Holiday, oh Beautiful Holiday!

I am really looking forward to this holiday. Because, for a change, I have people to travel with me. I am really used to my one-man-trips, a camera around my neck, my backpack full of titbits and sandwiches, water bottle, diary, notebook and digital camera. Yep, 2 of them, did I ever tell you that i am a camera freak? But I still have not mastered the art of photography, despite my picture snapping.

When I travel alone, the great thing is, I get to decide on north-east-south-west, any direction I want. No need for 15 minutes conferences and consultations. But, I seldom get my image on the pictures I take, there are buildings, people, nature, but not me. My lunches would be a book in my left hand and a spoon in my right. I get to enjoy my book and I don't have to look around, be bored and watch people stare at me. For some reason, I am always being stared at. Haven't these people seen humanoids before?!

Despite all the great things about solo travelling, I am looking forward to this triple trip, to argue about what to eat, where to go and who gets to sleep on the floor! I haven't seen them for almost 7 months and am truly glad to see them (or the food they bring over from Singapore?). There are few people who bother to come all the way to visit me. Thanks!

Hung-up Pen

Well, you are probably wondering, why there is a surge of posts today. I am hanging up my pen (or is it keyboard?) for 2 beautiful weeks! Beautiful as I don't have to work, not because I don't have to write blogs. On the contrary, I enjoy penning blogs a lot. It gives me the chance to be truly sarcastic and offensive, the freedom to scribble down my warped thoughts and the chance to skive during work. (Yes, don't tell my boss about it!)

Since I started the blog, I have, sort of, got used to writing something everyday. But I might not miss it much in these 2 weeks, because once i have the chance to have fun, I just forget everything else. Another defect discovered. Sigh. But I will bring my notebook along and faithfully take down descriptions of every leaf and blade of grass I see. 2 weeks later, I will have so many blogs posted that you will probably swear off me for at least a year!

3 Great Things about Writing Blogs during Lunchtime

1. I get to slim down and burn some fats off (from sitting on a chair??!!).
2. I look really busy, as if I am working through my lunchtime.
3. I can save money and stomach space for a bigger dinner! (Yeah!)

The Exclusive Last-minute Club

It is surprising, to see the number of clubs I am in! However, not everyone can join this exclusive club.

1. Study 1/2 year work within the one night before the exams.
2. Tutorials and homework : done on the bus trip to school.
3. Pack the luggage (whether it is for a year or a week) beginning from 10pm before the day of departure.
4. Book accomodation on the previous day of stay (thus risk sleeping on the streets.)
5. Iron clothes one hour before work.
6. Finish up a presentation 2 hours before the actual thing.

Therefore, you have to perform the above feats before you can qualify for entry of this club. I am so proud to announce that I am the chairman of it. Nobody can beat me in my last minute stunts. Life is too boring without the excitement (or stress!) from these activities! I hope my heart doesn't give up on me after too many a times of last minutes.

I have just finished my last minute presentation this morning. It was really harrowing indeed, I had the fear that this time, I am not going to pull through it. I have had many close encounters during my last minute stints, but so far, I have been truly blessed and lucky and have always struggled through them narrowly and sometimes, the results were rather surprisingly adequate to the point of good! Someone must have been looking out for me up there. Incredible! I have told myself umpteen times after each experience, that I would start way before time, and finish with ample time to relax.... But it never happens. Probably I have been born with this complacency and I am stuck with it for life? Some DNA experiment would probably cure me of this defect. Anyway, I am a person who can work only under stressful conditions. Quite a masochist eh?! I do so love torturing myself!!

They showed me a thumbs up for the presentation this morning. Phew! I wonder when my luck will be running out..... I think I better send some thank you letters to Lady Luck to replenish it. Now, where is the address....

Stupid Tech!

I can't believe this! I wrote a nice, long piece on the cars in different countries. Guess what?! It disappeared while I was trying to post it. I wrote something about the goodness of technology (refer to articles below or in the archive) and now I am going to retract almost everything I said. =p
Stupid thing! I can't believe it! Give me back my article or you are going to get indigestion! HMPF! Grrr...!! Anyway, I can't really remember what I wrote exactly, maybe, I will post it again, when it comes to my mind.

This is all for today, my dear fans (as if I have any), as I have neither the mood nor the inspiration to write anymore.

~~~ %&@!!!!#*^E%^%!!! ~~~

A Short Page from my Life

A few days ago, I emailed my friend on some of the thoughts and feelings I had, over the years, about our friendship. I have finally mustered enough guts to write and I have never written a more truthful letter in my whole life. I waited and waited, there was no reply. Has she taken offence in what I had said? So, sighing, I dropped her a one liner, telling her to give me a short mail, at least to tell me what she thought about my confessions? I waited for a reply, not daring to hope.

Today, I received it. She laughed at how silly I was. We are friends and always will be.

~~~ Memories are to be cherished. ~~~

Reminiscence

Today I received an email from my friend. "I am not sure why, but I keep thinking of my childhood days, unconsciously."

I am sure that everyone does, especially in a time like this. The ever present recession for the last 5 years, the fear of loss of job and stability (or even, have already lost the job), responsibilities - to your family (well to almost everyone in the world) and everyone is pressurizing you to get married, if you have not, if you have, well, to have children! This is a never-ending story. Some people choose to hide in their make believe world of nonchalance, while some of us take refuge in our sunny childhood memories.

Once in a while, I pull my memories out of the box, dust them a little, and flip through them carefully. Whether they have been happy or sad, they have made me what I am today. Therefore, my greatest fear would be to lose them, bit by bit, to time.... As compared to now, the biggest problem that I had during my schooldays was so trivial and yet, so important at that point of time. My whole world revolved around examinations, BGR and competitions. It was small, contained and carefree.

I have wished for umpteen times that I should have studied harder for the examinations, for Singapore is an academically governed society. Employers judge you according to the class of honours that you have obtained. But, what is life without friends and play?! Well, I only remember the times I spent having fun anyway. I have great pity for the people, who shuttle between the lecture theatre (sometimes to the library too) and home. I just wonder what kind of things have they filled their memory chests with? Images of the lecturers (puke) or books or examination papers (Shiver)??? Sometimes, I even thought, "Hey! What would have happened if I had followed my heart instead of my head?" But I will never know, because all these are just "what ifs".

Memories of these days will never fade from my mind. How I wish that life will always remain so simple.

Ah Mon

Sing "Di-gi-mon, digital monster, digital monster... der der!" (I have forgotten the last part of this phrase.) I have been hooked to this anime since I came here. I have seen the first few seasons on tv before, on and off, but definitely not a follower. I don't collect the cards, nor do I go crazy over the merchandise (believe it or not, I have a 30-year-old friend who does!).

I think it must have been the severe tv deprivation that I have contracted while I was in Germany that led to this symptom. After half a year of non-English movies, except for CNN, I am glad, no, not just glad, I should say estatic, for any form of English program I can glue my eyes on. Well, actually I consider the digimon series, from the snatches that I have seen, to be a rather decent anime. The right dose of humour, believeable characters, enough fantasy and makebelieve thrown in, to make an enjoyable show.

I have almost forgotten what an anime or cartoon series look like, after I have outgrown my cartoon watching phase. Sure, now and then, I do watch the Disney cartoons in the cinemas. However, Western cartoons are definitely different from the Japanese animes. The animes do not have the sleek computer animations, that the western cartoons throw in with abandon. But they thrive on their storyline. Every element in the shows is very well packaged, from the soundtrack, which is usually sung by a hot Japanese pop star, to the very detail of the plot. These are things which the western cartoons find hard to compete against. From the simple Doraemon to the mature Maison Ikoku. Anime cater to every kind of viewers.

Anyway, this might be due to the influence of Japanese anime in my childhood. Xiao Tian Tian, Tai Kong Bao Lei, Xuan Feng Xiao Fei Xia... etc... At that time, english cartoons were still in their Mickey Mouse stages.

So I am going to miss Digimon when I leave this place. Sigh...!!

Whirl-the-Whip

This is so amazing, this memory just popped into my mind out of nowhere. I think most of you out there must be wondering, which part of my brain has been short-circuited.

Whirla Whip, have you ever heard of it? Me neither til I was 17. My JC* mates brought me to a little shop, very insignificant, if you did not look closely enough. It was near to Dunman High School, yes, so you have guessed. The ex-Dunmanians brought me there. The high cost of the ice cream was offset by the hospitality of the boss of the shop. After the initial visit, we started going there more and more often, after our club meetings. This became a semi regular routine in my life.

I peered into the glass panel, trying to select the best combination of ingredients, that would result in the best whip ever. My personal favourites were oreo and strawberry. The boss collected the bits and pieces, unwrapped a vanilla icecream block, plonked it into the top of the machine, poured the ingredients into some funnel and pulled the lever. Presto! Whirla Whip was done!

We would collect our little whips (the large ones were simply too expensive!), sit ourselves on one of the little tables and yak the day away. Complaints, secrets, crushes.... the things we chatted about..... We became so "arh"* with the boss, that he would go into the room behind the shop and we would yell for him when someone came. I thought he would let us operate the machine one day, if we had stayed often enough..... I will never forget the scenes.

After we graduated from JC and moved on with our lives in university, we simply took the little memory of the whip and tucked it behind our brains. Years passed... One day I drove along the road. Whirla Whip. Where was it? It was gone. Sitting in the place where it used to be, was another shop... Has it closed down, because we have forgotten about it? Forgot about the times we spent right in that little shop? Will our memories one day just fade away, just like the whirla whip shop has?

~~~My One Cent Worth of Thoughts~~~

* "Arh" = Friendly
JC = Junior College, a school that we attend before going into university.

Distance or Time?

I have always thought that it is the distance that has separated me from my friends. "Long distance relationships never last" A cliche chanted by those who have lost their loved ones to the distance spanning between them. This quote probably applies to friendships as well.

However, I have come to realise that distance is a just a mask over the real enemy, which is time. Friends and lovers drift apart along the seams of time, not because of the physical distance. When someone is alone in a foreign country, he or she probably has more TIME to him/herself to think, about life, what they want ultimately. She can probably think more clearly since the factor of influence has been removed from her vicinity. There is space and time to discover the big differences they have or the similarities that they share. Time in Singapore is just not enough, simply insufficient for us to think quietly about our lives. We just go around in a whirlwind of social activities, gatherings, dinners, movies, work..... It is really too cluttered up to allow our minds the freedom to ponder and reflect on who we are.

If distance mattered, how is it that, some friends, who live in Singapore, which is dreadfully small, just disappear from your lives? Friends, drift away, go about their matters. Well, you probably have not spent enough time with them, to renew the bonds of friendships. It doesn't have to be physical time, since technology is so advanced. Drop an email, pick up the phone, write a good old snail mail, but most of us just are too lazy and complacent to do it. And as time goes by, this void that the friend left behind, is slowly filled up by other people and matters. What about the joys and laughters that you have shared with them, what about the times that they had lent you a shoulder to cry on? Have you forgotten all that they have done for you? Or have they forgotten everything as well?

I emailed a long time friend, who had sort of drifted away from me. I thought that she wouldn't remember some of the things that we have said and done, probably about 10 years ago. But she did. This is really heartening. She gave me the hope that some of my long lost friends still do have memories of the times we had shared together.

I say SORRY to all my friends, whom I have allowed to walk out of my life. I have made a promise to myself. This will not happen again.

A Consistency in my Life....

There you have it, another little snip of my life.

Life is full of novelty stuff and excitement, after I have moved out of Singapore on my own. Well, not that my life in Singapore was boring, but it was too patterned. So here I am, looking for new and different things. On the whole, I am still looking forward to every day in this new life, in which, I am away from familiar faces, places and I can do whatever I want.

But no matter what, once in a while, I do get a bad hair day and do want to have some form of resemblance of life to home. No matter how well I cook my Chinese dishes, they will never taste the same as my Grandmother's. Everything is different here, the short hours of shopping, closed shops on Sundays, different languages, not-so-yummy food (except for the ice creams), well practically, nothing is similar to life in good ole Singapore.

You will be surprised with the little things that I am happy with. I have never professed that I myself am a Macdonalds' kid. I mean I do eat fast food now and then in Singapore, and yes I do like its french fries but that is about all I like about fast food. Ever since I arrived here, I look forward to eating the Macs' Fries. Surprise surprise! Now, that is the good thing about franchaises, the management, marketing, sales, products are almost similar. No matter where I go, MacDonalds' Fries taste the same everywhere. I am contented with this little constitency in my life. =)

~~~My One Cent Worth of Thought!~~~

Falls or Mountains?

Niagara Falls, touted as the highest waterfall in the world. Since I was, and still am, in the USA and only 7 hours away (well, not THAT near, I realised later. But that is another story altogether.), I thought, I might as well drop by and take a look. Big Mistake! That was referring to my decision on picking 4th July to catch a sight of the great falls. I saw great floods of people more than any water element.

Well, the Niagara Falls was definitely one of the most majestic waterfall that I have seen in my whole life. But the roar of the water had been drowned by the chattering of the tourists. And it was really hard to appreciate this wonder of nature when you were jostling to catch a view or snap a shot. At night, the waterfall was lit up with a myriad of colours. This only further increased the perception of how man-made the waterfall was.

When I compare the feeling of being on top of the waterfall and standing in the middle of the mountains (and they are not even considered to be the tallest mountains in the world! ) in Nepal, they are 2 totally different set of emotions. The great waterfall didn't excite me, I just took photographs for the sake of taking them and proving that I have been there. When I was standing in the middle of the snow capped mountains of Anapurna, it struck me that I was so very insignificant, as compared to them. The grandeur, the tranquility and the breathtaking scenery. From where I stood, I could only see the sky, the beautiful sky, set against the white mountains. Well, usually people would describe the sky as the background. But the mountains took up most of the composition of the view that I have seen. Everything was simple in the mountains, but complicated at the falls. THe mountain has been let alone as much as possible, while the falls had been capitalised as well as they could. A town and various tourist traps had sprung up around the falls, destroying the natural beauty of it.

Give me the mountains anytime! Mt Everest base camp in year 2004, is anybody interested?

A Message to the Bum Kissers

I am just wondering, what is so attractive about my bum, (oops I am sorry) I mean, my bumper that every car and truck just can not resist trying to kiss it. I hate it when vehicles tailgate me. If they think that this is a way to make me go faster, well, they are certainly very very unsuccessful. These situations usually arise, when there is a car crawling slowly before me. Well, I can't go any faster even if I want to, unless I ram into it, hoping that it will fly off and clear my way?? It is not my fault that it is a roadhog??!!

In times when I am genuinely slower than the cars behind me, but faster than the ones in the lane beside mine, I would usually swing into the slower lane after I have finished my share of overtaking. However tailgating me, just makes things worse. I will suddenly lose my ability to step hard on the accelerator, probably due to nervousness. You just can't blame me for that. Not only that, it will be impossible to try to overtake me from the slower lane, because at that very instant, my foot will recover its reaction and stamped down on the accelerator. What a wierd reaction. I really should get the doctor to examine me. Well, I am so sorry if your blood boils and rises to an unhealthy level. Please do forgive me and stop tailgating me!

3 Minutes Club

A Chinese saying "3 Minutes Passion"

This describes a person, discovers or start a new project, he or she will work on it passionately and intensively for 3 minutes (figuratively speaking of course!) and abandon it, moving on to a new thing. Yes this is me. When I start on a new hobby, I will dig into it with abandon, forgetting everything around me while I am at it, but the enthusiasm never lasts. I have tonnes of new hobbies, most of them unfinished, sad to say.

Well, Blogger is my latest project. I have written 3 articles in a breath, on the very same day, that I have set it up. I think I better stop posting stuff, or I will run out of ideas and this will be another of my unfinished projects. Wish me luck and pray for my endurance! *grin*

P.S. I have some members in this 5 minutes Club. Thank goodness, I am not the President yet. I can only claim the position of a Vice President or something. Mr. President has more hobbies, most of them more expensive than mine, and of course a lot of unfinished ones too (more than what I have). Therefore, he has earned that position. Nobody had any objections to that. He shall not be named, else I won't live to see the sun rise tomorrow!

Ruled by Technology!!

I keep pressing the refresh button for my email. Sigh.... no mails. Somehow, in a way that I have never ever imagined before, my feelings and emotions are greatly harnassed by the power of my emails. The anticipation, turning into joy when a personal mail (this excludes junk mails and problematic work mails) comes in, then I would eagerly reply it at the click of my mouse. Or the disappointment when it turns up nothing. Worse, when work mails screaming of problems appear in the inbox.

The wonders of the email. In the early days, to correspond with your loved ones and friends would take months and months to arrive on the steamship or the rail, then air transport evolved and the waiting time is cut down to 1 week, assuming that the parties stay on the opposite ends of the earth. Then courier services evolved, more expensive, but the waiting time is tremendously shortened. But the most amazing thing would be the Email now. The opposite party receives news from you in a matter of seconds after you sent it (This is provided that the Service provider doesn't let you down, as it is letting me down right now!).

I love the speed that email provides but ultimately, I am still a very traditional person. I like letters, handwritten, (mind you, not typed, of course). Sheets and sheets of handwritten notes, scribbling, pictures, even the envelope with the stamp and my address on it delights me. Is it more personal, it contains more thoughts than the typical email in which, people report the superficial element of issues. Emails are too fast, there isn't enough time to think and put your thoughts down coherently.

But still, I salute the technology which keeps me in touch with my family and friends, because I am indeed at one end of the Earth and they at the other.


~~~~~My One Cent Worth of Thoughts~~~~~

Fine Living in Singapore, That's What They THINK!

Johannes Festival in Germany. Now, what does this festival have to do with Singapore??
Frankfurt central was full of food carts, not forgetting the beer stalls, loud music and yes, a lot of jostling people. Food is really big in my life, and I get hungry all the time. So, I headed to an Indian stall (which looked rather authentic) and stood around its front, waiting for the stallkeeper to take my order. Someone tapped me on my shoulder... A tall cute guy. *slurp*

"Hey! The queue is right over here!" He gestured to a few people standing around behind him.
Oops. "I am so sorry, I didn't know that there is a queue." and I moved to join the supposed queue line.
"Nah! I am just kidding, there is no queue. It is ok, I will let you order first." He grinned.
Hmm.. not bad, cute and gentlemanly.
"So where do you come from?"
"Singapore. What about you?"
"Germany. Hey! Really?! I heard that in Singapore if you jump a queue, you have to pay 20 dollars for a fine! I heard that everyone is fined for everything in Singapore!" His voice was dripping with sarcarsm. I didn't think that his grin was cute anymore.
"For your information, that is totally untrue." I gave him a polite smile and resolved not to talk to him again.

Gosh, I am just wondering, what do people out there in the world think about Singapore and us Singaporeans?!
Well, he was not the only one who thought that way. I have met a couple of Americans and Europeans during my travelling, staying in hostels, in the cafes etc.
One common opinion they have of Singapore is that it is totally rigid, the people are governed by some autocratic government, no minds, no free will, living in fear everyday. I just wonder. Why is this so?! Is it because of the media in their countries? So who said that Singapore's media is full of propaganda and lies?! Well, I do not deny it, but I think this fairly happens in every single country as well. As for the claims, they are only picking at the surface of it. So much for their self righteousness.

They have questions like,
"Oh they cane you for chewing gum?" Obviously because of the much publicised Michael Fay incident many donkey years ago. And yes, they still remember. *roll eyes*
"They fine you for spitting?" "They fine you for littering?"
Oh please, give me a break. Yes, they do fine us for all this. And I do admit that there are some rules in Singapore, well, probably more than the European countries and America. But so what? While we throw rubbish into the bins, spit into tissues and not on the floors, you have a deplorable amount of trash and spit and yes, dog poo on your streets. So what are wrong with these rules.

Well, some people who come across this blog will probably think, gosh this person has been thoroughly brainwashed by the Singapore Government. *Laugh* So what? I am proud of being a Singaporean, I don't make sarcastic and snide remarks about your country, so spare mine!

P.S. Some Americans I have met in the youth hostels, nodded, giving me a patronizing look, when they heard that I came from Singapore. Guess what was their next question?
"Oh the Singapore which is somewhere in China, right?!" with a smug grin. DOH! GIVE ME A BREAK!
Glad to say, I have met more Americans who are more knowledgeable.

~~~~~ My One Cent Worth of Thoughts~~~~~