Personal Blather!

I'm going to try this poem thing again.

Creative Designs

Atrocious, Cried he, as he looked at his screen,
Never before such rubbish have I seen!
Try harder please, for your work is pathetic!
Don't take it personally, I'm not trying to be cryptic.

Enlarge that image, clean it up please,
Such basic rules, you ought to know these,
I think it can work, though lots must be done,
Good luck and hang in there, it can be quite fun!

Now if you are stuck, don't worry, helps on the way,
For Google™'s your friend, just use it they say,
Online tutorials, there are millions out there,
Ripe with design knowledge, for all those who care.

Never be fearful, of playing around,
Unless it's a person, that will cause a few frowns,
To design is quite fun, it's quite addictive too,
So start up Photoshop™, if you want to be cool!

I got this little idea from my friend. Let's see just how well my poetic juices flow...

The Jester

Lay he in bed, trying hard to think,
Of life and of love, though hopeless him being,
Noone could grasp, what he felt deep inside,
Even though he had many, of his friends close beside.

Liven up the mood, his duty and calling,
In spite of his circumstance, he never stop trying,
Noone is perfect, but worked hard he did,
Even though failures, trailed him instead.

Stood he in public, and wooed hearts a-many,
Spreading much laughter, in a life so contrary,
Performed hard he did, to the best of his ability,
Lucky for him, he earned quite a bit of money.

At the end of the day, he gathered his due,
Going back to his home, again feeling blue,
Unseen by all people, his face so forlorn
Expecting and wishing, for joy in the morn.

Ever came to a point where you have a decision to make on what to do, or whether or not you should even be doing anything? There are many times when you know that on hindsight, what you did was wrong, or inappropriate, or done with bad taste, or done at the wrong time... How do you tell? We can follow our hearts sure, but very often, we have to follow our heads too. Isn't it true that there are some things that you know if you DID follow your heart, you'd be in big trouble? And I'm not just talking about those morally wrong or criminally wrong things either. If I'd followed my heart, I might end up pissing a lot of people off because doing solely what's in your heart negates using our heads.

I really think decisions should be based on both your heart and your head. For example, when to tell someone off is very important since if you just do it as and when you like, you may just end up losing a friend, making an enemy and possibly generate a lot of other problems along the way. Your head will tell you that although you WANT to do something now, perhaps there's a BETTER way to handle the situation.

However, using both your head and your heart generates one BIG problem, there are now too many variables that sometimes, you don't know which is the decision you should follow. Too many "but what ifs" pop up and you start thinking about all the possible consequences, weighing what you feel against what you think will happen as a result of that. Life would be much easier if we could follow either or, but doing so causes a person to be either totally self centered or extremely unhappy.

I think I'm personally on the "head" side significantly more. True, there are times when I fail to stop and think things through, but even so, when the opportunity arises, I always spend as much time as I can coming up with the 'right' answer. Most of the time, I give up on what my heart wants, and that may be why I may not exactly be the happiest person around, but I do try. I sometimes wish I could just ignore the consequences of whatever it is I do and just go and do what I want. Fulfilling my personal desire may make me a possibly 'happier' person, but I think I might also end up being extremely self centered and ignorant of others. HOw do you balance up the two? Where do you draw the line?

There are times when I look back and a part of me regrets what I did, or what I didn't do. But there are also times when I'm grateful for the same reasons, because they make me who I am today. I learned patience for example, and it is something which I believe makes me a better person. True, I might have had my desire (whatever it was that I was impatient with) fulfilled and could've enjoyed it. After all, it might have been something I've really wanted all along. But by holding back I learned something else; I built my character and gained experience. Isn't that important too?

Sometimes, my heart gets overwhelmed that I just want to go and do something! It's at this time that my head tells me it may not be the right thing. The warring factions cause me to be unsure of what to think or do. Is it definitely flesh vs spirit? If so, how do you tell? The Bible tells us this:

"Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…" (Psalm 37:5-7a, NIV).

Now, what if that very thing you have to decide upon is actually what HE is giving you to fulfill this scripture? Would you then withold your hand from taking it? If God gives you the desires of your heart, or rather, WHEN He does, how do you know it's definitely from Him? I was taught that a it takes two to tango, both God and you working hand in hand. He does His part, you have to do yours. I did a little search and found this: CLICK I agree with it all, but I raise the question that when God actually gives you that desire, how do you know it's yours for the taking?

I guess the answer lies in your relationship with Him. I try to spend as much time as I can in His presence, and it's great. I also don't think hearing from God comes just like that. We have to keep trying, doing what we hear even if we do not understand and in that process, open our ears even bigger to hear more. Lord, I trust in You.

I realised a big flaw in my posts, they always seem to be a mixture of a lot of thoughts instead of one single focussed one. I guess it's because I try to unload all that's on my mind everytime I post and I don't exactly have only one thought at a time...

I remember talking to some people about personalities, about temperaments and how different people react differently to a given situation. Many would've heard of the DISC personality test as well as the temperaments test. It helps us to understand a little about others, but it can also lead to a negative outcome. Some have ended up categorising others and this isn't healthy since a person's personality can and will change.

The last time I took the test, I was classified as an S... a VERY HIGH S person. An S person is generally steady, taking things as they come, seldom unfazed and values very much the relationship instead of the task at hand. Now I think this is pretty true, although of late, I'm beginning to think that my D side has risen a little. Either that, or I seem to be forcing myself to be D to the point it's become instinctive, but inside I'm really very S. D and S are polar opposites. A high D person is demanding, task oriented, dominating and basically wants things done his/her way. These are the people who make good leaders because they are very focussed on the task and has a very high drive to succeed. I believe that perhaps although I was originally extremely high S with almost non-existant D, being pushed into positions where responsibility counts for a lot has made my D side rise significantly.

Of course, there are other personalities too, like I and C. I people are influential, charismatic, talk a lot, funny etc. C people are generally quiet but meticulous people who are sticklers for details. I guess if you look at it from a different perspective, a successful team is one where all four personalities are fully maximised, and each person plays their roles well. We need leaders who are demanding, supportive people who keep the team together, highly talkative and charismatic people to portray results and to motivate others, as well as people to work out all the little details that others miss.

I think personalities apply to relationships too, but I guess it can always be worked out anyway. Perhaps it does not come as a surprise since your personality would affect what you're looking for in another person... although I'm not too sure it's the most important thing...

So let this S sign off by saying that in everything you do, do spare a thought for the people involved... you may not like it, but sometimes the decision that hurts u most can be the right decision.

So it's finally over. World Cup 2006 ended with France getting ousted by Italy at the penalty shootouts. It was a very exciting match I must say, and there was enough action to keep you stuck on the edge of your seat throughout. France converted an early penalty to a goal with Zidane putting the ball just under the crossbar, causing the ball to go into the goal and then bouncing out. It was still a goal though, and the referee called it. Italy equalised in the same half, but the rest of the match was goalless. It wasn't without any tries and spectacular saves though.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't really think both teams deserved to be in the finals. Still, luck does play a huge part in football, and it seemed to be on France's side, with a goodly number of close calls where Italy nearly found the back of France's net. In the end however, they proved tenacious enough to hold on through to the end, and finally winning the cup. I never held Italy in very high regard, not because they didn't play good football. They certainly have great talent and I am still amazed by Canavaro's performance. The problem is that they don't actually seem to play all that fair. I mean, if they were as good as they are, why did they have to resort to play acting, diving and in other words, cheating? It's not like they didn't have the capabilities to win. Their performance when they faced Australia really caused me to lose a great amount of respect for such an otherwise fine team. The fact that the Italian Serie A is being plagued by scandals at this moment don't help either. That's not to say I supported France in the finals though. I guess if I did, it was simply because I didn't really want Italy to win.

Anyway, against my deepest resentments, Italy won. The World Cup was hoisted by Canavaro and it's finally at the end. About time too, I think it's time EVERYONE caught up on sleep.

I'm finally back in hall. Nothing much happening just yet, except I'm tired and I think I need sleep. I think I ought to turn in early tonight... Till next time I have a gripe...

Yes, I haven't been updating as regularly. I do have some updates though, so this should explain a little about what's been happening.

Firstly, I FINALLY settled my bash. It's on the 31st of August at ButterFactory, Clarke Quay. To all Raffles Hall residents, I kindly ask for your support for this event. I know it's on a Thursday and it might be a little difficult for some of you to come, but I can't help it if clubs find it hard to give us a place on Friday/Saturday. To all my friends reading this, I'm booking you early so you BETTER come.

I went to recce the various clubs a few days ago. It wasn't an all out, 'visit as many clubs as possible' session, but we did have quite a few in mind. We headed for those only and found out that some of them were pretty nice, while others were downright unusable. I must admit, I really wanted a weekend for the bash, but the cheapest any decent club offered was $10 per head, which is a real rip off. Being a relative freshie to the clubbing scene, I'm grateful to have some help from others regarding this matter. I think my team did quite well considering none of us were really much of the clubbing type. I think the recce outing was quite fun! We had Hainanese Chicken Rice at Chinatown which turned out to be really good and cheap. I want to go again sometime...

Cell was great too. We'll be having our barbecue tomorrow, so I hope to enjoy myself. We will be having prawns too, which reminds me of my council chalet. *Reminisces*

Further good news would be that I finally start my 'work' in July. Hopefully I manage to learn something in the process too. I'll also be going back to KL for about a week next Tuesday. Make your calenders free for me thank you.

I've been checking out PHP again, and although it can be a headache, I'm just glad there's enough open source software out there that I can simply use. I really need to sit down and actually read things up without getting too discracted with other things.

I think things will turn interesting the coming weeks. Thank goodness He's been around to help me out so much. I'm really thankful and grateful to Him...

On a side note, Germany won Argentina, and I was right: They DID go to penalties...

Tags: Bash, Raffles Hall, Butter Factory, Clubbing, PHP

So to fill up some of the free time I have, I decided to polish up a bit of my photoshop skills. After playing around quite a bit, this is a little something I came up with.

 

Things haven't been all that exciting lately. Life has just kind of been plodding along, taking it slowly one step at a time. It's at a pretty leisurely pace, and I'm very comfortable with that. Chasing one thing after another gets really tiring, if you get what I mean.

Ever woke up remembering very vividly the dream you had while you were asleep? It wasn't just any dream, you could even recall the incidents leading up to that point in the dream. Sometimes, people whom you hardly come in contact with turn up in your dream. I remember sister Angie telling me she had a dream about me once. We weren't all that close, but the fact that I popped up out of nowhere in her dream made her sit up and take notice. She told me of course, and I don't know for sure what to make of it. I THINK it was also meant for her, but what if it was also for me? I don't know, and I guess it shouldn't matter because I'm not going to think too much into it. I entrust everything to Him, so why worry?

I've been hoping to see some fruits in my ministry. Unfortunately, so far, things aren't quite going the way I want it to. I won't be satisfied until I see some. I'm really praying for it, so I hope God's hand be with me and annoint me to be able to do His will.

Tags: Wallpaper, Anime, Rei, Ayanami, Evangelion, Photoshop, Dreams

I've been contemplating this for quite some time and I think I've finally decided that I WILL make a change. The only issue is, WHEN do I do it?

At this point I don't feel it's quite right to spend that kind of money, but it isn't really all that much if you think about it. It's roughly equivalent to a couple of good meals which I can forego for a few days. However, I feel really guilty because it's not my own money. I'll just wait a while and do all the necessary preparation so that the transition will be as smooth when the time eventually comes.

I'm thinking of names, and so far I came up with one really cool one which I will not reveal just yet. I've checked and it's available, so that's what I'll call it. It will contain far more than what I have now, but how much more really depends. I don't want to end up expanding in breadth but failing in depth, so expect a small expansion for a start.

Concert is still progressing well. Having my next meeting on Sunday and hopefully most people will be back. There are some things we need to work out so it's good that everyone is back to help out. Hopefully we can all work together and have fun doing it!

Parents will be off on a 2 week cruise and I'm planning to head back to KL for a couple of days (to take care of the place and the car etc). Going on a cruise is really fun, if you go with the right people. I'm hoping to make a cruise with friends instead of just family members this time. Planning for a cruise on my own with my cell and if it falls through, I'll be taking a few days off mid-July. Will most probably be heading to Phuket and Langkawi where there are lots of beaches. Look forward to more updates then!

Tags: Concert, Raffles Hall, Production, Cruise, Star Cruises, Phuket, Langkawi

Concert work has been progressing, and I'm pretty happy the way things are going. We could probably do a lot more, but I shouldn't ask too much from my members. They're doing a great job as it is and I'm quite impressed by what's been done so far. Really makes things easy for me.

Bash might be a headache. As of now, we are unsure as to what or how we want to proceed. We can choose to expand, or fall on our backup plan. In any case, things should finalise by the end of next week, and then we can start working on the concrete plans so that we can make it a great, enjoyable bash.

 

Went to town to catch Cars today. It wasn't that bad a show IMHO, but I guess some people may find it thoroughly predictable and not quite worth the watch. I wouldn't disagree considering it IS a children's (read DISNEY) animation, so it was kind of expected. It had the usual "lesson learned at the end of the day". Since I'm 21 and not 12, I definitely prefer Shrek, but children might find Cars a good watch. The comedy value was pretty OK, but the show had to have a lot of "serious" scenes, cutting it by quite a bit. I very much preferred the short introduction video Pixar seems very famous for at the beginning of the show. The One Man Band had the comedy value but was still pretty predictable.

I have yet to watch any of the other animations currently (like Over the Hedge and Garfield 2) so I can't make a comparison. If I go by hearsay, catch Over the Hedge as it will probably be a more worthwhile watch.

So there you have it. A little bit about concert and Cars. Let's hope there'll be more on concert next time.

Tags: Concert, Raffles Hall, Production, Cars, Disney, Pixar, One Man Band

 

A beauty ain't she? She certainly packs great features, with a 2.0 megapixel camera, 3G capabilities, bluetooth, quadband, MP3 player and superb TFT display. I didn't really think about picking her at first, but the fact that all these features came at a more affordable (read cheaper) price than the one I originally wanted, there was no reason for me not to take it!

It synchronises well with my PC, being able to communicate with Outlook and iTunes. I can transfer data to it too with a 512 MB card extra. The amazing thing is that it charges from a USB port, implying that I can use my PC to do the job saving a socket for other uses.

My trusty 8310 was a pretty good phone. I still like it but it was giving me problems... it was also a pretty good time to get a new plan since the student plan gave an extra 500 SMS a month and I get to call 3 numbers for free, all at HALF of what I've been paying. That's a good deal to me.

I've been playing around with my trusty V3x and although it may not be perfect, it still is a good phone. I need a little adjusting to the interface though, since I'm so accustomed to my old one. I managed to send a couple of wrong SMSes too while figuring how to do it right. I hope to get it down pat soon so I can start replying SMSes at my usual speed again.

Apart from that, it's something I'm truly happy about. Now I need to get protection for it because I don't think I'd like to see ANY scars on her body.

Tags: Motorola, V3x, Gadget, Tech, 3G, Bluetooth

How can I not write anything about this season? I'm not bonkers over it, but it sure is nice to go hangout with people and watch as the game unfolds. It also makes for good conversational material.

Opening match with Germany and Costa Rica was most certainly one of the interesting matches to watch. Germany won with a score of 4-2, with the first three goals of the six scored six minutes apart from the starting whistle. The new FIFA ball is obviously a whole lot lighter, because Germany was taking pot shots at the Costa Rica goal from outside the penalty area, resulting in one goal in the second half that was really amazing. It's probably not the first time this has been done, but the sheer number of attempts indicate that it's either a lot easier to do it now, or they simply took for granted that the Costa Rican defence was poor.

Unfortunately, I didn't catch England's game, which from what I hear wasn't a big loss anyway. They won 1-0, but it was an own goal, so in essence none of England's strikers have any goal to their credit yet. Perhaps they need to buck up a little.

The next match I watched was Netherlands vs Serbia and Montenegro. Exciting match really, with a lot of good plays, but I think it would've been nicer if we were rewarded with more goals. Still, I guess Holland deserved the win.

I just missed the match between Australia and Japan, but the win went to Australia with a score of 3-1. I didn't watch it though, so there's not really much to say.

All the scores aside, here's a little something to share. It's been circulating around, but perhaps not many have seen it. Don't worry, I don't think it really applies to ALL men.

World Cup rules for women

Extremely important advice and recommendations to be passed on to wives, girlfriends, fiancés, mothers, sisters, daughters, etc. (to all women in general).

These rules are to be communicated prior to the World Cup in June/July this year...

LIST OF RULES

1. From 9 June to 9 July 2006, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you are aware of what is going on regarding the World Cup, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention.

2. During the World Cup, the television is mine, at all times, without any exceptions. If you even take a glimpse of the remote control, you will lose it (your eye).

3. If you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game, I don't mind, as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me. If you decide to stand nude in front of the TV, make sure you put clothes on right after because if you catch a cold, I wont have time to take you to the doctor or look after you during the World Cup month.

4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute, unless I require a refill of my drink or something to eat. You are out of your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell from the second floor....it wont happen.

5. It would be a good idea for you to keep at least 2 six packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on, and please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12am and 6am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.

6. Please, please, please!! if you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say "get over it, its only a game", or "don't worry, they'll win next time". If you say these things, you will only make me angrier and I will love you less. Remember, you will never ever know more about football than me and your so called "words of encouragement" will only lead to a break up or divorce.

7. You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you can talk to me during halftime but only when the commercials are on, and only if the halftime score is pleasing me. In addition, please note I am saying "one" game, hence do not use the World Cup as a nice cheesy excuse to "spend time together".

8. The replays of the goals are very important. I don't care if I have seen them or I haven't seen them, I want to see them again. Many times.

9. Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that requires my attendance because:
a) I will not go,
b) I will not go, and
c) I will not go.

10. But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.

11. The daily World Cup highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying "but you have already seen this... why don't you change the channel to something we can all watch??", the reply will be: "Refer to Rule #2 of this list".

12. And finally, please save your expressions such as "Thank God the World Cup is only every 4 years". I am immune to these words, because after this comes the Champions League, Italian League, Spanish League, Premier League, etc etc.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Regards

Tags: World Cup, Germany, Football, Soccer, 2006, FIFA

In case you've been wondering what I've been up to, here's a little update on what has been happening. Last weekend was really tiring since it was EMERGE 2006 weekend. It was absolutely amazing! The thing I got most out of it was on Friday night when Pastor Kong talked about spiritual hunger, and I caught that, even though it was not the first time I heard about it. I decided enough is enough and drew the line, making myself DECIDE to be more fervent for Him. My prayer life and quiet time has never been better. I've been spending so much time with Him I can feel Him with me throughout the whole week, and I just love it!

I really believe I caught something during the conference. It was, to me, a life changing experience. The events were great, the sermon was powerful, but ultimately, it was the presence that made all the difference. I can't wait for cell later.

Since I came back from the conference, I've been concentrating on the things I need to do, to continue to excel in the place that I'm placed in and to do well for Him. I've been working on my hall production and it is coming along great. I pray that as I gear up and put in my best, and commit the entire event to Him, I ask that His hand will be with me. I'm trusting Him for it, and I believe that He will deliver. I know He has even greater plans, for "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

I've made resolutions to achieve even greater excellence. I've learned that although inner beauty is important, it doesn't mean we neglect totally outer beauty. It has to be balanced, and come hand in hand. So I'm going to try my utmost best to dress better, present myself better, and mum and dad may not be too happy, but I'll probably start shopping a fair bit too. I won't change overnight, but step by step, I intend not to be a sloppy person when it comes to dressing anymore.

I went down to expo to help with shifting on Tuesday because the hall needed to be relocated for service. It was quite educational to help out the sound and tech crew as they play with a lot of cool stuff. I learned about the LED board, about power sockets and portable generators for huge halls like in expo. I met some new people and it was tiring yet enjoyable. I was glad to be given the privilege to serve in that area. Everyone is so dedicated that I feel a little ashamed I'm not giving that much.

My phone died a couple of times these few days, which sort of indicate to me that a change is in order. The good news is, my contract can be renewed and there's a new plan that costs about HALF of what I pay now with BETTER perks. I'm going to change my phone, I just need to find the time to go and do it! Thank you God for blessing me so much!

I'm back on my feet. I'm feeling great about life. Mum had her birthday yesterday, and although I wasn't there to celebrate with her, I know she had a great time. Dad bought her flowers... something she says is one of the happiest things that happened to her. I love them both!

Well, planning for concert means a lot of things to do. I unfortunately don't have a job yet as the honours year student I'm supposed to work with isn't back in Singapore yet. I'm thinking of finding another job, but it can't be long term either. Guess I'll just have to pray for wisdom on what to do.

See? There are so many things happening. I'm meeting some people from a startup company on Wednesday to discuss some bash plans. It may help us generate more income, but that'll have to be negotiated. Things are progressing, and I'm giving it my all to play my part!

Tags: EMERGE, Spiritual, Hunger, Singapore, Asian, Conference, Excellence, Bash

I'd always though Malaysia was a free country, even if not at the same level as Western nations. THIS however, made me start thinking it's probably not quite true. Hugging and kissing is now considered "disorderly behaviour" as it is not consistent with "Asian morals". While I could understand if this were so in more conservative places, this took place in Kuala Lumpur, supposedly the most educated and thus liberal of all states in Malaysia.

I personally think it's balderdash. I'm more inclined to believe that they were charged solely because they refused to fill the pockets of enforcement officers with a bribe. It's a first that people get charged and possibly face a RM2000 fine as well as a jail term simply for kissing and hugging in public. It's no wonder every other nation can't help but consider our laws draconian. The chief justice's defence of the mayor's decision was solely a hyberbole of the situation which did not relate to the case at all. His claim is simply that by allowing kissing and hugging in public, we are allowing anarchy. (Quoted from the article, "So, they should be given freedom to live as they like? The constitution allows all citizens to do that (hugging and kissing) even by the roadside, in a public park?") Hello? It's not anarchy to kiss and hug in public. If I went be the same logic, I think it's more logical to charge every single smoker who takes a puff in public. It's a health hazard to every other person, and since when was smoking "consistent with Asian morals"? It would save the government millions of ringgit on health care and anti-smoking campaigns. Did I mention also that just about everything we see on television is "not consistent with Asian morals"? Charge everyone for watching television please...

Who can say just when something is considered "disorderly" and "consistent with Asian values"? Simply put, "disorderly behaviour" can be defined as "anything the mayor deems he/she does not like". I don't like you laughing out loud like that, it's "disorderly behaviour". We as Asians should not laugh at people openly. You're fined RM2000, or you can pay me so I can close an eye. I saw you show the finger. That's "disorderly behaviour". I fine you RM2000. I heard you say the 'f' word. RM2000 fine for disorderly behaviour... pathetic...

I'm just exaggerating, but the fact that such an incident occurs just goes to show that there might be a problem with our justice system. It doesn't take a genius to know that we have taken a step back from progressing towards a mature, considerate and open society.

I fear the day where every single citizen has to have a 2 meter distance between every other person in public. I fear the day where even married couples cannot go out together because anything they might do together constitutes a violation of "Asian morals". Most of all, I fear the day where every member in society doesn't even CARE when things like this happen.

Tags: Public, Disorderly, Behaviour, Malaysia, Asian, Morals, Corruption, Fundamentalist

Beauty is a trait that is considered superficial, yet extremely important and sought after. It's something that everyone wants to be, but sometimes can lead to a negative downside. However, I truly believe that beauty, or at least the superficial, 'on the surface' kind, is very much in the eyes of the beholder. To bring this into perspective, allow me to be shallow for this once and talk about what guys look at when they see a girl.

Interestingly, when I asked some of my friends what is the first thing they notice in a girl, based solely on looks, the answer varies from the usual to the extremely weird (at least it's weird to me). For example, one of the things about a girl that a friend notices on first impression, is the legs. To me, that's a little weird. But that may be because to me, the most important physical aspect of a girl is her face. Even so, a girl I think is pretty may not be as pretty to someone else, because I guess all guys have different tastes, even when it's just comparing the face. Some prefer those who look 'cute', with big eyes and rounded features. Others like the sizzling hot ones who have sharp attractive features. Then there're those who look for the um... 'chest magnitude' or the 'rear end'... nothing wrong with that I guess, but... nevermind.

Since I look at the face, I'd like to discuss a little bit more about that part here. I think even if you choose to look at the face, one can have different ideas of 'attractiveness' (or have I mentioned that already?). To be more specific, I think the thing about a girl's face that attracts me the most, are the eyes. Don't ask me why, they just do. I've seen some girls who have really beautiful eyes, and I find them pretty attractive, but have most of my friends feel otherwise. Likewise, I've had experiences where my friends claim just how 'beautiful' this particular girl is, only to find that she's merely 'so-so' to me.

Have you ever heard the phrase that goes "There aren't any ugly girls, only poor or lazy ones."? Perhaps that phrase isn't entirely false. Make up does wonders... and girls won't pass up a chance to look good. There're a few good examples where a girl's before and after photo clearly shows how plastic surgery + make up can turn a truly 'hopeless' case into one worthy of a beauty magazine front cover. So make up can make you look much better. The PROBLEM arises when some people just don't know HOW to put on make up. Most end up putting on too much, resulting in what I dub "ICI", after the infamous ICI paint. They apply so much foundation, or whatever it is they put on their face, that I think they gain a couple of pounds after putting the make up on. I admit that it may not be an easy task, and I am NOT against make up. I just know that make up can make a girl look REALLY good, and it can make a girl look really bad too.

Anyway, before I get beaten up, let me just state that the value of a girl is most definitely NOT solely in her looks. This post merely states an observatory phenomenon which is, granted, superficial. I do not judge a girl solely by her looks, since I understand also that not all pretty girls have good character. Beauty, I believe, creates only the first impression which may or may not trigger an interest to know a girl's character... at least that's what it is to me.

So, to conclude, this little attachment is an example of a girl I might consider really attractive. Not everyone will feel the same way I suppose, but that's just because I have different taste.

Tags: Beauty, Hot, Pretty, Attractive, Girls, Make up

As promised, here are the pictures so that everyone can enjoy. The first few were taken underwater and are pretty cool. I learned how to open my eyes underwater just for these shots (well, one of them anyway).

 Me getting up close and personal with a sea anemone
 Batman underwater!
 Christmas Trees up close
 Group Photo!

Edit: I couldn't post more because it seems I can upload a maximum of four photos per post... So I guess for now this will be the only four I put up. You don't want to see the rest anyway... at least not any that has me in it... ^_^

Sometimes, things just seem never to go your way. No sooner have I decided to be positive, I get another slap...

Either God is testing me or I was never meant to get out of my melancholy... and I've decided it's the former. So I'll keep being positive, keep being strong (as much as I can), and keep on keeping on.

Nothing much to post, except I probably start work next week. Nonlinear inversion is really interesting, sometimes something simple can be extremely complex at the same time. Read it up if you want to.

So far, I've caught MI:3, Da Vinci's Code and X-men 3, and I must say that all three aren't what I'd call blockbusters. They were solid enough so that it wasn't a total letdown, but they weren't as great as they were made out to be. I'd think X-men 3 was the best of the lot, giving closure to the trilogy. It somehow didn't seem right to me though, especially when it ended with so many deaths... Da Vinci's Code wasn't that bad, but seriously, go read the book if you want to do something interesting and save the money. I really felt they could've casted someone better other than Tom Hanks to play Robert Langdon, but I guess they could've done worse... MI:3 was somehow bland... don't ask me why, it just was...

Right, that's all I'm going to post now... frequency shouldn't increase probably till term starts...

I'm feeling a lot better today. Guess it does help to share sometimes... there's no real need to say a lot... thanks!

I've started to get things back on track. I'm hoping that this can be a productive period for me, and thankfully I've taken steps in that direction already. Concert is progressing quite ok so that's good news. Emerge is coming next week, and I'm really looking forward to it. After the prayer meeting today (talk about training spiritual stamina, i can't believe it was almost 2 hourse of non-stop praying in the spirit) I think my faith just got a whole lot stronger. The call to be prepared for the conference is about getting ourselves in tune with God as we prepare for Him to speak to us.

I'm looking forward to hearing a word from Him specifically for me.

There are surprisingly not that few people around in hall. Can get quite interesting around here...

I was asked if I wanted to go for a cruise... a nice one which lasts 2 weeks going to places I never dreamed of going. The price? RM5000+. That's no small amount, but considering it's a medditerreanian cruise and the price includes the flight to the port of embarkation and back, I think it's quite worth it. The problem is, I don't know if I'm free during that period, and I don't exactly foresee myself hanging out with my aunts and uncles who are going for it. Nothing wrong with them, but I really think that if I want to enjoy two weeks on a holiday like that, I'd prefer company that I can relate better with, and who have similar interests as I do...

I'm still looking for those Redang photos... Seriously need to post them up soon or I'll forget...

Things are certainly looking up.

I realise that I've been quite short tempered lately. I can credit it to the melancholic mood that I'm almost perpetually in now, but that wouldn't be very right. I guess everyone needs to learn more how not to blow their fuse.

No, I don't want to talk about it, or write about it. No, I prefer to leave everything that I put up to stay HERE. No, I rather you didn't ask me about anything regarding anything that I post. Sometimes I just want to unload and forget about it, and questioning me isn't helping.

This has got me utterly disgusted with myself. *slap* Wake up already! Start being more cheerful...

I guess sometimes some things just won't go away; You just pile up more and more things on it till it can't be seen, but it's there. It's always there, and when you push those other things aside it screams right in your face again. Such is life...

So just accept it and grow up!

I've been home for about a week, and as great as 'home' may seem, I still think there's something missing... although I think I've been able to grasp the edges of it lately.

Home is IMHO, the people. You go back to see your parents, friends, family members... and it means next to nothing if you fail to see these people. My own friends seem to have disappeared... or rather, most are not back from overseas yet. That leaves a huge gap between seeing my parents (which I've been spending time with everyday for the past one week) and... sleep. Not that I resent seeing them, but I do so want to see a whole host of other people too.

One other possible reason why things are the way they are is that it's simply not as practical to meet up with people anymore. Having moved to my current place (In KL, about RM2.50 away from Subang) it's quite expensive to travel down to Subang to meet people. That's one reason why I no longer have late night mamaks or games. That plus it takes about half an hour to actually GET to Subang just for a simple drink. (Inclusive of time waiting for the lift) I guess things have changed quite a bit.

The rest of the people studying around here are also having their exams at this point in time. It's not very nice to ask any of them out either. I've been away from church here for so long, most of the people I know are already somewhere else studying or working. I guess there's a huge gap in a lot of places this time around, one in which I don't know if it's possible to bridge.

I think that although I still call this place home, it's highly likely that after so many years away, the things which connect me to this place are getting eroded one by one. I still cherish the friendships and the people, but the place holds little significance anymore. My parents would be an important factor, but everyone else I know here may or may not choose to eventually settle down here, so unless they do, this place is just like any other place, with people I hardly know or connect with.

This is not a license to stay away from KL. I just feel that coming back here holds less and less significance each time simply because the things here have changed so much that it's about as new as every other thing.

Sadly, I'm counting the days until I go back to Singapore. Again, it's not the place that makes the difference, it's the people... and I certainly hope that there'll be people around when I go back.

I've been away the past few days and it's been great. My trip to Redang was eventful and very exciting. We were there a total of 3 days, but we only actually enjoyed two full days over there. We spent about one day and a half travelling there. Seems transport to that place would be good only if we fly.

Unfortunately, flight seems to be an option available only to those going to the Berjaya™ resort. We went to the Laguna™ resort instead. It was more a hassle to travel there, but the cool thing is that everything is covered, from the ferry ride, to our food. The food was good too. It was all buffet, three meals a day, and we really ate and ate.

The main attraction of Redang is probably the snorkeling. They had two sessions every day and we went as often as we could. We were of course eager to go see the underwater life up close and personal, and if lucky enough perhaps even see turtles or baby sharks. I wasn't that lucky, but some others were. I gave up on my life jacket and went without for most of the trip. The snorkel took a little getting used to, but it DID help me keep my face in the water longer. Still, I swallowed no small amount of sea water.

The result was that I had a superbly lobsterfied back. I won't complain though, since it was probably my own fault. In any case, for most of the trip, we had really good weather, so I'm thankful. I even remember the dismay some portrayed when it rained during breakfast. I believed it would stop in time, and it did.

We went for two open snorkeling sessions and one at the marine park. The marine park was interesting as it had an incredible amount of fish, which ate out of your hand. I managed to take a couple of photos underwater, and although they aren't perfect, are still worth noting. Unfortunately, I don't have them just yet, so I'll wait till I get my hands on them before I post them up!

The trip has come to an end, and exciting as it was, it's starting to wear thin. I admit I don't exactly have a lot to look forward to, but I haven't been having the best time of my life, although I do try to be positive about everything.

Guess I'll sign off here before this turns into a rant.

Tags: Redang, Snorkeling, Marine, Lobsterfied