Gloomy Thursday

1) ARE YOU READING A STRANGER'S BLOG?
Today is a gloomy day with overhanging dark clouds that have poured down rain already and is still threatening to pour some more... Wonder whether should i bring an umbrella or not. Heheh. Anyway was gng to prepare to go to school but i thought why not log an entry into the blog before I go. So here i am. Heheh just a passing thought, I wonder whether there are strangers that totally do not know us that visit this blog. I am sure there are, but what would be their impression of our lives hahaha.

2) DISSERTATION WOES
Anyway was thinking about my dissertation topic recently, stripped away of all its technical or cheem content it is basically whether the law should make sure businessman behave honestly even though it means foregoing a certain amount of profit that could be made from some unsuspecting/stupid/naive ... and the list goes on.... corresponding party. In other words should people be compelled by a law to be honest with each other when transacting business.

2A) DOG EAT DOG WORLD
In our part of the world, we sometimes adopt a hostile attitude or adversarial attitude towards the other party when we do business with another person because we have the preconception that the other guy is trying to cheat us. So instead of seeking a win win situation we begin to think about how best to take advantage of the other person within the legal limits prescribed by the law. Then when we do fall foul of the law, the other person gets back at us with twice the amount of ferocity. In the end, it becomes a dog eat dog world.

2B) IDEAL WORLD
But the ideal world would be one where everyone seeks a win win situation and would be willing to forego a certain amount of profit to maintain long lasting relationships that is necessary for businesses in the future. Perhaps, some businessmen are took myopic to realise the importance and value of Guan Xi which means relations in chinese that can take one a very long way in this part of the world. Although one can say where the rules of fair dealing are clearly breached the law currently does intervene. However, i feel that it is time when there should be a general duty to act honestly and bona fide with each other so that the world would be a better place. Idealistic it may sound, but people in other parts of the world have this concept already.

STORY OF A JADE BANGLE
Imagine if Mr. A pawns his jade bangle which is a family heirloom and the deadline to pay is one month later. Imagine if exactly one month later he hears of news that an interested party is gng to buy his bangle today. So he immediately runs to the pawnshop and informs the pawnbroker that he is gng to repay the money the next day as his pay cheque would only be in tomorrow. Nevertheless, the pawnbroker goes ahead to sell the jade bangle to this Mr. C would is offering a very high price of the bangle. Clearly LEGAL? of course! but then clearly not in good faith cos the pawnbroker knew that Mr. A had the means to pay back the money but then he still proceeded with the sale of the pledged bangle. So some other country would rule that the pawnbroker acted unfairly and would set aside the sale. Now our conscience is at ease. heheh.

Ok now with this analogy i think those who have read until here would be falling asleep already especially C who would always complain that I confuse people too much with my weird logic hahaha. Ok gtg for lessons Toodlez.

Random Thoughts

Now is my turn to write about what has been happening in my life. Before I start blogging jus wanna upload two pictures of birds which i think look quite cute. First up is Mr. Black swan whom I called "BOAT BOAT" at. Second is mr white pigeon whom i took damn long to get a close up of it without zoom.

Ok, School has started and the profs are beginning to shoot arrows here and there regarding assignments and presentations warts and all but it is all fine. Finally I am beginning to pick up the pace to study and absorb stuff. But funny how my study pattern varies with each academic year, and this year I am a morning person with my absorbing power the best in the morning and declines until it reaches zero like when clock strikes midnight. hahah machiam cinderella like that.

Think this semester gng to be one that I aim to concentrate on church, studies and flying and nothing else because I have removed every other committments already yeah. hehehe. So I have more time for C and more time for myself. Anyway the uncertain times are over and I guess I shall jus stick to the original plan of gng back to the force then to law for the meantime unless something extraordinary happens. Just hope that my marketability would not fall when i come out and i can still take a paycut with C supporting me. hahaha sound like xiao bai lian like tat. hehehe but i still have a dream which is a nice unit at some tall flat with a nice view. Then put the dining table like in front of a full length window and have nice breakfasts with C on weekend mornings. hehe also want a small small little car like suzuki swift to fetch C around with little baby. Then beyond there i really want to go out serve other people with C beside me having daily adventures and challenges and working together. But for now I will have to concentrate in making myself credible to the world first by getting my studies right. So after lamenting abt my lack of motivation yesterday, I HAVE JUST GOT IT BACK! hehehe nothing will stop me now as i labour towards the final goal of making a difference to people's lives.

Ok back to something less serious hehehe. I am after all human, and I am suffering from the want of retail therapy hehehe cos i wanna buy something for myself. My wishlist include a racer bike with accompanying gear and helmet (cos C said that I would look good in it), a new pair of running shoes (mizuno wave elixir 2 with the bright orange pattern), a new pair of soccer boots (hahah the one that C said I would look good in it) and finally an iphone (hahah which i totally do not need). See dear i told you retail therapy for boys are far worse than gurls. Gurls can only buy shoes, bags and blah blah, but when I get into the mood of buying, fwah think i can go and rob a bank liao. But at least for now i dun have the urge to buy books cos i got tonnes of them to read now hehehe. Anyway I jus realised that my library is stocked with alot of philo books which are printed in like the 1950s or earlier damn old school but now no time to read hahaa.

Heheh think i feel better after blogging this out and cured my retail therapy urge liao hehehe. Cheap thrill but nonetheless a thrill. Ok I shall leave this post with a quote by helen keller which is, "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." So for now i can study and make small impacts on other people's lives and so i will do it. hehehe. Go Go Jiayou! hehehe

communication

my favourite song for the moment...




anyway it's by The Cardigans.
enjoy :)



For 27 years I’ve been trying to believe and confide in
Different people I’ve found.
Some of them got closer than others
And someone wouldn’t even bother and then you came around
I didn’t really know what to call you, you didn’t know me at all
But I was happy to explain.
I never really knew how to move you
So I tried to intrude through the little holes in your veins
And I saw you
But that’s not an invitation
That’s all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I’ve seen you, I know you
But I don’t know
How to connect, so I disconnect

You always seem to know where to find me and I’m still here behind you
In the corner of your eye.
I’ll never really learn how to love you
But I know that I love you through the hole in the sky.

Where I see you
And that’s not an invitation
That’s all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I’ve seen you, I know you
But I don’t know
How to connect, so I disconnect

Well this is an invitation
It’s not a threat
If you want communication
That’s what you get
I’m talking and talking
But I don’t know
How to connect
And I hold a record for being patient
With your kind of hesitation
I need you, you want me
But I don’t know
How to connect, so I disconnect
I disconnect.

heheee..

i saw ix shen today.. he just completed his exercise and was in his jogging attire.
anyway i shall not go anally bimbotic today and go bonkers and mushy like those groupies but yah. he was toned. fit. and looked shorter in reality.

anyway after work, i went to novo @ suntec to look for some nice work shoes. luckily the office isn't that corporate-y, so i needn't get one of those man-ball terror-inducing shoes / those fugly dudley ones. and boy did novo not disappoint! heehee. ok full stop :P

llalala, so not only will my poor feet stop sweating in my lovely crocs, neither would my poor crocs get worn down so quickly from everyday use :D hooray~ and it's sooo hard to find comfy shoes!

heehee. mebbe i oughta get the same pair again. *grin*
nahhhh.

till later! :D

p.s. windows vista and everything abt the new windows remind's me of N's mum. Both love to hide everything from view. I couldn't even find the "run" program and had to search for it! -_-""

update~

ok.. it's been a long while since i've updated this blog.
just a little update on what i've been up to: -

1. currently working *finally* at an architecture firm. been working there for 2 weeks already and temp-ing there for the time being, but really thankful to God that he gave me an opportunity to work in such a loving firm and that the bosses really want to help you learn.

2. disappeared during the weekend for "power-encounter weekend" held at Gallery Hotel, organised by my church - COOS. it's part of my baptism class so.. yah i had to attend. Thank God for answering my prayers to let me open my heart as much as possible and i had a lovely time at the ministry session. Big thanks and hugs to Grace, my counsellor. Thank God once again that He provided me with someone who i felt comfortable with, to be able to air all my dirty laundry with her, and for healing me and getting rid of my demons through her. :D but i gotta attend another ministry / healing session before i'm done. one hour is not enough!!

also many thanks to all the pastors and helpers that made it all possible, Susie Seow, Daren Tay, Matthew.. Agnes.. Grace.. Cynthia.. Gerald.. etc. As well as the lovely service staff at Gallery Hotel, esp the ones at the 4th level buffet restaurant. :D

it feels rather overwhelming that because of p.e.w, i'm able to listen to God more clearly than ever before and i'm ever thankful for God's presence in my life, whether i'm feeling down and out, or whether i'm bubbling with happiness, that He's always there for me. And for making me feel special that i'm God's child and feeling touched and honoured with the gifts He's given to me. I hope these gifts would be manifested onto the things / people i encounter everyday and that people ard me would be especially touched to know that God is with them / for them / God wants to know them, if only they'd let themselves to.

3. celebrating my papa's 52nd birthday later at joochiat. gg to have his favourite crabs :D

4. N's gg through a lot of stress with regards to his future. I just pray that everything would turn out well, give him patience, and if it isnt in his favour, that God would provide for everything.

5. been very tempted to get loads of things. just hope that i can get my mind focused on saving up and only buying things that i really need.

ok.. my shoulders and neck feel really strained now.. wish i could just get a massage :X

p.s. pardon my england and grammar vely the bad.

Uncertain times but a certain future

It has been a long time since this blog have been active updating the happenings of our lives. Anyway before I forget I wanna talk about a meal me and cheryl had a few days back. It was at serene centre and the place is called la petite cuisine. Hahah and wat a befitting name as the portions served are just nice for us which would be too little for normal people. Hehehe cos we are both very small eaters. That night she had the salmon in basque sauce with pasta while I had panfried foie gras with orange confit. oooh it was so nice! Before I start my description of the main course I shall give a short description of the soup and bread we had before the meal. The place bothers to toast their rolls which is served warmed. She had orange carrot soup while I had french onion soup. After a bad experience with the onion soup at the french stall, she sort of hesitated to take a sample of my soup when i offered but then after she tasted, oooh la la. There was no overpowering sour smell or taste but only the aroma of nice freshly chopped onions. Her orange carrot soup was also good with the creamy soup base giving way to a sort of tangy twist at the end. Superb. Then it was the main course. The salmon was panfried and topped off with a sauce that I cannot pinpoint wat ingredients are in it. When she cut into the meat, the flesh jus slides off and it just melts in your mouth while the sauce works its magic on the taste buds. My foie gras took awhile to come and we could see the work in progress when there was smoke emerging from the small kitchen. haha even the size of the kitchen is petite. Anyway the foie gras was jus served with salad. But it was all so nice. I am not an expert in tasting foie gras but according to cheryl it was cooked jus perfect. The texture is smooth and jelly like and the taste is full of the nice taste of fat. It is like the dong po meat but 10 times much more refined. The dining experience was also cosy as the chef knocked on the window and used sign language to ask me whether the food was good, and I gave him a thumbs up in all honesty. The chef is really one comic character haha with his tall hat and white gown. But beneath he was wearing a pair of bright green berms, power. haha that ends my post on the restaurant. For those who wonder where serene centre is this is the website. http://www.hungrygowhere.com/la_petite_cuisine haha but who reads our blog except us?

Next I would like to talk about me. Hahah I am undergoing a sort of roller coaster ride now with an impending career switch hopefully tings work out and our future would have better prospects as i seek to carve out my niche. But really I would leave it all to God, as in I would put in the necessary effort but the rest would be up to God to do wat he wants with my life. Anyway whereever I go I know I would be able to serve him. Hope cheryl would find wat she wants to do as a career soon so that we both can start working on our future together. That is why I bought a choo choo train for her yesterday to mark out the day we start choo choo forward together hahaa. No lah it was becos the train looked like percy so i thought she might like it.

That is all for now toodlez.

bobo chacha

heehee.. here are the surprises that i mentioned before :P

introducing... chacha!!! heeheee

this is how chacha was like before she was complete..
she's inverted inside out fyi..

peek-a-boo~
and this is her after i finished sewing!

with her looong bunny ears.. heeheee..

and a cute button tail :P

this is bobo the sock mungki in the works..
with just his body and legs..
chacha and hessie ( the pink bunny) look intrigued~
yes.. i still have kiddy bedsheets..from *gasp!* 11 years ago!

faceless bobo is too ashamed ...

bobo meets the rest of the bedtime buddies for the first time..

bobo makes friends with lumpy~
lumpy is a little protective of hessie.. so he still has her in his arms..
u may realise this picture of bobo is slightly skinnier than the previous one.
i had to restuff him because i somehow found out that a needle was stuck in his body and couldnt come out!
as with paintings, no two are ever alike.. so the new bobo is slightly fatter. heehee

bobo being cheeky to lumpy. with his heart-shaped arsehole! :D

ok that's all for now.. hope u guys like the new toys i made! both are currently in N's possession as they were meant as a present for him.

both were handsewn.. *smug* haha because i dont have a working sewing machine!
till later!

boredom in an elitist room

here i am.. sitting in the law library.. with a burning butt because of the volcano ramen i had for lunch and eyes getting squeezed dry from the low-humidity aircon... and N silently muttering the text from his admiralty law textbook..

wondering whether i'll get to satisfy my satay craving for dinner later. hehe.

looking up through the windows to the clouds above.. as they change ever so frequently.. and then i'm pulled back to reality of reading a stupid text necessary for dissertation..

wondering when N would ever be ready for dinner as he plugs his earphones back after a quick phone call..

lalala di da deeeee~~

teeheeheee.. a surprise coming soon!! :D

can't wait.. :P

sorry i can't leak any details because it's got to be a surprise..

well now that u know it's a surprise, not so surprising is it?

kekekeke... wheeee~

Aur Trip 3 to 5 Aug

Blue Spotted Ray
Cuttlefish
Rainbow over aur

Juvenile manyspotted sweetlips
Flower for my dear
sunrise from happy island
Bumhead school at Jawa
Moray eel

Putih looking irritated
Happy Island

All Geared up
Happy Island Happy Memories

This looks like a photo post with all the pictures being uploaded and stuff. Hahah. Anyway as cheryl has said i went to Aur over the weekend for a diving trip. This time i went back to Uncle George's resort to sort of re-establish my relationship with him after he lost the NUS account. After all he is the one that introduced me to the world of diving and taught me alot. He is also willing to share with me a lot of industry know-hows and stuff like that. After a heart to heart talk with him on sat night i guess that was done. So now let me run through the trip. The journey there was uneventful and the boat reached Aur in a record 3 and a half hours becos we were aided by the wind and current. Nevertheless conditions at the jetty were less than favourable as choppy waters made it very difficult to unload all the stuff. After that it was time to sleep and i slept outside facing the sea which was super cooling and sort of theuraptic. The next day we had to check out dives for the divers. But halfway to Jawa bertrand and Euming realised that their equipment was faulty so i proposed the solution that i go down with huiling and cuiyun first then after that go up let them change over equipment with the two guys then i go down together with them again. So the plan was executed.

Dive 1

First dive at Jawa and i did not expect to see much at the most the schooling juvenile yellowfin barracudas that are always there. But boy was I wrong, the visibility then was damn good due to the nip tide. it was in excess of 10m to 15m. As usual the barracudas were there but this time the school seem larger and the divers seemed more mesmerised. Then the butterfly and parrot fishes were feeding and moving around in cadence which was quite a sight for them as they had not been diving for a few years already. After that i brought them back to the boat and it was time for Eu ming and Bertrand to go down. This time i had intel from the group that jus emerged that there was a school of bumheads in the area. So we went down found the bumheads and spent a good time playing with them. Then saw the school of barracudas again plus a few nice and big batfishes, sweetlips and etc. Then i even spotted a school of sotongs but then Eu ming thought it was some blue colour fish and did not manage to see them. Then after navigating back near to the boat i let them play around beneat the boat to maximise dive time, and then Eu ming spotted a moray eel and then there was a blue spotted ribbontail ray which i took good pictures of. All in all it was an unexpectedly good dive at Jawa.

Dive 2

Lang Bay was up next and I brought the group to chiong torpedoz point. There at the abandoned cage we saw schooling yellow stripped mackerel, rainbow runners, Jacks, Trevallies and yellow tailed fusilliers. The amount of life there was jus abundant. Then after that brought them to play with the school of yellow colour fishes jus beside torpedoz point, boy did they have fun and there was little or no current at all at the site which was really a wonder. hahaha. But after that becos they went deep diving and bobbled up and down most of them had headaches and look damn tired after the dive. So i decided that the next dive would be a relaxing one.

Dive 3

Pinang was next as we did a drift dive. Again there was the nice rock formations and seafans. Then we saw sotong nation and cuttlefish which is shown in the picture above. Found a weight belt with 8 kg of weights attached to it. Wah at first i was not used to it man and it is really damn heavy. Dunno how people can dive with 4 weights sia, really torture man.

Dive 4

Night dive at Sebukang was the most memorable for the wrong reasons. Ok we did see a lot of stuff like morays, groupers, shrimps, puffers and all but then when we emerged from the water to do the shore entry the tide was so low that we had to negotiate our way back to the resort while sustaining a few cuts and abrasions here and there. Then it gave us the appetite to eat more during dinner.

Dive 5

The next morning we went to Rayners early in the morning and the dive was good as usual and they stopped giving notice of things like hermit crabs, cuttlefish, sotongs, rays and bumheads as they were deemed nothing extraordinary. Tried to look for the resident turtle there but to no avail as the site only had sea whips and no turtles. However, we saw some ikan bilis schooling and formed a dazzling display of reflecting lights to distract and confuse 6 trevallies that were trying to eat the. Nevertheless, the trevallies were undeterred and managed to make a meal out of some of the ikan makan hahaha. Such sights are already nice to look at on animal planet, and to see it firsthand in real life is priceless.

Dive 6

Last dive at Jawa was a relaxing ones with everyone monkeying around. Nice dive trip, nice memories. Everything good in all.

Hahaha really diving is something that is addictive even if it is diving at humble aur where everyone thinks that it is overdived. But then if you really open your eyes big enough there are many things to spot out there. All this time i wished C was there to share all the nice underwater moments with me and to sit with me at the jetty at night to look at the stars and talk abt everything under the stars literally. Hahah i know it sounds cliched but it is wat makes life so much more bearable. Tat is all for now. Toodlez

confessions...

had baptism class today.. the last one before we have our Power Encounter Weekend at Gallery Hotel..

Seems like the PEW is like a big thing, and we were given a 5 page survey form to know our Christian history a bit better. We just basically had to tick alongside some questions. Some were extremely personal, some where quite cute in the sense that i never thought they'd affect my Christian life, like yoga, foot reflexology, acupuncture - typical Asian / Chinese customs that I'd never thought that MAY be considered dangerous.

Other questions were physical / emotional traits - anger, irritability, impatience, etc. Others were 'how you feel about your parent / sibling ....', medical history.. etc..

So it was quite a comprehensive list to check, and though each of us were given a pseudonym, I could see quite clearly that my name had been 'blanko-ed' out beside it! Means hor.. if anyone scrutinises my list and notices my name that was originally there hor.. then then scratches the dried liquidpaper hor.. or bring the paper to light to see the ink indentation... it's very embarrassing -_-"""

Anyway the purpose of the survey is so that the counsellor attached to me during the PEW session would be able to so-called purify me during the sessions. While I was extremely honest, one guy in my class absolutely refused to put down all his 'sins' and asked whether that were possible.

I of course wouldn't know his reasons for doing that, but when I turned to the Bible to Matthew 5:5 - 8 ( "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are thoses who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.") I just wondered why he was so fascinated with self-ministry ( i can't exactly remember what the pastor used. it's something like self cleansing).

His basic point was that his secrets would be revealed to SOMEONE other than God, and he's extremely uncomfortable doing so, and would rather face the challenges alone without the help of a counsellor as an intercessor.

Oh well. Anyway I realised this guy ( I shan't reveal his name) was really particular about the way people tell him things. He'd pick their words apart and grill them for any discrapencies or vagueness in their language or the sentence itself. Haiyoh.

And the worst part is that he asks the SAME question over and over again. hahahaha..Practically everyone in the class who's heard him as questions before either grimaces / smiles politely whenever he opens his mouth.. heehee.. well better ask than not at all i guess :P

While I am excited about PEW and getting baptised, i do get the jitters of what is to happen. I just pray that I'll get a counsellor that I'll be able to relate or feel approachable towards and all will be good. Looking forward to whatever's gg to happen to me during PEW, be it feeling the hand of God or be able to speak in tongues (finally!) or i dunno. Anything could happen. But it'll be good I'm for sure :D I just hope I don't fart accidentally. hehehehee..

Ok...I'm just waiting for N's call that he's safely back from Aur. I rejected a call on my handphone just now as I was asleep. I thought that might have been the alarm clock!! zzzzz.
Till later when N probably posts abt his dive trip~

shalalala

rawr.

N has gone back to Aur for another dive trip and some relationship-building thing with his dive mentor.

what has to be done, has to be done, but i'm left alone again.

boohooo.. i'm feeling incredibly bored right now, and surfing the same sites over and over again.

actually i COULD start cleaning up my room, but inertia's pulling me back. hehe.

hmm and well i could take some photos off the previous post because i look like a goon in some of them, but well, if N likes it, there it shall stay..

no one i can really talk to is online at the moment, so.. i is bored!!!