Quiz time!!

What's the meaning of 'Philanderer'??

a) a person who does benevolent deeds annonymously

b) a person who flirts and have relationships with many women

c) a person who collects and studies stamps

d) none of the above

The Realist Meaing of Christmas

In the last post, i left off by saying how hard it was to get Christmas gifts to exchange in the working environment. Unlike giving gifts from parents to children, getting something appropriate and within budget is sometimes hard in this modern times. So to solve this issue, the working adults have come up with a 'wishing tree' or 'wish list' kinda of thing.

This 'wishing tree' or 'wish list' allows colleagues to state what they want as their Christmas gift. Usually there is a limited budget so everyone gets somewhat the same value and nobody is on the losing or wining side of the exchange. On the gift exchange day itself, people get together to eat and drink. While not to spoil the mood, the gift exchange maintains or improves it by allowing receivers to get what they 'wished for'.

So what is the true meaning of the Christmas spirit now? In the past, i was taught that Christmas was the celebration of Jesus Christ birth. His birth was considered the saviour of Man. That is why we sing praises to him and to God on the eve and the day itself.

Now... I think that has waned pretty much. We have changed and accepted the way how people look at this day. The marketing and media has take upon their shoulders to make use of this festive period to garner more sales or publicity. People celebrate the mood whether if they do or do not believe in The Nativity Story. The real world has changed. We celebrate it no matter what, get together with family and friends. Have dinner together and make merry. Maybe that is how we explain why there 'Merry' comes together with 'Christmas'.

So what is my stand? Where do i stand in this Christmas spirit? I'm on the limbo of both, sitting on the fence of both the religious and realist sides. Family members gather together to have dinner and catch up. I see my cousins and nephews whom i doubt remembers me much. But... That is how i celebrate Christmas. That is how i see Christmas through my eyes.

Christmas = Mad rush for Christmas Presents

I'll usually save up for my Christmas spendings. Such like start saving $5 a week and end up with more than $100 for my presents shopping spree. This year, i'm torn with last minute spendings. Such has caused quite a dent in my wallet. Well... Less shopping for myself and more running, swimming and staying home to relax then.

I started my Christmas shopping early this year, had lots of time on hand to burn anyway. It felt like the entire Singapore was out shopping instead of staying at home. Car parking was limited, the malls were crowded and patrons were lining up outside restaurants. I manage to get what i need before i escaped the massive crowd. I came to conclude why is Christmas not only a religious or festive mode, but also a marketing and sales upturn too.

The Christmas spirit is about sharing the love with friends and family. Sharing what you have with strangers and making them feel the warmth in their hearts though its cold outside. But in sunny Singapore, there is seldom a cold moment. It is cold when it is raining, else it's just another hot and humid day. And... With the festive season, companies used it to foster better working relationships by having Christmas dinners and presents exchange programme. This... Became a huge problem for most of my friends.

As you are working in an environment where you see the same people 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. That adds up to more than 40 hours a week if you include overtime. So now you are tasked 'involuntarily' to buy a Christmas present to exchange. What you do? Plus it is always hard when buying gifts for friends of the opposite sex, especially the guys. Guys get it easy as there are tons of stuff marketed at the female population of this world. But the guys usually wants something small yet so expensive. So in comes the unisex gifts such as the daries, calendars, fancy notebooks, etc. These are not only considered the 'safe zone' of gifts for the mysterious receiver, also playing it safe by the mysterious giver.

In the next post, i shall talk more about this gift exchange programme. How it has improved, what it meant now to celebrate Christmas with working colleagues and how the real world changed the true meaning of The Christmas Spirit.

Boom De Ya Da!

Love this commercial when i returned back to SG and started watching some of my favourite TV channels such as Nat Geo and Discovery channels. There is this song that really get me hooked on to it. Check it out, its kinda nice and catchy.

Click here to see the tv commercial

So i survived...

Yea... After a gruelling 42km of pain, i survived through it all. Though it was not all fine and dandy, it was still an achievement. If you ask me now if i wanna do it again next year, i wouldn't agree on it. Maybe another 2-3 months, perhaps i'm sane enough to sign up for it again.

So this major event has passed... Next on list are Christmas Dinner. There are lots of things for me to do, stuff that involves me and stuff that do not. It is tough to make decisions when you do not know the imminent outcomes are. This adds further stress to the planning and execution i have to do.

During the marathon, i have thought of disappearing again. Take my passport, enough clothes and begin on a journey. Get away from all the mobile phones, all the MSN, all the emailing and just disappear. I remember vividly how my parents missed me while i was away, backpacking for my 1st time, for two months. My parents only bothered to find out where i was when they didn't see me for consecutively two days. Well... Back then, i did leave a message for them. In case they report to the police or otherwise.

Times have changed... Back then, i was a young kid. Nothing to be responsible for, nothing to fight for, nothing to work hard for. All i had was time, freedom and my friends. How i miss those days...

Whoa... It's one month since last post!!

I just realise i had a blog myself. Guess i have been too busy with stuff and such that i simply forgotten to update this online diary of mine. Alright, shall keep make this post simple and summarise what i have done in the past week.

Nov 9th - Nov 15th
Came home on a early flight and went out for dinner with my parents. Had quite a nice dinner as it was quite a long time since i had good food. Muahahaha... Also met up with friends to catch up. Had dinner together and lots of chatting again.

Nov 16th - Nov 21st
It was another week of hectic meet ups. Met up with my gang of friends from Melbourne for dinner, had crab which i missed pretty badly. Also a small meeting up with my old friends from my internship days. It has been quite a long time since we last met, the last round when i was back, i didn't had time to meet them so i was glad to meet them and find all of them doing very well in life. On the 21st, it was my trip to Sydney on the A380. More in the next paragraph.

Nov 22 - Nov 29th
I was in Sydney. The plane ride was amazing. Best flight experience ever. The size of the seats, the quality of the food and the ambience... It was something that set the bar higher. I've taken business class before but this is waaaaay beyond that level. Enjoyed myself while in Sydney and met up with a friend which i have not met since 2003. 5 years can really make a lot of difference. And the weekends of the week was spent shopping at the IT sale. Didn't buy alot but i did buy what i needed.

Nov 30 - Dec 7th
Nothing much happened this week but it was more of recuperating from all that travelling. Had an offer for internship which i rejected. Yea... I know, dumb choice but i believe that work can always come later, family, friends and loved ones always come first. Yesterday and today was out and about. And this weekend is gonna be a rush of events for me again. Wedding dinner and the standard chartered marathon. If i survive and live through the marathon, i will make sure i post online again. Else check for my news on the papers!! Hahaha...

Everything is Over!!

Finally... I've survived through the past two weeks. Had very little sleep everyday. Living on Redbull and coffee diet most of the time. Plus all those addicitive Red Rock Deli Chips. Now i'm coming back and i've planned so much stuff to do. Hopefully, everything goes as planned.

Can't wait to see all my friends back in SG.

2 More Freakin' Weeks

Another 2 weeks...

Just endure another 2 weeks...

Another 2 weeks and everything will be fine and dandy...

2 weeks... 2 weeks...

Everything will be done and gone after 2 weeks...

I'm so gonna destroy myself in this 2 weeks...

The First Challenge

Tomorrow will be my first paper of this month.

Hopefully everything goes as well as i have planned or goes according to what i have studied.

No matter what, i'm not going to hurt my mood on Friday nite for TGIF happy hour!! Haha...

The Exam Hurdle

Every student will go through hurdles while they are pursuing their education. Be it a Diploma or degree, there are bound to be hurdles to jump over. Each hurdle is like a milestone in your quest for better knowledge, a step closer to achieving your dream.

And it is this hurdle that marks the end of a section of that quest, that race. The exam hurdle. The exams can be something of a jitter to some people while it can be a written vomit of memorised knowledge. I've seen people written page after page in an exam. And i ask myself, why do i not do the same as them? Why not memorise and vomit the knowledge out.

It dawned on me that i could not do that. I'm the kind where i would like to understand the concepts and apply it in my own context. I hate memorising, that's why i'm very bad at it. But sometimes when it comes to the exams, there are bound to be stuff where you have to memorise. It is unevitable. That is when i have to succumb to the pressures of the exam and push myself to complete this part of the quest. My quest for gold where knowledge is gold.

Arghz... Whats wrong with me?!?!

Stuff doesn't seem to be working towards my favour. All started two weeks ago when together with my friends, are not allowed to enter the club where it was retro night. My kind of music!! After that, i had a bad hair cut which was quite a regret for me. Next time i heading to a more renowned hairdresser.

The next day i had a bad injury on my right calf. The calf was swollen very badly and i thought it was just bruising so i stopped running or playing soccer. Until about four nights go, i realise that there are purple patches on the sides of my ankles. Slightly worried, i made an appointment with the school doctor The doctor check my calf and told me that there is internal bleeding that caused the purple patches at the ankle area. He is unsure if there is a crack to my bone but he arranged an x-ray to make sure. His advise to me is not to participate in any sports at the moment... Which means no soccer games or marathon training for me.

Lastly, i just finished my assignment today. I started yesterday and finished just two hours before the submission closing. So i packed up and do some last min grocery shopping. Walked back home with 1.5kg of chicken meat and 2L of orange juice which is quite a tiring walk home. As i reach home, i unpack my bag, i realise i left my power cord in school!! Arghz!!! A friend of mine is heading back to school to see if the power cord is still there. Hopefully he can get the cord for me to save me from losing A$120 power cord.

Singapore Day

It was a day that Singapore was located in Melbourne for one day. That was one day that i felt i was kinda back home, eating my favourite food with friends. Even the servers or the food stall helpers are speaking Singlish, which help made the event feeling more Singaporean. Another plus point that this was definitely Singapore Day meant for Singaporeans, THE FOOD WAS FREE!!!

The menu for food was amazing! We had chilli crab, hokkien mee, char kway teow, chicken rice, nasi lemak, lasksa, prata, etc. Plenty of food that i love. I was like a pig! The throng of people there... It was frantic, at one point i had to queue up almost an hour for a small plate of chilli crab. Though some of the foods weren't very tasty but they still tasted like what they are. Singapore artistes came down to perform while we had our food. We were entertained by Phua Chu Kang, Hady Mirza (i think thats how it's spelt), Electrico and Dick Lee. As usual, Singaporeans tend to complain but it was more on the lack of tables and chairs but it was nice and it felt like having pinics.

My personal thoughts of this event while i was enjoying my food, looking at the number of Singaporeans here and the size of the event, it bring me back how much i love my country. Which country would bring people from almost all walks of life, fly almost six hours to a foreign city for a week and entertain or cook for people there? Not only that, the size of our country to make such an event possible is even more amazing. I am thankful for the people who came down to make that event successful. Also... I am proud to show my friends that Singapore is able to make such an event possible, let them try out the Singapore food and the culture.

The MOST Memorable Night, EVER!

The night started last night. The plan was to meet with five other soccer mates and go for a retro clubbing party in the city. I bough the tickets in advance and decided to collect the tickets when i meet the organiser. The catch was priority entry before 10.30pm. One of the mates was late and we ended up setting off late. It was quite a walk from the train station to the clubbing area. So after 15 minutes of walking, i called up my friend when i didn't see her outside the club. That was when we are 15 minutes earlier than the priority cut off timing. She came slightly past 10.45pm which resulted us having to queue up for entry.

So we took our tickets and started queuing up. We were pretty hyped to enter the club as the theme was 80's music, mambo and retro. When it was near our time, the door bitch said there was a restriction. Entry from that point onwards should be a ratio of one girl and one guy. That created a serious problem for us, we are six guys and no girls. My friend entered the club without even telling us or helping us for entry. I don't expect her to bring us in but i told her if we do not enter the club, i demand a full refund. She agreed to it without any complains since she was late. After queuing and hunting for girls the next 90 minutes, we decided to leave the club and go somewhere else. It was our first let down of the night.

Si we went to the city in search of another place to sit and have a drink. We can't think of any other place so we went to one that we know. When we arrived there, it was almost closing time. We were pretty desperate so we just entered a club that was nearby. It was another mistake. The club was empty, the dancefloor had so much space, you can actually move around easily with no resistance. The music was not bad until it went from bad to worse. It started with house, followed by R&B than it was raggae than it went back to raggae again. The music change was 10-15 minutes in a period. I was there for 45 minutes and i was suffering. Our second let down of the night.

In the end, we decided to go to our final resort, to a place in Chinatown where a shop with LAN capabilities and PS2 for play. Interesting concept but the place is badly maintained. The computers are bad and the place is not cleaned properly. It was quite an uplift for the events that happened before. Plus most of us had not played PS2 Winning Eleven for awhile and that felt pretty good. We enjoyed ourselves and created lots of crazy goals. Something we didn't expect for the night but it was at least something to curb our sadness.

Just before we head back home, we went to a nearby Macdonald's for breakfast. At the end of our meal, a guy walked in and started greeting us in Mandarin. He came over to us, he touched our head and said, 'We are the living children of the living God.' Than he blessed us by kissing our head. I was one of the lucky ones... What a way to end the night of events...

This has to go down as one of the worst night ever.

A380 Business Class Flight!! Woot~~

I call back home just to find out how is my family doing and about the trip to Sydney with the Carlsberg HQ staff. My mom updated me that we will be taking the A380, business class.

The initial plan was me meeting them in Sydney. But with the current plan that they are taking the business class seats in the A380 from SG to Sydney. Plan has changed! I have decided to go back early so that i can join my mom to try the A380 plus business class!

Hehe....

Beijing Paralympics

I've been working on my assignment for the past week. So while doing, i like to have the TV on or music playing so it does not sound very silent in my room. Sometimes the telly does not have much to see or nothing nice to watch. So i just have it on while i concentrate on my work.

Once awhile i will see what is it that im tuning to. Recently the Beijing Paralympics is on. Not live coverage but recorded telecast of the games. I was appalled at how strong the paralympians are. How mentally and physically strong. A man from Australia ran 200m at 20 seconds to break the world record. His diability? Cerebal palsy. I doubt i can do 20 seconds for 200m. Another one was this lady who was on the speeder wheelchair (i don't know what its called), she broke three world records in a single day. Each event is only 60 minutes difference. Amazing... They are seriously stronger. I am seriously amazed at what i've seen.

Guess this is what it means by if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger.

Lonely Nights

I have been spending lots of time with my assignments for the past few nights. Rushing them to meet the deadline given by my lecturer. I guess it is part of my life as a uni student. My friend has given me this to think about, lonely nights with only my assignments to accompany me. I wonder... After my life as a undergrad student, what lies ahead of me. Will i be working so badly that i have only work to accompany me at night? Or i have enough social lifestyle to prevent lonely nights from ever happening again. Guess this is something i won't know.

Happy Father's Day

As a young boy, i have never quite appreciate Father's Day as much as Mother's Day. I do not know why... I have always looked up to my big man but i have never celebrated Father's Day. Even if it is, its just a simple dinner like any other weekend. This time... The feeling is rather intrigue. I was planning to call him near the evening time of the day. In the end, he called me in the mid-noon.

We chatted a little bit over the phone. He asked me about my school work, my lifestyle and my overall well-being. As usual, its always the good stuff. Half-truths here and there to make it rosy for him to hear. Do not wish him to worry about me when he has so much to worry about already.

At the ending of our conversation, he asked when will i be going back home. I could not give him a definite answer as the exam timetable has yet to be released. He told me that the Carlsberg HQ is having the incentive trip this year to Sydney. They will be heading there around mid-november. The plan is simple... I fly domestically to Sydney to join my Mom in the trip and then fly back together with her. That way i can save on the trip back to home. Then the flight back here next year will be an open-return flight. Well... It's something that i have not expected...

You win some, you lose some...

We played our most feared game last night. It was against the champions of the league last season. They were really good. The passing was good, the central midfielders were amazing. The defenders did a great job preventing all sorts of attacks against their goal front.

We played our best. We put in our best players and played with all our heart. I didn't get to play as coach decided to put in all the good players. The plan was to hold them up as long as possible and play counter attacking. We did manage to complete what we planned but they played really well. In the end, we lost 3-0 to them. Even though it was a loss, they said we gave them the most enjoyable game. We gave them a hard game and they seriously fought for the win. Guess losing by three is much better than losing 10. Hehe...

Nike Human Race and First Day of Spring

Today was the day. 25 countries ran on this day. A total of 1 million participants. I'm one of them. One of contributors to his world record event.

It was a chilly morning when i woke up. It rained pretty heavily during the early hours of the morning. I can hear the clashing of the raindrops on my windows before i drift off to sleep. I changed into my gear and left home with lots of excitement and hope. The rained had stop before i dropped of the station near the starting point. While walking there, you can see many others wearing the same. They too share the same feeling as i do. Once im there, i checked in my bag and proceeded to the starting point.

The temperature was getting better. It was definitely not as cold as my training days. It is the last day of winter anyway. So as i stepped into the back of the crowd where everybody waited for the gun to fire off. Some final stretches and the race started. The running course took us round the botanical gardens, into the city, off to another garden and back to the botanical gardens. It felt like i'm running back home when the marathons are usually held in the city limits.

After 55mins, i've arrived at the finishing line. Its been awhile since i've ran that fast and that long. The fastest guy in Melbourne was 32mins, so im aiming to at least hit 45mins for my next 10km run. The ultimate goal is still the 42km marathon at the end of the year. I will look forward to seeing my friends back in Singapore where we complete the marathon together.

Oh... Did i mention that tomorrow will be the first day of Spring? Okie. Tomorrow will be the first day of Spring. NO MORE BONE CHILLING DAYS!!

I do not comprehend...

I do not comprehend how life works. You tend to look one side and the other side evolves or change without you knowing it. When you turn back to look at it, it just makes you feel uneasy, a tinge of unfamiliarity and uncertainty. That's why i do not question how life works, i just accept it and move along with the flow.

I do not comprehend how fate works. It binds time and events together. Some people believe in it, some people do not. I'm one of the latter, always thinking that fate is just another word. Another word people used to simply summarise. That's why i do not question how fate works, i just accept it and move along with the flow.

I do not comprehend how luck works. From life and death issues to items of monetary value. We look at how lucky or unlucky we are in life and compare with each other. Sometimes we blame ourselves for being unlucky, sometimes we blame objects or even loved ones. That's why i do not question how luck works. If it works in favour for me, i appreciate it. If not, i'll just accept it and move along with the flow.

I do not comprehend how love works. It is something that couples share. It is something that all living things share. We love not because we have to, because we want to. We want to because we have a feeling that cannot be described. It cannot be described because it is something we are unable to explain. That's why i do not question how love works. I just accept it and put in as much effort into it as i can.