マカス

i.heart UT

2008-08-06T01:35:00.002+08:00

marcus is away and may not reply

2008-05-29T02:17:00.006+08:00

dear friends,

i'll be leaving for TOKYO, JAPAN from the 29th May (Thurs) - 24th June (Tues) on a mission trip. new stories. new perspectives.

meanwhile, do take good care of yourselves.

more fun times await,
marc

_________________________
facebook. blog. email. msn. hp [me]

spiritual.umbrella

2008-05-26T02:47:00.003+08:00

deegee steamboat outing

_____________________________
you can stand under my umbrella
ella ella eh eh eh
spiritual umbrella
ella ella eh eh eh eh..

same same

2008-05-26T02:16:00.007+08:00

Benson.Shiyin.Kim.Marcus.Amanda.Daniel.Seb
-Anglican High School Secondary 4C Class of 2002

What? Class Gathering.
When? 25th May 2008.
Where Else? Tampines Mall.
_________________
but different..

chompchomp chomp...

2008-05-25T15:35:00.002+08:00

________________________________________
ice cream, waffles and apple pie fresh out of the oven.
marc and his vocal philosophy.
marc and his groupie fwens.
marc digs indie.
i heart JM.

newyork.newyork

2008-05-24T12:20:00.005+08:00

for.giveness

2008-05-18T23:18:00.013+08:00

VENIA

"real forgiveness means looking steadily at the sin, and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness and malice, and nevertheless being wholly reconciled to the man who has done it." -C.S. Lewis

difference/deviance?

2008-05-03T20:51:00.005+08:00

Is deviance a state of mind, a state of the act or simply a function of definitions? (Qn1, Sem II : 07/08 - Sociology of Deviance)

sociological theories aside, i am once again reminded that,

'there is no difference, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice for atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice..(Romans3:22-25)'

yet, as wretched as we are, we desperately drop deviant labels upon others to negotiate individual righteousness. sad.

_________________________
*photograph by marc on board bus27
SPEED LIMIT 90?

bleagh..

2008-05-03T01:35:00.001+08:00

mood: 0134, 030508

mind.game

2008-05-02T17:25:00.006+08:00

some are done and having fun
some left with 1 or 2
suddenly
like a lone soldier left at the front line

i attempt a prayer
________
6moredays
can.one.

green-eyed monster

2008-05-02T12:24:00.005+08:00

excruciating. it eats at your soul like cancer by the day and mocks at your existence by the night. you're reduced to a pulp. like a compulsive addiction, you tighten your grips each living moment you know you should let go. the more it feeds you, the hungrier you get..

don't acquaint.
you might not let go.
because.

me.weak.

2008-04-27T04:56:00.006+08:00

for when i am weak, then i am strong.
-2Cor12:10

BIGdeal?

2008-04-24T18:50:00.003+08:00

who needs a macbook pro?
what's so cool about it?
yet another mac hype.

________________
idon'tneedamacbookpro
idon'tneedamacbookpro
idon'tneedamacbookpro
idon'tneedamacbookpro
idon'tneedamacbookpro

amazing.grace

2008-04-20T01:23:00.005+08:00

THAT SAVED

a wretch like.. me.
_____________________

Jesus.onthestreets

*Yatzer - designistoshare

*FAT PEOPLE ARE HARDER TO KIDNAP

2008-04-17T11:19:00.008+08:00

________________
what a perspective.

*Tony's MSN display name.

iwilltryto.fixyou

2008-04-11T20:05:00.011+08:00

when you try your best but you don't succeed
when you get what you want but not what you need
when you feel so tired but you can't sleep
stuck in reverse

lights will guide you home
and ignite your bones
and I will try to
fix you

music.tomyears

2008-04-03T16:21:00.003+08:00

great idea. awesome print ad.

________________
dean'slisterwannabe

iam.10minlate

2008-03-29T20:55:00.009+08:00

we didn't make it to the finals.
that very moment.
the disappointment.
the pain. intense.
we practiced so hard.
still, not good enough.

teared, we did.
even the guys.

that moment, we knew we did our best.
we really did.

that moment of heartache.
that moment of catharsis, i felt Eusoff..

_____________
i'll be there for you
this 5 words i swear to you
when you breathe, i wanna be the air for you
i'll be there for you

thefear.of

2008-03-11T16:59:00.007+08:00

i just discovered i am 'eyeveelleeephobic', fear of IVLE and the implications that follow once logged in.

10 new announcements
9 more weeks to exams
8 sets of readings to be downloaded
7 web-casts to be watched
6 tutorials not done
5 modules
4 ideal C.A.P.
3 projects due
2 lecture notes not printed

1 me

I am really tired.

___________________
lead me to your green pastures
by the still waters
i find rest.

ifonly.moretime

2008-03-09T21:38:00.002+08:00

what matters the most? what?
do you have enough time?
do you need more time?

if only..

__________
24hours. Love.

direction

2008-03-09T21:17:00.003+08:00

*photo taken by Marc - KL '07

Green or Red?
I need your direction.
Run this race with me, Lord.

_____________________
i heart the mood of this shot..

2008-03-09T20:59:00.006+08:00

link

art.

i recycled the recycling.bin

2008-03-09T20:27:00.005+08:00

i accidentally thrashed the recycle bin icon off my desktop. for a moment, i wondered if i actually just recycled my recycle bin (is it even possible?).

and

i thought to myself, 'where will my future trash go?'

:|

so what?

2008-03-05T04:04:00.003+08:00

love does not boast..

____________________________
2 thumbs up for the petronas people
for corporate social responsibility.

prison.break

2008-03-03T11:14:00.004+08:00

from a civic minded Singaporean to another...

...brought to you by the talkingcock people

________________________________
other spin-offs by netizens

super.hero

2008-02-26T12:17:00.003+08:00

I found myself at the movie theatre last night catching L: Change the World despite its 2-star ratings. This is quite rare for one who strives to catch only the best of motion pictures to attain maximum satisfaction out of this whole costly pursuit. I must say I was pleasantly pleased.

L appealed to the dying Superhero in me, the innate desire to want to save the world, start a revolution and initiate a change despite all my imperfections and inadequacies. L is such, human as can be. Small in physique, pale, weak, sometimes weird, spotting an unforgiving hunch on his back and a sweet tooth. Yet in his last moments, he stood selfless in saving the world, and save the world he did.

Suffice to say, there can be perfection in imperfection.

_______________________
no, i am not into manga and anime.
yes, mummy likes L too.

don't

2008-01-23T00:48:00.001+08:00

i am hanging on
but
if i lose my hold
please

don't let me go

doing nothing

2008-01-20T16:40:00.000+08:00

Sunday
20th Jan 2008, Cloudy

5pm.
the CD's spinning in the drive.
i am doing nothing and it feels so therapeutic.

5.01pm.
i need to pack up.
back to hall.

_______________
1dayinthehouseofGod.isbetterthanathousanddaysintheworld.

bye.twoohohseven.hello.twoohoheight

2008-01-09T01:25:00.000+08:00

I'm Going:

I Have:

My Church:

My Bands:
From The Basement!

10 Minutes Late!

BelieverMusicTeam:

I Went:

Awesome People:

and...

MuffinBoy is Blessed indeed.
_____________________________________

*In case you have been wondering
what 'Leemaos' are, here!

love song for #1

2007-12-26T02:09:00.001+08:00

christmas service was surreal. worship was good. sermon was simple, back-to-basic, with a heart. i was there, and i thank michelle for that. pastor shared a beautiful story, one that spoke to me.

the drawbridge keeper

John Griffeth lived in the western part of the United States [Oklahoma, according to some versions] during the depression years of dustbowls, dryness and drought. Married in 1929, the Griffeths watched their farming dreams blow into dust. Finally, they gathered their little son with their meager belongings and moved east.

There John landed a job at the Mississippi River tending a drawbridge. One summer day [April 5 in one version] in 1937, he took his son to spend the day with him. Wide-eyed and full of questions, Greg watched his father as he raised the bridge to let the ships pass, then lowered it for the great trains to roar across the river.

About noon, John put up the bridge and sat with Greg on an observation platform to eat their lunches. They enjoyed the activity on the waterfront. John dreamed about traveling so he told Greg stories about the ships and where they were headed. He was so caught up in the stories that he lost consciousness of time. Suddenly he was awakened by the shrill whistle of a locomotive. He glanced at his watch, noting that it was nearly time for the Memphis Express.

John made his way to the gear-room, sat on the stool and took the lever in hand. He looked up the river and back down to see if any ships were coming. Then he glanced below ... Wait! No! No! This can't be! Terror gripped him as his heart leaped into his throat and his blood froze in his veins! Evidently, Greg tried to follow his father, slipped off the catwalk and fell into the massive gears below. His leg was caught and as sure as the sun rises in the morning, if the bridge was lowered six tons of revolving metal would grind him to death!

Mind spinning, John frantically sought for answers! He thought, "I'll run back, tie a rope, let myself down..." -- but, no! There was not a third of the needed time.

John moaned! He was trembling and perspiring as his eyes brimmed with tears. The shrill cry of the train whistle was alarmingly close. More than anything, he wanted to spare his son; but if he did many would die! There was no other way to spare their lives! Stricken and overwhelmed with grief, John bowed his quivering head, covered his eyes, and released the lever. The gear room shook as the wheels turned and the great bridge settled down into place. In moments it was over and the Memphis Express came roaring past.

John lifted his head and looked in the train. There a man read the morning news, the conductor was looking at his watch, and a woman in the dining car was feeding her little girl with a long spoon. No one noticed the heart-broken Griffeth. No one was aware of the grieving father or the newly torn body of his dear son.

Choking with passion John called out, "What's the matter with you people? I just GAVE MY SON for you! Don't you even care?" Nobody heard; nobody looked; nobody knew and no one responded as the train disappeared across the river.

'for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' - john3:16

_______________
God hates Loneliness.
Lifeguard.

marcus is away and may not reply

2007-12-15T03:00:00.000+08:00

dear friends,

i'll be leaving for KL from the 15th Dec (Sat) - 18th Dec (Tues) for a short family retreat. i'll be back with new stories and hopefully find time to really put together a summary of 2007 and my resolutions for 2008.

meanwhile, do take good care of yourselves.

more fun times await,
marcus
__________________
a big thank you to all of you
who showered your
concern for me with
regards to my angst-filled
post. things have simmered
a little at home for now and
i am coping. :)

save me

2007-12-11T00:29:00.000+08:00

Everything is warped. ****ed up, damn ****ed up. I don’t know what is happening anymore. God if you don’t intervene now, I’ll go mad soon. I swear.

I apologize for the use of expletives, but I am only human.

many people, alone.

2007-12-02T19:06:00.000+08:00

manyaroundyou, butmany alone.

who is by your side, but God?
_____________________
3 down, 2 left.

does it really matter?

2007-11-30T17:59:00.000+08:00

it's 5.59pm. what will happen at 6pm? will my existence wither away or will i be very much alive? what are you doing now?

does it really matter?

_______________
5 gone, who's next?
are we ready?

iwish

2007-11-03T17:04:00.001+08:00

it's my time of the year. i hope i've been good all year. anyway, here's my wish list. actually most of the items are absurd, don't try. but if you really really want to get me something off this list, update me ya, so that i can update it here to ensure i don't get double gifts!

just for the fun of it, here goes..

1. Casio G-Shock Red (Model AW-582B-4A) or Green Watch (Model DW-56RTB-3).
-both watches come in leather straps.
-you can get these at Burlington Square, Bencoolen Street (near Bugis Street) at $90 only.

2. 120G portable hard-drive.

3. 80G Black iPod.
- i wouldn't mind if you include no. 6 too.

4. Half Jacket XLJ Pearl/Black Iridium

5. Crumpler 'The King Single' (medium) Green Backpack.

6. Crumpler (iPod Classic Size) Green Pouch.
- if you're feeling rich, please include an iPod 80G Black iPod in it too! :P.

7. Lacoste Classic Polo Tee.
- nice shade of dark blue or bright blue (no sky or baby blue).
- no green (i've too many green polo tees).
- no weird colors (basically ask them if there's an exchange policy. haha!).

8. A Good and Light Tennis Racquet.
- + tennis lessons and khakis to play with.

9. A Big Baby Taylor .
- with guitar refresher courses!

10. Audio-Technica ATH-CM7 Earphones.
- gun metal or some nice color.
- it's $160 anyway, but the sound quality's amazing.
- ask me where to get it because only audiophile shops sell these.

11. Piano, Vocal Lessons!

12. The Complete Calvin and Hobbs Treasury.
- don't be deceived, this thing is very expensive.

or any one big volume of colored Calvin and Hobbs comic book.

13. Lasik Surgery.

14. Car.

15. Be my mp3/movie supplier for 1 year.
- contract to be renewed next year. hah!

16. Hillsong Conference Tickets.
- + khaki to fly away with.

17. Ang Pows.

18. Good Music.

19. Good DVDs.

20. Sing with Corrinne May live.

21. A Canon Digital SLR Camera.
-with photography course and photography khakis.

22. Surprise Me..

______________
Actually, the fact that you read all the way through this list, hoping to find something you can afford already warms my heart!

love them

2007-10-10T01:30:00.000+08:00

have a good laugh, my friend.

_________________
post dedicated to
vege friend pearlyn &
my wonderful EL1101E
project work group mates lah!

if...

2007-10-09T02:53:00.001+08:00

if you die now, would your life have mattered?

facebook

2007-09-25T23:10:00.000+08:00

is ruining my life!

check out the facebook song by goofy Rhett&Link!

:) time - sapping application!
_______________________________
bye friendster. hello facebook

marcus wants

2007-09-25T02:11:00.000+08:00

to go HILLSONG CONFERENCE!

to be continued...
__________________
don't you want to go too?

*6 degrees of separation
*Case for Christians
*Phil 4:11

nothing without you

2007-09-13T01:33:00.000+08:00

so small.
so small.
i need you.
you are my strength.
i am nothing without you.
nothing.

says who nobody cares?

2007-09-10T23:51:00.000+08:00

_______________
very powerful stuff.
watch to the end.
be blessed. :)

Jesus, my OGL.

2007-09-05T02:39:00.000+08:00

Having to step into the land of the unknown, mingle with strangers and get comfortable with them can be quite a daunting task for me. Yet, my assimilation into NUS is nothing less than divine.

God is fateful, He truly is. Little surprises never fail to remind me that He is constantly watching over me, walking this treacherous path with me.

I cannot imagine having go through all of these alone; balloting for tutorials, bidding for lectures, which activity group to join, what modules to take, who to hang out with, just to list a few.

He has been setting me up for divine appointments with hoards of awesome people to orientate me around NUS.

Too many to List...

I am Loved,
Marcus

seek refuge. find rest.

2007-09-05T01:44:00.000+08:00

Start a café, one with a stage.

Corrinne will grace the opening, and sing an edifying tune.

Hot Coffee, Cosy Couches, Rustic Deco., Warm Lights, Nice Music.

A platform where good music is played. I will jam when I feel like it with buddies, my girl and my furry brown friend...

Bad day? Order a prayer and help will be on its way.

Come.

Seek Refuge. Find Rest.

_______________
Photo by MayAnn

be mine

2007-09-04T02:39:00.000+08:00

Buy me @ Pet Safari VivoCity.

______________________
I Love Green SingingBox.
You'll Love It Too.
Listen to 1, 3, 5, 7.
All Corrinne?
Duh..

1st NUS Assignment

2007-09-04T02:10:00.000+08:00

Personal Reflection on Southeast Asian Region

Speaking of Southeast Asia (SEA), three words immediately surface in my mind; Rustic, Fusion and Family.

Having lived in this region for 22 years, I have only visited Malaysia and Thailand. Yet, I often have the opportunity to come into contact with friends and cultures from SEA. This is effectively so because not only are we geographical neighbours, there really is no clear boundary when employment, education and friendship is concerned.

For example, I’ve picked up simple Vietnamese from new acquainted Vietnamese friends. Thai friends also commented that Lerk Thai’s cuisine at ‘The Deck’ is a far cry compared to authentic ones in Thailand. Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers have also shared with us stories of farming and lifestyle back in their home countries. Singapore being the melting pot, SEA is very much one family, a fusion of cultures.

Rustic aptly describes places of SEA still unfazed by modernity. Places like ‘Angkor Wat’ in Cambodia, and ‘Kampong Ayer’, water village in Brunei are places I long to visit. Have I mentioned that I’ll definitely want to savour the ‘King of Fruits’, durian when I drop by Malaysia?

____________________

a movie a week, almost...
what's next?

Absurd

2007-09-04T01:35:00.000+08:00

Let’s get real here.

There are a lot of thoughts running through my mind now. Just had movie and coffee with a good friend I consider my confidant and it rocks to have someone whom you can share without much inhibition.

Life is Absurd!

_________________________________________

*Each of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry.

tribute to the nation

2007-08-16T12:28:00.000+08:00

happy.4ty2nd.birthday.Singapore

_______________
1 year since NDP '06

350ml water

2007-08-07T13:02:00.000+08:00

It was running late, I frantically grabbed the gear I needed for hall and dumped them into my bag. Mummy came in with a small water bottle in hand and handed it to me, ‘Bring this along, better than drinking from the water cooler all day, not healthy.’

Not wanting to add on to my already stuffed bag, I replied in an ungrateful manner, ‘Don’t want lah! My bag oready so big. Water cooler water ok one lah. This bottle so little water, as if it will make a difference!’

Still, Mummy slotted the small little 350ml plastic vessel into my bag. Hurriedly, I lugged my ‘luggage’ and briefly bade Mummy goodbye. I shuffled my feat towards the elevator, before long I was on my way to the LRT station. On my way, I intuitively turned around and peered towards the direction of my flat, somehow with an unspoken expectancy to find Mummy waving goodbye to me from afar.

There she was, standing by the window silently watching me as I disappeared into the horizon. She wasn’t waving, but that loving gaze in her eyes sufficed. I waved at her as I shouted, ‘Bye Bye.’

Tears welled in my eyes. I love her. Yet these words, I know not how to express. It has been 2 days, and images of mummy standing by the window, gazing lovingly at me, still vivid.

I wonder how she is doing..

____________
jam! sing! bless!

Beautiful Seed

2007-08-06T23:08:00.000+08:00

3 days since Corrinne’s ‘Beautiful Seed’ concert at University Cultural Center and those tunes are still playing on loop on my iTunes. I love the way she pens those lyrics – magical, each note resonating the heart cry of many for Love, Peace, Freedom and God in this Crazy World.

“Take my 5 loaves and 2 fishes, do with it as you will, I surrender.
Take my fears and my inhibitions, all my burdens, my ambitions.
You can use it all, to feed them all.
No gift is too small.”

– Corrinne May [Five Loaves and Two Fishes]

When was the last time you felt like you’re alone and faraway, running on the rough dirt tracks of life? You no longer remember the number of times you fell. You’re tired; you’re bruised but no finish line in sight, no one to cheer you on. Yet you grit your teeth and look towards heaven as you run on because someday somehow, you know you’ll finish the race and meet God face to face.

“I’m on my way, I’m on my way.
There seems to be no end in sight, but I know I’ll be alright.
Cos I’m on my way, I’m on my way.
DON’T GIVE UP ON ME, I’M ON MY WAY."

– Corrinne May [On My Way]

Its funny how Corrinne’s albums have walked me through different phases of life, each time ministering to me without fail.

Fly Away - Pre-Enlistment, When Mummy was battling cancer.
Safe in a Crazy World - BMT, 7 Brigade, ORD.
Beautiful Seed - Orientation, Varsity Life.

Eusoff Hall, My Notice Board..

3 days closer to Corrinne's next concert. hah.
________________________________________

Geri and Me with Corrinne.

*Pancake!

Mr Incredible I Am

2007-07-26T17:11:00.000+08:00

I'm Exhilarated! Here I am at Sengkang Library, blogging on my swanky LapTop. A Cuppa 'Cookies & Cream in Love', Mr iPod Nano, Sony Ericsson K800i.

I feel like a SuperHero with Jesus!

Here I come NUS,
Incredible.
______________________

click - bluetooth - post!

chief editor : marcus wang?

2007-06-21T01:30:00.000+08:00

the boss came up to marc one afternoon,

'hey, i heard you write quite well. any portfolio? i've got an exciting project coming along and i might need an editor.'

marc bewildered,

'not actually. i blog, does that count?'

______
Tennis Tomorrow.
whee!

officepoliticsfree

2007-06-19T10:38:00.000+08:00

is your office like this ?
my isn't.
thankGod!

_______
check out videolink, damnfunny.

such quirkiness!

2007-06-15T01:01:00.000+08:00

i know a hungry man is an angry man, so a well-fed man must be a happy man indeed. my workplace is a testament to the notion, totally. my workplace though small, is exploding with quirky people from all walks of life yet quipped with a common passion, food! (you didn't see that.) worshipping God. when we're not making music, we eat.

i am not kidding, we even have our very own resident cook, Dorcas or more affectionately known (to jaymee) as Aunty Housewife Dorcas (poor dorcas). heard of Tom Yam Ban Mien day? from mangos to pocky to cheese balls, muffins to chewy-junior(these funny little round things with a million toppings to choose from.), chicken rice to durian puffs to egg-tarts.

care + share = happy family.

thepictures:

/teriyaki chicken sandwich with lots of mayonnaise.
The Baked Shop Express, International Plaza.

/DKNY: not the apparel brand, it's
Dinner Korner Now Yours! place your
orders and special requests. aunty dorcas
will be sure to cook up a good meal for
you!

/check out the special requests
(click to enlarge picture)

/ready, get set, go...

/kid's meal come with a packet of Tom & Jerry
(not the ice-cream) PotatoChips! ok, mine's not a kid's
meal but dorcas gave me 1 packet too! sweet..
what about a free toy? hah. :)

/black pepper chicken pasta.

/sponsored by boss2.

/freshly-baked muffins.

/chope them, before they're gone!

/where's my cheeze muffin?

/heavenly.

/endorsed by marc.

/Durian Puffs from Amara Hotel.

/at the road show. creamy delicious durian
puffs sent us to cloud9.

/Tom Yam Ban Mien Day!
check out the 101 requests. boss1 paid for
all! now i know why he seldom eats with us.
expensive leh!

/8 boxes! they should do delivery..

/check out the happy faces! Tom Yam never fails to
spice up(no pun intended) our day.

/at BMI, flowers grow on lockers.

priscilla and red balloons.

/and balloons might appear in your
locker on your birthday.

wilson punked.

/at my workplace, ask and it'll
most probably be given to you!

/you have been food-ed(fooled)!

/believeitornot? this is not the pantry, it's our
manager's table a.k.a snack bar!

/view from myworkdesk.

www.believermusic.com

anyway, i heard my boss is spiderman. no kidding.
____
idiosyncrasy
timbre tonight!

O. R. D.

2007-06-13T00:39:00.000+08:00

lo!

___
nuff' said.

多面香港 [facesofhongkong] 1

2007-06-11T11:35:00.000+08:00

/the following pixels depict hongkong through a foreign eye, yours truly.

/behold the pearl of the eastern lands
through a window of Jetstar 3k691.
1030 040607

SIDE A
- raw. rustic.

/road sign - need direction?
imagine life without these silent navigators.

/another day at fa yuen street.
cars mini-buses hawkers shoppers.

/ladies market
bags. caps. shoes. teeshirts. watches.
souvenir. bargaining. toys. fruits.
dresses. tops. lingerie. belts. shawls.
socks. bags. caps. shoes. teeshirts.
watches. souvenir. bargaining. toys.
fruits. dresses. tops. lingerie. belts. shawls.
socks.

/neon signages. pasar malam
of hongkong. need to empty your
wallet? try it here.

/there is beauty in the forgotten corners.
genuine - without pretense.

SIDE B
-façade1
[fəˈsaːd] noun
the front of a building

Chinese (Simplified): 正面

/skyline of hongkong taken on board star ferry.
dance of lights, such vibrancy..

/2 International Finance Centre.
the tallest building in HongKong -
symbol of strength and prosperity.

/Bank of China Tower.
architectural beauty.

/the pace of the city. fast is an
understatement.

*all frames captured by marc, feel free to leave a tag.
_______________

to be continued..

HONG KONG

2007-06-11T01:35:00.001+08:00

retro toy exhibition within a subway station itself

070607
dan/marc
hongkong Central subway station
1 of 476 photos taken

____
expect photos

HONG KONG

2007-06-03T22:46:00.000+08:00

where: HONG KONG
when: fourthjune '07 - eighthjune '07
who: God.Aina.Amanda.Daniel.Marcus

before...

__
fly away

all the muffins are belong to mine

2007-06-03T22:40:00.001+08:00

HUNGRY?

featured in jazzymoo's blog:
http://jazzymoo.blogspot.com/2007/05/muffin-daybmi.html

__________
such quirkiness @ BMI
iwillwrite soon

set up a booth

2007-05-31T03:00:00.000+08:00

**Eowyn** says:
wot kind of gals u like? :)

>> am.eh.are.see says:
expressive, thoughtful, loves God, has a mind of her own, a little fun and a little artsy..
and if she can sing and looks great, what a bonus!

>> am.eh.are.see says:
oh yes!

>> am.eh.are.see says:
i forgot..

>> am.eh.are.see says:
the major qualifier

>> am.eh.are.see says:
she MUST own all of CorrinneMay's albums and must relentlessly go to every CorrinneMay's concert with me.

>> am.eh.are.see says:
oh man.. i think that's a hard one.. i must open my eyes big at Corrinne's concert for potential gfs!

**Eowyn** says:
set up your own booth. i'll help u with flyers. :)

>> am.eh.are.see says:
LOL.. this is madness..

_
H for Hong
K for Kong

anything but jejune

2007-05-29T10:50:00.001+08:00

no longer am i able to find the right words to aptly articulate my thoughts, hence the lack of long, elaborate entries. sometimes, i ask myself if i have lost it, the love for writing, and from within, i know i haven't. i'm such a perfectionist it scares me. times i relentlessly wrote several words, then ruthlessly trash them, countless. i don't want to publish a less than perfect post, one that does not accurately reflect my thoughts, one that is written in a spur of the moment, one that is jejune. in my pursuit for purpose, answers, i rationalize, sometimes too much for my own good. it's a long journey, but i'm on my way..

late, still am glad i wrote.

____
sayhellotofun

prozac for the soul

2007-05-29T00:45:00.000+08:00

bethereorbesquare

Aug 3rd 2007, Fri
1930
@ NUS UCC
$49, $39 sistic

Jazzymoo wrote:
'I'm so excited about hearing her again!! I'm sure this time round, she'll feature a lot more songs from her new album, "Beautiful Seed". And from the sneak previews we've had from earlier concerts, I'm sure it's gonna be absolutely beautiful. :) Mich is soooo pumped right now. Good thing Marcus was in the office just now to share the crazy excitement with me! haha! Yes, we are such die-hard fans....we will go for every single Corrinne May concert, and buy every single album, and we even sang her songs together in my vocal studio . haha!'

_____
for being a Corrinne kaki, cheers!

Laws.Newton.Forgot

2007-05-26T22:10:00.000+08:00

Law of Queue: If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.

Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged tone.

Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.

Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.

Bath Theorem: When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Theatre Rule: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.

Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

___
how true!

uniquely.singapore?

2007-05-19T09:34:00.000+08:00

Mr.. wrong.. Miss Kumar

_____
talent or terror?

bird brain

2007-05-15T17:40:00.000+08:00

________
Thank God my Mama ain't no Bird.
HappyMama'sDay

get me a dime of hairpeeness

2007-05-11T23:57:00.000+08:00

Paper 1: Structured Questions

1. Can Money buy Happiness? [1m]
1(a). Explain. [10m]

yes.

$ is the answer to all problems, except for one.
That is:
the more $ i have, the more i feel like i don’t have enough.

wait, did i say yes?

____
ispoke @ purplash's blog

w.h.y..

2007-05-11T23:35:00.000+08:00

..do the 'Alphabet song' and 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' have the same tune?

stopsinging and thinkaboutthis...

does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

_________
minigolf castles : that darncool game in marc's cellphone.

born to be

2007-04-05T12:53:00.000+08:00

/we’re meant to be born free
But like animals in captivity
we tragically lose our ability
to be we.

Alas

I know
Im born to be free

- marc

___

The Love of the Cross

2006-12-28T15:17:00.000+08:00

a JungbeornChoi production
VancouverFilmSchool

'very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'
Romans5:7-8

___
i miss Jesus.

A Great Big Robot From Outerspace Ate My Homework

2006-12-28T13:38:00.000+08:00

a Mark Shirra production
VancouverFilmSchool

is that me in that animation or what?

Awesome Concept!
ha :)

________
is it going to snow?
i feel cold.

20first : gifts

2006-11-12T00:39:00.000+08:00

your awesome gifts brought pleasant surprises
your sincere thoughts brought endearing joy

check out my birthday 'loot':
vodka.choya.cd.boardshorts.perfume.teeshirt.wallet.
levi's belt.levi's tee.sennheiser headphones.best voucher.
angpow.photos.videos.miniature mahjong set.$.love and more

special mentions:

Miniature Mahjong Set

by: buddy kevin. kev told me he got this long before my
birthday, since i 1st discovered the magic of Mj. hah. the
best part is, the day before he gave me this awesome gift,
i saw something similar off the shelf and was rather
fascinated by it.

i Heart 10DollarNotes

by: jcClique. i've never received a more practical gift than
this one. when handing over the beautiful heart-shape
box to me, yeena and others were mumbling something
about snails and cold. this made me rather afraid as i
imagined a king snail erecting it's pointy eyes right into
my face. i decided not to open it on the spot and left the
box alone. it was only until after a while that i pulled
open the lid. Tahdah! i saw heaps of tissue paper. i
hesitated once again in case an army of snails lied beneath
the innocent looking pile. finally, i just grabbed the tissue
and was welcomed by 10 dollar notes folded into
heart shapes. Lovely!

Levi's Belt/ Levi's TeeShirt/ Sennheiser Headphones

by:
Levi's Belt - ArmyBros
Levi's Tee - Sister
Sennheiser PX200 white Headphones - Daniel L & Charmaine
these are special gifts to me because i only casually commented
that i liked these things and you remembered.

:)

_____
20first
firstPairofLevi'sjeans

20first : behindthescenes

2006-11-09T13:16:00.000+08:00

skeletons in the closet no longer

Instigator: Cchsieh
Chief Backstabber: Ivan
Board of Backstabbers: A5 usuals

dang, you people sure had a good time exposing me.
such malicious rumors!

'we love you.' aww..

_____
what's with 'ShouRen'?

20first

2006-11-06T16:25:00.000+08:00

beautifulpeople
20first BBQBirthdayBash

Thank You.

credits: photo montage professionally produced by MX.

___________
this is part 1 of my 20first birthday bash blog series.

coming up:
behind the scenes video
more photos
presents
afterthoughts and thankyous

photoshoot

2006-10-28T12:53:00.000+08:00

artsy-fartsy in the air

Picasa adds Picasso feel to my photos!

before the pose - trying hard to get the
stylistic poker face look. i was tickled
myself. hah...

how? look like model or not? hurhur!

________________________________________
spot the difference. Are you watching closely?
did you miss something?
(still very fascinated by 'The Prestige'.)

I like this happy photo, but if you noticed there were some
rubbish on the table when this photo was taken. perfectionist
me decided to edit the photo and digitally 'clear the rubbish'
on the table so that it looks picture perfect. smooth for a 1st
attempt!

make merry

2006-10-27T20:51:00.000+08:00

Twas a day of simple joy.

The Prestige – Exceptional Plot
The Company – Goofy gang of Camp Buddies
The Meal at Vila’ge – Fun, Yum

bottoms up!

check out my strong arms..

Hot Chocolate Fondue - Marshmallows/Fruits. SWEET!

i'm sorry if i'm making you hungry.

now you know we drink by the bottles, don't mess with
us. hurhur...

Mr Photographer M.X.

Jon, CC Hsieh, Roy, Jadon, Marc, Han Sheng and beside
Han Sheng there was Ming Teck, Kuang Kai, Harry Potter
Chris and MX taking the photo.

Yet another merry outing.

_____________

photos originally posted here taken off..

p.s. sensitive lah. haha, famous bloggers all face the same problem.

so you think you can drive?

2006-10-27T18:36:00.000+08:00

my driving instructor has 30 years of experience and needless to say, he has met all kinds of students. Just that day, he was lamenting to me how students these days are getting harder to teach. being really bored sitting in a car that was traveling at an average speed of 30km/hr, (I was the driver and it was my 2^nd time driving. I felt like a F1 racer at 30km/hr.) he posed me a question.

It is easiest to teach driving to a student that is:

Smart and Creative.
Smart and Not Creative.
Not so Smart but Creative.
Not so Smart and Not so Creative.

I dropped him an answer flippantly and chose option 1 as I already had all my concentration focused on my legs and hands. Anyhow, I think it really takes a lot of guts to be a driving instructor especially when you have students that periodically lose control of their 4 limbs and almost got them entangled.

Wrong I was. As I was still trying to tame the 4 wheel machine, he explained to me that someone who is not so smart and not so creative picks up driving the fastest. This is because a driver has very short reaction time and smart and creative people often spend too much time thinking, probably calculating the angle and doing the math of how long does it take for a Car traveling at 30km/hr to travel from Town A to Town B assuming the distance apart is 3 km. the answer is 6min anyway.

He then revealed to me the million dollar formula of being a fast learner in driving.

Listen
Follow
Execute

‘That’s it.’, he quipped. No thinking involved at all. The perils of creative education is that students these days no longer listen enough, and that they think so far out of the box that they no longer remember what a box looks like.

‘Of so many students I’ve taught, my weakest students were lawyers, doctors and successful businessman’, he reported. Then I remembered during my 1^st lesson, my driving instructor passed a casual comment that I look smart.

Now I hope that has nothing to do with his theory that smart people make lousy drivers.

Do you know what I’m driving at?

*I was kidding about feeling like a F1 racer at 30km/hr and losing control of all my 4 limbs.
*check out my dream car, the SLR.

___________
Is Sadako the one that climbed out from the well
or the one that climbed out of the TeeVee?
What about the ring, the grudge and the wig?
where did they climb out from?
Lame Japanese horror flicks, confusing me.

walk

2006-10-25T20:33:00.000+08:00

Truth is, we live in a dog-eat-dog world and not being able to ‘wham bam thank you Mdm’ really does one no good, especially at my age. (no pun intended.) It is frustrating and more often than not discouraging when you don’t reap what you sow.

As much as you are willing to try again, people don’t have much time and patience to spare. Remember? Time = Money = Success.

‘One day, the tortoise will surpass the hare.’ they say; but I believe not every hare gets complacent. Ultimately, the prize will still go to Mr. Humble Hare, regardless of how persistent and discipline Mr. Tortoise is. The world celebrates and glorifies Mr. Hare for his ‘achievement’ while Mr. Tortoise comes no where close, alone.

It takes a lot of humility and courage as a slow learner. a friend of mine once had this as his nickname,

‘I am a slow walker, but at least I don’t stand still. Will you walk with me?’

____________________

supersize M&Ms - check out
the bowlers of the bowlers!
we won 'highest scoring team'
at coy cohesion and shawn lee
'top scoring bowler'.

Driving is Fun, Tennis is 'Fun-ner.'

20first

2006-10-24T11:18:00.000+08:00

041106
SATURDAY
0630PM BBQ
COSTASANDSDOWNTOWNEAST

more details coming up.

______
credits: invitation originally designed by jayden.leif.tan

dooodles + (answers)

2006-10-19T21:20:00.000+08:00

i found these ingenious doodles online and they're really entertaining.

here's how you can get involved:

Guess what these seemingly pointless doodles actually represent and think of captions for them.
You can tag your answers on my tagboard if you want.
I'll reveal the answers over the weekend.
Enjoy and have fun!

For example:

1.

why Superman never takes the lift.

2.

Titanic, today.

3.

Spider playing the Recorder.

4.

Midget Punk walking pass a Window.

5.

Rapunzel's Perm.

6.

Suicidal Rooster that jumped
off a building. (At Point Of Impact)

7.

"Damnit, who's Toasting my Rabbit ?!"

8.

Snake that didn't quite make
it across the Road.

9.

Watching a Movie behind
Mickey Mouse.

10.

Teenager Downloading Porn!

11.

Jennifer Lopez Squeezing past
someone in the Cinema.

12.

Paris Hilton in Jail.

13.

The Elephant that didn't
see The Mouse.

14.

Elvis coming round the Corner.

15.

Fairy that has just been eaten
by an Iguana.

16.

Harry Potter got Sucked
into an Airplane Engine!

17.

Fat Geisha having a Milkshake.

18.

Elephant under a Bus Shelter
checking if the rain has stopped.

19.

Mouse Condos.

20.

Driving Dwarf

21.

"shit, i just Parked over the Dog!"

22.

Happy Cow. (cow over the moon)

23.

Shy Jack in the Box.

There are no hard and fast answers really. the power of perception.
______________
M. Night Shyamalan – a story-writer / director I really admire. More often than not, his stories end with a mind – blowing twist or a realization that hits you right in your face. Most people often mistake his movies as cheap horror flicks as they either lack the patience to finish his movies or they simple don’t understand what they’re watching for the past 120 min or so. For example, I used to think that ‘Signs’ is a cheap Alien Intrusion horror flick. But having watched it the 2^nd time last week, I was blown away by the simple yet powerful message he is trying to convey; that life is not about luck, but very much about signs and wonders by a higher being above.

I can’t agree more, can you?

Ruby Pan talking co*k

2006-10-19T12:20:00.000+08:00

A TalkingCock.com event featuring Ruby Pan

watch this!
this is so funny, im still laughing..

'we all speak English, but some English is more English than others..'

______________
i never appreciated fresh air until the damn haze.
i pant.

i live in Singapura

2006-10-19T10:27:00.000+08:00

A TalkingCock.com Event featuring Hossan Leong.

if you're a true blue Singaporean, you'll surely understand this.
have a good laugh. hah!

_____________
Thanks Jadon for the link.

dad

2006-10-17T19:52:00.000+08:00

The kid next door learnt soccer from his dad when he was 10. His dad was there when he first went to school. There were also times when they roughed it out together at those hiking, cycling trips. Occasionally, they played tennis, bowled and dad taught kid about girls, impressing them. He respected his dad, as much as his dad loved him. His dad was a fine man, and Kid took after him.

Above - a figment of my imagination, for what it feels like to have Dad, I don’t know. I still remember the day dad left home. The day he pushed me away. The day when I was only 3 years. Sadly, that is my only recollection of dad. Nothing pleasant, nothing fond. Sometimes, I still wish to have dad. Frankly, there are times I don’t know who to turn to. I need a male figure sometimes for me to look up to, for me to emulate, to consult. There’s still mum you say. Yes, but there are things you don’t tell mum. Mums don’t rough it out with their sons anyway.

Sometimes I feel really envious of friends when they make passing comments about their dads.

‘My dad’s bringing me to play golf this weekend.’
‘Dad got me a great suit for prom.’
‘Dad’s driving me home after work.’
‘This is my dad’s racket.’

I can just feign a smile. I don’t know what it feels to have dad.

Grad Night, Prize Presentation, Commissioning Parade... Those times I wish I have a Dad that will gaze at me and tell me how proud I’ve made him feel, how proud he is to be my Dad. And me reciprocating that sense of pride. I never knew how it feels and I think I’ll never know anyway.

Daddy?

fly away

2006-10-14T14:45:00.000+08:00

i'm playing soft music in the background; repeat mode I clicked. No loud music today, no happy tunes either, just soft.

finally, I’m away from the devil’s playground. Everyday I step into my workplace, I feel like I’ve to fight a war, almost. The irrational people, the psychotic workload, the deranged policies and the ever-so-prominent power struggles. I don’t really enjoy talking about work.

i can hear myself breathing for the first time in weeks.

It’s time to rest

________
I attended a whooping
record-breaking number
Of '5' 21^st birthday Parties
last Saturday.

It’s gonna be my turn soon. Ahah.

*blogging more soon. I’m on off next week.

tabloid - singaporeans no creativity?

2006-10-01T21:11:00.000+08:00

Remember Taufik, our beloved Singapore Idol of season 1 and his signature song ‘I Dream’? Someone posted a video clip on YouTube of Leann Rimes singing the very same song at the World Sports Award 2001. Even the lyrics are the same. Now, I thought Mediacorp claimed that 'I Dream' was an original composition for the sole purpose of our very 1^st Singapore Idol. Now, this is very telling about the ethics of local media huh? Boo for that!

Having said that, i however believe that they've since learnt from their lesson and composed 'You Give Me Wings' for Singapore Idol Season 2. You know why I’m so sure? Because it sucks that’s why. The song mediocre, tune typical and lyrics ‘uninspiring’.

Anyway, Taufik’s rendition of the song is nothing compared to Leann Rimes’. Check it out for yourself.

Conversly, here’s a Singaporean with some creativity and a tinge of evil humor. If I’m not mistaken, some young punk nicknamed Sandy Beach digitally edited a photo of a Japanese personality, Chinatsu Wakatsuki and posted the edited photo on his blog. It’s really funny don’t you think?

'This Clearly Shows You Which JC to Go to'

before

after

(click on pictures to enlarge.)

He was blasted for his actions though. He has taken down the picture from his blog.
Read his apology on his blog.

For more articles as such, visit:

Tomorrow – Bulletin of Singapore Bloggers

_________________________
Microsoft Office Word 2003 does not recognize the word ‘blog’.

not so nursery rhyme

2006-10-01T20:03:00.000+08:00

'Rain Rain go away
Come again another day
Little children want to play
Rain Rain go away'

I don’t know if you remember a couple of those innocent nursery rhymes; I got a little interested that day when I overheard 2 children reciting them at a shopping mall. I’m sure all of us have learnt a couple at pre-school, ‘Humpty Dumpty’, ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’. But have you ever wondered what they really meant?

For me, I’ve never thought so much into these rhymes as they come across as mindless songs written to assist young children in their development of vocabulary, and several examples deal with rudimentary counting skills. However, a Wiki search left me rather intrigued and surprised that these rhymes are actually not as innocent as they sound. Most of them bear metaphorical references to political and societal issues. In fact, the origins of many still remain enigmatic as they date back to centuries ago and some have even sparked off multiple theories.

For example:

‘Humpty Dumpty’ has 5-6 theories for its origin. For one, Humpty Dumpty was said to be a powerful cannon during the English Civil War. It was mounted on top of the St Mary's at the Wall Church in Colchester defending the city against siege in the summer of 1648. Although Colchester was a Royalist stronghold, it was besieged by the Roundheads for 11 weeks before finally falling. The church tower was hit by enemy cannon fire and the top of the tower was blown off, sending "Humpty" tumbling to the ground. Naturally all the King's horses and all the King's men (Royalist cavalry and infantry respectively) tried to mend "him" but in vain. Other reports have Humpty Dumpty referring to a sniper nicknamed One-Eyed Thompson, who occupied the same church tower.

‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ was known to be written to help children associate wool with the animal that produces it, and also the sound that a sheep would make. Baa Baa Black Sheep was first published in 1744. It probably dates back to the Middle Ages, possibly to the 13th Century, and relates to a tax imposed by the king on wool. One-third went to the local lord (the 'master'); one-third to the church (referred to as the 'dame') and about a third was for the farmer (the 'little boy who lives down the lane'). Did you also know that in 1999, guidelines from Birmingham City Council in England suggested that the rhyme should not be taught in schools because it was seen as racially negative and could cause offense?

Not so NURSERY after all huh? Paradoxically, nursery rhymes are more often than not, I quote Wikipedia ‘violent in nature, for example, in Jack and Jill, Jack fell down and "Broke his crown"- meaning breaking his skull.’ Hmm...

Let’s check out a couple of Uniquely Singapore Nursery Rhymes, shall we?

1.

ABC
CID
Police catch you I happy

2.

ABC
Giam Chye Cha Lo Ti
Lo Ti Bo Ho Jiah
Ah Ma Pang Sai Kor Li Jia

3.

Oh Ah Peh Ah Som (Bah Li Geh)
Roti Prata, Cha Quay Tiao

4.

Copy Cat
Kiss the Rat
Go home let your mother slap
Mother say never mind
Father say
(*when you reach this point, you must pause as if you're going to say something vulger)
GO AND DIE

Speaks a lot about the culture and the heritage of Singapore ya? Then again, those kids make brilliant poets when they grow up don’t you think? For one, the rhymes actually rhyme even with a mixture of Singlish, Hokkian and some kind of gibberish. Better still, they’re ‘enigmatic’ and ‘violent’, the 2 key characteristics of famous rhymes.

Now you know why more kids are killing friends with guns at schools these days.

* For futher reading on Nursery Rhymes, do check out the following websites:

http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/nursery_rhymes/nursery_rhymes_index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursery_rhyme

_____
Why is it 'Your LERP, Your LERP, Your LERP Right'
and not 'Your LEFT, Your LEFT, Your LEFT Right'?

Why is the short form of Auditorium known as 'Audit'
to the people in my camp and not 'Audi'?

oh my god

2006-09-23T16:24:00.000+08:00

Holy Macaroni. God must be real sad (perhaps more amused than sad) to know that we man, are worshipping stranger things these days. The prefix of God is typically ‘Holy’ because God is indeed divine and good.

So am I right to assume that whatever comes after Holy is the God that one worships?
Let’s see:
Holy Cow
Holy Macaroni
Holy Shit
Holy Crap

I can understand if an animal lover or a beef lover worships the Cow.

I can also try to accept a Macaroni lover kneeling down before a packet of Macaroni asking for forgiveness and blessing.

But why would anyone revere a piece of poop, let alone asking it for salvation? Hmm...

I use to have a sergeant that threatened not to give us more than 3 chances when we made mistakes or broke some rule. To qualify his ‘3 chances’ yardstick, he often quipped, ‘Even god only forgives 3 times, so don’t expect me to forgive more than 3 times.’

Wait wait,

but since when god forgives only 3 times. The last I checked God is all forgiving as long as one is willing to receive his unconditional forgiveness. Even if you insist there is a number to it, there is a parable in the bible that says something about forgiving 7x7 times. (I hope I didn’t let my Sunday school teacher down.) Even this doesn’t amount to only forgiving 49 times as this is after all an allegory.

so, it really makes me wonder which god he worships that forgives only 3 times..

__________
maybe its the Macaroni

check this out!

2006-09-22T15:55:00.000+08:00

Introducing my new must-have:

5th Gen iPod with Video

30G /80G

6.5 hrs of movies / 20 hrs of music

60% brighter screen means awesome experience

plus

iTunes 7
30% slimmer
search function
play downloadable games
gapless playback between songs

All for the price of $598 (80G) / $428 (30G).

For great updates on the full range of new iPods -

vist http://tech65.org/

_____
im high on apples

behind those forbidden walls

2006-09-22T00:17:00.000+08:00

Watching a musical at the Esplanade can be quite an experience. After all, the durians by the bay often spot a conglomeration of novel and prestigious events. It is also where the artsy people in town come together. Hence, I was right there last week for the sell-out performance of Singapore’s grandest musical, Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress.

It has been a long time since I did something apart from the mundanities of everyday life. I have always and still looking forward to lead a high life; watching musicals, playing tennis, and most important living life to the fullest. Of course, I’ve very much realized that this comes with a hefty price tag. Having to look for like minded company each spending $74 for left brain nourishment ain’t no easy task. So we, Jayden, Roy and I had a high-life night.

For a local production, Forbidden City didn’t disappoint. Though I wouldn’t use grandeur to describe the set, props and storyline, it is a musical that can put Singapore onto the map of world-class musicals.

Forbidden City is really a historical retelling of the story of China's Empress Dowager; the story is seen from the eyes of an American painter, Kate Carl, who is commissioned to paint the Empress' portrait.

The Empress recounts her amazing journey from a young imperial concubine to become the Empress of China and the pressures she faced. The musical explores the myths surrounding her reign, from the controversial death of her only son to her ambitious tussle for power.

For myself and many, I’ve grown up learning that Cixi was better known as the Dragon Lady, the Empress sent from hell. Folklore has it that Cixi killed her only son and often tortured her servants. It was known that she once ordered for an old Eunuch to be killed for commenting, "The humble servant will now kill the Old Buddha's horse." while playing a game of chess. She is better known as a devious despot who maintained a death grip on what little power she had until that power faded out completely.

Or was she misunderstood? Forbidden City opened my eyes to this lady as it depicted a different side of the story. A Cixi that has been unfairly maligned and when seen more closely, her actions were reasonable responses to the difficulties that China faced.

This inevitably got me thinking. Perhaps everyone has a different side of the story to tell. On the same note, everyone has secrets they cannot bare to tell.

At the end of the day, even if it was only for Kit Chan’s singing I was paying for, I would have already gotten back my every cent worth.

Another song please, Kit.

____________________
walked along Singapore River after the musical
stumbled upon an exhibit of the Singapore Biennale, Miracle.
Imagine on a dry day, you walk past a tree and you observe the
tree raining, literally.

What a strange sight.

Superstar

2006-09-17T11:58:00.000+08:00

I was due to write this some time back, but hesitation held me back. On 2^nd thoughts, I’ve decided that I will just write. Here goes.

I like to sing. I know I don’t have the best of vocals but at least I can hold a tune, I hope. I torture my neighbors mostly when im at the comfort of my bathroom. (Actually I sing at almost every corner of my house and I really pity my family.) I’ve discovered a long time back that next to the lift, my bathroom has one of the best acoustics in my HDB block. I feel songs can effectively help emote my feelings. Times when I cannot express myself through words, the music somehow will sync up with within. Naturally in my wildest dreams, I sometimes wish to be a singer, so that I can communicate through songs and music.. It’s so much easier, precise, comfortable.

To be blatantly honest, I know God has blessed me with a voice I know Im satisfied with. That’s why I dream to grow up singing.

3^rd September, a couple of Saturdays back, I decided to register and audition in the Chinese equivalent of Singapore Idol, ‘Project Superstar 2’. To me, 3^rd Sept was THE DATE. I was excited I tell you. For the 1^st time in God knows how many years, I ate no chilli for almost 1 week! (quite a feat) I drunk a lot of water, abstained from fried and oily food. I gulped down 2 pots of chrysanthemum and liang-teh and a tube of lozenges. I sure was excited.

Only a few people knew I was going for it. I didn’t want to tell the whole world then because scarly kenna kick out then very malu. Those who knew were really supportive. They believed in me and told me how they were sure I’d definitely make it through the 1^st round of audition.

Thanks:

- Erica and Shaun for attempting to give me a make over.

- Kevin for ferrying me from Tampines all the way to the audition venue (Toa Payoh HDB hub) at mid-night.

- Hong Yi and all those (above 3 inclusive) who got all excited for me, wanted to be my -finance manger and what not, the K-box sessions, recce-ing HDB hub on 2^nd Sept midnight and the sms-es.

Truly, I meant it when I told them, ‘with friends like you guys, I feel like a Superstar already.’

I had mixed feelings a couple of days before the auditions. Don’t laugh because I think of the funniest things. I wondered if I really get far and famous, will I have less time to spare for my family, especially my mum and my friends. I questioned my motive of wanting to get through the auditions so much. Did I really do it for the love of singing or am I just another naïve nobody craving for attention, fame and riches. What if I get in, can I cope with fame and the superficial? Being watched every moment, having to fake a smile, not even being able to blog publicly. That sounds bad already.

Conversely, I’d love to do something that will make the people around me proud of me. I’d love to use my voice to (chezsy as it sounds) to instill hope and joy into people’s life. I’d love to make an impact, be somebody.

At the end of the day, I wasn’t able to reconcile my conflicting thoughts; I shove them all under the carpet and reported there at 0700 hrs that morning. Surprisingly KQ and I were within the barricades, about 1^st 150 in the queue. At 0800hrs, the queue more than tripled. So we waited under the hot sun, and waited and waited. There were many people, many audiences, many things happening. 6 Hrs later, we were ushered into the holding area where the auditions were held. Just like Idol, I shuffled my feet into the audition room. I was welcomed by 3 I-don’t-know-judges (teevee producers), a cameraman and a couple of miscellaneous people.

In Mandarin, these were my exact words,

‘Hi, im 3625, Marcus Wang.

I 21 years this year and I’ll bring to you Yuan Lai by Lin JJ.’

I did my thing. As I was singing, I tried to maintain eye contact. They were nodding at me and amongst themselves as if they liked what I was doing. I had a good feeling and that boosted my confidence. They didn’t even interrupt me and I ended feeling good. I looked at them intently. They didn’t say anything. They next thing I heard was a ‘tEEeeehhh’ sound. I was supposed to see a red/green light but I couldn’t locate the lamp. By the time I did, the light already went off. I walked out with a blank mind assuming I got kicked out since I heard the green light comes with a ‘ting’ sound.

What I don’t understand is why the judges kept nodding their heads as if in approval. Both my friends who participated didn’t get any nods. They were also cut off before they finished singing their part. I let out the news; my friends were surprised at the failed attempt. So was I, but I stayed calm.

I took the 1^st bus that came along and got home. I bought a packet of Nasi Lemak and asked for more chilli. I haven’t eaten chilli for days. After lunch, I took a hot bath and slept. I thought I was fine, not until I started to feel really sad after I woke up. It’s like having a dream but failing to fulfill it. I hate to admit but I felt crushed.

I’ve since gotten over it. I may not be on the route of being a Superstar, but my friends already made me feel like one.

I still like singing.

On my corkboard, a poster of handsome horses reads,

CONFIDENCE

Life’s battles don’t always go to the strongest or the fastest, but sooner or later the one who wins is the one who thinks he can.

________________

Thank You Steve Irwin
for your
Love and Contribution
towards
the animals,
the Crocs
and the wildlife.

i'm walking on sunshine

2006-08-27T10:36:00.000+08:00

Sentosa is indeed Singapore's happy place don't you think?

S.i.L.O.S.O beach

S for Signals, we are Signals..

I feel like a kid at the zOooo..

beach soccer
beach volleyball
ultimate frisbee
monkey

i feel like a beach dude already! hurhur..

that's jaden with a big green ball
and a... twig..

boys can talk serious too..

that's Kevin, my buddy. finally a photo. the
last time we took a photo together, the photo
got deleted due to some SD card error. Kev
insisted that i deleted the photo.. lol

say cheeze

___
sing

WANTED

2006-08-20T22:24:00.000+08:00

West Highland White Terriers (Westie)

animals make me melt.
i've always wanted to keep a dog.
i can almost imagine cuddling, talking, walking and playing with a 4 legged best friend.
yes, when i can afford one, i'll surely bring a Westie home.
or if you decide to be super nice, you can start saving up for my 21st birthday..
(:

______
Sentosa pictures coming up..

rem·i·nisc·ing

2006-08-17T17:16:00.000+08:00

back to college i went this day, with pals.
these pals were

.partners in crime -
pontend-ed lessons
skipped school
late for lectures
hardly handed up tutorials
bitched about tutors and lecturers..
(ok, we weren't that bad.)

.people with a heart -
lunch at BK Heartland Mall
mugging sessions
outings
thick and thin..

where we slept.. opps i mean sat during the
long lectures...

Serangoon Koi Pond - i still see more algae
than Koi..

what's a Singaporean gathering without
food? - yes, and we lunched at the canteen.
the food still smells and taste the same.
$1.50 prawn noodles, $0.80 Milo..

Mr Cherry Chacko, my debate
teacher-in-charge who inspired and believed in
me.

the animals were also worth a visit. The old
tortises still enjoy sun-bathing on the platform
in the pond. This one looks like it needs banana
boat SPF 100 sunblock. I'll bring next time.

i tried locating for my locker. at 1st, i wasn't
sure which was mine. upon confirmation with
my 'locker-mate', im quite sure it was 117!

Not fair! Now, they have air-conditioned the
hall, renovated the toilets, and dry-fit house
tee shirts. When are they ever going to change
the uniforms though?

-----------------------------------then---

the unique A05 '04

we 'look like' we loved our college yea? hah..

yes, yes. we had our fair share of fun..

i don't know if the girls are going to kill me
when they see these photos online. (:

don't laugh. bad hair day.

clique - yeena, me, yings, ivan
(yun shiuan not in picture.)

__________
Ben & Jerry's at Raffles City anyone?

kodak moment ?

2006-08-16T11:31:00.000+08:00

Do you recall the good ol’days, in fact not too long ago when you were still using those huge conventional film cameras? Those days, every photograph you took counts as you only had 30 shots. Besides, the film costs money and the developing costs even more, even the batteries in those cameras dig deep into your shallow pockets. Take a moment with me and try to recollect the kind of excitement you had after collecting the developed photos. Now compare it with the excitement you feel today when you transfer those digital photos from your digital camera onto your electronic machine at home, rating your excitement on a scale of 10.

I don’t know if you notice the difference but I somehow feel a tad less excited these days with my countless of digital shots compared to the heydays. Perhaps these days, taking pictures comes so easily and so cheap that it no longer creates the sense of anticipation and value. Since it’s free, just take only lah. Not nice ar, take again lor.

Nonetheless, I remain a beneficiary of the new technology. I confess I still like taking photos since it’s free and we can always take and take and take. Hah.

_____________
Mr Cherry Chacko, my JC debates teacher once smsed me,

'Nothing good comes easy, nothing easy is very good.'
'But God has blessed you with talent. Develop it. k?'

good / bad

2006-08-15T23:40:00.000+08:00

Having spent quite some time in our soon-to-be-defunct National Stadium, it dawned upon me that growing up and braving the waves of the occasional storms in life can very much change one’s perspective towards things. My first National Day Parade a couple of years back at the National Stadium left me awe stricken and definitely quite very lost. I marveled at the sheer size and capacity of the infrastructure. What surprised me was that as of lately, I’m starting to find the Stadium small. The majestic appeal and awe are that of the heydays.

Another observation I made during my NDP preparations left me rather appalled. For one, I’m a person who digs fireworks, those myriad colors of sparks decorating the cool mellow sky like shooting stars gracing the earth. Short-lived yet glorious. Yet I observed the pyrotechnic specialists, those who set up and set off fireworks for a living displayed no signs of excitement, let alone awe during the several firework displays.

I’ve concluded that the pyrotechnic team has seen so much fireworks that they’re now numb. Isn’t it sad that we all grow numb to the things around us and hence lose the ability to appreciate the beauty in them? Perhaps they’re right, ‘too much of a good thing ends up being bad.’

On the contrary, does experiencing too much of a bad thing necessarily be bad after all? I used to be quite a sissy boy, afraid of needles and injections. I had such phobia towards these sharp rude intrusions on my body that I often break into cold sweat. However, I found out that magically, I overcame this phobia when I was in BMT. I didn’t even cringe when 2 injections were administered to me simultaneously on 2 separate hands. Subsequently, I was even put on drips 5 times. Maybe those tinny needles pale in comparison to the worse experiences of pain I have encountered as I progress in age. A flux in negativity at home has also taught me to brace myself and live by the day. Mark of maturity and age?

Whatever it is, I am glad rainbows don’t occur everyday.

before it becomes history,

faithfully illuminating

where millions have sat on..

ndp show segment 2006

________
A Neurotic builds a castle in the air,
A Psychotic builds a castle in the air, lives in it,
A Psychologist collects rent from it.

41

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

tribute from a soldier

happy
birthday
Singapore.

the world's a stage

2006-08-04T14:00:00.000+08:00

We’re living in a world of pretence, and I’m fully aware of it. We have to put on a false front, displaying the vibrant, vivacious and victorious side of us. It’s normal I know, to want the world to view you as cool, stylistic and more importantly strong. That is why I was rather hesitant when publishing my previous entry.

Still, I did. I needed a place where I can be true at times. A place where I can be sad and weak, that is to be absolutely human. A place where I can not pretend, in fear of nasty judgments passed on me. Having said this, I admit that I’m indeed in need of a personal paradigm shift. I’m learning and hope to learn it fast.

That is being true to myself and to my friends.

On a lighter note, do you know that I am someone who digs BIG HAPPY SONGS? Yea, National Day songs, Victory songs, Olympic theme songs, etc. Songs that instill immense pride and positive outlook for the future. The thumps-your-heart and lifts-your-head-high kind of song.

Call me a freak, weirdo, nutcase whatever but I do have songs like ‘Home’, ‘My Island Home’, ‘Live Our Dreams’ in my iPod (in case you don’t recognize any of them, ‘My Island Home’ is this year’s NDP theme song while ‘Live Our Dreams’ is the Team Singapore theme song.).

These songs often spot tacky lyrics, or to put it plainly they are ‘cheesy, losery, cheenafied-sounding’. Don’t you think, cheesiness is after all the utmost honest expression of a man’s innermost emotion? We all yearn for love, peace, victory and acceptance and success; how many of us dare outwardly cry for them? Not many, because we want to be seen as cool, composed and fighting strong.

‘This is my family, these are my friends. We are Singapore, Singaporeans.’ ‘Heal the world, make it a better place. For you and for me and the entire human race…’ Don’t these song thug your heart?

In times like these, I sure need my dosage of positivism and hope.

Come on, Sing with me:

Whenever I am feeling low
I look around me and I know
There’s a place that will stay within me
Wherever I may choose to go

I will always recall the city
Know every street and shore
Sail down the river which bring us life
Winding through my Singapore

This is Home, Truly
Where I know I must be
Where my Dream wait for me
Where the river always flows

This is Home, Surely
As my senses tell me
This is where
I won’t be alone
For this is where
I know it’s Home.

_____
Am i an idealist or perfectionist?

Heading down to my new found
favorite hangout: The Esplanade.
Just got tickets for 'Forbidden City'.

solace

2006-07-26T23:13:00.000+08:00

I don’t want to write as if I have a good command of English. I feel so unpolished, so lousy, so sub-standard. Sometimes, I try to improve by attempting to sugarcoat my blog entries with bombastic words. I try very hard, but what I write just doesn’t ring a bell. Something is missing and I’ve concluded that I will never be able to make it.

There are so many things in life that I wish I never did. Some within my control, some just happened. It almost seems that I can never stop messing up my life. I hate to be like any other lost kid who writes to ‘Teenage’ magazine asking for help from dearest Kelly, but I know I sound like one now, totally.

‘What about the things you’ve done right and you’ve achieved?’ ‘who cares?’ No, you didn’t get me. I said, ‘Who cares?’

I have many goals in life, but I do nothing to achieve them. I sit and dream and blame the world about my lack of success. Oh what a joke. I abhor poverty. I am poor that’s why I am not successful. Lousy excuse, but good reason to bellow in sadness. Did I also mention that I suspect I am not very clever? Maybe I really need God to help me.

Now, I know I need God. But does God help a bad Christian? If God doesn’t, then I will never be successful. If the opposite is true, then the classic question will never fail to surface, ‘does that mean I can go killing people and ask for God’s forgiveness?’ no and yes, I don’t know.

Why must so many mishaps happen to my family? ‘Count yourself fortunate. There are many out there worse off than you.’ Right. That does not help a single bit because circumstances are imminent and they make me giddy. I am feeling giddy now. Besides, I only ask for a happy, healthy family. Too much?

I’m bored. And I’m boring. ‘Oh no, that sounds bad already. No girlfriend?’

Can somebody, anybody tell me the reason for war, bird flu, tsunamis, earthquakes, divorce, cancer and human politics.

‘Are you depressed, dude?’ you mean I am entitled the chance to be depressed? Wait, what are the symptoms of depression? Nah, I am not depressed. Really. ‘But reading this blog entry tells me something is really wrong with you.’ Really? Haha, you’ve got great imagination.

I’m fine. The World’s fine.

I need Prozac.
Wrong

I seek Solace.

________
Morinaga's Milk Caramel Candy
Have you tried it?
And do you know where to get it in Singapore?

$

2006-07-21T18:18:00.000+08:00

'i abhor poverty.'

Here's a hypothetical:

you're heading for a final year paper, one that will determine whether or not you score well enough to earn your degree. despite poverty, you struggled and studied hard all year round just for this day. you have always believed that one day, your persistence and hard work will earn you a panacea, one that will break you free from the vicious cycle.

you're well prepared for the test. you can almost feel liberation. soon you can lift your head high. you will find a good job. you will never have to worry about bread and butter anymore.

the bus arrives, you hop onto it.

the crowd seems different today. Mr Woods is not at the driver's seat today. 'who's this new driver?' the girl that smiles at you every morning is not on board. 'perhaps she's late because of the thick snow.' mrs smith and her huge shopping basket is no where to be found. 'maybe she's not feeling well this morning.' something's just different. you decide that all the late night mugging and information cramped in your head must have taken it's toll on you.

you cannot afford a car unlike many of your classmates. you cannot afford to even ride on a Taxi. you smile at the bus driver every morning; whispering under your breath, 'my good chauffeur, send me to school.'

as you dream of poverty-no-more and watch the snow through the window, you drift into neverland.

you take this bus everyday. you know the route inside out. you even know when to wake up from your daily morning naps so as to alight just at the faithful old bus stop outside Oxford.

it's almost time.

you open your eyes intuitively. instead of the faithful old bus stop, you're welcomed with a dreadful scene.

'where is this?'

you're panicking. you lug all your books with you and ruffle your feet to the unknown driver.

'where is this, sir? is this bus 7?'

'this is Keith's town. you're on board bus 5, young man.'

'how far away are we from Oxford University?'

'quite very far. at least an hour away.'

you check your watch. 8.30am. you're exasperated. your paper starts at 9.00am. you feel giddy. you open your wallet and a measly $5 note stared back at you.

you need at least $20 to take a Taxi to University. you drop your books to the ground as you fall to the ground. you feel your head throbbing. you feel cold. more bitter than cold actually.

you fail. maybe you didn't work hard enough. no, maybe it's the snow.

they say to err is human, isn't it. but do all human have an equal chance to make mistakes? can some 'afford' to make mistakes?
what do you think?

did i mention i abhor poverty?

______
i passed my Final Theory Test today in 1 sitting.
im not stupid.

photoblog: behind the scenes

2006-06-22T22:48:00.000+08:00

I never truely appreciated the effort behind running the National Day Parade show. each year, i watch the parade like any other dinner time variety.

when a soldier marches out of sync, i'll relentlessly point and exclaim, 'Orhh, he die already. march wrongly. later sure kenna scolding lor.' hah. i will also go, ' hey, check out this year's fireworks. they're way cool. whahh..' At the end of the show, i'll probably click off my teevee and go, ' every year the same, nothing much..'

having to help prepare for this year's parade however, is a whole new experience for me. the hectic schedule and physical demands become real. still, we have our fair share of fun.

here are some photos taken at ground zero so far :-

from left: shawn, marcus and shaun.
proudly presenting my fireworks team!

looking great and ready to work..

'this one here and that there.'
3 brains better than 1.

'hey, what should i say to ask her out?'
f.y.i., that call wasn't really made to a girl..

back to serious work.

working hard..

i like this shot quite very much.

from left: roy, marc, hongyi
goofy people i hang out with..

relec one corner only..

'let me tell you, i will give you lift upgrading..'
politician in the making..

awesome..

red, white, 5 stars and crescent .
'This is my country, this is my flag..'

the classic shot..

from left: shawn, shaun, marc
till next time.

credits:
photographer - mx lee
camera - nikon

____________
yun shiuan and i won 2 tickets
worth $108 each to jj's concert.
yay!

hot meal

2006-05-21T16:36:00.000+08:00

once upon a time,
the 5 decided to come out
relec one corner since,
sia lah off no work.

from left: roy marc shisheng
hongyi qingli

they decided to form a rock band
the 'hot males'.
sure they were piping hot!

steamboat at bugis - $15
eat and drink all you want.
did i mention crabs?

they went for a hot meal.
sure the steamboat was hot.

they took more photos.

starbucks at raffles city. all hail
the queen.

caught Qingli red-handed.

look!

yea..

meet my army brudders.

_____________________
being the mellow person i am, i sometimes wish im a social butterfly. when in a foreign environment, i often feel like a fish out of water. it'll also take me a long time to warm up to the people around me. but one thing i know; that is im thankful for the few great people around me.

surreal

2006-05-09T13:47:00.000+08:00

for a couple of days, i get to escape the rat race. as i slip into a state of surrealism, i sometimes wish i'll never have to return to the dog-eat-dog world.

/ i wake up 1000 in the morning with the warm sunlight embracing my skin and to the sound of kindergarden children reciting nursery rhymes. i make my way to the coffeeshop and indulge myself with a traditional kaya toast set. a mere $1.80 - i am treated to a cup of aromatic coffee, freshly toasted kaya toast and 2 sunshine looking half boiled eggs. i choose a table by the road, slowly sipping my coffee while watching the birds, listening to coffeeshop talk on elections and price hikes, breathe in fresh air and think about life.

good morning.

/ the rest of the day

i read a good book on why 'The World is Flat'
work out like a celebrity at FitnessFirst gym at Paragon
listen to Damien Rice.Corrinne May.or set my iPod to random mode
go out with like-minded people for a swim.steam bath.karaoke.shopping.whatever
help the juniors at college with debates
dream big dreams

just taking time listening, watching, breathing, thinking and doing.
this is life.

___________
1 week vip pass to FitnessFirst fitness club.
a lucky draw.
http://marc-us.blogspot.com/2006/01/lucky-draw.html