After the end of terror thursday and subconciously following a certain pattern in the days following that, i have conciously decided to make it official and take a break from school work at least till the weekend's over (of course, i type this when all that's left of the weekend is Sunday, which technically should always be break day anyway...). So the past few (two actually - in my current state of affairs in terms of school stuff this is about the most that i can afford) days have been spent sorta slacking and stoning away with little little intermittent bursts of productivity in between (by little little intermittent bursts i mean of the read-a-few-lines-of-one-of-the-many-mammoth-readings variety). Yup but it really has been a good break, and i am very thankful for the opportunity to do so...
After doing stuff of little consequence in school today apart from finally printing out the last of my readings, i went home, only to once again proceed to do little of any consequence till way past dinnertime, when i went for another night-time run with Mark at ecp. Very thankful for a dependable running kaki (who, importantly, also stays in the east) cos i know that if i was left to my own devices the only preperation for ippt i'd be doing right now would be in my mind. And dare i say, think i am getting better at this whole running thing, and judging from how much i have enjoyed it over the past few times, it may actually *gosh i can't believe i am saying this* become a hobby of mine... One caveat though: i need people (of similar or lower standard to me - which is not saying anything at all) to run with me or all this will just be a big load of fancy talk... Also, depending on how this saturday's ippt eventuates, i may perhaps even choose to forget entirely what i have just typed out of sheer trauma...
Capped off the day with a bowl of stylesse choco with milk - gosh is that stuff good...
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Friday, October 28, 2005
the interrogation
It was around seven pm or so at fong seng after arts central Bible study for dinner with some of the arts comm, consisting of many girls, Clement and me...
I sort of forget how we ended up on this topic, but somehow in the course of what we were talking about i mentioned in passing the fact that i have never had any feelings of that sort for any girl at any point in time of my life so far.
*cue huge gasps of disbelief and amazement from all the six females at the table*
For me, i couldn't see what was the big deal, i mean, like that is like that ma... But clearly members of the opposite sex think very differently from yours truly.
(Note to self: one thing to never do is to bring up such subjects in the case whereby you are severely outnumbered in terms of guys versus girls.)
So what eventuated was not one, not two, but SIX girls fielding me all sorts of questions of that kind, which apparently i answered in ways that only emphasized my initial utterance, causing yet more gasps from the girls. To say that their interest was piqued would be a gross understatement.
Some samplings of the questions asked/ comments made just now and my responses to them:
One of the girls: "But surely you must find some girls pretty right?"
moi: "Ya lah of course lah duh, i'm not like blind or anything like that, but find pretty not equals to like ma..."
Another one of the girls: "Don't you ever think about getting married?"
moi: "Erm, not really, as it happens, then so be it lor..."
Yet another one of the girls: "Maybe you have the gift of celibacy..."
moi: "???"
I mean, why should the pressure be on us guys to go out searching for a girl, while the girls are allowed to wait patiently for a guy to find them (as agreed upon by the entire conference of girls at dinner just now)? Whatever happened to female empowerment and all that?
Anyways, the strangest thing, methinks, is that i was more than comfortable being confronted with such questions, as intriguing as they ever got. And somehow i can't get over the fact that so many people are interested in such trivial matters of my own...
Haha...
Had a good swim this morning, and hopefully an equally good run tomorrow night. Yup, my dear ippt, i am not going down without a fight...
I sort of forget how we ended up on this topic, but somehow in the course of what we were talking about i mentioned in passing the fact that i have never had any feelings of that sort for any girl at any point in time of my life so far.
*cue huge gasps of disbelief and amazement from all the six females at the table*
For me, i couldn't see what was the big deal, i mean, like that is like that ma... But clearly members of the opposite sex think very differently from yours truly.
(Note to self: one thing to never do is to bring up such subjects in the case whereby you are severely outnumbered in terms of guys versus girls.)
So what eventuated was not one, not two, but SIX girls fielding me all sorts of questions of that kind, which apparently i answered in ways that only emphasized my initial utterance, causing yet more gasps from the girls. To say that their interest was piqued would be a gross understatement.
Some samplings of the questions asked/ comments made just now and my responses to them:
One of the girls: "But surely you must find some girls pretty right?"
moi: "Ya lah of course lah duh, i'm not like blind or anything like that, but find pretty not equals to like ma..."
Another one of the girls: "Don't you ever think about getting married?"
moi: "Erm, not really, as it happens, then so be it lor..."
Yet another one of the girls: "Maybe you have the gift of celibacy..."
moi: "???"
I mean, why should the pressure be on us guys to go out searching for a girl, while the girls are allowed to wait patiently for a guy to find them (as agreed upon by the entire conference of girls at dinner just now)? Whatever happened to female empowerment and all that?
Anyways, the strangest thing, methinks, is that i was more than comfortable being confronted with such questions, as intriguing as they ever got. And somehow i can't get over the fact that so many people are interested in such trivial matters of my own...
Haha...
Had a good swim this morning, and hopefully an equally good run tomorrow night. Yup, my dear ippt, i am not going down without a fight...
phew
After agonising for the longest time over my very abstract Thailand essay, on top of tackling yet another of those darned el quizzes and handling loads of other school and other stuff, i can now breathe a semblance of a sigh of relief.
As of today, the only ca stuff that i have left to do is show face and open mouth for one more tutorial, attempt to spoil the market again for my forum participation, write a journal entry or two and to smoke my way through for two minutes or so for my part of a group presentation.
Yup, no more essays and no more tests (apart from that of the individual physical proficiency variety, which is, horror of horrors, in all of eight days time... *looks around in vain for a pull up bar*) for this sem, now it is the season of catching up on the ever-growing stockpile of readings and scrambling to recall and revise content from lectures of long ago. Yup, 'tis the season to be mugging aiyayayayayayayaya...
Today was particularly taxing for me, having finally finished the aforementioned essay at twelvish in the morning, then revising for the quiz thingy, taking a brief five-hour repose, then heading for school to attend a lecture, take the quiz, then prepare for and subsequently attend two consecutive tutorials ,before rushing off again to the library to watch "The Year of Living Dangerously" for a history module (supposedly set in Indonesia, but lots of the 'bahasa' dialogue was in fact in tagalog), then to a refreshing time at cg, then to fong seng, where managed to eat with the dinos Kevin and Ade Wan, then getting on the 10 and finally arriving home at 2340 hrs, more than 16 hours since leaving it.
I am very thankful to God for my schedule, which was never too much for me, and which, by His grace, was rather tahan-able. After cg just now where we talked about complaining, i realised that i really have precious little to complain about... Thank God!
One unfortunate side-effect of this recent piah-ing phase: i've been eating far too much. Of course, it's hard not to when i had chosen to plop myself in the arts canteen, where readily-accessible food abounds. Spending $5 a day on food has not been an uncommon occurence over much of this time period. Today, after already eating fried rice at fong seng for dinner, i went back home and polished off one six-inch pizza, generous helpings of potato salad, and half the frontquarters of a chicken, with cereal and milk to end the meal (my parents bought this funky french cereal from Carrefour qui s'appelle "Stylesse Choco" - its basically rice flakes with a generous helping of dark chocolate shavings ... yum - post honey bunches of oats has a serious rival for my serial cereal affections now...) (i never eat cereal for breakfast since i don't eat breakfast - hence eating it at such odd hours in the day...)
I suppose that i really ought to be exercising, of not for the upcoming (and much dreaded) ippt then at least to burn off all this excess food and its residual effects. Hopefully tomorrow, if weather permits, and in celebration of my temporal liberation from schoolwork, i shall go for a swim/ run / both =)
As of today, the only ca stuff that i have left to do is show face and open mouth for one more tutorial, attempt to spoil the market again for my forum participation, write a journal entry or two and to smoke my way through for two minutes or so for my part of a group presentation.
Yup, no more essays and no more tests (apart from that of the individual physical proficiency variety, which is, horror of horrors, in all of eight days time... *looks around in vain for a pull up bar*) for this sem, now it is the season of catching up on the ever-growing stockpile of readings and scrambling to recall and revise content from lectures of long ago. Yup, 'tis the season to be mugging aiyayayayayayayaya...
Today was particularly taxing for me, having finally finished the aforementioned essay at twelvish in the morning, then revising for the quiz thingy, taking a brief five-hour repose, then heading for school to attend a lecture, take the quiz, then prepare for and subsequently attend two consecutive tutorials ,before rushing off again to the library to watch "The Year of Living Dangerously" for a history module (supposedly set in Indonesia, but lots of the 'bahasa' dialogue was in fact in tagalog), then to a refreshing time at cg, then to fong seng, where managed to eat with the dinos Kevin and Ade Wan, then getting on the 10 and finally arriving home at 2340 hrs, more than 16 hours since leaving it.
I am very thankful to God for my schedule, which was never too much for me, and which, by His grace, was rather tahan-able. After cg just now where we talked about complaining, i realised that i really have precious little to complain about... Thank God!
One unfortunate side-effect of this recent piah-ing phase: i've been eating far too much. Of course, it's hard not to when i had chosen to plop myself in the arts canteen, where readily-accessible food abounds. Spending $5 a day on food has not been an uncommon occurence over much of this time period. Today, after already eating fried rice at fong seng for dinner, i went back home and polished off one six-inch pizza, generous helpings of potato salad, and half the frontquarters of a chicken, with cereal and milk to end the meal (my parents bought this funky french cereal from Carrefour qui s'appelle "Stylesse Choco" - its basically rice flakes with a generous helping of dark chocolate shavings ... yum - post honey bunches of oats has a serious rival for my serial cereal affections now...) (i never eat cereal for breakfast since i don't eat breakfast - hence eating it at such odd hours in the day...)
I suppose that i really ought to be exercising, of not for the upcoming (and much dreaded) ippt then at least to burn off all this excess food and its residual effects. Hopefully tomorrow, if weather permits, and in celebration of my temporal liberation from schoolwork, i shall go for a swim/ run / both =)
Monday, October 24, 2005
dilemma
Just over ninety hours before my essay is due and here i am still deciding between two of the given topics.
I thought i had, after a week or so of lazy consideration, decided to do the question which features the most familiar subject matter, so that things would be more straightforward.
But now i am suddenly torn between this question and another one which is very much more unconventional and therefore more risky to attempt cos if i did it wrongly i'd fall flat on my face.
Why am i even considering this second question then? Because i think that at least half of the cohort will be doing the first question, as the subject matter is as, if not more familiar, to them as it is to me. Taking that into consideration it will certainly be harder to score well for this question, unless i produce an exceptional essay, which i think at this stage is far beyond me.
One thing though, is that due to my late start, practically all the resources that may have proved useful for me have already been borrowed out. That being said, however, the nature of the second question is such that not much sources are needed, and furthermore i do have some existing sources with me left over from the last essay...
So after purposefully blogging out my thought processes here i have come to a decision, i shall take a risk and attempt the second question. We'll see how lah...
I thought i had, after a week or so of lazy consideration, decided to do the question which features the most familiar subject matter, so that things would be more straightforward.
But now i am suddenly torn between this question and another one which is very much more unconventional and therefore more risky to attempt cos if i did it wrongly i'd fall flat on my face.
Why am i even considering this second question then? Because i think that at least half of the cohort will be doing the first question, as the subject matter is as, if not more familiar, to them as it is to me. Taking that into consideration it will certainly be harder to score well for this question, unless i produce an exceptional essay, which i think at this stage is far beyond me.
One thing though, is that due to my late start, practically all the resources that may have proved useful for me have already been borrowed out. That being said, however, the nature of the second question is such that not much sources are needed, and furthermore i do have some existing sources with me left over from the last essay...
So after purposefully blogging out my thought processes here i have come to a decision, i shall take a risk and attempt the second question. We'll see how lah...
Sunday, October 23, 2005
to go or not to go?
Ok i do realise that there are many more important things that i could be doing at this moment (such as actually start on my due-on-thursday essay) but i decided to take a look at the sep website instead...
Now, i suppose the answer to the titular question is a bit of a no-brainer (YES), especially in considering that the cash factor is not an issue, due to certain provisions that have come by God's grace (i shall not elaborate here due to my irrational fear of these provisions somehow evaporating into thin air - with blogs nowsaday one can never be too careful)...
But still, anyone who knows me knows that i am not one for hassle (i.e. i am lazy - i refer you to my now three-year-old struggle to just head down to register for basic theory), and the whole sep process is just one such bothersome thingy...
Furthermore, there are so many sub-decisions to make in the course of the whole thing, and decision ranking doesn't rank very high on my comfortability meter either (i.e. i am indecisive - i refer you to how i choose where to eat when at a shopping centre - go to the mall directory, close my eyes, and randomly point my finger in the direction of the f&b section of the directory, eating at wherever my finger lands)...
And after reading Sida's mid-sem progress report, the slacker in me is having second thoughts...
That being said, i have already been making grand plans in my head as to how i could use sep to my advantage to siam some modules back here that i really dun want to do (with special reference to my cs2 modules *bleah*)...
Also, finally a chance to go overseas for an extended period of time and just recharge in a whole new environment, away from all that is *insert random negative word of your choice (once again, you never know which dubious character could be reading this)* back here.
Once again, for me the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
(btw the above also applies to my ongoing struggle with my dear essay that just refuses to get started in my head...)
Now, i suppose the answer to the titular question is a bit of a no-brainer (YES), especially in considering that the cash factor is not an issue, due to certain provisions that have come by God's grace (i shall not elaborate here due to my irrational fear of these provisions somehow evaporating into thin air - with blogs nowsaday one can never be too careful)...
But still, anyone who knows me knows that i am not one for hassle (i.e. i am lazy - i refer you to my now three-year-old struggle to just head down to register for basic theory), and the whole sep process is just one such bothersome thingy...
Furthermore, there are so many sub-decisions to make in the course of the whole thing, and decision ranking doesn't rank very high on my comfortability meter either (i.e. i am indecisive - i refer you to how i choose where to eat when at a shopping centre - go to the mall directory, close my eyes, and randomly point my finger in the direction of the f&b section of the directory, eating at wherever my finger lands)...
And after reading Sida's mid-sem progress report, the slacker in me is having second thoughts...
That being said, i have already been making grand plans in my head as to how i could use sep to my advantage to siam some modules back here that i really dun want to do (with special reference to my cs2 modules *bleah*)...
Also, finally a chance to go overseas for an extended period of time and just recharge in a whole new environment, away from all that is *insert random negative word of your choice (once again, you never know which dubious character could be reading this)* back here.
Once again, for me the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
(btw the above also applies to my ongoing struggle with my dear essay that just refuses to get started in my head...)
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Grand Canyon helicopter pics (2)
Ok, this is like waaaayyyyy overdue, but anyway enjoy just a tiny glimpse of the wonders of God's awesome creation...
WOW...
The river may look tiny and mild, but that's because the helicopter is so far up...
The turquoise colour of the river looked much better in reality...
I've run out of captions...
Back at the heliportAnyway, today had a little arts comm thingy at the new Spinelli's at uni hall. Honestly, i dunno how i get myself to buy those ridiculously-overpriced coffee drinks all the time, but still i do... It was good yes, but not that good... And imagine that outside of school it would cost even more...
Was introduced to a new really cool game today that we played, called "Cranium". I also dunno how to describe it, but just to say that i hope that's not the last time i'll be playing it...
After i got home i went for another run at ecp with Mark, starting from my house this time. I now realise that i definitely need to run with someone, or i'll just give up halfway out of a lack of willpower, as i nearly did by the time we reached the halfway point - the pond beyond McD's and the other businesses along that stretch. By the end i was pretty spent... On the upside i didn't like collapse, sprawled on the tiled floor in front of Roxy or something like that...
IPPT looms ever closer...
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
my dealings at the deck
Yesterday, i found out that that deep-fried spherical snack almost the size and shape of a tennis ball filled with peanuts and covered by sesame seeds is called, surprise surprise, a sesame ball *slaps head*. Or more accurately, a ma2 qiu2. Was at the waffle stall and decided to get something to add to the waffle i was getting, so this intriguing snack caught my eye, so i pointed to it and told the auntie "auntie, jia1 zhe4 ge4". Then she was like, "oh, ni3 yao4 ma2 qiu2 ah?", and i triumphantly affirmed that "ah, shi4 shi4..." Haha so chalk up another food item on the list of stuff that i am able to order in Chinese. Woohoo...
Then, today, for the first time in my nus life, i ordered from the dong dong claypot store, after almost one and a half years of trying to decipher what those hieroglyphic scribblings on the wall next to it that i later gathered were Chinese translations of the english dish names read as... How, cos i gathered enough information from others who buy from this stall to be able to make an informed decision as to what to order, without eventually being subjected to being served a mystery dish that i did not order, thanks to the usual Chinese-language communication breakdown that has me emphatically nodding my head and saying "shi4 shi4" whenever the auntie, confused by my muffled mandarin, asks me to confirm my order.
Oh, anyway, the kong bao chicken wasn't bad =)
Never ran as long and as fast for a bus as i did today... Much needed exercise.
Then, today, for the first time in my nus life, i ordered from the dong dong claypot store, after almost one and a half years of trying to decipher what those hieroglyphic scribblings on the wall next to it that i later gathered were Chinese translations of the english dish names read as... How, cos i gathered enough information from others who buy from this stall to be able to make an informed decision as to what to order, without eventually being subjected to being served a mystery dish that i did not order, thanks to the usual Chinese-language communication breakdown that has me emphatically nodding my head and saying "shi4 shi4" whenever the auntie, confused by my muffled mandarin, asks me to confirm my order.
Oh, anyway, the kong bao chicken wasn't bad =)
Never ran as long and as fast for a bus as i did today... Much needed exercise.
Monday, October 17, 2005
haven't sung this in some time...
Today as i was randomly meditating upon some random stuff, this song popped into my head.
Chalk up another one in the ever-growing list of old songs that i used to sing years ago when i was still a little boy (ok, not soooo little lah) that i have recently come across again and that, in retrospect, have really meaningful lyrics that cut deep if you really mean them when you sing...
I am a new creation,
No more in condemnation,
Here in the grace of God I stand.
My heart is overflowing,
My love just keeps on growing,
Here in the grace of God I stand.
And I will praise You Lord,
Yes I will praise You Lord,
And I will sing of all that You have done.
A joy that knows no limit,
A lightness in my spirit,
Here in the grace of God I stand.
©1983 Kingsway's Thankyou Music
Words and Music by Dave Bilgrough
Courtesy of Higher Praise
Yup, truly it is only by God's grace we can truly stand without condemnation and say that we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 spells that out very clearly. And what is our response to the realisation of this marvellous reality? For our hearts to overflow with Christlike love as His own love through this undeserved kindness compels us to (love compels, geddit? =P). For an unspeakable joy to overwhelm us upon considering what He has done for us. For us to just sing His praises for all that He has done. For us to be totally selfless in spreading this wonderful news to all who have yet to accept it.
Chalk up another one in the ever-growing list of old songs that i used to sing years ago when i was still a little boy (ok, not soooo little lah) that i have recently come across again and that, in retrospect, have really meaningful lyrics that cut deep if you really mean them when you sing...
I am a new creation,
No more in condemnation,
Here in the grace of God I stand.
My heart is overflowing,
My love just keeps on growing,
Here in the grace of God I stand.
And I will praise You Lord,
Yes I will praise You Lord,
And I will sing of all that You have done.
A joy that knows no limit,
A lightness in my spirit,
Here in the grace of God I stand.
©1983 Kingsway's Thankyou Music
Words and Music by Dave Bilgrough
Courtesy of Higher Praise
Yup, truly it is only by God's grace we can truly stand without condemnation and say that we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 spells that out very clearly. And what is our response to the realisation of this marvellous reality? For our hearts to overflow with Christlike love as His own love through this undeserved kindness compels us to (love compels, geddit? =P). For an unspeakable joy to overwhelm us upon considering what He has done for us. For us to just sing His praises for all that He has done. For us to be totally selfless in spreading this wonderful news to all who have yet to accept it.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
the next wave
Judging from the amount of stuff that has piled up after i more or less wasted a perfectly good opportunity to get some work done over the weekend (most of which was spent either out or sleeping), it appears that the second wave of school work has come crashing down, and it's time for some much-needed disaster relief...
I have to exercise...
Today was cousin Lingam's birthday =) Had a great time with most of the family plus a close family friend, Jeremy... After subconciously starving myself for the whole day, Billy Bomber's was a great way to fill my stomach again... Anyways once again, happy twenteenth birthday bro (or is it cuzz?)!
A couple of photos (courtesy of Serene Koh - thanks =) of yesterday's messy birthday celebration number one (no messy pics though)...
The Gam family...
(ahem, dun ask me why my hand was there, i also donch know...)
More of the Gams
L-R: Magam, Nagam, Gam-mei, Lingam, Chingam
I have to exercise...
Today was cousin Lingam's birthday =) Had a great time with most of the family plus a close family friend, Jeremy... After subconciously starving myself for the whole day, Billy Bomber's was a great way to fill my stomach again... Anyways once again, happy twenteenth birthday bro (or is it cuzz?)!
A couple of photos (courtesy of Serene Koh - thanks =) of yesterday's messy birthday celebration number one (no messy pics though)...
The Gam family...(ahem, dun ask me why my hand was there, i also donch know...)
More of the GamsL-R: Magam, Nagam, Gam-mei, Lingam, Chingam
Cousin Lingam and me...
Better get to work now...
Thursday, October 13, 2005
all prepared...
What better way to relieve stress and prepare for an el test tomorrow than by playing a word game? (lots of ways, actually, as this has nothing to do with phrase structure schema and tree diagrams whatsoever)
If i get two upon ten or lower for this test like i did for the last one then i vow to never touch this game again...
Monday, October 10, 2005
some more reassurrance
Remember the other essay that i was dreading getting back?
Well i got it back and it turned out far better than i thought it would. In fact when i got it back i didn't even want to check how much i got for it cos i expected a really bad mark... But as usual my restlessness got the better of me, and well, to my pleasant surprise, it was quite ok...
Now, i do not say this to boast or anything, but i am just really thankful on so many levels for the Lord seeing me through these past two essays.
One of them is the feelings of inadequacy that i had been feeling, especially for my level 3 history module and its first essay (the one i just got back - still one more to do for this module). Also i thought that i didn't do it (the level 3 one) to as well as i might have wanted to.
But in spite of all this the Lord prompted me to start on these two essays early enough (He knows far better than me the sheer scale of the procrastination that i grapple with on a daily basis) so that i was able to complete them in time, lessons learnt from last sem, when after Falling.Spinning, my essay grades literally did just that, as i, on no fault of the musical and all the fault of me, more or less neglected them till the very last minute.
Also at least now i am more comfortable with what i am - a history major. When the full scale of that first dawned upon me earlier this year i was like *GULP - what have i gotten myself into?* but now by God's grace i am more or less familiar with what is going on and what is expected... Now, on the other hand, i still am far from grasping what it means to be a history teacher, but well, let that worry about itself till it comes lah...
Well i got it back and it turned out far better than i thought it would. In fact when i got it back i didn't even want to check how much i got for it cos i expected a really bad mark... But as usual my restlessness got the better of me, and well, to my pleasant surprise, it was quite ok...
Now, i do not say this to boast or anything, but i am just really thankful on so many levels for the Lord seeing me through these past two essays.
One of them is the feelings of inadequacy that i had been feeling, especially for my level 3 history module and its first essay (the one i just got back - still one more to do for this module). Also i thought that i didn't do it (the level 3 one) to as well as i might have wanted to.
But in spite of all this the Lord prompted me to start on these two essays early enough (He knows far better than me the sheer scale of the procrastination that i grapple with on a daily basis) so that i was able to complete them in time, lessons learnt from last sem, when after Falling.Spinning, my essay grades literally did just that, as i, on no fault of the musical and all the fault of me, more or less neglected them till the very last minute.
Also at least now i am more comfortable with what i am - a history major. When the full scale of that first dawned upon me earlier this year i was like *GULP - what have i gotten myself into?* but now by God's grace i am more or less familiar with what is going on and what is expected... Now, on the other hand, i still am far from grasping what it means to be a history teacher, but well, let that worry about itself till it comes lah...
Sunday, October 09, 2005
my new family
Introducing the 'gam' (rhymes with perm) family:
The Chindian twins-born-three-years-apart brothers Lingam (Daniel Vai) and Chingam (Marcus).
The da jie Nagam (Sheena a.k.a. Nana)
The adopted sister from China Gam-mei (Suvie) [who is in need of a tan so as to blend in with the rest of her family members]
And of course the Chilipino cousin Magam (i.e. yours truly...) [which sounds much like mugger - how apt =P]
We went for our first family outing today after church to suntec, and it was a really fun time... Haha always can count on my 'family' for a good laugh...
For those who draw a total "huh?" after reading this, well here's an idea of some of the craziness that goes on among the cell-u-lights in the after-hours =)
My dear fellow family members, love you all...
In totally unrelated news, finally managed to find an opportunity to teach my father (from my real family) how to save and access names in his phone's address book, so that there'll be no more of that referring-to-his-diary business whenever he has to call someone. (Now you see where my technology aversion comes from hehe...)
The Chindian twins-born-three-years-apart brothers Lingam (Daniel Vai) and Chingam (Marcus).
The da jie Nagam (Sheena a.k.a. Nana)
The adopted sister from China Gam-mei (Suvie) [who is in need of a tan so as to blend in with the rest of her family members]
And of course the Chilipino cousin Magam (i.e. yours truly...) [which sounds much like mugger - how apt =P]
We went for our first family outing today after church to suntec, and it was a really fun time... Haha always can count on my 'family' for a good laugh...
For those who draw a total "huh?" after reading this, well here's an idea of some of the craziness that goes on among the cell-u-lights in the after-hours =)
My dear fellow family members, love you all...
In totally unrelated news, finally managed to find an opportunity to teach my father (from my real family) how to save and access names in his phone's address book, so that there'll be no more of that referring-to-his-diary business whenever he has to call someone. (Now you see where my technology aversion comes from hehe...)
Saturday, October 08, 2005
some stuff to say
If i see the tv mobile movie promo where Sammi Cheng cries and bangs her head repeatedly against the wall wailing "he's not dead!!!" in mandarin even one more time, i think i will scream and smash the tv mobile screen into smithereens.
Ditto for the Richard Gere "my brother is going on a journey today, i want to bring him good fortune" visa advertisement.
As well as the 'Andy Lau ages from little boy to octogenarian' movie promo. Come on lah, can't you just get another actor to play him when he is an adolescent? He's way too old to pass of as a young man.
Tomorrow is the first saturday i'll be having in a long while where i am at least relatively free. Much as i would like to spend it productively, something tells me much of it will be spent on my bed sleeping.
In dreaded anticipation of the upcoming ippt, have embarked on an exercise craze of sorts (of course i otherwise never exercise, so a craze for me would even involve merely jogging 50 metres once a week).
Just now went for my first-ever night jogging at ecp area with Mark. Was really great, feels much better than running alone. And it certainly beats wilting under the hot sun while circling endlessly around the nus track.
MEET team meeting turned up some rather interesting, though admittedly not totally surprising news...
Thursday, October 06, 2005
good news for a change
Yesterday, ignoring the soft cooing of all the work i had to do, i somehow ended up sleeping at 1045pm, something that i haven't done in months methinks... Anyhoos had a very good eight-hour sleep, which i probably won't be doing again soon for quite some time. The stormy weather throughout the night just added to the condusive sleeping environment. =)
But i write to add to the general air of positivity on the schoolwork front in line with what Debs and Ryan have blogged about.
I got back my dreaded first el quiz last week and got all of two marks out of ten. Definitely a very frustrating module, makes me wish i had chosen another CS2 instead of el (but alas, there are none left that meet my requirements...). But even through this horrible mark the Lord taught me to be better prepared and not to take any of these things for granted from now on. Oh well, it's only 10%...
But now for the better news, got back one of the two history essays that i was semi-labouring over during the mid-sem break and got a fairly decent mark, in fact methinks it's the best that i've ever gotten for a history essay (i always seem to get stuck in the mid-range). Wrote on, of all things, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I" (not as fun as it sounds though...), but anyway, was pleasantly surprised with the mark, at least i didn't spend all those hours in vain. Thank God.
There however is one more history essay due back soon that i think i didn't put enough effort into but well that's for another day...
Additionally, as many people would have heard me complaining about, i have a module that requires extensive forum participation (total of 45%). So naturally i have been toiling over my laptop trying to craft intelligent-enough input to hopefully be of at least similar calibre to all those spoil market posts that leave the others like me scrambling to grasp at least some semblance of credibility. Well, today i received an email from the lecturer (who's a very nice and humourous guy, btw) that basically, ahem, identified me as one of those market spoilers. Haha who would've thought... Am really thankful for the email cos i was really worried that i was merely posting nonsense, at least now i know that i am on the right track. Now to craft even more spoil market posts for the next round of discussions, which yours truly is co-leading *evil laughter*...
Exactly one month (or by the time this is published - one month minus one day) to the dreaded ippt, Saturday 5 November, 7:30am (ahhhh), Bedok Camp... Am desperately hoping that can clear this silly thing so won't kena rt or any of that nonsense. To that extent, i shall attempt to go for a run tomorrow. Anyone wish to join me so as to prevent it from eventuating in another "aiyah never mind lah, still got *insert rapidly decreasing number here* days more, will run when i am less lazy" session?
But i write to add to the general air of positivity on the schoolwork front in line with what Debs and Ryan have blogged about.
I got back my dreaded first el quiz last week and got all of two marks out of ten. Definitely a very frustrating module, makes me wish i had chosen another CS2 instead of el (but alas, there are none left that meet my requirements...). But even through this horrible mark the Lord taught me to be better prepared and not to take any of these things for granted from now on. Oh well, it's only 10%...
But now for the better news, got back one of the two history essays that i was semi-labouring over during the mid-sem break and got a fairly decent mark, in fact methinks it's the best that i've ever gotten for a history essay (i always seem to get stuck in the mid-range). Wrote on, of all things, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I" (not as fun as it sounds though...), but anyway, was pleasantly surprised with the mark, at least i didn't spend all those hours in vain. Thank God.
There however is one more history essay due back soon that i think i didn't put enough effort into but well that's for another day...
Additionally, as many people would have heard me complaining about, i have a module that requires extensive forum participation (total of 45%). So naturally i have been toiling over my laptop trying to craft intelligent-enough input to hopefully be of at least similar calibre to all those spoil market posts that leave the others like me scrambling to grasp at least some semblance of credibility. Well, today i received an email from the lecturer (who's a very nice and humourous guy, btw) that basically, ahem, identified me as one of those market spoilers. Haha who would've thought... Am really thankful for the email cos i was really worried that i was merely posting nonsense, at least now i know that i am on the right track. Now to craft even more spoil market posts for the next round of discussions, which yours truly is co-leading *evil laughter*...
Exactly one month (or by the time this is published - one month minus one day) to the dreaded ippt, Saturday 5 November, 7:30am (ahhhh), Bedok Camp... Am desperately hoping that can clear this silly thing so won't kena rt or any of that nonsense. To that extent, i shall attempt to go for a run tomorrow. Anyone wish to join me so as to prevent it from eventuating in another "aiyah never mind lah, still got *insert rapidly decreasing number here* days more, will run when i am less lazy" session?
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Of revivals and tennis
Today during worship we sang the song "Touching Heaven Changing Earth". During the "send revival" refrain, a thought came into my mind (dunno if it was from the Lord or just my own thought but anyways) that we often sing and pray for a revival in the church, but do we know what a spiritual revival really entails?
So it was affirming for me to hear Calvin echo my thought soon after during the challenge. Indeed, how can we ask the Lord for a revival in the church as if that's all that is entailed in the Lord actually bringing revival to a place? Calvin mentioned the need for hearts that are wholly committed to the Lord, and people who are wholly convicted of all the sin in their lives. We may earnestly desire to see the Lord accomplish great things in the church, but what sacrifices are we prepared to bring before Him?
Was recently reminded of this verse in an email from Ming Hui to all those people associated in one way or other with swordfighters (more on that another time...): 1 Chronicles 21:24, where King David, after being shown mercy by the Lord through the preservation of his kingdom in spite of disobeying the Lord, insisted on not sacrificing a burnt offering to the Lord that cost him nothing, for indeed the Lord is worthy of so much more than that.
So similarly, i think that many of us (myself included) have either conciously or sub-conciously not had our affairs fully pleasing before the Lord. How vital it is for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to come upon us, and impact us of all that is not right before Him, before we should even talk about spiritual revival among us (of course, sometimes this convicting work forms part of the revival...).
Anyways, today also marked the first time i've played tennis in many months. Went to Bev's house again (that's the only place i've ever played tennis at) with Daniel Vai, Sheena, Serene and Jeremy Koh after church (crossover people are also the only people i've ever played tennis with). I must say that despite not having touched a racket (i won't even begin to recount my badminton fiasco again) for months, at least i still was able to know what is going on, and even serve properly and not hit out or the net from time to time... And at least, thanks to my recent tennis-watching craze (or at least whatever seconds i can get from having channelnewsasia's mediocre sports highlights, since it is the only tennis i can get on free-to-air tv - cos no cable have i), i have become aware of the existence of many more shots than the single-handed forehand (i.e. how one would naturally hit the ball), which previously was all that stocked my poor excuse of an arsenal of tennis shots, and tried to at least attempt them, to largely little success. Ah, but little success implies a bit of success, doesn't it =)
So in short, i've improved =) and that's all that matters...
(Note to self: expect a sorely aching right arm upon waking up tomorrow morning...)
So it was affirming for me to hear Calvin echo my thought soon after during the challenge. Indeed, how can we ask the Lord for a revival in the church as if that's all that is entailed in the Lord actually bringing revival to a place? Calvin mentioned the need for hearts that are wholly committed to the Lord, and people who are wholly convicted of all the sin in their lives. We may earnestly desire to see the Lord accomplish great things in the church, but what sacrifices are we prepared to bring before Him?
Was recently reminded of this verse in an email from Ming Hui to all those people associated in one way or other with swordfighters (more on that another time...): 1 Chronicles 21:24, where King David, after being shown mercy by the Lord through the preservation of his kingdom in spite of disobeying the Lord, insisted on not sacrificing a burnt offering to the Lord that cost him nothing, for indeed the Lord is worthy of so much more than that.
So similarly, i think that many of us (myself included) have either conciously or sub-conciously not had our affairs fully pleasing before the Lord. How vital it is for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to come upon us, and impact us of all that is not right before Him, before we should even talk about spiritual revival among us (of course, sometimes this convicting work forms part of the revival...).
Anyways, today also marked the first time i've played tennis in many months. Went to Bev's house again (that's the only place i've ever played tennis at) with Daniel Vai, Sheena, Serene and Jeremy Koh after church (crossover people are also the only people i've ever played tennis with). I must say that despite not having touched a racket (i won't even begin to recount my badminton fiasco again) for months, at least i still was able to know what is going on, and even serve properly and not hit out or the net from time to time... And at least, thanks to my recent tennis-watching craze (or at least whatever seconds i can get from having channelnewsasia's mediocre sports highlights, since it is the only tennis i can get on free-to-air tv - cos no cable have i), i have become aware of the existence of many more shots than the single-handed forehand (i.e. how one would naturally hit the ball), which previously was all that stocked my poor excuse of an arsenal of tennis shots, and tried to at least attempt them, to largely little success. Ah, but little success implies a bit of success, doesn't it =)
So in short, i've improved =) and that's all that matters...
(Note to self: expect a sorely aching right arm upon waking up tomorrow morning...)
Saturday, October 01, 2005
how big i've grown...
Was over at St. Andrew's Cathedral this morning for the National Consultation for International Students' Ministry (NCISM) 2005. Although i ended up being there almost accidentally, i was thoroughly blessed through it, and have developed a much better picture of ISM in Singapore, the needs of the international students, some issues and problems faced both by the students and the organisations etc...
Anyways, the consultation was held at the North Transept Hall, which i vividly remember from when i was still a little boy of inconsequential age running around the cathedral compound all those years ago.
The thing is, it seemed to have shrunk to almost lilliputian proportions when i stepped in to the place. I used to think that it was very big (fifteen years ago), but now it seemed so tiny...
Bottom line is, i've grown up, no longer a Toys'R'Us kid am i...
Regrettably, it turns out i can't go for AnnTIC after all due to some MEET issues *small sobs*. Was really looking forward to finally going for my first VCF camp where i could just be a participant, and not an appointment holder (after BSL for last year's AnnTIC and comm member for FOC). Furthermore, if my plan to go for SEP in third year first sem materialises, think i wouldn't be able to go for next year's one either, since i'd probably still be abroad... I really did benefit a lot spiritually from last year's one, and had hoped to do the same this year. Disappointed? Yes. All sulky and moaning, buried under the sheets sobbing uncontrollably? No lah, there are more important things than this... If it is the Lord's will that this time be used elsewhere, then so be it.
Anyways, the consultation was held at the North Transept Hall, which i vividly remember from when i was still a little boy of inconsequential age running around the cathedral compound all those years ago.
The thing is, it seemed to have shrunk to almost lilliputian proportions when i stepped in to the place. I used to think that it was very big (fifteen years ago), but now it seemed so tiny...
Bottom line is, i've grown up, no longer a Toys'R'Us kid am i...
Regrettably, it turns out i can't go for AnnTIC after all due to some MEET issues *small sobs*. Was really looking forward to finally going for my first VCF camp where i could just be a participant, and not an appointment holder (after BSL for last year's AnnTIC and comm member for FOC). Furthermore, if my plan to go for SEP in third year first sem materialises, think i wouldn't be able to go for next year's one either, since i'd probably still be abroad... I really did benefit a lot spiritually from last year's one, and had hoped to do the same this year. Disappointed? Yes. All sulky and moaning, buried under the sheets sobbing uncontrollably? No lah, there are more important things than this... If it is the Lord's will that this time be used elsewhere, then so be it.
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