Electronic Drum Set Shirt

So my electronic drum set shirt from Thinkgeek came. And like a little kiddo I opened it with much awe and expectation.

But then I had to cancel the fireworks and celebration. Cause the shirt wasn't really what I expected.

True that it is rare to find a shirt that has a drum set on it and when you hit it the sound of the various part of the drum would sound out. Yet, it was a so-so kindof a shirt.

It took me a few minutes to understand the instructions on dismantling the shirt for washing, cause I didn't wanna pull the battery pack too hard lest it breaks. And my heart as well.

The sound is loud, that's one of the good factor. Then again, I tried it at home and not in a public place like Orchard Road so... a mic would probably be needed to amplify the sound in a crowded place.

The drums aren't really that sensitive. At first, I laid the shirt on my bed and started tapping the various parts, like how L taps his keyboard in Death Note. The sound screwed up. One tap could result from zero to two beats.

So I thought, maybe it needs to be like on a body kinda thing, so I wore it, and then another flaw came up. The battery pack is super easy to fall out, simply because its pocket isn't big enough.

It felt quite alright, not too uncomfortable, then I started whacking. It feels weird to beat your own chest, you know. Like King Kong or The Hulk. But the sound didn't really change much. I thought I got the hang of it, and then I tapped once and no sound came out, so I'm still trying to find the pressure points to know where to tap, but it seems to be a little weird.

Overall, the shirt didn't live up to my expectations. Maybe there will be version 2 coming out. But I doubt so. Or another company might create one that is more user-friendly. Yet, it's still a comfortable shirt. And for only US29.99.

What more can I ask?

For now.

"Clang" as the swords clash against each other, gleaming metal against shiny silver.
"Grunts" as the soldiers charge towards each other, muscle against muscle, sweat against blood.

And he pushes himself as far in to the ditch as he can, willing them not to see him. His eyes sharp and glancing around, his flexed muscles ready to react should a weapon be aimed at him, he struggles to stay alive.

He falls to his knees, pleading for mercy, as lightning flashes all around him. "Crack" and a bolt of lightning razes a tree to the ground in front of him.

Humbled, he surrenders.

And the storm clears. The mental images are distanced. No longer charging.

For now.

yes sir

You know army has really gotten into your head
when you reply the taxi driver with a yes sir.

recce

60km route march.
12km fast march.
Jungle survival.

Recce Randy.

Recce family here I come. :)

*gulps*

WLM 2009

So I downloaded the latest public build of WLM 2009. Or Build 14.0 blah blah blah. What's with all the numbers anyway. They just remind me of defining Pi to numerals. You know, 3.142 something something something.

Anyway, I attached a few screenshots of it. First glance it looks cool. But it's not very customizable. Sure, the standard stuff is there, like font type and size and color and privacy settings and notification settings.

But if this is going to be the final version then I don't really like it. For starters, there are only four statuses that you can choose from. Available, busy, away and appear offline. And each status has a predetermined color. So all contacts who are online will be green. Red for busy, orange for away and grey for available offline.

A new feature is that you can tell either your or your contacts status by the color of the border around the display picture. Refer to the screenshot if you don't understand. But I think the border is a tad too big.

And no chat tabbing. Which isn't very good if you're gonna chat with 5 or more contacts, because it would mean more windows, and lesser space on the taskbar.

A strange feature is this notifications thingy. It's like a small box above the ads on the main messenger window, that lets you know the latest contact updates, like changes of display pictures or nicks.

Another feature, that is useful, in my opinion, is the PSM is no longer your current song played. This means, you can display your nick, psm and your currently playing song.

Font for the group names have changed too. I hope that can be customized.

And, instead of right clicking on your contact to select an action like open a chat convo or send a file or block, you can just let your mouse hover on it for a split second, and a list of available options will pop out.

Msn icon in the task bar also changes.

You can get it from download.live.com if you wanna play around with it. Me? I'm sticking to this, but I hope mess patch or a compatible plus live will be out for me to customize my rather ugly wlm.

throbbing ice

The constant throbbing of the heart
It isn't mine.
Yet it echoes within my mind.

The rolling of the eyes
As cold as ice.

you?

Madagascar on Fri.
The Day The Earth Stood Still on Sat.
Twilight Today.
Bolt Tomorrow.

A friend brought up the topic today. A screwed up slate or am empty one. In terms of relationships, like heartbreaks and experiences and all. Would you prefer the ongoing screwed up one, but more experienced, or a blank empty one, i.e. start afresh.

Both have their pros. Both have their cons.

I think I would choose a blank one though. Cause in due time it'll be a screwed up slate again, so might as well enjoy the brief innocence of the blank one.

You?

me.

Me is thinking who is it that I saw just now.
Cause me knows her.
But me can't seem to remember her name.
And it just seems to be stuck in the back of me mind.
Yet she is vaguely familiar.
And me said hi back.
But me dare not ask who she is.
Cause she with boyfriend.
Is she church or secondary school.
Me wonders.
Me furiously trying to recall her name.

Faith Hope and Love v. 2

Changed my blogskin again.
Revised it, actually.
Should be rather easier to view.
Though the whiteness is like so visible.
Perhaps music isn't a viable option now.
And I included the Current Mood television.
'Inspired' by livejournal about that.
Let me know if it doesn't look that good on your screen
Though I previewed it in both ff and ie.
But we all know how screwed ie can be.
And yes, loading time for tv might be a little slow.
Laggy even.
I'll probably do something about that later.
Color's in the works though. But not that soon.
Hopefully by the end of the year.
Cheers.

take a dagger

Take a dagger
stab me twice
may it be as cold as ice
may the blood that flows out be
warm and lucrid
may it heat the dagger
and make it nice
make it as harmless as mice.

meeked.

And so the memories come back again
Like an invading force they attack
Where solitude is frail
And the train of thought it derails.
And shots they resound through the night
The plot thickens
The smell of gunpowder.
Spears whistle through the air
As arrows shoot forward with such deadly force.
Oh the voices in my head.
The mirrors that reflect reflections
The anguish of attacks that attack anguish.
The stomach churns as the mind reels
And for now life becomes a farce
Only to be a reality when the sun rises up
in a few hours
Some say the best way to heal is to bleed
Remove bad blood perhaps
To remove hurt by hurting
To remove mistakes by making mistakes. not.
To pound the wall in despair
Or scream into the pillow
Engulfed by terrifying moments
Drenched in sweat
Oh, the dreams.
To fall to one's knees
and simply cry out
a soft and barely audible plea
That darkness not consumeth.
That the warmth of the sun come quick.
As he layeth down and goes to sleep.
Meeked.

chips and movies.

Some say having god-siblings became more popular as families got smaller, and both parents worked, thus leaving the child lonely and companion-less. Others blamed the influx of Western media and say it's the Asian version of frat brothers and sorority sisters.

Still others point to the imperfection in a family and the child's earnest desire to create his/her perfect family. And others say it's just one's way to be on closer ground to win the 'sibling' over to romance.

Whatever the reason, I had a good time with my two daughters today. God-daughters. After the breakup with my ex, I neglected them, partly because they reminded me of my ex, and partly because my ex was in the clique.

Self-preservation means cutting the noose that hangs you.

But that's not very selfless of me. And it was with much joy that I revelled in their company.

To just chit chat and catch up with life's happenings, and a rather insightful discussion with the older one, about relationships. Conversations that most have nary a time for.

To simply stop and smell the roses and play with chips off the old blocks.

And enjoy watching movies.

Alexander Pope

How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.

Odetta

To Odetta
whom have touched many with her singing.
May blessings pour on those
Her rich and timeless voice
has blessed.

pop lo.

POP lo!

And three months is over. Just like that.

Today a dude from another company walked out of the file, staggered backwards before collapsing on his back.

Quite a few fell out today. Well, there was a 24km march before that, and the sun was hot. I had a severe headache from the 12km mark. The helmet always leaves me with a dreadful headache when worn for a long period of time. And the blisters that hurt too.

Thirteen weeks.

I've seen strange stuff. Sometimes you wonder if a person's character is uniquely him or a mere outcome of his upbringing. Or a little of both. If I were to reflect on myself, I can filter out several traits that are uniquely me and others that were as a result of my upbringing.

That said, the people in my bunk are super nice. Though we are all distinct and unique in our own way. Like the one that is very disciplined does not know how to laugh. And the one that has a lot of enthusiasm for military stuff always gets afflicted with either sore eyes or high fever that grants him a home stay for three days.

So well, I'm actually surprised by how much we can gel together even though we are so unique. Perhaps a bowl of chicken rice in cream of tomato soup might taste nice. Or banana noodles with baked beans.

One thing I'll miss though is the scenery. I can't even describe how breathtaking it is, to witness a sunrise or the diffusion of the hues in the sky during the setting of the sun. Or watching a praying mantis poise on a finger. Or laughing at the night sky laughing at us because there were two bright stars above a crescent curled downwards.

Memories, such memories.

young mothers.

http://tingg-loveyou.blogspot.com

Surfed to that blog from a stomp article. Rather interesting read though since it has links to young mothers. And by young, I mean my age or younger. Some are married, others engaged. Some shotgun, others not. But young nevertheless.

And how do you react?

My first reaction was apprehension. And then my mind started to guess other's reactions. Some would be that the youths are careless about such stuff and explorative about sex etc etc. Others would encourage the mother for not abortion. Others might applaud the father for not running away when he knew his then-gf was pregnant. Others might use the opportunity to promote safe sex. And the list could go on and on, to each his opinion, and yet as a group most are of the same nature. Some might even say this is why divorce rates are so high.

I guess those that complain our low birth rates would be silenced by the posts. and then complain about other stuff like their age yada yada.

But who cares? Personally I applaud them. Responsibilities, determination, and love.

Age-wise, are they really that young? Weren't people matchmake-d around that age a few decades ago? At least now they can choose who to be married to, unlike lat time right?

I wish these couples all the best, and no, I'm not saying whether I encourage or frown upon. But I know if any of my close friends get pregnant, I wanna be the godfather =X

Never say which close friend though.

new blogskin.

Well a new blogskin. Simple and plain. Nothing fanciful.

Yet.

Perhaps in the future. When I get inspired.

But for now, this would do. I might iron out some problems, but from experience, I rarely correct my design flaws.

No time. No passion.

So too bad if you don't like this design. New concept for me, though. Coding was way much easier than my former designs. Though my archive list can flow off the screen. But I ain't perfect.

Merry Christmas.

mused.

And so he that clingeth on to rope lets go
and falls down
but lands among family
or rather friends.
and an air of frustrated restlessness
gets unsettled when he lands
thank God for a half sis
a blessing in disguise
yet kids grow up so fast
and parents call them rebellious
as they merely seek to find their identity
and form experiences that might haunt
or bless the rest of their life
like a highly unstrung violin note
he lands
and he wonders about the effect of time and times.
again and again.
trust and companionship.
a sister who was a companion and now a little too far.

balls and me.

There's just something about me and balls. They just keep flying to me. Like a natural ball-netic kinda thing.

Just within these three months, I've been hit in the head by a soccer ball twice.

And then a week ago, a ball of paper came flying down towards me from the fourth storey. Some dude thought area cleaning would be made easier with an improvised soccer ball and he scored a goal.

But balls don't levitate in the air, and so it came down towards me.

Narrowly missing my head by an inch and hitting with my hand with a resounding 'phaack'. And everybody else around me ducked for cover.

Just something about balls and me.

momentos.

Were near now far
Was close now distant
Like the rapid changing of the weather
from hot to cold in an instant
Hot and barren land
Wet and lively in an instant.

A small and fragile plant grows up from the pavement
only to be forgotten and not remembered
as other plants around get bigger and greener
Is it really?

Fall deep and fast
and one gets hurt
Fall shallow and slow
and one gets hurt
Both get hurt.

You, I think about.

Here Without You

A hundred days have made me older
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face
A thousand lies have made me colder
And I don't think I can look at this the same
But all the miles that separate
Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face

I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight it's only you and me

The miles just keep rollin'
As the people leave their way to say hello
I've heard this life is overrated
But I hope that it gets better as we go

I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl its only you and me

Everything I know, and anywhere I go
It gets hard but it won't take away my love
And when the last one falls
When it's all said and done
It gets hard but it wont take away my love

I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl its only you and me

sink.

The tides ebb and flow effortlessly
and daily without fail.
Each wave brings with it new energy
and new opportunities.
Then a stone drops into the waters
from above and ripples surge
against the seemingly
overwhelming waves.

A tiny sailboat bobs on the water.
Fragile, weak, but still holding on.

Would it survive the ripples?
Or sink like the stone?
And create more ripples
that would sink other boats?

http://www.geekalerts.com/colorful-teddy-speaker/

Speakers.

They come in all shapes and sizes
Assortment of different colors
Battery operated, to power-ised,
Even surfaces like wood and ice.
And now comes a soft little bear
Filled with stereo and a bit of air
4 triple A batteries and you're good to go
It'll keep you company through hot and cold
Music that pumps out of its feet
Me thinks this bear doesn't hold much meat.


http://www.geekalerts.com/colorful-teddy-speaker/

Gesture controlled light switch

With so much emphasis on touch-sensitive products nowadays, especially after the birth of the iPod, it is only a matter of time before it moves on to other products. And that time has come.

We all use lights everyday, some are different from others, they allow you to dim the lights, others allow you to choose how many bulbs to be switched on blah blah blah. This one is about the same in that you can control the light.

A basic grid on the wall and you just press the board to turn on the light. You can even move your hands across, (like when you scroll on an iPod) to adjust the brightness.

Perhaps in the future, there would be a color panel on the board as well, and you can choose which color for what light you want.

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20081127/gesture-controlled-light-switch/

Muse.

I dreamt of you.
That I had a night with you
but we slept as strangers do.
And the next day
when I went out with my daughter
I messaged you and asked how this could be.

Rope.

He was walking on a rope.
A rope between two cliffs.
Then the rope snapped and he fell.
And another rope was lowered to him.
So he held on to it and pulled himself up.
He was a few inches from the top.
When the rope severed
And he fell a few feet
still holding on to the rope
clinging by a few threads.
Will he let go or hang on?

Dreams.

I've been having quite a number of weird dreams. From having a heroic ability of ice, to my first r/s, to my current flame.

Dreams.
They come and go but their mystique remains for a longer time.

whack.

Some say guys mature later than girls.
That might explain why we whack each others butts in NS
while girls whack during secondary school.

right? right.

Perhaps it's not a matter of
right person right time
since one might have had
a lot of
right persons wrong time
and even
wrong persons right time
but maybe we do have a lot of
right person right time
but which right
is
right?

Are you?

Once in a while, I take a step back from the uncertainties and challenges of life and ask myself, "If I die now, would I be happy?"

Morbid some might say, but it always helps me to judge myself; in terms of satisfaction; in terms of living a good life; in terms of aiding others to get a good life.

Sometimes I think I would be rather happy if I were to perish at that point in time, other times I think I would be disappointed at myself.

Sometimes I think wouldn't it be nice if we all took a step back and observed others. But this would never happen of course, because in the circle of life, there are the observers and the observed.

To grasp the fact that there are so many people in this world, and so little time, and because of the short span of life, the impact that we have on each person that we come across is multiplied, and so we should maximize the quality of the interactive period we have with that particular being.

Are you making good use of the little time you have in your life?

Watch. Phone. Watch.

A 1.3 megapixel camera
Internal memory of 128mb that can be upgraded to 2gb
Bluetooth enabled.
WAP-enabled.

It's not a phone. It's more than that. It tells the time.

Okay. So, every phone tells the time, big deal right? But not every time-telling device can be used as a phone. Now, I've got your interest eh?

Of course the fact that you can watch videos on it, is actually a turn off, because judging by the standard size of a watch's screen, you can't really [pardon the pun] watch much.

But it'll cost you of course. 700 Sing. Pricey Christmas gift no doubt. But coolness is priceless.

So some say.

juice.

It can be rather quirky how people react when they see me holding four 1-liter cartons of fruit juice when I book out.

USB 3.0

First it was just 1.1 then it became 2.0 and now 3.0 is out. USB 3.0, that is.

Other than fast speeds which is expected, an interesting feature of the USB 3.0 is its ability to cut down it electricity portion all by itself when it detects a lack of usage.

Something like your monitor going to standby mode when there's no 'movement' for a certain period of time.

Now it's just a matter of when this would be a standard feature.

But don't start throwing away your USB 2.0 cables just yet, because the USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports. No idea if it works on USB 1.1 but if you are still using that, shame on you.

Just straight ahead.

You know how they always say you should never look directly at the sun because you can go blind? Well, I did. And I'm not blind.

But I'm not writing this to encourage you to go stare at the sun directly. Rather, I want to tell you that, well, I saw the sun.

I know, I know, we see the sun everyday what. What's so special about the sun?

I saw the sun in its circular shape. As a circle. How we always draw the sun as it is as a kid. Circle with lines emanating from it to signify its rays.

It was nine in the morning, and the sun was shining in my face. I closed my eyes and then the warmth on my face faded. I opened and saw the full roundness of the sun, its brightness dimmed by a passing cloud.

And I thanked God for the sun.

Sometimes we don't need to look far to see wonders. Just straight ahead.

feelings.

Feelings are like water.
They take the shape of where its stored in.
But when let free, they can hide a plane.
And who knows what lurks within the vessel.

Feelings are like tides.
They ebb and flow
And are affected by external events
like the pull of the moon on the sea.

To to and.

To walk the streets
To run with fire
And soar with the wind.

To stroll at one's own pace
To enjoy a fresh cuppa
And watch busy people zoom by.

To greet and smile
To shop with pleasure
And enjoy the warmth of others.

To listen and to ask
To pay attention
And lift others' burdens.

To reflect and to think
To hurt and demean
And ponder and wonder.

To ignite with passion
To fan the flames
And admire it grow yonder.

To have faith in oneself
To hope in one other.
And love another.

You Are Loved (Don't Give Up) - Josh Groban

Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
When your heart's heavy
I...I will lift it for you

Don't give up
Because you want to be heard
If silence keeps you
I...I will break it for you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

Don't give up
It's just the hurt that you hide
When you're lost inside
I...I will be there to find you

Don't give up
Because you want to burn bright
If darkness blinds you
I...I will shine to guide you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

You are loved
Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
Don't give up
Every one needs to be heard
You are loved

Christmas is around the corner.

You know Christmas is around the corner when...

Sales personnel are unpacking boxes of chocolates...

The in-colors are green and red...

Every store has a sign outside with a percentage on it.

Canes are abundant. The candy kind, that is.

tion

frustration irritation
a little impatient
to go back to civilisation
check my main mode of communication
for information
regarding our relation
would it be desertification
or perhaps some satisfaction
maybe gratification
or perhaps some minor inflammation
of the organ of palpitation.

Fall For You.

The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting
Could it be that we have been this way before?
I know you don't think that I am trying
I know you're wearing thin down to the core

But hold your breath
Because tonight will be the night
That I will fall for you over again
Don't make me change my mind

Or I won't live to see another day
I swear it's true
Because a girl like you's impossible to find
You're impossible to find

This is not what I intended
I always swore to you I'd never fall apart
You always thought that I was stronger
I may have failed, but I have loved you from the start

Ohh, but hold your breath
Because tonight will be the night
That I will fall for you over again
Don't make me change my mind

Or I won't live to see another day
I swear it's true
Because a girl like you's impossible to find
It's impossible

So breathe in so deep
Breathe me in, I'm yours to keep
And hold on to your words 'cause talk is cheap
And remember me tonight when you're asleep

Because tonight will be the night
That I will fall for you over again
Don't make me change my mind

Or I won't live to see another day
I swear it's true
Because a girl like you's impossible to find

Tonight will be the night
That I will fall for you over again
Don't make me change my mind

Or I won't live to see another day
I swear it's true
Because a girl like you's impossible to find
You're impossible to find

ironic.

How ironic that we stumble and falter and stammer and get mystified on how to enter into a relationship, and we repeat the same cycle over again when we want to end it.

But there's no default line, or model answer or ten-years series to complete and say the right line.

At the end of the day, it boils down to the heart.

The last Waltz

The gramophone croons out 'What A Wonderful World' as the sea breeze wafts in through the windows. A table is set, complete with cutlery, two empty wine glasses, and two lit candles at each end - its flames flickering continuously and complementing the mellow yellow light of the room.

Two doors at both ends of the room open simultaneously, and from each a person steps forth. Surprise, apprehension, and then relief at the recognition of the other person. He steps forward, extends a dark red rose, full of life and love.

"May I have this waltz with you?"

And she curtsies.

Louis Armstrong fills the air as they waltz around the room.

Two amateurs, having no prior experience, but both having faith and trusting in each other. Silently, with no verbal communication, they turn not as two, their feet moving as one.

Eyes of warmth and hope.

And their waltz end as they leave the room together.

The last waltz.

Musings and faith hope and love.

Army kinda changes one's perception of time. And its limitations.

Time means change. Changes over time. It's like an egg or chicken came first kinda thing. They probably came together. Time and change I mean, not the chicken and the egg.

And so two weeks since I've checked my mail, six days of nada contact with civilisation, and a lot has changed. New president, new handphones, and loads of old news and new news to catch up. Like did you know Cats the Musical is coming to Esplanade Theatre next year. New macbooks.

And I didn't know Starhub only stores messages for two days. I probably only received a quart of messages sent to me. So if I didn't reply your message, thousand apologies. My dad said can actually purchase more storage space. Wonder how I should go about doing that, since I foresee plenty more of non-contact-with-the-outside-world days to come in the next two years.

And to receive email chains. And take a step back and reflect. It's so easy to just fall into the routines of life, do the same thing every day at a particular time day in day out, and army doesn't make it any harder, with fixed timings and all.

Hobbies that are now but pastimes. And new hobbies to venture into. Which does make one wonder. We always say news is always bad, full of death or gore or misery. But what would be an example of a good news? Some might say it could be the demolition of ERP gantries. But what if it were to be in a universe context and not a geographically-limited context?

Suddenly walking seems like a luxury. To walk my own pace is but a blessing. Do you realise we always walk in the pace of others. Boss wants the assignment done by tomorrow and we do it and suit his pace. Lecturer wants a paper due day after and we suit her pace. But those whose pace we accommodate, they too have to follow another pace. And so at the end of the day it's merely a matter of different paces trying to beat to the same rhythm. If you were ever in the school band, its like the first few practices for the member who just joined in, as everybody tries to follow others' tempos and at the end of it all, everybody is in the same tempo as nobody.

And everyday new challenges come to tackle our passions, be they a service or a person. Or maybe it's just a matter of time. The flame can only last as long as the length of its wick, and the candle the length of its wax. And wax can be lengthened, and wicks can be longer.

And at the end of the day, these three remaineth: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of all is Love.

You.

two. one. three.

The grin and the chuckle
The humor remarkable
The eyes that if met
would sparkle
Though both pairs aren't
together physically
The spark meets
The gentle playfulness
And affection.

To trust and cherish
To not fall again
and not to befall others.

Though the minds may not be as of one.
Yet whose are.
Only time and its wonder
Will two minds
act as one.

Step by step along the way together.
No climber climbs alone.
Who to pull the slack.

Can two parties form into one.
One that moves together and yet apart.
To survive dependent upon each other
Yet independent within oneself.

Two metals can be melted
And then merged and reformed
to form another
creation.

Imaginations.

He stood at the foot of the stairs waiting, as she gracefully walked down the stairs, he leaned forward and in one smooth movement, hugged her gently closer before brushing her lips with his.

He lies asleep at night, and noises resound in his head, but not in his heart. He stays in the silhouette, blink and you might miss him. Though he knows she won't.

With her, time flies by fast. Yet, neither of them runs along with the wind; what for waste moments.

Time slows down when the heart beats faster, and it speeds up when the heart is warmed.

We all race against time to grasp and cherish what is close to us. Race for another heart. Race for position or power. Or to strengthen another.

To make the full use of each second. Keeping our soul, mind, heart and body alive.

To experience all five senses. And make use of them.

And to make the best of the future.

Shirt Drumset

So your mum said no to you getting a drum set.

"You oredi have your electic guitar and bass guitar and saxaphone and flute and trumpet and trombone and blah blah blah, where got space to put drum set?!"

But now thanks to ThinkGeek, you can have your drum set and wear it too.

No gimmicks. The shirt has a picture of a drum set on it but this ain't no simple picture. Hit the respective part and it sounds out.

Drum set damaged along the way to a performance or competition? No worries. Wear the shirt and start tapping out the rhythms by using your fingers to hit the drum on your chest.

You can get one at http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/ac0b?cpg=cj

Battery operated, though I have no idea how many you can play simultaneously. That said, you would only use a pair of drumsticks for an actual drum set, so surely you wouldn't need more than two fingers for this shirt right?

I have no clue what this is.

And, in the midst of the crowd, he stands there. Alone. Yet not alone, for he is but in the midst of a crowd.

Pushing against him, and to his sides, the crowd moves along their way, rushing to their next destination, and he walks at his own pace. Yet he does not walk because the crowd is pushing against him.

The world goes by and he watches while sipping his coffee at the cafe. And time stands still. Yet, time does not stand still because the world goes by.

Jostling and shoving, the crowd packs around him into the bus, and he is in contemplation and remains at peace and at ease. Yet, he is not at ease because the crowd is jostling and shoving.

How do you know what is isn't and what isn't is. Could it be that the only way to know what isn't is to know what is or to know what is is to first know what isn't?

Impulse post.

And this longing arises within me.
That when the day comes, that ye may be with me,
in our mansion in the land of gold and light called heaven.

For darkness must exist to prove its
contrast which is that of light. Yet,
in heaven there is no darkness but only light.

This stirring within me, it soars forth
and thrusts skyward.
Deep calling to deep.
Spirit to spirit.

Revival and cleansing of the soul,
this yearning of the heart
of fulfillment and satisfaction

That you would take a step of faith and join me
in my faith.
But I shall not push and pressure
And I shoulder not waver and falter
Oh, that He would not come anytime soon

And that there would be more time for us
to be in union
in one mind, one heart and one soul.
In faith.

step forward

Many a times history catches up with the present
And the skeletons we fought to get rid of
The daggers that we failed to duck in time

They resurface in their own due course
Taunting mocking
Hiding behind the darkness of the night

Like mirrors they reflect the soul
The heart in its shards

And every time it seems
A step forward is possible
These memories lurk out
of the shadows

And question.
And stare.
And reveal its wounds.
And the weight it bears.

After all if one has fallen four steps back
Can one have enough strength to take one step forward?

What? Has it been one month already

Sometimes people get so caught up in their race to be leaders or that of a leadership position
that they fail to realize that nobody follows
and what good is a leader if there's no follower?

What? Has it been a month already, since I went to Tekong. How time flies.

It was tough at first, muscle aches plentiful. Then it started to heal and it didn't get that bad. My section mates are alright. Okay, just a little explanation.

26 Letters in the alphabet.
Each letter stands for a company, like A for Apache, and B for Bronco, and blah blah blah.
I'm in K for Kestrel. [All bird names one la]
Each company has its own five-storey building.
One company equals four platoons.
One platoon on each floor.
Each platoon equals four sections.
Each section one room, averaging twelve men.
My section has ten men. Perfect Ten we call ourselves.
Though those who are perfect wouldn't call themselves perfect.
Im Bed Two, which is situated right below the fan.
And no, if the fan drops I won't get hurt, because the fan would spiral away due to momentum instead of falling down straight. Unless it isn't on when it drops but why are we talking about this.

Each day is rather simple. Wake u at 0530 hours, doing exercises, go for breakfast, go for first parade, then go for lessons or physical trainings depending on the programme, usually two lessons, each lesson two hours, then lunch, then 1330 starts the next lesson and another till dinner at 1730. Followed either by another lesson at 1900 or last parade at non-fixed timing and then admin/free/personal time for us to wash clothes, bathe, call girlfriend/wife/mother/boyfriend/dog, sit around, talk cock, buy drinks from the vending machine, do own physical training.

There, its actually quite routine la each day. Which in a way is rather boring, since its always the same thing each day but then again years are made up of months which are made up of days.

All in all, I'm surviving. Satisfying my need for female social company on weekends, and living with males during weekdays. It's rather hot over there, and perspiration is like my best friend. Not. I perspire a lot. But I drink a lot too, and sometimes the singlet can get so wet I can take it off and squeeze it and a steady trickle of sweat drips out. Weight still more or less around there la. It goes up during the weekends and lowers during the weekdays, kinda like a stock market. I've gotten more tan, with the sun and all. That said, the sun is good for quick clothes drying, don't need Dryer le. And, washing clothes has become part of the daily routine.

Only drawback is sometimes we receive Today newspaper tomorrow, so news can be a bit laggy at times, but no news is good news right? Bullshit. Well, at least the economy downturn doesn't affect us. For now.

Food is uh salty. And accompanied by sweet drinks. But it doesn't really matter because half of the salt from the food is sweated out during the march back to company line. Nobody really walks in Tekong. It's marching or running or jogging.
Stamina has improved a little, though my chin ups suck. If only they would round up halfs to ones. That would be good.

Abrasions and bruises I have numerous, but other than that, I've been well. My bunk mates aren't that fortunate though. Most of them are down with cough, so there's like around fifteen minutes after lights out where I have yet to fall asleep, and I am able to attend the nightly performance of the Cough Symphony.

And if you think people can't communicate messages through coughs, you are so wrong. Sometimes I think they are speaking to each other in coughs. Like the deep raspy kind and the quick and sudden coughs and then there's the slow and loud ones. Kinda like morse code, but cough version. Course code bah.

And that's it. One month down. Two months more to go.

Future isn't easy to decide. But I wanna choose the one that can benefit others the most and make them live life cheerier. Oh, that ye would grant me wisdom.

If I Lay here

We'll do it all, everything, on our own
We don't need anything or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world

I don't quite know how to say how I feel
Those three words are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
I need your grace
to remind me
to find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes
They're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
I just know that these things
Will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world

wah.

I don't know about you but I'm excited about this (http://www.chinavasion.com/product_info.php/pName/mobile-phone-watch-1gb-bluetooth-digital-masterpiece/).

Put it simply, it's a genius invention. Or a compilation of genius inventions.

It's a mobile phone watch. You probably heard of such gadgets before and yet it always seem so out of reach, and only for the rich and famous. But here comes a site that sells it for decent prices.

And it's not those basic kinda phone in a watch. That's easy to be created. This model actually comes with a 1.3 camera, bluetooth-enabled and actually has a microSD card for memory expansion.

Well, its made in China, so doubts about the quality and durability would definitely arise. But this is cool.

And all that's needed to start the trend, is for one company to introduce it into the market vibrantly. And others will follow.

Of course, this does bring about new challenges. Like would we need to surrender watches the next time we enter sensitive or restricted areas?

Economy drops. Tech goes up. Boom! We'll die in virtual coffins, with funeral services posted on MySpace's pages and streamed online. And you could probably choose high or low resolution video.

20 years old.

Today would mark the day which I've lived for twenty years. That should leave me around fifty years left. But it also means my prime will be here in only ten years. That ain't very far away.

And so I take a stroll down memory lane. Where do I even begin?

I've seen power of words, harshness of anger and the gentleness of humility.
I've chased after joys of friendships, and riches of life.
But that's just what it is. A chase. Like running after the wind.

So I stopped, and smelt the roses.

In full honesty, I'm not too proud of my achievements. Or lack of it. Nobody in their right frame of mind deliberately sets out to harm themselves. But that's what youth does.

The air of innocence, and the chance to try any and everything possible. But some stuff aren't meant to be tested or tried till the right time and person and moment comes.

And identity. I know people who have walked this earth much longer than I have, and they have yet to find their identity. I know I've found mine. Though there are times when I look in the mirror and ponder upon the image I see, I know deep inside, my skills, abilities and my flaws. My strengths, I'm certain, as well as my outlook in life.

I've taken a dagger and stabbed me twice.
I've took a leap of faith and fell to the grave.
I've seen kids grow up.
I've seen some fall away.
I've forced not a few to their knees
I've lent a hand to but a few
I've regretted actions decisions friends I shouldn't have gotten close to
I've carried my burdens unseen unheard unnoticed.

20 years and the road stretches forward. The end isn't in sight. Neither is the beginning but why should I look back and expect to surge forward? No runner can win the race if she continuously looks back.

And so I charge forward, but not without enjoying the roses by the path. And each rose that I pluck and smell, I utter a small prayer for my loved ones. And the few I trust with my life.

I say a little prayer for you.

Dreaming of You - Selena

Late at night when all the world is sleeping
I'd stay up and think of you
And I'd wish on a star
That somewhere you are thinking of me too

Cuz I'm dreaming of you tonight
Till tomorrow, I'll be holding you tight
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
Then here in my room,
Dreaming about you and me

Wonder if you even see me
And I wonder if you know I'm there
If you looked in my eyes
Would you see what's inside?
Would you even care?

I just wanna hold you close
But so far, all I have are dreams of you
So, I wait for the day and the courage to say
How much I love you(Yes, I do)

I'll be dreaming of you tonight
Till tomorrow, I'll be holding you tight
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
Then here in my room,
Dreaming about you and me

Ahhh...I can't stop dreaming of you
Ahhh...I can't stop dreamin

Late at night when all the world is sleeping
I'd stay up and think of you
And I still can't believe that you came up to me
And said, "I love you; I love you too"

Now I'm dreaming with you tonight
Till tomorrow, and for all of my life
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
Then here in my room,
Dreaming with you endlessly...

Random

Bus rides.

Head on shoulder.

Interlocking arms.

Intertwining fingers.

Intersecting hearts.

Interesting.

Smile.

downed.

It's sad but official. I've lost my purpose for eating.

Suddenly eating seems so mundane, compressed to a mere twenty minutes per meal. Minimized to salty vegetables, sweet liquids, and rock-hard fruits.

Eating is just.. needed to live and that's about it. No arousal of senses or growling of the stomach when the nose detects whiffs of food aroma.

March eat drink march.

Another hobby down. What else would be next.

off shore island.

Someone asked me what I did for a living the other day and it made me ponder.

I could simply say Army. Or I could say:

I'm currently working in the government sector, and have been assigned to an off-shore island, shrouded in secrecy and off-limits to the public.

After all, I ain't lying now am I. I'm merely injecting a bit of color in my descriptions. And we all need color in life.

Which is why the top half of my hands resembles dark chocolate while the bottom half is akin to white chocolate. Plus, the outline of the singlet visible on my back, its interior white and the exterior sunburnt-ly red.

I like my body though. It has this unique setting that most others don't. The weekday/weekend switch. See, when I mentally stimulate the Alt-tab shortcut, the body switches to weekday mode, and dutifully arises at 0530 hours, and shuts down at 2230 hours. Then, when I switch it to weekend mode, it arises usually after 1200 hours and shuts down only after 0000 hours.

Cool ain't it. I'm lovin' it.

Movies

I watched two movies yesterday. The Days and Mamma Mia!

The Days is a local production featuring an insight into the life of a local gangster. While the storyline has good intentions, it doesn't have enough depth, though on hindsight, it probably manages to put forth what it set out to do.

I wouldn't exactly say the acting was remarkable, and the cinematography was a bit shaky. Too much emphasis on fades and silences, in my opinion. The music didn't leave much of an impression, though I compliment the music for the various fight scenes. There have been movies where the music for fight scenes completely kill the atmosphere.

One thing I enjoyed about The Days was the animation effects. I think back and maybe The Days is a cross between an anime and a school project. Shoot me if you will, but that's my opinion. Ask me to describe what The Days is actually about, and don't be amazed at my loss of speech.

It's not That bad. But it's not very good. But if you want to support local talent, then go watch. Just remember, it's a local film so one shouldn't really compare to Western films. They have free usage of guns. We only have knives, parangs and pulling of hair.

.

Mamma Mia! was a delight to behold. It always interests me how scriptwriters craft composed songs into the storyline and it has to be able to be digested. I can't say Mamma Mia! was a success in terms of this, but it does get my vote in terms of humor and stupidity.

Several scenes will always be etched in my mind, simply because of its unbelievability. That said, this movie would no doubt make a good musical. To an extent, it's so Disney-like. There's a scene where the backup vocals just pop up from under the bridge, or behind the wall, which so so reminds me of the movie Enchanted, in the scene where she sings "How does he know she loves him". Then the whole townsfolk came and joined in the singing. Be prepared to see a lot of these in Mamma Mia!

The music was a bit problematic though. Probably it was the cinema. There were frequent audible quality differences through out the movie. Terrible for the eyes, and the showing of lyrics when the songs are sang made it feel like one big karaoke session. All we need is the words to be highlighted as it's sang.

I can't compare both movies however, since they have a different theme and genre altogether. If you need a good laugh to rewind and relax, I advise Mamma Mia! But if you don't know any Abba songs, then it might not be worth every cent. If you want to see gang fights, and uh see a man being called Baby, by another male, then you should watch The Days.

Have fun. and, don't go GV at PS. Half of it is under renovation, so the snack bar has shrunk. Unless, you smuggle food in. Then who cares? :)

today.

The grin in the eye
With a chuckle of the mouth
The corners turn up
As emotions flash within the eye
The window to the soul

What do you see when you look into a window?
What do you expect to see?
Objects, events, places or people?
Materials, ornaments, life or defiance?

The hand that reaches for
The hand that grasps
The hands that hold on
To each other.

Mischievous tones
Coupled with well-meaning words
With a dash of love and heart
and a sprinkle of stardust.

Two movies in a day.
Walk.

Open
Reach
Hold
Close.

Trust.
Comfort.
Hugs.

Imagine you took a boat twice, and both times the boat sank.
Each boat bearing a different captain.
Each course it sets out is different.
But you survived.
And then another boat appears.
A different captain, a different route.
Dare you take the risk of climbing onboard?

Cause, life is the road that I want to keep going
and love is the river I want to keep flowing
and life is the road, now and forever,
wonderful journey.

Sweetly innocent
With a sprinkle of radiance
She knows the value of immaterialism
And yet strikes the fine balance
Between materials and that which cannot be weighed.

Voice of warmth and familiarity
For a stranger in a strange land.
Eyes much bigger, and hair much longer,
But love doesn't bleed.

A refuge, a stronghold, she seeks
The previous ones were too shaky
Or left her ashore
Abandoned, left alone, helpless.

Some say

Some say the tempo of life is the beating of the heart.
But there are people who have no heart.
Some say the beat of life is the metamorphosis of the thoughts
But there are people who do not think.

Some say time is like a river
It flows constantly and never stops.
Some say joy is like a fountain
It shoots up and sprays all within range.

Some say music is the color of life
Vividly colors mashing together to be a kaleidoscope.
Some say colors are like ribbons tied together
One links to another, trust to fear, peace to anger, love to hate.

Some say love is complicated
An object not in the middle of the maze.
Some say love is simple and carefree
A bus ride together.

Some say it's not what you achieve in life
But who you helped to achieve.
Some say it's not about the number of people at your birthday
It's how many there are at your funeral.

left right left right

The head lies on the pillow, but the mind lays awake.
It courses through the events of the day
Left right left right
The tempo remains within the head
The cheers, the yells,
The songs, the beats
The constant thump of the boots
Left right left right
Curses swears they fly around
Over under sidewards and yonder
Green brown black and white
Left right left right
Perspiration drips down the brow
Sways gently over and yet clings on
Clouding my vision
Power of a drop of sweat.
Over under sideways and yonder
And the constant throbbing of the heart
And the flow of blood coursing through the veins
Left right left right

When the cold wind blows

In the early morning march
With a field pack on my bag
With an aching in my heart
And my palms are full of sweat
I'm a long long way from home
And I miss my lover so
In the early morning march
When the cold wind blows.

When the cold wind blows
When the cold wind blows
When the cold wind blows
When the cold wind blows

In the early morning shoot
With a rifle in my hands
With an aching in my heart
and my palms are full of sweat
I'm a long long way from home
And I miss my lover so
In the early morning shoot
When the cold wind blows

In the early morning jump
With a parachute on my back
With an aching in my heart
And my palms are full of sweat
I'm a long long way from home
And I miss my lover so
In the early morning jump
When the cold wind blows.

In the early morning row
With a paddle in my hand
With an aching in my heart
And my paddle's very wet.
I'm a long long way from home
And I miss my lover so
in the early morning row
When the cold wind blows.

My rifle and my buddy and me.

Purple light, in the valley
This is where I wanna be
FHM Best Companion
With my rifle and my buddy and me.

Attend B, Chao Keng F***er
Attend C, Cannot Make It
Everyday, report sick
With my rifle and my buddy and me.

Booking out, to see my girlfriend
Saw her with other girls
F***ed them all, with my ****
With my rifle and my buddy and me.

Booking in, took a shower.
I dropped my soap, and bent over.
Suddenly, something funny,
It was my buddy and his rifle in me.

Yet another joke found online (revised)

Joker: Batman, you don't have a sense of humour. Why so serious?

Batman: Yes I do!

Joker: Than answer my joke properly.

Batman: Okay.

Joker: Knock knock

Batman: Enter.

Joker:...

Jokes Found Online

Wife: 'What are you doing?'
Husband: Nothing.
Wife: 'Nothing...? You've been reading our marriage certificate for an hour.'
Husband: 'I was looking for the expiry date.'

Wife: 'Do you want dinner?'
Husband: 'Sure! What are my choices?'
Wife: 'Yes or no.'

Wife: 'You always carry my photo in your wallet. Why?'
Hubby: 'When there is a problem, no matter how great, I look at your picture and the problem disappears.'
Wife: 'You see how miraculous and powerful I am for you?'
Hubby: 'Yes! I see your picture and ask myself what other problem can
there be greater than this one?'

Stress Reliever Girl: 'When we get married, I want to share all your
worries, troubles and lighten your burden.'
Boy: 'It's very kind of you, darling, but I don't have any worries or
troubles.'
Girl: 'Well that's because we aren't married yet.'

Son: 'Mum, when I was on the bus with Dad this morning, he told me to
give up my seat to a lady.'
Mom: 'Well, you have done the right thing.'
Son: 'But mum, I was sitting on daddy's lap.'

A newly married man asked his wife, 'Would you have married me if my
father hadn't left me a fortune?'
'Honey,' the woman replied sweetly, 'I'd have married you, NO MATTER WHO
LEFT YOU A FORTUNE!'

Girl to her boyfriend: One kiss and I'll be yours forever The guy replies: 'Thanks for the early warning.'

A wife asked her husband: 'What do you like most in me, my pretty face or my sexy body?'
He looked at her from head to toe and replied: 'I like your sense of humour!'

A new chapter

And so a new chapter unfolds.

New characters to be added in. And characters from previous chapters to be vanished or killed off, till their resurrection at the right moment in chapters to come.

And a significant few to follow.

In a new chapter of life.

Touch.

Touch. One of our five senses. Sometimes it gives pleasure, sometimes it gives pain. To touch an ice cube in a heatwave. To touch steam.

The hold of a hand. Trust? Some say it symbolizes trust. Assume you fall down and I stretch out my hand for you to grasp on. You trust me to support me and to boost you back up. I trust you to hold on to me lest you fall midway. Trust. It goes two ways. It can lean towards one side heavier but it still goes two ways. You regarding me as your best friend need not necessarily mean I regard you as my best friend. Yet you trust me and confide in me and I trust you. Why do I trust you? To grant you the confidence to confide in me? Or simply because you trust me. Trust. It goes two ways.

Trust leads to acceptance. Some say two hands clasped together is a sign of acceptance of each other by both parties. Why cling on to someone you don't accept? Rotten apples are thrown by the farmer because he doesn't accept them. Shoddy work is thrown out the window because the boss doesn't accept them. People become untouchables and outcasts of the social system because they are not accepted. Not clung on to.

So then two hands clasped together is a sign of acceptance. But acceptance is rather wide. To accept one's talents, gifts and skills? To accept one's mistakes, wrongdoings, flaws and faults? To accept the power and position of oneself. To accept the value of a person.

Value of a person. Can persons be valued? It's easy to value a vase or an artefact, by its rarity along with when it was created, composed or formed. If there are limited pieces available, the price shoots up. If the creator, composer or author is popular or has passed away, the price shoots up. That would mean value of each and every one of us shoots up every day.

Touch. Cool against warm. Cold against Hot.

sad state.

It's a shame sometimes that we tend to overlook passion and fire and classify potential by criteria and thus judge people.

I had brought up an idea with a particular friend and while the idea was shot down, in a way it wasn't her fault since there were SOPs to follow. But sometimes we need faith in others as well. Cause I saw the dude singing his heart out, and she didn't. And true passion is hard to find.

And so a child is so much purer in ways more than any adult can achieve. A child does not judge by appearances. How many adults judge not by appearance? A child observes and looks through the eyes, and into the soul. The adult looks from the hairs of the head down to the soles of the feet, and misses the light in the eyes.

So what if we grow old and die. We would have lived for nothing, if our whole life was spend judging others. For the more we delight in judging others, the lower others will judge us.

Passion burns with fury that few people can comprehend. Some take advantage of this fury and unleash it to bring unto people as much goodwill as they can. Others use it for their own personal gain and rain down destruction on the lives around them. And others.

Others ponder upon this passion within them, question its existence, and then, sadly, let the passion ebb away. Unused. Untouched. Untarnished.

'Tis a sad state.

Bangkok Dangerous

I watched Bangkok Dangerous today. Most reviews I've read give a bad review on it. I think it's actually quite entertaining and what I'm going to write contains spoilers so be warned.

Most shooter movies I've watched usually involve the shooter missing a target or being blackmailed or framed and runs from everybody - friends, law enforcement agencies, anti-law enforcement agencies. B.D. however, is about the main lead running from himself.

There are several interesting plot developments in this film, from teaching a student on killing, to dating a girl who is deaf, to the price of life. It explores rather contrasting elements, from warmth of a cold-blooded hit man who only has four rules in life, to the touch of a deaf girl. In a particular scene, the lead gets mugged as the girl walks on in front, unaware of what that's happening behind her. He however turns the tables and shoots both the muggers. Several blood drops spray onto her coat, and she feels it, touches it and turns around to see the guy she likes holding a gun and two dead civilians on the ground.

The movie also challenges the rules we make for ourselves. The lead has always worked alone, and has left no trace behind. This time, he has a student, and he has to rescue the student. A rather interesting scene was where he had to make the decision to shoot a well-liked politician or not. His student told him the subject was a good man. And for a moment it seemed every person he aimed his sniper scope at was smiling. Thus, the mental battle raged. Rules or goodwill?

A lot of subjects are actually gently prodded in this movie, and blink and you might miss it. While the suspense building up to the ending was a little swift, and there were scenes that seemed improbable, overall, this movie is actually quite watchable and easy to understand, though I would advise you not to watch it from the third row from the screen. Unless you have a very very flexible neck and body that can conform to the shape and angle of the seat.

past to the future

The white moon rose high in the sky, as surrounding stars twinkled and blinked at the world deep beneath, and the sheep grazed on the grass in the cool refreshing night breeze.

The world turns and groans as the weight of the people and their burdens rests heavily on it. A man walks through the streets searching for his one true love. And finds none.

The sun will rise soon, and with it new joys and loves. And perhaps the lady that trudges from street to street might be slip on the banana peel and fall but not be harmed because of the man who saves her.

Past to the future.
To infinity and beyond!

Interesting Names

Names are very very important, most parents would agree. And so they spend hours and hours scouring over encyclopedias and google search results for good baby names. But sometimes no matter how good they are, they can be rather bad when translated in another language. Enjoy what I found online.

Anne Chang
(Mandarin)-Dirty

Anne Chin
(Mandarin) - Keep quiet

Carl Cheng
(Hokkien) - Buttock

Monica Cheng
Hokkien) - Touching your buttocks

Lucy Leow
(Hokkien) - You are dead

Jane Tan
(Mandarin) - Frying eggs

Henry Mah
(Mandarin) - Hate your mum

Paul Chan
(Mandarin) - Bankrupt

Nelson Tan
(Mandarin) - Bird laying eggs

Leslie Tong
(Mandarin) - Rubbish bin

Danny See
(Hokkien) - Squeeze you to death

Pete Tsai
(Hokkien) - Nose droppings

Macy Koh
(Cantonese) - Never die before

Kenny Nair
(Hokkien)- [Need I explain?]

pow!

An arrow flies through the air.
With a tzing and a tzang and a tzoong.
With a twing and a twang
and a tick tock tang
it flew.

The elephant trumpets through the forest.
With a boom and a wham
and out came flying a little leg of ham.
and a tick tock tang
it flew.

Over the mountains an apple came flying
With zoom zham zimmm zhram
it flew threw the air.

Thrown by the elephant that trumpeted
with a boom and a wham
With an arrow embedded
with a tzing and a tzang
the apple flew
with a zoom and a zham
and a zimm and a zhram and a pow!

Talk

I never cease to be amazed by what members of the older generation can talk about.

I went to Jurong West for lunch today, for steamed fish. Don't ask me what's so special about either the steam or the fish, 'cause it just tastes uh fishy to me. So, in the cab ride there, my mum chatted with my uncle, wait. What I mean to say is, my uncle listened to my mum updating him about the latest developments in the family - who's working where and what and how and why.

And during lunch, she and my three uncles chatted about diabetes and what can be eaten and what not. [My mother's side of the family has a history of diabetes.] Then the topic shifted to making mooncakes.

Thereafter, we went to Dome at Dempsey Road, for coffee. And I spent half an hour trying to explain to my uncle that using a network adapter card and piggybacking on his neighbors networks is illegal. He has this notion that the network adapter card makes him invisible. I hope he understood in the end though. Something tells me he doesn't. But then again, he doesn't have of a lot of bandwidth-intensive applications so that should be alright.

And the topic shifted from Bermuda Triangle to Great Wall of China and how its wall is still so strong to whether emperor of Japan or emperor of China is greater. Then it leaped to differences between a blog and a website followed by advertising methods of websites, followed by a minor discussion on newsreaders and how good and/or bad they were.

Then the topic shifted to silkworms in Malaysia. Followed by how every part of a Yak could be used. Then it shifted back again to how my uncle's colleague demanded an apology from his student who criticized him heavily on her blog, and they had an out-of-court agreement. She paid him some cash for compensation. He teaches law.

Talk is time, so soon it was time to head home. And my mum kindly kept my uncle awake at the wheel with a running discourse about my father's side of the family. I dozed off midway though, but awoke to the still-running discourse.

Now I know where my talking genes come from.

children.

Children standing
Singing
at the top of their voices
not antagonizing
singing
from the bottom of their hearts

With joy with love
with forgiveness embrace
of both genders of various ages
of colors and race

Some close their eyes
Some raise their hands
Some kneel down
to make amends

Though they are but young
though they may still be full of fun
they mean every word they sing
and give it its own ring.

Art

I watched an art performance today. Abstract and deep it was. It had female nudity. And by deep, I'm not talking about the depth of the orifice.

But in life there are many blurred lines. And nudity and art is one of them. When does nudity become art, and vice versa?

Yet art is subjective, and meat to a man is poison to another, and this is so perfect for such an art case study. There isn't a definitive guidebook on boundaries to border nudity and art.

Generally, most of what that borders such is society. While we may not bat an eyelid at artistic performances that contain full or partial nudity, we would most definitely frown and lock in chains those which view pornography as art. Distasteful we exclaim, chuck them in chains and stash them away in dungeons.

But if we were to critique nudity as art and declare it a no-no, are we doing it out of fear that patrons would try to follow and imitate this style of art without knowing its true definition, or are we ashamed of our own nudity, or do we regard it as bold, and something out of the social circle which most of us do not step out from?

Then again if we were to support the notion that nudity can be considered art, would more artistes jump aboard the bandwagon and feature nudity simply so it can be considered as art, or simply to draw the crowd?

Art.
Narrow yet so wide.
Full of probabilities, and countless possibilities.
Art.

And.

And a ray of light shines through the dark room. But light needs no source for it simply exists where there is no darkness. For darkness is devoid of light. Where light exists, darkness fades away.

And a horse gallops through the night. But it must hurry for night turneth to day soon. The sun will rise soon, and with it hopes and exciting prospects of a brand new day. Friendships to be discovered, renewed, revived, or lost. Wounds to be healed. Love to be lost. Love to be found.

And a unicorn glides through the forest. The creatures all stop and stare at such mesmerizing beauty. One horn to rule them all. One horn to distract them all, and make them do her bidding.

And laughter to rule the day.

And a rainbow gently pierces the clouds and radiates through the sky. A kaleidoscope of colors. Children point up and tug at their fathers' sleeves, and murmur and stare, hypnotized. Babies look at it, from their resting place on their mothers' shoulders, look away and then look back at it again, curious at this strange phenomenon.

And a glass sits on my desk, a drop of water perched precariously on the edge. A slight draft of wind and it would lean over and slide. But for now, it remains there, undecided, unmoved, and in no hurry to go downwards.

And the eagle looks down from his nest, as people below scurry about to and fro. Full of worries, full of things to do and to be done which were meant to have been done the day before. No time to think, no time to rest.

And love to start the night.

Turandot.

What is love?

If love is beauty, then she has it all. For with her beauty, there was no lack of suitors. All came, far and wide, seeking her hand in marriage, only to be faced with three riddles to be answered correctly.

What is born each night and dies every dawn?
What flickers red and warm like a flame but is not fire?
What is ice but burns like fire?

Hope.
Blood.
Turandot.

What is love?

Car USB Stick

It's only a matter of days before the F1 comes. What used to be months, now is days. And if you can't get a seat or a ticket, who cares? All that matters is to bring home a piece of the F1 and just gloat about it right? After all, nobody's going to demand to see your ticket or ask your opinion on that particular second of the race where whats-his-name overtook whats-the-other-dude's-name, [a trick is to just nod and say 'han nor!']

But if you're like me, who has no cash to even bring home a piece of the race, [I don't think they sell tar spots of the roads], and you prefer practicality over well, over anything else, why not get a USB memory stick embedded in a car?

A Lamborghini USB memory stick would cost you US$43 bucks, and it has 1GB storage space.

But why stop at 1GB? You can get a Beetle-style car that can hold 8GB of personal data. And for only US$49 dollars.

You can check them out at http://www.gadget4all.com/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00439

Elac MicroSub 2010 BT

So, you're a Rubik freak. You've 2 by 2, and 3 by 3, and 4 by 4, and 5 by 5 and virtually any Rubik is judged unsolvable by your intelligence! Well, here's one Rubik you can never solve, simply because it's not meant to be solved.

Meet the Rubik Subwoofer (Elac MicroSub 2010 BT). It's bluetooth enabled, so you don't have to worry about messy wires being tangled, or untangled, but should you need to, you can connect using an RC jack.

Best thing about this 'Rubik' is there's no vibration, so it doesn't matter what kindof music you blast out of this cube, it ain't gonna affect the surrounding objects.

Price? Unavailable. But, one thing I know. It's only 4.7kg.



http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2008/09/rubiks_cubesubw.html

Speaker Bag

Well, if you wanted to bring your speakers around and bag it too, look no further.




http://www.geekalerts.com/ghetto-blaster-tote-with-built-in-speakers/
http://www.karmaloop.com/products.aspx?ProductID=37537

Chrome.

Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari yada yada the list goes on and on. Applications we use to surf the web, though most of us only use the first three. Well, the first actually. Since it's built in and readily available with every new computer preloaded with Microsoft.

But now there's Chrome. No no, it ain't a paint color or type of car but rather a new browser. What makes Chrome stick out from the rest is simply its creator company.

Google.

Search engine giant, and 'owner' of blogger and having a long list of stuff to its name. You can uh, google them, to find out more.

Will the name make the browser more popular, I wonder?

After all, any product that Google has released has achieved a certain standard of quality, can we expect the same quality from their browser, and how would it differ from the other browsers readily available in the market?

I wonder.

companion

Companions.

They don't just accompany or provide assistance. They provide refreshment too.

Companions.

They provide refreshment to the heart, soul and mind.

A smile of a model is but able to be bought. A smile of a companion is not from the mouth but from the eyes. It could be a twinkle or a wink or a light or a blink.

Companions.

Scandals, friends, partners, lovers, siblings, it goes by many names but it still denotes the same.

Companions.

Words of the wise originate from them, words of wisdom sprout from their mouth. Their tongues may speak bluntly yet it boasts of truth and nay a heartfelt lie. Shoulders swing freely, and sleeves can be dried.

Companions.

Love flows freely, words ain't a necessity. Gestures, movements and messages passed through the eyes. Nods, shakes, slight shifts of the eyes, and a sentence is formed.

Companions.

Regardless of facial features, or body sizes, or accents or exaggerated movements.

Companions.

Scandalous companion.

sometimes.

Sometimes you don't need a partner to be loved. Just companions to fill the heart.
Sometimes one delights in others absurdness like posting in a forum and asking if using peer to peer (p2p) software 'can kana virus or not'
Sometimes one ponders what is the world coming to.
Sometimes life becomes so meaningful when you share it with others.
Sometimes everything's perfect except the feeling.
Sometimes two friends drift apart.
Sometimes all one has to do is wait.
Sometimes two friends come back together.
Sometimes friendships require closures too.
Sometimes two friends become two strangers.
Sometimes funerals aren't meant to be sad or grieved.
Sometimes faith and material-less world makes life meaningful.
Sometimes words fail us. And we turn to time.
Sometime sometimes makes sometimes some time and not all the time.

ya mian bao

So there I was at the coffeeshop, ordering duck noodle for takeaway.

Me: Ya mian, bao. (Duck noodle, takeaway)

[Lady from shop behind me]

Aunty: Mian bao? Wo men you zhi shi mei you ya er yi. [Bread? We have, only lacking the duck]

[Duckman daos her while I politely smile and roll my eyes inwardly]

Sometimes people need not be too enthusiastic. Especially when cracking cold jokes at 9 in the morning.

:)

Darn.

And so the realization strikes me. Gmail isn't growing as fast as it should. I've used 80% of my gmail space already. 5701mb to be exact, out of 7075mb.

Which isn't very feasible. Thank goodness I'm ending work in a week. But still, time to do house cleaning.

And the limit for Unlimited space looms near. But then again, that's the freedom of email accounts no? You can create more than one and simply shift stuff around to leverage out the space.

Time to get another gmail account me thinks. :)

Blogging.

I'm actually using my gmail account to compose and publish this post directly, without even logging in to blogger. This way, nobody in office can tell at first glance that I'm blogging. It would just seem as if I'm composing an email. Of course, I could make it even more believable by putting a dear sir/ma'am at the beginning. Or a Dear Diary.

The official definition would be to call it a web log instead of a blog but that would be, like, totally, uncool, like, you know, like yea.
But no matter whether you call it a blog, web log, journal or dear diary, you would probably have seen or experienced part of its evolution.
It was only in 1999 that blogs became popular, but even so, it was only for those in the youth demographic. Students used it to vent out frustrations or post ideas or reflections of lectures. Most would rather write it out than type.

Then the blog revolution came. Hosts like livejournal and blogger gained publicity by word of mouth, and experts all sat around and discussed this new trend. Suddenly it seemed as if everyone was blogging. And why not? It offered simplicity - just type and click publish. It offered freedom - why censor your own words? Just rave and rant! Best of all, it offered a chance to be heard, by the millions of people who surf the web. But if everybody is busy blogging, who's busy reading the posts?

So, a natural evolution came about. Podcastings, videos, blog skins, etc etc, it just came. And so now we have all we could ever have. Password protected posts, so your ex can't read about you hating his guts, or parents finding out your desire to run away from home. Skins of every color and type to help you ensure your blog stands out among the rest. You have advertisements on blogs, so one can write and earn money at the same time. And mobile blogging, and it seems as if there is nothing left to revolutionize it any more.

What's the future of blogging then? Googling doesn't find any answer to the question, and perhaps we would never know. Creation of blogs is still high, as much as its demise. True that there are a lot of blogs doesn't mean a lot of people still blog, since some simply stop blogging. Then again, there are some who own more than one blog.

Will blogging hit the ceiling and fade away, like the burst of the dotcom bubble? Surely not, since it caters to a need inside each of us - the need to be heard. It gives us a voice, and most of us don't bite the hand that feeds us. Perhaps there will be two distinct types of blogs in the future. One which is public and allows us to express our views, opinions on any subject, openly and without discrimination. The other would be that which is highly secure, and hack-resistant. The latter blog allows us to reveal our deepest secrets to ourselves. It allows us to pen down our thoughts crucial to our emotional life, and answers the questions we post.

What do you think? Will blogging decline steadily or simply remain constant till the internet gets overcrowded?

music madness 2

can you feel the rhythm of the falling
raindrops keep falling on my head
head and shoulders knees and
those were the days my friend we thought they'll never
[it's the] end of the world

joy to the world all the boys and
girls watch the boys go
by the rivers of babylon as we sat
downtown where everything's waiting for
you are the sunshine of my
[the circle of] life and it moves us
all or nothing at
all by myself don't wanna
be-yond the sea somewhere waiting for me
me a name i call my self far a
long way to go
go go go go gadget flow.
by lupe fiasco.

cause it's like im in a sphere
and around me float those lines of songs
and phrases and titles
and the emotions all lighted panels
behind and above
and i reach and grasp
and pluck them off their flight plan
but more keeps coming
and the more i take
the more it comes
and a sweep of the hand
and it moves to the left
point the finger and it shrinks
just take and combine
these thoughts in my head
they keep running they keep chasing
these songs in my head
they keep playing they keep singing.

Maybe it's an R thing

I believe in numbers and letters of the alphabet. I don't worship them of course.

7's a nice number. It signifies completion. Seven days in a week. Just read any book of the bible, and seven would be in it. Seven years of famine, the Pharaoh was told. To forgive seventy times seven. Seven seals of revelation, and the list goes on and on.

I kind of look for stuff that could mean one or the other. Names. Letters of names. Numbers of letters of names.

Like me and Js and me and Rs. Coincidence some say, but I don't have, perhaps I don't believe in coincidences.

Second R to fail. History seems to repeat itself. Can't get too close to an R. That's what the R in hurt stands for.

Guilt.

Wouldn't it be nice to just start all over again, and embark on a new life.
Just restart the computer, or create a new email account; a new identity.
But it doesn't really work that way.

We could lock up the memories that we don't need or want and banish them from our minds forever. But there will come a time when they would break free and come back, twice as heavy the burden.

A new name, a new person, but deep down no matter how many new identities we create, or try to imitate or conform to, we will still be the same person, at the end of the day.

And so we live on, day by day, to perish at the end of the day just so we awake alive at the beginning of the next. To do as much good as we can, during the day, because of the bad that we did the day before. Or the week. Or the month. Or the year.

Despite being assured of our salvation.

Guilt.

I saw you yesterday. Wondered if you saw me. Then feared the thought of you even seeing me. Who knows what you might or might not do to me.

'Cause I would be unable to provide an explanation if you asked me for it.
You could pound me all you want, but there would be no possible explanation ever.

Perhaps your friends were right about me. But I did enjoy the time with you. I think you did too.

And it hurts.

'Cause now I'm back to square one.

smile.

And the gavel pounds on the block, and the sound resounds through the skies.

And all stop their rejoicing, and look towards the gates, to see who has arrived next.

Singers pause and prepare their scores for the welcome chorus, while dancers gets into position. Drummers raise their arms in expectation, as waiters prepare the feast for the new addition.

But he does not know this, he that stands behind the gates, he that is in front of
he that pounds the gavel on the block.

And with each pound, a memory flashes through the mind. A good deed, an act done in kindness and with goodwill towards men.

And with every pound, a memory flashes through the mind. An evil deed, a vicious thought, hurtful speeches, and seeds of discord.

And a balance appears, and the deeds of each kind are placed and weighed.

The balance leans heavily towards one side, and it's not the good deeds.

Every being behind the gate, that was rejoicing and dancing and singing now stops, and looks in the same direction, their hearts hoping and praying.

And there is sadness in the air. But then a gasp of astonishment is echoed through the beings, unseen and unnoticed behind the gates. The scales have tipped back to the other side, in favour of the good deeds.

A closer look reveals a drop of blood.

And the gates open.

why so serious

Glass shatters everywhere as he run and crashes into mirror after mirror. Blood trickles down his forehead, as fragments get embedded in his flesh, but he keeps going forward, and onward.

He slips and falls, but picks himself and continues charging forward, towards the light. Each time the light draws near, and he thinks he has found it, only to find it's a mirror and he crushes it to pieces.

He's in a bloody mess by now. Blood all over his face, and shreds of glass cover his flesh. And there's a mirror in front of him, and he's disgusted by what he sees. The monster, the beast, a useless blood-dripping carcass.

And, out of the darkness, a bat whacks him at the side of the head.

And out of the darkness, a voice springs within his head.

"Why so serious" and an evil laughter rumbles through the cave.

The bat falls again, and he reaches forward, his fingers grasping for the mirror; to shatter, to break, to kill the shadow behind.

Only to realise it's not a mirror.

And the bat falls. For the last time.

your eyes.

The door slams shut, and the light goes off.
Pitch darkness. He waves his hand in front of him, and sees
black, cold, cruel darkness.

Then a flame flickers and illuminates the room.
Room of skeletons.

One by one they come alive
and take on human faces
shapes sizes features
people from history.

and then their voices attack.
swift hrash fuirous mericless
cold.

why did you neglect G.
how could you hang up on I
as she laid on her bed and cried
and called you
which you didn't pick up.
why did you make R suffer so much
after all she has already gone through.
how could you do that to J
and leave her crippled and hurt.

and he shudders at the force
of their blasts
and he backs till he can retreat no more

he stammers stumbles trying
to come out with something
reasons or explanations
but no words come out
and the sorrys doesn't
calm the soul

and he feels something trickling down his head
and it ain't sweat but something red
it feels thick and makes him faint
it's getting slick and drives him insane

and he trips and falls
to his knees
and he cries out
for mercy, and for forgiveness

and his legs hit on something
shiny that glimmers
and he picks it up
and it's a double edged sword.

and he walks towards the light
as his life slowly fades
every step he takes
brings him closer to the gates
and he looks around in sadness
at what he has done
and he looks forward with tears in his eyes
as he hears the words
'Welcome home, my son.'