Monday, July 31, 2006

A Good Time, We Had

After a long time planning, we finally had our BRATz outing last Saturday. Tho we ended up in Mt Faber instead of Sentosa, we still had a really fun time - makin ppl do stuff (for us :P), running, racing, memorizing bible verses, solving puzzles, getting rides from strangers and eating peanuts while enjoying the breeze and the view (tho not so panaromic). Even the skeptics had fun, too =D

Some of us were worried tho, at first. Before we set off, we could see the ominous dark clouds in the distance, threatening to ruin our long-overdue outing. True enough, a while later it started to drizzle. So we prayed that God would give us good weather so we could have a good time. Praised God. When we arrived, the rain stopped completely. Instead of rain, He gave us a cloudy sky so we won't get scorched. Breeze was continuous. That wasn't the first time that God stopped the rain for us. When we were in Sarawak, He did the same thing. What happened was, we had our laundry being dried when we felt drizzle. We were still at the worksite, which is about 5 mins walk from the house. We all got kanchiong to save our clothes from the rain.

But Karen just walk and said calmly, "Don't worry. I prayed already."

Still, that didn't stop us from rushing. Amazingly, there was only occasional drops of rain when we were getting our clothes but when Sheena (the last person) got into the house with all her clothes, it started pouring heavily. It seemed that God had put a huge basin to temporarily hold the water, long enough for us, and when we were done, He just poured everything down. It happened again yesterday morning. When I stepped out of the MRT station, it was raining so heavily. I was worried cuz I didn't bring my brollie and I was already late for work. But within 3 mins, the downpour receded to a drizzle. I didn't even pray for the rain to stop. He knew. God is good.....

Here are the pics that we took. Oh i did mentioned one of the things some of us did was to get rides from strangers, didn't I? Yep, the ever-so-onz Auntie Agnes did hitch-hike during the race. Twice. One was a Benz and the other was a truck, so I was told. Her excuse - she was too old to be running ard.... LOLx.... The other teams complained that she was cheating. But she said that she wasn't cheating, she was juz being smart. And there was no rule against it. Gotta agree with her =D


For more, go to my Flickr. (Not all are up tho. Will complete tmr)



Can u guess the winner?

*Hint: it's the team with the oldest and the youngest person







Go Ninja GO!!








We enjoy the ride up....






While they had to walk UP. Haha!









The aftermath

Friday, July 21, 2006

7 Foods to NEVER Eat!

7 foods to NEVER eat.

Oh boy, the moment I saw the title of this article, I know I'll be guilty and I know... I won't heed the 'NEVER' advice. (I can almost picture Yilin nodding her head in agreement) Still, i'll try to avoid and control the desire of this weak flesh of mine. So here's the list (go read the article for the 'horrifying' truth unfolding right before your eyes):

  1. Doughnuts
  2. Cheeseburger with Fries
  3. Fried Chicken and Chicken Nuggets
  4. Oscar Mayer Lunchables
  5. Sugary Cereal
  6. Processed Meats
  7. Canned Soup

I must say most of these foods are really my comfort food, or used to at least. And some of them even have special place in my heart. Serious....

Doughnuts - sure brings back good ol' memories. Used to go to this small household bakery that's like right in front of my small but homey n fun primary school. Just a few steps away. The bakery owner was such a nice lady. I'd play at her house and eat her donuts almost everyday with my friends. My fav - the sugar-coated one. I could remember licking the snowy sugar and then eat the fluffy, warm, fresh-from-the-oven donuts. Yumm.... She'd give me free donuts once in a while. It's been quite some time since I had one.

Cheeseburger with fries - Man, must they specifically mention cheeseburgers? They're one of my fav childhood food. Who wouldn't love this age-old favourite? I had celebrated so many of my birthdays in McD's. And during O levels period, McD's was like my second home and the "crispy on the outside, soft in the inside" french fries had satisfied my snacks cravings.

Fried chicken and chicken nuggets - I don't eat as much fried chicken as I used to, and I definitely don't eat the skin anymore (but I missed it. It's so delicious and crispy. Sigh....). But my fridge is never out of chicken nuggets. It's tasty, filling and convenient. Double sighs....

Sugary cereals - Honey star, Koko Krunch, Froot Loops, Chocolate-coated Corn Flakes are what I used eat. I've since changed to healthier choice, ie Muesli mix and other Multi-grain + fruit bits cereals. I like them. But I must admit that it's more tiring to chew them. And not so fun to eat. Not crunchy (that's why sometimes I mix them with the 'sugary cereals'). My mom often jokes that my breakfast look like my hamster's food. Oh well, they do have a couple of similar ingredients.

Processed meats - Oh man. I think the author hates me. She lists down all my fav food. Ha! Sausages (again, tasty n convenient. Oooh I love the cheese sausage. So yummy!), bacon and ham (chicken or turkey version of course). Oh btw, she didn't mention chicken bakwa (chinese barbequed meat), did she? Haha... I can still eat them *trying to ignore the fact tt it's under processed meat category*

Humph... I hate the author! No, just kidding. She's right. Blame my parents for letting me grow up eating such unhealthy, but oh-so-delightful food. They let me buy sugar donuts, they showered me with sweets n chocs (u shud see my teeth last time. one word: Yuck!). They brought me to McD's to celebrate my birthdays. And till now, they still stock up on nuggets, and other processed meats. Goodness, just a couple of days ago, we even had fried chicken nuggets and french fries for breakfst (I didn't like it tho. Too greasy.)

However, I'm trying to live more healthily. I eat more wholemeal products. More greens. More fruits. Less sugar, less salt, less oil. Sheesh, I sound like the Health Promotion Board campaign poster. I don't mind tho. I quite like healthy food. In fact, I hate it if my food is too salty or too greasy. Once in a while I'd give in to temptation, I admit. But as long as I eat in moderation, I should get by just fine :)


Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Just read the article that Mr Brown wrote in TODAY: "S'poreans are fed, up with progress!" a couple of days ago after the hoo-ha.I've always enjoyed reading his column. Witty and funny. But have missed the last few, cuz too busy. Sigh... what to do. In s'pore muz work hard. or else, cannot make it lah.

I agree with what he said. and boy, i'm not alone. if u see the comments he got concerning the article, i must say he's quite a star. Lolx.

As he's pointed out (albeit sarcastically) life is definitely getting tougher, especially for non-citizens (huh, and they still complain tt govt is treating them as second-class citizens??) Though we're already PRs, we don't get as much benefits and we definitely didn't get the Progress Package thing. Yet, we have to contribute as much tax and we're expected to work harder, or risk losing our jobs (thank goodness, I'm not joining the workforce as perm anytime soon) Moreoever, I'm gonna have to work here for 3 years after graduating. Sigh...If only I had enough money I'd have flown straight to OZ at this very moment. Singapore so boring! (oops...)

Now, my mom is also complaining abt the price hike. "Girl ah, off the light when ur not using it. Electricity price rise some more. Oh, don't shower too long also.Don't waste water. Aiyo, didn't I said not to turn off when not in use. Why is the TV on when no one's watching? Aiyo! Don't waste money." Thank God, the weather has been somewhat forgiving. Not as warm as last year. So no need to use the air-con everyday. (Save my skin from drying up, too :o) But my mom's complaining cuz now she has to use the dryer or the clothes won't dry.

And seriously, are we all ready for this iN2015? I noe we've become really tech-savvy. Just read yesterday about schools going really high-tech. (what! no more textbooks? Poor eyes. They've regard u less n less now. And do those schools realise the problems that would inevitably arise from being too high-tech?) Ok, maybe I'm biased, skeptical whatever. Sometimes I find technology too much of a bummer. Besides, it's been proven time and again that technology isn't all that marvelous. But I'm not gonna start an argumentative essay to defend my opinion. Done that for GP. Now's time for ranting. Hehe...

But most importantly, I hate the govt for creating such a horrible terrijible vegetable education system. But I'm not gonna write on tt. It'll take me ages to finish ranting abt it. Let's juz say that the system has almost turned me into an IMH citizen.

Still, I don't want to be ungrateful. Coming from indo, I must say that there are better things here. like I can go home late alone on public transpot, without much worry. but in jakarta, i don't even dare take taxi at daytime. and it's relatively clean here. and there are no extremely poor people in sight (you would really feel lyk closing ur eyes all the time on the road in jkt cuz there are juz sooo many really poor ppl begging for their lives). Oh, and as I've said in my past blog, I'm really grateful for the libraries here.

So there, I've managed writing a blog without dissing the "gahmen" (not tt I care abt those "white" people. I'm juz keeping my resolution, ie. to "give thanks in all circumstances"). Lolx... I'm in ok mood. Not in i'll-complain-as-much-as-i-want-and-there's-nothing-u-can-do-abt-it mood.

One last advice tho, for the "gahmen" and everyone else. The more you try to cover up sth or blatantly opposing it, especially if that sth is controversial (think the Da Vinci Code), you'll only cause more people to support it. Doesn't take an Einstein to know that, dude.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Twisted Logic

Twisted Logic...

And here's the video. Had wanted to show u the other video which is longer. but Youtube is juz too slow in uploading. Sigh.... Oh btw, the vid and the sound is not exactly in-synch. haha...I dunoo what happened.


Tuesday, July 11, 2006

I'm thankful I can watch Coldplay LIVE for free!

Before I say anything, I must thank Anthony for giving me free tix to Coldplay concert held yesterday. Yep, u read it right. I went to the concert yesterday =D

Used to like Coldplay lots last time, then singers/bands come and go. New favourites replace the old ones. Over the months, my liking for Coldplay has waned. Then on Saturday, I noticed some tix on Andy (hehe, I got good eyes) and that was how i got it. I thought, "Well, free tix, man. Very kiasu mah. If free, then must take." Haha... But really, I used to like them a lot. So i thought why not.

The concert started 1 hr late. Damn, I was kinda sleepy already. Not to mention starving. Gazel said there was some foodcourt near d stadium so we could eat our dinner there. Turned out, there's only 1 pathetically small 7-11. I was pretty pissed. Then at 8.45pm, the lights were dimmed. Ppl started screaming and clapping. (btw, i realised the effect of light on ppl. Just dim it, and ppl would get very excited. Play some cool lights, ppl go hysterical. There's power in the light!)

But, not until 9pm that the band came out. Pretty cool entrance. There was countdown in the background, and they started singing Twisted Logic (i think. can't remember). Of course they sang all my favourites - clocks, speed of sound, yellow and fix you. They're an awesome band. How can I tell? My bro always said that you can tell if a band is good when they perform live. Chris Martin's voice is ever so fantastic, the band was zero cool. No lip-synching. They sounded better live. Unlike some bands/singer, like Hoobastank or Ashlee who sound dreadful live. Moreover, the play with the lighting was superb. Totally set the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the crowd sux. So many of them are like balding old man or those older working ppl. Totally not onz. Just stood or sit there, looking uninterested. I'm quite sure they all got free tix or maybe cuz it was Monday. I felt sorry for the band. I could see they put lotsa effort in makin d concert a success. Only towards the end that the crowds went wild.

Oh u noe what? I almost touched Chris Martin! Only a few inches away. Man, I didn't realise that he was coming down d stage. Sigh. That was one chance in a lifetime wasted. My bro was luckier. He get to go really near d stage. My seat was pretty good. But he was like right in front, tho he had to pay for it. Heh...

So yea, that's what I'm thankful for this week =D=D

Here's some pics. I'll upload the rest on my Flickr. I'm gonna upload the concert vid tmr. Uploading on youtube takes forever :s





The Beginning

Coldplay ROX!

This pic looks like it's part of Motorola Advertising campaign, isn't it? Haha... Maybe I can sell this to the company ;)

Thursday, July 06, 2006

When I grow up, I wanna be...?

Went to the briefing for the Commencement tmr, where I'm sposed to be ushering. So Mr Chui, Xm and I were there for the briefing. We went to this lecture-theater-looking hall, assigned for the BAcc students ceremony. After a short briefing, Xm went up the stage and stood in front of the mic.

When I asked him what he was doing, he said confidently, "To practise for my valedictory speech, of course!"

Woah, to think we just finish our first year of study in U. That means we still have 3 more years to go (2.5 years for him). Yet, he was already preparing to deliver the valedictory speech. We even joked about our plan for the future. So we were saying that in 3 yrs time, he'll be up on the stage delivering the speech; in 5/10 yrs' time, he'll be on the "hot seat" (ie. the prof's seat); and in 20 yrs' time to be opening/closing the ceremony (u shud haf attended the convocation '05 to understand the joke), and in 30+ yrs' time, he'll be the Prof Emeritus (the next Prof G, Lolx) Dude, can't believe he's planning to spend his entire life in tt Muggers' Uni. (mind you, he kept going up to 'practise' his speech)

When I kept laughing, he said nonchalantly, "Hey, it's good to dream what."

Frankly speaking, people like him amaze me. They know exactly what they wanna do with their lives. They have goals. They dare to dream. But me... Till now, i still don't have the fuzziest idea as to what I wanna do with my life. Ever since I was young, i'm clueless about my life.

Do you remember how often the adults would ask you when you were little what you wanna be when u grow up? The most popular answers would be doctor or pilot or astronaut or policeman. So when they asked me, I would answer, accompanied by my wide, toothless smile (i had too much candy), "Of course, a doctor!"

Truth be told, I had no interest in being a doctor, whatsoever. That was what everybody said. I just followed. Besides, I had no idea what I wanted to be. Then in Secondary school and Junior College, the teachers would ask us on the first day of school what was our expected grade for O and A levels, respectively. Usually I would pretend to be going to the restroom or to write the expected grade. And when the teacher came over, I'd just grinned and told him/her that it was a secret. Truth is, I didn't know what to expect of myself. So I've never set any goals for myself.

Of course I dare to dream also. Every single night, mind you :p.... But just as my dreams change every night , my life dreams keep changing too (and I don't usually bother working towards them). Depends on what was the most recent show i watched or book i read or even stories i heard. After watching Mightly Ducks, i thought being a hockey player would be great. Then I watch The School of Rock and thought that maybe being a drummer would be über cool. But after reading this book abt a missionary's life, i thought that being a missionary would be the ultimate. Then I went to this Science lab and thought that being a scientist and inventing some really useful drugs would be better. *shrugs*

I really envy people who have goals in their lives or dreams that they're goin to achieve. I wish I had one too. One that I badly wanna achieve. One that I would strive towards, no matter what the price is. I hope God would show me...soon.

Btw, I'm currently reading this book titled "Rumi's Daughter". One of the characters, Ahmed, also felt that his life is meaningless and empty. One day, he heard the Maulana's (Muslim religious teacher) sermon. He felt that it was his calling. Since that day, he decided to live simply and in solitude, in the wild or mountains. Hmm, maybe I should do that - live life simply and be a hermit. Erm, the best place I can get in S'pore would either be Bukit Timah or Mt Faber. Ha, yeah right!