Where's the Matrix...?

Skit with "Everything by Lifehouse" as background

2007-12-04T01:05:00.001+08:00

Never thought I'd be back on blog....haha.

Anyway, here's an inspiring video I heard about from my friends in church. it's from Godtube, so go check out more Christian videos over there...!

When I watched it, I understood why my friends were talking so much about it... You will know why after you view it. :)

Me Hatch-Day!!

2007-08-29T06:52:00.000+08:00

Time to write about my THREE birthdays cakes, which were gobbled in a week and contributed to 5kg! (okie, only 1kg, but I bet you can't tell on my svelte figure!)

They were...

The creamy Tiramisu...

With wonderful friends from church...

(No thanks to Hil, my face is scrunched up like that :p)

The rich Chocolate Cake...

(wishing for 40 nice students in my class next year!)

With great oldie friends of yore: We had a night of Articulate and hilarious laughter...

And finally, a mango-jelly-topped sponge cake...

(my favourite!)

With precious friends from CSS at a dim sum buffet restaurant!

PS. This entry was written by Mel who helped to upload pictures for the birthday boy. Any resemblance to people you know in these pictures should be taken seriously.

Hope you had a great week Baby!

Okay, more CSS Arts pictures!

2007-06-19T21:37:00.000+08:00

Just attended two major CSS Arts gatherings in the last two days...

1. The Arts Seniors' Farewell Dinner

2. Melissa Gomes' 21st Birthday Surprise Lunch

So, click on the URL below for rest of the pictures...

http://community.webshots.com/user/cssmatt

TURKEY

2007-06-15T04:30:00.000+08:00

Hey people!!! Just came back from Turkey!
Beautiful country, great sights, and wonderful history!
Here are some pics from my trip... Click on the image below to access the photos.

Sunset at Bosphorus Straits, Istanbul.

ME IS BERT...

2007-05-22T00:26:00.001+08:00

Okay, this is so weird...haha, but true!! :p

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them!

You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you

You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil

How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Fond memories...

2007-05-19T02:45:00.000+08:00

I'm ALIVE! Yes, I haven't blogged for the past 4 over months...Now, I'm back again!!!

Darn...Just when I thought I was happy to be leaving NUS, yet there's this sense of sadness. Man, I still vividly remember my matric day; and collecting the whole bag of 'goodies' which included a file which I never used, a buncha facial products which I think are somewhere in my parents' bathroom now, and some foolscap pads which have definitely been used! Haha, funny how it seems to hurt now that I think about all the good times in NUS.

I still remember the first time I stepped onto NUS soil as freshman! And the songs that play on in my head...Michelle Branch....cos that was loaded onto my MD-player and played on and on from home to school and back. Things I remember about NUS that are no longer present or existing today:

The old, stuffy and dim canteen at Yusof Ishak House. Nope, there weren't any student lounges, brightly-lit study areas, Munchie Monkey or the cool IT Co-op then...
The 'old' library with the Media Rentals at Level 2 or 3....somewhere down below. And the rows and rows of books in a rather dim and dank library. No laptop points, or telephone call-rooms (or watever they're called). Oh yah, the main entrance to the library used to be on the 4th level, therefore we had to first climb a flight of stairs before we'd reach the entrance. Apart from these, I dun really remember much of the old library cos I seldom used it in year 1! Ha..!
Goodness....The Arts Canteen: The Deck. That's the place where so many memories were made! Arts corner...the place where CSS virtually marked their existence in the faculty. There would definitely be somebody from CSS seated there everyday, every hour, maybe even every minute... Great place! Well, the new canteen's circular in shape, so I dun think there'll be anymore Arts 'Corner'. Heh.
There once were an entire buncha residences at where the new University Hall is now. If I'm not wrong, I think that's where Kent Ridge Hall and Sheares Hall used to be.
The lecture theatres had wooden tables then, instead of the plastic ones we have now at most LTs.
The Chinese Library wasn't exactly connected to the Central Library then... one would have to use the external stairs to get from one library to the other.
The NUS logo used to have a cooler-looking lion in it... Haha.

All I have now are photos of the places which once filled up my life for 4 whole years...
Well, I was in school just last week to return library books (for the last time), so I decided to take some photos, especially some significant (and not so significant but interesting) places.

This is taken outside the Central Library. This place is always filled with students walking in and out of the library. Sometimes you'll see students munching on snacks or whatever stuff, cos you're not allowed to eat in the library...

Lover's Park as some people call it. Not much of a park for lovers. But, quite a quaint little place to relax in the evenings. In th day, that place is freaking hot! Okay, you get ang-mohs who like the sun a lot, and they like to seat at the benches in groups...picnic I guess?

Here's a shot of the walkway between Central Library block and YIH. On both sides are shrubs and bushes... I remember taking walks to and from YIH. Haha, it's quite a work-out! But it's actually quite fast; just about 5mins to reach YIH from Arts... And it's the best way to avoid the rain! Yup, better than having to cross the road to board a shuttle bus, just to cross back again once you alighted at YIH. So mahuan...

Here's the Chinese Library! Haha....I think I remember using it ONCE in my entire NUS life. I dunno why I decided one day to study there, but that place has to be one of the most scary places to be in...! Okay, everything's Chinese...the books, the computer terminals (i think), the signs, and most outstandingly: the people! Okay, enuff said.

A-ha, the Kent Ridge Bus Terminal. The most often visited place in NUS...Haha, obviously. And I remember the bus trips I took. In my first year, I took bus 151 to and from school everyday. I remember the bus passing by many major schools in central Singapore: Ngee Ann Poly, National JC, Hwa Chong JC, Nanyang Girls, Chinese High, Catholic JC etc. The bus was always full of students!!! It was madness especially on the way back home. The smell of students after school....hoo-boy! Anyway, I soon realised it was so much faster and cooler to take bus 10 from Harbourfront MRT station. So, for the next 3 years that was basically the daily routine for me :p

Oh well, my NUS life has come and gone... Now it's time to face a new chapter in my life: NIE! Agghhhhh....so far from civilisation; no near to the jungle and Army training ground; so disgusting....Urggh.

New 'additions' to my family.

2007-01-20T23:52:00.000+08:00

Today, I welcome two new additions to my family...
Introducing:

New Hitachi Fridge...!!
Yeap, the previous one kinda died on us...it stopped being cold and started to be only cool.

New 42" Plasma TV!!!!
Woohoo!! Super cool! I was watching the Liverpool-Chelsea match on the new TV...and boy was it cool!!! Just like watching at the pub....

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!

Reds beat Chelsea in the League..AT LAST!

2007-01-20T23:32:00.000+08:00

Liverpool has at last broken the duck against Chelsea in the Premier League.
Today's 2-0 win at Anfield is the first league win that manager Benitez has registered over the Blues ever since he took over Liverpool management over two seasons back.

What a relief! After having lost 1-3 and 3-6 to Arsenal last week at Anfield, it seemed like the Reds would fall once more against one of the other top teams. However, all that speculation and fear has been unfounded!!!! Kuyt scored a powerful one-two, whilst Jermaint Pennant really deserved his long-range curler...his first goal for Liverpool ever since he joined the team at the start of this season. CONGRATS TO KUYT AND PENNANT FOR SCORING! AND KUDOS TO THE ENTIRE TEAM FOR A RESILIENT AND SPIRITED WIN OVER THE BLOODY BLUES...!

Pennant scoring his first goal for the Reds!!!

CSS Christmas Celebrations

2006-12-22T01:41:00.000+08:00

Just Tuesday night was the CSS Christmas Celebrations 2006... It was a fun-filled evening!
To check out the photos, do click on the image below to access the album. :p

WAR MOVIES....!!!!

2006-12-11T11:47:00.000+08:00

Saturday

Watched 'Flags of Our Fathers' on Saturday. And I'll give it 4 stars out of 5.
Firstly, I think the action sequences were done quite well. Realism level was very high, and the emotions invoked were on a high too.. I mean some people actually cried during the movie! Next, the characterisation of each hero was well-documented. You have:

The all-American hero: Snobbish; Attention-grabbing; Boot-licking.
The quiet, unassuming hero: Humble; 'Main' protagonist of the film; Selfless in battle.
The minority, un-willing hero: Confused; Rejected by the community; Torn.

The only part of the film that didn't go so well was the narration/interview of the veterans. That part was a bit confusing as there wasn't a clear portrayal or explanation of who was who. Moreover, the last 30 minutes of the film was a bit draggy....

Overall, I think the film was meant to be more political commentary than war film per se. It showed us how 'screwed up' politicians can be, how desperate governments can be, and how the state often insidiously uses symbols and images to screw people's minds.

Sunday

Attempted to watch a war-movie marathon at with Mark and Moses at Mark's house yesterday...But we didn't manage to complete the marathon as we enthusiastically planned to do so before the exams! I was kinda not feeling too well, Mark was also a bit tired whilst Moses was also a bit exhausted. I think we all didn't train up before this marathon lah! Haha.... We attributed it to not resting well after our exams...

Anyway, we still managed to watch 4 films yesterday:

Saints and Soldiers
A Bridge Too Far
Army Daze
Fahrenheit 9/11

Yeah...I know. It doesn't look very 'war movie marathon'. But we tried to leave the better movies for later in the day, but we didn't manage to last long!! Anyway, the above movies already contributed to about 8+hours of movies... Can we call it a 'war movie sprint/race' instead? Moreover, if I add 'Flags of Our Fathers' to the above list (since I watched it just the previous night)...then I've actually watched a total of 5 military/war-realted movies in a span of 24 hours..! Not bad huh???

A night of freaky encounters....

2006-12-09T00:37:00.000+08:00

Ben Stiller running away from a T-Rex skeleton...

Haha.....There's a new movie that's coming out soon (21st Dec to be specific).
It's called 'Night At the Museum' and it's about how a security guard stumbles upon the revelation that museum exhibits come to life during the night....
Ben Stiller stars as the bumbling security guard, and that already kinda sums the movie up...haha, mad-cap comedy and special effects!

The thing I like about this movie is the concept.
As a young kid, I was always kinda interested to find out if statues, mannequins, exhibits etc. came to life during the night when everyone's not around in the shopping centre, museum or whatever public building. Sometimes I had quite nightmarish thoughts about these freaky mannequins who would move around in the night....I mean, look at most mannequins! They look mighty freaky....

Watch the movie! I know I will!

Pearls Before Swine

2006-12-04T20:01:00.000+08:00

Really lame and dumb, but funny comic...Check it out.

It's a really amazingly funny and sometimes crude comic!
Full of puns, political satire, and LAME jokes!
Definitely something to pull you out of stress or a wretched day.

FIRST AWAY WIN

2006-12-03T15:22:00.000+08:00

Woohoo! Liverpool has recorded their first away win of the season at Wigan...!
Not just any small win, but a 4-0 thumping of Wigan.

And guess what?? They were wearing Red this time...

Anyway, it's great to see Bellamy scoring goals again.

'Unfortunately' in a way, I didn't watch the match. But it's alright. I slept well last night. Woke up well this morning for morning mass. Haven't slept before 11pm in a long time. Really wanted to watch the match, but was too tired. Especially since I didn't manage to sleep well the night before. Only had 4 hours of sleep...crap, I hate morning exam papers. Moreover, I had a paper at 9am! My brain was kinda in a daze during the paper...ah well, at least I did my best.

YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE!

Bellamy on the ball.

Bellamy and Kuyt congratulating each other after the game... Both added their names to the score-sheet. Bellamy got 2 goals, while Kuyt got 1.

Flags over Iwo Jima

2006-12-01T01:56:00.000+08:00

Everybody probably knows all about the latest war movie around in cinemas: Flag Of Our Fathers. Well, in case people do not know, there's another movie that's coming out next March, and it's also about the Battle of Iwo Jima, but now from the perspective of the Japanese defenders.
No, it's not a coincidence but it's actually a joint-2 movie project by director Clint Eastwood and producer Steven Spielberg.

All the hype's usually from the American perspective, and most Hollywood war movies are usually portrayed from Uncle Sam's troops. Seldom do we get to see the 'enemy's' perspective of the war. I'm sure things were even worse for the Japanese soldiers who had to defend the small island of Iwo Jima from an entire horde of American ships, troops, planes....You name it, they got it. And boy did these Japanese troops GET it. They were bombed, shelled, shot at, grenaded, flamed, grilled, fried, and yet they persisted for about 36 days against the US soldiers...!

With all due respect given to every civilian and soldier who went through WWII, I still think that it really took guts and balls of steel (literally speaking!) to have gone through that HELL. Worse, most of the Japanese troops were supposed to serve their Emperor till their last drop of blood. This meant that surrender was not an option but a great act of dishonor instead! It is absolutely sad to see young lives destroyed for really no apparent reason, except for that of bloody politics! It's really an unfair world, to see diplomats and politicians playing a game of chess with neighbouring countries and states by using their own soldiers as pawns.

Anyway, both movies 'Flags of Our Fathers' and 'Letters From Iwo Jima' will most likely be unconventional war movies. They will be less machismo and glory, but more heart and blood. They will portray the lives and conditions of soldiers (from both sides) who had to fight on like mad while their own politicians stayed behind lavish balls/parties and teak desks.

The Good and Bad of Blogs

2006-11-30T01:57:00.000+08:00

Why do people blog in the first place? I've always wondered about this strange practice of blogging. It is sort of like a hybrid between a diary and a personal website. Therefore, it serves to be both private and yet public; which is a paradox in itself.

How can you publish something on a blog yet claim it to be private? And why do people even bother to blog if not because they want to share a part of their life with the rest of the world? (Note that the blogs are accessible to anybody in the world who has an Internet connection) Is it a voyeuristic nature of human beings that leads to the success of the Internet blogs? I guess it's totally because of this characteristic that blogs are such hype today! Can you imagine if nobody bothered to even read what someone typed on his/her blog? I guess it probably would not hurt the blogger that people do not read his/her blog. But the fundamental nature of a blog is to publicly tell others what affects us in our private lives, isn’t it so?

The benefits of a blog seem to be quite apparent. It works like a diary, but more convenient, aesthetic and economical than a paper diary. Firstly, blogs are so easy to set up. All one needs to set up a blog is time. Once you set up an account, the rest is more or less done for you. Secondly, one can add pictures, videos, song files, and other media to enhance their blogs and the entries. This definitely beats looking at a plain old diary and going through the trouble of cutting/pasting and doing some tedious handicraft to enhance one’s paper diary. Finally, it’s free and definitely low-cost (if you don’t consider the electrical bills.)

However, the cons of having a blog seem to outweigh its benefits. Firstly, a blog is public (unless you choose to block/allow certain people only) Due to this public nature of a blog, it is accessible to the entire world. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can just enter into a blog and learn a lot about the blogger’s life and friends. Next, because of the open access, a lot of repercussions can ensue if a terrible hacker or nasty stranger decides to do something to defame or insult the blogger. Lives can be destroyed overnight because of blogs. And the very presence of tag-boards also opens up a whole new can of worms. Because tag-boards cannot be monitored 24/7, malicious and potentially harmful things can be said or added to insult and defame the blogger without the blogger even knowing about it. And what’s worse is the fact that others can access and see the matter happening before their eyes before the blogger can intervene. True, there is a way to block access to the culprit but can you stop that person forever? It is impossible, because the Internet is too large a network to ever successfully track down this person (unless you’re working with the CIA). In any case, this just opens up Pandora’s Box. Finally, if blogs start becoming too much a part of people’s lives, it may not be beneficial for their physical and mental health. This is because whatever happens in the Internet world may affect them very seriously due to their attached-ness to blogs per se. Thus, this may lead them to not be able to properly function in the real world. If people could just start appreciating the real world more, maybe things would not be so bad. Yes, less time on the blogs and more time smelling the flowers and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.

In conclusion, it is certainly ironic for me to be blogging about blogging. Yes, it’s totally self-reflexive. I do have an agenda for blogging this paragraph. And it is to tell fellow bloggers to stop treating your blogs so seriously. There are so many things out there in life to think and do. Yes, blogs are beneficial in a way so I’m totally fine with its continued existence. But a balance should be established so that we do not get sucked into the unrealities of the virtual world.

HAPPY FEASTDAY, CHRIST THE KING!

2006-11-25T01:26:00.000+08:00

This Sunday is the Feastday of the Parish of Christ the King, Singapore.
Not my parish technically-speaking, but been raised and grew up in this quaint little church in Ang Mo Kio.
Had a lot of memories here: Lotsa good ones, a couple of okay ones, and some well rather forgettable ones.

Interestingly, I was among the first few babies to be baptised at this church as I was born about the same time the church was officially opened...around August 1982.
This makes the church the same age as myself: 24 years old.

In Christ the King church, I went through my

Baptism,
First Holy Communion,
First Confession,
Confirmation
First crush (NO, I'm not talking about crushing cockroaches)
First time I handled a dead kitten while clearing an old store-room (Gross and sad)
First time in an adoration room.
First Youth Group - Youth Liturgy Ministry
First brush with politics...heh...one of the not too nice memories.
First time being in a major leadership role
First time being a karang-guni man (Youth Fund-raising)
First time being a salesman (Youth Fund-raising)
First time being a chef (Youth Canteens)
First time being an interior decorator (Youth Room)
First time feeling mentally, physically and spiritually exhausted to the core
Most importantly, my first real group of friends!!!
AND so much more....

The truth about it all, the church has been a big part of my life for the last 24 years.
And yet, these few months since I technically stepped down from any active participation in church, I've not really felt totally lost.
It's that strange paradox: I want to be away, yet I want to return.

I hope and pray that I'll return to CTK some day.
(as in to be part of the church movement once more)
BUT not too soon...
In the meantime,

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY TO THE CHURCH OF CHRIST THE KING!
HAPPY FEASTDAY!

REDS WIN IN RED. SEE???

2006-11-25T01:04:00.000+08:00

As we've seen, Liverpool has won again wearing Red.
It comes as no surprise; and I don't think it's just home advantage...

Look at Stevie G! YEAH! His second goal of the season...
Hopefully, he will start to score more goals.

Stevie Gerrard scoring against PSV to make it 1-0!

It's celebration time for the Red folks...at last, something to cheer about.

And finally, we got to see Petie Crouch scoring his 14th goal of the season!
Amazing, isn't he? Surprisingly, he hasn't really been in Rafa's good books.

The lanky Crouch makes it 2-0 with an unbeatable header!

So, finally. My conclusion for the post: The Reds can WIN IN RED but not in YELLOW.
Dump the yellow! Cut them some slack! Give us fans something to cheer about!

THE REDS HAVE BEEN YELLOW-FIED...

2006-11-22T13:40:00.000+08:00

It's a sad sad fact... But the Reds seem to be hitting a rough patch recently.
And what's killing every fan is their terrible away form!
It's something that can't really be explained, cos they do so well at home.

Comparing their home and away stats:

Home - 5 wins, 1 draw
Away - 5 losses, 2 draws

It's unbelievable, but they seem to hit a wall everytime they travel out of Anfield. I wouldn't even dare say 'travel out of Liverpool' due to their sad sad 3-0 loss to archrivals and fellow Liverpudlians Everton!!

Some fellow Liverpool fans have said it's a curse! And they all seem to agree that the curse points simply to that terrible terrible YELLOW away jersey that they wear!

"I don't believe it..My plan was flawless. Must be the yellow coloured jerseys..."

"It's a disgrace! I hope nobody recognises me in this jersey..."

"Dirk, I think it's time we used our secret weapon: The Euro Away kit!"

"Man, I thought that Yellow's my lucky colour!!!"

Truth be told, when the Reds play away in European games, they seem to have won a number of them... Remember the 1-0 win over Bordeaux? And this is because they were wearing the European away jersey (which is SO MUCH nicer than the yello one!)

Steven Gerrard: "Wear THIS. Not YELLOW."

So...maybe the problem lies with the jersey!!!
TRASH THE YELLOW JERSEY!
WEAR THE EURO AWAY JERSEY INSTEAD!

I may not believe in superstitions, but I really think that Yello is a terrible colour to wear on the pitch. It's glaring, difficult to see, and you look like losers on the pitch. Yellow is such a negative-laced colour...

COME ON, REDS! STOP WEARING YELLOW!

I had a really memorable Birthday this year!!

2006-08-17T21:41:00.000+08:00

This year, I had a really enjoyable and memorable Birthday... I still remember some of my past few birthdays spent amidst the hustle and bustle of Army or the new school term. But this year was so so different! This year, someone really special planned an elaborate surprise for me...

"Dearie, thanks for the surprise at Clarke Quay! :)
Yeah, I really had an interesting night there...!
Will never ever forget it!"

Anyway, here's just a pic of that memorable night...
The Esplanade backdrop is just superb..!

Me and my special someone.

Okay, at last...photos from my 24th Birthday celebration!

2006-08-17T21:21:00.000+08:00

Hello to those who have been waiting patiently for the photos... They're uploaded at last!
Now, you can view them via this link below.

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1ActGTVq3ZsXEw

"Happy Birthday to me..."

That was last Friday, 11th August. I had a birthday dinner just with my old foggies friends... After the dinner, we proceeded to Esplanade Park to watch the fireworks arranged by Team New Caledonia... Where in the world is New Caledonia???
Anyway, the gang had a surprise birthday cake for me afterall...! Heh...Thanks to you gals: Mel, Jac & Grace for the well-planned surprise. I really didn't know anything about it, neither did I spy anything amiss... heh.

Anyway, thank you to all those who were there with me to celebrate my 24th birthday:
Mel, Grace, Jac, Qi Qi, Peiling, Matt Chan, Fab, Alex, and Peter (who had to leave earlier)! You really made my birthday a meaningful and memorable one! And thanks for the gifts too...! :)

Your Money in the Water...

2006-08-05T02:08:00.000+08:00

Man...what a stinker. I'm so sorry to say this to M.Night Shyamalan.. "Please explain the point of the story to us all who fail to see the light at the end of your movie's tunnel..??"

What started out to be rather promising of a tale ended up being a totally ridiculous and mundane story which was even worse than watching Snow White & the Seven Dwarves. The plot was just so incoherent and many things were left unexplained.

Seriously, I was totally surprised that the movie ended the way it did... Okay, I do admit that I was expecting some kinda plot twist or more dramatic sequences that would get me thinking. But this movie just went on and on and on without much explanation, character development etc. It was a simple story torn apart by a confusing cast of characters and disappointed by a non-existent plot. I bet even his children were bored to sleep by his 'bed-time story'.

The Village was good, cos of the build-up of the plot and the eventual twist that threw me off my seat... But I guess I was expecting much more from M.Night after his previous successful films. Bahh..It's my fault too for having such high expectations.

Well, I'm giving this movie 2 points out of 5. The credit goes to the actors Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard who put their heart into the characters. Ohh...credit also goes to the crew who had to put up with this load of s**t. Heh.

Adventures at Anfield.

2006-08-03T14:08:00.000+08:00

THIS IS ANFIELD! Doesn't the pitch look so cool??? :p

Here I am at the famous "This is Anfield" sign just above the staircase from the players' changing room! A bit difficult to reach it, cos it's a bit high...haha...must stretch quite some bit.

Ohhh...!!! Can you believe this was the very sign that many great Liverpool legends have touched??? People like Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, John Barnes, Kevin Keegan, Bob Paisley, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard etc..!!! OKAY!!!

Mel in front of the Champions League trophy at the Liverpool FC Museum.

What a wonderful world...

2006-08-02T00:10:00.000+08:00

Hello people!
Well, many things have happened since the last time I blogged...

Firstly, I became a Godfather. Yes, an authentic godfather to an authentic god-daughter Janice. It was her confirmation that just passed by in July, and she asked me to be her godfather! Yeah...! :)

Me and my god-daughter Janice after her confirmation!

Next, I travelled to England and Ireland to attend a close friend's graduation, plus travel around on a holiday. Yes, I got to see Anfield upfront and personal!!! Oh my goodness, it was like I was in heaven! Hahah....really an experience of a life-time for any Liverpool FC fan! Ireland was really beautiful, especially the Republic's rural landscapes. Being in Ireland was also like a dream come true for me, who's always been like a kinda seudo-Irish lover. Well, I drank some Guinness there, listened to some 'live' Irish music at an authentic Irish pub, and walked the lands of the Burren and Connemara regions.

A stream in the Connemara region... Beautiful and really serene!

Following which, something ultimately more special happened! My close friend became my girlfriend. Hee:)

Me and Mel having a meal at an Irish restaurant in Temple Bar, Dublin.

"Mel, it was really an unforgettable trip and a really most momentous (though odd :p) night in Belfast! Loving you lots!"

I won't walk alone!

2006-07-07T23:32:00.000+08:00

I'm going to the KOP!!!!
Agghhh! I spent about 10-15mins trying to call into the Liverpool FC Tour Hotline! Just when I thought all was lost, the operator picked up! And so fortunately, there were still 2 places available for the date that I wanted to be there!!! Goodness gracious me! I thought I was going to be terribly disappointed but now I just realised how lucky I am!!!!

The problem about the tour is that one has to really book the tour way way way in advance cos it's really very very popular..! I only just realised that the best is to book it at least 2-3 weeks in advance. I am so GLAD that I managed to get into a tour with barely a week in advance only...

Now, I will really treasure my trip there!!!
Anfield, here I come!!!

sayonara, england.

2006-07-02T14:05:00.000+08:00

Well, it had to happen sometime soon.
Goodbye England.
You played with grit, courage and heart.
But unfortunately, you lacked the killer punch, you did not have an individual skilful player-maker. You did not play like a team that could really threaten the other Cup-worthy countries e.g. Germany, Brazil, Argentina. You did not have a very good record with penalty shoot-outs. Your team did not play to its maximum potential. Most importantly, you did not have a very rational manager/coach who wasted his team line-up on unknowns whom he hardly used in the end.
2006 just wasn't your year.

How about South Africa 2010???

Back to reality

2006-06-24T12:38:00.000+08:00

*PHEW....*

Hah, my first weekend in 2 weeks where I can finally rest properly.
Had 2 long major events in the last 2 weeks:

1. CSS FOC 2006 (12th-16th June)
2. In-Camp Training (19th-23rd June)

FOC 2006

FOC was just superb! I really enjoyed myself the entire time. Even though I was just there as an extra helping hand/senior, this FOC was simply a different experience from the past few ones I've been to.
In 2003, I was a participant, a freshie; thus I was also rather aloof and shy and simply 'gong'.
In 2004, I was a facil, a 'new' senior, still learning the ropes of CSS, and simple too tired to truly enjoy the FOC due to some of the facils' responsibilities which included short sleeping hours and tiresome de-briefs!
In 2005, I was so busy with church and other church camps, I hardly had time and energy to be at FOC. Yet, I decided to go eventually for the last 2 days. Wasn't feeling well and couldn't really take part in the bonding properly. Was a bit of an 'outsider.'
In 2006, I came as a senior, helped to play/organise for a few prayer sessions, helped as a games station master, helped the facils out when they were busy. Really immersed myself in the games and the sharings! And I'm glad I went! "SHABU-SHABU!"

In-Camp Training

ICT...A word I really hate, especially when it occurs during my holidays. Why can't I enjoy my holidays for once without the SAF bugging and disturbing my peace??

Anyway, the ICT went quite alright. In fact, I dun think it was really very bad afterall. Had IPPT for one of the days, and I failed it. Haha...crap, I realised that my arms aren't as strong as they used to be! But I'm still glad I can run...managed to clock 12minutes for my 2.4km run. That's not impressive of course, but I still managed to clock a passing time...now that's still good.

Had an outfield exercise for over 2 days...Man, I hate that feeling of camouflage on my face, with millions of mosquitoes sucking out my blood, and having my camo-filled sweat drip down my face......AGGGHHH. Anyway, that's just what happened. Had to endure an entire night without real proper sleep; kept myself awake and alive with some combat rations. Oh, the combat rations have improved! Check out what goes into combat rations nowadays:

Ribena Packet Drink
Pokka Canned Coffee
Canned Milo
Cream Crackers (Peanut, Chocolate, Cheese etc)
Canned Tuna
M&Ms
And more branded food items...!

Haha, the combat rations are becoming edible again...! The old ones are still in circulation; in fact, these other branded food items come in soem sorta 'booster packs'.

Had some cohesion games/activities almost immediately after we all came back from the outfield exercise..Pure Madness. I think that most of us were actually hoping to have a good rest after the exercise, yet the unit had to pull such a dumbo stunt on us... BOPIAN, we all had to take part or at least support the event. Anyway, I was 'forced' to take part in one of the activities: A water-bomb game. Actually, I sorta enjoyed the game cos it made my ICT more fun and familiar. Just a week ago, I was also in the midst of a water-bomb game at FOC; thus this game sorta brought back good memories! :) Eventually, I was busy helping my company tie the water bombs. My style: Super tight bombs, Not too much water. And eventually, my company won the game! Hahaha...craziness... There was so much chaos and mortar fire in the game that after a while the game became a free-for-all...

ICT ended yesterday. Was glad I managed to catch up with a number of my old platoon mates and others here and there. Was glad I managed to survive the outfield exercise. All in all, it wasn't that bad. Haha, I even got my NS pay for those 5 days' ICT: about $100. Not too bad lah.

England 1 Paraguay 0

2006-06-10T23:47:00.000+08:00

The English celebrating after an own-goal by Paraguay...sad,sad,sad...

Goodness me! England survived a scare!!!
Paraguay shouldn't be written off, cos they're really quite good.
Anyway, England really played very sloppily today.
I didn't see much of Gerrard, nor Crouch, nor Owen, nor Beckham. Only Frank Lampard did make two shots on goal; and really I think they were spectacular shots! However, the Paraguay goalie really made life difficult for the England shots...!

If England expect to win the World Cup, they've got to do something about their play! Omigosh, compared to Germany's performance in their opening match, I think England seems leagues away...which is pretty strange considering many of England's players are more renowned and skilled than the German team. (Or so it seems...)

Philip Lahm scores a spectacular goal for the German team!!

Well, I think the Germans seem set to win their group, and onwards to the Cup??
Hmmph, anyway I think the hosts have a chance to regain the World Cup title. England?? I think they have a slim chance, but it's still a chance.

My Dream Final: Brazil vs Argentina
3rd placing match: England vs Germany

Spoilers...!!

2006-06-05T01:40:00.000+08:00

Damn.

Mourinho & Ballack

Mourinho & Shevchenko

Don't you just hate it when money spoils all the fun in sports?
Well, this is precisely what's been happening in the English Premier League. Just look at Chelsea and the two big stars they've signed: Michael Ballack and Andrei Shevchenko!
Okay, Ballack did go to Chelsea on a free transfer. BUT Shevchenko cost about £30million! That's like so much money for just one player...!
Anyway, this one club seems to be spoiling the market, cos they're buying their success! The past 2 EPL seasons have been won by Chelsea only because they could afford to buy almost an entire squad. Just compare Chelsea to the next 2 finishers of this season's EPL: Manchester United and Liverpool FC. Quite a number of these latter two clubs' players were weaned from the youth squads, whilst the rest of them probably cost a fraction of Shevchenko...

Do teams nowadays have to buy success??? Doesn't this just mean that the richer clubs will always be able to get the better (or even the best) players?? What about lesser clubs like Everton, Manchester City, Birmingham City, Sunderland and the rest of the teams from the Championship and so on??? Are they to forever dwell in the pits of English football? Will they never ever rise up to be like one of the successful English clubs? Does money really mean everything? Does every team have to wait for a Roman Abramovich to come to their rescue? Why can't they go back to the times when teams really trained hard to become champions?

Even if Chelsea win this upcoming season's EPL, it doesn't mean anything cos they bought success. BUT let's just look at Real Madrid. Even though they bought so many star players, they ended the last two seasons trophy-less, and worse still many of these star players have become simply too fed up with being left on the bench. Now, here's the real problem about having too many expensive star players on the squad.

They become too expensive to support.
They become too expensive to warm the bench.
There's too many stars vying for the same few positions on the 11-man squad.
The stars become impatient because they want to play some football!
Too many stars don't always mean that they can play well together... Selfish play has to give way to team-work, which some stars find too difficult to do.

Let's hope that Chelsea will finally self-destruct after having too many big names in their team... KA-BOOM!!!!

My last 2 weeks...

2006-06-04T20:54:00.000+08:00

Well, it's been a while since I blogged huh... :p

Quite many things have happened since then...

EIC played their last tune for a while.
My eyes were opened after visiting a salsa bar for the first time.
My video card finally met its demise after serving me loyally for 3 years.
I changed my video card finally...
I completed my scale model of a WW2 Pounder Gun at long last!
I acted as a bumbling ninja in an upcoming skit for CSS FOC.
I booked my flight to UK and back.
I watched X3: The Last Stand, and I pretty much enjoyed it.
Michael Ballack and Andrei Shevchenko moved to Chelsea.
I watched England thrash Jamaica 6-0.
I played street soccer for the first time in a very very long time.
The CTK youth room has finally been cleaned up after more than 6 months!!

Haha, I dunno what to blog about so I guess that's the whole summary of my last 2 weeks.

my results...

2006-05-25T15:52:00.000+08:00

Heya folks!
Just got back my results for the semester that passed by...

This set of results would have settled my future for me... It was definitely the cross-roads for me as I dwelled upon the possibility of having to graduate next month. It was terrifying because I just am not yet prepared to set my foot out into the working world! Okay, some pple may say I'm just being paranoid since I'm already going to be in MOE's service. However, I just felt that I had to learn to be a better student and experience campus life for one more year at least!!!

And guess what???

I AM DOING ANOTHER YEAR IN NUS!!! YEAHHH!!

Haha, actually my results didn't really turn out as well as I sorta expected. But I managed to get a combined CAP of 3.64, which is enough for me to stay on and to do my 4th Honours year! Woohoo!!! This wouldn't have been possible had it not been for the constant prayers that many of you my friends have been saying on my behalf! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
And of course, I'd like to thank the Lord for having blessed me with another year in NUS. It's really a big thing for me, cos I had been waiting for these results to make certain decisions in my life. And as it turned out, the Lord had been with me throughout all those times during the semester when I felt that it was the end of the world for me. I know that I should have had more faith during the semester, to have learnt to trust in Him more. Well, I'm going to continue to trust in Him in the next year to come!

O DRACONIAN DEVIL!

2006-05-19T02:28:00.000+08:00

Goodness me, but all the controversy over the Da Vinci Code has really gotten to me. Strange but true, after so many months and months of talk about this novel, I've only JUST started reading it... I didn't buy the novel cos I blatantly refuse to contribute any more royalty to the man who has defamed Christianity. I also refuse to pay to watch the movie which just opened today! Maybe I'm being anal, but I feel the injustice that's been cuased by the novel is just too great to allow Dan Brown anymore credit (or in this case, money).

Anyway, I've started reading the novel and I'm already into the 83rd page... Indeed, it's a really fascinating piece of work. What I can say is that Dan Brown is truly a skilled novelist, especially they way he sculpts the plot and the events; all that suspense....!
BUT already I can feel the plight of those ignorant souls out there who have been misled by the many 'facts' stated in the novel. Even though Dan Brown clearly states that the novel is fiction, interspersing fact and fiction together is very confusing to a reader. Many readers are led to think that certain fictional events/actions/individuals are actually symbolisms and metaphors of true facts... I admit that even I myself am forced to re-read certain statements in the novel, or am forced to re-set my mindset just so that I can decipher whether they are fact or fiction!

Well, until I finish the novel, I can't say much about it yet. But I shall be wary...

A picture speaks a thousand words...

2006-05-17T01:17:00.000+08:00

Here's the picture that sums it all.

The 2 important persons that made a difference in Liverpool recently...

Steven Gerrard: The "never-say-die" captain of the squad. Always there to make sure Liverpool stay sharp. Always in tip-top performance. Possesses a great foresight on the field. Takes potshots like nobody's business. And often scores magnificent goals! Arguably one of Liverpool's best players in history. Definitely a legend in the Reds' future history books!!!
Rafael Benitez: Master tactician, shrewd businessman. Managed to convince Stevie G to stay at the club. Offered Robbie Fowler a new stint at Liverpool. Has purchased a good number of world-class players: Luis Garcia, Xabi Alonso, Pepe Reina & Sissoko. A definite match against the 'special' tactician Mourinho. Has brought European Cup and the FA Cup back to Liverpool! Definitely has the potential to lead Liverpool to far greater things!

A Night To Remember...

2006-05-15T22:21:00.000+08:00

Okay, now that the FA Cup has been won and everything has calmed down...
Time for some pictures to remember the moment!!!
(Some pictures taken from TV Footage of the 'Live' match)

Okay, this is me after having suffered close to 3 'heart attacks' during the match...

Captain Fantastic Stevie G receiving the FA Cup from Prince William.

Stevie G lifting the FA Cup!!! Bravo!!!!

Liverpool FC are the FA Cup Winners for the Season 2005/2006!

Pepe Reina - Villain turned Hero!!

The Sheer Joy from after the match!!!! haah....NUTS!

Comeback Kings....!

2006-05-14T18:22:00.000+08:00

Liverpool FC has won the FA Cup!!

Haha, it was a mad mad mad game! Another repeat of last year's Champions League Final at Istanbul....another comeback for Liverpool!!!
I hate to say this, but Liverpool's really the Champion of Comeback games....!!! Yes, that Liverpool is forever waiting until the last few minutes to win the game is really disturbing!

Ahh..but the sheer rush of winning the game....Awesome!!!!!

There were times when I just felt that it was the end of the road for Liverpool, but again Captain Fantastic Steven Gerrard has saved the day! :p

What can I say? Another cup to end another impressive season...
Next stop: Premier League Champions.

Bring home the FA Cup tonight!!!

2006-05-13T00:15:00.000+08:00

Liverpool, time to regain the FA Cup!!!

All hail the Reds!!

YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A HOUND-DOG!

2006-05-05T20:16:00.000+08:00

Okay, I'm bored...
Anyway, here's my Elvis Action Figure Collection.
Click on the pic above for a closer peek at them!
Here's the details to each figure: (clockwise, from top left)

Elvis 1954, when he was still young
Elvis in Gold, 1956 when he was a bit older
Elvis in Jailhouse Rock, 1957 when he was older
Elvis in Las Vegas, when he was fat...
Elvis in his 1968 Comeback; the coolest pose.

There's a 6th figure coming in June/July...it's the Aloha 'Blue Hawaii' Elvis!
Can't wait!! haha...

Anyway, you must be thinking that I'm an Elvis fan.. Haha, but actually I'm not. In fact, I could sleep through some of his slower and older songs... But he's a legend! And he was quite the star... So, just collecting them for fun! Anybody interested in getting them for yourself, do contact me. I can help you find. :)

My First Rally

2006-05-04T23:38:00.000+08:00

Today I did a most interesting thing, a first-time for me! Definitely an eye-opener!
I went for a Political Rally! Not just any rally, it was a PAP rally.
Haha, yeah...I just went to watch the PAP members for Aljunied GRC talk at Serangoon Stadium. It was an experience. And I believe it won't be my last.

There weren't really A LOT of people there, which is strange cos there are seats at the stadium compared to other rally venues where people have to either stand or sit on grass/muddy fields. Anyway, the rally was about 3 hours long.. haha, luckily I didn't watch from the beginning...cos I started nodding off half-way through the rally. Not that the rally speeches were boring, just that some of them ermm..weren't really exciting lah. There were 3 big-timers there: Lim Boon Heng, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and George Yeo. Of course, their speeches were the highlights of the rally. However, I found those speeches that were given in Hokkien and Teochew very amusing and interesting! I know that it was an effort to reach out to the heartlanders...but hah, it was a good move lah... Definitely made the rally more fun!!

One common motif that appeared in many of their speeches: "The Hammer."
No prizes for guessing what they're talking about... But it was quite amusing how some of the MPs made use of the "Hammer" motif.

All in all, the crowd wasn't really big and fantastic. People weren't spilling over from the seams of the stadium stands. There were a group of over-enthusiastic PAP supporters cheering the MPS on...looked just like those Singapore Idol kinda shows...! Haha, actually I felt they were really over-doing it... Oh well, maybe some people are just more enthusiastic about the General Elections than I am. :p

Vote for who ah...?

2006-05-01T13:23:00.000+08:00

Now now...hear me hear me.
Politics...ah, what a rarely heard topic of conversation among youths nowadays.
But let me give my two cents' worth now. No bad-mouthing or politicking; just plain facts.

This is the first time I'm eligible to vote, so of course I'm quite interested to know what's happening around my GRC. In case you dun know, my GRC's Aljunied. Yeah. And that means it's Workers' Party vs PAP. It's also one of the major battles happening in the GE 2006.

WP fielded their Team A against incumbent George Yeo's team...that means it's showdown!
Haha, in fact this year the opposition parties seem to have really done their work well. Many of their members are actually quite well-educated and seem to have more edge than those fielded in the past number of elections. I would say that there is a higher chance of the opposition parties actually winning more seats in Parliament.

BUT truth be told... I dun think the opposition parties would win any of the 6-member and 5-member GRCs, cos simply said, most Singaporeans think about their own self-interests and not about whether Singapore should be more democratic etc... but there is hope for the future...

So...for my vote, I will vote......
HAHA, MY VOTE IS SECRET! *BPPPT!*

Arsenal: A Repeat of Liverpool?

2006-04-26T18:28:00.000+08:00

Hleb: Ouch....I want my MOMMY...!!

Well, Arsenal's in the Champions League Final...
Looks familiar huh?

English football club in the Champions League Final.
Underdogs; Facing a strong European Team in the Final (either Italian or Spanish)
Fifth position in the Premier League.
No chance to catch up with the Fourth team.
Champions League action for next season is only possible if the team wins the Champions League.

Well, if you guessed Liverpool then you're right!
Haha, deja-vu...

Arsenal seems to be in a similar situation as Liverpool was at the end of last season... But Liverpool managed to win the Champions League in the end!
So..will Arsenal win the Champions League this time round? I doubt so.
Arsenal's facing either Barcelona or AC Milan, and these two teams are really of a different league from Arsenal.
But then again, Liverpool were the underdogs against AC Milan in last season's Final.

My prediction? (Haha, when did I become an expert at football?)
But my guess will be that Arsenal will lose by a very close margin to either Barca or AC Milan. I doubt there'll be a repeat of last season's goal-fest!! (6 goals in normal time!!)

FA Cup Final Preview tonight?

2006-04-26T18:12:00.000+08:00

Haha, tonight's 'FA Cup Final Preview' it won't be.
Yeah, strange and coincidental but tonight Liverpool will be playing West Ham away. And they're also set to face off with each other in a weeks' time at the Millenium Stadium for the FA Cup Final. However, if people are expecting tonight's match to be a preview for the Final, then they'd probably be utterly disappointed..
Apparently, Benitez isn't gonna give out any clues about his strategies for the actual Final match.

"It's one of those things which happens sometimes in football where teams play in a league game just before a Cup match," said Benitez.

"It's a game we have to play and we will go there looking to win, but I don't think the result will give any clues about the Cup final.

"They will probably rest some players because they are in a good league position and will want to make sure their best players are fit for the final.

Well, let's hope the Reds don't pull off some stupid stunt and lose the match, though.
But I think with Gerrard having just won the Player of the Year Award, he should in high spirits! And with Fowler playing (cos he's cup-tied for the FA Cup Final), I'm sure some magic will be conjured!

But Damn SCV; they're not showing the 'live' match for this Liverpool-West Ham tie. Hey, fans still pay money right?? Ah, but I'm just being a noisy gong cos it dun matter to me, I can't watch it cos I got an exam paper to sit for tomorrow morning....

Final score prediction: Liverpool 2 West Ham 0

You'll Never Walk Alone!

We're bringing home the FA Cup!

2006-04-23T18:09:00.000+08:00

ALL HAIL THE REDS ONCE AGAIN!

Yes, for all those of you who are not so well-informed about football news, here's the news: Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 just this early morning! Yes, Liverpool is en route to their 13th FA Cup Final! The next stage is to beat either Middlesborough or West Ham in the Final...

Liverpool, it's time to bring home the FA Cup after 5 long years!

Riise scoring from the free-kick! Look at the gaping hole in Chelsea's wall!!!

Anyway, this morning's match was a real roller-coaster of emotions!
First, Chelsea almost went ahead with Drogba missing a one-on-one with Reina.
Then, Liverpool went up 1-0 through a free-kick by Riise!
Garcia could have made it 2-0 had he not mis-kicked the ball!
In the 2nd half, John Terry had his header 'equalizer' disallowed as he was deemed to have fouled Riise*phew*.
Just following that, Luis Garcia made it 2-0 for Liverpool with a superbly angled lob over Cudicini!!
That was when Chelsea went on over-drive and start pummeling Liverpool's goalmouth!!!
So, Drogba managed to pull one back through a mistake by Riise to make it 2-1.
Goodness gracious me, Benitez decided to bring on Troare for added defense!! Of all people he brought on Traore.... Man, that was almost as good as bringing in a 12th player for Chelsea...
Chelsea continued to look for the equalizer until the dying minutes!! And they were everywhere in front, and around Liverpool's goalmouth.
And during extra time (5 freakin' minutes!!!), Joe Cole almost levelled the scores, but hit the ball well over Reina's goal... *2nd phew*
Final whistle!!!!! HOORAH!
Final score: Liverpool 2 - Chelsea 1.

NUTS!!!

Fowler's Birthday Goal!

2006-04-10T11:32:00.000+08:00

The GOD of KOP has scored again!!
Haha, Happy 31st Birthday, Mr Fowler!

Yes, Liverpool won Bolton 1-0 at Anfiled just yesterday...
Oh well, probably no chance of catching up with Man Utd for 2nd place, but at 3rd place with 70 points currently is still a big feat for Rafa's men! Yes, next season's Premiership is ours for the taking!
Let's hope Chealsea starts to lose billions in oil money....maybe Abramovich makes some bad deals somewhere and ends up being jailed in some Siberian gaol...
Let's hope the Glazers start to irk the Man Utd fans so much that the fans storm their board meeting, and take control of the club...sending billions of pounds down the drain!!!
Haha, wishful thinking...

But don't anybody just wish Chelsea would just drop dead in their last few Premiership matches??? I mean..I can't stand Man Utd, but watching Man Utd winning the league would be a much easier scenario to stomach than the Blues winning it again with their shitty, cheating, dirty and obnoxiously arrogant ways...!

Unchartered Territory

2006-04-07T00:32:00.000+08:00

It's a strange feeling.
When you leave your comfort zone and venture into the unknown.
Who will help you? Can you do it alone?
What can you do?
To do or not to do?
To step out or step back in?
Should I stay back and become an outsider,
Or should I move out and become a stranger?
Everyone says: Upwards is good. Downwards is bad.
Heaven is North, Hell is South.
So, follow my heart or follow the compass?
Oh, will the shepherd please show me the way???

-LOST

The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me;
you restore my strength. You guide me along the right path for the sake of your name.
Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage.
You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.

-Psalm 23 (NAB)

Strangers in my midst.

2006-04-07T00:25:00.000+08:00

Strangers in my midst.
Who are they?
Familiar faces I reckon, yet they don't know me.
Who am I?
A stranger in their midst.
Who are they?
Familiar faces I think, and I think they know me.
Who am I?
A stranger in their midst.
Who are they?
Familiar faces I doubt, and definitely they know me.
Who are they?
Strangers in my midst.
Strangers or friends? What's the difference?
How does one draw the line of distinction?

POOL won again...!

2006-04-03T21:37:00.000+08:00

Anyway, Liverpool won again!!

Liverpool 2 - West Brom 0

Our 2 strikers scored this time round (w/o Gerrard's help)... Fowler and Cisse!

Heh heh... We're really on a ROW!!!

PC's BUST again...!! Bahh...

2006-04-03T21:30:00.000+08:00

Gosh, here I am typing from the school library's comp centre...
Darn, my home PC's almost a goner... I think my Video-cards's burnt out or something...
I've got red, blue and black lines forming up on my screen everytime I use my mouse or drag my windows!!! It's so frustrating! I hope it's not the Video-card and that it's just some software problem...Damn it, just at this time when I've got 3 reports due soon...

Oh well, life's not too bad.
For all those of you who are reading this entry, All the Best in whatever you do!
Stay sane and don't stress out over small issues in life! They're not worth it...

I'm trying to tell myself that after going through some kinda minor breakdown due to my PC! Man, I hate to say this but I think I'm too over-dependent on my PC...It's like I can almost experience withdrawal symptoms. (Okay, not that bad!!)

WE'LL NEVER WALK ALONE!

2006-03-26T03:15:00.000+08:00

LIVERPOOL ARE ON A ROW!

WOOHOOHOO!

Last 4 matches:

Liverpool 5 Fulham 1
Liverpool 3 Newcastle 1
Liverpool 7 Birmingham 0
Liverpool 3 Everton 1

Haha, unbelievable!
18 goals in their last 4 matches, after a serious goal-drought in their last 2 months...
That's an average 4.5 goals scored per game! Talk about nuts, that's nuts!
Damn, the only problem with Liverpool is that they're bloody inconsistent...
BUT when they're good, they're GOOD!

Let's hope that Liverpool will carry on their goal-scoring form and crush every opponent they meet! Speaking of which, damn...Liverpool got drawn against Chelsea for the FA Cup semi-final. Chelsea's a bloody thorn in the side for Liverpool. Unbeaten in their last 4 encounters with Liverpool...Won 2 against Pool..and those 2 matches were terrible!!! Okay, I'm hoping that the final score-line for that FA Cup tie will read: Liverpool 5 Chelsea 2. Kill the Blues, give them the Blues and send them to the doldrums!
(And dun laugh; whoever you are! Liverpool's out for Chelsea's scalp!)

Peter Crouch, please aim accurately.
Cisse, please shut up, behave yourself and get on the scoring sheet...
Harry Kewell, please carry on your terrific run, mate.
Robbie Fowler, please make Chelsea PAY with their scalp!
Steven Gerrard, please carry on your passion and skill!
Jan Kromkamp, please put in more terrific crosses.
Luis Garcia, please make the defenders look like kids!
Sami Hyppia, please continue to be a presence at the back.
Jamie Carragher, please carry on your terrific defense!
Djimi Traore, please get injured so that Benitez won't have to play you...
Momo Sissoko, please try not to get anymore cards! This ain't poker.
Pepe Reina, please continue to save balls! Ermm...yours included.
Rafa Benitez, please bring the team to win the FA CUP! And the Premier League next season!

All hail Liverpool!
All hail the Reds!
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE!

Truman Show

2006-03-06T20:41:00.000+08:00

Watched the Truman Show yesterday...
Yeah, just bought the DVD as it was on sale.
Always enjoyed the movie cos of its interesting theme and also the many implications behind it.

Even though Truman lives in a world that revolves around him, and even though that entire world is like some kinda utopia, that's not what life is really about.

Watch the movie!!! :)

Check out this activity!

2006-02-18T02:30:00.000+08:00

HEY, ONE AND ALL!

Do check out this activity...

http://kevan.org/johari?name=MatthewNg

I'd like to know how you all describe me with 5 mere adjectives...
It's sort of a eulogy and a testimony. Ha, so morbid-sounding. :p

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME!

when wil it END???

2006-02-10T00:23:00.000+08:00

Bahhh...
I'm so bogged down by everything from studies to churchwork to driving lessons....
Aghhh, I dun have a life! SERIOUSLY....

BUT I will not fret, for I've already just stepped down from the Youth Council, so it's one small step towards freedom! But still stuck in the PPC Exco, at least for one more year...darn.
There's Youth Canteen this Sunday and Youth Mass next Saturday! Aiyoh, how did I get myself involved in both events???

I've sworn to tell myself to not take up anymore things from now till May, and to concentrate on my studies so that I would have time to do other things for my real relaxation! (something which I think I've forgotten about for a long time...)

Well, just 2 more weeks and my commitments to the Youth Movement would be to the bare minimum. Can't wait! :)

BUT I'm glad that the new Youth Council is made up of a group of very talented, very vibrant and passionate youths! To Reginald and Rachel, all the best! I will continue to pray for the Youth Council and that God will lead them and strenghten them in all that they undertake in the next 2 years!

I'm a DOG!

2006-01-25T00:55:00.000+08:00

It's the Year of the Dog!! And that means I'm turning 24 this year!
Yeah, it's already been 2 cycles of the Chinese Zodiac Calendar...

I just went to walk about at Chinatown only today in the afternoon... Gosh, there were so many stalls there!!! Yeah, they had like...6 intersecting lanes of stalls! Okay, the truth is everyone who goes there gets spoilt for choice cos there're so many stalls selling duplicates of each other...
There were stalls selling CNY decorations, CNY flowers (fake and real), CNY goodies and cookies, Chinese sausages, waxed ducks, Bak-Kwa, VCDs, DVDs, drinks, tea eggs, CNY pillowcases and bed-spreads i believe, fruits....etc etc....the list goes on...
It was really awesome to be there, to ahve seen all the CNY spirit moving about at Chinatown!
And the truth is..I think this is probably the first time I've been to Chinatown during Chinese New Year...Yah, can you believe it?? For 24 years, I never stepped into that place during CNY. Well, my parents hate crowds so I guess that's the reason why I never really went there as a child. Even right now, I also hate crowds....but what's CNY without the Chinatown crowds??? Haha.... It's great to be a DOG! :)

I'm Leonardo!! :)

2006-01-15T02:56:00.000+08:00

Which teenage mutant ninja turtle are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Leonardo

54%

Mater Splinter (The Rat)

46%

Donatello

43%

Michaelangelo

43%

Raphael

39%

April O'Neil

21%

Which teenage mutant ninja turtle are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Great..I dun even believe it...But I actually prefer being Donatello; it's always the fella with the staff! He's more cool....oh well, Leonardo I shall be then.

The song!!! Brings back memories doesn't it???

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, (3X)
Heroes in a half shell. Turtle power!

There the world's most fearsome fighting team, (we're really hip)
they're heroes in a half shell and they're green. (hey get a grip)
When the evil Shredder attacks,
Those turtle boys don't cut 'em no slack.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Splinter taught them to be ninja team, (he's a radical rat)
Leonardo lead's, Donatello does machines. (that's a fact jack)
Raphael is cool but crude,
Raphael: (give me a break)
Michelangelo is a party dude.
Michelangelo: (party)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, (3X)
Heroes in a half shell. Turtle power!

What's so sexy about YOUR name?

2006-01-13T00:15:00.000+08:00

Thrilling, isn't it?? Haha....I found this 'interesting' website which makes your name into something sexy! Go try it here: http://sexy.namedecoder.com/
It's quite incredible, how they come out with a picture and an attached sexy translation of your name from virtually any name on this planet! You can try even weird names like: SASQUATCH or how about WONKA? :p

Your 'Major' Quiz

2006-01-11T00:01:00.000+08:00

I did this amazing quiz! Haha...it's a bit true...Maybe I should have been an Arts major afterall!
Ah well, it's a half-truth; I am gonna get a Bachelors in Arts & Social Sciences! haha.

You scored as Art. You should be an Art major! How bohemian!

Art

83%

Sociology

75%

Linguistics

67%

Philosophy

67%

Journalism

67%

Anthropology

67%

Theater

58%

Mathematics

50%

Engineering

50%

English

42%

Psychology

42%

Biology

42%

Chemistry

33%

Dance

25%

What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3)
created with QuizFarm.com

BLUE!

2006-01-06T01:02:00.000+08:00

Hey! Guess what?? I'm feelin' BLUE.. :(
Haha, no lah... Just a little test at Tickle Tests.
The analysis looks quite true, and I agree with most of what is said except parts about me being 'cool and collected'. Ha, people who know me know that I'm always COOL!! Heh heh...
But I'm seldom collected and I tend to overreact actually.

Still...it's pretty interesting how people can become categorized into colours! Kinda reminds you of Care Bears huh? Rainbow, Sunshine, Rainy, etc.... :p

Have a Blessed 2006!

2006-01-01T23:56:00.000+08:00

To one and all, Have a Blessed New Year!

Yes, it's that time of the year when we all say: "Time seems to have passed by so fast."
It's the Year 2006, and it's one more year till Christmas and New Year Celebrations.. Bahh.. I love the end-of-the-year season, it's always the most memorable time of each year. And we have to wait another 365 days before reaching it once more.

Anyway, it was CTK's 10th Annual Dinner & Dance just yesterday; here're the pics to one of our most fancy and grandest dinners of all 10 years...ENJOY!

http://community.webshots.com/album/532872393nBGeFL

Have a Blessed Christmas!

2005-12-25T22:23:00.000+08:00

Here lie the photos from Post-Christmas Midnite Mass!
Some are from dinner at my Aunt's place.

http://community.webshots.com/album/528297947YjaAZA

Yes, my friends from church came over to my place to 'tonn' the night!
Had an interesting experience just sharing the peace and joy of Christ's birth with all my friends! We had lotsa food, drinks (no alcohol!!) and carols!

Hand-made Notebooks at $4 each!

2005-12-04T23:57:00.000+08:00

Notebooks for sale!!!

Here are 4 designs of A5 note-books hand-made specially for raising funds for CTK's 10th Annual Dinner & Dance.

If you're interested in purchasing one at a very low price of $4 only, please SMS me!
For those from CTK, the notebooks are on sale at the DnD ticketing counter every weekend.
For those from outside CTK, SMS me and I'll make an arrangement to pass to you at a suitable time and date.

Do give your support to the youths of CTK in this major project of the year! :)

Design A: 3 wise men (Black & White)
Design B: Nativity Scene
Design C: 3 wise men (Coloured)
Design D: CTK Youths T-shirt Winning Design

Each book is 50-pages thick, with Bible verses on the bottom of every page.
It comes with a 2006 calendar page too!

Safari

2005-12-04T23:34:00.000+08:00

Welcome to my safari! Haha, due to my handy digicam, I've been up to some mischief these few days!! Okay those of you with 'bent' thoughts better keep those thoughts to yourself! >:p

I snapped this little squirrel running around outside my kitchen window; ledged onto the palm tree growing just outside.

Funny little fella almost tried to enter my kitchen as he jumped off the palm tree. Luckily I was there to prevent its illegal entry, if not I think I'd have a lot to explain to my parents.. (Imagine: Squirrel running around the kitchen=DISASTER) As usual this fella climbed all the way up a coconut tree to chew on..NUTS! Haha, when I saw the squirrel chewing on the young coconuts It really reminded me of the squirrels from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.. The ones that were trying to chew Veruca Salts apart!!

Next up, I got this little descendant of the dinosaur... The Monitor Lizard crawling along the road around Ponggol area! Haha... Imagine a tiny monitor lizard. The car I was in almost went over that tiny fella! Cute.

Merry...What???

2005-11-30T21:32:00.000+08:00

Woohoo!! Exams over...! Ahh, the freedom at last. Never felt this free since...ermm....I can't remember. It's been that long huh.

Now it's another month to go before Christmas!
*It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...* (Music playing in the background)
I can't wait!!!
But first, before anything else: let's talk about the Christmas season and all that hustle and bustle happening in the stores and malls...

Dun you hate it when malls start blaring Christmas songs and carols even before December has arrived?
Sure...I love the spirit of Christmas but I really think these malls are overdoing it.
Everything's Christmas this, Christmas that...
Great, Christmas has become just 'another' season or holiday in Singapore...!
All those decorations..and huge Christmas trees... Ahhh...I just love them! BUT...
There's just too much of the secular Christmas around the streets. Oh gosh, sorry if I'm reading too much into it BUT Christmas has become so shallow.
Who doesn't love the White Christmas, the Snowmen, the Reindeer and Santa Claus? I do and I admit that I still am a huge fan of the jolly red fella.
But this whole farce of 'Merry Christmas'. Bahh...I wonder if those people who would eventually end up saying those words on the 25th of December actually know the true meaning of Christmas...
Yeah...It's easy to say Merry Christmas, but do you mean it?
Okay...so what if you ain't a Christian? I think if Christmas means so much to even the non-Christians, it should be seen as a celebration of selfless-ness and sharing (real sharing and not exchanging gifts!).
To all those stores out there selling Christmas merchandise without a heart and only caring about the money made at the end of December: SHAME ON YOU!
Anyway....Oh well, here's Merry Christmas to you! (that message is only valid on the 25th December)

Narnia, anyone?

2005-11-28T11:36:00.000+08:00

Darn Bus Lane...

2005-11-28T11:22:00.000+08:00

Bahh...
I failed my Driving Test!!!
Reasons for my resentment:

Immediate failure caused by staying in the Bus Lane for too long, during its operation hours! Wahlau...The worse part is that I knew I was in the bus lane, but there was no way I could get out of it cos of the crazy amount of vehicles on the road!!! :(
I got 16 demerit points...which means I could have actually passed if not for the immediate failure above...
I'm usually bad at Circuit, but this time I did it flawlessly! Agghhh....the pain, the pain!
The Tester was a Catholic, and he was rather friendly; even talked cock. I thought this was a sign that I would be on the way to a new license! Apparently, this just wasn't my day...
4.30pm is a shitty time to take test in Ubi: Lotsa cars, freaking long bus lanes, Lotsa big trucks moving around (actually they're around 24-7), and the testers are getting impatient cos it's their last test for the day...
The test costs $200 over, not peanuts. I feel the pain AGAIN....!

Oh well, let's hopr things become better the next time I'm at Ubi again.

Sky High!!!

2005-11-12T00:48:00.000+08:00

Watched Sky High...Damn lame movie, but it was funny...
It was a real parody of the X-Men and Marvel-buncha movies and heroes. There were the standard hero-types in the movie:

Super Elastic Fella - Mr.Fantastic?
Girl who can produce ice from air - Iceman?
Guy with fire coming out from his hands - Pyro, Human Torch?
Super Strong All-American hero - Captain America, Superman?
Super Strong Huge & Ugly Humanoid hero - The Thing, Hulk?
Flying Heroine - Wonder Woman?
Super Fast Fella - The Flash, Quicksilver?

And there were other not so conventional 'sidekicks' too, which brings into mind all the weird and not so cool sidekicks that many traditional superheroes had.
Who can't forget the famous Lone Ranger and his loyal sidekick Tonto?

Lone Ranger was American, the typecast Cowboy and white hero.
Tonto was American Indian, the typecast native and lesser a man than the white hero. Though many times, it seems that Tonto's really the smarter of the pair!

How about something more recent? Batman and Robin should be well-known.

Batman, the super cool and dark figure. Outfit is well-designed; all black.
Robin, the really terrible bumbling sidekick; young and dumb. Outfit sucks; red and green??

Haha..it's the ideology that's portrayed throughout most hero-and-sidekick stories:

That the hero is usually a white man. It's American culture lah!!
The sidekick is either non-white, or he's an amateur.
The sidekick's costumes usually pale in comparison with the heroes'.
Most of these stories came out in 1960's America... Maybe something to do with American pride that they felt they were the defenders of the world???

AH well, the movie was interesting. Clean fun! :)

Woohoo! I'm a ....CHIPMUNK???!

2005-10-14T17:51:00.000+08:00

You Are A: Chipmunk!

Everyone adores these cute woodland animals, known for the stripe that runs down their back. Famously timid, chipmunks will quickly scurry to the safety of their burrows if danger approaches. As a chipmunk, you eat mostly seeds and nuts, but you may sample bird eggs and insects from time to time.

You were almost a: Groundhog or a Turtle
You are least like a: Monkey or a Duck Cute Animals Test

My break's over...oh well, let's have a cuppa tea.

2005-09-22T20:34:00.000+08:00

What a crappy mid-term 'break' i had...
Darn, it's already over.

I just dun get it. Why call it a break if they're gonna give us a half-baked one?? Yeah...belive it, my mid-term break's only 6 days long.... from Saturday till Thursday... (I hear laughter in the background)

Ah well...this break has been rather short...and it passed by like a flash. At least, I can say that went to Cameron Highlands during this short break..

Haha, it was really interesting! Did enjoy myself there..
The weather was really cool, and the scenery not too bad too. Ohh...there were so many strawberries everywhere in Cameron Highlands (platations, stalls selling them....Jam, Juice, Fruits etc..)

Here's a pic from there.. Me, Mel, Adrian and Kevin at the Tea Plantation...Check out the view!!!

The only bad part abt the trip was the darn bus ride back home...Wahlau, it took 12 hours!!!! Yes...We left our hotel at about 9.30am and reached Singapore at about 8-9pm. :(

Overall, I think it was great fun! Haha..away from the hustle and bustle of Singapore! :p

The Highlands beckon...

2005-09-15T15:44:00.000+08:00

Oohh..This is Robinson's Waterfall at Cameron Highlands.. Looks quite serene huh...

Yeah, I can't wait to get out of the hustle and bustle of life in Singapore!!! Cameron, here I come!!!!

TWO-THREE

2005-08-17T02:36:00.000+08:00

I just turned 23 two days ago....
It's so fast...life really passes by very very fast..

Before you know it, you're no longer a baby.
Before you know it, you're no longer a child.
Before you know it, you're no longer a teen.
Before you know it, you're no longer a youth.
Before you know it, you're no longer a young adult.
Before you know it, you're no longer an adult.
Before you know it, you're homeward-bound...

And it's not that I feel old, it's more of the reality of life.
Well, they always say, "You only live once." And that's the truth about it.
Because one only lives once, one should really make full use of this short time on earth to make a difference in others' lives. I think it's really of no purpose if we were placed on earth just to ENJOY ourselves and GET THROUGH with life...
There's more to life than this.

How fortunate are we who experience what it means to be alive.
I'm glad I have a life...what more could I want?

New School Term

2005-08-17T02:31:00.000+08:00

Okay, school's begun...

I've got ONLY 3 days of school per week!! Can you beat that????!
Haha, yeah.. I've got like....2 weekends per week: Saturday/Sunday & Wednesday/Thursday!

Oh well, anyway the free days are not really for fun lah..I've got to put in all my readings during that time. And the readings this semester are no joke....so I'm not really more free actually....

WAR.

2005-07-05T18:44:00.000+08:00

I'm back....WITH A VENGEANCE!! YES, TAKE THIS YOU DIRTY SCUMBAGS CALLED VIRUSES! THIS MEANS WAR....WAR WITH THE VIRUSES...

Anyway, as you've seen...I'm back after more than 2 weeks offline. Yeah, I've passed through the final onslaught and survived miraculously. Now, I'm back online...and ready to take on those pesky scums! Yes, viruses cost me my old hard-disk...nevermind, I'm ready this time...Though my hard-disk was a major casualty in my last battle, and though I know the war will never be over, I'll be physically and mentally prepared for the next battle...BRING IT ON!

Anybody watched War of the Worlds??

Yeah, this is Mr Cruise with Miss Dakota Fanning..

Man, the movie was super super freaky!! Especially the starting hour or so... It almost felt so real..as though it was really happening in front of you.. and the suspense was really killing me!!
Those of you who haven't watched it, please do. Though you may complain about the ending, the story's basically written by H.G.Wells in 1889 i think..so dun complain, cos Spielberg didn't do anything much to the storyline...And you really can't blame Mr Wells; he was considered far too advanced in his time...yeah, he's the same guy who wrote Science Fiction stories like The Time Machine among others..

Enjoy the movie! You must prepare yourself for the ultimate war....

BuGgEd...

2005-06-14T10:41:00.000+08:00

FESTERING...FESTERING....
I THINK I CAUGHT A BUG...
FROM THE COMPUTER!!!!

Yes, I'm messed up over here...now I'm recovering from a terrible flu/fever/sore throat/cough...But this comp of mine is a very very sick fella.
Yup, been 3 years overdue on virus software...so it was high time my comp got struck with virus! Ta-da!

Anybody ever thought that viruses were actually made by these so-called anti-virus companies so that we would have to buy anti-virus software from all these companies?? I mean...hey, nobody really bothers to hunt down who created such viruses yah? In any case, who would bother IF you had an anti-virus software which 'conveniently' seems to always have a solution for the peculiar bug infestation in ur comp. Moreover, isn't it also suspect that every so often your virus software expires, and you've got to 'renew' your subscription...BAHHH....it's all a money-making SCAM!
Like the Chinese say: There must be a balance of the Qi in the body. Ying and Yang must flow in harmony. Well, here you've got the evil 'virus' as
your Yin, and the anti-virus software as the Yang. Both good and evil must exist for life to carry on....

Urrghhh..but I wish this virus thingy would just implode and kill itself! I could scream out a million, gazillion swear-words at these virus-makers, BUT I wouldn't know how to stop them and I wouldn't dare too.

TALK ABOUT DISRUPTING THE HARMONY AND 'QI' OF THE INTERNET...
FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT, MY FRIENDS.

THE MATRIX HAS YOU.

2005-05-31T12:41:00.000+08:00

Woohoo! Check out my new blogskin...

Anyway, *phew* Just had a gruelling weekend plus a very busy Monday.
Had the Combined Youth Gathering on Saturday...it was quite good, as we planned. The crowd, even though as usual the CC kids didn't appear even after our invitation, was still quite good because most of the youth group members were present. Here are the Photos if you wanna have a look at what we did!
http://community.webshots.com/album/357516497lSizCI

On Sunday, the youths had 6 pews reserved for mass!! But we only used 4 pews..apparently quite a number of youths didn't turn up.. Diarrhoea?? Then, me, Anthony and Aaron went to clean the BBQ pits left over from Saturday nite... Eeeww...it was SICK. Hahaha! Black sludge and goo.

Monday, me and a few youths cleaned up the Youth Room. Haha, go check it out if you're in church! The Room is spotless..literally. We moved all the stuff from the 102 cupboards to Room 104. Why??? Cos we're gonna start painting the room!!!! Yes!!! Was really glad that I had the help of these youths to clean up the room. It was really tedious to pack up all the stuff into boxes...cos the youths have been amassing lots of 'treasure' all these years..
Anyway, No Pain No Gain. The Youth Room is gonna be up SOON! WOOHOO!

The 'Full' Mayonnaise Jar...

2005-05-30T23:42:00.000+08:00

This is from an email from Alex....very meaningful and interesting metaphor...

> When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in
> a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of
> coffee.
>
> A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front
> of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and
empty
> mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
>
> He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
> The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
> jar. He shook the jar lightly.
> The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
> He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
> They agreed that it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and
> poured it into the jar.
> Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the
> jar was full.
> The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
> The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and
> poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty
space
> between the sand. The students laughed.
>
> "Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
> recognize that this jar represents your life.
> The golf balls are the important things --God, your family, your
> children, your health, your friends and your
> favourite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they
> remained, your life would still be full.
> The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house
> and your car.
> The sand is everything else--the small stuff." "If you put the sand into
> the jar first," he continued,
> "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for
> life.
> If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never
> have room for the things
> that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical
> to your happiness.
> Play with your children. Take time to ge t medical checkups. Take your
> spouse out to dinner.
> Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the
> disposal.
> Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set
> your priorities. The rest is just sand."
>
> One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
> represented.
> The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that
> no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
> cups of coffee with a friend."

EPISODE III ROCKS!

2005-05-25T13:42:00.000+08:00

Revenge of the Sith is REALLY the most heart-breaking of all Star Wars movies ever! Gosh, it's almost like a soap opera at times.

Anakin and his love for Padme
Anakin and his final show-down with Obi-Wan, almost too heart-wrenching to watch!
The Chancellor & Anakin's super fishy friendship
The list goes on.....

Also, the highest notable and significant body count (important characters)

Mace Windu
Ki-Adi-Mundi
Aayla Secura
Saesee Tinn
Kit Fisto
Plo Koon
Basically, the whole Jedi Council except for Obi-Wan & Yoda
The entire Jedi Temple, with the younglings and Jedi Knights.
Nute Gunray
Rune Haako
Padme Amidala
Count Dooku
General Grievous
Anakin Skywalker (Of course, after this he's Darth Vader)

Well, now that the Star Wars Saga is over...What next?? Nothing else!!
Nothing else can match the story, the effects, the emotions, the action and adventure that Star Wars offered.

HABEMUS PAPUM!

2005-04-22T21:55:00.000+08:00

"HABEMUS PAPUM!"
We have a new pope!!

Benedict XVI a.k.a. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

Hardliner, some pple say...
Too old, some others say...
I have nothing to say...
I just pray that he will lead the people in the right light,
and unite the world in peace.

Living in the shadow of John Paul II isn't easy,
So, to all you Catholics and Christians out there: Pray for our new pope!

2005-04-03T20:21:00.000+08:00

The Roman Catholic Church has lost its leading spiritual guide...
Pope John Paul II today.

A man of great simplicity, and humility;
A man just like anyone of us here,
A man susceptible to sickness and ageing.
Yet it was through his sufferings and his trials
that he changed the lives of many, Catholics and non-Catholics.

Always keep in him in your prayers, I know I will.

2005-03-16T17:01:00.000+08:00

I needed a retreat. And I never expected it would come this way...
HE is real, and I really know that. Now, it's up to me to follow His direction
and to draw closer to Him. Yes, no other way; no turning back.

I got so many questions answered, yet I seemed to have gained even more questions from this experience. Who am I? What seems to be wrong with me? What totally freaked me out was people telling me that I had some kinda internal oppression that I never really felt until I realised that prayer and the eucharist became such a chore. And I wouldn't have found out if I'd not said 'Yes' to this experience. Yes, LISS: LIFE IN THE SPIRIT, SERIOUSLY!

I pray for a continual experience in my Life, and for strength to carry on in this path, even when the going gets tough. No more running away but also no more 'keeping it inside'! Time to share my life, and speak up. Time to say 'Yes' when it's appropriate and 'No' when it's necessary! I'm no superman, with no silly red cape..I'm only a man.

But I know I'm a man who needs God.

2005-02-10T03:14:00.000+08:00

Life is so strange isn't it? Just when you thought things couldn't get weird...they get weirder, but in a subtle way... There's always this question..Why didn't things turn out the way I wanted them to in the past? Now, they come back to haunt me, and I have to encounter the truth once more(make that twice in a year). Yes, apparently some pple are meant to cross paths again. But alas, I'm no longer the man I used to be. And whatever's been before.. it dun matter no more, cos the feelings are gone. Ah, "if only..." That's always the word. BUT I've learnt to move with the times, to cherish what I have, to appreciate who I have right NOW and not before, not long ago, BUT NOW. History is there for you to learn lessons from. If you dun learn nothing from it, then oh well..It serves no purpose then. But if it did mean something to you , then now you learn how not to get hurt again. Ah, I was a young punk then. Now, I know I've changed. That was me then. This is me now. My life is different, my goals are different, my struggles are different and even my heart has matured, weathered under storms of yonder years.

People ask me why wait? I say I have nothing to lose. Things happen here and around. This is part and parcel of life. But trust and hope I must have during this stage. Because I believe that love transcends no boundaries: Distance, Time nor Space. Ah well, love's always a mystery/ a detective novel. The clues are abound in unlocking the mystery, but you've got to do it the right way, in the right sequence, in the right time. Ah, so difficult... No second chances. One wrong move and you're bacon for life... Hmm... I dun wanna be no Indiana Jones. I wanna be me. Only me.

2005-02-06T20:46:00.000+08:00

Oh well, it's been a month since I last updated this blog!!!

That's it man!!

Happy Lunar New Year to All Chinese Out There!!
GONG XI FA CAI!!

2005-01-06T02:18:00.000+08:00

Oh gosh, I'm now listening to Alex To's "Qing Ren". Yeah, borrowed Adrian Poon's CD after he started to play some of these old Chinese songs on his iPod. And after that, I just fell back to those good old JC days...Ahh..The Nostalgia...It's a super old song, the year's 1999. And yes, that was my era of Chinese songs. Yes 933 was the major radio station of my time! And I think I really did enjoy myself then. Seems super gross when I look back at those times. Ah well, there were really quite a nice bunch of great songs and singers then actually. Alex To, William So, Ritchie Ren, Daniel Chan, Ronald Cheng, Wang Lee Hom, Peter Ho, Gigi Leung, Tarcy Su to name a few....

Ha, I do remember vividly tring to enter CTK's TalentNite with my own rendition of Alex To's "Qing Ren". I really spoiled his song...horrid audition I had.

Anyway, I just learned how to properly play mahjong from Gabriel, Karen and Sean. That was after Karen's 21st Birthday at her place. I was itching for some mahjong and so I decided to join this bunch of hardcore experts for a round of mahjong. (In case you dun know, a round of mahjong takes us around all 4 compass points...Dong Nan Xi Bei.) Yeah, and so began our game from 12midnite (after the last guests left her place) till 4am.

Haha, I think I picked up fast! Overall, I won 4 games in total. Not too bad for a rookie. And my last game was like dropping a bomb on my friends! It seemed I finished it in style.. (according to Sean): 3 Doors, 3 Red Zhong's, a Chicken and a Worm, and a pair of Fa's, together with a set of other 3 tiles. Haha, LUCK huh? Nah, I'm just good. Hahaha! :p

So, in total I won $9. However, we weren't playing money lah, cos I was just learning the tricks of the trade. So it's $9 in chips and a game I'll never forget!

2004-12-30T13:38:00.000+08:00

Ah Well, I seem to be complaining everytime I blog. Well, this time I think I'm just over-slack. Feel so tired to go out everyday. Yeah, it seems I have something on every single day, and dun even know why! And before I know it, school's gonna be here in 2 weeks time. Shucks.

Anyway, I do feel this December has been a real roller-coaster ride. Immediately after my exams ended, I went for 2 camps. Then after that was over, I was in preparation for another camp. After the camps were all over, I was into last-minute Christmas shopping! YEs, I went mad trying to find stuff for people. And now that all that is over, here I have a performance for DnD. Yes, DnD is tomorrow! It's almost the end of the year. Tomorrow is the last day of the year 2004! Gosh, this year really zoomed by me so fast.

Things I have done and learnt this year 2004

Picked up cycling again after a 4 year Hiatus.
Learnt to rollerblade, at least for a time being.
Took my Basic and Advanced Theory. Passed Basic, Failed Advanced.
Got an improved CAP at mid-year.
CAP fell backwards at year end.
Gone for 5 Church Camps: Youth Bible Camp, Youth Camp, North District Youth Camp, Part of LDM's Children's Bible Camp, YLM Retreat.
Gone for 2 CSS Camps: Arts Retreat, FOC 2004
Went for my first ICT at BCTC, Pasir Laba.
Passed my IPPT!
Learnt to blog.
Gone to Zouk for the first (and last time, if you dun mind)!
Learnt that Complementary Medicine is a very interesting module, but a damn bloody stupid module to take if you have a bad memory!
Perform with ENCORR again, this time for DnD 2004

Things I want to achieve in 2005!

At least start having Practical Driving Lessons once and for all
If possible, to start driving by end of the year
Improve my CAP to at least 3.8 by year-end.
YLM to have at least 30 full-time members by year-end.
Get a Silver Standard (and $200) for IPPT
Learn to rock-climb.
Get fit.
Improve in my knowledge for the liturgy, if possible.
Watch Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith!!!

2004-12-28T14:55:00.000+08:00

Christmas Day just passed, my friends!
But fret not! It's still the season of giving and sharing!
Yes, Christmas still lives on!

YLM in church, Christmas Eve 2004

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!

2004-12-13T01:29:00.000+08:00

6 days at Camp...
And I'm back home at last...
Oh well, I'm so tired. :)

Great 2 days of CTK Youth Camp.
Wonderful 3 and a half days of North District Camp.
Haha, happening!

I'm SOOO.... glad I went for the camp, though I am so darn tired...
Goodnite people, zzzzz.....

2004-12-03T02:09:00.000+08:00

Well, it's been a while since I actually HAD a life...Haha. The CSS Gang practically invaded Zouk last nite! Anyway, for me it was an eye opener, me as a greenhorn, a virgin clubber... Oh well, Zouk was okay. ONLY Okay.

Human Sardines...
Jarring 'Music'.
Puke on the floor...
Irritating Dry-ice.
Drunk dancing fools...!
Expensive Drinks.
Guys getting wasted on Vodka and Marguerita
Gross Washrooms.
Synchronised Hand Swimming...! (Startling.)

Well, sure was FUN. Haha, forgive me all you Zouk Lovers. This just ain't my kinda fun... But you guys sure enjoyed yourselves! Just don't understand what's the big fuss about Clubbing, really makes me wonder where's the fun in this?

Oh well, I'm going to keep to "chilling out" at pubs and jazz bars.

There's so much less to worry at such places. :) Call me LAME, maybe. But I'm just different.

2004-11-28T20:11:00.000+08:00

YOUTH CANTEEN TODAY WAS A SUCCESS!
ALL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED OUT!

Thanks to Ben, Alex and Joann for coordinating the entire event.
Thanks to the Youth Groups involved, and the representatives who were present to help!
Thank you, Lord for the time spent and the fun we had amidst the hard work!

WOOHOO! $1300 RAISED!

2004-11-24T20:40:00.000+08:00

You are far
When i could have been your star
You listened to people
Who scared you to death, and from my heart
Strange that i was wrong enough
To think you'd love me too
I guess you were kissing a fool
You must have been kissing a fool

-Kissing a Fool, Michael Bublé

Cool song, and very great to chill out to...
Ahh...Today's Wednesday, one day after my horrifying experience
with Basic Mathematics! :p *YEUUCHH!*
Tomorrow's my appointment with the Complementary Medicine Practitioner!
Haha... ONE DOWN, FOUR TO GO.

2004-11-18T02:38:00.000+08:00

Okay..I'm a bit slow.
But the teaser trailer for the next in the Star Wars Installment is out!!
Yes, the trailer for the Revenge of the Sith is out at www.starwars.com!
Here are some snippets from it.... Cool....

"Master, I'm E-V-I-L now..."

The Jedi Master vs His Padawan Disciple.

2004-11-14T15:11:00.000+08:00

Ever thought of going back to the past to change things and maybe even alter the present??
Well...I guess everyone's seen the entire Back to the Future series 3 times over and over (on TV....) or the movie The Time Machine. How about that brainless Van Damme movie, TimeCop??

The Back to the Future series certainly dealt with the idea of time travel in a lighter note, though there is a bit of mess when you get to Marty McFly travelling to the past then back to the present(which is actually the alternate present) then back to the future, thus resulting in an alternate present again because of an alternate past caused by.........on...and on.......Haha, you get the point, dun you?? True, there's a bit of a fright when you realise you could actually get attracted by your own mother in the past...and then your dad wouldnt meet ur mom, and then you wouldn't exist at all... "Oh no, Crap!"

Let's look at the Time Machine concept. Well, it seems that when you're meant to die, you're meant to die huh. That God has a plan for all of us, so when our time's up, there's just no way to prevent that from happening. Maybe you can only alter how you'll die, but plainly said you'll still die afterall. Sad sad loser that character Guy Pearce played...

Yeah..These movies really deal with the fact that altering your past could, and almost always seem to alter your present whether you like it or not.

Anyway, you might be wondering why in the world am I talking so much about time travel..? Hah, of course I'm like your weekly movie critic/ reviewer. So, here's what inspired me to talk about time travel. It's the movie The Butterfly Effect.

In case you haven't watched it, you should (whoever's reading this blog).
It deals with this guy (played rather well by a usually-not-so-serious Ashton Kutcher) who can travel back to his own past and alter events in his life, all this by staring hard at the pages of a journal which he has kept since he was a child. The spooky thing about this thriller is how it seems that no matter how he goes back to change his past, at the end of the day something bad will always happen (either to himself or someone he loves). Really chilling too, cos it's rather realistic and really puts things in perspective for yourself and your own lives.

And in case you're wondering what the title of the movie's got to do with the movie. Here's the story behind it...
It seems that the flap of a little butterfly in one part of the world can ultimately lead to a gigantic tsunami at another part of the world. Sort of like a Snowball effect too. Basically it ties to the movie about the often disastrous effects that altering your past can have on your present life.

2004-11-12T17:45:00.000+08:00

Well Well... I thought I wouldn't be caught dead mugging
But I guess I am mugging, or at least I was mugging for the last few hours from
the morning till about just.
My brain has hit saturation level for the day, can't go in no more. :p

Am now at the 6th floor of the Central Library with the gang, studying at Discussion Room 1.
Haha..Think that we've been making lots of noise in the room; seems like the rest of level 6
is staring at our antics. "Aghhh...Who cares??!!"

So this is life...
We are so EXCITING. :)

2004-11-02T22:27:00.000+08:00

Big Fish is a really touching tale.
Haha, a tale about telling tales.

Even every word you say now is a tale, just how close to the truth is it?
Even tales are as real as it can be, All depends on who hears the tale.
Even broken clocks tell the true time twice a day!!

This is the last week of tests for me. After this, we'll be facing the upcoming
examinations. Oh well, this sem has really gone by so darn fast!
It's ALREADY NOVEMBER!
TALK ABOUT NOVEMBER RAIN.....IT RAINS ALMOST EVERYDAY.

2004-10-25T01:47:00.000+08:00

Back from Melaka.

Sure seemed different from what I expected and saw in photos..
But was still an interesting trip down there.
Jonker's Street, Portuguese Village, St Paul's Hill and the famous Christ Church...
Melaka's really quite a Catholic district in Malaysia... except that many of the people there aren't practising Catholics anymore. The Portuguese settlers brought in the religion, and really established a great number of churches, schools and convents.

Quite a rustic feeling overall. :)

2004-10-19T01:13:00.000+08:00

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

Film Noir?
Comic-book?
Golden Age Era?

One Word: Awesome.

This film moves like a comic book; great graphics and lighting.
A whole new genre by itself.

"I'm loving it." (NOT McDonald's Slogan)

2004-10-03T21:06:00.000+08:00

Just watched Smallville Season 4 Episode 2!
So much has changed in that show...

Haha, and Julia told me about the episode ending, or at least she was trying to tell me
about the song played at the end! :)
Yup, Julia, it WAS very appropriate.

I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved

-Maroon 5's She Will Be Loved

Great song, really classy...
And Kudos to those involved in choosing the music for the Smallville episodes!
They really have good taste.

Clark & L...??

2004-09-26T00:38:00.000+08:00

My one week (wait..4 days..no wait...considering my Mondays are my weekly breaks... okay, 3 days) of break has just come and gone..... WOOSH...!

Oh well, weekend's here.
Did my EL project in church today. Interviewed a number of YLM members using an unprofessional set of equipment. They consist 1 PC mike + 1 MD player...
BUT surprisingly the recorded sounds are very good! :)
Anyway, gonna be doing more interviews, probably tomorrow in church again!
Haha, I feel like a reporter.

Just came back from Adrian's place just now. The gang were there playing as usual!
1. One group watching Smallville Season 4 in Adrian's Study.
2. One group playing mahjong...ermm...amateur mahjong.
3. One group playing PS2.
Quite cool! I won a game of mahjong for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE!
Haha, was actually quite 'tai-koh' but oh well!
Ah..gonna sleep now...got church tomorrow.

2004-09-20T01:12:00.000+08:00

Well, it's the NUS holidays... And guess what??? Yeah, the system's been SO generous to us
students; they gave us a FOUR DAY break!!! WOW!!!
Ah, I won't elaborate on the spite that I feel. What's so difficult about giving us a whole week off
instead of some half-baked break??
Ah well, anyway, I dun think I'm really gonna be looking forward to this break, though it may mean giving me more time to do my projects, catch up on some reading and studying for my upcoming quizzes.

This weekend has been a roller-coaster non-stop train ride for me...
YLM just organised our first full-fledged Main Church Hall Youth Mass!
Hah, to those who dun get it, it's just this: That it's been a long time since we organised a Youth Mass held in the main church hall. And it was great to see the youths gathered together in worship and having a time of their own to experience the Eucharist in a different and hopefully more understandable way. Though the event wasn't flawless and there were a number of bugs here and there, BUT I believe that the most important thing is that we were gathered as a Youth Movement to praise and worship the Lord's name! Yeah! ONLY ONE WAY...JESUS!

Thanks to all those involved in making the Youth Mass a success!
1.The Band for the night: Lyonel, Ben, Jeremy Fernandez, Adrian Poon; for the awesome noise you guys made!
2.The worship leaders: Jeremy and Cassandra; for the beautiful and totally radical worship!
3.The Altar Servers; who beared with our particularly long worship session.
4.Fr.Andrew Wong; who stayed till so late to celebrate the eucharist with us and for listening to our countless ideas and proposals.
5.Fr.Stephen Yim; for helping out in the Eucharist and guiding us in the understanding of the liturgy.
6.Our friends from the other youth groups: TOG, LDM and Maranatha!
7.The congregation; without you there'd be no people to join us in unison praise!
8.Uncle Eric; for all those late nights where we overstayed our room booking time...
9.The entire Youth Liturgy Ministry for ALL YOUR HARD WORK!

The night's gospel and theme: For us to offer all of ourselves to the service of God.
I believe that each and every person involved in the Youth Mass has truly offered their lives to the Lord. And I know that it was through this particular mass that i realised how important it is not to just do work in church for the sake of doing it. But to always do it in service to God and His people, His church. Difficult, but not impossible.

Last but not least, THANK YOU LORD for all the trials and problems, the arguments and the lengthy discussions, the pain and frustration; the fellowship and the patience we had, the beautiful music and the successful publicity, the enthusiasm of the crowd and the hard work of the group. Amen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mel just left for London-Heathrow this noon, at about 12.40pm. Yeah, as usual the gang of Mel-fans were gathered at the airport, waiting to say goodbye to her. :) We're all gonna miss her being around! BUT we're not gonna miss her First-Class Air Tickets!!! Darn..with those 180 degree fully-retractable airplane seats!
Oh well, just another 9 more months before we get to see her again! Let's start counting down...
"Two hundred and seventy days and fifteen hours and twenty nine minutes and fifty-four seconds..." (Just like counting down to my ORD Date...hehe)

(Mel, if you're reading this: We DID NOT have a party after you walked away from the glass panel... In fact, we only just went to Sakae Sushi to have a big buffet spread and all we did was enjoy ourselves in your absence! Oh yes, we DID have lotsa fun!!
HAHA..No lah, nobody went to celebrate anything. Almost everyone there was on the brink of hibernation....zzzz..)

2004-08-29T00:08:00.000+08:00

Watching the music video for the Corrs' "What Can I Do" now..
It's just so cool..
Everytime I hear this song, I think of the beautiful Irish landscape...!
You know..Ireland is just so so so beautiful! The lush green hilltops, the ever-cloudy skies..
The calm and clean green... Oh gosh.
It also almost always reminds me of Psalm 23.
Look at the scenery for yourself! And behold the beauty that God has created...

And what's Ireland's famous alcoholic beverage? Guinness.... *YUCKS* haha

Anyway, It's always been my dream to go visit Ireland, and I'm not talking about Northern Ireland. :p
Hoping to be able to go for SEP next year in UK, and then fly over to Ireland for a friggin' holiday there!! *dreaming....dreaming*

2004-08-22T23:04:00.000+08:00

Well, 2nd pre youth mass event was last nite..
And it's over! Oh Gosh, this has been one of the craziest and busiest parts of my life..
It's almost been non-stop work from the start of my holidays till just last night.
But I'm glad that I've managed to get through it all with my hair still intact, my brains still
not fried, and my mind still pretty much sane.
I really believe that it would have been impossible if He hadn't been with me all this time.
True, there were many times when I just wanted to drop out, and say "I've had enough!".
However, HE was the one who pulled me through it all... and I am glad to have been doing all this work not for myself but for Him.
And yes, in case you're wondering who this He is.... HE is Jesus! :)

I pray that as I get back to my work in school, He will continue to bless me and guide me
in my days to come.

Regarding last nite's event, I just wanna thank all involved! Eveybody really did a marvellous job! The ushers, musicians, the worship team, the logistics crew, the facilitators, the speaker Eric and everybody else, not forgetting the core events team: Edward, Stella, Adrian, Christopher, Mabelline, Anthony, Robin and Alex; who had to give up so much time and effort in planning the event. Thank you people!

The Lord was truly present during the event. And I am so happy that we met the objective even if we did not get our publicity as well as we should have. :) CHEERS!

2004-08-14T02:45:00.000+08:00

Just watched The Village..
It's a really good movie! Aiyoh, all those bad press and criticisms against
the movie...dunno what's so bad about it. These people are really nuts, and must be
psychotic lor, cos this movie is really very well-written and the twist in the plot is GREAT! In a league of its own, or at least comparable to The Sixth Sense!
It is SO freaky and at some parts I really thought my heart was gonna collapse...! People out there who haven't watched the movie, Be warned..! Not for the faint-hearted!
The movie also has a lot of social connotations to it, and at the end of it, you feel that it all does make sense afterall. :)

M Night Shyamalan's The Village: 4.5 stars out of 5!

2004-08-11T17:21:00.000+08:00

Hohoho...
I'm now at the Arts canteen, zobo-ing..!! Never done this in a long time...
And it feels great..!! The breeze blowing, the beautiful scenery...and the cool people in the
CSS Arts community all seated at the "Shrubs and Bushes".
The usual suspects are no longer here...some people have graduated, others no longer
have so much time cos they're in their honours year.
And now that Mel Chew is no longer at her usual spot with her
laptop, Alphonsus is our new 'laptop' user at the S&B! hahaha.

Anyway, we're all here waiting for Arts Welcome Tea at 6pm.
Yeah!! Feeling old now...2nd year student. Haha.
"Shrubs & Bushes" will no longer be the same as before. Well, here goes a new year in CSS!

2004-07-27T02:41:00.000+08:00

Today was a whole new experience for me! Went to Little India to actually explore the place.
Haha, all my life I've never really gone around Little India to look-see, look-see.
So today I decided to follow Angel, Mel, Jeremy and Stella to Tekka Market to look for
Punjabi suits. Nothing else to do.
Yeah, the girls had so many designs and variety to choose from. Almost the entire 2nd level was selling female wear.
The guys...well, you could hardly find any shops selling suits for guys. In fact, we only managed
to find a couple of shops with very limited variety. BUT, Jeremy managed to find 2 suits that
he liked. Only $25 for the 2 suits he got!
I thought...why not get a suit for myself too since I was already there.. So, I bought this black suit for $15. Not too bad, cos I've never bought an exotic piece of clothing before. So, this is the first time I'm doing so. And it looks good, really.

My suit!! only $15...

The girls managed to find a suit each, and the suits they picked really looked good too! Oh, they got themselves bangles to go with their suits too.
Oh, we had our lunch at this Indian Restaurant, and we really had a Masala feast! Chicken Masala, Mutton Curry, Tikka Masala and different kinds of Naan. Yuumm.!!

Us, waiting to eat our lunch... *stomach growling*

The food!!! Looks good, doesn't it???

All in all, I thought I would have been bored to death going around window-shopping cos I HATE window-shopping for clothes etc. But today has been an interesting and fun-filled one.
Must do this more often.!!!

2004-07-26T01:38:00.000+08:00

Woah!!
I just watched Francis the musical....And I think it was very well done!
Apart from minor flaws here and there (mostly technical in terms of sound), I'd say that this
is a very good performance.
The acting was mostly very natural, and the costumes (though simple) were very nicely done
and costume changes were super-fast too! Oh, and I think the dances were very well-choreographed too!
Even though I'm from Arts and was very persuaded to watch and support the main
casts of Julian, Charlene and Shane; I couldn't make it for the Saturday performance, so
instead I watched tonight's performance by Iggy, Michelle and Desmond.
Oh, the above pple played these roles respectively: Francis, Clare and Delio.
But I believe that no matter which of the casts I watched, they would have been just as good!
I learnt from tonight that:
We all only need one thing in our lives, and that is God. Anything else is just superficial.

Congratulations and Well Done to the Cast & Crew of Francis!
You guys definitely captured the audience's hearts, as you did me!
And thank you Lord, for gracing this event and blessing these your humble servants, who have toiled and worked so hard for You and only You alone!