The K Spot

Long time…

2011-07-04T00:22:00.001-07:00

I’ve decided it’s time I did a post again. Somehow it feels weird not writing for such a long time.

Anyway, I have come across this quote on Twitter and… am currently in a dilemma between agreeing with it or not.

“More than anything else, I believe it's our decisions, not the conditions of our lives, that determine our destiny.”

Hmm, intriguing is it not?

It is our life, our decisions. We can choose to defy, kill and rape. Nobody can stop us if we are determined in doing something. But have we considered the fact that these decisions that we make are inevitably influenced by our physical environment? The place we live in… The people around us… Little by little, these factors shape us to become who we are, leading us to making the decisions that supposedly are decided solely by our mind.

Consider this scenario:

At breakfast, the daughter of a wealthy businessman accidentally spilt a glass of milk on the table and stained her father’s documents. Her father flew into rage and howled at his daughter for her carelessness. She cried in fear and guilt, leaving for school in tears and did badly for her test that day.

Well, some may say that if the father reacted differently and not lose his temper, he would not have frightened his daughter and resulted in her inability to perform during her test. However, who are we to say that? We don’t know for sure what the father was going through at that moment of time when he flew into rage. He could have suffered loses in the stock market or was at high risk of retrenchment, this is reason enough for him lose his temper at the sight of the mess his daughter has created. How often does one stop to think before reacting in such situations?

More often than not, the decisions that we make are greatly influenced by our emotions.

Why are you forgiving and outspoken when you are happy? Or more discreet and reserved when you are sad or frightened? Most of our decisions are affected by our emotions, simple as that.

So back to the question, are our destinies determined by our decisions and not the conditions of our lives?

Yes, they are, but many a time, we cannot control the decisions we make, just like how we cannot control the emotions that we feel. Our emotions are directly related to what we go through(the condition of our life) and the people we encounter and interact with, something far far from our grasp.

You can never know for sure when you might be slapped or when you will win the lottery. But, on the other hand, if we learn to manage our emotions well, we can in a way determine how we want to feel…

This is contradicting isn’t it?

Alright, so if I were given the chance, I would probably change that quote a little.

“More than anything else, I believe it's our decisions, not the conditions of our lives, that determine our destiny if we were taught how to make the decisions we truly want.”

Tell me what you think.

Windows Live Writer….

2011-05-19T06:24:00.001-07:00

I’m actually gonna try usin’ this software to blog… Testina see how it works or looks for that matter.

Failure is....

2011-05-14T04:15:00.000-07:00

I've failed physics. Yea, for the first time in my life, I have failed an offical test. How do I feel about it? Hm, telling myself it's alright, telling myself to take it in my stride, that failure is a necessary phase to go through in life. But the truth of the matter is, this feeling sucks. I feel that slight urge to cry, though I know deep down I won't. Mixed feelings really, I can't really describe it through words. And what's better is that I've failed just by one mark.

Well, I guess it sure is some kind of wake up call for me to work harder. Or smarter, for that matter. Yes, I was unwell when taking the test. Yes, I could've had a clearer mind when taking it. But these are all just excuses aren't they? I've failed and that's that. That is the truth. That is a matter of fact. Period. Nothing can change that.

But yea, come to think of it, it ain't all that painful. I've had more painful experiences before. Failure just stings a little. Not too much. I'll get over it in a day or so. And somehow I've seen it coming.

I think all I can do now is really just learn from this experience and hopefully not fail again. It's really ironic that I am in the Science and Math TALENT programme but I'm failing all my sciences and getting better grades for my humanities. Choices we make, some are right, others are just wrong.

Alright, I guess I'll be fine, and I will really work harder for my sciences to make sure that I get a satisfactory score. I barely scrapped passed Chemistry with a 50% score, got a rather disappointing B4 for Biology and failed Physics by one mark. Tell me about it.

I know I'm not alone. I know that sometimes we just have to go through lots of tough situations. But I'll keep fighting. And I know I'll make it through. I have to.

Self-Hypnosis #1

2011-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so guess what, I've been tryin' out some self-hypnosis techniques that I found on the net so far and uh, gotta say it works sometimes, but others I just fall asleep halfway. Uh takes time i guess. Gonna try it again tonite, hopefully, I won't fall asleep and ruin everything AGAIN. Okay that's it for now, will be in with more updates on my self-hypnosis in the near future.

Btw, if you're wonderin why I'm suddenly into this, I read that I could actually make myself taller thru these self-hypnosis practices. Apart from that, yea I wanna be more confident too. So uh, really, if you wanna try it out, just google it and you'll know how to do it. What's stoppin you?

What's your purpose in life?

2011-04-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Painful, isn't it?

I have been rather, how should I put it, disturbed by how the world works these days. To put it simply, I think we are all just prisoners left to our own device, trapped in an invisible cell, clad in a ever-changing orange jumpsuit. But a jumpsuit will always remain a jumpsuit. And the fact that we are merely prisoners does not change.

System after system, rule after rule, expectation after expectation.

We are mercilessly limited to this unchanging route; You go to school, torture yourself in order to do well, graduate from college, get a job, and hopefully get a kid or two for the cycle to go on and on again. That is how we work these days, the play it safe route to a guaranteed better future. Current societies, especially in the more economically developed Asian countries, have made this path inevitable for those who desire a secure future.

But look at what this coveted "secure" future has brought to many an intelligent child:

Students, merely children or adolescents, are constantly on their toes, seemingly ever-so-enthusiastic in their pursuit of knowledge, be it scientific or literary. These children, once innocent, naive and kind, are wrecking their brains agonizingly to make sure that they score well for a subject that they obviously have no interest in, but are forced to take anyway.

These children, once young and brimming with energy, always wake up feeling tired, waking up only because they HAVE to, not because they WANT to. Anxiety and panic are their best companions. These children, teenagers and young adults alike can hardly sit still without pondering, without worrying. Something always seems to be bugging at their minds. "What about my exam tomorrow?" "Gosh! I have yet to complete that darn piece of assignment!" "What will my teachers, friends and parents think if I fail this test... I HATE IT SO MUCH!"

And hence, some force themselves to like this system, to thrive in it. If you can't beat them, join them. They make this route their obsession. They make good grades a form of treasure they hunt for. They make their academic results everything. They make themselves become something they do not understand. Something that is not them.

But what about joy? What about passion? Now if you actually know a handful of students who go to school because they truly enjoy learning, truly enjoy the competitive nature of school, truly enjoy the load of homework spread across all subjects and learn not because of examinations, not because of scores, not because of future prospects, but pure love for school, you can stop reading this post now as it will be irrelevant to you.

There is a reason why we are, right now, breathing. A reason why we exist. We all have a purpose. Some people are born to cook, others to sing. Some people are born to invent machines, others to repair them. No two person is the same, hence, how can we accurately asses one another through a mere piece of paper that acknowledges your ability? Of course, I am not saying that certificates are useless and have no alternate suggestion to it. What I am saying is, not everybody has to go on the mad hunt for such certificates. I have to acknowledge that school definitely allows you to explore various fields and subjects but once you actually discovered your passion, what's stopping you from going for it? The answer is plain obvious.

System after system, rule after rule, expectation after expectation.

I guess we all know how cruel this world is now. Some of us have fortunately realized our passion but are mercilessly denied the chance to truly develop it. Parents(who say it out of genuine concern) may think that our passions are a waste of time. Teachers may find that they are useless. This kind of explains why the more developed Asian countries produce less Nobel Prize Winners or world-famous artists and singers, don't you think?

The system is just so painfully rigid...

Tell me what you think in the tagboard at the side or the comment section BELOW or on Twitter.

Friday sure isn't all fun and partying for Rebecca Black...

2011-04-12T06:11:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Black's music video "Friday" has sparked a big buzz on the internet. Her video has become an overnight sensation, getting a whopping total of 100 million hits, but has however gained 2 million "dislikes", emerging as the Number 1 most disliked video on Youtube.

Netizens worldwide have mercilessly convicted her of being a "talentless", "useless waste of space" who should have an "eating disorder in order to look better". Well, I personally feel indignant for her and truthfully find these comments unreasonable and intentionally hurtful.

First, I would like to state that I am not a fan of Black's and will present this argument in an unbiased, matter of fact tone.

Number 1:

Rebecca is only 13 years old. She is young, merely a teenager who enjoys singing and has decided to upload a music video of her latest single on Youtube. Even if she does a really lousy job, and even if the song or the video sounded or looked really bad, how does that give anybody a reason to despise and insult her to this extent? How many horrendously bad singers are there on Youtube? The logical and appropriate action a person would take when he/she dislikes a song/video is to stop watching it and move on. Flooding the comments section with graphic, painfully insulting words really just seems immature and nonsensical.

Number 2:

Most of these comments are simply irrelevant to Rebecca's singing or song. If you run a quick check on Youtube, you would find that most netizens commented on the appearance of Rebecca, "this bitch ugly" etc. Yes, it is understandable for singers to be subjected to public opinion but excessive insulting comments like "she croaks like a frog" are simply uncalled for. And once again I would like to emphasise that Rebecca is just 13 years old. Has anyone tried to step into her shoes and picture the horrific morning when you wake up from your sleep and see such hurting comments flooding up the comments section below your video? I would believe that most of us would seriously be upset and may even breakdown. Remember she is just 13.

Number 3:

Rebecca had done absolutely nothing wrong! What Rebecca has done was upload a video of herself singing her song, with completely no defamatory remarks or racist jokes or comments that might arouse anger or hatred. All she did was perhaps relied too much on autotune(evident from the digital sound of her voice). But, let us be fair here, name a singer in the current music industry that does not use autotune at all. I seriously do not comprehend what sparked those nasty remarks about her, telling her to "cut herself" and even "die", these are definitely irrelevant to her music, for I see absolutely nothing offensive in any aspect of her music video "Friday". Some say that the lyrics of the song are too childish and that was what made them dislike it. However, childish lyrics definitely do not warrant such spitefulness and extreme hatred towards her.

Now, on a personal level, I would like to say that I think Rebecca CAN sing. I have watch her interview on Good Morning America and she sang a verse of the American Nation Anthem which I personally found rather impressive for her age. But that is my opinion and I respect conflicting or opposing opinions about her singing ability.

What I do not understand is the incessant spiteful comments about her and her video. Yes, there is nothing wrong with joking about it and laughing it out with a few friends. However, going to the extremes of really insulting her is what I cannot understand and relate to.

Well, I have said what I want to. So tell me guys, Friday sure ain't all fun and partying for poor Rebecca, ain't it?

Self-Hypnosis....?

2011-04-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

Guess what, this blog shall also serve as journal for my self-hypnosis experiment. So today I'm gonna start the very first self-hypnosis session right before I go to bed. Hope it works. Fill you up in time to come. Gotta go.

This Is A Story Of....

2011-04-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

Okay so here is a story I wrote last year during the holidays before I went to China and froze my ass off for the whole month. I suddenly just came across this document and thought, "Wow I wrote this?" Anyway, here it is:

Dean Winchester felt a familiar sting in his spine. Something had moved. In the exceptionally dark room, his usually energetic, blue eyes were awkwardly brimming with terror, seemingly prepared to face the sudden emergence of a foreign and malicious adversary. Suddenly, he felt a grip on his shoulder.

Dean froze. Under such circumstances, unnecessary movement would only put him in greater danger. A surge of adrenaline raced through his veins as his head stayed frozen, eyes watery with fear.

“Dean! Wait for me, you’re not alone here, you know!” The frustrated whisper of his sister entered his ears. Relieve inevitably coursed through his body and he relaxed his aching muscles.

“Fine, something moved just now, did you feel it?” Unable to admit the embarrassing fact of being startled by the mere touch of his sister, Dean looked away from her and spoke softly. Under the dim illumination of the beams of moonlight that seeped through the cracks of the walls, menacing shadows seemed to lurk everywhere, dancing to a hypnotic, ominous pulse.

“No, I didn’t. Come on, Dean, stop scaring me. You know what they say isn’t true, don’t you?” His sister shot him a look of indignation, feeling mildly insulted at his poor attempt of frightening her.

Subscribing strongly to the belief that “there ain’t no such thing as ghosts in this world”, Taylor Winchester, two years older than her brother, held on firmly to her conviction that ghosts were merely the “Santa Claus” for adults. You always hear about them, but hardly ever see them.

It is just a matter of time before one recollects that sickening Halloween prank which sparked the paranoia and vulnerability to the unknown in him, just like the heartbreaking moment when a child spots his mother stuffing candy into his Christmas sock placed by his bed, or the time when he peeps through half-closed eyes and sees his father surreptitiously take his tooth from under his pillow.

Whatever it was, Taylor Winchester believed in no Santa, and believed that she was right.

Her undaunted resistance to curb any possible conclusion that she was wrong made her take up the dare to step into the house no one ever did. They say it reeks of death. However, the need to protect her burning conviction that ghosts were non-existent provided her with adequate courage to stand up from the crowd and take that very first step into the ancient, Victorian- looking house.

“Taylor! Hey! Over here!” Dean hissed loudly, gesturing with his hand for her to join him in the adjacent bedroom. Sharpening her senses once again, she glanced around vigilantly and turned back for the umpteenth time while making her way to the next bedroom, trying desperately to fight of the unnerving sensation that she was being watched by stealthy eyes.

Teach us to care and not to care, teach us to sit still.

What greeted her eyes when she glanced into the adjacent room, made her heart stop beating. And what a look she gave!

Dean lost his nerves. Slumped in the extreme corner of the room, he was shaking vigorously, his tear-streaked face void of all expression. An unspeakable fear clutched at Taylor’s heart. She had never seen Dean so helpless in her entire life, not even when he was faced with a rabid dog when they were young. Those jagged, rotting teeth sure made her blood froze, but Dean remained strong, morally and physically, with a wooden branch in his hand… What Dean had seen had to be a million times worse than a rabid dog….Could this even be real?

Taylor tried biting on her lip. Nothing worked. She knew she would not be waking with drips of sweat all over her clammy cheeks in the warm comfort of her bed. This was real. And it was happening. Fast.

“Dean…? What’s wrong?” Taylor spoke gingerly, inching towards him in anticipation and caution. Dean appeared to be in limbo, eyes darting from left to right warily and aimlessly, crouching further into the corner though his body had long been touching the concrete walls.

Taylor was a hell lot more than frightened now.

“Dean! What is wrong? It’s so dark I can’t see what you’re afraid of! Tell me! Please!” She was raising her voice now, panic was squeezing through her veins, her brother was in complete desolate distress and she could do nothing about it. When she got close enough, she touched his wet face and rubbed it gently with her palm. His eyes continued darting to and fro, wide open with fear, vulnerable, hopeless.

Then, he raised a finger and pointed it to the ceiling. Though it was undoubtedly dark, they had spent enough time in the dark for their eyes to adjust to their dim surroundings. Fear had also heightened their senses.

Turning to look in the direction where his finger pointed to, Taylor felt an ominous sea of desperation choking her. She was desperate to get the hell out of this freak house, desperate to go back in time and remained silent when she was given the dare of entering the house, desperate to make sure her brother was safe…

Facing the ceiling, she could barely make out a round object hanging on a thick rope. It was spinning slowly, round and round… Straining her eyes, she could make out slight contours and an irregular shape, just like a…

“Son of a…” She released an inexorable cry. That was when she saw two distinct depressions in the spinning, hanging object… those were where his eyes should have been. It was the head of a man.

Remain clam, this can be explained by logical, rationale reasoning. Calm down. I said calm down! Taylor embraced her brother tightly against her chest, feeling his erratic shivering distinctly. It was her fault they were in this current predicament. But it was not too late to salvage the situation. They could always walk out alive and still satisfy the dare. They could always just walk out of this damned house. Psychopathic murder has been committed in this house and she was so damned sure about that.

Trying her best to regain her composure, Taylor led her brother out of the bedroom with his arms over her shoulder. Though Dean could still walk on his own, his knees kept buckling and Taylor’s shoulder gave him the support he needed when that happened. Making their way through the dark was much easier after the sickening discovery since they believed that nothing could be possibly worse than what they have just experienced. When fear reaches a certain point, it numbs you, provides you with the required energy and vigilance to continue living, to find salvation and safety.

“Dean, just hang in there and be with me, I’ll get you out of this… I swear…” Taylor muttered through uneven breaths, though she was a regular member of the gym in their neighborhood, Dean’s one hundred and thirty pound body definitely stretched her exhausted muscles to the limit. Fear was what was keeping her going, fear and blind faith.

They limped agonizingly towards the large wooden door in the living room. Almost there now, it was already in sight, just that little more to go. Taylor could not help but glance around her once again.

Though she was undoubtedly exhausted, the design and décor of the living room possessed that amount of attraction and exquisiteness which drew her eyes to savor in the luxurious setting. A huge oak table took up a corner of the living room with an old chandelier hanging overhead. She was surprised how the details started to present itself before her with vivid clarity. A large painting of a bearded man in a soldier’s uniform, possibly German, with the coats of arms of an eagle emblazoned on the front pocket, filled up one of the walls in this mansion.

“Ah! Ouch! Damn!” While observing her surroundings Taylor had let her guard down momentarily and tripped over a fallen vase on the carpeted floor. Landing face down, she inevitably smelt the moldy odor of the wool carpet they had lost their footing on. Dean was right beside her, groaning at the sudden impact. Though he was regaining his senses, he was still badly shaken by the scene in the bedroom.

“I’m so sorry, let’s get up now,” Taylor whispered, pressing down on the carpet for support. That was when she felt the damp patch. Her hand immediately sprang back to her, as if she had just touched a boiling hot metal kettle. Taking a quick sniff, the metallic hint confirmed her fears. It was blood, fresh, wet blood.

“Dean, we have to go now, now, now!” Taylor lost her cool. She had completely lost it without the intention of gaining her rational mood and attitude back. They were right in the face of danger she knew it. She knew sure as hell. Limping awkwardly forward as fast as she could with her brother next to her in the same uncomfortable position as before, she finally reached the wooden doors and grabbed for the handles immediately. Taking a deep breath, she pulled.

The doors would not budge. It was as if an invisible force was pushing it with an incredible force from the other side, trapping them, locking them in forever.

“No! This can’t be happening! It can’t be!” Taylor cried. Hysteria was high in her blood and deep down, she knew that no matter how hard and loud she might scream salvation would never come. Then, the house became deathly silent as she stopped shrieking momentarily, allowing tears to escape her eyes. Shadows seemed to flood around them suddenly, and it seemed to engulf them, feeding on their strong emotions of terror and fear, relishing it, reveling in their horrors.

They say one starts to die the moment he is born. The Winchesters sure knew what it felt like to stop dying….

I feel so....

2011-03-18T04:24:00.000-07:00

I've decided it's time I did a post.

Uh so I guess it's time I say "I'm back and better than..." uh not so much.

Anyway, think this is one of those "dark periods" of my life where I go through peculiar emotional changes. Not a good experience mark my word.

So uh, got pretty hooked on a hit series these days...

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

Yea I know, funny for a guy to like that show.

But I still like it nonetheless.

Really good cast, pretty pretty people, great storyline, it beats Twilight smack in the face, I'm not jokin'.

Here's Nina and Ian, and it's funny how Ian is 10 years older than Nina and can't seem to... get his paws of her... On screen and off.

So uh yea this is me expressin my love for that show, I mean if you're a girl, tell me you wouldn't fall for either Paul or Ian. And if you're a guy and you don't fall for Nina, you can't possibly fall for any other girl in this world. Okay, I keed.

So uh, I'm tryina get back on track, pull up my socks whatsoever and I believe I'll do it.

It has been a painfully busy week and I'm all geared up... to go to bed but somehow I just can't leave all the undone work lyin' around.

Yes, its a sad life. How tragic for all of us. Gotta run. Have a murder to plan. Busy day.

School blog all over again...

2011-01-13T17:31:00.001-08:00

What's happenin' guys,

So what's happenin' is, uh my school's startin' this blog assesement thing again (Yea i know) and I'll have to start posting and commentin' on uninteresting but controversial topics, again.

But, I'll still continue to post "private" posts from time to time so uh, yea hope you'll comment either in the comment section...

BELOW!

Or, in the tadboard or twitter.

With the help of God....

2011-01-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Just had a refreshin bath, fixed my hair, and my com.

So, uh today I'm gonna talk bout religion and its use as a life changing tool.

(Notice that I use the word tool)

Have you ever came across people sayin':

With the help of God, you can overcome all life challenges.
You can lead your life to the fullest, with the help of God.
Have faith, drop all your worries, and overcome your fears with the help of God.

Comin' here I have to point out that I think religion is a really powerful life-changing tool for people who are abandoned by their loved ones or are the outcasts of the society to change their lives dramatically.

"When the world is against us, God isn't. And he always will be with us to give us strength."

What a powerful sentence. God, as we all know, commonly refers to a being so great, he is greater than any celebrity, politician, or person in the world. For a being so powerful to "always be with" you, you can practically imagine the immense impact it does to your mind. A person who has lost all hopes in his life would suddenly feel rejuvenated.

So here's a question,

Are they tryina say that without "the help of God", you can't overcome life challenges, lead your life to the fullest, or overcome your fears?

That without this invisible, almighty being which we learn about thru the bestsellin book in the world, we can't do jack squat?

I'm just confused. Many have proved that they can live equally well with proper values without the aid of religion.

So tell me guys, is it religion, or mind games?

This Is Meant For You

2011-01-02T02:35:00.000-08:00

Guys, guys, guys reading this, uh just wanna update a lil', I'm reading uh "Think and make it happen" right now, think it's really good so far, I'm only at chapter 1 but I really recommend you get it. Esp. if you look at the mirror and don't like what you see,(you can find out first hand what it's like to be me)and have some issues with yourself, ego-related issues, like you're emo and are sick of it, then this book is YOUR book. Your name is already engraved somehow on the front cover. You gotta buy it to see it. Trust me.

Alrite, to the point now, uh this message is dedicated to you, think you'll know who you are if you're by any chance, reading this.

I want you to know that the sad phase is gonna pass so fast, and you're really gonna look back and think, what a fool I was to have been upset over that jerk. You're really gonna find someone you truly, truly deserve, someone who is there for you all the time. And this ain't nobody's fault. I'm just an ordinary person. But to me, you're extraordinary and I'm so sure you'll meet that extraordinary other half.

The Last Day

2010-12-30T03:43:00.000-08:00

Going home tomorrow... What am I feelin' bout this? Uh...

Sad? A lil', excited? Yea, a lil' too. It's a cocktail of emotions I should say.

Think I really should say that it has been a great December for me, and I truly had fun. But reality still has to sink in some time and the time's up, tomorrow.

Hmmm, it's like I've been livin' a new life for the past month and now I have to return to my "old" life so abruptly. Really gets me in a mix of feelings.

And school's comin' up so soon. Tell me bout it.

New challenges, new people, and a pretty new environment too.

It's funny how people get sick of new things some time in their life and just hope that things could just remain the same forever, at least you know what's gonna happen next. Spare me the anticipation and uncertainty.

Well, anyway, home I shall be tomorrow and uh, it's gonna be a great year to come and I really wish all of you reading this the best for the year to come, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart.

May 2011 be a great one.

Homecoming....

2010-12-25T21:23:00.000-08:00

Aight, I'm goin' home in a week.

Kinda wanna stay here a lil longer.. don't get me wrong, going home's cool too.

Think time really flies when you're busy all day, when you're with good company and stuff, gotta say I really had fun this holiday.

1 month and ZOOMMM! It's over!

I really kinda like it here, the weather's cool, the people are nice, accomodation is brilliant too, but yea I know shit happens after the honeymoon, so if i continue stayin' here, it may not turn out that great afterall.

Actually watched lots of flicks here, really enjoyed them.

And I'm gonna glue my ass on some metallic air-bourne structure so soon.

Now on to you, I came to a pretty sound conclusion that we should just step back a lil, and just take it slow, 'cos we're just ordinary people. (Thumbs up for the cliche)

That's it for now, just know that I'm havin a hellofatime here!

Oh and MCR's latest album is really, really, really, really good. I don't know why I kinda hinted that I disliked it in one of my posts but, my verdict bout the album now's that its really good. I really can't emphasize more on that.

Alrite, that's it. I'm out.

Day 9

2010-12-14T05:03:00.000-08:00

Day 9 in China -

Things're goin pretty smoothly so far, uh 'cept that our project's gonna be due soon and its kinda rising the temperature a lil...

Hmm, think it's feeling more and more like home here now.

Just learnt how to tie a scarf properly on the net...

It's gonna be real cold for the next few daes so, I hope I've got enough clothing to fight off the chill!

Sometimes I just wonder what it'd be like if you're here with me....

Anyways, I'm gonna visit THE industrial park tomorrow, so I hope it's gonna be a meaningful day.

Im out!

In China...

2010-12-12T04:15:00.000-08:00

Hey what's happenin' you guys!

In china now, actually I've been here since the 6th, which makes this day... 7! Uhmm. Been fine so far, had some really fun moments, and pretty bad ones. Well, most are good though.

Uh yea, the room we're living in right now's apparently the Teachers' Dormitory so it's pretty much like a hotel room. But there're some issues with the toilet and yea we tried everything we could alright, we really did.

It still smells. Bad.

Gonna get the repair man to fix it right away tomorrow. Had enough of it. Our room smells great though! Thanks to Glade.

Food is great, actually most things are great, just uh.. yea hope to get home though...

And, I really do miss you. Funny how those moments come pretty frequently when your face just pops into my mind.

Anyways, other updates coming, do leave a tag(:

Music does not torture you!

2010-12-01T16:53:00.000-08:00

Quick random post here.

Went on to Shermaine's blog like just seconds ago and I just happened to click on a link to some Tumblr thingy and saw a post on it saying this:

"I just want you to believe in me. I just want you to stop screaming at me. I just want you to trust me - that I can play it well.Why is it that every lesson you must shout at me? - And you say, “You always play it wrongly. You’re lousy. Did you even practice?”Do you know how much time I spend practising the piano daily?
Morning - 1.5h
Night - 2h
Do your maths for goodness sake, and it total up to 3.5h!I did practice. But whenever I play it to you, you’ll just tell me to change the dynamics etc, and why put the blame on me.What can I do if you don’t believe in me? You made me hate piano. But i’ll prove it to you. I’ll get a Distinction. You just wait and see."

*Click HERE to view the original post

Lotsa anger going on in there. Alright, I know I don't have a say in this since I do not even know that person who has published that post. But, I think I should just point out what I feel about how this "You don't believe in me?... Just wait and see!" kinda attitude towards music can in fact make you a worse musician.

I'll make this clear I'm talking bout music here, not sports, music.

See, I think music is about total enjoyment. You don't use the mindset of proving someone wrong to try and tackle a piece of music. It makes you lose your musicality. What you'll hear from the piano or whatever instrument you're playing is:

"I'm pissed. Friggin pissed. And if I don't make you satisfied that I am good at playing ____(Any particular instrument), I won't stop practicing."

Where's the music then? It's all hatred and anger.

Ahh, wait, this is only applicable to classical piano music, since the issue at hand here is "scoring a Distinction", think I can safely assume its a classical piano music examination commonly by the ABRSM.

Yes, I can understand that few can appreciate the delicateness of classical music. But don't let your anguish ruin your musicality. Don't practice because you wanna prove someone wrong or impress someone, practice because you want to, because you like to.

See, there ain't no point if you score a Distinction should you have no love for music. Criticism will be welcomed if you truly have the passion for music, cos it actually helps you improve.

If this scenario applies to you, I really think that you should get a more encouraging teacher, since this teacher seems to make you pretty sick and tired of music, or find another instrument or genre that allows you truly immerse yourself in it.

Y'know I'll suggest covering MCR songs. Period.

Nah, I keed. Just explore more forms of music and hopefully, you'll find the right one for you.

Uhhh... What?

2010-12-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

Rise and shine.

Alright, so I'm gonna meet Xavier today at 11(Testament of someone who understands the art of picking an appropriate timing to meet up) and just spend the day, probably looking around and commenting on various irrelevant people or things. Wonder if we're gonna catch a movie.

It beats watching you text, anyway.

So uh, think its pretty cool that our friendship has reached this level whereby we don't have to consciously think of what to say to engage in a conversation. It just comes naturally. And even when there are silences, they're never awkward silences where we stare into each other's eyes, emptily and aimlessly.

Well, that's that, uh DotA-ed a lot yesterday, feeling like doing it again this morning. Y'know what this reminds me of? The "gaming" version of "I Love College"(Yea, minus the weed).

"Pass out at 3, wake up at 10, go out to eat, then do it again".

Life as it is in the 21th Century. Tell me about it.

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE IS BACK!

2010-11-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

Think people reading this should have noticed by now that My Chemical Romance is back once again with a whole-new album... Danger Days: The True Life Of The Fabulous Killjoys!

They are BACK! And... better than ever?

Well, I have to state this beforehand. MCR is my one and only favorite band. And I mean it, no other band could possibly replace them.

But for their newest album, they have taken a really really huge leap from their previous persona in the music industry. Previously, they have been commonly labelled as Emo.

Now, they are determined to purge that label and adopt a new persona - Punk Rock.

Gotta say Gerard looks awesome with red hair.

And the whole album's great, the songs are, the whole vibe feels good.

But, when I listen to their previous tracks, I can't help it but to miss those days when MCR was still symbolized with a skeleton in The Black Parade uniform.

Maybe its mainly because I started listening to them when The Black Parade just came out and hence feel more attached to that album.

Anyway, having them back is definitely a whole lot better than none.

Think I'll just need some time before I'll get used to their new persona.

My Chemical Romance - ROCK ON!

I'm back! Unofficially

2010-11-30T07:46:00.000-08:00

Looks like my school ain't gonna make me do another school blog so I've decided that since I already have this blog, why not just make it my own?

So uh, I hereby announce that I am gonna make this blog my personal blog.

(Alrite you can fall asleep now)

Simply, its gonna be a normal blog so be sure to check out the posts that'll be coming up uh, they'll mainly revolve around my personal life. So if you're interested, you can't be more welcomed to read on.

Alrite, gonna bed now, goodnight world.

Blog is Unofficially Alive. Again.

2010-10-13T04:24:00.001-07:00

Okae uh todae im gonna do a very short and uh casual post. Just an update on my life. I know its boring and unappealing to most, but just in case you are interested, stick around.

So uh, recently I got back to Prison Break again, back to liking that series more specifically. I don't know what got into me but just recently sae 4-5 daes ago i happened to pull out season 2 from the closet and got hooked into watching it again. For no reason. I know what's gonna happen next but im still watching it. Intently. Maybe Sarah Wayne is what's compelling me to watch it again. Or maybe Miller's role as Scofield in the set just makes me feel more comfortable bout my life since his is obviously a whole lot worse. Or maybe, I just like to hear them speak.

As you can already infer, life's been quite a bore. Im still into my singin'. Well maybe singing's not what im actually doin though i think im, well u get the picture. Workin on my vibrato. Mixed voice still has a long way to go before perfection. Uhh, tads it, haha workin on numbers like Breakeven and Perfect and a few others, though you realli do not want to hear me try and cover those.

And, i met someone. So uh hopefully things would go on smoothly. Had some issues with the complex mechanisms of love. Complex mechanisms indeed. Well just dont think about it.

Anyway uh, thats whats happening to me these daes. Nothing really worth mentioning but i just needed an avenue to reflect on my life maybe. Well, still sticking to my rule, leave ur interesting or creative responses in the comment section BELOW. Or in the tagboard or Twitter.

Once again for those who are interested, Twitter id: yeokangle

Uh yea, so, for those who are leading a meaningful life, keep on doing so. For those who are living the same life or similar one as me, well I wish u all the best.

Another update coming. I hope.

Reflection.....

2010-08-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

Hey people,

Project's Day finals is right up tomorrow and I hope to use this post as a chance for me to reflect on what I've done and to share my feelings on certain significant incidents that have taken place over these 8 months.

Well, frankly speaking the most memorable experience for me would be the interview with the CEO of "Cedele" regarding the tenets and principles of this very successful organization. I think it has definitely broadened by scope of the world and assisted me in improving my communication skills.

Here is the interview we have conducted:

Well, what you see may be just a short 12 minute clip. However, what is behind this very short clip cannot be expressed through words. It is literally a cross between pain, stress, effort, joy and laughter. We had definitely toiled. But we had definitely smiled while doing so too.

Following closely, the next most memorable incident that took place through the course of this project was the distribution of flyers at Vivo City. Yes, your eyes are not failing you at all.

Vivo City.

Xavier and I rose to the occasion and had taken up this daunting task of distributing flyers at Vivo City on a Sunday night. Imagine the crowd. As you can picture, we were rather shy and reluctant to start the ball rolling at first. I mean, it is really difficult to start giving out flyers in the middle of nowhere in a shopping mall thronged with shoppers for we were flooded with unnecessary concerns.

What is that girl over there going to think about me? Oh no, am I appearing too suddenly and out of place to be a flyer distributor?

We fought hard. Concerns and worries seemed to taunt us so badly that we had almost thought of giving up.

Well, I think we managed to overcome our fears after some mutual coaxing and instead stationed ourselves outside the food court of Vivo City to distribute our flyers to customers entering and leaving it.

Trust me it was fun. And yes, that was my first time being a "flyer-boy" and I kind of liked it.

What comes next as most memorable should be the creation of the website for our project as I had to run down memory lane to gather back all my "CSS" codes and recollections. It has been rather satisfying as the website turned out pretty fine and I am rather glad with it.

What makes my project's day journey this year so special is that I got the opportunities to interact with people I have never thought of. I would never have dreamed of interviewing the CEO of an established company nor with the general public as a flyer distributor. Project's day has definitely allowed me to explore the world and yes, enjoy myself while learning.

But you know what's most enjoyable?

The comment question of the day!

What is the most memorable thing you have done this year?

Please leave your interesting or creative responses in the comment section BELOW.

Also, do check out my website if you have the time to spare:

Know What You Eat

Ask-KL

2010-08-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

Okay people guess what, somebody asked me a question!

Here is it:

Hi, so... what makes humans, human?

Well, you know I love such questions...

For me, "what makes humans, human" is fear. Fear is a gift bestowed upon us and without fear you can practically imagine what the world would become.

Without fear, ravenous predators would be raping innocent, vulnerable girls anywhere, on the street. No more excuse for one to control his libido since no one "gives a damn" about the cops or law anyway.

We would all be killing each other. No reason for us to curb our anger since there is no consequences to think of.

Fear is such a precious gift that it shapes the world and allows the world to work systematically.

Fear allows leaders to rise and villains to fall.

Without fear, we would all be wild, killing machines out to hunt our prey, we would bite and fight.

You would not be even studying or seeking education since you have no fear of being starved and penniless in the future when you are jobless.

Well, fear makes us who we are, and what we do. Fear, is everything the world needs to be in order and control.

I hope that answers your question!

What do you think? What makes humans, human?

FEEL THE HEAT!

2010-08-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

that's right, I'm gonna talk about da HEAT.

I mean, haven't you been feeling like your head is on fire every time you step out of your air-conditioned room? What's with the sun?

What's more, it is really really irritating to start perspiring the moment you step out of the shower, especially if you are in the midst of dressing up/preparing for an important event.

Is this sauna-like world we live in nowadays an effect of our dear-old-friend, global warming? Honestly speaking, I had been muttering to myself a couple of hours ago, when I was trudging restlessly under that fireball, we are all living in an oven.

Oven is the word.

The next time you walk under the sun, try fiddling through your hair. Yes, its going to be sticky and wet but HOT at the same time.

This made me ponder, what would it be like if this HEAT continues?

I would definitely not stand the heat but what about the greenery and nature around us, are they able to adapt to this extreme surge in heat? Do they curse at the heat like I do? Do they mutter despondent cries for salvation?

I think it is time we come to the conclusion that we, the ever-intelligent man, are the ones who provoked Mother Earth and as a result, force her to rear her ugly head in such a vicious and torturous manner. What can we do to reduce the intensity of heat, or simply, stop the Earth from getting HOTTER?

What have we done to the world?

However, there is always that temperature adjustment knob on the oven!

Only we can make a difference in turning that knob of salvation.

Save our environment, save us.

But you know what's the HOTTEST thing on earth right now,

the comment question of the day!

How do you chill out on a warm and humid day?

Please leave your interesting and creative responses in the comment section BELOW.

Also, do check these two videos out. Very relevant. And HOT.

Update!

2010-07-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

I'm gonna start this new "show" on my blog called "ask-KL" so please please leave the questions you want me to address either in the

1) tagboard/cbox at the right hand side of your screen

2) comment section below each post

If response is poor, I'll definitely address your question, but if it surprisingly is good, then I'll select the more interesting ones.

Thanks a lot!

Also, do catch this video sometime:

Now you know what to do when enduring a dreadfully boring video!

The Meaning of Life

2010-07-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm going to talk about what I think life is.

Life today as it is for a typical student in Singapore:

You go to school, return home to complete your homework and go to school again the next day. There is hardly time for leisure, if there is you'd be feeling a tinge of guilt afterwards for not spending that time revising for your upcoming tests instead.

My question is, why?

Have we ever thought about the reasons behind getting those "A"s stamped on our report cards and test papers? I've been wanting to say this for a long time. All you get is that momentary satisfaction, if any, and it fades, but that little more complacency you have gained on that subject does not.

If we look at the broad picture and everything goes smooth, you get yourself into a prestigious university to carry on your tertiary education and eventually, a good job with a reasonably satisfiable income, what does it leave you with? Survivability? Security? Stress?

Does this high paying job you have toiled for guarantee happiness and enjoyment? We have often been reminded that the roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. What is "sweet"? After all the exhausting and weary years of education, the sweetness of the all-our-lives-we've-toiled-for fruit may merely be a whole load more of stress, pressure and unhealthy levels of competition in our society to come.

Yes, what is life for a child without education? What can he do?

Appropriate levels of education is nonetheless vital in our society these days. However, it does not promise you anything other than stress. What promises you happiness and enjoyment is your passion.

When you are engaged in something you truly enjoy, you will find life meaningful. You will start to cherish the break of each dawn like you never have, for it marks another day where you can immerse in your passion.

Find your passion, and it will brighten up your life. It need not provide you with the luxuries in which other professions may bring you, it provides you with ample hope and warmth, and definitely the assurance that every second spent on it is worth the cost.

Let your life begin to be meaningful.

But you know what's most meaningful?

The comment question of the day!

What's your passion?

Leave your interesting or creative responses in the comment section, BELOW.

Youth Service?

2010-07-22T07:10:00.001-07:00

Yes, that serenity, that solemn prayer, those hopeful eyes, the picturesque surroundings. This have been the image of church in my head. However, I do have some rather conflicting ideas about churches now.

Youth Service. Yes, the typical youth services that churches, mainly Christian, have "devised" for youths. I have personally attended one of these youth services a couple of times and am rather displeased with the attitude and surprised by the tenor and atmosphere during "worship" in such services.

When I hoped into the gathering area where the sermon was to be held, I was rather impressed with the setting. Air-conditioned, plush seats, spacious stage, though it is not a church, it could have been a rather suitable and practical alternative. After all we are living in the 21st century, who actually bothers about the traditional churches nowadays?

Few moments later, throngs fashionably clad teens stringed into the supposed auditorium, picking their usual seats, evident from their actions, and resuming their hearty chats. The place was soon full. And packed. Fun starts.

We started off with "worship songs". A rock band equivalent strutted up the stage with their electric guitars slung carelessly over their shoulders. The crowd cheered. A screen flashing the lyrics to the songs lowered down on command. With that, the cry of electric guitars flooded the atmosphere. Everybody rose up from their seats, seemingly hypnotized, tranced by the rhythmic patterns, jumping enthusiastically in unison, screaming at the top of their lungs. Heads shook, bodies bounced. Then out of the blue, various individuals broke out in awkward spasms of "tongues".

A pastor stepped up on stage to signal the end of the "worshiping". He appeared inappropriately casual, just in his usual blue jeans and shirt. He spoke of various life lessons - A girlfriend should be a person you feel comfortable with and not just for the sake or shopping and going to the movies. That was the best I could recollect from his very unorganized speech on a certain verse of the bible in which he spoke of it with a very heavy dose of humour. Laughter resounded in the auditorium.

Then came the silky bag, "Donate generously! Give back to God!" the preacher said, witnessing young adults as well as teens throwing in tens of dollars from their wallets.

This is the Youth Service I have experienced.

Yes. This.

Few points I would like to express, shouldn't church services be a solemn and serene time for reflection, like a personal time with whatever god one worships? Shouldn't worship be free of charge? Ain't rock associated more with the ominous than the righteous and holy? I am confused and pretty upset with my last visit to a rather established church for the youth service they offer.

What do you think? Leave your interesting or creative responses in the comment section BELOW.

ShowTime #1

2010-07-07T03:36:00.001-07:00

Okay guys, guess what, today I'm going to talk about a really great series.

It's cool, it's awesome, it's great, it's fantastic, it's...

Avid fan

You hafta watch it! You hafta watch it! You hafta watch it!

Movie Critic

That's how good it is! Presenting to you.... Supernatural...

It is a series about friendship. It is, about trust. It is about family and definitely love.
This isn't a joke, that is really what this series is about.
Okay, maybe that's a little exaggerating but....

Very simply, "Supernatural" comes in 5 seasons(with season 6 on the way) and it's about two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, who were raised as hunters. "Hunters" as far the series is concerned are people who hunt and kill demons, ghosts, vampires and definitely that furry monster living under your bed! So, it's somewhat like ghost-busters and Constantine with the funky weapons and stuff, just a lot more intense and addictive.

The plot is pretty decent and easy to follow. In most episodes, you can expect to see the Winchester brother surfing the net for mysterious incidents, say a reported suicide that seems suspicious, and pretend to be FBI agents to infiltrate into the town in which the incidents took place in. Yes, fake badges and fake identities. As you can see, they lie and cheat to do good things like "busting" ghosts and hunting down demons which are potential threats to the world. Being the good guy is never easy.

So, what's so special or intense about this seemingly mundane plot is the complication within the brothers. They have to struggle with their emotions after their father had been killed in an attempt to protect them. They started to question themselves if this "job" of theirs was worth their time and effort. Feeling threatened by their true characters and emotions, they often wear a "mask" to hide their feelings and to appear "nonchalant" to cope with the everlasting battle between good and evil.

The importance of family is a very significant theme in this series it reaches out to the viewers that the two brothers are almost dependent on each other; they will die solo. With such daunting tasks of eradicating supernatural creatures, they certainly require a secure and reliable pillar to lean on. I shall not be a spoiler but when Sam started to drift apart from Dean in the later seasons, the viewers should really be able to feel for them both.

Sympathy, empathy, indignation...

Though it's considered to be quite "scary and frightening", I strongly encourage you to catch it! It would be a thrilling ride for sure! However, if you have a thing for gore and blood, just make sure you fasten your seat belts. Real tight.

Analysis: Rainbow Death

2010-05-25T22:08:00.001-07:00

Task 2

Time for analysis!

Here's the poem again for your reference.

Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Hubert Wilson

Point of view

I feel that this poem is written in the point of view of a person who has been through or witnessed the effects of "Agent Orange". The poet is able to tell what "America did not forsee" and stated that the "Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn". This could only be posibble if the poet had experienced or seen for himself the effects of Agent Orange which "America did not forsee." The fact that he mentions that implies that he has experienced or even experimented with "Agent Orange" to understand the "Execrable effects of agent orange spray."

Situation and settting

The setting of the poem is most probably after the effects of "agent orange spray" had taken place. The poet mentions in the poem about the "illness, birth defects and prematurely dead" and the "Toll on the innocent and unborn". In my opinion, the poet would only have known of such matters, the deaths and illnesses, after "agent orange spray" had been used. He constantly mentions the devastating effects of Agent Orange and adopts a raher regretful tone, using words like "mourn" and "Now thinking twice", implying his desire to change history, showing his regret. Hence, the Agent Orange must have been used in order for him to feel such strong feelings about it.

Language and diction

The title itself should be taken note of, I suppose. "Rainbow Death", as mention in Task 1, could be a direct refernece to "Rainbow herbicides". However, I will try to see it without the background information. Rainbows have a rather positive and cheerful connotation to it. It symbolizes a love of life. To place it with "death" would appear rather confusing. Rainbows are also said to be the bridge for "crossing over"[to heaven]. Hence, I think putting rainbow next to death suggests that the rainbow is "dead" and that a "love of life" and "crossing over" would be dead as well. Simply, war eradicates what rainbows symbolize, putting an end to loving life and crossing over to heaven.

Next, the poet also mentions that "deceit continues to spread". This implies that in war, people are mislead from the truth, in this case, the Vietnamnese. The poet also mentions that America was "Nefariously led astray". He uses the word 'nefariously' to portray America in a negative light which caused the "Execrable effects of agent orange spray", implying that America is utterly immoral or wicked.

Personal response

The poem made me feel that America was responsible for the "execrable effects of agent orange spray". Right from the beginning of the poem, the poet states that "America did not forsee", meaning that had made an error. Next, he goes on mentioning the various devasting effects of the war such as "illness, birth defects and prematurely dead". On the othere hand, the Americans were "Omnipotent and disregarding", "who will mourn". This suggests that America, powerful and mighty,failed to treat Vietnam with respect or attention, causing the catastrophe in Vietnam. I think the poet intends to portray America as "Nefariously" as he can, to invoke sympathy in readers for Vietnam.

Ahh.. I'm done here! (:

Rainbow Death

2010-05-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

Task 1

Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report on your blog detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2.

Rainbow of Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Hubert Wilson

I would be sharing my research on a few rather intriguing terms/phrases, in this poem, for a better understanding of them.

I guess many people could be wondering what this poem is regarding. It is about war(We all should know that by now). Anyway, based on some prior knowledge and further reseach done, this poem is about a specific war, namely the Vietnam-American War.

Alright, I actually ran a search on the title, "Rainbow Death", and guess what I found. Many people may think that it is a intentional literary device, "Oxymoron", to emphasize a certain message the poet has for the reader. This could be true, no doubt about that, but there actually is another possible meaning to it.

During the Vietnam war, the US military used what they call "Rainbow herbicides" in its herbicidal warfare programme. The "Rainbow herbicides" are a group of chemicals in which the objective is to destroy the plant-based ecosystem of an agricultural food production and/or destroying plants which provide cover to an enemy. They come in colours of Purple, Pink, Green and Orange. This should explain the line "Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!".
(Potpourri - miscellaneous mixture: a mixture of miscellaneous things)

In this case, the title "Rainbow Death" could be a direct reference to "Rainbow herbicides" which had caused much damage.

Next, I would attempt to explain the line "Execrable effects of agent orange spray!". Orange Agent is a part of the "Rainbow herbicides" and is one of the most widely used ones. Agent Orange refers to a highly toxic contaminated chemical which had caused severe casualties, including 400, 000 deaths and disabilities as well as 500,000 children borned with defects. Orange spray, Orange Agent.

Alright, this should be sufficient background information on the poem(I hope). My next post will be on the analysis of the poem aka Task 2. Keep reading. (God save me)

Many thanks to:
Wikipedia - Our best Friend
War Poetry

What do you remember?

2010-05-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

Memory is a net. One finds it full of fish when he takes it from the brook, but a dozen miles of water have run through it without sticking.
- Dean Koontz

We experience emotions everyday. We go through various challenges frequently. How much do you actually remember? Do you still recollect the faint images of the first day in your kindergarden? The first tooth you've lost? What about the first time you lied?

These are rather significant events. I cannot judge for you, but, I definitely do not remember any of the above. Life just goes on. Why cling on to useless, past memories, you may say. Yes, life goes on, but is being apathetic to your life... considered going on with it?

We forget details of our life because of our increasing knowledge and apathy. For example, when a person gets to college, all he wants remember, is the first day of college. You may not agree with me but frankly speaking who thinks about the first day in high school when he's already in college? We become apathetic to our past as time goes on. We become less interested in how we arrive at our current standing as we rise higher. Water does not stick.

In the case of the fish, water is what gives it life. Water is what enables it to swim freely. Similarly, the minor details of our life is what gives us the motivation to strive. And live. We however, do not seem interested in remembering them, but instead, choose to remember only the significant successes of our lives, not the hard-work behind it.

Who gives a s__t?

Yes, apathy. Apathy is what makes us who we are now. We do not care about our surroundings, the countless people we have hurt or helped us. We are only keen in caring about our successes, the ones love and care for. Apathy towards insignificant events. Apathy towards the insignificant events that makes life, life. The insignificant water that provides fish with oxygen. And life goes on?

Water does not stick.

Anyway, nothing should be as memorable as the question of the day!

Why do you think we forget minor but important things so easily?

Please leave your comments in the comment section,

BELOW!

Chinese Language in PSLE

2010-05-01T01:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

The debate on whether to cut mother tongue weighting in the PSLE has gone on for sometime now. A number of people argue that if China students can perform well in English, why can't we do the same for Chinese?

I would like to share and comment on a few interesting viewpoints(StraitsTimes Online forum board) on this matter.

wollfgang
April 26, 2010 Monday, 09:31 AM
my son always FAIL english FAIL chinese FAIL Maths FAIL Science but my son very good in FOOTBALL FOOTBALL
i think it should FOOTBALL FOOTBALL 100 % English 0 % Chinese 0 % Maths 0 % Science 0 %

Very true! Though this user expressed him opinions rather bluntly and directly, it nonetheless makes a lot of sense! Isn't this what "we" are trying to do now? Escaping from and evading our weaknesses, only keen in showing off "our" strengths, instead on working hard to improve them?

"I always fail Chinese, MOE, remove it from the scene. Let others see that I do well for English."

(Well, uh, why not football?)

cchan4
April 26, 2010 Monday, 08:12 AM
Before commenting on the abilities of students from China, has anyone looked at their IQ scores?
These students who come over here are some of China's best and brightest, comparable to our tops students here. They have the ability to do well in almost everything.

I do agree with this too. The "top-students" in Singapore are too, able to handle and manage 3 and even 4 languages successfully! The problem Singapore faces is that the average students experience difficulties coping with 2 languages, not the high-flyers. So, is it worth the reduction in weighting of the Chinese language?

ST_Reader7
April 26, 2010 Monday, 09:11 AM
Of course, if we have all the facts, we shall realize the change has NOTHING to do with what is good for Singapore but what is good for the well connected whose children or grandchldren absolutely are only good for 3 out of 4 subjects and the well connected parents feel a lost of face because they themselves are so good and yet their offsprings are only 75% good (3 out of 4) and so they tweak and they tweak and they tweak. Isn't it glaring? There are so many with A*s and As in MT and yet the well connected are tweaking to cater to the FEW who call themselves bright sparks but whom I call not so bright sparks, but the 75% good.

Well said. If you observe the situation, rich parents are the ones who are making all the fuss, now, when the system has been as it is for over decades! Instead of keeping in mind that, we already have many students who perform well in 4/4 subjects, many people are misled into thinking that MOST students experience troubles communicating efficiently in Chinese. Change the system just for that "FEW"?

Come to think of it, do you think that this whole fuss about the matter is even necessary?

Do you think we should cut mother tongue weighting in the PSLE? What are your opinions on the Minister of Education's considerations on lowering the weighting?

Please leave your comments in the comment section,

BELOW!

Thanks!

Burglar sawed his way to steal

2010-04-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, I took a really long break from blogging but I am back!

I chanced upon this article, on StraitsTimesOnline, about a burglar literally sawing his way to steal.

I think, logically,the first thought that might pop into your head would be whether it is a bank, an apartment or pawn shop.

However, much to my disappointment and disapproval, he had sawed his way not into a massive bank or rich organization but into an education centre at Eunos Cresent and fled with a "whopping" $1000. It appears that he has an obsession with robbing centres located in void decks such as childcare centres and residents' committee centres as there are other similar cases "suspected" to be his work.

It is stated that the burglar had been captured on a CCTV camera in the centre on 30 March.

However, until now, the only information we can gather about him is his appearance seen in the CCTV playback and the rough estimations of his physical details. It has been near a month now. He is yet to be identified.

How reliable and effective are CCTVs?

It looks like the MRT authorities fell deeply in love with it and had this sudden fixation of placing one in every direction one could see. Not to mention the flat-screen LCDs that displays everything captured on them. Hmm... for the 537th time, I'm on TV! Seriously.

Here's a question:

Do you think that a CCTV is more of a crime deterrent in the sense that a potential perpetrators of the law are aware that their actions are being closely watched by some pot-bellied man in the control room?

I guess the literal purpose of CCTVs has been proven to be not much of a use since the vague features of a man is insufficient for even the professionally-trained policemen to identify him. Not only that, one can just disguise oneself with a mask and cover the CCTV with a cardboard box.

One more thing, why break into an education centre?

I mean, tuition centre and burglary just do not click!

Yes, there could be cash and other valuables left inadvertently behind.

But sawing your way into an education centre, just for those accidental left-behinds?

However, considering the seclusion of the area, it may seem as an intelligent target of a burglar; robbing banks will definitely lead others to the conclusion that you are nuts.

(Uh, looking forward to your comments! If there even is any.)

Coincidence or Fate?

2010-03-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

Picture this scenario:

You saw a girl outside the cinema queuing to buy some popcorn. You were head-over-heels for her. Perfect girl of your dreams. How you wished to approach her. Later in the cinema, it happened that she sat next to you and had inadvertently left her phone on her seat after the show's over. You picked up the phone....

Coincidence, or fate?

You may say it is a mere coincidence, or fate that has been laid out for you.

Fate is a mythological superstition, the other is a fact of life.
Fate implies predestination. Predestination implies NO free will.

The ONLY things that have ANY impact on your life are the following:

Your actions.
The actions of others.
Random chance.

That's it. Everything else is illusion and self-deception.

But come to think of it, fate brings the friends you meet, doesn't it? The friends you meet will then decide your actions, and automatically the actions of others. You cannot really control what you do, or who you meet.

Coincidence or Fate?

I do not believe in coincidences or chances. I believe in fate. Everything you do right now, everything you achieve or lose, there has to be a purpose. And that purpose is your fate. Fate is a mental and emotional pillar gifted upon us. It brings comfort and warmth.

Believe in it, to feel it.

What do you think of fate and coincidences? Drop your comments please!

Interview

2010-03-02T04:37:00.000-08:00

Interpersonal:

Conduct an interview with a friend (Not from HCI) or family member.

Find out from their point of view on prejudice and discrimination.

Interviewee: Amoureuse(Prefers to remain anonymous)

KL: So, what's your take on prejudice and discrimination?

Amoureuse: I'm not too sure, I think prejudice is an intentional attempt to judge a person unfairly due to selfish reasons and discrimination.... I guess it's just purposefully making things difficult for another like calling him or her names?

KL: Yes, do you think it wrong to practise such things?

Amoureuse: It depends, I mean, I'm not for prejudice or discrimination nor am I against it.

KL: Wow, do elaborate.

Amoureuse: I mean, this makes us what we are. Prejudice, discrimination. It's just prolly what we're made for. It's human to actually hate somebody because of, lets say, her size? Her face, her anything! It's not wrong. It's actually human rights. You get to choose who you like and dislike. Say all you want, at the end of the day, it's still the face that matters. Like, you go for a job interview and you're looking real hot and stuff, the interviewer will inevitably have a better impression of you over another person, who looks presentable but just not pleasing to his eyes. You can call that prejudice, in a way, but, hey, this is life!

KL: I share your views to a certain extent. Now, can you share with me an experience of being discriminated by others or discriminating others before?

Amoureuse: Being discriminated... Not so much, discriminating others.... we could talk 'bout that... I mean, okay, I have been discriminated before but that was like 6 years ago? I was kinda fat that time, and I had this really bad hairstyle? So when I walk into class I would get called names and when I do something good like topping the class for a test, no one actually claps much for me. Okay, I felt sad, but come to think of it, this discrimination thing actually made me who I am today. I finally got thinner with the "support" of my peers but now the table's turned around. I know you'll clap for me, haha...

KL: Sure thing. So, I assume you find discrimination and prejudice inevitable and also good, in a sense?

Amoureuse: NO! It is not good, God. At least you got the inevitable part right. 'Cos it really is! Discrimination and prejudice is everywhere! All time! All seasons! It's the Number One favourite past-time in the whole of history. I guess we humans are created in such a way that knowing you are more superior than others makes you feel good, in a sense? Though some may feel the guilt and remorse sink in after some time, most people feel good when they're in the "main crowd", hating the people most people hate. You need strength to be in the minority and it looks like we ain't doing so well in building it.

KL: Okay, do you think this world would be a better place without any form of discrimination or prejudice of any kind?

Amoureuse: Not exactly, without discrimination and prejudice, there would really be a lot less things for us to think about and learn. Take this interview, if there ain't any prejudice, would we even be talking right now? There wouldn't be so many poems and stories about prejudice and discrimination. I don't wanna think about removing it from the scene. This is life; You're born to be discriminated, just live your life. I know this may sound selfish and narrow-minded, but this really is just life! Life is never fair. I mean, argh, forget it. In any case, prejudice and discrimination actually gives us more to talk about and think. Life is nothing more than endless endeavors, nor is it less than that.

KL: Thank you so much for your time. It is very much appreciated.

Linguistic: Imagine you are one of the characters. Deliver a speech on what you think of the above question.

2010-03-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

Question: Is Maycomb a good place to live in?

Character: Atticus

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. The Tom Robinson trial has come to an end. The jury has made its decision. But, are you satisfied with their decision? It is of great honor for me to be standing here today, as requested by both our Negro and white communities, to share my views on what I think of Maycomb as place to live in.

Is Maycomb a good place to live in? If I step in the shoes of a humble and decent Negro man, I would definitely say no. I would definitely say that Maycomb is a place flooded with prejudice. I would definitely say that Maycomb practices discrimination more than any other American state, that Maycomb, is nothing but a Negro-despising piece of land. If I step in the shoes of a white man, I would most probably say yes. I would most probably say that Maycomb is a good old town to live in. It is peaceful, life is calm and serene. I would say that I get to take the seats of the Negroes in buses, that I get to drink from an efficient water fountain, that I get to go to a proper, well-furnished church. I would say that I get to decide who is in the wrong, the Negro or the white man.

Is Maycomb a good place to live in? I have experienced countless occasions of joy and agony in this state. I have witnessed the strong spirit that bounded us together when Ms Maudie Atkinson's place was on fire. The flames were fierce, but none of us were daunted. None of us ran away. None of us gave in to the blazing flames engulfing her house. I felt joy. On that occasion, I would say Maycomb is the best place in this world to live in. However, I have also seen the cruel nature of us humans exhibiting itself blatantly. We call the Negroes names. We deprive them of basic needs. We deny them the due dignity all humans beings deserve. We, let an innocent Negro man die. I felt my heart sink in a pool of acid. The guilt.... The agony....

Does the color of one's skin represent his status? The way he is being looked upon? Be a Negro man for a day. I believe it would be the last you would want to live. Where is the justice? We refuse to believe that justice is non-existent in Maycomb.

Well, I tell you, there is no justice here.

The Negroes are deprived. The Negroes are denied. The Negroes are devastated. The Negroes are in distress. We can change this. To the Negroes, Maycomb will not and can not be a good place to live in. We can change this.

Picture a day when Whites and Negroes greet each other politely. Picture a day when Whites and Negroes have equal rights and statuses. Picture a day, when all the pain and depression are gone, when every single human being stepping foot on the soil of Maycomb wears a perpetual smile on his face. Regardless of skin color, language or accent, we stand together. We stand as one. On that day, Maycomb will be the best place to live in on Mother Earth. Thank you.

Amendments to blog

2010-02-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone,

Here's a brief summary of the major changes I have made to my blog -

1. Change of URL

I've changed the URL from http://ordinary-mundane.blogspot.com to http://thekspotshow.blogspot.com as I believe that it sounds more catchy and interesting. http://ordinary-mundane.blogspot.com may, as the URL suggests, seem ordinary and mundane to readers. This may result in them finding it a chore to visit my site.

2. Change of blog skin

The current blog skin on my blog is plain, simple and reader-friendly but at the same time boasting a good design that is pleasing to the eyes. I believe this will increase readership as the previous skin I had seemed too dull and gloomy.

3. Change of slogan

I have to agree that my previous slogan sounds more "educated": The globe in thoughts. However, I have the feeling that this slogan seems distant and rather vague. I want to narrow it down a little, add some personal touch to it and make it seem personal, almost like a diary/journal. That was when I came up with my current slogan: The K Spot. I find it rather catchy and easy to remember. What's more, it's in line with The V Spot on 987FM(:

4. Content

Well, I guess the contents in a blog is the most vital and important factor compared to all the design and slogans. This season, I will be posting about current affairs, philosophy and my personal everyday experiences(New on this blog). I hope to spark enriching discussions through such posts.

That's about it, if you want to see something more, please let me know! Drop a comment! Thanks(:

Freedom, or is it hope?

2010-02-19T04:44:00.000-08:00

We talk about freedom all the time- In America, in books, in magazines, in politics.

My definition of freedom?

It is a world that allows us to pursue any ambition or idea we desire to. No restrains, no limitations and most importantly, no time-frame. Stress-free, agony-free, tear-free. We do what we want to, there is no control over us. No one dominates. No one discriminates. It is a world with no relationships. No dictator. No ruler. Definitely, no leader. We can kill, we can rape. Nobody stops us. Nobody interferes. This is freedom.

I picture you laughing deep in your hearts, mocking the ridiculous idea expressed in the paragraph above or shooting the screen with a puzzled glance.

Freedom. I see freedom as freedom in its purest form. There is absolutely no control over one. Let's start with relationships. Once you are in a parent-child relationship with your parents, pure freedom melts like ice under the sun. Parents will, without doubt, take control over your life. They decide the lifestyle you lead, this is logically the case.

Once a leader exists, freedom vanishes like thin air. He gives the orders, you do the work. He listens to your ambitions but has the ability to deny it. He influence minds and takes away voices that question his ulterior intentions. Where is freedom?

Obviously, pure freedom is impractical in our current world. So, we look at freedom on the surface. Democracy, freedom of speech. You get to voice out your thoughts, you get to rally support. Whether the government does it or not, it is another matter altogether. As long as a superior figure or element exists, pure freedom does not exist.

You may question, if there isn't a leader, who is there to lead? Who is there to guide us? Who is there to strive us to greater heights? You have yourself. Wouldn't it be an intriguing world when there is absolutely no control over anybody, no government, no cops, no law, no rules and everybody is left to himself. No family, no parents. This is freedom, is it not? Will we all transform into ravenous beasts with no fear?

Coming to this point, you may question my position and stand in this. I continue seeing freedom as what I have attempted to depict above, however, I do not encourage it, but instead prefer to see it as an unachievable hope. A hope for pure freedom one day. Humans live on hopes and beliefs. Even leaders are seen in animal herds and groups.

Whether one sees it as achievable or not, it's another thing altogether.

What would being MISUNDERSTOOD mean to you?

2010-02-16T02:57:00.000-08:00

The subtle furrowing of your eyebrows, insignificantly tightening clenched fist and grinding of teeth; an inexplicable holler resonating in your ears, indignant waves engulfing every inch of your body.

What would being misunderstood mean to you? An ordinary scene in an everyday life? A momentous moment whereby angry cries of frustration escapes inexorably from your mouth? A desperate, silent, futile whimper for salvation? Why?

It is rather obvious that different people react differently when being misunderstood. The average Joe would feel anger but it subsides as time passes. The thing is, how many average Joe's are there?

The ugly nature of us, humans, sinks it teeth in our flesh time after time. Everybody thinks he is right. No one likes to be wrong, or proved wrong. With this theory in mind, picture two unique individuals in a conflict because of a misunderstanding.

To the best of my knowledge, a misunderstanding takes place because two or more people interpret a certain action or statement differently, with clashing ideas. Nobody wants to be proved wrong. Most of the time, misunderstandings brings-forth anger. Anger in turn causes impulsivity. Will you actually stop and ask yourself to remain calm when you spot your partner having an intimate time with another woman/man? Would you stop and tell yourself, "No find out the truth before acting", when you find your child in the principals office, and a smaller, weaker child with blue-blacks, in the warm embrace of the principal?

We understand the cruel fact. Nobody wants to be proved wrong. We have been in the shoes of both the person being misunderstood and the person misunderstanding another. Why do we react in such an impulsive and vicious manner when being misunderstood for the umpteenth time? Why are there so few people who could put up with this and explain his situation at a better opportunity when the blood stops boiling?

Here is a common scene:

Tom sees Jane cheating. He approaches her and hurls offensive remarks and insults at her and her boss. As a matter of fact, she is merely wiping off her drink, which she has inadvertently spilled on his shirt. Nobody wants to be proved wrong. From Tom's angle, things were so much different. Jane tries her best to reason but fails horrendously. Blood is boiling.

You can imagine what happens next.

My advice:

When being misunderstood, remain silent until you are questioned and there is a brief silence from the other party. He/She would want to believe that he/she is right. Nobody wants to be proved wrong. Explain it to him/her later that day when you notice significantly that "I am clam please approach me" is engraved on his/her face. Please adopt an apologetic tone.

Having said that, it's okay for you to misunderstand others, if you can't help it!

I'm not joking, because most of the time, the person who is being misunderstood is at fault. He/she must have left some details out, or has done something a little too much.

I wanna hear from you, drop a comment or two!

P.s. The comment function has been fixed. Waiting eagerly to hear from ya'!

Philosophy

2010-02-09T00:59:00.000-08:00

I have been staring blankly at a quote a few moments ago. The only inspiration I got- Black goes well with white paper. Sipped some water from my cup, fiddled with the pen, looked out of the window, and the concrete wall bouncing my clueless thoughts back to me started with a crack. It collapsed eventually and I dug up a little more fruitful interpretation of it. Well, you may be wondering, "So, what the hell is the quote?" The answer is right before your eyes.

The more things change, the more they remain the same - Alphonse Karr

I took some time to ponder over it. Most people tend to disagree with this saying, how can a thing change and remain the same? It is self-contradicting! I went down to fashion and something clicks just rightly into place.

Nerdy Spectacles! History repeats itself. The large-framed, black spectacles are now, once again, back into the trend. Spectacles have evolved a long way from frame to frameless and now, its back to the same good old nerdy specs. They remain the same. Hairstyles, fashion designs, designers tend to get the idea of "retro" nowadays.

History does repeats itself. We, as humans, are always faced with the same dilemmas and problems. No matter how our society changes, the people in it remains the same. People do not change although they seem like they are changing. It takes a few words to describe a person and one only change when the words change. How often do they?

A chair is still a chair no matter how you alter it.

However, things that seem to remain the same, are actually, changing. Take the politicians for example, many people assume that all of them have a common goal for society and that most remain the same ever since a long time ago. But as a matter of fact, they are constantly changing and evolving.

On a last note, this quote applies to schools too. So much with the new visualizers and flat-screen computers, elite schools are going back to old teaching pedagogies(Just-in-time-teaching).

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

The more things remain the same, the more they change.

I am looking forward to replying to your various comments and different opinions about my interpretation of this famous quote. Do click on the comment button below. Thank you!

Why i changed my cell number

2010-02-04T02:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the thing, I changed my number.

Most probably you would be reckoning that this is a really meaningless post; What's so special about changing a phone number? I have to say, it does not, at the very least, harbor any significance in our current world. You want to change your number, you change it. No one deters you from doing that. At least, we are still treated with that amount of dignity.

Back to the point about changing my cell number after using it for three consecutive years, there is nothing peculiar about how I went about changing it. What is intriguing, is the reason behind the immediate action.

The following took place on 2/2/10.

Going home seemed routine enough for me, I suppose. I have became so numb to it, that it seemed like a mundane ritual practiced daily. For God knows why, everyone has to go home. The mad, typical peak hour rush proves it all. Why the rush? But on somedays, going home does not always turn out right. You may see the familiar, fatigue, friendly faces you are used to seeing, the occasional quick eye-contact made with the girl standing at the other end of the bus. However, when something is amiss, these familiar strangers are in no position to help out. Its your problem.

I settled down without much effort in the last stretch of seats in the bus - The stretch accommodating around five to six adults, it all depends on the size of your Levi's. Indulging in the ever-so-familiar green and grey motion-picture through the insignificantly stained glass, I noticed an indian man settling down beside me through the corners of my eyes. (Yes, it sounds impossible but I did alright.) We were a seat apart. I got the impression that he had received a reasonably effective education, fashioned a slick haircut and a black converse bag. He was all-clean and neat. Civilized, cultured man, I should say. What could exactly go wrong? Or more specifically, why am I even mentioning such an inconspicuous man?

I dozed off. It's the norm. After taking the same bus ride home for four hundred times, you most probably would. A sudden jerk jerked my eyes open. Taking in a deep breath of recycled cooled air, I eyed the stranger next to me. It was man I saw before I hopped gleefully into the pub in wonderloomyland. We were a seat apart. Now, we were no seats apart. I closed my eyes. Instinct told me my stop was approaching soon. Needless to say, I knocked myself relentlessly awake in my mind and fished in my pocket for my wallet. It's the cliche. (I'm really glad you have yet to click on the "x" at the top of your browser.)

We alighted at the same stop. I was in a jolly mood after checking my cell for text messages. An unrestrained smile was splashed unceremoniously on my face. Drowsy with joy, a hand tapped lightly on my shoulder. It was the indian man.

"Hey boy, do you have a phone that I can use? 'Cos my phone no more prepaid money."

"Uhh, okay." I handed him my phone. In my mind, I visualized him running away with it. It did not happen though. He dialed a number but never spoke a word.

"Okay, thanks. Please delete the number I've just called?"

"Okay, uh, I'll later."

The happiness multiplied itself a great deal. I helped somebody. It could have been an important call. Ambling on the road I stepped on for years, "Two is better than one" blasted from my earpieces. Things were just the way they were. Peaceful. Serene. Calm.

I felt the same tap again. It was the man once again. Not so much of a stranger now was he?

"Eh boy, please don't think I'm stalking you. It's just... I need you to do a favour for me."

"What favour?"

"It's very hard to explain. Ar... Just follow me."

I followed him not because I wanted to but I had to because the way to my house was a one-way thing. You either walk straight with him, or turn and run and risk being restrained by his powerful grip. His bulging biceps told me that. Insist and probe as I would, he never seemed to be able to tell me what exactly that favour was.

"Where do you live arh?"

"There."

"What floor? Unit?"

"I'm sorry I mean this is getting a lil' personal right? Why do you need to know to much?"

"Okay, ya, nevermind."

I could've swore back then I felt something was wrong. But it was not a strong sensation, merely the tingling sensation you get after you lied that you forgot to bring your assignment when in fact you have yet to complete it. We walked till the block before mine.

"Where exactly do you wanna go?"

"You live there right? Okay, here, 8th floor."

He called for the lift.

"Can we take the stairs instead?" A side of me rang a beautiful tune in my head, urging me to be neutral in my opinion of him but nonetheless wary. Lifts aren't always safe. It has always been the crime scene of many sobbing old ladies dressing themselves with sparkling gold. No one said it could not happen to their grandchildren.

"You wanna climb eight stories up?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Okay."

The ascend up the flight of stairs was quiet. No one said anything. Not until when we reached the seventh and a half floor. He appeared artificially uneasy.

"Okay boy, it's like that. My house is very far from here and I need to pee urgently. Can help me look out if anyone coming anot?"

Holy.

"No thanks."

I ran down the stairs. In the background, cries of him claiming he was joking echoed incessantly down the stairs, bouncing off walls and into my ears. I did not look back. I ran. It was a time when escape seemed the most logical solution the vulnerable mind could think of. Animal instinct.

Fight when you can, run when you can't.

I remembered vividly the humming of his biceps. I lost track of him.

At 10p.m., my cell rang. It was the number the man called earlier on. I screamed into the speakers with the most adult-like voice that I was able to muster, threatening to call the police if he dialed my number again.

He dialed, but I didn't dial.

Messages flooded my inbox. Some claiming my number was carved on the seats of buses offering free sexual pleasure. He called again 12 times.

And that was why, I changed my cell number.

Dilemma

2010-01-29T04:48:00.000-08:00

I received a call from Mom today at around 7pm. She sounded too happy to be true, though what she said was a complete contradiction of her jovial disposition. I thought she was lying. She told me that she has received the results for my LTCL(Diploma)exam. Obviously, I got all excited and jumpy, I spent one thousand dollars on that piece of paper. As anyone could have predicted, I enquired about the results, giving myself a rough estimate of a meagre, marginal pass to avoid the disappointment pang if I failed to achieve the unrealistic aims that I had for myself.

She said I had failed and asked me if i wanted to take a retest. Dad was in the background, telling Mom that I should take it.

I felt lost. You could not possibly announce a bad news when you sound happy. I asked her again. She told me she could not have taken a thousand dollars as a joking matter. A rather peculiar, tingling sensation crept up painfully from the marble floor, onto my feet, up to my thighs and into my entire frame. It was a time when indignance floods a person, the brain pulling out chunks of futile reasons and excuses to make up for one's failure. Anger was in my veins. The examiner lied. He said that he will only fail very poor players but said I was quite a good one. Was it possible that he had said that with a heart of consolation? Since Christmas was around the corner then, that could have been a very special present he chose to give me. Words. Empty words. I slammed my hand heavily on the window grill. Patience started tricking away from me like a pen-knifed open sack of sand. I could vividly remember each grain escaping eagerly from my body. Why do they always possess such enthusiasm?

I thought, maybe I seriously am bad at playing the piano and that this was just a seven-year old lesson for me to stop it. Remove it from the scene. Erase it from your memories. I do not need it. Ain't one grand painful enough to a non-working student? I stopped lying to myself about how hard I worked for it. Truth be told, I didn't. A person knows if he had worked hard. I knew myself too well.

The clouds gave way to a magnificent shade of piercing orange-yellow. I stared at the falling rays though it hurt, for I saw myself. I fell hard. Nerves alone are not adequte for a fail grade. It was something else. Something....

My cell rang again. It was Mom.

She told me I actually passed with a Distinction and that she had lied to me on the previous call.

Had she?

McDonald's remove 'Pig' from Chinese Zodiac toys

2010-01-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

I was utterly amazed and lost for words at the same time when I read the article about McDonald's removal of the zodiac "pig" from their latest Chinese Zodiac toy collectables. These toys will be available at S$2 with any purchase. McDonald's apologized publicly to McDonald's Singapore and reasoned that this removal of the "pig" zodiac would prevent any unnecessary trouble if Muslims find it offensive. The toys were "creatively" designed, depicting "Doraemon" clad in the various "skins" of the eleven remaining Chinese Zodiacs.

I personally do not see any link between "Doraemon" and the Chinese Zodiacs. Does "Doraemon" represent any significance in the history of the Chinese Zodiacs? In fact, the symbol of "cat" has never been significant in the anecdote of the Chinese Zodiacs, why include one out of the blue? I strongly feel that McDonald's should create a more innovative and eye-catching toy in line with the Chinese Zodiacs by replacing "Doraemon" with a current or relevant character. Otherwise, McDonald's should merely design the collectables to depict the Chinese Zodiacs solely without any fanciful designs which may in turn spoil the image of them instead. Alternatively, McDonald's could create a "Doraemon" collection instead of the Chinese Zodiacs.

Besides that, I do not see much a problem with the inclusion of the "pig" zodiac collectable. Perhaps McDonald's level of vigilance in their products heightened drastically after the big fuss of the use of "Allah" in Malaysia recently. This is understandable. However, removing a toy depicting a traditional Chinese Zodiac is simply absurd. In my personal opinion, I strongly believe that the Muslims will not take offence in this since it is the Chinese culture. We should logically uphold mutual respect. I have faith that the cashiers in McDonald's have the adequate knowledge of giving another zodiac toy instead of the "pig" if the patron is a Malay. Mostly likely if the patron's race could not be identified, he would request for a change of the toy if he finds it disturbing. There is absolutely no need for removing the "pig" zodiac from the collection of toys since nothing stirred when it was the "Pig" year in 2007. I am rather sure that had been countless posters and greetings in Chinese displaying pictures of pigs being sold in road-stalls, markets and even shopping malls. I suppose this is sufficient to prove that Muslims understand and respect that the "pig" displays are part of the Chinese culture as it is not, in any case, taken as racial or religious attacks on either the Malays or Islamic religion.

Lastly, I feel that the understanding and brief study of different cultures are vital in a cosmopolitan and multi-racial country like Singapore. With this knowledge etched in one's mind, one would reduce the chances of being offended, irked, or disturbed by practices or rituals performed by another culture or race since there is due respect given to every single race and religion.

I would like to conclude by posing a few questions: McDonald's is afraid of offending the Muslims, why not the Chinese? Won't the Chinese get unhappy about the fact that McDonald's is giving the Muslims priority even in the merchandise they sell? Won't the Chinese be upset over the removal of the "pig" zodiac since countless Chinese were born in the year of the "Pig"?

A simple apology and the whole matter is sealed!

(There were countless Muslims born in the year of the "Pig" too)

Singing!

2010-01-16T19:22:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, most probably you'll notice this ain't a formal post, so I guess it ain't gonna be graded. Anyway, I've been going through some singing tips videos on Youtube recently and I find it really hard to sing. Uh, what did I say again? No, it's DAMNED hard to sing. I mean, if your singing leisurely, and you don't hafta hit the high notes, maybe its not DAMNED hard to sing. But if you're looking at singing songs by "Boys like Girls", "My Chemical Romance", or even "Paramore", you'll HAVE to reach those high notes without using falsetto. And I'm not joking - Its HIGH.

To reach those high notes, with intensity, there goes your time for gaming, watching Cougar Town, reading your manga or even drinking milk(It clogs your throat). You'll need to practise everyday. Vocal exercises - at the beginning you can't do it well and it makes you look and sound CRAZY. Lip rolls - its worse. Breathing exercises -watching your diaphragm expand may cause anorexic girls to faint. And after all the sweat and moron-looking sessions, you may find that it doesn't help significantly in your singing, maybe only a tiny difference. You should realize it takes days, months and years!

You don't want a night of good singing and a week of recuperation.

Haha, and it may not be even "good singing". Maybe its just merely reaching the notes with choking, straining, squeezing sounds. Argh. Y'know what I mean.

Vocal compression is another technique for you to reach high notes. Most contemporary singers use this technique PROFUSELY. "The Jonas Brothers" is one disgusting example. They over-use it and it sounds like they're in a tough constipation. However, Martin Johnson from "Boys like Girls" does it well. He seldom uses falsetto, except in "Two is better than one -ft. Taylor Swift", and he sound really good. Gerard Way does exceptionally well in vocal compression too.

Cut the crap, if they can't do that well, its illogical for them to be earning millions of dollars in the music industry, yea? Though there're many "super" ones like..... Y'know, disney star..... M...i...le...y....

Anyway, just wanna say Venetian Princess has a pretty good voice too (:

Hope you enjoyed it (:

Compassionate Singapore

2010-01-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

Browsing through StraitsTimes, a particular article caught my eye - A report on various countries sending aid to the victims struck by one of the worst earthquakes in Haiti.

Well, it has been reported that many countries played a vital role in helping the victims, forking out money and donating tons of it. The US president did a pretty neat job, so did many other countries. What about Singapore? What have we done to assist in the rebuilding of the badly struck areas? To my intense relief, I found out that our country has donated an impressive amount of US$50, 000.

The Singapore Red Cross is not launching a public fund raising effort for Haiti because " it does not want to cause donor fatigue."

If my memory has not failed me, I vaguely remember various "massive" charity shows aired on Mediacorp channels some time last year. The proceeds usually reached the target set by the organizers. Its the norm. They totaled to a rough estimate of SG$1.2 Million. With its advertisements and various highly "entertaining" acts put up by local artistes specially for this charity show, a 6-digit amount is not at all surprising . There had been several of such shows last year, talk about donor fatigue.

However, when a distant country gets hit badly, we have no money! I am pretty sure if a charity show aired right now, the targets will be hit or even exceed, like always. Why is Singapore not emphasizing the need to donate, like she did when a charity show is around the corner? Just because it is a distant country that has no commercial value or help to our countries economic growth? The government can defend themselves with the GIC fiasco. Its pointless nevertheless.

Victims, innocent people and children are trapped right now, this very second. Cadavers have yet to be discovered. Anger and despair are mounting. And here we are, in the premises of our clean, air-conditioned room, nonchalant, feigning ignorance. There ain't even a donation campaign to help them! Not to forget, there ain't no stench of corpses filling up our nostrils.

I salute you, Compassionate Singapore!

First Post

2010-01-15T06:51:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

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The K Spot

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I'm back! Unofficially

Blog is Unofficially Alive. Again.