Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Return after a Long Hiatus

Had been very busy these past month, from hoildaying in Hong Kong to attending the NUS PA camp to preparing for the Advanced Placement Credits Tests as well as tkd grading, MOE Induction programme, various class outings and wakeboarding blah blah blah... Have had lotsa fun and getting well trained to fight tiredness. hehe...
Just came back from wakeboarding this afternoon with wh, yj and Tze Hoong. It was an eye-opener as well as a lifetime experience. However I only managed to surf for a short distance while standing though I could complete rounds on the kneeling position. Had lots of fun falling and trying again and again. The environment was relaxing and scenic, and it was such a luxury to sit at the bamboo-woven tables and chit chat with friends over lunch. There were few people and most of the time we had the place to ourselves, especially so since we went on a weekday. The locals there were friendly and helpful too. Lunch was bought by them while we were busy wakeboarding over at the freshwater lagoon. It was a unique experience, shall post the pics up the next time, k?

Posted by charles at 10:02 PM

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Went to Orchard with zh yesterday. He has just returned from his one-month long backpacking trip to Europe. At the Food Republic at Wisma we sat, me listening to his experiences in Europe.

The trip consisted of visits to cities like Amsterdam, London, Nice, Rome, Bern, Monaco etcetera etcetera. There was much 'hardship' involved, but this no doubt had contributed to the unique and memorable experiences gained. There was once when a 'slacker' looking policeman who was corrupted and had nothing better to do strip-searched him and his friend just to make things difficult and to extort money from them, causing the pair to be stranded at the train station in Rome for almost two hours. And there was once in Paris where a few thugs approached him and demanded money from him for taking photos of the street-performers, whom they claimed were their friends. zh pretended not to understand their language, replying in Chinese and interestingly, those thugs took great pains to explain what they wanted from him, gesturing and repeating "Memorry sticck" (they wanted the memory stick from his digicam). Then he took a chance by exclaiming some nonsensical stuff at them and while they were taken aback, rushed off to one of the street performers where he stood at the centre of the crowd and talked to the performer. This was to make himself the centre of attention and thus avoid any chance of being cornered by the thugs. I was impressed by his wit and courage.
The people from some cities were not exactly polite, but some, on knowing you better and accepting you, can be very open and truthful towards you, zh told me. They were very frank with their opinions and show their like and dislike towards you very openly, unlike our culture whereby we are taught to be polite and behave even so when we talk to somebody we do not like.
Another thing noteworthy would be the exorbitant prices that you pay there for the food which ironically is far worse than the hawker fare here. A basic (and more often than not poor quality) meal would set one back by about 12 to 16 bucks, which can get him or her a luxurious, gastronomic delight in some of the mid-range restaurants here. For example, pizza, despite being a common dish there, pales a lot in comparison to Pizza Hut fare --- tomato sauce spread over a chewy cicrular-shaped bread, with a sprinke of onions and cheese would constitute what is considered a pizza, and don't even bother to think of ham or pineapples. Asian dishes are rare, and "Chinese fast food" which is essentially the ubiquitous mixed vegetable rice here, is nowhere near the standard of any hawker or food court stall here. And to add to the already unpalatable facts would be the discovery of a considerable amount of chicken feathers on the chicken wings served there and that the food is only cooked once daily, being reheated for sale during dinner time. Wa.. deappetizing siah.....

The above are the more exciting parts of what zh had told me. And though I did not go for the trip, I was deeply impressed. :)

Then we went Taka.

Saw this: (guys, does this look familiar?)

"SFI" pineapple tarts @ 80c/pc , anyone?

There are many other gastronomic delights offered at Taka food village. And yes, zh said that the variety of food offered in Singapore is much wider than in Europe. Looks like food here (plus many other Asian cities) is still the best and most affordable!!

So why not head now to your friendly local food stalls and restaurants to enjoy a meal and at the same time join in the festivities of the Great Singapore Sale? And maybe you might win some prizes home?
Bon Appetit! =P

Posted by charles at 8:46 PM

Thursday, June 01, 2006

The World Cup is taking the world by storm again. And with it comes the bets on soccer matches, possible addictions to gambling and mindless pursuits of easy money. Now,I'm not going to delve into the issue of football gambling or the World Cup, but rather on something that has always been true since the existence of human beings.

Since Day 1, there has always been wants and the pursuit of material wealth, power and fame. And of course the more noble pursuit of knowledge which has led to science, technology and inventions.
In order for man to satisfy his wants, he would go about searching and racking his brains and coming up with solutions accordingly, much in a question-and-answer manner. But since humans are not perfect, the solutions they come up with work to varying extents or in other words, are all naturally flawed to varying extents. However, this is not our fault as very often these are already the best solutions that we could offer so far.
Yet however, and inevitably, there would be drawbacks(or flaws) to those solutions, and consequentially there would also be those people who are sacrificed in the various pursuits:
The discovery of alcohol and tobacco and the want of getting satisfaction from drinking and smoking has led to people getting 'high' or reprieve from their troubles but also people dying from liver cirrhossis and lung-cancer;
the propagation of gambling has led to wealth for some but left many bankrupt and tore apart happy families;
the pursuit of wealth, fame and power has led to many successful people and perhaps more backstabbing, boot-licking, corruption and miserable people who had suffered the tyrannies of those who misuse their power;
the invention of automobiles and aircraft no doubt has brought about convenience, globalisation and new frontiers but may I ask how many accidents have already happened and how many have been killed in the process to date?
Surely someone in this world has to suffer in the process of these pursuits and technological advancements (also a pursuit-- the pursuit of knowledge). I'm not saying that we should stop having these pursuits now. I'm merely stating a fact, which sadly means that some of our counterparts in this world would be sacrificed in the process of pursuing these material or immaterial wants. There would always be the ones who emerge winning, but there are also those who unfortunately fall out in the process.
So, as you enjoy your fruits of labour, the prizes from your pursuits, please do not forget about those who have been sacrificed in the process, those who shared the same dreams as you but could not make it with you through the whole journey.

Posted by charles at 10:06 PM

Thursday, May 25, 2006

I had sort of a spring cleaning today. Cleared up my wardrobe, drawers, desk and even the storeroom. I threw away quite a few bags and some clothes, and plan to give the rest away. It was quite remarkable that I stumbled upon quite a number of new pens (those pretty ones that you receive as doorgifts during events) and I should be quite happy, or rather my parents, who usually cannot find a usable pen to write with in the stationary holder on my desk. What's the use of a stationary holder devoid of any writing materials, they would complain. This is with the exception of a few blunt pencils which I still keep after eons of not taking art as a cirriculum subject.

Another noteworthy finding was that I dug out a total of about 11 stacks of Post-It pads and writing paper! -- a lifetime supply for me I guess... haha... Those of you who want to get a stack from me can leave me a note at the comments or tagboard! =p

However, the most surprising find would have to be this:

Yes, you have seen it all right-- a stack of 73 two dollar notes!! It was found in an envelope containing some university admission stuff which I threw away, but fortunately I did a thorough check before disposing of it, or else my family would have lost a small fortune!!
Haha...
So, erm... the next time you do a spring cleaning, you know what to look out for? ;D

Posted by charles at 9:06 PM

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Little Bride! (a.k.a. Sweet 18)

Here's a Korean drama serial that I would like to recommend. No doubt that it was filmed and released eons ago (in fact in 2004) in Korea and though it may not be as well received as the more newly filmed and even omnipresent Da Chang Jin which is currently THE "in" Korean drama here, it was a hit in Korea back then with 38% viewership.

This drama serial presents starlet Han Ji Hye (debuted not too long ago) and co-star Lee Dong Gun who played the characters Yoon Jung Sook and Kwon Hyuk Joon respectively. Han, then only 19, was aptly given the role of acting as the 18-year old bride Jung Sook. She puts her youthful characteristics to good use in portraying Jung Sook's naïve, bubbly, cute and yet stubborn character.

Lee, 24 at the time of filming, more than adequately fulfilled the role of 28-year old Hyuk Joon, a serious and conservative public prosecutor who was wedded to Jung Sook in a pre-arranged marriage by their grandfathers. This mismatched couple, with a huge age gap spanning 10 years, constantly bickered initially, but surprisingly got closer to each other due to their good chemistry as time went by.

I am regretful to say that I only started watching the serial when it is already half way through the episodes. But it's still a delight watching the cute and bubbly Jung Sook mature and consequentially grow into somebody whom others would find harder to bully and take her for granted. (Hyuk Joon's sister was very much against their marriage because of Jung Sook's poor background. She never failed to made her do tough household chores, claiming that it is only part of her duty to being a good wife. She even conspired with Hyuk Joon's ex-girlfriend to break up the couple.) Hyuk Joon was a less interesting character because of his usual solemness and was in fact considered nerdy by his wife. However, he gradually progressed into a caring and dedicated husband when he realised that Jung Sook's emotional needs were not taken care of due to his tight work schedule. He held a high office post in the civil service as a public prosecuter.

How well would the couple get along in the end? That's for you to find out if you're interested, of course. ;D

Little Bride !! Whahaha!

뭐가 좋은건지..
For a complete review on the drama serial, click here.

For the Little Bride's official website, click here.

P.S. Little Bride is telecasted on Channel U from 7 to 8pm every Monday and Tuesday. Hope ya enjoy the show! =)

Posted by charles at 9:00 PM

Monday, May 22, 2006

I've got these 3 things which I would like to acquire, in order of importance:

1) a laptop -- I've wanted it for a long time, plus I can work on projects from my hostel
2) a digital camera -- it's more useful than an MP3 player but since my dad has just got a new one from his office, it doesn't matter that much now
3) an MP3 player -- it's the least impt as I already have 2 CD players, both of which are in good working condition and I don't have many MP3 songs in my PC

So I might be getting a laptop!! But that still has to depend on my budget which has yet to be worked out.

And should I go for a second-hand one or a new one?
A decent second-hand one would cost between $500 to $1000 and a new one with the lowest specifications would cost me around $1200 to $1400.

Besides, I am currently considering whether to stay in a hostel. If I were to stay for one semester, that would set me back by
$1080 (single room) + $357 (food catered for halls only) + $ 31 (electrical + registration charges) + $15 (admin charges) = $1483 (for staying in a hall)
or $1126 (for staying in the residences)

That's a lot of money for staying a tiny room of not more that 9 sq.m. And don't expect it to deviate from the concept of spartan living too.

Let's say if I were to stay in a hall for one semester and buy a laptop priced around $1300, I would be spending about $2800, or almost three-quarters of my annual scholarship allowances! This means that if I were to stay in the hostel for another semester, I would not have enough money for the books. So, that's why I should really take my time to consider how I would spend my money. Over time, more information may be revealed which will guide me better towards that.

Posted by charles at 9:18 PM

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Woke up damn early this morning-- about 5.40am bah.... For what? Some of you might have guessed it. It's the New Paper Big Walk. Went with wh and lil.

Thought that it would be just another ordinary walk. No doubt it's 10 km, but I've had walked longer distances before. Furthermore, I had just went for a 5km run a couple of days ago, so my legs should be more or less conditioned for the walk.
Wrong. I was totally wrong. The pace was slow but it was so damn tiring and my legs hurt. And very seldom would I experience leg pain, be it long distance walking or running.
Firstly, it was not exactly a delightful surprise for me when wh said that he could not find the 3km marking along the route-- by then we were walking along Nicoll Highway already and to me it seemed like we have walked 3.5 to 4km already. By the time we passed Suntec and neared the half-mark/turning point, my legs started to hurt. It had occurred unexpectedly for me but looking back I think it should have been due to the lack of warm-up exercises before the walk.

Fortunately, the second half of the walk seemed to be completed more quickly, or else I could have died along the way.. hehe.. The return route was almost identical to the initial half, except that the ending part after exiting from Nicoll Highway was to turn into Stadium Road and walk past the Kallang water sports Centre before reaching the end-point. Along the return route, lil's legs ached badly too and wh suggested that we stop and do some stretching before continuing. The stretching was good but it only relieved the pain temporarily. In fact, sometimes an acute pain can be felt in my left leg up to now. =(
Now...it seems that I cannot forgo my warm-up session before any exercise liao.. without the fear of repercussions, that's it...

Didn't take any photo except this, what a pity:

and badly taken :x
Seems like I forgot all about whipping out my camera phone to snap interesting pics. haha..

Posted by charles at 10:12 PM

Sunday, May 14, 2006

It's lil's birthday today (the celebration i mean, it's actually on the 17th). Gave her a surprise when we unexpectedly "appeared" in the PA chalet in Pasir Ris this afternoon, when wh brought her to check in.
In the morning,Kx, yj, mun thye n me had went to Tampines Mall to get the food for lil's bdae party later-- the b'dae cake, cheese sausages, roasted chicken, Long John Silver's fries and sushi.
Yj then drove us to the chalet and after preparing the food and setting up the table, we proceeded to hide ourselves from lil and wh who were by then approaching the unit. But too bad we were slightly slow and lil saw us through the window. However, she was still very surprised that we would all be there to celebrate her bdae.
lolx =)
Hope she'd enjoyed herself...

And Happy B'dae, lil! =)

Posted by charles at 10:11 PM

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Siew Kwang's birthday party

Fun, fun and more fun!
Haven't seen many of the 4K pple for quite a long time liaoz... Yesterday we had an opportunity to get together and find out how one another have been doing lately.
SK's b'day party was held at Aloha Changi Chalets-- a peaceful and quiet place and near the sea... And the chalet itself is very spacious---think it's one of the bigger government chalets around. hmmm...apart from the relatively long distance from the Tampines or Pasir Ris MRT stations, I think it's a nice place to hold gatherings if you want something different from the usual or rather cliched Downtown East or Coasta Sands chalets.

Posted by charles at 10:07 PM

Thursday, April 20, 2006

4th day.
And the day when I was forced to really shout at the students for the first time. I was giving my class a mock test in preparation for their CA next Thursday.
After giving them the instructions and distributing the papers, some of the students kept asking me whether the test scores will be considered for their CA.
See, never listen to instructions.
Always busy talking among themselves, only to ask the same questions again and again. Never mind.
2 or 3 guys strolled in after the test started. I either have not seen them before or had not recognised their faces yet. I was half right. One of the guys has just came back to school after being suspended. He was very tall and looked malicious. I later learnt that he was 2 years older than the rest as he had been retained in his primary school before. He had came from a boys' home. He introduced himself to me and that he was a student of this class. I gave him the test paper and asked him to do it quickly as he has had less time. Soon, as I was doing my rounds in the class, I found this guy sleeping at his desk. So I waked him up. "Do you know you are supposed to do the test now? Do you have any difficulties?" He said he did not know how to do. I admitted that the test was hard this time round as it was a Sec4 Normal (A) paper and anyway it would not count towards his CA scores. So there is no need for him to do it, he said simply, and went back to sleep. I pestered him. "Having a hard question paper doesn't mean you do not have to try it. See your friends, they are all trying their best." This time round he flared up. " Why do you all (teachers) keep pestering me one? Can leave me alone or not ?", looking at me in a menacing manner as he complained. I gave up and went away. Never mind still.
The noise level is rising. That's the problem in this class when you turn your attention to a few students; the others would start talking away. Hello?! This is a TEST right? No doubt it's a mock one, but that doesn't mean you do not have to follow the rules. Aha! This is some new to me--- I see some people DISCUSSING answers!! And BLATANTLY! WTH?! "Teacher, very hard leh.."was the oft-cited reason to justify an act that can be deemed as cheating during the exams, accompanied by a 'pitiful' expression in the hope I would let them off.

The group of guys at the back are starting to talk again. But this time round, they were not discussing answers. Some of them have either completed the test or given up on it and started fooling around with their friends. But who cares? " Whoever makes anymore noise again jolly well gets out of the class and do his test!!!" I shouted at them. " "**** and ******, you want to get out?"
Things are getting tougher.
I was exhausted at the end of the 2 periods, which I initially thought (giving them a test) was the easiest.

You cannot be more wrong than that.

-sobs- -__ ;

In the afternoon, I went out with B! She said she was meeting her students at the airport to give them remedial (or extra help) in their History. B is a fellow relief teacher who has been with the school since the start of the year. But she is only nineteen-- that means she just graduated from JC last year! What a big change in the role she's playing within the past few months. From student to teacher! And to a full-time one since she had to teach half a year's syllabus to her students. Luckily for them she was a History student in JC and luckily for them, she really went the extra mile to give students extra lessons during her own free time. Outside school as well. She would make a good teacher, I told her, as she is currently applying to the MOE teaching award and may very possibly become a full-fledged teacher some day.
All these aside, I find that she is a very approachable person to talk to and share problems with. No wonder we have become such good friends in such a short span of time. The reason she is giving up her free time to help her students is that according to her, relief teachers would have much more time and thus flexibility to provide students with extra help outside school hours. So she's contributing her part to it. And she had even conducted such small-group discussions on public holidays like Good Friday! She's such a dedicated teacher that her students were lucky to have.

Anyway, we went to the airport staff food court to have lunch and help the students with their work. The pasta stall was great! I would not have eaten pasta if not for her recommendations and I did not regret it.

Of the 4 students, 2 were from Taiwan and 2 from China. As they had just arrived here early this year, their command of English was still far from proficient and we had to translate the history text to Chinese for them to understand better. Interesting experience I had. And it was fun and fulfilling. B also introduced me to Suduko during the short rest intervals when she gave the students a little work to do. Haha. All six of us had fun and laughter this afternoon. Being a teacher is so fun.
:p

Posted by charles at 9:24 PM

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

It's the end of the 3rd day at East Spring Sec, having endured a long and boring assembly session at the warm and cramped school hall. I have just been extended for another 7 days, till the teacher comes back from her operation. Heard that she have had some complications with her illness.
Meanwhile, the teacher sitting closest to me is suffering from back injury and another is having fluid in his foot that causes pain when he is standing. Haiz... why are so many people suffering from the myriads of occupational illnesses these days?
Sorry for having digressed... anyway...The 3 days have passed quickly, and I have had an interesting experience at the school. So far, I have allowed my students to eat outside the library (which was strictly prohibited and the students were scolded by a senior teacher in front of me... haha... I have been too lenient with them and they love me a lot... muahahaha... " 'Cher, sorry hor... Next time will not get you into this sort of trouble again..." ); witnessed a so-called 'cat-fight' in my would-be-in-charge-of class and a mock fight in my own class. Let me make myself clear--- it's only a MOCK fight--- one that you would have seen in army camp bunks and in school last time when you was a student. I had to order the "attacking" students back to their seats so that only then the one being "bashed up" would be willing to get his butt back on his seat as well. But, as I have oredi stated, this is only a small matter, not that there are any serious problems so far, and I hope I won't run into any of those in the coming days I would be stationed at the school.

Posted by charles at 8:55 PM

Monday, April 17, 2006

My First day in School! ;)

I finally got it.
This morning.
A Monday morning.
At about 7.05am I received a call, mind you, 7.05am. What could it be? Relief teacher required. And required before 8am. That meant I had about 45 minutes to fully wake myself up, get prepared and travel to school. Luckily for me, my dad offered to fetch me to the school.
Reached school at about 7.45am. Incredible for a person like me. I must have broken my record... er..or rather my speed limit. haha....
When I entered the office, the clerk hurriedly gave me the timetable for the day. Luckily, my first lesson was at the fourth period. Whew! That means I have more than one hour to get used to the surroundings and prepare myself to conduct my first ever lesson in front of a whole class, not to mention that they are students whom I have never met before. Actually, I was only expected to "babysit" the classes as the teacher on medical leave would be coming back on Thursday. The classes I was assigned to were mainly the normal (technical) classes and I am to take them for English and Social Studies.
The 4th period came and I stepped into the classroom. I introduced myself and greeted the class. "Good morning class, Mrs K***** has an essay for you all to be done in class today. You have one English period now and 2 after recess rite? Can continue doing during those periods if you can't finish since I have nothing else for you all."
I walked around the class. The students were talking among themselves and some were sleeping. Even those two sitting right in front of the teacher's desk. I went over and tried to wake them. "ok...ok.." and back to sleep again. This time, I pulled the desk away from where the student was resting her head. She simply pulled it back and continued sleeping. Later I found out that usually the teacher would allow them to sleep in class as they had to work after school till late at night. One of them even helped out in her mother's "Zi Char" stall till the wee hours of the morning so actually the only time she has left to sleep is in class. Sigh!
15 minutes after the start of the class, I found that there were only 4 or 5 students doing their work and luckily this handful of them were near completion already. How about the rest? You should have guessed it right. Still talking... and some worse... playing non-stop. But well, what do you expect of youngsters nowadays? Especially when you have seen worse in army camps and experienced a similarly high decibel environment in a top class way back in secondary school.

"It's ok." I told myself, and I went round the class asking nicely the students to do their work. They should be cooperative if I treat them nicely. Young people of secondary school age would only accept you and the things you tell them if they find them reasonable and when you are not too demanding. They are way past the age when you can just shout and scold them for being noisy--- aka primary school and kindergarten kids. Even some of the upper primary students would already have a stand of their own and would behave better if you reason things out with them. Some of these were learnt from my personal experience during my schooldays.
It's a fact that all classes, from any school or having students of any type, would be noisy to different extents. Young people mah, shouldn't they be lively rite?
The students were generally friendly towards me and would not (so far) talk back. Occasionally, there will be an act of defiance (like continuing to disturb their classmates) and I would have to talk to them sternly. One main focus of students to me and other relief teachers alike was about our age. Sometimes I would ask them to guess. "Teacher, are you 18 or 19?" most would ask. But at other times: "You have not even started the work I have given you and your exams are round the corner and yet here you are asking trivial things like my age?" Haha. The students can be very cute sometimes. And very mischievious too. :p

Posted by charles at 8:07 PM

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Haven't been writing for ages... Either too busy finding jobs or too lazy to go online lately...
I had found 2 jobs recently, namely a hotel desk receptionist and an administrative cum question paper setting job at a tuition centre, both of which I rejected. For the former, the jobscope is something really new to me and I had looked forward to starting work had not my parents been strongly against it because of the relatively long working hours and shift work. I had even purchased the required workclothes for the job and had felt resentful for quite a number of days after being forced to give it up. However, I did not regret giving up the later as I found the boss of the tuition centre, which I would not name, quite dishonest and exploiting. He offered to pay a sum of three thousand for the setting of 8 papers per subject per level for maths and science from Pri. 1 to Sec.2. That, I calculated, worked out to be more than 110 papers but according to his erroneous calculations there were only 88 he claimed. That was only the first part. In addition,I had to do some administrative work and be in the office 9 hours a day for 5 days a week. The total sum of $3000 is actually paid on the basis of $30 per day for the 2 1/2 months I would be working, amounting to $2100. The remaining $900 would be paid provided that I finished all the papers within the given time, but this is subjective to satisfaction with my work. Again, I felt that something was amiss and worked out the pay to be ONLY $3.30 per hour! I brought this up to the boss during the interview but he said that I would likely to be paid the $900 part of the salary so my earnings per hour would be about $6 or even higher, depending on how fast I could finish the whole project. I later actually worked this out to be less than five dollars an hour! I felt that there are too many discrepancies between what the boss told me and the reality. There were too many uncertainties in the jobscope as well as the pay. How would I know what exactly his standards are and how he would be satisfied enough to pay the $900. Furthermore, I found his attitude a little arrogant and condescending when he told me that he WAS being a nice guy and gentlemanly to have let me keep my weekends free for my own tuition lessons as he had initially expected me to work for a 5 1/2 day week. He said that we should be gentlemen and and compromise each other. I was taken in by his offer finally, though unpleased by his condescending attitude.
Luckily, when I went home and thought about it again, I decided to give it a miss. There was even mention of a contract, which I would have to sign the following day when I report for work. Why wasn't it prepared for me to bring home and go through carefully? Was I being pressurized or even psychoed, to work for such a low pay? I would advise those looking for work to pay attention to the terms of their employers' contracts and look out for any discrepancies in what their would-be employers have told them. Do not be rushed to sign the contract and all doubts should be cleared before making the decision.

Posted by charles at 9:55 PM

Monday, March 27, 2006

The topic of religion came to my mind only about two or three years ago, before which I have no notion of what it's really about. It's about your beliefs, principles and your doings.

Under persuasion from my friend, I went to visit a function organised by his religious group last Saturday. It was not really an eye-opener as I have been to similar events previously, but after the event, I got to know more about the religious institution and how it carries out its activities.

One thing I myself was quite sure of before the visit was that I wouldn't be embracing the religion and this stand was further re-affirmed when I attended the event. Now, do not get it wrong: I am NOT against having a religion, or any religion, and personally think that religions are actually quite beneficial as they lead individuals to having a morally upright life, build up their character and allow those with similar ideology to come and share their thoughts as well as to build up close friendships.
From what I observed that evening, the members of the religious institution are quite closely bonded to one another, and as most religions do, regard fellow worshippers as family. Also, the priest preached about encouraging its members to bravely cross over boundaries, to territiories that they have never set foot upon, to take calculated risks and try out new things and to make a difference in their lives as well as indirectly those around them. This is like what self-help books and motivation speakers would tell you. Its was quite inspiring, and relevant with the modern times, but since it was a religious speech, it had to be relevant to serving god. Now, it's up to the individual to believe or not and to have a religion or not, but for me, I would think that there is more flexibility in being a free thinker as I would not have to conform to a fixed set of beliefs. I feel that it would be a necessity to follow mostly, if not all the teachings prescribed by a religion in order to be considered a sincere worshipper, because you have to believe in what you are believing. You have to be truthful to yourself. I am sure the same truthfulness should go towards the higher authority that you worship. It is then that you feel that your relationship with the higher authority is wholesome.

Posted by charles at 10:32 PM

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

My 21st birthday party!

I had my 21st birthday celebrated three days earlier as it falls on a Tuesday. Yes.. today is a Tuesday..
It was a very memorable and meaningful one, considering that I had meant it to be a gathering for my primary, secondary and JC classes. This was in fact, the first time I have met Ed, Liangxian, Chao Jin and Yi Sheng since lx's birthday more than one year ago.

I have all my friends and relatives to thank for attending my party and making it a success, as well as my parents, a BIG THANK YOU TO U although you may not be reading my blog... ... And not forgeting my aunt, who booked the function room in her condo for me and helped me with the arrangements.

Was v busy that evening, receiving calls from my guests and guiding them to the place, going from table to table talking to different groups, etc.. I was worried if it would turn out well as I had just attended mh's birthday the evening before and his was really good! But it was really FUN, and I get to see all my friends and loved ones all at the same time.

Digressing a bit, these are my closest friends in NS:

TPS 6A 97

DHS4K01

Me and my cousins

Too bad my JC friends left early, so I didn't really have a chance to take a group photo with them... but I have this one....

My Birthday Cake!!

Posted by charles at 4:22 PM

Monday, March 06, 2006

Taiwan!!

Wah... Finally got back my photos taken at Taiwan last year! Just scanned them in yesterday... Hahaz...
So here's a belated entry of my Taiwan trip...

By the way, I managed to get the photos of my 22 Jan TPS outing resized... Hope it's much clearer now! =)

It was really a long trip-- ONE WHOLE MONTH miles away from home. But the strange thing is that I did not at all felt homesick during the trip. Things were new and the layout of the base camp was excellent-- the cookhouse, canteen, pool table, TV sets, Internet stations and toilets are all below my bunk! Simply wonderful! By the way, let me intersperse some pictures taken during my recreational tour with my blog, lest this entry gets too boring. Hahaz.. =P

These 2 pics are taken at the Jian Hu Shan theme park at central Taiwan:

This was part of the recreational tour at the end of our training phase of the trip.

This is one taken with MH on the free-and-easy day:

Training in Taiwan was not as tough as in Singapore, my morale was higher, as many a times it is done near villages, or at least pass by roads in front of houses, so it is much closer to the civilian world than ever would be in Singapore. Once in a while, you would see little kids standing in front of their porches, waving at your passing vehicles and shouting "Ah bing ge", which means soldiers in Chinese. I actually had a chance to interact with them during the navigation exercise, when we were allowed to take shelter at an unused row of shophouses. The place was surprisingly well kept, complete with toilet facilities even though it was unoccupied. Therefore, we had to clean up the place a bit before we leave. The place was a pleasant surprise to us-- there was a small park right beside our restpoint. A Chinese temple was nearby and there were many shops selling food, including burgers, "bian dang", bubble tea shops as well as 7-eleven convenience stores. Hahaz.. When can you ever get these over here?? ( i mean during training,when in uniforms) And not forgetting the "ninja vans", which tailed our convoys to almost every training location. And the funny thing is, that these aunties and uncles peddalling food roughly know the various timings that we have to meet during our exercises!! It's probably their experience with the numerous previous batches that have been training in this part of Taiwan. I remembered once when a "ninja van" made a dangerous three point turn at the top of a very steep hill where our vehicles were stuck. These vendors are really omnipotent and they go through all sorts of impossible terrain just to make a living. Impressive right? =p

Another memorable thing was during the abovementioned exercise, while we were busy unloading our stuff and hauling them manually over long distances as the terrain was too steep for our vehicles, the most inconceivable thing at point of that time appeared in front of our eyes. At first we heard some weird engine sounds, then we were surprised by the high-pitched squeals of enjoyment and ecstacy that would be totally out of place in such a rural and inhospitable training ground. Then... WE SAW... A COUPLE OF JEEPS CARRYING LOCALS ON A WILD BUGGY RIDE... with pretty girls on board too! These vehicles go up and down the extremely steep hills without the slightest of problems and the adventure-seekers would let out screams of ecstacy every time they go crashing down the slopes. Readers, if you are thinking that the thing we most wanted to do at that time was to borrow their vehicles to transport our stuff up the other knolls, you ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!! It would have made our job so much easier then... so sad... :'(

This is taken at Window on China which actually has a different meaning in its Chinese name: "Xiao Ren Guo"

Me and my frens in Xiao Ren Guo :p

Last and not least is our recreational tour over at Taipei. It was again, wonderful and memorable. We dined at restaurants (prob cos there's no such thing as hawker centres over there). The food was reasonably good and we bought lotsa goodies back, including the lemon puffs(which actually tasted more like cakes), yam-paste pastries and clothes and other priceless souvenirs like entrance tickets (for places of interest), d MRT train broucheres and of course, the photos that I have taken over the 30 days... =)

Taken with the Taiwanese tour guide babes:

Lastly, tis' a bird eye's view from Taipei 101, currently the tallest structure in the world:

Posted by charles at 9:10 PM

Monday, February 13, 2006

Happy Weekend!

Had 3 consecutive sumptious dinners the past weekend, starting with my boss' treat at Fish and Co's Glasshouse on Friday evening. Had baked salmon, chocolate ice cream and passionfruit drink, costing about 25+ bucks excluding service charge and GST, all charged towards my boss' credit card account! Muahahaha....
Saturday evening was spent at Pris' birthday party. Her condo was great, but too bad not all the 6A people were there, and most of them came at late evening and before midnight. Saw Huiling and Pris' uni friends at the party as well, but there were not many party-goers I really know outside my own gang. It was an unexpected gathering as we thought it would be a long time before we would be seeing each other after the one to send off Yanrui, who just flew off to Australia three days ago. After the slew of birthday parties I have attended lately, I am tempted to have my own as well... muahahaha...
Happy Birthday, Prisceilla!!
Footnote: Pris, I know your b'day is actually on the 12th, but sorry I can't stay until that late as I live very far from you.... - _ -
Yesterday evening, me and my dad cycled all the way to East Coast Park as my uncle was treating us to dinner at a restaurant there. Wow... It was fun cycling from my house all the way to East Coast! I had not been doing this for a long time already... The treat was good, and more expensive than the one I had on Friday. But since it was seafood dishes served on a per table basis, I ate less than on Friday, I think. We had lao1 yu2 sheng1 of course, this being the last day of the lunar new year and it is a good way of celebrating it. In fact, in other Chinese-populated countries like China, this day is the most important one after the first day of lunar new year, and the people there hold massive celebrations to mark the end of the festive season.

Posted by charles at 9:56 AM

Thursday, January 26, 2006

It is only today that I realize what maturity actually means. This evening on the train I was talking to mh about it; I realized he was giving quite a different point of view of what maturity is.....
To be mature means to be more accomodating, show care and concern for others and therefore portray a grown-up, "I'm ok-myself-I-can-help-you-still" image. To be mature means no more of those whinies, self-centredness and one does have the ability to judge iffy situations and react in a rather politically correct and more importantly, sensible way. To be mature means to have reasonable EQ for your age. And to be mature is to be inevitably impressive to those younger than you in age or thought, and some might even take you as an idol in their tinny littl' worlds.
Prior to this, me in my tinny littl' world have been quite impressed by a certain well-known local blogger. I thought she was being matured when she showed an abundance of intelligence in her blog, lashing out at different groups of people in a humorous way. It was mh who had me realize that what she is doing may not be very sensible as she may offend these people.

But shouldn't a freelance blogger have the prerogative to make any comment about the society, as long as he or she feels that certain groups of people should be criticized or applauded? What has happened to freedom of speech in our society then? No, the point is, you are free to make any comment ONLY WHEN YOU DO IT IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY. Our society does not allow you to say whatever you like without making sure what you say is really correct and truthful.
Also, her tone in her blog keeps raising awareness that her intelligence is by far one of the greatest in this society. This, together with the strategically-inserted offensive remarks,only serves as a means of putting herself in the limelight of controversy, and therefore allowing her to get the attention that she wanted. Is this maturity? No. Is this being smart? Yes, but here, this definitely has no linear relationship with the level of maturity that I have been talking about. So hmmm, final conclusion, you can be super smart but this does not mean that you are of adequate maturity,k ?
So perhaps this answered my questions.

Posted by charles at 11:47 PM

Monday, January 23, 2006

Farewell, n all e best Yuanrui!

Last night was our first 6A class gathering since the one in October last year. It was also to wish Yuanrui and Shanna all the best as they are soon leaving for

Australia for their studies.
Serine and Jonah were there too, I haven't seen them for such a long time that I almost couldn't recognize them.
These are Serine, Prisceilla and Shanna:

Me and Jonah: Around the BBQ pit at Yuanrui's condo:

I ate quite little as I was busy talking to everybody while helping to barbeque the food. Luckily, Serine did not caption the pics of me barbequing the food as "The satay man" as Chianlih had done in her blog. Hahaha... Had a good chat with almost everyone this time round.
We stayed until almost 1130 before some of us had to rush off for the last bus. Luckily, me, Kelvin, Charmaine and Yihui shared a cab which took us to our doorstep, AND Kelvin offered to pay the cab fare for us! So back home we went, carefree and happy...

Posted by charles at 9:23 AM

Monday, January 16, 2006

Sorry,pals.....
Haven't been updating for a long, long time....
I've been posted to do some admin work lately and have been quite busy. So I do not really have the mood to sit in front of the com again during the weekend, having to endure 12 hours of it everyday at work.
But to those of you who might conclude that I do not have a life having read the above, I've enjoyed myself quite a lot during the weekends and hols; went out with wh, lil, yj and kx on Hari Raya Haji in the hope of visiting the Istana, only to find that it is not open on all public holidays. But we went PS and had a good time there, after which we spent the afternoon gaming at kx's place. Visited Chinatown too to see the opening ceremony, needless to say taking in the strong ambience of the forthcoming Chinese New Year...
Not forgetting my guitar lessons with Xingwei, he taught me quite a few songs the past 3 lessons but unfortunately, I haven't been playing much due to time constraints. Same goes for Guild Wars... Harry and gang, so sorry....
Ok, I'll try to update my blog and post pics of my long-ago Taiwan trip once I have more time and energy... till then...... =)