Personal Blather!

I had a pretty enjoyable time this CNY. Family get together in Ipoh was quite ok I guess. Betting sessions were fun though, since for the first time in many years, our resident dealer lost big time, and mostly to his pre-teen daughter and her cousins. Ouch.

Food was abundant and we stuffed ourselves a lot during the week. I even brought back some extra. Somehow, I didn't feel the CNY joy when I left, and I also didn't feel in the 'study mood' when I got back. It was a bit of a slow start, but thankfully 3 assignments are done and the last one is due next week. I still have time for it, so I won't kill myself doing it just now. I got a midterm this coming Friday so that takes priority.

Rhazzmatazz was pretty enjoyable last night. I know there were some hiccups in the organising, but I think it turned out fine. It was very enjoyable, and the performances were much better than I expected. I was pretty impressed especially by all the talented first years who put up many different performances, and they were fantastic. It's quite nice not having to be involved in a production for a change. I wouldn't have minded doing it I guess, but I appreciate the time I saved. It wouldn't do to kill myself...

I've been reading a bit on what's been going on in the tech world lately. In case you haven't noticed, there's a nifty new gadget on the right side of the blog now, catering to inform you of some of the interesting things I'm reading about. I expect my blog doesn't get as many visitors anymore, but hey, I'm still updating it when I find the time.

Picked up a good book over the weekend and I must say, it has been a real blessing to me. I think I'm being freed from some of the things that held me back previously. I'm finding the courage to look up even more, and to set my heart right in everything I do, so I guess it's a worthwhile investment. I certainly hope some of my other investments pay off, particularly since I spent quite a bit on them...

My sister will be getting married this year, so this was the last time our family would be together, in a manner of speaking. Hope to spend more time with her here over the next few months. ^_^

The 14th of February has never been a very happy day for me. As far back as I can remember it was always a time where a particular 'missing' part in my life becomes much more pronounced. I'm not saying that this is always bad, or that being single means I'm imperfect or 'unwhole', but life could be better no? I received a revelation lately, about how in the Bible, there were many women who were barren, and they cried out because of their barrenness. It didn't mean that it was wrong to 'want' something more and better in life. Isn't God enough? Isn't just having Him in your life sufficient? Yes, but He has meant for us to be joined and not alone, and to fully experience the promises He has for us, that means finding that someone too.

Going back to the main issue, the 14th of February isn't particularly the happiest day of my life. It probably wouldn't be so bad if I weren't reminded of how there have been many times where it was just a day of futile, fruitless effort, marked only by impending failure. Guess I'm not as lucky as some people. This isn't a self-bashing session, and no, I'm not feeling totally down and out. I sometimes just wonder whether these efforts amount to anything... Food for thought...

This year, the 14th of February is more than just a sad, lonely day. It will mark the day I lost my only grandfather as well. It's not easy even though I'm not extremely close to him. I feel really bad, because I didn't get to see him before he went. I'd have liked to have seen him once before he went... He wasn't perfect, but he was a good man. I hope that everyone will be able to get through this, particularly my mother. So much for a 'happy', 'prosperous' Chinese New Year...

I don't really have the mood to write lots and lots about this, but suffice to say, I don't see a particularly happy 14th Feb for me anytime soon...

Finally, the first match will be tomorrow. Nothing much to say except there have been delays and FINALLY there's a chance for us to play. I have mixed feelings about it, but in the end, I guess I'm looking forward to it. Praying for protection against injury and that nothing will go wrong. Hoping for a win against EH.

Got a small part in a government advertisement with some lines. Apparently they'll call me. Yes, it's a MINOR role, so they won't pay all that much... I thought they'd pay more but well... at least I'm getting paid... >.<

Rev. Dr. A. R. Bernard's message last Saturday was one to remember. It was on the 28th of January 2007 and the message was about how your greatest value in life is your value to God. It really hit the spot after what I shared with sis just before attending the service. I really felt that message was specifically sent by God for me. Thank You so much! And no, I'm not blind or ignorant, so I will accept it if it is what You want. Don't worry, I'll still hold my head up! Thanks for putting up with me...

Well, calling it a night. I unfortunately can't keep very far ahead of work since most of my lecturers have a 'last minute put out tutorials and notes' habit. 3 hour lecture tomorrow...

It's UBER late, but I guess I should articulate (or rather, write down) some goals to pursue this year. Tagged by Shimmer.

1) Get straight 'A's. I've never gotten it before in university, and although it seems like an impossible task, I'm aiming high. At least if I miss the sun, i'll still get the moon. >.<

2) Retire from hall activities. Not that I don't want to be involved, but it would be quite sweet to actually ENJOY the things that are happening instead of always being INVOLVED in them.

3) Handball IHG gold. Group effort, but the least I can do is resolve to play like I'm winning it. That's what I'm aiming for.

4) Make more wallpapers. I enjoy the work and although it's not exactly well recognised, I'm satisfied by looking at how people can actually use my work on their own screens. It's a great way to improve photoshop skills too.

5) Find 'her'. This one I'm least focussed on simply because it's the case of "if it comes, it comes"... still, no reason not to put this in... regardless of how 'unlikely' to happen it may seem...

There. My five resolutions this year. I honestly think I'll aim for some other things too, but they might not be of as much interest to most people... Hope you guys have your resolutions too!

It's been awfully long since I last posted. I've been busy with trainings as IHG is coming, but I think I can squeeze out some time to post a little.

Things have been going pretty ok these few weeks. Training is ok, studies aren't too bad, hall life is manageable (although very much lacking lately...), cell has been fun... I don't have all that much to rant about. ^^

In any case, I've recently purchased a new mouse to replace my old one. This one is very cool, being wireless and portable, I can sit on my bed and use it. Really handy to watch movies / anime.

Some of the latest animes I've been chasing include Sokou no Strain, Code Geass, Gantz, Ikkitousen, and History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi. I get about an episode a week at most, so it's not that bad. They're a mixture of exciting, funny, mindless, mecha and thought provoking stories. I'll save my comments till after I finish the series.

I've decided to get the MG Strike Freedom for S$48. Unfortunately, it's not the Full Burst Mode, but I might get it some other time... when the price is more affordable. Getting it directly from Japan seems to really cut the cost, so if there's anyone going to Japan please let me know ASAP. Here's what I want to get and here's what I'm getting. I'd get the Full Burst Mode straight if they were in stock.

In any case, life seems to be droning on. I'm hoping I'll have much more to share. The sermon these past few weeks have been really good, and I'd like to download them if possible. The Cultural Mandate is truly something we all have to try to achieve. Catch the webcast if you want to find out what I'm talking about.

Well, that's it. Hopefully I'll post again soon...

I always thought strength was being able to face challenges. Strength is the capability to overcome where others could not. Is that all it is?

Apparently not. True strength is the ability to pick yourself up over and over again. What this means is that despite your apparent tendency to fail, you still pick yourself up and try again and again regardless of how hopeless it seems. Sometimes, we only agree to 'play' when we can 'win'. We already give up when we think we can't win. The bible tells us to do everything we possibly can, and when we have done just that, to STAND. I'm guessing that God won't always 100% give you success even if you follow every single one of His principles. The fact that there is a 'chance' it might not go the way we want it to, or the way we THINK it should go, is the reason we need FAITH.

In any case, this was the sermon last Sunday. I picked up quite a lot from it, and I truly believe it applies to every area in life: Studies, work, ministry, and yes, even relationship. Go check it out at the CHC website and you'll know what I mean.

On another note, congratulations MOKS for successfully graduating from SOT and winning the award for "Best Minister". I'm not surprised you won and you probably deserve it. God bless you!

So what do you do when you have a few days of nothing to do? I personally don't know. As usual, you always seem to have a lot of things to do before your exams end, but once they do, you find that nothing interests you enough to inspire you to do them. Perhaps it's because we're so tired that we can't seem to find the strength to do it, but honestly, it's probably just a natural thing that happens. I learned fairly early that one ought to list down everything that needs to be done BEFORE the end of the exams, all the things you want to do, the movies you want to catch, the errands you've been putting off, the hobby you decided to stop pursuing... Alas my list is short and I still haven't started on it...

A celebration (post exams in this case) would only truly be a celebration if it was not alone. Let's face it, even though my exams are over, if there's noone to share in my joy, then there's basically no difference is there? It's times like this that you wished you had someone standing by you... alas, I don't seem to have that privilege. Lamentations as usual... but of course, that does not mean I am desperate for one...

Recently, Pastor Phil Pringle's sermon really hit the mark. It seems a lot of us (well, I'll speak for at LEAST myself), have deviated from focusing on Jesus, and not on anything else. It's so easy to say "I'm doing this for You, Lord" or "Lord, I pray for A, B, C, D, E and F. Thanks, Lord. Bye." I was convicted because although I didn't just pray for blessings in my life, I didn't really try to seek Him. I was being selfish in that sense. Sure, I could justify and say I was praying for someone else, for my family, for world peace even, but really, isn't God what it's all about? The one phrase that comes back into my mind at this point:

KEEP the MAIN THING, the MAIN THING!

It's been a long while since I've written. Rest assured it's not that I gave up on blogging, but my exams are here and life is now just a mundane routine of study study eat study study eat study study eat study study sleep rinse and repeat. How's that for an interesting life?

My timetable for those who can help support me:

27/11/06 - 1 PM CS3220 Computer Architecture
30/11/06 - 1 PM CS3230 Design and Analysis of Algorithms
01/12/06 - 230 PM ST2131Probability and Statistics

Now that that's out of the way, let me just say a few things I realised lately. When I do things I don't have the passion for, I lose my vision of it very fast. I shall refrain from going into too much detail.

I shall head back to studying now. Obviously I don't really enjoy it, but thank God He's helping me through. Trying my best...

So what's new? Nothing much really. Exams again, same routine again, stress again, project deadlines again... the usual. Can't really complain all that much, but I'm trying my best to do well...

I'll take this opportunity to share a little about the happenings around. It seems this year has been a very eventful year. I don't know whether it's all good, but things have sort of been this way lately. The semester started with a lot of promise, but the surprising thing was that what we predicted would happen didn't. Everything we though couldn't happen did. Talk about irony.

To the lost, I'm talking about attachments, and no i'm not talking about the work kind. It seems my group of friends have a sudden flood of interesting news... Mostly unexpected. One does wonder why it had to take a full year (some two or more) for it to happen. And you would've thought it would be the fresh blood, but NOOO... guess when it comes right down to it, it seems that honest friendship is what makes it work.

Everyone is busy studying now. Not much time for much else. I'm having mixed feelings about it. I have a presentation next week, but that presentation made me have only 3 finals this semester. I'll have to focus on them though, and hopefully I'll do better this semester.

Alright, this is about as long as a post can get. I'll be signing off now...

My birthday was yesterday, and it wasn't exactly the most eventful one. As usual, having my birthday at this time of year means everyone is having exams soon and don't have time to really celebrate. I'm not a person very big on ceremonies and presents, so I think it's fine. Undoubtedly, last year was a little more eventful, but I'm not complaining... not really...

To summarise my birthday, it was wake up attend church, go for lunch, back for handball, dinner in hall, CCC meeting, short celebration, resume CCC meeting and sleep. I got a lot of greetings throughout and that's good enough for me. To the few who went the extra mile, thank you. Especially to my cell group members who went through a lot of trouble to make a nice card and get me some shirts. I appreciate it a lot.

I don't really see birthdays as a very huge occasion. Essentially, it's just like any other day. To some, it might be an excuse to think it's particularly special, and I guess that's inevitable, since we all seem to think we are special in our own ways. That's no reason to go out of your way to celebrate, particularly if most people don't have the time. I think the best thing anyone can give me for my birthday is to spend time with me (to those who don't know my love language). I guess that's quite impractical though. ^^;

Oh, here's a nice little post you might want to check out. CLICK

Well, short post really. Concert is over but work isn't. Gotta get back to it!

You'd think that after yesterday I'd be free to do some of the things I've been putting off for the past few weeks. It's not exactly wrong, except I have so much backlogged work that I have no choice but to do them now... which leaves little time to do many OTHER things that I'd have liked to.

SWINGERS! was absolutely AMAZING! That's the only way to describe it. I could go on about the sets and how big and impressive they were, or how dazzling the costumes were, or how well the cast performed, but then everyone would think I was biased. However, it is not hipocrisy to say that this year's concert is, to me, one of the best if not THE BEST concert! We stretched ourselves and did a third show, and although there were some doubts initially, it turned out to be the correct thing to do. From the opening night show we were all "bowled over" by the performance and everyone was suitably impressed. The matinee came out great and we finished it in time for our finale. It was truly spectacular, and already I'm beginning to miss concert.

Personally, it has been an amazing experience and I've growned a lot through this journey. I've learned much more than I could ever imagine and I think this is something that I will carry with me always. I'm really blessed to be able to work with such a great team, and I feel really privileged to be given the opportunity to lead them. You guys are truly amazing and my heartfelt gratitude goes out to you. You guys made this possible!

My thanks also goes out to my sister and my parents especially for making the trip down to Singapore just to support me, Pin Tsin and my cell members, Patrick, Sue Ann, Yewei, Paulus, Jamie, Lishi, Yang Qian, Alex, Zhen Ni, Jeffri and Edwin (I hope I didn't miss out anyone). I certainly hope you enjoyed the show.

Lastly, I'd like to thank God for His grace and provision. Thank You for seeing me through this period, for giving me the opportunity and ability to achieve this, and for making this concert one of the most amazing experiences in my life. I could never have done it without You, Lord!

Tags: NUS, Raffles Hall Production, Swingers!, Concert

If you've never wondered what I've been so busy about lately, it's concert. The time of year where everyone gets excited about our hall production is here, and I'm at the middle of it. I've got work to do of course, and this year around, I'm not in cast. I DO miss those days and I sorely want to get them back. My time is over though, so too bad for me.

This year, we're quite ambitious. We'll be having three shows instead of the usual two and we're selling our tickets out fast. One show has already literally sold out. The entire team has put in a lot of effort and I'm really looking forward to a good show. I have high expectations of everyone, not that I want to pressure them, but I really believe they can do it.

So as not to spoil it for others, I'm leaving things at that. Any further information divulged may serve to spoil it for others, so I shall refrain from doing so. Things are picking up for me, I think...

A simple post really. I've been preoccupied with so many things I just can't seem to find the time for much else. Meetings almost daily with a lot of deadlines this coming week is not something that can be taken lightly. I wished I could take a break without having anything hanging over my head and without having SOMETHING to do... Guess it may come only in December. *sigh*

In any case, 4 days into me 'break' and I'm still worked like crazy. I truthfully don't quite get why it's called a 'break'. They should just be honest and call it 'An excuse to give all students a ton of assignments for the fun of it'. I don't particularly mind assignments, but when EVERY lecturer thinks that the 'break' is when NOONE does any studying, and piles us with tons of work, it's not exactly something to look forward to. I could just cry.

Yes, this blog hasn't been getting it's due attention lately, not because I don't want to, but seriously, there's only so much time in a day. If only I could stop time...

On another note, I seem to be having a lot of interest in Linux lately. Don't ask me why, but the concept of not having to work with a Windows machine seems appealing, although I'd say I can't live without the games. The best option then, would be a dual-boot I guess. If you're wondering why I'm considering switching over to Linux, it's largly because I'm seeing a lot of potential and interest in handling a Linux machine, particularly since most servers (I think I'm going to focus on webservers and web-programming) run it. It's also a good thing for future job prospects, at least more than saying "Oh, I only know Windows..." That's like shooting myself in the foot.

Enough! I don't have a lot of time, but suffice to say, I hope to finish this assignment tonight and be free enough to complete the others over the weekend. God help me...

Tags: NUS, mid-term break, Linux, WebProgramming

I admit it, for the past few years, my interest in sports has not exactly been very high. During JC, the occasional basketball was pretty good for me. Add the fact that PE was no playing matter, I guess things weren't all that bad. I went from a fail to silver for my NAPFA and had a record of 10:40 for the 2.4 km run.

That was almost four years ago. Since I stepped into university however, I've never really been very involved with sports. Basketball and soccer sounded good, but far too many people were a lot better than I was. My height didn't make up for my lack of skills. Badminton had a pretty high standard and I was never really into it. Add the fact that in year one, I was quite literally 'banned' from sports activities, I never really blended well with most sports-people.

This year, I somehow got the urge to take a shot at Handball. The training are straineous (based on past experience) and it's a relatively new sport (to most people). The people involved are mostly familiar and I feel comfortable there. So far, I've attended some of their trainings and I think it's beginning to rub on. It's a really physical game, but really fun. It's fast paced and very tiring. I definitely need to work on my stamina.

If you ask me why the sudden interest in handball, I'd credit it to the fact that most of the team are my batchmates (minus some final years). I'm attending training as a year one (fresh after all) and I'm not particularly fit. (Actually, I think my fitness level is really below expectations) I'm a little hesitant as to whether or not to really take up the sport as a hall activity since I'm quite likely to be unable to commit entirely. I will try my best though, so I'm praying for wisdom, strength and the annointing to do it. Also, this sport is one of the 'highlights' with our hall bagging the gold last year. I might not be able to play in the first team this year, but even if I'm put on for a little while, I think it would be something to look forward to. In addition, this sport seems to come 'naturally' to me. I wouldn't know exactly how to describe it, and there are still a lot of things to learn, but I feel that the learning curve is less steep than if I took up say, hockey.

It's sad that this sport isn't receiving as much attention internationally as it should. It's really fun and we all enjoy it. I'm really looking forward to the trainings and the game.

Tags: Handball, Raffles Hall, Sports, Fitness

Just had to share this little clip I saw.

CLICK

It's simply awesome. It's amazing the kind of websites you get with StumbleUpon. Works great with Firefox.

Anyway, in the middle of bazaar and I'm not feeling too well. Caught the flu but recovering so don't worry. Hope everyone else is doing ok too.

Now I have a little time to burn. Concert launch is over and we're in the midst of conducting interviews. So far, things have been fairly good, with most things on schedule and running smoothly. Talent this year is pretty outstanding too, so I'm quite happy about that. This coming week will be hectic though, so I'm praying for positive outcomes.

So far, I've been able to pretty much catch up with my work, so it's not as worrying. I really ened to keep things like that so that I can find time to complete other things. Staying ahead is my motto this semester. I'm really hoping things go well this semester. God willing it will.

I've got bible study in a bit, and I'm looking forward to it. This weekend too is going to be busy, but at least I still have the time to settle a lot of things. This update is thus short and is a summary of what I've experienced so far... Here's to preseverence!

Classes have started and I'm starting to get worried. There's a heavy project module this semester and I'm going to have to work extra hard on a statistics module. I'd have hoped I'd be able to go through this semester pretty ok, but it seems now I need God more than ever. Lord, help me!

Since orientation is over, it's time for concert to go full swing. So far, things have been pretty fine, but there are some things I worry about. Still, it's not as if things are dire, so I wouldn't complain too much. Concert Launch is next week, and we're planning full swing for it. I'm still cracking my head for a good way to film the producers to introduce us. It should be ok by tonight.

I'm going to the bank in a while to get some things done. I'm going to firstly convert my thumbprint based system into a signature system. It saves a lot of trouble. I will also be applying for a debit card; It's free and I'd like to be able to use it online in Singapore Dollars instead of converting Malaysian Ringgit if I use my credit card. I'm also going to settle my iBanking stuff, so I can start using it online. That too should simplify my life.

Inter-Block Games (IBG) have started and it has been quite interesting. Some of the matches have brought out talents which would be good for hall. We have our fair share of injury however, and I hope these people recover fast enough for concert/IHG training. Block 4 has been doing well, winning the finals for soccer (M) and getting into the finals for soccer (F). But don't worry, we're still the greatest!

Things have settled into a kind of slowly getting busy stage. I'm trying to keep ahead as much as possible. Things will go well I think, and I pray God help me do my best this semester.

I've neglected posting since orientation began. It ended just yesterday, so now it's time for me to give a good update.

IMHO, the freshmen this year was a lot better than last year. Just like last year, the freshmen were allocated according to nationality, meaning there was an overwhelming number of Singaporeans and PRCs as compared to other years. The quota for Singaporeans were raised too, probably because they found out that a lot of people staying in halls end up getting attached. It's just SDU at work. A lot of people have yet to move into hall, so there are quite a couple of empty rooms around. Still, freshmen turnout for orientation was much much better. It was shortened too, starting only in the afternoon. The freshmen were less exhausted, so I guess it's a good thing.

The initial part of orientation was standard, with games and other funny events that simply got freshmen to laugh, play and cry together. Block Orientation was strict albeit toned down. I'm not a very big fan of ragging, but to be perfectly honest, there's something about ragging that makes people end up bonding a lot more. All the previous batches, mine included, endured relatively more 'tortuous' block orientations, and turned out more united, fun loving, 'stronger'. Times have changed I gather, most poignantly in attitudes. Freshmen seem to be 'softer', with lower thresholds for anything. They seem to be more rebellious, demanding that everyone give in to their wants. Surprisingly, this applies not only to girls but a lot of guys as well, even those who went through army training. Shouldn't they know by now that things are done a certain way for a reason? I guess most can't see past the bridge of their nose. =/

No, I won't say all of them are like that. No, it's not a complain or a generalisation. It's merely an observed opinion that I have for the past two years. Talking to a number of freshmen, the common response is "They shouldn't have had to do that, or They nothing better to do is it (They referring to seniors) etc..." but they don't realise we went through much worse and still survived. I believe I got the same response from freshmen last year. To be honest, I think it might even have happened to my batch. The key issue is that, whether we like it or not, university students (myself included I believe) are a lot less matured than our fathers when they were our age. I credit that to the comfortable lifestyle we've all had.

Nevertheless, orientation was fun! It was definitely an improvement from last year, and this year, the activities saw a lot more participation. I helped where I could, like in the games, or in float, or for MOAH... It was quite cool! I won't go too much into details because there's just too much to say, but I enjoyed myself, and I hope the freshmen did too.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to write much. Suffice to say, it seems to be a good start to a new academic year, but classes start tomorrow. Let's hope things work out for the best!