Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Indian to the core... haha
I Want A Curry And Rice Girl - Amazing videos are here
One of my favourite ads.
Peugeut 206-Sculpteur - Click here for more free videos
Monday, April 09, 2007
the balance i guess..
Why gifted children don’t become eminent adults
March 22, 2007 in Smartkit All Posts, Creativity, Genius by Dr. R.L. Kaplan
Why is it that the majority of highly talented kids never go on to become eminent adults in their field of giftedness?
Came across an interesting article on the Northwestern University website that discusses some of the personality characteristics of those who do actually go on to become eminent adults; here is a summary:
- Preference for solitude which typically begins in childhood
- Lack of concern with conventionality, especially social conventions
- Extraordinary ability to cope with tension. History of stressful
childhoods with tense and even traumatizing family situations - High drive and energy. Workaholics. Many forego marriage, children and other normal joys of life because they fear it will detract from their dedication to their work
Article is from http://www.smart-kit.com/s466/why-gifted-children-dont-become-eminent-adults/
Child's Brain Teaser
i got this wrong the first time round.... try doing this and post it in the comments pls...
u can try googling for the answer as well.
One day a truck delivered a box of new animals to the pet store. Hannah needed to count the number of animals. When she peeked in, she saw many snakes and tarantulas all mixed up! She counted 18 heads and 64 legs.
How many snakes were in the box and how many tarantulas?
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
All I asked...
All i asked.. was to be wise, and HE gave me challenges.
All i asked.. was to be patient, and HE denied me my rightful opportunity.
All i asked.. was to be understanding, and HE gave me complexities.
All i asked.. was to be at peace with myself, and HE gave me insecurities.
All i asked.. was to be fair, and HE threw me in the middle of conflicts.
All i asked..
I almost gave up.. but just in the nick of time.. i realised that HE had given me all i had asked. just not in the manner that i was expecting.
Through overcoming obstacles(emotional, physical and mental), i became stronger. Plying through the challenges, i had become wiser than i was the day before. By waiting for my seemingly missed opportunities, i had learnt to be patient for my day to come. Tackling one complexed issue at a time, i gained understanding. By overcoming my insecurities one by one, i learnt more about myself thus becoming at peace with myself. Trust me, to subdue situations that involve conflict of interests.. you have to be fair minded.
Through all of these problems i realised one thing.
Life is made of obstacles, challenges, opportunities, complexities, insecurities, and conflicts. It is up to us how we are gonna handle it i guess. see the cup as half full or empty? Learnt so many lessons through my prayers...
Know what to ask and how to ask....
Ask not to be strong... instead, Ask for a donkey to carry your burden.
Ask not to be rich... instead.. Ask for others to be poorer than you.
Ask not to be wise... instead.. Ask for other to be dummer than you.
Ask not to be understanding.. instead.. Ask for the answers straight away..
get my drift? haha.. good nite all.
Kiasu..
Posted on Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Topic: Community Announcements
Quietly, and just like a Singaporean citizen, the humble Singlish word 'kiasu' migrated from its original home in the Coxford Singlish Dictionary to the pages of the Oxford English Dictionary - alongside other words like 'wiki' and 'ta-da'.
Check it out here at the OED's quarterly update site.
Hidden within the list of new entries somewhere 3/4 down the page (use the search function in your browser) is the word "kiasu" - n and adj. You can also do a 'search' on the OED's main page.
Which means that the word is now officially English too and we should be able to use it everywhere in our media with impunity.
Take that, you colonized, potato-eating monkeys of the Speak Good English Movement! Hopefully this isn't a belated April Fool's joke... if so, we'll be damn lau kwee. But then, it'd also be a cool prank! Either way, it puts a smile on our face.
For those of you hiding under a rock for the past 40-plus years, here's what 'kiasu' means (according to our very own Coxford):
KIASU (kee-ah-soo)
Hokkien adjective literally meaning, "afraid of losing". A highly pejorative description beloved of Singaporeans. Possibly our defining national characteristic. The nearest English equivalent is "dog in a manger", though even that is pretty mild in comparison.
"You went to get a handicapped sticker just to chope a parking space? How kiasu can you get?"
Thanks to Xuan You for pointing this out to us। Well done!
© http://www.TalkingCock.com 2001-2003। All rights reserved.
What's Next?
world's fastest supercomputer
| Protein molecules are the building blocks of the human body. |
MDGrape-3 is designed for pharmaceutical research, specifically molecular dynamics simulation. In developing drugs, pharmaceutical companies have to analyze thousands on thousands of chemical compounds to find out how they'll affect the protein-bonding structures in the human body. Protein structures called enzymes are the building blocks that do all of the work within a cell, and the way these proteins bond with any drug compound introduced into the human body determines the body's response to that drug. MDGrape-3 produces simulations of these molecular interactions. What takes most computers hours or days to analyze takes MDGrape-3 a few seconds. This functionality is invaluable in drug research, and it could drastically cut the research time involved in the development of new cures. A subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Merck has already booked time on the machine.
Structurally speaking, MDGrape-3 is a parallel computing system consisting of two main sections: a primary server unit and a specialized-engines unit. The latter component is a cluster of 201 engines running proprietary chips developed by Riken specifically for MDGrape-3. It's this huge set of engines, running 24 MDGrape-3 chips each, that does the heavy protein-analysis lifting. Each chip has a maximum processing speed of 230 gigaflops (one billion operations per second). The primary server unit manages the engine cluster. This parallel server setup runs two different types of processors: 65 servers run dual-core Intel 5000-series Xeon processors, 256 per server; and 37 servers run 3.3-GHz Intel Xeon processors, each with 2 MB of level 1 cache, at 74 processors per server. This hardware structure enables the 1-petaflop speed, which is the machine's theoretical maximum for certain processes.
MDGrape-3 took $9 million and about four years to build. And it's actually very efficient -- a total cost of $9 million breaks down to about $15 per gigaflop. The slower BlueGene/L cost about $140 per gigaflop to build.
BlueGene/L, which tops out at a theoretical 360 teraflops (trillion calculations per second), is also a biotechnology-specific machine. The advances in speed marked by these two supercomputers is indicative of a general trend in technology toward biologically-slanted systems. Some say the trend really started with the successful mapping of the human genome in 2000. Regardless of what spurred the current biotechnology race, most experts agree that the logical end of the surge is a state of DNA-based medicine. In several decades, we could make an appointment with our doctor for a quick DNA analysis to find out what diseases we're at risk for and pop a single, gene-targeting pill that eliminates all of those foreseeable risks.
Monday, April 02, 2007
time's forgotten oaths
Rushing back home after a long school day, dumping the school bag at one corner and sending my Bata's flying to the other.. Just to change and rush down to play catching at the playground with friends.
Forging parents signature on my report card when my grades nose dived.
Skipping terawih prayers to sneak into the darkness of the then crescent field ( now safra mt faber) to light up the first salem.
joining a uniformed group for the first time. Marching in our uniforms and thrusting our chest to the skies. At the same time buckling down on our own weight and licking the floor in the name of push ups.
Jumping over the fence and catching True Lies at Bukit Merah.
The first testosterone driven fight under the void deck to defend the brotherhood.
Forging brotherhoods and partnerships in crime including vandalism, public nuisance, miniature rioting, theft of automobiles (almost), Chroming , smuggling, getting arrested... my goodness...
So much has happened. So much has sculpted us in our growing process. But most of the times its always the bad experiences that teaches lessons of life and tests the fortitude of friendships by melting them in a crucible. The purities glow, while the impurities vaporize. After all is said and done, there remains a few of us torn, tattered.. tried and tested but still hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, brother to brother. Hence an unsaid oath is taken.. to be brothers for ever in the unshakable faith that nothing can pull us apart.... but life has other plans... adulthood.
Adulthood; priorities change, lifestyles change, times change. Friends change. Its sad to see that the friendship that withstood the battering obstacles of growing up, was succumbing to the subtle influences of adulthood and was diluting away day by day. The great adventures we had back then has now reduced to coffeeshop table top talks or sms'... pathetic. But beggars can't be choosers. i am getting tired.. can't keep it together anymore.i accept defeat. No one wrote rules as to how to live our lives and yet we conform ourselves to a mould.. a mould which no one wants to break.
Then, there is the other sort. The "phasers", people who categorize friends accordingly to the phases of life.. Once the phase is over, so is the friendship. What so difficult in keeping the old friends when making new ones? Anyway its none of my concern anymore..
So much trial and tribulations. So much lost in the past decade. So much hurt. But if not for all these, i wouldn't have known who were the real deal. Thus i would hereby take this opportunity to let you know that i am truly honored by your friendship, Chanthi, Ali and Shan.. Here is my Oath of friendship to you.
When you are blue...I'll try to dislodge whatever it is that is choking you.
When you smile...I'll know you finally got laid.
When you are scared...I will rag you about it every chance I get.
When you are worried...I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be and to quit whining.
When you are confused...I will use little words to explain it to your dumb ass.
When you are sick...stay the hell away from me until you're well again. I don't want whatever you have.
When you fall...I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.
PS: A good friend will be there to bail you out of jail. Your best friend will be the one sitting next to you saying, "That was f***ing awesome!"
PS 2 : For those also close friends of mine( alot of close ones out there) who are not mentioned... this is not an academy award॥ so dun come and hound me as to why i didnt list your names.. you know that i love and cherish you all the same...and have shown you my affection in one way or another.. so shut up.... ;)
PS 3 : PS 2 is not a diplomatic and damage controlling statement to appease the unmentioned heroes and heroines of my life..
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
From Talkingcock.com
| SEOW LEOW! Signs We’re Going Gila Posted on Monday, March 12, 2007 Topic: We, The Citizens |
by Kway Png & K.K.Cheow According to the State’s Times, 1 in 4 Singaporean teens and young adults could develop psychological problems and mental diseases like schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, psychosis, personality disorder, paranoia, delusion and hallucinations. 25%! Seow leow! That’s a lot! TalkingCock.com presents a list of signs to help us Singaporeans recognize if we’re going gila: 1. You speak in different accents depending on who you’re talking to 2. You’re always looking over your shoulder whenever you complain about the Gahmen, in case ‘others’ eavesdrop and report you 3. You copy down the license plate numbers of cars involved in accidents because you believe others’ misfortune might bring you good luck 4. Not so long ago, you were even copying down numbers you thought you saw on the bodies of fish 5. You suspect there’s one man controlling your life from behind the scenes 6. You have the inexplicable urge to urinate in lifts 7. Your mind is full of contradictory notions – for example: a. you think people are inconsiderate when they don’t leave their table immediately after eating at the food court but think you have every right to take 25 bites to finish the last red bean in your ice kachang. b. you insist on enrolling your kids in Speech & Drama classes, and then pray they won’t go into the arts when they grow up c. you think that giving the poor a lot more money will discourage hard work, but paying politicians million dollar salaries will not 8. You think food tastes better when eaten by a longkang 9. The stuff you see depicted on local TV doesn’t seem to bear even the slightest resemblance to real life as you recognize it 10. You thought you saw your MP dancing hip-hop recently 11. You’re scared to walk around naked even in your own flat 12. You elected a guy even though he’s rumoured to have slapped someone 13. Why can’t you believe that the reporting in newspapers is unbiased? 14. You lash out with lawsuits even over the slightest criticism 15. You whack people over Hello Kitty 16. You’d rather drink your own pee than pay other people more for water 17. You see Men in White everywhere 18. You still haven’t emigrated Got any more signs? Let us know! |
© http://www.TalkingCock.com 2001-2003. All rights reserved.
(If you're circulating this by email to your friends, please include this attribution. It's only polite, leh!)
Sunday, March 18, 2007
In the heat of saturday night fever.
18 march (sunday) 5.50am outside hougang plaza.
struggling to stay awake while dragging my feet to the MRT station.. what am i doing there in the wee hours of the morning on a sunday? You may ask.. Well, i was on my way to Bt Timah for the weekly train up.. anyway coming back to the point.. i was walking past a group of teenagers seated on a bench and sobering up after their saturday night out i guess (and some of them, obviously still drunk).. so as i was walking past them, i heard one of them shouting out, "Eh Keling!"
Something just shot up my spine. i do not take well to racist remarks you see.. and i take it a bit more violently when the dumb ass is a bloody teenager..but i just continued walking, trying my best to avoid any form of conflict and screw up my beautiful morning. But NO... those rash punks could not let it rest. a few of them just came across my path and asked if i was deaf or what. To which i forced out a small smile and said excuse me. At this point of time another scantily clad and barely sober girl in a sweat drenched white tube top staggers into the group confronting me and asks them to knock it off.. i was quite impressed with her drunken sobriety and subtly said, please take your friends sound advice before anything gets out of control. concurrently some of them were back stepping already, except for this one dumb ass who was really fated to get it today. He asks me "Eh C*** B** Keling, you think you bruce lee ah.. you wan go 1 on 1 or not.. i mah bok also can take you down..etc." the soberly drunken girl comes back to drag him off to which i simply smiled at her and thanked her. Our hero cannot take it already.. he grabs my t-shirt and asks " you dare to smile at her!?" [ i dare to do more than that and i do not need to be bruce lee.. dimwit. i am a pissed indian thats enuff.. Keling is it... dun worry you definitely will hear "Kling" when i am done ]
Anger had already consumed me beyond control.. Pride has enraged me beyond rationality... and Ego has empowered me beyond restraint. so in return, i grabbed his windpipe and gently* pushed him a few steps back. Suddenly i found a bar stool in my hand and i realised instantly that that stool look much better on his face then in my hand. so i decided to put it in its befitting place. I took out my phone to call my buddies that i will be late to the hike but i guess they thought i was calling them down to hougang.
After that the entire bench came running to him.. and a few of the other guys simply apologized and ushered me away. i humbly requested that i wanted to call the police to resolve our differences but they chose to be magnanimous and simply give in to my views.
Entire ordeal lasted 20 mins, i got so mood out that i just wanted to turn back home and sleep it off. but considering the amount of effort Nisa puts into organising all this training sessions and considering that Faizul and the rest all took the trouble, i decided to go ahead anyway. But it was a good call had a wonderful time there. All of them were gung ho and on form. It took my mind of things.
Friday, March 09, 2007
the imperfect perfectionist.
Friday, March 02, 2007
The Victim and the Villain and a whole load of V's
"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V...."
[Goosebumps break out]
The opening lines of V, introducing himself to Evey in the dark alleys of London. V for Vendetta, a movie that i have grown to love and watch over and over again as and when time permits me.
Today was a blessing in a way. Drizzling and cold outside, no ones at home, and i just returned after a tiring day at work.. The refreshingly cold shower was very much welcomed after getting spat on and smudged with mucus. Out of my stinking sports gear and into a nice comfortable "sarong" and a singlet with a nice warm cup of "teh tarik" in my grasp.. The entire house is to myself... Dimmed the lights in the hall, turned on the fan to a nice gentle breeze blowing at me. Puffed up the cushions on my couch, set my comforter in place and proceeded to the DVD player and inserted... what else ... "V for Vendetta" before finally chucking myself into the couch..and the show begins...
It's a movie that i do not get sickened of despite having watched a dozen times. A movie that constantly questions man's integrity and his right of freedom of speech and thought; A movie that experiments with the multitudinous perspectives of the single word "Ideas". A movie that forecasts the fate of the developed nations in time to come. A movie that awakens dormant principles within me. Anyway enough praises about the movie, i know it is getting fulsome.
As i watched the movie, time and again i get confronted with this question in my mind.
" if you can make the difference.. would you?"
it is a simple question that bears different messages to different people.. it is subjective.. I know.
But welcome to my perspective.
We often lose ourselves whilst searching for that forever eluding better life. In the midst of the search, we lose our moral values, conscience and integrity.. If we do not lose them, we alter them to flow with the already guilty population. We lose our identity and we become sheep that follows the herder blindly.
It is a simple question that we often face in our everyday lives, but it is a damned difficult one to find an answer to. So difficult that at times, we choose to turn our backs on it hoping that that which is out of sight will be out of mind. A habit we Singaporeans[assumingly a majority] have honed to perfection with so many social problems as excuses or alibis.. We have become so self-centered and every little deed that is done, is done so in the expectation of a profit/certificate/favour/recognition/etc.
When was the last time you gave up your umbrella to someone who needs it more than you?
When was the last time you stood up for a colleague at work without worrying about the potential damage it can do to your career?
When was the last time you gave your lunch to the old woman silently begging at the entrance of the MRT station?
When was the last time you did something for another without getting anything in return, when was the last time you placed others before yourself..
I am equally guilty of the banes that i just mentioned which is why i used "we" to a large extent.. but i must thank God of presenting an opportunity to salvage some bits and pieces of my already degenerating humanity. salvage.. salvage the old school loyalty, sacrifice, service, brotherhood and camaraderie.. we are Singaporeans la dei... wake up your ideas... already the country so small, why u wanna segment it further?
think abt it la..." if you can make the difference.. would you?"
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
That's Life...
- Where you end up isn't the most important thing. It's the road you take to get there. The road you take is what you'll look back on and call your life.
- We are all born originals. Why is it so many of us die copies?
- If life gives us rocks, it's our choice whether to build a bridge or a wall.
- All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better
and my all time favourite.....
- You never get bitten by an elephant. It's the mosquitoes that eat you alive
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Excuse me ... are you a model?
I was returning home from NUS today. As usual i alighted at Hougang Mrt and for some strange reason decided to drop by Hougang Mall to see how deserted it looks like.. except for a hang ten outlet, the rest were closed for the festive holidays.After spending 10 mins looking around the only open outlet i was heading for the exit.. It was at this point i heard someone yelling out EXCUSE ME!!! the following was a brief conversation i had with him.
[ lets just say that the guys name is kenny or .. kenny it is..]
Kenny: Excuse me!!
Din: [after lining myself up with the corridor wall] Oh sorry, here u go..
Kenny: Hi, Excuse me....
Din: Er.. i just did wat..
Kenny: Sorry.. i meant to say "can i ask you something?"
Din: Er, go ahead..
Kenny: Are you a model??
[a pair of squinted eyeballs and cringing eyebrows appears on my face]
Din: Er.. No..
Kenny: thats good. would you be interested in modeling?
[ not that i am vain or what but i said yes. you see,i am a person who is keen to try new things in life.]
Kenny: thats great.. can i have your number please..
Din: Er.. why not you give me a namecard?
[After caressing his extremely short and pocketless silk shorts..]
Kenny: sorry i forgot to bring la..
[Ya rite]
Din: great.. at least tell me which company are u from?
Kenny: i am from Superstar.. [ Corny but i will close one eye.. u see this is the chance of my lifetime to become a .....er.... superstar model]
Kenny: we source out for great looking people..
Din: should i choose to accept, wat will i be modeling?
Kenny: Sports wear and Gym wear [ i assume he is referring to tights and crotch grabbing spandex]...You got a nice height and a good build.. may i know what are u working as..
Din: [Reluctantly]teacher..
Kenny: how is it that You P.E teachers always have a great bod.... [he was freakin me out]..
Kenny: anyway , my company will give you a free portfolio [wateva that means]all you have to do is come down for the audition.
Din: Can i think about it? can i have ur number or wat.. [ He gives me his number]... so i shall make a move..
Kenny: btw way can i take a look at ur arms..
Din: See la... but dun u dare touch them..
Kenny: good.. can u pull up ur shirt a bit, just wanted to know how toned ur abs are..[ why not i kick you in the groins to let u know what u are missing]
Din: Nah not a good idea.. not that i am shy or wat [even if i take off my shirt he will onli see a second layer of thick black hair on my belly] .. but i dun think he can handle the overdose of manliness considerin he has a severe lack of it.
i just needed to get back home and bathe as soon as possible.. i started to have goosebumps all over.
Balance - The Grey Area.
It's a wonder what long and lonely train rides can make me think about..i was in the mid section of the train on the NEL. The train was pretty empty at 11 pm.. i looked to my left and saw the 1st carriage then looked to my right and saw the last carriage and somehow i realised that i was in middle of 2 extremes. Like i was the balancing point of the entire train. Now i got my thought triggering word... BALANCE. Once i started pondering about balance, words such as "extremes" and "opposites" and 'grey area" all follow suit. Something was conjuring up in my head...and the events occuring around me in the train helped to shape my thoughts..i realised that there was a purpose for the existence of extremes. extremes help us to achieve our balances in life..i am not trying to sound profound at all.. in fact let me state a few real examples that demonstrates balance in human nature.
Firstly ..
a couple was (play )fighting in the train.. not that i was eavesdroppin but it was occurring right infront of me so couldn't help it.
Basically the boy was requesting his girlfriend to drop certain habits as he could not accept it but the girlfriend said that he had to accept her for who she is ( an individual). Boyfriend tries to coax her into compromising but to no avail.. Boyfriend states that she is being self centered..Girlfren continues with her set of rebuttles. where is the point about balance and extremes u may ask.. You see the "extremes" are the idea of being an INDIVIDUAL( who i am is who i am.. take it or leave it) and being compromising ( i am willing to change if it makes ppl happy).. the question is where do u stand? be an individual who does not care about anyone but himself or an over-sacrificer who loses his identity along the way?
Individual<---------------------where to stand--------------------->Compromise
Secondly,
the following is a popular topic, especially among my biker friends. Often times i had asked my frens that isn't riding a bike like signing a death warrant? and often times i get a philosophical answer. " If u gotta go, u definitely will go" or "wats the point of living carefully when we all die in the end"... guess they chose to see the cup as half empty whereas i chose to see it as half full.. cos i believe that life is the most precious gift to Man and in at least my religion, it has been highly advocated to take care of it in what ever means necessary.... so where is the balance?
Live for the moment <-------------------where to stand------------->preserve urself
Thirdly the all time favourite...
love is blind<-----------------where to stand----------------> love at first sight
i have come to understand that there is really no one answer to any prob.. what is an answer today , becomes the problem tomorrow.. We and our decisions are determined by the situation and circumstances that we are in at that period. This is where the extremes act as a gauge to help us make a decision..
anyway very drowsy now.. need to log.. off
Friday, February 16, 2007
I got served.... in about 2.5 hours.
I went to get to an MC as i got a strained knee ligament. After my consultation, i came back with the same strained knee, an acute lower back pain (sitting on a hard chair waiting 2 plus hours in total for a check up) and bag full of .... PARACETAMOL.... did i mention my consultation lasted a mere 3 to 4 mins?
I just do not comprehend one small observation i made today at the polyclinic. there was relatively not much crowd there at the waiting area. the thing is all of us waited an average of 10 to 15 mins before the Que number changed..the corresponding number walks in and in about 5 min.. he or she comes out.. and then it takes another 15 mins before the next patient is called up..
Its not my intention to condemn the doctors or anything.. if not for them i wouldn't have gotten my MC( which i need badly).. I am just curious as to what happens in the 10 min lapse after the patient leaves? any doctor buddies or bloggers chancing upon this site.. please enlighten me...are they bogged down with follow up paper work on the patient that they just treated.. or are they just taking a stress break for the 5 min consultation? or am i looking in the wrong direction... is the waiting problem beyond doctors and due to administration?
PS: ever noticed that despite the notice that que numbers may not appear in sequence.. u know, they follow the number sequence until the next turn is urs.. then the number jumps off to the moon.. u know ... 7041..7042..7043.. 7044..7045...9036 ??
Monday, February 12, 2007
life's a journey...
It's been a damn long time since i last blogged.. some how i never managed to find the time to sit and accumulate my thoughts and type them down.. anyway too many things have occurred to list out in any order so i am cutting it short. some happy things, some sad things,some irritating things, some calming things and some short bubbly doe eyed cute things have also happened to me.. basically on a roller coaster ride of my life right now.. my exterior is cool, calm and composed.. my interior is a controlled chaotic firework display..I find reason and rage in everything. i find fear in my happiness and doubt in my pleasures.. can it really be? is it too good to be true? Ego seems to be crippled... thoughts are confusingly clear.. i think i sounded profound enough.. haha.
anyway.. the hiking (10th Feb 2007) was a grand success.. million thanks to Arshad, Durga, Yasmin, Tahira and Shanthini for gracing the event despite the last minute dwindle in the numbers. Covered an estimated 20 km.... Macritchie.. Jelugong Towers.. HSBC Tree Top trail.. Rifle Range... PUB water catchment... Bt Timah.. BKE.. Ngee Ann Poly... Al-Ameen ...
Quite surprised that my legs are still in tact.. More suprisingly, the gals hanged on.. they lasted the entire distance despite zoning out and considering to seduce the ah pek for a lift in his pick up.
the hike reminded me of my NS days. it's quite frightening to know the effects of age. 4 years back i was able to run the entire distance in under 2 hours.. now i gotta pray my knees hold up though i am just walking.. sigh.. one more goal added to my new year resolution.. get back to my former fitness glory..who am i kidding.. most probably my resolution will go down the drain the moment i log off.. i need someone to keep pushing me.. my buddies are out.. they worse of then me.. fitness instructors are too expensive.. signing on is not an option... wait a minute i know wat to do.. .... ..... .....
shall write abt it after i have done it..
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Is it? Is it not? .... or is it just me?
- yes means yes?
- no means no?
- yes doesn't exactly means yes but something else in between?
- no doesn't mean a no but an entirely different thing?
Countless times, i have been engaged in confrontations because of such misunderstandings. From friends to family.. Each has his/her own representation to the same word and do they expect me to be a f***ing telepath to understand their rendition of the word? Is it so F***ing difficult to just simply say things as it is? when i confront them back.. they say "you are my family/friend.. you should know me and how i am and what i am? therefor you understand what i meant"...why don't you try UNDERSTANDING me you dimwit. why not try understanding the freaking fact that its damn difficult for me to keep count of various meanings for the same word and apply it accordingly to context while you simply throw your damn words and expect me to decipher what you meant? if i decipher it correctly they say i am being too particular...if i decipher it wrongly they say i read too much in between the lines. what you want me to do then?
They say its a matter of being tactful, considerate, concerned and delicate for the other party.. what does it matter when it deviates from the truth? had nothing against being tactful or concerned or etc.. but at the end see to it that truth is upheld.
The consequences of not upholding the simple truth does not necessarily have to be in epic proportions... it can happen at the mundane level and gain critical mass and grow into a mountain.
[extremely simplified scenario with made up names]
K has been having a rough time in school.. has a particular project he needs alot of help with.. one night, K was confiding his problems to L.. L being a good friend was listening to his probs said in the end dun worry it can be done just call me up again tomorrow and i will see to it.
K was damn glad.. and relieved that his probs have a solution.
K called but L was busy.. K called again the next day but L was again missing in action. K naturally grew uncomfortable calling L again and again but thank goodness he resolved his own probs. L suddenly inquires about the K's project...
K feeling unsettled approached L abt his word to help.. to which L gave a hundred reasons as to why he was not able to deliver. matters got heated up abit after which L said that he was just being friendly and helpful.. he wanted K to feel that there is always hope and even said that K shud have understood him that he was just being nice. kinda funny how the guy who got victimized is now also the offender.
[ the end ]
it is a very simple situation honestly and i believe all of us would have gone through some variations of it. this is just an extremely simple case.. ad we all know that are far more serious ones out there.. and they exist in every form of relationships...
some have advised me that this life ( how the f*** does this equate to life i am not sure guess i am immature). some advised me to relax and people will always be like that (the ones who have seen the life changing experiences.) some advised me that such white lies is what that makes life interesting ( tell ya wat, they bending over and getting their posterior pile driven will make life interesting too.)
i guess its ok when 1 or 2 does it.. but when everyone does it and expect you to understand? that is the time of the past... i have just joined the super heck care grp where i am simply gonna reflect what you give me. thank you for teaching me all that you have, now get ready for a revision.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
who gives in.. u or me?
-the following article is just a representation of the authors view ( which popped up during a long and lonely bus ride). It's not my intention to spark off a war on gender superiority (as i respect both).
-i believe it should serve as a good reflection point for those who are about to enter the holy instituition of marriage. ( if it doesn't do not screw me)
-i am neither generalizing nor stereotyping anyone... whom ever i referenced to belong to a rising minority.
- bear with the grammatical/ punctuational errors as i am rather sleepy but i feel obliged to share my views....
Nikkah.Holy Matrimony.Kalyaanam. These are the words that have been echoing around me for the past few weeks. Good news ... especially when my close buddies are joining the bandwagon and to be frank its drilling for oil inside my pocket (no offence to anyone). It kind of makes me reflect on my own life, a year back, all i was attending were birthday parties.. now its all weddings... i am getting old..hmmm. Anyway back to the point.
Imagine the ecstacy when you are starting a life/family of your own with the woman/man you have loved for who knows how long...the transition, new responsibilities/priorities, the new face that suddenly is sharing the bed and of course the pay with you.. all these changes despite being frightening.. is something that you are willing to face all for the woman/man you love so much. and when u do enter the instituition of marriage with that special person.. everything becomes surreal.. all we tend to consider and accept are the positive things.. if anyone mentions even the slightest mention of the word/s "what if this( this being somethin negative) happens" and "divorce" , we tend to touch wood ( not sure how it helps tho)...cross fingers and the ever popular "choi"..
my argument is, why assume that it wont happen to you, not that i am being so pessimistic or wat.. i mean, i believe that this is all about balance. just like life and death. we keep company with the constant thought of death to ensure the quality, morality and the integrity of our lives. it doesnt mean that we are planning to die rite.. just like that why not couples keep company with the constant thought of divorce and work against it.. by doing so we automatically enrich our married lives. qualities such as understanding, givin in, compromise and communication and problem solving naturally kick in when we fear the prospect of a separation.
the reason why i brought in such a dark topic was simply because, just recently a close family fren got divorced. it was devastating news considering the fact that the marriage was only 4 months old.. everything was going perfect.. bride and groom loved each other, marriage was with the consent of both families. basically everything was perfect. just that the bride had to move in with the grooms family( which seems ok by my standards) till they get their own flat. Along the course of the next few weeks, guess somethings happened which threw peace and tranquility into the family maelstrom.
[details are ommitted to protect the privacy of the family]
groom's family made some comments that was seen as insensitive by the new bride.
bride retorts and this was not tolerated by the groom and he in turn said some things that the bride was not happy with.
now i would have anticipated the worst case scenario to be the bride to push for their own flat to live apart and by themselves.. but wat happened was that bride one day just came back with a signed divorce paper and asked the groom to sign it.. he was totally taken aback. after countless futile attempts to reconcile, he gave up and just signed it. It all ended there.
Now wats wrong with the outcome? wat went wrong and who is at fault?(not that it matters)
Wouldn't things have turned out better if the girls was just patient? or the guy be more sensitive and understanding.. i am not sayin all the gals in singapore are like this, but i do see it as a rising trend.. gals just opting for divorce when they encounter friction in the marriage. what baffles me most is such things pretty much didnt exist in the generation before us.. our mothers generation basically. a generation in which most were not that highly educated.. what happened to the gals of our gen? did education empower them and liberate them from the "shackles of suppression" that actually sustained the sanctity of the home ?
[the Mothers Gen]
the husband is always rite. whateva the husband does, he still is the husband.. he provides for the family. He ill treats me also nevermind.. i dun wan divorce.. i dun wanna break my marriage..
[the Daughters Gen]
ur head the husband is always rite. wat eva the husband does, basket , will return it with interest. He ill treats me, simple just divorce.. i deserve better.... screw the marriage.
the "shackles of suppression" (despite depriving the woman of her rites at times) sustained the sanctity of family home. why? isnt education suppose to enlighten us and show us a better way? is it a just a fad created by the western world to disintegrate the strength and resolute of the asian woman?
i really dun get it.. i have heard talks abt equal rights .... wat rites? does the female wanna compete with wat the man does? does it make them feel better ? i believe that each gender has its own place in nature.. each has a specific role.. if each is individual then why fite for = rites?
i am not slamming the female species.. in fact i got a longer post on the flaws of men coming up.. but for the time being i have to stop here.. hopefully i get some replies to clarify my confusions.