundance? is it simply because of our human intellect and ability to perceive things and construct them in varying fashions to suit our needs? after all, many controversial issues arise because of a difference in mindset and perception, with ostensible examples being torture, abortion and euthanasia.

but i do not think so. i think there is purpose and intention inherent in our daily seemingly-mundane articles of life, waiting patiently for us to find it, 'to see with new eyes' as mark twain puts it. for example, let us just take a look at a cookie. an ordinary cookie. nothing special about it. it's just one of a million, perhaps even more, of the same product. but it can provide such thought-provoking ideas.

life is like a cookie, ben says. he never tells me why.
my original interpretation was that life is like a cookie as we will always leave crumbs behind. these crumbs, however, vary. if we are careful, perhaps we won't leave behind any. if we are careless, we could potentially leave a mess behind. but whatever it is, we have a choice. and life is about choices.

yet, on hindsight, i have a different interpretation of it now. life is like a cookie. there are many ways we can eat it, but eventually, we will still have to finish it. so eat it in an exciting manner, thrilling fashion! nibble it, bite it, chew on it! live life the way it should be - fun and productive, interesting and optimistic!

yihui shares her inspiring analogies on life.
1. life is like photography - we develop from the negatives.
2. life is also like a novel - we write a new page every day.
3. life is like a coin, we can spend it anyway we want, but we can only spend it once. so live life with a smile, because we only live it once.
4. life is like the moon. it has different phases, but in fact, it never changes. it's how we view it.

so cool right! haha so i begin to ask around what others feel life is to them as well. mmm and i got some very interesting responses too!

lynette says:
i think life is like.. a cup of coffee? it's bitter but its up to you to make it sweet.

ben says:
life is like a cookie.
life is like a donut.

zhiying says:
life is like an onion - there are so many layers to it!

ye wei says:
your life is yours, no one else has a hold on it, and every day, every decision is in your hands. you are your only way of getting the best for yourself.

wanjoo says:
it is so awesome, but so complicated; yet so simple, and so confusing; and so unfair, but awesome overall!

XXX says:
life is all about girls.

hahaha the last one is super funny XD. personally, i feel that life is like the sun - we have our sunrises, we have our sunsets. but no matter what, we can still light up the world!

hahaha this is so exciting and interesting! and all of them are so inspiring!

so, tell me what YOU feel life is about!
haha on msn, in person, blog, anywhere! i'm really interested to know. =)

oh and vinod tells me that FAMILY actually stands for Father And Mother, I Love You.
life certainly keeps her best surprises well-hidden in commonplaces.

time

Hope, Paul said to me once, which whispered from Pandora’s box only after all the other plagues and sorrows had escaped, is the best and last of all things. Without it, there is only time. And time pushes at our backs like a centrifuge, forcing us outward and away, until it nudges us into oblivion... It’s a law of motion, a fact of physics... Like all things in the universe, we are destined from birth to diverge. Time is simply the yardstick of our separation. If we are particles in a sea of distance, exploded from an original whole, then there is a science to our solitude. We are lonely in proportion to our years.

Rule of Four

Doesn't it sound so sad, and yet spell so much truth at the same time?

mmm haha anw no time to blog! i think bus rides are sian >< but the pacific ocean is =)

and shaun seems gay. xD hahhah

day 2

hahaha i'm still awake at such a late hour. i must be crazy. too much to write, too much to talk. next time i should just close msn. xD hahaha

Mmm. Nothing very eventful. hahaha just a lot of photo-taking again xD

...there’s a certain distance now, a feeling that while we have a lot in common, good fences still make good neighbours.

I rarely read a book twice, and the same applies to movies and everything else. And to take up Rule of Four after a few years was something unexpected for me. I realise that reading it through the second time, I begin to notice little nuances I have never seen before, and see things in a better light. Sometimes, I think I must really learn to cultivate patience in repetition.

haha talking to some friends made me realise something – in everyone’s life, there is a code to be broken, a code to be deciphered, a code to be understood. Some choose to express them in riddles, whereas others mask them behind commonplace words. Languages, songs and everyday references – none is spared in this endless game we all play to amuse ourselves, and to protect ourselves.

We all have fragile hearts, and it is the means by which we choose to shield them that makes us all different in many ways. Some prefer to layer this glass sculpture with fortified barricades, thinking that detachment is the best course of defence. Others do it the radical way – they open up their beautiful treasure chest for all to see, and let their friends become their natural barriers, just like how the sea protects the defenceless coast. Actually, talking about this makes me feel slightly abashed – after all, who am I to talk about such matters when I often layer my actions with symbols, waiting for someday when someone will finally wind their way into my labyrinth, and understand the mysteries that define me.

This reminds me of an analogy I once thought of – that humans are like oysters. We choose to conceal the stunning gem of a person we are with a dull and ordinary shell that many are oft to overlook. I wonder why. But then again, we are all silly people leading silly lives. That’s why I find life so interesting – we don’t do what we are expected to do.

hahaha bomb there’s like no mention of my amazing vacation thus far. Ok ok the photos are still with my sister. We went to some interesting tourist landmark by the coast. Looking at the vast sea often gives me a sense of wonderment and unexplained happiness. The violent waves crushing one another in a stampede to determine who could smash against the rocks first; the occasional ship ambling in the quiescent waters; and the many undefined rocks that Mankind have imposed different interpretations on. haha, in fact, the only downside was that the pants I wore seemed to be at least 5cm larger than my waist so it’s kinda like drooping all the time. Extremely irritating, and there were quite a few times I had to make readjustments to prevent a potential embarrassing scene in front of everyone ><

The bus ride was quite productive – I’ve almost completed my War Games proposal! hahaha it promises to be extremely exciting and exhilarating for both the organizers and scout participants. Can’t wait to explain it in full to my fellow scouties.

Somehow, escaping from the workload, the pressure, the expectations and everyone to a world new world has helped boost my engine of creativity. I think I am able to come up with more ideas and initiatives during this time. hahaha I shall take up on some of these thoughts once I get back to Singapore. mmm

Sometimes, I really wonder how some people can make me wonder so much.

day 1

hahahaha there's internet access in this 5-star hotel! =)

SIA has really improved greatly in a decade. I could still recall the time when airplane food smelt so bad that it provoked a messy response from my mouth. During those days, games were the preferred choice of entertainment, for the movies provided were either too old or too boring. Today, it is no longer the same. Food was excellent and I would think that many might even ask for seconds were such an option provided. As for movies, I was totally enthralled and amazed by the wide array of movies available for viewing. When I saw that ‘Stardust’ was available for watching, I was pleasantly surprised and actually felt excited about it, for the bb27ths had planned to watch it on the coming Monday, which I would have to miss out on since I’m on holiday. And ‘Stardust’ was really da bomb! It was flawless – everything from the plot, to the actors, to design and animation, to graphics, to songs and music was perfectly woven into a heart-warming and, at times, amusing show that never fails to surprise the audience with unexpected twists and turns. Even if we all know that it will ultimately have a ‘happy-ever-after’ ending, it was done so artfully and tastefully that leaves viewers with a lasting aftertaste and a desire to want to watch it over and over again! Stardust is =)

You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn’t true. I know a lot about love. I’ve seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate… It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves… You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and… What I’m trying to say, Tristan is… I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I’d know it for myself. My heart… It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it’s trying to escape because it doesn’t belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I’d wish for nothing in exchange - no gifts. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine.

Once we have alighted from the plane, the first word that struck my mind when I saw the tour group my family has enrolled into was – ‘old’. Really, there were only 1 or 2 teenagers, apart from us, and the rest of the people are much older. Oh well, there goes the fairytale. haha, what fairytale, you might ask? Well, when I was young, I naively believed that when I go overseas, I would meet a girl whom I like and eventually fall in love with her. As such, even though experience had worn out the comfortable fantasy I used to believe in, the subconscious part of me must have recalled bits of the battered dream as my eyes roam to find out the composition of the tour group.

Dinner with my father’s old friend was interesting. Apart from the usual selection of Chinese food that was filling and nice, our sumptuous meal also comprises exotic food that I have never tried before. There was this mustard thingy (can’t remember what it’s called) that tasted quite awful – it was like the cousin of wasabi or something. I ate one and never touched it again. There was another wasabi-like food, and after trying it, I came to the reasonable conclusion that wasabi could be used to serve prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. After all, it inflicts such great torture on our taste buds. But again, there are people who acquired the taste for such weird food. Mmm, our world is really round.

I was reading The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason on the airplane just now and a particular line in the book has left a deep impression on me.

Strange thing, time. It weighs most on those who have it least.

How true.

Right now, as I recall my experience of contained excitement and joy at playing Final Fantasy Anniversary on my brother’s PSP, I begin to realise why so many people of different background all around the world are so hooked onto these virtual games. The most ostensible reason will be that they allow us to escape into a different world and assume multiple characters, showering us with a multitude of options and choices. They grant us the feeling of control over our own destiny – or rather, the character’s destiny in the game – and allow us to relieve our innate desires of being the hero of a fairytale, the prince or princess of a story, or even the dreaded villain that everyone hates. But most importantly, it is the only medium that provides the opportunity for us to ‘turn back time’ and make changes in the game, that is. How many of us have consciously, or even subconsciously, wished to travel back through time and correct the past mistakes that have marred our lives? How many of us have wished that our lives could ‘restart’ and be played all over again? However, no matter how tempting games might be, they are still fantasy, whereas we are still living in reality. There are some things that nothing else in life can substitute or replace, warp or distort – our lives just happen to be one of them.

It is 12.41am now. Taiwan and Singapore has no time zone difference. I think I will start preparing the proposals for War Games and Human Chess. Camp is impending. =)

companions vs friends

hahaha here's something very interesting and thought-provoking.

'Companionship is the feeling of closeness that comes whenever people work together, play together or pursue common goals. You see it all the time: office workers chatting during lunch breaks; football players enjoying a drink after a game..

Companionship and friendship are not the same. Companionship is often called friendship, and many people when they speak of their friends mean only their companions. But it is not Friendship in the sense i wish to give the word.

"..In the friendship i speak of, our souls mingle and blend with each other so completely that they efface the seams that joined them."-Michel de Montaigne

There is no doubt that companionship is a good thing; and companions are friends, of a sort. But they are friends with a small "f"- no substitute for the intimate friends we all want and need. Our closest and dearest friends start out as mere companions- but then something sets them apart.'

yihui|mind your body article by Gary Hayden.

=)

and i'm off to taiwan from 16th to the 22nd! haha and i love highlights! especially finale sscomm! hahaha it's been fun working with the finalists and highlighters! mmm orientation.