We'll Be Back

Lord plant my feet on higher ground

2009-11-22T14:29:00.001+08:00

I love this song

Im pressing on the upward way,
New heights Im gaining every day;
Still praying as Im onward bound,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

Refrain:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heavens table land,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where those abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

I want to live above the world,
Though Satans darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.

I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still Ill pray till Heavn Ive found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

Whitby

2009-05-17T17:44:00.004+08:00

Don never fails to humour me.

So he was the doorman on college day who opened the door to the hall.

This is what he said to me
"Ooh, i heard the news from dot and i was SO delighted! Good job kiddo! Couldnt have gone to a nicer guy."

Really made my day. :]

The First of My Life's Dreams - Fulfilled (edit)

2009-05-10T00:54:00.005+08:00

So,

Here I am humbled by your majesty,
Covered by your grace so free.
Majesty, majesty,
your grace has found me just as I am
Empty handed but alive in your hands.

Its been something that I've wanted for so long. Something i set my heart on for so long. There were many ups and downs especially with the huge down of A-levels. But here I am. If its one thing for certain, I know that im here not through my own strength. As I look back, I come to think that perhaps God used my A level results to tell me that He was the one who will always be in control and also serve as a reminder that if i got in, it was not through my own excellence or brilliance.

Thank You Lord. Thank you for blessing me with this wonderful opportunity. Lord, at this juncture I really want to thank you for placing so many people who made an impact in my life. Lord I thank You for Ms Chua and Mr Whitby who in their Lit classes taught me so much about life, I thank You for my parents who were so supportive and helpful throughout this whole time, especially my Dad for driving to sch and NUS to settle all my documents and stuff, I thank You for Charlyn who was always there for me, be it to provide a listening ear when I ranted or to give me good advised whenever I solicited for it. And not to forget, you O Lord. Lord, truly, I thank you for opening this door for me and Lord I pray that I will do my utmost for you and become a good Christian doctor that serves you. In Jesus' most precious name, Amen.

HILARIOUS

2009-04-11T00:20:00.004+08:00

So someone created a Which NJC 05Ip Guy are You quiz.

Here are the write-ups:

You are the PZR!

You are PZR! You are the ah beng of the Ip Guys! You famously paid tons of money for a blonde highlight of your hair for Prom! You definitely have to cut down on your gayness! You are known for your famous "Idea, Idea"!

You are Captain Marvel! Mr Jeremy Yeo!

You are the Captain of the Softball Team Mr Jeremy Yeo! You'll give your life for the team and you work your ass off, yet your grades are top notch! You consistently top KI and Hist, even though exams are a week after Nationals and you've got a place waiting for you in Oxford Law. You are also known for certain random moments of whiteness perhaps influenced by your company. Your home is the secret hangout of the IP Guys and your room has on many occasions been stretched to the max!

You are FroggyTC!

You are the imba lan gamer! Godlike in CS and DoTA! Extremely quick sprinter and amazing midfielder with fantastic dribbling abilities to make defenders go nuts! You are very adventurous and you are the Vice President of OAC! You are the starter of the take picture with Gerard's stomach trend!

You are B3N da Man!

You are the Captain of the Squash Team and a true maverick! A very loyal friend and a very athletic person! Your house is another famous hangout and the location of many man utd matches and also the World Cup 2006 Finals. Host of Thomson Wylde! You are the first person to name the WhiteBoy's Tummy "Gerald"! You are the Master of Karaoke

You are the White Boy! Mr Gerard Andrew James!

You are the White Boy that everyone loves and adores. You have a belly that friends love to rub for good luck and you are known for white boy antics and jigs down the corridor. EPIC is the word to describe your whiteness! this is captured is the famous east vs west battle at the Oasis with the Cougar Warrior Mr Ernest Eu! The victim of numerous taupoks especially the now infamous PROM TAUPOK at Swissotel! The Small Guy with the Big Heart!

You are the Malaysian, Mr Johnson Lee!

You are Mr Johnson Lee! One of the pioneers of the frisbee craze and the only lucky homie who doesnt need to serve national service! You have endured countless scratches and cuts for your love of diving after frisbee! You are one imba shortstop and one hellofa bunter! You are known for your mischief and a famous prank involving the phone numbers on the softball board!

You are the Cougar Warrior! Mr Ernest Eu!

You are the Cougar Warrior, Mr Ernest Eu! You are known for witty knacks, being a kickass guitarist and for going through the craziness of Cougar Company, making it out alive and going to OCS! The other half of the EPIC East VS West Duel with the WhiteBoy! "Never has so much awesomeness been packed into someone so fun-sized."

You are WedJa!

You are the imba pitcher of the Softball Team! You are also a smooth talker with the ladies and always in on the latest gossip! You have the fastest 2.4km timing and you are one coool dude! You also like to shop and spend money!

You are the Policeman! Mr Tan Wei Liang!

You are the one, the only Tan WeeeeLiang! You're buff, strong and a ladies man! You are a good shopper and know where to get the best buys! You're one of the most "ON" policeman ever!

And for me,

You are Mr FiveStarFrogSplash, Mr Justin Leong!

You are the Captain of the Hockey Team, known for his passion, fire, aggression and the ability to deliver inspirational speeches! Scored a famous hat trick in his final game, yet missed his testimonial game because he overslept. Famous for starting the frisbee craze among the guys! Extremely lucky as he is the only guy to get into Police OCS! Also known for being on top of taupoks and performing gravity defying jumps on top of other people, one of them captured in slow motion during prom!

Jesus You Are My Best Friend

2009-03-29T09:41:00.004+08:00

So police life has started and im home here now on a sunday morning. Cant say that police has been anything ive expected so far. On the contrary, its been very different in many aspects and Im still getting to grips with how things work and the level of standard expected. Perhaps its the not knowing of so many things that are leading to excessive and probably unnecessary worry and stress.

Honestly, we do get numerous privileges here. Shall list them to show myself
1) Free time from 7 or 730pm
2) We get to shower after morning pt before class
3) There's gonna be class to keep the mind sharp
4) Allowed to bring unlimited food in
5) 2 to a room with no lights out time
6) Mess food is pretty good
7) We dont get herded around, instead we move around through ics - messy at the moment but should get really neat when everything is sorted out
8) Friday bookouts - how can i forget this. Usually around 6pm
9) Late sunday night book-ins - 9pm
10) Lots of admin time esp after lunch and on friday

Not-so-good Things
1) Tough regimentation - Boots must be shined and clothes iron till crisp
2) Always rushing, esp for meals - eg.5-10mins for breakfast,15-20 mins for lunch.dinner
3) PT can be intensive (not yet, but i foresee it)
4) Very few christians. I think this is probably the toughest so far. Unlike in BMT when my section had bout 5 christians where albert was so devout and you can see BS and Aaron reading their bible sometime and I still remember Tedrid bringing in his christian lyrics
5) Actually, there arent really too many tough things.

Even though sometimes it gets me down and everything, I shall cling on and claim the promise that God has given me.

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me"
Philippians 4:13

Everything that is happening is happening for a reason in God's pleasing and perfect plan. So Lord, I pray that you give me the faith to trust in You always and knowing that you would only only only have the best in store for Your children. Lord, I commit everything in the impending week to you, my police and my medicine interview. Lord bless me and reveal yourself to me this week as your presence shines in my life. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

This Moment

2009-03-08T18:08:00.003+08:00

And so A level results are done and dusted. Or maybe not so dusted if i submit the appeal for GP..

So many questions, so many doubts.
Its like, God, i worked so so hard. If you asked me if there was one more thing i could have done, i would simply look you straight in the eye and shake my head. Thats the truth. There wasnt one more thing that i could have done. I did so much, started so early, never slacked big time in JC and chionged at the end. I would like to think that i was actually relatively consistent. So why God, why? Why does it seem to me at the moment that the people who go out and get piss drunk or slacked for 1 year and 9 months or those who cut at least half the classes or did less than half the tutorials given get what i did not manage to get? I cried when i saw my results. Why, im not too sure myself. Maybe its expectation. I thought with all the effort, i would be on the list with 6 distinctions. I cried cos i choked in GP. My double 99th percentiles in CT and prelims just thrown right out the window in A levels. They dont count for anything now do they? I always thought i was a good student. Dorothy was there and she mentioned something bout exams and yea. Pops mentioned the same thing more or less too. But why God? I woke up at 730am on saturday morning. Just laid in bed and stared at the ceiling for a good 20mins or so. Was it regret? No, i tried my best. I say that with confidence. It was a strange feeling knowing that i given of my best but somehow my best was not enough. There was bitterness as i thought of the other people. Anger perhaps. Injustice? I thought to myself. In my mind i just kept wondering. Why God? They say just do your best and leave the rest to God. It works out nicely in 2 circumstances. 1) You did well. = Thank you God. 2) You didn't try your best = Sigh, it was my fault, i should have tried harder. Problem is i was in neither. I struggled with my soul, struggled and thought Why God? Even as i write this on this sunday, I find myself still searching for acceptance within myself.

Pops says "dont worry, everything will be fine." I have his full support.
Charlyn says "dont worry, you did really well" and that she;s proud of me and most importantly, God has plans for me.

Surely, or for the lack of conviction at this present moment, perhaps, perhaps, God has a plan for me. I mean He definitely has cos he's mapped out everything. So at this juncture, my prayer is for an extra portion of trust. Trust that this is God's will. (I know its like DUH, if not it wouldn't happen. Then ill pray for acceptance). Trust that God has plans for me. Trust that everything happens for a reason and God knows. Trust, remember and believe that because God loves us (and Me) so much, he would only want the best for us.

So Lord, I thank you for supporting me throughout every step of my A level journey. I thank you for giving me strength the so many times i asked for it. Lord, at this point, I confess my sins of feeling angry against you. Lord, forgive me for my lack of faith in your divine plan and trying to use my own mortal, finite and human mind to map out my own destiny. Lord, forgive me for having thoughts that You wronged me for these are just childish and immature thoughts. So Lord, I pray for trust. I pray that You help me to accept my result and accept that whatever happens will happen not by chance or not because You lost control of the situation but solely and solely because it is part of your divine plan. Lord, I just want to commit my future into your hands and i pray that you bless me and annoint me with trust, patience and understanding as i seek Your will for my life. In Jesus' most precious name, Amen.

Army Daze

2009-01-07T22:46:00.004+08:00

Enlisting on friday.

Keep me in your prayers.

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me"
Philippians 4:13

To Know Your Name

2008-12-08T10:21:00.001+08:00

Arrested by your truth and righteousness,
Your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLwcpqZoUZM

Untitled

2008-11-25T20:01:00.000+08:00

I think im beginning to get a little bored.

Too much fm and grey's makes one dull.

Attempts at Eunoia

2008-11-25T00:58:00.002+08:00

My first attempt at Eunoia. I'm gonna start with e then moving through the vowels. Hopefully its not random gibberish and ill try to make it as relevant as possible.

So here goes, to my fellow 3 buddies stuck in the same predicament tomorrow:

Best we meet there before ten eh?

Sharon

2008-11-25T00:51:00.002+08:00

And so I'm meeting sharon p tmr at 9am at her office.

You would not believe my luck.

Musing

2008-11-22T16:13:00.003+08:00

Its strange how people always say that the actual A levels would be so much easier than prelims and everything blah blah. Well, maybe it was slightly easier, but definitely not significant. People also always used to say how 3/4 As are a guarantee and yada-yada. I'm not sure. Of course i hope for such an event, but after doing the papers, i realise that i cant say this with as much certainty as i had hoped before the A's.

Anyways, im quite glad cos i really felt i gave it my best shot. So whatever the outcome, ill leave it to God. I'm blessed, I already know. Its a nice, reassuring feeling.

Post A's

2008-11-22T16:00:00.002+08:00

Guilt-free fun.

Did a ton the last 2 days. Carnivore, shopping, fm, went to ben's, frisbee, more fm, grey's anatomy. Life is good.

So just like that, 4 years in NJ are over. I'm still like - WOW, that was fast. I must say that I had a really great time these past 4 years. Although of course there were some blemishes and rough patches, by and large, it was 4 wonderful years. I'm also glad i didn't do anything that would not let me walk out with my head high. It was tempting no doubt, but at this point i'm just glad i never engaged in such things. And yes, think Marlow and Kurtz.

Post A's

2008-11-20T10:28:00.000+08:00

Today,

The air smelt fresher
The sun shone brighter
The sky was a nice blue hue
The grass looked greener
There was dew on the leaves

Everything appeared so much nicer today

Joy

GP

2008-11-03T23:39:00.003+08:00

Today after GP Paper 1,

Examiner: You now have 10 mins. Please report back to the hall at 1010.
Johnson (who happened to be sitting right beside me): Eh, wanna go throw frisbee?

Haha. Can't wait for A's to be over.

Write a para with only 1 vowel

2008-10-30T20:43:00.000+08:00

A
Hassan Abd al-Hassad, an Agha Khan, basks at an ashram - a Taj Mahal that has grand parks and grass lawns, all as vast as parklands at Alhambra and Valhalla. Hassan can, at a handclap, call a vassal at hand and ask that all staff plan a bacchanal - a gala ball that has what pagan charm small galas lack. Hassan claps, and (tah-dah) an Arab lass at a swank spa can draw a man's bath and wash a man's back, as Arab lads fawn and hang, athwart an altar, amaranth garlands as fragrant as attar - a balm that calms all angst. A dwarf can flap a palm branch that fans a fat maharajah. A naphtha lamp can cast a calm warmth.

E
Westerners revere the Greek legends. Versemen retell the represented events, the resplendent scenes, where, hellbent, the Greek freemen seek revenge whenever Helen, the new-wed empress, weeps. Restless, she deserts her fleece bed where, detested, her wedded regent sleeps. When she remembers Greece, her seceded demesne, she feels wretched, left here, bereft, her needs never met. She needs rest; nevertheless, her demented fevers render her sleepless (her sleeplessness enfeebles her). She needs help; nevertheless her stressed nerves render her cheerless (her cheerlessness enfetters her).

I

Hiking in British districts, I picnic in virgin firths, grinning in mirth with misfit whims, smiling if I find birch twigs, smirking if I find mint sprigs.

Midspring brings with it singing birds, six kinds, (finch, siskin, ibis, tit, pipit, swift), whistling shrill chirps, trilling chirr chirr in high pitch. Kingbirds flit in gliding flight, skimming limpid springs, dipping wingtips in rills which brim with living things: krill, shrimp, brill - fish with gilt fins, which swim in flitting zigs. Might Virgil find bliss implicit in this primitivism? Might I mimic him in print if I find his writings inspiring?

O
Loops on bold fonts now form lots of words for books. Books form cocoons of comfort - tombs to hold bookworms. Profs from Oxford show frosh who do post-docs how to gloss works of Wordsworth. Dons who work for proctors or provosts do not fob off school to work on crosswords, nor do dons go off to dorm rooms to loll on cots. Dons go crosstown to look for bookshops known to stock lots of top-notch goods: cookbooks, workbooks - room on room of how-to-books for jocks (how to jog, how to box), books on pro sports: golf or polo. Old colophons on schoolbooks from schoolrooms sport two sorts of logo: oblong whorls, rococo scrolls - both on worn morocco.

U
Gulls churr: ululu, ululu. Ducks cluck. Bulls plus bucks run thru buckbrush; thus dun burrs clutch fur tufts. Ursus cubs plus Lupus pups hunt skunks. Curs skulk (such mutts lurk: ruff, ruff). Gnus munch kudzu. Lush shrubs bud; thus church nuns pluck uncut mums. Bugs hum: buzz, buzz. Dull susurrus gusts murmur hushful, humdrum murmurs: hush, hush. Dusk suns blush. Surf lulls us. Such scuds hurl up cumulus suds (Sturm und Druck) - furls unfurl: rush, rush; curls uncurl: gush, gush. Such tumult upturns unsunk hulls; thus gulfs crush us, gulp, dunk us - burst lungs succumb.

(From the BBC)

And, to sum it all,
I think this is slightly silly!

Blue Sheep!

2008-10-10T00:12:00.002+08:00

Blue Sheep!

Skunk

2008-10-05T19:34:00.002+08:00

Skunk, a completely organic, highly effective non-lethal anti-personnel weapon.

Looks interesting. Im interested to see the response when they first deploy this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7653156.stm

Tired

2008-10-02T20:53:00.001+08:00

Tired.

Saviour He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save

Sushi Go Round

2008-10-02T00:05:00.001+08:00

Kalam Cosmological Argument

2008-09-21T20:59:00.005+08:00

From Wiki:

Kalam Cosmological Argument

Christian philosopher and apologist William Lane Craig has recently revived the argument and formulates it as follows:

Premise 1: Everything that begins to exist has a cause.

Craig asserts that the first premise is "relatively uncontroversial". He defines "begins to exist" as "comes into being," and argues that we know from metaphysical intuition that things don't just pop into being uncaused. According to Craig, this establishes premise 1.

Premise 2: The universe began to exist.

The second premise is usually supported by the following argument:

An actual infinite cannot exist.
A beginningless series of events is an actual infinite.
Therefore, the universe cannot have existed infinitely in the past, as that would be a beginningless series of events.

Conclusion 1: Therefore, the universe must have a cause.

Craig describes the impossibility of an actual infinite like an endless bookcase. For example, imagine a bookcase that extends infinitely on which there is an infinite number of books, colored green and red, green and red, and so on. Obviously there would be an infinite number of books. Imagine removing all red colored books, leaving an infinite number of green books remaining, leading to the conclusion that "infinity" divided by two is also "infinity". Craig claims that the inability to sensibly extend the standard definitions of division on finite, nonzero numbers to include infinite numbers demonstrates the physical impossibility of actual infinities. Therefore, since the universe cannot have existed for an actually infinite amount of time, it must have (been caused to) come into existence at some finite time in the past.

In summary, the Kalam Cosmological Argument rests on the premise that the universe is not infinite in the past, but had a finite beginning which necessitates a cause for its existence. And this cause would be by definition, God, or a divine being.

Other info / My opinion:

Opponents of this argument pose the question of why this first cause is exempt from the nature of this argument in itself. Eg. Some greater being must have created this "supreme being" and so forth and so forth, leading to an infinite regression again. There are a number of issues with this reasoning that stem from the definition of God. The word God has no doubt been watered down as we use it to describe anything (eg. Fowler is God) and everything (eg. "Money is my God"). Going back to the technicalities, the definition of this being "God" entails attributes such as omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, omnibenovelance amongst others. Thus is such a definition, neither Fowler nor money can be accorded the term "God" appropriately as they lack these attributes.

Relating back to the new dilemma of another infinite regression of supreme or divine beings, this definition straightens certain things out.

The Being which we describe as "God" has to be omnipresent

"Omnipresence is the ability to be present in every place at any, and/or every, time; unbounded or universal presence."

Thus logically speaking, to view God as a created being would be technically impossible as such a being would not have been present at every time due to the infinite regression of numerous other "greater" beings creating and created earlier on in time. Thus if this being does not fulfill the criteria of omnipresence, it cannot qualify as God, and so do the numerous other created "lesser" beings before it in the regression, leaving only the first cause able to be defined as God.

Be Thou My Vision

2008-09-21T20:37:00.002+08:00

Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Had pretty interesting discussions in gp about the relevance of religion in modern society over the past week. Its no doubt that religion struggles to defend itself in paper and it is also worth noting that many of the arguments or "proofs" for God's Existence are rather complex in nature. I am considering posting a series of entries on this topic over the coming weeks if time permits.

Prelims

2008-09-15T22:26:00.003+08:00

I must say that I'm pretty glad that my lit has picked up a little!

ULTIMATE

2008-09-13T17:52:00.002+08:00

ULTIMATE.

I love frisbee. Its the simple joy of throwing a flying disc.

On a side note, its nice to see my hammer analogy working well on the new chaps!

Free Time

2008-09-04T20:24:00.002+08:00

Made by Ben & I in the run up to prelims.

Sick

2008-09-03T21:07:00.000+08:00

Been sick since monday. Its terrible.

9 Stitches

2008-08-30T20:56:00.003+08:00

Teacher's day this year wasn't bad. Played ultimate today but no game, so just threw around. Which is, still fun i guess! But i absolutely love those times johnson and i play alone and we just do 50m long hucks. Crazily awesome frisbee fun.

Anyways, after Frisbee, we just hung around and suddenly there was a window of opportunity to throw a smoke at Gerard whilst he was in the toilet. Being very zealous, I ran down the grandstand steps just so i could do it in time.

Long story cut short, the moment of folly cost me 9 stitches and 216 bucks. Thank goodness for SCHOOL INSURANCE.

My knee looks like a mangled mess cos though the wound has been stitched, there's still quite a bit of blood and pus i think. :/

On another note, the doctor i met really helped me to think about my future and the reasons one should do medicine. Friendly old chap (68years old) with a ponytail bout shoulder length (Ive never seen a doc sporting a ponytail before. LOL) whos just really passionate about what he's doing. And its that passion thats sustaining him even up to his relatively advanced age. Food for thought.

Duchess of Malfi

2008-08-20T23:34:00.001+08:00

"There's no deep valley, but near some great hill"
-The Duchess

Work work and more work

2008-08-16T11:02:00.001+08:00

Work, work and more work..

Leaves me with a tired mind.

And the thought of the chem department killing us one more time is discomforting in the midst of all the studying.

Be Thou My Vision

2008-08-03T10:42:00.001+08:00

Its a really hectic time and the stress is getting to me.

Just came back from church this sunday morning and left with this song in my head.

I lay every burden down,
At the foot of the cross

Good Lad!

2008-07-23T20:56:00.002+08:00

Whitby: (Asks a question about a poem)
Justin: Allegory
Whitby: Yes! Good Lad!

Haha. Whitbyisms never fail to brighten up my day and humour me.

Played frisbee for bout an hour after stats test today with johnson, gerard, wanting and sherrie for awhile. Was awesome as usual. :] Tried out some plays which went pretty decent.

And yes, Smile Smile Smile has been stuck in my head after Whitby's rendition of it.

So here goes:

Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile.
Don't let your joy and laughter hear the snag
Smile boys, that's the style
What's the use of worrying
It never was worth while
So, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile.

Shayne Ward

2008-06-17T17:36:00.001+08:00

Simply Amazing.

Shayne Ward - Breathless

And if we had babies they would look like you
It’d be so beautiful if that came true
You don’t even know how very special you are

You leave me breathless
You’re everything good in my life
You leave me breathless
I still can’t believe that you’re mine
You just walked out of one of my dreams
So beautiful you’re leaving me
Breathless

Holidays

2008-06-09T14:09:00.002+08:00

3 week of the holidays now. SATs are over and as of now, I've had a rather successful campaign with Manchester City on FM08. Managed to hit 4th in the league in the first season. :] Pipped Liverpool.

On another note, I'll make a self-note to read Great Expectations by this holidays.

Lets just say I have a slight disdain for people who ill-treat their maids.

Of Exams and Common Tests

2008-05-18T18:36:00.000+08:00

Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared,
for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer.

- Charles Caleb Colton-

BB

2008-03-15T13:22:00.002+08:00

Things have been going just a little rocky the last couple of days. On another note, BB today was great. :] Quite excited to see what more is in store and rather eager to go for that officer course. Haha. Its really fun and meaningful interacting with those kids and it really makes my saturday mornings. Soccer is fun as usual, but doing the serious "work" stuff with the kids is a wee bit of a challenge. Of course, making them run and making them think it is a race sure helps to entertain them and tire them out a little. (Inspired by the "Again. Again." scene from The Miracle if you know what im refering to)

BB aside, I'm delighted to make my find of the year in terms of food places. (Quality and price) Managed to find a top-notch dim sum buffet for $11.80 only. Shall return there sometime again this year but not anytime near cos Dim sum is not something you can eat regularly without getting bored. Haha.

Quite a chunk of work left to do in the next two days, so pedal to the medal!

Hockey and BB

2008-01-26T13:25:00.000+08:00

The year's picking up. Hockey and Boys Brigade.

Hockey's gonna be cool this year, we've got an exciting group, but i think its really up to us to make it count and take our chances. Of course, thats not to say, that we wont have to step it up to another level in terms of fitness, discipline and technique. Its been a long time, since the end of last season, with the ending still so vivid. I must say its nice to have come so far together with the whole team, all improving in basics, dribbling, hits and all. Satisfying, considering that we started out together last year with everyone from a uniformed group and new to hockey, with the only pple to have played before being John and I. Hopefully, we keep on improving and we'll do ourselves proud this year.

On another note, BB has been great for me so far. Ive always held back joining those tutoring lil' kids schemes and stuff like that. Not cause they aren't good, but perhaps its hard to be very passionate if there was never a common bond or past. Anyways, im glad to have started out in the BB company from my church. Reminds me a lot of my primary school days and it really makes my saturday morning seeing those kids, playing soccer with them or just chatting with them. The kids are lovely and they really remember you which makes it really nice and memorable.

That's all for today, havent blogged in a long time afterall. :]

Post-Promos

2007-10-13T12:07:00.000+08:00

Had a dream bout those RSI days.

Facebook-ed for a while.

Great times.

Back Home

2007-08-26T20:30:00.000+08:00

Its been 2 weeks since I got back.

Work is hectic, lost ground to catch up, promos nearing.

But hey, don't we all relish a challenge boys'?
Throw me all you've got.
Justin,
Pedal to the metal.

Happenings

2007-07-24T12:26:00.000+08:00

I'm not ever be gonna able to put down everything that has happened to me, everything ive experienced here. There'll just be too much to write and words would just feel inadequate. These experiences would be imprinted in my memories and captured in the stories I have to tell.

Anyways, apart from the slight melacholy, here's a list of things I've encountered / experienced / learnt / did in the past 4 weeks. Gee, boy does time fly past fast.

15 Happenings:
1) Visited the birthplace of Scientology
2) Had the best ice cream ive ever had at J.P. Licks (maple butter walnut)
3) Jogged along the beautiful Charles' River
4) Went to a huge candy store along Newbury St.
5) Taken a picture lying down on the bridge between a smoot (unit of measurement)
6) Learnt how to calculate logarithms (base 10) mentally
7) Went to the Museum of Science
8) Strolled down Boston public garden
9) Eaten a quesadilla
10) Overslept my nap and missed an evening lecture
11) Clocked 3 hours in the lab (today)
12) Play pool almost daily
13) Hiked at the White Mountains in New Hampshire
14) Wrote a paper in linux using emacs
15) Played soccer, yes, played soccer in fair America

Great times apart, the workload sure aint light, with the first draft of the final paper due this saturday and the final copy on monday. Besides these there are things called milestone papers which are pretty much intermediates to the final paper. All these has of course equated to late nights over here (of course fun has and will never be sacrificed). Slept at 3 much of the past week. :/

Finally, I can say that I have lived overseas independantly. Eat, sleep, work, fun, throw that all in. And the fact that there isnt really a hard programme here at RSI means that much of your time is how you choose to spend it. In other words, just live your own life and hopefully produce something at the end of the summer.

For those who might be considering studying overseas and wondering how life would be like, whether it'll be difficult and all, trust me in this. The chance to live overseas is an amazing opportunity. Of course it'll be pretty different initially, but what you get out of it, greater independance, broadened perspectives, heightened exposure, all adds up to a truly wonderful time. To put it simply, if the opportunity arises, jump on it!

Justin,
Living abroad.

Mentorships

2007-07-08T07:50:00.000+08:00

Mentorships have started and its gonna pretty well so far i must say! My mentor happens to be my tutor who was from RSI '02. Its pretty cool cos he's quite familiar with science fair kinda stuff and he's been to intel. Sorta equates to him understanding that you have to get a good paper for science fairs. Which is great!

Anyways, the average day is this. My supervisor, fellow lab partner and myself leave simmons at bout 10. We grab breakfast on the way to lab and get it done before we're there. Lunch aint fixed and its pretty crazy. Its been 1 for some days, but there was a day we went at 4. :/ The three of us usually scoot off at bout 530. Takeaway something for dinner on the way back and on some days there'll be evening lectures at bout 715. After it ends we get some free time till debrief at bout 1030. And after this is where the fun starts. Things like capture the flag and chairing usually starts at bout 12 and go on for a bit. Really awesome. Went chairing just yesterday. It was amazing. Couple of little collisons here and there but the adrenaline rush from sliding down a long inclined tunnel whilst seated on a chair with no brakes and only acceleration is just crazy.

Thats all for today, gotta start work on some paper now!

Justin,
Gone chairing!

2007-07-04T20:02:00.001+08:00

Tech Cash.

Okay, so now, or rather since the beginning, we have this debit card thing that allows us to purchase stuff on campus. Its meant to cover your food and various groceries. Trouble is, the food variety is so limited that you dont have much of a choice anyway.

4th of July

2007-07-03T11:38:00.000+08:00

The 4th is coming soon over here. Gonna be pretty cool!

I did not eat subway today. (Not to say that it was much better)

Mentorship's within the MIT campus itself, bout 15 mins walk from the dorm. Pretty good, cos traveling wouldnt be a hassle at all. Downside is, I get no allowance and im stuck with the same couple of shops. :/ Haha. Ill still choose to have it within campus though. :]

Short post for today.

Dim Sum

2007-07-02T10:23:00.001+08:00

This is the life.

First Weekend

2007-07-01T11:15:00.000+08:00

The first weekend is here and yeap, we're out around town. Went to quincy market today. Pretty cool place with lil' shops here and there and managed to grab a couple of nice stuff. Im gonna vow to myself that ill stay away from subway sandwitches once im back in singapore. Cos thing is, there aint pretty much to eat around here with my dining card. ie, subway's pretty much the only choice besides the supermarket. That has sorta equated to me eating subway sandwitches for dinner for bout the past week. :/ 5 more weeks to go justin.. Haha.

Anyways, we happened to run into He Ruijie over here at MIT. So he's prob gonna take us out sometime soon. Hopefully tmr. Coolios! Looking forward to it. :]

Justin
Stuck with subs

Simmons Dorm Welcomes Us

2007-06-27T12:32:00.000+08:00

Jetted into Boston on Saturday after horrendous flying. First a flight to Tokyo that took bout 7 hrs then connecting to another one to Chicago that took 14 and then another 2.5 hrs to Boston. Not to mention that the flight from Chicago took off and relanded after 20mins cos of some technical fault. Well, that's a first. Haha. Not to mention we flew United Airlines all the way.

Oh wells, we're all here safe and sound in one piece. Simmons is interesting but bout 10 mins walk from the main student centre. The walk there makes for great conversation opportunities though. Having some classes and guest lectures stuff this week. Pretty hectic schedule but its pretty fun so far and im learning a lot.

5 observations so far:
1) Lifts are great places for making conversation, happens bout 90% of the time. Its nice.
2) Its hard to find hot (not spicy) food.
3) Ultimate frisbee is THE game here
4) Stuff is just plain expensive
5) Linux OS is just complicated

Thats it for now. Oh yea, for those of you who accidentely texed me while i was away, fret not, it just counts as a normal sms cos im on roaming.

Ill update as and when im free.

Justin,
Learning Linux :/

Leaving on a jetplane

2007-06-23T06:11:00.000+08:00

At the airport now and gonna be boarding a plane in bout an hour. Its one long flight.

Pretty excited at the moment but there's the usual pre-trip blues. Haha. Its gonna be a pretty long trip. Gee, 6 wks is kinda long man.

Anyways, i shall be off. Will update this blog from time to time when i'm there.

Justin,
Leaving on a Jetplane

Shakespeare in the Park

2007-05-28T21:02:00.000+08:00

Saturday night was spent at fort canning park on the grass below a nice night sky watching "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Shakespeare in the park as they call it. Pretty innovative idea i must say. Had a ball of a time there. Hard not to when you're in pretty awesome company, with your conversation topics ranging from 'tree trunks' to sweet smelling smells. Add to that some interesting, or rather, amusing sights and its a night filled with bags of laughter and joy. And yes, dried cranberries are really good, and im still not a cheese person.

Shakespeare aside, the holidays are here. School's been winding down to a nice close since the start of the SISC week though make-up lessons are aplenty in the first week. But hey, its still the holidays after all!

Hockey now feels rather much different that what it used to be like. Its really a whole world of difference if you're planning/overseeing training or if you're just training. Been reviving a lot of old drills learnt during my SJI days and modifying some of the more recent drills. It aint easy to crack your brains to think of innovative drills, but its nice to see the guys responding well and making improvements. There's still a lot of work to be done in the many different arenas of The Hockey Team as we move on, and i must say, im pretty excited at what is to come.

Justin
Buckling down

A new season

2007-05-21T17:54:00.000+08:00

It's that point of the year again, when the old team goes and the training for the new team begins. Its extremely encouraging to be given the mandate to lead the next team from the team in which I played with this year.

Its a daunting task, no doubt, but the examples of those who have walked before me have shown me each in their own different way the path that they had taken. With the baton in hand, there is a path for the next team, the team of 2008, to forge ahead.

What really impressed me throughout the course of Tuck Wen's captaincy was the sheer determination and discipline of the team. Its still something that leaves me in awe when thoughts of that team surface in my mind. That team has got to be one of the most self-motivated and discplined team i've seen in my hockey days. This spirit shall not be lost with the team of 2008.

We see the faint beacon in the distance. And the journey has just begun.

Justin,
Starting over

Bah.

2007-05-05T17:01:00.000+08:00

Heaven Cries for Us

2007-04-28T10:41:00.000+08:00

Friday

The dust has not completely settled. But its nice when you take note of the people around you and how they try to cheer you up in their own little way however insignificant.

From being able showing a previously completely unknown side of myself so openly and honestly, to receiving a random sms just asking about how the game went, or just an open msn window asking whether you're alright or a slight push in the back as you're walking down to the canteen.

All these paved the way for a hollywood-like climax. At about 2 after another entertaining Lit class, I was strolling along the corridor flanked by the council room and student lounge on one side and the amphitheatre on the other with a covered walkway above my head. At this time, Nigel strolled up from the direction of the sanctuary. We had nothing much on at that time and so we just stopped to chat about the past day happenings. New insights on each of our parts compounded to our understanding of the going-ons. As we spoke, rain fell. What started out as a shower sounded turned into a deluge as we continued talking. How iconic. Stay strong bro.

"Heaven cries for us today"

- NJS

Moving on to brighter things, the guys met at 4 to arrange a lunch/dinner together with Mr Ali. Following which, we made banter and cracked jokes for bout the next two hours before heading home joyful.

I mentioned two poems of which I would post one. Here's the (alternative) ending:

Piercingly beautiful is the way
They culminate
Into a tapestry so exquisite,
And yet
So unintentionally.

Piercingly beautiful. Thats how it is.

To fully admire the tapestry, you got to take a step back first, Justin.

Justin,

Admiring the exquisite tapestry.

PS: Do drop a tag if you're passing through!

Poetry

2007-04-26T20:31:00.000+08:00

So this is where our destiny has taken us.

The Start

High up in the skies or far below the earth,
Oft we try so hard, we give our all.
Success slips past us yet again.

As the world freezes, we too, freeze.
We watch as the world watches us.
As we run from this space,
tears stream down our face.

All the effort; progress,
That faint glimmer of hope,
All stuck in reverse.

Running, running in circles,
Minds in a crashing silence.

Nobody said it was easy,
No one ever said it would be this hard.
Let’s make a rush to the start.

It's a pity that 19 fine young men would have nothing to show for all they've done. Nothing to show for all the miles their legs clocked, nothing to show for the beads of sweat that drenched their shirts, nothing to show for putting their body on the line and being on the end of all those bruises, scars and injuries. We're not going to get that chance to study with a medal in our hands. It's a real pity.

Oh well. So what now Justin? What are you going to do on those afternoons after school anymore? In all honesty, I have no idea now.

To all my fellow brethren who are putting their bodies on the line for their teams,

I have this to say,

I know what's like to lose, to win, to want to quit, to want to cry, to not want to get up.

I know what it's like to hear the cheers and yells for you.

I know what it's like to feel the pressure of everyone on your shoulders,

I know how hard we've all trained and worked for this.

It's never easy with what we have,

the beauty is in turning it around making the most of it.

With this, I wish you all the best as you achieve for your team.

Justin,

Salutes the 19.

Crashing SIlence

2007-04-25T22:10:00.000+08:00

It's nervy. At this point, I just can't get the thoughts of the RJ vs AC out of my head. I can't think or do work. My mind is just so preoccupied with these thoughts.

There's nothing we can do about it, and thats precisely why i'm feeling this way, cos we ain't in control of it no more.

I was looking at some poems written a while back, two in particular. One for each outcome. We shall see where our destiny leads us tomorrow.

Justin,
In the colours of the red and white.

We are Spartans; on a thread

2007-04-22T21:32:00.000+08:00

Well, its that time of the year again, season has begun and life has been caught up in that twirling mist called hockey.

All that running, stickwork and hard trainings. All culminating in these couple of weeks. They're gonna be unforgetable, just as how I haven't forgotten the matches I played in my Secondary School days under the shield of green and white.

What started out as reluctance quickly grew into fond affinity. As I've always said to the other guys, I took some time to find my feet. Add a load of first impressions to these as well. But we've grown so much, come so far, as a team. This year's Malaysia trip was also awesome. All the fun, laughter, jokes and banter added to the daily recipe of trainings and matches, and of course, not forgetting the singh in our second match and the lovely shot to the head I took.

We started off our season with a 0-6 reverse to RJ. The scoreline really flattered them quite a fair bit as we more than held our own for much of the first half and in little bits throughout the match. A passing remark in the canteen increased my pride in the team by tenfold.

We got the result out of our systems almost immediately and looked to our next match against AC. The preparations went slightly awry just as the match was about to start, and boy, what drama did the match produce. Missing shinpads and shoes followed by random hitting of balls preceeded our kickoff. However, within five minutes of the kick-off, the scoreboard read NJ 1 - ACJC 0. A beautifully taken deflection by Nigel. Luck did not sit on our side for too long and they soon equalized and took the lead by the end of the first half. 1-2. Needless to say, no one was pleased and we came out of the second half with all guns blazing. We then proceeded to snatch an equalizer through a short corner within ten minutes of the restart. Converted by Aaron Tan. Another lapse of concentration allowed them to peg back at us once again on that hot Tuesday afternoon. We were down, but not out. Disappointed, but resilient, we continued to press on, always believing. With less than ten minutes to go, we won another short corner, and from there earned a penalty flick. We deliberated on the flicker and it was down to me.

It was a nervewrecking moment. Miss, we lose, pack our bags and go home. Score, we're still in it with the slight upperhand. I jogged to the loose ball, then walked back to the penalty spot and placed the ball right at the tip of the spot. I was nervous no doubt. But the belief which my coach in Sec 2, Mr Ranjit Singh, placed in me steadied me. A goal would be assured in the ball landed in the bottom right corner. I stood face to face with their goalkeeper as my teammates retreated a distance behind. The silence was crashing. The numerous supporters there both from AC and NJ watched in nervous apprehension. I took a breath. Not a particularly deep one, just a normal one. With a step forward, I pushed the ball. The net let off a sound. Half a second of silence before the roar. I was euphoric. The NJ supporters responded by raising the decibel level. Truly, a magnificent noise. In the end, the game ended 3-3 with my late equalizer and we clung on. The goal against AC will go down as perhaps the most important goal I've ever scored. I had never before experienced such exhilaration. Pretty awesome feeling I must say.

AC is done now, and there's only IJ left. We need to go in there and play like Spartans, fighting to the last whistle and running till the last man standing. Its gonna be another fiery cauldron and we're going to use all the support we have. These guys will shift the balance in our favour. Our 12th man.

Before I end, some random photos of my memories.

Song playing:

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

So I won't hesitate no more, no more

It cannot wait I'm sure

There's no need to complicate

Our time is short

This is our fate,

I'm yours

Justin,
Loves the team and loves the game.
Let me play for the glory of one audience alone.

A reality?

2007-03-04T12:56:00.000+08:00

Went down to Delta to play a match at 8pm yesterday. All the matches got postponed cos the the earlier showers in the afternoon. Anyways, our match was a tall task, against mighty CSC, top of the table and all. Much akin to a bolton vs arsenal thing.

Well, after the match I must say I'm pretty impressed with how our team is shaping up. We're definitely looking good and top 4 should be within reach.

On a personal note, i feel that im really stepping it up a gear and contributing more. Played Centre-half against CSC and gee i must say that im proud of myself for a start. Hits looked good and solid, just gotta work a little more on the defensive part of my game and a lot more on my fitness. And then maybe, just maybe, SRC will be a step closer.

It was nice to be back in church again this sunday. Been missing a couple of services cos of hockey matches. And its great to come back and enjoy God's presence in church.

Lunch calls!

Well

2007-02-22T21:11:00.000+08:00

I really gotta know what I want.

It can't be aimless 'just try and hopefully things will turn out good' kind of talk.

Its really gonna require loads of effort. A gigantic amount.

But hey, I'll rather have an aim than nothing at all.

Question is,

Justin, do you want it bad enough?

Team

2007-02-14T21:55:00.000+08:00

I've leant so much over the past couple of months. So much about the game, so much about the ideals, so much about my teammates and so much about myself.

I'm playing at a whole new level and now its all down to me to see how far I'll go. Gonna keep working at it. The intensity has certainly taken me to another level. This year is probably the hardest we've trained and its simply awesome. I never believed my body could take so much before when pushed. You just gotta take the first step and push it.

I can't belive what I'm hearing. I should have known better. Crap.

Happy New Year

2007-01-04T22:54:00.000+08:00

Yo to all once again.

Happy New Year

Its a beautiful start to the new year ago. Saw a complete 180 deg rainbow after the rain one day. Caught a couple of pictures of it. Awesome.

Started school with a bang. Nice to be back to catch up with the people and all. And of course, the soccer and floorball.

Not to mention, hockey again. Its gonna be a smashing year ahead for hockey. 6-a-side this saturday and then league action every week for a couple of months. Awesome stuff. Really looking forward to it.

Its nice to see the whole team growing and its also been nice looking back over the last two years of ip. If its one thing i realise, its that the people who are respected are those who hold on to and stand firm for what they value and what they hold dear. Whilst we may always value different things, I'll always have respect for those who do not waver when strong winds blow or floods surround. Hats off. Truly.

In a nutshell, the word is; unswerving.

Take me, Mould me, use me, fill me

I give my life to the Potter's hand

Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me

I give my life to the Potter's hand

PS: If you happen to be passing by, do drop a tag. Its nice to see even a hello. :)

2006-10-15T15:26:00.000+08:00

It's been two years.

Wow. It still seems like yesterday when I traded the green & white for the red & white.

It's been two smashing years with the many little things falling into place as time progressed.

The last ass wk is finally over. I'm glad it's finally off my back. I hope it ends off IP well. Anyways, it aint my duty to worry about the results, my responsibility's just to put in the effort.

One of the songs that kept me going

And when my world is falling down

In You I will be found

I'm staying in your arms today

Always, always and forever

Ass Wk

2006-10-05T00:27:00.000+08:00

Its that time of the year again.

Sometimes I wonder why I cant complete a particular question or understand a certain concept.

Then I think again - Why am I trying to do everything with my own strength?

At other times, I struggle to find motivation.

Then i think - Is it doing justice to my Maker to do something not to the best of my abilities He has given me?

The various notes today have really given me fresh impetus to rev the gear up one more notch. Pinned the nice ones around my desk. Its really encouraging looking at them. Thanks pple! :)

Hey, if you actually come to my blog now even when I havent updated for bout 2 months, do drop a tag! Ill be honoured. Haha. :)

Planetshakers - Always and Forever

Weekend

2006-08-20T22:19:00.000+08:00

This weekend has got to be one of the most enjoyable and relaxing weekends I had for a long time. Bummed around on Fri. Woke up on saturday at 10+, watched a movie, and played FM from 11 - 7. Breaked for dinner and then more games + youtub-ing. Continued the slacking on sunday. Felt quite accomplised in FM where I went on a winning streak of like say 6 matches before slumping to a 3-0 defeat. Bah. In the FA cup too..

On another note, I'm finally going to finish the book of genesis after a really long time. I guess having a study bible really helps. Cos last time whenever I read I either get lost or disinterested, but now, the footnotes offer loads of explanation and contexts = a more interesting and informative read. So folks, invest in a study bible if you can!

Oh yea, floorball tourny is coming up on tues. That should be interesting. Though it remains to be seen how many goals we can score with that pathetically sized goalpost. Its really dfhdhadhadfhjlsg to play in attack. Really annoyingly small goalpost. Lets hope they enfore the rule which prevents goalies from standing right on the goalline if not its gonna be almost impossible to score. Anyways, its gonna be a ball of a time. Screw passion, fire, aggression, this ain't nationals or smth, the foundation this year is FUN.

http://www.coolbuddy.com/JOKES/funnypics/Evolution1.jpg

Snow Patrol

2006-08-19T22:32:00.000+08:00

Beautiful song.

Enjoy!

Saturday

2006-07-22T19:03:00.000+08:00

Went down to a barkerites game today in the afternoon. Well, i must certainly say that club level hockey is pretty different and maybe its a glimpse into hockey after JC life. The technical superiority definitely makes up for the slower tempo. Hey, thats inevitable when you age. Haha. Anyway, hopefully the guy will get back to me and perhaps ill get a few games with them. The exposure should be pretty good no matter what, guess i'll pick up a thing or two. :) At that age, hockey is all about having fun, and thats really nice to see.

I happened to hear my dad singing a line from this really nice hymn and the words all just came flowing back to me. One of my favourites.

Jesus keep me near the Cross

Jesus, keep me near the cross,

there a precious fountain

free to all, a healing stream

flows from Calvary's mountain.

In the cross, in the cross,

be my glory ever;

till my raptured soul shall find

rest beyond the river.

Hockey

2006-07-20T21:23:00.000+08:00

Had a long chat with one of my ex-sji teammates today. And apparently, there's going to be this massive player exodus to... *drumroll* SA. At least 5-6 of them, and good players mind you too. All these on DSA, and prob a couple more after 'O's too.. Well, i guess that's what happens when a school decides to throw its weight behind a particular CCA.

After a while, after seeing this for a couple of years, its just resignation. But i guess we owe it to ourselves and no one else to spring some surprises nx yr. It'll all boil down to our short corners i guess.

On the other hand, I guess I've reached a point where maybe medals don't seem to matter that much anymore. I've seen how close we were to getting one this year, but yet at the same time realise that our failure to do so doesn't make us any worse off. We've learnt so much in a year as a team, simple but essential things embodied in stories that cannot be depicted by the colour of a medal. Lessons and values that will stand the test of time.

All these rhetoric aside, SJI's C div aint doing too badly in the tourny this yr. They just shattered a SJI record by beating Bukit Panjang 14 zip. Well, they're in the second round now against tougher opposition. We'll see. I'll probably try to hope down for a couple of matches. Nostalgia.

Before I go off, a tribute:
To the team of 2006, captained by Shaun Perreira, spurred on by David Lee, ignited by Shaun Tan, anchored by Tuck Wen, assured by Wei Peng, sharpened by Alex Tan, and formed by the simple presence and dedication of each and every one, I salute you. It has indeed been my honour to have had the chance to play alongside such fine men.

Till 2007!

Holidays

2006-07-15T16:08:00.000+08:00

Wow, its been a really long time since i last updated. This year's june holidays have no doubt been one of the most enriching and fulfilling time in my life. High five camp, hockey trainings, SGH attachment, OBM Lumut. . . Just awsome. And im really grateful for the chance i got to for the SGH attachment. Opened my eyes a lot and gave me a really good insight into the healthcare sector. Went to SGH on job shadowing day again and got a really golden opportunity to see ops being done first hand. Thanks a lot ernest!

After that was OBM Lumut. Whew, what more can i say. Simply fantastic. There, i witnessed the power of how a large and strong mental capacity can overcome simple physical fatigue. You sort of just will yourself on. I definitely wouldnt have imagined kayaking for about 8 hours straight. Its when you are at the limits of your physical capability that the depths of your mental strength are unveiled. Our sea expedition got cancelled at day 2 due to this huge storm coming from the direction in which we were supposed to go. Another lasting and unforgettable memory. Trying to load the kayaks into the speed boats with the waves lashing high up against your chest and the rain pouring down incessantly whilst we were all totally drenched and cold. To add to it all, we had to endure this 2 hour ride back to the main island on the extremely rocky motherboat in such choppy waters. I puked within half an hour i think. And many more times throughout the whole journey. Urgh. That was horrible. After a while, it was just the stomach acid that was coming out. Gruesome. The stench was terrible too. Really unforgettable.
The trekking pales in comparison to the kayaking ex, so i woudnt write about it here.

I got my first letter from MINDEF yesterday cos im 16.5 years old already and thus am liable for service to the Republic. Nothing much, just a basic infosheet on really basic things. Thinking of it, it's only slightly longer than two years more that ill be enlisted. Time sure flies.

School's started, though im not used to the sudden rush of homework after a month of inactivity at home. But i guess ill settle into this new routine soon. And we're gonna have 3 straight free periods on fri.. Bah. Ends at 430 too. Urgh.

Anyways, I'll be off, and thanks to all those taggers who tagged my blog even though I haven't updated in a super long time. Keeps me and this blog going.

Looking all around us

People everywhere

Children having fun

While we are holding guns

Have you ever wondered

Why must we serve

'cause we love our land

and we want it

to be free

to be Free

For the Republic!

An Athlete's Pride

2006-05-27T23:23:00.000+08:00

I'm an 'A' division player.
I'm a team player.
I play with my friends and some of my enemies
but I respect everyone when it comes to my sport.

I know I'm not going to get a multi-million dollar contract to play professionally.
I know I may not even get my name in the paper.

I play for the love of the game.
For the pride and honour
For the blood, sweat and tears it takes to make the team, earn the spot, to win the game.
I play because I can.
I play because I know my life would be empty without the sport I play.

I would have a lack of everything my sport gives me;
Integrity, Courage, Talent, Fearlessness, Pride, Strength, Stamina, Will,
and the heart of a champion.
If I didn't playI would lose a part of myself. How true

I'm an athlete.
I'm a guy.
I'm a champion.
Not because my team always wins, but when we don't,
We learn from our mistakes.
We try to fix them,
but most of all,
because we have fun. Always rooted in fun. :) I love every moment out there.

I've built lifelong friendships and memories because of my being as an athlete. Definitely
I leave everything on the pitch and continue to push myself.
I'm never happy with a second place,
but I've learnt to accept it.
'Whats said and done on the pitch stays there - always'
I've learnt to get over and through my anger to be an athlete
and a player I've always dreamt of being.

I don't play for my parents, for my family, for my friends.
I don't play for my coach or my teachers or my school.
I play it for MYSELF
but when I'm playing,
I represent them. And they mean a lot

It's not just about winning or losing,
but I hate to lose.
I won't settle for a tie
and I'm not satisfied with 100%.
To play,
you've to sacrifice everything,
your body,
your work,
your time,
your sweat,
blood and tears and everything...
For your team.
Nothing great comes without sacrifices, its the team that makes it worthwhile
I'm a player, and athlete, and a champion,
not because I know what it's like to win
but because I know what it's like to lose.
I know what's like to feel the anger and pain
that comes along with the "second" best.

I've been that guy with tears in his eyes,
walking out to receive the second play trophy
and clapping as the other team, my opponents,
receive the first place trophy.

I know what's like to lose,
to win,
to want to quit,
to want to cry,
to not want to get up. The process is never easy
I really appreciate this, even if its just a silent presence.
I know what it's like to hear the cheers and yells for you.
I know what it's like to feel the pressure of everyone on your shoulders,
and I know what it's like to choke under the pressure. First hand

I know what it means to be an athlete,
a true player,
and that's why I play.

I'm an athlete,
a champion,
a true player.

Man

2006-05-24T21:19:00.000+08:00

Damn, I think I know more SA cheers than NJ ones.

And I've only been to two SA matches.

Made that 3 if you count today's game, which was more like a revision.

Something's definitely not right here.

Saints, Saints, Saints, Saints, Saints

Com'on, Com'on!

Saints, Saints, Saints, Saints, Saints

Com'on, Com'on!

What next

2006-05-20T21:26:00.000+08:00

And its all over. This year's hockey season is over and so is assessment week. Gonna have a lot more time on my hands, time to do different stuff and I'm already looking forward to the june hols where I foresee an exciting and fruitful time. But somehow, I just feel that something's missing. Its gonna be a whole long year before the next season. Although I must admit that the timing of the season this year made for one hell of a crazy term, it was memorable nonetheless and definitely one of the best or the best team I have played in before. I'm relishing the prospect of playing with or against the people from my year in SJI. Should definitely be interesting.

I saw God's hand at work yesterday. Really tugged at me. It wasnt happiness, it was joy. And wow, He's so real. Moving on, I found out some interesting stuff about my grandma too, stuff that my parents never told me about since I was born for some reason or another. I won't fill in details on these here, can always talk to me if you want to know, but i have no doubt that this will no doubt be a huge part of my testimony one day.

Funtasia was great today. Had quite a bit of fun myself showing people about the route. Really proud of both our classes for all the hard work and stuff we put in. And I'm glad that some of my friends managed to come. Was good fun but rather tiring.

Oh yea, Zameer called from the Maldives. Nice to hear from him again although the convo was rather brief. Just nice to keep in touch and get to know the people over there are still going great.

That's all for today folks. Till later.

Passion

2006-05-17T19:46:00.000+08:00

I left Delta Sports Complex today with cheers of "GO SA, GO SA, GO! Bring them down! Bring them down!" ringing in my ears. They were playing after our match against RJ.

But WOW.

That's passion for you. Its the way they cheer. I don't think you can ever ask for anything more as a player.

What a stark contrast.

I'll post a super long entry some other time soon.

But for now, its,
"GO SA, GO SA, GO! Bring them down! Bring them down!"

Shock

2006-05-11T21:18:00.000+08:00

Went to bed last night and woke up today with a mind full of thoughts. We got a chance, albeit an uphill one. Guess I'm still stunned by how luckless we were. Maybe murphy's law applies here. Our usual solid pen corners became shaky, their defender stopped a rising shot right on the line. Gosh. This team has got to be one of the best I've played with. I've seen people who have never played hockey in their lives join us for 6 months and become a star in their own right. I've seen those who have played before undergo a rejuvenation. One thing I cannot question is the desire and passion. I really respect that a lot. Enough bout hockey, we're still in it. And while we still have a chance, we will push it all the way. No quarter.

Was looking through some of my old photos. Made me realise how much I miss St Joseph's. Whilst I have to agree that IP has given me more opportunities, there is an unmistakleble spirit in SJI. Don't think you'll ever see it replicated elsewhere. Brought up a lot of old memories. Great ones made during great times.

The place where we played hockey before and after school almost everyday. Loved that culture. Just came naturally, no one gotta force us or anything. We loved it.

Beautiful hall.

The pond outside our classroom where a fish once swallowed a ping pong ball and floated to the surface for a couple of days. Always a picture of serenity.

Holiday training schedule for sec2.

And I say amen to this.

Need I say more? Iconic.

Headshot

2006-05-08T22:34:00.000+08:00

Headshot.

Like a Crystal Ball, it reveals...

2006-05-05T20:46:00.000+08:00

This is shaping out to a great season. Started out with 3 wins from the 1st 4 games. With a number of goals coming from short corners. Just goes to show how impt they are. Now we’re in the second round and a win away from the semis. The match nx wed against MI will definitely be do-or-die. May even be the most impt match this season. Its probably gonna be filled with lots of fire and passion. Let’s go all out for it NJ!

Hockey aside, school’s getting busy, with assignments, tests etc. all coming up. Stress levels are rising and with that im getting to know a lot more about people. It brings out the best qualities in some people and reveals a totally different side in others. Stuff that you thought you knew but never knew. I guess it comes from the different things we value and stand for and the different perspectives we arrive from. Ive seen how it has brought out the best in some. Im not a believer in chance. I believe that God has blessed me so much by placing these amazing people around me, and for that im grateful.

Gonna turn in early today. Had one really crazy and tiring week.

A verse from one of my favourite hymns:

No guilt in life, no fear in death.
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from
His hand 'til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Till later!

Season

2006-04-27T22:49:00.000+08:00

2 wins out of 2 so far.

Looks like its shaping out to be a really good season.

Had a brusing encounter with CJC today. Nice to see my old SJI friends again.

This is a short post cos i'm shagged. Dead-beat...

Shagged

2006-04-17T22:50:00.000+08:00

Bamn.

I'm physically exhausted. In a good sense I guess. I'll never have knew that my body can take so much if i never tried. Its amazing how much more you can go simply by pushing yourself harder. Its all in the mind. Had hockey everyday last wk cept for gd friday. The excitement of season is definitely drawing closer. A really big incentive/motivation for the whole team. Term 2 is definitely the most exciting part of the hockey and non-academic calender, with so many activities coming up. Well, i hope we give a good account of ourselves in this year's tourny. The time has come for us to exorcise the demons of last year's season.

Hockey aside, i think i've grown a lot closer to God over this lent. Its amazing. Im glad i took the step instead of playing the waiting game. Waiting, waiting, waiting. And He's just beside you, its a matter of seeking him.

I'll prob get it done next year. I'll be 17 then. hmm. If i have a choice it'll prob be easter over christmas. I guess it was only ever a matter of time and its because I want to be perfectly sure. No doubts whatsoever. It'll mark a new chapter. And it'll make sense to prepare now.

Its nice to come back from trainings or a match and to have someone with some experience and a common thinking in sports to talk to. Be it the joy, the excitement, the good, or the screw-ups, the near misses, the bad, these are just numerous experiences that can be shared. They delight in your delight, they pick you up from the dumps. Thank God for blessing me by putting these wonderful people in my life. Thank Him today.

Song on my Playlist: Fast Forward by Don't Look Down

Fall asleep to me
I'll be there when you wake up
When you start your day your right next to me
But I can't explain
How feelings move so fast
Once they start I can't control how my heart
Feels for you

But i never knew
I'd see you smile
I fade into your eyes
We'll be hangin out
Forehead to forehead
My hand held in yours

Fading fast without you here
I need you near to calm my fears
And be my brighest star
No one know what you are to me
Finding the right words to say never came so easily
Count on me to believe in you

But I never knew
I'd see you smile
I fade into your eyes
We'll be hangin out
Forehead to forehead
My hand held in yours

Change of template

2006-04-02T22:59:00.000+08:00

Music of another great band has reached my ears.

ACCEPTANCE.

Kinda explains the change in template. They're a really good band and go check them out if you haven't. Don't miss out. Just don't..

And this blog ain't dead. I still check regularly even though i don't blog that much. And its really nice to see tags. Just tag even if you just happen to be dropping by. Keep it going yea?

2 weeks to Easter... ,
3 weeks to Season... ,
Make it different

- Justin

Missing Out

2006-02-26T22:05:00.000+08:00

Looks like I won't be able to go after all... I hope you'll be there when its my turn though, it'll mean a lot to me.

Keeping my fingers crossed

Thank You

2006-02-24T21:22:00.000+08:00

Take some time to feel the wind on your face, the smell in the air, the touch of the grass, to look at the stars in the sky, the ripples in the pool; and the world's a beautiful place.

I'll rem that conversation for a long time. 6 years in Singapore, and after that he'll be going back to a nice, cosy house currently under construction now, and open a small shop in the market. Talk about being content. Its the simple things that bring real joy and satisfaction. Made me think. God bless you, my friend.

I still hope that i can go for my bro's passing out parade on the 7th. Gotta find a ticket. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Its been a great time hasn't it?

Mr Eng was spot on.

...

2006-02-20T21:24:00.000+08:00

The day might just come when I wake up and find that i just dont love it anymore.

Beautiful sky today.

That day may be coming soon

:-)

2006-02-09T21:57:00.000+08:00

Doesn't sound too bad at all over there aye? The camaradie, banter, jokes etc. Maybe what they say is true to some extent. You do make friends for life. Glad that i managed to talk to that slack but fit punk. I don't wanna break any bone or get injured till then, cos if not i'll just be missing out on a lot.

In the meantime, i guess it wouldnt hurt if I start some of my preparations now. Haha. Kinda early though..

Really made my day :D

B Div Hockey Season

2006-02-08T18:51:00.000+08:00

Went for a run after coming home. Maldives briefing took longer than expected. Dragged a little bit. Looking forward to the after road run activities nx fri. Can't wait to play again. LAN is kinda addictive, especially now that I dont have it on my comp no more.

On another note, B Div Hockey Season is startin! First match will be against ACS(I) nx tuesday on the 14th. Don't think it will be too much of a contest for the b div players, but it could, and is likely, to be an explosive match. Probably gonna be very physical too. Should be interesting.

This is gonna be their year man. A top 4 finish on the cards?

"Adversity cause some men to break; others to break records."
-William A. Ward

Ora Ora All the Way!

School

2006-02-06T21:07:00.000+08:00

School's been great so far this year, enjoying it so far. Glad that I got the chance to go to Maldives this year, think it'll be a great experience and a great eye-opener. Already know quite a few of the chaps going, its gonna be a smashing time. Definetely.

Still thinking about the thailand trip in june. Gonna cost another $750 bucks. Guess I'll see what they say in the briefing this wed first. I hope it wont be too similar to maldives, some variety is good.

Ran road run in pe today. Never really got to know the route, all the left turns, right turns, zigzags are confusing, even though this aint my first time this year. Road marshalls are def gonna be useful.

Hockey was not too bad today. The groupings for 'a' div are out, we're with CJC, SAJC, AJC, TJC. Its gonna be extremely tight cos any team in the group can probably beat any other team on their day. Gotta make our pen corners work man. Just gotta simply keep drilling it. Consistency is the key.

Band of the Month - Cold
Song of the Month - A Different Kind of Pain (by Cold)
Nice band, nice song, the song above is one of the softer ones, but nonetheless fanstastic and has nice lyrics.

"...the most deadly sins are not those that jump upon us, they are those that creep upon us..."
gotta watch out

Hockey's Back

2006-01-13T23:16:00.000+08:00

This week has felt awful long. Although the public holiday on tuesday was only 3 days ago, it feels like its light years ago. Been having really long days on Mon, Wed, Thur, coming home at 8+ on those days.

I think i've rediscovered my passion for hockey after a dismal season last yr. Getting back some old secondary sch form and most importantly getting some of the sji hockey culture back. Since I stepped foot in NJ, ive never played so much hockey in a week, even playing on thursday mornings. Simply brilliant. Wed was the classic case. Had lessons from roughly 800-1340 and then hockey all the way till 1840. And it wasnt even a training day. Learnt a lot from han kit tt day. That is the ideal day. Friday was even better (not counting the incessant rain), banged in 2 goals from penalty corner top D range. Sweet. Hopefully this form stays and I'll have a chance to bang some penalty corners in when season starts and hope the 2006 season will end off as brilliantly as it started.

There's a quote from the movie friday night lights (a movie about a high school football team) about schools after the team suffered a defeat.

"Radio Listener: There's too much learning going on at that school. "

Looking forward to another year of 'A' Div Hockey! :)

Untitled

2006-01-06T16:46:00.000+08:00

Things ain't gonna be so bad after all. :)

Untitled

2005-12-09T17:18:00.000+08:00

Feeling a little bored this couple of days, actually looking forward to hockey training next week. It's been a long time since I trained. Hope my hits won't become screwy after a period of inactivity. Well, I gotta start one day. Looking forward to next year's season. It'll be nice to win something, but much will depend on the groupings though.

Been playing quite a bit of FM2006 this couple of days. The comp's so laggy that its frustrating… Hopefully I'll be able to head down to sim lim square tmr to get some ram. Its made worse by the fact that my comp cant use the newer and cheaper SDRAM and RDRAM is extremely expensive. Just hope that fm will be less laggy after the ram's installed.

Read elaine's blog bout eternity, its always something that got me thinking. I guess the whole concept will always baffle humans. Maybe it's just not within our human framework to conceptualize such an idea. The absence of time is certainly one of these issues. What will life be like without time? Caught the preview of Aeon Flux last wed and one line struck me, “what kind of life is that of a life without hope?”. The context of the movie was in one of those dystopian societies, think George Orwell's 1984. Hope inspires us. The prospect of a better tomorrow drives people. The belief that we have the ability to make the little imperfection of our world a bit better motivates people. Can hope still stem from perfection? There's nothing to change, all is good, and all is perfect. What is there to strive for? It's a nice process working from imperfection to perfection, but what is there left to do once that's been achieved or obtained? We may never understand this concept as humans, but faith will carry us through.

Nickelback's a fantastic band. Been listening to a couple of songs from them of late. Someday, how you remind me and photograph rank along my favorites. And yes, you're missing out on a lot if you've not heard them. The style's mainly post-grunge (eg. Creed, Switchfoot, 3 Doors Down), very radio friendly and easy listening. You gotta hear it to know how good it is.

Fix You

2005-11-29T12:25:00.000+08:00

Came back from class chalet on Fri. Took a really long time to get back man. Like 1.5 to 2 hrs? Class chalet was great even though not that many people managed to come.

Thanks to all who did! Gerard, Daniel, Terence, Rayshio, Hsuan Te, Jiayi, Ben, Jessica, Melody, Xin Yuan, Diana, Charlyn, Basil. Spare me if I missed out anyone. Great people made for great times. The 3 days were a bag of laughs. Got to know people better. Certainly something that I'll remember for a while.

Couple of random things from class chalet:
1) Coming back from 5 or 6 balls behind to beat Ben in pool
2) There's tighter stuff in Terence's closet than his pants
3) Being shot 3 times by Charlyn in murderer when she wasn't the murderer
4) The aura of rayshio's goalpost when playing soccer
5) Gerard and his singing antics

Ranging from the honest to the hilarious, these moments and memories will last a long time.

Leeds won their third match in a row. 1-0 win over millwall. Getting really excited about our promotion hopes. Hope we do enough to get automatic promotion. A playoff defeat would be such a heartbreaker.

Been watching a couple of movies these few days. City of Angels, War of the Worlds, A Lot Like Love. War of the Worlds has one of the corniest endings I've ever seen man. The aliens just die and the whole family is reunited in Boston. LOL. The 2 other movies arent too bad. City of Angels is nice. The last scene was beautiful. The movie was more or less bout making choices and how the consequences of these choices affect yourself and the people around you.

The holidays have so far been rather relaxing and enriching for me. Having a good time.

Songs playing
1) Fix You by Coldplay
2) Come Back Down by Lifehouse

Beautiful songs. The Fix You video is excellent too.

That's all for today.

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try
To fix you

Goodbye and Goodnight.

Ciao

SOUTHAMPTON 3 LEEDS 4

2005-11-20T23:09:00.000+08:00

ROY KEANE has quit man u. Surprise? Guess it was just a question of when. He would probably have left in june nx yr or maybe even in January. But reading deeper into this move, this would be extremely important for the next batch of players. To put it simply, there were 2 sides in this situation. Roy Keane VS The Five Criticised Players. Ferguson sided with the 5, representing the future of the club against roy keane, who would have represented the past of the club. It was a bold move by Ferguson and it just goes to show, when you go head-on with ferguson, you lose. There have been countless examples over the years, namely Jaap Stam, Dwight Yorke, David Beckham etc. The gaffer always wins. I’ll love to read Keane’s next autobiography.

Moving on to the world cup playoffs. Shocking scenes. Turkey just seems to be hell whenever foreign teams go there. Boisterous, rowdy and violent crowd. They just pelted the pitch with missiles aimed at the Swiss. Coins, lighters, water bottles etc. And if that wasn’t enough, it was reported that a few Turkish players and even police officials attacked the Swiss players in the tunnel. And yes, of course Alpay Ozalan was involved. One of his ex-teammates at Aston Villa even remarked that he’s one who would even be able to start a fight in an empty room. Haha. But on a more serious note, a swiss player was hospitalized after suffering a perforated urinary tract caused by a kick. This is sheer thuggery and FIFA should meet out the most serious punishment that they can give. Its not so bad if players hack each other on the field and shout crap to each other on the field, as long as they leave these things on the pitch once they leave, whilst not necessary being the best of friends, but holding each other in high regard and mutual respect. Who knows that maybe when they’re in their 60s, they’ll be sipping champagne together and laughing at all those incidents they did when they were younger.

Definitely not been doing enough fitness work these days… The last thing I want to do is to resume hockey nx yr in a shitty physical state. Cause you’ll definitely not enjoy the game as much. Guess ill need to find more self motivation to work out on my own. I’ll definitely have to push myself, and without a doubt it’ll pay off next yr. Hopefully. Cant afford to always be a laggard.

Been playing squash a lot these days, played for 3 consecutive days in fact. Squash is fun man. Hammering a black rubber ball against a wall. You can hear it when you hit a nice shot. Just like hockey. You can hear a good hit. Guess one of the reasons why im enjoying squash so much is that theres no pressure. Just play for fun, get a few gd hits, a few screwups. No worries.

Today’s been such a great day with Leed’s victory. Couldn’t have asked for more. I’ll remember it for a long time. Simply Brilliant. Promotion would be even sweeter. Can't wait for that to happen. It’s gonna be a reality. We’ll Be Back… to stay.

Come' on Lads!

Untitled

2005-11-10T23:56:00.000+08:00

Haven't updated in a while. Many things have happened. Been wanting to talk about this for a while, but haven't had the time to do so. Its pretty late by now, but yeah, about the Man Utd vs Chelsea game, why the big hype, why the big elation on the part of man utd fans? In all fairness, it wasn't a bad game and man utd certainly upped their game after a couple of poor performances. But the truth is, for a match between two teams of such stature, it was rather inconsequential. Not like these 2 teams were neck and neck in the title race where a win would have been of utmost importance. Chelsea could actually afford to lose this match with no serious repercussions. That's just the gulf between these 2 teams.

There's lots of good bands on the market nowadays. Got a couple of great BFB songs from charlyn. Good emo rock. Somehow their style bears an uncannily similarity to MCR and The Used. The Rasmus also released an album not too long ago, a bit heavier and more aggressive than Dead Letters, but sounds great nonetheless.

Can you guess the full names of the bands from the abbreviations below? Each letter is the first letter of a word.

MCR -
AS (But more commonly abbreviated as A7X) -
TR -
BFBE -
SA -

Tag if you can get all of them!

Elaine caught glimpses of more Mormons again. Haha. If it's one thing that I admire about them, it has to be their dedication, albeit for a twisted ideology. Talk about outreach, evangelism etc., these people are showing how its to be done.

The website below is an extremely interesting dialogue between Mormon missionaries and some other people.

Note the politeness of the Mormon and the statement below.

Mark: As I was saying Peter, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that there is only one God, that there is a Trinity, and that we are saved by grace.

Sounds ok? Its how they define the terms that makes the difference. Read on.
http://www.carm.org/lds/ldsdialogue.htm

That's all for today. U2 songs have great lyrics. Why? Below is a quote by Bono

If you're writing songs, there are two things that you just don't
write about: politics and religion. We write about both.

FMing

2005-11-04T20:18:00.000+08:00

Finally managed to upload the H.A.L.O. pics on imagestation.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2118034145

Played FM for a large part of the day. FM is extremely laggy on my comp man. Currently in a bad run of results... Depressing. Got no funds to bring in new players, so I'll just have to stick it out with this bunch of players.

There's been a lot of talk on the Roy Keane issue, on whether or not it was right for him to lambast his fellow teammates. Well, Keane's the cap and he was a good player, and I'm certain Alex Ferguson would want Keane over any other player to do it if it had to be done. But to go public with his criticism, even naming 5 specific players and condemning them... Thats a bit extreme. Personally, I believe that the issue here is not so much the strong condemnation of his teammates, but rather the fact that he wanted to go public with it. I'm sure that if you install mikes in the dressing rooms of teams, there'll probably be tirades much stronger and abusive than that. But the impt thing is that, that's where it belongs. Whatever happens there should be left there. Its meant for the players and should be left for the players to hear, not the media.

Oh yeah, another impt point that most pple always forget in game situations. Its not how something is said, its what is being said that's important. Things can get heated up and some people are just more expressive, but that doesn't mean that what they say is not valid. Its impt to take these things positively. :)

Stopped listening to pop for a long time, but Westlife just released a new album and quite surprisingly the song "That's Where You Find Love" is not bad. Played a couple of The Ataris and All American Rejects songs today. They're quite good too. :)

Chorus of "That's Where You Find Love"

It's where the stars line up

It's where the oceans touch

It's in a place you've never been

But feels like home

It's in the air right now

It's when you give your all

And give a little more

I've never been so sure

That's where you find love

Class BBQ + IP Induction

2005-11-03T12:27:00.000+08:00

Had class bbq on tuesday night. Played a little GTA: San Andreas, ate and then went to watch The Longest Yard at night. Nice movie. Quite hillarious too. Mr Cheng made an appearance halfway through. But he seemed to have left something at home. See below.

Haha. Guess he forgot to bring along his blink-blink. Found out that we are not gonna split classes next yr. Thats great! Must really try to organise a soccer competition nx yr. It'll definetly be great fun.

Had induction the next day. Went to school rather early. Met the juniors and there were quite a few SJI chaps. The games were rather fun and it was nice to bring them about. In the course of the games, some really fantastic people really stood out. Great to see that. Quite an uplifting moment that day. Of course there were others with more unique characters. But well, thats for 06IP05. Hope that they would have a really great time together over the next few years and hopefully there will be a few shining lights from there. :)

Blogging for the third straight day

2005-10-28T15:05:00.000+08:00

Im sitting at home on a Friday afternoon waiting for training to start. Completed downloading and installing FM2006. But i cant find a no-cd patch. Argh. So, i still cant play the game. White Sox won the world series in a resounding 4-0 thrashing of houston. Kinda expected. White Sox's pitchers were just to gd man.

Think i'll talk a little bout myself

Sports I Like/Play + Supported Team/Player (If any)
Soccer - Leeds United

Rugby - All Blacks

NFL - Any team besides the Green Bay Packers (haha. jk) Don't really watch too much of NFL

NBA - Dallas Mavericks (Love their style)

Formula 1 - Renault (That was before they won this year)

Hockey - South Korea / Australia

Squash - Nil

Baseball - Nil

Tennis - Joachim Johansson (Possess a fantastic Serve - Once served up 50 aces in a single match)

That's about it. Think i'll do one on music another time. It's the last day of school today - Its a beautiful day, don't let it get away!

Lyrics from "Walk On" by U2

Walk on, walk on
What you got, they can't deny it
Can't sell it, or buy it
Walk on, walk on
You stay safe tonight

School's Ending..

2005-10-27T22:32:00.000+08:00

tmr is gonna be the last day of school for this year.. Time flies when you're having fun. 05 rocks man! Really hope that we don't change classes next year. For now, just cross your fingers and hope.

Many thanks to jessie for helping so much with my blog. Thanks man. The new blogskin is a pic of avenged sevenfold, another great band.

Had DOS ushering in the morning, so i had to come to school at 730 on a thursday. Came at 740, but abel was even later, came at around 750. Haha. All the visitors all had one complaint in common - That NJ has too many steps. Funny hearing the responses of people when you greet them. Most of the people replied with a cheery smile and a greeting. However, there was this guy who replied with a resounding "THANK YOU" when we greeted him. Haha.

There was no MI cos mrs tan wasnt in college, so gerard, jem and i went down for an early break. Talked a lot. Stimulating conversation. I guess that will always be a grey area. I mean, no one will really know for sure yeah? Guess it was sji that sparked off my interest in this topic. But from what I gather, purgatory seems to be one of the less understood things or doctrines. Enough bout that.

Got back MA1101 papers today... What can i say man. It was pants man. MA1101 is pants. Putting it into soccer terms, well the ball hit the underside of the crossbar, bounced up on the line and cleared by a defender before a forward could come to score. Left myself with too high a mountain to climb for the final test. Well, it was not to be. Guess what, the ball still DIDNT cross the line, so - NO goal.

Thanks for that note. That was really nice of you.

Went to play soccer after school. Had a fabulous game. Bagged a hattrick and so did johnson. Any yes, this time the ball did cross the line 3 times. Johnson and I just whalloped the ball. Playing in the gym is fun man. Fast and furious. We did quite well against a bunch of J1s. Did we win? I wasnt counting score. Anyway, it just feels great to score again. :)

I'll leave with Oasis's "Stop Crying your Heart Out". Another great song by another great band. Rather meaningful too.

'Cause all of the stars,
Have faded away
Just try not to worry,
You'll see them some day,
Take what you need,
And be on your way and
Stop crying your heart out

Thats all for today, image station is still down, ill upload the pics at a later date.
Ciao.
Justin

2005-10-27T11:59:00.000+08:00

HEY EVERYONE.! THIS IS JESSIE BLOGGING FOR JUSTIN.! because i was THE PRO who did his blog up for him :) yes & it looks great, doesnt it.? so punk-ed, just like justin. HAHAH.

anyway so tomorrow is the last day of school.! awww how sad.! justin is going to miss the whole class so much (especially ME, his sitting partner for practically the whole year) lol im kiddingggg.

il end off with this, 05ip05 is hottttt.!!!!

What next?

2005-10-26T11:22:00.000+08:00

Ass wk is over. The yr is pretty much slowing down to a close. Had hockey on mon. 1st training in a long time. Nice to get back into trng, but i got lots of rust to shake off. Only managed a very dismal 12.48 for 2.4 run in trng, despite managing to run 11.24 the day before. Need to get fitter man... It started to pour in the middle of trng so we had to stop stickwork and do stairs. Ran up the stairs from the PE department to the canteen 10 times. Right now my calves are still aching. Someone's great idea, but just goes to show how much work ill need to put in on my own during the hols. I'll want to come back next yr faster, fitter and stronger. We were kidding about canoeists in the middle of our trng, but somehow i found this quote rather motivational

"Tough times don't last, tough guys do"

Reflecting back on ass wk, I think i learnt more about a lot of people. Somehow exams help to reveal more about some people, showing different sides of them. Some of these you totally never knew about.

Besides that, its great tt its over. HALO was great fun. Trying to upload the pics but imagestation is DOWN. argh..

Listening to a lot of new music in recent weeks. There's lots of great bands coming up.
Love Avenged Sevenfold and Sonata Arctica. Fantastic bands, fantastic music.

AYE?

Of course, not forgeting to mention Stratovarius.

Will attempt to upload the pics of HALO at a later date when imagestation is back up.

I'll leave with the chorus of Tallulah by Sonata Arctica

Tallulah, It's easier to live alone than fear the time it's over
Tallulah, find the words and talk to me ,oh,
Tallulah,This could be... heaven

Ciao and a have great day today.

H.A.L.O. 2005

2005-10-23T08:24:00.000+08:00

H.A.L.O. 2005 was great. Went over to Jem's place with gerard, ernest, wilbert and jem. Chilled out for a while then went to change up and get ready. Jem has this really nice, valuable, priceless blue LUFC strongbow jersey. Cool man. Those were the days... Champs league semi final. We'll be back soon though. Got eyeshadow from jem's mum and went to buy make up remover from guardian. Planned to go to H.A.L.O. as MCR, so had made some preparations. :) We shall get ski masks and go as Slipknot nx yr. Haha.

Went for the haunted house thing first with our class girls. Haunted house was not bad. Quite cool. Gim Lim was damn cool with the scissors and all. Freaked out almost everyone. Haha. Drama did a great show. :) Went for horror trail after that with some girls from 01. Much longer than haunted house. But less "intense"? We managed to scare one of the ghosts in the classroom. Haha. Really funny. They got a real shock. Haha.

HALO was great overall. Had lots of fun. Really nice way to end of the term. These are the things you'll remember 10,20 years down the road. Eyeshadow's fun to play with. Open your mouth when you do it. :)

Uploaded some pics from yesterday here. Thanks Elaine for telling me how to!

Will upload more pics at a later date.

~So Long & Goodnight!~

Song Change

2005-09-27T18:12:00.000+08:00

Song on blog has been changed from Is not a fashion statement, its a deathwish to Helena.

So long and good night.

Sports Update

2005-09-27T06:35:00.000+08:00

The new season of A1 began yesterday, didnt have time to catch it though. I think A1's a great idea. Formula 1 has long been getting stale. There is always this large gulf in car ability between the big teams and the small teams. A1 aims to neutralize that. Having drivers compete by nationality also adds to the excitement. Not like in formula 1 where the good drivers of the lousier teams keep moving on to bigger teams. Lost interest in formula 1, haven been following much for this season, lastest news i heard was that alonso has become the youngest world champ. Thats good, always nice to see someone else winning other from michael schmaucher.

Moving on to the NFL, the packers are 0-3. LOL. So much for the division champs. They lost the last match by a single point 16-17 to tampa bay. For those of you who didnt know, thats the Tampa Bay owned by Mr Glazer, they finished as division champs too last season i think. Saints lost again, so now they're record is 1-2. (Still better than the packers 0-3). They're really playing hard for the people of New Orleans.

There has never been this much work for LA, journal entries every couple of weeks and stuff. This is something new. Can't say that we learnt less by doing less under Ms Ho. Malay has been quite interesting so far, always full of fun and laughter. Terence - Rem the pasar malam joke? Even Mazlan was laughing like shit. LOL.

Soccer on mon was great. Not that we played great, but that we had a great time together and a great workout. Turned out that we didn't have to play like Titans to win, we played more like a bunch of earthlings but managed to sneak a 3-2 win.

According to Greek mythology, the Titans were greater even than the gods. They ruled their universe with absolute power! Well that football field out there tonight, that's our universe. Let's rule it like Titans! You make sure they remember, FOREVER, the dAY they played the Titans!

Another Day

2005-09-21T16:09:00.000+08:00

Maths has been driving me crazy the past few days. The misc ex questions were like 10 times harder than the norm in other exercises. Wasted loads of my time. The worst thing is that you realised that you made a careless mistake early on. That sucks.

Enough said bout maths. Played soccer today during lunch against some j2s. Not bad. We lost 2-1. At least we scored a goal. Nice outside foot shot by Hernan Crespo, assisted by Daniel Bennett. We played well. :) Played till 1250 when we rushed back to class for IS1107. Funny things happened, shall not elaborate. Soccer is fun though.

Oh ya, Leeds beat Rotherham 2-0 in the carling cup, both goals coming from richard cresswell. Well, what can i say? We're on our way up. Nx year Leeds will be playing against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool etc. Glory restored.

I can't seem to hear the music I uploaded. Tag if you can hear it! It takes quite a while to load though. I think.

Reply to tags:
jessie - gd point..

terence - esok tumbuk zaka dan bua kao. (not kidding, be prepared. haha)

Continued

2005-09-02T08:38:00.000+08:00

Continued from yesterday's post. Went back to SJI yesterday with gerard, ben, jason, zhirong, always nice to go back, met many friends and teachers. First voice me and gerard heard was tt of cheok mun's. A sentence full of passion and emotion (not directed at us). Haha. Brings back many old memories of 202.

Saw many teachers, Mr Lee, Mr Lim, Mr Arul. Apparently, my sec 2 chinese teacher, Mr Lee Lip Meng did not exist anymore, in his place was Karl Lee Tong Ge. Haha. He told us he went to see some fortune teller who said tt his name was bad luck, so he changed his name officially to Karl Lee Tong Ge. He even showed us his IC. lol. Then went to talk to Mr Lim, with the conversation centering about the usual. He's a really nice guy, wish him all the luck in his future endeavours, age sure is catching up, time is beginning to run out. Turned out that there was loads of extra food at the teachers reception, so he asked us to have lunch there. Talked more over lunch. The food was gd too. Had a nice chat with Mr Arul as I entered the lunch area, he sure was a happy man cos news had come that 5 Josephians were captains of 5 JC hockey teams. Whoa! What an achievement for SJI.

Jeremy Frois - CJC
Shaun Perreira - NJC
Nawal - AJC
Keane -SAJC
Leonard - ACJC

Nice to play against old friends, we always have so much to talk about after the match. I won't forget the match against CJC this yr where the whole flank was made up of SJI pple. For NJ, rightback was Nigel, righthalf me. For Cj, left half was jeremy frois, left back was cho yao. SJI production line. Haha. Chopped down jeremy in the last minute with a mistimed tackle, but what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. Still talk to him a lot, esp when he came for the NJ fun fair. Met him in SJI too yesterday.

SJI also changed their hockey turf, Arul said tt it cost 60k. Tts really expensive man. So far the only schools in singapore that i know have hockey turf are RI,SJI and SN. We gotta win something now. Haha. Nx year B div should be able to make it to top 4, barring any major screw-ups.

Finished LA, working on IS1109 now. The hols are coming, only 1 term of sch left! :)

Oh ya, and the song has been changed to The Jetset Life is Going to Kill You.

Teacher's Day

2005-08-31T19:05:00.000+08:00

Its been more than 2 weeks since I last blogged, been really busy these couple of weeks. Had a floorball tourny last week and went to watch one of the 4 nations hockey matches on thurs.

Floorball Tourny
- It was great class bonding time. Had a great time. Played 2 matches on mon, drew 0-0 against john's team and lost 1-0 to david's team. So we were tied with john's team on points and there would be a sudden death match against them on wed. Had a nice chat with the team before the match, much more personal than mon's one. We went out there and did really well, it was still 0-0 at the final whistle and thus the match went on the flicks. We both missed our first 2 flicks so shaun moved the shooting spot nearer, and they scored and we didnt so they were through. It was a great game. We dominated, we had many shots on target, but we didnt score. Too bad... was just unlucky. This kind of tournys are really good for memories, should take part in all the tournys nx year as a class.

4 Nations
Went to watch 4 nations tourny last thur. Caught the match between South Korea and Malaysia. Nothing to say man, no doubt they're gd (Obviously better than us), but they sent a bunch of kids. The worst thing was that i read the papers the nx day which said tt they sent some high school under-18 team.. But then again, for them to be so good at only tt age, quite impressive. But i was definitely hoping for more... Caught up with ariff and ishyam while at delta, nice talking to them and ishyam taught me more malay words.

This mon's contact period was spent on some love matters stuff. Was not that bad as I expected, had a nice discussion with my grp followed by a short presentation to the class. Quite an insightful and interesting discussion about the topic Friendship and BGR. Shall post up some stuff about what my pastor said bout marriage if i can find it.

This week was really hectic man, but blame it on myself cos i left all my work to the last minute. Been sleeping really late rushing essays and project stuff... Cleared up most of my stuff, will now have thur to do LA and IS1109.

Feeling super sleepy now.. I'll update again TMR bout today's teachers day and the visit to SJI.
Happy Teachers' Day

Ciao.

Changed Song

2005-08-16T20:35:00.000+08:00

Song has been changed to It's not a fashion statement, its a deathwish. Enjoy!

Food for Thought

2005-08-13T02:48:00.000+08:00

First, of all, its nice to see so many pple tagging, considering that i don't update frequently. Haha

Thanks a lot to Jessie who helped me upload the song.

Reply to tags
Jem - No urgency bout the music, you can always hear it on ur own comp. :) IH debate rocked! An honour to be in your team. No more "its in the bag", now its "its done and dusted". Haha

David - yes hockey rawks, cant wait for 4 nations man. Can scrap training tt whole wk to go and catch the 4 nations.

Ben - thx, i'll sign on you next time. haha

Had a great time playing soccer after school today, managed to improve my header connection rate. Always nice to challenge a defender or a goalie for the headers, cause the physical element is there. Beat jeremy to a few headers as striker vs goalie, till he thrashed me in one. Haha. I have his beautiful signature near my eye now. But no hard feelings, cos that was great play. Its great for the goalie to come out and take control of his own area. We should practise this more often heh. :)

Theres this insightful article written by dr michael meegan about his experiences in Africa, qutie a long read, but really an eye opener.

"I held him in my arms and wept" by Dr. Michael Elmore-Meegan
by chella at 04:14PM (PDT) on July 22, 2005 Permanent Link Cosmos
"I have always believed it is our actions, not our thoughts that matter. Tears have never fed a child, pity has never healed a wound. Unless words become deeds, unless dreams are lived, they are mere deceptions". (Dr. Michael Meegan)
To readers: please read the following article by Michael Meegan in its entirety, with the foregoing quote in mind. We have not begun to live, until we have done whatever we can to save another human life. "Personal Prosperity" is an illusion. It does not bring peace, no matter what the self-help people tell you. If you want peace of mind, read this through ... and then do whatever you can to help. Please.
I HELD HIM IN MY ARMS AND WEPT
A year before his death, 17-year-old Atria weighs 7 stone. He has left his village. He is afraid and he is ashamed. He is embarrassed to be here. He is sweating, he fights. His hands tremble. His pulse is rapid. He tries to smile.
His problems aren’t only the rashes and the intestinal worms. These are easily cleared up. But you can’t "clear up" anger and fear, or sleepless nights and panic attacks, or how long a few minutes can seem… or the sense of powerlessness watching your own body fall away, the humiliation of disintegration.
Some infections are harder to deal with: a mouth filled with ulcers, an inflamed penis. As the disease progresses so do the nausea, the back pain, the headaches. Muscle cramps always hurt, especially when one has very little muscle. Atria has severe diarrhea and the dull aches in his stomach be-come sharp pains. Despite our best efforts he becomes anemic. His sight fades, as well as his concentration. Atria has stinging burning pain from urinary tract infections, as his urinary tract is blood red and raw. Moving his bowels has become a feared ordeal, as his anus has lost its muscular contractility and often gets infected. He has no buttocks, not really, just skin stretched over bone, sore to lie on. His joints are hypersensitive. Above all Atria finds it difficult to breathe. His dreadful wheezing-gurgling prevents sleep and he moans a lot because the pain-killers are useless.
Over the coming months Atria finds some support and friendship, some dignity and encouragement. He was a beautiful young man with stunning eyes. A proud, energetic guy, very popular and ambitious with a deadly sense of fun. Now, most of all he hates that he leaks and drips, smells bad, and often cannot control his bowel movements or urination.
He gets angry at himself. He is weak and dizzy and has constant headaches. He cannot eat easily and his ability to digest is deteriorating, as his enzymes are breaking down. The slightest knock causes a painful bruise. Atria is now 6 stone.
After another few weeks, the boy is drained; his mouth full of thrush, a thick, white fungus over his tongue and gums—and ulcers—he has difficulty swallowing. Breathing is increasingly labored. By now, pneumonia is taking over.
All movement is acutely painful and distressing. Intestinal worms are back again. Atria’s limbs are stiffening and his back is covered with ulcers that leak and bleed but do not heal, impossible to manage in a small hut.
His issues are controlling pain, managing extreme distress, reducing humiliation, creating dignity, reducing multiple infections, reducing cross-infection to others. But the worst thing is loneliness. To die of AIDS in Africa is an in-tensely humiliating ordeal, slow… obscene.
Atria is now in his last days of life. His tear ducts have dried up, his hair has fallen out; his bones are brittle. He has no muscle or fat and his heart is 70% weaker than pre-HIV. He has been eaten alive and he has no resistance. All of Atria’s senses are shutting down.
His fingernails and toenails have fallen out. His skin is blistered and scaly, and scabs cannot form. The bedsores and ulcers have spread; sources of multiple deep infections. Breathing is almost impossible and the slightest movement is slow and full of dreadful anxiety. I give him water drop by drop through a straw.
I hold his frail, stiffened hand. He is cold, he has no tears. I look into his eyes. I whisper to him, and kiss him. He slowly inhales, half closes his eyes. He breathes out, very slowly.
Atria’s face relaxes, his tormented body sags. He is gone.
I held him in my arms and wept.I cannot describe the fear and emptiness watching such disintegration. As I write this, the images that flash across my mind are not the data, the plan, the project, but the faces, the faces of those who have had no one else to love them… nowhere else to go—dumped, neglected, unwanted.
I feel so inadequate, so useless and unworthy, flawed and pathetic, so utterly overwhelmed. I want to be somewhere else. I am not able for all of this.
The horror of the holocaust revolts me. I have sights so unspeakable in my mind. What has humanity done?
Why do we allow people to die this way? What manner of beast are we?
In my aloneness, in my fear, in my pathetic inadequacy, in my own humanity, despite myself, I Fall before the feet of God and cry:
Why?
Yet in the end, I find the only thing that matters is to do the best I can.
I leap into the darkness and find myself in a sweltering, disease-ridden place, full of flies and gross smells—and a child is crying. I reach out to gently grasp his small, withered hand, too weak to tremble.
I am here. All shall be well.
I am here.

That brings it to the interview part.

Interviewer: You almost become a priest. You trained for the priesthood. God I suspect has played an important part in your life and your thinking. Yet you tell the story of a 17 year old, Atria in graphic detail how he died. You know, about the uncontrolled bowel movements, the stench of death around us, this young body, the sores and the loneliness of a young African dying. And then where is your God?

Michael: That why I was there. I was there to be the sense. I was there to cherish, I was there to serve and I would be and have been there for thousands of people like that. And for everyone---

Interviewer: Then Where Is Your God? WHERE IS THIS GOD?

Michael: Don’t worry, all will be well. It’s ok. This god is here. That god is in you. That God is what you’re going to do about this suffering. God is in this people. The more you live in Africa, the more you realize the power of faith in these countries. That’s the wonderful thing. You don’t leave Africa overwhelmed with despair, in tears. You leave Africa inspired, because you realize that this continent is so powerful. It’s so strong, has so much love, so much energy. Where do you think all these tens of thousands of orphans are? They’re not in orphanages; they’re being looked after by the communities. And those communities need our help.

Open you eyes and see the real world around.