We'll get there

FRRO remixed

2011-10-24T01:43:00.003+08:00

I had to go to the FRRO again to get my employment pass extended and it was an unexpectedly enjoyable process. I was in the queue behind this beautiful persian lady with her mom and she smiled so sweetly at me I had to smile back. She is a dentist who just graduated from a school in Bangalore and she said i have good teeth.

She asked: "Do you like India?"

"Yep, I like India for many things. Even though i'm still coping with the pollution."

She looked at me with this smirk, "Oh come on, you don't really like India do you? you can tell me don't worry." I love this girl even though I honestly do like India but its attractive to meet someone who can open up so easily and be so honest with.

I asked: " Do you like Indian food?" thinking that if she doesn't like India, its probably because of the food. Its like me and Spain just don't get along well.

"I don't really like spicy food. I know most people do, you like it right? (I nodded) When I have to eat Indian food, I usually swallow them down."

I couldn't stop laughing.

We talked about Persia, Asia, culture, food, arts, education - the world. I missed her already. Her candid personality just made my day.

Alleppey backwaters

2011-10-12T01:18:00.001+08:00

I was out on a weekend trip to Kerala backwaters. Initially, I thought it will kinda be like the Nubian experience, coasting down the Nile river, but backwaters is essentially a huge pool of water where people live on literally so you are really going in big circles.

What makes it so special was the space and fresh air which are both scarce in Bangalore. As soon as we landed, we were welcomed by our guide who drove us to the houseboat. My first impression wasn’t great as there were bugs everywhere. It reminded me of my cheap backpacking trip through Kenya, when a little clean water and a tent above our heads made us happy kids.

I was surprised at my natural reflex when a grasshopper jumped onto my arm and in a split of a second, I flicked it off so casually as if I do it every day. Luckily, dinner was yummy and kinda took our mind away from the dirt around us. The people were really welcoming, taking us on a late boating trip when they are not allowed to set sail at night due to regulations. The night scene was spectacular. The silhouette of the coconut trees swaying in the grey navy sky, with occasional mating croaks and a couple of curious fish peeking at us, sending ripples in the shiny black water. I remember the moon to be a ripe orangey colour, looked almost like cheddar cheese.

The next morning, we were transferred to another houseboat which was fully air conditioned and generally cleaner than the previous one. We were coasting along the back water, looking at padi fields and people in their daily lives. Once in a while you can see trails of tourism but luckily this place is still pristine in its own unique way.

We went for an Aryuvedic massage which is a very unique massage in Kerala. It was completely awkward but after while I got used to it. Chris was terrified by the entire massaging process; he swore never to do it again. We had to go completely naked and you do get touched in places where it can get awkward. For girls maybe its not too bad but guy on guy action might prove a bit too much for some. We went to the local market and explored the area. I like how untouched by tourism this place is compared to other places in India but on the other hand, many of the conveniences you find elsewhere are not available because of the very same reason.

We went to Cochin after Alleppey and we were underwhelmed by the “attractions” that we went to. We were brought to a palace but really, it looks just like a big house which isn’t even as grand as the houses in West Vancouver. At the end of the trip, we were good friends with the guide who is very thoughtful and considerate throughout the whole time.

Later, I heard from the Cab driver that Kerala has the highest female to male ratio, and the best education in India. It sure doesn’t reflect that from its humble appearance.

Aishu's big day

2011-09-14T19:23:00.003+08:00

That girl,look at her beaming on that day.

It's my first time going to an arranged engagement. I am fascinated by the idea of arranged marriage, and going by that theory, there is no love at first sight if say, love at first sight and love being nurtured are mutually exclusive.

I spoke with Deepa who explained the institution of marriage in India to me. People do have a choice and arranged marriage now is more of an extra avenue to get to know more potential mates than being the only designated wedding march.

"Who is to say which institution of marriage is more successful?"

And its true, you no longer have to chat people up, or find ways to dig out information from his/her friends about their secret lives cause parents will be there to do all bank accounts, security, criminal, personality and basically background check (free of charge, haha). Cheaper and more efficient to get to know the opposite gender and you will get full fledged family support just because "mom, you got me this guy." But more effective or not, who knows?

Poori went through an arranged marriage and she looks so happily pregnant everyday. So when it was Aishu's turn, everyone was so excited including herself, blushing everytime we mentioned Bala.

Aishu and Bala were introduced to each other 3 months prior the engagement (with the purpose of eventually settling down together) and during this period, anyone can walk out on this family arrangement. Aishu likes him a lot from the way she talks about him, envisions their exciting future together; it makes me happy being in the process of such an event.

Umme, Meg and I arrived early at the auditorium (unexpected but was glad its indoor with a/c) with many people dressed up and looking attentively at the stage. The stage with the groom's family and a priest (i think) was occupied by many offerings of which most if not all are in pairs. The air is filled with a light incense smell along with a small hint of jasmine flowers. Girls, ladies and women were dressed in their colourful sarees with flowers embedded in their hair. Doing that makes the hair smells nicer (i'm gonna try that). The guys on the other hand seemed a little under dressed.

The ceremony started with both side of the family reading out in Tamil where each of the bride and groom are from, their ancestry lines and their family related lineages. Moving on there are an exchange of coconuts (coconuts are auspicious fruits), a rice throwing session and a lot more chanting. At one point, Aishu and the groom had to change into another set of clothes which were given to them by their in-laws signifying an exchange of good things and many more good things to come by. We were given sugar to eat on the spot to signify sweet times? I'm not sure, just happy its sugar not salt.

The reception ended with yummy vegetarian food and a goodie bag with orange, sweet, leaves and cloves in them. Its to signify the different 'tastes' of life of which none should be missing to have a fulfilling life.

I asked the girls, is this a way for you girls to meet single guys?

In unison, they said: "Its for single girls' moms to meet single guys' moms."

I just witnessed an arranged marriage that went successfully well. But when I put myself in a situation of such, I don't think I will be able to do it. I need to trust my family a lot in order for me to marry a man whom they picked for me, 3 months down the road. And I'm probably on every Indian's crossout list cause one of the main questions that the guy's family will always ask is:

"What is she able to cook?"

And Meg says, you need to know at least 3 dishes and 3 sweets to qualify. (See! I don't even qualify!)

You know what, I think its more useful to have 3 great numbers where you can get your deliveries from. Think about it, my 3 numbers can get you much more than 3 dishes and 3 desserts. Peace.

Engagement preparation

2011-09-12T00:21:00.004+08:00

Meghali came over to help me with the saree, it was a little complicated tying that piece of cloth around myself without actually getting myself tangled in the process. Umme came to pick us up and she is such a pro driver. Being in her car is like a roller coaster ride. Whenever she is approaching a junction, instead of slowing down to check for incoming vehicles, she sped up; while honking all the way. At one particular junction, another car was coming full speed trying to get onto the same lane. So both cars were honking but neither slowed down. Umme being the super gutsy, went ahead and increased her speed so the other car had no choice but to come to a full halt. I was stunned, and looked at both of them, they didnt show any hint of surprise. i bet they didn't even noticed that. Its just their everyday life.

Aishu carried a healthy glow at her wedding, she looked a little confused in the whole affair. It is as complicated as tying a saree. A lot of tamil words, a lot of interesting items on display, a lot of procedures. I'll elaborate tmr, gotta sleep.

Night out at Bridage Road

2011-09-10T11:49:00.007+08:00

After that indescribable experience with auto rickshaw, i swore under my breath that I wouldn't take the auto again until today, by a stroke of luck, i met Simon in the elevator. We hop onto the auto and he helped me find MOJO bar where I was meeting up with the girls.

Simon is an Australian British, a mix of both. He has lots of stories to tell and so many restaurants to recommend. I have never met a foreigner who has so much enthusiasm in immersing himself into the local culture. Very gentlemanly as well.

I met up with Ritika and Deepti at Bridgade road outside MOJO. Both have beautiful eyes with natural thick curly eye lashes. Deepti is a punjab and she has that bollywood movie actress feel. Light skin with dark eyes and very defined features. Ritika is also a north indian, her eyes are captivating and she has a natural ability to make you feel comfortable around her. Beer, masala papadam, fried egg pepper rice, chicken briyani and matar paneer; very strange combinations but very satisfying.

This area is the nightlife area where there are many pubs, shopping and restaurants. Full of lights, people walking around, bustling with tv and music from pubs and stores; i'm starting to see myself coming here more often. Because of how different I look, i have noticed that I do attract quite a bit of attention wherever I go. It has a positive correlation with the darkness of the sky as well. I'm usually quite comfortable in my skin but i can't say the same now and as much as I have tried to blend in (Kuptas and leggings), i still stood out like a sore thumb.

We went shopping a little with Deepti buying a cardigan. I realised that India isn't that cheap. The cheaper alternatives have similar prices as the steals in Bugis village and Bugis village has a larger selection as well. What I need to find are the local goods, the sarees are amazing! Talking about that, mine just came for Aishu's engagement tmr! Meg coming over to get dressed up before heading over to the party together.

I realised that Indians are very family oriented and they have very strict rules as compared to what I grew up with. They can't stay out too late and staying over at friend's place needs permission to be granted. I think for most of us, we only need to inform our parents and voila, off we go.

After a struggling time of saying good bye (cause Deepti wanted to spend more time but neither parents allow them to stay over at each other's places), I decided to go on an auto rickshaw on my own. I am determined i can travel the local way (mostly cause i know the direction too) and i couldn't resist that sense of adventure going on the auto all by myself at night. Luckily, the driver was super friendly and offered to show me Bangalore anytime I want, all I have to do is to give him a call. I'll think about it, maybe next week if Chris is able to come over. We'll see.

Penang trip is on, and so is the India trip with Wanjun and Steph, cheers!

Not too good

2011-09-07T22:14:00.005+08:00

FRRO was a long process that started at 8am till 1130am. But well, immigration related stuff is usually like that so thats ok. But after work was a different story.

I took the auto rickshaw, which I drove before in Kenya, to Commercial street today to get my Saree fixed up. Hopefully its in time for Aishwraya's engagement this sunday. I was kinda forced onto the rickshaw and I thought, let's make it quick, if i can make it before darkness, it should be ok.

Despite many people's warnings, I hop onto the auto rickshaw. I thought the guy was kinda nice and not too bad so it should be safe. We went to the tailor first and the saree should be delivered by friday night. I wanted to go back to the hotel after but the driver was pleading me to go into this store where he parked in front off. He made some kind of a deal with the owner that he will bring customers into the store in exchange for free parking space. Of course its also commission from what I spend.

Boy did i regret that, the owner was forceful to the point that I totally lost interest and he ended with "just buy one saree, its only a few thousand rupees for you, buy it for good luck!" The whole going back and forth went on for a good 15 awkward minutes. But erm, sorry mister I control my spending and you don't freaking tell me where i should spend it!

He was rather hostile at the end so i left in a hurry hoping to go back to the hotel. The driver then again forced me to go into this other shop. " Please please take a look, you don't have to buy anything cause every minute you spend in there i get money. so just look around"

I was being soft so I agreed to just take a look. They brought out so many sarees and the price started from 2500rupees and they slashed it to 1500rupees. They claim to be the best and cheapest and the reason why they dropped their prices is because they want to get good luck for sales in the evening. So I told them, i'm sorry i can't bring you luck this evening then, maybe i'll bring you luck tomorrow evening if i really like that saree. I was being too freaking nice to these people. He totally snubbed me and was completely pissed that I wasted his time (and brought him bad luck?).

The driver then saw me empty handed, forced me to buy saying he respect me and i should buy to show him respect, like WTF? Respect is earned not given mister! So I told him fiercely to drive me back to the hotel and he dropped me off at some weird random places and ask me to walk. I couldn't be bothered to quarrel with him and I don't wanna be in his company as it is dark outside already. I threw him a dirty look and gave him the money and walked away. I was fuming!

Even though it was dark and you can feel Indian men staring at you, I was more mad than scared. At any point if any one was to come disturb that equilibrium that I was trying to maintain, I would have thrown a fist and not let go without a fight. Not that I am a violent person but I was in a total self defence mode. I bet people can feel that angry aura radius around me, so no one really came close. I was a little lost though at some point but luckily I met some Indian girls who walked with me for most part of the journey until i can see the hotel.

Good thing the cocktail party at Ista was a great event to relax and get to interact with people who are much more friendly. Hopefully I'll see them at the cocktail event next week, Thanks Sharma,for the hospitality! (I needed that Vodka too, so thanks!)

Shopping addict

2011-09-05T23:19:00.003+08:00

After that shopping spree in Italy, all the crazy outlet sales, I decided that maybe India can offer the same type of products so I went on Google and boy was I right.

I googled "outlet in India" and the first page reads:

"Electronic receptacles, electrical outlets....."
"India's electronic outlet..."
"Transportation, outlet, adaptors..."
"India's first self-service petrol outlet..."
"ACpower plug..."
"Electricity around the wall...."

of course, why didn't i see the correlation.

well, what can i say, Google outsmart me.

Hindi's path

2011-09-04T21:46:00.006+08:00

Funny how my mom was the one who told me that Lord Ganesha loves milk and even more surprised when she shows absolutely no racism towards Indians. I'm so proud of her cause guiltily, i thought she was like most of the other people.

Lord Shiva's temple was magnificent. We went through the cave which gives devotees an idea of how mountain life is supposed to be, going though rivers, bridges and icy paths. During meditation time, what RA said to me hits home with what pastor David said in Coastal church, the whole thing about asking for a new life and sin forgiving. Is there any correlation between these religions?

Indian food was so awesome but eating with my hand still poses some kind of difficulties for me. My fingers just ain't that nimble and its difficult to get food into my mouth without more dropping off. I would need more practice for that.

Went over to RA's place and it is gorrgeously huge and her family is super welcoming. MG and I are invited over for Deepavali (even for a stayover!) Can't wait, and suddenly, India seems much more fun with just a trip out with friends.

Family at work

2011-09-01T22:52:00.008+08:00

They just make my day everyday since I've been here. When UT was leaving, I was reminded that I will be in that situation 3 months down the road. How will I feel at that time?

MG: "Rui will leave too. Rui, if you are leaving, what will i do? i'll miss you so much"
RA: "Rui look at her, she is such a drama queen this girl."

And everyday, it goes on and on with both of them bickering at each other. The team, as I have noticed is a huge family. PG is the older sister who cares about us yet make rules to keep us all in check. UA is the second sister, always having a second opinion on what PG says but she is the real enforcer of PG's rules cause she cares a lot about PG as well as the team. MG is that little sister who creates joy in the team, whom everyone loves yet makes fun of. RA is the "teddy bear" whom MG loves to bully and watching them, is just pure entertaining. PA is the quiet sister, who is knowledgeable and ever helpful.

After few days in the team, I think they accepted me into their cozy family and it was just a lot of fun this week at work.

and of course, i felt comforted after the conversation with Big boss. Already, I am seeing the GS culture.

Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu

2011-09-01T21:41:00.007+08:00

UT just left today back to Japan. For that short one week, I had so much fun with her. It was an unlikely combo. I would be lying if I say I don't notice that 25 or so's age gap, but I never felt it. We look like mother and daughter on the outside; one full of manners, and the other full of wild questions. We talked about so many different things and it was never awkward with just me and her. Shopping and eating; we giggle like high school girls over korean dramas but talk about world war II like mature educated adults. And today, that goodbye hug left me teary eyes. Sad because I know I will miss her dearly, but also because a part of my life in India has just left me. Maybe because of the lack of friends here, I clinged on to the friendship between us more strongly that I thought I would. She will be the first I'll call when I'm in Japan, thats how much I missed her already.

We did a small celebration for her and with presents and cake. Thank you so much for everything!

I never felt so strongly about these words that steph taught me. But,

ITSUMO OSEWA NI NATTE ORIMASU!

I'm a lucky girl indeed.

When smart just isn't smart enough

2011-08-30T23:33:00.004+08:00

CONGRATS TO MEL AND JON! Can't believe that i'm actually at the age when i'm getting marriage invitations.

Ri invited me over to her place for Deepavali, wonder how that is gonna be like. Ra‎ will be getting married soon, hopefully its before i leave and i will get to check out an indian wedding.

People do drive dangerously on roads, there are lanes just no one stays in them. There are fields just no cows stay in there. Apart from horse carriages, which is pretty common in Stanley Park, i finally saw the much raved about cows on India's roads. I saw one hanging out at a car repair shop and a couple more just strolling around, and of course, leaving their lumps of traces behind. And yes, my cab driver drove with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on the honk.

After work, I went to the phone shop to get my SIM card fixed. No matter how many times I tell that guy that my phone is not locked and the problem is with the SIM card, he just doesn't believe me and kept saying that only Indian phones are unlocked, phones from anywhere else are locked. I know he is a smart kid but that was just ignorant. We argued for a good 15mins and it started getting pretty aggressive with both of us raising our voices. I admit i'm getting cranky over this whole phone issue, all the going back and forth with nothing accomplished. I was determined to get it sorted out. I asked him to get someone else who can deal with it, and he approached his manager who suggested that he should refresh my SIM card as this is a common problem. And, it works! and after which, he talked less and listened more.

Anyway, that really made me realised that being smart ain't enough and never will. Even though you are the expert in certain areas, there are still stuff that you will overlook.

A discussion is different from a presentation. And not all smart people can tell that difference.

Random quote which I thought hits home for many of the working people:

"Being busy is a form of laziness — lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.” - Tim Ferriss

Out of the room

2011-08-29T00:47:00.003+08:00

Today i finally went out of the room for breakfast. Managed to wake up 5 mins before breakfast ended; rushed down in my pj and specs to just get breakfast. Haha, went to the gym and out onto the streets on my own!

I'm gonna stop waiting and start acting. Yep, goal for this week.

ps: sunday was thrashing day, for both arsenal and tot. I almost fell off the treadmill while watching the games.

Eating with fork and spoon

2011-08-28T00:01:00.004+08:00

They are amused that i'm eating with fork and spoon.

"Rui please eat, i want to see how you eat with fork and spoon." hahaha, work life is entertaining.

U and I shopping and eating, like we know each other for a while.

1:First impression

2011-08-25T21:10:00.006+08:00

I woke up at 4am since work starts at 6am. Not quite used to waking up in the dark and even more not used to getting off work in bright daylight at 4pm. Maybe its better this way so I won't get jet lag after 3 months in India.

The driver picked me up at 5.40am and asked me which building I want to go to. I said GS building and he looked at me, and said again, which one. I vaguely remember the name Crystal Down so off we went towards that intuition of mine. It wasn't till later that I was told by a stranger in a lift that there is a total of 4 buildings and I need to find out which building my meeting is in.

I reached the office and asked for my department. Security and I went round and round 2 storeys and eventually found a couple of my colleagues whom I knew only by name and voice. They were very welcoming despite the early market rush that usually keeps everyone busy. The office was huge and empty.

A Japanese lady introduced herself to me and being friendly, she introduced herself on first name basis. We went for breakfast together talking about common colleagues and a little bit about our background. Since she is a Japanese, I thought I asked if she knows any other Japanese who is in the same situation as us. "Do you know Uchida san?" She said yes and we went on to other topics of interest. When we were back to our desks, someone called out the name, Uchida san, and to my utmost embarrassment, it was the same lady who went for breakfast with me. Well, Steph and HT found that amusing.

The day went on fine with a lot more introduction to the rest of the team and I'm seriously considering making a cheat sheet cause there is just too many names to remember all at once.

With the same Japanese lady, we went for lunch together and she bought me one of my favourite Indian dish - Masala Dosa. It is only 20 rupees! and it was one of the best dosa ever. I was so happy eating and singing in my head that P and R found me entertaining when I eat. The food was good until I reached the hotel, where I stayed in the toilet for longer than I wanted to. I'm gonna be more careful with what I'm eating tmr.

On the way back, I learnt more about the diversity of India from an IT guy whose name I forgot to ask. You know when the conversation is interesting enough, you forget details like name. Approximately half of the people here are not from Karnataka and with a look, they can tell who is sikh, punjab, tamil etc. I forgot to ask if they can tell the difference between Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian and Singaporean Chinese. Maybe its the same type of skill.

Hopefully tmr's food wouldn't give me too big of a problem. I am so getting dosa again.

Next Chapter- India

2011-08-24T23:31:00.007+08:00

I would never in a million years guess that I will be working in Bangalore one day. I have to admit that my knowledge of India is pretty limited and it showed from the few conversations I had with colleagues from India.

Unlike the trip to Africa when I was scared that I can't adapt, I was surprised that I wasn't nervous at all on the flight to India. Immigration went through smoothly (I was expecting more questioning knowing how strict the immigration policy is here). And till now, I'm still having trouble understanding yes and no from their body language. A custom officer requested a form from me and I handed over this small piece of paper given to me earlier on, asking "Is this the one?". He looked at it and shook his head while saying "ok" at the same time. Scared to move away, I asked him the question again, and he gave me the same response. Thats when I remembered Russell Peter's joke about Indians and I smiled at him before walking towards the exit.

After Shilpa's experience in Singapore, I was afraid that ISTA will forget to pick me up and leave me stranded at the airport. So like a hawk, I was eagerly looking for my name and any sign of familiarity to seek some kind of comfort. It took me 2 mins to spot my name on the card and two guys with earnest smiles.

The 2 young guys are very friendly and welcoming. One of them is from West Bangalore and the other from Karnataka.

"I thought Bangalore is a very crowded place, but it seems quite ok here."
"Oh no no, this is 45km away from the city. You will know when you reach the city. A lot of people."

Throughout the entire journey which took an hour, I kept my eyes peeled on whats going on outside the car. I first noticed 2 guys peeing at the side of the road, so openly I can see the little streams hitting the bushes. Maybe they were really urgent. We past by villages which reminded me of Kenya with all the lush green plants and small isolated huts. Almost like watching a documentary of how a country progresses, the villages slowly evolved into small city centres with low rise buildings and slightly cluttered roads to tall buildings filled with international fast food chains and impossible traffic.

While traveling on the road, it is hard not to notice that constant honking going on. Almost as if they are trying to make a melodious song, everyone honks with such enthusiasm at different decibels and pitch. Eventually I figured that honking is more for saying "I'm here" rather than "What the hell you doing" cause the driver honked whenever he changed lanes or cut queue.

In the entire journey, I spotted 6 men peeing at the side of the road. I'm not sure why I look out for that but it makes me wonder if they know that people can see them doing their businesses by the road. As we wander through the city, I can't help but noticed how beautifully dressed the ladies are in their colourful saris. Its true, Indians are a great looking bunch and I was so busy checking them out.

I just unpacked and ate dinner, gonna sleep early for work tmr. I should really figure the tipping system as well. Looks like this journey will be a pretty different one. Can't wait. Till then.

Food supply?

NYC

2011-07-25T23:13:00.002+08:00

Just came back from NYC for the 2nd time and still loving that place despite the heat wave which makes Singapore's heat looks like a joke.

NYC has that city allure that is loudly vibrant yet secretly seductive. I love the smell of the streets; the neon flashes in time square; the dirtily vandalised metro; the sexy new yorkers' accent; the latest runway fashion; and of course the many intriguing people i've met there.

Training in NYC has given me a new perspective to my career path, fame; money; status; life on the street, difficult decisions. None of which i would discuss here, for convenience.

I spent my last 2 nights in NYC savouring every whiff and sight, slowing down my pace to sincerely feel the pulse of the concrete jungle. Love it, yes, and still loving it.

To new friends, CHEERS!

ps: Bangalore in a week's time, i'm still trying to keep up with my life!

Vancouverite

2011-06-17T04:52:00.003+08:00

It is shocking cause it is unexpected. Unexpected that that's Vancouverites.

I am not a hockey fan, in fact, i don't even watch hockey. But i watched this final match and even some of the playoffs. And what I saw at the stadium was Vancouverites clapping for Boston, staying through the cup ceremony cheering for the champions, I thought, that was classy.

After an hour, things took off in an awkward direction.

The burning of cars, stabbings, smashing of windows, lootings of stores, flashing of boobs and of course beating up Boston fans. Some were quick to point out that such were done by people from Surrey and beyond (Seattle?), not Vancouverites but that isn't exactly classier than the tantrum thrown after the loss of the Stanley cup.

The Atlantic wrote: "In Syria, they riot for freedom. In Pakistan, they riot against U.S. drone strikes. In China, they riot over many things, most recently in Guangdong province for worker's rights. But in Canada, which is officially ranked as one of the wealthiest and most peaceful nations in the world, they riot over, yes, hockey."

How can they bash up the Brunes fans? Isn't Milan Lucic from Vancouver? Shouldn't we be happy for him that he has did Vancouver proud by doing so well at the age of 23?

It is indeed sad to see how the mixture of adrenaline, alcohol and provocateur can transform a world class city overnight. Can we really blame people who have been oppressed for decades for the uprising seen in northern Africa? The pictures reminded me of the referendum aftermath in Kenya in 2007 when people had to hide at homes for weeks to avoid the rioters; the buzzing of the television screen going on about lovely Cairo being destroyed. It is sad, cause it is unbelievable; it is not us.

ITALIANO

2011-04-28T08:54:00.000+08:00

Going Spain and Italy, be back later.

Happy Birthday Darlings!

2011-04-13T15:00:00.002+08:00

Happy 21st Birthday!

With 21 comes adulthood and i can't believe that you guys are so grown up now. With that comes bigger responsibilities, less legal protection, more independence and most importantly much more FUN! I'm really bummed that I can't be there so please save a piece of cake for me!

hugs and kisses

Life stories

2011-04-13T05:10:00.004+08:00

A 15 year old girl holding her 1 year old son; people call her a slut. But no one knew she was raped at 13 and decided to sum up her courage to embrace the new life.

Make fun of someone for being fat and lazy, but they don't know that the person has a serious medical condition that caused her to be obese and missed out on many things that her peers can do.

Call the old guy ugly, but they don't know that the serious face injury was from serving the country or saving a life.

Before we make a judgement.

Hyundai's advert

2011-04-13T04:08:00.002+08:00

This is really cool! People can do magic with technology. Great advert!

Mexican lunch

2011-04-05T07:53:00.006+08:00

I made Mexican fried rice today with sausages (vegetarian, there is such thing Phoebe!) with chilli fries. And out of the blue, I kinda felt like cooking with SY. Totally random I know, maybe its just because I know she appreciates small things like this.

ps: its really yummy btw.

Jason Lee

2011-03-31T11:35:00.002+08:00

I think the dad is adorable, and its such a smart way to have fun with kids. Hahaha, perhaps I should try this out with some of the cubs photos.

For more pictures: Interview with Jason

Lunch for today presents...

2011-03-30T08:59:00.002+08:00

My mom used to say to me that a girl like me who doesn't like cooking will find it hard to get married.

Above is my lunch for today, so whos gonna marry me now?

This is how we plan our scouts program

2011-03-28T14:04:00.003+08:00

Adrian: "We will fly over to Singapore and find you there, we've got your address anyway"

Paul: "We can get free accommodations at your place, in your room"

I'll ask my mom to lock the doors! =X

Going Home

2011-03-26T07:00:00.003+08:00

Going back to SG gives me that nervousness in the core of my spine.

Because,

I know that relationships have changed;

friendships are gonna get tested;

places will be resoundingly unfamiliar;

people whom i have avoided will appear once again;

the security that i'm home might no longer be there;

the memories of how beautiful and comforting SG is might be dented;

...

Tsk,

to the coward in me.

Jokes of the day

2011-03-25T01:33:00.008+08:00

Keyboard

A Keyboard is like a woman... You have to know which buttons to press to get what you want...

... And if you accidentally spill hot coffee on it then it doesn't work quite as well.

(Jerk) I said sorry like a HUNDRED times already!

____________________________________________

Anaesthetic

A Scotsman goes to the dentist and asks how much it is for a tooth extraction. "£85 for an extraction, sir", was the reply.

"Och, huv yer no got nothing' cheaper?" replies the Scotsman, getting agitated. "But that's the normal charge for an extraction, Sir," said the dentist. "What about if yer didna use any anaesthetic?" asked the Scotsman hopefully.

"Well, it's highly unusual, sir, but if that's what you want, I suppose I could do it for £70", said the dentist. "Hmmmm, what about if yer used one of yer dentist trainees and still without anaesthetic? said the Scotsman.

"Well, it's possible, but they are only training and I can't guarantee their level of professionalism, and it'll be a lot more painful. I suppose in that case we can bring the price down to say £40," said the dentist.

"Och, that's still a bit much. How about if yer make it a trainin' session and have yer student do the extraction and the other students watchin' and learnin'?" said the Scotsman hopefully. "Hmmmmm, well, okay, it'll be good for the students, I suppose. I'd charge you only £5 in that case," said the dentist.

"Och, now yer talkin', laddie! It's a deal," said the Scotsman. "Can yer confirm an appointment for the wife for next Tuesday?"

____________________________________________

Superman is Indian?

My sisters

2011-03-11T08:40:00.003+08:00

hahahaha.

NY Fashion Week

2011-03-11T08:38:00.001+08:00

Marc Jacob and Betsy Johnson.

My cousin's message

2011-03-06T04:32:00.002+08:00

My cousin wrote a message,

....... "And any news from grandma on her operation?
I called her up she does'nt seems keen on the operation.
Saying that operation fee is EXPENSIVE and she still can walk.

ps: She's still waiting for Jesus's reply."......

LOL.

My undead Friendster account

2011-03-05T17:44:00.005+08:00

This was on my friendster's profile. I think I did this in 2004/5? I shall now use it as a checklist, heh. Actually I think maybe I am asking for too perfect of a guy now that I read it again. Hahaha, good ol' times.

my girls.my darlings.my wife-s.
shopping.eating.gossiping.
everything everything everything.
we just do everything under the sun.

a him to.

bust the phone companies.
walk a million miles in orchard non-stop.i mean fast pace.
hunt down all the cheesecakes.even grabbing from the mice.
having a never-ending fruit buffet.
lead mi out of the missing unfamiliar places.
handle my crazy IT stuff.repairing.formatting.wadeva.
taking pictures of everything everywhere everytime.
going to the theme parks and play like kids.
having the most intelligent discussions.
having the wierdest and stupidest conversations.
share the dream of a honeymoon in every country.
poke fun at.
laugh at.laugh with.
do sweet little nothings for.
share little secrets with.
talk bad bout everybody and finding ourselves just as imperfect.
share every festive with.even children's day.
go to the wierdest place and yet the loveliest moments ever.
skydive from the most dangerous piece of blue.
dive deep into the blue blue sea to search for mermaids.
backpack to the rurals of the world.
play every sports and go tanning with.
enjoy musicals and visit every museums with.
go to bermuda triangle.amazon basin.
visits mummies in egypt.
eat whatever i cooked or baked.give a contorted smile even though its awful.haha.
remind me of the things i forgot.
act like idiots with mi.to do the most retarded things ever.
trust mi totally when i'm doubted by others.
protect me like himself.

i leap.floating.

~Only after the last tree has been cut down
~Only after the last river has been poisoned
~Only after the last fish has been caught
~Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten

Salesman

2011-03-05T11:44:00.004+08:00

I am typing by my laptop but my palms are getting sweaty and my heart is thumping fast. Just those emails were enough to give me an adrenaline rush liken to the one i get before my A level started.

Emailing professionals, professors and deans really weren't that simple. Especially when I was doing a pitch and I was praying hard as I am typing that they will buy it and collaborate with GIVE. Its a great cause, and I hope I was a good salesman.

ps: Its good to know your old profs remember you just by your first name, trust your pitch and vision and are willing to push it forward with great efforts. Honey heart, warm-hearted smile.

Grad studio shoot

2011-03-02T09:08:00.006+08:00

I'm on a roll baby, blogging everyday. HAHAHA.

Jo came over to my place and we were doing our makeup (or maybe she was doing my makeup); searching for anything in the house that can possibly be nerdy.

Jo: "What kind of poses are we gonna do?"
Me: "Erm... let's search online."

And we ended seeing naked bodies and nothing really helpful for the shoot.

We packed into Jo's car lotsa books, files and cookbooks(My two feminine friends are great cooks). After which, Jo and I made our way down. Every time i'm in her car, I have this fear. Not because she is not a good driver but more because her size isn't quite proportionate to her car. She looks so tiny in her car and I feel that any moment, her car will take over and manipulate her. She drives a Mazda 7 seater.

Chris went to pick Mel up from Banana leaf while i handled the admin stuff at the studio.

The photographer wasn't that good imho and he has a certain framework of how I should look like in the photo regardless of my personality. I really don't do demure shots and thats just not me. But he kinda thought that thats what girls do for their grad shoot. Plus, I don't like individual shots and I would love to be in the shoot with the girls in the other rooms.

Thanks girls for making to the shoot and I hope you guys had fun! Mel, congrats on your wedding and I so wish I can make it. I will most probably be in NYC by that time doing my training. Jo, thanks for being such a sport and I am so glad we met in Kenya!

My favourite photo of the entire shoot...

"To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

And that is what I want to do.

Facebook; Twitter; Tumblr

2011-03-01T13:15:00.003+08:00

Tiff said:

Facebook is for old people; Twitter is for people who wanna act cool; Tumblr is for people who are cool.

I actually love the interface of tumblr and how interactive and pleasing it is to the eyes. It has that artsy feel with all the dreamy pictures and cleverly structured phrases. But something about it just doesn't sit well with me.

I tried it in 2009 for about a year when I was doing social media marketing. It was more restrictive than it looks and after hopping around these tumblrs, I started to feel bored. Everyone was just reblogging from somewhere else and the same phrase/picture/audrey hepburn kept coming up. I don't know how to express how I feel better than this quote (ironically):

An original idea is better than a thousand quotes.

As measly as my blog might be, the content is at least uniquely found here.

peace out.

Weird findings

2011-02-28T14:55:00.009+08:00

After reading the weather forecasts for 4 years, I am starting to doubt the credibility of science and the validity in its measurement. If its such an impossibility to predict the weather, how valid are the claims of all the measuring devices for earthquakes, tsunami, avalanches? I can go on with these but thats not the point.

Recently, i took up reading the Bible to see whats it all about. For the most part, its a story book with very different sentence structures and very interesting parables. The more I read, the more similarities I find within all the religions that I have read about. Stories surrounding a virtue are more often than not told and retold through the same story settings. Are all religions what they claim to be?

On another note, yesterday was a lot of fun making snowman with Chris with scrap materials. We used hangers as arms, carrot as nose, mini oranges as eyes, banana and love letters as ribbons, garbage bags as scarf and a basin as a hat. It took us quite a while before we figure out the art of making snowman. We started with getting the loose powder as compact as we can, hammering, punching, pressing, kneading, and soon we were exhausted. Something just wasn't quite right. I always thought people roll their snowman and yes, after a couple of trial, we rolled our snowman and made it round like it should be. Take away - snowman making skill good for a lifetime, and pleasant memories of building a snowman together.

Plus, snowball fights!

I know this might sounds weird but I just watched my first ever Oscar and I love it. Love Anne Hathaway and how adorable she is (not to mention her 6 dresses). I think many of the winners are so deserving esp Natalie Portman, cause black swan was simply disturbingly good. I actually thought it was on the book the Black Swan (probabilities and all) until the movie started and it was literally after swan lake. Well, but like what Jo promised, it wasn't a gore movie but it did has some level of disturbing bloody scenes.

Found this article which is pretty interesting about the originality of the big movies and how Donald Duck is actually the creative cat here.

A must read indeed.

ps: I almost booked tickets to Morocco. (wished I did though)

pps: I helped Chris's mum to send Shan's (from 987FM) wedding invitation, how small is this world really? and let's remain silence for 5 seconds,

and thats another single and very eligible man off the market.

Take a break, have a laugh.

2011-02-18T09:43:00.006+08:00

Seems to me, Iphone is quite a dirty phone.

A time for democracy?

2011-02-13T04:23:00.009+08:00

After my trip to China, I learnt much about communism and what people think about their governing system. The conversation I had with a particular professor from Shanghai Jia Tong left me changing my opinions about democracy and communism. Is communism just bad and democracy clearly the superior system?

After Sudan, Tunisia, Egypt got to where they want to be. For better or for worse, we can only wait and see. I feel for the people there especially so after my trip to Egypt, camping out in the desert with the locals. I hope they live to witness this moment of change.

Many displayed the sense of humor for which Egyptians are known all over the Arab world. One man held up a sign that said: "Leave now. I really need a shower." Others acted out comedic plays and sketches. A protester dressed up like a soccer referee and walked around the square blowing through his whistle and waving a red card that said "leave".

Another group of protesters who had come to Cairo from Sharqiya, a region 50 miles north of the capital, took off their shoes and used them to spell the word "leave". Showing the sole of your shoe has long been considered an insult in Arab culture.

On the night of Thursday, February 10, Mubarak made his third speech to the Egyptian public. All day, rumors had filled the square that he would resign that night. People from all over the capital left their homes and headed to Tahrir Square, in anticipation of a celebration. When he said instead that he would not step down until he had presided over a transition of power himself, almost every single man, woman and child who was in the square raised their shoes in indignation. Mubarak was not listening.

I miss their sense of humor, miss watching world cup with them in their back alley.

But for now, all the best Algeria.

Nature's joke

2011-01-27T08:40:00.002+08:00

Didn't that just blew your mind?

Past work experience

2011-01-20T04:21:00.004+08:00

I think compared to many, I am pretty lucky with all of my job experiences. I met many insightful people and they were always there to help me out.

Working at DFS was my first official job working for someone(prior to that was me and my cousin attempting small businesses on our own). I went for the interview and Fiona took a liking to me and employed me on the spot. I would never forget how contagious her aura of optimism was and how she showed me (unknowingly) a different perspective of looking at life.

I don't think she noticed her influence on me, like how i am driven to go to work because i look forward to talking and learning from her. There were many people there who were extremely sincere like hui xuan who taught me that the art of making tea isn't about the timing but the desire to serve a tea full of love. I learnt my Japanese from her too and also to impress people at my workplace that I can speak Japanese well within a week (at least to sell the products).

Holy and Wati were life coaches to me. They preach about all stuff that your parents probably shun away from and I always admire their strong personalities. They were honest not brutal, and that ever-entertaining. They are like elder sisters, and many days, i look forward to seeing them at work just to hear any stories that they have to share.

Lastly, Ally being the ultimate companion there. We gossiped, laughed, did cashiering really fast, sold products together, talked about boys and it was definitely an extremely pleasant time. If only the pay was better, it could have been the perfect first part-time job.

Then I went over to DHL after SY told me about working together with her in the HR department (which is exactly what i thought i would like). People here are more formal and its probably due to the system in place in big corporations where every single thing is systemized, especially communications. SY and I worked side by side and working with a friend is really awesome. We go shopping during our lunch break and chat and go to the pantry together. QY came after a while and we had those office ladies talk in one of the office rooms; gossip about people in the office. Theres Annie too, the jovial one; haha, and the clubbing night on SY's bdae.

Lilian and Angela taught me a lot and gave me a lot of opportunities to do different stuff. One of the biggest compliment coming from Angela was when I told her i might be leaving the company for school, "do you have anyone you know who is like you? I wanna hire another you to take over." It was huge for me, and a good way to end the job.

Went on to work for Concordia, and it was different cause there isn't any clear hierarchy and i assume its probably the mixture of work and relationship that confuses thing. It was more of an honor than anything else to be able to participate in management level decision making process, and seeing how ambitious the strategies are, is kinda surreal. And surprisingly, things in school do apply in a way or another, and its cool to be taken seriously by people with such rich experiences when i'm just a fresh grad.

Now i'm running a non-profit, and this is almost surreal. I have never thought that i have the capacity or ambition to go for a position like that. It was tough to get there and i think its tougher to proof to everyone in the organization that this young kid here can really bring forward the change in the vision that i so dearly preached. Being one of the younger kiddo in there, does make things a bit harder. I can't be more excited and its gonna be the best thing that ever happen to me for the next few years of my life i suppose, but well, who knows, i might just find something else to challenge life again.

FREAKING HAPPY

2011-01-14T11:00:00.003+08:00

OMG! Life is good! I'll tell you, interested ones, through email, check your mailbox!

Better than me getting married I assure you. And why does people always think that good news from me is about me getting married. Move on people, marriage is so passe.

2010

2010-12-31T06:20:00.003+08:00

It has been like any other year, INDESCRIBABLE.

My dream of volunteering in Africa is fulfilled; watching world cup with the locals; cycling around Amsterdam; camping out in Egypt like a Bedouin and Nubian; snorkel in the red sea; going back to SG for CNY; Winter Olympics craze; graduate with distinction; landing jobs prior grad; stronger relationships; new cool friends(woot); more new clothes from boxing day; bonded with adorable cubs; fantastic parties!; a better plan for the future; getting closer to being wiser.

I don't know if I would trade this year for anything really. It might just be the best year of my life. I am praying that next year will be even more awesome.

Onwards from now:

my dream of working in Africa and Spain; volunteering in Afghan; mastering spanish and swahili; backpacking india and china; visit my friends in Aus; pay off my student loan; going overseas with some friends; backpack Japan; baking with Jo Ely Mel; do gmat; be better at Snowboarding (watch out Maria!); work very very hard. i'm already thinking more to add to this list, tsk.

With optimism, so looking forward to next year!

How to spot Santa

2010-12-13T15:20:00.003+08:00

I should really be studying but i can't help but feed into this festive season. I really want to watch the meteor showers on Dec 13-14 but no one else seems to be interested so i decided to spot Santa instead. Heres some tips:

1. Make sure you know what a reindeer looks like. Study pictures of reindeer and keep them handy on Christmas Eve.

2. Learn how to watch the night sky. Sometimes you can see Rudolph's nose glowing as Santa whisks by on his sled, but you have to look really hard. Once you find Rudolph, though, you can usually see the other reindeer following behind.

3. Listen. You might hear the jingling of sleigh bells or - if you're really lucky - the reindeers' hooves on your roof. Read "The Night Before Christmas" to get an idea of how the hooves might sound.

4. Learn the names of all Santa's reindeer. If you actually get close, you might want to call them by name, just like Santa does. Memorize the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" to help you learn and remember their names.

5. Get online on Christmas Eve and find a Web site that tracks where Santa and his reindeer are as they sweep across the skies. (See Claus.com.) When you know Santa is in your area, you might have a better chance of seeing the reindeer.

6. Add a few extra cookies for the reindeer when you leave a snack out for Santa. You just might get lucky and hear Santa feeding them while they wait on your roof.

ps: The names of Santa's reindeer, in addition to Rudolph, are Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Prancer and Blitzen.

I thought its cute, haha. maybe i'll tell the little cubs and see what they will do. Its gonna be fun! Tis' the season to be jolly.

Ok, now, study IAA investing.

I'm cleaning and selling?

2010-12-13T14:25:00.002+08:00

I'm cleaning and most likely moving to somewhere else in the world. Not sure where; not sure when. But anyhow, one thing for sure is i have too much luggage and thus i decided(maybe), i will sell/give some stuff away.

Let me think about it, and let me know if you are interested in anything.

Honey Smile

2010-12-11T14:53:00.002+08:00

I made a folder in my new email. Its called Honey Smile, its for all the lovely emails that i wanna keep from people i care about. Cause they made me smile like a fool.

You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed
Sing like bird, dizzy in my head
Spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Don't know how I lived without you
'Cause every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile

Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile

~Uncle Kracker

I miss Emily.

2010-12-02T08:47:00.007+08:00

*photos courtesy of Jo

When she first saw us, she presented herself well. Cheerful, confident and unabashed with her little demands. Deeply loved by her dad, she never fail to make use of that to get another soda. I enjoyed her company and i bet she loved me too, we had a connection i felt.

She was the only kid that came running out when we were there, greeting us with that cute sunshine smile. She was drinking from her favourite soda when her dad asked her to bring her older sister to greet us. She ran, holding on to the soda, afraid that as soon as she let it go, it will be finished when she comes back. Her sister refused to come near us so she ran all the way back and put the soda under my care and ran back again, now with 2 open hands, she grabbed her sister and started pulling her towards us. She was only 2, how cute is that.

Many times, she fell on the floor. Instead of crying and pretending that it hurts, she stood up almost immediately, and started dusting the dirts off her pants; and she continued to run, and fall, and dust. I was touched by her independence, that she cared so much for the clothes that her parents put on her; protecting them with all she had, such pride in a little body. I'm so proud of her.

You can tell when a kid is brought up properly or not. and she is undoubtedly one of my favourite.

Feels like; its important.

2010-11-24T11:58:00.002+08:00

Ellen Degeneres:

I don't understand why weatherman tell us that its 50 degrees but feels like 10 degrees. Why can't they just tell us its 10 degrees? Even if its 50 degrees, i would have dressed up for 10 degrees because it feels like 10 degrees.

Imagine the police stops you on the road one day and goes:"how fast are you driving?".

"I know i am at 90km/h but with this windshield, it makes me feel like i'm below the speed limit."

Lol, have a donut.

My dried leaves

2010-11-23T06:47:00.006+08:00

I picked 5 beautiful leaves (maple), all in that deep red and yellowish colours. I prepared the papers for my letters and was thinking of getting the addresses before getting to work.

BBM *beep* and i was supposed to meet Maria for lunch, then sms to remind me that i still have to plan my cub section to make sure that everything goes well. I still have that paper to write and that interview to prepare for. So i left the leaves on the table and soon enough, two weeks went by.

My leaves died, sadly. and I couldn't send the autumn back to Singapore.

I miss you people and i'm sending my love with this post:

please send me your address people!

ps: yuezhi, wanjun, junqi, wendy, qiyin, thanks for the support all these while. I'm surprised that with each of you, you guys cover a part of my vancouver frustrations and happiness. Altogether, you guys make up my life here!

pps: i thought of the guys (junyao,longhui...) but, i know you guys won't appreciate leaves so i didn't bother picking so many off the streets.

Dress to your mood.

2010-11-18T08:04:00.003+08:00

Whenever people ask me what I'm gonna wear for this event or that event, I can never really answer. Like many girls, I dress according to my mood of the day, feeling slouchy, i'll be in grey or black; feeling happy, i'll be in mustard or turquoise.

Chris always complains how long i'll take to choose what I wanna wear, don't even talk about packing for a trip, I will have my entire wardrobe turned inside out. Find the desired dress and the matching stockings and a comfortable cardigan along with rings, necklaces and scarfs. Don't forget the jacket and the shoes, such a pain.

I stumbled upon this article that takes dressing to your mood literally.

The Bubelle Dress is made up of two layers, the inner layer contains biometric sensors that pick up a person's emotions and projects them in colours onto the second layer, the outer textile.

The sensitive dress, which was designed by electronical giants Philips, works by monitoring physical changes associated with different feelings. Emotions such as stress, arousal, or fear affect the body's temperature and sweat levels and these generate the light that changes the pattern and colour on the dress. Ingrid Bal from Philip's Design said: "You could programme the material so that it turned red if you were angry or stressed, or green when you're calm." Should the prototype ever hit the high street it would help British couples to communicate better.

It was developed as part of the SKIN Probe Project, a research programme concerned with what lifestyles might be like in 2020. Time magazine named the impressive clothing as the best fashion invention of the year. Ms Bal said: "We were interested to see how technology may affect our lives in the future and to provoke debate. We are asking: 'Would the idea of emotional clothing be something we will wear in 10 years time?'" Scientists at the Dutch firm have also designed emotion-sensitive electronic tattoos as part of their design project.

A spokeswoman said: "In much the same way as make-up is put on and taken off to suit the occasion, a tattoo could alter whenever desired."The tattoos could even change in response to gestures or emotions."

I can't imagine walking down the streets with everyone knowing that I just quarreled with Chris.

But then again, can you imagine guys knowing which girls are aroused just by the colours of the dresses? Goodness, they don't even need to go to the clubs to get girls, they can just pick the right colours off the streets.

Going back into the scene

2010-11-16T05:04:00.006+08:00

Chris and I have been dabbling in some arts and we stopped with the 2008 crash in the states. Recently, we were forced to get into the scene again with the decoration of the new house. We were involved in the interior design scene till the stage that we are calling the furnitures by their names (not the designer name but the pieces' names). Its almost like speaking shoes or Prada, we are speaking designer furnitures.

We have our own favourites and Banksy is unanimously our common favourite. I was so happy when I stumbled upon his interview:

and disappointed when I realized that it was an impersonator. The part about the Stig was hilarious.

On that note, you have to watch this video, it got me laughing for days. Goodness, its so funny!

A little history

2010-11-15T06:51:00.003+08:00

Let me recall my birthdays with Chris, its not all rosy trust me.

Birthday 2006: Equinox
It was a pleasant surprise but I was overwhelmed by the place and what he was trying to prove. At that point, it wasn't romantic, but that skeptic in me started questioning, is he trying to show off his wealth, baiting me with money? I know he meant well somehow (i tend to overthink) but i would have preferred a nice dinner at a vegetarian place for a start, it would have meant more.

Birthday 2007:Cafe Demedici + Surprise party in Nov
They have one of the best italian appetiser prior to my trip to Amsterdam. I am still in awe at that magnificent quaint restaurant, sitting next to the canal, looking seemingly undisturbed yet serves the most wonderful italian food. Chris thinks that spells trouble, cause that will be a craving hard to satisfy. The surprise party was a very memorable one and i'm glad i have that in my book of memories. Friends come and go and hopefully that night was as much fun for everyone as it meant for me.

Birthday 2008:World of Warcraft
I don't think i'd told many what happened and it will always remain as the day that Chris regretted for as long as we can remember it. What happened was, skipping all the drama, he'd rather go for a dungeon raid than spending time with me on that day. As non-sticky as I am (I consider that a virtue btw), I decided to leave him alone and enjoy that day, though honestly, I was heart-broken. I am still grateful for the few that I confessed this to, who stood by me. I call them my friends but overtime, i find that quite an understatement.

Birthday 2009:21st Yacht club + Cypress Viewpoint
This was my best birthday yet, I'm glad people made it, at least the important ones did, haha. It was more of a societal pressure than a true party because you can never really put parents/family together with friends. It ended up more of a gathering than anything else but I loved it nonetheless. With Chris back in Vancouver, he brought me up to Cypress for the best sunrise view (also prior to my Africa trip). The breakfast that he made, the hot chocolate that was boiling off the car's battery, us cuddling under the blanket while watching the sun rise, it was the best gift i thought, much better than Equinox. and how much did that cost? 12 bucks max?

Birthday 2010: A quiet celebration at Cactus Club with a little racing prior
Racing was a surprise for Chris, and it ended up being quite a nice preview for the dinner after. I loved how small the party was, how everyone there didn't know each other but bonded in a special way at the end of the night. Everyone who was there reminded me a little of myself, CC life, UBC, Scouts, Kenya, SG/Malay, random people I have met. It turned out better than I thought, no awkward silences, just a trip back down memory lane and finding out that everyone is still quite the same. LOVED IT.

You guys have no idea how hard it is to race in shoes like that.

On the other hand, it made me missed the girls back home. Some of them, not all of them.

Loves from Kagoya morning

2010-11-03T02:08:00.002+08:00

Blissful mornings greeted by peanut butter and honey coated toasted bread layered with slices of bananas. YUMMS.

A tradition that will carry on since Kagoya 2010.

TRY THIS.

2010-11-01T04:19:00.003+08:00

Don't work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

2010-10-29T03:39:00.004+08:00

Written by Adrian Tan, author of The Teenage Textbook (1988), was the guest-of-honour at a recent NTU convocation ceremony. This was his speech to the graduating class of 2008.

I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.

Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you’ve already won her heart, you don’t need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You’re done learning.

You’ve probably been told the big lie that “Learning is a lifelong process” and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters’ degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don’t you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they’re wrong.

The bad news is that you don’t need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You’re in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I’m here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There’s very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you’ll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they’re 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn’t meet their life expectancy.

I’m here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.

After all, it’s calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don’t need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life’s a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.

Don’t expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.

What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.

Work kills. The Japanese have a term “Karoshi”, which means death from overwork. That’s the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there’s nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

There’s a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are “making a living”. No, they’re not. They’re dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful.

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan “Arbeit macht frei” was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn’t do that, I would’ve been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction – probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don’t imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I’ll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I’m not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn’t say “be loved”. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one’s looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We’ve taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work – the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn’t happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.
You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.

You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don’t work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

UPCOMING

2010-10-22T12:57:00.003+08:00

Birthdays are fun and all but underlying that is a lot of work. Esp when Chris's bdae is just 2 days away, can you imagine? 2 birthdays in 3 days?

I know i know, I'm supposed to enjoy it all but all I really want is to gather with some old friends and sit around talking till daylight.

Maybe its in his genes

2010-10-15T02:29:00.003+08:00

His dad is one of the most ambitious person that I have come in contact with. His dreams are endless and its not money thats motivating him but his persistence to reach and touch where his eyes can see; he wants to assure himself, theres really nothing he can't do.

The company is expanding at crazy speed in different direction and Chris is the website manager programming the website and maintaining it. The website reflects one of the stuff they are doing now which is their own line of computers. Its called c3cube and the name is derived from the three of their names starting with C. To make it tech-y, the word cube is included.

It has been exciting to learn about creating new products, how to market, and just basically the ongoings behind a company. Every conversation is a learning experience, kids are really lucky these days.

Go visit the website, It might just be the next brand of computers that you are looking for.

Ambitions; theres just no end

2010-10-15T02:11:00.003+08:00

I am trying to figure out my life so bear with me. I don't like to face the question of "what I want in life" cause as far as I am concerned, I can only see myself 5 years from now and my plan ends there. I can always make up stuff but what I truly wants in life is so broad its hard to pin it down.

"I want to save the world" how? "eliminate poverty" ok maybe not, "reduce poverty". Thats what i really want to do, but is that what recruiters want to hear? Will I appear as too idealistic? Seriously, how do I start?

I turned to my crystal necklace and unlike its cousin (crystal ball), it didn't give me any signs or epiphany. Fortune cookie goes: "Life is hard to figure out"; Horoscope says: "Being genuine comes from within". Not really getting much direction except for more description of my current state, I turned to Google, the almighty basket of knowledge. Maybe I should say I want to be the next Warren Buffet? cheesy no. Maybe be an above median manager that can beat the market? Open another consulting firm and call it Rui consulting?

I never really have any dreams. I don't dream, I'm a do-er. And that is bad, esp when Chris has got endless dreams and they are grand and majestic. Mine in comparison sounds cheesy and retarded. Maybe I need a good sleep, figure out a dream, figure out what I want in life.

I'm gonna finish your food.

2010-10-11T13:43:00.001+08:00

How cute can plates be? Just love James Ward's plates.

Sex and the City

2010-10-08T01:38:00.000+08:00

“I'm gonna say the one thing you aren't supposed to say. I love you... but I love me more. I've been in a relationship with myself for 49 years and that's the one I need to work on.”- Samantha

why am i unsure about this?

2010-10-06T06:20:00.004+08:00

Just came back from Toronto 2 days ago from an interview. TD is definitely a company that invest on its human capital. After many many rounds of interviews and receptions, I was offered the chance to go to Toronto for an interview and the best thing is, everything will be paid for: plane, hotel, meals.

You can imagine me jumping around in school when I heard that. Toronto has been a place Chris and I have been itching to go, esp when all our friends who have been to Canada, have stepped foot on Toronto. Its a place not to be missed, i was told. How lucky am I to be chosen for this associate position, out of the many MBAs.

I was joking with yz about how great it would be if there is a recession that will cause all the company to cut cost, making undergrad much more cost-efficient than MBAs, and hence a better choice. Well, no recession the last time I checked and yes, I got that final interview. Woo-Hoo!

We left on friday (which was when I have a midterm, my prof was nice enough to change the dates for me) and due to the time difference, the flight was 7 hours long. i was busy reading all my notes to prepare for the interview, after all, they paid for me to be there and the least I can do is to ace the interview. It was pretty intense seeing how far along the recruiting process I was and how close I am to the finishing line.

Toronto compared to Vancouver is like work and relaxation; fast and slow; young and old; trading securities and selling pension plan. Breathing the air makes you feel youthful again. It has that vibe, that Manhattan vibe that I see on TV and well I'm not surprise seeing how close Toronto and Manhattan are. The tall buildings with glass windows, the short buildings with rich heritage designs, the people on the street wearing the suits and stilettos. I'm loving it already, never thought that I will get so close to this, to the top of the world. I'm exaggerating but it felt good.

The reception went really well and you get to experience their corporate culture which they so dearly endorsed. That culture is fabulous, and everyone just simply loves their job. I have never seen so much passion before, and at that point, i long to be part of it.

The interview went well too and I was just being myself, I am glad they like me for me. TD really boost my confidence esp after I got rejected for a couple of part-time positions (e.g. receptionist). I was dejected that after so much, I can't even be a receptionist? But TD reaffirmed me of my value and now I am so ready for anything.

I have to make a decision by the end of this week. The pay is pretty good but I got another offer from Goldman. Should I just take the offer and forget about all the other interviews or should I risk it and apply for other positions? I'm torn.

ps: Niagara falls was majestic. Seriously, I'm so blessed with such opportunities and people around me. Thanks guys, for helping me along this process.

A good laugh

2010-09-23T13:55:00.003+08:00

On a stressful day, what we need is a good laugh.

Look at the bright side, people care.

2010-09-16T06:15:00.002+08:00

The controversy

2010-09-14T10:09:00.001+08:00

the daily what.

Dreaming

2010-09-11T11:20:00.004+08:00

"We dream every 90 minutes throughout the night, with each cycle of dreaming being longer than the previous,” explains Loewenberg. “The first dream of the night is about 5 minutes long and the last dream you have before awakening can be 45 minutes to an hour long.” It is estimated that most people have more than 100,000 dreams in a lifetime.

The offer has been accepted, $3M house just like that. Am I really awake? Wait, expert says dreams can linger. Wonder who the experts are, but who cares, this dream feels kinda good.

Clueless Proposal

2010-09-10T08:27:00.010+08:00

He proposed, finally. After joking about having no money to buy a ring. He kneeled in a restaurant with the most gorgeous ring in the world and said: "Would you marry me?"

As clueless as to what was happening, she started asking him: "So its a proposal you were planning, is that why the lady looks like she knows you? is that why you were being all secretive the week before? Is that why...." and on a list of questions followed and she giggled after each little questions.

Poor guy, he was kneeling there, embarrassed(said to be worse than all presentations add together), answering the girl's endless questions. Lol, how silly was she.

and finally "I DO"

the restaurant(italian) cheered and there,

was a successful proposal. =D

May Bearbrick and Dunny live happily ever after.

p/s: this is not about chris and I, sorry i got you guys confused.

Hard times

2010-09-08T12:41:00.001+08:00

Job hunting is always hard, and I have to be strong, to face rejection. Gambatte.

PNE 100th Anniversary

2010-09-04T16:13:00.005+08:00

Love PNE, its somehow the tradition that I will be there every year. The different shows, or even the same show, it gives me energy. I got honey there again this year and hopefully it wouldn't die on me again (I thought honey has no expiration date). The animals, the local artists, love the vibe.

Probabilities

2010-09-03T15:47:00.005+08:00

Does the occurrence of a highly improbable event be equivalent to the nonoccurrence of a highly probable one?

Beginning to an End

2010-08-23T04:13:00.008+08:00

Went to a friend's premiere yesterday titled: In the Same Boat. It is a film made over 2 years revolving around dragon boating and its influence in people's lives. The balance between story-telling and personal recounts was done beautifully and it invoked us on an emotional level. The story about how people find strength to live on, the community to belong to and most importantly the confidence in themselves that they can achieve what they want was what moved the audience. Even though there wasn't a standing ovation, many people were moved to tears.

In life and in sport, we paddle hard - young or old, rain or shine, in the heat or in the cold - to the finish line, because we are, all of us, IN THE SAME BOAT.

Alfonso has been a close friend, a very busy one actually and seeing how he has tried so hard to pursue his dreams is an inspiration. A pat on the back Al, cause you made me miss dragon boating once again. Good luck with winning the film festival again. (He won it the last time with 'The Taste of Tea')

Al and I with his premiere poster.

Our dragon boating coach. CC Riders will also be a great part of our memory.

We met up with some of the other paddlers from CC Riders. Jin seemed to be planning out the life that he has also been looking forward to, GF and family moving to Vancouver. Mich and Soha looked fabulous.

We went to eat with Eugene after and thats when we know about Sean's death. I still couldn't come to terms with it and it puzzles me why he did so. He committed suicide and left a note asking everyone to hopefully forgive him before his judgment day. Such an inquisitive mind, I hope he finds what he is looking for wherever he is now. Rest in Peace.

Rockies Roadtrip

2010-08-20T01:58:00.008+08:00

Roadtrip of 13 hours from Vancouver downtown to Banff. Soaked in radium hotspring, played tapping game with strangers and satellite radio was awesome (maybe).

Some interesting questions people ask about Banff:

1. We are going into British Columbia. Do we need to change our money into Euros?
2. Where are the igloos and the Eskimos?
3. Can you see polar bears at the Columbia Icefield?
4. Can I get from Vancouver to Toronto by driving in a day?
5.At what elevation do the deer turn to elk?
6. How much does that mountain weigh?
7. Do they have chocolate hotspring?

FUN TIMES

2010-08-19T11:02:00.005+08:00

Like old friends, never grow old.

2010-08-10T06:22:00.002+08:00

A trip down the memory lane. It was accidental.

I was looking for some old files and chanced upon some old photos, really old. Those with plain black army glasses (and we thought it was trendy), with "no fear" t-shirts that everyone tried to match with a "cool" outdoor bag. We have yet to learn how to angle our faces and still in awkward poses when taking pictures with the guys we liked. Haha, those were the pictures I stumbled upon. How cute are they, maybe I should upload them up on FB. lol, those charlie angels pose, not forgetting that sequential 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 kinda shots.

O'boy, good o'days.

ps: I can't help laughing at the clubbing shots, how we tried to look sexy. o'boy o'boy, my stomach hurts.

reflection time

2010-07-25T06:57:00.001+08:00

4 countries in 3 months, pretty daunting, pretty troublesome but pretty rewarding.

Just everything has been such an experience, the people, places, cultures, traditions, and on the list goes. Like Adrian, its just difficult to sum it up, maybe thats why its a better idea to blog as I go. I write a diary but too private to share, all the whining and bitching, too personal.

Kenya, Egypt, Jordan, Netherlands. After i'm done with uploading the photos, maybe i'll sit down and think and savour; thats probably when i can write. Express my thoughts and feelings in the least diplomatic manner.

Just really missing some of the people and many of the food. Who would have known that i'm such a glutton, not me for sure.

Ostrich, here I come!

2010-05-04T02:10:00.001+08:00

Off to Africa, going to get prepared both physically and mentally. Be Back Later.

Impending Grad

2010-05-02T11:15:00.000+08:00

I have the habit of simplifying things in my life. And after thinking through, the thought of graduation is giving me cold sweat under my feet, shaky feeling through my spine, liken being on weed.

The debt I'm in, the possibilities of having no job offers and the blurry relationship outlook, I'm actually scared to take the next step forward. Too many what ifs. Too many, in a crowded bottle. Its too late to look back and now I feel so stripped bare, with nothing on the table to negotiate even with the shepherd at the crossroads to bring me to somewhere with a bustling market.

For a long time in my life, I feel helpless. Will it really be better if it was all a dream?

Kanyawegi, being a contribution

2010-04-24T04:49:00.006+08:00

ps: photo is from Joanne

I was doing my HR paper when I chanced upon this article and one particular story resonates particularly well with how i feel.

SO MANY people asked me to justify my decision to go Africa for the entire summer and I just can't seem to translate this inner desire to wanna go there to make a contribution to a simple enough concept so that people can understand. Its not that people are against it, but they just don't think its the wisest thing to do (I am truly thankful for having honest souls around me who care about my future, but i'm pretty stubborn about this). But going there to help is like a dream to me, and I feel that nothing can beat this opportunity to go, not even a job offer. I wanna go that bad.

Strolling along the edge of the sea, a man catches sight of a young woman who appears to be engaged in a ritual dance. She stoops down, then straightens to her full height, casting her arm out in an arc. Drawing closer, he sees that the beach around her is littered with starfish, and she is throwing them one by one into the sea. He lightly mocks her: "There are stranded starfish as far as the eye can see, for miles up the beach. What difference can saving a few of them possibly make?" Smiling, she bends down and once more tosses a starfish out over the water, saying serenely, "It certainly makes a difference to this one."

This story below is exactly how it is, I know the life that I wanna lead and I know that volunteering will be a significant part of it.

ps: wish me luck. cause I am leaving in less than 2 weeks!

Contribution game

2010-04-22T04:25:00.005+08:00

it is never a single individual who is transformed.

Transformation overrides the divisions of identity and possession that are the architecture of the measurement model, recasting the tight pattern of scarcity into a wide-spread array of abundance. Rosamund and Benjamin.

Makes me smile

2010-04-18T13:52:00.002+08:00

I was so tired of studying for finals that i went browsing on my desktop. reminds me of that day of fun and craziness. seen sides of you guys that i would have never imagine. awww, bonding times, good times.

i wish u guys were here.

Your story

2010-04-15T07:24:00.006+08:00

"Your story yesterday made me cry. It made me think about stuff that I've missed; made me wanna reach out for people in that situation. If i have a way out, if only i have a way out."

Broke-in; Fitting-in

2010-03-28T14:05:00.004+08:00

Just came back from Science World camp-in and it was a reflection moment for me. It felt good to actually be involved in something like this, getting closer to impacting someone's life. I can still remember that first awkward moment when I stepped into Elsie Roy facing 10 indifferent faces and I remember thinking "Its just the first meeting, things will change".

The next meeting, things changed a little but still, the kids remained unresponsive towards me. I can't remember since when the kids and I grew so much closer- they started sharing their school lives, giving me hugs and tickling me(not a good one). I have to admit though, they can be annoying at times. Anyhow, I love this feeling, its like I broke in, and somehow kinda fitting in.

I think Adrian played a large role in this and I will always reserve that gratitude towards him. I can't imagine how much more difficult its gonna be without him. But I noticed something about his interaction with the kids, it seems like he didn't want to be there, have that can't-be-bothered kinda attitude. And unknowingly, the kids sensed it and felt that Adrian wasn't that fun and the kids started to not have fun as well.

The chat with Adrian definitely brought back memories, good or bad. The only thing that I didn't say to him to avoid sounding cliche was "any person willing to put in so much effort in making a difference to these kids' lives shouldn't be giving up so easily". (Honestly, kids can really be a handful). but i can sense that feeling of dissatisfaction and hopelessness from Adrian, I'm a little affected, reluctant to see how he is so affected.

"Don't give up on yourself and pls don't give up on the kids".

this scouting experience will be with me for long, and you definitely have a big role in this. regards.

ps: I wish my sisters can be there, they would have enjoyed the whole camp-in.
pps: I still find it funny how Chris's mom suggested me the setting up of international school idea in indonesia, cute bunch.

(Sometimes, we really have to know whats our priorities, even if you are doing the right things but not towards the priorities you have in your life, things might not go the way you want) ~ Sudden epiphany of the day

The Uniform Project

2010-03-08T09:45:00.005+08:00

This is fun.

If its not the big ques of "will you marry me?"

2010-03-08T09:04:00.003+08:00

The more travelling you do, the more confused you will get. or maybe its just me.

there so much uncertainty with life, its almost as if you will never know whats gonna happen tmr, well it is, what the heck. so you guys, instead of being pessimistic with life and all, just take it as it is and smile for the next day.

the trip back to sg made me face this ques pretty often from people: "what if chris is not the right one and wouldn't it be hard for you to leave peacefully seeing how deeply involved you are with him and his family?"

girls and guys, if there is one thing i know, its effort. if i don't give my best, i will never know if its gonna work. i'm done with committing half-ass-ly (to protect myself and allow me to leave the r/s with minimal pain) to r/s. I want to throw everything in and make it work, silly you might laugh but if i don't, i'll never know.

If he is not the right one, then let me pain and cry, and one day i will be fine. Cause at least i know i've tried.

mom's mom's fave

2010-02-02T16:15:00.006+08:00

my mom's favourite place at the pasar malam (night market). At least there was where I always find her after getting muah chee (sticky peanut glutinous rice) and tutu kuah (peanut rice cake). she will always be bidding for random stuff. Its a mini auction for crystals, statures, and many weird items (prob all from China). Whenever I'm there, I always feel this anti-gravity around my hand, tempting me to put it up. Its that childlike mischievous that u just want to mess things up and participate in everything that adults do. I did put up my hand in the end, causing my mom to pay for things that she didn't really bid for. i think they are still somewhere back at home, hahaha.

When I was even younger, i remember my grandma bringing me to those hokkien(dialect) opera show where they paint their faces with bright red and white colours (ghostly looking).Often, they are the main actors in both me and my sister's nightmares.

I still remember that love story between two sisters acted out on that little wooden stage in Bedok. How the little sister sacrificed herself and even though my hokkien wasn't that good at that time, even though they were all masked in scary facepaint, i teared. I was only 7. That is street opera, a reflection of the society at that time.

After every show (almost one every month), all the neighbours will wipe their tears and carry their little stools back up to their HDB flats. I'm glad that I was there.I like that community life back then.

haha, good o' days, where mee pok is $1.

Incredible India

2010-02-01T17:08:00.000+08:00

Organiser

2010-01-20T12:27:00.001+08:00

The Soul would have no Rainbow if The Eyes had no Tears.

My Cute Prof

2010-01-19T09:10:00.006+08:00

Finance lesson 3: Risk & Return - Correlation

"Japanese eat healthy food, drink hot tea, and they live very long lives. French eat very unhealthy food, drink a lot of alcohol, and they live very long lives. English and Americans die earlier, so what is the correlation u guys see here?"

*pause* the class is thinking hard, what has this got to do with the security, hedge funds, mutual funds, margin buying and short selling that he just talked about?

"There is no correlation between the type of food and drinks, and longevity.
Its the speaking of English that kills."

LOL.

First step on the road

2010-01-18T07:22:00.003+08:00

Well, well, these few days have been kinda rewarding. I got my L license!

I know its not a big deal but its pretty satisfying. Its like I have overcome my fears that I will be one of those stupid drivers that drive onto the sidewalk, knocking down people, destroying trees. I am now ready to face it, face the fact that my fears might come into realization (opps, sorry).

Just watch out for me while u are on the road, or prob call to see if i'm leaving in a car. and, I was just thinking about this, maybe, I'm saying maybe, I want to be a car racer! woohoo, hows that for SCARY? geez, chill guys.

Ready to rock and roll!

p/s: How does Raena sounds? I like the name.

SAY HURRAY!

2010-01-12T15:44:00.001+08:00

I GOT IT! PASSED THE INTERVIEWS!

Got the position as a social media marketer and get to go Africa for volunteering. Say Hip Hip Hurray!

ps: freaking damn excited.

Political Campaign

2009-12-30T04:18:00.002+08:00

It makes me think, whether what we have been practicing in all political campaigns is ethical. Well, but whos to judge, and ethics is defined by such a thin line that at times, i don't even see it.

" Children, are rightly, of great concern to any society, but because of that, they become its most often used (and misused) rhetorical tools, its obsession. The word "children" is invoked to support all kinds of political agendas, depending on the need of the individual or group invoking them."

Charles London.

Post Exams

2009-12-29T09:19:00.003+08:00

It has been hectic, but fun hectic. Joining birthday parties, going snowboarding, entertaining, playing board games, msn-ing till late, skyping till late, boxing day shopping, sight seeing, and the list goes on.

I'm gonna miss yz leaving vancouver, with her AWESOME friends. I will miss the family rowdiness at home when Chris's family leaves. It will be back to the peaceful twosome life again, for good or bad. So many things I wanna do in my life, with the upcoming interviews, and all the research I've been doing, hope it pays off.

Back to my book for now,

"Children are the canvas on which societies paint themselves; their hopes, their hates and fears, their nationalist fantasies, their impossible dreams." Charles London.

FINALS

2009-12-14T14:09:00.000+08:00

FINALLY FINALS.

PLEASE LET ME DO WELL, I WILL BE A GOOD GIRL.

Beauty, in the eyes

2009-11-09T12:03:00.005+08:00

structured with the most beautiful words

most beautiful sentence in the world:

Demurely, I gambolled in my bucolic bungalow, brooding on a dalliance with an eloquent, evanescent palimpsest which would be the cynosure of all, evocative of halcyon glamour, redolent of the riparian petrichor of the Susquehanna; incipient it was, until an insouciant harbinger made an ebullient epiphany by my inglenook, to murmur, "'Ere! The ratatouille's conflating, and it's gone all effervescent!" and wafted out again, leaving me languid and woebegone for my ephemeral leisure.

I want to adopt a new name!

Rella, what do you guys think?

Was it a nightmare?

2009-11-04T22:04:00.003+08:00

I just had a dream and i am the infidel one in this dream. It was kinda weird how real it felt after i woke up. Now i can't sleep, thinking about what i've been though, all the relationships with friends, with bfs, with people.

I re-read some of the emails (I can get really cranky and sentimental) and started thinking of how childish I was, how my logics just aren't logical. Many of my arguments are flawed on so many levels and I regret many ways how I treated people. Maybe its just the phase of growing up, reflecting and learning. If different people were to come into my life at different point of time, I am sure the result is gonna be so different. I might not even be with Chris, might not even be in Canada. Maybe everything is really planned.

I am actually quite pumped up for the next part of my life cause at this moment, I feel so wise and I think I know what I need to do. I am gonna start with a calling card, and start calling people up!!

Sometimes all it takes is a phonecall.

p/s: If you see this, pls give me a call as well. I truely believe it takes two hands to clap like in all relationships.

Bernie Madoff

2009-11-03T07:25:00.002+08:00

The debate on Bernie Madoff is in 30 mins time. I am so freaking nervous that I will be the second debator and the question person during the firing round. Wish me luck people! I will be loud and clear.

Superdad

2009-11-03T05:29:00.001+08:00

"Will you join the marathon with me?"
"yes, i will"
"Will you join the marathon with me again?"
"yes, i will"
"Will you join the marathon with me this time?"
"yes, i will"
.
.
.
"will you join the ironman with me?"
"yes, i will"

despite having heart conditions, the dad always says yes.

Birth-day

2009-11-02T12:46:00.003+08:00

Going through birthday always give me mixed feelings. Its like the day when you feel its kinda important and you want people to remember it, while at the same time, i don't want to bother people with it. Yacht club party was wonderful and I will post the pictures as soon as my hard disk is repaired. All the touching gifts, wonderful cards and lovely wishes.

This is the first time ever in my life when people are still wishing me happy birthday after 1 week.

Maria: "rui, its like you have so many birthdays, when is it gonna end?". we were studying in the library when people came up to me and gave me hugs and said happy birthday. and again, maria, stop making me cry.

Marine Biology

2009-10-15T03:17:00.002+08:00

Hahahahahaha.

Maria is in New York and I miss her like hell. Weird how our friendship got so strong within such a short period of time. I hope to see her later in 394 and hopefully she is safe and sound from her flight. Makes me feel like singing the song Maria~

Haven been able to talk to Crystal. She gave me a shock the other day when she ask me "can I talk to you later tonight, kinda need some help" my guess is a guy's prob and she looked troubled. Hopefully I can be of help.

11.10.09 -> Chris Appreciation Day. Its gonna be a new tradition. Haha.

p/s: I look like a total geek now, marine biology, hoodie and jeans, pinned-up fringe.
pp/s: I think I am more Charlotte than Carrie.
ppp/s: Why am I so concern over his r/s with his friends when he dun even bother? blah.

Back to the old routines

2009-10-06T13:59:00.002+08:00

Haven been blogging for a long long time.

I think everyone blogs for a reason, whether to express themselves, to create a space for themselves or whatever reason possible, everyone blogs for their personal reason. Mine is to update my friends what is happening here to me (uh-hem, so pls do the same for me so that i can be updated).

it has been hectic in singapore and surprisingly this hectic schedule didn't stop when i'm in vancouver. was busy registering for courses, planning for my grad, when to schedule this and that, learning to deal with all the household chores once again. (I have to say I'm pretty impressed with a guy's tolerance for dirt and untidiness, or is it just my bf?)

consecutively for 3 weeks i have been travelling a lot. I went Seattle with Eljay, Crystal and Maria to meet Anna (Maria's high school bff) and we had a really good brunch before heading to Factory Outlets for a shopping spree! it was more fun for me at the outlets just because Kate Spade was on crazy sale!! bags going for 30USD but we didn't have enough time to shop around so we kinda left early.

We were cutting our mini road trip short cause we had a reunion dinner with ssp and that dinner was awesome, i think i was the only one with maria who drank the wine brought by joey. It was good and gulping it down in two mouth got me a little high i have to admit but that made everything so much more cheery somehow. haha.

talking about seattle, wonder if i will meet that same officer who tried to chat us up. asking me how to pronounce my name and weird things like whats our major and what are we doing in school instead of asking us what are we planning to do in seattle. well, four pretty girls = hard to resist aye?

the following weekend i went for a longboat competition. Longboat its like a mini dragonboat and it can easily capsize ( i felt pretty lucky we didn't capsize). I paddle with the Malaysian team as I wanted to paddle with Sean and he is from Malaysia. Only thing is that he injured his anlke just before the race and I had to go with the team myself.

It was kinda awkward at first but after we started conversing in Mandarin, things changed completely. They are one of the most friendly bunch I have met so far and it was so much fun paddling with them.

Even though we didn't win the race but who had that experienced of being trapped in a windstorm on the sea; almost paddling to North Vancouver from Jericho beach; using "going home" as our paddling rhythm; taking a victorious picture after being stranded on a neighbouring beach. I really just enjoyed myself!

thanks sean for being the great friend u are, muhahahaha.

the week after which was last weekend, i went diving (yesterday actually). Chris and I went diving for two days. It was crazy intense and on my first dive I almost drowned. As diving here is much colder, we have to put on this thing called the dry suit which basically acts like a blubber around u. But because of this dry suit, it is very difficult to control your buoyancy. Its like having BCD all around. We had to carry weights that feels heavier than my weight and tt was terrible.

My mask was problematic and throughout my two days dives, i had to constantly adjust my mask every 10secs in the water. It was so troublesome and I panicked when the water gets into my nose. But seeing the crabs and the "angels" in the water made everything worth it. Brandon was an excellent instructor along with Steve. Made new friends on this trip again and it definitely turned out better than expected. All well ends well.

I am so exhausted that I fell aslp in my schl's library and made a fool of myself in front of this not bad looking guy. I kinda did a little shriek when i woke up suddenly in the library and this guy sitting in front of me looked at me and gave me this really sweet smile. Haha, i was thoroughly red and I never look up again.

Chris got a new car which is another thing that kept us busy. Researching, test driving, bargaining, searching, calling, so much work to do before getting a car but luckily we decided on one and we got it shipped in from Kelowna. Its a GLK Mercedes Benz. I didn't want to get that as it was way too ex but Chris and his dad really like it and I guess this is call the "guy's splurge" they really want to invest in a good one. Chris kinda convince me over with a whole lot of logics and I guess he got a really great deal.

Anyway, meeting the girls this friday at eljay's place and going for dinner with alfonso and nicole! hopefully we get to do the catching up that we have been waiting for.

A glass of cocktail

2009-09-02T02:59:00.004+08:00

I have never realised that I was that much loved by people around me and recalling the details brought tears to my eyes. It started from the success of that wonderful night by the yacht club where people turned up and make something that I wasn't really keen, to be one of the best gatherings I have ever had.

This summer has given me alot and so much more than I expected, and yes, making me greedy for more yet leaving in 7 hours. The cards, the presents and the efforts. The care, the pride and the love. Thank you all who made it so special. Those cards made me a cry baby which I was never known for.

I have never felt so strongly the love my family has for me. Who can be as lucky as me to have a grandma who is supportive of me going to Canada for studies: " If you ever felt like you can't fit in there, you don't have to feel ashamed, cause we will always be here for you, waiting for you to come back. Any trouble, you must let us know."

My aunties and uncles are always there to listen to any troubles (yes, we communicate on facebook and skype) that I have and help me out with anything I need.

My parents are always supportive of any decisions I have made in my life till date and how they fuss over my needs these few months and make everything so perfect for me has really exceed my tolerance to hold the tears, now that I know tml I will have to continue on my independent path.

Yes, my sisters. never anything as dear as they are to me. Hopefully they will become mature soon and start to find the path that they want to take. My sister that drew touching cards for me and my sister who took off to spent more time with me before I leave. I never thought I will miss them so much with all the available technology.

Friends, i love this word, always made me feel special. And I hope I made them feel the same cause they are. As I slowly recall the happenings, some brought tears, some brought that warm fuzzy feeling that you can never get sick of, and some brought huge laughters. Really appreciate what you guys have done and I do know some who went the extra mile to make me feel that I deserve such pamperings, the extra thoughts in gifts. now i'm even more reluctant to go back. Will we stay friends forever? i will, cause its special.

I believe its just the night that makes me emotional. I have never wanted night to be gone so fast yet I dread the next morning I'm leaving.

Its funny how feelings can be mixed like a glass of cocktail.

Back Home

2009-07-05T00:30:00.003+08:00

Its fun to meet up for random reasons, or maybe not even for any particular reason. It beats meeting only on special occasions.

More talking till 5am pls.

It feels good to know that you have friends that care despite eons of staying world apart, like literally. Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore...

really blessed, aye?

Piece of Advice

2009-04-26T02:04:00.000+08:00

Only after the last tree has been cut down

Only after the last river has been poisoned

Only after the last fish has been caught

Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten

Sometimes it makes me wonder what have I done for the Earth.
What have you done?
I think companies should really start considering the impacts of their actions.