THE INCREDIBLE HOCK

2009-02-19T23:06:00.003+08:00

BACK FROM HONG KONG

Hongkong trip with baby was great! =) Visited Macau, Shenzhen and Zhu Hai as well haha. The casinoes in Macau were quite an eye-opener for me. Exquisite buildings and furnishing. Makes me kinda excited how our own local IRs will look like come 2010.

Can understand why so many of my friends love HK. The food was great! Though everybody in HK always seem to be in such a big rush. And its seriously over-crowded over there la. Well, at least in Kowloon.

The thing i love about overseas trips is that you get exposed to the local cultures, customs, beliefs, and societal norms. And u really get to expand yr horizons and see things/life in a different perspective.

Visited Hong Kong International Airport on our way back to Singapore. Wished I could have explored more of it haha. Would be nice if I can visit every single major airport in the world. =)
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Been reading a lot of news recently. Becoming a daily habit for me, which is good haha. I enjoyed reading the HK and Macau newspapers during my trip as well, looking at how their media, citizens, and govt interact in the public sphere.

Took me a few days to come to terms with life back in Singapore again. Still need a lot more sleep though.

2009-01-20T23:39:00.003+08:00

Today I felt really useless, helpless and inadequate.

I felt sad and tired.

It ached badly. V v badly.

Nothing I do seems to be enough.

2009-01-19T21:04:00.004+08:00

UNHAPPY START TO THE NEW YEAR

The other day Nydia dropped me a sms, asking me how had 2009 been for me so far.

Bad. Unhappy.

I have been quite down since the start of the new year. Partly becoz of work issues, which I wont elaborate.

But more so becoz of my friends and loved ones.

I lost Gerard, 1 of my most respected army mates, and someone whom I really really look up to. Gerard got involved in a car accident and suffered severe damage to his brain. He cant rem or recognize anyone anymore. When I saw him lying in hospital, I couldn't control myself. I cried and cried. Why him I wonder? He was at the prime of his life, and had so many things looking forward for him.

All the dreams that we used to share together. All the dreams I know you always have.

But I know you ll wake up 1 day bro. You are strong and u ll always be strong. I ll wait for u.

To anyone reading this, I really hope u ll buckle up yr seat belt even if u are sitting in the rear seat of any vehicle. Life can be unpredictable.

I miss a lot a lot of my old friends. Esp my Arts Club friends, juniors, & PS mates. I also miss old friends like Soozie, Siying, Don, Chun Kiat, Chong Han, Yuyan, Alvin, Zhixiang, bit, michelle, shifty, ah bian, C Cube gang, and tons of others. I have not been able to spend as much time with them as I would have liked. Maybe that is 1 of the realities of working life..in that u start to see less & less of yr older friends.

My friends really mean a lot to me, for I ll not be who I am and where I am today without my friends, past & present. Yet the feeling of having so little time to catch up with them frustrates and dampens me greatly.

Finally, my baby is down with eye infection. And not able to open her eyes fully. I have been really really worried for her, and feel so helpless. I would have loved to spend all my time taking care of her but again, there is only so much I can do given work commitments.

Maybe I need a long break to give my mind some peace and hopefully CNY period can give me that.

And it doesnt help that everyday when u flip thru the news, all u see is negative & more negative reports of the worsening global recession. Good luck to the graduating cohort for 2009.

2009-01-07T00:36:00.003+08:00

STOCK TAKING FOR THE YEAR 2008

On 1 Jan 2008, this is what I said:
---------------------

ON HOPES FOR THE NEW YEAR OF 2008 =)

Wow, after such a long post of reviewing 2007, it is time to switch my attention to hopes for 2008!

As always, a brand new year promises new beginnings, new hopes, n new memories. 2008 ll be another unique year becoz:

(i) I ll be graduating in May. And i ll never be seen in the Arts Club room after that anymore (sob) hahaha.
(ii) I ll hit 25 meaning quarter of a century old in October 2008! Haha, but ok la, I actually like the feeling of grow old.
(iii) I ll be embarking on my career (for the rest of my life) n my 1st real job.

With those factors in mind, my hopes for 2008 ll be:

(1) That my family, friends, n loved ones continue to stay safe n healthy.
- Achieved. =)

(2) That I continue to keep in touch with old friends even after I graduate.
- Semi-achieved....I still keep in touch with some, but not as often as I would have liked.

(3) That I continue to keep fit, healthy, n slim down by at least 5kg! (must be more specific this time liao heh)
- Bad. Fitness dropped really bad after I started working.

(4) That I can successfully attain the CAAS Honours Year Scholarship, and to enter the dynamic aviation industry.
- Didnt get scholarship, but got into CAAS. Got offer from SIA as well.
- Achieved my aim of entering the industry. =)

(5) That I can graduate in peace, throw the mortar hat, n take lotsa grad photos with oldies like Chonghan, Bobsie, Soozie, Joy, Jia jia, Yuimin, Alvin, Jianwu, Alas Ter, Swi Swi, Bian Bian, Leonie, Weida, n many many others!
- Achieved...together with tons of my Honours year buddies. Fantastic group of friends and companions for the entire year of 2008! =)

(6) That I graduate with 2nd Upper Class Honours.
- Achieved. =)

(7) That the 28th MC and Arts Club ll enjoy a successful term, and that FOP 2008 ll be a great success.
- Achieved. =)

(8) That I ll get my class 2A bike licence & class 3 driving licence (passing at the 1st attempt).
- 2A on hold. Started on Class 3. On the way =)

(9) That I ll have enough $ to get a brand new bike- the SuperFour.
- 2nd thoughts on getting new bike.

(10) That Manchester United ll win the Premier League title again, as well as the Champions League!!
- Totally achieved!! Yeah!! =) =>

(11) Last but not least, that the iron walls & heavy armour clad around my heart will begin to soften again.
- It wasn't easy to achieve this, but I did it.
- I also met... you. =) Thank you for making 2008 especially memorable and sweet for me.

I m finally done! n_n Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year once again! And may all your hopes n dreams be fulfilled in 2008!

The Hock Says So..

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Looking back, 2008 aint such a bad year after all for me. =) Out of 11 hopes, I manage to hit at least 8.. Which is not bad haha.

In a way, I see 2008 very much as a transitional year.. Transition from:

- Student to working adult.
- Good economy to worsening economy.
- Innocence (relative haha) to harsh reality.
- High fitness to crap fitness.
- Singlehood to relationship.

Lots of things change when one graduates from being a idealistic & wide-eyed student and enter the working world. I do miss school days quite a lot (except the essays & exams obviously). But then, life goes on eh. =)

Life goes on. And so, I shall post my hopes for the new year of 2009 in my next entry. n_n

2008-12-08T23:13:00.002+08:00

Gosh... I miss you so so much baby..... =(

2008-12-06T21:43:00.003+08:00

LONG WEEKEND

Been a while since I m here. =)

My baby's in KL for this long weekend, and only returning on Tues night. 4 days of not seeing her..Tough man. In fact, I oredi miss her so much since this morning haha.

Spent the day relaxing, watching dvds, and catching up on sleep. Lately i have been feeling more and more lethargic. I could so easily fall asleep within seconds of touching my bed at night, even before taking off my spectacles haha.

Its been 6 months since I joined CAAS & the T3 team. Wow. Cant believe how fast time flies. In terms of work, I have been growing much more confident and comfortable in coping. However, the workload is still really heavy. And there is still so so much to learn. =) Nonetheless, I m thankful to be here.

Managing the various airlines & agencies here is really not easy.

Understand that exams are over for my friends in uni. Congrats! =) Enjoy the holidaes yeah. Hope to catch up with some of u soon.

2008-11-16T23:29:00.003+08:00

TAKING GRADUATION PHOTOS - PART 2

I am beginning to realize a trend. That I am only blogging once a week nowadays. haha. And it is always on late Sunday nights. (Btw Sunday nights really suck, coz it signals the end of the weekend for everyone)

Year end peak period has come to Changi Airport. Expecting much heavier workload to come, tho not as if its not heavy enough now haha.

I need to manage my work-life balance better. I havent been exercising as much as I would have liked for the past month. And I haven't been meeting/talking to my old friends as much as I would have liked.

Anyway, todae I went to take family graduation photo. Those kind which our parents have always been looking forward to haha. My sis, bro, and I were all decked in our graduation gowns, while my parents were nicely dressed as well.

I dun really like taking such formal photos haha, but its more of to make my parents happy. And finally after 25 years of my existence, we are going to have this big 35-inch photo frame in our living room with the 3 children all happily graduated, working, & having found their respective loved ones. =)

Btw, my sis' boyfriend proposed to her 2 weeks ago. So she ll be getting married around next yr Sep/Oct. So happy for her! =)

Anyway, I have finally signed up for Class 3 driving licence. Ll be clearing my theory tests asap before chionging for the practicals. I want to get this asap & start planning for buying a car in perhaps 2-3 years time, after clearing my tuition fee loans.

Wonder whether this sounds Un-Hockish, but I have been thinking for a while now..n may discontinue riding the day I purchase a car. Its hard to explain. Its not that I dun love riding. I still do, and I love every moment when I mount on my bike and get my throttle roaring. For info, Ghost Rider's still pretty much my favourite superhero. =)

But the harsh realities of working life, as well as wanting to ensure that your loved one & possible future wife (even with kids! :p ) travels around in the greatest comfort necessarily dictates that a bike may not be enough.

That said, the Harley dream is still etched in my background. =) Won't forget it.

I ll be going for another overseas trip pretty soon with my darling. :) Can't wait! Also looking forward to spending Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, & Valentine's Day with her!

Love u baby~

2008-11-10T00:35:00.004+08:00

RANDOM THOUGHTS AFTER 5 MONTHS OF WORK

5 months in the workforce sound so short, as it is almost equivalent to 1 semester in University.

But the contrast couldn't be starker, at least thats what I feel. Working does make one age so so much faster. Good or bad, I guess it depends.

Past few days, I read that DBS just retrenched 900 workers. Obviously times are bad, & a lot of companies, not just banks, are tightening costs. Unemployment rate set to rise.

So seriously, if I were graduating this Dec 08 or in May 09, I would be really worried about whether I can find a job. I wonder whether our current students are worried. If u re reading this right now & u re not worried, then I m worried for u.

Becoz when u graduate, u ll be competing with hoards of other people among these pool of laid off workers. And they have something u dun have: working experience. Sometimes years of working experience. Real working experience, mind you, not any average internship experience. So it ll be very much tougher for u to compete with them for jobs.

So much for projects, assignments, readings, tutorials, essays (be it 5,000 word or 10,000) & exams. One fine day u ll realize that all these things doesnt matter at all when u start working. And nobody gives a damn about yr cap score.

Obviously your degree is yr passport. But thats about it.

So start getting worried if u still are not. Prepare yr resume, referrals, cover letters early, & start thinking seriously about which industry, job, & company u want to go into. Apply asap.

If u still have time, beef up on any internship experience, tho admittedly its harder to find in Dec period. If not, try & do some part time relevant work.

This sounds a bit mean. But if u realistically feel that there 's no chance of (A) 1st Class Hons (B) 2nd Upper Hons (C) Even doing Hons in the 1st place... then dun waste too much time on your studies. Save it on something that can help u more when u graduate & apply for jobs.

For eg, if u re thinking of entering the shipping industry, start reading up on it. Find out the trends, the developments, the challenges, the major players, the complexities etc. Find out which companies are hiring. Go & talk to people, friends, seniors, relatives etc. Network some more. You never noe when u need the help of anyone to secure a job.

Dun get too upset if u feel that u submitted a crap essay, if u cant finish revising for exam, if u havent started, if u have been sleeping a lot during this hectic studying period etc. A few months down the road all these things wont matter anymore. And u ll realize that there are much more important, necessary, & worldly lessons to be learnt in life & in yr career, rather than in your readings. (you ll throw them away anyway =) )

Be warned ya. =) Mugging isnt everything. It doesnt secure u jobs, esp in these times of economic crisis. Unless u want to go into academia or teaching.

Go & do things that ll help u secure the job u want. Like building up yr CCA records, achievements, working experience, internships, networking, industry/company/job research, interview skills, confidence.

Good luck.

2008-11-03T00:47:00.016+08:00

LOVE

For quite a while over the past year, I have been telling classmates, friends, & brothers that I haven't found someone I really like. And that I was really enjoying my singlehood hehe.

Some believe & some dun. But my personal philosophy has always been very clear: We make so much better lovers when we are happy with our own lives, when we have found our inner peace, and when the amount of joy inside us is overflowing so much that we wish to share this happiness with another person. Anyway thats just me..For different people have different reasons for falling in love. Heck, one may even say that u dun need a goddamn reason to fall in love in the 1st place haha.

Anyway, lately I have fallen deeply in love.. =) I love her so so sooooo much!

For her emotional maturity, stability, drive, feisty chillipaddiness, big heart, empathy, warmth, sweetness, cool-&-nonchalantness, style, grace, big sparkling eyes, cheekiness, zippy sense of humour, non-proficiency in opening doors... For her smile, naughtiness, athleticism, passion for badminton & dance, adventurous spirit, zest for life, appreciating my nosiness & lame jokes, beauty, being so understanding, & the way she becomes cranky at night.

And of coz...for appreciating a good 'O beer with me wahahah! :p

I m happy. Really happy...

And:

"There is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don't, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it."

- Adrian Tan

I am reborn. =)

Thank you for loving me.

2008-10-16T02:30:00.003+08:00

=)

Haven't blogged for half a month haha. Did lotsa things, but too lazy to update.

Lost my old hp. Now using the no 9116 9608 for the time being.

Entering 5th month of work. Gosh time really flies! Work load has only been getting heavier & heavier. Esp as I m changing portfolio to doing T3 Departure Ops. Transitional period has been tough.

1 more day to turning 25 & a quarter of a century!

My bdae wish is to see my old friends at St James tom.

And to spend my 25th with.....

You.

=)

2008-09-29T00:02:00.001+08:00

WHAT A WEEK

Indeed. Must say it was a highly eventful week ahhahaha.

Thank You Dinner on Tues.

Falling sick on Wed. (no that wasnt enjoyable at all heh)

IKEA twice on Thurs. =)

Free GoldClass movie at Vivo with AO colleagues on Fri. Btw, Mamma Mia rocks man! haha! "Dancing Queen" scenes keep reminding me of Bobsie!

Catching up with Steve & Nengjin & watching United destroy Bolton on Sat.

Cracking F1 race on Sun!

Hope for another great week ahead! n_n

2008-09-24T20:34:00.003+08:00

THANK YOU 28TH, JIAYOU 29TH :)

Well, time flies. Another year of Thank-You Dinner's gone..and the 28th has stepped down. Seems like only yesterday when I saw them step up.

Must say the video played at the end was really heartwarming. =) Together with the dinner itself, it really fills my heart with pride, bliss, and indescribable happiness seeing how Arts Club has continued to grow.

Shifty remarked to me that she feels glad that 26th appears to have laid down a lot of foundations for the future. I certainly hope so, but I think every MC since the past has contributed in their own respective ways, both big & small. =) The impt thing is that the Club continues to move forward and in the 29th, I have absolute confidence that they ll do well too.

Wasnt feeling v well todae and had to see the doc. Hmmm, seems like the virus is spreading around haha.

I took this from Lynette's blog. Really interesting & thought-provoking speech haha.
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This article is actually a speech by Adrian Tan, a litigation lawyer at one of Singapore's leading law firms. Outside the courtroom, he is known for a variety of funny things, including The Teenage Textbook,
which he wrote in the late 1980s. The Teenage Textbook was converted to a movie in the 1990s.

This is Adrian's speech as a Guest of Honour at an NTU Convocation
Ceremony this year to the graduating class.

Here goes:

"I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It's a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.

Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you've already won her heart, you don?t need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You're done learning.

You've probably been told the big lie that Learning is a lifelong process? and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters? degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don't you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they're wrong.

The bad news is that you don't need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You're in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I'm here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There's very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you'll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they're 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn't meet their life expectancy.

I'm here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.

After all, it's calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don't need years of education by the best minds in Singapore
to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life's a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.

Don't expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.

What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.

Work kills. The Japanese have a term Karoshi, which means death from overwork. That's the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there's
nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

There's a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are making a living?. No, they're not. They're dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless
and, at worst, harmful.

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan "Arbeit macht frei" was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn?t do that, I would?ve been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction ? probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don't imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I'll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you dont, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I?m not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or
equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

It?s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it?s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one?s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate
towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn't say be loved. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one's looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We've taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It
far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work ? the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn?t happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.

You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.

You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don't, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don't work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

You're going to have a busy life. Thank goodness there?s no life expectancy."
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2008-09-18T01:29:00.003+08:00

MY WIFE

Finally completed the last phase of zng-ing her today hehe. Time flies. She's with me for 4 and a half years lo.

Ahhh..all the fun, babes, and times we shared haha.

Feel much more shiok to ride now. =)

2008-09-14T23:56:00.003+08:00

What a weekend haha.

SHUT UP & DANCE was good. The highlight of the show for me & Siying was undoubtedly seeing my bro Sooze decked in sunglasses n grooving. Damn seh la. Plus he act had a SOLO dance performance! Sibei stylo xia. Piang, if i m a girl i also ll buey tahan heh. =)

I feel really happy for him for another reason though..haha...

On the downside, United lost. Xianz...but nmind! The season is still early! And I m sure we ll have time to pick up!

Goodnite world. =)

2008-09-13T00:41:00.003+08:00

I had another long and tiring week. But I felt more accomplished somehow..guess its the 3 month effect haha. Feeling much more comfortable esp as u have a much clearer idea of how to get things done...know more people, colleagues..and many of these colleagues turning into genuine friends that u have lotsa fun with haha.

A bit xian that I ll have to miss the Liverpool-United match tom night (esp with Berbatov's 1st game and the fact that i havent missed this match for countless years haha!), coz going to support Sooze's dance performance. haha. Then again, anything for u bro.

Time passes so fast. Before i noe it, its another weekend haha.

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

RAINY FANTASY

As the rain drops fall
And the cold winds waft,
I look at the words
From the same old world.

Simple words they may be,
But uplifting they sure can be.
I do agree with most of them,
"Aye Aye" here, and a "Aye Aye" there.

Drowning in the cold long night,
Chilling in a day of high,
Ohhhhhhhhh how I wish for a nice cold beer!
Hold a sec' make that a Bintang beer!!!

Add a cigar on my left,
And a shisha on my right!!!!
WAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA! I m the King of the World!

Wei wei wei,
Hocky ya' carried away.
Earth to u dude earth to you.
Control your fantasy as the red skies peel.

2008-09-07T12:30:00.003+08:00

ON ROP, 29TH MC, AND MY 1ST 3 MONTHS OF WORK

I took quite a while to recuperate from ROP camp. Yest's long sleep was sorta the last lap of recuperation haha.

Was my 5th ROP, and i guess each and every single one has brought me different & unique memories. Was glad to see many old faces including Aaron, Beng, Ridz, and appreciated the chance to work with the 28th & their affiliates. Also wanna thank Hwee Guang for inviting me back as evaluator, tho i m pretty sure i wont want to do chief evaluator again haha.

ROP is a very special Arts Club project, and 1 of the most impt ones. It not only allows seniors to know the new incoming batch better (vice-versa), but also helps the elects to noe more about themselves. Also provides a closure & a last chance for the outgoing com & affiliates to work tog.

Hope that this unique and distinct project can be passed on and on by future generations. =) Must say it was really heartwarming to see the 29th go thru the entire process.
---------

In life, there are lots of things we do not know. In fact, there ll always be things we ll never know. It is then up to us how we face these dark areas and plunge into the unknown.

I like the 29th MC a lot becoz they collectively give me a sense of having a very very good attitude to learn, to improve themselves, and a strong determination to prove their mantle. I really think they have immense potential if they keep up their open-mindedness & current attitude.

A lot of things which are dead and on paper can be learnt. It is those living attributes and qualities, things that are alive, that can never be fully taught.

I wish the 29th every success in their new term and hope that they ll keep the Arts flag flying high. =)
--------------

3 months ago on this very Sunday, the Incredible Hock was feeling excited, yet a little apprehensive on what to expect on the 1st day of work. He wondered how his colleagues ll be, how his job scope ll be, how his bosses ll be, how his environment ll be etc. He wondered how things ll change after starting to work officially. He wondered whether he ll regret declining the offer from SIA. He wondered whether he ll see the world in a different light and lose the idealism that all undergraduates possess at 1 point or another.

3 months on, how has life changed? =)

1st of all, he has absolutely no regrets. He feels great that he listened to his heart and his sister's advice to take up this offer. Everyday at work is like a challenge to him, constantly learning new things and being plunged into the unknown.

He feels blessed becoz working in the aviation industry is really something that he had dreamt of since he was year 2. And indeed, it has been extremely dynamic just as what he had thought of.

He feels happy becoz he's got a great & humourous boss in Cheng Nam, a funny & determined assistant boss in Jan, a wonderful mentor in Su Lim whom he cannot thank enough for teaching & guiding him so much for the past 3 months. And of coz, all his other colleagues at T3 who have helped him to settle down in each of their very own way.

He also feels glad to have gotten to know other colleagues from T1, T2, and HQ much better over the last 3 months.

He doesnt feel as lost as the 1st week of work. He now has a much better idea of who to turn to for various tasks/projects, and how to prioritize his countless tasks. Though there is still tons for him to learn here.

Financially, he has become independent, a feeling and a status which he really cherish.

Friendship wise, he is glad that despite his hectic schedules at work, he has still managed to meet and catch up with many of his old friends, esp over the weekends.

Idealism wise, yes he has certainly toned down quite a bit, in the sense of being more practical and pragmatic about life in general. Somehow, working life does exposes one to some of the harsh realities of life. But it has also made him realize that work can never be finished, or rather, there ll always be work waiting for u, becoz unlike human beings, organizations, industries, & the economy ll never cease to exist.

Moving forward, the Incredible Hock hopes to deliver much more results & contributions to the T3 team & to the org. He hopes to balance his work-life relationship much better, improve his time-management at work, continue to keep in touch with his old friends, set up an official Arts Club Alumni, improve his fitness regime, and most importantly, continue to be happy with life in general. =)

2008-08-29T01:37:00.003+08:00

New butterfly garden opens at Changi Airport Terminal 3

By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 28 August 2008 1814 hrs

SINGAPORE : Changi Airport Terminal 3 has opened a new Butterfly Garden.

Located at its Departure and Transit Mall, the two-storey garden also lets visitors observe the life cycle of the butterflies at close range.

There are about 47 varieties of them at the garden, and educational corners located within the garden enable visitors to gain a deeper understanding of butterflies.

There are also individual enclosures that allow visitors to witness the breeding and feeding of butterflies.

The airport said the new addition is part of its efforts to introduce novel facilities to its passengers. - CNA /ls
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Mdm Ho Ching and Senior Minister of State Mrs Lim Hwee Hua graced the occasion today. Glad that everything went relatively smoothly, except for the rain. =)

Been really tired the past few weeks helping out with the planning of the opening ceremony for today, among many other things. Still, I really learnt a lot thru out the process, and had fun at the same time hehe.

Took quite a no of pictures with our T3 colleagues again. I really love them a lot haha! So thankful for such a wonderful office environment :p
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Going for ROP tom as evaluator. Ll be a very interesting one i m sure. 29th MC appears to have a lot of potential and energy, which is great for the future of the club.

Long weekend, but def a fun one haha.

2008-08-24T23:35:00.003+08:00

Another weekend of booze...haha. End of Arts Bash, as always, signifies the end of FOP.

And another hectic week at work coming up, esp with Butterfly Garden Official Opening at T3.

And an entire upcoming weekend gone due to ROP Camp haha. Ll be going back as Evaluator. Quite excited to see the new batch of 29th Elects. And of coz, even more excited personally to unearth the next President of Arts.

So all in all, another packed & tiring week ahead... But one which I m very much looking forward to. =)

Carpe Diem! Seize the day!
-------

If there ever is a competition involving the loudest laughter one can evoke, I sure ll like to take part haha.

2008-08-19T01:20:00.003+08:00

I WONDER

I wonder...

I wonder...

I wonder...

I wonder where & whom to buy Arts Bash tickets from wahahhahah! :p

Newae e feeling of hobbling around todae sucks man. Right leg hurts. N the feeling of not being able to run or jog for at least a week absolutely guns me.

Well, at least it has given me the impetus to finally decide to sign up for the gym membership at the airport CARC hehe.

2008-08-18T02:04:00.003+08:00

OUCH

While accelerating during todae's football game, I strained my right hamstring. Felt a sharp pain at that instant kaoz. Sibei xian. Will prob be out for at least a week. Hobbling around now haha.

Watched the Olympic table tennis final with the football lads. Felt proud of the team's achievement and battling performance. Another step towards our nation's nation-building efforts I guess, though I m sure many Singaporeans ll feel even more excited had our athletes been born in say Choa Chu Kang, Pasir Ris or Bishan.

Football season is back! Yahooo! :p

Ok, even tho United didnt get off to the best possible start, but given the slate of injuries we had, I m sure we ll get better gradually. We havent always been the earliest pace-setters in the EPL over the yrs.

Hope for a good week ahead. =) To those starting their final yr of school & NUS life, treasure the times k! Must say I miss those daes of waking up late & skipping lessons heh heh.

2008-08-16T11:40:00.005+08:00

THE AO FAMILY :)

A happy ending to the T3 Official Opening.

2008-08-13T02:09:00.004+08:00

RAG DAY VIDEO

I just watched the Rag Day video & victory scenes uploaded by Mao Mao. Thanks dude.

......

Felt so surreal......

Years ago I rem I kept watching the infamous Sheares Hall victory video over and over again..even sent the link to Prof Chng, Cynthia, & the Dean's Office staff to hope to generate more interest for Rag.

Watching the real thing now on video..wow...

I think what was esp touching to me was the initial scene..when i saw former juniors like Applie, Kenneth, Serene, Michelle, and Shuping etc looking so upset & forlorn..can absolutely understand what was going thru their mind.. These are the raggers that went thru the injustice, pain, n heartbreak of not winning since Casino Rag yr...

N then as they all burst into tears when Arts won..... =) N saw Gerri n a few other oldies screaming their hearts out as well...N the A-R-T-S Cheer...N then Naga hoisting the 2 trophies into the air...

=) Priceless scenes really.

I absolutely hated & detested the last line inserted in the video though: "You had to be there to experience it."

It just rubs in the pain of those who worked so hard in the past years but couldnt be there coz it was a god-damned Fridae.

That aside, congrats to all the Raggers of 2008 once again! You guys deserve it!! =)

2008-08-12T00:49:00.010+08:00

A VERY LATE 26TH MC TREAT HEHE

Ok, so after 2 years, I finally repaid the treat I owe 26th (for all their hard work in office) after stepping down wahhahhahaa!

Bo bian la, when studying dun have much $$$ heh heh.

Yayz! But it was a great dinner and we top it off by celebrating Shifty's impending birthdae. As usual, she tries to act young heh.

And then there was the cam whoring. Spend dunno how long trying to capture the girls jumping tog. Wah lau sibei unpro leh u all ahaha!

Pity Rayner boi, Meiyi, Ruby & Eileen couldnt come though. Nmind, there's always next time! Or maybe I shud arrange a separate coffee treat haha.

Mahjong after that with Bit, Jackson, & Guanguan was damn shiok also. Hands were really itchy man.

Anyway, like I said that night, thank u all for coming down. =) And hope that u all enjoyed the dinner!

I would be nothing without the 15 of u. n_n

2008-08-10T05:15:00.025+08:00

SOME DREAMS DO COME TRUE.

Behind every Arts ragger, past and present, is a dream & a story.

A story that only he or she knows the first chapter.

A story that he or she writes for him/herself.

A dream that kept each of us going thru the days & nights.

This is my story.

And my dream.

------------
Wednesday, August 10, 2005

REFLECTIONS ABOUT RAG 2005.......

wow..i have so many things i want to say about Rag, and i dunno where i should begin..

All through the past few months, it was personally very very hard for me to juggle between O Week and Rag..A lot of times i felt very bad when i m enjoying myself at O Week while at the back of my mind, i knew that there were a lot of people like Jianwu, Keyou, Fiona, Jasmine, Alvin, Reuben, Lionel, Rachael, Gerri, Yuimin, Benedict who were suffering at the Rag house.

So i try my best to go down and help out when O Week debriefing ends, but the problem is that most of the debriefings ended very late. And by the time i reach the House, it was oredi v late or i was dead tired, or i had to help my other O Week com members with the next day's stuff. I fell sick on Flag Day when i had a high fever, when everything just took its toll on me.

And to be frank, throughout the past month when i started going down regularly for Rag, there was always an internal struggle within myself. I was always asking myself whether i was a real Ragger, becoz the truth is that i am not a dancer, and i am not a very good tech person, nor am I a full-time Ragger due to O Week commitments. A lot of times i was only down there to talk cock with the people there, entertain them, sometimes buying supper, keep the real techies company...

But when it came to the last 24 hours of Rag, my god, everything, all the hard work, was worth it. It was tough working throughout the night to meet all the deadlines and till todae, i still found it hard to believe that i pushed the JING SHAN (GOLDEN MOUNTAIN) all the way from the Raghouse to SRC. And then staying on to help push the float in the actual performance..My god, Jianwu was right. All those months of preparations for just 10 minutes of presentation may seem stupid to others, but they will stay with Raggers for the rest of their lives. I cant believe the atmosphere there and then realli...and being a part of it was really a wonderful wonderful feeling. Those 10 minutes make everything, everything worthwhile...the blood, sweat, mosquito bites, and tears.

You always hear the term "Be Raggerfied" around, but to me, that term really meant something on Rag day itself. I remembered that while Arts was awaiting its turn to push our float in to present, everyone took a picture together, and Jianwu wanted us to shout "Be Raggerfied!!", which we did. It was at that moment, that moment when i opened my mouth to shout that phrase, when i truly realized that yes, i am god damned Raggerfied as well, and i am bloody proud to be a Ragger. It was on Rag day itself, when i finally finally understand why every year people come back to be Raggers. You look at all the faculties and halls' dancers, techies, and cheerleaders..Rag means so much to these people, and it was touching, really really touching.

You have to do Rag to truly understand what it really means. Just coming down for 1 or 2 times wont work. At the end of the day, Rag is about hard work. One needs to come down for an extended period to really really understand Rag.

After our presentation, Keyou went to one corner and cried. Four years he told me, four years of Rag, and this is going to be his last. He couldnt stop crying, and after working with him for the past month and getting to know him much better, i have absolute respect for this man. For goodness sake, he is going on to year 4, he could have just went on an internship or get a job, forget about Rag and let it suffer, but he chose to stay on, and guide it through. I used to hear some negative stuff said about him, but after working with him in this Rag, i totally salute this man really. Rag means so much to him..and i have always admire people with a lot of passion for their dreams.

You see Arts Club seniors and oldies such as Jianghao, Ridz, Sean, Haoran, Big Ben and so many others coming down to help out before Rag day...it was fantastic really.

i cant thank people like Jianwu, Jasmine, and Keyou enough for giving me the chance to be a Ragger, and to experience the highs and lows of Rag. It has made my FOP experience this year a much much much more complete one than last year, and the truth is that u cannot understand FOP totally until you have been thru Rag, really. At least thats what i feel.

I am oredi beginning to formulate plans for Rag for next year oredi. Science fac has shown that the stranglehold by Bizad can be broken, and if they can win, why not Arts. In fact, Arts fac won in 2002 if i m not wrong..Big Ben, Jianghao, and Ridz were wearing their Championship winning year T-shirt when they came down on Rag day.

Jose Mourinho once said that to be champions, you have to first get the players to believe in themselves. If we do not convincingly believe that we can be champions, we will never win.

Arts RAG will rise again. I am determined to make it happen.

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Sunday, February 05, 2006

Before i know it, january's gone...

bash 1 is over..

bike quest is over...

website's ready.. (www.nusartsclub.org..go support it yeah? :) )

cny charity collection and visit over..

new noticeboards and club banner..

not to mention last sem's projects..

lotsa other events coming up..blogfest..foodhunt..arena..v-day bazaar..insom (cant wait for this issue to be released, realli looks good)..beach vball..arts bazaar..arts quiz..traditional games fiesta..isis charity drive..arts vital..

and the march to fop continues all this while...

arts camp..o week..matric..flag..bash 2..and of coz..rag..

i was riding home last fri night..it was realli heartwarming to see people like jianwu, keyou, paul, alvin, yuimin, gerri..old hands who joined forces with new blood of Rag..guan guan, jingyi..ayumi..lionel..rachael..yuanmei..

it felt like old times once again..back at the Rag house...and i cannot ever recall any arts club rag com starting so much work so early...

can feel the excitement..before don left, he asked me about this year's Rag..and i told him all the stuff the com has been doing so far..he was realli cursing and xian that he couldnt be down for this year 's rag..but he told me he ll be supporting us in australia somehow..haha..

and before he went into the departure hall, the last thing this wonderful person, friend, arts club member, and ragger did was to thrust $10 into my hands.

"Take it, hock, and win it this year."

I didnt decline him.

It may be a mere $10..but as any ragger will tell you. Every bit, from every single person counts.

I cannot forget Rag 2005, when the winner was announced to be Science Club..their crowd went ecstatic..their Dean and staff were overjoyed..their people, tons of freshies among them, went delirious, went crazy. Their rag com and leaders broke down..Big grown men standing above the crowd, crying. This is how much it means to them.

At least 6 months of hard work for that one 5 min presentation.

For that one day.

For that one moment.

For that one priceless moment u ll never forget for the rest of your life.

I had mine on the last day of Arts Camp 05.

And i want to do everything i can when i am in my position to generate and create these moments for the new generation of Arts Club leaders...

So that 1 day they too, will carry on the baton, and pass on these moments to future generations.

Leaders come and leaders leave, but what will always remain is the Club.

....When i was riding back halfway on Fri night, i dreamt that we won Rag...i dreamt of delirious joyous scenes of celebrations....

Will we really do it...?

The dream continues.....

-----------------------

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Another happy and heartwarming thing i felt from the Camp, was to see most of the freshies last yr brought in FOP '05 returning as seniors and councilors. It was good to see the 26th MC members step up as well..haha..although i feel some of them are not used to being lao laos yet..

Yupz, have a lot a lot of other thoughts as well..but think i ll just keep them to myself...

Everydae i think of 12th August...RAG DAY!!!

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Wednesday, July 26, 2006

When we assembled the Rag float for a while a few nights ago, the feeling was awesome and out of this world.

=)

----------------------

Saturday, July 29, 2006

I waited for realli long today to download the Sheares Hall Rag video for last year..but it was worth it.

IK was rite..watching it brought tears to my eyes..

And it makes me wonder again..about something that i have been thinking for the past 12 months.

Ever since i thought about running for President last year, countless people have asked me what are my reasons for doing so.

Few people know the exact reasons.

There are many, but 1 was Rag.

Watching the video..esp the ending part..

I thought...

On 12th Aug 2006, would it be us who wud be hugging and huddling together..praying before the release of results..and screaming out together in artstasy right at the end....?

Would it be jingyi going up the stage hoisting the championship into the air...?

14 days left.

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Monday, July 31, 2006

The past 2 daes have been mentally and physically draining for me.

I feel numb. And i m bracing myself mentally. I cannot fall, not now when Rag and O Week are coming.

I m afraid. Very afraid.

I dun want to receive any sms or call ever again, telling me that my grandpa's condition is worsening, and to see him possibly for the last time.

I want to see him healthy, happy, enjoying his retirement, and at every Chinese New Year gathering again.

---------

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Feeling better =) Grandpa went through a major operation yesterday, and the doctors were glad that it was successful. So were all of us. He' s conscious now, but cant talk yet, and still in ICU. But generally, he's better...

My speech on Orientation Talks went ok as well..i m so glad that finally the Deanery as a whole could see what the Club and the 26th has done for the past year..a lot of them came up to me after the speech, shook my hand, and complimented the Club.

It was a great feeling...not for myself, but rather, i see it as another big big step yesterdae towards mending and improving ties between the Club and the Deanery..something i set out to do ever since i decided to run. And i could really feel it yest..some started asking me on their accord about Rag and how they can help..Prof Chng even visited the Rag site and the Raggers..

It really was a big big step foward yesterdae..and long may this good relationship now continue. It wasnt easy to achieve this..and i dun think anyone will ever understand the efforts and things i did to improve relations..maybe except Jianghao.

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Saturday, August 05, 2006

Todae was 1 of the toughest daes of my term.

Grandpa still in ICU ward.

Quarrel with mum.

Friends around who are down.

Unsure of how to help them.

Feeling misunderstood for the umpteenth time.

No sleep for the past 24 hours.

Tons of admin stuff still not done.

6 days to Rag.

------------------------------

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Pushing myself to the max.

4 days to Rag.

----------------------

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Todae was a tough night esp...due to the massive storm that almost created havoc on our float again..luckily there were a lot of people around and we managed to shift everything quickly...those who werent here wouldnt understand how we all felt..how helpless we felt as the rain seem to keep swarming in and onto our float..

2 days to Rag.

The dream still lives on.

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Friday, August 11, 2006

THE BIG DAE IS UPON US. .

THE LAST DAE OF RAG.

24 HOURS LEFT.

The final countdown has began..

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Sunday, August 13, 2006

On the 7th of August 2004, it was the 1st time that i witness Rag Day. I regretted not helping enough as a freshie, and I told myself then that i ll return the following year to help out for Rag.

On the 6th of August 2005, as i witness Science Fac celebrating their Rag victory and crying tears of joy, my mind was made up to run for Arts Club President. To get into a position where i can deliver these scenes to our own people, to make them believe in Arts Rag and Arts Club once again, and to bring them a sense of heavenly victory that has eluded us possibly for 26 years.

On the 12th of August 2006, we march into SRC, determined to right the wrongs of yesteryears and wash away the past negative memories. I expected tears, tears of joy from everyone. There were, especially after our performance.

But what i witness in the end were tears of bitterness, tears of anger, tears of anguish, tears of disgust, tears of disbelief. We were robbed. We were FUCKING ROBBED. We dun deserve this for all the 8 months of hard work that we had put in. It was so clear to neutrals and many many people that we deserve better.

It was the 1st time i ve seen so many friends around me cry. My heart was shattered when i heard the results, and when i see all of them around me breaking down. I was at a loss of what to say and what to do then, but yet i know i have to lift the spirits of the people around.

Lots of thoughts swerved thru my head. Where do we move on from here? Did we go wrong, and if so, where? Is this the highest peak Arts Rag can ever go? How do we start encouraging people to come back next year and fight on again? How can we improve ourselves and go 1 step higher next year? Who will lead Rag next year? Who will carry on the baton and ensure that all that we have built up over the past 2 years is continued and brought to greater heights? Can my dream ever come true?

Feeling disillusioned and tired now..will talk again...but at least 1 thing is clear to me. Arts Rag 2006 was one where as a whole, we shed no tears of regret, for we gave our best, and we have nothing to be ashamed of. We showed the world what we are capable of, and walked out of Rag Day 2006 with the respect of past seniors, friends, even rivals, and the public.

I have a friend, who is the President of another Club, and as his lorry drove out of SRC and past our float, he raised his hand and saluted us.

----------------------

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

~ OF 2006...LOOKING BACK AND FOWARD (PART 2) ~

Haha, its kinda interesting that here i am, 365 daes on from January 2nd 2006, same time same place, blogging about my reflections of the past year and hopes for the new year..

Maybe before i touch on the highs of the year 2006, i ll like to think about the lows first, or what i didnt achieve...

First would have to be the failure to win Rag 2006 for Arts. I remember the burning desire that i had to bring the championship shield back to FASS after Jianghao did the same when he was President 4 years ago. I remember the feeling of helplessness, disgust, anger, disappointment, and sadness inside my heart when they announced at the end that Bizad and SDE had won instead of us.

I never really told anyone before, but the saddest thing about being a President is that while others were crying around me at that moment, i cannot allow myself to cry as well..for i have to give people hope. Hope that we will all be back 1 day, and that 1 day, indeed, we ll win 1 day, no matter how long it may take us. When i reached home that night, i allowed my grief to pour out. It was painful really. Despite the fact that we did produce a magnificent and probably the best float in years for Arts, friends who noe me and used to play football with me noe that i absolutely hate losing. Thats why i love Roy Keane.

What about the highs of 2006? =)

Next wud be when we were pushing the Arts Rag float out on Rag Day 2006..the immense sense of pride and satisfaction that we had in completing the float..and i rem moments before Arts was about to perform, i was giving another raraing speech to pysche up everybody to rise and give their best..I dreamt of what to say for months..and it was really an unforgettable feeling as we prepared to showcase our efforts to the whole world..

What then, are my hopes for 2007? An interesting new year and beginning where i ll officially start without any MC commitments for the 1st time in a long long while....

I hope that the 27th MC and the Arts Club will enjoy a successful term! And that hopefully, Rag wud be won this year under their leadership!

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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

THANK YOU MY FRIENDS..

Had an enjoyable time doing Rag todae. n_n Wow, its like only 19 daes to Rag Day 2007...time flies.

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Thursday, July 26, 2007

MY LAST FOP....

Was chatting with Alvin during Rag just now (finally finished cutting the remaining 80 cans todae!! heh), and it dawned on me how we kept subconsciously saying that this is our "last" Rag, "last" O Week, "last" this, "last" that etc...

And while there are so many "lasts" for incoming year4s like us, I figured that on the other end of the spectrum, there are and will be so many "firsts" for the freshies... Their "first" Arts Camp, "first" Rag, "first" O Week, "first" this, "first" that etc....

Its called the passage of time. I have always told many people that at the end of the dae, leaders will leave and move on. But what will always remain is the Club. And new leaders will rise. That is what we call leadership renewal and succession.

Which is why it has been really heartwarming to me, when I see this year's freshies being so enthu and garang for Rag. Most importantly, I see most of them happily doing Rag, opening up, and making friends both within themselves and with seniors. This augurs well for the future, esp if this year's Rag does well again, as the freshmen ll noe the standard to upkeep for the future.

And of coz, among 1 of these freshies will rise a future leader to lead Rag 2008. And perhaps a future Arts Club President as well hee =)

I have been really busy the past few daes. And it ll be getting even more hectic in the coming daes n weeks. In between settling House stuff for O Week, planning for the Elections, preparing to send applications for internships in the Dec holidaes, joining Bukit Panjang Youth Executive Committee officially (with the BGM this Sat finally!), catching up with old friends, I have also tried to squeeze out at least a few hours each dae to go down to help out with Rag.

Bracing myself mentally for the exhaustion which ll come during O Week period..coz durin e dae i ll have to do lotsa ra-raing, and then evening/ night onwards go over to Rag site to help out. I noe what to expect becoz this was exactly what i did when i was year2 then, during Xuzi's O Week and Jianwu's Rag. REally shagged back then man..and frankly, when u reach year4, even though yr experience level is high but your energy level does go down significantly.

But in any case, i wanna leave my last FOP with no regrets. n_n

----------------

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

THE END IS NEAR.

Ragging with Wenhui, Jennifer, Guan Guan, Gandhi and Yuen mei was like deja vu suddenly for us haha..reminded us of last year's Rag at that moment. With all e usual banter and the "WoUlD YoU RaThER" questions heh..

Lotsa thoughts flowing thru my mind tonight. Hard to put them down here though haha....

4 more days

To the end

Of O Week

And Rag.

There is still time

For those in power to rise above themselves

And make these 4 days count

Not for you

Not for me

But for the freshmen.

For the future.

--------------

Thursday, August 09, 2007

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES...

Over at Rag, the early morning storm where everyone had to chiong to protect the float brought back many memories as well. It happens every year during the final days of Rag.

Just hope that by the end of Saturday, everything ll end on a high. Both Rag and O Week.

People reap what they sow. For those who gave everything they had: I believe, and still believe, that they will not regret the individual journeys that they have embarked on during this FOP adventure, when everything falls into place on Saturday.

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Monday, August 13, 2007

THE END OF EVERY JOURNEY IS THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER ADVENTURE

And so it ends..the 4th and very last FOP for me..like i said a lot of times, I like to leave NUS with no regrets. And i think i have achieved that after my final Rag and O Week.

And over to the Rag side, despite Arts not winning anything again this year, I believe and still feel that we are on the right track. Like i said at the end of Rag dae, it took years for Science to build up to where they are todae, and i m still optimistic that the time ll come when Arts will win Rag.

But still, emphasizing on not winning Rag will be unfair and an injustice to the Raggers this year, who put in so much effort, blood, sweat and tears to push out the giant yellow submarine, and to come out with possibly the best Rag dance in years. At the end of the dae, i believe that the collective Arts Rag efforts for the past 2 years have genuinely won a lot of respect and admiration from the public and our opponents, and made many people sit up to recognize that Arts Rag is a serious competitor unlike the past.

Definitely, there are many things and many areas where Arts Rag can improve on, and it is impt that future PDs and MCs are open-minded and keen to learn from the past, and build on for the future. But for now, lets not take anything away from the Raggers who gave so much to Arts Rag. =)

On a personal note, it has been my last Rag as well, and really mixed feelings i guess... Those who were pushing out the Rag float on the last dae will realize how crappy and noisy i was haha..on 1 hand, i was trying very hard to cheer and lift the spirits of everyone up coz i felt the atmosphere was kinda tense, and on the other hand, i was really genuinely happy and proud to be pushing out the Arts float 1 last time in my life. It hasnt been easy splitting myself up doing both Rag and O Week together, but i m glad i made it as well =)

And so to a new phase of life..... but the memories ll always stay. n_n

-------------

Thursday, August 23, 2007

HOPE ARISES.

"We must view the young not as empty bottles to be filled but as candles to be lit."
- Robert Shaffer

-------------

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

PERSEVERE.

"Pay as little attention to discouragement as possible. Plough ahead as a steamer does, rough or smooth - rain or shine. To carry your cargo and make your port is the point. "

- Maltbie Davenport Babcock

-----------------

Saturday, September 15, 2007

END OF A LONG WEEK

Thurs began with the presentation in the morning. So glad that it's over. =) Chaired the Internals and glad that finally the whole elections process is over as well. I like the 28th MC and hope that they really give their best for the term ahead. n_n

The other dae, an Honours friend of mine was telling me, that he envied me in a way and he wished that he had been more involved with NUS co-curricular activities during his uni life, esp during his year 1 to year 3 daes. The only active event he felt he went thru was his SEP to France, but even thru that experience he felt it just didnt complete and colour his university life. He sorta regretted becoz now that he's in his honours year as well, there wasnt pretty much anything he could do to join any of the societies/ clubs/ union and turn back the clock.

Maybe that explains why at the end of internals, I felt really happy and heartwarmed for both the 26th, 27th and 28th. =)

26th, who were and are still there for the club even after stepping down 1 year ago.
27th, for going thru a tough journey and finally stepping down soon to earn a well-deserved rest.
28th, for daring to take up the challenge of leading the club and daring to make a difference in the lives of others.

My journey is almost complete. And my job is almost done. When Ridhwan graduated 1 year ago, I promised him to help take care of the club. The time ll come very soon when i wont be around but new 'guardians' will arise to take over. Thats the way life is. =)

Sometimes guardians dun say very nice things but at the end of the dae, they want the best for the club n for the people in charge.

-----------------

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Was nice to see the next generation of FOP leaders present their ideas n plans for the year ahead. Heartwarming as well. =) I walked away from the clubroom yesterday feeling confident that FOP 2008 is in safe hands.

-----------------

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

ON STOCK-TAKING FOR THE YEAR 2007

The last Rag for me at the Padang was also a sweet memory for 2007. Pushing the float out 1 last time time together with the new generation of Raggers, n with oldies like Jianwu & Alvin..Wow, what a moment man. Memories like this u cannot describe in words really.

Wow, after such a long post of reviewing 2007, it is time to switch my attention to hopes for 2008!

As always, a brand new year promises new beginnings, new hopes, n new memories. 2008 ll be another unique year

With those factors in mind, my hopes for 2008 ll be:

(7) That the 28th MC and Arts Club ll enjoy a successful term, and that FOP 2008 ll be a great success.

-----------------

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Finally, while I was showering just now, I was thinking about setting up an official Arts Club Alumni now that i m graduating soon.

I thought about how the various seniors including those from 22nd MC donated almost $600 during our 26th MC term in office for Rag & Flag. That amount of money really helped us a lot then.

And the reason why Bizad keeps winning Rag & Flag in the past was because they had such strong support, funding, & network from their alumni. I ll never forget what Steve (the Bizad President during my term) told me then. He said that his Bizad raggers were eating Bengawan Solo pastries sponsored by their alumni for the entire Rag period, so much that they eat until xian oredi.

I am sick of seeing how year after year, our Arts Raggers put in so much effort and hard work, and end up being heartbroken and crying when the results are announced.

I noe that winning isnt everything, but the fact is that something can be done to improve this situation. And if that hope and channel is there, it means that we shouldnt stop trying.

... I dun want future generations to go thru what some of us have to go thru. That sense of helplessness, dispair, heartbreak and disappointment, noeing that u lost Rag not because of a lack of effort and drive compared to the other faculties, but becoz of a lack of resources. said

1 day, I am hopeful and I believe we will see Arts Fac winning the overall Rag and Flag Challenge Shield at the Padang. But 1st, we need to take the various steps to reach there.

-----------------

Sunday, May 25, 2008

When the Arts Rag float is being pushed out before the NUS population at Padang (or SRC), and all the techies, dancers, & raggers huddle together to give that 1 final pep talk...u finally understand why u put yourself thru so much over the past year.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breaths away. Do not wait until its too late to have regrets, because life never stops for us to reclaim our regrets.

-----------------

Friday, August 8, 2008

230pm.

Phone call.

Jackson: (Crying) "Hock! We won! We fucking won Best Float!!! And Most Environmental-Friendly Float!!"

Sms.

Jianwu: "We won best float and most env friendly."

Carol: "We won best overall float and most environmentally friendly :)"

Ivan Kwan: "We won most environmentally-friendly float and...Best Float! Woohooo!"

Phonecall.

Guanjie (crying): "Hock!!! We won best float and most environmental friendly!!"

Phonecall.

Shuning: "Hocky pocks! Have u heard? Arts won the best overall float!!"

Sms.

Mao Mao: "Hock, I have captured the winning Rag moments. Will upload to facebook soon."

Jackson: "Naga also overwhelmed."

Peihong: "Heys did u tear in joy when u received news that they won rag this yr?"

Peihong: "I know..like missed e historic moment rite."

Xuzi: "Arts won the best float!"

Yong Soon: "I do shed a tear. I m happy that foundations built since jianwu time paid off. Remember I told you we need a few years (3-4) to reach bizad level 2 years ago. Now that its reached. Its how its going to be sustained. Thats the difficult part."

Alvin: "Yeah - but a classic irony don't you think? It just has to happen when we are not around to witness it.. Still I am proud of them :)"

Alvin: "Think about it this way...We have to move on... Rag has been with us for a while but this means that it is time rag goes to the hands of others...I salute these guys for achieving what others can only dream of..."

Me.

Me: "I just heard..v nostalgic feeling..sigh are u there? Fuck man I couldn't be there..damn xian."

Me: "Really wish I could be there now n join u guys in e tears of joy. Took so many years for us to finally reach here. Thanks for making a long long dream come true. V overwhelmed now..u guys have created history! Congrats!"

Me: "Thanks Mao Mao. I ll really treasure them. Waited 4 years for this..N maybe 28 yrs for arts fac.. Really sad I cant be there. Tearing now man..."

Me: "Ya..cant go down. Really sad. Waited yrs for this u noe..."

Me: "Yong Soon, thanks for yr help all these years. Thanks for supporting us all these yrs, even tho u didnt always believe in us..."
---------------------

We did it. =) Finally.

They say that to win rag, u need 3- 4 years of building the foundations, infrastructure, pool of talent, belief, & support.

Over the past 4 years, we have surely improved each yr.

From repairing & building up relations with the Dean's Office...

To recruiting future talents...

To the sense of determination we had to prove to the world never to look down on Arts Rag again after 2005..

To new ideas such as Saving Arts Rag Scheme (SARS)..

To successfully getting a conducive Rag room at AS3...

To getting more funding from Dean's Office

To building the 1st ever Faculty Club float (Casino Rag) with mechanisms...

To finally being able to get a permanent tentage like this year...

To ensuring the continuity of the core raggers...

To washing away the tears of yesteryears...
-----------------

When I 1st heard the news in my office, the tears just flowed.

I was overwhelmed.

Life can be so cruel to u sometimes. In 1 of the greatest moments in Arts Rag history, I was unable to be there & see it with my own eyes.

The moment that I dream and dream about since 2005.

And as I type this long post, the tears cant help but flow down again.

Thank you Raggers of 2008...

Thank you for creating history.

Thank you for washing away the pain of the past 4 years away...

Thank you for allowing our past Rag juniors & seniors avoid another yr of heartbreak and despair. Thank you for allowing us to finally graduate in peace with less emotional baggage.

Most importantly, thank you for making past & present Raggers believe that some dreams do come true in life.

Savour the moment, but let us ensure that future generations of Arts students & raggers can cry the same tears of joy that we did on 8th August 2008..No matter where u were at that point of time.

Let us strive for the entire Arts supporters to stay back with us for the results next year.

And let no one ever look down on us or dismiss us as genuine contenders again.

Be Raggerfied. Passion. Friendship. Triumph.

2008-08-01T00:39:00.003+08:00

POST T3 OFFICIAL-OPENING LIFE =)

------------------
Changi Airport Welcomes 18.7 Million Passengers in First Half

Channelnewsasia:

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Changi Airport registered good passenger growth in the first half of this year.

It welcomed 18.7 million passengers during that period, a 5.4 per cent increase from the same period last year.

The numbers were released at the official opening of the airport's newest Terminal 3.

Six months since the terminal started operations, 5 million passengers have passed through its gates.

The terminal currently handles more than 900 weekly scheduled flights including Singapore Airline's A380 jumbo jet.

Overall, Terminal 3 has a total passenger capacity of 22 million a year. This represents about a third of Changi Airport 's total passenger handling capacity including the Budget Terminal for low-cost carriers.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, speaking at the official opening of Terminal 3 on Friday, said planning for the terminal started in the 1970s and it is this foresight that enabled Changi to expand over the years in a systematic manner.

Today, the airport holds a special place in the hearts of Singaporeans.

" Changi Airport is probably the only airport in the world which students flock to during exams in search of a cool and pleasant place to study, and I think it's one of the few airports where wedding couples come and take pictures," said Mr Lee.

Not everything, though, can be planned.

Mr Lee cited the growth of low-cost carriers and how Changi reacted swiftly, building the Budget Terminal within eight months.

The move has paid off. Low-cost carriers contributed some 11.5 per cent of passenger traffic at Changi Airport and 47 per cent of its net growth in traffic.

Terminal 3 was 30 years in the making and already plans are underway for a fourth airport terminal in Singapore.

Prime Minister Lee said that moving ahead, Changi Airport needs to stay nimble and focused to face challenges like rising fuel cost for airlines and competition from other airports.

Part of the strategy is the corporatisation of Changi Airport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). Mr Lee said this is a major step forward to enable Changi to react faster to new needs.

He also paid tribute to the staff, in what could be seen as a move to allay fears of possible layoffs as a result of the corporatisation exercise.

Mr Lee said: "We will not forget the importance of the people who make Changi Airport work so well. It's not the bricks and mortar, it is not the lights or the architecture, it's the people, the team.

"We have a very special team and we will do our utmost to take good care of them, both during and after the corporatisation process."

The Transport Ministry will announce details of the corporatisation exercise "soon", said Prime Minister Lee.

- CNA/ir

-------------------------------------

Been a while since I blogged haha. Been really really busy. And glad that T3 official opening went smoothly. Feel really lucky to have joined CAAS & the T3 team at a time to experience this event. =)

Coming on to 2 months in working life. Sounds so short in words but in practice, there seems to be so much that I have been thru n I have learnt.

Am still very grateful for 2 funny & wonderful boss haha, a great & selfless buddy cum mentor, & really helpful n warm colleagues. All of them have helped me settle in much better, but there's still soooooooo many things that I need to learn and do fast.

Fridae' s coming & another happening weekend coming up haha.

Think O Week started todae. All the best to the O Com, House ICs n councilors! :p

And to the Raggers as well. Seems to be only 1 week left to Rag Day. Really hope that everything comes together in time...Will be really sad if.....the same mistakes are made again.

2008-07-20T22:35:00.004+08:00

COME ON HOCK

Tom is the start of a very very xiong week. Doesnt help that i m a bit down with flu bah.

Am bracing myself. Though the going ll be tough, but I believe i can find the inner strength within myself to persevere. I always have.

N i noe i ll become stronger thru all these. With each passing dae n week.

So let me psyche myself up by saying that Rome wasn't built in a day, and that before a man learns how to fly, he must learn 1st how to walk.

Strength and honour.

2008-07-18T02:48:00.003+08:00

1 more week to the main event.

Been incredibly busy haha. So is our entire team & colleagues.

2 new interns from NTU just joined us this week. 1 of them ll be reporting to me & ll be assessed by me. Haha, how time flies. Just 6 months ago, I was an intern myself. Trying my best to give him a holistic picture of the organization & how Airport operations work. Not always easy for interns everywhere to get a full picture of whats going on.

Been very excited as well. Was given another 2 new big projects to work on. Make my blood n mind stir again haha. I like that kind of feeling as always.

Admist all the hecticness, I found time to meet some dear old friends, including amongst them Diana baby, Ning Ning, Gracie & Don. haha. Was so happy that night. Glad that Don s started work also liao.

Though its super unfortunate that i cant meet Nicki, Kai, Viv, & Mr Pius Tang due to work commitments. Havent seen them for damn long la.

Time flies v fast indeed when u re at CAAS hee.
-------

Interesting words from a colleague today..that no 2 snowflakes are the same. haha.

I do hope to see snowflakes 1 day. I m coming on to 25 & still haven't seen snow in my lifetime heh.

2008-07-11T01:56:00.003+08:00

ON THE REAL THING

So I finally commenced after 4 years haha..after watching past seniors in 2005, 2006, 2007 throw their mortar hats, finally its my turn hehe.

Aiyah, too tired to say too much for now lah.

Shall just sum up the dae in 1 word: Fantabulous!!

2008-07-09T02:19:00.005+08:00

Haha, i thought it was quite amusing that i was flooded with messages from friends asking me whether I m ok or not todae.

Dun worry dudes, I m totally fine yeah. =) Couldn't be happier actually...coz i felt a huge load off my mind.

Cheers to the future. hehe.

2008-07-07T19:44:00.005+08:00

ON COMMENCEMENT PART 1

A short word about the weekend: It was fantastabulous as usual. Wah lan, 2 texas poker nights in a row, what more could I ask for man hahaha..Plus a delightful BBQ with the 26th OAC at Peh's place. I always lurve OAC bbqs..heh, our fire & food always sibei steady wan.

Anyway, went for Commencement today. Was a long ceremony, and obviously I felt really proud to have received my scroll from President Nathan. =) My whole family was there as well, & I took lotsa pictures.

But....something just didnt feel right. I even felt numb to the entire occasion. And I figured it was the company haha. Coz its really more exciting, fun, dynamic, relaxed, & informal to commence with one's fellow Honours friends & classmates. Heh heh, thankfully Damien was sitting beside me, so we could spend the entire ceremony chatting with each other.

As such, I m really looking forward to Thurs's commencement with the PS & Soci peeps! =) Didnt have the chance to throw my mortar hat todae, coz I m saving it for Thurs wahahaha! And I m looking forward to taking PS Hons cohort picture together hee.

In short, I feel the company around you during Commencement is really v v impt. And whoever is reading this, pls rem to wear white top for the ceremony k. Looks much nicer when taking photos. =)
-----------

On a separate note, I think its best that things remain this way. I thought quite hard about it. And I feel this is the best for both yourself & myself.

The times we had were beautiful, sweet, happy, & blissful memories which I ll always hold dear to my heart. =) I loved u deeply. I still did for a long long time even after u left me.

In fact, it is only 11 days to 18th July 2008. Almost a year le.

You asked me back then at Chjimes under the lighted tree; how long I might possibly wait for u to come back.

I said I didn't know. The only thing I know is that I ll wait.

Which is why I wasn't able to give my heart to anyone else.

I dun fall easily into love. But when I do, I fall really really deeply.

Maybe things would have been different if you have told me earlier.

Maybe things would not have been different.

But in any case, there is now someone else who cares for u, someone else who can take care of u & make u happy. Someone that u shud look forward to to build new, happy memories. =)
------------

I found this on a website:

What does love mean?

If you love someone because you think he or she is really gorgeous,
Then its not love..
Its' "INFATUATION"

If you love someone because you think that you shouldn't leave him because others think you shouldn't,
Then its not love..
Its' "COMPROMISE"

If you love someone because you can't live without his touch,
Then its not love..
Its' "LUST"

If you love someone because you have been kissed by him,
Then its not love..
Its' "INFERIORITY COMPLEX"

If you love someone because you can't leave him thinking that it would hurt his feeling,
Then its not love..
Its' "CHARITY"

If you love someone because you share everything with him,
Then its not love..
Its' "FRIENDSHIP"

But if you feel the pain of the other person more than him even when he is stable
And you cry for him,
That's "LOVE"

If you get attracted by other people but stay with him without any regrets,
That's "LOVE"

If you let him go knowing that he has to go but he doesn't want to,
That's "LOVE"

2008-07-01T01:54:00.003+08:00

ON AN EARLY 1ST PAY CHECK

Its a nice yet surreal feeling to see my bank account rise to 4 digits again...after years of relative poverty as a student haha..(And I mean years heh)

And even tho its not a full month salary credited, but its really a pleasant surprise esp when I wasnt expecting it till July 12th..

The feeling of financial independence...and being able to support my parents financially, makes all the hard work worth it. =) The 1st thing I did after I received my pay was to sms my siblings & thank them for all these years of providing me additional allowance, esp my elder sis. And of coz, call my mum & tell her with all the pride in the world that she doesnt have to support her youngest son anymore.

And it helps that I love my job. So much so that I can leave office at 10 pm todae & still smile to myself happily haha. :)

Wonderful Mondae. Great start to the week.

2008-06-29T14:55:00.004+08:00

ON A BIG CONGRATS TO THE 2008 ARTS CAMP TEAM! =)

Haha, so it has come to an end..Or has it?

I felt really heartwarmed when I went back on the 1st night. Reliving all those crazy memories. It was nice to see last year's freshies becoming this year's councilors as well.

Hehe, v happy to catch up with xiao indu, bobsie & chongz too!! N of coz other oldies like Lace, Guan Guan, IK, Siew Fan, Xiaohongzi, Egg Head Giang.

Just wanna offer my congratulations once again to Hwee Guang, Cherie, Serene, Xinyu, the entire O Com, FOP team, House ICs, 28th MC, n all the councilors! And to the freshies who ventured to embark on these 5 days. =)

Was so hoping to see the last day of camp n the traditional Circle of Friendship again..but like what xiaohongzi said also: every thing has its own time & stage.

Life goes on...but always in a special kind of way hee. Till next year's 2009 Camp then.
------

Fri night's MindCafe games with Sooze & Siying was great fun! We played the "Politics as Usual" boardgame which was emotionally & mentally draining wahhahaha.

And then I cant believe I act went clubbing yest night at St James haha. I thought i wouldnt be clubbing for quite a while heh. Saw Leanna. So qiao haha. She's still as spunky as ever.

Euro final tonight. To be honest, I havent been watching many of the matches, coz its so late at night n I gotta wake up early everyday. But the final being the final, cant miss it eh.
--------

Work wise, its really been v busy. Still have lotsa stuff to learn but concurrently, there are stuff I need to deliver quick as well.

End of this week ll mark my 1st month. =) Jiayou Jiayou!
-----

In Pre-Sch, people call me YANDAO.
In Pri sch, people call me JINFU.
In Sec sch, people call me CHING HOCK, AH FU.
In JC, people call me JINFU.
In Army, people call me HOCK, XIAOFUZI.
In Uni, people call me HOCK, HOCKY, HOCKY-POCKY, HOCKEY-POCKEY, HOCK-HOCK (among other atrocious names heh)
In Work, people call me CHING HOCK.

Whats next?

2008-06-22T20:12:00.003+08:00

ON THE NIGHT BEFORE ARTS CAMPS & FOPs

Over the years, I always find it hard to sleep the night before Arts Camp. Sun Tzu terms this as the "Fog of War". In layman terms, its that kind of surreal, unbelievable, yet highly anticipatory feeling that awaits all soldiers before actual fighting in war...the kind of feeling that Gondor experienced before Sauron's armies march forth from Mordor.

Ok, maybe I m exaggerating. heh. But u get the point.

The next 5 days will change the lives of a lot of people. 300 freshmen, 150 councilors, 30 O Com members, 13 MC members & 8 House ICs. =) Young men & women who ll look back 1 day when they graduate n tell themselves: "Ahhhh, I sure am glad i turned up for Arts Camp 2008. No regrets."

Frankly, its been tough for me to drag n pull myself from going back hahahaha. Good thing that work is distracting me hee.

This is the project that meant so much to me, ever since year1. And always will be. =)

To Hwee Guang & all the O Commers, House ICs, MC Members, Councilors & organizers, all the best for Arts Camp 2008!!! Keep the Arts Club flag flying high k!!

Good luck everyone & best wishes!!!!

2008-06-21T09:54:00.003+08:00

ON HILLARY

“Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. And when u stumble, keep faith. And when u are knocked down, get right up, and never listen to anyone who says u that u can’t, or shouldn’t go on.”

“When u hear people saying or think to yourself: ‘if only’ or ‘what if’, I say please dun go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward. Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. Let us work together instead on what still can be.”
-----

Thank you for your passion, ideals, hard-fought campaign, and for these inspirational final words. =)

2008-06-20T02:11:00.005+08:00

12:03:16 AM

colonelben@hotmail.com: actually i feel that if you are numb,you won't cry when you see jasmine cry.

2008-06-17T01:34:00.005+08:00

ON BORING GIRLS

Yawnzzzzzz..... Some girls are so immature and petty that they seriously seriously bore me. Maybe even to the point of disgust.

Aiyoh, xiao mei mei, what are u trying to prove?

ZZZZZZZZ......

Stop trying so hard la. You end up becoming the exact kind of person u dislike yourself.

2008-06-17T00:12:00.015+08:00

ON ARTS CAMP HEHE

I amaze myself sometimes on how much I still feel for Arts Camp, even after all these years. Haha.

Listening to Julie & Michelle describe their Pre-camp experience the other night just brought back so many memories again.

Hope things turn out well for the camp. =) Mistakes ll definitely be made along the way, but its how the Com reacts, its flexibility, adaptability, leadership, ability to handle pressure, n how it listens to proper advice that ll steer the camp towards success.

The worst thing to do as an O com member (I think) is to succumb under pressure, flare up, & throw yr temper around, esp to the councilors & freshies. That is quite suicidal. Win over the respect & trust of the councilors and house ICs, and I think 1/3 of the job is done. Lose them, and no matter how zai yr program or admin is, it wont make a happy camp.

Which means it is also v v impt for MC members & O Commers to reach down to the ground level & mix/ interact as much as they can, after covering their respective duties. And yes, psycho more potential zai freshies to run for Arts Club in future hehe.

Speaking of freshies, I popped by the Arts Camp blog site, and continue to be amazed by some of the questions that these 21 year males ask. Gosh. Got 1 chap dare to say "I hope I dun sound too himbo but I hope ppl second me!". Well, I think u just answered yr own hope haha. Eh, think going for Mt Everest Expedition ah? heh.

Anyway, I wont be surprised if its an impostor as well. I rem last time got cases whereby other fac seniors go around other camps' websites n act as freshies, purposely li xiao-ing others. Oh well.
-----

On a separate note, I think my T3 boss Cheng Nam is really zai. Very people-oriented, and really make people under him to feel happy working for him. Haha.

I think I found a leader whom I really respect & whom I can really give my best for. =)

And again, I m really thankful for having Miriam as my assistant. Even though she's also relatively new, but she's extremely hardworking, willing to learn, and has a fantastic attitude. In fact, she reminds me of Meiyi when she was Hon Gen in yr1 haha.

Can really feel a very strong team spirit here in T3 Ops, which makes going to work everyday so much more pleasant & enjoyable!

Goodnite world!

2008-06-16T07:15:00.003+08:00

ON 1ST WEEK OF WORK

Just wanna drop a short note here to say that I had a fantastic 1st week at work. I m learning a lot, and still have a lot to learn. The environment is great, and I couldnt have ask for more warm & welcoming colleagues. =)

Also been doing so much walking around the Terminal such that i lost weight again heh heh. Good exercise man!

Had a power-packed weekend where I caught up with many old friends again, watched Kungfu Panda (damn funny la) and rounded off with another great game of Sundae football. Also making a new pair of rimless specs. Always wanted 1 pair like these hee.

I am also very happy for a friend. =) I hope that things work out fine between them and I believe that things will work out fine.

Love is such a powerful element aint it? :p

Ok, off to work now! Have a good week everyone!

2008-06-09T23:34:00.003+08:00

ON FIRST DAE OF WORK

Haha, on the 9th of June 2008, The Incredible Hock finally & officially stepped into the working world. And he thoroughly enjoyed himself todae. =p It really helps a lot that he did an internship at Commercial previously, so he felt quite at ease and at home around the airport.

It's the 1st time in life he got his own formal office cubicle, and the 1st time he gets addressed as a Manager. He's really thankful for the warm and friendly colleagues who made him feel right at home at T3, and he oredi feels part of the dynamic T3 team. Su Lim, Zul, Jan, and Eileen also brought many smiles to him todae. =) Thank you all for making his 1st dae of work such a pleasant one.

Right now there's just so much so much for him to learn, but he's really relishing the various challenges, operations and projects ahead oredi. His job scope and responsibilities are quite defined and well-briefed by his supervisors, so he has a much better idea of what to expect ahead.

His brain...pretty inactive since the end of exams, has suddenly perked up again. He feels the rush of blood and adrelaine pumping thru his entire body system again...That kind of feeling last felt during the internship in Dec, and last last felt in Arts Club MC. That kind of feeling that makes him feel that he can take on the world.

Hopefully it will last in him.

He's..oredi looking forward to work tom. Day 2. =) He says goodnight to the world...and mutters, "If you smell what the Hock is cooking...?"

He's also happy that pre-camp has started..and looks foward to dinner at Brazil with the PS gang tom. n_n

2008-06-07T09:55:00.004+08:00

ON REFLECTIONS OF ICT

I am back from reservist and I had a great time yahooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Heh heh.

Felt really happy to catch up with all my old army mates. As usual, we talked lots n lots of trash, n did lots of stuff together which were great fun hehe, like irritating Xiaoji n Ah Xiao.

To top things off, our entire Scout platoon shot marksmen for the Combat Shoot range, and if i m not wrong, we are the only platoon in the whole battalion to have gotten all marksmen. The rundown was quite tiring even tho it was so much shorter compared to the 300m rundown during our NSF days. Must be all the spare tires at work haha. So that means an additional $200 for each of us yeah! =p On a more personal note, I m delighted as well coz I got full score for the day shoot, hitting all 20 rounds, while missing 2 rounds for the night shoot.

I guess what was quite touching is that the realization hit most of us (during the live firing day)that we were a really united & happy platoon, and who always deliver when it counts. And it makes all of us feel good when we come back and see each other during reservist. So much so that it feels like another holidae haha. The comaraderie and the spirit was fantastic. And yes, i think i laughed so much during my ICT that my diarrhoea was miraculously cured.

Indeed, the entire week away from emails and the outside world at large gave me plenty of time to do further self-reflection and thinking on a lot of stuff. I realize that I do miss my friends in school a lot haha. I also realize that I am a very lucky person and that I must treasure what I have now in terms of health, family, friendships, career, material possessions, and academic graduation. Life is short. Sometimes it is when certain things are absent thats when u really learn to appreciate them.

With each in-camp, an increasing number in the platoon have gotten married. Some even have kids oredi. =) And it makes for great conversation haha. For eg, I ll ask some of them how does it feel to be married, and any significant differences or changes in their lives. And I think its kinda sweet when Lao Da tells me that he misses his baby daughter oredi, after only 4 daes.

Apparently, the costs of baby milk powder is rising damn high as well. haha.

As for me, I dun think I ll marry early. Or rather too early haha. I use to love someone so deeply that I did seriously think about marriage with her, but I realize that such decisions can wait. If and when the time comes, it comes.

My Facebook marriage test says this:

"Hock will get married 9 Years From Now! You have worked hard in your academics and are looking for a great job. But, you will soon feel content with yourself and begin the search for that special someone. They will happen upon your when you least expect it. You are in for a fun ride!"

Ok. =)

So all in all, a fabulous ICT! yeah!! n_n
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Also finally gotten news tat I ll be attending the c1 list for commencement ceremony. Really delighted, honoured, n grateful. Will be receiving my degree scroll from President Nathan and ll be able to take a personal pic with him. Rare are such occasions. =) And i think its really a nice gesture from NUS that they do appreciate students who have made sacrifices for the student n nus community, ccas, n for their efforts outside the classrooms.

The downside as I have said before is that I wont be going onstage like my PS friends during 10 july, n ll only be a member of the general audience. But I m really hoping that the Commencement Committee can at least allow me to sit with them on 10 July. Yes, so i can get close enough to throw bananas onto the stage when Damien goes up to collect his scroll hehe.
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Finally, I ll be starting work on Mondae at T3. Obviously excited, a little apprehensive about whats in store for me, but yeah, the thought of a new adventure makes my blood stir heh.

Plugging into the working world officially. Oredi looking foward to meeting my new colleagues and to learning as much as i can!

And yesh, European Championships starting tonight. I dun really support any particular national teams be it for World Cups or ECs. The only thing I like to see is all the United players doing well, and good football being played.

2008-06-02T01:28:00.003+08:00

ON RESERVIST AGAIN

I have been pumping this damn ball for like 20 minutes, and its still like half-deflated. What the hell man haha.

Yeah, need a ball for the week ahead. Going off to my 4th ICT from Mon to Fri night (2nd-6th June).

Obviously it feels xian to go back to camp, but I am looking foward to seeing n catching up with all the army lads again haha. And it helps that i ve oredi cleared my IPPT, which means the pressure during in-camp is off n I can book out earlier also.

Hmmm..pretty emo day for me I guess. Wasnt helped by the fact that the apparent Bali food poisoning has attacked me as well heh. Daniel n Damien too. Been down with diarrhoea the whole dae, tho I m feeling much better oredi. Still feel very tired, even tho I have slept quite a bit.

Thought about a lot of things todae hmmm...Alvin's right though. Reservist ICT can sometimes be a good time n place for reflection. Shall see.

Goodbye again for a week. =) Still contactable by phone.

2008-06-01T00:02:00.005+08:00

ON AN UNFORGETTABLE GRAD TRIP

It feels surreal to be back here in Singapore after almost a week in Bali.

But wow, what can I say?

Unbelievable trip. Unbelievable memories. =) Just too hard for me to put down in words. Maybe the pictures ll help...once they are uploaded by dan, jiajia, n nydia haha.

I did a lot of things there..n a lot of 1st times. Para-sailing, jet-skiing (which really turned me on coz its like riding a bike on water haha), white water rafting (n dropping into the choppy river twice haha), playing up close n personal with monkeys, smoking cigars, chionging into the highest seawaves i ve ever seen, drinking Bintang beer n other exotic Indonesian booze, doing a forfeit in the resort's swimming pool at night, viewing a beautiful volcano crater at the top of a mountain, visiting the famous Balinese temples, sampling unique Indonesian coffee with a Somalian druglord, paying my respects to the victims of the Bali bombings at the famous monument outside our resort, making a new Indonesian friend in Lanang (our local guide) etc etc....

But of coz, the company is always the most endearing to me. =) In fact, I oredi miss Bali todae liao, but upon deeper thought, I think what i miss more is the wonderful group of Bali gang which made the trip really enjoyable. Again, how do u put all these friendships & bonding into words here?

Maybe what I can say is that I really got to noe each n every single one of the other 10 friends much better. =) And it makes me feel happy about that. I was telling my 6-day roommate (haha) Daniel that familiarity breeds contempt, but it is thru familiarity that ironically, contempt can be circumvented n bonds of friendship strengthened.

Even Jiajia, whom i have known for 4 years ever since FOP 04...I got to noe more about her thru the trip haha. For eg, she is a voyeur n that she has grown more evil after the prior Bangkok trip whahahahaha.

Anyway, I noe its tough to write all my Bali memories down here, but i m sure they ll always stay in my heart. =) And it is something I ll treasure for the rest of my life. There are certain things that only come by once in life. I think a Grad Trip is 1 of them, and I m just thankful to all the other 10 PS friends who made this once-in-a-lifetime grad trip such a sweet & memorable one for me.

Oredi looking foward to our next gathering!! =p
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On a separate yet related note, I checked my exam results in a Bali internet cafe yesterdae morning...And was really elated! If I exercise my SU option (which i ve oredi done), my CAP score for last sem ll have been 4.6. If i dun exercise it, the score ll be 4.3. Either way, it doesnt matter anymore, as my total minimum CAP has hit 4.04. Which means the most impt thing is that I have secured 2nd Upper Honours after 4 long years!!!! YAHOOOO!!!!!

Which also means that I have cleared the final hurdle for my job at T3, coz its stated in my contract tat I must achieve 2nd Upper.

Well, I guess barring commencement ceremony, this spells the end of my academic journey for now. I have really done what I could given the limited studying time I had due to Arts Club and other CCA commitments over the 1st 3 years, before really chionging in the final lap of Hons year.

I m relieved to have finally crossed the finishing line, and I really thanked my elder sister whom I had a heated argument with when i was in year 2 sem 1. I had contemplated not doing Hons year n even if so, just doing a happy-go-lucky route during year 4. But she was the one who talked sense into me, challenged, & pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone & raise the bar not for anyone else, but for myself.

Not surprisingly, my family members were the 1st whom i shared my joy with. My elder brother, who had grown up with me & always given me advice, & a peek into life 1 year later from now. (As he's only 1 year older haha)

My parents for obvious reasons as well. I had this interesting conversation with Daniel by our resort poolside on the last dae of Bali, where we remarked that in the Sg context, it seems rare that we tell our parents verbally that we love them. But Daniel mentioned that we can do it in other ways, such as studying hard n getting a good job to show our filialety n love for our parents. So in a way, this degree scroll at the end of so many years of studying is also a tribute to my parents.

Last but not least, I hope I can be a living example to my juniors that even someone with a CAP score of 3.1 in year 1 sem 1, and needing at least 4.3 in each of the final Honours year semesters to hit 4.0 overall, can do it if he or she believes in him/herself. As the old saying goes, it aint over till the fat lady sings.

Believe, Believe, Believe. Believe in yourself n study not just hard, but smart as well. I also probably wouldnt have believed in myself so strongly if I haven't known from Steve that he achieved almost perfect scores in his final Hons year, n from Serene that she had friends from her batch that pulled up to 4.0 from 3.80. If other people can do it, so can you!

Actually, I think that applies a lot to what we do in life as well. As what Stephen Covey would say:

"Begin with the end in mind."

Indeed, the power of belief & imagination has no bounds.
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Oh btw, after the entire trip, as well as after listening to Alene & Gracie's stories, I must add that I really love and have a better appreciation of Singapore.

I also tell myself that I must strive as hard as I can to make Changi Airport the best airport in the world, give the best airport experience to travelers from both Sg & around the world; as part of our bid to keep the Singapore flag flying high.

Goodnite world. =)

2008-05-25T01:08:00.005+08:00

ON GRAD TRIP TO BALI

Chermaine mentioned during dinner that dae, that once people start work, they seldom or rarely blog anymore. For a variety of reasons.

Haha, I do hope to continue doing so even when working. If anything, just to catch up & keep my circle of friends updated about my livelihood.

But if the past 2 weeks since post-exams are any gauge, the frequency of blogging has indeed decreased substantially. Come to think of it, its like only 15 daes since my last exam paper, but it feels like 15 years oredi wahahah!

So much has happened I guess, and its fascinating to think that this time tomorrow night, I ll be in Bali lo yahooo!!! heh heh :p Kinda surreal feeling I m having now, that i m embarking on my grad trip. Though we are not going somewhere far far away like Europe or North America, but I feel whats most impt at the end of the dae is the company. And i m so glad to be going with a wonderful group of PS chaps haha. n_n

I ll be flying off tom Sun evening at 7pm, and be back in Singapore somewhere around next Fri (30th May) midnight. If any of u need to look for me urgently, do drop me a mail yeah.

And yes, i ll be checking my exam results on the morning of 30th May in Bali. For the final moment of truth wahaha.

Very much looking foward to the trip. So much that I have oredi packed my stuff and all set to go haha! So unlike Hock. I was always the kind who ll ba long longly prep my stuff on the morning itself of Camps and take my own sweet time in the past.

And it striked me todae that its only 1 month left to Arts Camp 2008. Which means pre-camp shud be approaching soon as well. My, time really flies man. The other dae I dropped by clubroom to borrow some stuff, and I observed that Rag is also kicking off full-swing. Brings back a lot of memories haha.

The realization hit me that for the 1st time in 5 years, I wud be totally uninvolved with FOP. haha. Not that i m complaining though. I gave whatever I could for the past 4 years of FOP, from a freshie to Arts Camp PD to President and to House IC. The long daes n nights of planning, ragging, and yes, sometimes tearing your hair out, sometimes crying, sometimes quarreling with friends, sometimes frustrated, sometimes angry, most of the time tired (both physically & mentally)...

But then when u look back on Day 5 of Arts Camp, when u see freshies (from strangers on the 1st dae) cheering their hearts out, when u see the long-held Arts Club tradition of Circle of Friendship formed among the entire camp, when the tears start to flow among the O Com members and House ICs, u finally understand why u put yourself thru so much over the past year.

When the Arts Rag float is being pushed out before the NUS population at Padang (or SRC), and all the techies, dancers, & raggers huddle together to give that 1 final pep talk...u finally understand why u put yourself thru so much over the past year.

And then everything falls into place. U finally understand why u run (or re-run) for Arts Club, why u join each of the 6 O Coms, why FOP means a lot to so many seniors, past & present. In fact, sometimes I think FOP is like a drug, like the Artstasy theme last time wahahhaha. You just can't help but keep coming back for more.

Heh ok i better stop. Getting carried away again. As I was saying, 4 FOPs gave me tons of memories in Arts, in NUS, and in life. Esp now that I have graduated. Not to mention countless friendships and bonds. =) I have no regrets becoz I gave the best of my ability for each FOP. To those who are going thru the entire experience of FOP now, Arts Camp, O Week, Rag, Flag, Matric, & Bash 2, enjoy it while u can! No more such joyous experiences when u graduate!!! haha

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breaths away. Do not wait until its too late to have regrets, because life never stops for us to reclaim our regrets.

So till then, goodnight my dear friends, and its off to Bali for me! :p

Does Bali smellllllllllllllllll what the Hock is cooking????????!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-20T10:46:00.005+08:00

ON SOME UPDATES

After consulting many friends, seniors, ex-colleagues, my brother, more importantly my elder sister (who has almost 10 years of working experience in a related industry), & perhaps most importantly my own heart, I have decided to go for the Changi Airport T3 offer.

A combination of factors & not just simply 1: portfolio, level of exposure, working environment, internship experience, internal culture, my love for the airport, prior network & contacts, learning opportunities etc.

Still, I must add it wasnt easy to decline an offer from 1 of the best airlines in the world, and the no 1 employer of choice for graduates for dunno how many years oredi haha. I called Nerice of SIA HR in the morning to thank & inform her about my decision, and I was touched by her professionalism. In a sense, she welcomed me to apply again perhaps after 1 or 2 years if I m still keen to do a switch, adding that my experience in the aviation industry would make me a more valuable employee for SIA in future as well.

Very impressed by her professionalism and response.

Met Chun Kiat again yesterdae at Holland V, and I m really happy for him that he's accepted the SIA offer. :p I m sure we ll go for many future dinners around the Changi area haha. Hope to introduce him to Daniel as well. After all, they ll be future SQ colleagues heh.
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Post-exam & graduation activities havent really died down I suppose. Been meeting & catching up with a lot a lot of old friends. Only thing which i havent been doing (strangely) is DOTAing and mahjong (much less sessions than I expected ahha).

Sooze & Siying have welcomed me to the impending working world as well haha. I m glad I can spend more time with them on weekends as well, talking trash, watching football, & splendid movies.

Weekly football games have resumed, as expected. For the 1st time in a long long while, all of us lads are no longer students as well, and i think the realization hit everybody that we better strive hard to maintain these Sundae games else we grow fat once working starts haha!

I ve also spent a lot more time training up & jogging. Wanna clear my IPPT asap, hopefully before reservist. Weather these few daes has been absolutely brillant! n_n

Remy's bdae celebration at Camy's house was wonderful as well. What else can u expect from them haha. Every time i attend their gang's bdae activities, I feel really touched by their warmth & friendship. I hope they continue to have whacking fun during this year's FOP and also share their love and guidance for incoming juniors hehe =)

2008-05-17T18:10:00.003+08:00

ON A HAPPY DAE AT FASS DAY!

I was supposed to take my IPPT at 715 am this morning...but guess what? I woke up at 1 pm instead whahahahahahaha!!

Aiyah nmind la book again next week heh.

Anyway I went for FASS Day today at the invitation of the Deans Office, to help out with the parents' tour & sharing a bit of my own FASS experience in general. Met a lot of juniors as well.

Really enjoyed myself, and again, lotsa past memories flood me. Really honoured that the Deanery use me as 1 of the "show-case" graduates hahahah. I guess todae is just 1 of the little things that I can contribute back as an alumni (I m so not used to being called this term haha!), and I do hope to continue helping out the Arts Deanery in whatever way I can. Esp in terms of imparting career advice n mentorship programmes for current n future undergrads.

Hopefully long term wise, I can be able to inspire fellow Arts undergrads n encourage them to pursuit n fulfill their dreams.

Prof Straughan & Joanne also filled me with some great news that really made me quite excited!

Apparently this year they are making some changes to the Commencement ceremony. In the sense that President SR Nathan ll be coming for the 1st session I think... And they have drawn up this so-called C1 list of past student leaders who have done well in NUS..Prof Straughan and Joanne have submitted my name into the C1 list. Which means I might be able to receive my degree scroll from President Nathan himself on Commencement day. I was really delighted to hear that! And fingers crossed that I fulfill the criteria to be in that C1 list.

Obviously the downside is that I wont be going onstage with my Political Science peers to collect my degree scroll. But I can still be present during the PS Commencement ceremony, which really matters a lot to me. =) Wanna throw my mortar hat with all of them haha.

2008-05-15T12:30:00.004+08:00

ON ANOTHER GREAT WAY TO FLY........?

I m troubled. But I guess its a really happy dilemma for me.

And actually the picture above summarizes how I m feeling right now.

This morning, not long after reaching home and settling down after another night of booze & clubbing & madness (this time at Zouk), I received a call.

I looked at the number and expected it to be from CAAS to confirm my security clearance & contract signing date. Turns out that it was actually from Singapore Airlines. They have made me a job offer as well, the position being Ground Services Executive.

Obviously I was elated. SIA was the company that once inspired and sparked off my ardent interest and research into the aviation & airline industry, when I was just year 2 then. Always been my dream to join the company since year 2.

Yet over the years, esp after my internship with CAAS at Changi Airport last Dec, I have grown fond of the organization as well. Developed very very strong feelings for the airport. Seeing it as part of my 2nd home.

Obviously there are a lot of other factors involved. But I m really quite troubled now over which organization to opt for. Previously I have adopted a wait-and-see approach, meaning I would only decide about this after receiving the SIA offer. Now that it has come to reality, I would have to make a really tough personal decision for my career and my future.

Both are wonderful & leading organizations in their own right which I really really respect & hope to work for. So obviously, regardless of which offer I take, I am still going to be disappointed in a way that I rejected the other.

And I have until Tuesday to confirm my reply.

Headache...But a pleasant headache. And one which I m really thankful for, and which I appreciate.

2008-05-11T19:11:00.003+08:00

ON GRADUATION & BOOZE IN MY MIND

Ugh. I have to say, I cant really write a coherent graduation post as of now. Ever since the last paper, it has been hardcore partying n booze. St James with the wonderfulest PS lads on Fri night, Wala Wala with the presidents on Sat night, and going off to witness the most important match day at the end of EPL with Sooze & Siying.

If we win tonight, I ll prob go get some more beers to celebrate. =)

Woke up at 6 pm todae. hahaha! Damn shag la.

Feeling of graduation havent sinked in fully yet for me. Too much alcohol in my blood. But I must say the feeling of waking up noeing that there are no more essays, tests, projects, exams is an indescribable & sacred feeling. In a sense, I feel like I have been floating the past 2 daes. Feel really light. hoho.

Gotta run. Happy Mother's Day to my mum! n_n

2008-05-06T22:14:00.005+08:00

ON THE 120 MINUTES THAT STAND BETWEEN ME, 2ND UPPER, & GRADUATION

I didnt feel too good after Yoshi's paper just now. In the sense that I didnt really finish my conclusion, and didnt feel that I wrote well, esp when he is such a strict marker.

Was thus a little upset. For the 1st time this semester, it dawned on me on how I would react if I dun maintain my 4.0 cap. Maybe I ll douse myself in alcohol on the beaches of Bali or something haha. Esp when my job offer requires 2nd Upper or else its no deal. Need at least B+ for each paper.

But Hock being Hock, I dun get upset over this for long. I mean, the impt thing for me was that I did my best. And since the paper's over, there's nothing I can do, except to study doubly hard for my last paper China FP.

I think its going to be an emotional journey right up to the last paper. For the past few daes, I realize the fatigue has been catching up on me. Both mentally & physically.

But like what I told Daniel todae, there are just so many, so many so many things I want to learn & do after graduation. So many so many things I m looking forward to.

The world is waiting for me out there. There are great things i wanna do. I cant wait. I m so excited deep down inside. =) After all, I am an Adventurer heh heh.

For now, 120 minutes remain.

And then, a new rainbow will arise. And a new phase of life will begin. n_n

2008-05-03T02:10:00.005+08:00

ON GOODBYE IPC & DR CHONG, SOUTH PARK & CHEESING, DEEP TRASH, FACEBOOK TAGGING, HUNGER, LOVE, AND SEEING AN OLD FREN WHILE JOGGING

What a long & messy title. But it kinda reflects my mood now hee.

International Politics of Communication paper is finally over todae. It was undoubtedly the toughest paper I had to prepare for. And I was initially quite worried that the words just wont flow when I see the questions. Thankfully, I survived that.

That sorta wrapped up my educational journey with Dr Alan Chong, who sent a very sweet msg/ email to all of us after the exams. Really enjoyed my lessons with him, from Singapore Foreign Policy to The Study of War and finally IPC. What a brilliant & truly personable educator & academic. =) I tot about replying his email, but decided that I ll write a nice card for him after all my papers instead. Would be more personable hee.

Act there's a number of Professors and other staff whom I really wanna write to. Gotta put that on hold 1st tho.
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1st time I watch a full episode of South Park todae in Hons room. Haha its like damn trashy and funny la!! I totally love it, and I think i ll try n catch up with every past episode after exams.

Now i think about cheesing whenever i see cats. Heh.
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6 of us went Vivocity to lunch at Bosses after IPC paper. The DD Boyz plus Hummer & Ah Mah. Then after that coffee & more trash talking, while busking in the sun (for Daniel & Kelvin Fu). Its quite fascinating the amount of deep trash 6 male chaps can come up with haha. I can so foresee next time when all of us are working, more of such chilling out sessions to come.

Yes, and more cheesing.
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I finally learn how to tag facebook photos todae heh heh! What a noob. Put up 2 pictures of the cheesing Daniel n Kelvin.

But the best noobie line came from Sean Ler: "Wah, Facebook can automatically recognize the person in the pictures wan ah?"

Haha. Awesome line.
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Somehow the trash talking doesnt stop heh. But over dinner it moved to more serious stuff.

I guess its inevitable that when u put PS Hons lads together, they cant help but talk & speculate about politics. heh.

And then on the topic of hunger. Inspired by Dr Chong's email. Had a great chat with Kelvin Fu on this.

Indeed, we must not lose out to the hungry talents from China and India. We need to be even hungrier than anyone! Not just hungry Singaporeans!! But hungry global citizens!!! ("Now, bring me my CHEESE burger!!!!!")
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As I was riding home, I heard this line over Class 95, on love:

"You can always give without loving, but never love without giving."

Food for thought.
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To round off this wonderful dae, I went for my customary jog at 1230 am, and so qiao, saw Gerard at a bus stop haha!

Always enjoy talking and learning from him, since the army daes. Someone I respect a lot. =)
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Ok. End of another fascinating dae for me. With each passing dae i take a step closer to end of exams and graduation. In fact, only 7 exact daes lie between me and my graduation, and most importantly, my leaving from NUS with absolutely no regrets.

Hummer was right when he said to live life with no regrets. I think we have rather similar philosophies in life, although he more lao beng than me heh. Glad to have known this penguin, I mean chap.

2008-04-30T04:53:00.004+08:00

ON THE LONG LONG 9 YEAR WAIT

9 years is a long time. I was 15 then.

After watching so many so many semi-final n quarter-final knockouts in the past 9 years...to Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Bayer Levekusen, Real, Porto, Milan....I have suffered so much so much heartbreaks. The empty feeling after watching each of that game..That fucking sense of helplessness and despair...And thinking that the next season ll be better. And then the next, and the next, and the next, and the next...

And exactly 1 year ago, i remember the indescribable heartbreak after getting thrashed by Milan 3-0 in this 2nd leg...It was 1 of the most fucked-up and painful feelings in life.

But the 9 year wait IS FUCKING FINALLY OVER!!!!!!!!!!!

BECOZ WE ARE GOING TO THE EUROPEAN CUP FINAL AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonight, and until 23 May, let us United fans savour the moment again!!!

Words cannot describe my joy and overwhelming emotions now really. Feeling really emo now. Well done lads!!!!!!! Let us do it for the heroes of 1968 and 1998-99 again!!!!!

2008-04-28T22:04:00.002+08:00

ON BYE-BYE ANIMALS, AND HELLO TO POLITICS AGAIN

Well, my 1st paper Animal Behaviour is over. It didnt go too well, coz it was a tricky and tough paper. But I m trying to be optimistic coz a tough paper means the bell curve ll come into effect more. In fact, experience from the past 4 years has taught me to be more worried instead about easy breadth/ GEM exam papers.

In the worst-case scenario, there is always the SU option.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the process of my last ever non-Arts module in NUS. It has really taught me a lot more about understanding animals and their interactions, and I really appreciate that. =)

Notice I say the process but not the revision/ exams. Haha.

I always love animals. But i guess to be a better lover, be it in any relationship, u need to understand the people or animals involved even better. And I m glad that taking this module has helped to reduce my interpretative anthropomorphism, and better appreciate why animals sniff each other's arse & poo.

Anyway, its back to revision for my 1st love again: Politics. =) I m a little worried coz I havent started both IPC & SEA at all. Phew. But at least I have 4 days for each, which hopefully would be enough.

To anyone reading this right now, all the best for your exams as well. n_n

2008-04-26T22:04:00.003+08:00

ON ANGST

I am bloody inconsolable after the game. Only Sooze and I understand how each other feel.

WHY WHY WHY DID WE NOT ATTACK CHELSEA RIGHT FROM THE START!!!!!!!?????? AND FOR BARCELONA AS WELL!!!!??

History has repeatedly shown that we play the best when we are attacking teams!!!! Going for their throat right from the start!!! Why did we adopt such meek defensive formations for the past 2 games!!! United has never been a defensive team, and will never be!

I pray that the past 2 games ll not come back and haunt us at the end. Years ago, we drew nil-nil at Bayer Leverkusen. And Bayer came back to draw 2-2 at Old Trafford, knocking us out even tho we didnt lose a single Champions League game for that entire campaign! Then, we again drew nil-nil at the Bernabeau, only to lose to Real at home at OT. No away goals can be a real danger.

Sigh. Back to revision for Mon's 1st paper.

Inconsolable.

2008-04-25T05:14:00.005+08:00

ON WAKING UP

3 days left to my 1st paper.

Been quite pissed with myself for being so chilled so far. A bit too chilled i think. I guess it has to do with the feeling of being so sick and tired of studying after 4 years & 7 semesters of exams.

But good. Now that time is running out, it ll force me into the zone again.

2008-04-24T18:37:00.004+08:00

ON TERMINAL 3- HERE I COME

I just got another call from HR. Delighted to noe that I ll confirmed be posted to Airport Management Group, Airport Operations Division. Most exciting of all, to Terminal 3. =)
Something I was really looking forward to.

In fact, I met up with my future supervisors on Mondae to have an informal chat. I really liked them oredi haha. Cheng Nam was the Terminal 3 Head & Division Deputy Director. He was really candid and gave me a much clearer and balanced picture of what to expect from the organization and the AM Division. I m impressed as well, that he took just 5 years to rise to Deputy Director and again, not being a scholar. Cheng Nam also showed me my job scope and expected duties to fulfill once I start work with them.

Su Lim, most likely my immediate mentor next time, was very welcoming as well. He brought me around the entire T3 again to highlight some of the operational aspects of handling T3.

I have until Mondae to give a final verbal agreement to the offer, after which what's left ll be the security check. Medical check and contract signing ll be straight after my exams. Offer's conditional on getting 2nd Upper Hons though, so i just found more incentive to work hard haha.

I guess the most happy thing upon hearing the call just now is that I m confirmed appointed to T3. I have read and seen so much about the new Terminal, so the thought of being able to help manage it fills me up with tremendous excitement.

2008-04-23T23:27:00.004+08:00

ON SHOWING RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER'S CAREER CHOICES & JOBS

I wanted to blog about this for quite some time oredi, but kept forgetting.

Basically, my point is that I dun really think that there's such a thing as a perfect job. I believe that every occupation, in whichever sector or industry, ll always have its own pros & cons. The key thing then, is to align this assessment of a company's pros and cons towards your own goals and passion.

Meaning to say, you need to noe what you want 1st in life. What is the type of career u are looking at, and then zoom in into the industry, and then zoom in even further into the exact companies that u would possibly like to join.

I think many people around, myself included at times, are often too quick to judge the jobs of others. And i have read before that many human beings just enjoy putting others down, or what we say in Chinese: "poar1 len2 shui3 aka pour cold water". Some authors have argued that this is human nature in its most Machiavellian form, relishing the sight of others falling or being less successful than you are.

The most funny thing I feel is that, more often than not, those who criticize the jobs of others, may not even be qualified to enter the same job him/herself. Lets say u need this qualification AA to enter this job. Your friend has it. Decides to apply. Successful. You dun even have this AA qualification, meaning u dun even have a chance to attain that job which your friend gotten. But yet u make snide remarks..eg. saying that particular company got no prospects, poor pay, bad reputation blah blah blah.

I just think its ironic sometimes. Whatever give u the position to criticize that job in the 1st place when u dun even qualify for it? Why talk so much and demean your friend's efforts when that company may not even want u in the 1st place? While its possible that you are simply concerned for your friend, but that too can most certainly be displayed in a more tactful & understanding manner/ tone.

At the end of the dae, different people have different talents, different strengths, different aspirations, different self-actualization visions of themselves, different dreams, and different paths they want to pursue in life. The biggest mistake one can make is to assume that others shud take the same exact route down like u.

And I believe that it is up to each individual as a mature adult to decide for him/herself what is the best course of career path or job to take up. Yes, advice from friends can help. But sometimes, even our own friends and family members do not noe what we truly want deep down ourselves.

So the bottom line is, think hard with your mind and listen to your heart. At the same time, be tactful towards others who are still finding jobs, or who have found a job that may not be to your own liking.

A little mutual respect towards each other can go a long way. Esp when job-hunting is such a sensitive issue to many people and graduating students.

Moreover, at the end of the dae, most people's first job would not be their last. Even if u have made a mistake in joining a "mis-matched" company so to speak, learn from it and move on. And it ll also give a much clearer picture of your own future.

2008-04-21T23:10:00.003+08:00

ON A QUIZ ABOUT MYSELF

Did this quiz from Zhixiang's blog hehe:
----------

Your view on yourself:

You are intelligent, honest and sweet. You are friendly to everybody and don't like conflict. Because you're so cheerful and fun people are naturally attracted to you and like to talk to you.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are not looking merely for a girl/boyfriend - you are looking for your life partner. Perhaps you should be more open-minded about who you spend time with. The person you are looking for might hide their charm under their exterior.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You have many goals and want to achieve as much as you can. The jobs you enjoy are those that let you burn off your considerable excess energy.

How do you view success:

You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

Who is your true self:

You are full of energy and confidence. You are unpredictable, with moods changing as quickly as an ocean. You might occasionally be calm and still, but never for long.

http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

----------

2008-04-21T06:36:00.004+08:00

ON BUSINESS AS USUAL

I was damn happy todae la. Coz our weekly Sundae football team resume business liao hahahaha.

In fact, we havent played for like 1 month plus oredi, coz of all the deadly deadlines recently. Another perk of graduation is that we are much more likely to be able to keep up to the weekly commitment, esp coz no more studying to do.

The lack of match practice made all of us damn shagged la after the game. My legs felt quite sore as well, esp coz i just went for a long run the previous night. But it was real shiok to see all the old familiar faces again haha. With age, our passing & tactical play are becoming much better than when we were 18 year olds, but our pace, stamina, fitness, & recovery are becoming more cui man heh.

And basket my boots getting too small again. Looks like i ll have to hunt for another new pair soon.

Was really tired when i reached home. But dragged myself to the little picnic gathering we had in Honours room hehe. Reminds me of my Arts Club daes, when i always stay over in school and hang out around. =p

Felt very sleepy thru out, and unfortunately, my mind just wasnt on having havoc fun unlike the Wala session. I really needed some rest.

Going Airport again later to meet the Terminal 3 Head and Airport Operations Deputy Director. Hope I leave a good impression and hopefully I ll be deployed straight to T3.

Haha, so there goes another wonderful weekend, which has all been about recuperating from essay fatigue. Will start piaing for exams from todae onwards. Chiong ah Hock!

2008-04-19T12:31:00.005+08:00

ON THE LAST DAE OF SCHOOL

My god, what a way to end off 4 years of university school with a bloody big bang last night.

The music.

The atmosphere.

The booze. MAssive amounts of booze i must add heh heh.

Most importantly, the Honours friends. =)

For the past few months, a large group of us has been growing closer and closer. And I think last night was like the culminating climax so to speak ahhahaha.

Some of us felt quite emo as well, coz it was the last day of school yest. Myself included. But i always believe that the end of a journey is the beginning of another one. :p As the saying goes, better late than never. Esp when it comes to new bonds of friendship.

Graduation is a start to a new phase of life. And I think this is only the beginning of a long journey of friendship for all of us.

And the beginning of more parties, clubbing, pubbing, sentosas, ktvs, mahjongs, movies, Mind's Cafes, travelling, bitching, working etc etc together!

Cheers to our massive blast of a time last night!! Wooohooo!!
-------

On another note, I m elated as well that I have survived and cleared all my NUS assignments and essays! The feeling I got this morning when I woke up, noeing that there's no more assignment due, was a fantastic one. Really.

And even on the last dae of school, there are still many 1st times for me.

The 1st time I got an A+ for my essay. For Dr Chong's IPC paper. I m really really very glad deep down inside. Its not just about the grades. Its about the fact that I finally broke this personal barrier and challenge I set for myself. In fact, its similiar to the feeling I got when I scored my 1st ever try in a competitive rugby match when I was playing for Armour formation. The feeling that its prob going to be your 1st and last ever try. Same here for the essay result.

The 1st time I won Kinokuniya vouchers in a lucky draw. Hehe.

The 1st time I took a bus for like 6 months? And the 1st time I took a night-rider home from Holland V in like 3, 4 years!

The 1st time I shouted so much gibberish at Walas hahaha! Normally when i m there, i sing along with the crowd but dun really kao bei so much. Yest was a special occasion though. And like what I told Hans, our corner at the back of the pub is always and traditionally the loudest and most kao bei corner! Glad we lived up to the reputation man wahhaha!

Goes to show how much life at NUS has been so enjoyable for me. Even on the last official dae of school, I have still been learning. Joshua asked me yest in clubroom whether one shud really do Honours. I guess it really depends on what each individual wants in life, and how he or she wanna make out of Honours year.

But if u ask every single one of us last night, none of us will have regretted. =)

2008-04-16T23:22:00.004+08:00

ON EQ AND TRYING TOO HARD

Jiajia recently blogged about the salience of EQ. I couldnt agree more. Seriously.

Some people think they are damn smart, and got high IQ, but whats the point when they can't even get along with their colleagues, classmates, or the people around them? I m not saying they have to though. But really, the importance of EQ cannot be underestimated, no matter which stage of life you are in.

On another note, I think that in life, while it is excellent to try very hard, but sometimes there are occasions when it may be better not to try too hard. By that, I mean trying too hard to impress others, trying too hard to get others to accept you, trying too hard to fit into the social circles of others, trying too hard to fit into the norms and mores of others who may not be compatible with you, and trying too hard to make a girl like u (even though she oredi made it clear that u shud screw off).

My 2 arguments here are actually correlated. In the sense that people with low EQ may perhaps try too hard, but do not get the results they desired. And of coz, it goes without saying that those with low EQ often do not even noe that they are trying too hard.

So, is the situation here hopeless then, for these people?

Thankfully not. But they ll need to learn to accept their own flaws, their own shortcomings, their own limits, while respecting that of others.

Trying hard is good, but sometimes, trying too hard really ends up having the reverse effect and turns people off.

Some feasible tips:

a) Think fast. Talk slow.

b) Chill.

c) Sharpen the saw.

2008-04-15T16:50:00.006+08:00

ON THE RETURN OF YODA...AND THAT LONG DREARY ROAD TO ACADEMIC FREEDOM

Got my laptop fixed and safely back in my hands. =) Decided to name him Yoda. Finally he has a name, after 3 years with me haha.

Some pictures i wanted to upload earlier but couldnt. Now i can. Memories of happy times and a wonderful steamboat dinner last weekend, thanks to Lacy.

7000 words more. Final essay before I graduate. I dun normally feel so jaded but this time I really am. It just got to the point when I really have had enough after 16 years, at least for now.

Quite enuff of sleeping on the sofa as well.

But I need to finish the job, finish what I set off to do since year 1. Finish all the hard work I put in for the past few semesters. In Champions League football u only have 2 legs to determine victory. Here we have 8 legs.

Come on now Hock. Stay focused. Let's get it done.

2008-04-13T17:25:00.006+08:00

ON THE HEROES THAT WALK AMONG US

Most of us grew up embracing and idolizing heroes, be it Superman, Ultraman, Batman, Spiderman, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, L, Wolverine, VR Man, or even the heroes in the hit series Heroes.

But little do we know that many a times, the real heroes in life are those that walk among us, and breathe the very same air that we do.

My mum is the greatest hero to me, for bringing me & my 2 siblings to where we are today.

Xinyu is a hero, for daring to re-run alone for her love of the club.

Samuel is a hero, for daring to step into the unknown and accept the challenge of presidency as a freshman.

Tienkwan is a hero, for pushing O Week 07 thru the end despite her insecurities.

Jianwu is a hero, for daring to take up Rag 2005 despite the massive uphill battles.

Su Mei is a hero, for devoting much of her time to making the lives of stray animals in Singapore just that little bit better.

Some of my Hons classmates are also heroes, for reaching the brink of graduation despite the many difficulties, obstacles, stress, and heartbreaks along the past 4, no, maybe 16 years of education.

So you see, sometimes when we truly open our eyes and look carefully, we will realize that heroes and giants do exist. They do not fly or walk thru walls. Rather, they are just like u and me.

And that is the greatest beauty of it all, isn't it?

2008-04-12T16:07:00.006+08:00

ON THE TOP 5 ITEMS I THINK ABOUT WHEN I JOG:

1) My Arts Club memories.

2) How to succeed and achieve my dreams in life.

3) Graduation, grad trip, and commencement.

4) When can I ever jog with my own dog.

5) My love life.

2008-04-12T01:00:00.007+08:00

ON THE GIRL THAT BRIGHTENED UP MY GLOOMY DAE =)

I was in a real xian mood this morning. Sent my mac to yih for repair, and I was told the earliest i can get it back is Tues. Thankfully, the engineer told me that its prob the video processer thats faulty, and that it wont affect my data.

Best part of the dae was undoubtedly walking Trixie with Jon, Alene, and Damien at West Coast! =) Its my 1st time walking a dog, yeah so i gave my virginity to Trixie. But i really really enjoyed it! And it just made me even more determined to share my life with a dog in future.

Haha, lotsa interesting things happened along the way when we were walking. Trixie's so fat that she gets tired and sweats a lot haha. Good exercise for u doggie. =)

Dinner was real nice as well. We are all very xian and sad that next week ll be the last week of school for all of us, but yet most of us still got essay to rush. Hee nmind, shall look foward to the post celebrations.

For the next few daes, I ll have to use my sis' lappie 1st. Thankfully she's so understanding and cool about it. Quite wierd to switch back to windows again though. Oh wellz.

I miss my talking Yoda on my mac book. Heh heh.

2008-04-11T11:19:00.003+08:00

ON A NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

I m in a terrible mood. My trusted Mac lappie crashed yest. Now it cant start up at all.

Really pissed. I have 1 more assignment due today, 1 big essay due next week, and exams are coming up. This is seriously the last thing i need, esp when all my academic documents are in the lappie.

Dr Chong is right. Such is our over-dependence on modern technology. I feel damn displaced now lah. And seriously pissed.

Hope that the Mac center in school can do something substantial about it instead of just asking me to call the Mac hotline.

2008-04-08T19:07:00.009+08:00

ON BEING BACK "HOME" AGAIN

It was a real honour to meet Miss Lim, my Commercial Division Director previously when i was interning, as well as Mr Foo, Airport Management Division Director. Most likely my future boss.

Mr Foo was once from NUS Arts as well, a Soci major. It was great to hear from his personal insights on how to succeed in the aviation industry.

Thank you, really. I learnt so much from the both of you todae.

And being back at the airport today brought me so much wonderful & nostalgic memories of my internship experience. =)

Indeed, it is a great feeling to work at an environment that you love.

2008-04-06T12:19:00.004+08:00

ON DATING TALLER WOMEN

I read an interesting Sunday Times article today about whether height matters when it comes to love. It was quite funny actually, esp the part whereby Carla Bruni gotta wear flats so as not to overshadow French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It also reminded me of how the Taiwanese put up an extra block for Frank Hsieh to stand on when he debated with Ma Ying-Jeou, so as to even up the height.

Indeed, from a not-very-tall guy' s perspective, I would think that most ladies do prefer dating a taller guy. Nothing wrong with that, esp as this can be traced to evolutionary genes (I am using this term more frequently after taking up the Animal Behaviour module haha). When we were hunter-gatherers, a man's physical attributes mattered. The taller the man, the more likely he was to bring home the bacon.

I have dated taller ladies in the past, and I would think that what matters a lot is confidence. And of coz, maintaining your humour, intelligence, and unique personality. I have seen male friends together with taller girls as well, but the problem is that becoz of societal norms and perceptions, people keep poking fun at their so-called 'incompatible' height. Or lament that they look like siblings instead of partners. In this case, either partner, even when confident of their relationship previously, gets undue external stress or pressure to conform.

Women want to feel safe and secure nestling in the crook of men's arms. While men want to feel empowered and strong in embracing their loved one. Does height and size matter then? Oh yes they definitely do. But is it everything? No i dun think so.

The worst thing to do for short men is to actually feel and display insecurity about their height. Actually, that applies to every other negative physical trait for both tall and short men. I think women in general are superb at sniffing out insecurities in men. God gave them this filter to separate the potential partners from the wussies (Again, an evolutionary gene I must add. Hyenas in particular, literally sniff out each other's arse to determine mating compatibility).

So to sum up, i think its important to learn to love and accept yourself, and you ll become much more attractive to others around, regardless of being tall or short, fat or thin, bald or curly-haired.

And granted, definitely not all women go for shorter guys, so if u are short, its good to noe whether your potential partner fits into this category. If she's not into you becoz of height or physical attributes, heck man. Just move on. I dun think u ll want to be with her anyway.

Real men have the power and confidence to walk away. Wussies stay on and beg for attention and acceptance.

(P.S: The author also thinks that it is ridiculous for men to ask women not to wear heels so as to tower over them. Heels, besides the G-string, is probably 1 of the greatest invention of mankind for women. Women look fantastic and classy in heels, so please, dun take it lying down if your boyfriend ask u not to wear heels. Besides, heels offer a potential weapon against molesters or other possible intruders. Manz, have u ever been stepped on by heels?)

2008-04-04T14:21:00.001+08:00

Time to get into the 'zone' again.

Xianz.

2008-04-04T03:33:00.004+08:00

THE MIRROR & THE CUP OF BITTERNESS

Martin Luther King once warned us,
Not to drink from the cup of hatred,
Not to drink from the cup of bitterness.

Engulfed by anguish u have,
By envy,
By jealousy,
By wrath,
By pride.

Sometimes I try to pull you back,
But my energy I seem to lack.
Other times, he, he, he and he tried to,
But you won't listen too.

So my point here is simple.
Take a mirror,
The biggest you can find.
Look not for your dimple,
But for your mire.
Which is certainly not fine.

If you cannot explain it,
Call a good friend.
He who can look you in the eye and tell you you are shit,
But that its not the End.

If you still refuse to listen,
I am afraid,
I am afraid.
That you will never enter the fray.

So take care my friend.
I will be here for you.
With a mirror to lend.

But really,
Drop the hatred.
Drop the bitterness.
It ll get you nowhere.

And maybe then,
Maybe then.
Will you find peace,
And hope,
And belief,

And love.

- Hock

2008-04-03T21:17:00.004+08:00

ON MY MOST HATED SONG (s)

Ok, i just have to blog about this before I forget.

I seriously seriously dislike Beyonce Knowles' songs. To the point that I almost feel nauseous everytime i hear her sing.

No, I think a lot of the time, she's more like bellowing, grunting, & yelling god-knows-what rather than singing. And her only 2 major hits in my opinion, Baby Boy and Crazy In Love, only thrives becoz of the heavy mesh of background hippy, catchy tune. In other words, if u take the karaoke version of these 2 songs minus away her singing, the songs ll still sound good. Which means that it is not her bellowing that contributes.

The all time irritating song for me has to be her Irreplaceable. U noe, that stupid song that starts with "To the left, to the left x 2". If u tie me up in a room and play that song over and over again, that ll be the ultimate form of POW treatment.

And just the other dae when i was riding caught in the rain, soaked & wet, cold & miserable....1 of her other awful songs played into my radio earpiece.... That almost drove me to delirium.

Apparently, she's still doing very well in the music scene, so i suppose there are lotsa people around the world who enjoys her bellowing & grunting. Oh well, to each his own.

2008-04-02T04:47:00.003+08:00

What more can I say??

Almost perfect performance by United. Every single player played well, even O Shea in central defence haha! And Rio was flawless tonight. Certainly my man of the match.

This really completes my day man hahahaha!!!

Can now sit back and watch Liverpool and Arsenal tear each other apart tom night.

2008-04-02T01:36:00.006+08:00

ON A VERY HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY WAHAHAHAHA

1st of all, I just want to say that i never thought about closing down this blog. Yest's post was just a April Fool's joke wahahhaa. So bo liao hor heh heh.

Anyway it was a rocking dae todae la! To celebrate the end of ISMs/HTs submission, there was the PS Honours Dinner tonight. Before that some of us went to KTV and qiu4 gua1 for a few hours. Too short man! So many songs we wanna sing but didnt have time. Anyway Weizhen, Daniel and Mel sing damn well la haha! And I love singing with Daniel coz both of us sing all the old and 1990s songs heh.

We must all go and K again after exams!! heh heh.

As for the dinner, well, i guess what's most impt at the end of the day is the company eh. =) Surprised to see quite a no of the Profs coming down.

Anyway, the post-dinner beer chilling out session at Balacavana (is it spelt this way?) was great. As some of us were saying just now, it feels like that kind of old-classmates feeling back in the jc days again haha.

Yeah! So all in all, a fantastic and enjoyable dae!

And to top everything off, United takes on Roma in 40 minutes time!! I m like how excited can! Even tho tonight gotta sleep sofa again, but a United win ll really make the superb day complete!

2008-04-01T03:12:00.003+08:00

ON MY LAST EVER BLOG POST- GOODBYE MY FRIENDS.

Yes, i just want to say that with effect from today, I ll be shutting down this blog for good. I realize that i have been blogging too much recently. And that circumstances have dictated that i have to stop. Some things once said, cannot be unsaid......

Its a pity, coz i really enjoy blogging and talking to myself haha. But alas, we all have to move on.

Won't be starting any new blog. I have decided to quit blogging for good.

Take care my friends, and I ll see u fellas around. =)

2008-03-29T08:28:00.012+08:00

ON A ROCKING & ROMANTIC BIRTHDAY PARTY

Wah, I m absolutely knackered from last night man (from all the singing & dancing & jumping around heh). It was a rocking & yet extremely sweet 21st birthday party for Kaiwei last night at the Botanic Gardens. Hope that she really enjoyed herself haha. 21st birthdays are always so memorable. Kudos to Zhimin and all the organizers! Manz, and seriously, the food prepared by everyone absolutely thrashed most of the professional caterers around!

What a marvellous & sweet bunch of people. Putting in so much effort to organize each other's birthday, just to make each other's lives a little bit better & sweeter admist all the academic stress. =)

How many more nights like this can I enjoy before graduation....? Sigh.

Yeah, and I went for my routine 1-hr jog straight after i reached home last night, which made me even more exhausted. Yest night sorta marked the 1st month anniversary of my training regime. I jog about 4 times a week, continuous 1 hr each time, with static exercises on alternate days.

And i m really glad to have lost 2 kg oredi. Hoping to do a "Bobby" haha. Though the Lord himself did advise me that results ll take quite a while to show.

I rem 1 of my new year resolutions is to shed at least 5kg, and considering that now is March, I guess i m on track. Feeling healthier & more refreshed nowadays as well. And like what Men's Health magazine mentioned, once u discipline yourself to start training and enjoy the process, it can be really hard to stop.

As for this weekend, it ll be spent entirely on wrapping up my ISM, and preparing for IPC Presentation on Mon. Phew~. Been relaxing too much the past few daes.

2008-03-28T03:02:00.006+08:00

ON WOMEN AND THE APPRECIATION OF DEPRECIATION?

Most ladies I noe appear to be wary of growing old. That explains why women seem to be so sensitive with regards to revealing their age, esp in the workplace (A painful lesson I learnt during my internship heh).

(Then again, not revealing age could be a ploy to act more mysterious & enigmatic to us guys, but thats another story for another blog entry for next time heh heh.)

Of coz, it doesnt help with the provincial thinking of family/relatives/friends/colleagues that places pressure on a woman to get attached or married esp when she approaches the 30s. And the fact that scientific studies of evolutionary behaviour have proven that a woman's fertility and figure do depreciate with time. (Unless u are some tai tai or Madonna who can afford and keep going for MarieFrance Bodyline)

Last but not least, i m pretty sure no girl ever wants to be labelled as a "Lao3 cu4 nu3".

And I have read somewhere before that quite a substantial percentage of girls measure their self-worth according to the value of their relationships in life. Which is why having a boyfriend, a husband, a family, and of coz, kids, are so integral to a woman's sense of balance and stability in life. (Note that obviously, not all girls are like this, and I am sure feminists like Lydia would very much disagree with the previous notion.)

Anyway, I am digressing.

The point I want to make is that actually, women shouldnt feel too worried as they grow older. I believe that there are many men out there, wonderful men, who appreciate the maturity, confidence, stability, intelligence, & sophistication of older women. Yes, younger women may sometimes look better, sexier, etc. But their mindset and immaturity can really be a turnoff for many older guys.

This can explain why many year4 guys dun or choose not to date year1 girls.

And I think many guys look for a different set of qualities in a lady as they grow older themselves. As we grow older, most of us are more confident & sure of what kind of qualities we look for in a partner. Maturity, stability, & intelligence- traits often associated with older women, become more attractive to men. (Again, this may not apply to all guys, esp those who have never gone through a relationship before.)

The key is that women should embrace themselves getting older with a tinge of gracefulness. That in itself can be very attractive to men.

So you see, we men aren't necessarily so shallow after all. (Note: necessarily)
------------

P.S.: (This entry was inspired by the weekly talk-cock session between the DD boys of the author, Daniel, Sean, Terence and Kelvin Fu. The author most certainly does not speak for all men.)

2008-03-28T01:58:00.005+08:00

ON AN IMPENDING ARMAGGEDON?

NEA confirms it was raining hailstones in Singapore

By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 27 March 2008 1927 hrs

SINGAPORE: The sudden downpour on Thursday afternoon brought more than just heavy rain.

Hailstones were raining down in some parts of Singapore, according to callers to Channel NewsAsia’s hotline.

The National Environment Agency later confirmed that hailstones were reported in central Singapore between 3.15pm and 3.45pm.

Callers said the hailstones were the size of 5 cent coins.

They were seen mainly in Bishan, Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio.

Rosie Hoe, a witness to the hailstones in Bishan, said: "We tried to take photographs but it doesn't show on our cameras. So, they were calling their friends and all to come and see. So, there were actually quite a lot of people here."

It's believed the hailstones fell for about 20 minutes before subsiding.

The last hailstone incident was reported in July 2007.

Hailstones form in intense thunderstorm clouds. Such clouds develop when there is strong convection, which occur all year round in the tropics.

Generally, the hailstones would have been melted before they reach the ground.

However, in the presence of a strong downdraft in an intense thunderstorm, the hailstones can be brought to the ground rapidly without melting.
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Gosh, I knew something was wrong from riding in the rain these past few daes. Normally when the raindrops hit u when ya riding, well, it's only a niggling feeling. But recent raindrops have been hitting pretty hard, and it comes down like in splatters.

Oh manz. El Nina is damn bitchy can.

2008-03-26T23:34:00.006+08:00

ON TROY, ARTS CLUB ALUMNI & A TAXI DREAM

I had a lot of random thoughts to say. So here goes.

A few nights ago, i had this ultimate weird dream. I dreamt that my China FP prof Prof Lee Lai To told me that he didnt have enough money. So everyday after finish teaching his seminar classes in school, he ll go and work part time as a taxi driver.

And then he ll bring some of his essays, ISMs, and Honours Theses to mark in his cab when he's like waiting along those long queues at the taxi stands....

I guess i was so shocked by the dream that i immediately woke up.
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I watched parts of the movie Troy on vcd just now. Bought it for only $6.90 (clearance sale) last week heh.

Act, i watched it before oredi la, but basket, I cried when i watched it just now la.

How embarrassing.

No, act I didnt like exactly cry. I teared la, at the part when the honourable Hector (Eric Bana) was killed by Achilles (Brad Pitt) in front of his wife, baby, brother, dad (the king), soldiers etc. And then his whole body was dragged away on a chariot by a very pissed off Achilles.

Wah lan, esp the part when his wife broke down as Achilles plunged his sword into Hector. I see oredi heart pain man.

Earlier on, he also said this life code which he lives by:

"Honour the gods, love your woman, and defend your country".

Very interesting.

And then I teared again when Hector's dad- the king, went to beg Achilles to return Hector's corpse so that he can give him a proper and honourable burial.

Gee.
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Finally, while I was showering just now, I was thinking about setting up an official Arts Club Alumni now that i m graduating soon.

I thought about how the various seniors including those from 22nd MC donated almost $600 during our 26th MC term in office for Rag & Flag. That amount of money really helped us a lot then.

And the reason why Bizad keeps winning Rag & Flag in the past was because they had such strong support, funding, & network from their alumni. I ll never forget what Steve (the Bizad President during my term) told me then. He said that his Bizad raggers were eating Bengawan Solo pastries sponsored by their alumni for the entire Rag period, so much that they eat until xian oredi.

The point is that I think its time Arts Club set up a strong official alumni, so that we can help future batches of office bearers. Help doesnt have to be physically participating in Arts Club events or activities. It can be in the form of money, sponsorship, venue booking, network contacts, logistical booking, welfare, Rag resources, or even things like career guidance.

And alumni support will definitely come in handy during high-cost events such as ISIS Charity Gala Dinner, FOP, Thank-You Dinner, and even ROP Camp.

The Deanery is very much concentrating on building up the Arts Faculty Alumni, so really, things are in our own hands.

Make no mistake about it. The Alumni does not, and SHOULD not interfere in the workings of whichever current MC in office. But it can be there to support the Club should there be a need. In fact, I think the Arts Club Alumni Committee or Board, should it be formed, doesnt even have to meet up much for official meetings. Perhaps once every 3 months for OMs. Coz everybody ll be busy working then oredi.

1st OM could be held after a new MC steps up into office and come up with the list of events/ projects that they want to hold for their term ahead. The Alumni Board can then review the list together and decide which projects they can support specifically. That ll probably be around September.

2nd OM could be held during the December period, during the 1st term holidaes for the MC. Board ll again review how they can support the traditionally busy 2nd semester for Arts Club events. Would also be good for the Alumni Board to get to noe some of the new MC members during the traditional MC chalet bbq.

3rd OM could be held in early April period, after most of the current MC's FOP coms are settled and directions are set. By then, planning for projects like Rag and Flag should have been functional, and the Alumni Board can again set aside the financial support needed for the entire FOP, or think of how to help the Club for FOP.

4th OM, which is the last one for the year, can perhaps be set in July, before O Week, n Flag, Rag Day.

Each official board term could be 2 years. Following which, the Board members have to stand for simple elections. During each Alumni OM, hopefully the current term Arts Club President and FOP Chairperson can be there to voice their concerns, and be the integral link between the MC in office and the Alumni.

The President's role as the middle-man is thus extremely crucial. Becoz if he/she bochup the Alumni or refuses to work for better relations, it is likely that he/she cannot in turn request for substantial support from the Alumni. Jianghao made this point very clear to me when I talked to him a few years ago about this.

An official Arts Club Alumni can also help in maintaining ties between the various graduated batches, and in maintaining some form of roots to Arts Club. It can also be a good networking opportunity just like that of NUSS, as most of the graduates ll prob be working in various industries.

Again, it has to be emphasized that the Alumni should very much work behind the scenes and should not overtly interfere with the workings of the MC in office. In fact, there is really not much actual "physical" work to be done. From what I know, many alumni associations do things like steamboat dinner, golfing, cycling, and Karaoke heh heh. The key thing is to be there for Arts Club when the Club needs or approaches us for help.

And most importantly, the Alumni should strive to be an inclusive instead of an exclusive association. Non-MC members who care for Arts Club would be most welcome!!!!

Instutionalizing this Alumni ll be very important. I think i ll go and find friends like Song Kwang, Aaron, for advice, as well as support from older seniors like Jianghao, Jane, Ridhwan etc. Song Kwang has extensive experience in setting up alumnis, Aaron has great experience in drafting Constitutions, (which the Alumni ll need 1) and Jianghao was the last President to have expressed an interest in this. We were talking about it when I was still year2, and hopefully, once I graduate, something can be worked out.

I would also love to consult Prof Chng and Prof Straughan for their opinions on this issue, and hopefully get their support for forming the alumni.

We need to do something concrete really. Year after year, many Arts Club seniors graduate and the links with the Club are lost, esp if a new President neglects Alumni ties.

And if we really want to win Rag & Flag for Arts Faculty, or make substantial improvements (eg. push from Bronze Award to Gold Award for Flag), then I think we need to be humble and really learn from what Bizad and Science have been doing in the past in engaging their Alumnis.

I have absolutely no doubt that the support from potential Alumni (Esp financially!!!) will help future batches of Arts Club members. But first, the mindset and background needs to be set up 1st.

Graduated seniors need to understand that joining the Alumni will not take up much of their time, while juniors in office need to understand that the Alumni ll not interfere in their running of the Club, and that they cannot solely rely on the Alumni for support or sponsorship. In the sense that they also need to do their part to prove their management mettle and seek better ties with the Alumni Board.

I believe that many current, graduating, and graduated seniors genuinely care for Arts Club. For the memories and friendship that the Club has brought for them during their days in NUS and Arts Fac. The problem is that becoz of a lack of institutionalization and passivity from various sectors, many seniors do not know how to contribute back to the Club. Or they dun see or feel the need to anymore.

I am hopeful that an alumni can be the 1st step towards bridging this gap.

And frankly, I am sick of seeing how year after year, our Arts Raggers put in so much effort and hard work, and end up being heartbroken and crying when the results are announced.

I noe that winning isnt everything, but the fact is that something can be done to improve this situation. And if that hope and channel is there, it means that we shouldnt stop trying.

... I dun want future generations to go thru what some of us have to go thru. That sense of helplessness, dispair, heartbreak and disappointment, noeing that u lost Rag not because of a lack of effort and drive compared to the other faculties, but becoz of a lack of resources.

And frankly, if no one from Arts start thinking about this or doing this, then I think we ll see the same story and similiar scenes again and again, come the end of Rag Day. I noe juniors like Applie, Kenneth, Michelle, Jeremyirons, Evelyn, and many others ll go back to help Rag. I also noe mc members from 28th like Naga, Samuel, Hwee Guang, Xinyu and many others ll give their best to Rag as well.

But do u noe that I am so scared to go back Rag Day in Aug this year, and see the same scenes happen again?

I am hopeful that an alumni can help in this. Granted, it ll take time for the alumni to be established to pool their resources together for the Club, and for results to be seen, as well as for the networks and alumni membership to grow.

But we have to start somewhere for the future. We are oredi lagging behind Bizad, Science Fac, and possibly SDE in this aspect. And let us not forget that while Arts Rag is improving over the years, the other faculties are doing so as well.

1 day, I am hopeful and I believe we will see Arts Fac winning the overall Rag and Flag Challenge Shield at the Padang. But 1st, we need to take the various steps to reach there.

An official Arts Club Alumni is 1 of these first steps.

2008-03-26T01:27:00.004+08:00

ON BEING BACK IN BED AGAIN =)

Kao, I just realized that I have been sleeping on the sofa for the past 3 nights. Which means the last time I snooze overnight on my bed was Sat!

Time to put things right tonight. :p

Had a great time talking trash with the DD Boyz todae after presentation meeting again haha! Not many times left in school where we can have such enjoyable trash-talking sessions heh.

Goodnight world.

2008-03-25T09:21:00.003+08:00

ON A ZOMBIFIED HOCKY

I did it.

After toiling through the past 24 hours with no sleep, I finally finished writing my ISM. Chalking up 6,380 words.

Whats left ll be the more relaxing tasks of editing, footnoting, appendix, and bibliography. And hopefully Prof Singh doesnt have much for me to change after looking thru my final draft.

I feel absolutely knackered now.

But hey.

There's still IPC presentation coming up, plus IPC Essay of 5000 words. And Dr Yoshi's SEA Essay of 7,000 words.

The latter one is a big fire burning in the backyard.

But hey hey.

Lets just take things 1 step at a time eh.

2008-03-24T18:50:00.001+08:00

Come on Hock. Heads up.

Time to be strong.

2008-03-23T19:33:00.004+08:00

ON GRAND SLAM SUNDAY!!!

I was surprised to read that there are act more Liverpool fans in Singapore today, according to the New Paper's informal poll, as compared to United, Arsenal or Chelsea fans.

Anyway, dialogue this morning went ok haha. It was really an interesting experience sitting beside Mr Tharman and sharing opinions to the audience (which numbered around 100 plus) together. I had a great time talking to Dr Winston, and Mr Tat Hong, MOE Director of Planning, as well, who shared many interesting insights on the education system in Sg. Haha, and I was pleasantly surprised to be presented with a souvenir in the end, as did all the panelists. Its like a plaque, and I m sure I ll hang it nicely in 1 corner. =)

Most importantly, I had a wonderful interaction and debate with the audience, hearing many differing views from various angles on the Sg education system.

Hopefully, this ll be the 1st of many public dialogue panelist experiences to come! =) Waiting for the pictures to be sent to me so I can keep for memory sake haha.

And now.....for the moment I have been waiting for for the whole damn weekend!!! COME ON YA DEVILS!!!

Trooping over to Sooze place now! Everytime we watch together United ll win heh heh!

And when i come back....its back to ISM.... sigh....

2008-03-22T10:50:00.005+08:00

ON A TIGHT WEEKEND

Admist the weekend rush to finish up my ISM and to prepare for IPC presentation, I have been thinking quite a bit for tomorrow's dialogue session..And about what to say and how to say.

I dun like to prepare word-for-word scripts when I do presentations or give speeches. I feel it draws attention away from the audience, esp when u cannot look at the audience members straight in the eye, and vice-versa. Plus reading purely from a script somehow makes the speaker-audience interaction less spontaneous and captivating.

Feeling kinda excited haha. Thats good. I enjoy this kind of feeling.

At the same time, I feel quite xian that I cant go down for Beach Fiesta. Sigh. But I noe the new generation ll do a fantastic job. =)

Grand Slam Sunday coming up. I say United ll beat Liverpool 2-1, and that a draw ll be forthcoming at Stamford Bridge. Let's hope i m right haha.

Btw, I think its absolutely disgusting, revolting, appalling, and repulsive that we have to pay for Singtel's MioTV to watch the Champions League in 2 seasons time!! I m not sure whether consumers can make a case for CASE to step in and investigate. After all, they did launch an inquiry previously when Starhub raised the prices for the package of Football Channel and sports.

WHAT'S NEXT??!!

M1 "Sun-TV" for FA Cup (ONLY) exclusive rights??

Siemens "Realtime-TV" for World Cup (ONLY) broadcasting rights??

Or how about Nokia's "Exotic-TV" for Spanish La Liga (ONLY)??

Geeze.

2008-03-20T06:07:00.003+08:00

ON MORNING SHIFT AT 6AM

YEAH MAN!!! 3 POINTS CLEAR!!!!!

And holy shit, I was flip-flopping the channel and my god what cracking goals between Spurs and Chelsea.

The most impt thing is that we go 3 clear of Arsenal and 5 clear of Chelski!!

Great...now where's my sofa!!??!

2008-03-20T01:13:00.004+08:00

ON CRUNCH TIME PART 2

You noe its crunch time when you are like, sleeping on the sofa at night hahahaha. I rem last sem, I spend quite a lot of nights like this also.

Bo bian la, must wake up in time for lessons.

Anyway i m damn happy todae la! Got an A for my US-China-Taiwan relations essay. And its like 40% of the grade for that module. Phew~ Strategically, it gives me more breathing space towards that 2nd Upper.

Was doing some self-reflection when i was riding this morning. And i realize that I feel so much happier this sem as compared to last sem. Haha. Prob a combi of reasons.

And i keep playing the song Apologize by Timbaland these few daes over and over again hahahaha. Whazzup man. I just think it sounds really soothing right in the middle of the cold, quiet night...

2008-03-18T23:32:00.014+08:00

ON SOMETHING I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON LAST NIGHT (Warning: Not for the Faint-Hearted)

This is for my own record haha. Part of the Animal Behaviour Blog assignment I was working on for the whole of last night.

Damn anaconda swallowing a whole alligator. Manz. So much for a Carl's Junior or Whopper meal.
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Green Anaconda Devours The Spectacled Caiman Alligator!!! (Warning: Not for the faint-hearted)

Never thought that an adult Spectacled Caiman alligator (Caiman crocodilus) can be eaten alive by another predator? Well, think again!! Especially when you have this chap around:

Introducing.... The Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) !!!

Well, I have always thought that anacondas' diet consist only of fishes, birds, rodents, mammals, and other small reptiles. But little did I expect to discover that this particular species, the Green Anaconda, actually feeds on full-grown Spectacled Caimans (which can grow up to 2.5m) as well!

Devouring a fellow fearsome predator? Wow.

My interest in inter-species conflict originally led me to stumble upon the incredible videos listed below. And upon closer research, I discovered that the Green Anaconda, located primarily in South America, is actually the largest snake in the world in terms of weight. They can grow up to 30 feet (9 meters) long, weigh 1,200 pounds (550 kilograms), and measure more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) in diameter.

Youtube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acVlIJeY9ws&feature=related

As illustrated in the video above, the Green Anaconda kills with power, not poison. By coiling its muscular body around its prey, the Green Anaconda can even crush the armoured Caiman until it can no longer breathe. This constriction tactic allows the Green Anaconda to take down other prey as large as adult capybaras (giant rodents), adult white-tailed deers, adult jaguars, and even humans of approximately 55kg or more.

At the same time, this brutal predator can be really covert and sleek in the water, with its dull colour and black blotches enhancing its camouflaging capabilities in the marshes and swamps. Its eyes and nasal openings are on top of its head, allowing it to wait and ambush its prey while remaining almost completely submerged.

Youtube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc06MVH6W98

Interestingly, while all the videos here highlight the Green Anaconda prevailing over the Spectacled Caiman, my research indicates that this is not always the case. In fact, renowned anaconda specialist Jesus Rivas once documented an intriguing event of the Spectacled Caiman preying on a green anaconda in return:

"On 25 of May 1996 we discovered a large caiman (>90 cm svl) firmly gripping the head of a radio-implanted female anaconda (494 cm TL, 29 kg), who in turn had wrapped herself around the caiman’s head and neck. After approximately 15 min the snake relaxed her coils, apparently losing the struggle with the caiman.

We interrupted the event to recover the transmitter when the snake stopped struggling. One of the teeth of the caiman had gone right through the skull and into the brain region, other tooth mark where present in the first fifth but did not look life threatening. The snake died two months later in captivity due to a generalized infection. As we had found this snake severely wounded from 2 months previous to being preyed on by the caiman, it is likely that she was not in top physical shape and this may have played some role in the attack."

Certainly, there appears to be a history of inter-species conflict between these two large predators. One possible reason could be due to the fact that both share very similar habitats in the seasonally flooded savannahs of South America and the Amazon Basin.

Youtube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMwt_fEe3CY&feature=related
(Warning: Do not watch this if you just had a heavy meal.)

As seen in the fascinating video above, the Green Anaconda possesses jaws attached by pliable ligaments, which enables it to swallow the Caiman as a whole. Such a sizeable and yummy meal can allow it to go for weeks or even months without food.

At the same time, the Green Anaconda's unique adaptation and natural selection allow it to experience an incredible change in body size from birth to adulthood, as compared to other snakes. This explains how it can grow to such a massive bulk despite the occasional meal. Moreover, the role of nature has also dictated that baby Green Anacondas can almost immediately be able to swim and hunt once they are born. A top, ectothermic predator indeed.

Poor Caiman.

Finally, just to make you feel a little better, Green Anacondas are not known for being fond of attacking humans, despite their mythical reputation as man-eaters. Thankfully. =)

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Manz, check out the youtube video links yeah.

Fascinating battles of nature. =) Guess i ve always been intrigued by inter-species conflict.

2008-03-17T23:09:00.005+08:00

ON CRUNCH TIME

Todae is March 17th. In exactly 2 weeks time, on 31st March, 5 pm sharp, it ll be D-Day, H-Hour, whatever u wanna call it for most Honours students.

Coz it ll be the deadline for all ISMs/ Honours Thesis.

So for the next 2 weeks, u ll prob see a lot of frettered and emotionally-charged year4s going around. The next 2 weekends are going to be pretty crucial as well, which is really quite sad for me personally coz I prob have to miss out going to Beach Fiesta and Foodhunt. =/

Well, like I said so many times before, Arts Club and all its memories ll always be there, but the people and seniors will inevitably have to move on 1 day. Just a short note that I was really happy to see that the O Week Com seems to have kicked off with their meeting last week as well. Wah, somemore got powerpoint presentation somemore (1st time in 4 years i ve seen something like this haha!)

I believe that Joan will make a good O Week pd, and i believe that in Remy, Kai Wei, and Ah Bing Ge, she has an awesome line-up of strong DPDs. I also believe that Arts Camp this year ll be fantastic, Rag ll come up with something special, as do the other FOP projects. =)

Ok, i better stop here. Whenever I talk about Arts Club, I get an adrelaine rush, my blood pressure just rises, and I get all excited and passionate haha. And I could go on and on and on.

On a separate note, planning for the infamous Grad Trip has began! Yayz........ =p

2008-03-16T20:41:00.005+08:00

ON MOTIVATING ONESELF

Motivating oneself is an art. It comes naturally to some people but not to everyone.

But we can learn that art, thankfully.

1 way is to look at inspiring and motivational quotes by famous leaders/ authors etc, to try and lift oneself.

Another way is to read self-improvement books, or the autobiographies of successful people.

A 3rd way is to grit your teeth, block out and focus your mind, and like what Nike always says, just do it. Along the way, keep telling yourself that the journey to your dream begins with a single step. And each step, no matter how big or small, still moves u towards that dream.

A final way, which works for me, is to talk to myself. Sometimes I do that via blogging, sometimes I do that verbally, and sometimes I talk to myself in my mind. And there, the conversations can get really heated. My mind can screw me real bad when I procrastinate some stuff, and then I ll shout at him (I assume its a him naturally) back in return. After debating and arguing, we ll come to a conclusion, and move on from there.

During the times when we can't compromise, I will propose that we take a nap. He obviously agrees (despite grumbling that I have oredi slept a lot), and when we wake up, we ll come to a truce. We have to. Time doesn't wait for us.
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Well, Sundae night is here. And its back to reality.

2008-03-16T11:16:00.004+08:00

ON A LOVELY WEEKEND

It was kinda heartwarming to see so many of my ex-Hwa Chong 00A13 classmates yesterdae haha...Besides Don, Chermaine, Ade, and Wendy whom i have met more often, I really havent seen others like En Mei, Shuyi, Huiling, Xiaowen, and Janice for quite a while. And its nice to noe that most of them appears to be settled in their lives and jobs. =) Yesh, we have a good time bitching about "G" again heh heh.

Time flies.

The sweet weekend was completed by United topping the table again!! Kudos to Derby for putting up such a courageous performance. We now have the chance to stretch the lead to 3 points if we win against Bolton on Wed.

And it looks like the title ll be decided all the way till the final game of the season, with the top 4 going to clash with each other in the next few weeks. I expect lots more twists & turns ahead.

2008-03-15T04:34:00.003+08:00

ON BEING A PANELIST HAHA

I was having fun in lala land this morning when I was woken up on the phone by Kit See, from PA.

Initially i thought she only wanted me to participate in another forum. (I get quite a number of invitations from the PAYM staff now and then) But to my surprise, she was inquiring whether I would be keen to be a panelist myself.

Dialogue's theme ll be on the Education System in Singapore, and whether it has sufficiently trained Singaporeans for the corporate and global world, i think. Outgoing Education and current Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam would be chairing, together with one of the Human Resource Management Professors from NUS Business School, 1 of the MOE Directors, as well as yours truly to complete the panel.

Well, Kit See told me they wanted the viewpoint from a graduating student as well. Haha so I guess i m in. Kinda excited about it actually, coz its the 1st time I m being a public dialogue panelist. And I think it ll be a great experience.

But at the same time, I really need to think a lot about what I m going to say. Frankly, I m quite critical of our Singapore education system, even though i recognize that it does have a lot of merits as well. So I guess the key thing is to try and give a fair appraisal, and perhaps some constructive recommendations.

I would also go around asking some of my friends for their feedback too. =) And bring it up to the Minister during the session. Hope I dun embarrass myself that day haha.
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On a separate note, I just came back from Timber and Cafe Iguana with the PS Honours lads. haha, happy birthday again Daniel!

I think i laughed too much. Now my stomach is aching wahahahahah. All the silly games and trash talking again. Manz, good times like these keep all of us sane in this momentous period of insanity admist the looming ISM/ Thesis deadlines. And yes, it was so enjoyable to make fun of Damien heh.

There's really a lot of wonderful, happening and fun-loving people in our honours cohort. And like what Daniel said last time, if only all of us have known each other much earlier haha.

Well, I guess its better late than never. =)

2008-03-13T19:41:00.006+08:00

ON MY DREAM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW

Here we go!!!!

Quarter-finals:

Fenerbache VS Man Utd

Roma VS Schalke 04

Arsenal VS Barcelona

Liverpool VS Chelsea

Semi-finals:

Man Utd VS Schalke

Barcelona VS Chelsea

Final:

Man Utd VS Barcelona (8-0)

AAHAHHAHAAHAHA!!!! See you in the final Barca!

PS: I came up with this marvelous draw in a moment of sheer inspiration and fantasy during this morning's Honours class. Heh. Lets see how zun i am tom when the actual draw is made.

PS No 2: Pssst. Jiajia almost lost her laptop this morning. Gosh.. it could so nearly have been an Edison Chen episode number 2 heh heh.

2008-03-13T19:08:00.004+08:00

ON DUNNO WHAT TO SAY

XXX said to me: "Hock ah Hock ah!!" "Why u still bother with him and waste your time??!! You know he's like that wan just let him be lor. He happy can oredi mah."

Me: "You noe me what, i say things very direct wan. Sometimes end up saying things that people dun like to hear."

XXX: "So many people heel4 lan3 him oredi. Dun waste your breath lah."

Me: "He's ok wan lah. Just that sometimes he talks too much. If u dun tell him some things he ll never noe himself."

XXX: "But if u tell him and then he dun listen you are wasting your own time and breath also what."

Me: "Friends should tell each other outright their flaws mah. Last time Gerard also always niao me straight in the face. Always say i bad temper. Keep lecturing me like some old man. Sometimes i also buey tahan, but when i look back and reflect about it, I realized he was right all along. Do u noe that there were a few nights I actually went up to him, thanked him for criticizing me, and apologized for my shitty behaviour? "

XXX: "Yes, but that still doesnt mean that u should impose what you hope to see in another person, and hope that he ll change. At the end of the day, u should also accept a person, especially a friend, for who he is."

Me: "I never say i never accept what, just that i hope that he can be a better man. He has oredi improved quite a lot liao, shud spur him on somemore mah."

XXX: "That is his own decision and prerogative, not yours."

Me: "....Ok, point taken. I shud just keep my big mouth shut now."

XXX: "Good. Aiyah, anyway not say u very perfect also what."

Me: "I never did say i was perfect!! I have lots of flaws too."

XXX: "Ya la. Precisely. So just keep quiet lor."

Me: "Ok ok."

2008-03-09T03:56:00.003+08:00

ON NIGHT OF THE UPSETS

I was feeling like crap after watching United kena knocked out by Portsmouth.....Cursing, swearing, groaning...

Until Chelsea went down by the same scoreline.

Suddenly the weekend doesnt look as bad. Heh.

Thanks Barnsley. And good luck for the FA Cup. (Though I think Pompey's going to win it)

2008-03-08T02:35:00.004+08:00

ON 1,200 WORDS OF UNLEASHED FURY

There are some things in life that I dun take lying down. For instance, baseless accusations, mindless criticism, and senseless comments made just for the sake of commenting.

And so, even in the midst of my busy essaying at 2 am in the night, I replied with a 1,200 word email to my Animal Behaviour TA countering every single baseless comment raised by the student graders. No offence to year 1 students, but some of them really ask stupid, dumb, and immature questions or pose irrelevant comments.

And I dun like it when my fellow group members, who have worked so hard as well, had to listen to such hogwash and rubbish by these so-called graders. Well, maybe i m over-reacting, but i always feel that constructive feedback is welcome, while baseless comments made without any purpose are a waste of time.

If presenters are expected to deliver a professional presentation in a supposedly symposium setting, then I would expect that the audience have been briefed previously to be professional and attentive as well. Some of the student graders were just plain disrespectful, nonchalant, and talking rowdily while other groups were presenting. In fact, 1 of the student graders actually had the audacity to comment that "it is just our job, i m just asking for the sake of asking" during another group s' presentation. Basket, I almost felt like slapping his cheeky face when he said that. Did he even consider the feelings of the presenters to whom he targeted his stupid question at?

Another classic dumb remark by 1 year-one girl to another group after their entire presentation: "Erm, i m not sure about your overall presentation, but I thought it was kinda boring, and I dun really understand what you were driving at."

HALO~ You may think other people's presentation was boring, but that doesnt mean u shouldnt try and be attentive and give credit to the work that the group had put in. Why should the point "Boring" even be brought up in an academic discussion? You think u watching movie ah? Or u watching Middlesbrough VS Shefield United?

Also, Maybe e reason why u didnt understand was because u were (A) Dumb by nature (B) Dumb by nuture (meaning u became more dumb even after growing up) (C) Not paying attention. (D) A, B, & C.

This overall experience is a serious case of democracy gone wrong.

Anyway, I m quite impressed with myself. I can take years to finish a 5,000 word essay but i took just 1 hour to craft out a 1,200 word email.

Such is the power of unleashed fury.

P.S: Some people just dunch noe how to handle power. Thankfully, not all the graders were like this.

2008-03-07T07:21:00.004+08:00

ON LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM A CEO & FASS ALUMNUS

As mentioned previously, I had the honour & privilege to attend a roundtable discussion with Mr Lim Cheng Teck, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, on Wed.

The theme was on: "What Makes a Good Leader in Today's Globalised Economy?"

I thought I ll just share some (or rather most) of what he said here, so that we can all benefit from his advice on the road to being a CEO haha. Esp since he was a former Arts student doing a shared major in Econs & Sociology.

The Backdrop:
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Mr Lim Cheng Teck was appointed Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore in March 2006. His key focus is the growth and governance of the Bank’s operations in Singapore. He provides leadership to business and functional heads, working with them to develop strategy, drive performance, build stronger regulatory and government relations and address governance issues.

In 1988, he joined Standard Chartered, Singapore as Account Manager in the Commercial Banking Unit. Rotating through various front-line functions in Wholesale Banking, Cheng Teck rose to become Head of the Large Asian Corporates unit. In April 2000, he was appointed Programme Director responsible for implementing a new global client management process across the Bank’s network of 56 countries.

In February 2001, Cheng Teck relocated to China where he was appointed Head of Global Corporates and was subsequently promoted to Head of Client Relationships in November 2001. In this role, he drove the Wholesale Banking business to new levels, culminating in a three-fold increase in revenue from 2002 to 2005. In April 2005, he assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer, Standard Chartered Bank, China.

Cheng Teck also serves on the Councils of Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS), Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), The Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) and the Board of Governors of Singapore International Foundation (SIF).
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The Dialogue Session (Summarized):
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Mr Lim:

1 of the most important requirements for being a good leader is that one must be a talent magnet. In other words, u must be able to attract the best and the brightest people to work with u, for there can never be good leadership without good followers.

In any job one needs to have the basic fundamental and technical skills. Academic grades are simply a base and foundation from which u build on. I had the privilege of attending a focus group discussion, together with many CEOs & leaders from various industries, to share what we want to see in the upcoming 4th University in Singapore. What is the kind of graduate we hope to see in the new university?

The answer is that none of us talked about academic brillance. Rather, we want to see the new graduate possess qualities such as Hunger, Risk-taking, and Leadership.

And in fact, there is so much more to the world that u can learn from outside the classroom, especially on leadership. When I was in NUS myself, I wasnt particularly a hardworking student and like most of you, i would only rush when the deadlines are near. But I most certainly enjoyed my university days in FASS, and I often hang out with a group of friends, and we still do that today. Most of us did quite well in our careers as well.

The important thing is to recognize that a degree is only a basic starting point in your career. And that it only reflects your basic academic competence to an employer.

Moving on, I think that a leader needs to always move out of his or her comfort zone. When things are cruising for you, it is time for a change, a new challenge. A leader should always be adaptative, flexible, and ready to try new things. Most importantly, he must be prepared to learn continuously through his life, and get to know as many people as he can. Because one can learn from anyone, even uneducated employees and entrepreneurs! Do not dismiss people who are less educated than u are easily.

With the world today being globalized and businesses facing so much competition, one must be ready to take risks and face the unknown. After all, ask yourself what could u lose, everytime before u plunge into the unknown and challenge yourself?

In your career, everyone always wants to keep going upwards. But sometimes one needs to go sideways, and learn from being in other Divisions and other experiences before going upwards. The trajectory does not have to be so straightfoward. Mr Lim cited his China experience as an example.

As a leader in the international context and working overseas, u must appreciate the local cultures of others and understand what is important to them, and as well as looking at things from their perspective. Be prepared to learn from scratch again when u are in a foreign land.

A good leader always teaches the people under him or her. Do not hold back, and do not be afraid that 1 day, those under you would be more skilful than you are. People appreciate leaders who are genuine with them, and who are willing to groom them. They will respect u more and follow u more. Remember being a "Talentmagnet" which we talked about earlier.

As a leader, u take risks on people, and in appointing them to various positions, including leadership roles. A subordinate does not have to be 100% ready to take over a new leadership position. Sometimes, as a leader, if u feel that that person is already 80% qualified, give him a chance to start and prove himself. So that his growth can also be maximized. Importantly, after u have made that decision, it is also your role to support him or her if he falls.

A good leader must be willing to take tough and unpopular decisions. For instance, I once had to retrench some of my employees because if I had kept them, it would have negatively influenced the perceptions of my other employees who were working much harder and producing more results. And it is important as a leader that u will want to attract and keep the best. However, u can still be compassionate in making tough decisions, and try to let your employees understand as much as possible your rationale.

If they do not understand and continue to be unhappy despite your explanations, remember that life moves on. And do not dwell too long over your decision which has already been made.

As a leader, ask yourself, what do you want to be remembered in life for? I did not start off in my career thinking that i ll be the CEO of Standard Chartered. Rather, I was simply aiming to be the Head of Corporate Banking, which I managed to achieve thankfully. I guess the key philosophy for me is that I always tell myself that i want to make a difference to the organization which i serve, a positive difference of course. And this philosophy has stayed with me even till today.

Integrity is very important as a leader. You need to be culturally sensitive in today's global context, and u need to be able to let your employees noe that they can trust u.

There are actually 2 dimensions to being a leader. The internal and external aspect. In the external sense, u need to portray visibility and accountability to the many stakeholders and higher authorities, management etc. This is hugely important and should not be underestimated, because u represent your organization.

Many overseas graduates nowadays, esp those from India and China, are extremely hungry and hardworking. In the hunger aspect especially, many Singaporean graduates lose out to them. When there is an opportunity to work overseas for a long period for instance, many of these overseas graduates raise their hand without hesitation, because they hunger for that extra experience which can help develop them. While many Singaporeans tend to be more enclosed in their comfort zone and take a long long time before deciding to plunge into the unknown.

Remember that to succeed in life, u must seize opportunities and be brave enough to step into the unknown.

A leader also needs to inspire and motivate the people. In this aspect, charisma obviously gives one an advantage, but it does not have to be all-encompassing. Let us think about Winston Churchill, who was a hugely charismatic leader during World War 2, but was still voted out of office by the British public after the war. Why so? The reason being that the people recognized that his qualities, esp the charismatic aspect, may be crucial during a particular period but may not be the most needed in the post-war development era.

One also needs to recognize that not everyone can be a good leader, or even wish to be a leader in the 1st place. The important thing is to recognize the strengths of these employees and develop them based on their strengths rather than their weaknesses. Do not simply put everyone in the same mould as you are, thinking that success in life is defined and measured by an individual's leadership achievements. If u think that u are being kind by putting someone who is uncomfortable in a leadership position, u may actually contribute to making that person more miserable in the future, and affect his or her passion for the job or company.

Finally, as a leader, you need to believe in your own decisions, and acknowledge that you will never get it right 100% all the time in your life. You will make mistakes, as do all humans, but the important thing is to learn from them and move on in your life and career.

As for whether a 3rd year student should go on and do an Honours degree, I think you need to first ask yourself: What do you want this Honours degree for? Is it necessary for you? For myself personally, I did not pursue an Honours course, because I knew that I wanted to go into banking, and I forsee that I would want to do a MBA in the future. And for MBA qualifications, working experience is crucial.

So, decide for yourself, but again, remember what I said earlier in that there is only so much u can learn in the classroom. A leader needs to have a lot of soft skills and soft skills are not easy to learn, yet they are more important in life. Learning soft skills will take a lot of time, being exposed to different environments, different cultures, and different experiences. It is not so easy and straightfoward.

I think the most important skill that a FASS degree confers to you is critical thinking. And this will make u stand out from other degrees who are specialized in certain areas. Critical thinking encourages and promotes creativity, flexibility, and to a certain extent communicative skills, which are very attractive to business organizations.

I may have done Economics previously, but what I actually enjoyed studying most was Philosophy.

And yes, I do sleep quite a lot, even though I m a CEO. =)
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Haha, yup, I guessed that was the main gist of the discussion. I included in the extract many answers which he gave to some our questions.

Overall, I m really glad to have attended the session, and I was pretty inspired by what Mr Lim said. =)

Back to work.