Semestral Thank YouZZ

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

This semester, that is soon coming to an end, has been a real blessing to me thus far. There has been growth in every arena of my life, encapsulated by either physical, mental or even social boundaries. Who would've or even could've fathomed that the semester where some one my best friends were overseas would, on the contrary, pave the path to rediscovering the significance of the many others in my life.

As someone pious would say, an emphasis renewed their belief in God, such emphasis has most definitely fueled my passion to better serve the country. A renewed belief in understanding my obligations to the soil of my country which is given life by each and every Singaporean. After all, Singapore would not be Singapore without Singaporeans and the generations of collective memories manifested within their very minds, that weave together a nation.

To Jelvin, Patrick, Gwen, Sinyi, Wayening, Moses, JunKok, Luigi, Aini and Andrew, thank you for being such great pals throughout the entire semester. A special thank you to brudders Jelvin and Patrick for all the movies, suppers, study sessions. Let's give it a final push for the exams and then we'll all celebrate with the 'mics' in our hands.

To C.P. and A.Z.H, thank you for enduring all the running sessions with me and I apologize for not being able to make time sometimes due to commitments. But you know what guys, we are so going own that race. Just gotta put our hearts and minds into it. To the rest of the SGTians, night cycling was just a start. We are surely gonna do more stuff in the future... :)

To Huimin, thank you for believing in me and helping me out with the song. To those who read this blog: I'm going to be performing- Singing (Huimin playin the piano) at Yamaha Studio, Plaza Singapura on the 12th of Dec. Time Afternoon (TBC). Do come and listen, if you have the time to... :)

To Syaz, Aishah and Halim, I'm glad I finally caught up with you guys, though the circumstance under which we met was not the best of them all. We'll find time to meet up after my exams end.

To Larry and Qihao, little did I know that 1 year after attachment, we'll still be such good friends. Go figure. Qihao, I've heard of devilish plots where people wanna buy you fat ladies a.k.a. epi-centers for your 21st birthday... :)

To my regular bros, Waif, Pek, Caleb, Bong, Ash, PengYu, glad we could find time to meet up this season. Another 1.5 more years to go and we'll all be back doing what we like to do. Finally... :) Yes, Jr you are not forgotten. So how many baby Jrs are there already?? :)

Ok, I gotta get back to studying now. Nuclear physics is great fun. So is Philosophy. Film and Histoy. Maths. Singapore Studies. Yes you guessed it. Its called diversifying the brain. Hence the array of subjects.

Salute,

Loke

RefLecTioNs

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


The past few days have granted upon me a multitude of experiences that have, in many senses, fuelled my drive and will towards the betterment of the self and inductively society. Drive and will that render one, not as a mere node in the complex network of societal forces but as an individual with visionary ideas that stand adamant when fraught with calamities. Enough philosophy for now :)


Firstly, I attended the NUS Ministerial Forum yesterday, where MM Lee was the chief guest and speaker. I'm not going to raise any points that MM Lee made. Alternatively, I'll illustrate one of the various thoughts that crossed my mind: The foundations for Singapore's peace and prosperity were laid by our forefathers who had the mettle to overcome the odds. Of course, one may very well argue that the early forefathers had barely a tinge of nationalism embedded within them. Their primary life propagating principle was self-survival. An evolutionary instinct that rendered them to achieve and toil for more than they had ever expected themselves to be capable of. In my utopian frame of mind, I do believe that Singaporeans are well aware of time and culture that has elapsed. Yet I question, the very evolutionary instincts that dwell well within our modern day metropolis. Specifically, has the manifestation of material wealth and prosperity accentuated the same evolutionary instincts that made Singapore a sphere of prosperity? Accentuated them in ways that have fuelled materialism and in converse respect to our forefathers, rendered nationalism a function of the economy. In a sense, it culminates to the notion of home VS hotel. Which would you embrace?


I was compelled to write the post above not because of my presence at the forum but because one of my lectures today featured a short film that depicted the harsh and torturous life of the coolies in the olden days. The point to reflect upon is that our society, today, is not merely a function of great men. It is a splendid fabric, in the grand scheme of existence, which has been woven by every past Singaporean.


Lastly, I watched Julia and Julie with Jelvin. As a side point, the movie was awesome. I accord it a well deserved 4 out of 5 stars. My main takeaway from the movie was that life inevitably thrusts dilemmas and calamities upon you that, in many respects, pave the way for disillusionment and distrust. Yet, primary grounding principles that elicit the formation of any goal that you set for yourself should stay adamant. At the end of the day, you might not achieve what you initially set out to accomplish. However, a glance at the path taken that manifests efforts directed toward the goal will bring to light various path-inherent hurdles that were de-emphasized in the stride of the one who attempted to overcome the odds. The one who tried. As cliché as it may sound, many a time, the journey taken does supercede the goal to be achieved.

...aNgeLs BrOuGht me HeRe...

HaPpY NaTiOnaL DaY SiNgaPoRe.../ OuTiNgs/ NosTalGiA

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I forsee that this is going to be a relatively succinct summary of the events that have unfolded over the past few months...

HAPPY 44Th NATIONAL DAY SINGAPORE

First and foremost, I would like to wish my Singapore, my home, a Happy 44th Birthday. It might have been hard to fathom that a mere fishing village of yesterday could evolve into the modern day metropolis of today. A metropolis that has proven its value and worth in the international arena. A force to be reckoned with on all fronts be it the economy, the social and moral domain - (Asian Values Debate) and even the political arena with the ability to yield soft power many times its geographical limits.

As Rupert Emerson puts it, a nation consists of ‘a single people, traditionally fixed on a well-defined territory, speaking the same language and preferably a language all its own, possessing a distinctive culture, and shaped to a common mould by many generations of shared historical experience.’ We notice that this description limits us in defining Singapore as a nation at many different levels. For example, we do not share a common indigenous mother tongue even though English serves as our lingua franca (working/ vehicular) languange. Yet, as a nation, we share a common consciousness. A consciousness that is manifested when one feels the affinity towards a fellow Singaporean whilst overseas, far away from home. An awareness that this is the soil that we were born on and this is the soil upon which our hopes and aspirations lie, where our loved ones dwell. The soil that we are obliged and motivated to defend without question.

With the combined effort and aspirations of Singaporeans from all walks of life, I do believe that Singapore is going to prosper further and beyond. ONE PEOPLE, ONE NATION, ONE SINGAPORE.

The Singapore Pledge

We, the citizens of Singapore
Pledge ourselves as one united people
Regardless of race, language or religion
To build a democratic society
Based on justice and equality
So as to achieve happiness, prosperity
and progress for our nation


OuTiNgs

I've forged a number of new friendships during my stint at work and old friendships remain strong. Here is a summary of the various outings...


1. Dinner at a Chinese UOB restaurant

2. Felicia's Farewell Chalet

I was the one to do her hair... :)

3. Bowling Outing/ Mongolian Buffet

4. Zoo OuTing

1sT 3D MoViE ExPeriEnce/ AnDy'S Farewell

6. Geylang Dinner

Of course there were many other activities like LAN-ning at Illuma, playing board games at Mind Cafe, having supper at Newton Circus and so forth.


On a suller note, both of my best friends are overseas now student exchange. But, I guess, SEP is an experience worth living and I wish them all the best. Remember to post pics, u guys... Cheers.. ! :)

Looking forward to the National Day dinner tomorrow with some of my friends. School starts on Tuesday. I've gotten all the modules that I wanted and am more ready than ever to go full steam ahead. To end this post, here's a part of a song I sang togather with my friend.




Signing off,

Loke

We are Singapore, Singaporeans...

sPeCiaL SeMesTeR/ ReCoLLecTiOnS

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


I miss the inviting slope, the lushous greenery, the concrete jungle witholding homosapiens that I've forged new relationships with. The realm of my work, where everyday was a challenge posed upon me, by myself. The manifestation of a developmental arena, at least in my mind.


I'm doing Psychology for the special semester. It is a pretty interesting module that renders me to ponder upon the basic entities or the primary building blocks of the world that we live in today as perceived by our very senses. What you see, what you decipher and what is actually manifested may all be distinctly distant , yet intricately linked.


Although the module is inevitably heavy, I've had some time on my hands to catch up with people at work, meet up with friends who were about to disintegrate into mere memories :) and even make a trip down to the zoo.


Michael Jackson

To end this post, I would like to pay tribute to the ultimate king of pop, Michael Jackson. Although not initially a fan, I did some research on him after his demise. A musical child prodigy, a gifted singer, terrific dancer, the supreme pictorial representation of a star-studded entertainer. I am moved by his songs that carried various messages to the people of the world.

A bLaSt inTo tHe PasT

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


The last time I blogged seems like a mere memory now. Piled with tonnes of school work, with the drive and motivation to push beyond self-restricting thresholds, the love of singing, the love of running, the love of exerting myself physically, to understand that I have evicted all avenues of possible regret from my very being rendered the fabric of time short for me to do many a thing. However, now that time has granted me its hand, I shall finally update this blog with cobwebs.. :)

EXAMS

Exams this time around seemed anything but intimidating as compared to previous semesters. Continuous effort and study is the key to relieving the final crunch. There is only so much that a mind can absorb during a single study session. Hence, constant practice, recall and revision is uncomprehensibly crucial. Shall keep my fingers crossed for the inevitable results next week. I tried my best, and to God I leave the rest... :)

PHYSICS FRIENDS

Who would've thought that my Physics buddies would lay the foundations for such an educationally enriching yet fun term for me. Those Friday nights of drinking with Andy and sometimes Wendy, those lunches with Jelvin, those crazy conversations with Patrick, JunKok, Alex, Aini, Gwen, Shi Da, SinYi, LuiGi, Moses, Zara, Wei Ling and Jonathan were all memorable. Especially, the crazy K-box session that we had with the whole gang jumping up and down creating the atmosphere of a mini-club crossed together with an outrageous zoo with animals on a stampede. Thank you cool dudes and duddettes.. Hope to see you for more fun times ahead... :) Also, my new found friend Amelia, we really need to de-conflict our schedules to meet up more often.. :)

Regular Bros

How can I miss out the guys who always found time to meet up with me despite their hectic schedules and girlfriends... JieRen, WaiFu and Bong, you guys seriously rock. Look forward to more 'sandwich outings' and working with you guys in the near future... :)

IPPT

I took IPPT 11 times within a span of 3 weeks. In some ways it really aided my mental prowess and made my tool of thought alert to a greater extent than ever before. I guess the phrase a healthy body leads to a healthy mind does bear a great deal of truth as experienced by me. I have made it a point to take IPPT every Saturday. Other than your physical prowess, it also imparts the discipline of waking up early in the morning, of following a single physical regime aimed at expanding your very physical and mental thresholds.

WORK

It would be a cliche for me to say that I truly love the profession that I am in. And despite many a flaw that I ineveitably see, I believe that it is really my 'calling', where I belong and where I would choose to serve barring any event that would render me useless to the force. (Touch wood). My new colleages are great and old colleages remain close. Jill, Pamela, Daniel, Neville, Cpt Valerie, Cpt Alvin, Maj Cindy (and the list goes on) are people whose presence at work is nothing but a pleasure.

American Idol

My all time favourite idol is Danny Gokey. His rendition of 'You Are So Beautiful' by Joe Krocker was stunning and was undisputedly, what Simon termed as a vocal masterclass. Eventually, Kris won against Adam Lambart. He deserved the title in his own right. All in all, it was a great season and I'll miss each and every contestant in the top 13.


Phuket Trip

For many who didn't know, I took an extremely rushed, yet undoubtedly exciting trip to Phuket together with my Physics buddies Moses and LuiJi. A chronological order of key events as follows:

1. Last exam paper ended at 11am- took a cab down to the airport to catch a flight at 1pm

2. Day 1 in Phuket- Checked into youth hostel- Explored the nutorious Patong Beach

3. Day 2 in Phuket- Took an hour long speedboat ride to Phi Phi and Khai Island, Experienced snorkling

4. Day 3 in Phuket- Scaled a mountain to see the 'Great Buddha' due to hold its name in the Guiness Book of World Records, More shopping, watched Wolverine in a theatre

5. Flew off too Kuala Lumpur to visit the world famous Twin towers, Ate our hearts out and watched Star Trek.

Time To Come

As much of a journey through life this semester has been, the 'highly anticipated' exam results will be out next week. Hopefully, the hard work pays off. More outings with the special people around me, the constant drive and focus to push beyond my self-limiting boundaries, CDF essay, papers at work, IPPT and the practice of my singing and music all serve as entities of my summer plan.


...aNgeLs BrOuGhT Me HeRe...