Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Almost Over

After a long hiatus from blogging, I’m glad to throw myself into the throngs of the keyboard and allow emotion to be explained in words.

Ah.. such cathartic bliss

The past month saw a whirlwind of events.
Attachment. Presentations. ICAs. Human dynamics. Money.

There were good memories of makan sessions with family and friends. Like when Leni met Stick Insect and I for dinner at Crystal Jade over in a corner of Orchard Central. Food was cheap and good, with excellent company!

I also enjoyed the outing with Deeva, Su + Rams and of course, Stick Insect! Gorging ourselves silly over in Wheelock and bickering over comparisons between Korea and Japan, bitching about everybody’s fave man, Shu Ger aka "Sugaaaah" (Brother Shu) and just letting the imagination run amok was such a great bonding experience.

School also gave me the opportunity to tour several local nursing homes and care centers, allowing me a glimpse of all the back breaking effort required to keep these places running. Salutes! I especially enjoyed touring Pertapis and Lion’s NH..!

It also opened my eyes to see how much my classmates and Ms Joan actually love the elderly. I can only hope when I’m old, I get nurses like them to look after me.

And Sharon Lee and BF are back. Well, were back. They set off for Australia earlier in the evening. Fortunately, I managed to wish her bon voyage before her journey. I’ve known Sharon Lee for more then half my life. And undoubtedly, like all friendships, ours have been not without rough waters. But I’m glad at the end of the day, we manage to settle our differences and salvage what we hold dear. Each other.

In hindsight, I’m unsure of whether age has brought about my raging hormones. I cry so easily these days. My tear ducts are on hyperdrive. Angry, cry. Sad, cry. Laugh also can cry. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. My tear ducts were once bone dry, you know!

And I do not think menopause will strike me this soon. Will it?!

Though besides the good times, December also brought on the cataclysmic revelation on the health status of a loved one. It also saw a series of never-ending events resurface to implicate me in drama that I am not responsible for.

In a moment of severe duress, I asked Ross why such events befall me. He’s answer was stark and simple : “you’ve been given the opportunity to learn patience.”

Trust Ross to match hideous situations with opportunities to “learn”. And as much as would like to have slapped his mouth with a slipper, his words echo a strange reminder to exercise self control in situations that may not necessarily go our way.

Lastly, in line with wrapping up another great year, I thank the Lord for my life. And I pray for strength to remember Him always.


Wednesday, December 02, 2009

fantastic beyond words!

Monday, November 09, 2009

Satiated

You believe a man can change his destiny?
I believe a man does all he can until his destiny is revealed.

Earlier this evening, channel 5 replayed “The Last Samurai”. Minus off the bad interpretation of Asians with the persistently thick Japanese-accented dialogue and you’re left with a pretty good storyline.

And yes, I adore Ken Watanabe. I think he’s so MAN. THE man. The perfect face of a gentleman warrior. MY ultimate samurai hero in the movie. But I sure wouldn't want him to really be a samurai... errr.. because I read that they practiced shudo which are against my moral ethics. But that's another story!


I am an old woman. I have every right to oogle at old men.

The misinterpreted protagonists within run in little circles for what they perceive to be at the heart of their existence. We can mock them for their apparent stupidity but we should question; given the same circumstances, environment and way of life, would we end up at the same point?

Essentially, it is a poignant tale of how greed manipulates the meek weak willed. Propelled by what they believe as anomalies in appearances, the ignorant justifies the use of violence by labeling the other party as a threat.

However, when stripped of its façade; No matter what color, race, gender, age, health status or religion you possess, beneath all, red blood flows. We all experience hunger when we don’t eat, cry when sadness overwhelms and smile at the faces of the people we love.

Perhaps the only difference lies in the intensity in which we feel.

You can be bitter about the wars and the suffering that history has dealt, but when you recognize we are but pawns in this propaganda scandal, you’ll know better then to allow yourself to be embroiled in the whole debate.

People were simple minded back then.
Will you allow yourself to tread that same path?
It’s your choice.

And parallel to the storyline in the movie, adversity breeds courage. It’s ironic that we need such drastic events to stir otherwise dormant courage. And like many of life’s great lessons, we learn through defeat.

You learn to pick yourself after you fall.

A friend (Zul) once said something so miraculously clever its been burnt into memory…

"And sometimes things happen to me at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection I realized that without overcoming those obstacles I would have never realized my potential, strength, will power or heart.
Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless."



Saturday, November 07, 2009

Updates

Last week proved to have an exciting spat of eye popping events. Firstly, we had ‘ang moh’ mania. Our ad hoc lecturer was this dishy Owen-lookalike who had the class erupt with enthusiasm.


(almost) anything for Mr Herd!

Who would have thought Podiatry and compression bandage could be so fun?!

Campus also held an IT fair with Ipods and other IT paraphernalia at discounted prices. The new Ipod Nano that comes with a camera and video function is so damn super cool! My neurons weighed the consequences of armed robbery versus starvation while caressing the sleek, smooth edges that encapsulated the vibrant dancing colors in the LCD screen.


dontcha' just want one too?!

It took a great deal of will power to wrench myself off that potent magnetism to return to reality.

And with fairs, food follows! So, lucky for my ravenous appetite, the school brought in Ramly burger!! Hohoho.. no need to beat down the Mats and Minahs plastered beside the burger stalls at pasar malams!

Alas, the majority of the student body was also mesmerized by the wafting smells of frying patties and I had to join the snaking queue for my dose of Ramly heaven.

See the ooze the burger made! Unfortunately, the burger looks better then it tastes. Though at $2/burger and made fresh on-the-spot, it was passable.

Our research lecture is by far the MOST boring subject in the curriculum. Having slept through and blatantly skipped lectures, I can assure you now that anything I learn, or will learn about research will probably be garnered online or vomited by the lecturer during tutorials instead. Hahaha…
The runner up to the most boring subject is taken by Counseling. With video after video of emotionless actors and a lecturer with an absolutely irritating pseudo-minnie mouse-ish voice, it becomes such a chore to sit through lectures.


the cabbage patch kid lookalike in the vid

Counseling ICA begins next week, with mine due in week 6th. I will be putting on my “Golden Horse” (the Asian equivalent to the Oscars, because I am rooted in my Chinese-Asian culture!) award winning acting chops for Stick Insect in her rendition and vice versa.

Topping off the week’s adventure must be the comical ‘dancing man’ we met on the MRT. He sang, danced and ‘interacted’ with grab poles, his own reflection and other commuters on board.

My gawd, it was hilarious!


our 'star' is the one in stripes!

To protect the anonymity of the abovementioned, alongside the possibility of a civil suite, the man’s face has been strategically obscured by way of impressive camera angling and artistic vision.