dR@co mALfoY's LAIR

Straits of Malacca / Indian Ocean cruise

2009-02-18T00:06:00.012+08:00

June and I went on a cruise up the Straits of Malacca to Penang and Phuket respectively. It was a pretty wholesome trip, although we felt that the land tours were kinda short and hasty. I am really missing our Star Virgo now. :-)

Anyway, enjoy our selection of pictures here!

Get Your Engines Started..!!!

2009-02-02T23:16:00.006+08:00

Hey dudes and babes, firstly, I'd like to extend my greatest appreciation to you chaps for making a stopover at this very obsolete, very Rip van Winkle stylized blog. I am well aware of the fact that the most recent posting dates back milleniums, and you people must have been blessed with that impeccable touch of patience to still searched for me, or retained my blog amidst your favorite links. :-)

It has been a year of meanders for me in 2008. The highlight of that year for me, undoubtedly, had been my solemnization with dearie June! Though it was all nerve-wrecking as we approached the occasion, it was overall an extremely beautiful occasion. I loved that day, 12-12-2008. Nice date, too. Not everyone can be married on such auspicious dates, I reckon? :P And I also realized that an ex-colleague of mine, Guangwei, had been married on the exact same date the in 2007, too.

I will be posting more of our lovely solemnization day pictures in this space over the next week. Gives me something to post, at least, before my wife bugs me on my lackadaisical attitude towards my own blog, ahaha. ;P

I visited the US over a business trip in Sep 2008, more precisely the four great Californian cities of San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. Managed a pleasurable drive along the interstates too. For the icing on the cake, I also managed to visit Saddleback Church, whose founding pastor is none other than the venerable Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life. Check it out, chaps!

It's past midnight. Gotta hit the sack for tonight. Cheers, I'll be back pretty soon with more delights and insights...

宇若，生日快乐！

2008-05-31T23:35:00.003+08:00

祝你生日快乐，
祝你生日快乐，
祝你生日快乐哦！
祝你生日快乐!
愿你能够永远感受到主耶稣无私的爱,
愿你能够永远青春美丽,
祝你在人生的道路上能够勇往直前,
与我一同向往康庄大道,
让爱散发我们的生命之旅!

Joanna Wang Ruolin ... Beautiful voice!

2008-04-28T22:53:00.001+08:00

Let's Start From Here:

Bada Bada

3:10 to Yuma Movie Character Analysis

2008-01-30T00:13:00.000+08:00

There are plenty other aspects of this movie worthy of discussion, but I wanted to put out my thoughts on the following sooner rather than later. The reviews I've read, even glowing reviews, often say that the Ben Wade character is muddle with mixed, incompatible motivation. I think this is not the case. I also think that, my viewing of the movie allows for greater depth overall.

If we stereotype Ben Wade as the outlaw, the bad-guy-type found in "Westerns". (Some reviews of the film seem to wish for the good old days when Westerns had a good guy, a bad guy and his posse, the good guy gets the gal and guns down the bad guy.) Viewing the character in that fashion makes some of actions seem arbitrary and contradictory, out of character. At many points in the film Wade could escape any time but doesn't. The audience can easily see how Wade could escape. He even does escape. But oddly, he doesn't escape other times when he has the opportunity. Also, he clearly saves the lives of his captors. Especially his heroics at end don't fit with the bad-guy-type character. If he has "some good in him" so he helps the good guy, the audience can only be baffled by his brutal slaughter of all of his own men. If we assume the stereotypical view of the movie then we would say the writing is poor. The Wade character isn't unified. The film-makers sacrificed believability for sake of keeping the action going. These are criticisms of a poor viewing of the movie.

Viewing the movie in accordance with contemporary realism requires we only assume the characters is a man of a certain time period. We must draw conclusions from the evidence given on the screen. If we find that the film wildly averts from the assumption that a man's personality forms a unified whole, then we can criticize the film-makers. We can then trivialize the film as a well-enough made "Action Western".

I view the film as more than a simple "Action Western". The reason I view it as more is tat the character, Ben Wade is shown to be an aesthete. We can start with simple evidence: Wade's predilection for sketching. He first appears in the movie sketching a bird. He sketches the woman bar-keep, in repose. Later he sketches the other major character of the film, Dan Evans. Furthermore, he takes delight in the color of a woman's eyes. He jokes by asking to have his steak cut-up for him without the gristle. He watches Evans cut the steak. Wade sketches Evans in repose while Wade lays calmly in the bridal suite. Laying flat on the bed he amusingly points out that many brides had taken in the same view as he, creating humorous irony through enaction. We can see that Wade is more than just a bad guy who likes to sketch.

Wade, though somewhat a psychopath, sees life as a place to play-out his aesthetic fancies. He makes no bother to disguise himself when he comes to town. He doesn't see anything to fear. He doesn't see himself as a participant in the events, rather an orchestrator and an audience. He had the capacity to escape at any number of junctures, but passes them up so he could play out the events. He finds the journey especially enjoyable because Evans comes along as guard. Wade has seen Evans in an earlier scene, knows Evans' basic situation, knows that Evans leaves two boys and his wife to dangerously accompany a viscous criminal in spite of the greater danger of Wade's gang. Wade has experienced a lot- cities, country, witnessed genocide, met a spectrum of people, and finds very little new in the world he travels. The new is glorious to the aesthete. The New, to the aesthete, blooms capacious wonders. Wade is impressed by the manner in which Evans creates Wade's capture. He sees in Evans no usual man. So he wants to enjoy the situation as it plays out. If Wade gets annoyed during the trip he casts off the annoyance to continue- he kills two of his guards impetuously. However he defends the his guards, and himself, from Indian, what tribe I do not remember, attackers so as to continue the trip, not out of the goodness of his heart, but to allow the journey to carry on. He defends the himself but also the group in the escape from his torturers. And so on.

Now we can account for the end. Wade could easily escape and leave Evans to slaughter. He is about to kill Evans until he hears the reason Evans assiduously keeps to the plan of delivering Wade to the train. Wade hears that Evans wants to create a particular image of himself for his boy. Wade realizes the possibility of a new level of orchestration. He and Evans are to participate in the creation of Evans' desired end for an audience, Evans' son. Other motivations aside (feeling somewhat akin to the boy or pity for Evans or anything else), Wade wants to create a work of art by enacting Evans' desire. Wade's gang are confused by Wade's actions. They continue attacking despite the odd behavior of their leader. The continual attack lets Wade create his masterpiece: a complete simulacrum.

Wade's actions at the end are more complex. Wade's art gets tarnished by the too brutal gunning down of Evans and so kills his own gang coldly, like painting over a mistake. Even with the mistake he gets on the train. He sees that Evans' boy may not appreciate the situation. The lad greaves hard over his father's torn body. But Evans completes the work, gets on the train. He isn't able to create the appearance of being forced on, so his work is tarnished. But he needs to complete it nevertheless. Then he can easily bail out of the situation. He told Evans that he escaped twice from Yuma Prison. The entirety of the journey was futile, the movie's plot made absurd, and the movie becomes vacuous, rote "Action-Wester" if we are to view the movie without apprehending the subtle, aesthetic motivations for Wade's actions. The film merits repeat viewing for this reason (among others)- the audience can appreciate the film from Evans point of view, from a deeper aesthetic appreciation of the world presented.

Note: This posting was taken from another blog.

song

2007-12-16T16:54:00.001+08:00

chinese song

Family

2007-12-11T00:53:00.000+08:00

Family is the origination of life
Through which lives are born
Through which the hope of the future are raised
In this basic block of life

Family is the emblem of happiness
Through which unselfish love is scattered
Through which the weariness of the world dissolves
On the virtues of harmony

Family is the purpose for many to live
Through which the years of labour are justified
Through which the pillars of the nation are glorified
Above all the changing eras

I love my family, do you? ^_*

Grass

2007-12-03T21:15:00.000+08:00

This is a self-composed poem that I wish to dedicate specifically to my dearie June:

Grass

There you stand still
Amongst the vast expanse of marsh
The wind continues to blow
Across the green turf
Its cool breeze in a rush

Here your faith tills
Never a moment did you waiver
Every inch of your Faith
Tells the character of
My most beloved lover

Thou art like a soft blade
Glossy with oozing dew
Precious as fine jade
Your countenance will always remain
A fixture of joy in my memories

You grow under the blanket
Of the perfect mighty One
I water you with adore
Every moment in the sun
The most precious blade of grass

30 seconds show requires 6 hours effort

2007-10-20T12:55:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was a roller-coaster ride for me, June and a few others as we collaborated to assist June in completing her first coursework assignment on digital video production. Although I had won several accolades in oratorical contests during my school days and participated in a short TV interview during my early days in university, doing serious acting for a video production was still unexplored grounds for me.

I was invited (by default) to act in the short mock TV commercial promoting the renowned soya bean milk in a packie - Vitasoy. Although the required duration of the commercial should be approximately 30 seconds, the entire process of filming, doing re-takes and location siting took almost 6 hours.

The day began with June (producer cum director aka the big boss of the production), Yan (her coursemate specializing in audio), Zena? (another coursemate that June roped in to help) and myself going down to her campus office to draw out the filming equipment at 10am, following which we drove over to Toa Payoh to pick Adele (the actress). We then proceeded to Seletar Reservoir, where we had earlier elected as the backdrop of the production due to the serenity and tranquil of the reservoir environment. Little had we anticipated that a shooting range was situated in the vicinity (Nee Soon range) and range firing was in progress then, which was detrimental to our cause due to the extreme sensitivity of the microphone system.

We then decided to relocate to Lower Peirce Reservoir, which was some kilometres down the catchment area. Every inch of the venue was perfect, every crew member fully prepared, until the storm came. We were languished in the heavy downpour. After some hesitation, the entire crew decided to make a dash for the car, which was parked some distance away from the shoot. It was fortunate that we managed to keep the costly filming equipment safe from the rainwater. There were some hiccups as the remote control of my car key was rendered faulty possibly due to water seeping into the internal chipset. However, we managed to get going and we headed to June's place at Queenstown to do indoor shooting instead. Till this point, everything seemed negative and bleak where the production was concerned. I tried to cheer the crew, particularly June, that this was a valuable learning process and we should identify and appreciate the implicit positives within the overwhelming negatives.

It took us almost 3 further hours, from 2 - 5pm, to complete the filming at June's place. Though the experience was really enjoyable and enriching, everyone was understandably exhausted after a whole day's work. Now I really appreciate the extensive efforts of production crews. Having observed the granularity of details and organization required in completing just the recording portion, I deduce that the recipe for success in those popular TV commercials must have comprised tonnes of hard technical work and creative juices.

Overall, I think the entire filming went well, and it was an eye-opener for me to the fundamentals of video production.

Meeting with Adele & Chang Shiung

2007-10-14T20:26:00.000+08:00

Last night, June and I had the honour to meet Chang Shiung, a boy genius from Malaysia who is currently serving in Hope Singapore. The amazing stuff is that this guy is working in the position that I had vacated when I left MAS, and we have a common friend - Kenshin Goh, another IT hotshot, who also knows Irving Kwok, Guangrong and Shimin!

I had chatted with Chang Shiung several times over MSN, thanks to Kenshin's introduction. Prior to this, I was already aware of the issues that Adele (a sister in NG6B2) had with him. As she had insisted on meeting Chang Shiung to attempt to resolve some outstanding issues between the both of them, June and I decided to help facilitate the discussion.

Thank God, the meetup went pretty well. We had a good time over drinks at C NAI Hong Kong Cafe at East Coast Park. Before the negotiations began, Chang Shiung took the initiative to pray for God to lead the negotiation and for protection for everyone involved in the meeting. The meeting lasted about 3 hours, and by the time everything was thrashed out, it was already 2.00am. The entire setting was amicable, with general restraint between both parties and mutual understanding achieved.

It's really amazing the manner in which the Lord has delivered breakthroughs to each of us in our ordinary lives, in every aspect. After all, we are all members of the same body of Christ. I even helped to close the discussion in prayer, following which Chang Shiung took a cab home. I then sent Adele and June home, exhausted but fruitful.

Pictures from Ko Samui Trip

2006-08-07T02:24:00.000+08:00

New Paper Big Walk

2006-05-21T23:42:00.000+08:00

There is a common preconception that Singaporeans are averse to walking - lest the popular Great Singapore Sale shopping strolls down Orchard Road and Marina Square.

Every mid-year on a chosen Sunday, however, streams of folks - young and old, singles to families, students to clans, will be seen streaming both lengths of Nicoll Highway in the rising morning sun. The route for this year's Big Walk on 21 May commenced from the Indoor Stadium out onto the Nicoll HIghway, U-turned at Esplanade Bridge and backtracked all the way back to the Indoor Stadium. This monotonous 10km distance might have manufactured a sore bore, but the distribution of free goodie bags to all participants provide a self-actualizing reward to compensate for those weary legs at the finishing point.

You get to see many interesting sights that are predominantly rare in urban Singapore. There was a clique of teenage students chanting a succession of pop songs ala Jay Chou style - thanks for the live music, kiddos! A Liverpool fan club hogged the roads with the badge "Champions of Europe" on their arguably authentic jerseys (sorry guys, but I thought the trophy had flown to Spain?) There was even a Falungong contingent making their presence felt with their striking yellow banner and trademark palm-aligned medidation. Balloons of all shapes and sizes as well as self-sacrificial folks as mascots also featured in this year's Walk.

I am glad to be a part of it - the T-shirt alone was worth it (although June does not think so).

Blessings

2006-02-22T23:35:00.000+08:00

Alright, so I had vanished without a trace in bloggerspace for quite a while, save for that lone, pathetic follow-up message in the previous post. :-P

This is my third day with UOB. Yes, I have switched my career. I am now no longer in an IT role. Instead, I am doing something exhileratingly interesting - Operational Risk Management specifically in Business Continuity Management. Some of you guys must be wondering why the sudden change? Well, I had encountered some personal issues towards the end of the past year that had triggered my thoughts on my future tracks. I had decided it was time to move on, and true as God has been to me, I was blessed with a new job at UOB that offered me a huge pay jump from what I had been previously drawing at MAS. The opportunity was unmissable.

I have told some of you that Republic Polytechnic had also offered me a position as a lecturer. However, I was not satisfied with their salary offer. I also decided that my preference still lie in the finance industry. God has also blessed me with a fellow new colleague who lives in Jurong and is also from Hope (even Toto also not so zhun!!).

Expect more posts from me in the meantime, but probably at random spasmodical frequencies. :P

I Passed my IPPT

2005-11-10T20:52:00.000+08:00

It's the time of the year again for guys - IPPT (for those of you ladies or foreigners who are not too literate in Singaporean acronyms, it stands for Individual Physical Proficiency Test, a test that all local guys with National Service liabilities have to pass every year before their next birthday).

Just missed a point to qualify for the $100 incentive award! Damn, if only my abdominal muscles have been more enterprising at the sit-up station (Needed 39 sit-ups to qualify for 5 pts, I did 37 and ended up with 4 pts). Overall, I am pretty satisfied that I had cleared this obstacle for the year, eradicating any fears of being "awarded" the time-consuming RT (Remedial Training). :P

Sigh.... gone were the days when I could run 2.4km within 11 mins. Now I can only clock 12 mins 18 secs albeit with consistent pacing. Those of you who have known me since JC or army days would have noticed the decline in my physical fitness with a lateral increase in my physical shape. :P I had intended to train for Gold this year, but I am still pleased that I managed to pull through this test with eleventh hour training. I will try to qualify for at least a Silver award next year, though. :-) You readers be witnesses to my word!

Bayfront Integrated Resort set at S$1.2b

2005-11-05T12:06:00.000+08:00

The Singapore Gahmen has just priced the initial bid offering of the IR project at Marina Bay for a hefty S$1.2b. Bidders alert!

When the IR proposal was inducted earlier this year, the casino compartment sparked off a series of controversial debates over concerns of moral leadership, religious indignity and social afflictions. Religious groups, in particular, the local Christians and Muslims, voiced their abhorrence towards gambling - often depicted as an active denial of God's material plans for His people. There was also a sizeable population of our folks in favor of the project, citing it as a propulsion engine for the future of our economy. The Gahmen elected to approve of the proposal and reiterated their assurance that it would implement measures to prevent our garden city from a progressive meltdown into a degenerated betting hub.

My initial stance on this IR proposal was that it was detrimental to our society, which emphasized strong ethics and collective unity. Wouldn't the presence of casinos be contrarian to the utopia that we had been attempting to build over the past forty years? Besides, it is no secret that gambling has resulted in the destruction of family units through history. Profitability and economic incentives should not be uprooting our ethics.

On hindsight, however, I also realized that I was being naively idealistic to have borne such sentiments. Suppose Singapore had eventually opted to scrap the casino proposal, great, we'll probably have stoppered a potential inlet for habitual gambling. Religious groups would be appeased, and social normity would resume.

However, what if other cosmopolitan cities such as KL, Shanghai and even Bangkok decided that they would relish a chunk of the global casino pie? This could result in a decline in our charisma and tourism arena, as Singapore would be no better described as a mundane skyscraper city with two 'durians', a beautiful airport (who cares?) and an overwhelming presence of HDB pigeonholes? I may be stretching it, but what if the absence of a casino industry really hits us in the long run? Livelihood may be impacted to a certain extent, and we may even experience a gradual recession since tourism contributes a significant proportion to our GDP. I guess this is where we have to strike a balance between pragmatism and moralism. :-)

John

2005-10-19T23:28:00.000+08:00

Caught up with John at Borders Coffee Bean on Monday evening. It was really great chatting, sipping, gossiping with this chum once again. We talked an enormous deal about the church practices, a bit about our present lives, about his desire to engage in decentralized stakeholding as his investment portfolio in the long term. June was supposed to look for us when her lessons ended. I told her our venue, but was unaware that there are actually two Coffee Bean outlets at Borders! She waited at the incorrect venue, so John and I had to walk over to the other outlet. She lamented that she could not pull her stunt of surprising the both of us due to my geographical ignorance. :D

I could sense John's happiness in meeting June and I. Both of us were glad to see that he was doing well. We said our byes and I brought June to Fong Seng for a hearty prata meal. It was a hugely pleasant and rewarding day indeed. :-)

Goal! Fantastic movie!

2005-10-10T23:26:00.000+08:00

Watched it with June on Sunday evening. This has to be one of the most delectable movies of the year. Power-packed, passion-filled and poignantly real, the film traces the life of a Mexican young man with an inextinguishable love for football, introducing him first as a Sunday-league soccer hobbyist cum second-class luckless American laborer dwelling in L.A. with his cynical dad. It then proceeds to unravel his astounding rise to the first-team of England's Newcastle United Football Club through a chain of sheer blessings.

Starring Kuno Becker as our young hero Santiago Munez, the movie embodies several noteworthy themes. Santiago's unwavering pursuit of one's DREAMS was the focal theme. I was moved by his pious belief in his own talent and potential to succeed in professional football, his commendable courage in burying his burdens and dad's skepticism about his ambitions, and distinctively his bravado in travelling across half the globe to England when the realization of his lofty aspirations was merely a 70/30 gamble - 30 in favor of him. In ways more than one, we are allowed to identify with young Santiago. Many of us had our fair share of dreams (not the sleeping types :-P) in our childhood and adolescent days. However, not that many of us have the desire and determination to transform our dreams into realities. Why so? This is because there is an intrinsic gulf between dreams and realities. Often, people hinder us in our attempts to bridge that gulf, akin to the antics of Santiago's dad in quelling his son's footballing passion. Circumstances stand in our way too, because we humans get discouraged and disillusioned when we discover that we are no longer in the driving seat. Nevertheless, Santiago illustrated the prowess of maintaining our self-belief in attaining our dreams.

The movie also emphasized the essence of TEAMWORK. Santiago was extremely gifted in ball control. He could dribble the ball across the length of the field effortlessly, turn opponents cheekily and shoot! Wham! Goooal! But he had a singular fault: he didn't see the need to pass the ball to his team-mates! When he was already playing for Newcastle, he was involved as a substitute in this league game against Fulham. Even though he blazed the field with his solo performance, and eventually won a penalty to which his team buddy converted, he could not flee from being singled out for reproach by his coach. "Learn to pass the ball!" This was his reward for his contributions to the victory. Santiago's unconscious self-absorption in gunning for personal glory is a mirror image of our lives. We often lose track of our priorities when we exalt ourselves and diminish others in our eyes. Like a football team, we don't operate alone in life. We are not independent of each other, and this is how God has created us to be - to engage others in fruitful fellowship. At our workplace, we need to establish rapport with our colleagues as we need each other's resources and support to help us to work better. At home, we treasure the ties with our parents and siblings to enhance the proximity within the family. At church (if you are a Christian), we fellowship with other believers to foster strong bonds that would attribute to our growth.

There were also scenes carrying ample warnings subtly issued to real-life footballers, against subscribing to temptations and vices in the river of viscous wealth. Alright. Enough of my tiresome rambling. The bottomline is - this movie is awesome and authentic. Go catch it if you have cash to spare. And even if you don't, borrow some, sit back, relax and revel in this masterpiece!!

Teacher Preachers in Schools

2005-10-09T15:23:00.000+08:00

I stumbled upon a couple of intriguing reports and letters in the local papers admonishing school teachers who contemplated religious evangelism on their students. One writer expressed his acrimony about a teacher who had been profusely communicating Christianity to his friend's daughter on MSN Messenger. Another voiced his exasperation on discovering that his son's form teacher had attempted to preach to the class. The unanimous sentiment that I've gathered from the articles is that Singapore parents are vehemently against teachers breaching the boundaries of imparting knowledge and secular values to their children. They feel that sharing of religious beliefs by an educator is tantamount to a form of emotional manipulation of the young ones, with psychological affliction as the ultimate consequence.

As a Christian, I opine that it is an obligation as well as a prerogative of a believer to share the Almighty Savior with people who have yet to relish a relationship with the Lord Jesus. There are two perspectives to the issue really. On one hand, Philippians 1:18, But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice. tells us that the end justifies the means in the context of outreaching. We have to comprehend with the Lord's expectations of His disciples before we dissect this verse. Matthew 28:19-20 highlights the fundamental objective of a living Christian, which is to proliferate the realm and rule of the Lord in the world. Any addition to the Heavenly Kingdom is a reason to rejoice, regardless of the storyboard charted.

On the other hand, we have to be conscious that it is essential to approach evangelism with subtle sense and sensitivity. There is a time and place for the sharing of our primary beliefs. For a believer to be instrumental in leading a non-believer to take that step of faith, the believer has to first be envisaged as exhibiting godly character. And godliness does not merely entail ocean-deep knowledge of the Bible or incessant professing of "I love Jesus and He loves me in return!" to others. Godliness is a tangible derivative of the chemical reaction between three elements: acceptance, generosity and love. If we are able to demonstrate these three traits innately to non-believers, they would reciprocate with their trust in us and be more willing to confide. This, I believe, surmounts any form of verbal evangelism. After all, God elects His people and we have to trust that He knows His job.

Bernard the Grouch

2005-10-07T23:05:00.000+08:00

I had a terribly lousy day today. I cannot describe the feeling, but it certainly isn't one of those Fridays when I enjoyed a peaceful close to the workweek. Almost everything was darned right from sunrise. I don't know what's bugging me, but it's probably one of my days of severe mood swings. Somehow ... let's hope that tomorrow would see the recouping of the sense of tranquility that is so imperative to me.

Blues crush Reds

2005-10-03T01:19:00.000+08:00

Breakthrough: Frank Lampard wheeling away after scoring the penalty.

What can I say, man? Chelsea was extraordinary in the match. Even though Liverpool had enjoyed a brief spell of domineering attack early on, they were no match for the steel-willed champions. Perhaps Chelsea were expected to win, but to holistically shatter the Anfield boys with a comprehensive 4-1 triumph like this was never the rules. For the Reds, this defeat could amount to a demoralizing dent in their league ambitions. For the Blues, this victory only highlights their omnipotence and insatiable lust for more trophies to vindicate themselves of a barren, meaningless existence of 50 years. Well done, Chelsea!

Bali Terrors - Reloaded

2005-10-02T11:50:00.000+08:00

Once again, the panic buttons have been triggered for the beautiful and bountiful isle of Bali. Famed and fabulous as a bohemian resort where fervent holiday-makers indulge in cold beer, humungous loads of fun amidst the villas and the clear blue waters, this once-serene island has been transformed into a nightmarish breeding ground for the masters of chaotic terrors!

I had been proven wrong. Many of us had been proven wrong too. I had extrapolated that the terrorists would not pull their stunt on Bali again, since they had done it once. But the heartwrenching news of the 30-over lives that were eradicated by the suicide bombings last night and the rising toll of wounded (surpassed 100) have ultimately illustrated an important point: we have to persist in putting up a stubborn resistance to the forces of evil, and never to concede any ground for them to thrive on their flabbergasting works.

Even as Singaporeans, we cannot assume that with our highly educated and rational population, such attempts of mass destruction would be absent from our midst. Remember the London bombings? Radicals will always be waiting for the optimal opportunity to strike. The crux of it all is to elevate our awareness and exercise caution at all times, wherever we are.

It's all your fault, Mr. Aedes!

2005-09-28T23:55:00.000+08:00

The past month has seen an astonishing, meteoric rise in cases of dengue outbreaks in our garden city - an island reputed for its spectacular record of cleanliness and rigorous resilience to jeopardous diseases. Up till now, more than 150 people here have been diagnosed with dengue fever. The death toll has also ascended to 11, the latest casualty of the Aedes demon (see picture below) being of perfect health prior to his demise. For a list of dengue hotspots, click here. A peek at our neighbors up north revealed even more widespread destruction by this terrorizing species. The tragic news of a Malaysian woman, who had been expecting twins, conceding her life (and two more) to a sting sent a chill down my spine.

This saga brought back traumatic memories of the deadly SARS outbreak two years ago. Indeed, we can draw similarities between the two outbreaks: quarantine, containment, etc. But essentially, we need to ask ourselves if Singapore has an adequately robust contingency model to engage in such virus warfares. Does the existing health care infrastructure suffice in mitigating the medical and reputational risks besetting the nation? Do we need to improvise on certain areas? I think it's time we should come together as a nation to do whatever we can to support the families of the dengue victims and the Government in their relentless efforts to attempt to salvage the declining situation.

Last week, I was down with influenza. It was downright depressing for me, as I was inflicted with high fever that wouldn't seem to subside for a large part of the week. I really thank God that I was not diagnosed as a dengue victim. I also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family and June, for their care and prayers respectively during my illness.

On Building Romantic Relationships

2005-09-23T17:50:00.000+08:00

I fully applaud Pastor Ben's statement on establishing a healthy romantic relationship in his blog. It can be referenced here. Just scroll down to the entry titled Enriched dated Sep 20, 2005, and it's there. :-) In his entry, Pastor Ben clarified that a romantic relationship should be acknowledged as long as it is a covenant with committment. He also declared that he wanted to argue neither for dating nor courtship. I am extremely ecstatic that he has made this very important clarification.

Over the years, the Hope church had seen many Christ-sincere and God-faithful couples either being pressured into breakup or driven to join other churches because of the obstinacy of some mid-level church leaders in drawing too many legalistic boundaries in their members' romantic relationships. These leaders may be well-versed in the word of God, but they do not exhibit grace, and assume that everything that are passed down from their higher-up leaders are divine words without seeking the Lord for verification. The excuses that these leaders use to break the couples up include:

- the couple are dating and not courting. (even Joshua Harris, in his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, made a disclaimer that we should not be caught up over the subject of dating vs courting as it was not his motivation in the book)

- the couple are still new in the faith, they should postpone the relationship to a later time.

- the couple are of different spiritual age, so there is a disparity in maturity, and the less mature Christian will stumble the more mature one.

- the couple never account to their leaders adequately about the ongoing relationship, so this means that the relationship is stumbling their walk with God, and it should be terminated.

- The guy (or girl) is in the core teamship, but the girl (or guy) is only an ordinary member. Hence, we should disallow it as it is against propriety.

- The couple have not committed their service 100% yet, or have not reached a certain leadership position in church to be considered qualified for building a marital covenance.

Ironically, many of those leaders who were so cocksure of their judgment of the members' relationships have yet to be involved in a single romantic relationship themselves! Despite at an age as high as 33, for instance! :P

You know, when I reveal some of the above "policies" to fellow brothers and sisters from other churches (and I mean, BIG, well-established and biblical churches in Singapore), it really jolted thunderous bolts of mocking laughters from them! "Ha ha ha! What kind of ludicrous system is that? You sure it's really a church you're attending?"

Henceforth, the reputation and credibility of a church depends wholesomely on the leadership. If the intermediate leaders provide unsound advice to couples who are building what appears to be a perfectly normal Christian boy-girl relationship, and shamelessly attempt to disapprove of it or tell the couple to break up instead, then woe betide these leaders. And may these wayward leaders face God's wrath when they meet the Almighty Maker at the gates of Heaven. Remember Mark 10:9 - "Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." If leaders wish their flock to multiply, they should examine their decisions, perspectives, as well as the repercussions of their reactions to members' relationships. Of course, unhealthy, gratification-oriented relationships should be prohibited, but proper, God-centred ones should be allowed, no matter what circumstances, because a relationship only comprises of three people: The Guy, Girl and most importantly, God.

It's over! Phew ...

2005-09-16T00:17:00.000+08:00

... and I'm talking about the interaction lunch I had with my MD and fellow 2003-returning MAS scholars. In anticipation of a mind-blowing intellectual convenance, I spent half the morning discussing with my bosses on handling possible political questions that he might lambast on me, queries on my department's major projects and outstanding issues, in particular. Thank God, MD appeared to be an extremely easy-going person and an avid listener. Over lunch at the MAS Penthouse, the 13 of us exchanged views on how to improve the corporate environment in the organization and how long we foresaw as the period in which we could fully leverage off our core competencies. The lunch turned out very well, and it was an overall pleasant experience.

S11

2005-09-12T00:59:00.000+08:00

It's well over 4 years, and it all seems like everything happened yesterday. Reminiscing about the Sept 11 horror in the US is one of the most petrifying and painful activities, uprooting a cascaded mass of gloom and gory round the globe. Let's pray that such calculated deeds of violence may never ever surface on this earth again.

Retrospection of Thursday's CG

2005-09-11T23:38:00.000+08:00

During my care group session on Thursday, someone (whose identity shall remain undisclosed) shared about a blessing that he felt God had endowed him with. This person revealed how delighted he was to have been exempted from a few training courses at work, and quipped that it was a form of blessing for him. He was pretty candid about it, even when the others in the group jokingly accused him of "siam-ing" the courses.

The first thought that came to my mind was: is this the kind of attitude that an earnest and faithful Christian should be adopting? Deliberate procrastination, unenthusiasm and passive apathy to one's work or opportunities to learn neither speaks well nor testifies positively about a true Christ-follower. We learn this from Proverbs 12:24, Proverbs 12:27 and Proverbs 13:4. This is compounded by the fact that the person who gave the sharing was a leader and a school teacher. In this perspect, he should be setting a role model of himself to others, especially to Christians who are supposedly spiritually less mature and to his students. Furthermore, on account of his stature, he should be careful of engaging in unwholesome talk (Ephesians 4:29-30).

Of course, I have learnt that no human is perfect. This is mentioned in the Bible too. The second undeniable fact is that we all sin, and it is not up to us to judge others, as God is the one and only judge of the eternal universe. Nevertheless, this incident has provided me with a stronger conviction that I must not adopt the negative traits at work. We should all represent Christ well at the workplace, not just by pretending to be diligent, but also by unleashing within us a fervent fire in our belly whenever we are tasked or sent for courses. Remember, every piece of work and every opportunity at training comes from God. He wants to develop us into the person we can be, only if we have the right attitude.

Rising Oil Prices

2005-09-08T09:46:00.000+08:00

Just heard from the news that crude oil prices have surpassed US$70 per barrel, and analysts have reported it is not surprising that the confidence-rattling pivot of US$100 may be reached. When demand exceeds supply, prices surge and consumers are hit hard in their pockets. When the effects roll on, a recession is inevitable. I think it is impeccable during these times, we as consumers reflect upon our lifestyles and liberties. Praying hard for positive developments is most perennial.

Sidetrack:
1) Hmmm.. I realized the Sydney pictures didn't turn out too bad.
2) Also added a link to Peishan's (my colleague) blog down here.

Candid shots from Sydney trip

2005-09-07T22:26:00.000+08:00

Finally! I've managed to allocate some of my intermittent periods of skiving to upload the pictures that I had taken during my Sydney conference trip in early June. First and foremost, apologies for the incredulous darkness of the images - this is what you get when you attempt to shoot in the southern hemisphere at 6pm in the winter. :-P

Me in my suit on my hotel bed. ^_^

Sydney's version of Hyde Park - the infamous, mysterious park located at Sydney's city centre.

Some eateries at Milson Point across the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

A typical Chinatown shop along George Street - Sydney's spinal street.

This is June's favorite, a backdrop of Darling Harbor with its breathtaking skyline.

Turn of the Tide

2005-08-20T16:37:00.000+08:00

We experience turns of the tides in our lives on a regular basis. Having led a rather bland and non-oscillatory life, I have not been too adaptable to inviting the challenge of turbulences and turmoils in my brief (:-P) history. However, you never know what the gentleman above has in store for you.

Recently, I had encountered some conceptual and perceptual alterations in my life. At work, I have learnt the essence of teamwork and prospects entailing passion on the job. I had just successfully completed a presentation about what I learnt from the Gartner summit I had attended in Sydney in early June (just before the church camp), and I thank God that I had extracted the material adequately for the talk. My department head and bosses were impressed, and I was implicitly pleased, not because I thought my performance raised the bar or that I thought I had struck bullseye on my career scoreboard. Contrary to these, I was basked in gratitude that my week's prayers with regard to this presentation had been addressed through the Holy Spirit and He had edified me in doing well here, thereby crafting a wondrous opportunity for me to portray a good testimony of a soulful Christian in the workplace (Ephesians 6:7).

I had also been meditating on the word of God, and He had annointed me with His gemlike teachings in the form of Galatians 2:6 and Galatians 6:12-13. I promise I will commit deeper into my relationship with God and the ones I love. I'd like to continue praying, and would like to also invite all who are in Christ, to pray for me to be a stronger inspiration and leader to the ones I love so that through me, they can be refreshed with the awareness that God is working through them despite of the difficult emotional circumstances that have rocked them in their lives. I ask all these in Jesus' name. Amen.

Straits Times forum article on religion and politics

2005-08-01T09:29:00.000+08:00

The following controversial post was contributed to the Straits Times forum today. Sounds pretty cynical and touchy. My opinion is, if one doesn't put God before family, then how can one ensure that God is always the focal point of decision-making in one's life? It just doesn't sound logical. Then why look for a God in the first place?

Aug 1, 2005
Religion is a choice and don't mix it with politics (by Nigel Hee Dewen)

I REFER to The Straits Times Special Report, 'God and us' (ST, July 16). In the article, 'Nation of believers', the question of the 'place of religion in this modern city state' was raised.

Answers given were rather commonsensical: that religion was 'tied to race and ethnicity', and in Mr Andre Ong's case, tradition.

However, I feel that being born into a religious family does not necessitate the child taking after the same religion. To insist on such would be to infringe on the fundamental rights of freedom accrued to all by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which advocates: '...the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear...

'Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, this right includes the freedom to change his religion or belief...'

Why should the child take up the parents' religion? Is a child of suitable age not able to make an informed choice? By insisting on it, are the parents not violating the basic rights that are accrued to all?

Religion is not something that you are born into; it is something that you choose to be involved in.

In response to Mr Ong: Why allow yourself to be restrained by tradition? The decision towards higher education should be made of your own free will.

I agree with Mr Mohamad Ridwan that family should come before money.

But God before family? No matter what miracles that God can or has performed, he does not bring money home for your children's allowances. He does not provide in this material life - which is where we are.

In the article, 'Reaping a rich harvest of converts', it was mentioned that new churches have employed methods similar to modern marketing campaigns.

Mr Matthew Kang of New Creation Church says that 'such elements draw younger people' but insists that otherwise, 'we do nothing to recruit members'.

One can say the same thing of any marketing campaign to sell cellphones. These methods are but glamorous marketing tactics masked in religion. Why do we need to resort to these measures to draw the younger crowd?

Furthermore, why should the Government consider religious beliefs when it comes to making policies?

The usual argument would be that allowing gambling here would open the doors to other sins or crimes. There is no direct causal link between them. The existence of one does not necessarily imply the existence of the other.

Mixing religion and politics is a touchy issue - much like balancing a bottle of nitroglycerin on the tip of a sword. Why complicate things by trying to tap-dance at the same time?

My question concerning the issue of God is similar to that of Mr Esmond Chng, albeit with a twist: How much suffering is enough?

This question is not new, and it may be of interest to note that the Archbishop of Canterbury recently said he had questioned his own faith in God.

We cannot prove - nor disprove - the existence of God. It may be best to wield Occam's Razor here, and cut away the unneeded parts: There is no need for God.

First Year!

2005-08-01T00:15:00.000+08:00

Wow! Time really flies. It's my first anniversary as a Christian, effectively, on 1 Aug. Amen. Halleluia, and God bless all. :)

Meeting her friends ...

2005-07-30T02:14:00.000+08:00

It's been yet another rejuvenating and rousing evening from God. Met June and two of her buddies, Zhishan and Claire (not to be confused with Claire Yeo Jingyu of my cell group), in the heart of the city. Really happy for June that God has blessed her with a time of fellowship with these friends after a long span of separation. Was even casually suggesting to June that we could contemplate outreaching to both of them in time to come. :P

Sped up to Bishan for dinner. We went to a brand new cafe-bar owned by a former colleague of June from Outsiders'. This cafe-bar is located at Bishan Sports Hall (2nd level), and is known as Swing In Cafe & Bar. As our timely visit conincided with one of the cafe-bar's opening days, we were treated to a FREE-OF-CHARGE spread of sumptuous and savoury food. Yum yum!!

We really admire Eugene's (the ex-colleague) entrepreneurial spirit and God-given culinary talent. It is indeed a tumultous challenge these days to prosper in the cafe industry. Well done, Eugene! Consolidate your foundations, and you can soar to newer heights in your business!

The Bird, the Cow and the Cat

2005-07-28T15:35:00.000+08:00

A little bird was flying south for the winter.

It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Moral of the Story -
[1] Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
[2] Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
[3] And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut! (if need to call for help then how??)

Feel so Blessed!

2005-07-24T05:35:00.000+08:00

I really wish to thank God for His guidance and devotion to me, an unworthy soul, in personal problems that surfaced recently. I'm glad that He has provided a trigger point for both of us to share our weals and woes openly together, that we have emerged stronger from this situation, not only in our emotional bonding, but also our spiritual bonding. From this episode I've learnt four things:

1) To be more sensitive to her feelings, in terms of my actions and reactions to external situations;

2) To discern between what is biblically right and what others presume to be right;

3) To not try to please everyone so readily, to learn how to say 'no', even when the people that try to give their 2-cents worth on personal relationship matters are spiritually misguided and self-righteous;

4) To understand that church is not an end to itself, church does not revolve around designated entities. Church equates our faith to the Lord, and that we have to demonstrate by loving the world He has created, not the things and values of the world, but the values that He has imparted to the world.

The Law of the Seed

2005-07-20T17:59:00.000+08:00

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, but each apple has just ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds! We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?" Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once."

This might mean:
Â· You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.
Â· You'll interview forty people to find one good employee.
Â· You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea.
Â· And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed.
We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.
Laws of nature are not things to take personally.
We just need to understand them - and work with them.

IN A NUTSHELL
Successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.

When Things Are Beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT DO so as to avoid misery in your life:
- You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be.
- You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.
- Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, you get angry
- That's what miserable people do!

On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
- Friends SHOULD return favours.
- People SHOULD appreciate you.
- Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
- Everyone SHOULD be honest.
- Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen!
- So you end up frustrated and disappointed.
- There's a better strategy. Demand less, and instead, have preferences!
- For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself:
- "I would prefer "A", but if "B" happens, it's OK too!"

This is really a change in mindset. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of mind ...
You prefer that people are polite ... but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day.
You prefer sunshine...but if it rains, it is ok too!
To become happier, we either need to change the world or change our thinking. It is easier to change our Thinking!

In summary
It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the problem that is the problem.

It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness. It's how you think about what happens to you!

Plans to work on a book

2005-07-20T17:52:00.000+08:00

I have to, yet again, apologize profusely and embarassingly for my perennial absence from the the world of blogging. It always does seem that my soul ain't captured in this blog, eh? Well, at least, for a long time now I'm back. And I just wanna proclaim that I've been inspired by God to work on a fiction tale about forgiveness. I'll be, therefore, be intertwined between writing, reading from time to time. Hence, I'll probably continue to apologize over my blog periodically. :P

Beauty and the Beast

2005-05-17T15:44:00.000+08:00

Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast!

Excursion to Lee's house

2005-04-17T01:50:00.000+08:00

It's a serene and sanctifying Saturday. :)

Met GR for follow-up in the afternoon. It was one of the most fruitful and nourishing session that I had with him thus far. Asked about membership, and on the prospect of myself becoming a shepherd in the near future. Am earnestly weighing up the possibilities. No hurries, plenty of time anyway, chirped dear old GR. :P

Went to return the John Keats book of sonnets poetry at Geylang East library before going to meet June. We went to Jurong East Delifrance for some nice hot tea before heading to Lee's house for a visit.

It was real cute: Lee had invited June to her house and indicated tonight, but somehow Miss Lee misnoted her own invitation and thought it was tomorrow afternoon. The miscommunication caused June to be so confused that eventually Lee had no choice but to admit both of us to her house. haha ^_^

Packed dinner for June and myself and proceeded to Lee's house to enjoy a cosy evening of Jackie Chan's DVD at her house. If anyone has any idea, it was the movie where Jackie Chan played a set of long-lost twins. It was quite funny and light-hearted, not to mention the action displays by Uncle Jackie was superb. Enjoyed the day overall, and I think June really appreciated the pair of roller blades that she managed to permanent loan from Lee. :)

Rock n Roll!

2005-04-17T01:30:00.000+08:00

Some of you must be wondering if I still do remember that I administer a blog, or that I actually do remember my blogspot account, or that I care in any sense of the world about my blog updates. Truth is, I've really, absolutely slackened to the depths of procrastination in this area. God and my ardent blog fans, forgive me! :P

OK, some updates:

1) I'm so ecastatic, because my organization has sent me to an international summit in Sydney from 7-8 June. and I'm certainly exhilerated by the mouth-watering prospect of a trip to winter-cropped New South Wales at a time where summer is all over the northern hemisphere.

2) My division head has finally compliemented me on my performance! She had not been very confident of my decision-making and general management abilities in my 1+ years stint of work, but it was really a real treat when these words emitted from her mouth, "You have improved a lot. So now we think you're ready to represent our department for overseas trips."

3) June and I have been water-baptised on 10 Apr (yes, the date which we aren't supposed to and possibly will never forget in our lifetime. :P ). It's a really wonderful anbience for the subsequent days, as I received bucketloads of SMS and email congratulations from colleagues and friends, even non-believers like Guangwei and Huashun. I feel that God has really blessed me, and He has a plan to instrument me to touch some of these friends of mine. Hallelujah!

The Sea of Night Skies

2005-03-12T02:28:00.000+08:00

The sea of night skies
With all its starry dimes
Is like an unbounded silk sheet
Peppered with glorious jewels
Behold! That glamour arise!

The sea of night skies
Hovering over the city
Is like the mighty phantom
That overpowers all of earth
Yet protects her precious lives

The sea of night skies
Fogged with the misty clouds
Hides its melancholy beneath
Expressing despair with tears
Sigh! The icy cries!

The sea of night skies
To it the moon ties
O the moon
Her aura indescribable
Her beauty past compare
I must catch a glimpse of her
Alas! Daybreak denies!

Suddenly felt the inspiration to compose the above poem. xian4 chou3 le. :)

I'm still alive! :P

2005-03-12T02:10:00.000+08:00

Well, for those of you who have been faithfully visiting my blog every single day, I've to extend my carpet marked with enormous apologies. I confess that I've not been doing my blog justice, and to you readers justice as well. So today, I shall post this message to tell you dear friends: I'm still alive! Thank God! =)

Have been tuning in to lots of Chinese pop of late. Especially the Ritchie Ren CD that June lent me. :) Wow...didn't know that Shu Qi could sing so well till I listened to that duet with Ritchie. It's supposed to be a song that materialized from their participation in Seoul Raiders. Played that song everytime I drove to work. It absolutely touches the heart the way the lyrics and rhythm of their singing portrays innocent romance.

Anyway, for the rest of the time, I've been enjoying CG, stimulated but at the same time bored by work (have been learning to adapt to boring work without procrastinating), and making the most of life that God has blessed me with. I hope you are making the best of your life too. ^_^

My New Baby!

2005-02-20T01:38:00.000+08:00

At last!

I can finally lay hands on my very own car. My Altis has been unveiled to me at Citicab Building on Friday. After a nervy start, I zoomed in absolute liberty on the Singapore roads, beaming with delight and praising God for this enormous blessing of His.

Picked June up from work at her cafe after I shopped for some CDs for the car. I congratulated her for being my first passenger, and hopefully, the only passenger to witness me failing to start up my engine. ^~^ We had an intriguing chat about Constantine, which she caught with two of her friends the night before, particularly on how far the movie's plot dwelved into Christianity and its validity. Hmmm...and I told her how my mum became a sucker for Keanu Reeves after the movie! :P

Just tonight, I met Guangrong for follow-up session. We drove to Geylang to takeaway some food from the "you tiao" shop, then proceeded to Lower Seletar Reservoir for our discussion. Not bad, the place is pretty cool and cold due to the freezing breeze prevailing through the night waves that rocked the shores... By the way, that stretch of road leading to the reservoir's dam was so wide and speed-tempting that I uninhibitedly zoomed down the stretch at 110 km/h, without noticing a hump right in front! Guess I don't have to mention what happened next. Ask my follow-upper. :P

All right man..so much so for the anxiety and the change in lifestyle, shorter travelling time, more time that can be used for meaningful purposes than travel, I'm getting exhausted, esp after the long phone chat with June (which I had promised to be short :P ).

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ......... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Finding Neverland

2005-02-08T01:24:00.000+08:00

Met June in the evening to watch the aforementioned movie. Had initially anticipated a plot plagarized from the original Peter Pan story, but was treated to a truly marvellous fairy tale. June liked it very much, and I, too, enjoyed every bit of it. It struck me that there's a child in every of our hearts, just like the perennially stern businessmen from the upper echelons of society who were present at James' (Johnny Depp) play and who shed off their facades of complexity, bursting out into innocent bouts of laughter at the scene when the stage character Peter Pan sent the 3 kids flying into Never Never Land. I recommend this movie to all those of you who wish to inspire and revive the child within your hearts.

After the movie, June and I went around searching for food, and for once, we realized that not every cafe/eateries were as generous in timing as The Outsiders. By 10+pm, most places like Rockies' already have their kitchen doors shut. Ended up savouring delicious pasta at Cafe Cartel instead => "Great choice, Bernard", says June .. heehee. =P

I continued searching for the north star in the night skies after walking June home. Thought I found it. Have been intrigued by stars of late. =)

Back in S'pore!!

2005-02-04T22:45:00.000+08:00

Hurray! My company retreat is over! Looking forward to a nice weekend of rejuvenation. What's more CNY is round the corner, and I'm absolutely ecstatic about it! I hope you are looking forward to the holidays as much as I am. ^_^

Arsenal vs Manyoo

2005-02-02T01:05:00.000+08:00

It's that time of the year again! Nope, not bonuses. Neither taxes. Nor Christmas! It's the unveiling of the rivalry of greatest animosity, or so it seems, in the English Premier League.

Arsenal vs Man United => Gunners vs Red Devils.

The Gunners haven't impressed in the past few weeks. They barely sneaked past a lesser team in Wolverhampton, their star strikers are in terrible form and they seem to have been relinquished of their surging momentum at the start of the 2004/05 season. Perhaps it's the overwhelming pressure extolled upon them by Chelsea at the top of the table at 10 pts clear?

The Red Devils are in better form of late, but they still seem vulnerable in midfield with all the oldies. Ruud van Nistelrooy the big swine is not set to return for this match, so their only clinical, lethal weapon up front is Rooney.

Anyway, I don't think the result of this game makes much difference to the fate of the league championship. If God favors Chelsea this year, what can these red-jerseyed teams do? Mourinho has publicly said that he fears no one but God (not even Sir Alex Ferguson's volleys of psychological attacks), but God loves him enough to grant his team so many clean sheet victories. Well, perhaps money does make the world go round?

Friday, at last!

2005-01-29T01:51:00.000+08:00

Phew! Amazingly, the weekend is in sight. This has been a tediously long week for me. Have been swamped with bucketloads of work ever since I got back to office on Monday (remember, I was on my well-deserved leave last week?) I still, regrettably, owe my bosses

i) a sub-section of a recommendation paper
ii) a status update for an impt project
iii) .... great! for once, I'm delirious about not being able to think of anything else

From the hedonistic perspective, hey, this is a good sign. It shows that I'm still in the capacity to make contributions at work. :D

Had dinner with Cryst, Mar, Vincent and Fish today at Esplanade. I was totally dogged out by the time I flew back from Bedok where I was having an external meeting to office to Marina. But still, I was eagerly anticipating their company. God bless these people. :)

Saw from the news that Bush had promised an unconditional withdrawal of US marines and remnant troops from Iraq if the elected Iraqi administration insisted so. REALLY???? Yeah, that warmonger sure will do so, only to plant more intelligence than in his compressed brain and more shit than from his ass into that country. Essentially, Bush's game plan has worked: Iraq is now the 51st state of the US. So we should expect an additional star on their star-spangled banner soon? hahaha

That's all for today. Am actually surprised that I could still be awake doing this at this hour. Must be due to this new PC. :) And oh yes, June, hope u enjoyed the movie and ur gals' bonding. ^_*

Draco's Debut!

2005-01-22T18:55:00.000+08:00

Hi and well met!

Finally, upon the constant persuasion of my sis, I've overcome my sloth and hesitance to produce my virgin post for my blog. Seriously, I don't really know what to write, since the idea of a personal blog never exactly transpired in my mind less than 2 weeks ago. Nevertheless, I've gotta write anyway, or I'm never gonna get my blog kickstarted till Christmas 2005, or till pigs fly (awww shucks...DHL and FedEx have facilitated that, what talking I?)

I guess I'll just summarize my week, since the first posting is always publicly anticipated and expectant? OK, here goes: thank God I managed to get a well-deserved break from work this entire week. Had been given 2 days off on Wed and Thurs as a compensation for the Christmas and New Year Saturdays. Above that, I had 2 days leave approved for Mon and Tues, so this week was pure heaven for me. I slacked at home, I ran personal and family errands, I attended CG, I surfed the Internet, I read the bible, all with peace of mind, a mind that is for once, not saturated by the intricate concerns of work (till my boss SMSed me on Wed and asked me "how's the paper going?").

Had an ecstatic start to the week. Went to Borneo Motors to place my order for a brand new Toyota Altis 1.6. Had intended to get the Vios, but was advised by some of my colleagues, as well as various car forums, to invest in the Altis instead. It's a larger sedan in measure, it was a fabulous test-drive that I had with it, and I'm absolutely elated to have fished it. Was glad that I went for the guaranteed COE scheme - this meant that I purchased the car at the 13-year low COE price. I had predicted that the COE prices would rebound in the impending bid, and true to my foretells, prices took an ascension, thank God!! The media probably didn't help prospective customers by propagating proclamations from dealers that the COE levels would remain under the psychological threshold of $20K for the next 3 weeks. Now everyone would tear everyone else apart over the next 2 bids, and trust me - within the next bid, prices would soar to above $20K.

CG on Thurs evening was immensely fruitful. Firstly, I was arguably coaxed into leading the offering for the room rental. Well, it was indeed a proactive insight, so I would like to thank Cryst for that assignment. :-) Met John for dinner at Maxwell prior to the CG, and wow, that man really has the appetite of a cow - laksa + wan ton mee + forgotten-what-else! CG itself was fantastic, played a game within my discussion group and realized that my drawing sux as bad as my coordinate geometry. :P But fortunately it got better as back-to-back communications improved with my play-mate, June. I really adore my discussion group - the people that comprise it, the contents that compose it, and the camaraderie that characterizes it. Caizhu is really a good leader - she demonstrates patience, determination, flexibility and autonomy with minimal indulgence in our group. Kim is inspirational and loves providing authentic advice for spiritual growth. Sandy - hahaha - delivers bouts of laughter at times, but has her fair share of godly wisdom.

June is one cute gal. She has been addicted to the jue dai shuang jiao drama VCD that I lent her last Sunday. hehehe...am glad that she loved it. It happens to be my favorite Gu Long's pugilistic novel. We had a hearty chat over dinner about the story, along with other areas, over dinner and on our way home.

Ok..think I've gone off-track and off-length as well. Ladies and gentlemen, I awaitzz your comments zzzz here, andzzzz I think I now zzzz need to head for bed....zzzzz.......Selamat...Hari.....Raya......